A/N: Alright so I have decided due to popular request to make this a story. I'm not sure how good it will be, but it should be interesting I hope.

Summary: It's after the Chounin exams and the villagers and some fellow ninjas are giving Sasuke a hard time. The secret about Orochimaru's interest in him is out and now some people are looking to kill Sasuke before he gets the chance to betray them. Will Kakashi be able to keep Sasuke in Konoha? Or will Orochimaru manage to convince him to join him? Sasuke is stuck at a cross roads and each day Konoha pushes him closer and closer to Orochimaru.

Chapter 1

Sasuke was on his way back home after a long day of training. He could see his apartment and he couldn't be happier. He was sore and exhausted from a hard day of training. He had to work on trying to keep the curse seal under control. Every now and then it would still send a burning pain throughout his body especially at night. Sasuke thought about telling Kakashi, but he didn't want Kakashi to worry. He also didn't think there would be anything that Kakashi could do about it anyways. The seal that Kakashi placed around it at least helped him be able to keep it under reasonable control. Sasuke made his way up to his apartment that he had above a store, it was the only place that would let a seven year old live in. Sasuke had the opportunity to move over the years since he was seven, but he stayed in this apartment out of respect for the old couple who owned the store below. They had been the only one that let Sasuke rent an apartment at his young age. The old woman would even come up after school to see how Sasuke was doing and even cook dinner for him at times. For those reasons Sasuke never moved into a better place when given the chance. He was grateful for the old couple and this place had become his home.

Once inside Sasuke made his way to the bathroom so he could shower and wash the sweat away. After a good thirty minutes in the hot water Sasuke's muscles were starting to feel better. Sasuke got out and got dressed in a pair of sweat pants and a black muscle shirt, what he usually wore for bed. It was only eight at night, but Sasuke was looking to just lounge around watching some television before he turned in. He liked to have just a couple of hours to unwind and relax after training all day. Sasuke went and grabbed a glass of water from his kitchen before he headed over to the couch in the living room. He turned on the television and began to flick through the channels until he found something that interested him. It wasn't until thirty minutes later that Sasuke heard a noise. It sounded like it was coming from his bedroom so he got up and made his way over towards his bedroom. He was just about to go through the door when he was punched in the face. The blow surprised him and caused him to stagger back. Sasuke didn't have the chance to recover from the blow before two strong hands grabbed each arm and held him back. Sasuke looked up and saw that there were three men in front of him and one holding each arm. They all wore black masks so Sasuke couldn't see who they were.

"Who are you?" Sasuke growled out

Sasuke received a punch to the gut as his answer. The punch was strong and if it hadn't been for the two men holding each arm Sasuke would have been on the floor.

"What do you want?" Sasuke said through grinded teeth.

Once again he was punched in the gut for his answer. This punch was stronger than the last which made Sasuke think that this man was a ninja. The problem was he couldn't see who they were to be able to say if they were ninjas or not. The reality was, Sasuke was just thirteen years old and these men were adults from what Sasuke could tell based on the body that he could see. Even if they weren't ninja their punches would still hurt on just the size difference alone. The situation was starting to get very real to Sasuke as the seconds ticked by. His body was exhausted and sore from training all day, plus his curse seal was starting to burn as it usually does at night. Sasuke knew even if he got his arms free his only hope would be getting to run out of his apartment. He knew he couldn't take on five adults who may be ninjas. The problem was he still didn't know why they were here and it didn't seem like they were able to tell him.

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by the pain to the side of his head. The man who had hit him twice already just punched him in the head. That wasn't all though it appeared that no one was going to talk. The man in front of him kept punching him in the face, gut and ribs. Sasuke did the only thing he could do he kept track of each blow. Once the man reached forty he stopped. Sasuke had blood going down the side of his face, he knew that he had a few bruised ribs and if it wasn't for the hands on his arms he wouldn't have been standing. Sasuke thought that it might be over now. The man that was hitting him had stepped back and was now standing next to the two other men in front of him. To Sasuke's horror another man stepped up to take the previous man's place. The man didn't even give Sasuke anytime to prepare he just started to punch him as the previous man had. Another forty blows before the man moved back and the third man in front of him stepped forward.

"Why?"

Once again the man didn't give him any reason or a single word. He just went forth with his blows Sasuke had lost count of how many, but he assumed it was forty as well. Sasuke didn't know how much more he could take. If the two men holding him up wanted to take a turn Sasuke didn't think he could hold on to consciousness. Once the man was done he and the man previous went and took the men that were holding Sasuke up place. Sasuke couldn't hold himself up and longer and he found himself on his knees in front of the men. The two men who had previously beaten him were still holding onto his arms. The fourth man took his turn, but he didn't just punch he also kicked and Sasuke found out very quickly that his kicks were worse than the punches. Once that man was done the final man took his place to begin his assault. Sasuke was now coughing up blood and felt like he couldn't breathe. His whole body hurt he knew he had broken bones, but he didn't know how many or even what ones. The curse seal was in its full attack that happens each night. His whole body was burning with pain from the seal. There were no black marks, but Sasuke knew if it wasn't for the seal Kakashi placed on it, the curse would be spread all over him. Once the final man was finished Sasuke was praying they were going to leave now. His hope was crushed when they didn't move away. The men holding his arms let go and Sasuke fell the rest of the way to the ground. Sasuke couldn't move even if he wanted to the pain was excruciating. Only it wasn't over the five men had a whole other plan for Sasuke.

