Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and I certainly don't make a profit off of anything related to it.
(AN): I feel totally awful today. *sniffles*. Oh well.
Edited: September 21, 2015
"I won't allow my comrades to die. I'll protect you with my life. Trust me." – Hatake Kakashi
"Man, Hinata-chan was awesome!"
Lying in the dirt, Sasuke could only seethe in frustration as the rest of the squad fussed over Hinata and congratulated themselves with much backslapping. His only consolation was that Hinata seemed unable to handle praise and thus didn't spend her time bragging about being the one to get inside his guard. Though that could be dismissed as her being less interested in preening over herself and more interested in healing away the burns that surely covered the skin of her arms - the result of Sasuke's Chidori Nagashi.
"Ano…" Hinata stuttered, flushing and pressing her fingers together as the last bit of crisp red skin faded back to its typical pale hue."If not for Sasuke-kun making a mistake, I wouldn't..."
Rolling his eyes at their antics, Asuma puffed a white cloud before drawling "Alright kiddos, that's enough. Let's get moving."
The white-haired teen on the ground snarled at the group. "You better watch your asses! When I get out of here I'm gonna kill you in your sleep!" Suigetsu's writhing about and violent threats made Lee frown in concern, though Neji only regarded the Hozuki with a look of obvious contempt.
Karin sighed mournfully, before rolling to her side to allow the blood streaming from her forehead to run away from her eyes. Her eyes came to rest on Juugo.
The orange-haired man stared back at her, face twisted in regret and self-loathing. As far as he was concerned, he'd failed to protect Sasuke and thereby failed Kimimaro.
Ino frowned at the writhing Suigetsu. "Will you quiet down?" she growled at him in annoyance.
"Hey, fuck you bitch! Why don't you and your merry band piss off?" he hissed back, sending the blonde a murderous look. Chouji glared at the rude prisoner, and Shikamaru snorted in amusement.
"Suigetsu, it's enough."
The Kiri-nin went silent at Sasuke's neutral statement, staring hatefully up at his captors.
Turning his head to the side, Sasuke ignored the way the ground pressed up against his cheek to address the team. "Konoha-nin, I don't suppose you'd be willing to let them go? The only one you came for is me. They don't deserve incarceration for their generosity."
"Sasuke!" Juugo whispered in alarm to him in alarm, and the Uchiha felt a small smirk curve his lips. Naruko must have rubbed off on him, masochistic optimist that she was…
"Sorry." Asuma replied after a moment. ""They're not really acting against the Village, but I'm quite sure that if we let them run free they'd come back later to set you free." Scratching his beard, he sent a suspicious glance at the bound and blinded Uchiha. "I'll see about getting the Hokage to let them walk when we get back to the Village. That fair enough?"
"That's fair." Sasuke replied blandly, forced to concede that he had no real bargaining power in this particular instance. Frowning at the dark world, he was startled as soft hands wrapped around his arms and heaved him to his feet.
"Anyway," the jounin continued. "We should be getting going."
"Just give me a minute." Ino interrupted, hands lighting up with green chakra. Pressing a hand to Chouji's side, she healed the gash Karin had dug there during their fight.
Nodding in thanks to his teammate, Chouji bent over and lifted the redhead. Standing easily with the prisoner held in his arms, he ignored the way the Yamanaka scowled and gave her a significant look. The blonde sighed before running medical chakra over the girl, sealing the scratches and gouges she had acquired.
Lee pulled Juugo to his feet, and the orange-haired man stumbled before standing under his own power. Blinking at his former opponent, he was surprised at the way the green-clad chuunin grinned at him before giving him a thumb up. Smiling in bemusement, he just tuned out the abrupt chatter regarding his 'Power of Youth', and tracked his concerned gaze back to the Uchiha.
The silently seething Suigetsu was thrown over Gai's shoulder, air rushing out of him with a whoosh. The man struck a 'nice guy' pose before complimenting Lee on being Youthful and helping a wounded combatant. The Kiri-nin groaned as the world inverted, hoping to all that was holy that when he vomited from the blood rushing to his head, it would be all over the jounin's back.
"Alright team, move out! And don't drop any of the kids." The Sarutobi commanded before setting out back through the trees.
Stepping forward blindly, Sasuke followed the rest of the group by sound alone. When he tripped over a root, the Uchiha expected to collide with the ground and prepared himself for the humiliation of it all. He didn't expect soft, insistent hands to wrap around his bicep to steady him and prevent his fall. Stumbling into his guide, his nose filled with the scent of lavender. He frowned.
