Pause

General disclaimer applies.

Chapter Three

Sasuke's POV:

"Sasuke-kun…"

I opened my eyes slowly, adjusting to the dark surroundings that lay before me. The familiar moonlit road, the graying grass on the other side of the empty street, and the bench I was currently sitting on. Everything was in place; nothing was out of the ordinary at that moment on the main road to exit Konoha.

"Sasuke-kun?"

I felt something poke my cheek and, blinking, turned my head sideways to greet smiling green eyes. Sakura was perched next to me on the bench, tilting her head as of to try to get my attention. Her smile widened when my eyes locked on hers, only broken in tiny bits by the wisps of pink that would blow into her eyes because of the wind.

"Sakura…" I said, startled and confused as to why she was here. So I asked her. "What are you doing here?"

The pink haired girl laughed like the answer was obvious. "Waiting for you, of course!" She supplied, tossing me another brilliant smile.

I openly stared at her and nodded at her answer, even if I didn't understand it. Even if I didn't understand what she was doing here on this bench next to me, even if I didn't understand why I was here.

I gazed at Sakura wordlessly, something foreign and yet bitterly familiar coiling its way into my chest at the sight of her. I didn't dare move or say anything – if I did I felt like it would ruin everything. Like she'd disappear and…go away. I realized I wanted her to stay here.

Sakura's smile turned into a distant frown, "I miss you, Sasuke-kun."

My throat went dry at that statement and suddenly I was all too aware of how sad and lonely her eyes looked. I felt guilty and nearly looked away from those eyes.

I didn't say anything. I just stared.

Then, Sakura did something I didn't expect. She moved her arm, placing a warm hand on my right cheek and rubbing it softly in a light caress. I stiffened, finally tearing my eyes away from her to scan up her pale arm until I snapped my gaze back on hers. I still didn't move an inch.

"Do you miss me, Sasuke-kun?" asked Sakura, the caress of her hand halting as she laid her palm flat against the side of my face.

My throat now felt like a desert as I parted my lips to reply. Her jade orbs were wide and questioning, pleading for an answer. I still couldn't bring myself to say anything, so in response I pressed my head into her hand intently and closed my eyes.

Her hand was soft.

Suddenly, I felt something brush my legs and opened my eyes again to see Sakura now sitting right beside me, so our thighs were touching. I gazed down at her lap, eyeing the white circle amongst the red of her dress. Her other hand moved and placed itself on my left cheek. She forced me to look at her and I complied, gazing at her evenly as she cupped my face.

I felt a spiral of emotions that were never allowed to speak, mixed with all the haunting fears that lie awake inside me, never sleeping, never resting. They exist, they thrive to make me remember, to make me never forget. The memory my future self showed me of that crime I did to Sakura, of that night that always hid in the background. Watching. Waiting. It lurked behind my thoughts and plans, ensuring I kept myself in check.

Her eyes – those teary green ones I had burned so deeply into my memory – was a sobering picture of how things could turn out to be.

Yet I knew that someday I would have to make Sakura close her eyes for a while.

On that one day when I wouldn't hold back. On the day I would seek revenge, in all its bloodstained glory.

"I'm sorry." I said blankly, mustering up the words that didn't need to be forced.

I meant it, too. I had wronged Sakura in so many ways, for so many things. And I would continue to. That was certain.

She smiled again and leaned up, placing a small kiss on my lips. My eyes widened as I gripped her shoulders, gaping at her. My pink haired teammate beamed and kissed me again. I pressed back this time, nervous and unsteady and clumsy for perhaps the first time in my short life. My hand reached up of its own accord and sank into her pink tresses at the back of her head. I pulled her closer.

I had missed her. Sakura.

"…Sakura..." I muttered into her hair, breaking away from the chaste kiss and sighing into the crook of her slender neck. She pressed her lips against my cheek, threading her hands through my raven spikes. Sakura wrapped her arms around my neck, causing me to lift my head in reaction.

Our eyes locked again, black darkening into the shining green. I leaned down and kissed her again, harder this time. I bit down on her bottom lip, trying to send my own message that she immediately responded to. She parted her lips and granted me entrance. I kissed her deeply, relieved to see no haunting tears or chilling cries. I grabbed her small hips and moved her closer against me, our tongues dancing as I grew more confident.

When we finally broke apart, I nibbled my way along her jaw and kissed a sensitive spot on her neck. Her gasps made me smirk, her fingers that had been grasping my black shirt sliding down to my stomach area. My hands that had been urgently gripping her waist slowly trailed up her sides…

"Sasuke-kun…"

I groaned when I felt her soft fingers slip underneath my shirt and brush my stomach…

"Sakura…"

I leaned down to kiss her again, never getting enough of pouting pink lips…

"Sasuke…?"

I closed my eyes in preparation…when I suddenly felt a sharp punch to the side of my ribs.

"SASUKE-TEME!!! WAKE UP ALREADY!!!"

Opening my eyes with a quick inhale, I sat up instantly to see Naruto towering over me as he stood over my futon.

"Finally," He proclaimed hands at his waist, "what's up with you? You're usually up before me."