The man who first attacked him, who Sasuke assumed was in charge, grabbed Sasuke by the hair and dragged him over into his bedroom where he threw Sasuke onto the bed. The other men went to work in grabbing Sasuke's wrists and tied each wrist to the headboard with chakra binding rope. They tied his wrists so tight the rope was cutting into his skin. Sasuke didn't know what they were about to do to him now. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. He fought with everything in him to keep his eyes open so he can see what is going on. He expected them to continue with their torture, what he didn't expect was for them to start a fire. All Sasuke could do was watch in horror as the five men went through the house using anything they could as accelerant. Once they were satisfied with the level of accelerant they lit a match and the apartment started to catch on fire. The five men went back into the bedroom and started to go out the window, the same way the used to come in. The very last man, the leader, went over to Sasuke and spoke.

"Now you won't get the chance to be Orochimaru's bitch."

Sasuke tried to talk, but he was in too much pain to even move his mouth. The man lit one last match and threw it onto the floor by the bed before going out the window. The match on the floor immediately started to cause a line of fire all throughout the room. Sasuke began his struggles on the ropes. He needed to get out of here before he died. Sasuke tried his best not to think about the irony about him being killed in a fire when he was a fire element. He could see the black smoke filling up the room and the flames from not only the bedroom, but the rest of the apartment. His tripled his struggles, but his body was in too much pain and the ropes were just too tight. The black smoke was making it difficult to breathe and Sasuke couldn't hold back a coughing fit. The flames were making their way over the bed by his bare left arm. Sasuke continued to struggle against the ropes hoping that if the fire went up that way it would at least burn the ropes off. Sasuke let out a scream as the fire started to crawl over his left arm. It was that last burst of pain that pushed Sasuke over the edge into darkness.

Neji and Shikamaru were walking down the street it was just after nine at night and they were on their way home from a mission. The mission was a simple C Rank so the two of them were the only ones to go. It was tedious and boring, but they had to do it so they got it done as quickly as possible. The two walked down the street in comfortable silence. Shikamaru was glad that Neji was one of the few in their group of friends that didn't feel the need to talk. That fact had made the mission less annoying. They were half way to their homes when Neji spoke.

"There's smoke."

Shikamaru looked to where Neji had his eyes on and saw that there was black smoke coming from a few blocks away.

"It could be a restaurant that had a little stove fire." Shikamaru replied.

"We should check it out. Just to be sure."

"Troublesome." Shikamaru whispered under his breath. He knew Neji was right if it was just a simple stove fire then they could be on their way. However, if it was something more and they didn't help then Shikamaru would never be able to forgive himself.

The two made their way over the few blocks and noticed that it wasn't just a simple stove fire. There was an apartment above a store that was on fire. There were flames coming out of the windows, there was glass on the ground from the windows being blown out by the force of the fire. That's when Shikamaru noticed just who's apartment they were staring at.

"This is Sasuke's apartment. Can you sense anyone inside?"

Neji concentrated on trying to locate anyone's chakra inside the inferno. He was about to say no, but then he felt something it was faint, but there was something there.

"I think he's inside."

They didn't say anything more they both ran to the building and started to climb the stairs two at a time. They didn't want to go in there, but they weren't about to just leave Sasuke in the building on fire. Shikamaru got to the door first and tried the handle, it was locked. He took a step back and he kicked the door with all of his strength to break it down. The apartment was covered in angry red flames. They were on the floor, the walls and even the ceiling. The whole place was filed with thick black smoke. They had to move quickly, if Sasuke was still alive if they didn't get him out soon he wouldn't be.

"Stay low to the ground." Neji told Shikamaru as they entered the inferno.

"Sasuke!" Shikamaru shouted hoping that Sasuke would be conscious even though he knew better. If Sasuke was conscious then he wouldn't be in this place. The only good thing was the apartment was small. They didn't see him in the living room or the kitchen. They headed into the back for the bedroom and they were thankful the door was open.

"Oh my god." Shikamaru said as he saw Sasuke lying on the bed tied to the headboard. They immediately ran over each on one side of Sasuke. Neji pulled out a kunai to cut the rope as Shikamaru took off his jacket and put it over Sasuke's left arm to try and put out the flames that was on him. Once both of the ropes were cut each one grabbed an arm and put it over their shoulders as they began to carry Sasuke out of the fire. They knew they had to hurry it was getting harder and harder to breathe through all of the smoke. There was no telling how long Sasuke had been in the fire breathing in the smoke the only indication that he was still alive was the faint chakra that Neji was able to sense. Once they got Sasuke outside they gently laid him down on the ground. They got him out just in time, because as his back touched the ground the whole apartment exploded. Neji and Shikamaru instantly covered Sasuke's body to protect him from the ashes and wood that came down from the explosion.

