Chapter Fifteen: Hunger; Disguises; Problems
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; is that going to be a problem?
Sasuke's lungs burned, and his limbs trembled with exertion. Gripping his sword, Sasuke listened intently – behind!
Sasuke swung his sword, his opponent grunting as they blocked Sasuke's attack. Although momentarily blind, Sasuke knew exactly where to duck and when to block.
Sakura lightly tapped him on the shoulder, and Sasuke jumped back – listening for the explosion of her poison bomb.
The bomb went off, but he heard her utter a curse, meaning her attack had missed. A branch to his left broke, and he turned to the noise with his sword raised—
But no, it was just Naruto.
"Fire blast!" Naruto muttered to Sasuke as he threw a weapon.
Sasuke's hands immediately began forming the seals for his fireball. This needs to be timed perfectly…
Trusting Naruto to complete his attack at the same time, Sasuke unleashed a great fireball from his mouth. The heat radiated for a moment before a gust of wind cascaded the warmth away from him.
Sasuke smirked at the sound of Kakashi's surprised shout.
"Boys!" Sakura yelled, causing them to jump away from what sounded like a dozen shuriken.
Sasuke landed somewhere near Sakura – grimacing in pain upon landing – and threw a shuriken where he believed Kakashi was crouching.
"Switch!" Kakashi yelled.
Sasuke ripped the blindfold off, immediately activating his Sharingan as he did so. Cursing, Naruto put on his blindfold. Kakashi attacked Naruto as he tied the blindfold, but Sasuke read the movements and already threw his kunai before Kakashi's weapons could even come near the blonde.
Sakura unleashed a series of stones toward Kakashi, each of them tipped with a paralysis poison, while Naruto and his clones cornered Kakashi – preventing the jōnin from escaping Sakura's attack.
Some of Naruto's kunai wildly missed their target, but it did the trick. Kakashi growled as he blocked the weapons and the stones. He's distracted; Sasuke looked at Sakura, and a wide grin split her face.
Absolutely! Her eyes said.
Panting, Sasuke started making the seals for his new favorite joint genjutsu. Sakura matched his movements in perfect sync. Kakashi made the mistake of looking over at his students.
He watched as Kakashi's eyes widened before he went pale. The man froze in place – Sasuke's double Sharingan was stronger than Kakashi's singular, allowing his and Sakura's genjutsu to go through – and Naruto rammed his fist into Kakashi's face.
Kakashi went down, but landed on his hands before flipping upright.
"Switch!" Kakashi yelled as he threw a kunai with a paper bomb at Naruto.
Naruto ripped off his blindfold in time to deflect the kunai back at Kakashi – who had substituted himself with a log.
Sakura growled softly as she wrapped her blindfold around her eyes, dancing away from Kakashi's attack on her and Sasuke. Sasuke blocked one kunai, and Naruto blasted the other weapons away with his Gale Palm.
The ground beneath them shook, and Naruto and Sasuke jumped away as the earth around Kakashi cracked and crumbled.
"Careful, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled breathlessly as he landed safely out of range from her jutsu.
"Sorry!" Sakura called back.
Kakashi leaped up into a tree, but Sasuke's lightning ball was already waiting for him. The branch exploded, and he thought he heard the jōnin shout.
When the debris cleared, Sasuke saw that their sensei had disappeared. Growling, Sasuke and Naruto jumped into formation with Sakura. He kept his eyes sharp, looking for a twitch or hint of the jōnin.
"Let me guess, he disappeared?" Sakura panted, grimacing as she reached down to the ground. "I don't feel him underground…"
Sasuke looked up with his Sharingan—
"Switch!" Kakashi yelled from somewhere.
"Hey, that's not fair and you know it!" Naruto yelled back even as Sasuke whipped his blindfold back over his eyes.
"Life's not fair!" Kakashi yelled, sounding a little too happy, as Sasuke was thrusted from his position.
Sasuke landed ungracefully on his knee, the hard land causing a sharp pain to shoot up his leg. He rose to his feet, sword raised as he blocked against Kakashi, who was pushing his full weight down with his weapon.
