Title: Calamity
Pairing: Sasuke/Sakura
Characters: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Kakashi Hatake
Warnings: OOC, Violence, Adult Content
Genre: Romance, Action/Adventure, Hurt/Comfort
Chapter: 1/?
Complete: No
The very distinct smell of fire is in the air and Sakura struggled for breath as she pushed onwards. Every joint in her body ground painfully together each time she flexed her knees to propel herself forward even faster. Off to her right she could Kakashi following closely behind her as the familiar pounding of their feet on the rocky surface created an almost rhythmic lull.
"Naruto" Sakura whispered squinting her eyes as the canyon's end approached. It was a hostile territory with dangers like Team 7 had never encountered before.
"Sakura," Kakashi called from behind her, his paced slowed no doubt by his injury, "Slow down or you'll use the last reserves of your charka; even I'm near my limit now."
It is Sakura's fear that tells her to keep moving but it is her sensible side that hears the slight strain in the other's voice. She slowed her pace down until Kakashi was running along side her, glancing at her sensei's arm. It hangs limp against Kakashi's side requiring him to grasp it with his other arm. This is the true reason that their pace has slowed so much and it acts as a painful reminder of their rookie mistake. Team 7 only hours previous had split up in what seemed like the never-ending pursuit of the Leaf Village and Fire Nation's most wanted rogue shinobi, Sasuke Uchiha. However this label no longer upsets Sakura as it once had upon first hearing it, in fact it enrages her as feelings of betrayal and disgust are stirred up.
Even now, after Sakura had relived Naruto of that 'once in a lifetime promise', Naruto is still trying to bring Sasuke back. iWhy? Why can't Naruto change his mind about Sasuke? Why can't he accept the fact that the friend they once knew no longer resides in the body they've been chasing? Why can't Naruto just give up?/i. Sakura shook her head and smiled bitterly, iBecause he's Naruto, that's why. Because Naruto never gives up on anything even if the odds are stacked against him/i.
"Sakura." Kakashi called again as he slowly started to fall behind.
"Naruto." Sakura whispered as a newfound panic began to build within her. Up ahead she could sense the chakra in the air, someone was fighting up ahead, and whomever it was it was two big forces clashing against one another.
"Sakura!" Kakashi called as Sakura's speed picked up. An especially large burst surged threw the air almost knocking Sakura over as a physical explosion accompanied the chakra burst as well. A mushroom cloud of smoke erupted from the valley just below the canyon's end and in that moment Sakura sensed Naruto. iNo Naruto, no./i
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura cried turning around to glance at the man.
"I felt it to." Kakashi said grimly, "It's Naruto."
"There's another person too." Sakura focused, "Their chakra is it's darker. It might be Madara's."
"It's not Madara's." Kakashi said immediately brow pulled together in what looked like disappointment. Sakura turned towards the valley once more, not expecting an answer, when Kakashi spoke again.
"It's Sasuke's."
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"You bastard!" Naruto screamed surging forward, a blade similar to Asuma's clenched tightly in his hand. The weapon was made out of a special type of metal that channeled chakra and Naruto flexed his fingers around it tightly as he began to raise the weapon.
Directly across from Naruto, surging forward with the mean to kill, was the one person that Naruto did not wish to fight the most. This person was a grown man as Naruto was now and as was Shikamaru and all the rest of Naruto's friends. This person had never wore a face of child naiveté but had never looked this dark before. This person was barely recognizable to Naruto, glimmers of slight resemblances every now and then with facial expressions, but still was not the comrade that Naruto had once known as a child. This person was not the teammate that Naruto had once known. This person was not the figure that Naruto had once viewed as his closest friend. This person was not
"Sasuke!" Naruto roared as the two clashed. In the matter of a few seconds, almost invisible to the untrained eye, Naruto and Sasuke were engaged in combat.
Chakra sizzled through the air as the two's blades crashed; Naruto's chakra blades against Sasuke's Kusanagi. The sounds of the metal scrapping along metal were then always followed by a delayed boom similar to the sound thunder makes. The two swiped at each other again and again in a clashing of forces at a far greater magnitude than how the two had fought in the Valley of the End.
Once more Naruto lashed out, his physical strength enhanced by his Sage Mode, but Sasuke blocked the attack once more. Naruto move in once more striking to Sasuke's upper left and thus drawing the latter's focus away from his center point. Naruto seized upon the opportunity and kicked Sasuke square in the chest, ihard/i. The other man was sent falling, scraping painfully along the water's surface of the lake upon which they fought.
Still Sasuke caught himself and rose as if Naruto's attack had not even fazed him, the blonde knew otherwise. Naruto had managed to land a direct attack, had he been using two chakra blades it would have been the perfect opportunity to strike a direct blow the chest cavity.
