Naruto: Katsumi

" I caved in frustration, knowing that I might regret it later.

Normally when I said yes, his face would light up from joy. But instead, his face soften from his previous look as he deactivated his Sharingan.

That was enough to tell me that he liked my answer very much and he no longer had to persuade me.

"Thank you, sis…" He breathed gently as the weight on his shoulders were released from him.

"But I'm warning you, if that disgusting snake ever were to touch me in any way that makes me feel uncomfortable or if he backstabs us, don't try and stop me from leaving the second I get that chance…" I warned him seriously because I was literally turning my back on my home and friends.

Unexpectedly, Sasuke pulled me in for a hug. That came out of nowhere considering the situation I just faced.

"I swear… nothing will happen to you… I'll make sure of that…" He muttered softly in my ear as he tightened his grip on me.

I had no choice but to hug him because I had to be honest, I loved his hugs since we were kids. I don't know why but he made me feel comfortable in his arms.

"Just let me go and pack up my things, okay?" I said softly, feeling like I wasn't thinking straight.

"Yeah, sure. Do you need a hand?" He offered curiously, acting all nice all of a sudden.

"No, I can manage…" I answered as I waved my hand dismissively.

I walked towards the door to exit out his room, until his voice stopped me from leaving his room. "Are you sure you're okay with this? Y-You know making you do something that's uncomfortable for you is the last thing I want…"

He might have said that, but the look on his face said the complete opposite.

"Why wouldn't I be? It doesn't matter if I feel right about this plan… your safety is my top priority…" I shrugged nonchalantly as I glanced over my shoulder.

After that, Sasuke gave me a nod that told me I could leave to get ready. I slid over to my room as I let myself get lost to my own thoughts.

A lot was riding on this leave but the one thing still bugged me; something that made me feel sick to my stomach.

'What will everyone think about me abandoning them… my friends? I hope they'll understand that I feel twice as bad for doing this. ' I thought deeply, fighting off tears building up in my eyes.

It wasn't long until I packed all of the necessities I needed for this long-term trip. I noticed my long mirror hanging across the room.

I blindly walked over to it and gazed at my reflection. I could see a tears desperately wanting to fall down my cheek, and I had no choice but to allow.

Then, my mind decided to bring an image of Squad 7 happily smiling without a care in the world; even Sasuke himself allowed a small grin to creep on his face.

'I'm sorry, Sakura… Kakashi-sensei… Naruto…'

I was in the medical lab, preparing the kit for Sasuke. In all honesty, I thought I would never be able to find the lab if it wasn't for Kabuto.

Not intentionally though. Kabuto seriously should draw out a map of the lair for me someday because I was getting sick and tired of my heart skipping a beat when I had to choose which direction I should go.

I have no clue why Orochimaru thought it was remotely wise to build lairs that had long dark tunnels when he already had a couple of other lairs in different locations that were far away from each other. I got it, he was the top ninja in the bingo books but seriously, how many steps ahead does he have to be from his enemies? I wouldn't predict when, but the day would come when a group of shinobi sneaked into his lair and tear it down from the inside.

Orochimaru may be a genius, but that doesn't make his enemies stupid at all.

I placed the finishing touches on the kit, making sure it had absolutely everything Sasuke needed for this mission, just in case he got injured. It wasn't like I don't trust his judgement, I believe it was better to be safe than sorry.

Once I was satisfied with the kit, I carefully picked it up and marched towards the door. Like I mentioned before, I was horrible making my way through the hallways.

But for some reason, I knew exactly where the entrance/exit was. How ironic.

I figured that Sasuke knew I was preparing a medic kit for him, so he was probably waiting for me at the door. It was actually kind of weird, actually seeing him.

It might sound sad, but I hadn't seen Sasuke since last week and it was only because I was lost in the hallways trying to find the bathroom and I bumped into him. He figured I was in need of a restroom at this sort of time— he knew me so well it was freaky.

I know I don't really see him that much because he ate, slept, and breathed training on his spare time. I sometimes wished he would make time for me because it looked like he cared more about getting stronger than me.

But that was the way he was; he would act like one thing was more important than the other, when really it was the exact opposite.

Don't get me wrong about training, I too believe training was very important. But the thing was, there wasn't really anything that needed training for me.

I did obtain new tips and techniques on medical ninjutsu from Kabuto— which was surprising since I thought I knew everything about medical ninjutsu. I was stunned myself that I even allowed four eyes to teach me a thing or two on my favourite ninja subject.

However in the first year of living in the hideout, Orochimaru trained both Sasuke and I how to fully control our powerful curse marks. Sasuke had the Heaven Curse Mark while I had the Earth Curse Mark.