Author's Note: Remember how I was talking about how long the last chapter took to edit? Welp, this chapter turned out even longer than last chapter at just over 14,000 words. In fact it broke my personal record for the longest chapter I've ever written, haha. I really don't like making single chapters this long but the chapter started and ended at the points I wanted them to. I want to thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for your support! It means a lot to me! Anyways, please enjoy!

Itachi crouched down and surveyed the marred earth. He silently inspected the patch of grass that was specked with dark red, his fingertips grazing the blades lightly. He lifted his hand and noted that none of the blood had latched onto his skin. It was dry as he'd presumed. It was definitely the girl's blood, too. There were two sets of footprints that led to the patch of dried blood and one disappeared on the other side of the speckled ground. The remaining set was larger in size.

"This is where the chase ended," Itachi noted as he stood up. There were no eyewitness accounts of Sasuke at the archive building after the prison break, so he was positive it was Sasuke who'd captured the girl.

Itachi dragged his foot over the dried patch of blood and the two sets of footprints as he followed them backwards, distorting them the best he could. No one else needed to do their own investigating, especially anyone living in the residences only feet away. If they somehow discovered any classified details then they would be in danger. He followed the footprints, continuing to disfigure them as he went. Itachi jumped onto the nearest rooftop after the trail ended and sure enough, the roof was littered with broken shingles. He looked at the rooftop across from the one he was perched on and noticed more shattered shingles.

Itachi followed the trail of damaged roofing until it led into the narrow streets below. From there he searched for knocked over or disfigured items to continue tracking their path. Itachi followed the trail on the ground for the next couple of minutes, finding singe markings on a corner of an apartment building and a cluster of shuriken implanted into a small business building.

If he wasn't convinced Sasuke was the girl's pursuer before he certainly was now. The fact was an insignificant detail concerning his current mission though. Itachi shoved intrusive thoughts of his little brother to the back of his mind as he hopped onto another rooftop. He crouched for a moment to survey the tiles and noted how there didn't appear to be much damage to this one, only a couple of scuff marks. "There was more separation between them here," Itachi thought. He was getting closer to the chase's origin.

Itachi stood up and dropped to the earth below when he saw that the chase was at ground level again. He casually walked along the trail until a voice entered his ears.

"You're an ANBU!" a child said incredulously, sneezing right after the sentence left his mouth.

"Ah," Itachi confirmed, turning to face the young boy who was no older than seven. He'd been aware of the child's presence from the start, but he felt no increased alertness from it. The boy posed no threat to him or his investigation.

"That's so cool!" he continued, stepping out of his home and quickly shutting the door behind him. He leaned against it and a large smile took over his features. "I'm Koji. What's your name?"

"I'm afraid that's classified information," Itachi responded, the ghost of a smile resting under his mask at the child's curiosity. "It's nice to meet you Koji. Why aren't you listening to the Hokage's speech with the rest of the villagers?" he questioned. He received his answer when Koji sneezed once more and slipped into a coughing fit afterwards.

"I'm sick," Koji chuckled shortly, wiping his nose with a long black shirt sleeve. "The rest of my family is there though, my mother and my older brother... My father... he was sent to the front lines and killed a few months ago..."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Itachi responded, observing as the grin on Koji's face sunk and was replaced by a sullen frown. "My father passed away a while ago."

Koji's head jerked up to stare at him with a surprised expression. "D-Did he die in the war, too?" he inquired in an almost whisper.

"He would still be here if it were not for this war," Itachi replied, his voice softening a touch. It wasn't a lie. His father and his clan would probably still be here if there was no war. But there was much, much more to it than that...

"Oh," Koji replied, quickly trailing off. He eventually spoke again, averting his gaze from Itachi in an attempt to hide the tears that were brimming in his hazel eyes. "Nii-san, he's supposed to be going off to war soon..."

Itachi remained silent as the boy sniffed repeatedly.

"I-I don't want him to leave us like Tou-san!" Koji croaked out, the tears finally falling. He placed an arm over his face when he heard the ANBU member stepping closer.

"Koji," Itachi started when he kneeled and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I can't promise you that what happened to your father won't happen to your brother, but I do know that you'll be a driving force for him when he's sent out."

Koji wiped furiously at his cheeks in order to get rid of the moisture streaking down them. He tried to control his sobs when he felt the masked man's hand grip his shoulder. "W-What do you mean?"

Itachi took a moment to form the correct words before speaking. "I know your brother will fight his hardest on the battlefield to get back to you, to end the war for you."

The little boy's face brightened a smidgen at Itachi's words, but his expression was still filled with worry and uncertainty. Itachi couldn't blame him for feeling such things. He'd experienced it himself as a child... the helplessness and fear while caught in the middle of a war...

"He'll be fulfilling his duties to the village while he's away, but you'll also have a duty to fulfill," Itachi continued.

"Huh?" Koji sounded in confusion, his brows scrunching together.

"While you're elder brother is away, you'll be the only man in the house. You'll have to be strong for your mother and protect her. Do you think you can do that Koji?"

Koji's face brightened for a split second before hardening into an expression of seriousness. He seemed to grasp the importance of the task.

Itachi released a short chuckle when Koji nodded. He stood up and tousled the boy's hair, causing him to let a laugh exit his lips, too. "I know you'll do a good job," Itachi encouraged. His grin faded when the mission Danzo assigned him found its way to the forefront of his mind. He had to continue investigating. His best opportunity to gather details and evidence uninterrupted was now while the majority of the village was crowded in front of the Hokage Tower. There was no telling how soon they could all return to their normal lives.

"I'm afraid I have to go now," Itachi announced as he stared down at the boy. "It was nice meeting you Koji," he continued with a small bow.

"It was nice meeting you, too," Koji responded with a bow of his own.

"Ah, now you should go back inside and rest so you can get better," Itachi said before turning and taking a few steps forward.

"Okay," Koji replied disappointedly while the ANBU member began to walk off. He listened to the masked man's footsteps as he opened the door and walked inside. "Hey!" he called when he abruptly stopped and swirled around on his heel. Koji waited until the ANBU member halted and looked over his shoulder at him before he spoke. "I'll make sure to keep my mom safe! I'm gonna be one of the world's best ninjas some day!"

"I'll hold you to that," Itachi replied with a small smirk at the boy's determination. He heard Koji laugh before the sound of a door clicking shut met his ears.

A frown formed on Itachi's lips when he remembered his task. He needed to get back to the investigation immediately. No more distractions. Itachi found the last part of the trail where he left off and continued to trace it from there. He followed it for a couple of minutes before he discovered what appeared to be the chase's origin. The two sets of footprints led to the back of a house which had a strange amount of potted plants centered in front of one area. He walked towards the cluster and found that it hid a tarp from view. Itachi maneuvered between the plants and crouched down in front of the tarp. He grabbed hold of the material and swiftly removed it from its place. It was covering an underground entrance to the house.

Itachi walked into the hole and paused when he reached the bottom step. This was no regular basement; it was a living area of sorts. There wasn't too much in the underground space of note, just some furniture and lots of books. He journeyed further into the room and spotted a pile of broken wood next to the couch along with a heavily damaged door above him. Someone, Sasuke he assumed, had obviously found the living space which was supposed to be a secret. He was sure this was where the chase started. To further confirm his suspicions, he searched the two rooms off to the side of the bigger one. After finishing with the first one and finding articles of clothing that looked to belong to a teenage girl, he began his search of the second room.

There only remained one unanswered question in Itachi's mind. Who had been harboring the girl all this time? It didn't take him very long to find the answer to this question. Opening a drawer on the nightstand, his eyes met the sight of a couple pictures featuring the pink-haired girl, the third.

Itachi picked the photograph on top up and his lips parted in shock when he recognized the woman holding the pink-haired girl. So Senju Tsunade was the one that had taken care of the girl after all this time? He had to give her credit. It must've been tough to hide a child for so long considering her high status in the village. He placed the photo back into the drawer and looked at the second one. There was another woman in this photo. Her assistant, Shizune, was in on it too? Itachi would've been lying if he said he wasn't suprised at all by his findings.

