Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Vengeful ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

Sasuke slowly slipped away from a peaceful darkness, the sound of laughter from close by filling his head. His body felt numb, and his eyelids were incredibly heavy. He tried to move his head, but was unsuccessful, his body not responding.

Slowly, and with immense effort, he opened a single eye. Someone was sitting in front of him, but he struggled to make out the form. He forced his eye upward, where it was almost blinded by sunlight reflecting of bright blond hair. If his face were able to move, he knew, it would be set in a deep frown. The person turned around, and Sasuke found himself looking at a boy, probably his own age.

His first impression was that the boy looked very … interesting. Below the obnoxiously blond hair, brilliant blue eyes sparkled at him. He lowered his gaze to the boy's cheeks, where three pairs of odd lines decorated tanned skin. The boy had noticed that he was awake, and a grin appeared. Sasuke was momentarily startled by how wide it was.

Then the boy waved cheerfully towards him. Sasuke mentally frowned again at this, and closed his eye. Gods, he hated cheerful. Two loud voices were now surrounding him, and he cursed, trying to ignore them. He wanted to find the peaceful darkness that he had came out of, and searched for it desperately. It didn't take long, the exercise with his eye having exhausted him. Inwardly sighing, he drifted back into unconsciousness.

“Oh,” Naruto said, a hint of disappointment in his voice, “he's out again.” Sakura frowned at him.

“Of course he is. Who would want to stay conscious after seeing your face as they wake up?” Naruto scowled as she continued, her eyes distant. “I should have been the first one he saw, it would be love at first sight.” Naruto snorted.

“If he saw you first, he'd be out for a week.” She ignored him, still in her own world.

“I wonder if he's a romantic sort of person? He looks romantic. Ah yes.” she sighed dreamily. “My handsome prince to sweep me off my feet.”

“He's probably nothing like that, you know. Besides, the girl could be his fiancé or something.” Sakura's eyebrows shot up at this, and her face settled into a displeased scowl.

“No, he doesn't look right for her. Hm I don't think it'd be allowed.” Naruto stared at her, confusion written in his face. “You see it's not coincidence we met like this-“

“- You haven't met yet.” Naruto interrupted.

“…Like this, it's fate. Yes, we are destined to meet, fall in love…” She smiled for a second, but then frowned again. “Even if he was with the girl, she'd be nothing in the face of our love.”

Naruto stared in disbelief at her. She was, he decided, completely delusional now. A delusional mind reader, his brain reminded him. He winced at this thought, and looked cautiously up at her. The scowl now directed towards him told him that she'd read him perfectly. I must ask her how she does that, he thought vaguely. Sakura met his eyes threateningly, and he braced himself.

“Naruto, just because you haven't actually been in-“ Her words were cut off suddenly. Naruto looked up, and then gasped. Sakura was pale, and her eyes wide. A knife was pressed against her throat, sliding across it and almost breaking the skin.

Naruto met blue eyes glaring at him from behind Sakura, and it took him a moment to realise that it was the blonde-haired girl. He had to think quickly, he knew, and defuse the situation.

“Hey uh … um … you.” Nice one Uzumaki, a voice inside his head told him sarcastically. The girl maintained the glare for a moment, before her eyes flicked to the unconscious form of Sasuke, and back again.

“Where is Kakashi?” she hissed. Naruto looked at the other boy and then back to her, and gave her a helpless shrug. He looked to Sakura for support. She was shaking, but she caught his look, and spoke up.

“Who is … Kakashi?” The tightening of the other girls grip made her swallow fearfully. “We only found you two.” The girl hesitated, and her face became concerned as she looked over to the boy again.

“Sasuke.” Releasing Sakura, she hurried over to him. Sakura sighed with relief, still shaking slightly.

“What happened?” The girl asked, checking her companion.

“We found both of you washed up on the riverbank.” Naruto replied, putting an arm around Sakura comfortingly.

“Oh.” She gave them both an appraising look. Then she nodded slowly. “Well, I should thank you then.” She bowed deeply, surprising them. “My name is Ino Yamanaka, I'm …” She paused, glancing at the dark haired boy again. “I'm Sasuke's bodyguard I suppose.”

“Bodyguard?” Naruto said, stunned. “Wow he must be rich.”

“And important.” Sakura added in awe. “Say, are you … well, his girlfriend?” Naruto stared at his friend in shock. It somehow didn't seem right asking something so personal to someone they barely knew. Not that Sakura would care. The blonde-haired girl looked stunned also, but then narrowed her eyes.

“No, I'm not.” She said coldly. Almost bitterly, Naruto thought.

“Does he have a fiancé or a love interest?” Naruto quickly clapped his hand over Sakura's mouth, seeing the dark expression on the other's face. Ino glowered, but looked thoughtful.

