Demons Of Konoha
Chapter Three
Journey
Uzumaki Naruto was the beginning.
There was always a beginning to everything. A beginning to the path people walked in life. There was a beginning to journeys that led to life changing experiences. He managed to always end up starting these things. He also had a tendency to be late. But that's what the other one was there for right?
Naruto stared blankly ahead. Aurie and Illia were wrapped up in a conversation and leaving him to his thoughts. And there were indeed a lot to sift through. He closed his eyes and called to the only presence that had never left him only because it couldn't. Upon it's awakening he saw both Aurie and Illia glance at him. Then return to their conversation. They knew what that sensation meant. The Kyuubi no Yoko was awakening.
Naruto smiled to himself at the voice that had once always mocked him. Now it was the only thing he was sure he could always depend on. After all the fox wasn't going to be like him. The fox wasn't going to leave him alone. It wasn't going to abandon him. The fox would always be there. The fox wouldn't be like him.
The Kyuubi would not be like Sasuke.
"I know..." Naruto whispered. He glanced up at Aurie and Illia once more. He felt alienated from them. He felt more alienated from Aurie than from Illia though. The shadow girl kept too many secrets. Yet the walk towards their destination was too easy. They hadn't even run into scouts. The Kyuubi was worried. Although news in one of the villages they passed claimed the mountains were full of bloodshed. The Syndicate was in the middle of an attack. It hadn't ended it seemed as of yet and was still in progress.
Naruto scoffed at the Kyuubi's concerned ramblings. He knew the fox meant for it to sound like he was concerned solely about his own life but he knew better. The creature didn't come to his aid when he felt emotionally broken for no reason after all. It had come to care for Naruto like it's own child.
At the kyuubi's insistence he started to pay attention to his surroundings. There was something unsettling about the area. Naruto sniffed at the air. The villagers hadn't been lying. There was some battle going on nearby and people were dying. He was suddenly worrying that the Kyuubi may have been right. Maybe he shouldn't trust any of them.
Naruto frowned. He stopped walking seeing that Aurie and Illia were debating about a path to take. Focusing on what the Kyuubi had a lack of faith in. "I never said I trusted him... I can't quite trust him after what he did really... But I can trust him with my life... He had a chance once... And he never took it..."
Naruto grinned at the Kyuubi's retort. The demon didn't like the attachment to the Uchiha. He never had liked it. He had tried to help when he could at the end of everything. Yet they had together failed. This the Kyuubi understood. Both of them failed to have the will to end Sasuke's life. Directing the chakra it had taken so long to summon up from the depths of the kyuubi's cage at the forehead protector.
The one Sasuke claimed to have not needed...
Naruto sighed and shook his head. Thinking about that day brought up unpleasant memories. For himself and the Kyuubi. Neither liked to think about the day they had lost nearly everything. It was a miracle they hadn't lost their lives. It was a question Naruto intended to ask Sasuke. He believed he needed a reason as to why it had ended how it had.
If he lost to Sasuke he should've died. Sasuke said he was going to kill him. Said he was his closest friend. That therefore he had to kill him. So that Sasuke could obtain the eyes Itachi used. So either Naruto won and dragged Sasuke's sorry ass back to Konoha or he lost and Sasuke killed him. Sasuke beating him but not killing him was not one of the choices. Yet somehow it had become the chosen one.
Naruto thought carefully about the events that had unfolded that day. He had known that if the Rasengan impacted on Sasuke then his friend might have died. He had known it enough to not meet Sasuke's body. To not direct the deadly attack to the metal band on his friends forehead. Deep down he knew Sasuke would hit him with the Chidori. Yet he was certain he'd die. The fact he awoke being carried off still breathing by Kakashi had puzzled him.
The fact Sasuke didn't kill him with the Chidori bothered him even more. The raven-haired teen had every chance to kill the blonde when he fell unconscious. Yet he didn't. There was something Naruto knew he was missing from the picture. There was something that had to have prevented Sasuke from finishing the job. He hoped it was his rival's friendship with him.
"Naruto?"
Naruto frowned. They had stopped. They were staring at large doors to a gate. It reminded him vaguely of the gates to enter Konoha. Yet the symbol on the door was not of fire. "Akumu..." Naruto whispered. Walking forward till his fingertips touched the door. He breathed unsteadily.