With everything settled, Itachi made sure the items he'd touched inside the underground space were rearranged back to their original positions before he exited out of the space he crawled into earlier. He moved the tarp so that it was covering the hole once more and maneuvered past the cluster of plants. He started to walk with no destination in mind. The villagers would start to move all throughout the village again soon, which would mean the Hokage's speech had concluded. After things returned to normal he would report his findings to the Hokage.

"Please!" came a voice behind him.

Itachi halted abruptly at the sound of the woman's voice. He inwardly cursed his lack of awareness. He'd been so focused on his thoughts and relaxed because everyone was supposed to be packed in front of the Hokage Tower that he hadn't noticed the woman approaching him. Itachi peered over his shoulder and blinked at Tsunade, waiting for her to speak. She'd deliberately hidden her chakra signature until now...

"I'm begging you," she pleaded desperately. It was so uncharacteristic of her to act in such a way. "Please... don't tell them... Don't tell anyone..."

Tsunade swallowed nervously as the deafening silence dragged on. She watched as the man clothed in ANBU gear slowly turned his head to the front. She could feel the hope of rescuing Sakura steadily drain from her body the longer he went without uttering a word.

Then, he vanished.

All the breath in Tsunade's lungs seemed to have disappeared as well. That was it. He would report to the Hokage or whoever and they would come for her and probably Shizune, too. They would be taken to who knows where and tortured until they gave them the information they wanted. Then they would be unceremoniously killed, and without anyone else knowing the true reason behind it. They would make something up to tell the village and to put into the papers. No one would be suspicious and Sakura would still be stuck in Oto, suffering at Orochimaru's hands. All hope was lost...

Itachi studied the unmoving woman from afar after reappearing on a rooftop. He'd never seen Tsunade act so desperate before. He wasn't close to her by any means, before or after the massacre, but he'd heard enough stories of her bravery on the battlefield and determination in the hospital to know that this wasn't a usual occurrence. He raised his eyebrows when he captured her expression filled with pure hopelessness. He didn't know why, but what he saw next caused his eyes to soften.

A single tear rolled down Tsunade's cheek and fell to the ground.

Sasuke eagerly entered the Uchiha district, panting as he ran. He couldn't wait to tell his parents about his day at the Academy. He came to a halt shortly after passing the entrance, taking a moment to catch his breath. After his breathing settled, Sasuke straightened his back and narrowed his eyes as he looked around.

It was very quiet in the district. There were days where he came home and it was less noisy, but this was odd. It was almost—no, it was—dead silent. The only sounds Sasuke heard were his own breathing and chirping crickets. There wasn't even a single person on the street. Maybe there was some kind of meeting or event going on somewhere else in the district? Oh well, he could find out later. If he didn't hurry home he'd be late for dinner.

Sasuke started towards his dwelling once more, not questioning the strange silence again until he rounded the corner at the end of the street. What Sasuke saw made him immediately stop in his tracks, a gasp escaping his lips. One of his clan members was laying facedown on the ground, a pool of blood surrounding him. Sasuke swallowed nervously before he slowly approached the motionless man, his feet shaking with every step. He could hear his heart beating out of his chest when he crouched down and clutched the fabric of the man's bloody shirt. Then, Sasuke reluctantly turned the man's body over so that his back was on the ground.

He found himself frozen in place at the sight before him. His clan member was dead, a massive gash spanning the width of his chest and blood gushing from the fatal wound. His lifeless eyes filled with fear stared up into nothingness, as if his attacker was still in front of him.

Sasuke's body finally allowed him to move once again and he stumbled backwards in terror, away from the dead body. What in the world had happened to his clansman? Sasuke fearfully tore his gaze away from the corpse and looked down the street, his breath catching in his throat and his eyes nearly bulging from their sockets when he did so.

It looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Corpses littered the street, windows were shattered, doors were broken, fresh blood was spattered on the buildings. Sasuke stared in utter dread and confusion at the sickening sight. This couldn't be happening...

"No," Sasuke whispered absentmindedly when he remembered his original destination. He was running through the streets a moment later, doing his best to avoid getting a glimpse at any of the corpses he passed by. They had to be okay... They just had to...

"Kaa-san!" Sasuke shouted desperately as he flung the sliding door to the house open, removing his bag from his shoulder and tossing it aside. He received no answer. "Tou-san!" he called when he entered the kitchen, his voice cracking. Again, there was nothing. He searched the rest of the house and did not find either one of his parents. Sasuke's breathing was out of control when he stumbled out of the house on the verge of tears. What happened? Where was his family?

That's when he spotted it out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke hesitantly turned to face the half-open door and slowly began to approach it. The room was a small storage space that his family had yet to use. He reached out with a shaking hand and pressed it against the wooden door, reluctantly pushing it open. He could have sworn his heart skipped a beat as the creaking of the hinges stopped and he laid eyes on the bodies of his parents.

Sasuke felt his world come crashing down the longer he stared at the lifeless, bloody bodies, both face down and his father's on top of his mother's. "Tou-san? K-Kaa-san?" Sasuke croaked out, feeling the tears well up in his eyes. He choked back a sob when neither moved or made a sound. No... They couldn't be... Why?! Who?!

Sasuke gasped and flicked his gaze upward when he noticed the subtle movement. "Nii-san!" he shouted with the slightest glimmer of hope in his eyes when he recognized who was standing on the other side of the room. Itachi was still alive... His older brother was still here! "What happened? Why is everyone...?" He trailed off, his gaze meeting the sight of a blood-coated blade. And it was in Itachi's hand...

"Nii-san...?"

A deafening silence followed.

"Yes, I did it," Itachi declared finally, answering the question Sasuke couldn't bring himself to ask. He sheathed the blade and stepped forward into the light, not the slightest hint of remorse on his features.

"No... no no no no..." Sasuke stammered, shaking his head back and forth. Itachi was lying. He had to be! The stone cold, serious expression on his elder brother's face told him otherwise. "Why?" he asked in a near whisper, his voice failing him.

"I wanted to test my abilities," Itachi responded evenly, acting as if it were a casual conversation he'd hold on any given day.

"To... test your abilities?" Sasuke returned, his brows knitting together in confusion. Itachi slaughtered their clan... to test his abilities? Sasuke was caught off guard when Itachi released a chuckle, a smirk coming to rest on his lips.

"You think I'm lying to you?" Itachi inquired in a tone so ominous that Sasuke shuddered. "Foolish little brother... You truly believe I ever cared about you?"

A tear fell down Sasuke's cheek at the brazen statement. "Y-You..."

"You've always been such an annoying little pest," Itachi spat, his voice laced with venom. "I can't ever go anywhere without you wanting to tag along," he scoffed. "Always following me around, being a hindrance. I decided to humor you though and play the part... let you grow up believing you had a big brother that cared."

Sasuke's lip quivered at his brother's cruel words and sobs began to rack his chest. He continued to shake his head.

"You still don't believe me?" Itachi asked, almost sounding amused.

Sasuke watched in pure terror as Itachi's eyes morphed into a red and black pattern that was all too familiar. The next instant he wasn't in the same room with his parents' corpses. Instead, he was standing on the street he ran along earlier when he spotted the first body. Itachi was there, too. Sasuke attempted to move when he saw his brother walking towards him. He gasped and struggled when he found that his feet were seemingly anchored to the ground. A couple walked past him, oblivious to his existence. It was his aunt and uncle, Sasuke realized.

"No!" Sasuke shouted in horror when Itachi swiftly retrieved a pair of kunai knives from his weapon pouch and sent them sailing towards their aunt and uncle. The kunai met their mark in no time, ripping through flesh and effectively cutting through vital organs. They fell to the ground, lifeless, and others nearby immediately took notice. Everyone attacked Itachi and he slayed them all, one by one... Sasuke was forced to watch the sickening scene as it unfolded. The setting switched several times and Sasuke had to witness every single one of his clansmen be murdered by his brother. They finally ended up at their home and Sasuke was positioned inside the doorway, just feet in front of his kneeling parents.

