AN: Ok, I'm back. This time, I'm trying a one-shot. Eh, there's quite a time skip, I know, but that's just how I wanted to do it. There's also quite a bit of switching between the present and past, but that should be easy to figure out. Hopefully, I'll be able to explain everything, so there won't be many questions, but who knows. Please read and review! Or at least read, because I like to watch the numbers move!
(As for the poems, I wrote them, and I know I'm not much of a poet, so bear with me!)
"In this moment, I stare death in the face
I keep my composure, my fear in place
Too many tears and too much blood
The pressure builds up, and the lid over floods.
I can't take anymore, no more tears over me
I've caused nothing but trouble, no more than a fiend
The curtain closes, the concluding scene
Thank you my friends, for I'm finally free…"
"Let this be an example to you all – treachery will NOT be tolerated in Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Tsunade, the Godaime, looked down on the faces of all the citizens. Loyal ninjas, shopkeepers, and medics stared up at the woman for whom the harbored great respect. She'd stepped in during their time of need and assumed the role of the 5th Hokage. It had been 10 years since they'd lost the 3rd Hokage to one of his own students, an ex-leaf ninja named Orochimaru. He'd betrayed them, destroying the village and taking their trusted leader's life in the process. When the Godaime stepped in, things slowly began to go back to normal. Even with the loss of their beloved third Hokage, the village hidden in the leaves slowly but surely fixed their home back to the way it was.
However, one of the villagers became absorbed in his quest for power, and Sasuke Uchiha left his home to go and work with Orochimaru, leaving behind his team, and his friends. There had been many failed attempts to bring him back, and all lost hope except for two people.
Looking at Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno, two of her most trusted ninja, Tsunade could see the question in their eyes.
"Why did he come back?"
He didn't know.
Wait - that was a lie. He'd never admit it, but Sasuke Uchiha knew exactly why he'd come back to the leaf village. And it wasn't because of those weak ninja that he'd let drag him to the Hokage's office. Although they were good for some practice, he had to restrain himself, so they could capture him. It wasn't much, but in a strange, un-Sasuke-like way, he thought maybe they could use the confidence boost. Let the Hokage think they were temporary heroes, he didn't care.
Remembering that said Hokage was standing in front of him, he made it a point to glare at her back. If he were Naruto, or at all similar to the dobe, he probably would've stuck his tongue out at the woman. That old hag…she was still playing herself up to look young. There was no way in hell she hadn't changed at all in 10 years. Looking down at all the villagers, he'd noticed that everyone else had changed…somewhat. They looked different, but he'd known who each of them were in a heartbeat.
The first ones he'd seen had been Team Gai. It was almost a reflex to gag when he saw Lee. Bushy Brow looked the same as ever, but his chuunin jacket made him look even more like Gai. His next instinct had been to say something about Neji looking like he was wearing a skirt, but he'd caught himself, remembering that his outfit didn't look too much better. TenTen was easily recognizable, with her trademark buns on top of her head. They hadn't noticed him, but he watched them carrying on as they usually would.
"Neji! Won't you join me in a workout burning with youth? We shall spread our passion throughout the entire village!!!" The fire in his eyes grew as Lee clinched his fist, staring off into some weird scene in the distance.
Neji turned around, and facing Lee, he reached behind his back, caught TenTen's kunai, and thrust it back. "Hell no."
"Geez Neji! How do you do that? Stupid Hyuugas with their good eyes…" The Weapon master mumbled before pulling out two large scrolls. She smirked, "All right, let's see if you can handle this!" Before she could unroll the scrolls, a hand was on top of them, blocking the opening.
"TenTen! Would you like to join me in a workout of youth?" Lee's large eyes were boring into hers as he leaned in close to her.
"Lee!" She smacked him in the head. "Can't you tell I'm busy? Man, I could've had him!"
Wiping away a tear (aww….poor lee!) His eyes lit once again! "Ok then! I shall workout enough for all three of us! Everyone will know how youthful our team is!" With that, he took off running "First – 900 laps around the village! That's 300 for each of us!"
