"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…"
Ino Yamanaka cried as she ran forward, tears streaming down her face. Her heart throbbed painfully, each step echoing with the images of herself and Sasuke Uchiha when they were young—memories she had clung to for years.
She never expected this. She never imagined that Sasuke and Sakura would actually end up together.
Unlike Sakura, Ino had never been projected into the future by Naruto. She didn't know about Sasuke's redemption, the long road the two of them had traveled together, or how bonds had pulled them back from darkness.
For Ino, her feelings were simple but unshakable: like Sakura, she had admired Sasuke since she was a child. When Sasuke defected to Orochimaru all those years ago, Ino had been devastated. It felt like losing her idol, her crush, and her dream all at once.
After all, Sasuke wasn't just another boy. He was her childhood idol, the one she had secretly admired from afar, the one she had fought over with Sakura.
When the war finally ended and Sasuke returned to the village, Ino had hoped—quietly, secretly—that maybe she could spend more time around him. That maybe, just maybe, she'd have her chance. But she heard he was busy—restoring his clan, carrying the weight of his sins, and being helped by Naruto himself.
So, Ino didn't disturb him. She convinced herself it was better to watch from a distance.
But fate had a cruel sense of humor.
Today, when she went shopping, she passed by Ichiraku Ramen. She thought she would stop for a quick bowl to ease her hunger. Instead, she stumbled upon something she could never unsee.
Sasuke and Sakura—together.
Laughing. Close. Intimate.
The sight stabbed through her chest like a kunai.
Ino couldn't take it. She ran until her legs brought her deep into the nearby forest. She collapsed onto a fallen tree, burying her face in her hands as sobs wracked her shoulders.
"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu… my Sasuke… wuuuuuu…"
Her voice cracked, raw with heartbreak.
It wasn't fair. Not fair at all.
Sasuke, the perfect, handsome genius—claimed by Sakura.
Her Sakura. Her rival.
Ino clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms. She didn't want to give in, but the reality crushed her.
Behind her, a twig snapped.
Crack.
She jerked her head up, eyes red and swollen. Standing there awkwardly, caught in the act, was Sai.
"…Why? Why did you follow me here?" Ino's voice trembled, thick with tears but sharp with irritation.
Sai, as always, wore that strange, artificial smile. He scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable.
"Um… I saw you were very sad, so I followed. I wanted to check on you."
Ino snorted, turning her head away with a cold expression. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled as though trying to release the ache in her chest.
"I'm fine. I'm just… in a bad mood."
Sai's smile faded. He moved closer, sitting down beside her on the fallen tree. His dark eyes studied her face intently, more serious than usual.
"You… like Sasuke very much, don't you?"
The question cut straight to her core.
Ino froze for a moment, then lowered her gaze in defeat.
"What's the use of liking him? It's already over… Sasuke… he's already chosen Sakura."
Her voice cracked again.
Sai's chest tightened unexpectedly.
Why did it hurt him to hear this?
Naruto had once told him that Ino would become his wife in the future. Sai didn't fully understand love, but he remembered Jiraiya's words about finding the kind of bond that filled one's empty soul. He thought approaching Ino was the right step to understanding.
But now, seeing her cry for Sasuke, Sai felt something strange clawing at his chest. Jealousy.
That bastard Sasuke.
Why was it always him?
Why did Sasuke get everything—Naruto's unwavering friendship, the admiration of their peers, and now… Ino's love?
Sai, who had grown up in the shadows of ROOT, trained to kill emotions and erase his humanity, had never known love. He was awkward, blunt, and often offensive without realizing it.
And yet… his heart was delicate. Longing. Desperate to feel warmth.
Seeing Naruto's dedication to Sasuke had always filled Sai with envy. Naruto's bond with him was something Sai could never touch. And now, Ino's feelings for Sasuke drove the blade deeper.
Unable to contain the storm within him, Sai suddenly grabbed Ino's wrist and pulled her toward him. His voice shook with uncharacteristic intensity.
"Ino… Sasuke doesn't matter. He doesn't like you, but it's fine. Because—I like you, Ino!"
Ino's mind blanked.
What?!
She had been drowning in sorrow, and now this man was suddenly confessing? The shift was so sudden, so shocking, that her tears stopped instantly.
"You… what nonsense are you spouting?!" Ino yanked her hand free and stumbled back, her face flushed from both anger and surprise.
Sai panicked, thinking she doubted his sincerity. He stood too, his voice rising with raw determination.
"Ino, believe me! I really like you—truly! Naruto even said it, didn't he? You're my future wife. This is destiny!"
Her heart raced, confusion flooding her. His bluntness, his strange way of speaking—it disarmed her completely.
"What nonsense are you talking about?! Who's your future wife?!" Ino's cheeks burned crimson as she waved her hands frantically.
Sai frowned. "Naruto said it. Do you think Naruto lies? He came from the future!"
Ino glared at him. "Even if Naruto's words are true, tell me this—why? What do you like about me?"
The question stopped Sai cold.
Why?
He had no prepared answer. His mind scrambled, searching. In truth, at this point in their lives, they hadn't dated yet. Their bond hadn't fully formed. He knew, deep down, that he liked her—but why?
He couldn't name it.
Ino smirked bitterly. "See? You don't even know. You stand there claiming you like me, but you can't even explain why."
Sai clenched his fists, refusing to back down. "I don't need a reason. I just like you. There isn't something specific I like about you… I just do!"
Ino's chest tightened. His words, so blunt, so unreasonable, stirred something in her despite herself.
Why? Why did this man's idiotic confession shake her more than Sasuke's rejection?
Her face twisted in frustration.
"Fine!" she snapped. "You say you like me, right? Then prove it. I'll see just how much you like me!"
Her hands flashed through seals.
"Mind Body Switch Technique!" (Shintenshin no Jutsu)
Her consciousness shot forward, piercing into Sai's mind.
Buzz.
In an instant, she was inside him.
Memories flooded her.
She saw Sai as a child, training under the darkness of ROOT. She saw his older brother Shin—gentle, kind, but ultimately doomed. She saw the moment Shin chose to die by Sai's hand, so that Sai could live.
The pain was unbearable. It stabbed into Ino's chest as though it were her own heart being shredded.
Then came Danzo. His cold, commanding voice ordered Sai to seal away his emotions. To kill love. To kill pain. To kill humanity.
And so Sai locked his heart away.
Until he met Naruto.
Naruto's warmth. His endless light. His ability to believe, to forgive, to speak freely. Naruto cracked the shell around Sai's soul and reminded him what it meant to feel.
Deeper still, Ino saw something else. A figure standing in Sai's heart.
Her.
Ino's breath caught.
She saw herself reflected in Sai's mind—her face, her legs, her smile. She felt his quiet fascination, his hungry eyes, his suppressed desire.
Her cheeks flamed red.
"This guy…!"
She understood now. His feelings weren't empty words. He really did like everything about her.
Buzz.
She snapped back into her own body, face burning.
Her eyes met Sai's.
"R-Rogue!" she shouted, her voice trembling with embarrassment.
Before Sai could respond, Ino spun on her heel and bolted into the trees, her blonde hair swaying as she vanished from sight.
Sai reached out instinctively, his hand hanging in the air.
"…Ino…"
But she was gone.
He lowered his arm slowly, staring into the empty forest. His chest felt hollow, disappointed, and yet strangely hopeful.
What did it mean, when she looked into his heart and then called him a rogue? Why had she left so flustered?
Sai didn't know.
All he knew was that something had begun to change.
Between them.
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