Chapter Nine

Falling

Sakura screamed.

She couldn't hear anything aside from her own heartbeat; her blood pounding in her ears and her mouth agape, her palms flew to cup over her face as her scythe clattered to the floor. Her voice, sounding oddly distant to her, shrieked while Sasuke, Sasuke, continued to stare blankly at the pool of red under him. The blood wasn't what had her falling into hysteria however, but rather, who's blood it was.

Naruto's.

Uzumaki Naruto lay sprawled on the wooden floor of his hotel room, his arms out at his sides, palms up and a kunai laying by his fingers. A black cloak was laid under him, soaking up the blood that pooled from his stomach, from a wound caused by Sasuke's katana. He wore a simple white shirt and black pants, black sandals. So inconspicuous...Her emerald eyes travelled to Sasuke's face. His eyes were blank, his pale features devoid of feeling as his palms lightly held the hilt of the katana that was now lodged in Naruto's flesh.

The blonde...Naruto's blue eyes were staring at the sword in his body, shock evident in those shockingly azure irises...Sakura somehow managed to find her capacity to speak in the vast chasm of her mind, her sanity spiraling downward towards a sucking black pit. "Sasuke!" She shrieked, forcing her legs to sprint towards the duo. The Uchiha didn't respond, instead simply staring down at the wound he had caused.

The rosette came to halt at the raven's right arm, pushing him aside as she knelt down to take his place at Naruto's side. Sasuke fell over with uncharacteristic clumsiness as he stared at Naruto's face. Sakura's trembling fingers closed around the black hilt of the weapon and slowly dragged the blade out; she winced as the sound of squishing wet muscle hit her ears. Naruto clenched his teeth and Sakura heard him mutter a curse as the katana was fully removed. Tossing the bloody steel to her side, Sakura's palms covered the flowing crimson wound, glowing green chakra flowing over her fingers.

She could feel the extent of the damage in Naruto's body, the torn flesh and muscle, every ripped blood vessel and the torn shell of his stomach. Sakura winced as she analyzed the wound.

"...Sak-Sakura...?"

Sakura blinked, not realizing she was crying until she heard her voice shakily whispered to her left. Looking down, she saw Naruto staring at her. He coughed, and blood trickled down his lips to his chin. "Stop," he croaked, raising his hand and placing it over hers. It was so much larger than she remembered, his tan, rough skin contrasting with her pale smoothness..."You'll die," she whispered, and shook her head. Naruto closed his eyes. "Just...stop," he murmured back. Sakura's eyes widened as his hand pushed hers away. The green chakra on her palms stopped, seemingly without her consent, as she knelt at Naruto's side...useless.

"Na-Naruto," Sakura stuttered. Naruto held a bloody palm up to silence her, then gently placed it over the ripped flesh of his torso. The blonde closed his eyes and whispered, to himself, something Sakura could not understand. She watched as the familiar whisker scars on his cheeks lengthened, thickened, and orange-red chakra envelop the hand on his abdomen. The chakra was in the form of a clawed paw, bubbling and rippling close to Naruto's flesh and ended at his elbow, fading away into his skin.

A small, sizzling and hissing sound filled the air, and Sakura watched as Naruto's flesh knit together under his fingers, which were still as his skin regrew into one smooth surface. A soft red glow emanated across the rosette's face, and she watched entranced as Naruto removed his hand and the chakra to reveal flawless skin, muscles rippling even in his stillness, as the chakra faded from his palm. Then he lowered his hand to his cloak and palmed the cloth, bringing his fingers up to his eyes to see the crimson staining his skin.

"...Damn. This is going to be a bitch to get out."

Sakura didn't move as Naruto sat up and scratched at the back of his head with his other hand, lowering the blood-stained one to the ground. Then he turned his eyes to Sakura. His face was carefully blank as he seemingly analyzed her, and she in turn felt more tears prick her eyes and she internally chastised herself for being so emotional before launching herself at the blonde. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, Sakura buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and neck and released a sob.

