Author's Note: It's been over a year, I know! I would have updated last week but a close relative of mine passed away and editing was really one of the last things on my mind.
Sasuke didn't feel compelled enough to shift from his bent over position, head facing the cold cave floor again. He hadn't moved much since Kenshi exited the vast area, the swordsman still shaken up from reliving some of his own worst memories. The Uchiha knew exactly how it felt to live through such a tragedy and have to reexperience it playing through his head repeatedly. After seeing Kenshi and Kurushimi's memories, Sasuke felt a deeper connection between himself and the pair.
It was at that moment that Sasuke Uchiha realized how lucky he truly was to have not just one, but two determined people in his life that vowed to never give up on making him return home and save the boy from darkness. Kurushimi and Kenshi only had each other during those immensely difficult times. The difference between the Uchiha's own journey and the duo's was that Kurushimi and Kenshi were both set on revenge and lost to their own ominous thoughts. Without Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke would have been long gone to the darkness that had once engulfed his existence.
That single thought alone brought tons of questions into Sasuke's troubled mind and caused him to feel a multitude of emotions at once. He felt great relief that his teammates were there for him, even after he'd attempted to kill them countless times, but at the same time the male questioned just how catastrophic would it have been without Naruto and Sakura in his life? The restrained Uchiha imagined himself in a position similar to Kurushimi, except without someone like Kenshi to count on.
This led Sasuke Uchiha to dispute in his head if it was truly over. Not just if the minimal hopes he still possessed of somehow escaping and defeating the enemy were starting to disappear completely, but if there was any hope of change. Sasuke wondered if Kurushimi and Kenshi were lost entirely. Maybe, just maybe, there was hope for Kenshi. Sasuke had strong doubts about Kurushimi, but who knows? He himself and everyone except for Naruto and Sakura gave up on trying to save him, and in the end the darkness failed to hold its grasp on the Uchiha.
Sasuke cast the thoughts of reaching his enemies aside. He wasn't Naruto and he definitely could not achieve the power Naruto owned to influence others. Instead, Sasuke began to think of ways he could escape. In terms of the environment there wasn't much around him the Uchiha could use to his advantage. The chains stealing his chakra didn't add anything to the equation either, besides making it seem more impossible to do anything about his current predicament.
"I really am an idiot," Sasuke thought, silently reprimanding himself. He now regretted his decision to give up, to play right into Kurushimi's hands. He wanted his comrades to be safe, but there was no way Naruto, Sakura, and the others would give up. If there was anything that assisted Naruto when he was outnumbered by a thousand men, it was the man's sheer determination. That alone could be the sole reason the Uzumaki could beat even the strongest enemies and still come out smiling like the dobe he was. "They're not going to give up on me, so I don't have a reason to give up on them. Ha, Naruto is always set on ruining my plans."
Sasuke took a deep breath and slowly lifted his throbbing head, hair matted to the sides of the Uchiha's face because of all the blood and perspiration that had accumulated there from the recent one-sided bouts with his captors. Gathering what little strength he still possessed, the Uchiha pushed off the ground so that he stood up as straight as possible, the chains rubbing against the male's already raw wrists. "I have to try," Sasuke thought, a newfound sense of willpower fueling his determined pulls against the chains, attempting to cause any kind of damage to the material.
Kurushimi cursed outwardly as he kept inserting the peculiar blue liquid into his multicolored eyes. "I will NOT fail." Sighing in frustration, the dark-haired male slowly opened his eyes, the dim blue and black lights from the fountain-like rock's separated chambers slowly meeting his sight.
The man gritted his teeth as the stinging throbs returned, cursing once more. Grabbing a nearby shuriken as he pivoted around, Kurushimi shouted in frustration and threw the weapon in a straight line.
Smash!
