Disclaimer: I once tried to pirate the rights to Naruto. I went out, bought a boat and a really cool flag, and set sail to intercept... except Mr. Kishimoto decided to take a plain. I got a really bad sunburn, and I still don't own Naruto.


Sasuke and the Kyuubi
Chapter 4


"Hn."

Sasuke tossed the black leather bound tome onto the bed. He'd finally finished it, and the raven wasn't quite certain how he felt about it. The story was far too fantastical to be true, filled with magic spells, a prince turned into a monster, wars and castles. Sasuke had never read any other account in history that could back up this tome, but it also claimed to take place during a time when history was scarce, thus difficult to piece together.

"There's no way to know for certain," he sighed, falling back against his pillow and looked up to the ceiling. He studied the wooden beams that held up the roof, noticing the patterns of the grain, the imperfections and the cracks. This house was old, though barely a few decades, yet it had already started to fall apart. If this story was to be believed, then there was a castle up in the mountains, probably a ruin now.

What was it that the loud mouthed girl with pink hair had said? She'd seen stone markers that had the symbol of the Kyuubi. The golden fox…

Should he go looking for them?

No. That would require asking Sakura for directions, and there was no way in hell he was going to willingly start a conversation with that annoying huntress. Sasuke didn't know why, but he felt as if she were undressing him every time she looked at him. It made him feel like meat, and Sasuke Uchiha was prey for no one.

The sound of a commotion outside caused Sasuke to become distracted from his inner thoughts.

"Strange…" he muttered, sitting up and moving to the side of the bed.

People were rushing past his window, and Sasuke could hear a large hubbub developing. Normally the villagers didn't make that much noise. Yes, they could often be raucous and get on the raven's nerves, but they weren't this boisterous. Getting up and throwing open the curtains, Sasuke gazed out the window and saw a horse running wildly threw the market area. It was bucking wildly, and several of the villagers were trying to subdue the creature, but to little avail.

Sighing, Sasuke pulled on his shoes and ran out the door. He pushed past the throng of villagers, making his way to the front of the crowd. Just as he had suspected: it was Jiraiya's horse. What the hell? Where was the perverted scholar and why was his horse tearing up the village?

"Someone grab the reins!" a woman yelled.

From the sidelines, a figure burst out of the crowd. A blur of red, black and pink leapt onto a market stall, pushing off of it into the air and landing on top of the horse's back. Sasuke was impressed to see Sakura had been the one to pull of that maneuver. The girl had always come across as loud, obnoxious, and ill-mannered, but he had never expected her to actually be competent at something.

Perhaps there was come credibility to her skills as a huntress after all, which only made Sasuke more hesitant to be around her.

He watched as Sakura gathered up the horse's reins, pulling on them sharply and bringing the creature to a halt. The pink haired girl then nimbly leapt off the back of the horse and tied it to the post of the nearest vendor's stall. The crisis was averted, and it had only taken the girl a few seconds. The villagers cheered, Sakura bowed, and the crowd started disbursing.

With a sigh, Sasuke walked over to the horse where he noted the village elder was currently thanking Sakura for her "wondrous heroics" as he called them.

"Where's the old man?" Sasuke scoffed, "Did he get drunk and forget to tie up his horse when he got back?"

"To my knowledge, Master Sannin isn't back," the elder frowned, scratching his chin which was covered in the white bristles of a beard.

"Then… where did his horse come from?" Sasuke looked at the creature in concern.

"It was probably the storm last night," Sakura shrugged, "It isn't the first time that one our horses have broken out of the stables. The city down the mountain doesn't think very highly of us; they say we are behind the times."

"That still doesn't explain why Jiraiya's satchel is still tied to the saddle," Sasuke pointed. These people could be so dense sometimes.

"Your tutor can be a forgetful man," the elder chuckled, "I've come to learn that it is best to leave him to his own devices."

"I swear," Sasuke growled, storming back to his house. He didn't bother finishing his train of thought. These people truly pissed him off, and sometimes he wondered if any of them had an IQ over 70. For all they knew, Jiraiya was lying in a ditch somewhere because his horse had bucked him off.

Throwing open his door, Sasuke grabbed a bag out of his closest and started throwing things into it: water bottle, gloves, some food. He was going to go out there and see if he could find Jiraiya, even if he had to go all the way into the village to make certain that the old man had made it there safely. The last thing he needed was for that pervert to have gotten himself killed. If Jiraiya was dead, then Sasuke would have to go back to Tokyo, which meant going back to his father. No way in hell was he letting that happen!

Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Sasuke stalked towards his door and threw it open, only to find himself face to face with Sakura.

"Going out on the mountain?" she asked perkily, but that hungry glint in her eyes was still there.

Feeling uncomfortable yet again, Sasuke merely nodded.

"You're gonna need me to guide you," she offered.

"I'd rather let the horse step on my face," the raven frowned, pushing past the girl and walking toward Jiraiya's steed.

His comment left Sakura utter speechless, and she stood there on his front porch, gaping as the raven stalked away from her. Sakura stared at the back of his head and noticed just how much it resembled the ganders she hunted in the winter. Sasuke Uchiha was proving to be remarkably difficult to snare, but then the thrill of the hunt was the whole point of tracking something difficult.

Sasuke climbed up onto the horse, suddenly realizing that he had never actually done this before. He was accustomed to controlling every aspect of his life, if possible, and that meant never looking ridiculous. Somehow, sitting astride a massive stallion, Sasuke felt like he was the most ridiculous person in the village at the moment. The raven hated this horse with a passion for making him feel that way.

"You have to hit its flanks with your heels," Sakura smirked. "Are you sure you don't want my help?"

"Positive," Sasuke sneered, kicking the horse to get it moving.

The black steed tossed its head before turning in the direction Sasuke pulled on the reins. He pulled the horse right across Sakura's path, and, in a most gratifying turn of events, the horse chose that moment to lift its tail and drop a payload. Taking a step back from the pile of droppings, Sakura looked utterly mortified!

Sasuke bent over to pat the horse on its neck, "Good boy, you may not be so bad after all.


Sasuke had been riding for hours without any sign of Jiraiya, and he had begun to wonder if perhaps the pervert truly had just forgotten about his horse. The white haired scholar was obsessed with women, and seeing as how Jiraiya had been going to give a lecture about breast cancer, it was possible obsession had managed to completely override the man's priorities.

The forest was quiet that evening, still and eerily peaceful.

Sasuke usually enjoyed an atmosphere of silence, but this silence was unnerving. There were no birds singing, no chattering of crickets, and even the wind seemed to be afraid to rustle the leaves in the trees. What was with this? Sasuke felt like he had stumbled across a place in the world where nothing moved, a place which time had forgotten.

Then he saw it: a small stone obelisk, about three feet talk, carved out of grey stone, and chiseled into the face of it was the unmistakable mark of the Kyuubi.

"No, way…" he whispered, steering the black stallion towards the stone. Surely such a coincidence was impossible.

The horse snorted, pawing at the ground and refusing to walk in the direction of the little statue. Frustrated, Sasuke hopped off the animal, grabbing his and Jiraiya's bags, and he walked the rest of the distance. The raven knelt down to examine the relic closer. It was obviously ancient, worn and pitted from years of weather abuse; only a few flecks of the gold paint remained inside of the etching of the Kyuubi's mark, but Sasuke had to assume this had once been a remarkable piece of craftsmanship.

Looking further down the path, Sasuke noticed that it forked. If he were to continue straight, it would lead him to the town, but were he to go left…

Sasuke noticed that the path to the left was lined with these stone obelisks, paced out about every fifty yards or so until they disappeared off into the trees and further up the mountain. Some of them were broken in half, others had chunks missing out of them or the tips broken off, but Sasuke could tell at one point in time this had been a major road, leading to something important.

"Hn…" he looked at the path up into the mountains. Were those hoof prints? Walking further up the left branch of the path, Sasuke could tell that a horse had been up and down this path recently. Yes, the rain had washed out the tracks, making it difficult to tell how fresh they were, but honestly? How many horses had been on this road last night?

"Did you go up here?" Sasuke asked the horse.

The stallion snorted and pawed the ground, looking at Sasuke like he were stupid for walking down that path.

"Why am I talking to an animal?" Sasuke sighed, shouldering both packs and walking back to the horse, "Come on. Let's go find the idiot."

It took a long time to coax the horse into moving down his desired path, and if Sasuke had possessed any experience in horseback riding he might have had an easier time of it; however, that wasn't the case, so he was currently riding an unwilling mode of transportation and cursing at the beast for its stubbornness.

After thirty minutes of fighting the struggling horse, Sasuke was finally on his way down the obscure path. He noticed that the further he went along it, the more obvious it because that this was not a path, but rather a paved road. Carved pavestones were now visible, and the horse's hooves clopped on them, echoing out through the silence.

