The Forgotten Ones

by DianneRose2016

There is a dark secret in the world that is slowly coming to light. When Konoha turns to Sasuke to help stop this war the Konoha ninja are in for a shock of their lives. Not only do they discover that Sasuke never left willingly, but that their own village sold him to the Sound. Now they have to fight to stop this war and put an end to the slavery ring that has taken Sasuke's mind

1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay so this is just something floating around in my head. I just wanted to say that I hate what they have Sasuke wearing as my avid followers know so I am changing his outfit once again. In this story he is sixteen and wearing black skinny jeans, black combat boots, black t-shirt and a form fitting black leather jacket. I don't really know how long this story will be or where I'm even going with this so just bear with me and enjoy the ride.

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Chapter 1

Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Shikamaru and Neji were all standing outside Konoha's front gates. They had been asked by Tsunade to go and escort a high profile squad that she had requested to come to Konoha. They were all getting ready for the up and coming war and Tsunade had multiple village ninjas in Konoha. The meeting was being held in less than thirty minutes in the arena that the third round of Chounin exams were held. Not all ninja were attending the meeting just the main players of each village. Gaara and his two siblings were already there along with the rest of the 'Rookie' teams. Tsunade didn't tell them who they were escorting; she only told them that it was a high profile squad that she had sent word out to requesting their assistances in this war. Tsunade told them to make sure they get to the arena alive and uninjured. She emphasized that they were a powerful squad and they needed the leader in order to stand a chance against Uchiha Madara. They had agreed that they would make sure the squad arrived safely.

"Who do you think it's going to be?" Sakura asked as they stood there waiting.

"I don't know, but if they aren't here soon the meeting will have begun." Neji said.

"If they are so valuable for this war I don't see Lady Tsunade starting the meeting until they arrive." Shikamaru said.

"But who could it be? She said the leader was a key player to deal with Uchiha Madara. Who could that be?" Naruto asked.

"Who is Uchiha Madara?" Sakura asked.

"Uchiha Madara was a very powerful ninja. He fought in the Shinobi War against the Fourth Hokage. He was also the one that released the nine tails from its host. He fought the Fourth Hokage at the Valley of Death and was believed to have died along with the Fourth in the river. The Fourth's body was discovered but his was not. Everyone assumed he was dead, because nothing ever came from him again. Now that we know he is alive it's a very serious problem. Uchiha Madara is incredibly powerful and could easily destroy Konoha within minutes. It's also now a bigger problem, because it means the Akatsuki have two powerful Uchihas and we have none." Kakashi explained.

"Well we don't know which side Sasuke is on." Sakura said.

"Sasuke will fight for us. There's no way he'll fight along-side his brother." Naruto said.

"Assuming he even fights in this war." Neji said.

"We can't trust Sasuke we don't know which side he is on. He betrayed Konoha to fight with Orochimaru. We can't trust that he'll do the right thing." Shikamaru said.

"It's also more complicated than that. Uchiha Madara is Sasuke's great grandfather. The Uchiha Clan has very powerful and strong beliefs that you follow the elders. Sasuke might not agree with what is going on, but his blood might not let him fight against his great grandfather." Kakashi said.

"Because of the beliefs that were instilled in him growing up." Sakura said.

"Exactly." Kakashi said back.

"At least he killed Orochimaru." Naruto said.

"We're assuming he killed Orochimaru we don't know for certain." Shikamaru said.

"Who else would have killed him?" Sakura said.

"Shikamaru is right we shouldn't make assumptions about Sasuke." Kakashi said.

"It looks like this is finally them." Neji said as he looked out into the open road.

The others turned their attention to the open road and four people were walking in a line. All of them had hoods on so they couldn't see who they were, but Tsunade stressed that they were a high profile squad so they weren't too worried. When they got in front of them was when they realized just who was standing in front of them. They didn't remove their hoods, but the one didn't have to.

"Sasuke." Naruto said with shock in his voice.

Neji and Shikamaru put themselves on edge with the arrival of Sasuke. They didn't know what was going on or who the other three were. With the hood on Sasuke's head they couldn't really see his face all that well. They were able to make out that it was him, but specific facial aspects they weren't.

"Take your hoods off." Shikamaru said with authority in his voice.

However, that didn't make the four of them move. The other three turned to look at Sasuke and only when he gave a small nod did the three of them remove their hoods. Sasuke kept his on.

"You to Sasuke." Shikamaru said.

"Until we are in the arena I'll be leaving it on. Unless you are interested in a riot in Konoha."

The others couldn't quite figure out what was going on with Sasuke's voice, but they could hear that something was different about it. It wasn't anything to do with the new age of the ninja it was something else.

"Who's with you Sasuke?" Kakashi asked.

"This is Juugo, Karin and Suigetsu they follow my orders."

"What's wrong with your voice?" Sakura couldn't help, but ask any longer.

Sasuke turned his head slightly to look at Sakura and Kakashi could have sworn it took more work than Sasuke was letting on. Kakashi was starting to wonder if Sasuke was in any physical pain.

"Tired. The meeting is about to start we should get going."

"You actually expect us to believe that Lady Hokage requested your squad of all people to help Konoha in this war." Neji said.

"Did you have another Uchiha in mind to fight Uchiha Madara?" Sasuke said it in a neutral tone. There was nothing rude or condescending in his tone. It was almost like he was afraid to go against Madara.

"Tsunade really sent for you?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke reached into his jacket pocket and took out a letter. He handed it to Kakashi and Kakashi noticed the slight tremble in Sasuke's hand. He took the letter and read it before nodding and handing it back to Sasuke.

"Let's go the meeting will be starting once we arrive. I agree with you to keep your hood on, but once we arrive in the arena you'll have to take it off. You'll also have to be prepared for the outcome. The other ninja will not take it very well that you were requested." Kakashi said.

"I'm well aware of that. You don't want me here, but I can't ignore a war this size."

"Fair enough. Stay close to me just in case." Kakashi said

"I'll stay by my squad."

"You used to trust me with your life." Kakashi said somewhat shocked and hurt that Sasuke wouldn't trust him now. It wasn't like Kakashi was the one that betrayed the village. He had done everything he could to keep Sasuke here in Konoha and he was the one to turn his back on them.

"A foolish mistake I won't make twice."

Kakashi caught the slight hurt in Sasuke's voice, but choose not to say anything. In the end it really didn't matter if Sasuke was hurt by any of them. He had no reason to be hurt or angry with them. Sasuke was the one that betrayed them and Kakashi was not going to go out of his way to help Sasuke or to get him to talk. That option was long gone and Sasuke had made his choice. Naruto was getting pissed and they could all see it. He had risked his life to save Sasuke and he had almost died doing it along with Shikamaru and Neji.

