Hey guys. Been a while for all of my fans. Truthfully, I was contemplating on letting you all think I was dead, but realized that it would be unfair. More of an explination is at the end, not that you care, but let's just get this over with. Also, this is not beta'd
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Disclaimer: Fuck off.
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Chapter 7: Calls of the Past
A.K.A.: The Obligatory Flashback Episode
It was Saturday morning. However as Naruto woke up in his bed and let his eyes adjust to the early morning light filtering in through a near-by window, his first thoughts weren't about how he had the day off or about how comfortable he was at that moment. Nor was he thinking about the good deeds that he had done the day previous. No, what was currently on the blonde's mind was his daily meeting with Shizuka.
It was strange, but he really found himself becoming close with the older woman. While it was true that she was technically a monster, he didn't really see her as such. In fact, at times she seemed to act more like a child than the mature role model she probably should have been. But, that's what Naruto liked about her. She wasn't afraid to be her own person, and it reminded him a bit of himself. Of course, that meant she was fun to hang out with.
The other guys were fun to hang out with as well, even if he mostly shadowed them and helped out with the occasional problem they had. They were also fun to torment, though he hadn't had much of a chance to do it. Tsukune and Moka were good people, really friendly, and easy to embarrass, which was always a plus in Naruto's book. Kurumu also seemed to be a good person at heart, despite first impressions. She could also be really clever if it meant it would help her friends.
Then, there was Mizore. She was definitely a different type of girl, who still hadn't fully come out of her shell, if Naruto's observations were correct. She was usually quiet and mostly went with the flow, but spoke her opinion when it really mattered to her new friends. He would have to get her to open up more at a later date. But, besides that, he got this special kind of feeling from her, and she obviously looked up to him in some way. It sort of gave him a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Shaking himself of those feelings for now, Naruto thought back to the remaining member of the ever expanding group of friends. More recently, Yukari had entered the picture. Yes, she was a bit of a brat at times, and had a small superiority complex since she was one of the smartest people in the whole school, but that was just part of her character. The blonde had a feeling that after the events that had transpired yesterday that the girl would become more tolerable. Besides, that little prank war had brought back good memories.
Of course, thinking about his childhood led the blonde to turn his thoughts to his friends back home in Konoha, wondering just what they were doing at the moment. Tsunade was probably slumped over at her desk, papers strewn all over the office, as she tried to sleep off a hangover. The blonde also imagined Shizune there trying to find the Hokage's stash of sake and get rid of it.
It being the weekend, team 8 was probably training together for old times sake, even though both Shino and Kiba had teams and Hinata was teaching at the academy. As for team 10, Shikamaru and Chouji could be expected to be relaxing in some tranquil area, looking up at the clouds while Ino attempted to find them so they, too, could all train together.
Tenten, Neji, and Lee could be easily seen following team 8's lead, though they most likely also involved their own individual teams in the training. Iruka, without a doubt, was out training to keep himself in shape, before he went off to the ramen stand where the two had shared some good memories.
Then, there was his old team. Kakashi was probably reading his erotic novels, granted, if he wasn't still asleep, before going off to torment the other members of Naruto's old team. Sai, having been promoted to an actual ANBU agent, was likely on a mission at the moment. The blonde could easily see Sakura working at the hospital, working to get other shinobi into tip-top shape before returning to the field. Finally, there was Sasuke.
Admittedly, Naruto no longer knew what to think of the boy who once was, and possibly still was, his best friend. It was only a few months ago that the raven-haired boy had hated him with a passion and would have given anything to kill both him and everyone in his village. And it was during the all out war with Akatsuki that the youngest of the two remaining Uchiha had his chance.
/flashback/
An explosion rocks the earth, as in a nearby mountain range, a veritable geyser of dust and stone shot violently from the ground, leaving behind a rather large crater. Nearby, perhaps two miles away, the sounds of fierce battle could be heard, doubtlessly the sounds of struggle of the Joint Shinobi Army against the Akatsuki's undead forces. It was soon drowned out as the rubble lost its momentum and fell back down to the earth in a hazardous rain.
