Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters in it

XXIII.

- Between Two Heartbeats -

[Several years ago]

"So… I'll remove some unnecessary metal from the frame."

"Aren't sniper rifles built with optimal weight or something? I mean, every part is where it has to be."

"Not quite," Itachi leaned to him with a mischievous smirk. "There are some parts that we can replace with more useful ones. It's even better, semi-automatics are easier to modify."

Sasuke looked at him in a moment of silence before releasing his breath. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Explaining won't work," Itachi sighed. "It's best if I show you."

He grabbed the lower middle of the sniper rifle and pulled it, but it didn't shift as lightly as he wanted it to. A deep furrow formed on his face, confusion darkening his features. Sasuke always thought Itachi was the one who had derived the very best from his parents. The handsome bone structure of their father and the aesthetically correct form of his nose, as well as his eyes, from their mother. It would've been a lie if he said he never envied him. But the envy was insignificant next to the admiration he felt for his skills and his manners. Itachi was refinement itself and Sasuke knew he wouldn't reach his level, as much as he tries.

"There must be another pair of bolts you've missed," Sasuke bent down to check.

"Yeah," Itachi reached for the screwdriver. He took the frame off the stand and rested it on the solid wood of the working table.

The table was filled with various woodworking tools, car parts, scattered machinery, and many unfinished projects. Sasuke was sure his brother had pushed away another pile of objects at random on his way in. At least that's how it looked from aside. Nevertheless, the garage still kept its cozy atmosphere, despite the chaos. It was the only place in the house that had a vaulted wooden roof and portholes instead of normal square windows. His father had the weirdest taste for interior design, but he and his brother would still spend hours working on things there, ignoring everything outside these four walls.

"What are you gonna replace that part with?" Sasuke watched as his brother unscrewed the bolts and disassembled the metallic chassis.

"This," Itachi handed him a small cube and Sasuke examined it carefully. It wasn't like anything he'd seen before. The material resembled titanium. A light metallic cube the size of his palm and a soft button on one of the walls. Nothing more.

"Do I detonate something with this?"

Itachi laughed. "No, you don't. It's just a small addition to the weapon. Since it's going in your hands."

"What?" Sasuke was astonished.

Itachi recollected the cube from his brother's hand and bumped his shoulder. "I'm giving it to you. For your birthday."

"But it's… yours."

"I'll have myself a new one," Itachi calmed him down but found himself smiling at Sasuke's bitter expression. "Manufactured just for me. Ten times better."

"So you're practically giving away this one because it's trash and you don't need it anymore," Sasuke pouted at Itachi's smug face.

"Mmm... yeah," Itachi pursed his lips, trying to keep from laughing out loud.

"Thanks a lot," Sasuke scoffed dryly.

"Come on, it's a nice weapon. I just need to fix a few things."

"Itachi? Sasuke?" A high-pitched voice yelled in the distance. They could recognize that voice anywhere. There was a menace approaching. The brothers glanced at each other and started tidying up in a split second.

"Pass me the blanket over there. Quickly." Itachi took it from Sasuke and covered the whole table in time.

"Where are you—" A slender, black-haired woman entered abruptly and stopped at the threshold, looking at her sons with a sore expression. It couldn't erase her striking beauty, though, despite that she wasn't in her youth. Proud forehead, dark eyes, and high cheekbones. She even had the habit of wearing dresses at home. The one she wore now was a rich burgundy color and had a silk ribbon enveloping the waistline.

She crossed her arms and leaned on the doorframe. Although they made their best to hide what's behind them, they knew nothing could be truly hidden from her keen eyes.

"Your father forbid army-related activities and conversations while you're in the house," her voice was completely even.

"I know, mother," Itachi declared right away.

Sasuke never talked in those kinds of inner-family arguments. As he thought about the reason for that, it was probably because he always stood behind his brother and hid while Itachi took the impact of whatever they have done. Itachi was brave enough to both take all the blame upon himself and stand against their mother's wrath and father's punishments. Sasuke wasn't sure why his brother did that, but he never questioned it before, overly content with his own invincibility. Whenever he messed up, Itachi was there to clean up the mess and it was not until recently that he realized how grateful he is for that.

"I'll shut my eyes to this. Only this time."

Silence fell over as Itachi and Sasuke stood still and shoulder to shoulder, still comically close and completely aware that their mother saw right through their façade. Any other day Mikoto would've enjoyed the view but now she stood like a dark cloud and pierced them with her steady and, in Sasuke's humble opinion, fearsome gaze. "Who came up with this?" Her hand made a motion, gesturing at the covered up area behind them.

