Hey guys! first of all I want to thank those that left a follow or a favorite on the story, it really means a lot to me. Forgot to clarify last chapter that italics are meant as inner thoughts so sorry about that.

Anyway, here's chapter two for you guys!

Chapter 2

Consequences

The bright fluorescent lights were the first thing he remembered as he woke up. White walls and ceiling slowly melting into view from the bright void that surrounded him. It took a second to realize where he was, it had been years since he was last here after all.

He moved to sit up on the bed he was lying in only to receive a painful protest from his side. He had bandages wrapped around most of his chest and abdomen along with a more complex assortment where his left arm had been torn off.

His memory was still foggy and he couldn't exactly remember at what point he had passed out, one thing was for sure though, off all the places he was really not expecting to wake up in the Konoha hospital.

His senses more awake now and his vision clear he noticed another lump in the room a couple beds away, blonde spiky hair was all he needed to know who said lump was. Sensing a presence approaching the door he quickly identified the chakra signatures and pushed himself to relax, the tense stance his shoulders had instinctively fallen into dissipating as the door opened to reveal a rather tired looking Sakura followed by the silver haired Jounin.

"Oh, you're finally awake!" the kunoichi began walking towards him, clipboard in hand "I'm going to do some quick checks on you now just to make sure that you're healing properly okay?"

He gave her a slight nod to allow her to proceed as he formulated a question in his head "Sakura...how long was I out?"

She didn't look away from her work as she spoke next "Well, I don't know if you remember this much since you and Naruto were pretty drained, but after we returned to the battlefield where everyone was waking up and gathering both of you collapsed. I gave you some emergency treatment there to recover some of your chakra before we gathered a small group that would help us take you two back here"

She scribbled something on her clipboard before continuing "It's been about a week since we got back and we've been keeping a close eye on you to make sure there was no more danger from the aftereffects of the battle or from releasing the infinite tsukuyomi as well as attacks"

"Attacks?" The pinkette was silent at his question, averting eye contact and focusing on the healing chakra that pooled from her hands into his injured arm. He remained silently waiting for a response but the voice that answered was that of Kakashi from where he was standing leaning against the window.

"Yeah, truth is that even though you had a part in helping win the war as well as ending the Tsukuyomi there are quite a few people that aren't quite comfortable having you back at the village"

He was quiet, he wasn't really that surprised in all honesty, he had done his fair share of crimes not only towards the leaf but also meddling with other villages. He held eye contact with his former sensei for a few seconds as he attempted to read his expression as much as the mask allowed. He wasn't lying and he could tell that through his relaxed facade there was still a trace of weariness and caution. Looks like he doesn't trust me either huh… Then again, Kakashi wasn't really at fault for this.

Turning away from Kakashi he ended up accidentally meeting eyes with Sakura, mismatched obsidian and lavender catching on emerald. A dash of Pink made its way to her cheeks before she abruptly focused her gaze on the clipboard while he turned his head back down. He was still trying to figure things out after he initially apologized to her after the battle against Naruto and he knew that it would be a while before he could bring himself to be on even ground with her after everything that had happened.

The silence that formed after the rather awkward exchange was interrupted shortly after as Naruto also regained consciousness, he gladly greeted his fellow teammates and sensei before moving to asking a couple questions similar in nature to Sasuke's. After finishing checking up on him Sakura moved to do the same standardized checkup on the blonde and making notes on her clipboard.

She told them both to take things easy for the few following days as more specialized tests would be performed to make sure both their arms were healing properly. She headed for the door excusing herself. From Kakashi all the two got was a hidden smile and a request for the two of them to get along before disappearing in a poof of smoke.

The silence that ensued right after was deafening as both Naruto and Sasuke stole an occasional glance at the other without a word. Back at Final valley they had all but opened their souls to each other during their fight with each clash of fists and jutsu, once that reached an end and their bodies were drained, beat and battered they resulted to words with a resolve that neither of them would make it past that day.

Well...here they both were, sitting in the same hospital room. Fate was indeed an interesting thing.

Turning to look at each other they shared an unspoken agreement to keep everything that had happened between them at that last battle under wraps, only they would know of the truths that had been brought to the light at that moment. This was for the better and, more for Sasuke than Naruto, it was also for appearance's sake.

