AN: Ugh…I don't wanna write anymore
AN: Ugh…I don't wanna write anymore! cries I received just about the meanest flame ever and the person didn't even read the whole story! They judged it based on the first two chapters (after looking back on them they kinda suck anyway) I had to force myself to sit down and write this next chapter and I know somewhere out there that some people really do enjoy this story so…this is for you I guess. You guys keep me going.
Disclaimer: sigh once again the annoying disclaimer…um…ownership…Naruto…me…noooooo.
New Team
Konoha…Training Area 7…Two Years Later…
Sasuke landed on his feet with a heavy thud. He blinked a few times to clear away the sudden shock and checked his targets. He glared when only eight of the ten targets had a kunai buried in them dead center. He wrenched the weapons free and corrected the targets that had moved. He stood in the middle of the circle that he had created, one or two kunai held between his fingers. He sighed to calm his nerves and closed his eyes.
It had been two years since the attack on Konoha and a new Hokage had still yet to be named. In the meantime the council of elders served as the country's leaders. The Chunin exams had come and gone four times. Sasuke and Naruto along with their classmates had all passed and a new crop of genin was getting ready for their exams.
An eagle shrieked over head breaking Sasuke's train of thought. Annoyed, he glanced up at the predator. A thin piece of paper wafted down from they sky in front of him. A kunai pinned the parchment to the trunk of the tree.
The Uchiha glared at the paper as he read what it said. He ripped the weapon out if it and held up the paper with two fingers, "Fine I'll go," the paper smoldered in the grass as Sasuke leaped on to Roc's back.
The black eagle took to the sky with shrill screech.
Hokage Tower…
Naruto gazed out across the Konoha rooftops lost in thought. Kakashi had only called them together nowadays for missions but the messages were usually yielded by pakkun or some other ninja dog. It had been over two years since the blonde had received a message by bird, if this is about the anniversary of the Konoha attack I'm not sticking around, he thought sulking to himself.
Since Inara's death Naruto and Sasuke had grown further apart and their friendship had come to a near screeching halt. Naruto had calmed down a bit and his relationship with Hinata was going well. The couple had gone on a few dates but because they were on separate teams, it was difficult to set up a time for them to meet.
Sasuke had reverted to his former anti-social self. He rarely came out of the Uchiha mansion and when he did he spent all his time training so he'd have to take a few days off just to recover from chakra exhaustion.
Naruto had tried tracking him a few times but the Uchiha had managed to throw him off his trail by setting many traps and false trails. In the end the blonde just gave up and left his teammate alone.
Kakashi had noticed the friction between his students and had tried to fix it by sending them on even more missions. But the plan had started off terribly and eventually fell flat on its face.
The door creaked open and Sasuke strode through, he paused when he saw Naruto seated in one of the chairs, "What are you doing here?"
The blonde shrugged, "Kakashi sensei sent for me same as you." He motioned to the chair a few feet away from him.
Sasuke shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "So…where is sensei anyway?"
Naruto laughed, "You know Kakashi. The day he's on time will be the day all Hell freezes over. So…what have you been up to?"
"Training" said the Uchiha as he leaned up against the wall. It had been a few months since he actually had some down time to just sit around and talk like this. He looked at his teammate. Naruto sure hadn't changed much over the last few years.
The orange jumpsuit had been replaced by a black and dark red one, almost the color of blood. The headband had changed as well; the blonde must have out grown it. Now a black hiate was tied snuggly around his forehead, the ends reached the nape of his neck. The Konoha symbol was almost hidden through the locks of blond hair that fell over it.
"So you and Jiraiya-sama have been busy?"
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, he's got me working on a new technique similar to the Chidori."
Sasuke snorted, "Whatever, as if a drop-out like you could handle something like that."
The blonde glared at his teammate, he was always doing this now, insulting him just to start a fight. Sasuke had changed dramatically over the last two years but the blonde could tell the he was still suffering and tried his best to keep that in mind whenever Sasuke provoked him.
Black seemed to be the Uchiha's new favorite color, a black shirt similar to his dark blue one covered his chest. Khaki shorts that went below the knee gave way to leg supports and black Nin sandals. His hands were wrapped as well, to about the middle of his forearm. A black leather strip snapped around both arms and around the wrappings. Tan elbow supports kept Sasuke's joints from seizing up from the harsh training he was putting himself through.
