I am SOOO SORRY! I know it took me so long to update, but I have a lot of projects. This chapter is dedicated to the following:

C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only- You have been one of my most faithful (and comical) reviewers throughout all of my stories.

Saya522- I think you may very well be one of my most energetic reviewers.

AnimeDemon411- You gave me hope and inspiration in the fact that I can actually do a deep, meaningful story. Never been good at conveying emotions unless I have some idea of exactly what those were. This story started out on the third anniversary of one of my longtime childhood friends being killed, so it kind of gave me a little spark.

Snakeeye12- Thanks for judging this story and thinking this is my norm, even though it isn't. I normally do a little more on the comical side, for those of you that have read Atonement and Repent, although the latter has taken a bit more serious spin. It's nice to think that my cover is better than what's inside, and it lifts my self confidence, of which I have less than Hinata. I'm serious about that. I don't stutter, nor faint nor blush, but when it comes to doing something brave, I always kill myself before I do it, and then afterwards, I kill myself again.

Thanks to all of you! The top five reviewers for the overall story will get on this list! So review and you might be able to get on this list!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Ydwtk

Chapter Two

A Coalition of Rebels

Sasuke flipped over a tree branch to avoid a hail of kunai, and then swung backwards, kicking his assailant in the chest.

For days now, ninja and bounty hunters had been on his trail due to the standing warrant for his arrest and/or execution and the huge, huge enough to be more than an Akatsuki's bounty, bounty on his head offered up by the numerous villages and people he had offended, plus that of Itachi's bounty, which Itachi must have bribed someone to transfer it to Sasuke's bounty. It totaled up to about 50 million.

Sakura had to keep hidden, which she did easily with a simple concealment jutsu.

Sasuke continued through with his loop and swung up into the air. He formed a few seals.

"Sakura!" he shouted. To hell with stealth. "Get out of there!"

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

Just as Sasuke saw a flash of pink leave the forest, he exhaled. A giant dragon of flame shot from his mouth, nearly a mile long and then split into dozens of smaller dragons which left to find the ninja on his trail.

He twisted in the air and shot a snake from his arm to swing him away.

Sakura watched with horror as Sasuke immolated all of those ninja, and then with more horror as she saw him use a snake like a rope towing himself to safety.

Sasuke-kun, what have you become? She thought.

Sasuke and Sakura sat side by side around a small fire. Sakura was curled up and she law her head on Sasuke's shoulder.

"So, Sakura," said Sasuke. "What happened while we were separated?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at his choice of words. "Well, where do you want to start? Right after you left us or after Naruto left to train with Jiriya-sama?"

"Hmm… I'd be inclined to say after the dobe left with the oaf."

"Where did 'oaf' come from?"

"You don't want to know."

"Okay… Well, I continued my training with Shishou, which you probably would think cruel and unusual punishment. I made some more friends, most of which you don't know. I doubt you ever will. Other than that… I don't think anything happened. OH! I can't believe I almost forgot! Just after Naruto got back, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto and I went out on a mission to save Gaara, now the …" she told him the tale enthusiastically, describing some parts with rather interesting details

Sasuke couldn't help but sit there, feigning interest to hide his anger. And Orochimaru didn't tell me about this? That bastard…

"And then we came here to find you." finished Sakura.

"You did good." Sasuke mumbled.

Sakura was dumbfounded. Did Sasuke-kun just COMPLIMENT me? It must be the apocalypse or something like that.

"Uh-uh Sasuke-kun…" she started, trying to find the right words. There were so many things that she wanted to say, but couldn't. Not after…

Flashback

"You're the only person whose ever given a damn about the real me, and you're my friend!"

End flashback.

"Yes?" he said.

"I missed you." And I still love you.

"I could tell that by the way you kissed me." He said, relaxing.

"You bastard." Said Sakura, punching him in the shoulder. "You kissed me too you know."

"I'm fifteen, for god's sake. Do you know what my hormones are like?" he said sarcastically.

Sakura glared at him. "Bastard."

"Annoying midget." He sighed.

"BASTARD! TRAITOROUS, UNCARING, BASTARD!" she slapped his face.

She then broke down into tears.

"I imagine you've wanted to do that for a while." He said. He put an arm around her. "I'm not putting up with your constant crying this time."

