Sasuke sat, looking out the window at the blue sky. He groaned slightly in pain, his right hand in a full cast, broken in his forearm and wrist.
'That clash… that power…' He says in his mind. 'There's no doubt… he actually wanted to-"
A knock comes to the door, making him lazily look with pain filled eyes.
"Sasuke?" A girls voice calls from the other side. "It's me Sakura. Can I come in?"
Sasuke sighs. "Yeah. Come in…"
The door opens with Sakura walking in. She held a basket in her hand, still in her outfit from work.
"You left work just to visit me?" Sasuke chuckles softly.
"Ino said it was ok…" Sakura mutters. Sakura closes the door behind her, removing the Yamanaka flower shop apron and placing it on a chair in the room. She looks to Sasuke, who painfully moves so his feet hung over the hospital bed. "You ok?" Sakura asks worriedly. Sasuke nods, Sakura sighing. "Doctors say how long you'll be here?"
"Tsunade gave me two weeks until it healed fully. She looked at my ribs this morning, she said I might've broke one or two in the impact…" He says, groaning softly. "Hurts to breath deeply…" He groans strongly, grabbing his side.
"Sasuke!" Sakura rushes to his side, helping him lay back on his bed. She pats his forehead as he groaned in pain.
"Thanks… Ugh… I should be good…" He says, reclining back and smiling.
Sakura smiles back, rubbing his forehead softly. "You worry me sometimes you know…" She says with a sly smile.
Sasuke grins cockily, grabbing her wrist. "You know you love caring for me…" he says, pulling her in and connecting his lips with her sweet ones.
Sakura pulls away softly, giggling. "I do…"
"Is he going to be ok?"
"Of course… He just needs time to reflect after seeing his friends again…"
Naruto grunts, his ear twitching. 'Damn snake…' He mutters, having overheard Orochimaru and Kabuto from where they stood a mile away observing him.
He looked over the grassy valley, his chin resting on his interlocked fingers that sat on his knees. Naruto sighed deeply, the memory of his fight with Sasuke two years ago playing like a movie in his head as he shook with anger. He claps his hands together and breaths deeply.
"Sasuke…" He grunts, his fist hitting the ground at his side. He looks to his left shoulder, his robe torn from his battle revealing his scarred arm. "You…"He stands, holding up his hand and charging a giant Rasengan. "YOU'RE NOT STRONGER THAN ME!" He roars, the Kyuubi showing itself in his eyes as he tossed it into the forest, an explosion taking a chunk of the forest out. He sits back down, breathing deeply and slowly.
"He throws one more he'll wipe out what's left Lord Orochimaru…" Kabuto says chuckling as the two looked at the near vacant valley from Naruto's multiple Rasengan strikes.
"Aww let the boy blow off some steam. Better that forest than us…" Orochimaru says in a hiss, looking over the almost empty and destroyed forest. Naruto stands from his spot, turning and walking towards the two with a scowl across his face. "Done?" Orochimaru hisses as Naruto walks to him and Kabuto, huffing and puffing for breath.
"Shut it…" Naruto growls as he pushes past Orochimaru.
"Come now Uzumaki… Surely Sasuke wouldn't have such a temper…" Orochimru hisses with a grin.
Naruto turns, his teeth barred and his eyes red. "Say that again…" Naruto growls. "And I swear I'll… ugh…" Naruto falls to his knees, holding his stomach and moaning in pain. "Freaking…"
Orochimaru cackles, walking and kneeling next to the blonde. "The more angry you get, the more of a hell of a punch the Nine-Tails will give" He hisses, licking his lips. "So I'd learn to keep my anger more in check like I taught you, and that fox'll be your bitch."
Naruto looks up, sweat rolling down his neck and breathing deeply. "Fine… just… take me to the base… I'm tired as hell…"
3 Weeks later…
"Nothing better than fresh air!" Sasuke exclaims, stretching his back as he crossed the bridge of Konoha. He took a deep breath, the scent of flowers from the Yamanaka Flower Shop filling the air with a nice scent. "Maybe I'll visit Sakura at work…" He says to himself, before someone approaches him. "May I help… oh…" He sighs.
"Sasuke Uchiha… I wish to speak with you for a moment." Hinata Hyuga says.