The shattered remains of the empty beaker skipped across the counter and floor, leaving quiet tinkling noises as they went. He grabbed a tuft of his black hair with one hand, the other tightly gripping the edge of the fountain. With another growl of fury he let go of the rock and rushed forward, grabbing the side of the nearest table and flipping it over. More glass shattered, pencils and pens flew across the room, and paper floated to the ground. He turned once more and stomped back to the fountain, the liquids oozing out of the smashed test tubes and beakers splashing around his feet with each step. Kurushimi stopped and placed both hands on the rock to steady himself, breathing heavily whilst calming down. He blinked multiple times when his gaze landed on a sticky black liquid at his feet, lazily spreading across the glass in which it had once been contained.
Kurushimi shifted his attention to the half of the fountain containing the black liquid he intended to use on his prisoner. "I'm not delaying it anymore!" the disgruntled male shouted aloud. With a flash of his multicolored orbs, the black liquid began to rise out of its container, a blueish hue circling it. When Kurushimi's chakra hardened around the black liquid, the man wasted no time in heading towards the room's exit, intent on reaching Sasuke and punishing him for his actions.
As Kurushimi trudged towards the destination, he wondered what had become of Kenshi. He had left before the swordsman, rushing out in fury and disbelief after experiencing those terrible memories again. Nothing like that would happen anymore, he would make certain of that. He'd attempted to delve deeper into Sasuke's memories once more, but the self-created jutsu backfired severely on Kurushimi. He didn't know for sure if it was the only cause of the pain surging through his head afterwards, but it was definitely a factor. "I don't need Kenshi for this! I'll take it all upon myself to complete my mission if necessary! It's my plan, AND IT WILL NOT FAIL!"
Sakura continued to crawl on her hands and knees through the small hole, deep in the cave hideout. Fortunately, she'd spotted another opening earlier, the hole she was currently traversing through. The Haruno had been quick to push off the earth, jumping high enough to reach the opening. She used the small hole to travel to the other side of what she assumed Kurushimi's army recruits were using as a battle arena. Sakura lost track of time and couldn't estimate how long it'd been since she last heard the shouts of glee as one opponent was victorious over another.
"How does Sasuke not think that carrying this stuff is annoying?" Sakura thought as she persisted onward. The kunoichi huffed in annoyance as she shifted Sasuke's sword for the fourth time so that it wouldn't bump against the damp rock. Her irritation rose to a new high when she accidentally planted her foot on the cloak she herself had bought as a gift for the man, causing the fabric to pull harshly against the woman's neck when she moved forward.
Sakura halted along the uneven path and closed her emerald orbs in frustration. The woman suppressed her desire to curse or growl aloud and carefully resumed the process of crawling through Kurushimi's hideout. More urgent thoughts of Sasuke crossed the Haruno's mind, leading her to speed up. Sakura prayed that Sasuke was okay when she finally spotted the end of the tunnel-like hole. Peeking her head through the opening, Sakura listened for any signs of nearby unwanted guests and flicked her gaze back and forth to make sure nobody was hiding in the shadows. When she decided the coast was clear, the Haruno stepped out of the hole and gracefully fell to the rock below, quickly shielding herself from easy viewing in one of the large tunnel's dark corners.
"Where in the world, or this hideout rather, are you Sasuke?" Sakura pondered while leaning back against the cold rock. She adjusted her gloves and sighed in frustration. The woman had no clue where she was or where she was going. The vast hideout had so many twists and turns that it was impossible to keep track of. She could just start smashing through walls and travel that way, but it was almost certainly a death wish if the medic chose to go on like that. "I wonder what's happening with Naruto and the others. I hope they're searching for Sasuke as well. I might need some backup soon..."
Sakura pushed off the wall and considered her options. There were two paths, one in front of her and one to the left. "The one in front of me appears to lead back towards the training area," she noticed. Making her choice, Sakura crept along the left path, pausing at the corner to listen before she walked around it.
"You can come out," a sullen male voice said.
