Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Breaking Point


"Until your rapture falls to pieces / Find in me the room to breathe / Simple things like suffering."
- Hurt

Chapter One

Sasuke's POV

"Uchiha Sasuke…"Lady Tsunade said with a thoughtful yet exasperated sigh as she kept her amber-colored eyes lowered to the many, scattered documents that she was currently sifting through, "listed as an S-ranked criminal and immediate threat to the Leaf ever since defecting from the village at the age of twelve."

I stood as still as a marble statue as the Fifth Hokage read my less-than-savory information aloud, purposefully to me, and I could not help but swallow the spit that had collected in my mouth upon hearing her scrutinizing, meticulous tone – like she was calculating some kind of conclusion about me without even looking at me.

It was unnerving and I chose to continue to say nothing, figuring that it would probably be better for us both if I just stayed silent and listened to whatever she had to say to me.

"However, you single-handedly took down both Orochimaru and Uchiha Itachi, two long-standing enemies of Konoha as well, and that…"Lady Tsunade continued as she lifted her head up from her forms and bore her serious, honey eyes right into my jet black ones; her tone seeming to become more praiseful and solid versus how icy and interrogative it had been before, "…is not something I can just simply overlook."

I swallowed again – this time, due to the glimmer of fresh, tingling hope that was sizzling through me.

I blinked my onyx eyes at her patiently, my mouth uncomfortably dry, however, as she propped her green-clad elbows on top of her desk and interlaced her red-painted fingers – her keen eyes unwavering and appearing to be all-knowing as she continued to peer into my face, my soul before speaking.

"If you are going to be a part of this village again, there are going to be some hefty provisions that shall need to be met without question, is that clear?" her shrill and somewhat raspy voice suddenly boomed at me as she almost begrudgingly made up her mind and said what she had to me.

My lips parted from sheer, incomprehensible surprise before I forced myself to state evenly, "Yes, Hokage-sama."

"First, seeing as how you had never even been officially recognized as a chuunin, you are not to go on any missions of any kind until I specifically say that you can," she began pointedly, already making my stomach feel a bit jittery and my palms sweat from having so much happiness and raw emotion kept in such unforgiving check.

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" I replied, a pleased smirk desperately pulling at my lips as I concentrated on her words that practically served to grant me a new life.

"Second, for the first week that you are here, I am going to have Anbu black ops follow you at all times," Tsunade went on; now dropping her hands into her lap where I suspected her pet pig was currently napping.

"Yes, I understand," I replied automatically, my chest continuing to swell up with so much blissful relief, I thought I was going to explode any moment.

"Lastly, until you can find a place of your own, you are to stay with Hatake Kakashi, where you will be required to follow his every word. I will be giving him direct orders to report anything he even suspects is unusual while you are there, as well as full authority to restrain you or defend himself by any means necessary should you feel like breaking any of these rules. Is that understood?" Lady Tsunade finished, her eyes narrowing at me as she sort of frowned in an annoyed, tired way.

I could not have been happier.

I really was being given a second chance, and I honestly did not mind and could actually agree with my requirements in order to have it.

I would have done anything to be rid of my darkness that I had been a prisoner of for so long…and finally have a home again.

I needed to see some warmth in this world…and now was my opportunity at last.

"Yes, Hokage-sama. Thank you," I answered, genuinely meaning my gratitude to the wise, old woman sitting behind her messy desk before me.

Lady Tsunade took a deep breath before regaining my steady, dark gaze; a thin, blonde eyebrow quirking up at me in the process.

"You don't need to thank me, Sasuke," she said calmly, solemnly; as if she was no longer speaking to me as the Hokage, but as a friend; "just don't let me down."

X

Thirty-three minutes later…

"Sorry I'm late; you wouldn't believe the traffic…"a familiar voice suddenly sounded as Hatake Kakashi entered the Hokage's scroll-littered but otherwise tidy office – his one, visible eyes closed and smiling while one of his fingerless-gloved hands rubbed bashfully at the back of his head.

"Can it, Kakashi," Lady Tsunade growled impatiently as she watched the notoriously tardy jounin stroll up to her desk and right next to me; putting the idea in my head that he had already been briefed about my return to the village since he displayed no kind of shock or surprise about my presence.

