#sasusaku is so frustrating

[musesofchaos]

As a Sasusaku fan I agree with the statement that Sakulee should have been end game 

[pandoraimperatrix]

Beyond Love

SasuSaku | 3k w | Blank Period| Hurt/Comfort | Read on AO3

Beyond love This man comes to me Heartbreak did this He was made to believe That he should live without it All I know's what I see No change in this Visions born in the dreams Of a world left without it

She was the same. Painfully so. Gloriously so.

In their first stop, helping to build a well in a tiny village on the border of Land of Fire and Land of Rivers, she had befriended every single worker and their mothers. He had never eaten so well in his lonely travels as he did since she joined him.

While peasant wives and mothers avoided his scary figure – a far cry from the attention he used to receive when he was a teenager – they were always all too grateful to his charming companion. And after the good doctor fixed all sorts of health problems their children, husbands and elders may be suffering from; the village women were all too happy to spoil Sakura with delicious food since she didn’t take money.

As they sat there, under the shade of a tree sharing their meal, from his darkness he observed her. It was not for the first time, once upon a time a habit from childhood that he hated in himself, sprouted back to life as if the long winter of half a decade never happened.

Sakura, in soft greens and the loveliest of pinks, spring made flesh, even after two weeks on the road with him.

She caught his gaze, and for once, Sasuke did not avert his eyes, hoping that the heat on his face wasn’t so noticeable, and feeling quite human, quite inadequate.

Her smile so freely given, the warmth of her feelings so obvious. How did she do that? And why? After everything he had done to her… After everything he had put her through…

And how did she make it look so easy to keep moving forward, to just... just live?

His jealous heart ached, his cursed eyes lowered, because he knew, it didn’t matter how long he stared, that was a skill he would never master.

***

“I can’t love you, do you understand, Sakura?”

Her smile didn’t fade instantly, but her ramble died in midsentence suffocated by the soft ruffling of the trees surrounding them.

Sasuke stared down at her, cheeks paling, plump lower lip only giving the tiniest of quiver before she took a ragged breath, composing herself.

He had once heard that Tsunade hid her real face under a jutsu. Others judged her vain for that, Sasuke, on the other hand, understood the ingenuity behind it, especially now, that his own appearance reflected better the evil in his past, and he wondered… Was Sakura’s dull eyes and gash-like smile also artifice?

And if so… what was she hiding?

“There is someone else?” she finally answered with her own absurd question, her voice small, but firm.

Sasuke who, unlike her, had fought all his life to hide his burning emotions behind an stoic facade, lost his composure , what kind of laughable answer with an question was that?

“What?” He scoffed, his body moving on its own accord to face her, breaking into her personal space as if they were about to start exchanging blows “don’t be stupid.”

In that fleeting moment, anger and frustration bubbling under his skin, he couldn’t decide what was worse: did she understand the reason beneath his question? And if she did, didn’t she care? Was she mocking him? Or she simply didn’t understand, and her own question was genuine? And if she didn’t understand at all why was she with him? Why was she doing that to herself? Why was she letting him hurt her again?

She looked amused at his reaction, throwing him in deeper confusion.

What had this disastrous conversation had become?

He had meant well, he was just trying to warn her. Couldn’t she see it?

Someone else?

Ludicrous.

“Oh… I see,” she said simply and smiled again, this time reaching her eyes, that he kept staring at with his own perturbed frown and twitching insides. He had forgotten that since from when they were children, sometimes Sakura made him feel… uncomfortable. 

Sakura lowered her face, staring at her feet, Sasuke’s frown deepened holding back to what was about to come, what would have come if she made any sense. He felt a little sorry for calling her stupid, but it wasn’t in his nature to apologise (and Sakura was already fortunate enough to have been on in the receiving end of his voiced regret), and, on top of that, he was somewhat offended by her question.

Where the hell had that come from?

Did she really understand him so little?

“This is a mistake,” he finally blurted out rubbing his face with his hand and taking a vacillating step back.

“You invited me, Sasuke-kun,” now she sounded at least a little angry. With anger he could deal, he was not used to being on the receiving hand of hers, but still was something different from her latest mindboggling reaction and honestly insulting question.

“Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” his answer came fast, too fast and filled with frustration. She didn’t understand, nobody did. The dobe got close, but still missed the mark and Sakura…

Sakura was biting her lip, staring at him with glossy green eyes, and it occurred to him that something broken could be so beautiful.

“Forget it,” he said and turned his back to her suddenly desperate to move, not daring to look back, half fearing, half expecting that, for once, she would pick herself between the two of them, terrified and hopeful that she would leave.

But she stayed.

And Sasuke found out that, thanks to that, could breathe easier.

***

Sakura was shivering, and even in clear distress, she conjured images of flowers in his head, a late flowering cherry tree shaking under the power of a summer rainstorm.

How could someone be so annoying even when they were asleep?

Not only she had taken her sweet time washing in the stream – he couldn’t understand the need since she still smelled like strawberries to him – and laid obnoxiously far from the bonfire he had lit.

At least she hadn’t bothered trying to keep the first watch like she sometimes would despite his refusals, and sometimes she would try to keep him company, babbling half the night away until sleep made her start bobbing head on his shoulder.

A moan escaped from her lips and she shivered again, Sasuke sighed and rose from where he was sitting, he fell to one knee, not quite sure of what to do. Should he wake her? Scold her for lying in the cold?

Sakura fussed in her sleep. How could she sleep so heavily knowing he was there? How could she trust him? She rolled to her back, arm arching around her head, threads of pink hair falling on her pink lips. Sasuke gulped and pulled his poncho over his head before covering her with it. She latched on it so fast his heart raced fearing being caught, but she remained deep in dreams, now contently wrapped, face pressed on the dusty knit, still warm from his body.

Sasuke stretched his lonely hand to her rosy cheek, but retreated before touching her, he stood up, and when back to his place by the fire.

***

“Sakura, are you done?”

“Just a sec, Sasuke-kun!”

He crossed his arms and took a deep breath, half-delighted, half-regretting it when his nostrils filled with her sweet strawberry scent still hanging to his poncho.

The cadence of her voice reached him first surrounded by male voice. Annoyed, Sasuke turned around. She was coming towards him, but walking half-turned backwards still trading pleasantries and advises with the young master, son of the local nobleman of the village they had stopped to aid, this time separately, Sasuke had helped fixing a mill while Sakura was being interviewed by scholars interested in her medical work and first hand account of the war.

He could have called her out again, he could have done many other things, but he let her walk directly into him.

Her body wasn’t exactly soft, not with the kind of build she naturally had or the kind of life they lead, and still… Guilt and pleasure spread from the place on his chest where her hands rested radiating to his entire body, like fire in dry woods.

“Oof, sorry, Sasuke-kun,” blushing prettily, like she did most things, she didn’t push away immediately, and Sasuke, beyond his best efforts, lowered his face just slightly, like a sunflower obliged to face the sun.

And then, he remembered the other man, moving slightly to send a warning look over Sakura’s shoulder.

***

“I should buy a poncho, too,” he didn’t answer, just continued sharpening his sword by the fire. “Where did you get yours?”

“A family friend.”

“Oh,” he waited for the next question, it was almost funny watching her struggle to ask him that could be a sensitive topic.

Once upon a time, Sasuke hated when people prodded in his business, he still didn’t care for it in the slightest. Twelve years old Sakura was always asking him the most annoying and useless things. He had no idea why his favourite colour mattered so much back then. And he regrettably could remember some instances in which her interrogation inadvertently touched memories from his past leading to spikes of anger. Since not only some memories hurt because they were sad, but there was those he tried to keep buried in some sacred place inside him, because they were good and somehow hurt even worse for being of a life that didn’t belong to him anymore.

“Can I meet them?”

“To buy a poncho?”

Her eyes glittered reflecting the fire as a smile curved those pink lips.

“It isn’t fair that I keep using yours.”

He found out that he didn't mind Sakura meeting the Neko-baa, but hated the idea of her getting her own poncho, because that meant his would stop smelling like too sweet strawberries.

“I don’t mind.”

And for a moment he didn’t let his guilt sour the warm feeling bubbling in his chest as he watched her face morph in surprise and then elation.

“That’s very kind of you, Sasuke-kun.”

***

He was in a bad mood.

Which, to be fair, wasn’t nothing new.

Sakura was ignoring him, well, as much as she could manage considering it was her and it was him.

Usually, ignoring him when Sasuke was in a bad mood was the best call. He even appreciated that, after a month traveling together, Sakura picked his cues and learned to just leave him alone until he initiated interaction again. Usually with some non-verbal behaviour, he would sit next to her by the fire or do something nice like mending her clothes.

After that time he told her he could never love her and she didn’t leave, he even took money for his work only so he could buy her dango, he felt ridiculous the whole time, but it was still worth it.

But this time ignoring him wouldn’t work, it wouldn't work because he wasn’t just in a general bad mood because of the weather, or because of pain in his arm, or because of a rude villager, not even his night terrors and flashbacks were the reasons, no, he was in a terrible mood, because of her.

They took a boat to the Hidden Mist, the idea was keep going east, Sakura was excited, couldn’t stop talking about how she didn’t know a thing about the Far East and how much research she could do and learn.

Sasuke just wanted to leave the Land of Lightening, people still remembered his wrongdoings there and, although he damn well deserved whatever way someone might to try to get revenge on him, Sasuke wasn’t alone anymore.

And Sakura had nothing to do with his sins.

It was as if he knew a storm was coming. He woke up queasy again, seasick, he heard Sakura chatting with a cabin boy the night before, and that had put him in even a fouler mood that only eased a little when she probably noticed his annoyance and followed him down to the cargo hold (where they were sleeping) and offered to help.

He tried to refuse her, still deeply irritated that one: his body was failing him in such an embarrassing manner; two: she was chatting about his weakness carelessly to complete strangers.

“Sasuke-kun, don’t be childish, seasickness is very common, you’re acting it’s like a horrible character flaw,” she said rolling her eyes and sitting beside him on a heavy wooden trunk.

“Fine.”

He expected her to do something about his stomach, it was where he felt the discomfort after all. Sasuke didn’t expect Sakura to get so close, and he couldn’t help but flinch when her hands approached his face, but she didn’t look offended, just smiled, always so understanding, and then, the rough pads of her fingers pressed against the bones close to his ear canal, Sasuke held his breath, suppressing the misguided urge to close his eyes and lean in.

Green chakra glowed softly making her eyes gleam in the penumbra, the ringing in his ears, that Sasuke didn’t even notice that was driving him crazy stopped, and the sickening feeling in his stomach eased first a little, and then all at once.

“Better?”

Sasuke breathed in slowly, under the salt, the fishy sea smell... strawberries.

His lone hand floated on its own accord, and he watched as his forever blood stained fingers dared to touch the precious threads of pink hair from her eyes.

“Thank you.”

The words had barely left his lips when, from the cockpit, shouts and battle sounds broke.

Pirates attacked, and for a brief golden moment everything seemed to be perfect as she fought alongside him.

It didn’t matter how broken he was, she was the best mednin in the world, surpassing Tsunade, there was little she didn’t have a cure for, and for what there was no fixing, she accepted him for what he was, didn’t her? Had she not proved it time and time again? She wasn’t like Naruto, trying so hard to force him to go back to some brief idealized past… No, since the beginning, she had always offered to meet him where he was, he had been the one to use the last scrape of decency to deny her.

But now…

Of course he didn’t deserve her, of course she deserve so much better than him, but as they moved side by side, it felt right, it felt good.

And then, she took a blow that was for him.

Her heart, the one she had given to him, unrequested, undesired, undeserved, stopped.

Sasuke stood there, his past and future, it was always the same. It would be always the same.

In his despair, the chidori cracked in his hand, but before it could reach its destiny the black threads spread from her forehead through her chest, like his cursed mark in the past.

Green eyes reflected the dying thunderbolt in his hand as Sasuke turned his back on her and finished the fight, freeing the ship from the pirates and providing the crew with safe journey.

***

“Sasuke-kun?”

He had seen her wasting her already depleted chakra reserves healing crew members and even some of the captured pirates after the battle, he had said nothing, but he hadn’t need to.

“Sasuke-kun?” She called again, and he hated it, he hated the concern in her voice, hated the part of him that still was somewhat afraid that this was somehow an illusion, that the sort of miracles she pulled didn’t truly happen, and if they did, they didn’t happen to him and to the people he cared about. She died in the cockpit just moments ago, he had seen it, he had caused it. “Wait!” He stopped his brisk walk when her hand reached his arm. “Are you hurt?”

Sasuke scoffed.

“Sasuke-kun, you are shaking…”

“You are going back to Konoha.”

“What? But we are going Far East-“

“No,” he turned to face her and grabbed her by the shoulder; he would shake some reason into her if he had to. “We’re not going anywhere, Sakura. You are going to Konoha.”

Sakura’s face morphed from worried to dignified anger as she absorbed his words.

“No.”

“No?” He, repeated, contempt dripping from his voice.

“No,” she stood her ground, unafraid.

Sasuke took his hand off her, clenching it. How could she still be so unreasonable?

“Sakura-“

“No, Sasuke-kun, listen to me, because I will say it as many times as I need until it sinks into this thick skull of yours,” she sucked a breath in and stared hard into his mismatched eyes, “I love you,” Sasuke opened his mouth, he couldn’t believe she was starting that again.

“No,” she rose a finger, “don’t you interrupt me, I’m talking, I love you. And this isn’t a curse, I won’t die tomorrow out of the blue, there is not tragedy coming towards us. Also, this isn’t some silly babbling from a stupid genin that doesn’t know better. I love you. It’s a fact. You can doubt all you might, you can tell me to leave, to go back home and never see you again. You can run far beyond east, go on, use your rinnegan, open a portal to the moon it still will be true there that I love you. You can’t stop it. No one can.”

He didn’t speak after that, what could he say?

