Then You've Got Four Moms Too?

Time turned back a few hours.

The uproar that day, when the villagers rioted and the higher-ups publicly apologized, had affected the entire village, but it had finally died down.

That evening, the last table of customers slowly left Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto rubbed his round, bulging stomach as he followed Sakura with a satisfied expression. The two walked side by side down the empty street at night.

Carefree as ever, Naruto hadn't been affected in the slightest by what had happened in the village that day. Still, he noticed the gloom hidden in Sakura's eyes.

"Hey, Sakura, I just thought of a weird question!"

"Why does Ichiraku Ramen have to be called Ichiraku-one pleasure? Wouldn't calling it Double Pleasure Ramen sound even more pleasurable?"

Naruto blinked, looking earnestly curious as he tried to find something to talk about that would cheer Sakura up.

At his words, Sakura barely managed to suppress the unease in her heart. She forced a faint smile and answered softly:

"It's probably because of Teuchi's name. It's always been called that."

Sakura's forced smile didn't make her look any happier.

Konoha had been a mess all day. The villagers had rioted, and a strange atmosphere had hung heavily over the village.

What unsettled Sakura even more was that she hadn't had a proper chance to see Sasuke all day.

Deep down, she had an inexplicable premonition. She felt hollow and terribly anxious, as though something immensely important was about to leave her forever.

Naruto couldn't find any way to cheer Sakura up either. He smiled brightly and said:

"Sakura, want me to walk you home?"

"No, Naruto. Let's split up here. I'll be fine."

"Okay!"

Naruto didn't press her or ask what exactly had happened.

Sakura nodded gently.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow!"

They waved goodbye at the intersection.

In an instant, Sakura was the only person left on the street.

But at that moment, she had no desire to go home.

Somehow, she kept feeling that something was bound to happen tonight.

After hesitating briefly, Sakura bit her lip. In the end, she followed her instincts, turned around, and hurried toward the Konoha Village Gate.

The Konoha Village Gate was silent and deserted-truly deserted, without even a single ninja on guard.

Sakura stood quietly beneath the shade of a tree by the gate, waiting for something. Her gaze remained fixed on the road leading out of the village, her heart in turmoil.

She didn't know how long she had stood there.

A figure slowly appeared at the gate-it was Sasuke!

He wore his signature dark blue clan outfit and carried a backpack.

His presence was cold and indifferent, filled with nothing but bone-deep detachment and resolve.

Sasuke headed straight out of Konoha.

After returning from the Land of Snow, he had resolved to leave the village and seek the power to grow stronger. Yesterday, Orochimaru's subordinates had come and offered him a choice.

Now, he was going to join Orochimaru, gain power as quickly as possible, and take revenge with his own hands by killing Itachi!

Sasuke didn't even glance at Sakura beside the road. He walked straight past her.

"Sasuke!!"

Sakura's voice trembled.

Sasuke abruptly stopped.

Sasuke Uchiha's back stiffened slightly. He stood silently at the village boundary, not turning around.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, but his voice was so distant that it sounded unfamiliar.

"It's late."

"Sakura, go home and get some sleep."

"This road... is the only way out of the village."

Sakura's voice quivered, as though speaking had taken all her strength.

"Sasuke-kun, you're planning to leave Konoha, aren't you?

Why... why won't you ever tell me what's on your mind?

No matter what happens, you always keep everything bottled up!"

Sasuke frowned and cut her off sharply.

"Why should I have to tell you about my business? Who do you think you are? Stop acting like you're so important. Are we even that close?"

Sasuke paused, his gaze passing over Sakura's reddened eyes, but his voice grew even colder.

"Sakura, stop sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Stay out of my business."

At those words, Sakura's tears finally fell. She choked back a sob, her voice shattered with despair.

"So... you've hated me all along, haven't you?"

She lifted her head, her gaze seeming to pierce through time as she sank into her memories.

"Do you remember? The day we first became genin, when Team 7 was formed-it was right here... the first time we were alone together."

The scene from back then surfaced before her eyes. She had casually remarked that she envied the freedom he had living alone, and had even said those things about Naruto being an orphan.

"You said the pain of loneliness couldn't compare to being scolded by your parents.

You also said I was annoying..."

"Yes, you really are annoying. Haven't you noticed how much everyone despises you?"

"A brainless, stupid woman. An idiot who never considers anyone else's feelings, never understands anyone else's pain, and only ever lives in her own little world.

Haven't you noticed that everyone hates you?"

Sasuke said it outright. At that moment, nothing remained in his heart but his determination to take revenge. He wouldn't let any feelings stand in his way.

Sakura's feelings for me? So what? Didn't my brother have feelings for me? Didn't I have feelings for my family?

Setting those personal feelings aside, Sakura had always been an extremely annoying person.

