Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Kabuto watched on with a smile, arms crossed laxly about his chest. "Isn't it about time you just give in?"

"I've had worse." Suigetsu coughed, grinning uneasily in spite of the confidence brimming in his tone. The slamming of his head back under water interrupted any further remarks. He mentally attempted to calculate how many hours had passed, but couldn't seem to get his numbers right. They were all blending together as his consciousness slipped for the umpteenth time.

Whatever Sakura had done must've been bad if her punishment was going to be this severe. He supposed it would've been different, but still just as bad. Suigetsu had seen the predatory look on Kabuto's face though, and that was not okay. Whatever he had in store for the girl would leave her scarred worse than any amount of water torture to him.

Besides, he rather liked them. Sasuke and Sakura were funny – maybe a bit too attached – but they normally kept their flirting to a minimum in front of him. Suigetsu just had a strong feeling that when he wasn't there, they were disgustingly affectionate, or, well, as affectionate as Sasuke could be. It was more about how he watched the pink-haired medic. His eyes were unconcealed in those moments when he thought no one was looking.

He would admit that was partly why he took her place. They were from the outside world where days weren't supposed to be spent in an illegal lab with syringes draining your veins and drugs being pumped into your system. Suigetsu could see it all through them, and if he was lucky, maybe they would actually break out and take him along.

If not, sure, he'd be pissed as fuck. But, he would have caught a glimpse of a fantasy – one in which he could devour gross amounts of delicious foods, travel the world, and overcome the thirst for blood Orochimaru had instilled in him.

The heavy metal door groaned open and Kimimaro slipped in. His palm still bore hard red lines from where he had gripped the whip too tightly.

"You're done?" Kabuto inquired, cocking his head at the impassive man.

"Yes." The single affirmation sounded strained, as if even he wasn't sure what had happened.

Across the room, Suigetsu was ripped to the surface, gasping for air like a flailing fish. His harsh panting bounced off the walls, shamelessly. Kimimaro ignored the specimen, mulling over his own experience with "hardening" the Uchiha's mind and body.

After roughly six hours of brutal flogging, even he had been sore in the wrist, having to resort to switching hands. Kimimaro hadn't expected the beating to last so long or for Sasuke's surprising endurance. By the time Orochimaru returned, the floor was covered in a sheen of blood and the boy's back was completely shredded, deep grooves running diagonally across his heaving backside.

Since the session had run so long, Kimimaro had been forced to re-open coagulated lacerations more than once. Normally, he had a limit for cruelty, but duty-called.

But that wasn't what disturbed him. It was after Orochimaru had entered the room, delighted to see the fruits of labor. Walking around the still chained boy, he had grabbed his jaw, lifting his head up and unraveling the blindfold. Yellow slit eyes widened in further appreciation.

Curious at the reaction, Kimimaro had stepped around his captive, stunned into silence at glowing crimson eyes. They were glazed and half-lidded, but more brilliant than the blood painting the walls. Orochimaru released him and Sasuke slumped forward, probably having fainted sometime during his punishment, as expected.

"Send him to the medical ward proper."

With that order, he had unchained the boy, tossed him over one shoulder, and carried him out of the chamber.

Kimimaro blinked, trying to erase the memory of them. The burning hate was pure and unadulterated in his unconscious state. What would it be like when he was fully aware? Just thinking about it sent shudders coursing through Kimimaro's body. Had they been too effective in their methods to strengthen him?

Based on Orochimaru's silent praise, it appeared that he had gotten exactly what he wanted.

"Where's the girl?"

Kabuto glanced up. "Hmm? She's still confined to Lab 7. This fool over here insisted on taking her punishment," he snorted, "I decided to be generous and concede."

"That's very unlike you." The frigid man remarked mildly.

"And what of you?" he returned, eyeing Kimimaro closely, "I've never seen you so shaken up after a session."

The latter was quiet, lips thinning in consternation. "I…am not sure how to feel. It's difficult to explain." Fear? Is that really what he was feeling? Either way, he hardly wanted to openly discuss these things with Kabuto of all people. The man was a master manipulator, only loyal to himself.

