Chapter 7: Reunions
Naruto yawned as he pretended to listen to the discussion. The issue of the Raikage's death and the subsequent security changes had already been decided, so only the more bureaucratic topics remained and Naruto couldn't care less. He began to feel restless while sitting there, and the other Kage's exchanged glances. It wasn't uncommon for the Hokage to get like this towards the end of the meeting.
"Hokage, do you agree?" Gaara asked, trying to spark some life into his friend.
"Yeah, definitely" Naruto said, while yawning. "You guys really made some sense there."
Naruto's false show of comprehension brought another laugh, as the tension in the room finally evaporated. The meeting was wrapping up and the Kage were looking forward to getting back to their villages.
"To summarize" Darui began, "the tighter security measures will be put in place immediately. All intelligence between the villages regarding this assassin will be collaborated and -. Wait, who are you?"
The other Kage's followed Darui's line of sight and ended up looking just behind Naruto. Standing there was three Hidden Leaf Village shinobi, all looking concerned.
"Hey, I told you not to use this stupid seal" Naruto said, looking annoyed. "Did Kakashi send you to check up on me? I can do this by myself you know."
Naruto looked at the faces in front of him and frowned. He could tell that something was wrong. "What is it?"
"Lord Hokage" Genma began; trying to rush things now that he had began talking. "There's been an attack on the village. A mystery force has invaded and we are fighting them off at the minute. We don't know who it is or what they have come for, as Kakashi sent us to come and get you immediately."
The room fell into a stunned silence. The question of everyone's lips was; with all of the great nations now allies, who could possibly have the power to invade the Hidden Leaf Village?
"I wonder if this is connected to the attack on the Raikage" Gaara mused, with the other Kage also pondering this point.
"Well, we won't find out waiting around here" Naruto said, standing up straight away. "Take me back so we can sort this out."
This time it was the Hokage's guards who exchanged looks.
"I'm sorry, we can't do that right now" Genma said, sounding guilty.
"Why not!" Naruto yelled, his anger and frustration rising dramatically.
"We're not the Fourth" was Genma's reply. "We can't do the technique that often, especially after all these years. It'll take about half an hour until we can get back to the Village."
Naruto groaned in annoyance and turned to face the other Kage. They were all stumped and couldn't think of a quicker way of travelling.
"30 minutes it is then" Naruto said reluctantly as he got back to his feet. "I'll be outside on the balcony. Come and get me the second we can leave."
Kakashi stared intently at his former student and felt only despair. Sasuke's actions had poisoned all of Kakashi's dear memories from when Team 7 was first formed. Now, whenever Kakashi thought back to those days when he trained Sasuke, he only saw a future killer. Once again, he had failed someone who depended on him.
It's time to do this Kakashi thought trying to get himself prepared for battle. Then, he charged at Sasuke, his palm illuminated by white lightning. Sasuke stared back, his expression unchanged. Once Kakashi got close enough, he thrust his hand towards Sasuke's body. Sasuke easily dodged and then forced the handle of his sword into Kakashi's body, which disappeared in a stream of lightning.
"I'm not prepared to play your games Kakashi" Sasuke remarked; who wasn't even looking at Kakashi when he attacked. "If you want to fight me, do it yourself rather than sending your clones."
"Fine by me" Kakashi yelled, as he jumped out of the ground. The action seemed to take Sasuke by surprise, as he desperately dodged Kakashi's ignited hand. Kakashi landed a few meters away from Sasuke and quickly began making hand signs. Sasuke followed suit, his hands moving so fast they appeared merely as a blur.
"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" both yelled, as they summoned an orb of fire which they sent towards each other. Their jutsu's clashed and the two balls of fire suddenly became one towering inferno. Neither side gave in, as the fire pushed one way and then the other.
I can't keep this up, Kakashi thought. He just keeps pressing steadily and he might even be holding back. I need to get out of this.
Kakashi broke his jutsu and jumped to avoid the fire. The other shinobi standing behind him did likewise, with the consequence being that the buildings went up in flames. Kakashi stared back regretfully, but didn't allow himself to get caught up in his emotions. After all, there was a much greater threat to the village standing in front of him. Except, Sasuke wasn't standing in front of him. He was gone, or so it seemed.
"There!" Kakashi shouted, noticing movement out of the corner of his eye. Sasuke dived in front of him at breathtaking speed, his sword withdrawn. Kakashi drew his kunai to block and the two of them found themselves locked in another battle of wills.
Incredible Kakashi thought as he desperately tried to hang on. It's not just his Sharingan powers that have drastically improved; his physical strength is far greater than before as well.
