The Girls of Uchiha

by Twi-Chan456

The Uchiha Clan was killed off in one single night. There was supposedly supposed to be only one survivor. But there was more than one. The Sarutobi Clan was in the process of being killed off at the same time. Rumor was the last wielder of the clan's Kekkei Genkai was also dead. But she wasn't the last. NARUTOxOC SASUKExOC RATED M FOR FUTURE STUFF

6. Chapter 6

A/N: So...hi xD we're back~
Yep~
We're sort of writing this before posting chapter five up (because I'm very lazy and like to wait till later to do things) it's a curse.
But you don't have a cat curled up into all the blankets at your feet purring a million miles an hour.
Actually, my cat is laying right next to me watching me type :P she seems disturbed...but anyway~ hope this chapter isn't sucky~!

---

"Home home~ We're going home~" the young teen was singing as she followed her brother and mother figure back to the Akatsuki hideout, skipping along and making a lot of noise.

"Quiet down, imouto."

"Why~ There's no one around~"

"Just to be safe." Itachi explained, his eyes scanning here and there every now and then.

"But Nii-san~ That's no fun~!" she exclaimed quite loudly, having learned some irritating quirks from the Uzumaki boy as she bounced on the balls of her feet.

Itachi sighed, figuring it was hopeless.

"How much longer~?"

"Just a few more minutes."

"Good! It's getting cold out!" she said while shivering, even though it was the middle of summer.

Itachi took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders. "There."

Konan frowned at the girls statement, whispering to Itachi, "It's hot out..."

"I know..."

"Is she getting a fever?"

"I think she is."

"Let's get home quickly."

Itachi nodded in agreement, moving quickly with the other two, his sister struggling to keep up with their pace. He stopped suddenly, bending down. "Get on."

"I-I'm fine brother. I can handle myself!"

"You're ill, Hope..."

She stuck out her tongue, putting her hands on her hips, "I am not!"

"You're running fever."

"Nuh uh!"

Itachi rolled his eyes and looked at Konan as she knelt down and placed her hands on Hope's shoulders; a smirk in her voice, "Your brother is actually being nice for once and not all mopey, I'd take up the offer."

"Watch yourself, Konan." Itachi grumbled.

"Aw, did she hurt your ego, Nii-san!?"

"Just get on..."

"You gotta answer my question~"

"No."

Pouting, she got on her brother's back as she was asked, "You're no fun, y'know?"

"I'm exhausted..."

"You used to be more fun~"

"I'm sorry, Hope..." His eyes were apologetic as he stood up and began to walk.

She lowered her head, so her chin was resting on his shoulder and was peering up at his face, "Ne, what's wrong?"

Itachi merely shook his head, not wanting to burden her with his own problems. "I'm just really tired, Hope..."

"Lies!"

"I'll tell you later, okay?"

She pouted and rested against his shoulder, "Fine..."

Itachi was silent as they continued the walk back, his sister played with his ponytail and stayed silent, knowing he was upset. "You've gotten moody like Sasuke..."

"Sasuke is an impatient boy. I have patience."

"Still moody...has nothing to do about patience...'cause I know I don't have any..."

Itachi chuckled softly. "Sasuke is only moody because he isn't happy."

"But you aren't either..."

"...I'm happy because I have you..."

"But...you never seem happy..."

"I try to be for you..." He looked back at her, his eyes soft.

A look of indignation arose in her eyes, "I don't want you to fake it!"

"I don't fake it!"

She recoiled from the sudden outburst, sensitive to noise all of a sudden, "G-gomenasai.."

"Gomen...I didn't mean to yell..."

She buried her face into his hood, "Just get us home."

Itachi nodded and carried her home in silence, Konan following behind them silently.

---

"Please...Please just shut-up before I slam my damned fist into your face!" Hikari muttered dangerously, glaring at the redhead before her. She'd only known her for five minutes, and that was all the time it took for Hikari to dislike her.

Karin glared right back at the brunette, not really caring about the warning she had just been given, "Sasuke-kun wouldn't let you do that because he needs me~!"

"Give me five minutes with her, Sasuke," Hikari mumbled, pounding her fist into the palm of her hand, "Five minutes."

"No. No one is fighting," he said sternly, "Learn to be a team."

"I don't see any problem in them fighting at all." Suigetsu smirked, leaning against the executioner's blade in amusement. "I already know who would win anyway!"

"Bunch of idiots..." Sasuke mumbled to himself, shaking his head and pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Hikari! Get your ass over here."

"My ass is fine where it is, thanks." She muttered under her breath.

"Suigetsu, bring her to my tent."

"Sorry, sweetheart, but it's the boss mans orders." Suigetsu said as he grabbed Hikari and threw her over his shoulder, laughing loudly as she pounded her fists against his back. He sat her down and pushed her into the tent. "Delivery!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, looking over a scroll on the floor of the tent, his bangs held back from his eyes with one of his hands resting on his forehead, visibly tense and looking ready to pounce on whoever crossed him. Hikari crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hmph!"

"What has gotten into you?" He retorted, not looking up from his scroll, irritation rolling out with every word he spoke.

"Nothing..." She muttered, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms.
"Get over it is whatever you're fussing about. It's indecent and unlike you."

"Okay! I'm going to go home then!" She smiled, cheerful as she began to try and crawl out of the tent, only to be stopped by Sasuke's pale cold hand grabbing her ankle quickly.

"As if I'd let you go."

She looked down at his hand that was around her ankle before her gaze flickered back to his face. "I'm not useful!"

"I don't think so."

"I can't give you anything! I can't contribute to what you want!"

He laughed softly, "You really think that low of yourself?"

"So what if I do?!"

"Because, you shouldn't."

Hikari suddenly swung her fist at him, not wanting to hear this from him. "Whatever..."

He dodged easily, grabbing her wrist and pulling her close so their faces were an inch apart. "I mean it."

Hikari blushed faintly, her eyes avoiding his own. "Why? Why do you need me so badly?"

He whispered against her neck, "Because I love you."

"But...why? Why me...?" She whispered back, biting her bottom lip.

"Why not?"

"I'm not anything special..."

"Of course you are, I've seen it."

"But...I can't offer you anything, Sasuke..."

"That doesn't matter, Karasu."

Hikari looked up at him slowly, tears forming in her chocolate orbs slowly. She hated crying, especially in front of Sasuke. It made her feel weak and pathetic, a feeling she had often had to endure in her life.

"Don't cry..." he mumbled as he hugged her close. She fisted the front of his shirt, burying her face in the crook of his neck, her tears hitting his cold skin as they fell.

"Sorry..." She whispered, her voice soft. She took a shaky breath, exhaling softly.

"Don't be..."

She rubbed at her eyes quietly before burying her face back in the crook of his neck. "You smell good..."

He chuckled softly, "Oh really?"

She nodded, her bangs brushing against his neck. "Mhm..."

"Silly Karasu..."

---

Yuna hummed as she watched Liz open the scroll she had given her, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Oh Yuna...how long have you been working on this?"

She smiled shyly, playing with a stray strand of blonde hair, "About two years..."

Covering her mouth with her hand, "S-since we got married?"

"Mhm~!" She smiled cutely.

"Yunie..."

Yuna looked at the floor, her face slightly red.

"Silly..."

"N-Ne!"

"Silly~"

The blonde hugged her tightly as she approached her. "Not as silly as you!"

