Sasuke only takes his eyes off of his opponent for a second – just a second to check Karin’s status. It’s a second too long.

It’s not his attacker who does him in. The ninja he’s fighting is nothing special. Sasuke had sensed them tailing Hawk nearly an hour before their team attacked. Most likely bounty hunters, smart enough to recognize the dark Akatsuki robes, but not smart enough to run.

No. He’d been able to fight the ninja without even using his Sharingan, half his mind focused on watching his team. The attack that does him in comes from somewhere else. He hears the whistling of the kunai before he sees it, hurtling toward him from the upper right. Only it doesn’t hit him. It hits his opponent directly between the eyes, spraying blood over both of them. Sasuke whips around, Sharingan instantly at the ready, but it’s too late. A flash of orange and a sharp prick to the back of his neck coincide with the ground exploding under him. He springs away, eyes probing for his teammates, but thick clouds of dust are rising from the broken ground, curling around the toppled trees and the boulders rolling like marbles. He can’t see two feet in front of him.

And whatever drug they shot him with is beginning to take effect. Everything darkens as the corners of his vision go blurry. He stumbles, but he doesn’t fall. The collar of his robe twists against the back of his neck, and he’s hauled up like a rag doll. Far away, he can hear Karin calling his name.

“I got him,” a familiar voice shouts, triumphant.

Damn it, Naruto… he thinks weakly, and then everything goes black.


Sasuke dreams. Voices drift in and out of his conscious mind, conjuring up images from the past. He dreams that he’s back in Konoha, and Itachi is alive. He’s on his big brother’s shoulders, and he gazes up at the tree branches moving sedately past them. He can see the village in the distance, the four great heads carved into the mountain, watching. Protecting.

The rock that Itachi sets him down on is large enough for them to talk face to face, despite the height difference. There’s a small smile on Itachi’s lips, but his eyes are grave. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Sasuke knows that this is wrong. He’s seen this expression on his brother’s face before, and it wasn’t here in the forest. There’s something all too familiar about this. Familiar and horrifying.

As a hurdle you must overcome, I’ll always be there for you. Even if you hate me.

Sasuke hears the words as clear as day, even though Itachi’s mouth doesn’t move. His big brother just looks at him with that gentle smile. Sasuke searches his brother’s expression until his eyes begin to water, making the familiar face shimmer and blur in front of him.

That’s what being a brother is.

Sasuke jerks as blood starts to leak from Itachi’s eyes and mouth. He tries to scramble back, but he’s paralyzed by the gruesome contrast of Itachi’s kind expression and the blood rushing down his cheeks. He can only stare in horror as Itachi’s face transforms slowly into Naruto’s, red eyes swirling into blue, black hair turning to blood-matted blonde.

Suddenly, everything is on fire. Flames lick up every tree trunk, bathing the forest floor in an eerie red glow. Naruto is on the ground, his body and Itachi’s laying side by side with dead, staring eyes. More bodies litter the landscape, some on fire, some missing limbs, all dead. Everything is burning in an endless circle around him, and his sword is dripping with blood. He’s covered in it. The world is on fire, and somehow Sasuke knows it’s his doing.

He tries to remember why he’s here, but all he can recall is fire and pain. Aside from that, his memory is blank. The flames are closing in, eating away at the ground, tugging at his clothes. There’s no escape, and he’ll burn like everything else.

He falls to his knees and screams.


The first thing Sasuke sees when he opens his eyes is soft pink hair drifting against pale skin. Sakura’s blurry figure looms over him, two fingers against his carotid artery.

“You’re awake,” she comments with a quick smile. “I’m glad.” She doesn’t halt whatever she’s doing, presumably checking his pulse. His head is still fuzzy, but it only takes him a moment to realize his arms and legs are firmly bound. He feels unaccountably weak.

“The drug is suppressing your chakra.” Sakura answers his unspoken question without looking in his direction. “It’s Tsunade-sama’s special concoction. We figured the ropes alone wouldn’t be enough.”

She’s frustratingly close; it would be easy break free and knock her out if he didn’t feel so damn woozy. As it is, he has to content himself by leveling a stare at her. His Sharingan doesn’t take much chakra at all anymore. A few seconds of eye contact and it will all be over.

Except she doesn’t look him in the eye. Interesting. She’s learned something in the last three years, then.
“Whatever you’re doing,” he says, “It’s pointless. I’m not going back to the village. Naruto is stupider than I thought if he hasn’t gotten that through his head by now.”

She sits back. “Why was your team headed in that direction, then?”

He doesn’t answer. As much as he wants to spill his hatred of Konoha out on Sakura, it would be pointless. Unlike his former teammates, he’s learned to keep his mouth shut.

