Chapter Summary: He flicks the hair out of his eye, Rinnegan bared as he teleports to just an arm's length away from Danzo, foot lashing out to kick the older man square in the chest. He goes flying back, smacking into the already crumbling wall behind him. Several ROOT agents spring forward in the next second, various weapons held aloft as they zero in on Sasuke. Sasuke glares them down and, without a single stitch of pity, snarls, "Shinra Tensei," giving the push enough chakra to affect his attackers, but to leave the Hokage and his protective ANBU unscathed. The ROOT agents go flying back, ejected in mid-air, as Sasuke darts forward, lightning chakra already chirping in his hand.

um hi...sorry it took so fucking long to get this out? i only had two chapters outlined and i wanted to get more planned out before writing this up, but that didnt happen, so i said fuck it. this chapter only touched on half of the outline that was planned however, so i am technically still two chapters ahead?

Uprooted

In the following two weeks after Sasuke's breakdown, he takes several moments to step aside from the activity around him to just take a second to breathe it all in. He will be standing in front of a food stall in the Uchiha district and have a couple walking past him nod in his direction, slight smiles on their faces as they acknowledge him. He runs a few errands for Mikoto, just stopping at an Uchiha run grocers for some milk, and the teen at the register throws in a candy bar as well, free of charge. Sasuke gives it to his younger self to share with Naruto, but its like now that he's finally acknowledged that there's an entire clan relying on him, he's suddenly having more interactions with them than ever before.

He feels it deep in his chest every time a young face looks at him with hope. It cracks something inside him, having all that faith from people who have no idea what he's done to get where he is now. When it becomes to much, that weight of expectation, he always finds himself walking to the same place. He will linger in the woods outside of the memorial stone, face blank but eyes pained, as he watches his old sensei converse with a rock. He spends hour doing this, just watching Kakashi as he fakes being animated to an audience of one. Obito doesn't appear against after the first time Sasuke sensed him, and it makes him wonder if there was something important going on that day that would make Obito seek his old teammate out like that. Sasuke knows he'll probably never get an answer, but it continues to bug him every time he himself spies on Kakashi.

He's on his way to pick up Naruto at the park, Mikoto already busy making dinner while the younger Sasuke attempts to help make food for his new friend, and he stops briefly to do his usual vigil. He can't stay as long as he usually does, already running late, but even just the moment of observing the man in front of him leaves Sasuke with a small smile upon his face.

He's getting ready to force his feet to move away when there's an explosion in the middle of the village. Sasuke activates his Mangekyou Sharingan immediately following the shockwave, eyes snapping towards the smoke cloud that has formed over the hokage tower. He isn't sure what going on, but if there's an attack on the village, Sasuke knows his priorities. He immediately starts running, absentmindedly noting that Kakashi has spotted him exiting his usual hiding place. Something that is concerning, for sure, but now isn't the time for Sasuke to feel embarrassed at being caught with melancholy thoughts.

He makes it to the park in record time, eyes darting back and forth as he searches for Naruto's bright hair. He spots him next to the swings, which is unusual since the blond usually likes to wait for Sasuke under the tree, but the little girl next to him immediately erases any questions that Sasuke would ask. Of all time for Naruto to befriend Sakura, it had to be in the middle of a possible invasion.

She's terrified, small body and grasping hands pressed tightly against Naruto's shaking figure. If any adults had been in the park earlier, they are all gone now. Sasuke gives a quick glance around, suspicious when he can't find any of Naruto's usual ANBU guard, but he pushes it aside, eager to gage Naruto and Sakura's condition.

"Jikan-san!" Naruto shouts when he spots him, tugging Sakura forward as he rushes to him. Sasuke doesn't need to think about it, immediately crouching down and opening his arms for Naruto. The blond doesn't catapult himself into them, but it's a close thing, and he drags Sakura along with him. Both of them are trembling, wide eyes confused and terrified. Sasuke lets himself run his fingers through Naruto's spiked hair briefly, a calming touch to give the boy some reassurance, before he turns a gentle smile to Sakura.

"Hello," Sasuke says softly, "I'm not sure what's going on, but I can get you both to safety. Naruto's been there before.

Sakura hides behind Naruto briefly, shy even in a dire situation. She bites her lip, looking at Sasuke and then beseechingly at Naruto. The boy looks grim, something that upsets Sasuke greatly, but the blond nods and squeezes Sakura's hand, which gets a small nod from the girl. With her permission given, Sasuke scoops both of them up, Sakura in his arm and Naruto clinging to his back like a monkey, before he takes off back towards the Uchiha compound.

