Restoration of Faith
Karrafear
Summary: SEQUAL to Faith in Humanity; Naruto OOC; PG-13. After Sandaime's death, Naruto made a promise to himself to defy his own destiny and pursue a future that will lead to freedom and happiness. Chapter Ten: Healing
xxx XXX xxx
"Demon's talk", /Thoughts/ , "Speech" , 'Speech emphasis' , (FLASHBACK) , Titles , (Author's interruptions)
Warning: Pg-13 or T (I'm still not very use to the new ratings).
Chapter 10
Naruto sighed again as he looked up at the person sitting behind the Hokage's desk, which (in itself) was currently piled up high with reports and other papers that the Hokage herself was suppose to be reading over.
"Let me get this straight. YOU want to see the Uchiha... by yourself, without any protection... and you don't want either myself or Jiraiya to be present in the room with you, right?" The Hokage's pause in speech was met with a nod from Naruto. "Why the secrecy, Naruto?" Tsunade finally asked, sitting back onto her comfortable chair, while contemplating about the boy before her.
Naruto sighed again. "I… I just need it. I want to try something on Sasuke... to prove that what he did was wrong... to educate him, I guess... and I don't want people to know what happened between us. Sort of like a counsellor of sorts." The blond boy answered with a shrug of indifference.
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at his explanation. "What exactly ARE you trying to do with him, Naruto?"
Naruto gave her a soft smirk. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?"
A long pause ensured between the two as Tsunade thought over the boy's request, before finally making a decision and slumped her tense shoulders in forced relaxation. "Fine. Do what you like, Naruto. I trust your judgement." She said tiredly.
Naruto's smirk turned into a sincere smile, before he bowed to her in gratitude. He then turned around to leave the room but was stopped by her final comment. "But if that boy lays a single finger on you, he's gonna hear from ME! You understand!" The Godaime Hokage yelled from behind. Naruto continued to smile, even after he had closed the door behind him, leaving the stressed Hokage to her pile of work.
/Old hag with a protective streak a mile high.../ Naruto thought amusedly.
xxx XXX xxx
Naruto stepped in to the sterile room with a single light hanging from the ceiling and no visible windows in the tiled room. He sighed as he looked over the dejected form of his ex-teammate lying motionlessly on a mattress, the only piece of furniture in the entire room. Gently but firmly Naruto closed the door behind him, knowing that the four Anbu guards would tolerate nothing less and would easily jump him if he presented any suspicion on releasing the last of the Uchiha from their custody.
A long moment of silence lasted between the two before Sasuke's curiosity finally overcame him. "Why are you here, Naruto?" He asked the other boy, never moving a single inch from his laid back position.
Naruto shrugged at first, but once he noticed that his companion couldn't see the action, as the black haired boy had an arm over his eyes, Naruto decided to verbally reply. "I'm just here to ask you to repent." He explained nonchalantly.
Sasuke chuckled mirthlessly. "Repent? There's nothing to repent? I'm not sorry I left. In fact, given the chance, I'd do it again." He snorted determinately.
Naruto sighed again. "And what do you think the outcome would be if you left Konoha, Sasuke?" He asked tiredly.
"I would gain power. The power I seek to avenge my clan. Konoha is weak. Orochimaru will give me the power I need." Sasuke replied arrogantly.
Naruto shook his head in dismay. "Sasuke... you forget that Orochimaru, himself is originally from Konoha. Orochimaru studied under the third Hokage, he lived most of his life under Konoha, just as all the Legendary Sannin. Don't you see? It isn't Orochimaru that fosters strength; he just uses it. It is Konoha itself that fosters strength among its inhabitants." He explained patiently.
At this, Sasuke finally moved. He shifted quickly into a sitting position and glared at Naruto with all his worth. "Orochimaru recognised that Konoha has nothing more to give, no more strength to grow. The Leaf has become stagnant! The Leaf is WEAK! That's why Orochimaru LEFT, FOR POWER!" He defended passionately, almost on the verge of hitting the blonde.
"And power justifies everything?" Naruto asked the boy rhetorically, interested in his answer.
"Power is the only thing that cannot be ignored." Sasuke answered vehemently. "Justice, right and wrong, ethics, rules of engagement... these are nothing but man-made ideals that are subjected to the opinion of the strong. Only the strong can be right, the weak are pushed aside. This world does not exist in black or white, it is all a shade of grey, and only the powerful can say where the line is drawn between the two!" He sprouted out his own philosophy and ideas on society.
Naruto only nodded in agreement. "True." A slight pause ensured. "But we are all humans none the less, and as such, we willingly subject ourselves to these rules. We accept them... because they make us feel special, feel protected and secured; they make us feel that we are more important than animals. Remember Sasuke, you cannot deny your humanity, no matter how much you try." Naruto looked over the other boy with such a sad and pitiful gaze upon his face. He wanted to help him, he truly did, but if Sasuke couldn't help himself then there was nothing Naruto could do.
