Chapter One:

As the sun began to set, the chuunin on duty couldn’t help but admire they sky. She had always thought that out of all the countries she had visited, Konoha sunsets were the most beautiful. As the days retired, hues of red, orange and yellow invaded the sky. The chuunin smiled. Main Gate duty was rarely eventful, usually only consisting of passport checks, followed by either admittance or rejection into the Hidden Village of Leaf. Any trouble that occurred was usually only ever cause by a disgruntled traveller without correct documentation, and these incidents were always ended quickly.

Her partner stretched his arms up over his head and yawned loudly. He was getting restless. At nightfall it would be time to close the gate, which meant the end of another long, boring day. As the male chuunin began to gather his paperwork together he felt an elbow in his ribs.

“Damn it, what the hell was that for?” he demanded.

His colleague grinned devilishly at him. “You don’t really think I’m going to let you go early do you? In case you haven’t realised, the sun hasn’t gone down yet.”

The male chuunin scowled, “I wasn’t trying to go early, I was just organising my things. Besides, in case you haven’t noticed, the sun is almost down. And considering we haven’t had anyone through here for an hour, I figured we might as well start getting ready to close the gate.”

The woman grinned at him and laughed. “Eager are we?” she teased. “What’s so important that you need to be in such a rush?”

“Because, the sooner we get off duty, the sooner you can come on a date with me,” the man replied dryly. Suddenly, and unexpectedly he threw his arm around the woman. “What do you say Miko-chan?” the ‘chan’, added to get a reaction more than anything.”

The woman laughed sharply. “Yeah right! You wish, idiot.” Both laughed at this little banter, a common occurrence for them.

Suddenly the male’s attention was sharply directed towards the main road. As Miko turned to follow his gaze she spotted it. In the distance was a small, dark figure heading towards Konoha. The male slumped back down into his chair, flicking through his recently sorted paperwork.

“Guess we’ve got one more visitor for the day.”

As the figure came closer into sight, the chuunin could see that whoever they were was limping and supporting themselves with a cane of some sort. The man sighed inwardly. Typical, he thought, the last one of the day and it’s some infirm old man who will take another hour to arrive.

The chuunin’s worries however turned out to be untrue. Despite their limp, the figured walked towards Konoha with surprising swiftness. Soon they were in clear sight. It was then that the chuunin noticed something wrong. The figure wore simple clothes, loose dark pants and a loose white shirt – which was covered in blood. And instead of a cane, the person was supporting themselves with what could now be seen as a sword sheath. Both shinobi looked warily at one another.

The person finally reached the gate. Now up close, the guard could see that the man was injured. Across his abdomen was a large gash. His body and clothes were singed, his right arm hung awkwardly at his side – possibly dislocated. Whoever this man was he must have been in a battle. The two guards on the gate were unable to see his face, which was directed to the ground and covered by long, dark hair.

The male chuunin stood up from his post and began to walk over to the man who now stood in the gateway.

“Stop right there. You are now entering the Village of Konoha. Please identify yourself and the purpose of visit. We cannot allow you to enter without a passport I’m afraid.” The dark haired man kept his eyes to the ground. “Because you appear to be injured however,” the chuunin continued, “we could send for a medic to treat you.”

After a moments silence the injured man shook his head. “No, I won’t require a medic.” Judging by his voice, the man wasn’t much older then 18, at most.

The chuunin nodded. “Then please state your name and business.”

As the injured man lifted his head both chuunin let out a collective gasp. His dark eyes showed equal parts sadness and regret.

“My name is Uchiha Sasuke, Konoha missing-nin. And I am here to turn myself in…”

Chapter 2:

“WHAT???”
Miko cowered as the Hokage expressed her surprise verbally and loud enough for those in the surrounding rooms to hear.
“Uchiha Sasuke has returned to the village and claims he is turning himself in. He requests, however, to see you first.”
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. She had been fighting off a headache all day, which was now threatening to break loose with the arrival of this news.
“Okay,” the Hokage finally replied. “Send a squadron of ANBU to retrieve him and bring him to me. We can’t run the risk of this being a trap. Make sure to restrain him and cover his face. Don’t, in any circumstance make eye contact. He is an Uchiha after all. And try to do it quickly and quietly. I don’t want word of this to spread.”
The chuunin sharply stood to attention. “Yes Hokage-sama.” And with a puff of smoke, the chuunin was gone.

