Author's Note: It's a day late, but I finally finished it! I've had it half written for a while, but each time I read it I realized I actually hated it. This led to me restarting three different times. I'm actually a lot happier with this version, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Reviewers- Thanks you guys for the reviews! They really inspire me to work harder!

DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Naruto. FML.

CH. 2: Fox in the Henhouse

"Sir, there's been a massive spike of energy in one of the northern , outerlying villages."

Shining, purple scales flexed beneath long, pale fingers, "A rogue Mikon?"

"No sir, our sources say it's something different," The first voice sounded anxious about relaying the information.

The second voice, which belonged to a pale man sitting leisurely on a throne in the center of the room, had gone silent in contemplation. Bright, inhumanly yellow eyes were narrowed on the knight that had brought him the information.

"They could be mistaken," Another knight offered from the Emperors left side. The two soldiers stared knowingly at one another.

"No, their eyes never lie," corrected the pale ruler as he continued to pet the large serpent wrapped around throne.

"But it cou-"

"Silence, Asuma!" The Emperor hissed. The second knight went quiet, though it was clear he was disturbed, "Mizuki, I want you to take a group of twenty men and investigate."

"Twenty? For a child who's probably not even there?"

"Asuma! You overstep your boundries. You know as well as I that the boy did not perish," the snakelike eyes slid menacingly toward the older knight.

"I don't know what you mea-"

"Liar. You think I'm not aware of your continued alliance to tha blasted traitor Kakashi?"

"...S-sir? Kakashi is dead. We found his remains with the rest of the rebels."

For a pregnant moment silence filled the hall. The giant snake, which was easily twice the length of a tall man's height, and just as thick around, shifted to coil tighter around the throne. Eyes as equaly yellow as it's master's fixed on the knight.

"Asuma," the Emperor's voice turned as soft as silk laced with venom, "Your wife is pregnant isn't she? That's why she isn't with the rest of the knights, correct?"

For the first time fear flashed in Asuma's eyes. The snake's tongue flickered out as if to taste it.

"Mizuki," The Emperor's eyes returne to the white haired knight who had been waiting patiently in front of the throne on bended knee.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Before you go I would like you to pay a visit to Dame Kurenai-"

"No!" Asuma jumped forward, two knives as long as his forearm in his hands. He would kill this false ruler before any harm could befall his family.

"Manda." The snake moved to strike in one fluid movement.

Once again silence reigned in the Great Hall. Blood stained the once pristine scales of the great serpent, Manda.

"As, I was saying, Mizuki, I would like you to pay a visit to Dame Kurenai, to tell her she's a widow."

"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."

Sasuke pushed his bangs back from his face, before readjusting his hold on the netting. A man to his left held another part.

"Okay, one, two, three, and pull," the man grunted as he and Sasuke heaved the netting over the edge and watching as a large amount of fish piled on the deck; silver bodies writhing and shining in the sunlight.

The Uchiha wiped sweat from his brow.

"Looks like a nice catch today, we'll be givin' Butcher a real task to do tonight," the fisherman said.

"We've had a pretty good season, I haven't seen a bad haul yet since Winter ended," Sasuke commented.

"True. Glad we were able to get Ol' Regina fixed in time," the man patted the railing of the boat affectionately, "Have to thank your Uncle for that. Best carpenter we've ever had in this village. You'll be going home with a little extra in your pocket tonight, lad, you can be sure of that. A little token of my apreciation for all the help you two have given me. With the fever my boy's been havin I couldn't rightly bring him along, and I couldn't pull the netting in by myself. You deserve your share."

Sasuke nodded, "You're welcome, and thank you. Hopefully now Kakashi will buy some new socks. He's been been saying we don't have the money to spend on such 'silly' things, but they're getting pretty rank."

The fisherman chuckled and patted Sasuke heartedly on the back.