Sasuke continued to glare fiercely at Naruto. "Even if I must become a monster, even if I must sell my soul to the devil itself, I will find a way to attain power and kill my brother. I don't care about feeling special, I don't care if I become an animal because I will kill my brother and that is enough for me!" He finally growled out through gritted teeth.
Naruto's pity filled eyes did not change. "Revenge isn't everything."
"To me, IT IS!" Sasuke confirmed.
Naruto's relaxed shoulders slumped in helplessness, his gaze shifted away from the vengeance filled boy before him. /Such pain filled eyes... so much anger, so much hate... just begging someone to save him... was I... did I ever look like that, Aunt Ruri? When we first met, did I... did I really look that lost?/ Naruto wondered.
(FLASHBACK)
Ten-year-old Naruto sat quietly on the floor in front of his Aunt's office. The room was immaculately neat, with pristine white walls, glistening tiled floors that practically reflect anything that is placed on top of it like a mirror, and perfectly dust-free furnitures. It was so perfect that it looked unliveable. It was too clean, simply put; there was no life in anything. Even the table that his Aunt was working on – which was supposedly the messiest part in the entire room, was also flawlessly neat to a fault. Everything had its own placement and no one dared to move It, unless they wanted to feel her wrath of course. It was a doll's house, a display room, see-but-don't-touch; and most of all - Naruto hated it with a passion. He hated the perfection, the cleanliness but most of all he hated being there, being in such a perfect world where he knew nothing was even close to perfect.
Shifting slightly again in boredom and agitation at waiting for his Aunt, young Naruto decided to speak up. "Ne... Lady-sama. Why did you call me in here and then have me wait?" No answer was forth coming. After a few minutes of patiently waiting, Naruto decided to try again. "Ne... Lady-sama? Did you hear me?"
This time at least, his Aunt deigned to answer. "What do you think, Naruto-kun? Why are you here?"
After a few moments' thought, Naruto shook his head in confusion. "I dunno, Lady-sama." Naruto lowered his body into a crouching position, afraid that he had upset his Aunt somehow. But no punishment was forth coming.
"Tell me." His Aunt asked him, without ever lifting her gaze from the immaculate scroll she was reading. "If you weren't here, where would you be?"
Naruto thought for a moment before answer truthfully. "In my room, hiding from people."
"Why?" was the immediate inquiry by his Aunt.
Uncomfortable about the question, Naruto did his best to answer it truthfully again. "Because... m' afraid of doing something wrong and making someone mad... like yesterday." The last few words were whispered out in hesitation, Naruto was most definitely not prepared to go through what had happened yesterday again.
Yesterday was one of the rare holidays within the Kuunoki village, and as such, Naruto took it as a day to celebrate so he tried to play a prank on the village to liven its spirits and make people laugh. Unfortunately, he had not counted on the Seven Council Members to catch him on the act. What happened next was NOT something Naruto would ever dare to go through again. His very veins and nerves still throb with pain due to the possession. (1) As such, Naruto had become rather skittish and afraid of doing anything (considered) bad again.
"So... why do you think you're here now, instead of hiding in your room?" His Aunt continued to ask.
Naruto pondered on this thought for a while. Instead of always thinking that 'I'm here because my aunt wants me to', he tried to think up reasons why 'HE' himself would rather stay in the presence of his non-interested Aunt instead of either in his room or in the presence of someone else. Almost half an hour of thinking critically, Naruto had his answer. "Because I'd rather spend my time with you than anyone else anyway. You make me feel safe, Lady-sama, safer than I've ever been. And... I... I like it here with you." Naruto muttered bashfully, which in turn, brought a small smile on his Aunt's face. The sun was shining brightly in the room at the moment and Naruto suddenly realised, he didn't care that he was in the room anymore, as long as he was with his aunt, the one person that seemed to make it feel right.
(END FLASHBACK)
/GOD! Was I ever that innocent? And how the hell did I return to that state of mind, even after I killed all those people? Heh... Aunt Ruri really is amazing... To be able to turn me back into a childish kid again, even after I became a mass murderer... Elle... Do I regret killing those men... Not really... but I do realise that there are better ways around it than revenge... I refuse to subject myself into becoming a monster like that again... Aunt Ruri somehow managed to save me from the darkness of my soul and turn me back into the childish idiot I was prior to the incident... So... I'm not gonna give up on Sasuke either. I'm gonna find a way to set him free... just as Aunt Ruri was able to set me free.../ Naruto thought to himself resolutely.
