Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

A/N: A/U-ish.

Just a few things I'd like to say…to those who reviewed the first chapter (Kiria Kare, Aemkea raikujin, SakuraSasuke29, kasumi, grilledjellyfish, Reven-chan, psychicbunny, It.q.ryu. Shinobi Darkbeak, blackyuki, yin vs yang, daydreamer53221, Snotty Chim-Chim, Byakugan13, RunRAMENRun, Mimiru-Chan) I want to send a HUGE thank you out to you all! I really had not expected such a response… so thank you, thank you, thank you!

Also, just a small thing about the other story I wrote, entitled "The Gift". I said that I wrote it in 5 minutes…ALL LIES. What I meant to say was that I posted it with 5 minutes to go, and had really, uh, done a quick type up in two hours ("quick"). So…I'm sorry if I misled people into thinking that I wrote that story so fast, because I didn't. :S

Either way, now that that's said and done…chapter 2! Was rushed to finish this...so yeah...

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Because he wasn't prepared in the least bit, the sneeze caught him off-guard, and being precariously perched atop an unbelievably fragile-looking branch, the prodigy of a massacred clan and one-time ninja of Konoha fell with a thump to the grass. The tumble did little to hurt him, save bruise his pride, yet he still glowered vehemently at the heavens. The glare he shot the sky was heated enough to rival that of the burning sun beating down mercilessly on him. The sky was unfazed though.

Yet it wasn't the heat that was getting him so bothered. It wasn't the fall either. It was the fact that someone, somewhere out there, had mentioned his name.

And that someone, somewhere out there, was talking about him.

He narrowed his eyes dangerously, pulling himself to his feet, then lithely flipping back onto the branch, with every intention to resume his brooding, which had been interrupted by the unexpected sneeze.

But he couldn't. He couldn't get his mind off the sneeze. Such a simple occurrence, yet one which he couldn't erase from his mind.

Because Uchiha Sasuke never sneezed, and in the few times he did, it meant that something was about to happen.

He shivered. The sneeze, like a crack in a cup, like a chill down one's back, was a warning - for him, anyway. The last time he had sneezed, he had walked headlong into three full-sized ANBU squads - how that happened he still didn't know - and damn near lost in the ensuing fight. He probably would have, too, if it weren't for the timely appearance of Orochimaru. Except thinking about it, he wondered a tad bitterly if it was probably better if he had died. He hated being in the sannin's debt.

Phrase that, he hated the sannin's guts.

He gritted his teeth, his thoughts taking a whole new direction. Things he hated. Immensely. Orochimaru was just one of the people he absolutely hated with a passion.

Orochimaru.

Bastard. He was slowly rising in his "to kill" list for reasons Sasuke would never impart. He suspected the sannin knew this anyway, and that brought a savage smile briefly to his lips. He hoped Orochimaru knew that he had almost surpassed him in terms of jutsus and strength. Once upon a time, he feared Orochimaru. Feared his power, his abilities, him.

One day, the tables were going to be turned, and he would make Orochimaru afraid of him, Uchiha Sasuke,.

Then there was another.

Uchiha Itachi.

Genin at age 7, Chuunin at age 10, ANBU Captain at age 13. Sharingan activation when he was 8, Mangekyou Sharingan activation when he was around 13 or so, give or take a few years - he couldn't remember exactly when - and current Akatsuki member. Behind Itachi's name was a long list of his accomplishments; attached to his name were a great many titles.

Genius.

Murderer.

Brother.

His temper rose, eyes growing flinty and hard, even as he felt his control on his chakra loosen slightly. It bubbled upwards with his rage, and there was a brief glow of blackish-blue energy swirling from his palms before he wrestled it under his control.

He balled his hands into fists angrily, yet the chakra inside him seemed to have a mind of its own, and fought with him for dominance. Chakra leaked out from his clenched hands, snaking slowly up his arms even as he shook in the effort of trying to contain the power that was seeping out of him slowly. A tingling began at the back of his eyes, like an itch that wouldn't go away. The cursed seal, imprinted on him six years ago, flared briefly, as it had been doing more and more recently, and he muttered an oath, doubling over silently. If he did not stop this power leakage soon, he was going to cause some serious damage to anything and everything within a radius of two miles - as was what happened the last time this occurred.