Sasuke took a breath, but Itachi spoke right away, giving his brother no time to do so.

"I did."

Their mother's tone softened just a little when she spoke out again, "We all agreed politics and war will stay outside this home. When you're in it, you leave those behind. I thought you knew that, Itachi."

"Yes, and I'm very sorry, mother."

She stepped back and reached for the handle. Mikoto eyed Sasuke from head to toe and slammed the door shut. Itachi released his breath, low laughter shaking his whole body. "I had a strong adrenaline rush right there. But dad is still scarier of both."

"I can hear you, boy!" Mikoto's thunderous voice echoed from outside and Itachi froze, eyes widening. "I'll tell your father about what you're doing in his garage!"

"I'm screwed," Itachi murmured and uncovered the sheet in a single, dramatic motion. "Let's continue."

Sasuke shook his head, a smile creeping on his lips. "Uh…" he glanced at the door. "Thank you for that."

"Don't mention it," Itachi bent over and squinted at the part he just wrested out of the rifle's frame. "What are brothers for, right?"

Wind. He hated wind. It was harder to aim without it anyway. His finger gently slipped through the trigger hole and pressed it backward with the slowest movement but released it once again. His target shifted way too much and way too often. That hare was his chance to have dinner and losing it from sight was out of the question. He changed his course, going deeper into the wood only to find something to eat. It wasn't as easy as it sounded in theory.

Ten long minutes passed since he kneeled next to that tree and followed the hare's indefinite movements. Ten more and his fingers would start numbing. It was the late afternoon and heavy dusk quickly covered the wood. Lack of light wasn't the problem, the thermal lens attached to the scope helped him discern any living form around him. The problem was the drop in temperature. He needn't a device to know, it started snowing a while ago.

With only that cloak on, he could barely make it another night, having a fire or not. The city was probably close but heavily guarded from all sides and at all entrances. He still had no plan of how to get through. Planning could wait. Dinner was of prime importance.

His thoughts stilled on the hare again as it chewed on a blade of grass. The reticle was zeroed on it perfectly. What an ancient scope. He never replaced it with a new one… perhaps he should've. Anyway, that wind was against him today. Twenty-two miles per hour, according to his miniature anemometer. At least his target was a hundred yards away. Not that far.

Sasuke exhaled slowly.

Firing between two heartbeats. That was his accuracy secret in sniping. It was a strange moment, every time he tried to freeze time and space just to hear his heartbeat. It was slow and rhythmical, like a second's hand in a complicated clockwork. Once. Twice. His finger pulled the trigger, outstripping the third. The shrill and loud sound echoed in the vast space of that meadow, disturbing the silence of the forest. The hare was dead, at last. He stood up, loosening the tight hold of the sling around his right arm, and shifted the rifle on his back.

Good. Now to light a fire and skin that animal. At least his lighter still worked. He had to choose whether he wanted to stride further away from the asphalt and find a watercourse or something of the sort or stick closer to the road and not lose more time. He went to pick up the hare and stopped for a second, looking up. The skies were a thick, hazy grey and the snow fell in big flakes. Not only that he needed a source of water but shelter from the wind, too. Perhaps it was better to go deeper into the forest after all.

Fortunately, he did find a gorge not very far from the meadow he crossed and used the brook's stream to skin the hare. The moment he pulled out the knife his thoughts returned to the very subject he tried to avoid. It was hard to do so when the knife in his hands reminded him of the dead-end he was currently in the middle of. Itachi… how can someone like Itachi be a traitor? He couldn't even imagine that. All those years he knew him to be a man of principles. Even if he switched sides, he must've had a serious reason for it.

The running water beneath him was painted in red with the blood of the animal and he paused for a short second, distracted by the color. The brook itself had carved a pathway between two cliffs and it was easy to find a sheltered place at the foot of one of the many stooping, mossed rocks. He hurried to spark a flame onto the still dry leaves and twigs he gathered on his way. If that snow kept falling through the whole night, everything was going to soak wet. Which meant he had to move quickly.

At least the hare was delicious. And the soil underneath him was not moist and he could sit on it. His eyes sank into the dancing flames in front of him. The sight of fire had always allured and fascinated him. He used to spend hours in front of the fireplace in his house. Fire was a dangerous and destructive force, one that possessed a kind of mysticism within.

