Sasuke was the one who found it. He'd almost missed the passageway too, and had only discovered it through pure chance and luck.

It was underneath a small table, almost invisible to the human eye. The door to the passageway was a hairline crack in the wooden floor, easily mistakable for the small spaces that separated each piece. However, as he'd been running his hand across the floor, his nail had gotten caught in a larger chip, and lifted up the floor the tiniest bit.

Upon closer inspection, Sasuke realized the crack ran in a faint rectangular path about four by four feet.

"Kei! Kaidi! Come over here!"

His companions hurried to join him, crouching down on the ground.

"What is it? Did you find anything?" Kaidi questioned.

"Look here," Sasuke pointed. "It's extremely hard to see, but if you get down close-"

Kaidi let out a low laugh. "Well, would you look at that. That Orochimaru fellow is clever. By leaving the door without hinges, there's almost no trace of it being here at all. Pretty good hiding spot."

"Do any of you spot some sort of lever?" Sasuke asked. "It's difficult to get a grip on the door with just your fingertips."

"Here." Kei handed over a thin strip of metal. "I found this on the floor in the corner. It's probably what the old snake man uses to lift the door too."

Sasuke inserted the metal strip into the crack and pushed backwards. The wooden door was slowly moved back and out of place.

All three peered down into the hole. It was pitch black, only the first few feet illuminated by the dim light above them. They could see a rusty ladder nailed shakily to the wall.

"Let's go." Sasuke waved them into the hole.

"Whaaaa?!" Kei whined. "Don't make me go down there first! That thing is not stable! I refuse--wah!"

Kaidi shoved him into the hole from behind. "If Orochimaru goes down there all the time, you'll be fine."

Kei still looked uncomfortable, but started down the ladder. Sasuke followed after Kaidi.

They reached the bottom after a few minutes of climbing. "It's too dark," Kei whispered. "I can't see anything."

"There's probably a switch," Sasuke said. "Feel around for it."

"Found it," Kaidi announced moments later. She flicked the switch, filling the space with a dim, lime-green light.

They were in a narrow passageway, the walls made of thick slabs of stone. Sasuke's nose twitched. He faintly smelled a familiar, disturbing smell.

Blood.

The metallic scent wafted down the passage, cold and unpleasant. He could practically feel the waves of human misery he was sure had taken place in this dank basement.

"Do you smell that?" Kei asked nervously.

"Yeah," Sasuke muttered. "And I'm going to go find out what it is."

He started off down the hallway, and for once, Kei was quiet. He trailed behind Sasuke, his eyes darting about.

They arrived at a small metal door at the end of the hallway. Sasuke reached out for the door handle.

"Wait!" Kei cried.

"What?" Sasuke asked irritably.

"Just...be careful," Kei mumbled. "'Cause I don't wanna die."

"Obviously, idiot." Sasuke snapped, pulling the door open.

What he saw inside shocked him.

The room was filled with people.

Dead people.

There were signs of experimentation on each of them. Some were altered in strange ways, their skin covered in bumps and blisters. Others had misshapen, distorted features.

The walls were lined with shelves. Glass jars sat in neat rows containing various substances that Sasuke decided he would be better off not guessing the contents.

"Oh god," Kaidi whispered from behind him. "Oh god. I'm gonna be sick."

"What...is all this?" Kei asked, mortified.

Sasuke shook his head, speechless. "He's been conducting human experimentation. But...are these people normal citizens? From above ground?"

Kei bit his lip. "I think they might be. Their bodies...other than the experimentation...look healthy. Underground citizens are typically much more emaciated and thin. These are people who've had enough to eat their whole lives."

Sasuke swallowed. "I...I need to look around. To see if I can find..." A bead of sweat ran down his face. "...Itachi."

"I'm...gonna stay with Kaidi then," Kei said. "To make sure she's alright."

Sasuke nodded mutely, slowly stepping into the room. He tried to ignore the sounds of Kaidi's dry retching behind him.

He began to approach the shelves, wishing he didn't have to inspect them that closely. From what he could see, they were labeled with pieces of tape.

Tissue samples, one of them said. Sasuke swallowed again and moved on.

He skimmed through the labelings, peering from shelf to shelf. He hurried through it so fast, he almost missed it--only the familiar bright red color alerted him to its presence.

Important subject, it read. Uchiha bloodline artifact.

Because his brother was an artifact. His late brother's eyes that were suspended in the yellow mucus-like liquid were simply a rare specimen.

