The remaining weeks of their journey in The Land of Lightning were uneventful as the pair made their way across the ocean to The Village Hidden in the Clouds. Their boat finally arrived and the Leaf Ninja came ashore.

"Thank you for everything." Sakura said as she paid the last part of their fee.

"Thank you Miss Sakura." The captain said with a smile. "Sailing with you was a delight. Feel free to call upon us again any time."

Sasuke also bowed to the old man who grinned at him. "You're not half bad Uchiha. It was good to work with you. Good luck with everything."

They smiled and walked forward finding themselves face to face with Darui, the man who had led the sea front battlefield against Madara's forces.

"It's nice to see you again Lady Sakura." He said nodding to her. "Lord Hokage informed us of your arrival."

"Thank you Lord Darui." She said bowing to the man.

Sasuke also bowed noting how the advisor to the Raikage studied him with distrust in his eyes.

"So the Uchiha is your escort? I would have thought that you'd come here with the nine tails kid." He said leading them through the village towards the Raikage building.

"Naruto is a newlywed now." She said with a smile. "I doubt his wife would have appreciated me bringing her new husband with me on such a long journey."

The blonde snickered. "I guess not. I'm happy for the kid."

"So am I." Sakura said smiling at the man.

A blonde young man walked forward and beamed at the pink haired young woman. "Miss Sakura." He said with a smile. "I'm so pleased to see you."

She smiled. "You'r a sensory ninja who helped with the intelligence core right? I remember your face."

He blushed. "I'm honored. I'll never forget yours."

Sasuke's brow nearly twitched. She seemed to have all sorts of admirers. He heard a group of fan girls whispering behind his back as he moved through the town but ignore them. His business was with Sakura and the Raikage.

"We received word on your trouble with that Inumori fellow as well as your request for an audience with Lord Raikage." Darui said as they walked.

Sakura nodded. "Yes, we have something to request of him."

The advisor nodded. "I understand. I'm sure he'll see you but your companion," he glanced at the Uchiha. "That might be another story."

"Sasuke is Naruto's best friend. It would be good if Lord Killer B and Lord Raikage who Naruto admires and respects so much could be on better terms with him as well." Sakura said as they neared the Raikage building.

"It's hard to say." Darui muttered. "Some things are hard to forgive."

"Yes, like attempting to kidnap little girls and killing innocent men." She said her eyes flashing dangerously. "We're moving towards peace and that can only be achieved if we learn to forgive and move forward."

The advisor's eyes widened and then softened. "Of course."

"By the way," Sakura said as they arrived at the doors to the Raikage's office. "Naruto's wife is Hinata the Heiress of the Hyuga clan."

The blonde chuckled. "I get the point." He said leading them up to the Raikage's office. "We would all do well to remember the past but not let it define who we are now."

Sasuke glanced at the medic who nodded her head. They were both privy to the information that Hinata had been abducted twice by ninja from The Village Hidden in the Clouds on the Raikage's orders to try to steal the byakugan.

"Lord Raikage. Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha have arrived." Darui said rapping on the door.

"Very well. Send them in." came the rough low voice of the ruler of The Village hidden in the Clouds.

They stepped inside the large office and immediately bowed to the imposing looking man.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Miss. Haruno." The Raikage said from his seat in front of a set of massive windows. "Lady Tsunade is still doing well I hope?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes Lord Raikage. She's enjoying some rest and relaxation now that she's passed the mantle of Hokage onto Kakashi."

The man chuckled. "I never thought she'd take the old man's words about retiring so seriously." He admitted.

"She said that getting cut in half reminded her that she's not as young as she used to be." She said with a smile.

The Raikage nodded. "I suppose that's true. War seems to have a way of aging us prematurely." Sakura smiled and nodded. Sasuke felt the Raikage's eyes move to him and frowned. "I see you brought the Uchiha with you."

She nodded. "Yes Lord Raikage." She said. "As you know, he stopped by here once before on his journey of redemption."

"I remember." The man replied studying the ink haired man's eyes. "The scars from the Akatsuki are still deep here. You understand."

Sakura nodded. "I do. Even so, we've come to ask a favor of you."

"What would that be?" he replied.

"We'd like to visit Turtle Island." Sakura said.

The Raikage's brow lifted at that. "Is that so? Why the sudden interest?"