"Now you listen here you were the one that betrayed us. You walked away from us so you don't get to say shit like that to any of us. You were the one that turned your back on us. My friends, our friends almost died trying to get you to see sense, but you just don't care."

Naruto got right into Sasuke's face, but before he was able to continue on his rant Juugo and Suigetsu got in front of Sasuke and Suigetsu pushed Naruto back. The actions of the two men was immediately noticed and mentally recorded by Kakashi, Neji and Shikamaru. They were very protective of Sasuke and Sasuke seemed to be perfectly fine letting them.

"Don't get in his face or you're gonna be dealing with me." Suigetsu said.

"I've never known you to let someone else fight your own battles Sasuke." Naruto said.

"I wasn't aware we were in a battle." Was Sasuke's calm response.

"We don't have time for this we need to get going. This meeting is extremely important we're going to find out what the strategic game plan is. We don't have time for small arguments." Neji said.

"Naruto and Sakura go in front. The four of you stay behind them and Shikamaru, Neji and I will stand behind you four." Kakashi said.

Naruto and Sakura started to head towards the gates with Karin in front and Juugo, Sasuke and then Suigetsu behind her. Shikamaru, Neji and Kakashi noticed that the way they did it would make sure that Sasuke was covered by all angles. Once again protecting him and Sasuke was allowing it. These bonds went far deeper than they were letting to be believed. They didn't do this out of routine they did it subconsciously. It was an act that they might never get a reason for. The walk to the arena was done in silence and they all noticed the glances they were getting from fellow ninja and villagers. Thankfully no one had recognized Sasuke, at least until he removed his hood. Once they were inside the arena the four of them took a moment to look around. The room was divided into small village groups each showing their forehead protectors proud. Sasuke noticed that beside the other 'Rookies' were Gaara and his two older siblings. Sasuke figured that they would be better to be standing off to the side where no one was. The other's had a different plan though, they weren't going to let Sasuke and his squad stand by themselves. They had them stand by the rest of the group with Gaara just off to the right of them. Suigetsu stood to Sasuke's right and Karin then Juugo to his left. Sasuke leaned his forearms on the rails to block off the edge. He was going to wait until Tsunade told him to remove his hood, assuming she even would. Naruto however, was not going to let Sasuke off that easily. As he was the last one to walk by he grabbed the back of the hood and pulled it down, revealing Sasuke to the room. It also revealed the serious injuries to his face.

The arena blew up with the ninjas going into attack mode including the Konoha ninjas. The only reason a battle didn't break out was Tsunade's quick thinking.

"Nobody move." She ordered.

She waited until she had everyone's attention before she continued to speak.

"I ordered Uchiha Sasuke and his squad to join us in this meeting. We are dealing with Uchiha Madara and seeing as how Sasuke is an Uchiha we need his intel as well as his abilities. He's here to help and is here on my orders. This meeting is about to start so settle down."

Tsunade then turned to a man that was standing beside her. The Konoha ninjas all turned to Sasuke.

"Why the hell would a traitor like you care about what happens? I'm surprised you're not helping your asshole family destroy the world." Kiba said.

"We don't need scum like you here so just leave." Tenten said.

"I refuse to fight beside someone like you." Lee said.

Sasuke didn't even look at them he just looked down and focused on Tsunade. Suigetsu looked like he was about to say something, but a small shake of his head from Sasuke had stopped him.

"Sasuke what happened to your face?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke's face was black and blue. There were dark black circles under his eyes that showed that he had barely slept in what Kakashi assumed was months maybe more. He had a split lip, a swollen bump on the right side of his forehead, cuts and he was pale from being underground for so long.

"You don't have to act like you care anymore." Was Sasuke's simple answer.

Kakashi was now starting to understand why Sasuke's voice sounded weird. Something must have happened that they weren't seeing for his voice to be off. What he didn't understand was why Sasuke was acting like this with him.

"All those years in the Sound and you're still emo as hell. Do you slash your wrists to Sasuke?" Kiba said rudely.

"Keep talking shit asshole and I'll make sure you never talk again."

"Suigetsu" Sasuke warned.

"What? We're just supposed to stand here and listen to them talk shit about you."

"There are more important things in this world right now."

Sasuke's eyes never left Tsunade and he was grateful that she began the meeting. Everyone's attention was on her and the man standing beside her.

"This meeting is to inform everyone of what is going on with our strategic plan. This is a first draft and we are open to suggestions. Obviously this is not the typical war. This is yet another Shinobi war, a war against the Akatsuki who are being led by Uchiha Madara. I want this as an open form so if you have suggestions or questions in regards to the strategy then speak once you hear the whole strategy. I am not going to answer or hear any questions about why Uchiha Sasuke is here. If you can't figure out why having an Uchiha while we are going up against another two Uchihas is a smart idea than that is your problem." Tsunade said in a zero tolerance tone.

She was met with silence and the man that was standing beside her went to take his place to speak.

"We will take our stand here in Konoha. The villagers will be placed in the tunnels in the Hokage Monument where they will be kept safe. As for the plan for handling the Akatsuki we will handle them the way we have always handled wars and have won. I don't see the reason for changing what works. ANBU will be on guard around the village and they will handle the ninja before they enter the village. The goal is to make sure the fight takes place outside of Konoha. So ninja will be out in the forest in squads to attack from all angles and a few ninja will be placed inside Konoha in case any enemy gets inside the walls. This has always worked for Konoha and its allies in the past and we are confident it will work once again. Are there any questions?"

"Who decides the leaders and people in the squads?" A wind ninja asked.

"That will be discussed by Tsunade-Sama, myself and the highest ranking ninja from each village."

"When will this happen?" Another ninja asked.

"We don't see the need for any hurry. It won't be until at least a year from now before they even make a move on Konoha. That is good, because we have lots of time to get all the squads organized and Konoha ready for the stand."

Karin turned to Sasuke slightly and whispered into his ear.

"How long will it take for Madara to destroy the village by that strategy?"

"Completely… ten minutes." Sasuke whispered back.

"You gonna say anything?" Suigetsu asked.

The whispering caught Gaara's attention. He hadn't spoken a single word since Sasuke had entered and unlike everyone else he didn't believe the story Sasuke had. Gaara could understand hatred better than anyone, but he didn't see that much hatred in Sasuke's eyes when he saw him last. Something just didn't sit right. Sasuke was too different from whom he used to be. Something wasn't right and Gaara was going to find out what.

"They won't listen to me." Sasuke answered back.

