❝Speak❞ - A Memoir (Book 1)

11 - Leaving Konoha

Chapter 11

***

The opportunity to leave came not long after I heard that conversation. Since then I had been in my room for most of the time, and I’m pretty sure Kakashi noticed something, I didn’t care though. I had already decided to leave, and nothing was going to stop me.

On the night I planned to leave, I wrote a quick note explaining everything. Well, only the things I thought needed to be explained. At first I thought it would’ve been better if I hadn’t written a note, but then Kakashi might’ve thought I was kidnapped or something, and I specifically wanted him to know that I had ran away and that he shouldn’t bother looking for me because I would’ve been long gone.

As I walked through the dark, empty streets of Konoha, I couldn’t help but think how I had actually found a home, and that I was abandoning it, just like I’d abandoned my last ‘home’.

So, I walked to the large gates of Konoha with my essentials in hand; food, water, change of clothes, those weird shaped ‘kunai’s, along with some star-shaped sharp objects. As I inched closer and closer to the gates, a pair of figures stops me from advancing. They didn’t seem to notice me, so I hide in the bushes to watch the scene.

It was Sasuke and Sakura; they were saying something, but it was faint, and I couldn’t quite hear them so I shuffled closer to listen in on their conversation. One thing I remember clearly was when I moved closer, I saw Sakura crying.

“From this point on, new paths will start” I wondered what they were talking about that would require him to say that. Then I noticed Sasuke’s pack and it all became clear. Sasuke was leaving too.

“I...” she took a step forward as more tears flowed from her eyes. “I love you more than anything!! If you’re by my side, I’ll make sure you don’t regret it! I will make every day more enjoyable, and you will be happy!! I would do anything for you!! So please, please just stay here” meanwhile I just watched, mesmerized by her words. It thoroughly surprised me how someone could say such things easily, at such a young age!

She wasn’t finished; “I’ll even help you with your revenge! There must be something I can do, so please, just stay here with me. If that’s not possible, then please take me with you” she continued crying as the moon revealed itself from behind the many clouds and brightened the roadway while Sasuke stood a few feet away completely silent.

Finally, he turned around and smirked; “After all this, you’re still annoying” he continued walking as I thought how rude it was for him to say that after she had just confessed her undying feeling for him.

“Don’t go!!” I was startled out of my thought process by her scream and of her running to Sasuke; “if you go, I’ll scream and…” I was wondering what else she’d do since she already screamed when suddenly Sasuke disappeared only to reappear behind her.

“Sakura, arigato” with that, he knocked her out and placed her gently on the bench I hiding behind. Before I knew it, he had begun walking away again, and I knew it was my chance. I walked out from behind the bench and jogged to catch up to him.

Since I couldn’t exactly make any real type of noise to attract his attention, I had no choice but to pull on his shirt. It worked, for the most part. He glared at me.

I sent him a nervous smile and pulled out my writing pad while he sighed and waited for me to finish writing. “Let me guess, you want me to stay too?”

I looked up at him, confused as to why he would ask me such a thing. In response, he raises an eyebrow while I remember thinking it was cool how he could do that. I couldn’t, at the time. Finally, I finished my note and showed it to him.

I think it’s fairly strange how I remember exactly how it was written;

            I hope you don’t mind that I saw, and heard your conversation with Sakura-san, but I want you to take me with you to wherever it is you are going. I realized I’m neither needed nor wanted here, so I have decided to leave. I see you have decided the same. I doubt we have the same reasons, but I do think we may be able to stick together. Your answer doesn’t concern me much, for I will leave whether you decide to take me with you or not.

He glanced down at me for a moment before sighing again. “You know, for a kid, you’re smart” he smirked at me before he handed my writing pad back. “Come”

With that I knew he had decided to take me with him. Even still there was something I didn’t understand. Sakura had asked him to let her go with him and he had said no, so why had he said yes to me??

***

Finally we were out of the village, but I couldn’t help but feel nervous, or maybe it was anxious. I don’t really remember, nor do I care. The start of a new adventure had just begun for in front of me and Sasuke were four people. They looked strange and dangerous, but Sasuke hadn’t seemed scared so I tried my best not to. Their voices weren’t as scary, but maybe that was because I had already seen their faces.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Sasuke-sama”

What’s going on here?” he didn’t seem very curious, but I understood why he had asked. Those four people bowed to Sasuke!

“We decided that if you left, you would be our new master” they answered, catching me off-guard. Sasuke was these people’s master?? How did that happen?! “Please excuse us for being rude earlier” all I could think was, what happened earlier?

Meanwhile, Sasuke just smirked and walked past them with me trailing behind; “that doesn’t matter now. Let’s go”

I thought it strange how they didn’t even bother to ask who I was or what I was doing following them. Sasuke didn’t say anything and neither did I; I couldn’t anyway. As we left the village behind, I couldn’t help but think of Kakashi, how he took care of me and taught me how to read and write and how I had improved my paper-cutting abilities. As much as I never wanted it to end, it did anyway. Little did I know that it was only the beginning. I still had my entire life ahead of me, but in more recent terms, a certain rescue mission.