The site's review system is on the fritz again, so I can't respond to the most recent ones, as I can't see any past Illuminated's one...

I assume they'll clear it up by the end of the month, but until then I'm stuck with the knowledge that people have expressed their opinions, and I've yet to see them...

As for the chapter - it's a bit different. Probably too much italics, though.

Also - 200 REVIEWS! Sure, some fics explode for way more than that, but each and every one feels like a victory, a reassurance that my work, the story these characters are helping me tell... it's worth creating.

I feel like it should be marked somehow, but "Shark Sage!" is still out of the question for the foreseeable future.

Kakashi held the blade aloft and decided…

…that this time he'll stay his hand.

He let the blade sink into the muddy ground, feeling a twinge of relief now that he was rid of the thing. Without even turning to look at his fallen foe, he began marching towards the tunnel entrance.

Mercy was a fool's game, but Kakashi wasn't much of a player, anyway. Maybe this comes to bite him in the ass eventually, but right now, finding the kids takes priority.

Sasuke's head was splitting as he got up. The pain, by loose estimate, was about the same as the curse mark, but without the subsequent rush. He blinked a couple of times, and it began clearing up – a phantom pain leftover by whatever hit him while he was asleep.

The room he was in had a layer of dust as thick as his forearm, but even obscured as it was, the equipment was obvious. Just at first glance, he spotted enough chemistry gear to stock a typical Akimichi pill development lab, and then some. And it wasn't the simple stuff, either – this was top of the line stuff, full bio-chemistry by the looks of it.

The glaringly obvious Uzumaki clan crest indicated the facility to be associated with the village, at least… but then where would the building be, physically?

Underground was a possibility, but the air felt fresh and light, which speaks to normal, above-ground construction. Whatever the case, it most definitely wasn't the cliff top campsite he set up with some token help from Sakura.

Odds were, if he was hit, so were the others. Kakashi could take care of himself, probably, but if Naruto and Sakura ended up anywhere livelier, them being in serious trouble was a very real possibility.

While he wouldn't be exactly thrilled to have to bail them out from trouble again, losing either of them would be a massive setback. Doesn't matter if he wiped Orochimaru's goon squad from the face of the earth – losing your teammates is disastrous to both your career and your reputation… and Sasuke was keen on building a very specific reputation.

Then again, it was possible that he was the only one hit, kidnapped by whoever wanted to pluck the Sharingan from his skull. Although, if that was the case, he'd expect more straps and restraints, with the odd torture instrument on a nearby table, or some such cliche nonsense.

Things were heating up, that much was clear. People were making moves left and right, and it all seems to have started way back, in the Wave.

Zabuza and Haku were losers. Two-bit thugs with a couple of gimmicks and a nasty bloodline. Still, those two managed to haul ass all the way back to the mist, kicking off an uprising that ended the fourth Mizukage's life.

How'd he know that? Chunin should be more careful about who's listening in on their gossip.

From that point, everything seems to have gone sideways. He wanted to split, to leave the leaf behind and try his luck with Orochimaru, for no other reason than finding someone who'd actually teach him something useful.

Of course, Sakura sidetracked that particular plan…

Then they put the Hyuga on the team, and they hoof it all the way to Suna. Someone drops a chunin, and all eyes are on Kakashi, even though there was no way he'd do something that stupid… even he has a standard… kind of.

In the end, it was Sasuke himself who cleared his teacher's name, despite the fact that the rogue managed to slip away…

Point is, things aren't going the way they should. It's a tough feeling to pin down, but it's definitely there, a sensation in the back of his head not unlike his recent headache. Except, of course, this one was somewhat easier to ignore.

Now that he was here… wherever that was, might as well look around. Things happen in laboratories, and there's always someone who keeps a log. Find those logs, you find the story. The story, in turn, might just shed some light as to what exactly is his current location.

Naruto and Sakura… well, it was hardly likely that he'd just stumble across one of them if he went stumbling out of the building. Things were never that easy.

Dust took to the air as he swung it from the tabletop, revealing the multitudes of clipboards neatly arranged underneath. They all seemed to be written by the same hand, and they all referenced a single project, one that appeared to have lasted for the better part of a year.

Giving one of the clipboards a more thorough inspection, Sasuke paused, then hastily checked the other ones to confirm that what he just saw wasn't a mistake – truly enough, each and every one of the thin sheets of paper was signed with the exact same name.

That name… Uchiha.

He'd whistle in appreciation of the sheer size of the buildings, were he not actively trying to keep a low profile. Naruto had to admit – the Whirlpool's structures dwarfed most of the ones back at the Leaf, with only the Hokage's tower and the hospital, universally seen at the largest buildings in the village, matching the scale of construction.