"Naruto?"
He could hear them asking for his attention but at that moment his attention was on the door. He thought of what laid behind that door before him. There was something there that made his heartbeat quickened. There was someone there who stole his breath away. Who made him feel like he had to be loud and obnoxious? Like he had to be noticed. It took him three years to realize something about that person and him. He was still trying to deny it.
Naruto shuddered. He was here. He could sense him. He could practically smell him. He knew he was there. He knew for sure that beyond those doors his best friend was somewhere. Somewhere completely unaware of his presence in the syndicate would be Sasuke. Yet Naruto knew he was there. He was certain of it.
Even his thoughts weren't making any sense all of a sudden.
He wanted to fling the doors open and call him out. He wanted to call the Uchiha out and see him. He really wanted to see him. There was a nagging desire to see him as he was now. It had been so long. Would he look the same still? Worse? Better? He had to know. He really had to know.
Naruto still remembered him as he was. The raven hair that seemed to shine blue. Long and silky it seemed. He knew Sasuke's hair was softer than any girls too. He had been in close contact with it plenty of times. Sasuke's hair was better kept than any girls. He figured it was because everything about the Uchiha just had to be perfect. His hair had a nice smell to it too. It smelled like lavender.
Naruto could still remember those eyes. Those pools of ink that seemed to bore into him. They always seemed to find their way on him. Be it a glare, stare, or aggravated look. There was also his trademark expression that made his eyes seem like they were sparkling. Naruto was the only one who got to see his eyes like that. The only one who payed attention and saw there was always something else there. Something lurking beneath the surface of the onyx pools.
There was that skin. That was like the moon without any craters. Pale as a sheet and glowing in the moonlight. The skin was also very soft. It had reminded him of rose petals. Soft to the touch. Continuing on that comparison the thorns on this 'rose' would be his personality.
Sasuke always had this aggravating personality. He managed to make you feel like dirt. Maybe it wasn't his original intention. The Uchiha was honest in everything he did. He just acted like he thought. He didn't tend to think about the consequences. The consequences were that he hurt people's feelings. He always made up for it later though. Unknowingly returning everyone's spirits to normal with another thoughtless comment. That was Sasuke for everyone.
Stupid Sasuke.
Guy who left him behind...
Guy who always managed to tear his heart into a million pieces with his insults...
Naruto tapped his fingers experimentally on the door. He really just wanted to rush in and find the bastard. There was so much history between the two of them. A history he couldn't bring himself to ignore. He could never ignore it.
"Don't you dare!"
Naruto felt them pull him away from the looming gate. He came face to face with Illia's angry expression. Yet he thought nothing of it. He didn't need to think much of it really. They had no control over what he did about Sasuke. Yet seeing a female had got him thinking.
He remembered Sakura all at once. The pink haired teenage girl he had once had a hopeless crush on. She always had eyes for Sasuke. He wondered if she still did. He wondered if Sasuke cared for her at all. Suddenly the thought made his heart stop. What if Sasuke did care about Sakura?
Naruto bit his lower lip. Why did that thought bother him so much?
He couldn't remember anything about Sakura. Besides that her hair was pink and eyes green. Besides the forehead she consistently whined about. He remembered she had been really pretty. Yet he couldn't remember what he saw in her. He couldn't remember what made him like her so much. There had been a time where he had really cared about her. Now there was something off.
It wasn't the same affection. It was a different one. Yet the one thing he could sense for sure was that he hadn't liked the thought about Sasuke caring for Sakura. It made him jealous.
Jealousy was an emotion Naruto was familiar with. He was jealous of Sasuke. He was Jealous of Sakura. There were others too. Yet he had never felt jealousy that was rooted this deeply. Stemmed from envy really.
He was jealous because Sasuke could possibly love Sakura.
He wanted that emotion to be directed towards himself.
"Aurie..." Naruto turned to find her yellow eyes. He smiled at her. "What gets you jealous? Envious?"
Aurie shot him a bewildered expression. She glanced to Illia who looked equally confused. She then turned back to him, as she appeared to think about what he was after. She looked to the ground and bit her lower lip. Apparently thinking over the question carefully. Like she had to be very careful when she responded. If she even chose to.
