Woohoo! Chapter 7! Fair bit of warning but this chapter does get pretty emotional! Anyway I'm really liking where this story is headed, and I love everyone's support! Please don't forget to review or comment. If anyone has any questions about the story please PM me. I'm always willing to respond, and it makes things a little easier. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO :(

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Sasuke stared at the white wall across from his hospital bed, his black eyes glazed over in thought. The black haired teen recalled his near mental breakdown that had occurred yesterday night. Now, another day had passed and while Naruko had stayed with him for most of the day by his side, she was taken away by Kakashi for her training that late afternoon. She was getting stronger while he stayed here in this pitiful room, with nothing to do other than reflect over his thoughts.

'I was so weak…I couldn't do anything.' Sasuke mentally reminded himself as he gripped the bedsheets with a force that made his knuckles turn white. He must have had that thought run through his mind a million times.

Turning his head to gaze out in the sun setting over the village, Sasuke thought about his strength. He had forgotten how much stronger Itachi was, even before the massacre. An eight year old Itachi could probably beat him. Sasuke figured that he was progressing much faster than his peers, but he must have let that get to his head, because although he may be considered one of the best gennin of the current generation, Itachi's shadow was much greater than his own.

Sensing a foreign presence in the room, Sasuke's active sharingan eyes flashed to the side of his bed. The red orbs widened as he saw the air in a particular spot in the room warp and distort.

'What the hell?!' Sasuke thought.

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Bright blue eyes glared at the white pages before them. Naruko, with a face twisted in determined focus was trying her hardest to read the book that she held in her hands. Looking away from the incomprehensible book, she gazed over to her sensei, who was sitting down, flipping the pages of his book at an extremely fast rate.

'How can he even read that fast!?' Naruko thought, she tilted her head down in sadness. 'I haven't even got past the first page.' Her body slumped in depression.

When Kakashi had shown up at the hospital to train Naruko, she was ecstatic! She didn't know however, that the copy-ninja intended to spend the entire training session in the library, reading books about her elemental affinity.

Sensing his student lose her motivation to continue reading, Kakashi closed his book and walked over to her. Naruko followed him with her eyes as he walked towards her. His lone black eye made contact with hers and she looked down hastily, hoping that Kakashi would think that she was still reading.

He plopped himself down right beside Naruko and looked over to see where she was at in her reading. Perhaps she couldn't read for long periods of time and needed some more motivation.

The grey haired ninja's eye widened when he saw that she was still reading the first page of her book. They had been in the library for nearly an hour! He looked at her face, which was contorted into a look of confusion and frustration.

"You know Naruko…you have to read the book to learn a new jutsu." Kakashi said.

Naruko turned her head to look up at her sensei. "Well why can't you teach me Kakashi-sensei? You read like three books since we got here! You can just simplify it all!" Naruko exclaimed, letting out her frustration.

Kakashi's eye narrowed slightly in curiosity. "Is that book too hard to read for you?" He asked.

Naruko tore her gaze away from her mentor, finding the ground being a more acceptable place to look towards.

"I don't know…when I see words that I don't understand…I don't know what to do…" Naruko whispered, trailing off towards the end.

Kakashi nodded his head in understanding and looked towards the book that Naruko was gripping tightly in her hands. He leaned his body closer to Naruko's to get a better view of the book and started to speak quietly.

"You know…if you can't read these books, you won't be able to learn the jutsu. It wouldn't be right for me to teach that way."

Naruko nodded her head sadly, understanding what her sensei was saying.

"So here's what we're gonna do…you read aloud, and let me know when you get to a difficult word, and I'll explain. Okay?" Kakashi said.

Naruko swiveled her head to look at her sensei, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape in a stunned silence. She closed her mouth and smiled slightly. Naruko should know by now that her sensei would help her and support her. He was already spending his entire afternoon with her in the library.

The blonde girl nodded her head in thanks and picked up her book to eye level, before beginning to read the first sentence aloud. Kakashi, loomed right above her, ready to help his adorable little gennin.

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'What the hell!?' Sasuke thought as a portal seemed to rip through the air in his hospital room. The twisting air started to gain color, as if something was suddenly traveling through. Sasuke watched as colors of red, black, and orange spilled into the room. As the twisting portal seemed to slow and shrink, the black haired genin watched the colors he saw before take shape into a human-like figure.

