15th Tomoe || Video, Action for Goldenrod City

[beforethedarkness]

[A tired and quite irritated Sasuke is the first thing that shows up on the gear, and in the background behind him is Obito, Tenten, and Evan. It's obvious that they're outside in Goldenrod City, and although Sasuke looks a little worse for wear he's much better than he was after the Valentine's Attack was done.

Even if he still has bandages over burns and puncture marks and his right arm is still in a cast.]

If I don't answer a message the first time, leaving twenty more isn't going to make me answer any faster. I just went through 174 messages on my gear.

[A heavy sigh, and he shakes his head.]

I was in Ilex forest trying to catch some pokémon. I wanted to do it alone. That's all there is to it.

[Shutting off the video, because irritation is at maximum. He's going to go make Whitney cry get the Plain Badge now, if only because he never wants to be made that weak and vulnerable ever again.]

Comments

[itsjustdust]

They're people I know and am willing to trust to an extent and lean on as needed. Tenten is a fellow shinobi who I would fight to the death to protect, but that doesn't make her my friend. If anything, she despises me, and that's fine.

[He shrugged, studying him closely.]

You're family, and you have my first loyalty though Sasuke. Even if you can't stand me, that doesn't really matter, I'll still be here, because that's important to me, and I've gotten attached to your prickly self.

[beforethedarkness]

...

[He looks ahead and away from Obito, taking another step towards the hotel before he speaks.]

I don't want to talk to you about that night. I'm going to kill him, and you can't change my mind.

[itsjustdust]

You'll do what you do, but I want you to be sure you're doing it with the right reasons behind you. I never said I'd stop you Sasuke, or convince you it's not something to do... but you shouldn't break yourself over something you're not understanding correctly either.

[beforethedarkness]

... The reasoning doesn't have to be right to anyone else. I'm doing it because I have to.

[He continues towards the hotel, intent on locking himself in his room for at least a little while.]

[itsjustdust]

[He kept pace with him, far from finished.]

No, it doesn't. Then what is your reason? Because from what you told me, your reason right now is 'because niisan told me to'.

[beforethedarkness]

I'm alive because I'm an avenger above all else.

[itsjustdust]

No, you're alive cause Itachi decided you should be. You being an avenger is just you doing what you're told. What is your reason for avenging? And don't say because he killed everyone because I won't believe you.

[beforethedarkness]

It doesn't matter why he killed everyone. He betrayed everyone - betrayed me. Killed everyone, leaving me with nothing...

[That's a shudder.]

Left me with my cowardice.

[Walking ahead determindly now.]

[itsjustdust]

Hold on! [He darted forward and looped arms with Sasuke.]

Where the hell does you being a coward come into anything? If anything, I've only see you be stupidly brave, which makes it hard to keep an eye on you by the way, makes you seem suicidal.

[beforethedarkness]

Someone who is brave wouldn't beg for their life, or get paralyzed with fear when they - and their team - is put in mortal danger. Someone who is brave wouldn't run.

Someone who is brave would act, despite their fear. And I'm not someone like that.

[His head was bowed low then, and he tried again to shove Obito's arm off of him.]

[itsjustdust]

[He tightened his grip, shaking his head.]

There's bravery and there's stupidity. There's also being sensitive. Believe it or not, I think you're just sensitive. You think you're the only one that's ever frozen up in battle? You're not. You're so far from that that it's not even funny.

Here, I'll give you a better example to think about. When did you get your sharingan? And how? What was going on?

[beforethedarkness]

I'm the only one of our generation who has.

[Even Sakura, Naruto, the other genin who graduated... They were all able to act, and even with revenge motivating him he wasn't able to.]

... We were fighting for our lives against a kiri nin... Someone who had ice kekkei genkai. We were no match for him at all.

[itsjustdust]

And you stepped up to defend, didn't you? You don't know what happened on teams where you weren't Sasuke. Are you telling me that neither of your teammates ever froze up? Not once? I think if you think about it harder you'll be able to think of something.

But, why I brought the eyes into it. I didn't get mine until the day before I died you know. It took some work to figure out why but... up until then, no matter the situations the war got me into, I always felt safe, like I didn't need to be the one doing the protecting in my team because we never got outclassed with Sensei right there.

Then, we were turned loose on our own, and I had to protect Kakashi. It's when I got them. Without that I don't think I ever would have, because you can't get strong the way our family does alone. It's just... no option at all.

[beforethedarkness]

[He was quiet, just listening to Obito before, once more, he tried to move away.]

[itsjustdust]

[He resisted, leaning in to study his face for a moment.]

I don't care what you do with everyone else Sasuke, you can drive them off if you feel you have to, but you're not gettin rid of me, understand? We're family and I will be with you, whether you need me or not.

[beforethedarkness]

[He's much more forceful when he pulls away again, shaking his head.]

The first time I wasn't thinking, and that was when I got Sharingan. After that... I wasn't brave at all.

[itsjustdust]

Then maybe you're just thinking too much and letting your motivations get in the way of your strengths.

[He did let go this time, but he didn't move away.]

[beforethedarkness]

[There's no strength for those thoughts to get in the way of, though...

But he doesn't say as much, instead moving to finally just lock himself in his room.]

[itsjustdust]

[He leaned on the door, voice pitched to carry through it.]

Weakness is a state of mind Sasuke. It only happens when someone has nothing to be strong for, and revenge is no motivation at all. Just... think about that. Okay?

[beforethedarkness]

[He was silent, not responding to Obito at all as he just sat there, alone with his memories.]

[itsjustdust]

[Well crap. That was the best he could do, for the moment, so he set about doing some other things instead.]