Author's Note: Heyo! Before you start reading I wanted to quickly apologize for how slow I've been posting for the past few months. I barely ever find the time to work on this fic due to work and school. But I promise you this, I will see this story till the end. I won't be abandoning this story as I have a lot of ideas for it. I also want to thank everyone who either favourited the story or left a review, I appreciate them and it's what motivates me to write the next chapter. And without further ado, here is the next chapter.

Disclaimer: All characters, places, things and any ideas used in this fiction belong to Masashi Kishimoto. While the plot idea and the names of towns used belong to Sorata Akizuki.

Ch 4 - A Visit to the Palace

"What is the meaning of this, your highness?"

The quiet yet still atmosphere was rudely interrupted by none other than the count, barging into the room without any prior notice. Karin, perched near the right of Sasuke's desk looked to see who entered, recognizing it to be Jiraiya, dressed in his casual attire. Meanwhile, Suigetsu continued to read a book he found the other day, not bothering to see who entered.

Jiraiya is a well-known count who's knowledgeable in many aspects. Although he's in his late fifties, he's been single his whole life. Probably due to the fact that he's known to be a pervert who often visits different prostitution bars to, well pass the time of course. Yet, he's been chosen to look after Sasuke by his brother. It's the only reason he even tolerates his presence.

Sasuke merely glances over his work, eyeing the count's questioning look on his face, before turning his attention back to what he was doing. He wasn't sure why the count decided to annoy him first thing in the morning, better yet who allowed him access to his office. He was going to make sure to leave a message to the guards on allowing specific guests access.

Silence filled the room, with the only other sound of a pen being scribbled. Karin looked back and forth between Sasuke and Jiraiya, questioning whether either was going to speak up. As the silence dragged on, Jiraiya took a deep breath, calming his nerves with what he was about to reveal.

"There have been rumours going around the castle these last couple of days." Jiraiya watches Sasuke's reaction, cursing at himself when his facial expression didn't change.

"Oh really?"

Sasuke says from behind his desk, finding it bothersome to look up at him. Sasuke knew from the moment the count spoke what his topic of discussion was going to be. Although he did anticipate it, he wasn't expecting it to be this early on. Sasuke folds his hands together, finally getting the energy to make eye contact with the count, causing him to flinch as a result. It seems Suigetsu finally began to eavesdrop on the conversation, with muffled laughter coming from his direction.

Clearing his throat, Jiraiya continued, "the servants and guards have been gossiping about a peculiar girl with pink hair with whom you've become… acquainted."

When the words fully registered, he raised a brow at him. There's no way rumours have been spreading about this, he's never once brought her to the castle. Instead, he often ran into her outside, away from prying eyes and people who'd likely misinterpreted their relationship. Yet rumours have already escalated, but how? The only people who know are himself, Suigetsu, and Karin. There's also Prince Neji, but I made sure he stayed quiet.

Karin was the first to speak up, "and where exactly have you heard these kinds of rumours?" She stands up, taking a couple of steps forward, "how do we know this isn't some kind of scheme you're playing… you do that quite often."

Jiraiya is known to often test Sasuke at times. Since he was put in charge by his brother to watch over him, he'd throw random claims at him, as a way to see how far he's come. But deep down, Sasuke knows of Jiraiya's thoughts of finding him incompetent as a prince, finding any way possible to belittle him in front of his older brother. Luckily, since he isn't here, Sasuke won't have to be lectured by him anytime soon. Although he will be hearing of this once he gets back.

"Believe what you want, however, I came here to warn you about how the people of Clarines might think of this." He then turns around, making his way through the door, only to pause, "I wonder how Itachi would feel about this."

The moment he uttered his brother's name, Sasuke instantly lost his temper. "What did you just say," he yells back, abruptly getting out of his chair, causing it to fall to the ground. Both Karin and Suigetsu watched as Sasuke began approaching the count, slowly exchanging glances in understanding before running to hold Sasuke in place.

"Let go," Sasuke uttered, struggling to free himself from their grasp, only the three became motionless as Jiraiya began backing away and towards the exit.

