A.N.

To those of you that are reading this please not that there are two stories before this one. They are called Slowly Slipping Awayand Gravity both are found on my profile. The other two stories followed the manga as closely as I possibly could, but this part of the series is completely original and takes place 4 years after the war.

Thank you for reading!

Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters do NOT belong to me. Naruto belongs to Misashi Kishimoto.

Sayuri and any characters that have not and will not appear in the manga/or anime are completely original.

Reviews are welcomed and encouraged! Thank you!

Confrontation

Once she had been a little girl and she aspired to be a ninja. But she knew nothing about what the ninja world was really like. Back then she had been happy, with her mother, father, and aunt. And although she was sheltered, and didn't have many friends outside of her home, she loved her life.

Even so, she was keenly aware of the fact that not many within her own clan liked her. They whispered among themselves when she took walks with her mother, some of the men and women that visited her father glared at her. She always felt like an outcast within her own clan, shunned and disliked for reasons unknown to her. That was why, when one of her guards asked her to play she was more than willing to do so.

He was warm and gentle. He was patient and understanding. He taught her how to throw kunai and shuriken. He showed her how to place her feet and hands so that she may fight. He indulged her in her childish games of hide and seek and pretend. He was her first friend. She looked up to him, with his long black hair and equally black eyes, he was a godsend at a time where she had felt like she was suffocating.

"Your flower crowns a beautiful." He'd say when she asked for his opinion. He'd smile and let her decorate his hair.

"A little more to the left." He'd instruct when she missed a target and pouted at her first couple of miserable attempts. He patted her head and grinned when she finally hit her mark.

"Ignore them." He would whisper, his hand gripping hers a little tighter when she would look down at the glares and whispers directed at her. He'd take her away from the crowd and to the park so she could be a kid.

Itachi Uchiha, he called himself and with him, came a child.

He was older than she was but not by much. Not like she cared, she was more than happy to make a new friend. She found that he was very different from his older brother. He was rough, childish, stubborn, playful, and innocent. And even though they bickered more than a few times, she found herself wanting to be with him even more. He was the first child friend she had.

"You're doing it wrong." He's tell her and guide her arm to the proper position.

"I don't want to play that! I want to play ninja!" He'd whine when she asked to play tag.

"You're too good for them anyway." He'd say, hands stuffed into his pockets, looking away as a pink tinge took over his cheeks.

Sasuke Uchiha, the boy that had shook her hand the first time they met.

Then came a boy a year older than the last. She had just lost her mother, she was not willing to see anyone, not even the two brothers. Her father had begun to worry when he was brought in. The boy was frowning when he first saw her. She had looked to him with indifference. He had told her that he was brought to her clan to train. That he had someone back at in his clan that he had to protect. That last word, he spat out with barely concealed fury. She did not like him. Each day for a year he came to her home, her father or one of her guards would train him, and each day he'd hover when his training was done, just like her father did when he did find the free time to spend with her.

She had finally had enough one day when she was playing with her ball. She had snuck out of her home to go by the river that ran through the compound. Ignoring the glares, and sometimes saddened looks directed her way she found a quiet isolated spot.

"There you are." He grumbled. Sayuri had looked back just in time to watch the veins around his eyes recede. Byakugan…how could she forget. She ignored him and began to bounce the red ball. "You shouldn't be out without an escort." The boy stepped closer but Sayuri, like always ignored him. Finally, he had enough. He stepped up and slapped the ball out of her hand and it rolled up to the edge of the river. "You're a spoiled brat that's why they don't like you!" he shouted.

She didn't know what took over her, all she knew was that she was mad. She screamed and balled her hands trying to hit him with as much force as her little five-year-old self could. She managed one hit to his cheek when he threw her down on the ground. She shoved him off and he pushed the ball over the edge and into the river. He turned to her, eyes wide as the girl sat up tears threatening to spill over her eyes.

With a sigh he ran after the ball that had been caught by a fallen tree branch. He had leaned a bit too far when he fell into the water. He went up to catch his breath, but was dragged down again. He wasn't a good swimmer yet. He went down one more time when he felt someone pull him back up. He looked behind him to see Sayuri grabbing on to the fallen branch and struggling to keep him up by his collar.