The alarm went off right then, and Kakashi immediately let up from his attack. Huffing, Sasuke took off the blindfold and sheathed his chokutō.
Kakashi was smiling down at Sasuke, his forehead protector already back over his Sharingan eye.
"Well done, team!" Kakashi praised, stepping back to look at his students.
Naruto and Sakura both collapsed where they stood, breathing heavily. Sasuke allowed himself the luxury of sitting down slowly, taking care of his leg.
"Now, now." Kakashi tutted. "We've only been fighting nonstop for two hours; surely you three should have better stamina than this!"
Sasuke shot the older man with a glare, who smiled so brightly that Sasuke feared he would go blind. Overhead Sasuke saw a hawk soar through the sky, and he momentarily felt jealous that the bird didn't have to use its legs.
"Yeah, Naruto." Sakura panted, wiping a stray strand of pink hair out of her face. "I thought you could fight all day and all night without getting tired?"
Naruto shot her a half-hearted glare. "Yeah, well, at least I did better than you did, Sakura-chan! You nearly killed Sasuke and me with your jutsu."
"At least I didn't get caught in Kakashi-sensei's trap earlier." Sakura teased.
Sasuke briefly smirked at the memory. About an hour ago, Naruto had been bragging about being immune to tricks and traps, even if he was blindfolded.
A second after his declaration, he found himself hanging upside down and covered in feathers.
"You pushed me into it!" Naruto exclaimed.
"I would never!" Sakura giggled.
Naruto responded by charging at Sakura. Snorting, Sasuke turned his attention to his leg. Ever since his injury, Sasuke had started wrapping a special bandage around it to prevent muscle strain. At some point during their training session, the bandages had come loose — which explained the pain he'd been feeling for the past half hour.
"Alright kiddos, I'm afraid I must leave you guys early." Kakashi said over the commotion, stepping away when Naruto and Sakura almost crashed into him.
"Okay sensei! Naruto, get off." Sakura said from somewhere behind.
Sasuke nodded his farewell to Kakashi as he rewrapped the bandage. An unasked question remained in the jōnin's face, and Sasuke rolled his eyes; Yes, sensei. I am fine.
"Not 'til you admit defeat!" Naruto exclaimed. "See you later, sensei!"
"Seriously! Get off! I'm going to be late!"
Kakashi chuckled, and disappeared in a whirl of leaves when Naruto suddenly yelped. Sasuke looked to see Sakura standing, while Naruto laid flat on his back. Sasuke rolled his eyes, having just enough self-control to prevent the amused smile forming on his lips.
"But Kakashi just left; please don't leave me alone with duck-butt! And! And this is the most I've seen you in days, you know!" Naruto complained as Sakura helped him up.
"I do know, but Naruto, we've talked about this: four days a week, my priority is to the hospital. I promise we'll resume training when I'm done." Sakura said as she began to re-braid her long hair.
"You've been so busy lately, though. I feel like we never get to see you anymore, and missions don't count." Naruto pouted, crossing his arms. "Teme, back me up here!"
Sasuke would agree that she'd been a lot busier lately, but given the progress she'd made in every area, he wasn't about to complain. Plus, Kakashi even started showing up on time, just so they could complete their daily missions and still have time for his intense training sessions afterwards. No; Sasuke wasn't about to do anything that could jeopardize that.
Naruto glared at Sasuke's silence.
"Yeah well, that's what happens when you have to do daily missions and training with you guys, plus weekly training with Kurenai-sensei, plus an internship at the hospital, and personal training in medical ninjutsu during the evenings." Sakura said, listing each one with a finger. "I barely have time to sleep these days!"
"Just don't overdo it, Sakura-chan." Naruto said.
"No, that's your job." Sakura chuckled before turning to Sasuke, who still sat on the grass. "Are you doing okay, Sasuke-kun? Is your leg feeling alright? Feeling faint?"
"I'm fine, Sakura." Sasuke told her, a little exasperated.
"Just checking!" Sakura said before waving. "I'll see you guys later."
"Learn lots at your internship!" Naruto called after her. Then to Sasuke, "Teme, wanna train m-oh, wait. Shoot. Never mind. I have somewhere to be… You gonna be okay by yourself?"