Squealing happily she hugged back, "You're sillier!"

"So...do you like it?" She asked, peering up at her lover slowly, many emotions visible in her eyes.

"Of course I do Yunie."

Yuna smiled brightly, hugging her neck tightly. "I-I'm glad!"

"Why wouldn't I love it!?"

"I don't know...I thought you'd think it was weird..."

"Nah!"

Yuna smiled and grabbed her hands. "So..."

Liz sighed softly, "We can't do this yet...we need to wait a while...get money saved up and stuff..."

"Mhm...but..." She blushed, biting her bottom lip out of habit.

"Hm~?"

"Can we do it...?"

Giggling, "Of course!"

---

Hope had become ill over her stay in Konoha, her body not used to the hustle and bustle of the city, and became weak to the ailments around her. Laying in bed, she had a cold washcloth on her forehead, trying to cool her down, but with no avail.

"She's not improving..."

"She needs medicine."

"I'll get it then."

Konan wrote down the fake prescription on a small piece of paper from the flower in her hair. "Go to a village, small or big. Give this to the people at the counter, the name will change depending on who's reading it."

Itachi nodded, "I'll be back soon."

"Hurry."

Itachi nodded, disappearing quickly.

A small whimper escaped Hope's throat as she felt her brother's chakra disappear from the room. "N-nii-san..."

Itachi hurried like Konan had said, returning back to base an hour later with some medicine. By that time Hope's condition had deteriorated, "She has the flu...and she hasn't been vaccinated..."

"Dammit..."

"Gomen.."

He shook his head, "It's not your fault."

"We always get everyone vaccinated! But why'd she get it in the summer..?"

"I'm not sure..." He sighed.

Konan sighed also, "She threw a fit when you left."

"Oh..."

"Best you go keep her company, she's asleep right now."

Itachi nodded and walked into the bedroom of his sister, sitting down by her bed, watching the young girl sleep. She was curled up in numerous amounts of blankets, as she was going through a cold spell and insisted the sweltering hot room was freezing. A bowl filled with water and a washcloth lay on her nightstand with a bottle of ice water and an empty mug from a cup of tea she drank. The girl herself looked to be in a hellish condition, her hair tied up messily and most of it stuck to her face, she was pale and covered in a sheen of sweat. Itachi reached forward, brushing some of the hair out of her face, sighing softly.

"Oh, Hope..."

Looking up weakly, she reacted from the gentle caress, "N-nii-san..."

"Shh...save your strength and rest. I'll be right here, okay?"

"C-can you get my water...? My throat hurts..."

Itachi nodded, grabbing the bottle and opening it for her before handing it to her. "Here you go."

She took a swig before coughing, "Th-this came on so sudden..."

"I know..."

"H-hurts..."

"I know..." He whispered, petting her hair gently, stopping when she grabbed his hand and tugged on it weakly. "Huh?"

"L-lay with me..." He nodded, climbing into the bed and laying next to her like she had requested. "Just like when I was little..." He smiled at that, kissing the top of her head gently.

"I'm not mad Nii-san...I-I was being rash..."

"What...are you talking about?"

"Wh-when I ran off...I thought that's what you're upset about..."

"I'm not upset about anything, imouto..." He nuzzled her hair gently.

"O-on the way home...you seemed mad..." she admitted, playing with the hem of his coat.

Itachi sighed softly. "I wasn't upset about that...I...was just worried about you..."

"Why worry...?"

"Because I love you."

Giggling weakly, she tugged on his ponytail, "You need a girlfriend."

"I do not have time for one."

Sticking her tongue out she singsonged, "Lies~ You spend all your free time with me!"

"Because you're more important than some girl."

"But I'm just another girl!"

"You're my sister."

"Still~"

Itachi chuckled softly. "Rest, okay?"

"fine~"

Itachi smiled, closing his tired eyes. "Explain about your eyes brother..."

"I'm going blind."

"!"

He said nothing, wanting to rest. He knew the reason his sight had become so bad as of late was the overuse of the mangekyo sharingan. Despite how useful it was, it came with a high price.

"Gomen..."

"It's not your fault..." He pulled her close to him, sifting his fingers through her hair soothingly.

"Is it my fault though...? 'Cause you try to protect me but you overdo it..."

"No. It's from overusing it by working for this group. I use it in battle more than I should."

"Then let's leave..."

"We can't...there are consequences...Deidara tried to leave once."

"Wh-what happened?" Her concern over the nin her care endearing over all the members of the organization.

"I don't know. He never spoke about it after it happened."

"B-but I tried to leave..."

"Nagato loves you, that's why he hasn't done anything."

"What's so special about Sasuke...?" She grumbled, looking out the window, getting somewhat better now with the medicine in her system.

"He's...very precious to me like you are."

"Then why have I never heard about him...?"

"Because...he hates me...for something I did a very long time ago..."

"What did you do?"

"Something very bad...I can't say what it was just yet, but I will tell you in time." Itachi promised, his voice soft. She had been too little to remember that night that led to Sasuke's hatred for him, and was worried of what the outcome would be if he had told her; either she'd hate him for the rest of their lives, or she'd blow it off like it never had happened and never applied to her.

"Okay~"

"Thank you, imouto..."

She yawned and snuggled closer to her eldest brother, pulling away to cough shortly later and grabbing the washcloth at her bedside to place on her forehead. Itachi had continued to pet her hair as he laid there with her, his eyes closed to dull the pain in them. But even so, it was a content moment, something Itachi enjoyed. He fell asleep within minutes of closing his eyes, although his sister couldn't fall asleep due to her fever.

All they could do was wait until her fever receded.

---

~The Northern Hideout~

"Um, are you...sure this is a good idea? I mean, those two said that he wasn't exactly the nicest of people...I mean, sure he's calm right now, but...what if someone does something ultimately foolish that makes him snap?" Hikari whispered quietly, her hair blowing around in the wind.

"He'll be fine, we know how to calm him down if he does snap."

"If you say so..." the brunette mumbled, stuffing her hands in her pockets. "Where to next?"

"To find Itachi."

She snorted, "Good luck with that."

"They left a trail leading from Konoha."

"Lovely," Hikari played with the hem of her shirt. It was understandable why Sasuke so desperately wanted to kill Itachi, but what worried her was what he would do after the deed was done, if it was done because she knew that if Sasuke was foolish enough, Itachi could turn the tables and kill him instead. "Hey..."

"Hm?"

"What are you going to do after you get your revenge?"

He shrugged, "Haven't planned that out yet."

She sighed softly, tucking some hair behind her ear. She had expected that to be his response. It was just how most of those situations went. "Will you go home to Konoha?"

Scoffing softly, and looking out to the horizon, "Probably not."

"Thought so. Well, after this is done and over with, I guess we'll be going our separate ways, then." She mumbled, her fingers slowly running over the old headband tied to her hip, her finger dancing over the long scratch that had been embedded in it.

"If you want, as long as you don't disclose my location." he retorted. Her eyes flickered over to him silently.

"I guess you don't care if the elders are not satisfied when I don't give them the whole truth and then they have Ibiki pick at my brain to find out the real reason. Well, I should be able to handle torture!"

"Then don't leave."

She rolled her eyes, "You obviously do not understand that there's probably a team trying to find me as we speak. I was supposed to be home months ago. And knowing Naruto, he's probably the one panicking." She smiled softly, knowing how caring the blonde nin was when it came to his friends.

