Author's Note:

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

PART ONE

Chapter Four: Seals and Bandages

Sasuke woke to a raging headache, again. This was staring to become a norm for him, and he was definitely not a fan. Groaning, Sasuke opened his eyes and saw nothing. Just a great big blackness.

Panic slithered up his spine and tightened his chest.

Trying to keep his breathing even, Sasuke pushed himself up, but he didn't move. He remained in the same spot, even though he had told his body to move. Panic pooled in Sasuke's gut. He was either blind and paralyzed, or blindfolded and strapped down.

Sasuke tried to move again to no avail.

He didn't feel as though he was restrained. He knew what that felt like. He'd been restrained enough to know what just about any restraints felt like. From being tied up, strapped to a bed, or shackled in prison. He was well acquainted with those possibilities. Usually, he was able to free himself by summoning his chakra, and if he remembered correctly, the ANBU had removed those chakra restraints for his sealing.

Sasuke centered himself and summoned his chakra.

And nothing happened. Again.

The idea of being blind and paralyzed sent Sasuke into a full blown panic. He could feel his heart racing, so he knew he wasn't dead. That was a start, but didn't help with his fear of being locked in his own mind. Focusing on his possible surroundings, Sasuke took stock of his remaining senses.

He felt warm, slightly clammy, but warm. He couldn't move his hands to feel his surroundings, but it felt like he was covered and clothed, which was a good sign. He didn't feel wind or any other elements, so he wasn't outside, another good sign. His body hadn't been dumped to rot, so he had that going for him. The air smelt sterile and full of chemicals, which did not reassure Sasuke.

He couldn't hear much either, aside from his own breathing, the rush of air through some sort of ventilation, and quiet footsteps a distance away from himself. At least he wasn't underground anymore. He had the inkling that he was in Konoha's hospital though, and that did not make him feel safe or calm. If anything, it confirmed his suspicions.

Sasuke felt sick. He hadn't felt this vulnerable and weak since being laid up in the hospital because of Itachi when he was a genin.

Technically…still a genin, Sasuke thought bitterly. He was going to die a genin, and Naruto would end up being Hokage. That made Sasuke exceptionally irritated. He appreciated all that Naruto has done for him, to an extent, and didn't wish him ill will. That didn't mean he wished him to be a better ninja than himself. Sasuke had always been competitive with Naruto. Even before he knew that a great deal of Naruto's power came from the nine-tailed beast inside of him.

The sound of a door sliding open, and someone walking towards him made Sasuke breathe a sigh of relief.

"Sasuke-kun, are you awake?"

Sasuke tensed.

"You are awake Sasuke-kun! Thank goodness!" Sakura squealed, grabbing the limp Uchiha. This did not feel like a safe situation at all. In all of Sasuke's life he had never worried that he would be at the mercy of Haruno Sakura, but here he was.

"Let go of me Sakura," Sasuke wheezed, having trouble breathing from the death grip she had him locked in.

"O-oh, sorry, Sasuke-kun." Sakura stumbled over her words, startled at Sasuke's shortness with her. "I was just so happy to see that you're here and awake! It's wonderful!" Sakura gushed. "I just thought I'd catch a moment alone with you while I can. I'm so happy you've come back to Konoha! We can go back to being team seven again soon! And you and Naruto ca—"

"Sakura!" Sasuke shouted, "Stop. Talking." Sasuke's head throbbed. He could hear Sakura's breath hitch and imagined she had a wounded look on her face. Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes, but without being able to see or move much, it seemed pointless.

"What are you doing here anyway?" He was definitely not in the mood to talk to or tolerate Sakura. If she wasn't here for the purpose of healing him, she could leave. They may have been team mates at one time, and he respected her abilities, but he did not enjoy her company enough to be alone with her.

"I came to see you with Hinata-chan. She said that she needed to check in on you, and I wanted to come visit you, so I…" Sakura trailed off. She still sounded like a little girl with a crush when it came to him. It made his skin crawl.

"Well, you've seen me." Sasuke snapped. "You can leave now."

Sasuke heard a quiet set of footsteps shuffle to the door of his room and hesitate. It must be the Hyuuga girl that Sakura mentioned. The one who had helped Tsunade with his sealing.

