Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Naruto characters, only the characters that I have added in are mine.

Note: this story mostly follows the Naruto plot line up until around episode 131 in the anime. There will be some spoilers, but this is where I begin interfering into the Naruto timeline.

Also, I might end up shifting time around a bit to make everything work. Please remember that this is a fanfiction and according to 'artistic license' I can do all sorts of things with the storyline, so not everything will be completely true to the story (duh)!

The Beginning

Two people were slowly making their way through the forest just skirting the bordering lines of the Fire Country –a country that was currently living up to its name; the heat licked at them like flames on wood. Yet, even the shade provided by the dense forest wasn't enough to ease the weary travelers on their journey. The humidity closed in all around soaking their clothes with sweat and making the fabric cling uncomfortably to their skin.

One of the travelers, a woman, fanned the fabric of her shirt in hopes of creating a breeze to cool her heated skin. Her long brown hair had been tied back, high on her head, in a futile attempt to cool down. Her deep brown eyes, so dark that they could be mistaken as black, were fixed upon her companion. Let me assure you it was not an admiring gaze… if looks could kill; he would most certainly be dead.

"We've been tramping through these woods for days now, and I'm telling you, Tenzou… we are going the wrong way!"

"Relax, Ara! We're fine; I know where I'm going!" he wince, adding a silent 'I think' to the sentence in his head.

She glared harder at his back. "Why is it that guys always pretend to know where they are going, but never do?" she mumbled quietly to herself.

"You know," she called to him "I'd like to make it back home sometime this century!"

Tenzou, her traveling companion, stopped and turned to look at her. "We will," he said in his most confident voice. Ara looked at him, unconvinced. He ran a hand through his spiky brown hair, and sighed looking up at her with tired blue eyes, "Fine. What do you suggest?"

"Don't you remember? The villager said to follow the river -it goes right past Konoha.

… I don't see a river here, do you?"

Tenzou simply stared at her unenergetically and slumped against a large tree. Ara's gaze softened and she sat down beside him.

"Sorry. I'm not helping much am I? I guess all this heat is getting to me."

"Nah, you're probably right. Besides, finding that river doesn't sound so bad right now. I could go for a swim… that is if we manage to find it before we die of heatstroke."

Ara leaned against a nearby tree trunk, gazing up through the foliage. "I hear a waterfall up ahead, let's head in that direction. The canteens could use refilling anyways and I would love a break. Sound good?"

"Sure"

Elsewhere…

A lone ninja was racing through the trees towards his target.

"Sasuke"

After chasing the sound nins, the group of five Konoha ninja had slowly dwindled down to one – Naruto. One by one, they had separated to fight the sound ninja. First Chouji stayed behind, to fight off the fat one. Then Neji fought that spider freak. Kiba and Akamaru stayed behind to distract that two headed guy, and Shikamaru took care of the loud mouthed girl. Even Fuzzy-brows showed up to help and keep that insane bone guy at bay. Without them he would have never made it this far. He couldn't let them down now. He would bring Sasuke back no matter what, he had a promise to keep and he had no intention of breaking it. Sasuke was near; he was finally catching up to him. If only he could reach him then maybe, just maybe, he could talk (or beat) some sense into him.

"I'll do whatever it takes; I won't go back on my word. Prepare yourself!"

"SASUKE!" Naruto called, leaping out of the forest into a clearing where a massive waterfall cascaded down into a large fissure. On either side of the waterfall were two large forms carved deep into the cliff poised as if ready to fight just like the figures standing on their heads.

At the sound of his voice Sasuke paused for a moment. Without glancing behind he continued to leave.

"Running away, coward?"

At this, Sasuke finally turned around to face him.

"Hey there, Dead Last." He mumbled.

Naruto stared in shock; that strange mark on Sasuke's neck… what had happened to it? Half of his face was covered in foreboding black flames, and his left eye had turned golden and glared back like a cat's eye surrounded by a sea of black. Something was horribly wrong. Was he turning into some kind of monster? Or had he already become one?

"So now you have come to stop me, Naruto? I already to Sakura – don't bother me anymore.

Naruto just stared at him in disbelief.

"What's with that face?" he laughed mockingly. "Do you still believe things can go back to how they were?"

Naruto stood there, thinking about the past. How could this have happened? Sure, Sasuke had always been cold, but they had been getting along so well. They were a team – Sakura, Sasuke, and himself. They had fought side-by-side and protected one another. What had happened?

"Why?" Naruto paused for a moment, almost as if he hadn't meant to speak aloud. Regaining his senses a bit he spoke louder, "Why? Why are you doing this?" his voice echoed back to him from the rift between them.

Sasuke looked on apathetically. "It's really not any of your business. This is a path that I have to follow, and you can't tell me what to do. I'll spell it out for you, Idiot. I'm leaving Konoha… and I'm never coming back."

NO! He couldn't leave… not after all that had happened. The others, they had all fought so hard…they had sacrificed so much, maybe even their lives, just to bring him back.

Naruto clenched his teeth at the thought.

"SASUKE," he roared. "I will bring you back, even if it is by FORCE!"

With one mighty leap Naruto cleared the gap, tackled Sasuke, and gave him a firm punch to the face.

"How could you think of us so poorly? Don't you know that Orochimaru is just using you? "

Eventually, Sasuke started to move. Slowly, as if the effort were beneath him, he reached for Naruto's collar and effortlessly lifted him off.

"As long as I accomplish my goals, I don't care. However, since you won't stay out of my way… I guess this can't be helped" and with one powerful stroke sent him plummeting down the cliff side and into the churning waters below.

Eventually, Naruto pulled himself out of the turbulent water below the falls and the two boys squared off, tensed for the pending fight.

Concealed, nearby, in the dense shrubbery of the surrounding forest two figures watched the unfolding fight.

"I've heard enough treason for one day. What do you think, Tenzou?"

"I agree. I suggest we knock them both out and take them back and let Hokage-sama decide what to do with them."

"Do you think so? It seems the blond one is only trying to apprehend the other. Would it be wise to attack someone on our side?" Ara queried.

As Tenzou gazed at the battle below, his eyes widened as he watched the two blurred figures collide in a blinding flash of light as their two techniques fought for dominance.

"Perhaps not, but I certainly don't want to get in between them. This is a fight to the death and they are not holding back. Their attacks just now… was that the Rasengan? And the other… that had to be Chidori! But if you have a death wish, by all means, it's a spectacular way to go!"

"No, that couldn't have been Chidori. The only way Kakashi found to perfect that technique was with the Sharingan, and the Uchiha clan was murdered. Unless… could it be… Sasuke?"

Ara's eyes narrowed as she squinted to catch a glimpse of the small blue figure in the distance. Her eyes widened when she saw the distinct fan symbol of the Uchiha clan on the back of his shirt. Her eyes narrowed again, this time in rage.

"I'll take care of that traitor. You get the blond one."

To be continued…

Will Naruto get to finish his battle? Who were those strange people and why was that girl so upset at Sasuke? Find out next chapter… same Ninja time. Same Ninja channel.

I'm trying my hand at writing again, amigos! So give me the news gently… do you like it, or not? Sorry, I just got so BORED waiting for all my favorite fanfiction to update that I just decided to write my own. Where has everyone gone? Why have they left me to write my own stories? CRIES