Another five days went by as both remained at the hospital, going through several tests supervised by Tsunade and Sakura herself to make sure that there was no danger or drawbacks brought on by the chakra given to them by the sage of the six paths.

Eventually they were both mostly healed, thanks in part to the enhanced healing abilities their bodies adapted to, the only worrisome area remaining was their arms, which would take quite a while longer before it would be fully healed.

The two of them sat in their respective beds one evening, Sakura had come to check on them as well as give them the news that they would probably be able to leave the following day. Peaceful chatter ensued between the three, mostly Naruto and Sakura while Sasuke only answered when prodded or being asked something directly since his already rather poor social skills were now meddling together with conflicting thoughts.

The Uchiha was the first to notice, jumping to stand next to his bed in a defensive stance. Naruto followed a second later once he too felt the chakra signatures that were approaching their room. They were alert as the signatures surrounded the door and window to their hospital room, whoever these people were they were good enough so that even with their abilities their chakra signature was very faint.

They didn't have to wait more than a few seconds after a group of 8 Anbu filled the room, three of them with weapons at the ready while the rest took defensive stances that mimicked the two teens.

For a little while no one moved, Sakura herself had also taken a defensive stance the second the Anbu broke into the room and it looked like each side was expecting the other to make a move, when that didn't happen one of the masked ninja took a few steps forward from the rest.

"We are here to take custody of Uhciha Sasuke on behalf of the council. It would be better for all of us if we could resolve this in a peaceful manner"

At this Naruto was the first to jump, stealing the words straight out of Sakura's mouth "Take him into custody? what for?"

"We cannot discuss the details, all that you need to know is that these are orders that come directly from the council and the Hokage herself"

Sakura's stance loosened at the mention of the Hokage "Lady Tsunade? why would she issue such an order after all that she's seen these last few days?"

Without another word the Anbu leader shot a signal and in an instant three of his men surrounded Sasuke, earning a reaction from Naruto and Sakura as they moved with the intention of knocking them out. Sasuke stopped them before they could even get close

"You two, don't take another step" the black haired ninja stood up from his defensive stance, turning his head from his comrades to look back at the Anbu captain "I'll go"

"Oi Sasuke, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Leave it, Naruto, this doesn't concern you"

"Doesn't concern me?!" Naruto took a couple steps heading for Sasuke when Sakura stopped him before he could cause a bigger scene.

"Calm down Naruto, we need to talk this out" releasing the blonde she turned to look directly at the Anbu leader "That being said, I'm not about to let you guys take him either. I want to have a talk with Lady Tsunade before proceeding. As things are he is under my medical care and I cannot sign the release papers until the results from the last test come back"

"We are aware, this issue has also been clarified with the hospital administration and all documents have been signed for the release prior to our arrival"

Pulling out an envelope he handed it to Sakura, who opened it to find a copy of the mentioned papers.

"This document should require the signature of the person directly in charge of the patient, in this case that just so happens to be me so-"

"Sakura..." Speaking just loud enough so his voice would call her attention he brought himself to raise his head to look at her directly, there were no words exchanged between them but after that the pink haired kunoichi couldn't bring herself to continue speaking.

Sakura saw directly into onyx and lavender, he was silent but just through that shared look she was able to feel that there was so much more hidden there than words could ever explain.

Giving a slight nod towards the Anbu leader Sasuke allowed himself to be escorted out of the room and eventually the hospital, leaving the other two shinobi in silence. Sasuke caught several of the villagers' looks as he was being escorted towards the Interrogation and holding division, he guesses it was only natural that someone being personally escorted by a group of Anbu was bound to call some attention.

While he expected the weary or hateful looks and comments in his directions he was not expecting the very few people that seemed to look at him with what he was only able to describe as pity. Why would they pity him? didn't they know who he was or what he had done?

Ever since he arrived and woke up at the hospital he had found himself getting lost in thought more and more, it had gotten to a dangerous level where he was so absorbed in thinking and the tangents that spread from the initial thought that he forgot about the world surrounding him. Cursing himself for being unable to get all his thoughts in order and think clearly he only snapped out when the group stopped at the entrance of the facility.

Two of the Anbu escorting him remained posted at the door while the rest of the group continued, they took him through a room where they searched him for any sort or weapon which he personally thought was unnecessary considering he had been dragged out from the hospital and there was not much room for concealing weapons in his plain short sleeve dark blue shirt and black pants.

