AN :: A small note for this story. The 4th war didn't begin or end until Sakura was at least 18 for the purpose of creative allowances. Also, the cover image is given with credit to LPilz. I love her work. With that in mind, enjoy.

Vicissitude


Definition

1.

a. A change or variation.

b. The quality of being changeable; mutability.

2. One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings. Often used in the plural.


Open up wide, swallow down deep

No spoon full of sugar could make it sweet

The cancer inside, stealing my sleep

Night after night, it keeps haunting me

The secrets I keep are tearing me up inside

I try to hide and then I wonder why

I wonder why I'm still running

When I know there's no escaping

Come undone, surrender is stronger

I don't need to be the hero tonight

We all want love, we all want honor

Nobody wants to pay the asking price

Fall on my knees, fall on my pride

I'm tripping over all the times I've lied

I'm asking please but I can see in your eyes

You don't need tears for alibis

It's true what they say, love must be blind

It's why You're still standing by this sinner's side

You're still by my side

When all the things I've done have left You bleeding.

—Undone - FFH

Chapter One|Tsukuyomi

The black scarf whipped around her face fanatically, slipping off only slightly and trailing behind her as she leapt from one over-sized tree branch to another. Taking the high route had its pros and cons, depending on who you were. But, it still felt better than the ground. The Land of Trees, named because of their massive size, was no place to really mess around. If you didn't have Waterfall shinobi to worry about then you had to watch out for other rogues trying to make a buck on bounties. It was a grand hiding place for those that didn't want to be found and it was far better than traveling through Fire as of late.

The word, even in her head, left a bitter taste in her mouth; enough to draw her jaw into a tight clench. Still, she let it go. Night was closing in and the twenty-eight year old needed to find a place to sleep. There was a small town a few clicks away, but she wasn't sure she wanted to risk not making it before shadow of the evening fell.

Still, a warm bed would do her good. Perhaps she'd rest for an hour or two, set a summon to keep watch, and then continue on.

As she deliberated this she tugged her hood down, shading her emerald orbs further. The half mask hiding her face was starting to become saturated with the humidity of her breath. She could feel sweat in a few places and wondered why she hadn't gone to Snow this time of year. It was notoriously humid in the lower countries.

No, she knew why. There was a bounty out here. A good one. And she aimed to have it. Funds weren't running low, but the price was too good to pass up.

She dropped on a branch and braced her left hand against the imposing trunk and stared on. A brief breeze rustled her clothing, upsetting a scratched, though nearly ten year old ANBU uniform. Briefly, the light of moon reflected off the arm guards, flashing in the night like a beacon. Similar bracers covered her knee-high boots over her shins. A kodachi was strapped to her back and half of the hood-scarf wrapped around it; likely due to her running.

She reached up, unraveling it and readjusted it over her shoulders. Taking a slow breath, she pulled the face mask down and exhaled, taking in the evening air with satisfaction.

She'd sit for a while and drink; eat a snack. Perhaps take a soldier pill and run on through. She wasn't tired, but a little vanity never killed anyone. And she wanted that soft bed.

Her back leaned where her hand had been on the trunk and she slid down. A scroll came from one of her pouches and she opened it; a quick unseal jutsu was done and she rolled it up after removing the water bottle and granola bar from it.

She half wondered why people didn't just use scrolls for transports. Packs were cumbersome and wasted valued energy. Then again, she supposed making sealing scrolls wasn't easy either. A little more technical than most shinobi could handle. Generally, she supposed that was left to the more intelligent and those who worked in the sealing field.

She scarfed down the cardboard bar; it tasted like shit, but it would refuel her enough. She washed it down with the water and some of the liquid rolled over the corner of her mouth, trailing down her neck.

She sat there a long while, eyes closed, allowing her senses to pervade as she enjoyed the quiet before she popped the pill, crunched down it, and drowned that taste down too. Why did all the shit that was good for you have to have the flavor of shit? It's like the universe wanted you to die early.

