When Sasuke wakes, he blearily opens an eye only to slam it shut again, groaning at the sharp pain from the bright lights. It takes him a moment to regain his bearings, to remember there hasn't been electricity in ages, and he forces himself out of his stupor, tensing when he doesn't recognize his surroundings. White walls face him, boring and bare, and a steady beep beep to his left counts the seconds it takes him to remember how he got here. He is aching, side shooting with pain the longer he remains at attention and Sasuke knows he wouldn't be able to stand for long if he tried. Then his eyes catch the view outside the window and it all comes rushing back.
I'm in Konoha. I'm alive. I'm a decade in the past. The heart monitor spikes, his heart and mind racing with what exactly that means for him, and he reclines back into the hospital bed. The feeling of the simple luxury makes his heart clench, and his chest aches for an entirely new reason. He never thought he'd miss something like this, but when he considered a pillow a luxury, he was confronted with the unfairness of the life he'd been dealt, the life Naruto had been dealt.
The blond's name in his thoughts jerk is mind into overdrive, remembering he hadn't found his partner before he collapsed. Is Naruto alive? Is he here? What had happened to send Sasuke–and Naruto, he decides, because the idiot had to be here and Sasuke wouldn't accept it any other way–back to this time, this place? The heart monitor begins to beep faster again, and in a moment a nurse timidly opens the door, peeking her head inside. Sasuke's eyes lock on her, trying to assess whether or not she's a threat, until he sees an ANBU guard stationed outside his door. The raven knows the special ops work in pairs, though, if not more, and assumes there's at least another guard outside his room. He's on lockdown, it seems, but he isn't handcuffed. They don't consider him an immediate danger, so he'll count that as a good sign.
"It's good to see you're awake, mister, um–" the nurse glances at him, then at the chart again, and he assumes she is just as confused about the situation as he is, but he doesn't bother to help her. With another quizzical glance, she continues checking his vitals, knowing her place within the ranks well enough not to ask any further questions about the name listed. She fills a glass of water and hands it to him. Sasuke drinks greedily.
He flinches when her hands reach to move the blanket back from his chest and she hesitates, like she's calming a caged animal, and during the stare-off Sasuke realizes she only wants to inspect his bandages and the throbbing wound on his side. He relaxes, but keeps a keen eye on her and her hands. The bandages are clipped from around his chest quickly, and he sits up to let her take the bandages. The gauze is next, peeling it off of his skin, and Sasuke's black eyes widen when he looks at what should have been a festering and red wound. Instead the gash has been reduced to an angry pink line, the muscles and skin still bruised around it, but the healing is far further along than overnight should have been. He's about to ask when the nurse speaks first, deftly rewrapping the injury.
"The Hokage has requested to be informed when you wake and will be in to see you shortly," the woman says quietly yet politely as she disappears from the room. Sasuke watches her say something to the ANBU member, who disappears in a poof of smoke.
The black-haired ninja doesn't have to wait long for his door to open again, the long white robes of the Hokage ghosting along the linoleum flooring. Sarutobi Hiruzen stares back at him, and while Sasuke had never really interacted with the man while he lived in the village, it was still odd to see him alive again, having seen the man be struck down. The Hokage dips his hat in Sasuke's direction, an informal acknowledgement, and Sasuke returns the gesture. The man looks older than he remembers him being, but maybe Sasuke is just more aware of the Hokage's burden now than he was when he was a child. Sarutobi pulls a chair from the wall and sits, removing his hat to place it in his lap.
"Well, it seems this is quite an interesting situation, Mr. Uchiha," the older man begins. "We've been trying to figure out how you got here, and why, but until a few days ago, no one had even known time travel existed."
Sasuke's mind latches onto a few words that had fallen from Sarutobi's mouth, and he frowns, eyebrows furrowed. "A few days?" he questions.
The Hokage inclines his head once more. "You've been out for just over three days now."
