Emulation of Apathy

Chapter IX

"Acceptance"

…

There was one meal in the day in which he always seemed to find disruption. At breakfast, he could avoid it, if he awoke late enough. Dinner, likewise, he could avoid easily if he prepared it late enough, and if he prepared it himself. Lunch, however, was the one meal he always seemed to find himself in the company of Kabuto and Orochimaru. Today, however, was a pleasant exception. Orochimaru had informed him that they would have to postpone training for the day, due to an experiment that required his immediate attention, and the Uchiha only supposed that Kabuto was assisting him, as was usually the case.

Therefore, he found himself sitting peacefully alone in the kitchen, a bowl of steaming tomato soup in front of him. If the Sannin had decided to not train him today, he might as well make the most of it and avoid both of those idiots. It would be nice to have a day to himself, in which he could restore his sanity after the chaos of last week.

He had been training non-stop, and every day it seemed Kabuto had a new outfit design for him to look at. He was growing tired of all of these failed attempts, of constantly shooting them down, of looking over them only to be disappointed, but there really was not a single outfit the Genin had designed that he could even remotely agree with. They were ridiculous, atrocious pieces of clothing, and they really did make Sasuke wonder what sort of outfits he would find on the other jailers as they changed hideouts, if Kabuto truly was the one charged with the designs.

No matter. Today, Kabuto had left him alone. He had not brought a single outfit before his eyes, which was a welcome change, considering the man always seemed to have something prepared the moment he woke up. However, just as the young Uchiha found himself reaching a brief state of serenity, it was instantly shattered when the kitchen door flew open.

"Sasuke-kun!"

The boy held back the groan, but he let the frown form as he averted his onyx gaze to the young man in the doorway. "What?"

"I do believe I have it!" Kabuto informed him, trembling in his excitement as he hurried across the room. He fell into the seat beside Sasuke, leaning across the table and holding his sketchpad out for the boy to inspect. "I was up working on this one all night! I showed it to Orochimaru-sama, and he approves."

Sasuke shoved the man away, as he was clearly invading his personal space and was a little too close for comfort, and he then proceeded to snatch the sketch out of his hands. He let his dark eyes wander over the drawing, but he paused almost immediately.

"What the hell is this?"

"The new design, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto laughed in his typical patronizing manner. "Do try to keep up."

The boy felt his eye twitch, but he refrained from snapping at the man as he calmly lifted his gaze to award Kabuto a pointed look. "I realize that," he said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "I'm just wondering why the hell you would design a piece of shit like this. Did you really think it would be acceptable?"

"You can't say you don't approve of this one, either!" the Genin exclaimed, his eyebrows raised in astonishment. "You really have no taste at all, do you, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke scowled, lifting the sketchpad and throwing it across the room angrily. There, that should be enough to explain to the idiot what he truly thought of his work.

"Sasuke-kun!" Kabuto snapped to his feet in a start and he hurried to retrieve the book.

Hm, perhaps it would have been better if he had aimed for the trashcan. If only he had thought of that sooner. Oh well, too late now. He watched in satisfaction as the Genin carefully brushed his hand against the paper to clean it, all the while shaking his head in disappointment.

"You are such a child," the older shinobi was remarking. "You throw fits so easily. If you don't like something, you immediately shout out how much you hate it, and you just won't be happy unless you get your way. Honestly, it's a wonder Orochimaru-sama is able to put up with you as well as he does. But then, I suppose it's only to be expected, from a man as great as him."

"Oh, shut-up," Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. He was tempted to throw his bowl at the man's head, now. "If you would just accept the fact that you make mistakes from time to time, maybe you would able to improve your stupid drawings, instead of all of them turning out worthless."

"They are not worthless," Kabuto disagreed with a firm nod of his head. "You just can't appreciate the true genius behind them."

"Or you're too much of an idiot to see how horrible they are," the Uchiha drawled in response.

"Don't be absurd," Kabuto tsked him, rising to his feet and using his free hand to push his glasses up the brim of his nose. "I am not an idiot, so your argument is clearly void. Now then, I'll go design something simpler for you, because, apparently, you're too closed-minded to appreciate my excellent fashion."

Sasuke did not respond. He merely glared at the moron until he left the room altogether.