"Grab…the…branch!" she yelled and he did. The two pulled themselves out of the water, both struggling to catch their breaths and wet.

He had fallen onto his back, staring up at the blue sky. "I'm…sorry." He said. She sat up and pushed her wet hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry too." She sighed and pulled her legs to herself. "Don't you know how to swim?"

He looked at her and she at him. "Not well enough."

"What kind of idiot goes into the water knowing he can't swim well." She said with a small smile.

The boy with the byakugan eyes looked like he was about to retort, but offered a small smile in return. "Me." He sat up and bowed. "My name is Neji Hyuga."

"You're very formal." She smiled, and offered him her hand instead of a bow, just like her other two friends did. "Sayuri Marihasha."

The two had been scolded when they returned. Since that day the boy didn't hover, he sat with her, talked to her, and when her clan was murdered, he comforted her.

"You'll get through this." He told her as she cried in the hospital the morning after the murders.

Neji…Sayuri thought, blinking her sleep away staring up at the ceiling. No nightmares this time, but that didn't mean they were gone. Her eyes felt dry…had she been crying? She sat up, sheets pooling at her lap as she rubbed them. She felt something brush her thigh. She screamed and fell back, hitting the wooden floor hard.

"Ow!" she hissed, grabbing her head.

"Why are you on the ground?" a deep voice asked above her.

She opened her eyes and saw Sasuke leaning over the bed. "What the hell are you-" she stopped midsentence recalling last night. "Never mind." She huffed and pushed herself up. "We should get ready."

Sasuke watched as she picked up her clothes and headed to the restroom. Pushing himself up, he began to change as well. By the time he was done, Sayuri walked out pulling her hair back into the pony tail. Noticing his stare, the auburn haired young woman turned to him, a delicate eyebrow raised.

"Yes?" she asked, the hair tie in her mouth moving up and down with the motion of her lips moving. He didn't answer, instead he headed for the restroom.

XXX

"He hasn't come back." Sasuke whispered to Sayuri who was seated across from him, eating dango.

"Maybe I should have sent a clone…" Sayuri said between bites.

"Hn." Sasuke picked up the onigiri on his plate and began to eat, both shinobi casually glancing over at the man sitting a couple of tables away as he chatted up a willing waitress.

It's seven in the afternoon. Maybe I should lure him out and you can cast a genjutsu on him. He heard Sayuri's voice echo in his head. He turned back sharply to her and glared. What? He watched her blink innocently at him.

You are not luring anyone! She heard his reply. And stay out of my head.

Sayuri pursed her lips. It's the only way I can communicate with you without being noticed by the people around us, in case you haven't noticed we're not in a booth. Besides, you didn't have a problem with this jutsu when I was helping you cheat during the Chunnin Exams!

She watched with hidden satisfaction as he winced at the loudness of her voice. He glared at her with barely concealed anger until a waitress walked up to them.

"Are you enjoying your meal?" The pretty brunette asked them, although it was mostly directed at Sasuke who nodded, sharp grey eyes on his blue eyed 'wife.' "OK, anything else I can bring you?"

"Water" "Tea" the two replied in unison. She nodded and walked away, but not before giving Sasuke a wink.

Why can't I just lure him out!? It would make our whole lives easier if we confirm out suspicions!

Because, you don't know how dangerous he is. Besides, I thought with that jutsu you could hear people's thoughts.

How many times do I have to say it for it sink in, I can protect myself! Second, I can only hear what people are thinking at the moment, I can't read his mind completely!

We'll find another way.

Just let me do this, it'll be easy. He already has it out for me.

Don't be ridiculous.

Oh, so you're willing to put other people under genjutsu in the woods as they come into the village, but not let me lure him out so you can do what you've been doing throughout this mission!?

I said no! His voice resonated loudly in her head; this time it was she who winced. That's final!

"Here you go." The waitress chirped placing their drinks down.

"Thanks." The two replied in unison, stiffly picking up their drinks all the while they stared at each other. Nervously she slinked away, inwardly hoping that maybe they'd get into a fight, that way it be easier for her to comfort him.

