Blinded Rivalry
As usual the three members of team 7 got to the bridge on time sans sensei. Two hours later and still no sign of their silver haired perverted Jounin sensei. Nothing. Great. After various attempts to get something out of the Uchiha, rather than the usual;
"Hn." The pink haired kunoichi gave up. Naruto was getting really annoyed at this.
'Can she ever stop flirting with the human ice-block for once? God. She's a shinobi for crying out loud.' The usually loud blond thinks as he watches his pink haired comrade give up finally. The kyubbi vessel had not spoken a word to the stoic Uchiha since his return from Sound.
'Why? Why should he try?He was the one that decided to leave us. He didn't care. Why should I?' Was all that went through his mind as he glared at the Uchiha.
This was going to be their first training day since "his" departure. They haven't spoken a word to each other. Sakura stopped speaking to him right after he brought Sasuke back, figures..that's all she wanted. He'd gotten over his crush on her a long time ago. Sasuke was accepted back to Konohagakure because of his prestigious Uchiha bloodline. But there is not one day when Naruto's mind does not linger on the clash of the Valley of the End. He was willing to give up his life his dreams of being Hokage for the bastard and nobody cared.
No one had seen the Uzumaki patented smile since then. It seems to have dissipated. Nothing. All he does is train until his body is sore and aching, until his blood and muscles stop moving. Sometimes the fox speaks to him.
"Hey, kit why do you train so? Is it worth it?"And the blue eyed blond just ignores it and continues. Sometimes he can't help but think he is the demon mascara ding as a boy. Tsunade has tried talking some sense into him, telling him he will slowly kill himself if he continues like this. But it doesn't matter. Then suddenly the quiet blue eyed blond is taken out of his thoughts by the arrival of the jounin.
"Yo, Hello." He simply states to his newly reformed team, or what's left of it.
"You're late!" Says the lonely Sakura. No Naruto, no loudness, no nothing.
"Oh, I'm sorry I was just gathering some people for our training session today." At this both of the other quiet boys look up.
"It seems that today we will be joined by Asuma's team for joint training." States the jounin simply as said team arrives at team seven's training field.
"We will begin with a simple sparring match, hand to hand combat." Says Asuma taking a long drag from his cigarette.
"Shikamaru will go spar Naruto first, we will all watch until the conclusion of the first match." Explained Kakashi as he signaled at them.
"How troublesome." Muttered the bored, sleepy looking shinobi.
"Whatever, let's get this over with." Said a very annoyed looking Naruto.
Everyone stared and looked at him for the first time. This wasn't the same Naruto. He wasn't wearing his normal orange jumpsuit. He was wearing black pants that hung low over his waist and a visible fishnet shirt with a red top on and black ankle high combat boots. His village head band was tied loosely around his neck and his expression was that of cold indifference even Shikamaru looked shocked at his appearance and response. Naruto had already taken his fighting stance in front of him and for the first time the village genius didn't know what to expect.
Everyone stared even the startled Uchiha.
"Well, then are we just going to stand here all day?" Said the very bored looking blond motioning for the shadow wielder to make a move.
'Okay, since when does Naruto invite his opponent to begin?' The shadow wielder thought surprised.
The blond untied his head band from his neck and tied it around his forehead an action that wasn't missed by the stunned Uchiha.
"Well, Nara are you going to start or should I?" He said and took that as a no so he commenced.
Naruto was too quick, moving swiftly around his target disappearing and reappearing a breath away from him only to grab him from the neck and push him a few feet away harshly with the palm of his hand. Before Shikamaru even knew what was happening he found himself in a very intense match. Barely blocking kicks here and there. He was getting really exhausted too soon for his liking. He had to think of something but nothing came to mind. The kyubbi was just too quick in his movements it seemed he was fighting as a life and death match which unnerved him to no end. After a few minutes of this he hit the floor panting and was punched in the face by a very angry looking blond then everything went black. Naruto walked away from the very beat up looking shadow wielder and looked up at everyone. Everyone including the senseis looked at him as if he was a lunatic.
"What the hell is wrong with you Naruto? You could of killed Shika!" Said a very pissed off Yamanaka.
"Kakashi-sensei did you not say it was hand to hand combat?" He asked coldly.
"Yes, but...she's right Naruto ." Said a very stunned Kakashi.
He shrugged off his sensei's last comment and went to lean against a tree near a very shocked looking Uchiha. The other matches concluded without problem until it was time for Naruto to face off against the Uchiha.
"This time I wont hold back." He said anger dripping on every word as the opponents faced each other.
Everyone excluding the Uchiha cringed at this.
"I wasn't expecting you to, dobe." Said the overconfident Uchiha.
The tension could be felt in the air. At this Naruto again placed his head band around his forehead. Not another word was uttered as the match commenced. The Uchiha moved at a quick pace trying to dodge Naruto's every move, only succeeding dodging one of his painful kicks. He managed to capture Naruto's fist in his hand but was surprised when the other quickly switched their positions. His arm was twisted around his back and he was kicked harshly in the face to the floor by a very pissed off blond. He tried to sit up but he found out he couldn't. There was a very pissed off blond straddling his hips keeping him in place. He felt a hard breath ghost near his ear.
"You think, you're the only one that hurts every day, Uchiha?!"The blond dangerously whispered in his ear as his wrists started to hurt. He looked up at his captor .
