(( Wow. I've put this off a long time (nearly two months). Well, there's not really much for me to say, except that the plot is semi-introduced (finally), and I hope you like it more than my crappy prologue. Oh, and I'm introducing a few canon pairings. There, I said all I needed to. Have fun. ))

CHAPTER 1: FIREWORKS

The late-summer sky of Konoha was filled with light, captivating onlookers with its radiance. Luminescent sparks rained down on the bustling village, mostly going unnoticed in the excitement. All manners of stands stood along the congested streets, receiving hefty attention from the locals. Light, rapid music could be heard above the chatter, and quite a few had dropped their shame and started dancing.

Events like this only happened once or twice a year, and usually a few people would stay inside, away from the noise. On this night, however, the houses were completely vacant; every single person, including the shinobi (who hadn't been given any missions for this one occasion), was amid the enormous crowds on the streets of Konoha. In fact, the shinobi were probably enjoying it more than anybody else. Endless missions, day after day, got awfully tiring, even if they had great pay. Even the estates had emptied out; many noblemen and women were blended in among the civilians.

Children running around, laughing, their parents talking avidly to each other. The music's tempo increased, earning many cheers from the crowds. Yet more people joined in the dancing, smiling brightly (perhaps drunkenly; Konoha's festivals usually included very potent wines and beers, which were strong enough to get even that jerk with the stick up his ass from work to loosen up a bit). Another shower of sparks descended, giving an ethereal glow to the scene. No, occasions like the village of the hidden leaf's one hundredth birthday didn't occur too often.

He hated it. Despite the cheery atmosphere, Sasuke's mood was worsening by the second. Fifteen years was plenty of time to move on, but he had deemed it impossible, before a certain vow was fulfilled. He would have been closer to fulfilling that vow if his stubborn companions hadn't convinced him to participate in this foolishness, yet there he was, sitting sullenly by himself, as far away from the commotion as he could get. Mind made up, the onyx eyed prodigy stood up brusquely and started walking in the direction of his home. A home too big to belong to only one person.

"Where ya goin', Sasuke?"

Cursing to himself, he turned around to face the pest. Blonde hair sticking up in every direction, whisker-like streaks under wide, bright blue mischievous eyes, Uzumaki Naruto stood out quite a bit. Giving his trademark grin, hands behind his head, the fox-like trickster continued, "Come on, the party hasn't even started!"

Choosing not to dignify him with a response, Sasuke turned around again and started walking again. Not a second has passed when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Clenching his fists, he snarled, "What?" without looking behind him. When a few seconds passed and Naruto hadn't said anything, now extremely annoyed, the pale, raven haired man whirled on the spot with a glare that could kill many small mammals.

Grinning like an idiot, Naruto simply pointed towards one of the large throngs of people. Reluctantly, Sasuke looked. It took him a moment, but eventually he saw what the spike-headed fool was pointing at. Amid the dancing crowds, one person stood out. Pale, rose-coloured hair piled on top of her head, Haruno Sakura twirled jubilantly on the spot. Long sleeves flowing about her, her green eyes glinted happily as she kept pace with the music.

"Isn't Sakura-chan cute?"

Awestruck, Sasuke stood and gawked for a few seconds before regaining his composure. Clearing his throat, he walked quickly back to his seat without a word. As he passed by, Naruto snickered gleefully as he noticed the flushed look on his comrade's face. The prankster was about to go back the crowds, when he head a voice from behind him.

"Hi, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto instantly recognized the voice, and turned around to talk.

"Hey, Hinata."

The heiress to the Hyuuga clan had been surprising him a lot lately. Not only had she been approaching him less awkwardly than before, but she had gained a certain energy in speaking to people in general. It seemed she had grown accustomed to representing her clan with confidence; a shy, worrisome leader couldn't lead a clan in any direction. Her quiet nature still surfaced on occasion, though.

"Ummm… I actually have a favor to ask, o-on behalf of Hiashi-sama…" Her timid, twelve-year-old self seemed to be persisting; it still seemed as if it troubled her to ask of other people, no matter how trivial the matter.

Grinning despite himself, Naruto asked, "What is it?"

