Author's Note: Sorry for the late-ness of this chapter, my main computer crashed and is now being repaired, so I had to rewrite several parts of this chapter from memory. I'm fairly pleased with the result, and I hope you are as well!

I think I've caught all of them, but if you happen to see any spelling or grammar errors, let me know!

"Speech"

Thoughts

Thoughts from a strong entity, such as Kyuubi

"Jutsus"

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Believe it.

Chapter 2: Old Friends

Uchiha Sasuke calmly stared down at the battle below from his position on top of a rocky outcrop. Everything was going exactly as he had planned. The Konoha ninjas were being forced back into the center of the peninsula, where they could be easily cut down by the Sound nin surrounding them on all sides. It was only a matter of time before Konoha would have to surrender to the inevitable.

And perhaps best of all, his newest and most powerful jutsu was a complete success.

His brow furrowed in thought as he scanned the battlefield, Sharingan eyes revolving slowly. Something did not sit right with the Uchiha. It all seemed to be going too well. Konoha had proved to be a thorn in the side to many. Even Madara could not defeat them outright. His under-estimation and arrogance lead to his downfall, and Sasuke vowed that he would not repeat Madara's mistakes. He had planned and gauged every second of the day many many times, working tirelessly to ensure his victory.

"I can not lose today. I WILL NOT lose today." he whispered fiercely, his fists tightening in rage. He breathed slowly in and out to replace his calm mask.

While he may have been displaying the classic Uchiha stoic expression to the outside world, inside he was a tangled web of emotions. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and adrenaline coursed through his veins in waves, the level of which he hadn't felt in years. Almost a decade of waiting and scheming was finally paying off. Konoha was falling and he would finally have his revenge for the destruction of his clan.

After all, he was an avenger.

There was only one wild-card, one thing that could undo all his hard work... The last Uchiha closed his eyes and extended his senses, searching for that familiar chakra that could only belong to one person...

Dobe, where are you?


Kabuto darted through the remains of what was once Konohagakure, a squad of nin right behind him. He had only managed to gather half of the necessary supplies, but it would have to be enough. According to his spies, the battle was already well underway. If he didn't hurry, he could miss the battle completely.

And that would be unacceptable.

Hurry Kabuto.

The voiced hissed in his brain without warning, nearly causing him to stumble over the rubble that was once the Hokage Tower. He didn't answer the voice, but sped up his pace, forcing those behind him to increase their speed as well.

Ten minutes later, he leapt over a large wall to enter the only part of Konoha left completely intact. The squad landed roughly behind him, breathing heavily. After catching their breath, one of them spoke, her voice sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness of the early morning.

"So, this is the infamous Uchiha compound?"

Kabuto simply nodded.

The compound lay quiet in the early morning hours, yet the medic nin couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. The air seemed heavier here, denser, and it seemed to weigh down on him with each breath he took. It was as if he had just stepped into a new world. There were no birds chirping, no squirrels chattering, not even the faint whooshing sound of plants rustling in the wind could be heard.

Only silence.

He could tell the others felt it to, and for a moment they just stared at the deathly silent compound, eyes darting left and right down the long empty streets, as if looking for something, what exactly none of them were certain.

The longer he stared the more uneasy he felt. Kabuto mentally shook himself. Now was not the time to be distracted.

"Quit gawking. You know what we have to do. Let's go."

As one they entered the Uchiha District.


With a loud thump, something warm and heavy landed on a Sound Ninja's back. He paused in his charge and his neck whirled around so fast it cracked. He raised his kunai, body tensed, ready to eliminate the threat. What he saw though, froze him in his tracks.

"Hiya cutie! Whatcha' doing?"

It was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. Her luxuriously silky blond hair was tied up into two long pig-tails, giving her an adorably innocent look. Further enforcing this look was a revealing school-girl outfit, which fabulously displayed her womanly curves. She giggled and winked, and all thoughts of battle fled his mind. He grinned stupidly, and the girl smiled back. Yet when she spoke again, her voice sounded much different.

"Bunshin Daibakuha!"

The woman exploded, sending the man across the water, where he skipped several times on the surface before sinking below the choppy waves.

Similar scenes were happening all over the battleground. Though some of the more battle-hardened men managed to destroy the clones (or in some cases, their furious kunoichi teammates did), many did not. Almost simultaneously, small explosions occurred all around the small peninsula, turning most of the rocky cliffs surrounding it into nothing but rubble.