So far, there was no sign of anyone. He woke up in some kind of alley, and there wasn't anyone nearby… in fact, the village matched the 'deserted' part of its reputation quite well. Between the obviously ruined buildings and the few long-neglected surviving ones, the place truly did seem… lost.

It was kind of sad, actually, considering that his ancestors were supposed to come from here, generation upon generation of talented men and women. It wasn't hishome… but it could've been, maybe.

And it really looked way, way smaller on the outside. He wasn't quite sure how they made that effect… you can't exactly vanish an entire village's worth of buildings…

Then again, the Third Hokage did it, even though he cheated:

A younger Naruto is celebrating his tenth birthday. It's a lovely day, even though early October coats the village in golden-orange hues. That year, it was also a Saturday, so he didn't have class.

The Third Hokage was walking with him. With everything that kept happening throughout the village, the god of shinobi still managed to find some time to spend with the energetic blonde kid that seemed to draw sneers from shinobi, their families, and over time, the majority of the village populace.

Their walk had them pass by the academy, which was mostly empty this time of the week – no doubt Iruka and some civilian girl sneaked inside, if the footprints were anything to go by, but neither of the two made any mention of it

Children were observant, Naruto more than most; he found nothing strange about the footprints. Hiruzen merely acknowledged yet another thing he was no longer fit to do.

"So, Naruto, did you think about what you would like as a present for your birthday? I know it should be a surprise, but I don't know if I'll have the time to go looking."

"You're always busy, Jiji! And besides, I told you – I want you to teach me your super cool fire jutsu."

"I can't do that until you're officially a genin, those are the rules. I'd know, I wrote them."

Naruto made a valiant effort of trying to sulk, but it was obvious his heart wasn't in it. If the old man finally found some time for him, and him alone, he couldn't be sad, not really.

"Alright, then make the academy disappear! Iruka-sensei's classes are so boring, and he doesn't teach us any jutsu!"

All things considered, he should've understood it then and there – never once did a man do something honest after a smirk like that.

"Alright, close your eyes, Naruto."

So he did. He felt like he was pulled into the air for a moment, and then settled back on the firm ground – whatever the Hokage did, it looked like a earth-moving technique at the time.

And true to his word, Hiruzen Sarutobi made the academy disappear. The yard was still there, empty and clear, the buildings behind the school now clearly visible.

At first, Naruto was overjoyed. No more boring classes! Now all they could do was play around in the yard and do taijutsu!

But then… wouldn't Iruka-sensei have to go on missions? And what about Sakura… she actually liked class, and he didn't want to make her sad…

"Uhm… can you put it back?"

The Sandaime raised an eyebrow at that, no trace of his earlier smirk:

"What's the matter, Naruto? Isn't this what you wanted? The academy is gone."

"Please, Jiji, you have to put it back! If there's no academy, I can't become a genin!"

"But I thought you didn't like Iruka's boring classes," he spoke, sounding surprised. That too was a giveaway – the Third Hokage was hardly surprised by anything, a boy changing his mind was a triviality.

"But it has to be there! I can't become Hokage if I never become a ninja!"

"Oh very well… but consider me putting it back as your gift, alright? Now close your eyes."

"Yeah, sure! Just please do it, please!"

With a wave of his hand, the Sandaime dismissed the genjutsu, revealing the building to be intact and unchanged. Naruto opened his eyes, and upon confirming that it was still there, began shouting out of joy – he didn't accidentally ruin everything.

"You should think before you make a wish, Naruto. Our dreams, desires and wishes can change the world, and we should use that power responsibly. As Hokage, you need to wish for the entire village, not just yourself."

"I will, I will! I'll be just as cool a ninja as you, believe it!"

The Third sighed. At least it was a lovely day.

Yep, definitely cheated.

"…"

There was a rustle, like someone moving through foliage. Considering that there wasn't a shade of green for what felt like kilometers of trekking, Naruto immediately tensed up and withdrew into the shadows.

A figure… no, a person. Who was she?

Sasuke read the name aloud. He couldn't help himself:

"Makina Uchiha, head researcher."

Wasn't every Uchiha… exterminated… by that man?

It still sent chills down his spine, recalling that night. Everyone was dead, every single man woman and child… everyone but him. But not every Uchiha was in the village that night – some were out on missions.

Itachi hunted them down, too. Not right away, but quickly enough that not a single one made it back to the village… whoever this woman was, she was part of the Whirlpool village at the time of its' destruction.

