A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! I have lots of time to update for now and i've got lots of inspirations lately so I get to update often... Hahahahahaha... Anyway... If you would notice, I kinda changed the summary of this fic because I noticed that the summary is starting to get off the storyline a bit... So I decided to change it to one that is actually connected to the plot... And I hope you guys don't mind,... ^_^Also, I already know what would happen in this story, it's all kinda bundled in my head now... Hahahahaha... Sooooo, Let's start now shall we? ^_^
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...
Wave Country
"Hinata! Do you remember where I put my sandals?" Sakura asked her friend while she searched around the room for her precious pair of sandals.
"I think I saw it under the fridge yesterday." Hinata's voice responded from the bathroom.
"Why the heck will it be there?" Sakura said as she quickly made her way to the kitchen. She dropped on all-fours near the refrigerator. "Oh, it really is here. But I don't remember putting these here."
"You accidentally kicked them the other day. You were running around the place because you were searching for your forehead-protector." Hinata said exiting the bathroom completely dressed.
"Eeeeh? Is that so, guess it's my fault then." Sakura grinned sheepishly as she remembered that day when she and Hinata spent the whole day searching frantically for her forehead-protector. They both failed to take a look at the bathroom where Sakura left it before taking a bath.
Hinata hesitated slightly, "A-ano Sakura-chan?"
Sakura turned to her with a bright smile. "Hmm?"
Hinata fidgeted slightly. "Errr, if you don't mind me asking, but, do you still have feelings for Sasuke-kun?"
The smile on Sakura's face faded quickly at the mention of the topic. And alll of the sudden, tension filled the room.
Hinata felt a bit guilty but it was a question that has been bothering her for a few days now. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming back then when she heard Sakura mutter Sasuke's name in her sleep. But judging from the look on Sakura's face, maybe it really was just a dream. Hinata was about to apologize and change the topic when Sakura responded.
"I don't know, but I'm sure that I don't love him anymore." Sakura smiled sadly.
"You don't?" Hinata said.
"Mmhmm," Sakura nodded. "Afterall, a person inlove should know when to stop, and when to move on..." she trailed off.
After a few moments Sakura looked up and smiled at Hinata.
"Well, that's that, are you done packing?" Sakura said changing the subject.
"I'm done already, how about you?" Hinata asked happy that the tension seems to dissipate in the air, she started to dry her hair.
"Yup, I was checking my things when I noticed that these sandals are missing," she swiftly tucked her sandals inside her bag. "Yosh! I'm all set!"
"Me too." Hinata smiled.
It has been a week since they arrived here at the wave country for a mission-slash-vacation. They're scheduled to return to Konoha today so she and Sakura had stayed home to pack their things. And now, they're both ready to go home.
"Let's go," Sakura said as they exited the inn. "I gotta admit, I'm going to miss the food here."
"Mou Sakura-chan. Didn't you say you're on a diet?" Hinata scolded lightly.
"Yes, yes." Sakura chuckled, walking faster as they neared the outskirts of the village. Both she and Hinata never spoke about it but they were getting a bit homesick, it has been a while since she accepted a week-long mission, almost all the missions she accepted was the ones that doesn't require staying out of the village for too long. Indeed the food was great here in the wave but nothing compares to the ambiance of being in Konoha. The security you feel when you know you're home.
The two broke into a run as soon as they reached the forest near the village gate. Both of them feeling good to be able to stretch their muscles after a while.
An idea suddenly popped into Sakura's mind. "Ne Hinata."
"Yes?"
Sakura grinned. "Race you to Konoha, loser gets to treat the winner to Ichiraku." she quickened her pace as soon as she finished speaking.
"Eeeh? Food again?" Hinata asked before she, too, added more speed to her run.
Hokage Tower
*Knock Knock*
Tsunade stopped mid-sip to her sake at the sound of the knocking at the door. She quickly hid her cup under her desk before sitting up straight and pulling a random set of papers then pretended to read it.
"Enter." she said.
Shizune did what she was told and stepped into the room quietly. She had wanted to ask Tsunade about the outcome of the meeting that was held inside this very office a little while ago.
Silence remained for a few minutes, hesitating, until something catches her eyes.
"Tsu-tsunade-sama! Why are you reading those!" she blurted out. "Those are the compilation of Jiraiya-sama's books! I never knew you were interested in them!"
Silence...
After a few minutes...
Shizune tried her best to keep her jaw from falling while gazing at the former compilation of Jiraiya's books which are now turned into pieces of white confetti.