When the door shut, he let his eyes wander back to the bowl in front of him, and he released a heavy sigh. More than anyone he had ever encountered, Kabuto was trying his patience. Frankly, he annoyed the hell out of him. Whatever, he was not going to let that moron ruin this opportunity to have a peaceful day, to eat his lunch free from all the ridiculousness that accompanied that duo. He therefore proceeded to close his eyes, composed himself, and then focused his attention on his meal, now thankful that he had resisted the urge to throw it at Kabuto. That would have been quite a waste, spoiling a perfectly good bowl of soup simply because the man was an idiot.

He lifted his spoon in his hand and took a small sip of the broth, allowing this rare feeling of enjoyment to close over him.

He hated these morons. Hated Kabuto's condescending smile and Orochimaru's unnerving stare, that snake's long tongue and that idiot's shimmering glasses. If he did not keep telling himself it would be worth it in the end, he had no idea how he would be able to retain his sanity through all this.

No matter. He could hate them all he wanted, but he needed Orochimaru. The thought sickened him, but it was true. It was the only way he could become more powerful, and he needed that power, so all he could do was suck it up and deal with it for now. The Uchiha nodded his head once and reached his hand out to lift his mug and take a small sip of his tea. As the aroma invaded his senses, cascading over him, he felt his mind wander…

…

"Where do you want to eat, Itachi?"

There was a silent pause between them, before the Uchiha shrugged his shoulders and replied, "We could go to the Dumpling Café."

"Ugh, no," the older boy released a groan. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm not serious?" Itachi rose a single brow.

"Why do you always want to eat there?" his friend crossed his arms in front of him. "Anytime I ask, it's always there. Sure, every now and again, you'll say some tea shop, but you always go back to that Café."

With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, Itachi replied, "There's just something about it. It's always been my favorite."

"They only have sweets there, though," a young child complained from beside his brother, and the two older boys glanced down at him.

"I'd say he makes a good argument," Shisui lifted his eyes to award Itachi a meaningful look. "You've got a worse sweet tooth than your brother, and he's only 7!"

"Don't take this out of context," Itachi insisted. "Sasuke doesn't like sweets, period. That's highly unusual."

"So is an ANBU captain who spends his days off gorging himself on cake," Shisui shot back.

"That may be, but my point remains," Itachi said with a slight shake of his head. "But I digress. You asked me where I wanted to eat, and I offered you my opinion."

"But, Nii-san," Sasuke stared up at his brother with a partially disgusted look in place, "they don't have anything I like."

"They have jasmine tea," his older brother reminded him.

"That's not a meal," Shisui scoffed. "For that matter, a bowl of ice cream and slice of cake isn't a meal, either. I say the Dumpling Café is a terrible idea for dinner!"

"I'll concede to that point if you agree it's an excellent establishment for dessert," Itachi stated.

The older boy remained silent a moment, as he folded his hands behind his head and considered the matter. Releasing a melodramatic sigh, he let his eyes fall to the ground as he replied, "Fine. It's a good place for dessert. So, if we go there for dessert afterwards, you'll agree to eat somewhere else for dinner?"

"I will," Itachi nodded his head.

"It's decided, then," Shisui gave in, though he did so grudgingly.

"I don't like dessert," Sasuke remarked.

"Well, you don't actually have to order anything," Shisui glanced down at him, a teasing smile forming. "You can just sit there and watch us enjoy ourselves."

"Shisui-san," Sasuke jutted his lip out in a pout.

"Don't worry, Sasuke," his older brother tapped him on the head to grab his attention, and Sasuke looked over to find Itachi giving him a genuine smile. "Like I said, they have that tea you like, so you can order that. And who knows? Perhaps you'll find something else you'll like."

"Ha!" Shisui released an amused laugh. "Yeah, right. This kid hates anything even remotely sweet. He's like the exact opposite of you."

Itachi shot his friend a look of annoyance. "A simple matter of taste does not determine such a fact."

"Yeah, yeah," Shisui waved his words away. "Whatever you say. So, where should we go for dinner? And no, Itachi, I'm not asking you."

"Fair enough," Itachi's pleasant smile returned, and he rested his dark eyes on his little brother. "Where would you like to eat, Sasuke?"

