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The gates of Konoha looked like they had accidentally become the stage for the world's loudest family reunion.
People were everywhere.
Naruto was pacing.
Ino was crying dramatically into Sai's shoulder, even though Sai looked deeply confused about why she was crying.
Choji was stress-eating.
Shikamaru looked like he'd already aged ten years.
Lee was openly sobbing into Neji's shoulder.
Gai was sobbing harder.
Kakashi had his book out but had not turned a page in twenty minutes.
Even Fugaku had shown up.
Which meant this was serious.
Sasuke stood in front of the village gates with his travel pack over one shoulder, looking like the physical embodiment of "I would rather fight Madara again than deal with emotions."
Naruto pointed dramatically.
"YOU'RE REALLY LEAVING."
Sasuke stared.
"...yes."
"JUST LIKE THAT?!"
"...for atonement."
Naruto looked offended.
"ATONEMENT FOR WHAT?! WE ALREADY SAVED THE WORLD!"
Sasuke blinked.
"Several things."
"...okay fair."
Kushina dramatically wiped imaginary tears.
"MINATO, LOOK AT HIM."
Minato looked.
"...I'm looking."
"HE'S ALL GROWN UP."
"He is twenty."
"THAT'S STILL A BABY."
Obito crossed his arms.
"Yeah, where's the tiny angry kid who tried to stab everyone?"
Rin nodded sadly.
"He used to be so little."
Sasuke stared.
"I tried to stab all of you."
Shisui grinned.
"Exactly."
Itachi stood nearby quietly, arms crossed.
Watching.
Very suspiciously.
Because something was off.
Very off.
Sasuke had barely said two words all morning.
He kept glancing around.
Looking for something.
Or someone.
Naruto narrowed his eyes.
"...why do you keep looking behind us?"
Sasuke immediately looked away.
"I'm not."
"YOU ARE."
"I'm not."
"You just did it again."
"I didn't."
"You did."
"I didn't."
Naruto squinted.
Then suddenly gasped.
GASPED.
"WAIT."
Everybody looked at him.
Naruto pointed accusingly.
"ARE YOU WAITING FOR SOMEONE?!"
Silence.
Sasuke:
"..."
Naruto:
"..."
Everyone:
"..."
Sasuke:
"...no."
Naruto slowly turned toward everyone.
"HE HESITATED."
Everyone collectively:
"HE HESITATED?!"
Instant chaos.
Ino screamed.
"WHO IS IT?!"
Lee grabbed Sasuke's shoulders.
"IS IT YOUTHFUL LOVE?!"
Neji sighed.
"Lee, let him breathe."
Tenten looked suspicious.
"No seriously."
Sai tilted his head.
"Do you have a secret lover?"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Sasuke looked away.
Sai blinked.
"...that wasn't a no."
Everybody froze.
Then exploded.
"WHAT?!"
Naruto nearly fell over.
Choji dropped his chips.
Kurenai choked.
Asuma dropped his cigarette.
Kakashi slowly lowered his book.
Even Fugaku's eyes widened by half an inch.
Which, for Fugaku, was equivalent to Naruto screaming.
Mikoto gasped.
"SASUKE."
Sasuke immediately looked alarmed.
Mikoto looked emotional.
"YOU HAVE A GIRLFRIEND?!"
"..."
"SASUKE."
"..."
"SASUKE."
"...maybe."
Dead silence.
Then:
"MAYBE?!"
Naruto started shaking him.
"YOU HAVE A WHO?!"
"STOP SHAKING ME."
"WHO IS SHE?!"
"STOP."
"IS IT SOMEONE WE KNOW?!"
Sasuke looked away.
Everybody stared.
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"...IT'S SOMEONE WE KNOW?!"
Sasuke mentally prepared for death.
Then—
"SASUKE!"
Everyone turned.
And there she was.
Sakura.
Running.
Absolutely sprinting toward the gates.
Hair flying everywhere.
Breathing hard.
Holding something in her hand.
Naruto waved wildly.
"SAKURA!!"
Sakura skidded to a stop.
Bent over.
Hands on knees.
Panting.
"I...made...it..."
Silence.
Everyone stared.
Sakura looked up.
"...why are you all looking at me like that?"
Naruto pointed at Sasuke.
Then at Sakura.
Then back at Sasuke.
Then Sakura.
Then—
His eyes widened.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
"..."
Sakura stared.
"...Naruto?"
Naruto looked between them.
Again.
And again.
And again.
"..."
Sasuke suddenly moved.
FAST.
Before anyone could process anything, Sasuke turned around and walked directly toward Sakura.
Everyone blinked.
Sakura looked confused.
"Sasuke?"
He stopped in front of her.