His words left Sakura utterly stunned. She took a deep breath, forcing back her tears, and pleaded:

"But... but ever since that day, you, Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and I...

The four of us went on missions together. It was hard, but I was so happy.

I thought we could go on like that forever..."

"Sakura!! You're always like this. You only care about yourself, never anyone else."

"Yes, you were happy. What about us? What about everyone else?"

Sasuke's expression remained icy.

"I'm different from you.

Naruto, and the rest of you-you have comrades and family.

But I chose the path of revenge a long time ago. I know exactly who my enemy is and who I should take revenge on. I can't stay in Konoha."

Sakura's pupils abruptly contracted, and she took a sudden step forward.

"It's Miki Yūya... isn't it? Is it him? Sasuke-kun, Miki Yūya is cold-blooded. Back in the Land of Snow, he didn't even care about Naruto's life. But you're different.

You have comrades. You still have us, and you care about us. You're not some cold-blooded person who only cares about revenge. Sasuke-kun, you're not a scumbag like Miki Yūya. You could never become someone like him. Please, stay!!"

Sakura sobbed out that last sentence.

But the instant she finished, Sasuke moved directly in front of her. He looked coldly down at Sakura as she stared up at him with tear-filled eyes.

In the next instant, a slap struck Sakura across the face with a sharp smack. Sasuke hadn't held back, and the blow sent her flying. She was stunned. She didn't understand.

"W-why? For... Miki Yūya? That person who's always humiliating Naruto and you, Sasuke-kun? For a villager!!!"

Sakura couldn't believe it, but as she spoke, the disgust in Sasuke's eyes only deepened.

"What do you know? Your parents are still alive. You have a happy, complete family. What do you know!!!"

"Yūya... really is a terrible, terrible person. Just seeing him makes me sick. But do you have any idea how much pain he's in?"

"Do you understand our pain and loneliness?"

"He's... an orphan too, just like me, Kakashi-sensei, and Naruto.

But he's different from us. Different from me. At least I know who my enemy is. I know who I should take revenge on."

"What about him? His hatred, his pain, his loneliness... you don't know a thing about them.

Naruto once said that his talent for ninjutsu amazed even Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. And despite never learning any ninjutsu, despite not having a trace of chakra, he still slaughtered his way through all those people in the Land of Snow."

"He has such incredible, enviable talent, yet in the end, he chose not to become a ninja.

Because he has no idea what to use his power for. He has no family, no comrades, not even an enemy."

"He doesn't know who killed his parents. He doesn't know why his family died. He doesn't even know who to take revenge on.

All he can do is hate everyone, hate this world. Even being alive is agony for him. You don't know a thing!!"

Sasuke's eyes were bloodshot. Miki Yūya was a bastard, but Sasuke still felt that he was far better off than Miki Yūya. At least he knew who his enemy was.

How could Sakura understand that feeling, that pain? The stupid woman before him was nothing but hopelessly selfish.

After hearing everything Sasuke said, Sakura understood. She understood completely.

"I understand. If... if I lost my family too, if I lost my parents and became just like you, you'd take me with you, wouldn't you, Sasuke-kun? Then I'd be able to live happily with you, wouldn't I!"

As soon as Sakura finished speaking, Sasuke tossed his kunai at her feet.

"Is that so?"

"Then go home and kill your parents. After that, come back and live happily with me."

"If you want to become an orphan, work for it yourself."

With that, Sasuke turned and walked away. Sakura looked at the kunai at her feet, then back at Sasuke. In the end, she didn't dare pick it up.

Put plainly, her words were emotional exaggeration, while Sasuke, Naruto, Kakashi, and Miki Yūya's status as "orphans" was reality.

Watching Sasuke disappear into the night, Sakura collapsed to the ground.

Early the next morning, news that the entire Uchiha Clan had defected shook all of Konoha.

Every major ninja clan was alarmed.

Over in the Hyuga Clan, Hyuga Hiashi thought he must still be half asleep when he heard the news.

"What? The entire Uchiha Clan defected?"

"The Uchiha Clan... wait, isn't Sasuke the only one left?"

In the other clans.

"What? What's going on? The Uchiha Clan's leader was dissatisfied with Konoha, so he defected?"

"Wait, who's the Uchiha Clan's leader again?"

"Oh? Sasuke Uchiha..."

"Then isn't that just fucking Sasuke defecting by himself?"

In the Hokage's Office, Tsunade was equally baffled as she read the report stating that "the entire Uchiha Clan has defected from Konoha." Who on earth had written this report?

"Sigh. Kakashi, go carry out your mission first. I'll... have someone else handle this!"

Tsunade handed Kakashi an S-rank mission. Almost all of Konoha's jonin were out on missions. As for bringing Sasuke back... forget it. She'd just send a few people after him.