"You have to try Sasuke." Juugo said.

"Why does this stand have to take place in Konoha? You're not the only village in this world." Another ninja said.

"The Akatsuki will come for the nine tails. Konoha makes the most sense considering they will come here first. Konoha also has the strongest defences."

"Not true." Sasuke whispered, but it was loud enough that the man heard him.

"What was that traitor?"

At that moment all the eyes were on Sasuke and Sasuke didn't know what to do. He was having enough problems being around this many people. Having everyone's attention was just making his anxiety worse.

"Nothing" Sasuke said back in a neutral tone.

The man was about to go forward when Gaara's voice broke out.

"I think we should hear what Sasuke has to say. Lady Tsunade didn't ask him to be here just to stand around. Sasuke's an Uchiha and only he knows how Uchihas think. He knows how Uchiha Itachi thinks. The rest of us can only speculate and guess what Uchiha Madara is thinking. It would be foolish of us to have an asset like Sasuke here with us and not use him or his knowledge."

Sasuke couldn't help, but look at Gaara as he spoke. Sasuke didn't expect anyone to defend him, but he really didn't expect Gaara to be doing it. If he thought about it though Gaara did understand him to a certain extent, even if he didn't know the truth. Gaara's eyes met Sasuke's and Sasuke didn't see any resentment or any judgement. It was like for a second Gaara knew there was more to Sasuke then everyone thought.

"I agree with the Kazekage. I asked for Sasuke to come and help with this war. I do not want him just sitting around. We need an Uchiha and he's our only option. We should listen to what he has to say." Tsunade said.

"If you were going to ask an Uchiha traitor you should have sent out a request to Uchiha Itachi. At least he would have been useful in a fight. His power is at least respectable." The man beside Tsunade said.

"Exactly what is this little traitor's power? Lying on his back and spreading his legs?" A ninja joked and everyone, but the Konoha and Sand ninjas laughed.

The Konoha and Sand ninjas turned their attentions to see how Sasuke reacted. They expected him to yell something back or go over and hit the man. Instead he kept his face straight with no emotions and said nothing. The three ninjas with him though were ready for a fight. They felt a strong murderous intent coming off the one named Juugo and Sasuke turned his attention to him.

"Juugo" Sasuke said lightly, but the warning was in his voice. It wasn't a warning to stay in line with his orders, but one that said he needed to take control of himself.

Once Sasuke was certain that Juugo was back in control he turned his attention back to the Hokage. She was finally able to get the room to quiet down so she turned her attention back to Sasuke.

"What do you think of the plan?"

She didn't apologise for what the ninja said. She didn't reprimand him at all. She just blew it off like what was said to him wasn't hurtful. A clear reminder to Sasuke that she didn't care, that she hadn't changed at all.

"Madara will have Konoha and everyone dead within ten minutes. Your plan won't work. Madara created this village he knows those tunnels better than anyone. He will have his men go in there and kill every single one of those villagers. You can't make the mistake in thinking that Madara is just another person. He killed the Fourth and was able to live under an alias without anyone detecting him for all these years. He has close to fifty thousand followers that will be here for that final battle. Plus there are seven other Akatsuki members that are high level S-Class criminals. You're not fighting against another village you're fighting a war against the best of the best. You can't have this final battle in Konoha. Not in a village that Madara help create from the ground up. You'll be sentencing your ninjas and villagers to their death not to mention this world as we know it."

The Konoha and Sand ninja noticed that Sasuke's voice was calm and collected. They also noticed it didn't hold any authority or confidence that it used to. There was no fire in his voice or in his eyes. He was just empty.

"You give too much credit to a mere Uchiha." The man snarled.

"He's not just a mere Uchiha. He's the Uchiha and you're undoing is underestimating him." Sasuke simply stated.

"What do you suggest?" Tsunade asked before a comment could be made.

"Take this war far away from this village and the villagers. A secret location, another village you trust, just not the village that was built by Madara. There are no blueprints of this village. Madara knows every secret tunnel and cave. He could have knowledge of tunnels that lead right into Konoha that you don't even know about. He hasn't been in Konoha for sixteen years that you know of, but up until a few weeks ago everyone thought he was dead. You can't say for certainty that he hasn't been in the village since he left sixteen years ago. There are too many factors and too many unknowns. If you wish to succeed in this war then you need to make this war on your own terms. Don't wait for them to come to you. If you wait that year he'll have gotten more followers and more tail demons sealed in his statue. There are too many risks that you need to eliminate."

"Hmm" Tsunade said as she started to think about what Sasuke had to say.

"You can't seriously be listening to him right now? He could be working for them. How do we know what side he is really on?" The man said.

"We don't. He could be reporting back to them or trying to lead us into a trap. He shouldn't be here he can't be trusted." Another ninja said.

"I need to think about everything that has been said. This meeting is to be continued in a couple of days once I do some more research. I would appreciate it if everyone remained in the village so we can continue this meeting in two days. I would also like to stress that no one, I repeat no one, is to go after Uchiha Sasuke and his squad. I had him come here on my request and anyone that does anything to them will face the consequences." Tsunade said.

Tsunade was met with a room of groaning men. Karin turned her attention to Sasuke.

"Where are we going?" She said just loud enough so the other three could hear her.

"There's a house on the compound that I used to live in. It's secluded and the compound is covered in traps. We have the best chances there."

"Are you okay?" Juugo asked.

They all knew how much anxiety Sasuke got when around a group of people, and this was a huge group for him. After spending so many years in the Sound, Sasuke wasn't used to be around more than two people at once. Being around this many was giving him problems that the three of them could clearly see.

"I need to get out of here; preferably before all of these people leave."

"The meeting is over right?" Suigetsu asked.

"For now." Sasuke answered.

"Then what are waiting for let's get out of here." Suigetsu said.

Gaara had been listening in on the small conversation that was being had. Most people didn't know that Gaara had very good hearing from growing up constantly having to watch his back for attacks. Gaara didn't know what was going on with Sasuke, but he was going to find out. Gaara took out a very small microphone that he had just in case he ever needed it to plant on an enemy. Being the leader of a village he had to think differently. He was always on the look-out for an attack so he kept a small microphone in his pocket for just in case. In Gaara's experience it was better to be safe than sorry, which he had found out the hard way. Before they were able to walk away Gaara placed a gentle hand on Sasuke's shoulder and spoke to him as he placed the microphone on his shoulder. Gaara didn't keep his hand there for any longer than he needed it to be so it wouldn't look suspicious.

"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're here to help."

"Thank-you Kazekage-Sama."

