A/N: Oooh. Ahhh. SUSPENCE. And what's this? Is this...PLOT we see forming? And since we see plot, kiddies, guess what this means? I'm sorry romance lovers of the world:

THE ROMANCE WILL NOW BE SERIOUSLY LACKING!

These last few chapters have existed to quench a craving. There will be little hints of it here and there, like there had been in the first story. Remember children, Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is still a rocky one. It's still tipsy; leaning to 'I adore you' to 'God you suck moose balls'. Neither of them has said 'I love you' to each other, though in the past book Naruto did contemplate to Neji that he thought he loved Sasuke. So we'll see how evil I am this time, eh? (smirks)

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this update. I think I've made up update days now. Sundays and Thursdays. How does that sound? It gives me room to think up what's going to happen in each chapter, since this plot is a little thicker than the last one; we're learning about Naruto and Kakashi, and we're leaning about this mysterious gang called ROOT, as well as other briefly mentioned gangs from book one.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Naruto and Co. belong to Masashi Kishimoto.


Neji hadn't been able to walk back home, like he had told his uncle he would. That was because the flooding outside had increased as he had visited his ill cousin, so he was stuck in the waiting room along with the few other visitors that had been brave enough to dare the flooding to come visit loved ones. He sat in a plastic chair, legs folded Indian style as he looked out the window to see the rain slowly letting up; the dark sky lightening to a lighter grey as the sun seemed to peek through the folds of the clouds. Brown hair fell into his face unknowingly, and the Hyuuga didn't even bother pushing it back since he didn't want to move. His pale eyes blinked at the sudden obtrusion, yes, but that wasn't enough to make him move so he could push the obtrusion away.

He heard someone mutter something about some people from downtown was starting to prepare to drain the streets and they'd all be home. How he knew this was from his portable radio, which, apparently, he kept on him in emergencies. Neji sighed, closing his eyes and blocking out the other voices as he thought about Hinata then.

She had looked so frail behind the glass, her eyes closed as she slept quietly. The wires that had been connected to her, as well as the small tubes in her nose giving her clear, pure oxygen...She looked so small with it all around her. His hands tightened their grip on his forearms, and his eyes squeezed shut tighter, before he heard someone heavier than himself sit next to him, placing down what seemed to be a suitcase. His eyes opened, and he glanced over to see his uncle sitting there; hands folded in front of him, fingers laced together with his forearms resting on his knees as he leaned forward in a thoughtful position. Hiashi glanced at him then, a small smile on his lips and Neji looked away from him, frowning a bit. "Are you still angry with me, Neji?" He asked, his voice tired and laced with what seemed to be frustration; and the younger Hyuuga didn't blame the older Hyuuga for being frustrated. Neji was being oddly childish.

"No," he said softly after a few minutes, still not looking at him. Hiashi raised an eyebrow, and Neji saw it in his peripheral vision so he continued to explain. "I'm angry with myself. Angry that I couldn't protect her or help her earlier...Like I couldn't help my father." His eyes squeezed shut then, his mouth twisted into a grim line. "I don't know what's wrong with her just like I didn't know what was wrong with him. Lung cancer? It can't be this difficult! It can't be this hard to cure. She was fine, just fine, when she was suddenly hit with an illness? That sounds too much like Umino-san to me..." He looked away from him again, scowling at his own incompetence for understanding the situation when he felt Hiashi's hand be placed on his shoulder.

He looked at his uncle oddly, blinking a bit before Hiashi frown, shaking his head. "If it's the fault of anyone, Neji," he began softly, looking at him with eyes that had seen too much; Neji had never noticed the sadness in them before, never bothered to pay attention. "It would be my fault." Neji looked at him oddly, eyes wide as Hiashi removed his hand, turning to look at the window where the sun was attempting in vain to weakly shine through. "I'm the one who initiated the change within the Hyuuga family after all. Did you know, Neji, that Hizashi's and my father never had the Byakugen like we do? He could never see through lies, facades or anything of the sort. He could never see through the walls themselves. Did you know that?"

"I thought this was a family thing." Neji said suddenly, frowning. "That's what I was taught. That this gift was brought down in the family and that everyone was blessed with it. Which is why the entire Hyuuga family now has the same eyes as I do; pupil-less eyes the colour of silver or lavender, depending on the light." He looked at his uncle curiously, eyes narrowed a little suspiciously. "My grandfather didn't have it, though?"

"No." Hiashi looked at him softly. "We have been lying to our children since the day Hizashi and I found the underground scientific group ROOT."