"No! Stop!" he yelled in desperation as Itachi raised his blade. "Nii-san! Please!" Itachi paid him absolutely no mind, bringing his sword down without hesitation. "Kaa-san! Tou-san!"

Sasuke was forced to watch the murder of his entire clan, totally defenseless, over and over and over again. It was endless... He witnessed it all hundreds, thousands of times...

Sasuke was screaming at the top of his lungs, his hands tugging at his hair, when Itachi finally broke the genjutsu. All of it was true... Itachi murdered them all without a second thought... Tears streamed down Sasuke's cheeks when he collapsed to the floor, his body suddenly feeling too heavy for his legs to hold up. He panted harshly as he laid with his cheek against the wooden floor, his vision blurred due to the immense amount of moisture pooled in his onyx orbs.

The sound of feet padding against the floor entered his ears and Sasuke looked up, his eyes widening at the sight of Itachi approaching him. He was going to...

"D-Don't kill me!" Sasuke yelled as fear encased him and he hurriedly pulled himself up to stand. He used whatever energy he still possessed to bolt out of the room and onto the closest main road. He didn't know where he was heading, he just knew he had to escape, to keep running until he got away from Itachi.

Fwoosh!

Sasuke shouted in pain as the shuriken cut through his sleeve and into his arm. He stumbled to the ground and held the fresh wound in his shoulder, gritting his teeth and suppressing a groan. He cowered in fear when Itachi appeared in front of him and he stared down at his little brother's helpless form. "P-Please don't kill me!" Sasuke begged.

"You're too weak to kill," Itachi sneered, shaking his head in disgust as he twisted around. He cocked his head to the side and peered at Sasuke over his shoulder. "Train and become more powerful. Obtain power so you actually pose a threat to me. Then come and find me if you wish to kill me, to punish me for my actions..."

Sasuke stared in wonder as Itachi hopped off the ground and onto the nearest rooftop, disappearing from there soon after. A spark of rage ignited within him as the reality of the situation set in. He couldn't, wouldn't, let him escape. He was not weak! He'd punish him right here and now!

Sasuke growled as he pushed himself to his feet once more, angry tears falling from his now red and black eyes. A light purple coloring spread around his body, coating it entirely. Along with the Sharingan, Sasuke unknowingly awakened the powers he'd been told he was born with.

He rushed to a nearby shinobi's corpse and opened the weapon pouch on his leg, quickly jerking out the ninja tools inside and whipping around to face the direction Itachi had fled. Sasuke pushed himself to move faster than ever before as he pursued his elder brother. It took him less than a minute to catch up to Itachi, who seemed to think he was in the clear and moving at a relaxed pace.

Sasuke shouted in fury as he readied to launch the handfuls of weapons towards Itachi, who turned at the interruption, his eyes widening slightly in shock. He swiftly unsheathed his sword and blocked the barrage of ninja tools, all except one, which collided with his forehead protector and knocked it off.

Sasuke jumped into the air when Itachi dropped to the ground and skidded to a halt. He wrenched his fist back and prepared to strike.

What happened next was a blur. All he knew was that Itachi grabbed hold of him, twisting his arm into a very uncomfortable position. He was unceremoniously tossed into the middle of the street, his body landing roughly on the earth. Sasuke panted and tried to push himself off the ground, but his body was at its limit. His vision began to blur and his eyelids became a tremendous task to hold open when he watched Itachi retrieve his forehead protector and put it back on his head.

Itachi turned to look over his shoulder at his little brother, a single tear sliding down his cheek. This was the last thing Sasuke saw before everything went dark.

Sasuke awoke from his nightmare in a cold sweat, shooting straight up in panic. He clutched at the damp fabric of his shirt and closed his eyes as he panted, willing air to return to his lungs. When Sasuke was calm enough, he shoved his comforter off of him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He entered the bathroom and walked to stand in front of the sink. Sasuke twisted one of the knobs and waited for the cold water to start gushing out before cupping his hands and splashing it on his face, repeating the action a handful of times.

After turning the knob again, the water stopped flowing into the sink and the only remaining sound in the bathroom was Sasuke's heavy breathing. It wasn't due to his physical state when waking up, rather it was caused by his anger when his mind replayed the nightmare.

Sasuke hadn't experienced peaceful sleep in years with nightmares invading his mind every night since that fateful day, but he hadn't had one this vivid in a long time. The nightmare was quite close to the actual happenings of that night—too close—with only a few variances here and there. Perhaps the biggest difference between the dream and reality was the ending. His brother did not cry after committing such abhorrent acts. There were no tears running down Itachi's cheek that night; it was merely a figment of his imagination, something his brain implemented into the nightmare. It made no sense for him to cry, even if he only let one tear escape his eyes. If he had cried, then that meant he was remorseful, which simply couldn't be true. Itachi had made it abundantly clear through his words that night that he felt absolutely no remorse for his actions.

Sasuke absentmindedly glared into the sink as his grip on the sides of it increased, his knuckles turning white. He remembered everything so perfectly. Itachi forced him to watch thousands of times as he murdered each and every member of the Uchiha clan. Sasuke could picture it all so clearly, down to the smallest detail. He knew the order of which members were killed and when, what weapon they were slaughtered with, and where the wounds were inflicted. It was all etched so perfectly into his brain, unwillingly memorized that night when he suffered through the genjutsu.

"Calm down," Sasuke silently ordered himself, forcibly prying his hands from the sink and taking a deep breath. He couldn't allow his emotions to take over and control him. It was true that he used his anger and hatred to fuel him, but it would it be damaging if he were to let them be the driving force for all of his actions. He couldn't allow emotions to overcome and replace his rational thoughts.

Sasuke exited the bathroom and sat down in the middle of his room, crossing his legs and straightening his back. He decided to meditate for a few minutes before heading to one of the training fields. It would help him focus and clear his mind beforehand. He relaxed his arms and placed his hands together in an ovular shape. Some questioned the peculiar motion but Sasuke found that it assisted him in focusing more during meditation. He closed his eyes and angled his head downward ever so slightly so that he was both comfortable and relaxed.

Sasuke was able to disconnect and free his mind for a short period of time. The nightmare disappeared and so did his anger. Usually Sasuke could meditate for long periods of time without being disturbed whatsoever, but it seemed his brain had different plans for this instance. It only took a couple minutes for intrusive thoughts to distract him. Sasuke's brow furrowed in concentration as he entertained the thoughts, but he kept his eyes shut.

It'd been three days and Sakura still refused to surrender. The longest anyone else lasted under Orochimaru's torture prior to this was twenty-six hours. Sasuke avoided the high-security cell block ever since he left when Orochimaru first struck her. He'd focused on training for the two days afterward and tried to keep the matter out of his mind. What Orochimaru desired from Sakura was of no importance to him. Yet when he'd gone to find the leader of Oto on the third day in order to inquire about teaching him something new, Sasuke was surprised when he entered Orochimaru's favorite lab and found that he was not present. Instead he discovered Kabuto, who was fiddling with something at one of the cluttered lab benches.

"Where's Orochimaru?" Sasuke snapped as he approached the busy medical ninja.

"He's occupied with the third at the moment," Kabuto replied briskly, not removing his concentration from whatever he was fooling with.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at this. Usually Kabuto would respond to him with immense sarcasm, but he was very obviously frustrated this time around.

"Apparently," Kabuto began as he stood up, answering the question Sasuke refrained from asking, "she requires some extra persuasion, more so than others..."

Sasuke wordlessly eyed the man as he walked towards another lab bench, this one cleaner than the one he was just sitting at. He watched Kabuto lay what he'd been working with down on a tray filled with numerous tools and medical supplies. It was a syringe and it was filled with some kind of sedative drug, Sasuke realized.

