Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight of Trust ❯ Sasuke ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Chapter 4

 

Sasuke

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Sasuke watched as his former teammates left and was surprised when Naruto paused at the door.

 

“Teme,” he muttered before following Sakura out.

 

Sasuke's eye twitched out of habit and he sighed when he heard the two sets of footsteps die away and disappear behind the sound of a closing door. He slumped in his shackles and tried to digest all that had just happened.

 

Needless to say, he had been surprised to wake up face-to-face with a certain pink-haired kunoichi. It had only dawned on him later - when Tsunade had mentioned it - that all the pain and wounds from his interrogation session had disappeared. It seemed Sakura really had become a talented medic-nin since he had been away.

 

For the first time, Sasuke suddenly became appreciative of how much his old teammates had changed in the last three years. Sakura and Naruto's eyes had become harder since the last time they had met. That meeting six months before he had been unwilling to really look at his old teammates. The fact that they still hadn't given up on him stirred something within him; something he had tried so hard to lock away since joining Orochimaru.

 

Sasuke had tried to hard to lock away his memories of Team 7 and all the dreams he had once had for a life with them. Orochimaru had always seemed to know when he was thinking about them and had made a point to force him to push the memories back. Sasuke shuddered at the memories. Within the first six months, Sasuke had thrown himself into training to forget the memories. Within the year, he had stopped dreaming about them as well.

 

He had thrown himself into training to become strong enough to take down Itachi, and while he knew Orochimaru was intending to take his body, Sasuke tried to forget about it (though the Sannin made it damn near impossible to do so) as he had no intention of giving his body to the snake. He had never intended to join Orochimaru - he had adamantly refused a Sound headband much to Orochimaru's amusement - only to use the Sannin to gain as much power as possible in the given time before stealing away.

 

But Orochimaru seemed to have known that Sasuke had no intention of giving his body up, no matter what he told his former teammates; and as the Time (for the event deserved such a title in Sasuke's mind) had approached, Sasuke had been under more surveillance than he had been when he first arrived, making it very difficult to plan his escape.

 

And the closer the Time had come, the more Sasuke couldn't help thinking of his old team. More and more he dreamt of Kakashi tying him to the tree and warning him about following the path he was on - the advice the Sound Four had caused him to ignore. He dreamt of Sakura - the naïve girl who had tried to keep him from leaving that night and that hardened kunoichi that had faced him bravely six months before. And he dreamt of Naruto. He dreamt of their fight in the Valley of the End and their showdown in their most recent meeting.

 

Then more than ever had Naruto's warning of Orochimaru wanting his body stuck a chord. The closer the Time came, the less time Sasuke was allowed out of Orochimaru or Kabuto's sight, as they were the only two among the Sound ninja strong enough to keep him there; the more Orochimaru made comments and did things that caused even the hardened Sasuke to feel violated; the less hope he had of getting away in time.

 

Sasuke looked down at his chest and studied the scar that ran across it and into his clothes for a length of time. That was just the biggest wound that he had received while under the snake Sannin. For the most part, Orochimaru tried to keep from wounding Sasuke to the point of scarring his skin as he was very vain and wanted to have his new container unsoiled. But that wound had come after Sasuke had finally made his escape attempt a month before the body transfer was supposed to take place.

 

Sasuke leapt from branch to branch in the forest with as much speed as he could muster without fear of losing his step in the dark. It was a new moon so there was little light to guide the rogue-ninja; but that also made it difficult for anyone tracking him to find his trail. Sasuke had learned to use the shadows to his advantage very early on in life, but even in his hurry, he couldn't help but breathe in deeply the fresh air of the outside. So rarely was Sasuke ever able to go outside of whatever hideout Orochimaru had picked for them to stay in. He had almost forgotten the warm caress of the sun or the cool touch of the moonlight on his pale skin; he had almost forgotten the taste of fresh air and the feel of grass under his feet.

 

So, breathing in deeply, Sasuke ran.

