The gust of wind that filled the room made it impossible for Sasuke to discern the figure that Tsunade had summoned into the room. But the appearance of the half-masked man was enough to make him mistrust everything that the women had said to him. Feeling betrayed, he jumped out of the bed despite his injuries and grabbed Shizune into a choke hold, threatening to end her life if she struggled.

"Sasuke!"

Tsunade shouted at him in panic. She knew that this was not exactly the best way for them to reveal everything that he needed to know about his clan. The frantic look in his eyes displayed utter suspicion in them. Tsunade knew that she had to act quickly and think of a way to diffuse the situation in order to save her apprentice.

"Sasuke… let Shizune go," she tried to coax him into reason. "We can talk about this."

"Lies!" He yelled. "You are working with him! He was the one who had been hunting me down!"

He glared at the new arrival in the room. The man had been on his trail ever since he left the Hyuuga palace that fateful night. Because of him, he had been on a continuous run, never fully settling down at one spot in fears of being ambushed. Oddly, the masked man did not move from his position and maintained his distance. Tsunade was now standing in between them in the room, hoping to talk some sense into him.

"There is a reason for everything, Sasuke," she said. "And it will all be revealed to you now, so please… just let Shizune go."

He noticed that her voice did not falter which indicates that she was being truthful. Though the presence of his pursuer still unnerved him, he slowly let go of the young woman and leaned his back against the wall, fatigued. He was still in the recovering process; hence his body was still not restored to its full state.

As a peaceful gesture, Tsunade went over and helped him towards the bed. He settled once again onto the sheets, his gaze not once leaving the man.

"Kakashi, I think it's time you come clean to the boy." Tsunade spoke up, filling in the silence between them. "Shizune and I will leave the room to give you time to sort this out."

And with that the two women left the room, leaving the men in grating silence.

"My name is-"

"I don't care who you are," Sasuke interjected. "Who sent you to kill me?"

Kakashi realized that getting his side of the story across to the young man was not going to be an easy task. The blatant mistrust in his eyes was a clear indication that many walls had to be broken down first before he could even dream of making things right.

But where should he start?

The things that Kakashi had to reveal to Sasuke were not of a light-weight nature. It carried the many years of untold realities about the Uchiha clan. To simply sum it up in one night for the young heir to reel it all in would be an insult to the Uchiha name. Perhaps, it was best that Kakashi started off with the basics and prove that he was not a foe.

"I admit I was sent here to kill you by none other than the person you probably suspected all along." He saw Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the confirmation and Kakashi knew that he now had the full attention of the Uchiha. He saw two pairs of Sharingan staring back at him, piercing into his gaze with an intensity that could set the room ablaze. "I see you have managed to awaken your true abilities."

"Have you come to finish me then?"

The tomoes in his eyes were now swirling steadily, ready to strike at immediate command.

"No." This time, Kakashi moved forward to stand directly under the dim lighting that shone through the window. He knew that Sasuke's eyes were still adjusting to the plethora of lights and colours due to a year of being unused but he made sure that the young man would see clearly what he was about to show him. Kakashi lifted the eye patch that had been covering his left eye to reveal a sharingan that was of a similar nature to the fallen heir. "I came here to protect the Uchiha legacy."

"You…" Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. "How dare you steal the birthright of an Uchiha!"

Kakashi lifted both his hands in a gesture of amity, highly aware that the fallen heir was dangerously close to tearing his heart out.

"I did not steal it," Kakashi said placatingly. "It was a gift from an honoured friend. You have to trust me if we are ever going to get anywhere with this conversation."

"Then I suggest you explain yourself fast." Sasuke spoke sternly, his eyes never once losing its menacing edge. "I'm afraid I've lost a whole year of patience."

Kakashi revealed that he used to train with Uchiha Obito, a mercenary who was blind in one eye. However, an unfortunate incident occurred during a mission which had made him lost the sight in his left eye after being slashed by an enemy and Obito lost his life while trying to save him from the killing blow. Before the Uchiha took his final breath, he had given Kakashi his sharingan as a parting gift. He made Kakashi promise to continue striving for things that were worth fighting for.

Ever since that day, Kakashi had vowed that he was honour bound to the Uchihas out of gratitude and that he would do anything within his means to protect the prestige of the clan. Therefore, when he heard about the Uchiha massacre at the hands of the Haruno clan, he had wanted nothing more than to avenge in kind by slaying the Harunos and taking back the last Uchiha heir.

He had already placed the plan into motion, having infiltrated the Haruno palace one night, in hopes of assassinating the Lord and Lady of the house. However, the sight before him had made him hesitate in executing his revenge. He saw nothing but only kindness in the eyes of Lady Haruno as she stroked the young boy's hair while holding on to him as he cried. He also saw the way the young heiress had held on to his hand and gazed solemnly at the fallen prince's grief over losing his family.

The scene had made him reluctantly sheathed his sword back into its place. As much as he hated to admit it, Sasuke was at the right place. He had lost his whole family and despite being captive, there were still people within these walls who remained unspoilt by the taint of war and cared for him unconditionally, as seen in the gentleness displayed by the two women of the Haruno clan. It was something that Kakashi could never provide for the boy if he were to take him back to the Uchiha compound. He was no parent; he knew nothing about raising a child. The only thing he knew perfectly was to kill. And that would be the last thing that Sasuke needed to see, more deaths.

Sasuke remained silent throughout the whole confessional. Everything Kakashi had said so far revealed nothing except his deepest loyalty to the Uchiha clan. However, trust was never an easy bridge to build, especially in a day. He needed more. More information about his massacred clan, but even more so, he needed to know about Sakura's fate now that Neji has been revealed to be the one working behind the shadows.

"I hope your silence means you have considered that I am not a threat to you."

Sasuke's thoughts were brought back to the present and he looked over the man before him with renewed curiosity.

"If you claim to be as loyal as you make yourself out to be, then I do not see why it was necessary for you to carry out that Hyuuga scum's orders and execute the late Lord Haruno."

"The death of Lord Haruno by my hands would be a stain that I would carry for the rest of my life. But if it meant that I could ensure your safety, then it is something that I can live with."

"Was killing the Haruno heiress part of the plan too?" There was a hint of unspoken danger in his voice. "I suggest you consider your words wisely on this."

"It was… part of the plan." Kakashi's voice held hesitation but he managed to continue. "But I knew it was something never to be considered. Like I said, my duty is to ensure your safety and protect the Uchiha… interests."

"Why couldn't you just approach me instead of going about all these underhanded means?"

"I have considered doing so many times, but circumstances has made it almost impossible."

"Enlighten me."

"For starters, you are the sworn sword of the current Lady Haruno. Your sole duty is to ensure the safety of the young lady which was then further solidified by the bonds the Elders had placed upon the two of you. Hence, if you were to show any signs of defiance to your duties, Lord Haruno would not hesitate to end your life."

"There must have been other ways…"

"Well, I did consider killing Lord Haruno even way before Hyuuga Neji sought my services."

"And why didn't you?"

"Because I am aware of your… partiality for the young heiress. I deduced that seeing her in distress would not be something that you approve of."

"But what you have done now is no different from that."

"I guess it was easy when the only threat you faced came from being disobedient to the Haruno clan. But seeing how you have adapted to the situation and how the people had grown to accept your presence, it made me comfortable enough to let nature run its course. However, I cannot remain silent when another threat has revealed its face, even if it means that I have to work for the scum who is out for your head."

"Always keep the enemy in sight, huh?"

"And that is the kind of thinking that has kept me alive all these years."