Embracing Reality

© narutoluvr4evr

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Thanks for your reviews everyone! This came much quicker than expected.

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Standard warnings apply.

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Rating: T (Please check this for every chapter, as ratings may change throughout the story.)

Pairing: Sasuke x Naruto, Lee x Sakura, and unknown (suggestions are helpful)

Chapter Warnings: some angst, poor attempt at some humor, bad language. Slight OOC-ness, I apologize. ALSO, some Japanese shinobi terms are used, such as various seals. The glossary is at the end; please refer if necessary.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Sasuke does…-looks away from Uchiha Death Glare- Now shoo!

NOTE: NOW BETA'D THANKS NEECHAN.

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"I'll…I'll scream if you leave! Don't go!" The girl was near hysterics, her heart thumping in agony. Her crush couldn't be leaving…no…no…

The next thing she heard caused her to cry tears of joy.

"Uchiha Sasuke, just where do you think you're going?" The raven spun around in shock only to interlock with the single steely eye on his sensei.

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Sasuke stared at his mentor, alarm flickering out of his obsidian pools. Kakashi-sensei knew? How? The raven winced internally, knowing and dreading the answer. Kakashi is a Jounin, previously an ANBU member. Not only that, he is a prodigy, and the teen's sensei. It's obvious the man would take Sasuke's responses from his lecture into consideration.

The Uchiha clenched his hands and gritted his teeth. His jaw muscles tightened. He was so close; the exit was only a couple meters away and yet to get there, he would have to get past a Jounin and a genin. Not only that, they were his team—he's have to sever those bonds. Were there other shinobi hiding out there? Was Naruto hiding, watching his every move, waiting for the right moment to come out and stop him?

Did all that matter? He needed the power, and he'll do anything to obtain it. Power will help him kill Itachi. It will do his clan justice. Sasuke will not leave his parents' deaths unjust. That man, Orochimaru, offered him power, and lots of it.

Yet…what did that sick twisted glint in his golden eye mean? Was that sly, slithering smirk a natural-born characteristic of the tall man, or did the Sannin have something else in mind? And why would he offer power so readily? Where's the logic in that?

Sasuke mentally shook his head, trying desperately to get rid of ram shackled thoughts. Now was not the time. Power has no logic. It had caused him to lose his childhood. It caused Itachi to massacre his own clan, his own parents. It caused some shinobi to become missing-nin and get chased after so many for a pitiful bounty.

Then why is he still lusting for it?

Sasuke stared into the steely eyes of his sensei, his heart subtly pounding and his head spinning. Both had yet to speak, but the raven was practically deaf from the words that steel jet eye poured out.

"I'm disappointed in you. What are you thinking? I thought you were stronger than that, that you would consider your actions. I guess, as a mentor, I fail to show you what's right or wrong…"

The raven had no idea what to do; a part of him wants to tell Kakashi to back off and leave, another wants to just sleep and avoid all problems. Why wasn't it so difficult when Sakura tried to stop him?

'Because Sakura is only like a teammate to you, whereas Kakashi is you're fatherly figure.' It was true; the raven did look up to Kakashi like a father. The man had trained him, helped him grow stronger, and gave acknowledgement whenever Sasuke accomplished something. His biological father would pass him grunts and nods, only once acknowledging him as a son. The silver-haired man had filled in the heartwarming role for him, a role that Sasuke had been deprived of for years.

'But a sensei cannot truly take the place of the real person.' Sasuke knew that, and that's what kept him going for revenge. For people like Naruto, a fatherly figure is enough. They never knew what it was like to have someone so close being torn away from you. Aside from personal training and a leaving a few annoying footprints on his window, Kakashi wasn't much of a 'dad'. Sasuke couldn't replace his father's teaching on perfect scripture for Kakashi's basket of fruit and vegetables. Nor could he toss aside his mother's gentle soothing lullabies for his mentor's perverted summaries of the latest plot in Icha Icha Series.

