Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!

Chapter 24: Obvious?

"When you left, you asked me to come with you in order to use me to help you find Itachi. I said no then, but I'm saying yes now."

Sasuke froze, thankful that Namiko couldn't see his reaction in the dark. "No way," he stated firmly. When he didn't hear a retort, he activated his Sharingan. A soft red glow lit the area around him as he looked over at her. Namiko was already asleep. 'Why the hell would she change her mind now? Ugh, I can't do this right now. I can discuss this with her tomorrow.'

Namiko's screams woke him once again. Sasuke got up and knelt by her, holding her shoulders down as he did the day before. "…Namiko," he said, almost tenderly as his voice was still trying to wake up. "Namiko, look at me…"

Her thrashing slowed but didn't stop, and her screams turned into whimpers. The second her eyes started to open, he activated his Sharingan and pulled her into the same genjutsu.

Namiko took a deep gasping breath as she looked up into Sasuke's Sharingan. She stayed still under his touch, noticing the blue sky above him. "I had a night terror again, didn't I?"

"Aa," he said as he released her shoulders and leaned away so she could sit up.

She sat up slowly, looking down at her hands in her lap. "Sorry about that. I hate doing this to you."

Sasuke's facial expression was neutral but softened slightly, almost appearing gentle. "It's not a problem. I just hate that you go through that."

"It would be worse if I remembered it, which sometimes I still do." She still refused to meet his gaze.

"You remembered this time, didn't you?"

"…no."

"You're a bad liar."

Namiko quickly turned to him in defiance. "I am not!"

Sasuke raised a brow skeptically. She turned away from him, embarrassed. "I…remember parts."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Since when do you want to talk about things so much?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Since it started interfering with my sleep." At the crestfallen look on her face, he backpedaled, "Look, it doesn't bother me because I can always go back to sleep, but you aren't resting like you should either because of this."

Namiko turned back to him in confusion. "Why do you care?"

Sasuke paused. He hadn't thought she'd ask that question, so he chose to redirect, "Why won't you tell me what it was about?"

"Naruto. It was about Naruto…and the kyuubi killed him." She looked away as she brushed away a tear. "I'll ask again, why do you care?"

"Because…" He said as he stood to create distance between them, grabbing a smooth rock nearby before skipping it across the pond. "…maybe I haven't cut my bonds as well as I thought I had."

Namiko's gaze snapped towards him at his confession. He stood a couple of meters away, ignoring her stare. She took the time to take in the view before her; Sasuke standing near the dock, his back facing her and his hair blowing in the wind. She almost felt like she was back at home in Konoha, and things were normal, but they were far from that.

If there was one thing Kurenai taught her was that genjutsu had many uses, but it could be dangerous to get stuck inside happy genjutsu. This was the most relaxed she'd been in months, but it wasn't real. He couldn't keep doing this or she ran the risk of being addicted to the genjutsu.

"I need you to help me convince Orochimaru to take the chakra limiters off. I need to be able to train or I'll keep waking you every night and you'll really hate me then," she said with a small laugh.

"How do you expect me to convince him of that?" he said, finally turning around to face her. "Your best option would be to find some way to become useful to him."

"Understood. Can you let us out now that I'm not screaming anymore?"

Sasuke looked down at her. "In a moment. Before I disperse it, I want to talk to you about what you said last night before bed while Orochimaru can't possibly eavesdrop."

"Huh? What did I say?" Namiko tried to play it off that she didn't remember, but when Sasuke noticed her bite her lower lip nervously, he wasn't about to let her off the hook.

"You offered to help me find Itachi."

She avoided his gaze. "…did I?"

"My answer is no."

She whirled around, jaw slightly agape. Irritation started to surface and her cheeks lightly tinted red in anger. "Why not?! You asked me three years ago to join you and now you don't want me?"

"It's not that I don't want you around, I just want to keep you safe." He hesitated as he locked on her blue-violet eyes that were glaring up at him.