I stared at Naruto for a long moment as my eyes shifted to the nearby window, sunlight streaming through it clearly. It was morning. A dream…that was nothing but a dream. I shifted uncomfortably; I hadn't had one of those dreams about Sakura in a while. The setting of this particular one was odd, too. The bench right near the gate of Konoha no less. I shook my head, trying to empty those thoughts from my mind. The dream willed itself to replay in my mind but I forced it back.

"You were sleeping soundly – what were you dreaming about?" Naruto asked, curious as he plopped down next to me on the floor.

I stared at Naruto.

"Nothing." I answered stoically, standing and walking away towards the door. "I'm going to take a shower."

"Humph, fine. Training is about to start soon, anyway." My blond teammate said in a peeved manner. "Hey!" He announced brightly as I opened the door, "Want to hear about my dream?"

"No." I walked through the door and closed it as I heard Naruto yell – "Jeez, You're in a bad mood today! You must have had a nightmare!"

I headed towards the showers without a word in reply.

Naruto's POV:

I panted as I slowly halted to a stop, taking in a large gulp of air as I tried to calm my breathing. What a morning! After waking the teme up, Nidaime-sensei tells me I have to run around the Oto base forty times at maximum speed – without letting me have any breakfast! Jeez, Jiraiya was defiantly more laid back. But, this is a good thing!

I can only get stronger.

Glancing up at the cloudy sky and reasoning that it had to be near noon, I started running once more. Twigs and small branches that had fallen from yesterday's storm snapped and broke under my feet as my speed steadily increased. I smirked, moving faster and faster even though I could feel my feet throbbing and my legs burning as my shoes, already beginning to wear out, strained under my urgent speed. Sasuke's faster than me! If I wanna best his sharingan I gotta be faster!

The fact that Nidaime-sensei was probably watching me from a distance only spurred me on more. I want to impress that guy, dead or not! He was still a Hokage and a leaf-nin!

I blinked when suddenly a wisp of white hair appeared in the corner of my eye before a burst if white smoke poof-ed in front of me. At my current speed, I had to swerve and fall backwards to avoid whatever it was. The fall made me land hard on my rear, and now seriously annoyed, I stood up quickly as the smoke dissipated, my angry rant already pouring from my mouth…

"Who the hell do you think you are getting in my…!"

Merely a few feet away stood the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya in all seriousness. His white hair tied back in its usual ponytail billowed in the wind, his eyes were narrowed on me and his arms crossed in what looked like a stern, upset posture.

"Naruto…" Jiraiya said in a steely tone, "I found you."

My mouth parted in silent shock before I choked, "Ero-sannin…!"

I shook my head; words for the first time seemed lost to me as I gazed at my perverted teacher who had come out of nowhere. Oh no! Ero-sannin came after me! Now what? It'll all be ruined! SHIT, do something, SAY something…!!!

The Toad Hermit spoke first, "Naruto, enough is enough. I'm taking you back to Konoha. Now, come with me." He walked forward till he stood right in front of me, gazing down at me with the barest hint of empathy. "Please, Naruto, tell me there is a good excuse for this…why did you go to Oto with Sasuke…?"

I stared at him, fisting my hands as I narrowed my gaze at him. I'm sorry Ero-sannin! Please understand!

"Why? You want to know why?" I snapped curtly with a scoff. "Fine. I tell you why. I came to Oto with Sasuke on my own free will. Konoha, you, Tsunade, and everyone else can go to hell for all I care."

I snorted to myself as Jiraiya's eyes went wide, "In fact, I don't care what you do. I never did."

"Your lying…this is a trick. Naruto," Jiraiya said urgently, furiously – "You're not like this! Why are you acting this way?! Just come back to Konoha and I'll take care of everything - ,"

"I'm never going back to Leaf!" I shouted, making myself be heard. "Not until I attain my own goals, not until I kill him! I have to, I hate him and I'll do it all by myself! I don't need you or anyone in that piece of shit place you call a village!" I closed my eyes at the resounding silence from my former teacher's end as my rampage of words sunk in.

Oh, God…He'll hate me after this…

I opened my eyes, aloof and calm. It has to be done. It had to be said. Ero-sannin can't know what we're planning. Orochimaru can't find out the real reasons we're here…our secrets must remain secret. For both our sakes.

Jiraiya was looking at me like he had never quite seen something like me before. It was a distant hollow look that made something deep inside my gut rip and break apart. His eyes looked betrayed.

"Fine. If you won't go back, then I'll drag you there myself!" The Frog Hermit swore, diving for me with his fist outstretched. Startled by his sudden movement, I dodged the heavy blow that could have hurt quite a bit and aimed a right kick for his temple, snarling in anger as his left fist tore into my ribcage. I kicked away from him with my free leg and proceeded to punch him square in the face with my right hand, baring all the strength I had so I could at least put a dent into the mighty sannin.

Suddenly Jiraiya's body burst into white smoke once again. I jumped back, wary and confused as the smoke cleared away.

If I was shocked the first time then at this unveiling I could only gaze stunned. "…Orochimaru." I spat, glaring into the snake-like eyes of the Sound Kage.

Orochimaru in turn looked extremely pleased at my rage filled expression, "Ah, Naruto-kun. Congratulations on your achievement."

