Over the next week, Sora and Midori noticed something that they never noticed before.

A black bird, on the lowest possible branch of the tallest tree in the campsite, kept looking at them and never moved from its spot. It acted like a normal bird to an extent, cocking its head to the side and whistling every few moments. But it never moved from its spot, its feet were rooted in the branch.

After much speculation, they decided to take closer inspection. Midori threw a piece of meat at it but the small bird just ducked in time and the meat whizzed by its small head. It then looked at them and squawked, begging them to come closer. They approached it slowly, but it didn't move and it just looked at them. It seemed to take in their appearance and squawked, opening its smooth inky wings.

I-inky wings?

"It's one of Sai's birds", Midori smiled as some ink dropped from the bird and onto the forest floor discreetly, "Seems like we got a message". He took out an empty scroll from his pack and placed it near the bird that jumped on it and immediately turned to writing right before their eyes:

Hello

The Hokage asked me to provide you with a non-detectable information source

Dickless, Ugly...meet Bird-thing

or Black Bird

Or anything else you want to call him

But the news it: Ms. Beautiful awoke from her looooong nap, Lazy Face was very happy

The nurses almost walked in on them "sexing" or whatever it's called

Cloud Eyes and Bear Head reported that their mission was a "success" and handed Dickless' ramen over

You're so stupid...it had your name on it

"Naruto's Favorite Ramen...Yum"

Idiot

Fang Boy, Blush, and Bug are preparing for their mission

Fang Boy wants to know who you two are so badly

His dog-thing looked like it wanted to eat Bird-thing when he saw it

Blush just wanted to know when Naruto would be back from his mission

She is in love with you it would seem

Bug was as silent as always

I will keep in touch

Don't die

"Oops", Midori smiled, "I have to stop putting my name on my food. It's an old habit I can't seem to break".

Sora shook her head and read over the part about Ino waking up. "Finally, I was beginning to think she would never come to".

"Yea, remember the time Shikamaru popped Sai in the face for calling her Ms. Beautiful in front of him?"

Sakura smirked at the memory; it was four years ago at the Hokage's office one day.

"The jutsu says you have to concentrate chakra into your finger tips..." Sakura was caught off by loud voice.

"Fingertips? Forehead that says fingernails! Can't you read?" the blonde laughed wholeheartedly. Her best friend was not amused and frowned slightly.

"And then you wonder why the jutsus don't come out right Ino-pig! Oink oink!" The Yamanaka didn't even seem insulted, she laughed harder and fell off her chair. By that time Sakura was worried, Ino had never been so happy before. "What's gotten into you?" she asked helping her friend up from the floor.

Ino wiped her flushed cheeks free of their laughing tears and said, "Shikamaru", with a dreamy sigh.

When Sakura didn't respond for a while she turned to her and found her friend with a disgusted expression on her face, "I don't want to know, I really don't want to know".

Understanding what she was saying about a little bit caused Ino to hmph, "You're such a pervert, Sakura. I'm just happy he's coming back from his mission today".

"Isn't Sai on that mission with him?"

"Yea, you should have seen him the night before the mission. I took a shower and went to our room and he was already there but I knew he wasn't sleeping. Well when he sleeps his ears get...okay it's complicated but I just knew he wasn't sleeping. I asked him what he thought of the mission and he said,' If that little fucker messes with me, I'm gonna kill him'. He doesn't like Sai because of that Ms. Beautiful crap he's always saying to me, he doesn't know Sai does that to form bonds with people. He means well...".

The doors to Tsunade's office opened with a snap and in waltzed Shikamaru, frowning, and Sai, smiling, as they walked with each other. Noticing they weren't alone, Sai turned to Ino and said," Hello Ms. Beautiful, would you like to come over to my house tonight?".

If anyone really knew Sai, they would know he was insecure about his communication abilities and sometimes said things that were taken the wrong way. He probably didn't mean to sound like he was flirting with the Nara's one and only, maybe he just wanted to talk jutsus with her over some ramen.

Shikamaru scowled darkly and glanced at Sai, his teeth clenched together. He looked back at the man and then, faster than anyone could see, slugged him right across the face and caused him to fall to the floor. The scene was rather familiar to when Sakura punched Sai because he insulted Sasuke.

"Shikamaru?", Ino asked, her past excitement was forgotten in worry, "What the fuck was that for?".

All her boyfriend said was, "The fuck face had been pissing me off since the mission started. And then he tries to flirt with you...man I'm just sorry I didn't hit him sooner".

Turned on by his hero antics, Ino jumped on him and they started making out, forgetting that Sakura and Sai were still there. It would have been a very hot moment if a certain Uzumaki hadn't come in and screamed, "Sakura! Shikamaru's eating her face! Do something! Ino's going to be FACELESS!!!". He then turned his attention to Sai and said, "Oi, what the fuck happened to you?". His answer was a groan, fuck Shikamaru was heavy handed!, while Sakura explained everything that happened. The electric blonde was silent for a moment before breaking into a fit of laughter that shoke the room as he pointed and kept laughing at Sai. He had it coming anyway...

"He loves her a lot", muttered Sakura looking at the scroll. Bird-thing suddenly sprang up from the writing, just like Suigetsu did from the puddle of water a few days ago. Not a drop of ink was left on the scroll and the little bird hopped onto the closest branch.

"Bird-thing", the little bird turned to Midori, "Sai really needs to learn how to name things".

"I don't know", Sora rolled up the scroll, "Bird-thing is kind of cute, cutest name Sai has ever come up with anyway".

