DISCLAIMER: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 24: Tears

Sakura walked slowly behind the rest of the group, Naruto at her side. Her hands shook and her face was downcast. She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to give up. After all this time, after all this searching, she couldn't believe they were just going to return to the village. She wondered what would have happened if she had been stronger—would she have been able to stop Sasuke from leaving? She wished more than anything in the world to go back and change the past—but that was impossible. The only thing that she could do now was change the future.

Sakura looked up, her emerald eyes glistening from the tears that tumbled off her lashes. A small determined smile found her lips. Stopping dead in her tracks, she wiped the tear tracks from her cheeks. Naruto turned around in time to watch Sakura pull on her gloves in a sassy manner. Her eyes were hard and her brow set.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked in bewilderment.

"It's time I got my 'next time,' Naruto," she replied with fire in her eyes.

Naruto grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that."

The two of them turned away from the rest of the group and began sprinting in the opposite direction. They took to the trees and bounded from branch to branch, hoping beyond hope that their leaving would go unnoticed for as long as possible. They were side by side, both knowing the desired destination was the destroyed hideout. They raced deep into the night, never letting up because they knew it was only a matter of time before the others came for them. It wasn't until an hour or two before sun up that their bodies screamed for rest, every muscle aching with exhaustion. Sakura stumbled in her weary state and fell. Naruto scampered and jumped to catch her. His hand closed around her slender wrist, jolting her arm almost from her socket and saving her from a bone-crushing fall. The sudden pressure in her arm shot Sakura's mind into wakefulness. She looked up, her jade eyes captured by Naruto's sapphire ones. He pulled her upwards, his hand lingering on her arm as she steadied herself. They looked at each other and Naruto offered a small smile.

"Maybe we should stop for the night," he offered.

"That sounds like a good idea," Sakura replied shakily.

They left the tree tops and set up camp in one of the thicker areas of forest, hoping it would keep them from sight. They laid out their sleeping bags head to head, separated in the middle by a small fire. Naruto got to his knees and lowered himself face down on the mat. He crossed his arms beneath his face as he watched Sakura rummage through her backpack. After a few long moments, she pulled a notebook and pen from her pack and sat down on the sleeping bag. With her knees raised, she used her legs as a table as she wrote in her notebook. Naruto watched Sakura bemusedly. Her wrist flicked aggressively against the paper as she wrote and her furrowed face was only inches from the paper.

"What are you writing?"

"A letter," was Sakura's short reply.

"To Sasuke?"

She paused for a moment, taking a breath before she answered. "Yeah."

Naruto glanced away and stared into the fire with heavy lidded eyes. "Do you think he's still alive?"

A small smile tugged at the corner of Sakura's mouth. She turned to him, her eyes oddly reassuring. "I don't doubt it in the least."

Naruto attempted a smile, but it turned out looking very pained. He closed his eyes briefly as he remembered his encounter with Itachi. The Uchiha had asked him some very difficult questions, questions that Naruto found difficult to answer. The whole situation had been very confusing. Itachi should have tried to capture him for the Kyuubi, but he hadn't. He had been so concerned about what Naruto would do if Sasuke refused to return. Why had he cared so much? He was the one who had made Sasuke's life a living hell.

"I'll save Konoha and bring Sasuke back!" he had screamed with conviction. "I don't go back on my word. That's my shinobi way!"

At those words, something had cracked Itachi's emotionless façade. The slightest smile turned his lips upward. Another contradiction to the Itachi forged in Naruto's mind.

And then the raven.

It was one of the more difficult illusions Naruto had experienced. Though he'd always been berated for his large mouth, it was physically impossible to fit a whole raven down Naruto's throat. Though that was the point of genjutsu—it wasn't real. But then Itachi complicated the situation further by saying he had transferred some of his power to Naruto as a last precaution.

