Being a rogue ninja is worse than being Hokage.

This was the first time Sasuke had met Jiraiya.

"Yes, Naruto Uzumaki's master."

This is Jiraiya's answer.

Jiraiya could tell that Sasuke preferred listening to "Naruto's teacher" rather than the title of one of the Legendary Sannin.

"Lord Jiraiya, what brings you here..."

Kakashi was somewhat surprised by Jiraiya's appearance.

Konoha is currently in a state of disrepair and reconstruction, and all the ninjas are working beyond their capacity.

Even Kakashi rarely gets a short break, so he can take some time to visit Sasuke with Sakura.

"I was also asked by the Fifth Hokage—Tsunade said that her student has been in a bad mood lately and her studies have stalled. But she just became the Fifth Hokage and is so busy with all the big and small matters in the village that she has to give up gambling and drinking and has no time to spare—so she asked me, the 'one-month teacher' who also taught this student, to lend a hand."

Jiraiya looked at Sakura.

"I... I'll try my best to calm myself down, and I'll apologize to Master and Shizune-senpai during class later... Lord Jiraiya, thank you so much..."

Sakura quickly replied, and apologized to Jiraiya for bothering him with her own affairs.

"Tsunade isn't blaming you. She understands how you feel... Now, Tsunade is not only the Hokage, but also your mentor. If you have any troubles, just confide in her—that's what Tsunade wants me to convey to you."

Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Sakura nodded silently in agreement.

After helping Tsunade comfort Sakura, Jiraiya began to pay attention to Sasuke again.

"Let me start by telling you about the current situation in Konoha..."

……

The doctor examined Sasuke's physical condition after he woke up.

After confirming that Sasuke was alright, Sasuke and his hospital bed were transferred to an observation ward where he could be discharged as long as he successfully passed the short observation period.

Neither Kakashi nor Jiraiya stayed for very long after that.

One of them was an elite Jonin of Konoha, and the other was a highly respected Sannin.

There are just too many things that Konoha needs right now.

After resting for a while, Kakashi and Jiraiya returned to their posts.

Only Sasuke, who was sitting on the hospital bed, and Sakura, who was sitting on a round chair in front of the bed, remained in the ward.

Neither of them spoke.

Sakura is peeling an apple.

Sasuke stared blankly out the window, where the view of Konoha was even better from the hospital room.

The once bustling streets, lined with intersecting buildings, have disappeared.

All that remained was a boundless expanse of scenery.

The person who turned Konoha into this... is Naruto.

Jiraiya's words lingered in Sasuke's mind, refusing to leave.

Sand Hidden and Sound Hidden.

The Fourth Kazekage and Orochimaru.

The official explanation from Sunagakure, which surrendered to Konoha, was that the attack on Konoha was orchestrated by Orochimaru alone.

The Fourth Kazekage had already been killed by Orochimaru, who disguised himself as the Fourth Kazekage to deceive the entire Sunagakure.

They launched an attack on Konoha during the Chunin Selection Exams finals.

Orochimaru, disguised as the Fourth Kazekage, killed the Third Hokage.

Among the ninja team sent by the "Sand" faction to participate in the exam was the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast, namely Gaara.

Orochimaru destroyed the Hokage, who symbolized Konoha, in both political and spiritual terms.

The physical destruction of Konoha was caused by Gaara, who transformed into a tailed beast, and—

—Naruto.

"I just found out that Naruto is... a Jinchūriki."

Sasuke regretted his belated realization.

Why was Naruto hated by everyone even though he hadn't done anything wrong at the Ninja Academy? Sasuke never really thought about this question.

He simply took everything Naruto went through as a matter of course. He never felt any disgust towards Naruto, but he never offered him any help either, treating Naruto as a complete stranger.

Sasuke clenched his fists tightly.

It wasn't until everyone graduated from the Ninja Academy, and Sasuke and Naruto were assigned to Team 7, that Sasuke belatedly began to get to know Naruto better.

But... it was too late.

"Were those words, treating us as comrades, just Naruto's disguise?"

