SOARING, UNFETTERED HAWK.

@foxkage​ : ❛ I was feeling fear. And… And guilt. ❜

❛❛  This is the end. After this, if you survive, end any pursuit of me. Any belief you had that we were friends was false. We were never equals.  ❜❜

those words ignited a fury unlike any Sasuke had seen in the jinchuuriki. immediately, a grin --cruel and malevolent-- spreads across his lips. with eyes bloodied red with his Sharingan, he rushes into the fray.

                                        --- x --- x --- x --- x --- x ---

wounds litter each of their bodies. chests heave, craving the succor of a mere intake of air -- if only to alleviate the burden of creeping, clawing fatigue. both are exhausted. both are nearing the end of this fight. ( He put up more of a fight than expected... ) all it will take is one more hit --from either side-- and sweet oblivion will greet one of them or both. 

standing on opposite sides of the cavernous ravine they’ve ruined with each of their attacks, Sasuke tenses as he readies himself for the final blow. it was time to put an end to this battle. only one of them could be the victor -- primarily him ; he was not going to lose to the likes of this boy. lowering himself to one knee, he focuses on gathering chakra to prepare for chidori. 

however, as enough centers in the palm of his hand, the boy he’s come to consider a decent rival, speaks. his words prompt Sasuke to falter with his concentration. obsidian orbs lessen in diameter to mere slits ; out of all the possible things to convey, Naruto opts for pity? guilt and fear. convoluted, but an infuriating mix of emotion that could only mean one thing: pity. 

as if the likes of Uzumaki Naruto should pity him. the revelation inspires anger: dark and devastating to rush to the fore. it rakes its hooks its nails along his insides, dragging him downwards as it overwhelms him. brow creasing, the glint within his crimson eyes sparks as animosity roils. a snarl overtakes his lips as a sharp edge cuts into each word, ❛❛  Guilty? For what? For wanting to be friends with the lonely boy whose brother left him for dead -- who didn’t even ask for your damned friendship in the first place? You have no place to feel guilty about me or my actions.  ❜❜ 

For instance, in F.MA, R.oy Mustang is on the verge of killing E.nvy to fulfill his desire to avenge Hughes’ death. He’s burning with the need to do it; if he kills him, Hughes will be avenged and all his pent-up anger will be gone. It’ll be alleviated. He’ll be happy. He’ll be able to rest easier at night. But right before he’s about to deal the final blow, Ed, Scar and Riza stop him. They convince him to abandon that dark desire; if he were to take that step too far, what would he become? His end goal is to become the ruler of Am.estris - to lead the country is a brighter era. If he kills somebody in cold blood now, even if it is justified, who’s to say he won’t do it again in the future? 

That’s where I feel S.asuke is very interesting in that regard. His entire life he was pushed to seek revenge, to seek his brother out to kill him to avenge the clan. Because once I.tachi died, all would be right. The slate would be clean, and he could return home with a clean conscience. Except...not. Him learning of I.tachi’s true intentions aside and the true nature of his brother’s mission, the fact that he took that step away from the edge --to kill in cold blood-- is so...intriguing. He fell into darkness, willingly opening himself up to it because he so believed it would set everything to sorts. Once he realizes that killing his brother didn’t help anything (especially after learning of I.tachi’s sacrifice), he goes down a rabbit hole of disillusionment where he tries, in vain, to justify his actions of acting like a villain. There’s such negative growth there, I love it -- and I feel a little jipped for not being given more of it. 

What I mean is, rather than make S.asuke so easily redeemed/pardoned/forgiven, I was hoping for more restrictions on him. For him to go about redemption in another way. Or heck for him to not want to go back to K.onoha, let alone want anybody’s forgiveness. Everything ended on such a sunshine and daisies note that...I feel...well, jipped, lol. There was such an opportunity for more character development on his part, and just different paths he could have taken...but instead, the ending was rushed and we were given endgame ships (which could have been written way better, imo - it all could have been). 

As such... my take on S.asuke will tread down that path: he “disappears” after the war to live a life free from his past. If only to see if there is anything the world has to offer him. To try and find his own bout of happiness. Yes, he found that with his team, who were ultimately his family, but even if they’d forgiven him in the end...returning “home” would have been awkward. He had a slew of crimes to atone for, on top of having the majority of his peers and villagers not trust him. As such, he’s still considered a “missing-nin” as his body was never recovered after the war, and some people may want to kill him on sight - no matter that he assisted with bringing peace to the world. He’s simply a nomadic sword-for-hire, doing his best to find some inner peace and to see if he’s capable of happiness because after everything was said and done, vengeance wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be and taking the route of the villain only led so far. 

𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬; 𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. 𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠. 

   A SOFT GROAN LEAVES as she all but plops down onto her cozy couch. a crown of pastel pink splayed along the cushion as eyes flutter close. another long mission accomplished, body sagging whilst callous fingers weave through tousled locks. her heart’s still numb, brain barely functioning – it’s been four years now, the day having passed during her time away.

     she prefers it that way ;; the sight of her village leaving aches & the people watching withpity. SAKURA would take to unfamiliar faces & places beyond the land of fire to seek solace. without even looking, she unbuckles the belt of her weapons pack & med-kit, looking forward to the comfort of her bed.

     – until she feels it. a sharp, recognizable tap of chakra. as if whispering secrets, leaving her spine tingling. she sits up, gazing straight forward;; uneasy & unsure. ( it’s not someone she’s recently encountered. ) slowly, she pushes herself off & stands …..

      “You know..it’s been one reaaaal long week for me ;; I’m feeling kind of tired, and I still have a day ahead of me filled with work, so if this isn’t important –”

such a simple promise: Watch over her. despite its simplicity, he failed to fulfill his “friend’s” dying, last words. why be bound to such a request? it wasn’t as if the renowned medic couldn’t fend for herself. with how far she’d come, and the various rumors that he’d overheard, the Godaime Hokage’s apprentice was a force to be reckoned with. Haruno Sakura was fine. 

instead, the lone nin opted to walk his own path; to disappear after the war’s end. it was the one opportunity granted him, to simply fade away and claim a life for himself. one free of the shackling chains of his past. ( Not that you’ve ever been free... )

and yet, like a noose, his vow tightens about his neck -- or is that due to the panic threatening to overwhelm him? either way, he finds each breath a struggle. ( I thought I rid myself of this ridiculous anxiety... ) fingers grasp the trunk to his left in an effort to steady his balance. lowering himself into a crouch, Sasuke slows each inhale and exhale, until he finally glimpses her. immediately, the pressure upon his lungs eases. odd. ( In one piece. ) exhaustion seems to cling to her; however, she’s alive and well. 

his “duty” is complete. ( But it isn’t. ) without so much as a backwards glance, he readies to flee his perch. he’s given pause, though.

what stays him is her voiced gripe. mien impassive, his lips part on a stilted breath. was she directing that towards him? shifting to glance over his shoulder, he remains in the shade of the tree’s foliage. she isn’t aware of who’s presence is outside her window. rather than linger, he can easily take his leave...