Now I know everyone was expecting to see a new chapter up for Divine, and believe me I'm working on it, but I just wanted to write something to get me back into the swing of things. I consider this one-shot a "getting my feet wet" story before I start back up on my main one. That being said, I think y'all will enjoy this (I sure as hell did). I personally think it's rather epic but I'll let you all be the judge of that.

Rivals

The sun hung high in the sky, casting its rays all across the land. Clouds lazily drifted across the sky while birds flew southward in flocks. It was that time of the year again. Deep within the forests of the Land of Sound, there were many open clearings, most of which served as a training ground for Sound shinobi. There were certain techniques that just couldn't be perfected by candlelight or jutsu that Orochimaru greatly frowned upon their use indoors.

It was in one such clearing that a lone ninja sat with his eyes closed, silently meditating. He wore a white loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt that was open at the front, leaving most of his chest exposed. The Uchiha clan symbol rested at the base of his collar on the backside of his shirt. He wore navy pants and an indigo coat around his waist which was held in place by a purple rope that also held his black chokutō. His dark hair wisped ever so slightly around his face every time a gentle breeze swept through the clearing.

Sasuke had been there for hours by now, peacefully meditating. Today was the day of the week he'd set aside for himself where he would take a break from training and reflect on what he skills he progressed in and which ones still needed work. His accuracy in shurikenjutsu was deathly precise, as usual, and his kenjutsu was nothing short of a mastery level. His Fire ninjutsu was also of the highest caliber, which was expected seeing as he'd been perfecting it ever since he was six. His lightning manipulation was coming along smoothly as well. Even though he'd only been working with it for three years now, it was a force to be reckoned with, especially since he had the coveted Chidori, an A-Rank assassination technique developed by the infamous Kakashi Hatake, in his arsenal.

Sasuke also enjoyed this time away from the hideout because it was the opportune time to escape from her. But meditating was not the only reason he'd come out to the middle of the forest today. He was actually meeting up with someone so settle and old score, one that had been put off for much too long now.

Just then, a strong wing swept through the area. The air was littered with pollen that was kicked up from the flowers and leaves that were shaken loose from the branches of the many trees surrounding the small field. Sasuke however, remained perfectly still, unmoved by the sudden gale. "Was that really necessary?" he asked monotonously as he open his eyes.

Standing across from him a mere five meters away was a blonde boy of the same age. He wore a high-collared, white short-sleeved shirt with matching pants and sandals. A blue coat encircled his waist, held in place by a white rope belt. The boy bore a striking resemblance to the legendary Yellow Flash of the Hidden Leaf, Minato Namikaze, with his wild golden hair. But that was to be expected considering he was his son. The only discrepancies between their features were the whisker marks that covered the boy's cheeks.

"You looked a little toasty so I gave you a small breeze to cool you off a bit," Naruto smirked. A somber feeling began to overcome him as he glanced around the empty clearing, the surrounding area void of all life other than himself and Sasuke. "So this is it huh?"

"It is," Sasuke said, slowly rising to his feet. "This is the day we finally settle it. No more tiebreakers. It all ends today. Only one of us will walk away alive."

Naruto let out a soft chuckle as he closed his eyes. "Well for Tsuki's sake, today's the day the future of Uchiha bloodline dies," He said opening his eyes, determination set upon his features.

"Unfortunately for you, that's not going to happen. The legacy of the Fourth Hokage will die this day," Sasuke said as he gracefully slid his sword out of its scabbard.

Naruto smirked. "Well then, if that's the case could you answer me one last question?" he queried. Sasuke eyed him suspiciously but nodded. He knew better to let his guard down around Naruto.

"Did it hurt?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Did what hurt?" Sasuke replied quizzically.

"This!" came a voice above him. With near god-like reflexes, Sasuke brought his sword up to block the incoming strike aimed at his head. He was force to hold the blade with both hands lest he wanted to lose his head. The shadow clone seemed shocked at first but a smirk quickly spread across his face. Sasuke was pondering as to what the blonde was planning and his answer came a lot quicker than he'd expected.

