"There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness." –Josh Billings
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Sasuke almost had to laugh at the irony of it all.
Here he was trying to hurt Konoha, and they were trying to help him. Healing him, providing him with food. Were they retarded? Everybody seemed to think he was a silly child, trying to act like a "big boy." That he hadn't thought through anything. That he wasn't sorry for anything he had done. But that wasn't true.
He was an Uchiha for Gods sake! He had a reason for everything. For killing his brother, and now for killing the elders. He wouldn't say he was proud for some decisions he made, but he was damn proud of, well, other things. He just couldn't really think of those "other things" at the moment. He decided to blame his inability to think on the painkillers.
Sasuke sighed, leaning back on the mountain of pillows supporting him, remembering the events of the past couple of days.
Going after the eight tails had been a lot harder then he imagined. He would consider that something he was not proud of. He didn't even know why Akatsuki needed the tailed beasts! Maybe he should have asked why he was kidnapping the eight tails. Another thing he wasn't proud of. He had been found lying in the middle of the forest, completely out of chakra and completely out of dignity. He hadn't gotten his ass kicked like that in a while. Well, that's what his pride told him.
Sasuke wasn't positive, but he had a good feeling that both of his legs were broken. Escaping Konoha wasn't going to happen at the moment. And with the ANBU standing guard around his room, he was almost scared- no; Uchihas didn't get scared- cautioned to move a muscle.
He hadn't expected things to happen like this. He had planned on traveling for a bit, maybe even returning to Konoha after killing Itachi. But killing the village elders? He had never seen that one coming. He knew that killing the elders would be practically impossible now, seeing that as soon as he got out of the hospital he would be locked up in a cold, moldy, jail cell. But revenge was what he needed. After those bastards that were responsible for his clan's death were buried six feet under, he could finally be at peace. The burden he had been carrying would be gone. He could move on. Revenge was really the only answer, right?
Sasuke felt his vision begin to blur and his brain went fuzzy. Sasuke closed his eyes and let the drugs dripping into his arm from the intravenous put him to sleep.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
"Sakura, can I see you in my office?"
Sakura looked up, surprised to see Tsunade standing next to her. It wasn't like Tsunade to leave her office to find somebody, she usually sent Shizune to get people. Sakura nodded, following her teacher to the Hokage tower. Tsunade opened the door to reveal Naruto and Kakashi already inside, waiting for Sakura to arrive.
"So, uh, what's going on Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked, hoping for a kick ass S ranked mission.
Tsunade sighed, massaging her temple with her fingers. "Idiot, don't call me Granny, and Akatsuki is what's going on!" Naruto almost felt his heart stop.
"Heh, those bastards again?" Naruto said, his voice grave, all thoughts of missions pushed to the back of his mind. "Don't they ever give up?"
"Akatsuki is planning something. They've been quiet too long. With only two tailed beasts remaining, they are going to be coming after Naruto soon. And you Naruto," she said, placing her stern gaze on the orange ninja, "need to be prepared for an attack at anytime."
"Things are really that serious?" Sakura asked. She knew Akatsuki was bad news and was an extremely powerful group of ninja, but she never thought they would be able to capture Naruto. Naruto had always seemed invincible. He was always the strong one, the one who never gave up. Sakura couldn't bear to imagine life without him; he was her best friend after all.
"Things are getting pretty bad. Akatsuki is becoming more and more dangerous, recruiting more missing ninja to fill in for the lost members. And to top it off, now that Sasuke is in Konoha, he may try to kidnap Naruto." Tsunade said hesitantly. She knew that team 7 had every right to be happy that Sasuke was back, but she also knew that Sasuke was bad news.
"What do you mean Sasuke will come after me!" Naruto yelled. "Sasuke may be a bastard but he wouldn't-"
"The problem is Naruto, that he would. We've been receiving reports from several villages saying Sasuke has been working with Akatsuki. I personally have no idea why. And plus, Sasuke was attempting to capture the eight tails. Face it, he's your enemy now."
Naruto glared at Tsunade, Sakura remained completely impassive, and Kakashi looked at his feet, not knowing what to say. Everything had changed in the past three and a half years. Naruto and Sakura had improved greatly, enough to surpass Kakashi himself. And Sasuke had practically sprinted down the path of revenge. Kakashi had always known Sasuke wouldn't be happy with revenge, but he never thought Sasuke would join the organization that his brother had been a part of. What ever was going through Sasuke's head was clearly not good.
"So, what exactly do you need us for Hokage-sama?" Kakashi questioned.
"I need you guys to find out what Sasuke's plans are, what Akatsuki's plans are. Figure out his plans, by any needs necessary. You guys know the way he works, you're the only ninja capable of this job. Up to the task?" The three ninjas looked at each other, nodding.
"I think we can manage." Kakashi said, his visible eye crinkling in a smile. Sakura nodded, her face stretching in a small smile.
"Heh, Sasuke-teme won't know what hit him! We'll get him to spill his guts, believe it!" Naruto yelled. He wouldn't let Sasuke become a complete bad guy; he was like his brother after all. He would do everything he could to learn Sasuke's plans. And maybe, scare Sasuke so much, he would shit his pants… That would make his day.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
Sakura looked at the clock on her bedside table for about the millionth time that night. The demonic red numbers of doom read 2:30. Why had she agreed to interrogate Sasuke! She didn't know what to do, how to feel. She didn't love Sasuke anymore, she knew that much. And she did know he was her teammate, her friend. But she didn't forgive him yet. And what scared her was that she didn't know if she would ever truly forgive him.
But she was more scared for Naruto at the time. If what Tsunade said was true, would Sasuke kidnap Naruto? She didn't want to believe Tsunade; she was clearly just angry and was stretching the truth. Sakura laughed bitterly. She would keep telling herself that Sasuke hadn't turned into something bad, into a monster, but she knew she would have to face the truth sooner than later.