Sasuke was once again hit with that sense of foreboding when he saw the massive gate looming up before him. "What in the hell…" the boy breathed. "How does no one know about this place?"

Or perhaps they did? The villagers were always whispering ominous things about what lay at the top of the mountain. That still didn't explain why archeologists hadn't swarmed to this site, nor did it explain why history books and documentaries didn't exist about something that was this… massive! And the gates where nothing compared to the palace that came into view as the horse crested the top of the hill.

It was one of the largest palace compounds Sasuke had ever seen. It reminded him the Forbidden City, Sasuke had seen enough pictures of it during his studies. The compounds were similar, though their architecture was different. This castle had large, flat, sweeping roofs which stacked on top of one another to create a large central structure, several smaller, rectangular towers were scattered around it, and they were all surrounded by a large walls that ended at the entrance to the massive pagoda structure.

Two, towering gates barred any entrance into the castle, dwarfing Sasuke and his horse. The raven hopped out of the saddle, landing on his feet and looking up at the massive doorway. Would he even be able to push them open?

"Jiraiya!?" he called out, looking around. There was no sign of the man anywhere.

There was a whiny from the horse as the black stallion whipped its head around nervously. Something had the creature spooked, but Sasuke wasn't going to let the creature get away. He was smart enough to tie the reins off to a peg that jutted out of the stone wall. There was several pegs driven into the stone at the same height all the way down the wall, so Sasuke assumed that this was their intended purpose.

Tuning back to the massive entrance to the palace, Sasuke called out again, "Jiraiya!?"

No answer.

Taking in his surroundings, Sasuke noted that they were rather well kept. Weren't these supposed to be ruins? The gates on the road had been in disrepair, swung in on their hinges, splintered and cracked; however, the palace and its grounds looked in remarkable order. Yes, you could tell that the place as ancient. Slats were missing form the roof in some places, mortar was worn away by time, mold was on the walls… but the bushes were trimmed, the stones were swept, the landscaping looked watered. What was going on around here?

"Jiraiya?!" He called out again, though Sasuke didn't know what he was expecting.

The raven nearly jumped out of his skin when the doors to the palace suddenly opened with a "whooshing" sound. They hadn't opened all the way, but it was wide enough for Sasuke to see inside, not that it did much good because the interior was completely dark. Peeking his head inside, Sasuke tried to get his eyes adjusted to the pitch blackness.

He still couldn't see anything. "Hello?" Sasuke called out.

In answer to his greeting, the palace atrium lit up in a blaze of light. Gas lamps flared to life on the walls, revealing the room and nearly blinding Sasuke since his eyes had been fully dilated. Blinking rapidly to fight back tears from welling up, the raven looked around blurrily at the room he could now see. There were two rows of massive red columns lining the length of the room. They ran parallel to a black carpet that stretched from the entrance all the way to the other end of the room before it split of to the left and right, where a set of massive doors waited at each end.

At the far left, Sasuke caught a glimpse of movement. It looked like something long and silvery-white, a ponytail? Had it been Jiraiya?

"Jiraiya! If you're in here this isn't funny!" Sasuke growled, walking into the atrium and looking around. He heard the creak of something moving, and had to jump out of the way as the doors closed on their own accord. "The hell?" he muttered.

There was another sound from the end of the room, and Sasuke saw the pair of doors at the left had opened up, revealing another lit up room. Letting out a deep breath to calm down his nerves, Sasuke followed the black carpet tentatively.

Everything inside this castle looked like it was in constant use. The floors were polished, even though they should have been covered with dust. The gas lamps were working, even after how many years? Sasuke couldn't help but wonder as he walked the hall. How old was this castle, and were the gas lamps a new addition?

The raven was so confused about this place that he couldn't even begin to wrap his mind around it. Perhaps Jiraiya had felt the same way, and that was why the old man hadn't come back? That would explain a great deal; there was enough here to distract anyone with a keen interest in acquiring knowledge.

Walking through the second set of doors, Sasuke caught a glimpse of what he had been following. It was definitely white, but it looked more like an animal. "A dog?" he wondered, hurrying up to see if he couldn't get a better look.

Sasuke found himself breaking into a quick stride, almost a run, as he tried to keep up with the creature. It wove through a series of rooms: a study, a corridor lined with ancient suits of armor that predated anything Sasuke had seen in museums, a large room with several tables that had probably been used for serving tea or hosting parties, and finally down a flight of stairs which led into a more dimly lit part of the castle. These rooms were dank, the air cold and moist, and it was obviously not where the guests were supposed to go. These looked like barracks for housing soldiers, or perhaps detaining people?

