A/N: This story is categorized under Hurt/comfort/drama, but also features HEAVILY under the crime category.

Chapter 1

He craned his neck slightly to peak out at the crowd behind the curtain. They buzzed excitedly, complimenting the sound of the live streaming equipment that dotted around the entirety of the convention floor. Taking his left hand and running it through his ebony hair, he turned back to his team. The four of them huddled close to their coach, crammed in the small space with a second team not far away.

"Sasuke, did you hear a word I just said?" his coach watched him in a hushed, rushed tone, through a medical mask that Sasuke had never seen him without. He sometimes wondered if he was really, actually sick like he claimed or just didn't want to reveal his face.

"Yeah. Ban Yozo first. And grab Koko and Aiko. After that, play by ear of what the other team does. But we are focusing on getting Toichi and Sanehiro in the second round."

Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose hard. Of course, Sasuke was listening. In all his years of professional gaming, Sasuke never missed a beat. He wasn't one of the world's top e-sport players for nothing, after all. Kakashi raised his head and his eyes darted over each and every one of them.

"I don't suppose there is much else to say. Except..." again, his eyes swept across them all—resting briefly on Sasuke before finishing, "You've worked hard to get to this point. I'm proud of you."

One of his teammates, a boy not about a year older than Sasuke who never outgrew the bowl-cut hair-style, let out a small sob. Another one of his teammates patted the boy with bushy-eye brows gently. "Ah, Lee. Always the cry-baby." Sai gave him a small, disingenuous smile.

"Sai!" Kakashi sighed once again, burying his face in his hand. "I wish Guy would show."

Sasuke and his final teammate—the only one of the bunch he found himself calling "friend"-exchanged looks. He and Neji shared similar feelings for their second coach and they were the exact opposite of Kakashi's "wanting him to be there".

A stagehand scrambled forward from their competitors. He wheezed, his voiced shaky with anticipation of the event about to happen. "Two minutes. Please be prepared." He rushed off again, stumbling around the other group and the impromptu curtain that separated them from the audience. This really was a poorly laid out set-up.

As Sasuke was about to turn his focus back on his team, his eyes got caught on a single individual on the other team who was staring at him. Even after catching him, he didn't flinch away from drinking Sasuke in and analyzing him with piercing sea-foam colored eyes. The boy's coach was the only thing that swayed their staring contest in Sasuke's favor.

"Neji," Sasuke nudged his teammate with his elbow and inclining his head to the red-head who he had caught staring at him, "Any idea who that is?"

Neji peered over, trying to keep his movement subtle. Sasuke had to hand it to him. Neji seemed to be able to see everything without even moving his eyes. He turned to Sasuke, crossing his arms over his chest. "Shukaku is his handle. I believe his real name is Gaara. He's been winning people over on Glitch with his talent, recently."

"Good for him." Sasuke tried to hide the strain on his voice from the stranger giving him—for the lack of a better term—the creeps.

"He could tell Neji wanted to say something, but as he was considering speaking, the lights on the stage flashed. A booming voice filled the giant room. "Welcome to the finals the Grand Shinobi Showdown! I'm your host—" Sasuke stopped listening and stared toward the stage where a line of eight, glowing blue computers sat. This was easy. They had done this before, countless of times. He clenched and unfurled his fists in anticipation. As the host continued on with his rambling, Sasuke couldn't help but feel his heart ramming against his chest.

Just because they'd done it countless of times didn't mean he wasn't nervous about walking in front of hundreds of people.

A hand squeezed his shoulder and he looked to see Kakashi also staring out at the computers as well. Without looking at him, Kakashi said, "Remember, we're here. Remember teamwork."

"Right." Sasuke only half took in the statement. He was Sasuke Uchiha, after all. One of the best e-sports players in the world. His live stream dominated in numbers on Glitch. And he did that on his own.

"Please welcome... Team Konoha!" the host finally boomed. Kakashi released his shoulder with one final squeeze and shove. Sasuke let out a breath and took the first step out onto the stage.

As was customary, he led his team out in front of the computers first, where a small outcropping sat, large enough for the four of them to stand and wave out at the crowd.

"Rock Lee!" a light beneath Lee illuminated him as he whooped and cheered with the crowd. His mood definitely changed quickly from the crying kid backstage to the annoyingly enthusiastic entertainer now.

"Artizz!" Again, a light lit up one of his teammates. This time, it was Sai. He put on that same smile and waved politely. Sometimes, Sasuke wondered how Sai had a girlfriend and he didn't. The kid was downright creepy with his stiff movements.

"Ghost!" Neji bowed. Sasuke heard a few screams from the crowd, adoring fans. Of his three teammates, Neji was the closest one to him in statistics. He was talented and smart, making him the perfect partner when Sasuke needed it... not that he ever needed a partner.

