Author's Note:

So I know that part at the end of last chapter was suppose to be this chapter, but I didn't realize how long of Chapters they were. So I decided to make it two parts. The next chapter should be up a couple of days, hopefully. It's already writtten I just need to proof-read it. Still hope you like it.

Chap 20-- Trust

I'm so alone, empty and lost, it's easier to let you goTime will erode the shame and the fault, it's easier to let you go

-Flashback--

Naruto stood in front of Sasuke's tent with fisted hands. Even though the flap was down and blocked the man from his view, he still gazed at it with such intensity it was if he could see straight through. His need to know what Sasuke was thinking was driving him over the edge of sanity. Anger and rage were quick emotions to take flight as they always did. Maybe it was a sign that he was still immature but he didn't care. Rage was an easier emotion to deal with instead of guilt or rejection.

But he knew himself better then that. It was the kyuubi inside of him causing his temper to over exaggerate. A hand laid upon his stomach. He remembered briefly how Sasuke had entered his mind back at Orochimaru's hide out. He remembered how the kyuubi had been suppressed by Sasuke's power. And that was a comforting thought. Whenever Sasuke was in his presence, the kyuubi stopped talking and only growled with annoyance.

It was just another reason why Naruto wanted to be around Sasuke more and more.

A small smirk pecked at his lips and Naruto took a step in. He rested on his knees in front of the expressionless form and analyzed him, searching for any information, any emotion to leak across his features. But Sasuke was impassive as ever staring at the flame beside him.

"Did-" Naruto cut himself off, swallowing the insulting question down in his throat. What a horrible friend he made. Accusing Sasuke for getting caught for a reason. Sasuke was a better friend then that. He switched the topic in his head, "Do you know of Akatsuki's hideout?"

Sasuke's eyes snapped to his quickly, "What do you know?"

"Nothing really. They took Gaara there and we got him back."

Sasuke's sudden attention dwindled and sight went back to the candle. "To the hands. I know of that one already."

"That one?"

"There are multiple hide outs for Akatsuki." He responded distantly.

"Have you found him?"

Sasuke's black gaze rolled to him, "Does it look like it?"

"I meant…at all? We fought him once before. Not him really but a copy."

Sasuke remembered that slight detail from Sakura when he had fought her inside his dou-jutsu world. "You faced nothing then."

"We beat him pretty easily. I can't imagine him being that strong."

Sasuke turned his sight to the candle, "That was one-tenth of his power."

Naruto stiffened harshly, his eyes narrowing. "One-tenth?" A simple nod was his answer. "And you think you can beat him?"

"I will kill him."

Naruto didn't continue on his current path. Upsetting Sasuke would only make talking to him harder and it was pretty impossible as is already. He sighed heavily, placing his chin in his hand and pouted as he thought. He heard Sasuke sigh through his nose and looked up finding his black gaze on him.

"Nani."

Naruto pondered the answer for a moment. "It's Sakura-chan. She acting weird."

"Hn."

"I can't stand it. What does she see in Kiba anyway? It's so gross. The way he's so in love with his damned dog. I bet if he had to choose, he'd pick Akamaru over every girl." Sasuke snorted which made Naruto smile instantly in a laugh. "He would, I'm telling you! They're always together. Makes me sick. Why would she like someone like that? He is so not her type." Naruto stretched out, straightening out his legs and leaning back on his hands watching Sasuke stare at the fire before him. He moved his blue eyes to the flame trying to figure out what was so great about it. "Oi, Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"Akatsuki. They're collecting the bijuus right?"

"Hai."

"I know they're after me."

"Hai."

"They'll extract it, right? They'll take this kyuubi out of me? I don't think I'll mind that."

Sasuke flicked his eyes over to the blond who was now staring at the flame as he had been doing. "You'll die."

"Maybe."

"You will."

"Maybe."

Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but his eyes widened drastically and he shut his lips. He looked down at the flame telling the hours by the disapaited wax. Three hours plus the nine it took to get out of Suna and make it here. Oto a whole day away. It was impossible for them to have made it here so quick. Yet he felt it again. The power of his chokuto.

Escape. Now was the time. He glanced to Naruto, the man noticed nothing of his sudden silence. He grit his teeth aggravation boiling in his skin because he was suddenly having second thoughts. His mission could still be completed. All he had to do was stay here with his Konoha wards and ignore the call.

He had been stupid. He had used his chakra to signal to Oto his desire to be 'rescued'. If he had just waited it out…

What was he thinking? There was no choice in this matter.