For a moment afterwards, the sounds of distant battle once again came into prominence, as the dust once again settled across the ground. When the mysterious explosion finally seemed over and done with, a hand, like one would expect to see in a horror movie, burst forth from the center of the crater, grasping desperately for something so its owner could continue upwards. When they finally got a good grip on the ground, the rubble shifted more as the person pulled themselves further up from the makeshift tomb, revealing a familiar blonde coated in a thick layer of dirt.
Naruto gasped for air, eyes squinted shut, as he fully pulled himself out of the ground. As soon as the boy was completely free form the earth's grasp, he flipped over onto his back and tried to regain his bearings, playing everything that had just happened through his mind.
In short, the Akatsuki had managed to catch him off guard while fighting on the front lines, much to the opposition to most of the Joint Shinobi Army, and subdued the blonde before bringing him to their base to extract the Kyuubi. For days Naruto had suffered intense pain and torture, much like he assumed Bee had days before him, as the terrorist organization came closer and closer to completely separating him and the Kyuubi.
And they probably would have succeeded, too, if Kabuto hadn't chosen that moment to betray Madara by using the Uchiha's deceased underlings against him and his, for lack of a better term, loyalists. The massive slip in the concentration of chakra in the ceremony allowed Naruto enough control to call upon the remainder of his bijuu's youkai and create a massive explosion, resulting in the antechamber's collapse and allowing him to escape.
Which led to Naruto's current situation, his breathing gently slowing as he gazed up at the sky. Then, slowly, a smile split his face, and the boy began to laugh. He had done it. He had defeated the Akatsuki. They were all probably crushed under some many odd tonnes of rock and stone. It was very nearly over.
However, the smile soon turned bittersweet, as the blonde inevitably thought back to Sasuke. True, he had since come to terms that the only way to stop the boy from destroying everything he loved was to neutralize him, but still, Naruto couldn't help but think that there may have been some other way. He didn't deserve to be crushed to death, regardless.
However, that thought quickly disappeared, eyes wide as he shot up from his position on the ground as it began to shake violently underneath him. The sense of impending doom increasing, Naruto quickly sprang from his spot, just as the ground once again exploded, right where he was a moment before.
Slightly caught be the shock wave of power that caused the eruption, the blonde rolled across the hard, unforgiving ground before bouncing up to his feet, crouching low and facing where he once stood, preparing to move at any moment. The thick smoke obstructed his view of his new enemy, but he could still feel the malevolent power. Bringing his arms closer to his body for protection, Naruto steeled himself.
As the dust once again cleared, Naruto caught a glimpse of what was no doubt Susanoo, before, in a violent rush of wind, receded back into its user, effectively clearing the dust and revealing Sasuke, looking rather pissed if the scowl on his face was anything to go by. He had his Sharingan activated, though it wasn't in its Mangekkyou form, probably due to all of the energy the Uchiha had exhausted in the last week, what with the battle with Bee he had before capturing him and sealing his Bijuu, and the near sealing of his own.
Thinking back on that last one, Naruto tired to summon up some of the Kyuubi's chakra again, but failed to feel any of it. It must have been a temporary after effect of having so much taken from him. He could probably still use his sage chakra if he needed to, but, other than that, it looked like neither boy would be fighting at full capacity.
It appeared that Sasuke also realized this, as he soon gave a smirk and settled into a similar position. "Look's like this wont be the grand showdown we expected, eh, dobe?" Despite the familiarity with which the raven-haired boy spoke, his voice was cold and distant, causing another bittersweet smile to show on the blonde's face.
"I guess so." Naruto's eyes shown with sadness, knowing that the only way this would end would be with one or both of them dying. That in mind, the blonde reached for a kunai, only to realize that all of his weapons had been stripped from him before the Akatsuki started the extraction process. He was, surprised, though, when one was languidly thrown at him, allowing Naruto to catch it easily enough.
Looking up in confusion, he saw Sasuke spin another in his fingers before gripping it tightly, his blade apparently lost in his escape. Seeing that his rival was looking for some kind of explanation, the Uchiha shrugged. "You're at enough of a disadvantage as it is," he said cockily, "might as well try to even the odds." Naruto wasn't sure Sasuke even believed that himself, but was thankful, both for the fact that he was making the effort to have a good final battle, and because it reminded the blonde of when they were both on Team 7.
