Welcome to Chapter Twenty-Four! As of the last chapter, this story is at 101,754 words! To put that in perspective, this in-progress fic is longer than The Hobbit, To Kill a Mockingbird, Jane Austen's Persuasion, and other famous novels. And that count isn't even counting (ha!) this current chapter! (I think this is the longest fic I have written so far, too!)

I know it's been awhile since I've updated, but I was hit with writer's block, not to mention work was really busy so a lot of the time, I was too tired to write when I got back. The lack of motivation isn't fun. D:

Aoi will meet (or re-meet, in one character's case) a few more citizens of Konoha in this chapter, which will be fun to write.

Parts of this might seem sort of slice-of-life-y, but that's because Aoi is starting to establish her life and routines in Konoha. Even if it seems like not much happens regarding her, it's because I'm trying to give her enough time to bond with the characters. (Which will continue into the next few chapters.)

Also, time will begin to pass faster in the story after the next few chapters, since I want to get to the action-y third part pretty soon, haha.

There will be more Akatsuki, too, since they are important to the story, as well.

Also, I bet some people are wondering why I add a 'u' to the end of some characters' names (like 'Kankurou' or 'Danzou'), instead of just spelling them using the more common 'Kankuro' and 'Danzo'. It is because, when spelled out in katakana, there is an extra 'u' (written as ウ). Like, Kankuro is spelled カンクロウ('Kankurou'), while Danzo is spelled ダンゾウ (Danzou). Sometimes I see these names spelled with a line over the 'o' indicating an extended sound (like 'Kankurō' or 'Danzō', but since it takes forever to copy and paste that letter each time those names are used, I just use the spelling with the extra 'u'. The only exceptions for this are Ōnoki (because the katakana for his name is オオノキ[Romanized as 'Oonoki', which would just look weird spelled phonetically, not to mention the alternate spelling 'Ohnoki', just looks weird to me]), Yamanaka Fū (because even though the katakana spelling for his name is different than hers, it is phonetically written out the same as the jinchuuriki Fuu's, and I didn't want people to confuse them), and Suigetsu's surname Hōzuki (since that is written in Kanji [鬼灯]and I'm not sure if it would be Romanized as 'Houzuki' or 'Hoozuki', and either one of those just looks odd transliterated.)

*Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto*

-Chapter Twenty-Four: Sunshine-

"What do you mean, Aoi is still alive?" Deidara demanded, visibly upset by the declaration.

"And this is why I wanted to tell you after I discussed it with Itachi." Sasori glared at his partner. "I knew you'd get upset, even though you say you supposedly didn't care for that girl."

"I didn't!" Deidara shot back, though Sasori didn't quite believe him. Quieter, he continued, "And I know our loyalty to this organization has been wavering lately, but she knows a shit-ton about us. It's been months since she 'died'; who knows what she could have given away, un."

"I know for a fact she didn't." Sasori knew he could have given more information, but he wanted to get this conversation over with, since it was going about as well as he predicted it would if Deidara got involved.

"Where is she, Sasori-san?" Itachi added himself to the conversation, his calmness contrasting Deidara's emotion.

"Do you mean currently, or do you mean after she was 'killed'?"

"Both." Itachi's expression was unreadable, though that was typical of him.

"As of right now, she is in Konoha. However, from when she was removed from our base to about three days ago, she was with Orochimaru at his various labs."

Deidara's expression went from upset to furious, his lip curling in anger. "That's where Tobi took her? Back to him?"

"Obito sealed all her memories away, so it would be impossible for Orochimaru to get any information out of her. I have a hypothesis that only someone with Sharingan could break it. So Orochimaru did the next best thing: make her one of his test subjects."

"And how do you know all this?" Itachi asked smoothly, though Sasori figured that he already knew the answer.

