Author's Note: Alright boys and girls, it has been two years since I last updated this and I'm curious to see if there is really anyone else out there still interested in this story. I've seen a few people make appearances in the last few weeks that really helped spur me on in finishing this chapter. I don't mean to stop updating and I really am sorry for the long wait! Thanks for over 100 reviews! It means a lot! I do love hearing all that you have to say because it does help me! Let me know what you think! Enjoy this odd chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Warnings: Talk of suicide and language.

Word Count: 5,281

Sasuke felt it, like a cold chill down his spine. He felt the presence there at his back and was moving immediately, sword in hand and in a flash, it was soaring through the air with a loud thunk in the otherwise quiet room once it embeds itself into the wall right by the door that leads into the Hokage's office. He stares with his single, black eye at the man leaning casually against the far wall, cheek split open by the blade on Sasuke's sword with a sickeningly sweet smile on his face that Sasuke recognizes oh so well.

"My... jumpy, are we?"

"Orochimaru," Hiruzen says, obviously somewhat surprised by the situation, whether it was Orochimaru's sudden appearance or Sasuke's violent reaction to it, Sasuke's not sure. But Minato's eyes are burning into the back of his head. Sasuke doesn't have to look over his shoulder at the blond man to know that move - while instinctual for any shinobi if someone snuck on them - was an unwise one. Any progress they may have made was wiped out quickly.

A part of Sasuke had to wonder, at that moment, that while he knew the relationship between the Fourth Hokage and Jiraiya was one of Master and Apprentice if the Fourth didn't somehow have a connection to Tsunade and Orochimaru through Jiraiya. As far as Sasuke understood from the bit about the relationship between the blond and the white-haired man, they were very close. It's not really anything he's seen so far since coming here so he had to wonder about its validity. But the chilling stare from the blond at Sasuke's back was either because he had a relationship with the snake Sanin or simply because he was a Konoha Shinobi that Sasuke outwardly assaulted. Called for, or not.

If this timeline stays true to Sasuke's own, Minato will be thanking him for chopping the snake's head off. It's the only way to really kill one.

Sasuke is mistrustful by nature, he knows that. Itachi made him that way to help keep him safe, but he's been opening up to Minato and the brats and maybe tricked all of them into thinking that he was becoming more forthcoming with them. Well, Sasuke and Minato get to share in their disillusionment now. Even Sasuke was beginning to trick himself into letting them in, even if it's only a little bit. He was growing a bit lax, a bit unfocused, as it were. He should have remembered that Danzo wasn't the only threat Konoha had to offer.

But unlike Danzo, Orochimaru may still hold the Third's confidence, which doesn't bode well for Sasuke. Orochimaru originally went after Sasuke because he couldn't have anyone else, but now he may be more of a tasty morsel than the snake can ignore.

Orochimaru's appearance was accompanied by the loud slamming of the door of his heart. He's not used to lashing out like that, especially because he was caught off guard and it's left his nerves frayed. Orochimaru leaves a very sour taste in his mouth that he hasn't had in what felt like forever. The master that was only interested in him because there was literally no one else in the world for him. Itachi killed all the Uchiha, then when his body was momentarily taken by Orochimaru, he contracted Itachi's sickness, so Sasuke was his only salvation.

Sasuke was not afraid of Orochimaru. In fact, if anything, they ended their relationship on a relatively high note, if anyone asked Sasuke. But in that case, it could be argued that Sasuke had all the cards and Orochimaru didn't have a lot of choice but to be forthcoming and honest. He's not in that predicament anymore. In fact, he's younger, healthy and strong. He's more of a threat now than he was before. Before, he was afraid, sick and dying. Now, he's younger, arguably stronger and more fearless than ever.

Who knows how long he's been doing his illegal experiments, too? He's probably conducting them by this point. Which makes him even more dangerous. Danzo will always be sneaky about his movements, but Orochimaru's craftiness won't be discovered for years to come. Honestly, with how loyal Danzo is to the Leaf, he would have stopped Orochimaru if he had known - maybe not, who knows? - but if that's true, Hiruzen learned about Orochimaru long before Danzo did, which makes him the craftier of the two, therefore more dangerous.

