AN: Hey everyone! This story is the result of a collaborative effort of magicmuggle34 and myself (Mainly magicmuggle34, hehe). This is our second fanfiction, so please review and tell us what you think!
*****cover photo owned by an-yy-sue on deviant art******
Magicmuggle::*cough,cough* Ahem, we do not own Naruto or any characters from the franchise.
Kunoichi:: I OWN KAKASHI! HE's MINE!
Magicmuggle:: Shut up! Do you want us to get sued?!
Kunoichi:: AS LONG AS I CAN KEEP HIM I DON'T CARE!
Kakashi:: Do i get no say in this?
Kunoichi:: NO! GO READ YOUR PERVY BOOK!
Magicmuggle:: *sighs* *grabs Kunoichi and drags her away*
Sasuke peeled himself off the scorched ground, his strained muscles screaming in protest. Holding his throbbing head, he surveyed the battlefield. He stood near the rim of a large crater, the biggest one of the many left from the Bijuu's chaotic rampage. The land looked as if a giant hand come and scooped up fistfuls of the earth. Tendrils of smoke drifted up from various patches on the uneven ground.
Madara's charred body laid meters away in the pit's center, long, spiky black hair the only definable feature on the decimated corpse. Sasuke dragged himself over to the carcass and mercilessly gave it a kick. A wave of satisfaction overwhelmed him as he earned a sickening crunch. He tensed and look around quickly, alert for a reaction. When he found none, a smirk crept over his thin lips.
They did it. They had won.
After days of fighting, death, and despair, he and Naruto had finally defeated the elder Uchiha, catching Madara in a combination attack much like the one from their battle at the Valley of the End. Only much more powerful. Sasuke couldn't help but notice the irony of the resolution. Might as well end with what you started with. It was amazing to think of the unbridled power gained from actually working with the blond Jinchuuriki.
Speaking of the devil... Sasuke glanced around the crater, searching for the dobe. Or, if he was lucky, the idiot's body. His life would be so much easier if the blond wasn't in his path for the position of Hokage. But fortune wasn't on his side-surprise, surprise-as he spotted his orange-clad comrade standing at the opposite edge of the rim, back turned toward him as he peered into the area surrounding the pit. The kid always recover ridiculously quickly. Sasuke tried to shrug off the relief he felt. I'm the only one who's allowed to kill the dobe, anyway. He told himself. That's all.
He turned his focus back to Naruto and approached the other teen silently. While the blond remained facing away from him, his head turned slightly to the side, acknowledging the last Uchiha's presence. Sasuke closed the distance between them, coming shoulder-to-shoulder with his former teammate. They gazed at the aftermath together.
Hundreds of ninja gathered in scattered groups across the battered landscape, making their way toward the temporary base that had been set up not far from the battlefield. They slumped against each other tiredly as they dispersed from the war zone, shinobi from all villages supporting each other in the chaos left over from battle. Bodies laid haphazardly amidst the gruesome scene, some attempting to stand, others slightly fidgeting and groaning, most lying prone.
Sasuke wondered if this is what his clan members had looked like as they were murdered. He could feel bile rise in his throat as he remembered the horrors done to his clan and, more disturbing, the reason for it all. His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists by his sides. He would never let something like that happen ever again. Not if he could help it.
"I guess this is the price of the peace that Jiraiya-sama wanted so badly," Naruto's rough voice broke through his dark thoughts. Sasuke looked over at the blond. His crystal blue eyes held an uncharacteristic sadness, his mouth set in a thin line as his eyes stayed glued to the bloody sight, "I knew that it would be hard, but I guess I expected to feel more... Resolved at the end... I don't know..." He ran a hand through his hair distractedly and released a gusty sigh.
Sasuke said nothing, instead turning back to the view. His sharp features remained impassive as his dark eyes scanned the morbid scene. The idiot was right; it was pretty grotesque. But not worse than anything he'd seen before. He had followed Orochimaru, after all.
Blood pooled along the ground, like crimson parodies of puddles left after a storm. The thick liquid flowed from bodies and made a course through the land, only to be stopped by the dams of countless corpses, the unfortunate victims he and Naruto had not been able to protect from Madara's wrath. The keening of family members and friends mourning fallen loved ones could be heard from where the two shinobi were looking down at the survivors.
But even amidst the sorrow, Sasuke could see the beginnings of celebration. The relief shining in the eyes of the survivors as they realized the nightmare was over. The joy of finding companions still alive, sharing a quick hug before resuming the search for others. He could even hear some idiot frantically shouting out Naruto's name, though the dobe had yet to answer.