Reaching into the bottom drawer of her desk, Tsunade pulled out a bottle of sake.

What on earth is that boy thinking?

*****

Three ANBU members entered the Hokage office, their prisoner in restraints, his head covered with a sack. The Hokage dismissed them, rose from her chair and walked over to the boy. He was badly injured. How he was able to stand, let alone walk was beyond her. His skin had become pale and his breathing was shallow. He must have lost a lot of blood, Tsunade thought to herself. With Sasuke standing in the middle of the office, still in his restraints, the Hokage began to heal the most severe of his wounds. It wouldn’t do to have the boy die before she could get any answers from him. When she was satisfied that he was in no more danger she cut the boy’s restraints and walked back to her desk to sit. The boy slowly removed his head covering.

While the boy’s arrival to the Village was a shock to her, it was nothing compared to the shock Tsunade felt upon seeing the boy’s face. He was a spectre of his former self. Even though she had only known Sasuke a short time before he had abandoned Konoha, Tsunade knew of the boy’s determination. She had seen the fire in the boy’s eyes. And even though she knew that that fire burned only for revenge, even at age of 12 the boy’s eyes had so much intensity. Staring into these lifeless orbs that now faced her; the Hokage couldn’t help but wonder if this was in fact Uchiha Sasuke.

“Aren’t you worried, looking into my eyes?”

The abruptness of his question snapped Tsunade out of her thoughts. “Don’t underestimate me brat. Just because you are an Uchiha doesn’t mean I should fear you or your doujutsu. I am the Hokage. I have seen many Uchiha before your time, and I have fought Uchiha before your time. Don’t think that you’re special.” Tsunade glared at the boy. She had no reason to fear him. In his state of injury, there was no way he could use a Sharingan genjutsu.

The Uchiha said nothing. Sighing, Tsunade poured herself another drink. “Why are you here Sasuke?” she asked.

The boy remained silent, and Tsunade soon wondered if he even knew the reason himself. Slowly, he spoke, softly and carefully.

“My life holds no meaning now. All that is left for me is to atone for my sins and face my judgement.” The boy’s words were spoken in a measured tone. Each word was deliberate.

Tsunade frowned at his response. “And what about your revenge? What about Itachi?”

The boy pointed his eyes towards the ground once again. “All that is left for me lies in the future, not the past.”

Again, the Hokage sighed. She wasn’t in the mood for cryptic answers. “Alright.” Walking past Sasuke, Tsunade opened the door and nodded for the ANBU members waiting outside the office to enter. As the ANBU surrounded Sasuke, Tsunade began her announcement. “Uchiha Sasuke. You have been found guilty of treason on the grounds of abandonment and consorting with a direct enemy of Konoha. You will hereby be placed under arrest and send to the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility. A full investigation will be conducted to decide what your fate will be. Do you understand?”

Sasuke lifted his head to meet Tsunade’s eye with his own. “I understand, Hokage-sama.”

Chapter 3:

The next morning was a typical morning for Konoha. Vendors and businesses set up for the day, displaying their wares, loudly crying out specials for the day hoping to outdo their rivals. Children made their way towards the Ninja Academy, ready for another day. Aromas floated through the air, mixing with others, creating a variety of smells. Flowers, food and perfumes all combined to create the distinct smell of the Konoha markets and shops. The day was sunny with only a few white clouds out. And throughout the village, the attention of Jounin ninjas was drawn towards a single eagle. Shikamaru spotted the eagle from his favourite place to watch clouds.
“Troublesome,” he thought to himself. “I thought today was going to be quiet.”

