When they left to give Kisame and Itachi some space, it was the last time they had seen the prisoners in a week. Nagato had the place on high lockdown, insisting they worry about Sasuke fully healing first. As such, Naruto had yet to get to talk to Tobi and Sasuke was missing Itachi severely.
Sasuke huffed a bit as he noticed Naruto in his doorway, glancing back and forth. It didn't look like anyone was near. He took a few steps, trying to stay as quiet as possible. He noticed Neji as well and snapped at them both, "Why are you sneaking around?"
He had regained the ability to talk, but his voice had changed drastically since it had been removed then reattached. His voice was much quieter now, the tone high but without the precise cuts, it would normally have between words. It was like he was trying to talk after having his tongue numbed. As such, he spoke slowly to help his siblings understand him. They still had problems occasionally, however, especially Naruto and Karin.
Neji was surprisingly the one to speak. "We're taking you outside to train with us."
Naruto nodded beside him, looking confident. Sasuke huffed, rolling over tiredly in his bed. He hadn't been getting much sleep and was still too wounded in the pride to ask anyone besides Itachi for comfort. That and he couldn't exactly leave in the middle of the night to go cuddle with his locked up elder brother in prison. "No, you're not. I'm still hurt."
Neji sat beside him, surprisingly tugging him up in a much gentler way than he was used to interacting with the brunet. He growled a bit as he felt Neji pull him up and into a half hug. "Don't be all sulky. It's just shuriken training." Sasuke reflexively grimaced away as he felt Neji move a piece of his fallen hair out of his face, though it did have a strangely nice feel to it. Neji didn't seem to mind the younger's hesitance however as he continued, "You haven't been outside since you got back. You've been kept under lock and key so we could keep an eye on your injuries. You must be tired of being inside."
The raven-haired teen didn't know why, but something felt off. Why was Neji being so caring with him? He'd seen Neji be like this to Karin, Naruto, Gaara, and Hinata plenty of times. The older rarely did more than ask if he was alright or make him some tea when he was upset. It was just the way they were-- Neji knew he would reject flat out offers of affection so he tended to handle it more subtly. Then that rose the question, of course, why was Sasuke to okay with Neji's affections this time around? He supposed those torture sessions had broken more of his walls down than he had wanted to admit to himself.
He was about to agree when he heard Naruto's impatient voice boom from beside him, "Besides, even if you don't want to train, I and Neji want to talk to you about something." the blonde earning a dirty look from Neji at that.
Sasuke wasn't sure why, but he felt something squeeze up inside him. Normally, he wouldn't be caught dead being nervous about something Naruto saids. Ever since the bulky man had laid his hands on Sasuke the other day, he couldn't help but feel small. It was only just occurring to him how small he really was-- a sixteen year old with a slim and previously doll-like appearance. He felt cliche for thinking of it in such a way, but he felt like he had been cracked. He felt much too vulnerable. The teen felt a hand on his back and gave a miniature grunt, clenching his teeth. He must have gotten lost in thought. Neji was looking over at him, Naruto doing the same, both looking concerned.
Sasuke's cheeks dusted red, glancing away with a grumble. "Fine." standing up before either of them could say anything, Sasuke luckily being healed for the most part now. The only things that remained different physically were his voice, the healed but still scarred burns on his ankle as well as between his shoulder blade, and a few cuts on his body that had been too deep to heal. All in all, he was healed, just sore.
The three of them slid their shoes on, heading out into the back wooded area since it wasn't like a threat could get into the village with Nagato's protection. They were stopped about halfway there, though not by any of the adults. Luckily, the only one home right now was Sasori and he was busy inside with his puppets. One had apparently got a good amount of damage from some Jonin with a bowl cut.
Instead, it was their siblings who stopped them. Karin was giving them all an unimpressed look, her arms crossed, while Hinata was frowning beside her with a worried but firm expression. Having Karin and her brothers around was a huge boost to the girl's confidence over the years. Gaara was with them, quiet and analyzing as usual. "Where are you all going? Dad said Sasuke needs rest." the redhead spoke questioningly.
Naruto pouted at the trio, "Don't be such worrywarts, guys. We're just taking a break from being stuck in the house. We're going to go mess around in the woods." seeing the skeptical look on their faces, he added with a smile, "Don't worry. Nii-san is with us. We'll be safe." motioning to Neji who nodded firmly in agreement.
Karin opened her mouth, clearly ready to tell Sasuke to get his ass back inside since medically this was a terrible idea when Hinata spoke instead. "Why don't we all go together, just in case. We haven't got to see much of each other lately." the youngest explained.