Sakura healed his wounds in silence, but before leaving to the cockpit again, she added:

“You said you can’t love me. Whatever, Sasuke-kun. If you truly believed that I don’t think you would have invited me to come with you, or would be so worked up over what happened in the fight. I won’t pressure you into anything, but when you feel like it, you know you can talk to me.”

She was about to be out of reach when he asked in a small voice:

“Don’t you get exhausted?”

Sakura turned to him.

“Of what?”

“Me.”

She smiled and walked back to him. Sasuke just stared, suddenly feeling exposed and raw despite being her the one to had exposed her heart for him to see and do what he might. Sakura touched his face, and Sasuke’s lids trembled shut, his last defence gone.

“I love you,” she said as if it was the easiest, most simple thing in the world.

We really wanna know Beyond love All I know is what I see and I can't live without this Could you ever believe beyond love?

----------------------------

Happy birthday to the birthday boy (Sasuke) and to the birthday girl (ME!)!!

This fic came through an epiphany, I’ve always understood Sasuke, we share more than a birthday, you see, but Sakura, Sakura was always hard to figure out. I was always very angry with Sasuke, shad real tears, honest. But I did get him and why he did the things he did. I could never fit in my brain why Sakura kept loving him though and then… I don’t need to understand. People don’t love “because”, love is beyond reason. And I’ve decided that I’d try to apply that to myself a little, but it is okay if I don’t always succeed. I’ve been just like Sasuke all my life, since birth one could say, p’untended, but I should be like Sakura too, and love myself, my Sasuke-self, beyond reason, beyond the C-PTSD, autism, ADHD and all the other brain fuckery.

Oh, and Beyond Love of one of my favourite bands in the world, Beach House, helped a lot to give body to the idea of this fic. I recommend not only Depression Cherry that got a little famous thanks to TikTok but all the other albums too, I’m really partial to Devotion and Bloom.

If you liked the fic and read the oversharing leave a comment, it will make my (birth)day!

[tamagosandesu]

What supposed to be a sketch of sasusaku became sasuke cause I'm frustrated like WHY IS IT SO HARD TO DRAW HIMM?????

[geekthefreakout]

So, I haven't read Boruto, but I've been watching a few episodes here and there and I have to say (with the disclaimer that I've not watched all of it and also don't know what is anime filler and what isn't)...

Kodachi (and I assume Kishimoto as well) do a great job of making the endgame couples make some more sense, ESPECIALLY Sasuke and Sakura.

When the Naruto epilogue first came out, I (like many others) was frustrated and baffled by Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. Sasuke had never shown interest in her, and Sakura honestly deserved better than Sasuke. I took less umbrage with Hinata and Naruto, but still felt that their relationship was less of an organic development and more of a compulsory heteronormativity thing. I didn't really care about the other couples, with the exception of Shikamaru and Temari (ShikaTema being the only ship that I felt had chemistry the whole time).

Watching Boruto, though? I get it now. Kodachi develops their relationships and shows why these people are together. I was never a SasuSaku person, but I LOVE their scenes together, and I love how they co-parent (when Sasuke is in town anyway lol). Sarada has so much of both of them in her (I generally like her more than Boruto). AND despite my fears, these developments did not come at the expense of Sakura's badassery.

(We can talk about how Sasuke gets nerfed on another post smh)

[uchiwife]

Ok guys, I need to talk to you about something!

Last year or so I had an idea for a time-travel fic with Kakasaku as the main pairing. I think this will sound familiar to some if you are or were on the Kakasaku discord because at the time I shared snippets and little teasers about this fic.

⇩

This is the first time I've written for this pairing. Although I adore them and consume a lot of Kakasaku fics, I've never written for them. Those who know my work will know that I write mainly Itasaku, Shisaku and occasionally Sasusaku.

The project is still in progress, albeit on hold, however, as I don't know when I'll be able to release this story, I first wanted to contextualize the idea and tell you a bit about it quickly and thus see if it's worth continuing to work on this fic in the future.

I was hoping to get some feedback, to see how the idea might be received. Although we writers write primarily for ourselves, I still find it interesting to have the opinion of my readers or future readers. If they like the idea, it's obvious that working on the story is all the more motivating, you know? And since it's my first time writing Kakasaku, I'm feeling a bit nervous.

So here's the general idea :

«  Kakashi and Sakura found themselves back in their younger selves for some reason. The Kakashi and Sakura of the future are in an established relationship so imagine their horror when they realize where they are.

To keep up appearances, Sakura plays Sasuke's fangirls (albeit a little more moderately) and Kakashi scowls and rolls his eyes at every "sasuke-kun, you're soooo sTrOnG. Sasuke-kun is so cuuuuute, isn't he kakashi-sEnsEi?" and he's like "adorable." but with a deadpan face, you know? It just amuses Sakura to be able to annoy Kakashi because in their future lives, he likes to annoy her and miss a few of his medical appointments so it's a kind of payback.

And of course there's the fact that they won't have their daily routines as long as they're stuck in their current bodies. Well, especially for Sakura, because although Kakashi is a notorious pervert and a kinky person, doing anything while she looks like a 12-year-old is off-limits to him, and what's even more frustrating is that of course he still loves her since it's Sakura's mind that's in her 12-year-old body. But to be honest, Sakura agrees that she's just as frustrated, and can't see herself engaging in lewd activities in her pre-teen body.

And what's worse, she's experiencing her first period for the second time. Much to Kakashi's amusement.🐺🌸 »

To conclude, here are two questions I was asked about this fic and my answer:

Q: “But of course they slip every now and then? Like hand holding. Or Kakashi putting a hand around her waist out of reflex. Or not patting her head but her cheek (for being *so cheeky*) and it raises some brows.”

⤷

A: “Oh totally! And when he realizes it, he's panicked, like: "Minor, minor, illegal. Off limits. Prison. 12 years. take your hand off." and Sakura's kind of annoyed that she can't have her good-night kiss. Especially since she's living with her parents at 12. Sometimes Sakura even forgets the "sensei" when she addresses kakashi, which frankly, coming from Sasuke, would be fine in the sense that he's so casual, but Sakura? Sweet, rule-abiding Sakura? Naaah. Especially if she calls him "Kashi"”

Q: “Would they try to change things you think!?”

⤷

A: “Well, at first, I think they'll be trying to find a way back home. They're so confused about being here, they think it's a bad idea. Not to mention that it's really no fun for Sakura to be a 12-year-old when her man could be arrested and thrown in jail if they're caught while he's having one of those slips. Like touching her in a very familiar and intimate way that goes beyond the teacher/student relationship.

You also have to bear in mind that they are in a period of peace in their own timeline. After fighting, suffering and losing comrades and friends, in the 4GNW, they've earned a well-deserved peace.

But if they get stuck for a while, I think Sakura will come up with the idea. Kakashi will be much more cautious. It's not that he's completely reticent, but he's been through so much that he fears the changes they might make could lead to results far worse than those of their original timeline.

So Sakura would have to warm him up to the idea, but ultimately I think he knows it might be worth the risk if it means avoiding tragic events. When you know so much about the future, it's dangerous, but knowing what's going to happen and letting it happen is perhaps worse. Some things are inevitable, some deaths too, and Sakura will probably blame herself. Kakashi will have more perspective on the situation. But they'll be relying on each other; all the while trying to make their relationship work; which is going to be complicated given the age that currently separates them. But knowing Sakura and her fierce love for her loved ones, she won't let Kakashi run away or question their relationship. After all, it's not their timeline. And they'll find a way to get back together.”

[daifukumochiin]

Summary: Sasuke's orderly life at elite Sairiumu Academy is disrupted by the arrival of Hinata, a timid transfer student whose obvious crush on him, a young man dedicated to his craft and his current relationship, stirs unease. (Initial SasuSaku with SasuHina endgame, modern Norse myth AU, high school, angst, romance, photography, postmodern-ish fic). Rated T

LIGHTS,

BOWS, and

MISTLETOES

an entry for SasuHina Month 2024, Day 27 : Forget and Remember

(for peachy-hina, since December)

ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14369143/1/Lights-Bows-and-Mistletoes

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57030778

Part 1: Lights

go to Chapter List>

viii

Northernness. 

In Surprised by Joy, C.S. Lewis called that instant among a few which he met while reading the opening lines to "Tegner’s Drapa"–

–immediately lifting him into huge regions of the northern sky, and desiring intensely something that couldn’t be described, “except that it is cold, spacious, severe, pale, and remote.”

Sasuke had it all figured out during his presentation: the longing for an unattainable, imaginary world; an unsatisfied desire more desirable than any other satisfaction. The “cold, spacious, severe, pale, and remote” in Konoha. He had the color schemes prepared, the mood boards where the rest could take inspiration—he had the full vision.

But, a thing about artistic vision is how it would often only truly show itself in the mind of one, akin to a prophet's commission destined to be shared with a skeptical crowd. Once the candle is lit—the vision spoken, its flame cast upon awaiting wicks—is either one of two outcomes: an empowered mob, or a frustrated artist.

Sasuke stood in the darkened room, the glow of his presentation casting long shadows between him and the rest of the club. The pause hung heavy in the air, their bleary irises reflecting the projected screen, dull and unmoved. He burned with a fierce, solitary flame, yet the rest couldn’t catch fire.

Unease settled at the basement of his gut, lounging there, and crossed its legs. His fingers, clutching the wireless clicker, felt cold and alien, as if they no longer belonged to him. He loosened his tie and signaled for the lights to be switched back on.

“Questions?” Sasuke reached for his water flask. Funny, he thought as he took a sip, how it gave an impression of offering himself to a hoard of wild beasts ready to pounce without due reverence whatsoever. 

Click. Click. Click—their responses registered as a monotonous clicking noise in his mind; all clicks and no illumination. Barely a single one had lights flashing off in their imagination, their cranial apertures set to f/22 with shutter speeds at 1/1000, and their ISO sensitivity low. 

He took a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. Creation is a brutal endeavor: fail to hold the fort—the sense of preservation toward the vision—and he’ll be torn to pieces; fall short of winning the Kage Jin and it would be his fall to take alone. 

"Fine," he exhaled. "I'll take you on. One. By. One." 

In the months that would follow, he’d find himself worn thin, hunched over his desk, eyes bloodshot and fingers sore from endless editing as he pushed forward with the vision singularly, just to fill in the gaps, and somewhere down that road, his natural demise. But even then, all he could really think about was winning the Kage Jin.

Last weekend, my friends and I couldn't enjoy our usual club because the DJ changed, and the vibe was off. We went bar hopping all night, but none of the places felt right. Is that it?

“Somewhat.” 

So-so. Kinda. 

At first, Sasuke had more patience. 

Who could blame Sasuke's club members for all their privilege? Northernness to Sasuke lies on the other side of the fence that is winning the Kage Jin whereas to them, photography is just a hobby and the club is for extracurricular credits. They didn’t have fathers who threatened to disown them or shatter their equipment should they choose to pursue photography professionally after high school. 

“How’s everything so far?” Neji asked during brunch at the school’s dining hall. His uni exams weren't until November, so Sasuke understood that when he was invited to join Neji for meals, it was purely a club matter.

“The theme was decided last week,” Sasuke replied, forking a pea.

“Oh, really? What is it?”

“Northernness. C.S. Lewis…” As he spoke, he closely watched Neji’s subtle reactions.

Neji paused from slicing his steak, considering. “Interesting. Though spare me the details. The theme is only as strong as its execution.”

Sasuke nodded. “We’ve had a few meetings since then and I’ve already set up teams for various assignments.”

“Good,” commended Neji. “I was introduced to a gallery chain owner from Hoshigakure the other day. I think he’ll find you interesting, so I’ve set up a meeting this weekend.”

“What time?”

“Sunday afternoon. Just clear it out. It’s a party attended by other patrons of art. Get Sakura to join you.”

“I think she’ll be busy with the Student Council.”

“I’ll just call you then.”

When he had been at the end of his rope, it was Neji who offered an extension. Parties and meeting new people were his least favorite things to do on a weekend, but Neji taught him networking was important if he were to make his future decisions right.

2. Isn't it too vague? How are we gonna incorporate pictures from the archives if you're hellbent on following a theme?

Sasuke carefully laid with gloved hands a set of old pictures that he had taken out from the archives on the light table where a few selected members gathered around.

“I’m thinking of a sub-collection that draws inspiration from these events,” said Sasuke. “The history, the pioneering spirit, a deep-seated longing for the extraordinary, and the pursuit of awe and wonder transcending the mundane—we’re bringing these essences into the present.”

“But how are we supposed to do that without just copying old pictures?” asked Kiba, a sophomore from another class.

Sasuke’s eyes narrowed slightly. “We’re not copying. We’re reinterpreting. Look”—he tapped his finger on a photo—“What’s being built here?”

“The subway?”

“Ah, is that the Hashirama Bridge?!” Another member, Ino, pointed gleefully at a different photo.

The rest followed her excitement as they identified other notable structures in Metro Konoha during their earliest stages. 

“Think about the vision and effort that went into these structures,” said Sasuke. “Find modern equivalents or create scenes that evoke the same sense of achievement and significance. Reign in that energy visually.”

Then Kiba raised his hand. “The city’s expanding the subway and construction is currently going on. That might be a good place to start. The only problem we’d have is if it’s gonna be okay. Some places might need permits or things like that.”

“Leave that to me,” replied Sasuke. “I’ll contact Neji whenever.”

Days later Neji invited him again to brunch.

“The assignment you gave Inuzuka and his team was interesting. When I told grandfather, he insisted he’d have more stories to tell about how things were back then.” Neji chuckled and wiped his mouth with a table napkin.

Sasuke couldn’t swallow the partridge, so he had to down it with water first. “About that… I’ve decided I won’t be using their shots.”

“I see,” said Neji. “It was that bad, huh?”

“Well… not really.”

“Just say it as is. No one’s gonna hear about it. And I doubt anyone would fault you even if they did. You’re aiming to win, aren't you?”