"A little over two months ago, on one of my solo missions, I infiltrated Orochimaru's hideout in Kusagakure and sabotaged it. That's when I stumbled upon her room. She had no idea who I was, or even really who she herself was, besides her name. That's how I learned her memories were sealed, and that she was a test subject." He paused to let Deidara and Itachi process the information. "Her left leg was gone, too, so I figured that's what was given to you, Deidara. Right before I left, I inserted one of my tracker needles into the back of her neck, so whenever Orochimaru would move hideouts, I'd know where he is, since Aoi-san always seemed to be with him. Later on, she—and therefore Orochimaru—moved to another hideout in the east. But a month later, well, that's when things get foggy."

Before Sasori could continue his explanation, Deidara moved closer to him. "You mean to tell me that she was with Orochimaru all that time, but when you met up with her, you just left her with him? You know what he does to those who interest him, un." Reflexively, he rubbed the spot on his neck where he was bitten months before.

"And what would you have done, you brat? Brought her back here? Clearly that would have gone well."

Some of the anger left Deidara's face. "Okay, that's a good point. But I would have at least let her escape."

"With no chakra, weak from experimentation, and missing a leg? I doubt she would have gotten far before Orochimaru or Kabuto found her. And I doubt they'd take too kindly to that." Sasori cracked his neck. "It was better this way. I got what I wanted, and by becoming my spy of sorts, she gained a sense of purpose again. The benefits were mutual."

"You said that she is in Konoha now," Itachi stated, obviously more interested in the girl's current whereabouts.

"My guess is that something happened to Orochimaru and the test subjects were freed. I don't know how she made it all the way to Konoha from there—maybe she had assistance—but she's definitely there now."

"I see." Itachi narrowed his eyes. "This isn't good."

"What's the problem with that? At least she's away from Orochimaru. And since she doesn't have her memories, she can have a new life as a civilian, there. All things considered, for her, this is the best outcome, un." Deidara tapped his foot.

"Sasori-san said that it was most likely that the only thing able to break through the block on her mind was the Sharingan, which is why Orochimaru was unable to crack it. However, the Sharingan needed must be more powerful than Sasuke's, since it is highly likely Orochimaru made him interrogate her early on."

"And? I don't see your point, un. You, Sasuke, and Tobi are the only Uchiha left. And none of you are in Konoha."

"You are right that we are the only three Uchiha left. However, there's a bit of a…complication." Itachi's expression changed from its usual apathy to one of genuine anger, something that Sasori had only seen once before on him. "Aside from Hatake Kakashi, there is one other non-Uchiha with a Sharingan, though unlike Kakashi, he uses it dishonorably."

"You say that like you're a paragon of righteousness or something; now that's ironic," Deidara sneered.

"Shimura Danzou," Itachi spat, ignoring Deidara's quip. "One of the most influential Konoha elders. If he takes an interest in Aoi-san, it will not be good for us. Or her."

Once Sakura and Tsunade rushed back to Aoi's room, the former sat down on one of the stools, while the latter performed a soundproofing jutsu on the room.

"Sakura told me that you have intel on Shimura Danzou?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes, obviously very suspicious.

Aoi nodded, though her own eyes were widened from intimidation. However, her voice became bold when she spoke. "I learned at Orochimaru's lab that Danzou was the man behind the Uchiha massacre. He convinced Uchiha Itachi to carry out the assassinations."

As she explained the events she had seen when Sasuke invaded her mind, she watched the faces of the women in front of her grow shocked.

"These are some serious accusations, Aoi-san." Tsunade sat down on the stool closest to the bed.

"I know. But what would I gain from this? Before discovering this information, I had no idea who Shimura Danzou was, or that Sasuke-san had a brother. I just figured this was something you should know, as Hokage." Aoi wrung her hands. She hoped that Tsunade believed her; from what she saw and vaguely remembered, Itachi seemed like a decent man.

"I need to look into this," Tsunade muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Because if this information is correct, this changes everything."

With a distracted look in her eyes, the blonde made for the exit, though Sakura's voice caused her to pause.

"Tsunade-sama, what should I do now?"