Sasuke ate silently, contemplating the serene view. Entering Amegakure was not an easy matter if you carried a sniper rifle on your back. He was sure Konoha had announced him a deserter already and showing up in front of police forces wasn't wise, especially when it was about entering a populated industrial center as that city. Something like a sixth sense told him he'd find answers there. Uchiha had some connections with the city's Police Department, but if passing through the Border Police bothered him what was left of the Department itself. He couldn't just barge in and ask for information, not after he disobeyed an order and was aware Konoha's Government would try to find and punish him soon enough.

He leaned back on the cold stone with a sigh, taking a good look at his rifle. Searching for information about his brother was secondary. First, he had to get through the heavily guarded border somehow. Perhaps trying to get into the city with the help of someone was the way to go. He could use a lift or something… the thought made almost made him scoff. Falling so low was never in his plans, but knowing Amegakure's fame, perhaps entering the city illegally wasn't going to be that hard, with all kinds of people with unknown pasts and of suspicious character crossing the border daily. He had to try.

Hands squeezing the weapon, Sasuke tried to set himself in a better position to rest, but it was getting too cold. Was it even a good idea to fall asleep? Whenever he closed his eyes, doubts started corroding him and dread crawling underneath his skin. The countless question began gnawing at him until his head ached and until nausea didn't appear in his stomach. What did Itachi do? Why would he work for such a wretched man? Did he work for him willingly? Fear clenched his chest with a vice when he went further.

What if it was all a lie? If Itachi never loved him, if he's been a spy for years? Fugaku had many enemies and what better way to study him than his own son in the matter, the one who shared the same roof? What if Itachi was responsible for their parents' death? And what did it even matter, Itachi was dead now, too. Leaving him all alone. A profound sadness settled in Sasuke's heart when he realized his brother would no longer be there for him to hide behind. The one he thought closest could be a traitor and a murderer and the pain of it festered his heart.

That was one sick joke. Sasuke was angry that some never had to fight a tenth of the battles he fought. It drove him wild that some never tasted the bitterness of loss and the disappointment of betrayal. Sasuke looked up at the dark sky, snowflakes now fell from it peacefully; the wind had abated.

It wasn't worth it anymore. Living life as it was for him then. But those sorrowful, tender eyes haunted him and reminded him of what life could be. Then, in his rage, he decided she didn't deserve her happiness. He saw insolence in her attempts to prove she understood him. He plundered, stole from her in handfuls, until he didn't wake beside her the last time, realizing that she was still there, embracing him in the most loving way, despite his cruelty. It was then that he knew he could bring her only pain and she did not deserve this pain. So he was to hurt her no more.

He sighed, closing his eyes.

It was better that way.

Sasuke snapped his eyes open at the sound of wood cracking. His concern soon evaporated when he noticed it was a deer that quickly fled after he shifted uncomfortably. It was around dawn so he must've dozed off for a couple of hours. No wonder his limbs felt so numb. Thin rime covered the surroundings with a beautiful luster, but the air was nipping cold, especially with that fire of his currently in the form of steaming ashes.

Wasting no time, he headed for the road.

It took him about an hour to reach the highway, west of his position. A light fog had covered the plain where the road meandered and quickly got lost from sight. It was rare to see any kind of vehicle at this time of the day. He hid his rifle under the cloak right after he got on the road but no living soul disturbed the silence.

The highway seemed infinite, but he knew the city was near because there was a buzzing, distant noise he caught. Civilization was close. Cars and trucks appeared more often and it wasn't a surprise that there was someone that turned off the road, after all, intercepting his way. It was a grey minivan. Alright, that was suspicious enough to get him through the border. This whole idea was ridiculous, but he saw no other way. Entering Amegakure on foot was impossible, given the fact that he was against the law and carrying a rifle and a gun. And some other things.

"Good morning, sir," the man greeted him once Sasuke got closer. It was a hoarse, low wheeze of a voice and it echoed unpleasantly in the silence.

"Good morning," Sasuke replied, still refusing to take his dark hood off.

"Quite unusual. A lonely wayfarer on the road at six in the morning," the man paused. "Your car's out of fuel?"

Interesting. The tone was ambiguous. It sounded like a password or a way to check the person's intentions.

"What if it is?" Sasuke slowly revealed his face and noticed the man squinting at the sight, almost as a convulsion.