"Be careful, Sasuke-kun." The woman whispered, and he grit his teeth. Jerking away from Hinata, Sasuke stomped forward. The Hyuuga just smiled in amusement before trapping his shoulder with one hand and steering him around the obstacles his bound eyes could no longer see.
"Stop here for the night."
The raven shook himself out of his musing as the Sarutobi's voice cracked through the darkness like a whip. Despite being captured by Konoha, he was still alive, and so long as he lived and breathed he needed a plan. His number one enemy at the moment was the Konoha Council, who held his fate in their hands. It would take all his political skill garnered over the years to manipulate them.
Pushing Sasuke down against a tree, Asuma snorted when the Uchiha sent him a glare. Or at least tried to. "You stay there." He ordered, amusement in his tone, and smirked all the more at the way the visible portions of Sasuke's face went even darker.
The Uchiha heard the fading clamp of boots as the beard jounin moved away from the main prisoner. Another body sunk to the ground next to him, and a tingle in his cursed seal and the feel of instinct told him the warm bulk pressed up against him was Juugo. The sound of a nearby flop followed by cursing nearly made Sasuke smirk. Suigetsu was unmistakably quite angered that the canny Branch House Hyuuga made sure to seal his tenketsu periodically and prevent his easy escape.
A slow stomp followed by a high squeal signified Chouji dumping Karin. Evidently she had landed on top of the Kiri-nin if his sudden renewed mutters were anything to go by. The crack of branches landing in a pile followed by the whoosh of a Katon jutsu told his sight-deprived mind the Konoha-nin had lit a fire. Unconsciously, he leaned forward to take in a little more warmth. Juugo's sudden elbow to his side made him jerk back with a hiss. His head whipped towards the orange-haired male, mouth open to tear into him –
And the cursed man brushed a slow, deliberate shoulder against the cloth covering his eyes. His mouth clicked shut in realization. Cocking an ear, he strained to hear the sounds of the roving squad. Two people conversed over the fire, three were not in the clearing at all, and three more made careful rounds around the group. The rustle of branches above him led him to believe that there was one up in the trees. Sasuke frowned. He couldn't detect the other two at all. Likely the jounin. Still, he wouldn't get much of a better shot than this.
Leaning back towards Juugo, he pressed his face into the other man's chest. He smelt like trees and nature, Sasuke noted absently. Rubbing his face furiously against Juugo's shoulder, he felt the cloth slipping up. Cool wind brushed over one lid and Sasuke grinned in triumph. His right eye blinked open, staring into Juugo's amused face. Renewing his attentions to his other eye, he had barely begun to press the cloth up before the orange-haired teen's face twisted in resignation. A strong, burly hand wrapped into his raven strands and pulled. Another callused hand came up to yank the cloth back down over his free eye before he could even attempt a genjutsu.
The hand released him, and Sasuke grit his teeth at the sore spot left behind. It was surprising the bastard hadn't ripped his hair out!
"Separate them." Asuma ordered the group at large, staring down at the stubborn Uchiha.
"Is that really necessary?" Neji's calm tone asked from behind him.
"Uchiha - that stubborn kid - almost got free and none of us were even watching him." The Branch Hyuuga assumed a look of surprise and grudging respect at the captives' ingenuity. "We can't keep them together or they'll come up with another plan."
Karin was swept off the ground with a squeak, followed by Suigetsu's violent threats, and the sudden loss of warmth at his side informed him that Juugo was gone as well. Repressing a shiver at the unexpected chill, the Uchiha pressed his lips together in annoyance.
Three sets of feet trumped back into the clearing followed by a wet thud.
"Was that really needed?" the Yamanaka complained.
"Damn straight." Inuzuka replied.
"Don't be so troublesome, deer is good." Nara muttered.
Ino snorted at that. "Just because your clan likes to raise and eat wild animals doesn't mean the rest of us do."
"I've got no problem with it." Chouji laughed. "Me either." Tenten confirmed, followed by a chorus of affirmations. Turning a pouty face towards Hinata, Ino begged. "Come on Hinata-chan, back me up here."
"I really don't have a problem with it either." The Hyuuga Heiress declared, quietly entertained.
The Yamanaka huffed, and silence fell thereafter. It was only the slow sizzle of fat and the delicious aroma of venison that told Sasuke there was food being prepared. On cue, his stomach rumbled softly. He had the sudden urge to punch his gut. Damned body showing weakness on him.
A wet cloth smoothed over his face, wiping away crusted blood before dainty hands fixed the blindfold to a more comfortable position. The person withdrew for a moment before returning. Bringing with them some of the delicious smell from earlier. A spoon pressed against his lips, and his face lit up in mortification.
"I'm not a damned baby!" Sasuke hissed. The other person sighed before withdrawing the spoon. Dropping into the bowl with a small chink, they readjusted themselves to a more comfortable position.