For Sasuke, replacing his family like that is like buying cheap hair gel and un-customized clothing: it will not do, and make him look just horrible.

"Move." The raven looked boldly at the Jounin and took a step forward. This was his decision, and he was going to follow it. He had to have his vengeance, or his purpose in life would be nothing. He had strained himself for five years, and there was no way in hell he's throwing it all away.

The exit was drawing nearer. Merely a few more steps…

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Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. When she had first saw Kakashi-sensei, she cried happily. Sasuke-kun wouldn't leave if the man were to stop him! To her confusion, a dark silence quilted the area like a thick blanket on a summer night: warmth bathed their bodies, but breathing became a strenuous task.

Finally, her longtime crush spoke up and Sakura did a double take. Seeing her comrade leave, she cried out, her voice hoarse from screaming, "Kakashi-sensei, stop him!"

"No, Sakura." The kunoichi stared in shock at her sensei, her respect for him fading. "I won't stop Sasuke from seeking revenge. It's his business and even as a mentor and superior, I will not interfere."

Sakura glanced at the raven and saw that he had halted, his left heel lingering in the air, his ears twitching slightly as he listened in on those words. 'Reverse psychology…?'

"Though it would be interesting to see how he'll find Orochimaru, as he can be anywhere."

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Sasuke bit his tongue at the taunt the Jounin threw at him. He knew what Kakashi was doing, and he wasn't going to fall for it. The Sound Four had demanded that he not tell anyone of their location, and even though his pride had taken a beating, he would listen. They were his escorts—in blunt terms, his only way to the Sannin. Granted, he had a vague idea where Oto could be, but he's not taking the chance of being lost.

Though it irked the teen how the man could still joke at a moment like this.

Placing his foot firmly above the graveled road, the raven resumed his way, his back facing his team, his eyes hidden underneath silky ink bangs. Revenge was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

"…After all, the Sound Four are most likely fighting a losing battle with two teams of ANBU."

Ebony eyes widened and a wave of terror struck him, knocking his soul out of his body.

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Kakashi's visible eye glanced back deviously at his student. In truth, he did not know how the fight in the forest was fairing, but hell, he sounded as convincing as he possibly could. If Sasuke would give up and stay, that's all that mattered. 'Though having him choose to stay rather being forced to stay would do him much favor…'

Turning around and ignoring the stunned look on his female student, the Jounin continued. "You may still leave, but with 10 ANBU Nin surrounding the country's border, I don't think there's anyway to go." His lone eye curved upward, as if he was joking. But all three knew that underneath that cheerful tone were words that spoke cold truth.

It wasn't a game.

Choosing to betray your village is not a game. Neither is allying with the Sound village, the same force that aimed to crush Konoha. They are both serious crimes, and there is no doubt in Kakashi's mind that the Godaime is settling the pressing matters in the Council at the very moment.

"…Why?" The question came out a whisper and it trembled softly.

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Why? Why are they doing this? Don't they see that revenge is his only purpose in life? Why are they stopping him? No one can fully understand what it was like to have your clan slaughtered by your own brother. His brother, Itachi, was his idol. Sasuke tried so hard to mimic everything Itachi did, from sharpening his kunai to a perfect point to learning the Goukakyu no Jutsu at a very young age.

'But now he's a missing Nin…just like you're about to become…He killed his family…and if you kill him, you'll do the same…' Sasuke's handed clenched in a vice-grip, his dull nails digging into his palm, threatening to draw blood. Who said that? Why was he feeling a chill zoom down his spine? Why did that voice sound so…so…

So true…?

The Heaven Curse Seal activated once again, and the raven bit in a cry of pain as throbbing malicious chakra coursed through him, reminding him of his plans. It flared, and fiery patterns made their way around the raven's body. Sasuke let out a pained hiss, and despite his willpower, he kneeled down, hand clutching the seal.