 

He had no idea where he was running to. He couldn't go to Konoha; he wasn't welcome there anymore. His other options were limited. He couldn't go to the Sand, as he was sure Gaara knew very well what had transpired and as Kazekage wouldn't allow an S-class criminal into his village, even if he was Naruto's friend; not that he would have felt comfortable in Suna anyway. He couldn't run to the Land of Waves and try to hide with Tazuna and his family; they may or may not have heard about his betrayal, but he didn't want to bring the Sound ninja upon the ninja-less village. They had suffered enough while Gato was in power. He knew no one in any of the other countries so finding refuge would be practically impossible.

 

Sasuke cursed under his breath. For being considered such a prodigy, he had really made a mess of the whole situation. What he needed - and as much as it pained him to admit it - was help. And that was the one thing he knew he would not be getting after all he had done.

 

Sasuke reached the end of the forest and looked out over the open plain from the high branch he was perched on. He looked around trying to decide which direction would provide him with the most cover, but none of his options were promising.

 

“I can't keep running like this forever,” he muttered to himself as he considered his pitiful options. Perhaps if he had not been under so much scrutiny in the last month he could have figured something out. Sasuke snorted. That was obviously the point of the surveillance; Orochimaru knew he didn't want to give up his body so he would obviously have to try to escape before he could perform the jutsu.

 

“You've got that right, Sasuke-kun,” a cold voice whispered in his ear.

 

Sasuke stiffened in shock. He felt long fingers wrapping themselves around his neck and caressing his pale skin. He had been caught and now he was in for it.

 

“Orochimaru,” the younger whispered.

 

The fingers trailed up from Sasuke's neck to his cheekbones, to his ear, and down his spine. Sasuke was afraid to make any sort of movement, even breathe. The Sannin's haughty touch turned into a grip as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke's waist. Oh yes, he had been caught and there was no getting out of it.

 

“Why did you run away, Sasuke-kun?” Orochimaru asked softly.

 

The raven-haired teen swallowed. Even after all the time he had spent around the snake and all the patterns he had learned to follow when around him, he had no idea what to say; he had no idea how the snake would react, either. He suddenly had a feeling that he wasn't going to be safe from a physical attack this night. He had royally screwed up and now was going to pay the consequences.

 

“You've been thinking about them again, haven't you?” the Sannin crooned in Sasuke's ear.

 

Yes. He had been thinking about Team 7 more and more; he had been thinking about the other genin he had fought alongside for so long; and about the village he had left behind so willingly.

 

“You're regretting coming to me.”

 

“No.” Sasuke surprised himself by answering.

 

“Oh?” Orochimaru asked, seemingly amused. Sasuke swallowed. Orochimaru had an odd sense of humor, so amusement was not necessarily a good thing at this point.

 

“I don't regret coming to you,” the younger reiterated. “I do, however…” He stopped, wishing he could take the last bit back, but it had come out before he had realized it.

 

“Go on.”

 

“I do regret the circumstances,” Sasuke replied in a whisper. He didn't regret becoming strong - he had a clan to avenge, after all - but he was beginning to regret those he had left behind and the consequences of him not thinking the whole thing through. If he gave up his body to the snake, not only would his goal have slipped from his hands (perhaps not literally, but if he wasn't alive to see Itachi breathe his last breath, then there was no point), but the Sannin would use it to hunt those he cared for the most. Sasuke closed his eyes. He had tried so hard to push them away and yet he couldn't; not completely. He had tried so hard to avoid those bonds and once they had been created, to sever them. But he just couldn't do it.

 

“I see.”

 

One of Orochimaru's hands moved slowly from Sasuke's waist up his chest. Sasuke had learned not to make any movements when the snake was in a mood. But he would be damned if he wasn't scared of the older man when he did so. Every time it happened, the more of himself he felt like he was losing. Long fingers found their way into Sasuke's low cut shirt and the cold white hands caressed Sasuke's sweaty skin.

 

“You came of your own free will, fully knowing the price of the strength you sought.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“But you never intended to go along with it.”

 

“No.” There was no point in lying any more.

 

“Where were you planning to run to, Sasuke-kun?” Orochimaru asked, obviously amused. “Konoha, perhaps?”