"I always used to cry and give up…" Hinata began quietly. "I took so many wrong turns. But Naruko helped me find the right path." Sasuke turned to face the Hyuuga, expression carefully blank. Just where was the woman going with this unasked-for confession? "I always used to watch her; I wanted to chase after her, to catch up to her…"
"Naruko has been dealt so many bad hands in life that my own troubles can't even compare." The Heiress confided. "People put her down, ignored her, and rejected her. But she never gave up. She always kept smiling."
Sasuke's lips twitched. That sounded just like the dobe.
"She makes mistakes but…" the girl paused, seemingly marshaling her courage before continuing. "But because of those mistakes, she has the strength to stand up to anyone. That's why I think Naruko is truly strong. When I watch her, I feel full of courage. I feel that I can keep going, that I can succeed. That even I am worth something."
Sasuke 'stared' at her in something akin to shock. He had no idea why she seemed convinced that he would be an ideal place to dump her confessions. Did he have a psychologist stamp branded over his forehead or something?
He could hear the smile in her tone as she pushed on. "I know that to Naruko-chan, you have become one of her most precious people. Naruko is willing to do anything for her precious people. She is willing to laugh for them, to cry for them, to fight for them, to bleed for them, even to die for them."
The Uchiha thinned his lips against the sense of angst that roiled in his gut. Sasuke was well aware of the completely odd and unwarranted value that Naruko placed on him. It was something he had never and would never deserve.
"Sasuke." The Hyuuga said sharply, and he took note of the conspicuous lack of honorific. "Naruko saw in you something worth doing all those things for. Whatever quality it is that drew you together; it is something that she treasures. When she was a child, Naruko always said 'My goal is to become the Hokage!' Do you know what she says is her goal now?"
Sasuke turned his face away from the other. He already knew, he didn't need to hear it. If Hinata's goal was to place the guilty burn back in his chest after it had been momentarily forgotten in the cheerfully psychotic and dysfunctional familial dynamics of Team Taka, she was succeeding.
"Uzumaki Naruko wants to bring you home. Because you are so important to her that she is willing to even give up becoming the Hokage! 'How can I become Hokage, if I can't even save one friend?' she told me. Every time someone suggests that she focus more on preparing for the position rather than chasing after you, she gives them that exact response." Hinata's voice softened, and he sightlessly turned back towards her. "Naruto-chan has become one of my precious people. And in her absence, I will do my best to care for someone she considers one of her precious people."
"Oi! What are you two whispering about over there?" Shikamaru drawled, cutting into Hinata's quiet monologue gracelessly.
"Nothing, Nara-kun." The Hyuuga answered formally, and Sasuke knew the one-sided conversation was over. But the next time she pressed the spoon to his mouth, he ate.
And on the next morning, he allowed her to lead him stumbling and blind home.
It was the middle of the night when they reached Konoha two days later. The disorientation of being carried over the wall like a sack of potatoes was nauseating, Sasuke decided. And he would quite kindly appreciate if they could walk to the Hokage Tower.
Instead, Asuma sped over the rooftops. Every bound drove his shoulder into the Uchiha's gut. Unable to see, there was nothing Sasuke could've done to prepare for the sudden jerk every time the jounin landed or leapt. And there was nothing that could have prepared him for the dizzying feeling of dangling from a great height as the Sarutobi reached the tower and walked up the side of the tower.
Swaying in the wind, the Uchiha was quite ready to puke. Preferably all over the bastard jounin. And maybe if he was lucky, the spillover would nail the other bastard jounin. Or maybe the white-eyed asshole jounin, or that dickweed tracker…
Sasuke was not feeling very charitable at that moment.
A window snapped open and a woman hissed "Get the hell in here, quickly!"
Asuma grunted in assent before diving through the open pane. Sasuke's head cracked off the bottom of the frame, which he decided was the last straw and responded by heaving up all over the floor.
"By the Will of Fire, Sarutobi, when I asked for him alive I meant alive." The Hokage's voice growled in exasperation.
Shrugging without a hint of apology, Asuma dropped a shaky Sasuke onto his unsteady legs.
The Last Senju rolled her eyes before dragging the staggering teen over to the chair directly across from her own. "Now clean that up!" she barked, pointing to the vomit, and the jounin's false contrition transformed into true dismay.
Tsunade's hand shot up to grasp Sasuke's face from the bottom of his chin. Pressing a glass to his lips, she frowned. "Drink." she ordered, and with a grimace the Uchiha followed the order before spitting the water blindly in the waste bin she pressed beneath his chin. Spitting again to remove the last traces of the taste of vomit from his mouth, Sasuke leaned back, uncomfortable with the way his hands were crossed behind his back.
