The Revenge
Disclaimer: Kishimoto Masashi owns Naruto; I only wish I did.
WARNING!: Manga spoilers for the latest chapters!
1 Lost
The group of Konoha shinobi had found the site of Sasuke and Itachi's battle. The Uchiha hideout was nothing but a pile of rubble with no sign of either of the Uchihas, or the Akatsuki members they had seen earlier. They searched the wreckage thoroughly, trying to find the slightest clue to Sasuke's whereabouts, without success. There had been a chakra signature leading off to the northeast, but it soon faded out.
Naruto hadn't given up on Sasuke, even when their team lost his trail. Kakashi and Yamato ordered the group back to Konoha, and they all headed out. Naruto was the last to leave the remains of the Uchiha hideout. Something felt off. If Sasuke beat Itachi, then where was he? And where were Itachi and the other two Akatsuki members?
With everyone so focused on returning to Konoha and reporting to the Hokage, none noticed a certain blond shinobi slowing to a stop. Questions rang through his mind. Sasuke's goal had been met; why wasn't he here? Why wasn't he joining them on their return home? Naruto's eyes were troubled as he glanced around, noticing for the first time that the others were no longer in sight. Stretching his awareness, he was unable to detect the presence of any chakra signatures nearby.
"Great!" he muttered under his breath. "Just what I needed. Now where'd they go?" He scouted the area, searching for some sign of their passing: a trace of chakra, a bent twig, anything to show what direction they took. There was nothing. Naruto chose a random direction that he thought would lead him home, and started walking.
xxxxxxxxxx
Arriving at the gates of Konoha, Kakashi led the group to the Hokage tower to report their findings to Tsunade. Entering her office, the seven ninja stood to attention, awaiting Tsunade's acknowledgment.
The blonde Hokage looked up from the papers scattered over her desk, taking in the serious expressions on everyone's faces. Noticing one particular face missing, she glared at Kakashi and said, "Report." Had something happened to her favorite ninja? Kakashi had better have a damn good reason for why Naruto wasn't here!
"We began our search and soon met up with Kabuto. From him, we discovered Orochimaru isn't as dead as we thought. Kabuto did some sick experiment on himself, and now the snake's taking over him. He thinks he's strong enough to fight it, but according to Hinata, he's going to lose.
"Next, we were accosted by an Akatsuki member in a strange mask. We attacked, but nothing worked. Then this weird plant guy, also in an Akatsuki cloak, came and said Sasuke had defeated Itachi. The two left, and we followed. By the time we reached the location of their battle, there was no sign of either of the Uchihas. We decided it would be best to report back here and see what you wanted us to do."
Kakashi took a deep breath and looked out the window behind Tsunade. "We were also told that Jiraiya was killed. Is it true?" He lowered his gaze to look the blonde woman square in the eye.
Tsunade placed her elbows on her desk and covered her face with her hands. "Yes," she replied softly, voice cracking slightly. "He's dead." She took a shuddering breath and glanced up to meet each pair of eyes. "Tell me. What happened to Naruto? Is he in the hospital?"
Kakashi looked at her in question, then at the others in the room. It was then that he found the younger blond wasn't with them. "Kuso! Now where did he get to!? Does anyone remember the last time you saw Naruto? Did he enter the gates with us?"
Sakura remembered Naruto was the last one to leave the ruins, but said he was right behind her as they headed home.
Kiba remembered thinking the blond's scent was getting weaker as they travelled, but hadn't given it much thought at the time.
No one else could recall when they had last seen or heard the blond.
Sighing deeply, Tsunade glared at the seven. "Find him, and don't come back unless he's with you!"
xxxxxxxxxx
Naruto noted the colorful sky as the sun set. Usually, the beauty of it would have made him happy. But it had been a long time since he had felt that way. Ever since the last failed Sasuke-retrieval mission, Naruto had been steadily sliding further into depression. Now all he wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry, but he was too tired and depressed to even do that. He was lost; the forests of Hi no Kuni were vast, with few landmarks, and he'd been walking for hours. He had been so focused on following that strange masked guy that he hadn't noted what direction he was headed; all he knew was that the man could lead him to Sasuke.
