Sasuke set off for the palace the next morning, ignoring the old woman's nosy questions about where he was headed. He was really going to have to get rid of her some day.

Sasuke had brought his weapons with him, including a few concealed ones. If they made him hand over his sword, he'd feel comfortable knowing that he had some sort of defense.

Sasuke arrived at the gates around eight thirty. The guards let him in after he told them who he was, but they all stared daggers at his back as he walked inside.

Naruto was waiting for him on the inside of the doors. He glanced at his katana, but didn't comment. "I presume you slept well?"

"Hn," Sasuke muttered, continuing to walk past him. Naruto chuckled, speed walking to catch up.

"You've got some nerve, you know? Treating your superior that way."

"Technically, you're not my superior until I'm in the King's Guard." Sasuke shot back.

Naruto grinned. "Well, I hope that you will be soon enough. Then I can teach you a lesson for all the lack of respect you've been showing up until this point."

Naruto led Sasuke to a side room off of the one they were in. It looked similar to the last one in layout; the three thrones were positioned at the far end of the room, but the rest of the space had been cleared of furniture. All of the tables and rugs had been pushed to the right, sitting in a jumbled heap.

But the floors had still been polished till they shone, to the point of being slippery, Sasuke noticed. He had a hard time keeping his footing as he moved across the floor on his flat, hard sandals. Naruto, he realized, was moving just fine. His shoes seemed to made out of some rubber sole that clung to the ice-like wood.

The king, queen, and princess were seated in the same order as they had been yesterday. Danzo was not among them. This time, a dozen or so soldiers stood at attention, staring stiffly at empty space.

Naruto and Sasuke bowed.

"Rise," the king called, his tone formal. "Katsu, bring me your form."

Feeling a bit like a schoolboy, Sasuke pulled the parchment, slightly crumbled, out of his pocket and handed it to the king. The gray haired man glanced over it for less then a second before setting it down. "Everything seems to be in order, right Commander?"

Sasuke glanced back at Naruto, puzzled. What did he have to do with the document?

Naruto was smiling, a strange glint in his eye. "Yes, your majesty. Shall we begin?"

The king nodded. "It's your call." He leaned back in his throne, as if he was prepared to see something interesting. Queen Mebuki and Princess Sakura did the same.

A weary feeling crept up Sasuke's chest. He tensed, his hand slowly creeping upward to his sword. He was just in time, too, because Naruto had lunged at him with his blade drawn, his eyes holding a bloodthirsty light.

Sasuke's blade clashed with Naruto's a second before it cut his skull in two. Sasuke was definitely taken off guard, but he was an assassin. He'd faced many insane predicaments before, and had learned one thing from all of them; be prepared for anything and everything.

His mind speedily reviewed all of the possibilities. His true identity could have been discovered, and the king had given the order to kill him. However, it would have made more sense to make him remove his weapons at the door. But then they might have thought that would make him suspicious, he countered, and decided to lure him in here where he had little chance of escape. This option was doubtful, though. The king wouldn't put the life of himself and his family in danger by staying in the same room.

The second possibility was that this was part of his test. They may have wanted to see how he reacted to out of the ordinary situations.

Whatever the reason, Sasuke fought with the intention to kill. He'd found that was the most sure fire way to win a fight. If you attacked your opponent with the goal to end their life, you were more likely to be more precise and less hesitant.

Naruto however, seemed to be thinking the same exact thing. He hacked at him and stabbed, kicking out as his legs and trying to trip him up, doing every dirty thing there was in the book. Now Sasuke realized what the rubber shoes were for. Naruto hadn't slipped once, keeping perfect balance with every strike. Sasuke, on the other hand, was struggling to keep his ground on the slippery floor.

The king and his family sat perfectly still, simply observing. Sasuke glared at the tiny princess who surveyed the scene with such removed interest.

You won't look that way when I place my sword on your neck, he thought savagely.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as Sasuke ducked and dodged every one of his strikes. "Is that all you can do?" He taunted. "Run away? I'm going to kill you!" The blond snapped his fingers. One of the motionless guards sprang to life, leaping into the battle.

Sasuke glared. Now he had two to fend off. Pretty soon, he realized, Naruto was going to call all twelve of them to action. It was high time he ended this.

Sasuke leapt a few feet away from the advancing duo, sinking into a crouch. Plunging his hand into the inside of his shirt, he pulled out several concealed throwing knives. Clutching three of them in his left hand, he hurled them at the two soldiers.

Naruto raised his blade, successfully knocking the pair coming at him out of the air. The other man wasn't so lucky, taking a hit to the upper arm. He fell to the ground, yanking it out. Blood spurted from the wound. The guard was left clutching his arm and howling in pain.