An annoyed huff left his lips before he turned and left the room, setting out towards the training fields at a brisk pace. He took his irritation out on a pair of Sound shinobi already practicing on the field his feet led him to. They agreed to spar with him though, so Sasuke felt little to no remorse when he left both of them bloody and battered, lying on the ground and groaning in pain. He didn't attack anything vital so they wouldn't have died. He made sure to inform the first shinobi he spotted of the two severely wounded ninjas after exiting the field. The man flinched upon noticing Sasuke approaching him, but nonetheless he listened and offered a nod after Sasuke stopped talking to show that it would be taken care of.

Orochimaru hadn't taught him anything new or advanced in quite a while. The Otokage's neglect of his training was beginning to get under Sasuke's skin. His irritation with Orochimaru aside, Sasuke would be bluffing if he said he held no curiosity whatsoever when it came to Sakura. He wondered how she was able to resist for so long. Orochimaru wasn't the type to ask nicely for something and back off when denied that something. He only strived harder to obtain what he desired, to accomplish his goal. He would do this by whatever means he deemed necessary, no matter what the cost. Orochimaru was a power hungry man, driven only by self-interest. If it benefitted him, he'd pursue it and if it harmed him, he would remove it.

Sasuke could already tell a lot about Sakura even with their very minimal encounters. She was the type of person who wore her heart on her sleeve, giving him the opportunity to read her like a book. During their confrontation in Konoha and even as he watched her defy Orochimaru at the prison block, Sasuke easily perceived how fearful and inexperienced she was. Sakura had hardly any training as a shinobi and didn't even know that she was one of the three mentioned in the prophecy until a few days ago. She was also extremely stubborn; she had to be. She still fought against him and Orochimaru even though she was so terrified.

Suddenly, a whisper directly behind his head caused Sasuke to tense before he whipped around. There was no one else there. The whisper was eerily similar to...

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered while climbing to his feet, dismissing the thought. That was enough meditation for now, even though he'd been distracted almost the entire time...

Sasuke decided to skip breakfast and go straight to the training grounds. The only practice he'd done yesterday was the short session in which he'd quickly demolished his two opponents, so he would do some heavy training today and then take a break tomorrow to rest.

He changed into his training outfit and gathered his weapons before setting out. Training field two might be a decent place to start the day off. He hadn't been there in a while.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow when he rounded the corner leading to training field two and found about a dozen Sound-nins standing in front of it in total silence. They were staring directly at the closed iron door as if they were waiting for something. Sasuke continued to approach the door, aiming to squeeze past the cluster of shinobi uninterrupted. He was a higher rank than them and they would listen to any orders he gave. Whenever he entered a training field and desired those already present to leave, they immediately did what he asked. No one dared to cross him.

Needless to say, Sasuke was noticeably irritated when he motioned to pass the first shinobi in his way and the man quickly stepped in front of him once more.

"Move," Sasuke commanded in a near growl, staring the man directly in the eye.

"I'm afraid I can't do that Sasuke-sama," the man replied, standing his ground.

"And why is that?" Sasuke challenged, taking a step closer and glaring daggers through the man.

"Sasuke-kun," a newcomer called.

Sasuke cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. "What's the meaning of this?"

"They're obeying my orders," the Otokage explained. "Come," he beckoned, willing Sasuke to follow him up the stairs he'd just went down.

The Uchiha huffed in annoyance but complied anyway. At the top of the stairs was a small room for spectators, one Sasuke had never bothered to enter before. He spotted Kabuto—who was staring intently at something through the one-way view glass overlooking the field—when he reached the top step. The medic offered him no greeting.

"Sorry for the inconvenience Sasuke-kun, but this training field will be off limits today," Orochimaru apologized, walking to stand next to Kabuto. "Since I can't seem to break Sakura-chan's will yet, I've decided to make some observations in the meantime."

"Observations?" Sasuke questioned as he made his way towards the glass, still none too pleased that he couldn't enter the field. His eyes widened a fraction when he looked through the glass to view training field two and caught sight of a motionless figure in the middle of the area. It didn't take him long to realize it was Sakura, who was unconscious. So that was what the sedative was for...

"Yes," Orochimaru started, and Sasuke could detect the frustration in his voice, "she continues to defy me no matter what I do. No amount of physical or mental torture has made her give up. She tries to sound so confident and proud when she insults me, but I'm not blind to her fear," he chuckled ominously. "Yet she still resists... So until I come up with a new approach I've decided to make observations, see what she can do. I want to know what kind of power the third child of prophecy possesses."

Sasuke only blinked at the Otokage's words. He'd been considering migrating to another training field, but now he was a bit intrigued. There was a small part of him that desired to witness the true extent of Sakura's abilities. He'd stay and watch for a few minutes, just so his curiosity would be quelled.

Although, he was still bewildered at her blatant resistance. What made her so defiant? Why did she still resist? He knew three days of torture with Orochimaru could not have been pleasant in the slightest. He'd seen far more experienced and battle-hardened shinobi crack in just hours. What made her keep fighting so hard? Regardless of how much she resisted, Orochimaru would eventually break her. He had broken everyone else and she would be no different in the end. It didn't matter if she was part of some prophecy and possessed extraordinary abilities or not.

"I think she's waking up," Kabuto announced, not removing his gaze from the large window.

Sasuke flicked his gaze towards the center of the field and sure enough, Sakura began to stir.

Sakura groaned when she came to, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Wait... what?

She could freely move her hands now? Wasn't she in restraints earlier?

Sakura gasped as she opened her eyes and shot up to a sitting position. There were no restraints on her wrists, nor was there a heavy metal shackle locked around her ankle. Sakura's brow crinkled together while she thought, her hands pressing into the smooth grass. Grass? She flicked her gaze downward and sure enough, it was the real thing. She hesitantly raised her head and viewed her surroundings, finding no signs of the dainty cell she was imprisoned in earlier.

"This has to be some sort of joke," Sakura thought in total disbelief. She certainly hadn't escaped and there was no way Orochimaru would set her free and just plop her down into some unknown territory.

She stood up and dusted herself off, noticing something else peculiar. She was free of injury. Well, it wasn't that strange in all honesty, considering the medic with glasses, Kabuto, healed her after her altercations with Orochimaru. Sakura shuddered and wrapped her arms tightly around herself when she remembered how he'd attempted to make her give up using physical pain. She'd nearly died after their first confrontation when he'd bitten her and whatever poison was in the bite had spread throughout her body. But of course, as with his other tries at making her surrender to stop the physical pain, she'd refused and been left for dead. Kabuto healed her to near perfection every time. Once, after Orochimaru left and Kabuto entered the cell to heal her, Sakura made a weak attempt to strangle him with the chains around her wrists. Needless to say it didn't work out very well. He'd given her a nice backhand in response and exited the cell, waiting another hour to heal her and watching with a smirk as she writhed in pain.

When Sakura resisted the urges to give in during and after her various beatings, Orochimaru switched up his approach. He attacked her in different ways.

"What would you do if I paid Tsunade a visit, Sakura-chan?" he'd suggested, his voice as ominous as ever.

"Shut up," Sakura hissed, recovering from his last strike to her head.

"I'll bring her back here," Orochimaru hissed, lowering his voice and leaning closer, "and I'll make you watch me kill her. But first I'll break her, make her wish she was never born. And you'll witness every second of it."

Tears spilled from Sakura's eyes then at his claims. She'd admittedly considered giving in for a moment. Sakura wouldn't let him touch Tsunade. She couldn't bear the thought of him torturing her or hurting her at all. But the thought was fleeting. It was a classic intimidation tactic, attack or threaten those close to the person you desire something from. She read all about it in fictional stories and a few biographies of shinobi who'd been captured and interrogated by enemy ninjas at least once in their lives. The interrogator always used the victim's loved ones against them. Sometimes they went through with their promises to hurt those closest to them and sometimes they didn't.

