A/N: Chapter two!

A little background here and there within this chapter on Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura. It's not much though O.O

Warning: Language, OOC, the usual :D

Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen

"Mmm….Hey Sasuke-chan?"

Glancing over from his spot beneath a tree in the small clearing, the six year old Uchiha stopped sharpening his kunai to stare at his friend. He was currently and constantly throwing his unusually sharp kunai at the various targets set up around the forest while making sure that they all made bulls-eyes. Perfectionist…Sasuke thought to himself in good humor.

Sasuke shook his head and studied his own kunai. "What is it?"

The heavy shadows from the lowering sky made it hard to see his handiwork, but he had confidence that it wasn't a total screw-up. Besides, if he did, Tayaki-kun would be there to point it out.

Twenty-five, Twenty-six, Twenty-seven

With shaggy raven locks that covered the top half of the right side of his face, and dark blue eyes that were shocking to even stare at for longer than a minute, the seven year old paused in what he was doing and straightened himself up. "I was wondering something…" Swiftly drawing a kunai, he sent it flying into a target forty meters away with a flick of his wrist. He kept his back turned as he casually asked, "What would you do if I disappeared?"

Sasuke sharply brought his head up, the metal object in his hands slipping a little. He watched speechless as his friend gazed at anything but him. What brought a question like that on? "I would be upset, I guess. Why?"

"I dunno…" He once again drew two kunai, and with a twirl let them go. Sasuke watched in minor awe as they struck the target a few feet above his head from where he was sitting. "I just kind of figured that it was something I should ask. I mean," Tayaki spared him a glance, "if I were to die, I want to be remembered." He gave Sasuke a wry smile and then stared back up at the sky.

Placing his sharpened kunai on the ground, Sasuke stood with a frown. He analyzed his friend heavily, searching for some trace of an answer as to why such a question would even come up. Finding none, he scowled and shoved his hands into his pockets. It was a habit he seemed to be getting into, and he blamed it all on Itachi and his dead turtle. Stupid Itachi-nii and his stupid ideas. Tomato-san didn't even have a chance to run! Sasuke quickly cleared his train of thought to answer his still silent companion.

"I really don't think you should be worrying about dying right now," Sasuke managed to come up with. "But if you were," he hastily added once he saw the raised eyebrow from his friend, "you would definitely remain remembered. At least by me the most Tayaki-kun!"

Tayaki felt a smile tugging at his lips. "Of course…there are no doubts in my mind about that. But I want you to promise me something, okay?" He held up a finger at the baffled raven. "No matter what happens- to me or anyone else precious to you- you absolutely cannot allow yourself to lose your way."

Sasuke blinked. "Lose my way?" He furrowed his brow. "Tayaki-kun, what's going on? You're asking a lot of strange questions today and you've been spacing out since last week. Is something going on?"

This time Tayaki couldn't suppress his grin. "Your concern is appreciated Sasuke-chan, but I wouldn't worry." He cut his friend off before he could speak again, abruptly changing the subject. "I think I've hogged these targets long enough. Your turn to try!"

"But-!"

"No buts," Tayaki leaned against the tree closest to him. "Go ahead. Itachi will be here shortly. I'm sure he'll want to see what you've learned."

Sasuke's eyes lit up at the thought. Nii-san…"Hai!"

Sasuke woke with a start, eyes wide and bright in the dark.

What...what was that?

He slowly fell back onto his sheets.

Tayaki...why is he so familiar?

There was a knock on his door and before he could speak, it was opened.

Sasuke glared as best as he could at the moment, turned on his side as his brother walked in and flicked on the lights. It took him a while to find his voice, and when he did, it came out so hoarse that he was horrified. "What are you doing?"

Itachi smirked from the doorway. "I'm just letting you know that I'm leaving now."

"...So?" Sasuke found his glare beginning to sharpen as he grew more awake.

"Nothing. I'll be seeing you," Itachi said with a growing smirk, vanishing from sight.

"Damn show-off," the younger raven grumbled, turning back over. His eyes fluttered open and shut as he tried to locate his clock and figure out what time his brother had disturbed his sleep. Dark eyes landed on his alarm clock a minute later.

And then widened in horror.

5:59 A.M.

Didn't he have to be at the training grounds by 6:00 A.M?

Sasuke flipped out of bed, seething as he raced around his room for training clothes and his weapon holster. This isn't funny! Damn Itachi for waking me up so late! He threw on his shirt and tripped over himself as he pulled up his shorts, foot getting caught in one of the pockets. Landing with a thud and knowing he would have a bruised chin in the next few seconds, Sasuke rolled over and bounced to his feet.

