To Robert S. -- Yes, they will be, but it won't be for five to ten chapters. And just to warn you, I don't know much about them so if they are out of character, I apologize.

Author's Note: Warning!! NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE RATED M FOR MATURE AUDIENCES!

Next Chapter

Next Chapter!

Okay, here you go, I hope you like this one, it's a bit violent so Gomen!

-- Chapter 9- Shattered By the Sun

--Now a lifetime decision. What will the future hold? One time I believed my eyes. This time they lied. I felt you slip away. A feeling under my skin. I tried again and again. I did not save you this time. Holding on to something that I once believed in. Will time show me if it was really meant to be? Show me what this really means to you. Fall even though I showed you everything I stood for. I hate everything without you.--

--9--

Naruto and Sakura took the longer way to the front gate where everyone was meeting. He glanced over to her; her eyes were lowered to the floor, her emotions unreadable for the first time in a long while. Which only meant she was thinking about Sasuke. His hand unconsciously rose to his heart where he held the shirt in a painful grasp. Why wouldn't this damn ache go away? It's been four days, the Hokage had told him he was ninety percent better, but then why did it continue to bother him? Guess he should expect nothing else from Sasuke.

"Naruto?" Sakura voice trampled on his thoughts and his blue eyes fled to her. She refused to look at him, determination residing on lips. "What happened at the Valley of the End?"

His brows knit and his gaze dropped to the ground. The battle flashed so quickly and so suddenly in his mind, his footsteps caught in mid-step. Sasuke's voice echoed in his head, 'It's too late, Naruto!'

"Naruto-" Naruto eyes widened swinging his gaze back to her.

Her green eyes brought him back to the present and he stepped up beside her as they continued their walk. "Why do you want to know, Sakura-chan?"

She glanced away, sorry that she was causing him to remember something that must have been one of the worst moments in his life. But her thoughts were begging her, forcing her to continue. "He left you alive." She whispered, her fingers rising to her lips.

Her words were a replica of his own thoughts. The only fact that helped him to sleep at night. "He thought I was dead." Naruto's eyes squeezed shut as Sasuke's voice came back to him, 'I merely spared your life on a whim.' Naruto stopped himself from remembering more, the sound of metallic slashed across his mind.

Her emerald eyes were on him, pleadingly almost for it not to be true. "Do you really think that?" But even as she questioned, she asked herself why she bothered? She knew the difference in Sasuke; she knew he was no longer the man they searched for. But she needed Naruto's optimistic attitude, or else she would turn away right now and give up.

He shrugged, "Sometimes."

"Other times…?"

Naruto stiffened, and it was silent for a moment as he stared at the ground. Thoughts piled in his head, the same thoughts that haunted him when he was alone, and the same thoughts that also helped him to sleep at night. "He left me alive, to save him." He whispered with a strengthening smile and he straightened his spine with that convection. "He was scared, Sakura-chan." His eyes were bright as they glanced at her. " Just as I was."

And though that was something she wanted to hear, the realist in her would not allow happiness to fill her. "It was a long time ago. Naruto." He nodded, his hand slowly lowering to swing lazily at his side. He stared at the floor watching his steps and listening to hers. It was odd how much time had truly past. This mission was going to bring back so many memories, not all of them so unpleasant, only the freshest ones. The memory of fighting against Sasuke at the Final Valley. The battle where Sasuke had won against him, and chose to walk away. He wondered briefly if he had not been so careless, if he had instead forced his attention on the battle at hand then scratching Sasuke's forehead, he might have won, and brought the man back to the village he belonged in. "What he said when we met him. On a whim…Maybe he was telling the truth. He's changed..." Sakura's voice echoed through his thoughts but it was ignored. Sasuke was still there, no matter the front he was putting on, the Sasuke they loved was only hiding inside a man that was too bent on revenge.

"What he needs is us, Sakura-chan. He's been alone too long."

"That's not it--"

"Sakura-chan." Naruto stopped, shifting his body to look down at her. He smiled reassuringly, "He needs us." She couldn't say anything to respond to that. The group that was waiting for them called their names impatiently. She watched him move away, going toward them. She held herself unconsciously, desperately hoping he was right.

PAST

It was too freaking quiet, too troublesome, too annoying, and completely not his fault.