Sasuke shot him a glare.
"Did you seriously just ask me that?" Sasuke scoffed.
Ever since Sasuke passed out one time during a spar two weeks ago, both Naruto and Sakura had been annoyingly fretful over him. Even Kakashi acted like a mother-hen between trying to kill him with vigorous training sessions. Thankfully, Kiyoko-san never learned of the pain he occasionally felt in his right leg – or the random fainting episode – otherwise Sasuke wasn't sure he'd ever hear the end of it.
"Right, sorry." Naruto said sheepishly. "Have fun training!"
Sasuke watched Naruto bounce off, and got up to continue working on his swordsmanship. Despite the pause in training for recovery, Sasuke found he had improved leaps and bounds since April.
For the first time in a long time, Sasuke felt strong. In fact, Sasuke felt so certain of his progress, that he believed he might even be promoted to chūnin this time—
Wait. That's not the goal. Who cares about becoming chūnin?
Anyway; Sasuke believed that at the rate he was going, he may succeed in his goals sooner than he thought. He might even be ready to find Itachi in one year, rather than three. So long as he got his elder brother alone, he might be able to convince him to not use Tsukuyomi, or would be able to avoid it altogether. After the chūnin exams…
After the chūnin exams…
Sasuke stopped mid-swing. Will I even make it past the chūnin exams? Gulping, Sasuke continued his assault on the practice stump. In the past four lifetimes, the furthest I've ever gotten was the second day of the second exam. And that was when…
Sasuke gripped his sword, and purposefully sent lightning through his chokutō so that it chirped like a thousand birds.
"It won't happen again." Sasuke declared as he obliterated the stump in one fell swoop.
Sasuke was stronger this time. Sakura was stronger. Naruto won't get separated from them this time – Sasuke would make sure of it. I will succeed; I have to.
And then what?
Sasuke frowned at the suspiciously Naruto-sounding question. You succeed in getting to the third round of the chūnin exams and Orochimaru starts his siege. Then what? Will you really betray them?
Shaking his head, Sasuke turned his attention to a large chakra-infused tree. It wouldn't destroy as easily as a regular tree, and he needed to practice sending stronger lightning jutsu through his chokutō. He would be facing powerful opponents soon.
He raised his sword, gathered the chakra in his hand and—
What about Itachi?
A muscle in Sasuke's jaw twitched and he focused on distributing the gathered chakra through the metal – which would be much easier if he had a higher quality blade. The problem, of course, was the fact that the kind of metal he needed was on a legendary scale.
Perhaps Kiyoko-san has… The thought stopped in its tracks as he imagined her face. She'll want to see me in the third round. I know she would. Can I protect her and destroy Konoha at the same time?
Sasuke grimaced at the thought, and paused in slicing the tree in front of him. Somehow, he doubted she would even want him to help her if she knew his true intentions. She was too loyal to her village.
Shaking his head, Sasuke stepped backwards and set the shrieking blade before him. Raising it, Sasuke swung—
And what about finding Itachi? The thought returned with a vengeance, forcing Sasuke to stop before the blade touched the trunk.
Didn't you say you wanted to find him first? You can't do that if you've already destroyed the place that he sacrificed everything for. He's still alive; he'll care. You know he will.
Hissing in irritation, Sasuke deactivated the jutsu and sheathed his sword.
It was true that Sasuke wanted to find Itachi before destroying Konoha. But helping Orochimaru was the perfect opportunity; Sasuke would be a fool to turn that down. Sinking down into a low squat, Sasuke rubbed his temples.
Will Itachi forgive you?
A humorless laugh bubbled out of his lips. Rage replaced the laugh almost immediately, and with a yell Sasuke slammed his fist into the dirt beneath him.
"Oh, the irony." Sasuke muttered darkly, not moving his fist from the ground.
Do I even care if he forgives me? After everything he did to me? Although it's ultimately the Hokage's fault, he still… Sasuke lifted his hand from the dirt, surprised to see it bloody. Scowling, Sasuke wrapped up his knuckles; he'd clean it properly later.
