Naruto: In the future world

"You know it's not easy to just make things 'okay' after being rejected so harshly. I have a heart too," Sakura sighed sharply.

Ino gently took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze, saying, "Come on, you know he wouldn't have said that without a reason. Besides, he told you the next day that he needed time to think. But instead, you went running into Naruto's arms."

"You make me sound like a slut when you say it like that. It's not like I had a choice. I was distraught, and Naruto took advantage of the situation—he suddenly confessed his feelings and even kissed me. He saw how vulnerable I was. Put yourself in my shoes." Sakura placed her hand on her forehead, visibly agitated. "I know what I did was wrong, but I wasn't thinking clearly. I lost all rationality."

Ino smiled and pulled her hand away before saying, "Well, what's done is done. That was a long time ago. You should have come to terms with it by now."

Sakura smiled softly as she looked at Ino. "Of course! I'm ready to move forward now. I'm just waiting for the right moment."

"That's good."

Both girls sighed and smiled faintly.

"I'm going to fix us something to eat. I'm starving," Ino said as she rolled up her sleeves.

"I'll help you," Sakura replied, following her into the kitchen.

---

The next day.

Inside the grand Uchiha mansion, Sasuke had just woken up and was lying on his large, comfortable bed. He calmly rubbed his face, then sat up and headed to the bathroom.

After getting ready, he left the room, leaving his maid to clean up behind him. Just as he stepped out, he saw his younger sister emerging from her adjacent room, yawning sleepily.

"Good morning, Karin."

Sasuke smiled as he greeted her, to which she replied coolly, "Ah, good morning, brother."

"Did you sleep well, dear?"

"Yes."

"That's good."

With that, Sasuke descended the stairs to join his family at breakfast.

At the head of the table sat the elder Indra, despite having stepped down from his role as head of the family.

To his right sat Kizuna, followed by Fugaku, then Madara. Next to Madara was Karin.

Opposite Kizuna sat Uchiha Obito, then Uchiha Shisui, and finally Uchiha Sasuke directly across from Indra.

Sasuke ate quietly with a soft smile on his face, while Madara and Fugaku discussed the nation's security.

Kizuna remained silent, as did his sons, Obito and Shisui.

In the middle of their conversation, Fugaku asked coldly, "Any news on Izumi?"

Madara answered calmly, deep in thought, "Nothing so far. It's likely that someone from within helped her escape. According to the surveillance footage, Shisui and Izumi went out for a walk and were outside the cameras' range when she fled."

Everyone turned toward Shisui, who remained calm and said, "It was my mistake. I admit it. I shouldn't have gone to her while carrying the handcuff key. She asked me to go out for a walk, and I agreed. I take full responsibility for what happened."

Kizuna looked at Shisui with a cold gaze. "You've had feelings for her for a long time. Did that have anything to do with what happened?"

"No. I wouldn't let my feelings get in the way. Besides, everyone knows about her relationship with Itachi. She was our last card to get revenge on him for killing several clan members and fleeing. But it seems he's completely abandoned both her and the clan."

Kizuna let out a quiet sigh and said nothing, while Madara asked, "Can you tell us exactly what happened that led to her escape?"

"As I mentioned, after she asked to go out, we took a walk. I was following her, even though I knew she was trying to avoid the cameras. I just wanted her to feel a bit of freedom. Then suddenly, she hit me over the head. When I came to, I was in the abandoned room, and she had escaped after removing her cuffs. I went back to the house looking for her, then returned to the room in case she left any clues—but she was already gone."

"I see. Thank you for explaining," Madara said with a calm smile before turning to Fugaku. "His story aligns with what the surveillance footage showed—he did go back and forth twice."

Fugaku closed his eyes and folded his arms. "Understood. Let's continue the search and inform the trackers to expand their perimeter."

"Understood, brother."

As Sasuke finished his meal, he placed his spoon down and silently left the dining hall.

---

A few minutes later, he and Karin were inside a car heading toward school. Sasuke rested his chin on his hand as he leaned against the window in boredom, staring at the clear blue sky and beautiful weather.

