Deidara's hand wraps tightly around Sasuke, and he immediately bites the Oki's finger. The blond yelps, but doesn't ease his suffocating grip, and Sasuke is going to sink his teeth deeper into his flesh when the Oki lets him go.

Sasuke falls, but throws his hands out and catches himself on the glass interior of a jar, chakra circulating in his hands. Yet the lid slams shut, and though he could shatter the metal with his lightning jutsu, that would probably awaken the Zetsu spore around his neck.

He scowls. Oki-Itachi's plan will be ruined if he activates the spore too early. So he lets himself drop and lands in a crouch on the glass floor as Deidara shouts, "Ugh!" His face wrinkles with disgust while he pats himself down desperately. "I can't believe that thing was walking on me this whole time! It felt like a giant ant feeling me up, un!"

Sasuke scoffs, crossing his arms, but he is surprised Deidara let him sit on his shoulder for so long. It seemed the blond had been so shocked over Itachi's actions he hadn't realized Sasuke was there until Kisame mentioned feeding him.

"Here," Deidara shoves the jar into Kisame's chest, "You feed it and clean after it."

Kisame cocks his head, pausing on the dirt road though he doesn't accept the jar. "Actually, min-nin are pretty clean since their saliva has a lower pH level than a human's." Deidara's eyes widen. "So most of what they eat burns up before it reaches their stomach, and the acid keeps their teeth clean too."

Deidara glances at Sasuke curiously . "Anything else I should know about the little monster?" He lifts the jar up to eye level and taps on it, making Sasuke wince at the sound and glare at the Oki. "Are they really born on mountain summits? And do they actually fly on magic leaves?"

Kisame blinks, and Deidara stops, eyes narrowing though his cheeks are reddening. "What?" he demands. "That's what they say about min-nin in Iwa, un!"

Sasuke raise a brow. Magic leaves to fly? More like Iwa Chibi had built hang-gliders to help them travel between Iwakagure's mountains and towering buildings. Though maybe their gliders are disguised as leaves to help conceal their existence.

Kisame's mouth quirks and there's an amused edge to his voice as he starts, "Well, I don't know anything about magic leaves," Deidara's cheeks puff up, "But not much else is different between us and min-nin."

The blond frowns, his shoulders droop, and surly disappointment rings clear in his tone while he asks, "Why do we even have to do this?" His expression sours at Sasuke. "We were catching jinchūriki just fine before we bought this thing!"

Kisame shrugs, resuming his walk down the road. "Maybe, but we're catching them faster now." A smirk slides onto his face. "Think of it this way, the sooner the Akatsuki accomplishes its goal, the sooner you'll be free to blow up whatever you want."

"Art!" Deidara jabs a finger in Kisame's face, much to the man's shock. "My bombs create art," he hisses, nose turning up in the air. "They don't just blow up stuff!"

Kisame raises a brow, but Sasuke cocks his head at the sharkman. It kind of felt like...Kisame deflected Deidara's question. Does he know something about the Akatsuki that the blond doesn't?

"And why did we have to switch partners?" Deidara throws up his hands, and Sasuke nearly loses his balance as the jar is yanked up. "Tobi and Zetsu? Together? Those two knuckleheads will probably get caught at Konoha's gates! Then Tobi will end up screaming, the guards will chase him, and Zetsu will probably bail on him because he gets distracted by a stupid butterfly or something, un!"

Deidara's chest heaves, throwing down his hands, and Sasuke crashes into the wall, ears ringing from his loudness. Therefore, he barely hears Kisame chuckle. "You sure sound concerned about Tobi," he grins sharply, "And here I thought you couldn't stand the fool."

"I can't!" Deidara snaps. "But I'd rather put up with him than you who doesn't appreciate my art!" He glares at the Kiri-nin.

Yet amusement glints in Kisame's eyes. "I'd be offended." His expression turns serious. "But I also prefer my partner's company."

Deidara balks. "Seriously? That psycho!?" He leans into Kisame's face. "Did you not see how he threatened us just because Hidan tried killing the min-nin? Like what was that about?"

Kisame falters for a second, uncertainty flickering in his gaze, but soon his mouth curves into a sly grin. "Who says I'm not just as crazy as him?" His razor sharp teeth peek through his smile.

Deidara grimaces and shifts away from the man while Kisame chuckles, clearly enjoying taunting the teen. Sasuke looks between the two and wonders how Pain thought putting them together was a great idea. However, if all goes well he won't have to worry about the Oki Akatsuki for much longer.