Thankfully, he didn't press for more information. Instead, he changed the subject. "Our Sharingan expert has discovered something interesting." Kabuto shifted on his feet, leaning back against the wall. "She thinks exchanging the Uchiha brothers' eyes will restore their vision. I'm under the impression that she's only scratched the surface of possibilities."

Kimimaro narrowed his eyes. "How so?"

"I've read the highlights of her work," he explained, "and it appears that Uchiha Itachi isn't blind. Rather, he has acquired the ability to see human energy, more specifically, the chakra networks of every individual. He's also stated that at times, he feels capable of literally rewiring the energy pathways which would hint at an ability to toy with the fibers of a person's existence, so to speak."

"Get to the point," the other man sighed, already exhausted from everything.

"The point is," Kabuto chuckled, "there's more to those red eyes than a mere disease. Her study confirms those hunches. Chakra runs deep and complicated in the Uchiha blood, and if that is true, it's not a far-off dream to believe that we can obtain those hidden powers. I'm not quite sure how exchanging their eyes will lead to immortality, but right now, I do believe we'll see something interesting should we undergo the procedure."

Kimimaro was silent, contemplating the possibilities. They were always putting themselves in danger, but this time, it felt real – as if the chance of losing had increased exponentially. This was beyond the realm of modern society and he wasn't sure Orochimaru was being smart about the whole endeavor. He rarely doubted the older man, but right now, it seemed too risky to have blind faith. More than anything, the safety of his self-proclaimed master overpowered any need to aid him in his conquests.

"Interesting doesn't mean successful," he spoke up, looking over at Kabuto.

"You're right," the latter agreed, "but the search for immortality is filled with dead ends. That's why we have to move forward and try our hand at everything with a possibility of success. Those red eyes are a strong bet in my book and Orochimaru-sama agrees."

Of course he knew his beloved leader agreed. Kimimaro just couldn't bring himself to confidently turn over all regards in this case.

"We have no time to waste," Kabuto pushed off the wall, striding toward the door. "Keep an eye on Suigetsu."

"Where are you going?"

The medic stopped at the threshold, a cold smile on his lips. "Weren't you listening? To start the procedure, we'll need the elder brother as well." And then he shut the door, leaving Kimimaro to listen to the desperate gasping for air and shattering crash of flesh against water.

Kakashi patted the blonde's backside gently. "Alright, alright, time to let go," he smiled behind his mask, prying Naruto off him.

The boy wailed. "It's been too long, Kakashi-sensei!"

He never did understand why the trio thought it would be funny to call him that. If anything, it made him feel older than he already felt. When had he become a thirty-something? Pushing aside his aging crisis, Kakashi popped the door of the cab open, nodding for Naruto to get inside. "We have a lot to do and catching up will have to wait."

Although he knew Itachi hadn't sent Naruto willingly, the extra set of hands to hold down the fort in Germany was wholly welcome. Kakashi had only recently come across something that could possibly lead them to the elusive researcher. When his former boss had contacted him half a day ago with news of the blonde's arrival, he had been disturbed by the rash decision but then thankful as he considered how hard it would be to follow the most promising of leads.

Naruto chattered away harmlessly during the taxi ride, smart enough to know that they should only be speaking behind closed doors and certainly not in the presence of a stranger.

"Teme almost flew to New York just to rescue Sakura from some guy who was hitting on her," he laughed.

"Really?" Kakashi drawled lightly. "That does seem like something he would do."

"And that was after they broke up," Naruto informed.

"A lovers' spat?" he joked.

The expression of pure exhaustion on his former ward's face made him frown. Was it really more than that? How odd, considering they were both currently being held captive together. Sakura had clearly never stopped loving the young Uchiha, and Kakashi highly doubted Sasuke ever felt like that toward another person.

With a heavy shake of his head, Naruto explained, "They broke up some three years ago. It was really stupid and no one approved of it, but then Sakura left for America with Granny Tsunade and Sasuke…well, he wasn't doing too hot. Long story short, they only started talking again recently."

No doubt, if Sasuke had chosen to take a step forward in reconciliation, he probably hadn't taken things slowly. Kakashi knew him too well to consider any other option. When the boy wanted something, he went after it with his blinders on, seeing nothing but the end goal.

