A/N: So this will eventually be a Kakashi/Sasuke pairing, but it won't be instant. It will be something that grows into more than just friends and teammates. There will be Kakashi/Iruka pairing at the start of this story as well.

Summary: Konoha finds out the true reason Sasuke left Konoha in the first place. With Sasuke being back in Konoha he continues to help Konoha anyway he can with the upcoming war. Kakashi fights beside Sasuke and keeping a close eye on him. Kakashi becomes more and more worried about Sasuke as it becomes clear that Sasuke truly only sees himself as a weapon and pawn for Konoha to use. Kakashi struggles to show Sasuke that he is so much more than just some tool.

Warnings: Sex eventually, mentions of torture, swearing, nothing too heavy though compared to my other stories.

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Chapter 1

Kakashi woke on the cold hard cement floor with a start. His head felt fuzzy and his memory was a little foggy, but he knew he was in trouble. Kakashi forced his mind to clear as he looked around the cell that he was being held in. The last thing he remembered was walking through the woods with Pakun beside him. He was on his way back from a solo mission and Pakun was just keeping him company. The mission was simple and it didn't take him no more than three days to complete. He was half way to Konoha when he felt a needle pick on his neck. Kakashi moved his hand to find there was a dart in his neck. Before Kakashi could even get his mind to register what was in the dart he fell unconscious. Now god knows how many hours later he was finally waking up and found himself in a cold, dark, dirty cement cell with his ankle attacked to a chain, just long enough to go over to the other side of the cell, but not close enough to the door. Kakashi also noticed he had on some kind of mechanical collar around his neck that was locked and would need a key to open it. Kakashi didn't know what was going on, but he wasn't going to stay here to find out. He tried to make a small Chidori in his hand so he could break the chain attaching to his ankle, only when he tried to get his chakra to work he couldn't. He couldn't get his chakra to gather or to even flow through his body. Kakashi knew that was a bad sign so he started to look under his sleeves and shirt to try and find the source of the problem. Sure enough on his left hip there was a seal blocking his chakra. Without his chakra his body will eventually go weak and he wouldn't be able to defend himself unless he was close enough to hit the person. Kakashi sat up and found that his body was weak from whatever drug was in the dart. He leaned his back against the wall and just closed his eyes to try and get his head to stop spinning. After a few minutes Kakashi opened his eyes and was glad that the room was no longer spinning in circles. Kakashi didn't know what to do, but he knew he couldn't do much with his situation. Pakun would have headed to Konoha as fast as he could and would alert the Hokage. Kakashi knew that Pakun could find him anywhere in the world so all he had to do was wait until help arrived.

Kakashi didn't know how long he had been sitting there when he heard a metal door open down the hall. Kakashi stood up, he felt better now that the drug was leaving his system. Kakashi heard two separate footsteps and the sound of something being dragged. Kakashi was prepared for whatever was to come his way. Kakashi saw two men in black masks covering their face appear in front of the cell. The one man opened it and moved aside while the other man threw an unconscious man into the cell. The man rolled on the floor and landed on the other side of the cell. Kakashi didn't waste his time to question his kidnappers.

"What do you want with me?" Kakashi demanded.

"The secret to bringing down Konoha. That one there hasn't spoken a single word, but he'll be dead in a few days. Maybe that will loosen your tongue." The one man said with a deadly tone.

The other man shut and locked the cell door before they both headed back down the hallway. Only when Kakashi heard the second door close did he move over to the other captive. He was covered in blood and dirt. His jeans were torn in various spots; his shirt was in shreds, but still on his body. Kakashi bent down and gently rolled the unconscious man over and he couldn't believe who he was seeing. The man's face was black and blue, with dirt and blood on his face, neck and arms. Some was dry and some was fresh. Underneath all of that blood, dirt and bruises was a face he never expected to see, Sasuke. Kakashi was stunned that his old student was here. Kakashi didn't understand why they would take Sasuke, just like he didn't understand why Sasuke hadn't told them anything to ease his pain. Kakashi had endless questions flooding his mind and the one that stood out the most was that Sasuke might be dead. Kakashi couldn't see if he was breathing or not so with a shaky hand he reached out to check for a pulse. He found one, it was weak, but it was there. Sasuke's breathing was shallow and laboured and Kakashi knew what the man said was true; he would be dead in the next few days without medical help. Sasuke's skin was freezing cold from being in this cell and Kakashi couldn't help, but wonder how long he had been here.

"Sasuke" Kakashi could barely hear his own voice.

Kakashi didn't know what was going on or how long Sasuke had been here, but the fear in him was starting to swallow him whole. He needed to wake Sasuke up to speak to him. He needed to make sure that Sasuke was alive and could hold on until help arrived.

"Sasuke" Kakashi said louder this time as he gently shook Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke let out a weak groan at the sound of his name. He hadn't heard his name in a long time. Sasuke didn't even know how long he had been captive here. Sasuke thought it was just some dream that he heard his name, but then he heard it again and again. He could feel his body being shook slightly so he forced his eyes to open slightly, but there truly was no point.

"Sasuke, that's it wake up."

Sasuke knew that voice, it was Kakashi, but he couldn't figure out why he would be here.

"Kakashi" Sasuke's voice was weak and hoarse. It was clear that he hadn't used it in a while.

"I'm right here. Come on open your eyes for me Sasuke."

Sasuke forced his eyes to open and the second Kakashi saw Sasuke's eyes fully open he knew something was wrong. Sasuke wasn't looking at him; he was looking in his direction, but not at him. His eyes were red and irritated, but what scared Kakashi more was that they were blank.

"You can't see me." Kakashi stated sadly.

"I can't see anything." Sasuke said weakly and with a shortness of breath.

Sasuke's eyes started to close and Kakashi spoke.

"I need you to stay awake Sasuke. Come on Sasuke stay awake with me. How long has it been since you went blind?"

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes and it scared Kakashi more than he wanted to admit that it took so much energy for Sasuke to just open his eyes.

"I don't know. My chakra is sealed and it was affecting my eyes. They put some chemical in my eyes everything went dark. They still burn from it." Sasuke's breathing was getting wheezy and his voice was shaky.

"I'm going to lift your shirt and just look at the seal. I have one on my hip to and my ankle is chained to the wall. I also have the same collar you do. Do you know what the collar does?" Kakashi asked gently as he lifted Sasuke's shirt.

Kakashi knew that Sasuke was terrified and he knew that Sasuke was dying. Kakashi had to close his eyes when he saw the state of Sasuke's torso was in. He was covered in blood and dirt. Kakashi could tell that ten of his ribs were broken; he had multiple stab wounds and scars all over his torso. He had chemical burns on his torso and whip markings. Kakashi couldn't imagine what his back looked like as well. He also had the same seal on his left hip that Kakashi did. Kakashi put Sasuke's shirt back down and couldn't help the tears that were burning at his eyes.

"It shocks you so you can't fight back when the chain is removed." Sasuke answered weakly.

"When were you taken?"

"May fifth. I didn't even sense them. I was just walking in the forest when a dart hit me. I had just killed Orochimaru. I thought this was about that, but they just keep asking me about Konoha's weaknesses."

"Have you told them anything?"

