Can't wait for feedback on this chapter. Now, here we go, chapter fifty four, please read, enjoy and review.

Sasuke just sat there, and with each passing second, more memories came passing through his mind, making him feel like shit. While he did still want a family, and for him to establish his connection with Naruto, his brother, he hated having his conscience act up, because that's not what he signed up for. He just pushed all of that away, and took a deep breath, that's when Hinata came back in, dressed in black pants that went down, a little past her knees, and a simple, short sleeve, black shirt. Her hair was still wet, as she sat down upon the bed, softly so she didn't wake Naruto. Sasuke, was honestly curious, so as she sat there, at the edge of the bed, he spoke, "Listen, Hinata, I know we didn't exactly get off on the right foot, back at Orochimaru's hideout. And I know it seems that me being docile, is suspicious. But, well...goddamn it, this is harder than I thought it'd be."

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at that, apologizing wasn't something that came naturally to an Uchiha, or Sasuke for that matter, that much was obvious, for a long time. "You know, if your having trouble apologizing to me, then it'll be really difficult with Naruto, won't it?"

Hinata could see Sasuke freeze up at that, and literally pale at the thought, she couldn't help but giggle once more. "Calm down Sasuke, don't get all petrified. You've gotta remember, Naruto went through all of his training to rescue you from Orochimaru, and eliminate him in the process."

Sasuke was still pale after that, barely believing that Naruto had become this strong, just to save him. Like a true Brother would. "Sasuke? Sasuke?"

Sasuke, still looking quite pale, looked up at Hinata, she spoke once more, "Breathe, you need to breathe."

Sasuke then realized, he was straining his lungs, he hadn't taken a breath for a bit, too shocked to notice before, but now, he quickly took a deep breath, and exhaled. Hinata couldn't help but giggle once more, he was acting very strange, and to Hinata that was funny. "You seriously need to get a grip, Naruto believes in you, ya know. So I do too. I understand this has to be hard for you, but just let it come from the heart, and if you really mean it, then Naruto will forgive you."

Hearing this had Sasuke's head spinning a bit, had Naruto really never given up on him, ever? Sasuke looked at Hinata, an inquisitive look on his face, as he spoke, "Being with Naruto for the past couple of years has really changed you, hasn't it? I still remember back when we were kids, he was always busy trying to get Sakura to go out with him, and was so caught up in his own little world, he never noticed how much you were in love with him."

Hinata smiled at that, "Well..."

Then Sasuke, said, with a strait face, and in an antagonizing tone, "Or even how you stalked him all the time."

Hinata couldn't help but blush at that, a surprised look coming upon her face, "What?"

"Yeah, he didn't notice, but that doesn't mean I didn't. Almost every time I saw him, you were somewhere off in the distance, watching him, all stalker like."

Hinata's face was as red as a tomato, as she gritted her teeth a bit, "I wasn't stalking him, so shut up!"

"Your in no position to be making demands, in fact, let's make a deal. I won't tell Naruto about how you used to be his stalker, if you tell me exactly what has happened to him since he was exiled from the Hidden Leaf."

"Listen I'm not going to be blackmailed over...oh, okay then, deal. But, if I hear you ever breathe a word to Naruto about me stalking him, then I'll get you, I mean it."

With a slight questioning tone in his voice, but still an air of playfulness to it, Sasuke spoke again, "So, you do admit to stalking him then?"

Hinata gritted her teeth a bit harder, "I, what I meant was, just, shut up!"

"What are you gonna do about it?"

"Just leave me alone! Just because you hair is weird, doesn't mean you have to make other people feel bad!"

"Well actually it does...wait, what? How is my hair weird? Where did the hell did that come from anyway?"

Hinata got him, hook, line and sinker. "What, you mean you didn't know?"

"Know what?"

"Your hair, it looks like a duck's butt."

"What? No it does not!"

"Yes, it does. Your the only one that's never noticed before. I'm actually surprised a male Duck never tried to..."