"…" Neji blinked before turning back towards TenTen, who looked like a fish out of water.
"He wanted us to run 300 laps?!? Lee.Is.Insane."
Next he encountered Team Asuma and Team Kurenai as his escorts led him past the Ramen shop, Ichiraku. He'd heard them before he'd seen them, Chouji and Ino making a racket.
"Ino! If I'm paying for it, I'll eat as much ramen as I please, now give it back!!!!" Chouji was reaching over the table, Shikamaru trying to calm him down. His size was intimidating, and all that armor wasn't softening his image. Once, Chouji had been one of the most peaceful people Sasuke had met, but now he couldn't be so sure. He was sure he'd felt himself flinch a little at the thought of being crushed by him.
"Chouji, sit down! Ino, give him back his food!! You know how Chouji is with food, stop being troublesome before you get us kicked out for disturbing the peace!! " Shikamaru still had that lazy vibe, but now it was mixed with one of authority. He almost reminded Sasuke of Asuma, with that cigarette in his mouth. Shikamaru never seemed like a smoker, but maybe he did it in memory of their late teacher, Asuma Sarutobi.
"Nu-uh, no way! I'm trying to save his life!" Ino shook her head in defiance. " Chouji, you can't eat such unhealthy foods all the time! Next thing you know, you're out on the battlefield having a heart attack! And you - " She turned and in one swift motion snatched the cigarette out of her former teammates mouth. "You'll thank me later." She smiled as she put it out, ignoring Shikamaru as he rolled his eyes.
Ino's hair had grown once again, and was in its high ponytail. She was always so easy to spot in all that purple that Sasuke began to think she did it n purpose, to draw attention to herself. He had to chuckle as she smacked Shikamaru in his head, a result of his calling her troublesome again. 'Some things never change…'
Failing to pay attention to his surroundings, Sasuke quickly jumped back at the sound of growling. However, the chakra bonds on his wrists and ankles reacted, and as they tightened, a shock went through his body, and as a result, he fell flat on his back. When he looked up, a very large dog was over top of him, it's fangs dangerously close to his face as it growled.
"Akamaru." As he acknowledged him, the dog began snarling and snapping his teeth at Sasuke, but was cut off by the sound of a voice.
"Hinata, Shino, I found him! Akamaru, you bad dog, running off like that! What were you thinking?" stepping closer, Kiba peered behind his canine. "Hey, Akamaru, what do have there? Get off that poor guy."
Staring blankly at the dog, Sasuke spoke calmly, "Kiba, get your damn mutt off of me." This comment set off another round of growling.
"Sas….uke?" Kiba spoke slowly, trying to register what was going on. His mouth setting into a frown, he glared. "Good dog Akamaru." He stood there and watched, almost wanting the dog to disobey him, hoping he would attack, but looking up, he noticed a guard carrying one of the ropes that led back to Sasuke. "Over here, Akamaru." The dog quickly ran to his side, "They've already got this taken care of." He spoke as Hinata and Shino came up beside him.
As Sasuke stood up, he took the time to observe their team. Kiba stopped wearing that stupid hood, but he still had those weird marks on his face. From the look he was giving him, Sasuke couldn't tell which was more like an animal, Kiba or Akamaru. Both were bearing their teeth, and he swore he heard Kiba growl.
Hinata still seemed shy as she drew away from him when he looked up at her. He'd wondered if she'd worked up the courage to talk to the dobe yet. Everyone knew about her 'secret' crush, except the object of affection himself. It was insane how often she'd fainted just by being near the idiot.
Shino was still Shino, creepy as all hell with that hood on. He was still wearing those sunglasses too, and his shirt covered the bottom half of his face. Secretly, Sasuke was glad that the bottom of his face was covered, because that hole kind of weirded him out. Seriously – who had bugs crawling out of their face? Nope, their team hadn't changed a bit.