Sakura audibly gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. How did they know?! Did they happen to see her jump out of the smaller tunnel above? Could they have heard her footsteps?
Sakura forced the many questions to the back of her mind. They could all be thought about later. Right now she had to deal with the person around the corner who knew of her presence inside Kurushimi's hideout. The kunoichi grabbed a kunai and jumped around the corner, preparing to charge. It was only when she caught sight of the person calling to her that she stopped dead in her tracks. This was the absolute last person she desired to face off against right now.
"Kenshi?" she asked in shock. The very first person Sakura had directly run into inside the hideout just had to be the master swordsman himself.
"Didn't want to see me?" the blond questioned with a slight smirk.
Sakura knew that the man was attempting to make the comment come off as sarcastic, but she perceived that there was something hidden behind it in his voice. The man's facial expression was also trying to hide something under its scarred features. The aura the master swordsman gave off was completely different from the last time they'd been in each other's presence. She practically felt it radiating out into the chilly air between them. To her, it seemed like something along the lines of sorrow or regret. "No time for a heart-to-heart."
"Tell me where Sasuke is," Sakura ordered, her grip on the kunai tightening. She didn't have time for this.
Kenshi's smirk slowly disappeared, morphing into a frown. It wasn't one of sadness, but more of deep thought. Kenshi's gaze settled on the kunoichi in front of him, eyes narrowing.
Sakura braced herself.
Sasuke pushed himself to his feet once more, getting ready to pull against the chakra chains again. This would probably be his last attempt, seeing as his already low amount of strength was rapidly vanishing. Without his own willpower helping him struggle through this he would have been down and out a long time ago. Even with the Uchiha's determination, there were still limits, although higher, and he was nearing his.
The Uchiha caught his breath and backed up as close as the chains would allow him to get to the plate holding him to the earth. Sasuke closed his mismatched orbs and rushed forward as fast as his damaged body would let him. Teeth gritted, he released a grunt of pain while continuing to pull hard on his restraints. The Uchiha used all the remaining strength he could muster in order to damage the chains. His wrists felt like they would separate from his hands if he pulled for much longer.
Finally, Sasuke's energy faded and his feet skidded until they fully came out from under the male. The last of his clan landed with a cruel thud against the hard rock beneath him. The position he landed in was terribly uncomfortable, but Sasuke didn't have any strength left to adjust. He felt a droplet of blood trickle from his wrist, hitting the ground next to his fallen body. One of the wounds he received earlier from Kurushimi had reopened, Sasuke noticed. The material of his shirt darkened even more as blood oozed from the nasty wound in his throbbing shoulder. There was no use in attempting to break free anymore. The Uchiha had no more energy to use and he didn't lessen the hold of his restraints any.
Or did he?
Sasuke lazily tilted his pounding head to the side, panting harshly and desperately attempting to catch his breath. His eyes widened a fraction when he caught sight of it. One of the chakra chain's loops had a deep crack in it. He wondered how much more it would take to break the loop and set himself free. However, Sasuke noticed another slightly different detail concerning the chains. Their glow was dimmer than it had been previously, which led Sasuke to ponder...
"Is Kurushimi... losing power?" It seemed like a far-fetched idea at first, but then Sasuke remembered how his dojutsu wouldn't activate when he first entered the cave system to give himself up. Later, however, they'd worked when his anger at Kenshi had risen. Unless Kurushimi possessed an even sicker sense of humor than Sasuke originally thought, it just didn't add up.
"You look so pitiful in this condition," a familiar voice stated with a sneer.
The Uchiha didn't have to peer at the newcomer to know exactly who it was. "Release me and we'll see who the pitiful one is," Sasuke bit back. Kurushimi could probably take him on with a blindfold and be victorious, but Sasuke didn't quickly let go of comments like that when his pride was hurt.