"Hey, hey! Now that's just uncalled for!"

Hinata stuck her tongue out at Sasuke, "That's what you get for calling me a stalker."

Sasuke crossed his arms, "You've definitely changed alright, but I'm not so sure, if it was for the better though."

"I heard that."

Sasuke uncrossed his arms, lost his slightly playful tone and expression, and spoke once more, "But back to being serious, what has Naruto been through, since he was exiled from the Hidden Leaf Village?"

Hinata took a deep breath, and let out a saddened sigh, and she then began explaining everything that happened to Naruto. As she finished, Sasuke let go of his pant legs, which during the whole story, he was gripping tightly, in anger. He let out an exhausted sigh, "All of that, and it's not even over yet. Fate can be all too cruel, I know from experience, but everything that's happened, is a bit extreme, even for cruel fate."

Hinata just nodded her head, she opened her mouth to say something, but then heard Naruto begin moving around. She turned to look at him, he was waking up. She turned to Sasuke and spoke, "I'll leave you two alone, it'll be even harder to apologize with an audience."

And with that, she got off the bed and exited the room. Sasuke sighed as she did, getting ready for what was coming, whatever was coming. Naruto's eyes slowly opened, he sat up, and as he wiped his eyes, he saw Sasuke was in the room, right in front of him. Naruto quickly stood up, his facial expression serious, and stared towards Sasuke. Sasuke couldn't help but flinch as he noted the wound in Naruto's gut that was covered in bandages, that he had given to him, himself. Sasuke looked Naruto in the eyes, both of them a serious expression on their face, but still slightly unreadable, for it was seriousness, but it was hard to tell what kind of seriousness. Sasuke stood up, and the two were only but a mere eight inches from each other. Naruto was the first to speak, "Sasuke."

"Naruto..."

There was silence between the two for the next several seconds, but Sasuke soon continued, "I...I, I wanted to, apologize, for everything I've done. I was so fixated on revenge, that I hurt my best friend in the process of trying to obtain power, to obtain revenge. My whole life has been dedicated to avenging the Uchiha Clan, by killing the person responsible for their massacre, my older brother, Itachi Uchiha. And, in my blind foolishness, I caused your Exile, I can never expect you to forgive me for that one. But, I'm pleading that you forgive me, for all the other hurt I've caused you, your right, we are brothers, and brothers need to stick together, so, do you forgive me, brother?"

"Sasuke, I've spent three years, training to become stronger, so I could find you, release you from Orochimaru's grasp, and obliterate that bastard. So..."

Naruto took a few steps forward, and hugged Sasuke, which was something the Uchiha hadn't gotten in years, "Of course I forgive you, brother. I forgive you for everything you've done, and know that, it's not your fault I was exiled. It was the new Hokage, Danzo, not you, understand that. Your right, we're brothers and we've got to stick together, so forget your doubts, forget any guilt, because, besides Hinata, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Brandon, we're all we've got. Besides this group of people, there's no one we can trust, not unless they live in the Hidden Leaf, and you should know, that if we tried to contact them, then Danzo would have their heads. So, we're on our own, for now at least."

Sasuke was stunned for a moment, but soon returned the brotherly gesture, they both pulled away, after Naruto was done speaking, and then it was Sasuke's turn to speak, once more, "Got it, your right, we've got to stick together. And we will, I'll stay by your side, I swear."

Naruto's voice took on an all too serious tone, as he took a few steps back, and spoke once more, "Sasuke, it's unfair of me to ask, but, you've got to promise me something."

Sasuke, a little surprised by the seriousness in Naruto's tone, replied, "Yeah, sure, anything."

Naruto looked Sasuke dead in his eyes, and spoke eighteen words that had Sasuke's head spinning, "I need you to promise me, that you'll give up your quest for revenge against Itachi, for good."

