- Mizuki -

Why can't he trust me?

The question pounds in my head, a relentless drumbeat that matches the rhythm of my feet as I run, the cold night air stinging my cheeks. I'm not sure where I'm going, or even why I'm still running. I just need to get away—from him, from the suffocating feeling of being held back. My breath comes out in ragged gasps, and every step feels heavier than the last.

Onii-chan doesn't understand. He never does. 

I push myself harder, the village blurring around me as the outskirts come into view. The forest looms ahead, dark and silent, but I don't care. The familiar warmth of Konoha behind me feels alien now, distant. As if I don't belong there anymore.

I reach a clearing and finally stop, my legs giving out beneath me. I collapse onto the ground, my knees hitting the grass with a dull thud. The sobs I've been holding in tear through me, breaking free in uncontrollable waves. I bury my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking as the tears fall faster and faster.

Why doesn't he believe in me? Why can't he see that I'm not just some fragile little girl who needs to be protected?

The words we shouted at each other replay in my mind. His voice, harsh and frustrated. My own, trembling with anger and hurt. I hear his accusations again, his insistence that it's too dangerous, that I'm not ready. And I hear my own screams—telling him he's wrong, that I'm not a child anymore, that I can fight, that I want to fight.

But none of it mattered. None of it changed his mind.

I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand, but the tears keep coming. The memory of the bracelet I threw at him flashes in my mind. It was the one he gave me when I was little, a symbol of his promise to protect me.

And now it's broken. Just like our bond. Just like everything.

My chest feels tight, the weight of betrayal and abandonment pressing down on me. I trusted him. I believed he saw me as more than just his little sister. But tonight... tonight he made it clear that's all I'll ever be to him. Someone to keep safe. Someone too weak to stand beside him in battle.

The sobs slow down eventually, leaving me hollow and numb. I stare at the dark sky above, the stars twinkling faintly like distant memories. My heart still aches, but now, beneath the pain, there's something else—something sharp and bitter.

Anger.

I clench my fists, feeling the cold grass beneath my fingers. They didn't want me on this mission. Onii-chan didn't want me to come. Even my own team didn't fight for me. They didn't insist I should be there. Not even Shikamaru, who's grieving right now, needed me.

They all see me the same way—as someone to be protected, someone to be kept on the sidelines. They see me as weak.

But I'm not weak. I'm not some extra body to be cast aside when things get dangerous. I can fight. I've trained just as hard as the rest of them. I've faced pain and loss like everyone else.

The anger builds in my chest, replacing the emptiness. If they don't need me, then maybe I don't need them either.

What's the point of being back in Konoha, anyway?

To be Naruto's innocent little sister again? The one who stutters her words, who follows him around, waiting for scraps of his approval? The little redhead that everyone in the village remembers as the quiet girl who needs to be shielded?

I'm done with that.

I feel the heat rising in me, a surge of rebellion that burns away the sadness. If Konoha doesn't want me, if Onii-chan doesn't believe in me, then maybe it's time I stop trying to prove myself to them.

Maybe it's time I leave.

The thought is terrifying, but it's also liberating. Who needs a brother who doesn't trust me? Who needs a team that doesn't fight for me?

They don't want me on this mission? Fine. But they'll have to do it without me for good.

I glance back at the village, distant and glowing under the night sky. The place that's supposed to be my home. But it doesn't feel like home anymore. Not after tonight.

Maybe it's time to find a new path. To go somewhere I'm actually seen for who I am, not who they think I should be.

If I can't stay with them... maybe there's someone else who understands me. Someone who's always believed in me, even when the rest of them didn't.

Sasuke-san.

The moment his name enters my mind, everything feels clearer, sharper. Sasuke-san has always been the one who saw me. Even when he left Konoha, he never stopped reaching out. He sent me letters, asking about how I was, always encouraging me, always acknowledging me.

He never doubted me.

I remember the times I've read his letters, how they always made me feel stronger, like I wasn't alone. He believed in my abilities, in my strength. He never treated me like a burden, never looked at me like Onii-chan does—with that protective, patronizing gaze.

Sasuke-san understands me. He sees me for who I am.

And right now, he's the only one I trust.

I know he's left the village, and I don't know where he is exactly... but I can find him. I will find him. He'll take me with him, away from Konoha, away from all of this. He won't hold me back. He'll let me fight. He'll believe in me.

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense. I've been holding on to Konoha because it's where I grew up. It's where Onii-chan is. But what's the point of staying if they don't even see me? If they don't trust me to stand beside them?

What was the point of me coming back here in the first place?

To be Onii-chan's little sister again? To be the one who watches from the sidelines while everyone else gets to prove themselves?

I'm done with that.

The decision settles in my chest like a stone, heavy and certain. When they leave for the mission tomorrow, I'll leave too. But not to follow them. No. I'll leave Konoha behind. I'll pack my things and go.

I'll find Sasuke-san, and I'll go with him. He's the only one who's ever made me feel like I belong somewhere. Like I'm not just an extra body to be protected.

I stare out at the horizon, my resolve hardening. This village, this place I once called home... it doesn't feel like home anymore. Not after tonight. Not after the way Onii-chan looked at me, the way he treated me.

If they don't want me, if Onii-chan doesn't trust me, then there's no reason for me to stay.

I'm not going to be their little sister anymore. I'm not going to be the one left behind, the one they think they need to protect.

Onii-chan wants to go off and fight without me? Fine. But when he comes back, I won't be here waiting.

I'll be gone.

I'll be with Sasuke-san.

I glance down at my hands, still trembling with the remnants of my anger, and slowly unclench my fists. The bracelet I threw at Onii-chan flashes in my mind again—the symbol of his protection, now broken on the floor of our home.

Maybe it's for the best.

I'm not the innocent little redhead anymore. I'm not his little sister who needs protecting. I'm not going to wait for anyone to see my worth.

If they don't want me with them, then I'll make my own way.

And if that way leads me to Sasuke-san... then so be it.

As the night stretches on, I feel my heart settle into a strange calm. The decision is made. Tomorrow, when they leave for the mission, I'm leaving Konoha. I'm leaving them.

I'm not a child anymore. I'm not weak.

And I won't be held back any longer.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

YES YES YES! I swear I can't be the only one enjoying the tension-- RIGHT?

Anywayss, What are your thoughts on Mizuki's plan? 

Lemme know!

Bye Potatoes

Stay Fab!