The real Naruto was right in front him wielding a wind-powered Rasengan mere inches from his chest. With both of his hands on his sword, Sasuke had absolutely no time to react, let alone counter. The raven-haired boy exploded backwards and his shirt was ripped to shreds and he sailed across the field. His body crashed to the ground, motionless and void of life.

"Well, that settles that," the shadow clone said.

"I don't think so," Naruto stated as he watched Sasuke's body melt into the ground. An instant later, a kunai shot out of the tree line and imbedded itself in the shadow clone's forehead, dispelling it instantly. By the time Naruto withdrew his own sword, it was too late. A steel blade erupted from his chest and his body went rigid. "Genjutsu. I should've known. Then again, it was always my worst skill," Naruto coughed out.

Sasuke was kneeling down behind the blonde holding said blade, his back towards him. "Even so Naruto, knowing you, I thought you would've had a back-up plan," he said.

"Oh don't worry your pretty little head," Naruto said. His body then disappeared in a puff of white smoke, revealing him to be a shadow clone. A whistling noise echoed in Sasuke's ear and he turned just in time to deflect a kunai aimed for his head. But it was no ordinary kunai. It had three blades and the kanji for "marker" etched into the handle.

"Shit…" Sasuke cursed.

He was powerless to stop the kick that materialized out of thin air and slammed into his side, sending him flying. Sasuke's body skipped across the ground like a ragdoll before he regained balance. He planted a hand on the ground and flipped on to his feet, only to block a devastating sword strike aimed at his throat.

"You're getting slow Sasuke," Naruto chided with a smirk. The two stood locked in a stalemate, trying to force the other to back down. Sasuke, feeling himself losing ground to Naruto's superior strength, pushed against the blonde and spun around him. Naruto barely had time to react as the raven-haired boy slipped away and went on the offensive.

Sasuke rushed Naruto with a series of rapid slashes, not giving the blonde any chances to counter. Naruto skillfully blocked and evaded the Uchiha's every strike but knew he had to change the flow of battle in his favor and quickly. The two continued their deadly dance across the clearing, where each and every mistake would be fatal.

With their opponent being equally skilled with a blade the boys ha their work cut out for them. Sasuke used his speed to get around the blonde's defenses while Naruto tried to use his strength to break the Uchiha's guard.

Naruto managed a low kick to which Sasuke jumped over, but it gave him just enough time to form a hand seal. A shadow clone materialized and threw a haymaker at Sasuke. Sasuke brought his arms up his arms in time to block but the sheer force was enough to send him flying backwards. Naruto grabbed the shadow clone by the wrist and sent him sailing after the Uchiha.

Sasuke watched as the shadow clone quickly closed in on him, sword lunged out at him. Sasuke gracefully dodge the strike aimed at his heart and dispelled the clone with a Chidori to the head. He landed on the ground and skidded to a halt. "Damn it where'd he go?" Sasuke queried frustrated as he scanned the field for his missing opponent.

He felt the ground shift underneath him and glance down just in time to see a fist headed straight for his chin. Naruto had employed the same tactic that he used against Neji back in the Chūnin exams. Unfortunately for him, Sasuke had the Sharingan on his side. Sasuke tilted his head back just enough to evade Naruto's attack. With Naruto left wide open, he wasted no time capitalizing on the blonde's disadvantage. He took a stance that was completely unorthodox to his usual fighting style.

"I got this from a Hyūga back in Konoha. Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" Naruto was powerless to stop Sasuke as he let loose a barrage of strikes. Since he didn't have the Byakugan, he couldn't see Naruto's tenketsu, but by combining the movements with the Strong Fist technique, he was able to deal serious damage. Sasuke ended his assault by delivering a powerful kick to Naruto's chin, sending him skyward.

Sasuke followed him with the Dancing Leaf Shadow to follow up on his attack. "Lion's Barrage!" Sasuke deliver three force kicks to the blonde, the last of which sent him crashing in to the ground, creating a small crater. A Chidori sparked to life in Sasuke's palms as he fell straight for Naruto's crash site.

Sasuke was mere seconds away from putting a hole in Naruto's chest and ending their long time struggle once and for all when a sphere of purple light slammed into him. It exploded upon impact and the Uchiha was propelled into a tree.

