A/N: Another moment where I pause to explain my reasoning. I probably should stop doing this, but eh, I like knowing that you guys know my thoughts behind something. The reason that within this chapter it mentions unimportant people in the hide-out is because throughout the series you see that he keeps prisoners and sometimes scientist type people in the hide-outs, even if when they break into the hide-out in the beginning of this part of the anime, you don't see a soul other than the important ones. I figured it can be just because they were lucky? XD Sucky reasoning, but it doesn't actually make sense to me as to why you don't see anyone beyond Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke, when all the other hide-outs have more people.

They were gone.

That was the one thought she couldn't get out of her mind.

They were gone.

All she had to do was break out of the locked room. Good thing she'd marked up every single slip of paper with signs of various strengths.

It could be a trick, of course. She wouldn't have put it past Kabuto to play a trick on her if he suspected she was up to something. That's why she waited. She made sure that there was no sound in the hall, nothing beyond the occasional footsteps of what she assumed to be some of the other, unimportant people that lived in the hide-out. Eventually deciding that if she didn't leave now she might as well just stick around for him to show up again, Kazue neatly folded the tags over in her hand, put half of them in her pocket, and took a deep breath.

Since they had no adhesive on them- she couldn't acquire that without questions being asked- she ended up slipping it just between the door and the door-frame. She'd chosen one of the weaker explosive tags, knowing that the less attention she drew until she'd been spotted the better. She had no weapons and much to her annoyance, the only ones she even remotely knew how to access were the scalpels in the labs. Rooms that just happened to be opposite of where she needed to go.

The choices before her were chance Orochimaru and Kabuto returning before she escaped or go without a weapon. If she escaped before they arrived, would she really need a weapon? She was in decent enough shape, surely she'd be able to handle anything she came across.

Clutching the tags she left out of her pocket, she took another deep breath to ease her nerves. If this didn't work, she wasn't quite sure what she was going to do. Would there be another chance to escape if Kazue screwed this up? She doubted that they'd be happy to return to discover she'd blown holes in the walls of the hide-out. With a shake of her head, Kazue discarded such thoughts and pressed her fingers together. She shifted them into a single sign and a loud noise accompanied by a puff of smoke was the result.

All her thoughts meant was that she'd have to succeed.

For a moment she didn't move, listening for any sign that someone had heard the explosion. When there was no rush of footsteps outside her door, she cautiously nudged it open. Peering around the hall, she allowed the smallest of satisfied smiles to touch her lips. Not wasting a moment, Kazue took off down the hall in the direction the exit laid in. Her heart pounding, she strained her ears for any signs of someone coming. Much to her relief, there were none.

There were, however, more locked doors. Something that frustrated and confused her. Had she gone the right way? Last time she'd only had to tackle halls. None the less, she simply used the small tags to blow off the locks, twisting this way and that when all it resulted was her ending up in more unfamiliar rooms and halls. Eventually, the reason became obvious to her.

"Damn, bastard! Stupid, stuck-up, moronic, jerky, bastard!"

Feeling a bit better after she'd spouted several accompanying curses at the absent Kabuto, Kazue pocketed the few papers she had left of the ones she'd kept ahold of and pressed her fingers together. Gathering up her rather dismal store of chakra, she focused on the genjutsu settled around her. When it didn't fall away, she sank down, rocking back on her heels as she furrowed her brow and sputtered several dark curses. Of course he didn't just leave the door locked. She'd never managed to get this far before when he wasn't around, so she hadn't put much thought into what other things he might have lurking outside her door.

"Dammit."

"Seems you've hit a road block."

Surprised, Kazue jerked her head up and stared at the dark-haired figure before her. Sasuke simply shoved some of his hair back with a hand, regarding her with an even, emotionless expression. For a moment she was even more frustrated over the fact that she couldn't tell what he was thinking. It was strange, the frustration was without fear. She wasn't afraid that he would stop her. She got the feeling that as long as she didn't bother him, he could care less about what she was doing. Then again, he had helped her when she was sparing with Kabuto. At the same time, she was rather certain that was just to spite him.

"I'll be fine," she retorted.

Leaning back against the wall, Sasuke rose a brow. His lips twisted into a smug smirk, something that had become a rather familiar expression of his to her over the past two years. As he gave his response, he waved a dismissive hand in the air.

