Notes: Attempting to write characters who are both extremely observant and clever only serves to highlight the fact that I am neither. This has been extended to a tentative ten chapters. I hope you enjoy.

Lyrics: "Under The Sheets" by Ellie Goulding.

You left a blood stain on the floor
You set your sights on him

"Sa-su-ke," she scarcely breathes and (IloveyouImissyoupleasecomehomewhydidyouleaveme) - stops. The mere sight of him is like a physical ache or a punch to the gut. She has come a long, long way from the frightened little girl who was always lagging behind her teammates, from the fair maiden who harbored an unrequited love and was too foolish to realize. She's strong now, dammit, stronger than she used to be and certainly stronger than this.

She feels more than sees Naruto tense up beside her, and she uses his presence to ground herself. (it'sapromiseofalifetime) She's a kunoichi, and she's on a mission. Ninja are expected to suppress their emotions - not all of the time, but she has an inkling this is the sort of situation wherein said rule is mandatory.

(Once, Sakura was forced to stay behind because she was 'too emotional', made to sit on her heels and wait because she 'couldn't handle it.' Never again. She's had far too many 'what ifs' in her life, and she's not about to add to them.)

She takes a deep breath, exhales. Carefully un-clenches her fists, but doesn't let her guard down. Whatever Sasuke might be to them, there are still unknown shinobi on the field, and she suspects her old teammate hasn't become any more willing to return home. She casts a critical on him, so different from her last memories of him and yet similar.

His forehead is unprotected, the discarded hitai-ate left behind and gingerly cared for by Naruto. He's wearing a typical high-collared shirt, dark navy blue with sleeves falling around the elbow, and she'd glimpsed an Uchiwa on its back. Black, fingerless gloves cover his hands and disappear into his sleeves, and his pants balloon around his thighs and are taped at the ankles. A katana rests on his back.

To her trained eyes, he seems completely healthy. She withholds a sigh of relief. Whatever Orochimaru has done to him isn't visible at the very least. Mentally, however... She searches his face for some flicker of emotion, some sign that he's theirs, that he hasn't regressed completely. She finds nothing and tries to console herself with the fact that Sasuke had always been good at putting on a poker face.

"Oh," the Kabuto impostor says, glancing at Sasuke and then her and Naruto meaningfully. "Are these the teammates you abandoned, Sasuke?"

She tries not to flinch and instead allows a thought to sink in: Sasuke had talked about them at some point. Whether it had been a throwaway comment or something more significant, she doesn't know, but it sparks a small bit of hope in her anyway.

"Hn," Sasuke affirms with no outward reaction.

The only female scoffs, staring down at her, specifically, "They don't look like much. I can see why you did."

The guy with the scarf, whom Sakura assumes is the leader, sends the kunoichi a censuring look, and she rolls her eyes. Sakura tucks that away for later.

"I assume Kakashi is with you," Sasuke says, nonchalantly, as if the answer means little to him, and maybe it does.

Yamato-sensei steps forward then and says, "Sorry, I'm not Kakashi-san. I'm here in his place, and the new Team Kakashi is taking you back to Konoha."

He sounds certain enough, but Sakura knows he's also a little wary of 'Team Taka.' They'd expected Sasori's spy and had hoped he would lead them to Sasuke. They'd never planned for the man to be taken out - much less Orochimaru - or for Sasuke to have apparently switched sides again. The possibility of Orochimaru taking over his body is nonexistent now, however, and even despite any other uncertainties, she's pleased that outcome has been neatly diverted.

"Team Kakashi...?" Sasuke repeats, thoughtfully. His heavy gaze moves over to Sai. "So you're my replacement? Another loser joins the ranks."

Sakura doesn't know what to make of this statement, other than the fact that Sasuke had given some thought to their team and the gaping hole he'd left behind. 'Replacement' implies he acknowledges he'd had a place with them, after all.

