Days bled to nights, and nights to days. He couldn't even keep track anymore. He could only guess at how long he'd been hidden safely below the ground in the dank cellar.

A small part of him felt something while lying on the dilapidated cot.

He felt remorse.

Stowed beneath the ground in a cage with no one to remind him of all those things he'd tried unsuccessfully to forget.

You mean compassion? Companionship? Friendship? Love? Feeling like you belong… The vaguely familiar yet still unidentified voice quipped within the realm of his conscious mind.

He shut his eyes and tried to will some kind of noise to radiate between his ears to spare him from the conversation.

You try to ignore it.

You run and run and run but tell me young man, where has all that running gotten you?

"Nowhere, it's gotten me absolutely nowhere." His voice cut through the silence of the prison.

A throat cleared.

He had missed someone coming up to his cell. He had given up on scanning for chakra after what he assumed to be the first week; no one was coming to see him.

From his position on the bed he rolled over to his side, just enough for him to make out a figure of who had come to him. (He wouldn't call it a visitor, whom ever came to his door, and normally the only visitor was Ibiki, for business)

He thanked the lack of lighting for hiding the shocked expression on his face when his eyes met someone he had called friend in what seemed like another life.

The new addition to the dark scenery boasted everything the darkness wasn't. A supreme juxtaposition.

Blonde hair, blue eyes, undeniably loud voice. He was the opposite of him in so many ways.

Maybe that's why you sneer when you see young Naruto… he's everything you forbade yourself from becoming. See where he is?

He sat up on the cot and really studied the figure, he had heard of people hallucinating while in solitary confinement for extended periods of time.

"Sasuke." A surprisingly lower, more serious voice came from the man.

Sasuke stood up and walked to the wrought iron bars.

"… after so long you'd think I'd have something to say to you ne?" Naruto stated, shifting uncomfortably on his feet, a nervous grin twitching at his face.

Sasuke only stared. For no reason other than it's been the only change in scenery he's had since…. Like he said earlier, time was lost on him.

"You look like hell Teme." Naruto said this with a sadness present in his voice Sasuke had never heard. "I know I'm the last person you want to see, but I wanted to say thank you. Thank you Sasuke, for eliminating Madara. That's all I wanted to say to you. Thank you… For all you've done." Naruto stated. His eyes sincere and unwavering from the sharingan wielder's gaze. The men had fought near death and Naruto still held that gaze without an ounce of fear. There was no murderous intent exchanged on either part, just a silent understanding that the ghosts of the past are necessary to remain just that… Ghosts.

He felt his face contort into an expression he knew nothing of. It didn't feel familiar but apparently it translated to the blonde, exactly what he felt.

"You're supposed to say 'you're welcome' Teme…" a jovial tone, Naruto's voice jarring Sasuke from his internal assessments.

He felt an imperial smirk threaten his mouth.

A tan hand fit between the cold steel bars. That hand was met with a firm shake by a pale one.

"Hn."

"Some things never change. " With a shrug of the blonde's shoulders, and a smile on his face, he turned on his heels and disappears down the hallway, the ANBU escort meeting him half way.

We all play a part. Every person we meet leaves an imprint and that imprint changes us at base…. This change can be large or small, noticeable or not, good or bad. Now tell me Sasuke… the imprint that man left on you, what is it?

He snickered and shook his head, turning away from the cold steel.

Soft and quick footfalls foretold yet another visitor. He hadn't realized it would be such a social day.

He thought it strange, it hadn't been that long since Naruto left and these footfalls were much swifter than Ibiki's.

He saw light quickly traveling up the hallway, nearing ever closer to his cell door.

In a matter of seconds, Tsunade as well as her accompaniment of four ANBU guards stood before his cell. With no words, a guard approached the door and unlocked it before stepping to the side, allowing the deceivingly older woman to enter.

She stepped in unceremoniously.

He refrained from asking what brought her here, opting to hold his tongue.

"I've had some time to consider your request." She stated regally before leaning against the cold stone wall, crossing her arms and shutting her eyes.

Sasuke unconsciously sat up a little straighter.

"Upon much research and many interviews I can safely say that I believe what you claim. I take your claim as truth." She said, opening her eyes to make contact with the man on the bed.

Sasuke chose to say nothing still.

"While your actions are still very questionable, I cannot say with certainty that I would not have followed your path young man. The fact you've resigned yourself to this cell willingly and offered your head for the country to know this truth now resurfaced from under a large rug speaks volumes of your commitment to your family."

She moved to his bedside and knelt down to be eye level to him.

"Just tell me, in all truth under Kami's word that all you've done up to this point in your life has been for nothing but to right the wrongs of your family." Her face pleaded but her voice remained calm.

"All I have ever done has been for my family." He said, commanding the Hokage take his gaze and read it deeply. If there was one thing Sasuke Uchiha was not doing at this moment, it was lying.

She closed her eyes and exhaled.

"Then on behalf of my humble country. I extend my condolences to your fallen kin, and my most humble apologies for the wrongs done to them by my priors." She took his hand into hers, momentarily shocking him with the sudden contact. "While I cannot bring them back, and unwrite the sins of the past, I can do what I am able to set this right. Uchiha Sasuke, I will grant you your request. Your brother will be added to the new monument since the prior was destroyed and I am personally drafting the acknowledgement of conspiracy of our Council against the Uchiha clan as we speak. During the siege, the entirety of the council perished. Unfortunatley they have escaped judgment in this life, I cannot be so sure about the next. I wish I could offer you their heads but that is no longer in our realm." She said, tension running the length of her jaw.

Sasuke took in the woman impassively.

