The Shuriken Heart
Like a shuriken, a double-edged heart can be a deadly weapon.
Genre: Romance/Angst/Drama
Rating: T for language, graphic violence, and sexual content
Summary: Naruto never stopped searching for Sasuke, not for a single moment. What happens when Naruto turns his back on his village, friends, and former dream in pursuit of the one he cherishes above everything else, getting caught in the Uchihas' endless cycle of hatred, and even going so far as to join the enemy? This is an alternate version of what really happened during and after the time skip.
Pairings: Naruto Sasuke Itachi love triangle? Or... prism?
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Obviously.
Warnings: Shonen-ai, spoilers, insanely weird plot twists, and whatever else my sadistic mind comes up with.
Chapter 1
He would bring Sasuke back, no matter what the cost. He made a promise, as much to Sakura as to himself. Ever since the failed rescue mission from two weeks ago, he had begun forming ideas in his mind of rescuing the wayward Uchiha from the treacherous clutches of Orochimaru.
Naruto involuntarily clenched his fists in frustration. Power. Was that what all Uchihas sought? After all, what other motive did Itachi have for murdering his entire clan? And now, Sasuke was the one to suffer for the consequences of his brother's actions – the sole survivor of the massacre, an avenger meant to atone for Itachi's sins. Yet why couldn't Sasuke leave the past behind? Why must he sacrifice everything merely for the sake of revenge? Why is he so firmly fixated on destroying Itachi, even if it cost him his own body?
The blond genin stared pensively into his half-finished bowl of Ichiraku ramen, as if it held all the secrets to the world. At least, he wished it would give him some way to bring Sasuke back. Bright blue eyes glazed over as memories of their final battle in the Valley of the End replayed themselves in his mind. The sight of his best friend and teammate through countless missions, with the curse seal covering half his body, caused Naruto to shiver even now. But the look in those crimson Sharingan eyes as they faced off across the waterfall, so full of pain and hatred, broke his heart. Looking back on it now, Naruto realized what a hopeless effort it had been to try to prevent Sasuke from leaving. Deep down, he always knew that Sasuke would choose power over his teammates, his village, and over him.
"Naruto? Are you ok? You haven't finished your ramen," Ayame's voice brought Naruto out of his thoughts.
He glanced up, seeing the worried of face of the ramen shop owner's daughter hovering over him, and quickly grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, I guess I ate so much this morning that I'm not really hungry," he explained. "Besides, Ero-Sennin I mean- Jiraiya is away on a mission right now, so I haven't done much training lately." He smiled again, hoping that it looked sincere enough to obscure his troubled thoughts.
"Alright, but don't push yourself," replied Ayame. "You've only been out of the hospital for a week, right?"
"Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine," said Naruto good-naturedly, standing up to leave. "Ja-ne, Onee-chan, and thanks for the ramen." With a little wave, he jogged out of the shade of the ramen shop into the glaring mid-day light, shielding his eyes from the sun.
Naruto trudged down the road, hands jammed into his pockets, kicking a pebble in a disgruntled manner as he went. It was true that he had done little training recently. No matter how quickly his body recovered from its injuries, he couldn't train properly until Ero-sennin returned, whenever that may be. Naruto inwardly cursed his perverted sensei for his carelessness; he wanted to, needed to become stronger as soon as possible for Sasuke. Three years until Orochimaru would transfer bodies, but it might be too late then.
The blond ninja happened to lift his gaze, and paused in his tracks. Before him was the balcony where he and the rest of Team Seven had first gathered after graduating from the Academy. A fond smile spread across his face as he recalled sitting there with Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke. "There is a man that I must kill." Even back then, Sasuke had been obsessed with revenge; it consumed him now, poisoned his being until only hatred remained.
Painfully, Naruto tore his eyes away, and looked across the street. There, in a deserted storeroom, was the first time he had successfully caught Sasuke by surprise, tied him down, and transformed into the Uchiha in an attempt to win over Sakura. Unfortunately, his plan had failed, miserably. But it was still fun, reflected Naruto. He wished now, more than anything, that they could all return to those days – days that he cherished above all else.
Naruto shuffled along, deciding to head for the Hokage Tower to badger the old lady Tsunade for more missions. After all, he had nothing else to do with his spare time, and missions can keep his mind off of his current predicament.
