IMPORTANT NOTE: My friend, to both my gratitude and annoyance with myself, has mentioned the fact that people in the desert would probably wear more clothes to cover up, as protection from the sun, rather than shorts and sleeveless shirts. I am an idiot and completely didn't think about this, and deserve to be shot. If I get extremely un-lazy, I may go back and fix this; more likely than not, if it gets done at all, it won't be 'til I've finished the rest of Red Ninja.

Despite the fact that is incorrect, Sabuka will probably continue to wear shorts and at least short sleeve shirts, because it is the only way I can think of to introduce/continue to mention her problems wearing 'revealing' clothes, and her reasons, which are extremely important, as you will soon read. I know that, having lived in the desert, Ora would know better and give her suitable clothing, but I'd rather advance the story then be completely correct (I'd rather do both, of course, perfectionist that I am, but just now, I just can't think of another way to work it in...). So Sabuka is going to keep wearing unsuitable clothes.

OTHER IMPORTANT NOTES: The fact that Sasuke was mildly out-of-character was mentioned a few times. I guess I didn't really convey the fact that his "smiles" were supposed to be those sort of... I dunno, the not-happy-and-even-sort-of-mildly-creepy-not-really-a-smile-but-nothing-else-to-call-it expression. I saw it once when Sasuke was taunting Naruto (again). But yeah... although he didn't actually come out and say he liked her, just that she interested him. As in, he wanted to see her fighting style - and maybe know if she was one of those people he had to get stronger to beat so he could beat Itachi. I should have made that clearer, I guess. Luckily, Sasuke's not really that big a part in the story, so it doesn't make much difference when it happens.

So, some people might be wondering when this story takes place. I know I'm wondering. And the answer is...
Not a clue!
It is sometime after the Chunin Exams, because that is when Sasuke used Chidori against Gaara. However, right after the Chunin Exams, Gaara fights Naruto, learns about love, becomes a little nicer.
So the time period is... a nonexistent time period! Hooray!

Gaara, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi; Leaf, Sand, and Rain Villages; all jutsus of the above mentioned people; etc. (C) Masashi Kishimoto-dono.
Sabuka Keiteri; her jutsus; story (C) Kit (a.k.a. watashi/moi/me, depending on the language you want to use)

Red Ninja

"He looks..."

"Stuck."

"Ridiculous."

"Like a bundle of bright orange herbs hung out to dry, maybe?"

"No, not stiff enough."

"Well, I think he looks like a fish," cut in a girl with cardinal red hair and light, seafoam green eyes, "flopping around up there." There was a murmur of appreciative laughter.

"Ha ha, very funny," broke in the loud, obnoxious voice of Naruto Uzumaki, who was hanging, rather ridiculously, upside-down from a tree.

"Naruto, if it didn't work the first time, what made you think it would work this time?" inquired a voice with that tone of weary exasperation belonging to someone who would normally be annoyed, but was so used to the occurrence that they had become merely... well, wearily exasperated. The red-haired girl turned around to see that it was Naruto's Sensei, Kakashi.

"You are such a loser," added a thoroughly disgusted boy with blue-black hair, while a rose-haired girl shouted angrily, "Naruto! You idiot!"

Naruto flailed around uselessly for a few more moments, then looked around pitifully for help. The red-haired girl slipped away from the crowd of laughter and the knucklehead ninja.

It wasn't long before someone caught up with her.

"Hey. Wait."

She turned; it was the ninja with blue-black hair. Sasuke Uchiha, she knew - but then, most people did.

"You're new to Leaf Village, aren't you?" he asked.

"No, I've lived here all my life," she replied in a perfectly bland tone of voice.

He looked momentarily disarmed, then - surprisingly, from what she'd heard about him - his mask broke and he grinned. "I was just about to say that you have a wicked sense of humor. When did you really get here?"

"This morning."

Sasuke seemed mildly surprised. "That recently? Your reputation has spread like wildfire. But I haven't caught a name."

"Sabuka Keiteri," the red-haired girl supplied.

He nodded in greeting. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"So I've heard."

The shinobi's face composed again. "Of course." He paused. "What village did you come from? You wear no headband that I can see."

"Village Hidden in the Rain."

"Really? Or is that another joke?"

"I suppose you'll have to figure that out yourself if you don't believe me. Why?"

