VIII. Sasuke

Sakura's eyes were still green. They were still two circles of jade peering out at him, though the rest had changed from the wide-eyed softness she had once held. Instead of soft almond-shaped eyes, Sakura now sported narrow eyes, her pupils slitted at all times, even when it was dark. Where once she was confident in her abilities and her body, she was now insecure as she moved around the manor in silent contemplation. She would leave for Orochimaru's base soon, intent on finding anything that would release her from the jail of said man's body. While her eyes stayed the same familiar color, there was a disquieting light hidden within their once bright depths.

While Sasuke could see the change in Sakura, he was left pining to see Naruto's familiar cornflower blue. Sasuke didn't know where Naruto was, who he was currently hitching a ride with, only that Kakashi had suspicions that point to Sunagakure. Sasuke wondered what Naruto must look like; was he even tanner than he once was, out in the hot desert, under the bright sun? Were his eyes still bright and determined, or had they lost a bit of the sheen that made them so indescribable? What of Kurama and his influence? Would Naruto's flaming red eyes still exist without Kurama's chakra?

Kakashi was the sole person whose eyes stayed the same. They were still dark and deep, kind and unwavering. It softened Danzō's face, giving him a more approachable look that had once unemotional Root members coming to him when they had a problem adjusting. He greeted all of them by their real names, no code names in sight, and his admirers grew. He still smiled with his eyes, gentle with the kids and snarky with Sasuke and Sakura. It brought a warmth to Sasuke's chest to see something so familiar in a world that felt so different.

As for his own eyes? There was still bitterness entrenched in onyx eyes as he surveyed his place in the past. He was not healed, not even close, but there was some kind of resolution Sasuke had set and then met without realizing it. He was far calmer than he had been in years, his eyes reflecting the confidence he held concerning his mission and the facts he was so very sure of. He was not who he once was, but he no longer feels like he must hold onto the past to have an identity. He had never seen his eyes shine quite so bright.

Interlude: Undisclosed IV

"Danzō has complete control over the Uchiha survivors," the Sandaime said grimly, his gaze forlorn as he stared across at his frowning student. "There has also been increased patrols around the areas that Naruto frequents."

"You think he's planning on grabbing him?" Jiraiya asked, leaning forward in worry.

"I hate to admit it, but I don't know," Sarutobi sighed, leaning back and taking a quick drag from his faintly smoking pipe. "Given his past indiscretions, it wouldn't surprise me. And yet..."

"What is it?"

"He has seemingly changed. He has followed through on all of my demands, dismantling Root and getting all of its ex-members the help they need to integrate back into the regular shinobi ranks. The only suspicious thing he's done in months is have a few extra patrols set up around Naruto."

"I still wouldn't trust him," Jiraiya sneered, rolling his eyes.

Sarutobi hummed in response, clearly acknowledging Jiraiya's words before he switched topics. "Young Itachi has confirmed that one of the groups he's been keeping an eye on has black cloaks with red clouds on them. The information you gathered holds true."

"Are you going to order him to infiltrate them?" Jiraiya asked, curious. He was Konohagakure's spymaster, so if Itachi succeeded in his infiltration, it would be him who would communicate regularly with the boy.

"I'll have to," Sarutobi admitted, grunting as he shifted in his seat. "We don't know nearly enough about them to sit around. The Kazekage seems to hold some information, but he won't be in Konoha for weeks, maybe even months. He's visiting several other villages before he makes his way to us."

"I'll keep an ear open for anything worth investigating," Jiraiya assured him.

"There's another thing," Sarutobi hesitated, glancing over at Jiraiya once before he looked away with a tired sigh. He straightened in his seat, puffing at his pipe before he once more looked Jiraiya in the eyes. "Orochimaru has been spotted in Danzō's home."

"How the hell did he manage that?" Jiraiya asked, his body twitching as he tensed in his seat. "That place is a fortress!"

"I've had Kakashi watching the place day and night. He spotted Orochimaru interacting with the two Uchiha survivors and informed me immediately. He's since been spotted talking with two other children who have yet to be identified."