"Um…I don't know," the child glanced between the two in confusion. "Do I have to decide?"

"Oh, forget it!" Shisui rolled his eyes. "We'll just get barbeque!"

"Nii-san doesn't like barbeque very much," Sasuke pointed out.

"Good lord, what's with the two of you?!" the older boy exclaimed melodramatically. "You're so picky!"

"Nonsense," Itachi shook his head in disagreement. "I would accept almost any establishment. You just happened to choose the one place I dislike."

"Ugh, fine!" Shisui halted in his steps and turned to his right. "Why don't we just get ramen, or something?"

"Ramen sounds agreeable," Itachi replied. "Sasuke?"

"I like ramen," Sasuke nodded his head.

"Ramen, it is!" Shisui lifted his fist in the air. As he lowered it, he shook his head back and forth, muttering, "Jeez, I try to take us out someplace nice, and you two just want ramen."

"You'll make up for it with the dessert," Itachi assured him with a joking smile.

Shisui scoffed at his friend. "I don't get what it is with you and that place, anyway."

"It's Nii-san's favorite," Sasuke reminded the older boy.

…

And Itachi always got his way, didn't he? No matter what context he happened to find himself, he always seemed to get his way. Whether it was father's approval or where he wanted the kunai to land when he threw them, he always got his way. If that desire happened to be the extinction of his entire clan, in order to test his capabilities, and to attain that goal without a single person stopping him, he would get his way. That was just the sort of person Itachi was.

He had been joking with Shisui, inviting him to accompany him as he picked up his little brother from school, and then accepting the offer of going out for dinner, since they all had the night off. If Sasuke calculated correctly, that particular night had been about a month before Itachi would murder that selfsame friend in order activate his Mangekyou Sharingan. That bastard would even go that far, all for the sake of obtaining all the power he wanted, all for the sake of getting his own way. He was utterly contemptible.

Sasuke scowled, pushing his tea a few inches away from him and focusing his attention on his soup.

What kind of life was it that Uchiha Itachi even lived? He had spent his entire youth deceiving everyone around him. He had then proceeded to slaughter everyone he had ever known, everyone but his little brother. No, instead, he had left his little brother alive to live with the pain, as a living embodiment of the clan whom he could still torment to his heart's content. Then, he had joined a gang of notorious S-ranked criminals, and now moved from place to place as he pleased, completely untouchable.

What sort of life was that? How heartless could one person possibly be? He was living for nothing but himself, doing exactly as he pleased and always getting his way. Nothing stood in his way, and he took what he wanted. He had no friends, no home, no attachments of any kind. He was a heartless bastard. That's all there was to it.

To think, that man had even urged him to kill his closest friend. Well, that was certainly not going to happen. If Itachi wanted it, he would do everything he could to ensure that he did not get his way this time. He would not do as that bastard wanted, he would not keep running away, he would not wallow in despair, and, above all, he would be sure to put an end to that man's carefree existence. He would end his life. For once, things would not go as Itachi planned, and he would not get his way.

The young Uchiha smirked at the very thought, and he lifted his spoon to his mouth to continue his meal. He would put an end to this constant pattern, of that man attaining everything he wanted. He would train for as long as it took, become as powerful as he possibly could, learn everything Orochimaru had to offer, and then he would face his brother again. And kill him.

Yes, he was finished doing what Itachi wanted. And he certainly would not kill his best friend. Itachi may have carelessly slain Shisui, taking his life to obtain power, but Sasuke would not follow in his footsteps. If Itachi had the Mangekyou Sharingan, then Sasuke would simply train his eyes to become stronger, to be able to surpass this ability. He would not take Naruto's life, as his brother suggested.

The boy's hand fell still, and he stared down at the dark liquid in his bowl. Before his eyes, it seemed to transform into a steaming bowl of ramen, and he could hear someone screaming loudly in his ear. He could hear someone humming a little further off, he could hear the clatter of chopsticks against glass.

Naruto…

…

"How many more people are there?"

A boy with spiked blond hair was jumping up beside him, trying to get a better view of the crowd standing in front of him. It was perhaps the first and only time there had actually been a line at Ichiraku's, and Naruto was more impatient than usual. People did not delay his meal at Ichiraku's, apparently.

