Tadaima

Kiki-Chan: Well, since a lot of people seemed to have read it (and I’m assuming liked it), I suppose it’s time for a new chapter. Thanks to the few who reviewed. This is for you guys. =D
I’m pretty sure that’s all I had to say. So enjoy, ‘kay?

“Breathe”

Sasuke jerked away at the sound of pounding, presumably, on his front door and the dull feel of muted chakra. He rolled out of his new futon (he was definitely not keeping the old furniture and had proceeded to burn it all) and into a crouch. The moment passed when he realized that there was no immediate danger. The teenager rose to his full height and stalked off into the direction of the insignificant idiot who dared to disturb his nightmares.

The Uchiha inched the door open and stared at the rabbit masked ANBU standing on his porch. He said nothing.

“The Godaime Hokage requests your presence in her office.”

Sasuke gave a singular nod and shut the door in the shinobi’s face without waiting for the other to disappear. He turned his back to the door and froze, even as he felt the chakra fade.

Inhale.

Kaa-chan! Otou-san!

Exhale.

Sasuke!

Inhale.

Otouto.

Exhale.

Naze? Naze?!

Inha-

Sasuke couldn’t breathe. Pale fingers clutched at a pale throat, desperately trying to work some air into his lungs. The surviving Uchiha’s knees shook, his body trembled, and tears rose.

No. No. No! Nononono.

He gasped, wildly shoving the voices, the accusatory eyes (demons) away. Sasuke didn’t want listen! He didn’t want to see, to feel! He just wanted them to leave. Him. Alone!

Onyx eyes blinked, unconsciously breathing deep and hard. Unsteadily, he rose to his feet—when had he fallen to his knees?—and took a few unstable steps. Those were always the hardest, the first steps, but Sasuke was a Uchiha and Uchihas were strong, strong enough to defeat this. Or at least, strong enough to never let it show.


The Godaime knocked back another saucer of sake. Setting it down with an audible ‘clink’, she scowled at the pale boy standing in her office, looking for all intents and purposes bored.

Silence reigned and she poured another cup. Sasuke had been waiting to see the woman since early morning. However, she’d been in a ‘meeting’ all day and couldn’t see him until four that afternoon. 'Meeting' his pale Uchiha ass. The old hag had probably been boozing it up and gambling all day, making him wait just to spite him.

The incompetent Hokage looked up again and hard amber eyes connected with harder black ones. After all, it was hard to be intimidating when you’d gone through eight bottles of liquor in the last ten minutes.

So Sasuke gazed back defiantly and silence reigned as they stared.

And stared.

And stared.

The Uchiha wondered idly if she would blink any time soon because his eyes were beginning to dry out.

“Uchiha Sasuke,” the amber eyed woman spoke, cheeks rosy and pouring another saucer. “Uchiha Sasuke.”

Did she think he didn’t know his own name? Idiot.

“As written in the stipulations upon your return to the village, you have been placed under a probationary period of two years. However, as decided by the Hokage of Konohagakure and the Council of Konohagakure, after a time of eight months, you would be considered for reinstatement into service as a Konoha shinobi and to partake in missions.”

The teenager simply looked at her as she paused expectantly: did she expect him to fall to his knees in gratitude? If he remembered correctly, he’d asked politely to be executed. Still, it was a miracle that she managed to slur out words with more than two syllables.

The old hag’s glare grew a little harder. “For your cooperation, it has been decided that you were to take part in lower level missions. However, the chakra cuffs will remain for the next four months and you will still be placed under watch.”

Sasuke mentally rolled his eyes. She’d all but threatened him outright.

“Report to the mission office for you first mission immediately following this meeting.”

Sasuke nodded. The Godaime sneered. “Congratulations, Uchiha. Dismissed.”


The room full of interacting shinobi grew silent as the last Uchiha walked, no strolled into the mission room nonchalantly. Sasuke looked straight ahead to his destination, his former academy teacher, Umino Iruka, and ignored the glares and sneers being directed at his back.

He reached the table and stopped, looking down at the scarred man.

“Uchiha-san.” Polite to a T. Almost cold. Sasuke resisted the urge to smile. Of course, the Chuunin didn’t like him.

“Umino-san,” he replied quietly. “Hokage-sama told me to report to you for my mission.”

The other man pulled out a scroll and threw it onto the desk in front of him. “Hai. Your mission.” Then a gleam, spiteful Sasuke would say, appeared in his brown doe eyes. “It’s a D-rank mission.”

His voice rang out into the silence as the other men and women stared at the two. The air around them changed, amusement at the Uchiha’s expense easing the tension. The din started up again, lower but still, Sasuke could catch bits and pieces of the numerous conversations. Simply put, they were not at all flattering to the Uchiha.

Sasuke resisted the urge to curse them all, to hurt them, to kill them.

“You see, C-rank missions,” the teacher continued in a condescending teacher’s voice as Sasuke’s head fell forward slightly, bangs covering the murder intent in onyx orbs. “The C-rank missions are mostly escorting a client outside of the gates to another village." And we can’t risk you defecting again hung heavily in the air.

Sasuke shoved any remote feeling away and stared, seemingly unfazed, at the tan man before him.

“Hai, “ Sasuke replied clearly, so everyone could hear. “Arigatou, Umino-san, I’ll try my hardest. If you’ll excuse me?”

The scarred man scowled at Sasuke’s back, who hadn’t waited for an answer, but had turned to walk away before Iruka could have dignified himself with a response.

Kiki-Chan: So Iruka is a little mean here. But I think it fits his personality.
Anyways, I'm not entirely sure if I'm happy or not with this. Hmmm. Anyways, please review. It make my little muse happy and when she's happy, hot man action seems to pop up. >.< Right. I hope you guys enjoyed!