When all Jounin arrived to the meeting, the room was abuzz with unrest and questions. This meeting was unexpected, and the reasons for it were still unknown. Theories began to circulate around the room, and more than one Jounin hoped that this meeting wasn’t going to deliver bad news. Shikamaru looked around the room. Indeed, nearly every Jounin in Konoha had attended. Neji, Hinata and Shino sat towards the back of the room. Kurenai and Gai were at the front of the room with Kakashi sitting between to them. Even Kakashi had arrived on time. This worried Shikamaru more than anything.

After five more minutes of waiting, Tsunade finally entered the room, causing all noise to cease. Slowly she approached her podium. Shikamaru couldn’t help but notice the rings underneath her eyes. She hasn’t slept, he thought to himself.

In a soft, steady voice the Hokage began to speak. “Last night it was brought to my attention that a stranger approached the gates of Konoha. His reason was to turn himself in to the custody of the Village.” Shikamaru also couldn’t help but notice the Hokage struggling to find the right words.

“His only request,” Tsunade continued, “was to meet with me first, which I agreed to. After our meeting he was sent to the Konoha Prison, without protest. This prisoner…”

The jounin in the room all leaned forwards as Fifth struggled to say the words out loud.

“…was none other than Uchiha Sasuke.”

At the mention of his name, the room erupted into a sea of voices, all asking questions, many cursing loudly. Shikamaru couldn’t help but notice the frequency of the word ‘traitor’ that cut through the din. He was as shocked as the rest of them. Had Sasuke really come back? Had he really turned himself in?

Throughout the anger and outrage, one shinobi sat particularly still, his gaze turned downwards. A pair comforting hands rested on both shoulders.

“Kakashi…?” Kurenai’s voice was gentle. Gai couldn’t find the words to speak, so decided it would be better to just stay silent. Kakashi one visible eye was enough to betray his feelings. And both friends could see the confusion that plagued the silver-haired jounin.

At the front of the room Tsunade raised a hand, indicating that she was going to speak again. As the noise slowly died down, she took a deep breath. “I have called this meeting to decide what the Uchiha boy’s future should be. Following this meeting a full inquiry will be made into the situation.”

A dark haired jounin from the back of the room stood up. “Inquiry? Hokage-sama, with all due respect, what good will an inquiry do? He is a traitor to our Village. One who ran off to Orochimaru none the less! I think it’s clear what his fate should be.” Many shinobi in the room voiced their agreement, loudly. Tsunade took a deep breath, calming herself down.

“The reason we are having an inquiry is because there is more to this case than you seem to think.” The woman’s gaze hardened as she looked out to the assembly. “Yes, Sasuke did abandon Konoha. And yes, he did seek out Orochimaru. But don’t forget, he was also the one who killed Orochimaru. And while it is against the law to abandon the village, think of the circumstances that lead him to leave.” This last statement managed to quiet those who were still voicing their disagreements.

“That boy is the sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre. His entire clan was killed by his own brother. These are not excuses for his actions. But place yourself in his situation, and try to see the big picture. We need to take all facts into consideration. It is also true that while he did abandon Konoha for Orochimaru, Sasuke never once threatened the Village. His motives were personal. Again, this is not an excuse on his behalf.”

A silver-haired Jounin slowly stood. “Did Sasuke manage to kill Itachi?” The statement caused all in the room to look at the ninja. No one really expected the question outright, though they all wanted to know the answer. Trust Kakashi to ask bluntly.

Tsunade shook her head. “At this point we aren’t sure. Sasuke hasn’t said anything in regards to Itachi.” Kakashi nodded and sat back down. All around the room sighs of disappointment were being let out. Tsunade continued, “As of this moment onwards, this knowledge will be kept confidential. I don’t want anyone outside of this room to know that Sasuke is back. It would only cause trouble between those who care for him and those who would wish him harm. Unless there are anymore questions, you are all dismissed.”

A collective, Yes Hokage-sama was said, and the room slowly began to file out. The only ones who didn’t move were Kakashi, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata and Shino – all those who knew Sasuke before he left. They knew that they needed to talk to Tsunade in private. And she was expecting their question.

*****

“When?”

“Last night, just before the gates were closed.”

“Why?”

“We still haven’t ascertained that.”

“I see…” Kakashi shifted his gaze back down towards his feet. He had said very little since the news was broken.

