Here's the new chapter.
"Naruto, Sasuke left the village a week ago."
His mind went blank. What was going on ? He knew that Sasuke cared for his team and the village, though the stoic bastard rarely showed it. He grabbed onto Sakura's shoulder and yelled "What the hell are you talking about ? Why would he do that ? Is this your idea of a sick joke ?" He growled. If this was some twisted joke, he'd beat the shit out of her. Sakura calmly took his hand of her shoulder and said "Naruto, I'll talk to you about it later. But we shouldn't talk about it here."
He noticed Hinata on the verge of tears, and even the others were clearly upset, as he could sense. Now he felt terrible. "Sorry guys, I just..."
He watched in awe as Hinata wiped away her tears and said "No, it's alright. You deserve to know about it. Let's sit down in the park, and I'll tell you about it."
The walk to the empty park was silent, and a little unnerving. So many questions were running through his mind, but he kept quiet till they reached. Once they were there, Hinata took a couple of deep breaths. Then, she began. "A week or so ago, Sasuke assassinated a Konoha Elder named Danzo Shimura. He was a member of the Council, and so this set off the ANBU on his tail. After incapacitating all of them, he broke out a prisoner by the name of Kabuto Yakushi. They managed to evade all pursuing ANBU and escape the village."
That story was full of holes. Even he could tell that much. "Why would he do any of that ? Do you have any idea ?" And then, he saw her face and felt her emotions. "You know, don't you ?"
She didn't deny it, and just said "I'm sorry Naruto, but that's all I can tell you. Most of what I've shared is already not known by the general populace, so you shouldn't talk about it. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask the Hokage."
He growled at that. So he'd have to ask the old lady. Well then, that's just what he'd do. He leapt up, and left to see the Hokage.
"Oh man, What the hell was wrong with Danzo."
Tsunade sighed as she said "Tell me about it. I only found out once I saw the files the brat left his teammate, and I saw his corpse. Which itself was a pain in the ass to unseal. I'm not sure how the kid pieced it together. Must have had some help."
He took a deep breath, as he saw the pieces come together. "Orochimaru."
She smiled darkly as she said "Got it in one. That makes the most sense, seeing as he freed Kabuto and he has the voice of the snake in his head. Orochimaru must have taken the opportunity when Sasuke happened to be low on chicken to whisper something into his head, and convinced him to look into Danzo, while also directing him to the hidden archives of Danzo. Orochimaru probably knew about some stuff due to his collaborations with Danzo."
He frowned as he asked "Are you sure about that last part ?"
"Oh yeah. I studied his body myself. I recognize some of the snake's work. He had Hashirama cells transplanted into him, as well as a couple other experimental ideas. He even had a few Sharingan. I shudder to think where he got those from. I knew sensei should have gotten rid of that slimeball. I would have done it myself if I knew half of this."
He shuddered as he took in all the info. This had messed the setup considerably and left him with countless questions. The biggest being... "Do you think sensei knew ?"
She benther back as she looked up at the ceiling, hands on her face. "I'm not sure. I highly doubt he knew of Danzo's collaborations with Orochimaru given he attempted to take his own prized pupil for committing those experiments. But he might have known of the truth of the Massacre. Though we frankly still don't know the full story. The only way to know that is to ask Itachi himself. For now I've kept the information quiet and I haven't officially declared him a missing nin, but if he acts out against the village, there's nothing I can do."
Just then, the doors flew open and a certain blond brat ran in. "Hey, Ba-san. Do you know the truth about what happened to Sasuke ? Why would that guy do something like that ?"
Of course the kid would show up just then. The kid had a knack for dramatic entrances, he'd give him that. Though he still hadn't learnt to keep his mouth shut properly.
He quickly clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth, though Tsunade was the first to reply. "Shut it brat. I can't tell you anymore than I assume you've been told already. Your clearance isn't high enough for that yet. Just let me handle it. If you grow up more, maybe then I'll tell you."
He watched in horrified awe as Naruto growled out "Yeah, because you've done a great job handling it so far. Fucking Ba-san."