Sasuke flinched. Memories of the sealing coming back to him. His body felt like it was on fire all over again just remembering what had happened. Sasuke was aware that sealing was uncomfortable. He knew that it wouldn't be a picnic, but he didn't think it would hurt as badly as it had. It felt like every chakra point in his body was on fire and on the verge of exploding.

It had not been a pleasant experience to say the least.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. He could feel the Hyuuga out there feeling uncomfortable about intruding on whatever this "moment" Sakura thought she should be having with him.

"You can come in, Hyuuga."

The ex-heiress shuffled her feet awkwardly in the hallway. She did not feel comfortable intruding on Sakura's time with her special person, but Hinata needed to get in there and check on Sasuke. Normally, Sakura would be plenty qualified to exam Sasuke herself, but Tsunade had requested that Hinata handle the examination specifically.

Hinata had a feeling that it had more to do with Sakura's infatuation than with Hinata's own abilities.

Sakura had a difficult time remaining objective when it came to Sasuke. It made sense. Hinata didn't blame the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura had loved Sasuke for most of her life. She had begged Naruto to return Sasuke to her and the leaf village. She had fought so hard to become stronger to be on par with her teammates, and yet…

Hinata felt a pang of sympathy for Sakura. It appeared doubtful that Sasuke would ever return her feelings of affection. Hinata could relate.

"Are you coming in or what, Hyuuga?"

Hinata sighed. It appeared that Sasuke was determined to have her interrupt what she knew Sakura had hoped to be a special moment alone with Sasuke. Biting her lip, Hinata slid the door open to Sasuke's hospital room.

The room was a pale blue, like a majority of the hospital's newer rooms. The floor was a weird not quite green, not quite blue tile, the bedding was a light blue, and the walls were a light blue. The curtains were a bright white, and the furniture was off-white. Overall, it was clear that someone had taken care to try to make the room look as comfortable as possible, but failed terribly. The room looked sterile and uncomfortable, most hospital rooms did.

Well, most hospital rooms also had some sort of flowers or decoration from loved ones for the patient to show that they are cared for. That their good health mattes to someone.

There were no flowers or pictures or cards in Sasuke's room. Hinata was somewhat surprised. It made sense though. Naruto was too busy to bring something, if he did even have the time to stop by. Kakashi was also too busy, even if he did stop by he knew something of sentiment would be wasted on Sasuke. It was odd that Sakura hadn't brought something though.

Hinata glanced at the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura didn't really have the time to stop and grab something for Sasuke either. She had only just found out that Sasuke was in the hospital, and allowed to have visitors. Still, Hinata had always know Sakura to be the type to make that sort of effort. It was odd, that was for sure.

"How are you feeling Uchiha-san?"

"I can't move and I can't see. How do you think I feel?"

Hinata winced. Tsunade had advised her of this possibility. The former Hokage had explained that this would likely happen and would be a result of the sealing. They knew it would take a toll on Sasuke. They just weren't sure how severely. Given that he was already awake and able to speak, it wasn't as bad as they had anticipated.

"Alright, let me take a look at you." Hinata approached the bed, going to the far side of his bed so that Sakura could remain where she was. Hinata reached out to touch Sasuke's arm and he flinched away. That gave Hinata pause. That was an unusual reaction, but it was best if she didn't make a big deal out of it.

From what Hinata could tell, Sasuke was similar to Neji in some ways. He was prideful, possibly even more so than Neji. Voicing any possible weakness would not help.

"I'm going to check your seals, Uchiha-san."

Sasuke responded with a short "hn."

Nodding her head, Hinata took Sasuke's right forearm and lifted the bandage. Sasuke had been out for a week with the bandages changed regularly, he would be able to have them removed now. He'd just need to have a light salve that he'd need to rub on them to prevent inflammation because of his chakra possibly being in turmoil.

Hinata eyed her handy work.

Sasuke now had five bold, black, rings on his right forearm. They were five individual chakra seals, going in order of least to greatest amount of chakra sealing, with 1/32 of his chakra in the ring closest to his wrist. As Sasuke shows his loyalty to the village, and proves that he is no longer a liability, he will receive more of his chakra.

Each ring will allow him access to a larger amount of his chakra once the seal is removed. The only person able to remove the seals would be either Hinata, Tsunade, or maybe Kakashi. Hinata wasn't sure if Kakashi actually knew Tsunade had gone through with this seal. It made Hinata's gut churn. Bottling up chakra like this was dangerous. Sasuke wouldn't be able to push himself without risking his life, which was why the other seals were in place.