The Chibi stares out to the road ahead. His eyes close as he imagines the large trees in the Uchiha compound, sunlight peeking through the foliage and leaves gently falling in the lake where his brother sits at the shore and waits for him.

—

Kisame unscrews the lid and sets the jar on the log beside him. Sasuke hops out immediately, landing on the bark. His nose twitches at the scent of food and he quickly sprints towards the steaming fish on a nearby skewer.

"Someone is hungry," Kisame mutters while Sasuke checks around the stick until he finds his plastic utensils and plate behind it.

He grabs them and uses the knife to saw off pieces of meat while surreptitiously surveying the area. The sky is dark, starlight peeking through the wiry tree branches, which means the Oki should be making camp soon. Once one of them falls asleep, he'll put Oki-Itachi's plan into motion.

Though first, he needs to take care of the Zetsu spore.

Sasuke glances at Deidara who's seated on a nearby rock and bringing his own cooked fish to his mouth. The Chibi abandons his plate of food and rushes down the log towards Deidara while Kisame watches curiously.

He waits till he's a foot away from the Oki before leaping onto his knee. The blond's head jerks down. "What—"

Sasuke brings a lightning blade to his hand and swings it through Deidara's fish.

"Hey!" Deidara tries to catch the half of his meal that falls, but Sasuke releases his lightning and launches himself at it.

He catches the sitck before Deidara can and grunts under its weight as he lands on the Oki's knee. Quickly, he bites off as much fish as possible.

"What are you doing!?" Deidara snatches Sasuke up, forcing him to drop what's left of the fish.

The blond brings him to his face, blue eyes smoldering. "That was mines!" He glances down at what remains of the fish, and his teeth grind at seeing most of it's gone.

Sasuke smirks and swallows the food in his mouth. Yet Deidara squeezes him and the Chibi gags—he didn't go too far, right?

Abruptly Deidara's hand relaxes, and Sasuke gulps in fresh air while the Oki shoves a finger in his face. "I'm going to stuff you in a bomb," he seethes.

Kisame laughs, and the blond's head snaps over to him. "What's so funny?" He raises Sasuke, giving him a shake, and the Chibi's brain rattles against his skull. "This monster stole my food!"

"Just take his fish." Kisame holds up Sasuke's abandoned meal with a smirk.

Yet the Iwa-nin is already shaking his head. "After the min-nin touched it? Yeah, right!" He holds up his nose like he thinks Sasuke is diseased—yet he's not worried about picking him up?

Kisame shrugs, and lowers Sasuke's fish. "Guess you'll have to catch yourself another one then."

Deidara glares at the man before his gaze slides over to Sasuke. His mouth curves into a vicious grin. "Or I could toss the min-min in the river, use it as live bait."

The Chibi glowers at Deidara while Kisame shakes his head. "You could, but if it drowns, you'll have to tell our leader and Itachi how it died."

Deidara freezes. Sasuke fights to keep the smirk off his face while the blond slowly lowers him, his expression souring.

"Whatever, un." Deidara sends Sasuke one last glare before pulling back his arm.

The Chibi realizes what he's doing right as Deidara chucks him at Kisame. Sasuke flips through the air with wide eyes, but grunts when he crashes into the tough flesh of Kisame's hand.

The man doesn't even glance at him while he sets Sasuke by his fish skewer, staring at Deidara who's storming off towards the lake. He mutters, "That kid is strange."

More like the Iwa-nin is crazy, and clearly has anger issues—yes, Sasuke knows he does too, but that's why he recognizes the temperament problem in someone else.

"You though," Kisame glances down at him. "You're a mystery."

Sasuke looks up with his brow wrinkling in feigned confusion. Then he shakes his head like he doesn't understand and grabs the skewer, cutting off more fish pieces to add to his plate.

He thinks he's successful at defelcting until Kisame says, "Itachi has been different since he met you."

Sasuke's hand twitches. He quickly covers it by grabbing his chopsticks off the log and dipping it into the sliced fish.

"Sometimes it feels like he isn't just taking care of you for the Akatsuki. It's more like he's taking care of a summon…or like he's taking care of his younger bro—"

An explosion booms through the air and Sasuke drops his food to slap his hands over his ears, a pained hiss escaping him. Kisame, however, just turns to the path leading to the lake.