The raven faintly heard the cry from his pink-haired comrade, as he concentrated on resisting the seal. Slowly, the patterns receded and the seal returned to its dormant state. Flinching at the hand on his shoulder, the teen turned around to find his sensei staring down solemnly at him.

"Sasuke, you're not leaving. I'm taking you to the Hokage." Seriousness underlined his voice, and Sasuke, feeling the aftereffects of the seal, struggled weakly, his strength gone.

Being hauled to his feet, the raven resisted once more, his head lightly thrashing back and forth, only to intermingle with a sight of orange and gold. Ebony eyes widened when they caught themselves within electric blue, before the azure eyes disconnected and an orange blur turned around swiftly and ran.

Naruto knew…

For some reason, the knowledge of his best friend knowing sent an unpleasant feeling to the raven's chest. He had suspected as much before, when meeting Kakashi, but the raven never expected such a hallow feeling in his chest. Walking back with Kakashi and Sakura, his mind clouded over with troubled thoughts.

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Naruto could not believe what he has witnessed. What the hell was that bastard thinking?!Frustration seeped through his mask and tears, no matter how hard he tried to keep them in, slipped out into the world. Letting out an outraged cry, the blonde gave the tree a powered roundhouse kick and panted.

He felt lost. He thought Sasuke knew better, that he won't go to that sick snake. He even told Sakura so! And now, that bastard ruined everything. Was he really serious in leaving? Was he so desperate that he'll go to that snake freak? Naruto instinctively let out a shiver, his mind wandering back to those gleaming eyes, insipid face, and…revolting tongue. That man was bad news, and there was no way Sasuke couldn't feel that dark aura.

Then again…power does do things to people…'I should know…' Fluttering his eyes shut, the blonde let himself drift back softly when he too felt that need for power…

Glancing up at the stars, the teen silently wondered what the raven's punishment would be for his attempted leave. No doubt being watched by high-leveled shinobi for a period of time, but what else? What would have happened…if Sasuke did manage to success in his escape? What if Kakashi-sensei hadn't stopped him? After all, it seemed that even Sakura-chan's words didn't keep him.

'Sakura-chan…'

Hearing her confession to Sasuke made the teen wonder whether it was wise to continue pursuing the kunoichi. The girl made it painfully obvious that she fell deeply in love with the raven, deeper than the Naruto initially thought. 'Sakura-chan knew that Orochimaru was bad news, but she was willing to follow Sasuke anyway…'

Hearing his longtime crush bare out her love and affections struck something from within the blonde. He admits it was painful, almost unbearably so. It hurt to witness his precious person say those beautiful words to another, words that he had been deprived of all his life.

Yet strangely, it only made him more determined to let go.

Sakura loves Sasuke, and he'll have to accept that. Especially tonight, there's no way the girl would let go. The blonde knew better than to cling on hopelessly. Perhaps, their relationship could even take the turn for the better.

But what about his relationship with Sasuke?

'Sasuke nearly left…will things still be the same? He chose to sweep us to the side, only to search for more power. He even made Sakura-chan cry…' The blonde had no idea what to think. That burning ache in his chest, he had no idea what's causing it: unrequited love, or unfaithfulness?

Hazy cyan orbs grew heavy and before time knew it, the blonde fell into a deep slumber, his troubles being lifted into the starry night.

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Tsunade gazed intently at the raven teen in front of her. A teen she heard much of, but knew little about. Uchiha Sasuke stared back at her, his comrade and mentor by his side.

The Godaime cursed her miserable luck. She had another fit with the council elders, especially Utatane Koharu. Honestly, that old hag never knew when to shut her trap! How dare she snap back at Tsunade; just because she was of the council, it never meant that she was of a higher position! When her grandfather was still alive, the old hag was still a mere Chunnin—not someone even worth noting.

Oh and Danzou, that man…Tsunade had no words to accurately describe him. Where most people defended the Uchiha brat—especially Koharu, Danzou demanded immediate execution. The man firmly believed that even an attempt to leave was an S-class crime, and stated that a human's desire won't go away until it's satisfied. Uchiha Sasuke will still have the desire to leave Konoha, no matter how tight of probation he'll be under.