"I heard he's been busy the past few months, apparently they caught Hope after she escaped Lord Orochimaru."

Her smile faded at the mention of the man that had killed not only her parents, but her grandfather. "Do not speak of him with such respect. He definitely didn't deserve any of it."

"Tch, matter of opinion. But, Naruto was busy escorting her around as she was under house arrest."

Hikari stayed silent. Sometimes, she wondered why she even bothered to talk to Sasuke at all. He was rude, cruel, and arrogant. All the things she disliked in a person. Yet she was still here, following him like a lost puppy would follow a stranger. Sasuke was no stranger to her, but...the way he was now wasn't how she knew him. It was new side that she never knew existed, and she wished that she never found out it did. She hated it more than words could describe.

Suigetsu began to complain, stopping and sitting down, "It's fucking hot! Can't we take a break?!"

"At this rate, we'll be here forever because we keep stopping for you!" Karin shouted, glaring at the purple eyed boy.

"You didn't have to come along at all. You said that the only reason you were following us was because we're going in the same direction of your destination. So you can leave anytime now, please." Suigetsu smirked as the redhead sputtered in annoyance, taking a sip from his water bottle.

"God just shut up."

"It's not my fault Suigetsu is a river child..." Karin mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And it's not Suigetsu's fault either. We have to consider other people before ourselves, Karin...that's what teams do." Hikari rolled her eyes.

Sasuke nodded softly, the motion barely visible to the others. As they walked, Hikari had settled with counting rocks as they passed them. She had almost hit 1,125 when they suddenly stopped walking, Hikari nearly bumping into the back Sasuke.

"Something's off..."

She frowned, tilting her head slightly in curiousity. "Off...?" She blinked when she realized that they were the only two in the area now, not remembering that Sasuke had sent the others off to investigate on their own earlier. "Wait...how long have we been walking?"

He looked over at her like she was stupid, "We've been walking for two hours, Karasu."

"My name is Hikari, not Karasu," She glared half heartedly at him, her eyes widening when a clay figure in the shape of a small spider landed next to them.

"Katsu!"

"! Hikari! Out of the way!"

She shouted as he grabbed her, nearly squeezing the life out of her as he summoned a somewhat big white snake that coiled around them, shielding them from the impact of the explosion.

"D-Dammit..."

Hikari coughed as the smoke shrouded them, her ears hearing the cheering of the annoying partner of the blonde that had just tried to blow them up.

"So that's Sasuke...hey, you really do look like Itachi!" Tobi exclaimed, cowering back when Sasuke glared at him, "S-Scary!"

"Above us!" Hikari shouted, making several hand signs and making a rock dome to shield the two.

Tobi cheered again, thinking that Deidara had been successful while the blonde smirked, "We did it! We brought down Sasuke!"

"You two really are dumb."

Tobi made a small sound and began to nod his head when he realized there had not been any bringing down of Sasuke. "As expected, senpai."

Deidara glared at him. "Shut-up!"

"You two! I still owe you payback for what you two did to me back on my way to the Land of Waves!" Hikari glared at the two, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"Wait. What?" Sasuke asked, now distracted by his partner's statement.

"These two idiots thought trying to kidnap me would be fun! That blonde bastard right there beat me up!" She pointed at Deidara, who merely smirked when he received a glare from Sasuke.

"Tch! Look at how he's glaring at us, Tobi! Humph. Once we take him down, we'll try capturing her again!"

"You're raring to go, eh senpai? You'll have to apologize to Itachi later."

"Where is Itachi Uchiha?"

"Huh?"

"Tell me, and I'll let you go."

Deidara grunted, noticing Sasuke had activated his Sharingan, "Sharingan, eh? He really is Itachi's little brother. You were only able to kill Orochimaru thanks to your Uchiha blood. You're nothing but a fool blessed with good genes!"

Hikari shook her head, watching as Sasuke lunged forwards with his Katana drawn. He was suddenly in front of Deidara, who moved out of the way in time, causing Sasuke to instead stab his partner.

"One down. So I'll ask you again: Where is Itachi Uchiha?"

"Like we'll tell you!" Deidara yelled, throwing a bunch of little clay explosives down at him. Some landed in front of Tobi, who, to Hikari's amazement, was perfectly fine.

"S-Senpai! Time out! Don't do it!" Tobi shouted, begging for Deidara to stop from blowing them up yet. The blonde scoffed and Tobi began to shout again, pointing at him. "Senpai! Behind you, behind you!" Sasuke came flying down towards Deidara, who, at the last minute, threw an explosive, making it explode. Tobi began to cry in sadness, "Senpai!" He sniffed, "He was a strict senpai, but a good partner...I shall never forget about you, Deidara-Senpai-!"

Suddenly Deidara skidded to a stop in front of him, "Will you shut-up?"

"Oh, you're alive?"

"Sasuke! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!"

Hikari started to move over to him, stopping when a clay figure wrapped itself around her foot. "Hey!" She grumbled, moving her other foot up to kick it, only to have it get stuck as well. "Let go!"

Using his katana, Sasuke pried it off her foot and threw it at the Akatsuki duo. Hikari watched as the thing only multiplied into two, then into three, until there were five that had circled them both in.

"Bye bye." Deidara smirked, making a sign and watching the figures explode. Sasuke flew out of the smoke, pulling Hikari with him to a nearby tree branch. Tobi nodded.

"Yeah, I thought so."

"Hey..." Deidara growled, sending more of the clay figures after the two, but each little figurine was dodged or destroyed before they could reach their targets.

Hikari leaned back against the trunk of the tree they were, panting lightly. Her face was covered in bits of soot from all the smoke that they had been through. "G-God.." she muttered, watching as Deidara made a clay dragon. "Not that damned thing..."

"What do you mean by that, Karasu?"

"I made a bet with him that his clay dragon was no match for mine...and I lost..." She mumbled, remembering how the dragon had so easily brought down her precious five elemental ones. "And that thing isn't even a real dragon..."

"You don't want to beat the dragon, you want to beat the manipulator. Just like with puppets." He stated, watching Deidara closely.

"He's too much for me. I tried beating him and I got captured instead. My poor legs were so sore when I got away..." She mumbled, remembering how she had ran the entire way to the Land of Waves after she had escaped.

"Well, we're partnered up right now. Think we can beat him?"

She smirked faintly, "Even though those two aren't the ones that killed uncle Asuma...they're part of the same organization. So, yeah. I think we can beat him." She stood up, holding a kunai with a paper bomb attached to it. "I'm pretty smart, so~"

"Sure sure."

And so, the two teens fought. They were stricken with shock when Deidara made a large clay figure of himself, one that he planned to blow them up with. Hikari, who was ready to bring it down at all costs, was pushed away and told to run. Not wanting to make Sasuke annoyed, she ran as fast as she could and away from the area. Once outside of the forest, she watched as it was consumed by a white light, before everything blew up.

"God..."

---

Naruto's eyes widened as he looked over at the area, suddenly forgetting what he and Kiba had been talking about five seconds ago. "What the...?"

Kiba sniffed the air, Akamaru barking. "That's where the trail leads to!"

"Then let's go!"

"Wait. We don't know what happened. For all we know, it could be dangerous still." Yamato calmly said, putting a hand on the blonde nin's shoulder.

Naruto growled, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Dammit!"

