Chapter 88

Hard Decisions: Shifting Pieces

Consciousness gradually returned to Sasuke.

Bleary eyes awoke to a fogged, white ceiling, blinking and squinting in an arduous struggle to dispel the haze and locate his surroundings. His mind, his memory, his thoughts were tangled up in a gooey, intricate spiders web; it restrained the Uchiha, made traversal from this state between unconsciousness and consciousness almost impossible.

Why did his limbs feel so heavy?

How did he get here?

Where was here?

Beneath him, he distinguished the comfort of a bed and pillow greeting his back and head. Nothing luxurious as a high-end spa, but not the stiff earth at a camp either. He felt…strangely warm around his head. Not a flu or a fever; the warm sensation soothed, tender in its application from the slender hand resting on his forehead.

Medical Ninjutsu, he processed drowsily.

Which meant here was the hospital.

Why, though? What happened? What brought him here?

Sasuke blinked rapidly. Squeezed his eyes shut tight. Then blinked rapidly again.

After one blink a small blur tainted the vision in his left eye, and then was gone in the next. Another blink returned it. If he possessed the energy he'd have exhaled an annoyed breath, but he didn't. Too drained to try. Too drained to care.

Scanning the area from his supine position, the Uchiha lifted his chin to set his eyes on a familiar figure hovering next to him—the Hokage's assistant, Shizune. She was applying the Medical Ninjutsu to his head. Nice of her, considering he couldn't remember why he needed it.

The medic noticed the slight movement of his head and locked eyes with him. She smiled, relieved and warm.

"Good, you're waking up!"

Against the weariness overwhelming him, Sasuke attempted to sit up—he didn't get far. Shizune gently rested her free hand on his shoulder, applying just enough pressure to coerce his continued immobilization.

"Try not to move too much yet, Sasuke. Let me finish tending to your injuries first then we'll see about sitting you up. Okay?"

"Yeah," he agreed tiredly.

Heeding the orders of the Hokage's assistant was probably the wise choice. He still couldn't remember why he was even here. A battle, obviously. Or an intense spar where an accident occurred. Sasuke was sure he'd remember as soon as his brain freed itself from the entangled, gooey web ensnaring it with an Escape Jutsu.

Shizune's treatment took another minute or two to complete. As she worked, applying Medical Ninjutsu to the tender bruises he hadn't realized were there until she touched them, she asked him cognitive testing questions.

What was his name?

What was her name?

Did he recognize their location?

What was the name of his Village?

What was the last date he remembered?

At first the questions seemed annoyingly over cautious. That final question slapped him with a dose of unmerciful reality. Was I put in a coma? Have months or years passed?

Fortunately, the last date he remembered was the current date. However the seriousness of that question, and the piercing spike of dread it caused, kept him obedient through the rest of her tests.

"Sasuke, I want you to follow my fingers without moving your head, okay?" she asked, straightening her index and middle finger and curling the others close.

He complied. With his eyes only, he followed the meticulous movements of her fingers from side to side. Up and down. In a circle.

"Any impairments to your vision?"

"No."

It had taken time, more than he anticipated, but the obscuring fog had finally lifted. He could feel his brain awaking from its dormant slumber. The rest of his body remained wholly sapped of energy, but he'd take any small victory he could at this point.

"What about your hearing? Can you hear me clearly?"

"Yes."

"No problems with the muscles controlling your eye movement," Shizune noted as she lowered her hand. Unfastening a penlight hanging on her kimono, she leaned over the Uchiha, rested a hand on his forehead and aimed the light into his left eye. Then his right.

"Pupillary response is good." She shut off the light and clipped the penlight onto her kimono again. "How do you feel overall? Dizzy? Nauseous? Headache?"

"Just exhausted."

"Mm. Any tingling or pinprick sensations in your limbs?"

"No."

"So you can feel and move your hands and feet? Toes and fingers?"

Sasuke flexed them all to be certain. "Yeah."

Shizune nodded. She lifted his right hand up. "Squeeze my hand as hard as you can. Good. Now again with the other. Okay. You've done really well so far. Now, what is the last thing you remember? Location? People you were with? Anything at all."

The details she asked for were concealed behind thin, almost transparent veils where shadows of memories danced like an extravagant shadow puppet theater. Sasuke shut his eyes to concentrate.