Banishing the thoughts, Naruto set his face in stone, much like Sasuke had, and got ready to start the battle at a moments notice. He knew that he wouldn't be able to do what was necessary if he kept thinking back to such a simpler time. Then, as if by communicating via telepathy, both teens shot forward at one another.
It was as if they were preforming an intricate and deadly dance. Each one blocked the other, blow for blow, slash for slash, neither one gaining or losing ground. If one was knocked back, they would quickly recover and go back to fighting, their enemy having the not so common courtesy of allowing an extremely brief recovery.
The two didn't know how long this went on for, but they wanted to prolong it for as long as possible. They perceived this to be their last moments together, and wanted to enjoy them, something understood through a mutual respect held onto through the years. Even Sasuke, cold and bitter, at war with his and his clans fate, never completely lost his respect for the blonde haired boy.
However, it was this respect that also let both boys know that they would have to go full out, both to defend their own goals and beliefs, and because doing otherwise would be a disservice to the other in their final hour.
Gradually, the movement of battle sped up, both teens growing more fierce, unleashing more of their currently limited power upon the other, letting themselves be consumed fully by the heat of battle. It wasn't long until the fighters were merely a blur to the untrained eye, and even most shinobi would be strained to fully keep track of such a battle.
Before long, there was a temporary pause in combat, allowing both rivals to momentarily take stock of both themselves and each other. Besides being a bit ruffed-up from the cave-in, Sasuke was fine, just a small scratch on his hand wielding his kunai and a still forming bruise on his cheek. His sharingan had allowed for the raven-haired youth to avoid most of Naruto's attacks.
The blonde, though, had no such advantage. The Uchiha had managed to land numerous body blows that left his target slightly short of breath, as well as several cuts, including a small one on his free arm and a larger one on his face, just below his right eye, both still oozing blood. And that truthfully worried Naruto a bit. Normally, the Kyuubi would heal such trivial wounds in mere moments, usually in under a minute. That was basic. Now, however, the bijuu was silent, so to speak, doing nothing to mend the, be they miniscule, wounds.
Naruto worked to keep the unease from his face, but knew that it wouldn't take long for his rival to notice something was off. He would have to keep the boy distracted, falling back on his charisma and superior social skills in order to keep the defector from gaining morale. To help ensure his victory and his village's safety. In other words, Naruto was going to have to bullshit his way through this.
The blonde put on a cocky grin as he regarded his rival, knowing that what he was about to do wasn't quite considered fair play, but also knowing that his goal was so much more important. "Well now, isn't this fun? Just you and me, two life long rivals finally pitting themselves against one another once and for all."
Naruto paused to chuckle here, idly noticing as Sasuke furrowed his brow, figuring that the blonde was up to something, but not entirely sure what. Knowing that he was just giving Naruto time while he simply stood there, the Uchiha charged back at him, Naruto only barely getting his defenses back up in time.
Blue eyes widened, but the grin remained in place as he pushed back against Sasuke's kunai with his own. "See, both of us putting so much into this to achieve something? It's thrilling."
Sasuke jumped back and did a flourish with his blade, twirling it between his fingers and reaffirming his grip before lunging back at his rival, thrusting the kunai at him. The blonde laughed as he barely dodged the strikes, some lightly grazing him, but not bothering him as he worked out what to say next. When he next got a brief reprieve, Naruto spoke.
"But, as much as you are putting into this, I can't help but think you're not giving your all." Sasuke eyed the blonde again, wondering just what he was getting at. Hell, why was he even still talking? If there was anyone who wasn't giving their all, it was him! "After all, I at least expected to see your famed Mangekkyou. Why aren't you using that?" He noticed Sasuke begin to shake as he looked down, hair covering his eyes, rage no doubt building. Naruto knew that now was the time to do or die. "Why aren't you using it? You still can, right? Or are you just being cocky? No, I don't think so. You're just too tired, right? Wow, that's kind of a disappointment."