"And Hawk!" As the light revealed him, Sasuke didn't move. The crowd absolutely exploded, which melted his nerves away as fast as a snap. He glanced around and then cocked his lips to the side, tilting his head with them. He heard multiple girls wail. This... this is what it was supposed to be like. Sasuke basked in the blue glow and the deafening screeches vibrating against the walls. This is the environment he thrived in.

They were soon excused to their seats on the stage. Their right, the audience's left. Kakashi had told him the theater term for that before, but that wasn't something he cared to remember. He cared about the game. He cared to know every technique, every character inside and out. He had to space in his memory for stage up and down or left and right. They settled down at their assigned computers. He was at the end, closet to the other team. Just the way he preferred it. The PC in front of him was already set up, but he double checked to see if they were all in the same Disaccord server before swapping back to the game screen. They seemed to all be connected fine.

He glanced over at Neji, who signaled a thumbs up before they both situated the supplied headset over their ears. The crowd was muffled—slightly. There wasn't much you could do with an auditorium filled with enthusiastic gamers. They were a loud and passionate group of people... something that Sasuke had to admit was thrilling.

"Mic check." came Sai's voice in his ear.

"Read ya loud n clear!" Lee chirped.

"I hope you're all ready." Neji murmured, though it was almost impossible to hear.

"Always," Sasuke replied.

Once the other team was settled—Sasuke had not bothered to listen, he just knew the Gaara kid had a pretty loud fan base as well—and Kakashi was behind them with his earpiece, they were allowed to load up the game's competitive screen option. He clicked ready on his end and everyone's computers quickly loaded into the first round of character bans and select.

"Remember. Ban Yozo." Kakashi's voice came through their headphones. Sasuke found himself nodding to himself. However, he didn't have the option to ban. On the opposite end of the table, Lee flicked through the characters, searching frantically for Yozo's character. Sasuke mentally cursed him. The names were all in alphabetical order! He found Yozo eventually and selected him. The host "oooh'd", and then went on about how it was a smart move on their part. That Yozo's current state was extremely unbalanced. Then Lee and Sai chose the two characters discussed earlier. Koko and Aiko. They turned and nodded to each other.

Now, it was their opponent's turn to ban and choose.

Sasuke watched his screen intently. He was expecting them to ban Michi, maybe. She was annoying to counter and had one of the highest stealth scores in the game. If he had had any say, she would have been the first banned character.

His heart dropped as he watched the name Sanehiro flash across the screen and the character portrait of the heroic bowman with it. "Fuck, fuck," Kakashi growled. Sasuke could feel the frustration bubbling from his coach behind him. His own skin prickled with anxiety now. Sanehiro was meant to be his character. Did they know somehow? A lucky guess? In his practice streams, he never talked about what character he would play in the tournament, and he always let the game choose his character instead of letting his biased human brain select and accidentally choose Sanehiro. He chanced a glance toward their opponents. Gaara looked up as he felt Sasuke's gaze land on him. They just stared at each other.

"Sasuke. Choose Michi." Kakashi told him. Sasuke pressed his lips together and didn't respond. He could play Michi well enough, but that would upset the group dynamic that they were already building. There had to be a different character.

"Ban Satoshi. Neji choose Toichi as planned, and Sasuke—Sasuke are you listening?"

Sasuke watched as Satoshi's name flew across the screen in red, with his goofy smile to go along with it. He could feel the heat building up in the back of his neck as Neji selected Toichi and the character flashed across his screen, holding a defensive stance with a shuriken in between his fingers. Kakashi's voice echoed through his mind, telling him to choose Michi. Michi was a fine character. He played her a lot. But the way their party was shaping up, she would almost be a hindrance. She was all about stealth, and while the other characters could stealth, they were more close-combat fighting and jutsu.

Toichi's character art disappeared from the screen, clearing the way for Sasuke to choose a character. His hand twitched and he grabbed the mouse in a firm, tight grip. Michi wasn't a character he should choose... but then who?

His cursor hovered over the white-haired, sassy character art... he lifted his finger, about to press down.

But then the character next to her caught his eye.

Minako. A blond man built for speed and could teleport where he through his kunai. He had been used a lot back when the game was first released, in tournament play and regular games. The character had fallen out of favor as other characters were introduced in patches and he was left... forgotten. He needed to be buffed to fit the current meta. But Sasuke... Sasuke remembered playing Minako with a giant smile and racing heart before his streams caught the eye of his Team Konoha and he was recruited. Minako was...

He twitched his wrist and selected Minako with a swift click. He locked in his selection before anyone could tell him otherwise.

Minako was fun to play.

"Sasuke! What are you doing?" Kakashi's voice was cursing him. "Why didn't you choose Michi?"