Unlike Naruto, Sasuke still carried the Ayanomi sword with him and used it during his training, but the set of hand blades had been reserved for special killings only, more specifically those of Itachi and Orochimaru.
Door creaked open and Kakashi entered the room, "Good morning you two. Sasuke please have a seat."
"You're late again sensei," said the Uchiha crossing the room to find the chair furthest from the Uzumaki.
"I've called you here today to introduce you to someone very special." Said the Jonin, "Sai, you can come in now."
A tall pale youth with jet black hair stepped through the door. He wore a black shirt that only reach to the bottom of his ribs, one sleeve was long while the other was short. His pants only when down to about mid-shin and were somewhat tight fitting. On his back he carried something that looked to be a stick or Bo staff.
"This is Sai, Sai this is Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki."
The blonde raised his hand, "Sensei shouldn't we have another girl on the squad to balance out evenly? I mean an all male squad? I don't think there is one of those. I mean all the other squads have at least one member of the opposite gender."
"That's true Naruto however Sai was the only one we could get a hold of from the ANBU team so we're going to have to deal with it." said the Jonin, "besides with the way you and Sasuke have been acting over the last few years I think it's about time we have some male bonding."
A strange look crossed Sasuke's face.
"Why do I feel gay all of a sudden?" Naruto whispered to himself.
Even if it was a faint whisper, the Uchiha had heard it and moved his chair another three feet away from the blonde.
Kakashi sighed, "You'll have to forgive them Sai. Sasuke's been somewhat anti-social ever since our other squad member died,"
Sasuke glared at him from across the room.
"Oops…anyway if you don't want to get on his bad side, don't do what I just did. Most of the time he just glares but he has thrown a kunai at my head a few times so just watch yourself. Now Naruto on the other hand, his personality is self explanatory. Stay around him long enough and your face will hurt from laughing so much."
The blonde raised his eyebrow, "Very funny sensei, by the way that tutu in your closet was gift from Anko. She asked me to drop it off while you were filing our last report."
A faint smile tugged at the edge of Sasuke's mouth but he quickly smothered it with a cough of annoyance, "Sensei, didn't you say that this…kid…you got him from the ANBU squad? Then why is he joining a squad of Chunin?"
"Hmm…good question Sasuke I'm glad you asked. Sai would you like to tell them?" he looked at his new student expectantly, but the boy just shook his head. Kakashi sighed, "Sai was trained by the head ANBU however his skills are…no offence Sai…lacking and need to be refined. As far as his squad leader sees it, three or more year's reform training and he'll be ready to train a squad of his own."
Sasuke glared at his new teammate, lucky bastard, with skills like his I'd be outta here by now. More than likely Orochimaru and Itachi would be dead also. Some people get all the luck.
Naruto jumped off his chair and stood face to face with the pale teen, "I haven't seen you around here before. So I've draw up three conclusions. One: you're at least three years older than us. Two: you're younger than us or three you're not from Konoha." Three fingers were shoved into Sai's face.
Naruto's arm was twisted around roughly and shoved up behind his back, forcing him to bend over at the waist. A foot rested on his head.
Kakashi blinked in surprise, he hadn't even seen Sai move.
The black haired boy pressed down on Naruto's head, "Yes you're right. I'm not from here. I come from a small village about twenty miles southeast of here. I came to Konoha after you and your little girlfriend over there had completed your first mission."
Sasuke stood up so quickly the chair he had been sitting on was knocked back with an impressive amount of force, "What did you say you bastard?!" The Uchiha was a few inches taller than Sai and sturdier built, but the new squad-mate had speed on his side.
"You heard me emo boy. If you ask me I think you and your screw toy are jealous."
Naruto wiggled free from Sai's grasp as he and Sasuke sized each other up.
Kakashi sighed and covered half his face with his hand, "Here we go again."
"C'mon guys let's not to do this we're supposed to be friends." The blonde pleaded.
Sai snorted, "Heh how do you put up with this guy sensei?" he jammed a thumb in Naruto's direction, "His ego's probably bigger than his junk."
