A/N:

I am not a medical professional in any way shape or form, which means if some medical thing doesn't make sense, just go with it.

Chapter Seven: Team Seven

Disclaimer: Owner of Naruto, I am not.

Sasuke looked at the clock again; only fifteen minutes have passed since he last checked. Sakura continued to snooze in a chair next to his, and Kakashi still read his book across from him. The clock ticked, Sakura snored quietly, and the sound of fingers scraping against paper filled the otherwise too quiet room. The smell of bleach and lilacs – unceasing in its assault to his nose – continued its threat of bringing up unpleasant memories. I hate hospitals, he thought.

Sasuke looked at the clock again.

"Sasuke," Kakashi drawled without looking up from his book. "Do you believe that if you continue to glare at the clock, it'll go by faster?"

Sasuke responded by clicking his tongue.

Sighing, Kakashi set down his book and looked at the raven-haired youth. "Naruto will be okay."

An image of Naruto curled up in a fetal position flashed in Sasuke's mind – the way his veins had bulged and stained black underneath his skin, the way he clutched at his chest and screamed. The way Naruto had reached his hand out blindly – in pain or fear, Sasuke didn't know. He subconsciously rubbed the spot on his hand where Naruto's claw-like fingernails had drawn blood.

Suddenly, Sasuke was on his feet. Kakashi stared at him with a raised eyebrow, and since Sasuke didn't want to look like an idiot who had gotten up for no reason, he started walking towards the exit.

"I need air." He told the jōnin.

Opening the doors, Sasuke breathed in the fresh, night air. He looked up at the moon, and suppressed a yawn as he made his way to the bench outside the hospital doors. He felt… strange. Naruto had always been frustratingly invincible, and a thorn in Sasuke's side from pretty much the first day they met. He severed ties with him already and yet…

Once again, Sasuke thought of the way Naruto looked so pale, so helpless, and in so much pain. Seeing the blonde like that... Other images – images of that night –flickered in his mind, replacing, intertwining with Naruto's pitiful form.

Bloody. Bodies sprawled out on dirt and wooden floors. Silent screams that echoed in his head over, and over, and over again. The strong and the weak alike with hollow eyes and just lying there—

Sasuke's heart began to pound, and his throat and chest felt tight. Noticing slight tremors in his hand, Sasuke clenched his fist, and took careful, even breaths. In slowly, and out through his mouth slowly. In. Out. In… Out…

A flash of white caught Sasuke's peripheral vision, and Sasuke glanced over at the intruder. What's he doing out here? But even as the question presented itself, Sasuke's heart began to calm down further.

Kakashi sat down next to Sasuke silently, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"Shouldn't you be waiting inside?" Sasuke asked, hiding his trembling hands beneath his crossed arms.

"Sakura will be okay, and if something happens with Naruto, they can wake her and come find me." Kakashi said.

"Hn."

They sat in silence for a minute, both of them staring at the night sky. The awkward seconds stretched into more comfortable minutes, and Sasuke's chest and throat began to loosen. His hands stopped trembling, and Sasuke felt himself naturally sink into a more relaxed posture. The jōnin next to him didn't open his book – didn't say anything, either. Kakashi merely sat there in silence, stable and certain. Sasuke felt…

Well, he wasn't sure how to describe it. For a moment, it almost felt like he was a child again – before the massacre.

Seemingly sensing the peace, Kakashi took a breath to speak.

"It's okay to be concerned," he started.

"I'm not concerned." Sasuke interrupted quickly.

"It's okay to be concerned, but Naruto is… special, so don't think he'll be that easy to kill." Kakashi finished, his tone gentle.

Sasuke heard that tone before. Not from Kakashi, but from… a lovely voice, belonging to long, dark hair – draping over his arms as she pulled him close. Calloused, gentle hands wiping away tears, assuring him that he'll be okay.

"And if he dies?" Sasuke asked, his voice sounding strangely small to his ears.

