A/N: That strong desire to return to juicy Leesaku scenes is fueling me to get through this Sasuke mission arc so here's another chapter less than a month since the last one (12 days is my count). Gotta make it up to you guys for not posting for a few months, right? :)

Chapter 31

Second Chances

"Wake up."

Sakura made a confused grumble and tossed over to her side before her eyes creaked open. Sasuke was already up and fully dressed in his shinobi gear, standing in the doorway. She could hardly make out his face in the dark - only the smallest sliver of light from the early dawn made it through their window.

"Change of plans. We're leaving now," he said before leaving the bedroom.

Now?

Suddenly alert, Sakura whipped herself out of bed and dressed, thankful now that they had packed everything the night before. When she made it into the hallway, Sasuke had already slipped on his poncho and backpack. Sakura threw on her old cloak and her own pack.

"You'll want to eat," Sasuke said. Sakura caught the onigiri he tossed to her.

Sakura kept quiet as Sasuke led them out the gates of Konoha. She struggled to keep pace with how fast he was walking. When they had gotten out of view of the main gates Sasuke paused in the middle of the road, as though trying to determine if they were followed. When he seemed satisfied, he motioned Sakura to follow him through the trees. Sasuke led her to the entrance of a nondescript cave through some heavy brush. Sakura would have had no idea that this cave was even there with how well hidden the entrance was.

"You can come out," Sasuke said.

A man and a woman came into view as they cautiously rounded a corner of the cave. The man was just shy of middle-aged with neatly braided hair and the woman looked close in age to Sakura - with short-cropped hair and a birthmark on her chin. They both wore identical prisoner's clothing. But the most distinct thing about them was the curse seal on their bare foreheads and their pale Hyuga eyes.

The two Hyuga stared suspiciously at Sakura as they joined Sasuke's side.

"Can we trust her?" the Hyuga man said.

"Yes," Sasuke answered.

"You two are the Hyuga prisoners," Sakura stated. "The ones scheduled for execution for attempting to assassinate the heiress."

"Not anymore," the Hyuga woman said.

A group of shouting Hyuga ran past Lee and Tenten on their way to the training field. "The prisoners have escaped! Find them!"

Lee and Tenten shared a look.

The two of them ran towards the Hyuga compound. The closer they got, the more frantic Hyuga they saw. A mixture of other Leaf guards blended in with the Hyuga chaos. They were shouting commands and then splitting off into groups. Civilians had cleared the streets - the brave ones poked their heads out their windows to watch. All the shouting made it clear what happened - Takeo and Hisako Hyuga had escaped - the two Hyuga that Lee had stopped from killing Hanabi Hyuga.

"They were scheduled to be executed today, right?" Tenten said as they ran.

"I think so," Lee said.

They stopped near the front of the Hyuga compound and tucked themselves near the corner of a store. Hiashi stood near the entrance, flanked by branch guards, and Naruto at his side. When Hiashi wasn't directing orders to the gathering Hyuga around them he was talking with Naruto. The scowl on Hiashi's face was even deeper than usual.

Tenten bristled at Lee's side.

"We should stay back," Lee said. The last thing he wanted to do was get Tenten in trouble for getting too close to the Hyuga compound, let alone Hiashi.

However, keeping their distance didn't stop a nearby Hyuga guard from noticing them. "Hey! You there! Tenten of the Leaf!" he shouted, approaching them. "Get any closer to the compound and you'll be under arrest!"

"I know! I'm keeping my distance," Tenten spat. "But don't you have a more important matter to worry about than to harass me?"

The Hyuga scoffed at her. "You're clanless, without even a family name to call your own. You can't be trusted. I've changed my mind - I want you out of complete sight from the compound. Get out of here."

Shoulders squared, Lee took a step forward to put himself between them. Tenten was in the middle of opening her mouth to spit out a retort when Shino put a hand on her shoulder.

"She's with me," Shino said. "She will be watched on the honor of the Aburame clan."

"You're the heir!" the Hyuga said, taken aback, as he stared up at the towering Aburame. "Fine. You better keep a close eye on her then." The Hyuga hurriedly departed back to his post after one last sideways glance.

