This is my tribute to Sasuke.

Things to remember:

A) I began writing this in '06, and it is awkward. I have a beta, but I asked them not to change much because I wanted this story to remain as young as possible, so my readers could watch me grow as a writer.

B) I call this my 'Narutoland' universe. This will be helpful if you read my other stories.

C) This baby will seemingly go on forever. I will update it once a week, and I'm not sure how many chapters it will span.

D) My OC's will appear down the line, please respect them as such.

E) If you consider yourself a talented artist, and wish to visualize some scenes in here, please feel free to do so(but contact me so I can appreciate your amazing artwork).

F) I will insert quotes that are relevant to the Uchiha family inbetween scene changes, so don't ask. You'll find out later.

More revelant info to this chapter: okay first off, this is the 'almost' climax part of Sasuke's return. Hehe, there a cliffy in this one too, dearys. Also, sorry for the late update. Junoir year is high school is evil and required my full attention. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it.

Sincerely wishing you all well,

Kida-Asumi, the Captin of Sirius

"Bye Sasuke-kun!" Sakura waved after her boyfriend. Her mentor smiled, her arm firmly around Sakura's waist as she, too, watched her spouse walk away. Both were anxious about their men leaving, but new it was necessary, since their income was on missions and hospital work.

Their men felt this way too.

"So Sasuke, it's been awhile since we've done this." Kakashi commented, pulling out his favorite book as they headed for the gate. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"No shit." He snorted gracelessly. They both waved at Neji and Tenten as they spotted them.

"Ready?" Tenten asked, adjusting her satchel. The men nodded.

"Let's go. It will take us the better part of the afternoon to get there." Kakashi sighed, put his book away with the deepest regret. The younger three nodded, and together the group set off.

- "Our first mission!" Keiji exclaimed, hugging his best friend Aiden and Hina -

The group arrived in a forest near their destination early that evening. As Sasuke and Neji rested for the second watch, Tenten and Kakashi kept first watch by talking about Rin and the baby.

"If it's a boy, we'll name him after my Grandfather, Kiyoshi. If it's a girl, we'll name her Rini." He explained. Tenten chuckled, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders.

"Ready for the mood swings?" She asked. Both froze as they sensed the chakra fast approaching them.

"Crap." She said, standing up and getting her weapon scrolls.

As the 25 or so shinobi ambushed them, the four Konoha shinobi fought tooth and nail.

"Fuck, we're losing." Kakashi growled, in the midst of a duel.

"Ten!" Neji cried out, horrified as she got stabbed again. Time seemed to slow as the men watched, horrified as Tenten's eyes glowed an eerie black. She raised her hands, and wrapped her middle fingers around her index.

"Crystal Ice Mirrors jutsu!" She exclaimed. Sasuke's eyes widened as the remaining fifteen or so shinobi were encased in the glass.

"Tenten!" Neji bellowed, standing up to dash for her. Kakashi caught him bodily, keeping him back.

"She'll be fine." He assured him, his visible eye crinkled in deep thought. A minute later, the shinobi began to scream. When the mirrors finally disappeared, the guys spotted Tenten in the mirrors. The needles had cut the ribbons holding up her hair, and it was hanging around her face. Her eyes were closed, and her complexion noticeably paler than before. For a minute, Sasuke thought he was seeing Haku. Then she collapsed, reality hitting them like a slap in the face.

"Ten! Oh god, where's the nearest hospital?" Neji asked the guys anxiously as he scooped her up. Kakashi quickly gave him the directions, helpfully adding that he and Sasuke would pack up camp.

"That was Haku's jutsu, wasn't it?" Sasuke asked his old sensei as they finished the packing. Kakashi nodded.

"Without a doubt." He replied solemnly.

- "How could Daddy have lied to us?" Sora asked her brothers -

Tenten knew the moment her sleep riddle mind allowed her to open her eyes that something was very, very wrong. First, her fiancé was hovering beside her, and he quickly pulled her into a tight, terrified hug when he noticed her wakeful state. Also, she was hooked up to various monitors.

"Neji, what -"

"Are you okay?" He asked softly, looking down at her, his eyes expressing his worry.

"Where are we?" She asked him in return, easing back against the pillows. A wave of unexpected exhaustion waved over her, making her wince. Neji gently brushed back her hair, a deep frown etched on his face.

"A local hospital. Ten…" He breathed out, conflicted between telling her about the jutsu, and not.

"Just say it, Neji. It will be easier that way." She said, her dark brown eyes serious. He sighed.

"Ten…you do have a Kekkei Ginkai." He said softly, squeezing her hands. Her eyes widened, then noticed the hesitance in his eyes still.

"And what else?" She asked, afraid to question it. He looked down at their hands.

"According to Sasuke, it was Haku's jutsu you used. On top of that, when your hair was forced loose, he said you looked almost identical to Haku." He explained. Her mouth dropped, floored by this discovery.

"Neji-kun…who am I?" She asked, the terror ringing in her voice. He frowned, squeezing her hands again.

"I don't know, Ten. I swear thought, I will help you find out." He assured her. She bit back a sob, burrowing in his embrace. He silently rocked her, discretely pumping chakra into her so her energy level stayed stable. After the battle, she had nearly died by the low levels of well, everything in her body, and while the hospital could get the nutrients, they had asked him to keep her chakra somewhat normal.

"I just don't understand. How could my mother never tell me about Haku?" She asked. Neji shrugged, also at a lost. Yura was such a sweet, gentle woman who welcomed him into her home when he and Lee visited Tenten when she was sick in their younger days. Seeing his tired expression, she suppressed a chuckle.