Her eyes softened, pleading with him. "I'm not safe anywhere I go because I'm a jinchuriki."

"That's exactly my point!" he snapped at her. "If you were to come with me to find Itachi, I'd be walking you directly into the hands of the Akatsuki."

"How do you plan on finding Itachi then? Just wander around the five great nations, hoping you stumble on him? You'd be better off just coming back to Konoha where they may have a clue as to where he may be, or at least where the Akatsuki may have hideouts." She glared up at him, hands on her hips. "Jiraiya-ji-chan has been keeping track of them for a while."

"I don't know. You were the one who said Konoha would kill me if I left and tried to come back."

Her gaze softened slightly. "Naruto and I managed to get Tsunade-sama to keep your name out of the bingo books. It's common knowledge that you are to be captured if found, but you're not to be killed."

"That's good to know at least." He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "You're still not coming with me to find Itachi."

"Yes, I am."

"No. You aren't. End of conversation." Sasuke said rigidly.

He released the genjutsu, bringing the two back where they started; Sasuke leaning over Namiko, his hands pressing her shoulders to the futon beneath her. This time the room was dark except for the faint glow from Sasuke's Sharingan.

Namiko stared deeply into his eyes. Seeing his Sharingan in the light always fascinated her, but to see it in the dark, glowing softly, was utterly captivating. Maybe it was just because they were an amazing kekkei genkai. But maybe it was because it was him. Her stomach burned and she felt the heat creep up through her chest and neck at the thought.

Neither of them moved until Namiko finally blinked, causing Sasuke to snap out of whatever daydream was going through his head and get up to light the candle on the desk. 'I need to keep my distance. It's hard to do because I need to keep her safe from Orochimaru and Kabuto. I need to convince them to take off the chakra limiters. She needs to be able to train and protect herself. Then I might agree…'

The glow from the candle filled the room. "How on earth do you know what time it is? It's maddening to not have a clue what time it is and no sunlight," she asked as she sat up.

Sasuke opened a drawer and pulled out a small wind-up alarm clock, setting it on top of the desk. "By that. There's never really been a solid schedule unless Orochimaru has a reason."

"What time is it then?"

"Around nine o'clock in the morning."

She undid her braid before twisting her hair into a quick bun. "So, what do you do for breakfast?"

"Sometimes Kabuto brings food, sometimes I just go to the kitchen and grab something," said Sasuke with a small shrug. "Are you hungry? I can take you to the kitchen."

Namiko nodded, slipping on her sandals, and standing next to him. "Let's go."

'Funny, but the more I look at him, the more does kinda resemble Sasuke…sorta sounds like him too,' thought Naruto as he stared at their newest teammate. They'd been walking for several hours in awkward silence unless Yamato tried hopelessly to strike up conversations.

Sai gave Naruto a sideways glance. "If you keep looking at me, I will hit you."

"What?! You think I'm scared of you?" yelled Naruto as he shook his fist toward Sai. 'I take it back. He is soooo not like Sasuke!'

"Look, I really have nothing personal against you," said Sai with a smile.

Naruto glared at him. "Then why'd you say it?"

Sai chuckled. "You don't understand. I was only trying out a certain personality type, that's all."

Sakura raised her eyebrow. "A personality type?"

"Hm? If you were trying to do it, then that means you meant it!" Naruto stopped walking. "We don't need someone like you on this team! You really rub me the wrong way."

Everyone stopped walking as Yamato spoke up, "That's enough. That's no way to talk, especially not in front of me, your team captain, Naruto. Mutual respect and trust are essential in any relationship, most importantly in the relationship between teammates. Didn't Kakashi teach you that? You are part of a team led by the great Kakashi. Lose the attitude."

Naruto growled under his breath as he pointed at Sai. "He's not a part of Team Kakashi! Not now, not ever! The fourth member of our team is and always will be Uchiha Sasuke. This guy is just a fill-in for Sasuke until he comes home. He will never be a real member of our team!"