"Hn." Matching Kiba's glare, Sasuke walked by them, taking all the tension in the air with him. Going down the road once more, he ignored all the whispers and the stares of the shopkeepers and kept heading towards the Hokage's tower, eyes straight ahead, and head held high. He was, after all, an Uchiha, and they all ways had that blank, superior look on their faces. Pride was a large part of the Uchiha image.
'Geez…..How many stairs are in this place?' Sasuke wondered as he took careful steps as not to cause anymore tightening from the chakra ropes. He had to speed up, because the men pulling him were all too eager to walk fast enough to cut off circulationto his feet.
Standing at the door, he took a deep breath before raising his hand and knocking on the door. As he waited for it to open, he couldn't help but notice that he'd run into every team but his own. However, before he could ponder on it any further, the door opened.
"Come in."
The Day had started out like any other, he'd wake up 20 minutes after his alarm clock, jump into his clothes cursing about how early it was, and head out the door tying his forehead protector. After a quick jog around the village with Lee, he'd go down to Ichiraku and join Chouji for a bowl of ramen. Apologizing about having no money, he'd then run to the Hyuuga area, say hello to Hinata (who always seemed to get real red or faint around him...He still wasn't sure why), then go interrupt Neji's meditating. That was always about the time when Iruka sensei was on break, so he'd make his way to the academy, first dropping by the hospital to greet Sakura. The rest of the day was spent training, and stopping to talk to his friends along the way. And of course, eating more ramen!
But this morning, he hadn't even gotten halfway through his jog before Shizune had found him. Her words worried and excited him at the same time.
"Naruto, lady Hokage wants to see you in her office, immediately."
Deciding he wouldn't exercise his 'Kakashi-ness', Naruto quickly made his way to the tower. Bursting through the doors, he was surprised to see Tsunade actually awake for once. "What's up, Grandma Tsunade?" He grinned, "You finally got a mission for me?" Seeing the grim look on her face, he lost the joking look, replacing it with a more serious one. "What's wrong?"
"Well…" she stopped, a light smirk on her face. "Kakashi, so nice of you to join us. And you're actually on time for once. She slowly clapped her hands, "good job."
Naruto turned to see his former sensei in the doorway. "Hey Kakashi-sensei! What are you here for?"
"Apparently, the same reason you're here, whatever that may be." Kakashi leaned against the wall, pulling out his most prized possession, his novel, Icha Icha Paradise. "But we seem to be missing someone, so we'll have to wait."
"Oh yeah, where is Sakura-chan?" Naruto looked to Tsunade, who shrugged.
As if she'd heard them calling her, the door flew open and an exhausted-looking Sakura held up a finger, catching her breath. When her color returned to normal, she looked up, smiling, "Sorry shishou, I got caught up at the hospital. Emergency operation"
"And the results?"
"He'll be fine, but he won't be carrying out any missions for awhile."
Tsunade nodded. "Ok." She began pulling her thoughts together as the former members of squad seven stood in front of her desk in a line.
Sakura turned to Naruto, "Any clue what's going on here?" She whispered
He shook his head, "Not a one. Kakashi-sensei doesn't know either." They both looked up when Tsunade cleared her throat.
"I have something to tell you three, and it's…..not very good news. Earlier today, I had a group of shinobi come in, telling me they'd found a missing Nin. Obviously, I assumed they were mistaken, because these weren't the best men I had, not at all. It was hard to believe that such a group would not only find, but capture a missing Nin."
Naruto swallowed nervously, "but…?"
"But they weren't mistaken, and exactly one hour ago, Sasuke Uchiha was brought to my office."
It was quiet for a moment, until Kakashi spoke, "You said this was bad news, so I'm assuming there's more?"
She nodded, "I'm sorry. I had no choice."
Sakura gasped, and Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what was going to happen. "No…"
"He's being sentenced to death. The execution is this afternoon."
Dammit, if they were going to kill him, couldn't they do it quickly? He hated Tsunade more every second for putting him through this crap.
'Why be mad at her? It's your own fault. You shouldn't have come back."
Sasuke ignored the voice in his head as he lay in the cell, remembering his confrontation with the fifth Hokage…
"Come in."