"Alright, Uchiha-san, I need to remove your shirt now. Are you still unable to move?" Hinata asked gently.

"Obviously." Sasuke sneered. "You can leave now, Sakura."

Hinata's heart panged with sympathy again for Sakura. Sasuke was so cold towards her. Glancing up at Sakura, Hinata watched as the kunoichi nodded her head dejectedly. Hinata wanted to tell Sakura she could stay, but knew that would be inappropriate. She just felt so bad for Sakura.

"I'll…I'll see you later, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said, uncertainly. Hinata watched Sakura leave the room, and she just looked downright forlorn.

Sighing, Hinata busied herself with maneuvering Sasuke so that she could easily remove his shirt.

"Once I remove your shirt, Uchiha-san, I will remove your bandages and check the rest of your seals." Hinata quietly supplied. Letting Sasuke know what she was doing so there were no surprises. She felt kind of bad, moving him around like this, when he couldn't see and couldn't defend himself, but it was necessary.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. "How long have I been out and why can't I see?"

Hinata hummed lightly, fingers nimbly and quickly removing Sasuke's shirt. Her fingers ghosted against his skin, but Hinata did her best not to linger. She imagined the feeling was uncomfortable for Sasuke.

Once his shirt was removed, Hinata decided how to respond to the Uchiha without Tsunade present. He likely wouldn't see Tsunade for some time. She was head of the hospital now and her skills were constantly required one way or another.

"Well, you passed out by the end of the sealing, which…" Hinata hesitated, "was admirable, considering." Hinata removed the bandage around Sasuke's chest and upper back. Sasuke had to lean against her chest as she removed the bandages so that he would not fall. She moved as quickly as possible, as she did not feel comfortable basically embracing the Uchiha. Hopefully his strength would return shortly so that he would be able to support himself.

"You've been in the hospital for three days. It's surprising that you're awake already, to be honest. That kind of sealing is a lot to take for anyone." Hinata murmured, maneuvering Sasuke so he could sit up in his bed, pillows keeping him upright.

Hinata began removing the final bandages about Sasuke's shoulders.

"The blindness was expected. This type of sealing depletes a large amount of chakra. Because of your dojutsu, it makes sense that your eyesight is temporarily lost. It should return within the next day or—"

"What?!" Sasuke hissed. "So I'm stuck like this?!"

Hinata sighed. "Uchiha-san, your eyesight should return tomorrow or the next day. Your chakra had been so greatly depleted by the end of the sealing, that your body is struggling to regain normal chakra levels."

The final bandage removed, Hinata checked the three seals that remained.

Sasuke now had a seal at the base of his neck, just above in between his shoulders. A shirt would be able to cover it for the most part, the top could be visible. This seal was the one that Tsunade had based off the caged bird seal. The marking was the same, the "X" was prominent and centered, but it was black instead of green and it was surrounded by a circle that looked as if it was on fire. This would make it so that Sasuke was unable to summon his dojutsu until the seal was removed.

This seal looked angry. It had healed nicely, but Sasuke's chakra was fighting this seal. Hinata did not want to tell Sasuke about this seal, but it needed to be done. Shaking her head, and making a note to remind herself to look at the seal again with her Byakugan, Hinata moved on to his other two seals.

There was another seal in between his shoulders, just below the one that mimicked the caged bird seal, which ensured that Sasuke was unable to leave the village. This one was a simple binding seal. It made it so that Sasuke was only able to leave unless the seal was removed. It essentially tethered him to the village. This would likely be one the last seals to be removed.

The final seal was on the left side of Sasuke's chest. The symbols "life" and "death" were on his left pectoral, life above death, with a circle that looked like it was on fire surrounding the symbols. This seal was more dangerous one that made Hinata extremely uncomfortable. This seal was intricately laced into the chakra around Sasuke's heart. A minimal amount of another's chakra and blood applied to the seal, with the correct hand sign, would instantly kill the Uchiha, seizing his heart's movement and severing the chakra pathways. It was basically a direct juken to the heart, and it made Hinata extremely uneasy.

Hinata was unsure of when, if ever, this seal would be removed from Sasuke's chest.

Taking in the Uchiha's appearance, Hinata decided to wrap up her examination. Quickly, Hinata activated her Byakugan to check Sasuke's chakra pathways and internal organs.

