Chapter Five: Rooftop Reunions and Club Collusions

Present Day:

Sasuke soared above the towering buildings and crowded streets, all the while, keeping his eyes set on his destination. He knew the moment his presence had been detected because the calm and collected chakra that his teacher usually emitted, spiked and began to become more frenzied. He smirked as the one belonging to his long time rival began to become more active as well. However, when the third one suddenly disappeared, a small frown of puzzlement formed on his lips. He became even more puzzled when he saw that three individuals remained on the roof. Watching them as they assembled themselves on the end of the building cast in shadow, he readied himself for a possible surprise attack from the owner of the chakra that remained unaccounted for. It was not that he could easily terminate such an attack, but it would certainly be an annoyance. He did not want this reunion to take too much time, he was just curious as to how his ex-comrades were faring these days.

With ease, he dropped altitude and alighted softly on the roofs edge. With dark eyes, he stared down at them from his elevated perch. As predicted, he was greeted by his old teacher and rival. Kakashi stood with his arms stuffed into his pockets, his one black eye lazily watching him. His left eye was covered by the cloth that had always kept it hidden for as long as he had known the man. Although Sasuke had no doubt that it had been recently pulled up to reveal the unmatching red eye that was hidden beneath. It would have been impossible for them to have detected his presence so soon had he not, despite Sasuke's lack of effort to approach undetected. On the outside, Kakashi looked calm and cool as he always did, but the fast current of chakra flowing through his body told Sasuke otherwise. Kakashi was nervous...but why? While he had to admit their past record gave good enough reason, Sasuke had not tried to kill either of them for several decades.

He moved on to take in the blonde seraph that stood next to the silver one. For some reason the idiot was shirtless as his broad arms crossed over his bare chest. Sasuke was not sure if he really wanted, nor cared as to why the sunny seraph was half naked. Naruto had always been odd and his behavior seemed to still be the same. The only anomaly seemed to be the lack of a foxy grin that was usually pasted on his face. Instead he looked grim and wary.

For a moment his eyes flicked to the dark shadow behind them, but his gaze hardly lingered. It was only an insignificant mortal, nothing worth noting. Instead his eyes began to wander around the surrounding area. His head shifted from side to side, scanning the entire rooftop and a few neighboring ones as he put on a show of looking for someone.

"Where did the other one go?" He asked, curious as to where the third chakra he had detected disappeared to. "I detected three chakras earlier."

"Just a messenger," he heard Kakashi reply, as he continued to look around. "It's been a long time Sasuke, what brings you to New York?"

"It's New York, do I need a purpose?" Sasuke hedged as he finally brought his attention back to the old archangel.

He surveyed Kakashi again as he stood nearly shoulder to shoulder with Naruto. Both of their wings were out as they stood in near battle stance. He tilted his head thoughtfully as a realization came to his mind, a correction in his analysis. It was not a battle stance per say, but more of a defense, a barrier. A wall between himself and the mortal standing against the billowing air units. For the first time since his arrival, Sasuke gave his full attention to the mortal. Having been incurious before, he now found himself significantly more interested.

Given the petite figure and short stature that was being consumed by the baggy sweatshirt, he assumed it was female, a young woman judging by the curve of her hips. He tried to focus closer on her face in an attempt to get a glimpse of her features, but his view was blocked off by the sudden wall of feathers that appeared as Naruto ruffled and raised his wings. The smallest of smirks curled at the corner of his lips, he was now fully intrigued. He had been wondering why the pair of them were so wound up when he arrived, now he had his suspected reason, he just needed confirmation.

"Who is your little friend?" he asked, watching them closely.

Kakashi did well to mask his emotions but Naruto was always too expressive. He caught the slight, panicked look that the blonde gave to the older archangel. And despite the silver seraphs composure of his face, he watched as even his wings and shoulders tensed. Sasuke's smile widened. It was in that subtle movement that he had his confirmation.

