A/N: 3rd update on April 2, 2019

The first few days were tense and volatile without a doubt. Sasuke was under hawk-like supervision and they had thoroughly convinced him that Sakura was being held somewhere else. That fact at first drove him into a rage. Then it quieted to something like scheming, but that didn't result in anything.

Orochimaru had created a puppet, not a free-thinking assassin. He had been stripped down to the bare essentials of efficiency. Orders were king and moving without them was as easy as running with his ankles tied. There was ingrained fear, they learned, whenever Sasuke was given something that required more thought than eating and drinking. He hesitated despite the chilly expression on his face, and even though he would never flinch, his eyes would twitch at sudden loud noises. Usually, those loud noises came from Naruto, which only made his reaction more curious.

It wasn't like an explosion or the crack of firearms. This was a kind of post-traumatic stress they didn't understand very well. Sasuke hadn't been scared in the slightest when Kakashi held him at gunpoint, but the shrill cries of another person could have him ready to bolt.

These ticks became more evident the longer Sasuke was forced to bear their company. Days turned to weeks, and eventually a month had passed by. He was nowhere near comfortable with them and continued to stalk away when they came too close. However, he no longer flew into a spitting fury over things – most certainly because he had resigned himself to believing Sakura really was nowhere within his grasp.

Kakashi had made the observation after two months.

"He won't get violent unless his target is in range."

It should've been obvious, but hearing it aloud was helpful. Sakura hovered over Sasuke that night, take careful measures in healing the burned chakra paths in his body. They were like micro-tears, making his body react in unpredictable ways. It must have felt like a deep ache in his bones this entire time – a constant stream of pain and instability.

"Me?" Sakura questioned, knowing full well the answer.

"Correct. But it goes for everything. The longer he's without someone issuing orders, the more withdrawn he becomes."

Naruto sighed, crossing his arms. "Honestly, it's hard to tell which is worse: making friends with a quiet teme or making friends with a snarling one. At least when he's angry, I can lure him into a spar. Now that he's getting more docile, it's like trying to get an old dog to do tricks. He just won't budge some days."

She cringed at the comparison. "It's that bad?"

"He's better this way, if compared to his arrival." Itachi joined them silently, dressed in his sleepwear. It was a rare occasion to see him in anything other than a suit these days. He was handling the police department operations once again, but also the media backlash from the standstill in research.

Orochimaru's unexpected move had everyone prying into the research's progress. It also didn't help that given Sasuke's sudden reappearance, they had been left at a stalemate over the research. Conversations were beginning to shift tides the longer Sakura refused to provide a report to the public. They were all demanding that such an inexperienced little girl should hand over the project to the far more established Orochimaru – especially in light of how he had been personally caring for one of the Uchiha brothers afflicted with their eye disease.

Given that Sasuke had apparently recovered from the disease under Orochimaru's care, they were curious as to why the entire project wasn't now under his control. The only thing staving off the pressure was Tsunade very firmly attributing the procedure's development to Sakura and that only increased the questions.

How had Orochimaru obtained the procedural notes then? Of course, no other medical or research personnel had gotten a hold of the documents, so it was difficult to ascertain anything specific about the complexity of the disease and its cure. The only ones who could possibly answer them were Sakura and Orochimaru, yet neither had made official announcements.

Sakura knew for certain that if she spoke carelessly, her remaining rapport with the public would vanish. If Orochimaru spoke up, he too would be in a state of further crisis. Already, there were too many eyes on him and his facilities. They all wanted to know how he had come into contact with Sakura's work, but the more complex a lie gets, the harder it is to keep presentable.

Evidently, they were both stuck. But soon, someone had to give in.

"We have to act soon," Sakura remarked, slowly moving her hands off of Sasuke. He was breathing deeply and evenly, the dark circles nearly gone now from his eyes.

"We can't be rash though," Itachi replied carefully, gaze drifting over his little brother. "The public is certainly pressuring us, but what they are seeing is far from the whole story. First and foremost for us, this is a personal war. We are still in possession of the physical data and as it is a disease pertaining solely to the Uchiha bloodline, it is our choice for how it is dealt with."

"Yes, but if we stall too long, our reputations will be smeared alongside Orochimaru's," she argued.

