SASUKE

Author's Notes: Ah, Wow, thank you to the people who have bothered to read/comment oo we weren't actually expecting anything nice since it was all sorta...group brain fart (haha :'D) here's our next chapter...we have an idea how this is going but...it's hard when we're all as literate as blocks of cheese.

Disclaimers: All characters from NARUTO belongs to Kishimoto Masashi.

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Chapter II
That Boy from my Past

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We watched the white fluffy cloud sail across the endless sky,

He laughed, he smiled, he looked at me all the time.

No matter what the circumstances, he stuck close to me...

Until they took him away,

To the country across the horizon.

I never...never saw him again.

---

Bee-beep, bee-beep, bee-beep...

The noise tumbled through the thick morning silence, followed up by a low muffled groan as a hand protruded out from under the skyblue quilt, flailing aimlessly before it bumped into the irritating clock. Spotting its target, the pale hand sprang, grasping the offending object and smashing it neatly against the white chipped table.

One cue, the bedroom door was opened by a bewildered Iruka.

"Sasuke...again!?"

A series of muffled, incomprehensible words came in response; the usual words which Iruka had to deal with every morning. "I'll get Kakashi to fix that." he sighed, rolling his eyes before a thought struck him, "Come down for breakfast. I think Sakura-chan is coming over in the morning...again."

More muffled noises.

"You know, I think she really likes you."

Muffle, Muffle.

"She's a really cute girl you know."

Silence.

Iruka smirked. "Fine, I'll leave you and your anti-social asexuality alone."

And with that, a pillow came sailing across the air landing with a dull splat against the door, which Iruka used- in advance- as a pillow shield. "I'm leaving the door open." And he did.

Treading down the stairs, the man yawned. It's been seven years since Naruto had dragged the boy into the house. Then again, it's been three years since Naruto was taken away by Jiraiya, the same three years since Sasuke became an even more anti-social prick that he originally was.

I cannot blame him really...Thought Iruka, who had long ago adopted the sympathetic motherly attitude (It was pretty much the only way to keep his sanity when living with an antisocial, lonesome, vengeful little boy and an ex-anbu neighbor who read pornography novels where ever he went) Naruto was, afterall, his only speakable friend, even when convicted as the youngest murdering pre-nin ever. It didn't help the boy at all to have learnt the sharingan at that very same day.

Like his brother...

As he listened to the dull thump of Sasuke rolling out of bed and falling to the ground, he started to make breakfast.

--

Sasuke stared at the clean white ceiling critically from the level of the floor, arms sprawled out from his ever so graceful landing.

I dreamt of you...again...

Giving a sigh, he stood up, dragging himself towards the wardrobe, tugging out a neatly folded, wide collared blue shirt over his head. He further proceeded to pull up a white pair of shorts, then the arm warmers (even if it was blinking SUMMER), the bandages over his legs before finally slipping into his sandals.

You were laughing...

Still in a dreamy state of mind, he tudded across to the door and looked back at his room.

It was bare and monotonous as Sasuke wasn't one for sentimentality, and ever since Naruto left with his ridiculous walrus hat (...what was its name again?) book full of photographs, his piles of picture frames (for when people couldn't think of a better birthday present), frog purse and everything of value (They didn't have very much, so everything of value really meant everything that were his) the room was left with only the boy's bed which -to suit the raven haired boy's taste- was covered in an identically white bed sheet and sky blue quilt in retaliation aganst the clashing bright orange it once was. The room had no pictures, no posters, no music player, instead there were enormous yet neat stacks of books and scrolls, neat of course only because Iruka demanded it so. The only thing that may have been vaguely interesting about the room may have been the extremely dented/chipped white table behind the head of Sasuke's bed, caused by the frequent smashing of alarm clocks. He was afterall, not a morning person.

Gone...

Sasuke stalked out of the room, gloomily.

I wish...you were here.

Once again, like every other day, Sasuke prepared to face the world.

---

It wasn't much into the morning when the first news struck. After breakfast, Iruka was summoned to the Hokage's quarters for urgent matters which involved an (always) smiling Kakashi grabbing his collar and disappearing out of the room. After a desperate punch across the jounin/former-Anbu's face, was he dropped onto the floor of the Hokage's 'office' in a rather ungraceful heap before the man himself. It was only when he was seated and Kakashi gone in his usual poof of smoke did the 'news' come.

"W-wait a moment-" Iruka spluttered. He couldn't believe his ears.

"I'm sure, Iruka-sensei that he will be coming into your class for the brief nin test. If he succeeds, we'll follow his father's will." The old wrinkly old man coughed, his bald head covered by a strange triangular hat with the Kanji word for fire written in bright red. He wore a matching white coat with flame patterns sewn onto the hem.

