no, i do not own naruto.
but, i would like to thank systatcism and kyuubi sakura and naruto for betaing.
Paralysed Kings
: Chapter One :
:
In the secluded forests that lined the edges of Wind Country, far from the borders of his own village, Uzumaki Naruto was on a mission. His official orders were to track and apprehend the missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke. Upon capture of the Uchiha, Naruto was to return to Konoha with him—dead or alive.
Naruto had gladly accepted the mission, not even bothering to read the entire description. He was far more concerned with the freedom this mission brought—he hadn't been away from his desk in months. It felt amazing to be out and about again, to get away from the tedious chores that came with his position as Konoha's village leader.
No more forms to sign, or boring council meetings to attend—no more listening to old fogies ramble on and on about economic stresses and political appearances; he was free, if only for a little while.
But when he finally did read the fine print, he knew he'd made a mistake. He wished that the purpose of this mission wasn't so sinister a prospect, and it was with a heavy heart that Naruto finally located his target, sequestered within a desolate little clearing.
Ensuring that his chakra was masked, Naruto waited patiently in the shadows of the trees until he was positive the coast was clear. He warily left the safety of his camouflaged spot and crept forward until he reached the fringe of the clearing, his crouching form still obscured by a length of shrubbery.
He sent out a short but undetectable pulse of chakra to learn the basic layout of the clearing. He was pleased to find that it had fairly flat ground with a few boulders scattered amongst tall grass, which could possibly serve as shields from devastating ninjutsu.
A second pulse showed him a number of tall oaks that formed a thick ring around the glade, ensuring that the fight would at least be somewhat contained. It was a perfect arena for their impending showdown because he knew there was no way that the Uchiha go down without a fight.
Moving even closer to the ground, Naruto slinked through the dense foliage to find the best vantage point. Eventually, he found himself concealed by a rather painful looking thorn bush and he struggled to observe Sasuke and maintain his balance. Like hell he was willing to face plant into that bush.
However, the Uchiha appeared to be rather preoccupied battling another person.
Unable to get any closer without giving himself away, Naruto sent out another feeler. Feedback revealed a rather strong signature that was rapidly draining; it wouldn't be too much longer before the fight finally came to a close. If he squinted, he was just barely able to make out the features of the other ninja–and if his memory of the Bingo Book served him right, then the opponent was, in fact, another missing-nin. Before he could decide whether or not to intervene, Sasuke dealt the final blow.
He smiled grimly as he recognized Sasuke's signature move: Chidori. It was a technique that Kakashi, his former sensei, had taught the Uchiha—a skill gained in Konoha that he never would have learned anywhere else. And yet, Sasuke's greed and laziness was so strong that he betrayed his village and sought power elsewhere. Naruto shook his head to clear the haze of old memories and reminded himself of his mission, and when Naruto saw his opening, he took it.
Springing up seconds before the dead ninja hit the ground, Naruto leapt up over the thorn bush, landing easily, and slowly stalked towards the Uchiha. His sudden movement drew Sasuke's attention from his position on the other end of the clearing.
Springing up seconds before the dead ninja hit the ground, Naruto leapt up over the thorn bush, landing easily, and slowly stalked towards the Uchiha. His sudden movement drew Sasuke's attention from his position on the other end of the clearing.
Even though Sasuke remained impassive, Naruto could tell that the Uchiha was genuinely surprised to see him. The blond had learned to read Sasuke by his eyes, experience gained in the precious few months that he, Sasuke, and Sakura, their other teammate, had spent together as Team Seven.
It was obvious that Sasuke regarded Naruto as a threat—the Sharingan's three black tomoe were spinning wildly in each of the Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke shifted stances, ready to perform a lethal Katon jutsu the instant Naruto got to close for his liking; it didn't faze Naruto in the slightest.
He continued to move forward until he stood nearly twenty feet away from Sasuke. Naruto waited in silence for Sasuke to relax and realize that he wasn't going to do anything just yet. Sasuke eventually turned his attention back to his sword and continued to clean the blade of the blood from the man whose headless corpse lay on the forest floor. When Sasuke finished and re-sheathed his sword, he raised his head to meet the blond's stare dead-on.
Blue and red eyes met.
