A/N: Alright this chapter I would like to dedicate to Itachi is Kickass. I wish you the best of luck. My heart goes out to you and your family in dealing with your personal loss.

Chapter 2

It wasn't until late the next afternoon did Sasuke start to wake up again. Kakashi hadn't left his side the entire time. He was worried about how Sasuke would be when he woke up. Kakashi had never seen Sasuke break down like that. Sasuke always kept himself together no matter how he was feeling. It was something that the rookies and even some higher ranking ninja admired about him. Sasuke had always been able to keep his cool and his mind clear in any situation. Yesterday was truly the first time Kakashi had seen Sasuke as a thirteen year old. Kakashi was never going to blame Sasuke for feeling the way that he does. Orochimaru scared him and Kakashi was close to twice his age. Sasuke had every reason to be afraid of Orochimaru and what the villagers and fellow ninjas were doing to him. They had almost killed him and for what? Just out of fear of something that would never happen. Sasuke was not going to go to the Sound and the villagers and fellow ninjas abusing him, was not going to make his life any easier. If they thought he was considering leaving how would their actions be helping him to stay? Kakashi couldn't believe how stupid some people truly are. Kakashi hadn't seen Neji or Shikamaru since the night that Sasuke was brought into the hospital. Kakashi was hoping that they were alright after what they went through. Yes Sasuke had gone through worse, with actually being the one beaten and left to burn alive. Neji and Shikamaru though were the ones to go in there and got Sasuke out of the fire. They had to perform CPR on him to bring him back to life. If it hadn't been for them Sasuke would have burned alive in his own apartment. Kakashi made a mental note to go and see the both of them to make sure that they were handling the situation alright. With that thought aside he turned his attention to Sasuke as a groan of pain escaped his mouth.

"Sasuke are you alright?" Kakashi asked with concern in his voice.

Sasuke opened him eyes to see Kakashi was still sitting down beside his hospital bed. It had been a long time since Sasuke had been able to sleep for more than a few hours at a time. He felt good to have been able to get some sleep, but he still felt like he could sleep for days. His body was sore and in pain, but it was the pain from being in a fight and not from the curse seal. Sasuke was glad that they were able to come to a temporary solution for the curse seal, but he wasn't happy that Orochimaru was trying to torture him into submission. Sasuke hated not being in control of a situation especially a fight. The bottom line was that Sasuke just wasn't strong enough to stop Orochimaru. Sasuke didn't want to go to the Sound, but he wasn't going to deny that it was tempting. Sasuke wanted revenge he wanted his Clan to have justice and the only way for that to happen was to kill Itachi. Some of what Orochimaru had said made sense. He wasn't strong enough and in the five years since the Clan's death he wasn't anywhere close to Itachi's level. Orochimaru offered him a power that would help him reach that level that he needed to be at. Even though, he feared Orochimaru Sasuke's mind couldn't help, but think that he was stupid for passing up the opportunity.

"I'm fine."

"Are you in any pain?"

"No just stiff and sore."

"That's good I'm glad you're not in pain. Tsunade said that if you were feeling better and up to it. That you can leave today. That's if you're feeling up to it."

"Ya I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be."

"Tsunade I think is here so once she checks you out then we can head out of here."

Kakashi went and hit the nurse call button. Tsunade had told him to hit the button for when Sasuke was awake and then she would come to check on him. After five minutes Tsunade came into the room. Sasuke was still lying on his right side and Kakashi was next to him in the chair. Tsunade did her best to give Sasuke a friendly smile, but realistically she just wasn't the friendly smiling type.

"I see you are finally awake. How are you feeling this afternoon Sasuke?"

"I'm fine"

"Any pain?"

"Not really"

"Good. I'm going to check you out and if you are doing fine then you can leave with Kakashi."

Tsunade walked over to Sasuke and started to look over his wounds. Sasuke rolled over very carefully onto his back so Tsunade could look at his wounds properly.

"My apartment?"

"I sent a squad over to investigate. Your apartment is completely destroyed Sasuke. I'm sorry, but nothing was left of it. The squad was able to recover some clothing and a few other small items that weren't damaged. They left it at Kakashi's apartment for you. I'm not sure what is in it, but there might be something important in there."

Sasuke didn't say anything and Kakashi and Tsunade understood that he needed time. He had lost a lot in the short few hours that he had been attacked. He lost his apartment and basically everything inside of it. He almost lost his life. Sasuke needed sometime to process what had happened. Tsunade checked Sasuke out and changed his bandage on his arm. His arm was healing nicely. It was red and blistered, but it was on its way to healing up nicely. The rest of his injuries were healed up and Sasuke would be sore and stiff for a good week, but other than that he would be fine. Tsunade offered Sasuke a small smile.

"You are healing up very nicely. I don't see any reason for you to have to stay here. Once you are feeling like you can get up and moving, then you can head out. Make sure you take it easy for the next few days, though you'll be sore and stiff. No training until your arm is better so roughly two weeks. Do you understand Sasuke?"

"Yes Hokage-Sama."

"I'll go and get your discharge papers in order and once you feel like you are up to the walk back then you can go."

Tsunade had just turned around when the door opened and Danzou walked in. Danzou didn't look pleased, but he never really did look pleased any day. Danzou looked at Sasuke with disgust on his face before he turned his attention to Tsunade.

"I need to speak to you Tsunade outside now."

Danzou didn't even give Tsunade a chance to say anything he just walked right back out the door. Tsunade sent Kakashi a look to tell him to wait until she got back. Tsunade didn't know what this was about, but she had a good idea it had to do with Sasuke. There was no reason otherwise for Danzou to come find her in the hospital. Tsunade walked out of the room and followed Danzou over to an empty hallway.

"What can I do for you Danzou?" Tsunade tone of voice was filled with annoyance.

"You sent in the request to have a new apartment found for Sasuke."

"I did and until one comes up he will be with Kakashi. Is there a problem?"

"Yes there is. Sasuke will be living in the compound where he belongs. No longer is the council ignoring the law regarding Uchiha residence. The Third managed to convince the council that Sasuke wouldn't be a problem outside of the compound. However, given recent events it is too dangerous for the village for him to be living within the general population. Once he is discharged and based on what I have heard he is cleared to leave now. He will be going over to the compound where he will live. He will also live by the other laws that Uchiha's are required to follow."

"And what would they be?" Tsunade couldn't believe this. Sasuke had enough problems he didn't need this to go with it.

"Unless he is on a mission he will be inside the compound by eight o'clock at night and he will be living alone. If he needs to be outside past that hour he is to be escorted by a Jounin. He will not only remain as a Genin he will be ranked the lowest Genin. Even when new Genin graduate from the academy they will out rank him. It will stay that way until the council feels like he has earned the trust for a higher ranking. He will not lead a squad. If he is required to be on an A-rank mission, a submission form will be filled out prior and approved by the council before he is given permission to be on the squad. The council has no trust in him and until he has earned that trust he will abide by these laws or he will face the punishment."