After a minute, Deidara appears from the shrubbery, a bundle of smoking fish with charred scales in his grasp. Kisame lifts a brow as the blond passes him and plops down on the rock, saying, "You blew up the lake, didn't you?"

Deidara's eyes narrow while he grabs a stick off the ground. Yet he doesn't say anything while stabbing it through the middle of three burnt fish.

"Not exactly keeping a low profile," Kisame sighs, sounding genuinely put out.

Sasuke glances between the two Oki, noticing Deidara's irritated expression while he crunches on his fish and Kisame staring up at the sky, eyes narrowing on the gray plume rising from the lake's direction.

Sasuke has never seen either Akatsuki members in such foul moods, but it will only make escaping easier if the Oki are uncoordinated. He smirks, excitement running through his veins.

He'll be home soon, just wait, Nii-san.

—

Kisame takes first watch like Oki-Itachi said he would. Sasuke pretends to be asleep, bundled in his soft cloth with Oki-Itachi's coin pouch serving as his pillow. He's on a low branch just above the humans' heads, which grants him some privacy and a good view of the Oki. However, the warm current from the fire is genuinely starting to lull him to sleep when he hears movement under him.

He tenses. Kisame's light footsteps are padding away.

A moment later, Deidara groans, "Ughhh, alright…alright. I'm up," he grumbles in a scratchy voice.

"The min-nin is there," Kisame whispers, probably pointing at him.

Deidara sounds more alert while he scoffs. "Why didn't you put it in the jar?"

"You mean the jar that doesn't even have a chakra seal?" Kisame's voice gets louder as the Oki returns to Sasuke's tree. "The min-nin could easily escape that," there's a thunk that must be Kisame getting settled against the tree's base, "But the Zetsu spore won't let it leave anyway, so there's nothing to worry about."

Kisame's cloak rustles like he's shrugging while Deidara sputters. "Fine, un! But if the little monster attacks you in your sleep, don't expect me to save you!"

The man huffs. "Of course, Deidara-kun," he says with a sardonic smile in his voice.

Deidara grumbles, stepping over to the side. "Shark freak," he mutters too low for an Oki to hear.

Sasuke quickly closes his eyes when he senses Deidara turn to him, as for all the blond's childishness, he's still a lethal missing-nin.

Ten seconds pass, and the human looks away. Still, Sasuke waits almost an hour before making his move.

The Chibi peeks open one eye, and looks at the forest floor. Kisame is leaned against the tree, eyes shut and head bowed with his chest slowly rising and falling. He hasn't moved in thirty minutes, so must be asleep.

Sasuke looks over to Deidara on a rock by the campfire, about ten yards away. Good, hopefully the distance will keep Kisame from hearing anything, or at least buy him some time to escape if things go wrong.

Sasuke stands, soft cloth falling at his feet while he shakes his arms and legs to get rid of the numbness. Deidara is idly rolling a clay ball in his hands—an explosive according to what Oki-Itachi told him in the genjutsu—so never looks up.

Once he's limber, Sasuke walks to the end of the branch. He pauses when the Zetsu spore tightens around his neck, and fear washes over his face. No, no, please don't activate, not yet.

He holds his breath. The collar relaxes, and Sasuke sighs. Apparently it was just a warning.

Sasuke continues to the end of the branch and jumps over to the next tree, landing on a branch a little further down. His movements are silent, but he keeps checking to make sure Deidara doesn't look up while he hops from tree to tree. Eventually, he drops down on the bare branch hanging right above the Oki, the limb bouncing slightly with his weight.

Deidara tenses, and Sasuke's eyes widen. Did he hear him?

The blond's spine goes ramrod straight, and Sasuke prepares to run when the human jerks with a full-body sneeze. Sasuke winces at the sharp sound while Deidara sniffles. "Ugh, stupid smoke." He wipes his nose on his cloak sleeve.

Sasuke calms and gets back in position at the end of the branch. He takes a deep breath and positions his fingers around his mouth. Now or never.

He blows out a piercing whistle. The Oki jumps like a startled cat.

Deidara's head smacks into the branch and he cries out while Sasuke is knocked off balance and falls on his back.

"Gah!" The human grasps his aching head as Sasuke flings himself up, glancing over to Kisame. However, the man hasn't stirred. He grins. The plan is working!

"What—you!"

