Sasuke awoke to a loud knocking at his door. How long had he been sleeping? He got up from his bed and grudgingly trotted toward the door; he looked through its peephole. An almond-shaped yellow eye looked back at him. "Sasuke-kun", it hissed, " Open the door"
Sasuke immediately obliged and moved out of the way for the figure to enter his room. It was the snake himself; Orochimaru. He looked so out of place in Sasuke's room. His chalk-like skin glowed vigorously in the dark and his eyes were two golden slits; not to mention his nose was barely there. He didn't look human enough to be called a man, he was snake-like in all aspects; from the purple streaks running from his eyes, those menacing fangs, that limber figure, and that faint hiss heard whenever he spoke. All that and more made him impossible to trust.

Orochimaru walked closer towards him. " Sasuke-kun, you've been gone all day. I really missed you...humph. Have you forgotten our training?" He smirked while glimpses of his fangs were seen.

" No", Sasuke replied. " I've long anticipated our training, but it seems like you've have better things to do. I didn't forget." He hated talking with the Sannin; it always left a bad aftertaste.

Orochimaru cackled mirthlessly." You don't know why, do you? Ah, Sasuke-kun, I haven't been there for you because I did have other things to do. You'll see that it's quite beneficial. But first let me ask, how would you feel if I postponed our training for a month"

" A month? he asked. "There's no way I'd let you get away with that. I know your time is running out and you need a new body soon. You're bluffing." Sasuke said.

"Bluffing? My dear boy, I have nothing to bluff about. A month would be nice to get away from a rude brat like you." Orochimaru paused to look at Sasuke's reaction. Sasuke just stared at him; he continued. " Besides I believe its a good experience for you. Could you train and surpass your own limits by yourself?

" Of course I can." Sasuke said.

Orochimaru leaned closer towards him still. Sasuke could see every muscle in the snake's body tense with excitement. He wasn't sure where Orochimaru was going with this. The truth was that he hated the mind games often played on him. He wasn't sure how he was going to train a month by himself and get stronger without a mentor to supervise him.

" Well Sasuke-kun, I'm sure you could train by yourself, but I'm afraid you'd get lonely. My future body can't be hanging around unsupervised, why think of the havoc that will reek upon this place. No. I think a companion for you is best." Orochimaru said.

"Orochimaru, I need no one. If anything, I needed you to become stronger and you leave for long periods of time? Just spit it out and tell me where you're going with this." Sasuke said.

The Sannin was a little ticked at these last words. " Sasuke-kun, that was...blunt. No need to be harsh because I was just getting to that. You know that crate you brought in? Well, the person that was inside will be your new prey. You can use it to play with for one month"

" Play with a human? I'm not as twisted as you. I'm guessing you mean training with that person for a month. It depends... if they're worthy enough to train with an Uchiha"

" Train, play, I see no difference." Orochimaru said nonchalantly. "As for worthiness, its up to you to decide. I'll give you one month and I expect the both of you to be ready for real training"

Sasuke watched as the Snake King walked towards the door. Before Orochimaru left he parted with these words. " My body has plenty of time before it wears out, I hope yours doesn't by the time I see you again." Then the oak door closed gently behind him, leaving Sasuke alone again.

"Hn, that person will have to worry about Me." he thought. " They'll be lucky if they ever have the chance to gaze upon my Sharingan." His eyes glowed red with black-spiraled pupils as he said this. The Sharingan was the Uchiha clan's claim to fame. Sasuke knew he shouldn't be cocky since he didn't even know the other person, but he couldn't help feeling so...well, cocky. "I've been here for 5 months now training vigorously. My speed has increased, I have a new jutsu, and combined with the skills I have now I'll be fine"

So he walked back to his bed and lied down. Honestly, he didn't even know what the time was. Without windows it was hard to tell whether it was day or night. Sasuke just lied down with arms crossed behind his head and thought. He noticed lately how he's been thinking more often and today was just worse. He furrowed his eyebrows and pouted his lips while he thought. This one little idea had been plaguing him ever since they came back from Sunagakure. Who is that mystery person? " Its stupid, I'll find out tomorrow." he said to himself. But could he wait that long? Sasuke was revered for many things but patience didn't come naturally as most things did. So he stayed wrestling with his thoughts till he fell asleep.