"That's a gang from this city."

"Originally they were just a small science unit. When the things they were studying became an interest to dangerous groups like Shukaku or Akatsuki...Well, they had to hire guards, didn't they?"

"And what does this have to do with anything?" Neji demanded then, looking at him with narrowed eyes. "Why does this make it your fault?"

"We obtained the Byakugen."

"What?"

"The Byakugen was given to us by ROOT."


"ROOT: the scientific gang that's goals had been to find an answer to everything life gave us and to make life easier on all people. When dangerous gangs like Akatsuki, Shukaku and other nameless gangs that were disbanded years ago grew interested in their studies, they formed a group of 'bodyguards'; basically thugs in the gang. The muscle, while everyone else was the brain." Naruto said, shrugging a shoulder as he looked at Sasuke with interest. "Why the sudden need to know?"

"Something that came up in conversation one day." He said simply, looking away from the blonde as he left the room. Naruto blinked, sitting up and watching the dark boy walk out before he got to his feet and followed him to the front door, watching with wide eyes as he slipped on his dry shoes, tying up the laces and grabbing his coat and backpack which held his homework and his clothes from the day before. "Where are you going? Just because the rain stopped, does that mean the flooding is gone?"

"It's lowered considerably." Sasuke opened the door and Naruto peeked out to see that City Hall was doing its damnedest to drain it like they had promised they would. "I need to get home. I have things I have to do." He looked at Naruto with a quiet gaze and Naruto frowned, crossing his arms.

"You sound like the cliché hero about to go save the world leaving his damsel behind." Sasuke smirked, rolling his eyes and Naruto grinned a little. "I ain't no damsel and you sure as hell ain't gonna save the world, Sasuke. So what are you doing that so important?"

"Hacking." Sasuke kissed his cheek, smirking at him before he walked out and Naruto stood there, shocked, blinking before he closed the door, looking behind him at Kakashi who smirked at him, shrugging a shoulder.

"What the hell did you tell him in that kitchen?"

"That something precious to him is in danger and he needs to be sure that it's safe from the wrong hands." Kakashi then looked up as the door suddenly knocked, and he indicated for Naruto to open it. The blonde did so, and there stood Kisame Hoshigaki in his 6'6 glory, his skin pale, almost tinged blue with his tattooed gills on his cheeks, his hazel/yellow eyes and his blue dyed hair, standing in a black T-shirt and dark blue jeans, a leather jacket slung over his shoulder as he stood there grinning. "Kisame; good to see you."

"Hey Kakashi," he greeted; stepping inside once Naruto side stepped to let him. "I saw Itachi's kid brother leave a little bit ago. He didn't even acknowledge me. How rude is that I ask you?"

"He's probably preoccupied with a little assignment I gave him." Kakashi said, smirking. "He has a lot of thinking to do if he wishes to complete it."

"Ah; I'm going to guess it has to do with...You-know-what." Kisame said, nodding when Kakashi nodded a little. "...Kakashi why do you hide your face? You're not disfigured or something."

"I hide it because it brings a sense of mystery and wonder to the students, and it lets me make up some of the best assignments in my English class." Kakashi grinned before he nodded for Kisame to follow him into the kitchen, stopping only to look at Naruto as he stood there stupidly by the door, blinking at Kisame and Kakashi. "Naruto, go to your room and do the homework you've neglected to do." He said, smiling. "Kisame and I have some things to discuss."

"And as leader of Bijuu, I don't need to hear it or something?" Naruto asked sarcastically, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Kakashi smirked at him, nodding to his sarcastic assumption. "And why can't I?"

"Because we're discussing things that you don't need to know right yet." He nodded turning and leaving the blonde. The Uzumaki kid had the biggest urge to go and eavesdrop, but Kisame suddenly appeared in front of the doorway, his back to him. He turned his head a little so those hazel/yellow eyes stared at him, and a feral grin with sharp teeth appeared. Naruto inaudibly gulped before he sighed and went upstairs.

"Unfair much."


Sasuke entered his apartment, soaked to the knees but dry nonetheless. Sighing, he kicked off his shoes, pulling off his pants and walking to his bathroom, throwing them into the laundry basket to take to the laundry machine on the first floor later, before going into his room and grabbing a new set of jeans, pulling them on. After securely getting dressed, he went to his kitchen and set on the coffee machine, filling in a filter with coffee grounds and placing it in the container, turning on the machine so it started to make the strong black liquid.

