Castle Uchiha - A Sasunaru Fanfic

Chapter One - Wolf

A stray wolf burst into the village's perimeter. Blind in both eyes, it relied on its 4 other senses to protect itself. It snarled at anything within earshot and continued pouncing deeper into the village. The wolf left a trail of destruction behind itself, and the villagers ran to and fro to take cover from it. A few seconds behind the wolf came 18-year-old Naruto Uzumaki, running at top speeds in an attempt to capture the wolf from wreaking any more havoc. 

Shikamaru, Naruto's best friend, was standing lazily beside a fruit stand snacking on an apple when he saw the wolf approaching rapidly. Jumping swiftly out of its way, he caught a glimpse of Naruto in fast pursuit. 

"Leave it up to Naruto to make a mess like this." He said, glancing at the village behind them. Villagers could be seen nervously eyeing the mess that was being left behind. "This is gonna be a drag to clean up." He groaned. 

Shikamaru took one last bite of his apple before he quickly jumped onto the dilapidated roofs of the small village and followed parallel to Naruto down below. He threw the half-eaten apple towards Naruto's head in one calculated toss. 

"Hey! Watch it Shikamaru!" He yelled, rubbing the back of his head and turning his head towards Shikamaru for a few seconds. 

"I'll stall it for a second or two Naruto, you take care of the rest!" Shikamaru yelled. Naruto nodded and looked ahead once more. 

Shikamaru picked up the speed and looked ahead to see a large food stand within the next 100 feet. The food stand had a stack of empty wooden crates on its side.

There!  Shikamaru jumped off of the roof and landed near the stand. He ran up and kicked the stack of crates, causing a flurry of them to rain down. 

"Hey!" The food stand owner yelled. 

But the timing was perfect. Nothing less to be expected of Shikamaru Nara. The wolf, dazed, stumbled over the crates. Naruto took the wolf's vulnerability to his advantage and jumped on its back. 

"Thanks, Shikamaru! I owe you one!" Naruto shouted as the wolf once again took off, but this time with Naruto on top. Shikamaru waved toward the blondie and shook his head. 

"What a drag". 

Naruto gripped the dirty fur of the wolf strongly with his hands. They were going to be approaching the front entrance of the village soon. Naruto had to think of a way to bring this wolf down quickly. He had let this drag out far too long. Although for a blind and old animal, this wolf certainly had some fight in him. 

Naruto was a kindhearted and selfless person. He fed stray cats when he could, said thanks before a meal even when eating alone, and spent his days helping the local villagers with whatever they needed. This particular wolf had been a special pain in the neck for Naruto. It would sneak into the village and attack the livestock. Many weeks passed before they discovered the culprit of the attacks. The village Naruto lived in was a poor one, and they could not afford to be losing precious livestock at the hands of such an animal. 

Therefore, Naruto promised the irate villagers that he would take care of the wolf himself. He wanted to see if he could spare the animal's life and somehow resolve this issue peacefully. But it seemed that he was causing the entire village more harm than good by letting it live just a single minute longer. 

Almost at the entrance, Naruto reached behind his back and pulled a dagger from a small pouch attached to his trousers. 

"Forgive me," He whispered, and firmly stabbed the small knife into the side of the wolf's neck, simultaneously using his body weight to fling the wolf to the ground. Blood sprayed into his eyes, but he kept a firm grip on both the fur and the dagger. He stayed in that position for a few seconds until the animal's body went limp. Naruto's own body relaxed.

He pulled the dagger out in one swift tug, dropped it on the ground, and released his grip on the animal. He sat up and wiped the blood and sweat from his eyes with his shirt sleeve. There was a commotion. A group of villagers circled around both Naruto and the wolf and cheered. 

"Thank you, Naruto!" Yelled a woman. 

"Our livestock is saved!" Yelled another. 

Many other shouts of delight could be heard throughout. He smiled brightly. 

"Thanks, everyone. I'm sorry for the mess I made. I'll be sure to h-" Naruto was interrupted by the loud sound of royal trumpets. 

Royal trumpets? 

Naruto had forgotten they were near the village entrance because of all the racket. Three men on horses trotted near the circle of villagers. They were dressed in funny-looking velvet attire. Expensive nonetheless. The men in horses made their way as they came close to where Naruto was sitting. 

"Good day everyone. We are sent by King Fugaku Uchiha on business." Said the man in the middle. The villagers stood attentively. He glanced down at Naruto on the ground and squinted his eyes. 

"You there, come with me" He gestured at Naruto. "The rest of you, please go back to your tasks". 

The villagers turned and headed back deeper into the village. Two village men carried the dead wolf corpse back with them. Naruto gulped, dusted his clothes off, and followed the king's representatives to a private spot near the entrance. 

"Listen here," Said the man in the middle. "We are going to need you to come back to Castle Uchiha with us". Naruto laughed. After a few moments of dead silence, Naruto realized he was being completely serious. 

"Wait a minute... Seriously? Why?" Panic was rising in his voice. 

"We came to this village on other matters. But we saw your little feat with the wolf, and it just so happens that the King is looking for a spanking new attendant. It's good to know that the villagers place so much trust in you. You are perfect for the job. " He eyed Naruto's shabby outfit up and down. "I'm sure you're not in a position to decline." 

Naruto's eyes widened. How crazy was this? To work for the King was a huge honor, let alone at Castle Uchiha. However, he also knew he played an integral role within the village. Would they miss him if he left? What about Shikamaru and his other friends? But like the king's man said, he was in no position to decline. For starters, turning down an offer to work for the King was like asking to be exiled. And deep down, Naruto had also hoped that one day a time would come when his benevolence opened doors for him. After all, he couldn't stay in this poor village tending to cattle for the rest of his life. The cogs turned in his head.

"I'll go." Naruto finally croaked. 

"Very well. We will finish up our other business here and will depart once we finish. And for the love of Susano-o, please wash off that filth." The man grimaced. 

Naruto chuckled nervously and ran back to clean up, pack his bags, and tell Shikamaru the good news. How insane was this?

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A/N:  Hi everyone! It's been a long time since I wrote a story on here. I have a big vision for this fanfic and I hope you all will stick around long enough to see it all develop :) I would also like to mention some details, this is an AU where ninjas and chakra do not exist (I'm thinking Kekkei Genkai will, though!). In addition, picture this universe like a typical isekai one! Hence the castle and village lol. 

- K