Sasuke hadn't really considered what else would happen if Naruto ever died. Outside of gaining the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke never allowed himself to wonder what other ramifications would occur if Naruto died. What would happen to Team Seven if he did? Sakura would undoubtedly cry, and perhaps grow cold. Kakashi's eyes would become hollow – more hollow, and darker than they should be. And I… What would I do?

Kakashi didn't answer for a long time. When the man finally did answer, Sasuke almost forgot he'd even asked a question.

"If they can't save Naruto…" Kakashi said softly. "Then I'll be here for you. You and Sakura… We'd get through it together, I promise."

Surprised, Sasuke looked at his sensei, who gazed sadly out in front of him. The jōnin didn't look back. Swallowing hard, Sasuke looked away.

Part of him wanted to scoff, not wanting to believe Kakashi meant what he said. To shut down the warm and fuzzy feeling that he associated with his mother. After all, he didn't need such trivial words of comfort.

Right?

The sound of feet running brought Sasuke out of his thoughts. He looked to see Sakura, with an urgent look on her face.

"Sakura? Is he-" Kakashi began.

"Naruto! He's awake!" Sakura exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.

Sasuke was on his feet before he could fully process Sakura's words, and kami, he could breathe again! Sakura ran ahead of them, but in moments all three of them were standing in front of Naruto's room, where an older medic ninja stood waiting.

"Only one visitor at a time, please." The doctor told them. "He is still a little weak right now."

"Is he okay?" Sakura asked, stepping forward.

"As of right now, Naruto-san is stable, but he will need continued treatments in the future. I would also like to keep him for another day for observation."

More treatments in the future… Sasuke looked to Kakashi, whose mouth became a straight line beneath his mask.

"What do you mean by 'continued treatments?'" Kakashi asked.

"We weren't able to fully extract the poison from Naruto-san's system, which means he needs to keep coming in to receive treatment." The doctor shook his head. "Even after we heal him, the poison returns and appears to be multiplying, somehow. That said, due to Naruto's uncommon healing abilities, his life shouldn't be at risk."

With this new information, Sasuke once again went through the list of poisons he knew about. Which one could multiply itself and create those strange markings? I don't believe any natural poison could have done this…

"So long as he keeps coming back for treatment." Sakura was saying, her voice sounding hollow.

"Precisely." The doctor nodded.

"But he can still continue his ninja duties, can't he?" Sakura asked, and gave a nervous laugh. "I mean… this is Naruto! Back in the academy, the idiot could never be kept down, or give up. No matter what."

"That remains to be seen." He told her.

Sakura became pale, and her eyes became wide before looking down. She clenched her fists, and then looked back up at the man.

"What kind of poison was this?"

"We don't know." He admitted.

"You don't know? How can you not know?" Sakura demanded.

The medical ninja suddenly looked very tired, and Kakashi put his hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"The doctors don't know everything, Sakura." Kakashi told her. Then to the doctor, he asked, "What exactly is the poison doing to Naruto?"

"It appears that the chakra coils themselves are poisoned. We do not yet know how this will fully impact him. Thankfully, Naruto's unique…" the doctor glanced at Kakashi. "Condition allows him to have a natural defense against it. He's very lucky."

That's one word for it, Sasuke thought. He had a feeling Naruto wouldn't necessarily agree.

"Thank you." Kakashi said, giving the medic ninja a polite nod.

The doctor returned the nod, and walked away. Sakura slumped against the wall.

"He'll be okay." She murmured. "He has to be. This is… this is Naruto."

Kakashi squatted down to be more eye-level with her. "I'll go in to see Naruto first. Wait out here, and collect yourself."

Sakura nodded, and Kakashi ruffled her hair before standing up again. Sasuke watched as the man walked into Naruto's room. Kakashi gave off an air of ease, but his relaxed movements were a little too exaggerated to be normal. Sasuke leaned against the wall next to Sakura in silence.

"This is so stupid." Sakura growled after a minute. "We were all poisoned! We got healed, so why can't Naruto? And what kind of poison attacks the chakra coils anyway?"

Sasuke looked over at the girl, who glared at Naruto's room number. The pain in her eyes were evident, and something like pity formed in Sasuke's stomach – she really is too compassionate for her own good. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and a look of wild hope replaced the frustration in her eyes. She whipped her head toward Sasuke, and grabbed his hands.

