A/N: Sorry that it took me so long. I had it all written up, but then I didn't have the time and focus to correct it and there were some unclarities that I needed to find answers to and fix some things, but again, no time to think about it, and that delayed me quite a bit.

Thanks to all those who reviewed this story so far! I'm so happy to announce that we crossed the 40 reviews mark, currently it's 41 reviews and I appreciate it.

Further thanks go to:

fugitivus, who keeps supporting me!

HailZuko89 who beta-ed this monster chapter, and was about as excited about the ending as I was.

Nackmu who keeps going over older chapters with me. Currently we're working on chapter 5. I also updated the entire story for any changes I might have added in the mean while.

And a special thanks for the kind guest who reviewed, telling me they'd wait however long it would take me to update. I'll try to post news about the updating process and how far I am with future chapters more often on my profile in the future, but for now, here it is. I wanted to thank you personally... now I can only hope that you will eventually see that I did in fact update and I really hope you like it and please know your review meant a lot to me.


Chapter 11 Meetings, Confrontations, and Realisations

As Sasuke stepped through the doors, he quickly scanned the room. He then fixated on the blond lady behind the desk, the one he supposed to be Tsunade, the fifth Hokage. She had still been leaning over some document when he'd entered, but she now put it away, looking him straight in the eyes.

He stopped two meters before the desk and nodded his head in respect. More of a bow would probably have been appropriate, but he felt like since he wasn't sworn to her, he would keep it at a minimum.

"So, Tatakai, we finally meet."

"Hn." He continued to stare at her, determined to not to get unnerved.

"Here is how we're going to do this since you're not sworn to Konoha: There need to be people guarding me this very moment. They won't be in the room but they'll keep an eye on us. Should there be any reason for them to believe you wish ill of me, they will come in. This room is soundproof, so they won't be able to listen. Are you with me so far?"

Sasuke nodded as she took a sip from a Sake-filled glass. It was probably as private an audience as he was going to get.

Shizune left through a back door... and they were alone. At least Tsunade did not waste much time.

"You are mainly here to discuss the mission that has inadvertently befallen you with Sakura's picking you out at the slave house." She spoke calmly. "I was just letting things roll to see where it took us. However, when your skills as a ninja were revealed, I was starting to keep a closer eye on both of you... and there are a couple of things that should be addressed now."

She took another sip from her glass and leaned back in her chair.

"For this, I'd like to lay out some facts for you to understand why I've ordered Sakura to get a slave even though she technically does not need any help in the house or anywhere else. And no, I wasn't trying to set her up with someone."

Her lips formed a vaguely amused smile when she saw his poorly hidden distaste at the suggestion, but her eyes quickly regained a serious hardness that suited her position.

"Sakura first lost her teammate on a mission, and later her parents due to some sad events. She's become uprooted. In addition, her remaining teammate, Naruto, left the village for individual training, at which point she became my apprentice. She took training very seriously, and while it helped for her to get better, I realized that she was running from her loneliness and trying to find fulfillment and purpose in healing other people's physical bodies.

"She became overly dedicated and started pushing herself past her limits all too regularly, and not always justified by a life-or-death risk. I had hoped it would get better when her team was reinstated, but it didn't. I daresay it got would keep everyone at a distance, she would drain herself to the point of fainting at work, sometimes also in training. She'd only work and sleep. Naruto told me that she was hard to drag away from her research to actually spend some work-free quality time with her team or friends. She refuses to acknowledge her limits and needs. Realizing that my apprentice was destroying herself, much like many Shinobi that lose hold of reality and get taken from the active roster to rehabilitate, I decided to act. But the hospital, or even a psychologist, could not have helped her since she works here at a high position and refuses to acknowledge that she has a problem in the first place."

She folded her hands and searched Sasuke's eyes. The picture painted by the Hokage did explain some things he had witnessed himself, though her description sounded more severe than what he had seen. He still wasn't sure where he was supposed to fit in with this problem-solving, though. Him, a stranger with no relations to her.

"Just as expected, the mandatory leave and your involvement did bring some change already, but for one, it's not enough. Plus, I'll be honest, I did not expect you to be a ninja. It complicates matters."

Sasuke did not feel the need to reply, crossing his arms. It wasn't his fault that he had the training. Showing them was a risk he had taken, knowing what it would mean. But having had the opportunity to finally use chakra again, he hadn't been able to resist. Too long had he been cut off from using it properly.

"I want to discuss with you how to proceed now. She's gotten better, but only by a bit. Do you have any idea what I wanted to achieve by forcing her to get a slave? Can you guess why you're here?"

Now directly addressed, he knew he'd have to answer unless he wanted to piss off the Hokage.

