One Beyond Nine

xX Start Xx

I don't remember the first time I heard the saying about cats having nine lives. Nobody ever bothered to explain to me what it meant and I was so tired of being called an idiot that I never asked. But now, as I lay here, I can't help thinking about that phrase. It's too damn ironic.

The Kyuubi doesn't look all that much like a cat. Its snarling face and body reminds me more of Akamaru in a fight, bestial and raging as a wolf. The only similarity between the demon fox and cats is the number nine. Nine lives for nine tails, that is.

I realize that nine lives could last one person a lifetime or more. Nine second chances to live again, but even with all those I won't live to turn seventeen. Ninjas, I suppose do have more runs with death than normal people. But I really never was normal, was I? I'm a jinchuuriki, I'm stalked by Akatsuki, and my best friend is out for my blood. I guess I'm surprised I lived this long.

I can hear something vaguely, making its way towards me… footsteps. I would open my eyes, but at the moment I'm just too tired to care who's come to walk among the smoldering ruins of the Akatsuki hideout. I can barely smell anything either, the scent of my and the enemies' blood that seems to cover me blocks out most everything else.

They're coming towards me whoever they are. They must be only twenty feet away because I can detect his chakra… Speaking of traitorous best friends. Odd that Sasuke is here. Did he want to destroy Konoha so badly that he had stooped to working with Akatsuki? That bastard.

Maybe I'll live long enough to laugh in his face one more time; to show him that this dobe is far from a deadlast. The footsteps have stopped. I guess he's standing over me, again. Like in so many of our other fights he's the one left standing, but this time I've won.

I can hear his ragged breathing; I think he must've run to get here. Of course, he could just be very, very angry. Sasuke does have a tendency to want to scream when something precious to him has been taken away. He must've seen the bodies of Pein and Tobi which are lying somewhere near me. Taking revenge on Konoha will be much harder without them. I think maybe, I under estimated the power of revenge. I got mine anyway, right old pervert?

I can feel the killer intent radiating from Sasuke's body and hear the crackling of what sounds to be a very large chidori. I wish I could open up my eyes and smirk up at the smug bastard as he does it. I want him to know that I know it's coming and that I am not afraid. I can't though. Everything's too dark. It's as if my once clearly lit consciousness is receding from the outside in.

I can barely feel the heat of chakra as it is driven closer. I really wish I could smile at Sasuke one last time; Because, unfortunately, he is one life too late.

xX End Xx

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story! I hope you enjoyed it. If you want to, drop me review; because, in all honesty, it will take you less than two minutes to write one and it will fill up your 'Good Things I Did Today' quota. : )

This is my first oneshot I've ever uploaded onto FF or the internet! I really hope someone out there likes it. The idea just came to me out of the blue one day, "nine lives equals nine demonic tails".

Spoiler warning! Originally I didn't have a reason for why Naruto had decided to go and defeat Akatsuki (besides for the 'you're trying to capture me and in the process you'll hurt someone else' reason) but when Jiraiya died T-T I thought, yes that's it! (In case you didn't understand, when Naruto says he got his revenge he means he got his revenge on Akatsuki for killing Jiraiya.) So this is just one of many ways Naruto could've reacted to the toad sage telling him that Jiraiya died.

If you think that Sasuke over reacted (trying to kill Naruto, not realizing that he was already dead) ponder this. Naruto just single handedly killed Pein and Tobi (who in actuality is Uchiha Madara; and acording to Kisame the Mizukage?!). Something I doubt Sasuke could do by himself. Naruto also just voided the alliance between Hawk (formerly known as Team Snake) and Akatsuki, making it much harder for Sasuke to get his revenge on the Konoha elders. Effectively Naruto has just shown up Sasuke in the biggest way possible. Causing Sasuke to question his own strength by realizing how much Naruto has improved.

Thanks again!

Until Next Time - Kuroi Fushichou