The shadows under the trees had become so dark, it was making walking difficult, so Naruto decided to camp for the night. He jumped into the nearest tree and settled himself for the night on a wide branch.
Morning came all too soon, and with it came a light drizzle. Naruto grumblingly climbed down from his perch, and made a small fire to heat water for his ramen. As he ate his meal, the rain intensified to a downpour. Stomping out his fire, he headed off. Sooner or later, he was bound to see a familiar sight, and then he could get his bearings.
Naruto's cloak was soaked through in no time, but still he plodded on. The rest of the day was spent slogging through puddles and pushing his way through undergrowth. Near evening, the rain finally stopped, and the blond removed his wet cloak. He shivered in the cooling night air. He needed to find some place dry for the night, and began to search for a cave or a hole in a tree. He eventually located one of the latter that was big enough for him to sleep in comfortably and crawled in. He wrung out as much moisture from his cloak as possible and, wrapping it around his shoulders, settled in for another miserable night.
xxxxxxxxxx
Kakashi and Yamato were having a crisis of their own. Sakura and Kiba had both become very vocal after leaving the Hokage's office. Why should they have to search for the baka? They were tired, hungry and upset that the mission had borne no results. Now, their teammate had gotten himself lost, it seemed. They weren't the only ones who felt this way; although not as vocal, Shino, Hinata and even Sai expressed their displeasure.
Kakashi relented, giving them each four hours to eat, shower and rest, then to meet back at the gate. Any longer, and the Hokage would know they were still there, and neither the copy-nin nor anyone else wanted to face her wrath. Nodding their agreement, the teens took off for their respective homes.
Yamato bid Kakashi farewell and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Kakashi glanced around the deserted street and figured someone should inform Iruka of the young blond's vanishing act. The chuunin might as well hear it from him. No telling how he'd take it if he heard it from some gossip on the street. Shoulders slouching in defeat and hands deep in his pockets, the silver-haired jounin went in search of the blond's surrogate father.
xxxxxxxxxx
"WHAT!?" Iruka collapsed in a chair, face draining of color. "But...the Akatsuki...what if they caught him? You yourself said they had been there! Why didn't you keep a closer eye on him!?" Tears began to slide down his cheeks as he thought that he may never again see the loud-mouthed blond. No more begging for free ramen, no more talks, no more pranks, no more Naruto! He knew logically that it wasn't Kakashi's fault, but he had to blame somebody, right? Who better than the team leader? He wasn't aware that Kakashi had moved until strong arms made their way around his shoulders and his face was pressed into the jounin's vest. Iruka clutched the vest tightly, and let all his pain and fear flow, along with his tears.
Kakashi wasn't one to give comfort often; hell, he wasn't even comfortable with these kinds of emotions, but he knew the chuunin needed this. After a long wait, Iruka's crying stopped and gentle snores could be heard. Kakashi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. Did he just fall asleep on him!? He gazed at the younger man in his arms. Yep, the school teacher was fast asleep. Heheh. 'Iruka looks kinda cute like this. Wait...Did I just think he's CUTE?!' The jounin decided to shelve that thought for later when he'd have adequate time to consider it; right now, he better put the man to bed, and meet his team at the gates.
xxxxxxxxxx
Naruto awoke with a shiver in the dark pre-dawn air. The sound of water dripping off the trees from yesterday's storm mingled with the chirping of early morning birds. At least the weather would be better today, and maybe he could make better time. The blond still didn't know where he was going, but at least he'd get there faster now. Deciding to forego a warm breakfast, Naruto ate some trail rations and continued his trek through the forest.
Just past noon, he heard the sound of waves crashing in the distance. Maybe there was a village nearby, and he could get directions! Maybe they even had a ramen stand! Putting on a burst of speed, Naruto raced past tree after tree, until he reached an open space. He stopped and stared at the sight before him.
