Disclaimer: We no own… simple as that.
Warnings: This one's relatively dark and a violent so be warned. There's character death as well.
Author's Babble: Hey guys! Scorn here with a new chapter and man is this one a kicker. Sure to knock you off your feet and maybe jerk a few tears in the process, so sorry in advance.
A Battle Not Quite Won
I almost expected it to rain; after all, it's the only defense left that could possibly fend off the fire that was greedily consuming this shell of a village. The flames die quickly under nature's onslaught of icy pellets and as the silvery wisps of smoke rise from the charred remains of buildings and bodies alike, I can't help but marvel at the irony of the scene before me. Like the blaze that gutted the village, Konoha was once a power not to be reckoned with, but like the fire, it easily crumpled beneath the strength of an even greater and inevitable force.
As I cast my gaze around me, unfazed by the dozens of battered corpses littering the ground, I feel almost sickened. To think the Sound could defeat Konoha in only three days… it's insulting… Though I was confident that we would win with Orochimaru's years of planning and preparation, I at least expected more resistance from the shinobi born of the "Will of Fire." But I was disappointed again.
Giving into my rage, I lash out and kick the body nearest me. As it rolls over, no longer susceptible to such earthly things as fear, anger and pain, the face of my long forgotten teammate Haruno Sakura meets my dark gaze. Death was a good look for her, I notice, there was not an ounce of luster left in her long pink locks –all the blood had seen to that. The disturbing, simpering smile I remember her wearing was gone, hopefully never to return to another living face again. And the spark had vanished from her emerald eyes as well, leaving them dark and empty. This kunoichi… this woman claimed undying affection for me and in return I skewered her on the end of my sword. 'Bet she doesn't love me now,' I think to myself as a truly sinister sneer twists my lips.
Konoha had fallen at our feet. The flame had finally been snuffed out. The members of Rookie Nine, men I grew up with, dead. Their demise had come to one of two ends: brought down in the heat of a fruitless struggle on the battlefield or dealt them by one of Orochimaru's elite torturers. All but one…
"Naruto." I clench my fists in anger as that name passed my lips. Our battle had been intense to say the least. For hours it seemed we waged war on each other, both sustaining injury after injury.
"You've gotten stronger," I remember saying after what felt like our millionth clash. "But it's still not enough."
"We'll see," Naruto replied, but it really wasn't enough. The blonde's breath was coming in short, laboured gasps. One look at his blood drenched eyes told me that every inhale had become a battle in itself. I can still feel the excitement that had filled my shrunken, black heart as this sign of weakness was revealed to me. My veins pumped hard with adrenaline as I moved to seize this opportunity, almost yelling out in triumph.
Then she made an appearance… That annoying bitch dared to step between us, putting herself directly in line with my attack. Sakura forced the tip of my katana into the dirt with a kunai before I had time to fully realize who would be so incredibly stupid.
"Naruto, go! I'll take it from here." I can still remember exactly what she said to the blond. Sakura's voice had been so strong, so determined. Too bad she didn't have the skill to back them up; otherwise it might have actually been worth the three minutes it took to kill her.
"Pitiful," I said darkly, giving the female's corpse another sharp kick to the side –slightly disappointed to hear no whimper of pain escape her bloody lips- before stepping over her and continuing on my way. I still have a mission to complete and although I can't help this unwelcome feeling of guilt that has settled in my chest, I refuse to be deterred.
This war ends now. I spot the first small puddle of blood not even five feet from Sakura's body. 'Some things never change,' I think to myself, I can already see another fresh slash of crimson a few more feet up the road. To no surprise of mine, Naruto is no better at covering his tracks than he was at the age of twelve.
My body ached from the wounds I received during our earlier fight and pain shot up my right side with every step, but I pushed it aside, ignoring it like I am the guilt. The trail leads me to the only area of the village still intact, a place I haven't thought about in more than six years. The Uchiha complex is –on Orochimaru's orders I'm sure- just as I remember it; dead and as silent as the grave.