The Kabuto impostor snorts and says, slinging an arm over Sasuke's shoulder, "Seems they're still clinging onto those bonds you said you broke. Maybe you should make it a bit clearer?" His teeth widen into a shark-like grin. "Or permanent?"

Sasuke explains dispassionately, "The only 'bond' I still have is a bond of hatred with my brother. Other bonds merely confuse you and distract you from your greatest desires and the emotions that matter."

This seems to strike a chord with Naruto, and the casual interaction between Sasuke and the impostor probably doesn't help. She fights down the irritation it causes in her own heart.

"Then why..? If that's so, then why?" Naruto demands, voice growing into a yell. "Why didn't you kill me then?! Isn't that your way of breaking bonds?! Sasuke!"

Sasuke answers him coolly, "The reason is simple. It's not that I didn't break those bonds. I didn't want to give him the pleasure of seeing me obtain power by following his ways. I merely spared your life on a whim."

Naruto goes strangely still, but she knows that the anger is still simmering beneath the surface. She wants badly to comfort him somehow, and she desperately wants to scream at Sasuke, plead with him, shake him, make him show something other than that bland look of disinterest he's had the entire time. She does none of this, keeps herself calm, all too aware of the others around them. She doesn't have the tunnel vision Naruto has developed in regards to Sasuke.

Heedless of their inner turmoil, Sasuke goes on, "Come to think of it, isn't your dream to become Hokage? If you have the time to come chasing after me, you should be training. Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Can someone who can't even save one of his friends become Hokage? What do you think, Sasuke?" Naruto says, quietly.

I've seen you in a fight you lost,
I've seen you in a fight

Sasuke very carefully conceals a flinch. His attempt to redirect Naruto's goal of finding him into something more productive had failed spectacularly. Kei shifts, almost imperceptibly, but Sasuke notices and takes the gesture of comfort for what it is. Shinobi don't fidget.

The man with the Wood Release - Kei had known him as 'Yamato' but had admitted it was likely an alias - speaks then, blithely ignoring the intimate silence that had followed their exchange, "You mentioned a hit list. Would Uchiha Itachi happen to be one of your targets?"

Suigetsu whistles appreciatively. "We got a quick one here, guys."

Sakura picks up on the connotation and says, glancing between the members of Team Taka, "That's why you betrayed Orochimaru, then, Sasuke?"

"Hn," Sasuke allows. It is one of the few pieces of information they'd planned to offer up ahead of time, even if it's utterly untrue.

Naruto had been in quiet contemplation, but that admission gets a reaction out of him. He glares at Sasuke and demands, "We're after him, too! Just come back to the village, Sasuke!"

He doesn't answer the plea, but Yamato fills in the gaps easily, "Naruto's methods leave much to be desired, but he has a point. Konoha is after Uchiha Itachi, as well, and if Team Taka's other targets align with ours, we'd be willing to offer an alliance."

Sasuke resists the urge to scoff. He trusts Naruto's stubbornness and his weird ability to make people like and listen to him, and he believes, to some extent, that Naruto could convince the Hokage to let him (and only him) back into the village with minimal resistance. Tsunade is the least of his concerns, however. Danzo is still a problem, after all, and he can accomplish much more - keep them safer - outside of the village than within it. Of that much, he is certain.

Kei answers this time, "I'm not particularly interested in your village. Don't get in my way, and we won't have any problems."

It's another scripted response, of course. Kei had decided it'd be easier for Sasuke to make amends with Team 7 - which is the best and least likely scenario - were they neutral towards Konoha rather than outright enemies. It doesn't protect them from anything, not really, but it's still a better stance in the long run.

"Very well," Yamato concedes, apparently knowing it was unlikely they'd agree. "If I may, what are your thoughts on red dawn?"

Ah, he had wondered if they'd bring it up. 'Red Dawn' might be as subtle as one could get without mentioning the tailed beasts or S-Rank missing-nin. It's still pretty blatant, though.