"No"

"I didn't think you did, but I just wanted to make sure. I'm going to pick you up and move you ok?" Kakashi asked gently.

Sasuke gave a weak nod. Kakashi gently picked Sasuke up bridal style and a small scream escaped Sasuke's mouth.

"Shh it's okay"

Kakashi headed over to the other side of the cell and Kakashi sat down and laid Sasuke down on the floor with his head on his thigh. Kakashi stroked Sasuke's hair to just try and comfort him.

"How long have I been here?" Sasuke asked weakly.

"It's August fifteen, or it was when I was taken. It's been three months and ten days. Were you alone when you first woke up?"

"Yes"

"Did they torture you right away?"

"When I woke they asked me to tell them about Konoha, but I wouldn't. That's when it started. I'm dying that's why you're here."

Sasuke tried to take a breath, but all it came out as was a wheeze. Sasuke coughed and Kakashi could see some blood coming down the side of Sasuke's mouth. Kakashi had never been more afraid in his life then he was in this moment. There was a high chance that Sasuke, his old student, would die right here in his arms after being tortured for over three months.

"Sasuke, listen to me. Pakun was with me when I was taken; he's on his way to Konoha as we speak. Help is on the way you just have to hold on a little while longer."

"It hurts. I can't do this anymore. You could end it, you could kill me and make it stop." Sasuke said with a hitch to his voice.

"I'm not going to do that Sasuke. There's still hope. I was only half a day away from Konoha when I was taken. Pakun could already be there and help will be on their way. You just have to fight for a little while longer. You can do this."

Sasuke closed his eyes and his breathing was getting worse. Kakashi watched as Sasuke tried to breath, but all he got was wheezy gasps. Kakashi held Sasuke's hand and stroked his hair. Every now and then a few tears would escape Sasuke's closed eyes. Kakashi didn't know what to do, but he was praying with everything in him that help would arrive soon.

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Pakun ran as fast as his little legs would take him back to Konoha. He was able to hide when Kakashi was captured. Pakun wanted to jump in and help, but he wasn't that strong of a ninja hound. He was a tracker and a companion the best thing he could do was to get back to Konoha and alert the Hokage. Pakun knew he could track Kakashi no matter where he was so he wasn't worried about losing Kakashi. He was just hoping that Kakashi would be alright until help could get to him. It was a good six hours later when Pakun finally arrived in Konoha. He headed straight for the Hokage Tower and up to Tsunade's office. Pakun went right in not even caring that Tsunade wasn't alone. In the office with Tsunade was Asuma, Neji, Shikamaru and Kiba. Their conversation stopped once Pakun jumped up on the desk.

"Tsunade-Sama Kakashi has been taken." Pakun said with short of breath.

"When?" Tsunade asked.

"Six hours ago. He was struck by a dart and was unconscious almost instantly. Two men in masks took him. I didn't follow I came straight here. I can still track his scent."

"The four of you go with Pakun and bring Kakashi back. How far away is he?" Tsunade asked Pakun.

"From what I can tell about a day away."

"Go and hurry I'll meet you at the hospital. I don't care if he is fine I want to run his blood from the dart. Asuma you are in charge move quick." Tsunade ordered.

"Let's go." Asuma said.

The four Shinobi and Pakun left the office and ran straight for the front gates. They had to hurry when a Shinobi was taken there was no telling how long they had left to live before their captor killed them.

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Kakashi didn't know how long they had been sitting down in the cold cell. Sasuke had fallen asleep and Kakashi was left in the quiet with the only sound of Sasuke's laboured breathing. Kakashi had to do his best to hide the fear that was filling his chest. Sasuke was getting worse and Kakashi didn't know how much longer he would last. Kakashi's fear got worse when he heard the metal door open again followed by footsteps. Sasuke startled awake with the sound of the door and Kakashi imagined that Sasuke had come to fear that sound.

"Not again." Sasuke said with nothing but fear in his voice.

Kakashi squeezed Sasuke's hand.

"Don't show them fear. I'm right here Sasuke. It's going to be okay help is on the way."

"Don't give them anything. No matter what you can't tell them anything." Sasuke said in a hurry before the cell door opened.

The two men appeared again in black masks. Kakashi instantly put a protective arm around Sasuke. The two men approached them and the one grabbed Sasuke and started to pull him away from Kakashi.

"Leave him alone. Take me!" Kakashi yelled as Sasuke was pulled from his grip.

The man had Sasuke by his hair and was dragging him out of the cell. Sasuke was struggling, but he wasn't strong enough. Kakashi got up and approached the men, but he didn't get far before the second man hit a button on a black device and Kakashi felt electrical shocks going through his body. Kakashi immediately collapsed on the floor and all he could do was watch as the cell door closed and Sasuke was dragged away once again. Kakashi fought as best as he could against the blackness, but he was all too quickly consumed by it.

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Kakashi woke up to a pounding headache from the electric shocks. He also woke up alone. Kakashi didn't know how long he had been out, but it was scaring him that Sasuke wasn't back yet. Kakashi couldn't hear anything outside of this area, so he couldn't even tell if Sasuke was being tortured or not. Kakashi didn't know what had happened to Sasuke, but he did know that he killed Orochimaru so it was possible that Sasuke was on his way to Konoha when he was attacked. Kakashi didn't know the whole story and he was hoping he could get Sasuke to tell him once he was healed and in better shape to tell him. Kakashi had always believed that there was more to Sasuke. Even in the last three years Kakashi couldn't help, but hope that Sasuke would return. Kakashi knew the road of revenge better than anyone and he could sympathize with Sasuke and why his need for revenge was so strong. Sasuke had seen his whole family dead in the streets, had seen his own parents being killed by his older brother. That would change anyone, especially a small child. To Kakashi at the end of the day Sasuke was just thirteen years old when he left. He was a child and without an adult there to help guide him in the right direction it was only a matter of time before he made a huge mistake. Even now Sasuke was only sixteen years old and had spent close to three and a half months being tortured for information on a village he no longer lived in. It was natural for Sasuke to be terrified and in pain. Men three times his age would have broken by now and gave any information they could just to make it stop. Sasuke was brave, even at his young age to withstand the torture. Kakashi was just hoping that help would arrive soon, before Sasuke died in his arms.

Kakashi heard the metal door opening and he stood up, but he made sure he didn't stand in an attack position. Kakashi didn't want to be shocked again and leave Sasuke alone. Kakashi watched as the two men approached the cell one dragging Sasuke behind him. The other man opened the cell door and the man that was holding Sasuke threw him into the cell. Kakashi was quick though and he caught him in his arms before Sasuke hit the ground. Both men gave a cruel laugh as the cell door was closed and they left once again. Kakashi brought Sasuke over to the wall and Kakashi sat down and held Sasuke close to his chest. Kakashi looked down and saw that Sasuke was bleeding from his stomach. Kakashi moved what was left of Sasuke's shirt up and saw that he had a large and deep stab wound on his left side. It was bleeding heavily and Kakashi needed to try and slow it down. Kakashi very carefully removed his ninja jacket and pressed it against the bleeding. Sasuke let out a soft scream at the pressure of Kakashi's hand against him.

"It's okay it's just me. I'm trying to slow the bleeding down." Kakashi said gently.

