MWAHAHAHAHA! Sorry…sometimes I can't help it.

NOTE: So my boyfriend tells me that he thinks I did Sasuke out of character in this chapter…that's very possible, but in MY mind, this is the way I picture Sasuke…all emotionally challenged and what not…So yeah, um…don't bitch please. 

DISCLAIMER …or whatever: um, yeah…if I owned Naruto, I would say screw collage and just do nothing but Naruto all day long…Eats a Snickers

WARNINGS: Language and violence…nothing too naughty...yet. A little sumthin' sumthin' this time! NaruSasu-ish…but it ain't how you are thinking! Naughty, dirty, bad, bad! Heehee. ;) (hint: Heavy Breathing and Knife Play)

Enough of my idiot babbling…on with the friggin' story!

…..That Day…

Naruto awoke with the sun in his eyes. He grumbled and pulled his night cap down to shield them from the early morning glare. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would officially be a Ninja of the Leaf. He had a lot of work to do today. He hadn't exactly been taking it easy during his week off, but he knew that he should have been training more. He'd wasted one whole day just trying to teach Konohamaru how to use his Sexy technique! Then there was yesterday. He'd barely accomplished anything at all! Except for getting his ass kicked…and then that encounter with Sasuke…

"Ughahhh…." He shivered despite himself. "Why's that guy gotta be so…CREEPY!" He still felt sorry for him though. Naruto thought that he had to be having a rough time after hearing all that…information.

'All Leaf Shinobi are comrades. One must never abandon his precious comrades when they are in need.'

Naruto huffed and got out of bed. He fumbled around in his 'kitchen' and managed to fill up his kettle with water and start it on the hot plate without causing too much of a ruckus. The endless mountains of clutter proved a formidable obstacle though. He thought that one of these days he was going to have to pick up all that stuff and find a home for it, but he was too busy with training to be bothered with that sort of thing. He'd studied almost constantly for the final exam at the Ninja Academy in the weeks leading up to graduation, and he'd still failed that test! What the heck was he doing wrong? He was thankful that Iruka sensei had allowed him to finally graduate after he'd learned Shadow Replication. He briefly wondered about whatever happened to Mizuki as he dug around for a training uniform that didn't smell or have too much blood on it. One of these days though, he was going to run out of orange. He figured he should wash his clothes sometime soon.

He managed to find an acceptable pair of pants and slid them on as the kettle began to whistle. With a practiced efficiency he grabbed a cup of ramen and yanked off the plastic with his teeth and used the other hand to pull the kettle off the hot plate. He also used his teeth to bite at the cover on the cup and pull it back half way. He poured the water, replaced the cover, turned off the hot plate, and dropped the kettle back on it. Three minutes to finish getting ready.

He dashed to the bathroom and stuck his head in the sink, letting the freezing cold water run over the back of his head, thus waking himself up completely. He toweled his hair and ran his fingers through it a few times, then brushed his teeth. He didn't bother with silly things to make him smell good or look nice. Everyone hated him anyway, so why did he need to impress them? It sure made it easier to get ready in three minutes!

He ate his 'breakfast in a cup' with a smile, and then he checked his pack, making sure he had enough weapons to practice with, and hurried out the door.

Sasuke had fallen asleep underneath the tree he'd been trying to murder the previous night. Deep gouges were torn into the bark. He'd slashed at it repeatedly until his hand cramped up. He finally gave up after the kunai had become dull and wouldn't cut it anymore. He jammed it into the tree as hard as he could. He'd tried to pull it out again but it wouldn't budge and he was exhausted. That was at the end of his little 'training session'. He didn't know how long he'd been at it, but he got tired and just decided to lie down. It wasn't like anyone would miss him if he didn't go home, so, he just fell asleep. His sleep was surprisingly peaceful, considering he usually woke up in a cold sweat, screaming, or gasping for breath. He didn't have to worry about those things he saw in his dreams anymore though, did he.