"Get her some help taking care of herself, and maybe bonding with someone not involved in the ninja business… which I can see not working out with me."

"That's part of it, yes. I had expected her to get someone more physically unwell, but in the end, that doesn't matter. You're healthy now, which is what I had in mind for her to deal with. You still have issues though, and she'll eventually realize that."

"That won't help her with her problems; she'll only want to 'fix' me. And I don't need that," Sasuke said coldly.

"Yes, I know. I intended her to share her home with a complete stranger. Whether you share her way of life or not doesn't matter. The reason I did it was because I've seen people grow the most when they are living together. She can still hide and run away, but eventually she's got to get out of her room and figure out how to do things with you around. She's realizing that. She's not liking it, but she's trying..." She smiled faintly, but quickly turned her piercing gaze back on him. "I'm not asking you to comply with everything she says, quite the opposite, actually. You may trigger her a bit, but just be reasonable about it. You've done a good job confronting her so far, and that's exactly what I wanted to happen. What I wish of you is to lead her into a more healthy way of living."

Sasuke suppressed the urge to shake his head at the irony. The Hokage seemed to have the exact same goal for her charge as Itachi had had for him, only their approach was drastically different.

"Also, just to clarify: It's not my intention for you to stay Sakura's slave forever. It might make sense to keep you here against your will for now, to start out, but I know very well that it isn't a good base for any relationship—especially not for one meant to heal. She will eventually need to let you go."

"That is good to know," he said, somewhat cynical, making clear that he did not believe her yet.

Tsunade ignored it and continued. "Your situation as a ninja is a bit special. You didn't grow up here, and you're only bound here by slavery now. But you're not always going to be. I've been thinking about what will be down the road. You might have come in touch with relevant secrets of this village before you're freed, which is why we might not be able to let you leave the village and break off contact with our forces—"

"So basically I'll still be a slave of Konoha, just without a seal. That's what I thought," he interrupted her.

Tsunade's eyes narrowed dangerously, then she abruptly stood up, slamming her hands onto the table. Hard. "Do you want to hear me out or would you prefer to be incarcerated right away for speaking out of turn?" she hissed, annoyed, quickly seeking out his eyes again… and finding herself unable to move the moment she did.

Faintly glowing, red eyes met hers. Everything else faded to darkness at once. The face in the shadows, though similar, wasn't Tatakai's. Right now, it was only illuminated by these scarlet orbs, which she now saw were swirling with black patterns. Unrecognizable, ablaze, like black and red fire, mixing, burning with rage.

"You have been marked." The cold, low voice resounded in her ears, and then the eyes, having come ever closer, were gone.

A katana... she saw it strike down everyone in its path. Faceless people. Civilian and ninja alike. No one stood a chance, even if they tried to fight back. A slaughter... there was no other word for it. And it looked so real; she could see every detail of fabric, every drop of blood. Scenes blurred together. It was overwhelming.

"This boy is under my protection." The voice resounded again, closer, harsher.

The eyes were there again, and the face slowly grew more visible, still primarily in the shadows. Delicate features, fair skin, but crusted with dust and grime and splatters of blood. Black strands of hair partially veiled his features, his mouth and jawline safely hidden behind a cloak's collar that faded into the darkness seemingly surrounding him.

"Bring harm to him and you'll regret it."

The stranger disappeared from view and screams faded from her ears. She could admit, any normal person would probably be scared shitless now. But she was Konoha's Hokage, and she had her suspicions as to what was happening.

When the darkness completely lifted, she saw that Shizune and Neji had stormed into the room and grabbed Tatakai's arms. They twisted them back and held them there, and Neji was pressing Tatakai's neck down.

Tatakai had paled considerably, not even trying to shake them off, eyes squinted together. He was breathing harshly, his whole body tense and alert.

This didn't look like the reaction of someone who had been caught attacking her, the Hokage. And frankly, she doubted the boy was so stupid as to attack her when she had warned him that they'd be watched. So what had happened?

"Let him go!" Tsunade yelled, and the boy winced, startled.

Neji, however, didn't loosen his hold on him. "There was suddenly a lot of chakra gathered in his eyes, and you froze. He used a Kekkei Genkai on you, didn't he?"

"I have it under control. Leave us; we're not done here."

"You said to interfere if he attacked you!"

"And now I say leave. Are you questioning your Hokage?"

Reluctantly, Neji let go.

"Only come back in if he lifts a hand against me or if this happens again for a longer period of time."

Tatakai straightened, rotating his arms a bit to shake off the feeling of them being pinned back, his breath still shallow and fast.

"Calm down!" Tsunade ordered.

Tatakai managed to suppress the wince, but he still tensed at her voice. He slowly tried to relax, bit by bit. After breathing deeply a couple of times, he finally looked up again, his black eyes carefully hiding the emotions he most definitely still felt.