After a moment they moved back and Shikamaru went to check for a pulse. He let out a breath when he felt it, except Sasuke wasn't breathing.

"He's not breathing." Shikamaru said

Neji moved to help Shikamaru give Sasuke CPR. Shikamaru started to do chest compressions and when it was his turn Neji tilted Sasuke's head back, pinched his nose closed and then covered Sasuke's mouth with his own. Neji made sure to use deep breathes so Sasuke could get as much air into him as possible. They did this process six times before Sasuke started to cough. They gently rolled Sasuke onto his left side to ease the pressure on his lungs. What they didn't expect was for Sasuke to be coughing up blood.

Once Sasuke got the coughing fit under control they rolled him back onto his back. Sasuke didn't have his eyes open, but they knew he was breathing. That was when Shikamaru noticed that there was bruising on his face underneath the black soot. Shikamaru went and lifted Sasuke's shirt up to reveal more, huge black bruising all over his chest and stomach.

"Neji he's been beaten."

Neji looked over at Sasuke's torso and couldn't believe the level of damage that was done to him.

"This didn't come from just one person." Neji said

"This would explain why he just coughed up blood. He could be bleeding internally. We have to get him to the hospital."

Carefully they got him up off the ground and back to where each one had one of Sasuke's arms around their shoulders. They moved as quickly as they could through the streets of Konoha to get to the hospital. Once there a few nurses came over to them right away. Neji and Shikamaru were ecstatic to see Tsunade coming towards them as well.

"What happened?"

"We don't know. We were walking home and saw the smoke in the sky. We ran over and Sasuke's apartment was up in flames we found him tied to his bed. We got him out, but he wasn't breathing. We had to give him CPR he's breathing, but he won't wake up." Shikamaru said

"Bring him this way."

Tsunade walked towards an empty room with the boys behind her. Once in the room they gently laid Sasuke down on the bed.

"Alright you boys can just wait outside." Tsunade said as she went over to Sasuke and began to heal him. A nurse put an oxygen mask on him to help get the smoke out of his lungs. Tsunade went to work on Sasuke's left arm that held the most damaged. She worked as fast as she could to reduce the level of burn and try to save his arm.

Neji and Shikamaru were out in the hallway doing the only thing they could do, wait. They still couldn't believe how their night had turned. They were just on their way home after a mission, they were going home to sleep and shower. Now they were standing in the hospital with Sasuke brutally injured. They had to drag him out of an apartment fire. They had to give him CPR. Now here they were standing in the hospital and they had never felt more like a child then they did now. They didn't know what to do and they hated the fact that they felt like they needed an adult, but they did.

"We should tell Kakashi about this." Shikamaru said

"I'll go get him."

"I'll wait here and see if anything happens."

Neji just nodded and headed out of the hospital to go to Kakashi's apartment. Neji was glad that he was able to get out of the sterile smelling hospital. He had always hated being in them and it wasn't for the fear of dying. It was all about the feel of them. The white walls, the white sheets, the white coats, the sterile smell it was all just too much for him to handle for very long. It just felt inhuman. Neji hurried as fast as he could to get to Kakashi's apartment. Kakashi was the closest thing to a father that Sasuke had and he would be furious if they hadn't told him right away. Neji arrived at Kakashi's apartment and knocked. After a moment Kakashi answered the door.

"Neji are alright you're covered in dirt?"

Neji had completely forgotten that he must have soot on him from being in the apartment. They were so busy trying to get Sasuke to the hospital alive that it never crossed his mind that he himself might not look too great.

"I'm fine it's just soot."

"Soot?"

"Kakashi- sensei something has happened to Sasuke-san. Shikamaru and I were on our way home from a mission. We saw smoke a few blocks away and when we got there Sasuke's apartment was on fire."

"What? Is he okay?"

Kakashi had known that some of the villagers and other ninja were giving Sasuke a hard time since Orochimaru kill the third. There had been a few times when Sasuke would show up for training or a mission with some bruises. The village had basically split, some were with Sasuke and some were against him. Kakashi was just thankful that their little group were all for supporting Sasuke. The fact that someone set his apartment on fire was just taking the hatred to a whole new level.

"He's in the hospital. He's not doing so well. I sensed his chakra in the apartment we went in and there was fire everywhere. The smoke was so thick and black I didn't think we would be able to even go in. We found him in the bedroom. He had his wrists tied to the headboard with chakra rope. I cut them off while Shikamaru used his jacket to put out the fire that was all over his left arm. We got him outside, but he wasn't breathing. We had to perform CPR. We got him breathing, but he's covered in bruises. His torso is so damaged there was bruising and his ribs you could see that they were broken. Tsunade-Sama has him right now. He didn't even wake up."