With a vengeance and a sick hatred for himself, for Naruto, for Sakura; he opened the locked doors to his chakra reserve and let it pour from his eyes. Pain ripped in every part of him and he concentrated on Naruto to somehow ignore the blinding agony that suffocated his heart. He felt the strength of his power expand, encompassing the whole camp and time itself slowed. Naruto's breathing become almost non-existant, the flickering candle had nearly stopped wavering completely inside the bubble that he created.

The tent was ripped away and a smirking female was revealed, "We're here, Sasuke-kun." She hurried around the motionless blond and cut his bonds from his hands. "Want me to kill him?"

"Don't touch him."

"How much time?"

"Ten seconds. To the river." The female jumped to the trees. Sasuke stepped beside Naruto, the man's eyes were moving but by the time his gaze lands on where Sasuke had once been, he would already be with the rest of his team. He fisted his hands and looked straight. Words stopped in his throat and were held tight behind clenched lips. "Hn." He jumped up to quickly follow his partner.

--

When Naruto blinked again, nothing was as it was. His brows knit. He was sitting in the same exact spot and yet everything around him had changed. He stared now at a tree and the candle light was gone, only the drowned sun still poked low through the tree branches. And that's when he heard Neji. "He escaped!"

He blinked harshly looking all around, searching yet clueless on what he was actually searching for.

And then realization came like an exploding volcano.

Naruto snapped to his feet finding his male teammates with their weapons drawn yet wide confusion laid upon their features. "Where is he? How!"

Neji watched distantly with his activated eyes. "They've got them." He ran and instantly the pack followed.

"Who?" Naruto screamed back.

Kiba was the one to respond when he too came out of his stupor and realized just what Neji was talking about, "Hinata. Sakura."

And though disbelief was his first emotion and the only one he wanted to feel, he knew there was no chance for them to be wrong. He felt the familiar rage build up inside of him and the firey power that belonged to the bijuu ran through his veins.

It was instinct that required him to run. He did not think of Sasuke's escape nor of anything that related to the Uchiha in any way. All that mattered was that his friends were in danger and he had to rescue them.

But upon crashing through the woods and coming to that abrupt halt at the edge of the river, seeing his female teammates detained by the group surrounding Sasuke; rejection was a quick feeling to overcome him. Sasuke had chosen Orochimaru again. And with his friends in harm's way, there was no way to battle the Uchiha heir. No way to win.

Forfeit never felt so dreadful before.

His mind collapsed. All he could do was beg Sasuke to fight him, to come after him. Because there was a bond between them still. Despite what Sasuke says and does, there is a bond between them. To fight him one on one would prove that. So he screamed across the way, "Fight me!"

Sasuke looked on with impassiveness. It was never so infuriating. To act as if he didn't care was more of an insult than anything. They had been talking like two friends just a moment ago and somehow here they were, enemies again.

And he went back to that time so long ago to the Battle at the End. The aftermath had left him alone and miserable and filled with such guilt it would have consumed him if Jiraya had not taken him under his wing.

Those feelings were returning so quickly and so harshly he was left numb and empty. A hand reached out, keeping Neji still. He would not allow any one to sacrifice their life for Sasuke. No one was allowed to but him.

And Sasuke was gone. Just like that. As if he had never been there. But the hole that had been filled with his presence was now empty again. Either the wound of Sasuke's leave was cut open again or it was somehow deeper and bigger with his departure this time around. It didn't matter. The agony was still gut-wrenching.

--End

--

Sakura's gaze was to the north, following the stream, hopelessly looking for any sign of him even though she knew he was long gone by now. A begging chant repeated in her head to go after him but it only reminded her so much of when she was younger. She had been unable to reach him then. And three years later, she was just as incapable.

Tears had not come. She had not begged him. She had said nothing and looked on with waterless eyes. She had done nothing as he had left. His gaze had not touched hers. He had ignored her as she had ignored him.

His departure was different this time around. It wasn't so final.

Sakura's spine was straight. Her fists were unclenched. A decision had been made within her and it was a decision she would not allow any one to hear.

Her gaze came back to the present, finding everyone still standing on the river's edge. Neji had his bloodline pushed to the limit and his body shook with the strain. She could only assume that Sasuke was reaching the end of Neji's hundred meter sight. Which was incredible in and of itself. Only a few minutes had past and to travel such distance was an amazing feat.

His escape was an amazing feat.

"How?" She got out, her sight touching everyone but no one seemed to react to her. "How did he escape?"