"That stupid pervert!" Tsunade exclaimed.
"Bu-but Tsunade-sama, you were readi-"
"I was NOT reading it!" the infuriated hokage exclaimed before Shizune finished her sentence.
"I-if you say so," she sighed, "Anyway, I came here because I wanted to know how the meeting went?"
At her words Tsunade's posture went stiff. A few moments passed before the Hokage gave a huge sigh.
"Well, surprisingly, Danzo was all about the idea of meeting Sasuke. Homura and Koharu were a bit hesitant but they eventually agreed. Danzo's influence and all." Tsunade said.
"Is that so," Shizune said a bit surprised by the news. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I was under the impression that Danzo-san will be the one to object the idea even before he hears the explanation behind it."
"To tell you the truth, I was thinking the same thing. But he didn't even made a single protest about it. He even arranged the time of the meeting already. It's somehow suspicious." Tsunade said, eyebrows furrowing.
"They already have a date for it? When?" Shizune asked.
Tsunade sighed again before responding.
"Later this noon."
A gasp escaped Shizune's lips. "Already?"
"Yes, it's the only schedule that all four of us are free at the same time for the whole week. And Danzo seems so interested in this that he wanted to meet Sasuke sooner than later." Tsunade explained.
"And also, we'll be expecting Sakura and Hinata here tomorrow morning." Shizune said.
"I know. That meeting won't take too long. It won't even last until late afternoon." Tsunade said.
"I see," Shizune said. "This situation is getting more and more troublesome as time passes."
"Indeed Shizune. Troublesome indeed. And Kazuki, since you already heard the news, why don't you tell the Uchiha and the others?" Tsunade said.
Kazuki twitched from behind the door and instead of entering (which will lead to him being scolded for eavesdropping), he just muttered a quick affirmative before running towards the hospital building.
"Since when did that idiot learned how to eavesdrop." Tsunade sighed lightly before turning to address Shizune, "Anyway, can you request a messenger hawk for me? The fastest one available." Tsunade said.
"A messenger hawk? Why? Is there something important that needs to be relied to the other villages?" Shizune asked.
"Not really. I just have something important to say to the Kazekage." Tsunade said.
Hospital Room
Kazuki entered the hospital room and he instantly met three pairs of bored eyes.
"So, how did it go?" Kira asked.
"I didn't get to ask her directly. Shizune did the honors for me." Kazuki grinned.
"And?" Kira pressed on.
Kazuki sighed then turned to glare at the raven-haired teen who was gazing at him with a bored expression.
"Your stupid request, for some weird and unknown reason, has been accepted." he spat hatefully.
Sasuke's face remained neutral as he shifted his gaze unto the ceiling.
"As expected." he muttered dryly.
"Ooooooh, so you're a fortune-teller now?" Kazuki said, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Sasuke looked at him then gave him a confident smirk.
"Why you-"
"Why don't we all just calm down!" Kira asked, annoyed at the almost one-sided conversation.
"When?" Sasuke asked.
Kira turned to him. "When what?"
"When will I meet them?" Sasuke asked again.
Kira turned to Kazuki and raised a single brow.
"Later this noon." Kazuki said, almost reluctant to answer the question.
"That's fast." Kira said surprised.
"Tell me about it." Kazuki said before sinking into the chair beside Lina's bed.
The two anbus continued conversed lightly but Sasuke chose to ignore them. 'Later, huh? The faster the better.' he thought before he closed his eyes and let himself be drifted into his own world.
"Oi Uchiha. Wake up already."
Sasuke's eyes snapped open at the voice. He looked at the source to see the Hokage staring at him. 'Aah, it's time.' he thought. He took a quick scan around the room. The Hokage was here but Shizune's not present. Only three anbus. The calm one, the annoying one, and a girl. It took him a moment to recognize her. It was the same girl he fought. Her hospital clothes was replaced by the standard anbu clothing and her hair is kept into a neat pony tail. She was staring at him with a bored expression.
"Stand up." Kira ordered lightly, breaking his train of thought in the process.
He stood up nonchalantly before falling not-so-gracefully onto the bed. 'What?' His eyes widened slightly.
"That is to be expected. You haven't stood up for about a week already." Tsunade mentioned shrugging.
He tried again and, this time, manage to regain his equilibrium.
Kazuki threw something at him. 'Clothes?'
He gave a questioning glance at him.
"What? You want to meet them wearing those? That's fine with me, I'm just offering." Kazuki said moving to retrieve the clothes but Sasuke quickly moved to the bathroom with Kira in tow.