Liz smacked him on the back of his head, "Have you already forgotten your training with Master Jiraiya?!"

"Of course not!" he glared up at her, rubbing his now hurting head.

"What has just occurred is the work of none other than Deidara of the Akatsuki." Yuna said, her voice calm and her eyes closed. "Uchiha Sasuke is the one that brought him down."

"Damn..."

"And from what I can tell...Hikari is with him." She frowned at the last part, her eyes opening slowly.

Kiba growled, holding said girls headband after they had found it earlier. "So I wasn't just smelling things coincidentally..."

"She's safe if Sasuke's with her though, he wouldn't harm her." Liz murmured softly to herself, not noticing Yuna listening in.

Yuna nodded slowly, "At least, to the extent that we know."

Liz sighed softly, shaking her head, "Uchiha Hope said that he was aiding in Hikari's escape from Orochimaru. I think we can safely assume he's helping her."

"Then why...why isn't she home with us?!" Naruto growled, shaking slightly. Had Sasuke really been caring for Hikari, he would've made her go home. But no. Instead, there was talk of betrayal from the elders and abandonment of duty and dishonoring the name Sarutobi.

"Knowing the Uchiha brat, he probably wants help in return for his aid."

Yuna nodded slowly, her cobalt eyes flickering to the green eyed man standing next to her, "Ne ne, Hiroshi-kun. What would big sis Kaori say?"

Hiroshi closed his eyes and sighed. "She'd probably laugh and then yell."

"But she isn't here, no need in lamenting over the past, ne?" Liz stated, focused on the mission ahead. "We don't have time for you guys to be distracted. Got it?"

Yuna puffed her cheeks, "I'm not distracted! Now lets go!"

Her partner rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag off the ground, "Hai."

Yuna looked over at her childhood friend, her eyes kind, "I know how much she means to you. I promise, we'll get her back and take her home, safe and sound."

Hiroshi nodded, walking ahead. "Right."

---

"Stupid idiot...what were you thinking, getting yourself inside that snake and sacrificing him? Even though he was Orochimaru's snake, I still feel like that was cruel..." Hikari mumbled, bandaging Sasuke's head.

"It was necessary to stay alive..."

"Poor Manda..." Hikari sighed, finishing her work on his head. "So, you killed that bastard and his little creepy friend, huh?"

"I don't know...I don't remember..."

"Well, you must have because that forest is gone."

He chuckled softly, "I think the annoying one ran off..."

"Darn..." She smiled faintly, "I don't like his overly cheerful spirit. It's annoying."

"Of course, you of all people to say that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" She glared at him lightly.

"Says Miss. Ever Cheerful.'

"At least I'm not so cold like you!" She huffed, rolling her eyes, "So, you lost a shoe in battle, and you shirt was ruined."

"A shoe...how did I lose just one damn shoe?"

"I forget, but it was just a little bit before you went into your cursed state." She hummed, eating a chip. "I sent Jugo to go buy you some new clothes and shoes."

"The others came by?"

"They all came running when they heard and saw the explosion. Suigetsu was the one who found you and Manda down by the stream..." She played with a string on her shirt, tugging at it lightly.

"Ah...did you get away in time?"

"I'd be in the same condition as you if I didn't." She smiled softly, hugging her knees to her chest. "I just have a few scrapes and bruises from the fight."

"Good, we don't want you hurt."

"We?" She tilted her head.

Shrugging softly, he said softly, "The others like you. At least Jugo and Suigetsu do."

"Ah, I know they like me. I could care less if Karin liked me, she's a bitch..." She muttered the last part under her breath.

He just rolled his eyes and sighed, "Let's get going back to camp then."

"Actually, we rented this room for the night." She smiled, rubbing the back of her head. "It was Suigetsu and Karin's idea..." She hummed, not including the information that she could sense Naruto and the others presences nearby. And since Sasuke was pretty much out of it, he wouldn't sense their presence until he recovered. "Karin is out getting supplies and I have no clue where Suigetsu went off to. I imagine he went with Jugo..." She mumbled, tapping her chin thoughtfully before flopping down onto her back and sighing loudly, looking over at Sasuke who was already fast asleep. She smiled and looked up at the ceiling, her smile fading after a minute or two.

'What am I still doing here? I could leave right now and go to the others...'

The door opening caught her attention, watching as Suigetsu came in with Jugo. Both were quiet when they noticed their leader was fast asleep and sat down the items that Hikari had asked they get while out. Quietly, both sat down on different sides of the room, where they all waited for Karin to return.

Hikari wasn't sure how much time had passed when Karin came back, but she figured it had been several hours. Unlike Suigetsu and Jugo had been, Karin was screeching, knocking the door down, which fell on Suigetsu.

"We have to move! Now!" She screeched again, looking at the occupants in the room.

"What? Why?" Suigetsu groaned, moving out from underneath the door.

"Hidden Leaf Ninja are here!"

"How close are they..?" Sasuke asked groggily.

"Close by. I used what was left of your old shirt to try and throw them off of our trail.

"Ne, why did you have his shirt?" Suigetsu asked, a brow raised.

Karin sputtered and shouted curses at him while Jugo helped Sasuke up.

"They're not after me. That'll distract them for only a little bit."

"They are after you, Sasuke..." Hikari whispered, knowing that if there was a group, they were most likely coming after Sasuke to bring him home.

"No, they're after you, Hikari."

"That too."
Suigetsu sighed, "How annoying..."

"Then maybe I should go to them and save them the trouble." She stood up.

"Why?"

"Why not?" She grabbed her katana and put it on her back, turning towards the doorway.

Sasuke watched her weakly, not recovered fully from the battle earlier.

Karin finished healing what Hikari had not, knowing that Sasuke would be perfectly fine had Hikari done what she should've in the first place. Suigetsu looked at Sasuke.

"Should I stop her?"

"Let her go. I've rounded you guys up. I have a team now. She can do what she wants."

Hikari stopped, looking back at him. "..."

Sasuke was still not fully thinking straight, obvious by the clouded look in his eyes. Hikari sighed and walked back over to him, kneeling down to his level. Reaching forward, she cupped his face gently.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

"You said I couldn't leave."

"Changed my mind..."

"I thought you wanted me with you."

"I do.."

She let her head fall into his shoulder, her eyes closing slowly. She fisted the sheets of the bed lightly. "Then make up your mind..."

"Can't. It hurts to think, Karasu."

She laughed sadly, kissing his shoulder lightly and shaking her head. "Is my name forever Karasu?"

Chuckling weakly, "Jus' a pet name."

"I see..." She smiled faintly and kissed his cheek.

"Good..."

Karin glared at Hikari as she tended to Sasuke, wanting to rip her hair out when the raven haired boy leaned down and sloppily kissed the brunette. "Guh..."

Sasuke yawned and returned to his position laying in the bed, wincing when his injured skull hit the pillow. "Get some ice 'Kari?"

She hummed and nodded, wandering into the bathroom and turning the water in the tub on, making some hand signs and freezing some of the water. She picked at it with a kunai, putting the cut pieces in a plastic bag and running back to Sasuke, gently putting the makeshift ice pack on his head. "There..."

"Thanks..." he murmured before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

Sighing softly, she laid next to him, holding his hand while looking up at the ceiling. What a mess she was in.

---

"Nii-san! Nii-san!" Hope cried her bedroom, her fever having gotten significantly better once she had taken the medicine her brother had gotten for her a few days before. "Get in here~!"