Naruto quickly nodded in agreement, Neji and Sasuke nodding in a much calmer way. They didn't mind. Karin grudgingly nodded, Garra agreeing without much issue. The other three fell into place with the others
Once they made it to the woods, Neji suggested, "How about we practice some shuriken training?" figuring it would be the least strainful. They all agreed since it also happens to be the simplest and most game-like way of training.
They began, conversation not starting up right away, which made Sasuke both relieved and nervous at the same time. He noticed that he could still throw shuriken fine, so that was a relief. He found momentary peace as he threw the weapons, the space around him seeming to blur into peace. He was only snapped out of it by Neji's voice.
"So, the thing we wanted to talk with you about." the brown-haired boy sending Naruto dirty looks for being so blunt. Now he couldn't ease it into the conversation. He'd just hope he wouldn't make Sasuke close up even further. "You've seemed pretty upset the last few days."
Sasuke rolled his eyes, sending a particularly harsh throw at the target. "Sorry, am I supposed to be making you all flower crowns?" sarcasm dripping from his voice.
He felt his elder brother's firm scolding look, though the elder didn't vocalize it. "What we mean is that you haven't been eating as much and all you seem to do is lay around in bed. You've been grimacing quite a lot and barely even respond to us. We're worried about you."
Neji wasn't expecting for a shuriken to come flying at him but luckily ducked out of the way. Had he not moved it probably would have ended up straight in his shoulder. Sasuke went off, "My bad if I'm not in the mood to pretend everything is fine. My tongue is numb, my ankles feel like they're on fire, I can barely move without risking these damn stitches breaking, and everyone keeps getting in my face! Just leave my alone!" he hissed, fist-clenching as if ready to fight Neji despite it being a bad idea. He didn't bother slowing down his words so he was easy to understand, but at least they had understood the majority of his outbursts.
Sasuke felt a hand on his arm and whipped his head around to find it was Gaara looking over at him. His voice was as soft and hollowly innocent as ever. "We aren't saying you shouldn't act like that. We just want to know how we can help, brother. We know it'd be kind of awkward to talk to the adults about it. We just want to know what to do to make you feel better."
The teen's Sharingan flashed momentarily, noticing all eyes were on him. His hands reached up to cover his face, overwhelmed. "I don't- I don't know." his voice lowering in shame. "Everything hurts. Everything makes me nervous. I'm not supposed to act like this. I'm supposed to be calm. It's- it's shameful. I've seen Kisame come home with his stomach sliced open. Deidara broke every bone in his hand once. Hidan has his damn head cut off constantly. I shouldn't be freaking out over this."
Karin frowned over at him, "Sasuke, they're adults. They're used to it. I'm sure the first time they got a big wound they were upset too." she tried, moving towards Sasuke to lightly push him into a sitting position. The others followed her lead, sitting beside them.
The teen knew this was true, but even so, it wasn't going to make him feel better. Logically, he knew she was right. Emotionally was another story, however. Hinata suggested, "Maybe talking about it will help." biting her lip. "Why don't you tell us about what happened with Tobi?"
Sasuke looked nervous, but seeing the inquiring and non-judgemental looks he swallowed his pride. Maybe talking it out would help. It was better than having to do it to one of the more experienced adults. Even if he knew they wouldn't call him weak for his fears, that wouldn't stop his own mind from thinking they thought poorly of him. He much preferred talking to his siblings who were just as new to being a ninja as he was.
"Well, I went to go ask Itachi to be my mentor. He said no and that I should ask one of our elder classmates. Kisame agreed with him because he said it was harder than they thought it would be when they took Neji on." his lips pressed into a tight frown, "I was jealous and a bit angry, but I was going to get over it. Then Tobi came into my room."
He noticed a suspicious look cross Neji's face but continued. "He was different. He wasn't being an idiot. His back was straight, his head was high, he was analyzing me with his eyes-" he clenched his fists into the dirt below him. "His voice was so off. It was deep. He was- he was cooing at me and saying it was his responsibility to watch over the baby of the clan." clenching his jaw at the thought.
"I told him he didn't care much for the clan when he killed them with Itachi, but he just said that they were the past. That we were the future. Well, that Itachi and he were, anyway. He said I wasn't being raised to be strong enough with them. He said they would always have to protect me and that in turn, I would father the children. That's the only way I'll ever be useful to the clan in Itachi's eyes. He said Itachi would never trust me to be a strong ninja because I always obey him." his curving into a further scowl. "He said if I disobeyed Itachi it would make Itachi see me as a real ninja. I...I asked for him to mentor me." the guilt clear.
