To Reach A Person

Chapter Three

Sasuke remembers darkness. Loneliness. Pain.

The only thing he strived for was Itachi's death. And so he succeeded. That was his only goal in life; to feel the satisfaction of killing a man he thought betrayed his clan.

Of course, he was wrong.

No, his whole life had to be a lie. Danzo, as much of a traitor he was, had witnessed that time and told him the knowledge of what his big brother had done. Itachi apparently did the only thing to save his clan: destroy it. Sasuke was an innocent, not part of the Uchiha's folly. The little boy wasn't corrupt during the Massacre. He had nothing to do with their elder powers, or the Kyuubi no Kitsune. That was why he was protected all these wasted years. Time and time he had trained to become stronger, strong enough to best his brother. He idolized Naruto at a distance, seeing him as a potential rival.

To be honest, he wouldn't be lying if he said he liked the blonde. He was brash, brave, and annoying, but not as annoying as that cherry blossom of a teammate. Of course, that would be humiliating; he couldn't just spill his secret out in the open like that. Besides, he had his own demons to deal with. A blonde's wasn't anything to worry over. Of course, there was something he could feel about him and Naruto: a connection. He didn't understand others, he didn't have empathy. And yet, Naruto always saw through him. He was human somewhere inside. Even if he didn't show it.

Sasuke sighed.

He had to stop thinking of his team mate. That wouldn't be good for him mentally. There had to be other things to think about, like him restoring the clan. 'I don't want to revive my clan,' he thinks to himself,' but, there's no other option, if I'm the only Uchiha left.' He sighs. He thinks of Naruto's memories, from the Tsukuyomi from his Mangekyou Sharingan. 'He's such a hero,' he thinks fondly of him, 'always saving the day. That childish usuratonkachi. Unlike me, he has a heart. And people that love that dobe.'

'I guess I am one of those people.'

"PSSST!" he hears someone whisper nearby.

He blinks. Once. Thrice.

"PSSSSSST!" he hears again and groans. He turns to whoever it is to say 'shut up!' but stops once he sees it's Naruto. Of course. Isn't everything about Naruto?

"What?" he growls, a bit more loudly than he thought. Oh, well. He doesn't care if the whole of Konoha hears him right now, he'd rather get some shut eye. "What do you want, baka?"

"Duh! I thought it was pretty obvious. WE'RE ALIVE! Isn't that great, Sasuke?" Naruto shouts, waking up all the nearby resting shinobi in their cots. They snore again, ignoring the dobe's antics. "I...guess..." he mumbles, when Naruto shakes him back and forth out of excitement. "You...idiot! Let me go!" He hates physical contact. The fact that it's Naruto of all people makes it even worse. Or better. He can't decide right now when he's high on antiobiotics. The door swings open, and Tsunade, Sakura, and Hinata enter.

"Good evening, you two!" Tsunade greets with a small smile. Sakura is crying again, but is still smiling as she wipes her tears with a handkerchief. Hinata is shifting her weight between her feet uncomfortably, but is blushing profusely. It figures that after all of these years, she still has a crush on the dobe. Well, Sasuke won't live it down.

"You've been out for three weeks. How're you feeling? Sick? Hurt?" she asks mostly Naruto, worrying over him like a mother and a child. He laughs nervously, sheepishly shrugging, "Oh, I'm more than alright, grans! I can take a hit any day! Dattebayo!" He exclaims, and winks at them. They all blush at his over the top actions.

"Can you check on them for me, Hyuuga?" Tsunade asks Hinata with a nod.

"Mmhmm. Um, they seem to be o - okay..." Hinata mumbles, activating her Byakugan and assessing their body structures for anything abnormal. Luckily, they're fine.

"Good, once they're good to go, we'll get started on our interrogation." Tsunade says evilly, already holding a clipboard and pen in hand.

Naruto notably sweats.

Oops.

Maybe today wasn't going to be a good day, after all.