The next day Sasuke woke up to nothing, nothing at all. Usually he woke up to some noise but today was especially calm. He got up and went to the bathroom to get ready. He took a long cold shower, brushed his teeth, and got dressed. Sasuke wore his usual navy shirt with light gray shorts. He didn't bother with his hair; it never behaved the way it ought to. The back stuck out in many directions and his bangs laid smack in the front of his face. He walked to his trunk and took a handful of kunais, his katana, scrolls, and a number of miscellaneous shinobi equipment. Sasuke was ready for the newcomer's arrival.

He didn't have to wait long because Kabuto came in to tell him to meet Orochimaru at the grand hall. The grand hall was this elaborate chamber where Orochimaru and him would occasionally use to train. It was vast amount of space dedicated to nothing in particular. It was more for decor to impress any of there guests, which there never was.

Sasuke walked down the tunnel and stopped to arrive at the grand hall. Like everything else, it was semi-dark and eerie, only a handful of torches surrounded the hall's court. He entered the chamber where Orochimaru greeted him.

"Good morning, Sasuke."

"Hn." grunted Sasuke.

Orochimaru wasn't bothered by the boy's lack of response instead he had more pressing matters to address.

" Sasuke, as you know, today is your first day training without me. Taking my place will be my newest addition to the collection. Come on out Satomi." Orochimaru said.

A young girl appeared from behind Orochimaru who looked equally as confused as Sasuke did now. She wasn't very tall and had long auburn-colored hair. Her appearance did not indicate whether or not she was powerful. Sasuke saw girls like this in his village and they were definitely not shinobi.

Sasuke didn't know what to make of this. "Is this a joke?" he asked. "I thought you promised me a worthy opponent."

The old Sannin looked sternly at him and said, " Do I look as if I'm joking? She's someone who I personally selected to be part of our family. She'll serve her part well, won't you?"

Her caressed her cheek. She flinched at his touch.

"Okay" Sasuke sighed. " I'll accept this for now."

" I knew you'd see things my way. Now I think its time for some introductions." Orochimaru said.

Orochimaru looked at Sasuke implying that he should began the introduction process. Sasuke acted oblivious to the whole matter; intros were not his thing. The Sannin poked and prodded the young boy but to no avail; Sasuke would not budge.

A soft voice soon broke their little quarrel. "My name is Satomi" it said. It was the girl. She gave a wave to Sasuke and said, " Its nice to meet you."

"Get lost" he said.

Satomi scrunched up her face, she was confused again. Yet she didn't appear too hurt. Orochimaru watched the two interact; it was rather amusing for him. Truth was, Sasuke saw that she was not strong. By the sound of her voice and delicate appearance, there was no way he could take her seriously. This one-month thing would be a waste of time.

"Don't mind Sasuke, he's always serious" Orochimaru said. " He has a worse temper than I sometimes, but you'll be fine." He laughed a little at this. "Your training commences now, downstairs in the training grounds." With that he left the two teens alone to figure out their predicament.

"There's no way out now," Sasuke thought. "I'll become stronger though, I'll make sure of it." With a wave of his hand, he beckoned Satomi to follow, which she willfully obliged. They walked in silence on their way to the training grounds. The halls were getting longer and brighter, which makes sense because they were nearer to the mountain's base. Now that Sasuke got a better look at her, he noticed she didn't have any weapons on her. He had weapons to spare so that shouldn't be much of a problem.

While they walked, Sasuke felt her eyes looking at him, which provoked him to look back at her. She wasn't looking anymore. "Good", he thought. This whole situation was annoyingly exciting. As they approached the training grounds, his heart beat faster. The training grounds were the largest room in Orochimaru's lair. It was dedicated solely on helping him become stronger. It was divided into four sections with each containing its own environment. Today they entered the forest habitat that was one of the four sections that was designed to resemble that of Konoha. Tall trees scraped the ceiling while shrubs, boulders, and even wildlife covered the forest floor. According to Sasuke, it was the best habitat to train under because of how common it was in these lands.

He turned to look at the girl who looked upon the scene with amazement and wonder. "Wow, is this where we'll be staying?" she said.

