Darkness.
It had been her world for days now—maybe weeks.
Time didn’t flow normally down here, in the pit beneath the Hokage Tower.
The only light she knew came from the sound of footsteps and the occasional clang of metal trays.
Her vision was sealed under thick visors, blinding both her Rinnegan and Sharingan.
She wasn’t sure if the seals over her hands were tight enough to cut circulation or if she was just numb by now.
She didn’t ask to use the bathroom, though she needed to.
Uchiha pride was a cruel master—too proud to beg, too proud to speak.
The guards outside were polite, silent.
Not perverts, no.
But men nonetheless.
That alone was enough to keep her silent.
Then came the hiss of a sliding door and the sharp scent of clean fabric.
Two pairs of footsteps echoed in the silence.
One familiar, dragging ever so slightly on the left.
The other—softer, lighter, but burdened.
“Good evening, Sasuke,” came Kakashi’s voice, smooth and casual like they were meeting for tea.
“Hope you’re enjoying your stay.”
She smirked faintly, even though her lips barely moved.
“As pleasant as a stone cell can be,” she said.
“Not that I’m complaining.”
“We’re sorry,” Sakura added, her voice hesitant.
“It’s for the best.”
“It’s fine.” Sasuke tilted her head slightly toward the sound.
“How’s Naruto?”
A pause followed.
The kind that tells you everything before anyone speaks.
“He’s… fine,” Sakura finally said.
“Busy with his studies. Preparing for the Hokage seat.”
Sasuke nodded to herself.
“Of course he is. He always does what he says he’ll do.” Then her tone dropped, flat and sure.
“So? What brings you here? I doubt it’s a social call.”
Kakashi chuckled awkwardly.
“You know us too well.”
“I’ve known you since I was twelve. You’re not subtle. Just get to the point.”
Silence.
Then a long, deep exhale from Kakashi.
“…The Shinobi Union has reached a decision. About you.”
Sasuke’s body didn’t flinch.
She sat wrapped in that restraining cloth like a ghost inside a coffin.
“They want me executed.”
It wasn’t a question.
It was fact.
It was prophecy.
“…Yes,” Kakashi said quietly.
“Declared this morning.”
Sasuke inhaled through her nose.
Exhaled through her mouth.
“I see.”
And that was all she said.
No outrage.
No tears.
Just cold acceptance, like she’d known this moment would always come.
“I tried to negotiate with them,” Kakashi added.
“Why?” she asked, and for the first time there was a trace of surprise.
“Because you’re my cute little genin.”
“Shut up,” she muttered.
“Just tell me what you cooked up.”
Kakashi’s voice turned serious.
“You will be stripped of your shinobi status. Permanently.”
“Acceptable,” she said.
“I figured as much.”
“You’ll be under 24/7 surveillance.”
She tilted her head, amused.
“Not surprising. Who’ll be watching me? Someone from Kumo? Iwa? Mist?”
“…Naruto.”
Sasuke paused.
That… wasn’t bad.
In fact, it might be the only option that didn’t disgust her.
If anyone had to see her at her lowest, it was better it be him.
She owed him that much, at least.
“When am I being released?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Fine. Thank you, Kakashi.”
There was a long beat.
Then Sakura, quiet and uneasy, spoke up.
“You’ll try to kill him.”
Sasuke blinked under the visor.
“Excuse me?”
“Because…” Sakura faltered. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
“Because sensei did something you’ll hate.”
There was a shuffling noise—like Kakashi waving his arms.
“Wait, wait, Sakura, no—let me—don’t just drop it like that—”
Sasuke’s voice sliced through the room like ice.
“What did you do?”
Kakashi went silent.
Even the ever-chirpy Sakura struggled to speak.
Sasuke spoke again, voice lower, colder.
“What. Did. You. Do?”
A pause.
Then finally, Sakura’s voice, shaking with the weight of what she had to say.
“You’ll be under Naruto’s watch… twenty-four-seven. Not just as a tenant. Not just as someone under house arrest.”
Sasuke’s breath caught.
“Then as what?”
“…As his wife.”
The silence that followed felt like the collapse of a universe.
For the first time in months—maybe years—Sasuke had no words.
Her mouth opened but nothing came out.
Her mind, so often sharp and ready, hit a wall it couldn’t climb.
Wife.
The word didn’t even register fully.
She’d imagined death.
She’d prepared for execution.
But this…?
This was worse.
This was life.
Shackled to another.
This was being turned into someone’s something—a role, a position, a symbol to satisfy the fears of the world.
Her lips trembled before they shut tight.
Her fists, still bound, would’ve crushed bones if they could.
And Naruto…
Why would he agree to something like this?
He wouldn’t.
He couldn’t.
Not unless…
Her breath grew shallow, like the cell had shrunk and the air had vanished.
When she finally spoke, her voice was like frozen steel.
“That idiot. That damn idiot.”
But her heart thudded just a little louder.
Because deep down, she knew—
Of all the ways to live again… being chained to Naruto might be the only one that didn’t feel like a curse.