The intensity of their gazes was overwhelming, even for Kakashi, who was standing a distance away, observing every minute detail. Both were exhausted, as proved by their hard pants and trembling limbs. The blond's sharp cerulean eyes held all the emotions, feelings and accusations that could not be put into words—anger, sorrow, wistfulness, hurt, hope. He was glaring at his opponent, drilling into those dark eyes, so different from his own. The pale missing-nin's eyes, however, seemed to be everything at once. Empty yet full, certain yet confused; as if he did not know what to feel. Staring at his opponent, pushing back the penetrative glare from those ocean-blue eyes, so similar to his own.
Watching them, Kakashi felt, for the first time in years, a horrible and empty sense of dread weigh down his stomach. He wanted to interfere, to stop them from destroying each other, but he could not, he would not. A strange sort of foreboding shadowed his mind, as though he already knew the outcome but refused to accept it. He forced himself to wrench his gaze away to look at Sakura, standing beside him. He had almost forgotten she was there, so quiet she was. The kunoichi's breathing was shallow, her eyes wide open. The way she held herself screamed of terror, so much that she was unable to voluntarily move a muscle. Without wanting to, he found himself turning back to the two boys, nearly men now. Finally, they began to move, and the copy-ninja, with a level of a Hokage and calmness of the ocean, felt his blood run cold.
He did not understand this cheerful, optimistic and usually hyperactive teammate—no, ex-teammate—of his. He had not understood him then, did not understand him now, and pretty much thought he would never understand him. Why on earth was he so goddamn happy? You don't deserve to be happy. Why did the idiot even try? Even as he merely looked at him, trying not to avert his gaze from those accusing eyes, his vision blurred slightly due to the overuse of his Sharingan. He continued to gaze back in an offhand manner, his stance relaxed despite the thunderbolts of tension zapping through his body. Looking down for just a split second, he noticed his limbs shuddering and cursed inwardly. Was he that drained already? He didn't feel tired. It angered him that his enemy would still try so hard.
Naruto.. Why do you still attempt to do the impossible? Are you that weak, that pathetic? My friend? Ridiculous.
Naruto's lips tightened into a thin line, getting ready to move in. Seeing this, he began to gather in his chakra.
One last charge.
It won't matter anymore. One last simple charge and then the pathetic orphan would be dead forever. He began to make plans in his mind. He would return to one of Orochimaru's hideouts and recuperate for a while, maybe train up his body more. After that he would continue his attack against Konoha. He would make the village fall and give them the retribution they deserved. He would avenge his brother.
As a blue light began to glow in his hand, he rushed in towards Naruto, who was dashing towards him with a simple but rather large Rasengan. As the distance between them closed, Sasuke's eyesight wavered slightly, and then returned, more focused than ever. He saw Naruto's determined face, his mouth wide open as he yelled his battle cry.
Too late, Sasuke realized that he was wrong. Fear consumed him and he looked into Naruto's eyes, seeing the same realization there too. The regret and wistfulness in those cerulean blues were reflected in his own, and then—
There was a bright light and an explosion that rang in his ears. All his senses were rendered useless as his mind screamed at him. No, this cannot be, this is wrong. NO! He flew through the air and felt something hit his back hard. Pain lanced through his body, everywhere, knives in his stomach, his hands and his legs.
He did not know what was happening, but somehow he felt that it mattered not this time. No, it definitely did not matter. For the sky was blue, such a beautiful, sweet blue. It radiated calmness and peace, and Sasuke felt the tension in his body ease as he relaxed into the soft earth of the ground. Even the previous sharp pain seemed to melt away, forgotten, leaving a numb ache that barely bothered him. What was he even agitated about? Some...fight? Yes... Wait, no... It was... It eluded his mind completely, just slightly out of its grasp, and soon he forgot about that even, for the sun was a shining yellow, a splash of bright paint in the elegant messiness of the white clouds. The whole patch of blue, white and yellow above him was... nice. It stretched out for forever, the bright yellow rays reaching out to all the ends of the earth, the lovely white adding detail to the picture and the big pretty blue like a blanket, covering and keeping everything warm. And he too, felt his spirits lift and a funny sort of shifting in his heart.
It's joy, he realized, a gentle, beatific smile upon his face.
Darkness fell.
He felt like he knew what Sasuke was talking about when he ranted about the pains of life in their occasional fights. Today, he definitely didn't. In fact, his opponent had barely talked at all, except for swearing on several occasions or calling him pathetic. He was different somehow and it confused him. Sasuke seemed even more confident of his skills than before, yet unsure at the same time. He was quieter, but his actions screamed out his thoughts. It gave him a headache just thinking of it, so he just focused on fighting.
