Chapter 31: Sasuke: He Still Has to Thank Us
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abyssalmandate
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The atmosphere around Kurenai Yūhi and Asuma Sarutobi had grown increasingly awkward.
Asuma had repeatedly denied having anything to do with Kurenai's assignment, but his explanations had done little to settle her concerns. Now that the possibility had entered her mind, every hesitation and every change in his expression seemed suspicious.
The conversation that had begun as a casual dinner was turning into something neither of them had expected.
Gradually, the other people at the table fell silent. Even the usual arguments between Naruto and Kiba died down as the tension became impossible to ignore.
Kakashi finally looked up from his food.
He had spent most of the evening eating quietly, hoping to recover some of the chakra he had lost during his exhausting training session with Sasuke. After the day's ordeal, he had neither the energy nor the inclination to involve himself in someone else's personal affairs.
Unfortunately, the sight of Asuma and Kurenai sitting across from each other with increasingly uncomfortable expressions caught his attention.
He looked between them.
"Asuma, what did you do to make Kurenai angry this time?"
Asuma turned toward him. "What?"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head.
"Well, if it isn't anything serious, why don't you apologize and admit you were wrong? Then you can both get back to enjoying dinner."
He said it with the casual confidence of someone offering a simple solution to an ordinary problem.
After all, he had seen this sort of situation plenty of times. Obito and Rin had occasionally gotten into arguments, and he had always believed that a straightforward apology was the quickest way to settle things.
Unfortunately, Kakashi had failed to notice one rather important detail.
He had absolutely no idea what they were arguing about.
Across the table, Sasuke nearly sighed into his drink.
No wonder Kakashi-sensei is still single despite being so handsome.
The man could analyze an enemy's movements, copy complicated ninjutsu after seeing them once, and devise countermeasures in the middle of a battle.
Yet when it came to relationships, he apparently possessed the observational skills of a particularly dense rock.
If Asuma apologizes now, he'll only make things worse.
Kakashi's suggestion had not solved the problem.
It had just handed Asuma a shovel and encouraged him to dig.
The comparison space immediately erupted.
Hatake Kakashi stared at the screen, then slowly turned toward the people around him.
"...Was there actually something wrong with what I said?"
Uzumaki Kushina slapped her forehead.
"Kakashi! Are you planning to remain single for the rest of your life? Because at this rate, you're doing an excellent job of preparing for it!"
Iruka looked genuinely confused.
"Wait a moment. I thought apologizing was usually the right thing to do. If you've upset someone, shouldn't you apologize?"
Tsunade gave him a look that suggested he had just failed the most basic examination of human interaction.
"Idiot. It depends on what you're apologizing for."
She pointed at the screen.
"Imagine that Kurenai suspects Asuma has interfered with her assignment. She wants an honest explanation, not a meaningless apology. If Asuma apologizes without explaining anything, what is she supposed to conclude? That he admits to doing something wrong but doesn't want to tell her what it was?"
Ebisu adjusted his glasses, looking increasingly troubled.
"Then what should he do? Keep denying it? If she doesn't believe him, won't that just make things worse?"
"Perhaps he should have avoided creating the misunderstanding in the first place!" Kushina exclaimed. "If he genuinely had nothing to do with it, he should explain that clearly and give her a reason to believe him instead of blindly apologizing for something he didn't do!"
Terumi Mei nodded.
"There's another problem. You might think you're helping by giving someone what you believe is the correct response, but have you considered whether it addresses what the other person actually wants?"
She smiled at Kakashi.
"Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is confidently offer advice about a situation you don't understand."
Several male shinobi around the room suddenly looked enlightened.
Kakashi, meanwhile, seemed to be experiencing a personal crisis.
"...That might explain why my attempts to persuade Obito and Rin to stop arguing never worked."
Uchiha Obito's face darkened.
"Kakashi!"
He had spent years blaming the Copy Ninja for his miserable childhood experiences. Now, apparently, the culprit had confessed to yet another offense.
"You bastard! So you were the reason those arguments never ended!"
"I didn't say that!"
"You just admitted it!"
