A/N: Dedicated to my first two reviewers, hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!

Disclaimer: Do not own.

Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment.

Eckhart Tolle

"Sasuke, where are you going?" A soft girly voice asked as she slowly got up ready to follow the object of her attention.

"Geez! Let the poor man breath! I'm pretty sure he doesn't need or want to hold your ugly clammy hands everywhere he goes," a man replied. The sound of ruffling fabric could be heard as he polished off his weapon, giving the girl in front of him a sadistic smirk.

"Ugh! I wasn't asking you fish breathe! I think Sasuke can answer on his own, so why don't you strap a boulder around your neck and sink to the bottom of the ocean!" the girl retorted as she stomped her foot to emphasize her point to him and the rest of the world.

"Enough Karin, be quiet. I'm going for a walk do not disturb me," their raven haired team leader grunted. Sasuke desperately needed to get away from all of the commotion that his team was making. They were lucky that they were a useful bunch because if not they would not even be sharing the same air that he breathed.

Something was on Sasuke's mind but he couldn't pin point exactly what it was. For some odd reason his ear was ringing and from what he could remember, someone once told him that if your ear rang it meant that someone was either thinking about you or talking about you.

But the question was, who in the world would have him on their mind, especially at this hour while everyone was asleep? He ruled out the annoying girl named Karin, that girl was completely obsessed with him – practically lived, ate, and breathed her dear Sasuke. It was always, Sasuke this or Sasuke that and it was times like these where he regretted recruiting the girl to his team.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb, already feeling the headache invading him. Sasuke kept walking; it didn't matter to him where it was as long as it was far away from everyone. He needed some time alone. The night was brisk and it felt good against his heated pale skin. He threw back his head, closing his onyx eyes, breathing in the cool crisp night air. It was times like these that he relished.

He usually had these kinds of nights when he used to live…there. Of course, Sasuke doubted that he would ever return to Konoha. Why should he? He had left his village behind, had betrayed his team mates. At that thought the raven haired missing nin scoffed. What kind of team mates were they? All he ever seemed to do with them was basically babysit them. The only one that was ever useful was his sensei. The one who showed him the Chidori, which was now, perfected in more ways than one-his most powerful technique.

It had been a very long time since he had last seen anyone from the hidden leaf village. The annoying blonde named Naruto would always be chasing after him, hoping that he would bring him back home with him and have everything back to normal like it once used to be. Things would never be the same way ever again. Sasuke had severed those bonds and forgot all about them.

He did have to admit though, that there was one thing that he wanted to do. He wanted to properly fight Naruto. When Sasuke was young, he could see the energy and speed in which Naruto grew every day. It infuriated him in every way possible. Naruto had the energy to succeed, but he had the skill. Why though? Why was it that he felt…inferior to Naruto? He was an Uchiha for crying out loud! What was Naruto? Nothing. He was an insect.

Perhaps it was the power of the nine tailed fox that the boy had within him that allowed him to progress at such a fast rate. Whatever it was, he knew now that he could beat Naruto. Of course he would never admit the feelings that he held of jealousy. Maybe he should return to Konoha. He should settle the score between them and finally prove to him that he was the better ninja all along. But of course Sasuke would only return to the village once his goals of revenge were complete. Luckily he didn't have to wait much longer, for they were near his brothers' hide out, and soon everything between them would be settled.

Sasuke leaned against a tree and ran his fingers through his jet black spiky hair. All seemed peaceful in his world, if that's what you even want to call it. Then all of a sudden a flash memory raced through his mind. It pained his head, like someone had hit him with a shovel. His brain was pumping memory after memory at a million miles per hour.

'"I'm so in love with you, I can't even stand it! Please, don't go, I can give you happiness! Just please…stay here…with me…I promise you that you won't regret it…"'

Sasuke's heart began to ache, what in the world was happening to him? The memory of the once forgotten chunin exams that he had taken raced through his mind. The time when he had first awoken up after receiving Orochimaru's curse mark.