"I was…" Clear flashes of memories struck him. "I was with Amari. We were training—sparring. She won."

One of these days I won't be the one sitting in the grass.

"Anything else?"

The further he dug into his memories, the more the web burned away. Dancing shadow puppets became visible people.

"We sat together afterwards to talk."

"What did you two talk about?"

"Our spar first. Then we settled an argument we had a few weeks ago. Afterwards we talked about the future."

Purposefully vague answers to hide their intentions for the Foundation.

We'll burn it to the ground.

Sasuke opened his eyes. "And then some of Orochimaru's goons attacked us. They called themselves the Sound Four."

"You fat idiot!" Tayuya screamed. "You killed her!"

Again, like the earth beneath him suddenly vanished, his heart jumped into his throat.

Amari…

No. No. It couldn't be true. Those shinobi had to be wrong. She couldn't be dead. She just…she couldn't be. But the Uchiha remembered her still body. The kunai knives lying at angles in limp hands.

"Amari…" He slammed his eyes shut against the welling sensation of tears. His fingers curled into the hospital bed. "She— I couldn't— I tried—"

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," Kurenai's voice trembled. "I tried…I tried to protect her…but I…"

This was how Kurenai felt back then, back when Amari was kidnapped by the Akatsuki. This terrible sinking feeling in his gut, this feeling like he was drowning even though he wasn't underwater, these frightening sensations of dread and sorrow and guilt that made the entire world feel like it was fracturing right before his eyes.

Only this time she wasn't kidnapped. This time she was…

"Amaririsu is alive, Sasuke." Shizune's soft voice was a salve of its own.

The Uchiha choked. His eyes snapped open, releasing the tears he restrained. Horror may have overcome his pride if he wasn't so damn relieved to hear those three words.

"She's alive? You're sure?" he demanded.

Shizune nodded then lifted her chin towards the opposite side of the room. "She's right over there. Unconscious, but alive."

The Uchiha never bolted upright so fast in his life, not even from nightmares of the massacre. Sure enough, lying in a bed across from him in this spacious hospital room was Amari. An oxygen mask hugged her face, her eyes remained shut. But he could see her breathing. See her chest rising and falling.

More tears he hadn't shed in years streamed beyond his fortified dam.

"You…stubborn…" he choked out hoarsely, warm tears pouring down his face.

Relief. Concern. Happiness. Guilt. Sasuke was a mess inside. He didn't care, though.

Amari was alive.

It took him an extra moment to notice her aunt and Atsuko hovering around her bed while the Hokage applied Medical Ninjutsu to his clan-sister. Shikaku was already on his way over to him.

Sasuke attempted to jump out of his bed to check on her. Shizune's hand stopped him, again.

"Easy there, Sasuke," she calmed. "You're not one hundred percent yet."

"Listen to Shizune, Sasuke," Shikaku's laid back voice eliminated any argument he may have formed. "You're recovering from a concussion and chakra exhaustion. Take it easy while you can. You may be on your feet sooner than you expect."

"Is she going to be all right?" he asked urgently.

Shikaku cast a long gaze back to his niece. "Overall, the physical injuries you both received weren't nearly as severe as they could have been. You escaped with a few intense bruises and a concussion. That giant broke 'Risu's ribs when he landed on her."

Pulling himself together, Sasuke wiped away his tears. "So they were trying to trick me?"

"No." The firm answer startled him. "'Risu did die. Her heart stopped when that giant decided to use her body to cushion his fall. However, because of your quick action, and Atsuko bringing her straight to Lady Hokage, her life was saved."

A puzzled expression overcame Sasuke. "My…quick action?"

The elder Nara's eyes returned to him. Something about the razor sharp intellect and personal nature of this situation made him more intimidating than the Uchiha ever remembered.

"Tell me, what's the last thing you remember?"

"They…they were arguing about Amari's death. Tayuya was screaming at Jirōbō for killing her. Orochimaru wanted her, too, and it sounded like her death was going to get him killed when Orochimaru found out."

"Jirōbō is the giant then? And Tayuya is the kunoichi?" Sasuke nodded. "What about the Spider and the one with the conjoined twin? Did they have anything to say?"

