Chương 12: Chapter 12
There was a very long, silent pause. A small trembling began to tingle in Sakura's fingers, and then her arms started to shake. Her eyes started to brim with tears, "Is there nothing you can do to heal him?"
Tsunade shook her head slowly from side to side in an apologetic and melancholy manner, "Nothing with my healing abilities. I wish I could help him, but there is nothing more I can do for him."
"How bad is it?"
"The eyes themselves will heal perfectly, however the sight may never return to them," was her mentor's grim response.
"May never return," Sakura echoed faintly, "What are his chances?"
"We're talking less than four percent," Tsunade replied, "And the odds of him using the Sharingan ever again are even less."
Sakura fell silent, staring at her hands lying in her lap. What had happened to Sasuke? Who had done this to him? How could someone as who was as skilled as he was become blinded? Sadness washed over her as she sympathized with him, so much that it hurt her to think of the suffering he must have gone through, the frustration of losing his vision.
"Lastly there is the matter of him being an S-rank wanted criminal, Sakura," Tsunade continued, "No matter how much you care for him, he is a traitor to Konoha and must atone for his crimes."
Sakura looked up sharply, "Tsunade-sama, must he be punished? Isn't losing his sight—and the Sharingan with it—punishment enough?"
Tsunade put her fingertips together again and closed her eyes, "There is something I can do. If I sent him to our prison, he would most likely be picked off and killed because of his disadvantage. But if he is co-operative in the interrogation, I may be able to lighten his sentence—and depending on how helpful he is, I might be able to be rid of it completely."
"That's good," Sakura smiled a little to herself.
"Sasuke also needs adjust to his current state," Tsunade said, turning and looking out the window, "in the event that he refuses to co-operate and needs to work off his punishment."
"Meaning?" Sakura asked, frowning slightly.
"We're talking rehabilitation," Tsunade replied, "I am going to great lengths to help Sasuke so that perhaps we can be rid of Orochimaru for good—perhaps I am dedicating to much time to helping him, but I think that it is the best course of action to take. However, it will be difficult for me to find a medical ninja who will come off work to help him. There is no way to deal with this simply."
"Is there any particular reason why you are brining these things to my attention?" Sakura asked wearily, wanting to go see Sasuke.
"Yes. There are two reasons: one, I want you to understand the situation fully so you do not pull a Naruto and come bursting into my office, slamming your fists down on my desk, and demanding why Sasuke is being treated as he is," Tsunade explained, looking over at her pupil passively, "Two, I want you to be the one to interrogate him."
Sakura looked at her teacher in an aghast manner, "What?! Why me?"
"Don't worry—the interrogation will be torture-free, he has suffered enough torture already," Tsunade replied, waving her hand dismissively before Sakura could continue to freak out, "What I was hoping, was a state of mental interrogation—in which you will find out what happened to him, afterwards he will be submitted to further questioning by someone else. But at the moment, you know Sasuke better than anyone in this village, and while you haven't seen him in a long time, there may be aspects, goals and priorities that haven't changed over time. You can use those against him. Also, he may not realize where he is still—if he knows, confirm his suspicions. If he doesn't know, then you will be the best one to cover it up."
"I don't understand, Sasuke knows me," Sakura replied, "Won't he realize who's talking to him?"
"No, he shouldn't," Tsunade replied, "He has heard me and Shizune before, and will most likely recognize us, however you haven't spoken with him in years. Your voice is no longer that of an adolescent, but that of a young woman. Just do your best, but in the even that you can't get any cooperation out of him, I will have Morino Ibiki, or some ANBU take over."
Sakura closed her eyes. She did not like the idea of having to fool Sasuke, but she also clearly remembered the nerve-wracking chuunin exam that Morino Ibiki had put the genin through—she had to survive it twice since she had taken the exam a second time—and was even less comfortable in letting him interrogate Sasuke. And she had no idea how the ANBU would treat him. Unless she accepted Tsunade's request, she would probably also be forbidden to see Sasuke until he had been through all the interrogation procedures.
"I will do it," she resigned with a profound sigh.
"That's a good girl," Tsunade praised absently, taking a sip of her sake, which had been forgotten for the last little bit.
"But—"
Tsunade looked up with curiosity, and lowered the sake from her lips, "But…?"
"I want to be the one who rehabilitates Sasuke-kun."
There was a drawn out silence and Sakura stared at her teacher with fierce determination, letting her know that she would not hear otherwise. The silence was broken by the Hokage's heavy sigh.
"It will not be easy."
"I realize that," Sakura replied, crossing her arms defiantly, "And I. Don't. Care."
Tsunade closed her eyes before replying in a resigning tone. "Very well then," she rubbed her temples slowly, "But he is a criminal and traitor, I will not have you calling him by the suffix '-kun', understood?"
Sakura set her jaw, "Take me to see Sasuke now."
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