I was finally free from hell! I just had to come back every week for checkup, which totally sucked! But still, I was free!

I had been released with bandaged wrapped around my forehead, chest, neck, and upper arms. I wore loose black shorts that were made of comfortable materials. My shirt was basically a virgin-killer sweater, only not actually a sweater and without the useless ribbon in the back. I also had on no shoes because shoes were for losers. Also, I totally fucked up my sandals which were pretty much my only pair of shoes. But that doesn't matter!

I was running free through the village, my mind set on one place to get some sweets. I was going to get my precious dango, even if I had to fight the Devil, himself!

Speaking of which, as I came closer to my precious dango shop, a masculine voice yelled, "I know you're not running when you just got released from the hospital!"

I gave a deep, very annoyed sigh as I slowed myself down to the agonizing pace of a fast walk. I quickly got my grin back, however, upon seeing the silvernette clearly waiting all by his lonesome. "You're actually waiting on someone?"

His black eye narrowed slightly, and two emotions clashed fiercely inside his mind. He was, of course, offended by the jab, but he was also very concerned about the smirk that practically split my face in half. "Yes, I am."

My grin somehow widened. "Oh, did your date stand you up? I bet he di~d!"

"He?" The jônin repeated questioningly.

"Eh? Don't tell me you haven't let him down! How cruel?!" I exclaimed as I brought my hand up to hide my smirk, adding to the smugness I was radiating in alarming amounts.

"Whatever," he said as he decided to get back into his lazy bravado. "I don't even swing that way, and you know it."

I saw my opportunity and struck with deadly accuracy. "Ah, that's right! You swing for those fictional women from your porn book because you couldn't get a girl even if your life depended on it!"

"Oi!" He barked with a large flush of embarrassment. "Why are you being so mean today?!"

I stuck my tongue out and mocked him as I held up both of my middle fingers. I danced around him while waving around my special weapons before deciding that I needed my dango more than I needed to mock the asshole know never once visited me in the hospital after Hokage-sama's funeral service. I mean, even Duckass visited me! In any case, I went up to the counter and asked, "May I have 20 sticks of dango please?"

The guy behind the counter, who must have been new there, looked at me with slight disturbance before placing my order. He took my money and then motioned for me to take a seat.

I nodded and swirled around, only to notice two assholes in there stupid black and red cloaks where at my table! I quickly stomped over and pointed at them furiously. "Who dares to sit at the table of the almighty-" I cut myself off when a book smacked me in the face, causing my head to snap back.

"Stop harassing other customers!" Kakashi-sensei demanded.

I released a demonic hiss before picking up the disgusting porn novel written by Jiraiya-sama himself.

"Don't you dare," the former ANBU member demanded with a somewhat worried look in that harsh onyx orb of his.

I opened the book and held half of it in my right hand as the other half was held in my left. I slowly began to pull my hands apart, thus beginning to pull the book apart as well.

The man released an unholy screech before lunging for me, catching me by surprise. He managed to snatch his book away before anything really damaging could have been done. He then proceeded to start scolding me as if he was my mother.

I was just staring blankly, letting his words go in one ear and out the other. I didn't need to take that bullshit after he was the asshole that threw the book at my face.

He seemed to realize I wasn't paying him any attention and karate chopped my head as punishment.

That started a bickering match that could rival an old married couple's.

Speaking of couples, guess which two lovebirds passed by? That's right, Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei.

I noticed them and immediately shoved my dumbass of a sensei out of the way. "Oho~! Finally get out on your first date?"

The woman from the Yūhi clan blushed and then snapped, "Idiot! Anko just asked me to pick up sweets for her."

"What a tsundere reply," I teased with another smug, shit-eating smirk. Man, I was just an asshole that day, wasn't I?

Then, the Sarutobi managed to expertly divert the conversation back to me. "What about you? What are you doing here? Are you picking up some sweets too?"

"Yeah," I replied before pointing over my shoulder at the silvernette. "But that loser is getting stood-up for a date himself."

Said loser punched my head. "I am waiting for someone, but it's not a date. Sasuke should have been here by now."

"Hah! He's gotten so used to be late, he's probably not going to show up for another half-hour!" I joked while pointing at the man known for his extreme tardiness.

"Why are you being like this today?" The jônin asked, finally done with my bullshit.

"I have been trapped inside of that hellhole forever! Now, free from the shackles of medical professionals, I am reenergized!" My hands clenched into fists as a fire erupted from my soul. "My SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH is at full throttle!"