Sasuke hesitated. "You really do look like him."

"Him?" Sabuka repeated blankly. "Him who?"

"Gaara of the Desert. Same red hair hair, same pale green eyes. Haven't you ever heard of him?"

"No."

"Are you sure? You're not related or anything?"

"I've never even been to Sand Village," Sabuka said.

"Did I say he was from Sand Village?"

"You're grasping at straws, trying to pin me down. You said he was from the desert. That's where Sand Village is."

Sasuke nodded stonily. Sabuka turned away.

"Wait," the shinobi commanded. Loathe to obey anyone, Sabuka halted, but didn't turn back around.

"You interest me, and not just because you insulted Naruto. If you ever want practice, come to me. I'm interested in seeing your fighting style."

"Naruto-bashing makes the world go 'round," Sabuka replied blandly, but she didn't disagree. And as she walked away, she turned her head and gave the tiniest of nods.

She didn't ask why he assumed she was shinobi when she sported no headband.

--

The rooftops were her favorite, no matter what village she was in. Rain Village's were excellent for sitting and thinking beneath the rain, of course, but she had to say that Sand's were the best. You could see for miles from those roofs; miles and miles of desert drifting the the wind.

She had, of course, been there. She had been most anywhere, so many places that she was no longer sure of her starting point. But something in Uchiha's eyes had prevented her from saying so.

Sabuka lay back and stared up at the brilliant blue sky. A healthy emerald leaf drifted across her vision, dancing along on the breeze. She was certain she would climb one of the trees, later; they were immense elders of great stature here, and she was looking forward to the view.

One wouldn't know by looking at her that she was the kind of girl who lay around admiring the view. She was dressed in loose, comfortable grey trousers, with the shuriken holster in an easily accessible place on her right thigh, and a black, three-quarter-sleeved t-shirt. Her seafoam eyes were almost perpetually narrowed in an expression of dry irritation at the world in general, although they had been known to soften from time to time. She did wear her red hair down, but only because it was more comfortable for her. Most of the time, she went barefoot, except for in winter, of course, when she wore black socks and sandals. She was a hardy girl, and used to most weather, hot or cold. A tomboy to the bone, but with a prominent fondness for just stopping to look at nature.

Gaara of the Desert... Haven't you ever heard of him?

Sabuka had caught a glimpse of him once, but she hadn't noticed any particular resemblance to herself. Then again, it had been only a glimpse, and she hadn't exactly looked in a mirror just afterwards. Nor had she had the chance to meet his eyes.

Who knew? Maybe they were related. Sabuka doubted it, but anything was possible, and it wasn't like she really knew where she came from.

"You know, you weren't very nice to me earlier," said a voice loudly and petulantly, breaking in Sabuka's silent reflections.

"I'm terribly sorry." Apparently, the sarcasm was lost in Naruto.

"Apology accepted," he announced. Sabuka rolled her eyes, but Naruto didn't notice. "Who are you?"

"That's a terribly personal question."

"Huh?"

"You must be such an expert on rocks." Sabuka's voice dripped with sarcasm, but again, Naruto missed it.

"Why would ya say somethin' like that?"

"Anyone with a head so full of stones must know so much about them."

Someone snickered. Sabuka sat up and twisted around. "My silent sanctuary has become a madhouse," she remarked. The snickerer was Sasuke Uchiha. "What do you want?"

"Naruto came to annoy you. I came to find him. Kakashi-sensei wants us. Now."

"Aw," whined Naruto. "I was going to go out for ramen."

"Then why were you bothering me?" asked Sabuka irritably.

Sasuke looked at her calculatingly. "You coming with?"

Sabuka started. "Sure," she decided.

"What for?" demanded Naruto.

"Why not?" countered Sasuke.

"Are we going or not?" asked Sabuka boredly, but a smile touched her face.

"Yes," snapped Sasuke, just as Naruto shouted annoyingly, "Yeah, believe it!"

Sabuka kept her comment about that one to herself.

When the two continued to stare each other down and failed to move, Sabuka rolled her eyes. "Do I have to remind you that, while you have lived here all or almost all of your lives, I got here this morning, and thus haven't the foggiest idea of where to go?"