The animal disappeared around a corner, and Sasuke hurried to follow.

Pushing through a half closed door, the raven found himself in a dead end. It was a room with stone walls, no windows, nothing but a single oil lamp which cast a very small circle of light into the darkness.

"Hello?" Sasuke called out hesitantly, "Is there anyone here? Here, puppy… I'm not going to hurt you."

"Sasuke?" a voice croaked out of the darkness. "Is that you?"

"Jiraiya!" the boy exclaimed, rushing over to grab the lamp and pulling it off the wall. He hurried over to where the sound had come from, and he was horrified to see the old man was shackled to the stone wall. Jiraiya looked horrible. His clothes were dirty and smelled of mildew, his hair was clumped and matted, and his face was pale. "What happened?" Sasuke asked urgently, looking for a way to undo the manacles on the scholar's wrists.

"Sasuke?" Jiraiya blinked, still not believing that the boy was in front of him, "You shouldn't be here. You need to go… now!"

"Bullshit," the raven growled, "What the hell is going on with this place."

"It's the curse," Jiraiya tried to explain, though the man looked half crazed. He must not have eaten or slept since he left the village.

"Who did this?" Sasuke looked around but there was nothing to force into the locks, and he couldn't find a key. There was no way he was getting these manacles off without some help.

"The master of this castle," Jiraiya whispered. "If he finds you… no, you have to run boy! Go back to the village and get help!"

"Have you seen those people," Sasuke scoffed, yanking on the chains, "They're useless. They don't even come up into the mountains."

"You can't stay here!" Jiraiya urged, kicking out at Sasuke to try and get the boy to understand, "If he finds you-" A roar echoed through the corridors, silencing Jiraiya as he looked horrified towards the doorway.

"What the hell was that?" Sasuke stopped trying to free Jiraiya and turned towards the noise.

"You have to run now!" Jiraiya urged.

"Then help me get you out of here," Sasuke hissed.

"Take these," a voice called, followed by a metallic clatter. Someone had thrown an ancient blond key ring at his feet.

Sasuke picked them up, looking around for whoever had thrown them, "Who are you?"

Another roar echoed through the corridor, louder this time... and much closer.

"Foolish boy," a voice called out from the darkness, "I try to help you out and you end up getting yourself into trouble."

Turning to Jiraiya, Sasuke furrowed his brow, "What are you playing at old man?"

"That wasn't me," the old scholar whispered, "That wasn't me…"

"Then who…" Sasuke sudden froze as he heard something sharp click on the stone floor behind him. Whirling around, the raven held up the lantern to see what had made the noise, and he stared straight into a massive wall of fluff. "Huh?"

A snarl answered his confusion. Sasuke slowly lifted his gaze, following the furry mass every higher until he looked into the eyes of the most horrifying face imaginable. A monstrous looking creature was towering over him, with a mouthful of gleaming teeth and hands the size of his head. Sasuke didn't even hesitate; he lashed out at the thing with the lantern, hoping to smash and break it over the beast, setting it on fire. Sasuke had seen enough horror movies, and that always seemed to work.

It didn't in this case.

With speed unlike anything Sasuke had ever witness, the huge beast leaped backwards, completely evading the attack. A cruel sneer played across the monster's features, and Sasuke heard a deep, rumbling chuckle escape the its throat. The beast was laughing at him.

Sasuke hated being mocked! With a surge of anger-fueled adrenaline, Sasuke pulled his arm back and threw the lantern at the monster, aiming it right for the beast's massive chest. There was no way the thing could dodge this time.

Except the beast didn't dodge. Displaying surprising reflexes and dexterity, the monster's paw reached out and snatched the lantern by its handle, holding it aloft in the air with a grin of triumph. The flickering, yellow firelight played a menacing game of lights and shadows across the creature's face, highlighting the sharp fangs and crimson eyes…

The beast's gold and sanguine fur caught the light from the lamp and seemed to shimmer, and the beast appeared to be made of fire… something drawn from the depths of hell—immensely powerful, highly exotic and strangely alluring. If Sasuke hadn't been completely frightened at this point, he might have been able to admire just how remarkably lethal and majestic of a predator this creature was.

"What are you doing here?" the monster spoke.

