Author's notes:
This fic is Naru/Saku, and it takes place after the timeskip. If you have any complaints or questions, I shall happily address them as long as they do not involve changing the pairing.That is fixed. Thank you for your time.
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the Sharingan wouldn't be so heavily overpowered. But I don't, and so it is.
"Don't bother struggling…" he hissed, sharingan spinning wildly as he held the blonde by his collar. "Against these eyes…" The sound of a thousand birds chirping started up "You are powerless." An arm crackling with blue lightning ripped through the blonde's stomach, sending blood splattering over the forest floor.
Naruto looked into the apathetic eyes of his rival, his best friend, and coughed violently, feeling the Kyuubi's chakra gather to his chest area in an attempt to heal the gaping wound.
"W-why, Sasuke? What..." blood trickled down the side of his mouth. "What will it take for you to come ba-" A violent blow was dealt to his face with his opponent's other hand. The raven-haired boy smirked and twisted his arm, forcing an involuntary groan of pain to erupt from the blonde.
"I see that you haven't changed. When will you understand that I am done with you weaklings? I severed all my bonds with Konoha that day, at the Valley of the End. Emotions will only slow me down if I am to kill him…" The Avenger's eyes darkened at this point, as he subconsciously clenched his fist, causing a wave of pain to spread through the other boy's body.
"Sas..u..ke" the jinchuuriki choked, every breath causing him to spasm in pain. The arm was removed from his chest with a violent squelch, causing the blonde to fall forward onto the forest floor. Red chakra began to gather at his chest, knitting and mending the torn flesh.
Gasping for air as the hole in his chest closed up, Naruto felt something grab his collar once more and yank him up to face the blood-red eyes of the boy who was his best friend.
"I'll tell you one more time. Stop coming after me." The Uchiha sneered, reaching for the Kusanagi with his other arm. "We might have been equals at one point, but now you see…the gap between us has become too wide in just one year. Konoha interests me no longer, producing losers tied down by their emotions. You were all stepping stones in my path for revenge, no more, no less."
The blonde boy stared blankly at his rival, unable to believe the words he was saying. "You…who are you…you aren't the Sasuke I know..." Blood bubbled at the side of his mouth as he hacked and coughed at the sense of desperation rising inside him. "Sasuke…my best friend… he would never say something like this! I promised Sakura-chan that I would bring you back to her, and that's what I'll do, even if I have to shatter every bone in your body!"
The other boy snorted and delivered a harsh roundhouse kick to the jinchuuriki's stomach, sending him flying into a tree. "Pathetic. You always were all talk." In an instant, he appeared in front of the blonde, Kusanagi fully drawn. "Let me leave you with a parting gift."
The cruel blow to the already gaping wound caused it to reopen, as Naruto's vision went blurry. The pain was so overwhelming that he was unable to breathe or move. It took all his willpower just to open an eye when he heard a crackling sound.
To the sight of the first person his age to ever acknowledge his existence, holding his blade poised beside his ribcage. Smirking cruelly, the raven-haired boy plunged his katana into the blonde's stomach, sliding it right through his right lung, before channelling his chakra into the blade.
Loud screams erupted, torn from Naruto's mouth as the pain reached a whole new level. His whole body jerked and writhed, due to the electricity channelled by the Kusanagi into his body.
"Like it?" The Uchiha bent over, face arranged into its usual emotionless façade. "I call it…the Chidori Nagashi. It took many tries for me to arrive at the end result I wanted. For the victim to experience the pain of being internally electrocuted."
Unable to even move from the pain, the blond glared into his rival's apathetic crimson eyes, feeling true hatred for the first time in his life. Creating a technique solely for the purpose of causing pain… "Y-you..monster." Trying to move, to do anything, to hit the boy before him, Uzumaki Naruto felt completely helpless for the first time in his life. Blinding amounts of pain festered in the new wound, as he could feel it reject the Kyuubi's chakra.
