"I see..so that's what's happened."

The journey back to the village was silent, not an audible sentence was uttered among the four shinobi as they leapt through the trees back to the village named after the green leaves that floated around their heads.

It had been a silent, unanimous decision for Fuu not to return to Takigakure right away, regardless that they were just beyond the border of the village. After a brief exchange of words, they'd decided that it would be best to bring Fuu back to Konoha and speak to the Hokage. After all, she was the original reason as to why they'd departed the village in the first place.

And there was no way that Sakura would let Fuu try to get back to her village by herself.

So, with their honorary guest, they stood in front of a completely sober Hokage, her honey eyes narrowed in thought.

"And this…Joryoku…you're sure he's dead?" Tsunade asked warily.

"All traces of his chakra were gone. I'd be able to tell if he was just masking it. He's gone." Sasuke stated.

Sakura glared down at the ground, realizing that Sasuke had been the first and only one to speak since they'd returned. Even Naruto had gone mute for a substantial amount of time, which was usually never the case. Then again, she couldn't blame him in the least bit.

Glancing out of the corner of her eyes, she took notice of Naruto's hardened blue eyes, his mouth taut in a straight line as he stood remotely close to Fuu, their arms almost touching.

Sakura knew that there was nothing romantic about Naruto's closeness to the turquoise-haired girl, and even if it were meant to be romantic, Naruto would have had to have an extremely profitable reason as to leave Hinata behind. No, this was an entirely different bond than romantic love..a bond that Sakura could only barely caress with her fingertips.

The bond of two jinchūriki, together in thoughts and feelings.

She'd seen it with Naruto and Gaara, and while she understood their bond on the surface, she knew that she and the others would never truly be able to understand their thoughts and feelings of a jinchūriki. After all, their original mission was to investigate the possible location of a jinchūriki and they'd found one alright…well… at least Sakura did.

But even so..

Sakura's hands curled into fists as her glare on the tile floors intensified, that smug smile of his flooding through her mind, that familiar rush of anger flooding her veins. It was like a drug…a dangerous and erratic drug that took control of her body and made her think irrational thoughts, thoughts of wanting to kick and punch that man until his face was completely dyed red. She wanted to breathe life back into his incinerated body just so she could send him back to hell. Then again, she should give that honor to Fuu.

"And you, Fuu was it?"

Said girl's eyes widened immediately, her head shooting upwards so that her eyes locked with Tsunade's. "H-Hai M'am!—Hokage-san—Hokage-sama.." she stuttered nervously, clenching her hands together down in front of her waist.

Tsunade's eyes closed, and she smiled softly. "There's no need for that, call me whatever you'd like."

Fuu looked down at the ground nervously. "Hai."

For the first time that day, Sakura felt her lips curl upwards into a small smile. Fuu was something alright.

"I'd like to have a word with you, if you don't mind." Tsunade said, her eyes sweeping over each shinobi in the room.

"Eh?" Fuu blinked, shock filling her features.

"You too, Sakura."

It was at that point that Sakura's head shot up, surprised to have heard her name.

"You boys may leave, or, if there's anything else you'd wish to tell me, you may do so afterwards." The Hokage said calmly, eyeing the boys pointedly.

After a few awkward seconds of silence, it was surprisingly Naruto who made the first move.

"Eh? What are you guys-" Naruto began.

"Let's go, Naruto." Sasuke said calmly, turning calmly towards the door.

Sakura watched him out of the corner of her eye as he walked past her, eyes closed, his attention completely diverted from hers. As he passed her, she could almost feel the warmth of his skin radiating onto hers, sending an uncomfortable flush throughout her body, her spirits settling to the soles of her feet.

Nothing? Not even a single word?

"Jeez, wonder why Baa-chan wanted to speak to only Sakura-chan and Fuu.." Naruto wondered out loud, leaning up against the wall, sighing aloud.

Sasuke's eyes were closed as he listened to Naruto's pointless babbling, confirming his beliefs that his friend was completely and utterly ignorant in every which way. It was obvious why the two of them weren't needed in the room, they hadn't been the ones who were taken and held captive. The Hokage would surely need explicit details, details that neither him nor Naruto had.

The thought still angered him down to his core.

"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"

Slowly, his eyes opened to the wall in front of him. Finding a fixated point to stare at, he began to do so, despite Naruto's voice that was deeply drenched with a certain all knowing vibe.

What did he know anyway? Sure, he was in a relationship of his own, but this was Naruto. Taking advice from a ramen-eating, way too happy idiot would be the last thing that he'd want to do.

"Who's to say that I am?" Sasuke replied, his monotone voice ringing out in the hall.

"Well," Naruto began, his voice remaining soft and steady. "You're still here, aren't you?"

Sasuke gritted his teeth, refusing to move from his spot against the wall. Failing to keep to his mantra, he turned brusquely towards Naruto, glaring into his pristine blue eyes.

"What are you-"

"It's like I told you back in the forest." Naruto interrupted him. "Sakura-chan isn't the same person you once knew. But then, you aren't either, are you?"

Sasuke's glare intensified as Naruto crossed his arms.

"As far as I'm concerned, the old Sasuke would've left here without a care in the world, satisfied that the mission was over, not even giving Sakura-chan a second thought-"

"Keep talking like that, and it's going to sound like you want to get romantically involved with her." Sasuke interrupted, his fists clenching together slowly, his glare murderous, his voice a velvet threat.