"What achievement?!" I asked loudly, pointing at him. "What the hell are you trying to prove using a genjutsu to make yourself look like Ero-sannin!"

The snake sannin arched a brow, "It was merely a test, Naruto-kun. Be thankful that you passed. I'll surveillance you less from now on."

I closed my mouth and swore under my breath, my heart still pounding over the meeting with Jiraiya. That bastard Orochimaru! He planned this – he just wanted to see if my story held up or not! Crafty little piece of - !

"And by the way, Naruto-kun…" Orochimaru said as he turned and started to walk away, "…You might want to learn how to detect genjutsu better. It's a horrid weakness for a shinobi to have and based on how easily you were fooled today, I think you could stand to train harder in that field."

He paused and pointedly stared at me, "Wouldn't you agree?"

I bit my bottom lip so hard I could taste the metallic tang of blood almost instantly, "…Hai." I muttered lowly.

"What was that?" Orochimaru inquired, amused.

"Hai." I repeated, louder and flat toned.

I didn't miss the satisfied smirk on the Sannin's lips as he disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Kakashi's POV:

I sighed as I walked down the street, finally making my way outside the Hokage building as I quickly strode up the steps and opened the main doors. It's been a few weeks already. I wonder…

Sasuke and Naruto.

I walked faster, pacing down the hall as I breezed by jounin and chuunin who stopped to say a quick hello and goodbye. I didn't answer as I made my way to Tsunade's office. I wonder if Sakura will be there... Ever since Tsunade took Sakura as her apprentice a few weeks ago (right after Sasuke and Naruto left) she had basically been breathing medical ninjutsu and working hard to improve her strength in an almost desperate manner, striving to better herself as a ninja in every area.

With another sigh that seemed to come from a deeper place than the last one, I turned the corridor to find myself staring straight at the jounin teachers of the rest of the rookie gennin teams and Gai. Their student's crowded in back of them as they chatted outside Tsunade's office; the sensei's held new mission scrolls in their hands as they snapped their attention onto me.

Gai immediately made his way to me, pushing past Asuma and Kurenai with a beaming smile, "Kakashi! How have you been?"

I raised a brow at his enthusiasm and shrugged, "Whatever. What has all of you gathered outside Tsunade-sama's hallway?"

Asuma took a drag of his cigarette, "She's low on ninja to complete B and C rank missions, so she's calling in our gennin teams. Uh…yeah, you know." He said awkwardly, probably trying to smooth it over since my own gennin team had recently downsized in two members.

"I see," I replied with a nod, casting a sole eye to the empty space behind me where my own team should have been. With a blank stare over to the jounin teachers, I gave a short wave and walked past them to Tsunade's office a few feet away.

"Wait, Kakashi!" Gai said, stepping in front of me with a serious expression on his face. I noted that their gennin students had all fallen silent to witness our exchange. "Do you have any…" his tone dropped into a whisper, "…news?"

My eyes narrowed at his question, "News?" I repeated.

Asuma beside me muttered, "Aa. About Naruto and Sasuke, did you hear anything about them lately?"

I could feel another sigh coming.

"That's right," A new voice spoke up, "If there is any news, can you tell us if you know what the hell Naruto is thinking?!" One Inuzuka Kiba shouted, his comrade Shino shaking his head next to him at his bluntness.

"Kiba." Kurenai said in a clipped tone.

"Oh, come on Sensei! Everyone here wants to know what's happened!" The dog-user exclaimed, waving a hand at the other gennin around him.

They all nodded their assent, with the exception of the only Chuunin in the group.

"It's not our place," Shikamaru said lowly, "what Naruto and the Uchiha are thinking. All we can do is investigate and look at the matter objectively. If they both left on their own free will, then there is little we can do."

"What?! There is no way Naruto-kun would betray Konoha! I'll never believe it!" Lee shouted, holding his head high in determination.

"I second that!" Kiba nodded over to the older boy in green spandex, "Naruto is always going on about becoming Hokage for God sakes! There is just no way he'd ever go against leaf!"

"But…his best friend Sasuke-san did." Tenten said softly, looking over to Neji.

Neji frowned, "We all know Uchiha did this of his own free will. That is certain. He intended to betray Konoha ever since Orochimaru gave him that offer."

"You don't know that!" Ino remanded.

The Hyuga's white eyes probed into the blond shinobi, "There are only facts, Yamanaka. Uchiha had more than enough motives, that is certain. I know his type – he'll follow out his own ambitions even if it kills him, no matter what."

"Then…what about Naruto?" Chouji questioned, munching faster on his bag of chips in a worried way.

Kiba's eyes darkened, "Exactly – what about Naruto. We all know Uchiha Sasuke is a ruthless character. Who says Sasuke didn't kill Naruto and bury the body somewhere?"

"What are you saying?" Shino said with a frown marring his stoic face.

"It's a possibility!" The Inuzuka countered, "Think about it. Uchiha -,"

"That's enough, Kiba!" Kurenai snapped.

The dog-user silenced at his sensei's command and looked away. I peered at the other gennin who appeared equally uneasy about their two lost comrades. Well, uneasy about Sasuke and Naruto for different reasons it seemed. The general assumption looked like they thought Sasuke did something to Naruto, thus preventing him from returning to Konoha.