"See ya," Jiraiya says, raising an arm to wave goodbye, as he then slams the doors behind him, leaving the three standing near the centre of the room in complete silence once more.

Sakura closed the book she was looking over, sighing as she leaned back against the chair, making a creaky sound upon its descent. It's been a couple of hours now of her mindlessly going through the entire collection of books Ino had checked out the other day, yet her mind kept wandering back to last night. She could still feel Sasuke's smooth hands skillfully wiping away a single tear, and the way he coolly draped his jacket around her shoulders, as if knowing she was feeling cold.

"Who's coat is this?" Ino asks from behind, interrupting Sakura's train of thoughts.

Sakura whips her head to look at what Ino was holding in her hand, only to gape in surprise, quickly recognizing who's it was. Last night after Sasuke walked her home, Ino, who was perched by the front stairs leading up the building instantly recognized her arrival. She ran over to where Sakura stood, wrapping her arms around her shoulders as she began to instantly tear up while crying about how it was all her fault for her kidnapping. Meanwhile, Sakura tried her best to reassure her that she was only helping an injured child who needed medical attention. When Ino finally calmed down, she took a couple of steps back, allowing Sakura to regain her breathing.

"I have something I got to show you," Sakura excitedly says, rummaging through her pockets for the specific herbs she picked out. Although, for some odd reason the pocket felt different as if it wasn't hers… Realization instantly dawned on her, looking down to notice it was the coat Sasuke lent back at the beach. Quickly turning around, Sakura began mumbling, "you forgot your-" only, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. When did he sneak away that quietly… Deciding to return the coat another day, Sakura followed Ino back into their home, which leads up to their current situation.

When Sakura chose not to reply, Ino began impatiently tapping her sandals onto the wooden floor, observing her facial features. Ino had a thing for being able to read others' facial expressions. It's a thing she greatly excelled at. And staring at Sakura's flushed face, she knew what was wrong.

"What happened last night?" Ino questioned, crossing her arms while holding onto the coat.

"It's nothing relevant." Sakura began saying, but as she saw Ino's expression full of disbelief, she sighed, "fine, we were only walking along the beach for a couple of minutes."

This clearly made Ino all excited as she squealed like a little girl, "did anything else happen?" she began elbowing me against my shoulder.

"I mean," looking back, Sakura couldn't really think of much that occurred, all they did was have a simple conversation and that was all. Except he did do a couple of minor actions that made Sakura all flustered.

"We just had a small conversation."

"That's it?" Ino questions, looking rather disappointed.

"He did also lend me that coat." Sakura points out.

Ino became excited once more, squealing, "You mean this coat?" She holds up, as her expression quickly turned into that of a knowing smirk, "He totally likes you!"

Sakura instantly shook her head, "No! Of course not! We were only conversing like normal friends would." There's no way in a million years someone like him would like a regular girl like her. I mean, there are way prettier girls he could date than her. And besides, he's a prince who's bound to become engaged to another one day. To her, being friends was all she cared about.

Not wanting to continue with this conversation, Sakura adds, "The coat you were holding, I'd like to go return it back to him." Standing up from her seat, she walks over to where Ino stood, still holding onto the coat with her index finger. Sakura grabbed the coat from her hand, as Ino continued to smile in place. It was also an excuse to take a walk outdoors since she really needed it.

Ino replied, "It's alright, take your time," she winked at Sakura, who as a result sighed in annoyance.

"I won't be out for that long." She waved back, walking out the door and onto the streets once more. Spotting a carriage parked not too far off, she made her way over and sat in the back, while making sure the coat was folded neatly on her lap.

A long yet bumpy carriage ride later, Sakura's eyes widened in surprise while staring up at a circular garden in front of her.

'This place definitely looked ten times better than the castle back in Tanbarun'

Taking a couple of steps towards the garden, Sakura spotted a grand water fountain near the middle, which seemed to contain birds nestled comfortably without a care for its surroundings. Around the fountain, colourful yet bright flowers were growing about, such as Iris' and Dahlias. As Sakura's eyes trailed over the fountain, she gasped in surprise at what lay in front of her.