The sun was kissing the horizon by the time the fishing boat docked. Sasuke remained a while longer to help load the days catch into the crates. When he had first started helping around the docks, the smell repulsed him, but in the three years that he had called this place home he had learned to live with it. Several other fishermen and their boats were docked nearby, each bringing in their hauls. At the height of the season the time for fishing had never been better. The docks were filled with the good natured laughter of the fishermen as they worked and conversed with one another after a good day of fishing. Something about the moment set the young Uchiha at ease and made the work seem enjoyable.

"Thief!"

Sasuke's head snapped to the side just in time to see one of the fisherment two boats down jumping out of his boat. A blond boy, about his age, raced away from where some crates had been stacked; two fish were held securely in his arms. Without thinking the raven took off after the thief. These villagers had become his friends, and they made their living off the fish they caught. For someone to take what didn't belong to him annoyed Sasuke.

The blond male looked over his shoulder, a light hearted grin on his face. He seemed delighted to see Sasuke chasing after. Musical laughter reached his ears and he saw the boy stick his tongue out. The Uchiha could hear a few other fisherman behind him but as the chase led them through the village and toward the farmlands on the outskirts, they gradually fell behind. Soon Sasuke was the only one remaining. His legs burned with the effort to keep up, but the other boy didn't look tired at all. It was almost like he was playing with him.

The thief looked back at Sasuke once more, but the pale teen was too tired to notice the mischievious smirk that played on his lips as he slipped in among the tall stalks of corn. Sasuke's blood pounded in his ears as he raced in after, only stopping once he had completely lost sight of the other teen. He spun in a circle; rage at his defeat building inside of him as his motions became more erratic. Everything was quiet, though he could feel the other's presence all around. Perhaps Sasuke was growing paranoid but he had the feeling that the thief was standing right behind him everytime he turned, even though nobody was there.

"Where the fuck did you go, thief!" Sasuke snarled.

The warm breath on the back of his neck caused his hair to stand on end, "Such language..."

The Uchiha spun, lashing out with the hunting knife that he had pulled from his belt.

No one was there.

Nothing in the cornfield moved and everything was silent. Was he going mad?

Familiar laughter surrounded him, followed by a teasing voice. Sasuke listened for a moment, recognizing an old children's rhyme.

"There's a fox in the henhouse,
So Papa grab your gun.
There'll be a hunt tonight,
Call your neighbor, call your son.

There's a fox in the henhouse,
Though you locked the door.
The creature is a demon,
Of that you can be sure.

Theres a fox in the henhouse,
And boy, hes having a feast.
Wasn't nothing you could do,
To keep out the bloody beast.

Theres a fox in the henhouse,
with grinning, growling jaws.
Beware that evil smile,
Those devil eyes and grasping claws.

There was a fox in the henhouse,
And he'll be there again tonight.
When you try to catch him,
He'll be gone and out of sight."

Sasuke listened for a moment before pressing forward. The nursery rhyme unsettled him, but he was certain the boy was still close.

Eventually the song died off, and the Uchiha found himself in a small clearing, occupied only by a scarecrow. The thief was nowhere to be seen, and any signs that he remained in the field had disappeared. He hesitated for a moment before turning back. As irritating as it was to have lost the thief, he still had a job to finish at the docks, and the eery feeling brought on by the song in the field only served to weaken his resolve in catching the blond. As Sasuke left the clearing two blue eyes watched amusedly from beneath the moth eaten hat of the scarecrow.

As the day began drawing to a close and Sasuke walked along the pathway home, he couldn't help but feel exeedingly pleased at the weight in his coin purse. The act of working hard for some kind of pay never ceased to leave him feeling satisfied with his life. Things had never been this way before. Out here, the rules were different. Everything had to be earned and Sasuke had no qualms with that rule.

Life in the small village was peaceful, it made him forget the large world around him filled with its large troubles. He'd like to say that at the end of the day, this lifestyle never left him wanting. In a way it was true, but there was one thing he wanted that the village could never give him, the one thing Sasuke craved most.