Kakashi looked at Sasuke and he saw that half of his face was covered in blood from multiple blows to the side of his head. Kakashi noticed that the collar had been removed and Kakashi could see his neck was all raw and bruised from it. Kakashi also knew that with the collar being gone that was a bad sign. Kakashi also noticed that Sasuke's right hand, wrist and every finger was broken. Kakashi could already feel the blood going through his jacket and onto his hand. Kakashi truly didn't know if Sasuke would make it, but he wasn't going to tell Sasuke that. If Sasuke was going to die in his arms he was going to make sure he did feeling safe and protected. He was going to make sure Sasuke died knowing that he cared about him. Kakashi put his other hand on Sasuke's head and stroked his hair.

"There's something you need to know." Sasuke chocked out.

"Shh, save your breath and energy. You can tell me later once you're healed." Kakashi said softly.

"You know I'm not going to make it. I know I'm not. I can't die without someone knowing the truth. I didn't leave for revenge."

Sasuke was struggling to talk and Kakashi really did want him to stop, but at the same time Sasuke knew he was dying. If this was going to be the last thing Sasuke said then Kakashi was going to listen to him.

"Why did you leave?"

"Innocent people were dead because of me. The Third was dead because of me. He came to take me and the village was destroyed and people were killed. I couldn't let that happen again. I knew when Itachi came for Naruto that a war was coming. You all tried to hide it, but I knew. They had to get serious; they had to fight to get stronger so they would live through it. That night that we talked I gave up on revenge; I didn't want to disappoint you. Then the Sound four showed up and I knew he would be back and kill more people. So I left with them, but I didn't think anyone would catch up in time. I couldn't let him get to Naruto so I fought him to protect him from that. Once he was down I made sure he would be okay until help came and then I left. I did what Konoha wouldn't do; they should have sent me away to protect the innocent people in the village. I wasn't going to let more people die. I'm sorry." Sasuke chocked out.

Sasuke started coughing and Kakashi could see the blood coming out of Sasuke's mouth. Once Sasuke stopped coughing Kakashi spoke.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. What you did was selfless and brave. I couldn't be prouder of you. You are a hero Sasuke and I won't let people forget it."

Kakashi couldn't believe the amount of blood that was already on the floor. Kakashi knew Sasuke wasn't going to make it. He didn't know where help was, but at this rate it wouldn't matter. Sasuke would never survive the journey back home. Kakashi could feel his heart breaking at the site of his student dying in his arms. Sasuke threw everything away just to protect Konoha and Kakashi was going to make sure everyone knew about it. He wasn't going to let Sasuke die a traitor. Kakashi sat there stroking Sasuke's hair and keeping pressure on his wound. The blood had long soaked through his jacket and his hand. There was a puddle on the floor and Sasuke was getting extremely pale. Kakashi didn't know how long they were sitting there without talking, but Sasuke was the one to finally break the silence. His voice was weak and wheezy from his breathing. Kakashi was worried that Sasuke had a puncture lung.

"There's no pain, everything is numb."

Kakashi looked down at Sasuke with fear in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but to Sasuke he didn't need to. Sasuke knew that was a bad sign.

"This is it, isn't it." Sasuke said with fear in his voice.

Sasuke might be a Shinobi and he might be brave, but that didn't change that he was just sixteen and in a great deal of pain. Sasuke had every right to be terrified, he was going to die and it would be soon. He was young and had lived a hard life already. Kakashi wished he could take the pain from Sasuke. He wished that he could trade places with Sasuke and he could live. He couldn't do any of that though, so he would do the only thing he could do.

"It is, but its' okay. You have a whole family waiting for you. Your mother will hug you and tell you how she loves you. Your father, he's going to be so proud of you. You have become an amazing Shinobi. I know I couldn't be prouder of you. I don't want you to die, but if you can't hold on it's okay. I'm right here with you it's okay. You have always been my favorite student. I always saw us fighting together on a single team doing dangerous missions. I knew you were going to be more powerful than me, then anyone in the village. You will always have a special place in my heart." Kakashi said as he fought back the tears.

"I'm glad you are here with me." Sasuke choked out.

Sasuke had his eyes closed the whole time, his breathing was coming out in slow wheezy gasps and Kakashi knew that Sasuke wouldn't make it much longer. He needed medical attention if he even wanted to stand the chance. Kakashi sat there just stroking Sasuke's hair and listening to his laboured and weak breathing. Kakashi kept telling Sasuke that it was okay and that he cared about him. Kakashi moved the jacket around so it would be able to soak up more blood and Kakashi was hoping he would be able to slow it down. Kakashi knew there was no point, but he wasn't going to give up. Kakashi knew that even if they were found soon Sasuke only had a five percent chance of getting back to Konoha alive without medical attention. Kakashi wasn't going to give up though, not until Sasuke was dead and even then Kakashi would make sure Sasuke was buried and remembered. He wasn't going to let Sasuke's good name die with him. He was going to make sure everyone knew what he sacrificed for them. Kakashi heard the metal door opening again and Kakashi feared the worst. With the collar on he wouldn't be able to protect Sasuke and if they took him and Sasuke died somewhere alone and afraid, Kakashi couldn't live with that. Kakashi heard hurried footsteps coming down the hall followed by his name.

"Kakashi!" Asuma yelled.

"Down here!" Kakashi yelled back.

Asuma ran down the hall towards Kakashi's voice. Shikamaru, Kiba, Neji and Pakun were behind him. When Asuma reached the cell door he used his chakra blades to cut the lock off and opened it. None of them could believe who was in Kakashi's arms.

"Holy shit." Kiba said softly, but in the quiet of the cell it echoed.

Asuma went over to Kakashi and bent down to look at Sasuke. There was blood all over the floor and over Kakashi. They could all hear Sasuke's breathing and they all knew he was in bad shape. Asuma looked at Kakashi and he could see the pain in his eyes, Sasuke was very close to death, so close that he might not make it back. Asuma took his jacket off and pulled his shirt off. He ripped it into a few pieces before he spoke.

"Move your jacket. We need to try and slow the bleeding down."

Shikamaru ran out of the cell and up the stairs.

"Shikamaru" Neji yelled after him, but he was already gone.

Kakashi removed his hand and his jacket and Asuma moved what was left of Sasuke's shirt up and started looked at Sasuke's wound.

"This is bad. Kakashi."

"I know, but I'm not going to leave him here. I'm not going to stop until he's dead. We have to try." Kakashi said with pain in his voice.

Shikamaru came running back into the cell.

"Where did you go?" Kiba asked.

Shikamaru went over to Sasuke and bent down he started to put small plant leaves on Sasuke's wound.

"I saw it outside. It's a plant that healers use to help heal wounds. It won't do much, but it'll slow the bleeding down. Between the leaves and pressure we might be able to get it stop. If he doesn't lose any more blood he might survive the journey."

Asuma and Shikamaru worked together. Shikamaru placed the leaves all over and inside Sasuke's wound. Once that was done Asuma wrapped his shirt tightly around Sasuke's stomach to try to stop the bleeding. Once that was done Asuma went and used his chakra blades to cut off the collar and the chain from Kakashi's ankle. Shikamaru took his jacket off and put it on Sasuke very carefully.

