Among Konoha's rogue ninja, there was now one more name besides Uchiha Itachi—Haruno Sakura.
When this news spread, the first person who refused to accept it was Yamanaka Ino.
The village amusement park had become a casual gathering place for their generation. Uchiha Sasuke stood beside a tree, watching his peer and former teammate Ino cry her heart out, his expression calm and unreadable.
"No… sob… how could this happen, Sakura…"
The girl's sobbing was pitiful to hear. The blond boy beside her suddenly slammed his fist into the old tree, sending several withered leaves drifting down.
"Sakura would never join Akatsuki! I believe in her! She must have been threatened! She would never do something like this, dattebayo!"
Those clear blue eyes were filled with unwavering trust toward Sakura, far away somewhere else.
Nara Shikamaru—known as the sharpest mind of the new generation—lazily yawned and dug at his ear, speaking in his usual sluggish tone.
"The facts are the facts—"
Before he could finish, his collar was grabbed and he was yanked straight up from the bench by Ino.
"You bastard, Shikamaru! What did you just say?! What do you mean 'facts'?! Sakura would never betray Konoha!!"
Tears shimmered in her eyes. The hand at his collar tightened painfully around his neck.
Nearby, the Hyuga clan's eldest daughter stood timidly to the side, her pale eyes trembling with anxiety.
"I–Ino…"
"Honestly, at least let me finish," Shikamaru complained. After finally prying himself free, he no longer dared keep that lazy attitude. Sitting back down, he let out a quiet sigh.
"I don't believe Sakura would betray us either. What kind of person she is—even if I don't know completely, you do, Ino. If she had just gone out to clear her head after a failed treatment, there's no way she wouldn't have returned by now. But the problem is—we don't even know when she left Konoha."
As he spoke, Shikamaru looked up at Sasuke, who had been standing off to the side the entire time, as if asking for confirmation.
"Right, Sasuke?"
Sasuke's expression didn't change in the slightest.
"I don't know."
Neji didn't miss that subtle detail. He stayed silent, letting his teammate Lee sink into deep dejection over his "first love" becoming a rogue ninja. As for Tenten, she could only carefully try to comfort Ino.
Among the four girls of their generation, they all got along—but Ino and Sakura had always been the closest.
"Let's go to the Sixth and make him revoke Sakura's wanted order!" Naruto said angrily, his blue eyes burning with determination. "There has to be some kind of misunderstanding! Sakura will definitely come back, dattebayo!"
This was not a wise move. Going forward now would only invite trouble—for Sakura, and for themselves.
Shino thought so. As usual, he said nothing.
Because someone else would say it for him.
"The Sixth isn't the Fifth, Naruto."
Sasuke spoke. It was the first clear stance he had taken since arriving at this gathering.
"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Naruto clenched his fists. "If Sakura's labeled a traitor, people will hunt her down! She's in danger right now, dattebayo! I'll definitely bring Sakura back!"
"The Sixth won't believe you," Sasuke replied flatly.
Naruto tightened his grip, his voice resolute.
"Then I'll make him believe!"
Idiot.
Sasuke thought so, but after a moment's silence, he spoke calmly.
"I don't want to admit it either, but Sakura's defection is very likely the truth. She's our peer. You all know what kind of person she is. When Kita was injured under her care, there was no way Sakura would abandon her patient. Leaving the village—more than being threatened by Akatsuki—it was probably her own choice."
Naruto's fist slammed into the tree again, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Damn it! That bastard again! If I'd been there back then, I'd never have let her into the village! Granny Tsunade wouldn't have ended up like this either!"
Sasuke said nothing.
Hinata, clearly worried, spoke softly.
"N–Naruto-kun… this isn't your fault."
"How is it not my fault?! If only I—"
"Enough," Shino interrupted calmly. "There's no meaning in saying things like that now. Time can't be reversed. If we're looking for reasons, then as Sasuke said, this is probably the truth. Naruto—if that's the case, what will you do?"
"No way! Sakura isn't that kind of person, dattebayo! They tricked her! Sakura would never willingly treat people like that! Those guys—those guys are all bad people, dattebayo! S–Sakura would never! She must have been deceived, dattebayo!!"
He wasn't just shouting—his emotions were overflowing.
At this moment, no one was more worried about Sakura than Naruto.
Ino fell silent.
She remembered that day—Sakura's panic when she had regained consciousness.
—Ino, I'm so conflicted. Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?!
—Ino, I'm so tired. My worldview is about to be completely rewritten.
—Ino, what should I do? One is responsibility, and the other is someone I hate…
—Ino, I… am I sick?
—Ino, I think I'm becoming really abnormal.
—Ino, a patient is just a patient, right?
—Ino, I really still want to become an amazing medical ninja.
—Ino, even if you end up hating me someday, it's fine. I've decided to fulfill my duty anyway.
"…Ino? Ino?!"
Kiba's voice snapped her back to reality. Ino startled, realizing that everyone's eyes were now on her.
"W–What is it?"
"You should understand Sakura better than any of us," Kiba said. "So what do you think? What was Sakura really thinking?"
Naruto cut in, staring intensely at her.
"Sakura would never betray the village, dattebayo. Never!"
Blue eyes overlapped with what had once been green.
—Ino.
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