Orochimaru had to be one of those that didn't follow through with it. He couldn't. He was the Otokage and he had responsibilities to his village. Sakura considered that he might send people after Tsunade. A smirk lifted on her lips then. Tsunade wouldn't go down without a fight. No, she wouldn't go down at all. She was one of if not the best medic in the world and could rival even the strongest of shinobi. Sakura didn't need to see her in battle herself to know it was true.

"Nice try, but I'm not falling for it," she'd said triumphantly. Her smirk grew wider when Orochimaru visibly faltered. It was the first time he showed frustration with his failed attempts to get under her skin. Sakura's celebration at the small victory didn't last long. Orochimaru changed his tactics once more, only taking seconds to do so.

The things Sakura was forced to watch in his genjutsu were truly terrible. She watched Tsunade die repeatedly and saw herself dying over and over. She felt it all as if it were real. When she saw herself burn to death it felt so real. When she saw her limbs be mangled beyond recognition she felt it. She had to keep reminding herself that it was all fake; that it was just genjutsu.

Sakura considered giving up then, too. The pain was excruciating, almost impossible to bear. She just wanted it to end... but she had to resist, had to keep fighting. Sakura would allow herself to scream and cry as much as her heart desired, but she refused to surrender. She promised Tsunade she would keep fighting. She vowed to keep that promise, no matter what.

Three dreadful, torture-filled days went by with Sakura becoming more doubtful as the hours went by. She wouldn't lose hope though. Wait for an opportunity, that was all she needed to do.

In present time, she was utterly confused.

Sakura peered around the new environment, trying to discern where she was. It seemed like an arena of sorts, only without the spectator area. The ground was flat with a few trees here or there and some big rocks emerging from the ground in some places. Directly across from her was a massive iron door and above her there was nothing, only the cloudless blue sky.

Sakura narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It couldn't possibly be that easy. It looked like all she had to do was channel chakra to her feet and run up the wall and she was free. Sakura didn't trust it in the slightest. She didn't have any weapons so she searched around until she spotted a small rock. Wrenching her arm back, Sakura threw the stone as high into the air as she could. When the stone passed the top of the arena, hidden compartments appeared along the walls, firing thousands of senbon needles at the object. Sakura watched as the rock fell to the ground in front of her, a spark of anger igniting within her while she stared at the stone, which now appeared to be a pincushion.

So that's what this was all about then? Sakura whipped around on her heels, searching for where Orochimaru might be observing her from. "I'm not going to be your lab rat!" she shouted, hoping he'd hear her. This was just some stupid test. After it was over she'd be forced back into the dainty cell again.

Sakura stiffened when a booming laugh echoed throughout the arena-like area.

"You're smarter than I initially presumed Sakura-chan," Orochimaru declared, his voice sounding as if it was coming from all directions.

Sakura gasped as the large iron door creaked open and in marched about a dozen Sound-nins. She shifted into a basic defensive stance, watching them cautiously while they spread out and surrounded her. None of them motioned to attack after they'd settled into position.

"How about I make you a one time offer?" Orochimaru suggested, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "If you complete my challenge then you may walk out of here and Oto freely."

Sakura's jaw dropped at the prospect of being let go. She started to shake her head shortly after though. There was no way he was telling the truth.

"All you have to do is defeat those I set before you," he finished.

Everything fell silent afterwards, her shortened breaths being the only sound filling Sakura's ears. She knew she should have just sat down in the middle of the field and refused to comply. He wouldn't let her go free even if she beat all the shinobi surrounding her. She perceived the lie moments after the words left his mouth. Yet half of her wanted to take a stand and fight.

"Wait for the right opportunity..."

Sakura's eyes widened when Tsunade's words rang through her head. Her gaze flicked to the open door the Sound-nins emerged from. Opportunity... This was it, the opportunity Sakura had been waiting for. It only took three days for one to arise but she couldn't let the chance go to waste. If she could somehow summon and maintain the burst of power she briefly experienced while fighting Sasuke, then she had a real shot of escaping. After defeating the people in the arena, she could make a break for it and plow through anyone that got in her way afterwards.

Just as she completed the thought, one of the Sound shinobi sprang forward, launching a barrage of shuriken towards her. Sakura forced chakra to her feet to pounce off the ground and dodge the shuriken. She landed behind a large rock and took a moment to formulate a plan. Sakura cringed, noticing that one of the shuriken had met its mark, cutting through the flesh of her arm. "Come on!" she silently pleaded, willing her powers to activate. She could do this, but she needed her powers to do so.

Sakura stilled when she heard the sound of something whizzing through the air. It was coming straight towards her. She rolled out of the way just in time. The rock exploded into millions of pieces, the jutsu just missing her.

The Sound shinobi emerged from the cloud of dust, weaving a series of hand signs as he did so.

Sakura gasped in surprise when two claws made of rock erupted from the ground and wrapped around her legs, making it impossible to move.

He completed another string of hand signs and one of the claws let go, moving in front of her and turning towards her, thrusting itself through Sakura's torso. The Sound-nin's lips parted in shock when Sakura disappeared with a puff of smoke. If that was a clone then where was the real one? He craned his neck to look upwards when a shout met his ears, his eyes widening.

Sakura wrenched her arm back as she fell from the sky, ready to strike. She didn't know exactly what she was doing, but something in her gut told her that this would work. When her fist connected with the earth, a deafening bang sounded as a small earthquake rocked the area. Sakura stared incredulously as the ground separated and shot in every which way right before her very eyes. She blinked in wonder when the rumbling finally settled and all became silent. The strike defeated the Sound shinobi that attacked her as well as two others that'd been observing and waiting for their turns. She tore her gaze away from the three shinobi lying motionless in the rubble and studied her balled fist. She didn't have a clue how she just did that, but boy did it feel great. Sakura raised her head and cracked her knuckles eagerly, a smirk lifting on her lips when she caught sight of the baffled expressions on the remaining Sound-nins' faces.

Sakura's smirk fell and she pressed a hand to her head when a slight dizzy spell came over her. That one punch took a lot more out of her than she'd originally thought. She recovered just in time to view a pair of the ninjas surrounding her trading glances and rushing forward an instant later. She had to be careful with how much chakra she used, Sakura realized. Otherwise she'd succumb to exhaustion.

Sakura ran forward and met the first enemy head on, throwing a punch which he sidestepped. He took advantage of the move to unsheathe a pair of small swords and begin his assault. Sakura trained all her focus on dodging the strikes and waiting for an opening. She evaded his series of strikes, walking backwards as she did so. Sakura eventually caught hold of one of his wrists, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the man. He slashed at her arm with his free hand, which also ended up in her grasp. It was Sakura's turn to gasp when the man let go of his swords, leaving them in her hands, and flipped over her head.

Sakura was instantly blasted with a strong gust of wind, a piercing screeching noise accompanying it. She tried in vain to lift her arms and shield herself. Sakura yelped as the wind forced her off her feet and she tumbled backwards. She finally rolled to a halt, groaning in pain as the ringing in her ears intensified. It was the only sound she could hear clearly when she used a nearby tree for support to climb to her feet. The gut feeling that pushed her to strike earlier returned when she spotted the two shinobi running towards her again. Sakura listened to her gut and wrapped both arms around the tree next to her, releasing a scream of determination as she used all her strength to pull it upwards. Her legs wavered under the weight of the newly uprooted tree and Sakura fought to steady herself before carefully switching positions and swinging the tree towards her attackers.

She watched with satisfaction when the tree slammed into one of the enemies. Her satisfaction swiftly morphed into worry when the other hopped over the tree, pushing off the bark with one foot and readying to strike with a small sword. It was the man that attacked her first out of the two. He must've picked one of his swords up after Sakura dropped them when the gust of wind hit her. She released the tree trunk and attempted to move, but it was too late.