"If his body gets much colder he won't wake up." Shikamaru said.

"Tsunade will meet us at the hospital. Are you okay to take him?" Asuma asked.

"I have him, but my chakra is sealed so I won't be able to fight." Kakashi said as he picked Sasuke up bridal style and got up himself.

"You don't worry about that. If something happens, just head for Konoha and we will deal with any enemies." Asuma said.

They all ran out of the cell, up the stairs and out of the jail that held Kakashi and Sasuke. They traveled hard and they traveled fast to reach Konoha. Kakashi carried Sasuke the whole way there and he could feel the blood slowing down, but near the end he could feel the blood starting to soak through Shikamaru's jacket. The only comfort Kakashi had was Sasuke's weak, wheezy breathing. The blood had slowed down, but
he was still at risk of many other injuries, including infection. By the time they reached Konoha's hospital it was just barely after sunrise. The squad had been out for two days now and they had been traveling non-stop. When they approached the hospital Tsunade was standing out front of it waiting for their return. With her was also Naruto and Sakura, who heard about their sensei's capture. None of them were prepared to see Sasuke in Kakashi's arms clinging to life. Tsunade ran over to them and took in the amount of blood on Shikamaru's jacket and on Kakashi.

"Get him inside right now examine room three." Tsunade ordered.

They all ran inside and Kakashi headed straight for examine room three. He placed Sasuke down on the bed and Tsunade went over to Sasuke along with Sakura.

"He's not a traitor." Kakashi said with a breathless voice.

"What are you talking about?" Tsunade asked as she removed the jacket.

"I'll explain later, but he didn't betray the village. You just have to trust me."

"Kiba, get the nurses in here and tell them to bring as much O negative blood that they can find, a crash cart and heating blankets. Hurry." Tsunade ordered.

Kiba ran from the room and over to the nurses desk to tell them what Tsunade needed.

"A crash cart?" Naruto asked with worry to his voice.

"Everyone out, I need to concentrate." Tsunade ordered.

Nurses flooded the room and went over to Tsunade to see what they could do to help. Asuma started to shuffle the others out of the room, except for Kakashi.

"I'm not leaving him." Kakashi said in a serious voice.

Tsunade took one look at Kakashi and knew she wouldn't be able to get him to leave.

"Stay out of the way."

A nurse came into the room with three bags of blood.

"We only have three bags of O negative blood." The nurse placed them down on a medical cart.

"That's a start, but we will need more. Run a line through."

The nurse grabbed one of the bags and started to work on getting Sasuke set up for the blood transfusion. Kakashi made sure he stood back and out of the way of the nurses. He wasn't going to leave Sasuke now; if Sasuke was going to die he would be there for him. He wasn't going to let Sasuke down. Kakashi stood back and watched as Tsunade and Sakura worked on Sasuke. There was blood everywhere, on his torso, the bed and Shikamaru's jacket that at this point should just be burnt. A nurse came over to Kakashi and spoke.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" The nurse asked with concern.

Kakashi looked down at himself and for the first time saw the amount of blood that soaked through his clothes. His whole chest and stomach was covered in it as well as both his hands.

"I'm fine, it's not my blood." Kakashi said with a distant voice.

The nurse walked away and went back to helping Tsunade and Sakura. Kakashi couldn't believe everything that had happened. He didn't even know how long he had been gone for, but if he had to guess it was at least two days. Kakashi watched in horror as Sasuke's heart monitor flat lined and Sasuke's heart stopped. Tsunade grabbed the crash cart and charged the machine to two hundred. She grabbed the paddles and placed them against Sasuke's bare chest.

"Clear" She yelled before she shocked Sasuke's heart.

His heart still wasn't beating.

"Charge to three hundred." Tsunade told the nurse behind her.

The nurse turned the machine up higher and Tsunade once again yelled clear. Kakashi watched as Sasuke's small frame came off the bed from the electrical voltage going through his body. Kakashi thought he would cry when he heard the soft beeping from the heart monitor. Sasuke was still hanging on with everything in him. Tsunade handed the paddles back to the nurse and continued to work on Sasuke. She looked over at his left hip and noticed the seal.

"Do you know what the seal is?"

"They sealed his chakra. I have one two."

"Meko, send someone for Ibiki and have him come down here to remove the seals." Tsunade told one of her nurses.

The nurse left and Kakashi spoke.

"He's blind. He said the seal was making it hard to see, but they put some chemical in his eyes. He said his eyes were still burning from it."

"That's a good sign; it means that his nerves were still alive and active. I might be able to save his eye sight, especially once the seal is removed. He's still losing too much blood, hang up another line. Kakashi I need you to go out in the waiting room and see if any of them have O negative blood and willing to donate."

"I shouldn't leave him."

"You can come right back in here. He needs more blood so he has the chance at fighting."

Kakashi left the room and quickly went over to the waiting room where the others were waiting. They all approached Kakashi as he came towards them.

"How is he?" Naruto asked.

"He needs blood and they only have three bags of it, one left. Tsunade wants to know if any of you have O negative blood and are willing to donate some."

"I'm O negative I can give some." Neji said.

"I'm AB positive." Shikamaru said.

"I'm B negative." Asuma said.

"I'm A positive." Naruto said.

"I don't know what I am, but I'm willing to get tested to see." Kiba said.

"One of the nurses will be able to tell you." Kakashi said.

"Maybe we should tell the rest of the group Sasuke's back. Maybe they would be willing to donate if they have the same blood." Naruto suggested.

"Do it and hurry back." Kakashi said.

"He's going to be okay though right?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. His heart stopped a few minutes ago, but Tsunade was able to get it started again. He was there for three and a half months Naruto. His body is very injured and weak." Kakashi said.

"You said he wasn't a traitor. He must have told you something." Asuma said.

"He did and I will explain later. Once Tsunade has finished, I'll explain."

"I'll go get the others and see if they can donate." Naruto said.

"Neji and I will go to the nurses and get the blood drawn." Kiba said.

"I need to get back in there with him."

"Are you okay?" Asuma asked as he gently held Kakashi's arm before he could leave.

"I'm fine. A nurse sent someone to get Ibiki to remove the seals. They didn't hurt me."

Asuma gave a nod and let go of Kakashi's arm. Kakashi headed back inside the room, while Naruto left the hospital and Neji and Kiba headed over to the nurses desk.

"Do you think he didn't leave willingly?" Shikamaru asked Asuma once they were alone.

"I don't know. You were the leader of the squad that went after him. Did he seem like he didn't want to go?"

"I don't know, they kept him in some barrel we never saw him. Only Naruto did, but they fought. If Sasuke didn't want to leave then why fight Naruto?"

"Nothing in life is simple. Maybe Sasuke didn't have a choice in leaving. Maybe whatever they did to him changed him temporarily. We won't know until Kakashi informs us."

"His chance of survival is five percent at best right now. If he has been in that place for three and a half months there's no telling what they did to him. We don't even know if it was more than two captors or not."

"We will ask Kakashi when he comes back out. Sasuke is still fighting and as long as he doesn't give up he might just come out of this alive."

"Something didn't feel right three years ago. I shouldn't have let it go. Maybe if I had pushed it this wouldn't have happened."