"...Naruto," she whispered, and tightened her grip. "Naruto...Naruto..."

She didn't bother to care that Naruto did not return her embrace.

In the moment, she had forgotten that Sasuke was in the room. Glancing up, she saw the raven staring at them. Moreover, he was glaring at her. His eyes contained such burning hatred that she would have withered under the stare if she were any less of a shinobi. As it was, she smirked and tightened her hold again, careful to wink at him. Then her eyes widened in surprise as she felt hands on her shoulders, gently pushing her away.

Looking up, she saw Naruto looking at her, his blue eyes filled with...pity? "Sakura," he murmured, "Please. Let go." Sakura felt numb shock overcome her. Wouldn't Naruto be happy to see her...? The blonde slowly rose to his feet while she knelt on his blood-stained cloak and stared down at her briefly before moving around her to the bed. She heard rustling, but didn't bother to turn until the movement stopped.

"Now...would you like to tell me what the bloody hell that was about?"

Sakura looked over her shoulder and saw Naruto pointing her scythe at her.

Her eyes widened and she stood quickly, hearing Sasuke do the same behind her. She cursed mentally when she saw that her fully extended scythe was indeed in Naruto's grip. "Naruto," she whispered. Naruto's face remained the same, strangely neutral, as his eyes drifted to Sasuke. His figure seemed to wince before his gaze went back to Sakura. "I'll ask again," he said calmly, "Why did you attack me? I was sleeping. Not really a fair fight, ya know..."

Naruto's right hand lightly traced the crescent blade at the top of the scythe before he twirled to it repeat the motion with the bottom blade. Then he pointed it back at Sakura. "Well?" He asked, arching a golden eyebrow over his eye. Sakura, stunned, couldn't help herself from noticing Naruto's hair was longer, framing his face nicely while his bangs fell down into his eyes, which were more angular, his pupils slightly slitted...like a fox's. His cheekbones were more defined, his lips fuller. He no longer looked like the boy she remembered from so long ago.

He looked...wild. Dangerous.

Her mouth parted slightly, but she could find no words to speak as she gaped at the man in front of her. Then she sensed movement to her right. Glancing to the side, she saw Sasuke standing next to her, his face passive just like Naruto's as he analyzed the blonde. Sakura noticed Naruto was avoiding looking at the Uchiha completely, staring only at her. Her heart fluttered slightly despite the dangerous situation they were in.

"Don't think for a second that I won't kill you," Naruto warned quietly. He twirled the scythe, her scythe, again. "Why did you attack me." "We had no idea it was you," Sasuke said coldly from Sakura's right. She winced at the venom in his voice. Naruto's sky blue gaze suddenly turned ice cold and slid coolly from her face to stare at Sasuke. "Is that so," he murmured. "This was a mission. We were ordered to kill whoever was in this room," Sakura blurted out quietly.

Naruto's eyes didn't move back to her, but remained transfixed on Sasuke instead. "...So this is what six years have done to us," he said softly. "We used to be so...innocent." He spoke the word softly, as if it were a fond memory. "...But look at us now. Willing to kill each other..." Sakura winced. She was unused to feeling...guilty. Especially about murder. She never felt upset about wishing death, or causing it, upon a person...

His gaze hardened once more. "Who ordered you," he asked. "And why did you accept." Sakura heard Sasuke's teeth grind together. "We had no idea...it was you," he whispered. "Who," Naruto growled, his calm faćade gone and replaced with something more sinister. "We don't know his real name," Sakura said. "He calls himself Kagemusha." Naruto scoffed. "As if I'll believe you when you say the man who hired you is named...Shadow Warrior," he said, voice devoid of humor.

"Don't think I haven't heard about you two. About your...noble quest."

