Someone Screaming

Alternate Story – Dim Light

Ayane Selznick

The green beast Jounin waited patiently for his comrade to come out from the cell. He knew that she should have some private space with the captive inside the cell since they've been together as a team during their Genin days however he wasn't comfortable with the male person conversing with his female friend. But who was he to stop them? He just gave her courage and he knew that she could handle any thing.

He sighed knowing that he had been stopping his breath because of anxiety. Just a few minutes of waiting, he heard a footsteps coming out of the dark hallway. He looked at the source. It was Sakura… with her eyes obviously glaring at the ground.

What happened? He looked at the woman before him and had a second thought. Maybe I shouldn't ask her why.

He walked towards her but it seems like she didn't recognize him coming thus walking pass him. Lee just looked strangely at her but chose not to meddle in her business. Knowing her temper, like those ANBU guards, he would just stay quiet and be observant.

He thought for a moment while listening to Sakura's sounds of fading footsteps. Soon after he turned his back to her as he started walking downstairs to where Uchiha Sasuke temporarily stayed.

The black haired Missing Nin stared blankly at the basket before him. He knew what's inside the thing but what troubled him was the person who brought it. It's not because she's just a huge question mark in his situation. The thing was why does she always comes back and offers him everything she could offer? Didn't she understand their situation? He's a captive in their home village and she's one of the renowned ninjas.

Can't she see the difference? Of their differences? On a second thought, she was the only person who kept him sustained with little supplies both for his health as well as security. He even thought that he judged her so easily. Even when she was in her position to kill him, she didn't even do it. Of course, the first thing that struck in his head would be her physical ability to which was not strong enough to kill him and the second one that he kept denying was she doesn't have the courage to do it.

He looked away from the basket and decided to look at it later on. He shifted a little and decided to rest. Suddenly he heard loud footsteps coming closer to his cell. He stopped moving and felt the aura behind him. He didn't need to recognize who this person was nor interested to know him anymore.

"Sasuke-kun." A male voice echoed in his cell, yet even then he didn't want to know who it came from.

Said person didn't acknowledge his presence thus challenging his long temper. He continued.

"I don't know what you and Sakura-san talked about. She seemed upset with you." Lee left a hanging silence to give Sasuke a space to talk. The Uchiha didn't even budge nor speak.

"I guess you didn't know it yet, she's the Head Medical Ninja in this village. A respected person. And since you were a Konoha ninja before you… left us, you should have at least respected her not just by her position as well as her well-being. She's a—" He wasn't able to continue what he was going to say next for Sasuke loudly plopped down in his bed, putting his arms below his head.

"I don't have time to listen to your lectures. Go and chase her if you want."

The person stood outside the steel bars stirred. The Uchiha Sasuke he knew back then was really different to the person in front of him. This person was a bastard. One heck of a bastard. To prevent prolonging this senseless conversation with a stubborn man, Lee stooped low in regret of visiting him. He walked away from Sasuke's cell worrying for Sakura's condition.

Sasuke finally looked to the side only to see the space that Lee occupied a little while ago.

That fuzzy brows…

All that was heard was the friction of their shoes clicking at the floor. They were trudging at moderate pace going to the meeting hall were the elders are waiting. The woman in front seemed to be silent and solemn. It was like she was in deep thought. The other woman was far behind the first, carrying a piglet in her arms. Her eyes only showed how worried she is to the person in front of her.

Of course it was hard to decide what to do, especially for a person who committed crimes at early age. They have to understand his situation, history, as well as his behavior. They cannot judge him so easily without knowing his background or his current mental state. And at a short period of time of questioning the said captive, they have to have a verdict. A decision they won't regret in the future.

A minute later, both of them reached the door of the meeting hall. The woman in front sighed deeply and reached for the bronze bars of the door. Her assistant behind her made her stop.

"You'll do fine, Hokage-sama. You'll do fine."

Earning encouragement, the Hokage sighed again and nodded while she pushed open the door as she was welcomed by the village council of Konohagakure.