"Illia? Same question..." Naruto whispered meeting the demon's narrowed eyes. He was giving Aurie the time to respond. She apparently needed time to respond. Maybe Illia could answer his question faster. "What gets you jealous? Envious?"
Illia frowned. "Jealous? Envious?" The demon Anbu thought about it quietly before responding. Her tone made Naruto sure she was responding honestly. That's what he needed though. An honest response. "There's this problem with the shinobi I lead... They follow orders given to me by our leader. Yet he isn't very fair. He's supposed to tell me what's going on. What to do directly... Yet there's another girl... On the same level as me... Yet not..." Illia smirked. "He goes to her all the time and it bothers me to hear orders from him through her... He trusts her so much and me so little... It makes me jealous that he has a relationship with her and not me... When she's the one most likely to betray him..."
Naruto smiled. "How badly do you envy that bond?" He watched the emotions play on Illia's face. She seemed to think about her response once more carefully. Then responded once more with an air of confidence.
"Enough to want her dead... Except I know that's not possible..."
"I used to get jealous a lot… I was always getting jealous…" Aurie smiled. "Then I realized there was no point… She was always horridly jealous though… She told me that people who had so much and didn't know it bothered her… Made her jealous…"
Naruto smiled. "Did she ever make you jealous?"
"She was a hypocrite… She had so much and ruined it all…" Aurie glared at the doors. "She ruined the life she had and all friendships… Any chance of a friendship with me… She's lucky she's…" Aurie cut herself off. "Why'd you ask that?"
Naruto chuckled. "I'm in love with him..."
Aurie gasped while Illia frowned. She glanced to the gate and seemed to be muttering something to herself before recomposing herself and responding to him. "So why the question about jealously?"
Naruto frowned. "I don't know what I'd do if he liked her more… I suppose I'd be jealous… Of her… Maybe I'd end up really upset… I don't think I'd go as far as killing her…"
Illia frowned. "Who is this person?"
"The lucky girl he'd love..."
Aurie watched him again before frowning and staring up. "No one ever said he was either straight or gay… He never paid attention to her before… Why would he start now?"
Naruto shrugged. "He had one goal out of the way… The next one is to restore his clan…"
"Be careful Naruto…" Aurie whispered. "He may not be the Sasuke you love anymore… Remember that… He has changed…"
"It's been nearly six years…" Illia whispered.
Naruto managed to keep control of his expressions as Aurie pushed open the door into the Syndicate. She seemed to ignore him and walked into the Akumu compound. Illia followed and motioned him to follow silently. He didn't even bother to think about why they could just enter Akumu. Instead he hesitated for another reason. If he stepped into the Syndicate there'd be no turning back. After a moment he followed.
What string of events was he about to begin?
Had Sasuke changed?
What chaos would he bring with this start?
Haruno Sakura was the center of everything.
Between the beginning and the end. Always trapped between was the middle. The center. It's what Sakura felt like. She was always in the center of something between her teammates.
Right then she really didn't mind. She dropped to the ground evading the array of weapons being flung in all directions. Sakura rolled to the side to rest at Rock Lee's side. She glanced up at him and smiled, reaching up to his knee and freeing a kunai that had somehow impacted. Then focusing her chakra on healing the knee quickly. She disliked the sight of blood but ignored it as best she could. She needed to be careful and not end up like Tsunade did, afraid of the very sight of blood.
Rock Lee grinned at her and rushed forward again. Leaving Sakura's side into the fray once more. It had been like this for the last few hours. The Syndicate knew they were coming. They apparently didn't want them there. But they weren't going to let that stop them. No they intended to make their way through to the headquarters.
A surge of chakra and a healthy amount of the projectiles went flying back at their opponent. Neji glanced to Rock Lee before both charged forward to close the gap between all of them. Sakura smiled and picked herself up.
Neji and Rock Lee had taken it upon themselves to push back their enemies. Kyu was in charge of scouting quickly up ahead for any more of them. He also took out what he could. Then reported back to Shikamaru who tried to think of a useful strategy. Ino was on stand by practically. She waited for Shikamaru to give her orders. Her specialty was infiltration. In a fight she was a bit lacking. She smiled seeing Sakura's gaze on her. Then shifted to focus ahead on the battle.