The castle, which stood glamorously behind the gates could be seen, with pillars holding the structure afloat. Sakura followed the cobblestone pathway behind the gate, noticing it leads up towards a golden stairway, which takes you towards the entrance. Meanwhile, there were many balconies higher up, which Sakura assumed were where most of the bedrooms were located. A second garden was situated inside the gates, however, it was twice the size of the one outside. From where she stood, all she could see were the many trees lining the exterior of the pathway, which Sakura assumed was a forest. Although it made her question how big the castle really is past the gates.

Sakura walked past the fountain and towards the tall, gray gate, which consisted of silver spirals swirling about. Two handles could be seen along the front, allowing access to enter the premises. She spotted a pair of guards stationed on either side, who could be seen scanning their surroundings every so often. Clutching the coat tighter along her arm, she takes a deep breath before walking toward the guards, it's not like they wouldn't let her in, right?

"And who might you be?"

Sakura flinched while coming to a stop a few meters away from them. Turning to where the sound came from, she spotted a boy about the same height stationed to the side. Clearing her throat, Sakura takes a couple of steps away from the gate, not before turning to face the boy, "I would like to see Sa- I mean, his highness."

"That's not the first excuse we've heard today," a voice not coming from the boy, but from someone to her left claimed. Turning her attention to the other person, she noticed it to be yet another boy of similar age. Both of them, she discerned, was carrying a broad axe at their sides. Was that what they used to chase away unwanted guests? Sakura slowly began to lose her confidence, maybe she shouldn't have come.

"Look miss," he sighed in annoyance, "if you're one of his so-called fan girls, then I'd like to politely ask you to leave the premises. It wouldn't be nice for us to have to forcibly escort you-" he yelped when the other boy shoved his hand over his mouth, preventing him from finishing his sentence.

"What he meant to say was, what's your reason for visiting?"

"I was…" Sakura's eyes darted everywhere but their eyes, unsure of what to say. The feeling of doubt sank into the pit of her stomach. Would they believe her if she said they were friends? But, did Sasuke view her as a friend?

They continued to eye her down, while she took a few steps back. 'He'll probably notice his coat's missing and decide to get it later'

Accepting her defeat, Sakura sighs, "Nevermind. I'll just le-"

"Sakura?" Someone exclaims, cutting her off.

Sakura tilts her head up, past the gates to spot someone who she recognized right away.

"Suigetsu?"

He seemed to be wearing a long, white t-shirt, with a long black cape overtop. He had on a pair of gray loose pants and his sword was perfectly hidden away inside his cape, yet you could still spot it from where she stood. She wasn't expecting him of all people to find her in a situation like this. Better yet, how he still remembers her name. The last time she saw him was when she and Ino were dropped off in front of the apartment building.

"I thought I recognized your pink hair!" He exclaims happily, casually walking through the gates. As a habit, Sakura reached over to touch the hood of her cape, only instead getting the feeling of her soft locks of hair. She inwardly cursed, realizing she left her cape back in her bedroom.

Looking back up, she finds Suigetsu conversing with the two guards, not able to pick up on what was being said. When they were done, the guards eyed her for a bit, as though they were questioning her identity. Only instead, the one on the right exclaims, "I didn't know you were acquainted with Suigetsu."

"Huh?" That was all Sakura said before being dragged inside by Suigetsu. Once they were past the gates, she heard a soft click from behind, tilting her head to notice the gates were already closed. Suigetsu removed his hands from behind her back and walked to her side.

"Next time when you decide to visit, let them know you know me. They'll let you in that way."

Sakura nodded her head in understanding, "I'll try doing that next time. Thanks for the tip." She mumbles.

Suigetsu blinked, "Never mind that, what brings you here today?"

Sakura looks up at him, raising her arm that contained the coat. "I wanted to return this to Sasuke since he forgot it."