"Sasuke-kun! Your family must have scrolls on poisons, right? Or you must have influence to get your hands on information about advanced poisons, don't you?"

"I… I might." Sasuke said, surprised by her fervor.

"Then do you think maybe we could go through those scrolls, and try to see if someone has dealt with a poison like this before?" Sakura asked, squeezing Sasuke's hands desperately. "He's our teammate, after all. We have to do something."

She looked at him with wide, pleading eyes, which made him feel mildly uncomfortable.

"We can look." Sasuke said.

A wide smile split her face, and she gave Sasuke a quick and fierce hug. Sasuke's mind went blank, and his arms hung limply at his side.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun." She whispered.

She pulled away, and returned to her position of leaning against the wall. Sasuke stared at her for a moment, before doing the same. Kakashi came out of Naruto's room, and Sakura was inside before Kakashi even said anything.

"How's Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"Putting on a brave face." Kakashi said, glancing back at the door. "He's scared, Sasuke. Naruto is going to need you both."

What a strange concept, Sasuke couldn't help but think, but he gave a wordless nod.

After a few minutes of silence, Sakura left Naruto's room. She looked a little less worried, but the determination in her eyes hadn't lessened even a little bit.

"Your turn, Sasuke-kun." she said.

Sasuke went into Naruto's room, closed the door, and leaned against the wall furthest from Naruto. Naruto looked at Sasuke, and snorted.

"I'm not going to bite." Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

"Hn." Sasuke responded, taking a better look at the blonde.

Faint lines crawled up his neck and around Naruto's hands and forearms; his usual vibrant eyes had become a muted blue.

Those lines are still there… from the poison? I wonder what his chakra looks like… How is his chakra reacting to the poison? If I had my sharingan, would I be able to figure out how to prevent it from multiplying? I wonder if there are any Hyūga medic ninja around; they would be able to take a look at his chakra, too.

"Y'know, Sasuke, you're kind of creeping me out. What are you just staring at me for?" Naruto asked, rubbing his chest.

"You look like crap." Sasuke informed him.

Naruto tried to plaster a look of outrage on his face, but all he managed to achieve was a mildly irritated frown. "At least I don't look like some kind of freaky ghost, just staring and staring."

"Ghosts don't exist, Naruto." And I don't look like one, even if they did.

"I dunno, it looks like there's one standing right in front of me." Naruto cracked a smile. "But seriously, quit looking so worried. I'm fine!"

"What even happened?" Sasuke asked, taking a step closer.

"Poison was on that old bear's sword." Naruto frowned. "I did really well for most of the fight, but in order to get Aiko, I ended up having to allow him to hit the real me while one of my clones grabbed her. I didn't realize I was poisoned at first, but he laughed and told me I'd be dead by morning. He even promised to give me the antidote if I handed Aiko back over."

"That obviously went over well." Sasuke scoffed.

Naruto chuckled. "My clone got her to safety, and I finished him off. Kakashi said you guys got poisoned, too?"

Sasuke nodded, taking another tentative step closer to Naruto.

"The bowtie had been sprayed with an odorless poison – the same poison on the bracelets." Sasuke shook his head; he still couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to not notice the signs sooner.

"Man… what a favor, getting poisoned with your party favor." Naruto said, sounding thoroughly amused, and then yawned. "I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at that, looking pointedly at Naruto.

"Hey, I'll be fine! Once we figure out how to get rid of this poison for real, I'll be good as new, you know! Sakura told me you guys are gonna do some research, and since Sakura-chan is a certified genius, I have no doubt you guys'll find something soon. Just don't die in the meantime."

"Shouldn't I be the one saying that?" Sasuke asked, rolling his eyes.

Naruto laughed weakly, grimaced, and rubbed his chest and neck. "You know, I'm actually kinda tired right now. Come back when you guys find something, yeah?"

Sasuke frowned, and nodded. Sasuke left the room, and looked around for Kakashi. He was reading his book while Sakura sat on the floor next to him.