Silence filled the air for a moment before Sai commented, "Well, I'm glad. I'm glad that's how you feel. Sasuke is a traitor. He betrayed Konoha and joined Orochimaru. Yes, you're right, I'm not him at all…I'm not a traitorous cockroach. I can't fill in for someone like that."

Naruto balled up his fists, ready to strike. "I've had it with you, Sai!" He took a step forward, only for Sakura to throw out her arm to block him from hitting Sai.

"Remember what's important, Naruto. It's teamwork…calm down," Sakura grit her teeth, forcing the words out. "Sai, Naruto was out of line, but it's just because he doesn't know you well enough yet. I'm sorry, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive him."

"But, Sakura—"

Yamato let out the breath he'd been holding. "Glad to know we have one level-headed person on the team."

"Oh, don't worry, he doesn't bother me in the least," Sai said with a smile.

"Good, that's a relief," said Sakura as she smiled back.

Suddenly, she lunged forward, slugging Sai hard across his jaw. He flew backward into some bushes several meters away. Her smile was gone and replaced by pure fury. "I don't care one bit if you forgive me though."

"You fooled me quite well," Sai said as he wiped the blood off the side of his mouth, "that smile of yours looked so sincere."

"You don't know a thing about Sasuke…" Sakura straightened up, clenching and unclenching her fists by her sides.

"I know he helped kidnap Naruto's sister," said Sai casually.

Naruto took a threatening step forward. "Orochimaru and Kabuto did that, not Sasuke. Sasuke would never hurt a Konoha shinobi."

"Just keep bad-mouthing Sasuke, and next time, I won't hold back, Sai," threatened Sakura.

"Fine then, I'll keep my mouth shut in front of you," quipped Sai. "Well, it would appear I've just found another use for a fake smile…"

Sasuke led her to the kitchen and Namiko could honestly say she was pleasantly surprised. It was quite a bit bigger than the one in her and Naruto's apartment, and fairly clean and organized. She glanced up at Sasuke, silently asking for permission to look through everything.

"You're welcome to eat whatever or make anything you find. Sometimes I'll make onigiri but often in mornings, it's just fruit and bread, sometimes eggs if we have them," Sasuke said as he sat on a stool at the island. "Kabuto is normally the one who cooks. It's plain but mostly nutritious."

Namiko walked over to the fridge and looked inside, just some fish, milk, and tofu. She was happy to find eggs and tomatoes on the counter, along with some rice in a cabinet. She pulled out a handful of different ingredients and looked for the tools she'd need to cook.

Sasuke watched her as she moved about the kitchen fluidly, almost as if she were in her own little world. About fifteen minutes later, she placed a small plate and a couple of bowls in front of him before doing the same for herself as she sat next to him. Tamagoyaki, rice, miso soup, and sliced tomatoes. Sasuke stared at the dishes before him, not moving to eat just yet.

"I promise I didn't poison it," she said as she rolled her eyes.

"I know, I was watching you closely."

"Why? Did you expect me to try and poison you?"

Sasuke shook his head. "No, not that it would've mattered anyhow. Orochimaru has made me immune to almost all poisons."

"Do I want to even think about how he did that?" she asked, scrunching up her nose at the thought.

"Honestly, it wasn't the worst thing I've been through," he said with a small shrug.

Somehow his statement made her nervous and she quickly sat next to him and took a bite of the tamagoyaki, sighing in happiness. "Eggs are always so good."

"You've always liked them," he replied as he took a bite of the rice.

Namiko tilted her head to the side as she looked over at him. "How…would you know that?"

Sasuke's chopsticks froze for a split second mid-air, holding a piece of tomato. "…you always had tamagoyaki in your bento at the academy. Considering you always had them and Naruto didn't, it was a logical conclusion."

"I mean, you're right, but I'm surprised you noticed that."

"It's hard not to notice things with the Sharingan."

A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "You didn't even use your Sharingan in the academy. Not until the Chuunin Exams."

"How do you know that?"

