Sasuke leapt through the trees at an alarming speed, Team Taka desperately trying to stay at his heels. They flew threw the woods, branches snapping under their momentum. Someone was following them, that Sasuke knew for sure. He tried to not stay on a predetermined path and released eight clones of himself. The eight separated into two groups of four and three from each group transformed into the other three members of Team Taka. Sasuke looked at the two separate groups of Team Taka, but talking specifically to the Sasuke of each group. "Go in different directions." They all nodded before dispersing. Sasuke picked up his speed even more, the presence was drawing closer. Normally, Sasuke would fight off whoever was chasing them and kill it, but the large amounts of chakra rolling off of their chaser was enough to make Sasuke's balls curl into his stomach. He was a fighter and an avenger, sure, but you had to be alive to take part in those things.

"Sasuke-kun stop!" Karin yelled and the onyx haired teen halted on a thick branch, looking around himself warily as he marched over to Karin and grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt roughly. "Conceal your chakra. And don't ever yell again, or i'll kill you." He hissed and Karin nodded wordlessly, before slumping over and cupping her knees. Sasuke was ashamed of his group's slowness, but even he couldn't help but pant softly.

They were currently in the Village of Rice Patties, after hearing rumors of a pair of men wearing black cloaks with red clouds making their way through. The rumor also mentioned one of the men was gigantic and blue, with features resembling a shark. Sasuke knew for a fact that the man in the rumors was Kisame Hoshigaki and could only surmise that the other member had been his partner, Itachi Uchiha.

They were on their way out of the village after scouring it for a week, and not learning much. While making their way through the dense forestry on the outskirts of the Village of Rice Patties, a chakra so large and deadly had enveloped the whole vicinity of the forest. It could've rivaled that of a jinchuuriki. But the most frightening part was the malice that seemed to waft from the dark chakra. Sasuke had high-tailed it out of their like his ass was on fire, barely remembering to remind his teammates to do the same. But the chakra hadn't let up, and they had been running for the last few hours.

Karin panted behind him and called his attention. "Sasuke-kun... I'm not sensing anyone behind us anymore…Do you think we could take a break?" Suigetsu breathed roughly from his nose as he slouched on a tree branch. "I've gotta agree with four eyes. I'm in desperate need of some water." Karin glared at the shark like boy and pushed up her rimmed glasses self-consciously. "Who are you calling four-eyes, you prick?" She raged at him and the boy poked her shoulder roughly with his finger. "You, four-eyes."

The two started to bicker noisily between themselves and Sasuke turned to Juugo with a grunt of annoyance. "And what about you, Juugo? Do you need to rest as well?" Juugo thought this question over before answering. "A rest wouldn't hurt, but I am fine to continue." Sasuke nodded then looked ahead. Even he could no longer sense that chakra, but he was still wary to stay in the same place for long.

"Then we will continue." He murmured and Suigetsu groaned in protest. "Can I at least stop and refill my water bottle, Your Majesty?" Sasuke's eyes slid over to the shark boy and Suigetsu started to sweat. "Dont anger Sasuke-kun you idiot!" Karin cried out, whacking the white haired boy over the head. "You stupid bitch!" Suigetsu cradled his head with one hand while the other reached for his mammoth of a sword, prepared to cut the redheads life short.

"Ne, Sasuke, you really don't have a very good hold on your team."

Karin gasped at the new presence and Sasuke spun his head in the voices direction, sharingan spinning quickly. "Obito!" He seethed, "Why are you following us?" Obito lept down from a branch and quickly grabbed Sasuke from behind. Sasuke grit his teeth and was prepared to start the hand seals for Chidori when a time whole appeared and started to suck the both of them into it.

"Kamui!"

Karin cried out to him, Suigetsu and Juugo starting to charge at their disappearing forms. But it was no use. Sasuke saw the rest of Team Taka become warped before they were gone completely. A blow to the back of his head had him keeling over and he saw no more.

When Sasuke awoke, he was strapped to a board of wood, arms and feet restrained with cuffs sealed with chakra drainers. He pulled at the chains and cursed to all bloody fuck. Though he was weakening as his chakra was sussed out of him, bolts of lightening buzzing off of his pale skin. He couldn't remember a recent time in his life where he had felt so angry at another or himself.

