Hinata sighed, stretching her sore arms. She’d been moving boxes around all day, reorganizing her room and much of the rest of the Hyuuga compound. All that was left of her room was the closet. She dreaded moving onto that, as she knew it was unhealthily cluttered, but she also knew that she would have to get to it eventually, since Naruto was busy on another ANBU mission.

After the short break, she moved over to the closet and pushed it open, sighing as her soft eyes fell on the chaotic mess. She sat down and pulled a half-open box to her in order to sort through it. On the top of the dusty pile was a thick leather-bound journal with crumpled yellowed paper. Interested, she undid the string keeping the journal together and opened it gently, not wanting any of the many loose sheets to fall out. She scanned the pages quickly, intrigued at the story.

Day one
“He’s nowhere to be found. We had to stop for the night, despite my urges to keep going. Every moment we spend here I think of that snake bastard controlling Sasuke’s movements. Controlling his thoughts, and making him go. At least, I wish it were that. I think I know that Sasuke chose this path. For whatever reason, he chose it himself. I just want to know why. Why would he choose to leave? Why would he want to go? I may be stupid, but I can realize that, since he’s doing this, he’s following the same path as the brother he hates so much. If he really wants to be different from Itachi, if he really wants to renew the Uchiha, if he really wants to avenge the clan, he should stay in Konoha, and forge a new path. That way, he would be doing the opposite of what his brother wanted, instead of going into his forged path.”

Hinata’s eyes widened as she realized what she was reading. Naruto must have misplaced his journals in her closet when he moved in, instead of the closet in his own room, across the hall from hers. If she weren’t able to tell from the topic who the author was, she would have definitely been able to tell from the bad handwriting. She frowned slightly, but continued reading.

Day two
“We think we’ve found his path. Sure, we know where he’s going. But we don’t know the real reason why, and it’s also hard to follow the tracks of those who don’t want to be found. I can only hope that we find him in time, before Orochimaru gets his fangs into him. The nights are horrible. We have a small fire going- that I’m using as light to write by- but we can’t really cook anything, since there’s nothing to cook. Choji seems to be the only one who can sleep. Kiba stays off to the side, mumbling to Akamaru. Neji sits in a tree and keeps guard so much that it’s bordering on paranoia. Shikamaru sits by the fire and stares into it, hardly blinking, if ever. And I sit by the fire, writing and hoping.”

Now Hinata frowned deeper. She knew that Naruto had been affected by Sasuke’s leaving, but…she didn’t know it was this much. Shaking her head slightly, she carefully flipped through the pages as not to damage them, and stopped at a page with a drawing.

The full-page picture depicted…something that looked somewhat like the 13-year-old Sasuke. A terrified shiver rippled through her as she stared at the picture, eyes wide with shock and stomach tight with revulsion. It was Sasuke- that fact was certain. But it was a different Sasuke, not the one she had ever known. His hair was long and silvery-grey. The sclera of his eyes was black, and his iris showed the Sharingan. Across his face was what appeared to be a four-pointed black star. His skin had deepened to a reddish hue, and his fingers had become claws. Worst of all were the two massive hand-like wings sprouting from his shoulderblades and the power-crazed grin that distorted his face further.

Aftermath
“I lost. I failed. I broke my promise. Part of me died. I’m pathetic. I couldn’t even stop him. I couldn’t even get him close to thinking about stopping. He almost killed me. He called me his best friend, but he wanted to kill me.

Why?

Why did it end like this? Why did it have to be like this? Why did this have to happen? Why did Orochimaru have to take Sasuke? Why did Sasuke even want to go? Why? Why? Why, dammit, why?!

Everyone nearly died. Everyone nearly died, but he didn’t care. He didn’t even want to hear it. He only wanted power. He only wanted to kill me and move on. He only wanted to shred his bonds and go to Orochimaru. He only wanted to be left alone. He didn’t care what happened to the others. He didn’t care what happened to me. He didn’t care what happened to himself, apart from gaining power. When did he become like this? He was always introverted and downright anti-social, but when did he pass the line? When did he not care at all who died? I remember him telling me that he never wanted to see those precious to him die in front of his eyes ever again. Did that mean we weren’t precious to him? Or did it mean that he was simply lying?

