Sasuke and Naruto

Act One: A Skirmish of Shakespearean Proportions

By Zenerific1

(beta'd by K. R. Ukido)

Everyone knew that the beautiful city of Konoha was divided by two families at war with each other. It had been going on for more years than most of the citizens cared to remember. Speculators and rumor mongers wondered if even the two families knew why they hated each other. No one knew how it stared; they just knew that it caused an enormous amount of strife in the otherwise peaceful community.

The Uchiha were an extensively rich family that resided in the Northern part of the city. The family was huge and every one of them the embodiment of pale perfection. Every child born had hair as black as ebony and eyes to match. From the cradle, they were taught to be aloof and upright, to not show emotions, and to disdain all things not worth of the family name. They became strong, opinionated adults; cold and uncaring of anything but their own interests.

Because of their impeccable business sense, their ancestors had become wealthy and so the family had old money—not that they didn't have new money too. They had the touch of King Midas without the nasty side effects of a lifetime of miser; anything that they took an interest in became very lucrative and successful.

The other side of the feud was the Namikaze, no less handsome and wealthy, but the complete opposites of the Uchiha. They were colorful, not only in their looks but also in their personalities. They were considered 'new' money because they didn't have generations of ancestry behind their fortune.

Minato, currently the head of the Namikaze family, was still young and ambitious. The third mayor of Konoha was grooming him to take over his position. Minato was also a programming genius, having developed a popular line of security programs for the computer known as 'Rasengan'. He'd also programmed computer games and one of his most popular ones was 'The Yellow Flash', a game about a young ninja's adventures in a world far different from the real one.

Madara Uchiha, head of the Uchiha clan, didn't have any children but had chosen Fugaku, his nephew, as his heir. Fugaku was level-headed and knew the importance of being an Uchiha. The younger man had been loyal in every way, proving himself to be a true asset to the Uchiha. He'd increased the wealth of the family several times over during his time in charge of the number one business. His sons had attended the best schools and would one day inherit the position as head from their father. His oldest son, Itachi, had taken his place and was following closely in his father's shoes while the youngest, Sasuke, was attending a local university. Both were the pride of the Uchiha and geniuses in their own right.

Sasuke excelled at nearly everything, determined to surpass Itachi and gain recognition from his father. He was quiet, controlled, and stoic; everything the Uchiha were proud of.

The Namikaze had two sons also. Kyuubi was his legitimate son and the one that everyone expected to take over the business, while the youngest was Naruto. Naruto was the love child of Minato and a girl named Kushina. The Namikaze hadn't known about Naruto until the boy was twelve. Blue eyes and bright blond hair, plus his features, marked him as Minato's son. The only difference was the three symmetrical lines that marred each cheek. No one knew if they were birth marks or scars but they didn't detract from the gorgeous boy's countenance. Naruto was loud and fun loving, his number one passion was hanging with his friends—if one didn't listen to him expound on the joys of ramen. His greatest dream was to be mayor after his father.

*** R ***

"Itachi! Itachi," Tobi was saying excitedly in his high voice while bouncing around the other two as they walked down streets of Konoha. "I saw the cutest little blond the other day, with the most luscious tan skin and large, sumptuous—."

"Tobi! I don't want to hear you extol any woman's beauty. The last time you did, you went into so much detail as to put me off women for good!" Itachi snarled, his eyebrow twitching at the memory.

"—hands?" Tobi finished a little more quietly.

It wasn't that Itachi didn't like the female form; he enjoyed all types of beauty. But he wasn't attracted to round hips and breasts. And Tobi's fascination was more than a little crude at times. On more than one occasion he'd heard his cousin state, 'I'd like to dip my stick into that.' Of course the car reference wasn't lost on Itachi, Tobi's third love was cars.

It was Tobi's first love that allowed Itachi to tolerate the older man. Tobi loved computers first and foremost, but he also loved infiltrating any place that was supposed to be off limits. Itachi could stick Tobi on any computer terminal and Tobi could hack through any security protocol in the world in minutes without leaving a trace.

