Sakura wasn't sure what exactly she had been expecting when she walked into Sasuke's home that night. She knew Sasuke very well, possibly better than most people. She had spent a large portion of her life closely observing and learning every little detail she could. However, even with all of that, she still managed to be surprised by the depressing state of his home.

It wasn't a mess, it wasn't dirty... honestly, it wasn't anything.

Immediately in the front door, to the left, there was a wide entryway with no door that led into a kitchen and dining area. It was a good-sized kitchen, with what looked like plenty of cupboard space and a clean, up-to-date refrigerator and stove top. There was single, tired chair that faced a small, sad table. From the chair, one could see who came into the house. On the counter top by the sink, there was single cup and a single bowl, with one set of chopsticks balanced carefully atop the bowl. There was a cute little basket of apples and pears on the counter as well, closer to the fridge, that were very clearly (to Sakura, anyway) not within their expiration date. On the refrigerator door were at least a dozen differently colored sticky-notes, each one detailing a different reminder.

Despite the sad, tired furniture, and the evidently dirty dishes sitting on the counter, the place was immaculately clean. There wasn't a spot of dust anywhere. The off-white tile floor was free of stains, the grout pure white. The used dishes were the only sign that anyone actually lived there at all.

Between the kitchen and what must've been a bathroom or closet, there was a staircase that she climbed with Sasuke to get upstairs. The second floor had a lot more space and even less of it was in use. The walls were bare, the carpeted floor perfectly plush and again, stain-free. The place looked as though no one had ever lived there, despite the row of four locked and sealed chests pushed up against a wall closer to the stairs. Sakura tried to make herself not watch Sasuke as he opened one of the chests. She didn't want to know how to open it, even if she could figure it out in a second if there was a need. She also just didn't want Sasuke to think she was trying to snoop in his home. She absolutely could not snoop, no matter how much she wanted to.

Aside from the chests, the space was clearly intended to be a living room loft. There was a beanbag on the floor close to a window that had a view of the front door as well as an angle to watch the streets. From that window on the second floor...

She paused for a moment. Was it possible that Sasuke could have seen her keeping watch over him? That's stupid, Sakura, she scoffed at her own thoughts. Sasuke isn't the kind of person who would notice shit like that and then just fucking not say anything.

Against the far wall next to the bedroom door, there was a couch that, despite looking a little flat in one spot, was again shockingly clean. She walked closer to it as she looked around, pretending she wasn't taking inventory of Sasuke's living situation. She touched the couch with just her fingertips and it took a lot to not gasp. It was like moving her hand along textured silk. She couldn't even think of how it could be that clean. There were obviously products for cleaning upholstery and linens and even couches, but usually those didn't work this well, right?

On the couch, there was a black fleece blanket that was just as clean and soft as the couch it lay upon. She couldn't help herself and sat down, her hands running over the fabric of the couch. How often did one have to clean a couch to keep the upholstery like this? It was as incredible as it was depressing to consider that Sasuke probably deep-cleaned his entire house once or twice a week. That level of obsessive cleanliness couldn't be healthy, right?

"This couch is so soft, Sasuke-kun!" She marveled inquisitively, "How do you make fabric like this so soft?"

There was a clicking noise as Sasuke opened the chest and Sakura peeled her attention away from the couch she was now posted on. She couldn't see what was in the chest from the couch, but she watched Sasuke put his kunai pouches and other gear into the box and knew right away what it was for.

"Do you want to keep your gear in here too?" Sasuke was suddenly looking at her, not even acknowledging that she'd asked him a question. "There's plenty of room."

Something about the look in his eyes made her decide to respond agreeably, "Yea, that's a good idea." She got up and walked over, loosening the bands that held one of her thigh pouches on. She continued to pull things off and hand them to Sasuke until she was able to pat herself down and find no more blades or scrolls tucked away.

"You have … more pockets than I expected," Sasuke remarked in mild surprise as he was latching the chest again. Sakura was so taken aback she forgot to not watch Sasuke close the chest.

"I-... well-... I mean- it's important to have enough pockets and stuff! I'm a Kunoichi, you know!"

