Author's Note
Chapter two is here. Not much to say, but I really like this story.
Uploaded
04/17/2024
Legend below
"Hey there hun!" = Speech.
''Great, make a fool out of myself.'' = Thought.
Rated-M for language and mature themes, nudity, blood, violence and mentions of blood and gore, suicide and depression.
Chapter 2
To play matchmaker/Conflicted feelings
Kakashi had never moved so fast in his life, disappearing from his bedroom window barely dressed in black slacks and his ninja sandals, nothing but a white tank top on before he sped out from his house.
He'd slept in, and when he finally got the message to meet the Hokage at the designated time, he'd only three minutes left before he needed to be in her office.
Now, naturally when it came to showing up on time for anything, he was always fashionably late. If he was to arrive at seven in the morning, he'd leave his house by six thirty, make his way over to the graves of his dearly beloved teammates, mope about there for an hour or so, before passing by the bookstore to see if they had anything else in store that would interest him besides his usual every day read. After about half an hour there, then he'd meet up at wherever it was he needed to be.
Unfortunately, this time around he could not afford such a grave error, as Tsunade had threatened in the same message to personally burn his entire Icha-Icha collection and subsequently the bookstore he frequented if he was so much as a minute late to this meeting.
So color him surprised, when he got the message only a few minutes before he should've been knocking on her office door.
He might as well have left a sonic boom with how fast he sped across the rooftops of the hidden leaf. With only twenty seconds to spare, he landed just outside her office, knocking rapidly to gain her attention.
He couldn't be sure, but he swore she wore a smug shit eating grin, although he couldn't see her face as she was facing away from the window.
"Come in." She called out loud enough for her voice to be heard through the closed window. Kakashi quickly appeared before her, looking out of breath and half awake, not even properly dressed.
The man was sure something was up now, as the busty blond beauty before him was unable to keep a smug grin off of her face. He also noted with some actual concern that there were new bags underneath her eyes in which there hadn't been the last time he'd seen her. That meant that either she wasn't sleeping well, had been up way too late drinking, or was up late scheming something truly diabolical.
As seeing as she was grinning widely, he assumed that it must've been the third answer.
"Ah, Kakashi-Kun, right on time. I'm actually surprised." Tsunade said, amused.
Kakashi was definitely not amused. "Who the hell died? Why did you need me here so urgently?" He bit out shortly.
"Calm down, no one died." She quickly waved his concerns off. "I need your help, and you're the only one that can do it."
"You can't call me in here for sexual favors…" He muttered dryly.
The woman's face warmed, her eyes gaining a glint. "Funny joke, but I'm serious… However, I wouldn't mind…" She clarified, muttering that last half.
He seemed to miss that.
"It's about your student, tall dark and broody." She spoke, leveling her hands before her, resting her elbows on her desk. His eyes widened, assuming the worst immediately. But she waved him down. "No, it's not that. However, it's related to that. I've tracked down the source of our worries. The boy has few attachments to the village, right?"
"Yeah, unfortunately." Kakashi sighed.
"So, I've figured out a way to keep him locked down." She grinned menacingly.
Suddenly Kakashi felt worried for his student.
"You know his goal, his dream in life? The thing he spends every waking moment seemingly laser focused on?" She asked, knowing he'd know the answer.
Kakashi just looked at her like she was stupid.
"Answer the damn question or I'll rip your balls off with both my hands." She threatened with e level tone of voice. "At the same time."
That put the fear of Kami into the man, immediately straightening up. "Yes, I know his dream. He wants to become strong enough to enact vengeance on Itachi." He quickly explained, fearful for the continued safety of his twin jewels.
Thankfully she nodded, pleased with his answer and quick response. "Good boy Kakashi-Kun. Now then, what's his second goal?" She asked deviously, eyes glinting in the dim light of her office.
Kakashi swallowed thickly, preying that his balls survive their coming annihilation. He started sweating bullets, looking all around the room as if to find a clue.
Damnit!
He didn't know Sasuke had a second life goal?!
What the hell!
How had he missed that detail?!
Oh…
Right…
He wasn't the best Sensei around the block at first…
"Now now, knock that moping look off of your handsome face, it really doesn't suit you." Tsunade spoke up, glaring at him. "Forgetting the fact that you aren't even aware of your own student's dreams, I'll tell you what Naruto-Chan told me when she was twelve." She spoke, sitting a little straighter. "Sasuke told her his dreams once, apparently when you all were first introduced. Apparently she's the only one that remembered what the brat said that day, not even Sakura seems to remember."
