On The Same Path [SasuxSaku]

Chapter 13: Seven Deadly Sins

~ Sasuke's POV

During his journey of atonement, Sasuke had helped many people.

There was one time, just a few days after he'd left Konoha, when he was walking alone and came across an old man, probably at death's door. The man carried nothing but a small bento box, yet even that seemed too heavy for him to bear.

Sasuke offered to help. He summoned his Susanoo and carried the old man to his destination. It turned out to be a dilapidated house in an aging village, so Sasuke stayed to repair it, hoping the old man could spend his remaining days in peace.

The old man turned out to be a hermit who loved giving Sasuke long sermons every night after their early dinners.

One such night, the hermit asked him,

"Have you heard of the Seven Deadly Sins?"

Sasuke quietly shook his head. Although he truly wanted to atone for his own sins, he was beginning to grow a little tired of the old man's sermons. They were often slow and tended to stretch on for hours.

"There's pride, of course. The root of war. We take pride in who we are. Our family. Our clan. Our village. It's alright to love and care for those things, but believing you're better than others... more deserving than others... that is one of the greatest deadly sins."

Sasuke's thoughts drifted back to the day he'd questioned the revived Hokages about the meaning of clan and village.

Did Itachi meet this hermit? For some reason, Sasuke had the strange feeling that he had.

The hermit continued, speaking of the other sins.

Greed.

Gluttony. (Sasuke immediately pictured Naruto enthusiastically slurping his ramen.)

Wrath.

Envy.

Sloth...

"...and then there's lust," the hermit concluded. "Although you seem a little too young to have encountered that one yet."

***

Presently, Sasuke's eyes lingered on Sakura's luscious red lips and flushed red cheeks from downing the Sake as the hermit's words surfaced in his mind.

...and then there's lust.

She had taken his breath away the moment she'd walked into the izakaya. She looked completely different from the Sakura he knew. She looked like... a woman.

She had been constantly on his mind ever since he'd left the Sand village for his mission. So much so that he'd been unusually reckless, rushing to finish it as quickly as possible just so he could return to Konoha... to her.

He didn't have a plan. He had no idea how he was going to handle the situation. He only knew one thing. Just once... it had to be him letting her see into his heart.

So when he'd returned that morning to deliver his scroll, Kakashi, as always, picked up on his mood. He casually told Sasuke to take a break before mentioning that everyone would be gathering at a local izakaya that evening for Shikamaru's final bachelor outing. Despite hating social gatherings, Sasuke found himself deciding to go to the izakaya.

Wasn't that why I'd gone to that stupid karaoke dinner the last time?

To talk to Sakura.

Wasn't that why I took the Sand mission?

What am I doing wrong?

Why is this so difficult?