Author's Note: TRIGGER WARNING! Mention of Sexual Assault!

Sasuke fluttered his eyes open and scanned his surroundings, a habit from being on the run as a teenager. When no danger made itself present he stretched his sore limbs and stood up. He had spent the night on the rooftop of an abandoned building. The sun was peeking over the horizon and a crisp breeze gave away the nearing wintertime. Sasuke worked out his next course of action in his head. He'd have to do some recon on the gang of delinquents, and find out what they've been up to. He knew better than to accept Kurai's word as truth without supporting evidence. The man would have to conduct some research of his own. Jumping in would not be ideal in fear that he starts a gang war so close to home.

Sasuke flung himself off the ledge aiming for the next rooftop, rolling safely onto the concrete surface before moving into a full sprint to cast himself off the next edge. He caught the distant overhang with his fingertips; the man propelled his body upwards like a primate climbing trees. Sasuke ran across thin beams and crawled up the side of buildings with ease. A child would call him a superhero running off to their next fight. How naive of them to consider the caped crusader a hero.

His destination was in sight: a poor farming district that made their bread selling crops and similar merchandise. He remembered Sakura mentioning they have good potatoes there; he also remembered blowing her off and saying there were potatoes closer to home. The tall buildings and houses quickly turned into flat farmland and tiny huts. Sasuke decided to stick to alleyways. No reason to bring unwanted attention to himself. The town was so small, he could only stay hidden for so long.

A yelling man caught his attention. They were advertising their merchandise: handmade masks. Sasuke slithered along the wall closer to the shop. The owner was busy chatting with an interested customer and her son. Sasuke's eyes were hooked on a black fox-style mask. He grabbed the item, while simultaneously dropping the coins on the counter. The owner and mother glanced down in confusion at the mysterious appearance of the coins. The little boy had a wonderstruck expression on his face as he watched the fox-mask stranger disappear behind a fruit stand.

Sasuke slowly chewed an apple from underneath his mask as he navigated the town. If he wanted information during the daytime then he'd have to visit the local stores. He stepped inside an old japanese style ramen shop. Everything was wooden inside, and he wondered if it was their lack of finances to upgrade or the aesthetic of the restaurant. Sasuke walked past a group of old folk playing dominoes at a table in the corner. A young bored-looking woman was running the counter, no doubt the niece or daughter of whoever was running this place. He was right, an older woman came from the back dressed in an apron and hairnet.

Sasuke sat down at one of the several empty stools and watched the older woman give him a joyful smile as she approached him.

"Hiya!" She greeted him in a country accent. "I'm Joy and this is my ramen shop! And this is my niece Hina."

Sasuke almost cringed from how open and friendly the woman was. He knew of places where that type of behavior could get you robbed the same night. Must be the culture. Hopefully their friendly nature would continue when he asked a couple questions.

"May I have some water, please?" he asked firmly.

"Of course! Coming right up!" Joy shouted as she returned to the kitchen.

Sasuke nodded his thanks. He shared a glance with the strangely quiet Hina, her body language was telling him she was hiding something. She pointed her body away from him and continued to shoot him glances. The man was about to speak up when a moment later, Joy came shuffling back with the water. Sasuke pulled his mask up enough to take a sip from the cool refreshment.

"You don't need to wear that mask here. Whatever you're running from won't follow you to this backwater town," Joy chuckled lightly.

Sasuke decided to stay silent and placed the empty glass on the counter.

"The strong silent type, eh? We could use that around here, maybe it'll scare the hooligans off."

Joy's smile disappeared when she realized Sasuke wasn't biting and she grabbed the glass to bring back to the kitchen.

"They come around a lot?" Sasuke called out.

Joy stopped dead in her tracks at the man's response. She didn't expect him to answer her. Nobody ever does when she mentions them. A gasp escaped her shaking body as she stared straight ahead.

"I need a place to stay for a couple nights. If you could provide, then I can help with any of your problems."

No… Stop…

"I can help."

Don't do it…

"All you gotta do is say the word."

Don't give me hope.

Joy felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She would give away that something was amiss if she turned around now. No she couldn't bring a random man into their mess. She couldn't put Hina in danger again. Not after what happened last time.

"Sorry but I can't help you with that. You're gonna have to find somewhere else," she choked out.

"Okay."