The eight boys followed behind the females that jumped in front, keeping a good distance from them. A constant reminder that they were not in a good mood as they glanced at Naruto for the twenty fifth time since their journey started almost three days ago. His wounds were still healing, the puffiness around his face had gone down but the purple and bluish tint still shined in certain light.

Separated and not even given the chance to speak; the females seemed to be unwilling to give up this punishment. How much longer they could keep it up no one wanted to question in case that spurred another vicious attack. The girls spoke only amongst themselves, even creating an entirely different campsite at night. It was ridiculous how they were going on.

But they were cracking. Well two of them were any way. Hinata would sneak glances in their directions, and when Akamaru came over he was no longer shooed away. Kiba had rubbed this in their faces. It was apparently how he normally always breaks Hinata's silent treatment.

And TenTen, when it was needed, she would say a word or two to Neji which was much more then Sakura and Ino were giving to anyone else. But that didn't lessen Neji's annoyance any.

Sasuke was beyond relieved when the village lights came into view. It was a bit after sunset and though he thought about waiting to visit the man in the morning since they were all so tired from the non-stop brutal pace he put them through, he decided against it. He didn't want everyone to go. He knew if that man made one idiotic comment about his teammates and their non-pure status, he was going to get in a load of trouble with the Hokage. Punching the man in the face over and over in his mind played which made him smirk.

Though many were against it, especially Naruto, it was still an order and they had to obey. He cast a glance over to Sakura who didn't say a single thing but the look in her eyes betrayed her. She swiftly turned away childishly crossing her arms and directing the rest of the girls to a different campsite location. He rolled his eyes, stomping away, in the opposite direction. She was so damn annoying sometimes it was sickening. She needed to get over whatever the hell was bothering her. All of them did.

Sasuke entered the building, holding up his paper to the guard. The candles that hung on the walls lit the path that he had not taken before. He narrowed his eyes when he realized they were going to an entirely different location. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, gripping a small knife in his left, alert to anything that might attack. He however didn't sense the man that snuck up behind him.

--

Naruto paced next to the fire, his deer leg on-a-stick in hand but barely touched. The group of males watched him, getting nervous just by his actions. "It's been an hour. He should be back by now."

Neji dropped his stick in the fire. "I will go see."

"We should all go!" Naruto snapped.

"He left me in charge. I will go see."

Naruto glared after the man that disappeared down the cliff. He continued his pacing, now including a rant. "We shouldn't separate. That guy is insane, we should all stick together, they can't take us all, but--"

"It's Sasuke." Shikamaru reminded from his laid out position watching the light clouds roll by. "Besides. He's an ass, he's not stupid. Killing us wouldn't do his sato any good." He yawned tiredly.

--

Sakura sighed squeezing the water from her pink short hair. She noticed TenTen's gaze and followed it to the sky. "Almost a full moon, huh?" the woman nodded and climbed out of the warm water and grasped her towel. "Man, we've been gone forever. Must be about two hours." Sakura quickly dried herself and put her clothes on. She glanced at Hinata. "Could you tell me if Sasuke's back?" She whispered sheepishly.

Hinata's eyes quickly activated and gazed off into the distance. It was when her back straightened and she took a soft step forward that Sakura's heart skipped a beat.

"Nani." She whispered almost against her desire.

"Something's wrong." She whispered. "Their Chakra readings…" But Sakura didn't care to hear more. With Hinata and TenTen following her, Sakura ran with amazing speed to the campsite. They dropped by their own area first.

"Ino?" Sakura screamed, going inside each tent until finding the female's body. She dropped to her knees beside her and shook heavily and brutally at the woman's shoulders but she wasn't waking. Sakura ran out, going down the short path that led to the boys. Her breath caught in her throat upon catching Naruto's blond hair. She ran to his side, and proceeded to shake him, calling his name, but he made no move to wake.

"Neji's missing." TenTen alerted them, exiting his tent.

"They won't wake." Hinata was knelled beside her two boys past out on the floor and gently patted Akamaru's head.

"What's wrong with them?" Sakura questioned her.

Her activated eyes roamed over their bodies, looking for any sort of clue that might lead to the reasons but she shook her head, not understanding it. "All I can get is that they are unconscious." But her eyes snapped up, looking through the trees. "Their searching for us!" She squealed out.