Sasuke chuckled before he could stop himself and quickly covered his mouth in surprise at his own reaction. "No, no, I just mean- I... it doesn't look like you have pockets at all, I guess?"

You know, you're allowed to laugh, Sasuke...

Now it was Sakura turn to giggle. "It's a woman's secret, Sasuke." She teased, unable to hide her own simpering at his honest reaction to her humor. "I don't really have a lot of pockets, I just wear a lot of pockets."

"Ah, yea, that does make more sense..." Her favorite boy chuckled, shaking his head in what looked like a combination of further bewilderment and amusement.

Once the gear was put away, Sasuke took her on a brief tour around the house. The bathroom was upstairs directly across from the bedroom. As they moved through the rooms, Sasuke instructed her about leaving some lights on and certain ones off, which doors should stay shut and which could be left open. He explained everything very matter-of-factly and while Sakura could absolutely appreciate a somewhat obsessive level of organization, the strange rules and rituals of Sasuke's home were honestly heartbreaking. All the blinds had to be closed before sundown. The bathroom should always be open with a light on. The bedroom door had to stay open. Don't move the beanbag chair. Don't shift the blinds to look outside. There was a cupboard with a padlock on it in the kitchen that was where Sasuke kept all his knives, and he instructed where to find the key to unlock it. Everything she used had to go back in its exact original spot.

Sakura was pretty sure there was a name for this kind of behavior but she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she and Sasuke had a cup of tea in relative silence. Sasuke still seemed really tense, but Sakura didn't really think anything she said to him would truly change his mood. Instead, she simply kept him company. Tomorrow was the Chuunin Exams and if she could reduce his anxiety so he slept through the night, that would be good enough for her.

…

It was simply a matter of luck that no one else was awake or around when Saeka felt the presence of a familiar friend wandering through the village. Itachi had come into town, whereas he had previously been wandering only the outskirts beyond the walls. She immediately expected him to travel to Sasuke's home and so she tracked his movements. It seemed like he was indeed making his way to Sasuke but, instead of interacting with his brother or trying to spy on him, Itachi stopped for a few minutes and then made his way in the direction of Kaisuki and Kakashi's home.

That's probably not a good idea, Itachi-san. Saeka thought only to herself, rising out of bed slowly to ensure she didn't wake Naruto. Kakashi was awake, sitting outside on the porch. She silently made her way downstairs and, with care, pulled open Kaisuki's front door. She stepped outside and turn to face Kakashi, who had shifted when she came outside.

"Good evening," Kakashi greeted with a puzzled tilt of his head. "Everything okay?"

Saeka didn't reply at first, tracking Itachi's approach. She didn't want to risk anyone listening in. She no longer trusted the village – though, to be fair, she supposed she never had. She had lied to Sasuke about the state of ANBU because she knew it would terrify him to know the truth. She had neglected to mention the extent of the possessions in the village or what she and Khrai planned to do about it because she knew that it would frighten Kaisuki and her friends to know how grave the situation was.

Khrai had to handle it and a lot of people were going to die. There wasn't any alternative. Considering how bad things had gotten in just the past week, even Izumi fully agreed with them. That was probably the most frightening thing of all, truthfully; their pacifist medic agreeing that what probably constituted a war crime was the best option.

Saeka had done much worse with far less rationale or justification. It was just another stain on her already blood-drenched talons. At least this time she had a good reason.

Saeka walked purposely over to Kakashi, who remained steadfast. At least he wasn't afraid of her anymore. She held up one of Kaisuki's fingers to her lips, shushing him silently. She leaned forward towards the side of his head, cupping her hands around his ear. It wasn't perfect but she was less likely to be heard this way.

As quietly as she could while still being heard, Saeka informed him; "Itachi is here." Kakashi shifted slightly to cover up the way he had stiffened but otherwise remained still, listening. "He probably wants to talk about Sasuke's safety. I'll handle it."