After he was sure that the coffee machine would explode or something, he went back into his room, gathering some papers and a few pens as well as pencils, biting his bottom lip. He thought to himself only for a moment before he shook his head, walking out of his room and setting the writing supplies he just got on the couch, walking to the phone and pressing a speed-dial digit. He waited for a few minutes before someone answered.

'Hello?'

"Hey Sakura; I'm home." He pulled the phone away when she suddenly shrieked at him, wondering where the hell he'd been. After he was sure he wouldn't be deafened, he placed the phone back at his ear. "I was at Naruto's last night; got stuck because of the flooding."

'Ah, alright.' Sakura calmed, it seemed, before he heard movement, before he guessed she must be shifting on her seat making herself comfortable. 'Why the call? Do you need help with some homework? Shocking if it's true, since I hear you're a genius in about everything.'

"Hardly." Sasuke rolled his eyes, smirking before he sat down on the counter of his kitchen, watching the coffee machine. "I have some business I need to do...And I'll need your help."

'I file, Sasuke. What kind of help would you want from a gang secretary?'

"You can guess anyone's password and you're a rookie hacker. You also hold Shikamaru's phone number. I'll need that, and I need you to come up here after you give it to me."

'Why do you need a hacker?' Sasuke paused, frowning, considering not telling her before he rationalized that he could trust her; it was Sakura after all.

"I'm hacking into Aniki's computer."


Sakura, after having given Sasuke the Nara's phone number, hung up and stared at the phone for a long time before she blinked a few times, standing up and mechanically going to the door of the apartment. Ino, who was sitting at the kitchen table suffering the homework she had neglected to do on their day off. The blonde looked up at the pinkette as she slipped on a pair of sandals, raising an eyebrow. "Those are my sandals, you know."

"Huh?" Sakura turned to look at her, before she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"You can borrow them, its fine; just tell me." Ino smiled at her, raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing, by the way?"

"Going to visit Sasuke."

"He's home?" Ino sat up a little straighter, a smile on her lips. Sakura looked at her with a deadpan expression. "I'm almost done!"

"No you're not. Besides...He just wants to see Shikamaru and myself." She frowned a little. "He's doing something important."

"What sort of something?"

"A something that doesn't concern you just yet. I'll tell you when it does." Sakura smiled. "Thanks for lending me the sandals; I'll see you in a bit!" She then turned and walked out of the apartment, locking it behind her. Ino watched the door for a while before she sighed, staring at her homework.

"French I will defeat you..."


He was napping at leisure when the phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the contraption beside him with an almost disdainful glare, he waited to see if his mother would pick up; but then he remembered his mother and father had went out and so he was stuck with answering any and all calls. He reached over after the fifth ring, picking up and clicking it on, pressing it to his ear. "Nara Residence."

'Shikamaru,' a voice Shikamaru never thought he'd hear in his phone spoke out, and the lazy boy sat up a little more, his eyes slightly widened and jaw a little slack. 'I need you to come to my apartment. You know where I live don't you?'

"Konoha St. Same apartment as Sakura and Ino." Shikamaru muttered flatly and Sasuke made a noise as if to say that he was right. Shikamaru then frowned, narrowing his eyes a little. "Why do you need me to come over there, anyhow? I've never been to your apartment before."

'I need a hacker that's as good as my Aniki. I'm going into his computer. There's things there I need. And you'll be my tutor.' Shikamaru's eyes widened and he blinked a little. 'Nara?'

"I'm here, I'm here." Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, which was out of the ponytail at the moment before he sighed. "Why do you need to learn to hack?"

'I just told you, didn't I? There are things on my Aniki's computer that I need...They're dangerous files. It's one of the reasons he was wanted dead.' Shikamaru heard a heavy sigh. 'You were his 'heir' of sorts, right? He taught you everything he knew? So you know his habits better than anyone other than me.'

"Yeah...You could say." Shikamaru sighed, looking out the window to see that the flooding had gone down enough for people to walk in it and drive—which people outside were doing at that very moment. "Alright...I'll be there in ten minutes."

'Sakura and I will be here waiting.'

"Sakura, too? Why do you need her?"

'She's good at guessing passwords, right? She can help me figure out his passwords, and you can help me get around any sort of defence he'd have on his computer. One of the rules about Itachi's computer, that Aniki always told me, was to never touch it. There's so much protection, it'd put your computer to shame.'

"I know; I was always impressed with it." Shikamaru sighed before he got off of his bed, tying his hair up as the phone was cradled between his jaw and shoulder. "So, do I need to bring anything?"

