Sakura Haruno…
Only the heavens know how Sasuke ever explained his actions to her later on.
But knowing Sasuke — who never really cared all that much about Sakura in the first place — he probably never bothered to explain anything at all.
A certified heartbreaker, through and through…
To put it bluntly: Sasuke was the man who took what he wanted and moved on; Naruto was the devoted follower who kept giving without expecting anything in return; and Sakura only turned to Naruto when she needed help, otherwise her eyes were always fixed entirely on Sasuke.
In the usual order of things, you'd expect the man to take what he wanted, then leave the scraps for the dog.
But Naruto never imagined Sasuke was like a greedy beast — he took everything and left nothing behind.
Just as in the original story, once the rest of the Konoha Twelve learned that Naruto had set off alone for the Land of Iron, they all banded together and followed after him.
"Naruto — I heard Sasuke is here?" Sakura's face flushed bright with excitement.
After so many years, she was finally going to see the man she idolized again.
Unfortunately…
"Sakura… I'm sorry. I couldn't get the Raikage to call off the manhunt for Sasuke." Naruto's voice was heavy with regret, his head hanging low.
The moment she heard this, Sakura's expression turned cold and dark.
This was far from the first time she had reacted this way.
Every time Naruto failed to bring Sasuke back, she would fall into a deep slump — and more often than not, it would end up being Naruto who had to comfort her.
I can't stand watching this anymore!
Aoi thought, itching to step forward and give her a piece of his mind. Don't people like him have any dignity left?
But as the newly appointed "great actor" playing the role of Senju Hashirama, he couldn't very well go around punching children who were two generations younger than him.
Keep calm — just keep calm, he told himself, forcing a stiff smile.
Someone else will put her in her place eventually.
And Naruto isn't as alone as he thinks.
"Why… why does Sasuke have to go through all this?"
Sakura sank weakly to her knees, covering her face and sobbing.
"If only Lady Tsunade were awake — she would surely know how to help him."
Tsunade is the Hokage; Naruto is not…
In so many words, Sakura was making it clear that she had no faith in Naruto's abilities.
"That's ENOUGH!"
A roar of anger tore through the quiet night.
Soft white snowflakes drifted down, settling gently upon a face as pale and unblemished as the snow itself.
"Naruto has been working himself to the bone for Sasuke!"
Sai shouted through gritted teeth, the memory of Naruto kneeling in the snow and begging flashing through his mind.
"Sai — stop it!" Naruto tried to intervene, but it was too late.
Someone who rarely ever felt anger, once it finally erupted, was like a volcano blowing its top — impossible to stop.
"I may not understand human emotions," Sai continued, his brow furrowed in determination, "and I don't know what kind of promise you two made to each other… but…"
"Naruto truly loves you!"
He actually said it — right out loud.
Seeing this, Aoi could barely hold back from cheering in his head: Sai, you absolute legend!
Truly, the quiet, reserved Sai had no problem speaking the truth plainly, even in front of everyone.
This was shaping up to be the most awkward, tense love triangle of the entire year.
Here's hoping Naruto doesn't snap, transform into the Nine‑Tails, and blast everyone away on the spot…
Aoi thought, shaking his head in amusement.
But as always, Naruto lived up to his reputation for being straightforward and honest.
He scratched his head with a bitter smile.
"Sai… everyone in Konoha already knows that…"
And of course they did — no one was that blind.
The only difference was: as long as the other person was willing to pretend not to notice, he would keep giving everything he had, just as before.
If that wasn't love, what else could it be?
The sadness of loving someone who never looks back — who could truly understand it?
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