Both men remained motionless, each measuring the changes in the other since they last met in battle.
Naruto stood proud and tall, refusing to flinch under the Uchiha's odious scarlet glare. He would not be intimidated by a kekkai genkai, not even one as powerful as the Sharingan.
Though Sasuke wasn't the least bit impressed by Naruto's bravado, he was surprised to see robe wrapped around the blond's shoulders; kage robes. They were, of course, dyed an offensively bright orange, a color that Naruto had always favoured. He supposed that some things were just too predictable.
It was the robes that made Sasuke realize that the Naruto's looks were not the only thing that had changed over the years. Memories from past battles and encounters flashed across his mind, highlighting the jinchuuriki's ever-increasing strength.
'No,' he thought to himself. But as much as he wished to deny it, the robes were an undeniable confirmation of the blond's immense improvement. Sasuke couldn't afford to underestimate him.
At the same time, Naruto was conducting his own analysis of the Uchiha. As his eyes roamed, he couldn't help mentally chuckle at the ridiculously large, purple bow used to tie Sasuke's kimono shut, a vestige of his time with Orochimaru. Naruto couldn't fathom why the hell he would even bother to maintain the thing as a part of his wardrobe after all these years.
They both appeared to be the same height now and Naruto was startled at how much Sasuke resembled his elder brother; the younger Uchiha even had similar stress lines across the undersides of his eyes, just as Itachi once had.
He knew that Sasuke was formidable, especially after the Uchiha had so easily dispatched his earlier foe. The fight between them wouldn't be easy, but Naruto had a mission to complete and he couldn't afford to back down now.
As the silence between the two men stretched on, Naruto grew antsy. His muscles quivered in anticipation of a fight and his fingers itched to form hand seals. Sick of waiting and simply wanting to get this confrontation over with, Naruto dared to break eye contact and moved a few steps closer. Finally, he opened his mouth and broke the fragile quiet.
"Teme," Naruto greeted, his face remaining impassive. His cerulean eyes, usually brimming with joy, were now cold blue steel. His cheerful demeanour was pushed aside and he immersed himself into his role as Hokage, a leader dealing with a threat to his village. His gaze was unwavering as he unflinchingly met a pair of onyx orbs that glared back at him with absolute contempt.
"Dobe," Sasuke replied, titling his head in acknowledgement.
Naruto inhaled sharply when he heard that memorable nickname—that ever-familiar tone of voice that Sasuke used... it was that voice that disarmed him, that made him drop the facade he swore that he'd maintain under all circumstances. As the tension left the muscles of his face, Naruto looked at the man he, even now, considered to be his best friend.
Naruto felt his heart clench uncomfortably; he knew what was coming, what he was going to have to do to the man. He clenched his fists at the thought.
Sasuke caught the action and slid his hand down to his sword strapped to his. He was coiled and ready to strike.
His eyes followed the smooth movement, and in response, he raised his hands to the back of his head and laced his fingers together, the picture of utter contentment. Just as predicted, Sasuke tightened his grip further around the hilt.
He was so easy to rile.
Despite years spent apart from each other and receiving vastly different educations, some things never changed. The Uchiha always had to be one step ahead.
But he'd taunted the Uchiha enough; aware that his opponent was more paranoid than ever, Naruto made a point of slowly lowering his hands and holding them out to his side, indicating that he meant no harm—for the moment.
"Teme," he said again. He took a careful step forward before continuing, "I want to talk first."
Perhaps it was an effort to stall, perhaps not. There was a part of Naruto, though, that still thought he could talk Sasuke out of this madness—a foolish venture and one that had never worked before, but he had to try. It was Sasuke, after all.
"Hn." Sasuke drew his sword as Naruto neared and quirked an eyebrow at the blond's audacity. Was the idiot serious? Now, of all times, he wanted to talk?
Still fluent in 'Uchihanese' after all these years, Naruto took that particular utterance to mean 'why'? Clearing his throat, he spoke softly, eyes locked on the sword's razor sharp edge, "Because I have a right to some answers, Sasuke."
Like a direct and swift blow to the ribs, Sasuke snapped out a response. "I owe you nothing," he hissed. His eyes shifted to the Sharingan in the sudden wake of his anger.