It was Namiko's turn to freeze in place for a moment before putting up a false bravado. "You're not the only one to notice things…I know you like tomatoes because you always had them in your bento when we were little, and sometimes you even had them in your onigiri."

Sasuke had taken the last slice of tomato and put it in his mouth just as she finished talking. "You also like strawberries, especially strawberry mochi."

"Is this a competition now of who knows the most about the other?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Sasuke smirked confidently. "If it was, I'd win."

Namiko looked at him skeptically. "I highly doubt it."

Sasuke turned on the stool to face her head on. "You like the library and books, not just for learning shinobi things, but civilian things as well. You occasionally read fiction, normally fairytales. You like being outside at night, sitting on the rooftop, normally with one of the said books in hand. Probably because Naruto snores so ridiculously loud. And you like all sorts of animals, especially anything fluffy."

Namiko blinked repeatedly in surprise. She never expected him to know anything really about her. Yes, they'd been in the same class for six years in the academy and then he was put on her brother's team. He would've had to have been watching her more than just while she was making food today; he would've had to have been watching her since they were kids.

Her nervousness started creeping back in again. He knew probably more than Naruto did about her preferences, but then, her brother wasn't known for his observation skills. However, Sasuke had been gone for almost three years. A lot had changed about her. What had changed about him?

She barely knew anything about him other than what she observed when they were kids or what Naruto had told her. While they talked a few times in passing when they were genin, they never had frequent contact. The past three days had been the most they'd ever been able to consistently talk. And she wanted to know more.

"Okay," she said, turning to face him and mirroring his body language, "you win. As a consolation prize, you have to tell me something about yourself."

Sasuke scoffed as he took his dishes and hers to the sink and started washing them. "When did I agree to that?"

She stood next to him, leaning against the counter. "It was an unspoken agreement." A sly smile spread across her face. "I know you used to go on walks a lot when you were younger, especially at night…" At his curious expression, she elaborated, tapping the side of her head, "Chakra sensing, remember? Anyways, why?"

"I don't like being cooped up or restrained," he explained casually.

Her brow furrowed. "How on earth do you not lose your mind in here then?"

"Sometimes Orochimaru will send me on missions and I can get out on my own, but if not, I generally tend to throw myself into training to distract." Sasuke placed the last clean dish to dry. "Speaking of, I'm going to train and you're coming with me."

At her puzzled look, he let out a small sigh. "After what happened yesterday, do you really want me to leave you alone?" She shook her head furiously, a few stray strands of hair coming loose from her bun. "I didn't think so. Come on."

"Nice catch, Sai, we'll end the simulations here," said Yamato as Sai untied the bindings around his wrists.

Naruto reached over and grabbed the front of Sai's shirt. Sai looked at him blankly. "Is there a problem?"

"Don't you know what the word 'comrade' means?" Naruto glared at Sai as he let go of his shirt with a shove.

The artist dug in his hip pouch for a moment before pulling out a scroll and a brush. He made a few strokes on the paper before turning it around. "As a matter of fact, I do. You write it like this…" He turned it to reveal the characters for 'comrade' written on the scroll.

Naruto let out a growl. "That's not what I meant and you know it!"

"Naruto, wait…" said Sakura, hoping to diffuse the situation.

"Seriously, don't go blaming others for your own shortcomings. If you hadn't fallen for Yamato-taichou's obvious bait, he wouldn't have known that I was hiding elsewhere. Perhaps I may have been able to capture him with even less trouble than I had," said Sai as he put away the scroll.

"What do you mean by that?" snapped Naruto.

"Why even bother masquerading as me if you're going to reveal yourself almost immediately by using one of your own jutsu?" Sai explained, "Because of your mistake, Yamato-taichou was able to see through our strategy and use a substitution jutsu to disappear into the forest."

Naruto glanced at Yamato who nodded that he agreed with Sai. Naruto felt slightly embarrassed but he still wanted a better explanation. "Well, if you knew it was a substitution jutsu, then why didn't you break your jutsu right away?"