Naruto shakily rose to his feet. His clothes was tattered and stained by the dirt. His legs suddenly collapsed on him, but something caught him to keep him from falling. "Thanks boy," he breathed heavily as he allowed himself to be supported by Latios. The dragon didn't acknowledge him. He was glaring at the battered form of Sasuke, who was slowly rising to his feet, using a tree for support. Half of his shirt was incinerated and the other half hung limply at his side. There was a giant bruise on his shoulder where Latios' attack impacted. His body was covered with the black flame-like marking of the Curse Mark.

"Latios, let's take to the skies so I can have time to recover," Naruto said as he mounted the beast's back. Latios complied with his master's wishes and took to the skies. Naruto didn't want to waste chakra trying to force himself to fight so he decided to play it smart and wait for the Fox's chakra to kick in.

Sasuke watched as Naruto and Latios took off. "I don't know what you're planning but I won't let you go through with it," He said as he wipe the blood away from his mouth and went through a serious of hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!" Sasuke called out as he slammed his hand into the ground. White smoke erupted around him and a large black hawk emerged.

"After them!" He exclaimed as he mounted the giant bird. The hawk took to the skies with one flap of its wings and chased after the fleeing dragon. Sasuke knew it was futile to think he had a chance of catching up to Naruto, even if he was riding the fastest of his summons. But hopefully he could get close enough to get a chance of hitting him with one of his long-range jutsu.

Sasuke came within range of the cruising Latios and Naruto in a matter of moments. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet!" A dragon born of fire burst forth from Sasuke and headed straight for its target.

Latios dodged the fiery attack and a surprised Naruto looked back over his shoulder to see Sasuke following behind him on a large black hawk. "So he wants to play in the sky huh? Let's do this boy!" he said as he and Latios changed directions and flew straight at the Uchiha. He could at least feel his arms again and felt it more than enough to take down the raven-haired boy.

Sasuke smirked at seeing them come straight for him. This would make his chances of hitting his target much better. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke exclaimed as a ball of flames erupted from his mouth.

Naruto saw the massive fireball heading straight for them, but seemed completely unnerved. "Do it Latios!" he commanded. Latios began to collect energy in his mouth that took a spherical shape. He expelled the ball of light and it collided with the ball of fire, creating a loud explosion and a large cloud of smoke, obstructing Naruto's view of opponent.

"Lightning Fang!" he heard Sasuke yell. A vortex of blue lightning burst forth from the smokescreen aiming at Naruto. The blonde was quick to counter and made three quick hand signs. "Wind Style: Unrelenting Force!" Naruto exhaled a concussive blast of wind that slammed into Sasuke, halting his movements and dispelling the electricity encompassing his body. Sasuke's eyes went wide with shock as Latios flew straight at him, Naruto on his back holding his sword.

Sasuke brought up his own sword to protect himself, just barely managing to block Naruto's attack. But he hadn't expected the blonde to be using wind chakra. That combined with Latios speed and the Blonde's strength were enough to tear right through Sasuke's sword. Naruto's blade struck Sasuke's right shoulder, leaving a deep gash.

Sasuke grunted in pain as he held onto his shoulder. He was pissed at how easily his sword was broken and by the wound inflicted upon him. He'd be damned if he was going to be the only one walking away injured. "Chidori Sharp Spear!" Using his broken Kusanagi blade as a medium, he channeled Chidori through it and extended its length rapidly, aiming straight for Naruto.

Naruto saw the lightning spear closing in on him and tried his best to erect a protective barrier of wind, but he wasn't fast enough. Just as he thought he'd be stricken through the chest, Latios turned his body at the last moment. The spear pierced through Latios' body instead and only managed to catch Naruto in the thigh. "Latios!" he cried out in horror.

Sasuke smirked upon seeing his attack find its mark. Though it wasn't exactly what he planned, it was just good. The pain in his shoulder caused him to release his jutsu and he began to fall back to the earth.

The moment the lightning dispersed, Naruto and Latios separated and began to drift apart. Naruto looked to his dragon, his body stiff and unmoving. An uncontrollable rage began to consume him, something dark and malevolent that had been suppressed for years. "SASUKE!"Naruto roared. His eyes flashed a deep crimson and red chakra began to seep from his pores.