A reddish tinge appeared on Hinata's cheeks as she answered hesitantly, "Eh, we were wondering if… I-if, you could maybe show Hanabi around Konoha for a few weeks? She can't really get out much, with training… I would do it myself, but I have my duties to attend to and all. Sorry to impose upon you."

Naruto cocked his head to one side, curious. "Okay, but why me?"

Smiling shyly, Hinata continued, "Well, we had a discussion about it, and I recommended you. Thank you so much, Naruto-kun; I really appreciate it!"

Returning the smile, Naruto laughed a little before asking, "Sooooo, where is she?"

Hinata indicated to the dancing crowd; sure enough, there was Hanabi, talking to Sakura about something. "Thanks. See you later!" With a have, Naruto hurried over to the group of people and began conversing with the two girls. Hinata could have sworn she heard a disappointed sigh from Sasuke, sitting a small ways away from all the commotion, when they stopped dancing to talk, before she heard a familiar voice from nearby.

"He really can't take a hint," said Neji, watching Naruto in a somewhat disbelieving manner. "Everybody knows it but him, I think."

Feeling the heat in her cheeks intensify, Hinata put her hands on her hips in an attempt to look intimidating as she protested, "I don't know what you mean, Neji-nii-san." The attempt failed miserably, however, due to the fact that her cousin was a good few inches taller than her. Her efforts got her a raised eyebrow and a rather skeptical smile.

Giggling, Hinata waved and ran over to join her sister. No sooner had she left than a kunoichi with two messy buns on either side of her head took her place, shifting her weight to one leg and crossing her arms. Smiling coyly, Tenten asked, "What are you doing all the way over here, away from all the fun?"

Neji waited a few moments before rolling his pale eyes, then answering, "You don't seriously expect me to go over and dance, do you?"

Rolling her eyes in turn, the brunette replied, "Nooooo, but I do, to put it in your own words, seriously expect you to have a good time."

"I am."

"Doesn't look like it to me. You're starting to act like the Uchiha." The two glanced over at Sasuke, still waiting on the bench, resting his chin on his hands. Neji quickly averted his attention skywards. Sighing resignedly, Tenten stared at the sky as well, and quipped, "There must be something awfully interesting up there tonight."

"You mean apart from the fireworks, stars, clouds, the moon, and most importantly, the insects? You know, those annoying little things that fly around your head and buzz in your ears?"

"I'm shocked. I don't think I've ever heard so much from you at once."

"You're starting to rub off on me. I've never been so inclined to bother someone in my life."

"So, you're saying that if I went over there and had a glass of wine, you'd do the same?"

"Definitely not."

"Awwww, come on! I'm rubbing off on you, remember?"

"Not to that extent."

Tenten put one hand on her chin and raised an eyebrow before taunting, "So, Hyuuga Neji, the manliest of the manly, isn't man enough to drink one itty bitty glass of wine?"

That did it. Dignity still miraculously intact, Neji walked quickly over to one of the bars amid the crowds. A moment later he had a clear glass in his hand, filled to the brim with an alcoholic beverage of some sort. He turned to face Tenten, looked directly at her, then downed it all in one gulp. Sensing a challenge, the kunoichi ran over to join him, producing a thick wallet.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Some distance away, another two people watched disapprovingly. One of them curled a loose strand of blonde hair around her finger, a half-smile on her face, while commenting, "You know, most people would think 'the genius of the Hyuuga clan' would be smarter than that."

The other rolled his eyes, stifling a yawn. "Men shouldn't let themselves get so worked up over what a woman says…" He trailed off, shooting a quick look at Sasuke, who sat up abruptly as Sakura resumed her dance, Hanabi and Naruto having disappeared from the crowd. "… Or does."

The blonde made an indignant "hmph" noise, then added, "Well, women shouldn't let themselves be ignored like that." She gave the other person an annoyed glare, which intensified as she realized that he wasn't even paying attention. His eyes were fixated on the sky.

Eventually, without moving his line of vision even a centimeter, he asked drowsily, "You say something, Ino?"

Gritting her teeth, Ino took a few steps towards the unsuspecting fool. After standing before him for a moment with no reaction in return, she grabbed the spiked ponytail on top of his head and pulled. Hard. Snapped out of his daze, the lazy-eyed brunette quickly came to his senses.