"And how are they now?" he inquired conversationally, upholding the appearance of someone at ease.

Naruto shrugged. "I think they patched things up. We put them on a nighttime boat ride together." His smile was sincere but the regret in his ocean blues was enough to convey the horror of that decision. It wasn't worth it. The darkness was concealed quickly and he grinned, going on, "I wonder if Teme is going to propose again. He probably will soon."

"Yes," Kakashi patted the blonde head of spikes, "I'm sure he will."

X

Once safely settled in the cheap motel, the pair immediately fell into discussions about the state of affairs. Kakashi elaborated on all of his brief updates, carefully detailing his finds, before dropping the bomb about his latest discovery.

It was something he had planned on telling Itachi, but time restrictions had prevented him.

"There's a human auction tomorrow night," Kakashi stated, his voice hushed as if someone might be listening. "Orochimaru often goes in person, but I have a hunch he'll be sending underlings this time around. Now that he has Sakura and Sasuke, it would be too dangerous to go out in public and risk being seen. From what I've heard, he has four personal guards that always accompany him. The descriptions aren't enough to work off of, so I'll be counting on you to recognize them."

Naruto's eyes widened. "What?" he yelped, "Of course I'll do it, but how am I supposed to know what they look like?"

"Think about the importance of capturing Sasuke," Kakashi began patiently, "he wouldn't send just anyone to collect the goods." The blonde winced at the crude portrayal of his friend. Ignoring it, the silver-haired man went on, "Only the most trusted operatives would be given such an important task. There can only be so many of those and I have a strong feeling I'm correct to assume that he would use his personal guards for such a task. That means you have the highest chance of recognizing them, seeing as you fought them not long ago."

When he resolved to gain redemption in Germany, he thought there would be more time to prepare. Seeing everything unfold before his eyes as breakneck speed was fear-inducing. Naruto could still feel the beefy limbs of that giant crushing him. What was his name again? Jirobo? Anyway, all he knew was that taking another punch from that monster might just be the end of him in his current state.

With wounds still tender, Naruto tried to imagine himself winning a fight. The odds were stacked against him.

"Okay," he nodded, despite the inner turmoil.

"I'm going to be right here," Kakashi assured, aware of the ill ease on the boy's face. "I'll have your back, so don't worry."

Naruto wanted to trust in those words, but even when he was back to back with his brother-in-arms, the fight had been nearly too much to handle. He frowned. Perhaps it would be good to trust in his former "teacher". After all, as he grew older, he learned of the reputation Kakashi held. The man was a legend in his own right.

"So what's the plan?"

Kakashi smiled under the mask, eyes creasing. "When they make their bid and leave, we'll follow them out and find out where they're taking the new experiment. Simple, huh?"

"And how are we supposed to stay unseen?" he cocked a questioning brow.

"Stealth skills, Naruto," he chided lightly, "It shouldn't be too difficult. As far as I know, they are unaware of my hand in the rescue operation. That should give us some leverage. Since there's a lesser chance of them recognizing me, I will attend undercover and you will stakeout their mode of transport – probably an unregistered vehicle of some sort."

Slowly, he was starting to build confidence in this plan. His heart didn't clench every time he thought about his friends now. They were all in the same country again and he would be one step closer to finding and saving them. Plus, here was Kakashi leading the way, protecting them like he had done when they were barely old enough to know play outside alone.

"Okay," Naruto nodded firmly this time, meeting the older man's eyes head on, "we'll get Sakura-chan and Teme back."

Sakura bolted up, alert eyes darting about the room. The door Lab 7 was ajar, a familiar silhouette outlined in the semi-darkness. He beckoned her forward, strikingly pale locks framing a surprisingly effeminate face. She recalled seeing him before, probably when he had aided in apprehending them.

"Come." He said nothing else before turning away.

Running fingers through her messy hair, she tied it back as she trailed after him. Her eyes memorized his form, searching for any signs of this being a trap. In her mind, she thanked the heavens that at least Kabuto hadn't been the one to fetch her. He never made any of their interactions easy. Every word was a veiled threat and every look was calculating. Despite them both being medics, it seemed they would never be able to get along.