'Anything, really. We'll be talking a lot, though. We need to get into Itachi's mind.'

"...I've never heard you call him Itachi, yet you've said it twice now. This is serious isn't it?"

'More serious than any hospital.' Shikamaru blanched eyes wide before he smirked. 'I know you hacked in there.'

"Of course you would. You have the best hearing other than Naruto after all." He heard the Uchiha laugh softly on the other end. "What's so funny?"

'I didn't hear. I saw you.' Sasuke said, and Shikamaru could hear his smirk. 'Really now, you should be more aware of who's behind you. I'm such an interesting child aren't I?'

"Sasuke..." Shikamaru sighed before he shook his head. "I'll be there in ten."

'Until then.' Sasuke hung up and Shikamaru stared at the phone as the dial tone rang from the speaker before he placed it back on its cradle, looking out the window again at the weakly shining sun.

"This will be interesting..."


Neji sat in the car beside Hiashi as he looked out the window, frowning as he thought to himself. ROOT...Byakugen...The mysterious cancer plaguing members of the Hyuuga family...And then the connection with Naruto, the Uchihas...Even the Sabaku siblings...

What did it all mean, though? How could they all be connected? The young boy didn't understand, since Hiashi hadn't explained more than what he had said about how they obtained the Byakugen. He just said ROOT gave it to them; he wouldn't say anything else. Perhaps from shame, or from lack of knowledge; Neji did not know. But he did know one thing...Or he thought he did, anyhow...

If ROOT was the cause of the cancer plaguing Hinata, then he would find the members of the disbanded gang and demand they cure her...Even if he had to threaten to kill them first. He would not hesitate. But he didn't know who was in ROOT before they disbanded; his uncle wouldn't say. He must've been sworn to secrecy, he or forgot or something...But he just wouldn't talk about it anymore. He clamed up as soon as he realized what he had told Neji and the impact of those words.

His eyes then widened a little in realization. Tenzo...Sai...

They had been the muscle...Hadn't they?

But they were still in the house in the destroyed part of the city, staying out of people's way, but Tenzo continued with the alias that his name was Yamato and Sai was mute after something happened to him while he was in ROOT...

The Hyuuga closed his eyes, frowning. This was not going to be easy at all...


Sasuke opened the door to reveal Sakura looking at him with a smile, walking into the apartment after he stepped aside and she slipped off her sandals, going over to the kitchen table where she saw a cup of black coffee steaming beside a pile of papers with writing and scratches on it. Sasuke sat back down, looking at her as she sat down in her usual seat, taking the papers as he handed them to her. "Alright...So what are we trying to do?"

"We need to figure out possible passwords for Itachi's computer..." he mumbled. "There's one to log into the computer, and then I know there will be a bunch more. We just need to get into the main computer first before we worry about that. We'll give the password to Shikamaru, and then he can check what sort of protection my brother had on his computer to make sure no one ever read anything from it." He sighed, closing his eyes and running a hand over his face before looking at Sakura. "What do you suggest?"

"I suggest you start writing down his hobbies, his favourite foods, his favourite people, his birthday, favourite band...Anything like that. Favourite number combinations as well, if he had any."

"He had two." Sasuke mumbled, looking to the side. "One was his high school locker combination and the other as the combination that we made up as a sort of code when we were smaller." He smiled a little at the pleasant memory that he had regained, having lost that in the memory suppression, before looking at Sakura. "...I'll get to work then."

"And I'll make you some food."

"Please don't burn my kitchen down. I eat here."

"I'm making you a sandwich; how hard can it be?"


Kakashi and Kisame seemed to be in a staring contest, eyes locked on each other before Kakashi sighed, closing his eyes and turning away from the taller Akatsuki spy. "The movements and actions of Hidan Morte, Kisame." He said softly, looking up at him with a lazy gaze. "I need to know that if I'll be able to make sure he doesn't do anything to Naruto."

"He's been going out a lot more lately; he's probably been dropping by here or the school." Kisame mumbled, looking to the side. "He's been acting colder than usual, throwing himself into his religious rituals and cutting off from everyone; even his partner Kakuzu." Kakashi raised an eyebrow a little. "He seems to be praying to his god about something. We're just not sure what. We don't go into his temple since it gives us all the heebie-jeebies." Kakashi laughed at the childish term and Kisame shrugged a little, crossing his arms from his place in front of the doorway, listening for any unwanted listeners. "Other than that...Nothing."

