Blue Eyes, Yellow Flash
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I'm just a guy with a dream to protect and uphold his way of the ninja. Believe it!
Hey guys. This is my first fanfic, so read and review! I don't know what I'm doing wrong if no-one tells me! It's set a few years after the Shippuden series, although I have changed what happened to fit with my story. This is a fanfic after all! Characters are around 17/18 years old, but of course some like Neji, Lee, Tenten, Kankuro and Temari are older.
CHAPTER 1: Revenge and Redemption
"Hey, Granny Tsunade! I found him!" The blonde headed ninja yelled as he burst into the office of the fifth Hokage. Tsunade stood, shocked nearly speechless. There on Naruto's back was the missing nin, Uchiha Sasuke. "Well don't just stand there! Help him!" Naruto yelled. Tsunade ran forward with chakra glowing around her hand as she noticed the numerous stab wounds and gashes over the body of the ninja who had left the village nearly five years previously. She checked him over as she started to heal his more serious wounds. Lifting his head to check on it, she gasped. There was just a gaping wound across his face where his eyes should have been.
"Naruto, his eyes...."
"I know Granny. We'll deal with that later; just make sure the bastard doesn't die on me."
Tsunade looked at the injured ninja with worry evident in her eyes. "I'll try Naruto, but we need to get him to the hospital fast. From the look of things he'll need a blood transfusion, and several hours of surgery".
Naruto paced back and forth outside the hospital room, furious at both Tsunade and himself. He wanted to be in there with his friend, and he wished he could have made it to Itachi's hideout earlier. To have finally caught up with his old friend and rival just in time to see him collapse from his wounds after killing Itachi had been one of the worst experiences of his life.
Suddenly a furious pink haired kunoichi rounded the corner dragging a body in a long black cloak with red clouds behind her in one hand. Opening the door, she tossed Itachi's body into the surgery. "They're siblings, so you should be able to use his eyes for a transplant" she announced to the room at large. Then she turned to Naruto.
He gulped as she stared at him, leather gloves creaking as she clenched her fists. He rubbed the back of his head nervously "Aha, Sakura, sorry I ran ahead, but I was really worried about Sasuke and I wanted to get him back to the hospital and...." he trailed off nervously.
Suddenly Sakura burst into tears and collapsed onto Naruto's shoulder. "Thank you Naruto...You kept your promise...you brought him back".
Uchiha Sasuke stirred. There was something strange going on. He was in a bed that he didn't remember getting into. In fact, the last thing he remembered was killing his brother. Curious, he sat up and opened his eyes.
"Awake are you?" the woman he recognised as the Hokage asked in an amused voice.
"It should be obvious" he replied shortly.
She gave a short laugh. "First things first I suppose. Let's deal with that curse mark. Inoichi! " The man she called walked into the room.
"You're Ino's father. You aren't a medi-nin. What are you doing in here? You can't remove the cursed seal." Sasuke stated.
Inoichi gave a short laugh. "Oh, I'm not here to remove the curse. I can seal it up tight as anything without having to remove it" Making a few hand signs, he quickly used one of his clan's famed mind jutsus.
Sasuke felt nothing. "What did you do?" he asked, still feeling empty after fulfilling his life's driving goal.
"Oh, I just tweaked with your mind a bit. There is now a special seal around the part of your mind that is used to access the curse mark. It's powered by your own life force, so you couldn't break through if you tried, kind of like how your body won't let you hold your breath until you die.".
Sasuke sighed. "Why are you being so nice to me?" he asked Tsunade. "I am a missing nin. If I was in your position I would have had me executed immediately". He frowned. "How did I get here anyway? And why can I see?"
Tsunade ignored the questions, and instead nodded to Inoichi, saying "Do it."
Inoichi again formed his hands into seals, and looking into Sasuke's eyes, he shouted "Release!" Sasuke screamed as the seal that had been on his mind for five years broke and the memories came rushing back.
Flashback/
Sasuke stood before Tsunade as she looked through some papers on her desk. She had a worried look on her face. "Are these notes correct Sasuke? Are you really willing to do this? You will be alone for many years, and I will have to send people after you, possibly even ANBU hunter-nins. I will try to keep from registering you as a missing nin, but it may be necessary to keep your cover".
Sasuke seemed to think for a moment before he answered. "It is something I feel I have to do. As you know from the papers in front of you, I came to the Third after the second test of the chuunin exams to express my concern about Orochimaru, and to volunteer for this mission. He refused, thinking Orochimaru was not a serious enough threat to warrant it. However, I did, and still do, believe that it is necessary. I believe that recent events have proven me correct".
Tsunade sighed as she reflected on the reason why she was now Hokage. "I have heard of you Sasuke. The last of the Uchiha's. The Avenger. The cold, uncaring bastard." Sasuke visibly flinched at the last sentence. "Why would you suddenly have such a change of heart?"