Kakashi didn't even know what to say or to think. Someone had not only brutally beaten Sasuke they had actually tried to kill him, and they almost succeeded. Kakashi knew he had to just get to the hospital and make sure Sasuke, was not only going to be alright, but that he was safe.

"Are you and Shikamaru okay?"

"We're fine. We were only in there for a few minutes."

"Let's get to the hospital."

Kakashi said as he closed his door and took off for the hospital. Kakashi wasn't going to deny that he wasn't worried and scared for Sasuke. The villagers or the ninja that did this clearly didn't care if Sasuke was just a teenager, and they certainly didn't care if he lived or died. Kakashi had to make sure that Sasuke would be safe and something had to be done about this. They got to the hospital and Shikamaru was still standing where Neji had left him. Kakashi took in Shikamaru's appearance he wanted to make sure that he was alright.

"Are you okay?"

"Ya I'm okay. Tsunade-Sama hasn't come out yet."

Kakashi just gave a nod and went into the room. Kakashi couldn't believe what he saw. There was Sasuke on the hospital bed there was bruising and blood on his face, his left arm was red and looked horribly painful. His shirt was cut off and his torso was covered in black bruises. Whoever did this to him showed no mercy.

"Tsunade- sama?"

"He's going to live Kakashi. He's in rough shape though. If they hadn't have gotten to him when those boys did he would have been dead. Just two minutes later and there would have been nothing I could do."

"How bad?"

"If it wasn't for the fact that he grew up around fire and using the fire techniques that he does, if it wasn't for that he would have lost his left arm. If his skin wasn't so thick and tough when it comes to fire his nerves would have been completely burned away. Right now he has second degree burns, that's the best I can do for him. His arm is going to hurt for the first twenty-four hours, after that it won't have the burning pain just a normal throbbing pain. Believe me that will be an improvement. He'll need to take an anti-biotic for at least two weeks to help fight off infection. His arm will need to be bandaged at all times and twice a day an antic-biotic cream needs to be applied and redressed until it's healed completely."

"But his arm will be fine once it's healed?"

"Yes it will be back to normal. Like I said if it wasn't for his tolerance with fire I would have had to amputate his arm to save his life."

"What about the bruising?"

"That was done by more than one person. If I had to guess there was at least two hundred blows to his body. He had some bleeding and bruising in his brain. I've healed it and repaired the damage, but he will have some serious headaches for a couple of weeks. He had six broken ribs and five bruised ribs. I've managed to heal them, but he will be sore and stiff moving around. One of the broken ribs punctured his right lung I repaired it, but combine that with the smoke inhalation he needs to be on oxygen for at least a day or two. There was internal bleeding I was able to repair it as well. He got here just in time. He has not woken up yet I will be keeping him sedated for at least twenty-four hours. I want the blunt of the pain in his arm to fade before he wakes up."

"This is insane. It's one thing to be worried that Sasuke will go to Orochimaru it's a whole other thing to go this far to kill him. They didn't just try to kill him in a fight. They beat him and tied him to his bed and then left him to burn alive in that apartment. Something needs to be done about this"

"And something will be. In twenty-four hours I'll wake him up. When he is awake either I can or you can ask him about what happened. However, I can't let him wake up right now. The pain in his arm will be excruciating, that kind of stress on his body and his heart is not something he can handle right now. He needs rest so his body can get over the worst pain level. I will be doing something about all of this. Don't think for a second I haven't noticed the divide in Konoha or the bruises on him. This won't be ignored nor will any other kind of attack against him. For right now the best thing you can do is to just be there for him, especially when he wakes up."

Kakashi just gave a nod and tried to process everything that Tsunade had said. He was glad that Sasuke would make a full recovery, but he couldn't help but think about what could have happened if Neji and Shikamaru hadn't saw the smoke.

"What about his apartment? Is the fire out?"

"I've already had a nurse speak with a squad to check into it. Judging by the burn on his arm I don't think his apartment will be salvageable."

"What will happen when he gets out of the hospital?"

"I'll have to find him another apartment. I know it wasn't easy for him to get that one. A lot of people won't let a child live alone in an apartment. The couple that owned the store below owned the apartment. They told me that Sasuke was living on the streets after the clan was killed. The old lady said she found him sleeping in the back alley behind the store. She told her husband to come outside and they found out that no one would rent to him, because he was just seven. They owned the apartment and they had it for when their son came to visit from school. They took him in and once all the paperwork was finished with his inheritance Sasuke paid them rent. She told me how she used to come up and see him after school and cook him dinner. They're a sweet old couple who was the only one to help him after his family's death. It's not going to be easy for me to be able to find him another place to live, especially with everything that has happened."

"I never knew that about him. He can stay with me until an apartment comes up, or if he wants he can just stay with me. I have that second bedroom, and this way I can keep a close eye on him. No one in this village is dumb enough to try anything in my apartment."