He did all this just to get the power to kill his brother. I know why, now. I understand his reasoning. It’s terrible. As the only Uchiha, he was weighted with the burdens of the village praising his greatness, and his duty, and his honour, and his power, and his asset to the village. But he was also weighed down with the torments of his brother, and the sight of his clan’s blood, and the sight of his respected brother emotionlessly massacring his family. I understand him better than anyone. So why wasn’t I able to talk him out of his power obsession? Why wasn’t I able to stop him? Why wasn’t I able to keep him from dying?

I know more than I did before now. And one of the things I know is that I never want to see Sasuke with the expression he had when he wore those wings and said he was going to kill me. I never want to see that pain in his eyes again, as it was directed at me, as if I was to blame for his hatred. As if I were to blame for the suffering, for the anger. I also know that I will bring him back someday. I won’t let him die with a broken soul.”

Tears that had sprung up in Hinata’s eyes now trickled down her cheeks. She never knew that Naruto had gone through this. He had never told her anything this deep about Sasuke’s leaving. She realized that, if it meant that much to him then, that it still meant much to him now. She realized that the past wasn’t near forgotten, and that Naruto would never stop trying to get Sasuke back. She realized that Naruto, beneath his mask of happiness, was still trying to find himself, even though it was a different reason than years ago, when people had begun to accept him for who he was.

“H-Hinata-chan? What’s wrong?” a familiar voice stammered.

Hinata looked up, closing the journal as she did so. Naruto stood in the doorway, still wearing his ANBU garb. He was looking at her intently, worry blatant on his expression. Hinata dropped the journal on the top of the boxes and pushed it back in the closet with a foot as she stood, rubbing her tears. “Nothing, Naruto-kun,” she said quietly. “I just got some dust in my eyes.”

Naruto smiled, relieved. “Alright then,” he replied softly. “As long as you’re okay…”

Hinata hugged him tightly. “It’s you who I’m worried about, silly,” she whispered into his chest.

Naruto returned the embrace. “I missed you too,” he said, unaware of what Hinata had said.

Hinata smiled, the horrifying drawing of Sasuke fading by Naruto’s reassuring strength. “You’re sure you’re fine?” she asked, looking up at his face.

He blinked. “Of course! Well, I’m a little tired…kinda hungry, too…”

“That’s fine, then,” Hinata murmured. “Let’s go get something to eat at Ichiraku’s.”

Naruto grinned in agreement. As the two headed out, Hinata let herself relax. Naruto had healed.

A day later, Hinata had pushed the journals to the back of her mind. She now sat on the steps of the compound, drinking some water. She had just finished a long session of training by herself, and was wondering how Naruto's team was doing. He, Neji, Shikamaru, and Kiba had been recently sent on an important mission. Naruto had dropped by before leaving, apologizing for having to go again so soon before coming back from yesterday's mission.

Someone tapped the back of her head, causing Hinata to nearly spit out the water that had been in her mouth. She managed to swallow it, though, and looked up at Tenten. “Well, someone's been zoning out,” she said cheerfully. “Hello.”

Hinata smiled. Tenten had been visiting more and more recently, and the two girls had become friends in the times Naruto and Neji weren't there. “Hello, Tenten. How're you?”

“Never been better,” Tenten replied with a wide grin. “Although Neji having to leave again so soon again is annoying. But then, even if he weren't on a mission, I'd probably be busy with that team of mine. So I guess it's okay. Must be a bit harder for you though, since you don't have three inexperienced Genin cajoling you to eat ramen with them every hour of the day.”

Hinata laughed softly. “I'm glad for that.” Her smile faded a bit. “Did Neji tell you what this mission was about? Naruto didn't say anything about it, which is unusual...Usually he tells me all the details and everything.”