Again, Sasuke seemed to think for a minute before he answered. "As much as I hate to say it, I think Naruto is rubbing off on me. During the second test, he surprised me with his strength. I was even more surprised when he beat Gaara, a ninja I could not defeat. Gaara and I... neither of us has any people who are precious to us, but we have had our strength. Naruto has bested us both. I am finally starting to think Naruto might be right. To be protecting someone who is precious to you...that is the source of true power. That said, I need more power to be able to protect those who will become precious to me from my bastard of a brother. Orochimaru will give me that power if I go to him. Naruto, Kakashi and Sakura...never let the dobe know it, but he is the best friend I have. I want to be able to do what he does".
Tsunade smirked as she thought of her own experiences with Konoha's number one knuckle-headed ninja. "Very well Sasuke. I am assigning you a Super S-ranked mission....."
/End Flashback
Sasuke looked at Tsunade from the floor. He had been thrashing about so much that he had fallen out of the bed. Tsunade smiled at him as she lifted him back on. "Do you remember Sasuke?"
"Yeah, I think I do, but it will take a while to process it all" Sasuke replied.
Tsunade looked down at him sadly as she produced a pair of polished steel bracers from a bag slung over her shoulder. "And now we get to your punishment" she sighed.
"Punishment?"
"Yes, as I warned you, I was unable to keep the council from registering you as a missing nin. I kept them happy until Orochimaru was dead, but when you disappeared after killing him, I was unable to stall them any longer. The council would never execute the last member of a clan that was once a great power in the village, but nor will they let your defection go unpunished; even though I explained the situation behind the mission you were given. They accept that going to Orochimaru was a mission you were given, but then you had to go off after Itachi for two years. As a result of this, they have decreed that you wear these for the next two years" Tsunade said, tossing the bracers into Sasuke's lap.
He looked them over quizzically. "And these are?"
Tsunade sighed as she explained. "They are known as link bracers. Long ago, when a ninja couple was married, they exchanged rings that when worn, would allow them to sense the chakra of their partner, so they always knew where they were. Those bracers are a perversion of that. Through them and a ring that I will also have to wear for the next two years, I can not only sense your chakra, but shut it off or even kill you if it is decided that you are a threat to the village".
Sasuke sighed as he looked at the bracers. They were made of brightly polished steel, with the Konoha leaf symbol on the top and a series of kanji on the underside. He slid them over his arms and closed them with a snap. The edges sealed seamlessly, and they looked to be made of a single piece of metal. Tsunade looked shocked. Sasuke noticed this and smirked. "Surprised I agreed so easily? You shouldn't be. Itachi is dead. From now on my agenda is to rebuild my clan and help keep Konoha safe. You won't be needing that ring."
Tsunade laughed out loud at his statement. Inoichi also looked pleased. Tsunade then looked towards the door and shouted out "you can come in now." Sasuke turned to look at the door and felt his jaw drop at what he saw.
'What happened to the little girl I knew?' was Sasuke's first thought as his blonde headed friend and rival walked in the door accompanied by a familiar girl- no, that wasn't right, she was most definitely a woman now . She had certainly grown in the time he had been gone. Where once there was a little girl wanting approval, there stood a confident kunoichi, secure in her skills and her looks. He tried desperately to moisten his mouth. Finally he managed to say, in a dry voice "Hey Naruto. Hey Hinata". He was stunned to see the two of them holding hands. Figuring it out, he grinned. "So you finally figured out she likes you, huh dobe?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned "she sorta made it obvious, yeah".
Suddenly Sasuke frowned. "Where's Sakura?" he asked. "No offence Hinata but I thought she would be here instead of you."
Suddenly a happy voice sounded out as a pink haired kunoichi bounded into the room "sorry Sasuke, Tsunade-sensei was just giving me some instructions." If Sasuke's jaw had dropped at the sight of Hinata, it nearly hit his lap when he saw Sakura. Like Hinata, she had grown and matured over the years. Unlike Hinata, she also appeared to have changed her look. Where the Hyuuga heir seemed to have discarded her bulky parka, Sakura appeared to have changed her look entirely. Gone was the old dress (A.N. no idea what that thing was called). In its place was a pink battle skirt over a pair of dark blue denim mini-shorts. She also wore a modestly cut red tank top along with her hitai-ite, which was tied loosely around her neck. A pair of fingerless leather gloves and a pair of knee high boots completed the outfit. Looking at Naruto, Sasuke realized that his clothing had changed as well. He was wearing his usual blue ninja sandals, but gone was the obnoxious bright orange jumpsuit that Sasuke had been familiar with. In its place was a pair of long black pants, and a chuunin vest over a tight, burnt orange t-shirt. The old blue-clothed hitai-ite was also gone, replaced by a black one which reached down to his shoulders.
Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the vest "Chuunin? Would have thought you'd all be jounin by now".
Naruto laughed as he replied "well I figured I'd wait for you, it just wouldn't be the same without you. Sakura and Hinata are already jounin though, and Hinata here is even an ANBU hunter-nin". Sasuke tried to keep the look of surprise from his eyes, and clearly failed.
Hinata pouted as she looked at him. "Aaaaw, Sasuke, I'm hurt. Don't tell me you've never heard of the Hyuuga Horror?"
Sasuke was again unsuccessful at keeping the shock from his face. "I had heard, yes, but I always assumed it was Neji..."
This time it was Sakura who answered. "Neji was the original, yes, but when he was made an ANBU captain he wasn't able to take any more risky missions. Hinata stepped up and proved herself just as worthy of the title" Turning to the other guests in the room, Sakura continued talking. "Anyway, if you two could step out of the room for a bit, I need to give Sasuke his check up."
Sakura stared at the man she had loved for years. A whirl of thoughts was going through her head. On the one hand, he had knocked her out and left her on a cold park bench in the middle of the night immediately prior to leaving the village. But on the other hand, both Tsunade and Inoichi had explained that it wasn't him doing those things, that both his loyalties and his personality had been altered by Inoichi to turn him into someone who Orochimaru would believe would be willing to betray his village and his comrades just for power. And she knew that despite everything, she still loved him. Distracted by her thoughts, she didn't realize she was staring until he gave her a familiar smirk. She shook her head as she moved to his side. It was with a touch of sardonic humour that she realized that she was now about to do for her job something that she would have loved to do for other reasons, before he had left the village that is. She looked at him, and in a tone that brooked no argument, she said "alright Sasuke, I need you to take off your clothes".
Naruto and Hinata were walking along the street in front of the hospital hand in hand as they looked for a place to buy some lunch. Suddenly Hinata pointed out something that amused them both. Tsunade was sitting down in one of the street side restaurants, looking forlornly into her bowl of sake. Naruto laughed as he and Hinata slid onto the bench opposite her. "Hey Tsunade baa-chan. I've never seen you look this depressed while drinking sake. Did you lose more money gambling?"
Tsunade scowled at him "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that, you brat? And for more information, I only look sad because of Shizune."
"Shizune?" said Hinata is surprise. What did she do to make you sad?
Tsunade muttered something.
Grinning widely, Naruto said "Say again baa-chan, I couldn't quite hear you."
Tsunade yelled angrily "The damn slavedriver won't let me have any more after this one!" Naruto nearly fell over from laughing. Tsunade snarled at him. "Get out of here brat before I kick your ass again. Oh, and I want you and Sasuke in my office at nine o'clock tomorrow morning, no excuses".
Sakura was finding it hard to keep her mind solely on her job as she examined Sasuke. Despite the number of nude and near nude people she had seen over her time as a medi-nin, she could not keep a light blush from staining her cheeks. This was different after all. This was Sasuke-kun. She looked over his wounds with a critical eye, shocked at the number and severity of them. Although he was well and truly out of danger after nearly twelve hours of surgery and two weeks in a medically induced coma, the marks from his fight with Itachi were still severe. She knew that Naruto had saved his life, had he been even fifteen minutes later in being taken back to Konoha, he would have died for sure. She held her breath as she moved to the wound that had pained her the most. His eyes. "Tilt your head back please" she requested. As he complied she reached up and put a few drops of medication in his eyes.
It was at this stage that Sasuke spoke for the first time since Naruto and Hinata had left. "Sakura, the last thing I remember before Naruto brought me back is Itachi slicing out my eyes after I hit him with a chidori in the chest. Why can I see?"
Sakura bit her lip. She wasn't sure how Sasuke would take this. "Sasuke, when Naruto found out from a former spy of Orochimaru's that you were just a few miles away, I was with him. I would have arrived at the same time as him except that he wouldn't slow down for me. By the time I got to Itachi's hideout, Naruto had already left with you" She bit her lip again nervously. "Fortunately he was smart enough to leave a note telling me your condition. I took Itachi's body with me and Tsunade used his eyes for a transplant". She looked at him with worry evident in her eyes, unsure of how he would react.
To her surprise he didn't seem fazed at all, simply nodding his head and saying in a calm voice, "I see".
Sakura sighed in relief. "So you aren't angry then? About having part of Itachi inside you?"
Sasuke looked at her with something strange in his eyes. "Itachi doesn't matter anymore Sakura. He's dead, the Uchihas are avenged. My only concern now is the rebuilding of the clan." And with those words, he leaned down and kissed her. She leaned into it, wanting it. But at the same time, there was a strange feeling inside her, something that made her pull away.
She stroked his cheek gently. "Sasuke-kun....."
And so ends chapter one! Please review and tell me what you think!