"Tobi, the woman could be ugly as an Inuzuka, blind in one eye and can't see out the other, sporting a peg leg, and you would still think she's cute," Shisui said. "Of course that's not saying much since she'd still be more attractive than you!" Itachi's other cousin was teasingly referring to the orange, swirled mask Tobi always wore. He'd worn it since an accident when he was thirteen had scarred part of his face. To the family the mask was just another part of Tobi, like his arm or his leg. But Itachi was surprised when a woman flirted with the man. He guessed that the mask made his cousin seem mysterious. He wasn't being shallow he just didn't see the attraction.

"Well, at least I get laid occasionally, Shisui. When's the last time you've had a piece of tail?" Tobi jeered, flipping the younger man the bird.

"I didn't have to worry about getting an STD from some skank who's more desperate than a Namikaze on Valentine's Day."

"Hey! Debbie wasn't a skank!"

"She was after you got done with her," Shisui laughed.

"Enough!" Itachi interrupted. "I swear, I'm the youngest but I act more mature than the two of you put together."

"Says the guy who gets drunk every night and does a grand impression of RuPaul," yodeled Tobi, before dancing out of Itachi's reach.

"You'd better watch it, Tobi, or Itachi's gonna use that knife of his and cut you a new asshole," chortled Shisui.

"You'd be next in line, Shi," Itachi growled menacingly, irritated with the banter between his cousins. He rubbed at a gnawing pain beginning to bloom behind his eyes.

"Aw, are you jealous, It'i?" Tobi mocked from several feet away. Most people would suggest that the masked man wasn't very smart but he knew better that to be within reaching distance of his young cousin while mocking him.

Itachi's eyes narrowed and focused on Tobi. "You should be happy that that I've been raised to believe that chasing is demeaning, because if I hadn't I'd make you eat those words. Then I'd make sure that you endured seventy-two hours of torture!"

Tobi paled under his mask putting even more distance between him and Itachi. Spying a small grocery store on the corner, Tobi went inside to search for a fulfilling but high sugared snack. He made sure to stay out of Itachi's way and the one time he didn't he ended up being smacked upside the head.

"Ow! Damnit, Itachi, are you still mad? Geez, can you hold a grudge!"

The three browsed the store for a little while enjoying the cool air that was circulating through the air conditioners. they were making their way to the counter when the bell over the door rang out. New customers were coming into the quiet market.

Itachi immediately grabbed both his cousins and ducked into the medicine aisle.

"He—"

He clapped a hand over Tobi's mouth, cutting off the protest.

"Kyuubi Namikaze," Itachi hissed. Those two words immediately stilled the older man who pushed farther back down the aisle. It was well known that Kyuubi had a fierce temper and was impatient to boot. Itachi stayed where he was and listened intently to the conversation.

"Hell, Kyu, you're telling me that you don't care that you've been passed over?" Neji exclaimed. The Hyuuga was confused by the nonchalance in his friend's reaction.

"He can have it. You know that I can't stand being sociable and as heir apparent I'd end up having to be at all those functions and charity auctions. It's much better for me this way," the red head said with an indolent shrug.

The twenty-five-year-old Kyuubi wandered through the store towards the cooler. Opening the door and grabbing a bottle of green tea from the shelf he twisted the lid off with a soft snick. His friends followed his lead and grabbed teas for themselves.

"Yeah," Kankuro commented with a sharp bark of laugher. "Can you see Kyu in a tux and sucking up to those old bastards?"

Neji seemed to pause at the picture before agreeing with the rough looking man. He flipped back a lock of his long brown hair before nodding.

"I look damn good in a tux, Konnie," Kyu retorted.

"I'm sure you do, pretty boy, but I remember a time when you swore you'd never wear a suit and tie except at your own funeral."

"Hm, I did say that, and if the Uchiha's have anything to say about that it'll be in the near future."

