Chapter 12: Back in the Village

AN: Revised as of 2/23/10

"Just what do you mean by this, Sakura?" Sasuke called out into the endless midnight, "just was is at stake here?" He was in no position to demand answers, but he didn't care. He'd find out just what trickery Sakura had engaged, if it was even her who was responsible for this.

"Your redemption, Sasuke," she answered, her voice an icy wind. "What this means exactly will be revealed in good time. You will just have to wait and cooperate."

"I have no intention of cooperating with you," Sasuke spat.

"That's what I thought you'd say, Sasuke-kun. I was hoping to avoid having to do this the hard way, but you've forced my hand. Say goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

Before he could even react, a powerful surge forced its way though Sasuke's mind, paralyzing all of his senses. He faded from consciousness quickly, screaming into the infinite penumbra that engulfed him.

Sasuke awoke in a start, screaming out a terrible cry of agony. He sat up on the hard futon, panting with exhaustion, as cold sweat on his body glistened in the candlelight. Rivulets of sweat ran down his face, framing the visage of absolute fear that sat upon his face. He sat their panting in confusion, before details of the world around him began filtering through the perplexity.

He was a prisoner; that much was for sure. The small, musty room had only three walls; the fourth was a curtain of iron bars, the only barrier between his room, and the unknown that lurked in the darkness beyond his dimly lit cell. The pungent smell of mold, mildew, and rodent hung in the air. The only light in the cell was provided by the diffuse glow of candle lanterns.

His heart rate started to slow, and his breathing normalized. His last memories were a mess, and it would take some time to sort through it all. He recalled fighting Naruto and Sakura. He remembered their faces, and the potent emotions of the battle, but the actual details were a gray blur. Still, that provided him somewhere to start from. He dimly recalled something like a paralyzing Genjutsu being cast, the details were lost to him.

His body ached all over, confirming his recollections about the battle. Something about getting hit with something that felt like giant stone pillars, as far as he could tell. "So I've been captured," he said to himself, not caring if anyone was listening.

This prison was completely unfamiliar to him. Superficially, it was similar to the many labyrinths that Orochimaru had constructed, but it differed in many important respects. Orochimaru's gulags were cold, sterile environments, rank with the stench of disinfectants. This prison was almost suffocatingly warm, even though it was as black as pitch throughout most of its passages. The general smell of filth permeated the bricks and mortar that constructed this abyss.

Sasuke sat on the unforgiving mattress in silent meditation, hoping to work out what would come next for him. As if divine (or demonic) providence had answered him, a guard came to his cell, and ordered him to rise.

Only now did Sasuke noticed he was in handcuffs, chains and leg-irons. As the guard walked into the pale, sickly light, his ANBU mask came into view. "I've definitely been captured by Konoha then," he thought as glared maliciously at the ANBU nin. Sasuke slowly got to his feet, feeling all the aches in his joints protest his sudden choice to begin moving again.

"Come, Number 6, your judgment awaits," the ANBU commanded, his formal tone barely masking an undertone of raw contempt.

Sasuke obeyed silently. A seal had been placed on his body, making the task of molding chakra an impossibility. He simply had no choice but to obey. He was a prisoner, just a number and a scratched hitai-ate.

The ANBU opened the gate through the iron bars, and silently beckoned Sasuke to walk in front of him. The ANBU then prodded in the back with a dull kunai, ushering him to walk forward down the long black corridor. The hair on the back of Sasuke's neck began to rise involuntarily, and Sasuke noticed he was becoming quite on edge. He was, after all, walking into the complete unknown, with no clue what awaited him at the end of the corridor. The walk though the umbra was a short eternity, punctuated with indescribable sounds of unknown horrors that lanced out through the darkness. Nameless fears rose up within Sasuke, as if the corridor itself was cursed, a little plot of Hell on Earth.

Finally, Sasuke came to a large, open room at the end of the hall. It was just as pitch black as the corridor, but it had a completely different aura to it. It smelled clean in here, and it was pleasantly cool, after the long stay in that oven they called a prison. As Sasuke squinted into the darkness, he heard the sound of a metal door close behind him. He turned around to find that the ANBU had gone, and locked him in this room.

A spotlight then shined down on Sasuke, temporarily blinding him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw silhouettes in the umbra. It looked as though they sat in a row on a raised platform at least three meters above the floor that Sasuke stood upon. He counted at least four nondescript figures on the platform, though he couldn't be sure if more lurked in the darkness.