"Long time, no see, Sasuke," Kakashi light-heartedly greeted me as he clearly took in how I was now just a few inches shorter than him and was still clothed in the apparel that I had gotten when I was with Orochimaru in the Village Hidden in the Sound.

His features were so kind to me and I felted humbled that my former sensei would still choose to be so casual and friendly with me, a traitor to the people he cared about most, as he stood right next to me and smiled…almost like nothing had ever happened at all.

I could not help but give him a small smile back, in appreciate for his gesture.

"Yeah, it's been a while," I replied a little sheepishly to him, though I still felt comforted by his familiar, easy-going presence and nature at such a trying time for me.

"Kakashi, I believe you have been given all the details about what I expect from you," Tsunade addressed the silver-haired jounin as she leaned back in her chair and eyed the pair of us, "then I'll leave you to it, then. Oh, and Sasuke…"

I was just about to turn around and take my first step towards my brand new start in life, but quickly stilled upon hearing her call my name and said, "Yes?"

"You talk to Kakashi or me if you have any problems," she ordered with such weight in her words that her sense of finality about the matter almost made me flinch, "Got it?"

"Got it," I repeated loyally, still feeling a little shaken and more than puzzled as to why she would blatantly limit the number of people whom I could confide any alleged problems to.

However, my mind hardly dwelled on the question for long, because, before my over-exerted senses could fully register what was happening, I was suddenly bathed in bright, brilliant sunlight with Kakashi at my side and already walking out ahead as we both left the Hokage Tower…and I began to try to live again.

I took only the briefest of moments, but I had closed my eyes and inhaled deeply the soothing, nostalgic scent of the Leaf Village, before rushing up to Kakashi's side; my former sensei's nose buried in between two pages of a green-bound book as he walked effortlessly down the dirt pathways where only a few other people were keeping to themselves as they passed us by.

My mind was itching to say something; anything; to the collected jounin at my side who was currently taking me to his place as per his orders to basically baby-sit me…I knew I needed to say something.

Show gratitude, ask him how he has been doing, inquire about the book he's reading, ask if…

"You're not going to cause a lot of trouble for me, are you?" Kakashi suddenly drawled out to me as we walked, his tone hinting more at being humorous than the much more serious prospect of me trying to kill him in his sleep or something.

I rolled my eyes at him already treating me like a nuisance before saying smartly, "I don't know; probably…"

At my comment, I watched as Kakashi warmly looked over to me from his book and smirked knowingly, affectionately.

Feeling better about communicating with him, now that he and I had just shared our first joke in years, I asked, "So, how's Naruto?"

Kakashi visibly hesitated before answering, his thumb expertly turning a page in his book while he considered my seemingly simple question.

"Well, you see…hmm…" Kakashi struggled in his low voice, which completely threw me off as I kept my eyes glued to my masked caretaker as he obviously searched for the right words to say to me, "Naruto's been…a little different lately. He's well, but he's…been acting strange."

"Strange…? What do you mean?" I asked, concerned and confused about what my former sensei was telling me as we rounded a corner on the right and approached one of the many multi-colored apartment complexes that lined the road.

My thin, dark eyebrows were knitted together questioningly as I followed Kakashi up the short flight of steps until we reached the door to his apartment – a gloved hand diving into his pocket to retrieve his keys as I heard him sigh thoughtfully, possibly even remorsefully.

"There's no easy way to tell you this, so I'm just going to say it," Kakashi began as he turned to face me directly before we entered his place; his mostly-covered face serious and stern as he matched my worried gaze with his own, "Naruto has been diagnosed with severe depression ever since he, Sai, Sakura, and Yamato located you in Orochimaru's lair three years ago. Gradually, his symptoms seemed to get worse; starting with him not smiling as much as he used to, and recently, he barely talks to us anymore. Six months ago, we had him undergo a number of psychological tests and he was hospitalized as a result."

Kakashi opened his now unlocked door and promptly entered his apartment ahead of me, but, for a while, all I could do was just stare at the empty space where my old teacher had been previously standing – all my thoughts flip-flopping from being in complete, chaotic disarray and then going to a total, blank stand-still.

Hospitalized…depression…?

