Sasuke's Mind
His team…Hebi. Sasuke wondered what was even the purpose of forming the four-man cell. He was been perfectly able to hunt Itachi on his own, yet he had sought them out.
Even as the group consisting of annoying Suigetsu, red-blooded Karin and bipolar Jugo plus himself travelled in the damp rain, hoods covering their heads and shielding them from the water.
He was suddenly drawn to attention as Karin smashed her fist into Suigetsu's head again.
"Argh! What the fuck was that for, bitch?" Suigetsu moaned; Karin readily reared her hand again.
"You know why Sharkboy! And stop calling me bitch!" Karin retorted, her face as red as her hair. As Jugo attempted to calm them down, Sasuke once again was drawn to brooding.
He had remembered observing Suigetsu in Orochimaru's labs, when he was under the Snake Sannin's tutelage. He had often been puzzled by the purple water, and had been aware of someone watching him.
Suigetsu reminded him of Naruto, his old teammate, the way he constantly annoyed Karin was proof of that. Even though it was different than asking Karin out on a date, Sasuke was reminded of Naruto none-the-less.
He had chosen Suigetsu because of his kekkei genkai, the ability to transform his body into water, making him an adept Water Release user. From what little he knew of Suigetsu's origins, he had fled the Land of Water and 'went' with Orochimaru. He despised Orochimaru because of that; to destroy and meddle with people's lives was exactly what Itachi had done.
Karin, as well, reminded him of Sakura, the giddy fangirl. He shuddered; fangirls always, always fawned over him. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Karin was atleast the same sort of fangirl, but to a lesser extent; she respected his privacy, and never questioned his orders. Sasuke was sure that could be the death of her.
Her unique ability to heal a person of wounds just from them biting her had initially brought disgust to him; it was sick to take advantage of a person like that. It was probably due to her Uzumaki blood. God, he swore he had felt shivers up his spine when he had figured out she was probably related to Naruto.
He glared at the sky; someone clearly hated him up there.
Karin's affection had confused him; she had known of his past in the Leaf, known of his betrayal and then his uncaring attitude at Sound. Despite this, she cared for him, more than Sakura ever had. In a sense, it felt…refreshing. It reminded him of his mother; how she had consoled him when he fell, when he had burnt his hands, she healed them. It was…a pleasant feeling.
Then he had heard of Jugo. He had to admit, he was surprised when he found out the source of his Cursed Mark was from the blood of a man only two years older than him. But he had seen the videos; how Jugo was extremely bipolar. He was called 'Jugo of the Scales' after all.
Apart from his thoughts on how useful Jugo could be when he started to hunt Itachi, deep in his psyche, he had the thought that Jugo could remove the Cursed Mark. He had chatsised himself; the Cursed Mark was his greatest asset, apart from the Sharingan, for killing Itachi. It certainly had proven useful when he had fought and absorbed Orochimaru.
He had realised something. He had reconstructed, subconciously, Team 7. Suigetsu as Naruto, Karin as Sakura and Jugo as Kakashi. How the hell did he not notice that?
In truth, he enjoyed their company. They filled a black void in his heart where Team 7 and his family had been before he had defected.
But surely his revenge was more important than bonds? Was he truly not getting over the 'Leaf bond' Orochimaru had continously mentioned? He was confused.
He would decide for himself. Until he was sure what he was going to decide, he would content himself with the company of Hebi. He swore he would never let them hear him say that.
It would go with him to the grave.