"Nyaargh! Ino, what the hell was-" He didn't have time to finish as a fist connected with his face. Falling backwards on to the ground, he heard the blonde yell "SHIKAMARU, YOU IDIOT!" before stomping away.

Clutching his nose, Shikamaru sat up and gave a stuffy-sounding sigh.

"How drubblesome."

oooooooooooooooooooo

Sneaking behind stands and people, two shinobi made their way away from the celebration. The noise didn't get any quieter, though. Actually, it got louder. Situated a good mile or so away from the festivities was a sandy expanse in which experts placed fireworks, then waited for them to launch before going back to set up more. Without a sound, the ninjas began sprinting towards their destination.

Well, not completely without a sound. In the process of speeding up, a certain blonde trouble-maker's shoe caught on a rock, sending him face-first into the dirt. The other shinobi skidded to a stop, the beads on the ends of her braids knocking against each other. As Naruto lifted his face from the ground, groaning, Hanabi put a finger up to her mouth and shushed him. Not that it really mattered how much sound they made, considering the noise the fireworks were emanating.

Anyways, they kept up the act until they reached the launching area. Located a little ways from the sand was a large wagon filled with fireworks; just what they had been looking for. Waiting for the small group of people to run off after lighting the long cylinders, the duo conversed.

"So, what were the seals again?" Hanabi asked quietly, keeping a watchful eye on the experts from behind a tree.

Peering up from a thick rose bush, Naruto whispered back, "Boar, Tiger, Serpent, and Monkey, in that order."

As various crackling sounds spontaneously met their ears, the two of them leapt from their hiding spots and ran as fast as they could to the wagon. Each grabbing as many fireworks as they could carry, they stuck them all upright in the sand, way too close together to be safe. Performing the four hand seals in a matter of seconds, the two ninjas each held up their index fingers. Small balls of flame hovered millimeters above their fingertips, and the shinobi used the limited time left they had before the other fireworks lifted off to light the wicks beneath each slim rocket. When the task was done, they stood for a moment and marveled their work before leaping back to their hiding spots.

Just as their feet touched the ground, a mini explosion shook the earth they were standing on. Immediately afterwards, all the fireworks in the field lifted off simultaneously. For a moment, the duo could have sworn everything was silent, before a whistling sound cut through the air. All of a sudden, the sky lit up in a bright burst of colour, sparks floating down towards the ground. Blinding flashes of green, pink, blue, purple and gold erupted overhead in an almost blinding display. Then the colours folded in on themselves, fizzling away into nothing.

A deafening cheer came from behind the shinobi, followed by bewildered murmurs from the area in front of them. Grinning ear to ear, Naruto and Hanabi slapped five before declaring in unison, "That was awesome!"

"Well, this is cute."

Both ninjas started, then slowly turned to see who had addressed them. Smiling in amusement beneath a tight mask hiding the lower part of his face, Hatake Kakashi the Copy Ninja ruffled his blonde student's hair and continued absent-mindedly, "But you know… That looked pretty dangerous to me."

Fearing the worst, Naruto and Hanabi grinned innocently back up at him in a last-ditch attempt.

oooooooooooooooooooo

After cheering and applauding in turn, Kiba lifted a mug to his mouth and smirked at the small, white dog sitting next to him before taking a drink. "Too bad dogs can't drink alcohol."

The dog barked at him a few times, tail wagging back and forth. Shrugging, Kiba took another sip and replied, "If you say so." He cast an incredulous glance at his teammate a few feet away, standing as still as a tree, looking the other way. Putting down his mug, he got up quietly, snuck up behind him, then tapped him on the shoulder a few times. When he didn't get an answer, Kiba took a few steps back to his seat, before suddenly stopping and turning around. Again, no reply.

Rolling his eyes, the dog-like shinobi crept up behind his teammate for the second time. Standing pointedly behind him for a good minute or so without any reaction, he stuck his hand in front of his partially covered face and started to wave it in front of his sunglasses. Almost immediately, a cold hand caught Kiba's, who jumped visibly before going to sit back down, muttering something that sounded vaguely like "no fun".

Kiba looked at his mug for a few seconds, then called, "You know, Shino, you look too sober to me."

That got his attention. Turning to face Kiba, Shino asked calmly, "And why would you think that?"