"Where are your parents, Pink-chan?" Sasuke asks.

Sakura curls closer to his shoulder, peeking out at him.

"Her name is Sakura-chan!" Naruto provides directly into his ear, shouting in order to be heard over the noise that has descended upon the village. It leaves Sasuke's ear ringing and he grimaces. His pain must have hit Sakura's funny bone because she giggles softly, a hesitant sound that draws Sasuke's attention back to her.

"Sakura-chan, your parents?"

"They left this morning," she answers, voice soft enough that Sasuke has to fight against the twinging in his ear to hear her. "I was supposed to stay with Yuki-chan, but she's a kunoichi and she went to go help."

Sasuke scowls at her words, immediately unimpressed. Sakura's parents are travelling merchants, so Sasuke doesn't blame them for not being there. Back in Sasuke's future, Sakura had regaled stories of her old babysitter, a kunoichi name Yuki, who had been rather negligent when it came to watching Sakura when her parents were away. She should've made sure Sakura was safe before going off, especially since she had been trusted to care for her by Sakura's parents. Sasuke tightens his hold on Sakura, leaping up out of the street and onto a roof. The rooftops weren't as busy as the streets, civilians rushing around trying to figure out what's going on getting in his way.

"Jikan-san."

Sasuke cuts his eye over to Hound, the man appearing beside him. Sasuke stops abruptly, cringing when Naruto gives a startled yelp. Hound reaches and grabs him, extracting him from Sasuke's back. Sasuke takes a quick moment to look towards the Hokage tower, searching for something. He finds it, that dark twisting chakra clashing with the cool precision Sasuke can only identify as Orochimaru. The snake Sannin has obviously begun whatever plan he's made to get rid of Danzo.

"Hound," Sasuke says urgently, turning back to the ANBU, "please take Naruto and Sakura to the Uchiha compound. They will be safe there."

Sasuke hands Sakura off to a startled Hound, already getting ready to flicker away, when Hound grabs his arm tightly. Sasuke looks back, meeting Kakashi's panicked gaze through the Hound mask. "It's fine," Sasuke reassure, gentling his voice. "I give you permission." Sasuke takes off after that, making his way towards where the center of the chaos is. The closer he gets, the more activity he is greeted with, varying levels of shinobi darting around as they help civilians away from the eye of whatever storm has started brewing.

Sasuke arrives in time to see Orochimaru deliver a blow to Danzo's bandaged face, blood splattering as the stolen Sharingan implanted in his face is revealed to the world. Sasuke clenches his hand, his face twisted in disgust, as Danzo doesn't react to his secret coming out, like he hasn't just been found guilt of dojutsu theft simply by being seen with an unauthorized Sharingan. The Sandaime is looking grave beside Orochimaru, several ANBU backing both of them up. Danzo isn't alone, however, ROOT agents slithering there way towards their master. It's a fight that will destroy half of Konoha should Sasuke let it happen.

He flicks the hair out of his eye, Rinnegan bared as he teleports to just an arm's length away from Danzo, foot lashing out to kick the older man square in the chest. He goes flying back, smacking into the already crumbling wall behind him. Several ROOT agents spring forward in the next second, various weapons held aloft as they zero in on Sasuke. Sasuke glares them down and, without a single stitch of pity, snarls, "Shinra Tensei," giving the push enough chakra to affect his attackers, but to leave the Hokage and his protective ANBU unscathed. The ROOT agents go flying back, ejected in mid-air, as Sasuke darts forward, lightning chakra already chirping in his hand.

Danzo has collected himself by the time Sasuke reaches him, however, and his hands are blurring together as he takes in a deep breath, shouting, "Fuuton: Shinkuu Renpa!" as he exhales, several blades of wind rushing towards Sasuke. Sasuke scoffs, quickly dropping his chidori to focus on sending out another Shinra Tensei. He doesn't stop moving forward though, pushing Danzo back while simultaneously closing the distance.

The man is unbelievably angry as he flips in the air, landing in a crouch to glare fiercely at Sasuke's approaching form. He won't be getting any backup, Sasuke can't help but think viciously, as the ANBU have collected themselves finally and are engaged with the surrounding ROOT agents. Danzo starts to form more hand signs when he has to stop suddenly to deflect a kunai, his attention drawn briefly to the Sandaime, who is fighting three ROOT agents simultaneously. It's the opening Sasuke needs, Danzo's attention and Sharingan occupied with his old teammate. He activates Banshou Ten'in, grimly satisfied as Danzo is abruptly pulled towards him. Sasuke meets Danzo burning gaze, anger meeting dark satisfaction as chakra flares in his Mangekyou, eyes spinning as he summons Amaterasu, the black flames unfurling as they latch themselves onto Danzo. The flames are pleasantly warm against his skin, not burning in the slightest, but they are agony for Danzo, who immediately pulls away from Sasuke, screaming.