A few minutes later, Naruto stopped again. A pink-haired girl stood in front of him, seemingly lost in thought as she stared wistfully up at a darkened apartment window. Naruto followed her gaze, and realized with a sinking stomach that it was Sasuke's apartment. No, it still isSasuke's, because he will return soon. Naruto wanted to believe, he had to, because he was the only one who still did.
"Good afternoon, Sakura-chan," called out Naruto in a falsely cheery voice, walking up to his teammate.
"Oh, Naruto-kun, good afternoon," replied Sakura, slightly startled by the blond's sudden appearance. "How are you? Have your wounds recovered?"
"Yeah, they were nothing, really. How has your training been with the old lady Tsunade?"
"Good! I've been training with her every day," said Sakura, flashing Naruto a rare smile. She hardly smiled anymore, not since Sasuke's departure.
Naruto grinned, glad that Sakura seemed to be deriving some self-satisfaction from her training. "That's great, I was just on my way to see if she has any new missions for me."
"Oh, I see. You're working so hard these days, Naruto-kun," said Sakura, a touch of concern creeping into her voice.
"Nah, Ero-sennin hasn't been around to train me properly, so these missions keep me busy," replied Naruto dismissively. Besides, they help keep my mind off of Sasuke.
"Really? I just saw him there in Tsunade-sama's office when I left," said Sakura, tilting her head quizzically.
"EH?! You mean he's finally back?!" shouted Naruto, eyes popping wide in a mixture of shock and outrage. "ThanksSakuraSeeya!" With that, he took off toward the Hokage tower, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.
The pink-haired genin blinked, shook her head bemusedly, and walked off in the opposite direction.
Tsunade fanned herself with a sheaf of papers – important documents that were purposefully being ignored. A fine sheen of sweat coated her forehead, matting her normally immaculate blond hair. One eyelid twitched involuntarily as the lady Hokage teetered dangerously on the verge of losing her temper. She struggled to listen to Jiraiya's latest report on the Akatsuki, yet as crucial as the information was, the insufferable heat diluted her attention.
"Shizune!" she snapped, cutting off Jiraiya mid-sentence. "When did you say the ventilation would be fixed by?"
The black-haired woman started, quickly regained her composure, and replied in a consoling voice, "By this evening at the latest, Hokage-sama. They are working on it as fast as they can."
Tsunade gulped down a cup of water before turning back to Jiraiya. To her great annoyance, she noticed that neither of the other two in the room seems to be affected by the heat. Picking up her makeshift fan, she looked pointedly at Jiraiya for him to continue.
"It seems that the Akatsuki have decided to fall back for now," said the white-haired man; the grave expression on his face made him look old and weathered. "I've been tracking them for the past two weeks, though they're clever in covering up their tracks. But from what I've seen, they seem to be regrouping. I only came back when it became impossible to follow them any further. At one point or another, they must have discovered my presence, and scattered in different directions."
"I see," said Tsunade, rapidly fanning herself. "What do you make of this then? The Akatsuki never do anything without a good reason. What will be their next course of action?"
"We've known that their primary target is Naruto," said Jiraiya, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But since their last attempt at kidnapping him failed, they are most likely planning to bide their time until another opportunity presents itself. They will be especially careful from now on, since they know that we are aware of what they're after."
"To extract the Kyuubi from Naruto," Tsunade said flatly. "We still don't know who their leader is, or even their ultimate purpose, but should their plans succeed, it will be an advent of epic proportions. With the power of the Kyuubi at their disposal, Akatsuki will become the most feared organization in the country, and there will be no limit as to what they can accomplish. Even Konoha will bow down to their power, and…" she paused, gazing off into space as her mind traveled back in time. "The sacrifices of the Fourth and countless shinobi will have been in vain," she finished in a faint voice.
"Tsunade-sama…" murmured Shizune gently, sensing the pain behind the lady Hokage's words.
Jiraiya remained silent for a moment, before continuing in an even tone, "I think it would be best if I take Naruto away from Konoha and train him elsewhere for these next three years, at least until Orochimaru's plans are set in motion. If it's only the two of us, it's easier for me to keep an eye on him at all times. And, it will lessen the chances of Akatsuki targeting Konoha. We saw firsthand what happened last time when they infiltrated the village, and it had only taken two members to cause such extensive damage to several of our top Jounin."