“Well he was supposed to have a fiancé back at the capital, but …” She looked over at the two again, assessing. No, she decided, it would be too dangerous to give away their identity, even if they had saved the prince. “No, not currently.” Her face settled in a frown. “Are you going to tell me your names?” Grateful for the topic change, Naruto spoke up enthusiastically.

“Oh yeah! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Sakura Haruno. Sorry about her rudeness, but she's a bit of a- ow! Sakura!”

“I was just curious.” Sakura amended. “So … you said there was someone missing?”

“Yes, there was another bodyguard … Kakashi Hatake.” She shrugged slightly. “I think he'll be okay though. If anyone could survive this, it'd be him.” A silence settled over the three, as they were deep in thought.

“So, Ino,” Naruto began, not really enjoying the sudden quiet, “how did you all end up in a river?”

“Well it's …” It wouldn't be a good idea to mention the Imperial Guard, she thought, grimacing. “It was just an accident, really.” Naruto looked at her curiously, but then nodded.

“You can't have been guarding that well heh.” Naruto said jokingly, but paled when a furious glare was shot his way.

“Ino?” Naruto looked gratefully towards the form of Sasuke, who had unknowingly saved him.

“Sasuke! Are you okay?” Ino leaned over to him concernedly.

“I'm fine.” He lied. The numbness had developed into a dull pain, and even small movement increased it. Of course, he would never admit to being weak. “Where are we? Who are they?” He said the last part almost contemptuously. Naruto scowled, but Sakura ignored the tone of voice and jumped forward so he could see her better.

“I'm Sakura Haruno!” She exclaimed, holding her hand out. He looked at it with a blank expression, before turning to Ino expectantly. He realised by her attitude that she had no idea who he was.

“I'm not quite sure who they are, but they found us washed up after we fell into the river. They helped us.” Sasuke looked less than pleased at being saved by the strangers.

“I see. Where is Kakashi?” Ino bit her lip, and looked away. “Ino?”

“We didn't find him with you, he must have been taken further downstream or something.” Sakura offered, “I'm sure he's okay though.” Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the pink-haired girl.

“You're still here?” He said coldly. Sakura winced, but didn't reply. Naruto jumped to her defence angrily.

“Quit being such a bastard!” He shouted at the bemused boy. “We saved you, you know, the least you can do is be grateful!” Sasuke fixed him with an icy glare.

“Shut it, Naruto.” Sakura said, annoyed.

“But Sakura …” He complained, still staring fiercely at the dark-haired boy.

“So you did this out of charity? Not for anything in return?” Sakura looked surprised by Sasuke's question.

“Of course! I mean of course we don't want anything in return, we just wanted to help out, right Naruto?” Said blond was studying the ground intently, looking guilty. “Naruto?”

“Well, uh … you see …” Sakura looked at him threateningly. “Well after all the - saving and stuff, I was kind of hungry.”

“Naruto …” Sakura growled angrily. Sasuke and Ino also scowled at him.

“It's okay, I didn't eat much!” He said hurriedly, “I mean most of it was soaked and ruined by the water.” Ino frowned at him worriedly, and quickly seized the packs. Sasuke took his, and unpacked some of his clothes to determine if any of his possessions were ruined. He sighed in relief as he drew out a book, which was intact and barely damp. Sakura gazed at the book with mild interest.

“Hm, isn't that the Uchiha crest?” she said absently. Sasuke and Ino froze, and she gave them a confused look. Then her eyes widened in realisation as it dawned on her.

“Wait - are you Sa-Sasuke … Uchiha?” She had heard about the Uchiha prince - who hadn't? - And she found herself speechless, staring at him in shock. Naruto however, had no such difficulty. He didn't notice the tense silence that had developed.

“Sasuke Uchiha? Oh yeah, I've heard about you! You're the treasonous prince right?” Everyone turned to stare at him, shocked at how easily he had said it. “What?” He shrugged off the stares, and then frowned to himself. “Damn, I'm an idiot! I should have realised it when I saw those expensive jewels in your packs, not to mention that fan-shaped thing on your … stuff. Uh - not that I was looking through your stuff …” He finished with a feeble cough.

Ino recovered first, still staring at Naruto. “What? T-treasonous?” He nodded.

“Yep I heard that the younger prince wanted the throne for himself, and tried to take the castle.” Sasuke let out a strangled gasp. Seeing this was a surprise to the prince, he decided to elaborate for him. “Then Itachi returned to stop you, was too late to save the King, but drove you out of the castle.” Sasuke's face twisted in anger, his face turning red, and he looked ready to explode. He managed to control himself enough to speak.

“Forget killing the bastard - I'm going to capture him, so he can be beaten and tortured everyday, he will be begging for death! No, even that's too kind for him …” He descended into mumbling scary and rather sadistic scenarios that his brother would experience when caught. Ino watched anxiously, whilst Naruto and Sakura backed away slightly.

