Disclaimer: Naruto is something I do not own.

Stuff you need to know to read this story: All the Naruto-tachi are 16. Also, this is extremely AU. This fik was written for the idea, not to fit into the Naruto world.

Warnings: Shounen-ai (I want the pocky my sister is bribing me with, damnit), Copious amounts of blood, death, fighting and other displays of 'kill-or-be-killed' violence.

Prologue:

The mission had been long, boring and, as far as Sasuke was concerned, completely pointless.

The mission, to deliver a message scroll to the headman of a village two days walk from Konoha village, had probably been given to team seven because they were the only ones that, for a change, didn't have anything more important to do. Sasuke was convinced that the 'vital document' was probably nothing more than a letter that no one else had been free to deliver. Truly, if this had been the A-Class mission the Fifth had hyped it up to be; then, at least, there would have been a small amount of trouble with it. But there hadn't been. There hadn't been a single ambush; no cleaver ploy's to steal it, not even someone walking up to them and demanding they hand it over. Everything, from the moment they had left Konoha, had run smooth, simple and ultimately was a waste of time. Time that would have been better spent training.

"Mmm…I'm hungry. Can we stop yet?"

The annoying voice came from a few meters ahead, issuing from the obstinate mouth of one Uzumaki Naruto.

"Oi, Sasuke! I thought you said we'd get to the village today!" Naruto had stopped walking and was pointing an accusing finger in Sasuke's direction. Immediately Sakura stepped in front and glared at their blonde companion.

"Stop bothering Sasuke-kun, Naruto! We would have been back by now, if you hadn't have kept making us stop!"

"Awww…Sakura-chaaan."

/Smack!/ Sakura's fist connected with the side of Naruto's head, "Be quiet, Naruto and stop whining."

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched slightly as he watched the familiar scene play out before him. Annoying!

"If we camp now we won't get back to the village until just after lunchtime tomorrow," Sasuke said, glowering at the two and hoping they'd get the message to settle down, "We can be back by midnight if we keep going."

"Midnight?!" Naruto exclaimed and crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm hungry and tired. I'm not walking till midnight!"

"You'll walk if Sasuke-kun says we walk!" Sakura countered.

"Why? Who died and made him Emperor of the world!?"

"Just do it, Naruto!"

Sasuke closed his eyes, he didn't really care which option they chose, he just wished that for once the two other members of his team would shut up.

"…Not going to do what he says!"

"Naruto!"
"I refuse!"

"Sasuke-kuuuun!" Sakura about-faced to where Sasuke was now leaning against a nearby tree in determination, then her expression turned to one of fright.

"Sasuke! Behind you!"

Immediately, Sasuke launched himself away from the tree, his eyes snapping back open coloured blood red as he instinctively used his Sharingan and, even as he dimly registered that the shout that had saved him hadn't come from Sakura, he ducked out of the way of the sword that had almost beheaded him in his distraction.

Spinning on his heel, Sasuke glared at the slim sword embedded in the tree. Standing next to the tree, one hand still on the hilt on his weapon and a smirk on his face was a short, slim man dressed in plain, uninteresting clothes.

With a further smirk, the man tensed his arm muscles and with a heave, pulled the blade from the tree's sap sticky wood.

Sasuke didn't even lift an eyebrow. Did the man seek to scare him with a show of strength? The idea was laughable. Sasuke may have appeared to be a kid, barely 16-years old, but he had seen and fought men, and demons, that could do much worse then remove a simple sword from a tree trunk.

Behind him, Sasuke heard a startled exclamation from Sakura and the clash of Kunai.

Turning his head slightly, he tried to get an idea of how many more ambusher's had attacked them but his own attacker leapt forward, forcing Sasuke to dodge the blade that, once again, came flying at his head.

"Your fight is with me, brat!" The words were spat at him; "You and your little friends have caused us a lot of trouble, you know."

Sasuke lifted an eyebrow and smirked, "We cause a lot of people trouble, care to specify?"

The man yelled at him wordlessly and made another attempt to slice Sasuke, which the boy dodged easily.

"That damned document." The man growled; his eyes narrowing as he stared at Sasuke's easy stance.

"The one we just delivered safely." The boy prompted.

The man gave another wordless growl before answering, "We were supposed to intercept it."

"Bit late for that." Sasuke anticipated the swing of the sword that came at him this time and, bringing a Kunai up to deflect it out wide, he rearranged their positions so that he could finally see his two companions.

The two had been driven apart further up the road. Naruto was fine; already he had one of the two men that had attacked him on the ground, unconscious, and he was finishing off the second as Sasuke watched. He hadn't even had to resort to his Kage buushin no jutsu.

Sakura, on the other hand, was slowly being beaten back by her opponent. Step-by-step she was being cornered against one of the larger trees on the roadside.

Casting a quick glance back at Naruto revealed that the loudmouth had successfully disposed of his second opponent, so Sasuke turned back to his own fight; Naruto could deal with Sakura.

Narrowing his eyes, Sasuke studied the man's stance and then tensed to move. The man had been keeping a safe distance between them, only coming in close when he intended to use his sword and then moving back out of Sasuke's reach. He probably didn't have much experience in pure hand-to-hand combat, so Sasuke had the advantage if it came to that.

The boy resisted the urge to smirk; he hadn't even really needed his Sharingan to fight this guy.

The man's next swing was quick in coming. Stepping forward he tried, foolishly, to best Sasuke in speed and only succeeded in getting a Kunai through his hand. With a startled cry, the man dropped his weapon and snatched his hand back, off of the Kunai. Sasuke didn't stop. Taking out his frustration from earlier, he crouched low and put his hands against the ground for balance and then planted his foot firmly in the swordsman's jaw, sending him flying backwards to slam into a tree and crumple to the ground unconscious.

And Sakura screamed.

Over the years since he had been placed on team seven, Sasuke had gotten somewhat familiar with the types of screams that issued from his female team-mate and this one had him immediately spinning on his heel, eyes frantically searching out the reason for the sound.

He didn't even stop to think as he registered the scene before him. Sprinting as fast as he could go, Sasuke made it too his team-mates in mere seconds and bringing up the Kunai he still held in his hand, he plunged it into the final mans back, quickly seeking out his heart with the tip.

Not even a minute after Sakura had screamed the fight was over and the last man crumpled to the ground; dead.

And Naruto crumpled with him.

End Prologue

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