"There's no need to be so formal Sasuke. I agree with what you said and I'll do my best to convince Tsunade-San to think otherwise. I'll be staying at the Konoha Inn if you need me. Don't be afraid to come and talk."

"We need to get going before the crowd lets out."

Gaara just gave a nod of understanding and watched as Sasuke left with his squad surrounding him. Gaara didn't say anything he just waited until everyone, but the Konoha ninjas, his siblings and Tsunade had gone. He wanted them to listen to the conversation that Sasuke might be having. Gaara knew that once they were back inside the compound that they would be having a conversation about this whole mess. Gaara thought it would be important for everyone to hear it. Something wasn't right about Sasuke and Gaara was not going to let it go until he found out. Gaara had everyone go down to where Tsunade was before he took out the speaker for his microphone.

"Before Sasuke and his squad left I put a small microphone on his shoulder. He doesn't know it's there and I thought before we all leave we should listen to see what they have to say."

"I see I'm not the only one who doesn't trust him." Tsunade said.

"I didn't do this out of mistrust."

"Then why did you do this?" Temari asked.

"Because something is wrong. He was too different from who he used to be and I would like to know what they say when they think no one is listening. They might just reveal something we don't know about what happened in the past three years. They left about twenty minutes ago before everyone else. They should be at the compound or so by now."

Gaara turned the speaker on, but they didn't hear anything other than the shuffling of someone walking. So they continued their conversation.

"I didn't see him being any different. He was an asshole when he left and he's still one now. He wouldn't even look at us." Kiba said.

"When we were at the gates I noticed that his hands were shaking." Kakashi said.

"That could be from pain and exhaustion. His face was beaten pretty badly I think it's safe to assume he killed Orochimaru." Tsunade said.

"Why the extreme exhaustion though, from what I could tell he hadn't slept in months." Shikamaru said.

"At least six months, it could be years. The longer a person goes without sleep the greater the affect it has on someone's body and mind." Sakura said.

"What kind of affects could it have?" Naruto asked.

"Dizziness, fainting, short-term memory loss, disorientated, disorganized, forgetfulness, and hallucinations. It can become very dangerous to the one that is not sleeping." Tsunade explained.

"So he could be mentally unstable and therefore shouldn't be here or even listening to him." Tenten said.

"That is only the Hokage's decision." Gai said.

"Why didn't you tell us it was Sasuke that we were escorting?" Kakashi asked, but she could hear the undertone of anger in his voice.

"If I had, would you have gone?"

"I don't know. After three years I never expected him to be coming into Konoha willingly." Kakashi answered.

"I needed him to be escorted to the arena to make sure he was kept alive. I still need him alive. Whether we like it or not Sasuke is the only hope we have of beating Madara. We need an Uchiha and he's all there is." Tsunade said.

"Except he could be a spy. I mean come on why would he agree to come after he betrayed us all? That doesn't make any sense. He's here for trouble not to help." Kiba said.

"I hate to agree, but Kiba does make a good point."

"Sakura-Chan you can't be serious. Sasuke wouldn't come back here just to cause us trouble." Naruto said.

"Kiba might be right. We don't know Sasuke anymore. Who's to say he isn't a spy." Shino said.

The conversation was cut off when they heard Karin's voice come over the speaker.

"So this is the Uchiha compound. Is it weird for you to be going through here after what happened?"

"I try not to think about it. The house is at the outskirts of the compound. No one had lived there for close to ten years before that night. It was pretty rundown, but over the years I repaired it myself. I'm not sure what condition it's in now."

"I'm sure it will be fine. Just in need of some cleaning." Juugo said trying to sound positive.

"I think when we get there we need to have a serious conversation about what we're going to do." Karin said.

"Damn right we do. Those assholes just think they can boss us and bully us around. Like hell I'm putting up with that shit. We're here to do them a favor. I favor they don't deserve after what they have done."

"Suigetsu calm down and wait until we get to the house. I don't want to risk anyone hearing this conversation." Sasuke said.

"I know" Came Suigetsu reply.

They heard some shuffling and the sound of an old door opening and they knew that they had arrived at the house.

"Wow this is a lot of dust and dirt." Karin said.

"It's been years since anyone was in here. What do you expect?" Suigetsu said.

"Maybe we should go sit outside and talk." Juugo suggested.

"Ya we can clean afterwards." Karin agreed.

They heard more shuffling and the sound of a sliding back door being opened. After a few moments they heard someone speak again.

"How are you feeling Sasuke?" Juugo asked.

"Karin, do you sense anyone around?" Sasuke asked.

"Nowhere near here. It's safe to talk. How are you feeling?"

"Same as I was this morning; tired and sore."

"Well tired isn't surprising you've slept what maybe ten hours in the last three and a half years. You're beyond tired, you're in the level of where you could die you're so tired." Karin said.

That got everyone's attention in the arena. Karin had said three and a half years. That didn't add up, Sasuke had only been gone for three years so where did the other half come from.

"I haven't died yet." Sasuke said back and they could hear more clearly the level of exhaustion in his voice than they did earlier. Perhaps it was because now they were truly listening and not just seeing.

"Not for the lack of trying."

"Suigetsu…" Sasuke warned.

"I wanted to kill that bastard for what he said to you about being emo and slashing your wrists. Five times you tried to kill yourself and you would have succeeded if it wasn't for the hidden cameras in the room you were being held in. Kabuto saved you, but just barely each time you slashed your wrists. And what does that little fuck do just throws it out there like its' some joke. I thought for sure Juugo was going to start going on a killing rampage after that fucker flat out calls you a whore. And what do they do? Nothing. They didn't laugh, but they didn't say anything to defend you either. You can't tell me that didn't hurt."

"Of course it hurt. This whole thing hurts." Sasuke whispered, but because of the microphone everyone in the arena could hear the raw emotions.

"Then why are we doing this? They obviously don't care. When they saw that you were injured they didn't even ask if you were alright. That one bitch Sakura she's a medic she could have checked you out and healed you, but she didn't even say anything about it. Why are we risking our lives to help them when they don't even care enough to ask you what happened three and a half years ago." Karin said.

"And what was that about your friends almost dying trying to stop you?" Juugo asked.

"I don't know; something must have happened with the clone Danzou made. I have no idea what they're talking about. As for why we're doing this, because it's what is right. We're not here to fight for them. We're here to fight for the innocent children and women that will be killed if we don't."

"What was it like seeing them again?" Juugo asked.

"It was fine. I expected Naruto to go off and for Sakura to be quiet. I didn't expect them to be able to tell the difference between me and a clone."

"But?" Karin asked.