Joy listened to the retreating footsteps of their only hope and a single tear ran down her cheek at the missed opportunity. She had to convince herself that what she did was a good thing for everyone involved.

Sasuke left the ramen shop slightly disappointed at Joy's sudden turnoff. But it did reveal that this small town has some sort of ugly secret. And the rest of the day basically went exactly like his first interaction. People stared at him weirdly at any mention of gang relations, though he was very subtle with his questioning. Most people knew where the direction of the conversation was heading and shut it down beforehand.

No suspicious characters lurking around the town, not even a black cat. Nothing that screamed any red flags. Sasuke started to wonder if he got the wrong town after so much rejection during the day. Night started to rear it's dark head and people on the streets became rare. Sasuke was grateful that they, at least, had street-lamps so you couldn't be ambushed. Not that a sneak attack was one of his worries.

"You must not value your life," a hoarse voice said.

The voice came from an alleyway behind the young Uchiha. Sasuke gripped his sword handle firmly and prepared himself for a fight. The young man glanced back with a shining red glare.

"It's not me that you must be careful of."

An old homeless man made himself known to the shinobi.

"I can take care of myself," Sasuke growled.

"It is not oneself that one must worry about, but rather those around him."

Sasuke's curiosity spiked. This geezer was the only person to initiate a conversation with him all day.

"A star can see all from its position in the night sky," the man said.

"Why mention a star?" Sasuke voiced sternly.

The geezer glanced up and replied, "There's such an abundance lately that it's hard not to."

Sasuke was trying to understand the riddle thrown before him. Did the gang have eyes everywhere? Is that why everyone avoided my questioning? Uchiha couldn't bring all the details together but there must be someone tailing him. But how? Sasuke was second to none when it came to stealth and covert ops, he could hide himself from anyone.

"Maybe a glass of water will clear your head."

Sasuke glanced at the man for a moment before dashing off in the direction of Joy's shop. The wind at his back as he dashed through the empty streets. To anyone else, Sasuke was simply a shadow racing in its domain. He peered around the corner and saw two drunken men chatting outside the bar. They didn't look anything like the rest of the townsfolk. Outsiders just like him. Their drunkenness posed no threat to him. At least that was what he thought until one grabbed his shoulder as he tried to walk past them.

"Aye, the shop's closed. Come back tomorrow."

Sasuke could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath through his mask. He slapped the man's hand away and attempted to enter the ramen shop again. The other guard pushed Sasuke away from the door and pulled a knife from his pocket, while the initial man cracked his knuckles as he slipped on brass knuckles.

"I thought my buddy made himself clear."

"Aye Joy baby another round over here!" a heavy set man shouted from a table.

Joy rushed out of the kitchen with fresh drinks on the platter; she wanted to keep them happy for as long as possible. She approached the table with her signature smile and placed the cups down in front of the four men sitting at the table.

"Anything else?" Joy asked quietly.

"Nah…"

The man leered at Joy with a disturbing smirk on his face, he grabbed the woman's waist to pull her closer before smacking her ass.

"Maybe I'll get some of that tonight," he laughed to his friends.

Joy quickly strided back to the kitchen with a huge blush on her face. She never felt so embarrassed; the woman hated when they acted this way in front of her niece. Joy noticed one of the assholes getting too close to Hina and decided to step in. Which earned her a firm slap in return.

"Mind your damn business, bitch."

Hina felt wildly uncomfortable with the man pushing himself against her. The reek of putrid alcohol stung her eyes and his barnyard musk made her gag. She could feel his disgusting boner poking her thigh as he rubbed himself on her like a dog. Hina winced as the drunken man's tongue painted her cheek with saliva.

"Let's take this somewhere else," he whispered as he tugged on her arm.

Hina froze at the man's statement. The thought of being made into one of their toys caused vomit to rise up in her throat. Tears welled in her eyes as she stayed still. Joy's voice broke her out of the trance.

"No no please!" Joy begged.

"Let go of me!" Hina screamed.

The drunken man started to drag Hina in the direction of the closet.

"Leave her alone! You can have me! Just leave her alone, please!"

Joy received another backhand in response.

"I don't want your old ass! I want a young flower! I hear their screams sound the hottest."

"Please don't take her…"

Joy got on her hands and knees, practically kissing the man's shoes.

"No! Joy! I-it's fine," Hina stuttered anxiously.

