Chapter 449: Return to the Ancient City of Roran
The first thing Haruno Sakura did when she returned to Konoha was to report her safety to her parents and everyone.
—After all, they were all frightened and worried about it before.
In the Hokage's Office, Haruno Sakura also learned from Tsunade about what had happened to Sasuke recently.
The incident itself wasn't complicated, but the reasons behind the outbreak of conflict were rather intricate.
In general, it was a consequence of the unfinished business left over from the Uchiha Massacre.
Although on the surface, the village had already dumped all the blame on Itachi Uchiha, covering up the fact that the Uchiha and the village once suspected each other to the point of breaking apart, acting as if Konoha had always trusted the Uchiha, in the past and in the future.
And then hoped Sasuke would trust the village in the same way.
Given that there were only two Uchiha left, and Itachi Uchiha voluntarily took the blame, there wasn't an unbreakable deadlock between Konoha and Sasuke.
But obviously, Sasuke had noticed the problems within—actually long ago, after Haruno Sakura accompanied him to the cat clan's warehouse, Sasuke vaguely realized that the Uchiha once had intentions of rebelling against the village.
Sasuke didn't delve deeper into it afterwards.
In fact... it was inner cowardice that made him afraid to delve deeper.
Afraid of seeing something that would change his long-held beliefs.
Afraid that in the true story, the Uchiha were a foolish and incompetent clan who trampled their own honor in the mud.
Actually, Tsunade didn't care how much Sasuke knew. From a political perspective, even if we know some things, we can pretend to be confused, pretend not to know... doing so is good for you, good for me, good for everyone.
Rare confusion, that's the logic.
After hearing Tsunade's narration, Haruno Sakura felt a little regretful.
Her reply to Sasuke at that time was only three short lines, which might not have helped Sasuke much.
However, this kind of thing wasn't something a mere letter could help Sasuke change his thinking about. In Haruno Sakura's view, the reason Sasuke struggled with clan matters was simply because his vision was too narrow and his perspective too small. In the words of this world, he lacked "capacity."
To put it bluntly, among ninja of other countries, there were plenty whose clans died and villages were destroyed, families broken and people killed. Those miserable citizens of small countries displaced, suffering from hunger and cold, struggling on the line of life and death were countless. Even the powerful and prosperous Land of Fire had a large number of lower-class people living miserable lives—who sympathized with the piles of white bones of farmers in parasitic disease epidemic areas where nine out of ten houses were empty?
This world is just that messed up.
In terms of miserable fate, Sasuke might not even rank high, so why be hypocritical? Living well and cherishing the present life is the absolute truth.
Of course, if Haruno Sakura could write things like "Analysis of Various Classes in Land of Fire Society," "Investigation Report on Konoha Ninja Clan Movement," "Why Can Konoha's Red Will Exist?" and "A Single Spark of Konoha Can Start a Prairie Fire," Sasuke might be enlightened and his perspective raised instantly...
But she couldn't do it!
Moreover, Haruno Sakura herself had both parents and had not experienced these pains, so on what grounds could she criticize Sasuke, whose parents and clansmen were all slaughtered, for being hypocritical? Where did she get the qualification to judge Sasuke condescendingly?
Thinking of this, Haruno Sakura couldn't help but sigh.
What could she do in such a matter?
Walking out of the Hokage's Office, Haruno Sakura, full of thoughts, turned directly to the Anbu building and found Sasuke—he was sparring with Hinata.
Speaking of which, the relationship between Sasuke and Hinata... had always been very plain, at most nodding acquaintances, although both Sasuke and Hinata were close friends of Haruno Sakura.
Probably because they were taught from a young age not to make friends with people with white/red eyes.
The relationship between the two major dojutsu clans, if not incompatible like fire and water, was at the level of never interacting until death.
However, after working overtime together countless times in the Anbu this time, the two who turned into panda eyes together with Byakugan and Sharingan became familiar.
Haruno Sakura was a little surprised.
After a burst of pleasantries, Hinata saw that Sakura had something to discuss with Sasuke, so she left first.
The training ground was suddenly empty with only the boy and girl left, a good place suitable for talking.
Haruno Sakura blinked and hesitated for a moment.
"Sakura..." Sasuke looked at Haruno Sakura and asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"
"If it's about the previous matter, there's no need to mention it, it's already in the past."
He saw Haruno Sakura's intention and said frankly.
"Actually, it's nothing." Haruno Sakura smiled apologetically and walked two steps away, "I was thinking, the letter replying to you before only had three short lines. Ne... I seemed a bit too careless."
"Didn't cause a counter-effect, did it?"
She asked cautiously.
So that was it. Sasuke smiled faintly and said immediately: "Of course not! Actually, what you said was very good, every sentence hit on my problem... Anyway, thank you."
He paused, waved his hand and said: "Alright, didn't we agree not to talk about these things? I've let it pass."
"Has it passed?"
Haruno Sakura stared at Sasuke's face steadily. His expression was calm and light as the wind, black eyes looking back at the girl quietly. The calmness in his eyes didn't seem fake, it seemed... he really didn't care about this matter anymore.
She pondered for a few seconds.
"Hn, that's good." The girl smiled tranquilly, "Then... Sasuke, how about taking you to a place?"
"Treat it as relaxing."
Or, treat it as broadening horizons, seeing the world, and improving perspective?
A few days later.
Land of Wind.
Along the road Haruno Sakura once walked, the two quickly crossed the border of the Land of Fire. The scenery along the way gradually transitioned from forests and grasslands to desolate plains, and finally to the barren Gobi where not a blade of grass grew.
The Sand Village was not far from Konoha, only a three-day journey, and Haruno Sakura's destination for this trip was near the middle of the line connecting the Sand Village and Konoha. Plus, the two traveling were extremely fast ninja, so it didn't consume too much time. In just two days, they crossed a distance of more than a thousand kilometers and arrived in front of the ruins of an ancient city.
It was evening when they arrived, and the setting sun had just retracted its last ray of afterglow.
The dim sky darkened rapidly, and under the faint light, the broken walls of the ancient city appeared even dimmer.
"We've arrived."
Haruno Sakura stopped, calmed her heaving chest, and said lightly.
Saying that, the girl jumped lightly onto the roof of a ruin and looked down with a bit of nostalgia.
Last time she came here was exactly a year ago.
A year's time didn't bring any changes to this lonely ruin. The ancient buildings and broken walls were still dilapidated and weathered, only the sand and dust accumulated in the corners seemed a bit higher. The cold wind howled past, stirring up strange whistles in the ruins of the ancient city, as if ghosts walking at night appeared, adding a bit of gloomy horror to the desolate ruins.
Night fell.
The full moon hung high in the starry sky, sprinkling bright moonlight, draping a mysterious silver veil over the ruins under the night.
Since completing a time travel here last time, she had never been here again.
Haruno Sakura had always held strong curiosity about this mysterious place. Now, she finally had the chance to experience it again.
This time, she wanted to try taking Sasuke back to the past with her...
She looked at the scene before her silently and fell silent for a moment.
"Sakura, what is this place?"
Sasuke jumped up swiftly, stood beside Sakura and asked.
"Roran Ruins."
The girl smiled mysteriously.
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