Sakura smiles again. She’s grown, he notes dispassionately. Back at Orochimaru’s compound he was so focused on Naruto that he’d barely noticed. She’ll never be a beauty, but she’s not the gawky girl he left behind. Her eyes are still warm, but there’s a tempered wariness to them that she never showed around him before.

“We’ve been following you for days,” she tells him. “Naruto wanted to try and take you right away, but Kakashi made us shield ourselves behind those bounty hunters. It was a good plan.”

Kakashi. Sasuke wonders if he’ll get to see his old sensei before he escapes. Maybe even fight him. And Naruto. Naruto should be right next to Sakura in this dim little room, yelling at Sasuke about friendship and bonds and Home Sweet Konoha. But as far as Sasuke can see, the idiot is nowhere to be found.

Sakura rises gracefully to her feet, leaving Sasuke staring at her knees. Her shins are covered with cuts and bruises of every shape and size.

“Is that it?” he can’t help but taunt. “No other words for your first love?” Her composure is throwing him out of balance. He’s frustrated that he was caught, frustrated by his helplessness, and, most of all, frustrated that he’s sitting here, having a conversation with one of the very people he should be killing.

Her hair hides her eyes as she tips her head forward, but he sees the blush rise in her cheeks. “You’ve gotten so strong, Sasuke-kun,” she says softly. “We never would have captured you if you weren’t already distracted. We all know that. Even Naruto.”

Sasuke eyes her warily as she lays a hand on his cheek. “Even though you don’t want to be here,” she whispers, “I’m glad to see you.” Her fingers slide down his face to find the pressure point on his neck. “Now sleep a little longer.”

She presses lightly, and he loses consciousness again.


The next time Sasuke comes to, he’s alone. Or at least, that’s what he thinks. He shifts his shoulders a bit, trying to find the faulty points in his bindings. Predictably, there are none. He’s still weak, but his head’s a little clearer. If he concentrates hard enough, he should be able to –

“Please don’t.”

Another, more recently familiar, voice comes at him from the far corner of the room. Coal black eyes stare at him out of a blank, pale face. The new one. Sai. His replacement. So they’re taking turns guarding him, then.

He merely looks at Sai from across the room, not bothering to hide his disdain. If Konoha thought this newest member of Kakashi’s squad would be strong enough to stop him, they were sorely mistaken. He ignores Sai’s unblinking stare, blocking out his surroundings. Just enough chakra for a few moments of Chidori. Once the ropes were burned off, he could escape using speed alone. He bows his head, concentrating.

“Please,” Sai says again, polite and impersonal. “You’re still very weak, but if you try to escape I might have to hurt you. I’d rather Naruto-kun not become angry with me.”

“Scared of Naruto,” Sasuke sneers. “Pathetic.”

Sai smiles the way he smiled when Sasuke first laid eyes on him, mouth tipping up in an expression as sweet as it is empty.

“I owe a lot to Naruto-kun,” Sai says. “He is…my friend. But he’s your friend as well, and I think if I hurt you, Naruto wouldn’t like it.” He pauses for a moment, tipping his head to the side. “Although, it would be smarter to kill you. Naruto-kun and Sakura-san trust you too much.”

Sasuke feels his own beast rise up in him eagerly. He smiles, feral. “Go ahead.”

Sai seems to be seriously considering it. He stands, drawing his sword. Sasuke wills him to come closer, to actually make an attempt. If he can engage him in battle, if he can just get his hands on that weapon…

“Sai!” Naruto barks from the doorway. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sasuke looks up, meeting Naruto’s eyes for a brief, charged moment. Naruto looks away first.

Sai stops, mid-step, and turns to Naruto. The two of them stare at each other from across the room, communication passing silently between them. It was odd how Naruto was always able to manage that. Of course, the real problem with Naruto wasn’t getting him to communicate – it was getting him to shut the hell up.

The two teammates seem to come to a consensus, and Sai relaxes, sliding back down the wall to resume his position in the corner. Naruto stands over him impatiently.

“It’s my turn,” he says. “I’ll take over.”

“No,” Sai answers calmly.

Naruto frowns. “What?”

“No,” Sai repeats. “Kakashi-sensei told me not to leave you alone with Sasuke-kun. I’ll stay.”

“What?” Naruto says, outraged. “He doesn’t trust me?”

“Your teammate tried to kill you last time you met,” Sai says, unmoved in the face of Naruto’s indignation. “It’s for your safety.”

“I don’t need your protection,” Naruto yells, incensed.