Sasuke walked through the door, his expression emotionless. The office wasn't large, and in the small space, he could feel the sweat roll down his neck as her stifling stare seemed to look through him.
It was intimidating, and as the staring contest continued, her glare seemed to intensify. After a very uncomfortable five minutes, he looked away, glaring at the floor instead as he waited for her to speak.
"Sasuke Uchiha." The hate was evident in her voice as she spoke his name. It was clear she was struggling not to throttle him right there, remembering that she was after all, the Hokage.
"Hn."
"Leave." She turned her glare to the ninja holding the chakra ropes.
"B-but, Lady H-Hokage…"
"I said leave." No sooner were the words out of her mouth than they had disappeared.
Sasuke rolled his wrists around a few times, glad that they were no longer binded. He looked up at Tsunade, wondering what made her trust him enough to let him go.
As if she'd read his mind, Tsunade spoke. "Don't get me wrong, Uchiha, I didn't have them release you because I trust you." She smirked, "I just knew that even if you were to attack me, you didn't stand a chance."
Sasuke let out a snort, smirking. "I know I wouldn't stand a chance in hell against a legendary sannin." He spoke the last part sarcastically.
She leaned back in her chair, "Damn right you wouldn't." Suddenly, the tension was thick again, and Tsunade put on a more serious face. "Let me ask you this – Uchiha, why did you come back to the Village?"
"Hn." He looked out the window behind her at the village. It had been his home for many years, but he'd left of his own free will. So even if he'd planned to answer her question, he didn't know what to say. Why did he come back?
' Stay calm Tsunade…we deal with ninja like him all the time…don't lose your temper' She kept her eyes closed for a moment, taking deep breaths. "Ok, fine, don't tell me. I just hope, for your sake, that this isn't some kind of trick Orochimaru is trying to play. Because this time, we're more than ready. This time, we will take him down." She tightened her fist around her pencil, not paying any attention to it as it snapped in her grasp.
Sasuke stayed quiet for a few moments, before speaking quietly. "Two weeks from Thursday."
"Huh?"Tsunade was searching for a new pencil when a thought struck her. "Hold on Uchiha…Wasn't it only supposed to take 4 years before Orochimaru took you as his new vessel?"
"There were some…..unexpected problems…both times." Sasuke smirked to himself, before looking up at Tsunade. "However, he's perfected his technique, and the time frame has been cut in half."
"So two weeks from Thursday…"
"He'll be at his weakest. He's hiding out in his old sound base. The one Naruto, Sakura, and the old sage destroyed."
The godaime stood up, crossing her arms. "Why should I trust you? This could be a trap, trying to lure us right to that snake, so he can ambush us."
Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Fine, don't believe me. But know this, whether or not you go, his jutsu still won't work."
"Really?" Tsunade arched an eyebrow, "And why is that?"
"Simple. I'll be dead by then." He shrugged. "I am after-all, a missing Nin, and now that I've been 'captured', you have to execute me. My betrayal cannot be overlooked; people will begin to question their Hokage's values. To spare such a criminal, what was the godaime thinking?" He straightened his posture, staring right at her. "You don't really have a choice."
"You've thought this all out. But tell me, why have you changed your mind about Orochimaru? You were so eager to gain power, what happened to that Sasuke?"
Sasuke was quiet for a moment. "Orochimaru…is of no further use to me. I have learned all I can from him, and it wasn't worth giving him my body."
"What of your revenge? What about Itachi?" Tsunade saw his eyes flash red for a second. When he said nothing, she spoke again. "Alright then. Sasuke Uchiha, you will be punished for your crimes. Today. Do you have any objections?"
"No."
She let out a breath, before sitting back down. "Very well then. Shizune." As the medic and her…pig…arrived, Tsunade looked up at Sasuke. "Shizune will escort you back to your cell. We will come to get you when it's time."
"Hn."
And that was about 2 hours ago. The walk with Shizune had been quiet, aside from the occasional squeal from that pig, Ton Ton, or something. It was quiet in his cell, even as he looked through the bars at the town, it seemed empty. Come to think of it, it had been awfully quiet these past ten minutes…where had everyone gone? Suddenly, he realized why everyone had been closing up shop – they were going to the execution.