Sakura shouted in pain when the sword cut through her flesh and she fell to the ground with the man on top of her. He thrust the sword deeper into her chest and Sakura gritted her teeth, stifling another scream of agony. It couldn't end like this...

The Sound shinobi faltered when he noticed the purple diamond on the girl's forehead start to glow, his grip on the sword lessening. Streaks of dark purple emerged from the diamond and spread across her skin.

A sudden rush of power surged throughout Sakura's body and she growled in fury when she opened her eyes and glared at the man perched on top of her. She raised a hand and wrapped it around the sword's hilt. Sakura placed her other hand on top of the male's, squeezing hard on it.

A loud curse escaped the ninja's lips when his bones cracked and snapped. His hand was undoubtedly broken. He was too distracted to notice that Sakura removed her other hand from the sword. His head snapped to the side when her elbow connected with his chin.

Sakura unceremoniously tossed him to the side when he fell unconscious and slumped over. She maneuvered into a standing position, panting heavily as she did so. Her eyes studied the rest of the enemies, chuckling in delight when they stiffened and traded unsure glances with one another. Sakura groaned when she tightly gripped the sword lodged in her chest and pulled. She hunched over and dropped the bloody sword once it was out. A newfound sense of determination came over her while she placed a hand on her chest and felt the damaged flesh begin to heal.

Sakura straightened her back when the wound was partially healed; it was enough to stop the bleeding. She didn't want to exert more chakra than she needed to. Sakura flashed a grin, boldly daring anyone to attack her.

"You put a jutsu on the window so she can't see it," Sasuke commented dryly after Orochimaru shut the microphone off.

"Correct," the snake-like male confirmed when the battle between Sakura and his lackeys initiated. "I've ordered them to go easy on her. She wouldn't stand a chance otherwise," he declared with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "I expected more from someone under Tsunade's care."

Sasuke made no attempt to respond to this, his attention focused on the battle occurring below.

"I hope the reinovations we made to the training field are adequate," Kabuto spoke up. "We didn't have much time so they couldn't be done as proficiently as I would've liked them to be."

"That's my fault Kabuto-kun. I should've told you sooner what I wanted done," Orochimaru voiced half-mindedly, his gaze unmoving from the window.

Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Kabuto, instead settling for a frown. Kabuto was the definition of kiss up. He always searched for approval from Orochimaru, as he saw him as a father figure. Sasuke had—unfortunately—been around the grey-haired man for a few years so of course he learned things from conversations here and there. He was aware of Kabuto's past status as an orphan and Orochimaru's "adoption" of him, but how anyone could see Orochimaru as a father figure was beyond him. The experiments Kabuto performed on others simply to please Orochimaru disgusted Sasuke.

Bang!

Sasuke flicked his gaze back to the window just in time to witness Sakura hurtling towards the ground and it exploding once her first connected with it. The room rumbled and quaked as the earth was smashed.

"That's incredible," Kabuto murmured, voicing Sasuke's thoughts aloud.

Orochimaru's lips parted at the sight of the immensely disfigured earth. "Perhaps I underestimated Sakura-chan," he declared, his gaze locked onto the three shinobi lying motionless in the rubble.

Sasuke intently studied the battle as it continued, with two people attacking her this time. He observed silently as she met the one in front head on and he quickly gained the upper hand. He provided a distraction for his teammate, who successfully landed his attack and sent Sakura flying and tumbling across the field. Then, she used the superhuman strength she possessed to uproot a tree and deliver a devastating blow to one of her opponents. There was no way he was getting up from that one. The other dodged the tree and leaped towards her.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed a sliver when he thrust his sword through her chest and they toppled over. She struggled for a moment but stilled soon after. So that was it then? He didn't know why he'd expected her to last longer considering she had very little experience...

"No way," Kabuto breathed in wonder as he took a step closer to the window.

Sasuke returned his attention to the field and stiffened when he spotted purple markings spread across Sakura's body, the same ones that appeared on her skin during their fight in Konoha. She grabbed hold of the ninja's hand and pulled it away from the sword. Sasuke could tell from the man's scream and the disfiguration of his hand that it was severely broken. He watched as Sakura got to her feet and yanked the sword from her chest, pressing a hand to it. It took him a moment to figure out she was healing herself.

Sasuke studied her intently, silently taking mental notes as the fight progressed and the Sound-nins continued to fall one by one. He'd known she was untrained since his pursuit of her in Konoha, but her mistakes were so blatantly apparent here. She was relying solely on her power this instance and he could see how she struggled to control it throughout the fight. The hints were very subtle, things only someone as perceptible as Sasuke would notice. Sakura might've seemed totally confident in her abilities during the fight, but Sasuke saw right through it. Every now and then when an opportunity arose for her to take a breather, she'd close her eyes and lower her head slightly. To anyone else it would've looked like someone just catching their breath, but Sasuke took a closer look and discovered that her lips would move every time she lowered her head. She was willing her powers to stay active, he'd realized.

Regardless of her skill level, Sakura's abilities were truly incredible. He didn't know what he'd been expecting before the fight commenced, but it definitely wasn't this. The powers she displayed so far were nothing like his own or Naruto's, but they were still a spectacle. Her strength and healing abilities were certainly beneficial...

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru beckoned as Sakura started towards the last remaining opponent.

The Uchiha peered at him in response, his eyes widening a fraction. Was that worry he detected in Orochimaru's expression? He had no time to ponder over the matter, as all hints of fear vanished from the man's features and voice when he next spoke.

"It seems I may have underestimated Sakura-chan," Orochimaru repeated, setting his lips into a thin line. "I'm going to need you to subdue our prisoner once more."

"Why me?!" Sasuke hissed with annoyance, fully turning to face the man.

"Because I know you have the power to do so."

Sakura fell to one knee after defeating the last opponent. The world spun as she pressed her palm to the ground and gasped for air. After a few moments she was able to raise her head, twisting it towards the wide open iron door. She did it. Sakura managed to keep her powers active through the duration of the fight and beat all of the Sound shinobi.

A triumphant grin lifted on her lips when she pushed herself to her feet and started towards the door. She didn't expect Orochimaru to go through with his offer, so that meant she needed to keep her powers active for a bit longer. She'd make a break for it and use what remained of her strength to plow through those that got in her way and escape the wretched fortress. Then Sakura would find a place to rest and she was free. The thought of escaping sent a jolt of excitement through her. Sakura was going home...

Her journey towards the open door was abruptly halted when a figure appeared on the other side of it, hidden in the shadows. Sakura gasped when a bright light flashed in the dark hallway, steadily growing in size and hurtling towards her. It was a fireball. She had to think quickly; there was no time to move. A jutsu she'd read about popped into her head and Sakura's hands immediately started to weave through the required hand signs. She completed it when the fireball was just feet away, watching with cautious relief as a section of the ground directly in front of her shot up to form a wall.

The air around her became blazing hot when the flames hit the rock wall, the fire sailing over her head and next to her. Sakura froze when cracks appeared in the barrier, which soon began to sway. She raised her hands over her face when the chunks of earth collapsed and toppled over on top of her.

Sasuke stepped forward when the remants of his fireball vanished and all that was left was a pile of rocks and dirt. He stopped a few yards away from the mound, watching as the dust cleared and Sakura scrambled to her feet while hissing in pain and holding her burnt forearm. There was something much different in her gaze and form this time around. During their fight in Konoha, she'd been terrified and unsure. This time, her eyes and posture held only determination and rage.

The frown on Sasuke's face deepened. He just wanted this to be over with quickly. He'd seen all he needed to and now he desired to be anywhere else than here. After dealing with her he would travel to another field and make up for his lack of training the day prior. This wouldn't go on for much longer. He'd put her under a genjutsu and be done with it. Sasuke locked gazes with her as he activated his Sharingan. To his surprise, Sakura immediately averted her eyes from his. Perhaps she deserved more credit than he gave her...