Rolling her eyes at the boy's stoic face, Tsunade grabbed a brush and a pot of ink. Walking over to the shinobi, she dipped the brush in the ink before tangling one hand in his hair, and pulling back gently to force Sasuke to bare his throat.
The ink brush danced over Sasuke's flesh, slimy end tracking arcane symbols from one end to the other. After the woman completed her collar of seals, she impressed it with chakra to seal the flow of chakra from his body to his neck to just what he needed to sustain life. Having ensured the sealing of his Sharingan, the blonde roughly tore the black cloth from his face.
Blinking his eyes open, Sasuke ignored the gritty feeling and stabbing sensation that told him he'd been in the dark for too long. The candles in the Hokage's office seemed far too bright to his sensitive eyes, and he waited for the stinging to abate as he readjusted to the world of light.
Tsunade stared coldly at him before yanking up his pant legs and recreating chakra seals around his ankles. He only watched, seething, as she locked away his shinobi skills. Finishing his legs, the Hokage stood before moving behind him.
Sasuke felt like a newly minted genin, unable to even walk up a tree with his feet sealed.
Asuma pressed into his back, the jounin's burly arms wrapping around him and preventing him from attempting an escape while the Hokage untied his hands. Gasping in displeasure at the feeling of hot needles stabbing under his skin when the flow of blood to his hands returned to normal, Sasuke glared at the wall. Tsunade's brush slid around his wrists, completing the series of seals that restricted his ability to mould chakra.
The jounin and Hokage withdrew, the former wandering back over to the window and slamming it shut. Tsunade strode back around the desk and sunk into her chair, icy brown eyes staring at him over folded hands.
"Uchiha Sasuke." She stated chillingly.
"Senju Tsunade." He answered just as coldly.
"Sasuke?" she looked up at him, blue eyes flashing.
"Hn." He merely shifted his arms around her waist in response. Turning away, she settled her back into his chest.
"Back when we were kids, the entire village used to despise me, because I'm the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. I even used to crave for revenge." His lips thinned, and he pressed his face into the back of her neck inhaling her scent of strawberry shampoo.
"I used to think I didn't have bonds with anyone." The blond continued. "Until I met you and Iruka-sensei, I was all alone. I used to watch you, and I felt reassured that I wasn't the only one that was alone. A lot of the time, I wanted to go over and try talking with you. It made me sort of giddy." She folded her hands over his.
"I was jealous of how good you were at everything; I wanted to be just like you. You were really someone… that I admired. You became my first friend… the first of so many things."
"I'm really glad I met you."
"Naruko." He breathed. "You can't change me now, no matter what you say. Too many bridges have been burnt for me ever to turn around."
"I know," she answered quietly, staring back up with unshed tears. "And I'm sorry."
He kissed her.
She was gone by morning.
"I assume that you know why you're here."
"Of course."
"I heard you murdered Orochimaru."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I did. And what of it?"
Her lips twisted in half-remembered pain. "The fact that you killed my old teammate will reflect favourably."
"On my trial, you mean." He provided curtly.
The Hokage gave a brief glimpse of surprise before settling into neutrality. "Yes." She answered. Silence held sway between them.
"When is it?" he asked in an aggrieved tone.
"I haven't decided yet."
"I see."
"You'll be held in incarceration until then. I'm afraid that you'll not be allowed visitors without my special permission."
The corner of his lips curled in amusement. "You're keeping this from Naruko." The Uchiha accused.
"I am not." Tsunade denied.
"Yes, you are." He goaded. "I know Naruko better than you do, Hokage, and if she knew I was here, she'd be back in the village right now. Probably bursting through your door at this very moment." The blonde glared at him, and he snorted. "And you know it too."
Waving a hand airily, the Hokage declared in an imperious tone "Whether or not that is true is irrelevant. The only people that will know you are in Konoha until the day of the trial will be the members of the team that brought you in and the members of the Council."
Sasuke's brow furrowed and he leaned forward. "Is that so?" he drawled.
"Yes." She answered shortly, before staring at his black eyes. "Nukenin Uchiha Sasuke, is there anything that you would like to tell me in regards to your defection? What you tell me will be taken into account in your trial."
The Uchiha bit his lip, considering the pros and cons of informing her about the truth behind his clan massacre. Shaking his head, he pinned the elder woman with a blank look. "No." the Uchiha decided. "Any information regarding my activities during my tenure at Otogakure and prior to it will only be released during the course of my trial."
Information was power, and by controlling the flow of information, he was retaining some form of power for himself. By the way the Hokage's eyes narrowed in displeasure, she knew it too.