"There is supposedly an antidote, and the man who kidnapped Aiko has it." Sasuke informed them. "What is being done about that?"

"All five culprits are in custody. If one of them has an antidote, it'll be found." Kakashi assured him.

"In the meantime, we should do some research of our own, right?" Sakura said, getting to her feet. "Where to?"

Before Sasuke could respond, Kakashi put his hands up. "Hold on, guys. I know you're excited to help Naruto, but you two need rest."

"But-" Sakura protested.

"No buts." Kakashi said. "Rest first. We can meet up at the Old River Bridge in six hours and go from there."

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances, and then back at Kakashi. "We? As in, you're helping?" Sakura asked.

"Maa, what kind of sensei do you take me for?" Kakashi asked, with a mock hurt tone. "Of course, I will be helping – but after we all get some rest."

Sakura looked like she wanted to protest, but she also looked exhausted. Sighing, she nodded her agreement. Kakashi looked at Sasuke, who also nodded.

"Good." Kakashi said. "I shall see you two at 8am sharp."

The sun shone unreasonably bright as Sasuke walked to the hospital. Although Kakashi had given them six hours to rest, Sasuke spent two of those hours scouring through his clan's scrolls. Unfortunately, his elite family had surprisingly little on poison. One thousand different ways to kill a man using your bare hands? Sure. Hundreds of different Fire release jutsu? Absolutely. Information about unique and dangerous poisons? Not much.

Apparently, the Uchiha preferred to kill using their own hand rather than using substances – go figure. While disappointing, Sasuke knew there were other places to look. Namely, a certain woman in possession of an impressive library. Sasuke looked up at the hospital, and grimaced before entering.

The receptionist saw Sasuke, and smiled brightly. "Good morning! How can I help you?"

"Aiko's room. The civilian girl who got poisoned last night."

The young woman's smile waned and irritation flashed through her eyes. With a faux polite tone, she said, "Ninja-san, we admitted several girls with acute poisoning last night; do you happen to have a last name?"

Sasuke stared at her, his mind blanking. "Her aunt is Fūma Kiyoko-san."

Her eyebrows raised at the name, and nodded. "Ah Fūma-sama's niece, of course! She is in room 206 in the VIP Civilian Section. Take the stairs to the left."

Nodding his thanks, he went up the stairs, and went into the VIP section. A few nurses gave Sasuke curious glances, but no one stopped him when he reached Aiko's room. He glanced through a small window, and saw that Kiyoko-san was in fact there. He peeked inside, and saw Aiko asleep while Kiyoko-san was reading a book. She looked up, saw Sasuke, and smiled.

Placing her book down, Kiyoko-san rose to her feet and made her way over to Sasuke. He stepped aside to let her through, and she closed the door behind her.

"Little Uchiha," she greeted with a smile.

"Kiyoko-san." Sasuke gave a polite bow. "How are you and your niece doing?"

"We are both doing very well, thank you. Aiko hasn't fully recovered yet, but she will in due time. How are you, Sasuke-kun? And how is your blonde friend? I had been wanting to check in on you both."

"I'm doing fine, but Naruto is suffering from a strange poison that even the doctors can't figure out." Sasuke informed her, and then paused. Kiyoko-san looked at him kindly, and he almost hated to ask. "In your library, do you have any scrolls relating to unique poisons?"

"I may have stumbled across a scroll or two… hundred." Kiyoko-san smiled. "I will give you and your team full access to my library. I would prefer you to not take anything out, however, unless you absolutely need to. Especially after last night, I would hate for them to fall under the wrong hands."

"Thank you, Kiyoko-san." Sasuke said.

"Perhaps it is I who should be thanking you, and your teammates. I don't know what I would have done if…" she smiled. "Well in any case, this is the least I can do. All two hundred scrolls on poison are going to be in the lower part of my library. There are also various different medical scrolls you can look through; the difference between medicine and poison are sometimes negligible, and they may be useful in your quest."

Kiyoko-san slipped off a ring from her left hand, and placed it in Sasuke's palm. It was an opal, with the Fūma crest delicately carved into it. "Show any of my employees this ring, and they will give you access. The ring also acts as a key, and will unseal the lock I placed on the entrances. Just don't lose it; it belonged to my grandmother."