Tenten sighed, sitting down as well. “That's no surprise. Neji said that someone had dropped off a tip that Sasuke had been seen somewhere around here recently and they were being sent to investigate.”

Hinata frowned, the drawing from the journals coming back into her mind. “Do you think they'll be okay?”

Tenten patted her friend's shoulder. “If it does come to a fight, it'll be four verses one. Not to mention that it's been, what, six, seven, years since they last fought. Those four have gotten loads stronger. There's nothing to worry about at all.” When Hinata didn't respond, Tenten changed the topic. “But anyways, I'm sure you're not done cleaning up all of that stuff from your closet, are you? I'll help.”

Hinata smiled again, glad for her friend's change of topic, and led Tenten over to her closet. When they reached it, Tenten whistled. “Is all of this stuff even yours?”

Laughing a bit, Hinata replied, “Probably not.” Tenten shrugged, and for the next few hours they managed to sort about half of the closet when a frantic knock came from outside of the door. Hinata stood quickly and made her way over, wondering what could cause such quick and loud knocking.

It was a medic-nin. “Tsunade-sama has sent me to inform you two that Naruto-san and Neji-san are hospitalized. You are welcome to come immediately...” The medic-nin trailed off, as he found himself talking to no one. Hinata and Tenten had already left.

Tenten's stomach only held a bit longer than Hinata's. Soon, there was not only blood everywhere, but two pools of vomit as well. Medic-nin were everywhere, their indefinite movement seeming haphazard to the outsiders. Hinata and Tenten made their way closer to the beds, shoving weakly through the medic-nin when necessary. Most of the time, the medic-nin moved out of the way of their own accord.

The blood was coming from five beds. Hinata scurried up to the one whose occupant was injured the most. His thickly bandaged chest rose and fell erratically, red liquid blossoming through the multiple layers, seemingly endless. There wasn't even a blanket covering him, as it would have soon become a rag, wet with sweat and blood. However, very little of his regular skin was visible. The parts that weren't bandaged were burned to black- mainly along his arms. The only part of his face that was visible was the closed eyelids, eyes twitching awkwardly, the tip of his nose, and the open, dry lips through which his breath rasped. Hinata sank to her knees, horrified at what had happened to Naruto and permeated by a dread to look at the other patients.

She swallowed and stood shakily, forced to use the wall as a support. Hinata's clammy hand pressed against it, willing for the wall's unshakable strength to fill enough of her to be able to help. Her eyes, which had shut after viewing the damage on Naruto, were forced open, and she looked around at the others.

Tenten was doing the same, her face blanched in horror. It was difficult to tell each patient apart from the one lying beside him. Neji appeared to have the least external injuries, but from the medic-nin's worried murmurs, it seemed that there was considerable internal damage. Kiba was only identifiable by Akamaru- seemingly equally injured- lying beside him. A relative of Kiba's soon came and brought Akamaru away. Hinata recalled that she was a vet. Shikamaru didn't seem to have very many injuries on his body apart from a burn extending over the entirety of his chest, though his face was covered in cuts and bruises. The only one more injured than Naruto was the one who had caused all of this to happen.

Sasuke's bed was a bit away from the others. Blood flowed freely, dampening his hair and making his features- and even the extent of his wounds- practically indistinguishable. Beneath the red, his body was practically white- whether from such immense blood loss or lack of sunlight, Hinata neither knew nor cared to know. She felt an unidentifiable rage build within her, directed at this man, who had dared to injure the person she loved and the friends she held dear. For a moment, she wished nothing more than to stab this...thing in the heart until he died.

The feeling vanished as she felt Tenten's hand on her shoulder. “Let's see what we can do to help,” she rasped quietly. Her gaze was also in Sasuke's direction, but she tore it from him, as if to look at that man for one more moment would be unbearable. Hinata followed suit, and soon a medic-nin had told them to fetch cold water, cloths, and more bandages before running off to do something else.