He shook his head. "The key to all of this is in our hands. Orochimaru has already played his trump card and he believed it was brilliant."

"Sasuke."

Itachi smiled faintly. "Yes. He thinks Sasuke's been broken, but if we can get him to our side, then we can expose the facilities Orochimaru is most proud of. So long as Sasuke is unable to testify against Orochimaru, we have nothing tangible against him. There is a very public and blatant connection between the two. We merely need my little brother's guarantee of the truth to defame that man."

"We can't just snipe him in secret?" Naruto prompted.

Sakura smacked him on the arm. "Stupid. That's not how you handle things in the modern age. You can't just kill off people you don't like."

"I feel way more than just 'dislike' toward that snake," he quipped, grimacing. "And anyway, all this scheming makes my head hurt. It's so complicated and it feels like we spend more time waiting than doing anything useful."

"You have the most important job though," Itachi reminded, mildly amused. "If you can't bring Sasuke around to our side, then this will go on until someone really does resort to assassination."

That was apparently just enough to shut him up.

XXX

Their first major breakthrough came a little over a week later. For appearances' sake, they let Naruto and Sasuke go out on the town together. It was barely leisurely though. Undercover officers tailed them, and they were a few safety cones away from basically having their outing quarantined.

He understood that it was necessary. He also knew that Sasuke was so listless that the whole endeavor didn't really bother him. If anything, Naruto was starting to think that he could probably shove Sasuke over and the man would go down without a fight.

Of course, he didn't do that. Too many people were watching them, snapping photos, and generally being nuisances from the safety of a few feet away. They had even ventured out early in the morning on a weekday to ensure fewer crowds, along with all the security personnel warding off people.

"Nothing's come back to you?" Naruto asked for what felt like the umpteenth time. He usually popped the question at the beginning, middle, and end of any interaction.

At the start, he would receive no answer or a biting glare.

Now, though, Sasuke at least would say, "No."

The conversation would be carried on by Naruto. He'd tell story after story about their childhood, none of which seemed to intrigue him. Itachi had strictly forbade him from sharing Sakura related stories though, so his well of embarrassing memories shrank. Most of the things he wanted to tease Sasuke about had to do with her.

"Have I told you about your first kiss?"

No response.

"It used to rile you up so bad when I talked about it. I'll just remind you again since clearly you've forgotten. It was elementary—"

Naruto slowed to a halt, turning around to see Sasuke had stopped several steps behind him. The sidewalk was mostly empty, and storefronts were only now lighting up their window displays. The blond crept up beside him, noting the somber expression on his friend's face. It was a bit different from the usual mask of indifference. This was less soulless. There was a hint of something simmering beneath the surface – something more than habituated fear.

Peering at the window display, Naruto took a moment to zero in on what had captured the other man's attention. Atop a delicate platform was a rose gold jewelry stand. A small label shined beneath, stating that they were the Spring Time Limited Edition Collection. Dangling off the stand were various bracelets in shades of pink. Cherry blossom petals carved from soft metal were fastened to the delicate chains.

It was an accident. He didn't mean to, but the words left him before he could stop. "She loves you. Always has."

And then Sasuke's fist was shattering the glass. Shards launched off in every direction as his fingers curled around the display. Naruto had ducked out of the way, shielding himself against the spray. When the glass settled, he yanked Sasuke harshly away from the scene, already calling Itachi to come and save their asses.

As the phone rang, Naruto turned a bewildered glare to the other man, ready to scream at him for being a lunatic, but the words died in his throat.

Cold tears drew tracks down his face as blood dripped from his shredded knuckles. His eyes were practically glowing red.

"Sasuke?" Naruto whispered hoarsely. The call connected and Itachi's voice filled his ear, but he ignored it.

"I lost it."

The words didn't ring any bells. Naruto stared in question, waiting for anything else. But across from him, Sasuke's expression was slowly shuttering. Lowering the phone, he gripped his friend's arm tighter. "Hey. What? What did you lose?"

He disregarded the growing crowd and police officers pushing back greedy onlookers. From his periphery, he could already see an officer heading inside the jewelry store to explain the situation – what they would say though, he had no idea.

Sasuke was silent.

"Something about her, right?" Naruto persisted, not about to give this up.

His lips thinned, tears dried now.

Their conversation died as two officers shuffled them into a waiting patrol car.