Sasuke grit his teeth as he watched a family of ninja reunite, a mother and daughter sprinting toward a man who limped forward with his arm wrapped around another shinobi. The two females enveloped the injured man in a smothering hug, and they sank to the ground together. They were soon joined by a young man who looked to be the daughter's age. The young couple shared a desperate kiss before rising with the rest of the family, the group slowly making their way off the field. Their tears and laughter floated up to Sasuke, the faint sound almost seeming to come from a different world. How sweet...
He wanted to throw up.
Watching this only reminded him of his loneliness. Unlike everyone here, he had no mother to fuss over him, no brother to ruffle his hair, no significant other to cling to and thank God she had been spared. He was still alone. Unloved. Unwanted.
Naruto called out, drawing Sasuke's attention back to him. The blond's eyes sparkled like water as he lifted his arm, waving wildly in greeting at a group of shinobi cheered and returned the gesture with equal fervor. Even the dobe had people precious to him, and who reciprocated that feeling. Sasuke could feel murderous intent boiling inside his chest at the peals of relieved laughter coming from Naruto. Fingers twitching, Sasuke slowly reached behind him for his katana. Yeah, he might be unneeded, unloved right now.
But he could change that.
Faster than the eye could blink, Sasuke's sword was out of its sheath, in his tight grip, slicing in a deadly arc. Its honed edge kissed air where his companion had stood only seconds before. Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed in frustration. So much for the advantage of surprise... Naruto's lithe form landed in a crouch a few feet away.
"What the hell, Sasuke?!" Incredulous sapphire met cold obsidian as the Jinchuuriki stared at Sasuke in shock.
"Fight me. Now."
Naruto's jaw dropped, and he shook his head dazedly, like he had misheard. "Wait, what? Are you crazy?! We just got done with a freaking war!" He nimbly dodged another swipe, putting a safe cushion of distance between him and the glinting point of Sasuke's katana. "Couldn't you at least have picked a better time?"
"I said I wanted to be Hokage," Sasuke's gaze flickered to the side, at the other shinobi oblivious to the tense scene above them. They were so ignorant, yet that same blind trust-he liked to call it stupidity-was what made him even more determined to change the Konoha shinobi system. Too many innocent people had been hurt by the corruption of politics.
His eyes hardened in resolution. He knew what he wanted, and he didn't give a shit about anyone else's opinion. Uchiha Sasuke always got what he wanted. "You are in my way," Sasuke shrugged and dropped into a ready stance, "I see no better time to decide than now... Unless you just want to let me have it...?" A challenging sneer flitted across his lips as he studied his opponent.
Naruto followed his gaze, and understanding dawned on his whiskered features. He glanced back at Sasuke with calculating eyes. Silence reigned for a few moments. Then, he nodded. "Well, if that's the case," he rose fluidly with a grin, fingers rapidly forming hand signs, "I guess I have to agree." With a poof, two clones appeared on either side of him. "I can't have you beating me out for this after I've worked so hard."
The other two clones stared at Sasuke with determined looks, nodding vehemently in agreement with the original's words. The middle Naruto stuck out his hand, pointing dramatically at the Uchiha. The three spoke in unison, "I'm not gonna go easy on you just 'cuz you're tired! Get ready to get your ass kicked, dattebayo!" The outside clones flashed identical thumbs-ups before turning to gather chakra.
Sasuke smirked. He was relieved that Naruto hadn't asked any more questions, but then again, the dobe had somehow always been good at reading people, even him. Except for that Hyuuga chick. The idiot was hopeless when it came to stuff like that. But that was irrelevant.
Sasuke poured chakra into his katana, the metal sparking blue with barely contained power. Excitement coursed through him, a tingling sensation that reflected the energy flowing through his blade. He crouched lower in anticipation. He felt a surge of chakra flow into his eyes as his vision sharpened, his Sharingan fully activated.
"In your dreams, loser."
With that, he launched himself forward.
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Green light flickered in the cool shadows of the medical tent, casting an ethereal pattern of shadows dancing across the fabric walls. Its soft glow melted into the thin stream of sunlight peeking through the tent flaps, the combination providing ample light for the medic at work, while avoiding blinding her with the harsh glare of daylight.
Hinata hunched over the examination table, her delicate brow furrowed in concentration. An aura of green surrounded her milky white fingers. The thin digits glided over the unconscious shinobi in front of her, pausing every now and then to transfer their life-giving energy to cells in need. Veins protuded from around her pale lavender eyes, the spidery network of chakra funneling a stream of power into bright marble orbs as they remained fixed on her patient.