Sasuke's eyes wandered over the crowd briefly. There had been 16 last time he had counted. The two couples who had been present had now departed. Well, in that case…

"Twelve," he replied in monotone.

"Sasuke-kun, you're so smart!" he heard a girl exclaim in his ear, and he glanced over to see Sakura smiling up at him in admiration. Good lord, it was if he could not say anything without her pining after him as a result. It was annoying. "I bet you didn't even have to count to know that!"

Well, in all honesty, he had not, but he was not about to fuel her fire.

"Twelve?" Naruto's jumping stopped and he turned to the dark haired boy beside him, his mouth agape. "Are you serious, Sasuke?"

Sasuke focused his black stare on the blond. "Did it sound like I wasn't, dobe?"

At this, Naruto narrowed his cerulean eyes into a glare, and demanded, "Are you trying to challenge me, teme?"

Before Sasuke could respond, the pinkette immediately placed herself between the two of them. "Look, Naruto!" she exclaimed. "The line moved again."

Sasuke and Naruto both looked in the direction of the crowd, and the latter grinned as he crossed his arms in front of him. "I knew it wouldn't take much longer," he declared confidently.

"No, you didn't, Naruto!" Sakura's anger flared, as it always seemed to. "You've been complaining this whole time!"

"But, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, staring at her with pleading, confused eyes.

Sasuke realized that the girl was raising her hand in a fist, and he instantly deduced that she was intending to punch Naruto. In one swift movement, the Uchiha grabbed his friend by the collar and dragged him in the direction of the ramen stand, out of Sakura's reach.

Clearly not realizing what had happened, Naruto complained, "Sasuke! Let go! I can walk by myself!"

Internally rolling his eyes, Sasuke set the struggling blond down on one of the stools and then glanced over his shoulder. "Are you coming, Sakura?"

"Y-yes, Sasuke-kun," the girl grinned, her teal eyes widening in excitement and that telltale blush creeping over her features.

Terrific. He had not meant to provoke that sort of reaction. Oh well, he decided he should just ignore it. Therefore, Sasuke assumed the seat on one side of Naruto, leaving the only available seat on the blond's opposite side. Sakura hurried forward and pulled herself up onto the stool, swinging her legs back and forth and humming something to herself.

"Pork ramen!" Naruto was shouting to Teuchi, and the man nodded in response.

"And for you, young lady?" he asked the humming girl.

"Oh, um…just the vegetable ramen," Sakura decided with a simple nod of her head. As an afterthought, she added, "And can you be sure to give me a small portion?"

This time, Sasuke could not help but roll his eyes. Was the girl trying to diet again? Honestly, she was already thinner than most girls he knew. What was she possibly trying to achieve by starving herself? Did she think it made her more attractive? Because it didn't.

"A small portion?!" Naruto fixed his bright blue eyes on the girl in astonishment. "But, Sakura-chan, it's ramen, dattebayo! You should want a big portion! A really, really big portion! The biggest portion possible!"

"Not everyone is a pig like you, Naruto!" Sakura snapped at him, about to raise her fist again, and Sasuke released a sigh.

"Just leave her alone, dobe," he instructed, before placing his order as well.

It may have been a long wait in the line, but once they were sitting down, Teuchi was always prompt. Within minutes, he was handing them their steaming bowls of ramen, and they were breaking their chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto exclaimed, before delving into his meal.

Sakura hesitated a moment, glancing over her shoulder as her teal gaze wandered over the crowd behind them, and she then leaned over the blond to focus her eyes on Sasuke. "What happened to Kakashi-sensei?"

"Kakashi-sensei went to the bookstore and said he'd be back in a few minutes, dattebayo," Naruto informed her through a mouthful of food, and this time Sakura managed to punch him. It was not too hard, and it was only on the arm, but Naruto still turned to her with confused eyes and a pouty expression. "Sakura-chan! What was that for?"

"You're being disgusting," the girl informed him with a self-satisfied smile, turning on her stool and beginning her meal in a dainty manner.

Naruto frowned, but he nevertheless returned to his ramen. Before long, he was slurping up the last bit of broth, and he glanced over his shoulder to see if Kakashi had emerged yet. Hurriedly, he focused his eyes on the old man behind the counter and requested in a rather loud whisper, "Can I have another? You can put it on the tab and not tell Kakashi-sensei."