The medic glanced at Sasuke who lowered his head. "As someone who has committed terrible atrocities against your people, this is a very selfish request on my part." He admitted. "Even so, I ask your permission to go to Turtle Island so that I may enter the waterfall of truth."

The hulk of a man straightened at that. "The Waterfall of Truth." He murmured. "That's a sacred place particularly to those of us from this village and the Jinchuriki."

"I understand that." Sasuke replied before taking a deep breath. "For the past two years I have been trying to repay my debt to society and find my place in this new ninja world where Avengers are not needed. I was told that this place has special properties that allow a person to confront the darkest parts of themselves." He glanced up at the Raikage. "Naruto is my best friend. My wish now is to stand by his side and help him protect The Leaf Village and the peace the allied shinobi forces fought so hard for, but I cannot do that as I am now."

"Please Lord Raikage." Sakura said bowing to the man. "Sasuke truly is trying to do what's best."

The Raikage sighed. "Very well then, but you can only go with an armed escort including Killer B." he stared down the Uchiha. "If you take one step out of line, you'll be killed without hesitation."

"I understand." Sasuke replied.

"Darui. Send for Killer B." the Raikage said to his advisor.

"Right away." He replied.

"You two are free to stay here tonight." He said handing a piece of paper to a blonde woman who brought it to the two shinobi. "I won't keep you under guard like I did last time since you're here with Miss Haruno, however the same stipulations stand."

Sasuke nodded. The last time he'd visited the village he'd been kept under 24 hour guard. They had imposed a strict curfew on him as well. He'd helped repair many of their buildings but found many people still didn't trust him.

"Thank you very much Lord Raikage." Sakura said with a bow.

The thick man nodded and the leaf shinobi left the room and headed down to the streets of the village.

"We need to be checked into our room by seven pm." Sasuke said as they walked down the main road.

"Why is that?" she asked stopping at a stall and watching as a man blew glass into the shape of an octopus.

"It's one of the rules they imposed on me the last time I visited." He replied. "Though I'm sure they'd be more lenient with you as my companion, I don't think it's the best idea to chance it."

"Understood." Sakura said glancing at a clock in the window of a business. "That only gives us an hour. We should find something to eat."

Sasuke nodded and they ducked into the quietest restaurant they could find. After eating a quick meal of rice and fish soup, they checked in at their Inn and were ushered inside. Sakura unsnapped her belt from around her waist and sighed as she stretched.

Sasuke laid out his things and hung his cloak up wincing as he stretched his shoulder.

"Is it bothering you?" Sakura asked reaching out to touch what was left of his right arm.

He nodded. Ever since the evening he'd held her while she cried over her attempt to kill him, he'd resolved to be a bit more open with her. There was no reason to lie about his health to his doctor anyway.

"Let me take a look at it." She said pulling at the hem of his shirt.

His growing feelings for her amplified the intimate action and he blushed. "I can do that." He assured her quickly.

"Alright." She replied stepping away from him. "Sorry, habit." She admitted.

He shrugged and stripped down to the waist and turned pointing to a spot of the back of shoulder. "It's been aching a bit." He admitted.

She nodded and motioned for him to sit down on a cushion. He did as she asked and she knelt behind him. "Alright. I'm just going to get a feel for how everything is doing." She said running her fingers over his skin of his shoulder before unwrapping what remained of his right arm. "If something hurts too much, let me know." She told him.

He nodded and closed his eyes as her fingers worked over the muscles of his shoulder, back and bicep. They were firm yet gentle pressing into the tissue and sliding over his skin. He winced when she pressed into the spot that had been aching and she made a little 'o' sound.

"I can feel it." She said running over the spot again with a slightly lighter touch. "You just have a knot in your muscle. It's a big one granted but I can handle it. I'll work it out for you."

He nodded and sighed as her fingers kneaded the muscle into submission the tense chords of flesh releasing with the nudging of her digits. His mouth went dry as he imagined her applying that same amount of pressure to his back in a different situation, her arms wrapped around him as he kissed her, his tall body pressing into her smaller one as his hand slid up her leg towards her hip. Desperate to distract himself, he cleared his throat.

"So is massage part of your medical training?" he asked.