"You can't blame yourself for this. No one could have seen this coming. We don't know what happened three years ago. The best thing we can do is just wait and see what Kakashi has to say."

"And if we were all wrong?" Shikamaru asked with worry to his voice.

"Then we do what we can to make it up to him and to help him. Whether he left willingly or not Sasuke is going to have problems from whatever he's seen and done in the Sound. Plus it's safe to say he's been tortured for the last three and a half months. He's not going to be okay after everything."

"Hopefully he'll let us help."

"Let's just hope that he lives first, than we can worry about the rest."

Shikamaru let out a sigh and started to pace. He was worried that he had gotten it wrong all these years. Shikamaru wasn't used to being wrong. He was an intelligent person, he thought everything through and he thought of himself as observant. He was good at reading people. He knew Sasuke left for revenge the whole village did, but a small part of Shikamaru felt like he was missing something, that something was off about the way Sasuke was before he left. Shikamaru always felt like he was missing a piece of the puzzle and now he was afraid he would find out Sasuke didn't want to leave. That they had abandoned him to survive in the Sound when they could have fought to get him out. Shikamaru didn't have a problem with being wrong, but this wasn't something he wanted to be wrong about. He didn't want to find out that he left a commrad to fight in the Sound alone, while they all judged him.

Kakashi went back into the room and saw that Tsunade had hooked Sasuke up to a ventilator.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked with worry to his voice.

"His lungs are both damage and he isn't able to get enough oxygen into his lungs. He needs the ventilator to help him to breathe properly. I'm healing his lungs and with time he won't need the ventilator. His body just needs to get his oxygen levels back up and his lungs need a break. Did you find out about the blood?"

"Neji is the only one with the same blood he's donating some. Kiba didn't know what his blood type is so he's getting tested. Naruto went to tell the others in the group about Sasuke's return and to see if any of them can donate."

"Good. Ibiki will be here soon to remove the seals. I want you to get blood taken and have it ran for any drugs or poisons that could be from the dart."

"I will."

"I can take your blood in here Kakashi-San." A nurse said.

Kakashi gave a nod and the nurse came over to him once she grabbed a needle and vial.

"Please have a seat."

Kakashi sat down in one of the chairs in the examine room. He removed his jacket half way so he could pull his left arm out. The nurse worked quickly and took his blood. Once that was done Kakashi put his arm back into his jacket and did it up. Kakashi let out a heavy sigh. He was starting to feel the effects of the chakra seal. He was getting to be very exhausted and in need of sleep and energy. Kakashi knew that if he was feeling like this after just two days, then Sasuke had to of been feeling a hundred times worse.

"You alright Kakashi?" Tsunade asked with concern.

"Just tired. I'm not used to my chakra being blocked off."

"Once the seal is removed you'll start to feel better. You've been gone for two days. I'm assuming you hadn't had any sleep, food or water. You need to eat and drink something to help with your energy."

"I will once I know he's alright."

"Then just sit there for now."

Tsunade and Sakura worked on Sasuke in complete concentration. Kakashi sat in the chair and watched as they worked from one body part to the next. They only spoke when they needed something from the nurses and that wasn't much. An hour later Tsunade finally spoke.

"He's as healed as we will be able to get him, now he just needs time. Kakashi go out and see if anyone else has come and can donate blood. He only has about fifty percent of blood in him and I would like to get him closer to eight percent. I'll be out there shortly. We need to get him situated in a room and some of these wounds need stitches and wrapped. If Ibiki is out there send him in please."

"He's going to make it?" Kakashi asked with a slight fear to his voice.

"There are a lot of possibilities, but if he makes it through the night then I'm confident that he'll make it. He has a lot of injuries and I will go over them with everyone together."

"Do you think he'll make it through the night?"

"He should have never made it to Konoha. Sasuke is a survivor and a fighter, he hasn't given up yet and I don't think it's fair for any of us to either. He's beaten the odds already. Each day that goes by he'll get stronger and stronger. Don't give up faith in him."

"I'll go and see if Ibiki and the others are here." Kakashi said as he got up.

"If you won't eat at least have some water." Tsunade said.

"I will."

Kakashi left the room.

"Let's get him changed and bandaged up. I want him in a private room with a bathroom in it and room for a cot. I don't see Kakashi leaving his side anytime soon." Tsunade told the nurses.

"I'll go and set one up." A nurse said.

"Are you alright?" Tsunade asked Sakura, who had yet to say anything.

"I've never seen someone this injured before. I never expected to see Sasuke like this."

"It's easy at a young age to fool yourself into believing that someone is too strong to ever get seriously injured. All children do it with someone. Sasuke's a child prodigy from one of the strongest clans this world has ever seen. It's easy to believe that he would never be in this position."

"Kakashi-sensei said he wasn't a traitor. Do you believe that?"

"I believe Kakashi wouldn't say that unless he knew that for certain. I don't know what happened, but once Sasuke is in his room and situated then we will find out what happened. We need to stich us these wounds, take blood and check for any infections or poisons. His arm also needs to go in a sling and he needs to be dressed. Are you able to continue?"

"I'm fine."

"Let's do this then and then we can find out more."

Tsunade and Sakura worked on the finishing touches of Sasuke's injuries. Sakura couldn't believe everything that was wrong with Sasuke. She couldn't believe he had gone through so much in those months. Sakura was hurt that Sasuke left, but that didn't change that she cared about him. Three years ago she was willing to go with him, to betray the village and walk down the ark path with him. He wouldn't let her and now she was thankful for that. By him leaving she was forced to grow and get stronger and now she was one of the best medics in the village. Sasuke leaving had forced her to get serious and to grow up and now she was thankful that he had turned her away.

Kakashi headed out into the waiting room and saw that the others including Gai and Iruka were there. Kakashi went over to them and was immediately hit with questions.

"Is he okay?" Naruto asked.

"Tsunade and Sakura are getting him ready to be moved into a room. He's hooked up to a ventilator right now to help his lungs and get his oxygen levels up. That's all I know right now. Tsunade said she would be out when she was done to explain everything. Has Ibiki arrived yet?"

"Not yet, but he should be here soon."

"Shino is the only other O negative blood type there is. He's just waiting for a nurse to come and get him." Asuma said.

"Tsunade said Sasuke has fifty percent of his blood, she's hoping to get him up to eight percent."

"He's going to be okay though?" Ino asked.

"Tsunade didn't say much, just that if he makes it through the night he'll live. She was confident that he would though."

"How long until they are done with him?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm not sure they had to get a room set up for him and finish stitching some wounds. Probably about an hour at least."

"What happened?" Iruka asked.

"If it's alright with you I think I'll wait until Sakura and Tsunade are here."

"That's fine by us." Asuma said.

Ibiki walked through the doors of the waiting room and headed over to the group.

"I've been told that there are two seals I need to remove."

"Chakra blockers, I have one and so does Sasuke." Kakashi said.

"Yes I was told that the other was Sasuke. His return came to me as a surprise. Let me see your seal Kakashi and I will remove it."

"Sasuke's in examine room three, he needs his off first. His body has gone too long without his chakra."

"Very well, I'll be back shortly for yours."