"Since when did Tsunade start assigning archangels to do a guardians work?" Sasuke asked as he looked to Kakashi. "Naruto I understand, he has always been a bit backwards. But for you it's a bit insulting for one such as yourself is it not? Did you get yourself demoted or is your old age catching up with you?"

Naruto sputtered a bit as he let out a growl, but Kakashi remained unphased by Sasuke's insults. Instead, the mask covering the lower half of his face raised slightly and his eyes crinkled as he gave a polite smile to the Uchiha.

"She is just a mortal we saved from a rogue demon earlier," he said casually. "Something that we would not have to do if your family worked a little harder at trying to control your people? But then again, I guess they are not your people are they." Sasuke remained silent. "But who are your people Sasuke? For a time you seemed to have found a place with Orochimaru but I suppose you proved that wrong when you killed him. Would it be too hopeful that you have finally come to your senses and decided to join the Leaf Alliance?"

Sasuke could not help but let out a laugh of mockery. His dark chuckle echoed out around the rooftop. "Why would I ever align myself with such a pathetic force," Sasuke asked when his laughter had died down.

The idea of joining such a cause was not just humorous, but insulting. The Leaf Alliance was the peace treaty between the blessed and the fallen. It was what his father had agreed to after Madara disappeared, leaving him in charge. No doubt it had been done by the council of his pacifist brother. But there had been consequences to such actions. The rift between the fallen and blessed had grown over the years and many demons had been outraged with the new restrictions and rebelled against the Uchiha rule. Now they were spread throughout the mortal realm. Many died off quickly, having been cut off from their source of power, but some found loopholes. Sasuke had his own reasons for remaining detached from his family and the alliance other than his dislike of the nephilim world. Thanks to Orochimaru, he had his own power source. It was the only useful thing that had come from the centuries of mocked servitude to the snake.

"I am sure your mother would certainly appreciate it," Kakashi said, drawing Sasuke from his thoughts. "We could use someone like you fighting for order."

Sasuke let out a scoff. "Be happy I have stayed neutral in this rebellion because we all know I would never side with astral lap dogs. My father may have become desperate enough, but I have no desire. You promise things you cannot deliver on."

Kakashi raised a brow. "I know you have your resentment towards the blessed, but this is more than that and I know you would not join the other side."

"Do not sound so confident Kakashi," Sasuke chided.

"I know about the mortals Sasuke," Kakashi replied in a more serious tone. "Is that not why you turned on Orochimaru? Because he was experimenting on them? You know what the other side is doing to mortals in order to survive. You may hate us, but I know you care about the mortals, and it is them that we are fighting for."

Sasuke stiffened at his words. There was a long pause. The air conditioning to the building shut off, making the absence of the loud hum make it seem eerily silent, despite the rest of the sounds of the city flooding around them.

"Why would I care about mortals," Sasuke muttered darkly as his eyes narrowed. "Their lives are fleeting and pointless. They are weak. Why would I ever waste my time on something so transient?" He saw a saddened expression take over the small visible portion of his mentors face. And it was not just sadness, it was disappointment and pity. Sasuke hated the expression. He sucked on his teeth in annoyance. This conversation was not going in the direction that he wanted and he was done speaking on such topics. "I have somewhere else to be," he quickly spat.

Without waiting for a reply, he spread his wings and shot up into the air. He did not look back at them as he swept away. However he did spare one glance to the little mortal that stood silently behind them. Unsure as to why, but for a strange reason, he felt drawn to her. The feeling was only momentary before the idea was banished from his impatient mind. Mortals did not interest him. Not anymore.

In the blink of an eye, his figure had melted into the darkness of the night. Neither Kakashi nor Naruto moved an inch as they watched the spot he had disappeared from. Sakura's green eyes traced the tight muscles of Naruto's back and took in the strained posture of Kakashi as well. She took a step forward, her hand automatically moving up to push the hood of the Naruto's sweater away from her face.

"Who was that?"