Neji and Kankuro frowned at their friend's blasé remark. It was true in the sense that every time they met up with one of the Uchiha's they ended up in a fight. The last time, Kyuubi had been stabbed through the side and now bore a nasty scar. The emergency room had to remove a kidney and the man had nearly died. Neither of the two friends felt that the red head should be as accepting of this as he was. But neither said anything to refute the statement either.

"Well, are you going to the party tonight?" Kankuro asked changing the subject.

"Of course, it wouldn't be right if I didn't at least show up to tell him congrats now would it?"

"I'll be there as well. Hinata wants to go so I'll have to escort her," Neji commented.

"She still has a crush on him?" asked Kyuubi.

"Yes, though I can't say that I blame her."

"Hey, watch it. I don't want to have to kick your ass."

"Maybe you shouldn't have such a pretty brother?"

"You're starting to piss me off, Neji," Kyuubi warned. He knew how attractive his brother was to people, but he didn't want to hear about if from his friend.

Neji backed off, mostly because he had the same feelings towards his cousin, Hinata. He felt a dollop of relief because she had a boyfriend who would rip the face off anyone that looked at her wrong, though that didn't stop Neji from wanting to rip his face off.

Kyuubi's feelings for his brother bordered on the line of obsessive protector. Once, someone had accused him of those feelings being more than just overprotective older brother. After Kyuubi was through with him, the man never spoke or walked again.

Neji knew that Kyuubi wouldn't do more than punch him, but he wasn't going to push the issue. They'd had more than enough of the violence that permeated the Namikaze family. Ever since they were twelve and had lost a friend due to that violence, anyway.

There had been four of them, back then, Kyuubi, Neji, Kankuro, and Anko. Anko had teasingly called them the four musketeers. They had been friends since pre-school, fighting over whose turn it was to play with the blocks. Anko had been the best of them; the glue that held them together, and the water that cooled their tempers. On more than one occasion she'd stood between them while they'd argued about which football team was better or held them because a girl had rejected one of them.

She'd also been naïve enough to believe that she could make peace between the two rivaling families. Mainly because she had been in love with Obito Uchiha. Even though she'd never met him face to face and he was three years older, every time she saw him her heart shone in her eyes.

They never knew why they'd been targeted by the group that day; it could have just been an open opportunity for the Uchihas. The fight itself had been quick and dirty. It'd been a brawl at first with the three boys doing their best to protect Anko. Then one of the Uchihas was holding a bloody knife and Anko was sinking to the ground holding her stomach. Neji remembered the look of horror that had crossed the young Uchiha's face as he dropped the knife. He could still remember the distinct clatter of the blade when it hit the pavement. Neji still had nightmares.

"I—I didn't mean to…," the boy had stuttered looking from the knife to Anko—who was being held by Kyuubi. Kankuro was moaning holding his crooked arm, obviously broken. Neji was dizzy and his vision wavered even as he looked to Kyuubi for direction.

"Come on! Let's get out of here," another Uchiha shouted. The four took off down the street.

"Anko! Anko, are you okay?" Kyu asked, the fear in his voice making it crack slightly.

"He…he was going…to stab you…" Anko muttered softly clearly in a lot of pain. "…had a…knife…"

Neji knelt next to them and found it hurt to breathe. Kankuro staggered over to them and sank down next to them, disregarding his injury.

"Neji, we need help," Kyu said urgently. "Anko's hurt bad and Konnie's arm is broken." Neji didn't point out his injuries, in fact he didn't think about them at all, he just ran off to get help.

It took him nearly twenty minutes to find someone who'd let him borrow a phone. Several people had slammed the door as soon as they saw his battered face and the blood on his clothes, muttering something about not wanting to get involved. Neji ran back to his friends as soon as he'd placed the call, only to find…

Anko had died waiting for Neji to get help. And Kyu had never been the same because he'd been helpless to do anything other than hold her as she bled out. Konnie had passed out because of the pain and so Kyu had ended up being alone towards the end.