"Gai!" Kakashi yelled, desperate for help.
"Right" Gai responded and his body lit with a green glow that signified that he had opened the 6th gate. He charged straight as Sasuke, who was forced to dodge again. Sasuke put some distance between himself and his opponents, as he noticed more help arriving.
"Look at what we have here" he mocked, "It's a reunion. All of my old classmates are here to welcome me back, with one noticeable exception of course."
Sasuke's sarcastic remarks were met with looks of hate from everyone present. Joining those that were already involved with the battle was Choji, Ino, Shino, TenTen and Sakura. Sasuke grinned as he realized the utter contempt he felt for all of them. He noticed Sakura's devastated face in particular and it brought him something resembling joy.
"Sasuke" she gasped, holding her hands together in shock. "How, how are you-"
She couldn't hold back the tears any longer at that point. She felt a mix of relief and regret as she stared at the only man she had ever loved. She was relieved at seeing him alive, but felt guilty about it given what he had become. How was she supposed to feel about this?
"Pathetic" Sasuke sneered, as he watched Sakura break down. "You and Naruto both wasted your time chasing after me and trying to bring me back. I always loathed both of you and saw you as nothing but pests that were in my way. Now, though, I can finally kill you like I should have done years ago."
Just as Sasuke reached for his sword, the other Shinobi gathered moved in front of Sakura to protect her. Sasuke knew that, despite the power that he now had, he wasn't going to be able to get fight all of them off without a challenge. He decided to not take any chances against them.
"You should take this as a compliment" Sasuke said, another grin appearing on his face. He hadn't smiled this much in years. "Not every victim of mine gets to see this, not even the Raikage"
Sasuke blinked and the pattern in his eyes changed. Sasuke had activated his Mangekyo Sharingan but he wasn't finished there. He was then surrounded by a mass of purple chakra that then formed itself into a humanoid figure. It's appearance now resembled a man wearing armor, with a pair of white eyes staring menacingly through the open helmet.
"Is, is that?" Shikamaru exclaimed, staring wide eyed at Sasuke's creation.
"Susano'o" Kakashi replied, "It's the ultimate technique of the Mangekyo Sharingan. It's the peak of the Uchiha's power."
"Every time you open your mouth, you prove how ignorant you are" Sasuke spat, as he glared back at his former teacher. "This is only the tip of the iceberg."
Kakashi stared back, unsure how to react. Is he just bluffing, or does he have anything more powerful than Susano'o? It's possible, as he took down the Raikage without destroying the Hidden Cloud Village. Either way, they had to deal with this first rather than worrying about what else Sasuke could do.
Suddenly, Gai jumped up into the air and raised his hands above his head.
"Morning Peacock!" Gai screamed, as he quickly punched his hands towards Sasuke. The air caught on fire and hurtled towards Sasuke's chakra monster. Sasuke laughed off Gai's powerful attack, as the Susano'o was unaffected. Sasuke continued laughing hysterically as each attack was easily repelled. Eventually, the attacks stopped as everyone realized they were ineffective. Penetrating this defense seemed impossible.
"Now you've seen the defensive capabilities of Susano'o, it's time to show you the offence."
A bow and arrow formed in the midst of the Susano'o and Sasuke aimed at the group. Kakashi immediately realized what was about to happen, but because of the speed that Sasuke prepared his attack, he couldn't warn everyone. Sasuke's arrow hurtled towards an unsuspecting Lee, who could only watch as the deadly weapon bore down on him. However, before the killing blow could land, the arrow disappeared.
"It's ironic isn't it?" Sasuke scoffed as he observed what happened. "The Hidden Leaf tried desperately to destroy the owners of the Sharingan and now it's saved the life of most of you here. Well, lets see your stolen eye do it again."
Sasuke fired another arrow, towards Sakura this time. Kakashi could only stand and watch, as his technique couldn't be used again in such a short amount of time. His age and his extensive use of the Mangekyo Sharingan was finally starting to catch up with him. Sakura just stared, her eyes overcome with tears as she prepared for the inevitable. She closed her eyes and thought back to the old days, ready to die with the image of the Sasuke she loved firmly in her mind.
However, it was not to be. A flash of yellow whisked Sakura away at the last second and knocked the arrow away from the village. Sasuke didn't react to this change in circumstances and just continued staring in Sakura's direction, who was now in the arms of a blonde haired man, who had a shade of red around his yellow, toad like eyes.
"I can't help but think we've been here before" Sasuke said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Do you remember it, Naruto?"