"In the next few days, I will release you of this prison by formal order. At that time your chakra will be significantly restricted for an indefinite amount of time as a condition of your probation. You will also be required to assist the village in what ever capacity you are able with the rebuilding efforts. As you've seen, this village is leveled and there are many without homes or food. In your own, wise words young man, we should rebuild this nation on truths rather than deceits. "She raised full height and turned on her heels, already striding toward the door.

Once her back was turned, she allowed a smile to grace her deceivingly young face and he released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

His restlessness was astounding.

He hadn't realized how much he actually wanted to leave the cramped room until he got word that he would be released. His legs were aching as were his arms, perhaps laying in melancholy on a less than comfortable cot for lord knows how long made his muscles atrophy. That thought was enough to terrify him.

He raised himself onto his feet and looked at the cot loathingly before pushing himself to the ground and committing himself to an unspecified number of frantic pushups.

The feeling of blood pumping through his veins and muscular system was a welcome familiarity.

He was slightly irritated he hadn't thought of this sooner. It surely could have passed time in a more effective manner than losing himself in his thoughts on his lazy ass, then having audible conversations with himself.

Even though it certainly wasn't normal behaviour for him to just lay there and think, a part of him found it somewhat enjoyable.

He is, and always has been a man of action. For the first time in his life, he appreciated the lack of it.

With the promise of at least an end to his imprisonment, he pursued his exercise more vigorously all the while thinking about what he was going to do once that day came. He never thought that far, he figured attempting to kill both Naruto and Sakura that would be enough to sign his execution order. Not to mention the loss of life directly resulting from his defection to Sound.

The familiar knot of guilt pitted itself within him again, making him stop his ministrations completely before sitting in the floor.

He really didn't understand the scope of damage he'd dealt.

Now you see what everyone was trying to save you from. Not a pretty sight is it? People died to bring you home, when you left that place and those bonds to take more life because the entirety of your clan lost theirs…. This Sasuke, is the madness they were only trying to save you from. An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

He stilled in his thoughts.

Atonement won't be enough Sasuke… they didn't execute you because it would only continue the cycle. The only thing to right this, is to break that cycle and that my dear, will be the hardest thing you will ever do in your life.

"Five days?" He asked incredulously, his eyes narrowed in doubt.

"Yes. You were only here five days Uchiha. Felt much longer though." Ibiki answered with an even tone, ushering Sasuke out of the cell.

He stepped cautiously out of the visible boundary of the room, surveying from right to left simply because old habits die hard.

"After you. Security protocol." The elder man stated, again motioning Sasuke to stand in front of him.

He took the position in front of Ibiki, as much as he hated leaving his back vulnerable. After years of dealings with some of the most deadly shinobi of their generation, he felt he couldn't be blamed for the caution.

He almost forgot what it felt like to take full, uninterrupted strides.

Soon they came across an intersection. From the hallway they currently occupied, they could go left or right.

"Which way?" Sasuke queried. Even in his younger years he hadn't been in the depth of the interrogation unit until his imprisonment.

The older man gestured to the right. "We see the Hokage. Still have to take care of the probationary sealing."

Their feet carried them again. He nearly forgot that he'd have an unknown amount of his chakra sealed away until they terminated his probation. He rolled his eyes.

That's not what you need to be doing right now you know…

He cast his eyes down and looked at the cracking mortar between the bricks under his feet.

You aren't five anymore Sasuke. Everything is a matter of perception. Always remember that. Life is what you make it. You made it what it is now; you can make it what you want from this day on.

He hesitated before directing his eyes level again.

The men continued in silence until Sasuke grunted and turned his very sensitive eyes away from the light beaming through the small window in the metal door at the end of the corridor, still a good twenty feet away.

Ibiki laughed. 'Yeah, I get like that too after a shift here." The man stopped Sasuke with a firm hand on his shoulder. "This is where we wait. ANBU should be here anytime." Sasuke nodded before Ibiki continued "because you're not technically on probation until your probation conditions are met, they are going to have to restrain you, so… kid, don't let that bother you."

Two swift knocks landed on the metal in quick succession.

"This is where we part Uchiha. I hope I never see you here again." Ibiki said before turning his back and putting his hands in his green combat pants.

"Moreno-san." Sasuke hadn't realized the name left his mouth.

Ibiki turned partially with an eyebrow arched, "Yes?"

"Thank you." The young man stated, eyes meeting his before nodding his head in a slight bow.

With a laugh Ibiki turned around and put his hand up in a fare-well. "Thank me by not coming back will you?"

If you didn't know Uchiha Sasuke, you wouldn't have realized he had a smile on his face as the ANBU guards attached their restraints to his arms and legs.

AN: Alright... Call Sasuke OOC if you like. It's reasonable to me. Sakura will be in the next chapter. Promise. In fact i'm working on it now. Oh this should be interesting! How does a person like Sasuke who is already a social moron re-integrate into a society he deserted! This should be fun!

I would like to address something, at this point in the manga it's really a toss up on if Sasuke is going to rage against Konoha or not. If you really think about it. Everything Sasuke has done, has pretty much been to avenge his family. With the light on the fact that Itachi was given an order to wipe out his clan, yes it is reasonable that Sasuke would go all "Doctor Destro" on it. However, his allegiance has ALWAYS been to his family. I think he would want to do as Itachi wished because Itachi pretty much died twice a shinobi of Konoha because he loved it. Long shot yes. Should he be pissed and Nuke it? Sure. Fact of the matter is, it's my story. I want Sasuke to eat some humble pie, and actually face consequences. So the council is dead and he is back in the place where he is reminded every minute of all the people he left behind. Everything is settled and it's about the rebuilding more than anything. Metaphorically speaking :)

Anyway, I appreciate all the favorites and reviews... If there are errors in this, i'm sorry. I work nights and it's WAY past time I go to sleep :) Forgive me?