"Kidōmaru, the guy with six arms, confirmed it wasn't a trick. Sakon claimed the entire plan was jeopardized by her death. Before it happened Sakon was positive they had something to make Amari leave the Leaf to join Orochimaru, and that I'd follow her without even trying to stop her."

"Hm," Shikaku scratched at his goatee. "He must think he can somehow twist 'Risu's love for the Leaf into hatred. Which means he likely meant to tell her of the Foundation."

Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "How do you know about that?"

"I've been around long enough," the Nara smirked slightly. "The Crows and I have been keeping an eye on their movements ever since Shisui passed his warning on through 'Risu, Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi."

Admittedly, he hadn't considered that. Of course Amari spoke to her uncle about the truth. Their relation to one another made him one of the few people she could trust, to speak her mind without being doubted.

"Looks like she's brought you into this small circle of trust, too," Shikaku noted. "Make sure you aren't reckless with this information you now wield. Patience is our ally. In time we'll act."

Sasuke nodded silently.

"Anyway, is their argument the last thing you remember?"

The haze was thickest around those memories. Thicker than Zabuza's Hidden Mist Jutsu. Yet he tried to claw the information forth.

"Sakon…ordered them to take her eyes. I…remember my eyes hurting. Black fire. It formed a ring around Amari. Jirōbō is screaming." He brought his hand to his face. "Did I…do that?"

"Yes. Do you remember the prerequisite of 'Risu unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"Yeah, it was the pain of losing Shisui."

"There was a misunderstanding among the Uchiha Clan in regards to the Mangekyō Sharingan. It became widely believed that to evolve the Sharingan to the Mangekyō Sharingan, one had to slay a close friend, or a person they loved."

"Kill your best friend."

That…that was exactly what Itachi told him to do.

"However, according to 'Risu's father, the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan required only for a person to witness the death of someone they loved. They didn't need to wield the blade themselves."

Shikaku's eyes drifted back to Amari. "When 'Risu died, the intense and immeasurable pain and grief you felt from her loss unlocked your Mangekyō Sharingan. From what I can tell, you unlocked the power your brother Itachi wields—the Amaterasu. At least in one eye.

"When Jirōbō moved to steal 'Risu's eyes for his master, you unleashed that power on him and set his arm ablaze. Kidōmaru severed the limb to prevent the fire from consuming his comrade. The other ability you gained appeared to give you more control over it than your brother possesses, which is how that ring of fire you remember was created."

"I…don't remember how I did it," Sasuke admitted. "It's…like a giant haze. Or…like there are holes punched through the memories of that moment. I can piece together little bits. I can almost see and hear different parts of it, but…it's incomplete, or incoherent."

"Memory loss is an unfortunate result of the concussion you suffered," Shizune informed.

"Shisui experienced a similar circumstance," the Nara nodded sagely. "He, too, unlocked his Mangekyō Sharingan after witnessing the death of a close friend, and suffered a concussion during the battle when it occurred. Afterwards, he had no recollection of using the Mangekyō or how to activate it.

"According to Atsuko, it took another moment of intense emotion for him to re-trigger it. The same might happen for you. Or, perhaps, you'll remember. Whatever the case may be, you must never use this power as a crutch or flaunt its power recklessly. There is no way for us to reverse the blindness caused by the Mangekyō Sharingan."

"I understand."

"Good," Shikaku nodded once.

Approaching clicks of a heeled shoe drew their attention to the approaching Hokage, a stern expression on her youthful face. She halted at the edge of his bed.

"Sasuke, I know this all may be a bit overwhelming right now, but I need you to tell us everything you can about these four shinobis abilities. Strengths, weaknesses, anything you know will be helpful."

She was right: This whole situation felt overwhelming, almost like their first encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, or feeling Zabuza's killing intent for the first time. He'd gone from fighting a tough battle, to believing his clan-sister was dead, and now learning she was alive. A lot was being thrown at him all at once, and he was supposed to process it all so quickly?

He wanted to ask for a minute to breathe or…something. But, after a deep breath, he began explaining all he and Amari had learned of the Sound Four's abilities. The urgency of the threat was not lost on the Uchiha; no one mentioned where the Sound Four ran off too.

That could only mean the possibility of a second attack, whether here or elsewhere, was high.

And, at the end of the day, Sasuke was a shinobi, a trained solider of subterfuge and warfare who'd encountered the likes of Zabuza Momochi, Orochimaru and Itachi and Aimi Uchiha. All encounters he survived, even if only by the skin of his teeth or the whims of his enemy.