So he latched onto the one thing that could calm him down. The one thing that still kept him going despite all the hardships he'd been forced to endure. The one thing which kept him from fully succumbing to the darkness, to the tantalizing promise of absolute power at the cost of his sanity. The one thing that kept him alive, even after all these years.

Thing? No, not thing. Person.

The chakra raging in him slowed ever so slightly, as if hesitating.

One girl.

Sasuke wrestled with it for control, sensing the balances tipping in his favour. The tingling in his eyes disappeared, as quickly as it had come.

One emerald-eyed, pink-haired girl.

His chakra flared quickly, a silent flash of darkness, as if putting up one last-ditch attempt to escape him.

One Haruno Sakura.

His chakra gradually returned to its docile state, and panting, he lay on the grass, wondering subconsciously how he ended up on the ground when less than a minute ago, he was still on the branch.

That was of little consequence. What mattered more was that his chakra had leaked out of him - again. This wasn't the first time it happened, nor would it be the last. Sasuke wished he knew why it happened - but he did not. All he knew was that it started the moment he started using Kinjutsu, forbidden techniques that Orochimaru prided in, and had been occurring with consistent frequency each time he lost his temper.

And the results were - devastating if he could not stop it in time. Beyond devastating. It was unpredictable, uncontrollable -

- and only stopped whenever he thought about one particular ex-teammate of his. One who most certainly wasn't the one he used to refer to as "baka".

"It happened again?" The incredulous voice broke through his musings. Sasuke turned his head to regard the speaker coldly. Kabuto was surveying the area with wide eyes. He adjusted his glasses, his hand trembling slightly, a movement that was not lost on Sasuke.

"Hn." He said by way of answer, before getting up and stalking past Orochimaru's subordinate. Yet he could not resist looking behind him.

He had disintegrated the tree he had been perched on - and it had been, incidentally, a cherry blossom tree.

Another shiver went down his back. At least he didn't sneeze this time.

Yet he could not shake off the sense of foreboding that loomed over him. It was only a matter of time before something happened.

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And he had been right.

He dodged the kick, parrying the swift punch. They separated. A brief pause, as dark eyes met masked ones. There was no time for thought, especially not against such a dangerous enemy. Shinobi hunters were one of the best at what they did, and any opening he gave would be exploited at his cost.

But then again, he too was the best at what he did, and very few actually rivalled him.

They had been fighting for half an hour already, and neither was relenting the slightest bit, nor slowing down. The oinin in front of him, he noted, had a huge amount of power and speed that quite possibly matched his. The only thing he hadn't tested yet was his opponent's jutsus. A smile ghosted across his lips. In that, he knew he was going to win.

His fingers became a blur as they flashed through the movement of his fire jutsu. He took a deep breath.

"Katon! Ryuka No Ju - "

He never saw the fist that came in and connected with his jaw, cutting him off. He had not expected the punch to send him flying.

Hell, he hadn't even expected the ninja to even lay a finger on him.

Fury laced with grudging respect found their way to his eyes. This was the first opponent he'd had in a long time who was forcing him to activate his Sharingan.

But no. He wouldn't. If things got too far out of hand, that was to be his trump card. He had no intention of revealing it so early in the game.

So he was going to try a different technique: intimidation.

"Do you know who I am?" He laughed, letting chakra flow around him. It surged around him hungrily in a frightening display of power, as if eagerly waiting to be unleashed upon the Hunter-nin who stood before him. Yet there was something about the assassin who caught his attention, something familiar which he could not place.

A nod, and the feeling of familiarity increased. "Indeed."

His heart skipped a beat, and inwardly, he frowned. The voice...was very feminine. Musical, with a touch of rawness. And for some reason, he was reminded of Team 7. "Then you must be crazy enough to challenge me, knowing who I am." He gathered his chakra. But the oinin in front of him was unfazed. Instead, a hand went up to the mask. A strange sound came from beneath it, and it took him awhile to realize that the Hunter-nin was - laughing at him. His eyes narrowed. What -

"Then you should know who I am," The mask came down enough to reveal emotionless eyes covered by strands of hair. Green eyes. Pink hair. A strangled sound erupted from his throat, disbelief and shock written on his face. "Sasuke-kun."

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