"You're a jerk." Sayuri hissed, under her breath.

They had been at each other's throats since the morning. First it was during breakfast, Sayuri would make a snide remark and Sasuke would reply. Then they began to scout the village for Hiro, again that ended up in a fight, and now they were sitting at a small restaurant, having dinner and stalking a flirtatious man.

"Hiro!" they heard their target proudly announce.

Stunned the two Konoha nin turned to the tall, bald, man that entered the small restaurant. Hiro leaned forward to whisper to Naoki, who took a sip of his drink and smirked, waving a waitress over to his table.

Sasuke turned his attention to Sayuri, who's brow creased in concentration.

Bald one wants to go. He's not letting on where… He watched the girl frown, and bit her lip. He's thinking about the clearing we were at last night.

"Let's go." The Uchiha took out more than enough money to cover their bill and stood up. Sayuri took one last sip of her tea before setting out to follow her companion.

"Iriai." The two froze when they hear Naoki call Sayuri's code name. They turned to look down at the smirking young man. "Have a good night." He winked. Sayuri rolled her eyes and kept walking, while Sasuke glared at him one last time before leaving.

"I think they're planning something." Sasuke said as he guided her to the exit.

"You think."

The two walked down the road, as the lamps above them flickered on. Once they were at a safe distance and far away from the crowd the two snuck up onto the roof top. Peering over the ledge they watched Hiro and Naoki walk out, heading towards the wooded area of the village at a brisk pace.

"I wonder where they're heading in such a hurry." Sasuke muttered, sharingan spinning. Beside him Sayuri gasped and turned away from the men. "What is it?"

"I-My clones can't find her." Her voice rose in a slight panic.

"Her?"

"Kukiko!" Sayuri snapped and leapt down, sprinting towards the direction of Kukiko's shop. Running so fast, the cold air burned going into her lungs, Sayuri slid to a stop just in front of the store. She walked inside and found one clone come out from the back, shaking her head. Sasuke arrived just in time to see Sayuri come out of the shop, eyes displaying worry.

"She's not inside…" she paused and drew a hand up to her forehead. "Or in her apartment…You don't think…"

Sasuke's eyes widened, recalling Naoki's smirk after Hiro had whispered to him. And now that he thought about it, they left right after.

"You said that Hiro guy wanted to meet at the clearing?" He asked.

"Shit." Was all the two said, taking to the roof tops and heading in the direction that the two men left to.

XXX

"Pretty little thing." Naoki smiled, gripping Kukiko's chin tilting it left to right to get a better look of her features. The girl made no sound, as she lay against the tree unconscious. "She seems to be about the same age they told us to look for."

Behind him, Hiro crossed his arms. "She didn't put up much of a fight…you should have seen her she was very naïve."

Naoki smirked as he stood up. Taking a step back he saw the black ink markings on the ground around the brunette. "To be honest, I preferred the other one…Iriai, but with her damn husband hovering around her there was no getting near her."

"Is that why you held it off as long as you did?" Hiro asked, raising an eyebrow. "You wanted the married woman? You know that's not what they asked for."

Naoki scoffed. "I know, but hey, I could always have some fun on my own."

Hiro looked down at Naoki in barely concealed disgust. "No wonder they chose you to scout for them." He clasped his hands together. "All right, let's-"

The sound of steel cutting air stopped the men. They jumped out of the way just as the shuriken landed on the opposite trees. The two took out their kunai and looked around them finding no one.

"Next time I won't miss." They heard a deep voice echo.

"Get away from the girl." Another voice said, this time lighter and more feminine.

Naoki smirked. "Well, sweetheart, why don't you come out and make me?"

"Sure." Suddenly a figure appeared behind him, punching the side of his face sending the man flying to the right.

Hiro let out a battle cry as he rushed at the masked man only to be yanked off the ground and flung aside by a tree root. A second masked person landed beside the unconscious brunette.

"She's alive." Sayuri said, felling a wave of relief, then turning to the men she bit her thumb and slid it across her wrist, a kunai pooffing into her hand. "So you two are the ones killing women."

Naoki grunted as he stood, holding the side of his head. "You know when I asked for you to make me, I was hoping you'd come out, not that ass hole."