Hours later, Hinata and Tenten were resting, sitting up against the strong walls with their feet pulled in as much as possible as to avoid tripping the still-running medic-nins, though the crazed motion seemed to have some sort of a pattern after staring at it for hours. A pattern thought up by a madman, but a pattern all the same.

It seemed that Kiba was the most reactive to the treatments, and was healing slowly. Neji, Shikamaru, and even Naruto, seemed to be recovering slightly as well. At the very least, they were no longer bleeding profusely, and a few of the layers of bandage had been removed. Sasuke, however, seemed to be far more refractory. Hinata didn't know whether it was due to his injuries or if he were somehow actively fighting the treatments, and nor did she care. She wanted Sasuke to survive, yes, but only for Naruto to be able to say, “I helped him,” and not, “I killed him.”

It wasn't long before she and Tenten were working again. Tsunade came sometime soon after, administered some treatments, and lingered far after the moon had sunk. She left with bags beneath her eyes, muttering something about reckless brats.

Kiba's eyes opened first. He simply looked around at the madman-pattered chaos around him, then glanced to either side at his injured comrades. He said nothing and moved nothing but his chest to breath and his eyes to see. The eyes closed and the breathing slowed after a short time, but it was a good sign.

Hinata and Tenten didn't even have a vague idea of how long they'd been helping. They slept sitting against the wall when they were exhausted, ate nothing but their share of the food provided for the medic-nin, drank nothing but small sips of water, and worked to revive their friends. Hinata only realized she had passed out when she awoke in a bed.

She cast her gaze about for a few moments, observing that she was in fact in her own room and she was not alone. “Naruto,” she uttered softly.

The blonde's head snapped up, and his eyes filled with relief. He was sitting on a wooden stool with his back against the wall. He smiled, despite that the only clothing he wore were simple pajama leggings and bandages neck to toe. His face was covered in deep gouges which had sealed themselves with either scars or thick scabs.

“How long...?” Hinata murmured, her mind still sleepy.

“We were all in there for a month. You and Tenten were in there up until the last week. You passed out, and Tenten brought you back here then went to her own place to sleep,” Naruto explained.

“Oh.”

Naruto studied her for a moment, then looked away, sighing. “Sasuke's in prison. He hasn't said anything. Tsunade's still trying to figure out what to do with him. A lot of the villagers want him executed. Others want him banished from Konoha.”

“What do you want to happen to him?” Hinata asked after a moment's pause.

Naruto's fists clenched. “I...I don't know. I really want to help him, but I don't know how. I don't think he even wants help.” He winced slightly and murmured, “Poor Sakura.” Naruto shook his head slightly. “No one's allowed to go near his prison for a week until Tsunade decides on what's going to happen to him. No one. Not guards, not friends, not even Tsunade herself. He's not being fed, but I doubt that'll affect his health much. I...I'm more worried about what we'll find in the cell by the time the week's over.”

“You think he'll escape somehow?”

“No, that's not it. That's not it at all. I don't think he cares what happens to him anymore. I don't know what happened to him these past years. When he noticed us, he immediately attacked. It was without reason at all. The Sasuke I remember would have at least said something, asked us something, told us something. He acted more like...more like an animal with nothing to lose. A lone wolf seeking death from his old pack.”

“That doesn't make sense.”

“That's why I'm worried. Because no matter how insane he got, Sasuke's actions could still always make sense if you thought about it for a long enough time. And I've got nothing. Neither does Shikamaru.”

Hinata frowned. The memory of the journals returned, and a sick feeling churned her stomach. “We'll figure something out eventually,” she said, more to convince herself than Naruto.

“Hopefully it's before the week's over,” Naruto replied, sighing. He stood slowly and put out a hand. “Let's get something to eat. I don't think I'm in any shape for Ichiraku's, though. More likely to scare away customers than anything else, really.”

Hinata smiled slightly, glad for the momentary respite.

One week later.

Tsunade shook her head again. She seemed far more tired than her years should allow, and her eyes were blank.