There was this wild glint in his poisonous green eyes. Everything else about him appeared in the norm. The same pale, worn-out face everyone shared in the last years. He leaned on the wheel, the corners of his mouth up in a smirk. His gaze quickly estimated and returned back to Sasuke's eyes. "Are you headed to Amegakure?"

"Yes," Sasuke was relievd that he didn't ask important questions, but kept avoiding them instead. "I can pay you."

"Oh?" the man almost laughed, looking ahead for a moment. "Alright then. Get in."

Sasuke could feel that the man was somewhat interested in him but wasn't sure why. He opened the door and took a seat.

"I… don't want money," the man narrowed his eyes. "I'm interested in another kind of payment."

"I'm listening."

The man looked at Sasuke thoughtfully for a while, then offered a hand. "Let me first introduce myself so that it won't sound weird to you. Orochimaru."

"Sasuke," it was better to not let anyone know his surname for now. Sasuke shook his hand.

"I am a doctor," Orochimaru explained slowly. "Have my own clinic. Which is why the payment I request is a blood sample."

Well, that could explain why he cut off the way of strangers in the middle of the road. But that was one hell of a request. What were the chances of him getting into Amegakure if he refused that one, though? The air around this guy was pretty tense and he didn't like him in the least. He couldn't afford losing any time. Blood sample, it is.

"Agreed," Sasuke closed the door. "What proof do I have you're even a real doctor?"

Orochimaru pulled out his wallet and a small business card. Didn't look fake. But that was Amegakure. The illegal institutions were probably more than the legal ones.

"Do you always pick random people from the road?" Sasuke asked once they set off.

"I do, actually," Orochimaru was smiling again. "And I never take money."

A clinic, huh? Sasuke wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to hide his weapons under the cloak but under no circumstances was he to part with them.

They were silent for the rest of the ride and it got Sasuke wondering. If he didn't ask anything then he did not care to know, right? And if he did not care to know, then he was either a criminal and a liar himself or… personalities weren't important for him and he targeted at random, leaving no tracks afterward. Sasuke was tempted to test his authenticity and dare him to show his medical knowledge if he had any. The thought passed quickly as they reached the eastern gates, supposedly one of the four main entrances.

As Sasuke suspected, the entrance was like a fortress, two pairs of barriers on the way in and out, at least a dozen policemen outside and a dozen more inside the border checkpoints. No way was he going to get in unnoticed. The concrete wall was eight... if not ten meters high and wired on top.

"Purpose of staying in the city?" the flat voice of the officer dragged his attention.

"I am a doctor," Orochimaru handed him a pile of documents and waited, with the content smile still on his face.

Sasuke prayed that guy was convincing enough because if they requested a search through him or through the car, things were going to get complicated. The officer switched the documents, reading through them absently. His eyes raised up to scan the driver and then his passenger.

"Who is the person with you?"

"A business partner," Orochimaru paused. "We're working on a project together."

Lying to a police officer. How desperate was he to get his sample?

"Is that right?" The officer was not convinced and they were stepping on a thin line now. Mind games. He loved them a little too much. Time to jump into a role.

"Bismuth Nanoparticles," Sasuke clarified. The officer was more than confused. "We believe there's a way to cure cancer tumors by using the pentavalent post-transition metal in radiotherapy."

The furrow on the officer's face deepened with each word. Orochimaru turned to look at him, curiosity in his eyes.

"Good. You can pass," the officer returned the documents and waved at his colleague to raise the barrier. "Good luck with the project."

Orochimaru nodded and drove further, closing his window. "Very well acquainted with medicine, I see," he spoke indefinitely, once they entered the city.

"I wouldn't say very well, but I am interested in various things," Sasuke scanned the streets as they slid deeper into the city. There was tension that he thought would disappear when he's finally in... but it didn't. "And I have a good memory."

Amegakure was a dark place. Looming, tall buildings, and shadowy alleys. It was muddy and the smog was visible in between the heavy concrete walls of the countless business centers. All pedestrians had a mask on. The air was sure a couple of times more polluted than the one in Konoha. There was something intimidating about those grey skyscrapers, too, it made him feel slightly claustrophobic… and small.

"We're almost there," Orochimaru announced.

The car stopped, to Sasuke's great surprise, in front of a fancy edifice. He wasn't lying about the clinic. He had an agreement, but his trust in that guy was fading with every passing minute. He followed Orochimaru into the building. Judging from the perfectly clean glass doors, sterile floor, and the few civilians he ascertained the clinic was a private one. He knew expensive when he saw it.