Sasuke twists around right as Deidara snatches him off the branch. The wind is knocked from his lungs while the human glares fire at him. "That was you, wasn't it!?" he growls.

The Chibi chokes as the Oki's grip tigthens, but doesn't try to escape while Deidara seethes, "That's it! I don't care what Pain says!" His expression darkens. "You're dead."

Suddenly a kunai flashes in the Oki's hand and Sasuke's eyes bulge, something cracking in his chest. Just a…little longer...any…second!

Deidara grins cruelly, firelight gleaming off his teeth while he holds the kunai against Sasuke's neck. He slices into the skin slowly and Sasuke's neck burns—

White explodes around Sasuke. Deidara's kunai flies to the ground while the white Zetsu stretches up around the Chibi and Deidara's hand.

"What!?" the Oki thunders. "Get out of the way!"

Sasuke inhales a desperate breath as the Zetsu forces open Deidara's hand, and ignoring the black spots in his vision, he summons a lightning blade.

He raises it quickly and the spear shoots into Zetsu's head, scorching Deidara's palm.

The human yells only for a second before Sasuke jumps up, Sharingan whirling in his eyes. Deidara's mouth snaps close, gaze going blank.

Go to sleep—Sasuke mentally orders, pouring all his chakra into his dōjutsu while he lands on a tree branch.

The human doesn't move, and Sasuke grits his teeth. Could he be resisting his genjutsu?

Deidara drops, hitting the ground with a dull thump and sprawling out on the dirt.

Sasuke sighs, relieved, and looks to Kisame. The man is shifting, and Sasuke's face lights with shock before his hands fly into the tiger seal.

Chakra whirls around him and he shunshins onto the man's leg right as Kisame opens one eye. "Deidara, what's with the noise—"

He spots Sasuke. His hand rushes to his sword, but Sasuke's Sharingan flashes in his eyes and his arm freezes. Sasuke is going to put him to sleep, grab the scroll with all his stuff, and leave. However he recalls the man's earlier odd behavior.

The Chibi hesitates. If Kisame knows something about the Akatsuki's plans, something maybe even Oki-Itachi doesn't know, it would be foolish not to learn about it.

The Oki Akatsuki have proven to be more of a threat than any Chibi has realized, especially now that they're using the Zetsu to take over Kage. Sure, Oki-Itachi has plans to free the Mizukage and any others they take over, but still, the way they're gathering jinchūriki is concerning.

So Sasuke delves into the Oki's mind and asks, What is the Akatsuki's true goal?

Kisame resists, but Sasuke puts more force behind his question, and slowly Kisame's mind opens up to a misty scene.

"Just who are you?"

Kisame, years younger and in black uniform, stands in a dark underground sewer with an unmarred headband. He's staring at a dark tunnel, hand lowering from his sword handle, and Sasuke squints. What's he looking at?

Out of the shadows sandaled feet step forward.

Sasuke freezes. That…it can't be…

"I am Uchiha Madara."

A lone Sharingan glows out of a white mask, and Sasuke's heart drops to the floor. Tobi? No, no, it can't be. Tobi can't be—Uchiha Madara is dead. Oki and Chibi-Madara passed decades ago. He's certain of it, so how can Tobi be Madara? It can't be true.

Sasuke sucks in a ragged breath, heart fluttering in his chest, and he almost loses control of his genjutsu because…because wouldn't that explain so much though? Tobi's Sharingan? Him playing the fool, and the wariness Oki-Itachi held for him?

The teen goes rigid, eyes widening while he starts listening to what Madara is telling Kisame. He pales, stepping back. No…

"That is my plan…the Eye of the Moon project. That is a true world free of lies."

No, no, no, this is all wrong. Because if it isn't…that plan…if it's true…

A strangled cry breaks out Sasuke's throat, and the genjutsu shatters.

Sasuke clutches the front of his cloak, head pounding. He has to…he has to warn everyone.

A sudden urgency overtakes him and Sasuke spins on his heels, yet he nearly loses his balance and his vision briefly goes white. He catches himself on Kisame's foot, pressing a knuckle against his forehead. He needs to get to Konoha right now—wait. He also needs to warn Oki-Itachi. The human has no idea what the Akatsuki is planning, and he'll be in danger if he stays with the group, especially if Tobi really is Madara. That Uchiha is a legend—

Metal slices through the air. Sasuke instinctively leaps up while an Oki kunai stabs into the ground where he was. He lands on the dirt and looks back to see Deidara, hand bandaged and glaring daggers at him.