Sasuke in the meantime found himself falling straight for a river at the base of a waterfall. He activated the second stage of his Curse Mark and using his wings, he slowed his fall and landed gracefully at the base of the waterfall. The dark chakra of the Curse Mark was already beginning to heal his wounds when he heard his name called.

Sasuke looked up to see Naruto, completely encased in a shroud of orange chakra. "Damn this is going to get ugly," he cursed. He rapidly went through a series of hand signs, finishing with the Tiger seal. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Tempest Jutsu!" Sasuke exhaleda massive wave of fire that expanded and rose into the sky. He watched as Naruto fell into the oncoming flames and wasn't surprised to see him pass through unharmed.

"SASUKE! I'LL KILL YOU!" Naruto roared as he closed in, rearing back his hand to strike.

Seeing this, Sasuke began to channel lightning, tainted black by Curse Mark chakra coursing through him, through his sword, creating a blade of dark lightning. Naruto brung his fist down upon the Uchiha but it was blocked by the lightning blade. A shockwave exploded from around them, creating a tempest in the river.

Blood red met crimson as the two locked eyes. Naruto's vengeful eyes bored into Sasuke's hateful ones. Sasuke pushed Naruto away with his chakra blade, who in turn flipped backwards. Naruto was down on all fours, a tail of chakra fluttering behind him. The chakra around his fingers elongated into the shape of claws. Sasuke looked on at his feral opponent.

"You seem angry," He taunted.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled with a primal roar. He lunged at the Uchiha, going straight for his throat. Sasuke easily saw his attack coming and parried. Naruto continued to lash out at Sasuke who in turn continued to evade his strike. Naruto made an attempt to decapitate his prey but his attack was blocked. In a bout of frustration, Naruto grasped the blade of lightning, much to Sasuke's surprise, and hurled the Uchiha into a tree.

Sasuke crashed through the underbrush but caught himself. He watched as Naruto discarded what was left of his sword into the river. With a powerful leap, Sasuke took flight and made a beeline for Naruto. Naruto braced himself as when he saw Sasuke coming his way.

Naruto made an attempt to grab Sasuke but the raven-haired boy slipped under Naruto's arms at the last second and drove his clawed hands in to Naruto's shoulders. The blonde grunted in pain as Sasuke's fingers tore into his skin and they began to ascend. But after a few seconds, the red chakra began to take its toll on Sasuke, burning his hands wherever they made contact with Naruto.

Naruto recovered and head-butted Sasuke, causing him to let go. He then planted a firm foot in his stomach and kicked away. Naruto inhaled deeply and shot an air bullet at Sasuke. Unable to dodge, Sasuke used his wings to shield himself. The blast of wind slammed into Sasuke and forced him backwards, but other than that, he remained unharmed.

Sasuke began to draw in air for a fire jutsu but suddenly found himself constricted. He burst into a coughing fit as Naruto squeezed him with large claws of chakra. With a feral roar, Naruto swung Sasuke around and flung him towards the earth. Sasuke crashed hard into the awaiting ground below and found himself dug into a crater.

His Curse Mark began to recede and the Sharingan faded from his eyes as he lay there, coughing up blood. He didn't have much time to recover because Naruto speeding towards him, a haunting red rasengan in hand. Naruto was a mere two feet from ending the battle when Sasuke released a large current of electricity from his body.

Naruto was paralyzed by the protective field of Lightning, which also caused his rasengan to become unstable. It exploded in his hand, propelling him backwards and into the river. Sasuke cut off the jutsu but was breathing heavily. He lay there panting, trying to catch his breath. The fall had knocked all the air out of his body.

Sasuke slowly staggered to his feet, while at the same time Naruto crawled out of the river. He was no longer shrouded by the Nine-Tails chakra. Both boys breathed heavily as they stared each other down, the rain matting their hair onto their heads. They were so busy fighting that they didn't even notice the downpour. Black, opaque clouds roamed the sky, shrouding the area and completely blocking out the sun. Lightning flashed across the black sky, throwing back the darkness for an instant while heavens continued to cry on them.

Sasuke looked up and watched as lightning danced across the sky. A smirk appeared on his features as he turned to Naruto. "I'll admit, you presented a challenge for me, but it all ends now," he said. Sasuke turned and leapt up the rock face adjacent to the waterfall. Sasuke stumbled when he reached the top. The fall had severely bruised his leg, possibly even broken it, and he had only realized it when the adrenaline from the last bout had worn off momentarily.