Was he becoming soft? How could he let Obito catch him like that? Why was he even after him in the first place? And if he was this easy to capture, how could he ever hope to kill Itachi?

"Nice to see you've finally come to, Sasuke." Obito emerged from a shadowed out corner of the tiled room. Sasuke sucked in a breath behind clenched teeth and pulled harder at his restraints. He was about to cuss out the older man, when that horrible chakra flooded the room. Sweat beaded the teens brow and even Obito seemed to stand a little straighter at the new presence.

Who could be wielding such powerful chakra?

"Is the boy here?" A voice boomed from around the room. Sasuke took a moment to notice his surroundings. He realized that he knew this place all too well; they were in one of the experimental rooms of Orochimaru's old hideout. What was going on? He had killed the snake sannin, and this place had been abandoned for quite some time. The walls were brown and tiled, as were the floors, and excluding the large wooden operating table, the room was barren, save for a rolly cart stacked with medical equipment and colored fluids.

"Yes, Itsuki-sama."

Sasuke was nervous. He had never heard of someone named Itsuki before, but he guessed that they were the one with the suffocating presence. He was waiting with baited breath for the identity of this 'Itsuki' to be revealed.

Just then, a small, plump old woman arose from the shadows as well. She could be no taller than 5 feet and had a large curved cane that helped her walk further into the room. Wrinkles littered her face and white hair was pulled into a tight bun the size of her head. She was draped in earthy colored shawls, wraps, and scarves. Sasuke stared in disbelief at this granny.

She was the one with the incredible chakra? It was her though, the dark chakra wafted off of her like fresh baked bread and had the air itself turning dark and murky. Sasuke watched her like a hawk and the women smiled at him angrily, lifting her cane and hitting him in the shin with it. "That is for making me chase you around the forest! I'm not the spry lass I was!" Sasuke cried out at the attack and raged against his chains, pulling until the chords in his neck stood out, and snapping his jaws at her.

"My, my." Itsuki sighed, a hand pressed to a withered cheek,"Boys today, so lively. Don't you agree, Obito-kun?" She craned her neck to look at the tall man before growing frustrated at the height difference. "Stop growing!" Itsuki barked and whacked him in the backs of his knees, forcing him to the ground. 'The gall of this lady." Sasuke wondered incredulously. Sasuke could sense that the man held a wealth of respect for that bag of bones to not fight her back.

"I can't really stop Itsuki-sama-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She waved a hand flippantly, shushing him. "Bring me my book of spells, Obito-kun. And maybe a snack, I have tired from our run." She glared at Sasuke as if accusing him and he glared right back. "Of course, Itsuki-sama." Obito left and it was just Sasuke and this ancient woman. "So, Sasuke Uchiha, is it? You know, I've had a tryst or two with an Uchiha in my day; such dreamy men that clan produces." Itsuki sighed wistfully, her face turning red. Sasuke gaped at her.

"What am I doing here?" The onyx haired teen growled and Itsuki shaked her cane ominously, "Take that kind of tone with me again boy, and I will see to it that your bottom stays red for the rest of your days!"

Was she threatening to spank him?

"Listen, I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but if you come anywhere near me with that cane, I swear i'll-"

"You'll what Sasuke? Far as I can see, you can't do jack." The woman sneered and had the balls to laugh. At him.

"Your on my list, lady. I will kill you when I get out of here. I swear that on the honor of my clan you-"

"I'd like to see you try you brat! Your-"

" interrupting, senile, hag-"

"-A disgrace to the Uchiha's before you! I can't believe you're one of the sole survivors. What a disappointment."

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" The flames died on Sasuke's tongue as the chakra was drained out of him quickly. The more energy he put into resisting, the more the chakra was pulled from him by the straps. If he exerted himself too much, he could end up dying. Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut and roared, pulling and flailing. "What do you want from me, you crazy bitch?! You and Obito can just go rot in hell! ROT!" He screamed, tugging until he leaned away from the board at an obtuse angle. His arms and stomach were trembling as he continued to lean forward.

Suddenly, dark inky chakra lept from Itsuki's back and wrapped around Sasuke, pushing him flat against the stand up wood and securing him there further. His neck and below were encased in black chakra and he couldn't move a muscle. His body felt numb and it pulsed sporadically.

"This isn't about what I want, Brat. This is about whatever Obito-kun has cooking. I'm just here to help." Itsuki dragged a chair in from the hall and smoothed out the front of her shawls. "If you've never heard of me, then you wouldn't know that im a spell expert."