This wasn't his first brush with death, stress or fear. It wouldn't be his last.

Shikaku, Tsunade and Shizune absorbed the Intel in silence. There wasn't much he could give them, Sasuke knew. As he explained to the trio, Sakon and his two partners hadn't fought with the intent to kill, let alone as legitimate threats, when they could have easily flattened the two Uchiha by activating their Curse Marks.

"They toyed with us," he explained.

Shikaku took the act in two ways. First, the arrogance of their enemies matched that of a group of four year olds gifted with a Kage's power.

Sasuke couldn't suppress his snort at the comparison.

Secondly, they weren't just toying with him and Amari, but testing their abilities for themselves.

"Orochimaru's interest in you and 'Risu is an obsession. It is likely capturing the two of you is all he's talked about since Lord Third's passing, and I have no doubt he's spoken highly of you both."

"I'm flattered," the Uchiha deadpanned.

Shikaku exhaled a short chuckle. "Don't be. The Intel Lady Hokage and Master Jiraiya have gathered is clear: Should you become his vessel, your existence will cease. He will shed his current skin and wear your body as a fresh set of scales."

"That's…unpleasant."

The Nara Head hummed in wry amusement. "I imagine it is. Anyway, the Sound Four have undeniably been assigned the duty to retrieve you both, first by luring 'Risu in with half-truths regarding the Foundation, which she would then spread to you."

Before our fight, if we'd only learned of the Foundation from them, I'd have followed her right to Orochimaru, Sasuke thought.

Shikaku scratched lightly at the rough hairs of his goatee as he continued. "But instead of following the plan, they were distracted by an innate need to measure you two to Orochimaru's previous vessel. Or, three of them were. Tayuya took no interest in your fight. She's the only one whose abilities remain a mystery."

Sasuke felt a hint of guilt and shame, so he did what came natural: he went on defense.

"We had our hands full with the other three. Amari and I didn—"

"I wasn't criticizing you two," the veteran waved off his meager defense in a calm voice. "You and 'Risu did more than enough, considering the circumstances you were placed in, and because of your actions we've gotten insight on three of our enemies."

"We also know they're all marked by Curse Marks thanks to you two," Tsunade followed. "And from what Sakon said to you, it's likely they've advanced theirs to grant them more power than the first stage Curse Mark you were branded with in the Forest of Death. That is vital information we can use in preparation of the coming battle."

"The coming battle…" Sasuke muttered, eyes trailing to his fallen clan-sister.

It was them Orochimaru was after. It was them innocent shinobi or civilians would be slain for, and…he wasn't sure he could sit by and let people die on their behalf. It'd be shameful.

"What's the plan? I can still fight," he said.

"For now you need to rest," replied Shikaku. "The Sound Four made it clear they'll attack the Leaf again if you don't meet with them by midnight. That gives us six hours to make a decision on what we do."

"Why don't we send out a squad of Jōnin or Anbu to find and kill them before that?" he asked. Urged.

"Two reasons. Firstly, as you know we're in a precarious situation right now because of the Invasion. Most of our best Jōnin are running missions to keep up the appearance of strength. But," Shikaku raised a hand up to cut off Sasuke as he opened his mouth, "what you don't know is the Stone Village has been making unsettling moves these last few weeks."

"Unsettling?" Sasuke cast a curious glance to the Hokage, who crossed her arms beneath her buxom chest. The intense look in her brown eyes left him more nervous than he already felt. "Another invasion?"

"It's a real possibility we can't ignore."

Sasuke leaned back against his standing pillow and shut his eyes.

"Great," he sighed in defeat.

Another war… The thought knotted dread in his stomach. The scars from the last Invasion hadn't even fully healed yet; their defenses and fortifications still needed replacements or repair; their forces hadn't miraculously flourished since then, nor would they unless they started using kids currently in the Academy.

What a damn mess they were entangled in.

"Next you'll tell me the Sand has betrayed our Alliance and the Akatsuki have joined forces with the Cloud," he grumbled.