"I'm sure you've realised by now, Naruto. I created this move just for you after our fight at the Valley of the End. Even with your monstrous regenerative abilities, this wound will leave a scar." The Avenger moved his head beside the blonde's ear, his hot breath causing an involuntary shudder from the boy. "And that scar…will remain forever. As a reminder of how you will never surpass me."
Pulling back, the Uchiha smirked at the expression on his rival's face. "Those eyes…I like them. Full of hatred." The glare intensified, as the blonde desperately tried to reach for his kunai pouch, wanting to wipe the mocking smirk off the brunette's face.
"Drag me back to Konoha? Pathetic. With your current level of strength, you will never accomplish anything." Strapping the Kusanagi back into its sheath, the Avenger walked away, his steps loud and mocking to the motionless blonde.
Stopping at the exit of the clearing, the raven-haired shinobi turned around. "Remember, the Sasuke who was part of Team Seven is dead. I will never return to Konoha. Your meaningless promise of a lifetime will never become reality. Emotions have made you weak, and the weak do not interest me. Goodbye…Naruto."
And the raven-haired boy was gone, the only trace of him a few leaves whispering on the forest floor. The wound continued to burn, along with it Sasuke's words.
'Emotions have made you weak.'
The blonde stared blankly at the spot where his rival and former best friend had been. Rendered unable to think, to move, the Avenger's last words echoing in his mind.
'The weak do not interest me.'
Even when Jiraiya found him there an hour later, he had not emerged from his catatonic state. Exhausted though he was from his encounter with Orochimaru, the Sannin draped his protégé over his back and made for the nearby Kusagakure.
"You'll be alright, brat. Just don't die!"
So preoccupied was he with the boy's physical state that the Sannin never noticed that his mind had been shattered, his beliefs and values reshaped by that one encounter.
'Your promise of a lifetime will never become reality'
Foreign emotions boiled up within him as memories of the one-sided fight re-emerged. Shame at the ease which Sasuke defeated him with. Grief at how his weakness made him unable to fulfil his promise. And most of all, hatred towards Sasuke for what he had become, a great wave of hatred swept across him, choking him in its intensity.
Ignoring the burning pain radiating from his every pore, the blond inched his hand toward his kunai pouch. Each movement made him hiss as pain spread throughout his body.
"Don't move, gaki. You'll make it worse!"
Summoning his very last bit of strength, the jinchuuriki reached for a kunai and stabbed it into his left palm, much as he had done a lifetime ago, during that fateful mission to Wave Country.
'Sasuke…no matter what happens…'
He watched in morbid fascination as droplets of his blood welled up and fell into the undergrowth. The kunai fell from his limp fingers as all traces of strength left his body.
'I will gain the strength I need to surpass you…'
Ignoring the white haired man's shouts regarding his idiocy, the blond shinobi watched the wound in his hand close up rapidly.
'To show you that I'm not weak…'
The tear-stained face of his pink-haired team mate came to mind as he remembered the pain Sasuke had caused her by running off to Orochimaru.
'And bring you back to Konoha for Sakura-chan! '
Unable to remain conscious any longer, he fell back against Jiraiya's back. Even as the darkness swallowed him, the grin never left his face.
It was not the smile of the boy known as Uzumaki Naruto, the famous smile that inspired confidence in others and changed the hearts of everyone he met.
Rather, it was a decidedly grim smirk, one that could be found on the visage of one who had found his single purpose in life.
He awoke with a violent start, instinctively moving a hand to his chest to assure himself that there was no gaping hole there.
"Just a dream…?"
The boy took a deep, shuddering breath as he desperately tried to slow his heartbeat. He ran his hands through sweaty blond locks, smoothing them down. The dream had been amazingly realistic, so much that the scar on his stomach was burning.
"Damn it…it's been more than a year..."
Knowing that he would be unable to sleep any longer, the blond reached for his forehead protector on his bedside table. Staring into Konoha's emblem, feeling the cold metal under his skin...
