Through the Darkness To You (Sasuke x Reader)

The warm scent of rice and eggs filled Tazuna's small kitchen, but the weight in the air was impossible to ignore. Something felt... off.

I ate slowly, lost in thought. The mist outside was thicker today, clinging to the ground like it was waiting for something.

Naruto, of course didn't notice. "This is sooo good, dattebayo!" he grinned, shoveling food into his mouth.

I shook my head. "Slow down, you're gonna choke."

"I'm fine!" he said, before immediately coughing.

Tsunami let out a small chuckle, but her eyes flickered toward the window again. Even Tazuna looked uneasy.

Kakashi finished his meal in silence before finally speaking. "We should leave. The mist is heavier today... and I don't like it."

Naruto and I grabbed our things and stepped outside first. The cold air wrapped around us and I felt a shiver, not from the temperature, but from something else.

Something was wrong.

Naruto and I walked ahead while Kakashi led the group. It wasn't unusual—Naruto had too much energy to stay still and I liked being at the front, scanning for anything off.

Behind us, Sasuke and Sakura walked a little further back. At first it was just Sakura trying to get Sasuke's attention.

Then her tone changed.

"I swear, Naruto is so embarrassing," she muttered.

I didn't turn around but my shoulders tensed.

Sakura sighed dramatically. "He's always running his mouth, being loud, acting like an idiot. He doesn't even realize how annoying he is."

My grip tightened.

She lowered her voice. "It's because he never had parents."

I stopped breathing.

"No one ever taught him how to behave properly," she continued, her voice laced with something cruel. "That's why he acts like that. He's never had anyone to tell him what's right and wrong. But to be honest, sometimes I think it'd be better to not have parents at all."

I felt my chest tighten. My grip on my kunai tightened, but I didn't turn around—not yet.

Sasuke, who had been walking silently, slowed his steps slightly.

Sakura kept going, completely unaware of how her words cut through the air like a blade. "They're always nagging. About training, school, how I should act, what I should wear. It's so annoying."

She huffed. "If they weren't around, I wouldn't have to deal with all that pressure.

"And Y/N?" she scoffed. "She's always acting strong, always trying to prove something. She thinks just because she's a Senju, she has to live up to some big reputation. But honestly? She's just a weak little girl playing warrior. Trying so hard to be something she's not."

A cold fury crept up my spine.

Before I could stop myself, I slowed my steps. I wasn't going to let her say that—not about me, not about Naruto.

But just as I was about to turn—

Sasuke spoke first.

"You really are annoying."

Sakura flinched. "S-Sasuke-kun, I didn't mean—"

He stopped walking.

"You think not having parents makes things easier?" His voice was sharp, controlled—but furious underneath. His eyes flickered, almost glowing in the mist.