"What did he say?" The cyclops asked, genuinely interested.
"His second goal in life is to restore the Uchiha clan. Not it's fame, nor it's pride or legendary status, but the clan itself." She explained dryly.
Kakashi's eyes widened, slowly coming to a realization.
He couldn't believe it!
He didn't think it true, especially after all this time!
"Wow… And here I was thinking he was into men…" He muttered dryly, scratching underneath his lone eye nervously. "Huh, that's a bit confusing. He's-"
"-never shown interest in Sakura or any of the other girls his age?" Tsunade finished.
"Yeah." He added.
"Which, with the knowledge I've procured earlier, has led me to one conclusion." She spoke, eyes regaining that dangerous glint. "He's into older, more experienced women." She declared.
The cyclops's eye widened in surprise, before he got into a serious thinking session. Tsunade wanted to clap in glee, seeing the man finally using that brain of his for something other than spying on all those women.
Kakashi crossed his arms, his expression serious. "He's not into girls his age, at least from what I've seen over the years. Actually, seeing as he's expressed no interest in woman at all, it's safe to say that he doesn't understand his preferences. However, we do know he doesn't like anyone his age, which leads me to believe his preferences may be based on actual important factors." He explained in that teacherly tone.
Tsunade nodded eagerly, urging him to continue.
"He wants to restore his clan, and the woman that will end up being responsible for all those children will have to be mature, experienced, and very strong. I'm sure he's thinking logically about the whole thing, which is why he's not interested in any of the girls his age, seeing as he can wipe the floor with any of them, even at unfair odds." He continued, eye narrowed in thought.
Tsunade stayed silent, letting him continue on his own.
"I'd assume that he's not interested in multiple women at the same time, but one woman that he can trust with all of his pain, the things expected of him, and his children, the future of the beginnings of a new Uchiha clan. This woman would need to be older than him, more experienced in all manners of life, and would need to be strong, maybe even stronger than him. She'd need to be able to defend herself, and stop at nothing to defend what was important to her."
"If I'm thinking about this correctly, he probably wants the exact opposite of what his own mother was. He wants someone that won't take no for an answer, someone who isn't afraid to crack some head's together to get things done if needed, someone who will stop at nothing to defend what's precious to them."
Finally he seemed to trail off, trying to figure out what those attributes in a woman would equal. There wasn't many that fit that very specific bill, that he knew of anyway.
He tried and tried, but he couldn't come up with anything.
"I-I'm not sure Tsunade-Sama, do you have any ideas?" He asked finally. He looked up, noticing her wild grin. "I'm guessing from that look that you have that you've already developed a scheme…" He added dryly, expression faltering.
"Oh I have. Your detective work just now has only served to confirm my decision. He'll need someone to level with, someone that's also been through a tough life, so that they can lean on each other. Honestly, he's the only kid I know that doesn't think with his dick. But, I don't blame him, he's messed up in the head from his past, I don't think he's matured like a typical person would. He's very likely coming at this situation with the most Nara-like logic I've seen, unconsciously sorting out any woman deemed not worthy to be the one responsible for restarting his clan. If it were anyone else, I'd be furious about that crazy line of thinking, but with him, it makes sense his mind has subconsciously done so for him."
"…"
"Anko." Tsunade said, voice level.
"Oh hell no!" Kakashi exclaimed, shutting her down immediately.
"Just think about it for a moment!" She snapped back.
"I am, and I think this is a terrible idea!"
"Why?!" She hissed back indignantly.
"Have you seen her, she's nuts! She'll eat him alive!" He snapped back.
"Exactly! That's what I think he needs! This is perfect!" Tsunade laughed maniacally. "She's strong, doesn't take no for an answer, and will definitely kill a man if it meant protecting whatever she cared for." She explained.
"I agree with your point, but there's no way he'll go for this!" Kakashi exclaimed, crossing his arms in an X.
"And that's why I need you here. You and me are going to play a little bit of matchmaker. If this all works out, we'll have two less problems to worry about." Tsunade sighed, leaning back in her chair.
"I can see about a hundred ways this will all go to shit if we mess this up…" Kakashi muttered, taking a seat before her reluctantly.
Tsunade waved his concerns off. "You worry too much, Kakashi-Kun…" She sighed. "Now, help me out here… and I'll make it worth your while." She added.
His expression faltered before he scoffed, crossing his arms. "Please, there's nothing you could offer me that'd even make me consider helping you with this crazy plan. I'm good on money and favors." He muttered confidently, looking up to face her.
