Months had passed since Sakura's attempt at suicide and Sasuke had left the room each day since with a heavier heart. She was normally so friendly and cheery, in the end it was no wonder why he accepted her love and returned it, but the feelings he'd developed over time for her astonished him and his feelings were more distracting than usual since he found her half dead that day and even moreso since he had become the one tending to her needs day in and day out. She was too weak to take very good care of herself so he had to take care of her or allow Kabuto to assist her and there was absolutely no way he would stand for that, especially when she needed him. He found that the only time he could really banish her from his thoughts was when he was fighting, but he rarely found himself in a battle worthwhile anymore. Unknowingly, he was about to run into Neji Hyuuga, somebody that would entertain him for a change.

Sasuke was midjump when he sensed his adversary. 'Neji… And he's not alone… No matter, I'll tear him apart… But I can't decide if I want to make his friends watch or if I just want to kill them and then corner him like a rat,' he thought to himself. He still hadn't decided by the time he arrived to the thicket Neji stood blatantly in the center of as if he was just waiting to be found. Beside him stood Hinata and a pair of jounin. Hinata and the jounin seemed rather frightened but Neji stood unafraid and ready to have at his Uchiha nemesis.

"I don't care what happens to me, but you're going to pay for what you've done to Tenten," Neji said fiercely as he stepped into a fighting stance. Sasuke grinned maliciously before responding.

"Neji Hyuuga… All you can do is spin your arms around and shut off my chakra if I choose to let you… There isn't much you can do that will hurt me," Sasuke stated factually.

"Neji…" Hinata whispered. "Please don't do this…"

"And you, I hear you've got an all new arsenal of murderous jutsu… Will you rest easy now knowing that you've done to me what your brother did to you? Your hatred has turned you into a vengeful dog… I'm here to stop you, Sasuke. I challenge you to fight me hand to hand, that is if you're not physically so weak that you have to rely on your jutsu. It would be a shame if that were the case."

"Oh, I have no problem with the rules of your game, in fact, I gladly accept your challenge," Sasuke answered as he approached his opponent. He sensed that Neji's bloodlust was more intense than his own but he knew that would change very shortly.

"Neji… I don't trust him, he won't stick to your rules, he's a murderer, remember what happened to…" Hinata trailed off. Neji turned to her and for a fraction of a second there was something intense about the look on his face that made her want to cry. He tried his best to smile before giving his response.

"Hinata, tell Miyu I said that… Tenten won't be alone anymore… Please leave now before it's too late."

Hinata's brows furrowed and she stood there unsure of what to do anymore. She knew that struggling against Neji's will was almost pointless and that Sasuke, the monster who killed Lee, Tenten, Shino and even Kiba who was dear to her was not an enemy they could escape from so easily, especially when he was challenged by the leader of their small group. Since Sasuke accepted, she almost knew that even if she could somehow persuade Neji to run to safety, they would be crushed single-handedly with their backs turned. Hinata understood how far down Sasuke had sunk, having seen Naruto's depression over the matter first hand.

"I don't want to leave you..!" she responded almost regretingly. Neji began walking towards Sasuke and they met roughly five feet from each other as Hinata and the jounin stood nervously by.

"He's your cousin, are you sure about this? I don't feel comfortable about this situation… That Uchiha is wanted for murder as well as terrorism and kidnapping… Is this really what you want..?" asked one of the jounin, the other spent his time silently analyzing Sasuke as he moved, hoping to learn something about him, his fighting style and possibly even his weaknesses.

Sasuke started by making a mad dash towards Neji and sending a flurry of surprisingly fast attacks which Neji avoided. Neji dodged every swing and began taking jabs of his own, shifting the battle and giving him the edge. His strikes were swift and quick, but Sasuke was also magnificently fast. Neji was forced to dodge more than strike and the shere force of Sasuke's chakra seemed to push him away, but he held his ground and made his strike every chance he got.

Hinata watched fearfully as Sasuke and Neji fought, both with equal intent to win. This lasted for a few moments before finally they stepped back and began taunting.

"Have you said your goodbyes?" Sasuke asked smugly to which Neji smirked before giving his own snide answer.

"Have you? Have you told your wife or children goodbye..? I suppose not since they're in the middle of a mother retrieval mission right now," Neji replied. In response to Neji's remark Sasuke's expression changed completely. His frown became one that made even Neji feel uncomfortable as he reveled in his enemies' despair. Sasuke stood motionless for a moment before he began speaking again.

"…Since she might not be there by the time I get back and I'll have to tear Konoha apart looking for her because of you, I'm going to take something important from you yet again."

Hinata felt the hair on her back stand up on end when she finally let the absence of her jounin teammates sink in since her senses had been focused on the fight between Neji and Sasuke.

"You don't know what's important to me at all. You're just another Uchiha traitor and a murderer."

"You don't know the truth about what happened to my family so shut the hell up about the Uchiha clan!" Sasuke growled as he engaged Neji once again in hand to hand combat but after a few strikes Neji retaliated and in that instant, Sasuke had his sword fully unsheathed and dripping tears of crimson. Hinata shrieked when she realized what Sasuke had done. Neji quickly grasped his left shoulder, his expression full of shock as he stared into the face of his perpetrator. Sasuke didn't stay to watch his suffering although he would've liked to. Hinata ran to Neji's side seconds after Sasuke disapeared into the nearby treeline. She knew that Sasuke could've done far worse than what he'd done and thanked every God she knew of that he hadn't.

Sorry I haven't made a post in so long, I've been eaten by life. But I'm about to start typing the next chapter right now. Thanks for all your reviews, I hope you keep reading!