"Naruto."
"Sasuke."
Rain poured down in the open fields of fire country drenching the two ninja facing off for the last time.
"Heh he," chuckled the blond ninja not taking his eyes from his enemy, his brother, "I always hoped it would never come to this Sasuke."
"There is no such thing as hope idiot." Sasuke replied without emotion. "Hope is just some unknown ideal chased after by fools that don't know when to quit."
"It doesn't have to end like this." Naruto pleaded as he pulled out his kunai in preparation for what would be a clash between good and evil, light and darkness. "I don't understand you Sasuke! Why are you doing this?"
Sasuke's eye's flashed sharingan as his posture bent into a crouch, "I am an avenger Naruto. And now, I will avenge Itachi!" Rushing forward Sasuke met Naruto clash for clash as Kunai and Kusangai met in the middle as a rapid dance and bodies as a flash of movement.
Naruto's and Sasuke's breath came out as pants as they pulled away and then dived back in to clash again. As weapons met again in the middle, the two were frozen in deadlock, red eyes glaring wildly into red eyes.
"Sasuke," Naruto growled through clenched teeth, "Bastard, forget this revenge and come home! The Leaf is not your enemy!"
"What would you know Naruto!" Sasuke ground out with fire in his gaze and electricity making the hair on his head stands straight, "You know nothing! Konoha issued the massacre on my clan! Your precious elders forced Itachi to murder his own people. My brother may have chosen the Leaf over my family, but he chose me over the Leaf."
Pushing off once again, the two ninja were separated and panting heavily as they continued to stare at one another.
"Heh, you're right," Naruto panted quietly. "The elders were wrong." Naruto put his kunai back into its pouch to free his hands whose fingernails were slowly growing much sharper.
Straightening, Sasuke slid his Kusangai back into its sheath, "What was that stupid?"
"I said bastard! The elders were wrong," Naruto's hands raised into his first sign, "but killing hundreds of innocent people just to make a point, you're no better then they were, Sasuke."
Growling, Sasuke lifted his own hands and began his signs: Ox, Tiger, horse… The time for talking was over. Naruto was going to die to pay retribution towards Itachi and his clan. All of Hidden Leaf was going to die, down to every last child.
As Naruto extinguished the fire Jutsu with his water Jutsu, he vowed right then and there to himself that either both him and Sasuke were dying or Naruto was going to knock him out. Either way, Naruto was going to win, there was no room for mistakes, the Hidden Leaf was depending on him, Sakura was depending on him. With that thought, Naruto sprinted forward, Tailed Beast Rasengan in the palm of his hand and Sasuke's clone was destroyed in an explosion of lightning.
Look up, no. Look right, no. Look Left, no. Underground! Naruto jumped high into the air just as the ground beneath him exploded outwards and Sasuke followed speedily with a Chidori leading his way.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Another Naruto appeared next to the real one pushing him out of the way just as lightning met orange shredding the Shadow Clone and extinguishing it just as quickly as it had appeared.
Naruto landed heavily rolling sideways on the ground and quickly bounced back to his feet, ready for action. As soon as Sasuke had landed, not willing to give him more then a few second's recovery, Naruto charged him again this time intent on landing a blow with his fists.
Sasuke immediately had his arms up, blocking and parrying Naruto's advances. Naruto was quicker then he had once been, Sasuke noted as he dodged another round house kick.
Front kick, left-right punch, round house kick, keep spinning, back kick. Sasuke found his opening, grabbed Naruto's leg while his back was turned and flipped him over, spinning him in the air and slammed his body hard into the ground.
Sasuke stood staring at the hole he'd made with Naruto's body and jumped back just as Naruto exploded from underneath where he had been standing.
"How'd you like that bastard?" Naruto grinned, blood dripping off his chin and down his nose, at his cunning to copy Sasuke.
Sasuke smirked, "Shouldn't I be the one asking that idiot."
Growling in response, Naruto plunged back into battle gritting his teeth and giving everything he had. He would make his Sensei proud. When he met pervy-sage again someday, he would tell him all the things he didn't get to say when he was alive. This battle wasn't just a battle. It was going to be a symbol to all Shinobi. If Naruto won, if he brought Sasuke back, hope would win and true peace would be that much closer to reality.