"Shut up!" and that was it, the flood gates broke. When Sasuke snapped his head back up, the Mangekkyou was visible. That was good. Naruto's plan relied wholly on getting Sasuke to activate the mutated sharingan, and then just bide his time, hoping the boy would run out of chakra before he did. Of course, the whole plan hinged on the fact that Sasuke didn't have enough chakra to use any of his jutsu, otherwise he was fucked. "How dare you mock me now of all times? And what about you, saying I'm not taking this seriously? You can barely stand! Where's your sage mode; where's the Kyuubi? I'll make sure you're never a nuisance again!"
coating his kunai in lightning chakra, Sasuke hurled it at Naruto, who acted on instinct and jumped high into the air, throwing his own kunai before putting his hands together and mustering up a meager amount of his chakra, bringing into existence a few clones which he would use to distract the boy. Unknown to him, though, he was sweating heavily now and panting, using more chakra than he thought.
Things were about to get worse, as Sasuke seemed to predict the blonde's moves, and apparently was angered by it. "Don't insult me! Amaterasu!" And there was something the blonde had feared. The fierce black flames streaking towards him. And in mid-air, there was little he could do.
"Shit," he hissed out, bringing his hands together once again to preform another jutsu. "Kawarimi no Jutsu!" It didn't even take a full second for Naruto to realize nothing was happening, and it was then that he noticed just how drained he was. He quickly came to the conclusion that either there was nothing near enough to swap with or it was too big. A bittersweet smile slowly came to his face, believing that this was the end.
'Heh, looks like this is it,' he thought, crossing his arms in front of his face as the heat intensified and the flames got closer. ' I guess I'll finally get to see that damned pervert again, and maybe even mom will be their. And since the rest of the bastard fox is bound to me, Madara can't complete his goals.' It didn't seem to occur to Naruto that because the Kyuubi was bound to him that he may also be denied comfort with his loved ones.
"I guess I just wished that I could have saved everyone." And with that, a lone tear ran down Naruto's cheek, as clones began dispelling from the sheer heat of the ever approaching fire. Expecting death, Naruto was a bit surprised to instead be met by a blinding white light, a scream he recognized as Sasuke's and the hard ground rushing up to meet him. His landing left him out of breath as he wearily looked up to see what happened.
"Now, now, Sasuke-kun, don't go getting ahead of yourself." a grimace came to the blonde's face, as he recognized the voice. Slowly turning his head, he saw Madara, looking just as ragged as him and Sasuke and missing the top-right portion of his mask, giving an uninterrupted view of his Sharingan eye. "After all, the boy is still of some use to us."
Screaming brought Naruto's attention back to Sasuke, as he noticed the boy laying on the ground grasping at his face, specifically his left eye as blood ran down between his fingers. "Wh-what did you dd?" the boy cried out, hysterical. Madara just furrowed his brow and shook his head.
"I didn't do anything. If something happened to you, you can blame that... pest over there." Madara waved arbitrarily in Naruto's direction, the blonde still looking for the strength to get up, confused by the statement. Unfortunately, he could do nothing as he noticed Madara approaching him and even Sasuke eying him with his good eye. "Now, help me get him back to what's left of the cave. We can still-..." the thought wasn't able to be finished.
"Why?" the one word question caused Madara to turn a bored gaze to Sasuke as he stood back up wearily, still holding his eye. "Why are you interrupting us?"
"Why? Because I can't have you destroying the last piece to my puzzle. Or have you forgotten about all the work put into my plan; what you captured the Hachibi for; what, until recently, we spent nearly a week holed up in a cave for? I'm sorry, but I'm not willing to allow all that to go to waste, now come on."
Madara only went a few feet before once again being stopped in his tracks. "No, get out of my way and let me finish this."
"Excuse me?" Madara's eye was narrowing dangerously, but Sasuke wasn't giving in.
"I said move, or your next."
"Boy, I would remind you to remember who you're dealing with." He was now fully facing Sasuke, leaving his back exposed, not that Naruto could do anything. However, it did give him time to concentrate and build up his sage chakra for if and when he needed it.