Her question seemed to break the pair from their statuesque state and they each turned to look at her. She caught Naruto's blue eyes flicker to Kakashi as if looking for a prompting. Her brow creased in confusion. Naruto was not one to check his tongue. As Kakashi slouched into his usual carefree posture and gave her a cloth covered smile her attention moved to him instead.

"That, was Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes widened. She had heard of the infamous, rouge prince of the underworld. There was a plethora of rumors circulating around, all varying in degree and conflicting with the next. He was the youngest son of Fugaku Uchiha, the head of the fallen. But he had unofficially defected from the demons. For a long time he had been rumored to be with Orochimaru up until he killed the serpent angel during the mortals second World War. Since then it had been a mystery as to what the seraph had been doing for nearly the past century.

Some said he was cursed just like Madara but she had always been confused by this claim. Everyone knew the story of Madara and how his brother's death had led to madness. It was a fact known just as well as Indra's own similar cause of his own curse of hatred. But Sakura had never heard any reason as to why Sasuke hated the blessed seraphim. He just did. And given the lack of involvement he had with the fallen, he seemed to not care for either side.

Sakura knew that both Naruto and Kakashi had a personal history with him but she did not know the full details. She had only the conflicted expressions she witnessed when the Uchiha was mentioned or after a rare run in with him.

She remembered the time when an injured Kakashi had come back with a half dead Naruto in his arms. They had tried to talk Sasuke out of aiding Orochimaru and his endeavors. She remembered the broken and torn wings of Naruto as he cried out in anguish. She remembered it vividly, for it had not been the potential of losing his wings he had mourned, but it had been the loss of his friend. Sakura remembered the way his tears had flowed from his eyes while Tsunade healed a thrashing Naruto as he repeated over and over that 'they had lost him, he was gone'.

At the time Sakura did not know who he was, so as she healed Kakashi with shaking hands after Tsunade yelled at her to tend to the silver seraph, she asked him. Kakashi had explained that long ago, Naruto and Sasuke had been good friends. But something had happened, it was no one's fault but Sasuke had needed someone to blame, so he blamed Naruto. Sakura had asked what happened but Kakashi had brushed it off. She had wanted to prod more but she could see the hurt and loss reflected in Kakashi's eyes and let it go.

"We should head back now," Kakashi announced. "Sakura," he called, breaking her out of her thoughts to look at him. "I will carry you back in case we have any watchers."

Sakura gave him a look. but did not question the oddity of keeping up the pretense of being mortal during this part of their mission. There was no one around. But instead of pointing this out, she silently came to his side and wrapped her arms around his neck as he wound his own arms around her middle, locking her into place. With a nod to Naruto they were in the air, Sakura clinging on as Kakashi's powerful wings pumped through the cool night air and lifted them high into the sky. As Sakura clung closer to Kakashi she peeked over his shoulder to see Naruto flanking them, his face serious as he scanned their surroundings. For a brief moment, she caught his eye and Naruto grinned at her in a way that was almost convincing of its genuinity. She responded with a wane smile of her own but she could not bring herself to commit to it fully. She was too preoccupied with the wonders of her mind.

Sakura sat in the small alcove of the bay window in her room. With bright eyes, she stared up at the half moon that shone down into the small garden below. She could not bring herself to sleep. Everytime she closed her eyes she was greeted with two red orbs suspended in darkness while a muffled echo repeated something over and over. She had strained her ears to try and make out the whisper but it seemed the more she tried, the more distorted it became. She had woken up over an hour ago drenched in a cold sweat and a throbbing in her head. With the comfortable breeze hitting her skin and bringing clarifying air to her mind, she had managed to bring herself some peace. Her pounding head had subsided significantly but she still felt the small throb each time she recalled her dream.

She shifted slightly and the ache in her joints and tingle in her legs told her she had been sitting still for far too long. With no foreseeable sleep coming if she were to lie down, Sakura decided perhaps a small walk through the gardens would help calm her frazzled mind. Grabbing a thin shawl and wrapping it around her shoulders, she quietly made her way through the still house she shared with Tsunade and entered the garden through the back door.