“Naruto.” Sakura’s silhouette appears in the doorway. “I hate to agree with Sai, but I think Kakashi is right,” she says worriedly. “You - ”

Now. Sasuke’s Chidori flares to life, incinerating his bindings before anyone can blink. The ropes crumble to dust around him as he leaps to his feet. He sees Naruto’s eyes widen an instant before Sasuke kicks him into the wall. Naruto slides down, unconscious.

Sai rushes him. Sasuke turns the Sharingan on him, catching his attack and flinging him back. He manages to get a hand on Sai’s sword in the process. Sai lands firmly on his feet, but Sasuke throws the sword after him, spearing him through the shoulder with his own weapon. Sasuke sees Sai sink to his knees before he turns to the exit.

What the fuck did they inject him with? Sasuke can almost feel his energy ebbing. Five seconds of fighting and he’s without chakra, without speed, and without weapon. He stumbles toward Sakura’s frozen figure, trying to shake the cobwebs from his vision.

There’s a look of set determination on her face. “I’m sorry,” he hears her say in a low voice, just before a hurricane crashes into the side of his face. The blow lifts him off his feet and slams him against the far wall. He feels the concrete crack against his spine, tastes the skin split inside his mouth. He crumples face first to the hard-packed floor, coughing blood.

 “Sasuke!”

Gentle hands roll him onto his back, and then Sakura is looming over him anxiously. He tries to focus his eyes on her, gasping through his crushed ribs.

“I’m sorry,” she repeats, and he hazily notes that there are tears in her eyes. “Stupid,” she says angrily. “Why did you do that?”

“Fuck,” he hears Naruto moan from off to the side, and then he blacks out again.


The third time Sasuke wakes, he’s staring directly into bright blue eyes.

Naruto’s face is inches from his own, and his eyebrows are scrunched into a glare. Without preface, he reaches up and flicks Sasuke in the forehead. Hard.

“You knocked out two of my teeth, asshole,” Naruto growls.

“You should know better than to let your guard down like that,” Sasuke says coolly. “Did they forget to teach you even that in Konoha?” Naruto’s scrowl deepens.

He’s tied up again, tight enough to cut off his circulation. He doesn’t make the mistake of trying the Chidori a second time. Whatever they’re keeping him doped up with, it’s potent enough to sap nearly all his strength. He’ll simply have to find another way to escape.

He figures he’s been a prisoner for at least twelve hours. Enough time for Hawk to track him and formulate a plan. That was, if Suigetsu and Karin hadn’t killed each other by now. Or if Suigetsu hadn’t decamped altogether.

Kakashi is lounging in the far corner of the room, conspicuously ignoring them. He has a typically florid novel in his hand, seemingly engrossed. For a split second, Sasuke feels like he’s twelve again. Like maybe if he keeps arguing long enough with Naruto, Kakashi might come over and separate them, or give them some lame mission as punishment.

He shakes off the déjà vu. His days with Team 7 are so far away that they might as well have never happened at all. In any case, it has no impact on the person he is now.

When he chances another glance, Naruto’s eyes have taken on a sly cast. The blonde looms even closer, putting his face right next to Sasuke’s. “You’re not in such great shape either, baka.”

He pokes a finger in the vicinity of Sasuke’s jaw, and Sasuke winces. For the first time, he realizes he’s aching all over. He can feel the medical tape circling his ribs underneath the ropes, and the entire right side of his face is throbbing lightly.

Naruto regards him smugly. “Sakura-chan took care of you in one punch. Pretty cool, huh?”

Sasuke keeps his expression carefully blank, but his brain stutters. Sakura did this to him? He recalls the incredible force behind her blow, mind whirling. So she’s not just a medic, then. He’d have to be more cautious.

“Anyway,” Naruto says, settling back with a contented sigh. “We got you. You won’t get away again.”

Sasuke watches Naruto through narrowed eyes for a few moments. He looks far too pleased with himself. “Now what?” he says eventually. “You bring me back to Konoha and turn me over to the Hokage?”

Naruto shrugs. “That’s the idea. They’ll probably want to put you in ANBU custody, but I can convince Granny Tsunade to go easy on you. It’s not like you’re Konoha’s enemy or anything.”

Sasuke grits his teeth and says nothing.

“Besides,” Naruto is staring at him quizzically now. “There’s no more reason for you to stay away.” He smiles a little wistfully. “I heard that Itachi is dead. That means you’re free, right?”

Free, Sasuke thinks emptily. He wouldn’t be free until every ninja in Konoha suffered they way Itachi had. His eyes fall shut for a moment, replaying the ghostly pressure of Itachi’s fingers against his forehead. Sorry Sasuke, this is the last time. He can almost feel Itachi’s blood slipping across his skin.

