Two days and five hours. That was how long Nawaki had been waiting for his mother. It wasn't like he was obsessively counting-Obito's training required his full focus, so he couldn't count the seconds even if he wanted to- he had just figured out a way to judge the time. Obito still didn't let him train in daylight, which seemed strange to Nawaki. They trained in underground caverns most of the time, and occasionally they would go up to the surface. But whenever they trained outside it was always night-time.

Two days ago, they had been training outside. Nawaki had gotten distracted for a few seconds when he had spotted the Naruto star, and the Wood jutsu he had been practising had whipped around and cut his leg. The wound was deep, and Obito decided to let him rest for a few hours until it healed.

As he waited for the Senju DNA to do its work, Nawaki had amused himself by watching the candle burn. Out of sheer boredom, he had started to count how long it took to burn out. To his surprise, it took exactly two hours.

This new discovery had excited Nawaki. He finally had a way to tell the time! From then on, he made careful note every time the candle was replaced with a fresh one. It wasn't a completely accurate method, as there was always the chance that the candle had been replaced twice when he was at a long training session, but it gave him a rough idea. Unfortunately, it also made him even more impatient.

He was resting from yet another brutal training session. Obito had decided to progress the training and he had start sparring with Nawaki. Naturally, Nawaki had lost. Badly. His arms were covered in bruises, as were his shins. He had also twisted his ankle and exhausted his chakra reserves on the Rinnegan. The good news was that every training session was helping him gain more control, and that made every bruise worth it.

He heard a noise from the corridor outside his cave/bedroom. To his surprise, Obito walked in. Obito usually left him alone after training, calling him only to eat or to start a new session. Nawaki's first thought was that Konoha had found them. He knew it was irrational, but even before coming here he had been slightly paranoid about everything.

His second thought was that Obito had news about his mother. He jumped off the ledge that he had been using as a bed, ignoring the slight wave of fatigue that hit him. He could see Obito's eyes narrow, calculating every reaction he made. Nawaki wasn't completely sure if he was just being overly cautious, but there was something about Obito that Nawaki didn't trust.

"What's going on? Is she here yet?" he forced himself to tone down his excitement. Obito had enough ammunition to use against him as it was.

He knew Obito had caught on to his anticipation. Much like he had with Kakashi, Nawaki had started reading Obito's eyes to figure out his thoughts. Whenever Nawaki displayed vulnerability or got overemotional about something, Obito's eyes would narrow slightly in what Nawaki could only describe as amusement. It wasn't the jovial kind of amusement, it was downright unpleasant and, like most things about Obito, it scared him.

Nawaki didn't know why things like this were bothering him so much. Being confined with a man he had grown up fearing had not helped him feel secure at all. Every moment not spent training felt like he was about to be ambushed by missing-nin. Nawaki needed his mother, he needed anyone. He would even settle for Sasuke right now, if it would make him feel slightly less wary. Obito had told him that he wouldn't harm Nawaki, so why was his instinct screaming at him to run?

Obito smiled down at him and the curiosity won over his desire to flee. He met Obito's gaze expectantly. This seemed to satisfy Obito enough to announce why he was here.

"She has arrived." he said.

Nawaki's heart leapt but he kept his face expressionless. Obito paused for a second to gauge his reaction, then continued.

"She's not at the cave yet, but she's in the area. If you wish to, you can meet her and guide her here. Follow the hole south until you reach the clearing with the beehive. She'll be there."

Nawaki nodded quickly. Getting out of the cave and seeing his mother? It was a no-brainer. He took off out of the room, running along the winding corridors till he reached the small hole that he had been using to get in and out for training. There was no need to wait for Obito. If he came, he'd use his Mangekyo to teleport. Nawaki hoped that he wouldn't come.

When he had climbed outside and stood in the daylight, suspicion settled in. Obito was nowhere to be seen. Why would he let Nawaki go on his own? Something about this didn't feel right. Maybe it was the sudden exposure to daylight, or maybe it was the slightly guilty tone he had detected in Obito's voice.

