The Hokage's Conference Room

The summit was going exactly as the two of them had predicted. The reality of it, however, felt entirely different.

Until the village leaders had started discussing mission logistics, Sasuke had approached the whole matter with the usual aloofness he reserved for his duties. It was a habit he'd built up throughout the years as a shinobi, a means to achieve an ironclad focus on his objectives. He was damn good at it too.

So far, their plan was extremely simple. He would be setting out in a week to gather more information in Kaguya's sand dimension, the last place where he'd found clues of the threat. If he was to discover something, he would immediately send a hawk to the Hokage once he had recovered enough chakra. No one outside of the room was to know his objective or whereabouts. Anybody who discovered or stumbled upon the knowledge of his true goals was to be eliminated.

The most telling bit about the whole operation was the last item on the agenda. There was to be no deadline to race against in this reconnaissance. Intelligence gatherings were a common enough objective in S-Rank missions, but the great majority had detailed plans and deadlines attached to them. Every mission detail was crucial for success and for shinobi, who lived their lives at a quicker pace than others, there was none more important than time. As a result, a mission without a foreseeable ending was a mission that was likely to have no ending- a vessel cast adrift to fend itself from the sea.

With a grave finality to his words, the Raikage asked, again, whether Sasuke would take up the mission. Though the tone of his voice was serious, there was a palpable sense of relief in the way that Darui shifted in his chair. The question was more formality than inquiry at this point. The Five Kages expected only one kind of answer from Sasuke. Now they expected to hear it.

All the eyes of the room are upon him now. Sasuke feels an uncharacteristic dryness form in his mouth. For the first time in years, doubt clouds his mind. Words he'd prepared over and over for the last few days shrivel and dissipate on his tongue as he opens his mouth to speak.

Is this all worth it?

He looks to his left at Sakura. Strong, stalwart Sakura. Her mouth has set into a hard line and there's a look of resignation in her green eyes, but she nods, almost imperceptibly, at him.

They had both agreed to this. Even before Naruto had discreetly summoned both of them to his office to inform them that the five Kages were gathering in Konoha, they had discussed, fought, and bargained with each other for weeks. To Sasuke's eternal surprise, his wife had been the first one to venture him as a possible candidate for the mission. Why exactly, he still did not know.

What Sasuke did know was that if he did not step forward to accept this mission, there would be no one else who could takes his place. Not even the dobe could pull this off. An arrogant sentiment, perhaps, but it was the truth. Sasuke had always taken a fierce pride in his skills. Over time, he had learned to accept the responsibilities that came with them without question.

It's an irony that's become more and more bittersweet to him with each passing day. Here he was, one of most powerful people in a room that was already filled with legends. Yet Sasuke felt as helpless as he was seventeen years ago, standing alone in the Uchiha compound and watching his family fade away before his eyes.

And so, with a heaviness in his heart that he had not felt for years, Sasuke replies-

"Yes."