The man actually recoiled and looked ready to bring out his own cross to protect him from the amazing power that had filled me to the brim. "You're freaking out everyone here. Go do your weird springtime of youth somewhere else with a lot less people." He made this shooing motion that had me ready to smack his hands, but I instead flipped the man off and went to get a box for my dango.

I was able to get the 20 sticks to go and then left so I could stuff my face without the criticisms of the asshole. I ate about seventeen of them and threw those seventeen sticks across the river.

They were perfectly aimed and landed in a tree trunk, slowly creating the symbol for Konohagakure. But that little project would have to wait.

As the two men from the dango place got closer, I threw a stick over my shoulder and had it impale the building right beside the smaller of the two. "Been a while, huh?"

"Indeed," he agreed, not at all flinching at my little attack. "I didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Of course, I knew it was you," I said before taking another few bites of my dango. I then threw that stick across the river and into the tree trunk. "If you wish to blend into an environment, you must not draw attention to yourself. You and your friend drew attention to yourselves with the cloaks and hats. And as a rule of thumb, you should always make the enemy underestimate you. Perhaps transforming into a couple of inconspicuous villagers would have suited your infiltration mission better." I ate my final dango stick and threw it across the way, finishing my carefully targeted symbol.

"Perhaps, but I would rather not waste chakra," the teenager stated.

"Lie," I pointed out, "Your sharingan is activated. I can feel your chakra from here. You're ready for a fight."

"Ren, what is this about?" Itachi finally asked as he began to approach me, his partner tagging along like some sort of lost puppy.

"You're not here for Sasuke, right?" I asked as I stood up properly.

"He's too weak to bother with. He lacks hatred," the Uchiha replied with full honesty.

I snorted. "He has so much hatred, I bet he's going to want to destroy Konoha in a few years." I then sighed and turned my head to face the male, my eyes closed. "Well, whatever, I guess. You wouldn't care since you left." I brushed some of my hair back, only for it to fall back into its original placement. "In any case, you're here for the kyūbi, aren't you?"

He didn't reply, but it was fairly obvious I had hit the target.

"You see, the thing about that is, you can't have him," I stated boldly as I fully turned my body to face him. Kaimon. Kyūmon. My two gates activated as my hands clenched themselves into fists. "That little idiot is mine. You can't have what's mine."

"As impressive as that chakra is, you still don't stand a chance against me," Itachi pointed out.

"Who says I need to?" I questioned with a grin, my shoulders shrugging dramatically as Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei finally caught up. "Besides, so long as I don't look into your eyes, I won't get trapped by the spell of the sharingan. That's one handicap for you, eh, Itachi?"

"Ren, retreat," the Sarutobi directed, causing me to immediately pout.

"Why?" I (whined like some spoilt little shit) asked politely.

"Because Kakashi would have our heads if you got hurt," Asuma-sensei answered.

"Well he can't play Okaa-san forever," I sassed, only for the man to literally pick me up under my arms and place him behind him and his date- I mean Kurenai-sensei. "Ugh!"

"It's been a while, Asuma-san, Kurenai-san," Itachi greeted while tipping up his hat a bit.

"Don't look into his eyes, and yes that is the sharingan," I stated while heading over to the railing so I could sit on it. "Also, that sword the other dude has is probably more dangerous than it looks."

The Uchiha took off his hat and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his cloak so he could stick out his left forearm like some sort of weirdo.

"Oh, wow. You're really going to use it? What a lameass." I asked lazily as I began to swing my feet back and forth.

The man with a cigarette in his mouth grinned. "Ha... There's no doubt about it... Uchiha Itachi."

The other man began to take off his hat as well. "So you're already acquainted with Itachi, huh?"

"Nooo!" I exclaimed sarcastically, my hands waving about to add to my already overdramatic response.

"Enough of the sarcastic commentary, Ren," Itachi demanded, earning two middle fingers.

"I can be as sarcastic as I want! I was given expressed permission so long as I don't end up dying from it!" I argued.

"Well I hate to be the one that has to tell you, however-"

I gave the grin of a troller that was clearly enjoying their target's reaction. "Hue hue hue hue hue... You poor, foolish Uchiha. You have no idea what kinds of power I hold. I'm no longer that stupid little shit that followed you are those many years ago."

