Dosu's Great Escape

Chapter Thirteen: A Passing Moment

Sasuke was not, as some thought, unaware of his peers.

He paid enough attention to those around him to have a general idea of who they were. Shikamaru was a lazy underachiever destined for mediocrity. Naruto was the class clown and no talent moron. Shino Abarame was silent, thoughtful, wore glasses, and had a colony of bugs living inside him. And Ino and Sakura were the fangirls.

He would have told both of them to go away years ago, but that would be counterproductive. He had to focus on what mattered. Nothing other than those were relevant.

First, kill his brother in as gruesome a way possible.

Second, restore his clan.

The first step was simple. All he had to do was find his brother and introduce a kunai into his face. It was getting to that point, which was difficult, and that was why he focused on achieving perfection. He could have graduated from the academy early, but he chose not to because he wanted to learn everything. Sasuke wasn't like that idiot Naruto.

He wasn't going to blast out of the academy at a young age. It might look good on a resume, but Sasuke wanted to be well prepared. He had to take every chance to get stronger he could. And the basics were the foundation which you built techniques on.

Of course, the second step was where things got complex.

Restoring his clan meant having a family, which meant marrying someone. So, he should pick a girl with a decent amount of chakra and marry her. There were, at least, no shortage of potential suitors.

Sasuke supposed he ought to have picked a favorite by now, but it didn't seem worth the effort. They were all vapid morons who talked about being in love with him. Even though not one of them had ever even had a conversation with him.

Of said morons, he'd narrowed them down to Ino and Sakura. He picked these two for a reason. Although they were just as vapid, they were somewhat more talented than the others. Their personalities didn't so much leave much to be desired, as not seem to exist at all. Sasuke couldn't think of a defining characteristic between them except their hair. Ordinarily, he'd consider Hinata. But ironically the only female in the class Sasuke found tolerable was the one that had no interest in him. Then again, he wouldn't find her tolerable if she was actually going after him. Somewhat ironic. Romance was difficult. Then again, romance was too strong a word. Romance had certain implications of a relationship of some kind. This was more like human husbandry.

At first, he'd thought about picking Ino. She was from a prominent family. But that was a double edged sword. Sasuke wanted to restore the Uchiha Clan. And he was afraid that if he married Ino, it would be subsumed into the Yamanaka Clan. Her parents might want to keep the Yamanaka.

On the other hand, Sakura's parents were nobodies. Which meant the children would all be Uchiha beyond a doubt. He couldn't expect a dowry, but money was, at this stage, no object. More importantly, his higher rank meant she wouldn't be in a position to complain. He could marry her and have children with her. He would see to it that said children were provided to. Then he would leave on a ten-year mission and never have to think about any of them again.

You know, the best-case scenario for both of them. This meant that Sakura, through no inherent virtue of her own, had been just slightly ahead of Ino.

Which was why he had punched Ino.

As long as he was sparring against her, it was perfectly legal. And it hopefully gave him the chance to turn her down without actually having to interact with her. He'd hate to have to put up with her crying or whatever. He'd been sure not to return her attempt at good sportsmanship so she'd drop the subject.