"It is." She replied moving her focus to the whole of his back. "It encourages healthy blood flow, as well as releases the built up tension in muscles. It's also used to treat insomnia in some people." She explained as her palms pressed into his lower back. "It tells us a lot about the body's condition too. For example, you have more tension on your left shoulder and right hip because your body is trying to compensate for your missing right arm." She explained.

He nodded and then nearly froze when her fingers slid up his back, past his shoulders to his neck. "You're also carrying lots of tension here." She said pressing her finger tips into the muscle at the base of his skull. "It might be linked to use of the sharringan." She mused as she worked. "Kakashi sensei had a lot tension there too before he lost it."

"You used to do this for Kakashi Sensei?" he asked as she slid her fingers into his hair and pressed against his scalp. He was almost bewildered by the sensation of her hands touching him in such a way. It was all he could to focus on her response to his question.

"I did." She replied. "I did it a lot for Naruto, Sai, and Captain Yamato too." She explained. "As the medical ninja for team seven, it was my responsibility to make sure they were all in top shape and massage was one of the ways I did that."

"I see." He replied feelings his body relax further under her touch.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked.

"Yes. I feel much better, thank you." He said as she ran her fingers over his back one last time. As night fell, he couldn't help but notice that she'd moved just a little closer and didn't mind at all.

The next day Sasuke and Sakura rose early and prepared for their meeting with Killer B.

They were led to the Raikage's building where the eight tails was waiting for them with crossed arms.

"Lady Sakura if I may, you look just as beautiful as you did on Naruto's big day." The man rapped smiling at her.

"Thank you Lord Killer B." She said with a smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again." She motioned to Sasuke. "This is Sasuke Uchiha."

"I remember this man well, he did his best to send me to hell." Killer B muttered.

"I'm very sorry about that." Sasuke said with a bow.

The rapper sighed. "Well Naruto cares about you the most so the least I can do is be a good host."

"I guess that means we're going to Turtle Island then." Sakura said with a grin.

"Turtle Island is a sacred place. Both of you better remember your place." Killer B said as he led the way to the harbor.

"How does Naruto put up with that ridiculous rhyming?" Sasuke asked his brow twitching in irritation.

Sakura chuckled. "He actually understands the way Killer B explains things better than Kakashi and Yamato. They just click. I think he genuinely enjoys the rapping."

The Uchiha sighed. "Well, it's driving me absolutely crazy."

The medic chuckled. "Try to deal with it."

Sasuke sighed. "Of course."

The voyage was long, though not quite as long as their first and filled with interesting conversations. Sasuke learned about Naruto's tailed beast training and came to know even better than before just what an exceptional man his best friend had become. Learning new jutsu and accumulating power was simple, and easy. Learning to overcome your inner demons, was something much more painful and difficult.

They arrived on the wild island and they disembarked making their way slowly towards the Waterfall of Truth.

"So many fearsome animals." Sakura mused as they walked.

Sasuke's nose wrinkled as a massive snake slithered past. "No wonder Naruto felt right at home here." The medic blinked and then giggled.

After a bit of walking, the arrived at the falls.

"This is the place." Motoi said motioning to the falls. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not required of you since you're not a jinchuriki and it's dangerous."

Sasuke nodded. "The curse of hatred on me might have been broken but I still feel like I need to take on this challenge." He closed his eyes and Naruto's face appeared beaming at him with his hand outstretched towards him. Next to Naruto stood Sakura who also smiled and reached out to him. Kakashi stood ahead of them a hand lifted in greeting with the village spread out behind the current Hokage. He imagined Naruto as Hokage with Shikamaru on his left hand side and Sakura on his right serving as advisors, however there was a gap between Naruto and Sakura and he knew instinctively that that was the place he wanted to be. "If I want to be to stand beside him in the future, I need to fully confront my past." He said opening his eyes again filled with determination.

"Sasuke." Sakura breathed a smile touching her lips.

"I can see that fire in your eyes, it tells me that you are a stand up guy." Killer B said with a little smile. "Go ahead and enter the falls, see if it can help you climb that final wall."

"Go out to the little island there and close your eyes." Motoi said. "It will all start from there."