Those that had stayed behind from the meeting now occupied the Hokage’s office. All were shocked at the news. None could really believe it was true. But out of all of them, Kakashi was the most affected by the revelations.

Tsunade sighed. She knew this would be tough. “I know that all of you will want to go and tell your friends, especially Sakura and Naruto. However, I would like to wait until they are told. Until we know more about Sasuke’s motives, we will have to hold him as a prisoner. And even if he isn’t sentenced to death or imprisonment, there is still the chance of banishment. If possible I would like to wait until the verdict has been decided before we tell those two. Especially Naruto.”

Everyone in the room silently nodded in agreement. Everyone except Kakashi.

“I am sorry I cannot tell you any more than that. The fact is there is no more. What I have told you is all I know.” As Tsunade dismissed the group, the masked shinobi stood still. He obviously wasn’t satisfied with what had transpired. Kakashi waited until he heard the door close.

“I don’t think we should keep this from a Naruto.”

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi questioningly.

“If you think he’s going to cause trouble after finding out Sasuke’s back, imagine the trouble he will cause if he finds out Sasuke is back AND that he was kept in the dark.” Kakashi continued.

Tsunade sighed. He was right. “Okay, we will have to tell him, but not just yet. I want to have a talk with Sasuke first.”

Kakashi frowned. “Yeah…so do I.”

Chapter 4:

He swiftly made his way through the forest, moving from shadow to shadow. I can’t be far now, I can sense him, he thought to himself. He was in the Country of Fire, not far from the border of the Grass and Waterfall Countries. He had been pursuing his target now for almost a week. Fatigue began to take the boy, but he ignored it, pushing himself harder. I can’t lose him now, I’m so close.

After another two hours of running, he could feel his target coming up. Masking his chakra as best he could, he made his way towards the presence he had been chasing. They must have stopped, he thought to himself. Sure enough, after about a mile the silent pursuer spotted a small glow – a campfire. Stopping within a few hundred meters of his target, the shadowy figure took a deep breath and looked up at the stars. He needed to be focused, calm. After what seemed like a lifetime, he finally emerged from the shadows to confront his target.

“I’ve finally found you, Uchiha Itachi.”

Red Sharingan eyes looked up from the dancing flames to see who was emerging from the forest.

“So you have…Sasuke.”


*****

The cell was dark and cold. Not that Sasuke minded that much. He found himself waking from a deep sleep. Running his hand across his stomach he noticed that his wound had healed significantly, in most part due to Tsunade’s treatment. Sasuke couldn’t help but muse at how quiet the prison was. He was certain that a place filled with renegade ninjas and criminals would be a lot noisier. His came to the conclusion that the other prisoners must still be sleeping. After his meeting with Tsunade, Sasuke was sent straight to the prison. He couldn’t remember being taken or admitted, so it was most likely that he had passed out from exhaustion before he even reached the prison. He wasn’t sure how long he had slept, and without a window or any view of the outside Sasuke had no concept of time. For all he knew he had slept for a week.

He could hear footsteps circulating from outside his cell, obviously from the guards. As he listened to the scuffle of the footsteps, he realised that they were coming towards his cell. As he sat up he felt a sharp pain from his abdomen. The wound mustn’t have healed completely, he thought. Probably just enough to keep me alive for information. As the footsteps finally reached his cell, Sasuke looked up to see the prison guard unlocking the door. The guard looked coldly at the prisoner.

“Follow me.”

Sasuke, not bothering to answer stood up and walked after the guard. He was expecting this. No doubt they would ask him questions about his whereabouts as well as his connections to the Sound Country. Sasuke was led out of the main holding section of the prison and down a cold hallway, to where the interrogation rooms were held. As Sasuke entered the room he could see his interrogators were waiting for him. Tsunade sat at the table, Kakashi stood towards the back of the room in a corner. The jounin didn’t even glance in Sasuke’s direction as he entered the room. Instead he focused on his novel, although Sasuke could see that he wasn’t actually reading the book. Ibiki stood at the door, closing it after Sasuke entered the room before sitting down next to the Hokage at the table. Both looked directly at the boy, neither betraying their resolve.