Joy has saved her so many previous times. It was her turn to save Joy. For once she wanted to feel useful to her aunt, who has been suffering so much at the hands of these assholes. But she was so scared. Hina was shaking immensely at the thought of being raped in a broom closet. She wanted to be a hero, but what she really needed was a hero to save her.

A crash was heard from the entrance of the shop that stopped all activity inside. Hina glanced at the doorway where a dark figure was standing. It was the same person from earlier this morning. She noticed that one of the gang members was lying unconscious on the floor with the wooden door beneath him. Another blur of movement and a kunai was embedded in the wall behind Hina and the would-be rapist. Hina saw a thin cut open up on her attacker's cheek that began to drip blood. The man let go of her hand and fell onto his ass out of fear.

"She said to let go of her," Sasuke announced in the quiet shop.

Four men instantly surrounded Sasuke ready to jump him on a moment's notice.

"Aye Kenta, seems like this freak thinks he's some sort of tough guy," one of the men commented.

Kenta, the heavyset man, chuckled in his chair and chugged the final contents of his cup before standing up slowly. The man donned a wolf's pelt around his broad shoulders and the faded claw mark over his eye told on-lookers he was the one to slay the beast. He ran his hand through his thick beard as he approached Sasuke.

"You chose the wrong night to be a hero," Kenta remarked. "Tell you what I'm gonna do: I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life then I'm going to have my way with both of the women in front of you and there's not a single thing you can do about it."

The shop erupted in jeering laughter at their boss' statement. They knew whenever that man said he was going to do something then he'd do it without question. This stranger was in for a world of hurt.

"Wait a second, boss. This guy only has one arm!" one guy mocked.

"Oh shit! He's right!" another laughed.

"What's a freak like you gonna do with one arm?" the third taunted.

"Leave him to us, Kenta. He'll see what happens when you mess with the Sutā!" the final one yelled.

Sasuke sighed. Too much talking for his taste. He remembers when enemies were all about action and wouldn't speak a word to you until you were dying on the ground. The shinobi rathered that style of battling. He won't kill them. Sasuke wanted to send a message to their leader. The man won't even waste jutsus on these low-lifes.

Even without his Sharingan these punks were moving in slow-motion to him. The fight started and the guy behind him hadn't even moved an inch yet. Sasuke ducked underneath the incoming fist coming from his right, and donkey-kicked the foe behind him in the stomach. He did a quick spin and ax-kicked the hunched over man, slapping the face of the guy on his left with his hand. The two guys behind him were already out of the fight within two seconds. Sasuke jumped back to dodge the attacks from the two remaining foes.

One pulled out a switchblade and charged him recklessly. A swift hit to the back of elbow resulted in a sickening crunch as the man cried out in pain and dropped his weapon. The man was holding his broken arm when Sasuke delivered a sidekick to his nose. Sasuke could sense the last man rushing him from his blind spot and gracefully spun around with a roundhouse kick. The shinobi was satisfied to hear the man's jaw break on impact with his heel. The Sutā member's body twirled like a ballerina before crumpling to the floor in a heap.

"I hope you fight better than they did," Sasuke taunted Kenta.

"I'm gonna enjoy breaking every single bone in your body," Kenta growled as he stomped forward.

"I think that's quite enough, Kenny," a calm voice echoed from behind Sasuke.

Uchiha's eyes widened at the sudden noise because he hadn't sensed anyone standing in the doorway before. This presence was much more dangerous than any of these small fry. He drew his blade instantly, spinning around with killing intent. Sasuke was shocked to see his blade collide with another inches away from his target's neck. Two people were standing behind him: one was completely clad in Anbu black ops attire, while the second had priest garments on. Sasuke skipped backwards several feet to gain more space in case a fight broke out. He was wondering who these new-comers were.

"I think everyone has had enough fun tonight. If we may, I would like to take our leave," the priest announced.

"Kiyoshi! This guy has disrespected me and the gang! We can't let him live!" Kenta shouted.

"I don't believe he has, considering you were stupid enough to attack him first. The boss is always telling us to know our boundaries," Kiyoshi rebuked.

"But-"

"I do believe I said we were going to take our leave, no?" Kiyoshi snarled with a glare.