Those days were gone now. The man who'd come yesterday had taken all that away from him. He took away the things that Sasuke dreamed of. He'd taken away the only thing he'd been living for these past few years. He'd taken away the life of the man he'd dreamed of killing. He'd taken his brother's head.

As he was falling asleep, Sasuke wondered if it had been quick. Was the decapitation the final blow? Sasuke hoped not. That's not how he would have done it. He would have done it slow. He would have tortured his brother until he begged for the death that he'd so readily delivered to the rest of his family. Yeah, Sasuke dreamed of killing him slowly. His favorite was the one where he kept his brother alive simply to continue torturing him. He'd imagined it with stunning clarity. The way he'd caress his brothers pale skin with the edge of his blade, the way he'd press just a little bit, just barely breaking the skin. He'd do it again and again until his brother moaned in agony. How would his brother's blood taste? He knew how his own blood tasted. Would his taste the same? He'd lick the blade clean and laugh as Itachi lay there, helpless to defend himself. He wanted to make Itachi wait for death…the way he made their parents wait…for just the right moment. But then, maybe he'd hold off…just a little longer. He knew he wouldn't want to stop so easily. He wondered how long he could keep his brother…as his toy.

These thoughts are what calmed Sasuke now. They were also the only thing that excited him. On and on he dreamed of that moment, suspended in eternity. After that moment came, there was nothing else. Nothing left for him. That was the only thing he wanted. That moment…forever. The end of his brother's life, for Sasuke, meant the end of his own life as well. He'd never imagined that there would be anything else after it.

Now, there he lay, with nothing, alone. He didn't even have his dreams anymore. That man from the picture had come and taken everything from him. He'd taken away the purpose of his life. He'd taken away his revenge. And Sasuke hadn't even got to see it. He was pissed. That's why he'd tried to murder that tree. He had to do something to get that feeling again. He wanted to feel alive. At the same time he cursed his barren existence. He didn't want to think about what he was going to do now that his brother was gone from his life. He just wanted to feel alive. He needed to kill something.

Naruto was surprised when he got to his usual training spot and found it…different…from when he'd seen it last.

"What the hell?" The ground around the area had been charred and all that remained was a scorched patch of dirt. There were various weapons and bits of wood lying around near it. He glanced around looking for some evidence of what had happened to his grassy little clearing in the woods. Who hell had destroyed it? At the edge of the trees he found all the evidence he needed to determine the culprit. That was probably him over there. 'That bastard. What the hell did he do? Just trash this place until he passed out?' He approached the clearing's other 'occupant'. He cringed when his eyes met with the tree that had been Sasuke's last 'victim'. There was a bloody kunai still sticking out of one of the gashes. Upon closer inspection, he also noticed that the kunai was actually bent, and probably couldn't be pulled out of the tree. 'Holy shit.' He looked down at the boy who was lying at the foot of the tree. "Hey." He nudged at him with his foot. "Hey!" The boy didn't move. "You're in my spot." He held off on calling him 'bastard' like he usually did. "Wake up." When he went to nudge him again, for some reason…something happened…and he was on his back on the ground and something was pressing on his neck.

Startled, Sasuke grabbed his attacker's ankle and pushed it up and away with a quick burst of strength. The attacker, losing his balance, was thrown back onto the grass. Sasuke was up and on top of him before he even hit the ground. He'd, of course, had a weapon ready by that time. Fortunately he'd recognized his 'attacker' a split second before he plunged his blade into the soft skin of the 'attacker's' neck. He met with a pair of terrified blue eyes. They were a strange shade of blue. Too dark. No one else had eyes that color. He wasn't even aware of his awkward position on top of the boy. He simply lay there, with his kunai dangerously close to the boy's neck, staring into those eyes. 'The sky. In the evening. If you look up just as the sun is going down. That's the color. That blue. That's him.'

"Dead Last. What are you doing here?" His tone was that flat, bored sounding, snobbish vocalization that just rubbed Naruto the wrong way.