No one knew too much about Sasuke, or the so-called Uncle that he lived with. It was like one day they just drifted silently into town and never left. Though they had only been living there for just about three years, many could claim it was like they had always been part of the village. Sasuke was well liked, though a brooding young man, who showed to be an exceptionally hard worker. Many of the men were proud to have him work beside them, most of the women fawned over him like he was their son, and the young girls(and even some of the boys) wanted desperately to be with him. Kakashi was an odd man, while usually cheerful, entertaining, and ready to charm, he had a mysterious, sometimes unsettling, way about him. He could be as quiet and unexpected as death when he wanted too, and was feircely protective of Sasuke; though that didn't stop him from pushing the teen to his limits whenever possible. Yes, the two were a strange pair, but welcomed wholeheartedly nonetheless.

While no one particularly bothered with asking about their past, there was some speculation as to where they came from. A largely popular theory was that they hailed from a travelling circus or some other kind of performers. With Kakashi's remarkable skills in everything from swordplay to acrobatics, and Sasuke's feirce intensity and ability to accomplish whatever task he was given, it seemed the most viable. While a topic of conversation that proved interesting at times, the villagers didn't seem to care really. Both men were hard working and made an honest living. In the end, that was what mattered.

"Kakashi, I'm home," Sasuke called as he stepped inside the one room cottage. When there was no response Sasuke called out again.

Nothing.

The Uchiha moved quietly through the small home, hand resting on the hilt of his hunting knife. Could it be that they had finally been discovered? If so this could be a trap. Although if the False King had sent someone, how had they gotten past Kakashi? If they had, how would he be able to?

Sasuke nudged the door to his bedroom open with his foot and stared hard into the darkness. Just as he was about to move inside, with little warning, a figure clad in black charged out. Sasuke managed to side step just as a down where he had just been. He lashed out, hoping to throw his attacker off balance with a solid elbow to the ribs.

"Too slow!" Shouted the unknown figure as he dodged backwards.

Sasuke growled under his breath. After being teased and played with earlier, he wasn't in the mood to lose again today.

Sasuke did all he could to avoid the next flurry of attacks. He wished he had the foresight to grab one of the weapons Kakashi had hidden before trying to enter the room. His knife was only the length of his hand, which gave his attacker the advantage.

The two combatants moved backwards into sitting room, Sasuke trying to put distance between himself as the sharp blade aiming to cut him open. He had little time to ever go on the offensive, and what attacks he did make were easily dodged.

Sasuke feinted a slash to his attacker's sword arm as soon as there was an opening. The man withdrew as expected. Waisting no time Sasuke leapt forward. For a moment weapons were forgotten as the two grappled with each other. The sword dropped to the floor with a thud, making the battle tilt slightly in Sasuke's favor. However, it was not enough and the raven found himself on the floor with his own knife teasing the skin of his neck. Cruel laughter filled the dark room.

"I'm not in the mood for games Kakashi," the Uchiha huffed.

The figure straightened and pulled off his mask, "Not games, training. No matter how far we are from the main city you should always be prepared."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at his guardian getting to his feet. He was aware that he would never be safe from the Emperor and his men. As long as he posed a threat, he could never truly live.a normal life, especially now that he had come of age. That didn't make these surprise 'training' sessions any less annoying, however. Especially since he had yet to beat the older man even once.

The raven sheathed his knife once more and sat down at the small wooden table that occupied the front room. A few of the tools Kakashi used for carpentry as well a piece of parchment lay scattered across its surface.

"Information from Asuma?" Sasuke questioned as he lifted the letter to read.

Kakashi sat across from him after snatching the paper away, "Yes. Just the usual. Orochimaru still has no clue you're still alive. He seems to be focussed on allying Konoha with the bordering kingdom of Suna."

"And if he does?"

"Suna's policies greatly differ from Konoha's. It's been one of the chief reasons our countries have never gotten along. This is mostly due to their lax restrictions involving Mikon. Given our history of abuse toward the Mikon creatures, it's caused many to flee to Suna. An alliance with us would most likely anger the people of Suna, as well as Konoha. It would be like mixing oil and water," Kakashi explained.