"You are one of the most respected and powerful ninja we have in this village. I can't imagine anyone would be dumb enough to try anything with you around him. Though, I have been wrong before. I'm going to check Neji and Shikamaru out and make sure they don't have any lung damage from the smoke. I'll come back and check on him throughout the night."

"Thank you Tsunade-Sama."

The next twenty-four hours went by at a snail's pace for Kakashi. Tsunade had checked on Sasuke every hour to make sure that his oxygen levels were going up. They were now back to normal levels and Sasuke no longer needed the oxygen mask. Neji and Shikamaru were placed on oxygen for an hour, Tsunade just wanted to make sure that they were okay before she sent them home. Naruto and the rest of the Genin had come by once they heard about Sasuke's apartment being on fire. They were all concerned that Sasuke was in serious danger, but once they heard and saw that Sasuke would be alright it helped ease their worry slightly. It still scared them that someone had tried to kill Sasuke and very closely succeeded. Kakashi had assured them that Sasuke would be staying with him until further notice. It was nearing hour twenty-eight when Sasuke finally let out a small groan. Kakashi moved his chair closer so he could touch Sasuke gently.

"Hey Sasuke." Kakashi whispered.

Sasuke let out a groan as he opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was the white ceiling and he knew that he wasn't at home in bed. The smell came next, that sick sterile smell that could only come from a hospital. Sasuke moved his eyes around and saw Kakashi was sitting to the right of him.

"Kakashi" Sasuke's voice was hoarse and raw. Tsunade had explained that it was to be expected, because of the smoke that he inhaled.

"Hey its okay you're in the hospital. Do you want some water?"

As if on cue Sasuke started to go into a coughing fit, which Tsunade had also explained to Kakashi. Kakashi got up and went to the sink to pour a glass of water. He placed a straw into the plastic hospital issued cup and went back over to the bed.

"Take a deep breath to slow the coughing down."

Sasuke did his best to take a deep breath, but it hurt his lungs and chest when he did. After a few tries he was able to settle the coughing down.

"Drink slow Sasuke."

Kakashi held the cup and put it so Sasuke could get the straw. Sasuke took a few small sips of the water and stopped he didn't want to hurt his throat any more than it already was. Kakashi placed the cup down on the little side table beside the bed before he sat back down. Sasuke looked to his left and saw that his arm was covered in bandages from his wrist to his shoulder. He instantly tried to move his fingers and was relieved that they could move. There was some pain, but it wasn't as bad as Sasuke would have thought.

"Your arm will be perfectly fine in a couple of weeks. You were really lucky Sasuke."

"It doesn't hurt as much as I thought it would. I guess the burns aren't that bad."

Sasuke was looking at Kakashi and even though, Sasuke must have known the burns were worse than first degree he was looking for Kakashi to agree with him. He was looking for some form of reassurance that he wasn't in that fire for very long.

"Tsunade-Sama was able to heal the burns on your arm fairly well. Right now you have second degree burns all up your arm. Sasuke if you had been in that fire for another two minutes you would have been dead. Right now if it wasn't for the fact that your skin has a tolerance for fire you would have lost your arm. The burns were third degree, but Tsunade was able to heal them down to a second degree. You also had internal bleeding to your lungs, stomach and brain. Tsunade healed you completely and you'll make a full recovery. You do though have bruising and will be sore and stiff for a good week. Plus she mentioned you will most likely have some headaches from the bleeding and bruising to your brain. She gave you a sedative so you would sleep through the worst of the pain from the burn. You've been out for close to twenty-eight hours now."

Sasuke didn't say anything he needed a minute to let it all sink in. He had almost died. Those men had almost succeeded in killing him and all for what? Orochimaru. Sasuke took a minute to go through his body and see if he could feel anything that was hurting. His arm ached, but it was nothing compared to what it would have been just a few hours ago. His chest and lungs hurt, but that was probably from the beating and the smoke he inhaled. His ribs were sore, but the pain was better than he remembered it being. The burning pain in his body from the seal was still there which meant it was night time. Sasuke didn't know if he wanted to talk about what happened, but he had to know how he got here. He knew there was no way he got free himself.

"How did I um…"

"Neji and Shikamaru were walking back home from a mission. They saw the smoke a few blocks away and went to check it out. They thought it was just a restaurant with a kitchen fire. When they saw it was your apartment they went in. Neji cut the rope while Shikamaru put the fire on your arm out. They got you out and brought you to the hospital."

"Are they okay?"

"They're fine. They weren't in there long enough for the smoke to do any damage."

"My chest hurts. Is that from the smoke?"

Kakashi let out a breath. He knew he couldn't keep the truth from Sasuke, but that didn't mean he wanted to tell Sasuke everything that happened.

"Sasuke when they got you out of the fire you weren't breathing. They had to perform CPR that's why your chest hurts. Shikamaru was giving you chest compressions and there's some bruising from that."