"Alright, alright you three calm down. Sai I don't think those were the best first words to say to your new teammates," He looked at his older students, "and you two should have been more accepting. We're a team now just as we were when Inara was with us."
Sasuke glowered at his teacher. Without a word he stomped out the door, slamming it shut so the window panes rattled.
Kakashi sighed, why do I always get the emotional baggage?
Naruto threw an arm over Sai's shoulder, "Hey were you staying?"
The teen gave him a wary look but decided that he'd damage nothing more than his pride if he let the blonde know where he lived…which was currently in a hotel room, "Nowhere in particular. I've got a room at Hotel on the other side of town."
"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, "We'll swing by, pick up your stuff and you can crash at my place. It's not much but it's better than staying with Sasuke. After that stunt you pulled you'd be lucky if he killed you in your sleep rather then if you were awake."
Sai rolled his eyes as the blonde yammered on and on and on, great…now I get stuck with the dick-less wonder. I'd rather take my chances with emo boy.
Unknown Location…
Twelve shadows flickered and danced in the torchlight, ranging in height and shape. The cave was dark and damp. Water dripped off the stalactites and fell into a shallow pool creating eerie ripples on the ceiling and in the water. Stalagmites jutted up from the floor some small enough to be broken by a passerby others were thicker than a man's chest. The wet yellow-white stone glistened in the firelight.
"So then we're all agreed. The tailed ones will be trapped in this cave forever for us to use at our disposal."
The other eight shadows nodded.
"Now on to other matters of business, since our ninth member has decided to no longer participate in our organization I will be paying him a short visit to retrieve something from him. This may take anywhere from a few days to a few years, so keep yourselves occupied while I'm gone with your assignments. If by chance you locate one of the tailed ones, well…you know what to do. I hereby adjourn this meeting until further notice."
The torches flickered out and the shadows dispersed casting the cave into utter darkness that the human mind could not imagine unless one has seen it for themselves.
Somewhere In the Land of Fire…
"Okay sweetie I'm going to remove the bandages now," Shizune cooed to a black haired girl.
The patient clung to her older cousin as if he was her lifeline.
"Calm down hatchling, once they're removed you'll be able to see again. Isn't that what you want?" Kasaki asked.
The girl shrugged her shoulders, "I-I don't know…what's it like to see?"
Tsunade laughed, "Poor child, she's been blind for two years and she's forgotten how to see already. Take the bandages off Shizune and let the poor girl experience the sunlight."
The blackness gave way to a bright red light. The girl didn't know that she had her eyes closed and what she was seeing was the sunlight hitting the back of she eyelids, "So this is 'to see'? Everything's…." she struggled to find the right word, "Red."
Shizune just about fell over laughing, "No, no honey you need to open your eyes, like this."
The girl felt fingertips gently force her eyelids open, what she saw made her scream out in pain and surprise.
"I-it hurts! My eyes…they're broken!" she screamed squeezing them shut again. She felt the body under her move with laughter, "Try again hatchling, this time much slower. You'll get used to it soon enough."
The girl did as she was told. Her eyes watered from the sunlight but they didn't hurt as badly now. This was the first time she was seeing the world in two whole years.
Two women smiled at her making the girl feel uncomfortable.
The one with black hair stepped forward, "Hi there, I'm Shizune and this," she gestured to the pig she held in her arms, "Is Ton-ton."
The girl starred at her and the pig. Shizune wore a dark purple kimono like dress with a light blue sash. Here hair only went down to the nape of her neck. Her face was thin but friendly enough.
Ton-ton the pig wore a dark blue plastic necklace. The black haired girl wondered if all animals dressed this way. On the pig's back was a maroon vest, "Oink," snorted the pig suddenly.
The girl jumped and clung even closer to her cousin.
Kasaki laughed when she turned to look at him, confused and surprised. Her finger tips had given her the accurate 'visual' of her cousin's features. His face was smooth and thin but muscles rippled just under the surface. His eyes were friendly and a beautiful shade of light blue.