"And you haven't arrested him yet?" Jiraiya demanded, a frown making its way onto his face. There was a dark look lingering in his eyes, a soft grimace adding to the shadowed look.

Sarutobi sighed once more, reaching up to rub at his temples in an attempt to fight off a headache. "I'm not sure I want to."

"What?" Jiraiya asked, confused.

"If the threat that the Akatsuki poses is as serious as it's making itself out to be, we might need all the help we could get. Danzō was involved with Orochimaru's experiments, so we already know the two have some type of working relationship that could work in our favor."

"I thought Orochimaru did that on his own?" Jiraiya asked, shocked.

"No," Sarutobi grudgingly admitted. "Danzō had some type of hand in it. I'm not sure if he ordered the experiments or if he simply approved them, but he was definitely involved at some point."

"Sensei!" Jiraiya shouted, anger quickly making its way onto his face. "Then why the hell was he never punished while Orochimaru was chased out of the village?"

"I've made many mistakes involving my old friend," Sarutobi admitted bitterly, closing his eyes briefly before once more meeting Jiraiya's incensed gaze. "It's why I'm having Kakashi keep a close eye on him. While he's doing that, I'm afraid I have to ask something of you."

"What is it, sensei?" Jiraiya asked warily.

"I need you to retrieve Tsunade and bring her back to the village."

Jiraiya snorted loudly, shaking his head even before Sarutobi finished his request. "She doesn't want to return."

"Tell her the truth about what's been going on," Sarutobi ordered, surprising Jiraiya. "She'll be pissed enough at me that she'll return simply to yell at me and to make an attempt to kick my ass."

Jiraiya let out a derisive snort, but nodded in acknowledgment anyway, shaking his head lightly in disbelief. "Does this mean you're going to give Orochimaru a pardon?" Jiraiya asked, a distant hope slipping into his voice.

"It means we'll ignore his presence in the village as long as he doesn't take up his past hobbies; for now at least," Sarutobi sternly corrected. "Once this Akatsuki has been taken care of, I'm afraid the village is going to need a good de-rooting."

Pleased with all it had learned, Zetsu slipped away, its presence gone unnoticed by the Sandaime and the legendary Toad sage. It took its time to make its way back to Amegakure, slipping into the room where Obito's chaotic chakra signature laid in waiting.

"Hear anything interesting?" Obito asked with a grunt, his orange mask muffling his words as he perused a large scroll in front of him. His cloak hid most of his hunched figure, draping along both his body and the chair he was sitting on.

"We have a problem," Zetsu informed him, a sickly grin spreading across half its face when Obito sharply glanced up. Obito's single visible eye narrowed in agitation, his Sharingan flashing briefly.

"What are you on about?" Obito demanded to know, giving his full attention to Zetsu and pushing the scroll in front of him to the side.

"Itachi messed up," Zetsu informed him, cackling slightly. "There was a second survivor of the massacre."

"Who?" Obito demanded, his anger rising.

"Uchiha Izumi," Zetsu replied.

"Izumi?" Obito asked, frowning. "While not ideal, she's no threat. Her surviving has to be based on a technicality; I saw Itachi stab her through the chest myself."

"Regardless, her and the other brat have been handed over into Danzō's gentle hands," Zetsu revealed.

"Why the hell would Sarutobi do that?" Obito asked, incredulous.

"He seemed to think they were under a threat," Zetsu shrugged, not particularly caring. It had the Uchihas it needed, after all. The others would be no threat to it or its plans for Kaguya's resurrection.

"What the hell is Danzō playing at?" Obito wondered, a heaving huff leaving his lips as he sat back in his chair. His chakra was spiking dangerously as he thought, each spike making Zetsu's lips twitch in amusement.

"The Kazekage is also on the move," Zetsu shared.

"We can't have that," Obito grumbled in annoyance. "The Mizukage is being particularly difficult at the moment. Having the Kazekage sniffing around won't do me any favors."

"Should we intercept him then?" Zetsu asked, curious about Obito's opinion on the matter.