"We have to find Neji and Sasuke. Let's go to the village." They ran to the edge of the cliff flinging rope over. Sakura's heart pounded in her chest as she looked to the boys one last time, and glanced over to where Ino laid alone. She cursed herself. She should have made Ino go with them and now she was left alone.

They made their way hurriedly down the side of the cliff and within fifteen minutes their feet landed on the floor. She looked over to Hinata, "Did they find us?" She woman shook her head. "Alright, let me think." Her hands shook violently, leaning against the cliff. She hadn't been prepared for this. She didn't do well alone. She needed Naruto and Sasuke to always be with her, to help her figure everything out and protect her.

Guilt was weighing down on them and the three girls looked back up the cliff. Their hearts were torn in indecision. They didn't want to leave them so unprotected and vulnerable. But if the men searching for them were going to kill the sleeping ones, they would have done it already. They had to believe that they weren't in any danger. No, it was Sasuke and Neji that were in danger they knew. The way the Kage had spoken to them the last time they were here, it now stood out in their minds. Those two boys needed them.

"Can you find Neji and Sasuke?" TenTen asked Hinata as they made their way secretly into the village.

Hinata nodded. "But the Raikage is with them. His chakra is nearly enveloping theirs."

Sakura gripped her hands in tight fists. This was her chance to prove to Sasuke that she wasn't a baby. That she did have some strength up her sleeves that deserved his attention. "I'm coming, Sasuke."

--

Sasuke could hear noise somewhere around him. Underneath him, over him, beside him. It vibrated the floor that his body was pressed up against. He groaned in pain. His hand reaching for his shoulder, where his curse seal burned. Voices now where coming to his hearing. He pried apart his lids and found a wall. The vibration of the floor disturbed him, it sounded so confusing. It sounded like a generator turned on high.

He pushed his upper body up with one hand, the other still gripping his pained shoulder. Light was behind him and so was the voice. Sasuke turned but his eyes widened upon the sight of electric bars surrounding him cracking with their power. He caught sight of someone on the other side of his cell. The raikage in his yellow robes with his body length cane that he held tight to his side. Sasuke used the wall to help him stand, leaning close against it as not to get near the bars the vibrated and sizzled.

From his stance, he caught sight of the figure the Raikage was talking to and his eyes widened in shock. He took a step forward needing a closer look.

Neji stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the large needle that hung right above his left eye. His hands were strapped down as were his ankles. How he had gotten here, he hadn't yet figured out. He had only been walking to the Kage's tower and then two ninjas had popped out before him. He could have sworn he had defeated them with little ease but then he had found himself here, with the Raikage standing over him.

"I don't think Hiashi will be too upset if I take one of your precious eyes, do you? That stupid little man, thinking he could get away with his actions. Like I didn't know it wasn't his body that lay before me. No instead, it was your father's." The Kage chuckled ever so lightly. "Humorous, don't you think?" Neji said nothing but tightened his cheek muscles. "I didn't get the secrets then. But I will not fail now." The man reached for the needle and lowered it, and Neji couldn't help but flinch at how close it now was. He felt it with each blink of his eye. He gripped his fists tighter and the Raikage's face was prominent in his other eye. He smiled viciously. "I can see the hatred in those gorgeous eyes of yours."

Sasuke hand reached out, stupidly he knew but he couldn't help it. The attention finally fell on him. Now maybe Neji could figure out a way to get out of that mess. The Raikage chuckled as he stepped over to his cell. "I'd be careful, little Uchiha. Those bars will give you quite a shock. You failed the mission. I have right to take your life." What a bogus statement that was. Sasuke hated this man almost as much as his brother. "I will love to have your eyes. Can you imagine, one Hyuuga eye and one Sharingan, I can rule all Satos in a matter of days."

"My team will be here any minute to kill you." Sasuke bit

"Your team is being taken care of us we speak." Sasuke hand reached out again in anger but the electricity rolled up his spine. He held his burning hand close to his chest. The Kage laughed lightly, "Stupid Uchiha. You are no where near as smart as your brother."

Sasuke stiffened. "What do you know of him?"

A wicked smile was on his old thin lips, "Why, I was the one that told him about the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"Lie!" Sasuke attacked the bars but his body was flung back and hit the wall heavily.

