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They’d never find Sasuke here.
Sasuke decided to go the extra mile today - literally. Hide and seek was just not fair when Itachi or Shisui found him way too quickly. He decided to run as fast as he could to the other side of town and came upon Konoha’s orphanage. They had the best cherry blossom trees to hide in, and since it was peak season with blossom petals showering the landscape in pink, it made hiding in the trees even easier.
He found the perfect hiding spot in one of the trees closest to the fence of the orphanage. From this height, he could view both sides of the fence with ease and still hear conversation decently well.
Now, it was time to wait.
…
About 30 minutes passed and there was no sign of Itachi or Shisui. A genius hiding spot indeed.
He was prepared to stay another half hour basking in victory until he heard loud arguing nearby.
He turned around towards the orphanage to spy on the commotion. There, for the first time, he saw a girl with pink hair. She was a bit scuffed up and was sitting on the ground; presumably, one of the four other children must’ve pushed her.
“Teacher’s pet!”
“Think you’re all that just ‘cause you’re smart!”
“They only like you ‘cause of your weird hair!”
“Yeah, what kind of freak has pink hair? Your mom must’ve been an alien!”
He saw her knuckles gripping onto the grass tightly, turning white from the clenching.
Sasuke wasn’t sure why he felt this way, but he felt like he needed to help her somehow. Sasuke took in his surroundings to plan something. He noticed some rocks near the base of the tree.
Making sure the coast was clear, he scrambled down, grabbed a stone, and clambered back up to his spot.
Testing its weight a few times, he flung the rock with all his might…
Tock!
"Ow!" He managed to nick one of the bullies in the arm. After a few seconds of bewilderment from everyone, the injured child started to wail.
"Hey, what the heck are you guys doing to Sakura-chan!!" A blonde kid with blue eyes rushed out and stood in front of Sakura to protect her.
"What the heck are you talking about, Naruto! I'm the one who's bleeding! Look at my arm!"
"I know you guys have been bullying Sakura-chan!!"
"Well, someone threw a rock at my arm!"
"Maybe you deserved it, ya know!"
"Sasuke, what are you doing?"
Sasuke flinched.
"I can see you."
Itachi was looking up from the base of the sakura tree. Darn it, he did get caught after all…did Itachi see him throw the rock, too?
Sasuke quickly descended the sakura tree to flee from the crime scene.
Before Sasuke walked ahead, Itachi took his arm and decided to prod again: "What were you doing just now?"
"...hiding from you and Shisui, obviously. And looking at cherry blossoms." Still feeling tense, he hoped that response sounded convincing enough.
"Haven’t you seen these cherry blossoms before? Are you sure you’re not hiding anything?"
Sasuke pouted and remained silent. This was going to be losing battle if he didn’t stand his ground.
Itachi gave him a knowing look and smiled lovingly at his young brother. Using his index and middle fingers, he touched Sasuke's forehead.
"Alright, when you're ready, tell me next time." Like hell he would. "Let's go home, Sasuke."
…
...
"Sasuke, you know we're going back tomorrow to apologize, right?" Dang it, he knew.