Sasuke rose his fingers to his microphone and pushed it a tad closer to his face. "Michi is too selfish of a character for this team, Kakashi."

"But Minako is sincerely out-classed. He needs major reworking before he's ready for competitive play!"

He could feel four sets of eyes boring into him. Sasuke turned in his seat to look Kakashi dead in the eye. "Kakashi, good players can make mediocre characters great. Trust me."

Kakashi lowered his face into his hand. Sasuke turned back to his screen, where he saw the other team had just selected their own remaining characters. Michi being one of them. His hand twitched again.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. I hope you're right."

"I usually am." Sasuke murmured, mostly to himself.

They selected where they wanted to spawn on the map and then a hush fell upon the crowd, almost eerily quiet.

ooooo

Minako landed on a soft tuft of grass, fresh dew spotted along the blades and vegetation surrounding him. Shadows jumped down next to him, materializing almost out of the darkness itself. He quickly recognized Koko, Aiko, and Toichi. They stared out into the forest in front of them for a moment before seemingly coming to consciousness.

Aiko scuffed. "Here, huh?"

"Seems like it," Koko replied, slowly bringing out his katana, "and the mission is to eliminate the enemy."

Minako rubbed the back of his neck and searched the tree line with his eyes. It was too dark to see properly. Nothing new, that's why they had Toichi. As if reading his mind, Toichi pressed his hands together. A small wave of energy released from his companion and disappeared just at the edge of the tree-line. Minako watched as Toichi's brow tightened slightly before he lowered his hands, "Radar up. They're not close. Stay aware. No telling what we're up against." Toichi was always to the point. Minako appreciated the ability to convey information so easily, but the emotionless tone was a drag sometimes.

He just wished more of his teammates were more like Satoshi... someone who had passion and fire in their souls.

They were off, bouncing from shadow to shadow, keeping to the low branches and letting Toichi lead them. After a minute or so, they landed on the roof of a shack that was far too moldy to safely live in. Minako dropped down to the cobblestone pathway that ventured out into the darkness from the worn-out door. He glanced around and then began to reach for the handle. Inside this shack there could very well be supplies they could use. Maybe something for medical. They were running low after their last encounter.

As he touched the door, Aiko appeared next to him and grabbed his wrist, hissing, "Wait. It could be trapped."

Minako looked down at their only female member. And even if he wanted to protest, her eyes hardened and... honestly, Aiko was a little scary. She was far too intense for anyone. He stepped away from the door, letting Aiko scan it before deeming it clear.

She pushed open the door. He pushed past her, into the dingy shack. The moment he stepped through the threshold, he recoiled from the stench of mold and decay. Inside, there were turned over armchairs, muddy footprints, and remnants of some kind of dinner that featured a small creature as its main course. Minako covered his nose with his tall collar and started shuffling through the wrecked cottage. There wasn't much, but he stashed away a decent amount of bandages and some extra shuriken, which he made a mental note of giving to Toichi. There was also a jar of... poison? He didn't usually dabble with poison... but if the situation called for it. He slipped it carefully into a pocket on his jacket made specifically for a jar like this.

"Hurry," Aiko moaned. Minako shot her a look but rushed back outside, closing the door behind them.

Toichi and Koko jumped down from the decrepit building and the four of them started creeping through the forest once more. They slipped through the shadows, this time maneuvering at the base of the trees, keeping hidden and staying quiet.

Suddenly, Toichi's arm shot up, making the rest of them stop. "My radar was just deactivated by an outside source." Minako saw Toichi's eyes harden and his feet widen as he crouched more defensively. "They're here."

A flurry of shuriken rushed out from the leaves above them. Minako flipped backward, his body contorting with the agility of a cat. His hand found one of his special kunai and he threw it back toward the direction of the attackers before he landed gracefully on his feet. The others had made similar movements. Though, Koko was somehow already dangling with one arm from the lowest branch of the tree, similarly to how a monkey would.

Aiko heaved in a giant breath. Once she looked satisfied, she released it. But instead of a normal sigh, black oil spewed from her lips and landed thick on the trees and leaves. Well, there went the plan of teleporting to them with his kunai. I would take a least five minutes for it to start drying and another five for it to be suitable for an ally to walk on.

"Take cover!" Koko called as he dropped down with a kunai with a tag dangling from the handle in his hand. Before Minako could protest this plan, the kunai left Koko's hand with a whoosh.

Minako's heart fell into his stomach as he watched fire bloom out from the oil-soaked trees. A blazing heat burst out, engulfing the entire area. He crouched down, covering his face with his arms and planted his heels into the hard soil below him to brace himself against the impact of force. It wasn't enough, though. The force knocked into him. His feet were lifted out from beneath him as if someone had them on strings and just tugged them off the ground. He tumbled back onto the ground. With every uncontrolled somersault across the ground, he felt his exposed skin scrape and tear. He tried to steady himself, grabbing for anything that would stop his roll but with no avail. He eventually came to a stop, a good two meters away from where he had been standing moments before.