Sasuke had lingering doubts of his earlier assessment. Sure, it had seemed reasonable to assume that it was Konoha that was holding him, but he'd never seen any evidence to confirm that. "Where am I?" Sasuke demanded, his voice full of malice.

"In the Village," replied the figure on the center-left, his voice a non-descript monotone.

That didn't reveal much, but it at least confirmed some of Sasuke's suspicions. He took this as an opportunity to dig deeper into the mystery. "What do you want from me?" he asked, softening his tone only slightly.

"We want information," the figure replied again.

"Whose side are you one?" Sasuke countered, his eyes narrowing in rage.

"That would be telling," the figure jabbed back, "We want information. Information!"

"Then you won't get it," Sasuke riposted in defiance.

"By hook or crook, we will."

This was clearly going nowhere. Sasuke sighed in frustration, and tried to divine anything from the reactions of the figures. They sat impassive, betraying nothing. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked firmly.

"The new Number Two," the figure replied, his tone just as firm as Sasuke's.

"Then who is Number One?"

"You are Number Six," Number Two replied, cutting off Sasuke's line of questioning.

Great, more mind games. "I am not a number, I am a free man!" Sasuke spat.

Number Two laughed uproariously at him, betraying a level of callous cruelty Sasuke hadn't sensed before. Still, something told Sasuke that he wasn't laughing at the irony of a man in chains proclaiming that he is a free man per se. This deception ran deeper than that.

After the exchange with Number Two, Sasuke was led back to his cell by a man he presumed to be a Konoha shinobi. As he left, he heard the faceless man who declared himself Number 2 hiss, "Be seeing you." The man who led him away was dressed in the exact same prison fatigues as Sasuke was, leaving Sasuke puzzling about what foul little closet in Konoha had he been tucked away in.

A day passed, with no contact with anyone. No other prisoners, no guards, no one. Regularly, some stale food was passed to him, but he never got a look at who or what was bringing him the food.

As he chewed the stringy, grainy rice slowly for the meal he presumed was dinner, a thought occurred to Sasuke. What if all of this, this entire prison, and the tribunal, were part of the interrogation process? It seemed like a sound theory to him. Place prisoners in an environment, completely isolated, and slowly begin breaking them down psychologically. "That's why the guard was dressed as a prisoner! So that we don't know friend from foe!" he mused as he spat out a particularly hard kernel of rice. This food was horrible, no two ways about it.

Over the coming hours, Sasuke did hear voices from other people, who he presumed to be prisoners, talking quietly in the dark shadows. Some were fairly close, maybe only a few meters away, and others were faint in the distance. None of them seemed to talk to him, but he heard whispers about himself echo through the darkness.

"Did you hear? The traitor Uchiha has been returned. He sits in this very prison!" whispered a female voice.

"I heard that too," replied a male voice, "that Hellion was brought in two days ago or so, completely unconscious." His voice dropped down very low now, the faintest of whispers now, "I've also heard whispers that the monster didn't just survive the massacre of his clan, but that he participated in it."

Sasuke instantly bristled at the accusation. How dare these dead lasts accuse him of being even close to on the same level as Itachi!

"Be quiet! He might hear you!" the female replied.

"Ah, what can he do? He's a prisoner, just like us."

"He's killed men by the hundreds. He wouldn't bat an eyelash to kill us if he got the chance. I'd rather not cross him!"

Slowly, the chatter died down, and Sasuke laid down on the hard futon to try to get some sleep. After what couldn't have been more than just a few hours, Sasuke awoke again with a start. After centering himself, he quickly found that he was not alone in his cell. In the darkness, he could see the figure of a person hovering over his bed. He lashed out at the figure, but it had quickly dodged back. "Temper, temper, Number 6. We wouldn't want you to get yourself hurt" the figure laughed as it stepped into the light.

The person was clearly a woman, quite young, perhaps not much older than Sasuke. He'd never seen her before in his life, but she had a soft, unassuming beauty to her, like the girl next door. Flicking her brown locks out of her hair, she blew a raspberry at Sasuke.

Sasuke gritted his teeth at her as he sat up in his bed. "What do you want with me?" he spat.

"Are you so narcissistic to assume that there is anything you have that I want?" she jeered, to Sasuke's disapproval. She studied him for a moment, then brushed his hair to the side and cupped his cheek. "My, you really are handsome..."

