So, hi guys. First fanfic here, though I've been a long time reader. I love Naruto, and I think Sasuke is the character you can do so much with as a writer. Which is why I've chosen him as the main character. This story will have mature themes and will be quite dark and disturbing at times. What can I say, I get some pretty sick ideas lol. I've made this an AU, so the world here will resemble feudal Japan as well as medieval Europe- kind of a hybrid between the two. That also means locations like Konoha and Suna or other villages we know of from Narutoverse could vary in distance from the actual manga as per the fanfic's requirement.

Pairings can be multiple. Despite there being a main ship, due to the story, some characters could end up sleeping with multiple others. However, there will always be a proper justification in the story and it won't just happen for the sake of adding smut.

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Prologue

The priest ran as fast as his old legs could carry him. It was a dark moonless night and all the torches in the streets had been put out. The only sound he could hear was the heavy rain- chilling and morbid. Mud stuck to his ankles as he desperately tried wading through the sea of darkness to his safe haven- the old church atop the village hill. Behind him, the wooden and stone houses lay deathly silent- adding to the eerie atmosphere. The only light came from the flashes of lightning periodically illuminating the night sky, and the crimson red eyes of his pursuer.

Despite every fiber of his being warning him against it, he chanced a look back at the enemy. He couldn't help it- those red eyes and the black tomoe spinning within were magnetic, almost forcing him to look their way. He felt completely powerless under those eyes- his body almost wanting to freeze in one place. With every agonizing second, it seemed he was only running to the church because his pursuer wanted him to- manipulating him to reach the holy place for some unknown reason. It was almost like all free will had abandoned him and his body had become a puppet- being strung along by the demonic swordsman with the hypnotic eyes.

With great difficulty, he managed to squeak out a few words.

"Go…gomen nasai! I am a man of God. I am…I am a man of faith. Please don't hurt me!"

The swordsman's blood red glare cut through the darkness. Soundlessly and slowly, he took one step and then another toward the helpless priest.

"Pl-please! I've done nothing to hurt you. I've repented for my sins long back! Please".

The priest's voice cracked as a stream of hot tears streaked down his face, mixing with the rainwater. As if to drive his misfortune further home, his foot found this to be an opportune moment to trip on a pebble. With a splash, he fell down on his backside on the muddy street. His wet kimono clung to his body and he felt a shiver right down to his bones- more from dread than the cold. Glancing behind him, he could see that the church was just two steps away.

The swordsman stood over the priest's trembling body. His face wasn't clearly visible, hidden by long bangs but those eyes were spinning faster and faster. Wordlessly, he crouched and dragged the priest by the kimono to an upright position, before shoving him hard through the church's wooden door. It broke with a crack muffled by thunder but the scared old man did feel some splinters piercing his back. Pain shot up his spine but he could only open his mouth in a wordless scream. Two white candles were lit in the devotional area, underneath a statue of Mary, recessed in an alcove overhead. As the swordsman finally stepped closer, the priest could finally see his face.

It was an unblemished face surprisingly. And much younger than he would have guessed too. Not betraying any emotion, it would almost seem soulless were it not for those damned eyes. The eyes crackled with fierce intensity, in stark contrast to the dead expression the attacker wore. For the first time that night, the swordsman spoke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Five years ago, you stole a young boy from his parents and did unspeakable things to him. You made him the object of your twisted desires and satisfied your sickening urges, even as all foolish villagers revered you and looked to you for advice and guidance. You masqueraded as a holy man in the day and at night, right in this place of worship, you sodomized an eight year old repeatedly."

The priest was too mortified to even try and deny the allegations.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he sniffled, all pretense of innocence gone. "I gave in to temptation, I was weak. I know I committed an unforgivable sin. But I let the boy go! I realized how terrible of a deed it was, and I let him go! And I've been an honest believer of the Lord since then, I've helped the poor, I run a school for poor kids. Please!"

The tomoe in the swordsman- Uchiha Sasuke's eyes finally stopped spinning. A second later, he sighed and blinked. When he opened his eyes again, they were no longer crimson- but onyx- blending with the darkness around him.

"Karma catches up with everyone, old man. I know you speak the truth. Maybe leaving you alive is in the best interest of this village and its people. But the boy's parents have paid me all their life earnings in exchange of your head. And I may have broken many promises in my lifetime, but I never break a contract."

Sasuke slowly moved his fingers near the hilt of his katana at the waist. The priest's pleas became more frantic.

"I'll do anything you ask! Please don't kill me. These villagers depend on me. The school kids depend on me. I keep this place free from any squabbles or disputes. Please"

He knelt and buried his face at Sasuke's feet, sobbing loudly.