His throat feels as dry as dust. “I won’t stay,” he says. “I cut my ties with Konoha a long time ago.”

Naruto’s face has always been pitiably transparent. Sasuke can see his frustration now, turning the ninja’s eyes stormy. “Where else are you going to go, huh? What are you going to do – keep running missions for those Akatsuki pieces of shit? They’re murderers and traitors and I don’t believe you’ve turned into one!”

“You never had a clue about me,” Sasuke says icily. “Don’t pretend to know me now. Whatever path I choose is none of your business.”

“Fuck you,” Naruto says, low and murderous. “I knew you better than Orochimaru ever did. That’s why I won’t give up. I know the old Sasuke is still in there.”

Stupid, stubborn Naruto. It would almost be amusing if it wasn’t so annoying. “You still don’t get it, do you?” Sasuke says sharply. “There’s nothing here to salvage. We’re not friends, and we never were. Not the way you seem to think.”

Naruto’s on his feet now, fists clenched. “That’s not true,” he yells. “You may have cut your ties, but I never stopped thinking of you as a friend.”

“Useless,” Sasuke mutters, turning his face away.

“Hey!” Naruto gives his foot an angry kick. “Don’t you dare dismiss me when I’m talking to you. I’m not finished. Ow!”

He grabs his head, then glares up Kakashi. Sasuke had forgotten how quickly his old sensei could move. Kakashi knocks Naruto across the back of the head again, then gives him a perfunctory shove toward the door.

“Enough,” he says.

“But – ”

“No more for tonight.” Kakashi’s voice is firm. “Go help Sakura with the med kit.”

Naruto’s mouth tightens in displeasure, but he does as he’s told.

Sasuke watches him go. He realizes he’s clenching his jaw and slowly, deliberately, relaxes it. He wills his composure back into place, feeling Kakashi’s eyes on him. Naruto was a child – that was all. Stupid, reckless, naïve. He could argue until he was blue in the face and he’d never change Sasuke’s mind.

Sometimes it was hard to remember, though, when Naruto was being so…Naruto. So loud and orange and there. He’d done a good job of blocking out the memories over the last three years, but every once in a while, they snuck through. Now he realizes that the memories couldn’t quite compare to the sheer energy of Naruto in the flesh. Five minutes of arguing, and Sasuke already feels worn out.

“We’ll rest here for a few more days,” Kakashi says, and Sasuke jerks out of his reverie. His old sensei is still looking at the door where Naruto exited, but there’s no doubt who he’s addressing. Sasuke wonders what it is about Kakashi that reduces him to a schoolboy. He feels like that now, scowling at the ground like he’s a student in detention instead of a hostage in a life-or-death situation.

“Naruto and Sakura have been chasing you for a long time,” Kakashi continues. “They need to recuperate before they head back.”

He finally turns to Sasuke and looks down at him out of one dark eye, inscrutable as ever. “They think, because they captured you, that the hard part is over. I’d like to let them celebrate a bit before – well.”

Something flares in Sasuke. Kakashi knows, then, what Naruto can’t see; he understands that Sasuke’s made his decision. He’ll never come back. Not the way Naruto wants. Sasuke should feel relieved, but he feels oddly uneasy instead.

“Sakura and Naruto would never be able to take your life.” Kakashi’s voice is casual, friendly. “Their devotion is absolute.”

“But yours isn’t?” Sasuke guesses coolly.

“For their sake,” Kakashi says, “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Sasuke smiles grimly. “I think you’ll find I’m much harder to kill than before, Kakashi-sensei.”

Kakashi’s expression doesn’t change, but the tension in the room slowly sharpens to a razor’s point. In spite of himself, Sasuke feels the hairs rise on the back of his neck. As often as he’s observed Kakashi in battle, he’s never had that steely expression turned on him before.

Then, without warning, Kakashi’s visible eye crinkles into a smile. “True enough,” he chuckles. “You’re not exactly the rookie I trained three years ago, are you?”

Sasuke watches through narrowed eyes as Kakashi returns to his corner and picks up his book.

This is nothing, Sasuke tells himself. This is just one more obstacle along the path to revenge. He overcame Orochimaru, he can overcome this as well. Kakashi’s team is an enemy like anyone else.

But for some reason Sasuke can’t stop remembering Naruto at the Valley of the End

“What the hell are you?” he’d asked, watching the chakra swirl up menacingly.

“A friend!” Naruto’s voice had been choked with tears. His shirt had still been ripped from where Sasuke put a fist through his chest.“That’s why I won’t give you up to Orochimaru.”

Sasuke closes his eyes. Naruto had failed then, and he’d fail this time, too. And Sasuke can’t figure out why that doesn’t make him feel any better.