The kid seemed to regret it immediately as killing intent rose out of Tsunade, as she said "Say that again brat. I dare you." in a steely voice. The kid immediately bowed in apology and said "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. I got carried away." Well, he'd at least natured that much. Naruto still wasn't exactly pleased, as was evident in the way he stomped out of the room.
She sat in the park with tears in her eyes as she and the others watched Naruto leave to the Hokage Tower. Ino tried to console her, and said "Sorry about that. Naruto means well, but he has no tact. He just got a little riled up." The others nodded reassuringly. She smiled and said "It's okay guys. I'm not upset about that." Because she really wasn't upset about Naruto's reaction, that much had been expected. The only problem was in the fact that it had reminded her once again of the loss of her former teammate, and his last words.
"Read this Hinata. Read it and despair at the pathetic place you call a home."
That's what he'd said. And she still remembered the horror she'd felt upon reading the file he'd given her before knocking her out. Soon after the others had left, and only Shino was left at her side, she quietly whispered "Where are you now Sasuke, and what are you thinking ?"
He remembered the events of the past, and his former home, as he walked into an inn, accompanied by one Kabuto Yakushi, both of them disguised head to toe in clothing Kabyfo had acquired.
Soon after they'd settled into their rooms, Kabuto started talking. "So know, what's our next move, master ? I truly am grateful for being freed. Ibiki Morino truly is a tough interrogator. I barely held onto my biggest secrets. The Yamanaka clan techniques were also a pain, but those at least I had my own defenses against. Not only that, you also killed Danzo. I have my own grievances against that man, so I truly am grateful. So tell me, oh master of mine ? Are we going for the head of Itachi Uchiha ? Or are we aiming to destroy Konoha ?"
He scoffed. Kabuto sounded nice, but he could feel the same sarcasm and cunning emanating from his current companion. The man had been a spy and the right-hand man of Orochimaru. "Quit it with the 'master', Kabuto. We're nothing more than companions allying together for mutual benefit. Speaking of, what is it that you desire ? Orochimaru I could somewhat understand, as much as I despised him. But you I don't get."
Kabuto laughed in a hoarse voice, and replied "Ah me. In a sense, I'm like you, as I took have very little left. I hold no allegiance to any village, and I've lost most of the people I was close to, though in a different sense than your loss. Unlike you however, I don't really have any particular goals. I suppose that itself is my goal. I desire a purpose, an Identity, a reason to live. Is that enough of an explanation for you, Sasuke Uchiha ? And now, it's your turn. Tell me, what do you seek ? Do your goals remain unchanged ?"
He took in the information, and after thinking for a while, answered "Yes I understand now. If it's simply a purpose you seek, then I shall give you one. Serve me as you did Orochimaru. As for my goals, I do not desire to kill my brother, nor can I say that I've forgiven him completely. He chose to kill my family, and he chose to torture me. I can't say I understand his reasoning, nor do I know the full truth of the Massacre. I despise Konoha for what it put my brother through, and the lies it stands on. I would burn it to the ground, but there are a few specks of redeeming qualities. And lastly, we have the Akatsuki. My brother must not have killed the clan alone, for as strong as he was, he couldn't have them alone, even with the advantage of surprise. His helper must be in the Akatsuki. Their goals are unclear, but it's evident that they're amassing massive amounts of power. And I must do the same. I need the power to stood against all who would oppose me, be it the Akatsuki, the 5 great villages, or any other threats. So our first step is to rebuild Otogakure, and you will guide me there."
A/N
I hope you enjoyed that. Again, mostly a set-up chapter, to establish the current status quo. I think I said this would end in a month or so last chapter, but on plotting this out, I realized it would probably be later than that if I wanted to explore certain things properly. I'll be focusing on this, so fans of my other fic will have to resign themselves to slower updates. In the next chapter, we'll enter the first arc of part 2.
Sasuke Uchiha
Attack: 9.5
Defense: 7
Support: 6.5
Speed: 9
Stamina: 8
Intelligence: 6
Chakra Control: 8
Total: 54