With Amaterasu clinging to him, there isn't any trick Danzo can pull to escape death. His Izanagi trick won't work here, Amaterasu's inextinguishable flames not being stopped by any method Danzo has access to. It's a grim fate Danzo is facing and it brings a vicious smile to Sasuke's face. It doesn't matter that Sasuke had gotten the chance to kill Danzo once before, in his past. Sasuke hadn't known everything then, only that the man was partly responsible for his clan's demise. He hadn't known the strings Danzo pulled in order to make Naruto's life miserable. He hadn't taken into account the machinations the man employed to shape the shinobi world. Now that he does know, he watches Danzo perish with glee.

The Sandaime, on the other hand, does not watch on with glee. He appears next to Sasuke, ROOT enemies taken down, and he settles a heavy hand on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Put it out, Jikan-san," the Sandaime says over Danzo's screams.

"No," Sasuke replies easily, not taking his eyes off of his target.

The hand on his shoulder tightens, the pale flesh turning red underneath his shirt. It will surely bruise, but Sasuke doesn't care. Sarutobi had let his nostalgia for his teammate blind him for too long. He had let Danzo go unchecked and look where that got them. Sasuke wasn't letting up until Danzo was gone for good, damn what the Hokage demanded he do.

"Sensei," Orochimaru's hissing voice sounds from Sasuke's other side. The man appears in his peripheral, wiping blood from his blade as he stares dispassionately at the Sandaime. His intense gaze seems to finally get it through to the elder that there isn't anything he can do; he can't save Danzo. The hand on his shoulder squeezes down once more, though this time it is light in apology, before the Hokage extracts himself from Sasuke, turning his back on the now charred corpse that was once his trusted friend.

Sasuke stares down at the burnt body before him, face dark. He finally cuts the chakra he had been feeding the flames, his eye allowing him to cut the flame off, sparks sputtering as they burn up. There's nothing recognizable left of Danzo or his unnatural body, merely burn skin and charred bones laying atop the ground.

"Genin, hm," Sandaime says without humor, his back still turned away from the gruesome sight before him. Sasuke shrugs, even though he knows the man won't see it, and shortens the distance between them with only a few long strides.

"I failed my first chunin exam, like I said," Sasuke offers, looking out at the destruction around them. "I never tried again. That doesn't mean I stopped training."

The buildings around the Hokage tower are just as destroyed as the tower, large chunks of rubble blocking off the street and making thee ground uneven and clunky looking. There are several medic nin seeing to patients, glowing green permeating the area in several spots that Sasuke can see with just a short glance. It doesn't extend too far into the rest of the village, only about a block in total, but it's still significant damage done to an area with high traffic. It will be a nightmare to clean up, that's for sure.

"Hokage-sama," Hound says, appearing next to the slumping Hokage. He offers a slight nod to Sasuke, indicating that both Naruto and Sakura were safe enough for him to make his way back to the danger zone.

The Sandaime simply nods to his ANBU, tired and weary amongst the battlefield in the middle of his village. Sasuke debates keeping his mouth shut, knowing the Hokage could take it as an insult if he feels inclined that way, but Sasuke still finds himself catching the man's attention, raising an eyebrow and asking, "You ever think of retirement?"

The short burst of tired laughter that extracts from the man seems to ease his tension, his shoulder drooping from exhaustion instead of the heavy feeling of loss he must be suffering. "Every damn day."

"May I make a suggestion?" Sasuke asks idly, twirling his thumbs like he had no stake in the following proceedings.

The Hokage just snorts at him, inclining his head to show Sasuke he's listening.

"I think it might be time for Senju Tsunade to return to Konohagakure," Sasuke suggests innocently, pleased at the renewed gleam in the older man's eyes.

"Indeed," he says speculatively, burning curiosity settling in his eyes. "But first, perhaps we should have a more in-depth discussion on what exactly the hell happens in the future."

Sasuke smiles sardonically, his sharp grin mocking, as he replies, "I thought you'd never ask."

Orochimaru snorts from behind him. Sasuke glances back behind him and grimaces as he watches the Sannin poke Danzo's body with his foot, his head tilted in curiosity. Honestly.

so i hate action scenes

danzo is dead, good riddens. *waves mockingly*

this was typed up in two hours and has not been checked wHATSOEVER so sry about all the mISTKES