Itachi walked in quietly. "What?"

"I'm all better~ See!?"

He smiled and nodded, "Hai."

"Now let's go train!" she exclaimed, bouncing on her knees in the center of her bed.

Itachi chuckled. "Okay, but only for a bit. I can't stay very long..."

She frowned lightly, "You said you were gonna stay all weekend...you promised..."

He hugged her. "I know. I'm trying to work it out with Nagato."

"Mama already cleared it with him..."

"Then I'm yours for the weekend!"

"Good!"

He smiled, holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head. She stuck her tongue out and pouted, "I'm not a baby nii-sama!"

"Gomen, gomen!"

She giggled happily and flopped down on the bed. "Good!"

Itachi coughed harshly suddenly, covering his mouth.

Hope looked up, her onyx orbs filled with concern over her eldest brother. "That cough sounds worse than it did yesterday..." She knew he had that cough for many years, just realizing the progression of whatever he had was becoming quicker and more severe.

Itachi took a sip of water, "I'm fine..."

She grabbed his hand, looking at the blood that covered it from his cough, "Blood? That's fine? I might not be a medic but blood means internal bleeding, dumbass."

"...I'm not going to be around much longer, imouto."

"N-no...w-we just need to get you to a medic! I-I know one! P-please..."

He cupped her face, "All right..."

"G-good..." she said shakily, her eyes full of tears, wiping them with her sleeve and looking at the ground.

"Oh, don't cry..."

"How in the hell am I not going to cry if you tell me you're dying!" she screamed at him, more tears threatening to surface and overflow. "H-how do you expect me not to...?"

"Sorry..."

"It's a damn good thing I love you, nii-sama..."

He laughed softly and hugged her close. "I know. I'm glad."

She laughed weakly, "Get a girlfriend, dummy." hugging back tightly, "spread the Uchiha name...like you wanted..."

Itachi smiled weakly. "I don't know if I can find someone in time. I was leaving the job of reviving the clan to Sasuke."

She stuck her tongue out, "But you said he was set on revenge on you for somethin'~ He's not gonna stop and have a baby! Plus he's just a teen like me! You're the adult!"

Itachi laughed softly at her innocent logic, ruffling her hair. "I'm going to have to fight him."

"You'll win for sure!"

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Mhm."

"We should go out on the town this weekend~!"

"Alright. Where would you like to go?"

She pursed her lips in thought, making a sort of duck face in doing so, "Hm..."

Itachi chuckled, waiting patiently for an answer.

"Just out to the nearby villages!"

"Okay."

"Good! Now training we go~!"

"Hai!"

"Sweet!"

He smiled and stood up.

"Will I get sick too...?" Hope asked softly, her voice full of worry for her brother. Itachi shook his head.

"I doubt it."

"O-okay..."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. "I love you..."

"I-I love you too nii-sama..."

He gently pulled her along with him, taking her to their training spot quietly.

"I want to learn how to use my sharingan."

He looked at her, a bit surprised at the sudden question, but he nodded. "Alright."

She smiled brightly, and hugged him. "Thank you!"

He chuckled and smiled softly, petting her hair. "You're welcome, imouto."

Laughing she waited for his instructions on what to do.

"It's not something that you can easily summon. It takes time."

She looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt, "I..um...might've already awakened it..."

"Oh? Let's see it then."

She smiled and did so, hoping to get her brother's approval. Itachi smiled, nodding. "Ah, excellent."

'Thanks nii-sama!" she giggled happily.

He smiled, patting her hair proudly.

"Now let's train!"

"Right!"

---

"Naruto! You need to calm down! We will find Hikari!" Liz shouted at the blonde ninja, her tolerance with him decreasing significantly in the past hour.

"She could be dead or something!"

Yuna petted his hair. "Ne, I doubt Sasuke could really kill her. Plus I can tell she's still alive."

The auburn rubbed her temples in annoyance, "Just relax Uzumaki. You've been on edge since Hope left..."

He grumbled as they walked, looking up when he felt someone coming. "That's-!"

Hikari's eyes widened when they connected with Naruto's, crying out indignantly as she was dragged along by Sasuke, who had taken the liberty to bind her wrists and wrap the other end of the rope to his left wrist, while the others followed behind them.

"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted, trying to stop him.

"What?" He asked, not looking back at him.

"Stop this and come back home! Let Hikari go!" Naruto growled.

"As you can see, we are currently busy." he retorted, trying to get the team to back off.

"Ne, Akamaru! Let's go!" Kiba shouted, his companion barking and following after him.

"Kiba!?" Hikari yelped, surprised that he and so many others had shown up.

"Tch! Let's go, Hikari."

Hikari looked back at them all with sad eyes, nearly tearing up when she saw her mother's younger brother trying to follow after them.

"Let her go right now!" Hiroshi demanded, growling angrily at the raven haired teen.

'Now why would I do that?" the raven smirked.

"She doesn't belong near you." Hiroshi glared at him, his green orbs piercing. Hikari had never seen him so mad before.

"She's the one that chose to stay with me! I gave her a chance to leave!"

Hiroshi's eyes widened, landing on his niece in shock while Hikari bit her lip and threw a smoke bomb to help aide in their escape.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered.

"HIKARI!"

Yuna cursed softly, having expected something completely different than what had just transpired.

Liz murmured softly, "Just be safe, okay?"

"She...she's gone..." Naruto murmured, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

"Hiroshi..." Yuna whispered gently as she touched the man's shoulder.

"I failed."

"Hiroshi, don't-"

"I failed Kaori!" He looked at her, his eyes now two different colors in each one. "I failed at keeping her child safe, Yuna!"

"She is safe Hiroshi!" Liz shouted, trying to calm him down. "I trust that brat, even if he defected from the village! He cares for Hikari!"

Yuna gasped suddenly, her eyes clouding over while she fell to her knees. Kakashi frowned and knelt down next to her. "Yuna?"

"Y-Yunie?"

She looked up, panting softly. "Kami help us..."

"W-what happened Yuna?" Her wife asked as she helped the nin to her feet.

"Uchiha Sasuke..." She whispered, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "He says he will become an avenger..."

"He said that when I first met him." Kakashi said, recalling the first time they had all met when they had been put under his wing.

Liz bit her lip softly, "If Sasuke obtains his revenge...what will happen to his sister?"

"I wish I knew...what I saw...was very evil, Liz. Sasuke Uchiha will become an avenger, but not the kind of avenger that should exist in this world." Yuna said, her voice very serious. "Sasuke Uchiha will become walking hatred and darkness should he obtain his revenge."

"Then we've gotta stop him!" Naruto declared.

"For once I agree with the knucklehead."

"Then let us hurry..." Yuna whispered, taking off first.

The others followed behind instantly. Naruto was anxious, determined to stop the boy he considered to be like a brother to him before he made the biggest mistake he could make.

"Naruto, I want you to send a note to Uchiha Hope to give to her brother. To warn him."

"Lizzie..." Yuna murmured, looking over at her while Naruto did as he had been told to do, and her wife looked over at her as her name was said.

"Hai?"

She shook her head, "Itachi is already waiting for Sasuke..." She whispered, "Kisame Hoshigaki is not too from here...I believe he's been asked to make sure that no one follows after Sasuke so as not to interrupt the battle..."