"You have no right to do this to him. Sasuke has proved himself over and over again that he can be trusted. He's risked his life to save fellow Shinobi. I won't stand for these laws to be put back into place. Sasuke will not be living in that home where his parents died. I won't allow this to happen."

Tsunade was furious. Sasuke had enough to deal with he didn't need this as well. Danzou and the council had no right to do this to him. They were so worried about Sasuke running off to the Sound and yet they were just pushing him towards it. Sasuke was going through a hard time Tsunade was never going to deny that. Sasuke was at a cross roads he could turn down and go to the Sound or he could stay in Konoha. Yes Sasuke was afraid of Orochimaru, but Orochimaru offered him power and that's what he needs to kill Itachi. If Sasuke stayed in Konoha Tsunade knew that he would be strong enough one day. The problem was Sasuke didn't see that just yet. Tsunade was worried that Sasuke might just leave and go to the Sound, because of all the abuse from the villagers and fellow Shinobi. The last thing she needed was this to happen.

"You have no choice. The council makes the laws. We elected you as the fifth Hokage, but we can always re-elect a new candidate. One that will want to add to those laws that the Uchiha now lives with. If these laws are not enforced by you, then the council will have no other choice then to imprison you for treason. The choice is yours, but either way I get what I want. I'll let you break the news to the Uchiha."

Danzou walked away from a furious Tsunade. Tsunade couldn't believe this was happening and worse she had to be the one to tell Sasuke. She knew Kakashi was going to be furious and he had every right to be. Sasuke was the problem though; she didn't know how he was going to handle all of this. Tsunade couldn't help, but feel like they were just pushing him to Orochimaru even more. Tsunade let out a frustrated sigh and headed back into the room that held Sasuke and Kakashi. Tsunade walked into see Sasuke sitting up in bed with Kakashi still sitting in the chair beside the bed. Tsunade was pleased to see Sasuke sitting up at least he was getting closer to walking out of here. Tsunade gave Kakashi a look that Kakashi knew something was wrong. His fear was confirmed when Tsunade went and sat down in the chair on the other side of the bed.

"Sasuke I need you to listen very closely to me. Most importantly I need you to stay as calm as possible. Your body is still healing and any added stress can delay that healing. So even if it's hard I need you to try your best and stay calm. Can you do that for me?"

Kakashi knew that whatever happened was bad for Tsunade to be speaking to Sasuke this way.

"Ok. I'm not dying am I?"

"No of course you're not dying. All things considering you are in perfect health. I know you were barely born when the third ninja war happened, but do you know anything about your Clan's involvement at all?"

"I know that an Uchiha named Madara started it. I don't know why he did, but the Clan defended Konoha and not him. I know that much. Why?"

"Uchiha Madara did start the war. It goes all the way back to the first Hokage. You see Sasuke my clan and your clan were always at odds with each other. The ridiculous thing was that both clans had the same morals and values. They both believed that love was the most important thing in this world. Both of our clans wanted peace for this world. Madara and the First met when they were just children barely teenagers. They didn't know about the other's last name and they became friends. They came up with a dream and that dream was to create a village where peace could live. When they were older and found out the truth behind their names and the clans a war broke out between the two clans. By the end of it many had died on both sides. The war would have continued, but the First was unable to bring himself to kill his childhood best friend. Madara said that they would have peace if the First killed himself or his brother. The First went to kill himself, but Madara stopped him. It was a test to see how far he would go for peace. After that they lived in Konoha, the village they created. Over the years Madara felt like he was unappreciated by the village he helped create. So he left, leaving his clan behind. Many years later he came back and started the third ninja war. He was killed by the First and from the fight the First died as well. Afterwards the council blamed the war on the Uchiha's. They stated that it was Madara who started it and therefore the Uchiha Clan was to blame. Special laws were made as a form to control the Uchihas. The compound was built to keep the clan away from the general population. It was built on the outskirts so they weren't around people and just barely apart of Konoha. I'm afraid that was just the beginning though. More laws were created to trap the Uchihas and force them into submission to Konoha. The police force was created as the only form of power the Uchiha Clan was allowed to have. Until your brother no Uchiha was allowed in the ANBU. There was a curfew that everyone had to follow and many had to go through hell and back to earn the council's trust."

"I don't really understand why you are telling me this." Sasuke interrupted.

Kakashi didn't like it when Sasuke interrupted a person in authority, but even he was getting confused about where this conversation was going. Sasuke didn't need a history lesson about his dead family right now.

"Tsunade-Sama, where are you going with this?"

"Danzou and the council feel that given the current events that those old laws need to be reinforced."

"What old laws?" Sasuke asked

"When you leave the hospital you have to live back in the compound and no one is allowed to live with you. You have to be back inside the compound each night by eight and if you are outside the compound past curfew you must be escorted by a Jounin. You will remain at Genin ranking until the council feels like you have earned the trust of a higher ranking. It also means that you will remain the lowest ranking Genin even when the academy students graduate they will out rank you. You are not allowed to lead a squad and if you are required to go on an A-rank mission a permission form has to be filed and approved before you can go on the mission. If you do not follow these laws then you will be punished and could even be imprisoned for it."

"Are you kidding me right now?" Sasuke asked anger clear in his voice.

"Sasuke I'm sorry I tried to talk to Danzou and get him to change his mind, but there was nothing I can do."

"You're the Hokage! How is there nothing you can do?"

"Sasuke you need to calm down. You are still injured." Kakashi tried to calm Sasuke down.

"Don't tell me to calm down! I'm being forced to live in the same place my family died in. I'm just supposed to walk by their blood every day and it's not supposed to bother me? I'm just supposed to take this shit? Fresh out of the academy Genin are able to boss me around. Hell no!"

"Sasuke I tried to get Danzou to change his mind. The problem is I am only Hokage for as long as they let me be. Danzou already threatened to imprison me if these laws are not enforced. I give you my word this is only temporary. I am going to find a way to go against the council and have these laws removed. I just need some time to figure out how to do that."

"People keep trying to kill me. I don't know who I can trust and who I can't and now this. The Sound is looking better and better." Sasuke said as he shook his head.

Sasuke couldn't believe this was happening. He didn't want to be back in the compound. There was still blood all over the place and the house was filled with memories. He didn't want to be there especially alone. This was exactly what Kakashi was worried about. If Konoha kept pushing Sasuke to his breaking point he will just leave to get away from it all. Sasuke didn't want to be in the Sound and he didn't want to be anywhere near Orochimaru, but if he was given the choice of this abuse or the Sound. Kakashi had no doubt that Sasuke would pick the Sound. At least in the Sound Sasuke knew he couldn't trust anyone and Kakashi knew Orochimaru would train him. Even if the only reason was to get Sasuke stronger so he could take Sasuke's body.

