Sasuke's Defection

The office quickly quieted down, leaving only the sound of pages turning. Occasionally, the two would stop and drink water in perfect synchrony, not speaking but not feeling awkward either.

A single morning was not enough to finish all the work, so in the last ten minutes before the end of the workday, the two began to wrap up their tasks and discuss where to go for dinner.

"How about the barbecue place near the Akimichi clan's quarters? It's a bit far, but we should still make it," Sakura said, leaning on the desk.

"That works," Naruto said casually, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, "Should we invite Sasuke? He doesn't have any missions."

Sakura suddenly fell silent for a moment before replying.

"Let's skip it."

"Sasuke has been in a bad mood lately. He had a huge fight with Kakashi-sensei at the hospital a while ago."

"I see," Naruto said lazily, "It's probably because of Itachi Uchiha. Sasuke wants to kill him so badly that it's become an obsession."

"Itachi Uchiha?" Sakura heard the depth in Naruto's words and asked, "I only know a few vague details. Why does Sasuke have to...?"

"Blood feud," Naruto said, as if it were a common story, but he didn't go into further detail.

He didn't need to explain more, as it would just drag him into endless trouble. One Uchiha Itachi was already terrifying enough; adding Orochimaru to the mix...

Both were more twisted than the other, crazier than the other. If Sakura wanted to jump into the pit, fine, but Naruto had no intention of touching it.

After the Blood Moon, Uchiha Sasuke lived only for revenge.

Sasuke had witnessed his family's death at the hands of Itachi while trapped in the Tsukuyomi, forced to weakly question his cold-blooded brother again and again.

Even though he survived, Uchiha Sasuke never escaped that bloody night. In the familiar clan quarters, Itachi had ruthlessly taken everything from him.

Some people live, but in their hearts, there is a child who died long ago.

"Why did it happen like this?" Sakura's voice trembled, "Sasuke never told us."

"Whether or not he tells us doesn't matter." Naruto stood up and grabbed his water, slowly taking a sip while staring at Sakura. "Sakura, some things you can't interfere with."

"I actually wish Sasuke could just go and enjoy his revenge. If it were me, I'd do whatever it takes to kill Itachi Uchiha."

Through the glass, Naruto's cold blue eyes met Sakura's, who shuddered in her seat.

...

At the end of the workday, Naruto lay down at home.

The barbecue at noon had been oddly silent. Sakura seemed distracted, but Naruto ate happily.

The entire Seventh Squad noticed Sasuke's unusual behavior, and Naruto didn't hide it, openly stating his position. Sasuke's revenge—he wholeheartedly supported it.

The pressure from Itachi Uchiha was too strong. Sasuke was given unlimited freedom, but to others, Itachi was like a god of death. Even now, Naruto still felt a lingering fear whenever he thought about the time when he had to open the door.

Among seasoned ninjas, only those at the level of the Sannin, with the skill of senior ninjas at the shadow level, could pose a threat to Uchiha Itachi.

With a loud crash, Naruto collapsed onto the sofa, slowly closing his eyes.

The next day.

The mission couldn't be completed. The Seventh Squad was short-staffed. Uchiha Sasuke had disappeared.

Tsunade was furious. All the Jonin were out on missions, and there weren't enough Anbu left behind. If they didn't call in ROOT, they would have to rely on Konoha's lower-ranked ninjas.

Reluctantly, Tsunade summoned Shikamaru, Neji, and Naruto, the three who hadn't yet been assigned missions, to the Hokage office, ordering Shikamaru to lead the team.

Without much discussion, she told them to do whatever it took to find Sasuke.

"Hokage-sama, we need more personnel," Shikamaru said straightforwardly. "Just the three of us won't be enough to complete the mission."

"Pick from the ninjas who haven't gone on missions yet. Let me know the list before departure," Tsunade said after a moment's thought. "It has to be quick—we can't let Sasuke escape the borders of the Land of Fire."

"Understood," Shikamaru responded and quickly left. Neji followed.

Naruto was about to leave when Tsunade suddenly called him back.

"Naruto, stay for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Naruto stopped and turned to face Tsunade. The sight of her fair, jade-like face made him think of the sword on his chest, and his face immediately soured.

"I'm busy. Don't give me extra tasks besides chasing Sasuke!!"

Tsunade's face darkened immediately, her lips twitching slightly as she grabbed Naruto's collar, pulling him close with a menacing glare.

"I'm telling you to be careful, brat!!"

"Give me back that sword!!" Naruto retorted without backing down, glaring right back. "If you don't, whether I come back alive is up for debate."

"What did you say?" Tsunade's hand squeezed Naruto's face like dough. "Who do you think you are? Bargaining with the Hokage? Want to die?!"

"It hurts, it hurts!!!" Naruto groaned but still replied defiantly. "Without the sword, Hokage-sama, better get ready to give me flowers."

"Who cares about the life of a lowly ninja like you?!" Tsunade was getting more and more frustrated. "If you keep complaining, I'll send you back to ninja school!"

"Mm! Anything else to say?"

"Spitting on my face!" Naruto said.

"Get out of here!"

With a thud, Tsunade threw Naruto far out, the sword clanging as it landed next to him.

Seeing the sword within reach, Naruto quickly changed his expression, carefully retrieving it like it was his wife. Standing tall, he looked at Tsunade and spoke with renewed resolve.

"Yes! I'll definitely make it out alive."

"Get lost!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Naruto wisely stopped while he was ahead, took the equipment Tsunade had given him, rushed to prep quickly, and flew down the stairs.

Upstairs, Tsunade was fuming more and more, her chest rising and falling.

She grabbed a chair and threw it out the window, the sound of shattering glass echoed. Below, Naruto's scream followed.

"Ah!! Who threw that damn chair from high up?!"

Hearing Naruto's shouting from below, Tsunade impatiently leaned out of the window. Seeing her, Naruto immediately stopped shouting and ran off without saying a word.

Just as Naruto was leaving, Sakura arrived at Tsunade's office, begging to join the mission to retrieve Sasuke.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, and with the excuse that medical ninjas shouldn't participate in high-risk operations, she flatly refused. She also assured Sakura that she had already arranged for people to go after Sasuke, so there was no need to worry.

On the other side, Naruto sealed the Grass-Cutting Sword in his space seal, quickly prepared some equipment, and immediately set out with the team led by Shikamaru to pursue Sasuke.

While traveling through the forest, Naruto thought unexpectedly of the Sound Four and Moya. If they dared to interfere after eating their ice cream, he would give them a good beating.

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