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Gaara glanced over his shoulder. A girl approached.
"I remember you. Sakura Haruno, correct? The girl who's always following Sasuke."
"Yes." Sakura stopped walking. A bitter smile touched her lips. "Naruto, Sasuke, and I were Team Seven. Under Kakashi Hatake."
"But that feels… like a long time ago."
Gaara noticed the wet streaks on her cheeks hadn't dried.
"You've been crying."
Sakura's head dipped. Silent.
"At your age, surviving the catastrophe of losing your home… the shock a young heart must endure is immense. Crying is understandable. I wouldn't mock you for it."
Her head lifted. "It's not that…"
"If not, all the better." Gaara's tone was even. "You sought me out for a reason?"
Sakura wiped her face, her expression firming. "You know what happened in Konoha last night. But do you know? Naruto's body was being controlled by someone evil! That's why he attacked the village!!!"
Gaara nodded softly. "I know."
Sakura jolted. "H-How… how could you know?"
Gaara's gaze turned inward, back to the Five Kage Summit. To enemies attacking not once, but twice. The Kage pushed to the brink of death. Those battles were the true foundation for the Great Nations' alliance.
Just before the summit ended, Lady Tsunade had made a solemn request to keep it quiet—that Naruto, possessed by Tobi, had attacked the summit.
Without Tsunade's permission, Gaara wouldn't break that promise.
"I have my reasons for knowing," he said. "But you didn't find me just to vent, did you? We barely know each other."
Sakura took a breath. "Actually… when Naruto attacked, Sasuke was in the village too. And he… he killed Ino's father. Ino, you know? She's friends with Shikamaru. Shikamaru, from the Chunin Exams, he fought your—"
"I know," Gaara cut in, his voice flat. "Shikamaru is on good terms with my sister. I know Ino Yamanaka. She fought you in the third exam preliminaries. A rather… energetic hair-pulling match. I'm not that forgetful."
"Right. That makes it easier. Now, everyone thinks Sasuke and Naruto are working together. That they're both enemies who attacked Konoha! But… but that's impossible! It's absolutely impossible!!"
Gaara turned fully to face her. The look in her eyes as she said 'impossible'—so fiercely certain—gave him pause.
"Why? Why is it impossible for Sasuke?"
"Because… because…"
Sakura clenched her fists. That dream. How could she even begin to explain it?
"You have something you can't say?" Gaara prompted. "Or…"
Sakura nodded. "There is a reason. A specific one. But… I can't say it right now. And even if I did, you probably wouldn't believe me."
Gaara sank into deep thought.
He remembered the Akatsuki taking him. It was Sasuke who defied all odds to retrieve his body. Then, Lady Chiyo's sacrifice. That was how Gaara stood here now, as Kazekage.
To Gaara, Sasuke was his savior.
So when Sasuke appeared wearing a mask, an enemy to the Kage… the contradiction had bewildered him.
But thinking back, Gaara believed Sasuke must have had a compelling reason. A deep, unavoidable purpose.
Why wear a mask if your identity would be seen through? It felt like an act of… desperation. Carefully preserving a thin layer of plausible deniability, hoping to create a silent understanding with those who might comprehend his plight.
How could Gaara believe that same Sasuke, treading such a dangerous line, would brazenly appear in Konoha and declare himself its enemy?
Because Gaara knew more. And privately, his feelings leaned toward Sasuke's side. That's why he was certain.
So he was curious. What was this girl's basis for such conviction?
"Sakura," he said, his voice low. "Tell me. No matter how strange it sounds, I won't dismiss it."
"Really?"
And so, steeling herself, Sakura told him. In her own words, she described the months-long coma. The dream that spanned decades.
(She left some things out. Things she deemed unnecessary. Like being Sasuke's wife. Like bearing his child.)
Gaara listened. His face, born with a natural lack of expression, betrayed genuine shock.
Such a thing…
If he hadn't prepared himself mentally, he might not have believed a word.
But even so, doubts remained. Not about the dream's content… but about Sakura herself.
"You say Sasuke placed you under a Genjutsu?"
"Yes."
"If it was Genjutsu, how can you be sure what you experienced was real? And not just… a vivid illusion? A fantasy?"
Sakura shook her head vehemently. "No. I'm certain. The experience was too real. Too immersive!"
"That could just mean Sasuke's Genjutsu mastery is exceptional."
"Illusions can fabricate events," Sakura insisted, her voice rising. "But can they fabricate feeling?"
Gaara tilted his head slightly.
"Everything I saw was from Sasuke's perspective. And it carried his emotions. His feelings. I'm good at picking up on things like that. So I know. I know those were his real experiences!"
She let out a frustrated breath. "I hate that my words are so weak. I can't make you feel what I felt. I can't put that imagery into your head. But please. Believe me. I made a huge decision to tell you this. Please… believe me. And please, believe in Sasuke. Okay?"
Gaara lowered his head, thoughts churning.
If what this girl says is true… then much of the fog around Sasuke clears.
He looked up, meeting Sakura's eyes, full of desperate hope.
"You entrusted something this important to a stranger. What do you want from me?"
Sakura sighed. "I wanted to tell Lady Tsunade. As Hokage and my teacher, she could clarify things. But she hasn't returned… I fear something's happened to her."
"So, I thought, as the Kazekage, you might be able to…"
Gaara interrupted her. "I'm afraid not."
Sakura's face fell. "Why?"
"First," Gaara said, his tone shifting to something more official, detached. "My position is Kazekage. I represent Sunagakure. I cannot interfere in Konoha's internal affairs."
"Second, even if I did interfere, your testimony alone is insufficient. Even if I personally believe you, it changes nothing."
"Third…"
He paused, the official edge softening.
"…and most importantly. Placing your hopes in someone else… it's a form of running away."
"Eh…?" Sakura's desolate eyes flickered.
"Think. Why? Why would Sasuke show you, of all people? What was his intent when he cast that Genjutsu on you?"
"Perhaps… to him, you are someone truly important. So he wanted you to make your own choice. And to respect whatever choice you made."
Gaara turned, presenting his back to her. The wind whipped around them. He muttered words so quiet, only he could hear them.
—"How enviable. He probably never held such expectations for me…"
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