Suigetsu eyed the coat for a bit, while pondering over something. He then looks around his surroundings as though he was looking for something, before dragging Sakura to the side, "I think it'll be better for you to return it yourself."

When Sakura opened her mouth to decline his offer, Suigetsu began walking along the path, yelling back "You coming or what?" he waved his arm lazily in the air.

Not thinking much of it, Sakura runs to catch up to him. She was just going to have to quickly return it and leave as fast as possible.

Suigetsu lazily placed his hand on the back of his head while strolling through. Sakura looked at her surroundings, realizing there really was in fact a forest surrounding the path. One step in there and you're bound to get lost.

Suigetsu must've noticed her staring as he quickly says, "no one really goes past the forest, it's only there for show."

Sakura turned her attention towards Suigetsu, who seemed to be lost in his own thoughts. It made her question how long he's been working here, and when was he officially appointed as Sasuke's personal knight.

"How long have you been working here?" Sakura blurts out. When silence met her ears, she quickly waves her hands embarrassed, "You don't need to answer the question."

Suigetsu began laughing, causing Sakura to turn and face him. "Hmm…" he hums, thinking over the question.

"Maybe when he was around 5?" He then turns his attention to Sakura, "I'm not too sure but I've been training ever since I was born." He grins, flashing his spiky teeth as a result.

"Do you not regret missing out on having a normal childhood?"

Sakura began feeling sympathetic towards him. It's not one to begin training ever since they were born. It's like he never had a childhood to begin with. Suigetsu seemed unaffected by the question, confining on down the path, with Sakura following beside him.

"I don't regret it one bit. Yeah sure, Sasuke can be quite annoying and hard to tolerate at times," Sakura barely stifles a laugh, covering her mouth as Suigetsu tilts his head towards the bright sky, unbothered by her reaction, "but he's actually quite fun to work with."

Before she could question him any further, Suigetsu releases his hands from the back of his head, "we're finally here," he points out. When Sakura caught sight of the castle in front of her, it felt as though she forgot how to breathe. There, standing right across was the same golden staircase she glimpsed from back near the gate, although it looked shinier and bigger. The grand entrance inside was guarded by two more men, both armed with swords at their sides rather than an axe. Too busy entranced by the castle, she didn't realize Suigetsu was walking to the side rather than the stairs.

"Is there a reason we're headed this way rather than the main entrance?" Sakura questions, running to catch up.

Suigetsu didn't bother to stop, continuing while replying, "it'll be more convenient going this way. Trust me."

The path they were on continued past the main area of the castle, with more trees lining her left. While on her right, only the side of the castle could be seen, with its many windows and extravagant panes surrounding each one. Looking forward, she noticed they were approaching a stairway made of stone, leading up to the second floor.

Suigetsu paused by the stairway, "if you head to the top of these stairs, turn left and keep walking down the hall until you come across the last door. That should be where Sasuke is cooped up in."

Realizing Suigetsu was going to leave her on her own, she wasn't prepared to navigate the castle on her own, "but I-" only Suigetsu waved his arm up while walking away, "I leave him in your care."

Sakura watched his retreating figure, flabbergasted that he would just let her be. She blinked, quickly yelling back "thank you!" before he disappeared out of sight. Turning back around, Sakura eyed the many steps it'll take to reach the next floor. Sighing, she began walking up the stairs.

All she needed to do was walk over to whatever room Suigetsu directed her to, hand his coat over and walk back out. It's easier said than done. Sasuke's probably too busy dealing with whatever work to even bother to talk with her.

As she continued to mindlessly ascend the stairs, she paused. Did Suigetsu even give her the right directions? There's no way he would do something like that, right? Shaking her head of her thoughts, she tilts her head up, taking a couple of steps forward. Halfway through placing her foot, something whizzed past her, causing her to stumble back. The sound of an object piercing into the side wall, before descending near her foot made her heart accelerate. She stood still, with her hand against her chest, waiting for another sound.

Yet silence met her ears.