Tsunade said nothing as she let the impact of Jiraiya's speech sink in. As much as she hated to admit it, the old pervert made a good point. "So be it," she declared finally, pinning Jiraiya with the full force of her piercing gaze. "You have my permission to leave the village and train Naruto abroad for these next three years. I trust that the runt will be safe in your care."
Jiraiya opened his mouth to respond, yet his words quickly died in his throat as a mass of orange and yellow suddenly broke down the closed double doors and crashed headfirst into the Hokage's office.
Naruto landed in an ungainly heap in front of Tsunade's desk. Gingerly, he sat up, rubbing the growing lump on his head - a result of his dramatic entry. He hadn't expected the door to swing open so easily – much less off its hinges - since it was usually locked. Blinking away the stars that danced in front of his eyes, the blond leapt to his feet and found himself face to face with Ero-sennin. A maelstrom of conflicting emotions washed over him at the sight of his sensei, but in the end, righteous fury won over the rest.
"ERO-SENNIN!!" exploded Naruto, blue eyes crackling with anger. "Where the hell have you been?! You're so perverted that you had to take off for two whole weeks to gather your so-called research?! What about my training, or is that just not important anymore?!" Naruto panted heavily, having finished his tirade in one breath, and settled for glaring daggers at the older man. His clenched fists hung at his sides, knuckles white, quivering with rage.
Jiraiya stared at Naruto blankly for several long seconds, taken aback by the abrupt outburst. Then, a wide grin spread across his face as he swung an arm around Naruto and ruffled his hair, laughing complacently. "Seems as if you haven't changed one bit! Still enthusiastic as ever! Since you're so desperate to begin training, we leave first thing tomorrow morning. Later then, don't be late!" With that, the white-haired man walked out of the office, his laughter echoing down the hallway.
"Er… Um… Wha…?" sputtered Naruto, unable to process so many things in such a short amount of time and rendered speechless by Ero-sennin's sudden departure. "Hey, wai-" he began, moving to follow his sensei, when a chill running down his spine stopped him in his tracks. Slowly, he turned around, a feeling of dread knotting his stomach. What he saw made all the hairs on his head stand on end.
Gleaming yellow eyes glowered at him from Tsunade's face, a vein pulsing visibly in her forehead. A dark shadow clouded her entire face and… was that a demonic aura in the background?! Naruto gulped audibly, feeling his knees go weak. If looks could kill…
"Na-ru-to …" snarled Tsunade through clenched teeth, emphasizing each syllable.
The blond genin stood stock-still, frozen in terror, absolutely certain that he was about to die.
"Um… Naruto-kun," said Shizune, quickly stepping in between Naruto and Tsunade with a nervous smile on her face. "I think what Tsunade-sama wants is for you to pay for the damages to her office, from the door you broke down earlier. You should probably get going now."
Naruto didn't need to be told twice. Finally regaining control of his limbs, he took off down the hallway and flew down the stairs, not stopping until he was well away from Hokage Tower. Now he knew why Jiraiya had left in such a hurry.
Later that evening, Naruto sat cross-legged on his bed with a backpack in front of him and various objects strewn about, ready to be packed. His frog purse lay on its belly beside him, half-full from the money he earned on missions.
"Hm… Let's see… Instant ramen, check," muttered Naruto to himself, sifting through the contents of his bag. "Weapons, check; clothes, check; money, check…" he paused, digging further, and in a slightly panicked voice, "Damn! Where did it go?"
A few more seconds of furiously rummaging, and he surveyed the stray items on his bed, before his eyes alighted on the object of his search: a Hidden Leaf forehead protector with a single scratch across the center. Naruto picked up the forehead protector that had once belonged to Sasuke, holding it reverently – almost lovingly – for a brief moment before stuffing it unceremoniously into the bulging backpack. He flipped the clasps on the flap of the backpack shut with a decisive snap and set it down on the floor beside his bed. Pushing the remaining objects off of his bed, Naruto turned off the bedside lamp and burrowed beneath the covers.