"Another one, doctor?" A nurse came from a door, handing a white overall and a smile.

"Another one," Orochimaru put it on and gestured at Sasuke to follow him.

Leave this place immediately. Sasuke repeated the thought in his mind. Nothing seemed out of place but everything was wrong at the same time. Too perfect, the nurses were too perfect, the staff was too perfect, the civilians too calm. And that awful scent of disinfectants, he couldn't stand it. The darkness of his own presence was like a stain on the background of blinding light and predominating white colors. He didn't belong there at all.

Orochimaru led him into an office, seemingly his own.

"What's with the blood samples? Is that a hobby?" Sasuke remained by the door which he purposefully left ajar.

"The word hobby sounds too careless, don't you think? It would make me look like a street vendor," Orochimaru rummaged through the shelves and continued through the cabinets behind him. "I prefer the word research. It fits better what I'm doing in this clinic."

Sasuke scanned his office quickly. There was a thin layer… of dust covering most of the documents. His hand slipped over his gun. Dust? When was the last time someone entered this place? Someone clicked shut the door behind him from the other side and he startled, looking back at it.

"People come to me with different diseases," Orochimaru spoke again, forcing Sasuke to face him. "Diseases that all those great minds working for Governments have come up with. You know, artificial viruses, bioweapons, clever explosives, those things. And these people ask me to help them. I try to find ways. I don't always succeed, but when I do…" he sighed. "Everybody wins, so to say."

"Let me guess, the cures you sell cost millions," Sasuke tensed when Orochimaru neared him with a needle in his hand.

"I get the feeling you want to shoot me since the moment we met," Orochimaru chuckled hollowly.

Sasuke squinted. Was he that obvious?

"I know a soldier when I see one. This hub is empty. Can I?" Orochimaru showed the syringe to him, assuring him there was nothing to be worried about.

It didn't look worrisome, but his stomach was still tied in a knot. Eyes fixed on the ones in front of him, Sasuke felt as if he was looking at his greatest mistake. That viridian, predatory gaze boded ill and promised trouble, but there was nothing he could do about it. There was nothing he could accuse that man in. He was immaculate.

"I'm free to leave after that?" Sasuke glanced down at the needle for a second.

"Such was the arrangement," Orochimaru smirked.

Well, dammit. Perhaps it was all in his head. The guy was probably honest. Sudden closings of doors were pretty creepy, though. Was that a common thing here? He pulled the sleeve of his right hand and offered it. Orochimaru carefully found his vein and extracted a small quantity of his blood, pulling the needle again.

"Good," he breathed out, fixed on the blood with excitement. "Very good." That sly spark in his eyes… Sasuke fixed his sleeve and stepped aside as Orochimaru reached for the handle and gestured him out with his free hand. "That was all, thank you."

Sasuke locked his eyes with him for the last time before leaving abruptly. But halfway through the corridor dizziness hit him right in the head and he exhaled sharply, leaning on the wall. An overly unpleasant shiver that ran through him.

Of course. He was right all along. Everyone in this bloody city was deranged, but there was always someone like him to fall into the trap. He slipped down on his knees, the was air was not enough for him to function properly. His heart was racing at an immeasurable speed and he was losing… consciousness, his vision doubled and tripled. Dying here and now was not an option, he needed to find… the truth about Itachi.

"I said the hub is empty. Missed to mention the needle is infected," Orochimaru neared him at a slow pace, looking down with curiosity. "You don't pay attention, soldier."

He cursed himself for being so stupid. it was of no use, his body refused to listen to him and struggled for oxygen.

"Move him to the operating room. Take off his weapons first."

No. Not the rifle…

"Such a fine specimen," Orochimaru's raspy voice reached him in the distance as he sank deeper and deeper until he barely heard it. "It would've been a shame to just let it go."

A/N: Thanks for reading, loves! I warned there will be a slight KakaSaku in chapter 1 so I'm not sure how to take some weird comments I received about it. I'm saying this with no bad feelings – if you don't like the story don't read it. I have a detailed plan I follow for this fanfic, it involves KakaSaku as well. I'm not that good of a writer but I try and I don't usually change my fic plan, sorry. Anyway, hope I kept Sasuke in-character.

04/3/2018 update - I have to apologize for the delay. My computer crashed in a bad way and I lost all of my files and documents. I'll need some time to rewrite some stuff, rewrite my plan and get over the mental breakdown. Kinda sucks to lose everything but I am determined to finish this someday. I could use your patience. Thank you.