She chuckled softly, pink lips curling only slightly into a smirk.

She downed the rest of her water, put the wrapper and bottle away in a pouch for disposal later, and sat there as she waited for the pill to kick in. It was a bit of a slow starter, but it lasted a while longer than most.

Time passed on like an endless flow as she stared upward, watching the clouds clear a little and reveal the stars dimming into night finally.

The Land of Trees was much higher than Fire; you could see more up there. They twinkled, blinking down at her like some wistful ache that reminded her of a time once before.

"We all share the same sky…" she breathed with some ache in her voice, as if she were quoting someone. Her eyes quavered, long lashes lowering only slightly. The wind danced on the leaves around her, sounding like a hushed breath of thousands of voices all aching the same ache as her.

And just as quickly as it came it was gone.

She stood up, forcing the melancholy out of her system, back into the deepest reaches of who she was. She started to move, but just as she did something sliced across her senses.

Green eyes darted to her right, staring out over the expanse of green, brown, and darker shades still.

Chakra.

She stilled a moment, waiting.

Was someone following her…?

No, she realized after a moment. No, there was a fight going on. It wasn't abnormal in the Land of Trees, but… her gut was clawing at her like a beast not to be kept at bay. And she knew why. From this distance, she could feel five of them. From what little she could sense, also from this distance, it was four against one.

Not unusual…

Now she was curious. Her bounty was supposed to be in this area. She didn't think he was going anywhere… but, if he was against four hunter nin… well, she didn't come all the way out here—forgoing the nice weather in Snow with summer on full high now—to lose that haul.

Hell.

So much for a soft bed.

She turned in the direction of the battle and leapt from one branch to another. It was quick, precise, and left no more of a mark than an animal would. She broke from the side of one tree trunk to another, bracing with chakra each time. She tried to keep it low, but not so low that she seemed like a blank hole.

As she came in closer she went slower, creeping along like soundless silk over skin. She kept to the shadows, the dark. By now she could smell the burn of explosive tags; she could hear the scuffle. The clang of kunai, senbon, and perhaps a sword rang out over her ears.

She breathed in an out slowly, recovering her face with the mask. The thin spandex stretched over her nose and hid her lower features easily.

As she came over a cluster of branches she stilled, looking down.

It was easy to confirm now that it was four against one; they weren't trying to hide it. Now to see if it was worth it; if the brats were too much she might have to cut her losses and move on. After all, there was always someone better; staying alive in this new world meant acknowledging that.

It was mostly shadows, but she could see fairly well despite the dim.

They were hunter nin; well damn. From… she squinted to see the flash of an arm, looking for the tattoo mark. Waterfall; not surprising. She was surprised they had the units to spare to keep an eye this far away from the village.

The underdog was doing fairly well against all four, but she could tell he was haggard—worn. A senbon pierced his arm just as the thought passed her mind. Still his face was covered. She had no idea if this was her target or not. The information was lax.

Question was… was he worth saving to find out?

She was running on a soldier pill, had eaten well in the last town and that snack was helping. Her chakra stores were at peak and staying that way.

Still… four Waterfall hunter nins…

If it was her guy though she could afford to take a few months off and relax. It'd been almost a year since her last extended vacation.

"Fuck" she muttered, already knowing her decision.

Vanity apparently was a sin.

They didn't see her, smell her, or even sense her chakra. She had the advantage if she used it right. The only thing she couldn't calculate is if there were a genjutsu master in the bunch. If so… then this might not go as well as planned.

She brought her hands up to her face, focusing on the group as they neared the lone shinobi. A brief pause was made before she ran through the hand signs. Like a click, the moment the last one went off she faded into the dark, green eyes last go and a slow raining of pink cherry blossoms flowered the area.

The four nin hesitated and looked around.

"What…?" one began.

