I know it's been a while since I put out a drabble but here it is. This one gave me a lot of trouble and it took me forever to come up with an idea. I hope it turned out ok anyway.

Death in a Glance

Sakura surveyed the damage before her, dead bodies littering the forest floor like empty cups after a wild party. These had been some of Konoha's finest shinobi, elite ANBU, every one of them, but they had been defeated nonetheless, the whole squad now still and lifeless. And yet, there was no blood on the ground or on their clothes, no cuts or gashes or even bruises on the bit of skin not covered by painted masks, gloves or vests.

The rest of her team watched her work silently as she went from corpse to corpse, checking for a cause of death, Naruto too shocked by the horror of the scene before him to form words and Kakashi, too smart to think anything he could say would lessen the impact of seeing so many fallen comrades. Sai looked on passively, having become immune to such things after all his years in ROOT, lacking an emotional detachment that even Kakashi did not possess.

Tsunade had sent the four of them to investigate when an ANBU squad reported seeing an unidentified shinobi whom they were having trouble chasing down. Team Seven had finally found the squad nearly a day from the village at the farthest point on their patrol route, only to lay eyes on the carnage that was now before them, although, all four of them could admit that as far as bloodbaths went, this one was probably the least gory ever witnessed.

"This one is just like the rest," the kunoichi said softly, finishing examining another body. "I'll have to do a full autopsy back at the village, but it seems there's no damage to vital organs or blood loss. I can't detect any poisons or other foreign substances in their bodies either."

Naruto seemed perplexed, eyeing the closest body curiously.

"Then what killed them?" he asked, unable to stay silent for too long, even under such circumstances. It simply wasn't in his nature. "I doubt the enemies stared them all to death."

Sakura was too caught up in examining the corpses to even roll her eyes, but Sai surprised them by speaking.

"If the enemy shinobi were proficient with genjutsu, they could have done exactly that."

Sakura and Naruto turned to face the stoic member of their team, a medley of dark clothing and pale skin against the green backdrop of the forest. Kakashi seemed to be lost in thought as he studied the deceased ANBU at his feet.

"Genjutsu?" Sakura mused, diverting her attention back to the corpse's now unmasked face. Its features were unmarred by signs of death and the bodies, though no longer warm, had not yet succumbed to rigor mortis. They had to have died quite recently.

"It would have to be an incredibly powerful jutsu to kill all these people," Sai observed.

"Yeah, what kind of person would have a power like that?" Naruto wondered allowed, staying alert in case the killer was still close by. "They would have to kill by illusion alone not to put any marks on the bodies."

He knew trapping an enemy in an illusion and incapacitating them was one thing, but having the power to kill with just a vision was a whole new level entirely.

Kakashi, who had remained quiet until now, spoke.

"The Sharingan could do it."

All faces turned to him and this time, even Sai looked surprised.

"Even I have no idea of the full capabilities of the Sharingan," the Copy ninja explained, single eye scanning the battlefield. "But I know that an Uchiha with a deep understanding of his own bloodline limit could quite possibly have several jutsu capable of doing this."

"But that would mean…" Sakura began.

"…that it could only be one of two people!" Naruto finished, blue eyes wide as he began to scan the forest as if he expected to find one of the Uchiha lurking behind a tree.

Kakashi held up his hands in a calming gesture.

"Easy there, Naruto. I'm not saying it was an Uchiha, but I do know that whoever did this would have to have abilities on par with the Sharingan if these shinobi did indeed die while trapped in a genjutsu."

Sakura's heart was racing as if it meant to beat its way out of her chest. If the Sharingan was responsible, then that meant that an Uchiha had been standing here in this clearing only a short while ago. She knew it was silly to jump to conclusions, but if it had been Itachi, then he was dangerously close to Konoha and perhaps the search for the Kyuubi was in effect once more, putting Naruto at great risk to be outside the village. If it had been Sasuke…

"Speculating won't do us much good," Kakashi said, breaking off Sakura's thoughts. "The best thing we can do is get these bodies back to Konoha for further examination. We'll learn nothing out here."

Sai nodded wordlessly as Sakura gingerly stood up from where she had been kneeling alongside a body, the two of them beginning the task of shouldering the corpses in preparation to carry them back. They would have to take at least two apiece and the journey home would be long and slow with the additional dead weight, but they could do it. Naruto however seemed reluctant to leave, blue eyes still searching the greenery around them.

"Come on Naruto," Sakura prodded gently, understanding his hesitancy as she slung another lifeless body over her back. "It probably wasn't him. What would he be doing way out here anyway?"

The blond opened his mouth to speak but it wasn't his voice that filled the clearing.

"I could ask you the same thing, Sakura."

Four figures whirled around to find the speaker, emerging casually from the trees as if the sight of so many dead bodies was of little consequence.

Sakura gasped sharply as the pale figure emerged from the trees, white yukata falling open to reveal milky skin stretched over sculpted muscle, the familiar purple obi tied around his waist serving as a sort of holster for his katana.

"Sasuke," Naruto breathed, the astonishment all too clear in his voice.

Kakashi and Sai had stiffened, kunai drawn as they assumed fighting stances, knowing that a confrontation with the deserter could turn ugly very quickly, but Sakura and Naruto stood unmoving, the kunoichi seemingly unaware of the weight of the bodies across her back.

"You sure showed up quickly," the Uchiha remarked blandly, surveying his former teammates with disinterest. "I'm hardly in Fire Country a day and you're already one my trail."

