I don't know what surprised me more. The fact that the Hokage has reliable sources on Akatsuki and Hebi's movement or the fact that at approximately 2:45pm this afternoon, Sasuke strolled into Konoha, escorted by two Leaf ninjas.
My jaw practically dropped when I saw him walking through the village. He looked so out of place; like a visitor in a foreign country. He may as well be a Sound ninja at this point.
When he passed by, we made brief eye contact before he ignored my presence. The dick. He's still the same.
I, on the other hand, watched the guards escort him all the way to the Hokage's office. It was a quiet event – the villagers split to form a path for him and the only noise came from their murmurs and the sound of fish frying nearby. I almost thought this would be low-key until Naruto walked out of the ramen shop and followed the gaze of the villagers.
"Huh? Hey, what's going on?" he asked loudly. Before even receiving an answer, he spotted Sasuke and visibly tensed. I could feel his chakra becoming more alert. "Is that… is that Sasuke?" Naruto chased after the guards and stopped in front of Sasuke, who surprisingly halted. I braced myself for drama, yelling, and fist-fighting. Sasuke simply raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Hey, teme. Why're you here?" Naruto asked. He didn't even yell. He just asked, as if he was tired of dealing with Sasuke already. The two boys stared each other down until Sasuke spoke. "You'll find out soon enough. Move over, Naruto." Sasuke trudged forward, and Naruto, like the villagers, stepped aside to give him way. I bore a hole into the back of Sasuke's head. What was he thinking? What was my purpose of being here, of riskily giving myself up to the Leaf Village, if he was just going to barge in? I thought this was a recon mission! What if the Hokage had refused to give me amity? The only reason she agreed is because I know so much about Akatsuki and can help the Ministry of Intelligence and Internal Security. I risked my neck for him, and he's blowing it. He's blowing everything. I'm so pissed at him.
I clench my fists at the memory of early today.
Knock, knock.
"Come in," I say. A ninja peeks his head into my government-assigned room. "Miss, the Hokage wishes to speak with you," he says. I have no choice but to follow him to the boss lady. My heart is pounding in my chest, so loudly I'm pretty sure it can be heard. Tsunadae isn't stupid; she probably figured out everything. Or, Sasuke could have done something stupid like openly declare war on her. He's so stupid sometimes, I swear. But he's also sort of loveable.
I knock on Hokage's door before entering. She's sitting at the desk sifting through paperwork. My attention is drawn to the guest in front of her. Naruto. What's he doing here? "Yes Hokage-sama?" I say nervously. She intimidates me. She's big, tall, powerful and confident.
"Karin, have you heard that Sasuke has returned to the village?" Tsunadae asks. I gulp and nod. "I saw him earlier today ma'am, but I didn't talk to him or know of his plans," I reply. "We're holding him in custody. He's awaiting his trial for being an internationally acclaimed terrorist." Her words hit me like bricks. "Terrorist?!" I glance at Naruto, who looks grave. "B-but what about amity? Like you gave me?" I plead. They can't kill Sasuke! What will I do then? I have to get him out of this sticky mess! "We can't risk it," Tsunadae says, "He's too driven by hatred. He's already committed numerous crimes. He attacked the Hachibi, the Kage Summit, and killed one of Konoha's very own leaders. Danzou. Granted I never liked the guy and his Root movement."
"Tsunadae," Naruto speaks. "Isn't there some way we can save him? Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance?"
She sighs. "I hope so, Naruto. I sure hope so. I lost a friend to crime," she reveals. "I'd hate to see it happen to you." Tsunadae looks up at Naruto and then at me. "I just thought you should know, since the two of you were so close. Now get out of here." I nod. Naruto follows me out of the room. We have to brainstorm together to get Sasuke out of the death sentence! Hopefully out of prison!
"I don't care what Sasuke's done," Naruto speaks. "He's still my friend." I watch him and flashback to what he said the day I arrived in Konoha.
"He's your friend, isn't he?"
A crummy one at that.
"Does Sakura know?" I ask. Naruto shakes his head. "The old lady's gonna tell Sakura privately. I think it'd be better for her, y'know? I think she still loves him, anyway." I nod and think back to the sleepover two nights ago. "Where's Sasuke being held?"
"The Konoha Penitentiary," Naruto answers, "But we're not allowed inside without authority. Why?"
"I have an idea. Wanna talk to Sasuke?" We exchange glances; it's unspoken. Of course he wants to talk to Sasuke.