Intent and Execution

Summary: AU SasuSaku Sasuke just wants to kill King Naruto. He does not want to save his life from other assassins. More than once. He blames the dobe's fiancée, Lady Sakura.

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, then, why am I transforming the whole Naruverse into a magical monarchy?

Chapter 1: Impressions

Sasuke couldn't believe his luck. For several months, months, since he arrived in Konoha, he had hunted for information and pieced together the details needed to develop the perfect plan to get rid of King Naruto, dismantle the government and take over in the name of the Uchiha clan. The plan was so simple; there was hardly room for errors. All he had to do was to wait for the Royal Carriage to pass by the drawbridge, unleash his Katon spell, burn the King to cinders, rush into the castle while everyone is busy and claim ownership of the Fire Throne.

But when he was finally in position, everything suddenly went wrong.

He was correct in assuming that his plan was simple. It was so simple that someone else had thought of it.

And before Sasuke unleashed his strike, the other would-be assassin was already creating the essential seals for his spell at an area nearer to the approaching carriage. And there was no way he would allow someone else take credit for the boy-King's demise. This was his idea. Instinctively, Sasuke tackled the other guy, diverting the spell to the castle walls. The resulting explosion sent a retinue of guards rushing down and restraining them.

The soldiers had dragged him to the dungeons, while he gritted his teeth at his obvious failure, a concept that he never accepted. Hearing footsteps, he looked up expecting interrogators, instead, he was surprised when a pale woman with striking pink hair and emerald eyes stood before him.

"Is this the man, my Lady Sakura?" A masked man beside her asked.

Lady Sakura, he tried to recall the information he gathered. Sasuke resumed his gaze at the elegantly dressed woman. Oh, yes. The King's fiancée.

"Yes, Lord Kakashi. I saw him standing near the Harper's Green." She replied with a smile.

Sasuke glared at her. He readied himself to attack the moment they convict him, it was foolish of them to bring a noble of high rank near him, even as a witness. Quickly, he developed a plan to use the girl as a hostage the the nearest opportunity when the guards released his binds to his great surprise.

"Can you kindly tell us your name, Sir?" Sakura asked gently.

Confused, Sasuke just stared back.

"Looks like the hero is still at a daze." The man named Kakashi tapped his shoulder. "Her Grace asked you a question, young man."

Hero? "Sasuke."

Understanding the expectant faces before him to mean they want more information, he looked downwards and continued, "Sasuke of…of the village of ..." Suddenly, he remembered a distant village's name. "Kagemori. I am Sasuke of Kagemori."

He looked up the moment he felt a pair of warm hands hold his. Sakura knelt before him, her eyes misty with gratitude. "Sir Sasuke of Kagemori, the Fire Empire owes you its gratitude for saving our King. And I thank you, with all my heart for saving Naruto."

And that was how Sasuke found himself shown his new room, ignoring the giggling maids following him around. To his irritation, instead of becoming the man who would overthrow the King, he became the hero who saved the King's life. To award him for his bravery, he was to become a squire serving the King. At first, he inwardly squirmed. A squire! He has royal blood despite everything else. Why would he accept being reduced to such a position? But he will have to bear it. Circumstances had granted him the perfect opportunity to execute his plan and he will take it.

When he noticed that the maids had stopped giggling and were now bowing to someone behind him, he turned around to see…the brightest person he has ever seen. And he didn't mean in an intellectual context.

The man before him was a blond wearing an alarming amount of orange, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

"So you're the hero? What's with the chicken butt hair?" King Naruto said loudly.

If Sasuke didn't have a reason to hate the man before him, their first meeting certainly gave him a good one to loathe him forever. His eyes observing the royal entourage, he decided that he will have to play along. "Your Royal Highness. It. Is. A. Pleasure. To. Meet. You."

"Well, it looks like you will be working for me now, doing whatever I tell you to do! That's quite an honor, Teme." Naruto patted his shoulder with more force than necessary, while Sasuke inwardly flinched at the nickname. "I'm sure you and I will get along well!"

Observing his nemesis, Sasuke was glad to know that that King seemed like an idiotic simpleton. This job will be easier than I thought.

"Your Highness." One of the men who joined the King stepped forward. "Court is about to start."

"Uh, yeah." Scratching his head, he turned to Sakura. "You'll take care of everything else, Sakura-chan?"

"Of course, Your Highness" Sakura bowed serenely as the King and his entourage left the room. "Is this room suitable for you, Sir Sasuke?"

After a quick inspection, he saw that his new room, though sparsely furnished, was well kept and he knew that the bed would be comfortable compared to the inn he had been staying in. He was used to more elegant rooms, of course, but for now, this would do. Sasuke nodded at Sakura, but glanced irritatingly at the maids who have not stopped ogling him.

"You can leave now." Sakura told the maids, apparently understanding Sasuke's look. "I want to thank you again for what you did today."

Clenching his fists, he nodded in reply. "It was…my pleasure to serve the crown." Seeing that she still wasn't leaving, he added. "Is there anything I can do for you, my Lady?"

Looking startled, she looked at him clearly before shaking her head with a smile. "Pardon my inattention, Sir Sasuke. I was simply thinking about the assassin. The interrogators found out that he planned that after he killed Naruto, he was going to hold the castle siege and claim the crown." Laughing, she continued. "I never thought someone would think of doing something so idiotic. As if he could just take over like that -I s there something wrong, Sir Sasuke?"