Naruto?!

Ever since our last encounter when he was with that odd team of his…when I had coldly answered his questions concerning our bonds and why I had chosen to spare him that day…that was when Naruto started to be like this…?

It was entirely my fault.

I did this to him.

Naruto was no longer smiling anymore…because of me.

I swallowed my heart back down my throat as I directed my gaze to the opened doorway to my left and lethargically walked through it.

Such weight was pressing down on me shoulders; stifling me, crushing me; and all I could do was bear it as I took off my black shoes on the hardwood flooring by the door before closing it softly.

To my immediate left, I could hear Kakashi rummaging around in his kitchen, as a faucet was audibly turned on and a few pots and pans were clanked in the process, and a small part of me snapped back to reality; making me want to continue speaking with the Copy Ninja and hopefully learn more about my old rival…my best friend.

Kakashi's apartment was just as I remembered it, as the cozy abode was perimetered in stark white walls where only a few pictures of contrasting black kanji were displayed, and the space furnished with his quaint living room to my right, kitchen to the left, and bed and bathrooms down the hallways directly out ahead of me.

Kakashi's living room contained a tasteful white-grey sofa and loveseat, small, wooden coffee table in the middle, and a matching wood grain entertainment center against the wall - everything kept very bright and inviting by the light colors that went well with the soft, beige carpeting.

However, knowing that Kakashi was probably in the middle of making us something to eat, I made a left so I could help my caretaker as I entered his kitchen by walking around the connected snack-bar that served to enclose the pristine, white kitchen with honey-colored cabinetry and trim, off from the rest of the apartment.

"Um…need any help?" I asked, my usual self-confidence having been thoroughly shaken by Kakashi's earlier revelation to me; making my words unsure and unsteady as I spoke.

Kakashi already had a black, metal pot of plain, white rice cooking on top of his stove, along with a smaller pot of miso soup that he was currently stirring and swirling around the generous portions of tofu and seaweed that he had added.

"No, no, I'm fine here. Why don't you go change back in the bedroom? I'm sure you'll be able to find something that'll fit," he chimed positively to me as I eyed his wooden cooking spoon stirring our soup and almost felt disappointed that he did not want my help.

I guess, it was just going to have to take some time before people starting trusting me again – all of which I could understand…but, it was still hard for me.

"Alright, I'll do that," I responded quietly before stepping away from Kakashi and heading down the short corridor where the spare bathroom was on the left and the master bedroom was further ahead on the right.

I switched on the lights once I entered Kakashi's bedroom and my eyes immediately fell on a certain something…something that made my chest give an uncomfortable jolt.

Without giving the action a second thought, I rushed across the room and over to the green-blanketed bed where I dropped a knee down onto the soft mattress so I could lean over the head of the bed and pick up…our picture.

Team Seven…the picture we all shared…

Sinking down on the bed so I sat properly on the edge with my legs draped over the side, I held the framed photograph in both of my hands and just blinked slowly at our younger faces – Kakashi-sensei's worried face, my frowning one, Sakura's squealing one, and…Naruto.

He looked so angry at me at the time…but I knew why.

I smiled sadly before breathing heavily out of my nose – my current guilt grinding me down too thoroughly for me to cry right now, so I only gazed nostalgically at the old photograph in my hands.

Sluggishly, my coal-colored eyes trailed away from such memories and just scanned over random things in Kakashi's bedroom before I collected the picture in my left hand and replaced it back on the wooden shelf with a small 'clack.'

Out of habit, I briefly ran a hand through my silken, black spikes before standing up from my spot, and then padding over to Kakashi's opened closet – rows of black, three-quarters sleeved shirts and pants lined up neatly, perfectly before me.

I specifically chose what appeared to be Kakashi's oldest set of clothes, hoping that they might fit me better than any of his newer ones, and tossed the garments on the bed; ready to get out of the ominous, unfortunate clothes I had on.

As my fingers automatically untied the large, purple rope from around my waist; letting the heavy article fall to the floor, I could not help but cast my gaze towards the familiar picture once again – my face somber as I peered at it from across the room.

My white, wide-sleeved shirt practically fell off of me once my rope was undone, and I could not help but murmured aloud, to the captured younger versions of my old team, "Naruto…what's wrong with you?"