"We have to," Obito decided, clasping his hands together in his lap as he lounged about in his chair. "Inform Itachi that he is officially inducted into the organization. I'd like to be able to control the information he's sending Konoha's way. We can partner him with Sasori for now. We'll send the two to intercept the Kazekage's party. Sasori would be delighted to get his hands on another powerful puppet," Obito decided, unclasping his hands to wave in Zetsu's direction.

"And if they fail?" Zetsu asked, not seriously thinking that they would, but curious enough about the answer to ask it anyway.

"If they fail," Obito hissed, finally turning his attention back to the scroll on his desk, "I'll just have to take care of it myself. Go. I'll take care of Nagato."

Smiling thinly in response, Zetsu left without any further comments, already on the lookout for Itachi's distinct signature. It paused briefly, a furrow forming on its brow when it let its senses drift toward Konoha for a single moment. Something odd was happening to the chakra signatures in that direction, a distorted echo that was growing stronger by the minute. Zetsu was briefly tempted to check it out, but it ultimately decided that it didn't have time to get to the bottom of that particular mystery at the moment. It had to find the little Uchiha spy and introduce him to the rest of their little pawns. Dismissing the strange phenomenon, it focused its attention on the sorrow filled signature located somewhere to the west. Without a sound, Zetsu melted into the ground, merrily on its way towards Itachi's current residence.

"Yes?" Itachi asked as soon as he sensed Zetsu, several seconds after it had appeared at the young Uchiha's side.

"Madara-sama has officially inducted you into the Akatsuki, Uchiha Itachi," Zetsu informed him, letting only its head merge up into sight. It gave a few points to Itachi when the teen didn't react to its head appearing just to the right of his foot. "You've been paired with one of our newer members."

Itachi grunted, his face drawn tight with exhaustion. Zetsu supposed that anybody else would feel bad for the teen, obviously still haunted by the actions he took against his clan. Zetsu, however, simply felt faint amusement. It didn't care about Itachi, but seeing the Uchiha clan brought so low was certainly a welcome sight. The fact that the clan was brought to such an inevitable end by their own hand was certainly also appealing.

"Sasori will come to collect you tomorrow morning. You will then follow him to a meeting with Pein-sama. He will give you your first mission."

"Right," Itachi grunted again in response, his legs shaking as he struggled to stay standing in Zetsu's presence.

Zetsu stayed for a moment longer just to see the teen struggle before it eventually gave a sharp cackle, disappearing into the ground. It hid its presence long enough to see Itachi collapse, his tired body landing heavily on the ratty bed behind him, before it left for good, intent on checking out the disturbance it had felt just a few hours ago.

Interlude: Undisclosed V

"So, is your little experiment working the way you wanted it to?"

"There's no need to sound so disgruntled."

"You have a child running around in my body."

"Kakashi is hardly a child."

"Well, the Uzumaki brat is a child. Explain yourself."

"I think it's rather fascinating; the little girl currently occupying my body has a interesting mind."

"She hates your guts and you think that's interesting?"

"How could I not?"

"Ugh."

"What is the purpose of keeping us conscious? Why have us here?"

"The Kazekage has a point. What purpose do we serve?"

"Only one of you is currently dead at this point."

"Me. I'm the one that's dead."

"Yes, Uchiha Izumi, you are the one that's dead. I can not simply erase you three from existence. You should, technically speaking, still be alive. And yet with your souls stricken from your bodies, you are considered dead."

"How does that connect with you keeping us here?"

"You must experience what your bodies experience in order for a balance to be stricken."

"And once we meet the period of time when we were originally dead?"

"...Hmph."

"I see."

"You don't know what's going to happen, do you?"

"For all you know, the second we pass when I die in the original timeline, my body will collapse and the Uzumaki's soul will be ejected from my body!"

"It's… a possibility."

"So there is some real urgency to Haruno Sakura finding a way to transfer their souls into newly constructed bodies. Absolutely fascinating."

"Indeed."

"What will happen to us? Orochimaru never died in the original timeline. With our bodies vacant and our souls still intact, will we be able to once more take them back?"

"I do not know."

"Do you know anything?"

"That is the brilliance of changing the past; nobody knows anything. Not even me."

"Truly fascinating."

"Will you shut up ?"