His eyes were blood red, crimson as anger and anguish filled them. The face contorted in pain and hurt. The whisker marks dangerously dark as his jaw stretched and small sharp fangs emerged. He looked to his aching wrists and they were bleeding from the angered hold, claws drawing blood.
"Naru..to?" The Uchiha asked fear and pain visible on his face.
"Yes, Sasuke?" Said the pain filled voice.
"You're not him. Where's he ?This isn't you. Who are you?"Asked the Uchiha very concerned.
"No, you're right this isn't him. You killed that idiot when you left. You killed him and everything he stood for. I am not the weak Naruto Uzumaki you used to know. Not now not ever again." Naruto spat in his face anger and hurt never leaving his features.
Sasuke was shocked.
"Why?Naruto...you didn't have to care. Why did you?" He whispered this to the angered being in front of him, at this those cold red orbs became blue, dull blue.
"You don't know do you? Nor, will you ever." The broken down voice of his friend seemed so faraway as he said this. No more claws no more fangs just Naruto. Broken Naruto. The warm weight on top of him disappears as the blond stands up and walks away from him. Leaving a very confused and hurt Uchiha behind. Everyone seemed to be still fearful of him, they said nothing.
"Kakashi-sensei, I am calling it a day." He says his voice dull and slow as he walks away from the training field leaving a trail of blood and hurt as his physical wounds start to heal and the others cut through his soul even more.
"Oh, Sasuke-kun, what did that freak do to you?" Her voice shrill and faking sugar sweet broke his thoughts as he stood up. He didn't say anything.
He couldn't say anything. His voice was caught in his throat. He only watched as the only person he ever cared about walked away from him.
"Kakashi? I am not feeling well at the moment. Can we call it a day?" I said as I mustered up all I could to talk.
"Sure." Was his simple response as everyone was still trying to figure out what happened. He knew where he wanted to go. He left as fast as he could going to find Naruto. He thought it'd be easy since he was always at Ichiraku's so there wouldn't be any problem. He walked into the little ramen stand and was stunned to find that Naruto wasn't there.
"Hey, old man." He said as he caught the attention of the owner.
"Yes?" The old man asked in question.
"Have you seen Naruto around here?" The old man just looked at me weird.
"No, I haven't seen him around. He used to be one of my best customers but, I haven't seen him ages." Said the old man before I walked out.
Naruto loves ramen and yet he hasn't been here in a long while. The Uchiha's concern grew even more. He walked through the streets of Konoha seemingly lost in thought about a certain blond shinobi when he bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry." He said distractedly as he noticed who it was he bumped into.
"Oh, it's you Uchiha." The long haired brunet said, his voice calm and collected. Before the Hyuga could leave Sasuke stopped him.
"Hey, Hyuga?" He asked before the other could leave.
"Yes?" Said the collected brunet.
"Have you seen Naruto by any chance?" He said without thinking.
"Yes, I have. He's out by the lake training. Although I would advice not to interrupt him." The Hyuga says matter-a-factly.
"Thanks." Is all he mutters as he makes his way to the lake.
He masks his chakra so as not to be discovered and finds a spot near a tree to spy on the blond.
He sits there perched on the tree watching the blond intently. There are seven shadow clones attacking him from every direction giving him no time to form a battle strategy. He is standing on the lake fighting off shadow clones weaponless, taijutsu only which amazes Sasuke to no end. Every clone comes at him kunai in hand. Attacking and slashing at his clothing, showering blood on the lake. The blond clearly is in no condition to fight anymore but he stubbornly pushes his body to move. After that sparring session he practices shuriken jutsu and chakra control. His body is barely healing and his hands are marred in blood but he keeps at it. Then he sees the blond shudder and slip against a tree. Knees against his chest, face in his hands. He's shaking, crying?Then a red chakra leaves him and there is a young girl there sitting next to him comforting him like a mother would a child.
"Why do you care for him still, child? Why can you not acknowledge that he left you?He doesn't care." Said the voice of the young girl sympathetically.
"Why?! Why?!You should know why, Yubbi. I love him." As Sasuke heard this he almost lost his balance.
"This love that you speak of is destroying you. Have you not noticed? Your emotions no longer help me heal your physical wounds. You are slowly dying." As she said this the young girl embraced the crying blond boy.
"Yubbi, I would rather die than live in a world where I know he will never care for me the way I care for him."
"Oh, Naru-kun you give so much and get nothing in return. Why can they not see what I see everyday?" The young girl cried and hugged him close.
"Oh, Naru-kun if I could I would make all the pain go away." She stroked his cheeks smiling at him.
"If I died do you think anyone would miss me Yubbi-chan?" She looked saddened at this and then the red chakra receded into the blue eyed blond as foot-steps approached the boy. He didn't look up. He just sat there defeated waiting for another assassination attempt.
"I would." Was all Naruto heard before he was enveloped in an embrace.
He was here. Was it a dream? Was he dead? No this felt too real. He looked up and saw intense onyx eyes looking at him, truth wrapped in raw emotion.
"Sasu..ke?" The blond asked unsure if this was a trick of the mind or not.
"I'm here, dobe." Said the voice of the Uchiha.
"Don't ever leave me again, teme." Said the blond as he pressed his body against his lover's.
"I wont, dobe not now not ever." Said the Uchiha and to back up his words leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss on those pink lips.
"I love you too much." Whispered the Uchiha as he wrapped his arms around his lover and fell asleep then and there. Tomorrow would be another day. A day that would start their lives again. No more sorrow, no more sadness. They had each other.
'I love you Naruto -kun.'