Chapter 20.Sasuke deserts

"Sakura-chan!"

"Huh, Naruto?"

"I have something to tell you, ya know"

Naruto scratched his head and continued, "Now that we're on the same team, I should tell you this. I like you! Will you go on a date with me?"

"In your dreams Naruto! Why would I go on a date with someone like you?"

Naruto tilted his head down. "What did you mean by someone like me?"

"Huh?"

"You think I am a monster too, right?"

"No, I di…"

Before she could finish her sentence Naruto walked away from there. Sakura felt bad. She didn't see him as his friend or anything but she never saw him as a monster as some villagers did. She turned back and started walking.

Naruto was walking in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" Naruto looked up to see who it was. Saruto was there. "I saw what happened there!" Naruto was saddened.

"I am a failure, ya know" Saruto put his hand on his shoulder and said,

"Are you giving up Hokage?"

After hearing that, Naruto's eyes widened. "Maybe she likes someone else and unlike you, she couldn't open up about her feelings"

"She likes…someone else?"

"Don't you think you should respect her choices? There will be someone else for you"

"Come to think of it, if she doesn't like me back our feelings aren't mutual, right? So, that's not love"

"Where did you learn that?"

"Ero-sennin's novel. He was writing something like that"

"Right! Hey, do you really think you love her?"

"Huh, she is pretty. I like her"

"You don't know what love means, don't you? Come with me I'll explain everything!"

They both started walking together.

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On a full moon night, Sasuke was training alone in the woods. Someone approached him. "Who's there?"

"Don't be alarmed Sasuke! It's just me!"

"Mizuki sensei?"

"I see, your ni-san abandoned you again"

Ignoring him, Sasuke continued his training. Mizuki smirked as he spoke, "Orochimaru-sama has an offer for you"

Just hearing his made Sasuke shiver. He turned his attention to Mizuki. "A person who took down two Hokages. Don't you think he can offer a similar power?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Orochimaru-sama wants you to join him, as a member of the Akatsuki"

"Akatsuki?"

"You've seen what this village is like. Think about it! With Akatsuki's help, you can do whatever you want"

Sasuke stayed silent. "I'll let you some time to think! Tomorrow at this time, if you manage to beat the guards, meet me outside the entrance!"

He disappeared quickly after saying that. Sasuke was thinking of what he should do. He made some hand signs to make Chidori. Kakashi taught him this jutsu when he sealed Sasuke's curse mark. After touching his curse mark with his right hand, Sasuke ran with the Chidori in his left hand.

His hand pierced through a tree. After landing on the ground Sasuke smirked and thought, 'I am glad I copied this Jutsu and developed it with Kakashi. I don't need Orochimaru. I just have to improve this jutsu and I will beat Saruto'

He heard a sound of a fight nearby. Sasuke ran towards the place. He stayed at a distance and used his Sharingan to see what was happening. He could sense three individuals and he recognised all of them, Uchiha Itachi, Uchiha Yashiro and just Saruto.

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Saruto kicked Yashiro who was fleeing from them. Yashiro was thrown at a tree as Itachi used,

Fireball incapacitated him against the tree. Saruto turned him around and grabbed him by the collar.

"You bastard! Do you know how many people died because of you?"

[Saruto!]

With the voice guy's warning, Saruto stopped talking. "I will…make…my 'coughs' clan…rule this…village"

Saruto stabbed him in the chest with a kunai. "You selfish bastard. You put your own clan and the village at risk. I know someone who sacrificed his loved ones for the sake of something bigger. People like you would never understand how it must have felt"

Itachi approached without a clue of who Saruto was talking about.

"What do we do with his body?"

"Tell his family that he died in a secret mission!"

Itachi took his body and carried it on his shoulder. He then body flicked away. Saruto scratched his head and sighed. He then disappeared to his dimension.

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Sasuke just witnessed the death of his clan member. He couldn't do anything. He was completely in shock. His whole body was shivering in fear. He took a moment to breathe.

'Are they shutting up those who oppose the government like this? Tou-san and ni-san are okay with this? How can I live among these people? That's right. I'll take the offer'

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Two days later, a shinobi hurried up to Hokage's bureau. He opened the door and screamed, "Hokage-sama! Uchiha Sasuke has deserted the village!"

Fugaku furiously got up from his chair and slammed his fists on the table. Shikaku asked, "Are you sure about it?"

"Haruno Sakura confirmed it! And our guards at the entrance are dead!"

"What?" Fugaku couldn't believe that his son could do such a thing. "That Yashiro, I should have taken care of him when I had the chance"

"Hokage-sama, what are you talking about?", asked Shikaku. "I am sorry that I didn't tell you! This is a mess I created and I wanted to do it myself but Saruto and Itachi volunteered"

Fugaku sat back on his chair. He put his elbows on the table as he rested his head on his arms. He told that messenger shinobi to leave and continued, "Yashiro was the one who gave me misleading information against the village. After Yondaime's announcement, he wasn't happy with the fact that I abandoned the coup d'etat. So, he was acting sketchy. Itachi followed him and he found out that Yashiro was getting that information from the masked man who attacked the village twelve years ago. He must have been manipulating Sasuke like he did with me"

"What did you do then?"

"It took us five years to get one good evidence against him but Saruto couldn't keep his anger to himself and killed him."

"So, the secret mission story?"

"It was a cover-up story to maintain Yashiro's honour"

"I can't believe Saruto has anger issues"

That's when a knock on the door could be heard. The door opened as Kakashi entered with Saruto. "Hokage-sama, where is Sasuke?", asked Kakashi.

"He deserted the village"

"As expected", said Saruto.

"What do you mean?", asked Fugaku.

"I got intel from my spy that Orochimaru is trying to recruit Sasuke"

"What? What does he want with Sasuke?"

"A young Uchiha with Sharingan and so much potential"

"Can you elaborate on that?", Shikaku asked.

"Orochimaru has been using others' bodies as hosts to survive so that he can be an immortal and learn every technique. His next host is Sasuke"

Fugaku went furious as he clenched his fists. "Kakashi, get him back home!"

"I am not losing another one of my precious comrades"

"I am going with him too and I am taking a genin with us," said Saruto. "Who's it?", Fugaku asked. "Your son's only true friend!"