Sasuke, goddamn it, wake up! Why can't you see that I—we, team 7, want to help? Idiot! He tried unsuccessfully to calm himself down. Thoughts flashed through his mind, going as quickly as they had come. Hot blood pumped through his veins, spurting out from his cut shoulder when he moved. Sometimes he wondered why he still tried, but he would quickly diminish the thought. I'm his friend, he would tell himself. Yet a second voice would whisper, "But is he your friend?" causing an extremely uncomfortable worm of doubt to settle in his mind. It angered him that his friend disregarded his now uncountable tries to bring him back and offered friendship so easily and carelessly.
I'll just knock the idiot out first. Just won't give in, bastard!
Sasuke's lips curled up into a sneer, Naruto guessed, unconsciously. Naruto began to get ready to move in.
One last charge.
If it did not work in at least knocking him out for a little bit, it was over. He knew this. He would die. They would both die. He wondered if Sasuke knew it too. No, he must not think that way. It would work, it couldn't not work! Sasuke would.. turn around. He would come back, and team 7 will be together again. Yeah! This would totally work out! He grinned, determination set on his face, then charged in, yelling whatever his mouth chose to come up with. As he once again looked into Sauke's eyes, he saw the emptiness in them, and a doubt grew in his mind. Quickly, he pushed it down before he backed out.
The two Jutsus fizzed as they met, joining to become one. It popped and crackled. In a different situation on a different day, Naruto might have been distracted by it. But this was not a different situation on a different day. An explosion boomed in the air. His already sharp senses, influenced by Kurama's chakra in him, were enhanced even further.
He saw Sasuke blown away and heard his shocked gasp. He noticed Kakashi-sensei at the corner, standing still as a statue, his face pale. He could even see the rivulets of sweat on him. Sakura was beside him, her hands pressing tightly to her mouth in anxiety and shock. He heard the whistle of the wind as it ran through the trees, rustling their leaves. He could also smell the beautiful scent of the grass as he hit the ground, skidding on his back. Friction burned his skin and he lay there, gazing at the sky, inhaling the scent of the grass, hearing the whisper of nature, feeling the ground, tasting the bitter and sour defeat that filled his mouth.
"Screw this," Naruto muttered. He hurt all over, and the edges of his vision were black, threatening to close in. The pitter patter of Sakura's small feet sounded out and Naruto felt the small vibrations in the ground as she moved closer. Just before she reached, he heard a familiar voice sounding in his head. Oh...Kurama.
Sleep now...
"Obito... It's been a while now. I've been busy, what with all this turmoil." He lay on his back, his eyes closed. "They...passed away, you know? All three of them." His voice cracked and he continued talking, his words a hoarse whisper. "I can't believe she was not able to take it. She seemed...strong." He kept silent for a while; only the sound of his soft breathing could be heard. "Oh god. What am I to do now, Obito? My team mates, all gone...again. All in one day. Amazing, strong kids, destroyed by themselves... My students, my very first students..."
A single tear rolled down his cheek, the first one in a very long time. The last time he even remembered his eye filling up was when he was training with Minato-sensei, and his sensei had twisted his arm behind his back painfully. Even then, he had not shed a tear.
Tears emerged from his right eye—he couldn't cry from his left—not in droplets, but a great stream of them, letting out the anguish of losing the people he treated as his own children, the grief and the sorrow. It washed over him like a tidal wave, crashing down upon his soul, breaking it down. The tiny waves that followed tried for all they were worth to cleanse and repair his soul, but simple waves will never restore a beach, will never conquer it.
He opened his eyes to squint against the bright sunlight and he sobbed. Here was the Copy Ninja, well-known throughout the world. He was a calm person, seldom panicking or furious. He was one of the most skilled shinobis in the whole world. Here was the legendary Hatake Kakashi, making convulsive gasps and blubbing like a baby. God damn it!
After a while of releasing his emotions, he felt slightly better, the tears having slowed to a trickle. As he spoke, he found that his throat felt like collapsing, but continued anyway. "You know, Obito, I never prepared for this day. I've always expected bad things. Floods, earthquakes, deaths of people like Guy. But never my students, because...well... How could they die? It seemed impossible, but I was so wrong. It's like...that day all over again." He ran a hand through his hair, tugging at it slightly. "I think...I think I won't take on students for a while. It's sort of cowardly isn't it? I'm just running away. But, heck, I don't care. Perhaps I'll just take on individual missions, to give myself time to think it over." He considered it silently. "Yeah. I'll do just that"
Standing up, he touched the slab of stone, thinking about the old days. Then, sighing, he moved off. Calm and focused on missions, Kakashi. Calm and focused.
There! (: Many many many thanks to DestinyCrusader for Beta Reading! (She is a great Beta Reader) Please review (yes definitely please review) :D