“So hear we are then.” Sasuke’s words were enough to cut the tension that lingered in the room.

Ibiki, being the interrogation specialist, ignored the boy’s comment and went straight to the point. “Sasuke, what are you doing here?”

Sasuke stared down at the table. “As I told Hokage-sama, I’m merely here to face whatever punishment awaits me.”

Suddenly, Tsunade slammed her fist down onto the table. “God damn it Sasuke, cut the bullshit. You know damn well what we mean! You’ve been missing for six years, why return now?” The Hokage was in no moods to be playing games with this boy.

Sasuke’s gaze turned to meet hers. His expression was pained. As he spoke, the people in the room all noticed a change in down. “There is nothing left for me any more…” Sasuke’s answer was soft, must more subdued than expected. “I have no where to go, so I came back to the place I once called home. It seemed as good a choice as any.”

Ibiki and Tsunade glanced at each other. “So why didn’t you keep running? Why come back to the place you know you will be arrested? You survived all this time as a missing-nin, why not continue down that path?” The scarred shinobi’s gaze was penetrating. It was part of the reason he was so successful at extracting information from people. Many brave shinobi had broken under it.

Sasuke didn’t move, his eyes switching between Tsunade and Ibiki. He felt his pride begin to well up, the Uchiha pride. Regardless of his situation he didn’t need to tell them anything. “Like I said to you,” his voice cool and calculated, “there is nothing more for me out there. I have no need to keep running from Konoha, nor do I have the desire. That is all there is to it.”

“What about Itachi?” Tsunade expected a strong reaction from the boy at the mention of his brother. Instead he turned his gaze downwards.

“He is of no concern to me anymore.”

Again, Ibiki and Tsunade glanced at each other. Tsunade decided to push the matter further. “So have you gotten your revenge? Is that it?”

Sasuke remained silent.

“Sasuke, did you kill your brother?”

Again, Sasuke answered with silence. Tsunade sighed angrily. This was going to go nowhere. She could feel her frustration and anger building up. If only this boy would give her a straight answer. Slowly the Hokage stood and moved to stand behind her chair. Then in one swift moment, the woman lifted the chair and threw it against the wall, causing it to splinter into thousands of pieces. Ibiki’s composure remained throughout the scene. Kakashi looked up quickly in surprise, only to return his attention to his book. Tsunade leant over the table, fiercely glaring at the indifferent boy in front of her. Sasuke hadn’t even flinched. Suddenly the Hokage grabbed the Uchiha by the collar and pulled him closer to her.

“Listen here you Uchiha brat, you will either tell us what we want to know or you will spend the rest of your days locked away in a dark cell. You will have no company. You will have no visitors. You won’t even have any more interrogations. You will never see a living person face to face for as long as you live, and in the end you will die alone, with no one to mourn you. No one will even know you exist. You locked away and forgotten. I guarantee it.” She spoke quietly, but the smouldering anger in her voice was enough to prove that she was, in fact, serious.

As quick as Tsunade had grabbed the boy, she now let go of him and began to walk to the door. “Cooperate with is Sasuke,” she began, her back to the boy, “tell us what happened and the charges may not be so severe.”

Sasuke remained still, but his composure had changed, and was now visibly strained. Tsunade swore she could have heard the boy whisper to himself, “I am alone.” She sighed heavily. As she began to exit the room she heard the Sasuke speak.

“Naruto.” The blonde woman turned back into the room, waiting for Sasuke to continue. “I’ll talk. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. But I will only talk to Naruto. Only him, no one else.” Tsunade smiled to herself. She had been expecting this.

“Okay, you can talk to Naruto. I will inform him that you have returned to Konoha.” Tsunade once again began to leave the room. Ibiki stood from his seat and followed the Hokage out. Kakashi just stood in silence where he was for several moments. Sasuke could see from his one visible eye that Kakashi hadn’t slept. But there was something else. Sadness? Anger? Suddenly Kakashi snapped his book shut and walked towards the door. As he reached the doorway he paused.