And with all of that, Orochimaru isn't a missing-nin right now, he can't just be killed on sight. He's a Leaf village shinobi and the student of the Third Hokage. Therefore, untouchable. However they are going to proceed with this, Sasuke wants nothing to do with Orochimaru until the man betrays the Leaf. Then he won't shed a tear if they ask him to hunt his former master. But right now, he is Konoha's problem. He has nothing to do with Sasuke's universe, so long as he stays away. But Sasuke isn't going to let his guard down for a second.

Admittedly, Sasuke forgot about Orochimaru. He's also someone who would be very interested in the Rinnegan eye in Sasuke's head. Sasuke is just going to have to be a lot more careful than he originally thought. At least he revealed himself to Sasuke before something else happened, or went wrong. Hopefully.

Sasuke's horror over both his realization about the parallels between his brother and his sensei's father and just how much he gave away about himself to Minato and Hiruzen, was enough for him for one day. He didn't say anything more, didn't even excuse himself. He just... shook his head a little, turned around, and left, being sure to rip his blade from the wall before he did so. It was rude, he knew that, but no one stopped him. Minato didn't even call out to him like he partly thought the slightly older man would. He's glad, though, that Minato let him go. He wouldn't have stopped even if the Hokage had called for him.

He couldn't help, though, staring unwaveringly into Orochimaru's eyes as he walked by. The man didn't speak again, but he did look viciously pleased with something, a dangerous glitter to his eyes that Sasuke didn't like.

Sasuke hates them. He hates the good men in this world that are so self-sacrificing that it ultimately destroys them. They are too good for this world, yet they are forced to exist and be destroyed by it. It's just not fair. Minato was also one such man, Sasuke was beginning to learn. He was a good, honest and kind man that would be taken long before his time if this timeline lived up to his own. He would die leaving an orphaned son behind to be hated simply because his father was a good man and protected a village that didn't deserve it.

Yet another reason that this village should implode in on itself, it is already on the fast track there. People may see Sasuke and hate him for what he represents, but at the end of the day, there isn't a lie there. Sasuke isn't pretending to be anyone that he's not. He's not putting on a fake smile or pretending to be nice. He isn't going to pretend to be buddy buddy with terrible people who have no room in their hearts for redemption. Maybe Sasuke is out of line with some of the things he says about the Konoha Shinobi, but the most infuriating thing of all is that no one seems to really think what they - and the citizens because they aren't innocent in any of this either - are doing is both cruel and honestly pathetic.

They would rather condemn good, honest men to death rather than face their problems in their truest forms. Sakumo Hatake chose to save his fellow Shinobi so he was pushed into suicide for failing his mission. Minato Namikaze sacrificed himself to save his village, like a good Hokage, and his son was beaten, abused and hated for a monster placed inside of him that the boy couldn't control. And Itachi... Itachi Uchiha went to war young and developed a strong passion against it. Strong enough that he was willing to kill his own parents, his own family, in order to stop it from reaching Konoha's heart, and they called him a monster and a murderer and sneered his name when he died.

Good men get smashed under the weight of the hypocrisy and the hatred of the common man and Sasuke hates it. He hates it enough that he will speak out against it. No, he doesn't trust Konoha shinobi. No, he won't ease back on them because he's hurting their feelings. No, he won't play nice so that they will trust him only to stab him in the back. And no, he won't be a good guy that they can destroy. No. It's not going to happen. He's not going to allow it to happen. They want to hate him? Fine. He doesn't care. At least with them hating him, they aren't wearing the good guy masks they like to tote around while stepping all over the Itachis, Sakumos, and Minatos of the world.

Men like Orochimaru and Danzo were much easier to understand. Much easier to be around. At least they existed in this world to show how truly terrible it was and just what they all needed to do in order to not let the world sink further into chaos. Not that people are listening. Not that they are paying attention.