Naruto returned the glare. "What, are you crazy?!"

"Then why are you still here?" he spat out. "What could you possibly-"

He cut himself off then, a deep and sinking feeling settling into the pit of his stomach as his brain sparked to life.

Of course..that's why he was there.

Of course, Sakura wouldn't be the only reason why he continued to linger in the hall patiently.

It was that girl, the jinchūriki with the turquoise hair.

Sasuke looked into Naruto's eyes, and to his upmost surprise, he saw something…something that he once mistook in his own eyes for hatred..a lack of belonging.

But in reality, it was the opposite.

To be left all alone by everyone…to be misunderstood as a bewildered and wayward child among a population of fitted human beings staring down with judgmental eyes, those smoldering and suffocating eyes…

He knew all too well how it felt to be cast out, hell, even now the village seemed to want to have very little to do with him. Back then, everyone had looked at him with a strange look, labeling him with many names.

The Last Uchiha…The Boy Who Survived the Massacre…The Survivor…

All of his clan…his family…the people whom he'd belonged with…his kind…gone.

And Naruto, devoid of any love for his whole life…kept away entirely from his kind.

"Hehe."

Sasuke's attention instantly snapped away from his inner thoughts and towards the blonde jinchūriki before him, who had suddenly dropped his glare and exchanged it for a mocking smile.

"It sucks to know I'm right, huh?" Naruto giggled mockingly, sending Sasuke spiraling down into a sour mood.

To think that just a few seconds ago, he actually had a small form of pity for him.

"Who says you're right?" he replied tersely, going back to closing his eyes, only to open them again once the sound of a door opening rang out in the hall.

"Well, I'm off."

Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise as Naruto began to casually walk away from his spot on the wall, his arms crossed behind his head comfortably.

"So, what you've said was a lie?" Sasuke inquired, his brows knitted together in annoyance as the blonde idiot was suddenly acting out hypocrisy, leaving so suddenly. "Are you going to be so quick as to second guess yourself?"

Naruto halted his footsteps, turning his face to Sasuke for the last time.

His eyes were sparkling with an all knowing shimmer, an arrogant form of confidence beaming off of his body.

"jinchūriki have more diligence and strength than a whole village combined."

He vanished then, disappearing from sight.

Sasuke stood in his spot in silence, his body not knowing what to do or how to react.

"You did well. I'm proud of you."

The voice of the Hokage rang out in the hall, causing Sasuke to glance over his shoulder.

Her cheeks were flushed with what looked to be excitement and shock, her spring green eyes widened as she looked up at the Hokage, who's hand was placed on top of her head in an adoring manner. Her pink hair trailed down her shoulders like a waterfall, ending at a few inches below her shoulder blades. Her pink lips were spread only slightly, almost as if she wanted to say something, but was too elated to.

And soon he found his own lips spread, though nothing would escape them.

Lips that had been entangled with hers only twenty-four hours ago…

"The old Sasuke would've left here without a care in the world, satisfied that the mission was over, not even giving Sakura-chan a second thought…"

So, doing what he'd always known best, he walked away.

She watched him as he left, her voice catching in her throat as she tried to call out to him, failing to capture his attention yet again. A deep sadness began to drench her insides as he disappeared completely from her sight, leaving her crestfallen blanket wrapped tightly around her body.

Sasuke-kun…

"You know, he's really strange."

Sakura's mind instantly snapped out of her depressing thoughts and directed her attention towards the girl beside her, her new found friend.

"Strange huh?" Sakura laughed sadly. "What makes you say that?"

She felt a hand pat her shoulder sympathetically, a flash of amber eyes burrowing into hers.

"He clearly loves you."

Sakura felt her cheeks heat up rapidly, her eyes widening. She turned to Fuu, who was looking at Sakura with that same look of glitter that she'd gotten back in the cave, back when she'd had her chakra read, or rather, her love fortune.

"What are you-" Sakura began.

"I may have been blinded by that light," Fuu said, winking at her friend. "But I'm not that blind."

Sakura was speechless, blinking rapidly at her friend who looked down upon her with knowing eyes, eyes that apparently had seen the activity that Sakura thought had been blinded by the light, or so she thought.

Had Fuu really seen?

Sighing in defeat, Sakura dipped her head. "What, does Chomei have special eyes that can see through ultraviolet light?"

Fuu laughed. "Nope! But neither do I."

Sakura's heart dropped, her throat becoming dry. "So, what you're saying is-"

"You basically just told me everything I needed to know." Fuu finished for her, smiling.

A few minutes passed before Sakura could look up at her friend again, an embarrassed flush invading her body, making her uncomfortably hot.

"I shouldn't let you get away with this." Sakura joked. "What's your secret, huh?"

Draping an arm around Sakura's shoulder, Fuu winked at her. "Perks of being a jinchūriki!"

A/N: Hello there!

In honor of Sasuke's birthday..I present this chapter!

I'm a few weeks late, but the end of gaiden absolutely killed me. The headcanons that Sasuke pokes Sarada's forehead are true! AND HIS FACE OMGGG

Anyway...we're in the home stretch! Just a few chapters left..

And Happy Sasusaku Month! I wrote a one-shot on my tumblr called Cravings, so if you want, check it out! Sadly, I only had time to write one thing because I've been so busy..

Anyway, I'll see you guys next time! Love you to Konoha and back!