"Tsunade-Sama, can I speak to you out in the hall please?"

Kakashi got up and headed for the door. He didn't even wait to hear a reply from Tsunade. Kakashi was furious and now he had to try and figure something out to keep Sasuke in Konoha. The longer this went on the greater the risk of Sasuke leaving it became. Tsunade followed Kakashi outside into the hall. Kakashi wasn't going to have this conversation in front of Sasuke. Sasuke needed a minute to calm down and get his head back to normal.

"Something needs to be done. All this is doing is making Sasuke question everything. The main reason Sasuke doesn't want to be in the Sound is because Konoha is safe. All Danzou is doing is putting Konoha and the Sound on the same level. Once that happens it's only a matter of time before Sasuke can't take anymore and he takes the first opportunity presented to him to leave. Sasuke doesn't want to be near Orochimaru, but the pros of leaving are starting to grow. In the Sound he knows he can't trust anyone, but he also knows that Orochimaru will train him. This is insane."

"I agree this is insane and I am going to do everything I can to change this. I don't want Sasuke in the Sound. I don't want him anywhere near Orochimaru. Laws can be changed I just need to figure out what I have to do to accomplish that. For now we have no choice but to follow them. Sasuke can't go on A-rank missions right now, but he can go on missions. In two weeks he will be allowed back to work at that point you and your team are going to be very busy. Until I can resolve this I plan on having him outside of the village as much as possible. Even if your whole team doesn't go Sasuke and you will be outside of Konoha for most of the time. I want the squads to be more social with each other so I will have you both working with different Genin. Until this mess is sorted when you are able to be around him I want you around him. He can be outside of the compound as long as a Jounin is with him. Keep him out of the compound as long as you can at night. Come ten o'clock bring him home and then when he gets up in the morning he can be outside of it again. I don't want him alone for very long. When you are not there he should be around other people just in case something happens."

"We don't know who we can trust right now. So we will have to keep Sasuke around the rookie squads. The villagers and fellow ninjas won't go after Sasuke if he is around people. Sasuke doesn't like to be around people, but he is going to have to get used to it until we can take care of this. The seal is still going to be acting up on him at night. If I am not there to ease the pain at night what are we going to do?"

"I don't know. I'll have Jiraiya come back into the village and together we will work on the seal and on these laws. He might have some kind of idea about what to do. If nothing else having Jiraiya around Sasuke might just cause some ninja and villagers to back off from him."

"Can you come up with a medical reason to keep Sasuke here for a couple of days?"

"Probably, why?"

"The compound is covered with blood still. I want to clean it before Sasuke goes back there. Maybe look for a house that is in better shape than the one he grew up in."

"I'll keep him here for a couple of days. I can only give you three days maximum before Danzou starts to suspect something."

"That's fine. I'll see if any of the other sensei can help me. I want to talk to them and have them keep an eye out for Sasuke as well."

"Alright. I will cancel his discharge and let the nurses know I want to keep Sasuke here for observations. His arm is still badly burned and infection is still a risk. I don't think that will happen, but it is cause for some observation time. Let me know when you are ready for him to be discharged."

Kakashi just gave a nod. "I'll speak to Sasuke before I leave. While I am gone it would be a good idea to leave him alone. He's going to need some time to think everything over."

"I'll give him some space. I'm going to head over to the tower and send out a squad to find Jiraiya. The sooner we can resolve this the better."

"Hopefully he will have some ideas."

"Good luck at the compound."

Kakashi gave a small nod as Tsunade walked away to speak with the nurses. Kakashi took a deep breath before he headed back into the room. Sasuke was still sitting on the bed, but you could tell very clearly on his face that he was furious. Sasuke had every reason to be pissed off at the situation. He just found out that not even forty-eight hours ago five men tried to kill him and now he was being forced to follow these laws. Sasuke did nothing wrong and yet Konoha was just kept punishing him over and over again. It wouldn't surprise Kakashi at all if Sasuke just up and left one night. Kakashi was going to follow Sasuke all across this world if he left. Kakashi was not going to let Sasuke go down this dark tunnel on his own. If Sasuke did leave Kakashi was going with him and he wasn't going to stop until he brought Sasuke back. Kakashi was glad that Tsunade was going to have Sasuke outside of the village as much as she could. Sasuke needed to be away from all the negativity and away from the compound. If that meant that Kakashi was going to spend many months outside of the village doing missions then so be it.

"Sasuke I understand that you are pissed off and you have every right to be. I am never going to tell you that you don't have any right to feel the way that you do. This is hard I'm not going to try and down play that. This is unbelievably hard and it's going to be hard for a little while longer. Tsunade is going to do everything she can to resolve this issue and she will find a way to remove these laws. Sasuke I need you to do something huge. I need you to be patient. I know that seems like the hardest thing to do in the world right now, but I need you to be patient."

Kakashi went and placed his hands on the end of the bed. He didn't want to over crowd Sasuke right now, but he didn't want him to think he was alone in this, because he wasn't. Sasuke looked right at Kakashi as he spoke.

"What's the point? I'm sitting here at actually comparing the two, comparing the Sound and Konoha. Before Konoha had a lot more pros then cons and now I can't find more pros then cons to leaving. The Sound is horrible and I know that, but Konoha just put themself on the same playing field. So what's the point in fighting him anymore? Clearly Konoha isn't going to defend me from him; so what's the point in putting off the inevitable?"

"Sasuke I'm not going to tell you that this will be easy. None of this is fair and none of this will be easy, but you just have to make it two weeks. You can be outside the compound past curfew as long as you are with a Jounin. So until this is taken care of you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together. In two weeks you will be allowed to go back on missions and Tsunade has already said she is going to keep you very busy. You'll be outside of the village most of the time. We can make this work; I just need you to be patient."

"Be patient or just wait around for someone to kill me?"

"Be patient. Sasuke you are not going to be alone for a very long time. I know that will be frustrating for you, but it has to be done. We can't change what is going on right now, but we can try and make it liveable. In two weeks you will be spending most of the time outside of the village and away from these stupid laws. We will figure this out and I swear I will do everything I can to keep you safe. You want to sit here and weigh the pros and cons of each village then go ahead. Yes Konoha has just gained more cons, but think long and hard about the Sound. It's full of criminals and people that won't care if they kill you. Each and every second of the day you will be looking over your shoulder. Orochimaru wants to just take over your body for the Sharigan. He might not wait the three years to do it; he could simply just take your eyes. If you go to the Sound Orochimaru will torture you until he is certain you would never leave. He could rape you; he could allow his men to torture and rape you. Will he train you, yes he will, but at what price? How much will you want to sacrifice and risk just to get stronger? Every ninja wants to grow and get stronger. Some start off strong and some go through a grow spurt. Each ninja grows at different rates. Right now you are having a hard time, because you were ahead of everyone. You had your start grow spurt at a young age and they never did. Now that they did you feel like they are getting somewhere and you're not. That's not true though, Sasuke. I would still bet my career on you in any fight. You're a survivor and that is something that they will never have. You know how to put the effort in and I am more than happy to teach you. I have hundreds of techniques, thanks to my Sharigan. I can get you to the level that you need to be at to fight your brother. Again you need to have some patients. You will get there I guarantee that."