Hinata turned, looking over the bridge at the river, her now normal emotionless expression on her face shining from the reflection of the sun in the water. Her hair was in a bun, a dark purple kimono hiding her body from neck to toe. "I was told you and your team confronted Na-" She stops, her eyes closing shut and her taking a deep breath. "I was told you saw Naruto again…" She says with her eyes still closed.
Sasuke sighs, leaning with his forearms crossed on the bridges railing. "Yes."
"Is he… has he… changed?" Hinata asks, her voice starting to tremble.
Sasuke turned his eye on her, his now gloom look softening into one of sympathy. Over the two years Naruto had left, Hinata had become more distant from the others. Rarely going on a mission with her team, instead staying home and training under Neji's guidance. Neji couldn't teach her much, for he was crippled during the mission to retrieve Naruto. He gave his all to attempt to bring the one who changed him back, using so much chakra it snapped a vertebrae in his upper spine, leaving him at the mercy of a walking cane for the rest of his days.
Hinata slams her wrist on the railing, a single tear escaping her left eye. "Please Sasuke… how much has he changed…?" She said as she shook terribly.
Sasuke sighs, the image of Naruto in the orange and black robe with his blonde hair long and unruly like a beast's. His eyes that were so full of rage and emptiness… a sense of a loss of love.
"He's still his same self…" Sasuke says, giving a slight wince at his lie.
Hinata's eyes shoot open and look to Sasuke, a look of hope now on her face. "Really?" She asks with a hint of shock in her voice.
Sasuke grins, lifting up his thumb in assurance. "He's just being thick headed as usual. We'll get him back in no time."
Hinata shakes her head of the tears on her face, rushing into Sasuke's chest to hug him tightly. "Thank you so much Sasuke!" She exclaims in joy.
'Yeah… I get that more than I need to…' Sasuke sighs in his mind, the thought of the real Naruto smiling at his lie.
"This… this is…" Naruto mutters, looking over the old building.
Orochimaru walks from behind Naruto to his side.
"Yes Naruto… this is where you'll get what you want." Orochimaru hisses, before coughing hard.
"Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto yells, rushing to Orochimaru's side. "I knew you shouldn't have left your bed. Your body is starting to degrade…"
Orochimaru wheezes, his breath returning to normal. "You make this quick Uzumaki… I need your…"
"Shut up…" Naruto mutters, walking to the steps of the large door.
"I beg your par-?"
"Come on. Wasting your energy talking when we could be finishing this…" Naruto places his hand on the door, breathing deeply. "Its time we finally meet…"
"These halls… too dark…" Naruto mutters to himself. He looks forward, Orochimaru leading infront of he and Kabuto. "How much longer?" Naruto grunts.
"Just a minute…" Orochimaru mutters. "Awh… here we are…"
"The hell?" Naruto mutters, looking above the three at a large symbol of yin and yang.
"This door requires two different Chakra types to open… one of wind and another of earth…" Orochimaru hisses in a groan, looking back at Naruto and Kabuto.
Naruto and Kabuto step forward at both sides of the door, placing their palms against the door.
"RELEASE!"
The yin-yang symbol sinks into the wall, the wall opening at the same time.
"Good to see you useful for something…" Naruto grunts, making Kabuto scowl.
"You little shi-"
"Kabuto!" Orichimaru exclaims in a rasp. "We don't have time!"
Kabuto's eyes squint, giving Naruto a glare as he rushed to Orochimaru's side. Naruto walks through the opening, his eyes widening at the sight before him.
"This… this is…"
A single thing stood in the room, a pedestal with dry blood spread. Slashes spread across the stone walls surrounding the three.
"Your birthplace… where your mother died giving… UGH!" Orochimaru moans, Kabuto unable to support his limp weight.
"Lord Orochi-"
"THERE! YOU'VE SEEN IT! NOW GIVE ME YOUR DAMN BODY UZUMAKI!"
Naruto walks in a trance toward the pedestal in the middle of the room. He touches where the blood was now inked into the stone, his fist clenching and his fingernails scraping on the stone.
"First I want you to do what you said you'd promise you would…"
"I DON'T HAVE TIME TO-!"
Naruto's head turns, the red eye of the Kyuubi shining menacingly.
"Now…" Naruto growls.
Orochimaru moans, looking to Kabuto. "Kabuto… take my blood for the ritual…"
"Man, am I hungry!"
"Come on Choji! Don't hog all of it!"
"Choji! Ino! Calm down!"
Sasuke chuckles sitting next to Sakura who had passed out on the swing where they sat, watching the hot headed blonde Ino and Choji stare down over the bar-b-que that all the genin of their class had put together.