He shook it off a cast his gaze below at his opponent, who was watching him carefully. Naruto had no idea what Sasuke was up to but he had a tight feeling in his gut that told him it wasn't anything good.

"I had originally save this as a trump card to use against my brother…" Sasuke called out to him as a Chidori burst to life in his hands. "But you leave me no choice." Sasuke raised his hand skyward and a bolt of lightning shot down to it. Naruto watched in horror as a massive, demonic, horse-like creature emerged from the clouds. The mass off energy bore a set of red eyes that seemed to bore down to his very soul. The creature let out an ear-piercing roar that awoke Naruto from his stupor. Thinking of the first thing that came to him, he began to form a Rasenshuriken.

Sasuke witnessed his actions and let out an uncharacteristic, sadistic laugh. "You think that can save you? Lightning may be weak against wind but this here isn't chakra. It's natural lightning that I can bend to my will." Naruto said nothing as he finished forging his ultimate jutsu. He then pulled out one of his father's kunai.

Sasuke glared upon seeing this. "You might have the Fourth's speed now but even he can't outrun something that moves at 1/1000th of a second. You've been a worthy foe Naruto, but this is where we part ways. Now be gone…with the thunderclap!" Sasuke lowered his hand down and the lightning creature let out a roar before crashing down on Naruto. There was a bright flash before the base of the waterfall exploded.

A powerful shockwave burst forth and expanded in all directions. Sasuke was caught off guard by this and didn't have time to brace himself. He was blown backwards into the river where his body drifted off the edge of the roaring waterfall.

Sasuke's technique had caused the clouds to disperse slightly and the area began to clear up a bit. The clouds were now a sickly shade of grey and the rain was nothing more than a soft pitter-patter. The area was quiet and calm. But no longer was it a sight to behold. The banks of the river were widened tremendously where the massive lightning bolt made impact. The once lush, green grass that lined its edges was now nothing but ashes from being incinerated by the heat wave brought on by the attack and burnt stumps sat along the contours of the river. A tempest was brought about the waters and part of the rock face broke off, dumping boulders into the river. In a mere flash, the once beautiful grove had been mutated into a wasteland, void of any forms of life. Well almost…

The was a break in the surface of the water and Sasuke pulled himself out of the river. He was pale and coughing up gratuitous amounts of water, but alive nonetheless. He was pondering what had caused a shockwave like that to go off. That'd never happened when he'd practiced it beforehand. But the thought was pushed to the back of his mind by another, on that made him grin contempt: Naruto was dead.

He felt discomfort with coming to the realization at the loss of his friend, but it was necessary. He needed the power of the Mangekyō if he even wanted to stand a chance against his brother. But something wasn't right. He felt no different than he did five minutes ago, other than he ached all over. He activated his Sharingan and felt no notable changes. Had he done something wrong? In order to obtain the Mangekyō, one must kill their closest friend. He'd done just that but his Sharingan remained the same. Was it all a lie? It couldn't have been since he'd seen Itachi's himself.

Just then, there was a break in the surface of the water and a hand emerged from the depths of the river. Sasuke watched disbelievingly as a batter Naruto crawled out onto the water. Naruto was coughing fiercely as he gasped for air, completely ignorant to the Uchiha. Sasuke on the other hand, was seething, but at least now he knew the answer to his question.

Naruto had barely managed to escape with his life. Unbeknownst to Sasuke, the moment he saw Sasuke lower his hand, he threw the kunai directly at the creature. By the time he activated the jutsu, the beast was only five feet away from him. Naruto slammed the Rasenshuriken into the creature's face and jumped to a second kunai which he had dropped into the water right before he formed his attack. Unfortunately, even with its extra weight, the kunai didn't sink down as fast as he'd hoped. The moment he touched it, he was hit by the shockwave which propelled him further down into the water.

He slammed into the bottom of the river and lost all the air in his lungs. He would've surely drowned had he not formed a small pocket of air around his head. So he sat and waited for a few moments, waiting for the conditions up top to clear up before making his ascent. Truth be told, he hadn't expected his plan to actually work but he was grateful it did.

