Journey of Discovery

Chapter 19 - True Feelings

Kakashi guided Sasuke up through the building before stopping outside a door, "Go on in and get changed. I can't have you walking through the village in a prisoner's uniform."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment but obliged. Upon entering the room he found pants and a shirt folded neatly on a table, shoes on the floor, and a cape and belt draped over the one chair.

Sarada watched as Sasuke circled the table, inspecting the clothes, when he stopped suddenly as he caught sight of himself in the mirror. She could only guess he hadn't seen what he looked like in quite awhile. His hair and clothes were disheveled and his skin looked pale, like it hadn't seen the sun in months, and he had bags under his eyes.

"I sat in that cell while they deliberated on what to do with me. I had no idea what my fate would be but I didn't care at that time, I would accept whatever was decided for me" Sasuke said aloud as he looked on his younger self.

"Your mom and I were forbidden from seeing Sasuke since we were part of the trial, for lack of a better word" Naruto added.

They waited patiently out where Kakashi was while he changed. He was leaned against the wall, arms crossed, with his head leaned against the wall. His eyes were closed but his face was relaxed.

Sasuke appeared a few minutes later fully changed. Kakashi pushed off the wall to walk over to him, "Everything to your liking?"

Sasuke looked down at himself, the remainder of the sleeve on his left arm hanging loosely, "They'll do."

With a wave of his hand Kakashi led Sasuke from the building. They walked through the corridors, each person greeting Lord Sixth with a quiet hello or a slight bow.

"I still can't believe you're the Hokage" Sasuke muttered quietly. There was no malice, just genuine surprise. He knew how much his Sensei liked to slack off.

As they exited the building Sasuke was greeted by his old teammates; Sakura and Naruto. Sarada couldn't help but notice the subtle changes in the younger version of her father upon seeing her mother. His breath caught and there was a slight tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"Sasuke!" Naruto greeted cheerfully.

"Hi S-Sasuke" Sakura stumbled out while smiling down at her intertwined fingers, her cheeks as pink as her hair.

"Hi" Sasuke responded quietly. He was only looking at Sakura when he said it.

Sarada couldn't help but smile up at her parents, "You guys have always been hopeless" she teased. She always poked fun at her mother for getting all flustered any time Sasuke came home. Now she has seen that they've always been this way.

'They really do love each other' she thought to herself happily.

The scene before them faded away. Sarada thought they would be back in their home but she was surprised to see she was still in Konoha. When she looked around she realized where she was.

"This is Grandma and Grandpa Haruno's house."

Down the street she saw Sasuke walking towards them. Before he got too close he turned and started walking away, shaking his head, but then turned around and walked back towards them. He repeated this process a few times. Once he was finally close she could see he looked nervous.

He walked to their door and took a few deep breaths before knocking. It was winter now, she could see his breath travel through the air momentarily before disappearing. He was wearing layers beneath his cape along with close toed boots and a toboggan.

He finally raised his hand to knock, rapping the door a few times, before lowering his hand. After a few moments the door cracked open to reveal Sakura, who clearly wasn't expecting it to be Sasuke at her door.

"Sasuke, hi! What are you doing here?"

Sasuke was looking off to the side, anywhere but at her, as he tried to muster up the courage to say what he wanted. "I uh- I was on my way to to get some uh- hot pot. I thought you might like to come."

Sakura's cheeks blazed red but she had the biggest smile on her face, "Sure! Just let me get changed, I'll only be a minute."

When the door was shut he turned and leaned against the side of the house to wait, a smile tugging at his mouth. He was trying to be cool, calm, and collected like he usually was but you could see the happiness seeping through his facade.

Sakura was true to her word and reappeared a moment later. She wore pants instead of her usual skirt and a long sleeve under her heavy coat. "I'm ready" she said excitedly as they walked in step with each other to the restaurant.

"So, you ended up making the first move after all" Naruto teased Sasuke. He had always thought that nothing happened between he and Sakura until after they left the village together. Seeing this only proved that they became close even before they traveled.

"We spent more time together than anyone realized. We were sneaky" Sakura joked. The view before them faded to black once more before the East Gate of Konoha came into view.

There was no longer any snow on the ground, the sky was clear and the trees were full and green again. The sun was shining brightly and the air was warm. Sarada guessed that roughly a year passed between his release to now.

"Are you sure you have to go?" Sarada heard her mother say. She could see that she was upset but was keeping it together. "The arm Lady Tsunade is creating is almost finished."

"I need to see the world through my new perspective" he told her gently.

Sarada looked to her father confused, "Why didn't you ever get a new arm? Even after you traveled?"

Sasuke held the reminder of his left arm with his right hand, "When I feel like I'm slipping into the darkness again, there's three things that pull me out of it; this and you and your mother."

Sarada smiled and hugged him tightly before looking back at the younger version of her parents.

"What if I said I'd go with you?" Sakura asked shyly as she looked at Sasuke through her lashes.

"I need time to understand my feelings and to atone for my sins. They don't have anything to do with you."

The older Sasuke piped in to explain to Sarada, "That was my way of saying that I needed time to figure out my feelings for your Mother. We had spent so much time together, I had to make sure that what I felt was true. I also wanted to be the best version of myself before anything further happened."

Sakura dropped her head in defeat, she had believed that after all the time they spent together that he would let her go. She looked up when she heard his footsteps approaching her. "Maybe next time" he said as he poked her forehead, "Thank you."

The scene before them faded away and they were finally back at the Uchiha's home.

"So how long did you have to wait Mama?"

"It was a year before Sasuke returned to the village. When he was set to leave again I met him at the gates and asked once more if I could come, and you know the rest."

Sarada wrapped her arms around both Sakura and Sasuke's waists, "Thank you for showing me everything."

She finally understood everything she had been wanting to know about her parents and her heritage. While it wasn't easy, she felt closer to her father now more than ever and she understood how much her mother endured for the sake of him. There were still some unresolved feelings but now she felt the confidence to confide in her parents and talk to them.

She wouldn't let their suffering be for nothing. Everything they went through would fuel her resolve to become a splendid Shinobi and, hopefully one day, the Hokage.