Kankuro's arm was broken in two places and a kidney had been ruptured. Neji had suffered a concussion along with several cracked and bruised ribs. Kyuubi was the only one to fare better, getting away with only some minor bruises and cuts. Of course, those were only physical injuries; his mental scars went much deeper and had never healed.

*** J ***

One night about a year ago, Neji's friend had gotten royally drunk, the first and only time, and told Neji that he'd wished it had been him that'd died. Fighting to remain calm, Neji had held Kyu while the man had broken down and cried. It was probably the only time since that tragic night. Kyu had never touched another drop of alcohol since.

Pulling out of his recollection, Neji glanced around. His friends were now browsing the candy rack.

"So, how is Naruto taking all of this?" He asked looking over the stock for a piece of chocolate that sounded good. Then decided against it and picked up a Big Hunk with a smirk at the irony.

"Just as expected, he's as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs but he's also excited and has been rushing around the house bouncing off walls and driving anyone insane who stands still long enough," the red head commented with an indulgent smile.

While Kankuro slipped away to the restroom, the other two went to pay.

"Hey, Sakura, would you please put this on my charge?" Kyu asked the pink-haired girl standing at the register filing her nails.

The girl looked up with a frown. "Don't you mean Naruto's charge, since he's the one who ends up paying for it?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Kyu said with an indulgent wave of his hand.

"You know, it should be the older brother who's responsible for the younger," Sakura groused not moving to do the guy's bidding. Kyu looked down his nose at the girl a scowl pulling his lips down.

"He's the angel and I'm the demon, I get it already."

"You know, one of these days—."

"It all comes from the same place. Why does it matter who pays the bill as long as the bill gets paid?" Kyuubi asked angrily, interrupting the lecture. His tolerance for the interfering girl was at its end.

Sakura knew that she'd over-stepped her bounds and quickly rang up the tab. Punching a few more buttons to make a charge slip slide smoothly from the receipt machine, she jerked it off and handed it to the man. Kyuubi signed the slip and turned away, dismissing the girl.

A muffled shout sounded from the direction of the bathroom and the two friends darted towards it. Surprisingly, a couple of Uchiha appeared from another isle. The four men reached the door and the same time, though one of the Uchiha's was a second faster and pulled the door open.

Kankuro had another Uchiha pushed up against the wall with his arm twisted behind him and shoved up to his shoulder blades.

"Touch me again, Uchiha," he spat the name out like it tasted bad, "and I will break your arm."

A smirk appeared on the lips of the man up against the wall. "But you looked like you needed some help. I was just trying to be a good citizen." It held a hint of a whine, but not from the pain in his arm, more than likely he was trying to anger Kankuro just to see how he would react.

Kyuubi stepped forward quickly, wanting to smooth the situation out before it got worse.

"Konnie, just relax and let him go," he muttered lowly hoping that his calm would transfer over to his friend. "He's just trying to get you to react badly so that he can get you in trouble for assault."

Itachi frowned at that. "Now, hold on. Shi isn't that kind of—."

"Shut it!" Kyuubi snapped. "You opinion doesn't matter. Uchiha aren't trust-worthy and they always try and manipulate the situation to their advantage." He glanced in the man's direction and tried not to be drawn into his pretty looks. Long black hair was pulled loosely back into a pony tail, a few locks swinging around the man's face, emphasizing the dark eyes and framing the pale face. Forcing his attention back to his friend, he stepped up to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Kankuro." Konnie took a deep breath and stepped back, releasing the man. Then the two friends moved away allowing the first Uchiha to take his place next to the long-haired Uchiha. The other guy was hidden behind a mask but they could see the dark eyes glittering through the eye holes.

"Shi, apologize," Itachi ordered curtly.

A dark slash of an eye brow rose at the order but he didn't argue. "I apologize, man." Shisui stepped forward with a hand upraised. "No hard feelings?"

Kankuro sneered at the hand then looked into the Uchiha's face. His jaw hardened. "The only reason I won't kill you now is because—." Kyuubi's hand on his shoulder again cut him off. He didn't need to tell these people that it was an Uchiha that stayed their hand.