Sakura's blood ran cold at how angry Naruto sounded. "We did everything we've done for you," she whispered. Naruto's eyes narrowed dangerously, his fist tightening around the hilt of the scythe. "For me," he repeated quietly. Then Sakura sensed the blonde's chakra flare to dangerously high levels as Sasuke stiffened at her side. "Do you think I wanted that?" Naruto continued to speak softly, despite the sheer rage radiating off of him in waves.

"That I wanted...countless people to die in my name? That I wanted you two to chase after me after I 'died'?" Naruto brought his left hand up and made air quotes as he spoke. Then he looked to the side and grit his teeth. "Dammit," the blonde whispered. Then, to Sakura's shock, pressed the hidden button that retracted her scythe to a mere tube and tossed the cylinder at her. She caught it in her hand and brought it back down to her side.

She continued to be amazed when Naruto turned his back to them as his shoulders shook. "I thought I left this all behind," she heard him whisper and saw him raise his arm to cover his face. The kunochi also saw Sasuke step forward, around the bed, and towards Naruto. She let him. She shouldn't have let him...The Uchiha was behind Naruto now, back stiff and Sakura could see his fists clenching at his sides before his right hand lowered and grasped Naruto's wrist.

The blonde turned, a snarl curling his lips as his eyes narrowed at Sasuke. "Let go of me," Naruto yelled and attempted to wrench his arm free. Sasuke tightened his fingers. Then Sakura noticed his left hand curl into a very familiar seal. Her stomach dropped and shock gripped her as she recognized what Sasuke was about to do. "...Traitor..." she whispered. Fury enveloped her, and she extended her scythe as small wisps of fire began to float up from Sasuke's and Naruto's feet.

Her eyes drifted to Naruto briefly, and she noticed he was staring at her, his expression carefully blank once more, like he had slid a mask over his face. He seemed frozen to his spot as he watched her. The rosette then turned her attention to Sasuke, who's expression radiated a smugness that made Sakura sick. "You said it yourself Sakura," Sasuke called over the growing wind, "You knew what I was planning." Her eyes narrowed, then she charged forward with her scythe ready to slash the Uchiha to ribbons.

However, her eyes, and Naruto's, widened when Sasuke raised his left hand and the sound of chirping birds filled the air. A blazing rod of blue and white lightning fired from the raven's fingertips, and Sakura futilely attempted to bring the top blade of her scythe over her chest to lessen the blow as the white hot chakra connected with her abdomen. She felt her feet lift off of the wooden floor and her back connect with the wall across the room. She coughed and felt blood drip down her chin, down the back of her neck, and winced at the sharp ache that now filled her stomach.

Her eyes flickered open when she heard crackling fire.

Looking at Sasuke, Sakura saw the fire whoosh and grow to cover his torso, as well as beginning to envelop Naruto's legs. Her lips moved, but she couldn't hear the words that escaped them as she slowly staggered forward to kneel, holding her arm across her chest to slow the blood from dripping out of her. Raising her head, she saw Sasuke looking at her, and with the orange light of the fire surrounding him and the smile that graced his lips, she acknowledged that, in that moment, he truly looked insane.

She coughed again and lowered her head, watching her blood splatter onto the floor below her before she returned to glaring at Sasuke. "...I told you before, Uchiha," Sakura snarled quietly, "I will find you. You can't hide from me!" Sasuke laughed. Sakura's blood felt like it had frozen. The chuckle was devoid of humor, empty, as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. The Uchiha paused, however, and lowered his head to stare at Sakura.

"I win," he whispered. The fire coated his and Naruto's heads, then they vanished as Sakura fell forward, her vision dimming to a dull black...

Loud, boisterous laughter filled the bar as Sakura stepped out of the cool fall air into the warm, sweat-scented building. She drew the hood of her cloak down from covering her face, allowing her mid-back length hair fall down over her shoulders as she removed the covering altogether, revealing the light red dress and fishnet stockings she wore, along with the calf-length boots over her legs.

