No Revenge Is As Complete As Forgiveness

A/N: Well, I am starting a new fic, after finishing part 1 of Questionable Loyalty. Yes, I know I mentioned a sequel and as I said, I have ideas about it, but I also need a little variety after spending six months on Loyalty. And besides, I've always wanted to try to write Uchihacest. I admit that this is the first time I am actually writing Sasuke as a major character in a story of mine so I am quite nervous whether I write him in character enough. Tell me what you think, please?


Prologue

Sasuke sat quietly in a very hard, very uncomfortable chair before the Hokage’s desk and was staring firmly at a spot somewhere slightly above and to the right of Naruto’s face, but still close enough to give the pretense that he was actually looking at him. His onetime friend – now superior, captor, jailor – stared back at him, his blue eyes hooded and troubled. Slowly, Naruto’s gaze moved to the person sitting behind Sasuke, eyes darkening even further before looking back at him.

“The Council and some of the clan leaders would have me kill you both.” He said seriously.

Sasuke wasn’t afraid to die. He had let go of that fear many years ago, so Naruto’s words didn’t worry him particularly. What made him bristle was that his fate would be decided by people whose pasts weren’t any more virtuous than his own. So he remained silent, but lifted his chin defiantly – he wasn’t going to cower, whatever the sentence.

“I am, however” Naruto continued “the Hokage. And you also have to thank Kakashi’s influence and support, because the two of us managed to, after all, gain the upper hand in the argument about both your fates.” He once again looked at the person sitting behind Sasuke.

“I won’t execute you, and I won’t send you in jail – at least, not in an actual jail. You will, however, be required to be tattooed with a seal that will monitor your whereabouts at all time, and you will remain in Konoha, permanently. Under no circumstances are you to leave the village, unless we’re having a general evacuation of the whole populace. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” Sasuke answered.

“And you?” Naruto looked at the man behind him again.

“Yes.” Answered a soft, velvety voice.

“Good. Now, there’s one other condition, and I am afraid that the Council and the clan Leaders were adamant about it – you both are obligated to return to the Uchiha compound. They don’t want you living on the actual Konoha premises.”

“They want us to return there?” there was alarm in the voice of the man behind him.

“Yes. There was nothing I could do. As far as I know, other than being very dirty, the compound is the same as when Sasuke moved out of there – nothing has been looted because people don’t want to go in what they believe is a haunted place.”

Sasuke’s fingers clutched at the wooden armrests of his chair. Naruto couldn’t make him go back to that place! He didn’t want to go back, didn’t want to come face to face with all the memories and nightmares those empty, bloodied streets provoked. Apparently his feelings were written all over his face because Naruto said:

“I truly am sorry, Sasuke. There was nothing more that I could do for either of you – you and Itachi are to remain to live in your old home – this is the only way I can actually keep out of jail, or worse, the executioner’s block.”