Chapter 60: Bonds and Burdens
He dared not think about it!
Maybe, the idea of returning to modern times was just a reason he wove to drive himself to become stronger. Maybe his real intention for seeking strength was something else entirely.
Sasuke had been looking at Naruto, watching his deep contemplation, the slight furrow of his brow. Naruto at this moment stirred her heart, but the tenderness and confusion that flickered in his eyes also left her perplexed.
Naruto, what is going on in your heart?
...
Finally, the two left the hospital. Sasuke's injuries had healed considerably, and she just needed to rest, while Naruto's left arm required continuous treatment.
"Naruto, how does your arm feel?" Sasuke asked.
Although Naruto suffered from the side effects, it didn't hinder his movement, so he was walking Sasuke home.
"It's fine. It should be okay after a few more days of treatment," Naruto replied with a casual smile.
"Naruto," Sasuke said suddenly, her tone serious. "The medics said the cells in your arm were severely damaged. I assume it was caused by that jutsu?"
Naruto was taken aback, then nodded. "Yeah, that technique isn't perfect yet, so there are side effects."
"Naruto, promise me you won't use that technique again until you've perfected it!" Sasuke turned to look directly into his eyes.
Her expression was utterly serious, a deep concern in her gaze that sent a wave of warmth through him.
With a slight smile, Naruto nodded. "Alright. I promise you."
"Hn," Sasuke acknowledged, a small smile touching her lips as she continued walking.
Naruto was stunned. For a moment, the smile Sasuke had shown was so beautiful—like a winter plum blossom, cold and elegant yet containing an endless charm.
He had almost never seen Sasuke smile before. This time, Naruto was certain, was the most beautiful he had ever seen her.
"What's wrong?" Sasuke frowned at his bewildered expression, her smile vanishing. "Do you regret it already?"
"Ah, no! I was just surprised to see you smile. It's rare," Naruto quickly explained.
Hearing this, Sasuke's face flushed slightly. She was about to retort, but then thought of something, her expression cooling again as she said flatly, "Just this once. I won't laugh again."
"Don't say that, Sasuke. You actually look nice when you smile. There's no need to keep a cold face all the time," Naruto stepped forward to persuade her.
When Sasuke heard him say she looked nice when she smiled, her heart gave a sudden jolt. But when she remembered the burden she carried, she calmed down again, snorted softly, and her tone turned cold. "I am an avenger."
Naruto sighed inwardly. Sasuke was too fixated on her hatred. He truly didn't know how to unravel that knot.
"But even an avenger has the right to pursue happiness. Revenge can't be your everything. You should have moments of happiness too. A girl your age is at her most charming when she smiles like a flower!" He felt compelled to say.
"Hmph! That's for other girls. If you think girls like that are charming, then go find them!" For some reason, when Sasuke heard this, she thought of him laughing and talking with Sakura, and a sudden, inexplicable feeling of wronged anger rose in her chest. Her face turned cold.
Naruto didn't realize his attempt to encourage her had backfired. Seeing her suddenly angry, he knew he couldn't persuade her further and had to give up.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop. I really give up," Naruto said helplessly, running a hand through his hair.
Revenge?
The two continued walking for a while, the surroundings gradually becoming more remote. Eventually, Naruto followed Sasuke onto a quiet street.
Is this the abandoned Uchiha district? It's certainly bleak and deserted enough, Naruto thought.
Sasuke walked down the street with an impassive face. Every time she took this path, memories of the past would surge up. The arguments, the petty fights… back then, she had had a complete, happy family, a caring older brother. Everything. But that night, it all vanished, leaving only this cold street. The voices and smiles of her clan had now faded into mere memories.
However, what was different today was that Naruto was by her side. Walking with him, she felt she was no longer entirely alone.
Arriving at the compound, Naruto saw that the house where the clan head had once lived was now desolate, covered in dust and cobwebs. Sasuke didn't bother much with the main house; she was the only one living there anyway. The mother who once cleaned was gone, so she definitely wouldn't maintain such a large space.
Sasuke led Naruto directly to her room. Naruto saw it was tidy, but exceedingly simple: just a bed, a desk, and a cabinet.
"Sasuke, this is my first time in a girl's room, haha!" Naruto joked, trying to lighten her somber mood.
But Sasuke replied flatly, "Are you disappointed?"
"Uh, no, I think it's quite clean!" Naruto shook his head. Compared to the rest of the compound, this room, which belonged to her, was still kept orderly.
"This house used to be very lively," Sasuke said suddenly, sitting on the edge of her bed and looking down.
"..."
"Five years ago, on the night of my seventh birthday, my older brother—the Uchiha clan's genius ninja, the role model I was always so proud of—personally killed everyone in the Uchiha clan. Including my parents." Sasuke's low voice trembled slightly, as if the scenes from that night were still vividly before her eyes, filling her with a lingering fear.
"Naruto, you became a monster in the eyes of the villagers, didn't you?" Suddenly, Sasuke looked up at him. "Being isolated, feared, and abandoned by others since childhood… you should understand loneliness, right?"
"..." Naruto was silent for a moment. Since he had taken the original Naruto's place, he had personally endured everything Naruto experienced. But at that time, he already possessed a mature soul and mind. He focused solely on becoming stronger, on training, just to have more self-preservation ability in the future. In the face of increasing strength, what was loneliness? Moreover, he wasn't a child. How could an adult mind and soul fear loneliness?
However, while he wasn't afraid of it, he wasn't immune to it. Sometimes after training, looking up at the starry sky, he would miss his family from that other world. But even with countless thoughts in his heart, in this world, who could he tell?
No one knew.
If Sasuke's loneliness was the loneliness of having no family or friends, then his own loneliness was the pain of being severed from his world, separated by time and space.
What he missed wasn't just the family and friends from his previous life, but the feeling of being able to connect openly with others—watching movies with friends, arguing with his sister, teasing classmates. In short, in this world, he could no longer do those things.
"Yes. Of course I've experienced loneliness," Naruto said, looking at her. "But I don't feel alone now. I have so many friends and comrades around me. Even if there are still people in the village who hate and fear me, what does it matter? I don't live for them. As long as I live happily, that's enough."
"I really envy your optimism, Naruto," Sasuke sighed softly.
"You can have it too. Be more optimistic, and you'll find there's not nothing around you. At least you still have us, your comrades," Naruto said with a smile.
Sasuke's body trembled slightly. She looked up at Naruto. "...Comrades?"
"Yeah. I'm your comrade." Naruto's smile made Sasuke feel dazed for a moment. This feeling was like the kind smile her brother used to give her when she was a child, like a warm current quietly flowing into her heart.