"No," Shikaku chuckled. "Get some rest, Sasuke. We'll—"

"There are only two choices," Sasuke spoke up, eyes still closed. He sensed Shikaku and Tsunade pause in their departure. "Either I don't go to them and the battle takes place within our walls, risking the lives of civilians and the image of weakness we can't afford right now. Or…" He swallowed down his annoyance and concern. "Or I go to them."

"We're not giving you to Orochimaru," Tsunade stated firmly.

Sasuke opened his eyes and met the Hokage's intense gaze. "What choice do we have? If the Sound Four attack the Leaf, they'll die, but at the cost of how many lives? Their attack could spark the Stone into advancing on our Village, and that's a threat we can't deal with right now. Even with the Sand as our allies, everyone knows they're doing worse than we are."

Damn it, why did he have to think so rationally at a time like this? Why couldn't he be irrational and pretend none of this was his problem?

Because Amari wouldn't, a quiet voice of reason whispered to him.

"You think 'Risu would be okay with that?"

"I think she'd do the same thing in my position."

"Can't argue with that," Shikaku agreed reluctantly. "But we're not just going to hand you over to Orochimaru. Even if we did, 'Risu, Naruto and Sakura would leave to rescue you themselves.

"You're not wrong, our options are limited. However, if you're up to it, there is a way for us to avoid further attack on the Leaf without leaving you at the mercy of Orochimaru."

"I've seen about all I can stand of his 'mercy.'"

He hadn't forgotten Orochimaru torturing Amari in the Forest of Death, twisting and turning that kunai in her shoulder as she screamed. Nor could he.

"All right," Shikaku nodded. "I'll discuss the details later with you. For now, rest. You've got a long night ahead of you."

"Okay, Sasuke. There are a few more tests I'd like to run…"

Shikaku tuned Shizune out as he strode away from Sasuke's bed back towards his wife, Atsuko and his niece. They were all on the clock now. No time was available to waste, not when lives were on the line…or when one was nearly already lost.

He slowed his heavy and purposeful steps to rest a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder, a show of comfort and support, as well as a way to announce his presence. Yoshino held onto their niece's limp and scarred hand, thumb rubbing circles over the back of it.

"You're leaving?" Yoshino asked, voice quiet.

"For now, yes," he answered.

He didn't want to. The elder Nara wanted to stay with his wife and niece, waiting until she inevitably woke up to assure himself of her safety. But he couldn't. There was too much to prepare.

Sasuke wasn't wrong; a direct attack by the Sound Four would lead to many civilian and shinobi casualties before they were able to eliminate the intruders. The strange abilities he explained, paired with the Curse Marks the four wielded made them dangerous. Not to mention if news of their intrusion reached the ears of the Stone.

It'd be the excuse they're looking for to invade our Land.

The Leaf wasn't prepared for a second invasion, or a full-fledged war. Shinobi weren't like ninja tools or defenses; you couldn't forge more in a short amount of time to prepare.

As long as we nip this threat at the bud with minimal incident, the Stone won't invade.

He had to make it a reality. For the Leaf, for his son and for his niece.

"I'll be back to brief Sasuke on the mission and to check in on 'Risu after I finish some necessary preparations. I'll send for Shikamaru and Team Seven, too. They'll want to know the situation." He raised his eyes to the Head of the Crows, perched above his niece. "Atsuko, can you send an agent to retrieve Mimi from the border?"

Atsuko nodded. "Of course. May I ask what your plan is for her?"

"Hopefully an unnecessary precaution."

But it paid to prepare for every possible outcome, even if the worst case scenario never showed its face.

Shikaku leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his wife's temple. "Give 'Risu our love if she wakes while I'm gone."

"I will."

He looked at his niece one last time, watching her breathe to assure himself she was still alive. Then he turned to leave. As he reached the door, the Hokage's voice called to him.

"Shikaku, I'll expect your briefing when you're ready."

"Of course, Lady Hokage. I'll return as soon as I am able."

With that, he exited the room and proceeded swiftly down the hall and out of the hospital. The pieces were already moving. He couldn't let his allies stumble into a trap, or allow his opponent's endgame goal to be successful.

Hard decisions would need to be made in the coming hours, and possibly the coming days. Sasuke already made the first. The boy had more courage than Shikaku gave him credit for; an effect of 'Risu's influence he'd bet, definitely considering the plan he volunteered for.

He was fully ready to sacrifice himself to Orochimaru to protect her and the Leaf.