"I always get the last bit of meat!" Choji moans, his eyes deadlocked with Ino.
"I don't want you to make you have a heart attack! Its not good to eat so much beef" Ino yells.
"Don't forget who's name means pig ya-!" Choji barks before Ino tackles him over the bar-b-que.
"Oh my god… someone please kill me now…" Sikamaru moans, rubbing his scarred face.
Sasuke sighs, remembering the first day after the failed mission to bring Naruto back. He had just been able to walk and visited his teammates to check their status. Shikamru had received a large scar on the side of his face, making him resemble his father Shikaku even more than he had. Kiba was slightly injured, though he possibly suffered the most…
"Hey! Hinata! Kiba!" Choji yells in a choke, Ino releasing his throat from her clutches.
"Good evening everyone." Hinata states, bowing.
"Yeah… hey." Kiba mutters, his mouth disappearing behind his high collar.
During the mission to retrieve Naruto, due to the severity of the retrieval, Shino was added to the retrieval group. Kiba and Shino worked together to take on the Sound twins, being an equal match until the end. Kiba and Akamaru had been drained; about to be attacked by the twins in their curse marked state when Shino absorbed them in a giant container of his bugs with a string of paper bombs. In an act of desperation, the twins pulled Shino into the ball of bugs when the bomb went off, taking Shino with them. Kiba had taken the blame, believing it was his fault that his teammate was killed in action, taking an outfit similar to Shino in his honor.
"Good to see you two could make it. That just leaves Team Guy…" Ino says, looking over the whole party.
Choji stands and pops his back, his look going to the meet on the bar-b-que. He leaps to the grill, before he's punched back by Ino. When Sasuke had checked on Choji, who had been in a critical state in the hospital, Ino was all over him. She talked to him as he was in his mini coma to make sure his brain stayed active, it was declared by the others as "adorable" and teased her for her apparent feelings for Choji whenever she acted over protective of him.
"Think they're on a mission." Sasuke says, looking down as Sakura snored silently in his lap.
"Yes. Cousin Neji said the others were…" She mutters, looking back as Neji approached from behind her with his normal painful expression as he walked with his cane forward.
"Glad to be here." He says with a grin.
"Good to see you out of your house Neji!" Sasuke exclaims, raising his drink to the Hyuga.
Neji grins, shrugging his shoulders. "What else you gotta do when you spend 3 days a week in physical therapy? I needed a day out"
"That's something Naruto would make fun-" Shikamaru starts, before catching himself and looking away.
The group goes silent, the whole area around them going silent for what felt like forever.
"Sorry…" Shikamaru mutters, his look of empathy looking up with his scarred left side. "I just thought it was…"
"Its ok Shika…" Ino assures, trying to smile to cheer everyone else up. "So, how about we put some more meet on the grill huh?" She exclaims, Choji jumping in excitement before Ino tosses him a salad bowl.
Sasuke sighs, looking down in his lap where Sakura still slept. He ruffles her hair gently, the thought of Naruto holding her by the throat weeks ago floating in his mind.
'We'll get him Sakura… I promise…' He assures her in his mind, and the others around him.
"Kabuto… do it… now…" Orochimaru wheezes, supporting himself in front of the markings on the ground.
"My lord, are you sure we have to use your chakra? You're almost out of it as it-" Kabuto says, Orochimaru's eyes almost popping out his head in anger.
"Without a body to use as a substitute, more chakra is needed for a simple blood summoning… and you don't have the necessary chakra…" Orochimaru explains, looking to Naruto who stood cross armed looking at the small bit of blood on the ground.
"This is it… what I've wanted to do since the day I found out what I am…" He mutters. He looks to Orochimaru and nods. "I'm ready… do it now…"
"Kabuto!" Orochimaru screams, Kabuto performing the hand signals.
"EDO TENSEI!" Kabuto yells, a large swirl of chakra exploding from the ground.
Naruto looks forward as the figure formed in the chakra, his body trembling the body near reached full formation.
"I finally get a chance…" He mutters softly as the body forms in the smoke.
"Here… make it quick…" Orochimaru mutters, Kabuto catching him before he fell and jumping to the entrance of the large room.
Naruto looks to the figure, his face stern and expressionless.
"Good to meet your acutance… 4th Hokage…" Naruto states, his eyes finally meeting the revived 4th Hokage's.