"I repeat. Revenge isn't everything, Sasuke. And now, I will prove it to you." Lifting up his left hand, Naruto bit into his index finger to draw out some blood. After that, he traced a small image or symbol onto the palm of his right hand. The symbol was just a simple circle with the word 'Yume' (Dream) in the middle of the circle. "I've never tried this before, but I've heard that this is how you do it." Naruto muttered under his breath, hesitating slightly in his actions, but he knew that he had to do this. To save the boy's sanity, he must know the truth. Looking back at Sasuke with determined eyes, Naruto asked him one of the most important questions of his life. "Do you trust me?"
Sasuke gazed resolutely back at Naruto's firm eyes, before he finally sighed in defeat. "Why? Naruto, why are you trying so hard to convince me?" He asked, tired of this unending tug-of-war in his life. No one had ever tried so hard before, no one had ever gone against the Uchiha's word so why Naruto?
Naruto gave him a tired smile. "Because I have faith in you, Sasuke. I believe you would have had a great future... if you didn't throw it away so easily."
"I highly doubt you'll change my mind, no matter what you do." Sasuke answered succinctly, even while his eyes closed – hiding the storm of emotion underneath.
"We'll see about that. I'm not giving up on you yet... so don't... don't give up on me either. I'll bring you back, no matter what it costs me." Naruto answered resolutely.
With all that said, Naruto gently placed the palm of his right hand (the one with the character symbol drawn on it) upon Sasuke's forehead. Once he felt a 'connection' has been made, Naruto too, shut his eyes in concentration. /YOCHIGAN! (Prediction's eye)/ Naruto mentally commanded.
Instantly, both Naruto and Sasuke's mind were bombarded with images of the past, a past that both would rather NOT remember and yet it played a significant role in both boys' lives. It was a past filled with pain, loneliness, anger, hatred and vengeance; it showcased the dark side of their souls and yet, undeniably, it also showed the weakness of their humanity. The same humanity they tried their best to cling on to in times of despair. Here, all the masks are stripped away, revealing an undeniable truth - a truth that cannot be so easily silenced.
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
(FLASHBACK SCENES WITH JUMPS IN BETWEEN)
Eight-year-old Sasuke happily hugged his brother from behind, glad that today his oniisan was able to at least spend the afternoon with him, even if it meant carrying him around on his back because he was stupid enough to sprain his ankle. "When I grow up... I'll join the police force too!
"Hai... hai..." Itachi gave Sasuke a tired by amused smile in return.
xxx XXX xxx
"When I grow up..." The young girl (2) hesitatingly muttered. "...I wish I could see... see what the world is like." She smiled brightly, completely believing in her own dreams and knowing that, if she tried hard enough, she could truly fulfil it and see through her current blind eyes.
Eight-year-old Naruto sat next to the young girl, unable to look directly into her hope filled expression, not willing to crush her dreams by telling her that she had a very slim (if not impossible) chance of achieving her wish. Since he was unable to crush her, he swore mentally to himself that he would do anything to help her. Smiling brightly himself, Naruto yelled in excitement. "Yeah! And I'll help too!" Both children laughed joyfully for the rest of the day and they chatted about anything and everything they could thing of. A person could dream right? Naruto was not about to let anything happen to her dream, he was not about to let her pursue her dream alone either, because protecting her was HIS dream.
xxx XXX xxx
Young Sasuke quivered on his knees, his tear streaked face was pale beyond the whiteness of the moon, his eyes gazed blankly, horrified at seeing and hearing the words that slipped through his once idolised older brother.
"You can awaken the same Mangekyou Sharingan as me..." Itachi spoke in a soft, monotone voice, gentle but deadly. "However, there is a requirement." Pausing for effect, Itachi soon continued with the rest of his explanation. "You must kill... your closest friend..."
xxx XXX xxx
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU SOLD HER! YOU... YOU BXXXXXD OF A FATHER... HOW COULD YOU SELL YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!" Naruto yelled at the top of his young lungs, shocked with fear, gazing horrified at the half drunk, half sober man lying on the dirty wooden floor before him.
"You heard me... she's gone..." The bearded man snorted in his half drunken stupor. "Nothing you or I can do about that now..." The man tightened his grip on the bottle in his hand, lifting it to his lips, and the man simply let the liquid alcohol just pour into his mouth, trying desperately to drown out all his misery in one breath.
"YOU BXXXXXD!" Naruto screamed, shaking in unparalleled fury. He knew that he was ready and willing to kill this man. But right here, right now, that wasn't his top priority. His biggest priority was to reach Elle before something bad happens to her. As such, he cursed under his breath, turned around quickly and smashed his way out of the trashed hut that somehow managed to be the only home Elle had ever had. Distantly, Naruto was glad that Elle was blind, so she didn't have the face the ugly reality that was her life.
xxx XXX xxx
Sasuke stared dejected at his reflection upon the water's surface. "I wonder... what did you talk with mother about... father..." The boy muttered to himself half-heartedly. Sasuke slowly picked up a near by rock and dropped it into his reflection. The water rippled for a moment, before finally settling, leaving Sasuke to stare frozenly at the image of his brother reflecting off his original image. Gritting his teeth in sudden fury, Sasuke stood up and jumped into the lake itself, needing the almost freezing cold temperature of the water to cool his heated blood.
