And He Bled Crimson
By: Lost Nin
Disclaimer: There's no way in the world I can ever be as creative as Masahi Kishimoto, so in other words... not mine in any way shape or form.

A.N. Sooooo it's been ages since I have done any writing... any updating. (Dodges tomatoes form what few people are out there still reading my work) I apologize... life had gotten in the way and I hadn't had any time for any writing. I love to do this, it's just actually finding the time to do so that is hard to come by. But I can understand how anyone feels about finding a story that they like and have to wait around for an eternity just for the next chapter to come out. So I do want to tell those who happen to come across this that I will plan to work on this until it is finished. Thanks for reading and I hope to hear some feedback from any or all of you.

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Chapter 7

Tracking them hadn't been nearly as hard as he had imagined. He came across their trail not too far from the village where their confrontation had taken place the day before. The four of them were obviously heading back toward Konoha, but were taking a more discrete route, or that is what they had wanted anyone who could be following them to believe.

Sasuke paused long enough in his journey to take notice that they had come to a stop at one point, it was at this point that he also took notice that the team from sound had passed by here as well. Kimimaro was hot on their heals, causing them to make quick calculated decisions. With Kakashi obviously injured from the poison he gave him, and them having no cure, he would be a dead weight to them. But at this point he had also taken notice of something that he was sure Kimimaro and his team had missed, someone had cleverly used kage bunshin, more then likely Naruto, to break off the trail. To the trained eye of a non Konoha ninja it wouldn't have been noticeable. But to him, who had come across this tactic before while he was still a part of team seven, easily spotted it.

He quickly changed course, following the trail that was hardly noticeable to the untrained eye of a Konoha ninja. He rushed through the trees with accurate timing, hoping beyond hope that he would come across them soon, before it was too late. He paused in his journey once again not too long after finding the trail, coming to a stop to look at the surroundings around him. They had set up the usual traps, hoping to slow down who might be following them. None were set off, a good sign that he was right about Kimimaro and his team missing the break in trail.

Sasuke easily avoided the traps and continued on, after a couple of hours he came to a small village, their trail clearly lead to that location. They would need to rest, and Kakashi would more then likely need medical help. Sasuke carefully landed on the nearest rooftop, looking out for any trouble that might be around. He sprung from building to building, searching for their all too familiar chakra trails. He knew they would be repressing their chakra to the best of their abilities, but Kakashi's should easily be spotted.

He quietly crouched behind a water tower and began his search, reaching out, hoping to find some proof that they were defiantly here. A spike in familiar chakra from a near by inn caught his attention. Sasuke slowly dropped to the ground, his eyes never wavering from what danger may be nearby. He quietly slipped into the building and past the old man at the desk and ascended the stairs to the second floor. He could feel his body start to tremble in anticipation... to see Naruto again, face to face. To be able to talk to him, perhaps touch him before he continued on with his plan.

He finally came to a stop outside a room he was sure they occupied and tentatively raised his hand before finally knocking. He could hear no sound on the other side, but could feel someone approach the door before a voice spoke.

"Who's there?"

'Sakura.' Yes it was definitely her, he was sure of it. Her voice held the slightest bit of unease. He wasn't sure how the young woman would react to him being on the other side of her door, not even twenty-four hours had passed since he had tried to kill her.

"Sakura."

He could hear her gasp behind the door, and could only imagine her either shaking in fear, or backing away in disbelief. What he hadn't expected was a kunai suddenly pressed into his back.

"Don't move, Sasuke." She seethed his name as though it were poison. He couldn't help but smirk, he was completely surprised that she had managed to teleport into the hall and draw her weapon on him without him sensing, or predicting, her moves.

"If you had moved like that yesterday, Sakura, you might have had a chance."

"Hand over your weapons!"

A sudden spike of chakra flared at his back. She was fully prepared to strike him with a deadly blow, either to paralyze him, or to kill him instantly. Sasuke slowly pulled his sheathed katana from his belt and held it out. Sakura's cool fingers brushed against his as she snatched the sword from his hand. He could feel the chakra intensify as she used his sword to bump against his weapons pouch.

"All of your weapons."

He didn't hesitate in following the girls orders like he would have done so if Orochimaru were the one handing them out, he quietly undid his weapons pouch, and handed it to her. He opened the door, as instructed, and entered the room. He was instantly grabbed by his shirt then slammed against the wall next to the door nearly knocking the wind out of him. A kunai pressed painfully against his throat. A pair of knowledgeable eyes glared into his own before the owner spoke.

"Sakura, quickly close the door and search him."

He could see the pink-haired girl nod her head and proceeded to do as Shikamaru had told her, he, of course, would be in charge with Kakashi down. Her hands trembled as they brushed over the fabric of his clothing, he could see a tinge of pink dance her cheeks as she checked in places that she probably to this day had never touched in an intimate way.

"He's clean." The pink-haired girl stood, and backed away from him.

Shikamaru backed off, his hand lowering the kunai just a bit. "I don't trust you, Uchiha. None of us do."

"I didn't come for a fight. If I had, all of you would be dead now."

Shikamaru scoffed as he placed his weapon away. He watched the Chuunin take the weapons pouch and katana from Sakura then proceed to search them. He took the opportunity to glance around the room, it was small, a dresser with a TV, a chair next to the single bed in the room which was occupied by Kakashi. The Jounin's hair was matted, his breathing erratic, it was apparent he was in pain. The drug he had given him was doing its job well. But most of all there was something missing that was easily noticeable.

"Where's Naruto?"

Shikamaru glanced at him, he could see curiosity in the dark eyes before a smug smirk crossed the higher ranked boys face. "He's hopefully leading your men away from here so we can have a clean break to Konoha."