"Normally, I would do this, but after hearing what Aoi-san said, investigating that takes precedence. Sakura, I am tasking you with removing Aoi-san's prosthetic leg, and replacing it with one of the puppet prosthetics that Suna graciously donated to us. After that's done, I want you to take her back to your house; she will stay with you until other living arrangements are set up. I will set up an appointment for her with Inoichi-san for tomorrow, so I will keep you updated once a time is set. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

"Good." Before she left, Tsunade turned to the younger women, her eyes and voice softening. "You're in good hands, Aoi-san. Sakura is my most talented student. She's also one of the kindest. I hope you'll be able to open up to her."

"Oh! Tsunade-sama. Before you go…" Sakura walked over to the older woman and whispered something in her ear.

Aoi didn't catch all of what she said, but she thought she heard the name 'Yakushi Kabuto' mentioned. Wincing, the brunette realized what was being stated.

Before Aoi realized what was happening, Tsunade strode right up to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"If you need to talk, Sakura and I are here. But if you require someone with more professional experience, after Inoichi-san sees you tomorrow, you can stay later and talk to him, as well. He's an expert at dealing with the mind. Or if you feel uncomfortable with talking to a man, one of the female members of the Yamanaka clan will be able to help you. But only if you want to."

"Thanks." Aoi wasn't used to being given the option to say 'no'; though she was given the choice to opt out of discussing such personal matters and how they affected her with someone, she still felt like she needed to obey the order, even though the thought of it made her stomach churn. So she said nothing else on the subject, instead picking at some dry skin on her palms.

"I will see you tomorrow, Aoi-san." As soon as she finished the sentence, Tsunade exited the room.

"All right." Sakura clapped her hands together. "Before we go back to my house, let's get you a better, more comfortable leg. I know just the one…"

After Aoi had finished showering and threw on the clothes Sakura lent her, she felt somewhat more relaxed. Now that all the smells and grime of her previous journey were removed, she was able to focus on her surroundings better. The new puppet leg helped, too, since, unlike the previous one, it caused her no pain to take steps. Something about the fact that the prosthetic leg was created by a master puppeteer stuck out to her in her mind, though she wasn't sure why.

Shaking the thought from her head, Aoi instead lamented on the fact that the clothes and shoes Sakura lent her were from an old ensemble the pink-haired medic wore when she was thirteen. However, she inwardly cured herself for even thinking of a complaint; Sakura was being gracious enough to not only lend her clothes, but let her stay in her own home. The walk there had been silent, but only because Aoi was self-conscious of how she must look to the average passer-by on the streets. (And especially how she smelled; she had no idea when the last time she bathed was.)

She snapped herself out of her thoughts, preferring to focus on the here and now rather than the awkward walk to Sakura's home. As Aoi walked back into the kitchen, Sakura was waiting for her there, finishing a cup of tea.

"Would you be up to running some errands with me?" she asked. "I know it's been an incredibly long and exhausting day for you, but if you were up to it, I figured I'd show you around the village. And afterward, I was planning on meeting my friends at the neighborhood onsen, so you can tag along if you want. I find the hot water to be extremely relaxing."

"I'd like that," Aoi found herself saying. Despite the fact that earlier had been tense and both emotionally and physically painful, she found herself trusting Sakura, though she wasn't exactly sure why. Something in her gut just told her that she was safe to be around.

However, Aoi wasn't stupid or naïve, and could sense that there was something Sakura wasn't telling her. She assumed that because she had information damning Danzou, Tsunade had assigned Sakura to watch over her, to make sure that she wasn't attacked or worse. With assassinations so commonplace, it wasn't too far-fetched of an assumption to make.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid. But after what she experienced, Aoi knew to never let her guard down, even among friends.

Despite this, Aoi genuinely was curious to explore the village, especially since it somehow felt so familiar to her.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Sakura put on her sandals and opened the door, gesturing for Aoi to follow her. Once the brunette slipped on her own borrowed footwear, she followed the pink-haired girl outside.