Sakura could probably—
Sasuke immediately rose to his feet, forcing the thought out of his mind. His stomach growled; Food. I need food. Let's stop thinking about this and just get something to eat.
Now motivated by hunger, Sasuke began to make his way back to his apartment as quickly as possible. It was a pleasant June day, so he decided something cold and tart would be good – like the summer soup Kiyoko-san gave him yesterday. Jumping on rooftops as he went, Sasuke purposefully observed the village below – anything to keep himself distracted.
Women were chatting happily, children running around and laughing, and men were out selling and bartering. Civilians and ninja in casual dress roamed the streets with leisure, giving a genuine air of peace. Even one month ago, this very sight would have made him feel sick, but now?
Now, he felt… Not indifferent, exactly. But he didn't mind the sight, either. Maybe it was because of all the times Sakura and Naruto had dragged him into town, either to shop for weapons and scrolls, or to grab a bite to eat.
They desensitized me. Yeah; that's it.
A little flicker of doubt at his own thoughts began to bloom in his stomach – but he happened to glance down to see an interesting sight. Effectively distracted from his previous thoughts, he soundlessly moved to a tree nearby to watch what transpired below.
"I'm going to make you pay!" A ninja with dark clothing and a puppet tied to his back, growled. He sported a red spot on his cheek.
I know that ninja. What was his name again? Kan… something.
Three short kids stood shaking behind Naruto, who had a cocky grin on his face.
"I'd like to see you try." Naruto said.
"Hey, Kankuro, just let them go." Gaara's sister hissed. "What are you going to do if he shows up?"
"Don't worry, Temari." The boy said as he stepped forward to Naruto. "It's not going to last long enough."
Kankuro reached forward, and Naruto did a kick-combo – just like Sasuke had taught him – flinging Kankuro to the ground. Sasuke smirked; And that is why you shouldn't underestimate my teammates.
Kankuro got back up, his nostrils flaring and hands clenched. Knowing Naruto's maturity level, Sasuke jumped down and caught Kankuro's punch. The teenager's eyes widened, staring at his caught fist.
Sasuke glared at Kankuro, and tightened his grip. Kankuro winced slightly.
"Ah," Kankuro said as he pulled his hand away and flexed it. "Another guy who pisses me off…"
"Get lost." Sasuke told him, not breaking his glare.
"That's what I'd like to say to you." Sasuke heard Naruto mumble under his breath.
"Tch, I hate showoffs like you the most. I know I can take both of you on, right here, and right now." Kankuro said, taking his puppet off his back despite his sister's protests.
"Even with your friend here?" Sasuke asked, pointing to the tree behind him.
Kankuro looked confused for a moment, then became several shades paler.
"G-Gaara, hey." Kankuro said, immediately putting his puppet back on his back. "Listen, they started it and…"
"Shut up. Losing yourself in a fight; how pathetic." Sasuke heard Gaara say. "Why do you think we came to Konohagakure? You're an embarrassment."
Says the murderous psychopath who crushes people just because he feels like it, Sasuke thought to himself, suppressing a shudder at the memory of his third death. Gaara appeared next to Kankuro in a cloud of sand, and Kankuro immediately stepped away.
"Sorry to you guys." Gaara said to Sasuke, not sounding particularly apologetic. "It looks like we got here too early, but we didn't come here to play around."
Without thinking, Sasuke's posture changed to a protective stance so that he stood directly in front of Naruto and the three brats. Gaara's eyes narrowed. Behind him, Temari's eyes went wide, and stepped forward with her hands up. She opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, Naruto sauntered up next to Sasuke.
"You're here for the chūnin exams, right?" Naruto asked.
Sasuke resisted the urge to shoot an irritated look at Naruto. As it were, he knew better than to take his eyes off of someone as dangerous as Gaara. Gaara's eyes flicked to Naruto, something dangerous shifting behind his icy blue eyes.
"Welcome to Konohagakure." Naruto said, and Sasuke could hear the smile in his voice.