When she pulled away, Kakashi fixed his gaze on her, his forehead wrinkly just slightly as his eyebrows pulled together. Suspicion, confusion, perhaps disbelief or incredulity. It sort of didn't matter to Saeka what he believed.

The mentor beckoned her back with a finger so she leaned in again, this time tilting her ear towards him. He whispered back, his voice sincere as he asked her, "How do you know he just wants to talk?"

Saeka smiled sadly at his inquiry. She wished she could tell him the whole story but she had a feeling that if Kakashi knew, he would likely react irrationally.

"I know why he did it," was her hushed reply. "Kaisuki was right all along."

When she pulled away again, she looked Kakashi in his one visible eye knowingly. He stared right back for a moment before his expression shifted to a deep, deep sadness. Perhaps Kakashi had known all along, too. She could sense Itachi hovering just around the corner of the duplex, on Kaisuki's side. Clearly he knew that she and Kakashi were there and aware of him so Saeka stepped away from her mentor. She walked over to the other side of the porch, leaning back against the wall right next to the metal railing that encircled the porch. There was a fog gently blowing through the street – a genjutsu to conceal them. Smart.

"Kaisuki and the others are asleep," Saeka informed Uchiha Itachi, knowing he was listening to her. "It's just me, Saeka."

With just her eyes, she looked as far left as her periphery would allow and she could just barely make out the silhouette in the shadows. Itachi didn't speak for a long moment, perhaps digesting the information. It had been a very long time since Itachi had seen Kaisuki, and even longer since he'd had any kind of interaction with Saeka. On the other side of the porch, Kakashi remained where he was, pretending he was blissfully unaware of Itachi's presence. He continued reading his book attentively, as though Saeka hadn't just told him there was a felon who had dropped by to visit.

Well done, Sensei.

Finally, Itachi spoke up. "How is Kaisuki?"

Interesting that you asked after Kaisuki first.

"She's doing well – we all are in here." She answered him. "But, you wanted to talk about Sasuke, didn't you?" She added deliberately. Itachi didn't respond right away. She sort of wished she could see his face but from the simmering and shifting of his chakra, she knew enough.

When Itachi remained silent for a full thirty seconds, Saeka added: "I have a feeling I don't need to explain the situation to you."

"Sasuke is the target," Itachi finally, only to speak on what she was already well aware of. "They don't seem to know that Kaisuki is a Yurei or that you, Saeka, are one of her... guests."

Saeka sighed. "Yes, Sasuke is the target. The enemies are the demons. There's hundreds of possessed people in the village."

She felt his chakra shift into a more jagged pattern. "That many? In the village?" The despair in his voice was clear as the night sky.

"Yes. It is what it is," was her toneless reply. "Luckily for us, I'm not even the best kept secret about Kaisuki."

Itachi let out a sigh that sounded like relief and distress at the same time. He didn't pry about the other spirits, though, and instead simply switched the topic. "Will you be able to protect Sasuke?" He queried, the concern in his voice clear as day.

Saeka took a deep breath, placing a hand on the railing and leaned over it so she could look him in the eye. "It would be stupid to make a promise like that, knowing who we're up against. So," she cautioned, "don't stray too far, just to be safe."

"Thank you," was all the Uchiha said before he disappeared in a cloud of a smoke. The fog lifted slowly at first before it quickly disappeared into nothing. Saeka checked her surroundings carefully with her chakra sense before she strode back to the side of the porch Kakashi was. There was no one around but she still didn't trust it.

She walked up to him and leaned forward to whisper in his ear again. "Itachi will be watching our blind spots during the Exams."

...

When he woke up on the morning of the exams and heard the shower running, all logic and rational thought left his mind before his memory of the previous night had a chance to come back to him. Who the hell was in his shower and why? He had sat straight up in bed and was now staring at the door anxiously, his heart thudding in his chest. He could hardly breathe. Should he figure out a way to alert Saeka? She was supposed to be keeping guard, so surely she ought to have shown up if there was an intruder, right? Who and why would someone...

Then, he heard something fall and hit the shower floor, alongside a girlish squeal of surprise.