This was the 3rd Hokage, the most powerful man in all of Konohagakure, the supposedly leader of the entire villiage.

Iruka stared, looking rather dazed from the news broken to him only a matter of seconds ago, Naruto's coming back "But..why so sudden? Why not last year? Why-"

The Hokage eyed him seriously, "You do remember, Iruka-sensei, what happened three years ago?"

Iruka paused for a moment to recollect his thoughts. He was happy yes, but worried as well, and that worry was making him tumble all over the place.

Three years...? Oh-yes...that's right...

"Yes, Hokage sama however-"

"I don't know how the boy would react...or rather how his brother would react...they are a rather destructive group, these young ones."

Three years ago, a small fight had broke out amongst them. Nobody could explain what happened, but 2 Anbus died and 6 were injured, the said boys were unconcious and the rest of Konoha in complete and utter confusion.

They said it might have been Kyuubi...but...Yondaime-sama...

"How is Itachi these days? I rarely seem to see him now." as soon as the words left his mouth, Iruka immediately regretted this. "Ah! S-sorry...I forgot-"

The matter of Itachi was strictly confidential, mainly because he was one of the top-class Anbus of Konoha. It was frightening how quickly he went up the ranks, and whilst some had claimed he'd be the next Hokage due to his immense power at such a young age, many remained suspicious of him. Of course, it never amounted to the discrimination set upon his younger brother Sasuke, whom- ever since the death of his entire clan- was sent to Iruka to live (another reason being Naruto's strange attachment towards him. There were very few who knew the truth about Naruto's parentage, but one of those 'very few' included the Hokage himself, who became very lenient towards Naruto's requests...his voice was, however, not placed into account 3 years ago when Jiraiya literally dragged him kicking and screaming out of Konoha and into the great unknown) to keep anyone from causing trouble.

But this lead to the second news of the day-

"He has left."

What?

"Hokage sama? What do you mean by-"

"Itachi is now a missing nin. He left last night apparently with a company of men wearing black cloaks embroided with blood red clouds. 3 civillians injured, 4 Anbus died, it seems he had been planning to leave for some time."

For Iruka, the day was beginning to turn stranger and stranger as it went by.

"Cloaks? With blood red clouds...No it can't be-!?"

"Akasuki. We're still trying to firgure out how he came into contact with them...we're suspecting it was before the Uchiha Family massacre during his mission at the Villiage of Mist."

"Even still Hokage sama," much of the news seemed almost surreal, "That was even before 7 years ago...He would have been a mere child-"

The Hokage gave Iruka a severe look, "Perhaps, but then rather than blaming an even younger child for the deaths simply because Yondaime had sealed something upon his body, is it not more believable to think that the older brother was the cause, especially since he was brought up to the status of an Anbu at such a young age? However, the previous news does not disturb me as much as what Maseharu reported before dying." The Hokage leaned back against his chair, as if having to recollect his thoughts. "It was reported, that not only has Itachi mastered the Sharingan, he now has the Mangekyuu Sharingan completed."

Both men sat in silence to recollect their thoughts, more so for Iruka who was rendered utterly speechless. The future ahead seemed very much worrisome, but this grim reverie was disturbed by the old man's weary sigh as he inhaled deeply from the pipe he held in his hand. "No matter what is happening, we must make sure Naruto returns home safely and gets aquianted with his peers as soon as possible. As for Sasuke..." the old man shook his head before giving a puff into his pipe.

Indeed, thought Iruka whatever shall we do with him?

It was also at that very moment that a great loud POOF! was sounded, and the Hokage's room filled itself with smoke.

"Heeeyyy old man!"

---

To Uchiha Sasuke- one of the last survivors of the Uchiha clan massacre, suspected mass murderer and pretty much the most hated scum of the earth to the generation of the old whilst strangely, by some unknown baffling reason, most beloved creature on two legs by the female population of the generation of the new- completely neglecting lessons when Iruka is dragged off kicking and screaming into the poof that is Kakashi is not an unusual thing.

For starters, when such an event occurs first thing in the morning, it is right to assume that his school teacher (aka Iruka) will not be there for the rest of the morning. He had long ago opted towards skipping the lesson when it is so, as it was indeed better than gawping mindlessly at a blank blackboard as the kids gossip away, wondering why the religiously punctual teacher was so late.

Yea, ever since then...you've always haunted me.

During such times, Uchiha Sasuke found himself sitting up on the hills overlooking Konoha, as it gives him little reason for him to socialise with his fellow peers. Nothing but the wind in the willows, and the birds in the sky.

You've always haunted me...Naruto.