"Hokage-sama," They all said and bowed before the Hokage.

The female Hokage bowed at them for respect and went to her chair. She signaled them to sit down as they start opening the issue.

The verdict for Uchiha Sasuke.

Some ninjas placed each scrolls at the desk in front of each councilors and one for the Hokage as well.

"As we all know the Missing Nin Uchiha Sasuke was brought back in Konoha. We had gone through interrogations and found out that upon knowing Orochimaru's purpose for him, he went all out rage and killed Sound people. I called for meeting to ask for your judgment with regards to Uchiha Sasuke's actions."

The elders listened quietly but as soon as Tsunade ended her introduction, she let them speak so that she could digest whatever they will say. With a sigh, one of the male elder spoke.

"According to the reports we've read, the Cursed Seal can be activated any time. It may become a threat in Konoha if we can't remove Orochimaru's power in him."

Another one spoke, "Or there is a possibility that Orochimaru had taken over Uchiha's body therefore used himself as a bait to get inside the village."

Tsunade shook her head and countered the latter's statement, "I don't think so. I know Orochimaru. The person we interviewed was Uchiha Sasuke himself."

Another elder interfered, "We doubt his appearance in our village. Letting himself be captured by his batch mates as well as staying with your protégé. He must have tried to gain their trust and be dragged in here."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes to the elder who had doubts and asked, "Your point is?"

The elder brought his elbows in the desk and said, "What if Orochimaru is alive? He might have been hiding elsewhere. It is possible that the Hidden Sound's mass murder is just a way to make us believe he's gone. It may weaken our security therefore his next move of attacking us is obvious. Uchiha Sasuke may act as a spy by sending him here and investigate the situation of our village."

The big breasted Hokage inclined herself on her chair and massaged her temple.

"He said that he doesn't care about the village anymore. Well it's obvious that he only thinks about his revenge against Uchiha Itachi, his brother who had become an Akatsuki."

An elder woman coughed for a while and said, "By hanging out with your protégé he was simply captured by our search party. In that case, it was just an accident to find him with her. So, he doesn't have anything to do with our village."

The Hokage nodded, "I am thinking the same thing. But then again, I still have doubts with the Cursed Seal. I believe it has reached maximum level wherein he won't be able to control himself. Worst is nobody can stop him. Like you mentioned earlier it might become a threat. Seeing as we have him under control, I think it's best to keep him in the village and be observed."

"You will just waste your ANBU team for observation. Why not send a team to search for removing the seal? It may do a lot of research though but it's best to start in Hidden Sound." One of them suggested as he inclined himself to relax a bit.

Tsunade had become silent.

Indeed, it may be a good choice to send a team and locate the scroll to which Orochimaru has been keeping. Then by removing the Cursed Seal from Uchiha Sasuke, he would be less threatening. Though they don't trust him so easily because he betrayed them before so the best thing to do is…

"The team I dispatched earlier in Hidden Sound hasn't come back yet, so before I send another team I'll have to wait for their return. We will remove the Cursed Seal in him and if it's done, I'll assign two Jounin ranked ninjas to observe him. I think that's enough people eyeing on him."

The elder man looked at Tsunade with wry expression, "Why not assign his teammates? It may become easier to get him back."

Tsunade looked back at the elder and thought for a while.

Assigning Naruto and Sakura to observe Sasuke? That's a joke.

In one of the houses in Konoha, a group of few Jounin ranked people gathered as if there was a reunion. They drank, ate and relax right after a given mission was done. Most people were males and few of them are females but they all see each other as brothers and sisters.

One fat Jounin ate all the barbeques served in his plate. The person opposite to him watched lazily and commented something that goes like becoming worst die-hard eater. The fat one was Akimichi Chouji, best friend of the village's renowned tactician, Nara Shikamaru. He was a common Jounin ninja but was always paired with Shikamaru with regards to missions. They both have known each other for years already. But the third one in their group was a female who goes by the name of Yamanaka Ino. This female kunoichi devoted all her time to train with her father, who contributed his skills during previous battles to save the village. She never intended to enter ANBU or become a Medical Ninja like her best friend, so she chose become a Jounin Sensei in a three-man team.