The bird squawked them a goodbye before taking to the trees, their only connection to Konoha and it was smaller than a kunai. "Hey! What are you two doing over there?", called Karin to them, her hands on her hips.

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and picked up his huge sword. On closer view, it looked like it could cut someone in half. "Leave them alone, why do you have to be such a nag?".

It seemed as if Jugo never spoke anymore, just a polite good morning every time he awoke. His eyes followed anyone who spoke though, but he never communicated. One more than one occasion Sora had heard him speaking to Suigetsu at night fall, once she was Midori had said their goodnights. It seemed as if Jugo didn't want to talk around them anymore, he was too ashamed of losing control.

After a week with Team Snake, Sakura had learned a total of three things: one, Orochimaru seriously fucked those people up. Two, Suigetsu and Karin argued like a married couple that was too lazy to get a divorce and three, they did nothing all day except lounge around and glare at each other.

"I'm not a nag! Am I a nag Sasuke?". Sora idly wondered if that was how she used to be whenever Sasuke was around. Did she really bother him with mindless garbage all the time?

Did she force him into conversations he didn't want to have with people he didn't like about topics he didn't care about?

The dark haired man was reading the scroll they had "stolen" from Konoha and was trying to memorize the seals again. Tatsu Mi Tatsu Tora Mi Tora Tatsu Mi Tatsu Tora Mi Tora Tatsu Mi Tatsu Tora Mi Tora Tatsu Mi Tatsu Tora Mi Tora Tatsu Mi Tatsu Tora...

"Sasuke!", Karin's voice somehow penetrated through his mind and he scowled at her. His smoldering eyes threatened to consume her, it was astounding how something so deadly could be so beautiful at the same time.

"What the fuck do you want?". He saw her flinch and her mouth drop open, as if she wasn't used to his attitude already.

"I...I was just asking...if you thought I was a nag". Sora's eyes lowered under her bangs, it seemed as though she reliving a moment from her teenage years. She tries to ask a question, he bites back, she shrinks down to five times her normal size and vows to never bother him again only to ask him something a few days later.

"Hn", his eyes flickered over to Suigetsu, "It doesn't matter". The shark toothed man smirked at Sasuke before glancing at Karin who stared at him with her mouth still open.

"It...doesn't matter? So you do think I'm a nag!", Sora imagined her stomping her foot on the ground like a brat having a temper tantrum.

"What I think is not important, you are part of my team and I respect you for that".

Midori shifted uncomfortably next to her and moved to sit next to the Team, careful to keep his eyes away from Sasuke. You respect Karin for being on your team...and she's a nag...Did you ever respect us Sasuke?

Did you ever think of Sakura and me as family, like brothers and a sister?

Did you ever think of Kakashi-sensei as the other brother you wish you had?

If you did...why did you leave us? I still don't understand...How could Karin, Jugo and Suigetsu...ever compare to Sakura, Kakashi-sensei and me?

We tried to be your family...the family you lost. To be honest, you were part of the family I never had. You still are...sort off...I mean...if you still want to be.

You used Team Snake so they could help you kill your brother and let them stick around with you after that. You never used us...did you? How could they...who are bonded to you by selfish needs and us...who were bonded by fate...damn I sound like Neji but it makes sense. We needed each other, our team work was amazing.

Sakura loved you so much, she cried for you as if her soul was being ripped out of her, but you left anyway.

Why...Why would you give up love...for hate?

Later, in the dark of night under the soft glow of the full moon, figure sat alone in a barren field. The grass under him was burnt and crunched every time he moved about to stand or walk. The Firestorm jutsu worked well, a little too well. After performing and reciting the eighty-four seals, he had transformed a quiet, peaceful part of the forest into a raging inferno.

The fire had burned for a few moments until Suigetsu and the blue eyed girl put it out with their jutsus. He had wakened them and told them to put out the fire which they did without care. They were dazed and half asleep so they didn't ask questions and left soon after putting out the blaze.

Though it claimed to be a prototype it seemed to work better and faster than regular fire jutsus. It was the kind of jutsu that scorched an enemy up-close and burned the skin off their bones while they are skill alive, like a bomb that killed all the life around it.

Another difference from regular fire jutsus was that it pained the user's insides to perform it. Usually fire techniques like the Phoenix Flower jutsu and Dragon Flame jutsu don't hurt the user as powerful as they sound. The worse the ninja could feel was probably a prickly sensation in the chest and breathlessness, nothing more. But with the Firestorm jutsu, Sasuke had felt as if his insides were, literally, on fire. It started in the pit of his stomach when he was reciting the seals and by the time he reached number fifty, it had made its way to his heart. He felt lightheaded and dizzy but didn't stop with the seals, despite the quickness of his heart.

The fire jutsu itself felt as if he was throwing up something instead of controlling it, he gagged a few moments after being released from the jutsu. No wonder the jutsu was so dangerous, a man could go mad feeling such intense pain.

Under the veil of silence, Sasuke put a hand over his heart and listened to its beat. His organs felt raw and worn-down and it hurt every time he took a breath in. He coughed and gagged a minute before restraining himself, pain made people stronger after all. His ancestor, Madara Uchiha, had tried the jutsu twice in his lifetime. How strong could he be to try something that caused so much pain twice? Was he even human?

But no...Sasuke had to try again. He needed to perfect the jutsu or it would be useless to keep the scroll. He needed to become stronger, to live up to the Uchiha name. He would try the jutsu later when the pain retreated a little bit.

He coughed and spit something up that glittered in the moonlight.

It was blood...

Maybe he would get to die of his own flames after all...

It wouldn't be so bad…

Then maybe all his pain would go away...

He wouldn't hurt anymore...