Sakura rushed forward without warning, motioning to attack him. He swiftly dodged her first couple of strikes, maneuvering behind her when he evaded the third. Sasuke planted one foot into the ground and spun on his heel, launching his other foot into her spine. She tumbled across the field and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Sasuke barely suppressed a gasp of shock when a chunk of the broken earth barrier took her place. If that was a substitution then where was-?

Sakura ambushed Sasuke from behind, sending her fist sailing towards the back of his head. He moved just in time, her knuckles brushing against strands of his dark locks. Sakura quickly skidded to a halt and thrust her foot in his direction, elated when it connected with his chin and sent him reeling backwards. Her jaw dropped to the ground when he poofed out of existence.

Sasuke gracefully dropped down from his place in one of the trees a short distance behind her. Yes, Sakura definitely deserved a lot more credit than he originally gave her. He thought about his next move as she stood with her back to him, distracted by his clone's disappearance. He could try another fire style jutsu or a lightning style one. Either move would end this.

No, Sasuke concluded. He'd end the fight by putting her under a genjutsu. There was something within him that made the Uchiha hesitant, almost reluctant to use more ninjutsu against her. Sasuke convinced himself it was simply because it would be needlessly wasting chakra. It would help to conserve more if he subdued her this way.

Sakura was late to react when the sound of footsteps approaching her at a fast pace entered her ears. She grunted when she moved her flat palms against Sasuke's sword, which he'd thrown over her head and tried to press against her throat. She refrained from closing her hand around the blade even as he pushed it closer to her throat. He definitely had the advantage in this situation. One of his hands tightly gripped the hilt of his sword while the other was pressed against the flat part of the blade like Sakura's, both of his hands working to bring the blade closer to her neck.

Sakura gritted her teeth in frustration when her back was forced against Sasuke's chest, his head next to hers. The only way she could get out of this situation is if she wrapped her hands around the sharp part of his sword and pushed that way, but her hands would be simultaneously cut to pieces. She started to look towards the hilt until his reflection came into view. She quickly averted her gaze before her emerald orbs could meet the reflection of Sasuke's red ones.

Sasuke inwardly cursed when Sakura turned her head to the side. She'd figured out what he was attempting to do just in time. A fraction of a second later and it would've been over. He took advantage of their close proximity and kicked a place just above her ankle.

Sakura shouted in pain and fell to one knee, his sword still in front of her face. She made sure to maintain her palms' position against it even as she stared towards the ground. She knew what abilities the Sharingan possessed and that she would automatically lose if her eyes met his.

"Just stay down!" Sasuke hissed into her ear as he leaned closer. This would be much easier for both of them if she just complied.

"No," Sakura breathed back, cautiously sliding her palms along the blade towards Sasuke's hands. "I... don't have anything t-to lose!" she croaked out. Everything and everyone dear to her was in Konoha. Sound couldn't take anything else away from her. It didn't matter if she beat Sasuke or not; they'd try to throw her back in that cold cell either way. Orochimaru wouldn't kill her bescause he needed her power. Her freedom was on the line and Sasuke was currently the only one in her way.

Sakura growled in fury when a burst of energy surged through her and she gripped Sasuke's hands, simultaneously pushing the blade away from her neck. She moved one leg backwards closer to his and quickly bent over, tugging him over her back.

Sasuke easily steadied himself as he flipped through the air, landing safely on the other side of the training field. He sheathed his sword and warily watched her as he rubbed his throbbing wrist. Her inhuman strength proved to be troublesome. Sasuke murmured a curse because of the stinging pain as he formed another plan. If he could just get her to meet his eyes for a split second then it would be over. He narrowed his eyes, his lips parting when he noticed how shaky her legs were. She'd used too much chakra.

Tears of frustration slid down Sakura's cheeks as she breathed heavily, trying desperately to hold herself up. "Just a bit longer," she repeated over and over in her head. The door was literally wide open in front of her, just feet behind Sasuke. Her opportunity at escape was right there, so close but yet so far. Why?! Why did he have to get in her way now?! She'd put an end to this battle right now, with one final attack against him.

Remembering to keep her eyes away from his, Sakura rushed forward. This was it. She'd end him and keep running until she was out of there. Then it was on to Konoha, to Tsunade, Shizune, and Naruto, to home...

Sasuke prepared a counterattack as Sakura rushed forward, ready to move at any given moment. His eyes widened when he realized she was going slower with each step she took. His position became relaxed, his lips forming a frown when she slowed to a jog.

"No!" Sakura shouted silently as she felt herself giving out. More tears of frustration escaped her lids when she noticed that Sasuke was standing still now, totally relaxed. It was right there... The door was right there...

Sasuke didn't remove his eyes from her as her run became a jog, and the jog became a walk. He felt no sense of urgency when she forcibly balled her fist and moved it back in preparation for a strike. Her sharp breaths filled his ears when she finally collaped and landed mere inches away from him.

Whatever energy Sakura still possessed was used up when short, quiet sobs escaped her lips. She was so close... She just wanted to go home, to be safe. She wanted to see Naruto's smile again. She wanted to hear Shizune's laugh again. She wanted to feel Tsunade's warm embrace again. Her entire world had come crashing down.

Sakura tilted her head upwards, her tear-filled eyes meeting the sight of Sasuke's feet on either side of her head and then the door, which was only feet away. "Get up," Sakura ordered herself. Even though it seemed so useless now, she listened to the voice anyway. For some reason there was still the smallest spark of hope burning inside her...

She stifled a groan of pain when she reached out for the only thing she could possibly grab onto. Sakura clutched Sasuke's pant leg and slowly pulled herself up, feeling him grow tense as she did so.

Yet he still made no motion to move.

Sakura gritted her teeth when she was almost at a sitting position. She reached up with her free hand and tightly grasped the end of Sasuke's shirt. It was exhausting, so exhausting, to move. Her breaths became even more labored when she attempted to pull herself off the ground. "Get up," Sakura told herself once more. She struggled with all her might to make it to her feet, but could only lift herself up a few inches.

Sakura halted abruptly when Sasuke finally moved. She did her best to brace herself for his strike, but it never came. Instead, she felt Sasuke grip her chin, not at all harshly like she'd assumed he would. She froze at his actions and didn't struggle when he gently tilted her head upwards. She forgot all about keeping her gaze averted from his. Sakura's emerald orbs met his crimson ones and the world soon began to fade.

Sasuke's eyes were trained onto Sakura's unconscious form after she slumped over and became motionless in front of him. His eyes reverted back to their normal onyx as he stared, a foreign emotion swirling within his chest. He now knew the true answer as to why he'd become hesitant to use anymore ninjutsu against her.

Sasuke was an avenger. He wanted to hurt people that deserved to be hurt. He desired to make people like his elder brother suffer and pay for their actions. He would do what was necessary to those that got in the way of him completing that task, someone like Naruto. If Naruto stayed out of his way then he would be fine though. He hurt people like the two Sound-nins yesterday that agreed to a fight because it was simply that. They agreed to it.

But Sakura? She didn't deserve this. She'd done nothing wrong, nothing worthy of his wrath, nothing worthy of Orochimaru's torture. She was here simply because of her power, not because she'd committed a crime or something.

Sasuke's hand twitched as a new emotion stirred inside of him. Anger, he realized. It was directed towards Orochimaru, towards the world. He, Sakura, and Naruto were only seen as one thing to others.

Weapons.

He'd known all along that was all he was to Orochimaru. That was fine with him. All he saw Orochimaru as was a stepping stone. He would benefit by growing stronger and preparing for Itachi while Orochimaru benefitted by having him on Oto's side for the war. The feeling was mutual.

But something was set off inside Sasuke as he looked at the fresh tears still present on Sakura's face. Being viewed as simply a weapon was okay with him before. He'd hardly ever given it much thought or been upset over the fact. Now though, he felt the fury that sparked when he first noticed the tears falling from Sakura's eyes almost ready to explode...

