PROLOUGE
The blazing, setting sun shot warm streaks of red, orange and purple throughout the sky. The clouds tinted warm colors and the only part of the sky with a remotely blue color was the far, Eastern horizon. Two figures were watching the sunset from a rooftop. From one side, they were only black shadows, melting together as one. There was a boy and a girl. The boy's silhouette showcased his lean and muscular body. His shadow had a spiky top, due to his pointed hair. The girl was shorter in comparison, but you could not tell that from the shadow. Half of her body was concealed by the boy's shadow.
"Th-th-this is really g-great…" the girl whispered almost inaudibly. The boy had unconsciously trained himself to hear her soft voice. He had no trouble hearing at all.
"I thought you might like it," the boy whispered, in a low voice.
There was silence, but only their words had quieted. Their thoughts drifted around their minds, creeping away, then coming back, and cycling. The boy brought his face closer to the girl's and the girl cast her eyes downward. She felt the too-familiar blush coming up, and she tried to stop it. Her efforts were cut in half because her mind was too occupied with the boy who was inches away. The boy tilted his face forward and the girl felt her heart pounding louder than it had before. She waited and waited until she couldn't take the suspense anymore.
CHAPTER ONE
Two pairs of eyes watched from a distance. It was a bit creepy, even stalker-ish, but they were all ninjas. If they were good for nothing else, it was spying. The two owners of the eye pairs were not aware of each other, for they were some distance apart, but both had the same vehement hatred and jealously. Neither of them would admit it, to anyone or to themselves. Both pairs of eyes were black, and both had black hair. The similarities stopped there.
One pair of black eyes was glaring intently at the couple on the roof, his slits for eyes becoming even thinner with anger. His tan, sharp angular face was hidden behind the leaves of a creeping plant. He brushed back his long, thick black bangs that were close to his forehead. Jealously boiled in him, though it would take him some while to admit it. What made the boy cuddled with her better than himself? He would normally find Naruto to be an agreeable person most of the time but the eyes blinded by hate could not see clearly. He remembered with aversion the similarities between himself and the other boy that many people had mentioned. Now he could not stand those comments. If they were so the same what made that other boy so much more appealing than himself? The boy bared his teeth, feeling something feral in him trying to claw its way out. He felt so, so tempted to just let it out, plunge into battle head-first and let his instincts lead the way. He knew instincts weren't always logical. When you experienced both firsthand, you knew that they were two different things.
Behind all the rage, the boy felt a weaker feeling lurking. By weaker, he did not mean less potent or less dominant. By weaker, he meant the way it made him feel—weak, helpless, diminutive. What right did That Boy have to come in and steal Her away? I'm the one who was with her since the beginning. We've gone on so many more missions together than That Boy and Her have. Does all of that erase away just like that? Was that not valid at all, like I thought it was? New thoughts—useless ones—such as It's not fair, and Why me, came into his head. They beguiled him to shrink back, escape away to a hideout, and wallow in misery. It was so enticing, so easy. He wouldn't have to do anything. Just wallow. Doesn't wallowing sound so good right now? He asked himself.
But he didn't want to do nothing. That's why those thoughts were useless! This was just like any mission—except it was solely for his benefit. He wouldn't have Shino there to carefully pick apart each portion of the mission and create steps to achieve the goal. He would have to do that himself. He wasn't the planning type, or the organized type, but he would have to be. He would have to be an entire ninja squad in one person. The boy shot one last glare at the couple in the sunset. Malicious thoughts swirled inside the boy's head. He savored them. Let this be your last night together.
The other pair of dark eyes stared at the couple in the sunset with considerably less obvious emotion. If there was a jutsu to see the emotions behind a ninja's cold, stone-set face, one would see the battle of emotions behind the night-black eyes. There were fiery spurts inside the boy. How dare they thwart my plan? This is what the world has some to? Forget that baka being Hokage, I have to set things right! There were sinking pits of quicksand inside him as well. Things will never be the same again. This is it. The moment we've all been dreaded, yet were sure would never happen. Agony, agony! Woe on me! This has brought me down to a disgusting low damsel in distress level! Woe, woe, woe!
The boy, so used to being on top, the Alpha, the head of the class, could not understand how his life could spiral downwards in more than one area! Sure, he used to be immature and hate on his older brother but they were over that! So, always there had to be one thing in his life that was awful? No! I won't stand for it! Or sit or jump or kick or kill! The boy's thoughts halted, and he narrowed his eyes prudently. Kill? What a tantalizing option. But tantalizing was right. It was just out of reach, too far-fetched to be seriously considered. He would never sink that low again—to kill for something such a softhearted reason. It didn't sit well. At least before he had only committed to following his greed and hatred. This…could be possibly embarrassing, and/or life threatening. Well, if he was going to take a practical stand on this, he would have to think harder. That thought triggered something else in his mind, which made him brighten—a little. If I take the sensible approach, well, that will be more than my…rivals will take!
The boy nodded to himself. His first plan hadn't worked out as beautifully as he had imagined. Maybe he had put too much faith in his pawns. He had learned his lesson—the hard way. He must never make the mistake of making mistakes again. Why should suffer for himself, when plenty of other people had suffered before him? He would just laugh at their stupidity and take the easy way out. The easy way could be the best way.
The boy narrowed his eyes at the couple in the sunset. He could and would put faith in his queen. In fact, pawns could graduate into queens. Maybe he shouldn't throw them all away from his focus—maybe one or two special pawns would be useful. Watch out, Nara, he thought censoriously. You're not the only man of depravity, discordant to the soft Konaha ways! At least Sasuke was willing to work for his goals—or at least make others work for him. Nara was too lazy to even try the latter!
Yes, Sasuke deplored his previous plan. It was cursory. He would not curtail his plan time now. He would be as contentious, as evil, as wrong as he could be! He smiled in complacency. Watch out, Konoha. This is a storm you have never seen before.