"I said I might have contributed!"
"That's even worse!"
Rin watched them bicker with a helpless smile.
Some things, it seemed, would never change.
Jiraiya stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I see. There's a lot to learn here. With a little polishing, I could probably turn this into a chapter for Make-Out Paradise."
Tsunade's fist slammed into his head.
"Try writing that garbage, and I'll give you something worth writing about!"
While Jiraiya complained about the injustice of being attacked for his literary ambitions, the golden screen continued playing.
As Sasuke had predicted, Kakashi's suggestion only made matters worse.
Asuma looked at Kurenai, who was already staring at him with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. Under Kakashi's expectant gaze, he finally tried to follow the advice.
"Kurenai, if I've upset you, then I'm sorry."
For a moment, Kurenai said nothing.
Then her expression hardened.
"You're sorry?"
Asuma blinked. "Well, yes. I don't want us to argue over this."
"Then why didn't you just tell me what happened?"
"I already told you. I didn't recommend you for the position!"
"And I told you that I'm not accusing you of anything! I want to understand why the Hokage chose me for this assignment!"
Her voice rose despite her attempt to remain composed.
Asuma stared at her, increasingly bewildered.
He had denied influencing her assignment. He had assured her that she deserved her promotion. He had even agreed that she should speak with the Hokage.
What else was he supposed to say?
And why had apologizing somehow made the situation worse?
Kakashi slowly lowered his chopsticks.
What?
He looked between the two of them, his visible eye widening slightly.
Didn't I just suggest that he apologize? Why is Kurenai even angrier now?
Across the table, Sasuke quietly continued eating.
Exactly as expected.
After a little while, Kurenai finally took a breath and managed to calm herself.
Sasuke decided that it was time to intervene.
"Kurenai-sensei, please don't be too upset. I think Asuma-sensei was trying to help."
Kurenai turned toward him.
Sasuke continued before Asuma could interrupt.
"And I believe in your abilities. Even if nobody had recommended you for the position, I think you could still have earned it through your own achievements."
Kurenai's expression softened slightly.
"Thank you, Sasuke."
He offered her a reassuring smile.
"You're leading Team Eight now. I think you should treat this as an opportunity to prove yourself. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino each have their own strengths, and you have the experience and abilities to help them work together. I'm sure you'll become an excellent jonin instructor."
For the first time since the argument had begun, Kurenai looked genuinely pleased.
Then she turned toward Asuma again.
"Who asked for your help, anyway?"
Asuma's shoulders slumped.
He had thought the situation was improving.
Apparently, he had been mistaken.
Back in the comparison space, several spectators struggled to contain their laughter.
"That was impressive," Orochimaru remarked. "Sasuke managed to calm Kurenai down while making Asuma look even more troublesome."
"He did reassure her that she had earned her position," Minato pointed out. "That part was sincere enough, at least on the surface."
"Perhaps it was sincere," Jiraiya said. "But he also chose the perfect moment to say it. Kurenai was upset, Asuma had just made matters worse, and Sasuke stepped in as the reasonable one."
Tsunade crossed her arms.
"The boy understands that people don't always respond to facts alone. Timing matters. So does how you make someone feel when you give them those facts."
Kushina shook her head.
"Still, Asuma really needs to learn when to stop talking."
Asuma, who had been watching his parallel self suffer, looked offended.
"Why am I getting blamed for this? I didn't even do anything!"
"That's precisely the problem," Shiranui Genma replied. "You keep trying to fix a situation without understanding what needs fixing."
Asuma opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He disliked how reasonable that sounded.
On the screen, Kurenai had already returned her attention to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you and Hinata get along well, don't you?" she asked with a faint smile. "Just make sure you treat her properly. I don't want her ending up like me, still single at my age."
Hinata nearly dropped her chopsticks.
"K-Kurenai-sensei!"
Ino immediately leaned forward.
"Wait, what about me? Sasuke should treat all the girls properly!"
Sakura gave her a sidelong glance. "You're making it sound like you've already decided he's supposed to treat you specially."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Naruto looked between them, completely lost.