It was peaceful in the garden, it always was. Sakura was not sure why she had always been drawn to it, but it was always where she felt most comfortable, most at home. There was a koi pond in the middle with a small waterfall that trickled down a display of balanced flat stones and fed into the small body of water. A simple arched bridge crossed over it and she had spent many hours sitting and watching the fish consume the small morsels of food she brought as offerings. Foliage from all types of terrains decorated the botanical space, each thriving easily despite the contrast in many of their natural climates. Spread throughout, were varying species of trees, with each featured genus making small groves in sections of the garden.

She had been making her way to the small bridge when a pair of voices caught her attention and she discovered her destination to be already occupied. Standing on the sturdy planks were Kakashi and Tsunade. Each of them had a serious expression, Tsunade's growing more somber as Kakashi spoke. Upon seeing them, Sakura moved to silently retreat. She had never been one to eavesdrop. She knew it was wrong and despite the numerous mysteries in her life, she had never wanted to stoop to that level. However, that did not mean she was not ever tempted. But when the utterance of her own name drifted into her ears, for the first time in her life, Sakura gave into the temptation. For could it truly be eavesdropping if you were the very subject of the conversation?

She quickly ducked behind a tree to avoid being seen. Their hushed voices were quiet but when she concentrated hard enough, she could make out their words over the chirp of crickets and the trickle of water as it spilled soothingly into the pond.

"I told you this would happen," Tsunade hissed, her anger obviously just barely under control. "No more. From now on, she no longer goes with you two."

"He did not recognize her, to him she was just a mortal that we saved," Kakashi explained.

"A mortal that caught his attention," Tsunade shot back.

"A faceless mortal," Kakashi pointed.

"I don't care," Tsunade waved. "No more. She stays here during the dark hours."

"There is no reason to overreact," Kakashi replied.

"Overreact?!" Tsunade all but yelled. "Be thankful I am not revoking her guardianship duties as well!"

"She will not like this," Kakashi warned. "She has seen it, you know she won't go back to…"

"I don't care about that, what I care about is her safety."

Sakura's brow furrowed. Were they not all taking the same risks by hunting? Every angel descending after dark was in danger, why would her's be any different? Why would her's matter more? Why did it matter if Sasuke did or did not see her? She did not know him, she had never met him, so why would him seeing her matter?

Kakashi took a deep breath and sighed. "A few nights. Have her stay in a few nights and then let her continue, she needs this." Kakashi tried to bargain. "Sasuke never stays in the same place for long, we have her stay in for a period of time but then we let her continue."

Any more of the conversation was drowned out by the thudding of her heart as the rush of blood deadened her ears. Panic took all ability to think at the idea of being banned from the mortal realm. Unable to gather anymore information, Sakura quietly moved away to retreat back to her room and try to process everything she had heard and seen tonight.

It had always been a mystery as to why she always had to be so cautious around their kind and act like a mortal. At first she thought it was to better their success in hunting down rogue demons. But now, she was not so sure. Sakura's brow narrowed as she thought back to earlier that night. Kakashi's instructions, Naruto's protectiveness, both of their mannerisms when speaking with the Uchiha. Kakashi had always seemed to divert the subject anytime it fell on or near her. It was almost as if they were hiding her. But why?

She had been seen by many demons in her time. Granted, each time had always been as a mortal. The few who had discovered her true identity as a seraph had been the ones her teammates had destroyed. This fact had not been any different during the nights earlier encounter but somehow, this encounter was different. And it seemed that the varying variable was this Uchiha.

This conclusion did not do anything to bring clarity to her confusion. All it did was intensify it. Was it all Uchihas that they were worried about or was it just this one? If so, what was different about Sasuke Uchiha that they were so worried about his discovery of her? For that is what it was, was it not? It had been she who had been hidden and protected and it was she that would be suffering the consequences. But why? The demon had no connection with her whatsoever. Perhaps it was her connection to Tsunade. But then again, Sasuke had said he was neutral in the rebellion that was taking place. So again, why was he dangerous?

