The shadowy turbulent clouds raged with lightning and thunder, as rain poured down unmercifully from the heavens above. The sparks flew madly from the clash of shuriken and kunai being slammed into one another, flying apart from contact. The curse mark spread, tainting Sasuke's body even further. Naruto could feel his heart splitting in two. His best friend, the one who he had finally experienced a bond with, was now throwing it all away to avenge his clan. Naruto shook his head, forcing his salty tears to cease from flowing down his face, over his enflamed birthmarks.
' Talking will get me nowhere, I can see that now. No, I have to keep my promise… even if it kills me.' Naruto thought sadly. Inside the boy was a civil war ragging, and his zeal to bring back Sasuke was fading. To do such a deed would mean that Sakura would be happy, without him once more. To do this would mean the inevitable rejection of his feelings for her. To do this would kill him inside, to bring her everything she wanted. To some, it could be called a labor of love.
Naruto opened his crimson eyes, brimming with tears, to see Sasuke's chakra infused fist, as it slammed into Naruto's unprotected jaw. Naruto flew back, the wind flowing rapidly around him. The waters abyss engulfed the young boy as he sank deeper and deeper. Naruto let himself lay beneath the surface, feeling the Kyuubi roar deep inside. The unfamiliar ablaze sensation of tainted chakra ran through his veins, straight into his gnarled heart. This was the end, Naruto could no longer hold back.
With a mighty push of strength, Naruto shot through the watery grave, surrounded by a mysterious red chakra, fusing together to form the shape of a fox around his body, closing and mending his wounds.
Sasuke screamed in anger and pain as he moved into curse stage two, his skin turning brownish gray, his hair long and lavender, wings made of his flesh and bone sprouting on his back. He glared knives at Naruto, who no longer looked at him with compassion, but instead, his eyes dripped with hate. Visibly shaking with anger, Naruto formed his Rasangan, fusing his two sources of chakra together, as Sasuke charged his Chidori. With all the strength Naruto could muster, his mind altered by the Kyuubi, he blindingly shot towards Sasuke.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, glaring with hate.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted in unison.
The two Jutsus collided, suspending time for just a split flash. The flashbacks of the two ninja flashed through their minds. As desperately as Naruto has wished to save Sasuke, the bond between them had been severed, by the hate Naruto felt for Sasuke and all the pain he was going to cause when Sakura would reject Naruto once more.
With a loud explosion, both ninja were flown backward, enclosed in a blinding light.
A few moments later, Kakashi arrived on the scene of the battle. Lying on the ground, unconscious laid Sasuke who had reverted to his normal state. A small pool of blood lay around Sasuke, and Kakashi picked up the broken boy. His eyes searched through the never-ending downpour to see the familiar spiky blond hair, enthusiastic cerulean eyes, and the fox like grin he had grown to love. Yet, all that met him were tears of angels, crying over the loss.
"Naruto must have been obliterated by the explosion." Pakkun whimpered gruffly, holding in his mouth the torn up headband that had been Naruto's.
Kakashi said nothing, and held the bloody headband. He shed silent tears for his long lost student, grieving that he had not arrived just a second prior.
"Naruto… "Kakashi sobbed lightly, while holding the headband across his chest, over his breaking heart.
Far off in the distance, three Suna ninja knelt over a fallen Ninja. Using remedies found in the cacti of the desert, Temari applied the oils with great care. Kankuro and Garra stood back, their expressions bleak.
"Damnit Naruto, wake up!" Temari shouted, her eyes filling with tears. She owed so much to Naruto; after all she had done for her brother. Garra was slowly changing, along with his respected status in Suna; he also was becoming a much-loved ninja. Not all this would have been possible without Naruto aiding Garra and befriending him.
Naruto remained in Kyuubi mode, his whiskers inflamed as the Kyuubi worked to repair the internal damage. Naruto could hear the faint voice of an angel calling for him to open his eyes.
With great effort, Naruto fluttered his crimson eyes open, and slowly they reverted to the familiar blue. His eyes rested in Temari's, seeing the care and concern he had needed all his life.
"It's about time you knucklehead. Come with us, we'll take you back to Suna where you can rest up before heading back to Konoha and then…" Temari started to say
"No." Naruto said as he cut her off.
"Excuse me?" Temari asked, taken back by the sharpness of his tone.
"I will not go back to Konoha, not now, not ever. I think that it is best if everyone assumes I was killed. Garra, do you understand?" Naruto spoke softly, with remorse.
"Unfortunately, I do." Garra nodded, as he closed his eyes.
With the help of his rescuers, Naruto hobbled towards Suna, forevermore to turn his back on Konoha, until one fateful day in the distant future…
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+Awoken Dreamer+