He guessed he could consider himself lucky his brother had even considered waking him up, seeing as he should have been able to get up on his own.

"Damn it all!" Sasuke grabbed his hitai-ate from ontop his dresser and dashed to the bathroom.

He was not leaving without brushing his teeth or washing his face.

Naruto groggily chugged a carton of milk, sitting lazily at his kitchen table with a piece of toast in his other hand. Too early in the morning to do anything...

But still, he couldn't help but to think he was forgetting something.

He took another bite of his toast and threw the carton of milk backwards.

"Oi, don't throw trash Naruto," a voice said from behind.

The young blonde looked over his shoulder, nodding at his father holding the carton in one of his hands. "I couldn't find the trash can."

Minato sweatdropped at his son, throwing the carton away in a trash can next to the table. "Right...So, how does it feel to have graduated?"

Naruto blinked. That's right. He was a shinobi now. With a grin, he said, "It's great! I'm gonna do so awesome that I'll be the next Hokage in no time!"

The Yondaime laughed and ruffled Naruto's hair, going to get himself breakfast. "Trying to kick your old man out so soon?"

"Believe it!"

Minato's eye twitched. "Don't say that..."

It was Naruto's turn to laugh as he finished his toast and stood from the table. "Whatever you say, jii-chan," he teased, sticking his tongue out.

"Whatever, Naruto-no-baka."

"Jii-chan!"

"Baka!"

"Jii-chan!"

"Baka!"

They exchanged a glance and then broke into laughter.

Minato sank into a chair, rubbing the side of his face. "Tell me, Naruto. How's your..." he surpressed a chuckle, "sensei?"

As if suddenly struck across the face, Naruto froze, eyes widening. "Se-n-sei...?"

Minato raised a brow. "Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Crap! I'm late! Itachi's going to- I mean Itachi-sensei's going to kill me!" Naruto bounded around the kitchen, doing nothing that would help him. "What time is it? I'm sooo dead!" He had to get changed, brush his teeth, find his weapons- AND DID HE JUST EAT BREAKFAST? "I'm doomed!"

Naruto zoomed through the kitchen doorway.

And the Yondaime was left feeling as if he had just went through a hurricane.

Sasuke was sprinting through the streets, having realized he didn't know what training grounds to meet his team at.

The sound of loud footsteps from his left made him slow down, and he glanced over his shoulder just in time to see an orange blur race by.

Was that-? Sasuke picked up his pace until he was running beside the moronic imbecile. "Naruto? Why are you so late?"

Naruto ducked his head for air, then came up with caerulean orbs wide in fear. "I'm gonna die! We're gonna die Sasuke!"

"Shut up, dobe!"

They made a sharp turn together, stumbling down the road. Yeah. They were graceful shinobi.

Sasuke motioned for them to take to the rooftops so they wouldn't startle anymore civilians. "Calm down will you. So we're a little late- that doesn't mean anything."

Naruto gave him a look, making a tiny jump over several boxes as Sasuke ran along the very edge of the houses. "It's Itachi. Maybe you've forgotten Sasuke, but your brother is crazy. And sadistic!"

"We've dealt with him before," Sasuke tried to reassure them both. But not without consequences... "As long as we're only late. It's not like we ate breakfast."

The blonde stiffened, his next step faltering. "R-Right..."

"Naruto," Sasuke said in a strangely calm tone. "You're a terrible liar."

"I know but-"

"You're so stupid! Now we'll all have to pay the consequences! Can't you think before you eat?"

"It's hard to!"

They glared at one another and then jumped to the ground, finding it safer to run there. Screw the civilians. They could hide. Naruto was cursing his bad luck, Sasuke was cursing his bad luck, and suddenly realization dawned on them. They skidded to a halt in the middle of the road, dust licking a their heels.

Naruto shot a sour look at his longtime friend.

Sasuke averted his gaze and acted like he knew nothing. Which was technically true.

"Sasuke. Where the HELL are we going?"

Sakura moodily kicked at the base of a tree. It was well past 6:30 and no one was here except for her.

She hated those two morons.

Don't get her wrong- she really cared for them. Naruto and Sasuke that is. But sometimes they were so infuriating.

They had known each other since they could eat dirt. Her mother being friends with Sasuke's mother and Sasuke's mother being friends with Naruto's mother before she passed away. When Sasuke's father and the Yondaime weren't at each other's necks, they would head out to a club together to go over good times when they were on the same team. And although Naruto and Sasuke were closer to one another, she was their friend too.