"Why are you all talking about Sasuke getting married? We're still genin!"
Kiba laughed so hard that he nearly knocked over his drink.
Sasuke, meanwhile, gave Kurenai a thoughtful look.
"How old is Kurenai-sensei, anyway? If she were my girlfriend, I think half the village would hate me."
For a brief moment, the table went silent.
Then Kurenai burst out laughing.
"You're certainly bold enough to say that in front of Hinata!"
Hinata's face turned bright red.
"S-Sasuke-kun..."
Sasuke merely smiled and returned to the grill.
The tension that had hung over the table finally began to dissipate. Even Asuma managed to relax a little, though he still looked uncertain about how the evening had gone so badly.
He cast a grateful glance at Sasuke.
Without the boy's intervention, he suspected Kurenai might have left the restaurant in anger.
"He's thanking him already?" Jiraiya asked, incredulous.
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"Of course. Sasuke has played both sides rather well. He helped create the tension, then stepped in at the right moment to appear understanding and supportive."
Iruka frowned. "But he did help Kurenai feel better. Surely that counts for something."
"It does," Minato replied. "We shouldn't assume every kind action is false simply because it also serves another purpose. The problem is that Sasuke seems to be using Asuma's gratitude to keep himself beyond suspicion."
Kakashi stared at the screen.
"So I made things worse, Sasuke made them better, and now Asuma is grateful to him?"
"That's about right," Guy said solemnly.
Kakashi looked down at his hands.
"...I think I'd rather fight a S-rank missing-nin."
"At least you'd know what the enemy was trying to do," Genma said.
Tsunade shook her head.
"A group of jonin being led around by a genin. What a promising generation we're raising."
Kushina pointed at the screen.
"And all because Kakashi thought apologizing was a universal solution!"
"Why am I still being blamed for this?" Kakashi protested.
Obito folded his arms.
"Because you deserve it!"
The laughter continued for several moments before the golden screen shifted to the next scene.
With dinner drawing to a close, Kurenai prepared to leave.
Asuma immediately stood.
"Let me walk you home."
"No, thank you."
He paused.
"Kurenai—"
"I'd like to go by myself tonight."
Her tone was firm but not openly hostile. She had calmed down, yet she still wanted time to think about the conversation and her upcoming responsibilities as Team Eight's instructor.
Asuma hesitated before sitting back down.
"All right. Get home safely."
Kurenai nodded and left the restaurant.
Asuma watched her disappear through the doorway, then released a long sigh.
He had no idea how a perfectly ordinary dinner had turned into such a confusing mess. He had explained himself repeatedly, apologized when Kakashi suggested it, and even agreed that Kurenai deserved an answer from the Hokage.
Yet she had still left alone.
Sasuke approached him a moment later.
"Don't worry too much, Asuma-sensei. Give Kurenai-sensei a few days to calm down. Once she's had some time to think, you can explain things again."
Asuma rubbed the back of his neck.
"You think that'll work?"
"I do. You were trying to help her, after all. I'm sure she'll understand once she's had a chance to think about it."
Asuma looked at the young Uchiha with genuine gratitude.
"Thank you, Sasuke. If you hadn't stepped in today, I honestly don't know what I would've done."
Sasuke smiled modestly.
"It was nothing, sensei."
Nothing at all.
He watched Asuma turn toward the counter to pay for the meal.
Give it a few days, let things cool down, and then explain everything again. That should be enough to remind Kurenai-sensei of the very question she's trying to put aside.
Sasuke's smile remained pleasant.
I don't believe you two will be getting along quite so easily for a while.
Jiraiya's voice echoed in the comparison space.
"That is vicious."
Iruka looked genuinely troubled. "If he keeps doing this, he might prevent them from resolving the misunderstanding at all."
Onoki stroked his beard.
"That Uchiha has a powerful desire for revenge. He doesn't simply want to strike at someone and be done with it. He wants the consequences to linger."
The Fourth Raikage grunted.
"And he doesn't forget who he's targeting."
Asuma's face darkened as he watched the golden screen.