As long as his plan worked out, Sasuke wouldn't need to. However, on the chance all failed, Shikaku would need to prepare the Uchiha boy for possible capture.

Time to get to work.

Sasuke was as physically and mentally prepared for his mission as he could be.

The way Shikaku Nara explained it made it sound simple: He was to go alone to the Sound Four, playing the part their enemies expected him to play to draw them away from the Leaf. Close behind him would be a team comprised of the Hokage Guard, Anko Mitarashi and Shizune.

The Hokage's assistant would hang back, out of sight with one of the Hokage Guard so, if an utter failure to rescue him occurred, she could heal the injured or report any deaths back to the Leaf.

It sounded simple enough; go to them, draw them away then let his superiors finish the job. However, Sasuke knew it'd be a lot less clean cut once he was in the thick of it. Rarely did plans go perfectly, and with the unknown abilities of Tayuya, as well as the unknowns surrounding their Curse Marks, who could say how the battle would turn out.

"I won't lie to you, Sasuke. There is a chance all of our efforts will be in vain, and they will bring you to Orochimaru," Shikaku explained. "If there's even a flicker of doubt in you, say the word and we'll chance a battle in the Leaf."

Sasuke's decision was resolute. "I'll be fine."

"All right. If we fail there are two things I'll need you to do. First, you must delay your arrival to Orochimaru as long as you possibly can. The jutsu he intends to use has a time limit. If you can stall long enough, he'll have to wait another three years before he can try to take your body. That'll buy us time to prepare a rescue operation with more resources."

An ingenious plan, but he expected nothing less from a Nara.

"All right, what's the second thing?"

"If we fail, you'll be the closest anyone has been to finding Orochimaru and his lairs. Pay attention. Keep a mental note of any valuable Intel you come across or are told explicitly by Orochimaru or Kabuto. But under no circumstances should you ever break your cover."

Shikaku's eyes sharpened. "Make no mistake, Sasuke, you will be in grave danger at every moment. If Orochimaru believes you're spying on him, he could decide to kill you instead of capturing your body."

"I understand."

This was all worst case scenario, as Shikaku explained. If all went to plan he wouldn't have to live under the duress of becoming Orochimaru's next set of skin.

The elder Nara, his wife and Atsuko wouldn't be joining the team on this mission.

"This fight will happen in the early hours of the morning, and with the cloud coverage neither I nor Yoshino would be able to use our Shadow techniques to end them."

Sasuke could tell Amari's aunt wanted to argue, that she wanted to go almost as much as Shikaku himself. But…

"We can't spare any more Jōnin. It's possible the Stone's actions and Orochimaru's are merely coincidentally happening simultaneously; in fact, I'd bet on it. But should the Foundation catch wind of this operation, and Atsuko, myself and Yoshino aren't in the Leaf to protect 'Risu from an assault, they may use the confusion or our absence to target her."

He didn't question it. Their group was a small circle of trust, joined together by their suspicion and disdain of the Foundation's true motives, and past actions. If anyone wanted her safe, it was Shikaku, Yoshino and Atsuko.

So, after a short visit from Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru, Sasuke began to prepare for his departure. His teammates were worried about him and Amari equally, having been informed of the attack and Sasuke's part in the plan. But he didn't spend too much time worrying them further with his own anxieties about it all.

After all, he was willingly putting himself in a position where he could end up in Orochimaru's hands, stuck there for who knows how long playing the role of a kid who had nothing left in the Leaf binding him. Could he believably pull this off? Would he be able to handle the pressure?

Sasuke shut his eyes and took a breath. This wasn't the time to have second thoughts. The operation was on. As soon as he finished packing realistically for a permanent departure, he'd be heading out into the night to find or be found by the Sound Four.

What's the worst that could happen?

He chuckled to fight off the vivid dark thoughts that his imagination provided.

After packing everything, he threw his pack on and left for the gate. He couldn't afford to think of what could go wrong; it'd only distract him and make this whole act all the harder to perform. Even if the worst happened, he'd just have to follow it to whatever end it led to.

As long as Amari was safe here, he'd be fine.

Sasuke took his time walking to the gate, observing the buildings he passed by and imprinting the image of what Konoha looked like now, knowing this could be the last time he ever looked at it. All these years he barely bothered to look anywhere except at the dark path ahead of him. He was only now appreciating the comfortable aura his home held.