A part of Sasuke wanted to go back to his room at the Inn, slam the door and sit alone, staring at the wall or meditating or something to otherwise occupy his time and mind until it was time to leave. If he could survive without food and water, he would probably stay in his room until the moment they were shipped back to the frontlines. But that looks so much more like running away that Sasuke's unable to bear it. He couldn't stay in that room with a curious Hiruzen, a sly Orochimaru, and a visibly upset Minato.

But Sasuke doesn't want to be holed up in his room for the rest of his stay. He wants to go back to how he felt earlier this morning. He was walking on air with a good mood, which isn't a common occurrence. Honestly, Sasuke feels a bit cheated, but maybe he can make the best of the rest of the day. No doubt when he gets the chance, Minato will find his way to Sasuke, and Sasuke would rather be out in the world where he's not a trapped rat in his room. While he's sure Minato could bust right through his protection seals, Sasuke would rather not see living breathing proof of that.

The last thing he needs is a livid Minato alone with Sasuke in Sasuke's room. That doesn't sound like too solid of a plan.

So, instead of going to hide in his room, Sasuke takes this time to wander around the village. He walks through the streets watching the people without any expression or emotions. His mind is still whirling over the realization of Orochimaru and the threat of the snake Sannin that looms over them all. Not that Sasuke particularly cares about the people, it doesn't mean that people like Orochimaru should be able to just run free and do whatever terrible things that they want. Not that Sasuke is exactly a perfect pillar of right and wrong.

Sasuke walks through the village, slipping in and out of the crowd like a ghost. He never spoke to anyone, never touched anyone, and never really drew any attention from anyone. The citizens didn't pay him much mind, but Sasuke could feel the particularly keen shinobi in the crowd or in the shadows watching him. They track him with their eyes or slither through the crowd in his shadow being careful not to get too close to alert him - but he knows. He already knows they are there. He senses them clearly.

Sasuke breaks away from the throng of people and out of the village toward the training fields, his feet bringing him to the one that he knew the best, the one he was practically raised in during his time as a Leaf Shinobi. Training ground seven is exactly as Sasuke remembered it to be. Many years and a different timeline haven't changed the look of the training ground which brings a shiver of relief with Sasuke. Even though so much is the same with only touches of differences that Sasuke could easily pinpoint - which is impressive seeing as in his own timeline he's not alive at this point so most of it is simply speculation and what he knows about history - it was nice to see that this place, this place that holds so many memories, is somehow still the same.

The blue haired Uchiha sits in the grass by the lake, touching the coarse grass with the palms of his hands, going back in time in his mind to his childhood. He sits there and reminisces about the first time he was here with his team. He thinks about the bell test. About how loud and annoying Naruto was. How he fell for so many of Kakashi's tricks - Sasuke even fell for a few - and about how he was held up after almost catching Kakashi off guard only to be bested by the headhunter jutsu and buried up to his neck for Sakura to find later. He remembers her scream and how he had to wiggle his way out of the ground to go to her. He realized that he was going to need her help in order to best the legendary Kakashi Hatake.

By then, it was too late.

But as Sasuke and Sakura were eating the lunch boxes that Kakashi provided for them, he realized that - as Naruto's stomach growled - that Naruto was going to be a big asset if he would be willing to work together. Little did Sasuke know that Naruto would become more than an asset. He would become an amazing shinobi with powers, unlike anything Sasuke has ever seen.

Sasuke can appreciate Naruto's greatness now that he's never going to see the blond again. Naruto wasn't the brightest or the greatest in really anything, but there was something about him that was... admirable. Yes, that is the word that Sasuke is going to use. Not the one that burns in the back of his head. No, Naruto thrust this fate upon him. He doesn't get the word that burned into the back of Sasuke's mind. That, he doesn't deserve.

"Congratulations, you pass," Kakashi's voice echoes in Sasuke's head. He remembered that moment, feeling stunned, surprised and confused before the relief washed over him like a tidal wave. He was one step closer - so it seems - to accomplish his goal in life. To kill the only person in the world who cares more about Sasuke than anyone else. It's so cruel that fate ended up working out Sasuke's life like that.