"What!" Sasuke balled his fists in anger. "You left him alone!"

"Naruto is perfectly capable of taking care of himself." Shikamaru continued to carefully take out the contents of his weapons pouch and place them on the dresser for inspection.

'Bastard' Sasuke clenched his teeth, Shikamaru is playing with him. So it was Naruto that used the kage bunshin earlier. With the multiple amount of clones that boy could produce, Kimimaro's team would be all over the forest, hopefully chasing after the wrong one.

"What is this?" The Chuunin held up on of the vials he had snagged earlier.

A painful groan from the bed caused all eyes to fall upon Kakashi. Sakura rushed to the Jounin's side, her hand gently pressed against his forehead. Sasuke quietly watched the girl gather her chakra and gently press her hands to the older mans chest.

"You're only masking his pain, he'll die soon."

"Is that why you came here," Sakura screamed at him, her eyes were glazed with tears she was obviously fighting. "To see Kakashi-sensei suffer? What did you do to him? How could you?" She shook her head, more then likely in disbelief. Whatever faith she might have had in him yet was clearly gone. "He was the only one who hadn't give up on you when everyone else called you a traitor. He was determined..."

"Sakura, that's enough!" Shikamaru snapped at the girl.

Sasuke averted his gaze from the bed. Kakashi was suffering because he deserved it, the bastard had lied to him, had made his life more miserable now then when he had believed he had killed his one and only true friend. To know that he had missed out in so much, to know that he had never had to leave and betray his home and his promise.

"Sasu...ke." Kakashi's strangled voice reached his ears.

He locked eyes with the disheveled Jounin. He could see it in his eyes, knew that Kakashi understood his purpose there without any other words exchanged. Sasuke moved away from the wall, approaching the bed. Shikamaru instantly sprung into action, trying to stop him. Sasuke dodged the Chuunin's blow, sending one of his own into the other's stomach before pushing the stunned boy out of the way. He activated the Sharingan as he approached Sakura, daring her to try to stand in his way. She refused to move, but didn't try to stop his approach.

Sasuke stood next to the bed, staring down at the man that he had loathed for quite some time. "I should let you die." He wanted to scream at him, hit him, watch the older man bleed and pay from every wrong he made. But he knew he couldn't, something deep within kept him from doing so. "Sakura, the vial, the one with the blue stopper."

She sprung from the bedside, throwing her arms around him, thanking him before reaching for the vial and pulling the stopper from the tube.

"Kakashi-sensei drink, Sasuke has brought you the antidote."

He turned his back on them, his eyes locking with Shikamaru's. He watched the Chunnin raise an empty vile, he held it tightly in between his fingers in plain sight of everyone.

"What was in this one?"

"Nothing."

"You poisoned yourself."

He could hear Sakura gasp, the empty vile she had slipped from her hand, crashing to the floor. He could hear Kakashi coughing behind him. He wouldn't deny it, it was true, all part of a well worked out plan that would put an end to Orochimaru.

"Orochimaru will just find another body, he will continue on."

"No... he'll die, right along with me."

"You mean you plan to let him continue with the transfer."

"The poison is undetectable, it won't affect me until the seal is released. He'll never know what hit him until it's too late. He'll never hurt Konoha again."

'I don't want to hurt anyone anymore, this is the only way.'

"You'll never get your revenge." A new voice spoke up within the room, its tone was laced with anger.

Sasuke could feel his heart rate increase at an erratic rate. The owners voice still ringing in his ears. He hadn't detected him, none of them had. And now he was here, the one person he wanted to see more then anyone. He slowly turned until he could see the blonde. His hair was tousled, his clothes dirty and torn in a few places, signs of a swift battle. His sun-kissed skin was flawed with matted dirt and what appeared to be blood. Those red-slitted eyes stared back him with so much intensity he was expecting to be jumped at any moment and pounded into the ground.

"It doesn't matter anymore, everything changed..." It felt good to be speaking to him. Naruto had always, despite the idiotic things that came out of his mouth at times, had been a shoulder to lean on.

"Asshole!" Naruto spat at him. "Don't think that killing yourself is going to fix anything!"

"I've already weighed judgment on myself, I hope to make things better for Konoha, for all of you." He locked eyes with Naruto. "I'll entrust my unfinished business to you."

Naruto snarled and charged him, the blondes' fist connected with his cheek before they both crashed to the floor. "Bastard!" Naruto straddled him, pinning him to the ground. The blondes mails dug into sensitive flesh, but Sasuke held off from any complaint. His heart and head pounded together as he stared at the face above him, two short inches from his own. Sasuke smirked, it had been years since they had been in a position like this, Naruto towering over him, those same eyes glaring down at him with just as much anger as the first time. A feeling overcame him, one that surly would have made him weak at the knees if he had been standing, instead his stomach felt as though it flipped, butterflies he believed people call it. He wanted to run his fingers though those blonde locks, to gently take that angered face in his hands and...

"Naruto! Sasuke! Please, please stop!" Sakura cried out.

"Bastard." Naruto repeated and pulled away, backing off of him. "I won't be a part of your plan, 'cos I'm going to take Orochimaru down!"

Sasuke could feel his heart practically come to a stop, the intensity in the blondes' eyes was enough to make him believe. Naruto had the ability to take on anything he set his mind too and succeed

"And you…" Naruto growled. "You'll get your ass back to Konoha…. Where Tsunade-baa chan can reverse what you have done to yourself."

There would be no arguing with Naruto, that he was sure of. Sasuke nodded then slowly stood from the hard floor. For now he would follow the blonde anywhere he wanted him to go…. Only for now.