"It's not even about that."

"Then what is it about Sasuke?"

"There is nothing stopping Orochimaru from just showing up and taking me. So why should I wait around for him?"

"Sasuke you get to be scared. You get to be frustrated and upset. You get to be pissed. What you don't get to be is a quitter. You don't get to quit. If Orochimaru gets his hands on you then you fight. You fight with everything in you and you don't stop. If Orochimaru gets you back to the Sound you keep fighting and I will get you back. Do not give up ever. Everything can be worked out in time and I know it's hard to be able to do nothing, but sit around and wait. It's what needs to happen right now though. Just be patient and don't quit."

"I hate not being in control of my own life. I hate this."

"I know you do. So do I. These next two weeks are going to be hard, but I promise you we'll get through them. I'm not going on any missions until you are able to. During the day we can stay outside of the village and work on some chakra control. You can do small simple training while your arm is healing. We don't have to be in the village except to sleep these next two weeks if you want."

Sasuke let out a sigh, "Ok"

"Tsunade is going to keep you here for a couple more days. Nothing is wrong with you. It just gives you a couple extra days away from the compound. It also gives me a couple of days to find one of the houses that is liveable for you. Are you alright if I go into the compound?"

Sasuke just gave a small nod.

"Ok. How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache but you said that, that's to be expected right?"

"Yes Tsunade did mention that you would be getting some headaches for a little while. You have some bruising on your brain that Tsunade couldn't heal, because it is just bruising. That will give you some headaches. It can also make you a little confused at times and dizzy. It's important if you experience anything like that to let me know. Tsunade will come by later and check you out to make sure that everything is going alright. If you still have the headache then you should mention it to her. For now why don't you lie down and try to sleep. I'm going to take care of a couple of things, but I'll be back later with some food and clothes for you. Alright?"

"Ya"

"I'm going to summon Pakun to stay with you. He won't bother you at all, but it's just in case something happens he can come and get me. I don't really want you to be alone right now even though you are safe in the hospital. It's just a precaution and I have a feeling Pakun would be less annoying then Naruto or Sakura."

"He's not going to ask me all these questions?"

"No he won't. He'll lie on the bed and let you sleep. It's just as a precaution that's all."

"Ok"

Kakashi performed the hand seals to summon Pakun. The little dog appeared on the end if the hospital bed.

"Hey boss."

"I want you to stay here with Sasuke. If anyone comes in here that smells funny or tries anything you come and get me right away. The only doctor that should be looking at Sasuke is Tsunade-Sama; that goes for the nurses got it?"

"Got it boss." Pakun turned to look at Sasuke and saw how horrible he looked. Pakun wasn't a fool he knew that Sasuke was having a hard time with the villagers and some ninja in the village. Apparently from the look of him, the problem obviously escalated for him to be that injured.

"Leave Sasuke alone. Don't harass him with questions just let him sleep."

"Will do boss."

"Alright I'll see you in a few hours Sasuke. Just get some rest your body needs it."

Sasuke went and laid back down on his right side. Kakashi watched as Pakun took up a small spot at the end of the bed and laid down as well. Kakashi knew that Pakun would keep Sasuke safe while he was away. Kakashi didn't like leaving Sasuke alone, but he had to take care of the compound. Kakashi was not about to have Sasuke cleaning up his dead family's blood off the walls and floor. Kakashi knew he would need some help with the cleaning so he headed out to meet up with a few friends. He knew that he would find who he was looking for over at the academy. Asuma, Gai and Iruka tended to hang out there the most when they had no missions. Cleaning up five year old blood was not going to be easy and he was hoping they would help him out. He also wanted to talk to them about what happened and the new laws for Sasuke. Kakashi headed over to the academy and wasn't surprised to find them standing out front talking. Kakashi was surprised to see Shikamaru there as well. Kakashi walked over to them and gave a lazy wave.

"Ah Shikamaru, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good Kakashi-sensei. How is Sasuke doing?"

"He's not doing so well I'm afraid."

"What's wrong?" Asuma asked

Shikamaru and Neji had already told their sensei of what happened. Asuma and Gai were just informing Iruka before Kakashi came up to them.

"Physically he will be back to normal in two weeks. He's suffering from exhaustion and he will be getting headaches for a few weeks until the bruising in his brain heals."

"He had bruising in his brain?" Iruka asked

"He was in bad shape. Tsunade had said that if he had been in the fire for just another two minutes he would have been dead. His whole left arm is covered in second degree burns. He had bleeding in his lungs, stomach and brain. He had six broken ribs and five fractured ribs, along with multiple bruising. She has managed to heal him, though so he's just covered in bruises and he's a little sore, but he'll be fine in a couple weeks. It's more mental that I'm worried about."

"What happened?" Gai asked

"Sasuke was allowed to leave the hospital today and he was going to live with me until Tsunade found him a new apartment. His apartment is completely destroyed. She was just about to sign him out when Danzou showed up. He brought Tsunade out into the hall to speak with her and when she came back she wasn't happy. Danzou has decided that with all of the situations that have happened; he has decided that Sasuke is a danger to the general population. He is reinstating the old laws regarding Uchihas."

The three adults understood what Kakashi had meant, but Shikamaru didn't. Shikamaru like everyone else in his generation had no idea that there were special laws for Uchihas.

"What laws?" Shikamaru asked

"It's a long story about how they came about, but when the Clan was killed the Third ordered that the laws were removed. Now with the Third dead Danzou is just using what is happening with Sasuke as an excuse to reinstate the laws again. Something he has been waiting to do for a very long time."

"So what are the laws?" Shikamaru asked

"The first law is that Sasuke has to live in the compound again and only Uchihas can live there."

"His family died there though, how can Danzou expect him to live back there?" Shikamaru asked

"Danzou doesn't care. He's always hated the Uchiha Clan. If Danzou could get away with it he would kill Sasuke just for the reason of him being an Uchiha." Asuma answered

"There's more. He has to be in the compound by eight o'clock each night unless he is escorted by a Jounin. He is also to remain at the lowest level of Genin until he has earned Danzou's trust to move up. That means that Sasuke is out ranked by everyone including the new graduates from the academy. He's not allowed to lead a squad and if he goes on an A-ranked mission Tsunade has to file a permission request first. If Sasuke doesn't follow these laws he can be imprisoned for it."

