Chapter 39 – The Chains of the Past
"You can't run from what you've broken. You always end up facing it."
The streets of Konoha were calm, washed in the pale light of morning.Sasuke and Sakura walked side by side, silent — their unspoken words heavier than any battle.
Then, chaos broke out near the gates.Voices shouted. The air trembled.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.He felt it — a familiar energy, wild and furious.Then came the scream.
— SASUKE!!!
Karin.She stormed through the village gates, her red hair blazing like fire, followed by Suigetsu and Jugo.
The guards didn't even stop her.She walked straight up to him, trembling with rage and heartbreak.
— How could you?! she shouted.— Karin…— Don't you dare!
She struck him in the chest — once, twice, again.Sasuke didn't move. He just stood there.
— You left us behind! You disappeared without a word!You made me believe that night meant something!
The words fell like stones.The world seemed to stop.
Sakura froze a few meters away, her face pale, her eyes wide with disbelief.
— Karin, stop it, Suigetsu muttered.But she didn't. Her tears fell freely now.
— Do you think you can just erase people like that, Sasuke?!Do you think we're all just shadows in your story?!You made me believe I mattered — even for a moment!
Sasuke lowered his head.— It wasn't—— Don't lie! she screamed.
Her chakra flared, crimson and alive, chains of energy flickering around her.The ground quivered beneath her feet.
Sakura took a step forward, but stopped.Her expression shifted — from shock to something colder.
Karin caught that look.Her fury melted away, replaced by exhaustion, by sorrow.
She turned her back, shaking.Suigetsu placed a hand on her shoulder; Jugo stayed silent.
Sasuke said nothing.He didn't fight back, didn't explain. He simply stood there — a man haunted by the weight of his own silence.
And when Sakura finally whispered,— "So… that's the truth,"the words cut deeper than any blade.
She walked away.And for the first time in years, Sasuke realized that silence could hurt more than hatred.