Weaving through the crowd, the rosette approached an empty table and flung her cloak over the back of a chair before she sat down with a sigh, folding her arms over the table and lowering her head to stare at the small lit candle that sat inside of a glass bowl on top of the surface. Closing her eyes, she let the sound of bubbling conversation swell over her ears as she lost herself in the soft thumping music and the loud voices around her in the dim room. Wearily, she opened her eyes to stare at the candle in front of her just as the flame atop the wax wavered inside the glass bowl.

"Hey there little lady."

Sakura raised her tired gaze up to a wiry man standing in front of her table, his long and seemingly untrimmed brown hair falling over his green eyes, which were hidden behind large square glasses. He wore a simple white shirt, with a silver chain dangling from his neck along with a silver, oval locket that laid on his chest, along with black trousers and black laceless shoes. The kunochi raised an eyebrow as she took in his appearance. He did not seem like the type to visit such a rowdy bar such as this, much less a shinobi.

"Erm...hello," she greeted after a few quiet moments filled with soft music, confusion coloring her tone. The man smiled at her before nodding to the chair in front of him. "Mind if I join you?" He asked. Still confused, Sakura nodded slowly, signaling her consent. The man pulled the chair out and lightly sat. He sighed softly. "Sorry about that," he murmured and leaned over the table, "I noticed those guys over there staring at you and I didn't want you to get into trouble."

He nodded to his right, and Sakura followed to direction to see five other men staring at the both of them in jealousy and disappointment before turning her head back to face the man across from her. "I could have taken them," she said and leaned back, "But thank you anyways." The man nodded and smiled again. "I don't doubt that you would have been able to," he noted as his eyes flickered briefly to the weapons holster tied to her leg.

"So, now that we're here anyways, mind me asking what your name is?" Sakura asked softly. The man chuckled. "Kaito," he greeted, "And you?" "I...I'm Ino," Sakura replied, stuttering slightly. She was wary of giving out her true name to people; Konoha was still on the search for her and Sasuke, even six months after she had officially defected from that pathetic village. "Nice to meet you, Ino," Kaito said kindly. A few minutes of comfortable silence passed as Sakura stared at the bar as Kaito stared at his hands.

"Have you heard of Uzumaki Naruto?"

Sakura's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as her attention returned to Kaito, who was leaning his chin onto his palm, his elbow supported by the table while he stared at her. "...Yeah," she said, trying to keep herself calm. The rage she felt three years ago still flowed strong; if anything, her hatred had only grown since she had grown up in Konoha after Naruto's execution.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki...I've always wondered what he was like," Kaito mused. Her hands in her lap, the kunochi tightened her fingers into fists ever so slightly. Kaito had best choose his next words carefully...

"I study the Bijuus and the Jinchūrikis," Kaito explained. "The relationship between host and beast, the physical differences between the Jinchūriki and shinobi as well as their emotional states and so forth. I've only managed to collect data on the first five Jinchūriki. I've heard that the ninth was exceptionally different from the rest of the Jinchūriki-"

"He's dead," Sakura blurted out.

Kaito froze in mid-sentence, his jaw slightly agape and his glasses slipping down his nose. "I'm sorry, erm...what was that?" The brunette asked quietly. Sakura closed her eyes. "Yeah," she muttered, "He's dead. He died three years ago. Konoha..." Sakura's fists clenched tighter in her lap. "Konoha murdered him," she whispered. She sat still for a few moments, breathing deeply before opening her eyes to look at Kaito.

The man nodded once and leaned back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "They must have extracted the Bijuu before..." he waved his hand in the air briefly, "So there must be a new Jinchūriki by now. Would you happen to know who?" Sakura shook her head. "Hmm...interesting," Kaito noted. Sakura scowled. The brunette looked up from staring at the table and smiled sheepishly when he noticed the rosette's expression. "I'm sorry," he said. "The subject seems to be rough for you. Did you know the Jinchūriki?"