"That's insane. Sasuke has worked hard to reach the level that he is at. To have it so that a brand new rookie can out rank him is just a slap to the face." Shikamaru said

"I know and it's not fair to do this to him. Sasuke has enough problems right now he doesn't need this. It also brings up a whole new problem."

"What's that?" Iruka asked clearly he was upset about how the village was treating his once star student.

"Sasuke doesn't want to be anywhere near Orochimaru or the Sound. The problem is that Konoha and the Sound were on two completely different levels. Konoha still had pros for Sasuke to fight to stay in. Now with these five men almost killing him; the abuse from the villagers and fellow ninja, the hate mail, the whispering, the harassment and now these laws. Danzou has just place Konoha and the Sound on the same level. Sasuke doesn't want to be in the Sound, but he can no longer see the point in fighting off what he feels is going to happen regardless. Sasuke doesn't believe that Konoha will fight to protect him from Orochimaru. So he doesn't see the point in fighting either. He knows Orochimaru will come for him, but now because of this he's not certain if he will fight."

"He can't just not fight. Orochimaru is strong and dangerous I get that, but that doesn't mean Sasuke should just give up. Not all of Konoha is against him and the people that aren't will help fight with him. He can't just quit." Shikamaru said

"Sasuke has been through a lot in the short five years since his family's death. To go with all of this he hasn't slept in a week, because of the curse seal. Orochimaru is trying to weaken Sasuke's will power. He's causing the curse seal to flare up and cause pain all throughout Sasuke's body at night. He hasn't slept in a week before the fire. Orochimaru is doing everything he can to bring Sasuke to him and what Konoha is doing is only pushing Sasuke to his breaking point."

"Something needs to be done about that curse seal." Gai said

"Tsunade is going to look into it. We discovered a way to help ease the pain and Tsunade has read that Orochimaru can only do it for so long and then he needs to take a break. The trick is getting Sasuke to that point. Sasuke has been fighting a long time to just survive. He's exhausted and it's only going to get worse. He can't go on missions for at least two weeks. Once he is cleared for duty then Tsunade is going to have him going on mission after mission. She wants to keep him out of the village as much as possible. She's going to try and find a way to get rid of these laws, but it's going to take time. As for the curse seal she is going to send for Jiraiya and see if he is able to help. So far the only thing that works for the pain is to have someone else's chakra that is comforting to him, to put that chakra into the seal. Sasuke needs support right now from anyone that is on his side. He's going through a lot, he needs support and he needs to know that he is not alone in this."

"The problem is you can't make someone fight that doesn't want to." Asuma said

"No, but Sasuke is a fighter whether he wants to or not he is. Sasuke will fight the question is how long he'll fight if Orochimaru gets him. He doesn't deserve this hatred from the village. Sasuke has risked his life many times to save fellow ninjas and he fought Orochimaru and his men in the Chounin exams. Sasuke has proven to Danzou that he doesn't want to be in the Sound. It's not Sasuke's fault people are trying to kill him. Danzou should be punishing those that are assaulting him, not putting him on the outskirts." Iruka said

"Being in that compound is only going to make him worse. The buildings are all boarded up. There's still blood on the walls. How is that supposed to help Sasuke?" Gai said

"That's what I want to speak to you three about. Sasuke is alone at the hospital with Pakun. He's sleeping right now when I left he had a headache. I was going to go over to the compound and clean it up. Try and find a house that isn't in that bad of shape and far away from his childhood home. I was hoping that you three might be able to help me."

"Of course, though I'm not too sure how to get five year old blood out of wood or pavement." Gai said

"Cold cola. The carbon in it will eat away at the blood even in pavement. You pour it on and then just use a scrubber and should come out." Shikamaru said

"How do you know that?" Iruka asked

"My mother told me about it one day. My father gets her mad, she cleans and she rambles about nothing when she cleans."

"Okay then, we heading over now?" Asuma said

"Ya I don't want to leave Sasuke alone that long."

"I can go over there if you want." Shikamaru said

"You don't mind?"

"Of course I don't mind. I can sit with him until you get back."

"Alright well he is asleep right now or he should be. Pakun is there, if something happens then send him to find me. Tsunade is the only one allowed to do anything with Sasuke. I don't care who comes in if it is not Tsunade no one is to touch him."

"No problem I'll make sure no one goes near him."

"If he wakes up and is in a lot of pain then call Tsunade and have her check him out. She wasn't concerned, but she did say that there was a chance his brain might start bleeding again. So if his headache is bad make sure you have her check him out."

"I will."

"I don't think he'll wake up, like I said he hasn't slept in a week so he should just sleep the day away."

"Has he eaten?"

"He hasn't eaten anything in the last two days. If he is awake and wants to eat he obviously can. If he hasn't woken up then when I get back I'll get him up and get him to eat something."

"Alright. Is he in the same room?"

"Yup"

"I'll head over there now then."

"Thanks Shikamaru."

"No problem."

Shikamaru left to head off to the hospital and the four adults went to head over to the compound. Kakashi headed to his apartment to get some cleaning supplies and Gai, Asuma and Iuka went to get cola so they could use it to clean the blood off. Kakashi was glad that Shikamaru was with Sasuke at the hospital. Kakashi was certain that Sasuke would be safe with Pakun, but it would be good to have someone there in case Sasuke was in trouble. It was also good in case Sasuke woke up and felt like he wanted to talk to someone. Not that Sasuke really liked to talk about anything, especially his feelings. Kakashi grabbed the cleaning supplies and his small tool box and headed out to the compound. Gai, Asuma and Iruka were already there at the front entrance and they were just standing there looking in. Kakashi came up beside Asuma and looked in with them. None of them had ever been inside the compound since the massacre and it was the first time they saw the level of damage. The houses were in good condition they had boarded up windows and the insides were definitely dirty. The structure was in good condition at least. It was the blood on the pavement and buildings that caught their attention. To actually know that Sasuke was here when the place was covered in bodies was one thing, but to actually see the dried blood all over the place was something completely different. It finally made sense to Kakashi why Sasuke was so messed up from this. He was going to need to speak with Sasuke about that night later. Kakashi had to help Sasuke get pass that night.

"I never knew how much blood was spilt that night." Iruka said

"Imagine how Sasuke is feeling right now." Asuma said

"Imagine how he felt when he walked through here with the dead bodies everywhere." Gai said

"I'm going to need to talk to him about this. I knew Sasuke was here just after the massacre, but I didn't know there was this much blood." Kakashi said

"This is going to take some time to clean off the pavement. Itachi didn't hold back at all it seems." Gai said

"Sasuke can be in the hospital for no more than three days. I really don't want him coming back here with the blood everywhere."