Hinata spoke in an accusing tone, "Tobi tricked you into asking for his help!" seeing Sasuke's confused look, she explained, "He knew you were hurting from being told no. I'd bet he did it on purpose to get you to mentor with him. He probably wants you to be closer to him. But why?" she looked baffled.
Karin suggested, "Maybe it has something to do with what he said about the clan's future? It sounds like he was focusing on it a lot." that being her best guess. She shook her head back and forth, "So now Itachi's and your argument at breakfast before you left made sense. He must not have known that you were being manipulated."
Sasuke shook his head back and forth, "He told me not to trust Tobi long before this happened. I should have listened."
He felt a hand on his shoulder and noticed Naruto looking at him seriously. "It isn't your fault. It's Tobi who did something wrong." looking upset by the idea that the masked man had been seemingly lying to them this entire time.
Sasuke nodded hesitantly, not believing him, so he continued. "He said rule one was that I wasn't allowed to repeat the lessons or missions to anyone-" freezing up a bit at that point.
The teen was surprised as he felt Neji scoot closer to him, the older teen wrapping a loose arm around his shoulders. Sasuke was slowly getting more used to Neji's affectionate moves, but it was still unnerving. "It's alright. Sasuke, it was your mission too. Not just his. You can tell anyone you want to. They're your experiences just as much as they are his."
"But what if he's mad at me when he gets out of the prison?" he grumbled, face in his knees in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. He was wearing his basic blue shirt and shorts. The shirt had the Akatsuki symbol on its front and the Uchiha on his back. It was a mix of their birthplace and their home, ones they only wore within the village. It was as if the Akatsuki members were saying 'these are our kids, don't fucking touch them'. Of course, this underlying meaning had only come to the kids years after they began wearing them. Now, however, the short and open style of the Uchiha only made him feel vulnerable.
Karin frowned at him. "Sasuke, everyone's mad at him for what he did. He doesn't even seem guilty. I'm starting to doubt he'll be let out of prison at all." her words short and to the point. "It doesn't matter if he's mad. He had no right to be after what he did."
Sasuke gave in finally, though still not fully sure. "The second rule was not to question him. He said he knew better than I did because of my inexperience. He said I might be allowed to contribute to the conversation when I got more experienced, but until then my opinion didn't matter."
Neji looked annoyed, "That's completely wrong of him. When I was with Kisame, he always let me contribute because we are the future of this village. To shut your voice down simply because of your age is unacceptable. Multiple viewpoints are a good thing. Proceed."
Once he was given the clear and took a moment to think about what Neji said, he carried on to the last rule. "The third and final rule was that I shouldn't expect any hand-holding or happy-go-lucky Tobi. He said dropping the act was a form of trust and that I had better repay it." finally letting in and leaning on Neji a bit.
He felt Neji hold onto him, Hinata lightly resting her hand over his. "That was probably his way of increasing the manipulation on you. He was making you feel guilty for what he did." the blue-haired girl frowned.
Sasuke clenched his eyes briefly in regret. "I'm such a fucking idiot. I should have seen it coming."
"You had no way to know you'd have to be on guard against our family." Gaara tried to comfort him, Sasuke quickly looking twice as guilty.
He licked his lip a bit, not sure if they knew yet. "He took me to the sand village to assist in assassinating-" He gulped down his momentary panic, "An important member of the village-"
"Sasuke, we heard about the Kazekage being killed. You need to be honest." Neji spoke firmly but lightly. The others watched as guilt covered Sasuke's face, looking at Gaara with wide eyes.
The teen spoke a bit desperately in apology, his words mushing together on accident but barely understandable. "I didn't want to- but Tobi said if we didn't then he would come for Gaara. He said he'd take the tailed beast and Gaara with it- I'm sorry-"
His rambling was cut short as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Gaara, looking mildly sad but not hurt as Sasuke had worried. "Sasuke, he's just my biological father. He tried to have me killed time and time again. He holds no meaning to me. Nagato is my father."
Sasuke looked at him, unsure, but wanting to be honest as Neji had told him to be. "Tobi killed him while I knocked out the guards. I was almost done when Temari showed up."