The pulse of the bass coming from the club thrummed through the walls and into the back of the club. The overhead fluorescent lights that lit the dingy corridor did not match the mood in which the music set. On the other side of the wall, in a large room dimmed in low light with the occasional flash of a strobe, hundreds of bodies were pushed together as mortals writhed against each other to the tempo of the music. He could smell the body odor and alcohol the moment he opened the rusty back door normally used by delivery trucks and employees. With quick strides he made his way to the hollow stair well and ascended each step with an even grace.

At the top of the landing was another, more narrow and darker hallway. Half the lights above were burnt out, leaving only the light closest to the stairs and the flickering light at the end of the hallway to illuminate the way. The walls, having been bathed in chipping black paint did nothing to help with guiding him to the door of his destination. But Sasuke did not need the assistance of light to navigate, his evolved eyes were meant for darkness.

The door opened into a small room with another door. It was empty with the exception of a lone, dark haired man sitting on a metal fold out chair. His tan face was hidden behind a mask pulled around his face as his green eyes stared greedily down at a wad of cash he was thumbing through. He paused in his currency counting to look up at him. A glimmer of recognition flashed across his eyes and he nodded to Sasuke before reaching back to knock on the heavy steel door that he guarded. He gave two quick raps of his knuckles followed by two slow ones before going back to his money without a word or further acknowledgment to Sasuke. Sasuke waited in silence. A minute passed by before he heard the slide of a lock being unbolted and the door cracked open.

"You're late," commented a slicked back, silver haired man.

Sasuke said nothing and stepped past the man, giving him a red eyed warning as he passed by the demon. The thud of the heavy door being shut sounded and the effect was instantaneous. The loud, nearly deafening music was cut off by quality sound proof walls. Replacing the fluctuating rave music was a smooth tone that set a sensual, relaxed tone to the atmosphere.

The only evidence of the riotous music that was being played on the other side of the wall, was the small vibrations he felt in his feet from the heavy bass of sub-woofers that no amount of building material could escape.

The private lounge consisted of three solid walls painted a deep crimson while the fourth was a floor to ceiling window that stretched out from wall to wall. It overlooked the interior of the club's main attraction. Sasuke could see the sea of bodies grinding and bobbing up and down to the beat of the music. From below, if a person were to look up, they would only be greeted with a reflection of the throng of dancers as the two way mirror gave those within the private lounge the option to observe the crowd below while keeping their own activities unknown to the masses.

The silver haired man who had opened the door passed Sasuke and took a seat at the small mini bar in the corner. A woman in a thin dress instantly pressed herself up along the silver haired man's side. Wrapping an arm around the woman, he pulled her closer as she ran a finger along the exposed chest his half buttoned shirt revealed. Her manicured nails dug into his skin as she gave the man a sultry look. Sasuke internally sneered at the woman and the demon in which she was attached to, for that was what he was.

He was no mortal but one of his own kind. Though Sasuke could tell he was far from a pure bred like himself. Purebred or not, the demon was powerful. He could tell by the chakra that emanated from him. He either had no control in keeping it steady or the fool just did not care. He caught a glimpse of a silver necklace around the man's neck as the woman's hand fiddled with the pendent that hung from it. Sasuke recognized it instantly. A circle with a flipped triangle, the symbol for Jashin and the source of this man's power. Sasuke's eyes flickered back over the man as a name came to his mind. Hidan; he was a rogue demon, either banned or defected by choice from the underworld.

Without access this meant he had to find his own way to survive, just like the rest of the seraphim that no longer remained loyal to the duties bestowed upon them by the gods. It was that, or quickly diminish out of existence. Hidan was one of the few who had found a loophole, although that number had been steadily increasing with time as more methods were discovered. Hidan however, had a signature method. He sacrificed mortals in the name of Jashin, a minor and more rebellious god, who in return granted him power to survive. Sasuke looked over the girl attached to him and wondered if she realized that the 'night of her life' that Hidan promised her would also be her last night ever.

