Chapter 9

Megumi walked on ignoring the person now beside her. What could she say? She had only seen the redhead twice and already she wasn't a big fan of Karin's. 'Stupid pheromones.' She thought as she didn't want to blame Sasuke or the girl.

"Hey. Megumi, right?" Karin asked beside her. Megumi nodded her head and placed her mask back on her face. "I've heard about you. You were a real inspiration for me, you know. My age and already an established and sort of known ninja." She continued as she walked beside Megumi. "Then you had to go and ruin the image by rejoining the Mist Village. What happened? Were you afraid they were going to catch up to you?" Megumi remained silent as she continued walking, now aware of two more sets of feet walking behind her. Karin scoffed as the light reflected off her glasses. "Another coward." She muttered. "Sasuke, I think you should just ditch these two. They're just going to slow us down."

Megumi stopped walking and watched as Suigetsu and Karin began to argue again. What had happened? Why did she join the Mist Village? Perhaps she was afraid, but then why was she there with Sasuke knowing that she would be a criminal again? She just didn't know. She was taken out of her thoughts as Sasuke stopped beside her. "Don't let her get to you." He said simply. "Keep up."

"No." She said. Behind her mask she was a nervous mess. If Sasuke could have incapacitated her for a few days, he could no doubt kill her as well.

He turned around and slowly stalked after her. "What?"

"I don't want to go."

He came to a stop in front of her, making Megumi realize just how much taller he was compared to her own average height. "What makes you think you have a choice?"She tried to look away but was stopped by Sasuke's hand on her chin. He yanked the mask off her face and stared into Megumi's angry eyes. "I thought we already talked about this."

"You talked about it." She glared. "All you let me do was follow." She shook his hand off her face and went to pick up her mask, when Sasuke suddenly grabbed her wrist and slammed her body against a wall while he spoke into her ear.

"Are you acting this way because of how you found Karin and I?" He chuckled. "I thought you would be above jealousy."

She pushed him back a bit as she glared again into his eyes. "This isn't about that!" She asserted. "I want to go home. I have nothing to do with whatever you're planning so why should I stay?"

He glared back at her, angry that she thought it could be that simple. "You said you would help if it might bring me back to the village."

"Do you think I'm stupid? I don't even know why I started following you in the first place. I could have fought back, but I didn't want to. You have no control!" She stated. "I know I'm not making sense, but I- I'm just so confused." Megumi said as she began to walk again, away from Sasuke's confused face. "I want you to come back, but then I'll be a criminal if I help you…."

She was conflicted, on one hand she had a very high ranking and dangerous criminal right in her grasp, on the other it was also one of her closest friends that she very much wanted back, but at what cost? Could she live with herself if she helped Sasuke just because of her selfish need to be with him? It was too much to think about. Megumi gasped as Sasuke took hold of her chin again, gently this time, and turned her towards him. "I know I haven't been treating you very well lately, but I really do need your help. And I really do ca…." He trailed off. "I really do appreciate what you've been doing for me. Just promise you'll stay and help me."

Megumi stared at him with uncertainty but felt her face heat up at his soft voice. 'I've never seen Sasuke like this. Maybe I…' She shook her head at the thoughts. "No…I can't just do something that might, might ruin this life that I have now and I…"

Sasuke's smirk returned as he heard her wavering voice. "What if you actually want to ruin that life? I bet you were waiting for something like this to happen to you, so why not just let it happen." He tempted as he rested his forehead on hers and chuckled at her deepening blush. "I know you probably hate me for acting this way, but it's just who I am. I can't promise you anything not even an answer to your feelings." He continued with a sigh.

Megumi smiled at his words and rubbed her nose against his own. "Who are you and what have you done to Sasuke?" She joked. He stared at her seriously making her laugh more. "You should know by now that my feelings never expected an answer, they just needed to be acknowledged."

"Sasuke, let's get going!" Karin yelled from the entrance with a glare on her face.

"Let's go." Sasuke ordered, his frown returning as he turned to leave, the strange side of him gone.

_._._._._._

They all stood in front of the hideout in shock of the numerous bodies littering the ground seeming to be the work of Jugo, who Sasuke was adamant about having on his team. Megumi looked around with wide eyes as she took in the death and destruction, still on the fence of whether or not she should stay with Sasuke or try to find her way back to Naruto and Yuki.

Sasuke suddenly stopped before they could step through the hideout entrance. "Megumi." He said with his back towards them. "I need you to stay out here."

"What?" She asked in confusion. "You expect me to wait out here like an obedient puppy while you guys go get Jugo, what was the point of me even being on this team if I'm not providing support?" She asked as she grew exasperated of going in circles and seemingly doing nothing.

Karin and Suigetsu followed Sasuke as he left her behind. "I don't need you right now, just stay here and wait for us." They disappeared into the dark entrance and left her alone to stubbornly kick over a small stone before falling on the ground and sighing in defeat.

'I wonder what Yuki, Naruto and everyone else is doing. Probably having fun eating ramen or something.' Megumi thought with a sigh.

.In the Hidden Leaf Village….

"As of now, you are hereby declared a ninja of the village alliances." Tsunade stated as she stared at the stone faced shinobi. "What this means is that wherever an able minded ANBU like yourself is needed you will be able to help without the restraints of trying to still please and maintain status in a certain village." She paused as she took a drink from her saki and went back to reading the paper in front of her. "Of course this is just a ploy or formality to make sure you can stay with Team Kakashi as they continue the search for the Akatsuki which is actually a search for Sasuke or for you, Megumi."