A few eyes lifted and directed to Neji. But it was Shikamaru who voiced. He stood with his gaze to the ground, staring in the fathom abyss. Choji was standing in front of him, pleading silently with desperation in his gaze and Temari was on Shikamaru's side, looking on with sympathy. "He.." He began and everyone's attention went to him hoping for the explanation of what had happened. "He stopped time." Shikamaru got out.

"Nani?" Sakura whispered bewildered.

Shikamaru lifted his gaze and connected it with her own. "He stopped time."

"How?"

Shikamaru's dot eyes darted to Neji and then lowered to the floor. His response was a simple shrug.

Sakura fastened to Neji standing in front of him but she knew his sight was too far away to notice her. "How did he do it?"

Sweat rolled down his temple and his body convulsed. Lee was beside him with a hand on his shoulder keeping him steady so he didn't collapse. But he continued to watch even though he could no longer see. He searched the edge of his range but they were already gone. With shaking breath he forced out, "The same way he avoided those arrows. He manipulated a massive amount of chakra and expelled it through his eyes. He does not stop time. He slows it."

"Slows it?"

Neji swallowed, the strain was becoming too much to bare but he didn't want to stop watching. He couldn't. But the hand on his shoulder was warning him. Telling him to come back. Lee was right and despite his desire to stay where his sight was he pulled back slowly, regrettably.

He fell to his knees, Lee falling with him, supporting him like a pathetic weak child. But he could not shake away from him. He needed his friend more then he wanted to. TenTen was in the hands of the enemy. Nothing worse could happen to him now. Death wasn't even as frightening. Neji felt the world spin, his body going numb as his heart beat sped at fatal felocity. His constant use of chakra had damaged his vital organs. Yet he could not care.

Sakura knelled before him, her green chakra pushing into his chest pulling him back from unconsciousness and death's door. "Neji," She whispered, slowly easing her hands away. Her eyes knit with sadness. She felt the blinding guilt now as she watch him pant with overexertion. If she had told anyone that Sasuke was planning to escape, they could have somehow done something different and maybe, just maybe Ino and TenTen wouldn't be in terrible danger. She hadn't thought this would have happened. She thought he would just leave and she would go with him and that would be that.

Bitterly she thought she was nothing but a child still.

Sakura stood on shaking legs. She had failed everything. She had gone against her teachings, she had gone against her own righteous thoughts. The nights she spend training herself to not give in to her feelings had been for naught.

People were moving, heading back to camp but she just stood there facing north, wondering when had she given in to him again. When had she become a child again?

Naruto stood still, his hand resting upon his heart gripping it with such intensity his knuckles were white. Hinata had tried to speak with him but he gave no answer and Kiba and Shino led her away, helping her walk. Sakura's quick assessment was her ribs were probably broken from being stepped on but she did not go after her. She needed to speak with Naruto more then anything.

When they were finally alone she took a step forward. "Naruto--"

"We failed, Sakura." He whispered. His blue eyes lifted. "Do you think Kabuto was right? Do you think we don't know the real Sasuke?"

The sadness, the dejection that shined so brightly in Naruto's gaze was enough to break her heart. "I don't know."

"I thought we were getting to him. I thought we were saving him. Why did he go away again?"

"I don't know."

"He talked to me. Like we use to talk. He made fun of me, I made fun of him. It was just like before. I know he's in there. I can feel it. When I look at him, I know he's in there. I know it's Orchomaru that has control over him still. I know it's his damn curse that makes him so angry. Because he's like me. Powers were given to him that he doesn't want. He's alone where he is, so why won't he let me help him?"

A tear fell down her cheek and she rubbed it away. "I don't know, Naruto."

He snapped his red eyes up, "Well someone has to fucking know." She took a step forward but stopped when he stepped back. "Don't, Sakura. This bijuu is talking."

"He can't help you with this, Naruto. Whatever he says, he can't help you."

"Who can?"

"I can."

"You don't care."

"Nani?"

"You're in love with Kiba now. What am I anymore."

"Naruto."

A flash of blue ripped through his eyes, "Gomen, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean it. I'm…I just don't know anything anymore."

"You're my best friend, Naruto. You know that."

He smiled with a fake pleasantness that made her want to punch him. "I know. I'm just feeling sorry for myself. I'll get over it. It's gonna be a hell of a trip telling this to obaa-chan." He laughed forcibly.

"Naruto…"

"Man how many mission have we failed." He contemplated the answer, counting off in his head ignoring the piercing gaze Sakura had. "43? Think she'll give us guard duty? Man I hate guard duty."