He lost his parents and all the rest of his family. He grew up surrounded by people who only cared about the crest on his back and what his family name could do for them. He grew up angry and resentful against the person who loved him more than anyone else in the world ever did and ever would. He pushed away everyone that might even like him and when it came to the moment of exacting his revenge, he succeeded and killed the big brother that has only ever loved him, he tasted the sickeningly sour taste of the victory was wasted on the harsh slap of reality.

Sasuke rubs at his forehead, shaking his thoughts clear and looks out over the sparkling late. The sun shines overhead, beating down on the top of Sasuke's dark head and soaks into his dark clothes. It's comforting, letting the Land of Fire heat soak into his skin, warming it up. It feels nice, Sasuke can almost relax. But he doesn't. He stretches out his senses around himself.

He senses Kakashi approach. The boy stops a little ways away, probably staring at Sasuke for a few moments. Sasuke ignores him, not really minding the other boy's presence. Sasuke can go back in time once more to the times he spent with Kakashi before he left to go join Orochimaru. Those were actually some of his favorite times in his life, except for being a child with his big brother at his side and in his corner.

Sasuke could almost forget about all the horrors of his life with his team with him. His sensei and his two teammates. He enjoyed the jokes and the playful jabs. He can think back on the dangerous situations because they weren't nearly as bad as he thought that they were going to be, but everything at that time seemed shiny and new and huge. Now, he's not shocked by anything anymore. Well, after getting into a battle with an immortal goddess hell bent on sucking the planet clean of any and all chakra while everyone in the world aside from three other people are the trapped in an ultimate genjutsu cast on the moon.

After living - huh, that's relative seeing as he never saw that all the way through to the end - through that experience, it's hard to believe that anything would surprise him at this point. It would have to be something astronomical in order for him to so much as bat an eyelash at this point.

Sasuke doesn't open his eyes until the boy is standing right next to him, staring down at him.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi asks, sounding both bored and condescending at the same time. Since losing his eye he's a little bit less of an asshole, but he is definitely sounding more and more like the Kakashi that Sasuke used to know. The man that used to be his sensei.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Sasuke asks dryly, keeping his eyes closed.

Kakashi crosses his arms over his chest, considering something for a moment, warring with himself about whatever it was before lowering onto his hunches next to Sasuke looking out over the lake with his one good eye now.

Sasuke didn't care that Kakashi was quiet, or that he was struggling to say something, but he did care about the constant shifting next to him. Sasuke couldn't imagine what it was that bothered Hatake so much, but whatever it was, Sasuke doubted that it was important enough to be struggling this much over. But then again, this was Kakashi. Surely it had to at least be something... somewhat relevant, Sasuke supposed.

"Can I ask you something?" Kakashi asks.

Sasuke opens his eyes, seeing as the boy already knows about his Rinnegan and glances over at the silver-haired teen. "What do you want?"

"Normally I don't listen to anything that anyone is saying about others, but people have been talking about you."

Sasuke stares at him. "Okay? What is your point?"

"You were angry at them for my father," Kakashi says, staring at Sasuke with a single, dark eye. He doesn't need to specify who "them" is. Sasuke is very aware of who the silver-haired young man is talking about. "Why? Did you know my father?"

Sasuke hesitates, wondering if this was something he wanted to deal with at the moment, but looking into Kakashi's eye, Sasuke figured that he's done enough damage for one day, but this isn't an unreasonable question.

"No," Sasuke says, voice even. "But I knew someone like him. What they did to your father is very similar to what they did to my person. The circumstances are different, as is the situation, but enough are the same that I felt I could say something."

Kakashi doesn't respond right away, thinking about Sasuke's words while staring out at the sparkling lake as if hypnotized by it. Finally, after a long silence, he looks over at Sasuke again. "Who was it? Who was your Sakumo Hatake?"

