Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Akame Ga Kill! Just the story concepts are mine.

"Are you that excited?" Sasuke couldn't help but groan at his best friend's unfortunately usual antics. "You should focus on not forgetting your stuff instead of jumping all around."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto pointed a finger at the black-haired, handsome teen. "Well, you should stop being a stick in the mud all the time! Have some fun. Live a little, ya know!" The exuberant blonde pumped his fist in the air and accidentally knocked over his sword strap in his overeagerness, letting the gleaming blade clatter on the floor. He looked up sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and doing his best to ignore the noncommittal grunt from Sasuke.

"Y-you didn't see that!" Naruto hurriedly shoved his sword back into its scabbard and cleared his throat, doing his best to restore his image in front of his rival. "Meet back here in five?" Again, a grunt was the only response he received.

Rolling his eyes, Naruto waved at Sasuke's back, knowing full well he couldn't see him. With a slight smile on his face, he took off, rushing home at a pace few in his village could rival. "Sorry about that!" He called back, as he nearly knocked over a passerby in his hastiness. "Don't mind me!" He weaved and bobbed through the closely-knit groups of adults and children.

It wasn't before long before he made it back to his home. It was a quaint little cabin, hand-built by yours truly. It had taken several months of hard work: chopping down uniform logs of wood and using nails and mud to stick them together, creating something liveable out of nature's resources. Of course, he'd received invaluable advice from his surrogate brother - and rival - but that was something he would never reveal to Sasuke.

In the usual brash manner, he slammed the door open, nearly knocking down several pots of plants he'd so painstakingly taken care of. Exhaling in relief, Naruto swept his gaze throughout the room. His wooden table, the comfortable but worn-out couch, the dead fireplace: they were all there. But where was his… Ah! There it was.

Sticking out by the foot of his mattress was his brown backpack, filled with money, food, and water. Naruto, in a rare show of responsibility, had carefully filled his canteen, packed extra clothing, and didn't forget his monetary resources.

"I can't wait!" Naruto whispered to no one in particular in a hushed tone. "We're finally leaving!" He threw the bag over his shoulders, double-checked his sword strap, and looked at his cabin one last time.

"I'll be back." His smile was full of forlorn happiness, a clash of emotions that should've mixed as well as oil and water. Yet on his face of blue eyes and tanned skin, it fitted perfectly, expressing his inner emotions with finesse. "That's a promise of a lifetime." He closed the door behind him and rushed off to rendezvous with Sasuke.

~o~

A portly man with stained lips nodded at the reporting general in front of him. He stood next to a young boy everyone referred to as the "Emperor". Such a youth was unfit for ruling over a vast kingdom, which was why the man next to him served as the advisor.

At first glance, it was obvious why he was chosen for such a position. He greeted everyone with an unsettling, yet honest smile and acted with a friendly tone, his every action for the kingdom, and only the kingdom.

And yet, underneath his veneer of shining jovialness laid a greasy, malicious snake, specializing in manipulation. His list of wrongdoings was never-ending, having killed, raped, and much more.

He, who was responsible for stacking corpses on top of each other.

He, who was responsible for the starving citizens and poverty-filled communities.

He, who was responsible for draining the kingdom of its vitality.

He was Honest.

No, not a "he". For a creature that masqueraded as a human could not be referred to with a humanizing term. Monsters that lived in the recesses of the deepest pits of nightmares could only be referred to as an "it".

It was Honest.

And right now, it was plotting yet another one of its nefarious schemes.

With the threat of Night Raid looming shortly, and more and more ex-generals and competent soldiers defecting to the Revolutionary Army, it feared for the collapse of its opulent lifestyle.

And that could not happen.

And so it plotted.

And connived

And schemed.

~o~

"Do you even know where to go, loser?" Sasuke snarled, gripping tightly onto his bag and glaring at any little thing, animate or inanimate, that dared to set him off. "Or are you just 'winging it' as usual?" Out of boredom, the dark-haired youth drew his sword and practiced his swings, nearly taking off Naruto's head.

"Hey!" Naruto scowled at Sasuke's attitude, put off with the scornful tone. "We've been walking for a while now so I-" He was rudely interrupted with yet another swing, only this time, he didn't escape unscathed. Several strands of his yellow, gravity-defying hair were severed and fluttered down to the ground.

"That's not telling me if we're lost or not, idiot!" Sasuke gritted his teeth and sliced an adjacent tree into bits out of anger. "Just admit it. You're being stupid as usual and got us lost-" Before he could finish his statement, a fist connected with his cheek, sending him tumbling down to the ground.

Sasuke spat a glob of blood to the side while internally berating himself for not anticipating the turn of events. His companion was hot-headed and never afraid to start a fight with him. "Ho? Are we really going to fight right here and now?"