Sasuke tried to slap her hand away, but the woman swiftly countered. She quickly parried his attempt, then quickly counterattacked, pushing him over onto his back and pinning his arms beneath him. As she straddled his body, she chuckled, "Oh Six, I could lay you out and have my way with you, and there'd be nothing you could do about it. Your life is in my hands." As if to puntuate that point, she wrapped one of her hands gently around his neck. "All I have to do is squeeze, and it's all over for you."

Sasuke struggled against her, but she was too strong, too skilled. There was nothing he could do. The feeling of powerlessness, that he had lamented for so long welled up again. He bristled and scowled at her, earning only her condescending smile. "You bitch," he cursed, "you bound my hands behind my back as you pinned me, didn't you? Just who the hell are you?"

"Oh, so you noticed," she chuckled, "I am Number 2. You may just call me Two if you wish, though, since you're cute."

Sasuke's rage grew. "That's a lie! Number 2 is a man. I saw him yesterday."

"No, I'm afraid you're mistaken, Six, I'm Number 2."

"The man from yesterday said he was Number 2. Just which of you is lying?"

"Oh, he was Number 2. But I am Number 2."

Sasuke tried looking away in disgust. This woman was beneath his contempt. "Then what are you doing here?"

"Oh me, I'm in charge of all that you see. That means I'm in charge of you."

"Then who is Number 1?" he scowled.

Two smirked for a moment, then leaned forward, so that her face was hovering inches above his. Though he had turned his head to the side to look away, he could still smell the fragrance of her hair, and feel each soft breath on his cheek. Her presence was powerful, and he was powerless. Overtaken by immense curiosity, he cautiously turned to face her. Her hand slid from his neck to grasp the mane of his hair, and she kissed him roughly. He tried to break away from her, but he was utterly powerless. There was only one other time in his life that he had felt this powerless, and the very thought crushed him. As she finally broke the kiss, she whispered, "That would be telling..."

"You're a psychopathic bitch..." he spat.

"Oh, such harsh words. The irony must escape you. Very well, I'll let you in on a little secret: I'm acting no different than you would. Or from how Itachi would..."

Sasuke flew into a rage at her accusations. He struggled against his bonds to no avail, while she laughed. "Oh Six, you're just a thing to me right now. And a thing can have no self. Why shouldn't I do with you as I will, use you for my own satisfaction. After all, haven't you used everyone you've met to fulfill your own ambitions?"

"I'll ask you one more time: what the hell do you want with me!"

"Fine, since you insist. She hovered over his face once more, whispering in his ear. "I want to know why you did it, Six. I want to know why you became everything you hate..."

"You keep calling me Six! Stop it!" he interrupted.

"Why shouldn't I? It is your name, after all. And I'd say it fits your state. You've become little more than a mindless automaton for the last six years."

"I am Uchiha Sasuke! I am not a number! My clan was noble and strong, and our blood runs pure, which is more than I can say for trash like you."

Two laughed again. "Oh Six, when will you stop these delusions. You've only proven how little of a selfhood you've ever had. You attach yourself to the legacy of your clan, as if their nobility will rub off on you and make up for your terrible decisions and your dishonor. You have no identity for yourself, and you will be treated as such." She kissed him again, this time gently. It was warm, even beautiful, and in that moment, he caught a glimpse of something he'd never experienced before.

Not knowing how to react, he fell back to the default: scowling.

"I have given you a glimpse--and only a glimpse--of something you might have been able to have, once upon a time. This feeling comes under many names: companionship, love, friendship, call it what you will. It is the thing you have cut yourself off from. It is what separates men from monsters. Once upon a time, it was what separated you from Itachi. You have forsaken it, along with all that goes along with it, as you allowed yourself to be consumed be vengeance."

The seed of doubt had been planted in his convictions. The possibility, of having been wrong, was entertained, if only for the briefest moment, for the first time.

"The fact that you cannot feel this except when I force you to," she continued, "Is proof that you are nothing more than a thing. And you will be treated as such." She leaned forward to kiss him again, but just as Sasuke began to anticipate it, to long for that feeling again, she pulled back. "I'll leave you to your thoughts," she whispered. Soon she was gone, and Sasuke found that his shackles had left with her. Greatly troubled, he rolled over to try to sleep.

He thought of simpler days, and what he might have lost, before drifting off. As he awoke, he heard the screeching ring of his cell gate being opened. "Come Number Six," commanded a different stern female voice.

Sasuke silently obeyed, too tired to protest being reduced to a number. Once again, he was lead through the long dark towards the antechamber, most likely to await the same panel that faced him the day before.