3. So… wintry vibes? How the heck does that work? Konoha's vibe is just not it.

There are plenty of ways to capture the cold and remote right out the warm, sunny corners of Metro Konoha: early mornings; late nights; foggy mists; the bay after rainy afternoons; excerpts of nostalgia that could be replicated in the studio, and the lights manipulated among a plethora of non-CGI tools they could use for effects.

Determined to prove his point to the rest of the cynical lot, he rode the train to school at 4:30 AM and scoured the campus for interesting shots. Looking up from the school grounds, the silhouette of birds flitting among the intricate details of the roofline, gave him the idea to venture up to the school rooftop for a closer look.

He passed through Omni Glow Hall, one of Sairiumu’s oldest buildings, up a flight of stairs, and entered a dim, musty corridor lined with aged wood and old leather book covers. The air ran thick with the stench of persistent grime that no amount of upkeep could completely remove. To get to the rooftop, he pushed through an ancient twin door, gripping slightly on the coarse brass handles with grotesques set on their swirled parts. Despite their age and infrequent use, the well-oiled hinges moved smoothly. A gust of wind greeted Sasuke's face, followed by the sound of flapping wings, a sound one too many. He nearly snapped a photo by what he saw, his breath caught and his forefinger twitching on the shutter button, overwhelmed by the impulse to capture the scene and yet withholding from that desire.

Hinata Hyuuga stood on the rooftop with a lost look in her eyes, her hand extended as mourning doves gathered to feed from it. They surrounded her, from her head to foot—a swirling flock—which, while to an onlooker might seem ominous, a whirlpool of unknown diseases, didn't trouble her—not even batting an eyelash.

When she noticed Sasuke standing there, her eyes widened slightly before she quickly lowered her gaze, a soft blush tinting her cheeks. Her fingers trembled just a bit as she tried to keep her hand steady for the doves.

“G-good morning…” she stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. As she made a small, nervous bow with her head, the doves fluttered briefly and then perched back not long after.

“Good morning,” he replied with measured calm. He wasn't about to be found out. Some guilt; partly something else.

“What are you doing here?”

“Just looking around." He slipped his hands into his pockets and let his gaze drift to a random spot in the skyline. "What about you?”

“Feeding the birds… as you can see.”

“Right… Do you mind if I take a picture?”

“O-of the birds?” The sun was barely out and he could hardly see the expression she was making.

“Of the birds.”

“Oh. Go ahead… They're too occupied to care.”

Sasuke clicked the camera. Adjusted the center. Clicked again. Adjusted. Clicked a third time. True to Hinata’s words, the birds remained unbothered, even with the flash.

While scanning the shots he took, he said out of nowhere: “Thanks to the Norse myth book you left the other day, I’ve figured out what the club’s going to do for this year’s Inuwashi.”

“Inuwashi?”

“The club’s yearly publication. It's a candidate for the Kage-Jin—”

Sasuke fell silent for a moment, leaving Hinata waiting for him to continue. He wondered what she thought about the theme, about Northernness. If she would intuitively comprehend what he wanted; if she'd asked the right questions; if her pictures would enthrall him unexpectedly like her qualifying exhibition entry...

When he didn’t speak, Hinata asked, “Do you like it here? Are you having a pleasant time?"

Sasuke snapped out of his trance and took a few more shots, adjusting the camera settings with a practiced hand. “About the club or Sairiumu in general? I haven’t thought about it. Don’t ask weird questions.” As he spoke, he tilted the camera slightly, capturing a subtle glimpse of the top of Hinata’s head in the shot.

“Stay away from mistletoes,” she said.

Sasuke raised a brow at her odd statement. “What about them?”

“They’re bad for you.”

Sasuke smirked. No wonder Neji said all those things about her—he finally understood: she's a Norse myth otaku. This explains the disturbing things she had said and done to him so far. A tinge of relief swept over him now knowing that she's just this kind of crazy, who just thought that maybe, maybe he's—

“Like Baldur?" He could almost laugh, but he couldn't risk looking uncool. "Getting too much into Norse myth is bad for you,” he said, smiling crookedly as he turned to leave.

Hardly anything about him is like Baldur.

4. C.S. Lewis? Wasn’t he prehistoric? Wouldn’t that be too outdated and out of touch?

She’s just… She’s just so,

Has anyone in the studio met someone like her before?

Who in their right mind would think that? Norse myth? And they say C.S. Lewis is prehistoric.

While it couldn’t be denied that he has a beautiful face and a goodly overall appearance—which brought him trouble that could last a lifetime—but, had he been anything like Baldur—the Norse god of light and radiance, joy and purity, peace and forgiveness—he would've just dismissed the uninspiring submissions of his club members with a smile. He'd put in a kind word and tell them to try again. 

But Sasuke? He huffed and bristled like a mad horse and his dissatisfaction towards his members only grew.

“I apologize for that. You caught me at a bad time.” Sasuke rubbed his forehead, feeling the tension building up. One of the very few freshmen he had allowed to work on Inuwashi was just leaving his office in tears when Neji walked in.

Neji watched the freshman leave. “What happened?” He locked the door behind him.

Sasuke sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I tried to be constructive, but...”

“But it had been another subpar submission.” Neji nodded understandingly. “Don’t take it to heart. I trust I placed the perfect man for the job. You’ll make it happen for this club. They don’t have to understand now, but they will when the time comes and you’ve got a Kage Jin trophy displayed here…”

When Neji looked around his office, his gaze stopped at the framed picture of a quarter of a head and mourning doves above it hanging on the wall.

“Yours?” With Neji, it was almost a statement and he had to ask just in case.

Sasuke smirked and nodded, the event from earlier immediately forgotten.

“Fascinating.” Neji approached the picture to scrutinize it further. “I like the mysterious dark, inky shades, and gray contrasts, the almost smoky buildup of flapping mourning doves caught in a motion blur...” 

The picture never failed to draw compliments from visitors. Sasuke had developed a technique to achieve the quality of a traditional darkroom print out of a digital photo. So far, no one had asked about the head—whose head it was. Unconsciously, Sasuke made a habit of staring at her in a way that he couldn't in the classroom over fear of suspicion. The what-ifs and could-have-been left him with a continuous pang of regret and he feared the day that she might break into his office, perhaps through the glass window, open his chest, and discover the things he'd speak to no one: he couldn’t push away the thought that Hinata would have had more interest in Northernness than the rest of his club members put together. 

“Hey, do you think—” Sasuke paused.

Would Neji?

No, Neji would be strongly against it.

“What?”

“Nothing,” replied Sasuke.

“I never thought you’d find mourning doves interesting.”

“Me either.”

5. Are you saying we only start taking pictures in the winter? That's stupid and I'd totally hate it if we're shooting outdoors.

To set a wintry precedent, an atmosphere that would seal in the illusion for everything else that would follow, Sasuke proposed scheduling an outdoor shoot for the first few pages of Inuwashi. None of Konoha's mountains, not even in the winter, would compare to the snowy mountain ranges of the place he had in mind. 

"Yukigakure," he revealed. 

The idea was met with enthusiasm from the club members. They envisioned a cheerful trip to luxurious ski resorts and exclusive hot springs. Sasuke looked forward to the peril, to northern lights and white nights—something Hinata would've had better insights into, having come from there. But none of it would happen the way anyone in the Photography Club, including Sasuke, pictured it. 

6. Shouldn't we take a vote? I'm not saying 'Northernness' or whatever you just presented is a bad idea, but others might have suggestions that the majority would like to explore.

Morio, the vice president, posed a question during Sasuke’s theme presentation that echoed until the Photography Club’s falling out. But Sasuke didn’t have the foresight then. All he recognized was that Morio had the wrong notion about why Neji chose him, why Northernness would make Inuwashi stand out, why he was convinced he knew best, and thus answered Morio in this manner:

“Do you know why you’re not the club president? It’s because you don’t have what it takes to be where I am.”

Truth be told, Morio had always rubbed Sasuke the wrong way. As a member of the Student Council alongside Sakura and others, and with his family’s ownership of an S&Lee 500 mining corporation, Morio had the background and skills that made him a strong diplomat. This greatly contrasted with Sasuke’s solitary approach. He was a competent photographer and had a knack for connecting with others, making him a strong candidate for club president if it had been up to the members’ vote. In contrast, Sasuke preferred to stay cooped up in his office, often discarding other people's photos that he didn’t like in the bin.

Morio had all the right cards. The least Sasuke could have done was temper his response. No egos would have been bruised, and he might have avoided much trouble. Because, months later, when the time came for the review of the first draft of Inuwashi, Morio voiced out an honest observation:

“Most of these pictures are yours, Sasuke.”

“It’s the material that matters," Sasuke retorted. "You can’t argue with the quality. This is a winning piece in progress.”

Morio laughed dismissively. “You’re not running a club. This is a one-man show.”

Sasuke’s temper flared, and he slammed his fist on the table. "Don’t like it? Then leave. This is getting old."

He should've noticed it then—the odd spill of malice in the studio; how nobody was on his side.

“Guess we just don’t have that special something like you do,” Morio said with a suspiciously casual tone. As he rose from his seat to leave, more movement rippled around the table, and Sasuke watched in shock as his core members began to slip away, one by one.

He stewed over the betrayal all evening. If his former team members chose not to return, perhaps he never needed them. The new recruits, though still green and needing more training, could take over the simpler tasks. Besides, there was no rule in the Kage Jin’s guidelines explicitly stipulating that contributions had to come from multiple people. If it came down to it, Sasuke would manage on his own.

The following day, Sasuke arrived at the studio to find all his files and work in progress wiped out from his office computer, his cloud access hacked, and all saved progress vanished. Fortunately, Sasuke had learned to take basic precautions early on. He backed up his work and club files on an external drive he carried to school, and on a second drive he updated regularly from his home PC.

There was no doubt to Sasuke about who was behind the sabotage. When he spotted Morio talking to the girls in the classroom, his rage flared beyond control. Eyes darkened by anger, Sasuke lunged at him, gripping his collar, and delivered a swift, decisive punch to his jaw—all in front of Hinata. The shock on her face briefly registered at the back of his mind, slicing through his anger like a shard of ice. 

He clenched his jaw, feeling the sting of the aftermath on his knuckles.

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[anerdinallherglory]

Approaching Sun (35)

Author’s Note:  I had planned on delivering more this chapter, but the wordcount got a little out of hand and it made the most sense to stop it here. I’ll be working on the next chapter in advance so I can still write the good parts while my muse is present. For those that are still with me reading this story, I would suggest listening to Runaway by AURORA for Sakura’s pov in these chapters and Don’t Worry by Boon for Sasuke’s second pov. Special shouthout to my Optom husband who was happy to lend me his medical knowledge for this chapter. As always, let me know your thoughts. Thank you for your patience. I promise it will pay off. 

Pairing: SasuSaku

Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34

Chapter 35: No Help Needed

Sakura’s trail was cold. Beyond their shared bedroom and her departing letter, there was nothing. Like a released bowstring, Sasuke had sprung forth into the night in the direction of the only detail he was certain about her plan: Tanigakure. He had plucked this detail from Mako’s memories like a healer digs out pieces of metal in a flesh wound. The physical toll of traveling nonstop overnight while chakra-depleted had cost the Uchiha, and he had been tempted several times to just pop another chakra pill into his mouth. However, he couldn’t risk taking it in case he came upon a situation where he would need it in combat. So, Sasuke had trudged through the sand all night, wrapping his hair and face with the black cloth of his turban, pulling the hood of his traveling poncho up and over his hair to better disguise himself; Sasuke didn’t want to even waste chakra on a simple transformation jutsu. He ‘had to be discreet,’ after all.

Sasuke arrived at the jagged mountainous ribcage surrounding Tanigakure the following evening, gaining entrance easily as an unrecognizable traveler in a world of peace. His eyes searched for any flash of pink and he stopped at every place he could think where Sakura might start her search for the organization bent on killing her: the hospital she made Sasuke stay at just so she could visit the medical facilities here, and even their old hotel room, but there was no sign of her. After hours of staking out with no word or sign, Sasuke cursed himself for not gathering more information about her plan from Kakashi before pursuing her. His inability to find even a trace of her just went to show that Sasuke was always a little too confident in himself and still found himself habitually underestimating Sakura’s skill. 

As the sun began to set, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to approach every single soul crowding the streets in the evening lantern-lit dusk and ask if anyone had seen her, but Sasuke couldn’t risk the suspicion it would rouse about his own identity. Who was he and why did he want to know? How did he know her and where could they find him if they did see her? He could already hear the questions and he didn’t want any rumors to make it to the leadership of this village. Discretion turned out to be a lot more difficult when you were panicking.

And so, Sasuke perched himself on the roof above a crowded izakaya, where many individuals were flocking to participate in nighttime drinking and he did the only thing he could think of: watch and wait for a word, a clue, the breath of her name or description between the boisterous laughter of intoxicated patrons. In the darkness of night, when the starlight outshone the dimming lanterns, Sasuke even became desperate for the crickets to sigh but a syllable of her name. But like everyone else, they gave him nothing. Sasuke released a frustrated sigh, adding another useless sound to the nightscape around him as he jumped down from the building, too restless to do anything but pace the streets and wonder how he ever ended up like this.  

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.

.

Sakura fingered her dark hair in the reflection of the ink-stained water in the bucket at her feet. She scrubbed at the lingering residue of black dye running past her hairline and wrapped the towel in her hands quickly around her short hair. When Sakura heard the crack of the door, she flashed the woman who entered a quick grin. 

“You dyed it!?” the youngest girl of the group, Tabi exclaimed, falling to her knees beside Sakura with her hands covering her mouth. “But it’s your best feature! You would attract the attention of everyone!”

Sakura shook her head, wanting to say something along the lines of ‘that’s exactly the point,’ but she didn’t for the obvious reason of blowing her cover. And despite what she had told the headmistress of the bathhouse, Sakura didn’t plan on being here long—just long enough to gather the intel she needed in order to move into the next phase of her plan. 