"My brother," Sasuke says quietly, realizing that this was as much soul bearing to Kakashi as it was for him. For so long now, Kakashi probably felt like the only person in the world who felt this pain. Who knew what it was like to be disgraced by the actions of another close to you. To know now, or at least suspect, that they were never really wrong in the first place but everyone that you spoke to always believed that he did.

The parallels between Sakumo and Itachi didn't end with them. They helped bridge the parallels between Kakashi and Sasuke. It was just one huge, life-altering situation that makes Sasuke and Kakashi more alike than they already were. It connected them. It connects them more than attitude and aptitude ever could. They will be bound together forever by the fate of those that they loved. Those that loved them more than anyone else, even their own lives. Sasuke's not sure if Kakashi has realized all of that or not, as he has, but there will probably never be another person in the entire world who will sacrifice everything for him like his brother did - like Kakashi's father did.

Except there was someone, that taunting little voice in the back of Sasuke's head whispers. Someone who may have sacrificed everything, and everyone, just so that you may live.

Naruto.

Sasuke's fingers twitch on his lap. Whether it be from the day's events wearing down on him, his own emotional instability, or the stab of pain in his chest at the realization that once more Sasuke simply will never know. Anything that has anything to do with his life before he got here will forever and always simply be something he will mull over and wonder about how it could have been like that and how could things have been different. But that's it. The true, agonizingly hard thing about all of this is that no matter what Sasuke wants - even if it was to make amends for all of his wrongdoing - it wouldn't matter. That life was gone, whether he wanted it to be or not.

Kakashi doesn't speak for a moment, digesting Sasuke's admittance that they are both similar to one another. Sasuke had to wonder if Kakashi ever really spoke to someone about his father's actions. Normally, Sasuke would be wondering why the silver-haired boy was even talking to Sasuke of all people about this, but the answer wasn't hard to figure out.

Kakashi probably has probably heard next to nothing but condemnation for his father's actions since they happened that when he caught word of someone defending his father - even as little as Sasuke did, though he's sure it's blown out of proportion by people spreading it around the battleline and Konoha - that it was rare enough that he's coming out of his shell to perhaps get a bit more perspective on it. While Sasuke won't be able to help Kakashi with that with anything more than what he learned in his time, speculation and his own experiences, a part of Sasuke have to wonder how relieving it must be to feel like someone at least understands enough to not pass judgment.

Even if they don't understand the entirety of the situation, someone willing to at least try must be a nice feeling.

Kakashi looks like he wants to ask about Itachi. Sasuke doesn't blame him. If the roles were reversed, Sasuke probably would want to know about this enigmatic brother that did something that condemned him just as Sakumo Hatake had. Someone with whom Kakashi may be able to share a bit of kinship with. In that regard, they were very much the same. As Sasuke realized earlier, they were connected by an unbreakable bond of treatment of those that loved them. Probably loved them the most out of all of the people in the world.

But he doesn't ask. Which Sasuke is thankful for. Itachi is a sensitive subject to him. His big brother spent all his life protecting Sasuke, it's about time Sasuke does the same. In his heart, Itachi will remain exactly as he is meant to. As a hero. As a wonderful man, loving brother and a hero undeserving of his fate. But then again, aren't most heroes?

Instead of asking about Itachi, like he wanted to, Kakashi asks, quietly, still gazing over the twinkling lake, "Do you think his choice was worth it?"

"Who?" Sasuke looks out over the lake too.

"My father. Your brother. Both, maybe?"

"No," was Sasuke's immediate reaction, but in his mind's eye, he can see Itachi smiling back at him as he died, both times. "I don't know. Maybe it's a special type of person who sees their life as a sacrifice that the pain that they endure along the way isn't as bad to them as it would for others."

"I don't think I could do that," Kakashi admits, letting a long, drawn-out sigh escape him as he lowers onto his butt, letting his feet lay flat as he rests his elbows on his knees, hands dangling in front of him. "I don't think I could be like that."