His confidence quickly began wearing away at the smug look on her face, and that devious look in her eyes. "Well, if you agree to help me out with my little plan here, I'll allow you to take me out on a date." She explained slowly, making sure nothing about what she said could be misunderstood.
His eye widened slowly in surprise, studying her face as if waiting for the punchline to her joke she was playing on him.
When it never came his face warmed at the realization that she was being serious. If possible, her smug face turned downright devilish. "Oh, you're cute when you blush, Kakashi-Kun. I've never seen it before now, maybe that's why you keep that garish mask on all the time, to hide that handsome mug." She cooed evilly, her own cheeks warming slightly.
The scarecrow's eye widened, hand's immediately reaching up to touch his face.
His mask!
He'd completely forgotten to put it on this morning!
"Well… What do you say? Ka-ka-shi…?" She asked lowly, slowly dragging out his name. He glanced up to her, noticing her eyelids half lidded, her tone dipping into something more sensual.
He swallowed thickly, regretting the fact that he couldn't hide behind his mask.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?!
"Tsk, fine." He relented, seeing as he had no other option. That and, what kind of man would he be to turn down a date with the hottest most powerful woman within all of Konoha?
"Perfect…" She purred, before reaching down underneath her desk to pull out her crystal ball. "Now then, let's find your wayward student."
Kakashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Knowing him, he'll probably be either A, out training again, or B, he actually listened when I told him to take the day off and he's somewhere in town moping about…" He sighed, before finding himself glancing at her crystal ball. "I'm surprised you finally found out how to use that thing. Lord Third never explained it to anyone…" He admitted.
Tsunade sighed loudly, rolling her eyes. "Please, don't remind me. It took me months straight of messing with the damn thing before I found it out myself…" She groaned in irritation.
She placed her hands together in a stupidly simple hand seal, before an image and accompanying sound appeared from the ball.
Now, Kakashi had been expecting to see Sasuke either pestering others to train with him, moping about in his usual broody way, or maybe even out getting breakfast. The last one was a stretch, as he wasn't the social type, obviously.
Tsunade had similar thoughts, expecting to see her ninja in a training ground against her request/orders.
Neither were expecting what they seemingly stumbled upon…
The view cleared, giving them the live image of Kakashi's only male student, yet he was with someone else. And, that someone else just so happened to be the woman they both were scheming to get him together with…
"What are they doing…?" Kakashi asked, openly surprised. "Forget that, how does he even know her?" He ranted protectively, actually surprising the blond Hokage.
"Shhh! Quiet, we may not even have to do much here! They already know each other, this is perfect!" Tsunade waved off his concern.
"I highly doubt he knows her, he probably just met her. And she's drunk, he's probably just helping her home." Kakashi tried.
Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Would Sasuke even care to escort a woman home if they were drunk? He probably wouldn't give a damn, typically."
"What? So you're saying-"
"That there's something going on here!" Tsunade exclaimed with glee, eyes gaining a dangerous glint. However, her excitement only served to remind him how tired she looked, the woman probably powered by coffee and Chakra at this point…
They watched as Sasuke led her to her front door, before the youth man stopped. There was a little conversation between the two they both missed before now, but listened intently from that point on.
"Mitarashi." Anko suddenly spoke up, pulling his attention back to her.
"Pardon..?" He asked in question.
She grinned saucily, reaching out to grab him by the collar of his shirt. "My name is Anko Mitarashi, but you-" She clarified, pulling him in close.
The Uchiha's eyes shot open wide as she roughly pressed her lips to his, taking his breath away as her tongue easily broke past his weak surprised defense to raid his mouth. A surprised moan escaped his mouth, muffled by her own. He blinked rapidly, face blushing hotly as she bit his lips.
Finally she pulled away, a trail of saliva connecting the two's lips. She gave him her widest grin, deeply pleased by the reaction she'd managed to get out of him. "-can keep calling me Senpai." She finally finished.
Before he could even make a sound, she leaned in again, roughly pressing her lips to his repeatedly, before leaving a trial of purple kisses down his chin, to his neck where she left a bite mark.
His mouth opened in shock, the Uchiha doing his best impression of a fish, face on fire, eyes blazing red…
Anko laughed loudly, a genuine and sincere sound. "I'll see you later cutie, momma's gotta go sleep this headache off." She said before disappearing into her apartment.