Sakura watched as realization dawned, but by then it was too late. Branches trickled in from the illusion, crawling from the dark recess of the forest. As they tried to leave but the off-white roots curled, snapped and grabbed hold. It was a genjutsu you could see firsthand, yet it only affected who she wanted caught.

Three of them were done for, lost in the haze. But one managed a kai and broke out. She allowed her form to phase in, as if walking up from the ground and coming into sight like a ghost making a corporeal form.

He was reaching for his weapon, but she saw through it. As he flung it at her form the replacement jutsu was done.

"Sleep," she whispered from behind as she injected him with a medical needle.

He dropped at her feet, out cold.

And then there were two.

She looked up, allowing her green orbs to be seen in their fullness, the flecking strands of her short pink hair as it dipped only slightly over her cold eyes. Idly, like a snap, she pocketed the injection needle for later disposal in the same pouch as her other trash.

He wasn't looking at her; not yet. His did reach out and yank the senbon free from his shoulder though. She wondered if it hit bone; probably.

And then he was looking up at her, face fully visible under the hood. She nearly started, fingers twitching. Her heart did though, bolting once or twice in the cavity of her chest. Red; endless red and black pierced through her.

"Too late," she heard him whisper as the genjutsu started, rolling like a wave and pushing the real world from her vision.

She almost wanted to laugh; brokenly.

Perfect.

And then the red was everywhere. Blood, rivers of it around her. It ached everywhere and damned her insides like a pressure. It pushed down, pressing on her senses and making it hard to breathe. And yet, she felt nothing.

He was still staring her, Mangekyo spinning in a way she could only describe as fascinating. He held a katana in his hand, but not much else aside looked different. Well, his hood was down, revealing a face that hadn't changed at all over the years. Same age lines, same striking features, same long black hair tied back.

What next? She asked herself, again feeling nothing.

It was odd; as of the entire atmosphere sucked all feeling away from you except fear. And yet, that didn't seem to bother her either. Surreal was the word to describe it. It was beautiful and hateful all at once; she sucked it in through her pours—or so it felt. Her hands moved in and out of fists for some reason. And yet, all she could do was stare at him, look right into the depths of his eyes. She couldn't look away; for some reason she didn't want to. It was like… drugs? In a way it felt like that. Like being awake to see you yourself during a fever. Or perhaps those final moments before you really got wasted on good liquor. You were there, but the world felt like some beautiful abstract painting.

Would it be weird to smile?

She laughed instead; perhaps at herself.

And suddenly he was right there in front of her. She didn't flinch, just kept on staring at him even as he invaded her personal space.

"Who are you?" he asked, seeming to lack all real meaning to question. His voice held no real inflection, but it was there in some sense.

Was he trying to scare her, she wondered?

She wasn't sure why she did it, but it happened anyway. Her hand reached out, touching his chest and went flat there, as if trying to feel something. She stared at that space even as his hand curled around her wrist.

"Surreal," she whispered aloud, like some kind of child-like mantra. Everything felt real; no, realer. The cloth was softer than real life; his skin was warmer. She could feel the body heat radiating off of him. It literally felt like it was sinking into her skin as if a healing chakra. Everything vibrated beautifully… painfully. And yet, she embraced it.

His skin was warmer still against her, sending a shock through her that she could almost see.

Her eyes darted to his again, locking and drowning. That's what it felt like; as if she were drowning without dying—enveloped.

And then he pulled her wrist back and dropped his sword. The sound clattered loudly, bouncing off her drunken senses as he gripped her shoulder with the now free hand. He pulled her tight against him and oddly enough she didn't feel threatened.

"Who are you?" he whispered this time.

And then it dawned on her. He was fascinated by this whole situation as she was. Tsukuyomi wasn't working on her… she knew. Not the way he planned at all.

Her head dropped back a little as he yanked; her hood fell to her shoulders; the fabric fluttered slower than normal and settled on her shoulders, revealing erratic pixie-cut strands that danced around her face in various lengths. It was longer in the front, falling from behind her ears where it had been tucked.