Sakura noticed the stifling silence and looked over at Naruto. Silent streams of sorrow leaked from his eyes. She closed the notebook and stood, walking the short distance to sit beside Naruto. She looked out into the forest, her eyes appearing very distant.

"What would you do, Sakura-chan," Naruto whispered gravely, "if Sasuke refused to come home?"

She looked at him with hard eyes. "We promised that we'd bring him back no matter what."

"What if he attacks Konoha?"

Sakura lowered her gaze to her lap and felt an ache in her chest. "Why would he do that?"

Without looking at her, Naruto explained his chance meeting with Itachi. Sakura felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she listened to the blond shinobi's tale. She didn't want to consider the possibility that Sasuke would forsake them, because every fiber of her being hoped he was ready to return. He had gotten his revenge, what else would keep him from rejoining his teammates. That masked man, Tobi, perhaps? Would the Akatsuki give Sasuke a reason to remain a nukenin? If that happened…what would she do?

She would have to kill him.

She would kill Sasuke to protect Konoha, but also to save him from himself. The tears spilled over her lashes and tumbled down her cheeks. She was glad that their backs were to each other, she didn't want Naruto to see her cry. She stifled her sniffling for a moment and didn't speak until she was certain her voice was calm.

"Itachi was messing with your head, Naruto." She wiped the salt tracks from her face before turning to smile at her teammate. "You should really work on releasing genjutsu."

Naruto turned towards her. When he saw her smile, he let a chuckle escape his mouth. "You're right." He pushed himself up and sat beside the pink-haired girl. He pointed at the notebook in her lap. "So what were you writing to him?"

"That we're on our way."

~.~.~

Sasuke stood on a cliff side overlooking the vast ocean as the sun lowered in a brilliant array of red and gold. He clutched at his shoulder—at the nonexistent curse mark. His eyes were downcast as he thought of everything Madara had told him. He released his shoulder and let his hands fall limp at his sides. The very weight of the world seemed to be upon his back, making it so difficult to hold himself up. Unbidden memories of his brother flooded his eyes. He saw each moment he had spent with Itachi, and every time his brother had apologized and promised a next time. He remembered when Itachi explained that the role of an older brother was to be an obstacle to overcome. He had told Sasuke that he may even come to hate his older brother. Sasuke gritted his teeth and breathed slowly through his nose. His brow furrowed as his last memory of Itachi was pushed to the forefront of his mind.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke…there won't be a next time."

Those words rang through his head and caused a sharp ache to rack his body. It was too much. Sasuke had always been good at keeping a level head—at keeping an emotionless façade—but after everything he had just heard, he couldn't stop his heart from overruling his mind. Itachi had given everything for Konoha. His brother had sacrificed his reputation for Sasuke. He had laid down his life so that Sasuke could return a hero.

Itachi had fooled him to the end.

Sasuke shut his eyes as if it would block all the distressing thoughts from torturing him further. There was a pain rooted deep in his chest, in his very core. The pain seemed to climb through his suffocating lungs and up his constricting throat until it emerged from his mouth as a choked sob. Tears pushed through his locked lids and spilled down his grief-stricken face. His shoulders shook as he cried and, though he was turned away, Team Hebi watched him grimly.

Suigetsu stared on ahead at the forlorn figure of their leader. He glanced down at the letter he had clutched in his hand.

Dear Sasuke,

How're you today? I hope you're safe…and happy. More than anything, I hope you're happy. Sometimes, I pray that you're not happy—that maybe you'd be desperate enough to come back…but that's my own selfishness shining through. I can't imagine how you would find happiness in such a place, surrounded by Orochimaru's people, but I'm not in your same position. There's so much I'll never be able to understand. I hope that maybe one day, when everything is said and done, you'll find it in you to help me understand. That's supposing we're on good terms…which, is something I pray for every day. I can't bear to think about a future without you in it. It's hard enough as it is now, but at least I know you're alive. I miss you so much. I'm still eagerly awaiting our 'next time' and I promise you won't be disappointed.

