Uchiha's Property

"I'm sorry, things have been so hectic at the hospital lately, it's been keeping me endlessly busy."

"Well, when you find some time, you should drop by more often. We've missed your company, Sakura-chan.."

The raven-haired man proceeded to listen idly at the sound of the cherry-blossom Kunoichi's warm laughter with some people he didn't know. The two of them had been out on a village walk during a sunny late afternoon before heading to the front gates, until she ran into two guys who began to closely chat with her as if they were Sasuke and Naruto themselves. It was only after she had asked him if it was okay that they stopped here for a bit before continuing with their walk, that he had replied with a nod in reluctant approval.

By the way, this wasn't just any sunny afternoon. Today was the day Sasuke was due back to his missions after staying in the Leaf for the past two days on report duty. During his stay here, he had made sure all of his tasks with Naruto had been settled before spending the rest of the time with the person that mattered most to him since the word 'love' had been inputted back into his life dictionary.

There was only one concern regarding this.

The Uchiha had been in a terribly unpleasant mood.

One would think that this shouldn't be the case; seeing as it was his first return back to Konoha since he departed for his journey of redemption, everything was set up for nothing but good vibes and happy energy now that he was reunited with the person he was meant to be with.

Only, things didn't seem to be so easy, and there was nobody to blame for that but himself. It had been years since he spent good, quality time in the Leaf Village. Even when he first passed judgement after the defeat of Kaguya, he had only spent a short time here- enough to recuperate and to be well-fed before leaving again. He definitely did not stay long enough since his Genin days to know that Sakura was now working full-time shifts at the hospital, that she didn't have all the time in the world to follow him around like she did before, and also that she was now unnecessarily, annoyingly popular with the male population of the Leaf.

Though they hadn't stopped for long at all, it seemed like an eternity for him until they finally started their walk again. She bidded goodbye to the two guys, and he made sure to watch them carefully for any signs of longing as they parted with her.

"You seem rather well-acquainted with a bunch of new people lately." Sasuke stated cooly, diverting his eyes back straight ahead.

"Those guys?" The pink-haired girl questioned, "They've actually been around for awhile- they run the taiyaki shop together as friends. It's because you-"

Sakura paused in her sentence, immediately thinning her lips to refrain from saying anything unwarranted. Sasuke watched her from the corner of his eye, noting the way her lids became hooded with sadness.

It's because you weren't here for awhile.. otherwise you'd know.

.. is what he knew she was going to say.

This is exactly what he meant. Over the span of three years, you'd be surprised at how much an old village has changed, yet at the same time not in the slightest. He still felt like he knew this place like the back of his hand, and it was true, he navigated himself around as if he had never even left.

"As if he had never even left", though, was the biggest lie a Shinobi could tell for as long as they knew who Sasuke Uchiha was.

This is because it was painfully obvious to everyone that he did, in fact, leave. Even if he was apart of the once top-prestigious clan of the village, even if this was the place he had found the true meaning of friendship and bonds, it still doesn't change the fact that he once abandoned it. And like he said before, in the span of three years, it bothered him that many things were now alien to him- especially when it came to Sakura.