“Uh, what did actually happen?” Naruto ventured, addressing Ino, but Sasuke spoke up from his rambling.

“Itachi - he stormed the palace with rebel troops and his supporters, and-“ he paused, closing his eyes, “he killed them. He killed them all. All of the Uchiha bloodline, even the children. ” He buried his face in his hands, letting out small sounds that could be mistaken for sobs, if he was not Sasuke Uchiha.

Naruto looked on in horror, simultaneously feeling sympathy and overwhelming anger.

“I'll kill him!” Naruto shouted, surprising even the grieving Uchiha. “Him and his supporters, they all deserve to die! I'll make them all pay for that.” He punched a nearby tree with his fist, and watched the blood trickle down his arm. “I swear it.”

Sakura looked up at him, amazed by the display. Naruto had always been open with his emotions, and impulsive. The very Naruto-like action made her think back to better times, when he wasn't so aware of all the hate that was directed towards him. She watched him admiringly, and she wasn't the only one.

Ino almost fainted with shock when she saw that Sasuke, watching Naruto through red eyes, was smiling at him ever so slightly. In all the time they had guarded Sasuke, they'd never seen him smile. Smirking, yes, but never a genuine smile.

She looked at Naruto, the loud and irritating blond, fascinated. What had he got that she hadn't? She felt slightly envious at that, but it was overshadowed by a newfound respect for this unusual boy.

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Sasuke and Naruto watched amusedly as the two girls, apparently having become instant friends, chatted enthusiastically about clothes, shoes and certain dark-haired prince. Naruto was astounded by how much they could say about a single item of clothing. To him, a red dress was a red dress, whichever way you look at it, but they had found a multitude of ways to describe something trivial, and assess it in great detail.

In contrast, himself and Sasuke had nothing to say to each other, and they sat in what he considered a `companionable' silence. Though he was certain Sasuke didn't see it that way. Naruto stole glances at Sasuke frequently, trying to figure out what the Uchiha was thinking behind the frown that appeared to be his natural expression.

Sasuke hadn't been keen on the idea of travelling with Sakura and himself, but Ino had convinced him that the extra fighter would be useful, and Sakura had basic medical knowledge that could be helpful also.

It had been a surprise to them that they were both heading to the Fire country. Sasuke was going to the capital, to speak with the ruler, whilst Sakura lied that her and Naruto were going to visit her relatives. The prince had been suspicious that they were prepared to possibly risk their lives for the sake of strangers, even if they were prestigious strangers, but had not pushed the issue.

Naruto and Sakura, having had a brief discussion in private, decided that it would be best to not mention that they were on the run themselves. How would they explain that Naruto was a demon and being chased by mysterious masked figures without being dismissed as lunatics or being deserted? If they travelled with well-trained fighters like Ino and Sasuke, they would have less chance of being attacked, and would be better able to defend themselves.
Naruto lay back on the grass, closing his eyes against the overhead sun. Relaxing in peace and quiet was not a common activity for him. Iruka had always said that he lacked to attention span to not be actively focusing on something.

He frowned as an image of the guardian flashed in his mind. He still had no idea whether Iruka was alive, and if he was, if he was in trouble. Maybe he would never see Iruka again, dead or alive.

He blinked back tears brimming in his eyes, and forced himself to focus away from Iruka. Something easy and simple … like ramen. He nodded to himself, wondering if they had good ramen in the Fire country, and stands like back home. Iruka would always take him to the ramen stands to treat him, and sometimes for no reason.

He cursed silently as his mind drifted back to the missing guardian, and attempted a distraction again, looking around desperately. His eyes fell on the Uchiha prince once more.

Naruto still wasn't sure what to make of Sasuke. Surprisingly, the fact that he was a prince, and on the run, had not really bothered him, considering the peculiarity of his own situation.

The attitude was what bothered him the most - he acted cold and aloof most of the time, and was far from sociable. He wondered if there was a softer, more accessible Sasuke beneath the tough outer shell. He found it hard to imagine a bright and happy Sasuke - it'd be weird. Besides, the brooding look was attractive.

This made him frown again. Of course he wasn't attracted to such a conceited bastard. That must be Sakura's craziness rubbing off on him … did that make him similar to Sakura? He laughed nervously to himself at the idea.

“What are you laughing at?” He looked up to see Sasuke eyeing him strangely. Beside him, latched onto each arm, were Sakura and Ino. He tried to shake them off, but unsuccessfully, and gave in when he found the harder he tried, the more whining sounds the two girls would emit. Naruto grinned inwardly at this. Or, not so inwardly. “Stop grinning like an idiot, we're going now.”

