The Baby Problem [sasusaku]

1: Will He, Won't He

Uchiha Sasuke was ready to leave the village, ready to leave behind all of the memories of his many wrongdoings, ready to go out and see the world through the lens of a new, better man.

He was ready to be a free man, to wander and travel the world. Finding himself was his first priority, and understanding others was his second. At only nineteen years old, his world view had become so twisted that he had hurt the people who loved him.

As he looked at the gates of Konoha from the outside, staring at the village's houses and buildings that were home to hundreds and thousands of people who distrusted him, for good reason. Even the gate guards—he didn't know their names—were glaring at him, whispering back and forth to each other

While such treatment was valid, it wasn't something Sasuke could be around. He needed to become a person again, someone who deserved Naruto's friendship. In order to do that, he had to go, go out and see the good in the world, rather than the bleak, distrustful, colorless wrong he saw wherever he looked.

What was worse was that Sasuke was part of that wrongness, at least in his opinion.

Naruto was standing off to the side, ready to say his goodbyes to Sasuke.

Sakura was standing there, too, eyes as somber as her expression as she stared at Sasuke.

Naruto chuckled, hand resting on the back of his head as he closed his eyes. "You just got back and you're already runnin' off. What's that about?" There was something sad badly hidden in his tone.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun—you should consider staying for a little bit longer, at least," Sakura added, green eyes sparkling with false hope.

"I have to atone for my sins," Sasuke said monotonously—he'd explained over and over the days since his release from custody why he had to do this, to Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi.

They never listened.

"We forgive you, though, Sasuke-kun," Sakura said lightly, looking up at him with softened eyes.

Sasuke sighed. "Ah," is all that he said. 'You two forgive me. But they don't. I don't, either,' he thought.

Although he felt that his opinions on the Shinobi system and Konohagakure were still as valid as they had been during the war, it filled him with shame that the Curse of Hatred had taken hold of him.

He had acted evil and insane—acted like the people whom he detested. Betraying his friends, both Team Seven and Team Taka, was bad enough, but he'd also joined the Akatsuki, and wanted to raze the village to the ground, as if that would solve anything.

"Sasuke—" Naruto started, but was cut off.

A Genin came running through the gates, face red and panting as he came to a halt in front of Team Seven.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow down at him, while his friends just looked confused and slightly concerned.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked, bending down slightly to be at the kid's level and tilting her head. Some of her short, light-pink hair fell into her face.

Sasuke watched absently as she brushed it behind her ear.

The Genin panted some more, hands on his knees. After a second, he stood to his full height, saying, "Sasuke-san needs to report back to the Hokage's office immediately!"

Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed, lips tilting downwards. "Why?" he asked lowly, feeling slightly bad when the kid's face paled dramatically, avoiding eye contact with Sasuke.

He supposed the purple, ringed eye was probably intimidating in particular for those old enough to be there during Pain's attack on the village.

The Rinnegan in his left eye was very distinctive.