“How- you- you can't!” Naruto shouted, slamming his hands down on the Hokage's desk. Papers that had been stacked up tilted and fell, splayed about the desk like feathers torn from a beautiful white bird. Tsunade didn't react. The papers lay still.

“You can't kill him! You can't!”

Hinata touched Naruto's shoulder, hoping to calm him, but he didn't notice it. He glared at Tsunade, his rage obvious. “He-”

Tsunade cut him off wearily. “He betrayed the village, Naruto. It's been decided that he will be executed tomorrow. Leave it be.” Her tone told him that the decision was final and, perhaps, beyond her capability to change.

Naruto stared, shocked into silence for a moment. Then he started again. “Let me talk to him first. I need to do something!”

“I shouldn't, but I'm allowing you to. I knew at the beginning at the week that you'd only give me hell if you didn't see him, so I arranged that you would. You'll go down with an ANBU escort, and Sakura's going with you as well,” Tsunade replied. Naruto clenched his fist as his entire body, still wrapped in bandages, quivered. “Please, Naruto,” the Hokage added softly.

Naruto closed his eyes, forcing himself to relax. Then he nodded. “Okay,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Thank you. The escort is right outside, waiting with Sakura,” Tsunade dismissed them, returning to the paperwork that hadn't fallen.

Naruto paused by the door, looking at Hinata with concern. “You don't have to come, you know...I don't know what Sasuke's going to be like, but you shouldn't have to see it because of me.”

Hinata shook her head stubbornly. “I'm going with you.” She didn't add that she was worried what Naruto would do once he saw Sasuke again.

“Okay,” Naruto murmured. “If you're sure.”

They stepped out the door to see four ANBU, all in uniform and masks, and Sakura. She looked nearly as tired as Tsunade, but nodded in greeting. Silent, the escort then led them out of the Hokage tower, around the exterior of the building, to a thick metal door, barely noticeable due to the paint covering it- old and chipped, like that over the rest of the tower.

The lead ANBU unlocked it and entered first with another, and the last two closed the door after the group had entered. Its muffled thud sent vibrations throughout the stairway that the door had opened directly on to. It was tall, narrow, poorly lit, and creaked even though none of the group had moved. A few candles rested in carved out slots in the mortar of the stone walls, their lights ill and weak.

It seemed as if this prison area hadn't been used in a very long time. Cobwebs hung from practically every surface, and the few footprints were clearly marked, fresh in the ancient, thick dust. The group descended in silence; even if they had wanted to speak, the mood was oppressively like that of a funeral.

The room below the stairways was separated into six cells, the closest of which was locked and covered with a dark curtain. The others were empty of all but dust and dirt. Hinata noticed Naruto shivering as he looked at the curtained cell. The two ANBU in the front nodded to each other, grabbed the end of the curtain, and pulled it back to reveal the interior.

Sakura screamed.

The walls were covered in blood, and Sasuke was slumped in one corner, apparently dead. At Sakura's shrill scream, however, he looked up. His dark eyes studied the people in front of him, just as they studied him.

Sakura was staring at him in horror. Blood was pooled all around him, and a few things had been scribbled on the walls with it, though the handwriting was undecipherable. She collapsed to her knees, her mouth slack, at a loss for words.

Naruto froze. Hinata was more worried about him than Sasuke- he was shaking violently, his gaze locked on the pathetic figure in the cell. His expression was a painful mixture of revulsion, happiness, sorrow, and rage. Hinata slipped her hand into his and tried to avoid looking at Sasuke.

The masks of the four ANBU hid their emotions. They were simply painted statues, part of the background scenery, and meant nothing. Hinata briefly wished Naruto had a mask as well- he looked so injured. But she shook that thought off, realizing that it was better for her to see how this ordeal actually affected him.

Then Sasuke smiled.

“Hey, guys.” He nodded in greeting, his long, greasy black hair spilling over his face. His eyes were dull and his skin was even paler than usual. In all, he looked like someone that had been severely ill for a long time without even realizing it.

Sakura was the first to react. “S...Sasuke...kun?”

