Saving Naruto
By Almine H
Prologue:
Impact! That's when everything changed, when his eyes opened to see something that he hadn't seen before. Sasuke Uchiha saw it deep in his friend's, Naruto's eyes. The pain; the anguish; the bitter hatred towards everyone else. The power he'd just demonstrated was proof of his resolve and the things he'd said before finally sunk in.
Sasuke couldn't believe how blind he'd been, how he and many others had paid no heed to the warning signs the blonde had demonstrated through his years. True it'd been Sasuke wanting to run away and attempt to gain more power but it was Naruto who'd officially decided to use the rescue attempt to turn his own back on the village. As Sasuke watched his friend in slow motion, he noticed the pain stricken expression and tears flowing out and over upon his face.
Then the next thing Sasuke knew, as he'd let down his guard, the blonde had hit him with his powerful fist square in the chest. Sasuke made one last attempt but only managed to scratch the other's headband. There was now spinning within Sasuke's head and he felt nauseous finally having crumpled to the ground on his back. Naruto meanwhile remained standing and panting over him from the fight, his anger quelled for the time being as the chakra cloak he'd worn previously had dispersed. Sasuke held him in his gaze as the world had begun spiraling out of control. A woman appeared behind Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder, grinning down with superiority at his limp form and that was the last thing Sasuke saw before falling into unconsciousness.
Naruto stared down at the unconscious figure of whom he'd dubbed his former friend; the one he'd thought would understand him more than the rest of the village as he'd been alone too and had felt similar pains. True Sasuke had always pushed people away and that had actually been what had caused Naruto to get angry with him in the first place but he'd still known the pain of being alone.
Throughout the whole of Naruto's life, he'd been scorned by the villagers and looked down upon with hatred and then there had been an incident when he'd been younger where he'd done something terrible and had found the woman currently standing with him now who'd consoled him afterwards. The woman had been the only one in his life to show him affection and tell him the full truth of what he really was. He'd decided long ago that she was the only one he could trust other than his teammates and sensei until that is he'd decided to use the rescue attempt of Sasuke to finally sever his own bonds with the village that'd hated him. Now the woman with him was the only one he could trust.
"Let's go Naruto," she said softly in his ear like a mother would to her child. Naruto nodded and the woman began to leave. He turned to go and took one last look at Sasuke unconscious on the ground.
"I really thought you'd be different," he said sadly. Then he turned and allowed the woman who called herself Viper to embrace him in a quick little hug then guide him away from the valley of the end where the battle had taken place.
Meanwhile, rain had started to fall and Pakun, one of Kakashi Hatake's ninja hounds was trying to follow Naruto's scent. They came to the valley of the end where they saw a form lying on the ground from afar. Kakashi had a pit of fear developing in his stomach but he approached the scene nonetheless, surprised to see that instead of Naruto, Sasuke his other student was lying defeated on the ground and Naruto was nowhere in sight. Kakashi then observed the battlefield.
"They certainly went all out, didn't they?" commented Pakun. Kakashi nodded in agreement with his faithful hound.
"Yes, they certainly did and yet, Naruto is nowhere to be found. I wonder if this means what I've been fearing all along." He continued to look around the battle field then sighed and shook his head. Then his eyes fell upon Sasuke once more who needed immediate medical treatment so wasting no more time, he hefted the Uchiha boy onto his back and began the long trek home.
Along the way the rain stopped and Sasuke, feeling the extra heat and movement, stirred, opening his eyes slightly. He saw the ground and glancing up slightly could see that his sensei was carrying him. His heart suddenly filled with sorrow.
"Sensei…" he spoke softly. Kakashi glanced back at the boy who was looking at the ground.
"Yes?" he answered the boy. There was a short pause then…
"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi didn't know how to answer him. Sasuke took this as all he needed for an adequate answer. He remained silent for a while, watching the ground pass by underneath them falling into a trance from the motion. He then grasped Kakashi's shoulder tightly while shaking slightly.
"Sensei…" he spoke again, this time his voice wavered some. Kakashi paid attention to his student as his new and sudden behavior caught him by surprise as he'd never known Sasuke to get emotional unless he was truly angry over something.
"I'm sorry!" he choked out weakly. "I'm really sorry. I…I don't want to run away any more. I don't want to go to Orochimaru. I'm sorry!" There was more silence as Kakashi was now truly baffled. He wondered just what had happened on the battlefield between his two students. Finally he responded to Sasuke's apology.
"It's okay Sasuke," he said softly. "We can talk about it all later. Just rest now." Sasuke nodded slightly, some tears still rolling down his cheek. It didn't take long for the motion of being carried and the warmth from Kakashi's back to eventually rock the exhausted Uchiha back into the depths of unconsciousness.
Meanwhile, walking in the opposite direction, Viper had her arm around Naruto's shoulder. As they walked, Naruto remained silent and Viper took a glance down at the blonde haired boy. A malicious grin spread across her face and her eyes glinted evilly. She truly had found herself a little treasure. True, they were still headed to Orochimaru's hideout but it wouldn't be too long until her treasure would destroy him and his pathetic little pawns. She could care less about the Uchiha brat Orochimaru had wanted, she had found her gem, her diamond in the rough.
Viper's true plans for the boy lay not souly with the nine tails inside him but with the unique chakra of the boy and his mysterious heritage she'd been researching. Her plans of course were unknown to anyone else but her and her secret little cult, formed over many years of brooding hatred and deceit and soon, once those plans had become realized, she would complete her master's bidding; to finally destroy the so called deity figure, Kaguya once she was reformed and complete her master's revenge.
Meanwhile, as Viper had these thoughts, Naruto leaned into her, tired from the battle. She then laughed maniacally but internally as she pulled the boy closer to her, sugar coating her motherly act. Yes soon her master's dreams would be realized but for now, she would play the caring master and mother that Naruto had always yearned for.