"Hahaha. Stupid Uchiha." The Kage stepped closer, his lightning eyes burned yellow in the shadow of his own reflection. "Your brother is by far a divine being. He had hatred in his heart, something you lack. Doushite? You experienced a massacre by his very hands. And still, despite it all, you still--"

Sasuke panted with his rage, his brother's eye blocking rational thought. That eye so dark and evil and emotionless. The eye that still haunted him nightly. This was the man that caused his whole life to be destroyed. If it hadn't been for him Itachi and he could have been the type of brothers everyone envied. Together they would be the famous Uchiha brothers of the Konoha Police Force, their powers unmatched. And now, he was all that was left of one of the most glorious clans.

The power of the cursed seal was taking over and he didn't mind it. He felt his chakra expand as he stood, the black markings dancing down his arm and leg and coming across his cheek and nose. Despite the tempting whispers, he stopped the power from progressing any further. He gazed out at the old man who was not so cocky anymore and stared with bafflement across his face. Sasuke's marked hand reached out and gripped the electric bar, no longer did it sting, he couldn't even feel it as the electricity past through his body. He grinned maliciously at the fear now present in the Kage's lightning shaped eyes. "The seal…" He stumbled out, taking a weak, trembling step back.

"Sasuke!" The voice. He darted his gaze and saw Sakura standing there with fear in her eyes. His grin fell and the power's evil murmurs were drowned by rational thought. His right hand flew to his shoulder as paralysis began to overtake his legs. He dropped to his knees, a hand keeping him from collapsing but the pain was too horrible to keep quiet. He groaned, panting to ease it.

"Get out of here. Get the others." He remembered saying, how he was capable of speaking he was unsure at the moment. The curse was drowning him, suffocating him and along with the horrible agony of it all, he was losing control.

Sakura's greatest fear was reached as she saw him struggle with the black markings that glowed on his white skin. Her heart raced in desperation to get to him but the lightning eyes of the Raikage were on her. "Anioko," He bit with disgust as he went over to the large window and shoved open the glass. With quick, unreadable seals, lightning flew in and wrapped suddenly around Sakura, electrocuting her. Her screams echoed the bare room but the Kage narrowed his odd gaze when the body popped from existence. "A clone." He aggravatedly stomped out of the room, mumbling to himself about his ninjas that seemed to be lacking off of the job.

TenTen's head peaked from the window sill. She flipped herself inside, running straight to Neji. "Are you alright?" She whispered, shoving the large machine away from his eye.

"Get out of here, before he comes back." Neji demanded quickly, even as she cut the brace to his arm.

"I'm your teammate, remember?" She chided.

"Where is minna?"

"Past out. Gomen, Neji, but I'm your only hope." She gave him a lopsided smile as she ripped the last one from the hold. She ran to the electric bars, searching for an entrance and or a key, anything that would get Sasuke out of there. But she shook her head, her thoughts being disturbed by Neji's weak form on the bed. Her priority was not Sasuke and even as these thoughts nagged at her, she felt guilty, but again, Neji was her teammate, the only one she was worried about. "They'll come for you." She reassured and went back over to Neji. "Can't you stand?"

"Barely. They gave me a drug." He held tight to his head, hiding his seal from her view.

TenTen wrapped an arm around him, his resting on her shoulders as he lowered to his feet. His body heavy with weight, his legs shook under the sudden strain. She wrapped a rope around his waist and helped him over the edge of the window. Neji looked back to Sasuke but the Uchiha just shook his head, telling him to go and the boy disappeared with TenTen.

Sasuke ground his teeth in frustration. Everyone was unconscious, now who the hell will get him out of here? He stared at the floor that was so close to his face. Another defeat, how many more times will this occur? His fist smashed on the ground, his right hand the only limb capable of moving at the moment.

"It's not the ground's fault you're stuck in there." Sasuke snapped his gaze up, and Sakura was beaming down at him with a bright smile. In her hand she was twirling the key.

He knit his brows, "How?"

"I'm pretty smart, you know?" She wasn't about to admit that all of this had been TenTen's plan.

