[I won't bore you guys with a long useless disclaimer that you might not even read. You all know I don't own Naruto or the characters of the series. It's just obvious! Isn't it? If I was the real author or the show, I wouldn't be posting my texts on this site!!! By the way, my English may be a little rusty as I have not written English stories in quite a while. I hope that you will enjoy it anyway. I will continue writing this when I get the time to do so. It is a bit hard with college starting and all and I'm sure most of you can understand that. Please review this if you feel like it, even if your comments are not positive. As long as you remain polite. Thanks for your time. On to the text...]
Once upon a time, the world's best painter gazed at his endless blue canvas wondering how he could ameliorate it. He soon noticed that if more colors were added to his work, it would be more satisfying. The artist, then, allowed the cold steel of a blade to bite the burning skin of one of his fingertips and let a few drop of his own blood stain his painting. He spread it all over in order to create multiple shades ranging from scarlet to pink with orange and yellow in-between. The streaks created from his fluid of life set his art ablaze. Since the result was even better than expected, the famous man known as "Sun" thought it was something he could be proud of. He decided to call his chef-d'oeuvre "Dawn". Ever since that day, "Sun" tries to create a greater version of "Dawn". He has not yet succeeded in achieving the perfection that he seeks. Thanks to his admirable perseverance, "Sun" offers the people of our planet one of the most magnificent presents that our eyes could ever see almost every day of the year.
That morning, the particularly impressive dawning of the sun was watched by a young lad. Cold dew caressed his sandal-clad feet as he walked though the city of Konoha. It seemed rather empty at that early time of the day since most of the citizens were still asleep. Now and then, Uchiha Sasuke walked past someone. He avoided looking at the people he saw because did not want to engage in a conversation now. In fact, he only wished to reach a better location in order to gaze at the beauty of the sky and he knew just the perfect spot. He hastened his steps as soon as the high mount in which the faces of the Hokages are carved was in sight. Sasuke stared at the previous heroes from his hidden village for a long time before he decided to leap up in the air. He shut his eyes to be able to appreciate the gratifying feeling of the cool morning breeze softly caressing his cheeks. After a couple a jumps, he easily reached the four faces and sat atop the third's one.
"I wonder why that guy challenged me." He let out a deep sigh. "Naruto is my rival but there are much more interesting targets for me and I can't allow him to see all of the tricks I have learnt by training intensively for a month with Kakashi. Since the end of the Chuunin exam coming up, I cannot risk this. That is just in case he ever wins against Hyuuga Neji because, then, he could possibly end up fighting me in the next round." He slowly shook his head negatively and went back to his contemplation of the sky, lost in his thoughts. A few moments later, his eyes widened slightly as an idea came to his mind. "I might be able to take advantage of this challenge though since Naruto is not the most intelligent one around here. If I can get him to show me his moves without revealing too much, it would become a great asset to me."
He nodded at his idea and hastily made his way toward the meeting spot for his "friendly-fight". It was a small clearing in the forest surrounding Konoha. Upon arrival, he was greeted by an energetic looking Naruto.
"Ohayo!" Exclaimed the blond one, waving happily.
"Good morning" Replied Sasuke indifferently.
"So... SO, Are you ready? Tell me! Are you ready for the exam and for his fight? I didn't see you at all lately, have you been training with Kakashi everyday?"
Sasuke yawned loudly.
"Yes I am ready. I just want to get to fight strong people as you already know so I can't even consider losing here or in the first round."
"It was a good thing that I bumped into you when I was going for a walk yesterday night. Wasn't it, Sasuke?"
Sasuke stared at Naruto. His naturally expressionless and calm face could have been good way to mask his fatigue but he had the certitude that, since Naruto knew him very well, he could pierce his secret.
"I must not show my weak points. I must succeed because I have something to accomplish in this world. I must get him. Pondered Sasuke to himself. He felt a rush of adrenaline travelling through his body as he thought about his older sibling. That alone was enough to fully wake him up for the moment.
"Naruto, I do not mean to stop this conversation abruptly nor to be rude but I have no time to waste over you even though you are important to me. Kakashi is worth my time, you are not. That is until the chuunin exam finishes. I must keep working harder because the ultimate test is drawing near. You should know that by now. I suggest you do the same as me and work even harder. If you do not wish to fight, then I'll get going."
Sasuke's comments stroke Naruto even more than a punch in the chest could ever. He never thought that someone he considered as his friend would ever treat him like that. He narrowed his eyes until all that was left were two thin slits of anger.
"If you want to be that way, bring it on, scaredy cat!" He made a fist with his right hand and raised it high in the air.
A smile enlightened Sasuke's dark features. He turned around to face Naruto who was already blindly rushing towards him. Sasuke evaded the attack by moving away rapidly. He didn't mind letting his friend see the great speed he had acquired in his training as it could not endanger him in any way. This chasing game went on for a while. After Naruto realized that he couldn't even graze Sasuke, he decided to try something else. He threw a few of his knives at Sasuke and immediately hid his hands behind his back in order to form the "Kage Bushin" seal while his rival was busy dodging the attack. The blond haired one hid a single double of himself behind a huge tree that stood behind his opponent.
"Are you done yet? You just can't harm me. Just surrender and continue your training. You need to improve much more than--"
"I am not done yet, Sasuke!" Interrupted Naruto.
He rushed at his opponent one more time. Sasuke easily moved away from the boy. He never noticed the duplicate. The first thing he felt was a fist colliding with the back of his neck. His complete body was thrust forward by the impact. That made him lose his balance and he fell down to the ground, strongly hitting his head on a rock.
Naruto made his copy disappear and laughed loudly.
"Did you think I would continue doing the same thing over and over? You underestimate me. It seems that there are some things even your sharingan couldn't help you see."
He glared at the boy lying down in the dust. He had no apparent wound.
"Come on! Is that all you've got? Stand up and fight back or you won't be able to do anything in the chuunin exam."
Sasuke felt dizzy. He heard Naruto's voice in the distance but couldn't quite understand the meaning of his speech. He didn't even remember how come he was there anymore or what had happened. The youngest Uchiha suddenly felt something warm on his sides. He knew it was someone's hands but he didn't care about that as he was trying to move his body and that alone used up all of his concentration.
"Sasuke! Wake up! Sasuke, quit it now! I know you're just playing around to kick my butt with a surprise attack. It's not funny anymore... Sasuke...? " The tone of Naruto's voice shifted from angered to anxious and incertain as he shook his friend's limp body.
Sasuke felt himself being picked up. Deep down within himself, he was ashamed of being taken care of that way but he didn't have the strength to refuse or to even attempt refusing. A few minutes later, he succeeded in acquiring enough concentration to crack his eyes open. All he saw before fainting was nothing at all unless you consider endless darkness as a thing...
[ Are Sasuke's injuries that important? Will he be allowed to fight in the Chuunin exam? What about the Sands' original plan and everything that was supposed to happen between Gaara ans Sasuke? Coming up in the next chapter...]