This chapter was begging to be published. So I did:)
Happy reading

The boy's jaw dropped. He stared at the man on the ground in disbelief. "Stop fooling around."

Danzo looked him dead in the eye, no longer smiling. "I am completely serious."

The boy laughed, stepping away from the man and sheathing his sword. Danzo slowly sat up, rubbing his back. "This is a joke, right? Well, let me get this straight, old man. I don't have time for jokes, and if you value your life, neither should you. If you have an actual job request, tell me. Before I decide you're not worth leaving alive."

Danzo was scowling openly now. "That is my request. Perhaps if you listen to what I have to say, you'll take me a bit more seriously."

The boy eyed him. "Go on."

"I am Shimura Danzo, adviser to the princess of Konohagakure, Princess Sakura. She is the only child of her parents, Kizashi and Mebuki Haruno, the king and queen. Therefore, she is next in line to the throne, and shall become the queen when she marries. However, that is a problem for me. The queen and I have had an affair."

The boy looked at him in surprise when Danzo made mention of his sin so bluntly. Danzo caught his look and smirked.

"You see, the queen has a possibility of bearing my child. Should that be the case, then I want my son to be the one sitting on the throne. If Sakura can be disposed of, that won't be a problem. The king is already old and sick, it will be a matter of time before he dies. When he is gone, I can make the queen my wife, and myself the king. But I cannot be suspected of anything. The death must be unrelated to me in all ways. That's where you come in. Find a way to get close to her, and then strike."

The boy tapped his face with his finger, considering. "How much are you willing to offer?"

Danzo grinned, pulling out a large jangling sack from his cloak. "I can pay you 500,000 in advance, right now. When you succeed, we'll talk then. Keep this money with you as proof that my word will be kept."

The boy nodded, taking the bag. "I understand. However, you would be wise to keep your end of the bargain as well. I don't suppose you want to know what happened to the last man who denied me payment."

Danzo brushed himself off. "I don't suppose I do." Turning, he began walking silently off. "Best of luck to you...Sasuke Uchiha. I leave the way you plan to go about this to you."

The boy glared. "How do you know my name?"

Danzo sneered. "I have my ways." He disappeared back into the forest just as quickly as he had come.

The boy, Sasuke, snarled angrily at his retreating back. He stalked back to his fire, sitting down forcefully beside it. Breaking off little bits of twigs, he threw them in, watching them slowly be consumed by the dancing orange, yellow, and blue flames.

Sasuke didn't like for anyone to know his name. It made things difficult in in the long run. It was better when he was a nameless assassin, the 18 year old boy with black hair and eyes who would answer to you if you had a fair amount of money. Names made things more personal. Put a name on a face and it became easier to remember.

Sasuke didn't want that. It was better to be easily forgotten, to melt away to the back of the mind once the business was finished.

He didn't trust Danzo, not in the least. Someone who would betray his own king and have an affair with his wife was someone to be weary of.

He sighed, wondering how on earth he was going to go about this mission. Assassinating the princess? That would be difficult. Well, he had been hoping for a more challenging job proposition. Now he had one.

Sasuke stayed more alert that night, climbing a tree above his camp and belting himself to one of the branches to sleep. Now that Danzo had already found him here, he needed to be especially careful. He lay there awake for several hours, planning his tactics.

By morning, Sasuke had come up with a reasonable strategy. He would enlist in the King's Guard, the soldiers who were closest to him. With his skill, he was sure he could easily climb to the top and gain a position close to the princess. And the moment his opportunity came...

He set off after his meal, consisting of a dry loaf of bread he purchased from an old street vendor, and a hunk of cheese the farmer had given him.

The king's palace was in the vicinity through which he'd been traveling, about twenty five miles on horseback. Hitching a ride in an unsuspecting man's horse-driven carriage, he covered fifteen miles the first day before the man changed route and he had to leave. The second day, Sasuke walked five miles before an old lady passing by in her carriage took pity on him and offered him a ride.

They reached the heart of the city as evening set in, dusting everything with a bluish tinge. Despite himself, Sasuke found himself staring at the bustling streets before him. He'd never seen this much activity in one area. He'd usually stuck to more isolated areas, not used to associating with others. To be honest, the town was making him uncomfortable.

The old lady, mistaking his darting eyes for awe, grinned her toothless smile. "You're a newcomer, ay? You think this is something? Wait until you catch a glimpse of the royal palace! Your eyeballs will fall out of your head!"

The woman maneuvered her cart through the congested streets, past shouting merchants and the cries of vendors. Sasuke shrunk back into the curtained off section, preferring less probing eyes on his uncovered face.

However, when the palace came into his kind of vision, Sasuke forgot all about staying hidden, and stared out at the enormous structure, his mouth agape.