"I come here every morning to train you freak! Get the fuck off me!" Sasuke didn't move. He didn't want to. He stared at those eyes. They weren't scared anymore. They were angry. He was angry too. He imagined what it would feel like if he just made a tiny slice…right in his neck. What would he do? Would he try to fight? Or would he just lay there and let him do it? He wanted him to fight back so bad. He pictured the body below him kicking and screaming as he stuck him with his knife over and over until the kicking and screaming stopped. "COME ON BASTARD! GET OFF! And turn off your freaky eye thing too while your at! You crazy freak!"

"What did you just say?" Sasuke was shaken from his daze by the boy's mention of his eyes.

"I said…GET! THE! FUCK! OFF! ME! YOU FREAK!"

"Do you see something in my eyes, Dead Last?" He said pushing his blade just a hair closer into the other boy's skin.

"YES! INSANITY! YOU PSYCHOPATH!" Naruto thought he might actually die after that, but he couldn't help it! He hated that guy THAT much! Damn it all if he had a big mouth that he couldn't quite control. That was something that just NEEDED to be said! He closed his eyes and tilted his head back a little to relieve the pressure that was being put on his neck.

Sasuke thought that the way the boy tilted his head, that he was just asking him to slit his fucking throat. It was funny. He laughed. He hadn't done that in long time. He actually couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed like that. Dead Last was funny. He was funny, and he'd probably just awakened his clan's blood line skill within him. This was not an unpleasant thing. Still laughing, he lowered his kunai and pushed himself off the other boy.

Naruto quickly scrambled back and sat up, rubbing the skin of his neck and panting. 'The Uchiha bastard is insane. He's completely insane. He's snapped. He's just… gone mad.' That's what Naruto was thinking as he rubbed his neck. When he removed his hand he saw a tiny smear of blood. 'Yeah. That's what happened. He just went crazy. That's gotta be it.'

Sasuke examined what he'd done to Naruto's neck. He was surprised that Dead Last was still there. He figured he would have run away after he got off him. He'd gotten a little too excited and accidentally cut his skin…just a little. While he was looking though, he noticed something he hadn't noticed before. He saw…something…chakra? It was seeping through Dead Last's body, up to where the skin had been punctured. This was interesting. It seemed like…the chakra…was fixing the wound…interesting. He didn't know that Dead Last could do that.

"So…you're like…different…now…" Naruto was trying desperately to find some kind of something to say to the freshly insane boy that was staring at his neck like he wanted to take a bite out of it. Why was he still there again? He should be running far, far away by now. Screw it! He wouldn't let that Uchiha bastard beat him like that! He didn't care if he was crazy! He'd show him!

"How am I different, Dead Last?"

"You know what? I have a name. I don't care if you ARE an Uchiha AND a nut case! You fucking talk to me with some respect if you want me to answer you!"

All Sasuke wanted was for Naruto to tell him what he saw in his eyes, he didn't even notice it when he called him Dead Last. He did it on reflex. It was something that he'd just always done. He was amused at Naruto's demand for respect. Sasuke didn't even know what it felt like to be picked on. No one had ever picked on him, unless you counted his older brother…but he didn't count anymore. Everyone respected Sasuke because he was an Uchiha, everyone except for Naruto. Was that why?

"Fine. Uzumaki. What do you see in these eyes? ...Dead Last."

Naruto strode over to where Sasuke was still sitting. He reached into his pouch and pulled out a kunai as he walked. When he got near, he held out the kunai and brought it around in a slash. A bold move. Sasuke, however, was top of the class for a reason, and brought up his own kunai to block. Naruto leaned closer and got in Sasuke's face. "Look for yourself."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as Naruto peered at him calmly. Defiantly. He glanced down at the kunai that Naruto was holding. He held the blade in such a way that the flat edge was facing Sasuke's eyes. His reflection gazed back at him. He smiled at what he saw. This was definitely not unpleasant. He saw the Mirror Wheel Eye staring back at him. This was definitely a good day. "Thank you." Dead Last deserved something for doing him such a favor.