Sasuke let out a sigh. "But I wasn't expecting it to hurt that much seeing Kakashi. I knew Naruto and Sakura wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but I thought Kakashi would. Three and a half years I spent in that room and every day, every single day I would tell myself that that was the day Kakashi would walk through that door. He'd tell me I was safe and bring me home and every day he didn't show it hurt more and more. I believed what he said to me and having to realise that he didn't mean it, that it was just empty words for his job hurt a lot more than anything Orochimaru did to me."

"We should never have come here." Suigetsu said.

"We needed to hear their plan for this war. And I needed to know if I could ever come home." Sasuke said.

They couldn't believe how broken Sasuke's voice sounded. As Kakashi stood there listening to how Sasuke was waiting for him, how he thought he didn't care broke his heart. Sasuke's attitude towards him now made sense. Sasuke actually believed that it was all an act, just him doing his job.

"Which you can't, based on their reaction." Juugo said sympathetically.

"No I can't."

"At least you have Itachi and us." Karin said.

"I have to say I'm surprised that when someone other than Orochimaru and Kabuto came into the room that it was Itachi."

"But you know the truth about what happened that night now. You have your brother back that's something." Karin said.

"At least something good came out of it. Now all we have to do is figure out what to do about this war. I don't even know where to start."

"So let's talk it out." Suigetsu said.

"Well first thing first, are we staying here or not?" Karin asked.

"We can't stay here. The plan they have won't work and they won't listen to me."

"Maybe they would if you told them the truth about what happened." Karin said.

"They wouldn't believe me over Danzou and Tsunade."

"You don't know the Hokage had any involvement in what Danzou did." Juugo said.

"There's no way she didn't know. She's the Hokage; she's the leader of this village you can't sell a thirteen year old to an enemy without her knowledge. The Third Hokage was her teacher and he committed genocide against my Clan. There's no doubt in my mind that she didn't know. They're all the same all they hear is the last name and the rest doesn't matter. The Third said that the Clan needed to be killed, because they were too pissed at Konoha. But no one took the time to stop and ask why they were so pissed off. If they did they would have found out that the Clan was pissed, because Uchihas were being killed by their own squads and it went ignored by the Hokage and the council. They would have found out all the reports made to Danzou about ANBU raping the Clan's women. Yet again nothing was done, because no one cares about the person behind the name. None of that would have happened to the Nara Clan or the Hyuuga Clan, but because it was an Uchiha then who cares. She knows the truth she just doesn't give a damn all because of a last name."

Sasuke started coughing from talking so much. His voice was still hoarse from not being used over the last three and a half years. All this talking was taking a toll on him.

"So we're not staying in Konoha. Where are we going to have this war?" Suigetsu asked.

"If this war doesn't happen in Konoha what village can it happen in?" Juugo asked.

"Should it happen in a village? Won't that create more casualties?" Karin asked.

"It shouldn't be in a village. There are too many unknowns and too many risks. There's this castle type structure in the middle of the forest. It's about a week travel from here. It's abandoned, but the structure is sound. There's a locking front gate, the walls are solid rock and twenty feet in the air. I'm not too sure what the inside is like, but it would be the perfect place to have a war. No casualties and who cares if it gets destroyed." Sasuke said.

"Ok see now we're getting somewhere. Who do we have as enemies in this?" Suigetsu asked.

"There are seven Akatsuki members, six minus Itachi. Plus the fifty thousand followers they have that will be at this war." Juugo said.

"Plus they may or may not have a tail demon with them." Karin added.

"How many demons have they gotten?" Suigetsu asked.

"Itachi said they had five. All the hosts are dead with the exception of Gaara. We know where the nine tails is, but the other three we don't know." Sasuke said.

"What we need is ninja to fight." Juugo said.

"That's going to be a problem. The seven main nations will fight together and none of them will fight with us." Karin said.

"But that's only seven villages. There's more than that in this world." Suigetsu said.

"How many of those villages have ninja though?" Karin asked.

"Two hundred and three." Juugo said.

"How do you possibly know that?" Suigetsu asked.

"I overheard Orochimaru talking about it one day." Juugo answered.

"So we reach out to them. See how many of their ninjas are willing to fight." Karin said.

"It's not that simple there has to be a reason why they won't fight. The seven main villages would have requested every available ninja and they refused to fight." Juugo said.

"With good reason. They won't fight for the seven nations no matter what." Sasuke said.

"Why though? What good reason would they have to risk the outcome of this war?" Karin asked.

"Remember when we would travel from base to base at night. Remember the villages we would travel through and there would be children chained to these metal poles outside. They were being sold in the sex slavery. The children are outside regardless of the weather and sometimes they would just leave the child's dead body still chained to the pole. Two hundred and three villages are being abused by the seven nations. Konoha alone has their hand in over a hundred child slavery rings that they take profit from. The land of the mist leader, she provides children for it. The ninja and men in these villages are doing everything they can to fight the wrongs, but when they get close one of the main nations send in their ninja and kill them. They live in poverty, abuse, homeless, slavery and it's all because of the seven nations. They won't fight for the ones that are making their lives miserable. The only village they might consider fighting for is the Sand and that's only, because Gaara is young and is the only village that doesn't have their hand in the cookie jar." Sasuke explained.

"Maybe we should go and tell Gaara. Maybe he'll listen to us." Juugo said.

"The proof is in the village's council paperwork. They don't try and hide their involvement why would they? They have been getting away with it all this time and no one will stand up for them. The problem is I don't know if Gaara will risk the safety of his village to put an end to it all. Gaara is young and he's loyal to Konoha. I don't see him leaving here to fight with us and those men. He would be risking Konoha removing their alliance and attacking the Sand. I don't see him risking it." Sasuke said.

"So we're on our own. Alright how do we do this?" Suigetsu asked.

"First thing is first we need ninja. Everything else doesn't matter if we don't have enough men." Karin said.

"I can send messages out to those villages and explain the situation. They won't fight for Konoha or the other villages, but they might fight for you." Juugo said.

"Not just ninja we need any man over the age of eighteen to come and fight. This isn't a Shinobi war, this is a world war. It involves everyone. Madara won't just kill ninja; he's going to kill everyone that he can get his hands on. They won't fight for a village, but they need to fight to keep their loved ones alive. That's what we need to get them to focus on. We need them to see that if they don't fight their wife and children could die." Sasuke said.

"But the men won't be trained." Karin said.

"So we train them to use weapons, shoot an arrow and learn some hand to hand combat. They don't have to fight the Akatsuki members, but they can be taught how to fight the followers. We just need the numbers to stand a chance against them. We can teach men how to defend themselves."