Kurushimi came to a halt when he was in front of the downed Uchiha. The man took another step forward to bend down and clutch a fistful of his prisoner's unkempt hair. A smirk came to play on the dark-haired male's features when Sasuke emitted a harsh grunt of pain as he was forced to an almost sitting position. "Be careful, I might just grant that wish."
The next moment, Sasuke's face pressed against the cold rock of the cave floor. Suppressing another grunt, he glanced upwards when Kurushimi finally released his dark locks. His heavy gaze came to rest upon a peculiar object floating in the air next to his captor. It was a strange blue orb, no, only the outside appeared to be blue. There was something inside the levitating object, a black liquid by the looks of it. "What is that?" the Uchiha inquired, eyes narrowed.
Kurushimi stalked behind the restrained male, the peculiar object following closely. "Your hell," he responded.
A small surge of panic rushed through Sasuke's body at Kurushimi's words. What did he mean by that? Suddenly, a massive force crashed into the back of the Uchiha's neck. Dazed by the attack, it took the man a long moment to fully return to reality. He attempted to move his head—which felt as heavy as a two-ton boulder—and found that what had connected with his neck refused to budge. It was purposefully stuck. Sasuke ceased struggling in bewilderment and felt his back becoming colder. The material of the black shirt he had on was ripped apart. A newfound sense of worry hit the clueless Uchiha. "What are you-?! GAH!"
Sasuke couldn't hold back the scream that had torn through his throat. Immense pain settled throughout his body as the sharp object pierced the skin on his back, leaving the man to groan in agony.
"It baffles me as to how the world could possibly fear a person as powerless as you," Kurushimi proclaimed calmly.
The burning sensation rising from the Uchiha's back caused him to shout for a second time.
"I told you I would end the Uchiha clan once and for all and I meant it," Kurushimi stated venomously. "I still need you alive for a little bit longer though," he added quietly.
Another grueling scream erupted from Sasuke's mouth, the burning sensation strengthening steadily. Blood silently dripped down to the man's sides. Shout after shout of agony rippled throughout the cave system with each stab to the back he received. The sounds bounced off the walls of the empty hallways, leaving only the air to know of the torture Sasuke Uchiha experienced.
The water splashed upon the lake's edge, the wind silently sending ripples flowing upon the clear liquid's surface. All was calm except for quiet rustling of leaves and grass near the point where the two environments met. Birds chirped and hummed happily in the distance. Squirrels quietly pitter-pattered up the tree trunks while the birds soared through the clear skies.
Serene.
It was the one word that came to mind when he wondered how to describe the scene. The cool breeze flowing through the peaceful area tickled his dark locks while his shirt's soft material gently pressed against undamaged skin. He lazily shifted his gaze from the water to the pier perched above the lake. It's appearance seemed quite similar to the one he first stood on when flames erupted from his mouth and into the calm air.
Sasuke's eyelids drooped, only halfway open. It was impossible for him to feel anything but calm in this atmosphere.
Crunch.
His feet moved through the grass automatically, without the Uchiha willing them to make any sort of motion. He didn't think much of it or where they were taking him, only wondering about what was happening. The scenery had changed drastically from the cold hideout to this, yet worry remained an emotion at the back of his mind.
Sasuke's eyes widened a fraction when his feet finally stopped their journey at the end of the pier. He remembered the determination that fueled him all those years ago and the satisfaction he felt after the first time he saw the fireball soar through the sky. For reasons unknown, he crouched down and got to his hands and knees, crawling until he reached the very edge of the pier.
Peering into the clear lake water, Sasuke was surprised to learn that his eyes and body were... normal. No vicious wounds plagued his toned body. No excruciating pain tormented the skin of his back. No blood dripped into the clear water below. Sasuke brought his left hand up to touch where the purple Rinnegan used to be. The last of his clan paused once more, noticing something else that perplexed him. He removed his left arm from its position and curiously stared at. No longer was it covered in bandages. It was his own flesh and blood.
"Am I... dreaming?"