Right, Sakura's here. His let out a breath in a gasp of relief; knowing that it was just Sakura immediately relieved the fear that had gripped him momentarily. He sat there for a few minutes, breathing mindfully to calm himself back down. Mornings were always the worst.

While Sakura was showering, he decided to go downstairs and get his morning tea going. The ritual of making a perfect pot of tea was one of the few things in his life that actually made him feel normal and quieted his mind. Especially in the morning, when he was typically still reeling and disoriented by frighteningly vivid nightmares.

He had just put the kettle on the stove top when the bathroom door upstairs opened. Sakura's feet padded loudly across the upstairs area, her footsteps pausing momentarily before she entered the bedroom. The creaking of the house might've creeped other people out but, for Sasuke, it allowed him to track anyone who was in his house, whether they were invited or not. One would have to be able to float to move around in his home without him noticing.

He heard Sakura bouncing down the stairs and when she turned the corner to enter the kitchen, she looked bubbly and cheerful and awake and everything else that Sasuke wasn't. He was so tired it was indescribable. Hopefully being gripped by anxiety during the exams would serve to wake him up. His body ached terribly.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun," she greeted with a big smile and a light blush in her cheeks. Sasuke forced a tired smile and waved to her. He was genuinely making an effort to be friendlier with his teammates, though he couldn't deny that he seldom understood where his bouts of temper came from or why.

"Morning, Sakura." He replied. She gave him a puzzled looked.

"You don't look like you sleep well... sorry if it was my tossing and turning, I know that I'm a spinner-..." she suddenly started chattering away anxiously but he held up a hand to silence her.

"I slept amazing last night, Sakura. I don't even know why I'm so tired." He explained sincerely. It was true; he had slept through the night better than he had in... years. "I'm hoping the caffeine in this tea will wake me up a little..."

His pink-haired teammate nodded with her lips pursed, looking a little embarrassed. She recovered quickly, though, and jumped up on the counter so she'd have a place to sit. He had completely forgotten that she wouldn't have a chair. Did he have an extra chair somewhere? He didn't think so...

"So annoying."

He let out a sigh, feeling exhausted. He didn't know how he was going to make it through the exams today.

.

The Exams arena was more bustling than a festival. There were vendors everywhere, selling everything from snacks to enjoy with the "show" to options for gambling on winners. Kakashi was looking at the merchants with visible disdain and possibly even disgust, but his students found themselves enraptured by all the activity around them.

"Pay attention, don't approach the stalls or merchants, if someone calls out to you then look away..." Kakashi had rattled off endless directions and, despite their usual dispositions, all four of his students were watching with interest but remained close together. None of them drifted, not even Naruto; with Kaisuki beside him, holding his hand, he wasn't being drawn away by the things he saw.

The Exams arena did not allow merchants or tourists or even family members to come in – only the Genin and their Jounin instructors were allowed to enter the huge building. Kakashi had informed his team that there was usually a section of preliminary and primary matches between students. He wasn't actually sure if there would be a preliminary match this time because the Hokage and the Council were concerned about the likes of Naruto and Kaisuki participating and outing themselves as a result. At the same time, knowing the old man, he'd go through with it if they weren't assailed by demons beforehand.

The entryway into the arena area was guarded by three Chuunin and two ANBU members. The Chuunin checked their identification and handed them Exam passports, which would allow them to leave and re-enter the arena and stadium as an Examinee, such as in the case of medical emergencies or to visit injured friends. This was all explained in detail as they received the passports and then, finally, they were inside.

The place was packed. There were so many Genin and Jounin, so much different Shinobi attire, the different styles of wearing headbands, and so on. They could see some of their own classmates in the distance but with the memory of Kakashi's words the previous night still fresh in their minds...

"There are possessed students among your peers."

None of the four of them really wanted to attract attention to themselves. Even Naruto was looking shy and somewhat intimidated. Kakashi and Kaisuki's talks about the Exams and the danger the four of them were in had sunk in very well. Naruto was still very interested and naturally curious, but he kept quiet, licking and biting his lips as they meandered through the building. Kakashi led them to a kiosk where they were asked to input their passports, scan their identification card, which would deliver to them a number that would decide when and with whom they would be conducting the first exams.