Sasuke definitely felt power race through him, it felt amazing. But then, he saw her…she was badly bruised and on the floor fighting for their lives. The site of her that way made his blood boil. He wanted to take revenge on the person who had dared to treat her in such a way.

The man he was looking for was bold enough to confess that it was him and at least it saved him the trouble of interrogating everyone before him. The spiky haired ninja immediately flash stepped to the abuser and commenced in making him pay for hurting Sakura. What he didn't realize was that he was going too far, the only thing on his mind was revenge for her and feeling the strong surge of power coursing through his veins. It was then that Sasuke felt two long slender arms wrap around his body.

'"Please…stop."' He looked at her with his Sharingan eyes with question. Why? He was taking revenge out on them for hurting her! He couldn't understand why in the world she would want him to stop. But the look in her eyes-filled with fear, sorrow, confusion… he didn't want to see that in her beautiful jade eyes.

He had obeyed her! He, an Uchiha, had actually listened to someone who was beneath him plea. The curse mark began to recede from his body as she still held him in her arms. The warmth of her body engulfing his very being and calming him. He had never felt his nerves respond to anyone like that, it was a mere embrace and he felt like he was in complete bliss. This is what he wanted to feel every day, but he would never admit it.

Sasuke was only twelve years old when all this happened. How in world could she love someone like him at such a young age? But, in some way, he deeply cared about the girl as well. She wasn't the best kunoichi, but she was very smart. She knew everything about chakra control, she was very well informed on her jutsu studies. He had learned to respect her to at least that certain point, and at times she did prove herself useful.

But it was the way she devoted herself to him that truly caught his eye. When he was young, he had many fan girls always chasing after him. This girl had proven herself time and time and again that she truly did hold a special place for him in her heart. She may have been a kind and loving girl towards all her friends but Sasuke wasn't naïve. A small smug and selfish part of him knew that he was special, that he meant way more to her than any of her friends did.

The night that he had left the village the moon shining down on them as they spoke during that windy night as the signature leaves of their village ghosted against their skin, his back towards her, she had offered him to stay with her. How his heart ached when he heard her cry and pour her feelings out to him. He wanted to take her up on her offer, but in the end he chose to leave her behind. He never did like seeing her cry but he certainly couldn't show that he cared either.

'"Sakura…Thank you for everything.'" He knocked her out and just left her on a bench. He didn't want to leave her. If only revenge wasn't his number one priority. Perhaps his life would be different, maybe he would be happier. There was a point in time when he felt that he could continue living his life in the village but he knew better. He knew that if he didn't take care of the haunting business of his past that it would eventually come after him and he didn't want to put his team mates in danger.

'No. This is what needed to be done. In respect of my mother and my father I HAD to do this. All of this strength, this power-it was worth it.'

The years went on and he grew older. He had changed in more ways than one. Sasuke had become colder throughout the years, if that's even possible. His hair had grown longer but never losing its form. He had grown much taller, and his body was very well built.

Sasuke was now eighteen years old, it had been five years since he last stepped into the village. Throughout those five years he had bumped into this girl that plagued his thoughts a couple of times - her determination the same as Naruto's. She still wanted him to come home, she still loved him. But lately all he ever seemed to see was the blonde haired boy alone; she no longer accompanied him on his little "search and rescue" missions.

'Hn. About time she gave up.' Sasuke thought to himself.

Growing tired of feeling this way Sasuke began walking back to camp. Perhaps with some sleep the feelings and memories would go away. They belonged in the farthest corners of his mind, which was his way of breaking the bonds he had with the two closest people he had left. After all, he didn't need them anymore.

He quickly arrived back as his feet gracefully lead him to a comfortable spot, only to be bothered once again by Karin. He drowned out her annoying voice and placed his body in a sitting position, one leg bent and the other laid out at the foot of a tall tree. Sasuke crossed his arms across his broad chest and scolding her one last time before shutting his eyes he couldn't help but utter the girls name in his mind.

'Sakura Haruno.