The Kusanagi slid into his right lung, puncturing it, and he could feel the cold metal in his chest, burning, slicing...
"DAMN IT!"
The sound of glass shattering filled the air as a framed picture shattered against the wall. Panting heavily, the boy sank back into his bed.
"Why…do I still have nightmares about that day…?"
Those eyes. He could feel those onyx orbs from the picture boring into the back of his head, peeling away the layers surrounding his soul. And he was powerless to stop them.
The crimson orbs bore into him, trapping him in their intense gaze, rendering him powerless to fight back…
"I'm different now. All those emotions, those trivial things that slowed me down before will never do so again. All that matters to me now is surpassing you, Sasuke."
'Are you trying to tell yourself that?' his traitorous mind whispered. 'Because it's not working.' Ignoring the voice in his head, Uzumaki Naruto changed into his ANBU uniform and took a deep breath.
"You'd better watch out, Sasuke, cause the next time we meet…I'll show you just how strong I've become."
He strapped a mask over his face, before jumping out the single window in his apartment. The sun was rising, he noted. It was going to be a beautiful day
'Time for patrol duty'
"It sure is a beautiful day today, huh?"
Haruno Sakura remarked to herself on the way to the Hokage's office, struck at the way the sun seemed to highlight the beauty of Konohagakure.
"Sakura-san!"
The pink-haired girl turned her head in surprise, flashing a startled smile.
"Ah, Lee-san! Good morning!"
The spandex-clad boy gave her a thumbs-up, accompanied with a blinding smile. Complete with twinkling teeth and all.
"Sakura-san, seeing your youthful beauty has brightened my day!"
While that remark might have been brushed off as one of Lee's quirks when she was twelve, Sakura knew that she was attractive. The form-fitting red shirt and short skirt, while practical attire for a kunoichi, had attracted many stares from members of the opposite gender. Which she didn't mind, as long as all they did was stare. This rule had been made abundantly clear when the remains of a man who had tried to grope her were wiped off the Hokage monument.
"Shannaro! Can't touch this!"
"Thank you, Lee-san. Was there any particular reason that you called out to me, or was it just to say hello?"
The fuzzy-browed boy adopted a thinking pose, furrowing his eyebrows comically. Sakura stared. Lee mumbled. Sakura stared. Lee mumbled some more.
"Ahh…Tsunade-sama told me to tell you something…"
The kunoichi shook her head in good-natured exasperation.
"It's all right, I was about to head over there anyway. I'll find out what she wants there."
The spandex-clad menace jumped into the air at Sakura's display of youthfulness before running off into the beautiful sunset for his 500 laps around Konoha.
Sakura snickered at the eccentric boy's antics. Sure, he might be strange, but Lee was a good friend, one she could always count on. Just like…
Her smile faded slightly as the kunoichi remembered her team mate, still away on his training trip.
'It's been a long time since I last saw you…I wonder how you're doing, Naruto.'
Despite all outward appearances, Sakura did care very deeply for her team mate. After all, he had always remained by her side regardless. In fact, since she and Ino still hadn't reconciled over the Sasuke issue, she could go as far as to call the loudmouthed blond her best friend.
'I miss you... You were always here to put a smile on my face no matter how I felt. And that day…you promised to bring Sasuke-kun back for me…even though it broke your heart to do so. And all I ever did was treat you like trash! I'll make it up to you when I see you , I promise!'
Of course, that couldn't go without a comment from the peanut gallery.
"Mmmm, I can think of a few ways you can make it up to him." Gaping at the implications of the statement, a blush spread across the unknowing Sakura's face. Despite herself, certain images popped up in her head, prompted by her perverted inner self's remarks.
She shook her head furiously, clearing it of all the unclean thoughts.
'Naruto's just my best friend, Sasuke-kun is the one I love.'
"…You could have fooled me."
The pink-haired girl growled under her breath, causing several villagers to look at her with alarm. How could she be losing an argument against herself!
