Betrayal
After the war ended, Konoha was slowly regaining its strength, and Sasuke Uchiha found himself reluctantly drawn back to the village. He didn’t return because he forgave Konoha or because he had found peace. He came back because of Naruto. Their bond, something neither of them fully understood but couldn’t deny, pulled him back from the brink. When Sasuke set foot in Konoha once more, it was as if a line had been crossed, and he chose to walk forward instead of turning back.
At first, Naruto insisted that they keep their relationship hidden. Sasuke understood it. It was because Naruto was the village hero now, and their relationship wasn’t the most conventional—people might talk, disapprove, or outright hate it. But hiding it didn’t mean it wasn’t real, and even as they tried to keep things quiet, the people closest to them—members of the Konoha 12—quickly noticed.
But now, as Sasuke stood in front of Naruto and Hinata, watching as Naruto pulled away from the girl, guilt and panic clear in his eyes, Sasuke felt a black pit of despair open up within him.
“Sasuke, this isn’t—”
“Don’t,” Sasuke cut him off, his voice eerily calm. “Don’t even try.”
Naruto flinched, his hand still on Hinata’s wrist. Hinata looked equally pale, wide eyes darting between Naruto and Sasuke, as if trying to decide whether to run or speak up.
Sasuke’s gaze shifted slowly to the girl who had always admired Naruto from afar in their academy days , Her feelings had started as quiet admiration, but over time they developed into a fixation—one that bordered on reverence and now this , his voice dangerously quiet. “And you,” he whispered, the single phrase making her tremble, “How long has this been going on?”
Hinata tried to answer, stumbling over her words. “I-it’s not—”
“Don’t lie,” Sasuke said, his Sharingan flaring to life instinctively, more from the raw emotion than any intent to use it. His gaze was sharp, unrelenting. “Do you think I’m a fool?”
He turned his attention back to Naruto, the one person he thought he could count on, if only for a little while. “How long, Naruto?”
Naruto swallowed, his throat bobbing as he stepped in front of Hinata, almost protectively. “Sasuke, please, just let me explain—”
“How. Long?”
The tension in the air was thick enough to choke on. Finally, Naruto broke under that cold stare. “A few weeks,” he admitted, his voice barely a whisper.
“A few weeks,” Sasuke repeated slowly, tasting the bitterness of the words on his tongue. He laughed then, a soft, broken sound, as if something within him had finally shattered. “And you hid it so well, didn’t you?” He took a step back, shaking his head. “You hid it... when I trusted you. You kept this quiet, when I believed...”
Naruto reached out desperately, but Sasuke jerked away, his expression a mask of grief and fury. “Please, just listen to me! It wasn’t supposed to be like this, I—”
“Then what was it supposed to be, Naruto?” Sasuke’s voice was shaking now, his control slipping. “Was I just something to fill the time? A replacement? Or were you planning to drag me along like a fool while you—” He choked on the words, unable to finish.
Hinata stepped forward, as if to speak, but Sasuke’s glare pinned her in place. “Don’t even think about defending him,” he snapped. “You, of all people... I thought you were better than this.”
“Sasuke, please, it’s not what you think—” she began, but Sasuke turned away.
“Enough. I don’t want to hear it.” His voice was hollow now, the rage seeping out and leaving only a heavy emptiness behind. He didn’t have the strength to keep fighting this losing battle. He didn’t want to look at them, to see Naruto’s pleading eyes and Hinata’s tearful face. He knew they were not ashamed of their actions , He wanted to disappear, to erase this entire moment from his mind.
Naruto took a step forward, but Sasuke raised a hand, stopping him cold. “Don’t follow me,” he said quietly. “Don’t come near me again.”
With that, he turned and walked away, the weight of his heartbreak and disillusionment crushing him with every step. The silence behind him was deafening, and though he couldn’t see their faces, he knew they were both staring after him, stunned and afraid.
But Sasuke didn’t look back.
The betrayal cut deeper than any blade. He didn’t want to lash out or demand answers; instead, he felt something inside him break—a deep, numbing sensation.
He made his way through the empty streets of Konoha, not caring who saw him or what they thought. His steps felt heavy, as if each one cost him a piece of his soul. When he finally reached the Uchiha compound, he closed the door behind him and leaned against it, breathing hard. The familiar walls of his family’s home seemed to close in around him, trapping him in his own misery.
He didn’t leave for weeks. The suffocating emptiness of his home felt fitting—he had never felt lonelier in his life. The pain of betrayal was overwhelming, eating away at his will to move, to function, to even exist. The world outside the Uchiha compound might as well have ceased to exist for him. He shut himself away from everything, letting himself spiral deeper into despair.
The first few days, he tried to distract himself—training, throwing himself into jutsu practice, trying to push the image of Naruto and Hinata together out of his mind. But every time he closed his eyes, the scene replayed itself. Naruto’s guilt-stricken face. Hinata’s horrified, flushed cheeks. And the cold, numbing emptiness he felt as he turned and walked away. Nothing could erase that.