Sasuke hadn't meant, hadn't wanted this to happen. He knew that this could be considered attacking the Hokage, and this had to be the easiest way to get him submitted into interrogation, the place he'd wanted to avoid the most. This was bad.

The Hokage's reaction, however, caught him off guard.

He warily did as told and waited until he was sure he wouldn't be set off again before he looked up fearfully.

The Hokage's eyes were regarding him carefully, and Sasuke had a hard time daring to keep eye contact.

"So this is how you scared everyone into trading you back… certainly enlightening "

Sasuke bit his lip, not knowing how to reply.

Lady Tsunade had sent her guards away, and she sounded a bit like she had figured out what had just happened.

"I didn't intend to question you about your brother today, but now I feel inclined to ask if this has something to do with him."

Sasuke didn't like the question, but he was uncomfortably aware of his precarious situation here and reluctantly set out to answer. "It does."

"Hmm…" She sat down in her chair again and leaned back. "Anyway, while whatever did just happen does not exactly speak in your favor, I am giving you another chance because I feel that it wasn't intentional on your part."

Sasuke swallowed, then nodded. "I'll listen." He reminded himself to stay calm this time. Too much was at risk to slip up again, they had been talking about his terms of possible freedom, after all.

"Good. Once you're freed, you will be on probation. We will need to determine if we can trust you with our secrets and if it is safe to let you go. I'm not saying it's not possible; we try to avoid placing people into a rogue status if we can help it. But if you go running off beyond our borders of your own volition, you will be hunted down. Having said that, if and when your mission with Sakura is successfully completed, we will offer you a home in Konoha and a place amongst our ranks."

"Of course," Sasuke said, keeping his tone in check this time.

"Glad we understand each other. Don't enlighten Sakura about the specifics of this mission. And take good care of Naruto, too. Dismissed."

00000

Naturally, Sasuke was late for the team's training session, and what he saw when he hit the training field was not what he had expected. There were Narutos everywhere. And each one was holding a leaf. They were rather loud, too. Sasuke observed the scene and tried to figure out what was going on, eventually coming to the conclusion that Naruto must be learning to unlock his Wind Release. Observing the happenings around him was a welcome distraction.

He remembered when Itachi had taught him the same exercise. It had frustrated him to no end to be stuck alone dividing leaves while Itachi had gone on some mystery missions with Kisame. Eventually, he'd figured it out. He still didn't use Wind Release often though, it was not one of his strong suits.

He further saw Kakashi sparring with Sakura, and there was also a guy who was sitting calmly between some wooden pillars and holding a hand in the air. The Kanji for "stabilize" was visible on his palm. He didn't know what it was for, but it was adding to the weirdness of the situation, which only made him so much more baffled.

When Naruto halted his training, deciding to get advice from someone with Wind chakra abilities, Sasuke insisted on accompanying him. To his surprise, Naruto lead him to Shikamaru playing Shogi with some older Shinobi, whom Naruto greeted as Asuma Sensei. He carefully listened to what the man had to say, inclined to just stay in the metaphorical shadows, observe what they said and did, and not to have to talk to Shikamaru. He briefly turned on his Sharingan to observe Asuma and his chakra blades, careful that the one in question didn't see. He didn't sense anyone else in their vicinity, so he felt safe enough to do so through his bangs.

It was interesting to see Asuma's explanation visualized through the Sharingan's chakra recognition, and it was nice to not have to engage in the conversation.

When they returned to the training grounds, Naruto continued. At about four in the afternoon, he actually managed to cut some leaves. There was loud cheering, and Sasuke looked up from the exercises he had busied himself with in the meantime. Clones started poofing out, and a moment later, Naruto's eyes started to droop. Sasuke raced forward. He beat Kakashi to it, but only because he'd been standing closer. Naruto had collapsed, and was now half-lying on Sasuke's back.

Sasuke quickly shifted him into a position more suitably to carry and then looked up to the others, who were approaching. The wood-style guy looked at him strangely, leaning down to meet his gaze, his eyes big and ghoul-like. "Hey Kakashi, is it just me or does he look like 'the weasel'?"

Totally caught off guard Sasuke froze and almost lost balance, unused to the additional weight on his back. He adjusted Naruto once more to hide this slip. Kakashi was now peering, too, and Sasuke was glad for his bangs.

"Hmm, didn't you say that about Sai already? But you're right, they all kinda look alike," he said, shrugging his shoulders. He then leaned over to examine Naruto's state. "Only he could have done this all in one day. Sleep will do him good. Let's take him home and call it a day."

