"Hmph, for Sasuke's sake, I'll be the bigger person and let you off the hook."
Hikari Uchiha was referring to the hand chop Sakura had used to ambush her from behind last time.
"Heh, do I need you to let me off? If you have something to say, say it now and get it over with."
Sakura was referring to the conversation Hikari Uchiha had just eavesdropped on.
"Are you implying that you don't need it?"
Hikari Uchiha's pitch-black eyes instantly turned a deep scarlet.
"Do I?"
The air around Sakura moved without wind, as an intimidating aura of Yin Release and Yang Release flared to life.
"Um... can I say something?"
Caught in the middle, Sasuke felt rather awkward, like he was in the wrong no matter what he did.
"Shut up!"
Sakura and Hikari Uchiha spoke almost simultaneously.
"Using Genjutsu in front of us? Little girl, you've got guts."
Hikari Uchiha instantly saw through the nature of part of Sakura's intimidating aura.
"Heh, you think it's just Genjutsu? Old hag."
Faced with Hikari Uchiha calling her a 'little girl' repeatedly, Sakura mocked her right back.
"You brat!"
A vein popped on Hikari Uchiha's forehead, and her figure vanished instantly.
"Bring it on!"
Seeing Hikari Uchiha actually dare to charge at her, Sakura clenched her fist and met her head-on!
"Stop!"
Sasuke's scalp tingled with dread, but he suppressed the urge to run and forced himself between the two of them.
Hikari Uchiha's blade stopped right before Sasuke's neck, while Sakura's knuckle duster halted just beside his cheek.
The sharp sensation at his neck and the fist clad in a knuckle duster beside his cheek made Sasuke's skin crawl. He involuntarily swallowed, looking at the two girls on either side of him.
That was close...
He had almost gone to see his parents.
"Tch."
"For the sake of this evil Uchiha brat, I'll pretend that hand chop from last time never happened."
Hikari Uchiha lost interest, sheathing her longsword and preparing to leave.
"Hand chop?"
"What hand chop?"
Sakura asked instinctively.
???
???
Three question marks popped up over both Sakura and Hikari Uchiha's heads.
"Huh?"
"It was that time you dug me up and knocked me out without a word!"
Hikari Uchiha was exasperated. The things she cared about, others didn't care about at all—didn't that make her look petty?!
"That was ages ago!"
"Besides, you were about to attack Sasuke, so I had no choice!"
Sakura was speechless; was this girl really that petty?!
"I don't care!"
"You have to let me hit you back!"
Hikari Uchiha stomped her foot in anger.
Did this pink-head have any idea how strong she was?!
That really hurt!
"Fine, fine, fine. Hit me, go ahead. Just hit me back and be done with it."
Thoroughly speechless, Sakura stretched her neck out, signaling for the other girl to give her a hand chop.
Hikari Uchiha looked at Sakura's stiffened neck, her small face flushing red.
This pink-head really needed a beating!
Her father had taught her from a young age that a person should be magnanimous and tolerant—'a belly big enough to hold a boat'!
She had upheld this principle very well; otherwise, how could this evil Uchiha brat still be alive today?!
"I am not petty!"
Hikari Uchiha shouted in frustration, her face turning as red as a tomato.
"When did I say you were petty?"
Sakura raised her head.
!!!
Hikari Uchiha froze.
She had accidentally spoken her inner thoughts aloud.
"It looks like neither of you is getting off this boat alive today."
???
!!!
Just as Sakura was confused, a blade light slashed towards her!
Holy crap, this evil Uchiha great-grandma really is petty!
After quite a commotion, Hikari Uchiha finally calmed down.
She looked at Sakura with an unfriendly expression, and naturally, Sakura didn't give her a pleasant look either.
"Next time, can't you just speak properly?!"
Hikari Uchiha said through gritted teeth.
"What the hell? Was I not clear enough?!"
Sakura retorted immediately.
"Clear my ass!"
"Then maybe you should read more books."
"What?!"
Seeing that they were about to start arguing again, Sasuke was speechless.
Didn't these two seem to get along fine before?
Why were they at each other's throats today?
"Uh, um, Hikari, that's not what Sakura meant."
Sasuke tried to smooth things over.
"If she didn't mean that, then what did she mean?!"
Hikari Uchiha shot back instantly.
"Tch, forget it."
"Let's just pretend I didn't mean that."
Sakura curled her lips as she looked at Hikari Uchiha, who was about to blow up again.
Hearing this, Hikari Uchiha, who was gripping Sasuke's collar, felt her eye twitch.
Damn pink-head!
By saying it like that, she makes it sound like I'm the one being unreasonable!
"Hmph."
"I can't be bothered to get involved in your affairs."
Hikari Uchiha snorted coldly, glared at Sakura, and then walked away.
"Then, if you were in that situation just now, what would you do?"
Sakura was referring to the scene where Han knelt before Koyuki Kazahana.
Hikari Uchiha had been awake for a while; she had witnessed the entire battle and the series of events that followed.
Fortunately, this time Hikari Uchiha didn't misunderstand.
She glanced back at Sakura, her tone no longer impulsive like before.
"My legs are far stiffer than my blade."
Dropping this sentence, Hikari Uchiha disappeared around the corner of the cabin.
Sakura watched Hikari Uchiha leave and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It was best that she didn't interfere in such matters.
Sakura looked at the seabirds soaring in the sky, the salty sea breeze blowing through her hair.
She couldn't help but think of the appearance of the Fire Daimyo.
She had once seen him from afar; back then, she hadn't thought much about the so-called Daimyo.
Now, however, it seemed unavoidable.
The mere thought of submitting to that greasy, effeminate freak—heavily made-up, neither man nor woman, holding a tiny fan—made Sakura shudder with disgust.
She would become Hokage.
But a Daimyo?
What did such a thing count for in front of a Hokage?
Sasuke looked at Sakura with a complex expression.
Only now did he finally fully understand what Sakura meant.
Unlike all other ninja, Sakura was a natural-born rebel.
She was a subversive element against the class of Daimyos and nobles, and the existence that held the most contempt for people of that tier.
It was as if Sakura was born different from everyone else.
Sasuke couldn't help but think of himself.
Would he submit to people of that class?
No, he wouldn't. Absolutely not.
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