Next to them were the Hyuuga children, both of which claimed positions for the village. One of them became an ANBU captain and the other became the assistant of the Head of Medical Ninja. The issue about their divided clan was closed.

The supposed to be heiress of the Main house turned down the position and gave the throne to her cousin, who was the son of the Head clan's twin brother. There was an issue about choosing the Head from Branch House (even though the clan was merged into one), but Neji proved that he is not just strong but also wise in decision making. Therefore, the issue finished and Neji was chosen to become the Head of the Hyuuga clan.

Then there's Inuzuka Kiba, an ANBU member under Neji's command. He had become very useful for search party. His dog that was once a little puppy turned to a large one. The villagers loved his dog not as a pet but as a fellow member of the village. It had helped a lot during the years where there were lots of ninjas declared M.I.A. Next to him was Aburame Shino. He had been an active ninja together with Kiba and Hinata, his old teammates. He even placed himself in ANBU team but commanded by different ANBU captain. He never regretted those things but he was looking forward to be grouped with his batch mates.

A female Jounin appeared with another set of dishes and beamed a smile for them.

"Well, this isn't a festivity right?" She asked nonchalantly and placed them on the table.

A black haired bowl-cut Jounin smiled and helped the female Jounin to settle the dishes at the low yet long table. They and the future Head of the Hyuuga clan were teammates ever since their three-man team days. However Neji had been two steps ahead of them when it comes to promotions so they were left behind when he was assigned as Jounin to finally become an ANBU. In fact, a ninja could be an ANBU when he was still a Chuunin, but this group of talented ninjas was making sure that once they step in ANBU, they should be, at the very least, a Jounin.

It has been years and these three people had grown to know more about themselves. They've been close friends. And for that matter, Neji and Tenten merged their hearts and minds in to somewhat romantic manner. Neji didn't believe in destiny though as long as Tenten is beside him, he would surely believe in those things again. He had been courting her after her promotion as a Jounin. It's not because of the position but the relationship that grown mature and strong.

Lee however hasn't gotten over his feelings for the Head of the Medical Ninja. Surely, he stands no chance from Naruto, worst from Sasuke. He couldn't blame Naruto for liking Sakura at first hand, the grown up woman was truly beautiful, smart, kind and alluring. But what troubled him most was the Uchiha's cold demeanor towards the said kunoichi. It was as if he doesn't really care how much he had hurt the female. Nevertheless, no matter how difficult his way to win her heart, he'll do his best.

The previously known as the dead-last and the loudest ninja in Konoha sat in an Indian-sit style between Kiba and Hinata. Kiba was his friend ever since he entered the academy. As for Hinata… he didn't know how he ended up falling in love for her. The catch was he accidentally heard from Hinata herself that she has a crush on him. It was purely attraction at first but as time passes by, her feelings grew much stronger than she expected. What she didn't know that Naruto was observing her as well as the things she does for him. He admitted that he hasn't felt so much appreciated and cared for. As for the result, he accidentally fell in love to her.

He sorted out his feelings for Sakura. Although he really loved her from the beginning, he didn't quite understand why she always pushed him away. But there were times that he was rather confused by her actions. She showed him jealousy, anxiety, and a little love. He thought she was confusing him so much. But in the end, she told him that she was plainly seeking for a brother which she has seen in him. She was just an only child and he was the loneliest person in the village besides Uchiha Sasuke. So the chemistry between them died down but gradually bloomed with another kind of relationship— Sibling love.