His eyes narrowed on her and recognition flashed over his eyes, flaring. "Haruno Sakura," he murmured.

"This isn't working," she managed to say just as evenly, with just as much lacking emotion. "Release the genjutsu, Itachi." It wasn't an order despite sounding like one. And yet, she could see in his eyes, somehow, he wanted to know why.

"Never has," she breathed, answering his unspoken question. "I often wondered…" she continued. "But, now it's been validated." She gave a brief chuckle; it was a little dark. She wondered if she should thank him.

He wasn't letting her go though; he just kept standing there, holding her gaze in the punch-drunk genjutsu.

"I have things to do, you know. Business to attend to. You're keeping me from that…Weasel," the last was said with some sarcastic affection, as if to rattle him. Why she would do that she wasn't sure. But, fear wasn't a factor here. Nothing mattered here. Nothing mattered out there.

Not anymore.

And then something jolted her. His eyes moved to shut, his grip went slack, and it all faded away rather suddenly. Red ran back to black, to green, and then brown… and then the forest. She found herself watching as he collapsed on the ground, sliding against a tree behind him.

His whole body curled forward as she watched on.

It took a moment for reality to fixate back into her realm; the haze faded, but slowed just slightly.

For a quiet moment, as she looked at him, she wondered…

What next?


He'd passed out, she'd realized almost immediately. From what, exactly, she hadn't been sure of right away. But, then it became obvious that there was a lot more wrong Uchiha Itachi than just his inability to express any emotion.

The caustic part of her wanted to leave him there. If he were a nobody, she might have. But, he wasn't. This was Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke's older brother, terror incarnate, nightmare in living form, former Akatsuki member and a slew of other things that couldn't fill an 8 by 11 piece of paper even in the smallest print.

She gave a grunt as she landed, softly. Chakra softened her landing onto the dirt path. She shifted him on her back, making his arms bounce a little together on the side of her head where they hung over her shoulders.

He hadn't woken yet; likely wouldn't with the mild sedative she'd given him as a precaution. She needed to make it to an inn for some privacy and time to figure out what her plan of action was.

It was an opportunity, she mused as she walked, ignoring the look of one passerby for the heavy load such a petite person carried.

The man on her back had lived a lifetime of information. If nothing else, perhaps she could glean something from him; some things she really needed to know. At least, that's what she told herself when she'd ultimately heaved him onto her back and made way for the town she'd originally been on her way to.

Then again, there could just be something to the fact that he was the only nonRoot Konoha shinobi she'd seen outside the village walls for years. Granted, he was a missing nin, but it included that as well. For a while, she'd seen a number of them. And then, bam, nothing. It's like she was the only one; and that was a troubling thought.

How in the hell was he even alive, anyway?

Dead. That was the last she'd known. Like every other Akatsuki member. Gone with the wind; ashes to ashes. Some might say things were back to normal; however, that some didn't live in Fire Country… or in Konoha. Hadn't.

As the streetlights from the town came into view she felt a little relief wash over her. People would mostly be asleep at this ungodly hour and she didn't not want to be carrying her load in full daylight. The less anyone knew the better. She could summon a genjutsu to hide the whole thing, but this was easier.

There were a few out, she realized as she passed the entrance gate. Drunks, vagrants, and a couple street walkers plying their trade. That was to be expected, she noted silently as she headed towards the nearest inn with dimmed lights on.

It looked a little questionable; exactly what she needed: a clean bed, clean room, but people who wouldn't ask questions.

It took a little effort, but she opened the door with her charge still in tow. The front desk greeted her immediately. A stout woman with some age in her eyes looked up at her. She started a little at first.

"Do you need help, dear?"

Sakura shook her head and placed Itachi on a chair near the sign in. "No, thank you." The smile she bestowed was as fake as ever. "Drunk. Long night on the road," she explained to ease her worry. "I need a room. One bed or two; doesn't matter. Whatever happens to be cheapest and clean."