 

“No,” Sasuke replied immediately. He had known he could never go back since leaving Naruto unconscious in the Valley of the End.

 

“Then where?”

 

“I don't know.”

 

“Ah, I see.” Sasuke suddenly felt cold metal on his skin and he stiffened further. Orochimaru held a small dagger in his hand. “You really didn't think this through, did you?”

 

Sasuke didn't dare answer, though the answer was obvious. He didn't even dare look down to see what the Sannin planned to do with the weapon he held. His ebony eyes stared out over the plains and he tried to relax, but found it impossible. He could never relax even slightly when the snake was near him.

 

Sasuke cried out in pain when the metal suddenly stabbed into his side. One of Orochimaru's hands still held Sasuke's waist so the younger ninja was unable to move. Orochimaru worked the blade slowly up to Sasuke's chest from his side, never pulling it completely out of the pale skin. The raven-haired teen cried out in agony and could feel warm blood flowing from the wounds and seeping into his clothes. Little by little Orochimaru worked the blade out of the wound until it was only a surface wound when he reached Sasuke's heart.

 

The younger ninja was pale and sweating and gasping in pain. The Sannin pulled the dagger from Sasuke's skin and let the boy go. Sasuke collapsed to the branch and would have fallen off to the ground below had Orochimaru not grabbed him by the collar. The snake forced Sasuke to look him directly in the eye. Sasuke's vision was blurring as he lost more and more blood.

 

“No more running, Sasuke-kun,” was all Orochimaru said before Sasuke's vision went black.

 

Sasuke sighed. When he had come to, he had been in his bed and Kabuto had been sitting next to him. The elder ninja had treated his wounds and had been ordered to keep the younger Shinobi in his sight at all times. Not that he could have tried to run away again anyway. He had been feeling the effects of the injury up until the attempted transfer. He had been in bed for a week after. It seemed he had lost a lot more blood than he initially thought.

 

The prisoner shook his head in an attempt to dismiss the memory. He turned his thoughts back to his current situation. He could either fight for Konoha again or be executed as a traitor. The choice seemed a no-brainer, but upon further inspection the two choices seemed almost equivalent. He would naturally be given the most difficult and menial tasks until the battles and then he would have to fight harder than anyone just to survive it; that much he was sure of. The only people who seemed willing to trust him were Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura; perhaps Tsunade as well, but for very different reasons.

 

Tsunade pursed her lips. “Be that as it may, there are still those in the village that care for you. And there are those among the Shinobi who would be willing to give you another shot,” Tsunade continued, “if you are willing to work for Konoha.”

 

Sasuke pondered this for a moment, wondering if there was anyone else in the village willing to give him another chance. He sure as hell didn't deserve one, and yet there was a possibility of one? It just didn't ring true with the former Konoha-nin, and yet…

 

The look in Sakura and Naruto's eyes when he had first regained consciousness and they had studied each other… They still cared. He just couldn't fathom it. Even Kakashi still cared. The sensei he had so often ignored and then whose personal technique he had learned and twisted it to his own personal use for vengeance still cared about him.

 

What do they see in me that's worth all this?

 

Gods, Sakura had actually slapped him… twice. He deserved a lot worse, but coming from her it meant a lot. She still loved him. He could see it in her eyes and something deep inside him stirred at the realization. He didn't deserve to be loved. He had betrayed all those he cared for to attain his goal and almost killed them, and yet… she still found something in him to love.

 

He had almost killed Naruto on several different occasions since his defection from Konoha, and yet the blonde ninja still cared enough to haul his ass back to Konoha and was trying his damndest to keep him alive. Naruto must have still seen some of the old Sasuke in him for him to make such efforts. Sasuke wasn't even sure if any of his old self remained, but the others seemed to think so.

 

Had Sasuke's hands been free, he would have run his face through them. Instead he just shook his head and leaned it back against the wall. He closed his eyes and sighed in frustration.

 

“Damnit.”

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

Tsunade looked around her office at the small group that had gathered. Shizune stood behind her to offer support and anything else she could while Jiraiya stood off to the side, though still close. The Hokage appreciated the support of her friends; she would have gone insane long before if it hadn't been for those select few who kept her grounded.