"In any case, I should introduce myself," the unknown dude butted in, clearly impatient. He pulled his stupid hat off and said, "Hoshigaki Kisame. Now then, we've all been acquainted."

I opened my mouth to object, but paused upon the name clicking somewhere in my head. "Oh shit. It's another one of you pansy-ass swordsmen from Kirigakure. Ugh, how many of you asshole's will I have to see in my lifetime? The fucking cow bastard and his little sidekick were all I needed, dammit."

"Cow bastard?" Hoshigaki repeated questioningly.

"Momochi Zabuza," I replied with great annoying, waving the blue-skinned man off.

"Oh, him. He's weak compared to me," the guy who definitely looked like a shark boasted.

"I would certainly hope so. I broke his sword with one punch. It was fucking pathetic," I commented with a small scowl.

"Eh? You broke Kubikiribōchō with a single punch? Impressive," the white-eyed guy praised, clearly setting his sights on me to battle.

"Hn," I retorted as if I was an Uchiha. I then cracked my right eye open to see his response.

Hoshigaki's eyes slid over to their right to look at the Uchiha who had probably given that response all the time. His eyes were met with a sharp glare from Itachi, the younger male's stoic face practically screaming, 'Shut up!' With a small smirk, the blue-haired man's eyes quickly drifted back to me.

I snickered softly as I closed my eye. "You always were annoyed when I did that."

"Perhaps that's because it's your way of giving others that know of the Uchihas habits the middle finger, without raising said finger," Itachi said, his tone not betraying his stoic face.

I gave another grin as I began to kick my feet back and forth again. "And what better way to give you the finger than using your own habits against you?"

The man gave a small sigh that indicated he was also shaking his head at me.

I turned my head away and allowed my smile to drop off into a blank expression. I opened my eyes and directed them in the direction that Kakashi-sensei was taking. You really don't know how to pick up the pace, do you? Ah, but you don't know that I'm here. If you did, you'd probably go Gai-sensei levels of fast to prevent any of my "delinquency."

I tuned the world out as I tilted my head back and stared up at the sky. My chakra slowly mixed itself together to perfection in case I needed to use a certain few jutsus. Man, I really do wish Tenzō taught me more, but he was suddenly called for a mission out of the blue. And my damn bunshins didn't ask Shodaime-sama how to do other jutsus. They just talked about stupid trivial bullshit and listened to the two Senju brothers bicker. What kind of fucking moron am I? I gave a deep sigh as I closed my eyes. Well, in any case, I bet I'll learn significantly more in the next three years.

The clouds danced overhead, giving me a slightly ominous feeling at the way they tumbled about.

I turned my gaze over to the four people fighting and then fell backwards over the railing. I landed on the water's surface and quickly rushed over to the area where Kurenai-sensei was going to land after being kicked. I managed to catch her safely and then took away her kunai, marking it with my chakra seal. I then threw it towards Itachi and watched as he moved his head back. I closed my eyes before teleporting to it. I grinned wildly as I caught the blade before slicing at his head.

He moved back, but not before losing a small chunk of his hair.

I quickly used the hiraishin jutsu to teleport to the lone dango stick. I threw my kunai at Hoshigaki, causing him to move away. I pulled the stick from the side of the building, allowed chakra to surround it, and then threw it at the blue-skinned man's knee. I got a direct hit, causing him to faulted for a split-second. I used that time to teleport to the kunai, my chakra surrounding my right leg. I kicked the enemy's head as hard as I could before pushing off his shoulders. I grabbed ahold of Asuma-sensei's flak jacket as I passed by, pulling him behind me to create distance between the enemies and allies. I then threw Asuma-sensei ahead and flipped around in the air so I could land facing Hoshigaki. I landed on all fours and glanced over at Kurenai, only to see Itachi behind her.

That's when Kakashi-sensei decided to arrive, creating a kage bunshin so he could safely interfere with both mini battles. One Kakashi-sensei went behind Itachi while the other jumped in front of me, and subsequently Asuma-sensei. "Alright. That's enough, Ren."

"Took you long enough," I criticized as I stood up.

"Hatake Kakashi..." Itachi noted aloud at the newest arrival.

"Can I-"

"No," Kakashi-sensei interrupted, not bothering to look back to see my annoyed expression.

"Fine. But remember what I said in Nami no Kuni when you asked about your eye," I demanded before going back to the railing.

The jônin paused for a moment before taking up a wary fighting stance, his right eye closing to let his left sharingan one take in everything. Kami-sama, he was such a fucking moron.