Lee and Tenten turned to Shino. Shifting out from behind Shino's towering frame was Hinata as well.

"Thanks," Tenten said sourly.

"You're welcome," Shino said.

"Do you two know what happened?" Hinata said, eyebrows pinched with worry. Her hands were held clutched tightly to her chest.

Lee spared a glance at Tenten. Her jaw was clenched tightly, and she was avoiding looking at Hinata. One Hyuga problem was replaced with another.

Neji is dead because he protected her, Tenten had said.

"The Hyuga that attacked Hanabi escaped," Lee answered.

"Oh no," Hinata gasped.

Shikamaru suddenly strode by them towards the compound, shaking his head. "First the office gets raided and now this…" he muttered to himself. He didn't notice Lee and the others.

Raided? Lee thought.

"Aren't you going to go up to your dad and husband and see what's happening?" Tenten said, not looking at Hinata.

"No. I'll only get in the way. Naruto is busy right now and F-Father wouldn't want me up there anyway."

"Ah," Tenten simply said.

Shino looked at Hinata with a deep frown. "Do you want to look for the prisoners too?"

"No, it's okay, Shino," Hinata reassured. "I think the guards can handle it. I just hope that Hanabi is okay right now…"

"Hanabi would be closely guarded right now," Shino said in an attempt to reassure her.

"I know, but…"

Lee knew what the wistful look on Hinata's face meant. Before his mission to the Steam, Hinata had told him that Hiashi had been limiting her contact with Hanabi. Hinata probably wouldn't even be allowed to see Hanabi right now.

"I think standing around and watching will not help them or us," Lee said. "Shino. Hinata. Would you two like to join us on the training field? It might help clear our heads."

Shino and Hinata glanced between themselves.

"Sure," Hinata offered a small smile.

"Sorry, guys," Tenten suddenly said. "You have fun. I gotta bail. I just remembered I had an errand to run."

Tenten took off before any of them could even say goodbye. Lee's eyes followed after her, frowning. When he turned his head back to the others, Hinata looked guilty.

The four of them ran north through the forest for hours, taking obscure, out of the way paths.

To prevent us from being followed, Sakura knew.

Suddenly Sasuke veered off east into a steep valley covered in large boulders. They halted in the middle of a clearing.

"Suigetsu - take them to the base," Sasuke said.

A white-haired man stepped forward from behind a boulder with a giant sword strapped to his back. Sakura immediately recognized this man from the photo Sasuke carried in his pack. He was one of the missing-nin Sasuke had traveled with.

Suigetsu grinned - his mouth all razor sharp teeth. "Who's she?" he said, assessing Sakura.

"My wife," Sasuke answered.

"Your what?" Suigetsu's mouth gaped as he stared dumbfounded at Sakura.

"My name is Sakura," she said warily.

"I thought Karin was joking or being paranoid or something!" Suigetsu's expression then turned serious. "She's not gonna betray us though, right?"

"She is loyal to me," Sasuke answered.

"And you really want to drag your wife into this mess?"

"I want to be here," Sakura interrupted.

Suigetsu shrugged then. "Suit yourself."

Sakura and Sasuke parted from Suigetsu and the two Hyuga, heading west towards the small town their mission's client lived in.

Sakura finally broke the silence as they traveled. "Why did you save those two Hyuga? They were guilty. They tried to kill Hinata's little sister."

"They tried to kill the heiress out of frustration of a system they couldn't leave. I'm giving them a second chance. An escape." After a pause, he added, "Are you going to tell Naruto about this?"

"No."

"Good," Sasuke said.

Sakura frowned.

Yes, they were branch members - slaves to the main house. It was unjust. But to jump so far as to try and kill the heiress who had nothing to do with the maintaining of the system that oppressed them? Did they really deserve a second chance? And how would she tell Shikamaru about this?