00000

Sasuke put Naruto down on his bed, pulling off his shoes as an afterthought. He quietly slipped out of the the room, leaving the door ajar. He was hungry.

Sakura was in the kitchen, reading another book, a glass of milk in front of her. "What did Tsunade want?" she asked, looking up.

"Mission briefing," he said with a clipped tone. His thoughts were still racing around the fact that Yamato had pretty much recognized him… and also confirmed that both Kakashi and he had not only known of the Uchiha, but apparently knew Itachi personally. The thought put an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

He took out a pan to cook some rice and set it up. Once the food was ready, they ate in silence. Upon their finishing, Sasuke put the leftovers into the fridge and returned to his room, where he stared at Naruto's still form.

So many things to think about... In a span of mere days he finally knew why he was here in Sakura's house. He'd been confronted by Shikamaru about his identity in all but name; he'd found out that Kakashi had known Itachi; he'd spoken to the Hokage and she had not interrogated him; he'd finally heard from his brother, and fought Kisame...

And, he had taken up the duty of protecting a blond idiot that had once been in his academy class. He'd told the other his name. His full name.

He stared out of the slit that the curtain left uncovered. He could only see the light flooding in, a mere strip of sky as he laid down in his bed. He had taken the one by the window. Naruto was laying on the other side, on the bed against the wall, still sleeping off the exhaustion the training session had brought him.

Sasuke's life had taken a drastic turn, and for the first time in a long while, he felt like he actually had a chance at a decent life. He couldn't quite explain it, but all this change was making him feel somewhat… uneasy.

Sighing, he turned away from the window, curling up and laying still. His brother had wanted him to socialize, the Hokage wanted him to socialize. He still felt like rebelling against it; he'd been fighting alone for a long time and his approach had kept him safe many times.

No one will bother to look for them It had also been the reason he became a target though. He'd been caught because he had no ties in the first place and he didn't want that to ever happen again.

If word got out about a Sharingan that had survived the massacre, people might become very interested in him. He wasn't sure if he could actually survive alone. Undercover he had come far, but it had always been without drawing attention. If it came out who he was and that he was alone… He had good skills, and he knew he was more powerful with the Sharingan active, but people would want to test it. And he had no back up, no safety net. He was only just now working himself up to the level he'd been before capture. He wasn't like his brother, who had probably figured out a way to get out of slavery by the end of the first week.

He might be able to build up a life here in Konoha, he might even be able to leave at some point. He might be free again. He might make friends that would support him. He… he might be able to settle down and return to using his real name, his inheritance, openly. Maybe that was what Itachi was trying to do: Expose his identity, but make sure he was in a position to be himself, with a village to back him up.

The price was giving the village his loyalty and doing as they said. But he'd be without a seal. He'd work for the village that had once been his clan's home. If he were to have kids, they could grow up here safely. He might still be under the rule of the Hokage, but he might actually be able build a life worth living.

Conversely, the price of living in complete freedom was to live in hiding or build up a reputation. He'd be alone again. He'd quite possibly be feared, maybe admired... but never trusted.

Did he want that?

His brother had told him to get friends. Back then, he had ignored those words, thinking of only one thing: To kill Itachi, to avenge his clan… but then what? He'd never actually thought that far. Start a family? That had been on his mind before, but what could he offer out there all alone? His thoughts had always stopped at the point of possibility that Itachi might come to slay them

But, maybe he should start thinking ahead anyway. His brother wasn't around now. In fact, Itachi had let him know that he shouldn't rely on him anymore. His brother expected him to fight next time they met.

Had that had been Itachi's plan all along? But his brother had to know that he wouldn't be a challenge after three years of slavery. No, it couldn't be. His brother had let him know that he loved him last time they'd seen each other. He'd held onto that so, that his brother would come to free him… He just hadn't been able to find him, he'd changed owners and places so many times…

But this... this order to prepare to fight….

It would make Itachi the enemy once more, it would divide their future. Why couldn't Itachi just come back and live with him? As long as no one knew what he'd done, it should—no—could have been possible. But Itachi didn't seem to want that.

No, apparently, for whatever reason, Itachi's official target now was Naruto. Naruto, the loudmouth; the one who claimed to someday be the future Hokage. What did he have that would make him a target? And why did Itachi tell his little brother to intervene?

Sasuke felt a bone-deep weariness, mental tiredness, anger at himself, all overshadowed by the knowledge that he could do nothing, really, except follow Itachi's word. Even if he didn't, Itachi would find a way to make sure he complied anyway in the end.

Sasuke just wanted his big brother back. But now that he finally felt like giving up on revenge and letting him in, Itachi was more out of reach than ever, leaving him to fend for himself in Konoha.