"Yeah, kind of," Sakura replied and looked to the side. "Sorry," Kaito apologized once more. "I assumed that you didn't know him very well..." Sakura closed her eyes. "Sometimes I think I barely knew him at all," she whispered. "It's like he was two different people, you know? He was happy as could be...an idiot, but when he was in a serious situation he changed..."

Kaito nodded. "Split personalities," he stated, "He reacted to the situations around him with the personalities that best suit them. It's very common for Jinchūrikis to be bipolar in certain extremes." Sakura took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "You know, Ino, you seem to be a rather bright girl," Kaito said with a smile, "Do you think it would be possible for Naruto to have survived?"

Sakura's eyes widened briefly, then she shook her head. "I watched the execution," she muttered. "I saw his head be severed from his body. The spinal cord was completely snapped from the skull. Unless Jinchūriki can survive headless, there's...there's no way." Kaito frowned. "Hmm," he hummed. "I suppose that is the case...I assume the Bijuu was extracted from Naruto? The Kyuubi?"

"There was some orange chakra that was sucked out of him into a jar," said Sakura. She shivered as she recalled the pained moans elicited from Naruto's mouth as the chakra was forced from his body. Kaito nodded. "That was the Kyuubi," he said. "Hm...the most likely reason the beast didn't react is they repressed it earlier...or perhaps they drew another seal..."

Sakura arched an eyebrow as Kaito muttered to himself. "Sorry, but...why are you asking me all of this," the rosette asked. Kaito coughed and looked up, eyes slightly wide with surprise. "Eh?" said he. "Sorry, can you repeat that?" Sakura smiled, slightly. "I asked why you're asking me all of these questions," she repeated, "Why do you even want to know about the Bijuus anyways?"

Kaito sighed. He leaned forward such that his arms were folded over the table and he was nearly standing out of his chair to get close to Sakura. "Have you ever wondered if there's another way to seal the Bijuu, Ino," whispered the brunette. Sakura blinked. "Erm...no," she muttered back, glancing around before returning to staring into Kaito's brown eyes. Kaito's eyes seemed to light up and he grinned.

"Exactly," he whispered. "No-one does; no-one considers if there's another option besides sealing a demon inside of a living creature, subjecting that person to a lifetime of hardships. Understandably it would be very difficult otherwise, as the human conscious is one of the most powerful things in the world, and as such it is effective in restraining the beasts. But...what if you didn't have to put a person through that kinda pain? Hm?"

Sakura stared at Kaito for a few moments as the man continued to smile at her.

"Um, what?" She asked when Kaito didn't continue. The brunette man blinked and laughed quietly before sitting back in his seat. "It's alright if you don't get it," Kaito said lightheartedly, "I just came up with the idea out of the blue. It's a nice thought, isn't it? Not having to subject people to such pain and misery." Sakura nodded slowly. "I suppose..." she murmured. Kaito sighed. "Just a dream though," he said. "I doubt anything will come from that-"

"Sakura?"

Sakura stiffened at the voice behind her back, her eyes locked on Kaito's. Turning in her chair, she saw Sasuke standing behind her with a black cloak covering his torso. The raven's eyes flicked to Kaito briefly before returning to Sakura. "Ino?" Kaito asked. Sakura stared at Sasuke for a few more seconds before smiling nervously, hoping to act fast. "Sorry," she said to the Uchiha, "You must be looking for someone else. I don't know any Sakura."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Of course," he said stiffly. "My apologizes. You look like someone I'm looking for." With that, he turned on his heel and went to the other side of the bar, sitting on a low red couch and crossing his arms, eyes trained on a point over Sakura's head, glaring. Sakura sighed and turned back to Kaito, who was staring at her curiously. "I'm sorry," she said lightly, "I don't know who that was."