“Welcome back…Sasuke.” He spoke with such fragility, his voice laced with sorrow. The normally stoic jounin didn’t even bother to hide the pain he was feeling. And with these words, Sasuke felt an unbelievable sense of guilt, one he had never experienced before.

Chapter 5:

As he ducked he could feel the sharp breeze from his opponent’s kick. In a split second he weighed his options on how to counter. Deciding on an unorthodox approach, he kicked backwards, coming at his opponent with a back elbow. The rival ninja wasn’t caught off guard. Blocking the elbow he jumps backwards, only to spring forward again. Charging with extra momentum, the enemy swings a right fist.

Naruto saw the man charge and at the last minute, spun around, dodging the man’s punch.

Now’s my chance. Naruto sprung forward as soon as the man passed him. Before the man could react, Naruto planted a fist into the back of the man’s head. Falling to the ground, the defeated enemy could be heard groaning.

“Well fought, Naruto-kun.” The green clad opponent began to stand up.
Naruto scratched the back of his head. “You too Lee”
Naruto took time to look around and stretch his muscles. He had been training with Lee for years now, training to improve his taijutsu. Both men learned from each other’s different styles and therefore the training was mutually beneficial.

As Naruto looked to the sky he saw a grey and black hawk circling the training field. Kakashi’s messenger hawk. The yellow haired ninja gathered his things and said farewell to Lee. Following the hawk, Naruto ran through the streets of Konoha towards the Administration building. Arriving in only a few minutes, Naruto walked straight past the front desk, greeting the girl sitting there. After walking through several corridors Naruto found himself at the large doors to the Hokage’s office. Entering, he saw Tsunade at her desk and Kakashi leaning against a wall. Both wore stern faces. Naruto decided it would be best to act serious.

“So what’s up? Why did you call me here?”

The silver haired jounin and the blonde Hokage exchanged glances. Tsunade sighed and gestured for Naruto to sit. Once he sat down she began. This was not going to be easy.

“Naruto, you have been called here because we need you to do something for us.”

Naruto gave the woman a puzzled look. “So you have a mission for me?”

Tsunade sighed. “Not exactly. We need you to interrogate a prisoner who turned themselves into our custody several nights ago.”

Naruto gave a questioning look at both ninjas in the room. Something wasn’t right.

“Why me? You both know I’m not experienced with interrogation. Why not choose Ibiki or someone?

Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is…a delicate situation Naruto.” She tried to will the oncoming headache away. Better to just get this over with.

Before Tsunade could do anything, Kakashi interrupted.
“Naruto, the prisoner is a missing-nin from Konoha. Do you understand what we’re trying to tell you?”

The blonde shinobi stood silent, the pieces slowly falling together.

The silver haired shinobi walked over to Naruto, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Naruto, Sasuke returned to the Village.”

Tsunade and Kakashi braced themselves for the inevitable outburst. Kakashi fingered the piece of paper in his pocket. He had made a visit to Jiraya beforehand for a tag, in case Naruto got out of control. When the blonde shinobi stood silently, both Tsunade and Kakashi were unnerved. What shocked them even more was his quiet response.

“Why did he come back?”

Tsunade reached into her drawer and pulled out her sake bottle. “We don’t know. All he’s told us is that he has no more reason to run from us. We’re not sure if he’s killed Itachi or not. And he’ll only talk to you.”

Naruto nodded slowly. “Okay. I’ll see him.”

As Naruto turned to leave Tsunade called out, “He’s in the Konoha prison. And Naruto…”

“Yeah”

“Don’t do anything stupid.”

“I know.”



The two men stood facing each other. Red eyes blazing, piercing.

“Can you do it now Sasuke? Can you kill me?” Itachi’s stare was cold.

The younger Uchiha didn’t reply. Instead he charged. Itachi’s eyes predicted Sasuke’s movements allowing the older brother to sidestep and plant a kunai firmly into his brother’s back. With a puff of smoke, Sasuke disappeared and Itachi could feel something cold and sharp against his neck.