"First, I need to drop some of these files off at the Hokage tower," Sakura explained, patting the bag that draped across her shoulder. "Just some mission reports, so it won't take long. After that, I have to go grocery shopping; since I'll be home for awhile, my parents are taking advantage of that and making me do so many chores. It's really annoying."

Aoi couldn't relate (she was sure she had parents, but had no memory of them), but she smiled and nodded anyway.

Once they arrived at the imposing-looking tower, Sakura left Aoi to her own devices near a bench that was right next to the entrance. Aoi supposed that she should be suspicious of this, especially if her hypothesis about being protected from would-be assassins was correct, but she was grateful to have some time to sit.

Suddenly, a shadow blocked out the sun that Aoi had been enjoying. Looking up, she met the eyes of…someone very familiar. "Sai-san?"

"Hobble-chan?" The pale boy sat down on the bench next to her, tilting his head. "I thought you were one of Orochimaru's playthings."

"I was. But he is dead now, and I found my way here. And I should be asking you the same question, since I met you at one of his bases."

"Ah. Do you really think I was there to make friends with him?" Sai smiled. The fakeness of it still unnerved Aoi, but it was nice to see a familiar face. Especially one that she felt a connection to.

"You were a spy, weren't you?" Aoi began to connect the dots, and she wished she figured it out sooner.

Sai merely smiled again, though he didn't answer. Instead, he opened his backpack, removing a sketchbook, a container of ink, and a brush.

Aoi found herself mesmerized as she watched Sai's brushstrokes, staring in awe as he skillfully drew a dragon.

Before she could really think about what she was asking for, she blurted, "Do you have some extra paper and a pencil?"

If Sai looked surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, he reached into his bag and pulled out an identical sketchbook, and, after rifling through the bag a bit more, grabbed a pencil.

Saying nothing, Aoi took the items from Sai, and, before she could change her mind, flipped the sketchbook open and began to draw. She let herself get lost in her piece, not stopping until it was finished. She wasn't even sure what she drew until she looked at it. Staring back at her was a semi-detailed sketch of Sai himself, from the shoulders up. Since it was a quick drawing, the lines were scrawly, but the talent was still obvious.

"You can draw." It wasn't a question.

"I guess I can." Aoi had no memory of having any artistic talent, but the drawing in front of her clearly showed that she had a decent amount of it.

But before she could say anything else, Sakura returned. "Oh, Sai! Hello. Wasn't expecting to see you here. This is Aoi-san."

"I know. We've met previously, at Orochimaru's hideout." Sai blinked, either not understanding that Sakura would be confused about this fact, or just not caring.

Aoi thought back to her conversation with Sai when they first met.

"A quirky duo, but they were pleasant to be around. Ugly and Dickless, ah, Sakura and Naruto, are their names."

"Oh! I should have realized why your name sounded familiar!" Aoi kicked herself for not noticing it sooner. "You're one of Sai's teammates!" She turned to Sakura, narrowing her eyes. "That nickname he gave you doesn't fit at all."

She could have sworn that Sakura was starting to turn red, her eyes glaring daggers at Sai, but the moment passed before she could really dwell on it. Instead, the pink-haired kunoichi focused on the drawing in Aoi's lap.

"That's beautiful, even if you did make Sai more thoughtful-looking than usual. I didn't know you could draw!"

"I didn't know I could, either. Once I saw Sai-san pull out his sketchbook, I felt the instinct to sketch as well. I guess that's one more thing I didn't remember." Suddenly, Aoi's mood dropped. While she was glad she re-discovered her ability to draw, she hated the fact that it was taken from her in the first place. Drawing helped relieve some tension from her chest, and made her feel at peace. She was beginning to suspect that art was a major part of her life before her time with Orochimaru.

Her concentration was broken when Sakura spoke. "It's time to head out to the grocery store and the market; it'll already be crowded by the time we make it there, and I don't want to keep waiting."