"Very well," she agreed as she worked at the register and wrote a few things down. "Name?"

"Himoko," she rattled the last name off easily; it was one of ten different fakes she used that had no attachment to her or her former life what so ever.

"The only room we have left is the suit on the top floor. It's expensive, but we've got reservations booked for the morning."

Sakura frowned internally at that, though not visibly. "Something going on?"

"Hunting. A lot of men come through for that this time of year. Our town's fairly close to the preserve."

Internally, she was relieved. She wasn't going to stay long, but a bunch of a shinobi staying in would not sit well with her; not when the bounty on her head was reaching a level likened to that of Naruto fighting over the last bowl of ramen with…

"I'll take it," she replied mutely, not feeling up to looking for another place. Likely, everything else was booked up as well anyway. Probably the last room.

"How many nights?"

"Put me in for three. I'll let you know from there."

The woman nodded, rang it up, and Sakura paid. It wasn't a huge ding to her pocket book, but it still sucked. Once more, she heaved up her charge and went on her way up the stairs, key clutched in her hand.

Two flights of stairs later, a little adjusting, and she was in. She glanced around at the surroundings, eyeing it all. Well, it was a little more than she expected. Red plush carpeting, clean bed, clean… everything. The bathroom looked well enough from her current vantage point. Hell, there was even a table. And a phone; imagine that. She could order out… maybe. Which, considering the current state of affairs, might be in her best interests.

She pushed the door shut behind with her foot and moved to lay Itachi on the bed. She was gentle, but that was mostly because she didn't want to add the growing mound of work she knew she was going to have to do on him.

The door was locked and seals were placed on the room. They could hear out, but nothing would be heard from within were anyone to listen.

She began the slow process of stripping down and decided to get a shower. He wouldn't wake up …too soon. She eyed him a moment, thinking, but then decided against giving him more sedative. He'd have to wake up eventually.

It didn't worry her. If he'd wanted her dead he would have tried earlier. Deadly intent was much easier to read these days; and he just hadn't had it.

She took her time under the stream of hot water, but didn't linger. Just enough to wash up. Then she was drying off and changing into some clean clothes she's unscrolled beforehand.

She knew before she even stepped out of the washroom; looking at his open black depths confirmed it. She did nothing more than raise a brow at him as she ran a towel once more through her wet short strands. Silence pervaded as she dropped it over one the chairs; briefly, she wondered—as he followed her with his eyes—if he would be the first to break the quiet.

So, she did it as she reached for the phone next to the nightstand; next to him. "I'm going to order some food. What do you want?" she glanced at a menu for a twenty-four hour joint. "Looks like burgers…" she hummed before handing it to him.

All he did was stare at her. Blankly; however, there was something in his eyes; she could see it. She once again held that gaze; the same blank expression was on her face as she waited patiently.

For a split second he looked ready to ask her something else, but then he just glanced down at the menu in her hands. "Cheeseburger, the works… fries," he murmured.

"Drink?"

"Juice, if they have it."

She nodded briskly and dialed. Both orders were placed seamlessly and then she hung up. "They'll bring it up in about thirty minutes." Without missing a beat she sat down on the bed next to him, hip barely brushing his thigh, and reached forward to open his cloak.

As if she expected it, or bet on the action itself, his hand snapped over hers; those eyes locked again. Pitch met emerald.

"You're injured. I was going to tend to that."

His grip was tight, but not enough to bruise. Not that it really mattered that much. Pain was pain. "You've got some other issues going in, but you know that already," she elaborated rather clinically.

Something flickered silently in those depths.

"How did you break my Tsukuyomi?"

She didn't react to the question, not in her expression anyway. That remained the same. "You let me tend your injuries, the ones I can right now, and I'll tell you." It was blatantly silly, but serious enough.

He continued to just watch her, but after a moment just released her wrist.