As he reached the entrance to the chamber, the guard shoved him forward into the spotlight and slammed the door behind him. Sasuke struggled to regain his balance, and came to a halt in the spotlight, squinting in the bright light.

As his eyes came to focus, he noticed that the room was different this time. More spot lights shown down from the ceiling, illuminating what looked like a large podium in front of him, and six black robed figures sitting in seats to his right. "A trial?" he wondered.

Another spot light flickered on to his left, revealing the figure of a tall, graceful kunoichi who was once very familiar to him. "Sakura?" he mouthed silently as she stood there, arms crossed, staring back at him. Flashes of memories came back to Sasuke; memories of fighting this strong, beautiful kunoichi. Her power and elegance could not be denied, just as dangerous to him as the boy that Sasuke had once called friend. It was so hard for him to believe that this was once the same annoying and useless girl he left unconscious on the stone bench leading out of Konoha.

The six robed figures to Sasuke's right began chanting "Here comes the judge," in rhythmic fashion, matching the intonations of priestly hymns. Soon, another figure approached the podium, his wild shock of blond hair gleaming in the spot light.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked in shock. He didn't know why, but the thought of being judged by the man who was once his best friend and blood brother hurt him in a way that he'd never experienced before. The only one who had ever exceeded this level of agony had been the man he had once called his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.

"Silence in court!" Naruto commanded as he knocked a gavel on the podium. Instantly, the chanting stopped.

There was so much he had to know about this. But Sasuke finally decided that he'd settle for just one answer. "Who is Number One?" he asked, almost pleading for the answer.

Naruto completely ignored him. He turned to Sakura, and declared, "The prosecution will now read the charges."

"Your honor," Sakura replied, "the defendant is charged with believing that the ends always justify the means, and of becoming everything that he claims to hate." The words were like a dagger thrust into his heart, especially coming from Sakura, the fool who never said anything cross to him.

"Please," Sasuke pleaded, "please let me explain!"

Naruto ignored him. He turned instead to the six robed figures: "How does the jury find the defendant?"

"Guilty!" Their reply echoed through the antechamber. The words wrapped around Sasuke's neck like a noose. This simply couldn't be true, he decided. He had not become Itachi, that simply was impossible.

"This is no trial! Where is my defense?!" Sasuke demanded, struggling against his shackles.

"Good point," Naruto replied, "Bring in the character witness!"

A woman walked into the spot light. Sasuke instantly recognized the red-haired kunoichi as Karin, his slavish admirer and the potent tracker nin that he had convinced to join Team Hebi. He breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't betray him.

"What do you have to say on the defendant's behalf?" Naruto questioned.

As soon as she opened her mouth, Sasuke's hopes began to sink. "I don't have anything kind to say about Sasuke," she spat, "He lies. He deceives his comrades. He kills on a whim. He will do anything for the power to kill Itachi. He is a miserable human being, utterly undeserving of pity or mercy."

Her words shocked him. First Sakura, and now Karin. They both turned on him, and would just as soon see him at the gallows as look at him. He wanted to scream "It's a lie!" but he couldn't find the words.

"How does the jury find the defendant?" Naruto asked once more.

"Guilty!" chanted the six robed men, "Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!"

Sasuke stood in shock as the chanting abated, and Karin once again retreated into the darkness. Finally, he rose to his own defense. "But, I did what I had to do!" he pleaded, "You must believe me, I had no choice! Itachi had to die, but I was too weak. I needed the strength to make Itachi pay for his crimes! You have to believe me…"

"Stop the lies, Number 6," Naruto ordered, "Have you anything to say before I pass sentence on you?"

"Naruto, please, help me!" he choked, "I have to end this madness. I have to kill Itachi. I must know who is Number One!"

Naruto began slowly chanting, "Guilty!" over and over to Sasuke. He quickened his tempo, and increased the volume as he progressed, as the jury and Sakura joined him in chanting. The chorus of "Guilty" rained down on Sasuke. He couldn't take it any longer. The sorrow in his heart turned into rage and malice, and his eyes began to burn with the crimson of the Sharingan.

"No!" he shouted, as he strained against his shackles. He summoned up all of his hatred and anger, fueling the cursed seal on his neck. As the seal consumed him, he broke free from the shackles, and released the power of a Chidori Nagashi into the room. The arcs of lightning lanced out into the room, electrocuting everyone in the room. The fury of the technique slowly snuffed out all of their lives one by one, as Sasuke watched in horror, unable to stop himself.

