Close to heart.. far from arms...| Sasusaku

5. Abandon

Sasuke decided to leave the village.

As he gazed over team 7's photograph that rested in his room, thousands memories flooded back to him. The precious times spent with his comrades, the special feelings he started developing recently, all of them returned back all at once. 

The chunin exams were a turning point. Orochimaru's arrival in his life showed him how far he had gotten from his goal, because of these friends.

Friends. 

The word was still new and hard to digest to the raven. But as he recalled his memories, he realized how precious they had been to him, as he told Naruto when he faced off against Gaara of the sand. 

The curse mark the snake Sannin placed on him showed him how much power he lacked to reach his goal. He was being a naive little child, trying to play ninja with his leaf comrades. So he decided to leave, to gain the power he desired, from Orochimaru. He saw the extent of the power, when he gave in to the curse mark.

The memory made way to another, the pinkette wrapping her arms around him, crying on his shoulder, begging him to stop. God knows what stirred in him when that happened, he immediately reverted back to his normal self. Come to think of it, it was due to Sakura that he went on a rampage. Seeing her covered with cuts and bruises, his mind flipped and he didn't have sight of what he was doing anymore. Why indeed?

Sasuke shed once last glance over the photo he was holding before putting it down. These bonds and ties he had with the pinkette and blonde was what he had to destroy in order to gain more power. There was no future for him, not anymore, other than killing Itachi. If he couldn't beat Naruto, how would he be able to beat his brother? He didn't know how Naruto became this strong, strong enough to beat Gaara, and save both of them. He planned on saving them, because he believed he was stronger, that was the reason he entrusted Naruto with the injured Sakura. The tables turned, and he ended up unable to move, and being saved by Naruto instead.

How did he become this strong? Strong enough that Sakura smiled at HIM, when he told her it was Naruto who saved her. Strong enough that even his brother Itachi wanted Naruto instead of him. He remembered his encounter with Itachi, and another series of the torments of the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi had always been the eclipse to his happy life, hadn't he? Just when he finally managed to escape the darkness, just when he finally acknowledged Naruto as his best friend, just when he started looking up to Kakashi as a father-figure, just when... he was finally acknowledging the pinkette, Itachi came, and made him realise yet again, that this wasn't where he belonged. He belonged to the darkness, driven by the sheer strength of rage and hatred, vengeance being his fuel, he was an avenger.

Sasuke took a deep breath and withdrew his hand away from the picture. Grabbing his backpack, he was about to leave when another thought stopped his movements. Should he carry the picture with him? What if he forgot their faces? 

No.

He shook his head and went over it again. These bonds were the strings that were keeping him off the power he desired. Breaking free was the only option. 

***

Under the moonlit sky, as leaves danced in the cool night breeze, shadows engulfing the village that nurtured him, the raven took relaxed steps as he approached the village entrance faster than he usually did. 

Is it him or the entrance seemed  closer than before?

It didn't matter, because close or not, it was to be left behind.

His movement was brought to a halt as a certain pink and red figure came into his sight.

Her eyes twitched with thousands emotions, none of them carrying a hint of joy, as the raven spoke, "What are you doing here at this time of the night?"