It was huge, fifty times larger than the town houses surrounding him. And those all had at least two stories.

It had a golden hue, one that would glitter and make one's eyes hurt in the sun had it been daytime. Tall pillars and arches flanked it on either side, and at least ten turrets encompassed the perimeter, likely there to defend it from attacks. As they drew nearer, he caught sight of lakes and gardens that lavishly decorated the outside.

The old woman cackled. "Ya look like a little boy who just gotta sack full a candy!"

Shaking himself out of his semi-trance, Sasuke addressed her. "No, this is just the first time I've laid eyes upon this palace."

"Well, it certainly is a sight, drains us of our taxes," she muttered, before turning back to him, a smile lighting up her face. "Ay, lad, you need a place to stay? I own an inn, the price isn't high!"

Sasuke considered. He couldn't approach the king at this time of day, and he didn't want to spend the night on the streets in a town he wasn't familiar with. It would be harder to escape a confusing place if by chance, someone came after him.

He'd still been pondering about Danzo, speculating on whether he was really an advisor of the palace. For all he knew, he could be someone who was sent to lure him to the central city and capture him. By paying the castle a visit tomorrow, he'd see if there was any truth to Danzo's statement.

Realizing the old lady was still waiting for an answer, he turned to her and nodded. "Yes, that would be appreciated."

Her face perked up. "Great! It's been so long since we've had customers!"

Though that made Sasuke a bit worried about the overall sanitation of her dwelling, an uninhabited inn meant less people, so he bore with it.

He nearly rethought his decision when he stepped inside. The smell was what hit him first. An unpleasant mixture of vinegar and stale cheese assaulted his senses. His stomach turned.

A young man, who the old woman introduced as her son, beamed from the desk. "Hello! Welcome to Darla's, one of the best inns in the city! I'm sure you'll find everything here to your liking!"

Sasuke begged to differ, but decided to keep his mouth shut.

A cockroach skittered past the man's head. Something was burning over the fire in a large black kettle. Food bits stuck to the--"I'd like to go to my room now," he burst out, trying not to notice anymore faults in the place before he decided to leave.

The man nodded, and handed him a room key and card. "Room 5."

Sasuke gave him a brief nod in return and walked down the narrow, suffocating hallway. Upon reaching his room, he inserted the key and stepped inside. To his surprise, the rooms were actually decent. The walls and floors were cleaned and waxed, save for a few nicks and scratches that came from time, and the sheets had been recently changed.

Sasuke sat on the bed. It was soft and comfortable. He inspected the bathroom. Spotless. Huh.

Well, he could see why they never got customers. No one ever made it past the lobby. Rolling his eyes, he threw off his cloak and pulled out his weapons. Slowly, with the greatest care, he began to sharpen them until the slightest touch drew blood, and polished them until they glistened.

He hated using dirty blades. Though he was a killer, he preferred to do things in a refined manner. Rusty, dirty blades were undignified.

A knock on the door startled him. Stuffing his weapons into his traveling cloak, he hurriedly got up and opened the door. The old woman who'd invited him here stood there, smiling her toothless smile again. "Hello dear, I just wanted to check up on you. Is everything to your liking?"

He felt a twinge of annoyance. She'd interrupted him just to ask him that? How foolish was she? Did she not realize how dangerous he was, how in that very moment, he could easily...

Jerking himself from his thoughts, he smoothly replied, "Yes, everything is fine." Then he stood there, waiting for her to leave. But she didn't. She stood there, beaming up at him like he was her savior.

Sasuke shifted on his feet, resisting the urge to slam the door on her wrinkled face. What could she possibly want from him?

"You know, it's so nice to finally have a customer," she finally said, still wearing that sappy look. "We serve breakfast and meals on the house, only charge for rooming. You won't find many places like us."

Sasuke nodded wordlessly. His patience was wearing thin. "Yes."

She chuckled, putting her hand on his arm. He looked down, barely hiding his disgust. "You're a good lad. Your mama raised you right."

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "Yes." He repeated stiffly.

"Not very talkative though."

"..."

"Well, I'll leave you alone. Hope you didn't mind an old crone coming to bother you!" She pinched his arm playfully and hobbled out.

He stared at her, his dark eyes flashing with irritation. Control yourself. No need to make trouble for yourself. The only ones who need to be harmed are the ones I'm being paid to get rid of.

Not because he felt compassion. No, he'd never cared about anyone else other than himself. Some might call it selfishness. They were right, to some degree. But he preferred to think of it as self-preservation. Like not having the police after him for taking the life of an inn owner.

He reseated himself on the bed, snatching his polishing rag and scrubbing furiously at his weapons to rub away the irritation that had soiled his state of tranquility.

Tomorrow, he told himself. Tomorrow he'd start the biggest job of his life.