Castle Uchiha - A Sasunaru Fanfic

Chapter Two - The Castle Never Sleeps

As promised, the castle representatives were at the village entrance precisely an hour after their and Naruto's last encounter. Naruto had packed and bathed quickly in fear of being left behind and was ready 30 minutes too early. 

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When Naruto had told Shikamaru the news, Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. Shikamaru knew that his recruitment was too big of a coincidence. They didn't even know Naruto personally. How could they trust him to do the job of a Royal Guard? Shikamaru forced the negative thoughts out of his head. He simply warned Naruto to be careful and told him to write often. Naruto smiled and asked Shikamaru to explain his situation to the villagers. He didn't want them to wonder where he had gone off to this time. He then ran to the entrance of the village to wait for the representatives. 

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"It is pleasing to know that you are on time, Naruto. You'll be riding with this gentleman here," The main representative gestured to the man to his left. The man nodded. 

Naruto saddled onto the royal horse behind the man, with his old bag slung over his shoulder. They began their trip back to Castle Uchiha. It was noon when they departed, but the village wasn't far from the castle. They should be arriving at the castle by midnight. 

The Uchiha was the biggest royal clan in the Kingdom Hidden in the Leaves. There was only a handful of royal clans (Naruto could not remember almost any- school was never his strength), but the Uchiha had always reigned for as long as anyone could remember. They were stern but often compassionate, and therefore loved by most. 

Naruto knew he had no reason to be nervous, but as they rode over, anxiety tied his stomach continuously into knots. He had hoped that the manners that he had learned through observation back at the village would be sufficient enough for him not to make a fool of himself. Naruto was an orphan, after all, and never had anyone home to teach him what was right and what was wrong. This was one of his biggest insecurities. He had hope, however, that he could make the most of this precious opportunity. Naruto was willing to give his all. 

As expected, the four men arrived at the castle at a little past midnight. Naruto's legs had gone numb from sitting in the same position for too long (Their one bathroom break was not enough stretching time for Naruto), and his eyelids were heavy with sleep. However, at the sight of the twinkling lights of the castle, he sat up straight and was more awake than ever.

He felt the adrenaline pumping through his veins. Naruto had forgotten that Castle Uchiha never sleeps. There is work to be done at every hour of the day. 

The four men were greeted by a maid near the entrance of the castle. 

"She will be showing you where to go from here," said the main representative.

"Thanks," Naruto jumped off the saddle of the horse.

The men on horseback trotted away in the direction of the castle stables. Naruto turned his attention to the short castle maid. She was already ten steps away walking towards the castle. Naruto jogged to catch up. 

"Welcome to the castle," she said in a smooth voice. She didn't even turn to look at him. 

"Oh thank-" Naruto was interrupted. 

"I will be taking you to the servant's quarters where Sai will show you around". 

Sai? That name was so familiar. He had vague memories of a kid his age who had been named Sai back in the village. He wondered. 

They arrived at the servant's quarters after a brisk 3-minute walk snaking through the lower levels of the castle. There were two big quarters. One for all men, and one for all women, with individual washrooms, small kitchens, and common areas attached to each room. The floorboards in the quarters were worn out but the rooms were overall tidy and well-kept. 

Naruto was delighted. He would not mind staying here, not one bit. This was ten times an upgrade from his dilapidated home back in the village. 

"And this is where I hand you off." The small maid gestured towards a young man in front of her. 

Sai! This was the same kid Naruto had remembered! Naruto made eye contact and smiled. 

"It was nice meeting you, Uzumaki." said the maid. He looked at her as she turned around and resumed her pace back in the direction where they had come from. 

When did he tell her his name? Naruto felt eerie for a split second and then shook the thought off. 

He focused on the task at hand and looked up at Sai. 

"Hey man, I don't know if you remember me but-" Naruto began. He was again interrupted. 

"Of course, if it isn't the Naruto Uzumaki," Sai smiled softly and shook Naruto's hand. "It certainly has been a long time". 

Naruto felt warm inside at the thought that someone remembered him. It had been many years. 

"Look Sai, I'm not the same troublemaker I was back then. I'll be sure to not hinder anyone down," Naruto said seriously. The only version of Naruto that Sai knew was the one who was always running around and making trouble for everyone. 

"I hope you won't," Sai laughed. It seemed like he already knew what kind of person Naruto had become. "Now, drop your things off here, and let's begin the tour. It's getting late and you're to meet a certain someone tomorrow." 

Naruto agreed.

- 

Two hours later, they finally finished a general tour of the castle. The castle sure was huge and gorgeous at that. It was almost 2:30 in the morning and Naruto's eyes were closing involuntarily. Sai had shown him where he was to keep his things and where he could sleep. Naruto had washed up in a hurry and fell onto his bed like a brick. Millions of thoughts squirmed through his head. And as he fell asleep, his mind wondered who he was going to meet the very next morning. 

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A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the "filler" chapter lol. This chapter should be the most boring in the entire book, with the worldbuilding and all that. But starting the next chapter, trust it's gonna get a lot better. We also finally get to meet *Prince Sasuke Uchiha* in the next chapter, which I am so excited about. Leave a comment about how the story is so far. I'm curious to know what you think.

- K