"Then by all means."

Scowling, she straightened up and turned her back to him. Once again gathering her chakra, she pressed her hands together and squeezed her eyes shut to focus.

"Release!"

At the snort Sasuke gave in response, Kazue didn't even have to open her eyes to know that genjutsu was still completely in place. Letting out a frustrated huff, she simply started down the hall. Sasuke stared after her for a moment, studying her back.

"You aren't going to try again."

"I'm not going to stand here while you laugh at me. I have better things to be doing, jerk."

"You aren't going to get anywhere if you leave it in place."

"Yeah, well, shut up," she mumbled in response. "Not like it's any of your business anyways."

Studying her for a moment longer, he shrugged and pushed away from the wall. Kazue paused, a shiver racking her frame as a wave of chakra that even she could feel suddenly washed through the hall.

"... you broke it."

As she spun around to face him, Sasuke started down the hall in the opposite direction of where she'd been going.

"It was in my way."

Kazue blinked a few times, dismissing his proud comment. Instead, she hesitated, her fingers reaching down to brush the tags in her pocket.

"You could come back with me, you know. To Konoha. I doubt anyone would have a problem with that."

Even as she said the words, she doubted them. As far as she was aware, Sasuke was here by choice. She doubted that his leaving had been easy on anyone. She couldn't imagine that his betrayal could be solved by something as simple as his walking back through the gates.

He paused, not bothering to look back at her. She knew what expression he'd be wearing. That dark, proud, almost smirk of his. The one that said he didn't need anyone.

"I'm staying. There's nothing there for me except unneeded bonds with the weak. I severed those when I left."

She stared at his back for a moment longer before simply nodding and turning the way she needed to go. With the genjutsu gone, she recognized the halls surrounding her.

"I don't think you're right, but it's not like it's worth arguing. I'll let them know you're okay."

"Do as you wish."

As she took off down the hall, she could distinctly feel his presence behind her.

A part of her wondered if it'd been alright to let him stay. That same part told her that she had no choice. In her state, weaponless and low on chakra, she had no chance of taking on someone of Sasuke's skill level, that's if she ever did. She couldn't force him to return.

Plus, in her opinion, if someone didn't want to be someplace, they should be allowed to leave.

Perhaps that was a bit of a biased, if not seemingly unpopular, opinion, but she was sticking to it.

Besides, there were more important matters to deal with at the moment than the fact that a certain egotistical, proud, Uchiha didn't want to return home. Such as the unfortunate fact that problem of the genjutsu had taken her the opposite direction of where she needed to go. Something that caused her to have to slink around corners and shove herself up against walls to avoid the few people that she came across.

It wasn't until she didn't conceal herself quickly enough that she paused to take in her actions- having reacted before the thought fully formed in her mind.

When she stumbled across the shinobi, a sound shinobi who she recognized as one of the few that frequented the hide-out in order to give reports of current matters in the village, she reacted instictively. He, startled by the sight of her but somehow recognizing the threat facing him, instantly scrambled for a kunai. As he drew it out of his pouch, Kazue put her limited chakra to her feet, leaving herself just enough so that she would be able to set off a few more tags if needed, and lunged forward. Catching her hand on his shoudler, she left a tag behind and propelled herself so that she landed on her feet behind him. As she took off runing, she pressed her fingers together in the needed sign for the tag.

She'd barely cut the corner before the sickening sound of an explosion on flesh caught her ears.

It took her a moment to realize what she'd actually done. It wasn't something outrageous, people threw explosive tags and set traps with explosives all the times. At the same time, they rarely actually hit their mark. Usually, someone reacted before it was set off. Perhaps she'd startled him- seeing as she wasn't supposed to have weapons. Or perhaps he hadn't noticed that she'd left the paper behind. Perhaps she'd been mistaken and that sickening sound that hit the air wasn't the direct result of the shinobi's flesh being blown to pieces where she'd laid her tag.

Some part of her needed to peek back around that corner, to see what was the result. To see if she'd been wrong. The groan that touched the air and the coppery scent of blood caused a different reaction in Kazue, however. Curiousity was forgotten. She found herself bending over, hands clutching her stomach as she fought the sudden bile raising up in her throat.

A part of her mind was grateful for the reaction. If she was still able to feel like that as the result of injuring someone, did that mean that she hadn't lost herself completely in this hell?

