Oh my gosh, I got it up! Yay! It's taken me forever, since I haven't had much time. Orchestra, homework, high school applications, it gets me weighed down. Then I tried to get it up for days, but it said that it was an invalid action. And then, I had to fly down to Oregon because my cousin died and we needed to attend the funeral. (From Las Vegas to Portland, it wasn't that fun. Then I got sick) But I'm here now, updating it.

- - - July 9: Somewhere in a forest nowhere near Konoha - - -

Sasuke emerged into the make-shift camp that had recently been set up carrying a little wooden bucket full of water. He went straight to the tent that had Naruto in it and he unzipped the zipper.

He stepped in to find Sakura kneeling down over Naruto, who was currently sleeping, with her hands on his chest. Her hands were surrounded with chakra, pushing hers into his system.

Sasuke silently set the water bucket on the floor and turned around, facing the exit of the tent. "How is he?" he asked the salmon-haired Kunoichi. His hands were stuffed in his pockets, and he asked in a fashion that he would have used everyday when he was younger, a genin again.

"He's fine, and he's regaining chakra fast. But…" she trailed off.

Sasuke didn't need to look back over his shoulder to tell that she was crying. "But what?" he pressed. He wouldn't go unanswered. And he was starting to have a hard time understanding her.

Sakura looked at the Uchiha sadly. "Naruto's always been the type to bounce back after a good night's worth of rest. It's been three days now, Sasuke. He should be awake." Sea Green eyes were overflowing with tears as she said this. Sasuke paused and closed his eyes, trying to figure out what to say. And, as always, helpful words popped into his mouth.

"Sakura," he said, adding no expression to his voice in the process, "he'll be fine. You must keep in mind that he's gone through a lot of both physical and mental pressure during the past few days. When he does wake up, he'll be back to normal. So don't get so emotional about it." Sasuke started walking. When he was halfway out of the tent, he whispered to himself, "You don't have to suffer as much as I do. I'm having a hard time remembering him."

Sasuke walked over to the middle of camp where the fireplace was. There was no fire, just a little bit of charcoal and an ember that kept grey smoke rising. No one was around, and Sasuke was thankful for this. He wasn't treated the same since he had come out of the blue. Only Sakura, Kiba, and Ino treated him the same. Plus, he needed some time alone; to ponder and try to collect what memories he has left over after the accident.

The accident. That's a good place to start. What parts of the accident did Sasuke remember? He remembers getting hit by the kunai in order to protect Naruto. He also remembers Orochimaru and … the other guy, with the silver hair and glasses. "Ugh!" groaned Sasuke to himself. The raven had lost the name of the glasses wearing guy.

"What's 'ugh'?" asked a voice from behind him. He turned around and saw Kiba standing behind him, a crooked grin on his face. He stepped over to Sasuke and sat down on a large rock.

So much for privacy. "Nothing really," he shot. He suddenly seemed very interested in the single ember that kept the smoke alive. He really wasn't, he was just using it to be boring and maybe get the company away from him.

Kiba stared into the fire, and smiled. "It's funny, isn't it? How such a small ember," Kiba said, brushing his hand over the smoldering charcoal "can create so much smoke. Nature really is confusing, but wondrous at the same time." His tone was in a very smart, soft, I-know-what-I'm-talking-about tone that you would never expect Kiba to have. Especially after that one night. Oh yes, Sasuke remembered that night, when Kiba caused the raven to have a killer headache.

Sasuke just stayed quiet. After a couple of minutes, Kiba left, muttering something about finding something to eat. Sasuke silently thanked Kiba for leaving him, and he started to figure out what he had known about the accident. Naruto… he had supposedly gotten hit by kunai… But he turned into a log and missed… And Orochimaru… He said that Naruto didn't really love… him…

Sasuke was puzzled. His thoughts were all jumbled up, and it was resulting in nothing but bad thoughts. "I have to get alone," he whispered to himself, as he stood up shakily. He jumped to a tree close by, and almost fell off the branch he had chose to land on. He got a few trees away before he dropped down to a thick, low branch and just sat there.