"It's impractical to fight while covering for someone who's lost his cool. I simply considered what would best ensure mission success and acted accordingly," said Sai matter-of-factly.

Naruto turned around and walked a bit away from Sai. "I'll tell you something right now. I don't accept you as a comrade or as a member of Team Kakashi. Not now. Not ever!"

Yamato groaned. "I'm getting the feeling that this entire thing may not work out at all."

"I wonder what Sasuke would've done?" queried Sai, a fake smile across his face, baiting Naruto. "Would he have wanted to fight an enemy and cover for you at the same time? I mean, after all, you consider him to be your comrade, right?"

Naruto turned to glare at Sai and Sakura suddenly felt nervous. 'Oh no…if Sai keeps this up, Naruto is going to blow up on him.'

Sai tilted his head to the side, almost thoughtfully yet taunting at the same time. "Though how you can call someone who betrayed his own village a 'comrade' is beyond me…"

Naruto clenched his fist, trying to keep his anger in check. "If it means saving a comrade and my sister, I'll do whatever it takes…even if that means teaming up with you. We will find them both."

Sai watched as Naruto turned and walked away into the forest. "Why does he feel so strongly about Sasuke?"

"It's because Sasuke is more than a teammate to Naruto. He's like a brother, and Naruto having both his close friend and brother, and now his sister gone is getting to be too much to handle." Sakura turned to face Sai. "You have a brother of your own, don't you? You must be able to understand how he feels."

"I don't. Not at all." Sakura looked confused as Sai continued, "Remember our conversation about titling my drawings? I told you, I don't have any feelings at all." Sakura's mouth dropped open.

Namiko stood along the wall of a large room, larger than the one she'd fought Kabuto in a few days ago. There was a large stone snake with glowing eyes near the back of the room. She looked over to Sasuke, who was standing next to her. "So, this is where you train?"

Sasuke nodded. "I suggest you stay as close to the wall as possible. Once Orochimaru gets here and we start training, it can get a bit messy." Namiko nodded, pressing herself against the cold stone wall.

As Orochimaru entered the room, the atmosphere shifted. Namiko didn't need her chakra sensing to feel the tension created by their clashing chakras. She tried not to shiver in fear as she looked at the snake sannin, the reminder of her encounter in his lab all too fresh in her mind. She found a corner where she could observe and be somewhat protected. She slid down the wall and hugged her legs to her as she sat on the ground to watch.

Sasuke stood poised, his dark eyes gleaming with determination as he prepared for another grueling training session under the watchful eye of his master.

Orochimaru, his serpentine presence looming over Sasuke, observed silently, a subtle smirk playing on his lips. "Are you ready, Sasuke-kun?" he inquired, his voice dripping with a blend of amusement and malice.

Sasuke's response was a simple nod, his resolve unwavering. With a flick of his wrist, Orochimaru unleashed a barrage of shuriken, their deadly edges glinting in the dim light as they hurtled toward the Uchiha.

Swift as the wind, Sasuke moved, his movements fluid and precise. His Sharingan blazed to life, a crimson whirlpool of power as he analyzed the trajectory of every shuriken with unparalleled precision. He tapped the seals on his arm guards, calling forth numerous shuriken with ease and quickly using them to deflect each of Orochimaru's.

But Orochimaru was not one to make things easy. With a sinister chuckle, he unleashed a flurry of snakes from the shadows, their venomous fangs bared as they slithered toward Sasuke with deadly intent.

Reacting with lightning-fast reflexes, Sasuke unleashed another torrent of shuriken, their blades glinting as they sliced through the air, taking down half the serpentine onslaught with deadly accuracy. He switched to his sword for the rest of the snakes. With each strike, he honed his senses, his movements becoming more fluid and instinctual with every passing moment.

As the chaos of their battle raged on, Sasuke pushed himself to the brink, his muscles burning with exertion as he fought against the relentless tide of Orochimaru's attacks. He spared a glance toward Namiko and deep within him, a fire burned brighter than ever before, driving him to push past his limits and emerge victorious.