They arrived at a small town northwest of Konoha by the name of Akan in the afternoon. They met their client at his rather bare, tattered antique shop where he shared his sob story about how a group of bandits attacked their town a week ago, and that they had robbed his family of his priceless family heirloom - a ornamental sword passed down his family line for generations. After gathering enough information in town on the movement of the bandit group, they headed west, following the obvious trail left.

They found the bandit camp in the late afternoon, just as the sun was beginning to lower over the horizon. The bandit camp wasn't even hidden - it was left in plain sight in a clearing right off the rugged road. They hadn't even posted a watch or lookout. The bold arrogance of it all was utterly outstanding. Hidden in the trees Sasuke and Sakura could see them drinking and laughing around a few fires with their tents pitched nearby. One of them was swinging around the ornamental sword that was their target. Sakura counted about twenty of them.

"I'll go around to the other side so we can flank them," Sasuke said. "On my signal."

"Okay."

Sakura watched Sasuke as he stealthily darted through the trees to the other side. The bandits didn't notice a thing. Sakura stalked closer so she was perched only a few yards away from the perimeter of the camp and waited.

Sasuke shot a large explosive fireball above the camp.

The signal.

The bandits were so dumbstruck by the fireball that they just stared up at the sky for a few seconds too long as Sasuke and Sakura closed in. It took them only a minute or two to eliminate all of the bandits - they were practically defenseless against trained shinobi of Sakura and Sasuke's caliber.

Talk about overkill, Sakura thought, surveying all the downed men piled around them.

This had to be a C-rank mission by Sakura's guess. No wonder Shikamaru was so suspicious of someone of Sasuke's strength wanting to take on missions meant for more experienced genin or beginner chunin. And no wonder Sasuke wanted to take them on in the first place - they took no effort or time to complete.

Sakura picked up the ornamental sword they were after off the ground. "Looks like we have what we came for."

"Good. Let's head back," Sasuke said.

Their client was flabbergasted when they returned back with sword in hand after only a few hours gone, and not a single scratch on them. After the shock wore off the man started blubbering and thanked them profusely.

After the man left to go chat excitedly with his family, Sakura smiled at Sasuke. Sasuke looked away, but she spotted the faintest smile on his face too.

Their client offered to pay for a night at the inn for them, but Sasuke refused. "We have somewhere else to be," he said. The man was understanding and wished them well, saying he would send a message back to Konoha detailing the success of their mission along with the payment.

They left the town of Akan as the sun was setting, heading northeast. Sakura was thankful for her cloak - the wind had a chilling bite to it.

"Where are we going?" Sakura asked. Traveling long distances at night wasn't ideal, and if they were going to face Orochimaru…

"A hideout," Sasuke answered. "We'll rest there for the night before heading towards Orochimaru."

Sakura was a bit disoriented in the darkness, but she thought they might have crossed over the Land of Fire's borders by the river they crossed, which likely put them in Sound territory.

Sasuke led her up a winding, narrow path along the rockface of a solitary small mountain that overlooked a lake. While it was dark, Sakura was sure that she would have easily missed the unassuming path up the mountain by the way it was hidden between a maze of boulders. Sasuke stopped suddenly, faced the rockface, and pushed his hand into a spot in the rock. The stone pressed into the wall, and then suddenly a hidden stone door slid open right in front of them. Electric lights lit the path into the mountain. Sasuke stepped in, and Sakura followed after hesitating. The door sealed behind them.

"What is this place?" Sakura asked.

"An abandoned hideout of Orochimaru's," Sasuke answered. "We repurposed it."

We?

The hallway ended in a metal door. Sasuke opened it, revealing a large entrance room made of carved stone. The first thing Sakura saw was the sculpture of a menacing giant snake carved out of the far wall, looming over their heads with its jeweled eyes, and maw wide open revealing massive fangs. Below it was a haphazard assembly of couches and lounge furniture that clearly didn't belong there. On one couch Suigetsu was lounging, and on one of the chairs that red-haired girl with the glasses - Karin - was reading a book.

Suigetsu turned his attention to them. "Hey, Sasuke's back!"

Karin lowered her book, looking not at all surprised, like she had been expecting them all along. "You were supposed to be back days ago," Karin said, haughty, adjusting her glasses up her nose. "What took you so damn long?"