Neji and Rock Lee reappeared after a moment and nodded to Shikamaru. The Byakugan eyed teen spoke after a tense silence. "From what I can tell they're pulling back... We appear to be very close to the headquarters now..."
"And Kyu?"
Dust flew into the air as said member reappeared. He panted and slumped to the ground. Sakura winced counting the traps he had apparently set off. Kyu shot her a glance before getting up. He was being stubborn. When he managed to stay on his feet he turned his attention to Shikamaru.
"I overheard them conversing. An order was given by the Lady of the Golden Sun to fall back..." Kyu frowned. "By the expressions on their face I'm guessing its one of 'them'..."
"Them?" Sakura frowned. She met Shikamaru's gaze. He sighed and shook his head. Like she should've known what Kyu had meant.
"Akumu and Akatsuki have the same basic structure in a way. They have members who hold a higher status than others who give out the orders. There's the Lady of the Silver Moon and the Lady of the Gold Sun. They order around the members of the Syndicate collectively. They answer to the Syndicate leader only referred to as the Nightmare Weaver in code." Kyu muttered. Catching Shikamaru's expression he elaborated. "So by them it means the upper hierarchy..."
Shikamaru nodded. "Thanks Kyu." He motioned to all of them to come in closer. They waited as he thought carefully before delivering his orders. "They're waiting for us now... That's for sure if they ordered them to fall back..."
Ino frowned and glanced up. "I guess that answers the question that's been on everyone's minds... Uchiha knows we're coming..." She closed her eyes and sighed. "I don't think he's been expecting us... But I guess now he knows..."
"But why would he give us a free path to the Syndicate?"
Shikamaru sighed. He was worried now about the safety of the team. If Sasuke knew they were coming than he was probably prepared for nearly everything. "Those members we fought off... They were reporting back probably... They should know who we are... It's not going to be easy to get in now..."
"Shikamaru?" Sakura stepped away and frowned. "What's the plan?" She glanced off towards their target. She was nervous that Sasuke knew they were coming. She could see the same anxiety on everyone else's face as well. Somehow she had a feeling the success of their mission was starting to become nearly impossible.
Kyu groaned and shook his head. "So now what?"
Shikamaru seemed to be thinking hard about what to do. He started walking. They had till they made it to the Syndicate. He needed to think of a strategy that would ensure his teams safety. Yet it seemed like it was just getting more complicated as they progressed. "Assuming that Uchiha has capably killed his own brother... He must be very powerful by now..."
"Uchiha must be relying heavily on his Sharigans..." Neji commented
Shikamaru frowned. "I don't like the feeling I'm getting from any of this... They anticipate the attack... They wore us out... We're less than a mile from the Syndicate... And... Ino!" Shikamaru was suddenly at Ino's side. Pulling her falling form close to him.
Sakura blinked seeing the pained expression on Ino's face. She was clutching her head. Much like she had when Sakura had forced her out of her body during the Chunnin exam. She was crying out in sudden pain. "Ino..." Suddenly remembering why she was there she crouched down next to Ino and looked her over carefully. She hadn't been wounded earlier. So the damage was elsewhere.
"Get out!" Ino screeched. Clawing at her head. Shikamaru eventually managed to stop her. He did so by restraining her hands and pushing her to the floor. Ino was starting to struggle to be released. Yet Shikamaru had drawn the same conclusion as Sakura. She was trying to free herself from someone else's hold. "GET OUT!"
Shikamaru growled. "How much further from here is the Syndicate?"
Neji turned to Kyu who had actually scouted the land farther then his Byakugan could see. "How far is it from here? You were supposed to scout ahead."
Kyu made an annoyed noise before thinking for a moment. "Only about a ten minute run from here if we try moving onto the main road..." He winced at another screech from Ino and frowned. Moving closer as Sakura tried restraining her friend. Kyu's eyes flickered in an inner debate before commenting. "Tell her to relax... She won't be able to toss the presence in her mind... She's not strong enough to do that and keep herself in tact... Tell her to relax..."
Shikamaru shot him a confused look before Lee made his way over. "He wouldn't lie about this! He's not as heartless as he'd like us to think! Trust him!"
