After the fight with Naruto, Sasuke had made his way to Orochimaru's hideout, knowing that he was leaving behind everything he had ever known and called home. For the first few days, he didn't even miss his friend, team seven, or his home. Fir the first few days, he had the resolve to move forward and grow strong, so that he could kill his own brother. That one single goal clouded all the rest of his existence.
Several months into the torture that Orochimaru called training, Sasuke had started to really mourn what he had lost. By then, it was far too late to go back, not to mention that he was constantly under surveillance and had no easy way of escaping. His cell had become his own prison, and what bothered Sasuke most was that he had agreed to it so willingly.
Every day Sasuke practiced in the training area and focused on his chakra. The day Orochimaru and Kabuto came to visit was no different from any of the other days, save that they'd come. The snake-man didn't look quite like himself, although Sasuke had no idea why at the time, and Kabuto was ass-kissing, as usual.
"You've progressed quite a bit," Orochimaru said after watching Sasuke for a few minutes.
"I want to become strong enough to kill Itachi. That's all there is to it!"
Orochimaru nodded and said, "You will."
From that day forth, it all blurred into a seemingly endless cycle of training, sleeping, and then training more. Sasuke lived with it and accepted it but never failed to miss his friends or hate his brother. Three years and went without much change and no relief from the darkness. For those three years, Sasuke learned to stew and think for days at a time, to hold grudges, and to hate. He was vaguely aware that the other people under Orochimaru hated and despised him, and he shared the same feelings towards them. But in part, he also failed to care.
One night, Sasuke had stayed up later than usual, practicing a new technique, and Kabuto found him there, in the training room, half asleep. The medic nin with his silver hair and unreadable eyes, hidden behind a pair of glasses, seemed less than surprised as he approached and kicked the raven-haired boy.
"Get up. He's waiting for you!" Kabuto said emotionlessly.
Dragging himself up off the floor, Sasuke followed Kabuto, cursing under his breath. They wandered through dark halls, into an area that Sasuke had not even been aware of. Eventually Kabuto stopped, and grabbing, Sasuke's arm, pulled him forward. Sasuke stumbled, then caught himself and looked around.
There were all sorts of vials and jugs on the table beside him. Farther in the distance, sat the snake-man. He was glaring at Sasuke and licked his lips as the boy drew closer. For a moment longer, the two stared at each other, and then Orochimaru smiled a cruel smile and motioned for Kabuto to leave.
"You know why you're here, correct?" he asked Sasuke.
The raven nodded slightly, and Orochimaru went on. "Today is the day. With your sharingan and my techniques, your brother will go down. No need to worry there. And, I promise you'll be there to witness the excitement. Your body looks so delicious…"
Orochimaru's tongue reached out and licked one of Sasuke's ears. It was only then that Sasuke really realized what was about to happen. Fear gripped him, and he was about as close to panic as he had ever come. The snake man approached and put his hands on Sasuke's shoulders, still grinning.
Backing away, Sasuke formed the seals for a fire jitsu, then turned and ran. Orochimaru went after him, and so did Kabuto, but fear is one great motivator. Tired as he was, Sasuke still managed to outrun them for a moment. He took turns hiding and running through the maze that was Orochimaru's base. By almost pure accident, he reached day light.
Shielding his eyes from a sun he hadn't seen in three years, he made his way up a tree, then ran again as fast as he dared through the foliage. Before long, though, he grew too tired to move and collapsed, falling off the branch he was on and into a shallow stream. He hit his head on a sharp rock and saw his own blood in the water as the stream carried him away.
Orochimaru had already sent his minions after Sasuke, and the raven didn't stand a chance. His skin burned from exposure to the sun, and he was both fatigued and hungry. Only sheer luck kept him alive for the next few hours. He was found by a rather unlucky boy who had been playing with paper boats and dragged home to the boy's mother.
Sasuke didn't remember too much after that. He was pretty sure at least a few weeks passed, but not how much time or what had happened. All he knew for a fact was that he awoke one morning to birds chirping and a woman kneeling over him. Less than ten minutes later, he had left the house and resumed his trek, afraid that if he stayed anywhere, Orochimaru would find him again.
For reasons no one would truly know, he blamed all of his misfortunes on himself and Itachi. He wandered through the forests, not quite himself and not quite willing to understand what had happened. Because of the concussion and aided by Sasuke's own confusion, he really was struggling to make sense of what was happening and to remember where to go and what to do. Instinct took over, and it had taken a near miracle for the ANBU team to catch him and bring him back.
---
"Wow," Naruto said softly, stroking Sasuke's forehead. "No wonder things went a little crazy once you got back. You should've told someone sooner, you know."
Sasuke seemed to think for a moment. "I couldn't…before…"
"Yeah, well, it's all on tape, and Old Granny isn't going to hold a grudge against you," Naruto said with a smile. "But you should rest now. Tomorrow will be a new day."
"Itachi?" Sasuke made that single word a question.
Naruto chewed on his lip for a moment. "We have no idea where he went or what happened. Jyriah was going to go find out, but he's an old pervert so I doubt he'll find anything useful. Except girls…"
Sasuke leaned back and relaxed, looking like he would fall asleep again. Softly he muttered something about love before the boat to dreamland came and took him away. Naruto kissed his forehead and then left the room, heading straight for the hokage's office.