Upon receiving no answer from the inanimate object, I sighed once more and picked up the chosen, laid out shirt from the bed; easily slipping it on; and was already a little displeased that the incomplete sleeves failed to fully hide the thick, black lines of the summoning tattoos on my forearms.

Lastly, I tugged down my large, bunched-up black pants until I could kick the article of clothing off my legs, and deftly pulled on the traditional pants that almost all chuunin and jounin ninja wore in Konoha – my calves remaining momentarily free of cloth wrappings since I was not to go out on missions yet anyway.

Feeling a lot more comfortable and rejuvenated from my new attire; me being overall satisfied with how well Kakashi's older clothes actually did fit me as he had suspected; I delivered one last pull to the bottom hem of my shirt to stretch out any wrinkles there may have been, before bending down and scooping up all of my discarded items.

My every intention was to burn my old clothes the next day, so I plopped the heap of black, white, and purple on top of the nearby chair that sat next to Kakashi's small work desk.

My task completed, I quickly thumbed the light switch off before striding down the hallway to approach Kakashi in the kitchen once more – the salty, crisp smell of baked fish wafting into my nose the further I went.

"Oh good; I was just about to get you," Kakashi informed me as I watched him retrieve a pan from the over, snapping the door shut at once, and then placing our sizzling, lightly seasoned fish onto the top – nicely sized portions of rice and fresh-cut broccoli already divided up onto two ceramic, white plates.

"Go ahead and sit down, Sasuke," Kakashi chimed again; the sound of his voice making me realize that I had only been staring and not doing anything else the whole time I watched my former mentor move about his kitchen so efficiently.

I quickly spotted the closest, cushioned barstool that faced inside the kitchen, swung my leg around the tall, wooden fixture, and shifted my weight for a second to get more comfortable – my mouth all but watering from all the delicious, tantalizing aromas being emitted from the food as I watched from behind while Kakashi set some steaming fish onto our plates before picking one up in each hand.

"Thank you for doing all this for me…and, not just the food, I mean," I expressed quietly, solemnly; knowing that the older man would catch onto my deeper meaning right away – my former sensei pausing briefly in his movements as he brought our plates over to the bar.

After recovering from his initial shock that, no doubt, came from hearing me actually thank someone for something, Kakashi gingerly set a plate of piping hot food in front of me before saying, "Don't mention it."

I sort of gave him an odd, lop-sided grin from one side of my mouth; practically clueless as to what else I should do in this situation; as Kakashi sat down on the opposite barstool, the one that was technically still in the kitchen and faced me.

Kakashi then put his hands together, as if in prayer, and I hurried to follow suit by practically smacking my hands together as well – both of us saying a quick 'itadakimasu' before picking up our chopsticks to begin eating.

Kakashi's actions were definitely a little faster and certain than my own and I could not help but just eye what he was doing before I did anything, almost as if to see if it was okay that I should really be sitting here across the table from him as we were.

Dropping my gaze, my eyes were fixated on my plate and the little brown cup of miso soup to the left of it; seemingly entranced by all the colors and textures of my healthy dinner; as my mental and physical exhaustions were quickly catching back up to me…now that the adrenaline had worn off and I was finally settled down, just sitting peacefully like this.

I felt like I could drift off to sleep any moment…

"You're not eating," Kakashi suddenly said, his baritone voice its usual low and even tone as he observed me, "Is everything alright?"

At this, I whipped my head up and locked eyes with my former mentor, my mind already formulating hurried, bashful apologies to say…until…

"You…you're…you're…"I stammered mindlessly, wide-eyed and blatantly gaping at my silver-haired jounin caretaker while he only casually chewed his food and watched my befuddled reactions occur uncaringly.

"What?" Kakashi asked me earnestly, clearly not understanding why I was so shocked to see his whole face for the first time - an all-consuming goal from back in my youth.

"Your mask is gone!" I practically shouted as I could not pry my eyes away from his surprisingly normal and subtly handsome face, where there were no hideous marks or abnormalities as one might start to speculate – just simple, pleasant features.

"Oh…right," Kakashi chuckled at me as he picked at another glob of rice to catch with his chopsticks, "I can't wear it all the time, you know."