"Sorry," Sasuke said nonchalantly as he walked in, setting his pack against the wall. "There were setbacks that kept us in Konoha longer than expected."

Suigetsu glanced momentarily at Sakura before grinning at Sasuke. "You know if she betrays us you've burned this location for us, right?"

Sasuke just ignored Suigetsu.

Sakura noticed Karin staring at her.

"Hi," Sakura said awkwardly, not sure what else to say. Sakura hadn't seen Karin since she saved her life from Sasuke's near fatal attack. She had no clue where they now stood.

"I'll free Jugo," Karin said, getting up from her seat before she headed down one of the hallways on the left.

Free him? Sakura had no idea what that was supposed to mean.

"Are the two Hyuga here?" Sakura asked, glancing around.

"No," Sasuke said. "They're elsewhere."

Karin and a tall orange-haired man walked back into the room a moment later. Sakura recognized him from Sasuke's photo.

Jugo approached them, inclined his head to Sasuke, and turned his attention to Sakura. "You must be Sasuke's wife. I'm Jugo," he said, rubbing the red marks at his wrists.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Sakura," Sakura greeted politely. However, she couldn't understand why this polite, soft-spoken man was locked up only a moment ago. Was he crazy? Should she be on her guard around him?

"I'll show you to the spare room so you can put away your things," Karin said. She beckoned Sakura to follow her down the hallway she came from with Jugo. Sakura glanced at Sasuke for a moment - he nodded before Suigetsu stole his attention to talk.

As Karin led her down the hall, Sakura noticed one of the rooms had a reinforced steel door with a small barred viewport. When she peered through the open door she saw chains and ropes littering the floor, and large gouges dug into the stone.

Jugo's room? she shuddered.

Karin opened the door at the far end of the hall and showed Sakura inside. The room was bare except for a plain bed and a few dusty shelves that were falling apart.

"This is your room," Karin said.

"Thank you," Sakura said, slipping off her pack and her cloak.

Karin studied Sakura with a calculating look. "Come with me for a moment," she finally said.

Karin led Sakura to an old lab that was converted into a makeshift kitchen. A heavenly smell was wafting off a pot on top of a bunsen burner. A beef stew of some sort. Karin inspected it, gave it a tentative stir, before leaning back against the counter.

"Are you the team's designated cook?" Sakura asked, attempting to small talk.

Karin scoffed. "This is all Jugo. I can't cook to save my life."

"The one that was locked up?"

"Only for about half an hour until he calmed down. We have some new methods to suppress his chakra so it's a little less dangerous to have him out while Sasuke's gone."

"Oh. I see."

Karin scanned Sakura up and down, her gaze burrowing into her. It made Sakura feel awkward. "You're conflicted and confused," Karin said, folding her arms. "You don't know what to think of all this. How much did Sasuke actually tell you?"

"Not much," Sakura admitted.

"Oh, Sasuke, that jerk! That's no way to treat your wife!"

Sakura clenched her jaw. "What's really going on?"

"If he hasn't said anything yet, that information is Sasuke's prerogative. He'll probably tell you when the time is right."

So much for that.

"You're a sensor-type, aren't you?" Sakura asked.

"Yes. The best." A glare of light glinted off Karin's glasses as she shifted. "Which means I can tell when someone is lying, by just the way their chakra fluctuates. Keep that in mind while you decide where your true loyalties lie."

"Why would you reveal something like that to me?" Sakura said, guarded.

"You saved my life once. Consider it a warning."

A question Sakura had slipped out of her mouth. "You're still with Sasuke even though he almost killed you. Even after he egged me to finish you off..."

Karin huffed. "And you married him after you two tried to kill each other. I don't need to explain my reasons to you and I don't need to hear yours."

Jugo came into the room then and checked the stew. "Food's ready," he said.

The three of them filled bowls for themselves and for Sasuke and Suigetsu before returning to the entrance room. Jugo handed Suigetsu an extra bowl, and Karin gave the other to Sasuke while ogling him. Sakura didn't know if she was supposed to feel jealous. At least Sasuke didn't seem to care at all.