Kaito smiled. "Quite alright," he said, before his eyes flickered to her hair. "You certainly look like a 'Sakura', though..." Sakura laughed briefly. "I prefer my name," she said, flicking a few strands of her pink hair over her shoulder. Something beeped on Kaito's wrist as the man opened his mouth to speak, and Sakura noticed a small wrist watch strapped around his right hand.

"Ah," he exclaimed and stood quickly, "I'm sorry, I totally forgot I have to be somewhere. It was nice to meet you, Ino..." He extended his hand to Sakura over the tabletop, brown eyes slightly bright. Sakura smiled and reached out, taking the hand in her own and shaking quickly. "Maybe we'll meet later," Sakura said as she stood. Kaito smiled sadly. "Perhaps.." he murmured. "Have a good night..."

Sakura watched Kaito's retreating back before he vanished through the open doorway of the bar, not noticing when a small oval locket fell onto the ground outside.

Naruto sighed as he clutched a small oval locket to his chest.

His azure eyes narrowed as he ran; to where, he had no idea. All he knew was he had to get away, and fast. How could I have been so stupid. He mentally scolded himself as he pushed himself off of a thick branch, propelling himself into the air once more. I shouldn't be getting caught like that. Just when I thought I had escaped them. Shit. Naruto frowned as he leaped.

The last thing the blonde remembered was seeing Sakura laying near death against a wall, blood flowing from a wound in her stomach and an oddly warm sensation licking at his torso, like fire. An insane laugh at his side...and then darkness. When he awoke, he had found himself laying on a hard stone floor with a blanket drawn over his body, sunlight pooling from the entrance to the enclosed area from his right. No-one had been around, and thus, Naruto ran.

A slight twinge of guilt poked at his consciousness when he thought of Sakura. He hadn't seen her for three years and all he did was leave her to die. But he quickly pushed the thought aside; he told himself when he left Konoha that he couldn't trouble himself with those he left behind. But there was one person in particular that he couldn't shake himself of, no matter how hard he tried to forget...

The squealing of a blade flying through the air had Naruto pausing in his tracks atop of a tree branch before flipping backwards, feeling the edge of a kunai nick the tip of his nose as he launched backwards.

"Going somewhere?"

Naruto sighed to himself, cursing the fact that his skills were still slightly rusty, and turned to his left to face Sasuke. The Uchiha's shoulder-length raven hair was tousled by the breeze that blew through the leaves around them, a smirk playing on his lips. But the humor didn't reach his eyes; his eyebrows were pulled into an angry scowl, glaring at Naruto as if he were trying to pin the blonde with his gaze. "Leave me alone," Naruto growled back. Sasuke snorted.

"I've spent this long trying to find you," Sasuke said calmly, "I'm not about to give up yet." The Uchiha pulled a katana from the sheath that was tied to his waist and twirled it in the air. Naruto rolled his eyes. "I've got places to be," Naruto called back. His left hand twitched as the wind around them rose drastically. Sasuke opened his mouth to reply as Naruto leapt at him. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto twisted as he suspended in the air, launching his foot out to slam into Sasuke's chest.

He managed to catch a glimpse of Sasuke's mouth moving as the Uchiha's left hand shot out to grip Naruto's ankle. The blonde smiled to himself before he quickly formed his hands in a seal, teleporting himself away from Sasuke.

He hadn't spent years perfecting his father's technique for nothing, after all.

The blonde landed roughly five hundred yards away from Sasuke's position, tumbling forwrd and nearly impacting his head on the trunk of the tree. He grimaced as he stood to survey his conditions; he had hoped that he would have been taken farther away than this. But considering how low his chakra was due to the mess that had happened in the hotel room earlier, he shouldn't have been too surprised. The wind still howled at a furious rate, however, for which Naruto was glad. If he hadn't cast it when he did, Sasuke might have been able to detect his chakra. But since the wind acted as a decoy, scattering his chakra print everywhere and anywhere at once, he hoped to slip away under the cover of the leaves.

