A/N: Ok, new chapter. I've been busy with my Hana Yori Dango one-shots and my other Naruto Fics. So, whoever you are who has gotten this far in this abhorrent fic, thank you for bearing with it! You shall be rewarded graciously! Umn… somehow. I'm not making any promises.. :hurry hops away:

King Chaos: ooh, you seem like one who enjoys action… so do I! Thanks for reviewing! Hope the fic doesn't turn out to be.. uncool…

Xoni Newcomer: Aww… thanks for the review. Made me feel so much better. To me, your review was equivalent to ten reviews. And your name rocks, by the way. How do you think of such cool names? Maybe I should change my name to Sylver Orangepeel or something…

The Prophecy Fulfilled

Chapter 3: We Meet Again

Naruto clenched his fists tightly, his cerulean eyes portraying all the anger he was feeling at that moment. "Give my ship back, Kabuto!"

"It's General Kabuto to you." The gray-haired man said, "And no, you can't get the hovercraft back. Lord Orochimaru's orders."

"But I need more time! And better equipment!" The blonde whined.

"You've had two months, AND the best hovercraft equipment, ALONG with the best combat specialists. But what do you bring back? A broken craft and NO Uchiha!" Kabuto huffed and walked away.

Naruto was boiling. He stood there, glaring at the General who had gone back to attend the herding of a new batch of 'pre-converts'. More like prisoners, as Naruto saw it. The blonde boy was starting to look rather dangerous, so his bounty-hunting team members decided it was best to let him cool off. Well, more like them wanting to be far away from him if he loses control. But hey, you gotta sound like you care, don't you?

"We're going to lunch, okay?" Sakura grinned at their leader, "So… see ya!"

The team dashed off, with Chouji running surprisingly faster than the others. Food had that motivational effect on him.

Naruto didn't seem to have heard, as he still stood there, fists clenched, eyes glaring at Kabuto, who was barking orders at a mob of men. Then his eyes suddenly caught sight of someone…

-

Walking about with a hood on might cause one to stand out. But amongst a throb of town citizens where many men and women wore cloaks, scarves and shawls over their heads, blending in wasn't too hard.

And so Uchiha Sasuke blended in, going unknown and unidentified, like a mere shadow floating randomly by. And he thought he was doing a pretty good job until…

"YOU! BASTARD!"

Sasuke's eyes had widened at the familiar voice, but the expression of shock had gone hidden with help from his hood. He turned as calmly as possible in the direction of the voice and his shadowed eyes went wider.

A short distance away stood a very bright-haired, very rude, and very loud blonde pilot who was in desperate need of knowing how to think before he speaks.

"YEA, YOU! UCHI-" Naruto choked back on his words as Sasuke's hand pressed against his lips. 'How did he get here so fast without me seeing?' Naruto thought, amazed.

"You want the guards to get me?" Sasuke whispered in his usual calm demeanour.

Naruto grinned with his covered lips and nodded.

"AND lose your $700 million?"

The blonde's eyes widened in realization and viciously shook his head, as Sasuke's hand pulled away.

The crowd of people around them were still staring. They all had the Curean seal on their foreheads, and some guards were staring suspiciously at the two boys.

"Ahh…" Naruto decided to put up an act, "UCHI… YOU CHEATER!" Naruto emphasized on the words, "Yea! You cheater! Where's that money you owe me!"

Sasuke smirked under his hood. He hadn't smirked for such a long time. And admittedly, this blonde character did come up with a rather good cover.

"I need more time." He said smoothly.

Naruto, on the other hand, was trying his best not to burst out laughing. Oh how he loved pranks. "More time my ass! I'll show you! I'll give you the biggest thrashing of your stinking life!"

The guards were not too suspicious now. Naruto had the pass on his left chest that indicated he was allowed in the city although he was not converted yet and was without a Curean seal. So they didn't think too much about what he did. The guards had been much more apprehensive about the hooded one, but after hearing what the blonde one was yelling out, they presumed he was just getting money back from the hooded prisoner who was going to get bashed up. It was fine with them.

"Get your ass in there!" Naruto grabbed Sasuke by the front base of his hood and dragged him into a dark alley, hidden from the eyes of the guards and pretty much anyone else, as if a fight was to ensue.

But in actual fact, something quite different was happening. Well, one could still call it a fight…

"YOU! GIVE ME BACK MY SHUTTLE!" Naruto tried his best not to scream.

"I can't." A calm reply that just got the blonde more annoyed.

"And why the hell not?"

"It's gone."

Silence for a few seconds. "W-what… do you mean… gone…?" Naruto's voice stammered aggressively.

"Some gray-haired guy shot it down."

"K-Kabuto…" Naruto fumed, "That asshole…" He whispered dangerously, "Now it's personal…"

Sasuke quirked an eyebrow.

Naruto seemed to snap out of his trance and he looked suspiciously at Sasuke, "Hey… Lemme see your…" Naruto launched at Sasuke's hood, determined to pull it off. But Sasuke dodged pretty easily.

