II.
Sasuke remained asleep for the better part of three days. Naruto watched him from behind a glass wall, watching doctors and nurses tend to his former friend. He watched as old clothes were taken off of Sasuke's body, revealing scars and marks that he'd never seen before, even when they clashed those scant few times before now. What made Naruto shiver each time he saw Sasuke lying there amidst bleached white blankets and sterile machines was that huge, disfiguring scar on the left side of his face. It started near the center of his forehead and curved left, making a jagged line down over the brunette's eye socket, and ending just above his jugular vein. Any lower, and Sasuke would've bled to death, and then where would Orochimaru be?
Right, Orochimaru.
Tsunade had come down earlier that day to test if the former Sannin was within the Uchiha boy. There had been no reaction to whatever she had done, but she still had the doctors to tie Sasuke down to the bed and keep him sedated until such time as deemed healthy enough to withstand questioning. Which, Naruto knew, meant torture. Sasuke had done many things, many horrible things, but he didn't deserve torture. But then, who was Naruto to argue? When Sasuke had shown up, he'd been right there to clap irons on him and drag him none too gently through ankle-deep puddles and slippery streets. Sasuke's twisted ankle had probably come from that treatment. Naruto felt that pang of regret, but only for an instant. Sasuke had left them, he'd nearly killed them, and he'd fought against them when they had only wanted to bring him home.
Naruto wasn't sure he'd ever trust Sasuke again, no matter how many ramen bowls he was bribed with. Sasuke was a traitor, and he would always be a traitor. Even if, somehow, Sasuke managed to become a Konoha ninja again, Naruto would never turn his back on him. He wouldn't even trust him with a simple task, like cleaning the bathhouse or something. Sasuke was evil, and Naruto hated evil, and thus by default Naruto hated Sasuke. But for some reason, Naruto couldn't leave the window that peered into Sasuke's hospital room, to watch that pale, scarred chest rise and fall with even breath. It was only by some miracle that Sakura had been able to pull him away long enough to join the former Team Kakashi in Tsunade's office.
The Godaime sat in silence for a long time, staring at the file on her desk. Everything about Uchiha Sasuke was in there, from birth documentation to the examination that had taken place when he'd been admitted to the hospital. Everything with him was working beautifully, except for his left eye. Even if the doctors cut away the scar tissue to allow him free movement of that eyelid, he would be forever blind in that eye. Whatever had happened had crushed the retina, destroyed the cornea, and rendered the lens non-existent. The doctors hadn't even had the heart to cut the scar tissue away to remove the useless orb, so unless a dire medical emergency arose out of it, that ball of destroyed eye-parts would remain in the socket until the day he died.
It was a shame, really. Sasuke had been promising, even as a traitor, and now, what good was he as a ninja? Tsunade knew that Sasuke could be an excellent jounin if he'd put through the effort, even with his disability. But it wasn't Sasuke she'd have trouble with. It was the Council, those old men and women who sat around and talked about 'important matters' all day that Tsunade would have trouble with. They didn't know of Sasuke's existence in Konoha yet, but when they did find out, that's where the trouble would be. If they called for Sasuke to be bred and then killed, Tsunade would have to do that, or find a loophole. And loopholes were very scarce, in her opinion. Which left her one choice, and that was to appoint someone from his former team as his caretaker. Sakura was definitely out because she still had medical training to attend to. Kakashi was out because he was a jounin, and he was needed to help instruct new genin and jounin training to be ANBU. Which left Naruto.
"I'm sure you all know why you've been called here?" Tsunade asked quietly, steepling her fingers before her mouth and staring at each shinobi before her in turn. Each ninja nodded, watching their village leader behind her desk.
"It's about Sasuke, isn't it?" Sakura asked, folding her hands in front of her, looking down at her feet when her teacher nodded.
"What about him? He's just gonna go to prison." Naruto said harshly, folding his arms over his chest. Sakura glared at him for a moment, but Naruto didn't back down. Sasuke deserved to be in prison. He deserved whatever was coming to him.
"He isn't going to prison," Tsunade said, almost exasperated. "And he isn't going to be executed. Not if I can help it, anyway."
"We wouldn't let Sasuke be executed," Kakashi spoke with a certain finality, and Tsunade was quite aware that Kakashi would start a war to save the boy's life. She only prayed it didn't come to that, as she knew quite a number of lives would be lost in the ensuing battle.
"No, we won't." Tsunade agreed. "This is why the three of you are here. You know Sasuke best, and he would feel comfortable with you. And Naruto, you may not like it, but I need you to take Sasuke into your home and take care of him."
Naruto stood speechless, staring at the Hokage as if she'd grown a whole new head.
"Me?" he nearly screeched.
Tsunade only nodded. "He would connect more with you. Sakura has training and she won't be around much to make sure Sasuke was behaving himself. The same applies to Kakashi. Essentially, you are the only one who can do this."
"But I hate him!"
"Then think of it as a mission. It will be A rank, and you'll get paid for it. It'll be a personal request from myself," Tsunade said, reaching for a pen and official mission request forms, filling it out as she spoke. "All you have to do is make sure Sasuke follows the rules we set out for him, that he's fed and sheltered, and that he takes any prescribed medication he may be given. He has some serious infections, and the antibiotics will help."
Naruto forced himself to nod, and reached out to put his fingerprint on the parchment, glaring at the mission scroll. He was going to get paid at least. Something to look forward to when Sasuke was finally taken off his hands.
"When does this start?"
"As soon as Sasuke wakes up. Sakura-chan, please go with Shizune to the hospital. Kakashi, please act as Sasuke's escort when he wakes. As much as I think any ninja could handle that, I want Sasuke to be comfortable."
"Shall do." Kakashi replied and vanished in a puff of smoke. Sakura bowed to her teacher and went to find Tsunade's assistant, following the older woman out of the tower to the hospital to watch over her former friend. Soon, only Naruto and Tsunade remained in the office, the older woman gazing at the vessel of the Kyuubi.
"What's wrong, Naruto?"
"I don't trust Sasuke."
"I'm not asking you to trust him. I'm asking you to watch over him. It's not charity. It's a mission. Anything I ask of you concerning him will be a mission. And as such, I expect you to complete them as you would any other mission you're given."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade nodded, and dismissed the blonde jounin, watching his retreating back before she sat back in her chair, rubbing her forehead. She almost hoped Sasuke would never wake, simply to spare the boy the inquisition and the subsequent mental agony that would come with trying to assimilate himself back into society. However, she was eventually asked to come to the hospital, and as she walked down from her office, she found she was actually dreading this part more than she had thought she would.
Sasuke had woken.
And he was already suffering.