Ibiki left the waiting room and headed into examine room three. They were all silent until Tsunade and Sakura came out. Shino and Neji had both given as much blood as they could. Ibiki had removed both Kakashi and Sasuke's seals and Kakashi was starting to feel better already now that his chakra was flowing through his body. It was a good two hours before Tsunade and Sakura returned to the group in the waiting room. They looked exhausted from having to use so much chakra on healing Sasuke and Kakashi was worried that they had to use so much chakra on him.

"How is he?" Kakashi asked as he stood up.

"His injuries were extensive and extreme. Let me start by saying that if he makes it through the night then I'm confident that he will live. We ran his blood for infections and he does have one. The infection concerns me, because his body is very weak right now and an infection, even a small one, could kill him. He's on a strong anti-biotic I.V and I will be monitoring him very closely for the next twenty-four hours."

"What were his injuries?" Asuma asked.

"Ten broken ribs, his whole right arm from his shoulder down to his fingers were broken. His wrist was shattered; my best guess is it was hit multiple times with a hammer. His arm is in a sling and his wrist is in a brace. Two hundred stitches all over his torso and back, acid burns on parts of his body I have treated them. Whip markings all over his back and torso. We've healed as much of them as we can, but he will have scars on his back from them. His neck has deep bruising and is raw from my assumption would be a collar. His voice will be hoarse and it will hurt to speak for a little while until some of the bruising heals. Both of his lungs had puncture wounds from his ribs and a knife. That was the most recent. It was causing his lungs to fill up with blood and making it very difficult to breathe. We repaired the damage and he is on a ventilator to help take some stress off his lungs. His left knee was fractured and we were able to heal it, it'll be sore for a few weeks, but he won't need crutches. He's covered in bruising and cuts from shallow stab wounds, some have already healed while he was held captive. The biggest stab wound was the one he was bleeding out from; it nicked an artery and was causing him to lose that much blood. The damage has been repaired and he currently has fifty percent of blood in his body. He is getting the blood that Neji and Shino donated and I'm hoping that will take him closer to eighty percent. A nurse is also going through the donor list to see about anyone else donating just in case. His eyes were damaged from his chakra being blocked and from the chemical that was put into his eyes. With his chakra no longer sealed his eyes will start to heal. I am confident that he will gain his sight back within two weeks. I don't know how well it will be, he may need glasses to put him back up to perfect vision. The main concern I have is the severe bruising on his brain. He doesn't have brain damage, but the bruising is causing some concern. When we were moving him to his room he had a seizure. The bruising is causing him to have seizures and it will give him severe headaches and migraines until the bruising is gone. I can give him a prescription that he will have to take once a day and that will stop the seizures, but I can't do anything about the headaches. It's bruising that just needs time to heal. It could take up to six months to heal, assuming he doesn't further injure it."

"So he can't train or go on missions?" Naruto asked.

"He could he just has to be careful of blows to his head. However, that's assuming that Kakashi correct, that Sasuke isn't an exile. Are there any questions about his injuries?"

"How bad is the malnourishment and dehydration?" Kakashi asked.

"I would consider it to be moderate. He was given water every three days and food maybe every two weeks. It was enough to keep him from dying, but not enough for his body to function properly. In a few days he will in safe levels again. What happened Kakashi?"

"I was on my way back to Konoha when I was hit with a dart. When I woke up I was in a cell alone. Two men appeared some time later and threw in a body. I didn't know it was Sasuke. I asked what they wanted and they said that he wouldn't talk and maybe his death would make me talk. That's all they said to me, they didn't even speak again after that. I went over to the body and turned him over, that's when I saw that it was Sasuke. He was unconscious. I was able to get him awake and talking a little. He told me that they wanted information on Konoha and that he refused to talk. He said that he was taken May fifth and I told him he had been there for three and a half months almost. We didn't talk, his body was too weak. Sometime later the men appeared again and took him. I tried to protect him, but my ankle was chained to the wall and I had shock collar on, same as Sasuke. The one man took Sasuke and the other hit a button on a black device to activate the collar I was wearing. I passed out and when I woke up Sasuke still wasn't back yet. When he did come back he was in bad shape. I knew he was dying and what was worse, was that he knew he was dying. Neither of us thought he would make it, even if help came we didn't think he would make the trip back. If he did, I don't think he would have told me what he did."

"When someone believes they are dying they don't want to have any regrets. They tend to tell secrets to people they trust. What did he tell you?" Asuma asked.

"That he didn't leave for revenge. I spoke to him that day and he let his revenge go. He wanted to move on from it."

"If he didn't leave for revenge then why did he leave?" Naruto asked.

"I didn't get everything from him. I think there's more behind his reasoning then he was able to tell me. He said he did what you couldn't do, what you should have done." Kakashi said to Tsunade.

"What does that mean?" Tsunade asked.

"He left to protect the village. He blames himself for the Third's death, the death of other ninja and villagers that died when Orochimaru and the Sand attacked. He believes that you should have sent him away to protect the village. Like I said, I don't know everything that he was thinking. He said he couldn't let Naruto go to the Sound with him; he couldn't let Orochimaru get his hands on him. So he fought until Naruto wouldn't get up. He killed Orochimaru and was in the forest when he was taken, the same way I was."

"Does it matter why he left though? He still left and almost got Neji, Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba and Chouji killed by doing so." Tenten said.

"It does matter. There's more to this story then we know. What I do know is that Sasuke has been tortured for almost three and a half months to protect Konoha. That deserves the chance to tell his story. If Sasuke did leave to protect Konoha, to risk everything and put himself into hell itself for Konoha; that makes Sasuke the most loyal ninja I have." Tsunade said.

"It makes him a true Shinobi." Gai said.

"A true Shinobi is rare. They are loyal to the village no matter what. They will sacrifice everything to keep the village and the people safe. Sasuke was tortured to protect the village and if he did leave to protect the village Sasuke would be a true Shinobi." Asuma said.

"I will be staying here at the hospital to monitor Sasuke. I will be checking on his every other hour. Regardless of the reason why he left, he still was tortured to protect Konoha. That in itself deserves my full attention. When he is awake and able to talk I will speak to him about this. You are more than welcome to be there for it. You were all affected by his leaving." Tsunade said.

"If it is true?" Sakura asked.

"Then I will be making sure everyone in this world knows it. I will also be granting him a ranking that reflects his abilities and skills. I won't ignore this and I won't let him have the label of a traitor when he isn't." Tsunade answered.

"What room is he in?" Kakashi asked.

"He's in room 108. There's a bathroom with a shower and a cot in the room already." Tsunade said.

"You should be going home to change and rest Kakashi." Iruka said.

"I'm not leaving him." Kakashi said with a no argument voice.

Iruka let out a sigh before he spoke. "Give me your key and I'll get you a change of clothes then."

Kakashi pulled out his keys and handed them to Iruka.

"Can I go see him?" Kakashi asked Tsunade.

"Of course. Until I speak to Sasuke, I want this kept quiet. Don't tell anyone else. We don't know who might try and come after Sasuke. He's too weak to handle anything else." Tsunade said in a serious voice.

"We'll stay quiet." Shikamaru said.

"Can we see him two?" Naruto asked.

"For a few minutes. He needs as much rest as he can get." Tsunade said.