It was only then that Sasuke noticed a slight look of worry cross Gaara's face. Sasuke knew that over the years Gaara had learned to understand that his siblings were brainwashed to be scared of him from the Kazekage from Sasori's points on what he had heard. Hence why Sasuke hadn't wanted to kill them. "I slipped and called her by name. She asked how I knew and I screwed up again by calling you my brother in front of her. She said I shouldn't mock her and her father by bringing you up. She attacked, and that's when Kankuro showed up. He attacked with his puppets."
Sasuke could tell that Gaara was nervous as well as feel the eyes of all the others on him, so he quickly mentioned their lives to hopefully calm them down. "I was evading them finely and told them I didn't want to kill them. Tobi came up and said they had to be killed since I had mentioned to you. Tobi moved to kill them but I latched onto his sleeve. I got carried away with trying to get him to stop and it caught the other guard's attention. He said my punishment for disobeying him would be dealing with the guards. He left. I couldn't take them all on- it was just too many." he growled.
What he wasn't expecting was for Gaara's face to warp into even more pain. "You got captured...protecting Temari and Kankuro? For me?" seeming to pale at the thought. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I didn't- you-" looking conflicted. His comfort came as Sasuke reached up one of his shaking hands, taking hold on Gaara's. Though Sasuke was miserable, he knew Gaara wasn't the one to blame.
"The guards knocked me out and I woke up in a room. I was tied to a chair, next to a window. There was blood everywhere, and I guess I must have panicked. I know it was idiotic, but I started screaming. Looking back, I have no idea what I might have been hoping to accomplish." he admitted. "Kankuro was pretty pissed off to wake up to it. He came in and started grabbing my hair. Temari was the one who stopped him."
One disadvantage of having such a good memory was remembering every little moment of pain. Not that he could exactly change it. "She knew I was part of the kidnapped kids because I had activated my Sharingan on reflex. She asked how I knew you." looking a bit unsure of his choice now. "I admitted that the same person that took you also took me since that's what had been assumed by the villages for so long. I told her that you were happy and safe so that she wouldn't worry but...she wanted more details."
Naruto frowned at this, tilting his head, "What kind of details?"
"She wanted to know why I wasn't telling them other information on the ones who took us. They asked if they had us bugged, saying that they could rescue us. I think they're under the impression that we don't want to be here. I tried to explain but they wouldn't listen. They just kept cutting me. Through the stomach, over the arms, across the legs." clenching his eyes a bit to rub absent-mindedly at the threads covering the slices along his lips. "She just kept cutting and cutting. Just when she stopped he started hitting me. I could feel how much they were hurting." thinking of how terrible it must have been for them to find out their father was dead and the only one with information on their baby brother was refusing to talk.
He felt Neji lightly rubbing his hand up and down his arm, the raven-haired boy only then realizing he had drifted off a bit too far into his mind. He pressed on despite his heavy discomfort, finding that it did help a bit to talk things out. "I escaped by manipulating one of the guards into coming closer then headbutted him. I got his key off him and made a run for it. I probably couldn't have gotten out if I hadn't specialized in stealth." he admitted.
"I ran off in the direction I thought was home. I figured I just had to get home and everything would be alright. I had to stop after a few hours though because I was still injured and needed food." biting his lip a bit. "I stole some thread, a needle, honey, a tomato, and some meat. I went to the woods to- to take care of the wounds."
Naruto tilted his head, asking bluntly, "How did you take care of them? You don't know much medical ninjutsu. Karin and Hinata are the only ones here who know much about it." he laughed.
Sasuke couldn't help but smile a bit at his point. It was true, he hadn't known what he was doing at all. "Speaking of which, this whole thing made me realize how idiotic it is that only you two know medical ninjutsu." glancing at the two girls. "Do you think once everything calms down, you'd be willing to teach me how to use at least a bit in case of emergencies?"
Both seemed surprised at the request since Sasuke rarely cared to learn skills outside his main focus. Hinata nodded, Karin following right after. "Karin can show you medical herbs and medicines while I show you chakra healing." the blue-haired girl suggested.
Sasuke nodded, Karin smiling, "Maybe it would be a good idea for you all to try? Who knows if you'll ever need it while away on a solo mission when we get older?" the others seemed content with this, liking the idea.
Naruto pouted a bit, "You didn't answer my question, though. How did you take care of it if you can't use much medical ninjutsu?" Sasuke grimacing a bit as he had hoped he had evaded the question.
"I took the strings from the shirt I stole and threaded the needle. I gagged myself with the shirt to keep my screaming quiet while I used the needle to sew up my arm. It hurt a lot, but at least I got to eat the tomato and meat when I was done. I cooked it on fire. I guess I was so delirious from the hunger and bloodloss that I didn't think about the smoke. It was probably what got me caught." he sighed.