His dark eyes looked back to the silver haired demon. If this truly was Hidan, then that most likely meant it was the infamous Kakuzu that had been sitting out front. Kakuzu had his own way in obtaining power to survive. Unlike his companion, instead of sacrificing mortals, he bought their souls. It was no wonder the man had been so obsessed with the wad of cash in his hands. For it was that bundle of green that kept him alive. That, and any mortal desperate enough to, in short, sell their soul to the devil.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite nephew," came a sinister drawl.

Sasuke turned to face the direction from which the voice had come. Pinned to the wall was a massive pair of blessed wings, spread out in full expanse for optimal display and mockery. There were a number of angels to which these wings could have belonged to given the identity of the man sitting below them.

Sasuke eyes dropped down to the man sitting on the low backed couch that was positioned directly below the taxidermied display. His face, so similar to his own and his hair, dark and spiky just like his but with greater length. Nuzzled against his massive body, two mortal women stared up at their companion with lust filled eyes as the man himself ignored their wandering hands and lips. A pair of dark wings, muscled and scared from the countless battles of their long ago history, hung over the back of the couch without a care that mortals were in his presence. Sasuke met the man's eyes. They were cold and dark, just like his but far more dangerous. Sasuke watched as a wide grin spread across his face just before his uncle spoke again.

"It has been a long time Sasuke," he greeted.

"Madara," Sasuke replied, nearly growling the name. "Thought you had crawled under a rock to die long ago."

Madara smiled. "Ah yes, I can see where some would think that. But, as you can see," a lazy hand indicated the length of his body sprawled on the couch, "those were obviously rumors as I am very much alive."

"That is a pity," Sasuke murmured.

Madara's mouth curled even more. "I have to admit, I did not think you would come so quickly when I sought you out."

"I wanted to see for myself that your messenger was telling the truth."

"Ah, and here I thought you missed me," Madara mocked.

"What do you want?" Sasuke deadpanned.

Madara had the audacity to look innocent. "What, can't a lonely uncle reach out to his nephew in hopes for a family reunion?"

Sasuke's eye twitched as he gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Spare me the theatrics Madara. We both know you don't care about family."

A dark glint shone in Madara's eyes. "On the contrary, my dear boy, I care very much about my family." There was a small pause of intense silence before Madara seemed to relax and continue. "But you are right, I did not just summon you for a reunion." Madara leaned forward slightly. "I want your help."

Sasuke let a moment of silence pass by as he observed his uncle. Madara stared back at him, his onyx eyes focused solely on him with perfect practice as the two women attempted to draw his attention only to be easily disregarded.

"I don't help others," Sasuke stated simply.

"Then perhaps we could call it a trade," Madara offered. "You do some tasks for me and then I can pay you for your services. Help me, to help yourself. I promise I can certainly make it your while."

Sasuke let out a small chuckle and strolled over to the large window to watch the pulse of dancers moving up and down to the music. There was no telling what song was being played, but the vibrations he felt in the floor told him they were on point. Crossing his arms he turned to lean his back against the cold glass as he looked back to Madara who was still watching him closely.

"What makes you think that I want anything from you?" Sasuke said spitefully. "What makes you think I want anything at all...from anyone."

The corner of the older Uchiha's mouth curled with mirth. "Everyone wants something. I remember you were always eagerly looking to expand your power."

Sasuke gave an internal sigh. How many times would he have to repeat himself tonight that he wanted no part of the rift between angels and demons? "People change," Sasuke remarked. He was growing weary of this conversation. He had already given his answer and there would be no changing his mind.

His words did nothing to berift Madara, if anything, Madara only looked more amused. "Yes," he agreed, "they do change. But you don't," he added with a thoughtful tone. "It is why I called for you. Just tell me Sasuke, what does that sinfully black heart of yours desire? Power? Position? Acknowledgment?"

