Let The Light In || SasuSaku

Chapter 2

             Upon reading the almost illegible letter sent by Naruto, Sasuke knew it was time to return. He had postponed this moment for months, but since he found out, through Kakashi, about Sakura's kidnapping, the decision to return to the village to save her became urgent. 

             At that time, luckily, he was in a village close to the border between the Land of Fire and the Land of Sound. She was not just a medical ninja; she possessed exceptional chakra control and extraordinary strength. By concentrating her chakra on her wrist, she could destroy all of one's vital organs. Sasuke knew that Sakura wouldn't need help like other kunoichis. However, the feeling that he tried to bury for years began to resurface; emotions that he tried to ignore in times full of hatred and revenge were now blooming. She needed to know that he was still there, protecting her, even if from afar. With the Sharingan activated, it didn't take long to understand the situation. He was flying over the sky with his Susanoo, achingly breathing and feeling his chest oppressed, never getting enough air. His chest resonated with the frantic beating of his heart, choking him like thorns in his throat. His dry mouth was thirsty for revenge and full of the bitter acid of anger. His mind was numb, drenched in worry. During the journey, he read and reread the letter, as the only word that would capture his attention was her name, immediately followed by the kidnapping. He estimated that it would take a few hours to reach the location indicated by his former sensei.

             Sakura had concluded the fight, and her opponent was laying defeated on the ground. It was easy to locate her, thanks to her fighting style vibrating through the forest with thunderous sounds. The noise of trees falling and the tremors on the ground hinted the formation of massive craters, as their waves could be felt 10 km away. Observing closely, he noticed that she displayed no signs of serious injury, but was low on chakra. As his eyes roamed her face, even from afar, he noticed some scratches and a look that announced the end of the battle. More than that, he could feel her energy, her happiness. Sasuke's spirits were renewed with ease.

             However, Sasuke couldn't leave without doing something. Resentment effervesced his insides like magma preparing to hatch. He could not accept that those same guys used his and Naruto's power against the village and, especially, against Sakura. He had to do something to help her. Some older friends were coming to rescue Sakura. With a 360º turn with his doujutsu, he saw a group of deserters with clothing similar to the Anbu fleeing through the forest bars. They were probably allied with Kido. He wouldn't kill any of them, as it would be important to the investigation. Arriving in the place, he got off his Susanoo, looked at those men and felt a certain disdain - he knew he wouldn't need to use physical force. A Genjutsu would be enough to keep them trapped and unconscious until the group arrived. To understand what caused the group to escape, he looked to the memories of one of the unconscious men. He would later send a letter to Kakashi, confirming what he had seen. He then felt familiar chackras coming through the sky. At that point, he was unable to form any coherent thought, only throwing himself into the shadows of the forest in a hasty escape. He wasn't prepared to meet them in person; he didn't want to face this moment. He simply wasn't ready.

             For a tiny fraction of seconds, he allowed himself to take one last look back, observing his red silhouette. He had never imagined that the weight of regret for not having spoken to her earlier would be so overwhelming. The simple act of looking at her, even for a brief moment, brought to surface a wave of emotions that he knew he wasn't prepared to process. Fleeing through the tree tops, Sasuke intensely wanted Sakura to notice his presence and to see that he was there for her, but that he couldn't stay yet.

             Five months after the incident, he found himself in a refuge further south in the Country of Fire, in a coastal region that stood out for its beautiful sand dunes. The beach stretched for miles and, unlike other beaches he had visited, it was not adorned with lush vegetation. At the edge of the beach, a small village stretched out, and, in those days, it was where he was settled. The village was so small that it rarely had the help of ninjas from large villages, like Konoha. He felt he should help them. Walking through the streets, he noticed that the families who lived there radiated happiness, despite their difficulties. A pang in his heart overcame him; he wished his own family could see this and other places he had visited. To think his mother, father and brother no longer existed was difficult. For a long time, for any brief moment that his mind brought back memories, everything was soon disentangled. It was so painful to think of their deaths that he felt nausea.  

            Since he was a child, he didn't allow anyone to see him crying, so the tears that ran down his cheeks were always contained. He hoped his parents would forgive him wherever they were.  His memories came like flashes, including those of his team seven. In the academy, he never imagined that those three companions would do so much for him, having formed such a strong bond that they were like a family. He believed that if his family could see him from the spiritual plane, they would be relieved - even though the little boy had had such a cruel childhood, he still had inseparable bonds with his friends.

            Wandering in daydreams, he noticed he was approaching the sea. Seated on the fine, warm sand, tinted with golden hues, Sasuke observed that something about this beach felt different. He didn't know if it was the salty taste of the sea breeze, the palm trees that bowed elegantly to the east wind towards the vast ocean, or the sky. Looking further into the horizon, he noticed a messenger hawk with a brownish fluff coming towards him. He waited uneasily. After reading Naruto's letter, he realized it wasn't the vegetation, the beach or the village that were different, but he himself had changed after two years. Naruto and Sakura's description of Sasuke's actions during his travels made him finally decide. The path to be followed was defined: he would go back to the village of Konoha.