"And just what for?"

"So I can sell information and make big bucks!" Naruto belted out carelessly before clasping his hands over his mouth, "I mean… cuz… my friends! They wanna know how you look like! Yea, that's it!" He grinned convincingly.

But not convincing enough.

"Very bad try." Sasuke gave a bored glare, folding his arms over his chest.

Naruto felt around for a weapon or net-shooting thing of some kind, but had none on him, "Damn Kabuto confiscated my stuff…" he mumbled to himself.

"Shouldn't you be doing all that with more discretion?" Sasuke couldn't help but stare incredulously, "I mean, you are trying to catch me, and I'm right in front of you. I'm not deaf or blind, you know."

"Not death or blind? Oh, I couldn't tell." Naruto scoffed sarcastically, "And of course I should be doing it more discreetly. But it wouldn't make a difference if I did, would it? You'd still know!" He snapped.

"Ha. True enough. I'll take that as a compliment." Sasuke observed his fingernails in an act of pride.

Naruto wrinkled his nose, then grinned mischievously, "Aha! I know… I've been formulating this for some time, and you're the first to get a taste of it!"

Sasuke activated his Sharingan in defence as Naruto performed some seals.

A puff of smoke later, and Sasuke found himself staring at… a girl?

And a very naked one, at that. A very naked, advancing one.

"Uchiha-kun…" An enticing female voice whispered flirtatiously into his ear as the girl with long blonde locks tied up in two ponytails wrapped her arms around him.

"Get off, bounty hunter." Sasuke muttered.

"Oh… but I'm no bounty hunter…" The girl traced a dainty finger down his jaw and neck, "I'm just an innocent, harmless girl who-" She flung his hood off, 'Got you PUNK'D!"

Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt a breeze run unfamiliarly through his long-hidden black bangs.

Naruto smirked triumphantly at the boy, his hair the color of the midnight sky, flared up at the back stylishly, and the same scarlet eyes he saw not too long ago on his own hovercraft. The Uchiha boy was about his age, and admittedly and undeniably very good looking. Yes, hot, if you want to put it that way. But as if he was ever going to tell Sakura that and get her hopes up.

Naruto reverted back to his normal male form and started laughing, "Oh, hell yea! I pulled a good one on yah, didn't I?" He punched the air repeatedly, "Ho Ho… the great Uchiha got punk'd by the greater Uzumaki Naruto! Best bounty hunter and pilot in the world!"

Sasuke was still silent, looking at Naruto in the usual calm manner. But Naruto quietened down, feeling rather unnerved by it.

"Hey…" Naruto smiled, trying to cover up his nervousness, "You pissed?"

Sasuke just kept staring.

"Hey, aren't you gonna yell or something?"

No response.

Naruto got annoyed at the silence, "Scream at me? Stab me? Slash my throat?.? GLARE?.!.?"

Silence.

"Umn… you pissed about me as a naked girl, me taking your hood off, or me definitely going to sell information on how to identify you to the bounty hunting community?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, huh?"

Naruto gulped and almost choked.

Sasuke clasped his hands together in formation of a few seals, causing Naruto to squeal. "DON'T KILL MEEEE!"

And after an eruption of smoke, there stood a very hot, very sexy, and also very naked girl, with long dark hair and pale smooth skin, and those same crimson eyes.

Naruto fell backwards and felt a nosebleed coming on. Thank God for smoke.

The female Sasuke smirked, "Punk'd."

"GYAH!" Naruto snapped out from his trance, "You copied it! You copied my sexy-no-jutsu! You ARE a cheater! ARGHHH!" The blond boy threw a tantrum on the ground.

Sasuke couldn't help smirking victoriously as he reverted back to his male self and pulled the hood back over his head, walking away. He never had this much fun and never smirked this much since… well, ever.

"WAIT!" Naruto called, and grinned, "Tell me your first name and I won't sell your info!"

Sasuke stopped walking, and it was obvious he didn't buy those words. But to Naruto's surprise, the black-haired boy replied softly, "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke." He kept walking.

"HA! I got the last punk!" Naruto cheered himself, "Now I'm selling your name too! I'm getting richer with each word you say!" Naruto felt a lot better, anger fully dissolved.

But to his confusion, all Sasuke did was turn slightly, smirk once more, and disappear.

Naruto stood there, staring after the mysterious boy.

"AND YOU OWE ME A SHUTTLE!"

-

The crowd of prisoners were shepherded into a large open air stadium, where guards stood at every large locked door. The floor was psychodelic and mind-boggling to look at, with intricate patterns twirling their way upon the ground. But none of this affected Sasuke. The boy was only glad that the Uzumaki guy hadn't held him up long enough to prevent him from following the crowd. He was determined on getting into the Curean palace, though he wasn't sure if the crowd was even going there.

The prisoners only waited in the stadium for a few seconds when one of the giant doors were pulled open, allowing a man with long black hair to stride in. Behind him walked four elegantly dressed girls in a perfect 'V' formation.