"I'll tell him!" Sakura stated matter-of-factly, slamming her fist against the table. "Just try and get away with it."

Sasuke focused his dark eyes on Sakura, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. "Hey, dobe, why don't you get a small portion? That way Kakashi-sensei will be paying the same price as he would if Sakura had gotten a full serving."

"Oh, that's a great idea, teme!" Naruto grinned at the prospect, returning his bright blue eyes to Teuchi. "One small serving of ramen, please! Dattebayo!"

"Right away," the man replied, before steaming another serving of noodles.

…

"Sasuke-kun!"

The boy involuntarily jumped, and he focused his dark glare on the Sannin, who was now mere inches from his face. "Damnit, I've told you to stop that!"

"Tsk tsk tsk. I've told you-"

"Yes, and I've told you that being scared and creeped out aren't the same thing," Sasuke drawled, not in the mood to hear Orochimaru repeat that particular lecture. "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?" the older ninja inquired, his snake eyes shining intensely.

"Eating lunch," the boy deadpanned.

"Yes, I see that," Orochimaru returned with a simple nod of his head. He rested his yellow stare on the soup, before returning his gaze to the child in front of him. "And how are you enjoying it?"

"Fine," he replied shortly. "Now, what are you doing here?"

"I am here because you were not outside, as you were supposed to be," the Snake Master informed him. "I don't understand what's taking you so long."

Sasuke arched a brow at this statement. "Outside? Since when was I supposed to be outside?"

"Sasuke-kun, you should know this by now," Orochimaru chuckled. "It is our training area, after all."

"Yes, but you said you had an experiment today," Sasuke pointed out.

"Ahh, but that experiment proved to be a failure," the man's eyes widened suddenly, as if he was recalling some enthralling memory to mind, and he then released a throaty laugh. "She was not strong enough to withstand the injection, and we therefore must try again with someone else."

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the thought. How anyone could laugh about such a predicament was beyond him. This man was certainly disturbing. Nevertheless, he opted to ignore this line of thought and kept his expression blank, finding it best not to react to such information.

"Are you saying we can train, now?" he clarified.

"Yes, Sasuke-kun, you should have been ready an hour ago," the Sannin replied.

At this, Sasuke glanced over at Orochimaru with a scowl. "I was told training would be canceled today, so you can't blame this on me."

"But aren't you supposed to be prepared for anything?" the Snake Master countered, and Sasuke felt his hand twitch. He was tempted, once again, to throw that bowl of soup, just to see what the man's reaction would be. He hated how these idiots would turn everything around on him, completely incapable of taking any of the blame on themselves.

"Fine," he muttered dryly.

"Excellent," Orochimaru turned immediately and headed for the door. "Come, then."

"Wait, now?" Sasuke furrowed his brow.

"We've delayed enough today," the Sannin pointed out, glancing over his shoulder and focusing his laughing eyes on the boy once more. "Aren't you the one who said you didn't have time for patience?"

The young Uchiha curled his hand into a fist, but he quickly relaxed it and proceeded to rise to his feet. He crossed the kitchen, tossed the dishes in the sink and then walked past Orochimaru, to make his way toward the hideout entrance. They walked in silence, an eerie silence, in which Sasuke fervently avoided the glowing eyes beside him and kept his dark stare fixed firmly ahead of him. It was not long before they were stepping out into the sunlight, onto the sand and allowing the sound of crashing waves to surround them.

"Now, then," the Sannin came to a stop in the usual spot and turned his full attention on Sasuke. "Today, I've decided to try something different."

"What?" Sasuke asked dryly.

"Seeing as you are becoming increasingly better at controlling your lovely power on a physical level, I believe it would be wise to exert it a step further," Orochimaru explained. "I don't mean moving onto Chakra. You're not ready for that. However, I do believe it would be better if we were to incorporate some actual form of fighting into this physical exertion."

"Alright," the Uchiha nodded his head. It made sense. In fact, it would transition well into the Chakra control. "So, do you mean advancing to shuriken and kunai training?"

"Oh, Sasuke-kun," the older man chuckled at this, revealing his sharp teeth. "Nothing so arbitrary."

