"But it's already very late now, and it might be dangerous outside. Still, if you're determined to go, you must take care of your own safety."
"Don't worry. Until I've taken down that man, I absolutely won't die."
By this point in the conversation, Sasuke could vaguely sense that Furina had probably already guessed his intentions, but for some reason she hadn't said it outright. That was fine, though because if she really spelled it out, he didn't know how he would face her.
"Damn it, I've hinted so obviously already. How are you still playing dumb? If I really wanted to stop you, I would've called you out the moment I saw you."
Unlike Sasuke, Furina felt a bit speechless seeing that even after she'd said so much, the other party was still stubbornly holding on. She just wanted to show how understanding she was why was that so hard?
Fine. Since he wouldn't say it, she would have to take the lead. Otherwise, who knew how long they would just stare at each other.
"Looks like you're not very honest, Sasuke. I still remember what Orochimaru said to you back in the Forest of Death. You must be planning to go find him, right? To become stronger for revenge."
"You really did know."
Seeing that Furina finally stopped pretending, Sasuke inexplicably felt a sense of relief. Compared to the earlier mutual pretense where both sides clearly knew but acted like they didn't, having it out in the open now made him feel much more at ease.
"Of course. If you were really just going out to train for a bit, why would you knock Sakura unconscious? Isn't it because you know what you're about to do isn't something she should know about?"
"So what are you trying to say by telling me all this now? You also know I need to become stronger faster to take revenge on Uchiha Itachi. And that can only be achieved better by going to Orochimaru."
As he spoke, Sasuke subtly raised his guard. Unlike with Sakura, if Furina really wanted to keep him here, he probably wouldn't be able to escape.
But he hadn't taken revenge on Itachi yet he couldn't just surrender here. Even if the chance of successfully getting away was very small, he still had to try.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not trying to stop you. You know my personality if I really had that intention, I would've made a move from the start. Why wait until now?"
Just as Sasuke was wondering whether he and the Sound Four together could fight Furina, the misunderstood Furina spoke up to explain.
Come on, how could she possibly stop him? Letting Sasuke go to Orochimaru, enjoy the good life there, and then eventually get the classic inherited master-killing event wouldn't that be awesome? If he stayed in the village, where would he even find a master to kill?
"Then what do you want? Are you just here to see me off?"
"Of course. When a comrade is going far away to train, isn't it normal for me to come say goodbye? Although I can't fully empathize and don't know how painful it is to have your clan slaughtered by your own family,
as your comrade, I will support your choice. This journey might be very dangerous, but I know that forcibly keeping you here would only make you suffer more better to live than to die like that. So I won't stop you."
"Heh." At her words, the corners of Sasuke's mouth curved up slightly, and he completely let down his guard. Just as he had thought Furina wouldn't stop him, and not only that.
Before this, Sasuke had felt that no one in all of Konoha could understand him no one knew what burden he carried after the clan extermination. But now it seemed that wasn't entirely true.
Not everyone was blind to his pain. Although it was only one person, sometimes one person was enough.
"However, while I can see things this way, Naruto is different. If he knew you were going to Orochimaru, even if it meant breaking your arms and legs, he would definitely drag you back.
But he doesn't mean any harm. He just doesn't want his comrade to leave and go to such a dangerous place."
"Don't worry. I know that dead-last's personality better than anyone."
Hearing her mention Naruto, the smile on Sasuke's face became even more obvious. Although the other would definitely try to stop him from leaving, unlike with others, it was hard for him to feel any real dislike toward Naruto.
He didn't know why maybe because in a previous life they were brothers or something.
"Good that you know. Alright, it's getting late. Time to say goodbye. In the days to come, if you ever need help, you can come find me. We will always be comrades."
"Thanks, but no need. Revenge only has meaning if I do it myself."
When Furina said "we will always be comrades," a clear flicker passed through Sasuke's eyes, but he didn't agree. In his view, the Uchiha's vengeance had to be carried out by his own hand.
Furina wasn't surprised by Sasuke's reply. If he actually asked her to help with revenge, that would be strange she'd start doubting whether this was really Sasuke.
"So, don't die, okay? Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to reluctantly help you get your revenge~"
"Got it."
At that, Sasuke who had already started walking toward the village outskirts paused for a moment but didn't turn back. He simply raised his hand in a wave to indicate he understood.
"Heh."
Watching Sasuke show off his usual coolness, Furina had no intention of staying here any longer. She could already sense a few guys hidden in the shadows getting impatient. She wasn't interested in inviting trouble for herself.
...
"That woman gave me even more pressure than Kimimaro."
"I heard she fought Lord Orochimaru before. It's perfectly normal for you to feel that kind of pressure."
"Heh, what are you pretending for? Weren't you hiding with me just now too?"
After Furina left, four figures emerged one after another from the shadows. They were precisely the Sound Four who had come to escort Sasuke. To ensure nothing happened to him on the way, they had been following secretly the whole time.
During that period they had felt quite relaxed even thinking that Konoha wasn't all that impressive. But that feeling completely vanished the moment Furina appeared without a sound.
With the curse mark on them, their perception was sharper than ordinary ninja. Even though Furina was standing there completely unguarded, they couldn't sense even the slightest possibility of defeating her. The gap was simply too vast.
"Stop bickering, you guys. Let's hurry up. I think she noticed us earlier but didn't call us out because she didn't want to interfere with Sasuke."
"Mm."
Hearing this, the others didn't object. They had the same feeling. Having their lives hanging on someone else's whim felt absolutely terrible. Better to leave quickly.
...
"Why are you guys only showing up now? Where were you earlier?"
Seeing the Sound Four finally "arrive late" after Furina left, Sasuke couldn't help but find it a bit funny. They had been acting all high and mighty in front of him before, but the moment Furina appeared, they all shrank into the shadows like rats.