Later that day, Sasuke was walking past the chapel when he paused, looking in. He glanced around before heading inside, shutting the door firmly behind himself.

As if on cue, a dark swirl began in the corner next to a closet. After a moment, a shadowy man appeared draped in a black cloak, his hood only barely obscuring his bright orange, swirling mask.

"Madara-sama," he greeted.

"How have your studies gone?" He questioned his pupil, his deep voice rumbling through the empty room.

"Well enough."

"Good. And your Sharingan?"

"Powerful."

"Good, good." 'Madara' nodded slowly. Then his voice got an accusing tone to it. "You've been consorting with that girl."

"Shien?" The teenager wrinkled his nose. "I mean, she's…"

"She's trouble," the man insisted. "I would not want you to be double-crossed. I only want the best for you, Sasuke. You don't know what she could be capable of."

Sasuke fixed him with a hard stare. "Are you suggesting that I shouldn't have another support system so that I don't have to rely on Naruto?"

The older man shook his head. "That's not what I'm speaking of. I'm saying that you should not trust her so deeply. She could be a defector and you would never realize until it's too late."

"She feels different, I really feel like I can trust her." Sasuke argued. "She doesn't feel like any of Father's advisors do. Even Naruto can agree with that."

Madara seemed to heave a sigh before changing the subject. "What of the ritual? Have you chosen someone yet?"

Sasuke's expression dropped and he looked away. "I'm… still searching."

"You must choose someone soon," the man warned. "If you want your love back, you must not wait. Find someone easy to dismiss, easy enough to disappear."

"I know," the boy snapped for a moment before sighing. "I know. I'll search harder."

"Be careful of whom you pick."

He wanted to say more, but at that moment he heard someone calling from the hallway. "Oi, Sasuke!"

Sasuke turned in surprise at Naruto's voice as the chapel door opened. He briefly turned to where his mentor was standing, only to falter when he couldn't see him anywhere.

"Sasuke, hey, you wanna go for a walk?" The blond had a bright smile on his face, something that made the teenager's heart feel a little lighter.

He opened and closed his mouth for a moment. Finally, he asked, "Is it safe enough? Has Father or Mother okayed this?"

"Don't sweat it, it'll be fine! I ran it past 'em and they said we could go but only in disguise." He winked. "Besides, Kakashi will be going with us as a bodyguard just in case!"

He hesitated. He glanced back to the corner where his master had been. Still nothing. He could hardly even feel his presence anymore.

Then Sasuke sighed, giving his friend a weak smile. "Sure. Where did you have in mind?"


One walk through the city later, the two boys sat atop a roof, fruit in hand, and watched the people go about their evenings. It was unusually quiet tonight, a breath of fresh air compared to the constant shouting and fighting from the past several days.

"What were you doing in the chapel?" Naruto questioned, taking a large bite of his apple. "Praying for guidance again?"

The way he said it made the young prince a tad uncomfortable. Naruto's face looked knowingly back at him, the slightest accusatory glint in his eye making him squirm.

"I wish I could tell you everything," he thought glumly. "I wish I could get everything off of my chest. I wish I could get your advice."

Instead of saying anything out loud, however, he just looked on over the city. "Yeah, I guess so."

Naruto studied him for a moment, his brow furrowed. "I wish I could see what's going on in that big brain of yours, Sasuke… What is it you have to hide so desperately from us? I could help you!"

Instead, he plastered on a smile and nudged his friend's arm with his elbow. "Hey, did you hear about what I pulled on the cleaning staff today yet? I bet you're gonna laugh at this one."

His best friend groaned, giving him an exhausted look. "When will you give poor Mrs. Takeuchi a break? I swear she's about this close to retirement from you."

"Hey now, I did try my best to keep her out of it!" The blond protested. "I made sure it was only a small-scale explosion this time, and not with corrosive cleaning products! I'm not five!"

As he eagerly told him about the prank, Sasuke found his mind wandering. Briefly he glanced down at the street, where he could see a young boy walking with an older adult he didn't quite recognize.

The boy's chestnut-brown hair and skinny form made him pause. "Could this be the one?"

For a brief moment, he really did think about it.

The child was obviously malnourished, though it didn't look like he was being abused, from what he could tell. There were no visible bruises, and even when he tripped and his oversized shirt rode up his back there was nothing there either. The adult laughed with him and helped him up, the boy proclaiming that he "could handle it like a big boy".

"Find someone easy to dismiss, easy enough to disappear." His master's words echoed in his brain, making the guilt rise in his chest. "Be careful of who you pick."

But when the boy beamed at the adult, holding up his arms to be carried, he had to look away. Shame and disgust filled his heart like lead, sinking down to his stomach.

"What am I thinking, choosing a child?" He thought to himself as he looked back to Naruto. He hoped his expression hadn't darkened too much. "May the gods forgive me for such thoughts."

"... I must choose soon." His resolve hardened. "But who can I pick?"


A/N: Please tell me what you thought.