Sasuke killing Naruto. The thought that Sasuke killed Naruto was more likely than I wanted it to be. If I hadn't stopped them that time on the roof of the hospital…I'd be currently missing all of my gennin. They had both nearly killed Sakura that day. If I hadn't been there to intervene…

But the main question was would Sasuke really kill Naruto?

I didn't think so.

"The Inuzuka raises a point, nonetheless." Neji said blandly as he closed his piercing eyes, "Most of us were there that day in the Chunnin forest. We all saw what the Uchiha is capable of."

What Sasuke's capable of?

I noticed that the atmosphere of the hallway had fallen into a chilling state as the sensei's looked at their students questioningly.

"That's true, I suppose." The Nara said with a yawn, scratching the back of his head. "We did see what Uchiha did to that Oto-nin. At the same time, I'd rather focus on the hope that Naruto is still alive, with a pretty good reason as to why he's in Sound. If he even is. He could have been captured, detained; any number of reasons could explain his sustained absence. And if we want to get to the bottom of the matter, we can't dismiss any possibility, no matter how unlikely they may or may not seem."

"Nice speech, Shikamaru." I said, looking over at the other gennin. "Listen, I know you're all worried about Naruto and…Sasuke," I added after a beat. "But for now the best thing to do would be to focus on your own missions. Leaf is in a dire state right now, and we need to put in all the effort we can. As for Sasuke and Naruto…" I trailed off, giving them a reassuring smile, "they are my problem. I'll find them, both of them."

"Right, Kakashi!" Gai said, nodding as he gave me a thumbs-up. Lee mimicked him instantly, "Hai!"

"By the way…" Kiba muttered as he faced Hyuga Neji. "I have a question for you, Hyuga."

Neji stared at the dog-user apathetically, "What?"

Shino too stepped forward, "How is Hinata-chan? We have been given information by Kurenai-sensei that she hasn't been feeling well."

The Byakugan-user nodded, "Hai, Hinata-sama has been feeling under the weather for the past few weeks. She won't talk to anyone about it, so I can't give you anymore than that, nor would I want to."

Kiba glared at Neji before turning to Shino, "See? I think she's really sick!"

Kurenai moved in-between them and put a hand on each of their shoulders, "I suspect it's for a different reason, boys. But that, we'll talk about later – let's just give Hinata some time, ne?"

They nodded glumly.

"Aa. Well," I inclined my head to the jounin teachers. "Later."

With another wave, I turned and walked past them into Tsunade's office a few paces away, closing the door behind me.

I looked at the desk as my eyes widened to see none other but Sakura sitting behind the Hokage desk, scribbling words down at a speedy manner on a scroll. She looked up as I came in, "Kakashi-sensei!"

She stood as I walked over. She came around the desk and rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"She has you doing paperwork already?" I mused, throwing a glance over at the stack of papers Sakura had just left behind.

The rosette haired girl lightly shrugged, "It's nothing I can't handle. She's teaching me another medical jutsu but I have to get the formula right before I can master it. It's just a bit more complicated than I expected but I think I have it all figured out now…"

"That's good…you're working hard, I see…"

Sakura smiled dimly, "Yes…I am."

I stared at her again, noting the dark lines under her eyes and the paler shade of her skin. She looked worn and stressed. She's pushing herself too hard. Sakura will burn out if she keeps this up. My eyes narrowed on her again as she gazed at me in return.

"Na, Sakura," I said, placing a hand on her head. "You're looking a little tired."

Her eye twitched, "What did you just say?"

I blinked and scratched the back of my silver head, "It's not an insult, just an observation!" I retorted, shaking my head at her testy manner.

She laughed softly, "Yeah, I know…I'm just…"

My hand dropped to her shoulder, "You shouldn't throw yourself into your work to distract yourself from Sasuke and Naruto's…situation. It's not healthy."

"Funny," Sakura said, reaching up to clasp the hand on my shoulder. "I was just about to say the same thing to you."

"Hn?"

Sakura poked me in the ribs, "Your look a little thin, Kakashi-sensei. You need to eat more."

"Aa. Duly noted."

"I hope so…"

I frowned down at her as she chuckled and looked away. I retracted my hand and let it fall to my side. "Is there any…?"

"No," I interjected; cutting her off before she could finish her question. "There has been no more information about either Sasuke or Naruto. But since we can find no trace of Naruto in the surrounding areas, ANBU assumes that he accompanied Sasuke en route to Sound. That how it's been officially reported, but it was marked clear for change upon more evidence."

"So Sasuke has officially been marked as a missing-nin…and Naruto is a big question mark." Sakura replied, staring at him with hollow jade eyes.

I nodded and looked away from her, "I'll continue investigating, of course."

"Thank you for telling me everything, Sensei…" Sakura said gently, "it means a lot, not to be left out of this."

"They are your teammates, Sakura."

"Yes…"

I frowned at her evasive voice, "Don't think on it too much, Sakura. I have a feeling that this goes beyond our suspicions. Something happened out there in the Valley of the End that caused Naruto to accompany Sasuke to Oto. And I intend on finding out what it was."

Sakura nodded, "I know…I just…" She shook her head, her pink stands falling in front of her green eyes, "Never mind."