Another figure cast a shadow over the crouching male's form. It was himself, only a few years younger.
"You did it again," the younger Sasuke said, disappointment filling his low baritone.
"Hm?" the elder male breathed.
The teenaged Sasuke crouched next to his counterpart and pushed on the back of the other's head so that he peered downward.
The older Sasuke's breathing hitched when his head was forced to face the clear lake water. As the man's onyx orbs stared at the reflection, his younger self's words met his ears.
"You failed again! You're nothing but a failure. That's all you ever will be. You try so hard, yet every time, you still continue to screw up. You can't help anyone. Hn... you can't even help yourself..."
Sasuke's eyes widened in horror at the other's words. Then the clear water changed, showing a scenario. It pictured his comrades being defeated, dying at the enemy's hands. The shinobi from Suna and Konoha, Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura... all of them were gone.
Unbeknownst to Sasuke, as he was caught up in the trance caused by the vision, the lake's edge began to take on a blackish hue.
"You failed again! You can't help anyone! You're nothing but a failure!"
"A FAILURE!"
With a start, Sasuke's mismatched eyes opened. He was in such immense pain. His body ached desperately for relief. He could hardly move it hurt so much. A groan escaped the man's lips. The Uchiha thought he sounded like a wounded animal, but he didn't care much at this point. The tiny sliver of hope Sasuke still held deep within himself started to fizzle out. He could practically visualize it disappearing, until...
A touch, soft and comforting.
The Uchiha was shaken out of his darkened thoughts by the hand that'd placed itself on the side of his face. Sasuke's eyes widened, mouth gaping.
"S-Sakura?"
"Oh my goodness," the woman breathed, shock evident in her tone. "You're still alive." A single tear slid down Sakura's cheek and she removed her warm hand from Sasuke's face.
"W-What are you... d-doing here?" he questioned weakly.
"I'm not leaving you," the woman stated plainly as she started to examine the chain holding Sasuke in place.
The Uchiha felt that vanishing spark of hope ignite once more. He stared at the medic while she picked the chain up, fingering the crack he'd made in the hardened chakra earlier. "Is that my cloak?" he asked when he saw the long black material covering the girl's back.
"Huh? Oh!" Sakura's cheeks reddened at the sudden inquiry. "It was cold so... I couldn't carry all of your stuff in my hands!" she shot back in defense. She immediately removed his cloak and any other materials on her character that belonged to the Uchiha.
"Hn," he managed a weak smirk, "annoying."
She couldn't hold back a small smile when she shifted her attention back onto the chakra chains. Sakura picked them up and pulled, testing their durability. She raised an eyebrow. Not even the cracked area broke anymore. "Kurushimi must be attempting to focus more of his chakra into these chains. No matter how strong they are, they're not gonna hold as long as I have anything to do with it."
Sasuke watched mindlessly as the kunoichi worked to free him of his confinements. She used her superhuman strength to try and break the strong hold for a few minutes. Finally, Sakura got to her feet, never letting go of the chain, and pulled as hard as she possibly could, perspiration building on her forehead. He watched in astonishment as the chakra chain that plagued him, the chain he'd barely managed to make a crack in, was severed by this woman. Sasuke reminisced back to the days when she depended on him and Naruto for help most of the time, and now here she was. Sakura had grown so much from when they were twelve until now, and that single thought alone filled Sasuke with pride.
Sakura immediately wiped the sweat from her brow and got to her knees, grabbing the fallen Uchiha's body and pulling him up for a hug. Her hands grazed over his back muscles and her head went to the man's shoulder. Feeling blood, Sakura opened her eyes and peered downward to examine the damage done to the Uchiha's back. Emerald orbs narrowed as they landed on peculiar black markings imprinted on his skin. "That must be what-"
"S-Sakura!" Sasuke shouted in order to earn the woman's attention.
She quickly leaned back from the man in order to see the disturbance.