"He's not in a coma though right?" Ino asked.

"No he's just in a deep sleep. Once his body has a chance to recover and his chakra returns to normal he'll wake up." Tsunade answered.

"What about Orochimaru? If Sasuke did kill him should we try and confirm that?" Asuma asked.

"I will once I speak to Sasuke. We don't even know where the Sound is and I don't see the point in sending out a squad just to wander around. Regardless of if Orochimaru is dead or not we still have to worry about Kabuto and the Sound." Tsunade said.

"Do you think they could attack?" Iruka asked.

"They might, we don't know if they will know where Sasuke is or not. They could attack Konoha looking for Sasuke or information on him. For now just keep an eye out and be vigilant on your missions." Tsunade answered.

"How long do you think Sasuke will be asleep for?" Kakashi asked.

"I have no idea. His body is very weak. It could be days it could be weeks, it really depends on his recovery. Think positively though, talk to him he might be able to hear you." Tsunade said.

Kakashi gave a distant nod before he got up and headed down the hallway to room 108. The others watched as he walked away with concern.

"Is he going to be okay?" Ino asked.

"Kakashi has been through situations like this before. He'll be fine." Gai said.

"Except he hasn't been through this before. He's been captive for a shot amount of time, but he's never had someone with him. They both truly believed that Sasuke was going to die. You didn't see how bad Sasuke was when we got there. I didn't think he was going to make it either. Sasuke was a student to Kakashi and Kakashi almost had him die in his arms. That's not easy to get over." Asuma said.

"Give Kakashi some time. As Sasuke heals and gets better he will as well. I'm going to go and get Kakashi a change of clothes and pick up some food. Maybe I can get him to eat." Iruka said.

"We probably won't be here when you get back. We need to let Sasuke rest." Gai said.

Iruka gave a nod and he left the waiting room to go to Kakashi's place. The others all headed down to Sasuke's room. Sakura went even though she had seen Sasuke, but she wanted to see him once more before she left for the day. She was exhausted after having to use up so much chakra to help heal Sasuke. She couldn't believe that Sasuke was back in Konoha and had almost died. She also couldn't believe that Sasuke might not be a traitor. If he left to protect the village it would mean that he could be back with them. They could be a team again like the old days, except this time it would be even better. This time around she was stronger; she was a Shinobi now two. She could stand beside Naruto and Sasuke in a fight and be helpful. She could be able to walk beside them and not behind them now. Sakura knew it was foolish, but she couldn't help but think that maybe now her and Sasuke could have a chance to be a couple. To be more than friends. It had been three years, they were both older. They had both been through different experiences that have made them more mature. If Sasuke wasn't a traitor they might be able to have something more than friendship after all. They arrived at Sasuke's room and saw that Kakashi was sitting down in one of the chairs next to Sasuke's bed holding his hand. They all knew they couldn't stay long so they just stood there for ten minutes each taking the time to say something to Sasuke before they left for the night. None of them knew what to make of the events that had transpired in the last twenty-four hours. They never expected to find Sasuke with Kakashi in that cell. They never expected him to be almost dead when they got to him and they never expected him to be alive. Now they have to wait until Sasuke was awake and able to talk before they could find out what the hell even happened three years ago. Shikamaru was terrified to find out that he had missed something. That he had let Sasuke to be in the Sound when he should have fought harder to get him out. Shikamaru was stronger because of that mission and if Sasuke did it to make them all stronger, Shikamaru didn't know what he thought of that. To make the sacrifice that Sasuke did for all of them was something Shikamaru didn't know what he felt about. For now all he could do was wait and see what Sasuke had to say about this in a few days when he woke up and had the strength to speak.

Kakashi sat there in the chair holding Sasuke's hand; he didn't speak to him, he just sat there with him. Kakashi never expected for Sasuke to come out of this alive. He never expected for Sasuke to not be a traitor or to be fighting for his life. He always thought when he saw Sasuke again it would be on the battlefield and he would need to fight some sense into him. He thought that Sasuke would be too far gone from Orochimaru and the curse seal to ever be back in Konoha. Now it was looking like Sasuke was a true Shinobi, a hero to Konoha. Kakashi didn't know what was going to happen, but he knew that Sasuke wasn't a traitor. He knew that Sasuke would be welcomed back to Konoha without any repercussions at least. They could be on missions together once Sasuke was healed and ready. Kakashi found himself looking forward to it. He was curious to see just how skilled Sasuke had become. He killed Orochimaru, so Kakashi knew he was powerful. Killing Orochimaru isn't an easy task, one that Kakashi knew he wouldn't have been able to do and walk away. Sasuke was clearly powerful. For the first time in three years Kakashi was looking forward to something. Twenty minutes from the time Kakashi got into the room Iruka walked through the door with some clothes and food. Iruka went over and placed the clean clothes down on the cot and he placed the food on the table beside the bed. Iruka then wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck from behind.

"I was so worried about you." Iruka said.

"I know baby, but I'm okay. They didn't hurt me."

"I hate you going out there on your own. I wish you would stop doing solo missions."

"I used to do them all the time before team seven was made. With Sasuke back though, things might be different. Maybe we will be going on missions as a team again."

"Do you really believe what Sasuke said? Do you really believe that Sasuke would sacrifice everything to protect Konoha? You know how Uchiha's are, they don't go to that level to protect anyone, but themselves." Iruka said gently.

"Sasuke isn't a liar. He's never lied about anything. He's denied how he's felt or what he's been thinking, but never a flat out lie. He thought he was dying and he didn't want to die without someone knowing the truth. I believe him. I also believe you shouldn't group the whole Clan together, because of one or two's bad actions. Sasuke isn't Itachi and he's not Madara. He deserves to be judge based on his own actions and not that of previous Uchihas before him." Kakashi said with complete confidence.

"I just don't want to see you get hurt. He could have been exaggerating or telling you what he wanted you to hear. He might have not wanted to die a traitor so he lied to you. He believed he was dying anyways. I'm just saying be cautious until he wakes up and is able to be questioned."

"I know."

"Come on you need to eat something then you can shower and get changed."

"I need to shower first. I need this blood off from me."

"Okay sweetheart. I'll sit with him. You go and shower."

Iruka moved back so Kakashi could stand up. Kakashi was a little shaky from the lack of sleep and food in the past two days. He turned around and Iruka placed a kiss on Kakashi's clothes mouth.

"Go shower, I'll be right here when you get out. Then you can eat something and sleep. I'll stay here with you both to make sure everything is fine."

Kakashi moved his hand to Iruka's left cheek.

"I'm sorry I scared you."

"I know, it's not your fault. This wasn't something that could have been predicted. I'm just glad that you didn't get hurt."

"I told them to take me. To leave him alone and take me, but they wouldn't." Kakashi said softly.

"Why would you do that? You knew you could have been tortured. Why would you out yourself in that position?"

"Because it's what was right. He couldn't take anymore. He had been there for almost three and a half months. He was dying. What type of person would I be, what type of Shinobi would I be if I didn't try and take his place? Regardless of what you think of Sasuke, he's still sixteen years old. Would you not have done the same?"