Not that I have any right to be jealous, Sakura shamefully reminded herself as Lee came to mind.

Sakura sat next to Sasuke and simply watched as Team Taka interacted. Karin and Suigetsu started to bicker but Jugo and Sasuke just outright ignored it as though it was normal to them. Jugo and Sasuke calmly conversed about Sasuke's time away and how well Jugo managed with him gone; they had a certain quiet synergy to them. Karin and Suigetsu's squabble stopped when Sasuke randomly interjected.

"Suigetsu, you realize that Karin could track you across the continent? Maybe you ought to be a little more careful with your words," he said with an amused smile.

"Hey! You're taking her side?" Suigetsu said.

Karin, whom a second ago looked like she would have torn Suigetsu's head at any second, turned immediately into a gushy mess. "Oh, Sasuke! I knew I could trust you to have my back!"

"Careful, Karin. He's a married man," Suigetsu teased.

Sakura got whiplash from how fast Karin reverted back to murderous rage. "Shut up! I know that! Nobody asked you, idiot!"

Suigetsu's face disintegrated into water when Karin smacked his face in. A moment later it simply reformed, undamaged. "Hey! You're gonna make me drop my food!"

Sakura picked at her stew. She really was a stranger among friends here.

She truly knew nothing about Sasuke's bizarre friends. From what she gathered, Suigetsu was a swordsman seemingly made of water who didn't seem to take things seriously. Karin was a tracker, abrasive and with dramatic mood swings. And Jugo was a quiet man whom she guessed had episodic rages. This was the team that Sasuke had gathered together in the darkest period of his life to kill his brother and attack the Kage Summit. She didn't understand what made him pick a group that seemed so unreliable (on first impressions, at least). Despite appearances, they must have some merit if Sasuke chose them.

She could already tell how Sasuke was the lynchpin holding the chaotic Team Taka together - they all seemed to gravitate towards him. Team 7 was always chaotic too (in its own way), but Sasuke's only interest in their team seemed to be with Naruto. Sakura supposed Team Taka was the team Sasuke picked, while Team 7 was the team he was assigned to. Still, Sakura couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Sasuke had spent more time with Team Taka than he ever had with Team 7.

"So how did you all meet?" Sakura asked.

"Orochimaru," they collectively answered.

"You were all enemies of Orochimaru or…?"

"Nah, not quite," Suigetsu answered. "See, me and Jugo were test subjects. Jugo wanted to be one, while I just wanted to escape. Karin graduated from test subject to assistant. And Sasuke? Orochimaru's prized star the moment he joined, privileged bastard."

"Some of us hold some twisted form of gratitude for what he did for us, but none of us were loyal to Orochimaru," Jugo said, glancing at Karin.

"So when we confront him… do you intend to let him live?" Sakura asked.

"His death is not our priority," Sasuke answered. "But if we kill him in the process it will be beneficial to us."

Karin added, "If we need to pick between the scroll or stopping him from escaping, we will pick the scroll every time."

"I still don't understand why you need me. How can my chakra control help you steal that scroll from Orochimaru?" Sakura said.

"Orochimaru prizes what that scroll can do too," Sasuke answered. "What we do know is that he has it safely locked away, and that the key is his chakra signature. Anyone who tries to force their way through the lock would simply trigger a trap and destroy the scroll outright. But, someone with good enough chakra control could safely bypass the lock."

"So I'm a lockpick."

"Precisely," Sasuke said.

"Do we know anything more than just that?"

"My spy was able to give me a location within his base, but knowing Orochimaru, he probably has moved the scroll somewhere else by now," Sasuke said.

"And Orochimaru's base is located where?"

"The Mountains' Graveyard in the no-man's land between the Sound and the Waterfall," Sasuke said. "It will be a two day's journey due to the mountainous terrain. We'll stop at another hideout on the way to gather more allies. And then we will raid Orochimaru's hideout."

