As he sat there, sitting on his bed, hands clutching at the stuffed rabbit in his hands, Kuronotsurugi's mind was in turmoil. Thought after never ending though tossed and turned, on both ends of the scales. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place, not sure where to turn, whether he should go back and stay where he was, or, instead, to keep moving forward. He knew that there was no other option, he'd already gotten this far, and if he were true to his beliefs and who he was, there was no turning back. There was no second choice to be made. Gritting his teeth, his head hung low, the weight of this decision more real than ever before.<br/><br/>From the corner of his eye, outside his window, he was sure he'd caught sight of movement, and he quickly looks up. Narrowing his eyes, in an instant they change to the dark red of the Uchiha Sharingan, glowing a deadly blood color in the darkened room as he stares in the direction he'd been positive that someone watching him. Even now...they were following him, was that it? Will they ever let it rest? He knew the answer to that. And it was no. As long as he was alive and in this village he'd be followed, watched. Treated like a ticking time bomb that might or might not go off.<br/><br/>Just the thought of that made something snap in him, and he no longer was feeling sorry for himself. No, instead he was furious. This place was a prison, not giving him the freedom he deserved. They treated him like scum. Like a monster. And he wasn't going to deal with that any longer. And no one person was going to hold him back. Long back he'd decided to leave, and nothing was going to change his mind. He grinds his teeth as he swings his arm back, his hand in a fist as it slams against the wall, the wooden surface splintering and bending from the force of the blow.<br/><br/>It was loud, and must have alerted someone that he was home, since not shortly after a knock came at the door. "Big brother?" A voice could be heard from the other side. It was Ryuunosuke, his younger brother. "Are you okay?" The words could be heard, muffled slightly from the door between them. Kuronotsurugi was silent, not wanting to talk to anyone, and for a moment it was quiet, before Ryuu speaks up once more. "Well...um...I'll leave you alone now..." Footsteps walking away could be heard, before they faded away. To be honest, Kuro held no hate against Ryuu, he just chose not to open up to the young shinobi.<br/><br/>Eventually, he gets up from the bed to change into something else besides what he was wearing, hanging up the clothes and tucking them away into his closet, shutting it away. He probably would never wear that outfit again, tonight was the only time it would see the light of day. Flopping back on his bed, he stares up at the ceiling, before willing himself to sleep, deciding that the best course would be to finish everything up, tie loose ends, and busy himself until the time was right for his next move.<br/><br/>And, the next day, that was exactly what he did. It was before dawn, the sun still having yet to rise above the horizon. Kuro gets dressed in his usual outfit, donning his equipment and many swords, hesitating a moment, his Konoha headband in the palm of his hand, before he puts it on, wondering when the last time would be when he had to don this accessory. Taking a deep breath, he goes to the door, glancing at the owl that lay on his bed, before heading out, placing the seal once more over his door. This same seal was also placed over the window, so if someone decided to be smart, they still wouldn't be able to get in.<br/><br/>Making his way through the quiet village, no one able to bother him, none awake yet, only a few shinobi here and there were seen. He heads towards the Hokage's place, so that he could get himself a mission, to take his mind off of things, to distract himself...keep busy. Right now he wasn't sure how he would be able to react if he saw Hikari, so was glad when the path there was clear of her, glad for once that she wasn't in his line of sight.<br/><br/>Entering the office, he knew that Lady Tsuande would already be awake, the woman seemed to never sleep, and sure enough she was sitting there at the desk, almost as if she knew he was going to be coming in. No words were said between, just a silent exchange as she held out a scroll with his next mission on it, which he accepts, no qualms at all. Turning around, he frowns when Tsuande speaks, freezing for a brief second in his steps. "Come back safe." He grips the scroll tightly in his hand, before forcing himself forward, and out of the office. Outside, he shakes his head to clear the words from his head, before opening the scroll, reading it over, and heading out of the village, making no more stops.<br/><br/>Time passes, and so do the days, and eventually a month was passed, and then a second. Over that time, Kuro was kept busy with mission after mission, all solo, and all outside of the village. He delved deeper in his work, distracting himself from any thoughts of Hikari, and when he could, figured out as much as he could of his other...mission. If he remembered correctly, it was a couple more months until Hikari's birthday, and he was wondering if he should even go... Because after that, he was going to leave. For good.