It bothered Sasuke that he couldn't make out the entire situation. Had . . . the dobe . . . done this? Why was the Akatsuki leader involved? What the fuck happened, damnit!?
"Sasuke . . . " Karin murmured, eyeing his tense form. She had perched closest to him, as expected.
"Don't bother me, Karin," he brushed her off coldly. He ignored her wounded expression and set his jaw tightly. With a deep, calming breath, he fluttered lightly to the ground. His pulse was shaking his entire body, but he forced him self to keep just out of vision around the wall's corner.
"How far has Captain Yamato gotten?" Sakura's voice asked, suddenly very professional.
"I can't say. I'm not sure if he's even left yet." Sasuke peeked around the corner to see Tsunade biting her lower lip.
"He has," Sasuke saw Sai approach the small gathering. Looking at the bastard made Sasuke's blood boil.
"Sai! You're supposed to be with Yamato and Anko!" Tsunade looked distrusting as she sized the teenager up.
"Forgive me, Tsunade-sama. Anko-san assured me that she would be able to handle the situation after Captain Yamato left. I was worried about Naruto-kun, but I thought I'd report in."
Why was that idiot worried about Naruto? What did he know about the dobe?
"Sai, come with me, we'll find Captain Yamato, then Naruto," Sakura declared, a new resolve burning in her eyes.
"I must report everything to Tsunade-sama first. There is a situation concerning Danzou-sama at the moment. I will join you shortly."
The pinkette nodded and began to head for the break in the wall Sasuke hid behind. He stole one more quick breath before she reached him. He clamped a hand over her mouth and pressed her to the outer shell of the wall.
Once he was sure no one from Konoha could see them, he chanced a look at her. Her pupils were tiny and her eyes were wide as she stared at him. Her face was completely drained of all color. Had his hand not been securely placed over her mouth, he was sure it would have hit the ground. A few moments passed between them in dead silence before Sakura started struggling. He held a firm grip, but she grew frustrated and bit down hard on his palm, chewing through a good chunk of his flesh. He bit his tongue but released her mouth.
"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" she hissed. Sasuke noticed, however, she was throwing glances to be sure no one was coming. She was protecting his secrecy.
"What happened here?" he asked calmly, quietly.
"I asked you what you're doing here!" she gave an agitated sigh and pulled him by his wrist into the near-by forest's edge. As soon as they were under cover of the foliage, she dropped his arm like it was some pile of shit.
He straightened up and stared at her impassively.
"I should kill you!" she was pacing wildly. "I should tear limb from fucking limb!"
"Then why haven't you?" he asked calmly.
She stopped. "Don't think that . . . I don't . . . " she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Why now, Sasuke?" she sounded defeated as she looked back up at him.
"What happened?" he repeated slowly.
"Why now? Why not one of the hundreds of other days before, or any number that will . . . may," she corrected herself, "come? Why today? Why now?"
"Lucky guess," he was growing irritated. "Now tell me what happened!"
"No," she drew her eyebrows together as though it should have been the most obvious answer.
"Tell me, Sakura!" he lost his cool for a moment.
"It doesn't concern you!" she shouted at him. He drew back in surprise.
"Doesn't concern me?" he parroted.
"No. See this?" she fiddled her forehead protector between her fingers. "This only concerns Konoha ninjas. All Konoha ninjas wear these. Where's yours, Sasuke?"
"Right here."
Both Team Seven members whipped around to see a dark haired boy with a forehead protector in his outstretched hand.
"Sai! I wasn't- I didn't- when did you-?"Sakura stumbled through her words. Sasuke noticed her taking a good size step away from him.
Sai just smiled at her. Damn that creepy smile, Sasuke thought to himself. Lucky for Sasuke it disappeared as the artist's gaze shifted to him. He glanced at his outreached hand, then back to Sasuke. Sasuke eyed it warily.
"That can't be mine," he wrinkled his nose disdainfully. This freaky bastard couldn't have his forehead protector. It had to have long since been trashed or burned or shredded out of sheer frustration or anger. Or maybe it had just been left there in the valley where no one would ever find it again, let alone care. It had been soiled, not only by the dobe's scratch but also by his name. Sasuke was sure that his name was not one welcomed warmly by the village. He was also sure that they'd never want to acknowledge that he'd been "wrong" in trusting him, calling him a prodigy, taking pride and pity in him. The elders were cruel that way.