“You’ve improved Sasuke.” With one sharp motion, Sasuke drew his blade across Itachi’s throat. Itachi also disappeared in a puff of smoke. A Kage Bushin. Sasuke scanned the forest with his Sharingan eyes. Suddenly a great ball of fire tore through the trees, heading directly for Sasuke. Without thinking, Sasuke’s hands flew through the familiar seals, finishing on a tiger seal. Drawing his chakra to his chest he let out a fire ball of his own, the same size as Itachi’s. The two orbs of fire collided. Each one fought for supremacy, until finally, neither fireball yielding, flames shot in all directions as the two techniques exploded together.

Sasuke wasted no time recovering. Amidst the chaos and fire, Sasuke charged again at Itachi, sword drawn. Seeing his brother charge, Itachi drew a kunai to block Sasuke’s sword. The sword however cut straight through the kunai, imbedding itself into Itachi’s left shoulder. So that was it. As soon as Itachi felt electricity flow from the wound he realised what Sasuke had done.

Holding the Chidori charged blade, Sasuke glared at his brother. All his training, his entire life had led to this moment.

Itachi closed his eyes. “So, it seems you really are stronger, little brother. But how strong have you really become?”

As Itachi opened his eyes, Sasuke could feel a rush of panic. Itachi’s eyes had become a dark spiral of red and black.

“Mangekyou Sharingan…”


Sasuke woke to the chill air of the prison and the distant sound of footsteps, footsteps that were getting closer. Sasuke sighed and debated whether to sit up. He decided not to. He heard as the guard approached his cell and opened the door.

“Come with me Sasuke.”

He didn’t bother arguing or playing obstinate. He stood up and followed the guard out onto the walkway and into the interrogation hallways. The guard led Sasuke into a room at the end of a hallway. Sasuke sat at the table that was situated in the middle of the room. The guard shut the door and left. After several minutes of waiting Sasuke heard the door begin to open. He didn’t bother to look up at his interrogator. Instead he focused on the table in front of him. The interrogator walked around to the other side of the table and sat opposite the young Uchiha.

The two sat in silence for what may have been days, lifetimes. A quiet voice broke the silence.

“So, you’ve finally returned, eh Sasuke?”

Sasuke’s eyes widened. That voice. So soon? Of course, he had requested it. A slight smirk appeared on Sasuke’s face. “Naruto, eh? It’s been a long time.”

Sasuke finally decided to regard his interrogator with eye contact. Slowly, Sasuke’s eyes rose up to meet the blonde shinobi’s. He was surprised. Naruto had grown up. He no longer possessed any of his childish features. Instead he had grown into a stern shinobi. Sasuke looked at Naruto’s eyes. Something was different. There was none of the warmth that used to burn. His eyes were cold, hard. Was this Naruto? The golden locks were still there, longer than they used to be. His features were like stone.

Naruto’s voice once again penetrated the silence. “Why have you come back Uchiha?”

Sasuke held his breath at the way Naruto addressed him. Uchiha? Sasuke had never heard Naruto call him that, ever. Even as children. Sasuke sighed. “Do I have to give the same answer to every person in this Village?”

Naruto shook his head. “No. I don’t want the same answer you gave the others. I want the truth Sasuke. Why else would you ask for me?”

Sasuke sat in defeat.

“So, I’ll ask again, why did you come back?”

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair. “Because, there isn’t anything else for me out there. I have nothing.”

“Did you kill Itachi?”

Silence.

Naruto sighed. It was too early. “Okay, you don’t have to tell me yet. But you’ll have to eventually.”

Sasuke glared. “I know.”

Naruto nodded again, slowly. “I’m going to recommend to Tsunade that you be released from custody. As long as you tell us all you know about Sound, of course.”

“I know.”

“I’m also going to request your ninja licence be reinstated under supervision. If you meet all requirements of the council then there is a chance you can become a Konoha ninja again.”

Sasuke sat stunned. “Why Naruto? Why do you do this?”

Naruto stood suddenly and walked over to the door. Looking over at Sasuke his face was a mask of anger. “This isn’t for your benefit. You abandoned this village; you will repay it with your services as a shinobi. Nothing more.”

And with that the door was closed and the Uchiha sat silenced.