"Yamatte." Sakura whispered, clenching her fists tight, staring at the ground and trying to pull back her tears.

"Haven't had guard duty in a long ass time though."

"Onegai, Naruto-kun. Yamatte."

"I remember this one time where me and Shikamaru had guard duty and he found a lookout into the hot spring--"

"Naruto! I'm trying to talk to you!" His eyes were wide on her. "It's okay to feel bad for more then just a minute. Sasuke just left us again. I can't get over that as fast as you. So talk to me about this."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"How are we going to get Ino and TenTen back?"

"He'll leave them somewhere."

"You really think so?"

His brows knit as if he had just been insulted, "He won't hurt them Sakura-chan."

"Are you so sure? You just said we can't risk going after him. He might hurt them."

"Sakura-chan, it's Sasuke. He won't hurt anybody."

"Have you forgotten he stabbed you!"

"Of course I haven't forgotten. But that's me. He knows me. He won't hurt them."

"And we're just letting him go. After all this time, we're just letting him go? Just like that?"

"We'll regroup and try again."

"The Hokage won't give us another chance. We need to go after him."

"What do you care anyway? You're with Kiba now."

"Stop bringing that up. Sasuke is my teammate too."

"Is that why you tried to let him escape before?"

"You don't understand."

"I understand fine. You want him to go away so you can be with Kiba. Well congratulations, you got wish." Naruto ran fast back to the campsite or to wherever leaving her behind.

Her eyes were wide, confused on what just happened between them.

--

It was too late in the evening to move. Either way they were too physically and mentally exhausted to leave even if they wanted to. And some were more reluctant then others, just incase TenTen and Ino somehow escaped, they wanted to be here.

The team that was suppose to meet them had probably met a quick end from those three ninjas that had managed to help Sasuke. The distant idea that maybe those three were Sasuke's new 'teammates' stung Naruto too deeply. Why would Sasuke surround himself with murderers? Orochimaru was bad enough. Sasuke had chosen Orchimaru for a reason but why had he chosen those three? They didn't seem so special. Naruto himself was just about as good as any one of them.

He blinked adjusting his eyesight to the present to stare up into the eyes of Neji. "Nani?" He cleared his throat uneasily.

Neji's fists were tightened staring down at the blond. He didn't care that several eyes were on him. He was passed that at the moment. "You know as well as I do that your decision is wrong."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't."

"If it was your teammate--"

Naruto snapped to his feet. "It is my teammate."

"If it was Sakura-san, you wouldn't leave her behind."

"I'd have no choice."

"You're lying. I can see differently with these eyes."

Naruto dropped his gaze, fisting his hands at his side.

"He's right." Shikamaru added in. "You wouldn't."

"It's an order. So obey it." He stalked off saying nothing else. But once he was far enough away his back hit a tree and he slid to the ground.

They blamed him and hated him yet they understood nothing. He was the one that knew Sasuke best. They could never imagine the type of friendship he shared with the Uchiha heir.

Sasuke wasn't out to kill, he wasn't out to hurt. He was out for revenge and nothing else. The only blood he will have on his hands would be his brother's. There was nothing to worry about.

--

Sasuke's hand fastened on his shoulder and a painful groan almost passed through his lips but he kept them tightly closed. Karin gave him a worried glance, she could probably sense his depleting chakra but she knew better then to say anything. He quickly lowered his hand so no one else would take notice.

He had used too much chakra and worse yet, it was chakra he didn't have to spend. The curses that covered his skin had weakened enough for him to perform the smallest form of jutsu but being locked in a draining cell for the past two weeks had taken most of his life force. The only chakra left was what he held in reserve but even that now was completely empty. If any past enemies showed up at the moment he no doubt would not survive it. Hell, even if Suigetsu wanted to usurp leadership he could accomplish it at the moment.

"Damn ama!" Suigetsu growled stopping on a tree branch only to fling Ino over his shoulder, watching her drop the thirty foot fall and land on her back with a sharp yelp.

"Suigetsu." Sasuke chastised from the tree branch in front of him.

The grey eyes lifted to him, "She's been incessantly talking for the passed hour, it's driving me mad." The man hollered.

Sasuke moved his black eyes to TenTen who stood calmly next to Jugo staring down at Ino with a smirk on her lips. She seemed to enjoy Ino's pain but her smile wasn't because of the female, he quickly realized. Her ropes were about to come undone. With aggravation Sasuke rematerialized right in front of her, invading her personal space enough to make her take a step back frightened. TenTen sighed and held out her hands for him to retie the knot which he didn't do. She glared at him but he showed no threat staring at her. "We're stopping. Tie them to a tree."