"Hn. Then pray", Sasuke replied. The priest looked up at him, face dirty with mud, tears and snot and eyes swollen red. "Don't look confused. This is a place of worship, isn't it? So pray for forgiveness".

Sasuke stepped away from the miserable man and unsheathed his katana- the polished metal shining in the candle light. Seeing the priest still unmoving and dumbfounded, he continued.

"Confess your sins to your God and pray, old priest. You're a man of faith aren't you? I don't believe in those things myself- in fact I stopped believing in anything a long time ago but I want to. Show me a miracle, priest and I'll let you live. Start praying and if God decides to help you before I count till ten, I'll leave you alone."

"N-no! What are you…How can you? Please don't do this". The priest desperately tried to stand up and run, but he couldn't.

"One".

Sasuke started to circle the priest slowly, the katana hilt clutched tightly in both hands. He felt a slight throbbing in his arms as he gripped the Kusanagi blade- and he was ashamed to admit it was from excitement.

"Two".

The priest started crawling towards Mary's statue, muttering prayers under his breath the whole time.

"Our Father, Who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name."

"Three".

Sasuke lazily ran his eyes along the length of his blade. He spotted a few bloodstains still on the metal. He'd have to clean it better soon.

"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done."

"Four".

The Uchiha wondered if this is how his life would end someday. Helpless, at the complete mercy of another. Would he beg? Try to fight back? Or be relieved?

"I run to you, Lord, for protection."

"Five".

The priest's body was almost convulsing now. Sasuke wondered if this was the most sincere the old man had ever been while praying.

"You do what is right, so come to my rescue".

"Six".

A shadow of a memory came back to Sasuke. Years ago, when he had still hoped he could lead a normal life and have a family. His lover used to pray. Look where it got them both. Still, she had believed and Sasuke had hoped it would be strong enough to convince the powers that be.

Sakura!

"Listen to my prayer and keep me safe".

"Seven".

Too many things had happened to ever allow him to go back to that life. He had been unable to repress his natural self. His façade of being a peaceful, family man had cracked and Sakura had seen him for what he truly was- a demon with an insatiable lust for blood. And she had hated him for it.

"Be my mighty rock, the place where I can always run for protection".

"Eight".

He hadn't heard from his old friends in almost a decade now. It was probably best that way. People like him lived and died in the shadows- dwelt in the darkness away from normal civilization, where they couldn't corrupt and damage the ones meant for greater and more meaningful things.

"Save me by your command! You are my mighty rock and my fortress!"

"Nine".

Sasuke had been keeping count almost absent mindedly. Deciding to push away memories of what could never be away from his mind, he brought his focus back to the task at hand. Did the priest himself believe such empty words could prompt a miracle? How could anyone believe someone would be benevolent enough to look after all of them?

"Come and save me, Lord God, from vicious and cruel and brutal enemies! I depend on you, and I have trusted you since I was young. I have relied on you from the day I was-"

"Ten. Time's up, Ojiisan".

The priest wasn't even paying attention to him anymore. He started praying faster and faster- words getting twisted and jumbled, the line between speech and gibberish getting muddled.

Sasuke silently pointed his katana toward the heavens. It was a habit from his samurai days. Even though he'd never been a samurai at heart, some things just got conditioned into your body until it became instinct.

"Be at peace."

With these words, Uchiha Sasuke swung down his Kusanagi blade in an arc resembling the crescent moon. Quick and clean. The priest didn't even have time to scream before his head was detached from his body and rolled down the church floor. Blood sprinkled and splattered all over Sasuke's kimono and katana, but the rain would wash it off. He didn't bother getting the body out of the church. In the morning, the entire village would witness a sight they'd never imagined.

Yes, he'd never been a true samurai- or one to fight for honor and justice and other impractical ideals. As he stepped out into the rain, angling his sword to wash off the blood before sheathing it, he thought of where he'd go next. He didn't have a home or a master. He didn't have a lover or friend. All he had was his sword and the money he made by swinging it. He was a living weapon, a hired gun. A samurai without a master- who served only himself.

A ronin.

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(To be continued)

I wanted to use the prologue to just serve as an introduction to Sasuke- his character, his thoughts and how he operates. I'll start introducing regular Naruto characters from the next chapter- a few at a time. Romance will be present but this won't be an out and out romantic story- if you know what I mean lol. I also want to make this a story of redemption, forgiveness and acceptance. The romance will be a major plot point but it will be slow and gradual.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think, your thoughts and suggestions etc. I promise to reply :) Constructive criticism is of course, always appreciated.