Starting to grin, Kiba stood up straight and flattened his arms against his sides. Making a mock-serious face, he replied, "You look like THIS all the time. Might as well be a tree." The dog barked in agreement. Showing off some very pointy canines, he added, "Akamaru thinks so too."

Raising an eyebrow, Shino continued, "Your point?"

Still grinning, Kiba said maliciously, "My point is, have you ever had alcohol before?"

A bit flustered, Shino faced the other way again.

"A-ha! I knew it!"

Just as Kiba was about to pry further, he was interrupted by a nasal voice.

"Does eider ob you hab a birror?" asked Shikamaru, covering a bloody, slightly bent nose with his hand.

Kiba glanced at his mug, then answered lamely, "Yeah, I have a beer. Why?"

Smacking his forehead with his other hand, Shikamaru insisted frustradedly, "Nod a beer, a birror."

Eyes widening slightly in comprehension, Kiba laughed, "Oooohhh, a mirror! Hold on, let me check." Rummaging through his pockets, he pulled out used Kleenex, paper clips, a candy wrapper, and finally, a pale blue compact mirror. Noticing the weird look Shikamaru was giving him, he hastily explained, "Errr, this is Hinata's. I had something stuck in my teeth, so she let me borrow it."

"Sure. Ad you forgod id was in your pocked?"

Flushing, Kiba huffily replied, "Yeah," before handing him the compact. Shikamaru opened it, and immediately sneezed, spraying flecks of blood all over the place.

"Whad de hell? Id sbells like dog! How log hab you had this thig?" When he didn't get an answer, he rolled his eyes and looked back at the mirror. "Neber mind." Examining the shiny surface, it became very apparent that his nose was broken; it was bent soundly to the left.

Sighing congestedly, Shikamaru grabbed his nose again. Flinching, he snapped it back into place. Quite literally "snapped". Muttering something along the lines of "damn troublesome", he handed Kiba the mirror and walked away.

As soon as the compact was back in his hands, Kiba noticed the specks of red dotting the circular mirror. Glaring at Shikamaru's retreating back, he muttered, "Great, now I have to clean it," before slipping it back in his pocket.

oooooooooooooooooooo

"I really don't see why you're so upset," said the rather large man, having another sip of misou soup. "Shikamaru's always like that."

"You wouldn't understand, Chouji, you're a guy." Glaring at nothing in particular, Ino bit another odango off the stick.

"… Ohhhh, is it that time of mo-"

"No."

Not fazed in the least, Chouji continued his meal. "Okay, if you say so."

"I hate him."

"Who?"

"I hate him."

"Oh."

"I hate him."

"You're not being very reasonable."

"I hate him."

"You're better off giving up." A new voice had entered the "conversation".

Chouji turned on his seat. Predictably, there was Shikamaru, looking bored as ever. Noticing the sweets in Ino's hand, he commented dryly, "I thought women only do that when they're PMSing."

With speed that would shame a professional boxer, Ino rammed her palm into Shikamaru's nose and stormed off.

Stumbling backwards for the second time in the past half hour, Shikamaru felt his nose and cursed.

"Goddabbit!"

oooooooooooooooooooo

"Kakashi-sensei, this isn't fair!" Naruto whined, setting down an expensive looking plate on the side of the counter and picking up another to dry. "I'm missing all the fun!" He heard a short chuckle from behind him.

"It's your own fault," said Kakashi nonchalantly, flipping to the next page of the small book in his hands. "Besides, you can go back out once you're done. You're lucky I left the window open so you could see outside."

"But nobody got hurt! Actually, everybody seemed to enjoy it."

"It was still foolish, dragging young Hanabi into your prank."

"She's not that young. And how do you know it was my prank, hm? What if it was her idea?"

"Trust me. I know."

"How?"

"Unlike you, she didn't grow up used to acting out. You're stalling."

Pouting, Naruto turned back to the sink and picked up another dish. "That was uncalled for." When he received no answer, he sighed and resumed his chore. "This feels suspiciously like a time-out…"

ooooooooooooooooooo

A tall man in his early twenties with dark, cropped hair made his way to one of the many tables standing off to the side of the celebration. It was like all the other tables, small and not easily noticed; its company wasn't too unordinary either. The two sitting at the table were quite far from sober, and barely stopped to talk between drinks. That was actually the only point of the tables; after five or so glasses, most people found it hard to stand and chug beer simultaneously, and eventually had to sit down to keep from falling over. The man would have passed right by the table, had he not recognized the two seated at it.