“Mother will not be happy,” the girl stated, reaching over to finger a stray lock of jet that escaped from the bundle atop Sakura’s head. 

“Mother,” Sakura responded, using the same honorific for the headmistress, “will hopefully understand my reasons. I don’t want to stand out too much.” 

Tabi shook her head, saying, “Is it permanent? How long will it last? Will the steam from the bath ruin it?”

Sakura shook her head, grateful she could be honest with the young girl with at least one thing. “It should hold for a couple of days, if not more.”

“The sooner it fades back to rose, the better.” Tabi stated matter-of-factly, rising to move to the other side of the room that they shared to begin the evening ritual of preparing for the night’s work. 

Sakura copied her experienced movements, powdering her face while her hair dried, carefully concealing the purple diamond between her brows. Infiltrating this job had been easier than Sakura had anticipated given the reputation of difficulty in this line of work. Sakura had approached the headmistress as a ‘transfer’ from another establishment. Due to Tanigakure’s exclusive nature from the outside world, it was not difficult to acquire fabricated copies of the necessary paperwork indicating a ‘private transfer’ from another village, and Sakura easily produced the medical assessments of her health that was also required. It also didn’t hurt that Sakura’s coloring was considered rare and possibly desirable by some; in other words, she would be highly profitable. Sakura promised the headmistress a steep percentage for every patron she ‘pleased.’ Or would allegedly please. 

No, Sakura did not plan to violate herself in order to gain the information she was looking for. She had never stooped into this role before in all her mission activity, but Ino had once used the disguise in order to slip into minds of her targets more easily once she got them isolated and no harm could befall her body once she performed the jutsu. 

Sakura had only acquired empty leads since she had arrived in Tanigakure. All Sakura needed to do was assess, learn what she could from the right people, and transition into the next step of her plan. The infiltration was the easy part, but this next part was dangerous, and Sakura would have to tread so very carefully. 

“Why are you here, Tabi?” Sakura couldn’t resist asking, wondering how such a lovely girl ended up servicing despicable men at one of the secretive bath house locations in the shinobi world. “How did you end up in a place like this?”

Tabi eyed Sakura curiously for a second before laughing. “I could ask the same about you.” And then she didn’t talk to Sakura for the rest of the evening as they prepped for the night.

Sakura followed the other girls into the establishment, a building disguised as a common bathhouse in the front section, advertising the typical bathhouse amenities, but concealing the back half which included private baths and rooms. When a section of the wall slid back to reveal a dark sitting room, Sakura had to steal herself and conceal an inner cringe under the stares of the lounging men who were already expecting them in the luxury-style waiting room. Sakura never felt so disgusted in her entire life than she did in that moment under the predatory gazes of those who only sought to devour others and pleasure themselves. Sakura immediately found herself second guessing this step. Maybe this hadn’t been such a clever idea. But she had no other choice. The members of the organization had been able to conceal themselves in a “neutral” territory long enough to gain numbers and begin operation. To Sakura, this meant one of three things. The first and most unlikely option was that this anti-peace organization had managed to keep their activity low enough to avoid detection and that Tanikage was truly focused on other things. Sakura doubted this one. The village was simply too small to have as many members as Mako had claimed go undetected. Or there was a very real possibility that the Kage and Council were already aware and didn’t take action because powerful figures were involved, maybe even leadership, or they simply did not care.

When the door was shut behind them, Sakura watched the other girls disappear into the noisy room hazed with pipe smoke, making their way toward familiar patrons. Socialization seemed to be a part of the selection process, to intensify the excitement, and Sakura planned to take advantage of it. She held her breath as she navigated, walking up to Tabi who had already familiarly climbed into the lap of one of the younger men, apparently a returning patron of hers. 

“Is this a new friend,” the man drawled thickly through a handful of Tabi’s hair that he had twirled throughout his fingers and pressed to his mouth. 

At Tabi’s sudden wide-eyed expression at Sakura’s appearance, Sakura answered for herself, soothing Tabi’s fears in the same sentence. Sakura knew the look of someone who felt threatened by her presence, and Tabi was giving her a warning stare for approaching her patron. “Yes. Guta Hae, sir,” Sakura introduced with a bow. “I am new. Perhaps you could introduce me to any friends that you might be in company with.”

Around her, the socialization had already begun and men who had already found their women for the evening, began to mingle with their associates, the girls clinging to their arms like trophies. Several of them appraised Sakura from a distance, naturally curious at the new face. But Sakura wasn’t going to just be picked from the lot like a prized animal ripe for butcher. No. Instead, Sakura would be choosing amongst them in the form of an introduction, just as she had planned. 

Tabi nodded, exclaiming, “Yes. This is her first night so she doesn’t know anyone,” Tabi smiled back at the man who was running his hands possessively over her leg in the dim light around them as he debated whether this unexpected disturbance would be beneficial in some way, or if he should just whisk Tabi away to their private room. “Could you introduce her to some friends, Toka-san?”

“Hmm,” Toka smirked, “any favor for you, dear,” he murmured into Tabi’s hair. “If you’re willing to return it.” 

The words dropped into Sakura’s stomach to spoil like rotten food. This wasn’t good. Sakura didn’t want anyone to suffer anything personally from her meddling, especially not a woman as nice to her as Tabi had been. Just as she was fixing to retract her request, intent to say nevermind, Tabi was helping the man in the lounge chair to his feet, twirling his arm around her neck as they walked toward the crowd gathering in the back of the room. 

The haze grew thicker around the smoking men as they lounged against the shadow-cloaked walls, and Sakura bowed to them when Toka stopped and held out his hand smoothly for Sakura to take. Masking her face to conceal her repulsion, Sakura slid her fingers into Toka’s waiting palm and he held her hand above her head to spin her in a half pirouette in front of his curious counterparts. The way each of their eyes clung to different parts of her body had Sakura feeling like she might wretch. 

“Guta Hae,” Toka introduced, dropping her hand as if he were a gentleman. Sakura knew he was anything but. “She’s new here. Tabi asked that I introduce her to you all.”   

Sakura’s eyes fluttered as she feigned shyness, bringing her shoulders innocently up for a small second. 

There were exchanged smiles amongst some of the men as they debated their current choices, but Sakura’s eyes assessed them back, weighing her options and gathering what little intel she could gather from them. At the center of the pack, Sakura’s medical eye immediately located a man with his eyes tightly bound with bandaging. He was quiet as he tilted his ear to appraise her, solemn with two girls on each of his knees as he sat in one of the red, luxuriously tufted high-back chairs. And Sakura marked him as someone of little interest to her despite the initial surprise of his blindness. His injuries could mean several things, either good or bad for her purposes, but Sakura also could tell that whatever had happened to him had potentially wisened him, and Sakura didn’t need to approach that type of person. The fact that his injury potentially revealed his status as a former ninja, put him on Sakura’s radar; but, she also believed he might be worth investigating at a distance. Sakura’s eyes scanned over the rest of their smoking and laughing personas. 

“New in what way?” one of the men joked loudly as the rest of them snickered with shiny, interested eyes. “New here? Or…new, new?”

Sakura wanted to sneer at such a suggestive question, curl her lip and let her inner Sakura bleed through her teeth and down into her firsts. “I’m from the Land of Fire,” she revealed, weighing the various reactions to such a revelation. And several eyes flickered to her, assessing her differently. 

“The Land of Fire?” asked the loud man again as he crossed his arms. “Can’t be Konoha. I’ve never heard of such an establishment in the Leaf. Not recently, anyway.”

The others agreed around him, but Sakura didn’t reveal that answer. She had made her cast, throwing the lure out onto the smoke-infused water, dangling the bait in the crocodile faces of six influential men. By smiling and shrugging her shoulders and keeping the mystery of her origin concealed, Sakura was reeling in that line and establish her own draw.

Sakura moved toward the loud one, painting a saccharine grin on her face. He was going to be the one to spill secrets, Sakura could tell. He had a mouth on him like Naruto. “Are you familiar with Konoha?” Sakura asked him sweetly as she moved into his inner circle, receiving a glare from the woman on his arm. “I’ve never been to the Leaf, but had many patrons from there,” she continued. 

Before she even learned the man’s name, Sakura’s fingers were grasped carefully once again, the same application of force that Toka had just touched her with, and she was being tugged back around to face the group of men. The rougher man with the bandaging around his eyes had stood to retrieve her, reeling her in towards him as if she were the bait on the line. “Don’t waste your time on him. He’s a clown.”

Sakura’s instinctual reaction was to become solid, send chakra to her feet and become as immovable as her inhuman strength would allow her to be. It took her only a millisecond to resolve herself, to recommit to her plan, and Sakura became supple despite her annoyance with the man who felt too important to be overlooked by her. 

The two women who had once sat on his lap were gone and he replaced them with her, pulling her down to sit on his right knee. She still stiffened despite her resolve, realizing once again how dangerous the people were whom she was trying to play with. This guy was lucky, so incredibly lucky that Sakura’s purpose here was not to kill every single one of them. 

“I can tell you about Konoha,” he spoke lowly, a whisper as the conversation resumed around them, as he bent his head into her blackened hair. Sakura could feel the rumble of his voice in his chest as he said, “What is it that you want to know?”

Sakura couldn’t help herself. She turned her left shoulder into him to create more distance as she watched him carefully. “Are you from there?” she asked, wary that this man might be able to recognize her despite her careful disguise. 

“No,” he answered, “but I know several men who are.”

“Are you a ninja?” she questioned again, trying with everything in her to relax into this man’s embrace. Where their bodies touched, Sakura felt as if he were like a boiling acid, searing and burning at the connection points. 

“Have you been with a ninja?” he countered, and Sakura recognized his attempt to avoid answering the question. 

“Who do you think visited my previous establishment in the Land of Fire?” 

He chuckled, a mirthful laugh that lasted a little too long to make anyone comfortable. His next words sent an electricity through her blood. “What I wouldn’t give to see your face as you lie to everyone around you that you’re a sex worker like the rest of them.”

Her eyes grew wide as she checked to see if anyone heard what he had said. Most of the couples had already retired to their rooms, so Sakura forced her breathing into a steady cadence of ease and indifference. She turned to him slowly. “I don’t know what you mean.” 

Her hand was taken lightly into his and she resisted the urge to snatch it back as he guided it to his cheek, splaying her fingers across the side of his head with his own as he grinned wickedly. “Your face was the last thing that I saw before I lost my vision. I’ll never forget the sound of your voice, Haruno Sakura.”

.

.

.

When the door closed behind them, Sakura snatched her hand from the blind man who had lead her privately to one of the sauna rooms where extracurriculars were expected to take place. Sakura’s initial plan for this part was immediately interrupted. Pulling a kunai from her tightly-fitted silk attire, Sakura spun and pinned the mysterious man against the black wood of the closed door, kunai flush against the flesh of his throat. Beyond the slight tilt of his chin skyward, the man had no reaction. 

“Who are you?” she hissed, all pretenses and disguises temporarily dropped. 

The man chuckled against her blade. “It’s not surprising you don’t remember me. The battlefield of the war was so gruesome and so many men at your mercy, my face was one in a sea of millions.”

Sakura couldn’t help but think of Satou, Isao’s father, and Satou’s wife, whom Sakura had failed to save. Isao’s mother, too, had been one of millions. Sakura desperately searched for any recognition and came up blank. She remembered healing hundreds of visual injuries—this man had only been one of them. A heavy weight settled in her gut as she realized, that like all those others, his injuries had most likely been passed off to others because of the minority of them in comparison to those on the brink of dying. Severed appendages, organ damage, bleeding. Going blind was unfortunate, but not life threatening.  

Sakura asked the next obvious question. “Are you one of the people out to kill me?”

“Yes, actually.” He admitted and Sakura pressed the blade deeper, contemplating the pros and cons of killing him on the spot. “But,” he added lightly, avoiding the dipping of his throat against the bite of her kunai’s sharpness. “Since I was lucky enough to find you first, I will make you a deal.”

“Why should I even believe a word out of your mouth?”

“Because you have something that I want,” he answered, a hand coming up to grip her own. But he couldn’t move the fisted blade away because Sakura’s hand was as unmovable as steal as she no longer suppressed her immaculate strength. 

“And what is that?” she interrogated, unperturbed by his words. 

“Your abilities,” he smiled. “Heal my eyes completely, and I’ll help you.”

“I’ve been betrayed once already by a fellow member of yours,” Sakura revealed. “I won’t make the same mistake twice. Trusting you is the last thing I am going to do.”

Another chuckle reverberated up his chest like the swell of a wave in a turbulent ocean. “Then don’t trust me. But I am afraid that you have no other choice to work with me.”

“And why is that?”

“Because all of your friends are being watched carefully. And to your soon-to-be dismay, a certain Uchiha has been identified here within Tanigakure, and he is looking for you. The Zenshin’s plans for him aren’t a part of your plans, are they?”

Sakura’s kunai bounced as her hand shook in surprise at his words and it nicked his throat once before she steadied it. He hissed and pulled harder against her hand, but it still didn’t move. 

“He is here?” Sakura asked in a whisper, a myriad of paths of possibility spidering out from the revelation. Sasuke had followed her. Despite her wishes and despite Kakashi’s promises of keeping Naruto and Sasuke preoccupied, Sasuke had followed her. Not Naruto, but Sasuke. Even if it was out of concern for her, why? Why did he continue to doubt her abilities? Sakura pushed those feelings to the back of her mind as a new thought formed around the name of the organization that wanted to kill her and many others: Zenshin. To advance. Progression. The exact same word that Mako had declared to her in the desert wind only nights ago. She finally had the name. 

“Here and unsuccessful in his search for you, is what I have heard,” came the blind man’s sultry response in her face. “We knew you had to be close if he was here sniffing for you.” 

