Black Light (Naruto)

Chapter 53

Hello! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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Hikaru couldn't breathe. 

He stared blankly at Sakura and Ino as Ino continued talking. He'd met up with them at Sakura's request, and they were currently at a training ground, sipping at lukewarm tea. 

"After that, Sasuke kinda went--"

"Feral. He went feral." Sakura interjected. "Like a cat, but worse."

"Really, Forehead? Comparing Sasuke to a cat, of all things?" Ino elbowed the other. "Anyway, as I was saying, Sasuke  tore the guys to shreds, from what I heard. The Kiri nin didn't do anything to him other then tearing off his arm."

"Ah." Hikaru found himself saying, glad he was sitting in the shade of a tree. Ino sat across from him and right next to Sakura, the two having dragged him here. It wasn't like he was able to deny Sakura's request, exactly, it was more of she invited him for tea one minute and the next they were here. 

They were talking about Sasuke from the war. Apparently, from what Hikaru knew so far, Sasuke had protected Naruto when the other was knocked completely out. He'd lost his arm that way, which could also explain why the other approached him for training before he was sick. 

His fingers brushed against a dark brown leaf as he set his cup down, nodding at Ino to continue. Ino had mostly been in the midst of the fighting while Sakura had been training to be a war medic like Tsunade. It was concerning, how different the two were from his timeline. 

But it couldn't really be helped. 

"Hikaru-san? Are you listening?" Sakura asked him. Hikaru nodded, knowing that he hadn't really been listening. 

"Ok! So, after that Sasuke started training more and told me to not mention it to anybody. But I told Forehead over here--" At this Ino grinned over at Sakura, who just scoffed softly. "And then she said that I should talk to Hikaru, 'cause you seem to know him better than he knows even himself."

Oh. 

Wait-

Hikaru blinked a few times. "Ah, okay. What do you want to find out?"

He couldn't really comprehend this at the moment, but Ino leaned closed. Her light blonde hair brushed her shoulders, her visible light blue eye sparking with something. 

"Does Sasuke  like Naruto-san?"

Hikaru visibly reacted, before calming himself the best he could. They weren't talking about him, they were talking about Naruto. Not him. It was an important distinction to make before they continued. 

But something inside of his chest darkened-- at one point, when he was still a child, he'd looked up to Sasuke. He'd only stopped after Sasuke came back from the Uchiha Massacre. It had been a different time then, and if Hikaru had known what he knew now, there would be no doubt that he would've approached Sasuke differently. 

Then again, he would likely be even more loyal to Sasuke had he known the entire truth from the start. But he hadn't, so that was that. 

Hikaru contemplated for a second, scarred finger brushing his chin in thought. "Likely not in the way that you're thinking, Ino, but possibly."

He heard a stiffled squeal come from Ino, her blue eyes lightening up even more. "So, Forehead, that means there's ZERO chance he's asking me out!" 

Ino seemed way too happy about that. A little too happy. 

Hikaru's eyes narrowed at her, the wind stirring up slightly. It brushed against his cheek like ice-cold hands. He stood up, grabbing his tea. "Well, I'm going to leave. I'll talk with you later."