Nodding along as if there was no issue with his reticence, Tsunade informed him "Very well, Uchiha. I will inform the Council of your arrival. Until such a time as we convene for your trial, you will be imprisoned in ANBU headquarters."She summoned one of the masked members of the Special Forces with a burst of chakra.
Sasuke watched as a man wearing a cat mask crawled through the window and regarded him. He assumed the man had a look of surprise, but the mask hid his face and the man's body language surrendered nothing.
"Tenzo." Tsunade sighed in a tired voice. "I am placing Uchiha Sasuke in prison at ANBU headquarters until he is summoned for his trial. You are to escort him there."
Standing, Sasuke glided over to the ANBU. There was something about him that was familiar, though he couldn't quite place it…
"Sasuke." Tsunade muttered. Turning back to the deceptively young looking Hokage, Sasuke regarded her with a curious look. The woman looked more akin to her own age at the moment, remembering just how young and foolish Sasuke was. "I will give permission for one individual to visit you on occasion during your incarceration. Choose wisely."
"Hyuuga Hinata."
The blonde shot him a surprised look. As far as she knew, Sasuke and Hinata had barely spoken more than two words to one another before he defected to Otogakure. Giving the boy a short nod, the Senju turned back to her paperwork in clear dismissal. Tenzo threw the teen over one shoulder and vanished back out the window.
"Sarutobi." She muttered. The jounin grunted in acknowledgement before crossing the room to stand before her. "I want to interview each of the Uchiha's companions over the next day or so. I'll need to come up with an idea of how to deal with them."
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
Sasuke was dropped unceremoniously on the ground as Tenzo landed in front of a nondescript, run down building. Climbing to his feet, he sent the ANBU a murderous glare. The man just shrugged off the look, before clamping a hand down on the teen's shoulder and steering him into the decrepit house.
The Uchiha sneezed at the dust in the air, but carefully paid attention to the twists and turns the ANBU made as he shoved Sasuke forward. It was unlikely that Sasuke could escape with his chakra bound as it was, and even if it wasn't the Uchiha doubted he would want to. Escaping would further damage his reputation and mark him an enemy of the village. But better to be prepared... just in case.
Leading him to a staircase, Tenzo peered down into the darkness before the two descended to the basement. Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the smell, thankful that in the former future Pein's destruction of Konoha had prevented him from ever coming in contact with the place.
The two shinobi strode through the dark, coming to a far corner before the ANBU released him. Crouching down, Tenzo grasped a metal ring and pulled up. With a squeak, the metal hatch opened. Placing a hand on Sasuke back, the man pushed him forward.
Sending the ANBU another annoyed glare, the Uchiha stepped forward and dropped into the hole in the floor. Tenzo followed, climbing down a ladder set into the wall, before slamming the hidden cover shut with a bang.
Creeping along under the earth for several minutes, Sasuke was noted the occasional ladder nestled within the winding, branching corridors that undoubtedly accounted for the ANBU's quick response times to crises.
The two turned a last corner and came to a seemingly dead end. Tenzo formed a one-handed seal, and with a rumble the wall of stone slid aside, allowing the two access to ANBU headquarters.
Stepping haughtily past the older man, Sasuke regarded the personnel bustling about with a thoroughly arrogant look. False confidence worked almost as well as true confidence. And Sasuke was anything if not self-assured.
Some members of ANBU met his cold black eyes with cool glances of their own, while others appeared to slink around him, apparently cowed. "Stop teasing the rookies." Tenzo ordered him gruffly, before turning the Uchiha and pushing him down a side passage.
Coming to a steel door, the ANBU twisted a large dial poking out of the center. A click echoed in the silent hallway, signifying the deactivation of the locking mechanism. Pulling the great door open, Tenzo herded Sasuke inside before shutting and locking the passage behind him. Rows upon rows of cells stretched out before him.
The older man grabbed the teen's elbow and pulled him to the side. Hidden in the shadows, a bespectacled man peered up at them from behind a desk. "Uchiha Sasuke." Tenzo informed him in a blank tone, and the man's eyes sharpened as he regarded the Last Uchiha. Granting the pair a slow nod, he faced back down to his paperwork and marking something. After a moment, he muttered "Cell 356", and tossed Tenzo a key.
Thanking the man, the ANBU operative steered Sasuke three rows to the right and headed him down a long corridor of conspicuously empty cells. Stopping in front of one with the numbers "356" emblazoned above it in faded red paint, the ANBU unlocked the cell and shoved the teen inside. Sliding the door shut with a creak, he pocketed the key and strode away whistling.
