The sky was free of clouds and there was a cool breeze blowing through the grass at the training ground where team seven first performed their bell test with Kakashi. It made for a rather pleasant day; a day that Naruto and Sakura planned to fully use to their advantage.
"Harder Naruto-kun, you're being way too gentle with it. It won't break easily, sheesh."
"Sakura-chan, I've never done this before, gimmie' a break already."
"No, I'm not letting you slack in this of ALL things. Now. Harder and FASTER or I'll never forgive you!"
A/N: Oh, I'm sorry, I completely forgot to lead up to this wonderful scene with proper back story. Please let me correct this injustice now, so that you can get back to this juicy scene between our two favorite ninjas.
It had been almost two years since the battle between the Allied Shinobi Nations and the undead army, lead by Madara and the new Jinchuuriki of the Juubi, Tobi. The battle was almost lost as Tobi went on a seemingly unbeatable rampage, destroying earth and flesh as easy as one would destroy a house of cards with a single breath. In the end it was Naruto that finally finished off Tobi and Madara, but not without the help and great sacrifice of Sauske.
*Flashback: 10 Tails vs 9 Tails*
Naruto was pinned down in a bad way. Tobi's power was just so overwhelming and Kurama was already excessively taxing his chakra reserves, doing his best to gather natural energy while Naruto stood his ground against the unlimited power of the Juubi. Naruto was beaten and bruised, and Tobi planned to capitalize on his moment of weakness. Tobi formed a bijuu-dama and released it at point blank onto Naruto.
Naruto, weakened beyond anything he had ever experienced, could not move in time. He closed his eyes and offered a silent apology to everyone.
'I'm sorry guys, my best just wasn't enough.'
'It's ok Naruto. You did your best. In the end the Juubi is still more powerful than me. Don't blame yourself. Hopefully it will be just as quick for everyone else and they won't suffer.'
Surprisingly a tear fell from Kurama's eye.
Host and tenant were both sorrowful for not having enough to give.
Naruto was ready to embrace the inevitable, expecting the blast any second now, he only felt a slight pull and then... nothing?
He felt a shockwave in the distance and opened his eyes.
He was now quite a distance away from the Juubi.
How had he gotten here?
He heard heavy breathing and looked for the source of the noise.
His eyes landed on a figure lying on the ground and his eyes widened.
There was Sasuke, laying on the ground, missing the lower half of his body and bleeding profusely from his open abdomen.
"Sasuke what they hell did you do?"
Sasuke, in a moment of nostalgia could only utter one phrase; the same phrase that he spoke in the battle with Haku so many years ago.
"I don't know really. My body just moved on its own." The onyx eyed boy grinned a bloody grimace and then coughed out blood.
Sakura appeared, noticing Naruto's chakra now being close by and behind her, thankfully away from the explosion. She gasped when she saw Sasuke.
She kneeled down next to him, examining his injuries. "Saskue what were you thinking?!" Tears forming in her eyes. She knew there was nothing she could do for this injury, even with her extensive medical knowledge.
"Had to save Naruto, Susanoo wasn't enough to shield us both, but I could shield him and get us out." He winced as the pain was taking its toll on him. "Sakura, I don't have much time left. Tobi can be stopped. I figured it out though. The Juubi can be beaten."
Naruto stepped forward, "Sasuke, save your energy. You're gunna di-"
"Die?" Sasuke interrupted. "Of course I'm gunna die. It's the only way you can save us all Naruto. Only the Sage of Six Paths can stop the tailed beasts. Only he can control them and keep them from going on a rampage, but for that we needed to combine our bloodlines. Uchiha and Senju, together in one body. You are a Senju descendant, being an Uzumaki and I am an Uhicha, who..." He closed his eyes. Once he opened them, Naruto and Sakura collectively gasped. "I am an Uchiha who has unlocked the final stage of my Doujutsu." Sasuke, blinked showing eyes with concentric rings radiating from the pupil, the final stage of the Sharingan... Rinnegan.
"Sakura, you must give Naruto my eyes."
Sakura's eyes widened further. "Sasuke no, you-"
"I'm already dead Sakura. Just do it. It's the only way to stop Tobi and save everyone. Naruto was destined to be the Sage. I saw it while he was fighting Tobi and I knew what needed to be done. I will gladly give my life to save my... brother."
She nodded, tearfully, and completed her task. Once the task was done, Naruto opened his eyes and saw the world quite differently.
In the end, he made short work of Tobi and sealed the Juubi's power away in himself.
The ninja world rejoiced, and a new age of peace was ushered into the world.
*End Flashback*
So we find ourselves back to the intro scene between Sakura and Naruto.
"Harder Naruto-kun, you're being way too gentle with it. It won't break easily, sheesh."
"Sakura-chan, I've never done this before, gimmie' a break already."
"No, I'm not letting you slack in this of ALL things. Now. Harder and FASTER or I'll never forgive you!"
Naruto took the two sticks back from her and rubbed them together harder and faster this time. His effort in creating fire the normal way, without Justsu, just wasn't panning out. He sighed dejectedly.
Sakura growled in frustration.
"I swear... the Sage of Six Paths, and you can't make a simple fire with sticks."
"Awww Sakura-chan is so mean."
He only grinned that infectious grin, and Sakura couldn't help but smile back.
She knocked him to the ground and surprised him by cuddling up next to him in the dirt. She kissed him and then snuggled into his shoulder as he pulled it around her, pulling her into his body.
"Naruto-kun, so are SO lucky I have a soft spot for idiots"
END