The Mikon were creatures who possesed magical abilities and sentient intelligence. Many Mikon were treated harshly by humans, as their odd powers were seen as unnatural. Few countries shared Suna's acceptance of the Mikon, Konoha was not one of them. Many decades ago Konoha and the Mikon lived in peace. After the assassination of Konoha's King at the hands of a mighty Kitsune Mikon named Kurame humans waged war. The war spanned 3 generations. While the Mikon were more powerful than the humans by far, the humans outnumbered the Mikon by double the amount. It wasn't until a group of humans and Mikon together stepped forward that the bloodshed ceased. One of the humans was a decendent of the fallen King. He held no grudge against the Mikon and was saddened by the war.

In an effort to stop it, he and several others opened themselves up to the minds of the Mikon people. Their lives were at the mercy of the enemy. Seeing only hopes for peace in their minds the Mikon allowed each to create a sacred bond with one of their people. The action itself created an agreement of sorts. Humans would have no say in the livings made by the Mikon, and the Mikon would not be allowed to imterfere with the ways of humans unless they recieved permission to become a true citizen; thus abandoning their freedom from human law. The human boy, who would soon become King would live with a Mikon protector by his side to ensure that another assasination would not happen; this also served as an act of trust between humans and Mikon. If any Mikon attempted, they would be deemed traitors by their own people. The King and his companions would create the Four Noble Houses: Uchiha, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, and Aburame. Each house held the gift for Bonding with a mikon, and this gift would be passed down to each generation in order to ensure the treaty stayed intact.

While the agreement stopped the two sidesfrom warring with each other, it did not change how people felt. The treaty had no control over the treatment of Mikon in areas occupied by humans. Many remembered the awesome powers displayed by the strange creatures and continued to fear and hate them for it. Alternatively, a human wandering in unclaimed land was open to becoming prey by the Mikon, who either despised the humans for their mistreatment or found them to be lesser beings. Since the treaty would not allow either side to control the other, and neither were willing to try and stop their own people, this is how life continued throughout the decades.

The Kingdom of Suna had never warred with the Mikon, so the humans living there had no reason to hate them. In Suna Mikon were normal citizens, some even married humans and started families. Life there was different. A treaty was not needed. This peace with the Mikon people only stirred hostile feelings toward countries like Konoha, who mistreated them whether they did anything wrong or not.

Orochimaru would have difficulty with any kind of treaty, especially considering that his tyrannical rule over Konoha's people was only enforced through bloodshed. While small villages on the ouskirts escaped most of the problems, the main cities were filled with poverty of the common people and greedy nobles. Once beautiful cities were reduced to slums. If anyone stepped out of line immediate action would be taken. Fear of the Mikon seemed like only a passing worry when compared to the people's hatred and fear of the Emperor.

A treaty with Suna would mean a large risk at an uprising. Only a fool would chance such a thing, and Orochimaru was no fool. If the information was true then something else had to be going on, and that disturbed Sasuke.

Watching his guardian out of the corner of his eye he murmured, "So, Asuma sent us a message to say that everything was fine? Seems like a big risk for such a minor update."

"Well, it's important to know we still have allies in the castle, besides that isn't all. Kurenai is also pregnant. It's good to enjoy the little things, Sasuke. They remind us that even in dark times, miracles can still happen," the white haired man smiled, though Sasuke turned away.

Unlike his mentor, he was unable to see how bringing a child into such a dangerous world was a good thing.

Sasuke lay awake in his cot, staring at the wall. After discussion on Asuma's message was closed, the night had gone on as usual. They ate a small dinner of pork and eggs, practiced swordplay for a couple hours, and retired to bed. Through all this Sasuke was plagued by the uneasy feeling that Kakashi was keeping something from him. It had to be something Asuma had written in the letter. Kakashi would not have stopped him from reading it if that wasn't the case. Sasuke had only glimpsed a few lines, but they were all written in code. If any imperial soldier had gotten their hands on it, they would have read what seemed to be a letter written to a distant Aunt asking for the latest desert recipes. Even Sasuke was hard pressed to completely decipher the cryptic messages.

Kakashi was usually very open with Sasuke on what was going on. He had said it helped keep them both motivated to accomplishing their goal. While life in the village was peaceful, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to see the False Emperor fall at his hands, and each time they recieved a letter his determination to see this wish through was reinforced. Why then would Kakashi withhold information?