For his ninja rank, he had become a successful Jounin, a teacher and finally a soldier. He was hopeful to have a training to become a Hokage but what he didn't know that the moment he became a Genin, he was already training to become one. Most of the time, his life was at stake, specifically because of the Kyuubi Kitsune (nine tail demon fox) inside him so the third Hokage assigned Hatake Kakashi to take care of him and later on was passed to Jiraiya, the Jounin Master of the Fourth Hokage. Of course, how could Naruto find it out since he had been sleeping during history class? So far, Naruto become an active Ninja. He participated most in S-rank missions and the very least was an A-rank. Kakashi had been so proud of him, as well as Tsunade and Jiraiya.

And last but the least the renowned Head of Medical Unit of their village with a name that resembles a flower— Haruno Sakura.

She had been soft during their childhood days but the moment she stepped into the battle of wits, strength and the reason to survive for a living was a close call. She was determined to bring back Uchiha Sasuke when Naruto's team went home with a failure and most of them received major damages in their bodies. Sakura gave up admitting that she was the weakest link so she asked the Hokage to train her. Who would have thought that the most delicate, beautiful, smart kunoichi could turn into one of the best Medics in their village? She would answer…

"It is from the power of determination, faith, skills and love for the village."

Actually that love wasn't just for the village alone. It's for her teammates…

During their little reunion, these Jounins find themselves relaxed after their missions. They usually do this every twice in a month, looking for time where they were all vacant.

"I missed this gathering…" Kiba suddenly muttered while stroking his dog beside him.

Naruto decided to butt in, "Well all you wanted to do was to relax. I mean, c'mon, this village needed talented ninjas like me!"

Kiba reacted by simply acting like he was puking the food he just took in.

"Ninjas like you? Gimme a break. All you did was to make fun of us and yell that most people who are trying to sleep end up having insomnias… you are a troublesome guy…" Shikamaru responded while he put his head on his left arm.

Naruto glared at him. "Look who's talking. I was really wondering how come you're given the position as the tactician of our army. You're just a lazy bum! And the weirdest thing I ever known about you is your cloud watching!"

The person Naruto described simply narrowed his eyes back to him.

"At least I don't eat more than 20 bowls of ramen in one meal. I'm sure I'll die because of that…"

Having no capability of patience, Naruto stood up and pointed a finger towards Shikamaru.

"Don't you dare insult ramen! It's the most delicious food I ever tasted in my whole life!"

Finally one of them decided to butt in, "Will you two pipe down for one second? We're trying to have a serious discussion here." Tenten mocked. She glared Naruto and then Shikamaru for them to know when to shut up. Gladly they both sighed in defeat as Naruto recomposed himself and sat down again.

Neji coughed for a while and continued, "Things have been easy these months. There haven't any attacks from elsewhere other than stray ninjas that blocks our path. Unfortunately, one of us encountered an Akatsuki."

Sakura slowly looked up to Neji, knowing that he was talking about her. She didn't retaliate but waited for him to continue what he was going to say.

"We don't know yet what they are up to. But…" He glanced to Naruto for a second and then resumed talking, "if they are starting to move, we better make a plan to stop them before it's too late."

Hinata shifted in her position and said, "You worry too much, Neji-nii-san. For as long as they don't make a move within our country's borders we will keep an eye on them otherwise we're going to decide what to do next. Our lookouts from all over the borders of this village aren't that weak to stall time if they even attack us."

Neji looked at his cousin then later on he closed his eyes. "We shouldn't be slacking off that much. I know that most of us are always out of the country that the village's defenses are gradually decreasing each time we are all dispatch. What I'm trying to say is we should send a group or maybe just a pair of Jounins to watch out for Akatsuki's movements. That way, we are easily notified."

Shino was pleased at this suggestion as he said, "Although we may lack a pair of Shinobis we are able to grab some information about them however it won't be easy for them to locate the organization."

Another voice came in, this time it was from Ino, "Then use Sakura's report from where she had an encounter with them."

Shikamaru filled her in knowing that what she said was wrong, "Correction, one of them was killed by Uchiha and the other escape. They didn't have much time extracting where they were heading to."

The blond Jounin remembered something, "Speaking of which, how's Sasuke-kun? Anyone heard the verdict?" She instinctively turned to her best friend who had been quiet the whole time.