Sakura's head swam with new questions. Who were these new allies? How many allies did Sasuke have? But Suigetsu interrupted her thoughts, changing the conversation topic to complain about the lack of bathtubs or water tanks at this hideout, and Karin somehow used that topic to instigate another argument with him.

They all decided to prepare for bed soon after. It was already late by the time Sakura and Sasuke arrived at the hideout, after all. However, Sasuke pulled Karin aside and asked to speak with her first and they left out the hallway to the right of the entrance room. Sakura, Jugo, and Suigetsu headed to their individual rooms down the opposite hallway.

While Sakura laid in her bed, the darkness felt more oppressive than comforting, leaving her with little distractions from her thoughts.

Why do I love you?

That question haunted her all day. She had kept on staring at him when he wasn't looking, searching for the answer. After all those hours she still had nothing. To help, she had tried to break his qualities down, to try and pick out ones that she liked.

He's handsome. He's cool. He's powerful. He's confident. He's intelligent. He's mature. He speaks his mind. He's goal-oriented. He had a dry wit, sometimes. (He was always much more animated around Naruto… Sakura was always envious of that.)

But her list felt so dry and clinical.

And none of those positive traits were ever the reason why she loved him. She just did. But she just wasn't content with that simple answer.

She next tried to think of what she liked about them.

She liked it when he was home, and when he sometimes hugged and kissed her. The scarcity made each one all the more precious. But it all just left her wanting, and he always left her full of insecurities. And she spent so much time alone, wondering if he even thought of her while gone.

As uncomfortable of a realization as it was, it turned out there wasn't much she liked about them. So much would have to change for her to be happy with their marriage. However, she did promise herself to try and fix their relationship and stop wallowing helplessly. Be true to herself, hard edges and all. Be willing to challenge Sasuke for the sake of her happiness.

But...

Maybe he's just not right for me, a part of her mind wondered. How can he be worth all this pain if I don't even know why I love him? Or what I love about us? What if nothing changes between us and I'm still left unhappy?

Her mind spun a silly fantasy of her telling Sasuke off, divorcing him, and then celebrating with Ino. Her fantasy then went past that - of her leaping into Lee's waiting arms and kissing him.

She didn't know what to think about that last part yet. Yes, she had feelings for Lee. But were they genuine or just there because of her need to fill the holes in her marriage? She was afraid to figure out the truth of that one.

Still, it was scary how appealing that daydream was. It was scarier how less guilty she felt about thoughts of divorce now than she did in the past. Only a few months ago she harshly berated herself for daring to think such disloyal thoughts towards Sasuke. Now she was uncertain how she felt about it all.

She decided to leave it as a nebulous thought in the back of her mind for later. She didn't have the courage to confront those feelings now. Plus there were more important matters at hand. First she had to figure out what she was going to do about her spying on Sasuke. Right off the bat Sasuke stole political prisoners from a noble Konoha clan. She wasn't sure how Shikamaru would handle that one. How could Shikamaru find a way to excuse or hide Sasuke's actions to protect him? Would he even do that for him? Or for her?

What would Shikamaru do if what Sasuke was doing was far worse than that?

The only thing she could do now was to trust Shikamaru to have her back. And she hoped that whatever she reported to Shikamaru would be handled discreetly enough to not come back to her. If Sasuke found out she betrayed him… even if her intentions were meant to protect him…

A pit formed in Sakura's stomach.

Starting now, their relationship might be on a time limit.

Sakura felt a sudden desperate need to see Sasuke.

She left her room then. Seemingly at the right time, because she saw Sasuke in the hallway opening the door to his room. His meeting with Karin must have just ended.

"Sasuke, wait."

Sasuke stopped, and looked at her from his doorway. Even now it felt weird looking at him, like it had been all day. Like he was being cast in an odd light, like she didn't quite recognize him. Like he was a stranger.

"Can we talk?"

"If you want," Sasuke said. "Come in."

Sakura walked into his room and closed the door behind her. The room was much more lived in than hers. There was no dust. The bedding looked fresh and new. The shelf and desk were in great condition, and covered in an assortment of scrolls, maps, and supplies. A weapon rack on the wall held several long blades. There was a chest in the corner with clothing peeking out of it. A bamboo rug spread out on the ground brought a little more color to the drab stonework, as did the decorative Uchiha clan fan on the wall. The room smelled distinctly like him.