He turned away from Sasuke's direction, wincing as he thought of the Uchiha, and continued his previous sprint away. He was slightly worried for Sakura still; but from the information he had gathered on her and Sasuke, she was a medic nin who could take care of herself just fine. He just hoped that she could heal a hole in her stomach that stretched around the width of her abdomen. Naruto's eyes widened as he avoided a massive branch that extended in front of his forehead.

Cursing his lack of focus, he tried to keep his mind off of the occurances of this morning. But he had to admit, the events had shaken him to the core. The blonde sighed as he ran, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them just as he landed on another branch. He held back a yelp as a leaf cascaded down from above and landed in front of his eyes, cloaking his sight in bright green with small yellow veins before he quickly shook it off. He thought that by entering the Fire Country, he would have shaken those two from his trail...

Naruto's eyes widened as he avoided a massive branch that extended in front of his forehead. He ducked before glancing over his shoulder at the obstruction, then returned his attention to his run. A few more minutes passed before a leaf fell onto his face, covering his eyes. Reaching up, he snatched the leaf from his face and flung it away. The blonde shook his head quickly.

Naruto's eyes widened as he avoided a massive branch that extended in front of his forehead. He leapt over it before casting a confused glance over his shoulder. As he turned his head back around, a leaf fell over his eyes and blinded him for a brief second. "...What the hell?" He muttered to himself as a massive branch that extended in front of his forehead came into view.

The blonde ducked under the branch before leaping, then pausing and turning to stare at the branch. He doubled back, returning to the branch and landing on top of it, near the base of it at the trunk. Leaning down, he eyed it suspiciously and flicked the bark. Something isn't right here, he thought before standing, leaning on one leg as he observed the branch. His azure eyes flickered over the treeline above his head as he sensed for any chakra nearby. He was certain he was alone...

"Hm," Naruto said aloud. Backing up to the very end of the branch, he looked over his shoulder at the ground below, judging the distance to be roughly fifty feet to the forest floor. Backflipping into the air, Naruto landing lightly on his feet, wincing as needle-like pricks ran up his legs. Raising his head, he stared at the branch before turning and running once more.

He had nearly forgotten the mysterious branch as a leaf fell onto his face.

Shouting wordlessly, Naruto stopped to rip the leaf from his face. He glared at the offending foliage before ripping it, flinging the shreds to the ground. "What is going on?!" He yelled, seemingly to no-one as he stared at the treetops above his head.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Naruto's eyes widened briefly, before he turned to the source of the voice, expression calm. Looking up, he saw Sasuke perched on the crook of a branch above his head, the raven lounging with his legs extended across the width of the branch. He smirked when he Naruto narrowed his azure eyes at him. "I told you I'm not letting you get away," he stated. Naruto breathed deeply before exhaling heavily.

"How did you cast a genjutsu like this," Naruto growled as Sasuke leapt down from the branch, landing lightly before approaching towards Naruto. The Uchiha paused roughly ten feet from the blonde, the prior eying him curiously. "I didn't look into your eyes," Naruto continued, "And I'm certain you would use your sharnigan on me if you had the chance."

Sasuke's smirk grew as Naruto spoke. He remained silent for a few moments as Naruto awaited a reply. "I don't need someone to look into my eyes in order to cast a genjutsu anymore," the raven finally said. His voice sounded silky and rough at the same time, like a lion purring. Naruto winced despite himself. "The moment you heard me talk you were under the genjutsu."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well look at you then. You must be so special," he sneered, just as a warm feeling began to fill his palms. "Unfortunately for you Sasuke, I have something on my side that you don't. Something that can break your petty genjutsu." Sasuke arched an eyebrow over his right eye, clearly confused. "Oh? And what might that be," he asked quietly, amusement coloring his tone. Naruto smiled.