"You thought a genjutsu would take me down!" he roars, and Sasuke's eyes widen. "When I've been practicing for yearsto kill that Itachi!"

He tears out three kunai and Sasuke darts behind Kisame for cover. Yet something heavy strikes his foot. He falls down hard, ankle twisting painfully under him and making him bite his tongue to stifle a scream.

The Chibi looks down to see white clay around his leg. Deidara smirks, stomping over like a cat who cornered a mouse, and Sasuke quickly bites his finger.

He rapidly weaves five seals and Deidara must realize what he's doing because he shouts, "No, you're not getting away!"

He tosses his kunai at Sasuke right as the Chibi slams his palm on the ground. Smoke billows around him while the kunai stab the earth so close iron brushes over Sasuke's nose. Yet feathers poke his elbow and his hawk summon screeches as the smoke clears.

Deidara lurches at the bird with a roar, but his hawk twists around and stabs his beak into his injured palm.

The Oki yells and Sasuke rips his foot free from the clay, scrambling to climb onto the bird's saddle. He yanks on the reins the second he's up and the hawk leaps into the air, gliding to the treetops.

Deidara shouts threats after them, but Sasuke doesn't looks back. He needs to get home, needs to warn everyone about the Eye of the Moon Plan and Madara. This is worse than anything Sasuke could have imagined—

A boom rockets through the sky behind him. Sasuke whips back, and his Sharingan reveals clay birds flying after them, full of chakra—explosives.

The Chibi pulls the hawk's reins left and the bird makes a sharp turn. The clay birds follow them, but Sasuke lets go of the reins to form several signs. His throat fills with chakra and he turns back, flames rushing out of his mouth.

The trees catch fire immediately, red and orange inferno raging across their leaves and branches. Sasuke continues to look back, making sure none of the bombs are still following. However, after a moment of silence, he faces ahead. Hopefully, he lost them.

They're soaring over the lake and Sasuke guides them low. If the Akatsuki try tracking his scent, the water will throw off the ninken. However, a cold draft rises under Sasuke. He stares down in surprise, and quickly notices the lake is still. That's weird considering how windy it is.

Sasuke summons lightning to his palm to see better.

Ice. The lake is covered in a layer of ice. But that's impossible, it's July—

Wire wraps around Sasuke's foot—Chibi-sized. He gasps as he's yanked off his hawk. The bird screeches while Sasuke slams back hard onto the frozen lake and tumbles in a rough roll. He growls when he lands on his sprained leg, the torn muscles screaming, but pushes himself up. Yet he stops, hearing ice crack behind him—is the ground breaking!?

He whirls around. His breath hitches. Ice is sprouting like a tree behind him, rising up and growing long thin limbs that produce tall horizontal slabs.

It takes a second, but then Sasuke recognizes the jutsu. Crystal Ice Mirrors…that Kekkei Genkai…

"I didn't believe it when they said you attacked our village."

Sasuke looks past the ice mirrors growing around him to find Chibi-Haku standing a human foot away, Hunter-nin mask hiding his expression. Chibi-Zabuza stands behind him, hand on his sword handle and cold eyes narrowing on Sasuke.

"I never forgot about the boy who took a hit for his teammate, whose blood stained my ice." Haku sighs. "To think, you'd grow up to be this."

Sasuke shakes his head. "I didn't attack your Village, please listen." He gazed at the older boy between the gaps in the mirrors. "I was framed by a creature who can imitate—"

"Save your breath, kid."

Sasuke's head snaps over to Chibi-Kisame who comes up and lays a hand on Haku's shoulder, palm glowing with blue chakra.

"You broke into the records room, stole information on the Oki-Mizukage and then used it to take control of her." His voice sharpens. "Those actions show you've been planning this for a while, and our Mizukage has rightfully put a bounty on your head."

He grins, showing off his sharklike teeth. "And it makes it clear she wants a corpse."

Sasuke backs up, but stops when his sprained leg nearly gives out. It looks bad, all those things the Akatsuki forced him to do have made him a criminal in Chibi Kirigakure's eyes.

He looks up for his hawk, but the bird is circling the lake blindly—unable to see in the darkness. If he could light a fire for it—except that might melt the ice beneath him and dunk him in icy water.