"If we let Sasuke kill him...we could lose all hope for helping Hikari and Hope."

"That's why...I believe Hikari has the gift to stop him from doing it...but she has tried to convince him...and he is too blinded by his hatred..."

"THEN WE'LL FIND ITACHI BEFORE SASUKE DOES!" Naruto yelled, his azure orbs burning in determination.

"Again...I agree with the boy," Liz murmured before looking at Naruto, "Don't make this a pattern, boy."

Naruto grinned, continuing to move with them.

Time was very limited now.

Up ahead, Hikari was struggling to break the ropes binding her hands together.

"Was this really necessary?"

"This time, yes."

"And exactly why?"

"Because, this time we are going after Itachi."

"Sasuke...do you really have to kill him?" She murmured, looking up at the back of his head.

"Didn't you want to kill Lord Orochimaru for killing your parents?" He asked, his voice cold.

She glared at him. "That's different..."

He turned around quickly, his eyes filled with murderous intent, grabbing her wrist tightly, "How is that different, Sarutobi?"

"Orochimaru wasn't related to me. Itachi is your older brother. What Orochimaru did to my parents..." She bit her lip, her eyes sad, "I will never understand why. Grandpa told me...that no matter how much we may hate, revenge isn't the best answer..."

"I have no family because of him. I didn't have any wise old man to help me solve my 'issues'" he retorted.

She didn't let on how much his words. "If you kill him, you'll have no one left at all!"

"Tch."

"You don't stop to think about what an impact it will have one others. You're very selfish, Sasuke. All you care about is getting what you want..."

"I'm not selfish, I want to make things right. He should've been put to death if he ever landed in the Konoha prison. It's how the system works dear Hikari. Kill and be killed."

"Do not talk to me like I don't know the goddamn system. I grew up having to sit through meetings about government and rule." She glared at him, her chocolate orbs full of different emotions, "And you are selfish, Sasuke. You're hatred and constant thoughts of revenge and acts of murder...do you not understand how that hurts the people that care about you?"

Sasuke slammed a fist into a nearby tree trunk, "You're the only one! You and Naruto are the only damn ones, y'know!? No one cares! The elders always knew I would defect, they said that to me every damn day! I'm not going back to that wretched village. No one there fucking cares! They want me dead, they wanted me dead since day one. Got that!?" He yelled at her, letting out emotions he never let out before and tried to suppress throughout his life, knowing that they proved him to be weak.

Hikari let him yell at her, staying silent the entire time. "...Three years ago," she whispered, recollecting when she had been put on the Sasuke Retrieval Squad, "The team that was sent to bring you back...we all talked about how much we cared for your well being before we left. Shikamaru said that, 'Even though he and I aren't close, Sasuke is still a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, and a comrade. That's why I'll do my very best to help bring him back home.' Even though...you treated everyone coldly...they still considered you to be precious to them. And you laughed. You laughed at the sacrifices that had been made and the effort we had given just to try and save you...and we failed..."

He jerked her close with the rope tied around their wrists, his eyes holding that same murderous glint that they had only seconds before, "There's nothing holding me back from severing these bonds with you right here and now. You want to leave!? Go!" He cut the ropes with his katana before running off, leaving her behind.

Suigetsu blinked and glanced at Hikari before looking back in the direction Sasuke had gone in. "Hey, don't take it to heart, beautiful...Sasuke is just anxious."

Hikari shrugged his hand off of her shoulder when he put it there, ignoring Jugo's soft and kind voice calling after her as she wandered away from them in the direction Sasuke had gone.

"Hey! Come back!"

Sasuke was already long gone by the time she had started going after him, having started his hunt. She stopped after a while and sat down, looking at her hands.

"I...I know...I'm your living legacy, but I..." She hugged her knees to her chest and resting her chin on top of them, "I don't know how to save one person from their own darkness..." Hikari whispered, shutting her eyes tightly. "I'm sorry...mom..." She buried her face in her arms, letting the tears flow silently.

She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting there till she fell asleep. When she did though, she found herself sitting in a field of flowers, confusing her to no end.

"Wha...?"

The flowers had a comforting aroma and formed a conglomeration of pastel colors. The wind blew around her softly, letting her hair flow freely in it's loose state, some petals getting caught in the caramel brown locks. She looked around to see if there was anyone else around.

"Hello?" She called, surprised as her voice echoed through the area.

Only silence ensued in the area before a cloaked figure appeared from the shadows. Though most people would have panicked and tried to get away, she did not run, only stared up at the figure.

"Sarutobi Hikari, I presume."

"The one and only. And you must be Uchiha Itachi..." She murmured, her eyes soft and her voice gentle.

"Hai, I am."

"You're not going to kill me, are you?" She looked at him, tilting her head.

"Of course not. I come with a warning."

"And why should I believe anything you say? You're an S-Ranked criminal that killed your entire clan..." She glared up at him.

"You love Sasuke, yes? If you do, then you will listen to what I have to say. There is a man that wishes to use Sasuke and manipulate him for his own reasons, and I know that you are the only one who has any ounce of influence on my brother. If anyone can get him to stay away from this man, it's you. Before I say anymore about this person, I'd like to share the truth about the Uchiha Massacre and Konoha. And what I am about to tell you is the complete and absolute truth. It is true that I did kill my entire clan…But it wasn't for the reason that everyone believes to this day. You see, I wanted the Uchiha clan to live in peace, but unfortunately, they had other ideas in store. Sixteen years ago, when the Nine-tailed fox attacked Konoha, fingers were pointed at the Uchiha Clan."

She frowned. "But...why would they blame your clan...?"

"Because our clan has the abilities to control the Kyuubi with our Sharingan. And there were whispers about a coup d'etat, thus bringing the fingers pointed to us. The Konoha Elders suspected our clan to be responsible for the attack, which led to our clan being moved to a distant corner of the village where our clan could be watched. Because of that, the rebellion within the clan began to grow. I was placed into ANBU, and made as a spy so I could report the rebellions progress to the elders and the Third Hokage. It was then decided that the only way to prevent another war would be to eliminate the threat."

She frowned, not believing what she was hearing. "Just a minute! The Third Hokage would have never agreed to something like, especially killing an entire clan!"

"The Third Hokage was against it. It was the council members that all agreed that the Uchiha clan should be killed off. I was the only one who could do that task. Because of my mission, I would also have to betray the village as a result. And I accepted the fact that I could never return."

"B-but what about Sasuke and Hope? Why weren't they killed that night?"

"...I couldn't kill them..." He whispered. Hikari's eyes softened, before she frowned.

"The man you spoke of earlier…who is he?"

"His name is Madara Uchiha….and he's held a grudge against the Uchiha clan for a very long time. As you may know, Konoha was founded by two clans: The Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. During this time, Madara was the leader of the Uchiha. He wanted the Uchiha and Senju to fight for supremacy. The leader of the Senju clan, Hashirama Senju, who became the First Hokage of the Hidden Leaf, approached the Uchiha clan with a peace offering. Since the rest of the Uchiha clan wished for the fighting to stop, Madara had to agree. And against Madara's wishes, Hashirama was selected by the villagers as the First Hokage. In fears that Hashirama would oppress the Uchiha, Madara tried to rally for support for challenging his leadership. But instead of helping him, the Uchiha turned their backs on him, believing that he only desired more power. Madara abandoned the clan and Konoha as a result."