"Spells? Like Genjutsu?" Sasuke couldn't help but feel curious. That woman was insane, but her chakra was powerful enough to strike fear into his own heart. She was worth listening to. "Sort of." Itsuki nodded, "Spells can enhance one's own self and others by using magical charms or incantations. I can make people stronger or weaker. I can cast spells that alter their reality, drive them mad, make them fall in love, and even cause death. Casting magic is a forbidden art, so few know of its power, but spells are incredibly dangerous. They cannot be broken by anyone except the caster, or in some cases the spells will disappear after the victim realizes a wrongdoing."

"I don't understand. Realizing a wrongdoing can end a spell?" Sasuke's browed furrowed and Itsuki waved her arm in the air side to side, creating an arch of purple, shimmering chakra. It was so different from the black chakra that surrounded him which squirmed and writhed over his body like it was alive, while the purple arch just hung in the air, glittering. Sasuke didn't know you could use chakra like this.

"Most spell-casters are naturally vengeful spirits. It helps fuel the power of their incantations. So when you wrong a caster, say, by calling them an old hag," She glared at Sasuke, "you can invoke their wrath, and they can turn you into an old man. Until you realize that being old is hard, and make amends with the caster, you will be stuck that way. The only other way to end a spell is if the caster dies."

Sasuke absorbed all this information greedily, looking at Itsuki with a newfound respect. "So...like witches?"

"Yes." She nodded, "Like witches." Itsuki seemed pleased at Sasuke's awe and Obito entered the room, a large leather-bound book and a tray of sandwiches and chips in his hands. Itsuki devoured the tray of food and offered a few chips to Sasuke, which he refused.

"Sasuke, you have refused to help me in my endeavor to capture all the bijuu, and i've come to accept that, but I know deep down, you want to watch the world burn as much as I do. I hired Itsuki-sama, to unlock your most deepest desires. I want you to unleash your hatred on this world, to cause utter pandemonium. You are incredibly powerful, and with your strength, I know you and I could rule the world."

"So you're planning on casting a spell on me? To turn me into a cold-blooded killer? Sorry, but I think you're a little too late." Sasuke snorted through his nose, but panic was starting to rise in his chest. Itsuki thumbed through the large book, eyes squinted in concentration as she gave an airy reply, "It's not to turn you into a killer, per se, but to unlock your deepest, most darkest desires. The ones that are so buried into your subconscious, they would sound ludicrous if approached with them in the outside world, if that makes sense."

"Nothing you say makes sense, you old hag!" Sasuke bellowed at the small woman and she brought her cane fiercely done onto his stomach. Sasuke could taste blood in his mouth and he grunted and twisted as his midsection burned with pain. "Brat!" Itsuki spat, finally finding the page with the correct incantation.

"dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis!"

This chant was repeated until Sasuke started to glow and his heart throbbed in his chest. He had never felt this way before It felt like doors in his mind were being blown wide open. Memories and dreams flooded his vision in a blinding light and he screamed. Painful memories of riding on Itachi's shoulders, and tasting Mother's pasta while Father watched from the dining table reading a newspaper had Sasuke crying, his eyes hollow and glowing yellow.

"dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis!"

Itachi tapped his forehead, called him foolish, and he pouted but smiled when his big brother turned his back.

Sasuke, seeing his parents dead bodies on the ground of their family home, Itachi ordering him to get stronger.

Losing his sense of self and becoming emotionless.

Shutting out the part of him that still cried out for his Mother, his Father...even his older brother.

Passing the genin exams only to come home to an empty home covered in spider webs. He couldn't bear to be in that house for long, and he always slept in his parents bed, the covers drawn tight. Their smell faded from the sheets years before but he still clung to them desperately.

He kept his parents room and Itachi's room spotless. He never used the kitchen and ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at an Onigiri stand two blocks from the Uchiha compound. The old man who owned the stand their naming an onigiri with seaweed, cucumber, and tomato slices the 'Sasuke Special'.

Naruto, kissing Sasuke in front of the whole class, both of them gagging. Watching smugly as Naruto got beat up for stealing his first kiss by the other girls in the class

Sasuke, getting put onto a team with teammates beneath him. Naruto and Sakura.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain somebody."