Sasuke could feel the fear growing in him. The fact that he wasn't breathing, that if it wasn't for Neji and Shikamaru he would be dead right now. The only reason he is alive was, because he got lucky that someone saw the smoke. The getting jumped in the street he could handle, the hate mail he could handle, what people said to him and behind his back he could handle, but this? He was just lucky he didn't die. The burning from the seal was getting worse with each minute that passed. Sasuke moved so he could lay on his right side. He was careful of his left arm, but he couldn't lie on his back anymore.

"I asked them why? I asked them what they wanted. They didn't talk, not one word and every time I did I would be hit."

"What happened Sasuke?"

Kakashi kept his voice soft and gentle. He could tell that Sasuke was struggling with his emotions and he didn't want to make it any worse. He didn't have much practise with children, but with Sasuke it seemed to come naturally to Kakashi.

"I was training, I didn't get back home until eight or so. Everything was fine I took a shower and sat down on the couch to watch T.V. About half hour later I heard a noise from my bedroom so I went to go look. I didn't even get through the door before I was hit. I didn't expect it. I should of. I was stupid I just thought it was an animal on the window I should have known better."

"Hey this is not your fault. You had no idea this was going to happen. You did nothing wrong so I don't want to hear you blame yourself for this at all."

Sasuke let out a shaky breath before he continued.

"There were five of them all wearing black masks. Two of them grabbed each of my arms and held me back. They were stronger than me I tried to get my arms free, but I couldn't even move. I asked why they were there, I asked what they wanted, but the man in front of me just hit me every time I talked. I guess he was in charge, because he went first. He hit me forty times, I counted each one. I just kept thinking that once he was done that they would leave, but they didn't. The next man took his turn and when he was done the next man went. When the three in front of me were finished, two of them took the other two men's place, but I couldn't stand up anymore. The first three hit me over a hundred times, everything was getting blurry and I just remember trying to stay awake. The last two went but they kicked and punched me. When they were finished the two holding me up let me go and I didn't think I would be able to get up. The one in charge grabbed me by my hair and dragged me into my bedroom. He threw me onto my bed and then two of them tied my wrists to the headboard. I didn't understand what was going on, but I saw the one man adjusting his belt and I thought…"

Sasuke closed his eyes and stopped talking for a second. He needed a moment to collect himself. Kakashi just sat there quietly while Sasuke spoke. When Sasuke said that he was tied down to the bed and the one man was touching his belt Kakashi knew immediately what Sasuke thought was going to happen.

"Sasuke, did they touch you or do something to you?"

"No. They just went into the living room and started to use anything they could as accelerant. They poured it all over the floor and the walls. The man in charge was doing it in the bedroom all around the bed. They came back into the bedroom and the one man lit a match and threw it into the living room. They went out the window, but the man in charge came over to me and told me that now I won't get the chance to be Orochimaru's bitch. He lit a new match and put it down by the bed before he left. I tried to get the ropes off, but they were chakra ropes and every time I moved they got tighter. I could see the flames all throughout the living room and the smoke it got so black I couldn't really see. It got hot so fast and it was so hard to get a breath. I tried to stay awake and call for help, but I couldn't get any words out from the smoke. The last thing I remember was pain and my arm was burning. I guess I passed out, because after that everything goes blank."

"Oh Sasuke I am so sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"You've been getting attacked and threatened I should have set something up to protect you."

"You didn't know anyone would take it this far sensei."

"Did you recognize the voice at all? Or did you see any marks or the clothing they wore?"

"I don't know the voice and I didn't really get the chance to look too closely at them. I couldn't even tell you what their eye color was. I know they were adults and they were strong. They knew how to punch and kick, but that doesn't really help much."

"Tsunade is working on it she might be able to figure it out. For now you'll be staying with me just in case."

"How bad was the apartment?"

"Tsunade sent out a squad, but from what Neji and Shikamaru said I don't think the apartment is liveable."

"What about the store was it damaged as well?"

"I'm not too sure. I don't think there would be much damage done to it though. Sasuke why didn't you ever tell me you were homeless when you were younger?"

"Who told you?"

"Tsunade mentioned it. She is going to try and find you an apartment, but she said it might take a while with what's been happening recently and of your age. She told me the story about the elderly couple that took you in."

"Mister and Misses Yaki. When my family was killed I had the choice of going back to the house or living somewhere else. I tried to go back to the house I really did. I walked through the compound and there was blood on the ground and the houses. I got to the house and I went in; their blood was all over the floor in the living room. I couldn't go any further. I left and I never went back. I didn't think it would be so hard to find a place, but I was just seven and no one wanted me in their property. I spent six months on the street. One night it was pouring rain out. I was in the back alley and trying to hide under these wooden steps. Mrs. Yaki came out and saw me there. She knew who I was and asked why I wasn't at home and I told her why. The next thing I knew her and her husband took me upstairs to the apartment. When I was eight I started to pay rent and they kept an eye on me. Mrs. Yaki would cook dinner sometimes, she taught me how to cook. Mr. Yaki knew some techniques and he would take me out sometimes to the training grounds and teach me. Over the years I could have moved, but after everything they did for me I always stayed."

