Alyssum: Any garden plant of the genus Alyssum having clusters of small yellow or white flowers

meaning "worth beyond beauty:

"Five minutes into Sound Country and I already don't like it."

Kiba scowled at the comment and turned to face Naruto, movements steady despite the movement of his horse. "Quit complaining. We go to the Otokage's place, we stay a couple of days until the negotiations finish up, and then we can leave."

Naruto pulled off his hat and shook his hair loose, blonde spikes falling just shy of bright blue eyes. The air was sticky and humid, even with the amount of trees that blocked out the sun, and the forest was probably filled with poisonous things. He'd seen about five snakes already, each one progressively bigger than the last. It made him miss Konoha twice as much, with its sunshine and paved roads, where all he had to worry about was accidently stepping on a small frog. And that didn't happen often because they tended to yell at him if he got too close.

Naruto squinted ahead at their caravan. "I love old man Hokage, but being a bodyguard kinda sucks." He nudged his horse to trot alongside Kiba's. "I heard this Orochimaru guy's a creep."

"Well, he's threatening to invade our country, so yeah, I bet he is. And you volunteered to bodyguard for this mission!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly. "The old man made that face at me – you know, 'Oh, I'd love for you to come with me, since I raised you like my son, but it's all right if you don't want to go.' How can I say no to that?"

Kiba snickered. "Pay's not bad either."

Naruto shrugged. He liked to think that the Hokage picked him as one of his guards not because Naruto was like family to him, but because he was one of the best soldiers to come out of his class at the Academy, and at nineteen, perfectly qualified to guard the old man. The Hokage was everything he aspired to, especially because right now he was riding inside the main wagon of the caravan with soft pillows to sit on instead of picking around rocks, mud, and questionable plants for two hours.

Naruto glimpsed their destination looming in the distance, and as they approached, he could see past the shadows of leaves and thick brush to the white surface of the Otokage's house.

"This is the place?"

"Yep."

Naruto whistled. "Fancy."

The house in front of them was more like a palace, and the size of one, too. The elegant ivory walls stretched up to a domed roof far above his head and Naruto looked up at the Sound insignia engraved at the top. The caravan slid to a halt and he hopped down from his horse, following Kiba to where several servants were waiting to lead their horses to the stable. He watched the Hokage step out from the wagon and, not for the first time, marveled at how he could move so gracefully in all those robes at his age. Naruto fell into his place next to Kiba at the rear of the group.

The double doors were opened for the group and Naruto's eyes widened in wonder. The place was very big and very empty, with only a few servants lingering around the sides of the room, watching them silently. The marble floor stretched on for several meters, blanketed with red, velvet carpet. Naruto looked guiltily at his muddy

shoes.

"This way, please, sirs." One of the men bowed low and led them down the hall. Their footsteps echoed in the silence and Naruto couldn't help but feel uneasy as they walked toward another door. It felt like the hallway was narrowing around them and his stomach clenched. His beloved country's well-being hinged on this talk. Despite how much he joked about it, he couldn't brush off the importance of the meeting, even if he couldn't do much but stand at the Hokage's back.

"Gentlemen, it is an honor to have you here," Orochimaru greeted, seated leisurely in a chair at the opposite end of the room. He must've been getting up there in years, though younger than the Hokage, but while Sarutobi still had the glow of health in his skin, Orochimaru was pale and his face was narrow, almost like a snake's, half covered by long, dark hair. He leered like a snake, too, gold eyes fixed on them, and Naruto's skin crawled when they swept over him. The Hokage, undaunted, exchanged formal pleasantries with him and the tension broke as his strong, warm voice filled the room. Naruto let his shoulders relax and turned his attention away, his gaze immediately drawn to something his eyes had passed over before.

A boy knelt close to the chair, his hand folded neatly in his lap. His head was lowered slightly, but Naruto could see hints of a beautiful, porcelain face. Naruto's eyes roamed over the white kimono that draped over his slim shoulders and cut a V down his chest, exposing a tantalizing amount of creamy skin. Black hair curved past his chin, perfectly smooth and silky, like an artist had sculpted him.

As if he'd felt Naruto staring, the boy looked up. He had very dark eyes, emotionless but for the brief flash of something when their eyes met. Naruto flushed a bit, but he couldn't take his eyes away. He wondered what the boy would look like if he smiled, if those eyes would brighten.

With a jolt, he realized Orochimaru was looking at him and the Otokage's mouth curved into a smile.

"Ah, I see you've noticed my Sasuke." He reached out to rest his hand on the top of the boy's head.

"My?" Is he a slave?

Orochimaru tightened his fingers in Sasuke's hair and Sasuke's eyes went blank again. He lowered his head with a soft, "Welcome," his eyes once again on the floor.

Naruto felt a surge of anger at the Orochimaru's blatant display of ownership. Sasuke's posture was tense and his hands curled into the fabric over his knees when Orochimaru moved his hand to the back of his neck.

"Will we be meeting with your council?" the Hokage said, and Naruto had never been so grateful to hear him speak. He wanted that hand off Sasuke's neck.

"Of course." Orochimaru let go of Sasuke and stood up, motioning to the group. "We'll start right away," he said with sickly sweetness. Sasuke got to his feet, and their eyes met again as Naruto passed him. This time Sasuke held his gaze, his eyebrows creased slightly. Naruto gave him a friendly smile before he followed the two leaders out of the room. He tried not to look back over his shoulder.

So his name is Sasuke.

Here we go with a multi-chapter story. I wanna do this instead of exams! (whines)

I picked a bad time to get new ideas.