A/N: Hi! Hope all is well with you, dear readers! So this next chapter is intended as a two-parter. Basically this chapter was intended to be merged with the next one, however the word count got too high so I decided to pick a place to split it as an FYI if this chapter seems shorter than usual.

Chapter 36

The Future

One-hundred fifty-two… One-hundred fifty-three...

Lee continued his one-handed push-ups on Tenten's floor. She was currently engrossed in the scroll he and his mission team had retrieved off of the genjutsu-expert's body in the Steam.

"Have you figured out anything yet?" Lee asked between strained breaths.

"I figured out why it looks incomplete," Tenten said from her desk. "It's only part of a bigger jutsu. If I could guess, there's more of these scrolls out there that connect to this one."

"And what do you think it does?"

"I don't know, but from the direction of the ley lines on it and the amount of chakra it needs, it's supposed to cover a big area. An area of effect jutu, basically, and it's supposed to sustain itself. Still, the amount of chakra it requires is monstrous. I don't even think Naruto has enough chakra for it. Plus the chakra inscriptions it calls for are all wrong! Whoever made this is clearly mad. Still, it has some novel ideas I could borrow from to do my own experimental summoning..." She twisted herself in her chair to look back at him and frowned. "Hey, you're not sweating already, are you? Don't stink up the place."

"Sorry."

He was already sweating a little. Lee stopped there and sat cross-legged on her floor instead. He blamed his injuries; while he was no longer in pain, his muscles were still weak and recovering. It made him antsy not being back to one-hundred percent yet. But he had no one to blame but himself for the antagonising slow heal from Eight Gates damage.

Lee wanted to mention to Tenten that he had finally gone through an Infinite Tsukuyomi dream without waking upon seeing Neji. And that he got to talk to him too. But Lee didn't want to ruin Tenten's mood - she seemed happier to have an important project to distract her mind on.

Tenten hummed in thought upon returning her attention to the scroll.

"There is really nothing?" Lee said, resting his hands on his knees. "What would happen if you tried to use it?"

"Nothing would happen. The chakra inscriptions are all wrong, like it's calling for a different kind of energy source. Although… There's something in the corner about some sort of nullification seal that actually uses chakra? And once again, that part is also incomplete." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Say, how long am I allowed to have this? Am I allowed to make a copy? Actually, forget I said anything. Don't tell Shikamaru."

"Understood! I did not hear a thing," Lee confirmed with a thumbs up.

Tenten grinned wickedly and pulled out a blank scroll and got to eagerly copying.

After Tenten spent long enough on the scroll, the two of them headed out for lunch. Lee tried to convince Tenten to go to his favorite curry restaurant, but Tenten looked aghast and outright denied his suggestion because she "didn't want to fry off her tastebuds". After going back and forth between a few different places they could go, they settled on a restaurant Tenten could get her dumplings at but also served curry udon for Lee.

"Halt! Get back here!" a voice commanded.

A franic Hyuga ran past Lee and Tenten, just a young boy of genin age. He was just about to round the corner down another street when he bumped into a heavy-set civilian, falling bodily to the ground. The Hyuga guard chasing him caught up and roughly grabbed his arm. The civilian wisely hurried away.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Tenten exclaimed to the guard, mouth curling in disdain.

The Hyuga guard wrestled shackles on the struggling boy. "This boy is under arrest for questioning in relation to the escaped prisoners. Don't mettle in our clan affairs."

"I don't know anything!" the boy protested.

"Just let it go," Tenten responded. "He's just a little kid. What could he have possibly done?"

"This boy has been hiding from the Hyuga compound for the past few days. Only the guilty would do something like that."

"I was scared so I stayed with a friend! You can't blame me for that when you guys have been going around interrogating everyone in the clan!"

"Shut your mouth, boy! I know your parents are sympathetic to the abolitionist way of thinking. You will tell me everything you know."

"What? Are you going to have Lord Hiashi use the Curse Seal on me too until I say something you want to hear? Just like you did my uncle?"

"One of you is hiding something. There's a reason Takeo and Hisako disappeared without a single witness."

Tenten gritted her teeth, but before she could step forward Hinata appeared from behind them and extended an arm in front of Tenten. "Tenten… Please don't," she implored.

Lee tightened a fist at his side, frowning deeply. Just like Tenten he wanted to leap out and do something. But one does not mettle with a noble clan without consequences.

"Lady Hinata!" the boy shouted. "Please!"

Hinata lowered her gaze shamefully, looking away from the pleading boy.