Kenta stayed silent and kept his head down. Which Sasuke found extremely strange for such a prideful man. Kiyoshi smiled and raised his hands slowly, which resulted in a bright light being emitted in the shop. When the brightness settled down, the gang members were slowly getting up. Sasuke did a double take at the miracle. He put enough force into those hits to keep those guys down for at least most of the night. How are they getting up like nothing happened? Sasuke glanced at the man dressed in priest attire. Was that a jutsu? I didn't see any hand signs.

"Forgive us for causing so much trouble," Kiyoshi bowed apologetically.

Sasuke allowed them to walk out of the ramen shop. He didn't really understand why at first. Something was telling him to stand down for the moment until he got more information. He feared that a battle between these guys would result in a rather destructive ninja battle. This wasn't the place for such chaos to unravel. So he held his tongue, a habit he's going to have to get used to.

Sasuke was in the midst of turning around when Joy ambushed him with a hug from behind. He could feel her tears wetting his cloak as she wrapped her arms around his chest. When the man tried to move away, she yanked him even closer.

"Thank you…"

"I'm simply a stranger helping out."

She finally released him in awe of his humility. Joy would eternally be in his debt. He beat them all when she couldn't even lift a finger to help her own niece. Who is this stranger? He came in with the night and moved with speed that she's never seen before. Every one of his strikes hit its mark and the fight was over in a second. Joy was shocked to see how angry Kenta was getting. Normally he was calm and collected, nobody could beat him so he had nothing to worry about. For the first time, he met his match in the presence of this random person.

Sasuke patted the woman's head in appreciation. He didn't know why he did it. He just did. He slowly moved towards the door. If there was a chance he could follow them to their hideout then he didn't want to waste it. This town had nothing for him anyway.

"We have a room you could use," Joy called out. "If you want…"

Sasuke stopped in his tracks at the offer. Don't take it. Don't intrude on their lives. No. He had unfinished business here. If he didn't remove the cancerous growth that this gang was in this town then who would? His atonement started with change. The first step was understanding the pain he caused others, second was asking for forgiveness, and third was acknowledging his sins were in the past and focusing on sculpting a better future.

"Thank you for the room."

The morning came too quickly. Sasuke never slept much anyway on account of the ceaseless nightmares. Bright rays of sun interrupted the light sleep of the man, forcing him to finally open his eyes after tossing and turning. Sasuke was thankful that his mask didn't fall off in his sleep. His identity being revealed now would only complicate things for him and others in the future.

Sasuke's ears perked up at the muffled shouts of commotion coming from behind the door. The cries of anger made Sasuke sit up in his small hay bed. He threw his cloak on and headed towards the door. To his surprise the door opened before he even touched the knob. Hina jumped back in shock and immediately started bowing her head in apology.

"I'm so very sorry, sir. I was bringing you a towel in case you wanted to wash."

Sasuke looked down at the white towel in her hand and glanced up at the scared girl. More yelling alerted the man to more important things.

"What's going on?" he asked as he pushed through the door.

"Wait no-"

Sasuke was greeted by a group of seemingly pissed off townsfolk, who were confronting a flustered Joy at the moment. Uchiha stepped out from his room and stood by the woman's side, pushing her firmly behind him.

"YOU! YOU HAVE DOOMED US ALL!" a man snapped.

Sasuke kept quiet. He wanted to know what had these people so riled up.

"Because of your heroic acts last night, Kenta increased the tax on our income as if we weren't struggling enough already."

"If you didn't butt in then none of this would ever happen!" a woman added.

"If I hadn't butt in then you would wake up to two tramautized women this morning," Sasuke corrected.

"They had it coming…" a voice murmured from the crowd.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"So you'd abandoned one of your own neighbors?"

"We're all trying to survive out here! We aren't all going to make it, that's just the way life goes."

Sasuke walked past the crowd towards the exit. He was done watching these people suffer. Nobody was going to fight for them and they've made it clear that they're not going to fight for themselves. It would take too long for him to report this mess to Naruto. It would most likely be too late before any help arrives. This was a problem he was going to have to fix himself.

"Where are you going? Haven't you done enough?"

"Things are going to get better here," Sasuke called out. "So don't worry about me."

If he was going to take on this gang by himself then the proper equipment would be necessary to fight them. He only saw a couple of members from last night but he could confirm their numbers and strength from what he saw. Sutā would prove a problem for him if he went in unprepared. It was time to pay Orochimaru a visit and see what he's been cooking up in the lab lately.