Chapter 2: Laying Down the Foundation

A/N: This is the beta'ed version. I'm very thankful once again to 80X18 who beta'ed it.

Would love to hear your views on this. Enjoy!

"So how are we going to get started on this deranged mission to restore the Uchiha Corporation?" Sasuke asked as he sat across from Naruto in the living room of the Uchiha mansion.

Naruto seemed to have been expecting this question. He took a deep puff of his cigarette, cracked a smile at the raven and said, "Uchiha, I have it all planned. The funds, the manpower, the right contacts, you name it and there is nothing I can't provide. But the funds that I can help you attain won't be sufficient. If we were to go over your accounts, is there any money that the market owed you? Any fictitious assets, loans given out, any money lying around that could be used? Think back, try and recall because every penny counts."

Sasuke brooded over this silently. Money in the market; he tried to think about any company that dealt with Uchiha Corporations and had some funds due to be paid. Finally he said, "I think Momochi Enterprises owed Uchiha Corporations roughly 1 million dollars and apart from this, I have personal shares in the market that could sum up to 1.5 million."

Naruto smiled and said, "That's great. And I almost forgot, there are a few people I want you to meet. They're potential investors who are willing to invest in Uchiha Corporations."

Sasuke looked over at Naruto and asked, "So these people will buy my stock so that they can take me over or probably propose a merger?"

Naruto looked shocked and a little insulted at the conclusion the raven had drawn. In a clipped and withdrawn tone he remarked, "As a matter of fact, they totally oppose the idea of buying you company." Very casually in a flippant tone he added, "You don't trust me, do you, Uchiha? These people only wish to buy your stock enough to gain seats on the Board of Directors. They are people who have the same motive as me, to throw Hyuuga out of business."

Sasuke studied Naruto over the rim of his glass of bourbon. The man had indeed thought everything inside out. Besides being compulsively handsome he was intelligent too. He studied the blonde's features.

Cerulean eyes that glinted with meaning and a purpose; a straight nose that spoke of domination and his mouth. With a sigh, Sasuke realized the blonde's mouth was an indulgence. His lips were a sinful invitation of touch and taste and suddenly he had an urge to lean over and taste those lips for himself. So caught was he in his reverie that it took a moment for him to absorb what Naruto was saying.

"Do I have something on my mouth?" the blond asked self-consciously. Sasuke blushed and shook his head in denial.

Yes he had to admit to himself. Naruto was extremely handsome.

"Oh okay, as I was saying..." the blond continued to rant out the strategy and Sasuke at once started paying attention. So far, Naruto had come up with a very smart and strong strategy. According to the man, if things worked out in their favor, within six months Uchiha Corporations would be back in the game.

Of course there were little loose ends here and there that demanded serious work but ultimately the ball would be rolling in his court.

Later, when Naruto departed, Sasuke went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. Leaning against the sink, he thought of the blond. He couldn't help but think about the way Naruto was as a person. Everything about the man pulled him to Sasuke like a magnet. His face, his voice that was passionate and filled with conviction. His toned and defined body that promised temptation.

It was ironic, he thought. The world knew everything about him and yet nothing at all. They knew nothing about the man Uchiha Sasuke was but they knew about all his tawdry affairs. To them business men were all alike. Straight, driven squanders who were nothing but Playboys.

Their main interests lay in dating stupid cover girls who had brains as much as they had flab and were willing to share themselves in front of the whole world to see. It disgusted Sasuke. It was true that he had had his share of their fancy faces on public displays but that was only because it was a requirement in the role he had to play; just a mere facade to protect the family name.

If truth be told, Sasuke hated women. He just couldn't stand them. They were loud and obnoxious and annoying. Instead he preferred men. Logical, straight-forward, and calm, they understood him and never pushed or got touchy feely or emotional.

He did not want a relationship. It made things awkward and troublesome. Hence, he got them when the need arose and once the job was done, they were quickly disposed off.

And now that Naruto became a man that Sasuke needed, Sasuke would do his damn hardest to get him and soon because the sooner the itch got scratched, the faster he would be able to concentrate on his business.

Three days later, Sasuke found himself to be surprisingly nervous as he paced in his office before the meeting that was due with the "New Board" that Naruto wanted Sasuke to meet. His pacing heart plummeted when Naruto walked in and asked Sasuke to accompany him to the conference room since it was time for the meeting and the members arrived. Sasuke nodded and began to walk with the blond whilst briefly discussing the agenda.

The duo walked into the conference room and Naruto immediately took to greeting the people standing around the table. He began to introduce them one by one to Sasuke. He moved to his left where a man stood with spiky white hair and a face partially clothed. His nose was buried in a book that had a hideous orange jacket.

As soon as he saw Naruto approach, the book disappeared in a flash in what Sasuke could only assume to be the inner pocket of the black suit the man wore. Naruto pointed at the man and said, "Hatake Kakashi, owner of the publishing house that manufactures the Icha Icha bestsellers and a close friend."

Next, he moved to a man of roughly his own age who had sharp molars sticking out and what appeared to be two red triangles tattooed on both his cheeks. "Inuzuka Kiba. Don't go on his looks; he is a fucking man that has an obsession for dogs and owns the famous Inuzuka Vaccines Company. Not only does his family own the largest chain of veterinarian hospitals in the country, but he's another very close friend of mine," Naruto smiled warmly and patted Kiba on the back.

Next, the man Naruto moved towards had his face partially covered in the jacket he wore and dark glasses perched on top of his nose. The glasses covered his eyes entirely. It seemed to Sasuke that the man was trying to hide his eyes. Naruto introduced him as Aburame Shino, a bug specialist. "And not just any normal bug, Shino here has done a research on more than four thousand different types of bugs," said Naruto.

Sasuke shuddered lightly.

Naruto moved towards the fat man in the group. The man looked like he wished he were someplace other than this. He was chewing on a gum it seemed. "On a diet are you Chouji? How is the restaurant doing by the way?" Naruto asked. The man smiled and said that it was doing just fine and invited Naruto over for dinner.

Finally, Naruto approached the last man left.

The man had shaggy brown hair that was tied back in a ponytail and brown eyes that looked completely uninterested to such a level that the man appeared bored. "Ah! Finally. Sasuke this is Nara Shikamaru, my best friend. His father owns the local daily news and Shikamaru is the Chief Editor. He's lazy as hell but with the IQ of a prodigy."

Naruto's voice had the sweetest and the most pompous tone and he had casually slipped an arm around Shikamaru's shoulder. Shikamaru seemed completely unperturbed, too used to the gesture to comment. The man huffed and mumbled something about "troublesome meetings" as Naruto returned to his place.

"So we all know why we've gathered here. This is how we will go about it…" and soon the company plans were laid out in front of the board members who listened attentively and gave some very clever stipulations of their own that made some daunting tasks relatively easy.

"So far so good," thought Naruto, hours later as he sat in his office and planned the next step. Now all that was needed was the financial backup he had promised Sasuke and the manpower to fuel the production wheels and set them moving. He would get there, he resolved.

Now was the time to get his revenge. Now was the time to take things to a new level.