Hokage Master

Irritation. Anger. Perplexity. Sasuke did not understand why he suddenly began to get angry and at whom exactly this indignation was directed.

But...

Wrinkles suddenly appeared around his eyes, his teeth clenched and gnashed in pain. To meet the gloomy and heavy emotions came a chill that flashed in his eyes:

"Sakura, stop it. You already know the answer," he didn't even look at her...

"You don't need to humiliate yourself and make these scenes. I already gave my answer many years ago. What else do you want to hear from me? Everything has been decided long ago, and I'm not going to deviate from my words.

Sakura's eyes trembled in disbelief... He... He even now acted so heartlessly...

Tears welled up again. She couldn't accept it...

A soft cry drowned out a heavy sigh.

- Sorry. All these feelings are too much for me... I thought you understood, but... It seems... - Slowly turning towards the stairs, Sasuke lowered his head gloomily:

Disappointment flickered in his dark eyes.

Even though Sasuke tried to control himself, even he found it hard to say all this. As he said, everything has been decided long ago. As once in the past, leaving the village, nothing could stop him. He made a decision and no matter how they tried to keep him, even if they hated him, Sasuke was going to fulfill his duty no matter what.

The gnawing sense of loss, the irritating feeling of having made a mistake, and the depressing realization of his own gentleness made him make this decision... How could he give up? Even if Sakura started acting like that, didn't that mean that he was the one to blame?

Sasuke recognized this, which is why, as always, he chose the most cruel option. Since his youth, his character has not changed at all. Like Itachi, he showed no mercy to himself or to those around him. Only Naruto could make him choose a different path. As for the others... Maybe even years later, he hadn't learned to recognize others, because they didn't have the power to convince him.

Give in to Sakura? It's like admitting you're weak. Even if she became his wife, even if he once succumbed to the memories of the family, but today, he finally clearly understood that even this could not stand in his way ...

Debt is much more important than your own happiness and the joy of your family. That's how Itachi lived, and Sasuke didn't dare let him down...

"Damn it..."

He didn't turn around...

Without another word, with a muffled cotton of his cloak, Sasuke Uchiha left his family. Confident in the correctness of his choice, full of determination to go to the end, he did not even suspect what his act would turn into ...

Sasuke didn't think about Sakura's feelings, or rather, he couldn't do it... But for her, there was nothing more painful than such an answer. This conversation could have taken place a long time ago, but the truth is, deep down in her heart, she knew that this was how it would end. His nature is unchanging... If it wasn't for Naruto, she would never have had the resolve to end it... And if it wasn't for him, would she even be able to be with him? If not for Naruto, Sasuke would never have returned to Konoha.

It really was the end, and a different outcome, just a naive dream ...

Maybe they were never meant to be together?

Bitter, but... It all came down to this cruel truth. Like a fate that Sakura has been going against for years and tried to ignore the worst, because of her stubbornness. Perhaps it has long since turned from an innocent crush into something like an obsessive desire to prove that she can get Sasuke no matter what, ignoring the so-called fate?

Are feelings just self-deception? Because of how long he had been on the run, perhaps she, like Naruto, wanted to return what she had lost and, with each failure, became more and more obsessed with this desire? A selfish desire to return to the days when she was in love, regardless of Sasuke's wishes...

Was that the kind of selfishness Naruto was talking about?

Sakura's eyes trembled uncontrollably...

Can this be considered love? How did the feelings of a thirteen-year-old girl become so at sixteen? He was never there, what now, what then ... As before, she seemed to be trying to return to that time and finally sort out her feelings. What did she really want when she went after Sasuke that day?

Sakura was confused, she was crying and convulsively choking on memories...

At that moment, left completely alone, she began to realize that all this pain, loneliness and even her "problem" ... All this, as if the symptoms of her delusions, youthful naivety and that fanatical, selfish and completely obscure for herself, falling in love .

Like an internal trauma that she tried not to think about... The crack grew until finally the truth came out...

That's why she couldn't feel pleasure...

Now, all these feelings seemed so far away, as if that girl was not her at all ...

Naruto's words took on a different meaning. He seemed to see right through her, trying to tell her, but she could not see the truth because of her blindness!

The birth of Sarada... The person who was always there...

He delivered that final blow and shattered her cocoon of delusions.

While shedding tears, Sakura kept a bitter smile on her sad face and a sorrowful look in her eyes.

It really happened... And as painful as it was, the truth is, she couldn't take it anymore. Finally, all doubts and worries were resolved. It may have been a crushing defeat for her heart, but at the same time, Sakura Haruno let out a sigh of relief for the first time in years. Maybe trembling, sorrow, resentment, suffering and devastation prevailed in him, but in the depths, the same thing lurked - liberation ...

Sarada, lurking on the stairs, did not know what to do, and where to start. She held her cold hands to her trembling breasts, pressing weakly against the wall. Her eyes seemed to have dimmed, but she held back her tears, and even when her father left them, she did not find the strength to go out ...

"Mom..." - this precious word was fraught with unbridled tenderness and regret. Her heart broke just looking at Sakura.

Although she understood that it would be better for everyone, it was unbearable to see her like that...

Sakura was crying quietly in the ruins of the kitchen. The mournful sobs grew louder and louder. Bitter tears shed endlessly...

"Mom…" Sarada finally broke down and stepped out of the shadows. She bit her lips and did not know how to help... It seemed that all these feelings overwhelmed her too, piercing her crushed chest with pain.

— S-sarada? - Sakura's trembling gaze shifted towards her daughter, but under a veil of tears, she saw only a flashing silhouette, and then, her weak body was embraced by a familiar warmth ...

— Ah! - Once in the arms of her beloved daughter, the girl's lips involuntarily clenched and, unable to restrain herself, she sobbed bitterly, hugging her with all her might...

— Whoo! S-sarada... S-sorry...

Clinging to her girl's chest, Sakura cried like a child. Released from all the sadness, she just cried, while Sarada tightly clenched her teeth, and no longer held back her own tears ... But, they were not tears of sadness. Like icicles, they rolled down her cheeks, unable to block the murderous intent in her bloody eyes. At that moment, for the first time in her life, she wanted to deprive her dearest father ...

"I hate..."

Sakura's fragile shoulders trembled. Thin fingers turned white from strong hugs. She held her daughter as if she was afraid to lose her too ... Mournful crying echoed through the walls of the gloomy house, and then everything began to subside ...

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