"He wanted to get revenge by helping with their deaths…"

He nodded. "I found Madara before anyone else did, and I convinced him to spare the village in exchange for helping to wipe out the Uchiha clan for deserting him decades earlier. But I never fully trusted Madara. When he created the Akatsuki, I joined in order to keep an eye on him."

"So, he's the founder of the Akatsuki? I can understand you wanting him to keep an eye on him to ensure the village's safety, but there's another reason, isn't there? You were afraid that he would go after Sasuke and Hope, weren't you? If you feared that, then why did you spare them?"

Itachi let a small smile crawl up his face. "I couldn't kill my only brother and sister. Everything I did, I did for them. Not for the Uchiha clan and not for the Hidden Leaf Village. Everything I did was all for Sasuke and Hope. Madara wants to use Sasuke to destroy the Leaf because of the grudge he still holds towards the village and the Senju clan, and he wants to take Hope as well unless someone reaches her first and protects her. He wants to control everything. He wants to start another war so he can gain control of the world. He will try and start the Fourth Great Shinobi War. He will manipulate the two into believing that the Leaf is to blame, and that the only way for Sasuke to settle his revenge is to destroy it and burn it to the ground. This is where your role comes into play."

She raised a brow. "Me? How so?"

"Like I mentioned earlier, you're probably the only person who holds any ounce of influence over Sasuke. He will listen to you. You are the Honorable Granddaughter Hikari Sarutobi of the Honorable Third Hokage. Even though I left, I still love the village as much as you love it…That is why you cannot allow my brother to destroy it. You mustn't let that happen. Promise me that you will take care of him once I am gone and see to it that this doesn't happen. And my sister too...please help her."

Hikari looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You've been looked at as a traitor and a ruthless murderer for so long, when…you were only trying to protect your home. What all those people say about you being a disgrace and a monster…they're not true. You're something better than that."

"Exactly what?"

She smiled softly, "You're an Honorable Shinobi, Itachi Uchiha. I am honored to be able to speak with you like this. I promise that I will not allow the events that you have explained to me to occur. You have my word. I'm sorry for everything that you have suffered through."

"Thank you, Hikari. It's nice to know that at least one person cares." He began to walk away, into a bright light. "Goodbye, Hikari Sarutobi. Take care of Sasuke for me…because he needs someone to love him as much as you do." He smiled a genuine smile, before disappearing into the light.

Hikari's eyes flew open, looking around to see if anyone else was around, only to find that she was all alone. She looked up as thunder rumbled across the sky, her eyes saddening.

"STOP!" a young girls scream was drowned out by the crash of lightning, "S-stop!"

Itachi coughed up some blood, having discarded his coat long before the fight had reached the height it was at. His sister could only watch as her brother, her best friend, the man who raised her, was being beaten to death by a teen who was supposedly her other brother. Itachi slowly began to walk forward, reaching his hand out towards Sasuke, his hands and fingers covered in blood.

"N-no! Don't come near me!" Sasuke shouted as he scrambled back, until his back hit the wall behind him. His onyx orbs filled with fear and silent anger.

Itachi was reaching out for him, two bloody fingers extended. Itachi reached him, and gave him a sharp poke on the forehead, and the fear instantly went away as Itachi smiled at the younger sibling.

"Sorry, Sasuke...This is the last time."

Sitting on top of the wall, Hope watched the scene play out, visibly trembling, her hand covering her mouth as silent sobs escaped her body.

"SASUKE!"

Sasuke didn't have time to respond before he collapsed on the ground, next to his brother. Hikari ran over as fast as she could, her eyes widening as she spotted Hope. "Hope!"

Hope's eyes were wide as she saw Hikari, taking a step back, falling onto her back, she tried to crawl away backwards. "S-stay away! Don't touch me!"

Hikari reached out for her. "Hope..."

"Don't come near me!" She screeched as she tried to get to her brother's body.

Hikari's eyes saddened, looking at Itachi with tearful eyes. "Oh, Itachi..." She reached forward, moving his eyelids down so they would be closed.

The younger teen was hugging him close, burying her face into the crook of his neck, trying to keep the warmth in his body. "D-don't leave me Nii-sama...p-please...w-we were gonna go out on the town tonight...l-like you promised"

"..." Hikari moved over and channeled her chakra to her hands, pressing them onto the older man's chest. "I don't know if it will work...but it can't hurt to try..."

Hope didn't hear her, she was murmuring to herself while casting weary glances at Sasuke, terrified that he'll wake up. Hikari continued to try, knowing that Sasuke was in dire need of medical help, and they all had to move and move fast.

"Hope. Hope, I want you to listen to me."

"B-but Nii-sama...w-we can't leave him..."

"We won't..." She whispered, "Your nii-sama spoke to me earlier...and he asked me to protect you and Sasuke from a bad person that will stop at nothing till he's captured you guys..."

Hope looked up at her defiantly, "I-I'm not a damn baby...a-and I'm not going anywhere with that murderer."

"Please, I promised! He's going to come here for you and manipulate you both!"

"H-he killed Itachi! Why did he kill him!? I-I thought n-nii-sama said he was o-our brother..."

Hikari's heart ached for the younger girl, realizing that Itachi had probably never told her about the truth of what happened to their clan and family. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off when a kunai was pressed to her neck from behind.

Hope didn't notice, she was busy trying to see if Itachi would still awaken.

"Hope...Hope, run!" Hikari screamed, trying to keep her attacker away from the smaller girl. "Go to the village! Go to Naruto!"

Looking up and seeing Hikari's attacker, she nodded and stood, her legs were trembling like a small child's learning to walk. "B-but n-nii-sama.."

Hikari whistled, relieved when a roar reached her ears. Yoru jumped over the debris that was here and there and stopped near Hope.'Get on! Quickly!'

She nodded, hesitating to grab her brother's body, but was pulled by the tiger onto his back. "B-but-!"

Yoru purred,'Get him quickly!'

"GO!" Hikari screamed, trying to protect her, Sasuke, and Itachi's body all at once.

Hope nodded tearfully before getting onto the tiger's back, burying her face in his fur, silent tears soaking his fur. Yoru ran quickly, purring comfortingly.

'Hikari will see to it that his body is recovered...and I know she'll do anything she can to see that he is given a proper burial.'

The teen was silent the rest of the way to Naruto's team. Yuna gasped and rushed over, the others having gone to the area of where the battle between the Uchiha brothers had commenced. "Oh goodness...Liz!"

"Yeah!?" her wife was on the other side of the clearing, setting up camp when the others returned.

"It's Hope!"

"Oh god...that means..." she murmured walking over to the tiger that was trying to get the girl off of his back but with no avail. Hope was clinging tightly to his fur and not letting go.

"Leave her be...I think Yoru doesn't mind." She murmured softly, gently petting the raven haired girls locks.

"Don't touch me..." she murmured in the tiger's fur, "Don't touch me..."

Yuna retracted her hand, looking down sadly. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

Hope said nothing, fisting the tiger's fur in her pale hands.

---

"Let go of me..." Hikari growled, holding Sasuke tightly in her arms as means to protect him from the masked man before her.

"Tch, you think you can beat me on your own? You already made me lose one of my clan to the Konoha nin, who currently aren't allowed near the child," his smirk could be heard in his voice, "She'll come to me you insolent child. But, we need this one first."