Yuki nodded stiffly as the Hokage told him this. "I'll try my best, but I can't promise that I can help bring Sasuke back alive, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade sighed at his answer as she leaned forward and gave him a hard look. "I want you to know that unless he intends to do so to you, there is no order to bring him back dead he has to be alive."

He growled in frustration. "You have to understand that I was actually starting to put my trust into this guy back then and then he goes and throws it in my face by leaving Megumi hurt and then three years later comes back to finish the job. I. Can't. Promise. That." He ground out.

Tsunade had enough of him as she turned her chair towards the window behind her and waved him off in dismissal.

Yuki left with a glare pushing past Naruto and Shikamaru. "Yuki!" Naruto yelled out for him. He ignored and walked into the village's streets hoping to get his mind off of things. "Yuki!?" Naruto persisted with a yank of his arm.

"What?!" He yelled with red eyes. "What do you want from me?!" Naruto stared at him with pity while Shikamaru gave him a glare. "If you think for a second I'm actually going to help you bring Sasuke back alive, you are sorely mistaken."He glared. "If he kills her, hell if he even hurts her in any way I will kill him. I promise you that, Naruto. You won't be able to stop me."

Naruto smirked at his words. "Yuki, the way you feel right now is how I felt when Orochimaru took Sasuke away, I'm pretty sure that's how Sasuke felt too with Itachi."

"You don't get it do you?" He asked incredulously. "Sasuke left on his own, he wasn't taken from you. His whole family was slaughtered by his brother, you don't understand how I feel and don't you try to make me feel sympathy for him."

Shikamaru shook his head as he approached them. "What he means is that you guys all want revenge. Something precious was taken from you and you want it back and then some." He scratched his head with a sigh. "It's such a drag. The only thing you'll get is a major headache and getting yourselves killed, why do you think shinobi aren't meant to keep close connections?"

He stayed silent staring at the ground. He felt Naruto place a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring manner. "If it makes you feel any better, I actually think Sasuke will take good care of Megumi. I don't think he can kill her." He smiled.

Yuki looked up the sky and smiled sadly. "That's just it. I think he might be the only one able to kill her. Let's, let's go get some ramen. My treat for you guys." He sighed.

Shikamaru smirked. "Knowing you, you'll have some errand you have to get to before the bill arrives. I swear you're worse than Naruto."

He chuckled. "Yeah, I um… I won't this time."

Naruto chuckled too. "When did we get so mature, huh?"

They nodded in agreement. "Well, there's nothing we can do now but wait so…" Yuki said with a clap of his hands. "After ramen, you guys want to help me move into Naruto's apartment?"

"What?!" Villagers turned towards the sound of Naruto's yell. "We can't do this again Yuki, as much as I love how nice you make it I can't stand living with you!"

"Quit your whining, I'm the one that should be saying that! That place is as much mine as it is yours anyway!"

"When the heck was that decided you jerk?!"

"Just now, when I realized how abandoned that place must be by now!"

"It's not abandoned you jerk!"

"You already called me that idiot!"

"Shut up!"

"You shut up!"

Shikamaru sighed as he looked around at the growing crowd. Of all the friends he could have been with now, why did he choose the most embarrassing? "What a drag…"

_._._._._._

"Hey, wake up!"

Megumi groaned as a voice continued to yell at her to wake up and a foot prodded her on the side annoyingly. "Wha?" Her eyes opened to the annoyed face of Karin and the amused face of Suigetsu.

"Well what do you know, she lives." Suigetsu commented condescendingly.

She ignored them as she sat up and yawned before focusing on the bright orange haired ninja staring at her. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment as she rushed to stand and fix her sleep hair. "Uhh, you must be Jugo, right?" She asked with a smile. "I'm Megumi." He stared at her in wonder for a second before turning back towards Sasuke seeming to not care about her. "um, right." She faltered.

"Now that I have my perfect team here, I need you all to make a decision. You can follow me or be on your way." Sasuke said. Megumi glared at him as he spoke to his three companions, making it obvious to them all that she wasn't included in the discussion.

Once they all agreed to stay with Sasuke, he turned towards Megumi only to find her on the ground again making crude drawings of an angry Sasuke on the dirt. She was engrossed in her drawing not noticing her subject approaching her until his foot landed and destroyed her art. "Hey!" She complained as he pulled her up to her feet.

"Pay attention, if you're going to be on this team then act like it." He said with a glare. She opened her mouth to retort only to be interrupted.

"Why even bother with her, Sasuke? I heard she isn't even any good, all she'll contribute is extra weight to hold you back." Karin concluded with her arms crossed.

Megumi tried again to defend herself but was interrupted another time. "Are you questioning my decisions, Karin?" Sasuke asked.

She faltered causing the light to reflect on her glasses. "Of course not, I-I'm just worried that she'll ruin your plans, Sasuke."

"That is none of any of your concerns." He retorted. "As of now, you have all agreed to be in a team under my command. From now on, we will be known as the Hebi." He said to them all. "Any order I give should and will be followed without any questions asked." He looked at them all looking for any sort of hesitation and finding none. "The one and only goal of the Hebi is to find and kill Itachi Uchiha."

His words were met with various reactions but Megumi stayed silent staring at Sasuke with sadness in her eyes. It was one thing to know what Sasuke had wanted to do, it turned out to be completely different listening to him state it so nonchalantly. She could only wait and see what would come next as it seemed that Sasuke had single handedly taken all the power she thought she had.