Note: This torture scene has been fully written out, so gore warning.
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Sasuke waited by the front door, mildly annoyed. He tapped his foot a bit, impatient as the copy ninja slowly made his way towards the door. "What's taking so long, Kakashi?" the boy scolded.
"We aren't in a rush. Besides, this isn't a tourism event. We're only bringing you into the village to get the attention of your organization. I don't know what you're expecting." the older ninja sighed, reading one of his books as he headed out.
A light glare was his answer. "I want to get out there and draw their attention. That's what I'm expecting." he scoffed. The teen glanced around as Kakashi lead him through the streets of the village. He had his arms bound with chakra cuffs so he couldn't use any jutsu, but he didn't really need to either. He knew that if he did his part and sounded the alarm, his family would come for him.
"..." Kakashi was silent for a moment before commenting, "Since you've already openly admitted to being involved with the organization, I'm assuming you're part of it. I hope you know what you're doing by parading in the streets. We have back-up from the sand village on the outer gates. Your allies will fall, and you're leading them straight to their death. Even if you all do escape, wouldn't they kill you for such betrayal?" he hummed, trying to get a read on the motives.
Sasuke gave a look of offense, which quickly shifted into anger. "For one, they would never be taken down by a pair of kageless villages. For two, they wouldn't kill me! They're my family. Family sticks together through painful times. This will only make our bond grow. The pain of this fight will only strengthen our love for each other."
An unimpressed look remained on Kakashi's face, though inside he found the boy's logic to be quite strange. He supposed it made sense-- pain did bring people together. But then, it was unusual to use this as a comforting thought when you were in pain. Most people would avoid it at all costs. "You said yesterday that you figured out that we knew who you were. How is that?"
"Well, I was captured by the sand less than a week ago. They realized that I was one of the missing children rather quickly. Since their Kage has been assassinated, they'll want to share all the information on the boy they had in custody." Sasuke explained easily, "Then, well, there were only four children who went missing from this village. Me, Neji, Hinata, and Naruto. Well, Gaara was visiting but I don't think he counts since this isn't his homeland. I clearly don't have blond nor red hair, so I'm not Naruto or Gaara. I don't have the Byakugan either, so I'm clearly not either of them." he smirked proudly, "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. Anyone who can't see that would have to be blind."
"Hm, yes. I am aware of the other missing children. I suppose they were kidnapped by this organization as well. It seems that they've manipulated you all into seeing them as a family so you wouldn't run away." he sighed at the glare the boy gave him. "I know it's hard to break free of emotional manipulation. It's like a neverending genjutsu that's been forever intertwined with your reality. I only hope the other children haven't given up on escape yet."
"You're wrong," Sasuke spoke with confidence. "It isn't emotional manipulation. The organization took us in while this village neglected us." he felt his chest rising with anger at the older man, the two standing beside a lake of some sort now. Somewhere along the way, they had left the village and went to the training grounds. "The village laughed at Naruto. They laughed at my brother for something he had no control over. Naruto did nothing wrong. He and Gaara both! Neither of them wanted to be the vessels for demons. But you all gave them no choice!" he accused, voice rising. Kakashi allowed him since there was no one around to hear anyway.
"Not to mention Hinata. My poor little sister was subjected daily to harsh training and bullying. She tried so hard, only to be met with the threat of being disowned by the ones who were supposed to take care of her. Nothing was ever good enough for them, but once did the village try to help." by now, his eyes had started to water with frustration. "Not to mention Neji. He- He was an amazing ninja. He protected his clan. He did as he was told even when they repetitively hurt him. They used his own body against him. But not once did the village step in to help him! Why? Because it was a 'clan affair'."
Sasuke spat the last two words with venom, his hatred boiling over. "But suddenly, when it comes to my clan, it's a talk for everyone and anyone. Oh, look! The Uchiha are almost all gone. Oh, I never trusted that clan. Oh, that clan's full of psychos. Oh, there goes Sasuke. He has good scores, but so did Itachi. It's only a matter of time until he loses it. It's only a matter of time before he betrays us. It's only a matter of time until he follows his kin!" he mocked. "No one in this village ever gave me a chance to show who I was. Who Sasuke Uchiha was. They never gave any of us a chance."