For a flash, he saw their lifeless bodies strewn out over the room, and then the lights shorted out, leaving him in total darkness.

An unfamiliar voice called out across the darkness, "So, you've killed everyone, have you?"

Sasuke turned to see who it was, his eyes straining against the darkness. The voice was dripping with venom, whatever it was, but Sasuke couldn't see where it came from. The voice called out again, this time from right behind him. "So you haven't figured it out yet, have you?" it mocked.

Sasuke spun around again, finding nothing but blackness. The voice spoke one more time, this time seeming to come from all around Sasuke. "I know I have! I know we all have…"

"Tell me, who is Number One?!" Sasuke screamed into the night, still fuming with rage. He had to get to the bottom of all of this. But his malice started to leave him, and the cursed seal began to recede. The sudden realization hit him. "I-I've…I've just k-killed everyone…everyone I've e-ever known…e-every o-one w-who's ever c-cared about me…" he sobbed. He fell to his knees, sobbing with rage and despair.

The electrical wires that he had shorted out in his burst of rage began sparking violently, lighting up the room with a pale electric glow. As Sasuke looked up to see the dim light, he saw tall mirror standing before him, his sad reflection staring back at him.

Sasuke slowly brought himself to his feet, and stared into the mirror, hoping that the answers lay beyond the ether. He hung his head in sorrow. Then, the image in the mirror started to warp. It's head was held up high, and its features began to distort. As Sasuke looked up, and stared at the curious reflection, it morphed into an image of Itachi.

"I am Number One!" the Itachi image declared. Sasuke fell onto his ass in shock. He laid there, looking up into the image of Itachi in the mirror as it glared menacingly back at him.

"I am the driving force in your life!" the Itachi image continued, "I am hatred and malice. I drive you onwards and totally consume you!"

Sasuke looked back in shock, unable to do anything but shiver and watch his worst nightmare in the mirror before him. Slowly, Sasuke drew himself back to his feet. He looked at his hand…they were Itachi's hands. He felt his face, and instead felt Itachi's face. He looked back to Itachi in the mirror in complete horror.

"That's right, Sasuke, you have become me. You are no different than me, you're just a cheap imitation of the original. Like me, you will do anything for power. Like me, you are willing to murder your friends for power. You sell your soul every day, and in doing so, every day you worship at my alter. You stand on sanity's fragile edge, and worship the Lord of the Flies."

"No, that can't be true!" Sasuke screamed back.

"Oh, but it is true, Sasuke. Don't you remember the pleasure you felt when you ran Naruto through with the Chidori? Can't you see that it was the same perverse pleasure that I had when I tortured you with the massacre of our clan?"

Sasuke punched the mirror, and watched the image revert to his own horrified visage. He left a considerable crack in the mirror with his fist. He watched his image, hoping that the nightmare would be over soon.

It wasn't. His image began to speak to him, using the same menacing tone he had used when he was about to try to kill Naruto at the Valley of the End. "I am Number One. Just like Itachi, I care for no one."

"That's not true…" Sasuke countered before trailing off. He was at an impasse. He could either admit that he had lied to himself all of these years, and that he did love and care for Naruto and Sakura, or he could face the horror of the nightmare he created for himself. "I-I still c-care about my team, even though I don't like to admit it," he finally choked out.

"Then where were you for the past six years, huh?" the image retorted, "Where were you when they needed you the most? Your actions speak louder than your words. You love no one but yourself, just like Itachi. But hey, you were just looking out for Number One…"

Sasuke punched the mirror again, and watched it shatter into thousands of tiny shards on the ground. In the dim light, he saw the figure of a small boy standing behind the mirror.

"Oh no! Not you!" Sasuke gasped.

The figure of the small boy walked forward into the light. Nine-year old Sasuke, freshly ripped from the comfort of his family, stood before him. Young Sasuke glared up at Sasuke disapprovingly.

"I am Number One. The original…do you think this is a game, huh?" Young Sasuke spat, "Do you?"

"But, how?" Sasuke replied, "You're…you're me…"

"But you hate me," Young Sasuke retorted, "You must! Just look at what you've become!"

"You're wrong!" Sasuke snapped back, "I had to become bigger, tougher…I had to be ready for Itachi, to avenge our clan…"

"Did you like your vengeance more than home? More than your family?" Young Sasuke cried.

"No, No I didn't! I didn't have any other choice!" Sasuke sobbed, tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"Vengeance, vengeance, vengeance…that's all I hear from you. You're like a broken record. You killed my friends!"