After that was done he was placed in a holding cell before the remaining black ops members left and only two guards remained keeping watch outside his cell. He took note of the other five chakra signatures posted in what he assumed were strategic areas should he do anything to fight or try to escape.

A part of him scoffed at the idea that if he really wanted to escape he could easily defeat the guards or simply burst a hole through the wall and run, of course that was not going to happen. The moment he realized he would survive his final battle a part of him had resigned himself to have to pay for his actions in whatever way it was decided.

He stood up from the lone bench that was in the cell and walked over to the narrow window that was in one of the walls, looking at the outside world. He had some ideas of what was going to happen now so he doubted that whatever news they gave him would come as a surprise. Three new signatures entered the building then and he turned towards the cell bars as they approached, he recognized two as some of the Anbu members from before but the third one he couldn't quite put a finger on.

It wasn't until the three figures stopped in front of the cell that he had to use every ounce of self control in his body to stay still, the Anbu must've felt the sudden change in his chakra seeing how they tensed up the second his eyes landed on the figure they were protecting.

Standing between the black ops escort was Mitokado Homura, one of the village elders who he had wanted to kill for everything they had put his older brother through.

There was silence as Sasuke turned completely to look at the elder. He knew this man would've wanted nothing more than to see him dead where he stood but since that didn't seem to be an option he guessed that the next best thing was to see him, the last surviving member of the prestigious and proud Uchiha clan, thrown in prison with the lowest of the low. Sasuke, however, was not one to give the man that kind of pleasure and so when Homura cleared his throat to speak he stood tall and head held high while looking down on the older man.

"Uchiha Sasuke, the council has deliberated your actions since your departure from the village and come up with appropriate measures to respond to your status as rogue ninja and S class criminal. Starting from today you will pay for your crimes against the Hidden Leaf Village and the 5 great nations with a lifetime sentence in this very facility under maximum security"

Life sentence huh? It was an outcome he had considered, labeled as the more likely case scenario even, but it was one thing knowing it in your head and a completely different thing to hear it out loud. He slowly released a breath he didn't know he had been holding discretely enough so as to not be noticed by the people watching him. He remained quiet and waited for the man to finish.

"Later today you will be transferred to what will be your permanent cell...It would be better for you to not cause any trouble when that happens"

At that last sentence Sasuke doubted for a second if he would be able to keep his composure at the pompous and even conceited tone Homura was using with him, he fought back the chakra that found its way into his eyes in anticipation for the Sharingan. Something must've given away his inner struggles as the slightest of smiles made its way to the corner of the old bag's mouth.

He could end it, he could activate his sharingan and use his amaterasu to burn the geezer, or better yet, put him under a genjutsu and make him have what he deserved for all he did and no one would be able to stop him. He mentally held himself back, this could very well be a trap or a test and he would not be giving him the satisfaction of falling into it, instead he regained his composure and simply looked directly at Homura with a threatening enough aura that he noticed by the change in his chakra that he was agitated.

Nothing more was said and the elder retreated with his escort, Surely this must've been a test to some extent otherwise there would be no reason why they couldn't simply send a messenger or another guard to give him the news.

Once he was left alone once more he released the tension that had built and loosened his shoulders, turning again to look out the small window at the blue sky he couldn't help but wonder if that would be the last of the outside world that he would see for a long time, if even.

Sakura tapped her foot impatiently as she waited outside the hospital room, She had pushed Naruto's discharge papers quicker so that the two of them could go and personally talk to Lady Tsunade. She was not going to let all their work go to waste by having Sasuke taken from them again after just being able to bring him back.

A few days ago she had gone and brought a fresh set of clothes for both Sasuke and Naruto now that they were able to be free from the regular hospital gowns, even taking the time to have it so their respective shirts had their clan insignias on them.

The door next to her opened to reveal Naruto in a plain black short sleeve shirt and orange pants, the blonde nodded at her and both started heading out of the Hospital and towards the Hokage building. Ignoring the calls of the woman at the reception they continued to walk up the stairs and through the corridors that led to the main office.

"Do you think there is a chance that they will change their minds?"

