Chapter 2:
"WHAT???"
Miko cowered as the Hokage expressed her surprise verbally and loud enough for those in the surrounding rooms to hear.
"Uchiha Sasuke has returned to the village and claims he is turning himself in. He requests, however, to see you first."
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. She had been fighting off a headache all day, which was now threatening to break loose with the arrival of this news.
"Okay," the Hokage finally replied. "Send a squadron of ANBU to retrieve him and bring him to me. We can't run the risk of this being a trap. Make sure to restrain him and cover his face. Don't, in any circumstance make eye contact. He is an Uchiha after all. And try to do it quickly and quietly. I don't want word of this to spread."
The chuunin sharply stood to attention. "Yes Hokage-sama." And with a puff of smoke, the chuunin was gone.
Reaching into the bottom drawer of her desk, Tsunade pulled out a bottle of sake.
What on earth is that boy thinking?
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Three ANBU members entered the Hokage office, their prisoner in restraints, his head covered with a sack. The Hokage dismissed them, rose from her chair and walked over to the boy. He was badly injured. How he was able to stand, let alone walk was beyond her. His skin had become pale and his breathing was shallow. He must have lost a lot of blood, Tsunade thought to herself. With Sasuke standing in the middle of the office, still in his restraints, the Hokage began to heal the most severe of his wounds. It wouldn't do to have the boy die before she could get any answers from him. When she was satisfied that he was in no more danger she cut the boy's restraints and walked back to her desk to sit. The boy slowly removed his head covering.
While the boy's arrival to the Village was a shock to her, it was nothing compared to the shock Tsunade felt upon seeing the boy's face. He was a spectre of his former self. Even though she had only known Sasuke a short time before he had abandoned Konoha, Tsunade knew of the boy's determination. She had seen the fire in the boy's eyes. And even though she knew that that fire burned only for revenge, even at age of 12 the boy's eyes had so much intensity. Staring into these lifeless orbs that now faced her; the Hokage couldn't help but wonder if this was in fact Uchiha Sasuke.
"Aren't you worried, looking into my eyes?"
The abruptness of his question snapped Tsunade out of her thoughts. "Don't underestimate me brat. Just because you are an Uchiha doesn't mean I should fear you or your doujutsu. I am the Hokage. I have seen many Uchiha before your time, and I have fought Uchiha before your time. Don't think that you're special." Tsunade glared at the boy. She had no reason to fear him. In his state of injury, there was no way he could use a Sharingan genjutsu.
The Uchiha said nothing. Sighing, Tsunade poured herself another drink. "Why are you here Sasuke?" she asked.
The boy remained silent, and Tsunade soon wondered if he even knew the reason himself. Slowly, he spoke, softly and carefully.
"My life holds no meaning now. All that is left for me is to atone for my sins and face my judgement." The boy's words were spoken in a measured tone. Each word was deliberate.
Tsunade frowned at his response. "And what about your revenge? What about Itachi?"
The boy pointed his eyes towards the ground once again. "All that is left for me lies in the future, not the past."
Again, the Hokage sighed. She wasn't in the mood for cryptic answers. "Alright." Walking past Sasuke, Tsunade opened the door and nodded for the ANBU members waiting outside the office to enter. As the ANBU surrounded Sasuke, Tsunade began her announcement. "Uchiha Sasuke. You have been found guilty of treason on the grounds of abandonment and consorting with a direct enemy of Konoha. You will hereby be placed under arrest and send to the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. A full investigation will be conducted to decide what your fate will be. Do you understand?"
Sasuke lifted his head to meet Tsunade's eye with his own. "I understand, Hokage-sama."