"Why Sasuke?" Naruto panted, shoulders heaving from exertion. Sasuke stood across from him in a similar state but still had yet to say a word. The silence infuriated Naruto to no end. The question was not aimed at anything in particular, like as to why Sasuke had believed Madara and made the Leaf Village his enemy or even why Sasuke had attempted to kill Sakura, ia former teammate/i. Instead this question was aimed at the whole spectrum and really stood for asking how Sasuke had fallen so low.
Sasuke titled his head and smirked, answering in the form of activating his chidori. Naruto can only shut his eyes in pain as he realizes that one of them will not be walking away from this battle at the end of the day. The skies above have already begun to cloud over as a storm surely approaches and Naruto can not help but notice the irony of the situation. Will forming tempests forever mark all of their encounters?
Naruto activated his rasengan, no longer holding back, but he could already see that Sasuke seemed to be putting all of his energy into his attack as well. The pair's eyes met and Naruto was reminded of those happier days of the original Team 7. He cannot help but wonder how Kakashi and Sakura are holding up in that battle he left them in to pursue his current opponent.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes and was the first to move however Naruto began charging towards his former friend only a fraction of a second later. The two raced towards each other at full speed, once arm held back wielding their weapon, and screaming at one another in rage.
In the moment that the two met their chakra's joined in a frenzied explosion. The explosion sent off power in shock waves resonating throughout the small rocky valley and slicing through the lake's water. All around them was a white noise that could be heard from miles around as a white slight soon encased the two. The last thing Naruto could remember seeing before the blinding light was Sasuke's enraged face.
"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
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"iNaruto!/i" Sakura screamed no longer being able to keep her worry at bay. She shot ahead of Kakashi, sprinting full speed towards the canyon's end. Her feet slipped carelessly over the rocky surface of the lifeless valley until she finally came the cliff's edge.
"No." Above the sky had completely clouded over as the valley lay in ruin.
However it was not the sky that Sakura's eyes were trained on, but rather the pliant form of Naruto strewn across the ground. Sakura's throat closed, as she immediately feared the worst. iHe's dead./i
"Naruto!" Sakura's shriek reverberated off the canyon's walls to be reached by ears only a few miles down.
She rushed to her fallen teammate's side instantly as she fell to her knees, not even wincing when the sharp rocks sliced open skin. A numbing feeling overcame her in that moment at she fully took in the sight of the three large gashes in Naruto's chest. These were not burn marks, or even puncture wounds from a blade, but skin ripped open raggedly by claws.
"Naruto, no." Sakura trembled pulling Naruto towards her so that his head would rest in her lap, "Naruto?"
She patted his face gently hoping that the soft gesture would wake him while her logic told her otherwise. Still her teammate did not move and Sakura emitted a soft sob as tears began to well in her eyes.
"Naruto?" She called again louder this time as he shook his shoulder firmly. His skin was cool to the touch and did not feel right against her fingers tips causing Sakura to jerk backwards slightly. iNo./i
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted searching the man's face frantically, "Naruto!"
She slapped him across the face as she shrieked his name the loudest time yet. Still Naruto did not move and Sakura dropped her hands into her lap uselessly. iIt's over. He's really dead./i
"Naruto." She whispered one last time before squeezing her eyes shut in pain. If only she had tried to stop him more at the Summit. If only she had never let him run off on his own to chase after Sasuke. If only she had never asked him for that favor all those years ago.
Sakura's tears streamed down her face and fell onto her comrade's face emitting soft splats. The lifeless form in which her heart reached desperately out for would not wake when she commanded it to. Naruto was dead. Behind her Kakashi finally arrived dropping light as a feather with a held breath meant to ask the question that did not need to be voiced. His eyes took in Naruto's form and he closed his eyes in guilt looking away from his former students.
Still Sakura's eyes did not open nor her tears stop as a shaking hand reached upwards towards her. The feather light touch startled her as she gasped and looked down to Naruto's face. He was smiling weakly at her and laughed softly as Sakura's eyes widened in understanding.
Sadness soon was replaced by joy as Sakura sobbed loudly and threw her upper body down to embrace her friend. She squeezed her arms tightly around his head in means of a hug as Naruto's arm slide around to grasp her upper shoulder to return the gesture. Kakashi could be heard breathing a sigh of relief as the only sounds filling that empty valley were Sakura's sobs.
Meanwhile off in the opposite direction of Team 7, standing among the rubble in the lake, stood the familiar form of Sasuke Uchiha. He was badly injured although his body did not show it but the man did not seem to care as he pressed his entire hand to his face. He gripped his own head laughing quietly to himself in pure ecstasy as he thought Naruto dead. He had finally done it.
Overhead the clouds parted as Sasuke dipped his head backwards and truly basked in his glory. In the distance the soft sounds of crying could still be heard.