His ears rang. He blinked against the heat of the licking flames that not only blazed in the treetops, but all around them. "Damn..." he cursed quietly, pushing himself up with his fist. As he propped himself on one knee, he could feel the newly acquired cuts and bruises running along his arms and cheeks stretch uncomfortably. "Where...?" his eyes darted about. Toichi and Aiko had disappeared. Koko, on the other hand, had not been able to dodge his own explosion and had been thrown back against a tree, his head bowed forward and unmoving. He must have been dazed. Minako's fingers tensed on the ground and he pushed himself upward, his muscles complaining with the movement.

He had to keep Koko safe until he snapped out of it. He took a shaky step forward, another... another. As his next step was about to connect with the ground, a currant of air caught his movement and wound its way around him. The chill of this concentrated currant swept across him and, despite constraining his movements, was somewhat refreshing compared to the intense heat of the flames. It was about to his naval when he clapped his hands together and yelled, "Release!" A burst of his own energy pushed against the air, dispelling it into the surroundings. He landed back on the soil, taking a second to compose himself before glaring down the figure in front of him.

A woman in a kimono that was cut short—about to her mid-thigh—stood with her chin tilted proudly. She chuckled slightly, "Ah, Minako. I haven't seen you out here in a while."

Minako pushed his blond hair out of his eyes, drinking in the pale skin and ink-colored hair sitting pretty in neat buns on the top of her head. She stood with her feet maybe a foot apart, with her shoulders relaxed and back. In one hand she held a currently folded paper fan, the other was propped on her hip. To top it all off, she wore a smug expression, her eyes glittering with excitement at the idea of blowing him off the map.

He smiled a little. "You haven't changed one bit, Akane." With a flash, his hand was on his pouch, and he had one of his kunai out in front of him, ready to defend himself if necessary.

Akane flicked open her fan and they both swung their weapons. A gale of wind hit him like what he would imagine a wrecking ball would feel like. His kunai landed with a thunk behind her and she didn't flinch.

Once again, he began to stumble backward. Only this time he was prepared. He caught himself and honed his eyesight on the kunai that was embedded in the ground and—he was no longer being pushed backward by her strong gust. Instead, with a burst of energy, he found himself knelt down behind her and loosed the kunai from the ground.

"What?" he heard her gasp as she realized he disappeared. He turned his torso, aiming the point of the blade straight for her lung.

The kunai dug into soft flesh. She had just turned around quickly enough to see him plunge the dagger under her rib cage. Time stood still for a moment as she stared down at him, wide-eyed. Warm, stickiness began to drip down from her torso, absorbing into his glove and running down his arm.

"I had forgotten..." she murmured, "You can't be underestimated."

Minako glared slightly. He placed one hand on her torso and leveraged the knife from her. She staggered backward, holding a hand over the wound before falling forwards onto her stomach.

"He stood back up, staring at the woman he felt like he had known his entire life... yet there was a gap. Something was amiss. Why did he have so little empathy towards this situation? He had just murdered a former ally of his. Should he not be grieving her? Why were they fighting in the first place?

"Aye, Minako took Akane out." Koko's voice drifted towards him. Minako turned to spy his teammate getting to his feet. "The blast dazed me. It wore off when he finished her. What?" Koko's eyes darted toward him, filled with sudden urgency. "Alright I'll tell him." his hand dropped from his earpiece, which, Minako quickly noticed his wasn't working. He lifted his hand up to his own and pulled it out. No signs of life from the little thing. Guess he was going on without it.

Koko cleared his throat. "Toichi and Aiko took out Tabito but Aiko was taken down by an arrow."

Minako's face hardened and he tossed the earpiece to the side. "A sniper...? Could only mean..."

"Michi." Koko finished for him. "This is going to be tougher than we thought."

"We're two against three. We should be fine as long as we stick together." Minako stumbled toward the direction he had last seen Toichi, wiping his kunai clean on his long jacket. "We need to find Toichi. He's more defensive than offensive so he'll be fine for a moment. But we need to find him."

"Koko jogged up beside him and nodded while unsheathing his katana once more. "Shouldn't be too far, just keep an eye out."

They burst into a run with Minako trying to put behind him the lack of feeling he had had for killing Akane. It didn't make sense to him. He knew he had feelings. He had memories of growing up and feeling things for people, for things...

No, that wasn't right. He couldn't pinpoint anything in his memories. He couldn't remember. He just felt like he remembered. Did he actually even have emotions?

They continued to jump through the trees. Minako was coming to realize something.

There was something wrong with the world, with his head... and he wanted to figure out what it was.