"We'll get this place cleaned Kakashi. None of us want Sasuke to see this. I can't imagine what that will do to his mental state." Iruka said

"He just has to make it two weeks and then he will be out of the village doing missions. I just have to get him through two weeks."

"We'll help make sure he isn't alone. He can always come out on missions with my squad when he can return to work." Asuma said

"Tsunade said that she would be getting him out of the village on missions with any squad. She just wants him away from all this abuse. I'm sure your squad will get Sasuke on many upcoming missions."

"A little socializing wouldn't kill Sasuke." Iruka said

"It could kill the others though. Sasuke isn't exactly very people friendly." Gai said

"He's not that bad. Sasuke, he's just misunderstood. He only gets annoyed when someone is being an idiot." Kakashi said

"You do know that Ino is on my squad." Asuma joked

"She can't be any worse than Sakura is with him." Kakashi joked back.

"Maybe you should start him off with Kurenai's team. Shino and Hinata don't talk and Kiba is just like Naruto." Iruka said

"I'm sure Tsunade will include all of that in her calculations. We better quit stalling and get started." Kakashi said

"If a seven year old boy can walk through here then there is no excuse for the rest of us." Gai said

"Has he been here since that night?" Asuma asked

"He has been back here once. The very next night he came back here. He actually made it to his house, but he couldn't go in. He spent six months living on the streets until the elderly couple that owned the apartment he was living in rented it to him."

"I didn't know he was homeless afterwards." Iruka said

"I didn't either. I just found out. He's been through a lot in the last five years. I have a strong feeling that he won't be sleeping in the compound. He's supposed to, but I don't think he will."

"You think he'll go back to being on the street?" Gai asked

"I think so. The compound backs onto the woods. Danzou said he can't live in the village. He'll probably just live in the outskirts. I really can't see him sleeping here. If anything he'll use one of the houses to shower and keep his clothes and maybe some food, but that'll be it."

"How long is he going to have to do this?" Asuma asked

"Tsunade didn't know. She's trying to figure out how to fight these laws. The problem is Danzou threatened to remove her from Hokage and even went as far as threatening imprisonment if she doesn't enforce the laws."

"There has to be a way to go above the council to change a law." Iruka said

"I'm sure there is; she just needs to find it. In the meantime I need to keep Sasuke safe and away from Orochimaru."

"That's the next thing. What are we going to do about Orochimaru?" Asuma asked

"He's going to be a problem. It's no secret that Orochimaru has a serious interest in Sasuke. He wants his Sharigan and he's not going to stop until he gets it." Gai said

"I'm not sure what to do about Orochimaru. Right now I'm just trying to keep Sasuke from leaving the village. The second Danzou put Konoha and the Sound on the same level it started to turn the gears in Sasuke's head. I told him what I could about the Sound and how Orochimaru will treat him. I'm hoping that reality is enough for right now."

"Sasuke is smart he knows the difference between right and wrong. I can't see him leaving Konoha to go to the Sound." Iruka said

"I don't think he'll leave, but I think if Orochimaru shows up he might just give up."

"Sasuke's a fighter he doesn't know how to give up." Asuma said

"It seems like his inner flame is slowly dying." Gai said

"I just hope it doesn't go out." Kakashi let out a sigh, "Let's get to work."

The four of them went into the compound and started to clean up the blood. Kakashi wanted to be back at the hospital within a few hours. He didn't want to leave Sasuke alone for very long. The cola worked on the blood a lot better than Kakashi thought it would. Kakashi and Asuma went to look at a few of the houses to try and find one that Sasuke could live in. They found one at the end of the compound the furthest away from his childhood home. The place needed to be cleaned from the dust, but there was no blood which meant no one had died in the house. Kakashi took that as a good thing. They started to clean up the house and take the boards off the windows. It wasn't until eight at night did they leave. The blood was gone and Kakashi was going to go back to the house tomorrow to make sure the house was functional. Kakashi headed over to his house to get some clean clothes for Sasuke he also wanted to pick some food up for them. Once that was done he made his way back to the hospital so he could see Sasuke and spend the night with him.

Sasuke began to stir from his sleep. It was just past five o'clock at night when Sasuke began to wake up. Shikamaru had been sitting there for close to four hours now. When he arrived Pakun was curled up on the bed asleep. When Shikamaru walked into the room he popped his head up and then put it back down. Clearly he wasn't worried about Shikamaru hurting Sasuke, though Shikamaru was certain that if he tried anything Pakun would wake up. Pakun was a ninja hound after all and he wasn't one of Kakashi's most trusted hounds for no reason. Shikamaru was sitting in the chair next to the bed that Kakashi had been occupying for the last two days. He watched as Sasuke slowly began to wake up. So far Sasuke hadn't been sleeping all that well. Shikamaru could tell that Sasuke was having bad dreams, but it wasn't bad enough to startle him awake. Shikamaru watched as Sasuke began to open his eyes. The room wasn't that bright anymore so Sasuke knew that the sun must be going down. He noticed that Shikamaru was sitting in the chair next to his bed.

"Shikamaru?" Sasuke's voice was rough and hoarse. It sounded painful to Shikamaru.

"Hey Sasuke, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" Sasuke voice held tiredness and confusion. It also showed Shikamaru that Sasuke wasn't annoyed by his presence.

"I was speaking with Asuma, Gai and Iruka-Sensei when Kakashi-Sensei came over and explained the recent situation. I offered to come here and sit with you just in case Pakun ran into trouble."

Sasuke looked down at the end of the bed to see Pakun sound asleep on the bed.

"Some guard dog." Sasuke mumbled.

"If it makes you feel any better no one has come in here but me, and he did look up when I came in. I think if you were in danger he would wake up."

Sasuke let out a small yawn. Shikamaru could see the exhaustion on his was the first time he actually looked at what Sasuke looked like. He had dark bags under his eyes. He was covered in bruising and cuts. His whole left arm was covered in bandages from the burns. He looked horrible and it was only just the start of this hell.

"What time is it?"

"It's just after five. You were making noises in your sleep. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine"

"Sasuke you're not fine. Let's be realistic here you are far from fine. You don't have to talk to me about what's going on, but I do know what Danzou has done. You can talk to me if you want. I know you talk to Kakashi and I know we didn't exactly speak in the academy, but I can listen. If you want someone your own age to talk to I'm here."

"I'm not a talker, I'm a fighter and that's the problem. I'm fighting a fight that I can't win and I'm not used to losing."

"You're only losing if you give up and I've never known you to give up. I'm not saying this isn't hard and along the way it will be painful. You can't give up though, no matter how much you might want to."

"It feels like everyone is turning against me. The compound is on the outskirts of the village. It's like the council is trying to isolate me so I'll just leave. Kakashi says I just have to make it past these next two weeks and then I'll be on missions most of the time."