"It's all labels here. The Last Uchiha. The Ninetail's Vessel. The One Tail's Vessel. The Hyuuga Heir. The Hyuuga Branch Member. Do you know who we are back in our real home? Sasuke. Naruto. Gaara. Hinata. Neji. That's who we are. Do you know the only labels put on us back home? Little one. Pumpkin. Darling. Sugar cube. Muffin. Do those sound like labels they would put on us if we were being used? Would they spend hours every week comforting us when we have nightmares about things that happened under the watch of your village? Would they train with us? Teach us how to cook, sew, clean, and take care of ourselves? Would they tell us to explore our options before choosing to be a ninja? No! So don't act like you know my family. They aren't the ones hurting us, you all are."
He heaved, his shoulders shaking now as he tried to calm himself. "My father saids pain helps you grow. This village's pain didn't. It just leaves me with an empty feeling of hurt every time I think of it. You say we're being manipulated, but it can't be worse than how this village manipulates its villagers into thinking it's okay to be so cold towards each other."
Kakashi let the kid rant his heart out, half because he was interested if he would spill any intel and half because he was too shocked to shut him up. His lips folded into a frown as he sighed, sitting on the grass. "So, this group truly does care for you all?" he questioned.
Sasuke scoffed, "Of course."
"I'm glad to hear that." the silver-haired ninja spoke with a strange affection to the boy.
Sasuke gave him a look as though he had just grown a second head.
"What is it?" Kakashi asked. "Come, there's no reason to be wary. Though the village has a price on your family's head, I'm still glad to hear that Naruto and you are happy. I've never met the other children, but good on them too. The fact that you all seem to have each other's backs is more than enough reason for me to respect you all. Only true scum would betray their comrades. That includes those you see as family. I may not agree with you, but I can respect your loyalty."
Sasuke paused, a slight smile crossing his lips, but it quickly fell as he heard a voice from behind him. "While that is all good and well, your respect won't save the organization nor the boy."
Kakashi glanced over his shoulder, mildly surprised by who it was. What was Danzo doing here? What did he mean, save the boy?
"Word has spread rather fast of your location, Sasuke." a few ROOT officers came down from the surrounding trees. "You have served your purpose. I thank you for your service to the leaf, but you have used up your worth. Come with me."
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It took maybe a day for Itachi and Kisame to return to the hideout. Once they did, it was all hands on deck. Itachi moved quickly to the third floor of their base. He headed into the room where Nagato currently sat with Konan, they two stopping whatever they were talking about as they noticed his return. "Konan. Nagato. We've located Sasuke. He's being kept in Konoha, under the control of a Jonin."
Nagato nodded, a frown falling onto his face as he prepared his six paths right away. "I see. Is there any more intel you can give us before we head out? We should do so right away."
Itachi nodded. He looks enraged, but in a quiet way. The way that let you know you were truly screwed. "He's set to be executed. The village elders decided on it not long ago. We have about a day's time before he's killed. Unless they find a new Hokage who decides against it between now and tomorrow, he'll be dead."
"I see. What else is there? I can tell you're holding back, Itachi." After all, Nagato had lived with the boy for years now.
"Yes." he took a breath. "The how and why is a long story that I'll tell you all later. Our first priority needs to be Sasuke, but I'm giving this information to you so they don't catch you off guard." he bowed low, into one he hadn't done in years. His head touched the floor, hoping Nagato would agree to focus on his brother's safety for now. "I've been a double agent for the last few years, keeping a tab on the Akatsuki for the leaf village. I was ordered to kill my clan. I'll stop sending my reports to the leaf and take whatever punishment you give, whether it be death or worse. I only ask that you save Sasuke. He's known nothing of this. Neither have any of the other children. They're innocent."
Konan and Nagato's faces contorted into a brief look of shock and pain. Itachi had been lying to them this entire time? Nagato frowned deeply, "We'll focus on Sasuke for now, but you will answer for your actions when he is home and safe. For now, you will stay here to make sure Tobi doesn't escape. He's been locked downstairs until we figure out what to do with him. If he or you escape, we will come looking and kill you both."
Itachi nodded, moving to stand as Nagato's paths and Konan headed downstairs. He came down just in time to see Kisame arguing with the kids.
"We're going."
Kisame gave a heavy sigh, "No, you aren't. You all are too young to be rushing into the village on a rescue mission." he scolded, "Now, listen to me. You all will not step foot out of the village until we return."