"Lady Hinata," the guard briefly bowed his head at her before he dragged the boy off towards the Hyuga compound.

"Why didn't you do anything?" Tenten demanded when the guard was gone.

"I… I can't," Hinata said. "I just didn't want to see you punished."

"That wasn't your call to make," Tenten snapped.

"Tenten," Lee warned.

Tenten's eyes darted to Lee. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Sorry," she muttered.

"It's okay," Hinata said quietly, her gaze still down at her restless hands laced in front of her.

"Hinata-" Lee started, before Tenten interrupted him.

"Thanks and all, but Lee and I have somewhere to be. See you around," Tenten said, grabbing Lee's arm and guiding him briskly away, leaving Hinata troubled and alone.

That night Lee was nervous, afraid that he wouldn't be so lucky to dream again - back into the Infinite Tsukuyomi dreams - but he somehow did.

This time his dreams knew where to place him. He wasn't taunted with Sakura's image anymore - this time his dream brought him straight to Neji, knowing exactly what he wanted then. Upon seeing him Lee immediately realized where he was, and had to ground himself for a moment as the painful reminder of Neji's death flooded back into him.

"Good. You're here," Neji said, arms folded. "We have training to do."

Once again the Neji before him was an idealized future Neji - a young adult like Lee himself, with that bare, free forehead.

Lee swallowed the lump in his throat. He took in Neji with appreciation, committing this older Neji to memory. Lee wasn't sure he would make it this far again and so soon, to get another chance to talk to Neji. "Yes, you are right."

Lee indulged in another spar with Neji, even though he knew he really shouldn't for something not real.

Afterwards, Lee said, "Neji, do you remember our last conversation? About this being a dream and that… that you are dead?" That last word hung heavy in the air once it escaped Lee's mouth.

Neji stared at Lee for a moment, closed his eyes for a moment, and nodded. "Yes. I do."

"I woke up before we could try training my genjutsu abilities. Would you help me?"

"I suppose. But I already gave you some ideas to try, didn't I?"

Lee nodded. "You suggested trying to use ninjutsu as a way to reject this reality. I just… would very much enjoy your support."

"Very well. I'll be right here then. Proceed."

Lee let out a deep breath, held out his hand in a sign, and imagined creating a single illusionary clone beside him. It was the first ninjutsu a shinobi student had to master to graduate from the Academy. He had never been able to summon a single clone, not even a malformed one. It was either through grace or meddling that he was given an exception and allowed to graduate at all, to follow his shinobi dream.

"Focus, Lee," Neji said.

And then, in a poof of smoke, a clone appeared, perfect to him in every way. Lee stared in awe at his clone. He raised his hand to touch it, and like a mirror it raised its hand too. Their hands met. It was solid. This clone was more Shadow Clone than illusionary.

A disbelieving giggle slipped out of Lee's mouth. Look at that! He was using forbidden jutsu right off the bat! He grinned at Neji to share in his joy.

"Good work, but is that all you can do?" Neji coaxed Lee on.

Lee searched his mind for what to do next. Since he was on Shadow Clones, he thought Rasengan was a natural next step. His clone stepped aside as Lee focused his energy on his open palm, imagining a swirling ball of blue chakra in the center, just like how it looked when Naruto did it.

After a minute of focusing, suddenly it appeared, and he had a Rasengan in his hand. "Neji, look!" He laughed with joy.

"Impressive," Neji said, huffing with pride.

For good measure, Lee thrust the Rasengan in the center of a tree. The trunk burst into splinters before the tree split and crashed to the forest floor.

Lee let out a whoop as his clone cheered him on.

Through his gleeful joy, a pang of angst passed through him. This is what he'd missed. This is what it meant to be a normal shinobi - one who didn't need to train every day and hurt themselves with forbidden jutsu just to keep up with his peers.

It was the reason why he had asked Sakura for genjutsu training in the first place. Anything to help improve his chances of becoming a jonin. All because he couldn't meet the mastering two elemental jutsu requirement. (He couldn't even use one.) He had decided he had to find a way to make up for it - to prove to the Konoha Council that he was worth the jonin rank.

After training more with Neji, this time while using ninjutsu, he laid down in the grassy field to rest. He contemplated how different things would have been - how much easier - if he could just use ninjutsu. There was no doubt in his mind he would have been a jonin already if that were the case. And maybe, he would have time to do other things than just train.

"Do you think I will ever become a jonin like you, Neji?" Lee said as Neji strolled up to him.

Neji smiled down at him. "Of course, Lee. Keep on trying. You'll get there."