"All I see is a burnt out husk of a delusional old man who refuses to know his place." It would appear as if dementia had fully grasped Sasuke, making him forget just how outclassed he was in his current state. The Uchiha patriarch just chuckled though, seeing just how far his last remaining relative had fallen.
"Impudent brat, don't you see, he wants you to kill him." Met with stares of confusion, Madara continued, playing further off Sasuke's fractured mind. "The boy knows that with himself gone, we cannot obtain the Kyuubi, not for some time, at least, which would ruin our plans. You would just play right into their hand, become Konoha's ultimate puppet, just like Itachi was years before, and destroy thew Uchihas' aspiration. You don't want that, do you?"
Just as he was about to turn back to Naruto, Madara was once again stopped by Sasuke. "What's with all this crap about 'our plan' and the 'Uchihas' aspiration'? Last time I checked, you're the only one who wanted any of this! I just want revenge for our clan!"
"And so do I! Don't you see, this will reclaim the respect the name Uchiha deserves; reaffirm our place in the world. We will get your revenge, and so much more!"
"You mean regain respect for the name you dragged through the mud in the first place?" It seemed that was the fact that Sasuke was caught up on.
"Watch your tongue, boy." It was obvious from his tone that Madara had just about had it with Sasuke's insubordination. "I have my reasons for what I did. It isn't my fault that those fools couldn't see my greatness; the untapped potential the clan had. But I'll fix it now. I will make the Uchihas the rulers of the world."
"You'll make yourself the ruler of the world. Face it, you never cared about the clan, only your own selfish ideals." It was clear from his trembling just how indignant Sasuke was about the whole issue. "For all the love you state you have for the clan, it's obvious you despise them for turning on you. But I think it's clear why they did that. You never cared about them, only yourself."
"Damnit kid, stop arguing and wasting time! Don't you see you're acting just as Itachi did, defending Konoha against the greatness of the Uchiha. You're acting as their puppet!"
"No," it was then silent for a moment, as Sasuke finally seemed to realize what Konoha really was to him. "That pisshole may have held me back, but not once was I their puppet, unlike how I am with you every waking moment. Your betrayal left a stain upon our clan, and lead to the village to distrust us. And when they started acting just like you, the village defended its interests. Hell, maybe they were right in doing so." Sasuke chuckled a bit as he looked to Naruto, noticing that the blonde was eying him with wonder, pride, and kindness. "I was even beginning to grow happy their. And that's because it is my home. And I'll die before I let you destroy it for your megalomaniac tendencies."
It was once again quiet for a moment, before a low, dark laughter escaped Madara, fully consuming him. Then, it just suddenly stopped, as he viciously eyed his family member. "And just how do you propose to stop me?"
When next Sasuke looked up, his eye had shifted again, forming his Sharingan's ultimate form. The Eternal Mangekkyou. Seeing this, Naruto could feel his breath catch in his throat and his heat stop, as cold realization washed over him. "No," the blonde said weakly to himself. "He doesn't have enough strength. He'll kill himself."
This though seemed to occur to the younger Uchiha as well, as he spoke to Naruto, not looking at him as miniscule rips formed in the air and the wind began to shift erratically, signs that reality was unweaving around that point. "Looks like we never will find out who was better, Naruto. But this has taught me one thing." Sasuke's voice was solemn, and his last words came out warbled just as a giant vortex opened in space and dragged a shocked Madara in kicking and screaming, followed shortly by the one who caused it. "You were right; I'm lucky to have called you my brother."
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled out as the portal finished closing around the two and they vanished, presumably forever. Despite every fiber of his being protesting against it, the blonde struggled to get up, shaking violently as he did so, sweat pouring profusely from his pores. "Come on! Come on!" He forced himself to stand on unsteady feet, and still wasn't up completely, as he shuffled to where Sasuke was previously, not really knowing what he was going to do when he got there, but continuing on nonetheless.
After only a few steps though, he fell, not even able to through his arms out to catch himself he was so tired. Tears began to stream out of the blonde's eyes as he looked forwards, sobs wracking his body as he thought of how useless he was in his own eyes. His friend had sacrificed himself for a cause that wasn't even his own, but Naruto's. And he wasn't even able to crawl to his last position. No, he wasn't going to let it end there!