But being on the same team?

Could she really handle those boys?

I bet the Hokage-sama had something to do with this...

She remained unaware of the two pairs of dark eyes watching her from the trees.

"Ne, Itachi, how much longer?"

"Shh. You talk too loud."

"You don't talk much at all," the shinobi complained.

"I'm not supposed to. Now sit here quietly."

"It's been too long though!"

"Will you keep quiet?" Itachi hit the teen over his head, bringing his eyes back to his lone student. I hope she doesn't try to hit me. Has she even realized that she's put a hole in the tree?

"Fine, whatever. If I die of boredom, it's your fault."

"Stop talking already."

It was exactly fifteen minutes later than her sensei showed.

Sakura was ready to hit anyone and anything, but luckily caught herself in time. "I-Itachi-sensei. You're here." She didn't quite manage to hide what she was really feeling. Something the older raven chuckled at.

Itachi looked up at the sky. "They're late, aren't they?"

Sakura twitched.

Inner Sakura: So are you dammit!

Just as several violent thoughts raced through her mind, there was a crashing through the underbrush. She defensively stood back, but Itachi only smirked.

Tumbling into the clearing a moment later, were two frazzeled boys covered in dirt and twigs.

A vein began to throb on her head.

Sasuke and Naruto climbed from their knees and were about to argue with one another when a shout came from the other side of the field.

"YOU STUPID IDIOTS ARE LATE!"

The two took a reflexive step back.

Crap.

Itachi couldn't help but to smirk as he looked over his team. "Now that we're all here..." he pointed to his younger brother. "Sasuke, fifty push-ups for being late. Naruto, one-hundred for being late and eating breakfast."

The two stared at him like he was joking until they realized he wasn't. They sank to the ground, grumbling.

"All your fault," Sasuke muttered as he went down.

"It's all yours," Naruto growled, going up.

"Anyway," their sensei began to speak as they did their punishment. "We're going to have a test today."

"A test?" Sakura asked, having calmed down some.

Itachi nodded, watching in amusement as Sasuke and Naruto silently bickered. "You see, students of mine, there are only nine spots available at the moment. Only nine will become shinobi. And I'm sure you all noticed there were twenty-seven graduates."

Sasuke never paused in his push-ups as he said, "So this is the real test, huh? What happens if we don't pass?"

Sakura looked at her crush. "How can you say that so casually?"

"You mean I haven't become a ninja yet?" Naruto vigorously did his push-ups. "That's a rip-off!"

Itachi rolled his eyes. "We're not going to send children with no ability to protect themselves and this village out as shinobi."

"So," the blonde was on forty-nine, "what the hell happens if we don't pass?"

Sasuke straightened to his feet as his finished, shooting his friend a poor glare. "I already asked that dobe."

"Whatever, teme."

Dark eyes scanned them before snapping to the treetops. "Then you'll fail and go back to the Academy. Starting from block one."

"Nani?"

Sasuke irritably glanced at the pinkette and blonde, but was just as taken aback as they were. "All we have to do is pass the test, right?" he was talking to his brother.

Itachi gave a mysterious smile, nodding his head. "That's all you have to do."

"And the test?" Sakura had composed herself, seeing as Sasuke was seemingly unaffected. "What do we have to do?"

Naruto's eyes widened as a pair of sandaled feet landed in front of him, halting in push-up seventy-three.

Sakura and Sasuke stiffened, whirling around in shock.

"Your test," Itachi smirked as the blonde was captured by a masked shinobi, disappearing from sight and appearing next to an unconscious Naruto and his captor. "Is to get your teammate back and defeat this shinobi."

Sasuke's eyes slowly narrowed.

"If you don't..."

Sakura's eyes grew large.

"Within an hour..." Itachi pulled out an explosive tag, waving it tauntingly at the two. "He's going to die."

Sasuke glared at his brother, knowing very well that he wasn't lying. What a dirty trick...bastard. His gaze traveled to the masked shinobi, nothing visible but his eyes.

His shockingly blue eyes.

Sasuke froze.

The shinobi seemed to smile beneath the mask, turning before taking to the trees, Naruto slung over his shoulder.

Itachi simply moved himself in the shadows of the clearing, that irritating smirk still visible on his face.

Sakura jerked and pivoted to her teammate. "Sasuke-kun! Let's go!"

Sasuke remained staring at the empty spot. Those eyes... No. NO!

"Sasuke-kun!"

A/N: A fairly short chapter, but it sets up the way for the next one. Please don't mind it :]

Have you figured out who our OC is? ^-^