A young woman with her long hair in buns on the top of her head turned to look at him, a flushed, drowsy look on her face. She gave a lop-sided smile, then raised one hand in casual greeting.

"Hey, Lee. Watsup?"

Lee waved back, then drew closer to the table, stepping between Tenten and Neji. Flashing his infamous grin, he replied, "Nothing much, though I probably couldn't say the same for you two."

The Hyuuga acknowledged his old teammate with a slight nod, bearing the same expression as the kunoichi sitting across from him, then proceeded to down another glass of sake. Clenching his fist dramatically, the taijutsu speciallist struck his favourite "nice guy" pose and proclaimed, "Ah, the raw excitement that is youth! No matter what the place or time, you can always count on--"

"Lee. We've heard that one already." The speech was cut short by a rather bored-sounding Tenten, sipping a glass of wine en suite. Neither of the three made a sound afterwards, save for the occasional hiccup.

Suddenly, there was a muffled clattering sound as Neji tumbled backwards off of his chair in a dead faint. The weapons master smiled triumphantly down at him, clutching her wallet (which was now considerably more empty than it had been an hour ago). "I win." No longer had those words been uttered than Tenten lost her sense of ballance and fell face-first on to her companion, also somewhat comatose.

Lee continued to grin at the scene before him, shaking his head in mock disapproval. After a moment, he gathered his friends' things and stepped closer to them. He bent over and carefully lifted them both into a wobbly standing position against his shoulders, then secured a firm grip around their waists.

"For a woman and someone so skinny, these two sure are heavy," he muttered under his breath, before taking off at incredible speed towards his house.

oooooooooooooooooooo

Sasuke's eyelids began to droop as he continued to observe Sakura and her movements. He saw the cheery woman almost every day due to the close proximity in which they lived of each other, but she rarely wore make up or dressy clothes. Such was the case tonight; he suspected it would be one of the only times in his life he would see her like that. He began to doze off, the many long nights of missions slowly catching up to him. The sight was almost hypnotic...

A soft tapping on his shoulder startled the pale man out of his sleep, and bleary-eyed, he turned to see who it was. He nearly jumped out of his seat when his eyes found Sakura smiling down at him, hands on her knees. She giggled a little at his obvious surprise, smile spreading, then commented, "You look tired, Sasuke-kun. Been staying up late?"

A weary nod was answer enough. Sasuke stood up stiffly, and in looking at his feet in the process of thinking of something to say, he missed a worried look from his childhood companion. She covered it up quickly, and added, "Take care of yourself," before going home for the night.

He watched her retreating back momentarily, then said in a barely audible voice, "I will." Going home seemed like a very good idea at the time.

The short walk was very uneventful, and we would have fallen asleep again had he not been walking. Sasuke eventually found himself in front of the enormous Uchiha complex, and stopped at the wide entrance habitually before slowly entering and making his way to his house. All of the other buildings were vacant, but not eerily so. He had grown used to the lonely feeling of the place, ever since the incident fifteen years ago... Fifteen years seemed an eternity ago. Walking by the broken glass windows of the small bakery on the side of the stone pathway had become a daily occurance. Not once had he thought of fixing up the place, not until his two goals had been fulfilled... Then he would actually have a reason to do so.

As Sasuke opened the door to his large home, he remembered how hard it had been to live there ever since the incident; almost every room brought back memories of what had lead up to the tragedy, and it had made him feel completely helpless at the beginning. But now he knew there was nothing he could have done to stop it from happening, as he entered his own small room and sat down on the futon.

He stared at the vacant window for a moment, before muttering, "I'm not changing with you in here, Kakashi."

The tall form of his teacher faded into view, still holding the orange book in one of his hands. Without looking up from the novel, he cut straight to the point. "I have a mission for you."

Slightly confused at the statement, Sasuke inquired, "And when did you become Hokage?"

As if predicting the question, Kakashi answered somewhat skeptically, still focused on his book, "She is currently... Unable to assign missions at the time." It seemed the Fifth had been among the many drinking themselves into a stupor that evening. Which wasn't much of a surprise, really.