Rolling his eyes at the false joviality, Sasuke turned to examine his living conditions. No windows and no holes in the ground, just masoned stone all around him. A bucket sat in the shadowed corner to his left, and a ratty bedroll was strewn out on his right. Trotting over to the bedroll, he scooped it up and held it to the light. It was old, but it looked clean enough. After sniffing it, he decided it smelled cleaned enough too before laying it out on the ground and curling up to sleep.
The next morning the Uchiha awoke startled as the door of his cell clanged shut. Peering up, he caught a concerned glance from pale eyes. Running a hand through his hair, the Uchiha groaned before sitting up and propping his back against a wall. Stretching his legs out, Sasuke motioned to the ground beside him. With a look of amusement, the girl dropped to the ground beside him and assumed a position similar to his. Turning to face her, he pierced her with a glance.
"Tell me about Naruko." Sasuke commanded.
Hyuuga Hinata answered, her soft voice spilling quiet words long into the day.
"Do you know who I am?" Tsunade asked.
"I'd assume you are the Hokage." Juugo replied.
Grimacing, the Senju propped her chin on her hand and stared the foreigner down. "Do you know why you're here?" she questioned archly.
Raising an amused brow, the cursed man snorted. "I have no idea."
Rolling her eyes at the blatant lie, Tsunade buffed a nail on her shirt. "Why were you traveling with Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Because he asked me to."
"Why did he ask you to travel with him?"
"Because he wanted to." Juugo deadpanned.
The Hokage massaged her temples before tossing a fiery glare at the young man. "What was the purpose of him asking you to travel with him?"
Narrowing orange eyes, Juugo replied carefully "To accomplish his goals."
"What are his goals?"
"He claims he wishes to destroy the Akatsuki." Juugo yielded, not really considering the information worth fighting over.
"The Akatsuki? Or Uchiha Itachi?"
The orange-haired man regarded her with suspicion. Did she not know the truth behind the massacre? No, he decided, otherwise she wouldn't be asking. "The Akatsuki." He answered carefully.
The blonde grunted before staring out the window at the morning sun. Wincing, she turned back to the prisoner and launched into a new series of questions.
"What do you get out of it?"
"A cage. And possibly a cure."
"A cure? For what illness?" Tsunade asked curiously, medic tendencies getting the better of her.
Sucking in a cheek, Juugo considered holding back. Eventually shrugging, he plowed forward. "I have a condition where I fly into murderous rages when stimulated." Biting a lip, the Senju motioned for him to continue. "Orochimaru claimed that my body contains enzymes that trigger the state. His cursed seal is based off my abilities."
The medic gave him an interested glance before muttering to herself "Kekkei Genkai? Or maybe…" Tapping a finger on her desk, Tsunade pursed her lips. "And where would you obtain this cure?"
"From you."
The Hokage's eyes went wide. "From me?"
Juugo looked confused before continuing. "Sasuke says that you're a world class medic, second to none. And that you might have the ability to do what Orochimaru would not."
"I think" she drawled, "I must ask with what authority would make a nukenin like Uchiha Sasuke think he could guarantee my aid in any matter?"
"He wanted to go back to Konoha." Juugo sighed with resignation. "Sasuke said that when he came back, he was sure he could talk you into it."
"Talk me into it?" Tsunade hissed, enraged. "What on Earth would make him think-" The Hokage cut herself off with clenched fists, staring down at the grained whorls of her desk.
Juugo just smiled in resignation.
"Suppose I did this. What is Konoha going to get out of it?"
"Assuming you don't execute Sasuke? A loyal and powerful shinobi I suppose. Though I'm not really a fan of fighting."
"And why should my actions in relation to Uchiha Sasuke dictate whether or not you wish to cure your curse?" she demanded. "Isn't that the reason you joined him in the first place?"
Orange eyes went ice-cold. "I suppose. But when it comes down to it, living with the curse is something I'm used to. Sasuke is my cage, and with him at my side I don't need to be afraid of losing control. I would choose him over a cure any day."
"You are loyal to Sasuke? You do know he's a traitor?" Tsunade asked in surprise.
Juugo's face grew fond and slightly wistful. "That might be so. But Sasuke is not the same as Orochimaru, or you. He's more like Kimimaro than anyone I've ever known. If he's going to use you, he's plain about what he wants. And despite what you say, he's never betrayed us, Taka." Unaware of the irony of his own words, the cursed teen continued. "He must've known on some level that when Karin sensed your shinobi, they were after him and not any of us. I offered to go out and fight them. If he let me, he could've easily gotten away in the confusion. Do you know what he said?"
