AKATSUKI HIDEOUT
The dim torchlight cast long shadows across the stone walls while Itachi remained seated atop one of the rocky formations inside the hideout. Kisame rested nearby, Samehada leaning beside him as he silently observed his partner.
The ground began moving slowly.
A dark mass emerged from the stone as though it were part of it, revealing the familiar half-body of Zetsu.
"We've received some interesting information." His voice echoed through the hideout. "Your brother and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki fought Jiraiya. The Legendary Sannin died, and the two of them remain outside Konoha."
Kisame immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Jiraiya died?"
"Yes." Zetsu confirmed. "And that creates the perfect opportunity to capture the Jinchūriki."
Itachi remained silent for several seconds as he absorbed the information. His expression didn't change, but the news was far too important to ignore.
"I see."
Zetsu observed the two of them before speaking again.
"That was all I had to report."
Without waiting for a response, his body sank back into the stone until he disappeared completely.
The hideout returned to silence.
Kisame crossed his arms as a smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Looking forward to seeing your brother again, Itachi?"
"No." The answer came immediately. "I only want to complete my mission."
Kisame let out a small laugh.
That sounded like a lie to anyone else, but after so many years working beside him, he had already learned that Itachi rarely showed what he was truly thinking.
"Then I'll capture the Jinchūriki alone." Kisame rested an arm on his knee while organizing his plans. "That should give you enough time to settle things with Sasuke."
Itachi showed no opposition.
"The problem is finding the two of them." Kisame continued. "They've been missing for quite some time."
A small smile appeared on Itachi's face.
"That won't be difficult."
Kisame immediately noticed the change.
"You know something I don't?"
"Sasuke is looking for me."
The answer came simply.
For years, that meeting had been inevitable. Itachi had always known his brother would continue walking that path until he finally reached him.
He just hadn't imagined Naruto would be at Sasuke's side when it happened.
Kisame let out a low laugh.
"So you're okay with me fighting the Jinchūriki alone?"
"Yes." Itachi answered without hesitation. "Do not interfere."
The warning was direct enough to make it clear that it wasn't a request.
It was a condition.
Kisame slowly stood up while placing Samehada over his shoulder.
"Of course."
His smile widened.
"We have an agreement."
As Kisame prepared to leave, Itachi remained motionless, staring into the darkness of the hideout.
'Sasuke...'
For the first time in many years, the meeting between the two of them felt truly close.
And when that moment arrived, there would be no turning back.
HOKAGE TOWER
"Tsunade-sama, may I come in?"
Sakura's voice came from the other side of the door while Tsunade organized several documents piled across her desk. Two shadow clones continued working on separate stacks of paperwork, slowly reducing the administrative chaos that had dominated the office since the recent events.
"Come in."
The door opened shortly afterward and Sakura entered the room with a more hesitant expression than usual. Tsunade noticed it immediately.
"Close the door and sit down."
Sakura nodded and occupied one of the chairs in front of the Hokage's desk. She seemed to have been organizing her words for quite some time, which made Tsunade assume this would be related to the funeral or the village's recent problems.
"What is it?"
Sakura took a deep breath before responding.
"I'd like to ask a question."
Tsunade rested her elbows on the desk.
"Go ahead."
Sakura hesitated once more before finally getting to the subject that had truly brought her there.
"If... hypothetically..." She carefully searched for the right words. "If Sasuke decided to return to Konoha... what would happen to him?"
Tsunade's expression changed immediately.
Her relaxed posture vanished.
"Sasuke Uchiha is a missing-nin."
The answer came firmly.
"If he returns to Konoha, he will be imprisoned."
Sakura had expected resistance, but she still pressed on.
"Even if he wants to redeem himself?"
"Yes."
"And if he helps the village?"
"Yes."
"And if he regrets what he did?"
"Yes."
Each answer came faster than the last.
Sakura tightened her hands in her lap.
"Isn't there any situation where he could be forgiven?"
Tsunade slowly exhaled through her nose before answering.
"Sakura, you're talking about a criminal who abandoned the village, allied himself with Orochimaru, and became an official enemy of Konoha."
Her voice remained controlled.
"He didn't lose that title just because you still like him."
Sakura lowered her gaze for a few seconds.
"But why be so harsh on him?" She looked up again. "Naruto is the one who killed Jiraiya."
The atmosphere seemed to change instantly.
Tsunade's expression visibly hardened.
Sakura realized too late that she had crossed a dangerous line.
Naruto and Jiraiya weren't just names to Tsunade.
They were important people.
Far more important than this discussion about Sasuke.