Sasuke nodded and took a deep breath. He glanced over at Sakura who smiled at him. That's right, he wasn't just doing this because he wanted to stand by Naruto's side, but because he wanted to stand by her side as well. In order to do both, he had to confront the darkness in his heart that still lingered. With his goal firmly in his mind, he walked across the water and to the little island in front of the falls. He settled down cross legged on the grass and closed his eyes.

"Well, well. I never expected you to come here actively seeking me out." Came an eerily familiar voice.

His eyes widened as a man stepped through the falls. It was himself, the same clothing and everything. The only difference was his eyes which reminded the Uchiha of reanimation eyes with a field of black instead of white behind the iris.

"So you're my dark self?" Sasuke asked the man.

The doppelganger stopped a few paces in front of the Uchiha and studied him. "So you knew how this worked? Why are you here then?"

"I need to confront you. The curse of hatred on me has been broken but I still feel you eating away at my heart." He explained.

"Do you think that defeating me will make you more powerful?" the darker version asked. "Do you think that doing this will somehow get you a step closer to Naruto?" the man snickered. "Don't be so stupid. You still want to wring his stupid little neck don't you?"

The Uchiha's brow twitched at that. "I think everyone does at one point or another."

"Why are you here?" the man asked again. "You cast me aside along with your Uchiha pride!" his hand balled into a fist. "The Uchiha name has been dragged through the mud and yet here you stand without a care in the world!"

"That's not true." Sasuke replied. "The Uchiha name was soiled because of that very way of thinking. Now, I want to rebuild the Uchiha reputation. I want to protect The Leaf and stand by Naruto's side the way that Madara wanted to stand by Hashirama's side but couldn't because of his jealousy and hatred." He closed his eyes and imagined Sakura looking up at a cherry tree in full bloom the wind tossing both her hair and the petals into the air. "I want to begin rebuilding the Uchiha clan with the woman that I love."

The darker version of himself stared at him. "Love? You can't be serious. Do you know what happens when we love people? They disappear!"

Sasuke glanced down at the ground. "That was true with our parents and clan members, but Itachi, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi only disappeared because of our actions." He said raising his head. "However Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi are still here. I want to protect them and love them again but I can't do that if you're still around."

His darker self glared at him. "I was in charge for years you know! Do you know how much power we gained that way!? Without me you wouldn't be even half as powerful as you are now! You can't live without me! Without me you would have died long ago!" he exclaimed rushing at him.

Sasuke closed his eyes. "You're right." He said stopping the man in his tracks.

"What?" his doppelganger replied.

"I said that you're right. When you were in charge, we gained immense power." He looked at the red eyed man. "But the price of that was our precious friends and family, our heart and soul. Had we continued on that path you would have been the only left in this whole world. Is that what you really want?"

The red eyed man glared at him. "That's exactly what I want! If it's just me then we won't suffer anymore!" he exclaimed a manic gleam in his eye.

Sasuke sighed and lowered his head. "That isn't true." He glanced at the red eyed man. "The whole reason you were born is because we were suddenly alone in the world. Our parents were dead and our brother was gone." He chuckled. "I understand now. That path of revenge we were on would have resulted in just that. The loneliness that started it all. What you want is pointless. It's not even what you really want."

"What would you know about it!" he snarled a full sized Susanoo appearing around him.

"I know everything about it." Sasuke replied forming his own giant to block the blow of his hateful side. "I lost everything and it broke my soul and shattered my heart." He blocked another attack. "Then we were put in Team Seven and with that blonde Loser, the annoying fan girl, and the habitually tardy scarecrow." He drew his sword and attacked his double. "At first we worked with them because we had to. We needed to become a shinobi to defeat Itachi and they were part of that process. We had no intention of becoming attached but then, things began to change. Naruto went from just a loser, to our rival, our friend, then a brother. Sakura went from an annoyance, to something we needed to protect, to a reliable teammate, to sister, and then something more that we weren't even sure of. Kakashi became like a father, guiding us with a firm hand but teasing us and allowing us to be ourselves." He clashed again with his sword. "By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late. We'd become attached and became afraid!"

His doppelganger froze. "Afraid? What are you talking about?! I'm not afraid of anything!"

"You are, we are, we were terrified of losing them, losing everything again!" he pinned his other self to the wall. "If you keep this up we're going to lose everything again!" The red eyed man gasped. "Work with me, not against me. Let's protect the ones we care about with the power we gained instead of destroying everything to prevent from losing anything again. Didn't you see what happened to Madara when he tried the same thing?"