Damn it. Her plans were already starting to unravel. She was banking on the fact that they might not believe her brave enough to confront them, alone and in their own territory.  “On the off chance you’re actually telling the truth,” Sakura growled, “you lot are absolute fools to underestimate Sasuke. He and Naruto are singlehandedly the strongest shinobi to have ever walked this earth. He will mow you down just as Madara did to the shinobi alliance.”

“What about you?” he asked, a smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth despite the knife still secured against his flesh, nearly vibrating with the energy it was taking Sakura not to silence him permanently. “How strong are you?”

In the next movement, Sakura sheathed the weapon and relaxed her face into a smile of her own. “I am not far behind them.”

The blind man instinctively rubbed his neck where her kunai had been, smearing the pinpricks of blood there. “You’re lucky that even blind, my senses are sharper than my companions’,” he spoke, seriousness replacing the nervous humor of his previous persona. “By claiming you first, I have saved you from the lions you were prowling amongst just outside.” 

“Which ones in the sitting room are a part of ‘Zenshin’?” Sakura asked, and her eyes grew terribly wide at the next admission from his mouth.  

“Why, all of them,” he laughed once again. 

All of them? If the man had been able to see, he would have noticed that Sakura’s face had drained of all color. Sakura’s mental efforts doubled as she began to cross out steps of her plan and recalculate, following the conceptual intricate spiderweb of possible effects from each detour she could potentially plan for. 

He took a step toward her. “And all of them were already suspecting your identity the very minute Toka introduced you. I happen to be the only one present who has ever heard your voice. My actions to grab your attention will have interested them even more. I’ll have to explain what I did tonight. Your next move will determine the words that will come out of my mouth.” 

Sakura nodded, still silently assessing her options, before she said, “remove the bandage.”

The man hesitated, as if he was almost unsure if he wanted her to see what lie beneath. He only hesitated for a moment before fingering the white bandage. He walked toward her until he was only a few feet ahead of her. When the bandage slipped down to reveal his eye sockets, Sakura frowned at the unblemished nature of them. Not an external injury that could be healed, then. She had been hoping for cataracts or some other resolvable issue via procedure.

He flinched as she touched his temples, tilting his head back so Sakura could peer into them. She summoned her chakra to her fingertips and pressed exploratory chakra into them. He gasped at the invasion when her chakra made contact with his flesh, and his hand came up to grasp on to Sakura’s wrist.

“I’m only investigating the injury,” Sakura reassured him.    

“I know,” he frowned. “You did so once before. You told me there was little that could be done.”

Sakura nodded, feeling dread at her past self’s words. If she had not been able to heal them, she suspected no one could. Sakura suddenly recalled the shinobi war and Kakashi sensei, whose eye had been torn from his eye socket by Madara and then restored by Naruto, through his perfected Ying-Yang release through the sun seal given to him by Hagoromo. Naruto was not only able to restore Kakashi’s eye from nothing, but he had also been able to revive Obito after the extractions of the Ten Tales, and accomplish other grand healing feats during the war in the duration of which he had possessed the seal. Both Naruto and Sasuke relinquished their Sun and Moon seals when they sealed Kaguya. That sort of healing power was gone now. 

Sakura possessed and could control both Yin and Yang chakra due to her healing training under Tsunade and her natural affinity for genjutsus. Even with Sakura’s near perfect control of chakra, she could not use Yin and Yang simultaneously as Naruto had done with Hagoromo’s seal.  

“Are you able to see anything at all? Lights? Shadows? Shapes?” There was a big difference between being blind and being visually impaired. While others saw nothing but darkness, some could still make out some glimpses of their surroundings.  

“Nothing. Not since the war.”

Sakura frowned as she searched the eyes with her chakra. The eyes themselves were undamaged. The optic nerves intact. The retinas whole. They were clear in appearance, with startling dark irises. Black, like Sasuke’s. No clouding. There was only one possible cause left: brain damage.

Sakura frowned at how hopeless the situation was. “Do you have any pain?”

“No,” he answered. “Would pain be a good sign? That the body is trying to heal?”

Sakura winced at his train of thought. People often believed that pain meant the body was trying to repair itself, and that if there was no pain, it meant one of two things: the body was not damaged, or whatever healing was to be done was complete. This was not the case for many injuries. If he was experiencing pain, it might just indicate a different type of injury. Saying he had no pain was just strengthening Sakura’s suspicion.

Reaching to cup the back of his head, Sakura pushed her fingertips into his scalp. He winced at the contact. 

“Were you hit in the back of the head during the war? Is that how you lost your vision?”

He nodded, grinding down his teeth as she determined the truth he hadn’t offered freely. Brain damage was irreversible. Sakura could not create new pathways for nerves. She felt the dead-end her chakra reached after traveling down the optic nerves. The visual cortexes of the occipital lobe at the very back of the brain was no longer receiving signals from the eye. Sakura suspected that he probably had been told this by multiple healers and was hoping she would arrive at a different conclusion. 

“What’s your name?” she asked, feigning medical indifference to his injury. She wasn’t ready to reveal her deductions while he was still in the mood to answer her questions.

“You can call me Rugo. It’s what the others call me.” 

Sakura nodded, understanding why he wasn’t going to divulge his real identity to her. She decided not to ask what village he was from originally, which was going to be her next question. Tanigakure had been neutral in the war, and since he had allegedly fought in the war, he had either migrated here after the war, or he came to be a part of Zenshin mission, specifically. 

“How many members of Zenshin are ninja from other villages?” she questioned instead while she still had the opportunity. 

He hesitated for a moment, before admitting. “Most of them.” Sakura frowned at that. Just how many ninja had been unsatisfied with their lives after the war that they believed healing the grievances of the next generation stood in the way of progression?

“Is your vision loss why you joined Zenshin?” she asked boldly, trying her best to understand his particular motives. Something as significant as blindness could make the kindest of people bitter. If that was the source of his bitterness, Sakura didn’t understand why he wanted to allow such anger spread for the sake of strength and progression in the next generation of ninja.

He did not answer at first, but then said. “Yes. It is the reason. But I did not join Zenshin to prevent you and others from healing the trauma of ninja. I joined to find you. You are the only one who can help me now.” 

Sakura sighed at his confession and pulled her hands away, but Rugo caught them desperately, a sharp contrast to his cocky charisma. “If you can heal them, I’ll help you. Don’t tell me what the other healers say. I know that you can fix this.”

Sakura pulled her hands free, hesitant to disappoint him. She fumbled silently in her pocket for an item that she had prepared for the next phase of this night once she was alone in this room with whichever man was unlucky enough to become her recipient, even though it hadn’t exactly happened how she had planned.

“I am sorry Rugo. Brain damage cannot be reveresed. I cannot heal them.”

The man frowned deeply at her words, shaking his head. He was not expecting the sharp prick in his neck that came next. Sakura pushed down on the plunger that pushed the harmless sedative into his bloodstream. Ironically, as a medic, Sakura couldn’t help but notice the widening of his eyes as the muscles registered his surprise, which indicated that the cerebellum, the separate part of the brain in control of muscles still operated perfectly. He crashed to his knees before falling forward as she caught him. 

She wished she had the time to tell him that he was lucky, so incredibly lucky to only have lost his vision from the type of head injury that he had received. If any other parts of the brain had been damaged, he would have likely lost his ability to speak, to control his muscles, to walk; he could have become paralyzed. Maybe, if he were still alive, they could have this conversation in the future after she executed her plan. 

Sakura was only a little disappointed that she hadn’t been able to accept Rugo’s offer of assistance as an inside source, after all. Whether or not he had intended to, the Zenshin member had already given her the information she was looking for. And Sakura never really needed anyone’s help anyway. Not Rugo’s. And not Sasuke’s, either.

Only when Sakura turned on the tap water for the bath that wouldn’t be used after all, and she was certain the sound of it would keep her from being disturbed by the head matron, did Sakura bite into her flesh. Blood pooling at the tip of her finger, Sakura placed her thumb against her palm and pushed her five fingers into the ground, performing the summoning technique. 

“Lady Katsuyu,” Sakura greeted the small slug, 1/1000th of her original body, that began to climb its way over the legs of the man she had just incapacitated. 

Sakura knelt, using her blood smeared finger to trace an intricate symbol on Rugo’s temple. The blood pooling where she had traced, and small trails hastily dissected from the main paths to trickle down into the hair at his temples. “You’re certain this will work?” Sakura asked the human-size slug that reached up to cover the man’s unmoving face with her body. 

“It should,” Katuyu reassured her. “The blood is just an extra step of assurance. I should be able to do this on my own without it.”

Sakura nodded, sparing the little extra chakra it took to stop the blood flowing freely from her thumb without completely healing it. She was going to have to repeatedly break the skin there as the night continued, so growing new skin was not needed.  “This is the first of many.”

“Sakura, dear,” Katsuyu responded as the slug divided into an even smaller version of herself and slipped into Sakura’s outstretched palm while the main body completely consumed the man Sakura had incapacitated.  “Please be careful.”

 “Of course, milady. I’m sorry for what you will witness from this moment on.” She tucked the slug away into the hem of her robe’s neckline. 

Sakura opened the door to her room and turned to stare down the hallway at all the closed doors concealing the fellow members of Zenshin. 

.

.

.

It was the sheer lack of activity that he was witnessing in his observation spots that first alerted Sasuke that something wasn’t quite right. In every town, if someone positioned themselves correctly, there would be brawling to spectate, scandals to witness, information to gather, but not in Tanigakure, apparently. The last twenty-four hours had been surprisingly uneventful in comparison to his first pass through when Sasuke and Sakura had been ambushed in their sleep. It was odd, how quickly they had been identified the first time in Tanigakure, but Sasuke had yet to be approached. Yes, he had been more discreet than before, but Sasuke was starting to feel annoyed both with his lack of progress in finding Sakura’s whereabouts and this organizations inability to notice his whereabouts. 

That was, until he noticed that nothing around him was particularly noticeable. Ah, he realized. So I have been discovered. It was the only explanation for how fruitless his efforts had been to acquire any real intel about an organization fixated on killing his friend. Sasuke realized immediately that he was purposefully not being fed anything helpful. It only unnerved him when he realized just how many people must be in this group if the multitudes of people he currently watched from above were being intentionally silent. Sasuke also surmised that whatever organization this was, they were also dodging interest from the leaders of Tanigakure. They, too, were trying to fly under the radar.

And so, Sasuke waited in the night, perched above the noisy izakaya once more, rain pattering against his cloak and bouncing from the brim of his black hood, content to play his role while he schemed. He contemplated doing something unexpected just to shake things up, but what would they consider unexpected? Sasuke tried to see this situation for their perspective. This organization knew that Sasuke had followed his pink-haired friend here, and that he was searching for her. They knew that Sasuke had retreated the last time he was here, whisking Sakura away in order to protect them both. They knew he was trying to be discreet so as not to cause any problems for Konoha. With that information, Sasuke deduced that they expected him to continue to look for Sakura, sit and listen discreetly until he located her, interrupt her mission to take her away. They were allowing him to do just as they expected him to in order not to alert him. 

To their extreme disappointment, Sasuke was smarter than everyone involved in this ridiculous plan to distract him. 

And so, Sasuke covered his face tightly. He planned to throw a wrench into the plan, discreetly, while still sending a very strong message to those he assumed lurked in the rain-cloaked shadows. And it wasn’t going to cost him very much chakra. 

Unfortunately for them, thunder rumbled above him, and Sasuke inhaled the energy of the surrounding atmosphere. Unlike in his battle with Itachi, Sasuke did not have to manipulate the air with Amaterasu in order to manipulate the cumulonimbus clouds into existence. They brooded over him regardless, as if his very frustration manifested into the storm that now cast the village in a torrential downpour. For once, Sasuke saw it as a sign that the universe might actually be on his side, that his decision regarding a future with Sakura might have been the right one. One worth destroying a few buildings for. 

And he did exactly that. Sasuke wasn’t entirely his former revenge-seeking self, one bent on the destruction of an entire village, but he smirked dangerously as a flash of lightning struck the infuriatingly useless izakaya. A lightning bolt strikes in 1/1000th of a second, and the explosion happened first. Sasuke waited on the sound to follow before he let out one quick laugh to himself. Sasuke inhaled as if it were the first real breath he had in a long while; it felt so good to let go, to cave to destruction. To push things back into motion and take control of a situation. 

As expected, people ran from the building, some attempting to put out the small fire in the ceiling, while others ducked for cover back into other structures and away from the smoking rooftop. The heavy rain assisted in putting it out very quickly, causing minimal damage. 

It wouldn’t draw enough attention from those who didn’t know that the lightning wasn’t entirely one of nature’s unfortunate disasters. Only those who were watching him as closely as he was suspecting, would realize that Sasuke was done waiting. 

When two ninja landed on either side of him, Sasuke’s Sharningan glowed in the dark as he leaned his head back against the building, arm slung forward over one reclined knee. His Sharingan darted to each of the two men, seeing what no one else could see in the blinding shower and muddled night. Two shinobi, faces covered, stood before him, proudly adorning two headbands with that insufferable five-spiral symbol he’d seen the last time he was here and more recently glimpsed from Mako’s memories. 

“Finally,” the Uchiha breathed as he rolled his neck. 

At his words, the two ninja, obviously assigned to monitor him, glanced at each other in surprise. Sasuke saw it cross their faces: the moment they realized they had been outplayed and forced to show themselves. 

The air, now electrified, lashed out on its own and more lightning crackled in the air above them. In one lightning flash, Sasuke sat unmoving against the building’s side. In the very next, he had swapped with one of the men, teleporting places with him. Timing his movements with the crash of thunder, Sasuke grabbed the second by the neck and hurtled him into the first, smashing their bodies together. Sasuke justified his next actions based on two things: his low levels of chakra and the fact that he had one arm to handle two ninja at once. His katana spun free of its sheath before either men could even react to their sudden collision, and Sasuke skewered them on his blade, penetrating one through the shoulder and the other through the bicep until they were pinned together against the elevated section of the roof. They cried out in unison but their noises didn’t echo beyond the very next crack of lightning that Sasuke generated somewhere in the distance, its very purpose to disguise their screams. 