A lump formed in Sakura's throat. This room was more his home than their house in Konoha ever was.

Sasuke rolled up the map laid out on the desk and stored it away on the shelf with his other scrolls. "You wanted to talk?" he reminded her.

There were so many questions. Ones that she didn't know how to put into words yet, or had the courage yet to. She mostly just wanted to see him, to soothe her worries. She sat on his bed, wide enough for only one. She decided it was easier to ask him about the potential treason over their relationship. (She wrly acknowledged the pathetic humor in that.)

"You told me there were things that are easier to show me than explain. Is this all you meant to show me? Or is there more to it?"

Sasuke removed the sheathed katana at his waist and placed it on the weapon rack. "There's more. Tomorrow, you'll get the full picture."

"And you trust me? To show me all this?"

Sasuke pulled off his poncho and tossed it on his desk chair. "Honestly, I have no choice to. But I think the odds of taking this risk is in my favor."

"Why do you say that?"

Sasuke turned to look at her. "When I first left Konoha to Orochimaru, you told me that you wanted to come with me, and that you would throw everything away in Konoha to do so."

"The second time I said that I tried to kill you instead."

"Because you pitied how far I'd fallen in darkness, and wanted to put me out of my misery by yourself. An act of love, right?"

Sakura was silent.

"Considering you haven't tried to kill me again since then, I think it's fair to assume you've given me a second chance," he huffed in amusement.

"Of course I did. I married you, after all," Sakura said wistfully.

"You did," Sasuke said. "I still don't understand it, but you've always loved me. Through our marriage you've wanted to understand me better but I've refused you. Now I see it was unfair to never give you a chance. I know it's... hurt you." His brow furrowed briefly. "Sakura… would you now abandon everything to be by my side?"

Yes, Shikamaru would have wanted her to say. Anything to slip further into Sasuke's absolute trust so he can be betrayed later.

"Sasuke, I…" Sakura bit her lip. "I'm not the same naive genin girl I once was. I don't even know what abandoning everything to be with you means right now," she said honestly.

Sasuke looked genuinely surprised before he then smiled to himself. "I see. I was just wondering, is all."

"I guess tomorrow I'll really see what's going on, huh? Still, I'm worried about you, Sasuke. You can trust me - I just want what's best for you. But I'm worried that you're doing something that you won't ever be able to take back. Naruto pushed so hard to make sure you were pardoned by Kakashi-sensei… even when the other Kages wanted your head instead. They still hold a grudge against the Leaf for that. Is what you're doing worth potentially throwing that pardon away?"

"If you want what is best for me, know that this path is it," Sasuke said, matter-of-fact. "It's your choice on whether you want to join me on it or not."

A/N: This chapter was both easy and difficult to write. All the exterior events involving Sasuke and Taka were easy. However, trying to balance both that and Sakura's feelings was more difficult - especially when Sakura has more than one thing to deliberate over - whatever the hell Sasuke is doing and the state of their relationship.

I had to rewrite Karin a few times. I started with her a little too nice to Sakura (I've always liked the idea of them as friends), but after doing some character research I decided she would be a lot more abrasive and tsundere. Not unnecessarily in the petty girl competition way, but just Karin being Karin. I think it fits better, because Team Taka is kinda of a hot mess. Hopefully Team Taka wasn't too horribly out of character here.

I'll also be interested in seeing you guys' reactions to Sasuke as we get a little further into this Sasuke mission arc and get some answers. Some of you hate him, and some of you like him/are intrigued by him. I'm definitely trying to make sure he has some complexity/grayness to him and that you can pick how you feel about him. It would be so easy to make him 100% all asshole with no redeeming qualities for a fic like this but I dunno. I think it just makes it too easy and unearned? Whatever happens with him, I leave your feelings over him absolutely in your own hands. (And it's kinda fitting - his character is so incredibly polarizing in the Naruto fandom already.)