Sasuke didn't move, standing starstruck at her front door, eyes wide and surprised. He raised a hand to his lips, unconsciously running his tongue over them as if to remind himself him of how she tasted. His lips had already swollen somewhat, the little hickey she'd left him not going away anytime soon.
He swallowed thickly, face catching fire. The image of her passionately kissing him forever burned into his mind via his accidental use of his Sharingan.
He vanished in an embraced swirl of leaves a moment later…
Kakashi's jaw was on the floor, lone eye twitching in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Never in all his years had he expected such a thing of his broody student.
As if not believing what he was seeing, he glanced up to Tsunade, as if to figure out if she knew this would happen. By her surprised face, she did not know.
"Well… Looks like our work is done… Kami, I need a drink…" Tsunade sighed, pleasantly surprised at the outcome. She reached down into her desk drawer, pulling out a bottle of sake.
She stopped suddenly when she felt Kakashi's hands on her own, stopping her entirely. She looked up, blinking tired eyes up at the famed Copy ninja.
"I think you need to go home and sleep, Hokage-Sama…" Kakashi sighed, hands gripping her own with a surprising level of concern.
The busty blond blinked at his words, trying to build up the strength to bite back, but couldn't. She'd been up all night in a string of late-nighters, and it had finally worn her down to the bone.
"Okay…" She sighed quietly, losing the strength to try and pour herself a drink.
"Go home, Hokage-Sama… Please, you need sleep." Kakashi urged.
She sighed, putting her drink away. "Fine…" Going to stand up. "But don't think you get to get out of that date. You'd better clear your plans for next week, otherwise I'll show you what these medically trained hands can do you your balls, and trust me, I won't hold back if you blow me off…" She threatened sweetly, offering him a grin that should've been a mix of adorable and sexy, but made his face turn white in fear.
He was definitely going out and buying as many alarms as needed to make sure he didn't forget!
His genitalia's continued existence depended on this!
He had no idea what was happening, this just didn't make sense.
All he'd been doing was being his usual self, trying his best to keep to himself as he meandered about on his day off. Tsunade-Sama would beat him into submission if he ignored her rules again and went to train on his mandatory day off.
He seemed not to notice how the thought unconsciously warmed his cheeks.
As he was, since he'd nothing to do, and anyone he knew in the village he knew only for training partners, there wasn't much he could do on said day off. It was that thought that had lead him to the restaurant/bar that morning, to try and distract himself.
How in the world he ended up having a deep conversation with the busty woman at said bar, having to escort her home which somehow ended up with an intense yet short make out session instigated by the hot woman, he'd no idea. He'd been so thoroughly shocked that he couldn't even respond to her, the first time or the second time.
He swallowed thickly, face burning despite his still outwardly remaining brooding expression.
He had no idea how to react to that.
What was he supposed to do?
Was he supposed to kiss her back?
Was he supposed to return the favor?
Would that be the incorrect response to take as someone in his position?
"Hn!" He grunted, brain hurting just thinking about it. He didn't have time to be getting distracted with…
With her…
Even if she was so distracting to look at…
He shook his head again. He needed to focus on the important things. He needed to get stronger, strong enough to avenge his clan, to kill his brother for what he'd done. He couldn't do that if he was messing around here in this village, taking days off to relax.
He didn't even know how to properly relax, at least, not until Naruto beat it into him.
He sighed, confused and more than anything, conflicted. He was so used to having people kiss up to him, brown nose around him and put on a charade to get into his good graces.
But…
But she was different. She didn't need him to get what she wanted, she didn't even care for his status as an Uchiha. That alone endeared her to him over anyone else.
More than that, she could relate to him on some level. She'd been used and abused, dragged into a terrible situation by someone she trusted with her all, and what did she get after all that? Only more abuse and neglect, being mistreated by everyone in the village because all they could see when they looked at her was a traitor.
He always told himself to not get involved, to keep to himself, that nothing mattered but his goals…
And that's how he felt, but…
When he saw her actively being mistreated by someone she'd never even met, all on the basis of her past, it made his blood boil. He couldn't stop himself from stepping in and fixing the situation. He had no intention of chasing after her romantically at the time, but he couldn't just stand by and watch as someone was abused, his Uchiha pride wouldn't allow it.
What happened after that was unexpected. He wasn't intending to be the big strong man that steps in to save the day, but she definitely went out of her way to make him feel like that while simultaneously letting him know she was the one in control.
He was so confused…
It made his head hurt.
"S-Sasuke-Sama…? Are you okay?"