She pulled her gaze away from his and went about removing his cloak. He had to shift around, but it was a fairly simple matter. Next the shirt. It too was piled on the floor next to the bed. The point where the senbon had entered was flaring with red, looking like the start of some kind of infection. The red all over his chest wasn't surprising either. He had some broken ribs and bruising would start if she didn't fix it.

In her youth, she might have balked at it all. She would have at his state of health. It didn't look like he'd done too much eating. Either that or he couldn't keep it down with what she'd briefly surmised in the forest. It hadn't been extensive, but it was enough to determine quite a few things.

First thing first though… stop the bleeding and eliminate the infection. She reached for the bottle of water she'd placed on the nightstand earlier and two pills. "Take these," she told him. "They're for the infection."

When all he did was stare at her again she went on, internally a bit exasperated. "It's an antibiotic I've formulated. Highly concentrated. Should take care of it in twelve hours."

Carefully, he took it and did ask she asked. She set the bottle back down and reached out, hovering over him as she placed her hand on his right shoulder and went to work healing the damage to bone, muscle and skin.

"To answer your question, it appears I'm immune."

"How?"

Now he was talkative.

Her gaze focused on her work. "You could say I have a split personality looking out for me," she murmured. "It's something of a family trait. Comes up every few generations or so," she went on as the bone knit back in the small place where the senbon has pierced. "If worked properly, like any other muscle, it keeps me from being trapped in genjutsu." She glanced at him. "Haruno will-power; strong stuff, or so my father once told me." She shrugged as the muscle closed and then the skin. As she removed her hand, all that was left in place was some inflamed flesh. But, what would all be gone soon enough.

Next, her hands moved to his chest. Again, she was hovering over him slightly.

"Why are you helping me?"

Now, that was the question of the century. "I believe you can help me… perhaps." It was honest enough.

He looked a little amused at this, thought it only showed in his eyes and with the slight curling of one corner of his mouth—a smirk. But, he didn't say anything more as she worked quietly. Bone once again knit back together, muscle returned to a favorable state, and bits of him were a little better. Though, the parts that required more work would require much more of her. And a chat.

When she removed her hands it was sudden, though partially expected. One moment she was pulling back and the next she was under him. He had one wrist trapped next to her head; the other was pulling tight to keep the kunai in her hand from piecing the flesh of his abdomen. She wasn't serious, but it was warning enough.

His breath was in her face, fanning over her and mixing with her own. Both were even, controlled, and steady. Her eyes met his. Noses barely brushed.

"You took a risk bringing me here. What makes you think I won't kill you?"

"What makes you think I won't kill you?" she countered, forcing a little chakra strength into the hand with the kunai. It moved forward slightly, scraping flesh just barely. "Don't make me undo all my work…" she warned carefully.

He was pressed against her almost fully; in a way, it was almost erotic. But, there was nothing really erotic about it.

"I'm your enemy."

"Who isn't these days?"

Again, that flicker came to his eyes. This time she couldn't call it. Perhaps… amusement?

Her eyes narrowed and her voice became slightly more serious; leveled. "I have a proposal for you."

"I'm not fond of deals anymore." This was said with some bitter distaste.

Between them, their hands shook, half fighting for dominance. However, at the same time it almost meant nothing. Was he trying to scare her?

Before she could answer there was a knock at the door.

"Food's here," she whispered slowly, darkly. "Unless you'd rather continue this pointless posturing?"

He didn't release her; still watching—evaluating, pressing into her with his thighs against hers, his calves half tangled with hers.

She was soft, he noted; hard as well. Her green eyes, once bright, were dull and cold; scars pervaded. Her hair, fresh from the shower, danced erratically around her face, sticking to her skin and in other directions. The length of it made her look angry and cut off from the world; it was like someone had hacked at it for no other reason than to be rid of it. And yet, in some perverse way, it suited her.

He saw her jaw flex, indicating some sense of impatience as the knock came to the door again. He made a soft noise and pulled back, releasing her.