Arbitrary? How was that arbitrary? Whatever, he would let the moron think what he pleased. It was not as though anything he said could change his opinion.

"What, then?" Sasuke pressed.

"I do believe you should try your hand at sword fighting," Orochimaru informed him, a proud smile in place.

"Sword fighting, huh?" the boy mused. "I can't say I've ever done that before."

"Ah, but I am an excellent swordsman," the Legendary Sannin stated. "And, since I am your teacher, I do believe I should teach you everything I know. Don't you agree?"

Sasuke gave a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders, though he was inwardly rather excited by this idea. Not only would he be advancing in the first stage of controlling the seal, but he would also be learning an entirely new technique. A technique he would able to utilize even further in the future. He was not going to admit it, but it was actually a wonderful idea.

"Very well, then," Orochimaru nodded, and he then lifted his head, his eyes widening and he made a sudden gagging noise. Sasuke furrowed his brow in disgust, and he watched as the ninja in front of him began making a vomiting sound. His tongue transformed into some sort of snake, and the snake began gagging over something as well. Suddenly, out of the snake's mouth emerged a blade, and, when the handle came into view, the snake retracted, and Orochimaru lifted his hand to grab the handle of the sword.

His tongue now returning to normal—well, as normal as Orochimaru's tongue ever was—he licked it against the blade, saliva now dripping from the sword, and he then pulled his tongue back into his mouth. Focusing his yellow eyes on Sasuke, his mouth spread into what looked like an excited grin.

"Now then, Sasuke-kun," he began again, as if nothing had happened. "This is my sword."

"Well, thank god for that," Sasuke drawled, still mildly disgusted. As if he was about to claim that sword!

"Yes," Orochimaru chuckled lightly to himself, before walking a few paces to his left and lifting something out between two rocks. When he turned back to the boy in front of him, Sasuke realized it was a long, black sheath, which, from the shape of it, contained a straight, uncurved sword, and Orochimaru tossed it over to him.

Sasuke caught it easily and then gripped his hand around the handle, which he pulled out of the sheath to reveal a long, silver chokutō. He inspected it with his eyes briefly, running his forefinger along the surface, before sheathing it and then returning his gaze to the man in front of him. "Alright," he told him. "I'm ready."

"You always are, Sasuke-kun," the Sannin remarked, his eyes widening a fraction. "It's simply marvelous."

"Whatever, let's just get started," Sasuke snapped, not in the mood to watch the insane man stare at him, as if intoxicated. It always made him uncomfortable.

"Very well!" Orochimaru announced, lifting his sword over his head and then placing his feet some distance apart. "Take out your sword, Sasuke-kun, and assume the proper stance!"

"What's…the proper stance?" the boy asked in confusion.

"I will show you," the ninja told him with an amused chuckle. "Take your sword out, first."

"Fine," Sasuke rolled his eyes, unsheathing the chokutō once more and setting the sheath on the sand beside him. He then returned his attention to Orochimaru, whom he gave a pointed look. "Well?"

In the blink of an eye, the Sannin was behind him, repositioning his right arm and then kicking his feet further apart.

"Stop that!" the boy snapped, immediately jumping back several paces from the Snake Master and shooting the man a glare. "Just show me, and I'll go from there. I don't want you touching me."

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru tsked the boy. "It would be much quicker if you would just get the stance right, and then get used to it."

"Well, I've been able to learn by watching in the past just fine," Sasuke returned, scowling over at the idiot. "I've never really been a hands-on learner."

"If you insist," the older man shrugged his shoulders and then assumed the appropriate stance. He extended his sword in front of him, pointing it at Sasuke, before instructing, "Now, you do it."

Sasuke pressed his eyes shut, taking a steady intake of breath, before letting his eyes fly open as he activated the Sharingan and then perfectly copying Orochimaru's stance. With a conceited smirk, he asked, "How's that?"

"Excellent, Sasuke-kun!" Orochimaru stared at him, his eyes wide in fascination and almost longing. "The power of the Uchiha is clearly without exception."

The boy glanced aside, avoiding that man's unnerving gaze, as he demanded, "Alright, I have the stance. Let's move on."