His body began to weaken, slowly at first. He hadn’t been eating; food felt pointless. What was the point of feeding a body that had been so utterly betrayed? Sasuke ignored the dull pangs of hunger and the lightheadedness that followed. He told himself he didn’t need it—just like he didn’t need Naruto or anyone else. He was an Uchiha. He could endure.
But as the days turned into a week, his strength began to fail him. His hands shook when he tried to lift his sword. Simple tasks, like washing or dressing, took all his effort. He spent most of his time lying on the cold floor of the compound’s main hall, staring blankly at the ceiling. His body was shutting down, but Sasuke didn’t care. What did it matter if he starved? If he disappeared completely?
The isolation felt like a punishment . He had fought for this village, had come back to Konoha despite everything, only to be met with betrayal and abandonment. The reality was crushing: nobody would come for him. Nobody was there for him.
On the twelfth day, the weakness became unbearable. He could barely drag himself out of bed, his vision blurred from dehydration and exhaustion. He stumbled into the living room, hoping for some relief. The room spun, and a wave of nausea hit him so violently that he collapsed, vomiting bile onto the polished floor. He hadn’t eaten in days—there was nothing left in his stomach to expel. His body ached, wracked with shivers despite the warmth of the afternoon sun filtering through the windows.
Sasuke clutched his stomach, trembling as he tried to push himself upright. But his strength failed him completely, and he slumped to the floor, the world fading in and out of focus. His breath came in shallow gasps, and he wondered if this was it—if he would simply waste away here, alone and forgotten. Perhaps that was the fate of the last Uchiha: to disappear quietly, with no one to remember him.
He tried to summon the energy to stand, to crawl to his bedroom, but his limbs refused to cooperate. Darkness crept at the edges of his vision, and with a soft, broken sigh, Sasuke let it take him. He sank into unconsciousness, his body finally succumbing to the toll of his anguish and self-imposed starvation.
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Neji had always respected Sasuke from a distance, feeling a sense of admiration and attraction that he could never name. The Uchiha had always been distant, cold, and enigmatic, making him hard to read, yet Neji found himself drawn to Sasuke’s strength and quiet resolve. When Sasuke returned to Konoha after the war and began dating Naruto, Neji chose to remain quiet. He respected Sasuke’s choice and understood that the Uchiha deserved some semblance of peace after the hardships he had endured. Still, despite everything, Neji couldn’t deny the pang of jealousy that tightened his chest whenever he saw Naruto and Sasuke together.
Everyone in the Konoha 12 group knew that Sasuke and Naruto were a couple. It was no secret among their friends, and even Hinata, who had been infatuated with Naruto since their academy days, was aware of their relationship. Neji noticed how Hinata’s admiration for Naruto never waned; in fact, it had intensified over the years. Her gaze always lingered a second too long, her cheeks flushed pink whenever Naruto was around, and she seemed to hover just close enough to be noticed, but far enough to maintain her demure image. However, Hinata’s behavior took a dark turn that Neji couldn’t have foreseen.
One evening, Neji witnessed something that shattered whatever respect he had for his cousin. He had been returning from training when he spotted Naruto and Hinata in one of the quieter training grounds. What initially seemed like an innocent meeting between friends turned into something much darker when he saw Naruto lean in, pressing his lips against Hinata’s. Shock froze Neji in place, his Byakugan activated instinctively as he took in every detail—the way Hinata’s eyes fluttered closed, the eagerness with which she kissed Naruto back, and the utter disregard they showed for Sasuke. It was not a moment of confusion or misunderstanding; it was deliberate.
And then, he saw Sasuke.
Neji’s heart clenched as he saw Sasuke standing at the edge of the clearing, hidden behind a cluster of trees. Sasuke’s face was pale, his expression a mix of shock, betrayal, and agony. Even from this distance, Neji could see the hurt in Sasuke’s eyes as he watched Naruto,he had trusted the most shatter his world. But what made Neji’s blood run cold was the way Sasuke forced himself to move forward, stepping into the clearing and confronting them.
Naruto and Hinata had pulled apart abruptly when they noticed Sasuke. Naruto’s face turned pale, his eyes wide with fear, while Hinata seemed to shrink in on herself, her usual shy facade crumbling under Sasuke’s intense gaze.
There was no answer—no excuse they could offer that would erase the betrayal, no words that could soothe the pain they had caused. Neji could see Naruto’s mouth moving, stumbling over apologies, but Sasuke didn’t listen. He just stared at them, his face devoid of emotion said something to hinata and Naruto which neji couldn't understand, and then turned on his heel and walked away.
Neji would never forget the expression on Sasuke’s face as he left. It wasn’t rage or hatred—it was pain. Pure, unfiltered pain. The kind that hollowed a person out, leaving them empty and numb. Watching Sasuke’s back as he walked away, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed, made something tighten in Neji’s chest.
When Naruto made a move to follow Sasuke, Neji’s own body moved on instinct, stepping out from the shadows and into Naruto’s path. “Don’t,” he had said quietly, his voice low and filled with contempt. “You’ve done enough.”