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose as she sat on her desk, Kakashi standing in front of it with a tired expression "I don't know, after you left it was the two of them against me and there was not much that I could do"

"Maybe if we push for a proper assessment or even a trial we could-"

"Grandma Tsunade!" Both adults switched their looks at the door as it quickly opened, the two people they didn't want to deal with at the present time storming into the office "What is this about giving the order to take Sasuke away?! a bunch of Anbu black ops suddenly came into our hospital room and took him before Sakura could even finish the proper release papers!"

Placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder Kakashi took a deep breath as he spoke "Calm down, this isn't exactly what it looks like"

"Is it not? Kakashi sensei" Sakura glared at him as she walked closer to the Hokage, switching her attention from the Jounin to the Sannin once she was practically leaning on the desk. "Lady Tsunade, I would like to know your reasoning behind this, there must've been something else otherwise even if it was a regular criminal you wouldn't push for an early release. Especially considering the injury on his arm which is far from being healed and is in need of close monitoring as you yourself stated not even two days ago"

Standing from the desk she turned around to face the window, eyes closed "It was the elders' decision, Kakashi and I had a meeting with them last week per their request. Originally it was only going to be me but I brought Kakashi along in preparation for some things but once we started talking about the topic the two were quick to dismiss him due to the connection he has with Sasuke being a former student of his..."

The Hokage continued to explain to them how the meeting had quickly spiralled down. At first it was a fairly regular discussion about what to do with Sasuke, he was a rogue ninja from the leaf as well as an S class criminal on the bingo book plus his actions preceding the start of the war were playing hard cards against him.

Not long after Kakashi began trying to explain his reasoning as well as some arguments in favor of his former student both Koharu and Homura shut him down by calling his point of view invalid due to being biased.

When that happened Kakashi had to bite his own tongue to keep himself from bringing up the information he now knew to be true about the Uchiha massacre, those two dared call him biased when they were the ones who were placing their own personal interests and ideas into this decision.

When Kakashi was finally told to leave the room it had only been Tsunade and the elders, being two against one there was no contest or debate around the decision that they had made about keeping Sasuke imprisoned. She argued about shortening the sentence even if just by a little but they were adamant and quickly closed the case before moving on.

A couple days after that meeting she received the orders to send her personal Anbu to do the job since the only other option now that the foundation had been disbanded would be regular guards who wouldn't stand a chance should a fight break out.

After she had explained everything to the two younger shinobi she turned to look back at them "I didn't have much of a choice in the matter as you can see, but Kakashi and I are working on trying to figure something out"

"Do you know when you will be able to speak with them again? perhaps I could go with you and lay testimony, being a first hand witness to his help during the last leg of the war"

"I don't know when I'll be able to get another meeting, furthermore I don't think they would take your words as proof, if anything they'll be ruled out just like what they did to Kakashi"

Sakura's mind was running a mile a second, she was trying to think of something, anything at all that they could do but at this point the elders and Tsunade were the only three that could make decisions of this caliber, with her master being outnumbered the chances of making some headway were very slim.

Kakashi noticed the look on both of his students' faces, he knew better than anyone else the work and effort they had put into bringing Sasuke back, Naruto had gone as far as losing his own arm to achieve that goal and now that they had finally made it their teammate had been taken from them once again. He wasn't in the best of moods either regarding the situation, despite still not trusting the boy fully he had some hope after what he had seen throughout these last week or so and ever since him and Sakura got to them in what were the wrecked remains of the final valley.

He didn't have all the details regarding the outcome of the sentence other than the fact that it would most likely be down to life sentence considering the elders' arguments and what he saw from them at their meeting. He made a mental note to drop by the facility where he knew he would find him before heading home that night, if there was someone he could get all the details from it would be Ibiki himself.

Despite Naruto and Sakura arguing that they wanted to have a talk with the elders or at the very least appeal so that they could have a chance to present a fair case in their friend's favor ultimately they couldn't do much other than wait for news of whatever progress Kakashi and Tsunade could make.

The silver haired Jounin finally managed to pry Naruto away from the office and that left only the Hokage and her student, who seemed to have something on her mind still.

"Sakura, is there something else you wanted to ask me personally?"

She nodded "A request, more than anything"

"What is it?"