"SASUKE!!"
Sasuke had just finished telling his team, as well as Madara, his plans when he heard a familiar voice call his name. He lowered his head and squeezed his eyes shut. 'Damn! How did he find me!?' Slowly opening his eyes and turning around, he was shocked at the sight of the person, not that he'd ever show it.
Hesitantly stepping towards the small group of people near the water's edge, was a muddy, dishevelled blond. What surprised Sasuke more was that Naruto was apparently alone. 'Dobe, what have you done to yourself?' he thought. The look in the blond's eyes troubled him. No longer did they shine with suppressed mischief and mirth; no, they were filled with a deep sadness and hurt. Why? What had been happening to his dobe since they last met? Could this all be because of him? Surely, Naruto had finally gotten the message that Sasuke wanted nothing to do with him. Gracefully walking to the blond, Sasuke said, "Dobe, what do you want? I thought I made my position clear. I'm not going back to Konoha with you."
Naruto stopped in his tracks, and cocked his head to the side like an animal trying to figure something out. He gazed steadily at the raven, not saying a word.
"Do you not understand? Konoha is going to fall! I will make it fall! They took everything from me: my home, my family. My BROTHER!! Danzou, the elders, they did this to me; to US! I won't let them get away with this! You better than anybody should hate that damn village. They have always treated you like scum; hated you, ostracized you. Why do you care so MUCH!?" Sasuke practically screamed at his former teammate.
Blue eyes became glassy with unshed tears as Sasuke ranted. Naruto once felt that way; but, then Iruka-sensei befriended him, and others soon after. If he were to attack the village, some of his friends may get hurt or killed. The blond didn't want that to happen. As much as the raven's words hurt, Naruto still wanted to know his reasons. His reasons for not returning to Konoha after killing Orochimaru; why didn't he come back after defeating Itachi? Where WAS Itachi? So many questions and no idea how to ask, and doubtful if they would be answered in a way he'd understand.
Sasuke had continued to walk towards the blond as he spoke; now, he stood about a foot in front of his former best friend. "What do you want with me, Dobe?" he finally asked quietly, so that just the two of them could hear. Seeing Naruto, his Naruto, so distraught was causing his mask to crack. He deactivated his new sharingan, and onyx eyes stared into blue once bright enough to put the sky to shame. Now those eyes were dull and almost lifeless. Sasuke watched as a tear rolled unimpeded down a whiskered cheek, and felt his heart clench. How could an orphan who'd been so abused, love the village that had abused him for so long? It didn't make sense. If Sasuke had had the power that Naruto had, he would have killed everyone in the village by now.
(sniff) "You once told me I couldn't understand how you felt, not having had a family of my own. I have that now, maybe not by blood, but they're my family all the same. You are part of that family, whether you like it or not. I care about you. It causes pain to think about any of them dying, or not wanting to come home. It hurts worse to know that you want to destroy them, destroy our home. Why do you hate Konoha so much? Why do you hate me?" he spoke the last in a voice barely above a whisper. Naruto could not continue through the lump in his throat. Tears ran unchecked down his face. He was unable to look at the raven anymore, and stared past his shoulder at the sea. He felt lost; not just physically, but now mentally as well. He didn't know what to do anymore. Maybe he should have let Sasuke kill him years ago; he wouldn't be experiencing this heartache now. Naruto edged past the raven and walked towards the shore. He had never felt so bad; not even after the initial retrieval mission which left so many injured. He was falling deeper into darkness, and now there was no one to pull him back to the light. Sasuke had been his light, despite his personality and coloring, for so long. Now it was gone; the Sasuke he knew was gone. In his place was a cold stranger who didn't know him; didn't understand him. There was nothing left to live for; no hopes, no dreams. Naruto was dead inside. He had finally given up. In a sudden burst of speed, Naruto dashed to the water's edge and dove into the thundering surf.
xxxxx Hope you like it!