Squirming along the ground, his approach was once again underway, though drastically slowed. He did eventually get there, however, and when he did, he began weakly pounding on the ground, thinking that it may somehow open up the portal again and give Sasuke back. It was then that he truly understood the brilliance of the boy's final act.
Theoretically, the place where Sasuke's Mangekkyou brought him was different than Madara's because his eyes were different. Also, Madara could also only teleport between his own realm and the last realm he was in, so, if he killed Sasuke, he wouldn't be able to get back to the 'real' world. Sure, it was all theory, but it was a worthy one, and it helped Naruto to feel better about Sasuke's sacrifice, even only just a bit.
Then for a while, the blonde just lay there, tears of sorrow still rolling down his face as he conserved energy to get back to the battlefield and his allies. Consciously, he began to gather sage chakra again, knowing that he would need it if he wished to move anywhere in the next week. Slowly, the edges of Naruto's eyes began to grow darker with orange pigment, and the eyes themselves turned golden with horizontal pupils.
A few minutes after the transformation completed, the blonde slowly got to his feet and began to walk away, muscles still strained, not looking back as he somberly carried on to the edge of the plateau. Midway there, though, Naruto did look back, shedding one last tear for his forgotten friend. "So long, Sasuke." He then began his walk again, but paused as he felt a gust of wind behind him and something thumping onto the ground.
Slowly, almost unable to believe what he was seeing, the blonde turned back around, seeing none other than the boy he thought gone forever at the spot he just was, panting and on his knees, clutching the stump that was his arm in an attempt to ebb the blood pooling out from the wound. Almost too shocked to move, it wasn't until Sasuke pitch face first into the ground that the blonde acted, running quickly to his friend's side.
"Sasuke!" Moving swiftly yet being careful not to disturb the Uchiha's wounds too much, the blonde lifted the boy up, holding pressure on what remained of his right arm as he moved quickly from the plateau to a field hospital located hopefully nearby. "Don't worry Sasuke. I'll get you help. You'll survive."
/flashback_end/
Naruto was suddenly broken from his musings, realizing that he should probably get going after taking a quick glance at his clock. It was only six, and unlikely that anyone else would be up for another few hours if they didn't have to. So, while it meant that he couldn't yet meet with Shizuka or torment his students (well, he could actually, but that's besides the point), it did mean that it was the perfect time to train.
As he left the room, he did think back to the fate of Sasuke. The field medics were able to save him, though without his arm, they had no way of helping him, not to mention that they had no idea about what happened to his eye. When the fighting was finally over and done with, there was a trial held against the Uchiha for crimes against the villages of Konoha and Kumo, as well as the whole of the Joint Shinobi forces in general. The boy pleaded guilty to all charges unflinchingly and was carried away to serve out his years in a maximum security prison with no protest, refusing to accept any visitors.
As for Naruto, he hadn't had any contact with the Kyuubi since, something that he was just fine with, but promised himself that he would look into it at a later time. Hell, maybe today would be that day. Doubtful, but he had plenty of time to kill.
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so yeah, this probably wasn't what you were expecting, and I know I could have done better after nearly two months of absence, but here's the thing: I started this on March 5 and got about half way through, but than I just got so tired with... well, everything. These past few weeks, I've been pretty much catatonic. I've done little more than go to school, go to work, and sleep. It's not that the work's hard or anything, I'm just tired with it all. And I was thinking about just leaving this and playing dead until I finally got back the strength to write again. But than I found a review from one Kel'thuzad The Summoner the I found buried under everything. I won't go into specifics, but it basically announced such respect for this story that it reaffirmed my determination to get this done, because I now realize, while I started doing this purely for myself, I've begun to also write for those few who truly derive some sort of joy form my writings, even if I fear I may have let them down.
So, thank him for allowing me to get this out at all. Also, saying that, I must now inform you that all my stories are going on hiatus for an undetermined amount of time. I assure that ill be back within six months, and if you're lucky I'll figure this out sooner rather than later, but I just need to take a step back for a while and reevaluate my life. Sorry for the inconvenience. That being said, this was 5,499 words long.