He sighed slowly, thoughts clouding his mind. (What am I even doing? I seem so ungrateful...) He placed a hand over his pounding heart as memories began flooding his mind.

Their first meeting... back when the two boys were playing tag—or so he thought—and the blond kid had suddenly tackled him and started calling him "cute" after being embarrassed by Itachi.

Their chance encounters at Ichiraku Ramen.

Their weekends at the park playing together.

They went to different elementary schools but reunited in middle school, where they began to experience the confusion of growing up—and with it, complicated emotions.

He remembered how happy his life had been... with her. And how his dear friend had always supported their relationship at the cost of his own feelings. Even when they had agreed the loser would accept the outcome.

And then... the misunderstanding that led to a fight.

But everything returned to normal by the time they graduated.

It had seemed that everything would be fine—until they were no longer little kids.

Sasuke slowly pulled his hand away from his heart and opened his now-red eyes. A single tear fell from his left eye, and in his vision, he saw his two dear friends smiling at him.

(What am I doing? How could I do this to them?)

He wiped his tears away and smiled softly. "I have to find my friend… or else, he'll hate me forever." With that, he continued gazing at the sky.

---

After arriving at school and crossing the large courtyard, the two siblings entered the building and headed to their classroom together.

As they walked, three girls were ahead of them, chatting.

Karin raised her hand and called out, "Tenten, Sakura, Ino, good morning," before walking over to join them in conversation. Sasuke, meanwhile, kept his eyes lowered and didn't glance at them.

"Sasuke, good morning," the three girls said cheerfully.

Sasuke looked up and offered them a sincere, gentle smile. "Good morning, girls. How are you?"

The girls stopped walking until Sasuke caught up, and they walked together, chatting as they made their way to class.

From behind, a group of boys glared at them with envy, biting their tongues in frustration. One of them even raised his middle finger at Sasuke.

The group of five reached the classroom and went inside. It was still a little early, so not all their classmates had arrived yet.

Sasuke set his bag down in front of Sakura's desk, then went over to where Shino and Rock Lee were talking with Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chōji. Neji sat a bit apart from them, not engaging in the conversation.

"Good morning, guys. How's it going?"

The boys turned to him for a few seconds, then resumed their conversation, completely ignoring him.

Sasuke blinked in confusion. "Hey? What's going on?"

The boys were enveloped in a dark aura. Kiba leaned on his arms and stared at Sasuke with a shadowy look.

"Huh? Kiba? What's up with you?"

Sasuke glanced in the direction they were all staring—at Ino, Sakura, Tenten, and Karin.

"Wait, you don't mean...?" Sasuke dragged a chair and sat down next to Rock Lee, muttering, "Don't treat me like I belong over there and not here!"

"Lucky bastard."

"Scumbag."

"Playboy."

"Go to hell, jerk."

Sasuke was suddenly bombarded with insults from all directions. He snapped, "You all go to hell!"

The boys sighed in unison and fell silent for a moment. Then Sasuke broke the quiet. "Any news about Naruto? Have you guys found any leads?"

Shino closed his eyes and replied coolly, "The Crushers gang is doing their best, but there's nothing major. The last confirmed sighting of the leader was in a car headed toward Korea. But no one knows if he made it across."

"On that note… why would someone go to such lengths to capture an unidentified boy raised by Principal Hiruzen? Hiruzen's background isn't that influential—even if he's technically part of the Senju clan, it's only through his mother. His surname is Sarutobi," Shikamaru said, raising his head as he laid out Naruto's public background.

"No one would go this far to hide Naruto's identity unless he's someone important… or the child of a major clan," he added coldly, turning his gaze directly toward Sasuke.

Sasuke averted his eyes and said nothing.

"Shikamaru's right. I doubt Naruto is just some ordinary guy," Chōji said while munching on his food, seemingly uninterested but clearly listening.

"Whatever the case, the leader wants to keep his identity secret. Right now, we need serious authority to access the surveillance systems across the country. That kind of access only comes from the intelligence bureau—or in other words, the national security forces," Shino added calmly, making it clear that without the Uchiha clan's involvement, there was little hope.