Sasuke's eyes widened at Naruto's request, he couldn't believe what Naruto had just asked of him, Sasuke's mind was racing, "What should I do? Giving up revenge? It's a lot different than giving up hatred, I'm not sure, it's unfair of him to make me promise something like this. But, I guess I deserve it, I did fuck up his life real good. He's just trying to watch out for me, I can't blame him, he's trying to do what he thinks is best. Ugh, this is so fucking frustrating!"

Sasuke sighed, looked Naruto in his eyes, and replied, "I promise Naruto, I promise to give up all of my notions of revenge against Itachi."

Naruto cracked a huge smile at that, Sasuke couldn't help but shake his head and crack a small smile as well, "Good, I'm glad. But, that brings me to my next point, I've met Itachi, several times over my journey."

Sasuke's eyes widened once more, he was almost at a loss for words, almost, "What? How many times? What happened? Did...did you kill him?"

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at Sasuke, he was being serious, but he was funny at the same time, "I don't know how many, but I can tell you what happened. The first time I saw him again, was when Brandon, the tall muscular guy you saw, killed his partner, Kisame. The most recent encounter, was just about six months ago, and no I didn't kill him, I wasn't strong enough, I might be now, but I don't know. But when he defeated me, he left me alive, even saved Hinata's life. After that, we became, well...friends, at least, I consider him a friend. And he's one of the few who helped me become this strong, he even taught Hinata too."

Sasuke just sat there, his mouth slightly gaping, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "How could Naruto and Itachi get along? That bastard is cruel, cold, callous, and dastardly!"

Sasuke quickly spoke up, after he realized no one was speaking, "WHAT? How could you be on good terms with Itachi? He slaughter my whole entire clan! He killed my parents! He's the reason I left the Village, how the hell could you even think of associating with him? That's a real fucked up move Naruto!"

Naruto was caught off guard by this torrent of anger, but after Sasuke finished, Naruto replied, "Hey, hey, hey. Sasuke calm down, it's okay. If it wasn't for Him, Hinata and I'd be dead. I'm sorry if I was able to make friends with the guy that saved my girlfriend's life, and spared mine. I know he did something unforgivable, but he said he had a good reason, but he wouldn't tell anybody what it was. Maybe you two should just sit down, and talk this out."

Sasuke's rage was growing, "You bastard! Sit down and talk it out? How the hell do you sit down and talk to someone who obliterated your whole entire clan? Don't you understand Naruto? He made me what I was, and then you go and become friends with him? That's betrayal in my book!"

Naruto was about to say something to Sasuke's hurtful words, but before he could, Hinata busted into the room, having heard the entire conversation, looking pissed, she quickly got in between Naruto and Sasuke, and spoke her mind, "Sasuke, how dare you! He betrayed you? Even if he did, that would make you two even. You betrayed him first, remember? And Naruto did not betray anybody, he's not like that! You weren't there, I was, Naruto was up in Itachi's face about what he did to you, about how Itachi wasn't even a brother to you! But Itachi said he had his reasons, but that wouldn't have been enough for Naruto, the only reason he became on good terms with Itachi, is because he saved my life, and wanted to help Naruto save you from Orochimaru! So shut the fuck up, duck butt head!"

Sasuke was snapped from his anger from all of Hinata's truthful words, that's when Sasuke let everything sink in. He took in a deep breath, and let out a sigh, "Yeah, your right, I'm sorry Naruto. It was a reflex, sort of, every time I hear his name, or think of him, I get angry. So, I'm sorry. Maybe your right, maybe I should sit down and talk to him about it. But, I'd like you to be there too, Naruto, because I don't know what I'll do."

Naruto nodded his head, "Of course, and if it turns out, he's just a lying, traitorous, scheming, bastard, then we'll deal with him, that I promise you, Sasuke."

Sasuke nodded his head, "Right."

"Then let's go see him."

"He's here?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure where, we're going to have to find him."

Hinata then stepped away from the two, Sasuke nodded his head, and Naruto and Sasuke exited the room, on their way to find Itachi.