However, never was there a day when he was interrupted by a voice of a completely ignorant boy.

"Ano sa, Ano sa."

Turning with a severe look on his pale, anti-social face (indeed, Uchiha brings forth such unusual adjectives to be described with) he faced the ignorant bastard who just happened to-in all his stupidity- ruin the rare moment of peace and tranquility in the unfortunate boy's life.

The offending boy stood in a battered hooded cape which seemed a few sizes too big for him and pretty much sagged all over his rather average frame. He couldn't see the boy's face, as the hood decided to hide half of it with its sheer size, but he saw the smile, and the voice simply reeked of laughter, a voice which only those whose lived in a relative amount of carefree happiness could have aquired, and radiates a confidence which Sasuke can only grimace at.

"Heeeyy Why are you up here?"

Sasuke grunted and stood up, giving the stranger a glare before turning with a huff and started down the hill. The boy's incredibly informal, friendly attitude annoyed him him to the core.

Hoping his retaliating rudeness may drive the carefree happy boy away, he merely ignored him and continued to tread down the hill. Yet the persistent boy seemed more amused than insulted, as he amiably followed the wordless angst boy with a broad grin on his half covered face.

"Oi! Wait up!!"

The boy followed, and Uchiha Sasuke- Survivor, suspected murderer and pretty much most hated scum of the earth to the old and most beloved creature on two legs by the female population of the new- ended up beginning his day trying with all his might to run away.

---

"Ero-Sennin told me to find the academy, but it's been ages since I've last been here, I couldn't even remember where my house was!" the stranger laughed, "And so I ran around, and ended up here. It's a good thing you were hiding there, else I'd probably have a whole earful from that bloody old man. You'd think the stupid pervert would just get married already, screw being a hermit. People like him aren't fit for being a herm- Huh? Oi! Why are you stopping?"

It has been, two hours, and despite the (technically dead) Uchiha pride and dignity, Sasuke couldn't help but admit:

He was, completely and utterly out of breath.

Who is this guy? He thought, darkly.
The chakra emitted from the boy was...astoundingly large. He didn't notice at first, but as he ran, the stranger-boy merely got faster and faster, catching up to him each and every time, no matter what genius tactic he'd used to successfully flee from his guardian Iruka- the stranger simply knew no defeat.

Damnit...

"Oi oi! Are we there yet? I'm actually kind of in a hurry you know." Sasuke glared at the boy who innocently hopped from one leg to another to show his worry and desperation. "The old man's really gonna kill me!"

It was then his nerve finally snapped, "Then why the hell have you been following me for two fucking hours!?"

Surprised, the strange stood silently staring at the sudden outburst of his unhappy companion. Then, slowly, the mischievous smile returned, "Finally ready to speak are we?"

Sasuke, seethed. The boy...bothered him. Something about him, made Sasuke feel irrationally angry, like a child throwing an angry fit over something even the child didn't know the reason to.

"There are tons of people you can pester in this village. Half of them would probably be more than willing to take you to whereever fucking place you'd like the go."

"Yea, well, so you're telling me you're not capable of doing to same?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Sasuke felt the sudden urge to roar. "I don't have to speak to a stranger like you."

That for some unknown reason did click, and the air became tense enough to make Sasuke uncomfortable.
For a while, the cloaked figure stood motionless, as if contemplating this bit of news. His expression was obviously unreadable due to the hood which covered much of his face, but he definitely exuded an strong feeling of unhappiness, much like how he reaked of smiling glee only minutes ago. And the, he sighed, his entire figure sagging along with the oversized cloak that hung upon his shoulders.

The words he uttered next would leave Sasuke in a state of utter shock for the remainder of the day.

"Damn, Sasuke, I gotta admit, I'm a little disappointed."

Lifting his hand up to bring back his enormous, travel worn hood, Sasuke came face to face with the boy he dreamt of for the last three years, the boy with sunshine blonde hair, and eyes that were clearer than the summer skies.

Sasuke...gawked in silence.

Uzumaki Naruto blinked.

"Sasuke?"

And then...once again, a belated poof! came to the rescue in the form of Kakashi.

Looking back and forth between the two boys, Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly.

"Ah...so you found him..."

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End Notes: I'm sorry for the incredibly late update...

The end of this chapter is a bit rushed, you'll probably notice...but after editing, and re-editing the first half of this chapter over the year and a few months, I really couldn't deal with this chapter anymore.

Hopefully the next part would be slightly more interesting.

Until then, whether it be in a few month's time, or a few years, I hope you all still keep up with us.

Oh, and please remember this is an AU fic, whatever happens in the original anime/ manga will not effect this story too much.

It's just an experimentation, afterall.