"Where are they now?"

"They died a few years ago. Mr. Yaki had a heart attack and Mrs. Yaki died from old age a few months later. Their son didn't want the store so they sold it, but in the contract the new owner couldn't evict me. He wanted to make sure that the apartment would always be mine."

"They sound like they were very nice people."

"They were."

The pain was getting to be at the extreme level that it has been for the past week. A sharp burning pain hit him and a whimper escaped Sasuke's mouth.

"Sasuke you alright?"

"Hurts"

Kakashi moved his hand and gently began to rub circles on Sasuke's back.

"I know it hurts, but each day it will get better."

"No not that. The seal it hurts."

Kakashi moved his hand so he could look at the seal on Sasuke's left shoulder. It wasn't red so that at least meant that the seal wasn't coming out. What worried Kakashi was that they really didn't know anything about this seal. All they could do was try and figure things out as new problems came up. This pain was new for Sasuke.

"Hurts how Sasuke?"

"It's a burning pain. It starts out small and then it goes through my whole body."

"How long has this been happening?"

"It only did it a few times here and there, but in the last week it's been every night. It goes all night long I haven't really been able to sleep."

Sasuke whispered he knew Kakashi would be mad that he didn't tell him about the pain.

"It's been doing this all week? Sasuke why didn't you tell me?"

Sasuke was looking down at the bed. His body was shaking slightly from the pain that his body was in between the curse mark and the beating. Kakashi moved his hand so he could put it in Sasuke's right hand.

"Sasuke I'm not mad at you. This seal we really don't know anything about it. So anything that is different with it; or it makes you feel different no matter what you need to tell me. I'm not mad at you I know this isn't easy for you. I'm going to page Tsunade-Sama and she might have an idea about the pain."

Sasuke just gave a nod. Kakashi moved his free hand over to the nurse call button and when a nurse came in he asked to speak with Tsunade. After five minutes Tsunade came into the room. She saw that Sasuke was on his right side and he was visibly shaking. She went over to the bed to see what was wrong.

"Sasuke what's wrong?"

"He's in a lot of pain from the curse seal. It's not flaring out, but for the past week every night there is this burning pain all throughout his body."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tsunade asked Kakashi as she went to look at the seal.

"I didn't know until now."

"Sasuke you need to tell Kakashi or myself when this happens. This seal is very dangerous it's a miracle you even survived getting it."

"I just told him that. Is there something you can do about the pain? The seal I put on over it only keeps it in place unless Sasuke's will fails. It won't do anything for pain."

"Does Orochimaru know about it?"

"He was there right after I put it on him."

"That's probably the reasoning behind the pain. I don't know very much about this seal. I do know that there have been a few people who refused to follow Orochimaru. The pain is a way to weaken Sasuke's will. If Sasuke's will fails then the seal will come out which is exactly what Orochimaru wants. The pain makes it so he can't sleep. Between exhaustion and the pain Orochimaru is trying to get Sasuke to his breaking point. He wants Sasuke to come to him willingly even if it means he has to break him down. He's done it before with other people. He puts their body through pain and exhaustion to the point where they can't take anymore. That's when he will show up and tell them he can make the pain stop if they go with him."

"How do we stop this? He can't do this every night."

"I read through some old files from the third about this seal. A few people found that someone else's chakra helped ease the pain. The person would have to be someone they trust and find comfort in, so their chakra was able to soothe the pain away. The pain will come and go. He will do it for weeks and then he'll stop. Orochimaru can't keep it up for very long; he needs to take breaks to regain his strength. So what we can do for right now; Kakashi I want you to try and focus your chakra onto the seal. You need to only let a gentle amount out and put it into the seal. Hopefully that will ease the pain from the seal for a little while."

Kakashi moved his free hand over to where the seal was and gentle placed it down over top of it. A whimper escaped Sasuke's mouth with the pressure of Kakashi's hand. Kakashi very carefully allowed a small amount of chakra flow through his fingers and into the seal. Sasuke couldn't help, but squeeze Kakashi's hand that was in his hand still. He didn't know if it would hurt or not, but once the initial chakra started to go through the pain did start to lessen. He slowly loosened his grip on Kakashi's hand as the burning pain started to lessen. Kakashi looked at Sasuke and could tell that the pain was getting better. For now they found a temporary solution. Kakashi looked at Tsunade and gave a slight nod to let her know it was working.

"Do this until the pain is gone it should work till morning. For now when the pain is there we'll have to do this. I need to do some more research to figure out how Sasuke can work on training the seal. Once he has control over it then the seal you placed on him Kakashi will no longer be needed and this will lessen Orochimaru's determination to get to Sasuke through the seal."