"That's a load of help, isn't it?" Kakashi mumbled, rubbing his red eye before he glanced at Kisame with his dark blue eye, looking at him quietly. "...Have you been keeping to your promise, Kisame?" Kisame suddenly looked uncomfortable, and Kakashi sighed, shaking his head as he stood up. "He made you promise before he died, Kisame; he was your best friend wasn't he?"

"Of course he was. It's just...To become the kid's guardian? I'm sorry, but if I even said 'hello' to that kid he'd bite my face off. The kid doesn't exactly like me, Kakashi."

"Well can you blame him? You were his partner in Akatsuki. You knew what was really going on in Itachi's head that Sasuke didn't understand. He used to trust you, didn't he?"

"Then Itachi was murdered in front of his eyes. The kid's not stable, Kakashi. And he sure as hell knows how to hold one fucking grudge."

"Watch your tongue I got a kid in the house."

"Who's the leader of a gang that's filled with two ex-murderers, right?" Kisame rolled his eyes, snorting. "Kakashi, you know better than anyone. Once a murderer, always a murderer. A mindset can't change on the flip of a coin." He frowned. "Neither Sasuke nor Gaara are two-faced. They're unstable. They need help. If they're given the chance, they sure as hell will kill someone again. Give the Uchiha brat a weapon, a reason and a victim, and they're as good as dead. Hell, just give him a reason and a victim, and they're as good as gone."

Kakashi looked away, crossing his arms. "Sasuke's trying to change himself. He knows he has instability and he's trying to fix that. You can tell if you watch him carefully. He's throwing himself into normal life, and he's also going on sorts of 'missions' Naruto gives that doesn't deal with giving damage to the other party." He frowned, looking away. "And Gaara's much better than he had been before, you know."

"They may be getting better, Kakashi...But to sound cliché, a leopard can't change its spots." He then blinked, turning his head a little. "Naruto ya brat get back to your room and do your goddamn homework!"

"No need to shout I was thirsty!"

"LIAR."


Just as he promised, ten minutes after being called there came a buzz at Sasuke's door. The onyx eyed teen looked up, glancing at Sakura who was going through the list of words Sasuke had come up with, eating half the sandwich she made for him, before he stood and walked over. He pressed the button that said 'door', leaning on it for a moment before letting it go and he walked back to the table, sitting down and drinking the rest of his coffee, getting up to make some more.

"Can I have a cup, too?" Sakura asked, looking over at Sasuke with a smile. "I didn't know Itachi had so many favourite bands."

"He was what one would call a 'music junky'; what can I say?" Sasuke said with a shrug and a smirk. There was a knock on the door. "It's open!"

The door opened and Shikamaru came in with his laptop, closing the door with his foot and removing his shoes. He looked around the apartment, this being the first time he'd ever stepped foot in here, before he walked to the table where Sakura was sitting, finishing off her half of the sandwich and looking at a list of words. "What's that for?"

"Password possibilities; starting with the basics." Sakura glanced up at him with a smirk. "Of course, you would know if Itachi used this sort of traditional password for his computer."

"He liked traditional better than today's form of passwords of making words up." The Nara agreed, setting up his laptop before looking at Sasuke who was staring at him. "Hey Sasuke,"

"Shikamaru," the Uchiha nodded to him, indicating to the coffee machine. "Would you like a cup?"

"I'm a tea guy myself." Shikamaru said, walking over to the kitchen area and looking around. "I'll make my own cup. You boot up Itachi's computer." The lazy boy looked over at him then, his grey eyes firm. "You're okay with me touching it, right?"

"As long as you can break into it. You're not allowed to read anything in it, though; those are for my eyes only." Sasuke mumbled, glancing at him warningly; eyes flashing briefly. Shikamaru looked at him blankly, before the intelligence gatherer nodded and he went back to making himself a cup of tea while Sasuke poured Sakura some black coffee, pouring in his own mug. He put his mug down at his spot, placing Sakura's beside her as he walked by her down the hall where the rooms were located.

The Uchiha paused by the room he hadn't entered since the last storm they had during the summer, before he pushed the door opened and walked inside, looking at the interior with a carefully blank gaze. It was just as he had left it; perfectly tidy as if Itachi had just cleaned it before he went to drive Sasuke to school and then arrive at work late like he always did. He frowned as he glanced at the card on the desk beside him, recognizing it as Itachi's old manager sending him a card telling him he was sorry that Itachi was dead, he was a wonderful addiction to the Video Shack, blah, blah, blah...