"Ya he was talking about that. He said that you would be on different squads at some point to. Looks like Tsunade wants to keep you away from the abuse of the village. Keeping busy isn't a bad thing though."

"I don't have a problem being out on missions. I'd rather be busy then sitting around just waiting for someone to try and kill me. Are you and Neji okay after being in the fire?"

"We're fine. Tsunade had us stay for an hour to watch our oxygen levels, but it wasn't a big deal. The others are upset and worried about you. Naruto was furious when he found out that someone tried to kill you."

"Some ones"

"It was more than one?" Shikamaru asked with a slight surprise in his tone, though he already heard that from Kakashi.

"Kakashi didn't tell you what happened?"

"No. I hadn't seen Kakashi since I left the hospital. I saw him today and he didn't mention what happened, just want Danzou said."

"There were five of them all wearing these black masks. I heard a noise in my bedroom and just thought it was an animal outside. I should have been more careful. I didn't even sense them. They got the upper hand before I even knew what was going on. They beat me, tied me to the bed and then set the whole place up. When they left I tried to get the ropes off, but they had hit me over two hundred times I couldn't really move. I don't remember much after they left. If it wasn't for you two I would be dead."

"I didn't know there were five of them. It makes sense the level of your injuries that it couldn't have come from one person. It was Neji that saw the smoke I never did. It was just luck that we were in the right place at the right time. Do you think they were ninjas?"

"I don't know. I couldn't see their faces and they didn't have any forehead protectors on. I didn't even sense them though, so maybe they were. They could be anyone."

"We'll figure this out. Men who do something like this will brag about it. We'll find them Sasuke."

"Maybe"

Shikamaru could tell that Sasuke really didn't want to talk about what happened so he decided to change the topic.

"How's your head? Kakashi said you had a headache earlier."

"It's fine now. Tsunade said that headaches will be common for a few weeks. Something to do with bruising on my brain."

"You'll need to be careful being on missions and training until the bruising is gone. You don't want to make it worse. Are you in pain at all?"

"Not really. It's more of a stiffness and soreness then actual pain."

"Good"

Shikamaru and Sasuke continued to have small talk and comfortable silence for the next three and a half hours. It wasn't until eight thirty did Kakashi come into the room. He was holding a small bag and a take-out bag holding food. Kakashi saw Pakun curled up at the end of the bed, Shikamaru sitting in the chair beside the bed and Sasuke was still on his right side. Kakashi placed the bag down on the ground by the bed and placed the food bag down on the bed by Pakun. Kakashi knew Pakun was awake, but he wasn't showing it, because he wanted to give everyone some privacy.

"How are you feeling Sasuke?"

"I'm fine."

"Headache?"

"Not anymore"

"When did you wake up?"

"A few hours ago."

"Have you eaten anything?"

"No"

"I thought so. You need to eat and then you can get changed out of those hospital clothes. You also need to move around a little to help your body become less stiff. So afterwards you and I are going to walk the hall. If you don't move around you will become even more stiff and sore then you already are. Rest is good, but your body needs to move as well. Your ribs are sore and it can affect your breathing so we will take it slow."

Sasuke didn't argue he just gave a small nod. It was a clear sign to Kakashi just how exhausted Sasuke truly was. If he didn't have the energy to argue with Kakashi about his health, then he was still exhausted. Kakashi knew Sasuke would sleep for the rest of the night, but he had to get Sasuke fed and moving around.

"Your guard dog sucks. He's been asleep this whole time." Sasuke said

"I'm not asleep. I've been listening to you two talk about nothing for hours now." Pakun mumbled with his eyes still closed.

"If you've been awake why didn't you say anything?" Sasuke asked clearly annoyed.

"If you had talked about something interesting I would have. We good boss?"

"Ya thanks" Kakashi said

Kakashi released the seal and Pakun disappeared.

"Thank you Shikamaru for staying with him. I hope he didn't give you a hard time."

"Naw he didn't."

"Did anyone come in?"

"Tsunade came in while he was asleep, but that was it."

"Good I'll walk you out. Sasuke when I get back you better be sitting up."

"I'll see you later Sasuke."

"See ya"

Shikamaru got up and followed Kakashi outside of the room. They walked just a little ways down the hall before Kakashi spoke.

"How was he really?"

"He was having nightmares, but he wouldn't talk about them."

"Did he talk about anything that happened?"

"He told me what happened and he thanked Neji and I for getting him out. He did mention that he couldn't sense them, which makes me think they were ninjas."

"If they were ninjas then they might be bragging about getting away with this to someone."

"That's what I thought. I'll keep an ear out and have the others do the same. We just might over hear something to lead us to these men."

"Be careful these men won't hesitate to come after you either or anyone else they think is on Sasuke's side."

"I'll be careful."

"Did he mention anything about the Sound?"

"Not out right. He did mention that he felt like he was fighting a losing fight. He also said it seems like Konoha is just trying to push him out and make him leave. I told him he's only losing if he gives up. That he just has to try and bare-with it until Tsunade-Sama can come up with a plan."

"She is working on trying to remove these laws, but I have a feeling it won't be easy. She is also going to bring Jiraiya back into Konoha. He is the other Sanin that the Third taught. His presence might keep some villagers and ninja in line and leave Sasuke alone. He also might have more knowledge of the curse seal. If we can we need to remove it, but that might not be possible."

"He didn't mention the curse seal, but I didn't either. Is the curse mark really that dangerous?"

"It's extremely dangerous. We don't know very much about it only what Tsunade had been able to read about. When the curse seal was placed on Sasuke he only had a ten percent chance of surviving. It's a miracle he is alive from it and now it is affecting his body. The pain is just the start of what the seal might do to him. If we can remove it then we have to try."

"If it almost killed him when it was placed on him, then couldn't it kill him removing it?"

"It might. It's complicated and it might not even be possible to remove it. Right now we are just hoping Jiraiya will have some ideas."

"I'll have the others keep an eye out and hopefully keep them calm."

"You all just need to be careful. If you hear anything come let me know. Sasuke will most likely be on missions with you and your squad as well as others. When Sasuke is with you, you all need to be on high alert. Orochimaru could attack while Sasuke is outside of the village so be careful. If that happens your main objective is to get Sasuke away from him. If Orochimaru gets his hands on the Sharigan Konoha and the rest of this world will be in serious danger."

"We'll keep him safe."

"Thank you for being here with him today."

"Anytime"

"Get home safe"

Shikamaru gave a nod and headed out of the hospital so he could go home. He would have to make sure he spoke to everyone in their little group about what has happened. They all needed to keep an eye out for Sasuke right now. Shikamaru needed to make sure everyone understood just how serious this situation truly was. Kakashi made his way back to the hospital room to find Sasuke was at least sitting up. He looked horrible with the exhaustion clear on his face. Kakashi went over and sat down in the chair that Shikamaru was in. He opened the food.