With a final burst of energy, Sasuke unleashed a devastating onslaught of lightning-infused chakra, his electrifying power coursing through his sword and the air as it clashed with Orochimaru's dark chakra resulting in a dazzling display of raw power that Namiko had to turn her head to avoid the brightness.

Namiko turned back and what she saw had her in awe. 'He's channeled the Chidori throughout his body. There's no way that Kakashi-sensei could do that. He's amazing…'

After nearly an hour, Orochimaru held up a hand, signaling their session was over. "Well done, Sasuke-kun." Despite the challenges he had faced, Sasuke knew that every moment spent in Orochimaru's lair brought him one step closer to unlocking the true extent of his potential and accomplishing his goal.

In the aftermath of the intense battle, Sasuke stood victorious, his chest heaving with exertion as he surveyed the aftermath of his training. Scorch marks from his fire and lightning jutsus, cuts into the stone from his sword, along with shuriken and kunai littering the training floor. His Sharingan eyes searched for Namiko to see her standing up, mouth parted slightly, and her blue-violet eyes glimmering with something he couldn't place.

Sasuke knew that no matter what trials lay ahead for him, he would face them head-on, fueled by the burning determination to become stronger and fulfill his goal. He looked at Namiko again, trying hard to focus on the potential of promising visions of the future rather than painful recollections of the past. Maybe there could be something better in his future after completing his goal.

Namiko walked forward toward the master and student. "That was amazing!" She smiled sweetly as she turned her attention to Orochimaru. "Orochimaru-sama, I was wondering if there might be some way I could get time free of these," she held up her wrists, "so I could train."

"Do you think you could control her if she tried to escape?" Orochimaru asked Sasuke directly.

Sasuke's eyes were trained on his master's, his Sharingan still active. "Definitely. She poses no threat and she wouldn't dare run from me."

Namiko did her best to keep her face plastered with the sugary smile; it was easier to catch flies with honey and Orochimaru was the biggest maggot she knew. If she played her cards right, maybe she'd get lucky.

Orochimaru turned and walked toward the exit. "Kabuto-kun said you cooked today. I'll make you a deal, if you do the cooking, I'll allow one hour a day. Kabuto-kun, show Sasuke-kun how to lock and unlock the restraints."

Namiko's sugary smile turned into a full-blown grin. "I can do that! Thank you so much!"

As he stood in the doorway, he turned and stared intimidatingly at Namiko. "If you're a good girl, I might give you more freedom as time goes on. Sasuke-kun, you're fully responsible for her now." The sannin exited without another word or glance.

Kabuto walked over to Namiko and Sasuke. "Hold out your wrists," he commanded and Namiko did as instructed. Kabuto made a unique hand sign before touching a small circular mark on each of the black bands and they popped open.

Namiko sighed a breath of relief as she felt her chakra flood her system again. She rubbed her wrists to ease the soreness from the limiters. "Thank you, I appreciate it."

Kabuto frowned in annoyance as he passed the chakra limiters to Sasuke. "Put them back on in an hour. You're the one in charge of her now and you know Orochimaru-sama has ways of finding out if you follow instructions."

Sasuke glared at Kabuto's back as he left the training room. "I'm aware." He turned to see Namiko's bright smile and had to hold back his own that wanted to break through. 'Maybe her getting this bit of freedom will allow me to be able to distance myself more from her. I can't let her rebuild these bonds.'

"Oh wow, it feels good to be able to use chakra again." Namiko sighed happily as she stretched her arms overhead.

Her cropped shirt raised a little as she stretched, exposing even more of her bare stomach. Sasuke's Sharingan was still active and his pupils imperceptibly dilated as he scanned over her body, starting at her arms, gliding over her chest and stomach, and down her legs. His eyes snapped back to her face and he mentally groaned when he realized what he was doing. 'Since when did I start becoming a pervert like Kakashi?'