My love, always,

Sakura

Suigetsu's violet eyes were torn from the letter as Sasuke's voice broke through the sound of crashing waves.

"We are no longer Hebi. Instead, we'll be known as Taka." His voice was thick with sorrow. "We have but one goal—to destroy Konoha."

Suigetsu's eyes widened. Didn't this Sakura girl belong to Konoha? A large hand clasped down on his shoulder. Suigetsu turned to see Juugo eyeing him sadly.

"You should tell him," Juugo said softly.

"Are you stupid?" Suigetsu asked incredulously. "He'll murder me."

"He needs a reminder—"

"What're you talking about?" Suigetsu frowned. "If he finds out that I know about his secret girlfriend right now—no, that's not an option. I have plans for this. At the right time, this could be perfect blackmail."

Juugo's gaze was unrelenting. "Suigetsu," he whispered. "He thinks that he's lost everything…"

Suigetsu rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine, but I'm gonna wait until the tramp is out of sight."

"Fair enough," Juugo replied with a smile.

Later that night, Suigetsu found Sasuke alone sitting atop the spine of a giant skeleton. He approached him very cautiously.

"What do you want?" Sasuke asked tersely.

Suigetsu scratched the back of his scalp and sighed. "There's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, a slender brow inching up his forehead. "Well, spit it out."

Suigetsu frowned and then climbed up the skeleton and sat beside his leader. Hesitantly, he pulled the letter from his pocket and thrust it at Sasuke. He flinched away as Sasuke snatched the letter from his hands. Sasuke didn't need to read the piece of parchment to know exactly what it was. His face darkened with a scowl.

"Where did you get this?" he growled.

"I-I found it."

Sasuke's hands began to shake from the pure anger that coursed through him.

"Sasuke, I'm not here to blackmail or make fun of you," he mumbled. "I thought that, if anyone, she could comfort you."

Sasuke's eyes softened slightly and he turned away. He fingered the piece of paper sentimentally before folding it and hiding it away in a pocket. He released a breath and returned his gaze to the moon.

"She loves you," Suigetsu said just above a whisper.

"I know."

Suigetsu looked at him curiously. "Are you really going to destroy Konoha?"

Sasuke kept his silence. He didn't truly intend to destroy the village, but there were certain people who needed to be eliminated. He would assassinate the Council and, in so doing, guarantee his banishment from Konoha…if Tsunade was feeling generous. He was almost certain they would attempt to execute him. Sasuke had to make sure to carry out his mission perfectly and leave the village before being captured. There was yet another goal to be accomplished before he could die and that was the restoration of the Uchiha clan. He had no intention of returning to fulfill that goal…he couldn't be a part of the village that destroyed his brother.

As for Sakura…she would never betray her village, not even for him. She said she would run away and join him, but he knew her better than that. She had only said those things to try to get him to stay. She was far too loyal to betray the people she loved. Oddly, this only made him wonder if he was less important to Sakura than the village. He frowned for a moment, before reminding himself that Sakura wasn't betraying him, either. She was obeying him—all those years ago, he had told Sakura she couldn't take the same path as him. His face relaxed.

Sasuke noticed Suigetsu's searching gaze and finally said something to squelch his curiosity.

"I'm going to take Itachi's eyes."

Suigetsu's eyes doubled in size. "That's gross, man!"

Sasuke glared at him. "I'll lose my sight if I don't."

"Really?"

Sasuke sighed. "I can't grant his wishes. I can't be who he wanted me to be," he said slowly and pointedly. "Instead, I'll fulfill my goals in my way and his eyes will bear witness to my power."

A/N: Here you are, Chapter 24! This was one was pieced together under the beautiful music of Takanashi Yasuharu, specifically Sengunbanba from the Shippuden soundtrack. So sad, but so beautiful. Anyways, thanks to Sakura's Indecision for beta-ing. And thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 23.

Untill next time...