Sai's face remained impassive, but he let the metal part clenched in his fist slip out so he held it by one end of the tie.
Sasuke felt as though he'd been knocked upside the head. Sure as he was an Uchiha, the metal band bore a deep scratch that only claws could make. Not the mention the fact that the way the metal still smelled of that Kyuubi chakra. Sasuke was no nin dog, but the angry, bloody, singed scent was unmistakable.
"Naruto showed it to me. I asked if I could borrow it to draw. It is a very aesthetically interesting object. He agreed on the terms that I never leave it alone. I must always carry it with me. I'd planned on returning it once he came back, finishing the piece ten days ago. Then this happened," he glanced over his shoulder. "It belongs to you. Naruto kept it all this time. I imagine he'd want you to have it."
"Stop speaking like he's dead!" Sakura shrieked. "He'll be fine, you'll see." Her angry gaze flickered to Sasuke. "What the hell am I doing wasting my time with you?! I've got to get to him!" she clutched her temples and made a noise of frustration. "Why do I waste my time with you? Why haven't I punched your arrogant face in? Gah!" she rammed her fist into a near by innocent tree, causing a thunderous crack and crash as the tree died and fell.
Sasuke's gaze was still glued to the worn metal band. He'd always pictured the remains of Team Seven burning it, all the while getting drunk and proclaiming: "to hell with that bastard!"
"What's the little Leaf nin gonna do?" came a mocking voice.
Sasuke's jaw tightened. He reeaaalllllllyyy didn't want to deal with the annoying Mist ninja at the moment. Especially if said shinobi felt brave enough to mock him to his face. He shot a death glare up to a low branch not too far away where the lazy swordsman rested. Karin and Juugo were scattered near by in mere moments, their expressions unreadable.
"You think it'd all turn out all right if you just take that thing and tie it around your forehead? You think all you've done will be forgotten? Or even forgiven?" Suigetsu's eyes narrowed considerably. "I wouldn't be too sure." He jumped down from the branch silently, a bundle under his left arm. "Aren't these," he shifted the bundle to reveal the red cloud on the cloak, "the symbols of you current loyalties?"
He heard Sakura gasp. His gaze shifted to her while the rest of his body stayed idle.
"I hate you, Sasuke!" she shouted, anger blazing through her eyes before she spat in his direction and bolted, yanking Sai along with her.
He was tempted to call out, but resisted.
"Well, Sasuke?" Suigetsu looked almost betrayed, as his face grew closer to the Uchiha's.
Inexplicable anger rose in the raven's throat. He grabbed Suigetsu by the collar and rammed him into the base of a large tree. "I will do anything for what I believe is right. If avenging Itachi means avenging Konoha, or even joining with old comrades again then so be it. If you don't agree with me, leave. I have no place for those not willing to serve with me for my cause."
"You are just fucked up, aren't you?" Suigetsu snarled, despite the obvious fear in his eyes. "You can't realize you're really doing this to save that demon. Why the hell do you care about something that's not human!?"
Sasuke's grip tightened and his other hand drew back to smash the sword nin's face in. "Demon?"
"That's what it is, isn't it? A demon. Just like those other ones. Like the stupid eight tails that almost ripped Falcon apart. Is the nine tails so much more powerful it will succeed?"
It shouldn't have, but the fact that Suigetsu called the dobe an it bothered him even more than the fact he called the idiot a demon.
"You're wrong. This is for Itachi."
"Every time I say it a blood vessel in your temple throbs. Did you know that?"
The stupid bastard pissed Sasuke off to no end!
"So what if it's for the nine tails?" Suigetsu asked.
"It's for Itachi!" Sasuke shouted, shoving him harder into the wood.
"Who said it can't be for both of them?"
Sasuke was caught off guard by this statement. He made no reply.
"I don't give a fuck who we're doing this for. I just want you to be honest with us. If we're willing to stay with you, why won't you tell us what you're thinking? We've had a million chances but none of us have walked away. Why won't you tell us the truth? I'm not leaving," Suigetsu's eyes burned righteously.
" . . . I still don't know why we're doing this," Sasuke admitted. "But I do know I have to."