He then walked around the bed, walking over to the black wooden desk where Itachi's sleek black computer sat; flat screen monitor having been turned off for over a year. Sasuke sat down in the black leather swivel arm chair, leaning back against it for a moment before he looked at the monitor, bending down and pressing the flat button to the computer's tower, booting it up. He turned on the screen via the button on the underside of the flat screen, and he watched as it flicked on, numbers, words and information that he quickly memorized out of habit flashed before it turned to the loading screen. It then came to the blue page with an option of choosing either 'Itachi' or Sharingan', both with passwords.

Sasuke frowned for a moment, clicking on 'Itachi', and typing in something that just came to mind when he had seen the name: 'otouto'. He pressed enter, and it entered. His eyes widened as the screen loaded, the options and desktop loading before he saw a file in the short-cut buttons that was named 'Otouto'. Licking his lips and glancing at the door, hearing Shikamaru and Sakura talking about something, he clicked on the file and a Microsoft Word document opened showing a letter.

Hey otouto! The words jumped out at him like a Jack-in-the-box, and his eyes widened a bit before he continued to read.

I guess I must be dead if you're reading this, since I know I banned you from ever coming onto my computer. Hopefully I died helping you, since if I didn't then I must say I suck.

Anyhow, I digress. This is a letter of explanation, Sasuke. A letter that explains everything that you probably don't understand. By now, I'm sure you realize that I was in a gang called 'Akatsuki'. It's a gang filled with those who were too strong for other gangs to handle. I'm part of it so I can keep an eye on the leader; a mysterious, suspicious guy who usually hides his face in the shadows or by his cloak. Yeah, the gang's really uniformed; bothers me as I guess you already could guess. You know how much I hated uniforms.

Anyhow, I'm dead for probably two reasons.

One: I finally got a hold of Orochimaru (you'll remember him soon enough, since I'm not there to suppress your memories anymore. Yeah, I made you believe in some lies! Sorry kid.) and killed the bastard dead like I swore I would one day or

Two: Akatsuki finally managed to kill me off so that they can get their hands on this computer. Otouto, you can't let them touch this computer. This computer holds the information and the keys to everything I ever learned while in the community of thugs. While I was in the uniformed, strict gang ANBU—my partner Hatake Kakashi, a great man who, if you ever meet him, I'm sure you'll like—I saw a lot of things I shouldn't have seen and some things...Happened. And I kept a tab on this all since kid, I'm a hacker. I need to know this stuff so I'm always ahead of everyone else.

You saw the option of going into a file called 'Sharingan' before you clicked 'Itachi'. All information is there. I can't give you the passwords, since I can almost feel that if you don't get to this computer first, Leader will and he'll first hack here, read this letter and get all information he can. So I'm sorry, but you'll have to guess the password from here to get into there.

But I'll give you a clue, since I'm your Aniki and I love you.

Begins with 'A'

Sasuke paused, looking at the letter for a moment before he frowned, and finished the letter.

So I'll see you around! Well...When you die, that is. And you can't die young like I did. You gotta die old and grey. And if you have kids, huzzah! If not; I knew it, you're gay.

Take care of yourself, otouto,

Itachi

Sasuke sat there, staring at the letter before he felt something wet sliding down his cheek. Blinking, he wiped a hand over the skin and saw a tear on his hand. He smiled a little before his eyes widened suddenly.

"Shikamaru! Sakura! I know how to get in!"


Naruto sat on the ground, legs crossed as he stared at his punching bag with a contemplating look. Finally, he stood, wrapping his hands in bandages before he started to kick and punch his punching bag, pounding into it to let out some steam and to clear his thoughts.

'Once a murderer, always a murderer. He frowned as Kisame's words flowed in and out of his head before he punched the bag hard enough to make it shudder on his stand. His grinded his teeth together, looking at the knuckles on his fist to see red seeping through the bandages before he shrugged, sucking on his fist as he stared at nothing. 'Sasuke can't still be like that...He's changed. Sure, he's unstable. But he won't kill people anymore. He knows it's wrong.'

Yeah, but Chidori doesn't. Chidori still thinks they're napping and they won't ever wake up. The kid has no control on Chidori, remember?

'That's because he was never taught to control it like I can control you.'

Yeah, kid, about that. You might not be able to control me for much longer.

'And why not?' Naruto frowned, turning to look at the ground as he took his fist out of his mouth; his brows furrowed in confusion.

I'm upgrading.