"You need to eat."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know, but you haven't eaten anything in over two days now. You just need to eat a little bit."

Kakashi handed Sasuke a small container of chicken fried rice. He knew Sasuke wasn't going to eat much, but he did need to eat something. Tsunade had said that Sasuke would still be in pain even though she healed him, she can't take all the pain away. From Sasuke sleeping all day he would be stiff and even sorer. Kakashi needed Sasuke to get up and moving before he fell back asleep. Kakashi saw Sasuke pick up the chop sticks and started to eat. Sasuke ate slowly while Kakashi began to talk.

"Shikamaru told me that you were having nightmares."

"It's nothing"

"I'm here if you want to talk about it."

Sasuke just gave a nod and Kakashi let Sasuke have some silence for a little while. Kakashi didn't want to make Sasuke feel overwhelmed or overloaded. He knew he would need to talk to him about it, but he didn't want Sasuke to worry any more than he already was. After twenty minutes Sasuke stopped eating and Kakashi was happy to see that most of it was gone. Kakashi took the container from Sasuke and put it on the bedside table.

"Alright now you can get changed and we will go for a small little walk. You need to work your muscles to help with the soreness."

"You're not going to let this go are you?"

"Not this one, no. It's important for you to be moving around. It's just for a little walk down the hall and back. It'll help loosen your muscles up. Do you want to get changed or just go in the shirt and pants you're wearing?"

"I'm fine in this. I'll get changed tomorrow."

"Let's go then"

Kakashi got up and helped Sasuke get the blanket off from him. Kakashi knew that Sasuke was going to be stiff from being in bed for two days, just like Sasuke was going to be sore. Sasuke moved so he could stand up and Kakashi made sure he was close enough to Sasuke just in case he needed him. Sasuke stood up and he could feel the pain in his ribs. Walking around was going to be painful, but Sasuke was hoping that in the next couple of days he would be back to normal.

"Any pain?"

"Not really. It's just my ribs."

"Six of your ribs were broken and five of them were fractured. They were healed, but it will still take a day or two for the pain to go away. Let me know if the pain gets any worse."

Sasuke gave a nod and Kakashi placed a gentle hand on Sasuke's back to help guide him out. The first few steps were hard, but by the time they were out of the door Sasuke's muscles were starting to feel better. His ribs still hurt, but at least he could work out the stiffness in his body. Kakashi made sure he kept his hand on the bottom of Sasuke's back to help guide him down the hall. At first Sasuke was moving and breathing fine, but part way down the hall Kakashi noticed that Sasuke seemed to be in pain. Kakashi was starting to get worried. Tsunade said that he would be stiff and sore, but Sasuke appeared to be in a lot of pain. His breathing was also getting laboured and by the time they reached the end of the hall Sasuke had to stop.

"Sasuke what's wrong?"

"I don't know." Sasuke put his right hand against the left side of his ribs. He was having a hard time catching his breath and he was in a lot of pain. "Why does this hurt so much? I thought Tsunade healed me."

"She did." Kakashi saw a nurse walking down the hallway. "Excuse me is the Hokage still here?"

"She is." The nurse answered

"Can you go and get her for me please."

The young nurse gave Kakashi a smile before she headed off to find Tsunade. Kakashi was really worried with Sasuke's breathing. It seemed like he couldn't get a full breath in. Something was obviously wrong with Sasuke and he was hoping that Tsunade would have those answers. Five minutes later Tsunade came walking towards them. She saw the condition that Sasuke was in and she went right towards him.

"Sasuke what's wrong?"

"It hurts" Sasuke tried to take a deep breath, but the air just wasn't there. Tsunade couldn't believe how bad his breathing was. She saw Sasuke's right hand on his ribs so she moved his hand to replace it with her own. She started to look for the reason of the pain and Sasuke's breathing. After a moment she found the cause of everything. She started to heal what was wrong and after a few minutes Sasuke felt like he could breathe again.

"One of your broken ribs didn't heal properly. It was still broken and it caused a small hole in your lung. That's why you couldn't breathe properly. I've healed it so you should feel better."

"The pain is gone and I can take a deep breath now. Thank you."

"I'm going to be leaving in a couple of hours, but before I do I'll come by and make sure you are alright. Do you feel pain anywhere else?"

"No"

"Ok. Get him back to bed Kakashi."

Tsunade walked away from the two and Kakashi turned his attention back to Sasuke. He looked exhausted, but he had barely slept in the past week so it was to be expected. He wasn't in anymore pain at least. Kakashi felt bad for making Sasuke come out and walk the hall. He didn't know that Sasuke would be in so much pain, but at the same time it was good, because they found out he wasn't healed fully.

"Come on you need sleep."

Kakashi placed his hand on Sasuke's lower back again and guided him back to the room. Once inside Sasuke went to the bed and crawled back under the covers. Kakashi took his seat. Sasuke went on his right side once again and Kakashi figured that he must sleep that way at home. Sasuke had his eyes closed as he spoke.

"I don't understand why I'm so tired." Sasuke's voice was quiet and Kakashi could tell that he would be asleep in a few minutes.

"You didn't sleep a week straight Sasuke. Not to mention the beating and the fire. You'll be back to normal in a couple of days. For now let your body get what it needs and sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

Sasuke let out a small sigh and that was it. Kakashi knew that Sasuke wouldn't be awake for much longer. He still felt bad that he had made Sasuke walk the hall when he was still injured, but at least he was fully healed now. Hopefully by the time he left in two days Sasuke would be back to his usual self. It wasn't until three hours later that Sasuke started to stir. Kakashi had fallen asleep, but when he heard Sasuke whimper, he was wide awake. He looked over and saw that Sasuke was still asleep, but making noises. Kakashi watched him for a few minutes trying to figure out if he was in pain or if he was having a nightmare. Sasuke began to shift his body and his injured left hand went to the curse mark. Sasuke was still asleep, but his body started to shake slightly. Kakashi knew that Sasuke was in pain so he moved over to place his own hand over the curse mark. When he moved Sasuke's left hand Sasuke eyes opened. Kakashi placed his hand over the curse mark and started to release some chakra.

"It's okay go back to sleep. The pain will be gone in a minute."

Sasuke was too tired to do anything, but close his eyes and felt the pain slowly going away. Kakashi watched as Sasuke's shaking had disappeared and he kept his hand there for a good thirty minutes so Sasuke could sleep all night without the pain. Once that was done Kakashi went and closed his eyes again to try and get some sleep.

A/N: Fun Fact Coke and Pepsi really will remove blood from cement. In Canada police officers and crime scene clean-up crews will use Coke and Pepsi to clean up the blood from the road and sidewalks. It also works to remove rust. Makes you wonder what it will do to your stomach.