"NARUTO WILL BE IMPRISONED TOO!"
The answer came out loud enough to make Sakura slightly shrink back in her chair.
Tsunade stood up.
The anger she had been controlling since Jiraiya's death finally surfaced.
"Do you really understand what you're saying?"
Sakura remained silent.
"Naruto deserted the village."
Tsunade's voice remained firm.
"Naruto took part in Jiraiya's death."
She walked around the desk.
"And yet you talk about him as if he's just an inconvenient detail while searching for excuses for Sasuke."
Sakura immediately felt the weight of those words.
Tsunade continued before she could respond.
"Do you know what the difference between them is?"
The Hokage crossed her arms.
"Naruto always considered you a friend."
The sentence hit Sakura harder than she expected.
"Even when he was ignored."
"Even when he was ridiculed."
"Even when half the village treated him like trash."
Tsunade shook her head.
"And even so, he kept trying to protect the people around him."
Sakura lowered her gaze.
'...'
"Meanwhile, Sasuke abandoned the village by his own choice."
Tsunade's voice lost some of its anger, but gained something heavier.
"No matter the cost, I will fulfill my duty as Hokage."
She returned behind the desk.
"If Naruto returns, he will be imprisoned."
"If Sasuke returns, he will be imprisoned."
"Because that's what the law demands."
Sakura remained seated for several seconds without finding an immediate answer.
For the first time, Tsunade wasn't speaking only as a mentor.
She was speaking as Hokage.
And at that moment, there was no room for personal feelings.
"I understand..." Sakura replied quietly.
"No." Tsunade immediately answered. "You don't."
The Hokage continued staring at her student while Sakura tried to maintain a calm expression. The problem was that Tsunade had spent too many years reading people to be fooled by that.
"I can see it in your eyes."
Sakura immediately felt discomfort rise in her chest.
Tsunade took a deep breath before continuing.
"And that's exactly what worries me."
Her voice no longer carried only anger. There was disappointment mixed into it now.
"Do you know why I accepted you as my student?"
Sakura was surprised by the sudden change of topic.
"Tsunade-sama..."
"Because Naruto insisted."
The answer came firmly.
"He was the one who believed in you first. He was the one who kept defending you even when nobody paid attention to him."
Sakura remained silent.
"But I was happy with that decision."
Tsunade crossed her arms.
"Because you really did have talent."
Memories of their training briefly crossed her mind. Sakura had learned chakra control, medical ninjutsu, and combat at a pace very few could match.
"You became an excellent kunoichi."
For a moment, Sakura felt a sense of relief.
Then Tsunade continued.
"But talent isn't everything."
The sentence hit differently.
"In terms of skill, you are my student."
The Hokage's expression hardened.
"But in terms of mentality..."
Tsunade slowly shook her head.
"You are not fit to be my successor."
Sakura felt her heart sink.
"Tsunade-sama, I..."
"No."
The interruption came before she could finish.
"You just sat in front of me and tried to find excuses for Sasuke while treating Naruto like a disposable detail."
Her voice remained controlled, which only made everything worse.
"Naruto lost his way."
"Naruto disappointed me."
"Naruto took part in Jiraiya's death."
Tsunade clenched her teeth for a moment.
"But even so, I can still see everything he did for you over the years."
Sakura lowered her gaze.
"You can't."
The sentence pierced through every defense she was still trying to build.
"You continue chasing someone who abandoned the village while completely ignoring someone who spent his entire life trying to protect you."
"Tsunade-sama, that's not how it is..."
"That's exactly how it is."
Sakura tried to respond again, but quickly realized it was already too late.
Tsunade had made her decision.
"And because of that..."
The Hokage closed her eyes for a second before continuing.
"Starting today, I am no longer your sensei."
The world seemed to stop for Sakura.
"What?"
Her voice cracked.
"Tsunade-sama..."
"Leave."
The order came without room for discussion.
"L-Lady Tsunade..."
"I said leave."
Sakura felt tears appear before she even realized it. She was still trying to understand how a conversation about Sasuke had reached this point, but no explanation came.
Or perhaps it did.
And she simply didn't want to accept it.
With tear-filled eyes, Sakura slowly rose from the chair and walked toward the door.
No farewell came.
No attempt to stop her.
When the door finally closed, the office returned to silence.
Tsunade remained standing behind her desk for several seconds without touching the documents scattered throughout the office.
'I hope I'm making the right decision.'
The feeling was bitter.
Because part of her still saw the hardworking girl she had trained for years.
But another part knew that some lessons could only be learned when someone finally faced the consequences of their own choices.
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