Not as much as he probably should have been.
When Orochimaru declared that they would leave together, there was no real shock, no instinctive refusal. If anything, a part of him had expected that answer the moment he found himself standing in front of his former master's quarters. Orochimaru had never been the type to ask for permission, and once he made a decision, arguing with him usually proved pointless.
What bothered Sasuke more was the realization that some quiet, hidden part of him had hoped for exactly this outcome.
The thought was irritating.
He had spent years believing that being alone was preferable to depending on others. Solitude had been familiar. Comfortable, even. But loneliness was something else entirely, and he knew that distinction better than most people.
Loneliness was an empty clan compound that echoed with ghosts.
Loneliness was spending years consumed by revenge until there was nothing left of himself beyond that single purpose.
Loneliness was discovering that after achieving the goal that had defined his entire existence, there was only silence waiting for him.
He knew what loneliness could do to a person. He had lived through it. He had let it shape him, twist him, and nearly destroy him.
Perhaps that was why he had rejected Sakura's offer.
The answer had come naturally, without much thought. Sakura cared about him. Too much, perhaps. She would follow him because she believed in him. She would worry when he disappeared for too long, question him when he made reckless choices, and try to help him carry burdens he wasn't prepared to share. Every conversation would eventually drift toward forgiveness, healing, and finding a place for himself in the village again.
Sasuke wasn't ready for any of that.
Orochimaru, on the other hand, understood him differently.
Maybe because he understood obsession.
Maybe because he understood what it meant to devote your entire life to a single purpose.
Or maybe because he simply didn't expect anything from him.
Whatever the reason, the thought of traveling with Orochimaru felt easier than traveling with someone who loved him.
The realization was uncomfortable enough that Sasuke chose not to examine it further.
Instead, he focused on something far more practical.
His gaze settled on Orochimaru, narrowing slightly as the implications of the situation became clearer.
"Won't the Kage and the guards be suspicious if we leave together?"
The question was genuine.
Sasuke himself had only recently been pardoned. Many people still looked at him with uncertainty, unsure whether he was a hero, a criminal, or something in between. Orochimaru's situation wasn't much better. His freedom existed largely because the village had decided it was more useful to keep him under observation than to pursue punishment.
The image of the two of them casually walking through Konoha's gates together was enough to make Sasuke almost smirk.
Naruto would probably understand eventually.
Kakashi would undoubtedly sigh and pretend not to be surprised.
Shikamaru would look exhausted before they even reached the main gate.
As for the guards, they would likely assume a national emergency was about to unfold.
Sasuke folded his arms across his chest.
"They might think we're planning something."
There was a brief pause before he added, dryly,
"And for once we'd actually be innocent."
The irony wasn't lost on him.
Years ago, the idea would have been absurd. Now, somehow, it was reality.
A former revolutionary and one of the most infamous criminals in shinobi history were preparing to leave the village not in pursuit of power, revenge, or forbidden knowledge, but because neither of them seemed to know what came next.
Sasuke's gaze drifted toward the window and the distant horizon beyond it.
For most of his life, he had always known where he was going. Every step had been directed toward a goal. Even when he had changed paths, there had always been something waiting at the end of the road.
The future stretched before him without shape or certainty.
Strangely, he found that he didn't hate it.
After a moment, his attention returned to Orochimaru.
"Still" he said quietly, "if we're doing this, I'd rather not spend the first week being chased by ANBU."
The words were casual, but they carried an unspoken acceptance beneath them.
He wasn't refusing. And they both knew it.