I step towards the large oak front doors, slightly ajar with a smear of red along its front. The blood is still warm, I note, running a finger through it to confirm my suspicions. Naruto was hurt… badly, much more than I had originally anticipated. A twinge of guilt churns inside my chest as I walk into the grounds, giving complete control over to my instincts. Memories, like tortured spirits of times past, floated in and out of my mind as I continue to search, to hunt for the one thing that will quench my thirst for blood, for power…
My wanderings bring me to the front steps of my childhood house, the very place where my quest began. I pause just outside the front door; even from here I can hear the faint sounds of movement within. 'Just a little further…' a smirk curls my lips as I silently push open the sliding doors.
Passing through the kitchen I mentally wave away the images of my Mother's face, smiling gently as she busied herself with preparing dinner for my Father. I can feel my anticipation mounting, swelling like a vast balloon inside me, as I reach the trail's end in front of a pair of dark wooden doors. Behind them I can hear the same faint noise as before, only now I'm close enough to make it out. Growling, the kind you would expect from a cornered dog.
'Or a fox,' I think to myself, feeling my eyes come alive suddenly with the scarlet wheels of Sharingan. I am… so close…
As quickly and suddenly as my bloodline activated I flung open the double doors, immediately dodging three kunai with the same momentum. I scowl, critically eyeing the three weapons embedded deep in the wall behind me.
"A little premature, don't you think Naruto?" I drawl, advancing a few feet into the room without even bothering to reach for any weapons of my own. Why should I? After all the damage I caused during our last encounter, this will be as easy as smothering an infant in his crib. "And your aim was off, as usual." Even after all these years, I still can't resist taunting him.
The scene couldn't be more perfect if I drew it out myself. There, growling and keeping to the shadows, was Naruto. Although, he isn't huddling in a corner like a beaten dog as I imagined, but standing directly opposite me, his back up against the wall -for support, I surmise on catching sight of his slightly shaking legs. A few beams of moonlight filter in through the window on my left, but I don't need it to see the blond.
Through his one undamaged eye, he stares at me with…what expression is that? Anger? Hatred? No… no, that's not it. I recognize that face, the slight dip at the corners of his mouth, it's identical to the look thirteen-year-old Itachi gives me in my dreams, in my nightmares. It's disappointment… No, no. Anger quickly floods my system, fusing with the excitement and within seconds a violent storm is born, twisting and turning inside me.
Not him. How the HELL can he, Naruto, be disappointed with me! What reasons does he have, I'm the one whose about to finish him off after all. He should be thankful I'm not dragging this out, making him suffer longer, or handing him, broken and defenseless, to Orochimaru and the twisted fucks he employees as torturers. I can feel the storm spreading, infecting everything it touches until my very blood is hot with rage and all I can see is red. I advance a few more paces, the sound of my footsteps echo threateningly off the room's bare walls.
Naruto merely coughed, freeing blood from his throat and all I can do is watch the fresh droplets trickle out of the corners of his mouth and down his chin.
"It's ironic," I say, my voice shaking slightly from anger, "how all the people I ever held dear died in this very room."
He's still staring at me, and I am close enough now to see that his eye had changed from blood red to its original deep blue. And as I stare back, I can see the sorrow there with no trace of hope left. Only a spark of his unyielding, unbreakable will remains, glinting defiantly at me. But it is useless now. Naruto knows what is coming, I can see it in his eye, and the knowledge that he can do nothing to stop it makes my skin tingle pleasantly. Focusing my remaining chakra into my left hand, one thousand threads of blue lightning gather in my palm, the sound –like a symphony of chirping birds- effectively chases away the silence.
"Goodbye, Naruto."
I charge, bridging the gap between us with ease, before thrusting the chidori forward. But even the cry of the mighty Lightning's Edge couldn't mask the sound -that horrible snapping sound of my technique, as it broke through his rib cage. And it was in that single moment, that fraction of a second when my hand tore a fist-sized hole in Naruto's right lung, our bond was finally severed.