Sasuke blinked out of his thoughts, realizing that he'd arrived at the hot springs, having apparently been standing at the front door staring holes into the receptionist woman behind the counter.
She was worried, he could see it in her eyes. He shook his head slightly, letting out a sigh.
Of course she looked worried, he'd been staring holes into her with that stoic cold hearted expression that was always on his face.
He should probably apologize.
"Yes, I'm fine. I apologize for leading you to think otherwise, Hanare-San." He responded curtly, perhaps a little too curtly. The brunette seemed to take his words in and accept them, but also realized that he was likely only apologizing to placate her worry. She was an older woman, likely in her forties by now, so she'd gained a rather great skill in reading people.
Hanare smiled sadly, not willing to prod him any further, seeing as he was going through something mentally long before he'd arrived at her spa.
"Of course, Sasuke-Sama." She nodded gently, a small smile on her face. He frequented her spa, always under the pretense of training. He'd train to become stronger, then heal his body in her spa after a long week of training.
But now, she wasn't so sure that was the case this time around. "The springs are empty this morning, so you have your pick of a bath." She added helpfully, speaking with a heavy sense of familiarity. "Would you like a massage this morning?" She asked in a quiet gentle manner, hands clasped together in front of her, as if knowing already what he was going to say.
Usually the young man would accept her offers when he was going through something or was deeply upset in some way. Today seemed like a special case compared to the last times, as he was far more lost in his own head than she'd ever seen him before.
The young man's shoulders slumped, his tension lightening at her offer. "I would, thank you." He sighed, moving past the desk and into the changing rooms.
The moment he was inside he slumped off his shirt, hands drifting to untie his belt and pants. It only took a few moments to undress, but he wrapped a towel around himself a moment later to conserve his modesty.
He set his clothes off on a table, knowing well that no one would touch his items while he was gone. A short walk later saw him stepping back out into the sunlight, the steam already filling the air from the beautiful and expansive natural hot springs. He breathed in the warm moist air, letting it sooth him as his mind was a sea of turbulent thoughts.
He chose the farthest and most isolated corner of the spring, whether by choice or instinct, it wasn't clear. The moment he was in the water, he set his towel off to the side for when he was to use it later.
He sighed as he sank into the water, sinking until it came to his chest. He leaned forward slightly, relaxing in the warmth of the water.
A moment later saw Hanare come outside, dressed in a conservative yet pretty bikini to preserve her modesty. In her arms were a gathering of items, a bottle of massage oil, a hot towel and a cold towel, and a cold glass of water, all on a tray. She set the tray down behind him before positioning herself behind the young man, resting on her knees.
"I can tell something is weighing on your mind, Sasuke-Sama." She said quietly, picking up the bottle to put a little bit of oil on her hands. The Uchiha sighed lowly as she began working on his shoulders, gently yet firmly working on the muscles around his shoulder-blades.
"Hnnn…" He grunted quietly, a little louder than he would've likely done had she not chosen that moment to press on a particularly tight knot. "I've just… it's nothing." He started, before cutting himself off.
She hummed in his ear, apparently disbelieving. "You aren't usually this pent up, Sasuke-Sama, so I know something important is troubling you." She said knowingly, placing a larger weight on a rough spot she just found. He held back a groan, happy that he'd decided to run here for the day.
His body was killing him before coming here…
He honestly wanted to say that he wished he had come here first, but he couldn't say that with one hundred percent certainty.
If he'd done so, it was likely he'd never have met Mitarashi-Senpai.
"Oh? So someone is on your mind." Hanare hummed gently behind him, her tone taking on an almost motherly knowing tone. He would've asked how she'd figured that out, but stopped when he realized his face has warmed considerably at the memory from not long ago.
He contemplated lying to her, but seeing as he was caught already, it would be a foolish effort. More then that, he was an Uchiha, and lying in such a position as his would bring shame upon his clan and upon him.
He sighed, lowering his head slightly.
Did he tell her?
Did he open his heart to her about his feelings, something he'd almost never done to anyone?
Were it anyone else, the answer would've been no…
However, he had a history with the woman behind him. He'd been going to her hot springs since he was twelve, just out of the academy as a freshly minted Genin. That was over four years ago now, and she treated him the same now as she did then. With a respectful tone and manner, a gentle nature befitting of a mature and wise woman old enough to be his mother, while it being completely genuine.
Never once had he gained the impression that she was digging for favors from him, or trying to get into his good graces due to his name and reputation as Konoha's Prince. She treated him in a way that no one else ever did, and for that he'd be eternally grateful to her.