"Is it randomly generated numbers or do they decide ahead of time what they're testing us on...?" Sakura asked aloud and one of Jounin standing beside the kiosk was quick to explain.

"The Jounin team leaders meet with the Hokage and the organizers of the Exams. Your skills, weaknesses, and strengths are discussed at length, and they choose an Exam style that suits you."

"S-so we're not competing as a team?" Kaisuki was taken aback, but the Jounin was quick to explain.

"There are three stages of the exams," he continued explaining. Kakashi was silent, listening as though he himself wasn't certain of the schedule for the exams. "The first is individual testing, the second is a survival test with your team, and the third is the One-on-Ones, where you'll have an opportunity to fight another Genin from a different team and country. This final test can be a real growing moment, as it gives Genin an opportunity to test their abilities in a real-time fight instead of against a tree or a familiar fighting style."

The five of them all nodded, hummed, and otherwise vocalized their understanding. As they walked away from the kiosk, looking over their numbers and the instructions on the passport, it was hard not to be distracted by the various people around them, giving themselves pep-talks and glaring at their competition.

.

Sasuke found himself constantly scanning the room, looking for an imminent threat. Ever since the conversation with Kaisuki and Kakashi last night, he'd felt like he was waiting for firestorms to start at any moment, waiting to hear the evacuation calls and smell the bodies. He'd been beyond paranoid for days and sleep had been a struggle every night leading up to that morning. Nearly every time he closed his eyes his mind started racing into all the things that could be going on while he wasn't paying attention. When he did manage to slip into slumber, he'd been woken by the frighteningly real dreams of the night of the massacre.

He'd done his best to not wake Sakura up with his tossing and turning for the first couple hours of the night, and as a result he was admittedly a bit sore from making himself lay still. He wasn't sure if she knew he'd been up late. She always seemed to notice when he was feeling off, but seldom said anything even if she knew the details.

"She's just sucking up to you by not questioning your bullshit." The thought crossed his mind and he sighed. Truly, many of the other girls in their grade had gotten the ice-cold silent treatment after trying to talk to Sasuke about things that were, frankly, none of their business. Sakura, on the other hand, had never tried to talk to him about the massacre, about Itachi, about his fights with Kaisuki, or much of anything if he was honest. If he didn't bring it up, she didn't ask about it. She knew he didn't want to be around people who stuck their nose in his business without an invitation.

"What are we waiting for? Aren't they late?"

He sighed wordlessly at Naruto's impatience. Kaisuki answered before Sakura had a moment to scold him; "I think we're waiting for everyone who signed up to show up. They might have a protocol for waiting a little bit if not everyone shows up on time or something."

Sasuke looked at the clock. Sure enough, the first part of the exams should've started two minutes ago. He crossed his arms, frowning. Was it possible that something was happening outside? Had the battle started already? He scanned the room again, looking at the faces of the other competitors, the Jounin instructors, and-...

"Oh shit," he turned when he heard Kaisuki speak, but when he looked at her she was staring across the room at someone he didn't have the angle to see. "That's... damn, that's a wild coincidence..." she licked her lips and then bit her bottom one, her eyebrows coming together in thought. There was a pause before Kaisuki sighed, putting a hand on her hip and cocking an eyebrow - an expression that immediately outed Khrai to the rest of the team.

"Well, actually, t'at could be a good t'ing, let's not get ourselves worked up." She quietly considered, not wanting to attract attention to her accent. Their eyes didn't change color so easily anymore so the spirits could speak up without outing Kaisuki.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, impressed by his ability to feign calmness. Although, maybe it was just that his team didn't want to point out how stressed he looked. "Something you wanna share?"

Khrai turned to face the team and beckoned them to lean in. "There's anot'er Jinchuriki here," Khrai informed them, clearly trying to restrain her accent. "I know 'im personally - the Bijuu, I mean. He's … a little dumb but, ah, well, he's... he's not t'at bad, usually."