Nawaki shook it off. His paranoia was getting worse and worse. But it didn't matter, because soon he would be free of Obito, free to return to Konoha and get the truth out.

He took off towards the clearing as fast as he could.

!

Hisa was starting to get annoyed. They had been on this mission for two days and Naruto still hadn't explained what it was about. All he had said was that he, Kakashi and Sasuke were going to track down a missing-nin, and that they needed Oki and Hisa nearby as backup. None of this sat right with Hisa. The only reason she and Oki would be on a mission with three Kage level shinobi was if it was a mission that required there unique abilities or knowledge. Simply being there for 'backup' didn't make sense.

After the first day of travelling was over, Hisa had expected Naruto to explain the mission some more. Instead, he had simply ordered them to set up tents and get some rest. Their second day was almost over, and he had barely said anything. She would have asked, but when she had caught up with him as they jumped he had looked too sad for her to say anything. She wondered what was wrong, and had considered asking but by this time Sasuke had joined her other side and was sending her a completely unnecessary death-glare. She got the message: Don't ask about it.

This left her with nothing to do but brainstorm with Oki. They held back a little so that they could talk in privacy. The first thing they agreed on was that this mission concerned Nawaki. Hisa suggested that he might be alive, but Oki pointed out that Naruto had promised to tell them if they found out he was alive. Stumped, she had thought in silence until Oki suggested that it might have something to do with the former Team 7. Maybe they had gotten another lead on Sakura, or maybe someone was trying to restart the Akatsuki. The last one was unlikely, but they barely had any information, which meant that there were tons of possibilities. They spent the rest of the day bouncing theories off each other, but in the end they were no closer to figuring Naruto's motives out than they were hours ago.

Suddenly, they came to a stop. Naruto had signalled them, and was crouched on a low branch with Sasuke at his side. They crowded around him as he explained his sudden stop.

"We're almost here. I can sense her up ahead. Oki, Hisa, you two stay back here. I'll flare my chakra three times if we need you. Sasuke, Kakashi, you know the plan. Let's go."

They disappeared before Hisa had time to open her mouth and ask "What the hell is this super mysterious 'plan' that you refuse to talk about?"

Sighing, she sat down on the tree branch and looked over at Oki.

"It's definitely Sakura." she said, "Naruto said 'her', and why else would he be so worried about taking a missing-nin down?"

Oki sighed and lay back on the branch.

"I can't believe we're missing this." she grumbled "The epic showdown of the old Team 7, and we can't even get near enough to watch."

Inspiration struck. Hisa jumped to her feet and grinned down at Oki.

"Can't we?" she said before opening her sharingan.

Oki frowned at her, confused for a few seconds. Then she got it.

"You mean the Sharingan can see then from here?" she asked, sitting up suddenly.

"I think so. I've been practising and I can hold it for a while. If I get high enough in a tree, I should be able to see them."

Oki grinned, startling Hisa. She hadn't seen Oki this excited since before Nawaki's death.

"What are you waiting for? Climb a tree! You'll have to narrate the action for me, so don't leave anything out."

Hisa kicked off the branch and jumped onto a higher one. It held steady, but the next one was higher and thinner. It creaked alarmingly under her weight, so she pushed chakra into her feet and jumped onto the trunk. She reached the top of the tree and searched around for a minute until she found a comfortable branch that she could sit on without chakra.

Once she was settled and had stopped the chakra flow to her feet, she opened her sharingan. The world immediately became brighter, and her right eye began to water. So many things were being processed by her eye at once, chakra trails, colours, different angles and focus, it was overwhelming. She had found that the best way to deal with it was to zero in on one aspect. This time, she looked over at the clearing closest to her, and let her eye zoom in on what was happening. Once she had a clear view, she began to narrate to Oki.

"I can see a few figures. One is definitely Naruto-he's wearing bright orange. That means that two others are Sasuke and Kakashi. There's one left… It's Sakura! You were right, Team 7 are having a showdown. Sakura seems to be yelling at them, Naruto looks really sad. Wait a second…"

When she didn't say anything for a full minute, Oki yelled up at her.