"Neji-kun, why don't you sleep for awhile?" She suggested. To her surprise, he nodded without so much of a small argument.

"Very well." He consented. She chuckled softly, helping him to get settled.

- "Uncle Gaara, can we stay up late?" Sayoko asked her uncle. -

"You are my relative, aren't you?" She asked Haku's picture softly. Neji was still asleep beside her, and she didn't wish to interrupt his apparently needed sleep.

A knock at the door had her looking up just in time to see Sasuke and Kakashi enter the room.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked, the two taking up the chairs at her bedside. She shrugged.

"Physically, I'll be ready to move tomorrow. Sasuke, will you tell me of Haku?" She requested without preamble. Sasuke nodded, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. Softly, he explained to her all he knew, including the things that he had learned through one of Kabuto's rants.

"Haku was born into a loving and very caring family. Or so he thought. When his father learned that his son had inherited a Kekkei Ginkai from his mother, the father was furious. His wife had told him she was orphaned and had no shinobi abilities." He began.

"People killed Kekkei Ginkai users in those days." Kakashi added.

"His mother then fled, using every bit of pent up chakra she had in her, to Konoha with him. She was pregnant at the time, and her sister, who had a daughter about Haku's age, welcomed her with open arms. Then -" He was cut off as Tenten picked up the story in a monotone.

"Then, his mother taught him the jutsus of the bloodline. She delivered the baby, and gave it to her sister to raise. She and her son returned home, and that night, the mother was murmured. Before Haku could be murmured, he killed his father. Meanwhile, in Konoha, the baby girl was being raised by someone who she thought was her mother." She finished bitterly.

Sasuke stared at her sympathetically. He knew all too well what it felt like to be living a lie. Especially from a relative. Sighing, she undid the ponytail she had pulled up. Holding up Haku's picture, she half-smiled at them.

"I really do look like him, don't I?" She asked. Both shared an uneasy look before nodding.

"We'll leave you to your thoughts." Kakashi murmured, standing. Sasuke followed.

"For the record, Tenten, I know how it feels to be lied to by your family." He added before leaving the room. She nodded, looking down at Haku's picture.

"I wish I had the chance to meet you…onii-san…" She whispered, tears swelling in her eyes. Neji hand suddenly gripped hers as he sat up. Silently, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against his side.

"I'm…so confused Neji-kun." She murmured brokenly, squeezing his hand tightly as her tears broke free. He pulled her into a hug, looking at the ceiling as he gently comforted her.

"Is there anything you need me to do?" He asked. She shook her head, some of her dark brown hair covering her face. She smiled bitterly as a sudden thought occurred to her.

"Actually, Neji-kun, you could help me find Haku's grave." Tenten said. He nodded, brushing back her hair.

"Very well." He promises, kissing her engagement ring. "When we go and see Yura, I'll be a silent observer." He added. She chuckled.

"Okay. I wish you wouldn't go though. I'm furious, and I don't want the one person I can trust getting the brunt of that fury." Tenten explained, the sinking back into the covers. Neji smiled slightly.

"For better or for worse?" He offered. She giggled, nodding.

"For better or for worse."

- "My, my, how wonderfully you've grown, my baby." Orochimaru murmured happily. "Rochi-papa?" -

The next day saw the foursome returning to their village gates, their mission a failure due to circumstance.

"Welcome home!" Rin called out happily from where she and Tsunade stood, having wanted to greet their sudden return. As Neji and Tenten went to their Hokage, Kakashi hugged his wife.

"Thanks, darlin'. How's the baby?" He asked her. She chuckled, leaning up to kiss him.

"It's fine. We're both fine. In fact, Mama says we can find out what it is tomorrow!" She exclaimed, very giddy by this news. He chuckled. Spotting Sasuke standing a few feet away, Rin chuckled.

"Sakura is at home. She is resting." Rin said. Kakashi and Sasuke shared a look as her voice lost all of it's cheer.

"See you!" Kakashi called after the teenager. When he looked down at his wife, she sighed.

"Um…yeah. Something bad happened while you were away. Naruto-kun will be livid when he finds out." She sighed, curling into her husbands warm embrace.

- "Dora, Dora, Dora the explora!" Kiba sang with his two year old daughter Aiko. -

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he turned the knob on their unlocked door. Honestly, Sakura really needed to lock the thing. He knew she was entirely capable of taking care of herself, but that didn't mean that she couldn't get hurt.

As if to prove his silent point, he found her, with her guard down and her thoughts elsewhere, in a pair of shorts and a tank top, hanging out of their bedroom window. She was so preoccupied that she didn't even here him close the door. Silent as a mouse, he walked up behind her and covered her eyes, smiling slightly when she jumped, before realizing it was just him and relaxed.

"You've got to start locking the door." He commented dryly. She smiled slightly, pulling his hands away from her face and turning to look at him. She kissed him, then sighed. Sakura wrapped her arms around his strong waist, burying her face in his chest. He frowned when he noticed her distracted state still.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his concern intensifying when she shook her head silently.

"I…I was so scared when you were gone, Sasuke-kun." She whispered. "So scared."

"Why? What happened?" He asked, his concern growing by the meant. It became alarm when she burst into tears. Bewildered, he pulled her shaking form into his arms, wondering what the in the hell had her so upset.

Little did he know that this wouldn't be the first time that this would occur through out their lives. And this time was not nearly as pressing as the others. It was simply the start of it all