It spoke! Sasuke's brain was plowing into overload. So many things were happening at once, things that defied all logic and reason. The Uchiha couldn't bring himself to accept it. This was not the way the world worked.

"Are you stupid boy?" the beast snarled, "I asked what you are doing in my castle!?"

"I came for my tutor," Sasuke bit back, irritated from being yelled at. His father liked to yell, and Sasuke hated his father. He loathed Fugaku Uchiha with all his might.

"Heh," the beast curled a lip at the boy in a manner that looked very much like a smirk, "You're obviously very brave… or very stupid. I'm thinking it's the later."

Sasuke didn't know what to say. He had about a thousand retorts, but none of them would prolong his life expectancy. Still, his pride wouldn't allow him to remain silent, "You know what they say… takes one to know one."

The monster's face turned into a mask of cold fury, "I'd watch my tone if I were you."

"Or what?" Sasuke smirked; he had the upper hand now. Score one for the Uchiha; his smirk was far more impressive.

In a flash, the giant creature was in Sasuke's face, his fangs bared and his hot breath rushing against Sasuke's pale skin. There was a distinct smell of saliva, but also the scent of thick musk… it weighed heavy on the air. Sasuke also caught a faint scent of chestnuts, which he found odd.

"Get out of my castle," the monster's voice was practically dripping with lethal intent.

"Not without, Jiraiya," Sasuke said as sternly as he could, crossing his arms, but he couldn't help taking a step back. Being that close to the monster had his pulse racing and his heart pounding out of fear. He refused to show it, but something in those dark, red eyes told Sasuke this monster could probably smell his fear.

"The man is my guest," the creature smiled, showing all of his brilliant, sharp teeth.

"Some accommodations," Sasuke looked at the chained up Jiraiya, "Have you even fed him?"

"He is no longer your concern!"

"Bullshit!" Sasuke snapped, "Let him go!"

"Why?" the monster grinned, "I could lock you up next to him and be done with it."

Sasuke froze. He honestly hadn't considered that. In all the thoughts going through his brain, death and physical harm at the forefront, he hadn't expected that this monster would take him captive. Though it did give him an idea. The raven had no idea if it would work, but it couldn't hurt to try.

"I'll take his place," Sasuke said finally.

It wasn't something that he wanted to do, but Sasuke could see that Jiraiya wasn't fairing well. The old man didn't need to be in the cold and the dark. This moist air would doubtlessly make the pervert sick, which would severely hinder Sasuke's plans for the future. If Jiraiya died of illness… it was back to Tokyo.

"Why would you want to do that?" the monster looked confused.

"Because," Sasuke stumbled for a good reason, "He's… he's a brilliant doctor. People are expecting him to reveal a new medical treatment. Many people will die if he stays locked up here."

"And what about you?" the creature slowly stalked around Sasuke, looking him up an down much like a predator would its prey, "Would no one miss you if you were to stay here?"

"No…" Sasuke said, shocked by how true those words felt.

Jiraiya would feel bad; Sasuke was certain of that, but the man wouldn't necessarily miss him. Sasuke's father hadn't bothered to check in on him, and his brother, Itachi, was in America studying abroad. His mother had died, and he had no friends. Sasuke wouldn't be missed… except by Sakura, and Sasuke could honestly do without ever seeing that pink haired bimbo ever again.

"How sad," the monster purred with delight, obviously not at all sad. It finished making a full circle around Sasuke and seemed to make a decision. "Fine!" it barked, "Kakashi! Take this old man out of my sight. Send him on his way."

Crouching down low and holding up the lantern to Jiraiya's face, the monster spoke low and menacingly, "If you tell anyone about what you saw here, I will know, I will find you… and I will kill you."

Another creature appeared out of the darkness to Sasuke's left. It was a tall, silver-furred creature that resembled a wolf. Sasuke involuntarily took a step back, until he realized that he was closer to the beast. Were there monsters everywhere in this castle?! Staggering back towards the far wall, Sasuke watched the creatures carefully.

"What about Sasuke," Jiraiya groaned, his arms dropping to his sides when the shackles were removed.

"Forget about him," the beast chuckled, "He'll… be just fine."


-Author's Note-

And here is where things start to really get interesting. Will Sasuke survive, or will his stubborn nature and master insults get him torn to shreds? Next chapter we also get to meet several other servants in the castle. Hope you're excited as I am!

Reviews are always appreciated. They are what keep me going, and I love to hear from you. I do my best to answer any and all questions/reviews. No matter what though, I love all you guys to death! You're awesome!

Sarai