Dismally, Sakura failed to recognize any of the hallways. They were still just a maze to her and watching the man in front of her move through them with fluid grace was almost enviable. It was only when she remembered that it would require several years trapped in the underground facility to become so adept at finding her way about, that she crushed the minute envy.

Some minutes later, they entered a much better lit corridor. The doors she passed had square windows set into them, revealing ordinary hospital rooms with nurses and doctors. She didn't trust any of them, but at least the treatments looked legitimate – though she was too far away to truly tell anything.

"Don't dawdle."

Sakura shot a look at the man. He didn't turn around, only continuing his march forward. They passed a few more doors until they reached the very back. Pressing his keycard to the panel beside an impressive pair of white doors, a lock disengaged and he pulled on the handle. Kimimaro indicated with his eyes for her to enter first.

Wordlessly, she abided by the order, gaze scanning the room right away. Her heart dropped to her stomach and she rushed forward, only to feel a steely hand close around her upper arm, yanking her to a halt.

Staggering back, she glared hatefully. "Let go of me!" she shouted, struggling angrily.

"Calm down, Sakura-chan."

She shivered, eyes widening at the chilling hiss. Orochimaru emerged from behind one of the draping hospital curtains to stand beside the slumbering young man. A clean white blanket covered Sasuke from hips down, his entire torso wrapped in gauze. He slept on his stomach and as Sakura studied him longer, she saw why.

The thick wrappings were holding, but already dark spots were seeping through. Tears pricked her eyes. "What did you do to him?" she growled, lips trembling, brows drawn down in unconcealed fury.

Kimimaro tightened his grip on her warningly.

"They're training wounds," Orochimaru dismissed, lips curled up. He threaded spindly fingers through the mess of black hair, affectionately stroking down the nape of his neck.

"Stop touching him!" Sakura snarled, shoving her elbow back toward the man restraining her. He stumbled in surprise, but quickly caught her again before she could approach his master. Unflinchingly, he backhanded her, the supple flesh of her cheek bending violently under the harsh strike.

She slammed to the ground, holding her bruising face. Burning green eyes lifted up to him but then she was running toward Sasuke, crashing to the tile beside his bed. Immediately, Kimimaro was behind her, about to put the annoying little thing in her place. Before he could strike out again, Orochimaru gave him a halting look.

"But…," he trailed off as the gaze intensified. Subduing his flare of irritation, Kimimaro backed away reluctantly, clenching fists behind his back.

Sakura gently cradled Sasuke's limp hand, urging herself to calmly assess his injuries. The deep bruising around his wrist hinted at bone fractures, possibly due to the position and duration he was being restrained. Whatever was underneath those bandages though….

"Are you worried for him?" Orochimaru murmured, seemingly amused by her concern.

She didn't dignify him with a response.

"This could have been avoided," he sighed, sauntering around the bed to stand beside her. With forced tenderness, he placed a hand upon her shoulder.

Sakura yanked away from the icy touch, moving her hand up to caress his turned head. His face was pressed sideways into the pillow, long bangs obscuring his handsome features. Delicately, she brushed them back, relieved to see he showed no discomfort.

Orochimaru's voice was suddenly by her ear, the strangely heavy presence of his body hovering above her. "Sakura-chan," he cooed, "had you just done as we asked, your precious Sasuke-kun would not be in this situation. You see, I wish to preserve him – train him to become a powerful man. He will succeed under my tutelage and with your research, I'm sure we will see him achieve a level of power the world has never seen."

He rubbed her injured wrist carefully, knowing the paralyzing effect of his presence on people as weak as her. "Listen closely," his voice slick, "your beloved Sasuke-kun is vulnerable. He required pain to truly shed that skin of ignorance. I gave him that. I delivered to him the hate and darkness necessary to feed the flames of his Sharingan. Those devil eyes thirst for hate. You should thank me," Orochimaru laughed hoarsely, "By doing this, I have furthered your research into the Mangekyo Sharingan and the search for immortality."

