I like your father, not you!! (Borusasu)

7

     It had been about a month since the Kara incident. Sasuke had been away from the Hidden Leaf Village to continue his long-term investigation.

     He'd used this as a chance to refine the utilisation of his Amaterasu, to practise his control without the interference of unnecessary emotions. It was also the perfect excuse for him to get away from Boruto and think through his feelings.

     At first, he kept denying the possibility of having feelings for Boruto. It's undeniably wrong and messed up to like your best friend's son who's young enough to be your own while being married and having a family at the same time. It was already bad enough that he loved someone else in that way other than his wife. It wasn't entirely his fault, it's not like he can choose who to like.

     He was angry at himself for harbouring such corrupt and inappropriate feelings. But at the same time, he tried to pass it off as a one-time thing and that it wasn't how he'd actually felt. He thought that with time these emotions would disappear and never return; not seeing Boruto for a month would help him a lot.

     Throughout those few weeks, he kept thinking back to Naruto. Those 25 long years weren't years of nothing; they were filled with the bitter love Sasuke has always had for his best friend. It was like digging a hole through to the other side of the earth; it seemed almost possible, he could dream about it, but he knew he'd never reach the end for the core would burn him.

     It wasn't an envious type of love. He was happy to see Naruto get married to Hinata and start a family. But it still pained him that Naruto would never realise that there was someone else out there who loved him as much as Hinata did, if not more. There were times Sasuke wanted to tell him he loved him so much, that he'd do anything to be with him, but he refrained from doing so. Not only would it destroy their brotherly relationship, but also the loved ones around them. It was such a selfish desire.

     And yes, back when they were younger before the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke had come close to killing Naruto. Nevertheless, he wouldn't have been able to do it, not even in his next life. It wasn't only a battle of power but also friendship and love. Maybe it was at this point that he realised how important Naruto was to him. Even so, he couldn't abandon his absolute decision of strength and revenge. Their deep bond goes so far back that if either of them were to cross the line things would break. At the same time, if they were such good friends then they'd be able to overcome anything; even small insignificant problems like Sasuke's unreciprocated love. But it was too risky. He'd rather it stay like this than lose everything he had left.

     "Amaterasu."

     The remaining ruins of an old structure dissipated in the majestic black flames which extinguished along with it. Sasuke had been practising this jutsu for the whole month so he felt very worn out. He dropped to the ground and rested against a nearby tree.

     I'm sure my Amaterasu is perfect, if not nearly, by now. There shouldn't be any more complications, he thought.

     Though, this wasn't the only thing he'd fixed. It was just as he predicted, he'd forgotten all about Boruto... almost. Once in a while, his mind would wander back to him like a magnet; ever since those feelings first arose he was never able to fully escape them, he was trapped in that field.

     Damn it, how did it even turn out like this?

     It was futile to forget the way he'd felt around him the last time they saw each other. Perhaps it was because he'd been craving this kind of love for so long that he would be content with just about anyone.

     But Sakura...

     Sasuke was starting to think that maybe he didn't love Sakura as much as he thought he did. He probably kept convincing himself that he loved her as his wife. But now, that illusion was broken.