/Brother... no matter how deep I have to plunge myself into darkness, I will do it in order to kill you! No matter what happens I will get that power/ Sasuke swore to himself as he sank deeper and deeper into the darkness of the abyss that surrounded him.
xxx XXX xxx
/I'm a monster... just like Mrs Tanuki said... so I should be destroyed like all other monsters... I don't deserve to live.../ As Naruto thought this to himself, the now thin and frail boy, with deep sunken eye sockets and pale bony hands lifted the kunai up slowly as if it weighed a ton. The kunai travelled up until it rested almost longingly next to the boy's throat. The nine-year-old closed his eyes, gave a soft smile, as he slitted the kunai's sharp edge across his own throat.
xxx XXX xxx
"ITACHI!" Sasuke yelled as he rushed passed the stunned form of both Maito Gai and Jiraiya, ignoring their shouts for withdrawal. Consumed by his hate for his brother, Sasuke blindly ran towards the man who had made him suffer, the man who had betrayed his greatest trust and shattered his life's dream, the man who had made him an avenger. Charging the Chidori within his left hand with all he had, Sasuke aimed his electrified hand towards his brother's ice-cold heart, aiming to stab right through the very man who had plagued his life since the incident occurred.
Standing calm and ignoring his younger brother's outcry, Itachi seamlessly slapped away Sasuke's electrified hand mere centimetres before it contacted his very chest. A loud blast of explosion erupted when the Chidori's path of destruction was suddenly halted by Itachi's very action. The Chidori, having no where to turn its effects, exploded, demolishing one entire side wall of the alleyway for several rooms in a row. The sudden silence after the blow was deafening to all the people involved.
Sasuke glared hatefully at Itachi. Itachi gazed piercingly cold at Sasuke. Both were at a small standstill that was not to last. "You're in the way." With a quick snap, Sasuke suddenly found his wrists broken and he screamed in agony. The child's cry seemed to suddenly bring both Gai and Jiraiya out of their stunned silence and both immediately launched into action. Seeing the green clad man and the white haired man rushing at him, Itachi decided to be rid of one of them at the very least. Pulling the broken wrist up, Itachi slammed his left leg directly into Sasuke's chest, crushing some of his ribs and knowing that at least a few of them had punctured the boy's lung in the process. With the sudden impact, Sasuke flew backwards by the powerful force of Itachi's kick, halting only when he smashed against Gai and brought both of them onto the ground in a haphazard landing.
xxx XXX xxx
For a long moment, no sound was emitted through out the room; finally, Naruto thought that he had gathered enough wits to admit his own faults for the first time in a long time. "I'm sorry." He whispered softly, knowing full well that his Aunt probably can't hear him now but would eventually pick up on it since she is an oracle after all. "I've looked up to you and Kaga-san for such a long time... ever since you somehow pulled me out of the darkness within my soul... but sometimes I forget... that you're human too. I'm selfish and conceited, I know, always running away from the truth. Always looking to you for guidance... I'm such a child." Naruto concluded his soft ramblings on berating himself.
/It's the same with every powerful person I've ever met. Jiraiya... I've always expected him to continue to look out for me... so the first time he left me alone... I couldn't handle it... I hate that loneliness... I depend so much on others reaching out to me, that sometimes, I just cover myself in this silent depression. Elle was the first to reach out to me without my permission and I had failed her. Aunt Ruri had reached out to me and dragged me back into reality too... I refuse to lose her now.../ Naruto thought to himself. /I have to stop relying on others to look after me. It's time I stop being a child and start acting like a real Shinobi./
And then, his eyes became more determined. "But I promise you. I'll try to grow up. I'll do my best to live for myself, decide for myself, and take responsibility for my own actions from now on. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, both a Shinobi of the Kuunoki and Konoha, last descendant of two powerful clans. I won't hide from my duties any more. I'll become the next Uzumaki prophet and I'll still make Konoha proud. I promise I won't disappoint you, Kaga-san or my late parents..." With a small smile on his face, Naruto drifted off into sleep, too emotionally exhausted to keep up his duty of looking over his Aunt, and almost completely forgotten about the three Sand siblings resting only several rooms away.
(END FLASHBACK SCENES)
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
In the darkness of Sasuke's mind, he heard a voice. "Now that you have relived the past and present of both our lives... let me show you the future... of the path you have chosen. Mind you, this is only one of the many paths that lie before you, however, it is most definitely a viable result. Do you have the courage to face it, Sasuke... Do you have the courage to live by your decisions and mistakes, and take full responsibility of the consequences? Let me show you what it would be like, had you left to go after Orochimaru..." (3)
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
(Start of Secondary Vision) Psychotic Sasuke on the horizon! If you're a big Sasuke-fan, please DON'T READ THIS SECTION!