He's dead. I'm going to kill him. Sasuke pressed his lips together but didn't dare remove his glare on Gaara. Didn't the dobe know not to speak so friendly with people like Gaara? Was Naruto so oblivious that he couldn't see such an obviously dangerous person when they stood right in front of him?
Gaara continued to scowl at them before suddenly turning his back on them.
"Let's go." He said, already walking away.
Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried glances before following after their little brother. Little flecks of sand still floated around Gaara, and his siblings followed with space between themselves and him. Sasuke didn't take his eyes off of them until they were a safe distance away. Satisfied they no longer posed a threat, Sasuke turned to his idiot teammate.
However, before Sasuke could say a thing, Naruto had already turned to the kids behind him.
"Let me take a look at ya, brat." Naruto said, grabbing the short boy with spiky hair.
Upon closer inspection, they saw that he had a minor cut on his cheek and hand, and the boy looked up at Naruto with big, shiny, adoring eyes.
"Whoa. You guys are so cool!" he exclaimed, much to Naruto's obvious delight.
"Uh, Konohamaru, someone's going to freak out when they see blood on your face…" the boy with a sinus issue said before sniffing his nose.
"Huh?" Konohamaru touched his face, and screamed when he saw blood. "Ebisu is going to flip!"
"Maybe you should go see a doctor…" the little girl with orange hair said.
"No way! I don't want people to freak out over 'Hokage-sama's honorable grandson' getting injured." Konohamaru grimaced, using a mocking tone as he said the words.
"But Ebisu…" The other boy said, wiping his nose.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged looks, and knew instantly they thought of the same pink-haired kunoichi.
"I have a friend who could help, you know." Naruto said. "Someone discreet, and someone who can literally wipe that cut away."
The kids all looked at each other, and then back at Naruto.
"Sounds good to me!" Konohamaru exclaimed. "Let's go, gang."
The kids exchanged an awkward glance, leaving Konohamaru visibly confused.
"Sorry, Konohamaru." The little girl said. "But I can't miss any more school, or else I'll be grounded for life."
"Me too. Lunch break is almost over and if mom finds out I ditched class again, it won't be good." The other boy sniffed.
Konohamaru scowled, but nodded. As the kids said their goodbyes, Sasuke could feel someone watching them. Instantly on guard, Sasuke pulsed his chakra out in a casual warning. It wouldn't be enough for the kids to feel it, but he knew that whoever was watching them would get the message: Get lost.
"Alright Konohamaru and Sasuke, let's go!" Naruto exclaimed once Konohamaru's friends walked away.
Why does Naruto always assume I'll just go along with his plans? Sasuke wondered. However, with the hidden gazes, Sasuke felt compelled to go along. One could never be too cautious, after all.
Yes, because caution is the only reason you're going, a voice that sounded weirdly like Kakashi drawled in Sasuke's head. He chose to ignore it.
Konohamaru walked between Sasuke and Naruto, and Sasuke kept a close eye and ear on his surroundings, lest anything suspicious occurred. Unfortunately, the walk to the hospital was far from quiet, and Sasuke quickly regretted his decision to join.
"It was so cool!" Konohamaru was presently saying. "And did you see how mad he got when you kept disappearing and reappearing behind him? And that punch! That punch was so cool! Oh, and that kick combo thing you did at the end, too. You were so fast, nii-chan!"
"Hehe, yeah, I was pretty cool back there, wasn't I?" Naruto said, rubbing his nose bashfully.
"Sasuke was super cool too, the way he just appeared out of nowhere, and caught that guy's punch! Ha! Did you see his face when that happened? Serves that punk right!"
"Er, yeah. Sure." Naruto said, resting his hands behind his head.
"Man. I can't wait to become a ninja like you guys." Konohamaru grinned, resting his hands behind his head – an exact mimic of Naruto.
"I bet you'll be a good one." Naruto affirmed.
"You… you really think so?" Konohamaru asked, looking up at Naruto with wide eyes.
"I know so!" Naruto exclaimed. "Just you wait, you're going to grow up to be a super awesome, powerful ninja."
"Like my gramps, huh?" Konohamaru asked, deflating a bit.
"No, not like your gramps. You'll be super cool in your own way; trust me."