Neji's glare only strengthened, Naruto and Gaara's working along with him. Hinata and Karin nodded from behind, the two giving the shark a stern look. Karin pointed at him defensively, "He's our brother. We're going to the village, with or without your permission. We'll just leave right after you if you don't take us with you." she spoke proudly.
"We don't have time to fucking argue." Hidan sighed with annoyance. "If the little shits want to come, bring them along. It'll be a pain in the ass, but they clearly aren't staying. Come on, then. We won't save him standing here."
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Sasuke sat tied to a chair in the questioning chamber of the leaf. He had his head lowered, hands clenched into fists. Only a week ago, he sat in Suna's chair for interrogation, prideful and snarky. Now, having been through interrogation once already, he knew it was a lot harder than you'd think at first. Unlike last time, however, he was blindfolded.
Well, they did know he was an Uchiha now, after all. He quickly decided that he hated being blindfolded. It was one thing for a normal person to be blindfolded, but for an Uchiha, it was ten times worse. After all, they were normally gifted with amazing vision even without their Sharingan.
He heard some footsteps coming from down the halls and paused. He clenched his eyes together, preparing himself. They said that the word had already spread. He just had to endure the next few hours. His family would come for him. They had to.
"So, this is the boy then. You sure he's Fugaku's son? He's shaking like a leaf." the voice that entered the room was deep, disappointed almost. It definitely wasn't Danzo. "I never did particularly like Fugaku, though. Always so bossy. Ah, well. A criminal is a criminal, I suppose. Famous father or not." the man spoke close to Sasuke's ear like he was hovering over him. He could feel how much larger the older man was, even without his vision.
Sasuke lightly bit the inside of his lip as he felt the man back away, but a snapping noise sound only a few seconds later from across the room. He felt fear well up inside him, not knowing what it was nor the direction the attack would be coming from. For now, all he could do was bite his lip as holding out until his allies came.
"We should be able to check his mind now. It might not even take any interrogation. He looks like his walls are pretty easy to break anyway. The effects of Suna's interrogation are probably still weighing on his mind so we could finish this fast." the voice didn't sound familiar, either. It was coming from the doorway.
"The Uchiha would lead you to believe that. They are manipulative that way. We should break down a few barriers first so you need not wast too much chakra."
There the bastard was. Danzo. He was only a few feet away from Sasuke, he could tell.
The voice that had been hovering over him spoke easily. "I agree with Danzo. The fact that he's showing so much fear." Sasuke felt something snap against his side on the chair, the boy letting out a strangled gasp. He had been so invested in the conversation that he hadn't even thought about the snap from earlier. "Shows that he isn't broken yet. It's far to difficult to get information to someone who hasn't given in completely yet."
There was a deep ache on the side where he had been struck, but with what, he had no idea. It was something flat but thin. Small, but long. It left a burning sensation on his skin, which made him feel increasingly uncomfortable as only a few seconds passed before another strike landed on his opposite hip. He let out an undignified squeak, more so because he had no way to brace himself when the pain was able to come from any direction at any time.
He felt a few more land on his back and along his stomach in rapid-fire, the boy hissing in pain and trying his best to tug the bindings. The more he tugged, however, the worse off his already rope burned skin became. He could hear a light chuckle coming from Danzo, "Perhaps a tank top and shorts weren't the best choices for today, boy?"
Sasuke sent a glare in his direction, even though he knew the other couldn't see it. He startled when he felt a pair of large hands smooth over one of the strikes between his shoulder blades. The hands were large and warm, soothing over the dull ache. Sasuke had trouble deciding if he liked it or not. On one hand, it was preferred over the strikes, but on the other, it felt wrong to indulge in the soothing. Was it over? He doubted it, but his mind pleaded for it to be.
Slowly, he felt the heat increasing to an uncomfortable level. He pulled forward, away from the hand as best he could as he realized what the warm hand had transformed into. Was that fire-!?
The teen hissed, finally breaking from his mere grunts and grimaces as he felt it not spreading, but remaining in the single area. "Stop it-! Stop!" finally crying out in pain as he felt it only getting closer. Tears were threatening to fall from his eyes now, the burning increasing more and more each second. "Stop!" he cried out, momentarily startled but relieved when he felt it go away. He shook and trembled, clenching his fist. He had listened-- why?