Just keep moving forward, he told himself. Regardless of how this goes, just keep moving forward, even if it means walking in darkness.

Wasn't that what his brother and Aimi were doing? Walking in darkness because the Foundation gave them no choice but to murder their entire Clan?

All these years I spent following his lies, trying to be someone different than Itachi, never realizing he was manipulating me to become the person he wanted.

And now he was possibly about to embark on the same path as his brother. Forced by a figure of darkness to abandon the illuminated path his clan-sister had shown him for a new road. A road he didn't want, but would walk so she wouldn't have to.

Amari…

Sasuke stopped and looked back once. The Hokage Faces and Tower watched him, but he was looking beyond the buildings, beyond the obstructions, mentally seeing the hospital room where she still lay unconscious.

Thank you.

"You know, you don't have to do this," the memory of Shikamaru's lazy voice reminded him.

"Too late for that. I've already made up my mind, so don't bother trying to argue."

Just keep moving forward, he told himself.

"Are you sure you gotta do this?" Naruto questioned. "There has to be a better plan than sending you to those goons. What if they just decide to kill you?"

"They won't," Sasuke stated confidently. "I'm Orochimaru's next vessel, and they already 'killed' the second choice," he motioned to Amari's unconscious body. "This is the best plan we have, for everyone's safety."

"Not yours," Naruto grumbled.

"Heh, didn't realize you cared so much."

"Of course I care!" Naruto blasted back. "We all do! You're our friend, our comrade! And this Orochimaru guy, argh! That sick freak just wants to wear you or Amari like a new pair of shoes! And I just have to sit back while you put yourself at risk!"

"Would you rather his goons kill innocent people? Or for the Stone to be embolden to wage war on us?" Sasuke returned evenly.

"No, but—" Naruto growled beneath his breath and punched a wall. "This is so frustrating! First it's Orochimaru, then it's the Akatsuki, and now the Stone? Damn it!"

He wound up for another punch, but Sakura caught his arm. "Naruto, stop. Please. This isn't easy for any of us, and punching the wall won't help you."

Naruto exhaled a sharp breath but lowered his hand. "I can't stand the thought of just sitting home while you're in the most danger."

"Relax, Naruto," Shikamaru sighed. "Even if the first team fails, we're not going to leave Sasuke behind. That's not what Leaf shinobi do."

Sasuke exhaled a breath and turned back onto his path.

"Don't worry so much. I'll be back later."

Just keep moving forward.

The path leading beyond the Leaf's gate and into the shadows of unknowns was a long one. Long and ominously silent. It was as he ascended a distant hill the Sound Four made their presence known; Jirōbō was still among them, mostly recovered in appearance, except the stub of his arm.

Sasuke fought against a sadistic snort at the sight.

"So, you've come," Sakon said.

"There's nothing left for me in Konoha," he replied in a flat, disinterested voice.

"I see."

To his surprise, the four shinobi knelt down and bowed their heads to him. Sasuke glared at them.

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"I apologize for our previous rudeness, and the unfortunate demise of Amaririsu. We only wanted to test you both; the two of you were to lead our team."

Sasuke sniffed and continued to walk past them. "Whatever. Her death gave me new power, and new clarity."

He paused between them and felt a flare of killing intent flood off of him. Sakon hazarded a glance up at him. The glowing red three tomoe Sharingan glared into his soul and set it ablaze with black fire.

"Cross me again and I'll kill you all."

Sasuke found satisfaction in watching him shiver.

Good. They were bending subserviently to him. And they feared his new power, while under the belief Amari was still dead. All according to Shikaku Nara's plan.

"Let's go. Take me to Orochimaru."

And so the operation officially began.

Review Response to Guest: I was referring to Naruto possibly learning Sage Mode as well. I haven't made a concrete decision on it yet.

Review response to Guest: Yep, the rescue arc is now where we're at. Answers on whether or not Sasuke and Naruto will fight will come up during this arc. Amari is currently safe in the Leaf, unconscious. But her role in this arc will become clear as we go. We'll have to wait and see if Mimi gets to interact with the Sand.

That could be part of Orochimaru's plan to turn her. I won't spoil anything, since this arc is very long and has a lot going on in it that is important to the entire story.

Thank you for the review!