Disclaimer: The series Naruto and all of its characters do NOT belong to me….

*The darkness was an undefinable muse. So close and warm, yet so far and distant. She teased and tortured at will. Unpredictable and bold, she never left him. And for that he was thankful. Perhaps the only thing he was thankful for.*

He slowly opened his eyes. All was quiet. Only the croaks and hisses of small ones hunting could be heard. Undoubtedly, a delightful change from the painful screeches of his fellow shinobi. It was something he would never be able to stomach. Even after all these centuries.

His bliss, however, lasted for just a few more moments. As he heard the door rustily creak open and close he bitterly berated himself for once again being a fool. The reason for tonight's quiet. It would be at his expense. He could picture the expressions on his friends' faces as She would quietly walk past their cells this night. Her face would be fire and brimstone, unlike the calm and innocence she would normally exude. They would right then know the events to follow. And they would mourn in silence. Mourn once again for their hero who never stood a chance.

He stilled once the clicking of her heels on stone ceased to be imagination and started assuming reality. Taking in deep breaths, he nervously began to finger his talisman given to him by a certain village-baka long ago. So long that he couldn't remember anything of that momentous day except for glowing blonde hair and vivid blue eyes staring at him as if he was the most precious thing in this world and beyond.

His thoughts flew away as the footsteps came to a halt right outside his cell. He turned his head slightly to the left and greeted her with an imperceptible nod. He had learned a long time ago that manners go a long way. A lesson which Kiba and Ino still struggled with at times. She ignored the gesture. Her mind was far away, even now calculating various possibilities and probabilities. This was the only time when he thought of her as being remotely human and more like her old-self.

He slowly brought himself to his feet as she began to mutter the incantation which would release him from his prison. Escaping would be futile. It always was. This time it he thought it prudent to save all the chakra he could. The gate swung open and he calmly walked out doing his best to hide his ever growing terror. She didn't say a word. Just pushed a parcel into his hands and stared at him with eyes devoid of emotion. Quite unlike other times when he could practically feel the hatred and loathing trying to melt him into nothingness.

Turning, he began his long walk of shame. As he passed by various prison cells, he mentally took note of those who were alive and those who were fortunate enough to die. Many refused to look at him, too overpowered with despair and hopelessness to do so. They all knew that it wasn't his fault. They were all at the mercy of a woman scorned. Yet they couldn't bring themselves to acknowledge his presence on this night. He never blamed them.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and latched onto his arm. He turned. And looked straight into the eyes of one Yamanaka Ino who simply smiled back at him. With girlish delight she tucked a flower behind his ear and whispered, " You' ll be fine Sasuke-kun. Now go, he's waiting for you." and with that she quickly nudged him on his way forth.

Now he knew it was twisted, but he had long ago gotten used to this routine. The walking, searching and killing had succeeded in blurring into missions of old. And he embraced that feeling for it helped him overcome the crushing pain and defeat he would feel with every success. Her success.

Yet there was one thing he had learnt and that was the fact that Ino was somebody to be taken seriously. Especially in cases dealing with fate and destiny. While most of the shinobi including himself rotted away during their forced imprisonment as the centuries passed, she was the only one who matured in more ways than one. Perhaps it was simply her Clan Jutsu that had evolved but it soon made her a force to be reckoned with. Sitting there in a solitary cell had led her into introspection and a single burning desire to make her best friend/ rival pay for what she imposed on all of them.

He immediately quickened his pace. Once out of the fortress he opened up the package. It contained what it always did. A ceremonial dagger, an empty vial and a scroll of instructions. He didn't even bother opening the scroll. The instructions were always the same. * Kill and bring his blood to me*. He paused for a second and took a look around.

Even after all these years the village was still home. The stars shined brightly making the most of a clear cloudless sky. Most of the villagers and present-day shinobi were asleep. A wind blew softly through his hair as he looked up at the Hokage Monument. Six solemn faces stared down back at him. It certainly was paradise. All were thankful for their pink-haired Hokage who did all she could to keep her village safe and prosperous. The fact that she seemed to live on for ever didn't bother them the slightest. It was only the handful of poor souls whom she kept trapped in her hidden hell who paid the price.

Sighing he began making his way towards his target, once again fingering his talisman. It had become a bad habit actually. A sign of weakness he didn't have the heart to ruthlessly quash out. The wind blew once more, caressing and comforting all at once. He knew it was time. His target was lying on one of the rooftops, peacefully enjoying the stars.

Unexpectedly he suddenly let out a few choice curse words. The talisman he was fingering had burnt him. This alerted the figure on the roof who turned and then their eyes met. There was a reason why he had been able to go through with previous similar missions like this one. Because all the time he had been ordered to kill Naruto he had been able to do so only because he knew that that Naruto wasn't his. He had always been able to convince himself that reincarnations never hold onto memories of their past life. And plus the Kyuubi's absence always helped.

But this time, he knew that something had changed. " Naruto..."