"But we're only an hour from a cave." Suigetsu whined.

"Then go if you must. But we are stopping here."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever." Jugo and TenTen jumped from the tree and Suigetsu, cursing followed after.

"Karin."

"Hai, Sasuke-kun." She replied sweetly jumping to his tree branch and bit her lip with a seductive smirk on her lips, "Black suits you, Sasuke-kun."

He ignored her attitude as he always did. "Are they following?"

"Iie. Haven't felt anyone."

"Good. Keep watch."

"You can trust me, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke dropped from the branch as Suigetsu roughly threw the two women to the trees hollering. Annoyance was a quick feeling but one he had to ignore. His black eyes moved to the beast staring patiently at him for some instruction it would seem. "Jugo. You can remove these curses?"

"Hai, Sasuke-sama."

"Karin. My clothes." The woman hurried into her bag and handed them to him with a blush. "Set up camp." He ordered. Her little mumblings could still be heard as she walked to the clearing a few feet ahead. His black eyes moved to the sword's man, laughing and growling at the unresponsive blonde as he touched her cheek or played with her hair. "Suigetsu. My sword." With a glare of annoyance, Suigetsu pulled if from inside his scabbard and tossed it to Sasuke, kneeling back down in front of Ino. "Get food and firewood."

A sharp bare of his shark teeth. Sasuke slowly, threateningly, extracted his chokuto, looking to his blade before glancing to Suigetsu. The man's hand fastened on his own hilt, ready to pull it.

"Suigetsu." Karin called from far off, "I need your help damn it, stop flirting with that girl! She's half your damn age for kami's sake!"

His knit enraged eyes glared off in her general direction before glancing back to Sasuke. A tight silence between them before his hand fell. "Hai hai hai." He grumbled.

Sasuke watched the man slaunder off before slipping his blade back inside its cover. His hand encompassed it a moment longer, reluctant to release his weapon. Softly he set it on the ground before him to remove the upper portion of his kimono, barring his cursed covered skin to the open air. He looked down upon himself, disgusted of the ordeal he put his body through just for simple information. He couldn't imagine how much weaker he had gotten or how badly these curses had effected his chakra. He could feel his inner well unbalanced and totally screwed. He grit his teeth. To know that all of that torture had been for absolutely nothing!

Sasuke laid upon his stomach, his gaze to the two women tired uncomfortably against the tree. His brows knit with aggravation upon seeing bleeding and swelling cuts upon their skin. Either Suigetsu had wrapped them too tight, or they were struggling needlessly. Both cases angered him.

Their eyes had been on him. Wide in their shock of his defiled skin covered in black scriptures. But upon him catching their gaze they now hung their head soundless.

"Ready, Sasuke-sama?"

"Hai." Jugo's gigantic hand rested upon his back and with a quick tighten of muscle, the shock wave shoved itself inside his body ripping into his archive of his pores. The pain, however unbearable and gruesome, was barely felt as he stared out at nothing.

His thoughts returned to Naruto and Sakura and the brief battle that required his harsh exit from their world. It hadn't been betrayal that he had read on either of their faces. That was an emotion he had expected and been ready for. Naruto still had a bit of that feeling but there was another. Understanding. They both let him go with understanding.

His hands fisted at his side. Any onlooker would think that it was pain making him do so which was fine. No one need to know his thoughts.

Sasuke closed his eyes, berating himself for ever returning. For ever giving them closure. He'd much rather them pine and mope about his departure. Let them wallow in their self pity and self doubt. That way, with time, hate would manifest and no longer would they desire his return.

But understanding him? As if giving him their permission to leave again? As if they were any type of friend to him? Understanding him, because in their minds, one day he would come back.

Kami, no matter what he does they just can't let go of him! It was the biggest frustration next to not finding his monstrous brother. Years they chase after him, years they hope and pray for his return. Why? They were not his family, they mean nothing! So why!

Because of love? Because of that pathetic and grotesque emotion? That had no meaning to him and it never would. For them to ever think that it did is ridiculous and insulting.

Love. He will teach them just what love means. He will find Itachi, a brother he had loved with his entire still beating heart and he will murder him in cold blood and teach them just what love is to him.

--

AGain, I know that last bit from last chapter was suppose to be this chapter but i didn't realize how long the chapter was.

Next Chapter will be out in a couple of days so be ready for it :)