Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or anything that comes along with it otherwise I probably would have killed off Sasuke long ago, or at least stopped him from being such an arrogant ass.
"Speech"
"Thought"
"Kyuubi thoughts"
(A few months before the funeral)
This is set after Sasuke witnessed Itachi's death.
Chapter 2: Equal Intentions
The familiar sounds of two shinobi fighting were apparent from the clashing noises of two kunai meeting in battle and the fact that the ground almost seemed to tremble all across Konoha. This could only mean one of two things; either they were under attack, or Sasuke and Naruto were at it again.
It was centred within a training ground surrounded by a cluster of trees as a form of protection, but that didn't amount to much when these two were flying shurikan, kunai, jutsus and whatever else they had in their arsenal at each other. The normal spectators were there- namely Sakura and Kakashi who were team mate and sensei respectively. They also both knew that when these two went at it they wouldn't stop until the finishing blows were made, and luckily that came just at that moment- all they had to do was be ready to catch.
"Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
Upon the left side the shinobi swathed in white and black held what only could be called as a sphere of lightning, with every so often a single spark breaking away from the rest. Along with the spectacle that was this lightning technique came the undeniable sound of thousands of birds calling in unison; the call soon exceeding screeching heights where the name for this particular jutsu had come from. However while his opponent's attack may hold the same spherical property that was where the similarities ended since the light blue revolving ball emitted next to no sound at all, being of a smooth edge where the other splintered. Seeing these techniques was not what they were interested in- it was the next part.
As the two jutsus met a large explosion occurred and the pair was engulfed in a brilliant light, even extending to the ninja laying in wait, knowing exactly what was going to happen. It was when two shadows became visible through the smoke and were rushing towards the trees at an alarming speed did they set out for the targets; Sakura for Sasuke and Kakashi for Naruto. When they last stopped counting how many times this happened it was at 57, then just losing it after that, especially when they begun to get more frequent. Once caught the two unconscious shinobi were placed side by side in the center of the desecrated training ground, a mere shadow of what it used to be. Now it was all about the wait.
"Dobe…"
"Baka…"
This was how it ended every single time. The two blows connected and blasted the two into whatever object was closest and in turn meant both Kakashi and Sakura went through catching practice again. Once the two males regained consciousness they would utter the same two words before sitting up, Naruto slowly healing his own wounds due to the Kyuubi's chakra while Sasuke received medical help from his pink-haired team mate. Then they would both get a rather hefty punch courtesy of Sakura and be almost knocked out again before receiving the same lecture about how they were both being stupid before setting out to Naruto's favourite place of all: Ichiraku.
"''Fanks Kakashi-Sensei!"
The smile Kakashi beamed at the yellow-spiked student was in response to the gratitude although he couldn't help but feel slightly worried when he noticed the eighth bowl of ramen Naruto had got through, and then severely downhearted for how much it was going to cost him when he ordered his tenth. However when the bill was paid and a very contented Naruto stepped out patting his belly he guessed it was worth it, especially after all his students had been through lately.
"Let's just hope Naruto sticks to ramen and not to trouble like he usually does!"
There usually wasn't a time period of more than five minutes of peace before his thoughts trailed back to a fight that both his former students had participated in, each blow aimed at full strength with nothing being held back. However this wasn't his two students against an enemy- it was the pair against each other, and worse of all, half of it he couldn't remember, only able to remember the last ruthless attack that threatened to put an end to it all before circumstances arose that stopped the fight abruptly.
"Eh? Kakashi-sensei, what are you thinking about?"
His trail of thought was quickly shattered as he suddenly snapped himself out of reminiscing, his uncovered eye travelling down his arm to find the blonde tugging at the sleeve of his jounin overcoat. Kakashi quickly raised his hand to run through his ruffled silver hair with a sheepish grin on his face, or at least what they could determine from the emotion in his eye before pushing aside Naruto's hand and answering the question arisen.
"Just about my book- which reminds me, I have some catching up to do, so I'll see you lot later."
When the small cloud of smoke dissipated to leave no trace of the Konoha ninja behind the curious trio all sighed in unison, once again abandoned by their rather lazy former-sensei. They all glanced at each other as they all thought the same thing, Naruto being the one to suggest it in words, but in ones that were far from flattering.
"He's probably going to read one of his books. He's a pervert just like Ero-Sennin."
The fist that collided with his face knocked the unsuspecting shinobi clean off his feet and straight through the wall of the nearby building, surprising the customers inhabiting inside before scrambling from their stools in the bar and running off having glanced at the murderous glare in the pink-haired kunoichi's eyes. It probably rivalled the Kyuubi's malicious aura as the villagers fled from the female, those who risked peering out their windows feeling quite sorry for the blonde who had been on the receiving end of the last attack.
"Sakura-chan! What was that for?"
His voice came out as a tiny puppy's whimper, all the while rubbing the angry violet patch blossoming upon his face. However he was soon finding that the quiet whimper had been reduced to complete silence, his eyes wide as he felt Sakura winding herself up for another lunge at the Uzumaki, quickly darting out of the way just in time as the chakra-influence punch sailed past his cheek.
"That's our sensei baka! You can't go around calling people things like that, and if I have to knock you senseless for you to finally realise it, then so be it!"
Despite his quick reaction allowing him to divert the previous attempt it unfortunately didn't stop the third from connecting, and in a few seconds he had gone from wide-eyed 'moose in headlights' to knocked out ninja, unconscious on the floor with the villagers hiding in their homes now etching a mental note upon the brains never to cross this girl and have to feel her wrath. Even Sasuke couldn't help wincing as the climax of this one-sided battle occurred, knowing that the ramen-obsessed individual upon the floor would be out cold at least for the next hour or so, even with the Kyuubi in the wings ready to heal the male. His feelings were only amplified as his terror-inducing team mate grabbed onto the collar of the Uzumaki and dragged him along with her to her destination, the glare she shot back at the innocent Uchiha chilling him to the bone.
"Come on Sasuke. We're going to see Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi's quick disappearance from the Ramen stand resulted in the ninja resting upon the same lone stump that his former students had performed his infamous bell test; Sakura and Naruto having done it twice. He had considered making the last team mate to do it again after his arrival back to the village but had since decided against it, unable to clear his mind for some time now because of the same recurring memory that plagued his very thoughts. However even now he wasn't allowed any time alone as he saw the trio he had just left quickly approaching him- the concern kicking in as he noticed a very meek Sasuke trailing after a clearly enraged Sakura, Naruto dragged across the floor by her hand.
"What happened to him?"
His question lingered for a while in the air as he glanced from the pair of standing ninja, knowing that something had to have happened to have made both Sakura this mad and Sasuke this quiet. It was only when the Uchiha shuffled slowly to the jounin's side that all was made clear, the three whispered words all he needed to fully understand the situation.
"Sakura did it."
A/N: I decided to post this chapter after finally writing it to a length I didn't mind submitted but also I wanted to point out it wasn't a one-chapter story about Naruto dying. (That's just a bit to morbid for me)
The next chapter has already been finished, but I don't want to post it now since I may get a bit preoccupied and not finish the chapter in good time, so i'll just spread out the wait amongst the story.