The last suggestion struck a nerve in Sasuke, his eyes narrowed dangerously, but Madara did not so much as blink. He was not an unwise man. Everything he did, he did with purpose. And right now, he was playing against Sasuke's weaknesses. The inability to ever earn his father's approval.

"I already gave my answer," Sasuke said with a sour expression and a bitter tone. "I don't want anything from you and I have no desire to help you. Not now, not ever. I don't trust you."

"You helped Orochimaru and that snake lived up to his title in more than just appearance. He was the inspiration for the phrase 'treacherous snake'," Madara commented, he had a glint in his eyes that made Sasuke want to snarl. "Tell me, what made him so special? What did he offer you?" His head tilted to the side as his eyes glistened with intrigue.

Sasuke angled his head to look back down at the dancers below. He watched them for a long time as all expression in his face was wiped away. "Something unattainable," he said in a small whisper, not caring if he was heard or not.

"Nothing is unattainable."

His uncle's comment caused him to break away from his absent minded staring and looked back to his uncle. The covet in his uncle's eyes gave Sasuke pleasure, knowing that Madara would not let that show if he did not want it that much. Which made his denial all the sweeter. Pushing off the window, Sasuke stuck his hands into his pockets and began to make his way to the door.

"That is what Orochimaru said as well and I made the mistake of believing him for centuries," Sasuke commented as he crossed the floor. "But he paid for his lies."

"Well if you change your mind," Madara began, causing Sasuke to come to a sudden stop. His head slowly turned to the side to look at Madara. "My door is always open."

"Tch," Sasuke scoffed, turning back to continue his way back to his exit. "Don't count on it."

Not long after leaving the club, Sasuke found himself wandering along the streets of New York. He wove his way through the foot traffic, his grace and agility keeping him from bumping into anyone. The longer he strolled, the deeper his mind began to go over the events of the day. He had hoped the busy night life would have distracted him from such things but it seemed his mind was too perturbed to be diverted. To his relief, Madara had said nothing more to delay his departure after his last words. But he knew better than to think the long ago patriarch of the fallen faction would let him off so easily. Madara did not have dreams, he had goals that he made into realities. Sasuke had once had this same mentality in his younger years. It was one of the many reasons why so many always stated that he was more of his uncle's son than his own father. He had once thought it a compliment but now he was not so sure.

Madara had fallen hard after his failed attempt to take over the blessed faction. After the disaster of the peace talks during the Grecian Era, Madara had disappeared, leaving the fallen without leadership. Not to Sasuke's surprise, it did not take much convincing for Fugaku to step up and take his place. For awhile he kept order but when Sasuke left to pursue his own ambitions, many began to question his father's ability when his own son failed to follow him. Sasuke was not bothered by it in the least. Occasionally he felt sympathy for his mother as she continued to stand by her husband as their world crumbled into disarray, but there had been certain things that had taken precedence over making his mother happy and pretending to be a loyal son to a father who hardly acknowledged his existence. It was true that he was long done with that ambition, but he doubted he would be welcomed home after all these years. His brother said otherwise whenever they ran into each other but Sasuke no longer heeded his brother's words.

So instead of going home, Sasuke had chosen to wander. For awhile he had a few companions but they had found their own goals eventually and went their separate ways. Jugo; a mortal that had been possessed by several blood-thirsty demon souls, had gone on to live a life in a secluded temple in the mountains of Tibet. He had been one of Orochimaru's first successful experiments. Although mortal, Jugo was now nearly three thousand years old, the majority of those years having been kept captive in a cage. With no way to rid himself of the demon souls that kept him alive but a danger to those around him, Jugo thought the best solution would be to learn how to keep control over his mind. It was his hope that the monks that lived in the mountains would be able to help him learn to do this.

Suigetsu was a demon far from the main branch that Sasuke had come to tolerate over the years of exposure. The shark toothed demon had taken a less zen like path than their orange haired giant. He had gone on to collect the seven nephilim blades that had been forged by the god Takemikazuchi himself. How he was going to obtain them and what he was going to do with them was unknown to Sasuke.