It's ironic. When their roles were reversed and Sasuke was the brooding, hurt kid with nowhere to turn, Kakashi had been there for him, but unlike now, with Sasuke, Kakashi hadn't found closure with his father. And now that Sasuke thinks about it, he wonders if his sensei ever did. If when Infinite Tsukuyomi took all of the world and Kakashi with it, or killed by the Goddess, if his father waited for him on the other side, happy about his life despite the bitch of one it sure had to of been living through it.

But that's why they can speak about it now. Unlike the man who tried to take a stubborn, angry little boy under his wing while sharing similar demons neither of them really knew about, Sasuke found a semblance of peace with his brother. He knew no matter what Itachi was still looking after him, still loving him and still with him every step of the way.

"Look," Sasuke says, looking over at Kakashi, waiting for the small version of his sensei to turn a single dark eye to him, "don't think about it. It doesn't matter if you think you can or can't. At the end of the day there is no real happily ever after, but you sure as hell can make the best of it if you try. You still have people who don't care about any of that. They don't care if you will live a tortured life only to die with a smile on your face, or whether or not your father disgraced you and himself with his actions. That annoying sensei of yours and those two teammates. But do what you want. It's your life. Your choice. If you die with a smile on your face, happy about your life regardless of how tough it was... well, fuck all those that wanted to drag you down." Sasuke shrugs his shoulders.

Kakashi is quiet for a long time, single eye lowered to the grass they were sitting on. Sasuke uses the boy's silence to take the time to meditate a bit, seeing as that was a lot to think about. He closes his eyes and evens out his breathing letting himself focus faintly on the world around him. The sway of the trees, the rustling of the bushes, the hum of the breeze, the water washing against the rocks and dirt in front of them. It all relaxed him.

And after today's high level of emotions on all sides has rubbed his nerves raw once more. Today is just too much for him. If he spends the next ten years without a single ounce of emotion or bleeding hearted conversations, he'll still have owed time.

"They like you too," Kakashi says, pulling Sasuke back to himself after a few long, precious minutes of silence.

"What?"

"Obito, Rin, and Minato-sensei. They like you too."

"Ugh," Sasuke grunts. "And I think I pissed your sensei off."

Kakashi looks at him a mixture of amused and curious. He looks ready to hop right off the discussion about himself and his trauma, which serves them both just fine. "Oh yeah? What did you do? It takes a lot to piss him off."

Sasuke didn't doubt that, actually. For as level-headed and soft-spoken the man was, he didn't doubt that it would take a lot to ruffle him. "I may have attacked someone."

Kakashi raises an eyebrow, more curious. "Who?"

"Does it matter?" Sasuke sighs, annoyed. He knew he was going to get an earful from Minato when the man was finally ready to see him, he didn't want to give this situation any more attention than it already got.

"Yeah," Kakashi says, seriously. "Sensei isn't unreasonable. So who did you attack?"

"Maybe attack wasn't the right word. He snuck up on me so I threw my sword at Orochimaru."

Kakashi stares at him, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. After a few seconds of gaping like a fish out of water, Kakashi finally asks, "Are you an idiot or something?"

Sasuke glares out over the lake, annoyed beyond belief now. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"It's not pressing," Kakashi admits, making Sasuke more annoyed.

"Don't you have someone else to bother?"

"None as big of an idiot as you," Kakashi says evenly, looking amused again. "You attacked Lord Orochimaru? Are you an idiot?"

Sasuke glares at the lake for a second before deciding if the boy wasn't going to just leave, he was going to ignore him. Sasuke has, at the very least, perfected that skill when dealing with Naruto, Kabuto, and Suigestu in his life. Ignore the person long enough and they will simply go away. Well, except for Naruto. He just kept coming back.

Sasuke fell into a deep meditative trance, conscious enough to keep watch on the world around him, but not enough to be bothered by Kakashi staring at the side of his face for a long time. Finally, as predicted, the boy grew bored and left, but not without parting wisdom Sasuke didn't ask for, "It was really dumb of you to attack Orochimaru."

Yeah, he knew that already.