Sasuke didn't realize his eyes had changed until Kei pointed it out to him.

"Your Sharingan," he warned. "Sasuke are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" Sasuke growled, snatching the jar from the shelf and shoving it towards Kei's face. "Am I okay? I've just found my brother's--Itachi's eyes in a glass jar belonging to his killer! Do you think I'm okay?"

Kaidi frowned. "Calm down. Don't make a mess. Remember, we don't want anyone to know that we've been down here."

"Fine," Sasuke hissed. "But I'm taking these." He clutched the jar tightly in his hands.

"No." Kaidi said firmly. "Put them back, Sasuke."

Sasuke whirled to face her. "Leave them here? In the hands of Orochimaru? As if I could-!"

"I said put them back!" Kaidi said angrily. "We have no plan of action, so there's not much we can do down here yet. It's not safe to stay here much longer. What we need to do is regroup underground and figure out a plan. For right now, we need to leave absolutely no trace of our presence so that he doesn't tighten up on security. Stop being swayed by your emotions and think!"

Sasuke's red eyes drilled into hers. "I will never leave my brother in the hands of this monster."

Kaidi's eyes narrowed. "That's not your brother anymore, Sasuke--wait, what are you doing? Ugh..."

"Sasuke! What are you doing? Your eyes are doing something weird! They're starting to look different!" Kei said worriedly. "And something is happening to Kaidi!"

Sure enough, the black haired girl began to sway on her feet. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor.

All was quiet for a few moments.

Then the screaming started.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! STOOOOOOP!!!"

Kaidi was writhing on the floor, clutching her head. "Nooooo, stooooop. P-please, don't make me see these things...aaagh..."

Sasuke snapped his eyes away from her face, startled. What had he...

"Sasuke!" Kei stormed over to him. "What did you do!? What's wrong with her?" His eyes glinted dangerously. "Tell me!"

"I don't know..." Sasuke trailed off. "I'm not sure..."

Kei's face had lost its usual amiable look. He reached into his belt, yanking out his blade. "It's those eyes, isn't it? You did something to her with that twisted Sharingan!"

Kaidi was openly sobbing now. "Stop...please...Mom, don't go. Don't leave me here..."

Kei looked back at her, then at Sasuke. His eyes filled with hate. "Your eyes are dangerous. Maybe it's better if Orochimaru takes them from you."

"What!?" Sasuke was stunned. "Kei, are you an idiot? Look what this man is doing!" He gestured to the gruesome array of bodies. "You'd rather put something this dangerous in his hands?"

Kei cursed, shoving his knife back into his belt and kneeling besides Kaidi. "Then you'd better learn how to control it. Because I'm not letting you hurt her again. I don't know what you've done to her right now, but I swear that if you ever lay a finger on her-" he broke off, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Sasuke frowned. He hadn't noticed how much Kei cared about Kaidi until now. He reached out to help Kei pick her up, but Kei shook him off.

"Leave her. I'll do it."

Sasuke opened his mouth angrily, but closed it again. He really did mess up this time. These eyes were dangerous, and if he couldn't learn to control them, there was no telling who else he might hurt.

Quietly, he placed the jar containing Itachi's eyes back on the shelf and, gesturing for Kei to follow him, walked out the door.

***********************************

Naruto and Sakura arrived at Daiki's home the next morning. The older man was already outside, waiting.

His daughter stood next to him, and judging by her face, she had apparently discovered the full details of the case. "Daddy, make sure you be careful down there, okay? Stay by the policemen, and don't wander off, or you might get mugged."

Daiki shrugged her off with a disgruntled look. "I know, I know. I'm not a child." He ambled over to the police car. "Good morning."

Sakura smiled politely. "Good morning. Please get in."

The old man stepped into the car, and they drove off.

When they pulled up to the entry of the Underground, Daiki shuddered visibly. "I hate this place."

They began traveling by foot down the narrow, dark stone staircase. Despite the cold atmosphere, Naruto looked excited. He hurried down the steps two at a time, tapping his foot impatiently whenever Sakura and Daiki fell behind.

"Slow down," Daiki called. "We've got time."

Naruto sighed but consented, falling in step with the other two. But Sakura could tell he wouldn't calm down until they got there.

It was about a twenty minute walk to the old warehouse. It slowly came into view, old and crumbling.

Naruto took a deep breath. "Here we go."

Yes, I realize I haven't updated in over a month. Please forgive me. There's reasons.

Thank you all for your patience.