He was standing there waiting by the time the Anbu black-ops got to his cell.
"Sasuke Uchiha, it's time. You are to come with us."
The walk was long, but at least there weren't anymore ropes holding his wrists. As he reached the roof, He realized why Tsunade had chosen this point – it was the highest point in the village. Everyone would be able to see them, to witness the execution. As he got closer, he could hear Tsunade speaking to the villagers.
"Let this be an example to you all – treachery will NOT be tolerated in Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves."
He let out a low whistle as he saw exactly HOW they were going to execute him. As his hands were being tied behind his back, he looked at the diagonal blade that hung in the air. It was old fashioned, true, but it was quick, and painless. The Leaf ninja were generally peaceful people, and evenwhen executing one of their own, they didn't want to kill him slowly and painfully. That was their way, and they weren't going to change it. As he placed his head in the space provided, Tsunade turned to him. He caught her eye for a moment, before looking down and staring directly at his former teammates.
'Sasuke…' Sakura felt her eyes water as she looked up at him, her childhood crush, her teammate, and most importantly, her friend. She could hardly bear having to watch this, but he was still their friend, and she and Naruto had to be there. Feeling a squeeze on her hand, Sakura looked up to see Naruto's cerulean eyes staring at her. He nodded, before they turned back to look at the last member of their team.
Naruto was confused. He'd seen the shinobi who claimed to have captured Sasuke, and there was no way they'd done it. He knew Sasuke well enough to know that he wasn't one to be brought down by such a weak group. Something was going on, and he wanted so desperately to ask Sasuke what he was thinking. Heck, he wanted to beat him to a pulp just for coming back now. Sasuke was no fool, he knew they were going execute him, so why bother returning? He knew he'd never know the answer either, and that bothered him more. He stared at the black eyes of his friend and searched for an answer that he knew he'd never find. However, for a split second, he swore he'd seen Sasuke smirk.
Looking at Sakura, he saw her smile, then look at him, the laughter in her eyes. He smiled, and looking at Sasuke, he nodded before using his free hand to give a thumbs up to his former teammate. Sakura giggled quietly beside him, and he saw Sasuke shake his head (well, try to), the smirk never leaving his face.
In that moment, Sasuke knew what had brought him back to the leaf village. As much as he hated to say it, he'd missed the village, and his friends. That loyalty brought him back, and the exchange between himself, Naruto, and Sakura proved that they still shared that bond between teammates. A bond that was sure to never break, even through the betrayal, the tears, and the losses.
"Sasuke Uchiha, do you have any final words?"
He thought about that. There were many things he could say, but they were too personal to broadcast to the entire village. They were words he would only say to his team, but they were words he was sure they already knew.
He almost wanted to laugh at himself, because in the moment that he was about to die, he'd never felt better. He felt lighter, like he'd finally been released from something, from his hate. Itachi was still out there somewhere, alive, but Sasuke knew that Naruto and the others would take him out. It may take awhile, but it would happen, because that was the kind of person Naruto Uzumaki was – when he made a promise, he did all he could to keep it, to see it out until the end.
"Ok then. Let go of the rope." Tsunade ordered the men.
'Just for old time's sake.' Sasuke thought to himself. And just before the blade came down, he mouthed two words they were sure to understand.
"Thank you."
"They watch in silence as the curtain cascades
The rain gently pouring; the afternoon sunlight fades.
The sky's crying with them, the girl and the boy
They aren't tears of sorrow, but tears of joy.
It's been a long journey, but finally, the end
Their teammate, his brother, her crush, their friend."
Ok, that's it. My one-shot is complete! And I think this is the longest thing I've done, for it to only be one chapter, so yay for me! Fanfiction makes it look shorter than MSword does! Man, and I was really proud, too!
I tried to show the silent bond between team seven at the end, but I'm not sure if it got across.
Well, I'd really like some feedback, so review please!