"Sakura…" I started in my usual monotone until I heard footsteps approaching outside the door. I stared at her intently, "We'll finish this discussion later."

"…Right." The medic-in-training said, smiling at me again.

My frown deepened.

The door opened then and in walked Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Kakashi!" Tsunade said, striding up to Sakura and me. "Good. You're only a little late this time." She turned her attention to Sakura, "Sakura, can you do me a favor and get the daily medic reports from Shizune down at the hospital?"

"Hai, Tsunade-shishou." Sakura answered, greeting Jiraiya and waving to me before she made her way to the door.

"Ne, Sakura!" I called out, watching her pause in the doorway as she looked over her shoulder at me. "Come to the bridge tomorrow afternoon. I'll teach you that new genjutsu I was telling you about."

"Hai, Sensei." Sakura replied, nodding again before she left, the door closing softly behind her.

"That girl is like a machine, I tell you." Tsunade said with a note of pride in her voice. "She may even surpass me in a few years if she keeps up her rate of success. She has a lot of promise, Kakashi."

"I know," I sounded quietly.

Jiraiya coughed, "Now while the prospect of a young woman surpassing Tsunade is both interesting and frightening to think about, we all know there is another topic we must discuss."

Tsunade sat down behind her desk, "ANBU doesn't have any new reports about Naruto or Sasuke's whereabouts."

"That's because they don't know where to look!" protested the Toad Sannin, "if you give me two teams, I can comb out Sound and…"

"I don't have two teams to give you!" Tsunade barked, "They are all either out on missions or stationed in Konoha and you know that perfectly well, Jiraiya."

"I thought you were pursuing the Akatsuki," I countered, frowning at The Toad Hermit.

"Yes, well recent events have distracted me." He muttered darkly. "If only…" He stared at me pointedly and huffed.

I faced him fully, "If only what?" I questioned in a stiff, tight tone.

Jiraiya's steel gaze focused on mine, "You should have been more aware of your student's thoughts and actions. Obviously Sasuke had a hand in Naruto's disappearance – I know my own student – Naruto would have never become a missing-nin. Even if I don't know how, I know Sasuke is the reason why Naruto isn't in Leaf right now."

"You know…" I began my voice past stoic and into measured malice, "I'm getting really tired of hearing all these 'what if' situations and noticing that practically all of them peg Sasuke as the bad guy. And Naruto was my student first, Jiraiya. Remember that."

The white haired looked like he had something more to say – or shout – before Tsunade snapped, "SILENCE! The both of you," she admonished, "are going too far. We are all worried about them…we just have to work together." Tsunade concluded. She rubbed her forehead as the stress and worry shined in her eyes.

We gazed at her silently.

"Now," she continued, "let's talk about it calmly…we don't have any more resources or ninja to look for Naruto or the Uchiha. Our best bet would be keeping our contacts in other countries and villages on the lookout…"

Naruto's POV:

"I can't believe he pulled something like that! I mean what an asshole! Then he says, 'be thankful that you passed. I'll surveillance you less from now on.' Damn that snake bastard!"

"As long as you didn't give yourself away, that's all that matters." Sasuke said coldly, tightening the black cloak around him as we walked sluggishly through the snow.

We could barely see the lights of the village through the blankets of snow coating the ground.

"Yeah, I didn't let anything slip. I'm just saying using Ero-sannin was really low."

Sasuke scoffed, "You're in Sound. What else do you expect?"

"Hmph."

I looked around with a scowl, glaring at my white surroundings. "Why did we have to come to Snow country again?"

Sasuke gave me a blank stare, "Were you not paying attention?"

I snorted indignantly, "I was too angry about this morning! I know its something about a lord…"

Sasuke gave a brief nod, "Aa. We're supposed to kill him. He's recently denied to do any more dealings with Sound, so Orochimaru wants him…" Sasuke shrugged, "eliminated. It's a message to all his other business partners, if you think about it."

I paled, "Not another assassination mission!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "If you have a problem, then I suggest you deal with it and stay out of my way while you are."

I glared over at the Uchiha, "I'm starting to have a problem with your attitude, Sasuke. It's too blasé for me."

Sasuke stilled and locked gazed with me for a moment. "Hn, later. We're nearly there and we need to do this quietly. The lord's name is Taisho. He should be on the top floor of the mansion he lives in. We'll break in through the third floor window, in and out without a sound."

I growled mutely under my breath as we approached the village.

This…is crazy.

I scanned the area in front of me with clenched fists and a nervous countenance. From the roof of Lord Taisho's mansion, Sasuke and I gazed down at the mist-nin patrolling the local area.

"Teme…" I said in a whisper, "You never said anything about Mist ninja being bodyguards!"

"Hm," Sasuke replied equally low, "it seems Taisho got wind of Orochimaru's plans."

I nudged him, "There's about seven of them down there, too far away to tell what level they are. What do you think?"

Sasuke turned to me, "Let's proceed with plans."

"Eh?" Before I could say anything more, Sasuke jumped away and started stealthily for the window. I followed after him, as quiet as a grave as I inched behind him near the third floor window that he cautiously slid upwards to open. With a look over his shoulder at me, my raven teammate slipped into the dark room.