He couldn’t bear to see Hinata’s face after that night. He started avoiding her entirely, distancing himself from Naruto as well. Every time he caught a glimpse of Hinata’s demure smile or her stuttered greetings, it made his blood boil. What he once thought of as her genuine shyness now seemed fake, a façade designed to hide her true nature. Hinata wasn’t shy—she was a liar and a cheater. And Naruto… Naruto was no better., Neji distanced himself from them. He stopped talking to Hinata altogether, ignoring her presence in the Hyuga compound and avoiding her gaze whenever they passed each other in the streets. He refused to look at her during meetings or missions, and when she tried to speak to him, he turned away coldly. To him, Hinata was no longer his cousin—she was a liar, a cheater, and someone who had ruined a bond that should have been unbreakable.
Neji’s anger toward Naruto was less volatile but no less intense. He had respected Naruto once, admired his loyalty and determination. But now, all he saw was a hypocrite. How could someone who preached about never going back on their word turn around and betray the person who trusted him the most? It was unthinkable, and yet...Neji couldn’t completely hate him. In the end, Naruto was just a human, flawed and prone to making mistakes. But that didn’t excuse what he had done.
As the days turned into weeks, Neji noticed that Sasuke stopped appearing around the village. He wasn’t on missions, wasn’t training in his usual spots, and wasn’t seen at any of their group gatherings. At first, Neji thought it was because of the confrontation, that Sasuke simply needed time to process the betrayal. But then he heard from some of the others that Sasuke hadn’t been seen leaving the Uchiha compound at all. For two weeks.
Worry gnawed at Neji, even as he tried to convince himself that Sasuke just needed space. But something about it felt off. The Sasuke he knew was a fighter, someone who wouldn’t let himself be beaten down, no matter what life threw at him. So why was he isolating himself? Why wasn’t he out there proving that he didn’t need Naruto?
Unable to stand it any longer, Neji made his way to the Uchiha compound one night. He found the gate unlocked, the path to Sasuke’s house overgrown and neglected. A chill ran down his spine as he pushed open the door to Sasuke’s home, calling out his name softly. There was no response.
Neji’s heart raced as he searched the house, his worry growing with each empty room. Then he found Sasuke in the living room, sprawled on the floor, unconscious and pale. The sight of the normally proud and composed Uchiha lying there, his skin ashen and lips cracked from dehydration, sent a shockwave through Neji. His skin was clammy, his breathing shallow, and he looked thinner—too thin. There were no signs of struggle, no wounds or injuries, but something was terribly wrong.
“Sasuke!” Neji dropped to his knees beside him, shaking him gently. “Sasuke, wake up!” But Sasuke didn’t stir. Panic flared in Neji’s chest as he felt for a pulse, relief flooding him when he found one, though it was weak.
“Damn it, Sasuke...” Neji whispered, his voice breaking slightly. He carefully gathered Sasuke into his arms, lifting him effortlessly. The Uchiha felt fragile, almost weightless, and that scared Neji more than anything else. How long had Sasuke been like this, starving himself, wasting away in silence? And why hadn’t anyone noticed? Naruto, of all people, should have been the first to realize something was wrong. But Naruto was too caught up in his betrayal to think about what he’d left behind.
Determined not to waste another second, Neji carried Sasuke out of the compound and made his way to the hospital. When they arrived, he demanded to see Tsunade, refusing to let anyone else handle Sasuke. “Get Tsunade,” he barked at the nurses, his voice tight with urgency. “Only Tsunade. No one else.”
The nurses exchanged glances, startled by his intensity, but quickly complied. One of them began leading him to a private room, and Neji hesitated, glancing over his shoulder. “And keep Sakura away,” he added sharply. “No matter what.”
The nurse blinked at him in confusion. “But Sakura is—”
“I don’t care. Keep her away,” Neji snapped. He didn’t trust Sakura around Sasuke. Not now. He had seen the way Sakura still looked at Sasuke sometimes, that lingering desire that had never quite faded. Just like Hinata, Sakura had never truly let go of her feelings for Sasuke, despite everything. And if she knew Sasuke was vulnerable… No. Neji wouldn’t let her anywhere near him.
“Only Tsunade,” he told the nurses sternly. “And no one is to speak of this to anyone, especially not Sakura. Understood?”
The nurses nodded, glancing worriedly at Sasuke’s unconscious form. Neji stayed by his side the entire time, refusing to leave even when the nurses tried to usher him out. He wasn’t going anywhere—not until Sasuke was safe.
As he sat by Sasuke’s bedside, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest, Neji felt something shift inside him. He had always felt a connection to Sasuke, something that went beyond mere attraction. It was a sense of understanding, a bond forged in silence. But now, as he looked at Sasuke’s vulnerable form, Neji realized that his feelings were deeper than he’d thought. He’d always felt a strange pull toward Sasuke, a sense of understanding, like they were two sides of the same coin. Both were prodigies burdened by their families. Both had pushed themselves to their limits to honor a legacy, to protect what was left of their clans. But Neji had never understood why Sasuke mattered so much to him until now.
He had to protect Sasuke. From Naruto, from Hinata, from everyone who had failed him. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt Sasuke again—not if he could help it. And as he sat there, holding Sasuke’s cold hand in his, Neji silently vowed to be the one person Sasuke could always count on.
He wouldn’t fail him. Not like the others had.