I then closed my eyes and blocked out the world once again while keeping an eye on Itachi. I wanted to talk to him, to ask questions, but I couldn't do so in front of everyone else. I knew that well, and I wasn't going to fail the second-to-last mission given to me by Hokage-sama. I watched as Itachi-senpai closed his eyes and quickly got up. I teleported to Kakashi-sensei and got in front of him so he wouldn't fall victim to Itachi's ridiculously overpowered genjutsu.

Those mangekyō sharingans bore deep into my own amber eyes, sending me down into a purgatory that lasted forever and a second at the same time.

I was alone in a world that had a negative color scheme. My body was crucified, making pause for a split-second to wonder if I was Jesus in the mind of Itachi, which I obviously am. I managed to shove that thought away, however, as the teenager I wished to speak with stood before me.

"You're very foolish, Ren," he criticized as he held a katana in his dominant hand.

"So are you," I replied with a smirk. "Killing your entire clan because they were going to commit a coup, saving only Uchiha "Duckass" Sasuke himself?"

The older brother paused before stabbing the pole next to my neck. "Who told you? That was classified, so classified only three people in all of Konoha knew about it."

"Yeah, you, Hokage-sama, and Danzō, right?" I questioned as I stared the older male in the eyes.

His sharingans narrowed at me dramatically. "Who told you, Ren?"

I snorted at his persistence. "No one. I got the documentations myself. I'm not a fool, Itachi. In case you forgot, we're both older brothers. I know the lengths you would go to ensure your younger sibling could live a long, happy life."

He grit his teeth slightly before calling down to his usual stoic self. "If you're thinking about doing what I have, I'll kill you now."

I rolled my eyes before sending my head forwards, cracking our skulls together. I felt blood run down my forehead, probably from the reopened wound there. "I wouldn't tell you about it if I was going to do it. Besides, that would cause Sakura sadness, and I'm not as asshole like you. I'm explaining my knowledge because I want to hear your side of things. I just..." I gave a sad sigh as I hung my head a bit, causing the blade to draw a small trickle of blood. "I just want to know how things came down to that..."

"You wouldn't understand," he replied as he pulled the sword from the wooden structure I was attacked to.

"Then at least tell me what you did to my chakra!" I demanded to know.

"Chakra?" He repeated questioningly.

"Don't play dumb!" I exclaimed angrily as I lifted my head up. I saw his confused expression and realized he actually had no fucking idea what I was talking about. "I know he isn't the most reliable source, but Orochimaru said there was something off with my chakra at a certain place. That place is where you carved Shisui-senpai's mangekyō sharingan."

"Ah, that..." Itachi blinked before saying as casually as possible, "His remaining sharingan is inside of you."

I gave a sarcastic laugh before trying to head-butt him again, only to fail as he quickly stepped back. "Bitch, how fucking stupid do you think I am?!"

"I'm serious. That night, when I left the village, I put his sharingan inside of you. Even as a child, you demonstrated a strong Will of Fire. I figured that you would be the best person to entrust his sharingan to so you can bring Sasuke back," the goddamn fucking Uchiha explained.

I was honestly disgusted with the fucking audacity that piece of shit had just shown me. "Excuse me, but you want me to bring back your disgusting little brother after he runs off with Orochimaru?"

"Yes," the dark-haired man answered without hesitation.

I wanted to start strangling the Uchiha, but I was still crucified at the moment. I released a loud scream instead to get all of my rage out. I then looked at Itachi with great annoyance. "Why can't you do this yourself? Are you afraid that you can't convince him?"

He blinked those dark lashes at me once before gaining a face of realization. "Oh, right, Shisui's mangekyō can cast a genjutsu that will essentially get Sasuke to forget his malice and go back to the village. As for why you have to do it, it's because Sasuke is going to kill me first."

I felt as though he had just sucker punched my gut with the fury of a drunken Lee-senpai. Tears came to my eyes, but I managed to blink them away. "Wh-what do you mean kill you? Why would you want that?"

"Because I killed my clan," he replied stoically.

"But you did it to prevent all of Konoha being destroyed! You did it to protect him!" I objected.

"To be honest, it's more of a mercy kill at this point in time," the Uchiha stated, causing me to pause. He noticed and gave a saddened smile that practically shattered my heart. "I'm going to die soon anyway. I have a terminal illness that will kill me in as few years."