Releasing the blade, Sasuke knelt before them in the pouring blackness, just so that they could see a glaring set of red and purple irises. He wouldn’t waste his limited chakra combing through their deranged minds, so Sasuke planned to interrogate his preferred way and do it thoroughly. “Where is she?”

“We don’t know who you’re talking ab—,” came the automatic lie, and Sasuke twisted the blade immediately in disguised fury. He was not in the mood to listen to deceptions. The thunder boomed. 

Sasuke sighed. Sometimes it was the most predictable outcomes that tipped Sasuke over into an all-consuming sea of annoyance. If he treaded this sea too long, Sasuke would tire and eventually sink, and the Uchiha was already too well-acquainted with the depths of anger. If he hit the bottom, people would begin to die. And Sasuke didn’t want to be a murderer anymore if he could help it. Steadying himself, Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and said lowly, “I would advise not bothering to waste my time with more lies. It won’t end well for you.”

“We don’t know,” spat the first man as he clutched at the katana penetrating through his arm. “The lightshow is unnecessary. Someone needs to put you in your place, Uchiha, for using your power in this village.” 

So that was it. As long as Sasuke was laying low, they were planning to leave him to his futile attempts to find Sakura. They didn’t want the real authority alerted to his presence because then Sasuke would talk, explain his presence and involve the real people in charge of this village. That, or there was deal with the higherups. If the village leaders knew of this organzaiton’s activity, they had allowed it to transpire as long as it remained inconspicuous. All of this information told Sasuke that the less evident of a profile this organization could keep, the better. Sasuke suspected that Tanigakure didn’t want multiple villages involved, but were somehow benefiting personally from this arrangement. Sasuke guessed that this secret organization also wanted to eliminate more reputable individuals off their list before they were confronted by multiple parties. It was a testament to their lack of experience and firepower if they had yet to eliminate Number 1 and had already pissed off two out of the five Kage. 

“Last chance to be honest,” Sasuke hissed, twisting the blade deeper into both of their bodies, relishing the squelch of the blade’s movements in their flesh.

“We lost her!” the man in the very back hissed, spitting out rainwater, holding his partner very still with his clenched fists to keep him from jostling the weapon any further. “And many of our men, with her.”

Sasuke unfeelingly blinked at that confession. 

“Shut your mouth,” the front man said to the fellow soldier behind him, jostling the both of them as he tried to shift in order to look back at him. 

“Stop moving!” the man in the back hissed, grabbing more firmly to the man seated practically in his lap. 

They had already located and lost her? The mention of other members of their organization going missing was the part that had Sasuke’s mind trying to make connections. Sasuke wasn’t sure if this was a trap. He had expected it to be a lot more difficult to receive any answers from anyone. So, what was the angle? Did they intend to follow Sasuke to her after telling him that? There would be no chance of that happening; Sasuke would quickly ensure it. 

Inhaling, filling his lungs with electric energy, Sasuke reached forward and gripped the hilt of his katana. The current came from his lungs when he exhaled and it snaked around his arm in a circuiting slither, crisscrossing down the blade until a surge of electricity connected with their open wounds. Another crack of lightning, closer this time. More screaming. 

It had been a very long time since Sasuke had used this technique to simultaneously torture and weaken his captive. He remembered performing this very move on Yamato, the temporary squad leader for Team 7 when they had come searching for Sasuke in one of Orochimaru’s underground hideouts. How ironic that he had once felt the same level of annoyance that he was now, but it had been directed at Team 7. And now. Now, it was because these imbeciles had the absolute audacity to come after one of them, as if any member of Team 7 could be taken down by such dirt beneath their feet. As if Sasuke didn’t have the absolute power to obliterate every single one of them without a second thought. 

“Enough,” Sasuke growled lowly, forcing himself to talk more than he was usually inclined to do. “This current will intensify over the course of two minutes until you are essentially executed by electrocution. Which means you have two minutes to answer my questions without lying. If I even suspect a lie, lightning will travel straight to your heart before two minutes is even up.”  

Their eyes widened, and Sasuke moved out of the path of the rain running down the slope of the roof towards him, until he was free of any electrified water that connected with their bodies. 

“First question,” Sasuke began, thickening the electricity traveling through his arm to his blade. “Where was her last known location?”

“The bathhouse,” groaned the man in the back, the more talkative of the two. “The brothel.”

Despite his usual collected countenance, Sasuke’s red and purple eyes widened marginally at such a word. A brothel? A brothel? A new fire quickly formed in Sasuke’s chest at the revelation, and it was not the lightning-style chakra centralized there. It was a fire of panic and rage. 

“When?” Sasuke asked next, amping up the voltage once more. The man in front, the first to receive electrical current, slumped forward unconscious.

“Earlier in the night,” the guy mumbled, lips beginning to numb with the rest of his body. His words still came out in a rush, however, eager to meet Sasuke’s deadline, before he, too, ended up like his partner. “Our leaders failed to give us our next orders at our usual rendezvous point. We arrived at the bathhouse, their last known location, to investigate—the other girls. They told us she had taken them.” 

“Where is this bathhouse?” came Sasuke’s final question.

“Promise you will spare me, first,” the man pleaded, but Sasuke’s frustration only grew at the begging. Instead of assuring the man, Sasuke twisted his blade again. 

After the scream, came the answer to his question. “On the eastside, against the mountain.” This man, too, fell unconscious, slumping against his partner, when Sasuke poured more electricity into his chest cavity. Sasuke ripped his blade free from their bodies. 

He left them there in the rain, feeling absolutely no guilt at all because they would at least eventually wake up. Unlike every man who had occupied Sakura’s space in a godforsaken brothel, these two men were lucky because they would keep their lives. 

[loveforuchiha]

The most important panels in the evolution of Genin Sasusaku's relationship in Naruto Manga - Part III

Added this because it still makes me laugh. It looked like Naruto was ready to run. Jsjsja

Sasuke and Sakura looking at each other here is very cute, but it's cuter that Sakura is actually taller than Sasuke, and that Sasuke only beat her because of his duck-butt hair.

Just Sasuke trying to protect Sakura and Kakashi ruining it.

Sakura gives food to a hungry little boy and then thinks about her teammates.

When Sakura climbs the tree first, from Sasuke's sign of exclamation, we can tell that he was surprised by Sakura's talent. Although he's clearly frustrated too. Remember that Sasuke always wanted to be the best, so he could honor his clan and his parents.

[sentimental-idiot25]

{Modern/college au SasuSaku} Ino, Naruto, Lee, Hinata, and Shikamaru gathered in their dorm lounge, their attention drawn to the vacant sixth seat at the rectangular table.

"Where's Sakura?" Lee inquired, turning to Ino, who was usually inseparable from Sakura.

"She left Organic Chemistry all excited, but I haven't seen her since," Ino replied, her gaze fixed on her own tasks, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"Did anyone notice the strange looks Sasuke was giving her during class?" Hinata interjected. The girls had decided to take a class together this semester, and coincidentally, Sasuke Uchiha, another resident of their dorm floor, had ended up in the same class.

"Ugh! Don't even mention that jerk's name," Ino sighed. "I can't understand how Sakura can be infatuated with someone like him. Sure, he's good-looking, but his personality sucks."

"He's just cold and reserved," Naruto chimed in.

"Are you defending him?" Shikamaru leaned in, addressing Naruto.

"No way! He's too arrogant for his own good. He thinks he's the best in our team," Naruto vented in frustration.

"Overall, I don't like him. But let's stop talking about him and his..." Ino's voice trailed off as she noticed Sakura and Sasuke walking hand in hand towards them.

"Sakura!" Hinata called out, her surprise evident. Were they now a couple?

Approaching the group with a wide smile, Sakura shared her news, leaving the whole group in disbelief. "Guys, Sasuke and I are dating now!" she announced.

Ino and Hinata exchanged glances, their mouths smiling, but their eyes revealing their shock. "Oh my god! Congratulations to both of you!" Ino managed to say.

"Mphm!" Hinata murmured, her face turning slightly red, realizing they might have been overheard. However, judging by Sakura's expression, it seemed they hadn't been caught, although Sasuke wore his usual impassive face.

"Oh, let me go and show them the flowers you got me!" Sakura exclaimed. She released Sasuke's hand and disappeared down the hallway. Sasuke watched her with a smile.

Breaking the silence, Shikamaru spoke up. "So when did this happen?"

"Today," Sasuke replied as he took a seat in Sakura's spot. Needless to say, Lee was fuming. "Also, I wanted to address the elephant in the room..." All five of them leaned in, eager to hear what Sasuke had to say. "I know we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but for Sakura's sake, let's all try to get along, please."

"Seems fake. I don't trust him," Lee whispered to Ino.

"You've never wanted anything to do with us before. How can we trust you... Hey, Sakura," Ino trailed off as Sakura returned with a bouquet of flowers.

"Sakura, those are your favorite flowers!" Hinata pointed out.

"I know, isn't Sasuke just so thoughtful?" Sakura gazed at the flowers with immense adoration. "Oh speaking of, sorry I can't hang out right now--we're about to go out." "Oh if you wanna hang out for a while go ahead." Sasuke spoke to Sakura. "Oh are you sure?" Her face softened. "Yeah of course." He said with a smile, he leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek. "I'll hope to see you guys around more." He said before leaving off into the hallway. Sakura's animated face was smiling more than ever before. "OH MY GOD! It finally happened!" She said all giddy before taking her seat. Naruto, always one to wear his heart on his sleeve, spoke up with a mix of excitement and a tinge of jealousy. "So, are you two, like, really serious? Is this a forever kind of thing?" "Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed as her face brightened with blush.

"Pshh, I'm just curious as to why him of all people?" Ino quipped, her tone teasing.

Hinata chimed in with a mischievous smile, "Maybe it's his brooding personality. Girls always fall for the mysterious types."

Lee couldn't help but interject with a touch of sarcasm, "Oh yeah, because nothing says 'romantic' like a guy who can't crack a smile."

Shikamaru, always the laid-back observer, joined in the banter, "Well, I guess opposites do attract. Sakura is full of energy and enthusiasm, while Sasuke is...well, the complete opposite."

Naruto joined in, "Who would've thought? Maybe we've misjudged him all this time."

"But hold on," Hinata interjected, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Does this mean we have to plan a double date?"

"Woah! I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves here!" Sakura said, her hands outstretched. "We just started dating today. I know I like him a lot, but it's still new for both of us. More so for him--"

"You sure about that?" Shikamaru interjected, his eyebrow raised inquisitively.

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. "You know something we don't?"

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Well, if you pay attention to the way he's always looked at you, and the fact that he might have overheard you girls talking about your classes and decided to take one that you're in... His major doesn't require that particular class. All I'm saying is, maybe it's not a new feeling for Sasuke."

The group fell into silence, each member lost in their own thoughts, contemplating Shikamaru's revelation. Sakura's cheeks flushed with a mix of excitement and curiosity. Could it be possible that Sasuke had harbored feelings for her for longer than she realized?

Sakura turns to go to Sasuke's room, "Im gonna ask him." She said proudly.

"NO!" The whole group exclaimed all at once. As she sat directly back down blushing.

[sasuke-kun-sakura-ka]

When I see this scene... I am so frustrated! I'm so disappointed with the bonus episodes they added at the end of the anime! We all remember the dreams of team 7 at the start of the episodes. First, at the base, Naruto's dream was to become Hokage. They should have incorporated that into the episodes. Instead of doing a "The Day Naruto Became Hokage OVA". Secondly, it would have been bolder to show us the Sasusaku wedding since we had their romantic development in the main timeline all along. From the 3rd episode. And with all the scenes it was much more developed than the NaruHina, it was more explicit. So having episodes of Naruto becoming Hokage and the SasuSaku wedding would have been so much bolder for the epilogue. We were in the continuity of the dreams of team 7. In the end we don't understand why it ends on the NaruHina wedding because it was not expected more than that. In the story, it had no impact, not the same weight compared to the dreams of team 7 and their development. What frustrates me: Having a NaruHina marriage which was not expected. Sasuke is not in the village for this special day for his best friend. Sakura is all alone, while we know that more than anyone, it is she who should be in a relationship at this time, it is she who we want to see happy. Instead we see all those who are "secondary" being. And Sakura is even sad about the situation. I find that so unjust. It was the very essence of Naruto! bring Sasuke back to the village, Naruto to be Hokage, and Sakura to have her Sasuke. In the end we don't see Naruto becoming Hokage, Sasuke is absent and Sakura still has to wait for him... Sasuke and Sakura, that's not the end they deserved... well the whole anime didn't deserve this end.... It's paradoxical but they wrote an ending with everything that was secondary, and the main elements they left out. I don't know if I'm the only one thinking this but... 😩😩

[maoam]

“If I spam a bunch of sns accounts a rant about Sakura is actually incredibly useful and Sasuke loves her truly I will be able to make them see the light and convert them over to sasusaku.”

That’s the thought process I think that anon goes through sending that ask lol.

Just as weird, annoying and barely comprehensible like that nh person who had like 40 alts who just responded to people with messages in a language op didn’t even speak.

Or maybe they’re just trying to “own” you with their facts and logic from their headcanons, fillers and novels lol.

Maybe they are bored. They're definitely insecure that much is obvious... it must be frustrating to ship SS, because Kishi didn't even bother to make Sakura relevant in saving Sasuke, let alone that he would have bothered to make Sasuke have a meaningful reaction to her. It's always like "oh you're here too" while with Naruto it has proper build up and dramatic tension and eye contact. And the way it's even pointed out how much Sasuke cares about Naruto, and how much Sasuke himself acknowledges that he cares about Naruto. Nothing like this for Sakura. She was just his teammate in part 1, nothing more. So in order to deal with the frustration of having a ship like this, they need to twist the most minor of interactions into something they really aren't.