"There you are, you piece of trash." The Kage stepped in the room, four of his soldiers behind him, threateningly. Hinata was upon one of their shoulders and with a point of the Kage's finger, the ninja laid her unconscious form down upon the table. "You think you can win with a simple gen-jutsu? I live everyday in a gen-jutsu." He smirked and slapped the knife Sakura had thrown at him in desperation. "I will never be outdone by an Anioko," Raikage stepped forward and quickly grasped Sakura by the neck, lifting her high in the air. "It didn't work out exactly how I had planned. But now I can take your life without being reprimanded for it. You attacked me. All of you did. No one will testify differently. Besides, I'm doing this world a favor, ridding it of one less anioko."

Sasuke's eyes widened ignorant to the words that were being spoken. Sakura's chocking the only sound that penetrated his hearing. Her feet dangled helpless in the air, her nails clawing at the hand that was killing her.

Sakura could see it, even as the blood was blurring her vision. She turned her green eyes to him, "Sa…suke…" She whimpered in attempt to stop him but she knew it was too late, with the black markings over took his entire form and his purple chakra swirled around him.

Raikage turned his gaze, wide in surprise and yet a smirk appeared now on his cracked lips. He threw the girl away and faced him. "There's that hatred you were missing. The juin jutsu binds it well, but it is there nonetheless. Orochimaru chose well. Huh. That's what I was hoping for." He whispered with anticipation, delight almost that would have confused Sasuke if he wasn't past the point of understanding logical thought.

With just a slight wave of his glowing fist the door to the cell ripped from its hinges, slamming into the Kage's body and smashing through the back wall, allowing the moonlight to now shine through.

Sakura's eyes were wide when she heard the crash to the earth below. Her heart beat wildly in her chest for only a moment wondering if the kage died. But her green eyes snapped to Sasuke. His dark purple chakra ripped the air around him, his hair and clothes swaying. And when he went to move, she could not shut her eyes like she wanted to, only gap in absolute terror and her mind went blank, everything was erased from thought. Her lip trembled, her body quivered. Inner Sakura was begging her to move, to run away far from the evil that resided in the room but her body was unresponsive, her eyes could not even blink. If anything alerted him of her presence she was sure he would mistake her for an enemy and it was that simple thought that kept her prison to the darkness of his power.

He needed no knife, no weapon, to kill all four jouin status ninjas. With bare hands, he ripped limp from body, snapped the necks, broke fingers and legs with ease, and ran fists through various body parts. Blood and bone fragments splattered everywhere and soaked the floorboard creating a small pool that was slowly expanding.

Sakura unconsciously brought her knees to her chest, the blood moving toward her, as if searching for her. Her gaze caught the dead eyes, the head rocking back in forth as it stared at her. The mouth was still agape, fear prominent in his light blue eyes. But it was shortly buried as the head's body finally fell on top of it, and blood flowed freely from the severed veins. Another gut wrenching thud, and then another, legs, arms, feet, hands, disconnected and discolored, the blood building and building, stretching, searching…

And when it was over, her body still could not comprehend that it was. It shook in spasms, her teeth chattered along with her lips, and her gaze unblinking, too afraid to look away, in case the bloody pool created a wave of crimson tide and swallowed her up in the undertow.

Footsteps, squished. With each thump, she twitched violently in her fright. Thump, Thump. Thump.

Sakura screamed turning her head away, eyes squeezed shut in fear, hoping by doing so it would all just fade away, and reality would be hidden behind the beautiful mask of ignorance.

A large thump followed, when Sasuke dropped to his knees in front of her. He panted with mouth agape, body shaking and sweat poured down his temple, mixing with the life blood of the ones that he had massacred.

Sakura peaked open her eye and saw him there so close, and a marked blood soaked hand was reaching for her. "Iie!" She screamed, turning her body to squeeze against the wall, hoping to hide herself in the cement. But after an entire minute, nothing touched her and she could only hear his shaking breath. Sakura willed herself to look again and as she did, she caught his sight. His eyes were as she always knew them to be, empty and blank yet so full of torment it was difficult to stare for long moments. It was him. Thought was brought back to her and her body now was capable of movement, her hand reaching out but not daring to touch him.