"Amaterasu!"
Naruto kept running. He couldn't stop, if he stopped, even for one second, he would be toast; literally. Running in a zig-zag pattern, Naruto narrowly avoided every attempt to fry him with Sasuke's eye jutsu.
"Shit!" Naruto muttered as he tripped over his own feet and fell rolling headfirst just to keep moving as he narrowly escaped the last wave of black flames. Rolling to his feet Naruto turned around as the flames stopped and instead ran straight towards Sasuke.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Eight Naruto's appeared, three breaking off to each side of Sasuke.
"Give it up Bastard!" All eight Naruto's bellowed out roughly.
Sasuke crouched low, preparing for Naruto's nine man attack. Sasuke couldn't decide which Naruto was the real one, so it was safe for him to assume to just take out all nine of them. His only problem with this, however, was that it was apparent that all nine were not going to attack at once.
Rasengan from the left, Sasuke jumped back. Anticipating the Rasengan on the right, Sasuke jumped into the air avoiding the attack completely. What Sasuke was expecting next and what actually happened left Sasuke in wide-eyed surprise. Expecting another Rasengan, Sasuke had jumped into the air igniting his last Chidori from his low reserves of chakra, but what met Sasuke was not a Rasengan attached to a Naruto, but something that he had never seen before; a Rasenshuriken.
As Chidori met Rasenshuriken Sasuke's eyes widened in panic at the sheer force behind Naruto's attack and the last thing he saw was a blinding white light before his world went black.
Panting and heart racing, Naruto stood shakily roughly ten paces from where Sasuke lay bloodied and broken on the ground. Tears started flowing from Naruto's eyes as he slowly closed the distance between himself and Sasuke.
Naruto fell to his knees once he had reached Sasuke's side and just stared at his friend and brother. Laughter started to bubble out uninvited from Naruto's exhausted body and as the hard laughter forced it's way through his throat and he stared at Sasuke's unconscious body in what could only be described in that moment as relief, Naruto began to weep. His laughter turning into loud wailing sobs as he choked on his own blood forcing it's way out of his body from internal bleeding.
Unable to hold himself up any longer from pure exhaustion and injuries, Naruto collapsed across Sasuke's body. Naruto's head landed on Sasuke's chest and as Naruto felt the beginning of unconsciousness himself, a small smile curved on his bloodied and bruised face. He could feel Sasuke's heart beat. It was a good heartbeat. A steady heart beat. Naruto's last thoughts before he fell limp and gave into the darkness were he had kept his promise to Sakura; the promise of a lifetime.
As Kakashi approached the battle ground between the last Uchiha and Senju he grimaced. When he had taken on three misfit genin almost four years ago, he never expected that he would have been training the most talented Shiniobi the world had ever seen. There were some things that just couldn't be predicted, and this was certainly one of them.
Crouching low towards the broken bodies of his former students, he felt for a pulse and was as delighted as the situation could afford that each respectively was still living.
There was no doubt, and had been no doubt, in Kakashi's mind since the defeat of Pain, that Naruto would be, and was destined to be, the light that would lead this dark world into peace. It was a gift of his that had people so drawn to him like flies to a lamp in night. He had a certain magnetic force that just made you want to believe in him. And once you believed in him, you were never let down.
This appeared just to be another one of those times because today, Kakashi was not just taking Naruto home, but he was also taking Sasuke. As Kakashi lifted Naruto on his back he turned to face his shadow clone that held Sasuke just as firmly as the real Kakashi was holding Naruto. Met with the same determined look, both Kakashi's turned toward the Village Hidden in the Leaves and began the journey home.
AN: Hey, I hope you all enjoyed this story! I had a really good time writing it. I've been seriously going nuts because I discovered Naruto and then once I got all caught up I realized that it wasn't finished! I was devastated...I know I'm pathetic. I hate waiting for stories! lol So I decided I'd write my version of the part of the story I most want to see in the manga. I know I gave Naruto some water jutsu, but you'll just have to bear with me. It's the second element I bestowed upon him since the manga doesn't seem to have given him one yet. And I also realize the Tailed Beast Rasengan is a bit out of place, but I wanted to put a new move in the story just for some kick. ;) Have a great day and Hope you leave a review!
Dobby