Pushing himself to his feet, Sasuke opted to finish the blonde off. He didn't have much chakra left but he was going to put all he had into one final attack. The black flame markings of the Curse Mark began to engulf his body as he activated its second stage. "I don't know how you survived…" He called out, gaining Naruto's attention. "But this time you'll die for sure." He said as spawned a Chidori and he held his hand above his head. Sparks began to dance wildly around him. The air was saturated with static left behind by his technique and he was drawing upon it to fuel his attack.

'Damn it, I'm out of chakra. If I don't do the then I'll die this time for sure,' Naruto thought as he watched the Uchiha. Finding no other options, he began to draw upon the Nine-Tails' chakra. 'Looks like I have no other choice…' A rasengan surged to life in his palm and the air around grew dense. The rasengan slowly morphed into its wind form and then a full-fledged Rasenshuriken. But Naruto didn't stop there. He began to condense the Rasenshuriken, constricting its size in the process. As he did this, air around him grew heavier and heavier as the wind pressure increased.

The Air around Sasuke was immensely energized. The static rolled that danced across his body began to converge on his left hand, merging with the Chidori. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and struck his hand. The Chidori, now empowered by a direct blast of natural lightning, screamed in his hand. It was larger than any Sasuke had ever made before, and it was also the most unstable. He knew there was no way of safely disposing of so much energy so he had to move quickly before it turned on him.

Naruto was experiencing similar difficulties. The loud, bell-like screech that the Rasenshuriken normally gave off had intensified and it was screeching madly in is hand. He had managed to condense it down to just about the size of a normal rasengan, only slightly larger. It was surging uncontrollably in his hand it was only a matter of seconds before it exploded and took his arm, and possibly his life, with it.

The two look up from their respective jutsu and locked eyes, the same thought running through both their minds. 'This is it…' Using the last of his strength, Sasuke leapt at his blonde rival. Naruto slammed a clawed hand into the ground and propelled himself at the raven-haired boy. Time seemed to slow as they drew nearer.

'I have to win… if I don't I'll never be able to make mom and dad proud. And I can't leave Tsuki all alone in this world. For her sake,…mom's,…and dad's… I WILL NOT LOSE!' Naruto cried inwardly too him himself.

'For years, I've been haunted by the memories, memories brought upon by that made. Today's the day when I advance my Sharingan to the final stage and I can kill Itachi once and for all. Naruto Namikaze, your lineage ends with you for today, you shall die!

Sasuke could feel the air growing heavy as he neared Naruto, who in turn could feel the static pulsing around Sasuke. They were upon each other now and the final moment had finally come to see who was stronger: the sole survivor of the fallen from grace Uchiha clan or the legacy of Konoha's legendary Yellow Flash.

Just before Naruto made contact, memories began flashing through his head. The first was when he'd first met Sasuke and declared him his rival. The one following showed him in the academy trying to best Sasuke any chance he could, but failing miserably. Then finally, there was their graduation to genin. Their constant bickering didn't do much for team morale but Team 7 ended up becoming a force to be reckoned with. And though neither would've ever admitted it, they became fond of each other, a hidden respect between them. And now that was all about to fall apart.

Sasuke could only ponder on how much the blonde had surprised him over the years. The loud-mouth, hyperactive, knuckle-headed dead last from the academy who no one would amount to anything had become a more than respectable warrior. He had always hated how Naruto got strong so fast, and so easily, believing that as an Uchiha there shouldn't be anyone able to surpass him. It was only after their fight at the Valley of the End did he realized that having Naruto around actually helped him grow stronger. They were always pushing each other to their limits, growing in strength every day. And now, that would al be just remnants of the past.

Sasuke lunged his arm out at his rival, having no regrets. "Heaven's light Chidori!"

Naruto extended his arm out to counter. "Storm Breaker Rasengan!"

The moment their jutsu touched, a bright flash bathed the area in light. Unbeknownst to each other, they both gave one last farewell to a respectable opponent, rival, and friend, one who will be dearly missed. 'Goodbye…friend…' the light continued to shine brightly and there was loud surge of power before the world exploded.

Well...tell me what you think!