He stood on the crest of a hill, overlooking the gate of Konoha. Even though the headband pressed against his forehead represented his village’s forgiveness, as his gaze panned over the bustling streets and familiar buildings, a well of guilt flooded in the pit of his stomach. It had been years. Even so, the village didn’t seem all that different.
They brought him into their living area, which was sparsely furnished and decorated. A couch was set in the center, creating a separation between the living room and the kitchen. In front of the sofa was a laughably, small, wooden coffee table. Other than that, there were a few pictures on the walls, and that was that. Sakura seemed to
The walk back to the Uchiha compound seemed much longer than he recalled. Still, the path was the same. In his mind’s eye, he could imagine a worn path. It was a path he walked alone for many years. That certainly wasn’t the case anymore. No matter how close he came to the compound, people were still on that same
Her house, especially in comparison to the Uzumaki household, was much more heavily decorated. Shelves lined the walls, and on each one were various knick-knacks and potted plants. Leafy, green vines grew wildly along the walls. They reached toward the floor and ceiling with reckless abandon and even grew towards one another, grasping out to form nests of tangled brush.
Every conversation he had that day was rushing through his head in tandem. Words and faces were being swapped around, but no matter who was saying what, Sasuke cringed all the same. His mother was apparently friends with Sasuke 2.0, Hinata was in wedding pictures with Naruto, and Sakura had bought a basket of tomatoes. It was enough to make
By the time he made it home, the sun was beginning to crest over the horizon. The red light of dawn illuminated everything, and the heat was already burning the back of Sasuke’s neck. Hanabi’s words were still ringing in his ears, drowning out the chirping of the lingering cicadas from the night before. “I know what is inside you.