"It's supposed to be a powerful omen, a precursor to battle," Kei drawls, his voice ever so slightly off from its normal register. He quirks an eyebrow at Yamato. "But that's not what you're asking, is it?" Before the man can answer, Kei reveals flippantly, "Akatsuki will fall by my hand."

Sakura gasps in surprise, and Naruto's eyes widen. 'Sai' - another alias and his apparent replacement - manages to contain his own reaction, and Yamato merely looks as if his suspicions have been confirmed.

Team Taka's reactions are a bit different. Karin smiles smugly, likely at catching them off-guard. She'd despised Sasuke's ex-teammates since she'd first learned of them (out of jealousy, he suspects but has never said), and she'd regarded Sakura in particular with more venom than any of the others. He is smart enough not to ask. Jugo remains as stoic as always, and Suigetsu's smirk stretches, revealing more ridiculously sharp teeth.

"Are you aware of their true goal, then?" Yamato asks, prodding, as if he does, and they should prove that they're the ones who have the upper hand by sharing that information. He's good, Sasuke will give him that. If he wasn't already certain Konoha doesn't know about the Jūbi or Madara, he might have been inclined to do so. Mockingly, of course, but he'd still have been playing into their hands.

As it is, Kei and, by extension, Team Taka have access to more information than any of the villages could ever hope to get their hands on.

Kei quirks his eyebrow, again, but otherwise shows no emotion. "We are," he says simply. He then announces abruptly, "We're leaving."

Sasuke withholds a sigh of relief, this whole charade taking its toll on him. Instead, he drinks in the sight of Naruto and Sakura (shocked, worried, hurt, alive) one last time and then turns his back on them - a parody of their last meeting. He spots Suigetsu giving them a jaunty wave and Karin, a final glare. Jugo steps in beside him.

"Wait!" Naruto shouts hurriedly, and Sasuke- hesitates. "Sasuke, you bastard! You're just gonna leave?! Just like that?!"

(Distantly, he hears that same voice, higher, determined, "You're the first real bond I've ever had, so I'm going to stop you!"

And another, hers, begging, "I love you, Sasuke! Please take me with you!"

Kakashi's, serious, solemn, "Ninja who abandon their friends are worse than scum.")

Yamato chides, quietly, "Let them go, Naruto. This exceeds our mission parameters. We have to report to the Hokage."

"But Yamato-sensei!" Naruto growls. Sakura murmurs his name. He feels the others looking at him expectantly.

Sasuke shakes off the guilt and says, "Let's go."

They use shunshin to get a fair bit of distance away and then slow down to a quick, efficient pace in the trees when no one follows them. He ignores Karin and Suigetsu's inevitable argument, even when it involves his ex-teammates. Kei moves to match his pace in the lead and somehow manages to ruffle his hair before Sasuke can intercept his hand, all without missing a step.

"That went better than expected," Kei remarks casually.

Sasuke eyes him warily. "Hn."

Kei lowers his scarf and smirks at him. "Good job not breaking character, Sasuke-chan."

"Shut up," is his intelligent response. "Think they bought it?" he ventures.

Kei sobers. "Whatever they think of you, they'll have to look into everything we said anyway. No doubt he'll stick his nose into it, but I'm not worried."

Translation: Danzo will probably try something, but Team Taka can handle it. He tries not to be too pleased at the inherent praise.

They very carefully don't talk about Team 7, even when they reach their temporary base.

We're in a mess baby,
We're in a mess

End Notes: I realize there's no action here, but that's kind of par for the course in Naruto. There are tons of staring contests and silences in between dialogue, and maybe someone interrupts it with a fight. Some dialogue was taken from episode 51 of Shippuden, which contains all of those things. Also, they were outnumbered, their mission involving Sasuke had been more 'if the opportunity presents itself', and they did need to report all of this to the Hokage, preferably asap.

Let me know what you think! I'll just be over here, nervously awaiting your responses as always. (Before anyone asks, I didn't forget about Sai!)