"That's not exactly reassuring, you know," Naruto quietly retorted, his shoulders rising and his head sinking. He didn't usually display so much anxiety. It had to be the crowd getting to him. Khrai looked directly at Naruto with Kaisuki's red eyes, a sardonic smile growing across her face.

She put a hand on Naruto's blond head and murmured back through gritted teeth and a menacing smile, "Jus' don't be petty about it, Foxy."

That was clearly not intended for Naruto, who blushed in embarrassment from the intense eye contact. He looking utterly confused and his face only seemed to get redder as he seemingly searched the ground for answers. The team inconspicuously pulled apart again, Kaisuki blinking rapidly for a few seconds as they retracted from their little team meeting. Why had he even bothered asking her to clarify? He had learned nothing other than the existence of yet another thing to stress about.

"The most important thing," Kakashi spoke to all of them, "is that during the Survival Training, you four don't get separated. As long as you're together, I don't think there's a team in the Shinobi Nations who can take you on."

Sasuke didn't know if he really believed that but at the same time, he respected Kakashi as the experienced Shinobi he was and he did trust his mentor's opinion in most things.

"I think they're starting," Sakura's hand brushed against his forearm and he glanced at her before following her line of sight. A group of people – Jounin, mostly, with a few ANBU amongst them – had stepped into the atrium. They were walking up to the different teams, pulling full teams at a time, checking their information, and then escorting them down a hallway. It looked like it was still gonna be a while before they were called out but at least the line was finally moving.

"It doesn't matter how long it takes; something bad is still going to happen."

Sasuke clenched his jaw. He knew something bad was going to happen but it felt a lot more real since they were standing in the atrium waiting, surrounded by a horde of potential threats. His mind was racing again, every possible catastrophe presenting itself to him like an itemized bill of suffering. He directed his attention towards his other teammates, wishing there was something that could distract him. Kakashi was carefully observing their surroundings, his bored expression disguising the way his eyes darted around the room suspiciously. Kaisuki seemed to be in a similar boat, though something about the look in her eye suggested that perhaps the Yurei herself wasn't the one peering through the crowd.

When he looked towards Sakura, she was staring towards the hallways that teams were being led towards, her fingers twirling around her hair and her lip sporting a red mark where she'd been biting too hard on it. Even Naruto was uncharacteristically quiet.

Sasuke swallowed hard, wishing he had something to say to someone. There was a strange feeling inside of him, like a pulling sensation. It simultaneously felt like it was pulling inward and outward and he could even feel it in his throat. His mouth was so dry. He should have brought a water bottle or something.

"Do they really have to drag this out for so long?"

.

"Hey, Kakashi." The dark-haired woman greeted them almost an hour later. Judging by how Kakashi reacted to her, they might've been old friends or something. "These are yours, huh? They already look like a handful."

Their mentor let out an amused breath, nodding in agreement. "They're far more than just a handful, Anko."

The woman, Anko, laughed heartily. She had a nice voice but Sasuke couldn't help feeling painfully uncomfortable in her presence. He didn't even know why. "We'll see about that. Let me see your papers, kiddos"

After the few seconds it took the four of them to dig around in their various hiding spots for their documents, they produced their ID cards. Anko read the information on them, comparing it to her clipboard and taking down their names, age, and the current time. Sasuke wanted to throw up.

"You can put them away now," she instructed once she was done filling out the paperwork on her clipboard. "I hope you know I have high expectations from you, Kakashi." She commented cheekily with a teasing smile. "You've got good talent here, so it better not be going to waste."

"Oh, believe me, I know," Kakashi's statement landed a little heavily. He turned his attention towards the four Genin standing beside him. "But I've seen them in action and I'm far more concerned that they're going to leave me in the dust."

Sasuke couldn't deny that hearing Kakashi praise them that way made him feel a bit better. If their sensei was that confident in their abilities, they should be able to retain the same confidence in each other, right?

Anko's eyebrows rose as high as they could go, a smirk on her face. "I'll be excited to see their performance in the Forest of Death, then."