Sasuke realizes that was probably why Haku froze the lake, to prevent him from burning his way out of the ice mirror prison. Still, he has his lightning, but Kisame and Zabuza will charge him the second he breaks out of the prison. He might have stood a chance against the trio if Kisame didn't feed Haku chakra, compensating for the chakra the teen lost when his Oki counterpart perished almost right after their first encounter.

However, Sasuke can't give up. He needs to go home, needs to warn everyone about the Oki Akatsuki and Madara…and… And Nii-san is waiting for him. He won't let him down.

Sasuke's Sharingan bores into their gazes, though the Kiri-nin wisely avoid eye contact. "Please, just listen to me."

Haku's masked face regards him. Slowly, the boy walks to the mirrors and enters the glass. Sasuke tenses while Haku's reflection appears in all the mirrors, his unseen stare leveling heavily upon his head.

"I accepted this mission for one reason, to honor the boy you once were," senbon flick into Haku's hands, "So you won't suffer long."

Lightning sparks in Sasuke's grip, but suddenly water wraps around his body. He gags, bubbles bursting from his mouth while he's encompassed in a water sphere. His eyes dart aside to see Zabuza holding the water prison together.

"Your teacher called you a prodigy." The man shakes his head. "He seemed pretty proud of you, but I guess all that praise went to your head."

Sasuke wants to argue, but all he does is inhale some water. He can't even cough before the water drops around him and Zabuza leaps away while a hundred senbon fly at him.

The needles slice across his face. He screams, blinding by his own blood while his skin is torn and shredded across his legs, chest, back, and arms in a never-ending stream of agony.

What feels like hours later, his knees hit the ground, head thumping against the freezing ice. Yet even along the cold, every inch of him burns.

"I don't think he's dead yet."

"I don't know, that's a lot of blood."

The world twists and sounds fade in and out, but distantly Sasuke knows someone is talking about killing him. Yet he can't die…everyone is in danger…the Akatsuki…

"I can stab him, see if he moves."

"Zabuza, end his suffering."

Footsteps approach. A blade clinks as its taken out of its holster. No…can't die here…

The shadow of the blade raises over his neck. Then the sword sings through the air—

Lightning blazes in Sasuke's palm, Chidori spear shooting up.

Zabuza's wide eyes meet his as lightning meets metal and his sword shatters.

The Kiri-nin is thrown back from the force and Sasuke's lightning dies. However a shadow leaps at him and Kisame's katana comes bearing down on his head. Sasuke rolls, the ice scorching his already shredded skin, and the katana sinks into the ground.

Kisame tears his blade out the ice, throwing bits of frost his way. "Still got some fight in you? That's great—"

"I found you!"

All the Chibi spin towards Oki-Deidara behind them, clay in each of his hands. "And I'm going to…" He pauses, finally noticing the other Chibi. "M-more min-nin!?"

Sasuke takes advantage of the distraction and gathers chakra in his throat, hands rushing through seals. Haku whips back to him right as he blows fire on the ice and leaps while the ground bursts apart.

He stretches his arms up. Come on, come on, see the fire!

His hand catches a scaly talon and his hawk screeches in triumphant. Sasuke grins, though the world is spinning fast around him. Below him, distant shouts ring out. Yet for some reason the discordant noise lulls him, and his eyes fall half-lidded.

He's very tired…very, very tired. The pain and adrenaline coursing through his veins start to dull, and Sasuke knows something isn't right about this, but doesn't have the energy to fight. He feels like he's leaking over the sky, spreading across it like paint.

Sasuke's hand drops from his hawk. The bird's beak opens wide, but Sasuke can't hear anything except wind while he falls.

His body crashes through the ice and he sinks in the chilly water. Sasuke's lungs fill with cold liquid. However, he feels warm and fuzzy.

He opens his eyes. In the darkness, he makes out the blurry image of Itachi's face. His brother is frowning, eyes big and round with concern.

Sasuke smiles. "Nii-san."

Itachi freezes. Then his lips are moving, but Sasuke has already closed his eyes.

In seconds, he drifts away.

.

I'm home, Nii-san.

Thank you all so much for your kind comments, they really warmed my heart and lifted me up even when I was down 😊

So I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I still intend to finish this whole story by the end of summer (just 8 chapters to go!), especially since I've just completed one of my other larger stories. Thus, expect more updates soon!

Next time: Itachi finds out about Little Sasuke's fate, and everything changes…

Take care, everyone!