"T-Tsunade-hime could find a cure! She's the best medical shinobi around, so-"

He shook his head, causing tears to actually start running down my face.

"But I..." I lowered my head, not knowing what to say to make him reconsider. I couldn't believe how much he had his heart set on that path of self-destruction. I sucked in a sharp breath before trying again. "Danzō is the cause of this, right? If we just get rid of him somehow, then I'm sure you'll be let back in."

"No one else knows but four of us. No one else needs to know." He gave the tiniest of smiles. "Besides, I don't want you to be caught up more than you already are. If you know too much, you'll be gone after."

"...By Danzō, right?" I muttered softly.

"Yeah," he agreed before explaining, "He has Shisui's other eye. The night Shisui supposedly committed suicide, he was actually going to use his special genjutsu on the clan to make them forget about their hostilities and plans against Konoha. However, Danzō intervened and poisoned Shisui before stealing one of his eyes. Shisui managed to get away, but the damage was already done. He gave me his other eye before using the shunshin jutsu to go somewhere where his body would never be found. And you know the rest..."

My hands clenched into tight fists, my head hanging once again in defeat. "You... really want to do this?"

"Yes. I believe it's the best way," the foolish Uchiha agreed.

I grit my teeth before finally allowing my body to sag. I only had one trick left in my mind, and I was sure I could pull it off as if I was completely genuine. I looked up into his eyes, tears almost filling mine to the brim. "But I... love you."

His face showed his sorrow, but he remained smiling. "I suppose this will be significantly harder on you."

I lost. I wasn't able to convince him to take the path I wanted him to. I wasn't able to preserve my sister's happiness.

Sasuke will leave.

He'll peruse Itachi, an innocent man, for revenge.

He's going to cause my sister to cry.

He's going to break her heart because I wasn't able to keep Itachi here...

Because I was too weak...

Because I was too stupid...

Because I was too useless...

I began to pant heavily as my heart clenched tightly. I glanced to my left and right, only to see red shackles from Itachi-senpai's innocently shed blood. I looked down at my feet and saw those blue shackles from my sister's heartbroken tears. I squirmed desperately, trying to break free. I looked up, only to see a disappointed Itachi-senpai standing in front of me. I released a small whimper at his bloody features that looked at me with slight contempt. I squirmed even more as he began to reach a hand up towards me. I finally realized I couldn't get free and released a loud scream.

The negative color scheme suddenly changed to the normal earthy hues. Even though I was back in reality, my mind was trapped inside of the hellhole I dreamed up about once a month.

I immediately fell backwards and hit a hard surface. My body curled itself into a ball despite the thing that had wrapped around my waist. My eyes couldn't focus on anything, and my breathing couldn't stabilize itself. I felt drool running down my chin as I panted heavily. My body convulsed as a burning fluid rose up my esophagus. I quickly spit the acidic stomach bile out, allowing it to splash into the water that my feet were dipped into. My fingertips just barely grazed the surface of the river below me. My ears buzzed before a muffled voice entered them. I couldn't decipher what the person was saying, but focusing on that helped me block out the hellhole.

As I listened, I determined the voice to be masculine. His tone had a sense of urgency and worry, as if the guy was afraid of something. He also seemed so far away, like he was barely within my range of hearing.

In any case, the voice was helping me calm down, allowing me to ease into a relaxed state where my mind could peacefully rest for a few moments and recuperate.

To say Kakashi was worried would be the biggest understatement of the year in his personal opinion. One second, he was ready to face Itachi's sharingan, and then next a white blur filled his vision. And one more second later, his student collapses and starts having seizure-like symptoms.

Would Ren ever stop being such a self-sacrificing asshole? Kakashi had finally realized at that moment the answer was no.

"Ren? Ren?! Oi, Ren! Snap out of it!" Kakashi demanded of his student who had just thrown up a second prior.

"I always knew he was a fool, but apparently he's gotten even more so over the past few years," Itachi said while pushing some of his bangs back, only for them to fall right back into the place they were previously positioned.

Of course, on the inside, he was just as worried, if not even more so than Kakashi. He had never seen those types of results from someone who fell under tsukuyomi.

But, even more worrying was the fact Ren broke his genjutsu. That just wasn't possible unless it he shared the same blood as Itachi. He honestly doubted Ren could tap into Shisui's sharingan's power unconsciously, especially not in the mental state he was in.

To make matters worse, just before the genjutsu was broken, things began to change.