Sasuke recalled the masked ninjas who had suddenly surrounded Team 7 in the Konoha forest...

They made no attempt to hide their malice towards Naruto.

Has Naruto always lived such a humble and subservient life in Konoha?

"hateful!"

Sasuke raised his hand and then slammed it down hard on the bed.

He couldn't get an answer at all.

If he had noticed Naruto's unusual behavior sooner, he could have gotten Naruto to tell him the answer to his question himself.

If I become stronger, will Naruto trust me more instead of keeping all his troubles to himself and making the extreme choice of defecting from Konoha?

Sasuke once again felt his own weakness.

His initial mission in the Land of Waves was just like that... He encountered a rogue ninja named Zabuza and was completely helpless against him.

During the Chunin Selection Exams, his Sharingan couldn't even detect Rock Lee's taijutsu.

In the battle against Gaara in the Leaf Village, he even borrowed the power of the cursed seal, but he still couldn't defeat Gaara.

Sasuke fell into deep self-doubt.

Could it be that... I haven't grown at all?

How could someone like me ridiculously call myself an avenger... Let alone an avenger... I can't even perceive the suffering of my comrades, I can't even share their pain...

I……

Sasuke is trapped in a maze of thoughts, unable to find a way out.

He lowered his head, his whole body trembling.

I couldn't stop my friend from leaving.

—I have no way to avenge my brother.

Sasuke is sinking deeper and deeper into a quagmire called "self-doubt".

Am I really incapable of doing anything?!

Just then, the plump, juicy flesh of a carefully peeled and cut apple appeared in Sasuke's sight on the porcelain plate.

The whitish flesh is like a guiding light in a maze.

This brought Sasuke back to his senses in an instant.

"Sasuke, have some apples."

Sakura's voice made Sasuke instinctively turn his head to look over.

Sakura saw a rare expression on Sasuke's face.

Sasuke stood there listlessly, his brows drooping, his eyes vacant, filled with sorrow.

"That expression doesn't suit you, Sasuke."

Sakura smiled at Sasuke and held up the porcelain plate in her hand: "Overthinking will affect your recovery time. Have an apple to change your mood."

Sasuke stared at Sakura, somewhat dazed.

Sakura's smile wasn't forced—when did she become so strong?

Sasuke took the porcelain plate from Sakura. He hadn't eaten in a long time, and his body should have reacted with hunger upon seeing food.

But Sasuke had no appetite.

He stared at the fruit on the plate for a long time before finally asking, "Sakura, what do you think of Naruto's... departure?"

After hesitating for a moment, Sasuke ultimately did not utter the words "defection".

But Naruto's actions were indeed treason, and the worst kind at that—Naruto attacked the entire village—not just the ninjas of Konoha, but even ordinary villagers became his targets.

Sakura was well aware of this as well.

Naruto truly planted the pain in the hearts of the people of Konoha; Sasuke and Sakura both felt the pain.

"I do not know."

Sakura answered.

But even though she answered "I don't know," she still talked a lot.

"I'm not like Sasuke. When I was little, I hated Naruto... But why? Why did I hate Naruto? Did Naruto do anything that I should hate?"

"When I was little, I was bullied terribly because of my wide forehead... so I was also a disliked person... Since I wasn't liked either, why should I hate Naruto, who was also disliked?"

Sasuke listened quietly to Sakura's narration.

For the kids at the ninja academy, hating Naruto is the norm.

He absorbed the idea of ​​"disliking Naruto" without any independent thought from his parents, teachers, and peers.

So even though she had no reason to hate Naruto and didn't know why the adults hated him, she still regarded Naruto as the source of the plague and a terrifying flood.

“When Ino gave me a bandage to tie my hair and said I was cute, I was so happy—it was the first time someone other than my parents liked me—and in the flower arranging class later, when Ino said I was a bud that was yet to bloom and worth looking forward to, I understood the meaning of friendship for the first time.”

Sakura continued to recount her past, describing how she and Ino became friends.