'What do you mean by that? I always have and always will love Sasuke-kun. End of story.'
"I'm sure it's perfectly normal for best friends to do what you were just thinking of, hmmm?"
Game, set, match.
The resulting blush remained on her face for the next half an hour.
Making her way down the familiar corridors of the Hokage tower, Sakura mechanically nodded and smiled at the people she had become acquainted with during her apprenticeship under Tsunade.
'I couldn't possibly have feelings for Naruto, could I?'
She subconsciously placed a hand over her heart, finding that it had accelerated at just the thought of her blond team mate.
'I mean, sure, he's a great guy and all, but I love Sasuke-kun!"
"Denial, that's what it's called."
Sakura groaned at the annoying voice in her head.
'…Why do you keep popping up to annoy me?'
"It's my sworn duty to keep you from lying to yourself!"
The kunoichi was so caught up in her internal argument that she didn't look where she was going. And thus knocked someone over when she turned around a corner.
"Ah, I'm sorry…I wasn't looking." she sheepishly extended a gloved hand to the man she had knocked over. As he looked up, she saw that he was wearing a Kitsune mask which covered his face, and wore the standard ANBU uniform. The hand that grabbed firmly onto hers was muscled and yet strangely slender, just like her own. The man pulled himself up, and Sakura noticed that he was a few inches taller than she was.
"It's no problem, Miss…" his eyes widened under the mask, and Sakura noted that they were a beautiful shade of cerulean that for some strange reason seemed familiar to her. His voice also caused her to be overwhelmed by a strange sense of nostalgia, as she experienced a haunting feeling like she had heard it somewhere before.
'That's ridiculous, I don't know any ANBU.'
Giving the man a polite smile, she turned to continue on her way.
"Sakura…"
'What?!'
Her head whipped around , but the Kitsune was already at the other end of the corridor.
"ANBU-san! Do I know you from somewhere?" she called out. The man turned around slowly and looked at her impassively from behind his mask. She was struck by the mixed aura of gracefulness and danger that he radiated, just by standing there. 'So this is an ANBU…'
"…Yes. It was…good to see you again, Sakura." He vanished round the corner with those parting words.
'That was weird, I wonder who he was.'
She turned back onto her path to Tsunade's office, ignoring the nagging doubt in the back of her mind. The feeling that insisted she had seen that head of blond hair before.
Taking a swig of Sake, the Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure glared at the paperwork, hoping that it would disappear if she looked at it enough.
After five minutes of intense staring and drinking of alcohol, her cheeks were tinted red and there was still no noticeable change in the stack. She rubbed her temples in a resigned manner.
"Time to get to work…" she muttered to herself, before a knock sounded on the door to her office.
'Oh well, I could always do this another time.' She mentally shrugged and yelled "Come in!" The Sake bottle was disguised by a genjutsu, so that it appeared to be a bottle of ink.
When the pink head of her apprentice poked into the room, Tsunade held back a proud smile. Obsessive fan girl she might have been at one point, but under her tutelage Haruno Sakura was now a competent medic-nin of the Leaf. As Ino had predicted when they were children, Sakura had bloomed into a beautiful flower.
"Tsunade-shishou? What did you want to see me about?"
Tsunade stiffened, giving Sakura a serious look. Despite the slight alcohol-induced blush on her face, she looked every inch the Godaime Hokage and a member of the Densetsu no Sannin.
"Sakura. Something has been bothering me for a while now, and I'm afraid only you can do something about it."
The pink haired girl looked incredulous. Something she could do that the Godaime couldn't?
"Shishou?" the pink-haired girl asked hesitantly, brushing a few pink locks behind her ear.
"Shannaro! What's this all about!"
Tsunade looked into her pupil's emerald eyes, finding them confused and curious as to what she was referring to. Pinching the bridge of her nose, the Godaime tried to find the best way to break the news.
"It involves your team mate…Uzumaki Naruto."
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