 

Kakashi stood off to the other side of the room, leaning against the wall. She noticed Jiraiya glancing at the copy-nin periodically. The frog hermit held a protective streak for the younger ninja - he had since the Fourth had died and Kakashi had been left alone - though it was concern for his mental state than anything. Since Sasuke's defection from Konoha, Jiraiya had made a point to catch up with Kakashi every so often, even during Naruto's training. Jiraiya had told Tsunade (and she recognized it as truth) that ever since his father's death, Kakashi had internalized everything and the Sannin was worried about how the copy-nin would react to his protégé's disappearance.

 

However, the amount Jiraiya could do for his former student's student was limited and that was why he was so grateful for Gai. The bowl-haired jounin had befriended Kakashi at a young age and for some unknown reason, Kakashi had accepted him. There was just something about Gai that had attracted Kakashi and before the silver-haired prodigy had realized it, they had become best friends and rivals.

 

Said ninja was standing a few feet from Kakashi, though for once he wasn't speaking. His features were tense and his arms were crossed tensely across his chest. Asuma and Kurenai stood a few feet from the other side of the room, though neither of them was speaking either. Yamato stood towards the back of the room, silently lost in thought.

 

Tsunade was about to start the meeting when the door opened and to her surprise Iruka was on the other side. The chuunin teacher stepped into the room self-consciously and only when he noticed Kakashi standing there and received a nod that yes, he was indeed in the right place, did he relax.

 

The Hokage blinked in surprise that Iruka was among the small group that was willing to give Sasuke another chance. She idly wondered what Kakashi had said to him, as she hadn't pegged him as one to give the Uchiha prodigy the benefit of the doubt, though she supposed that he had seen something in him during the time he had taught him at the Academy. Whatever the case, Iruka's support would be welcome as he was one of the more public of the Leaf ninja, considering he taught many of the village's children.

 

Tsunade looked over at Kakashi and the jounin gave her a slight nod, indicating that everyone he had spoken to had arrived. She nodded and took a deep breath before diving into this most unpleasant matter.

 

“I trust you all know why you have been summoned here,” the Hokage began. Once she had received a few inclinations of heads, she continued. “Uchiha Sasuke has been brought back to the village and it is now up to us to determine his fate.”

 

“Up to us, Hokage-sama?” Iruka asked curiously.

 

“Well, first and foremost it depends on Sasuke,” Tsunade revised, “but I don't wish to lose the boy. He is too vital to this village, especially at a time like this, to just throw his talent away.” She folded her fingers and rested her chin on them. “My question to you is, do we trust Sasuke with another chance?”

 

Gai glanced over at Kakashi before speaking. “Hokage-sama, I believe in second chances. Everyone makes mistakes; some just happen to be bigger than others.”

 

“The rest of the village isn't going to be so forgiving,” Kurenai replied. “They are going to need a reason to believe they are safe is he is in the village again.”

 

“Which is why I asked Kakashi to find those Shinobi willing to give him a second chance.” Kurenai blinked. “The Leaf Shinobi were the ones undoubtedly the most hurt by Sasuke's defection, but if we show the ninja of this village are willing to give him a second chance, the village might slowly follow suit.”

 

“Is Sasuke willing to take advantage of a second chance?” Asuma asked, speaking for the first time. Eyes slowly turned toward Kakashi. If the copy-ninja felt any discomfort being under the scrutiny of his comrades, he made no outward sign of it. Finally he spoke.

 

“Only Sasuke can answer that for sure.”

 

*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*

 

The next day Tsunade, flanked by Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, made her way down to Sasuke's cell. When they arrived, Sasuke looked up and studied them with those deep ebony eyes. The Sannin could see the conflicting emotion floating around in them and suddenly she felt she had made the right decision by giving him the option of another chance. It seemed seeing his old team again had resonated within him.

 

“Well, Sasuke?” Tsunade said finally. “What have you decided?”

 

“You offer a second chance?” he asked quietly. Tsunade could feel her companions tensing in anticipation of his decision.

 

“Yes.”

 

“Then I will take it.”