Konohamaru beamed at Naruto's words, and stood a little taller. They continued chatting – something about pranks, and Naruto's favorite one he used to use on the Hokage. Sasuke wasn't sure; he quit paying attention a while back. The large hospital came into view, and Naruto set his hand on Konohamaru's shoulder.
"Just act natural." Naruto said as Konohamaru transformed into a twelve-year-old boy with mousy gray hair and tired brown eyes.
Naruto lent him his kunai, so Konohamaru could check out his new appearance.
"Whoa! How'd you do that?" Konohamaru asked, his voice still that of an eight-year-old.
"Erm, maybe don't speak, either." Naruto said as he took the kunai back. "I placed you under a henge, but it'll only work if you don't give yourself away, got it?"
"Yes, nii-chan!" Konohamaru said, saluting the blonde.
Sasuke rolled his eyes, and the three made their way inside. The secretary saw Naruto and waved.
"Good afternoon, Naruto-san. Sakura-san is shadowing Kaede-sensei on the third floor today." she said.
"Is that the nice doctor, or the one with a stick up their butt?"
"The nice one." The girl giggled. "I think you might have a five-minute window to say hello, but that's all if you don't want your friend to get in trouble."
"Thanks, Emi!" Naruto grinned.
Sasuke and Konohamaru gave Naruto a questioning glance as they headed toward an elevator.
Naruto shrugged. "I visit Sakura at least once or twice a week, so I got to know the secretaries really well."
"Is she your…" Konohamaru asked, putting out his pinky with a grin.
The implication made Sasuke frown, though he wasn't sure why.
"Nah, it's nothing like that." Naruto shook his head as he went inside. "Hey teme, coming?"
Sasuke suppressed a grimace and went inside. If Naruto could go into an elevator without issues, then so could he. Naruto pressed a button, and Konohamaru kept looking around and grinning like an idiot.
Sasuke casually gripped the railing on the back wall, counting the numbers as they went up. Thankfully, no one seemed to notice the already pale youth exiting slightly paler when the elevator doors finally opened.
They stepped out into the long hallway, and Sasuke looked around. A few nurses were going in and out of rooms, but no Sakura. Konohamaru and Sasuke followed Naruto, and Sasuke occasionally glanced into hospital rooms for any signs of pink.
"Are you sure she got the correct floor?" Konohamaru asked just as a door opened to their right.
Sakura stepped out, nearly running into Naruto in the process. Naruto grabbed her shoulders to balance her, and she looked at him with wide eyes. An easy smile settled on her lips as she looked back and forth between her teammates.
"Naruto? Sasuke-kun? What are you guys doing here? Are you two alright? And who's this?"
Sakura looked over the boys with a critical eye, likely searching for an obvious injury. Her eyes narrowed down at Sasuke's wrapped hand, and looked back up with her eyebrow raised.
"Sasuke and I are fine." Naruto said, looking around. "Is there, uh, a private place we can all go to?"
Puzzled, Sakura nodded. "Follow me."
Sakura led them to an empty room down the hall, sliding the door open for them. Sunlight streamed into the room, highlighting the dust that floated in the air.
"What can I do for you?" Sakura asked once she closed the door.
"My friend just needs someone to heal them real fast." Naruto hitch-hiked his thumb to Konohamaru's henged form.
"You do realize there are plenty of medics you can take him to, right?" Sakura asked before turning to the kid. "Hello, my name is Sakura. What's your name?"
"Konohamaru!" he said with a wide smile, his cheeks tinting pink.
Taken aback by his voice, Sakura raised her eyebrows up at Naruto. Naruto released the henge, revealing Konohamaru.
"We didn't want anyone finding out that he got a minor injury cuz it might cause an international scandal." Naruto explained.
"International… scandal?" Sakura asked as she leaned down to inspect Konohamaru's face. "What happened?"
"Some Suna-nin attacked Konohamaru. Well, he was just trying to scare him a bit, but even a cut could maybe give us some problems since he's the old man's grandson, you know."
"Don't tell my gramps." Konohamaru said as Sakura healed the cut on his cheek.