"You're talking about a reckoning. Ninja and men have never fought beside each other before. This could change everything." Juugo said.

"I like it." Suigetsu said.

"When do we make the strike?" Karin said.

"I can keep in contact with Itachi for information. Ideally I would like the Akatsuki members to be killed before this war. If we can get one alone and send in a squad to kill them one at a time, then when the war comes at least we just have Madara to worry about. Itachi will handle Madara and the rest is up to us. This needs to happen between four to six months from now. The longer we wait the more time Madara has to get the remaining three tail demons. Plus his followers will have grown in numbers. If we wait too long we'll be fighting against seventy-five to a hundred thousand followers. We don't have numbers to fight that many. This needs to be as quick as we can make it. Once we are ready we can have Itachi start the war and bring them to us."

"That's a lot of work in just four months." Suigetsu said.

"Sasuke you know you can't fight in this war. You're not healthy enough." Karin said.

"Realistically Itachi won't let me fight in this war. His job is to fight Madara and mine is to give him the army that he needs to do it. I don't know what my condition will be like in four months, but I don't expect to be in shape for this war. I'll probably be on the wall with a bow. That way I can keep an eye on Itachi in case he needs help with Madara."

"Sasuke you haven't fought or trained in three and a half years. You don't have the skills to fight Madara even in perfect health." Juugo said.

"I know that, but I'm not going to just stand by and watch Itachi get killed. If he has trouble with Madara I'm jumping in."

"There is another issue we need to think about. Itachi killed Orochimaru, but he didn't kill Kabuto. Kabuto could take the Sound's army and join forces with the Akatsuki just to kill you both." Suigetsu said.

"I know, but I can't think about that yet." Sasuke said.

"Well let's focus on the things we can figure out. When are we going to leave?" Karin asked.

"The sooner the better. If Konoha finds out that Sasuke doesn't have the skill level to kill Madara they could kill him." Juugo said.

"We've been traveling all night long. I think we should each take a bedroom and change the bedding to the clean ones in the closet and get some sleep. I'll write the messages and when everyone is awake we can send them and then at night we can sneak out."

Sasuke started to cough again and they could tell he was getting worse. Once the coughing died down Karin spoke.

"You need a hospital Sasuke."

"No"

"I know after Kabuto you don't like doctors. I understand that I do, but how long are you going to go on like this? You've had pneumonia for three months now, your hands shake from either your nerves or you have actual nerve damage. You could have lung damage from the air you were breathing in. You've barely slept in three and a half years. You need to see if you have any server damage or permanent damage. You need a strong antibiotic, sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medicine. You were five minutes from having a panic attack in that arena and that was only a hundred people. How are you going to handle being around tens of thousands?" Karin said.

"I don't know… I don't know." Sasuke sounded so broken in that moment. "I know I'm sick. I know I'm not in any condition to be a part of this war. I don't know how I'm going to do it. All I know is I have to do this. I can't just leave Itachi hanging and on his own for this. The last three and a half years the world was simple. It was painful, but it was simple. Every day it was the same thing. It was dark, quiet and small. Now everything is hard, big, loud and so bright. All I want to do is go and find some small dark place to hide in and maybe I can feel like I can breathe again. I don't know how I'm going to do this. I don't even know where to start to come up with a strategy, but he's counting on me so I can't let him down."

"We're here for you Sasuke. I know none of us are strategic players. We're just fighters, but we're here to help. We believe in you." Juugo said.

"You guys should get some sleep. I'll grab the hopefully clean blankets from the closet."

"You need to sleep as well Sasuke." Karin said.

"I know. I'll try."

"That's all we can ask." Suigetsu said.

The others in the arena heard some shuffling and doors opening. They could assume it was the closet door for the linens and then more shuffling of them walking. They finally heard one door open and then close, than it was quiet. They knew that Sasuke was now in his own bedroom. They could hear his breathing pick up and they knew he was having a hard time getting a grip on himself. They heard more shuffling and then a door being open and then closed. They could hear Sasuke sitting down somewhere, but they couldn't actually see where.

"I need to get a hold of myself. How am I ever going to do this? I can't keep hiding in closets just to be able to breathe. I have to get past this somehow. It's just so bright and so loud out there, god I can't do this."

They could hear the tears coming from Sasuke. They couldn't believe how broken he was. After a few minutes of listening to Sasuke cry he spoke to himself again.

"I need sleep, but I can't it's not safe. It's not safe, it's never safe. I have to write those messages. Just a few more minutes than I have to do that."

They listened for a few more minutes, but all they heard was Sasuke trying to get his breathing under control. When they heard more than that it was just some doors opening and then it was silent once again. Gaara kept the small speaker in his hand just in case there was more talking or something happened. Gaara took a second to look around at everyone's face and they were all shocked.

"This can't be happening. This can't be possible." Naruto said.

"We saw him leave. We went after him. We would have noticed if he was a clone." Kiba said.

"Would we?" Ino asked.

"Did you know?" Kakashi asked with anger in his voice that he didn't even try to hide.

"Of course I didn't know. I didn't know about any of this. I can't imagine that the Third would order the Clan's death. I have no idea what he is talking about." Tsunade said.

"So what we just believe what he says?" Tenten said.

"Why would he lie? He didn't know we were listening if he did he wouldn't have broken down. Why lie about it?" Shikamaru said.

"I think we need to stop asking ourselves why and start trying to figure out where we go from here. They said it's been three and a half years. That's three and a half years Sasuke has been tortured. We got fooled by Danzou and a clone and Sasuke is the one that has paid that price." Neji said.

"He would have been tortured in every possible way. Him putting himself in a closet just to breathe is a huge problem. The trauma that Sasuke has is extreme and he might never recover from it." Kakashi said.

"He's short to. Based on the height of the rest of the male Uchiha's Sasuke is too short. They are all usually over six feet, Sasuke is maybe five foot nine. Which means the place that he was being kept in was cramped and his bones couldn't grow properly. Combine that with the lack of nutrition, sunlight and sleeping that's why he's short. It also means that his bones are fragile and he might never be able to be a ninja again. He might always be in some level of pain. That's not including any other problems he might have." Tsunade said.

"I don't want to sound cold, but we need to focus on the fact that Sasuke can't fight Uchiha Madara. Are we just trusting Uchiha Itachi to fight, that he isn't playing with Sasuke's mind." Temari said.

"Itachi isn't playing with Sasuke. He told him the truth about the Clan's death and he got Sasuke out of the Sound. Itachi kept Sasuke alive because he loves him. Itachi will kill Madara and unless Konoha does something to correct their wrongs his anger will turn to Konoha next. As cliché as it sounds, the one person you don't want pissed off at you is Uchiha Itachi." Kakashi said.