"Sasuke still needs regular checkups, specifically that arm of his and if he's going to be imprisoned then I don't think the basic medical staff there could properly handle the needed care. I want to request that you allow me to be the one to go and personally tend to him"

She took a deep breath "Sakura I don't-"

"Please, Lady Tsunade" she quickly bowed down her head "This is the only thing I am asking from you…"

"Rise your head Sakura...Look I will try to get permission for you to be the one to do this but I cannot guarantee anything. Since it's Sasuke we are talking about here I need to take this up with the council and request their approval but I know for a fact the elders won't approve. I'll get back to you in a few days"

"Thank you master, I really appreciate this"

"Don't thank me yet, now go get some rest, I know you've barely left the hospital since we came back"

With a silent thanks and another light bow the kunoichi headed for the door, leaving the lonely occupant with a headache and a lot of paperwork to fill if she wanted to move forward with this pressing issue.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he got thrown into the holding cell, he had been keeping himself busy thinking and when he detected approaching chakra signatures his attention turned to the outside world, noticing the orange lighting that was now making its way through the window. The cell door opened up and two of the guards entered which caused him to become more weary, despite that he didn't protest when they grabbed him by the shoulders and began leading him to another part of the building.

Rather harshly they pushed him into an adjacent room that had several small lockers, benches and a desk on one side. Besides the two guards that had taken him here there were another three already in the room which triggered his fight or flight instinct. He was tense and focusing his senses for the slightest move or sign of a weapon.

Two of the guards shared a look before one of them rushed Sasuke, who in turn used his arm to deflect the punch that had been directed at his face. He wasn't going to fight, if anything this was purely in self defense after the guards decided that they wanted to have a go at him.

Missing his first punch the guard used his weight to lean onto Sasuke. Neither of them budged until another guard stepped in and they pinned his back against the closest wall, one of them also holding his hand over his own head. A third one joined and did quick work stripping him of his shirt, exposing his still bandaged chest and arm.

He gathered whatever strength he had recovered to try and free himself from the two holding him, not an easy task when you only have one arm and pain was still coming from previous injuries.

Before he could make any sort of protest one of the guards keeping a hold on him separated him off the wall and threw a kick at the back of his leg, combined with the pressure still being applied to hold him down he lost balance and now had one knee on the ground. One of the two that were holding him moved behind him and twisted his arm behind his back with one hand, using the other to hold his head down. "Not so high and mighty now are ya, Uchiha boy?"

At first he was trying to keep his composure but now he was thoroughly pissed, he half turned his head against the grip that was holding him down to look at the guard grabbing him by his left shoulder, he was done playing their games.

Sakura had told him to avoid using his visual prowess for at least another two weeks since his chakra was still replenishing and he had overused both his Sharingan and Rinnegan. This would have to be an exception, however. He had no trouble following whatever orders they would give him but the moment they turned to attack him and using numbers to overpower him the deal had been called off.

Concentrating chakra in a flash as he stared at the guard on his left, the second the guard saw the flash of lavender his face paled and he dropped to the ground. Sasuke felt a slight pinch in his head as he put the man under a genjutsu.

Before he could turn to the guard behind him two more came his way and this time all but knocked him against the floor as they shouted orders amongst themselves, a tinge of pain surged from his chest and abdomen where he still wasn't completely healed as they hit the bare floor but he ignored it while struggling to pull his hand away from the guy that was now practically kneeling on his back.

He couldn't use any jutsu or another one of the Rinnegan's abilities without seriously injuring at least a few of the men so his options were limited to genjutsu. That thought in mind he locked eyes with another one of the guards. A crimson eye penetrating into the guard's very being as he fell like a rock, completely knocked out. With that he only had three more to deal with.

As he was planning his next move he unconsciously let out a groan when suddenly a burning sensation came from his left shoulder and quickly spread through his entire being. Damnit, a sealing jutsu?

In an instant he felt his chakra drop dangerously low, whatever level he had recovered to these last week thrown out the window.

They pulled him back up so that he was kneeling once again before forcefully guiding his arm and torso into what he now identified as being a straightjacket. He fought against the three men's grip but with still healing injuries, a growing headache and low chakra he was unable to break free of their hold.

The second he was secured he was knocked back down with a kick at his back by one of the guards as they laughed and mocked him. Two approached and held him down by the shoulders before forcefully pushing his head against the ground.

