3 - Distance

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- no massacre

Sasuke decided to go on a journey to train. He wanted to become stronger.

But it certainly wasn't because he wanted to "protect his village". Many of the village still despised him and his clan. Why protect someone that doesn't care for you?

Rather, he wanted to protect the people that he cared for. Most of those were his family; his mother, his older brother and even his father.

His team comrades, Naruto and Sakura, were also close friends of his, that he wanted to protect.

/|\

"A stay for 2 nights, please" Sasuke put the money on the reception desk. The receptionist wrote down some information before giving him the keys.

"Room number 26. There's also a hot spring here. We're quite popular for it. Try it out if you're interested." The receptionist said to him, as he was leaving towards his room.

After unpacking his stuff, Sasuke found himself having nothing left to do, which is why he decided to go to this hot spring. It had been a while since he was last at one.

There weren't many people at the so called "popular" hot spring. Sasuke spotted someone who was already leaving and an elderly man in one of the bigger pools.

Sasuke took a step into the hot water and sat down in the pool, which happened to be right across the man. The hot spring had a few other pools but this one was the only one that had clean water. He had checked that by channeling some chakra into it beforehand.

The old man acknowledged Sasuke but didn't say anything. Around 10 minutes passed in silence as both were enjoying the water.
Suddenly, the man spoke up. He seemed rather drunk.

"Did you come alone? Fellows with a face like yours usually are pretty popular with the girls."
Sasuke wasn't really suprised to hear that. There was a few times people asked him for his reasons of traveling alone.

"I am on a long-term journey and didn't take anyone with me."
"I see... You know, I was pretty handsome back then too. I expected you to have a girlfriend to take with you but to think you're alone."

A few seconds passed, the man looking blankly at the walls, before he continued like nothing happened.

"You said you were on a journey, right? Are there any people waiting for you back home?"

That too, he was asked a few times. Sasuke nodded.
"I have family there."

The old man shook his head.
"No, I mean besides family. Friends. Do you have friends at home?"

Again, Sasuke nodded.
"I've got (a few) friends back there."

"Now that's what I wanted to hear." The man smiled. "Aaaand, if you don't have a girlfriend, you should've at least have someone you like, huh?"

"... No, I don't. I do not fall in love."

The elderly man leaned forward.
"Don't come at me like that. I noticed that second of doubt.
I don't think you 'don't fall in love'."

With that, he stood up and left the hot spring. Sasuke too, left shortly after, not thinking much about that conversation.

/|\

It wasn't until the next evening that Sasuke remembered it.

"Hey, did you hear the news about Konoha?"
Sasuke was sitting in a bar, when he overheard two men conversing about his village.

"No, what's it?" The other man, sitting across, asked.
"So, apparently there's this really skilled shinobi. Uzumaki Naruta, I think."
"Oh that. I heard about that one, too. the one who was in the genin team that fought Zabuza, right?"
"Yeah, I think. The other two were Uchiha Sasuke and someone else."

"Wait, you don't know about her? Dude, Haruno Sakura's the student of Senju Tsunade. I've seen her once. She's like really pretty."

"Really? I'll take a look at her next time I'm there. Maybe even make her mine." The man smirked, taking a sip of his drink. "Student of Tsunade or not, she's just a woman"

Sasuke stepped out of the bar.
Not because he finished drinking. In fact, his ordered drink didn't even come yet. To put it another way, he had no reason to leave that bar.

But there was this strange feeling of anger that made him want to go up to that gus and punch him in the face. It went so far, he just had to leave.
He didn't understand.

There were countless times he had heard people talking bad about Naruto or even Sasuke himself. Sexist men always exist. Sakura would be a victim of those rumors too.

Then why was he that angry?

The words of the elderly man rang in his head.
Doubt?

Before he could prevent it, his mind flashed to Sakura. She always liked him, he knew that. Though he appreciated her affection, he could not love her back.
At least that's what he has been telling himself.

But now, he wasn't sure. Did he really only think of her as a close friend? Did he really feel the same way for Naruto as he did for her?
Or was it more?

He didn't know.

As he was thinking that, Sasuke remembered just how much he was missing his home. His family. And Sakura.

He supposed, it was time to go back.

/|\

Sasuke decided to go on a journey to train. He wanted to become stronger.

But it certainly wasn't because he wanted to "protect his village". Rather, he wanted to protect the people that he cared for.

As he walked towards the village, the gates became more clear to his eyes. Two people were standing in front of the gate.

A hand, which he immediately recognized, waved at him. His genin sensei, Kakashi, came towards him.
"Long time no see, Kakashi" Sasuke greeted.
"How long was it again?" The masked man pretended to try hard remembering. "Two...no- 3 years was it, right? Sorry, for old men like me, one year feels like last week."

The older one smiled at him.
"Oh yeah, someone's been waiting for you. Suprised anyone would be that excited for you to come back."
Sasuke's head shot towards the gate.

There he saw it. The all too nostalgic pink hair. Without even noticing, his steps became a bit faster.

"Sasuke-kuuun!" The girl ran up to them, while Kakashi gave Sasuke a knowing smile before passing both Sasuke and Sakura.
"Sasuke-kun! How was your journ-!"

Sakura's mouth shut as Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"I missed you."

/|\

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