"You nearly took my head off, bastard!" Naruto unsheathed his sword and charged at Sasuke in a simple-minded frontal assault. Sasuke scoffed, knowing full well that the blonde knucklehead was outmatched when it came to swordplay. Physically, the loser held an advantage over him, but Sasuke had always been more skillful, learning how to wield a sword with ease.

Their swords clanged against each other, sending sparks flying. Sasuke's calm nature juxtaposed with Naruto's unbridled fury. He didn't bat an eye as he used Naruto's own momentum against him, simply nudging the flat of the blade as each strike came down upon him. "C'mon loser. You can do better-"

As usual, Naruto had deviated from the standard rules of swordsmanship, throwing his blade at Sasuke in a futile attempt to land an injury. Sasuke winced as his arm ached in protest from deflecting the blade to the side. Whether he was more skilled or not, Naruto was strong. That latest throw briefly numbed his arm. "What a troublesome idiot." Sasuke shook his head and dodged the barrage of blows, only to slam into a tree behind him.

With a flick of his wrist, he landed a diagonal cut on Naruto's torso, only to hiss in frustration. Naruto had managed to catch the sword with no regard for his own well-being. His left hand bled deeply from grasping tightly onto the razor-sharp edge but the grip didn't lessen.

Pulling on the sword, Naruto managed to get Sasuke closer, close enough to land a thundering headbutt right on his forehead. The blonde took advantage of Sasuke's dazed state, ripping the sword from his hands and throwing it to the side.

The dark-haired rival had just enough time to sink into his stance, fending off Naruto's punches and kicks with his elegant blocks. Feeling the backlash from blocking instead of dodging, Sasuke jumped back to give himself a moment of reprieve. His shallow breathing quickened, all while his blood boiled at the prospect of facing his rival once more.

"Naruto!"

"Sasuke!"

~o~

"You're such an idiot." Sasuke rolled his eyes as he watched Naruto cover his hand with bandages. "You caught my blade for what? An extra hit?" He scoffed and turned away, looking at the distance and wondering when exactly they would reach the Capitol. Their village wasn't that far from their destination, or so their leader said.

Maybe they were going in the wrong way?

"Ha!" Naruto stuck his tongue out. "Totally worth it." He winced as his torso was exposed to the air, the blood still diffusing through the fabric of the bandages. It would take more time for his platelets to form a clot and stop the bleeding. "The old man did tell us to go north, right?"

Sasuke moved his head ever so slightly in response. To anyone else, it would've appeared as if he was indifferent to the question, ignoring the youth beside him out of exasperation. Naruto, luckily, had grown used to his friend's habits and took that as a confirmation.

It didn't mean he liked it though.

"Oi!" Naruto's eye twitched. "Use your mouth or something, dammit! I can barely tell if you're nodding or not…" He grumbled and placed his hands in the back of his head in his typical fashion. They hadn't fought for long so the sun was still glaring down on them, shining brightly and without falter.

"Sasuke." Naruto suddenly spoke up. "What do you think the Capitol is gonna be like?"

The black-haired youth sighed in annoyance, having heard this question in the thousands. "It doesn't matter. All we have to do is get into the army, make money, and send it back to our village." He answered curtly and quickened his pace, eager to avoid Naruto's incessant chatter and idiotic questions.

"Man, you're always like this!" Naruto slapped Sasuke's back and smiled brightly. "I bet it's gonna be huge and full of gold and treasures! There's probably food everywhere and people walking throughout the place." Naruto was now thoroughly lost in the illusion he had fabricated for his eyes. "Whaddya think of that, bastard?"

"Hn."

Naruto's eye twitched once more. "Use words, bastard! Words!"

~o~

"Father, are all of these soldiers necessary?" Aria sighed in disappointment, having to wait before resuming her hobbies once more. "And will they interrupt my fun?"

"Of course not!" He chuckled heartily from his extravagant seat and sipped on his glass. "They're just here for extra protection. Think of it as extra insurance so you can keep doing your hobbies." The father placed the glass on the table next to him and stood up. "It won't last very long, honey. If we can't complete the task in a month, they'll move out and everything will go back to normal."

Aria narrowed her eyes but lightened up when hearing the word "normal". "That's good… After all, I can't wait to hear the screams of thew newcomers. Damn country peasants…" She snarled, feeling extremely different from the angelic innocence she was giving off earlier. "Don't know their place." She stormed off, no doubt to continue her sick entertainment.

"Don't forget to test them!" He called out before sitting back in his chair, exhaling in exhaustion.

Who knew how hard it could be to raise a daughter?