She couldn't bring her eyes to see what exactly that said object was. Except curiosity got the best of her. Sakura hesitantly turned her head to the side, spotting a few pieces of stone fall to the ground. Her eyes followed the path of descent, catching sight of something glinting against the sunlight. Her eyes widened in surprise, bending down to get a better look.

An arrow lay a couple of feet away from her.

However, that wasn't the only thing that surprised her. Sakura reached out her arm, inching a bit closer to grab the folded piece of paper near the arrow. Unfolding it, she read through the contents, before folding it back up once more out of shock.

"Take another step and maybe the arrow won't miss a second time.

Turn around and go home.

This is a warning."

Is this some kind of joke? Why would someone be forcing her not to go up the stairs? And attacking her in broad daylight? It's like they're trying to get caught. What really took her by surprise was how they were able to go past the front gates. How had they slipped past the guards unnoticed? Sakura placed the note into the back of her pocket, grabbing ahold of the arrow in the palm of her hand. Taking a deep breath in, she slowly turned around, facing the direction of where the arrow came from, yet still hidden from sight. If she could at least get a small glimpse of who it was, maybe she could recognize them. Sakura slowly yet hestiantly poked her head just enough to get a view of the forest. It was hard to catch sight of any figure who may be lurking in the nearby trees. With so many surrounding trees, it made it nearly impossible for any sunlight to poke its way though, casting darkness over the forest as a result.

As she tried squinting her eyes, she caught sight of something glinting high up in a tree. Before she could even process what it was, a muffled pow emerged. She watched, wide eyed, as an object that resembled the shape of an arrow approaching her way. Sakura's flight-or-fight response kicked in, choosing to make a bolt for it. Even though the letter specified to not take another step, she would rather risk it going up the stairs than back down. A couple steps up, she heard a twang from behind, indicating it penetrating the wall. A second later, another sound was heard. This time, the arrow barely whizzed by the back of her head, as it landed on the side wall. Sakura's breathing increased. Her heart rate became abnormal. Butterflies were sitting at the bottom of her stomach.

Will I make it out? Was all Sakura could think of as another arrow went by her, slicing right through her front bangs. She tilted her head up, catching sight of the second floor. Looking to her left, she quickly ducked down as another arrow, which was aimed at her head, flew right over. Without pausing, she pushed her legs to make it through the last couple of steps.

5 steps were remaining.

4.

3.

2.

1.

Sakura jumped onto the second floor, looking back as her smile quickly faded. Around 5 arrows could be seen laying on the steps. Sakura's eyes widened once more, standing petrified in place. Another arrow shot toward her. Luckily, it missed her by an inch, slicing its way through the right side of her pink locks before the ringing sound of it landing on the ground was heard. She didn't waste any time thinking, stumbling her way down the hall, and towards the last door to her right. Not bothering to knock or check if anyone was inside, she reached over and opened the door, easily slipping inside before slamming the door shut behind her.

Sakura stood still, leaning against the wooden frame of the doorway. She could still feel her heart racing, the sound of her frantic breathing echoing through the quiet room.

"Calm down Sakura," she whispered to herself, trying her best to calm her nerves.

As she turned her attention to the front of the room, her breathing hitched in the back of her throat, catching sight of dark hair sprayed against the table. The only thing she could see of him was his spiky hair poking out from his head, which lay snuggly against the back of his elbows.

He must be sleeping.

Sakura took this moment to look around, quickly discerning it to be an office of some sort. Rows upon rows of bookshelves full of similar spines were placed against the walls, with a couple of potted plants by the doorway. A large red rug rested along the middle of the floor. Near the far back, there was a glass doorway, which led to the balcony. And in front of it, a wooden desk filled with stacks of paper and books were poorly laid about. In addition, a rather frowned young boy continued to sleep peacefully against its surface, with his face planted on his arm.

She raised her arm containing the rather worn-out coat, staring back at it. She then focused her attention on his sleeping posture, as an idea popped into mind. Not wanting to disturb him, Sakura quietly made her way towards his desk, smoothly draping his coat onto his back. She watched, studying the rise and fall of his back, indicating him to be deep in sleep. Her eyes trailed along the piles of papers placed near his head.