Sasuke placed a shaky hand on the Haruno's shoulder, breathing heavily. "T-Too tight," he breathed, a smirk coming to play on his bruised features.
A relieved laugh left Sakura's mouth before she gently cupped the man's cheek, placing the other on his chest and sending healing chakra flowing through his body.
Sasuke released a sigh of relief when he felt the cleansing sensation of her chakra course through him. "Thank you Sakura," he half-whispered. The Uchiha felt very weak and his whole body ached. While Sakura proceeded to treat one of the worst wounds, located on the male's shoulder, Sasuke's mind wandered. His strange dream after blacking out perplexed but also haunted him.
"You can't even help yourself. You're just a failure. All you ever do is screw up."
Those words weighed on Sasuke's conscience more than anything else at that moment. The more he thought about them, the more he thought that the younger version of himself in the dream was right. He'd gotten himself into this situation. It was not anyone else's fault, only his own.
Sakura shifted her position so that she could reach Sasuke's back. She paused before making contact with his skin, afraid of what might occur. She remembered seeing the black marks earlier and the fear entering her troubled mind. "If that's really what-"
"Where?"
"Huh?" Sakura recoiled as Sasuke grabbed onto her other shoulder with his free hand in order to steady himself when he removed his right hand from the medic's other shoulder, instead placing it on her cheek.
"When?" he asked, his thumb gently tracing over a cut on her lip. Sasuke studied the rest of her body and noticed some more cuts and bruises that hadn't been there the last time they'd been together.
"Oh..." Sakura said while blushing. "I ran into Kenshi not too long ago. Wasn't very pretty," she finished with a small grin.
Sasuke flinched at the mention of the master swordsman. He was even more shocked to hear that Sakura had fought the man. He knew she was fully capable of facing off against Kenshi, but to come out of it with only a few minor injuries? "Sakura-"
"I was beginning to wonder if you would ever show up."
Sakura protectively placed an arm in front of Sasuke at the sound of the man's voice.
"Sasuke was very concerned for you during your absence," Kurushimi mocked, hands causally placed behind his back.
"Are you sure you want to fight me by yourself?" the kunoichi retorted, ignoring his last comment.
"Well, I'm sure I could thoroughly crush you by myself, but the more the merrier," he responded. Just as he finished, Kenshi flashed into view beside the deranged male.
Sasuke gritted his teeth in fury at the two men standing on the other side of the cave. To his satisfaction, he saw some fresh wounds on the swordsman's body. The most notable was a wound somewhere on the male's head, small streaks of dried blood lining the side of his face. Although Sasuke was elated to see Sakura hold her own against these formidable foes, he became worried. The Uchiha silently cursed his own condition. He couldn't even stand, much less assist Sakura in a fight against Kenshi and Kurushimi right now.
The expression of delight upon Kurushimi's face slowly morphed into one of confusion as a rumbling noise filled the area, increasingly becoming louder. All heads turned to point at the other side of the cave, where a massive rock wall closed the room off from the rest of the cave system.
Sasuke peered at Sakura from the corner of his eye and was surprised to notice that instead of her body tensing up, she was becoming more relaxed, almost relieved.
Kurushimi clenched his fists as the cave shook. "Not already," he muttered angrily.
Suddenly, a force connected with the hard rock of the cave wall, a deafening bang sounding throughout the area. The dust and rubble shot through the new entranceway, quickly clearing.
"Naruto!" Sakura announced gleefully.
The Uzumaki stood hunched over, a look of determination resting on his whiskered face. "Looks like we made it to the party just in time!" he shouted as the blue ball of chakra faded away from his outstretched hand.
Author's Note: It's been over a year, I know. I didn't want to write something while I wasn't feeling what I was writing though. I really do want to finish this story and I'm really close to doing so as well. Hopefully it will only be a short wait this time and I can finish this story before long. Hope you enjoyed! Please review! Thanks for the support!