She didn't pass him a glance as she stood and dropped the kunai on the night stand, half throwing it before she grabbed a wad of cash.

He watched her as she paid and took the order, shutting the door with only a word or two the delivery boy.

Sakura inspected the contents only slightly before setting it all on the table. She glanced up at him briefly, pausing to consider. The moment passed on and he was again holding her in his sight. She resisted the urge to sigh and grabbed his stuff and handed it to him.

"Here."

She got her own stuff, set it on the nightstand, and took a chair from the table. She took a seat right there and watched him as she ate. The fries were a little salty, she noted. And burger a bit overcooked. It was hot enough though.

"Why did you assist me?"

"I thought you didn't make deals anymore," she muttered between bites before taking a sip of her drink. When he didn't reply she looked at him again, brow raised. When he still didn't say anything she went on, "You're free to leave when you want. I'm not holding you here. Consider the food and room a freebie." She shrugged.

"You didn't know who I was when you interfered."

"No, I thought you might be the target I'm hunting," she said easily, popping another ketchup-laden fry in her mouth.

"Hunting…"

She smirked as she swallowed a bite of her burger. "When you're a missing nin that's what you do. Hunt and run from hunters." It was said as if it was obvious and he was some sort of simpleton for not getting it.

His eyes were narrowed and he looked to be seeing her for the first time. Well, it'd been a long time since she'd gotten that look. It was almost refreshing. "You're a bounty hunter?"

"Yep." She took another bite. "Benefits are shitty, but it pays well enough," she said with some level of sarcasm. The wrapper in her hand was crunched up into a ball. She tossed it across the room, never once looking even as it hit the trashcan and dropped in. She washed it down with more of her drink.

"Now, what in the hell are you doing in The Land of Trees?" She held no qualms about asking him anything. If he didn't answer it didn't matter too much to her in end. She meant what she said when she told him he could leave whenever he wanted.

Still, he surprised her when he said, "I'm following a lead."

"Hunting someone yourself?"

"In a way…"

"Hm," she muttered as he finished the last of his meal.

"What's your proposal?" Another surprise.

She was tempted to throw his words back at him again, but it didn't feel right. She only paused for a moment, eyeing him carefully, before speaking. "Your eyes are barely functioning and your internal system—for lack of a better layman's terminology—it a bleeding muck of shit. You've been taking pain killers to ward it off, but I'd estimate you have about six more months to live.

"You've probably been told this by a few other medics far less experienced than me." She finished off the last of her drink, breaking eye contact as the sound of it siphoning haphazardly up the straw echoed in the otherwise quiet room. "I can fix it; completely—for the most part," she explained as if they were discussing the weather.

"But you want something."

"Doesn't everyone?" she asked, meeting those black orbs once again. The empty cup made a tap-click sound as she set it back down.

He had a way of looking at people; she'd always known that. Sasuke did at times as well. It was as if he were looking right through you; peeling all those layers away right to the marrow. She wondered what he saw when he did that to her, but she didn't dwell on it.

"Money?" he asked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Should she be offended? Probably not. "I could always use more of that, but no. There are some things more powerful than money." She crossed her arms over her chest; then her legs, setting one ankle over a knee.

He waited for her to go on, still analyzing her carefully—she knew. "I need assistance finding a man known only as Rook. Locating him by myself has led to… complications."

"And why do you need my help with that?"

"Because I may have to go through several people to get to him. And none of them are nice, as you can imagine. I'm not stupid enough to think I can manage it on my own."

He pulled his gaze away from her for the first time that night and looked down. "Why do you need to find this man… Rook?"

She hesitated; he didn't need to know, but… "He's the architect responsible for the Root complex that goes 16 levels below Konoha. I need his blueprints."

"And why would you care anything about Root?"

She smirked. "I don't. What I do care about is retrieving Naruto from Konoha. With you…

"That might be possible."