The girl reached up and touched one of the spikes on his head; it bent under the weight of her fingers. One white spike fell into his left eye. The next one in line, a black arched towards the back of his skull but the other two were short…as if something had broken them off. She ran her fingers down the center of his head, brushing the spikes, white, black, white, black, until they ended at the nape of his neck. The rest of his hair was cropped to about an inch and a half in length and was jet black.
He adjusted himself so he was more comfortable with her in his lap.
The girl looked down and saw powerful arms and legs. Kasaki chuckled at his mistress's amazement which averted Inara's attention to his torso.
Curious she quickly lifted the black shirt. Kasaki quickly dragged it back down before she could take in any interesting details. From what she gathered like his arms and legs, his stomach and chest were extremely chiseled.
Tsunade laughed, "From the way she acts you'd think she's never seen a male before eh Jask?"
Kasaki rolled his eyes, "Oh she has, many times. Hatchling! None of that!" he scolded when the girl tried to lift his shirt again.
Tsunade knelt down to Inara's level, "Honey, look at me."
Inara turned head slowly.
The Sanin smiled, "Well I believe you and she are related now Jask. The same jet black hair, the same blue eyes. I swear she's the female version of you."
Kasaki shrugged, "We get that a lot. Some people even go as far as to suggest that I'm her father."
Tsunade laughed, "I can see why. Not many people in Konoha look like you two. This brings me to three important questions. The first being, what's your name sweetie?"
Inara was silent, what was her name? She fought the uncertainty but hit a black wall the made her brain throb painfully, "Hatchling," she whispered finally.
The blonde sighed and shook her head, then turned to Kasaki, "What's her real name?"
The demon shrugged, "Beats me I've always called her hatchling. I used to know a long time ago but…after awhile…Hatchling just stuck." To Kasaki's relief, Tsunade didn't question the odd nickname, I feel bad about lying to the people who saved our lives like this but…if Orochimaru finds out Inara's alive there's no doubt in my mind that he'll come and finish what he started. It's for her own protection. The fact that Inara's lost her memory only aids my task.
Tsunade turned back to Inara, "uh…Hatchling…," the nickname felt awkward on her tongue, "Do you know how old you are?"
The black haired girl was silent again then held up eight fingers, "This many," she squeaked.
The Sanin looked to the girl's cousin for help.
"We celebrated her thirteenth birthday two years ago so she's fifteen now. I still can't believe she's already a teenager. What I can't understand is why she's been stuck in the mind set of an eight year old."
Tsunade sat back on her heels, "Well when we found you two you were passed out from exhaustion and extremely dehydrated. Other than that Jask you had a few minor cuts and bruises. But Hatchling however had a broken arm, numerous lacerations and a half healed wound that was beginning to become infected. Further examination revealed that her eyes were severely damaged and the wound on her chest should have killed her. Why it didn't is still a mystery to me because no human has enough chakra to prevent death if it's inevitable.
"The only conclusion I could reach is that something traumatic must have forced her to lose her memory and reduce her brain function to that of an eight year old child, a time in her life when she was the most stable. Which brings me to my third question, where are you two from?"
Kasaki bowed his head, pretending to be ashamed, "We didn't mean to cause trouble…honest we didn't. We've never had a place to call home since my parents died and we've been traveling ever since. We'd stop in one village to find work for myself but hardly anyone needed an extra set of hands. More than often enough we had to steal just to stay alive. I didn't like it but what else could I do? Without money to buy food we had no other choice."
"You're dodging the question," Tsunade scolded, "Where did you come from?"
The demon sighed, "The last village we left was the Village Hidden in the Wasteland. We weren't treated kindly and when we had to eat…well we got caught and that's how Hatchling got hurt." Tears streamed down Kasaki's cheeks to make the act more convincing, "It's my fault…I'm the reason she got hurt. I should have been able to protect her but…I couldn't."
He felt a cool hand rest on his cheek, "Its okay Jaskie-chan." Inara cooed, "I don't hurt anymore see?" she pointed at her stomach, the gash had completely healed and only a white scar remained.
Kasaki hugged the child; if I can fool my own container…maybe I should get a job as an actor.
Shizune tapped the demon on the shoulder, he released his hold on Inara as the medic nin mouthed "I'm sorry."