Panic surges through Sasuke's body and his breath catches in his throat. Three days was too long to be here, not when he didn't know where Naruto was, what state the blond was in. Is he hurt? Is he bleeding out somewhere in the Konoha forests thinking Sasuke would find him and he never did? Sasuke peels the sheets from his body. "I need to go, I have to find Naruto–"
The Hokage stops him with a raised hand, and Sasuke's immediate halt is an instinct ingrained into him. "So Naruto came with you?" Sarutobi inquires, looking unfazed by Sasuke's urgency. The raven doesn't bother answering–the question was more of a statement anyway. Touching the grey beard at his chin, Sarutobi hums in acknowledgement.
"Is he here?" The man shakes his head at Sasuke's question.
"After Team 7 brought you back to the city, a squad was sent to the location you were found. The team reported sensing that the area was soaked in chakra residue, meaning whatever brought you back to this time required an immense amount of energy." Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at him, shooting an inquisitive glance to the man. "Exactly how did you get here?" Sasuke doesn't answer, waiting for more information. The Hokage sighs and continues. "The team tracker and the nin-dogs searched the area, following any leads they could, but no other human scent was found. But you say Naruto was with you?"
Only then does Sasuke nod, digesting the new information. It's not what he was hoping to hear, but it was useful nonetheless, knowing finding his blond would be more than just a walk back into the Konoha forests. "Yes, he is. Or at least he was in the same burst of energy that brought me here, so yes, he will be." The Hokage narrows his eyes in question at Sasuke's phrasing. The raven only deliberates a moment before deciding to tell the Leaf leader the truth, detailing the fight with the bijuu, and eventually the full rundown of what Konoha has turned into in the last fifteen years. Sasuke knows that, in order to find Naruto, who could have been dropped anywhere in the elemental nations if Sasuke's random location meant anything, he would need the resources of the village backing him and a team to search. He leaves the more personal details out, but relays the most pertinent information as if it were just another report, like Sasuke was returning from an extended mission and not as if his whole life had disintegrated into madness and war. The lines aging the Hokage's face seem to deepen, and Sarutobi's weathered face creases with sorrow, but hardens into acceptance. It was better to be informed than ignorant of the coming hardships.
Then the older man nods, cogs in his head already spinning. "And when does this start?"
"The Chunnin exams," Sasuke responds. "Orochimaru will be there; an attack will happen." The Hokage stares Sasuke down for a long moment, maybe debating whether or not to believe him, and the raven meets his steely gaze evenly, unwavering.
"Sasuke, how much do you know about the progression of this war?"
"Near everything." Sarutobi is silent again, thinking, the only sounds in the room the steady beep beep of the monitor.
"Then I have a proposition for you, Mr. Uchiha. You stop this war from happening and you will have anything you need to find the Naruto of your timeline." The Hokage proposes the deal, rising from his chair and replacing his hat upon his head. The stance is imposing, though his voice was soft and even when he spoke. Sasuke can only stare at the man, eyebrows pinching and creasing his forehead. "That, and you can be residents of Konoha here, in this timeline, if you wish to stay."
The raven doesn't have to think long about the deal before he is nodding. Sasuke could fight an enemy easily when he already knew every step they would make. It's not like he hadn't already spent hours upon hours questioning all of the things he could have, should have done to stop the world from burning. It was a dark place he and Naruto visited often, having failed the world. Even with the hatred that had burned in his chest when he had fled the village in search of power, he never wanted destruction. He wanted justice–albeit a twisted version of it–back then, but the fallout had shaken his shallow feeling from his head, unblinding him. Now, all Sasuke wanted was peace. To rest.
Sarutobi offers a hint of a smile, inclining his head once more. "I expect a detailed timeline of the events of this uprising, and the movements of the Akatsuki as you know them. We will speak soon, but until then I will let you settle into the village," the Hokage orders, moving towards the door. "You will remain in the hospital for another night to change and dress your wound again and ensure that you have enough fluids in your system and that you are infection-free. Tomorrow morning, you will be shown to your housing." Sasuke nods, already feeling restless but he doesn't bother arguing with the man.
The Hokage rests a hand on the door handle, then pauses, looking back in the raven's direction. "Ne, Sasuke, I think it might also be a good idea to keep your future to yourself. We wouldn't want to cause any unnecessary panic." And then Sarutobi is gone, door clicking shut behind him, and Sasuke is left alone with his thoughts.