The young man took a breath. "He told me 'No, we're going to deal with this as a team.' Then he fought with us. And at the end, when we all went down? He stayed. Sasuke still could've fled, and none of your shinobi would have taken him. But they would've taken us. Sasuke is rotting in a cell now because he wouldn't leave us behind."
"That's why I will always follow Sasuke." Juugo declared firmly.
The Hokage studied his face with unreadable brown eyes before snorting. "Fine then, you can have the cell across from his."
Recognizing the unspoken kindness for what it was, the cursed man inclined his head. Despite her prickliness, the Hokage evidently had some soft spot beneath all the militarism required of a Hidden Village's Kage.
And when Sasuke stared questioningly at him from his cell later that evening, Juugo merely smiled enigmatically.
The door slammed open, and Suigetsu strode in with an expression of rage. "Where the hell are Sasuke and Juugo?" he roared into the quiet office, covering up his internal anxiety with pure swagger.
Tsunade merely regarded him with a curiously cool expression before motioning slowly to the chair before her.
The Kiri-nin scowled before crossing the room and throwing himself into the chair rebelliously.
"I swear to all the damned ancestors that if they're dead…" he threatened, bearing shark teeth at the Hokage.
She merely smiled enigmatically. "Oh, they aren't dead yet." She declared absently, and the expression on Suigetsu's face went from merely angry to purely murderous.
Narrowing his eyes at the Senju, the white-haired teen crossed his arms before frowning in consideration. "What do you want?" he hissed.
"Whatever makes you think I want something from you?" she asked, face written with faux-curiosity. Suigetsu simply stared at her.
"I'm not stupid, Hokage-sama." The Hozuki professed coldly. "First, I wouldn't be here if you didn't want something from me, then I wouldn't be in the office in the first place. And second, the threat you just made is pure amateur when it comes to Kirigakure interrogation."
"Tell me why you're traveling with Sasuke."
"I don't think so!"
Making a disinterested noise, the Hokage looked out the window. "I must admit, gaki, of all the members of the Uchiha's little posse, you're the most difficult to deal with."
"As far as I'm concerned. That's a compliment."
"Oh please, I've dealt with scarier and more difficult prisoners than you. I'm referring to the fact of your citizenship. Technically, you're listed as a nukenin in Kirigakure's Bingo Book, but the fact of your forced imprisonment by Orochimaru will satisfy the Hidden Mist. As a relative of the Nidaime Mizukage you have value, and being a master of the Hozuki clan techniques makes you even more valuable."
"I know I'm pretty, but a few cheap praises aren't enough to jump these bones." Suigetsu laughed in amusement.
The Hokage sent him an entirely disgusted glance. "As much as I would like to, your foreign citizenship means I really can't publicly castrate you. However, I can certainly do it in private. No one knows you're in Konoha right now. And at the time I'm starting to wonder if Orochimaru had the right idea with you after all."
"What the hell does that mean?"
Tsunade thinned her lips in displeasure. "It means that I'm very tempted at the moment to lock you in a tank and let the science department study you for however long it takes them to reverse engineer your family secrets."
The teen grit his teeth before staring out the window at the village. "You've made your point." He growled.
A victorious smirk rose on the Hokage's face. "I'd like to have someone of your level of skill on loan from Kirigakure. Obviously, I can't expect you to become one of our shinobi or perform missions for us officially, but I'm sure something could be done."
"We'll see."
"Oh? And what if I demand that you turn yourself into the Mizukage now so that this little deal can be set up? Terumi Mei might be powerful, but she's very aware of the fragility of Kirigakure after their civil war. She can't afford to get on the bad side of any of the other great hidden villages."
"I'm not doing anything for anyone until I see Sasuke walking the streets a free shinobi." Suigetsu stated flatly.
Cradling her face on one palm, Tsunade frowned pensively. "Just what is it about Uchiha Sasuke that inspires loyalty? You and Juugo both have been absurdly difficult to deal with, considering your relative situation as prisoners with no rights to speak of."
The Kiri-nin glared. "Sasuke is the sort of person that creates history. He can make dreams happen. I don't expect you to understand." Truthfully, even Suigetsu himself barely understood it. He'd liked other teammates before Sasuke, but there was simply something indefinable about the Uchiha that drew others to him like moths to a flame.
"Whatever," she muttered under her breath. Tsunade wasn't paid to be some sort of therapist or sociologist that studied why people formed entirely ridiculous attachments. "I can't let you run around loose right now. You'd just try and break the Uchiha out. Have fun sitting in a cell next to his."
Suigetsu cursed again.
And when Sasuke frowned at seeing another of his companions incarcerated, Suigetsu rolled his eyes and told him that was none of his business.
Tsunade liked Karin.