"What's going on? What's happening? Are they fighting yet?"

Still no reply.

"Hisa? What's wrong? Did a bird fly into your mouth or something? Wait, don't answer that, it's stupid. But seriously, what's happening up there?"

"... There's someone else. They're hiding in the trees, so I can barely see them. I think it's a boy."

"Do we know him? Does he look familiar?"

"…Yes."

"Okay… who is he?"

"It's… it's Nawaki."

!

Nawaki raced into the clearing and looked around wildly. Was she here? Was Obito telling the truth?

He was suddenly smothered into a crushing hug.

"Nawaki! You're alive! I was so worried when Obito told me what had happened, how are you feeling? Is the Rinnegan draining your chakra? What happened to your other sharingan?"

Sakura seemed to realise that Nawaki was suffocating. She released him, but kept a firm grip on his shoulders. Nawaki smiled up at her. He felt a tear in his left eye, but blinked it away quickly. His mother had no such reservations; tears were openly trickling down her cheeks.

"I'm ok Mom. I mean, my right eye looks really weird, and the Senju DNA feels all wrong, but I'm alive. I'm really happy right now."

She pulled him in for another crushing hug and held him tight against her chest. Nawaki didn't mind at all, he hugged back as hard as he could. No words were needed, just the physical reassurance that she was here and that she wasn't going anywhere.

Eventually, she pulled back and sighed happily. Neither of them could keep a grin off of their faces.

"So, what do you want to do now? Do you want to sit here and talk, or do you want to go to the hideout?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly she froze. Her face grew wary, and her eyes became angry and fearful. Her hands clenched into fists and she stood up straighter. Nawaki looked around the area, wondering why she was so tense.

When she spoke, it was calm and measured.

"Nawaki, I need you to run and hide. Don't come back no matter what happens. I'll find you when this is over."

He was completely confused. What was going on? He couldn't sense anything. Wait, there was something there…

"Nawaki! Now!"

Startled, he took off. It had been a long time since the two of them had travelled together, but he could still remember how his mother acted when they were attacked. She never was afraid and she never snapped at him. Had she simply changed, or was there something else going on? Why didn't she want him to see this?

His curiosity would kill him one of these days, but since it didn't look like he would get any answers by running away, he found a tree nearby where he could hide but still see Sakura. He quickly lowered his chakra pattern, hopefully making it harder for anyone to notice him.

He waited for a full minute without hearing or seeing anything strange. Sakura was still standing in the clearing, fists clenched. A slow breeze whistled through the trees, and he could hear a faint birdcall in the distance. Other than that, everything was silent. He wondered if his mother could hear his heart beating. It certainly felt loud to him.

Sakura shifted, moving her right foot behind her and crouching slightly. Her eyes were trained on the clump of bushes to her right. Nawaki followed her, but couldn't see anything. He activated his sharingan, and almost jumped out of the tree.

Sasuke walked forward until he was fully visible. His eyes never left Sakura, and Nawaki breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't been detected.

Now why the hell was Sasuke here?

Sakura seemed to be thinking the same thing. Her eyes were narrowed at Sasuke, glaring intensely at him.

"Well, this is an unpleasant surprise. How did you find me?"

From where he was hiding, Nawaki had full view of both of them. Sakura was on his left, Sasuke on his right. They were staring at each other, waiting for one of them to break. From Nawaki's experience, they would be waiting a long time.

To his surprise, Sasuke answered.

"A Kumo-nin told the Raikage that you were headed this way. He said that he owed you for saving his life but he had to report it."

Sakura closed her eyes and Nawaki heard her sigh.

"Next time I'll just let him die in a fire, the bastard. Which reminds me," she opened her eyes and glared at Sasuke. "Why can't you just go and die in a fire? Right now would be preferable."