"I'll keep it safe." Sasuke told her as he slid it into a secure pocket.

"I'm sure you will. Keep me updated on your friend, and if you can't find what you are looking for, I will personally see to it that we find someone who does. I have many connections far and wide, and I am certain that we will find what you need."

She smiled again, said her farewells, and returned to her niece's room. Sasuke wasted no time getting to his next destination where, surprisingly, a silver haired jōnin stood waiting for him.

Kakashi sat on the bridge's railing, knee propped up, and reading his little orange book. Which wasn't a strange sight by itself, but the fact that he was there first was quite strange indeed.

"Kakashi?" Sakura asked from behind Sasuke.

He turned his head to see her coming up. She looked confused, and he understood the sentiment.

"Yo." Kakashi greeted them, putting away his book.

He got down from his spot and looked down at his students, the sunlight highlighting the dark circle underneath his eye. "You're here… on time." Sakura said.

"When it comes to important matters, I am always on time." Kakashi informed her. "Now, I talked to Hokage-sama, and he agreed to allow us supervised access to some scrolls in his possession."

Sasuke frowned; he didn't trust Sandaime and disliked the idea of accepting his help, but the man wasn't known as The Professor for nothing.

"That's great, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura said. "Konoha's public library didn't have any information on the poison we are looking for, but I bet Hokage-sama might. Did you find anything in your family scrolls, Sasuke-kun?"

"No, but I have been granted access to Kiyoko-san's personal library."

Sakura brightened, while Kakashi looked back and forth at his students with an expression mixed with pride and exasperation.

"I thought I told you both to rest?" Kakashi sighed.

"Did you rest, sensei?" Sakura asked skeptically.

"Well, I got… a little bit." Kakashi said, and Sakura continued to glare him down. "Okay, you got me. I was looking through a friend's personal collection."

He has friends? Sasuke couldn't help but think.

"Then it looks like we were just following your example!" Sakura smiled.

"Haven't you ever heard the term, 'do as I say, not as I do?'" Kakashi asked.

"No one ever actually follows that, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura said.

"You certainly have become more honest, haven't you?" Kakashi mumbled. "Okay! Let's split up. You two look through Kiyoko-san's library, and I'll look through what Hokage-sama has. We'll rendezvous at the hospital tonight."

With his dismissal, they split up and raced to their destinations. Sasuke showed the receptionist at Kiyoko-san's hotel her ring, and he led Sasuke and Sakura to the stairs per his request. They raced up all eight flights, and Sasuke unlocked the seal.

He pressed the ring into a circular hole, and the moment it made contact, circular lines spiraled out in an intricate design, glowing as it did so. Once the lines reached the edges of the door, he heard a hissing pop, and Sakura pushed the doors open. Her face immediately lit up, her eyes widening.

"Wow…" she whispered, looking around.

Sasuke immediately went over to the lower half of the library, Sakura following after.

"How many scrolls on poison does she possess?" Sakura asked.

"She said 200." Sasuke informed her, taking out one of the scrolls.

Sakura made a noise, but picked up a scroll, and they both sat down. They read in silence – skimmed, mostly – making note of who read what. Many of the poisons and venoms Sasuke knew about. Some, Sasuke was quite surprised to learn, had been written by Orochimaru. He knew that neat, methodical handwriting anywhere, and read these scrolls carefully.

In his youth, Orochimaru had researched extensively the effects of various different snake and frog poisons – something the man would often remind Sasuke of during their lessons. When Orochimaru fled the leaf, he was able to take almost all of his research with him, but not everything. Evidently, some of them had ended up here, with Kiyoko-san.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything in there that Orochimaru hadn't already taught him, so Sasuke set them aside and moved on. There were others that he hadn't even heard about – including a poison unique to an ancient dragon from the Land of Redaku. Although, considering the dragon had been long extinct, Sasuke doubted that this was the poison he was looking for.