Namiko put her arms back down and glanced over toward Sasuke. Noticing his behavior shift slightly, she looked at him curiously. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Just wondering if you're going to be able to handle a spar since you're just now getting used to having your chakra back."

"Don't worry about me, Uchiha, I'll be fine. I'm more worried about how you're going to be since you're tired after training with Orochimaru…" she said as a smirk spread across her face.

"Hm," he scoffed, attitude becoming his usual cocky self. "Don't worry about me, Uzumaki, I can handle you just fine any day."

Namiko tilted her head away, trying to hide her blush as she picked up several shuriken and a couple of kunai. 'What on earth did he mean by that?' She blew out an amused breath as she turned to face him. "Now you're calling me Uzumaki? What happened to saying my name like you did this morning?"

She blushed realizing how her comment could be taken and turned to fling the kunai behind her, as well as hide her red face. She turned back as she got her blush mostly under control and recalled the kunai back to her hand without moving another muscle.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow questioningly. "How did you do that?"

"Flying Raijin doesn't just apply to transporting myself," she said with a casual shrug. "I mark a tool with my seal in a single touch, and I can recall it an infinite number of times, well, at least until my chakra runs out."

She flung the shuriken randomly in dozens of directions and Sasuke watched closely with his Sharingan as they instantly came back to her hand. Not using speed, but actually disappearing and reappearing. "It's impressive."

"Thanks." A small smile spread over her face. "So, care to throw some shuriken with me?"

Sasuke nodded and used the seals wrapped around his arms to call more shuriken into his hands. He launched a torrent of shuriken in her direction and she quickly dodged through the onslaught and launched several in return. The clashing of metal echoed through the large room.

Namiko always knew how good Sasuke was with shuriken from when they were in the academy, but it seemed like he had truly honed his skill over the years. He was able to curve the blades' trajectory effortlessly and was able to defend against every single shuriken and kunai she threw. It took everything in her to keep from getting hit and she didn't want to use Flying Raijin on herself down here unless it was an emergency.

They sparred for nearly an hour before Namiko doubled over, trying to catch her breath. "Okay, okay, maybe you were right. After being cut off from my chakra for nearly three days, it's hard to adjust. Plus, the air down here is so thick with moisture it makes it a little harder to breathe."

Sasuke picked up a few shuriken and placed them back into the seals on his arms. "You'll get used to it. We'll be switching bases soon enough and you'll have another to get used to."

"Huh? Switching bases?"

"Orochimaru moves bases once a week. He says it is to keep people from finding him." Sasuke held up the chakra limiters. "I have to—"

"It's okay, don't worry about it!" she cut off his apology as she held out her wrists. "I'm just thankful for some freedom and maybe eventually he'll increase the time."

As Sasuke snapped them in place, she hummed thoughtfully. "One thing that's interesting though is that I can't sense anyone near us at all other than Kabuto or Orochimaru."

He started walking toward the exit with her following closely behind. "That's not a surprise since we're the only ones at this base."

"No, you don't understand…my range on chakra sensing is almost twenty kilometers. The only reason I can think of for why I can't sense anything is because we're underground. It never occurred to me that being underground would cut me off from the outside world in that aspect."

Sasuke hid his surprise. 'Twenty kilometers? Maybe I should reconsider her offer to help me with Itachi.' Sasuke shook his head subtly. 'No, if Naruto or Konoha come for her, she's going home with them, even if it means it takes me longer to find Itachi.'

Namiko tilted her head, trying to look at Sasuke's face as they walked. 'What is going on with him? Sometimes he acts like we're friends and wants to be closer, but then sometimes he acts like he wants nothing to do with me. I'm so confused…'

A/N: Sasuke and Namiko are definitely struggling to figure each other out right now. What will happen when Team Kakashi meets with Kabuto at Tenchi Bridge? You'll have to find out next week! Thank you all once again for continuing to support me in reading and an even bigger thank you to those who've left comments and reviews. Love you guys! See you all soon!

-Eriisu