## Konoha ##
Tayuya climbed the stairs to her apartment, her arms full of grocery bags. She couldn't help but yawn.
"Ugh, this is so boring," she muttered under her breath.
She had just wrapped up her patrol around the village and was heading home to rest.
Normally, she wouldn't have been stuck doing this, but today was an exception—the village was hosting leaders from other ninja villages.
Reaching the top of the stairs, she sighed.
"It was more fun when I still lived next door to Naruto."
Her smile vanished instantly when she saw someone sitting in front of her door, hugging their knees to their chest.
"Sakura… not often I see you around my place."
Sakura looked up, locking eyes with Tayuya.
What happened with Sasuke was still fresh—well, technically it was yesterday.
Tayuya was surprised that Sakura was already willing to leave the house.
"Can we talk? Please."
"Let me guess," Tayuya thought. "She wants to come inside and cry all over me. God… why me?"
Still, Sakura was her friend, and during her time in Konoha, Tayuya had learned one thing: friends were supposed to support each other.
With a sigh, she helped Sakura up, opened the apartment door, and said,
"Fine, fine, come in already."
Sakura didn't refuse, following Tayuya inside and taking a seat at the kitchen table.
Tayuya set about unpacking her groceries.
Sakura sat quietly, watching Tayuya organize everything.
Tayuya wasn't eager to hear how Sakura felt, nor did she want to talk about what had happened. She let Sakura sit there quietly, letting the silence stretch between them.
Finally, as Tayuya was about to put things into the fridge, Sakura spoke up:
"Are you glad now that Sasuke-kun is gone? He was the one who caused you so much pain back then."
"No." Tayuya replied without turning around, correcting herself, "Naruto brought me here. I could've taken down that lazy Nara punk and his Akimichi pal, and kept living my life. I never liked that bastard, though, and I never liked anyone from Otogakure either. Heck, I've even made some friends now."
She joked slightly, before quickly turning serious.
"Besides, I won't lie—I sure as hell wasn't happy about that bastard frying me with lightning."
"You know, I really believed I could bring him back…" Sakura whispered. "I thought I'd find a way to change his mind, but he wouldn't even listen to me. When things got to that point, there wasn't anything I could do. I'm sorry… I was too weak to do anything, and in the end, I hurt you too."
Tayuya sighed and said,
"Stop apologizing, Sakura… I forgave you the moment my wounds healed. If he was set on leaving, I don't think any of us could've stopped him, no matter how strong anyone is."
Orochimaru might have already pushed that bastard to his limits, pumping him full of all sorts of drugs, twisting him into whatever he desired, and then completely controlling him. Why do you insist on bringing him back?"
"I thought I loved him... or at least I believed I did." Sakura tried to explain, then shook her head. "I don't know either. I guess I'll never truly understand my feelings now."
Tayuya still couldn't get it.
"Why?" she pressed. "That guy never even acknowledged you. From what I heard, during his time in the village, he wouldn't say more than ten words to any girl—including you, his own teammate. I hate my teammates, but at least we talk. He clearly doesn't care about you. Doesn't that tell you enough to give up completely?"
Sakura felt like this was an interrogation of herself, and she hated the feeling, so she fired back:
"What about you and Naruto? I know you care about him. Why exactly do you feel that way?"
She hoped Tayuya would deny it and that would spark a major fight.
But instead, Tayuya simply smiled, sat across from Sakura at the table, facing her directly.
"You thought I'd deny liking that idiot? Please—I figured it out over three years ago."
Though Tayuya often came off as rude and violent, she was always honest about who she was.
Plus, she never shied away from talking about their occasional intimate moments.
"Then why do you like Naruto? He beat you up twice and almost killed you. Shouldn't you hate him instead?"
"That was work, Sakura—we were enemies back then," Tayuya replied dismissively.
She lifted her shirt slightly, revealing the scar on her shoulder.
"That scar on his eye? Part of it was because of me... and the wound he left on my shoulder ran deeper, leaving a permanent mark until today. But when he captured me, he talked to me and kept me company. When the cursed seal backfired and flared up, he stayed by me, trying to calm me down. He rescued me from prison, vouched for me with his reputation, and helped me adapt to life in Konoha. I spilled info about Orochimaru because I despised that bastard, but Naruto didn't treat me like a tool—once he got what he wanted, he didn't just throw me away."
In fact, ever since Tayuya arrived in Konoha, both she and Naruto became subjects of gossip within the village. After all, Naruto was the Jinchuriki while Tayuya was a rogue ninja from Otogakure—their relationship naturally attracted significant attention...
Especially since Anko was both Tayuya's friend and training partner—and the type who can't keep a secret. So, yeah, everyone knew exactly when they first slept together.
Sakura shrugged. Truth was, she envied Tayuya a little.
Tayuya seemed much more at ease—she had never fundamentally changed who she was.
Ever since they met, Tayuya had always known how to execute missions flawlessly. She never needed guidance during training, because she'd always been focused and passionate about growing stronger.
That's just who Tayuya was—strong, plain and simple.
Tayuya said coldly, "Look ahead. Stop obsessing over that Uchiha guy or it'll crush you... just like what happened to your teacher. If you keep clinging to the past, you'll never make a future. Got it?"
She waved a hand dismissively, motioning for Sakura to leave.
"Now get out of my place. I'm going to take a bath and go to sleep."
******
## Konoha Meeting Room ##
The Raikage clenched his fists on the table, his fingers nearly digging into the wood.
"You're telling me one of the people who helped found this village is actually funding Akatsuki… and is the mastermind behind them?"
"That's what Itachi told Naruto during their fight," Tsunade replied calmly. "Itachi originally wanted to tell this to Sasuke before the battle began, but since Naruto was there too, he ended up hearing it as well."
Darui wiggled his eyebrows and simply said after hearing the explanation:
"Is there something in the water in Konoha? Why are so many mentally messed-up powerhouses coming out of there? Talking about rogue ninja, you've got an endless supply of them..."
The Raikage shook his head and said,
"Five of Akatsuki's members are from Konoha alone, and Mist was where Akatsuki first started… Freaking brilliant. Plus, Madara Uchiha is definitely still alive, and has the most powerful Sharingan."
He slammed the table hard and continued,
"I say we launch a direct attack on Amegakure and end this once and for all! Send an army to deal with Pain and Konan, while keeping the rest of Rain's forces tied up."
Mei Terumi seemed to be considering this approach.
"Directly attacking Amegakure? Do you really think it'll be that straightforward?"
It was certainly an option—one she considered somewhat extreme—but under circumstances where no better alternatives existed, it might be acceptable.
Tsunade frowned, thinking through the feasibility of attacking Amegakure.
She knew full well that Amegakure's power wasn't to be underestimated, especially during Hanzo's time in power.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>