Naruto, grumbling indignantly, crawled over to his pack. Meanwhile, Sasuke attempted to pry the two leeches off again. They resisted cheerfully, and discussed the weather between his complaints. Naruto felt slight sympathy for the boy, and walked over, placing a frown on his face.

“You shouldn't do that to Sasuke.” The two girls looked to him, their eyes daring him to say more. “I mean, after the river incident, he still needs time to heal. You're probably hurting him, no matter how much he would normally enjoy it.”

Sasuke was immediately freed from the vice grip. He looked annoyed at the last comment, but nodded at Naruto gratefully. Naruto grinned back, and then turned to the guilty-looking girls. “Feel free to escort me though!”

The girls began to walk ahead, determinedly ignoring the blond. Shrugging, Naruto followed behind, and was joined by Sasuke. The girls had already launched into a conversation about footwear, leaving Sasuke and Naruto staring in bewilderment.

“Are all girls this crazy, or are they just special?” Naruto murmured. Sasuke gave an amused grunt in response. Naruto gave him a sideways glance, and another question popped into his head. “Can girls read minds or something? I swear Sakura can read mine.” Sasuke hid his surprise at the question.

“Idiot.” He replied simply. He was amazed at the blond's foolishness. He had to agree about the crazy part though. The two ahead were completely out of it if they thought he would ever care about them beyond friendship. They were far too annoying.

He stumbled in surprise as two hurt frowns were sent his way. Ignoring the blond, who had raised his eyebrows knowingly, he regained his calm and continued walking. Damnit, he thought, glaring at the girl's backs, the blond's stupidity is catching on.

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“Ramen!” Naruto shouted suddenly, grinning happily as he received puzzled looks from his companions. “They'll definitely have ramen in the village! We should hurry before it gets dark, I'll treat everyone!” He bounced excitedly in the direction of the village looming on the horizon.

“Wait, idiot.” Sasuke grabbed the protesting boy's arm, pulling him back.

“What?? We need to get there quickly for the ramen! Oh …” Naruto frowned suddenly at him, “don't you like ramen Sasuke?” Sasuke snorted slightly at the question, but then realised they were all looking at him curiously, and looked away.

“I … what's `ramen'?” He snapped. Naruto eyes widened.

“You don't know - you don't know what ramen is!” Naruto said in disbelief. Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, but felt increasingly uncomfortable under Naruto's shocked stare. Fortunately, Sakura chose to come to his defence.

“Naruto, don't be so rude to Sasuke! He probably only eats proper food.”

“Ramen is proper food!” Naruto shouted defiantly.

“Of course it isn't!” Sakura shot back. “No wonder you're so weak and fragile, if you live on that rubbish!” Naruto pointed a finger at her furiously.

“Weak and fragile? I'll show you weak and -“

“Stop it, both of you!” Ino yelled, “You're annoying his highness!”

“His highness?” Naruto said incredulously. “Since when have you called him that?”

“You're the one who should call him that, you disrespectful brat!“ She screeched back. Sakura leapt forward to confront her.

“Watch what you're saying, Ino-pig, Naruto may be a -“

“Who're you calling a pig you big-foreheaded -“

Sasuke sighed, strolling away from the loud threesome. If he stayed, he knew he'd be dragged into the childish argument. He expected something like that from Naruto, but he was disappointed in Ino. As an elite bodyguard, she should have been able to keep her cool.

She had surprised him with her audacity recently; before she would never have been so aggressive in her attempts to get closer to him. He was certain it was connected to the appearance of Sakura. Competition for his attention was not something new to him; back in the castle he had encountered many desperate women seeking his favour, from foreign princesses to the kitchen workers.

His father had tried frantically to get him to choose a wife, for the sake of the future of the country, but was unsuccessful. Sasuke couldn't stand any of them, and the harder they tried, the more annoying they were. He had only ever been attracted to one person, who happened to be another boy.

When his father had found out, he had almost been disowned. The scolding had been accompanied by the usual praise of his older brother Itachi. No matter what he did, it was always in comparison to his genius older brother.

Even after Itachi had been exiled, he was urged to become more like him. He had considered joining Itachi just to spite his father, but had decided against it when he contemplated a life without being rich. Not that money made him happy - it just made unhappiness more bearable.

A rustle from the trees to his side made him freeze in his tracks. Instantly, he focused his awareness on his surroundings. A twig snapped up ahead, and he saw movement to his right. Having all the indication he needed that he was being surrounded, he jumped backward, and ran back towards the direction he had came.

As he ran, he heard more footsteps behind him. Without looking, he guessed that there were at least five chasing him, possible more in the cover of the trees. Finally, he came in sight of the clearing where he had left his three companions.

“Ino! Look out, we're being -“ He froze as he reached the clearing. Lying discarded on the ground were their packs - but there was no sign of the three owners.