Reached into his pocket.
Everybody:
"..."
Sakura:
"...?"
Sasuke pulled out a small ring.
Silence.
Pure silence.
Even the wind stopped.
Even birds probably stopped flying.
Sakura's eyes widened.
Naruto's soul left his body.
Sasuke took Sakura's hand.
Calmly.
Like this wasn't about to destroy seventeen people at once.
Then he slid the ring onto her finger.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
And then—
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Naruto collapsed.
Ino collapsed onto Sai.
Sai collapsed onto Choji.
Lee was screaming.
Gai was screaming louder.
Tenten was hitting Neji.
Neji looked spiritually exhausted.
Kushina grabbed Minato violently.
"MINATO DID YOU KNOW?!"
"I DID NOT KNOW."
"ITACHI DID YOU KNOW?!"
Everyone slowly turned.
Toward Itachi.
Who looked absolutely frozen.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Shisui stared.
"...you knew."
Itachi blinked.
"..."
SHISUI GRABBED HIM.
"YOU KNEW?!"
Obito screamed.
"KNEW WHAT?!"
Shisui pointed.
"LOOK AT HIS FACE."
Everyone looked.
Itachi looked...
guilty.
Very guilty.
Naruto pointed dramatically.
"HE KNEW."
"HE KNEW?!"
Fugaku slowly turned.
"...Itachi."
Mikoto stared.
"...Itachi."
Even Sasuke looked over.
"...nii-san."
Itachi looked at the sky.
Like answers lived there.
"..."
Shisui looked betrayed.
"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?!"
"Correct."
"YOU TOLD NO ONE?!"
"Correct."
Naruto looked devastated.
"YOU KNEW SASUKE HAD A GIRLFRIEND?!"
Pause.
"...fiancée now, apparently."
Absolute chaos.
Absolute destruction.
And then, right in the center of it—
Sakura looked down at the ring.
Completely frozen.
"..."
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She looked up.
"Sasuke."
"..."
"...what."
Sasuke looked weirdly calm.
"I was going to tell everyone eventually."
Naruto screeched.
"EVENTUALLY?!"
Sakura looked stunned.
"You..."
Sasuke looked away.
"..."
Then quieter:
"You said you would wait."
Silence.
Sakura stared.
Sasuke looked anywhere except at her.
"I'll be gone awhile."
Silence.
"So..."
He awkwardly looked back.
"...this made sense."
Sakura stared.
Everybody stared.
Naruto stared.
Kakashi slowly closed his book.
"...wow."
Then Sakura's face turned bright red.
Entirely red.
Nuclear red.
And then—
She grabbed Sasuke by the collar.
Everybody leaned forward.
Sakura:
"...idiot."
Sasuke:
"..."
Then she kissed him.
Silence.
Pure.
Absolute.
Soul-leaving-the-body silence.
Naruto:
"..."
Lee:
"..."
Choji:
"..."
Fugaku:
"..."
Kakashi slowly opened his book again.
"Nope."
Naruto's brain rebooted.
"SHE KISSED HIM?!"
"THEY KISSED?!"
"THEY WERE DATING?!"
"FOR HOW LONG?!"
"WHO ELSE KNEW?!"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Sasuke looked entirely unbothered.
Sakura looked like she wanted to jump into another dimension.
Naruto pointed at them with both hands.
"BOTH OF YOU EXPLAIN."
Sasuke:
"No."
Naruto:
"NO?!"
Sakura buried her face in her hands.
Ino grabbed her shoulders.
"SAKURA."
"NO."
"SAKURA."
"NO."
"SAKURA HOW LONG?!"
"..."
"SAKURA."
"..."
"...two years."
Silence.
The village gates experienced collective emotional death.
Naruto looked ready to evaporate.
"TWO YEARS?!"
Shikamaru slowly rubbed his face.
"...what a drag."
Neji looked into the distance.
"Humanity disappoints me."
Kushina looked ready to explode.
Mikoto looked ready to cry from happiness.
Fugaku looked like he was processing approximately seventy-seven emotions.
Obito looked betrayed.
Shisui was shaking Itachi.
"YOU KEPT THIS FROM ME."
Meanwhile Sasuke simply looked at Sakura.
Sakura looked back.
Small smile.
Quiet.
Like, none of the screaming existed.
Then Sasuke reached over.
Touched her forehead gently.
"I'll come back."
Sakura smiled.
"...you better."
Naruto suddenly burst into tears.
"THIS IS SO UNFAIR."
And somewhere behind him, Kakashi sighed.
Because somehow.
Somehow.
The loudest goodbye in Konoha history had become a surprise engagement announcement.
And honestly?
That felt very Team 7.