Tsukuyomi was designed to feature a red moon that castes red light through the illusion with a cloudy atmosphere. Meanwhile, the victim was forced to live through the genjutsu while seeing the negative color scheme that also effected themselves.

That particular tsukuyomi had Ren crucified, the colors matching up as they should have, or at least at the beginning. Within the last few seconds of the genjutsu, blue tinted the handcuffs as red colored the anklecuffs. That, combined with the genjutsu breaking immediately afterwards, gave Itachi a very bad feeling regarding the mental state of the boy who, to his knowledge, literally just got his heart shattered into a million pieces.

That was the other bad thing. Ren seemed desperate to get him to stay, so desperate, in fact, he started having a mental breakdown when rejected. How the hell was anyone going to fix that? Itachi himself couldn't fix a slip-up that catastrophic.

Then and there, Itachi made a declaration to himself to somehow make it up to Ren if the boy ever managed to recover from the psychological trauma.

Kakashi felt his student's body start to go limp, causing a hidden rage to grow deep inside. He glared up at Itachi fiercely, his sharingan blazing. "What did you do to him?"

Itachi blinked in surprise as he saw Kakashi's sharingan change for a split-second. He nearly activated the mangekyō sharingan, so Ren must be rather important to him.

Kisame gave a small laugh. "Heh... That jutsu is used to cause a breakdown in one's spirit, isn't it? ...I'm surprised that kid is still alive..."

Kakashi pulled his precious student closer to his body and grit his teeth. Damn you, Ren. You really don't think of any repercussions for your actions before you throw yourself into dangerous situations. I guess I shouldn't have taken our promise so seriously, but still...!

"However, Itachi-san," Kisame continued, "You should be careful since the "eye" is dangerous to you as well."

Kakashi growled softly. "You're looking for Sasuke, aren't you?"

"No," Itachi replied honestly, "We're are after Yondaime's son."

"Yondaime-sama's son, you say..." Kakashi muttered before taking a split-second to realize what those two were after.

"What would they want with him...?" Kurenai questioned with great confusion.

Ren released a deep breath as his vision finally started to clear. He was slowly recovering his senses, though his body still gave the occasional spasm. Well, at least he knew he was alive.

"You're target is... the kyūbi inside of Naruto, isn't it?" Kakashi inquired sharply. "You have begun to move. You think we don't know? The name of your organization... It's Akatsuki, isn't it?"

"Akatsuki?" Asuma repeated questioningly.

"Kisame! Take Kakashi out!" Itachi ordered, "It's time for these people to disappear!"

Kisame grinned widely as he began to run forwards with his Samehada. Just before he could hit anything, Gai made a dynamic entry, kicking the Kirigakure ninja back to Itachi's side. "Who the hell is this?!" Kisame questioned as he finally got back into his own two feet.

"Konoha's Prideful Green Beast, Maito Gai!" The man in green spandex answered, a serious expression on his face.

"What the...? Better yet..." The rouge shinobi gave a smirk. "Should I just mistake you for an exotic animal?"

"Don't take that man lightly," Itachi advised.

Ren released a small groan, catching everyone's attention.

Gai's brow furrowed a bit at the state of one of his favorite students that just so happened to not be his. He was definitely going to get some answers out of his eternal rival later.

My head had cleared up about halfway, but it wasn't enough. I could still see flashes of those disappointed faces, still hear those faint words ringing in my skull, still feel those tight, unforgiving shackles. I stared down at my reflection blankly. To be perfectly honest, I looked like shit. I was definitely going to be sent back to the hospital at that rate.

That voice from before had split up into multiple voices along the way, or perhaps they were always multiple voices. In any case, all but one sounded familiar. I had been able to split apart the allies from the enemies, though I suppose that one ally standing so far away with an enemy may have been a failure in my abilities to some people.

I felt my body twitch once after the face that started my miniature hellhole appeared in my vision. I released a small groan before his clear voice bounced around me head.

"Ren. Wake up."

My eyes opened wide as my body finally stopped its nonsense. My head cleared up considerable before more words entered my mind.

"You deserve happiness too."

I sighed deeply before clenching my hands into fists, my toes curling themselves up as well. Once I was sure I could properly use my limbs, I lifted up my head a bit. My eyes locked with those red and black ones before I mouthed, 'You deserve happiness too.'

Though his facial expression remained the same, confusion danced around his eyes. After staring blankly for a moment, his brow furrowed deeply. He was well-aware that I was going to do something "stupid" in the future, but it's not like he could call me out on it in front of everyone.