An older version of Sasuke slammed his Chidori charged arm into and all the way through the heart of his opponent. The man before him bleed all over Sasuke's form, raining onto his face. However, the frozen, insane smirk upon Sasuke's face never wavered. This was what he lived for. It was for this moment that Sasuke had sacrificed all his time and energy working towards. Today... was the day he finally killed his older brother.
However, Sasuke was abruptly brought out of his musings by a shrill cry from behind him. "IIIEEEE! HANASE! (No! Stop!)"
"Please... don't hurt him..." Itachi's final words were whispered right into Sasuke's ears before the once foreboding man literary collapsed onto himself, leaning his entire weight upon his younger brother's shoulders. Unceremoniously, Sasuke ripped his arm out of his brother's chest, knowing that he had struck all the way through the man's heart and he would definitely NOT survive this fight. Twisting around, Sasuke glared hatefully at the person who had dared interrupt his long awaited vengeance.
Before him stood a boy of no older than 6 or 7, trembling upon the blood stained earth with absolute fear and a splice of pure, uncontrolled hatred within his mid-night black eyes. The boy had short black, spiky hair and wore a simple peasant's clothing. However, it was the eyes that captivated Sasuke. For in a split second, Sasuke noticed that those familiar black eyes turned blood red, with two dots swirling around the central pupil. There was no doubt in Sasuke's mind that this boy carried the same blood as his brother and himself. This was an Uchiha, the last of his sacred clan, other than himself.
"Well... Well... Well... What have we here?" The insane smile had returned as Sasuke walked slowly and intimidating towards the fear-ridden boy. Finally reaching him, Sasuke lowered himself and gripped tightly onto the boy's throat, slowly rising to a standing position pulling the boy up with him. "Heh... The bastard actually dared to BREED?"
The boy, having finally recovered from his shocked paralysis had given totally into his young rage, kicking and struggling against Sasuke's formidable grip fruitlessly, chocking and screaming in protest.
"Do you hate me, little one? Do you hate me for killing your sire?" Sasuke asked in deathly cold voice. The boy spat back at him, rebellious to the extreme. Sasuke's smirk disappeared as he used his free hand to wipe the spit away. Tightening his grip, resulting in the boy whimpering in pain, Sasuke mercilessly activated his own Mangekyou Sharingan and induced the boy to suffer the effects of the Tsukiyomi, forcing the boy to relive his father's death for the next 48 hours straight.
The boy's resultant scream echoed through the entire clearing for several long minutes, before finally, the boy's young psyche collapsed, leaving the boy in a blank state of oblivion. Sasuke inched his way closer to the boy's ear and whispered to his nephew: "If you want to kill me... curse me... hate me... and live a long and unsightly life... Always run away and cling to your pitiful life. And some day... when you have the same eyes as me... come before me as an equal Sharingan user... only then shall we fight... only then will you honour your father's death."
With that said, Sasuke released the boy to drop onto the ground like a lifeless doll. He turned and left the scene of his brother's death, feeling nothing but guilt and emptiness eating away at what's left of his soul. /This is what I've always wanted right? Then why... why does it feel as if nothing's changed... why does it feel as if I've accomplished nothing... maybe... maybe I should return to Konoha now and pay a tribute to my parents... just to tell them that I've fulfilled my oath finally.../ Sasuke never looked back towards the despondent form of his nephew, nor did he ever gaze back at the dead form of his brother. Nothing mattered to him now... nothing at all...
xxx XXX xxx
"Uchiha Sasuke! S-Class Nukenin (Missing Nin)! For trespassing on Konoha land, you will be executed effective immediately!" A band of Anbu Hunter Nins descended onto the ground before Sasuke, blocking his way towards the tombstone of his clan forefathers.
Sasuke frowned at them, annoyance practically vibrating from his stance and body. "Get out of my way or I'll kill you."
"For your crimes against the Leaf, it is YOU who shall die!" The leader of the Anbu called as he quickly charged towards Sasuke, the other Hunter Nins following in his footsteps not a split second later.
The fight was short but quite entertaining in Sasuke's opinion. One member of the four man team had been disembowelled by Sasuke's summoned snake before the snake was burnt off by another member, whom was later killed by Sasuke and his own Amitarasu attacks. The leader of the group was easily taken care of after he had suffered the effects of Sasuke's Tsukiyomi and now only one member was left of the Hunter squad, the only member to remain behind and not attack Sasuke head on.
After a moment's pause, Sasuke decided to ask the man a few curious questions. "Why aren't you fighting? Were you that afraid of the infamous Uchiha Sasuke that you simply froze on the spot? Sasuke sneered delicately.