"I'm not going anywhere." he stated.
"I know." Kira said. Sasuke frowned before closing the door. Moments later he emerged wearing a fairly presentable clothing. Dark blut t-shirt and black pants. He shrugged.
'Better than hospital clothes.' he thought.
"Let's go." Tsunade ordered.
They exited the room silently. Sasuke walking beside Kazuki and Kira with Tsunade infront of them while Lina walked behind them. 'Pretty stupid position, why do they leave the most important person infront of a criminal, unguarded? But then again, there is a large probability that they are aware that I can't use my sharingan.' Sasuke thought as they entered a hallway towards the exit of the building.
As soon as they exited the building, he heard many gasps of surprise and fear. He also heard different kinds of murmurs coming from the crowd.
"Isn't that Uchiha Sasuke?"
"Why is he here?"
"Isn't he a missing nin?"
"But maybe he's returned already?"
"More like they caught him."
"He's a criminal! He abandoned our village!"
He chose to ignore the comments as they came to view of the Hokage tower. By then he noticed several ninjas trailing their way. 'So I'm heavily guarded afterall.' he mused.
As soon as they arrived at the tower, everything became silent. They entered the hokage office quietly and he came to view the three elders that composes the Konoha Council.
Tsunade immediately went to her chair while the three elders sat on the sofa on one side of the room. He felt Kira tug him on the sleeve. He followed him towards the other side of the room opposite the elders with Kazuki behind him. Lina remained by the door.
He shifted his gaze towards te elders. All three looked at him directly with unwavering eyes. "Uchiha Sasuke." the one with bandages muttered.
To the audience's surprise he bowed respectfully. "That's right." he answered.
The one with the bandages smirked. "My name is Shimura Danzo." he stated.
The bespectacled male one frowned lightly before introducing himself. "Mitokado Homura."
Then the remaining member returned his bow. "I am Utatane Koharu." she said.
"Uchiha Sasuke, it is nice to finally meet you." Danzo said.
Sasuke just nodded.
"Let's get down to business." Homura said sternly.
"I agree, we don't have all day." Koharu said.
"Let's see then, may you tell us the reason why one of the two remaining Uchiha survivors requested audience from us?" Danzo said in a monotone.
"I am here to request you something." Sasuke started.
"Aren't our presence now also your request. For a criminal such as yourself, you are getting quite cocky." Homura said.
He heard Kazuki snort beside him but he chose to ignore it.
"Let him finish." Danzo said.
"Danzo's right, we haven't heard his request yet." Koharu said in a quiet voice.
"Very well, let's hear it." Homura said.
Sasuke nodded. "I am here to request to you to clean my name and remove me from the criminal list. I also want to return and live in this village as a ninja once more." he said in a hard voice that indicated that he wasn't joking.
The room became very silent.
"That is the most ridiclous thing that I have ever heard." Homura stated. "I am wasting my time here, listening to a child that thinks that buy just saying sorry, he will be forgiven of his foolish acts." he made a move to stand up when an arm caught him. He looked at Danzo with a mixture of anger and puzzlement in his eyes.
"There must be a reason why you said that." Danzo said.
"Ofcourse. First of all," Sasuke turned to address Homura, "I never said I was going to apologize." he said earning a glare from Homura.
"This is an absolute-" Homura started before Sasuke stopped him.
"Also, I heard that there was an unwritten rule in the world of shinobi that says, 'If a ninja wants to redeem himself, he must do something for his country.'"Sasuke said.
"Indeed there is, and what of it?" Koharu asked gently.
"I believe I have done something enough redeem myself in Konoha." Sasuke stated.
Homura actually snorted. "And what could a little kid like you do to redeem yourself?"
Sasuke smirked then turned to Danzo. "I'm afraid I'll have to correct your statement earlier," he started as Danzo stared at him, "I am no longer 'one of the two remaining Uchiha survivors'"
A deafening silence occupied the room as everyone tried to process the meaning behind the words the teen said before Tsunade stood up from her chair and slammed her fists to her desk. "Y-y-you're implying that.." she started.
Sasuke looked at her then smirked. "Yes Hokage-sama."
He then turned to face Homura.
"I killed Uchiha Itachi."
A/N: So there goes nothing.... Hahahahahaha... I hope you guys like it! Also thank you so much to all the reviewers! For some reason, I always feel so happy when I recieve reviews and favorites... So thanks a lot guys! I'll be back soon! I've already started chapter nine so i think it'll be posted soon! Seeya!
Ja ne~~
A sHaDoW eAgLe