Sasuke was a planner. Improvisation was a figment of his imagination. Events furled out neatly and in order, and everything had a reason. This is why he never, ever associated himself with people like Naruto. Wild cards were dangerous to his plans. Unfortunately, all his attempts to discourage the illogical idiot were met with an equal force of pressure, and eventually the two were too tied together to help. Sasuke metaphorically gritted his teeth, and forced himself to leave leeway for his friend, and see what aspects he could work with to further his plans. It was during the Wave Mission that he realized that no plan with Naruto in its formation would turn out the way he wanted. It seemed the only things he could expect his teammate to do was to be loud, easily flustered, and willing to do anything to prove a point. So it went, and Sasuke planned his every move in the presence of Naruto in order to make the blonde malleable to his plans-until the Second Exam. Enter yet another Wild Card who completely and utterly crushed his machinations: Orochimaru. This time, he had a bit more trouble fitting the old snake into his plans, for the reason that he didn't know which to choose: a slow but steady road to strength, or a near-instant accomplishment, probably at the cost of his immortal soul. Here, Sasuke had admitted to himself, he had chosen a pretty bad time to try his hand at doing something unpredictable. He hadn't wanted the fight he had against Naruto at the Valley. That fight was bitter, too emotional to be a true test of himself.

At first, he had counted on proving himself during the Chuunin Exams, and had found himself wanting. It wasn't acceptable. As he was wiped out by playing with a mentally unstable boy who had never been in a real fight, Naruto had defeated a demon. It was the same opponent in both encounters, but the nature of the fights were completely different. That, really, was why he had decided on the risk to his soul. The wound that Itachi had left was old; the slap in the face he'd just received from the worst student in his class was new and hot. This new rage had released itself in the Valley of the End, and Sasuke wished it had never happened. As a case to prove his ability, it was too bitter, too choked up, and it hadn't achieved anything but admitting exactly what kind of a person Sasuke was, and a new-found fear of his stupid teammate.

Sasuke fled to Orochimaru in terror of the beast he had left behind, and threw himself into the senseless torture that the bastard called 'training.' He lost his sense of time as the months flew by, and a third of the time he was recuperating from the exertions put on him by his new instructor. His plans evolved in their stagnation, and Sasuke found a place in his schedule to prove himself against not Naruto, but the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. This time, it would not be a fight over such things as friendship, things pointless to fight over because there could be no dispute over the bond that refused to be cut down, no matter how many times he blunted his word against it. It would be a fight most likely to the death, and neither would hold anything back. Sasuke was still haunted by that moment when Naruto's claws were inches from tearing off his face, and instead had the audacity to mark Sasuke's hitai-ate. It was scary, and it was infuriating. If the blonde pulled anything like that in their next fight, Sasuke would kill him without hesitation.

"What about you, Sasuke?" He looked up with a start. The other Sound nin were all staring at him with evident curiosity. The one who had spoken, a red haired kunoichi who reminded him uncomfortably of Sakura, scooched closer to him. He inched away. She seemed vaguely put out. "Who did you leave behind?"

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, wishing that his associates would stop with these adolescent games. They were shinobi, for heaven's sake, not hormone-driven civilians at a slumber party.

"From your village, who did you leave behind that you wish you didn't have to," explained the girl. "Like, I left behind my sister, and Aquaboy over here left off his training to be a Swordsman of the Mist with his brother to be here. Did you have anyone?"

"Of course not," Sasuke lied. "Why are you all discussing something as inane and pointless as that? We should prepare for the mission. People who aren't standing watch should be asleep." The Sakura clone squeaked and blushed at that, and became extremely busy with combing out her wild hair in getting ready for bed. 'Aquaboy,' a red-eyed boy with sharp teeth and an even sharper tongue, simply rolled his eyes and walked out to the outskirts of their small camp.

As his teammates-accomplices, and nothing more-went about their tasks, Sasuke laid back on his sleeping bag and wondered why he'd lied. It shouldn't have been a lie, but he was willing to be honest with himself on that point. What was the point of it? Why did he need to put on this façade of detachment? It was a bloody stupid mask to don, but for some reason he could not comprehend, he didn't want to lose his humanity after all. What a curious happenstance, that even his subconscious could interfere with his plans. He would have to think about this.

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This probably isn't what you guys are expecting from this story. Make of it what you will.