Tsunade stood up straight, "Well that's quite the story but now I'm afraid we must go our separate ways. I wish the both of you good luck."
Shizune's eyes darted from Inara and Kasaki to Tsunade who was walking down the street, "But…but Lady Tsunade! You can't just leave them like this! What if they get into trouble again? Who will save them the next time?"
The blonde stopped in her tracks and turned to look at the pair. Her heart throbbed painfully when Kasaki and Inara were replaced with herself and her younger brother. She shook her head to clear away the image and continued back down the street.
"Wait!" Kasaki called, he didn't like the idea of traveling alone with Inara incase Orochimaru showed up. He knew that this woman had a great amount of hidden power and the best thing to do would to stay with her, "What if you hired me? A couple of ladies traveling alone…it's dangerous. I was a Chunin at my old village so I could protect the both of you while you traveled. It's not like Hatchling and I have anywhere else to go anyway."
The blonde laughed, "Why would I do you that kind of favor? Besides Shizune and I have all the protection we need right now and my payroll can only support the two of us."
"Who said I wanted money as payment?!" Kasaki shouted again before the Sanin could walk away, "Just let us follow along…that will be payment enough and as for food and lodging—Hatchling and I can manage on our own."
"You sure are persistent aren't you?" asked Tsunade, "What make you think you will be of any use to me?"
The man stared at his feet, "The same reason I was kicked out of my home village after my parents died." He rose slowly to his feet, formed a hand sign and concentrated. The rocks around his feet began to move around him in a swirling circle. His eyes snapped open, glowing a brilliant white color. The boulder that he had been sitting on rose in the air and hovered over Tsunade's head. Gently he set it back down.
Next he thrust a hand in the air; a great gale nearly swept the Sanin and Shizune off their feet. His next demonstrations involved fire, ice and water. A bolt of lightning struck a boulder splitting it in half for the final show.
Kasaki collapsed on to his knees breathing heavily. Shizune was at his side almost instantly checking to see if he had injured himself.
Tsunade snorted, "Hm, those were some complicated Jutsus but looks like you've used too much of your chakra."
"Actually my Lady…he hasn't used any! He's physically exhausted, his chakra is untouched."
"What! But that's impossible! No one can manipulate the elements without using chakra!"
Kasaki stumbled to his feet, his strength slowly returned to him, "But I can…the villagers…my friends…feared my abilities and chased me out. I'm the result of an experiment gone horribly wrong. Instead of creating a being with unlimited chakra they created a being that could control the elements at will without using an ounce of chakra. I am truly a freak of nature."
Tsunade smiled, "Alright…you've proven yourself. You and the girl may follow us but on one condition."
"Anything!" Kasaki gasped.
"We get to train you both. I'm only doing this so you two don't go berserk and accidentally kill someone. Jask…you will be trained by Shizune to fight and heal. I'm warning you now it will be painful and difficult but those powers you have must be harnessed before they get out of control."
The man nodded.
"And the girl will be train by me. When your training is complete we will go our separate ways…is that clear?"
"Crystal clear."
Village Hidden in the Leaves…
The sun was setting, tuning the sky brilliant shades of pinks, oranges and purples. The birds returned to their nests for the night as the predators of the night began to emerge.
Sasuke stumbled down the empty streets, an empty sake bottle clutched in his hand. Anyone still out on the streets gave him a wide berth. He turned down the dark street and leaned up against a building. Sasuke hurled the sake bottle as far from him as he could without losing his balance and rang the doorbell to the house.
A woman about his age quickly opened the door, "Sasuke! How many times do I have to tell you not to wander the streets when you're in this state?" Ino slung his arm around her shoulder and kicked the door open even further, "Come on let's get you inside."
She seated him on a puffy couch with lots of pillows which the Uchiha quickly shoved to the floor. Ino smelled the liquor on his breath and wrinkled her nose, this wasn't the first time he had come to her like this. She left him on the couch and went to the kitchen, poured a clear liquid into a shallow cup and gave it to Sasuke.
He drank it and choked, the burning pain down his throat clearing his mind from the alcohol induced fog.
Ino sat down in a high backed chair and crossed her legs, resting her hands on her knee, "So…do you mind telling me why we went out and got drunk then had the nerve to come here?"