Sasuke's chakra level was still severely depleted. It would take him at least two days before he could move on his own, if not more. The seals stood out in his chakra network. His chakra was trying to fight them still, but that would pass shortly. His body would accept the seals in the next couple days.

Normally, this wouldn't happen, but because they had acted hastily and completed so many seals on Sasuke at once, it left his chakra network in a type of shock.

It appeared, though, that his chakra was fighting the seal and the bas of his neck the most. That one had looked irritated on Sasuke's skin, so it made sense that it would be the one that his chakra network was rejecting. He might even be encouraging it unconsciously.

Nodding her head, Hinata made some quick decisions. She'd need to add some additional marks to Sasuke's seal if it didn't calm down, or she'd have to perform gentle fist to alleviate the chakra mass that was building there. Hinata really didn't want to put his body through that again so soon. Neither option would be comfortable.

"Alright," Hinata positioned Sasuke so he could sit comfortably. "Your seals seem to be mending well for the most part. They no longer need to be bandaged, but they will need a salve to continue healing."

Hinata removed a salve from her weapons pouch and placed it on the side table beside Sasuke's bed. It was a medium sized container of a general healing salve she had made herself. It would help Sasuke with his seals, and if he had any leftover, would help any future wounds he could have.

Stepping away from the bed, Hinata grabbed a stool from the corner. Sitting down, Hinata decided she would explain all of the seals to Sasuke and show him their placement on his body for the foreseeable future.

Picking up Sasuke's right arm again, Hinata pointed to the five rings of seals there. "The seals on your arm, they restrict the amount of chakra that is accessible for ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu. As each seal is released, you will receive more of your chakra." Hinata searched Sasuke's face for understanding, but his dark eyes just stared straight ahead at nothing.

Hinata lightly touched Sasuke's back. "The seal between your shoulders tethers you to the village, making it so that you are unable to leave, and if you try…" Hinata trailed off, honestly unsure of how that seal would react. Tsunade had applied that seal, so it depended on what hand signs she had made. "…it won't be pleasant." Hinata summarized.

"The seal on your chest," Hinata gently pressed two fingers to the chest seal, "is an immediate kill seal. This will only be used as a last resort."

The petite kunoichi hesitated, she really did not want to mention the final seal. She felt terrible about it, on various levels. There was the shame that it was based on the seal of her clan, there was the fact that she had assisted, and there was the sad understanding she had of not being able to use a dojutsu. She couldn't imagine not having access to her Byakugan now. It was a part of her in an intricate way. It was a part of her identity. To not have access to it…

Hinata shivered.

"Spit it out, Hyuuga." Sasuke said, trying to sound intimidating, but he ended up sounding fragile. The idea of his dojutsu being sealed had already crossed his mind.

"The final seal at the base of your neck…" Hinata paused, uncertain how Sasuke would react. "It seals your dojutsu until it can be determined that you are no longer a threat to the village."

The room felt like it was full of electricity for a moment. Like the calm before a typhoon.

"Get out." Sasuke snarled.

Hinata didn't move right away. The overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over her in waves. She had told herself that she would never do what had been done to Neji to anyone else. And here she was, breaking her promise.

"Get. Out."

Jumping out of her seat and tears springing to her eyes, Hinata brought a trembling hand to her lips. "I'm so sorry, Uchiha-san," Hinata whispered before running out of the Uchiha's room, leaving him in his new prison.

Sasuke sat there for a while, after the Hyuuga left, just fuming.

Tsunade hadn't said what seals she would be performing on him. She'd alluded to them when she was talking to the Hyuuga about it, but that hadn't been much for Sasuke to go off of. He'd figured they would tether him to the village somehow, and have some sort of punishment for him not doing whatever it is Kakashi expects him to do.

He did not expect them to take his chakra and seal his eyes.

Sasuke felt like he was on fire. Partly from rage and partly from the pain of his chakra being so severely low. He hadn't been in this kind of physical pain in a long time. When he felt this way, he needed to spar or train. As far as he could tell, that wouldn't be an option any time soon.

He really wished he had just died in the war.

Author's Note:

I'm debating on how slow I want to move things along. The pace is going to pick up a bit next chapter, but I'm bouncing between 2 days, 2 weeks, and 2 months. What would you guys prefer?

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to review!