[It is a surreal feeling to hear Sakura describe the Rinnegan to him. Outside those brief moments at the end of the war with the Sage of the Six Paths, he's never had interaction with other Rinnegan users except when battling them, as was the case for both Obito and Madara. Accustomed to being the last member of the Uchiha clan in possession of such a coveted dōjutsu, he's never much discussed what it's like even to have the Sharingan. Another tally on a long list of things forsaken with his clan in the ground.

His focus returns to Sakura, to the way she sits, too-long legs awkwardly tucked to the side in a femininity that would look normal if only she were not in his body. There's an intimacy to this experience that he's not keen to face. She must feel suffocated by the Rinnegan; it's an ocular power too much for many to bear based on his understanding of its history. He's worried it'll have a detrimental effect on her, but if so far she's managing... Then that's testament to her own strength of will.]

It's not easy to ignore, even for me. [The confession is quiet.] It's as much a burden as it is a gift.

[Sasuke turns away, then, as though to look for somewhere else to stand or sit — but the movement twists his body, causing a jagged knife of pain in his side. A hand comes up to cover the injury; it is the one Sakura had targeted to subdue him earlier. Beneath the cloak, he feels dampness.]

You have a wound here. It's bleeding again. What happened?