"Yes, indeed, let's," the Sannin agreed, releasing a throaty chuckle, before stepping forward. "The most basic technique is defense. If you cannot defend yourself with your sword, it is useless. It is nothing more than another weapon for your opponent, one they can use against you. This," he repositioned his sword and his stance, "is a basic defensive stance."

Sasuke focused his crimson stare on the man, inspecting him briefly, before lifting his sword and copying the defensive stance. He let his Sharingan fade, then, deciding it would be better not to use too much chakra, as this was supposed to be testing his physical endurance. He watched carefully, scrutinizing every movement, and taking care to copy the stances as closely as possible.

Before long, he had them down, and, without warning, Orochimaru lunged at him, sword extended, and Sasuke instantly fell into defensive mode, lifting his chokutō to block the Sannin's blow.

That throaty laugh sounded once more, and Orochimaru crooned, "Excellent, Sasuke-kun. Excellent…"

They clashed again, and again, and each time Sasuke managed to deflect the attacks. However, when the Snake Master swung his sword with a tremendous force, the boy only barely managed to dodge it, stumbling in the process and falling to the ground. Orochimaru was upon him in a split-second, and Sasuke rolled over to avoid the next attack, before jumping to his feet and reclaiming the proper position.

However, before either had a chance to take the offensive, they were interrupted by an all-too-familiar voice.

"Sasuke-kun! Orochimaru-sama!"

Sasuke groaned, glowering in the Genin's direction, but, as usual, Orochimaru smiled fondly at the young man.

"Kabuto," he greeted, now turning his full attention on the younger ninja. "I trust you have something important for us?"

"Yes, of course, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto nodded his head in agreement. He used his forefinger to push his glasses up the brim of his nose, before letting his gaze fall upon Sasuke. "I do believe I've finally come up with a perfect outfit design for Sasuke-kun."

"Ah, excellent as always, Kabuto," the Sannin remarked. "Didn't I say you could do it eventually?"

"You did," Kabuto agreed, as he took his sketchbook out of his pocket and flipped it open. After shuffling through the pages, he came upon the appropriate one and handed it to the glowering Uchiha in front of him. "Well, what do you think this time, Sasuke-kun?"

Holding back the sigh, Sasuke snatched the book out of his hands and focused his black eyes on the drawing. Well…he had to admit it was a vast improvement upon the Genin's other work. In fact, it was probably the best he had done yet. Not that it was perfect or anything. Not remotely. But he was growing tired of looking over Kabuto's constant drawings, all his failed designs, and, since this one was something he could actually consider acceptable, then perhaps he should just give up and let Kabuto have his way.

It seemed as though it was the only way the idiot would shut up about it.

The shirt looked a little large, but he could probably grow into it, and it did look like something he could easily slip off if need be. The colors were simple, and the pants actually looked pretty neat. He was a little annoyed about the fact that Kabuto had managed to make the Uchiha crest as small as possible on the back, but he was tired of complaining and looking over so many stupid designs.

Therefore, Sasuke handed the drawing back to Kabuto and muttered, "Fine."

"Really?!" Kabuto's eyes widened in excitement. "Orochimaru-sama, did you hear that? He's finally decided on an outfit."

"Dear Kabuto, I always knew you could do it," the Sannin's fond smile morphed into a grin. "I never doubted you."

Lowering his voice to a whisper, but one the Uchiha could still hear quite clearly, Kabuto remarked, "Even with someone as picky as Sasuke-kun."

"He is very picky, isn't he?" Orochimaru laughed, and Kabuto joined him, as they watched the youngest member of their company in amusement.

Sasuke scowled at the pair of them, turning his back to them and walking back to where he had left his sheath in the sand. After lifting it in his hand, he sheathed his sword and he pressed his eyes shut in annoyance. He could hear them complimenting each other behind him, Kabuto inquiring after their training and praising the Sannin's superb swordsmanship, and Orochimaru praising Kabuto for his fine work.

The Uchiha had to hold back a scoff. Fine work, indeed. After multiple failed attempts, he had finally managed one that would be acceptable. If that was fine work, then people with any success should be receiving gold medals on a regular basis. Honestly, these morons had a ridiculously skewed notion of talent.

All he could say for the new outfit was that at least this one looked comfortable.