"Someone should tell Hokage-sama." Sakura frowned as she healed the cut on the boy's hand. "Why are Suna-nin here?"
"They're here for the chūnin exams!" Naruto said as Sakura straightened.
Sakura blinked. "Already? Naruto, then you should definitely tell Hokage-sama. Even if Sunagakure is our ally, he should know that their ninja harassed a Konoha citizen while on official business, especially if that citizen is his grandson."
"But… why?" Konohamaru asked, shuffling his feet.
Sakura sighed, and began pacing. Sasuke narrowed his eyes; something seemed off with her. He couldn't quite place what it was though…
"Because they may be here for the chūnin exams, but they may also have hidden intentions. What kind of ninja goes to a foreign country and harasses a little child? Only a fool would purposefully draw blood from a foreign citizen in a foreign land! Only a fool, a coward, or…"
Sakura trailed off, allowing her words to hang in the air.
"You think maybe it was on purpose?" Naruto asked, following Sakura with his eyes as she strode.
Sakura stopped pacing, and turned to Naruto. "I'm saying we don't know what their true intentions are. Hokage-sama should hear what happened – especially if his own grandson was involved."
Naruto frowned, and said, "When you put it that way… Sorry bud, I think Sakura-chan might be right."
"Aw man." Konohamaru pouted.
"Don't worry, Konohamaru." Naruto said, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder to activate the henge. "I'll help you break the news to the old man."
Konohamaru frowned, but nodded.
"Thanks again, Sakura-chan. You're a real-life saver, you know! I'll catch up with you guys later." Naruto said as he and Konohamaru left.
The moment the door closed behind them Sasuke turned to Sakura. "What's wrong?"
Sakura blinked, and stared at Sasuke for a solid ten seconds before responding.
"Um… nothing? I mean, it's nothing. It's just…" Sakura sighed, and rubbed her forehead. "I stopped by my house before I came to the hospital and… well, let's just say I had a stressful conversation with my parents."
"I see." Sasuke responded thoughtfully; that explained why she seemed off. "I'll let you get back to work, then."
Sakura scoffed, rolling her eyes a little. "And leave you with an injured hand? I don't think so. Come here."
"Sakura, I'm fine—" Sasuke protested as she grabbed his hand.
She unwrapped the bandage and frowned at his hand. "Did you not use chakra to protect the surrounding tissue like Kakashi-sensei taught?"
Her hand glowed as she healed the wound, the cool chakra pleasant on his inflamed skin.
"Sasuke-kun?" She asked, flicking her eyes back to his.
"… No." Sasuke responded, looking away.
She dropped his hand, and stepped back.
"Are you… okay?" She asked hesitantly before quickly adding, "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I just, um…"
She trailed off, biting her lip.
"I… Don't wish to talk about it." Sasuke admitted, rubbing his newly healed knuckles.
"That's fair." She said with a nod. "I'll, uh, see you later? For training?"
Sasuke nodded, and she gave him a slight smile. Not entirely sure what he could say next, he left the hospital room.
How did she notice something was wrong? How does she always do that? Sasuke wondered as he walked down the stairs. Ever since their conversation back in April, she had been respectful of his boundaries but still never hesitated to ask if she noticed something was off.
Although Kakashi and Naruto didn't ask nearly as often, Sasuke could tell they also noticed whenever he felt off. He could tell they cared. Which was… Something. Annoying, perhaps?
Sasuke's stomach growled then; right… Food. I need food.
He went back to his apartment, moving quickly so that he wouldn't have time to think – not about his team, not about Orochimaru, not about Itachi…
Sasuke deactivated his traps once he arrived, going straight to the fridge for the soup. He briefly chuckled at Kiyoko-san's note before he took a spoonful, relishing the refreshing flavor.
Looking out the small window above the sink, he could just make out a few buildings. The sound of children's laughter drifted through the open window, catching his ear. If I help that old snake, a lot of this village will be destroyed. My team, even Kiyoko-san… Their homes will all be destroyed. Sasuke paused before taking another spoonful.
Do I… still want that?
Sasuke didn't have an answer, and kept eating.