But her manners in which she treated him, and the reasons behind why had eluded him for years. To that end, he'd asked her why she seemed to hold such a high respect for him, even before he first met her.
Her answer had been a little eye opening, and had made him view her in a far better light.
"When I was younger, not much older than you are now, I'd been forced into doing terrible things for my village. I had been a spy for Jōmae Village, forced into espionage and assassinations under direct command from my leader. Despite my… Dismay at becoming a ninja, my hands had been tied, and I was forced to work for my leader." She explained quietly, sitting beside him in the hot springs.
The younger Sasuke blinked in surprise, and out of all the things she could've said, that was definitely not what he was expecting.
Perhaps she expected him to grow fearful or skeptical of her after learning of her past as a ninja of an enemy village. But he didn't say anything, patiently listening to her explain her story.
Seeing the look that covered his face, his usual brooding expression soften into something more genuine made her feel special.
"Eventually I was caught stealing information from Konoha. It was… It was your mother who caught me at the time." She smiled sadly, gaze getting lost in the water. "I'm not sure why she spared me, perhaps she had known about my forced hand, but, she somehow convinced the Hokage to let me stay in Konoha if I told them everything I knew."
Sasuke was silent for a moment, before something she said a moment ago came back to his mind. "I thought you had said your leader had forced you into this work? What had stopped you from never returning from a mission, abandoning your village?" He asked seriously, his cold black eyes staring at her patiently awaiting her answer.
She smiled sadly, a forlorn expression crossing her face. "At the time, my little brother was being used as a chain to hold me down. If I'd ever left the village and run away, he'd kill him. Your Hokage, lord forth had sent his ninja there to investigate, but by the time they'd arrived, the leader had killed himself, alongside my brother. After that, I had nothing left to return to…" She trailed off quietly, a tear running down her cheek.
She looked as if she was about to start crying, but then she smiled, turning to face him once more. "Your mother offered me a place to stay, and a village to live in. I've been serving the Uchiha clan ever since. So, that's why you're so important to me. You're all I have left of the clan that took me in, and, I'd never be able to face your mother again if I left you now." She smiled genuinely.
"So, if you ever need someone to talk to, or a place to stay for the night, I'm always here." She offered gently, patting him on the head.
He remembered how much of a struggle it was to not shed a tear that night, his cold facade cracking underneath her loving words.
He glanced away from the water, pulling himself free from his memories. He turned to her, finding her smiling patiently at him, as if knowing he was contemplating telling her everything actively weighing on his mind. She felt grateful knowing that he had this much trust in her, knowing that he rarely spoke about personal matters with anyone.
He looked at her for a long moment, again getting lost in his thoughts. He turned away, staring at the reflection of himself in the water. A cold face stared back, long dark lines under cold black eyes, a face so similar to the one he hated that it upset him deeply. Although, if he was honest, the lines underneath his eyes were new.
"Is it… Is it wrong to pursue another dream while still focusing on the other?" He asked cryptically, eyes narrowed at his own reflection.
Hanare paused, not speaking as she contemplated his rather roundabout question. She knew what his dream what, his goal he was talking about. It was all he ever seemed focused on, to train to become strong enough to take revenge on the one responsible for killing his clan.
As for this hypothetical second dream, she wasn't quite sure. She had her theories, all based off of things he'd mentioned in passing over the years, but she wasn't quite sure.
However, as for the question posed, she supposed that it was possible to chase after two dreams at the same time.
"No, I'd say it's not. Having two dreams to work towards won't stop one from happening, but may only slow progress towards it. If you're content with the fact that you'll eventually achieve both while chasing both, then I see no reason that you should deny yourself that dream." She answered after a moment of thought.
He turned to her, staring at her with that same expression she always found hard to read. He blinked, glancing down as if repeating her words to himself in his head. He finally turned away, getting lost in the image of himself on the water's surface once more.
However, if she had to place the look in his eyes now, she'd say he looked relieved somewhat.
Seeing as he wasn't going to speak further on the topic, she went back to her massage. Eventually she finished, cleaning up her things before quietly leaving him be once more.
Just as she was about to reach the door, he said something. "Thank you…" The last Uchiha said quietly, likely not expecting her to pick it up. She didn't turn around, but she smiled to herself. She didn't say anything more, disappearing into the building.
Sasuke didn't move from his spot, head lost in thought. He hadn't come here for answers, only to clear his head, and yet he'd gained some.
What he did with those answers after the fact, remained to be seen…
Chapter
2
End