"We didn't know it was you," Sakura breathed softly, hardly able to believe what she was seeing. "We thought—"

"Yes, so I heard," Sasuke smirked, crossing his arms as if the four shinobi posed little threat to him. "I'm surprised you didn't notice me sooner. Even though I masked my chakra, I thought you would have sensed me."

Naruto took a step forward, but still had not drawn his weapon. His eyes blue eyes held no fear, only sadness as he gestured to the dead bodies that had once been his fellow villagers.

"Did you do this?"

Sasuke shrugged blandly as if it was of little concern, meeting cerulean orbs steadily with black.

"So what if I did?"

"But they were your comrades," Naruto whispered, his voice wounded and disbelieving as he realized Sasuke had once again betrayed his home. "They were from your village! How could you do that to them?"

"Konoha is not my village anymore," Sasuke spat, as if the idea of belonging there made him sick. "Kabuto needed bodies for his experiments and apparently shinobi corpses can endure more than a civilian's. He wanted them to be fresh and I was passing through Fire Country anyway."

He explained his actions with a detachment that was frightening. He truly didn't care whether or not the men he had killed were his kinsmen. As far as he was concerned, he had none and the thought made silent rage boil within Naruto's chest.

"Sasuke, forget about all of this and come back with us," Sakura pleaded desperately. "I'm sure Tsunade will work out something with you if you come home."

The dark haired shinobi gave a dark, humorless laugh and shot her a glance that was more fit for a stranger. It was cold and indifferent and Sakura felt more pain from that look than if he had pierced her heart with a kunai.

"Why would I return to the place that kept me weak? I've grown more powerful in the few short years with Orochimaru than I ever would have in that pitiful town. I don't need you and I don't need Konoha."

Naruto balled his fists in anger, nails biting into his palms hard enough to draw blood.

"Sasuke, what has Orochimaru done to you to make you so cold? You're a bigger bastard now than you ever were before!"

Kakashi watched the interaction carefully. Sasuke seemed to have no intention of fighting, but Naruto's aura was changing as his rising anger enveloped him. The masked man's fears were confirmed when cerulean eyes began to change colors, the pupils elongating to become catlike and the whiskered imprints on his face deepening. The demon within was awakening and they were in no position to deal with both Sasuke and the Kyuubi.

The Uchiha also seemed to notice the transformation and looked at his former team mate with mild interest.

"Fighting you again would be interesting," he smirked. "But I'm afraid I haven't the time. I beat you before and I can beat you now, so don't do anything stupid, Dead Last."

Hearing his old nickname triggered something deep with the blonde shinobi, and with an angry cry, he lunged at the stoic Uchiha.

"Bastard or not, you're still my friend and if you won't come back on your own, I'll make you!"

Sasuke already had his katana halfway unsheathed, preparing to engage the Kyuubi container in combat, but Kakashi was quicker, rushing up to the enraged blonde and delivering a blow to the back of his head. Naruto crumpled to the ground, unconscious and Kakashi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It was better to knock him out now than to let him get to a point where the Kyuubi raged out of control.

Sasuke's dark eyes flicked from Naruto back to Kakashi and gave an amused "Hn."

"Don't make this difficult, Sasuke," the Copy nin said gravely, lifting his headband to uncover his own Sharingan eye. "Today, you're coming home with us."

The Uchiha chuckled again, a harsh sound that mirrored the cold look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-san, but that's where you're wrong."

With a flick of his wrist, a kunai whizzed through the air, embedding itself deep in the flesh of Sai's right thigh. Kakashi's Sharingan saw it happen, but the artist was too far to the side for him to intercept the blade.

It wasn't a killing blow and Sasuke hadn't meant for it to be, but as Kakashi dashed to aid his wounded team mate, the Uchiha turned and fled into the woods.

Sakura knew she should tend to Sai. She was the team's medic after all, but she couldn't stand by and watch Sasuke disappear from her life again. She dropped the bodies she was carrying like sacks of grain, and began to follow him as fast as her limbs would carry her, bounding into the trees and leaping from branch to branch. She had to catch him, she had too!

She pursued him until her lungs burned and she couldn't gulp in oxygen fast enough, but no matter how hard she ran, Sasuke's form kept growing smaller and smaller ahead of her, until she couldn't even see him in the dappled light of the forest canopy, but still she ran on, forcing her legs to work until her muscles screamed.

She couldn't sense his chakra, couldn't tell which way he had gone, but she kept on running, thinking that even if there was the smallest chance of finding him, she would take it.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision and making bounding through the trees increasingly difficult until she lost her footing on a slippery branch and tumbled to the forest floor. A sickening crack pierced the air as she landed on her foot at a peculiar angle. She knew immediately by the incredible pain that flared up her leg that her ankle joint was broken.

He was gone. Once again they had been given a chance to bring him home and once again they had failed. Sasuke was gone again.

Alone in the forest, she allowed herself to do something she hadn't done in years. She began to sob, tears flowing down her face in an uncontrollable torrent, not because of the pain in her ankle, but the pain in her heart. Sasuke, the man she had cared so deeply for, had murdered fellow Konoha shinobi without a second thought, but that wasn't even the worst of it. It was that look he had given her, the cold, indifferent look as if he didn't even know her at all, as if they hadn't shared blood and sweat for years under Kakashi's tutelage.

He may have been able to kill those ANBU members with one glance of his Sharingan, but that other look of his was just as deadly. A piece of her had died when he looked at her like that, the piece that had stubbornly had faith in him for so long despite everything he had done.

If looks could kill, she would be dead by now, and as Sakura lay sobbing in the moss and dirt, fallen leaves clinging to tangled pink hair, she wondered why she was still breathing.