Lee smiled wistfully. It was nice hearing Neji say that. But in the end, it was still all fake and Neji was still long dead.

That afternoon he met Tenten at Neji's grave. They sat in silence together in remembrance as they gazed upon Neji's headstone.

They were interrupted by a meek voice behind them.

"H-Hello."

Lee and Tenten turned. Hinata stood behind them, twirling a sunflower in her hand with uncertainty.

"Hello, Hinata!" Lee greeted. "Here to see Neji too?"

"Yeah. Mind if I…?"

"Go ahead," Lee said.

Hinata kneeled in front of Neji's grave, laid the sunflower across the stone beside the Lee and Tenten's flowers, and prayed for a moment.

Tenten shifted uncomfortably.

"I thought the flowers I'd always find here were yours," Hinata said. "Thank you, for visiting him so often."

Lee nodded. "Neji was a part of our team and our friend, and my eternal rival." Even in death.

Hinata smiled slightly at that.

"Have you had a chance to see Hanabi yet?" Lee asked. Last they spoke, Hiashi was hiding her away after the Hyuga prisoners escaped.

Hinata wrung her hands anxiously. "Not yet, no. Hopefully soon once he and the rest of the clan calms down a little though."

"I gotta go," Tenten suddenly said, standing up. "See you guys later." And she strode away before Lee could say anything.

Lee's eyes darted to Hinata. Her mouth quivered.

"Hinata…" He said, searching for something reassuring to say.

"It's okay, Lee. I understand," Hinata reassured. "He would still be here if not for me. I think about that a lot too."

"It was Neji's choice," Lee said firmly. "He entrusted the future to you."

"Entrusted the future to me..." she repeated contemplatively. Her mouth quivered again before it set in quiet strength. "Then I can no longer sit here and wait for change to happen after Hanabi assumes the role as clan head, can I? The clan may not survive if I wait that long."

Lee perked up. "What will you do?"

"All this time I've avoided clan affairs as much as possible after I was removed as heiress. Out of fear of my f-father. It kept my forehead bare. But I may be one of the very few that might be able to convince Father to stop this… this nonsense that is splitting apart the clan."

The Hyuga were indeed strained. While only hints of it had leaked out to those not associated with the clan before, ever since the Hyuga prisoners escaped the clan's disarray was there for all to see. Animosity between the abolitionists and traditionalists bled outside of the Hyuga compound, which led to arguments, scuffles, distrust, and wild accusations. Just like the boy yesterday, Hiashi was making sure to question anyone he could to figure out who freed the Hyuga prisoners.

"Hinata, please allow me to help," Lee declared. "You are Neji's family. I may be clanless but I can make up for it with determination and persistence."

Hinata blinked wetly in surprise before smiling wide at him. "Lee… Thank you."

"For Neji." Lee raised a fist in support.

"For Neji." Hinata mirrored him with a fist raised.

The next morning, the day after the death of Orochimaru, Team Taka and the Talons prepared to head back home to Oto.

When Sakura left her room that morning she almost immediately ran into Jugo who was already waiting for her. He became her shadow once more, to her great distaste. So much for getting time alone. But she wasn't going to let that stop her from finding Sasuke.

The destruction of the base by Sasuke's hands painted a clear picture of his turmoil from last night. Scorch marks and gashes covered each inch of the laboratories. The Sharingan creatures and braindead Shin clones had been hacked to pieces and incinerated into indistinguishable lumps of ash and bone. Any hint of paper that might have contained research notes of any sort were long destroyed, leaving nothing but charred ash.

When she had finally found Sasuke at the opposite end of the base, he was mulling over a destroyed lab that looked like it might have contained more Sharingan by the size of the shattered capsules littering the floor. Any trace of any actual eyes had long been incinerated, indicated by the scorch marks that now scarred the tile floor. He sat upon one of the destroyed electronic consoles, katana sticking straight up out of the rent steel beside him. He looked like he hadn't slept well.

"Sasuke?" Sakura said.

Sasuke raised his hung head and his eyes flickered over to her. "What?"

She saw he was hurting, but she had more important things to ask him first: what he was going to do with Sai, Yamato, and Anko.

"Can we talk? Alone?" she stressed, glancing to Jugo beside her.

Sasuke stood, pried out his katana with one hard tug, and sheathed it. "Not right now," he said.

"Why not?" Sakura protested.

Sasuke passed her and Jugo. "We can talk back at Oto."

"But what if I need to talk now?" Sakura stressed.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, his tired eye fixated on her. "It can wait. Get ready to leave in an hour." And he continued walking.

"Wait!"