Naruto studied him for a second before barking out orders. "The rest of my men! Get on out here!"

The remaining eleven soldiers charged in. He was surrounded on all sides. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke calmed himself. Rooting his feet firmly on the slippery floor, he narrowed his eyes.

It was time to go all out.

He raised his sword, laser focused. The latent power that he kept dormant inside him was about to show itself.

In a flash, he disappeared--or at least, that's what it seemed like. He moved quicker than a snake could strike, slashing at the arms of the soldiers. Something inside him told him he shouldn't kill him. That this was all a test. As easy and tempting as it was, he settled on wounding them so that they could no longer fight.

In a matter of seconds, every man except Naruto lay on the floor, moaning and clutching some part of their body.

Sasuke stared at him, his breath perfectly even. Naruto held his gaze. Then he started laughing. "Congratulations. You've passed the first part of initiation."

A slow clapping filled the room. The king sat on his throne, looking at him with a new interest. The princess was studying him. When he caught her eye, she blushed and turned to her mother.

Sasuke squinted at Naruto, the grip on his sword not loosening in the least. "So...this was all a test then?"

"Yes," Naruto answered. "To test how well you reacted, to see how you would analyze the situation. If you had killed the men, then we would have known we couldn't completely trust you, if you were so quick to turn on your king. Had you failed to beat them, then you wouldn't have qualified for the skill test. I'm happy to say you passed with flying colors. Your speed is impressive."

Sasuke shook the blood from his sword, resolving to give it a thorough cleaning later. Sliding it into its scabbard, he nodded. "So what happens next?"

The king spoke. "The next stage will begin tomorrow. The rest of today is yours. I look forward to having you as part of my guard, Katsu Kagome."

Sasuke bowed, smirking to himself. Everything was falling into place. He backed up slowly, before turning around and walking to the door. As he passed the princess, she smiled, still a bit red. "Well done, Katsu."

Something about that rubbed him the wrong way. As if she had the skill and knowledge to appraise his abilities. Just her in particular, with her riches and wealth, her beauty and fortune, it drove him crazy. He'd never cared much for wealthy people, though he was after money himself. It was a bit hypocritical of him, but the wealthy lived in luxury while the poor starved. Even if she had no knowledge of it, the fact that she had so much made him furious. Sasuke didn't care about the poor, but the task of taking care of them didn't belong to him. That priority belonged to the royalty. If there was one thing that disgusted him, it was people who didn't perform their duties.

He nodded stiffly, the words he knew he had to say stuck in his throat. "Thank you, Princess."

Outside, he breathed in the fresh air. Once he passed the first challenge, which was actually gaining entrance to the King's Guard, he had to tackle the second; making sure he got a position close to the princess.

Which meant, he thought grudgingly, he'd need to be on good terms with her so that she might request him. This was going to be troublesome.

***********************************

Her breath had caught in her throat when she first saw him. He'd entered the room with the Commander, scowling in his dark, brooding manner.

She'd leaned forward, intrigued by this new face. He was a foreigner, that much was obvious. His obsidian eyes were slanted upward, his nose straight. Dark ebony hair skimmed his defined cheekbones. It was a face so sinfully handsome, any woman would have stopped and gaped. She was no exception.

But she composed herself. She was the princess, the third most important person in the country besides her mother and father. She knew what her father would say. "Sakura, dear, don't stoop to the level of the commoners. They are all meddlers, looking to take and never give."

And reproach her he did, when she dared make a comment on his extraordinary beauty. Afterward, she'd lapsed into a silence, an obedient one to her father, but inside, she was chittering. Wondering about who he was, why he was here. And when she heard he was interested in joining the King's Guard, she perked up a little. If he succeeded, which she was sure he could do although she'd never seen him in action, she would be able to be near him. To know him.

When he arrived the next day, she could barely contain her excitement, but she kept it hidden in the practiced manner she'd perfected over the years.

As the initiation fight took place, she watched, captivated by the fluidity of his movements, the breathtaking speed at which he brought down his opponents.

When his eyes met hers, she couldn't help but blush in spite of herself. She'd quickly pretended to speak to her mother to avoid him.

And yet, on his way out, she felt the urge to smile, tell him that he preformed well, that she felt pride in watching him. But he'd only frowned, as if she'd said something distasteful, and responded with a curt, forced "Thank you, Princess."

She felt hurt then, as if she had done something wrong though she was well aware she had not. A flicker of anger had flared up, and she had half a mind to stop him and question him. But she'd let him walk out peacefully, leaving her still in partial awe and amazement at this foreign stranger.

***********************************

Sasuke didn't immediately go back to the inn. Instead, he wandered around the bustling market, memorizing the layout of the city.