"Uchiha Sasuke, you little—"
The next words were swallowed by a burst of furious muttering.
Shiranui Genma glanced at him.
"Careful, Asuma. Your language is becoming rather colorful."
"Would you like to trade places with me?"
"No, I'm quite comfortable where I am."
At the counter, Asuma looked over the bill and frowned.
"Choji, did you eat two or three times your usual amount today?"
Choji stared at him in confusion.
"I don't think so. I just ate normally."
Asuma looked at the total again.
"Then why is the bill so high?"
Choji began counting the plates he had eaten from, apparently trying to determine whether he had somehow forgotten an entire serving.
Beside Sasuke, little Hinata had gone very quiet.
Her cheeks were pink, and she was carefully avoiding looking at the bill.
Sasuke noticed.
He gently patted her head, but said nothing.
Hinata lowered her eyes, looking even more embarrassed.
Asuma, unaware of the real reason for the unexpectedly large bill, reluctantly paid and left the counter.
Sasuke felt no guilt whatsoever.
Why should I?
He looked around the restaurant, remembering the Uchiha district and the people who had once lived there.
So many members of my clan are dead. Our properties have disappeared, and even our homes have been occupied by others.
His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were cold.
If someone expects me to forget all of that simply because the village has decided to move on, they're mistaken.
He glanced toward the doorway through which Kurenai had departed, then back at Asuma.
This is only the beginning.
The golden screen slowly faded, leaving the comparison space unusually quiet.
For all the humor of the evening, the spectators had seen something that was harder to laugh away.
Parallel Sasuke could smile, offer reassurance, and behave like an ordinary young shinobi enjoying dinner with his friends. He could even help someone who was genuinely upset.
But beneath that pleasant exterior, he was keeping track of old grievances and looking for ways to make others feel the consequences.
Whether his suspicions about the village leadership were justified remained uncertain.
His resentment, however, was unmistakable.
And as Asuma discovered to his discomfort, a person could thank Sasuke for his help without realizing that the same help might have made his problems harder to escape.
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Want to read ahead? Get up to 50 advance chapters with the Abyssal Overlord tier on my Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/c/AbyssalMandate
Thanks for reading and supporting!
Asuma had repeatedly denied having anything to do with Kurenai's assignment, but his explanations had done little to settle her concerns. Now that the possibility had entered her mind, every hesitation and every change in his expression seemed suspicious.
The conversation that had begun as a casual dinner was turning into something neither of them had expected.
Gradually, the other people at the table fell silent. Even the usual arguments between Naruto and Kiba died down as the tension became impossible to ignore.
Kakashi finally looked up from his food.
He had spent most of the evening eating quietly, hoping to recover some of the chakra he had lost during his exhausting training session with Sasuke. After the day's ordeal, he had neither the energy nor the inclination to involve himself in someone else's personal affairs.
Unfortunately, the sight of Asuma and Kurenai sitting across from each other with increasingly uncomfortable expressions caught his attention.
He looked between them.
"Asuma, what did you do to make Kurenai angry this time?"
Asuma turned toward him. "What?"
Kakashi scratched the back of his head.
"Well, if it isn't anything serious, why don't you apologize and admit you were wrong? Then you can both get back to enjoying dinner."
He said it with the casual confidence of someone offering a simple solution to an ordinary problem.
After all, he had seen this sort of situation plenty of times. Obito and Rin had occasionally gotten into arguments, and he had always believed that a straightforward apology was the quickest way to settle things.
Unfortunately, Kakashi had failed to notice one rather important detail.
He had absolutely no idea what they were arguing about.
Across the table, Sasuke nearly sighed into his drink.
No wonder Kakashi-sensei is still single despite being so handsome.
The man could analyze an enemy's movements, copy complicated ninjutsu after seeing them once, and devise countermeasures in the middle of a battle.
Yet when it came to relationships, he apparently possessed the observational skills of a particularly dense rock.
If Asuma apologizes now, he'll only make things worse.
Kakashi's suggestion had not solved the problem.
It had just handed Asuma a shovel and encouraged him to dig.
The comparison space immediately erupted.