00000

Sakura was sitting in the living room, curled up on the couch. She didn't know what to do. Tatakai had more or less ignored her. He'd answered when she'd asked him something directly, but it had been clipped and altogether uninviting. Now he had locked Naruto and himself in their room, probably playing guard again.

She wished she had more patience. She knew he'd have to crack and tell her at some point, at least, if he truly wanted to go on missions. It was so annoying that he kept pushing it.

What was it that had set him off back then? She had realized that the seal didn't force him to straight-out obey orders, and he therefore wouldn't tell her if she ordered him to spill. So what was she missing? How long would he keep this up until he admitted defeat? Should she start taking more drastic measures to speed things up? Would that be justifiable or simply cruel? Would it help their cause? Would it make living together unbearable? He didn't seem to be a person that would forgive easily.

The doorbell rang. Sighing, she got up to open the door to see who was visiting her now. It was Sai, looking all packed and ready for a mission. There were no words needed to explain that he was heading out.

"Please tell the others that I'll be back soon. Probably two or three days."

"You've taken on a lot of missions lately; don't you think you need to slow down a bit? Have you been eating enough?"

"Ugly..." Sai faintly smiled. "...I used to take on more. It is fine; I know my limits and I know how to look after myself. I need to get going. I just wanted to let my team know I was heading out. Take care!"

He left swiftly and she turned back to her couch. Though she felt tired, it was too early to go to bed, so she decided upon rereading one of her medical volumes while waiting for Naruto to wake up.

The clock hit eight in the evening before he and Tatakai reappeared, Naruto still looking rather tired. Tatakai wordlessly went to the kitchen. Naruto seemed to keep close, occasionally lending him a hand, chattering almost constantly. Sakura stayed in the living room with half an ear open as to what they were doing, but was too used to Naruto's claptrap to pay much attention to what he said.

When Tatakai appeared in the doorway, motioning for her to come, she put the book aside to follow him to the kitchen

Tatakai was still brooding, and for once, Naruto was quiet too. It wasn't until after Tatakai had served them and they'd spoken their respective "Idatakimasu" that Naruto spoke up.

"So Sakura, Tatakai told me that it's his duty to keep the house clean and such. I'm not fine with—"

Tatakai had grabbed Naruto's arm, pulling him close. "I told you to keep out of it," he hissed.

"I don't care. If I live here, we're going to do stuff together," Naruto said, now grabbing him, too.

Sakura stared at them, trying to gather her wits.

"Let go of me!" Tatakai growled.

"Well, let go of me, too, Teme!"

They dove at each other simultaneously, and a moment later, were rolling around in a brawl.

"STOP IT, BOTH OF YOU!" Sakura shouted.

They immediately stilled, let go of each other and after another slow moment, moved to get up.

"Now, sit down and behave like civilized people," she stated more calmly, but still with a glint in her eyes.

They wordlessly did as told.

"Now Naruto, I only had him do housework so he'd actually have something to do. I still don't know what Tsunade wants to achieve with this, but I know my housework wasn't really a problem. I don't need him to do all of it, so we can just as easily set up a plan of who will do what if it is bothering you. There's no need to fight," she pointed out in an angry, but suppressed voice. "And you, Tatakai, if you're really trying to join the team, then it is essential that everyone is comfortable, especially when we're not on a mission. Naruto's got every reason to discuss this. If we got problems in our social life, we will most definitely have trouble working as a team."

Tatakai was staring at her defiantly. "And when was the last time your team was involved in your social life?"

Sakura's eyes widened. Had he really just said that? Who did he think he was?

"I don't need to explain myself to you!" she bit out.

"Indeed. I live here. I've seen your 'social life'... or lack thereof." he said in a matter-of-fact voice, still keeping eye contact, eyes cold and angry, much like she remembered them when she'd seen them for the first time.

"You..." she snarled, "who do you think you are?"

"Last time I checked? Your slave," he said nonchalantly.

"You act as if you want to be treated like one. Do you? It can be arranged, you know."

"You're missing the point."

"Oh and what is the point? It's not my fault that you lost your freedom! If I could, I'd let you go; you're a pain to live with!"

"Guys, stop it!" Naruto demanded. "This is getting us nowhere. Now, what are we going to do about the housework?"

Sakura was still glowering at Sasuke, who was silently and pointedly returning her glare, arms crossed defiantly.

Seeing that she now had both boys' attention, she let out an annoyed groan. "Urgh, this is so stupid. Let's make a schedule or something. Then you, Tatakai, can get out of my face."

"Hn."

Sakura got a pen and paper, then started outlining a weekly schedule. Tatakai wordlessly grabbed another paper and pen, starting to list off what would need to be done. Naruto just observed the two.

"So, we got kitchen duty, bathroom duty, and vacuum duty," Sakura reeled off. "Who wants to do which this week?"