'Does he always work himself this intensely?' She thought.

Eying the pieces of paper, curiosity got the better of her. She wanted to get a better look at what exactly he does in his office all day. Slowly yet steadily, she leaned herself over the desk, trying her best to interpret what exactly she was looking at.

The moment she placed a finger against a word she saw, something grasped at her wrist. And quite hard at that. She let out a squeak. Tilting her head over as jade eyes met onyx. It was like time had stopped, with just the two of them here.

Sakura blinked, watching as Sasuke removed his hand, while his head remained in the same posture. She inwardly cursed at herself, she was going to leave his coat against his back and walk out. And yet she became drawn to the type of work he does.

"You could've just knocked," Sasuke mumbled half asleep.

Not quite catching what he said, Sakura said, "what?"

He ignored her question, raising his head from the desk and slowly leaning against the chair he was seated on. The coat which was draped over him fell against the chair. Although it seemed he must've not realized it being there.

Silence ensued as Sasuke stared back at Sakura, as though he was studying her facial features. Out of habit, she tucked in a strand of hair behind her ear, "I came to return your coat but since you were sl-" he didn't let her finish her sentence, as he narrowed his eyes at a specific spot on her face.

"You're bleeding."

"Huh?"

That comment took her by surprise. Sasuke pointed towards his forehead, the specific spot he was talking about. Sakura hesitantly reached towards that spot, feeling something wet as a result. Bringing her finger to eye level she gasped in surprise.

He wasn't kidding. She really was bleeding. But… when did that happen? Thinking back, her eyes widened in realization. It must've happened back at the stairs when she was trying to dodge the oncoming arrows targeted directly at her. Sakura turned her eyes back at Sasuke, who seemed rather concerned with the bleeding. He can't find out about the whole incident.

Not right now.

Thinking of a lie, she opened her mouth to explain, "I… tripped!"

Sasuke raised a brow at that, unsure if he should believe her.

"As I was walking up the steps, I somehow missed one and ended up hitting my forehead against the stair step." She tried laughing it off.

"Do you at least need medical care?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura quickly waved her hands in front of her, "No!" She replied back, rather a bit too loud at that. When Sasuke said nothing back, she took that as a queue to leave, slowly walking backwards.

"It was nice seeing you though," she awkwardly smiled as she felt the cold handle of the doorway behind her. She opened the door and slipped her way out, not waiting for Sasuke to say anything back, she slammed the door behind her.

Sakura released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

'Now that that's over, I can make my way home.'

Sakura began making her way down the hall, yet she slowed down to a stop a couple feet away from the door, remembering why she hid in that room to begin with. Could they still be here hiding somewhere among the treelines, waiting for her to come in sight? Sakura continued to stand in place, scanning her surroundings multiple times to make sure no one was trying to point an arrow at her. All that met her eyes was silence and nothing in sight. The only possible idea was that they must've ran off the moment she entered the room. Yet even though no one could be seen in sight, it felt as though she was being watched, feeling a chill run up her spine while scanning her surroundings. She wanted to get away from here as fast as possible.

Instantaneously, Sakura ran down the hall, approaching the spiral stairway. She then sprinted right down the stairs, past the castle, and soon approached the front gates once more. Even though she was far enough that she could slow down, something in the back of her mind told her to keep running.

And so she did

She was lying.

It was obvious the moment he heard a loud thump of the door being closed, which woke him up from his nap. And the sound of her frantic breathing told him something was off. So, he tried pretending as though he were asleep, to see if she made any other further comment. Yet it became awfully quiet. Suddenly, he picked up the sound of footsteps approaching him, as something was draped over his figure. Maybe if he moved his arm suddenly, it'll result in some kind of reaction that'll tell him what's going on. And so, the moment he heard the sound of papers being shuffled, he took that as a queue to grab her wrist. He must've griped it too hard, as a soft squeak was heard. He immediately let go in response, trying to think of something to say.