Jugo grabbed her shoulder before she could chase after him. "He needs more time."

Sakura punched the stone wall beside her, cracking it. "Yeah, well, I have needs too," she muttered as she watched Sasuke leave, brushing her off yet again. It was a painfully familiar feeling she was tired of. She thought maybe, after the night where they spoke on top of the gargantuan skull, that she would finally be worth his time. Guess not.

When Sakura and Jugo walked back to the other side of the base, Karin was busy shouting orders, gathering all the prisoners that showed potential for switching sides to ready them for transport. The night before, her and Yumi had gone through each of the prisoners, enemy-nin and non-combatant scientists alike, questioned them, and gathered all those who were interested in joining Oto. It ended up being every single one of them - if they were cooperative enough to work under Orochimaru, switching loyalties mattered little to them as long as they had somewhere to belong safe from the other Hidden Villages. However, until they could be vetted further by Kabuto, they remained in chains for now.

The Leaf-nin and Orochimaru's children were a part of the group readied for transport. Sarada, Mitsuki, and the new Shin were outfitted with chakra-nullifying shackles, and watched closely by Log. While the children were all in various states of grief or anger, the Leaf-nin were dead silent, eyes darting about, assessing their situation and no doubt looking for an opportunity to escape. Sai gave Sakura one last indecipherable glance while they and the other prisoners were blindfolded.

Natsu, the chameleon-like nin that had scouted the exterior of the hideout, was to stay at the hideout while the others made the trip back. Natsu would watch the place until Kabuto could send more Sound to rehabilitate the hideout and make it truly their own.

Once the prisoners were prepared, they all headed outside. Sasuke made his appearance then. Using the Animal Path, Sasuke summoned a colossal drill-beaked bird, large enough to fit all of them on its back. It was the same unnerving beast that had razed Konoha during Pain's assault - three wings, three legs, body pierced with the control rods, and those bulging Rinnegan eyes. Sasuke then summoned Garuda, his own personal giant hawk that could only fit two at most.

Since stealth was no longer a concern on the way back, they would all ride back to Oto on the backs of the birds. While the trip over had taken about two days, the trip back would only take half a day. Sasuke would scout ahead on the back of the much smaller Garuda to make sure there wasn't anyone else out there they didn't want to spy on them. The birds' large sizes would blend in easily enough with the other colossal beasts in the Mountain's Graveyard territory, especially if they kept to a very high altitude above the clouds, but as soon as they would draw close to the Sound's borders they would keep low and fly through the deep canyons to avoid attention.

Sasuke split off alone on Garuda without a second glance at Sakura. She suppressed her frustrated disappointment.

There wasn't much room to avoid Karin or the rest of Taka on the back of the drill-beaked bird. Karin, Jugo, and Suigetsu all comfortably sat next to her up by the bird's neck. The control rod sticking out of its neck was huge, and it gave something for Sakura to lean against as she tried not to think of how far up they were. (The chilly, thin air made that difficult.) The Talons and the prisoners were on the other end of the bird.

"So, Sakura is the key to our salvation, eh?" Suigetsu said, leaning comfortably against the control rod, hands folded behind his head. "After finally seeing the truth of all this, how you feeling about the Sound now? You're not gonna run and tattle on us now, are ya?"

Sakura dared not look at Karin, who was without a doubt watching her carefully. Sakura calmed her chakra to keep it from fluctuating too wildly, but she wasn't sure if she did it in time. "It's... not what I expected. But I'll do what I must for Sasuke."

"Including forsaking your friends back there?"

"Yes, if I must." She did not dare look back at Sai and the others either.

Suigetsu sighed. "I don't get what you girls go all wild about Sasuke for. Sure, he's pretty and strong, but he's no charmer."

Karin glared at Suigetsu, but chose to ignore that comment as her attention shifted back to Sakura. "I hope you understand our suspicion is warranted. You're now a lot more important than I ever expected you to be." Karin gave her a long, calculating look.

"Sasuke wouldn't have brought me here if he didn't trust my loyalty."

"I hope so," Karin said.

A/N: Next chapter is basically done and I just have to iron out one scene. Hoping to post it in a few days. Lee's part was intended to have more to it, but I did a bunch chopping of his scenes and Sakura's to speed things up.

Question: Would it be helpful for me to include a little "previously on" summary in the beginning notes to help remind what happened before? I know it can be a bit rough remember everything after it's been over a month with my updates - and I've noticed a few people going back to re-read a little to refresh themselves when I post a new chapter. If I can smoothen out that process jumping back into this fic in any way let me know!