Sasuke hesitated, "We have a new teammate," he finally mumbled.
The Yamanaka sighed, since the day the Uchiha had shown up at the flower store, he had made it a habit of coming to her with questions, seeking her advice. During their sessions that sometimes lasted for hours, Ino's infatuation with him had burned down to nothing more than coals of what used to be a blazing fire.
She sighed, "Sasuke I know you're still upset about…" she hesitated, a sure fire way to make him mad was to mention Inara's name, "What happened, but getting drunk then dumping your problems on me isn't they way to go about dealing with it."
"I know, I know, but you're the only one I feel I can talk to…the only one who truly hears me these days. Naruto…Kakashi sensei…and now this new Sai character, who by the way is a total jackass not to mention an albino….it, just seems like I'm alone in this world that's filled with people."
Ino chuckled, "Wow, you really have let yourself go haven't you?"
"Oh shut up," Sasuke growled.
"Fine, but you want my advice don't you?"
The Uchiha nodded.
"Well here are my thoughts," Ino shifted forward so her face was inches away from Sasuke's "Relax a little. You're training yourself to the extremes everyday and your mind can't take it anymore. You're destroying yourself Sasuke, step back and take things in stride. You'll get used to your new teammate just like you got used to Naruto and Kakashi. These things take time and are no good rushed."
The Uchiha sighed, "I had a feeling you were going to say that. Maybe I'm relying on you too much Ino."
The blonde sat back and laughed, "Yep, if you paid me for these sessions I would've built up a mini fortune by now, then I could afford more than this dump of an apartment."
Sasuke smiled to himself, he remembered the day Ino had moved out of the Yamanaka house when she made Chunin, "Well…that's all I wanted so I guess I'll be going now."
Ino nodded and showed him out; she closed the door and sighed.
"How's your patient?" asked a familiar voice.
"Not good sensei, he was horribly scared by Itachi and losing Inara only tore them back open. Its amazing that he's still sane."
Ibiki stepped out of the shadows, "The human mind is an amazing thing. Certain events can make or break a person and Sasuke…well he's one of those rare few who refuse to shatter."
"Is he going to be okay Ibiki sensei?" asked Ino as she gazed out window.
"It's hard to say, he may heal but his mind will never be what it used to. Not many people can under go the strain of a complete mental transformation."
"I feel bad for him."
"As do I Ino…as do I."
The Next Morning…
Sunlight shone through the forest canopy, Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut to block it out but to no avail. A gentle hand brushed against his cheek startling him.
"Sasuke-kun, its time to wake up silly, its past noon," chimed a familiar voice.
Black eyes snapped open to see a silver haired Inara smiling down at him. Her golden eyes shone with compassion, a temperate smile lit up her face.
"Sasuke come with me, there's some one I want you to meet." Before he could say anything she grabbed his arm and led him to a large clearing surrounded by flowering trees. The roar of the waterfall was quieted by distance, but the Uchiha already knew where they were. It was the same clearing he had taken Inara to on their first date.
"I-Inara I…"
The kunoichi cut him off, "Mom! We're here!"
Sasuke blinked in surprise, Isn't her mother dead?
In the middle of the shallow pool stood a slender dark haired woman, her features were young and fair. When she gazed in his direction his jaw almost dropped. She was the older version of Inara! The only differences where hair and eye color.
"Inara!" the woman seemingly glided forward and embraced her daughter, "I've missed you so. Oh! Who is this? It couldn't be little Sasuke could it?"
The Uchiha jumped, she remembered him? He felt the blood rush to his cheeks by being called 'little' by someone that looked only a few years older than him.
Inara's mother rested her hand on his cheek and smiled, "You look just like your mother Sasuke-kun…but you have your father's nose." She kissed his forehead gently, "You were like a son to me Sasuke and now you and Inara have both grown so much. I look forward to seeing what my grandchildren will look like."
Inara wrapped her arms around Sasuke, "Mom, you're embarrassing me." She stuck out her bottom lip in a mock frown.