The woman led them all down one of the hallways they'd seen other teams travel through, a pair of ANBU members following them down the hall. Sasuke chewed the inside of his cheek mercilessly, barely able to contain the unbearable stress from what could happen. It was the only test where they would all be separated and his stomach was churning with the what-ifs bouncing around in his head. He just wanted it to be over with and they hadn't even done anything yet.

"Alright, sensei," Anko teased lightheartedly, pointing towards a slightly open door on the right side of the hall. "You can go in there and watch everything on the camera, I'm gonna drop them off and I'll be right back." She winked very obviously, and Kakashi very obviously pretended to have not seen the gesture at all. The woman laughed as she led them further down the hall.

"Alright, Satomi, this room is yours," she indicated the first door that came up on the left, pointedly gazing at Sakura. They still weren't used to the fake names and clearly this Anko woman knew who they were. What was the point of the fake IDs, again? "Good luck, young lady."

Sakura bit her lip and looked at the rest of the team, smiling weakly. Naruto was the first to respond, "You got this, S-, uh," he paused. "Satomi-chan!" The boy exclaimed with a double thumbs up. Naruto's very obvious misspeak was a reminder to the whole team that they weren't supposed to use their real names.

"You'll be fine... Satomi." Kaisuki assured, managing to catch herself.

Sasuke didn't really know what else he could say, but he knew that Sakura wanted him to reassure her to. What do I even say?

"Why does it matter?"

"You're much more capable than you give yourself credit for, Satomi." Sasuke told her, words measured and serious. That pulling sensation was back but it felt stronger and instead of being just his chest, he could feel the same sensation in his throat. It seemed worse than it had been before. "You can do this."

Sakura swallowed, looking terrified, but she nodded. She took a deep breath, straightened her back, and entered the room, hopefully with the words of her teammates echoing loudly in her head. Anko led them a little further down the hall, whistling. He felt like he could use encouragement like that sometimes but it made him feel pathetic.

They came to another door, this time on the right. "Kyoko, this one is for you." The woman indicated the room. Kaisuki stiffened ahead of him and Sasuke watched her hands fidget with the purple scarf around her waist for a moment before she turned to Naruto. Her face appeared to be a bit paler than usual.

"High five?" She said after taking a deep breath.

Naruto grinned, "Hell yea!"

They smacked their palms together, always the best of friends. Without so much as glancing towards her other teammate, Kaisuki strode into the room, slamming the door a little aggressively behind her. His heart sank. Was she angry at him? Had he done something?

"What haven't you done?"

It was just Naruto and Sasuke. They met each other's gaze and Sasuke wondered if Naruto could see the fear in his eyes as clearly as he could see the nervousness in Naruto's. Sasuke crossed his arms, unable to think of a less conspicuous way to self-soothe. He wanted to lay down for a few hours, honestly.

"C'mon, boys," Anko gestured in the direction they would be walking and led them further along. At the next door, on the opposite side of the hallway from the one before it, she turned her attention on to Naruto, indicating the door he would be going through. "Here you are, Nozomi."

His orange-clad teammate seemed hesitant and kept looking towards Sasuke. Was he worried about himself or his teammate? The Uchiha couldn't tell at all.

Sasuke wanted to say something again. "You'll be fine." He felt so useless.

"You are useless."

Naruto smiled at him, a look on his face that Sasuke couldn't identify. "Y-yea. You too, S-ah, Ryuji. I know you'll be fine." He grinned, holding up a closed fist for Sasuke to bump, which the Uchiha happily obliged. Then, Naruto all but threw himself into the door, shouting "The faster I go in the less I get to think!" The door slammed behind him, echoing.

Sasuke's heart was hammering in his chest but it wasn't the test he was afraid of. It wasn't the unfamiliar Jounin, or even the ANBU guards that he knew were roaming the building on patrols. There was no tangible concern other than the potential catastrophes, the what-ifs, the intrusive thoughts that just kept on swirling around his head, over and over.

Kakashi and Kaisuki's repeated warnings seemed to echo endlessly within his mind.

"Alright, here you are. Good luck, Ryuji."

"Finally, some time alone..."