Hatake Kakashi stared at the screen, then slowly turned toward the people around him.
"...Was there actually something wrong with what I said?"
Uzumaki Kushina slapped her forehead.
"Kakashi! Are you planning to remain single for the rest of your life? Because at this rate, you're doing an excellent job of preparing for it!"
Iruka looked genuinely confused.
"Wait a moment. I thought apologizing was usually the right thing to do. If you've upset someone, shouldn't you apologize?"
Tsunade gave him a look that suggested he had just failed the most basic examination of human interaction.
"Idiot. It depends on what you're apologizing for."
She pointed at the screen.
"Imagine that Kurenai suspects Asuma has interfered with her assignment. She wants an honest explanation, not a meaningless apology. If Asuma apologizes without explaining anything, what is she supposed to conclude? That he admits to doing something wrong but doesn't want to tell her what it was?"
Ebisu adjusted his glasses, looking increasingly troubled.
"Then what should he do? Keep denying it? If she doesn't believe him, won't that just make things worse?"
"Perhaps he should have avoided creating the misunderstanding in the first place!" Kushina exclaimed. "If he genuinely had nothing to do with it, he should explain that clearly and give her a reason to believe him instead of blindly apologizing for something he didn't do!"
Terumi Mei nodded.
"There's another problem. You might think you're helping by giving someone what you believe is the correct response, but have you considered whether it addresses what the other person actually wants?"
She smiled at Kakashi.
"Sometimes, the worst thing you can do is confidently offer advice about a situation you don't understand."
Several male shinobi around the room suddenly looked enlightened.
Kakashi, meanwhile, seemed to be experiencing a personal crisis.
"...That might explain why my attempts to persuade Obito and Rin to stop arguing never worked."
Uchiha Obito's face darkened.
"Kakashi!"
He had spent years blaming the Copy Ninja for his miserable childhood experiences. Now, apparently, the culprit had confessed to yet another offense.
"You bastard! So you were the reason those arguments never ended!"
"I didn't say that!"
"You just admitted it!"
"I said I might have contributed!"
"That's even worse!"
Rin watched them bicker with a helpless smile.
Some things, it seemed, would never change.
Jiraiya stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I see. There's a lot to learn here. With a little polishing, I could probably turn this into a chapter for Make-Out Paradise."
Tsunade's fist slammed into his head.
"Try writing that garbage, and I'll give you something worth writing about!"
While Jiraiya complained about the injustice of being attacked for his literary ambitions, the golden screen continued playing.
As Sasuke had predicted, Kakashi's suggestion only made matters worse.
Asuma looked at Kurenai, who was already staring at him with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. Under Kakashi's expectant gaze, he finally tried to follow the advice.
"Kurenai, if I've upset you, then I'm sorry."
For a moment, Kurenai said nothing.
Then her expression hardened.
"You're sorry?"
Asuma blinked. "Well, yes. I don't want us to argue over this."
"Then why didn't you just tell me what happened?"
"I already told you. I didn't recommend you for the position!"
"And I told you that I'm not accusing you of anything! I want to understand why the Hokage chose me for this assignment!"
Her voice rose despite her attempt to remain composed.
Asuma stared at her, increasingly bewildered.
He had denied influencing her assignment. He had assured her that she deserved her promotion. He had even agreed that she should speak with the Hokage.
What else was he supposed to say?
And why had apologizing somehow made the situation worse?
Kakashi slowly lowered his chopsticks.
What?
He looked between the two of them, his visible eye widening slightly.
Didn't I just suggest that he apologize? Why is Kurenai even angrier now?
Across the table, Sasuke quietly continued eating.
Exactly as expected.
After a little while, Kurenai finally took a breath and managed to calm herself.
Sasuke decided that it was time to intervene.
"Kurenai-sensei, please don't be too upset. I think Asuma-sensei was trying to help."
Kurenai turned toward him.
Sasuke continued before Asuma could interrupt.
"And I believe in your abilities. Even if nobody had recommended you for the position, I think you could still have earned it through your own achievements."
Kurenai's expression softened slightly.
"Thank you, Sasuke."