I followed, a breath behind, using chakra to make to footsteps inaudible as we walked along the wall, not daring to touch the ground in case of awaiting traps. After making our way through two outer rooms, we finally paused when we heard the tell tale sound of snoring.

Sasuke lifted his hand and motioned towards the direction.

The room was heavily locked, but it was nothing a ninja couldn't handle, even in the dark. I broke it open soundlessly, shutting the door behind us so you couldn't even hear the subtle click of it closing. Sasuke unsheathed his katana that I noticed he was growing increasingly fond of and stalked towards the sleeping man, pulling away the bed curtains. It's lucky that those mist-nin had didn't have our intended window of time, or else we'd be in big trouble.

Even so, I watched with a twisting stomach how Sasuke katana silently rose into the air before slicing down in a quick, effortless manner. There was no sound that escaped the now dead lord as blood pooled on the expensive silk sheets and blankets. No more snoring, just an abrupt whoosh of air from the katana and then nothing. It was sickening to me. He was asleep, too. To kill a man in such a vulnerable state didn't only turn my stomach, it left me disgusted. I hate this…I hate everything about these missions…

It would be different if it was in self defense. That has reason, justification. It'd even be different if the person at least had a chance to defend themselves. But this was just…

Wrong.

Sasuke walked over to me and inclined his head the way we entered. I turned around stiffly and resumed walking along the wall using chakra, Sasuke behind me. We made it to the window, bypassing a patrol of samurai it looked like, and slipped out of the window and onto the roof.

Then suddenly an alarm rang out blaringly into the cold night.

And on the roof we were greeted with the sight of al least twenty mist-nin…jounin level.

Sucking in a surprised breath, I turned slightly to the side to see more jumping through the window, shouting that the lord was dead and ninja had invaded the mansion. Sasuke said nothing as we faced the mist-nin, back to back. Sasuke lifted his katana once again as I pulled out a few kunai.

"Got a plan?" I asked warily, scared that maybe we really wouldn't make it this time. There's too many jounin! We can't take all of them! Shit! Shit!

"…Don't stop swinging until we're the only ones standing." Sasuke answered back, tightening his grip on his sword in what I recognized to be a nervous manner.

The mist-nin advanced.

Sasuke's POV:

"So? Are you ready to give us information now?"

When I said nothing, the mist-nin broke my finger he was holding as I cursed mentally in pain and said nothing. Dammit… Twenty-five hours straight of thorough interrogation by these mist-nin with the same constant questions - Who are we? What village are we from? Who ordered us to kill Lord Taisho? Why?

We know we couldn't say anything – hell, ninja training 101 stated that if you did tell your ninja captors the information they wanted then they'd kill you right away. You don't, you get tortured but may during that time devise a way to escape. If you willingly state information, you are dishonoring yourself as a ninja and disgracing your village and its secrets.

I couldn't give a shit about Oto but I wasn't stupid. If I told them we were Sound ninja then Naruto and I would be killed of within a second. It's already lucky that it appears it was more than just Orochimaru that wanted Taisho dead. And another good thing is that we weren't wearing anything that connected us to Sound.

"What? Pretty boy keeping quiet?" The heavy set mist-nin mocked as he broke the last unbroken finger on my right hand. I gritted my teeth and continued to hold my tongue. I knew as a ninja, torture was an evident possibility in my career. There are many personal accounts of ninja they make you listen to in Academy, but when you face it you know it can only get worse.

And it was.

I heard another crack of bones from Naruto's side in back of me and frowned, figuring that that must have been the last finger on his right hand too because he let out a low pained sound that I barely caught. We had been tied back to back on two steel chairs, chakra binds along with steel wires wrapped around our torsos, hands, and feet to ensure our captivity.

We were already beaten and tired from the five hour battle it had taken them to capture us, but by the time the third set of reinforcements was called in we were already half passed out whilst standing. After that, we had both woken up in this shack-like place that was poorly heated, if at all. A large part of my body was numb so I couldn't tell for sure.

"Even the shrimp is keeping his mouth shut. How noble!" The mist-nin over on Naruto's side retorted snidely.

"I'm…not a shrimp." Naruto said, strained and low against his chest.

The mist-nin inside the small room, five in all, laughed at his response. The three leaning up against the wall walked over. The one in the middle said, "Why don't we take a break in the next room and get something to eat. They're all beaten up now anyway; let's wait till they regain a bit more consciousness before we continue."

They all seemed to agree, boasting about what'd they'd do next as they exited the small room and shut the door behind them with a loud bang that shook the four walled shack-like room we were being held in.

Silence lapsed into the room as the sounds of their barking laughter echoed through the thin walls to our ears. Drinks clinked and chairs scrapped across the floor as the ramblings of the mist-nin continued.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" I asked lowly, straining to look over my shoulder. All I could see was blond spikes and a bruised whiskered cheek.

"I'm fine," He said tersely, "just peachy."

I said nothing. Then…

"We have to come up with a plan to escape. Now." I hissed urgently.

I felt Naruto nod, "Now," he repeated, "…I see how it is. So this is what it's like…what they do to those who are captured. Even Leaf. Heh, it's even worse than what you did to Taisho. I didn't think there was a worse…"

"What did you expect?" I said scathingly, "It's all a means to an end, and that end changes with every village."