Sasuke moved closer to Sayuri and glared at Naoki from behind his mask.

"Why are you doing this?" Sayuri asked.

"Sweet heart, we're not the only ones."

Her eyes widened, feeling the hood of her cloak being yanked back along with her hair as she was slammed onto the ground like a rag doll. She cried out in pain and watched Hiro sit on her shoulders, hands on her neck. Just as Sasuke was about to move forward, he jumped back in time to avoid the hands that sprouted out from the spot where he had been only moments ago. Hiro screamed as tendrils of electricity wound around him and swung him off of the female. He landed back on his feet holding his arms and glaring at Sayuri who sat up holding her chest.

"You bitch!" he roared and raced towards her, but slid to a stop when black flames sprung up between him and her. Sayuri quickly moved to stand next to Sasuke, taking up a defensive stance.

"Well, well, well…look at what we have here." Naoki grinned as he emerged from the ground without a single speck of dirt marring his clothes. "An Uchiha." His eyes slid to the shorter masked ninja standing beside him. Her cloak was torn at the shoulder, and the hood had been pulled back to reveal auburn hair.

"Last I heard, there was only one Uchiha and he was traveling." Naoki shoved his hands into the pockets of his red cloak. "Can't you keep your damn nose out of someone else's business?"

"Who the hell are you?" Was all that Sasuke said, while the black flames moved to surround Kukiko's unconscious body, keeping her away from her kidnappers.

"Not anyone of importance." He smiled and tilted his head to the side. As he did so, the two Konoha ninja stiffened feeling something sharp pierce their backs. While Sayuri cried out in pain and fell to her knees, Sasuke gritted his teeth and stumbled forward.

Sayuri turned her head to look behind her and cried out. Behind them stood another Naoki, a clone that vanished leaving a trail of smoke behind. She looked to Sasuke's back and saw a needled sticking out. Reaching for her own, she pulled it out and almost fainted at the amount of pain and effort it took just to do a simple task. Catching on, Sasuke shifted to pull his out, falling to one knee with a groan as he did so.

Sayuri gritted her teeth, as she blinked away the nausea and the spots that were clouding her vision all the while she tried to form a hand seal. Any movement she made her feel like she was burning from the inside out. A very painful shock to her system. Her arms trembled as if they were lifting an enourmous amount of weight. Sayuri bit her lip hard at the excruciating agony she was experiencing.

Naoki laughed and sat back on his heels, hands hanging off his knees as he stared at Sayuri's mask. "I just injected you with a chakra suppressant, so I wouldn't bother with using chakra. It'll only make the pain ten times worse. And don't' move too much either, it just makes everything so much more painful for you." Behind him Hiro had regained full use of his arms and stood behind his companion. Naoki moved forward and pulled of Sasuke's mask off first. "Looks like I was right." He then shifted to Sayuri and yanked hers off roughly. "Oh…you're a sight. Too bad, you had to be a ninja." He pushed her back so that she sat on her calves, the sudden movement causing her to cry out. "Kill them." Naoki ordered with a sadistic smirk as he stepped back.

Hiro's face was blank as he picked up the Katana that Sayuri had dropped and pointed it her chest. He pulled his hand back ready. "This will only hurt a bit." With one swift movement he thrusted his hand forward.

A sharp cry echoed throughout the forest, but it was not Sayuri's.

"Sasuke!" she yelled watching as the Uchiha fell to his side, the katana sticking out of his back, blood dripping onto the white snow. Sayuri stared down at her teammates body, in mild shock before she felt something in her snap. Shifting her eyes up she pushed forward, her anger overpowering the pain as she jabbed the needle she had pulled out from her back, into the man's chest falling forward onto the ground as he sputtered blood onto her cheeks.

Sayuri lay as still as she could, trying to keep the burning in her system down, while the man below her started to lose consciousness.

"Fuck!" Naoki cursed avoiding the black flame that chased him. He leapt forward but a small wisp caught his sleeve. Without much thought to it he ripped off his cloak and formed three seals just as his feet touched the white snow. Black marking spread under him and he was gone.