Neji guessed, "By a leaf ninja, I'm assuming?"
The Uchiha nodded, "The one we brought back as a prisoner, actually. He snuck up behind me and grabbed me. Ended up dragging me back to the leaf village since he was suspicious of someone wandering hurt in the woods right after a huge attack on the kages." he looked mildly embarrassed. "I woke up in the Konoha hospital. I was tied to the bed. The nurse said they did it so I didn't hurt myself in my hysterics, but I doubt it. It was clear they were suspicious of me."
"The nurse started shoving oatmeal down my throat, asking if the ones who hurt the kages had hurt me. I was petty pissed for obvious reasons, but I got over it. I didn't want to look even more suspicious. She asked where I lived so I told her it was in the forest between Konoha and Suna. They didn't believe me so I got stuck with the leaf ninja. His name is Kakashi. He was put in charge of keeping me under lock and key in his house."
Naruto asked curiously, "Kakashi? Isn't he that guy you used to tell me was dangerous when we were little? You said he was going to kill us if we got close to him." looking confused at the idea. "I heard you got Kisame not to kill him in the woods. If he's dangerous, why?"
Sasuke frowned a bit. "I thought he would at the time because he was friends with Itachi. From what I can tell, he had no idea my brother was a spy for the village." the kids frowning a bit at this. They had only learned of Itachi's motived a few days ago, so it was still a shaky subject. "It was weird but he seemed so...nice. He fed me, let me roam around, was constantly joking. I didn't trust it since I knew that was too dangerous, but eventually, I told him that I knew I was a suspect. He took me out into the village because I told him it would be a good way to lure in my back-up so the leaf could get revenge for their Hokage. He didn't seem to like the idea but he followed his orders. It was like he wanted to be on my side. He got into an argument with Danzo as I was being pulled away. I couldn't see much since they knocked me out but he was siding with me." he smiled a bit.
Gaara put his hand to his chin, looking conflicted. "That's strange. Why would he side with you over his village? Maybe he felt tied to you because you were Itachi's little brother?" he suggested. "But why did he go after Naruto when you were little then?"
Sasuke's eyes seemed to widen, remembering. "I forgot- I also saw a picture when I was snooping around the house. It was of Kakashi with a few others. It looked like a team. There was Kakashi, and Uchiha boy, and a brown-haired girl. Overtop of them all was this guy. He looked just like Naruto, I guess he must have been Kakashi's sensei. It was the fourth Hokage. Maybe Naruto reminded him of his old sensei somehow?"
Neji nodded, about to agree when he saw a hesitant look on Naruto's face. Neji glanced over at the young blonde as he began to speak. "There's something I never told you guys. I didn't think it mattered since we were all one new family." shifting a bit. "When we first got here, Kisame told me who my birth father was. It was the fourth Hokage. His name was Minato. So that must mean-"
"Kakashi knew not only Itachi but also Minato. It must be why he was trying so hard to be with us." Sasuke realized. "Maybe he missed his old teammates." though they had no way to be sure.
Karin suggested, "We could always ask him the next time we're allowed down there." figuring they would go down to see Tobi or Itachi soon anyway.
Hinata nodded, agreeing, but glancing over at Sasuke with a questioning look. "But Suna was only responsible for the cuts and bruises, then? Does that mean Konoha did everything else?" looking hesitant but asking, "How did they do it? I couldn't imagine." clearly concerned as she eyed his ever-growing frown.
"Konoha...was a lot rougher than Suna. Probably because they had actual torture masters instead of two teenagers letting off steam." grimacing at the thought. "I was tied up in a room. They blindfolded me, which made it ten times worse." he took a light breath, looking down a bit.
"The main guy came in and started by hovering over me. He was practically breathing in my ear." the thought sent shivers down his spine. "He was talking about how scared I looked. Something along the lines of my biological dad would be ashamed. Talking bad about him."
Sasuke looked irked but carried on. "I was an idiot. I heard him snap something but I got distracted when some other guy started talking about how I was probably already broken from Suna's torture so there was no point in doubling it up." he screwed his eyes close, "The main guy said that since I was showing fear it was obvious I wasn't fully broken. I had completely forgotten about the snapping noise. He used it on my side first." nibbling his lip. "It was flat but thin. Small, but long. I think it was some sort of whip or strap. I had no idea at the time though, it just hurt. It was aching, but not in the normal way. It was like the ache was vibrating into my skin. I can't even explain it."