The other half was disgusted. How weak was she that instead of continuing on as she should, making a break for it before someone realized what had just happened, she was stuck trying to keep from being sick? She should be stronger than that. Wasn't she determined? Wasn't she willing to do anything to escape?

Swallowing back the sour flavor in her throat, Kazue forced herself forward. It was one step, then another, then another, and suddenly she was running down the hall. Putting as much distance between her and the shinobi as she could. Following the familiar path, she finally cut down the hall to where the stairs should lay at the end. Beyond the stairs was the door. Beyond that door... was freedom.

If she had to sacrifice one person for her freedom, one death so that she could go home... it was worth it, wasn't it?

Shakily, she dug a tag out of her pocket, not bothering to check which sign it was. It didn't matter how strong the explosive was, it was the last thing standing between her and the outside world. She'd run until her feet bleed if she had to do. Once she was in the sun, no one would catch her.

Her first step onto the stairs caused a swirl of emotions to race through her. It was worth it. That one life was worth it. It was the life of someone who worked for Orochimaru. He would have killed others, anyways, she reasoned. If she hadn't taken his, then it would have been him taking someone else's. That's how their world worked.

She was mid-way up the steps when the door became visible.

That was when she saw the figure standing in the way.

Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn't stop. Instead, she made it to the top before she paused. For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Jin's green eyes to Kazue's blue.

"You're leaving."

There was no question in the statement. Even so, Kazue nodded.

"I am."

Jin studied her a minute longer. It was her expression that began to put Kazue even futher on edge. It was unfamiliar. It wasn't the emotionless of the dark side of Jin, nor was it the fearful of her lighter side. It was... an even, unreadable thing. One that she felt like concealed a multitude of things, none of them recognizable.

"I heard the explosions," Jin continued a second later. "Makoto fell asleep in my room. It was cold so he's still out."

Kazue hesitated, slowly picking up on what that meant. From what she understood, Makoto became sluggish in colder temperatures. It was a strange thing, something she'd never put much thought into. At the moment, however, she felt grateful. Jin was a wildcard, you never knew how she would act. Makoto, however, always acted in his own, or Jin's, interest. Which meant he most likely wouldn't have thought twice about restraining Kazue to avoid the fit Kabuto would be sure to have later if he learned that they just let her go.

"I should stop you."

"Are you going to?"

"... no."

Kazue blinked a few times, studying Jin closer.

"You could come with me."

Jin shook her head.

"No, the other me wouldn't like it. She'd get mad."

That was what was different. Jin wasn't confused. The lighter her was always fearful and confused. Realing from whatever the darker her had done. Jin, at the moment, seemed... lucid, it was the only word Kazue could think of.

"If you got back, that wouldn't matter. They could restrain you, figure out what to do."

Jin shook her head again, glancing past Kazue as if to check to make sure no one was coming up on them.

"No. It's best like this. I don't know what all I've done, but I know it's not good. It's more fitting that I'm here. I think.... I think I met him, Kazue-chan."

It took her a moment to realize what Jin was saying and when she did, she stiffened.

"You met Jun?"

Jin nodded.

"I think so. I think I hurt him. I can remember... it being dark. My weapons being cold in my hands. Of something warm on them, his dark hair like mine. If I hurt him..."

"He'll forgive you."

The expression that crossed the pre-teen's face in that moment washed all other thoughts from Kazue's mind. It was so full of resignation, of loathing and guilt, of weariness, that it stole the breath from her lungs and any continued response she might have added to her comment faded away.

"Maybe. But I won't."

"... he wouldn't want that."

Jin shrugged.

"Watch him for me," she replied instead. "Protect him."

As she spoke, Jin stepped to the side, giving Kazue room to pass and slid the tag into place.

"He's not that different than me, I remember that much. Promise me."

"I promise, Jin-chan."

A second after the words left her lips, she'd blown the tag. Knowing that if she looked back, she wouldn't be able to leave her behind, Kazue began to run.

Even as the sun burned her eyes, bringing tears to them as a result of her first real taste of it in some time, she had the feeling that not all of it was from the physical reaction.

She was free, but she'd left a body and a child behind.

A/N: Well, there ya go! Her big moment! Well, several big moments, but you get the idea!