"This," Naruto said as orange chakra flared around his hands, bubbling and hissing as it launched into the ground, causing bits of dirt and rock to vault into the air. Sasuke remained where he stood as the air around the duo shimmered and began to intensify with wind and heat. Naruto grit his teeth as he attemptted to keep up his calm facadé. Sasuke's genjutsu is one of the strongest he has ever encountered...

Forcing a grin to his lips, Naruto let out a triumphant laugh as the heat reached its peak and, with the sound of shattering glass, the genjutsu broke and they both returned to the real world. With a quick exhale, the orange chakra burst from the ground under Sasuke's feet and wrapped around the Uchiha's legs, then his chest and arms, firmly restraining the raven to his spot. "Now," Naruto sighed as he stood straight, the chakra on his hands shifting with him and sizzling, "I'm afraid your chakra is blocked now. No genjutsus for you."

Naruto narrowed his eyes when he noticed Sasuke give no visible reaction. The raven simply continued to stare at Naruto with that stupid smirk on his lips and the pitiful look in his onyx eyes. "What is wrong with you," Naruto hissed. Sasuke's smirk widened before a chuckle tumbled from his lips. Naruto's fingers tightened, as did the chakra coiled around Sasuke's body. The raven coughed but continued to smile in a way that creeped Naruto out.

Sasuke sighed and opened his eyes, looking at Naruto once more. "I forgot how much of an idiot you are," he said lightly, quietly. Naruto cocked his head to the side but did not say anything as Sasuke stared at him. "It's like this is a dream," the Uchiha continued. He chuckled briefly. "If I do something wrong you'll disappear, like you always do..."

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "Like I always do?" he questioned mentally. "Besides, do you really think this is enough to stop me?" Sasuke asked aloud, breaking Naruto's musing. The blonde returned his attention to Sasuke and noticed with surprise that the raven's skin glowed with a light blue tint, as if light were emanating from him from inside. "Yes, actually," Naruto said and crossed his arms over his chest, the chakra on his hands warming his skin.

"You see, that chakra holding you there is demon chakra." He nodded at the orange substance that wrapped around Sasuke's body like chains, "Something that even the strongest shinobi in the world could not contend with. So yeah, I do think it's enough to stop-" Naruto was cut off as blinding white light erupted from Sasuke. Shouting in pain, Naruto closed his eyes as an unseen force knocked him off of his feet and propelled him backwards.

Cursing, he struggled to keep the chakra connected to Sasuke, but felt the bonds snap as the distance grew. The blonde drew the chakra around his body, conforming the energy into a shield that flowed around the shape of his form and allowing him to open his eyes to a world tinted in orange and red. His course in the air was halted as his feet connected with the trunk of a tree; the force of his landing cracked the wood and, as he leapt from the bark, the tree toppled to the ground with a loud crash and shaking the ground.

Kneeling, Naruto's eyes swept the area in front of him for any sign of Sasuke. Confusion swept his mind as he thought of what had just transpired. Sasuke's chakra was supposed to have been blocked. How did he- Naruto's eyes widened as a blur of white and blur streaked towards him, two glowing red points visible in the depths of the shape. Leaping in the air, Naruto twisted to narrowly avoid the screeching sound of lightning that singed the tips of his blonde hair.

He landed once again in a kneeling position, one arm resting on his left knee as leaves stirred around his form. I have to get out of here, and fast, Naruto thought to himself. A rustling to his left drew his attention, and he once again dodged Sasuke as the raven erupted from the foliage, this time sprinting forward. With the aid of the chakra around him, Naruto knew he was reaching speeds at least fifteen times faster than the normal human body could withstand; and with the aid of his father's Flying Thunder God Technique, all he had to do was throw a kunai and he could just teleport away.

"You're underestimating me, Naruto!"

Naruto could barely register what he had just heard as a heavy weight slammed into his right side, and he screamed in agony as searing pain ripped through his skin and muscles; all he could see was white, and feel the distant sensation of falling as consciousness slipped from his mind.