The power was fading and the black marks were waving down his white skin, as if teasing Sakura at how close they were to him, a way she will never be. They were locked inside his seal and instantly he fell without any strength to keep himself up. She caught him before he crashed, and she maneuvered him to lie upon his back. Her hands shook and she grimaced for everywhere she touched with wet, still warm, blood. She rested his head in her lap, tears springing to her eyes as she stared down at him. Her fingertips running along his cheek, unconscious tracing the reminisce of the evil black flames. "Oh, Sasuke.." She whispered, tears dripping off the tip of her nose, landing on his cheek, almost as if they were his own.

"Sak…Sakura…" He whispered, his eyes trying to pull apart but unconsciousness was taking over.

"Shh…You're fine now." She consoled, brushing his long bangs out of his face.

His brows knit and his right hand swung to his shoulder, holding it in agony. His body writhed from the pain but Sakura held him tight, hugging him awkwardly, his head still resting on her thighs. The hurt soon subsided and he relaxed again, seemingly asleep. "Sak…Sakura." He whispered weakly again and she leaned down to hear him. "Don't…Don't ever fear me…You never…need…to fear me…" Unconscious took him over.

"Oh, Sasuke…Why won't you let anyone help you with this?" She cried into his chest, hoping he had heard her desperate whisper.

Footsteps and shouts alerted her that they were not safe yet. Sakura was wide eyed in fear and she rubbed the tears from her face with her sleeve, the only part of her that wasn't covered in blood. An unconscious Sasuke and Hinata resided in the room with her, she was in no way strong enough to lift both of them and run to safety at the same time. Sakura got to her feet, her legs drenched in the blood that leaked from Sasuke's disastrous form. She swallowed the bile trying to keep her thoughts away from the four rotting corpses in the center of the room.

"Sakura." TenTen's voice filled her, relief poured over her, thankful a friend in such a deadly scene. "I saw that crash, I knew I had to come back. Come on, we have to hurry." TenTen roughly shook the shoulders of Hinata, calling her name. There was no time to be gentle in these serious situations.

Hinata groaned but her eyes popped open nonetheless as she looked around, "Naruto-kun." She whimpered, searching for him and where she was exactly. "TenTen? Sakura-san?"

"Come on, we don't have time." TenTen took the other bloody arm of Sasuke and together they lifted his unconscious form. "I don't want to know." She whispered to Sakura, her nose scrunching in distaste as blood now smeared across her shirt.

It was difficult but they managed to climb down the opening. Sakura searched far and wide but the Raikage was no where to be found. She looked at the side wall that he had taken out in his fall and the gate to the cell Sasuke had been locked in and wondered briefly if the man was underneath the rubble. Kami, she prayed not.

How many more will Sasuke kill before he realizes he needs help? That distant thought the only one present in her conscious mind.

Sakura and TenTen, with Sasuke unconscious between them, followed behind the bewildered Hinata, the woman still too confused on how she had wound up unconscious. "Where's Neji?" Sakura asked.

"He's waiting by the cliff. His strength hasn't returned yet either. I don't know what we're going to do with the others. How can we hide six unconscious people?"

"I think they're caught in a gen-jutsu. The Raikage mentioned he was really good with those."

"Great." It was a sarcastic reply on her part.

Neji was waiting for them like TenTen had said and though he was weak; he refused help to climb the steep cliff. So between the three girls, they passed off Sasuke bloody form as they climbed one inch at a time. Forty-five minutes it took and when they finally got to the top, they were relieved to see all the members of their team untouched. And surprisingly no other ninjas were around.

"No one?" Questioned Sakura again. She was unsure why the Raikage had ordered them back and how they were all alive still. It just did not make any sense. Lightning and thunder cracked behind and her eyes swung to the village. A massive storm was looming over the town now, swirling as if a tornado would fall at any moment.

"That doesn't look natural." TenTen muttered.

"It's not." Neji replied, his eyes still activated. "It's made of chakra. An incredible amount of chakra."

"Nani? How is that possible?"

"The Trinity came back. They past me on the way down after you had gone back. They knew he wouldn't let us go."

Sakura sighed in great relief. "Thank Kami. Let's get everyone out of here."

Japanese Words:

Anioko-Half-breed--Sato-village--Juin Jutsu-Cursed Seal

Author's Note: Warning!! NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE RATED M FOR MATURE AUDIENCES!

Tell me what you think! Thanks!