"I'm warning you...Stay. The fuck. Away." She growled out, her eyes holding a dangerous look in them. "I don't care what you want from them, you can't have them, Uchiha Madara."

The man only smirked more under his mask, before snapping his fingers, "Zetsu, take care of her."

Hikari narrowed her eyes, holding onto Sasuke tighter. "Please...just leave us be..." She whispered, trying to heal Sasuke's wounds.

Chuckling darkly he added to his orders, "And find the girl."

"Please don't..." She looked down at Sasuke's face.

"Right away, Madara..." Zetsu smirked, disappearing to go and fulfill his mission.

"Now, now, let go of the boy so I don't have to hurt you." he sneered.

"...No. Wherever Sasuke goes, I go with him. I don't trust you."

"Tch, fine. You'll come too."

Hikari held onto Sasuke tighter when they were suddenly teleported into dimly lit room inside of what Hikari assumed to be a cave.

"This isn't even a room..."

"This isn't your room, this is Sasuke's."

She growled at him. "And I'm staying with Sasuke, so get over it you old fart."

"Tsk tsk tsk, attitude, no man will want to marry a woman with such an attitude." He mused as he chained Hikari's hands to shackles on the opposite side of the room.

"Now why on earth is this necessary?!"

"Because, you'll interfere." He said while he put a stip of cloth into her mouth and tied it around her head. "Now be a good girl and stay quiet."

She glared at him as he grabbed her chin roughly, her eyes defiant.

"Shh~"

---

"Mmmhph! Mmphke!" Hikari watched as Sasuke slowly sat up, trying to get his attention as best she could. "Mmphke!"

Sasuke was busy trying to reorient himself, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, sitting up and looking at the fresh bandages that covered his chest. "Where...?"

"MMPHKE!" Hikari cried out as loud as she could with the cloth in her mouth.

"H-Hikari!?"

Hikari mentally cheered in joy as he noticed her, nodding her head and pulling against her chains. "Mmhph, mmph!"

"Gah!" he cried in pain as Madara threw a pebble at his injured head. "The hell!?"

"Mmph!" Hikari struggled repeatedly, shaking her head vigorously as she watched Madara approach Sasuke. "Mmphke! Mmpho!" Except her was now distracted by the newcomer into the room. With all her might, she tugged at the cloth in her mouth with her teeth, managing to somehow move it off a bit so she could speak. "Sasuke, no! Don't listen to what he has to stay!"

"Wh-what do you mean!?"

"I-Itachi wants you to protect Konoha! He made me promise to protect you! Please, you have to believe me! Sasuke..."

"Itachi wouldn't do that..."

"Sasuke! That guy is evil! He's not good like he says he is, it's all a lie!" She screeched, struggling to break free and run to him.

"Let me listen first."

She sobbed softly, still trying her hardest to get out of the chains that held her up. Where was Suigetsu? And Jugo and Karin? Did they know where they were? Were they somewhere nearby? Would they come help them? Hikari could only sit and listen as Madara began to feed lies to Sasuke while telling him Itachi's story. Her heart ached badly, her eyes burning with fresh tears.

"They're nearby."

Hikari whimpered, still trying to get to him. "Sasuke..."

"I'm fine...I'll be fine..."

Hikari glared at Madara. "Let. Me. Go."

"Hikari, calm down."

"It hurts, Sasuke! I've been up on this wall for five hours!"

"calm and it won't hurt dammit!"

"I-I just want t-to hug you..." She whimpered pathetically.

"You can later, alright?"

Hikari whined softly as Madara walked over to her. "Don't you dare gag me again."

"Then shut up."

"Please...just let me down..." Hikari murmured, letting her head fall.

"Then be a good girl and be seen but not heard."

---

"I...I can't believe it..." Naruto muttered, sitting down slowly.

"We tried our hardest, Naruto..." Liz murmured, watching the youngest Uchiha feeding the tiger, knowing the girl won't leave his side, nor let anyone near her.

Yoru nuzzled her gently, purring loudly.

"Right now...we need to help her..."

"H-Hai..."

"If that man really is Madara Uchiha...then what happens next?" Hiroshi asked, looking over at Kakashi.

"We warn Lady Tsunade..."

"Hai..."

Liz tried reapproaching Hope, only to get yelled at and a death glare from the teen. "Damn she's just like Sasuke..." she murmured when she returned to her spot next to Yuna.

"And this time, it's Sasuke's fault instead of Itachi..." she whispered, hugging her wife.

"Maybe..." Liz mumbled something to herself before calling over Naruto, "Ne, Uzumaki!"

"What?"

"C'mere for a minute."

Naruto stood up and walked over, sitting down in front of them. "Hai?"

"Hope really took a liking to you when she was in Konohagakure, can you try to see if she'll talk to you?"

He nodded. "Sure..."

"Thanks, kid." she whispered, smiling softly.

Naru grinned, moving over to Hope. "Um...hi..."

"..."

Slowly, he reached forward and hugged her carefully.

"P-please don't.."

"You need someone to hug you..." He murmured gently, holding her close.

"N-no..I-I need my brother..."

"And he's with you..."

"H-he's gone...I-I didn't get to even say goodbye..."

"Shh..." Naruto stroked her hair gently to soothe her.

She buried her face into the front of his shirt, fisting it in her hands weakly, "I-I wanna go home..."

He kissed the top of her head. "I know...I know..."

"Wh-why won't they let me go home?"

"Yuna says Madara Uchiha is going to try and use you..."

"Wh-who's Madara?"

"A bad guy that is trying to use Sasuke..."

Hope clenched her fists tightly, "Never say that name in front of me again."

"G-Gomen..." Naruto whispered, looking down.

Hope was looking at the fire, looking much older than her young age. "We were supposed to go out to dinner tonight..."

He rubbed her back gently, petting her hair soothingly. "I'm so sorry..."

"H-he was really ill...h-he couldn't have fought his full potential.."

"I'm sure he fought back valiantly..."

"I-I don't remember much of it...h-he ran off saying that he had to do something before w-we left..."

"I'm sorry for your loss..."

"I-I wanna go home..." she cried, curling in on herself.

Naruto held her tightly, letting her cry as much as she wanted. He knew how it felt, to lose the one closest to you. He felt the same thing when Sasuke left, and every day on his birthday, knowing that he didn't have his parents and that the Fourth Hokage died sealing the Kyuubi in him. He felt this same agony when the Third Hokage died, the man like a father to the young nin, just like Itachi was to Hope.

Life wasn't fair.

And he knew it all too well.

Hope looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy from crying, "I don't u-understand..."

He reached his hand to her face, gently wiping her tears with his thumb. "I know...I don't either..."

"Wh-why did he kill my Nii-sama...?"

"Sasuke said it was because Itachi killed your clan and parents..."

"N-no...h-he wouldn't do something like that..." she murmured, looking down and playing with the hem of her tattered shirt.

Naruto nodded. "I'm not entirely sure what the truth is or not..."

She looked up at him, fresh tears in her eyes, "I-I feel so alone."

"You're not...You've got me...and the others...and Hikari-chan."

"I-I don't know them...e-except for you and a-ane..."

"They want to know you." He smiled.

"I-I'm scared..." she whispered.

"I'll protect you..." Naruto murmured, holding her tightly.

---

A/N: Holy crap, what a long chapter! Ehehe, we got carried away ^^;;! So, review! LATER TATERS!~