“Good to see you, Sakura. You look really fantastic.”

Sakura blinked, thoroughly confused. Then Naruto spoke up. “How...why...what have you been doing?” he asked, his voice nearly a snarl. “Where have you been all these years?”

Laughing, Sasuke replied lightly, “Oh, me? I've been going insane. And just wandering around, you know? Sorry 'bout attacking you earlier. I didn't recognize you.”

“Going insane?” Hinata repeated, her white eyes wide.

“Of course,” Sasuke answered, as if it were the most logical thing in the world. “See, there was this mirror, and there was red- eyes and blood- and then some snow. Some blood here, too.” He was being perfectly rational and exceptionally cheerful.

“But, when I decided that I was crazy, I didn't really think of that curse ol' Snakey gave me, and it's been really annoying me. I think it helped me with these decorations, though, so I guess it isn't all that bad.”

Sakura's eyes drifted to some of the writing. “What does it say, Sasuke?” she managed to whisper.

“Hmm? Well, I'm not really sure. What does it say?” He looked beside him at some blood scrawled on the floor. “Let's see. This one says 'kill the mirror kill the mirror kill the mirror'. Odd. And then that one, that one says 'slaughter the houses burn in black and white and pain and red and red and red and bloody bloody red'.”

Sasuke practically giggled. "This is weird stuff! I wonder who wrote it? Oh, here's another! Listen to this one- 'the sky is red and black and moving too quickly i think he's making it move that quickly but why is everything else so slow so slow showing blood and death and oh please no please please please he killed them he killed them he killed them how why why please no please no it hurts'. Weird!”

Sakura was frozen now, and Naruto took over the speaking. Hinata stared at everything, too frightened to move.

“Why did you leave Orochimaru? You were there, weren't you?”

Sasuke looked to be in deep thought for a few moments, then he nodded thoughtfully. “The mirror told me that I was insane, and why would it lie? I was the one that had been lying, after all. The mirror showed me the truth. There wasn't any point in continuing training to kill myself, after all.”

Naruto pressed on, his revulsion blatant now. “What about Itachi?”

“Oh, him? I don't really care now. I'm not him anymore. That's one advantage of being insane. No more being Itachi for me!” Sasuke chuckled, pleased at what seemed to be a clever joke to him.

“But the problem with being insane is that you kind of forget things for no reason at all, or think things happened that never did. Like when I attacked and tried to kill Choji? Or when I forgot to give my mom a birthday present? I think I may have been a little insane then, too, but I never noticed it.”

“You never tried to kill Choji,” Sakura rasped.

Sasuke frowned. “Oh. It must have been Tenten, then.”

Sakura remained silent.

Then, Sasuke frowned. “Well, what are you guys doing here anyway? Oh, I know. Come to get me out of here? I forgot my key somewhere, so I accidentally locked myself in my own apartment. I know, really forgetful of me, sorry. I'll try to remember not to lock myself in next time.”

When no one replied, Sasuke continued. “I mean, really, where did I put that key? I've been missing it for ages. Or did I even have it? I don't remember what it may have looked like or felt like. Wait, no, I recall it now! It was wood. I accidentally left it in my room. I think I burned it after something happened...”

His brow creased, deep in thought, only to be replaced by a childish grin. “Yeah! It was covered in blood- I must've had a bloody nose or something- and I burned it because it smelled bad. But...something else smelled bad too, and I really don't know what it was. That's irritating. What do you guys think the other smell was?”

He was facing a splash of blood on the far side of the wall. After staring at intently for a few moments, Sasuke nodded. “Oh, I see. You say it was what was left of my clan's blood...?”

Something angry flickered behind his eyes and he laughed madly, a roaring, uncontrollable, laughter. It ended abruptly, leaving the prison deathly silent. “Don't be ridiculous. I've never had a clan. You and I both know that.”

Hinata's eyes drifted from Sasuke back to Naruto and Sakura. She shivered and buried her face in Naruto's shoulder, not wanting to see more. Both of Sasuke's prior teammates were crying.