[riversimmone]

Three's A Crowd - Chapter 6

RiverOfTheSand

Summary:

SasuSaku. He didn't mean to kill that man. He had simply reacted to being attacked. And now Konoha is forced to hunt down the rogue members of Team 7, or risk open war. Eventual NaruHina.

XXX

Read from the beginning. This is a work in progress story you can find on tumblr and AO3 and completed on FF.NET.

[All tumblr posts will be tagged ‘Three’s A Crowd’ with their corresponding chapter for quick and easy access.]

Enjoy. :)

Chapter Six: Living In Hope.

Hinata Hyuuga was getting a strange feeling. It had started when Kurenai Yuhi had asked her to help her pick out a birthday present for Asuma Sarutobi the other day, shortly after she'd heard from Kakashi Hatake that Neji's squad had found the most recent victim of the rogue Shinobi group just known as Kitsúne. Hinata thought it odd that anyone name themselves after a fox but whatever.

The strange feeling made her think of Naruto Uzumaki, her long time crush. She'd been thinking about him a lot lately, wishing he was still in the village. The anniversary of Kakashi's squad going rogue was coming up and as usual, Hinata found herself more depressed every time it did. Kurenai was one of the few who knew she'd always liked Naruto, so attempted to draw her mind away from her reminiscing by spending the day shopping. She used Asuma's birthday as an excuse, but both women knew what she was really up to.

But for now, Hinata was fighting the strange feeling twisting her stomach while sparring with her Sensei.

On the sidelines, Kiba Inuzuka grinned at Hinata, his eyes raking over her body as she moved into the stance for her jyuuken strike. He'd heard her father talking about arranging an engagement for her within the next six months. He hadn't decided on a husband and was hesitating for reasons he couldn't explain to himself.

Kiba had had a crush on Hinata since their academy days, and wasn't shy about it, but hadn't exactly been declaring it either. He knew how the clans worked, being a part of one himself, so held no fairytale notions. Still, if it was at all possible…

"Come on Hinata," Kurenai teased. "You've gotta come at me faster than that!"

Kiba chuckled as the Hyuuga screwed up her face in renewed determination and activated her Byakugan again. She was really set on beating her Sensei, although she wasn't at her level. Hinata had been this way for six years, not that the Inuzuka had a single clue as to what had caused the sudden shift in her demeanour. She was fighting for more than recognition these days, a hint of regret and fierceness driving her.

Hinata was trying to be as strong as she could so that one day (hopefully), if she ever ran into Naruto Uzumaki again, she could bring him home. She had thought of little else since he'd left.

It was almost twenty minutes later when the two women finally took a break, choosing the moment once they had another visitor.

"Kakashi," Kurenai said, towelling her face.

It had been awhile since a mere training session had been this tough for her, no matter her sparring partner, but she had only recently lost her pregnancy fat and had been frustrated for so long, not being able to train. Her husband was looking after their daughter while she got in some much needed exercise, and Hinata had volunteered to help her.

Kakashi Hatake nodded to her, and then turned his head to look at the sheepish Hyuuga. "Your father is looking for you."

Hinata nodded, bowed, thanked him, and then left quickly. After a moment, Kiba too removed himself from the training area. Kakashi had just finished talking with the head of the Hyuuga clan, concerning Hiashi's worries over another matter and the man had asked the copy ninja to fetch his daughter for him. Kakashi could only guess as to the man's motivation: he did not often summon Hinata in the middle of the day. Rumour had it he was finally sorting through the paperwork on the marriage proposals made to him for both of his daughters, as well as Neji.

Well, Kakashi had heard it from Kō, who was the only Hyuuga who ever told him anything. Kō wasn't the most tactful person he knew, but was one of those who thought high enough of Kakashi that he let him in on some things. Of course, being a clan member, there was always a line the man never crossed. Every clan was secretive of course, with varying degrees of censorship.

"You seem unusually sombre today," Kurenai said, breaking Kakashi's train of thought.

They both knew why though; the same reason Hinata had been down lately.

"Have you considered going back to Anbu?" She asked, silently thinking that Kakashi needed to stop waiting for a miracle.

He shrugged. "It does seem a popular suggestion as of late."

"It's better than just hanging around, lifelessly waiting for something that isn't going to happen."

She realised she might sound a little callous, but Kakashi wasn't offended.

"I'm not sure I'm ready," he said evenly.

This depressed version of him was depressing, to say the least. He wasn't holed up or sulking though, just not caring about anything but missions anymore. After all, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki weren't the only team members he hadn't saved. They may not have died, like his original team, but it was near enough.

"You're living in hope they'll come back Kakashi?" Kurenai asked, teasing the copy ninja gently.

He smiled slightly. "Better that then throwing in the towel."

X X X

The leader of the squad from Kumogakure was called Himunari Akatachi. He was an old acquaintance of Hiashi Hyuuga's and recognised Neji immediately. He didn't know what to think of the Hyuuga's Sensei, or that strange miniature version of him, but the only girl in Neji's squad seemed nice enough. Neji bowed respectfully, remembering Himunari from several diplomatic dinners in the Hyuuga complex, growing up.

The strangely dressed ginger haired Jounin wasn't the most jolly or expressive person (which was why he got along with Hiashi so well), but to the outside observer, he looked like just another Gai Maito. It was his personality that was a little more reserved. He introduced the three Chunin in his squad after Guy made introductions.

"Kurami, Shibo, and Kusane," Himunari said, indicating to his team in turn.

As it turned out, both teams were here looking for the assassin with ninja abilities who was going around and picking off teams that carried the insignia of either Konoha or Kumo. So in the interest of inter-village relations, the Kumo Jounin suggested the two teams cooperate on this little venture. They would not do well to go their separate ways and race each other to the prize, although he could tell this idea would go over well with Guy and his "mini-me" called… Lee, he believed.

"Well, this will work out well," Himunari said, agreeing with Guy.

Both teams had decided to use themselves as bait for this assassin, and together, they weren't sure if they doubled their chances of attracting the guy's attention or scaring him off. The last group attacked was a squad of four, before that, a joining of several. Whoever this assassin was, he clearly planned out his attacks meticulously before striking. They had a better chance of overpowering him with more numbers, but it was quality over quantity after all.

Enthusiastic as ever, Guy and Lee proclaimed that the power of youth would see them victorious. Uncertain, Neji was surprised when Tenten grabbed his arm and have him a half hearted hug.

"Lighten up," she said, giggling softly. "After all, we have the power of youth on our side."

Neji just rolled his eyes at her.

Meanwhile, Kitsúne followed the teams at a safe distance as they left Kurakuta Town. Sasuke Uchiha was grateful that Neji hadn't activated his Byakugan yet, believing he was only able to keep them in his sights because of his Sharingan. There was no need to alert the Hyuuga to their presence. Silently, Sasuke promised himself to put keeping off Neji's radar ahead of succeeding in procuring this bounty. There would be other rewards with less problems.

At that thought, he wondered if maybe they should just let this one go.

But noting the eager Naruto Uzumaki and recently persuaded Sakura Haruno (though considerably less eager) he knew it would be an argument that would only take time and effort he didn't want to waste. Besides, it wasn't like they were heading into this blindfolded.

"Looks like we got lucky," Naruto said softly, his eyes narrowed as he stared in the direction he knew the two teams to be.

Sasuke was the only one who could see them, and was leading the way.

"They're both here for the same reason," he told the stupid blonde. "Don't be so naïve."

"We aren't going to wait until the assassin has killed the squads before moving in, are we?" Sakura asked, not wanting to be responsible for the death on Konoha ninja, no matter who they were.

"What makes you think one lone assassin could take on bushier brow Sensei's squad and live?" Naruto asked.

The pinkette ignored his tone, an indication to how nervous she was, despite her agreement to go ahead with it. They had a plan and it sounded solid, but she worried nonetheless. Yes, the idea of being caught or seen was terrifying, but the imminent chaos and potential fatalities concerned her even more. She didn't want to watch any of them die just so they could get the bounty.

She did realise she was being overly dramatic, but they'd never been this close to leaf ninja before, on purpose that was.

Sasuke, glancing at Sakura in his peripherals, decided to allay her concerns. But as he move to assure her that there was no way Team Guy was going to die at the hands of some lone assassin, no matter how good that assassin was, he stopped himself.

There was a singular, powerful chakra signature nearby, heading toward the two teams. Sasuke noticed him first, then Neji. It was show time.

X X X

[missiriss]

“Keeping it a secret” (1/2)

Fic for the 2nd day of SS Shoujo week 2023! At first I wanted to keep it short, but eventually turned out that it's out of my league. This is the first part of the story, I will hopefully post the second (and the last) one tomorrow, as of my fic for the 3rd day of the event. And it will surely contain much more SasuSaku! Building it up now. :] Prompt: Class trip Summary: Hiding your relationship in with Mr Popular may be difficult. Especially on a school trip! Word count: 1851

               One dreaming of living in the bosom of nature could never find a better place to stay than Suna. Spending whole evenings on romantic walks along those white-sand beaches. Bidding a farewell to the down-going Sun as it’s on its way to rest, leaving the world in the Moon’s care. Suna truly seemed to be the perfect area to anyone seeking peaceful oasis throughout the summer.

Although, that wasn’t the case here. Kakashi truly hated the climate of the place he had to spend his next few days at, but what was even more frustrating than high temperatures making him feel as if he was boiling within the four walls of an average hostel, was the ear-splitting noise accompanying him for most of the time. Upon hearing another cry of the most unpredictable pupil Konoha Highschool was to ever have, Kakashi rose his eyes from the book he was reading visibly annoyed. Glancing over at his students gathered around him, he exhaled deeply with a tired look on his face.

               “You kids… Make me remember something”, he admitted, in a serious tone of his voice, whilst the group of boys was looking at him with their hearts beating wildly fast, waiting for the permission they were hoping to receive. “I really hate this job.”

               Defeated groans of the bunch of teens carried in the hostel’s living room. Disenchanted. That’s how one could describe what was going in their heads right now. This aura was certainly sensed by Might Guy, PE teacher, who was just entering the longue and gave them a surprised look. Putting his hand on his hip, he asked:

               “It’s 9 am and you guys are already in such a bad mood? No way.”

               That was their chance. The last chance, to get what they desired and have been planning for weeks now, ever since the school trip was announced. They had to take all the measures, to win this. They needed someone with perseverance, who will fight for their case until the last drop of their blood. And upon having noticed their last resort, Naruto as a self-proclaimed leader of the group forced his way through the classmates. As he stood in front of the teacher, he put a serious face on, contradictory to the pleading look in his eyes.

               “Please, convince Mr Kakashi so that we could organise a party tonight.”

               Guy shook his head, moving his gaze to Kakashi who was now back to reading his favourite Icha-Icha Paradise.

               “Boys. You must learn that youthfulness isn’t just about having fun. It’s also the time when you need to learn the sense responsibility, that you will pass like a torch to your families in the future”, as he was speaking, the last hope was flowing out of Naruto’s body. How come they lost? It wasn’t just, and he could never agree to it. But then, Guy proceeded with his short speech. “Therefore. Just make sure you bring no alcohol to the party. If I smell it from anyone of you… you will be running around the hostel all day tomorrow.”

               Seeing his legendary pose, with his thumbs up and smile shinning brighter than the Sun on the sky in the middle of summer, boys caught their breaths for a minute, when processing what just happened. And then, it was high time to explode with joy.

               “Come on boys! We have a party to prepare!”, Naruto yelled, feeling the pride flowing in his veins.

               Sasuke sighed. He had already made plans on how he was going to spend this day. And now he was sure, sneaking out with his girlfriend of five weeks, won’t be as easy as he hoped it would be.

               We have a problem.               Guy gave them his permission.

               Sakura could feel a vein pulsing on her forehead when she read the text from her boyfriend. Of course, Naruto managed to get that freaking permission. Usually she admired his persistence, but today, it could get no worse! They were supposed to sneak out in the evening together with Sasuke to spend some time on their own. She even found online some pretty beach bar nearby, where they could stay for some cold drinks. And now, it seemed that it all was gone to a burton.

               Having noticed the annoyance boiling up in her friend, Ino stole a glance at her phone. A smile creeped onto her face as she read the name of the sender.

               “Oh, you two lovebirds!” she sighed, wrapping an arm around girl’s shoulder. “Seems Naruto accidentally put a spoke in your wheel, no?”

               Upon hearing her voice and the words flowing out of her mouth, Sakura immediately hugged her phone in fluster, covering its screen.   

               “Pig!” Her voice was surprisingly high-pitched. “How many times do I have to tell you this! Don’t look at my phone, when I’m texting with someone!”

               Ino laughed and fell onto the sofa. Sitting with her legs crossed she seemed to be wondering about something, while Sakura was fighting with the blush conquering her cheeks. Lovebirds, she wasn’t quite used to it yet. It still felt so fresh and awkward to think they were dating, even though she has been dreaming about it for a really long time now.

               “You should be more quiet when speaking about it”, she said once she composed herself enough to use her regular voice. “I don’t want others to find out.”

               “Yes, yes… But Sakura, I still don’t get it!”, she protested. “Why are you guys hiding? Girl, you’ve pulled the hottest guy we have at school! There’s nothing to be ashamed of!”

               Sakura immediately hushed her, taking a place next to her on the sofa, thinking about the answer. Honestly, she wasn’t sure herself. At first, she only wanted to enjoy the bloom of their relationship in silence, away from questions and curious looks. Sasuke wasn’t a fan of this idea once she brought it up on their first day. Actually, Sakura was almost certain her boyfriend wouldn’t agree to it. But he eventually chose to respect her wish and give them some time before announcing that they are dating.