Sakura stared into Kyu's eyes momentarily before focusing on Ino. "Ino stop fighting it. Whatever it is. Let it stay. Don't struggle. Please? Shikamaru needs you!" Shikamaru caught on quickly it seemed as he moved closer and held Ino carefully. Reassuring her with his touch. So Sakura continued as it seemed Ino was calming. "Listen Ino... I know you don't like loosing... But for once lose this battle..."
"Ino..."
Suddenly Ino returned Shikamaru's reassuring squeezes and sat up. She stood quietly before pointing at the Syndicate. "Naruto's at the Syndicate..."
Sakura backed into Lee. Her eyes were wide in disbelief. She hadn't just heard that name from Ino's lips. Naruto. What did he have to do with anything? "What? He did that to you?"
Ino shot Sakura an annoyed expression and shook her head. "Of course not... It was something else... Something... Not human... Not entirely demonic either... Whatever it was told me Naruto's at the Syndicate also after Sasuke..." The blonde looked around at the confused faces before starting to make her way towards the main road.
Sakura recovered as Ino disappeared and the others began moving. As she moved to join them Rock Lee held her back. His arms wrapped around her in a gentle restraint. She stopped trying and looked down at the ground. "Lee... Do you trust me?"
"Of course I do... I love you Sakura..." Lee kept his gaze forward. Times like these reminded him why he didn't like her on the same missions. "But... We're talking about facing your former teammates past those gates..."
Sakura shifted and managed to turn in his hold. She watched him carefully before responding. There was no smile on her face. No return of his loving words. They were in the middle of a mission. One he doubted her one. She was hurt again. Yet she straightened and narrowed her eyes. "Let go of me Lee..."
Rock Lee pulled away obediently.
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes..."
"Do you trust Naruto?"
"Yes..."
She already knew the answer to her next question. Yet out of need she needed to ask. "Do you trust Sasuke?"
"No." The answer was firm and immediate. Rock Lee's normally shining eyes were dark at the Uchiha's mention. He turned to Sakura. "And he's the target Sakura..."
Sakura nodded. "Lee... I..." She couldn't say it. She was afraid of causing more pain. What if her feelings changed later? "I'm your equal here... No... I'm even higher than you are at this moment... I understand what I'm here to do... And I can't do it if you don't trust me completely... Whether or not you love me..."
Rock Lee nodded and took off in a run. Leaving Sakura to her thoughts. He also needed to hide from her the hurt her words had brought. He caught up easily to the others at the gate and they waited. About twenty minutes later Sakura arrived. Her eyes focused forward. "What's the plan?"
"Easy... We go in and bring Sasuke back to Konoha alive..." Sakura snapped pushing past everyone and flinging the gates open. "SASUKE!"
Shikamaru frowned. He threw Ino a glance before moving to Sakura's side and he began scanning the terrain. It was a clear courtyard before the Syndicate's grand layout. The pathway they stood on still led forward. Up to a door. The door that led into the Syndicate was there before them. "Tch... Women..."
"SASUKE! COME OUT HERE!"
Sakura always found herself in the middle. In the middle of a squadron that had been working together for a few years now. In the middle of the problems with the three Sennin. In the middle of her team.
There was the sun and the moon. Naruto and Sasuke. She was stuck between both. Enduring their moods and arguments. Their faults and strengths. She was always stuck in the middle.
If she ceased to be middle ground she worried for them. They would either kill each other or settle their problems. She hoped for the latter yet it seemed highly unlikely. So instead she remained the middle ground.
The conscience voice that told Naruto to stay away from Sasuke and ignore his feelings for his safety.
The conscience voice that told Sasuke to stay away from Naruto so he'd be safe from his insanity.
There was no voice there for her in that group.
She was just the middle of it all…
Yet now calling out one side and hoping the other would follow…
Sakura was now taking a stand…
She had no idea how much danger moving from the middle would be…
Uchiha Sasuke felt like the end to everything.
There was an end to everything. Just like there was a beginning. Yet the end and the beginning could coincide with one another. The line between the two blurred. Because when ending things others began. A never-ending cycle. Begin. End. Begin. End.