"Yeah…"I agreed, blinking finally and calming down as I let myself get used to looking at Kakashi's real face and mentally regarded this night as marking one of the greatest mysteries in my life now solved.

My own, ridiculous thoughts made me chuckle softly as I ate some of my lemon-zested fish and broccoli at last - the flavor light and fresh while the texture was gloriously soft that it practically just melted in my mouth while I savored the hot, gracious meal.

"What's so funny, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, seeming to be delighted that I was both eating the food that he had made for us, as well as because I was snickering good-naturedly out of nowhere in his abode.

"I just remembered…"I said with a smile, swallowing another mouthful of fish and rice, "…this one time that Sakura, Naruto, and I all tried to catch you without your mask on. We failed so many times."

By the time I had finished speaking, both of us were laughing whole-heartedly together, filling Kakashi's humble apartment with bouts and bouts of carefree, jovial laughter – one man's laughter just spurning the other to continue right along with him.

It was so nice; I had not laughed like that in years and it was then… that I really felt like a new man.

After our bellowing laughter had died down to a few, stray chuckles, Kakashi and I continued eating our meal; the atmosphere feeling massively different; lighter and definitely more relaxed; and it was not long before I cleaned my plate and had drained all of my soup.

"I guess you were hungry after all," Kakashi teased as I stood up from my barstool, took hold of my plate, and assumed the task of rinsing it before putting it in the kitchen sink so it could be washed – my eyes rolling pseudo-indignantly as a smirk also curved my lips…because he was right.

Stepping around the bar and entering the kitchen as Kakashi also turned around with his empty plate, I quickly turned on the faucet and held my heavy plate under the hot tap; my aura turning a bit more serious as a few thoughts struck me…thoughts that I had to voice in the form of questions to my former sensei.

"Kakashi, when can I see Naruto?" I asked as he stood at my side and rinsed his plate as well, feeling that I really did need to ask something like that of someone, almost like I was seeking official permission so I could know without a shadow of a doubt that I was not going to screw anything up.

"Well, I do know that Naruto will be at the memorial stone tomorrow…"Kakashi left out in the open, his tone hinting to me that that was probably my best bet…but I still needed to know one other thing.

I grimaced a bit before I spoke what was on my mind, the words not easy for me to say and acknowledge.

"Should I really even…try to see him?" I asked, my unsure and hesitated words giving away how downtrodden and worried I was about such a sensitive topic – me being thoroughly uncertain as to how I should even go about existing alongside Naruto…now that I knew what he has been going through on my account.

How would he react to me after all this time?

Would he receive me well…or not?

Did I even deserve a warm reception from him in the first place?

I sighed and dropped my gaze to the simple, tiled floor – Kakashi still watching me calmly before finally answering and acknowledging my inner turmoil.

Suddenly, Kakashi raised an arm towards my slightly slumped shoulders and used his forearm to roughly push the back of head towards his green-vested chest, forcing me to take an unsteady step forward until my face was comfortably pressed up against the thick, durable fabric – Kakashi wrapping his strong arm around my spiky, raven head and securely holding me to him.

"Who knows? But…you won't know until you try. And, if it makes any difference, I believe…that it'll be good for the both of you," Kakashi said gravely but kindly to me as he continued to hug my head to his chest with his one arm; his somber, positive words immediately putting me at ease as I relaxed against his comforting embrace and felt my previous confusion pleasantly melt away from my mind.

"Thanks…Kakashi-sensei," I murmured into his vest, knowing that he would hear my muffled words anyway, and specifically, catch onto how I addressed him as my sensei again.

I did not have to see his face, masked or otherwise, to know that Kakashi was grinning affectionately from my purposefully nostalgic and meaningful words to him; the meaning behind them being how there were still things that I wanted to learn from him and truly depended on him for; and that he had softened his gaze down at me as a result.

"No problem, kid," Kakashi commented in that low, raspy voice of his as he gave me one last squeeze before dropping his arm from around my head, effectively letting me go from his almost 'big brother' hold on me.