Tsunade wanted nothing more than to be bathed in sake at the moment…and casinos for that matter.

But duties are duties. "Uchiha Sasuke, for attempting to leave Konoha, the Council and I have reached a decision. You are now put under a three month probation and are not to step foot out of this village without an escort from an ANBU member. If any suspicious acts are reported, you will be permanently stripped of your shinobi status and I have no other choice but to retrain your chakra to a bare minimum. Understood?"

Witnessing a begrudging nod, her honeyed eyes took in a softer light. "Now, Jiraiya and I will have a look at that seal." Gesturing to the bulky man next to her, the Hokage walked over to the three and gazed at Sakura. "Haruno Sakura, would mind for a moment?"

The kunoichi shook from her stupor. "O-of course not, Tsunade-sama." Glancing at her teammate, the girl left quietly.

"Kakashi, I need you to stay," Jiraiya's deep voice commanded. He walked over to Sasuke and stared intently at the inky mark. Studying the intricate design of both seals, he muttered, "Let's see…" Mumbling quietly to himself, he finally tore his eyes off the seal and gazed at the adults. "Brat, you may leave now." A subtle nod was all the adults need to know that something was wrong.

Tsunade followed her words. "Shizune, bring in Mitarashi Anko." At the name, many eyes widened. Out of all people, why her?!

"H-hai, Tsunade-sama." Within minutes, a stomping was heard.

"Whaddya want, you old ha—er, Godaime-sama." Anko's voice went from loud to squawky as she witnessed the gleam that twinkled in those auburn orbs. Uh oh…

Tsunade, defying the urge to punch the woman in front of her, released her plan. "Mitarashi Anko, I hereby give you a B-ranked mission to guard Uchiha Sasuke for three months. He is under probation and you are to give me weekly reports. You're job, specifically, is to make sure his seal does not activate. Here's more information if you need it." Tossing a mission scroll at a flabbergasted Jounin, the blonde shooed them away.

Jiraiya and Kakashi nearly face-faulted at the scene before them. They knew the dutiful charade wouldn't last, but still…knowing Anko's sadistic personality, they couldn't help but pity Sasuke.

Shows that betrayal leads to serious consequences…

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The atmosphere returned to its solemn state when Jiraiya, Tsunade and Kakashi were the only occupants. "Now, what is it you wanted to say, Jiraiya?" Tsunade questioned, her eyes piercing and alert.

"Ah." Jiraiya seemed to recall his thoughts, before gazing at the Jounin. "Kakashi, has Sasuke been acting strange lately? Anything with his anger, perhaps?"

The man nodded. "Sasuke's been more aggressive as of late. After his encounter with Itachi, Sasuke has been remembering his ambition, and takes out his anger in violent ways. Today as you saw, he took out his anger on Naruto and Sakura."

Jiraiya took in the information and nodded in agreement. "That explains a bit. My recent spy network and research have told me that Orochimaru designed the Heaven Seal to feed off of hatred. The more hatred it is succumbed to, the stronger the seal gets. Orochimaru's Heaven Seal seems to be feeding on the hatred Sasuke gives off. When the Heaven Seal is activated, it consumes the user's chakra in exchange for its own. The dark chakra that leaks out is not stronger in anyway, just more malicious. The user feels as if it is stronger because instead of traveling within him, where he can't see, it courses around him instead.

"This is also a likely reason why a ratio of one to ten can survive the placement of the seal. Most shinobi, despite rank, aren't use to having their chakra bubble over the surface—it's not natural. Humans were born with chakra traveling throughout the circulatory system, lacing the blood cells. Chakra is the combination of physical and spiritual energy, in other words, essences of power. For dark, raw power to crawl over the surface of an unknown territory such as skin, the death risks are high.

