Disclaimer: I'm pretty sure I don't own Naruto
Author's Notes: Sasuke, Hinata and the others are around 17. Neji, Tenten and Lee are 18. Hinata won't stutter as much. That's pretty much it. I don't want to spoil you guys. I'm taking this story to a whole new level.
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Chapter One
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Medicine (1). It was the first thing he could smell as soon as he regained his consciousness. The smell was overwhelming. Hospital, he thought. How long has it been since he had been in the hospital?
He sat up and tried to pry his eyes open but he couldn't. His eyes were covered by bandages. He reached up to remove the bandages but a hand stopped him, preventing him from removing the irritating bandages. With his vision blocked, he could not identify who had dared to touch him. He dropped his hand to his lap.
"Where am I?" he demanded.
"Konoha," a small and soft voice of a girl replied.
Hn. Konoha. It was the last place he wanted to be at the right moment. It felt as if it was yesterday he left to village to avenge his clan. Sasuke leaned back on the bed. After all, beggars don't get to choose. Before he could ask - demand answers from the girl, the door slid open with a bang. His eyes might be covered but his sense of hearing was as good any other functional shinobi. His ears picked up the sound of a startled gasp coming from the girl on his right.
Sasuke turned towards his visitor by relying solely on hearing. The sound of heels clicking against the smooth floor followed by confident strides.
"You chose the wrong moment to appear, Uchiha," the Godaime Hokage remarked. "Especially at a time like this."
He felt his lips curled up into a smirk. "It certainly is good to be back," he retorted. "However I did not came here willing, might I add."
Tsunade bit her tongue; try to hold back another retort to the young Uchiha. Senjus and Uchihas can't stay in a room together for a long time. Disaster might happen sooner or later. She turned to the girl beside her. "You are dismissed."
And with that, the girl exited the room and slide the door close behind her. Tsunade rounded on her patient, hands on her hips. "I don't like wasting my precious time on you," she said, her voice thick with venom. "So let's cut to the chase. Did you or did you not killed the S-class missing nin, Uchiha Itachi?"
He smirked dropped from his face as she mentioned Itachi's name. His face void from any sorts of emotions. "I fail to see that it is your business," he replied.
Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed quietly. "When Team 7 and Team 8 arrived at the scene, his body was not there," she informed him. "There was no evidence of his presence apart from the aftermath - and you."
The Uchiha made no sign of acknowledgment as he laid there on the bed. Even with his eyes bandaged, she knew that he was still conscious and listening. It's amazing how a 17 year old shinobi managed to kill an S-class missing nin, let alone a member of Akatsuki - without any back up.
Even with the previous encounters with the member of the Akatsuki, they had back up albeit 7 person max. They even lost a few of shinobi during the encounter.
"Here's the deal," Sasuke spoke up breaking the silence. "I will let Konoha borrow my strength and I want something in exchange."
"I'm not interested."
"Oh?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Oblivious to this, Sasuke continued. "It will bring a great benefit to the village. Isn't that what Hokages do? To protect and ensure the safety of the village."
Tsunade snorted. "A true Uchiha to the core, as manipulative as ever."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"Fine. I'll bite. What do you want in exchange?"
The corner of his lips curled up slightly. "I just want information regarding the Uchiha coup."
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Sasuke had to spend another week in the hospital before he was discharged. The Hokage had given him the leverage of having the Uchiha Compound. Despite the fact that he didn't want to stay at his old home, he needed to gather some information that was only available at the Uchiha Compound.
He knew his father, Fugaku was a secretive man. It would be hard for Sasuke to find the reason behind the Uchiha massacre. It was too much of a coincidence for someone like Itachi, who only wanted peace, to be involved in murdering his whole clan.
It didn't make sense.
Pushing his thoughts away, he stared at the forehead protector in his hand. It was still the way it had looked back then. The metal gleamed in the sun, a sign that someone - namely Naruto - had kept it clean, preventing it from rusting. However, the crooked line slashed across the Konoha symbol, indicating he had cut off his allegiance with the village was faded.
Naruto, the dobe, immediately visited him as soon as Tsunade had let him visit Sasuke. By then, the bandages covering Sasuke's eyes had been removed. The Kyuubi vessel had shoved the forehead protector to him and pointed out that he looked like Hyuuga Neji with the seal on his forehead.
The Godaime Hokage had placed a seal on his forehead, preventing him from using his newly aquired Mangekyo Sharingan. The seal faintly resembled the Hyuuga's curse seal. Instead of the light green cross 'X' it was replaced with three black tomoe (2). He could still use his Kekkei Gengkai but not to its fullest extant unless the seal was removed by the Godaime, herself or his former sensei, Kakashi. There were three people in total who could remove the seal. He had yet to learn of the last person who could remove it.
The first thing he had done when he entered his dusty old home, he searched for clothes to wear. Mostly he took from Itachi's room, since he was about his size but he did search in his parents' room.
Sasuke needed clothes anyway.
He cleaned the dust spotless and washed all the clothes - which was suitable for him - by the nearby river. He was well aware that the ANBU were watching him closely but he ignored them. Blame his inner cleaning mode.
By the time he had finished cleaning it was close to sundown.
Sasuke didn't know why but he had the sudden urge to visit his family's grave. In the past he always visited the cemetery where his whole clan - apart from him and Itachi - was buried.
His steps where halted when he saw another figure standing by his mother's grave. Yes, he remembered where exactly where his mother's body was buried.
He stood at the distance, observing as the figure bend down placing something against the headstone. Too bad he didn't have his katana or any other weapon at the moment. That person would be dead for trespassing on the Uchiha property.
The Uchha scowled as the trespasser turned around. The white eyes were a dead giveaway. The person was obviously a Hyuuga. Now that is just insulting. A Hyuuga entering the Uchiha Compound without him knowing.
But this particular person was someone he had known personally. They were considered as a childhood friend.
It was none other than the Hyuuga heiress.
Hyuuga Hinata.
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(1) My friend pointed out that the smell was actually Detol. I don't think Detol existed back then...
(2) Imagine the tomoe on Sasuke's curse seal. Yeah that one. Now replace it with the 'X' on Neji's curse seal. I might draw it if you want.
Next time on Never Alone, Ever Again...
"I am going to call you Tomato-chan!"
"You look the same as ever, Hana-san."
"Damn it, Shisui! Where the hell did you keep your journals?"
"With someone your age, I don't think anyone would want to associate with you."
"I should return this to you."