"Are you saying you don't need me anymore?" the red eyed man asked. "I who gave you everything!?"

Sasuke nodded. "I don't."

The man gaped at him. "But I made you strong!" he exclaimed. "What are you going to without me!?"

"Live in such a way that would make my parents, Itachi and our clan proud. To live for others instead of myself." Sasuke replied.

His doppelganger gaped at him and then lowered his head. "But what about all the pain everyone put us through. What will become of the Uchiha?"

"I already told you. I intend to rebuild our clan with the woman I love and lead our clan into a new dawn full of love and free of hatred." He explained.

The darker version of himself lowered his head. "I see."

Sasuke reached out and tapped his darker self in the forehead. "Thanks for all that you've done. There won't be a next time."

The doppelganger chuckled. "Using Itachi's last words on me. I suppose I should feel honored." The darker version said as he began to fade away. He looked at Sasuke. "Take good care of them this time alright? Losing them will bring me back stronger than ever."

"I understand that. I swear, I will protect them and this world of peace." He said as his double smiled and completely vanished into thin air.

His eyes opened and to his surprise, the sun that had been high in the sky when he'd first entered the falls, had already set, the moon now in its place overhead. The ache in his legs was further proof that he'd been sedentary for a while. He grunted as he stood up.

"Sasuke!" he heard Sakura call out. Worry rouging her voice. He turned towards her and took in her familiar features, her brow furrowed with stress. "Are you alright?"

He smiled gently at her and nodded. "I didn't mean to worry you. Everything is fine."

"That's a relief." She said answering his smile with one of her own, blush tinging her cheeks. "You were there for so long." He glanced around and noticed that all the others including Killer B were sleeping in various spots around the falls. She alone had stayed up to watch over him.

He walked forward, his confrontation with his former self still fresh in his mind and extended his arm reaching out to gently touch Sakura's hair before circling his arm around her and pulling her to his chest.

"I will always protect you." He said softly. "No matter what."

"Sasuke." She replied softly. "Why would you do that for me?"

"Because you are precious." He said softly holding her closer. "Someone I cannot bare to lose."

Sakura's arm circled around his waist. "I feel the same way." She said softly.

They broke apart and he studied her under the glow of the moon. It wasn't quite time yet but soon, he'd tell her all the feelings in his heart. This was enough for now.

"You've been watching over me this entire time haven't you?" he said noting the dark circles under her eyes. "Rest now. We'll talk about what happened tomorrow." He assured her.

She smiled and nodded before she bit her lip nervously. "Umm. Sasuke?" she asked as he walked with her a sheltered spot under a tree.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I know that Killer B said that as long as he was here with us the animals wouldn't attack but…" she glanced around and he did the same noting several pairs of eyes studying them from the trees.

The Uchiha sighed. "We'll sleep side by side tonight. Don't worry, if any of them attack, I'll just use genjutsu on them."

She smiled and they sat down side by side. She cautiously laid her head against his shoulder and when he didn't push her away, she relaxed further. As her breathing leveled out she sighed contentedly.

"I've dreamed of this day for so long." She murmured. "I'm so happy to be by your side."

He glanced over at her and smiled as her eyes slid closed as she slipped into oblivion. "Me too." He murmured laying his head on top of hers.

"You didn't finish as fast as Naruto did. But you had a little more on your plate than that kid." Killer B said with a nod of approval.

"Thank you very much for allowing us to come here." Sakura said with a bow.

"Where do you intend to go now?" Motoi asked as they boarded a ship.

Sasuke glanced over at Sakura. They'd been away from the village for several months and he felt that he was now ready and willing to work towards a position at Naruto's side protecting their village. In order to do that, he needed to make an effort to become a part of it again.

"We will return to The Land of Fire." He said evenly.

"Does that mean you feel your journey of redemption is over?" Motoi asked.

"No." Sasuke replied. "The fact of the matter is the ones that suffered most because of my actions are from The Village Hidden in the Leaves. It's time that I began making amends to the ones I hurt most. I can only do that by returning to the village."

Killer B smiled. "That's a good plan I do declare. I'm sure everyone will be happy to see you there."

Sasuke almost smirked at that. The Lightning ninja had grown on him, just like Naruto had.