"I don't know. I've never been in that position, but I don't think I would. Not for someone I thought was an exile, a traitor. It doesn't matter how old he is, he still left willingly and went to Orochimaru, one of Konoha's greatest enemy. I wouldn't offer myself in his place. I would if the other wasn't a traitor, but Sasuke was on your squad. You obviously saw a different side to him then I did."

"I saw the same side that everyone did. What I saw in that cell was a sixteen year old boy that had been tortured for three and a half months almost. I saw a scared, hurt sixteen year old that is intelligent enough to know he was dying. He didn't give them any information. I know he didn't because the last time they took him he told me not to tell them anything. He was willing and prepared to die to keep Konoha's secrets. You would have let him die?"

"Until a person is in that position they don't know what they would have done. Maybe I would have, maybe I wouldn't have. At the same time though, I'll never be in that position. I'm a sensei, I teach, I don't go out on missions. I made the choice to teach a long time ago and I don't regret that decision. What I would have done and what you did might have been different, but you know Sasuke better. You spent more time with him then I did. You created a bond with him. I understand that. You're tired though sweetheart, this isn't a conversation we need to have right now. Go shower get cleaned up then you can eat something and sleep."

Kakashi just gave a nod and he grabbed his clean clothes and headed into the bathroom to shower. He didn't want to leave Sasuke very long, but he needed a shower. He needed to get the blood off from him and a hot shower would hopefully help to wake him up. He didn't really want to sleep just yet. He wanted to make sure Sasuke was alright and he didn't really know what to think of Iruka being with Sasuke. After that conversation Kakashi was a little worried about what Iruka truly thought of Sasuke. Kakashi could understand Iruka's opinion if it hadn't been a sixteen year old. Sasuke was one of Iruka's students, he had taught Sasuke for close to seven years. He should have cared about Sasuke for that reason alone. None of them knew for sure why Sasuke left, they all just made assumptions. Kakashi had made the same assumptions and the result was Sasuke being in the Sound when he didn't need to be. He blamed himself for the Third's death and Kakashi had no idea. Kakashi blamed himself for not paying closer attention to Sasuke. After the Chounin exam he should have paid closer attention to Sasuke. He should have checked in on him more often. Maybe if he had Sasuke would have felt like he could talk to him. Maybe he wouldn't have left and as such hadn't been tortured for over three months. Kakashi's head was swimming and he knew I wasn't going to get better until Sasuke was awake and talking. Kakashi turned the water on in the shower and then stripped his bloody clothes off. Kakashi knew he would be throwing them out; there was no way he would be able to get that much blood out of them. Even if he could he didn't think he wanted to. Kakashi got under the hot water and let it run over his exhausted body.

Kakashi also had another problem, one that he had been thinking about on his last mission, Iruka. They had been dating now for close to four years now. Two years ago it was made public and everyone was fine with it. That wasn't Kakashi's problem; the problem he had was that he didn't know what he felt for Iruka anymore. Iruka was nice and a good guy, that was part of the problem, he was simple. Kakashi was complicated, he had a complicated and tragic past. He wasn't happy all the time, he didn't have a lot of friends and he had no interest in kids. Iruka loved kids to the point he devoted his whole life to teaching them. Iruka had the patients for the kids, where Kakashi really didn't. There was a reason he only ever had one squad and they even drove him nuts. At first things between them were simple and easy. It was just for fun, it was casual the way Kakashi usually did things. He wasn't one for relationships, especially serious ones. With his job it was very hard to find someone that understood what he goes through on missions and someone to understand that he could be called to duty at any time and be gone for a long time. It was hard to find someone who understood how the life of a ninja was. The only ones that do were ninjas and those relationships tend to be on the more casual level. When two ninjas were dating at any given time one could be killed so most just keep their relationships simple and casual unless you found someone you truly loved and wanted to spend the rest of your life with, for however long it would be.

The first two years had been good between them. It was casual and simple. They didn't try to change each other, they just accepted each other. More so Kakashi accepted Iruka and Iruka dealt with Kakashi. Iruka always thought he could change Kakashi, make him happier, more social, things like that. Kakashi had tried to go out with Iruka a few times, but he just didn't enjoy it. He wasn't one for bars and loud places. He preferred to be at home and relaxing or at a restaurant enjoying a good meal. Kakashi didn't have any interest in being social and having endless friends. He was perfectly happy with a handful of friends that were good friends. Friends that accepted you and didn't try to make you do things that you weren't into. For the last two years, now that they were public Kakashi found himself getting more and more annoyed with Iruka. He was too sweet, it was smothering to Kakashi. Kakashi could be romantic and he did enjoy pampering his lovers, but Iruka was too pampering. He would do anything for Kakashi and he often did too much. He would clean his apartment when he was away on missions. He would even do his laundry. He would leave little love notes for him in his mailbox. Iruka had become smothering with his love and that's exactly what it was, love. Iruka had told him a year ago that he loved him and Kakashi didn't say it back. Iruka didn't care he believed that Kakashi just wasn't one for words and that his actions showed that he loved him. The thing was, Kakashi didn't know if he loved Iruka or not. He cared about him, but if he loved him then he didn't think he would be this annoyed and thinking about breaking up with him. The sex had even changed. It went from passionate and crazy to slow and sweet. Don't get Kakashi wrong he knew that every time you had sex it couldn't be a sex-crazed frenzy, but still sweet and slow was not Kakashi's favorite way. In four years Kakashi still never showed Iruka his face. When they kissed it was through his mask. Kakashi didn't have that level of connection with Iruka. The thing was Iruka didn't even care, he truly believed that Kakashi loved him and that everything was fine. Kakashi didn't even know where to start to talk to Iruka about this. Kakashi knew it wasn't fair to keep leading Iruka on, but he just didn't know what he felt for Iruka and until he figured it out he didn't want to break-up with him. He wanted to wait and see if he was able to get them back to where they were when they first started to see each other, when it was just fun. Kakashi let out a sigh as he focused his mind to getting cleaned up so he could get back out there and be with Sasuke.

After a shower he got out and dried off so he could put on his clean clothes. Once dressed he went back out into the room and saw Iruka sitting down in the chair that he was in. Kakashi grabbed the other chair and he sat down beside Iruka.

"Feel better?" Iruka asked.

"I'll feel better when he wakes up."

"He'll be fine. Here you need to eat something."

"I'm not that hungry."

"I know, but you need to sweetie. You haven't eaten in two days so you need to eat something, even just a little." Iruka said as he grabbed the food containers and placed them on the side of the bed.

Kakashi grabbed one of the chopsticks and grabbed the container with sweet and sour chicken with cooked vegetables. Iruka always knew what he liked. Iruka grabbed his container and they sat there eating in silence. The only sound in the room was the beeping of Sasuke's heart monitor. Once they were done eating Kakashi decided that he would try and get some sleep. He hadn't slept in almost three days now and he knew he needed sleep. Sasuke was going to be asleep for a good three days if not more.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep. You don't have to stay you know." Kakashi said.

"I know I want to. I want to make sure you're okay. You had you chakra blocked for two days. It could affect you still. I'll be here when you wake up." Iruka leaned over and kissed Kakashi real quick through his mask.

Kakashi got up and headed over to the cot in the room. He laid down and sure enough once he closed his eyes he was sound asleep.