A slight growl escaped from his lips as he tossed the scroll aside, and looked over to Sakura. He expected to see a similar look of irritation, and instead saw fascination glinting in her eyes. Although she was a faster reader than Sasuke, he noted that she'd only gotten through seventeen scrolls in the three hours they spent there.

Shouldn't you be going faster? Sasuke wondered. He was just about to ask out loud, but the words died on his lips when she looked up at him with amazement.

"Sasuke-kun, there are so many different kinds of poisons! Look here, this one is used to paralyze your victim. In small doses, it'll wear off, but you can actually cause permanent damage! And the ingredients are native to Fire, so it wouldn't be hard at all. And another poison can cause a psychotic break, working similar to a genjutsu… This is amazing!"

"Did you find anything that poisons the chakra coils?" Sasuke asked her.

Sakura's cheeks tinted pink, and shook her head. "Um, no. I haven't yet. I'll uh, I'll just keep looking."

Sasuke nodded, and picked up another scroll. Peeking up at Sakura, he noted that she had sunk into herself, and the excitement had completely left her eyes. Sasuke sighed; that wasn't his intention.

"You should ask Kiyoko-san if you can come back later, after we save the dobe." He said, looking back at the scroll on deconstructing a synthetic poison created by a woman named Chiyo.

"Do you think she'd let me?" Sakura asked, her voice hopeful.

"Probably." Sasuke answered. Kiyoko-san appeared to be grateful enough, and he had a suspicion that if he asked her to, Kiyoko-san would likely agree to give Sakura at least some access.

Sasuke glanced back up, and saw the little smile on her face. Satisfied, Sasuke skimmed the scroll for several minutes.

At some point, Mei had appeared, giving them tea and sandwiches. Apparently, Kiyoko-san told her about their quest, and asked her to take care of them. Sasuke accepted the food, and ignored the way she glared at them. And on they read. And read. And read.

The sky was getting dark, and Sasuke leaned forward on his knees with a growl.

"Patience isn't your strong suit, is it, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke shot her a glare, but the effect fell flat because she hadn't bothered to look up from her scroll. She stared at it with such intensity, he half expected the old scroll to burst into flames.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. "Sasuke-kun."

"Did you find something?" Sasuke asked, scooting over to her.

"I think so." Sakura handed him the scroll, and pointed to a specific section. "I actually found it in the medical section. It's labeled the Atoshi Flower Experiment."

Sasuke took a look at the section she pointed at, which read:

The nectar from the atoshi flower has shown significant improvement in aiding chakra growth. Hyūga-sensei and Uchiha-sama both described a swelling effect with the chakra coils between five and ten minutes after injection. 29 of 30 participants in the independent variable group have displayed greater chakra usage, whereas all 30 participants in the control did not display greater chakra usage when injected with the placebo.

After every hour, Hyūga-sensei and Uchiha-sama checks on their chakra, revealing a steady growth in their chakra coils. If successful, we can produce stronger shinobi with greater chakra reserves, which will allow Konohagakure to defeat any potential threat.

Further research is necessary to determine if the outlier in the independent variable group being an Aburame is significant.

"What does this have to do with Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura took back the scroll, and rolled down towards the bottom. "Read this part next."

After twenty-four hours, 29 of 30 participants are exhibiting strange symptoms, which include:

Chest pain

Veins swollen and appearing black underneath the skin

An unnatural swelling of their chakra coils

Paranoid hallucinations

A desperate need for more of the nectar

Violent behavior when denied

Uchiha-sama was forced to place them under genjutsu so as to prevent them from hurting the administrators and themselves. Uchiha-sama described their chakra as flowing "unnaturally fast" not consistent with genjutsu. Uchiha-sama and Hyūga-sensei fears the growth in chakra coils will result in irreparable damage, though they do not yet know how.

Aburame-san still remains unaffected, but 75% of their bugs have begun to behave strangely – consistent with the human participants' symptoms.

Sasuke skimmed the numbers and the hypothesis that Aburame's bugs, which fed off of their chakra, ate away the effects of the nectar. His eyes found the final paragraph, which read:

Due to the violent deaths of 13 participants in the independent variable group, and the potentially irreversible insanity the remaining 16 participants exhibited, Nidaime-sama has officially shut down the atoshi Flower Experiment. Perhaps one day we shall reopen the atoshi Flower Experiment to be used as a weapon.