The man ignored the snit comment, instead, he reached his arm up and removed the cat-faced mask that covered his face, revealing underneath another mask – this time, a clothed one, which covered half his face. Even though the two had not met for almost eight years, it was still not difficult for Sasuke to recognise his former teacher, the infamous copy-cat ninja Hatake Kakashi.
"My biggest mistake in life would be the fact that I taught you the Chidori, a technique that was perfected when my best friend – Uchiha Obito, you're uncle – sacrificed himself to save me. The Chidori was a technique made by two people, two best friends. And yet... you used this same technique on your own best friend, before using it against numerous others. This technique should never have been taught to you, never you." Kakashi replied gravely, his eyes emotionless.
"Heh. A technique's a technique, it matters not how it is used as long as it is used." Sasuke replied nonchalantly. And it was this nonchalance that finally spurred Kakashi to attack his ex-student.
The two Sharingan users fought for many long minutes, each one unable to find a flaw in the other's defences, each one unable to dominate the other. Just like the fight between Sandaime and Orochimaru so many years ago, the fight between a teacher and a student was most grave and emotionally taxing on both opponents. Though they didn't show, both their hearts were screaming at the inevitable end to this fight.
/Why am I here? Why am I doing this? Didn't I want to pay my respects to my parents, hoping that they would be proud of me for finally killing Itachi... but now... what am I doing? Why am I fighting against Kakashi? Do I really want him to die? Do I really want to kill him? WHAT AM I DOING/ Though Sasuke's mind wondered down a path of unending questions, his body and action spoke for itself. Kakashi was an opponent standing in his way, and anyone standing in Sasuke's way must die. It was that simple a philosophy.
Soon though, Kakashi started showing signs of fatigue, it wasn't easy for him to constantly hold the Sharingan open, not to mention the massive amounts of Chakra it consumed. Soon enough, Sasuke got in a lucky shot and rendered both of Kakashi's arms broken, leaving the man practically paralysed. "Leave, Kakashi... I don't want to kill you." Sasuke finally stated.
Shaking his head in denial, Kakashi gritted his bloodied teeth as he directed his icy gaze at his ex-student once again. "I swore an oath to myself in front of 'his' grave. I swore that I would pull you down no matter what it takes. And I for one, will keep my promise." Kakashi stated his final words before he flipped up an abandoned kunai from the ground up to his teeth by use of his legs, then he charged at Sasuke once again, in a similar fashion as Zabuza once did when he charged towards Gato all those years ago. It was déjà vu all over again, but this time, Sasuke wasn't anywhere near as weak as Gato.
In a second, Sasuke had his Chidori charged and held towards Kakashi's direction. Kakashi, having reached his maximum speed was unable to stop, and anyway, he didn't want to stop. Slamming himself through Sasuke's Chidori charged arm, Kakashi continued to push through until he was close enough to Sasuke to slit the boy's own throat with the kunai in his teeth. "Paybacks a bitch, Sasuke... this... is for Obito, for Hokage-sama, for all those innocent people you have hurt and killed, and most of all... for Naruto." Kakashi whispered as he slowly died, impaled by Sasuke's arm.
Sasuke could feel his life blood slip through the wound upon his very throat, though not deep (since Sasuke had leaned back as far as he could from the close range assault), it was still enough for him to feel his life literary slipping away. Quickly ripping his arm out of Kakashi's hanging corpse, Sasuke used up the rest of his Chakra to perform a healing jutsu and immediately started to heal up the damage to his throat. /Thank god Kabuto-san had forced me to learn at least some medical Jutsu, or else I'd be dead by now./ Sasuke thought to himself as he swallowed a blood replenishment pill, to help him balance his sudden blood lost.
Exhausted, Sasuke took a few moments to rest his body before deciding to just leave the bodies as is and to continue forward to his destiny. For some reason, Sasuke didn't really feel much regret for killing his former sensei, and because of that, he felt guilty for NOT feeling guilty. It was weird, he knew he should at least be feeling something, but nothing came to him. He was numb to all stimulus.
As he trudged onwards, towards the graves of his parents in the heart of the Konoha Shinobi graveyards, a sudden though struck Sasuke, and it left him trembling. He was waiting for death. That's why he didn't really feel any regret because he knew that sooner or later, he would join his parents in eternal darkness. He would soon follow in Kakashi's footsteps and for some odd reason - that comforted him slightly, knowing that he wouldn't be completely alone once he died.
Finally, he reached his destination. Two large stones bearing the names of his parents stared impassively at him and he simply stood. No regrets, no emotions, everything was done as it should. Sasuke prayed in his mind, prayed desperately that someone would find him and take his misery away, someone strong enough to defeat him totally and claim his life, releasing him from this estrange dream he was living. All of a sudden, he started to truly regret killing his brother and mentally scaring his nephew the way he did. Hell, he didn't even know the boy's name. And now, the boy would probably spend the rest of his life hunting down Sasuke, not knowing that Sasuke would probably die even before he grew up.