Kankuro remembered standing next to Anko's grave, arm in a sling, watching as the first shovel full of dirt hit the coffin lying in the bottom of the hole. Tears slid down his face unchecked as the three watched as the grave was slowly filled. A shadow drew up next to them and they looked up a bit surprised to find that the rest of the mourners had left. A man was standing next to them.

Dark hair spiked our in different direction, as if he'd run his hand through it several times. The pale perfect features of an Uchiha were clearly recognizable by them all. He knelt and placed a single white rose next to the rest of the flowers. It should have been lost amongst the more elaborate creations but it seemed to stand out instead. A red ribbon was tied around it.

Kankuro was startled to see tears in the man's eyes as he stood back up.

"I'm sorry," he said simply before turning away.

"Wait!" Kyuubi called out raising a hand as if to stop him. The man paused and waited.

"Who are you?"

To Kankuro it didn't make sense that Kyuubi wanted to know who he was. He was an Uchiha that was all that mattered. The three should have been angry that an Uchiha had dared to desecrate this sacred ground. They should be raging at him, punching him, getting revenge. But none of them made a move, they were done with violence, they had lost too much to want to do anything that would bring it back.

"Obito Uchiha." They stood in silence as the man walked away.

"It doesn't make this better," Neji spoke slowly, quietly, "but I feel…glad somehow, like Anko is smiling." The other three nodded.

*** R ***

Itachi's eyes narrowed at the cut off remark. He wanted to snort at the way these three men thought that they could actually harm an Uchiha. His eyes were drawn to the red haired man standing next to his friend with a hand on his shoulder.

"Namikaze," he said shortly in acknowledgement.

"Uchiha."

Itachi nearly shuddered at the husky voice that seemed to roll over him like a warm hand drifting over a lover. He licked his lips and watched in satisfaction as the blue eyes narrowed on it following the movement. He stepped forward and saw the nostrils flare as they caught his scent.

"Thank you for stopping your friend from breaking my cousin's arm. I apologize for his lack of decorum. I don't know which Uchiha you've met before, but Shi doesn't really think with his head, or at least the one attached to his shoulders."

"Hmph, so you're suggesting that he was thinking with his cock instead? I don't see how that makes this situation any better." The red head's lips thinned but his eyes slid to his friend as if to gauge his reaction to this news.

Kankuro's gazed widened slightly and he actually looked the older Uchiha over. Kyuubi could see what appeared to be approval in his eyes at the looks of the Uchiha. He nearly smirked when Konnie's breathing seemed to quicken and a flush came to the tanned cheeks. He didn't know what had actually happened before they had arrived at the door of the rest room and he didn't want to know, but Konnie was reacting to it in an alarming fashion.

"Anko," Kyuubi said in a whisper that only reached Konnie's ears and the man paled and his eyes hardened. With a snarl of rage, Konnie brushed past the Uchiha and out the door. Kyuubi and Neji followed without giving the rest of the Uchiha another glance.

Itachi watched them go and wondered what Namikaze had said to bring about such a rapid change in Shi's victim. He'd gone from lustful to livid in less than a second.

"Shi, I don't doubt that to you the man is cute, but he's Namikaze's friend—an enemy," Tobi said in an abnormally rational tone. "He'd rather kick your ass, not fuck it."

"Yeah, but I'm sure that I can get him to change his mind," Shi chortled. "Besides you didn't see what he's packin'."

"I don't want to hear it," Itachi bit out. No, he did not want to hear about anyone else's endowments other than the red-head's. "Let's get home. I have a party to attend."

The other two gave Itachi a confused look but didn't say anything more as they paid for their purchases and left the store.

A/N: I have a BETA!!!! Thanks to the generous and kind heart of K.R. Ukido...I can now bring you stories that are Beta'd! So hopefully the stories will star to improve! Just a little reminder this is a SasuNaru fiction and therefore I won't be doing in SuiKon or ItaKyu scenes or reverses of those parings...unless you beg sweetly with cyber cookies! Then maybe...