Sasuke's heart practically leaped for joy, here she was…standing right next to him! "Inara…I--"
A low rumbling cut him off and forced everyone's attention on to the shallow pool. The water was at a rolling boil before the ground split in two, smoke rising up from the crevice. Orochimaru rose out of the pit on the head of a giant summoning snake.
"I hate to break up this little reunion but I just hate happy endings." He formed a hand sign with his right hand; both Inara and her mother fell to the ground writhing in pain.
"Inara!" He shouted, but his calls couldn't reach her ears.
He saw her curse marks glowing with white heat and cold fury took control.
Orochimaru was laughing as he watched the two women squirm trying to rid themselves of the pain, "You can't help them now Sasuke, they're at my mercy. But don't worry I won't kill them…yet that is. You're the whole reason I came to Konoha in the first place…so I guess that means The Village Hidden in the Leaves was destroyed because of you, the blood of your comrades are on your hands."
Sasuke shook with blind fury, "No…it isn't my fault…I'm not responsible…you…you're the one who killed them…you're the one who ordered the attack not me!"
"Hmm…if you put it that way I guess you may be right however there is one thing that you ARE responsible for…the death of the person you hold most dear!" With a jerk of his hand, both Inara and her mother went limp, their eyes clouded over.
"Oh tsk tsk tsk, see? Now you've gone and done it again." Orochimaru chuckled to himself as Sasuke stood frozen in place, Inara had just been killed right before his eyes and he had done nothing to stop it!
"So what are you going to do now Sasuke? Are you going to kill me? Hmph I doubt you could…after all you couldn't even stand up to your own brother. You're a coward Sasuke Uchiha! You depend on others to sacrifice themselves so that you may live, it doesn't even matter if that person was someone close to you. You're no better than your brother and me."
Sasuke hit his knees, numb. He was a coward! He ran away from Itachi and then from Orochimaru! He had chased after Gaara instead of staying by Inara's side, he had deserted her! It was his fault that she was dead!
Hot tears of guilt ran down his face as sobs shook his body, he was defenseless. If Orochimaru had wanted to kill him, this would be the perfect opportunity. But instead the Sanin just smirked, "My work here is done."
Sasuke's head shot up from the pillow, cold sweat made his cloths stick to his body uncomfortably. His breaths came in short gasps and took a few minutes to slow. He rubbed his face with his palms trying to convince himself that it was all a dream.
Sasuke glanced at the clock on the wall, 5:00…no use in going back to sleep now. His bare feet made no noise on the polished wooden floors as he got out of bed. The thought of eating made him wrinkle his nose with disgust; it had been two days since he had tasted food.
Strapping Garyuu on to his back, the Uchiha swallowed a few soldier pills and headed out the door for his daily training.
Konoha Forest…
A lone figure sat in the middle of a small clearing no bigger than ten feet across. At first the object seemed to be just a stump or a bit of rotting log, but if one got closer they would have realized that it was a human.
Sasuke listened to the morning through his mediation; his breathing was slow and regular. He had been doing this every morning for the past two years to build up his chakra stores. The training had helped some, but not as much as he had hoped.
The sun was just starting to peer through the treetops when the Uchiha got to his feet.
Crimson eyes flashed open and hand signs were formed, "Chidori" (One Thousand Birds) a tree was reduced to splinters when the attack connected. Sasuke cracked his knuckles then set his sights on an ancient walnut.
A gapping hole scared the once magnificent tree, the interior edged burned to ashes by the Jutsu. Sasuke braced himself on his knees, panting for breath.
"Now the real training begins," he closed his eyes and let the curse mark left by Orochimaru crawl over his body.
This is why he made sure no one followed him during his training. If Kakashi or Naruto found out, he would be facing severe consequences. He performed more complicated Jutsus before once again he was exhausted.
Sasuke smirked and drew Garyuu from its sheath; it's been over a week since I've given it blood, which should mean that any second now--!! All the air was forced out of the Uchiha's lungs; a burning sensation enveloped his entire body. The curse mark burned fiercely trying to keep control but in the end Garyuu was victorious. Crimson eyes faded to a clouded tan.