Vitals... Steady... Damage site... Clear.
With a grunt of determination, she proceeded to mend the man's shattered knee. Tendons and ligaments slithered underneath the man's pale skin as she poured her chakra into the tattered tissue, directing it to reconnect. Slight pops could be heard as fragments of his patella snapped back into position. The man groaned and shifted slightly beneath her light touch.
The war had ended, but for Hinata, her job had only just begun. While she wasn't trained as a true medic nin, she knew more than the average shinobi, having taught herself the simple procedures in case her teammates ever got hurt, and then asking Sakura and Ino for whatever advice or lessons they had time to give for her to learn more complicated jutsu. Through these efforts, Hinata had built a rather extensive knowledge of medicine for someone outside the field, even taking the occasional shift at the hospital when the nurses needed a hand. Her Byakugan had actually proved to be an asset in some of the trickier operations, and she had been sought out on more than one occasion for her dojutsu's help.
Because of this, Sakura had found Hinata as soon as the war ended to ask her to stay behind in the camp to treat minor injuries with the less experienced medics, while she and Tsunade and the others searched the field in hopes of saving the more critically injured. Hinata had been working for a little over an hour, but she could already feel her stamina draining from the stress of the war and the toil of healing so many patients nonstop.
Hinata felt complimented that the pink-haired medic had even thought to ask for her help. She really was. She was glad she could actually help instead of being a burden for once. But...
What about Naruto...? Was he ok? Was he hurt? ... Was he alive...? These questions lurked in her mind, nagging her thoughts, creeping back in and disturbing her focus.
Every part of her screamed to go find him, to make sure he was ok. Even now, in the middle of treating this man, she wanted to drop everything and race out the tent, stopping at nothing until Naruto was safe by her side.
But she knew that if he was there, he would insist that she not worry about him, would give his signature, sunny grin and assure her that he was perfectly fine, that she should take care of the others first. That was one of her favorite things about him: his selflessness. And she could never let him, or Sakura, or any of the shinobi here down. She wanted to be just as selfless as he was. So she had stayed behind without a complaint... And here she was, stuck in this tent, wondering and worrying about the man she loved.
Feeling the last ligament shift into place, Hinata let out a soft sigh of relief and deactivated the Byakugan. One more down... Who knows how many left... The anesthetic jutsu she had placed on the shinobi would wear off in a few minutes, so she decided to take advantage of her small reprieve and relax before receiving her next patient. Hinata left the man's side and meandered over to the wash basin. Loosening the faucet, she ran her fingers under the gentle barrage, groaning as the warm water massaged her aching hands.
Outside the tent, Hinata could hear the beginnings of a commotion occurring. Shouts rang across the encampment, echoing in the stillness only present after great tragedy. But Hinata paid no heed to the muffled noise. Several incidents had happened earlier that day, families gone mad with grief, shinobi bellowing in denial of a loved one's death, having to be sedated and dragged to the hospital to begin the futile process of healing mental scars. Hinata's heart nearly broke listening to it the first time, and she had had to force herself to become deaf to the lamentations in order to complete her tasks, acknowledging with a heavy heart that she could do nothing to ease that type of pain.
But her self-imposed silence was shattered as the flaps of her tent were ripped open in a chaotic frenzy. A dark figure loomed in the doorway, the bright light behind morphing the intruder into an unrecognizable silhouette. Hinata blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the abrupt change in lighting, thankful that she had just deactivated her Byakugan. After a few seconds, she was able to see clearly once more.
Her heart plummeted as she caught sight of bubblegum pink hair, wind-tossed and misshapen from a haphazard flight back to camp. Jade green eyes locked onto her ivory ones instantly. Panic was evident in their wide, verdant depths. The sink, now long-forgotten, continued to trickle loudly in the pregnant silence
"Hinata," Sakura panted, words rasping out a raw throat, "Come quickly."
Hinata stepped back in shock, a curled index finger questioningly raised in front of her lips. She stared at Sakura, praying that she had finally collapsed from exhaustion. This was just a dream, and her fears were catching up with her, wreaking havoc on her mind in a horrible nightmare. Hinata closed her eyes, willing the image to be gone when she reopened them. Lifting a lid, she peeked out cautiously, only to be met with the same, horrid sight.
Hinata's chest tightened uncomfortably. Her breaths came in short pants as she tried to suck in the rapidly disappearing oxygen, finding no relief. The walls of the tent seemed to constrict, looming ever forward and threatening her rapidly slipping control.
This can't be happening... It's not... It couldn't be-
Sakura's tear-filled voice cut across her incoherent thoughts.
"It's Naruto."
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