"I don't care about any of that," she shook her head, finally finding the strength to shove him away. Turning her attention back to the beautiful sleeping boy, her tears finally slid down, silent and heavy. "Fuck you." Sakura scoffed, still not letting her gaze waver, swallowing down rising bile. "He is not an experiment. He is a person with a strong heart and mind. He has overcome so much more than whatever you did to him." He needs love, not hate.

"Continue lecturing me, and I may soon consider your usefulness unworthy."

She finally glanced over at him, keeping her eyes planted somewhere around his chin and away from those petrifying pupils. "Let's stop playing games."

Orochimaru silenced.

Her smile was bitter. "Your threats carry so little weight." Sakura laughed brokenly, tenderly squeezing Sasuke's fingers. "I know very well how important I am. I'm also not so foolish as to think you'd actually risk hurting Sasuke-kun and his eyes just because I'm a pain. Right now, your plans are founded on my completing this work because no one else could possibly perfect the procedure."

His chuckle was so mocking she couldn't help but look up. Orochimaru settled himself, reaching down to coil long fingers around her chin. "Foolish girl," he sneered, "you may have been correct before, but your expiration date is fast approaching. Once we have acquired the elder Uchiha, you will be of no more use."

Her eyes widened, but quickly narrowed. "Itachi will never go with you."

"Won't he?" Orochimaru mused. "We are holding his little brother captive and you should know better than anyone how much he loves Sasuke-kun. He would willingly give up his life for him."

Sakura didn't dare push his hand away this time, taking the stroking of his thumb as a true warning. "Then what? You'll take Itachi because his eyes are 'stronger'?" she summoned up a retort.

"Sasuke-kun has proven himself to have more…potential, if you will. Furthermore, he's in a more precarious situation. The younger ones are always easier to mold into something favorable," he licked his lips.

Was it better to know Sasuke would be kept alive, but in the grip of a madman, or dead and at peace? Sakura wasn't sure. She didn't want either option to come true, and yet it seemed like the world was turning on its head once again, promising to tear them apart in a matter of days. What would happen then? Orochimaru was right. Itachi would never put his personal safety ahead of Sasuke's.

The pieces were falling into the worst places possible.

"Kimimaro," the snake called, releasing Sakura's face. "Take our young medic back to her lab. She still has work to do on the procedure." Two hands snatched her up by her arms. Orochimaru glanced at them, "Oh, and if she fails to offer full cooperation, slit Suigetsu's throat."

The girl stiffened in his hold.

"Move." Kimimaro shoved her away from the bed.

Sakura fought back, jostling Sasuke's arm in the process, her fingers still tightly wound about his hand. If this was the last time she saw him, what would she do?

No. This isn't the last time.

"Sasuke-kun, wake up!" she cried, clinging onto him even as Kimimaro came around, yanking her by the waist.

It was already enough though. The sleeping boy stirred, brows scrunching as he groaned awake. His hand instinctively tightened around Sakura's and she broke into a smile, more tears falling. Sasuke blinked a few times, nerves raw and vocal cords unwilling to work.

Beautiful green eyes were on him and he smiled somewhat deliriously. The stabbing pain in his muscles was momentarily forgotten. They haven't taken her from me. "Sakura." He croaked, coughing violently at the dryness of his esophagus.

"Sasuke-kun…," she whispered, brimming joy on her face. Her mouth were still moving, but the sound didn't reach his ears. He squinted, trying to read her lips. The words were a jumbled mess to his groggy brain. Maybe when he woke up he would unscramble it. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan.

His eyes slipped shut as Orochimaru pumped more sedatives into the boy's bloodstream, pleased when their hands untangled and her helpless begging grew faint with forceful departure.

It was no good. Her influence was more than expected. Orochimaru had lit up with delight once more at the sight of the Uchiha's glowing scarlet irises, but that feeling had cooled upon seeing them dim to dull maroon. There was only one thing different about the situation and that was her presence.

Haruno Sakura could quell the pain and hate even when she didn't understand it. To the boy, she had become a safety check of sorts – a lifejacket keeping him from the depths of darkness. He scowled at the realization. That simply would not do.

She needed to be eliminated, but not right away.

Orochimaru had plans and he would ensure that her death was grand.