"Since you're here, why don't we have a friendly little spar?" Naruto jerked the kunai back and slid it into his pack with one quick gesture.

"I don't have time to play with a loser that can't even do a Bunshin!"

"CHE! I know a technique that is waaay cooler than that stupid Bunshin technique. Why don't you let me try it out on you?"

"Are you trying to fight me, Dead Last? Ha! Ha!"

"I know you're top of the class, and I'm just a dead last, drop out, but that doesn't mean that I can't outlast you. I've got stamina to spare."

"You won't be able to out last me if I kill you."

"So? What? Are you afraid I'll kick your ass, Bastard? Come on! Why don't you show me what your freaky lookin' Uchiha eyes do?" Sasuke didn't reply. Instead he got up and rushed Naruto, kunai in hand. He slammed the kunai directly into Naruto's chest. There was a loud 'poof' and Naruto disappeared in a puff of smoke. When smoke cleared, he saw the clearing had become full with Dead Lasts! He knew that what he'd just attacked was not a Bunshin because Bunshin have no form. They're just an illusion. But he saw the chakra pattern in it. It was a solid thing. He couldn't tell which one was the real Naruto though because the whole crowd of them had the same chakra pattern. "This is my Shadow Replication Skill. Let's see how long you can go!"

Sasuke rushed into the crowd of bodies, slashing as he went. Each time he struck, the opponent would disappear into a puff of smoke. It went on like that for a while. Naruto used that time to watch his opponent and study his technique. He couldn't tell from the actual combat what skill those eyes gave him.

He wasn't surprised when his opponent released a Giant Fireball and took out a bunch of his clones. He'd seen him use that skill before. Giant Fireball was the skill that had all of teachers at the Academy raving over Sasuke. He thought it was about time to change his position and summon more clones.

"Not bad! Uchiha Bastard!" some of Naruto's clones sang out, drawing Sasuke's attention from the area he'd chose to hide in next. It also served to distract his opponent while he formed the seals to summon the next wave of clones.

Sasuke continued to attack the remaining clones, there was a loud noise and a whole new crowd of them was rushing him. He was actually glad. He couldn't believe how good it felt to be able to fight like this, with no restriction. He wasn't holding back at all. He attacked each clone as if it was a living, breathing, thing, and he was annihilating them. He loved the way his blade would actually puncture the 'skin' and they would appear to bleed right before they disappeared. It felt almost real. He hadn't ever fought anyone like this before. No one ever wanted to fight him. He was 'Sasuke Uchiha'. He was too good for them to even try.

Naruto watched as his opponent ran, slashing through the mass of bodies that he'd created. Even though he was mad that the Uchiha Bastard was able to deal with them so quick and gracefully, he was excited to be able to have a REAL match. Nobody ever wanted to train with him; he was just a dead last loser. He wasn't good enough to train with. So he always had to train alone. It wasn't an easy thing to try to come up with strategies to defeat opponents when the only opponent was your self. This didn't even feel like training though. He was actually having fun for a change.

The boys were too busy trying to kill each other to notice that they were being watched. A shadow had crept up on them and rooted itself to a tree, just close enough too see the battle unobstructed, but just far enough away to go unnoticed. A pair of red, 'demon' eyes peered at them, studying their every move.

He wasn't planning on catching Naruto in the middle of a huge brawl when he asked old man Hokage where he was likely to find his 'ward'. He'd actually planned on introducing himself and maybe getting to know the kid a little. They were going to be spending a great deal of time together now, after all. That would have to wait though, he guessed.