Nawaki had never seen this side to Sakura. She had always been loving, willing to heal anyone they encountered who was in trouble. But now Nawaki could almost feel the hatred rolling off her in waves. Her stare was colder than Sasuke's, which Nawaki hadn't known was possible.

"Sakura," Sasuke's voice was as cold as Sakura's stare, "I'm here to arrest you for your defection."

She let out a mocking laugh. It was starting to scare Nawaki, how different she was around Sasuke. It was like watching a stranger, or someone with schizophrenia. Come to think of it, his mother had mentioned someone called Inner Sakura…

He drew his attention back to the field just in time to here Sakura's reply.

"How are you going to do that Sasuke-kun? Going to use Ameterasu on me? Are you going to kill me Sasuke? Because we both know that there's a good chance you'll die if you try."

His face remained expressionless, but he made a small gesture with his hand. Nawaki's eye widened further as Kakashi emerged from the trees.

Sakura's eyes narrowed as she glared at the masked man.

"Kakashi." she sneered "Should have known you'd rat me out. Sasuke was always your favourite."

Kakashi didn't say anything, but his expression was solemn. Sasuke stepped in front of him, drawing Sakura's focus onto him

"He didn't rat you out. I figured it out years ago, and I told Naruto. We decided to wait until we had the chance to talk to you and then-"

"It doesn't matter anyway." Sakura interrupted. "Nawaki's dead. There's no point talking about it. So are you going to fight me or not?"

Nawaki jumped slightly as another familiar voice spoke from the bushes.

"Nawaki's not dead, Sakura." Naruto said as he moved to stand next to Kakashi. "We both know that. Or hasn't Obito told you yet?"

"N-Naruto." Sakura whispered.

For the first time since Nawaki had hidden, Sakura looked shaken. She took two steps back and clenched her fists tighter. The colour drained out of her face, and she stared at Naruto with a mixture of shock and sadness. Naruto looked equally grim.

"Why are you here Naruto?" she asked, her voice clearly trembling. "You're not supposed to come and find me. I don't want to hurt you."

He stared up at her beseechingly.

"I don't want to hurt you either Sakura-chan, but you need to come back to Konoha. We all need you to, before it's too late."

Her eyes hardened at the mention of her hometown. She straightened up and glared at him.

"I'm never going back." she snapped "You know more than anyone why I can't. Heck, you probably know more than I doabout it. Please, just let me go."

Naruto was getting visibly more upset as the conversation wore on. He was shifting from foot to foot now.

"Sakura, I'm the Hokage now. I have to bring you back, but that doesn't mean we have to fight. I know that you're strong enough to come back. I believe in you!"

For a second Nawaki thought that she would agree, but her face twisted into an ugly sneer and she threw back her head and laughed.

"Oh please Naruto, don't try and tell me I can do it. I'm not amazingly forgiving like you, and I'm not as brave as you either. There's no way I'm coming back unless you drag my dead body. So why don't you take a shot?"

Naruto looked so crushed that Nawaki wanted to give him a hug. Naruto moved forward and Nawaki noticed Sakura tense in anticipation. It looked like they were going to fight.

Sasuke stuck out his arm, blocking Naruto from going any further. Naruto glared at him, but Sasuke didn't even look. Sighing, Naruto moved back to stand next to Kakashi. Sakura watched the entire exchange with narrowed eyes.

"So you're not even going to fight me? I'd heard the rumour that Sasuke was taking care of your dirty work, but I never thought I'd see the day when you became a coward Naruto."

Naruto flinched but didn't make any other movement towards Sakura.

"Sasuke asked me if I would let him fight you one-on-one. Kakashi and I aren't here to fight you unless things get out of hand. Trust me, if it wasn't for Sasuke the two of us would be fighting by now."

A hint of a smile flickered on Sakura's mouth as she gazed at Naruto. Once again, Sasuke stepped forward to block her vision. Her mouth went back to a hardened line and she glared at him with pure hatred.

"Well Sasuke-kun? What are you waiting for? Let's fight."