Feeling soft hands on his slightly shaking shoulders, he raised his head. His glaring onyx orbs bored into hers. "You're annoying."

The moment he spoke those words, he inwardly flinched. He couldn't help himself responding with her unconscious insult but rudeness of that measure against a member of the nobility was not tolerated, he had seen his father had a servant flogged for speaking with such frankness. He just insulted the very person responsible with giving him the perfect position to assassinate the King and his opportunity may have just been completely wasted.

Sakura for a second looked startled before shifting into a blank expression. With a dignified air, she stared him down, a feat Sasuke didn't think was possible. "We have a cheeky one, I see." Sasuke gulped unconsciously. She stepped closer and smiled. "You're amusing, we might just keep you."

When the Lady finally left, Sasuke realized that he had held his breath. Assuring himself that it was because he almost got kicked out of the castle not because of her - girls do not make him nervous, damn it! – he sat down on his bed.

He certainly made a miscalculation, if he would take the Lady Sakura's words in mind. Just killing the boy-King is not enough. He may be the King, but he is only just the figurehead. Politics are at play and he must learn the game. He must familiarize the inner workings of the palace to ensure that he will have a successful take-over. It is a task that requires patience, but he had waited for this opportunity all his life, he can still wait.

After her pre-dinner tea, Sakura was not surprised when a courtier came and told her she was summoned to the Lord Danzou's apartments. With a dignified air, she made her way to the Head Steward's chambers. Upon seeing her, the butler announced her presence and let her in immediately.

"You summoned me, My Lord?"

"Yes, my dear. About the new squire. He found his accommodations pleasant, I assume?" The old man chuckled, amused at the thought that any peasant wouldn't be content with any room in the palace.

"Yes, my Lord Danzou. He has been taken cared off well." Sakura bowed deeply. "Lord Kakashi has agreed to train him tomorrow."

"Excellent work, Your Grace. His Royal Majesty the King's popularity has been so low the last few months, honouring this savior is a very good opportunity for the people to see how gracious and kind His Highness is to those loyal to him."

"Is - ."

"Anything wrong, Your Grace?" Danzou stared her down.

With a blank face, Sakura stood up. "Nothing, my Lord."

"King Naruto is very important to us. It is imperative that you, as the future consort, understand that we must protect him from all cause. An assassination attempt is no different than the danger disloyal subjects bring. "

"I understand that perfectly, Your Lordship. Do not worry, I assure you that I will everything I can to protect my sovereign and King."

"Good. Very well, you may take your leave."

With a bow, she quickly exited the rooms.

Sakura wanted to say that maybe if Naruto was allowed to be near the people, maybe he would be more accepted by the people. Naruto, despite his childish antics, has leadership potential contrary to general opinion, although even most of the palace courtiers fail to see that. Such suggestion would mean the King would be exposed to more dangers and the council will remind her once again that her duty was to attend to the King and prepare for her future role as consort, not mess with the Empire's important decisions.

She had always felt nervous at the Head Steward's presence. But he was the man no one should cross. Sakura may find his methods extreme, but they had worked for years to protect Naruto and the other councilmen trust him.

Regarding the new squire, Sakura had misgivings.

No one would listen to her when she protested the commoner to become a squire. They barely knew him! Who knew what kind of person he is? Yes, he saved Naruto, she witnessed that quite clearly. He looks trustworthy, at the least he doesn't look like a criminal, and even she would agree with the maids' claim that he was a looker, but still! They do not know what kind of person he really is. But apparently, he was needed to raise Naruto's approval ratings, and her duty, being the future King Consort, was to be eternally grateful to him for ensuring the King's safety.

Part of her wished she never saw how he saved him. She was dutifully waiting for her fiancé's arrival when she felt this compulsion to look at the sidelines. That's when she saw him leaping determinedly at a man who seems to be in a verge of a creating a destruction spell. She was thankful for his timely save, yes. But what was he doing there in the first place?

Her doubts returned after talking to the man once again. She did not miss the tension on the man's movements, years of being raised with two-faced courtiers had trained Sakura to be a keen observer. She knew that he was hiding something, but an unsupported declaration of suspicion would be dismissed as a paranoid woman's intuition.

Sakura has been raised all her life to be a Queen and to be Naruto's support, and she will not allow a foolish oversight to endanger Naruto's life. She will keep a close eye on the new squire, and if she sees one slip-up, she will personally have him kicked out of the palace. This is her duty.

A/N: I updated! Yes! I've been happily stressed lately that I was able to find time to type all this.

I've been wanting to write this story for more than a year now, but I'm finally glad to discover the best angle to do this. And with Sasuke at the recent chapters 'annoying' me, I believe I found the perfect literary outlet to make fun of him without bashing him (FYI, I still love you Sasuke, I just blame Kishimoto!). XD

I want to thank everyone who added me in their alerts and faves, and a very special arigato to vertigo36 for leaving a review!

So how is the story going along? Thanks for reading. Please leave a review and tell me what you think or try guessing how Sasuke will try to kill Naruto at the next chapter. (Clue: It involves 'Mikan', hehehe) Make me happier and I might update this and my other stories before the month ends. XD

~~~Chantrea