When Sasuke recognized the familiar black cloak with red clouds, his positioning on his bed became defensive. The only people that had those types of cloaks, was Itachi and the organization that he had joined.

The last thing Sasuke noted about the person in the room, was that he or she was wearing an orange mask with one open hole on the right.

"Hello Sasuke." A strong deep voice spoke from the masked man.

Not wasting any time figuring out who this infiltrator was, Sasuke leapt from his bed with a battle cry, and ran to strike his enemy, at this speed and range, Sasuke figured the man wouldn't have time to counter.

Sasuke watched as his first struck the cloaked figure directly in the chest, however Sasuke didn't feel contact. To the young Uchiha's surprise…he felt his momentum carry forward, through the man, as if he wasn't really there to begin with.

'Huh?' Sasuke thought in confusion, his mind trying to logically process why he hadn't landed a direct hit.

Sasuke heard the man's deep chuckle as Sasuke finished going through him. Suddenly, Sasuke felt a strong grip latch onto his pale wrist and his body forced upward into the air. Swinging in an arch, Sasuke slammed down onto the cold white tile floor, his body shook under the pressure and he let out a big gasp as the air in his lungs was forced out.

The man seemed to walk closer to the coughing young teen, his head tilted in interest. "Clearly you are no Itachi, but I do sense a lot of…similarities." The man said, walking closer to Sasuke.

The black haired teen sat up slightly, gripping his throbbing side as he glared at the man coming closer. "Who are you?!" Sasuke spat.

The man crouched down, the hole in his mask, level with Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke's sharingan eyes widened as he could faintly see the glow of a sharingan eye in the dark hole of the mask.

"I am Madara Uchiha." The masked man said, his rough voice harmoniously syncing with his menacing presence.

"Who?" Sasuke asked, finding it odd that he couldn't recognize a name from his own clan.

"Well, I guess my name doesn't really matter, but what does matter, is you." Madara said cryptically.

Sasuke shifted uncomfortably as Madara continued to stare at him, observing him.

"I understand that Orochimaru has set his eyes on you…to be his new vessel. From what I heard only a few months ago, you would have gladly gone to him for power if it meant your brother's demise…So why didn't you go?" Madara asked.

Sasuke's eyes widened, wondering how someone he had never met in his life, was able to know so much about him. In all honesty…after his humiliating defeat from Itachi a couple days ago, the thought of going to Orochimaru had gone through his head more than once.

"I…I don't know." Sasuke said, a faint image of a blonde haired, blue eyed girl flashed through his head before he dismissed it.

"You see Sasuke...you are in somewhat of a pickle here. On one side you could stay here and train with your beloved team 7, but you and I both know that you won't be able to progress nearly fast enough. Perhaps Itachi would die of old age by the time you would be strong enough to beat him." Madara's eyes glowing with glee as he saw Sasuke's nails dig into his fists. "Or you could take a gamble and sacrifice yourself to Orochimaru, in hopes that the man would kill Itachi for you. Neither of those options seem very smart now do they?" Madara finished.

"Why are you reminding me? Why are you here?" Sasuke growled.

"I'm here Sasuke…to offer you a third option."

Sasuke's eyes glowed with a sense of confusion, something Madara had picked up on. "Sasuke, I work in the same organization as your brother, however you should not mistake us as friends. In fact, he's been a thorn in my side for a long time. I thought to myself, I need an apprentice, someone I can train to kill Itachi. Then I found you, someone who wants nothing more than to kill Itachi. I'd say that's more than just a coincidence."

"What makes you think you can train me to beat him?" Sasuke wondered, seriously considering Madara's proposal.

"I have spent years working in the same organization as him, I have done extensive research on his abilities, and within three years tops, I could have you at level above his." Madara finished, smirking behind his mask.

Sasuke's eyes glazed over in thought. 'A level above Itachi!' Such an idea was nearly impossible for Sasuke to comprehend, after realizing the power difference they had when they fought. His mind working in overdrive, considering all the pros and cons. At the moment, he couldn't think of any cons.

A sudden chatter in the hallways alerted the two ninja in the room. Madara and Sasuke glared at the door, cursing the nurses that were interrupting this meeting.

Madara sighed. "I suppose I should give you a day to think about this. If you decide to join me, meet me on the roof tomorrow night."