It was cold now that there was no fire in his face. A wind swept by, and leaves rustled with it. 'Did he… Did Orochimaru really say that? That Naruto… that he didn't love me?' the Uchiha contemplated. He brought his fist down against the tree and splintered the wood. "Dammit, I don't remember!" he snarled to himself. Nothing came to him. "Nothing, I don't remember any interactions between me and Naruto other than when I woke up in his house and the accident. "Did Naruto really love me?" he asked himself, "or did I love him?"

Sasuke sighed. "What do I remember about Naruto?"

A list of things popped into the raven's head. He remembered what Naruto looked like, but he had seen Naruto earlier. He had also been too comfortable with Naruto earlier. And I was all instinct, what his body commanded him to do.

He needed to ask Naruto. He had to get answers. And what about the dream that he had? That was an interesting dream. In it, he had been fighting with Naruto, who kept saying "I hate you", over and over, to the point of annoyance, and Sasuke had killed him, but then, for some weird reason, the raven had killed himself. It was making him wonder how much Naruto really meant to him.

Okay, continuing with the list, Sasuke remembered calling him "dobe", but he had done that all his life. He also remembered the Rasengan, Naruto's jutsu.

Sasuke punched and splintered the tree again. "Why?" he gasped. "Why can't I remember anything about him?!"

Everything lit up with a flash of lightening, followed soon after by a roar of thunder. Sasuke sat there, awaiting the rainfall. And it came. It soaked him, wet to the bone, and he just sat under that tree, pushing his memory.

Another flash lit everything, and this time, there was a mysterious person standing in front of him. It was a girl, and she was tall. He couldn't see her face because it was covered by a giant red hood that belonged to the robe that she was wearing. Her purple hair was braided and resting on her shoulders. All he could see of her face was her mouth.

"Who are you?" he demanded. The girl just smiled silently. Sasuke was getting impatient. "Answer me!" he growled.

"What is more important, my name or my purpose?" the girl asked in a quiet, sing-song voice.

Sasuke was taken aback. Why was this girl talking back to him? "Both," he snarled.

The girl smiled. "Good choice," she whispered. She stepped closer to the Uchiha, who immediately pulled out his Sharingan along with a kunai. The girl sighed and said, "Do not attack me, troubled Uchiha; fore I am not here to harm you. If I show any form of threat, you may attack me."

Sasuke stared to lower the kunai, but glared at the girl. She knew his name. He opened his mouth, but she put her long index finger against his lips. "Do not speak. Yes, I know your name, but that is irrelevant right now." She took a big breath. "My name is Niha Shinobu, and I am not of any village. I am not a rogue, more of a wanderer. My purpose is to unlock a person's hidden secrets and thoughts."

Sasuke gave her a weird look. 'She can read… a person's thoughts?!' Sasuke's head screamed. Before he could say anything, she placed her hand against his forehead. "Suffering and hatred and confusion, yet also yearning and love. You've had a hard life, and it will not ever get any easier." She smiled a relaxed smile and whispered, "You must watch out. What you want most will always be out of reach. And when you finally will grab a hold of it, it will break."

"What the hell is it that I want? My memories?" Sasuke snarled. He was getting angry because Shinobu, if that was even her name, was getting on his nerves with her weird ways.

The girl was not taken back by Sasuke's words. "Is it your memories that you have wanted all your life?" she asked. Another challenging question for Sasuke.

She slowly bent down and kissed Sasuke's forehead. "Do not worry, the next will know." She backed away from Sasuke, smiled at him one last time, and turned to leave. Her silhouette disappeared with the darkness of the forest.