Naruto grew limp, his bloodied orange clad body slumping forward onto my chest. I can feel something warm spill onto the front of my shirt as the blond chokes and sputters on the sudden rush of blood filling his mouth. My body instinctively tenses as Naruto's hands grip my shoulders, using my body as leverage to help him raise his head. I can feel his hot breath brush against my ear, making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
"Sa… Sasuke," Naruto whispers, his breath laboured and ragged, "You… really are a dobe…"
He coughed, sending a mouthful of blood running down his chin and dripping onto my shoulder. My eyes grow wide in shock. At the same time I can feel my leg muscles weaken. That nickname… the one used throughout our entire rivalry. Hell, since the moment I met him… To have it used against me hurt more than any wound I have ever suffered. And it was the last time I heard his voice…
With a soft, almost content sigh, Naruto's grasp grew slack. His head slumped forward so that his whiskered face nestled into the crevice of my pale neck and the steady beat of his heart –the rhythm I never thought would end- grew fainter and fainter until there wasn't a trace of it left in the air. Konoha's loudest and number one most unpredictable ninja, Uzumaki Naruto, died in my arms.
"Bastard," I hear myself say, although my voice is hoarse and shaky. My knees finally give way and I unceremoniously fall to the blood-soaked floorboards with a hollow thump.
Vaguely, I realize my hand is still embedded in the blonde's chest and with a sickening, wet sucking sound I wrench my arm free of its momentary prison. Blood gushed freely from the wound, pooling in my lap, but I am too distracted to notice. My crimson gaze catches sight of a thin trail on the wall I am now facing, glistening slightly in the faint light of the moon. As I follow the path up with my eyes I come to a bloody hand print. Immediately I knew its owner; my hand must have smacked into the wood when it burst out of Naruto's back.
"Goodbye Naruto…"
I am completely alone now. No longer am I a prisoner of my emotions… my concern for those I love. With no precious people left in my way, I am free to fulfill my ambition. Itachi would soon be mine.
But I still can't help the pain in my chest. The guilt and the sadness that is eating away at my insides are almost too much to bear. Tears fill my eyes, drowning the scarlet of Sharingan, until all that is left are two empty dark orbs. I lower my eyes to the corpse I'm still cradling in my arms and a few tears escape my black pools and roll down my cheeks. Lost in my sorrow, I pulled the boy –my friend- against my chest, my arms encircling his lifeless body in an unmistakable hug. I shut my eyes and thread the thin fingers of my right hand into his matted golden crown. Just holding Naruto was painful, but it was a small price to pay for what I have done.
"Forgive me," I whisper, tears now streaming freely down my face. It is in this instant that I almost regret choosing my path of power. But there is little I can do. I have come too far and taken to many steps towards my goal to stop now.
"Uchiha," Kabuto's voice sounded from my communicator and succeeded in scattering my thoughts. "Orochimaru-sama requests your presence at the Hokage Tower."
"I'm on my way," I reply, slowly lowering the blood-soaked body in my arms to the floor. As a rise to my feet I quickly wipe the tears from my face before exiting the room, leaving any emotion I had behind.
Owari
Special Thanks: Firstly thanks for this chapter goes to Sin for taking my idea, adding some extra words and coming back to me with what you've just read. Secondly, more thanks goes to Fujisti Stytghi for further editing this. And last but not least, even more thanks goes out to all you out there who have reviewed this collection so far. Love the support.
Sin: And congratulations are in order for Scorn because he didn't burst into tears when we killed Naru-chan.
Scorn: Hey! I have more tolerance than that:gonk: My poor Naru-chan!
Sin: There, there Scorn. He'll be back. Naruto's too stubborn to stay dead for long. Anyway, we have some reviewers to acknowledge...
Renn: We're glad you liked it, writing the little spat between Naruto and Ino was a lot of fun for us so we're glad people enjoyed it. And a NejiShino pairing eh? Scorn's had one of those evil little plot bunnies runnin' round his skull for a while. Maybe your request will finally encourage him to write it down on paper
Cyberwolf: Yay! We caught the attention of a NaruIno fan! Oh, and we like your idea about having Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru and Kiba getting together in a joint oneshot. Perhaps a double date.. Hmmm… :The Rabid Plot Bunnies begin to stir with the introduction of the idea:
deathrosekitty: Awesome, we're really glad you liked it. But I doubt this chapter made anyone very happy.
amwong88: You feel sorry for Gaara too? And yes it is very possible for you to request a LeexIno. We'll get on it as soon as we clear some of our other oneshots we have on the go, or as soon as the rabid plot bunnies bite us really, really hard. Thanks for your request.