Stalls were interspersed between local shops and cafes. They showcased everything from jewelry to stalls selling every kind of food imaginable. He purchased a skewer of grilled chicken and ate as he walked like so many others were doing.

As he moved through the city, he gradually began to notice the declining quality of his surroundings. Buildings became crumbled and dilapidated, the people, scarcer and farther in between. Sasuke saw more than a few dejected souls lying crumpled in alleyways, small bony children darting about, their dusty faces turning about nervously as he passed.

He'd reached the slums. So even the capital city had injustice, he thought, shaking his head at the ruin and despair. Perhaps having Danzo as the ruler of these people would merit some benefits.

At that moment, Sasuke felt a small tug on the back of his cloak. Whipping around, he startled the thin redheaded teenager who had attempted to pickpocket him.

The boy's teal green eyes widened as they met Sasuke's, and he turned and dashed away into the dark alley.

Sasuke was right behind him. No one stole from him. No one. Not even this poor starving kid.

But the kid, thin as he was, was swift and sure footed. He dashed around sharp corners and ducked into alleys so fast, Sasuke would have lost him altogether if he hadn't spent years chasing targets.

The redhead glanced behind him, surprised Sasuke was still tailing him. "Che." He spat in disgust, making one last turn into a narrow passage.

Sasuke sped around the corner, but came to a screeching halt realizing he'd reached a dead end. The two buildings were connected, leaving a tall, smooth, unclimbable surface. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Where had that kid gone?

There were no sewer holes anywhere, so he couldn't have escaped underground. Besides, it would have been unlikely he would have had time to get under before Sasuke caught up.

Then his eyes landed on the pipe going up the side of the left building. Huh.

Sasuke grabbed the pole, propelling himself up fast. His climbing skills had come from years of splintered hands, bruised knees, and once, a broken arm. It was safe to say he had the experience to get him up the pipe in a matter of seconds.

More than enough time to catch sight of the boy running across the rooftop, leaping out, and catching a windowsill on the adjacent structure. Placing his hands in the grooves of the building, he worked his way back to the ground. He wasn't moving as quickly now, thinking he'd lost Sasuke.

Sasuke smirked, silently following him and grabbing the back of his shirt. Pulling him to the ground, he stuck his knife to his throat. "Don't make me dirty it now."

The redhead looked shocked, finding himself defenseless in the dust. He gulped, visibly afraid.

"I suggest you give whatever you stole back. Now. I just cleaned these knives, you know? I wouldn't want to have to polish them again."

The redheaded boy slowly reached into his pocket, extracting the handful of coins. It wasn't even that much, just a few bills, but to the boy, it must have been a fortune, Sasuke realized.

He pulled it roughly out of the boy's hand before shoving his knife back into his pocket and standing up. "Don't try to steal from me again. Understand?"

The boy was shaking his head. "How did you do that?"

Sasuke frowned. "What?"

"You were able to keep up with me the entire time, and outsmart me at my own game. No one's ever been able to do that."

"Do you think you're the only one with street skills around here, brat?" Sasuke growled. "Get out of here before I decide it's worth the trouble dirtying my knife."

The redhead glared, slowly backing up and out of sight.

Sasuke watched the spot he'd faded into before walking away. It was time to leave this part of town. If all the street rats were as skilled as the redhead, he'd have his hands full.

He arrived back at the inn an hour later, and was cheerfully greeted by the old woman, whose name he'd finally figured out was Darla, the same as the inn. Giving her an impatient nod, he headed to his room, deciding he'd look for a new inn once he'd passed the test.

Lying on the bed, Sasuke's stomach rumbled. The chicken he'd eaten had been hours ago, but he was too tired to leave the room. When the knock sounded in his wooden door, he called out irritably, "Who is it?"

"It's me, dear," Darla's reedy voice called. "I've brought you some dinner, since it didn't seem like you'd eaten."

Sasuke considered ignoring her, but his stomach growled in protest. Sighing, he slung his legs over the bed and opened the door. The short woman held out a tray. "Here you go!"

Sasuke reached out for it, but paused before taking it. "Ahh...thank you." He wasn't sure what had made him say that. Maybe it was seeing those starved kids on the streets. Maybe his conscious was acting up again. Which didn't happen often.

Darla looked up, startled, as if she hadn't expected to hear anything. Then she beamed. "It's my pleasure to cook for someone, dear, don't mention it. I'll be off now! Don't be afraid to ask if you're hungry!"

Sasuke nodded wordlessly. He shut the door and sat down, his mind full of the next day. What tests would he be faced with? Whatever they were, he was sure he could pass.

Can you guess who the redhead is? It's pretty easy XD

He'll be showing up later in the story too!