He offered her a reassuring smile.
"You're leading Team Eight now. I think you should treat this as an opportunity to prove yourself. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino each have their own strengths, and you have the experience and abilities to help them work together. I'm sure you'll become an excellent jonin instructor."
For the first time since the argument had begun, Kurenai looked genuinely pleased.
Then she turned toward Asuma again.
"Who asked for your help, anyway?"
Asuma's shoulders slumped.
He had thought the situation was improving.
Apparently, he had been mistaken.
Back in the comparison space, several spectators struggled to contain their laughter.
"That was impressive," Orochimaru remarked. "Sasuke managed to calm Kurenai down while making Asuma look even more troublesome."
"He did reassure her that she had earned her position," Minato pointed out. "That part was sincere enough, at least on the surface."
"Perhaps it was sincere," Jiraiya said. "But he also chose the perfect moment to say it. Kurenai was upset, Asuma had just made matters worse, and Sasuke stepped in as the reasonable one."
Tsunade crossed her arms.
"The boy understands that people don't always respond to facts alone. Timing matters. So does how you make someone feel when you give them those facts."
Kushina shook her head.
"Still, Asuma really needs to learn when to stop talking."
Asuma, who had been watching his parallel self suffer, looked offended.
"Why am I getting blamed for this? I didn't even do anything!"
"That's precisely the problem," Shiranui Genma replied. "You keep trying to fix a situation without understanding what needs fixing."
Asuma opened his mouth, then closed it again.
He disliked how reasonable that sounded.
On the screen, Kurenai had already returned her attention to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, you and Hinata get along well, don't you?" she asked with a faint smile. "Just make sure you treat her properly. I don't want her ending up like me, still single at my age."
Hinata nearly dropped her chopsticks.
"K-Kurenai-sensei!"
Ino immediately leaned forward.
"Wait, what about me? Sasuke should treat all the girls properly!"
Sakura gave her a sidelong glance. "You're making it sound like you've already decided he's supposed to treat you specially."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Naruto looked between them, completely lost.
"Why are you all talking about Sasuke getting married? We're still genin!"
Kiba laughed so hard that he nearly knocked over his drink.
Sasuke, meanwhile, gave Kurenai a thoughtful look.
"How old is Kurenai-sensei, anyway? If she were my girlfriend, I think half the village would hate me."
For a brief moment, the table went silent.
Then Kurenai burst out laughing.
"You're certainly bold enough to say that in front of Hinata!"
Hinata's face turned bright red.
"S-Sasuke-kun..."
Sasuke merely smiled and returned to the grill.
The tension that had hung over the table finally began to dissipate. Even Asuma managed to relax a little, though he still looked uncertain about how the evening had gone so badly.
He cast a grateful glance at Sasuke.
Without the boy's intervention, he suspected Kurenai might have left the restaurant in anger.
"He's thanking him already?" Jiraiya asked, incredulous.
Orochimaru's smile widened.
"Of course. Sasuke has played both sides rather well. He helped create the tension, then stepped in at the right moment to appear understanding and supportive."
Iruka frowned. "But he did help Kurenai feel better. Surely that counts for something."
"It does," Minato replied. "We shouldn't assume every kind action is false simply because it also serves another purpose. The problem is that Sasuke seems to be using Asuma's gratitude to keep himself beyond suspicion."
Kakashi stared at the screen.
"So I made things worse, Sasuke made them better, and now Asuma is grateful to him?"
"That's about right," Guy said solemnly.
Kakashi looked down at his hands.
"...I think I'd rather fight a S-rank missing-nin."
"At least you'd know what the enemy was trying to do," Genma said.
Tsunade shook her head.
"A group of jonin being led around by a genin. What a promising generation we're raising."
Kushina pointed at the screen.
"And all because Kakashi thought apologizing was a universal solution!"
"Why am I still being blamed for this?" Kakashi protested.
Obito folded his arms.
"Because you deserve it!"
The laughter continued for several moments before the golden screen shifted to the next scene.
With dinner drawing to a close, Kurenai prepared to leave.
Asuma immediately stood.