               However, that definitely wasn’t her only reason. The more days was passing, the more worried she was about the reaction of others. She didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but on the other hand, she started to fear their friends will be disappointed with them for keeping it a secret for so long.

               “Anyway…”, Ino broke the silence between them, knowing she probably won’t receive any answer as her friend was already immersed in thoughts. “Nothing is lost yet. You and Sasuke can still sneak out during the party.”

               “Huh? But Ino, Naruto wanted to have an all-male party… He’s going through his alpha phase after he argued with Hinata.” Sakura had a disappointed look in her eyes, and Ino couldn’t stand that.

               “What about it? All-male party… that’s cute. If they don’t invite us, we will invite ourselves.”

               Haruno still had no idea how to do it. But the wink the blonde gave her was clear. She had a plan.

               Preparations for the party were in full flow. A small square of the beach with a furnace fell within the area of the hostel they were accommodated in. Naruto had hard times convincing the owner to let him have a party there, but again, for whatever reason he managed to get his way. And now, the boys were bringing all the stuff they could find useful. They even convinced Neji from a parallel class to lend them his Bluetooth speaker to have some music playing.

               Sasuke was grumpier than ever. That is, to say the very least. Standing under a rooftop covering the terrace, he kept observing every step of his classmates. He was trying to figure out how to leave unnoticed, and every new idea seemed even more stupid than the previous one. Naruto had already declared that he will make sure Uchiha has the time of his life tonight, and he will be by his side the whole time. Like the best buddy should.

               This must be a fucking joke, Sasuke thought to himself. He knew that Uzumaki was through a rough breakup, but there’s a limit to everything. Naruto totally perceived him as a partner in his solitude, and Sasuke totally didn’t intend to be one.

               “You’re a prime example that a real man needs no gal! Shoulda taken your cue long time ago!”, he once said when being completely wiped out. It was shortly after they got together with Sakura. Naruto called him for him, telling him it’s an emergency. And things couldn’t get more awkward. He still could feel the shiver going down his spine, thinking about all the rubbish Naruto spitted that night.

               Before he even realised, most of the work was already done. Some of the guys went to buy some drinks and snacks, while others took some seats and kept discussing something keenly. As he was about to join them to see what the exact plans for the night are, he heard his phone vibrating. He took it out of his pocket and unlocked the screen.

               We will get into the party. In advance, don’t be mad at me! x

               He read the text from his girlfriend once. Then once again. What on earth was she planning? No idea. Was he getting worried? Heck, yeah. Sasuke didn’t have enough time to get lost in thought any more. A group of girls was already visible from afar.

               She still couldn’t believe Ino’s idea won.

               “Told you, boys are boys. Simple as ABC. What do they like? Drinking, girls, and fun. Can you merge those three things into anything better than spin the bottle?”, she asked unfazed as she was fixing her makeup in their room.

               “Boys aren’t that simple at all… There is absolutely no way they are going to outvote Naruto just because of some silly game”, Sakura said ending her sentence with a humph.

               And there she was. Standing among the people as the party was about to start. She adjusted the strap of her dress, looking around to find Sasuke. They were classmates after all, no? This won’t be suspicious if she approaches him during the party.

               Having finally spotted the boy that made her heart skip a beat every single time he looked at her, she started walking towards him with a smile on her face. Sasuke was leaning against the wall of the terrace, staring at the sea.

               “Hi!”, she smiled at him, as there was now less than a meter between them. She was so happy to talk to him. Ever since they came here, they kept missing each other. Boys and girls were lately terribly divided in their class, even though the alignment of their team was amazing before.

               “Hey”, he responded, sizing her up. She wasn’t sure if it was a sudden cool breeze of the wind, or was it the atmosphere that suddenly grew cold, but she could feel the goosebumps forming on her skin. Something was off.

[ephemeredoll]

sasusaku: evasive

Sakura watches him. 

Hidden within the thick branches of a maple, with a cold autumn breeze sweeping through her hair, she watches Sasuke kiss another woman. 

Their lips move slowly against each other, Sasuke’s large hand holding her small waist while her fingernails scratch at the back of his neck. She says something when they part for air, her cheeks flushed and lips glistening with a mixture of their saliva and strawberry red gloss.

The woman’s hair is coloured pink, like cherry blossoms in season, a beautiful cascade of locks falling down her back and framing her face, her bright green eyes standing out against soft colours. She is wearing a long red jumper, the front of it tucked inside white chinos.

She is gorgeous.

And judging by the small smile that spreads on Sasuke’s face as he stands up and offers her hind hand—he must think so, too.

—

Sakura follows them to an estate built along the border of the village, a place so familiar and yet so strange. Like a phantom of what could have been if they had not chosen to destroy it.

She fixes the mask covering her face as the couple enters one of the houses. It is an impressive looking one, at the very end of a long dirt road, with a garden stretching to a nearby field—the Uchiha training grounds.

She stays a fair distance away, both conscious about getting discovered and not quite ready to witness the things that happen behind the closed doors.

Her suspicions are enough, the events of the past few days plenty to tell her all about the nature of their relationship.

She stays put, wrapping the cloak around herself for warmth when the light filling one of the rooms eventually disappears.

—

It takes a couple of weeks for Sakura to come up with a plan and make necessary arrangements. A couple of weeks during which she learns just how different this world is from the one she knows.

She waits until, one evening, the woman—another her—steps inside a small flat.

Sakura observes through the window how she carefully hangs up a beautiful kimono, made out of white silk with embroidered with flower petals and her family symbol at the back, on top of the wardrobe.

Sneaking inside is easy. What isn’t easy is seeing all the photographs and little evidence of Sasuke’s lingering presence scattered across the bedroom. Her heart aches, suffocated by the bone prison of her ribcage as unjustified anger starts to simmer in the pit of her belly.

It isn’t fair that this Sakura gets to enjoy everything she could only ever dream of.

A frustrated groan escapes her mouth. Eyes snap towards the door frame where she finds equally confused and terrified looking woman clutching a soaked towel to her chest.

Sakura moves, fast.

‘Hi. Sorry’, she says, smiles wide as her kunai shines against the other’s throat; the first drop of blood rolls down polished steel. ‘I’m afraid you won't make it to the wedding.’

—

[ Or canon divergent SS au where Sakura succeeds in killing Sasuke on the Samurai Bridge.

Years later, she stumbles into an alternate universe... where the massacre never happened, Sasuke never left the village and their relationship wasn't so complicated. ]

You can also read it on Twitter.

[daifukumochiin]

Summary: Sasuke's orderly life at elite Sairiumu Academy is disrupted by the arrival of Hinata, a timid transfer student whose obvious crush on him, a young man dedicated to his craft and his current relationship, stirs unease. (Initial SasuSaku with SasuHina endgame, modern Norse myth AU, high school, angst, romance, photography, postmodern-ish fic). Rated T

LIGHTS,

BOWS, and

MISTLETOES

an entry for SasuHina Month 2024, Day 27 : Forget and Remember

(for peachy-hina, since December)

@sasuhinamonth

ffnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14369143/1/Lights-Bows-and-Mistletoes

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57030778

Part 1: Lights

go to Chapter List>

vii

As it turned out, there weren't many Hyuuga families in Metro Konoha including Neji's family of three, formed from the union of a self-made millionaire and the scion of the long-term mayor of Metro Konoha. As a result, the private investigator Sasuke had hired had managed to call back earlier than expected.

"She's not listed under any Hyuuga family here," said the PI, handing Sasuke the files.

The office reeked of cigarettes. Every so often, the door would open, making the bell ring, and a sheepdog would wander in. Sasuke had never hired a private investigator before—this was more up his brother's alley—which made him anxious, knowing that anyone he knew could easily walk into this office and pry into his business.

"Do you mind?" Sasuke gestured to the door.

The PI waved his hand indicating he was free to do so, and Sasuke quickly locked it.

When he returned to the report, Sasuke's mind raced as he scanned the PI's findings. A mix of frustration and curiosity gnawed at him. "What could this mean?"

"Hyuuga is not a common name around here. She must've hailed from somewhere else, another country perhaps—"

"Can you check immigration records?"

"Sure, but it'll cost extra."

Sasuke clicked his tongue in scorn. He'd rather spend it on software or equipment.

"Rich kid like you, why so stingy?" The PI laughed.

"Rich." Sasuke snorted. "Just my old folks."

"Sounds the same to me."

"Is that really the only possibility? That she's here on a visa? But if that's the case, why is her family background confidential? Don't you think there could be other reasons?"

"People can come up with all sorts of things. In one of my past cases, a woman discovered that the lady applying to be her son's babysitter was her husband's illegitimate daughter. At first, when we started digging, we found out she wasn't listed in any family registry. The wife had only gotten suspicious in the first place because the girl had a port wine stain on her forehead that looked just like her husband's. So, we sent in DNA samples. Turned out, she was right.

"Now, in this Hyuuga girl's case, she's studying at Sairiumu and renting an apartment at Hashirama Park for 500,000 ryo a year, all paid in cash. It could be that she got this far with missing documents because Dad—or whoever—could pull the necessary strings. Just not any unsavory gossip that could hurt their reputation. That sort of thing…"

Sasuke stood abruptly, his chair creaking. Goosebumps covered his arms. That must be it. Hinata Hyuuga was a hidden mistress's daughter. No wonder Neji seemed appalled.

"But these are just theories," the PI added, lighting another cigarette. "The truth could be a whole lot different once we try to find out."

Sasuke covered his nose. "I've heard enough."

In the wake of this conclusion, Sasuke felt it justified when the results of the qualifying exhibition came out with no mention of Hinata Hyuuga. Whispers circulated among the recruitment committee about how entry number sixty-seven could have fallen short of the top fifty despite its popularity during the exhibit. But that was all. No complaint has been filed by Hinata either.

It wasn't until Sasuke saw the two together that the intricacies of the truth about their situation truly hit him.

The school had already quieted then, with only a few stragglers lingering as the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the empty pathways. After returning some books to the library, Sasuke circled to the back of the building to take a shortcut to the studio when he heard a familiar voice—Neji's—talking to someone by the plaza with the antique bronze drinking fountain. Curiosity drew him closer. He peered from behind a cypress and realized that the other person had been Hinata.

"Didn't I tell you? There's no place for you here. Go back to Yukigakure—"

Hinata kept her head down, her eyes glued to the granite pavers, silent.

"—Or would you rather I tell the school head how you're actually psychologically ill? You think I can’t see through you? You're not here for school or the photography club. You're here because of Sasuke—leave him alone. Drink your meds and don't leave your room until you start thinking straight. He's not who you think he is, and you're not who you think you are."

Frustrated that Hinata hadn't responded, not with even as much as a glare, Neji spun away with an offended huff and strode off. When Hinata lifted her head, tears dripped down her cheeks, and just as silently as they fell, she tried to wipe them out of her eyes. But they only kept coming, the devastation in her war-torn expression not making a sound. The layers of grief that she tossed with a look to the sky budded only to die at her feet.

For some reason, Sasuke felt cemented to the grass and couldn't walk away pretending that he heard and saw nothing.

So, the day after, when it happened that their paths crossed, that their gazes met—when she made a slight bow and timidly carried on with her pace—Sasuke made a decision. With jaws set and hands balled tight, he called:

"Wait."

Hinata stopped.

"I liked your entry," he said.

Her mouth stayed half-open—it didn't immediately register, it seemed. Gradually, as it did, her eyes widened, her face lit aglow. Her unassuming reaction to just a few simple words caught him stunned and faltering. He glanced elsewhere, his ears burning, his heart pounding loudly.

"Don't stop taking pictures," he urged after clearing his throat, though what he wanted to say was: I think you have something special.

If only their start hadn't been that time at Hashirama's bridge and her stalking, perhaps he would've been interested in working with her.

When he arrived at his office, on his desk was a book that didn't belong to him nor had he borrowed a copy from the library: The Poetic Edda by Jeramy Dodds.

He searched the front and back covers and the edges for any identification to no avail. One of the pages had been dog-eared, and when he opened it, a wild chamomile flower fell off. Highlighted in yellow on the page was the passage:

As though a switch had been turned on, the words transported him back to his research for the qualifying exhibition the previous year, bringing to the fore in vivid recall Longfellow's "Tegner's Drapa" and the bits he'd read off C.S. Lewis's Surprised by Joy; a memory that worked like his would store anything that caught his eye like clockwork, categorized and filed away until he'd found some use.

Line by line, the words connected, popping off; images formed like ant trails in his mind. Realization surged within him like lightning coursing down his veins, gathering into his trembling fists, fingers squeezed near breaking point. Having maxed out all charge storage capacity, he screamed muted air out, emptying his lungs.

He finally found the theme.

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[stopthebig3]

About men shipping Sasusaku there's this guy on here who makes SS analysis (madara/fate except instead of a slash it's a dash between names) and he twists things so much and denies canon events. People also believe him but I guess that's just because they don't bother reading the manga for themselves or are just as delusional. To give you an example recently he said that the SS poke is a good thing and he brought up the panel were young Sasuke was happy he received a poke because Itachi was "Just like the brother he's always known." As if the brother Sasuke knew back then wasn't someone who kept him at a distance, lied to him and didn't tell him anything. Which is what Sasuke does to Sakura and Sarada later with keeping them at a distance. But hey anything is possible when you ship Sasusaku.

I have seen him and yes he twists the manga a lot, but he's SS so that is to be expected. You can't ship SS unless you twist the manga. People believe him because he says his arguments with so much conviction. But his arguments are full of holes, and I have seen people write counter essays to his essays that point these out.

When Sasuke saw Itachi again, he was frustrated and told Itachi how he always poked his head and told him later, until he just died. Then Itachi even himself admitted, just before going away, that he poked Sasuke's head and told him later, to keep him at distance. Anyone who can read the whole manga can understand this. This is why he put their foreheads together before leaving Sasuke. He didn't want to continue keeping Sasuke at distance. But SS are known for taking panels out of context to justify their silly ship.