"No, we're going," said Sasuke shortly, but still didn't move. Then, without warning, his eyes still locked on Naruto's in a venomous glare, the dark-haired shinobi twisted his body and delivered a perfectly-controlled side kick to Naruto's chest. Caught off-guard, Naruto flew backwards, thus being the first to break eye contact, but was otherwise unharmed.

The orange-clad shinobi leapt to his feet. "You won't get away with that, Sasuke, believe it!" he shouted, pointing, but Sasuke had already turned away.

This time, Sabuka couldn't resist. "What do you want me to believe? That you're a loser or that you're a liar?"

Sasuke hid a smile. "How are you going to stop me, loser?" he asked without looking back and Naruto. Instead, he kept walking, and Sabuka hoped that they were finally leaving, but suspected that this had quite a ways to go yet.

She was right. With a wordless yell, Naruto leapt for Sasuke. Smooth as a dance, Sasuke turned and effortlessly blocked the wild attack, then once more twisted and delivered a second perfect side kick. Naruto hit the stone with a sickening crack, but - demonstrating the hardness of the knucklehead ninja - only the roof had broken, and the orange-clad shinobi returned immediately to his feet, obviously undeterred.

"This is where it really gets started!" Naruto yelled. His hands came together and he concentrated, then cried, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" About twenty Narutos appeared.

"Ah, my favorite," said Sabuka dryly. "Naruto's only fan club, consisting of a multitude of unnecessary orange-clad shinobi."

Deftly, Sasuke swept several kunai from their pouch tot he clones. Every one of them hit its mark, and about a fourth of the Narutos vanished in a cloud of smoke. The remaining copies all flew toward the dark-haired shinobi, but he repeated the movement with both kunai and shuriken until only the original remained.

"This is ridiculous," said Sasuke disgustedly. "Stop wasting your chakra. Kakashi-sensei wanted us there ten minutes ago."

"Sasuke!" shouted Naruto furiously, aiming several kunai at his tormentor. Sasuke took off running, leaping to the next roof without a backward glance for Sabuka. She recognized it as the only way to get Naruto to get going and stop fighting; she followed the contentious shinobi without a word.

--

The blood had to be half an inch think, but it was draining away, seeping into the stone, staining the street a brilliant crimson. Sabuka regarded the bodies with a tranquil gaze, but horror suffused through her.

Sasuke knelt at the edge of the crimson expanse, his face composed into a mask once more. Even Naruto had quieted, his and Sasuke's animosity temporarily forgotten.

"I don't know why he's here," said Sasuke grimly, touching the blood; his fingers came away scarlet and gritty, "but this is definitely his work."

"I presume you're speaking of the same 'he' as before," said Sabuka quietly. "You never said anything about him being a murderer."

"If you get the chance," replied Sasuke, "look into his eyes. They're pure evil."

"I thought you told me," Sabuka responded softly, "that my eyes were the same as his."

Sasuke shook his head. "They're the exact same color," he clarified, "but that's where the resemblance ends."

"Who are you talking about?" Naruto whined.

"Gaara of the Desert."

At that point, Kakashi hurried over, looking weary and angry. Sakura, the rose-haired girl from before, trailed him.

"Sasuke! Naruto! What took so long?" demanded Kakashi. "Did it occur to you that when I say I need you, it just might be important?"

"Naruto was being an idiot again," said Sasuke icily. The orange-clad shinobi opened his mouth to defend himself, but Kakashi caught sight of Sabuka just then.

"Good, you brought a friend," he said. "We'll need all the help we can get."

"Why is he here?" Sasuke asked quietly.

"How should I know?" snapped Kakashi. "Do you think I can read minds? You of all people know the Sharingan doesn't do that!"

"Hey!" shouted Sakura, speaking for the first time. "Don't blame Sasuke! He - "

"Something tells me we don't have time for this," interrupted Sabuka, watching a wisp of sand drift across the sea of blood. She didn't really know anything about it, but she did know that sand did not often move on its own.

"No, we don't," Sasuke agreed coldly. Sakura trailed off.

Sand twisted around itself in a deadly dance above the blood, and a boy appeared in the center of the storm. His hair was the same cardinal red as Sabuka's, and his eyes were the same pale, seafoam green, but when she looked into them, she didn't see any of the evil Sasuke had mentioned.

All she saw was pain.

--