Not knowing how to receive and respond to so much positive reinforcement and treatment, I awkwardly shifted my gaze away from him and just off to a visible section of the nearby corridor, as I said, "Tomorrow, then. I'll definitely see him tomorrow at the training grounds. Um, but, before that…where am I going to sleep tonight?"

I was almost desperate to change the subject as just talking about the fiery, blonde knuckle-head ninja was pulling viciously at my chest and making my heart ache in an unfamiliar, terrifying sort of way.

"Oh, that's right; I suppose you do need somewhere to sleep, don't you?" Kakashi regarded me almost childishly as he considered my rather fair question for a moment before adding, "I guess I should let you have my bed and I'll take the couch…"

"I can sleep on the couch; it's no big deal, "I practically cut him off as soon as I realized that he was attempting to make another generous accommodation to me being here in his place again, my very soul starting to feel bad the more I thought about how far out of his way Kakashi was going for me, "…I'm smaller than you, anyways."

"Fair enough," Kakashi agreed, obviously not about to argue with me about him sleeping on his own bed as he half-smirked at me, "I'll get you some blankets."

And with that, Kakashi padded out of the kitchen and down the hallway to go into his bedroom to collect some things for me; my air being heavily breathed out through my mouth as soon as he was gone as I let myself feel a bit of relief that I had gotten my way and not allowed him to show me anymore undeserved hospitality tonight.

I licked the front of my teeth, my mind incessantly contemplating the next day's events, before I switched off the kitchen light; the living room being darkened as well since it was so close; and then walked out of the dim, tiled room and over to the aforementioned couch a little ways ahead.

The night was still young, but I knew that I needed some rest; my body practically screaming at me to do so; in light of how I, over the passed few days, had traveled tirelessly until I reached the Leaf Village, been interrogated and examined thoroughly upon entering Konoha, had to wait for a meeting with the Hokage, and now was being put up at Hatake Kakashi's residence.

It all had happened so fast, one event occurring right after the other, with seemingly no time in between as this past week to me had all felt like one, gigantic period of time through which to bear and strategize.

With a blissfully full stomach and without truly realizing it, I had already lain down on the couch and closed my eyes; the large, overstuffed, grey pillows at my curled back while I remained lying on my side with my head nestled comfortably on top of one the impossibly soft seat cushions – the whole couch cradling my long, lean but exhausted form as I felt my breathing even out on its own and incredible, rejuvenating sleep quickly approach me…making me feel amazingly relaxed and boneless as I let sleep take me inside her beautiful arms at last.

"Here, Sasuke, I got you some…"Kakashi started to call out before his words stopped immediately upon seeing me already tranquilly asleep on his couch, curled up with my hands up by my head, "…blankets."

The last of his statement had been whispered to me, amusedly and clearly touched at the view in front of him, before Kakashi soundlessly maneuvered to my resting side and gingerly draped one of his large, cotton-soft blankets on top of me; the other folded blanket he had gotten was placed on the back of the couch for me to use if I needed it – the infamous Copy Ninja looking warmly down at my peaceful, unconscious form before also whispering a quick 'good night.'

X

How would Naruto react to me after all this time?

Would he receive me well…or not?

Did I even deserve a warm reception from him?

These thoughts and more just like it; all of them about me finally seeing Naruto the next day, after so much turbulent, stressful time had passed for us both; swirled mercilessly inside my head as I slept, forming incomprehensible dreams that I would not remember…all as I genuinely mentally feared how our meeting would go.

I could already see Naruto's brilliant blue eyes, eyes always so full of hope and courage that had long since haunted my dreams and thoughts while I trained under Orochimaru, glaring furiously down at me…right before he was to kill me.

Maybe this time; if it was what he truly wanted…I would let him.

Would he smile then?

My body did not stir in the least as I slept soundly and deeply on Kakashi's couch for the remainder of the night - my unconscious thoughts, however were those that could easily drive even the most stable-minded person to their wits' end and question their own sanity as they were only met with treacherous scenarios, relentless questions, and no kind of answers.

Answers would only come as soon as I woke up and finally sought out the one who was disturbing my sleep, my thoughts...my heart.

X

Author's Note: Ack, I'm doing it again – writing a Naruto fic and stuff. XD Drop me a line, if you please, and let me know what you think, yeah? Thanks a million, everyone!