/What have I become.../ Sasuke wondered as suddenly, a familiar chirping sound of a thousand birds ran from the clearing of the graveyard. Since he was already almost out of Chakra and being too slow to react, Sasuke soon found an arm instantly struck through his own chest from behind, blasting its way across his bones, lungs, muscles and more, burning anything within its path to victory. Sasuke vaguely remembered he coughed up some blood from his lips.
The arm pulled out of him and he staggered for a moment before turning around to face his foe, the person who had finally claimed his life and set him free from this miserable existence. She had short, cropped, pink hair, and the most familiar yet amazing, piercing green eyes. "Sa...kura..." He muttered as he dropped onto one knee, still gazing almost in awe at this angel who had come to his rescue. He knew, this was the end for him. /At least... at least Itachi was able to leave behind a legacy... heh... I can't believe that it was Itachi that left behind the legacy of the Uchiha clan... while I... while I left nothing.../
Sakura spat at him and glared with a lifetime's hate visible in her eyes. "I hate you... Uchiha Sasuke." Those were the final words Sasuke would ever hear from Sakura's mouth, as she pulled out a kunai and neatly severed his head off his body. And so ends the saga that was Uchiha Sasuke's life, in the end, there was nothing... nothing at all...
(END Secondary Vision) Hope that wasn't too gruesome?
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
Sasuke gasped out loud in the silent room, desperately trying to orientate himself back into stability. His heaving shoulders shook uncontrollably as all his muscles in his body tensed and released itself at a constant rate. /It's got to be a dream. It's got to be a dream... It's GOT TO BE A DREAM!/ He mentally repeated to himself this litany, trying frantically to calm down and think logically.
"It wasn't a dream, Sasuke." Naruto's tired voice broke through Sasuke's racing thoughts. The black haired boy froze before slowly tilting his head upwards, only to see the pale, sweaty form of Naruto kneeling unceremoniously on the tiled floor before him. The other boy looked sick, tired and most definitely very pale. Why did he look on the verge of death? Was it for him? Did Naruto do that for him? Why… why did he care so much?
"It...wasn't?" Sasuke choked and whimpered slightly, wanting to believe that what he saw was nothing but illusions or hallucinations created by his own mind, but yet, a part of his soul – deep in his heart, knew that this was the truth.
"No." Naruto whispered, even as his vision blurred slightly due to Chakra exhaustion. "I told you before... that I would convince you that the path you had chosen... would only end in nothingness... The future that I showed you was one of many ends, but it was most definitely a viable option." He explained, closing his eyes tightly, hoping that he could push the nausea away, at least for a moment. Blood began to trickle down his eyes and Sasuke feared for the worse. Why! Why did he go to such lengths just to show him, just to save him? Is this what it meant to have a friend?
"I... I don't understand..." Sasuke continued to tremble, in shock, fear or sheer confusion, he didn't know.
Naruto sighed tiredly as he flopped down to lay flat onto the cold ground, spreading his weight onto the floor so he didn't need to hold his body up anymore. "The future I showed you... was one where you had set off after Orochimaru, and I had gone after you instead of the rest. During the fight between us, you killed me." Here, Naruto paused and tried to swallow the lump of pain that had suddenly lodged itself into his throat while Sasuke could only stare at the blonde haired boy with an utterly shocked expression on his face.
"After that... you just... sorta drifted... You helped Orochimaru kill Tsunade – the new Hokage... and well... after that you left Sound... You killed Itachi finally... but that was only after he gave up the life of a Nukenin (missing Nin) and had only just started to settle down with his family... You killed him in cold blood... tortured his son... returned to Konoha... and ended up killing Kakashi... Finally, it was Sakura who killed you in the end." Naruto finished his story and left the room to fill with complete silence.
The silence was choking in its hold, but it was necessary for Sasuke to think things through. He needed this icy atmosphere to pull himself out of shock and analyse what Naruto had just told him. /One of many futures... only one... maybe I don't have to turn out that way... but... at the rate I'm going... aren't I.../ He couldn't help but ask himself.
"Just think about it, Sasuke. What do you want to achieve? What is your dream? And I don't mean revenge either, what was your real dream, before the massacre occurred? Who did you want to become? What did you want to become?" Naruto muttered under his breath, so soft even Sasuke had to strain his ears to hear. Slowly, the blonde haired boy dragged himself onto his feet, stepping slowly towards the door, which led him outside. He opened it, crossed the thresh hold, and slid it shut behind him quietly, leaving the brooding form of Uchiha Sasuke to his silence and his thoughts.