"Let me walk you home."
"No, thank you."
He paused.
"Kurenai—"
"I'd like to go by myself tonight."
Her tone was firm but not openly hostile. She had calmed down, yet she still wanted time to think about the conversation and her upcoming responsibilities as Team Eight's instructor.
Asuma hesitated before sitting back down.
"All right. Get home safely."
Kurenai nodded and left the restaurant.
Asuma watched her disappear through the doorway, then released a long sigh.
He had no idea how a perfectly ordinary dinner had turned into such a confusing mess. He had explained himself repeatedly, apologized when Kakashi suggested it, and even agreed that Kurenai deserved an answer from the Hokage.
Yet she had still left alone.
Sasuke approached him a moment later.
"Don't worry too much, Asuma-sensei. Give Kurenai-sensei a few days to calm down. Once she's had some time to think, you can explain things again."
Asuma rubbed the back of his neck.
"You think that'll work?"
"I do. You were trying to help her, after all. I'm sure she'll understand once she's had a chance to think about it."
Asuma looked at the young Uchiha with genuine gratitude.
"Thank you, Sasuke. If you hadn't stepped in today, I honestly don't know what I would've done."
Sasuke smiled modestly.
"It was nothing, sensei."
Nothing at all.
He watched Asuma turn toward the counter to pay for the meal.
Give it a few days, let things cool down, and then explain everything again. That should be enough to remind Kurenai-sensei of the very question she's trying to put aside.
Sasuke's smile remained pleasant.
I don't believe you two will be getting along quite so easily for a while.
Jiraiya's voice echoed in the comparison space.
"That is vicious."
Iruka looked genuinely troubled. "If he keeps doing this, he might prevent them from resolving the misunderstanding at all."
Onoki stroked his beard.
"That Uchiha has a powerful desire for revenge. He doesn't simply want to strike at someone and be done with it. He wants the consequences to linger."
The Fourth Raikage grunted.
"And he doesn't forget who he's targeting."
Asuma's face darkened as he watched the golden screen.
"Uchiha Sasuke, you little—"
The next words were swallowed by a burst of furious muttering.
Shiranui Genma glanced at him.
"Careful, Asuma. Your language is becoming rather colorful."
"Would you like to trade places with me?"
"No, I'm quite comfortable where I am."
At the counter, Asuma looked over the bill and frowned.
"Choji, did you eat two or three times your usual amount today?"
Choji stared at him in confusion.
"I don't think so. I just ate normally."
Asuma looked at the total again.
"Then why is the bill so high?"
Choji began counting the plates he had eaten from, apparently trying to determine whether he had somehow forgotten an entire serving.
Beside Sasuke, little Hinata had gone very quiet.
Her cheeks were pink, and she was carefully avoiding looking at the bill.
Sasuke noticed.
He gently patted her head, but said nothing.
Hinata lowered her eyes, looking even more embarrassed.
Asuma, unaware of the real reason for the unexpectedly large bill, reluctantly paid and left the counter.
Sasuke felt no guilt whatsoever.
Why should I?
He looked around the restaurant, remembering the Uchiha district and the people who had once lived there.
So many members of my clan are dead. Our properties have disappeared, and even our homes have been occupied by others.
His expression remained calm, but his thoughts were cold.
If someone expects me to forget all of that simply because the village has decided to move on, they're mistaken.
He glanced toward the doorway through which Kurenai had departed, then back at Asuma.
This is only the beginning.
The golden screen slowly faded, leaving the comparison space unusually quiet.
For all the humor of the evening, the spectators had seen something that was harder to laugh away.
Parallel Sasuke could smile, offer reassurance, and behave like an ordinary young shinobi enjoying dinner with his friends. He could even help someone who was genuinely upset.
But beneath that pleasant exterior, he was keeping track of old grievances and looking for ways to make others feel the consequences.
Whether his suspicions about the village leadership were justified remained uncertain.
His resentment, however, was unmistakable.
And as Asuma discovered to his discomfort, a person could thank Sasuke for his help without realizing that the same help might have made his problems harder to escape.
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