"I can't…sense him." Sayuri ground out struggling to push herself off of the dead man bellow her. Behind her, Sasuke coughed out more blood to add to the already growing red stain on the snow. "Damn it!" she rolled onto her side and tried to stand. When she did, she screamed, tears rolling down her face as she pushed forward until she landed face first onto the reddened snow.

"Sayu…ri…" Sasuke ground out, he was feeling light headed, from what he figured was a mixture of the incredible amount of pain he was in and the blood loss.

Panting, Sayuri pushed herself up with her arms and dragged her bottom half to a seated position. "Hold on." She gritted out as she placed a hand by the wound, taking a deep breath she prepared herself for the pain they were both going to experience in a little bit. "This is going to…hurt like hell…for both of us." She didn't even give Sasuke a chance to reply when she pulled the kunai out and pushed her diminished charka through her hands forming the familiar green glow, stopping the bleeding and sealing the wound shut.

Both crying out as she did so, until Sayuri's vision began to cloud and she fell onto her side. Her cries slowly turned to whimpers while her hand slid off Sasuke and landed lazily on the ground.

"I'm not sure…if I…did a good job…" Sayuri panted.

Sasuke concentrated on her face, or at least tried to, but everything was blurring. He felt dizzy, his vision was unfocused, and he was still in pain. "It's just…like last time…" Sayuri winced, trying to move herself again but found that she couldn't move any part of herself at all. "When you were…Rei…" He could just make out Sayuri's wide eyes in his haze. He chuckled, sharingan eye darting to the black flames as he willed them to disappear. "Fuck!" he cursed at the sudden migraine.

"You knew?" Sayuri breathed.

Sasuke chuckled again, a soft smile on his lips as his sharingan faded, leaving his black and rinnegan unfocused eyes on her. "Yeah…" His eyes slid shut and Sayuri panicked for a moment, until she saw the specks of snow on his nose move with his breathing.

"Sasuke…" she bit her lip and shifted her head with much effort to look at Kukiko who was still out for the count. She inhaled, closing her eyes.

I have to move! She thought, taking another deep breath. He could come back for Kukiko! I have to move! Sayuri's eyes opened with newfound determination. She was not about to just lay out in the snow and wait if Naoki decided to come back. No matter what it took she was going to get them out!

Sayuri dragged her arm back to her side and pushed up, gritting her teeth only to fall forward again. "If I ever see that ass hole again…!" Sayuri growled as she pushed herself up, willing her body to cooperate. On the bright side the burning sensation that was coursing throughout her body seemed to be diminishing, it still didn't make anything easier for her. She managed to put herself in a sitting position and remained motionless for a minute, blinking back tears before forcing herself to pull Sasuke's arm over her shoulders.

Ok…Next I need a clone. She grimaced at the idea, recalling the agony she was in when she forced her nearly completely sealed chakra to work for her. Taking a deep breath, she made the half seal of the boar, a blob of mud rising beside Kukiko and taking the form of herself. She yelped at the burning sensation that coursed through her entire chakra system. She was really pushing it now.

"I can…only move as much as you…" her clone said as she stiffly pulled Kukiko's arm over her shoulders in the same manner her original did with Sasuke.

"Well…that's great!" Sayuri said through clenched teeth as she pushed herself up. Sasuke's dead weight only managed increase the pain she was already feeling. One step in front of the other. She told herself, slowly moving forward, followed by her clone. All I need to do is get to the trail…Just the trail. She chanted in her head as her wobbly legs carried her and the Uchiha. Behind her, her clone panted and grit her teeth but followed obediently.

"Almost there…" Sayuri said through clenched teeth as they reached the edge of the path. She almost cried in relief when she fell on her knees, letting Sasuke slide down beside her. A little bit away from her, the clone suddenly fell into a heap of mud leaving Kukiko on the ground. Beads of sweat rolled down Sayuri's cheek as her entire surroundings began to spin once more, this time she didn't bother to try and regain her senses. She heard someone call out in the distance, just before she hit the ground hard.

"What the…" she heard a male voice exclaim before she surrendered herself to the dark void that had been calling out to her from the moment she decided to pull them out of the forest.

A.N.

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