"My friends!" Sasuke snapped back without thinking. He instantly regretted his words.

"You've forgotten your friends!" Young Sasuke retorted, "you let yourself become a prisoner to vengeance. You willingly became Itachi's shadow. You've danced on Itachi's string for almost your entire life! What would Mother and Father think of you now?"

Sasuke had no reply. He stood there in horror, and watched his younger self tear him down to the foundations.

"You gave up all that you held dear for power," Young Sasuke continued, "you allowed Itachi to twist you until you became everything you once hated the most and had sworn to destroy. You disgust me! Be seeing you." Young Sasuke turned, and began walking away, bringing the light with him, leaving Sasuke alone in darkness.

Sasuke collapsed to his knees, sobbing. He buried his head in his arms, and screamed in frustration. "Help me," he cried, "help me! If anyone is listening, please help me! Just give me one chance to go back, and tell Naruto and Sakura that I'm sorry…just one chance to see them once more."

He felt comforting hands on his shoulders, and heard a soothing female voice say, "Sasuke-kun, just open your eyes…"

Sasuke opened his eyes, and was greeted by Naruto's and Sakura's warm smiles. His mouth hung open in shock. There they were, right before him, their hands on his shoulders. He then noticed that they were all kneeling in the mud amongst the fallen trees of the battlefield. He had his chance at redemption. Instantly, he decided he was going to seize it. Being Itachi's shadow no longer held any appeal; in fact it disgusted him.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around them, and pulled them into a group hug. He couldn't remember ever being this welcoming or emotional, but he didn't care about keeping up appearances right now.

"Good to have you back, Sasuke," Naruto cried.

"Indeed. We've missed you for so long, Sasuke-kun," Sakura replied.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto, Sakura. I'm sorry for everything…" Sasuke cried in genuine contrition.

"We forgive you," Sakura replied warmly as Sasuke relaxed his group bear hug, "We're just glad to have you back with us."

For the first time in six years, Sasuke was genuinely happy. A tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and the shackles that bound him to Itachi had been broken. He was a free man now. As he relaxed in the general mirth of situation, he asked, "So, it was all just a Genjutsu then?"

"Basically," Sakura explained, as Naruto helped lift them both out of the muddy mire. "I bet you're wondering why you couldn't see through it with your Sharingan. I know you were when I first put you under with it—uh, thanks Naruto—anyway, the Sharingan may be your greatest tool and the source of much of your power, but it can also be your greatest weakness. The Sharingan gives you greater control over the reality around you and an avenue into other people's minds, but the door swings both ways as well."

Sasuke cocked his head in interest.

"The Sharingan functions as a direct chakra and nerve pathway between your eyes and the frontal cortex of your brain. Because of this, the Sharingan allows you an uncanny ability to literally transform your will into reality. Space and time become flexible like puddy for you to shape as you will, and other people's minds become your play thing. Still, the Sharingan functions like any other eye on the basic level. If I can manipulate the chakra flow through your Sharingan directly, I can manipulate your reality."

"I see," Sasuke replied, "So that's why you touched my temples?"

"Precisely. In order to make my technique work, I have to have direct access to your Sharingan. Even then, only someone with perfect chakra control has any chance at doing anything constructive. It took me months of experimentation with Kakashi to refine this technique into a workable form. Even then, it only works on people who bear the Sharingan."

"Thank you guys so much for going this far for me," Sasuke replied, "I don't know how I can repay you." He averted his eyes in shame. He may have been given a second chance, but that still didn't make everything right.

"Don't sweat it, Sasuke," Naruto replied, "You are our friend, and this is what friends do for each other. We can talk about specifics of repayment when we get back to Konoha." Naruto flashed him a sly smirk.

"You bastard…" Sasuke sighed.

"I'm just kidding, Sasuke. We should be getting back to our group. Last we knew, they were headed for a lot of trouble."

"Guys, I'm so sorry," Sasuke admitted, "This whole thing was a set up. It was a trap to lure you out so that you could be captured. I suspect that Orochimaru, well, wants to capture the bijuu sealed within Naruto. As for why, I don't know, but it probably has something to do with foiling Akatsuki's plans as well as advancing one of Orochimaru's own schemes."

"Don't sweat it. We'll just bug out of here, and everything will be fine," Sakura replied.

Endnotes: I hope you enjoyed by little homage to The Prisoner. I honestly had a lot of fun revising this one. The headtripping mindfuck is over, but the fun is just beginning, I assure you.