Happy that I got my message across, I allowed my body to become dead weight again. I was mentally exhausted, and my body wasn't very happy either. So, I just listened to the world around me whilst slowly drifting to sleep.

"Both of you, open your eyes!" Gai-sensei demanded as he stood protectively in front of Kakashi-sensei, who was holding me. "You are eye-to-eye when fighting the sharingan. It's fine as long as you don't look into that eye. Using the reflection is the only way you are recognized and dealt with."

Wrong... Unless he decides to not pull out the mangekyō again, in which case, I suppose you're right. I internally sighed, but also let Gai-sensei pass since Kakashi-sensei hasn't exactly unlocked the mangekyō himself.

"The way you talk about it... so that's how it's done..." Kurenai-sensei said, probably opening her eyes.

"That's pretty smart, but there's only one person here that can do it - you!" Asuma-sensei stated as he too opened his eyes.

"Two..." I corrected.

"Ren!" Kakashi-sensei exclaimed as he brought me into a more comfortable position. He held me bridal style, which honestly seemed to be his favorite was of holding me.

"Me too..." I muttered as I rested my head against his chest. "Look at... his neck..."

"You're not fighting," the jônin stated with some annoyance.

I gave a small snort. "Don't... wanna..."

His grip on my tightened a bit before he suddenly turned me around. "Kurenai, take him to the medical treatment center."

I released a small groan as I was handed over and curled up slightly.

"I've already arranged for reinforcements," Gai-sensei said, making my eyes open.

"They're gonna retreat..." I mumbled before allowing my eyes to slide over towards where Itachi and Kisame were. I couldn't see the two since both Gai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei blocked them. I released a heavy sigh before resigning myself to sleep. There was nothing more I could do anyway. I just hoped that I wouldn't dream up that cold, personal hell of mine...

Who am I kidding? I totally couldn't fall asleep when my mind was going that fast.

But, true to my word, Itachi-senpai and Hoshigaki retreated from the village entirely. They were probably regrouping before chasing after Uzumaki-kun. I had the feeling they'd find him, but that they wouldn't be able to take him, so all's well that ends well. Except that whole thing starts up a major shitstorm with little bitch-baby Duckass.

In any case, Kakashi-sensei and crew decided to take me back to his apartment instead of the hospital, probably because the man had some pity on the iatrophobia-ridden individual that called itself Haruno Ren.

I was laid down on a futon in Kakashi-sensei's room and remained surrounded by the four jônins. I kept silent as they talked around me, evening out my breathing slowly to make it appear as though I had fallen asleep.

"That guy still hasn't found Naruto," Gai-sensei stated incorrectly.

"But it's not funny that he entered a crowded village," Asuma-sensei said, "In this village, finding Naruto is pretty simple. Itachi knows Naruto's face."

I internally agreed with the Sarutobi.

Gai-sensei suddenly put a finger to his lips and made a shushing sound.

The door son opened, revealing Duckass in all of his ducky glory. "Kakashi-" He cut himself off upon seeing me. "Why is Ren sleeping here? Why are all the jônin gathered where he's resting?"

"Um, no... It's not really that," Gai-sensei lied pathetically.

A different shinobi suddenly barged in and yelled, "Is the story that Itachi has returned true?! And that he's chasing Naruto?!" He suddenly seemed to realize that Sasuke was there and released a small, "Ah!"

"Idiot," Kurenai-sensei commented, making me give a microscopic nod of approval.

The man in green spandex actually facepalmed before groaning in annoyance.

Sasuke suddenly took off running, willingly charging forwards to an ass-kicking.

"Where are you going?!" Gai-sensei demanded to know as he began to rush after the stupid Uchiha.

After the two left, I casually commented, "Itachi's totally going to fuck up Sasuke."

My beloved sensei karate chopped my head. "Don't look so happy saying that."

"It's Duckass, I can't help it," I replied as my grin widened.

"Do you want me to take you to the hospital?" The silvernette threatened, causing me to immediately lose the grin. "That's what I thought."

"This really is going to turn out messy, huh?" Asuma-sensei questioned worriedly.

More messy that you could possibly comprehend, I answered internally before rolling over onto my side. I then pulled the covers over my head and curled into a ball so I could fall asleep, which I honestly could side if was in a nice bed.

Oh, and not to be weird or anything, but his sheets smelled like dog.