Soft footsteps alerted the Uchiha, who felt for the knife beneath his pillow.

"Sasuke," Kakashi's voice was faint on the other side of the door, "Someone is outside."

Immediately Sasuke rolled out of bed and crouched down beside it to grab the sword hidden underneath the cot. He didn't bother with a shirt or shoes, either would take too much time. In minutes he and Kakashi were creeping toward the back door. Outside the air was still, and Sasuke briefly wished he was wearing more than a pair of trousers. The elder man motioned for his attention as they rounded the side of the house. Somebody stood against the wall, trying to open the only window the cottage had.

In the darkness Sasuke was unable to make out who it was. Could it be one of Orochimaru's men?

With movements as silent as they could manage the two men snuck closer. It wasn't until they were a few feet away that the unwelcomed visitor became aware of their presence. The figure spun around, froze for a few seconds, and took off. Sasuke lunged forward to tackle the tresspasser. For a few minutes the two wrestled. The body beneath him squirmed and fought, sharp nails knicked his cheek, and something furry rubbed against his arm. By the time Kakashi returned with a lamp, Sasuke had managed to somewhat pin the unknown person to the ground.

"You again?" Sasuke hissed as he looked down on the less cheerful face of the blond he had been chasing earlier. Now that he had time to look, a scowling face wasn't all he noticed. With a few extra furry limbs, this boy wasn't human. Dark eyes stared down at the Mikon thief in disbelief.

"What are you looking at bastard?" The Mikon growled, "Never seen a Kitsune before?"

In all honesty he hadn't, but coming across a Mikon at all was surprising. In the three years he had lived here, Sasuke had yet to see one. It explained the teen's earlier stamina and the odd tthings that had happened in the cornfield.

"What are you doing here, thief?" Sasuke questioned after shaking off his initial surprise.

The fox boy stuck his tongue out defiantly, "Screw you asshole, I have a name you know! It's Naruto. Say it with me Na-Ru-To."

"Why would I care? You're still nothing but a dirty thief. Now answer the question!"

"Sasuke, it's time to go," Kakashi said suddenly.

The statement confused the Uchiha, "What?"

"We're here, you need to wake up," This time it was Naruto who spoke.

All at once the world seemed to blur before returning to stunning clarity. Somehow the Mikon had switched places with him and was crouched over his body protectively. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils and Sasuke turned his head to see the cottage on fire. Screams suddenly rang out from nowhere. With a cry of his own the Uchiha clutched at his head. The world was on fire, and all the people he had befriended were now dead.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke shot up with a start. The air was clear once more and the familiar rocking of the cart settled his nerves. It had all been a dream. No, a dream of a memory. The night he had first met Naruto, and a week before soldiers raided the village; burning houses as they went. Once again people had died while he ran away.

"You're finally awake?" Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, who was slouched against the crates. He was considerably paler than usual due the the bullet wound he had recieved. Sasuke had done his best to wrap it, but he was no doctor. Naruto assured him that while it was a pain, such an injury wouldn't be enough to kill him.

"What's going on?" The Uchiha asked, taking time to work out some of the kinks that had formed while he slept.

"We've crossed the border. In an hour we'll be in the main city," Kakashi informed, "You'll need to be ready to deal with whatever you need to in order to speak with the King of this land. Having Naruto will help, but you'll have to remember how to deal with nobles. We need this to go well. Welcome to Suna, Prince Sasuke."

Suna... One step closer to reclaiming what's mine...

Author's Note: Well there you go. A little bit of Sasuke's more recent past as well as a bit of history on Bonding. I know it didn't answer all the questions, but if I did that then what would I have for later? The poem Fox in the Henhouse was something I made up, so it belongs to me. Also, Kurame, Naruto's demon fox. I usually prefer to use the name Kyuubi than it's real name, but this way I can save Kyuubi's name for later. For future reference Kurame, Kyuubi, and Naruto are all separate beings in this. They have no relations beyond all being kitsune.