The Angel's Ambivalence [Naruto]

The Takeda Twins

A/N- Hey, there, guys! This is gonna be another long chapter (over 46,000 words, to be exact), so you're in for a lot of reading. I actually think it's the longest I've ever written, which I am super proud about. Again, I apologize in advance for any feels it may cause, and I want to wish all of you in the U.S. a Happy Fourth of July! I hope you're all doing well! Happy reading, and I'll talk to you guys some more soon! Enjoy the chapter!

-dawnofdelia xoxoxoxo

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"And it's hard to hate someone once you understand them. 

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Punching Sasuke was not nearly as satisfying as I thought it would be. Indeed, the punch I'd thrown at him just now was definitely one of my finest ones. I was extremely proud of it, especially since it sent him flying backwards. He probably would've been thrown all the way to the Land of Lightning if Jugo hadn't gotten in the way to break his fall. But even as I saw the bruise forming on Sasuke's cheek and the blood beginning to trickle down his bottom lip, I was still filled with this undeniable urge to hit him again, because one singular punch was in no way in hell all that he deserved after everything he'd done.

Ino gasped, as if she couldn't believe what I'd just done, which I couldn't understand. I mean, hello, Sasuke had just appeared out of nowhere and announced that he was going to be Hokage, as if he hadn't done everything in his power to destroy our village. I was so not in the wrong here. I was actually surprised that so far, I was the only one who'd punched him.

And yet Ino was still shocked, exclaiming, "Minxie!" Her tone was completely horrified, and beside her, Shikamaru and Choji looked equally as shocked, although they were much less vocal about the matter. 

In fact, as I glanced at everyone around me, I noticed that my action had apparently shocked all of my friends, because their eyes were wide as they stared at me. Even Scarlett looked surprised by what I'd done, for her crimson eyes had widened considerably.

I just didn't understand it. Were they truly that surprised? Had they honestly expected me to do something different? Did they think I would just forget everything Sasuke had done and forgive him without a second thought? Indeed, in the past, I'd always let my feelings for him cloud my judgment, but thankfully, I was over that. I now knew what needed to be done where he was concerned, because no matter what he used to mean to us, Sasuke was still a criminal. Did my friends doubt that I knew that?

Josh seemed to be the only one who was completely at ease with the situation. He only shrugged before saying, "Called it! Also, great punch, Minxie." I wanted to thank him for the compliment, but I was too focused on Sasuke to say anything.

"Hn... You got stronger, Minxie." Slowly, the young Uchiha pushed himself off the ground, once again standing up. He lifted his arm, wiping away the blood that had appeared on his lips as a result of my punch with the side of his hand. "... I suppose I deserved that one."

Immediately, a feeling of rage rose up inside of me. It was the kind of irrational anger that I hadn't felt since my Dark side took over, one that I had no way of stopping. A part of me knew that this wasn't normal, that this kind of rage should've worried me because it was so completely unlike me, but I was so angry that any form of rational thought completely vanished from my mind.

Instead, I was stepping towards Sasuke, hissing, "Oh, you are going to get a hell of a lot more than just that one, asshole."

And because I was a girl who always proved her point, I immediately appeared in front of him. I brought my leg up to his stomach, knocking him down once more. It was a blow he should've expected, yet one that he didn't bother to dodge. Again, I was able to get another hit on him, and again, he didn't dodge. The fact that he wasn't doing anything back, that he wasn't even defending himself from me, as if I was incapable of actually doing any damage to him, as if I wasn't worthy of being taken seriously, pissed me off all the more.