00000

The discussion hadn't gone over without some arguments, though they were milder than what they'd had before. Nonetheless, Sakura was annoyed at how Tatakai had been acting. The gall he'd had, to insult her private life to her face. He'd really crossed a line with that.

Huffing, she plopped on her bed, turning to face the wall.

Throughout the night, he'd kept criticizing her ideas, and while his arguments made perfect sense, it pissed her off. He pissed her off. He'd look at her with his dark eyes, handsome face, and that expression that clearly let her know what he thought of her. Her only condolence was that he was regarding Naruto similarly... most of the time, at least.

Hmf, and this guy wanted to join their team.

He was intelligent, she knew, but if he didn't watch it, his arrogance would be his downfall. Too bad if he wanted something of her. She felt less and less inclined to be lenient with him.

True, his determination to protect Naruto was kind of admirable. However, it didn't seem to be motivation enough to talk out his slave seal issues with her. But he had somehow convinced Naruto to move in, which was a little feat on it's own considering how stubborn the blonde could be.

She wondered why.

Tatakai had admitted that they had run into an acquaintance of his that apparently wished Naruto harm. But that didn't explain why he would go this far to protect him. From what she knew of him, he was a loner... someone who didn't do friendships.

Oh well, if he really wanted to join the team, he'd have to make up with her. And if he kept alienating her, he'd have a hard time doing that. She would not tolerate this any longer. He'd need to earn her trust, just as she'd have to earn his. She'd tried to show him that she would not abuse any knowledge he entrusted to her. If that wasn't enough, then… well, too bad for him. Right now she was pissed at him, so he'd better leave her alone.

00000

Sasuke knew he shouldn't have said those things. But when the subject had come up, he just hadn't been able to hold his tongue. The situation had offered some much needed emotional release, so he'd started lashing out. And she had reacted, surprisingly mild at first, but of course, less and less so as the argument started to escalate and get out of hand. Too much had happened lately, especially today, and his exhausted mind had dropped the filter.

But he couldn't take it all back now. And in some ways, he was glad to have said some of it, too. Now he definitely knew the extent of her ignorance. She wasn't aware in the least that she might have a problem. Though, if he was honest, he had probably exaggerated in the heat of the moment about her social life. She did have friends, and she did spend time with them... sometimes. And he hadn't paid all that much attention to how she handled and used that time or how it was working out for her. He didn't know about friendships anyway, having avoided relationships of all kinds for so long.

What he could relate to was the obsessiveness of training. He knew he'd been pushing it the first weeks here, but at least he was aware of it.

The thing that really bothered him was that he probably would not get around to spending some time with and getting to know Sakura and Naruto. And he hadn't quite decided what he would do about that in the end. He didn't want to become attached again, especially with Itachi's threat hanging over them, but what could he do?

Itachi knew him too well...

Suppressing a groan, he turned in bed, away from Naruto, who was snoring quietly on his side of the room. Again, he stared through the gap in the curtains.

He really needed to talk to Sakura first thing in the morning and tell her about the slave seal. It was risky to put it off, and the only reason he hadn't talked to her about it tonight was because he knew he'd pissed her off by not keeping his tongue in check. And yeah, he knew he had spoken rashly, and that her reaction was not surprising. In retrospect, while it had felt great to relieve some tension, it had been a very stupid thing to let himself go like that. She had let him know quite clearly that she thought so, too, telling him that she'd put up with him for Naruto's sake, but to get out of her face the moment it was resolved.

His approach had definitely not been the best.

Also, there was something else that he had denied himself the task to think about until now: The slip-up in the Hokage's office. Yeah, he had his brother to thank for that. He'd been honest about that part.

She'd triggered it pretty strongly, though he knew it had also been because he was agitated, nervous… dreading the reason of why he'd been called, and what would happen after. Then, she had threatened him verbally, and even menacingly hit her desk. It hadn't helped, either, that when he heard Itachi's voice resound, his heart had started slamming and his thoughts went haywire with the realization that he was essentially—even though unintentionally—attacking the Hokage, and that his life was as good as over now. In the face of all that, he just hadn't been able to stop it from happening.

He knew that his thoughts and feelings fed into the illusion, even though he could never actually see what the illusion conjured. He'd been afraid to forget Itachi's voice because it was the only thing he actually heard(maybe his influence was stronger on this since he was actually fully aware of the words being spoken, even if they didn't solely spring from his mind). He'd been afraid to replace it with his own eventually. He' been afraid of that being discovered, and people relating Itachi's appearances back to him and his doings. So he stopped using his own voice, thinking that his speech may also affect how it manifested (It wasn't like he had anything much to say to the assholes that held him captive). Now, he realized this wasn't the case: Itachi's voice had sounded as clear as day, just like when they had been separated.