"No," Naruto answered, "that's not true. All they want is land, money, power – greed is something they all have in common. Pride and self-worth…? Those are the rare things in this existence. Just like with Haku and Zabuza. Then again, what existence does a tool have, ne?"

I shook my head intently, my pitch black hair clinging to my pale forehead from sweat. "We are not tools. We are using Orochimaru to get stronger. In a sense, we all use each other for our own goals…"

"I said after Haku and Zabuza died I'd create my own…path as a ninja." Naruto said intently, determinably.

I thought of the word Nindo and nodded.

"…We did, didn't we?" I asked, knowing he was thinking the same thing.

"…Yeah," Naruto agreed, "We did." He sighed, struggling to move as another yelp escaped his mouth. "Ouch, that guy's foot really did a number on my ribcage, Sasuke. And my hand – damn…! I'm right-handed! What if I can't use them anymore?"

My mind eased somewhat as Naruto seemed to get out of that strange thinking mode he'd been in earlier. "I'm ambidextrous." I said.

". . ." Naruto silenced at my answer for a few seconds, "Here is where you develop a sense of humor? Here?!"

"Shut up," I countered blankly, "I was merely stating a fact. We have to - ,"

Suddenly the door slammed open, "So what are pretty boy and the shrimp chatting away about in here, eh?" The heavy set ninja asked a look of disdain on his face as he twirled a kunai in his hand and sat in front of Naruto.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched as he reached out and grabbed a handful of Naruto's blond spikes. "Well, shrimp? Feel like talking yet?"

"Go to hell you smelly old bastard!" Naruto yelled, spitting in the ninja's face. In return, he grabbed a rag to wipe off the offensive spit and swiftly punched Naruto so hard across the face my chair rattled. I heard a groan from my teammate, and frowned when I saw the mist-nin grab his hair again.

"You'll pay dearly for that, you little maggot." He spat vemonously, rising up the kunai in front of Naruto's face. The Uzumaki's confident demeanor now slipped a little as he paled and stared at the shiny metal weapon in-between his eyes.

"I don't like the look in those blue eyes of yours, boy." The mist-nin continued, "I think I'll cut one out."

The other mist-nin who had come back in eagerly cheered the heavy mist-nin on, "Go, Sojuro! Let that shrimp have it!"

Sojuro seemed to heartily agree because he dipped the blade towards Naruto's right eye and slowly touched it with the tip. Naruto let out a hoarse scream, the other mist ninja holding his shoulders so he wouldn't struggle around too much as I looked on in horror, trying to vain to get out of my own binds to help, to do anything…

The kunai sunk in deeper as I saw it puncture Naruto's eye and carve in deeper and deeper…Sojuro purposefully made it torturously slow and painful.

"Naruto!" I said, useless but needing to say something as I felt Naruto's left hand latch onto my lower arm and squeeze so hard his fingernails cut into my skin. He was screaming, choking, and coughing all at once. Blood that was rushing from his wounded eye so much that it was probably sliding down his throat accidentally.

"Argh!!" Naruto cried out as the blade was ruthlessly pushed in all the way before Sojuro roughly yanked it out.

The thirteen year old blond boy in back of me let out a whimper, "My…eye…them…he…my eye…!"

Naruto went limp in back of me, the grip he had on my arm weakening till it finally broke away. Did he pass out…? I tried to get a better look at Naruto, but my sight was limited because of how we were tied back to back. Angry, I cursed the mist-nin, swearing I'd kill them all as soon as I could…if we survived…

"Let's do the left one, eh boys?" Sojuro asked, pointing the kunai towards Naruto again as they all chorused their boredom with that, even though two agreed. Sojuro stood, "Your right, he passed out anyway." He walked in front of me and took my black, high collared shirt, wiping off Naruto's blood on the kunai with it. "Thanks, I do like to keep my stuff clean."

His eyebrows rose under my livid glare when I finally got my left foot free, nearly tearing half my skin at my ankle in the process as I kicked out at his right knee. He let out a pained yell when I heard something snap as soon as my foot came into contact with his shin. He fell to the floor, grunting as his comrades helped him up.

"My knee…! He fucking cracked my knee!!!" The man yelled, another mist-nin dealing me a sharp blow to the back of my head. I was blinking back black spots when they united me from the chair and moved me into the center of the room, tying me into a prisoner of war position. In my bound POW stance, they loomed over me with threatening glares.

"So pretty boy," another mist-nin called out, "I saw you use a lot of fire jutsu. You hold an affinity for that, kid?"

When I didn't answer, the masked mist-nin beside him snickered, "Does it matter?" He questioned, kicking me in the stomach. My knees shook underneath my weight as I gasped for air.

"Pretty boy isn't going to be so pretty anymore…!" Another one said from the corner.

Sojuro lifted up a can, "You seem to like fires, pretty boy. Hopefully, as one pyromaniac to another, you'll be able to appreciate this."

He promptly overturned the contents of the can he was holding above me as gasoline spilled all down my back and head, soaked and breathing hard, I watched in muted anxiety and apprehension as Sojuro lit a match and held it above me. The acute smell of gasoline seared through my senses as I stared at the tiny, awaiting flame.