Peering closely at the battle going on through a crystal viewing orb, Shikamaru sat in the corner of the Tactics Tent, writing down notes for Ino to mentally pass along to the field commanders when she returned. It seemed that at least for the moment, a decent portion of Sound ninja were out of comission. It wasn't quite as effective as he would have liked, but it would have to do for now.

Good Job Naruto.

"Shikamaru!" A voice screeched.

He jumped as the tent flap was thrown open and Ino slid to a stop inside, gasping for breath. She appeared more nervous and (dare he say it)afraid than Shikamaru had seen her in a very long time.

"Ino?" He questioned, surprised by the look of panic on her face.

"More Sound nins... closing... in fast ..." she said in between breaths. The rest of the Tactics team gasped.

"What?" he asked, shocked. "The report said that reinforcements wouldn't be able to make it here for at least a week!"

"I know," she said, looking grim. "But I've seen it with my own eyes. They must've known we were coming. The main force is to the south and heading straight toward our camp."

Shikamaru stiffly sat back down, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to ignore the feeling of hopelessness growing in the back of his mind.

"How many?" He asked.

If possible, Ino's expression became even more grim at the question.

"More than we ever imagined."


Naruto leaped backwards just as a kunai landed in the exact spot he had been a second earlier. He skidded to a stop as he turned to face his attacker. The bodies of his ANBU guard lay still several feet away. For an instant, blue eyes met red. Then Naruto made a single handsign, and the enormous seal he had created on the side of the barrier turned bright red, before slowly fading to black.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as his opponent flashed through a quick hand sign again, bracing himself. The seal turned white hot and began to sizzle. Moments later, the giant exploding tag seal did just what it was designed to do.


Far below, Inuzuka Kiba was fighting a particularly annoying Sound Jounin when he saw a bright light flash from out of the corner of his eye. His opponent saw it too, and the Jounin took one look upward before running away, looking as terrified as if he was being chased by a pack of the Inuzuka best dog-nins. Curious as to what could have scared away such a high-level ninja, Kiba glanced in the direction of the flash. Hundreds of feet above him, the design of a gigantic seal that he knew very well (though he had never seen one so large) began to glow, and his jaw dropped.

"Holy -"

But before he could utter another word, the roar of the explosion had reached him.


Both men were thrown backward by the sheer force of the explosion. Ninjas on the beach sprinted for any cover they could find, for the choppy waves had suddenly transformed into tidal waves as aftershocks rippled through the area, threatening to drown friend and foe alike. Large chunks of the earth barrier fell from the sky like rain, eliciting screams of pain and fear. To them it seemed as if the world was wrenching itself apart. The bottom half of the barrier mostly remained intact, while the top half was nothing but rubble. Ninjas from both sides ran in confusion, trying to dodge the deadly debris.

Then a blood-thirsty roar echoed across the land, and everyone below froze in fright.

As one, they looked upward, where from far above them, two figures appeared to rise up on the barrier.

Naruto carefully stepped out near the edge of the wall, balancing himself on the shifty rocks. Sasuke stood several yards away on the other side, arms crossed, his classic stoic expression adorning his face. He studied the wall for a few seconds before he spoke.

"You've gotten stronger, dobe."

The Hokage just glared, his now feral-looking red eyes never leaving the Uchiha. When he spoke, his voice was full of contempt.

"You haven't."

A brief flash of annoyance graced the Uchiha's face, but it was gone so quickly Naruto wondered whether or not it had ever been there at all.

"Hmph, we'll see who the stronger one is soon enough." Sasuke said in that same irritatingly calm voice as he shifted into a battle stance. Naruto did likewise, his eyes still boring into his former friend. Today, there would be no mercy. The last Uchiha was a threat to Konoha, and he would eliminate any threat to his village, his family.

A lone leaf slowly spiraled gracefully to the ground, the last remnant of a tree that was destroyed during the explosion. At nearly the precise moment when the leaf touched the ground, Naruto leapt at Sasuke, determined to finish the battle that had started a long time ago.

Somehow he knew that only one of them would survive this battle, and he had a suspicion that Sasuke knew it too. There would be no more running. This... whatever it was between them, would finally end.

And he was right.


Next Chapter: The fate of Tenten is revealed!

Justus:

Bunshin Daibakuha - Exploding Clone Technique

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