"We shouldn't let them leave." Gai asked.

"I'm not about to arrest him to keep him here." Tsunade said.

"He tried to kill himself five times. It was so bad that he tried to kill himself just to escape it." Sakura said softly.

"They were right we didn't defend him. We should have stood up for him after what that guy said. What if it's true? What if Orochimaru raped Sasuke?" Naruto said.

"Unfortunately that is a very real outcome." Tsunade said.

Kakashi turned and started to pace they all could tell that he was upset. What Sasuke said would have affected him. Sasuke had waited for Kakashi and he didn't show. It also explained why Sasuke was so hurt and upset with Kakashi.

"Kakashi" Gai started. Kakashi stopped pacing and faced the group.

"He waited for me. Every day he waited for me to walk through a door. I don't want to know what he went through, but my mind is already coming up with horrible situations that Orochimaru and Kabuto have done to him. He's terrified to go to a hospital, because of whatever Kabuto did to him. He's terrified to even sleep, because of what they did to him. He was counting on me to know the difference between him and some clone and I failed him. He thinks everything I said to him was just empty words, a part of my job. I don't even know where to begin to make this up to him."

"We might never be able to." Shino said.

"Shino" Hinata said.

"It's the truth. We let him down. Not a single one of us thought twice about what happened. We all judged him and treated him like crap when he did show up. We didn't ask if he was okay once we saw that he was hurt. We didn't defend him. Kiba made a joke about him trying to kill himself. We haven't given him any reason to even think about trusting us."

"We didn't know the truth." Naruto said trying to defend themselves.

"You didn't stop and ask either." Kankurou said.

"I didn't hear you asking or defending him." Naruto said.

"He's not my comrade or from my village. We were here to listen to the plan and help if need be." Kankurou said.

"You're quiet Gaara-Sama. What are you thinking?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm thinking Sasuke was wrong."

"About what?" Temari asked.

"About me not risking my village for doing what is right. Whether you believe Sasuke or not, I do. So until Konoha is able to provide proof that you did not sell a thirteen year old to Orochimaru. Until you prove to me that Konoha is not involved in any illegal activity in any village. The alliance between the Sand and Konoha is terminated. That will also go for the other nations. I will not be associated with criminals. If Konoha's council is involved in criminal activity then only when you have removed and named a new council will I consider an alliance once again."

"Gaara you can't be serious? You can't risk the village for this." Temari said.

"I will not tolerate being in an alliance with criminals. I will be going to speak with Sasuke and letting him know that this conversation happened. I am not going to start something off on a lie. I believe every single word he said and I will not stand by and let innocent people be hurt. I don't care if it means that I no longer have an alliance with the six nations. If you are who you say you are then you will not tolerate it either. So until I have proof my ninjas will fight along-side Sasuke. What you do is up to you."

"I didn't know anything about any of this. I did not sell Sasuke to Orochimaru. I would never have put Sasuke in that situation or anyone. Orochimaru was on my team, I know what he is capable of I would never put a child in there with him. As for the rest I have no idea any of this had happened. I am leaving here and going to the council and searching for any record of this. If Konoha is involved they will be executed and a new council will be put in place. I won't stand for this anymore than you will. I will be looking into the other nations' financials and I would love the name of the villages so I can send out a squad to scout. I won't stand for this anymore than you will."

"We need to talk to Sasuke and get the names of those villages. We need to help him in this war. We can't just leave this pressure on him." Kakashi said.

"Sasuke will have the Sand to stand by him." Gaara said.

"I'm going with you." Kakashi said.

"Me two." Naruto said.

"I can't send Konoha ninjas with Sasuke. They won't listen to him and they will just make it impossible to fight this war. Konoha will stand as a second line in case you fail. If any of you wish to go with Sasuke then so be it. I won't make you stay here." Tsunade said.

"My squad is going. That is not up for debate. We will fight in this war." Gai said.

"Mine is going as well. We abandoned Sasuke once and I will not let that happen again." Kakashi said.

"We're all going." Shikamaru said.

"I think Gaara would be best to handle this situation. You should go and speak with Sasuke and let him know that they will be joining him. I need to stay here in Konoha, but during the next few months I will come by and check in. I'll also be there for this fight. You will need all the medic-nins that you can get. I also want you all to understand that Sasuke is traumatized. Speak with Sasuke, but you might get more of an answer from his squad. Find out what his triggers are and avoid them like the plague. Do not ask him a bunch of questions; if he doesn't want to be around anyone respect that. This is a very dangerous and delicate situation. If anyone is to handle Sasuke leave it to Itachi, his squad and if nothing else Kakashi. Sakura try and get Sasuke to let you heal him, but don't pressure him. He is extremely traumatized do not make it worse." Tsunade said.

"We leave tonight so I suggest we go home and pack and rest up." Kakashi said.

"I'm going to speak with Sasuke alone. I don't want to over crowd him." Gaara said.

"I think that would be best." Tsunade said. "And I will get to the bottom of these villages. While you are waiting for the ninjas and other men to arrive see if you can get Sasuke to show you these villages. I want pictures of what is going on in the village and of any ninja wearing any of the seven nations' symbols."

"We'll get it done." Naruto said.

"Do not interject. We have one war right now I do not want another one to go with it. Once this war is over than we will go and make it right." Tsunade said.

"We won't cause another war, we will just gather information if we can." Kakashi said.

"Good you all need to rest and get ready. My ninjas, you will listen to Gaara-San and Kakashi. I expect Kakashi and Shikamaru to help Sasuke with a strategy if he needs it. Don't crowd him or make him feel like you are over taking this, but help him if he seems stuck." Tsunade said.

"We'll offer our assistance and let him know we're there for him." Shikamaru said.

"Sasuke is smart I'm sure he already has ideas in his head he just might need some help getting them down." Kakashi said.

"I'm sure that's the case. So keep an eye on him and listen to his squad. They know him better than anyone right now so listen to them. When they tell you to back off and stop, do it. Obviously the outcome of this war is the most important, but Sasuke's health comes second. Do not make him worse than he already is." Tsunade said.

"We will listen to them. We don't want to make Sasuke any worse than he already is." Naruto said.

"Good now get out of here. I have some investigations of my own to attend to." Tsunade said in a dismissive tone.