Sasuke scrutinized the man from under his hood. The man had a ghostly white face that contrasted maliciously with his straight jet-black hair, yellow distinguishing snake-like eyes that seemed to bore through one's soul, and two purple markings that ran from above his eyelids and down toward his nose.

As dangerous and hazardous as this snake-guy seemed and most probably was, Sasuke decided it was much more important to be very aware of a certain black-haired girl a few steps behind that man. What's more important, was to notice the dull glaze that seemed to be shrouding her eyes, much like every other converted Curean. Most importantly though, was to pay close attention to that which was the Curean seal neatly printed across her forehead. Yea, those were very important points indeed.

Sasuke muttered in his head, 'Hinata.' She obviously had been converted to… Cureanism? Was that what it was called in loose terms? Yes, he was sure he heard something like that.

"Good people." The snake-guy said sibilantly(1), "I am sure you are all aware of the state of the world today. Wars between the countries. Hatred between the religions. Prejudice between the races. I know that not only are you aware of these happenings, but perhaps some of you have… experienced them?"

Some of the faces in the crowd turned down toward the ground.

Orochimaru smiled.

"As many of you most probably already know, I am Lord Orochimaru. The pre-invasion warning had been sent out before my Curean soldiers… trespassed on your land. I hope all of you had agreed to the warnings and had not resisted. Those who have, have been… put at rest, as I'm sure you know already."

The crowd of prisoners were glaring bitterly at him now, but Orochimaru did not seem affected. "I am here to promote my conquest." He continued, "Your friends have died for their useless believes. I am inviting you to believe in me. I will change the world once I get my hold on it. I already have three quarters of this earth on my side, and all these people have put their lives in my hands. So will you join me? As one nation, one religion, one race, where no discrimination stands!"

"Like we even have a choice!" A man in the crowd yelled out.

"Yea! And all these wars are really a result of YOU!" A lady voice out.

"Asuma! Kurenai! Be quiet!" A man near them whispered in fear, "You wanna die?"

"Die is right." Orochimaru was suddenly between Asuma and Kurenai, who both fell to the ground, dead. A young girl near them started crying.

"Oh, and have I forgotten to mention that there is only this other option if you do not join me?" The snake-man grinned deviously, causing the prisoners to recoil in fear. "Just my method of… persuasion." He added, "If there are any more objections, please feel free to voice them out. My men will come to your service." He pointed at a group of men dressed in black, wielding axes and swords.

Sasuke watched the man called Lord Orochimaru walk off from the two dead bodies, and the Uchiha sucked his breath in sharply. He was watching the snake-man closely, and hadn't seen any movement before the ones named Asuma and Kurenai fell dead. In the first second the Orochimaru was here, and the next he was there. It was almost like teleportation. Sasuke decided it was best to keep his guard up, especially around a man of such great speed. Sasuke himself was considered a speed demon, and if he couldn't even see Orochimaru move, he was sure very few others could.

The snake-man resumed his position in front of his four female escorts, while the young girl who had seen Asuma and Kurenai fall dead kept right on crying.

"How annoying." Orochimaru looked at the girl, "Shut up."

The girl just bawled louder.

Orochimaru glared, "Kill her."

One of the guards nearby made his way towards the girl, a knife in one hand.

"NO! Please don't! Not my girl!" The girl's mother fell on her knees next to the child, holding the girl as close to her as possible.

The guard said nothing and grabbed the girl by the arm out from the wailing mother's grasp. The people around them were terror-stricken, backing away from the scene.

Just before the knife could come down upon the girl, the guard fell dead, his blade clattering on the floor.

Everyone gasped at the hooded figure standing there between the girl and the dead guard, arms hidden by the cloak which covered his entire body, as if he hadn't even moved them.

"What is this?" Orochimaru asked angrily, the surprise in his voice unhidden.

The hooded one calmly picked up the knife and suddenly twirled around, plunging the knife into the young girl's body.

"NOOOO!" The mother wailed, "You son of a bitch! You killed her!" She fell to the floor, shaking viciously.

Sasuke, with his face still hidden by his hood, stared back at the one named Orochimaru, "I liked your speech. Allow me to join your team."

(1) Big thanks to Rhivan Sin for "Sibilantly". I did check it up in the dictionary and yes, it does work! For those who don't know (cuz I didn't.. o.o;), Sibilant is defined as 'hissing' or 'to utter a hissing sound'. So yes. Once again, Rhivan Sin, I am truly grateful. My full reply to you will be in the next chpt.

A/N: Oh my, oh my… Ok, I know that if I was reading a fic and the author/authoress made Sasuke evil, I would stop reading right there and then. Ok, maybe I wouldn't.. just to see how that story would turn out. But some rabid Sasuke-fans may. So I'll have you know that no, Sasuke did not kill the girl, and no, I will not tell you what actually happened – till the next chapter. Hehez.. just keep reading! And please review too! Tell me what you think!