Sasuke looked up at Sakura. "It didn't mention anything about a cure?"

"No." Sakura shook her head. "By the time they realized this nectar was harmful, it was too late. Although Naruto didn't display most of the symptoms, this is the closest thing I've found. The funny part is that the author never considered this a poison."

"We should go to the hospital." Sasuke said, getting to his feet.

"I agree." Sakura said, rising to her feet as well. "No teammate of mine is going to be left to waste away, even if they are technically surviving."

So loyal. How like her. Sasuke couldn't help but notice the fierce determination shining in her eyes, and suddenly thought back to the day he first saw them at sixteen. The way she and Naruto had come, prepared to bring him back to his cage. After the initial shock – the initial pain of seeing him so cold, so distant – she had that same determined stare.

It had… irritated him. Seeing Naruto and her there at Orochimaru's base. He could have left that day without revealing himself, and they would never have known any wiser. And yet, he chose to stay. At the time, he told himself it was a whim, but now that he stood face to face with that same determined expression… He wondered if that was still true.

Perhaps, now that he's had some time apart from that memory, Sasuke could admit that he felt curious more than anything. Curious if his teammates had remained the same. Curious if they still carried that loyalty of theirs that he had worked so hard to abandon.

And, quite without warning, Sasuke remembered the most recent timeline. The one where Sakura willingly sacrificed herself so that Sasuke would live, and suddenly Sasuke felt sick. Sakura raised an eyebrow in question, and Sasuke turned away from her without a word.

"Are you okay, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked on deaf ears.

Sasuke didn't answer, and she didn't press. Instead, they ran as fast as they could to the hospital, leaping from roof to roof.

Don't kill Naruto, the Nine-Tailed Fox had told him that day, when he went into Naruto's mindscape. You would regret it.

In the end, Sasuke never managed to kill Naruto. Although he tried on various occasions – did I really try? – Sasuke never succeeded in his attempts to murder the blonde. Sakura, however? Well. That was a different story.

And she sacrificed herself for someone like me.

Before he realized it, Sasuke stole a quick glance at his pink-haired teammate, running blissfully unaware that she stood side by side with her murderer. If those who abandon their teammates are worse than trash, then what would that make me?

Sasuke couldn't answer the question, and felt numb as they reached Naruto's room. Sakura demanded a doctor, and Sasuke asked one of the nurses if they could send a messenger hawk to Kakashi. He watched as Sakura explained they learned about the atoshi flower's nectar, and also about the Aburame's apparent immunity to it.

It didn't take long for one of Konoha's most revered medics – from the Aburame clan no less – to take a look at Naruto. Apparently, he was away dealing with a disease outbreak in a nearby town, and returned only an hour prior.

"I think you may have saved his life." The doctor said, "Now that we know the potential cause, I know how to deal with this, if only in theory."

Saved his life… Sasuke stared at the man, and could almost laugh at the irony. Sakura had squealed in delight and relief. Kakashi had appeared shortly after the Aburame went into Naruto's room, and Sasuke barely registered the way Kakashi rested his hands on his and Sakura's heads.

Saved his life. Took away her life. Tried to take away his life. The thoughts repeated themselves as he stared at Naruto's hospital door. Kakashi's hand never moved from his head, and strangely, it kept Sasuke grounded.

He didn't know when it happened, but by the time the Aburame doctor emerged from Naruto's room, the rest of Team Seven sat on the floor. Kakashi with one arm around each of his students – Sakura snoozing peacefully on his left shoulder while Sasuke sat frozen on his right.

Kakashi nudged Sakura gently, and she woke immediately.

"Naruto?" She asked.

"I was able to resolve the problem." The man said. "He needs to rest, but I expect a full recovery – he is very lucky his chakra is so unique."

"Unique?" Sakura asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes." Was all the doctor said. "Go home, rest; he is in no condition to have visitors right now."