They all headed out of the Arena and Gaara turned the speaker off. Sasuke was busy writing messages and the other three were sleeping. Gaara was going to go over there by himself and he was hoping his presence wouldn't upset Sasuke. Gaara told his siblings that he wanted to go alone and they weren't happy, but they understood. They didn't want to upset Sasuke anymore than Gaara did and three ninjas that he really didn't know could very well do that. They said they would meet back at the room and they could get some rest to head out that night. They knew Sasuke was going to go regardless of anyone else, and they weren't even sure he would wait for them to go. He might sneak out before dark. Gaara headed over to the Uchiha compound and went to the back of the compound and started to look for a more rundown house. He found the very last house in the compound and he knew that was the house. He went up to the door and knocked before he entered slowly. Sasuke was sitting on the couch and Gaara could see the fear in his eyes as he entered the house. Gaara closed the door and then spoke.

"Hello Sasuke, I just came by to talk if that's alright with you." Gaara's voice was gentle like he was speaking to a frightened child.

Sasuke moved the papers that were on the table and turned them over so Gaara couldn't read them.

"What would you like to speak to me about Kazekage-Sama?"

"Do you mind if I sit down with you?"

"No of course sit. My apologizes Kazekage-Sama."

Gaara made his way over to the couch and sat down at the opposite end of the couch. Gaara wanted to give Sasuke some space.

"You can call me Gaara Sasuke. You don't need to be so formal. How are you feeling? Your face looks very painful."

"I'm fine. What can I help you with?"

"You're not fine Sasuke."

Gaara was about to continue when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. A second later the three squad members were walking down the hall.

"What are you doing here?" Suigetsu said.

They walked over closer to Sasuke in case something happened.

"He just wants to talk Suigetsu. Be polite please."

"I would like to speak with Sasuke about this war. I was hoping to do so alone, but I understand your need to protect him. He's been through a lot and the three of you have taken to be his protectors. If you wish to stay then please sit down and let's have a civil conversation." Gaara said.

Juugo sat down in the chair, Karin sat on the chair's arm and Suigetsu made the point of sitting on the arm of the couch next to Sasuke. The message was loud and clear.

"I think honesty is very important when you are starting out on a new alliance. I won't touch you, but on your left shoulder, on your jacket I placed a small microphone."

Sasuke's right hand moved to his left shoulder as Suigetsu blew up.

"You what? How dare you do that shit to him? Hasn't he been through enough for you people you had to go and make it worse?"

"You act like you're different from the rest of them, but you're just as bad. You completely violated his privacy and then you want to come here and talk about honesty and an alliance. Get the hell out of here." Karin said.

At this point Sasuke found the small microphone and handed it over to Gaara. Sasuke's face was completely emotionless. Gaara placed the small microphone back into his pocket with the speaker.

"I didn't do this to be cruel or to cause any pain. If you would please allow me to explain myself I promise my intentions were good."

Gaara waited for someone to yell at him, but they all looked to Sasuke for guidance. They didn't want Sasuke to be hurt and Gaara respected that. When Sasuke didn't say anything Gaara took that as a sign to continue.

"Something seemed off about you. When the comments were made, before you would have beat the living hell out of those men. Now though, you didn't even comment. That was a drastic personality change that didn't sit right with me. You have no fire in your spirit or eyes like you used to. I understand what I did was wrong, but I needed to know the truth. Something was wrong now we know why. I had the others from Konoha and Tsunade listen to the conversation. I didn't know what it was going to be and I thought it would be good for them to at least know you weren't a spy. They all feel terrible, especially Kakashi he…"

"You said you wanted to speak about the war." Sasuke cut Gaara off before he could finish his thoughts on Kakashi.

"You mentioned about smaller villages being a part of a major slavery ring and that the seven nations were helping. I want to first say that the Sand has no part in that. Secondly, you were wrong I am more than willing to risk an alliance to help them. I have told Tsunade-San that until she proves that she had no part in any of that as well as you being sold to Orochimaru that our alliance is terminated. I also told her that if it did come back that Konoha's council has taken profit from the slavery that until the council is removed and a new one is elected I will not be in an alliance. Something needs to be done about these villages. I would like to see them for myself and take documentation. That way when this war is over we can then help them, if you would agree to showing me these villages."

"I can do that for you Kazekage-Sama."

"Thank-you. I want you to understand that I am not nor is Tsunade-San stopping you from leaving the village. She approves of your plan and she will have her ninja and the allies she has stay here in Konoha as a second defense. I would like to join you with my ninjas and fight with you. Your fellow comrades would also like to come and fight as well. That choice though, is entirely up to you Sasuke."

"I would appreciate the help from you and your ninja Kazekage-Sama. As for the others I need to think about it."

"That's fine. Are you leaving tonight?"

"Yes sir."

"At dusk?"

"It was going to be in the middle of the night, but now that we have the clear to go there's no need to wait that long. Dusk is fine."

"Then I shall meet you out front of the gates then. I'll send a message for my ninja to head to the location. Do you have coordinates for it?"

"One hundred and eighteen degrees north by two hundred and ten degrees east."

"I'll send a message out to them and they will meet us there. Thank-you Sasuke for letting the Sand be involved in this. I promise you once this war is over we will do something about the villages and end the slavery."

"I hope so."

"I'll leave you all to rest and get the messages out to the villages. If you need anything you know where to find me. If I don't hear from you then I will see you later at the gates."

Gaara got up and left the four of them in the living room to talk over what just happened. Sasuke didn't say anything he just turned back to the table to work on the messages once again. Karin was the one to start off the conversation.

"Sasuke are you sure it's a good idea to have Gaara coming with us? I know we talked about it, but that was before they were spying on us."

"We need the men, how can we say no to the Sand's ninja?" Juugo said.

"Because he was spying on us." Suigetsu said.

"But he didn't seem like he did it out of hatred." Juugo said.

"We can't trust him or them. So they heard our conversation that means they all know the truth now, but that doesn't change anything. Where are they now? They're not here apologizing their ass off to Sasuke. Where's the Hokage huh? They can't be trusted." Karin said.

"What do you think Sasuke?" Suigetsu said.

"I think Juugo has a point. How can we say no to ninja right now? The Sand has a thousand ninja. That's a thousand more that we didn't have. I don't trust them, but this war isn't about trust. We need the numbers."

"Fine, but they do anything to hurt you in any way they are gone." Suigetsu said.

"You three should go back to bed. You need rest for the travel."

"So do you Sasuke." Juugo said.

"I can't sleep. Go I'll be fine."

The three of them were reluctant, but they knew that nothing they said could make Sasuke sleep. So they decided they would sleep and get the energy they would need for the travel. Now that there was going to be a group of ninja traveling with them, they needed to be on alert. They were not going to let anyone hurt Sasuke, especially a Konoha ninja.