The match dropped.

I screamed as flames instantly ignited along my back before I saw Naruto break out of his binds of the chair – he was supposed to be unconscious – and go for the mist-nin. His one visible eye was glaring a raging red as he tore right through the first three mist-nin and kicked Sojuro so hard on the neck; it cracked, causing Sojuro to slump against the wall he was thrown up against, unmistakably dead.

I was already rolling on the ground, frantically trying to stop the flames as Naruto came over and, with a few hand seals, water poured all down my burning back, causing my both pain and relief. I could smell the stench of burnt skin and hair as it clogged in my throat.

Naruto's eye was wide – "Are you - !"

Another mist ninja came out of nowhere from behind him causing Naruto to spin around and punch him in the gut before with claw-like hands, Naruto grabbed him and bodily through him into the wall. The body fell to the floor, immobile. He's dead, I thought with sharingan eyes. I nodded at Naruto and grabbed his left arm, noticing that all the mist-nin now weren't moving and that we needed to escape – now.

We ran into the left room and found our weapons, quickly strapping them onto us and breaking down the front door we ran into the snowy terrain like the devil himself was at our heels.

We only stopped for a rest an hour later, when our adrenaline had finally drained away and our sheer panic dulled to the point of a nervous calm. We sagged against the other, making our way under the shelter of a large tree as we shuddered from the chilling cold of Snow Country.

I sat down on the floor, mindful not to let my burned back touch the bark of the tree as Naruto however remained pacing in front of me, a hand over his injured – or blind – right eye. I lifted up whatever was left of my shirt and felt the raw burns on my back, I hoped they weren't too severe as I grabbed some snow and pressed it to the charred skin, hissing in pain as I did so.

"…My eye…!" Naruto whispered frantically, "What do I do? Am I blind? No, I can't be blind, I can't be!" I could see he was going into a panic attack. "I can't be blind…but his kunai went all the way in…I felt it…! No, I can't be blind! I could barely keep up now, no I can't!!!"

"Naruto - !"

His rapid pacing didn't lessen; it increased as I began to see the bloody right side of his face glow red for a different reason. I frowned, "Naruto…?" When he didn't seem to hear, I grabbed his leg and stopped his pacing, watching as his panicked blue eye settled on me. It was like he didn't even notice the other side of his face was glowing red with chakra. I activated my sharingan and noted that it was indeed from the Nine Tails.

Suddenly Naruto gasped and held his injured eye tighter, "Ow…it's burning…!" Red waves of chakra were coated on the right side of his face now, centering on his right eye before it slowly dissipated in the next few minutes.

Naruto collapsed next to me on the forest ground, now looking very tired and worn. I stared at him for another moment before he pulled his left hand away from his eye. All I saw was a closed bloodstained eyelid.

"…Naruto…" I said cautiously, "open your eye…"

Tiredly, he did.

I stared into a perfectly fine blue eye – it didn't look scarred in the least and I could see trace remains of red chakra still at work.

"Your eye…" I began, "Can you see?"

"It's all fuzzy but yeah…I think its getting clearer…Lucky, huh?" Naruto asked, suddenly sounding both relieved and astounded.

Luck has nothing to do with it…I saw the kunai embed all the way into Naruto's eye. This healing miracle is because of the Nine Tails chakra, and Naruto knows it. I sighed and pushed back my hair. If Naruto hadn't intervened when he did, I would be dead right now…I'm the one who's lucky…

I clenched my fists in aggravation.

"Are you okay?!" Naruto asked seriously, "I thought you were barbeque!"

"For a second there, so did I."

Naruto looked down at his hands for a long moment, "I killed them, Sasuke. Those five mist-nin…their dead."

"It was in defense," I said blandly, sounding a bit hoarse because of the pain in my back. My neck also hurt quite a bit, and so I ran a hand through my hair I noted I was missing all my back spikes. Hm…

"Yeah…sure." He said flatly. "It doesn't matter though, I think. They were torturing us like hell and I don't even feel sorry about it. They got what they deserved. I hope, anyway."

I looked down at my own right hand and frowned at the broken fingers that I knew had to be re-set immediately. I nudged Naruto, "We have to re-set our broken fingers before we set out back to sound. If we keep them like this for too long, we could lose them."

Naruto looked appalled, "Dammit!" he cursed, pushing his right hand towards me with a pained expression on his face. "Just do it quickly, okay?" He looked away with gritted teeth as I nodded and started re-setting his fingers one after the other.

At the third one, he grumbled, "I'm getting used to pain…"

"Stop complaining." I replied, knowing that this was just the beginning.

A/N: Hey guys I just wanna say THANK YOU for all the feedback, we cherish each and every review! XD As to questions you had:

-There will be two more chapters until the time skip to when they are 15. We need to explain how they develop in Oto. Currently they are still 13.

-This story will be 13 chapters. After that, Rewind will start.

As for the New Naruto chapter: don't read this any longer if you haven't read it yet - OMG I LOVE CATS! YAY! And guys check it - there is now some serious chance of NaruHina action! YEAH! Go them, Naruto you notice her and Karin I still hate you I hope one of Sasuke's cats eat you. Okay, thanks guys, bye!

Please review!

Spaz and Twitch