Obito was terribly impressed with what he was seeing. The absolute ferocity that these two were using against each other was excellent! He couldn't believe he was watching a match between two young Genin, no, two academy students! They weren't even Genin yet! True, he was already a Chuunin for a while when he was their age, but times were different back then. Those times were plagued with war. One was NEVER too young to become a shinobi in those days. There were no 'children' back then. He recalled his old comrade, who'd proved that point by becoming a Chuunin at age six. He pushed the thought away and focused on the 'here and now'. These were going to be his students! He laughed to himself about how they didn't even know it yet.

He hadn't even been back for two whole days and now he was going to be an instructor for a team of Genin hand picked by the Fire Shadow himself. How'd he ever end up in that situation? He wasn't even planning on staying in Konoha this long. He'd only come back to check on the 'kid' and 'visit' his family and friends at there respective Memorial Shrines, and now he was stuck there, watching his young ward and his only remaining relative going at it like animals. But the boy's fight was beginning to make him think he might actually start to enjoy himself for a change.

He watched them intently. He was very pleased that he'd gotten this chance to see the two of them fight uninterrupted. Naruto, he thought, if he was anything like he imagined he would be, would put up the fight of his life, and Sasuke, he was an Uchiha. Uchiha were known for their 'lust to kill', weren't they? Both of the boys were performing exactly as he pegged them. Naruto was gradually wearing his opponent down, little by little, waiting for his moment to strike, and Sasuke, was probably imaging the face of his brother every time he swung that kunai.

Obito found that he couldn't wait until tomorrow, when he got to meet his team 'officially' for the first time. He wondered what the little girl would be like. If she was anything like her male counterparts, she would probably be extraordinary. The Hokage had chosen her for them specifically, after all. She was supposed to be good at genjutsu. He knew tons of genjutsu he could show her. She was supposed to be the smartest girl in their class, so it should be easy enough for her to learn it with a little instruction.

It was going to be fun teaching these three, he thought. He'd spent ten years wondering around the continent, the whole time spent searching for new jutsus to copy. He now, had three students that had enormous potential. He wanted to teach them everything he'd learned. The only one that he was really worried about was Sasuke. That kid probably slept with a kunai as a child, instead of a teddy bear! He wasn't sure what to do about him. It would be a waste if he didn't make that kid the absolute best ninja he could be, but there was still that risk… what would happen if that kid snapped and defected? That was a mess he didn't want to have to deal with, but still, he'd given his word to old man Hokage that he wouldn't allow Sasuke to be corrupted. He couldn't take it back. Obito felt that was the way a true shinobi was supposed to behave.

He couldn't believe it. After so long, he was again, a Shinobi of The Leaf. Suddenly, a funny thought struck him and he pulled out his Hitai-ate. He studied it. He hadn't worn it in ten years, yet, he still carried it with him. That whole time he thought himself such a fool, for not letting go of things that had let go of him a long time ago. Now, he could wear that mark proudly again. He romanced the idea of pulling down his goggles so he could tie it around his forehead. Nah. That will have to wait until tomorrow.

They'd been there all morning, and most of the afternoon. There was no way Naruto was going to let that Uchiha Bastard beat him! He was starting to run low on chakra. What was up with this guy? He just kept going! Naruto was said by his teachers to have the rare curse of too much damned energy, and there he was, worn out and tired and ready to drop. He was getting a little pissed. Why wouldn't that bastard drop from exhaustion? What was he? Some kind of beast? He'd killed enough clones to fill a small village by now AND HE JUST KEPT GOING! Naruto had just about had enough. He had to end it quick.

How much chakra did Dead Last have? This was getting ridiculous! Yeah, he was enjoying himself, but he didn't want to pass out before he got the chance to knock Dead Last on his ass again. That little punk had a smart mouth and he was going to have it personally shut by him damn it! This fight needed to end, and quick!