He felt a hand smoothing over his hair, and pulled back in distrust. "You want me to stop? Then how about you tell us some information about your organization. If you can do that, this'll all stop. No more burning, no more strikes. We'll kill you quickly if you tell us." the flame being hovered close enough to his wrist that he knew it was still there, but not near enough to burn.
Sasuke felt his chest rise in pain and sadness. He couldn't risk the entire village, but he didn't want to feel any more pain. He bitterly shook his head back and forth, earning him a 'tsk' from the other man. The flame returned to his body, this time at his ankles. Sasuke hissed, crying out as they fire burned against his ankles. Without meaning to, he cried, "Dad!" the pain not stopping this time, only flipping over to his other ankle. He could feel himself falling into panic mode, his already injured boy on high alert. He hicked up in an almost automatic way, his shoulder heaving as he did so, "Dad...dad...dad..."
His pride had fallen, he knew it had, but he didn't really care at the moment. All he knew was that he wanted his dad. He wanted Nagato. Where was he? He was coming for him, right?
"That's enough." came a stern voice from across the room. It was the one who had suggested that they try checking his mind without interrogating him first. Who it was specifically, Sasuke had no idea. He heard him nearing, however, and did his best to restrain the ugly sobs escaping his lips. "We should probe his mind now. He looks pretty open to me."
The one hilding the flame to his ankles backed it up, grunting, "You're going soft. Just because you have a daughter doesn't mean you have to take pity every time someone starts crying for their parents. Do your damn job."
"I'm not going soft, nor is that the reason why. I'd say to stop whether I had a child or not. Teenager's brains aren't as developed, so they're normally easy to break. There's no need for extreme pain." the man resting a hand on Sasuke's head. Quickly, the pain enhanced ten-fold. It was like the was strangling his brain itself.
Sasuke's eyes widened. It was just like Sensei had said-- other villages really did have ninja with the ability to pull information straight from your mind. Sasuke's head snapped upwards as he heard the man speak, "So far I'm seeing a man. The early thirties, blond hair, blue eyes. It seems to be his sensei. I'll draw you out an exact image later." he spoke quietly.
The teen clenched his eyes. So whatever he thought of, the other would see. He tried to focus on something else-- ah, think of something useless to them. Of course-- father. Alright, he thought. Fugaku. Fugaku. He tried his best to think of his birth father. Hair? Brown. Lips? Frown. Outfit? Blue robes-
A deep sigh was followed by the hand being removed from his head. "He's switched his thoughts to focus on useless information. His walls are surprisingly high for someone his age. Proceed, then."
Sasuke's brief prideful smile quickly fell as he felt a hand clench his jaw. He did his best to back away but only succeeded in getting a harsh smack to the side of his face. "Hold, still you little shit." the man pried his lips apart. "I think we need to get rid of an unnecessary part here. We don't need your tongue when we have my partner here to get information, do we?"
His momentary confusion fell into a cold panic as he felt the man take hold of his tongue with two large fingers. Realizing their plan, the teen lost it. His previous sobs and hisses turned into a full-on meltdown, Sasuke now pulling away and barely getting the words out with his tongue constricted. "No, no, no, no!" he screeched, pulling against his bindings.
There was a sharp pain in his tongue before he lost all sort of feeling in his mouth. He felt some sort of liquid falling down his chin. It was only then that he completely lost it.
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Neji split off from the others about ten minutes before they would enter the leaf village. They all went their separate ways, knowing it would be best to go in at different angles. It was most likely they would try to take Sasuke hostage to protect their village, so if they were in multiple groups they could catch them off guard.
He knew that Kisame was working to hold leaf villagers hostage, Deidara was using his art to destroy the Hokage monument (Drawing the attention of the ninja), Hidan and Kakuzu were fighting from the sides, while Pain and Konan attacked from the front. Hinata was with Kisame, the girl looking with her byakugan and Kisame going for physical back up. Naruto and Gaara were coming from behind the village, while Karin hid in a specific tree to heal anyone who came back injured.
He was in charge of looking for Sasuke as well. He could hear distant cries of enemy ninja, attacks coming at him from many sides as he easily dodged and ran. His job was to seek, not fight. His byakugan scanned the area, quickly finding the Uchiha chakra.
Neji ran towards the seemingly small interrogation room-- his brother-- and rival-- was in there.