Lee jerked a little. He was with Sakura when he accompanied her to see Sasuke's condition but before that they were able to see the Hokage and knew the schedule of events. So he will be the one to fill them in.

He started with a nervous cough, "When we went there minutes ago, the Hokage told us that she will be having a meeting with the council. So we don't know yet the verdict that befalls to him."

Naruto grunted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"It better not be execution…" he muttered under his breath that only Hinata and Kiba heard him.

Naruto-kun…

Kiba remembered something as he said, "Tonight is the arrival of the team that searched in Hidden Sound right? What will happen next?"

After chewing and swallowing the food, Chouji decided to participate in their discussion, "If they found out that the elimination of that village has a connection with Sasuke, the verdict will surely be harsh. But if they found out also that if Orochimaru is alive, suspicions for Sasuke will surely occur."

"That is if he's making a fool of himself for lying." Neji retorted when a sudden possible idea entered his mind.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked curiously.

"If he intended to keep his purpose to himself while he is in this village I'd rather send him out or send him back to where he should belong. That's because it's possible that Orochimaru sent him to look out within the village and attack from the inside. Once weakened the opportunity to attack from the outside is low risk for their part. We'll be defeated in the end."

Kiba added something, "Or maybe he really doesn't want to talk about it making it a hassle to wait for his ass to give an answer. That would be possible, too."

Almost everybody rolled their eyes at his absolute insensitivity for this matter. But there was only one person who knew Sasuke's plan from the very beginning nonetheless she kept quiet.

You shouldn't do things against the village…

After the meeting with the council, the Hokage went straight to her desk and asked Shizune to bring a bottle of sake. Her loyal assistant obeyed her and disappeared with a cloud of smoke. Now that she's alone, she found a very little moment to relax and to think over things that they talked about earlier.

The troops will arrive tonight. After I get information I'll ask Jiraiya to search in Hidden Sound. But that'll interrupt his investigation with Akatsuki. Kakashi won't be here till then. If I wait for him it'll take more time to remove the Cursed Seal.

She sighed outwardly and looked at the aligned pictures of the past Hokages.

Anko knows what that Cursed Seal does so she's in the list. I can't send Shikamaru because I have another assignment for him…

She narrowed her eyes and returned to relax. She finally decided who were going.

Anko and Jiraiya it is…

To be continued…

Author's Note: Not just the result from the council but as well as the thoughts of the talented batch. As you can see, they were quite close. Of course they should, they are the best batch! What are the possibilities in the future? I keep on saying these… anyway for the next chapter… (drum rolls) A tiny bit of Sasuke's thoughts of his own future and his teammates! Will there be a SasuSaku? Well honestly I haven't had the plot where they could meet up again unless Sakura visits the cell xp (well she won't visit the cell unless she has to, considering the first visit… Sasuke's so mean!)

Author's Response:

evil-mittens - ehehe I was just kidding! (smiles) anyway I think it really depends with the readers you know. Thanks for the review n-n

cocoa-latte - Yeah let's shut him up! He's acting like a bastard again xp hope you like this chapter though

applecherry - WEEEEE I MISSED YOU so much! (glomps) I guess you're right they all thought that this story ends. But I don't think having an alternate means having another slot for the story hence I continued it here. About the writing style I have to admit that it has changed. I don't know how and why it just happens! xp and thanks for putting up my story in your C2!

SoraKoi the water goddess - Weeee thanks thanks!

Saki-16 - I'm a sasusaku fan so this should be a sasusaku story and I don't know yet if I could make them meet right now xp

Yuugi-chan - funny! xp

Prizz -you ask for it! though it won't be on the next chapter but I hope you have a loooooot of patience for that moment xp

Shinobi Darkbeak - thanks!

Mrs. Uchiha - if sasuke pisses her off then BOOM sasuke will be gone! xp

IslandChick3 - Wow new reviewer! Thank you so much for reading the first story of SS!