With that, Sasuke watched carefully as the air around Madara twisted and sucked him in. Within seconds the man had completely disappeared. The black haired teen got up from the ground and sat on his bed. His eyes gazing at the bright light of the moon that now loomed over Konoha.

"A third option huh?" He whispered.

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The next day, Naruko and Sasuke were walking down the street in the Uchiha mansion. Having been allowed to leave the hospital early in the morning, Sasuke wasted no time in getting back towards his home. Oddly enough, he ran into Naruko on his way back, as she was on her way to the hospital for him. The two walked while Naruko talked about how she had actually prepared herself a nice breakfast for once, however Sasuke couldn't get the conversation about last night out of his head. He continued to walk in silence.

"-and I thought the batter would spill all over the place, but then I-…Sasuke! Are you listening?" Naruko asked, pausing her morning story.

Sasuke continued to keep walking, his own mind working feverishly to sort out all the thoughts that ran through his head.

"Sasuke?" Naruko asked again, her blue eyes showing concern for the boy next to her.

The black haired teen continued to think. 'If I could beat Itachi and not sacrifice myself that would be the best option…but can I really leave Konoha? Of course I can, Konoha is a community of babies who think that teamwork triumphs power. Wait! I shouldn't think something like that. But it's true. Not it's not.'

The outside noise was disrupting Sasuke's thoughts, causing him to grow very annoyed very fast. He heard the muffled sound of Naruko repeating his name, but why? 'Couldn't she just be quiet for once?' He asked himself.

"Sasuke are you alright?" Naruko asked, this time lightly griping the black fabric of his shoulder. She felt his body twist sharply, causing her to lose her grip. She watched as Sasuke turned to glare at her. Naruko's eyes widened with confusion.

"Will you just shut up! You're annoying!" Sasuke yelled.

Sasuke whirled back around and continued to walk towards the Uchiha mansion, while Naruko stood in the middle of the street. Her eyes still wide in shock. She wasn't trying to be annoying…she was just concerned. She felt her eyes start to prick with tears, but quickly wiped her face with her orange sleeve.

"S-sorry." She whispered, her head tilted downward as she took much slower and shorter steps towards the Uchiha mansion. Sasuke had already been long gone.

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Dinner that night had been very quiet, Naruko had been very quiet the entire day. Her only wish at the moment was to not annoy Sasuke. Without words she was the one to cook dinner, due to her increasing skills in cooking, while Sasuke continued to sit at the table in thought.

Once dinner had been finished, Naruko cleaned up both his plate and her own. While scrubbing the dishes, her stomach twisted in sickness. A couple days ago, she and Sasuke never felt closer, but now…the silence between them was killing her.

"I'm going to bed." Sasuke grunted while pushing out his chair and walking towards his bedroom.

'It's a little early for bed.' Naruko thought, before whispering a small "goodnight". However she was sure that Sasuke hadn't heard it. She wasn't sure if he even cared.

Naruko slowly walked back towards the Uchiha guest room, her entire posture showing her sadness. Clearly Sasuke was thinking about something, but why couldn't he share it with her? Did it have to do with her annoying him? She hoped not.

Passing by Sasuke's room, she came to a sudden halt. Her feet wouldn't take another step, and her saddened face just stared at the wooden door. Behind the door she could faintly hear the shuffling of drawers.

Deciding that she had to talk with Sasuke, she knocked lightly on his door.

"What?!" Sasuke's muffled voice yelled through the door.

"Can I come in?" She asked, trying to be clear but soft.

Naruko heard cursing behind the door and drawers closing and opening once more. Did her presence make him want to curse?

"Yeah come in." Sasuke said after a few minutes of silence.

Naruko turned the knob of the door, a wooden creaking sound made itself present as the door swung open and she walked inside. His room was much messier than he normally kept it, and she noticed Sasuke sitting on his bed, glaring at her.

"Did you need something?" Sasuke asked with a tone of impatience. His words making Naruko wince.

"I-I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Naruko said softly, her eyes staring at the ground.

"I'm fine thanks, is that all?" The impatient tone was still there. Clearly Sasuke didn't want her to be anywhere near him at the moment.

Naruko shook her head and turned around, walking towards the door. She took one last glance at Sasuke seated on the bed before her eyes caught something in the closet beside him. It was his backpack, half filled with clothes and ninja supplies.

'We don't have a mission tomorrow.' Naruko thought. 'Wait! Is he?'