Sasuke remained silent for a moment, then smiled. "I'll try talking to my father and see if he'll convince my uncle."

Shino and Rock Lee leaned toward Sasuke and said in low, dramatic voices, "Please find the leader soon." Sasuke placed a hand on both their shoulders and said, "You're my friends—don't bow your heads when speaking to me. Let's find Naruto and take down the ones who took him!"

Rock Lee smiled, while Shino remained quiet. Shikamaru laid his head back on the desk and fell asleep again, while Chōji continued eating.

Minutes passed, and students began filing in. Finally, Kakashi arrived, and their first class of the day began.

---

During lunch break, Sasuke stood alone in a quiet corner, hands in his pockets. His cheeks were slightly flushed as he fussed over his appearance, checking if his clothes were neat, if he looked okay.

He heard footsteps approaching, and his heartbeat quickened. He feared she might hear it pounding and know how anxious he was.

Then he saw her.

For a moment, she seemed like a completely different person. He had always known her as the gentle, timid girl—nervous, head down, like she might trip at any second.

But now she walked tall, her steps firm and confident, like an unshakable queen.

Was this really the same girl he knew? The fragile, delicate one?

This confident, powerful young woman?

Those were his thoughts, and yet his heart embraced this new version of his beloved without hesitation.

She stood before him with a calm gaze and cool eyes he couldn't read at all.

"Hello, Sasuke."

That quiet greeting snapped him back to his senses, and he replied with a hint of awkwardness, "O-oh, Sakura. Hey… h-how are you?"

Sakura looked at him steadily, then said in a strong, composed voice, "I'm fine. It's been a while since we talked alone—since that day, I guess?"

Sasuke recalled the day he told her he needed time to think. He smiled faintly, cheeks pink, even though he was taller, stronger, and more physically capable—he felt as if, for a moment, she had surpassed him in every way.

He felt weak and small before her. Though she hadn't changed much physically, she now looked at him from a place of strength.

"Y-yeah, that's true." He chuckled softly, scratched his head, and said, "About that… I actually wanted to talk to you about our relationship…"

"Let's leave that for later. I wanted to talk about Naruto."

"Huh?"

Sasuke felt like he had just been completely rejected.

"It's been several days, and everyone's doing their best to search for him… but we're still nowhere near finding him," Sakura continued.

But Sasuke's mind was elsewhere. He was hurting. He wanted to scream. (What is this? What does it mean? We haven't talked alone for a year, and now she comes just to talk about Naruto? Really? What was I even looking forward to?)

"That's why… I hope you'll give it your all. We're worried something terrible happened to him. Please, let's set aside everything between us for now. We need your help to find Naruto. Can you talk to your father or uncle? There's no other way."

Sakura placed her hands in front of her respectfully and bowed. "I'd be grateful if you did. Please… do something."

Sasuke looked down at her as she bowed.

He felt crushed—disheartened, sorrowful, defeated.

"Please, Sasuke."

Something inside him broke. Was it his heart? His mind? His emotions? His logic? Something shattered, undeniably.

Sakura lifted her head and saw him looking at her, stunned. She asked, "Sasuke? Are you listening?"

"Ah… yeah. I'll talk to my father," he replied with a gentle smile.

"Really? Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me." She gave him a half-glance and walked away without turning back.

She left him standing there in silence.

He bit his lip hard—until it bled. He clenched his fists, then lowered his gaze. He wanted to call her back, to reach for her. And just as he lifted his hand—

Something fell on it.

He looked down.

"…Ah. Tears."

He spoke in a broken voice, as more tears welled up and rolled down his cheeks. He leaned against the wall, letting them fall freely.

"What is this? It's not even worth crying over. So why am I crying? She didn't even say anything about her feelings for me. Why am I making it into something more than it is? She's just worried, like everyone else. So why does it hurt so much?"

He placed his hands over his head, sobbing quietly.

"Even though it's not supposed to matter… even though it has nothing to do with feelings… why am I so sure… that I've been erased from her heart?"

.

.

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#To_Be_Continued.