"Check again, Sasuke," Naruto bit out, attempting to keep his temper in check. Sasuke had no right to deny him, not after everything he'd done. "Look, you have two options here: you can tell me now, or I can simply beat it out of you later."
"Tch," Sasuke snorted, dismissing the blond's claims. He was confident that he was more than capable of handling whatever the dobe dished out. Everything was going to go according to plan—he would accept no less.
Naruto took a breath and reminded himself to be patient. Sasuke had a way of riling him up with only a few words; it was nice to see that he hadn't lost his touch. Calmly and politely, he continued, "Would it really be that hard to answer some simple questions?"
"Hn. Stop wasting my time, dobe."
"Why are you in such a rush to fight?" Naruto retorted. Sasuke merely grunted in reply, obviously unwilling to give Naruto what he wanted.
Naruto growled in frustration, deciding he'd had enough of the Uchiha's superiority complex. He smiled dangerously and, flashing his teeth in a manner eerily similar to that of Kyuubi, Naruto dropped his bomb.
"Cut the bullshit," he barked, his grin hidden behind false anger. "Stop being a coward for once and man up, Sasuke! Give me the truth. For the number of times I have covered your ass with the elders this past year, you owe me."
He watched for Sasuke's reaction as his words sunk in. Ah, just as he had expected.
"Dobe…" Sasuke snarled, jaw clenched and Sharingan spinning out of control.
Pleased that his words were having an impact, Naruto proceeded with his questioning. He could not allow his past bonds to interfere with his duty. "You were in Konoha last Friday," he prompted.
"Hn."
Surprised that the Uchiha had even deigned to vocalize a response, Naruto took it as a positive sign and continued. Lowering his voice, Naruto elaborated on his previous statement. "At approximately three in the morning, you were seen leaving the hospital by several ANBU."
Naruto held his breath and waited to see if he would get a second acknowledgment. When no such thing occurred, he decided to cut straight to the point. "Why were you there?" he asked, his gaze heavy and measuring. He had a small moment of triumph when Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and drew his arms up to cross them over his chest—a defensive position. This was certainly looking promising; he might even get an answer beyond a grunt this time.
"You were after something. More specifically, you were after a scroll," Naruto drawled, feeling quite confident now. "It was Sakura, in fact, that figured out which specific scroll."
The black-haired man scoffed at the mention of Sakura, but otherwise, maintained his façade of indifference.
Feeling that the time was right, Naruto pulled out the big guns with his last question.
"Why were you after Chiyo's resurrection jutsu, Sasuke? Who do you plan to bring back?" Naruto tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as he pretended to slide into thought. Name after name slid from his lips. "Madara? No, you killed him, so I wouldn't think so.
"Your old sensei, maybe? Nah, you killed him, too, so that doesn't make sense." Naruto stroked his chin in false deliberation. "Ah, I know," he declared, snapping his fingers. "You want to bring back Kabuto, then! I bet it's for his stimulating company, yes?"
Risking a glance from the corner of his eyes, Naruto had to hide smirk when he saw that Sasuke had turned away. But his smirk slowly faded as he realized what his next suggestion was going to have to be. This question was going to be the last one that he needed to ask–it would be the final button that he would push to send Sasuke over the edge, a guaranteed start of the fight both of them had been expecting from the very beginning.
Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck as his nerves started to kick in. He tried to phrase the question as delicately as possible, but he saw no way other than to ask it outright: "Sasuke, are you trying to bring Itachi back?" His was voice soft—almost sympathetic.
There—he had said it; it was out in the open.
As soon as the words had left his mouth a heavy silence had filled the air.
Sasuke's head whipped around to face Naruto, his eyes blazing and his breathing laboured. How dare the dobe even mention Itachi's name! More than anger, there was annoyance. How was the Dobe able to see his intentions so easily, so clearly? Where had he messed up? His thoughts didn't linger upon those questions for long, as a red haze of rage was already starting to cloud his mind.
Both of the men slid into their battle stances. At that moment, nothing existed but each other—their opponent—and this fight. The air thrummed with restrained power and their veins were flooded with adrenaline.
This was it. Years of effort and anticipation boiled down to this one moment.
The battle began.