"Well? Are you leaving?" Sasuke asked, his irritation peaking.

Naruko turned back to look at Sasuke, her blonde hair hiding her blue eyes. She shuffled closer to Sasuke's beside and leaned forward. Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt Naruko's arms wrap tightly around his neck, her chin and cheek digging into his shoulder.

Surprised at the sudden hug, Sasuke was about to push her off, until he felt her entire body shaking and the sound of muffled cries echoing through the room.

"Naruko? What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Naruko cried repeatedly into Sasuke's shoulder.

Sasuke gripped her shoulders and pushed her back so he could see her face. Her cheeks and eyes were flushed red, tears streaking down her smooth skin. Sasuke wondered if she found out about his plan to leave. He wanted to distance himself from her…soften the blow.

"Why are you leaving Sasuke?" She cried as Sasuke mentally cursed. 'She knows.'

"I-is is it because of me?" Naruko continued to cry. "I promise, I won't be annoying anymore, I'll even let you take my training spots with Kakashi-sensei, anything! Just please don't leave me." She cried.

"Y-you would give up your training?" Sasuke gasped.

The blonde girl nodded her head rapidly while continuing to sob. Sasuke thought that she would be fine without him, after all she still had 2/3's of team seven.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Because…a-all my life I've been alone. I don't want the one person I care most about to leave me!"

Sasuke's dark eyes looked away from her. Her cries eventually dulling down to a few sniffles. It's true that he didn't want to leave Naruko, and honestly he hadn't really thought about her reaction until now.

"I'm sorry Naruko." He whispered, black eyes still looking away from the crying girl.

"Y-you're not going to Orochimaru are you?" She whispered, her eyes filled with fear.

"No…I found someone else…I'll be gone for a couple years."

'Years!' Naruko mentally gasped, her tears starting up once again. "Sasuke! Y-you can't! Please don't!"

"Naruko I-." Sasuke started.

"I LOVE YOU!" Naruko shouted, causing Sasuke's eyes to widen immensely. "Naruko." Sasuke said sadly, he wished that he could say the same, but if he did…it would make it even harder to leave.

"I can prove it to you!" She cries as she suddenly tackled the black haired Uchiha on top of his bed. Before he could react, Naruko's lips were already on his own. Despite the sense of desperation, her lips were still only lightly pushing on his own. She wasn't ready for what she was doing.

She separated from him. "Please don't leave" She said repeatedly between each kiss. With each kiss, her body began to shake harder. She sat up and griped her orange jacket zipper, tugging it downward. Sasuke's eyes grew wide once more and he griped her hand, stopping the zipper from coming down.

"Naruko…stop…you don't want this." Sasuke whispered sadly.

"I-I know…but I love you, and I don't want you to leave." Naruko quivered.

Sasuke removed her hand from her zipper and slowly zipped the jacket back up, Naruko's reddened blue eyes staring away from Sasuke, embarrassed by her actions.

"Naruko…Everything will be okay, I'll be gone for just a little bit, and when I get back, you and I can be together again." Sasuke whispered as he stroked her blonde hair, hoping to soothe her.

"I'm sorry" Naruko whispered, removing herself from straddling Sasuke, she turned to leave the room, before Sasuke's hand gripped her own.

"You can sleep with me tonight…if you want?" Sasuke said, his cheeks faintly blushing.

Naruko wiped her reddened face once more and left the room, only to return in her blue pajamas and night cap. Crawling into bed with Sasuke, Naruko gripped his body tightly, wishing for him to never leave. Within moments Naruko was asleep from her emotional outbursts, and Sasuke was left to lay down and think about what he was leaving behind. He glanced to the side, watching Naruko's parted lips slowly inhale and exhale breaths of air. He gently brushed some of her blonde hair out of her eyes and kissed her forehead.

The two genin laid in the bed together for a few hours before Sasuke knew it was time to go. He twisted his body out of Naruko's tight grasp and grabbed his backpack from within his closet. He quickly wrote a small note to Naruko and left the room.

Closing the door, Sasuke pressed his forehead against the wood. "Please be safe Naruko…I love you." He whispered before walking out the front door and into the night.

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Poor Naruko! I hated doing this to her, but with her past and her thoughts, I found that she would probably be extremely desperate not to lose someone she deeply cared about. Please review or comment. Thank you all so much!

Until Next Time!