"You could've knocked," was all that came to mind.

"What?" He heard her say.

That's when he decided to get up, slowly inclining himself onto his chair. Sasuke tilted his head up to get a better look at her expression, except something else caught him by surprise. Dark, red liquid was oozing out from a sore spot on the side of her forehead. Yet it seemed as if Sakura must've not noticed it yet.

"You're bleeding."

"Huh?"

He was right, she hadn't known of it yet. He indicated the specific spot on his forehead where she was bleeding, catching sight of her shocked expression. That's when she began spouting off nonsense, something along the lines of tripping and it being a mistake. He won't lie if he said he wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying.

Her fake story. It was annoying him.

And when she slowly backed away, before slipping out through the door and closing it shut, he was left along with silence once more. Sasuke waited a couple of seconds, in case she decided to run back in. But she didn't. He continued staring back at the door, wondering whether he should investigate what happened outside. Even though there are many guards stationed at every corner, it couldn't have been something big. The worst he could think of was she may have embarrassed herself, which caused her to run into the nearest room possible.

But the fact that she was bleeding irked him. He wasn't even sure why he was feeling that way. Moving on his own, Sasuke shot out from his seat, walking over to grab his sword with laid neatly by the side table. He tied the sheath against his hip, making sure it was securely tied. Once he was prepared, he walked towards the doors, opening them up without hesitation.

It was awfully quiet, he noted. Staring down the hall, there was no one in sight. No guards were stationed nearby, nor were there any walking about. There was usually someone patrolling this side of the area. As he continued to observe the hall, he caught sight of something peculiar on the ground. He could only see the sun being reflected off the front part of the object. He slowly inched forward, drawn to whatever thing laying on the ground. Once he was close enough, he instantly recognized what it was.

An arrow.

Not just one, but as he turned his attention towards the staircase, he spotted a couple more on the steps. There's no denying it, something must've occurred here that caused Sakura to run into his office. The only possibility he could think of was an assassin may have gotten passed the front gate and managed to sneak all the way here unnoticed. And when they saw Sakura, they had no choice but to shoot at her. But, something about this seemed odd. It made zero sense how there were no guards stationed near here. There were always additional guards besides Suigetsu and Karin who'd stand guard outside my office while I worked. Which means it was an inside job. But who would it be?

The sound of leaves being crushed alerted Sasuke out of his thoughts. He snapped his head to where the sound came from, catching sight of the dense forest. It was hard to see anything beyond it, with all the darkness looming over. Sasuke walked towards the railing, narrowing his eyes to get a better look at the trees afar. Nothing seemed amiss from his point of view. Did he maybe hear wrong? Sighing in defeat, he tilted his head to the side, staring back at the arrow once more. a blur of yellow caught him by surprise, doing a double take back towards the direction of the tree across, he spots a flash of yellow hidden behind the leaves.

There.

A smirk emerged along his facial features, it's like he's asking to be seen. Taking a couple of steps back, he then dashed forward, placing one hand along the railing while leaping his legs over. He grabbed for the nearest branch, swinging over to land safely on the ground. He looked back up towards the tree, as onyx met blue. Their eyes widened in disbelief, frantically standing up from where they were seated to run away. Only, he misplaced his foot on a branch, hearing the sound of a crack before falling. Sasuke watched in amusement as the boy landed on his back with a loud thud.

Sasuke took his time walking over to the boy, who looked as though they were in a lot of pain. He caught sight of a tanned boy who had spikey blonde hair and sky blue eyes. He was wearing a casual orange T-shirt with a white cape over top, and a pair of loose green pants. For some reason, he looked oddly familiar, as though they met somewhere. Yet he couldn't figure out when and where. As the boy got up while rubbing at his bruised bum, he yelped in surprise as Sasuke narrowed the tip of his sword towards his face.

"Who are you?"

Authors note: I think we can all guess who this newly introduced character is, right? Reviews are appreciated and see you all in the next chapter!

Hope you enjoyed!