Sasuke was, again, taken a back by her kiss, but he let it pass. "So it's not my memories?" he asked the darkness where she had left at. He punched the tree for a third time, splintering it again. "Who is the 'next'? The next person I see? Is it my next date? Who?" Sasuke groaned and clutched his head tightly in his hands.

- - - Konoha - - -

"Hokage!" a shinobi exclaimed, bursting into the Hokage's office. "The squad sent out found… Naruto."

He slowed himself down once he realized that the Hokage was with several important other people in the room. Tsunade nodded once and replied with, "I hope they have a safe journey home."

The shinobi nodded solemnly and slowly left, closing the door behind him. When he was gone, Tsunade let out a sigh. She turned her attention to her important guests and said, "Okay, so, why is it that you are here?"

An elderly man, who was skinny and had a long beard, stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, Hokage-sama, but it's time for a new Hokage to take charge. You have been a great Hokage these couple of years, but it is time you were to be replaced."

Tsunade nodded at the man's words. "Am I the one who will choose the next or will your council be?" she asked.

"We will get both my council's opinion and yours. If they are different, we will have to decide together who will be fit for the job," he replied. "Were you considering someone in particular?"

Tsunade nodded. "Then your pick should be a wise one," he advised her, before him and some of the members of his council followed him out of the room. "I hope to see your pick," he said before leaving the room.

- - - July 10 : Somewhere in a forest nowhere near Konoha - - -

"Sasuke, he's awake!" Sakura exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly on her quest to retrieve Sasuke for Naruto. Sasuke was sitting up in a tree, still trying to collect his thoughts and memories when Sakura interrupted him.

Sasuke jumped down from the tree, wondering whether he should see him or not. 'Probably,' Sasuke thought. He made his way to the pink-haired Kunoichi, who repeated her message to him. "Take me to him," was Sasuke's reply.

When they reached Naruto's tent, Sakura left Sasuke and went out to find Kiba, muttering about lunch. Sasuke unzipped the tent and ducked inside. He found Naruto, sitting up with his legs crossed ( criss-cross applesauce style :D ). His chest was bandaged up, and he had a bandage on one of his cheeks, but other than that, he seemed okay. He was grinning at the raven. "Oi, teme, long time no see!" he chirped.

Sasuke stared at him with a sarcastic look that read 'oh ha ha, so funny.' Naruto pouted. "Are you not gonna talk to me?" he whined.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "There's nothing really to talk about," he replied. He sat down and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Nothing to talk about?!" Naruto erupted. "There are loads of things to talk about! Like you memories! What all do you remember?" Naruto really cared for Sasuke, more than the teme thought, even when he had all his memory.

"I remember a lot, okay! I also lost a lot!" snarled the Uchiha. Yeah, he wasn't in a good mood since that girl had read his mind.

"Like what?" Naruto persisted. "Go from when you woke at my house to now."

Sasuke sighed. "Fine," he breathed the Uchiha in defeat. "I remember waking up at your house. Then something with you drowning… I think it happened at a waterfall. And then a date, but I don't remember who with." Sasuke saw Naruto roll his eyes and let out a sigh. Sasuke dismissed these actions and continued. "I also remember you getting extremely sick, and I got a huge headache because Kiba visited."-Naruto smiled at his and chuckled to himself, muttering something like 'that's Kiba for you'- "And then when you were better, we got attacked by Orochimaru."

Naruto nodded slowly. "And I don't remember any details," confessed the raven. "I don't even remember the guy's name that we fought with Orochimaru." 'Pitiful," Sasuke's head sternly told him.

Naruto smiled at him. "Don't worry, you'll get them back. Then everything will be back to normal. But if they don't, you'll live. It's not like they mean anything." Naruto was bleeding on the inside, but not physically. He had gone through so much to be a good match for Sasuke, to have him respect him as more of a friend, and now Sasuke doesn't remember any of it. 'He probably doesn't even feel for me anymore,' the blonde thought sadly.

Sadly, this may be the only time we see Shinobu... But whatever. She's not important. Just her words...