Naruto assumed that Sasuke would think him just a clone, so he readied himself and charged at his opponent. He knew he would have to be careful not to take a kunai right in the heart. That seemed to be the target that Sasuke most aimed for. Sometimes he went for the throat, sometimes for the main arteries in the legs, or the tendons and muscles in the arms, but most of the time he'd gone for the major organs. Of those times, Sasuke mainly aimed for the heart. In fact, whenever a clone had attacked him from the front, and he wasn't distracted by another clone, that's when he would lunge for a body shot. The angle of collision determined which organ Sasuke would strike. Naruto took care to come at him just right, so he could predict the blow he had to dodge in order to hit his mark.

Sasuke watched as the clone approached him. With minimal effort, he gauged the trajectory of the attack. He readied himself and waited for just the right moment. Then he'd strike. It was like a reflex. He didn't even have to try any more to do it. He just did it instinctively. He moved to make a one hit kill.

Naruto was already screaming at the top of his lungs when the blade pierced his left fore arm between the bones. It wasn't possible for him to scream twice at one. 'That hurt like a bitch!' Before he knew it, he found himself horizontal with his kunai pressing dangerously close to his opponent's neck. Got you Bastard!

Sasuke hit the ground hard but he didn't even feel it. He was still too amped up from the fight to notice the sting that was now coming from his neck. His focus was on those eyes. He had to blink a couple of times. 'Not the sky.' No, these eyes were not the color of the evening sky. These eyes, Naruto's eyes…were the same color as the moist droplets that were trickling down on his face and neck.

Naruto grinned down at his opponent. He couldn't help it. He'd forgotten about the 'stabbing' pain in his left arm. He was too charged from his accomplishment. This was the best damn fight he'd ever had! Sasuke's eyes had reverted to their natural, black as sin. Naruto inwardly cheered about that. The best part was seeing the look on that Bastard's face when he finally realized his position. That had only lasted for a second though before it reverted to the usual 'I'm bored' look.

Sasuke tightened his grip on the kunai that was currently stuck between the bones in Dead Last's left arm. Its position had shifted during the fall and it was now situated so the wide edge of the blade couldn't fit between them to be pulled out. He twisted it with a jerk. Dead Last didn't even flinch. He still held his kunai steady on Sasuke's throat.

Naruto grinned again when he felt Sasuke turn the blade so he could try to pull it out. He quickly adjusted his arm so the blade twisted back, trapping it again. He bent his arm back, as if pulling back for a punch, taking away Sasuke's ability to attempt another try at yanking it out.

At first, Sasuke tried to hold on to the kunai. He struggled against the strength of Dead Last's left arm pulling away from him. He felt the blade at his throat push just a tiny bit harder. His own left arm was being pinned down by Dead Last's knee. He was too damned tired. He let go of the kunai. Naruto was panting pretty heavily now. Sasuke couldn't get past how he was able to take the pain of what he had just done to him. Sasuke had, of course been stabbed before, by accident, but still. It was by no means something that felt good. He felt the pressure being released from his left arm.

Naruto stood up. He looked down at his opponent, still panting. Sasuke looked calm, like nothing had happened. He put away his Kunai and reached up for the one that was piercing his other arm. He grabbed it by the blade side and yanked the handle the rest of the way through. He let out what sounded like a cry of relief and tossed the bloodied weapon back to its owner.

Sasuke caught the knife with out thinking and tried to make his way to a sitting position. He slumped forward letting his arms fall between his knees. He stuck the kunai into the ground in front of him and looked up at his new rival. "That was pretty stupid, Dead Last."

"Yeah…I know…" He was taking in giant heaving breaths between his words. "…but I'm…the last one…standing…" His voice trailed off as his knees began to buckle and he fell flat on his back in the dirt.

"Dead Last?"

TA!MUTHAFUCKIN!DA!

NARU V.S. SASU! YAY! I'm doing the happy dance, even as I type this.

Hope to see you again next time! "…When They Became Genin…"

Thanks for reading!

Ghostninja85—MistressofdragonsYami Jayakuma-river

………I stand here weeping before you……

You have brightened up my day! Snuggles

smacks herself for not doing homework