After a minute of restless tossing and turning, he flipped over onto his back with a weary sigh and stared up at the dark ceiling. Tomorrow he would finally be leaving for his long-anticipated training with Jiraiya. No more slacking off, no more aimlessly idling away the days. He would make the most of the time he had with Ero-sennin, and he would train harder than ever to become strong. Strong for Sasuke… With that last thought, his eyes slipped shut, and sleep enveloped him in its comforting embrace.
Head bowed, raven hair obscuring his face, it took all of his willpower to merely stand upright. His breath came in short, ragged gasps as his entire body trembled from his previous exertions. A snarl escaped from his lips, hands fisted in frustration.
"You are weak. Why are you so weak? Because you lack hatred…"
With a vicious cry, Sasuke charged at Orochimaru, eyes ablaze with crimson Sharingan, chakra crackling in his palm in the form of Chidori. Yet as he swung his arm back to strike, the older man suddenly melted into the shadows. Too late to divert his attack, Sasuke heard a resounding bang as his attack met with the stone wall of the underground chamber. Quickly leaping back from the crumbling wall, Sasuke wiped the debris from his face and scanned the surrounding darkness, searching for his target.
The younger Uchiha clenched his teeth in anger. Two weeks with the man who had caused him endless agony by forcing onto him the cursed seal, and the training was more grueling than ever. Already, he had proved hopelessly incapable of mastering the only new technique Orochimaru bothered to teach him, and seemed to be making no progress whatsoever. Perhaps coming to Orochimaru had been a mistake after all… No, he needed the power, and Orochimaru was the only one who could provide it. Here was finally a way to obtain the strength he needed to defeat Itachi, something that he would never find in Konoha.
And it had been worth it. Worth leaving behind his life, his village, his friends… worth leaving Naruto. Then why do I need to keep convincing myself?
The sound of a cold, sinister laugh brought Sasuke out of his broodings. He looked up in time to see Orochimaru slowly approaching him, a sadistic smirk plastered on his pale lips. Inwardly recoiling, Sasuke braced himself for what would undoubtedly come next.
"Such a lovely expression you're wearing," marveled Orochimaru, reaching out with one hand to caress Sasuke's cheek. "Filled with such hatred… Perfect for those beautiful Sharingan eyes."
Sasuke turned his head, just enough to escape Orochimaru's touch – the dreaded contact that felt like snakes slithering across his skin. A shudder rippled down Sasuke's spine, yet despite his attempts at hiding it, the movement did not go unnoticed by Orochimaru. A low chuckle rumbled deep within the man's chest, his smirk widening into a bemused grin. Sasuke watched warily as an abnormally long tongue darted out like a serpent from the dark cavern of Orochimaru's mouth, and struggled to push down a growing sense of disgust.
"What's this? Is my pupil afraid of his sensei?" hissed Orochimaru. His tongue slid across the width of Sasuke's jaw before traveling down his neck, pausing at the Curse Seal. "Remember, you came to me of your own free will, Sasuke-kun." The older man grasped his shoulders and leaned down, burying his face in Sasuke's neck as his tongue probed at the dark bruise of the seal.
Sasuke remained silent, his body rigid with anger at the humiliation he was constantly forced to endure. But that was the price of his promised power, one that he was more than willing to pay. A bitter smile twisted his lips as memories of his childhood spent with Itachi came, unbidden, into his mind. He could only imagine what his brother would say if he could see him now, whoring himself for power. It's all for you, Itachi. You've given me my only purpose in life.
"I finally have you now, my precious Sasuke," whispered Orochimaru. Without warning, he bit down on the Curse Seal.
Sasuke cried aloud from the sudden burst of pain, blood Sharingan dissolving into coal black as he collapsed against Orochimaru, writhing in agony. And over the sound of his own tortured screams, he distinctly heard the cruel, mirthless laughter of Orochimaru echoing in the vast darkness.
End angst. I mean, end Chapter 1.
So... -crickets chirp- This is actually my first attempt at writing fanfiction, and I must admit, I still harbor some reservations about using other people's characters, but... I suppose it didn't turn out horribly atrocious. If anyone actually enjoyed it, I must warn you right now that I won't be updating very often. At all. This is more like a side project of mine that I will occasionally work on to stimulate some dead brain cells and get the old creative juices running whenever I seem to be in a writing slump. I have planned out the story, so it's not a complete flop, but whether or not I'll ever finish it remains doubtful.
And be expecting Itachi and Kisame to show up next chapter.