Still curious as to the nature of his new assignment, the Uchiha waited patiently for an explanation. After a while of nothing but the wind blowing against the curtains and the occasional flip of a page, the former ANBU closed the covers of "Come Come Tactics, Vol. 3" and looked at his student before beginning, "The mission is to track down a certain S-rank criminal." Having caught Sasuke's attention, he continued, "When you find him, orders are to capture him and bring him back to Konoha if he is willing to negotiate. If not, you have permission to apply force. And if worst comes to worst, you may have to kill him. Am I clear?"

Sasuke nodded somberly, awaiting further details.

"He was last seen in the village of the Hidden Cloud in the Lightning Country; keep in mind that you may end up in places where you are not particularly welcome, so be careful."

"Got it. Is anybody coming with me on this mission?"

"No."

Slightly baffled at Kakashi's answer, he thought for a moment before asking, "Who is it I'm after?"

For a moment, the infamous copy-ninja seemed to hesitate. How would he react upon hearing the answer? 'Well, it's too late for second thoughts now,' the experienced shinobi realised. Still, it was with great regret that he replied, "Uchiha Itachi."

Immdiately, Sasuke bristled. He hadn't heard the name in a long time, and he would have preferred it to stay that way. Clenching his fists, the young man said acidly, "I suppose I don't need to ask why." Still, it was terribly convenient that HE had been picked for this particular mission. The Hokage would never have agreed to it... Except if she was completely hammered, as she was now. He suspected his teacher had played an important role in convincing Tsunande to "let" him take part in it.

As it were, there was no backing down from this sort of opportunity. If everything went well, in the end, he would have his revenge and a huge weight would be lifted off of his life.

Kakashi sighed at the hateful look on Sasuke's face. He hadn't expected him to forgive his older brother for committing such a heinous crime, but it was still hard to see one of his students suffering over something that couldn't have been avoided. He had been growing increasingly distant as of late; besides, it was about time he started thinking about his future, rather than his past. It would be a shame to see what was once such a prestegious clan wither away into nothing. Kakashi wasn't especially fond of the whole "revenge" concept, but it looked like it was the only thing that would make his pupil happier.

The awkward slience persisted for many minutes, before a light "thud" noice, followed by a quiet "ouch" was heard from below the windowsill outside. Recognizing the voice, Sasuke stood brusquely and passed his teacher on the way to the window. Peering down into the bushes, he could make out a faint distortion in the atmosphere, and made a simple seal with his index and middle finger, cancelling the illusion. The familiar form of Sakura came into view, crouched in the garden with one hand pressed firmly over her mouth, the other clutching a bruise on her forehead. It was quite a comical appearance, despite the seriousness of the scene.

Wide-eyed, she blinked a few times before standing up and smiling sheepishly before stepping into the room through the window, earning a strange look from Kakashi. At the sight of her sensei, she pursed her lips and planted her hands firmly on her hips before demanding in a concerned voice, "You aren't actually planning on letting him go alone, are you?"

Sasuke wandered back to the futon, sitting down tiredly and putting his head in his hand. She always had to be so... So worried about everyone else, without a care as to what could happen to her in the process. In some instances, it wasn't a very profitable attitude, but he had learned over the years how incredibly stubborn his teammate could become. Kakashi had also caught glimpses of Sakura's fierce determination to ensure everybody's safety in given situations, and didn't even bother arguing with her to spare himself the headache. He simply glanced at her and asked, "You are aware of the danger of this mission?"

She nodded, a serious look working its way across her face. "I was eavesdropping."

Sighing once again, Kakashi looked quickly at the cieling before informing the pair resignedly, "You leave tomorrow morning, get some rest." In a small cloud of smoke, he disappeared from the room.

Sakura glanced over at Sasuke, who appeared to be deep in thought, eyes closed in concentration. She cast him an appologetic look before heading towards the window. "See you soon," she said quietly, before exiting the premises.

Eyes opening slightly, he replied softly, "Yeah."

(( Well, was it worth the wait? I would certainly appreciate reviews if you have an opinion. Again, sorry for the delay. I got... Distracted. Try to ignore the crappy scene dividers, ehehehe. ))