"Sasuke-kun…" she said. Sakura wiped her tears away and just stayed there, in his arm, head on his chest, so close yet so far.

Sasuke was up and had already started cooking breakfast by the time Sakura woke up.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said making sure the previous day's events were real.

"Aa?"

"Just had to make sure you were still here." She said.

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?" Sasuke groaned.

He brought over some kind of stew. "Its shit, I know, but it's something that I made to keep us on the road. We have a few people we need to find."

People? "Like who?" Sakura was getting suspicious now.

"People who can fight. People who can hold off Akatsuki members while I kill Itachi."

"I can hold my own against an Akatsuki." Sakura said.

"You nearly died." Sasuke said.

"If I were an idiot, I would think that you actually cared." Sakura looked at him with a shocked expression

"Don't be cocky." Sasuke growled.

Sakura pouted and ate her meal in silence.

The pair of them walked through the village, trying to be inconspicuous. The town was a run-down collection of shacks, really.

I can't believe how much it hurts. Being near her. I can feel her presence. It's killing me. I can't love her, but I want to. My heart burns. My soul aches. If she stays, we'll both die. Polar opposites attract, they say. That one kiss we shared may have been our last. He waits. The one who did this to me. Be not that he existed she would have long been in my arms. How I crave her… how I love her.

Sasuke let these thoughts enter his mind, and he closed his eyes. A tear near escaped his eye. But like his heart, it burned before it left his eye.

"Why are we here?" said Sakura.

"There is a prison not to far north." Said Sasuke calmly.

"Are we going to free everybody?!" Sakura was obviously excited.

"Possibly. The rest of the team is there."

"And after we find them?"

"There is a warehouse about twenty miles east. It belongs to the Uchiha clan. We will stock up there and head out."

"Not talking much now, are we?"

"Quiet!" Sasuke snapped. "Let's go. Someone's spotted us."

"Are you ready?" said the grey-haired man. "You know what this means if we do this."

9 people stood before him. "Naruto and Sakura mean the world to us and this village." Said one of them. The others agreed.

"Good. These will be the teams." Said Kakashi. "Team one: Jiriya, Kiba, Ino, Hinata, and Shino. Team Two: Me, Neji, Shikamaru, Lee, and Tenten. Our first priority is Naruto. Then Sakura and Sasuke."

"Hai!"

"As of now, we are missing nins of Konohagakure no Sato."

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Sasuke-kun. Since the land of the waves, anyways." The five members looked out to the horizon.

Sasuke: the traitor with a goal.

Sakura: the medic with a dream of love.

Karin: the annoying bitch with an infatuation.

Suigetsu: the one who hunts the swords.

Juugo: a peaceful person just trying to make his place in the world.

Together, they were Hebi.

Ooh, a little romantic tension there. Sasuke and Sakura are going to get in some trouble, ne? Anyhow, that little tidbit in Italics was actually something I had to do for Shakespeare club, specifically Romeo and Juliet. I need extracurricular activities! I'm Romeo this year… Uhg. For those that haven't read the play, Romeo is, to say the least, a love-sick moron! So Sasuke is Romeo here, you can tell. It's not going to end up like the play, no way in hell.

Sasuke: Je ne suis pas un amour-malade personne de stupid!

Ydwtk: Yes you are a love-sick moron. And when have you been taking foreign language lessons.

Naruto: Je porte la bikini de Sakura-chan!

Ydwtk: you mean J'apporte, correct?

Naruto: Non. Regarder!

Naruto rips off clothes to reveal Sakura's very small red bikini

Sakura: No way in hell am I wearing that ever again.

Ydwtk and Sasuke: MY EYES!!

Hinata: I didn't know he rolled like that…

Bikini explodes.

Everyone in the universe except for Naruto and Hinata: I'M SCARRED FOR LIFE!!

Kakashi covers eyes with porn: Why am I criminal like Sasuke and Sakura?

Ydwtk: Where in the fuck is Jiriya? I have to have him tell you spoilers so you will pass out and not tell everybody my spoilers.

Anyhow, everyone wants to know what Naruto meant when he said: Qu'est-ce que tu aimes dans ton pantalons? Well, he said: what is it that you like in your pants? That's a literal translation.

Anyhow, for more spazmatic character arguments in French and other languages, possibly, review!

Ydwtk