This prompted an image of Sasori to pop into her head, though Aoi shook it away, not wanting to accidentally give anything away about her mysterious ally at any point. She figured it would be best to not think about him too much. (Especially since she had no idea why she was reminded of him in the first place. Maybe he's punctual?)

"All right," Aoi finally responded. "Let's go."

"I'm coming with you. I want to talk to Hobble-chan more," stated Sai.

"SAI! That's so rude!" Sakura slapped him on the back of the head, though he only smiled.

However, though she was used to fake smiles from him, Aoi sensed there was something different about this one, especially since Sai looked distracted, like he wasn't really looking at Sakura or herself. She looked into his eyes and realized one emotion, though he was trying to hide it (and succeeding, since only she noticed due to seeing it on Suigetsu during their time together), was most prominent. Unease.

Three hours earlier.

Earlier in the week, Shimura Danzou was notified that a civilian girl, tainted by Orochimaru's and Uchiha Sasuke's chakra, though she had none of her own, had been brought into Konoha. Unbeknownst to Tsunade, he had sent some of his best agents to look into the matter. So far, she remained unconscious, so there was nothing to report. Until he got word that she had woken up. Trusting his gut, he sent one of his best intel-gatherers, a man codenamed as 'Fuyuki', to find any information that would be of interest to Danzou himself, or to the Konoha elders.

And he was glad he did. Because even though Tsunade had used a soundproofing jutsu on the room, Fuyuki was able to crack it, and listen in. And what he found out? If the information was leaked, it would be the end of Danzou's career. He would no longer be able to protect Konoha from the shadows, and he couldn't have that, could he? Not to mention Uchiha Itachi would no longer be the scourge of Konoha, and he didn't want to lose his precious scapegoat.

"Fuyuki."

"Yes, Danzou-sama?" The tall man knelt down at Danzou's feet, only lifting his head to speak.

"Due to the information you brought me, I want you to tail that girl. I want to know when she eats, when she sleeps, when she cries, where she goes and who she goes with, etc. I also want you to memorize Tsunade's brat Haruno's schedule, since she is guarding her." Danzou paused to take a breath. "Because when the time is right, I want you to bring that girl to me. She needs to be interrogated more fully than that weak Yamanaka fool would ever go through with. And then she needs to be disposed of."

"Understood, sir." Fuyuki immediately took off, disappearing quieter than the winter snow he was named after.

You think you're so clever, Tsunade, sending that girl into the company of your best student. But you're a fool too. You and your associates might be smart, but ROOT is smarter. And ROOT always gets what it wants…

And that's the end of this chapter! (Of course, I end it on another cliffhanger of sorts, because I'm just that much of an ass, haha.) But in all seriousness, this chapter was supposed to be longer, but I fell asleep while working on it earlier. And since I won't have much time to write due to the Fourth of July holiday, I figured I'd post this now, and add the scenes I originally wanted in this chapter (Aoi going to the onsen with Sakura, and Aoi meeting some more of the Konoha eleven) to the next chapter.

So yeah, this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I really wanted to update.

And oooh, Itachi was right. Danzou has become involved in the plot. (So now, there are three sets of 'villains' to this story: Obito and Zetsu [though Zetsu is loyal to Kaguya, not Obito], Orochimaru and Kabuto [and since Oro is 'dead', it's Kabuto's turn to take the 'main villain' role], and now Danzou and ROOT.)

I had a lot of fun writing Sai and his interactions with Aoi and Sakura, so expect more of him in future chapters.

No Team Taka in this one, but they'll appear again soon.

And in terms of the beginning scene? Looks like things are starting to heat up in Akatsuki. (I am just trying to figure out what I will make Obito's next move be.)

Just for reference, Fuyuki isn't a canon character; I just added him as the ROOT member who is following Aoi because I didn't want to introduce Fū or Torune into the plot, yet.

I know it's been awhile since I've updated, so even though this isn't the most exciting chapter, I hope it was worth the wait.