Not because of any particular facet of her personality, but rather for the fact that the girl knew her situation. Sitting white-faced with clenched hands before the Hokage, the redhead was quietly respectful. It made the blonde grin inwardly.
It seemed so rare to get respect considering who had been traipsing through her office over the last few days. Of course, considering that the respect was likely given out of fear rather than consideration left a foul taste in her mouth. She wasn't Orochimaru, who had undoubtedly punished the most minor of offenses with absurd sadism.
"Karin, was it?" she drawled, silently dismissing her guards with a flash of amber eyes.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." The girl stuttered, clenching at her lavender jacket..
"Why are you traveling with Uchiha Sasuke?" It seemed to be the question of the week. Because surely, the Hokage had nothing to do besides pander to a circus troupe of colourful fools following behind the greatest fool of them all...
"Well, because he asked me to."
"And why did he ask you? What is it that distinguishes you from any of the other servants of Orochimaru that Sasuke has known?" the blonde pressed. Certain individuals would be absolutely pissed if it was for romance, both politically and socially. The Hokage could feel the headache building behind her eyes. The Uchiha hadn't even gotten the slap on the wrist he was surely going to get from the Council, and Tsunade could already picture the political posturing.
"I'm a chakra sensor." Karin offered, either completely missing the subtext of Tsunade's questioning or ignoring it.
"Ahh." Tsunade grunted back. She fell silent; watching with lidded eyes as the redhead slowly became more agitated.
Fidgeting and glancing at the clock, the first stirrings of annoyance rose in Karin's eyes.
"What are you getting out of the arrangement?" broke the quiet like a whip.
"Umm… well." Karin stalled with a red face.
"Spit it out!" Tsunade barked, watching the growing blush with trepidation. The girl mumbled. Sighing, the Hokage slapped her palm on the desk, to which Karin jumped.
"He gives me a purpose!" the redhead squeaked.
"A purpose?"
"Yeah."
Tsunade digested the sentiment with a frown, before groaning and pulling a bottle of sake from her desk. "So you too are loyal to Sasuke…"
"Sasuke gives me a purpose in life. To help him in whatever he needs to have done. I know he's using me. That's how the world works. That's why I was loyal to Orochimaru when he was alive. He gave us - the outsiders - a place to belong and a purpose to be. But Sasuke isn't like Orochimaru. He might use you, but when he looks at you, he's looking at you. He's not staring at you like you're a glorified piece of lab equipment with a bad mouth. " Karin proclaimed in a ringing tone.
The Senju merely snorted in amusement before calling one of her ANBU to assign the girl the cell across from Suigetsu.
It was only after the smirk curled on the redhead's lips the moment before she'd vanished that the Hokage realized she'd been played.
The girl was a commensurate actor. She'd never been scared in the first place, and had undoubtedly just been playing the Hokage like a fiddle to give up only the information she wanted to.
Tsunade was reluctantly impressed.
Staring over at Karin a few hours later, Sasuke was surprised when she smiled in self-satisfaction.
"Looks like we're all criminals now, Sasuke-kun."
The days rolled by, each morning and evening like the next, only marked by the strange hush among certain shinobi of Konohagakure. There was an electric charge in the air that had been building as the weeks rolled by. Tension rolled higher and higher as more and more often certain circles of shinobi were seen holding quiet conversation in hushed corridors.
And deep underground, Suigetsu joined Uchiha Sasuke in the dark the day after Juugo. Karin came two days later, and Team Taka was reunited in their incarceration, one by force and three by choice, broken only by the occasional visit from Hyuuga Hinata with news from the world above.
It was into this changed Konoha that Uzumaki Naruko stepped; the effects of Sasuke's intervention already creating waves, on one sunny morning.
"Everyone, Uzumaki Naruko has returned!" she declared, smiling brightly.
(AN): Whew, nice to get through that. 7070 words. I'll just leave an old review response below.
"Honestly, I'm feeling really pissed at how Konoha is acting right now. Sasuke gives them a treasure trove of information and kills one of the village's greatest enemies, in addition to basically stating outright that he plans on returning to the village in the future, and they respond by capturing him and preventing him from doing anything. That just seems like an act of monumental stupidity on their part."
Yeah, I get that. But think of it this way. You join the army, do you think you can desert and vanish for a few years, get found and say you'll come back on your own time? Hell no. You'd get arrested and thrown in the slammer. Maybe this doesn't get enough emphasis in the series or fandom, but the Shinobi Forces of a Hidden Village are a military. And a Hidden Village is for all intents and purposes a military dictatorship, with the Hokage curtailed by a group of other mostly military figures. In fact, if he didn't have such genetic value Sasuke's sentence would be almost certainly execution.