There's no way she could've survived the tragedy, then, since she was dead long before it ever happened. In some way, it was merciful – better to die than to see everyone dead in the streets, to accidentally step into puddles of their blood, so carelessly spilt by your own brother…

He grit his teeth, flipping more pages. The science of the research was beyond him, but a cursory investigation spoke of some kind of genetic experiment, or perhaps analysis.

Then it caught his eye – a wall safe, door slightly ajar. It was full to the brim with scrolls, each and every one of them carrying an Uchiha wax seal. He wasted no time in clearing up a desk and chair, stacking all the scrolls by chronological order, starting with the oldest one:

Research credit granted. Topic of research: The Sharingan.

"I've finally managed to talk Yoshiro into granting me enough staff to start my research into our own genetic heritage. Renzo hasn't yet developed his, Mikan has regular Sharingan, and I have my own Mangekyo, though I'm hesitant to use them in any way."

Research into the Sharingan? Why? The clan already knew everything about it…

"My grandmother, back when I was still in Konoha, used to say that the Uchiha are a cursed clan. Most called her a senile old woman with too much time on her hands, but I was a young girl, so I thought I knew better and went to talk to her. She spoke of this curse – a Curse of Hatred, which was supposedly destined to destroy the Uchiha clan."

Curse of Hatred… it sounded familiar, but it must've been an old memory. Wasn't that supposed to be a tall tale spun by the Hyuga some decades ago in an attempt to deface the clan and gain political traction?

"…I had to do it. I checked Azai's medical records, before his execution. The blood work was all wrong – too much hormones, some of which we couldn't identify. For a man of his age, it was unnatural… and strangely fitting. What we did find could possibly spur hateful, aggressive behavior. Maybe grandmother's stories had some truth to them after all."

Barely finding the time to take a breath, Sasuke flipped over to the next scroll.

"There's more to being an Uchiha than clan discipline and the Sharingan. Even without the ocular evolution, tests show a marked superiority in processing visual data when compared to a shinobi with no bloodline ability. This raises an important question – if all Uchiha have the same potential, why is it that only those who experience intense emotional situations can unlock their abilities?"

This woman researched the Sharingan… for the Whirlpool village? What kind of place was this, that it could turn an Uchiha away from her clan? Through all their history, it was the Uchiha that had the least shinobi go rogue, their strong family ties and culture of loyalty to one's kin keeping them together through whatever came their way.

Yet she writes down knowledge as dangerous as this so freely…

"Usage of the Mangekyo creates long-term damage to the ocular nerve, eventually rendering the user blind in the eye that uses the granted ability. Granted abilities supposedly vary between each Uchiha, only keeping some kind of theme in specific families. My own ability is a technique that subjectively slows the passage of time, driving my senses to unnatural levels of ability. With the proper grip, I can 'flip' though a book and read it within seconds, for example. Compared to the stories of old, this is a benign ability."

And another one…

"The Rinnegan, knows as the exalted eyes of the Sage of the Six Paths… They're merely a evolution of the Sharingan! It makes sense… after all, the story of the God Tree was on the Uchiha stone tablet, one of the clan's most well-guarded possessions! It's only one-half of the 'recipe' as it may be, but all the same, it's a staggering breakthrough!

Even if I did return to Konoha now, the clan would execute me for the heresy of translating the tablet and sharing its contents with outsiders. Best not return, there is war on the horizon, and people are just waiting for the triggering event."

The war… it was the beginning of the end for the Uchiha clan. It was the death of the Nidaime that triggered their isolation from the rest of the village, after all…

"I've received a letter from Mikan, from the front lines. She has awoken the Mangekyo… and yet, no one has died to trigger that event. In fact, it was her own near-death that seems to be the cause. The implications of this are… impossible. There is no Uchiha that can stabilize the Mangekyo without a traumatic experience – biologically, it shouldn't be possible.

The stress of tragedy triggers some of our atypical hormones, which serve to create the necessary connections between the brain and the chakra network. Having those connections established without the aid of such hormones… it would be a permanent and unstoppable drain on one's chakra, surely fatal."

The last one wasn't sealed properly. The insignia was there, but the wax didn't seem to hold both sides of the scroll:

"I've used a basic fuin formula to transfer all our research to this scroll, in the hopes that a future generation can put our knowledge to better use. The Whirlpool will fall by day's end; I will seal the safe."

"…"

What could he say?

Lots of fact-establishing here.

Next chapter might go back to Orochimaru (who is quickly shaping into a favorite of mine), or it might just keep going with this storyline.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!