A Shadow Darkly

III

Sasuke’s head was pounding hard enough to make him think it was going to explode. He was bruised and bloody and hurting, and he was positive something was broken in his right arm. Every once in a while, the nukenin would cough up blood – proving that either his ribs had punctured his lung or something had ruptured inside him.

Where was a medic nin? Where was everyone who was supposed to be torturing him?

Ibiki had left two hours ago – or was it two days? – after watching Kakashi beat the shit out of Sasuke for a long, long while.

Was Kakashi pissed?

Yes.

Sasuke couldn’t understand why Kakashi was so upset. He didn’t see how Kakashi – who was like Sasuke in so many ways – could ever care about someone as weak as Iruka. Kakashi was strong – the strongest, even – and he cared about a weakling? Why?

A black-coloured eye managed to crack open as the door to the darkened isolation room opened, staring at the Hokage herself entered the chamber. Behind her came someone so achingly familiar Sasuke couldn’t help but attempt a smile. Sakura stared at him blankly, not here to reminisce. She was here solely to work. Sasuke openly leered at Sakura, and only a part of him wondered why she wasn’t throwing herself at his feet like when they were kids.

“They certainly did a number on you,” Tsunade muttered, but her voice was cold, unfeeling. She held out her hand to Sakura then, flicking her fingers in a silent order. The rose-haired woman’s lips thinned into a line as she pulled out a hardened leather collar, setting the thing oh so reverently into her Hokage’s hand. Tsunade didn’t bother to explain to the trapped Uchiha; he knew hat the collar was. In his travels, he’d seen it often enough – a chakra collar, meant to bind the strength of a powerful ninja and enslave him to the person who could take it off.

Sasuke couldn’t avoid the blonde woman’s hands and feared snapping his neck, for Sakura’s fingers had dug into his hair to hold him still. The collar snapped in place and Sasuke felt all his power – even his Sharingan – just cease to be.

“What have you done!?” Sasuke yelled, straining against the binds around his arms and legs.

Tsunade stared at him dispassionately. “It was decided that killing you would be foolish. Killing you wouldn’t bring back Iruka and sending you to prison would be a kindness you don’t deserve.”

Sakura moved to untie Sasuke then, soon flanked by Kakashi and Might Gai. The men hauled the weakened Uchiha to his feet, faces closed off as Sasuke glared at Sakura.

“I thought you were my friend, Sakura.” Sasuke whispered.

“I was,” Sakura replied. “There was a time I was your friend. Bt it’s too late, now, Sasuke. You made your bed, so lie in it. Take him.”

Sasuke blinked, confused as the two older jounin dragged Sasuke from the prison cell. Tsunade and Sakura followed the men, giving a few more orders before they left, leaving Sasuke in the clutches of two incredibly volatile and ticked off joining. Might Gai split off from them ten, at Kakashi’s behest, leaving Sasuke alone.

Sasuke, despite his bravado, felt his heart drop to his stomach.

Kakashi shoved him with enough force to send Sasuke flying. The young man skidded across tile, fetched against an edge and tumbled into warm water, clothes and all. He came up spluttering and found himself staring into deadly blue and red eyes.

“I should kill you,” Kakashi hissed, “for what you did.”

Sasuke shrugged. “He was weak.”

“He was stronger that you’ll ever be!” the jounin roared. Kakashi lashed out and grabbed the nukenin by his hair and dragged him closer. “You’ll see it in time just how really weak you are.”

Sasuke twisted away from Kakashi’s hold, baring his teeth. “I’m not weak! I’m strong, stronger than you, and as soon as I kill Naruto-“

Kakashi’s hand cracked across Sasuke’s face.

The young Uchiha crashed beneath the water, stunned for a moment. When Kakashi slipped into the water, Sasuke struck, grabbing the elder man’s ankle to drag him under. Kakashi twisted, grabbing Sasuke’s neck with a lightning fast hand. Both went under and Sasuke relinquished his hold first. He came up gasping. Kakashi came up barely winded. He grabbed Sasuke by the back of his neck and slammed his face into the tub’s rim.

“Every day you’re going to pay for what you did. You’re going to suffer every moment of every day. And I’ll be there, watching you.”

“Pervert,” Sasuke hissed.

“Says the kid who ran away to the pedophile.”

At the mention of Orochimaru, Sasuke froze, glaring hatred at the silver-haired jounin.

“He was strong, too,” Sasuke hissed.

Kakashi scoffed. “And looked what happened to him. It took your brother’s jutsu to kill him, didn’t it? After you defeated him, it was your brother who killed him.”

The barb struck deep and Sasuke looked away from Kakashi. When he looked back, he found himself alone.