Trying to catch bells, losing to Kakashi, offering Naruto his bento with a frown, and watching angrily as he ate Sakura's instead.

Fighting with the blonde boy until he screamed his throat raw; until he felt something other than feeling dead inside.

Going on missions, chasing cats, protecting the bridge builder, dying for Naruto, watching as Naruto caught up to him, surpassed him, in strength. Trying to figure out what was underneath Kakashi-sensei's mask.

Joy.

Love for his comrades.

Training for the Chuunin Exams, The Forest of Death, getting bit by Orochimaru, protecting Sakura, fighting Gaara.

Fighting Naruto at the Hospital.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

Defecting from the village, Naruto chasing him, fighting with Naruto at The Valley of End.

"I won't let Orochimaru have you! I will stop you even if I have to break every bone in your body!"

"Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to lose all that?!"

"When I'm with Iruka-sensei, I think if that's what having a father is like... When I'm with you, I think if that's what having a brother is like."

No, Naruto. I never want to be a brother to you. Never.

"Sasukeeeeeeeee!"

"Narutooooooooo!"

Thrusting a Chidori through his best friend's chest. Rain falling over head. Falling to his knees, his head mere inches from Naruto's, wondering if he was still breathing. His headband slipping off his head.

Two and a half years of training with Orochimaru, dark lonely nights, missing his parents bed, missing the onigiri shop two blocks from his house. Missing his team; missing Naruto.

"dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis, dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis!"

Sasuke's darkest desires pushed their way into the center of his vision and he screamed, tossing his head back and gritting his teeth. The desires were so fierce and strong that they blinded him and more tears rolled down his face. He shook his head no, but they would not cease in their glaring plainness. Then, with one more call of Itsuki's chant, and one more desperate cry of ignorance, Sasuke was fully under the charm. His head slumped forward, eyes hidden by long bangs.

"Sasuke?" Obito questioned warily. The mentioned teen raised his head and grinned manically. "I know what I need to do." He murmured and Obito smiled behind his mask. Itsuki's chakra retreated off of Sasuke and back into her and Obito undid the teens chains. Sasuke stood up straight and rolled his shoulders, before Body Flickering away.

"Wha-?!" Itsuki started but Obito hushed her with a palm. "Let him go." He said, amused. "I will let him free so he can cause chaos."

Itsuki hit Obito over the head with her mighty cane. "If you ever shush me again, I will end you!" Obito held his head in his hands and groaned as this time she hit him in the back, forcing him to the ground. She took a seat on his back and pondered what she had just done. Had she just unleashed destruction onto the Five Great Shinobi Nations? Was it worth the large sum Obito had provided her? She would just have to see...

"Itsuki-sama-"

"Shut up! I'm brooding." She slapped the back of his head and he quieted down his protests of her sitting on his back. She closed her eyes sadly as she thought of the Uchiha boy and the glimpse she had seen into his mind. She was witness to the memories he had viewed, but was not privy to what his secrets were. If she headed out now, she could probably catch up to the troubled boy. She had to make this right.

'Forgive me, Edgar…'

Authors Note:

This is my first time posting a NaruSasu fan-fiction onto my page, even though I have a thousand of them on my Google Drive. I have been on Hiatus for a long time but I'm ready to start picking up 'It's Complicated' and 'It All Started With a Look' again. I know, I know, how smart of me to start another multi-chapter fic while working on the other two. Real genius over here.

But I had to pay tribute to my all time OTP, so here it is. I'm estimating this fic will be around ten chapters, but I'm unsure, characters tend to take on a mind of their own. Naruto and Sasuke could decide to be finished with me before ten chapters or drag me through more days of sleepless nights and cramped hands.

I want to apologize if the writing is a little choppy, or if the story is confusing, but I was kind of rushing. I'm most excited to write about the change in Sasuke's personality, and his interactions with Naruto, so the other parts are less enthusiastically written. I would say the timeline is after the time-skip and before The Fourth Great Ninja War, but after Team Taka has been assembled for a bit. As for Itsuki-sama, she will be a main character in this fic, because after just recently restarting Naruto: Shippuden, I cant get enough of bad-ass Granny Chiyo, so I wanted to create my own sassy elder. Thanks for your patience with me! and...

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

Your reviews give me life, people.

'dimittam vobis summa imis desideriis' means 'Release your deepest darkest desires' in Latin.