Sasuke startled awake to the slightly metallic sound of a voice, which was the first indication he had that something was wrong. It had been more than two years since he'd last awoken to human speech.
The second indication, which made him narrow his eyes and carefully smooth his breathing to imitate sleep, was the fact that the ceiling was white and apparently plaster. He'd returned to his nap under several miles of rock and a carved ceiling.
Had he been captured? He'd been positive that it was Orochimaru who had stopped him from using that jutsu on Naruto and Sakura. They'd left after that -- unless someone had used an extremely powerful genjutsu -- Sakura.
Cursing, he sat up, glaring at his surroundings. If he'd been captured by Konoha, there was no fear of instant interrogation.
There was a closet at the foot of the bed, a dresser in a corner, and a desk against the wall. One of Konoha Hospital's long-term rooms, then. Although, Sasuke realized, even Konoha wasn't soft enough to leave a captured enemy alone.
Might as well try his luck. He brought his hands together in the familiar seal, focusing his chakra.
"Kai!"
Nothing happened, except a vague fizzling in his stomach.
The same vague fizzling that happened whenever he was chakra-drained after a long day of ninjutsu-intensive training. Sasuke frowned. He'd used Chidori Nagashi, but it had been at least a year since just one usage had drained him this thoroughly. Maybe it was some sort of chakra-draining technique? The Fifth was a medic-nin, after all. It would explain why they'd left him alone.
Whatever it was, it was effective. If a simple dispelling technique failed, Sharingan was way out of the question. The curse seal would have him in its clutches before he could say purple lipstick.
A rattling at the door brought him to his feet, body automatically assuming a defensive position. The chair was positioned at an awkward angle between him and the door, but it was enough to provide a little bit of cover in case he needed to counter an attack.
The lack of arm guards flashing in his peripheral vision drew him up short. He was wearing a grey shirt -- hospital clothes, then, he thought, until he glanced down.
"What the hell?" He said aloud, yanking the hem of his shirt away from his torso and glaring in confusion at the face smiling cheerily up at him. Had the entirety of Konoha finally gone senile?
"Sean, really," A female voice said from the door. "Please watch your language."
His head shot up, muscles tightening. A woman in a white uniform stood in the doorframe: medic-nin. No one he knew, which was odd -- he'd been in the hospital enough to know almost everone on staff. He frowned again; his chakra couldn't be so shot that he hadn't even noticed the door opening under an illusion, could it?
"Very nice, Sakura," He said, deliberately relaxing his body and shooting the woman a half-smirk. "I didn't expect your genjutsu abilities to advance this far. So even you've finally developed some strength, although I see you're still no smarter. Don't you know that enemies are supposed to go to the prison, not Konoha Hospital's long-term rooms?"
"I am not Sakura," The medic-nin said, looking at him with a pitying smile. "And you are at Landel's Institute."
"Where?" Sasuke said, tensing again. If this wasn't Konoha, and if it hadn't been his former team that had captured him, then where the hell was he?
"Your family has committed you to our institute due to your mental problems, Sean," The nurse said soothingly. "If you improve, you might be able to see them."
His family? Was this woman insane?
Still, he was at an obvious disadvantage. The medic-nin didn't seem to pose an immediate threat, so the first priority was to determine his location and environment. (He hated having Iruka's voice in his head, but the Academy taught 'How to Handle Capture' every year for a reason.)
"Landel's Institute," He repeated, searching his memory and failing to come up with anything familiar.
"That's right," The medic-nin bubbled enthusiastically. "You've woken up just in time for Arts and Crafts! Please, Sean, follow me."
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The second indication, which made him narrow his eyes and carefully smooth his breathing to imitate sleep, was the fact that the ceiling was white and apparently plaster. He'd returned to his nap under several miles of rock and a carved ceiling.
Had he been captured? He'd been positive that it was Orochimaru who had stopped him from using that jutsu on Naruto and Sakura. They'd left after that -- unless someone had used an extremely powerful genjutsu -- Sakura.
Cursing, he sat up, glaring at his surroundings. If he'd been captured by Konoha, there was no fear of instant interrogation.
There was a closet at the foot of the bed, a dresser in a corner, and a desk against the wall. One of Konoha Hospital's long-term rooms, then. Although, Sasuke realized, even Konoha wasn't soft enough to leave a captured enemy alone.
Might as well try his luck. He brought his hands together in the familiar seal, focusing his chakra.
"Kai!"
Nothing happened, except a vague fizzling in his stomach.
The same vague fizzling that happened whenever he was chakra-drained after a long day of ninjutsu-intensive training. Sasuke frowned. He'd used Chidori Nagashi, but it had been at least a year since just one usage had drained him this thoroughly. Maybe it was some sort of chakra-draining technique? The Fifth was a medic-nin, after all. It would explain why they'd left him alone.
Whatever it was, it was effective. If a simple dispelling technique failed, Sharingan was way out of the question. The curse seal would have him in its clutches before he could say purple lipstick.
A rattling at the door brought him to his feet, body automatically assuming a defensive position. The chair was positioned at an awkward angle between him and the door, but it was enough to provide a little bit of cover in case he needed to counter an attack.
The lack of arm guards flashing in his peripheral vision drew him up short. He was wearing a grey shirt -- hospital clothes, then, he thought, until he glanced down.
"What the hell?" He said aloud, yanking the hem of his shirt away from his torso and glaring in confusion at the face smiling cheerily up at him. Had the entirety of Konoha finally gone senile?
"Sean, really," A female voice said from the door. "Please watch your language."
His head shot up, muscles tightening. A woman in a white uniform stood in the doorframe: medic-nin. No one he knew, which was odd -- he'd been in the hospital enough to know almost everone on staff. He frowned again; his chakra couldn't be so shot that he hadn't even noticed the door opening under an illusion, could it?
"Very nice, Sakura," He said, deliberately relaxing his body and shooting the woman a half-smirk. "I didn't expect your genjutsu abilities to advance this far. So even you've finally developed some strength, although I see you're still no smarter. Don't you know that enemies are supposed to go to the prison, not Konoha Hospital's long-term rooms?"
"I am not Sakura," The medic-nin said, looking at him with a pitying smile. "And you are at Landel's Institute."
"Where?" Sasuke said, tensing again. If this wasn't Konoha, and if it hadn't been his former team that had captured him, then where the hell was he?
"Your family has committed you to our institute due to your mental problems, Sean," The nurse said soothingly. "If you improve, you might be able to see them."
His family? Was this woman insane?
Still, he was at an obvious disadvantage. The medic-nin didn't seem to pose an immediate threat, so the first priority was to determine his location and environment. (He hated having Iruka's voice in his head, but the Academy taught 'How to Handle Capture' every year for a reason.)
"Landel's Institute," He repeated, searching his memory and failing to come up with anything familiar.
"That's right," The medic-nin bubbled enthusiastically. "You've woken up just in time for Arts and Crafts! Please, Sean, follow me."