Garyuu looked around through Sasuke's eyes, "Hm, so this is why you've neglected to feed me Sasuke, you want my power to mix with that mark of yours." A deep chuckle rumbled through Sasuke's chest, "You've gotten stronger there's no doubt about that but I must ask you…why now do you choose to set me free?" The spirit that haunted the sword searched through the Chunin's consciousness until it found what it was looking for.
"I see. Much has happened since I last inhabited you. Very well, I will aid you in your quest. It's the least I could to for the one who forged me."
Sasuke's eyes returned to their usual Sharingan, with a violent shudder he slumped the ground. Being possessed by such a blood thirsty spirit was energy consuming, not to mention trying to control it so it wouldn't destroy the host's body and everything around it.
He glanced at Garyuu, which was still clenched in his fist. The black leather had turned to a burnt crimson with a black diamond pattern down the middle. The blade itself was of the strongest steel and reflected the sunlight.
Sasuke slowly returned to his feet and gave the sword a few test swings. It sang though the air, an extension of him arm, they were in perfect harmony, is…is this what Inara meant by the blade accepting my chakra? A glimmer of light ran up the length of the claymore as if to answer him.
The bushes rustled behind him, Sasuke spun around expecting an attack but one never came. The forest was dead silent except for the leaves rustling in the breeze. The Uchiha held his pose in case whatever had moved expected him to drop his guard. Minutes passed before he was satisfied that nothing would attack him.
Curious he parted the bushes with his foot. One the ground was a white tuft of fur, shivering in the cool morning air.
"Hm, just an animal,"
The small creature uncurled from its protective ball and peered up at Sasuke with large yellow eyes. He breathed in sharply when he realized it was a small kitten.
"Now what are you doing all the way out here?" he asked the kitten while stroking it with the tip of his finger. The cat mewed weakly showing its red mouth.
Where did it come from? It's much too young to be away from its mother. He picked up the small animal, its ribs protruded from its sides with hunger. Sasuke felt sorry for the poor animal but knew it would be pointless to take it in. Without its mother's milk, the kitten would die in a few weeks anyway.
With a long sigh, he set the creature back into the bush, turned and walked away. He stopped mid-step when he remembered the kitten's large golden eyes, they reminded him too much of Inara, "I must be going crazy." Sasuke turned on his heel and scooped the kitten up, holding it against his chest to keep it warm.
Ino's House…
Sasuke knocked on Ino's door a few times before she answered; when she did he barged past her. Taking soft blankets and pillows he made a small bed for the kitten then proceeded to the kitchen were he poured some milk into a shallow dish.
"Sasuke what are you doing now?" asked Ino with an irritated tone in her voice, "Look you can't just barge in here and—Oh my!" she saw the kitten curled up in the makeshift bed, "Poor little thing. Where did you find it?"
Sasuke put the milk back and carried the dish over, "While I was out training this morning." He set the bowl in front of the kitten's nose, but it didn't move, "Why won't it eat?"
Ino picked up the feline, "Sasuke it's too little, and it can't lap the milk on its own yet."
The Uchiha was quiet until he dipped the tip of his finger into the milk and held it near the kitten's mouth. The large eyes opened slightly and a small pink tongue lapped the milk.
Ino smiled, "Well it looks like you'll be able to keep it alive after all."
"Me?"
"Yes you silly, my landlord doesn't allow pets so I can't keep it. I fear for what Naruto would do to it and Kakashi is more of a dog person. You're the only hope it has Sasuke."
The raven haired Chunin protested, "But I-" A stern look from the Yamanaka silence him. He sighed in defeat; "Fine…" he continued to feed the kitten until all the milk was gone from the bowl. With a full belly, the small animal curled up in a ball and slept.
"So what are you going to call it?" asked Ino gently petting the kitten's ear.
"…Neecko-chan?"
Ino raised a blonde eyebrow, "You're going to call it cat-chan?"
Sasuke shrugged, "You got any better names? Because I'm sure as hell not calling it Fluffy," he retorted.
AN: and that wraps up this chap. Sorry it took so long but I was at the mercy of teachers, homework, new computer games, and a writers block. I expect no sympathy from you people glares anyway…yes I gave Sasuke a cat. He just seems like a cat person to me. I mean come on! He needs something to ease his pain so what the hell? Why not a cute little kitty?