He continued trying to shake them off, only stopping when he felt something being placed around his head. He had maybe a second to react before he felt an acute pain, practically feeling how the flow of chakra stopped entirely and his Sharingan retreated under the cloth that now covered his eyes. Another seal, this time to fully lock both the Sharingan and the Rinnegan.

Once this was done the pressure on his shoulders was lifted, he didn't have the strength to move right away as his head throbbed under the seal. The remaining guards grunted in exhaustion upon standing up, relieving their frustration by means of mockery and insults upon him.

He heard one of them walk around him "You're nothing without those eyes!" Sasuke was halfway done leaning on one side to push himself up when a hard kick to his abdomen had him back on the ground, the pain from his still healing ribs being worse than that of the kick itself.

After that he heard more footsteps before he was abruptly brought to his feet and walked out of the room, the sound of a heavier metallic door opening was all the warning he got before being pushed into what he guesses was his cell. At the sudden action he managed to only half keep his footing and ended up crashing against the rear wall, at least that had been better than if he had outright fallen down again and had to awkwardly pull himself up.

The door was closed and after some more senseless mockery the silence that ensued was all the confirmation that he had been finally left alone, or at the very least the group of idiots had left. The pain in his head was starting to subside as well as the burning caused by the seal on his shoulder, on the other hand he felt something warm on his injured arm, he guessed that the earlier struggle had more than likely reopened the wound to some extent so he would need to keep that in mind and figure something out.

As he slowly tried to get around to know his surroundings he stumbled across his cot, sitting down slowly to avoid the fresh pain that now assaulted some of his older injuries. Enveloped by the silence it wasn't until now that he was realizing just how truly defenseless he was. They had sealed his chakra which would make his healing process even slower and prevent him from using it to sense his surroundings or know when people were approaching, sealed his eyes which left him disconnected and plunged into darkness in more ways than just sight.

He wasn't bothered by darkness, he had been practically consumed by it for years and to some extent even to this date he found some solace in it. Darkness and hatred had become his fuel and his drive, however, this was a different type of darkness.

The darkness he had been plunged into was particularly strong, it was sensory deprivation at a level he hadn't experienced ever before. If he had to compare it to something he guessed it was something similar to when he was healing after getting Itachi's eyes transplanted onto him. At least in the sense that the immediate time after he woke up then he had been blinded and his senses were dulled.

To add onto the numbness caused by the covering in his eyes the one on his shoulder caused more of that numbness throughout his entire body. He felt weak and he hated every second of it. Then again, maybe this is what I deserve after these eyes brought so much pain and suffering…

He realized after a while lost in thought that he wasn't getting any of the vivid flashbacks he normally got. Maybe they had unconsciously made him a favor by sealing the Sharingan and preventing it from reliving some of the actions he wished he could now forget.

Passage of time was basically nothing more than an illusion at this point, what felt like hours could've been minutes and vice versa. The silence of his cell was interrupted by approaching footsteps, was it two? or maybe three people...he couldn't really tell.

Footsteps getting closer with each passing second he slightly tilted his head to angle his ear towards where he thought was the door to his cell. Groaning metal reached his ears as the door opened and a single set of footsteps approached.

He moved his head following the direction of the footsteps until they stopped directly in front of him...nothing, there was only silence between the two and Sasuke cursed his inability to sense chakra and put a name to the person he knew was standing in front of him.

"Sasuke..."

He rose his head immediately at the mention of his name to meet the figure in front of him, finally able to identify who it was. "Kakashi"

There was another moment of silence and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder what his former sensei was thinking, before he had identified that he was somewhat weary of him so why was he here now? "We're working on it...we'll figure something out. Just hang on"

The young shinobi lowered his head. figure something out? what was there to figure out? Any way he looked at things there was no way out of this situation, at least not while the elders still held the final say.

A hand placed on his head made him suddenly flinch. It was infinitely annoying to be unable to sense any movement or chakra, he was vulnerable to be easily startled and this was something he added to the list of things he needed to think about and figure out a solution.

Despite not being one to seek or enjoy physical contact he couldn't help but find some solace in being able to feel something over the numbness that assaulted his entire being. For that, at least, he was grateful to him.

Shuffling of clothes and footsteps told him that he was leaving, uttering but a single word before he heard the door to his cell close again "and Sorry…"