"Yes".

"I never saw anything like this to be honest. You see, where I live there aren't forests like these. These trees are giants and several of these animals, I've never come across." Satomi said. She gave a little smile in return.

Sasuke simply closed his eyes. The girl doesn't have any experience with forests then. He sighed. " This is where we'll be training for a week. Each week we'll be moving to a different section of these grounds since there are four sections and four weeks in a month. I don't know how skilled you are but we'll see very soon. We're going to vigorously train even if it means if one of us is hurt. Understand?"

"Roger that" she said.

"Hn. We're going to commence on three. One. Two...three!"

Sasuke didn't look back as he rapidly hid in one of the nearby trees. All he had to do now was seek out where Satomi was hiding. He crouched there quietly and concentrated on his target. He couldn't sense her chakra or hear her. Where could she be? Sasuke quietly leaped onto another tree to get a better look. This time he heard a faint rustling in the bushes. " I've got her now." he thought. He ran towards the direction of the sound and hid behind one of the nearby trees. The rustling continued and for a moment Sasuke thought she was stuck in the bushes. If she was, he'd just have to set her free. Clutching his kunai pouch, he grabbed some shuriken and hurled them towards the shrubs. A loud shriek pierced the forest as Sasuke's prey was caught; it was Satomi.

He walked over to where she lay in pain. Apparently the shuriken didn't stab her but only grazed her skin. She screamed mostly out of fright rather than anything else. He saw that she was upset, but that didn't compare to how much he was pissed off at her.

"Satomi...don't you know how to fight?" he asked impatiently.

She suddenly seemed interested at the ground for she kept looking at it while averting his gaze. " I don't really...but I'm willing to learn. I'm sorry. I thought you wouldn't want to train with me if you knew. After all, I saw how disappointed you were when you saw me."

"And for good reason too. You're a small, soft-looking, stupid girl that has no talent. I have to teach you all the basics and more in a month or else I won't get the proper training that I need. Save your apologies and get up. The real fight begins now." he said coldly.

Satomi did as she was told and brushed off her black pants and red shirt. She stood this time with a bit more confidence as if to show him how dedicated she was to him. It didn't change his thoughts of her. Oh what a jerk he could be...

"Alright Satomi, since you're just a beginner I'll have to start with lesson one. Lesson number one of being a shinobi is that you never show emotion. Secondly, a shinobi-"

"Wait" she said. " How come you can't show emotion?"

"Hn. Because by showing petty things like feelings and emotions means that they get in the way of you're duty as a shinobi. You're more vulnerable and liable to get hurt."

"Oh I see. So, in order to be strong you must have a clear head. Right?"

Sasuke nodded in reply.

"Now, the second rule is to never give up." he said. "That's all for now."

Satomi shot him a weird look. Man, did she notice? He really thought those rules at the top of his head. Well...Sort of. They did reflect to how he was living his life. He didn't expect them to agree with her.

"What?" Sasuke said.

"Nothing" she replied. "Its just that usually when you start by saying "first", its expected to be followed by two other things. You just stopped at the second rule. It doesn't sound right."

"Your comments aren't appreciated here." he said coolly. "I suggest you tell it to someone who cares."

Satomi death glared him but he just did the same. After a few more seconds of these menacing stares, she couldn't take it anymore and took her eyes off of him. He sensed that she was tired of not blinking because she started tearing up right there. "Another victory for him" he thought.

He grabbed a few of his kunais from his kunai pouch and walked a few meters ahead to where there were three trees all aligned in a row. Carefully, he engraved a circular target on the bark of the trees. Then he went over and picked some red berries to use as a way to distinguish the target. Once he was done, Sasuke stepped back to admire his work that resembled a dartboard. Satisfied, he ran back to where Satomi stood gazing at some of the wildlife scampering by.

"Hey pay attention." Sasuke said. "This is your first lesson in shinobi tactics. Your job is to use these kunai.", he pointed to his kunai, "to aim and hit your target which is the bull's-eye."

Sasuke handed his kunai over to her and watched. Satomi examined the kunai carefully. He noticed she didn't handle it correctly. Already he predicted the numerous ways in which she would injure herself. Stupid girl..