The third had been Karin, she was a blessed angel that Orochimaru had collected after the attack during the peace talks. Her ambition had not necessarily caused her to stray away more so cause Sasuke to leave her. He was not sure what the red haired cursed angel was up to now but he did not care.

For several decades he had roamed the earth by himself. It was lonely and many times meaningless, but Sasuke preferred that. He had given up on trying to bring her back long ago and when he had finally accepted that fact, his thirst for revenge had left him. Tired and weary of an immortal life, Sasuke now meandered the mortal if he were waiting or hoping for something to present itself to him and give him motivation.

In short, Sasuke was bored. However, not bored enough to be tempted in getting caught up with Madara and his schemes. He had to admit that after centuries of no word of whisper of him, Sasuke was surprised to find that he was still alive and well as ever. Perhaps at one point he would have been tempted, but it was the company in which Madara kept, that caused him to immediately deter from accepting Madara's offer.

Madara wanted his help. For what, he did not he did not want to know. He was done with angelic business. If there was one good thing that came from Orochimaru, it was the curse mark. It gave him the ability to survive without being attached to either faction of seraphim as well as not being forced to find his own means of survival like Madara's men.

After witnessing two known Akatsuki members practically act as henchmen for his uncle, it did not take a genius to figure out who the leader was of the elusive group. Sasuke did not know everything about them. In fact he only knew a few facts. But it was enough facts to know what kind of assortment Madara had working under him. The varying ways that their kind resorted to in order for survival made him sick. Buying souls, sacrificing mortal lives, sealing souls into puppets before they had a chance to pass on, they had all found a way and it was all cruel. It was one of the weaknesses Sasuke seemed unable to rid himself of.

Kakashi had been right. He did care. He cared about mortals and that is why he stayed out of it. For a long time he had tricked himself, he told himself they did not matter and that they were insignificant. It worked for centuries and he had done unspeakable things. But that all changed during the mortals second World War. He had still been with Orochimaru. He had been the one behind the majority of evil influence that had taken place during those years.

Sasuke had done well up until he discovered the experiments Orochimaru had Kabuto doing on mortals. Sasuke had walked in on one of Kabuto's sessions, and the woman who had been his victim of the day had looked up at him. It was that look that caused everything to change. She looked nothing like Sakura. Hollow cheeks, skin tinged blue and black from the frigid weather she had been exposed to. And the hair, a mousy dull brown. In reality, it most likely would not have phased him had she not caught his eye. It had been her eyes that had undone him. Her green eyes had nearly been the same color, dimmed from the misery and pain of living the past year in Orochimaru's personal lab, but it was close enough. The woman had looked at him with such pain, as if pleading him to end her life. It was that look that he knew she would have been disappointed and for the first time in his life, he felt ashamed.

It was then that he had turned on Orochimaru and not long after, the mortal war ended. He was only sorry that he had not finished Kabuto off before Orochimaru, he had not expected the scaley minion to evade him for so long. He had been hunting the sick sadist for nearly seventy years only to find a trail of rumors and dead ends. He could be dead for all he knew but something in Sasuke told him otherwise. Kabuto was a survivor and a chameleon. He did not perish so easily.

Eventually Sasuke found himself outside of the city on a lonely pier. He leaned against a lampost and gazed back at the metropolis as the first rays of the rising sun began to make the city line glow. As he took in the scene, the warmth of the sun hit his back. He let out an exhausted yet relaxed sigh. As the thoughts of Orochimaru, Madara, and suffering mortals left his mind, it was replaced with a single thought in the form of an image. A hooded small frame standing in the shadows. It was a fleeting thought but Sasuke clung to it, curious as to why his subconscious would bring such a thing to his attention. The more he thought back to his short reunion, the more he became intrigued. Since he was in the city maybe he would keep tabs on his former comrades. Perhaps this so-called mortal would show up again and he could see why she earned such protection. Because it was quite obvious that she was valuable to them and he wanted to know why.