Sasuke

"Rasengan?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, who was handling some affairs in his office, was surprised to see his young student in front of him.

"Correct."

"I want to teach Naruto the Rasengan."

Sakura nodded firmly.

"What's the reason?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't reject Sakura's suggestion, but he hadn't approved it yet either.

"I'm not Naruto's guardian; I can't always be by his side."

"He needs a way to protect himself."

Sakura's words made Sarutobi Hiruzen raise an eyebrow, and he sighed inwardly.

It seemed that his efforts to pair Sakura with Naruto wouldn't work...

"Rasengan is fine, but why does Kakashi have to teach Chidori to Sasuke?"

Hearing Sarutobi Hiruzen's words, the corner of Sakura's mouth twitched.

"This old man is definitely spying!"

"And after that, pretending to be busy with work before I showed up!"

"Do you really not understand Sasuke's situation, Grandpa?"

Sakura said with resignation.

"If Sasuke were just an ordinary Genin, the old approach from the village would still be acceptable."

"But Sasuke is the last member of the Uchiha clan."

"Grandpa, surely you don't want the last member of the Uchiha clan to be kidnapped, right?"

Sakura sat on the nearby sofa and poured herself a cup of water.

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent for a moment, thinking. As Hokage, his thoughts should at least be broader than Kakashi's.

Sarutobi Hiruzen didn't argue with Sakura's words, but with a furrowed brow, he said:

"So what you mean is, we should try harder to train Sasuke?"

Sakura raised one finger, shaking it seriously as she spoke:

"Not try harder, but we need to show Sasuke hope for revenge."

"If we keep just following orders like this…"

"Without hope, imagine if you were in Sasuke's shoes."

"What would you choose?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen fell silent, then slowly stood and walked out of the Hokage's office, leaving Sakura with a confused look.

Soon after, Sarutobi Hiruzen returned, this time holding a scroll in his hand.

"Look at this."

"The truth about the Uchiha."

Sarutobi Hiruzen placed the scroll in Sakura's hands and sighed.

"I didn't want you to get involved with this, but you're too smart. If you don't know the truth, you might make the wrong decision."

"Since I've chosen you as my successor, you need to understand the truth."

Sakura felt a change in his expression, then slowly opened the scroll...

Time passed, second by second, as Sakura sighed and slowly closed the scroll.

Compared to the original version, this document clearly recorded everything.

The conflict between the Uchiha clan and Konoha, and the night of the Uchiha clan massacre by Itachi.

From the elderly aged 80 to the baby just one month old.

None were left alive.

"So, Sakura, do you still want to train Sasuke now?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen, smoking his pipe, stared at his student with a thoughtful gaze.

Sakura smelled the cigarette smoke and frowned. Then, she answered firmly:

"Yes."

She could almost guess what Sarutobi Hiruzen was thinking. As long as Sasuke could live peacefully in Konoha, Itachi Uchiha could also be at ease out there.

As for what happened to Sasuke, that wasn't Sarutobi Hiruzen's concern.

What mattered was that Sasuke lived peacefully in Konoha.

"Give me one convincing reason."

Sarutobi Hiruzen furrowed his brow, looking at Sakura, who stood before him with a calm expression.

"Put yourself in Sasuke's shoes, constantly being faced with this cold and unclear treatment."

"I would go crazy."

"Moreover, the Mangekyo Sharingan itself works that way."

"Later, the mess, whether you or I will have to clean it up."

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at Sakura seriously and said in a calm voice:

"Aren't you afraid he will direct his anger at Konoha?"

Sakura took a sip of the warm tea in front of her, then replied:

"That's what we need to do. We need to choose a path for him."

"We'll help him grow, help him seek revenge, help him restore the glory of the Uchiha clan."

"In the end, he will live peacefully in Konoha, which helped him throughout his life."

"Meanwhile, the Uchiha clan will fade into history, with their great name tarnished."

Sarutobi Hiruzen exhaled a puff of pale blue smoke, filling the room, slightly hesitant as he said:

"Then, what about Itachi Uchiha…"

Sakura looked at him with cold eyes, then spoke in a soft voice:

"A person who has committed such a great crime, dying by Sasuke's hand would be a release for him..."

.

.

.

When Sakura returned to the riverbank carrying a large bag full of water balls, Naruto and Sasuke had already started practicing standing on water.

Using tree-climbing training as a foundation, they were both working hard to stand on the water's surface.

"Sakura!"

"Look!"

"Cool, right!"

Naruto waved energetically at Sakura, but as soon as his feet touched the water, he suddenly fell in with a "plung" sound.

"Idiot."

Sasuke, who had seen Naruto fall into the water, couldn't help but smile faintly at the corner of his mouth.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke before turning her gaze away.

She hadn't finished speaking with the Hokage, and after Itachi Uchiha's death, she planned to immediately pressure Danzo in front of Sasuke, letting Sasuke decide what he would do.

The important thing was to tell Sasuke the truth; that was the only way to resolve everything.

With a little guidance, Sasuke would surely understand.

After all, it was all Danzo's and the Fourth Hokage's fault.

"By the way, Sakura…"

Sasuke, who was standing on the water, looked at Sakura with a bit of hesitation. His face was slightly flushed as he said:

"Thank you."

Kakashi had told Sasuke about his intention to teach him Chidori and explained that it was a decision made after receiving help from Sakura.

What Sakura had said was true. Even if Kakashi didn't teach him, Sakura could still get the Chidori training method from the Third Hokage, though the training would be slower.

"It's nothing. We're friends, right?"

Sakura gave a faint smile and answered Sasuke lightly.

Seeing Sakura's bright face and smile, Sasuke felt a little surprised. His feelings toward Sakura were very complex.

Since he was six years old, when Sakura had beaten him and knocked him off the top rank at the Ninja Academy, Sasuke had considered Sakura a rival.

He had tried hard to surpass her…

Then, Sakura advanced through the ranks faster, while Sasuke destroyed his clan…

He had searched for her, wanting to defeat her, but ended up being easily defeated by Sakura.

Time passed, and Sasuke continued trying to beat Sakura, to defeat his initial goal.

However, he never expected that he would end up on the same team as Sakura.

This only strengthened his resolve to defeat her.

Yet, the sudden kindness Sakura had shown him this time took him by surprise, and he didn't know how to respond.

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