Haruno Sakura's expression changed. "Naruto punched me in public, and Hinata stood in front of him and wouldn't let me hit him back! Isn't that wrong?"
Ino couldn't help but ask, "Don't you often punch and kick Naruto in public? As for Hinata… she did stand in front of you when you were about to hit Naruto. Is this any different from when you stood in front of Naruto when he was about to fight Sasuke?"
Haruno Sakura couldn't help but be stunned.
"You like Sasuke, so you want to protect him. Hinata just likes Naruto, that's all. If this is considered wrong, then what you did is no different, Sakura…"
Haruno Sakura blurted out, "That's different!"
Ino frowned and asked, "What's the difference?"
Haruno Sakura was suddenly speechless. "Anyway… if you are my best friend, you should stand firmly by my side instead of arguing with me about who's right and wrong. I misjudged you."
After saying this, Haruno Sakura strode away angrily. Ino froze in place, the hand that she wanted to reach out to keep her friend there frozen in mid-air. *'Sakura…'* She seemed to have forgotten that when she was ridiculed for her wide forehead, she had given her a red ribbon, helped her tie her hair up, frankly exposed her forehead, and praised her for being so cute. Because of this, the two had become good friends. Haruno Sakura had also become more confident because of it.
Later, because they both liked Sasuke, Sakura had chosen to part ways with him. Although both of them knew in their hearts that they were still best friends. But now… Ino looked at Haruno Sakura's gradually receding back, and her vision became increasingly blurred. She didn't know if the two of them could ever go back to the way they were before. Maybe, it would never be possible.
At this moment, Haruno Sakura was also feeling extremely aggrieved. She didn't understand why even her best friend wouldn't stand by her side. Now, she had trouble communicating with her parents, her friends had betrayed her, and even Naruto, who she used to find so annoying, seemed to have completely given up on her. As she had expected, Sasuke was her only white moonlight.
Sasuke's figure appeared in Haruno Sakura's mind, and she seemed to see a ray of hope. At this moment, the Sasuke in her imagination and the Sasuke in reality suddenly overlapped.
"Sa… Sasuke-kun!" Sakura Haruno's expression changed immediately. Looking at Sasuke's back in front of her, she seemed to see hope once again. In fact, it was not just Sakura Haruno; Sasuke had already been surrounded by a group of girls at this moment, still as usual, chirping and singing his praises. Haruno Sakura domineeringly squeezed into the crowd, rushed to the position closest to Sasuke, and said with a smile on her face, "Morning, Sasuke-kun! Sasuke-kun is still as handsome as ever today…"
Sasuke put his hands in his pockets, his face looked tired and haggard, and his expression was even gloomier and colder than usual. He was still immersed in the battle with Naruto from yesterday, unable to extricate himself. If the Third Hokage hadn't arrived, how would that fierce battle have ended? This suspense, like a sharp thorn, had pierced deeply into his heart. To this end, he had hardly slept the whole night and had practiced desperately. Today, his hands still hurt. Although the place where Naruto's Konoha Whirlwind kick had hit him no longer hurt, the pain remained in his heart forever.
Now, Sasuke had no room for anything else except to completely defeat Naruto and make him go away from my thoughts. As for these boring, crazy girls… to him, they were simply troublesome banshees! What he carried on his shoulders was the blood feud of his entire family!
"Get lost."
So, facing the enthusiastic Sakura Haruno, Sasuke only uttered these two cold words. Haruno Sakura was stunned. *'Why are Sasuke-kun's eyes so scary…'* But she didn't back down. Because this wasn't the first time she'd heard Sasuke say this. If she were to give up just like that, then she wouldn't deserve to stand out among all these suitors, and she wouldn't deserve to be by his side. Haruno Sakura forced a smile again. "Don't be so cold, Sasuke-kun…"
Sasuke suddenly stopped. If it were any other day, he would have just said a few cold and harsh words and let it go. But today was different. He was filled with anger and sorrow and had no mood to get entangled with them. "Haruno Sakura, listen carefully. Don't waste your time on such nonsense. And don't hang around me anymore. I don't have time to play boring love games with you and the rest of you. You don't have to like me, and I have no reason to like you."
Haruno Sakura and the other girls were stunned.
"Besides…" Sasuke's cold voice pierced Haruno Sakura's heart once again. "You're really annoying."
After saying this, Sasuke continued to stride away, leaving only Haruno Sakura and a group of his crazed fans standing there in a daze, distraught and looking like zombies. At this moment, it was as if something inside her was completely shattered. What Haruno Sakura felt was not sadness or pain, but an inexplicable emptiness. Empty and void. It was as if her own existence had been completely denied.
"Sasuke… kun…" The figure gradually moved away and became increasingly blurred.
…
Ino looked at this scene. She was surprised by Sasuke's cold attitude, but she couldn't help but feel sad for Haruno Sakura. The crowd of crazed girls gradually dispersed and left. Only Haruno Sakura was still standing there blankly. In the end, Ino couldn't bear it anymore and walked forward again. "Sakura, are you… are you okay?" She gently reached out her hand, trying to comfort Haruno Sakura's heart.
However, "Don't touch me." Haruno Sakura shook off Ino's hand again.
"Sakura, you…"
Haruno Sakura's tears flowed silently. However, her expression became even more resolute. "Are you here to see me make a joke of myself? Do you think that if Sasuke scolds me a few times, I will give up and stay away from him from now on? You underestimate me, ino. I'll tell you, and all of you… I will never give up on Sasuke-kun!" she cried out stubbornly, tears still in her eyes, as if she was announcing it to everyone. After saying this, she ran away amid everyone's puzzled gazes.
"Sakura…" Ino was at a loss for a moment. Of course, she also liked Sasuke. But she would not regard this kind of feeling as the only thing in her life. Family, friendship… for Ino, both were indispensable, and there was no distinction between which was more important. Although she and Sakura seemed to be fighting fiercely over Sasuke and were inseparable, deep down, Ino had never thought that Sasuke was more important than Sakura. Because there was no way to compare them. She didn't want to lose herself. And Sakura's feelings for Sasuke seemed to have become a kind of paranoia.
"Or… maybe, this is Sakura's choice…" Ino heard Hinata's voice from behind her.