He seemed to have a knack for ending things. He ended his loyalty to Konoha. He managed to end his relationship with his best friend. Yet he couldn't end his life. He was incapable of doing so. Now he had ended his brother's life and ANY chance of being allowed to return to Konoha by joining Akumu. The decision to take over upon the death of the leader had ended any chance of avoiding a death sentence.
For once he wished he didn't have that ability to end everything around him. For those reasons the raven-haired teen was making his way from the head office to the door in the same corridor. The door to Tsuki's room. He hesitated at the door slightly. He was afraid to end the friendship he had with Tsuki. It made no sense at times but she was the last person who tried to keep him from falling too deeply into insanity. After the method he had used to get information he had seen her shoot him angry glances. She deserved an apology at least to keep her from turning on him.
Sasuke made up his mind and knocked lightly. There was no response. He stared at the door carefully. Then slid it open certain his friend was there. Sure enough across the room he met her violet glare. A violent one that promised violence if he treaded any further. He scowled.
"What Uchiha? Expecting me to trust you after that stunt?" Tsuki hissed. Her eyes seemed to spark with chakra. They were flickering.
Sasuke leaned against the doorway. "Not really... Especially since I just threw you out with a threat of more pain..." He had seen the female like this before. He knew that there was no reason yet to be frightened. It was when her chakra changed that a danger became evident. "I came to apologize..."
Tsuki couldn't hide her surprise. She just gaped and her eyes dulled. She shot him a curious suspicious look before shifting on her bed. She seemed to think quickly before sighing and shaking her head. "Jerk..." She motioned for him to enter and chuckled. "You put me through a lot of pain Uchiha... Don't think you're off the hook quite just yet..."
Sasuke shrugged as he entered and slid the door shut. He didn't advance any further though. He leaned against the door and studied Tsuki quietly.
She noticed his studying and frowned. "What's wrong now Uchiha?" She moved to the edge of her bed and draped over the edge as she reached for her things. She picked up a band for her hair and pulled it back slowly. "You've got that look again..."
Sasuke shot her an annoyed glare and she returned it by a rude hand gesture.
"Answer the question."
Sasuke scowled. "I was just thinking..." He moved his gaze to the only window in Tsuki's room. There was something hanging there. Actually he had never seen that hanging there before. Before he tried to cross the room he heard Tsuki shift again. So he turned to her and met an expression he didn't see to often. A guilty one. He frowned and decided to explain. "I hurt you... Yet you forgive so easily..."
Tsuki barked in amusement. "Trust me. People have done worse." She smiled at him. "The only thing is I don't scar... So you would never know right?" She got up unsteadily and blinked. She reached a hand up to her forehead and scowled. "I do have one hell of a headache now though thanks to you. " She met his gaze and smiled. "Stop worrying Uchiha... You didn't ruin our friendship..."
Sasuke blinked in surprise. Had that concern been that evident?
Tsuki looked away to the floor. She crouched and went through her things carefully. Her attention no longer on watching Sasuke in her room. "Orochimaru can't ruin it either..."
Sasuke frowned at the name. His Sharigans had burned beneath his eyes at the Sennin's name. He closed his eyes and remembered the white skinned body snatcher. He had nearly lost everything to him. He really could've ended his life three years ago. He had lost all hope. There was no one there to save him. Then Akumu had raided Sound Village. It had been the first act of war upon Akatsuki.
He could still bring up the images of the utter chaos that had ensued. He still remembered his first impression of Tsuki. A frail looking female Shinobi standing to the right of the leader of Akumu. To the leader's right had stood a female demon. The orders that were screamed. It was a mess of blood. Chakra exploding everywhere.
Orochimaru had tried to possess him there and then. Tsuki had interfered and saved Sasuke's life. She had reminded him that he couldn't die there. He wasn't going to just let his dream go so quickly away. With her words he had rejected Orochimaru somehow and Tsuki killed the Sennin.
He then remembered vaguely passing out and when he awoke Sound was ruined. Akatsuki never came to its aid. In the Akumu syndicate he learned more from demons and Tsuki before Itachi came looking for them. The leader of the Syndicate fell to his brother and he killed Itachi...
He shook his head. Tsuki was supposed to be the next in line to control the Syndicate. She chose Sasuke as the new leader though. He owed everything to her really. So he couldn't ruin this friendship just yet.
