4. Sasuke Fails to Stop Sasuke from Leaving Konoha

After suffering a crushing defeat at the hands of Itachi, Sasuke fell ill due to his brother’s attack. He was hospitalized and treated by Tsunade. Although he recovered physically, Sasuke was plagued by anxiety and a lack of confidence. He felt weak for being unable to defeat Itachi, his seemingly invincible brother. His frustration only grew when he realized that Naruto, whom he once considered weak, had grown much stronger and was starting to rival him.

In an attempt to gauge each other’s strength, Sasuke challenged Naruto to a duel. The fight was intense and took place on the hospital rooftop, where they clashed using their signature jutsu, Chidori and Rasengan. As they were about to collide with their respective jutsu, Sakura tried to stop them but almost ended up being caught in the impact of both Rasengan and Chidori.

Fortunately, Kakashi intervened just in time, saving Sakura and forcibly stopping their fight before any disaster occurred. To neutralize the situation, Kakashi redirected Sasuke’s Chidori and Naruto’s Rasengan to nearby water tanks.

Initially, Sasuke felt a sense of pride as he observed the significant damage Chidori caused to the front of the water tank, while Rasengan seemed to have left only a minor dent. However, his confidence was shattered when he noticed the back of the tank destroyed entirely by Rasengan, revealing its far superior destructive power compared to Chidori.

In despair, Sasuke sat alone, reflecting on his inadequacies. During this crisis of confidence, the Otogakure team—Tayuya, Kidomaru, Sakon, and Jirobo—approached him. A brief skirmish ensued between Sasuke and the Otogakure team. Despite using all his strength and activating the Level 1 Cursed Seal, Sasuke was defeated effortlessly.

After defeating Sasuke, the Otogakure team did not force him to come with them but instead gave him the freedom to decide whether he wanted to meet Orochimaru or not. They persuaded Sasuke by asserting that staying in Konoha would only cause him to fall further behind and fail to achieve his ultimate goal: avenging Itachi.

Frustration over his loss to Itachi, coupled with feelings of inadequacy compared to Naruto, drove Sasuke to make a monumental decision: to leave Konoha and seek power from Orochimaru.

Sakura’s instincts proved right when she found Sasuke preparing to leave Konoha late at night. At that moment, Sasuke asked Sakura not to interfere in his affairs and to stop holding him back. However, Sakura reminded him of Team 7’s bond and the joys and struggles they had shared together.

She also tried to reason with Sasuke, telling him that revenge would not bring happiness. Nevertheless, Sasuke firmly declared that he had resolved to make revenge the sole purpose of his life. In a final effort, Sakura confessed her feelings to Sasuke, expressing her love and promising to make him happy every single day if he stayed in Konoha.

Driven by her affection, Sakura even went as far as offering to help Sasuke exact his revenge or leave Konoha with him. Touched by Sakura’s concern, Sasuke thanked her for her care but remained steadfast in his decision to leave. Using a technique, Sasuke rendered Sakura unconscious and left her sitting alone on a roadside bench under the night sky.

The following day, the Village of Konoha formed the Sasuke Retrieval Team, led by Shikamaru. The team members included Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, Choji, and Neji. As the team prepared to depart from Konoha’s gates, Sakura approached Naruto. With deep sincerity, she pleaded with him to bring Sasuke back to Konoha. In response, Naruto made a lifelong promise, vowing to bring Sasuke back and never go back on his word.

# Why Sakura’s Failure to Stop Sasuke Made Her a Burden

Due to Sakura’s failure to convince Sasuke to stay in Konoha, the Sasuke Retrieval Team had to endure grueling challenges and life-or-death battles against the Otogakure team. The mission was not without severe consequences: Shikamaru ended up with a broken finger, Kiba suffered severe injuries, and Neji and Choji were left in critical condition.

Naruto’s promise to Sakura to bring Sasuke back to Konoha caused him immense suffering. He was brutally beaten and hospitalized after losing to Sasuke in the Final Valley. Furthermore, in an effort to protect Sasuke from the revenge sought by the Kumogakure shinobi, Naruto willingly allowed himself to be beaten by Karui.

Naruto refused to disclose any information about Sasuke and intentionally let Karui vent her anger on him, enduring the beating without resistance. This act exemplified Naruto’s unwavering determination to protect Sasuke, even if it meant enduring immense pain and hardship himself.

Naruto was even willing to humble himself by kneeling at Raikage Ay’s feet, begging for forgiveness on Sasuke’s behalf after Sasuke had kidnapped Killer Bee.

Naruto’s suffering was not only physical but also deeply emotional. Hearing his friends in Konoha talk about their desire to eliminate Sasuke wounded him further. Despite this, Naruto remained steadfast in his resolve to protect Sasuke as a friend and to fulfill the promise he had made to Sakura to bring Sasuke back to Konoha safely.

Sai once revealed to Sakura that the lifelong promise Naruto had made to her had become an unbearably heavy burden for him. Sai even compared that promise to the lifelong curse that he and other Anbu Root members experienced under Danzo’s leadership.

This curse came in the form of a tongue-sealing jutsu that would paralyze their bodies and inflict excruciating pain if they attempted to reveal anything about Danzo. For Sai, Naruto’s promise to Sakura was akin to an emotional curse, binding him and causing suffering both physically and mentally.