"Can't we just remove the curse seal?" Sasuke said

"Sasuke no one has ever had it removed before. It might not even be possible." Kakashi said

"Sasuke I'm going to look into this as best as I can. I'll send for Jiraiya and speak to him about this. He might have more knowledge of how you can control the seal. For right now we have found a way to control the pain."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Sasuke. I'll be back later to check up on you. You need to try and get some sleep Sasuke."

Tsunade walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

"You're no longer shaking. Are you feeling better?"

"It feels so much better. All week every single night it's been so painful I couldn't even move; little lone sleep. I'm sorry I should have told you when it started."

"I'm glad that this is working. Sasuke, why didn't you tell me about it?"

Sasuke looked down once again.

"I'm scared." He very softly whispered; Kakashi almost didn't catch it. Kakashi kept his hand on the seal to put in as much chakra as he could so the pain would be pushed back.

"Why are you scared to tell me?"

"I just… I thought that if you knew about the pain then you would tell Tsunade and she would tell the council. I thought they would make me leave. That I would be on my own with this. I don't want to go to the Sound. When he first showed up in the Chounin exams I couldn't even move. Naruto was trying to fight him and Sakura was yelling at me to do something, but I couldn't. The way he felt, I never felt anything like that not even when Itachi killed the Clan. It made no sense, because they couldn't feel it, but it paralyzed me. I know I'm a ninja and I'm not supposed to be scared…"

"Now hold on right there Sasuke. First of all, I would never let anyone force you to leave the village; you are not alone in this. You will always have me there to help you. Secondly, since the Chounin exams you've had to face Orochimaru, you got the curse seal on you that you almost died from, people have tried to kill you, you've been attacked, threatened, harassed, and most recently you were beaten, tied up and almost burned alive. You have every reason and right to be scared. You are a ninja yes, but you are also a thirteen year old boy who has this powerful and terrify man after him. You get to be scared."

Sasuke didn't say anything he just had his eyes closed trying so hard to fight the tear that have wanted to come out for weeks. Kakashi knew what he was doing and it still broke his heart. Sasuke was always so guarded all the time and seeing him like this fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, spoke volumes of the stress level he was in. A week worth of no sleep, endless pain and almost dying had pushed Sasuke past his limits. Now his carefully constructed walls were shattering all around him. It wasn't until he saw the first single tear slide down Sasuke's pale bruised cheek did Kakashi decide enough was enough. He moved both his hands from Sasuke and went to sit on the bed facing him. Being careful of his injuries Kakashi began to shift Sasuke so he would sit up as well.

"Come here Sasuke."

Sasuke moved so he could sit up and Kakashi didn't waste a second to put his arms around him and pull Sasuke into a hug. Sasuke still refused to show weakness and let the tears fall though.

"It's only you and I Sasuke. Right now we are not ninjas. I'm a twenty-six year old and you are thirteen. You need to be thirteen Sasuke and just let it out. You'll feel better once you do."

Sasuke couldn't hold back anymore and he just let the tears fall down his face. He buried his face into Kakashi's chest and let it all out. Kakashi wrapped his arms around Sasuke and held him close. He stroked his hand through Sasuke's hair as a form of comfort to him. After a good twenty minutes the tears had stopped and Sasuke moved back away to wipe the tears from his face. Only Kakashi's hands had beaten him to it. He gently wiped away the tears from Sasuke's abused cheeks as Sasuke took a shaky breath in.

"When you are cleared to leave here you will be living with me. Which is good, because at night when the seal acts up I can put an end to it. It also means that no one in this village is stupid enough to try anything while you are in those walls. I give you my word I will keep you safe and if something happened that Orochimaru does get his hands on you. I give you my word that I will get you back. I will never stop until I do. So you remind yourself each and every day to hold on that I will come for you. I will do everything in my power to make sure that never happens. I want you to know though that within those walls of that apartment you don't have to be brave. You get to be thirteen and I know it's been a long time since you got to be your own age, but it's time again. Do you understand?"

Sasuke gave a nod, "Okay"

"Good now you need to sleep, a day's rest does not counter out a week's worth of no sleep. So lie down and close your eyes. I'm right here to keep you safe."

Kakashi gently placed a soft kiss to the side of Sasuke's head in a comforting way. Sasuke went and laid back down, he was exhausted and he wasn't even going to try and argue that point. He laid on his right side facing Kakashi. Kakashi didn't sit back down in his chair; instead he began to stroke Sasuke's hair until he fell asleep. Kakashi knew that there was a long, dangerous and painful road ahead of Sasuke, but with any luck they might just make it through the tunnel alive.

A/N: So fun fact; the part about second degree burns is completely true. I unfortunately found this out the hard way last week. I tripped and my whole left hand went flat on a wood stove that was on, I'm talking 500 degrees hot rod iron. Needless to say I had blisters immediately and the pain for the first day was unbelievable. However, the next morning the pain was gone and the only thing you can do about a second degree burn is to just wait it out. They can't put anything on it for it will just irate the burn more.