The teen was looking down at his hands, eyes tired and stress filled. "He started rotating between my hips, but not in a predictable way. I had no idea where they were coming from. It was like my sides were on fire then iced over. He was hitting all over now. On my back hurt, but it was the worst on my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up. Then Danzo started laughing at me- like he was having the time of his life-" his words coming out in long breaths, holding back the urge to cry in frustration.
He felt Neji softly rubbing his arm, Gaara doing the same to his hand. Sasuke lightly held back onto Gaara, biting his lip to try clearing his eyes. "I glared at him, but then i felt something on my upper back. Right between my shoulder blades where the main guy had whipped me. It felt warm over the dull ache. It was his hand, but he moved it away and replaced it with fire. It felt so good, but it ended up just being my mind playing tricks on me. He didn't even move it around to spread it. It just stayed in the one spot, burning. Spirits, it burned so bad."
"I couldn't handle it anymore. I yelled at him to stop, and he did. He said they'd kill me quickly if I just handed over information on you all. He was rubbing my hair and being all gentle. It was so confusing- it was wrong- but everything hurt. It felt nice for the pain to be replaced with petting, but I couldn't let him get any information. I told him no and he put the flame back." hiding his reddening face on Neji's shoulder.
Neji didn't seem to mind, all the other children's heart nearly stopping at the pitiful state Sasuke was in. After all, Sasuke was prideful. He was their icon of endurance. It was painful to see him so defeated. "It was on my ankles- spirits- I could feel it melting. It hurt so bad. I don't even know what happened next. I blacked out for a few seconds, then the next thing I know, the other guy is checking my mind for information."
Guilt was written on his face, but that was nothing new. "I tried to think back to what Seiketsu-Sensei said to do in the situation but that made the other guy report what he saw to the main guy. So I switched my thoughts to my biological dad. I was thinking of his appearance and what I knew about him. The other guy was disappointed and said I wasn't doing anything useful. That was when he- he-"
Sasuke was clenching his jaw, harder than was probably healthy. He clenched his hold on Gaara's hand, "The main guy grabbed onto my jaw and made me look at him. He pulled my tongue out between his fingers. He said I didn't need to have it if they had his partner to peer into my mind." now shaking violently. "It hurt so much it became numb. There was blood everywhere. It hurt so much-"
He could feel hands wiping lightly at his face, and it was only then that he realized he was full-on crying. He felt humiliation run through him as he glanced up at Hinata, the one lightly drying his tears. He hated this--he hated how weak he was. He grumbled bitterly, head down as Hinata wiped off the final tears. "I was even scared when mom came to untie me. I was flailing like a damn child."
Sasuke rubbed at his eyes as Hinata pulled away, the two orbs itching heavily. "I know it was only Tobi who left me, but it feels like anytime someone will pull off a cover. I lived with Tobi for years without knowing he could be serious. How am I supposed to know if anyone else is only pretending? Now Itachi's been a spy too. I know he loves me but he was still able to hide it so easily. What else is there that I don't know about the others? What if they're lying too? I thought Konoha was my home years ago but they were quick to forget about me and put me on the cutting board when I got back." his knees now brought up to his chest. "Now I'm stuck here with people I don't know if I can trust, it feels like I can't trust anyone."
He was blurting it out now, revealing the hidden mistrust he had held for others ever since the massacre. This whole event had only increased it. "Not to mention my body has been torn to shreds." hands moving to cover the stitch marks covering his arms as though to hide them. "I've always been paranoid, but it's like it's overflowing. My lack of trust is disgusting after everything they've done for me. Now I have a nasty body to match how I act. I'm terrible."
He felt something drop over his shoulders and glanced up slightly to see Neji looking shaken. He realized it was Neji's typical long-sleeved Hyuuga style overcoat dropped over his shoulders, the older teen sliding it on him as he spoke. "You aren't ugly Sasuke. Not inside nor out. You protected us all by staying quiet. You're selfless and strong. Then if we're talking about the outside, you have your beautiful midnight hair. Your gorgeous pale skin. Soulful eyes. You're god damn amazing and we love you, Sasuke. You have a right to be wary, but know that we will never betray you. You're our brother." the elder finishing buttoning up the front for Sasuke so that he would feel more comfortable.
Now the only issue was how to help Sasuke get past this doubt. The questions popped into Neji's head. Did he tell one of the adults? Did they work as a sibling unit to help him? Did he do it alone incase he overwhelmed Sasuke? Neji had no idea, but he would have to decide soon. This much was clear as he looked over at the nervous shame-filled younger boy.