"Ouch." she said. Satomi winced as she cut herself with the blade. He was right once again.

Exasperated, Sasuke grabbed the kunai from her hand and demonstrated how it should be done. Gracefully, with strength and precision, he aimed at the target and threw it directly at the tree. Bull's-eye!

"Your turn and try not to get hurt this time." he said sarcastically.

"You'll see." she said and stuck out her tongue.

He watched as she grasped the kunai correctly this time and waited for her to strike. Satomi held the blade in front of her and aimed. With her arms slightly pulled back, she sent the kunai flying into the trees. A second later a dull thud was heard a few meters ahead. The two teens looked into the distance and saw that the kunai hadn't missed its mark...exactly. She managed to hit the target circle but not the bull's-eye. Sasuke smirked, she wasn't a lost cause...yet. On the other hand, the young girl was ecstatic.

" Wow! Did you see that Sasuke? Not bad, eh?" she looked at him for approval.

Sasuke sighed. "While you did better than expected. That's not acceptable. Next time hit the center. I think that will be your training for today. I want you to practice your aim until you hit the bull's-eye every time."

She looked at him skeptically. "You're not doing this to get rid of me are you?"

"Whatever gave you that idea? Idiot." he said. And with that, he disappeared into the forest.

Sasuke needed time alone to gather his thoughts. He wasn't used to so much companionship after awhile. Mainly, Orochimaru left him alone unless he was needed for training or to accompany him on missions. Other than that, he stayed in his room to think.

He leaped from tree to tree searching for a place to set up camp. Sasuke decided the perfect place was nearby the river. The river crossed the heart of the forest, plenty of wildlife came to drink there, an abundant supply of fish swam in there, and it would keep both of them well fed and refreshed. Quickly, he began setting up the tents and fire. It was getting dark inside the chamber just like it would outside. That was another ingenious invention of Kabuto's. He had installed an apparatus that would function as the sun would. In other words, the lights inside the training ground would dim down as night approached and get brighter as morning came. Sasuke made the tents out of the fallen branches and large leaves of trees. A tent was a must because although they were inside, the ceiling would pour out water like a thunderstorm. The training grounds were built specifically to resemble the weather conditions a shinobi would normally encounter outside. Finally, he was finished and without a moment to spare; night had already fallen. Sasuke set out to fetch Satomi.

Not far from camp, he found her still going at her training. Which was stupid because there was no way she could see the targets.

"Satomi, that's enough for today. I set up a place for us to stay this week. Let's go" he said.

"But I had it, I know it. I managed to hit the bull's-eye three times in a row. You've got to see it." She tugged at his sleeves, but it only annoyed him further.

"Quit it. Listen, I'll see it tomorrow. Right now it's useless because in case you haven't noticed, it's dark." Sasuke said.

"Alright then, tomorrow." She puffed up her chest and said, "Well then, what else can I master?"

"You can master shutting up." he suggested.

Satomi did as she was told. He had to hand it to her, she listened well. He stood in front of her and bent down. "Hop on, we're going to camp."

Again, she obeyed, but not without some difficultly. Apparently, the darkness was too harsh on her eyesight because she first grabbed Sasuke's bangs. This led to some cries of protest from the boy and a whole bunch of apologies from the girl. She mistook his bangs from his shirt. In the end, she managed to put her arms around his neck. Sasuke slowly stood up and took off. He zoomed through the branches much to her dismay. Every time he took a giant leap, she tightened her grip. They had to stop once to let her calm down and for him to catch his breath. When they arrived at the camp, both teens were exhausted.

Satomi was the first to speak. " Sasuke not so fast next time, that was murder."

Sasuke however was not in the mood to argue. However, he did not leave without telling her that he was going to teach her how to travel like a shinobi if it was the last thing he did. He entered his own tent and plopped down on his makeshift bed. "I'm a teacher now...but what will I learn in turn" he wondered. Sasuke heard Satomi enter her own tent next door. "I'll become stronger." he thought. He fell fast asleep.

To readers: Important!

I have the third chapter half-way written out. Probably going to be one of longest chapters so far, so be prepared!

Keep reading. I will update often.

Lovingly, thepenartist