Tsuki was moving around the room slowly. She paused at her window before turning to the Uchiha. "The only friendship you've managed to continually ruin would be the friendship with Naruto. Everyday you endanger it by being the leader around here..."
"You put me here..." He replied easily. "And you never told me why..."
"If I asked you a question would it help you understand why I'm here?" Tsuki asked curiously. She grinned seeing the confusion flicker in his eyes. "Well?"
Sasuke didn't move. His eyes flickered with a few emotions.
"Why do mortal creatures fear death?"
Sasuke frowned. He looked her over unsteadily. He hadn't expected that question. "I don't understand... Why does that explain why you're here?" He moved closer but kept his distance. Sasuke stared at Tsuki carefully and waited for her to reply.
Tsuki smiled. "I never understand that pure horrific fear that crosses any creature's features as they realize that its about to die. I want to. Till I get that answer I'll hang around longer than I should..."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He understood what she meant. Tsuki had been stabbed, burned, hung, and more and there she stood. If Orochimaru wanted a secret to immortality Sasuke was sure Tsuki held the answer. Yet she was careful not to reveal the secret behind her powers.
Tsuki suddenly shifted her violet eyes flickering to a dangerous glow. "The gates..."
Sasuke turned to walk to the window, to take a look towards the gate. He didn't hear anything, so there couldn't have been an attack right?
"The Lady of the Golden Sun has returned to the Syndicate..." Tsuki whispered. She was suddenly flying into full motion. "Why so early?"
Sasuke felt the familiar feeling of Tsuki's chakra wrap around the Syndicate. He waited as she pulled him into a connection with her mentally. He could hear her thoughts dimly. They were a scrambled mess at the moment. She seemed really stunned. Like their fellow companion shouldn't have been there at all. The connection was momentarily lost before returning. "What was that?" He looked to her for his answers. She was breathing hard like she had been hit hard with something. Her eyes had flown to object hanging in the window. Then to Sasuke as she seemingly recovered.
"Intruders!" She hissed. The two were in motion automatically. Tsuki grabbed her weapons and started getting dressed hurriedly. Sasuke just grabbed weapons. He was already dressed. Soon Tsuki was ready and heading for the door. Sasuke could read uncertainty from Tsuki. His Sharigans came to life and the connection solidified. He had learned the trick from the female long ago. It was helpful in determining the loyalty of subordinates. Also in determining if Tsuki was stable enough for a fight.
Her mind was eerily silent. Not the usual inferno of anger and excitement. He ignored it and tried to reach out for the last of the three. Yet he couldn't. He shot Tsuki a look. She reassured him mentally. The other was safe from harm. Yet wouldn't help it seemed. Then Sasuke focused on wrapping his power around with Tsuki's. This was their battleground. Any intruder would fall victim to the way they fought here.
Itachi hadn't stood a chance.
Sasuke flinched. There had been something off this time. His heartbeat had quickened. He heard some cheerful thoughts about him. It was from somewhere in the Syndicate's walls. Then like the connection was cut Tsuki brought his attention to the intruders. Sasuke tensed. "That's..."
Tsuki growled. Then stormed from the room. It was obvious her day had gotten worse. "Shit…"
"Sakura..." Sasuke followed Tsuki and clenched his fists. One of the intruders was clearly Sakura. The silly thoughts of the pink haired female had been automatically recognizable amidst her companions. He pried further and realized what they were up to. They were there to capture him. And Tsuki. He couldn't allow them to succeed. It was obvious Tsuki didn't intend to lose.
As they reached the doors to the courtyard Tsuki stopped, her hand on the door. "Uchiha?"
Sasuke sneered. This would be a good time to test his strength against the best Konoha had to offer. "Let's end this... Now..."
Begin. End. Begin. End.
The vicious cycle would continue. An end was always to be on the horizon. Sasuke would one day come to terms with that fact. But for now he'd focus on Sakura's appearance. He had to stop her beyond the door Tsuki stood standing by.
"Ready?" Tsuki chuckled darkly.
Sasuke strode forward and flung the doors open and immediately was met with startled green eyes. "Sakura..." Sasuke smirked recovering from the shock quickly. "Get out..."
He didn't have a problem bringing an end to this friendship...
He was after all the end of their team chain...
With that his Sharigan's commenced spinning…