Sakura made noises of protest, but exhaustion had won itself out. Kakashi helped Sakura to her feet – Sasuke refused the very same help – and they each bowed in gratitude.

"No missions tomorrow; rest. You guys earned it." Kakashi told them.

Sakura nodded. "Oh, but Kiyoko-san… We should thank her."

"I'll talk to her." Sasuke said, almost as surprised as they were that he offered.

Feet heavy laden with exhaustion and… some emotion Sasuke couldn't quite place, he strode over to Aiko's room, hoping he'd find her aunt. As luck would have it, Kiyoko-san was indeed still there, along with a dark-skinned man. Aiko's father, Sasuke realized.

He knocked on the door, earning him the attention of Kiyoko-san. She excused herself, and met him outside.

"I take it the search went well?" She asked.

"Yes, Kiyoko-san. Here is your ring." Sasuke said, handing over the opal. She accepted it with a smile, and Sasuke continued, "I would like to thank you. Both personally, and on behalf of my team."

"My pleasure, little Uchiha. Beastly men like the ones that caused this whole mess should never be the victor in the end."

"Had they succeeded, they would not have been victorious in the end." Sasuke muttered.

Kiyoko-san raised an elegant eyebrow. "Would you have taken revenge, then?"

"Of course." Sasuke scoffed. And, although he had no idea why, he asked, "Wouldn't you?"

Kiyoko-san tilted her head in thought for a moment.

"No, I wouldn't."

"Even if they had killed Aiko?" Sasuke asked, stiffening.

"Even then." She confirmed.

So then, you don't love her. Not really. Sasuke watched as her eyes softened, shaded with a sorrow that had been laid to rest.

"Little Uchiha," She began gently. "Let me tell you a story. A very long time ago, a ninja killed my husband and our son. Once upon a time, I would have sought revenge, but by that point, I had already learned a very important lesson: revenge does not absolve hate.

"Revenge will not free you from the prison of sorrow. Revenge, my dear, is a nasty business that will only leave your soul shriveled up into nothing. Revenge seeks to destroy everything in its path – including the one who is bent on vengeance. My sister, long before she passed away, was the one who helped me see that. And I hope I can help you to see that, too."

Sasuke shook his head. "I disagree with you. Revenge is the only way I can be free; it's not what's trapping me."

Kiyoko-san looked up at him with a loving smile. "Sasuke-kun, you are a kind boy. I can see that you try to hide that fact, but you care deeply. And as a result, you hurt deeply. It's okay to be hurt, and it's okay to be in pain. But please consider what I have to say: revenge won't give you the peace you so desire."

Sasuke frowned, recalling how he felt when Itachi had died. Sasuke thought he would feel relief, he thought that the rage inside would quiet down. Instead, Sasuke found himself emptier than he ever thought possible. His stomach felt hollow, and his heart felt like it was bleeding. If Sasuke could have died at that moment, he would have been happy to.

But that was different! Itachi wasn't supposed to die. When Sasuke had killed Danzo, he felt great! Sasuke could still remember feeling drunk on the fact that he was finally able to succeed in part one of avenging Itachi –

And not a moment after, he recalled Karin's face. Her eyes wide with hurt and betrayal, his sword pierced through her and Danzo alike. Betrayal in Karin's eyes shifted into the betrayal he saw in Sakura's eyes. Then, in Kakashi's, until finally, in Naruto's.

Revenge seeks to destroy everything in its path…

Sasuke shook the thought away. "Thank you again, Kiyoko-san. Without your generous offer, it's possible Naruto would never have recovered."

Kiyoko-san gave him a sad smile. "You are welcome, little Uchiha. And please, come to me if you are ever in need of my resources. Although my cowardice has kept me from you these past twelve years, I won't allow that to stand in the way any longer."

"I will keep that in mind, Kiyoko-san." Sasuke said as he opened the door to Aiko's room.

He closed it behind her, and made his way back home. It was a little after midnight by the time he came back inside, and Sasuke was beyond exhausted. He stripped of weapons and clothes and collapsed into bed without even turning the light on.

Sleep escaped him that night.