"Anko was trained by Orochimaru as a child, and as a result, learned many forbidden jutsus and skills. There is a high chance that some of her training involved with experience with visible chakra, which subtly increased her chance of surviving the seal Orochimaru placed on her. As for Sasuke, I can only assume it's his will to live and get revenge that had him resist the Heaven Seal for so long."

Kakashi and Tsunade nodded hesitantly. The silver-haired man spoke, trying to analyze what he was told. "If I'm correct, you're trying to say that the Heaven Seal, while does leak chakra, gives the user the illusion that he is stronger, just because he sees it. Also, because of the raw chakra seeping and spreading throughout the surface of the human body, it does a lot of harm." At the Toad Sage's nod, he continued. "The part I don't really get is how that has to do with anything. What does that have to do with the victim feeling stronger, especially if the death stats are so high."

"Kakashi, the human eye is a strange thing," Tsunade explained, seeming to get where Jiraiya is going at. "It lets us see things that aren't real, things that we subconsciously want or don't want to see. Genjutsu is a form that relies a lot on the human eye. When one sees the actual form of chakra, he or she instinctively assumes that the chakra is pouring out from within." Taking a quick glance at her former teammate, the Godaime continued. "It is perfectly common for us as mortal human beings to believe most of what we see. Attacks such as the chidori and rasengan are strictly different forms of chakra, and they are powerful, fatal. Even the Hyuuga's Hakkeshou Kaiten is an absolute defense made form exerting a heap of chakra. That chakra did not magically appear; it came from the chakra coils within the body."

The Toad Sannin spoke once more, elaborating a bit further. "The same applies with the Heaven Seal. The user doesn't know that the seal is simply giving off chakra in exchange; he or she would concentrate more of what they see: raw power. That probably why Orochimaru had the seal feed on hatred in the first place; if one is bubbling with hatred, seeing chakra surrounding him is like placing an inevitable trap. They fall for it hook, line, and sinker."

Kakashi nodded in alarm. Everything made much more sense. "So that's why Sasuke feels exhausted after each use of the seal…he never gained any power in the first place; he believed he gained more power and exhausted himself with destructive jutsus." Meeting a sagely nod, he pondered. "Why didn't you want Sasuke to hear this?"

Jiraiya sighed. "Because that doesn't address the issue we're facing. You see, the information still isn't complete. Sasuke seems to be activating it too often, and as a result, his body is starting to adapt to the seal. Especially from what you just told us, Sasuke's seal activated when he was trying to leave.

"If that's the case, it's almost like the seal has a mind of its own, or is under constant control of Orochimaru. Even the Fuujin Houin isn't proficient with keeping it at bay. I have to conduct more research on whether or not there will be a long-term effect."

Tsunade sighed, rubbing her temples. "Alright, Kakashi, you may leave. Get some rest. I'll send out more two more ANBU troops to retrieve the Sound Four. If anything, they'll have the most answers."

"Hai, Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama."

When the Copy-Nin finally left, the blonde Sannin fished out a bottle of sake and two cups. Offering some to her former teammate, the pair sipped the burning liquid in meticulous tension. Both wondered what chaos would ensue…

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…Is it just me, or is this story already going downhill? -cries- ARGH! It's so choppy. ToTlll

OOC-ness galore. –FAILS- AHAHAHAH. Anyway, it's fanfiction; don't pester my on the seals, mkay?

And uh, I'm…moving. So, I won't update nearly as quickly…probably not till September. Sorry!

Glossary

Fuujin Houin—a seal Kakashi place on Sasuke's Heaven Seal to prevent it from activating. It's the ring-looking thing surrounding the Heaven Seal…and mysteriously disappears when Sasuke loses control. Hmm…

Hakkeshou Kaiten—a Hyuuga technique in which Neji often uses in battle. It is considered an absolute defense was used during the final part of the Chunnin Exams. Neji used it during his match against Naruto during the Chunnin Exams.