Three days.

That was how long it had been since Itachi conducted the investigation and discovered where the third had been staying. It was the only thing on his mind in the span of those three days. He had yet to report to the Hokage or Danzo. He was currently getting dressed in his ANBU attire to do so. If he waited any longer it would raise suspicion. The last thing he desired was for Danzo to be wary of him more than he already was.

Itachi moved the mask over his face and set out towards the Hokage's office at a leisurely pace, in no rush at all to get there. After his confrontation with Tsunade, something clicked inside him. Emotions he worked to keep at bay for nearly a decade found their way out of the locked cage and to the front of his mind.

It was dangerous to let his emotions control him like this. If Danzo or the Hokage sensed it for even a moment they'd immediately use the slip up to their advantage. But if there was anything Itachi deemed himself good at, it was acting. He'd proven that the night of the massacre. He could fool them, he just needed to be careful.

Itachi was still debating whether or not he should do this even as he made his way to the Hokage's office. There was a lot at risk if he went through with it, but there was a possibility of huge reward as well. His own life would be in jeopardy, but that didn't really matter to him. What concerned him most was that Sasuke would be in immense danger if he failed, that is if he went through with it. If he went through with it and succeeded, the war itself might be turned in Konoha's favor.

Itachi hated war. He'd been born into it and exposed to its devastating effects at such a young age. He tried to hide the sorrow it brought from his little brother for as long as possible, but Itachi discovered the corruption within Konoha's higher ranks and everything changed from then on.

All the senseless violence and death war brought with it to people like himself, to Sasuke, to Koji... Itachi just wanted it to stop. He didn't want to see anymore bodies hauled back from the front lines or families torn apart by it all.

"Itachi," the Hokage greeted gruffly as he entered the office.

"Hokage-sama," Itachi returned, issuing a formal bow when he halted in front of the man's desk. "I've finished my investigation," he stated boredly.

"Ah, about time," the Hokage responded tiredly. "One moment," he said, beginning to rifle through a messy stack of papers.

While Itachi waited for the Hokage to locate whatever he was searching for, a memory replayed in his head, a memory he refrained from thinking about for a long time...

"How long?" Shisui asked, his tone grave.

"Less than a month," Itachi responded lowly.

A solemn silence fell between the two after this, the gushing of the waterfall next to them being the only sound in the area.

Shisui sighed and pushed himself up from the seat next to his friend. "So it's really come to this?" he asked more to himself than Itachi as he walked to stand at the edge of the precipice.

"Ah," Itachi grunted, his frown widening. "Only Sasuke and I will be allowed to survive."

"I see," Shisui replied, turning to face his friend for the first time since they'd met up that evening.

"Shisui," Itachi gasped in shock when he laid eyes on the streak of blood under his friend's right eye.

"Danzo knew we were still planning a counterattack even though you'd already agreed to do it," Shisui responded with a sorrowful grin. "He's got us exactly where he wants us. When he tried to kill me I wasn't sure what his back up plan was if I survived, but it turns out he didn't need one. He knew we wouldn't tell anyone else about the deal he tried to make with you, he knew we couldn't."

Itachi averted his gaze from the slash on Shisui's eye and balled his fists in frustration. "This is all my fault. If I hadn't said anything about-"

"No," Shisui interrupted, his stern tone causing his friend to flinch in surprise. "Itachi, you were just doing what was right. You have a heart of gold and don't let what you'll have to do soon convince you otherwise."

Itachi blinked at his friend's words for a few moments before lowering his head in shame. The reality of what he'd have to do was starting to set in. "I can't do this... I can't kill my clanmates, or you, or..." He trailed off and swallowed harshly. It truly was the only option now. Konoha would be decimated if a civil war were to break out in the midst of their war with Oto. Either way many lives would be lost and lots of blood would be shed.

"I'm sorry Itachi," Shisui started, a look of deep sorrow present in his undamaged eye, "I really am. I wish it hadn't come to this, but what's done is done. It's the only way this village has a chance to survive, to prevent civil war and Oto from destroying Konoha."

Itachi took a deep breath and regained his composure before meeting Shisui's gaze. He knew that he couldn't back out. Shisui was right. If the clan went through with plans and attempted a coup, Danzo would use his little puppet, the Hokage, to turn the rest of the village against the Uchiha clan. Danzo possessed far more power than even his father, Fugaku, the Uchiha clan head. He'd spin the truth and bury it just like that. The village would end up handing the win to Sound.

"It wouldn't even matter if we won the war today," Shisui declared, his brow crinkling together in thought. "Nothing will matter until all of them are out of power."

"Hope is lost then," Itachi nearly whispered.

"You're wrong again," Shisui chuckled light-heartedly, his expression softening. "There's always hope. You know the truth about everything. You'll still be here."

"They'll have me under close watch. If I try to pass on any information to others then they'll kill Sasuke and whoever I tell," Itachi said as he stood up and walked to stand next to his friend at the edge of the precipice.

"I'd rather die knowing the truth than live oblivious to the lies and corruption," Shisui responded, a small smile forming on his features. He turned towards Itachi and caught the look of doubt resting on his features. "There's power in truth."

Itachi's eyes widened ever so slightly before he cocked his head to the side, peering at the waterfall.

"Itachi, I need you to promise me something." Shisui continued when his friend blinked at him in anticipation. "I want you to promise me that you'll take the opportunity when it arises."

"Opportunity?"

"Ah," Shisui grunted with a nod. "Promise me that you'll take the opportunity to make things right. I can't tell you how long it'll take, but I know it will come. The truth always makes itself known."

Itachi considered his friend's words for a minute. He knew exactly what Shisui was implying.

"Take them down from the inside," Shisui continued, confirming that what Itachi thought was correct. "You're the village's only hope right now Itachi. Don't pressure yourself over it, because I know you can do it... Promise?"

"I promise," Itachi returned, the smallest of grins lifting on his face. It vanished a moment later when he fully turned to face his friend, a questioning look in his eyes. "So what will you do now?" He tried in vain to block out the thought of killing his best friend. He didn't know how he'd cope after the deed was done, especially after their talk here and his promise.

Shisui's lips parted as if he was going to answer the question, but they slowly met again. Then, a sorrowful grin appeared on his face, like he'd come to a resolution. "I think... I've done all that I can here," he announced lowly, taking a few steps forward until his toes were hanging off the edge of the rocky cliff.

"Shisui?" Itachi called in a half-warning, half-pleading voice.

"Don't stop me Itachi," Shisui ordered, whipping around and holding his hand out in protest. "Remember what I said, okay?"

Itachi nodded cautiously, his heart thundering against his chest as he refrained from moving forward.

"I know you can save the village," Shisui declared, a genuinely happy smile plastering itself to his lips. "Thank you for being my friend Itachi."

Itachi watched in horror as his friend slowly fell backwards off the cliff. "Shisui!" he shouted exasperatedly, running to the very edge of the cliff. He saw his friend falling through the air, a smile still on his face when he hit the water. He desired nothing more than to jump in after him, to save his life, but Itachi forced himself to comply with Shisui's will and remain in place through it all. A shaky hand reached up to place itself just under his eyes. His Sharingan had activated, but it was different. A third tomoe appeared in each of his swirling red eyes and then they morphed into a new pattern. It didn't take him long to realize what it was.

The Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Well, what did you find?" the Hokage asked after he located the damage reports and quickly skimmed through them. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward expectantly. If the girl resided in one of the damaged homes then they could find out who'd been protecting her the entire time.

Itachi cleared his throat and locked gazes with the Hokage, who was eagerly anticipating his answer. "I investigated every home listed in the damage reports."

He'd made his choice...

"After fully surveying all of them, I've concluded that the third never resided in any of the homes," Itachi answered, his voice void of any emotion.

Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter was a bit too long for some people. I didn't think anything before this last part was a good stopping point though. Tell me what you think and please leave a review! Thank you for the support! Hope you enjoyed!