In the past he had come to understand quite a bit about the illusions that activated. Namely, he had come to understand that his imagination was supplying some components to the Genjutsu in addition to his thoughts and feelings. He knew that if, during the illusion, he imagined something happening to the unfortunate soul that had activated it, it would influence the illusion. If he imagined what Itachi would say, it would reflect in what he said.

He hadn't this time, though. He'd kept himself out of it, or at least tried to. Unsure if he should try to stop it. Unsure if he could. Scared shitless about whom Itachi's illusion had been threatening right then and what it would mean for had gone still in front of him, trapped in her mind, as all victims were when this happened. He'd wondered if she was fighting it...

Then, he'd been grabbed by foreign hands and forcefully snapped out of it, and realized that if it didn't end soon, he might very well be dying the next minute. Just then, the Genjutsu had finally wrapped itself up upon Itachi's voice uttering a final warning.

Tsunade had not reacted the way he would expect her to, and hadn't even questioned him properly about the occurrence. It made him apprehensive, yet he was glad she hadn't asked nor expected him to talk about it. He barely understood it himself. He didn't know how it worked, just that it did. And he knew Itachi had done it to keep him protected while they were separated.

His brother. His Aniki. Why did he have to be so out of reach?

It was a long time before Sasuke fell asleep, and it was an uneasy kind of rest.

00000

Sakura rose from sleep to wakefulness at once, feeling the presence of someone vaguely familiar in the hallway of her apartment. It was still in the middle of the night, as a quick glance at the self-glowing clock on the wall told her.

She quickly slipped out of bed, grabbed a Kunai, and was about to open her room's door, when she heard the door next to her being ripped open. She heard someone hiss threateningly, and the stranger answering in a calm tone. Beginning to pick up on what was happening, she quickly opened her door as well.

Naruto was already holding Tatakai's wrist, who still held a Kunai, threatening the ANBU that was standing in the hallway. "Stop it!" he urged.

"Tatakai, step down!" Sakura ordered in a cold voice, and he finally let his hand sink, still glaring at the intruder mistrustfully.

Seeing that everyone was ready to listen now, the ANBU spoke. "Naruto, Sakura, you've been summoned to go to the Hokage's office, immediately!"

Sakura nodded, and saw Tatakai squinting his eyes in displeasure. She signalled Naruto to get dressed and disappeared into her room while the ANBU, who was no doubt waiting to escort them back, calmly stood outside.

When she reemerged, she saw that Tatakai stood next to Naruto, also fully dressed and equipped.

"You haven't been summoned; you don't need to come."

"I will go where Naruto goes," he replied in cold determination.

"I still have the final say on that, and don't think I've forgiven you for your behavior yesterday."

"If you're ready, then let's go!" the ANBU interrupted.

Sakura nodded, quickly following when he took off into the night, closely trailed by Naruto and Tatakai.

The slave quickly caught up with her and easily glided through the night by her side. "Is this a mission summoning?" he asked carefully.

"This is an emergency summoning. You really should stay home; you're not going to be involved anyway."

"I can tell you right now, about the seal," he replied quickly, almost desperately.

"No offense, Tatakai, but now is not the time! You had your chance!"

She quickened her pace. He easily matched her speed, not letting it deter him that the talk was clearly over. So she was glad that they were almost at their destination. The door was quickly opened for them when they arrived at Tsunade's office and Sakura caught a glimpse of Temari inside as she stepped through. She turned around just in time to see two ANBU denying Tatakai entrance, then the door fell into it's lock.

She had seen the look of seething anger, barely controlled and desperate, in her slave's eyes at them locking him out. Too bad, his fault.

00000

Sasuke paced the hallway, still barely controlling himself. This was not good. He didn't know what was going on, but Naruto had been summoned, which had to mean that they'd leave soon… without him.

And Sakura, understandably, didn't want to listen now. This was bad. Very bad. His anxiety only rose the longer they stayed inside. He forced himself to sit down, clenching his fists in an attempt to keep himself there and not try to storm the office. Yeah, he'd better not. That surely wouldn't go over very well.

Time seemed to stretch like it never had, and he felt like everything he had going on—his brother's request, his resolve to protect Naruto, every effort he'd taken to make it possible—was slipping out of his grasp. He could do nothing.

He tried to be reasonable. Maybe it was something internal? maybe someone was attacking the village? He could accompany Naruto anywhere as long as he stayed within the village borders. He desperately hoped it was something like that.

It didn't help.

Then, finally, the door opened and a small group of people stepped through. Kakashi was there, so was a young woman with blond hair that he didn't recognize.

"I'll send backup to you as soon as possible!" he heard Lady Tsunade call after them, then the door closed.

Sakura didn't look at him, instead catching the other girl's gaze. "Just let us pick up some more equipment for the travel. We'll meet you at the gate in fifteen minutes."

Sasuke quickly fell in step with Naruto, looking at him questioningly. Understanding his wordless inquiry, Naruto said, "Suna has requested backup. Gaara, the Kazekage, has been kidnapped."

Sasuke's glare told Naruto exactly what he thought of the idea of him going.

"Gaara is my friend, and I know what they want with him. I have to go stop them!"

"No, you don't. You shouldn't—"

"He'll die! I can't let that happen." Naruto growled as they sped back over the village rooftops.

"We don't know what my bro—" Sasuke began.

"Look, we know your brother is a member of the Akatsuki, and I am very aware of what they want with Gaara, and me as well! Gaara and I are the same, and I will not go and hide in a hole while Gaara's life is sucked out of him!"

Naruto gave him a hard look before slipping into their apartment. He quickly headed for their room and started rummaging through his part of the closet, grabbing all the things he needed and throwing them onto his bed to pack.

"Akatsuki?"

"It's a criminal organization of rogue Shinobi that recently started to make trouble and are considered extremely dangerous. Didn't you know that your brother is part of it?"

"My brother never told me much about his alliances. He was careful to keep me out of all that. The only reason he introduced Kisame was for training purposes, I think. How do you know he's affiliated with this group, anyway?"

"Sai saw their insignia on the cloaks in their room."

Sasuke sighed. "You really shouldn't go. You're making it way too easy for them."

"I already got permission from Baa-chan, though only because she knows I'd have gone anyway, once I got wind of it. Plus, my team's skill set is one of the best suited for this mission. I'm going to show them that no one messes with my friends."

"It's too dangerous. You're playing right into their hands."

"I know the risks. I wanted to be a ninja, you know. It's my choice. How can I be Hokage if i can't protect my friends? Anyway, Suna is one of Konoha's strongest allies."

"What are they after? Why would they want the Kazekage's life force?"

Sasuke knew at once that he had hit upon a key question, as Naruto immediately clammed up. "I'm sorry, I can't tell you. Mission details."

When Sasuke realized that his attempts to get Naruto to see reason were moot, he turned to Sakura's room, determined to get her to take him with them. She hardly threw him a glance.

"You are not coming. You haven't done anything to earn my trust so far, so even if you're finally prepared to tell me about that seal, that's too bad. How can we know you're not working with them in some way?"

Sasuke scowled.

"What does this Gaara have in common with Naruto? I want to know."

"They were both very lonely when they grew up."

"I know that's not what he meant."

"Well, ask him yourself; I don't know," she snapped, fastening her sleeping bag to the backpack and then getting up. "You know, I was listening to your conversation. If he wants you to know, he'll tell you himself. I need to go now. Naruto, are you ready?"

"Yep."

"Well then, Tatakai, take care. You know who to go to if you need anything." She opened the apartment door and slipped out, picking up speed immediately.

"Wait!" Sasuke jumped after her. "I promise, I'll tell you everything about the seal on the way." Desperation was creeping into his voice now, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

Sakura was looking ahead so as not to miss any steps. With the speed they were travelling with, they'd arrive at the gates in under three minutes. She heard the change in voice, wincing inwardly at realizing how much this was costing him. She'd never have thought he'd plead. He just didn't seem the type; he seemed much too proud, unapproachable, uncaring of anyone. That he did so now spoke volumes, and she kind of regretted having been so harsh to him beforehand, even though he'd deserved it.

"Look, we can't trust your word. I'm not trying to be mean here, but we don't know nearly enough about your skill set. This is a high-ranking mission and we can't risk you betraying us or turning out to be a liability. I'm sorry."

The words were crushing, and Sasuke grit his teeth, knowing there was no changing her mind at this point. He'd be left behind. Then the gates came into view, and his slave seal sent a painful reminder that where he was headed right now was a set boundary, and that if he overstepped it, it would not be pleasant.

The distracting pain had caused him to fall back and he was now running behind the others. It wouldn't take long now to reach the gate.

He could make out Temari and Kakashi, already waiting. Sakura and Naruto weren't slowing down.

And then, before he knew it, they had passed the gate and his body screamed in pain.

He fell to his knees, breathing hard. Gritting his teeth as he leaned back, he could only watch their retreating backs. They were soon swallowed up by the forest. While two ninja, who had been guarding the gate, jumped down to see what was wrong with him, only one thought raced through his mind...

Itachi had killed everyone he'd cared about! Itachi would slay them, too.

And he wasn't there to prevent it.


A/N: Let me know what you think!