/WHAT IS MY DREAM? What is it I live for?/
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
Two days had past since the faithful day Naruto tried an uncharted Jutsu of transferring his very visions (created by using the Yochigan) directly into the mind of his ex-teammate, Uchiha Sasuke. Once Naruto was outside the Uchiha's room on that day, he had immediately collapsed due to exhaustion. It took him these two whole days to recover.
In his case, 'Chakra' wasn't the problem at all, since he had literary an over abundance of it. And neither did he lack in the physical ability department, Naruto was as fit as a boy his age could possibly be. No, it was his mind that was taxing him using that particular Jutsu.
Though theoretically it worked, this wasn't the type of Jutsu one could try simply because one wanted to experiment. Even his Aunt, the Lady Oracle would prefer to use the 'Yume no Heya' (dream room) (4) instead of using this type of transferring of memories. The Jutsu was dangerous as there is no guarantee that the two minds will not accidentally merge between themselves or lose themselves to the visions shown. Naruto had taken a giant gamble with his decision, but in the end, the gamble had paid off superbly.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING!" A screeching yell echoed through out his hospital room.
However, the draw back of his gamble was that the Hokage was currently ranting at him for his supposed stupidity.
"You could have LOST yourself in the visions! Didn't you know how many of your ancestors had practically GONE WONKING MAD after their experience in the Yume no Heya (Dream Room)! Those visions of yours are NOT something to be toyed with! They can affect your very psyche to such an extent that I even doubt any of the Yamanaka family members – who are specialists in Mind Jutsus, could pull you out! You... You reckless FOOL!" Tsunade huffed in breathlessness, finally finished with her 2 hour-long tirade, and feeling much better than before. She went over and gave him a hug, nestling his head between her assets. "You dumb boy… what were you thinking…" tears ran down her face as she held him even tighter, she couldn't lose someone else, not now, not ever.
Naruto broke from her hold, giving her a sincere smile. "I'm sorry… but I had to do it, I had to show him."
Naruto took the opportunity to glance around his hospital room, curious about the layout and purpose of each instrument. Though he had had several experiences with visiting the hospital to get some part of his body bandaged – usually by Haku since he didn't trust any of the other Medic Nins and doctors, this was his first time actually staying overnight (5). His gaze shifted to the side of the table where it was filled with a small vase of flowers, some 'get-well' cards, a small chessboard (curtesy of Shikamaru), and a small gift wrapped up in plain paper.
His curiosity peaked, Naruto picked up the cards individually to read over who had sent them. There was one by Kakashi – surprisingly enough – just telling him to rest up and that for the moment, team 7 was to be disbanded – due to Sasuke's situation and the fact that Kakashi is now heavily in active duty and didn't have any more time to oversee their training.
There was a card from Iruka sensei, it had a 3D ramen image popup at the front of the card, of which Naruto really liked. Inside the card were several vouchers for free ramen, all vouchers were only limited to the Ichiraku Ramon stand – Naruto's favourite hawker centre.
There was a card from Haku, also scolding him for his recklessness before the ex-nukenin expressed his gratitude for having Naruto alive. The white daffodil and a card from Sakura; it basically expressed the same things as Haku, but also hinting of her own confusion and gratitude for trying to help Sasuke anyway.
There was another card from Neji, which really surprised Naruto. The Hyuuga boy had thanked him for helping him realise that destiny really could be changed, and for giving him the belief in freedom that he so craved, as well as a short 'thank you and get well' note at the bottom of the page.
Shikamaru, though not exactly a close friend or even an acquaintance but since the two of them were studying under outside teachers that were close to one another (his Aunt and Kaga-san), the two shared a strange affiliation to one another that they could not deny. As such, Shikamaru felt that it was more duty than anything else that made him come visit Naruto and left behind a small gift – the chessboard (with its associated chess pieces).
The last present and card left on his small side desk was a present from Hinata. Within the present were two small medical creams and a bandage, curtesy of Hinata. Strangely enough, the memory of the shy, timid girl brought a small smile onto Naruto's face. It was her innocence that really appealed to his inner self. She reminded him so much of Elle but at the same time, she was far more… more... Naruto couldn't find the proper words to describe it.
It's true that the two weren't particularly close. But if ever she were in danger, he would not hesitate to jump in front of her to take the blow. This feeling of protectiveness is similar to what he had felt for Elle, like a big brother protecting his little sister. But at the same time, she was a Shinobi – a fellow genin, she was supposed to be strong enough to protect herself and not need his help at all. And still, he was drawn to her.
No matter how hard Naruto tried, he could not rationalise his estranged and confused emotions towards the Hyuuga heiress. He had been taught by the various Dokudes senseis while living in the Hidden Air village that the Hyuuga Clan were one of the most obnoxious, self-arrogant fools in the world. And yet, here he was, face to face with the 'Hyuuga heiress' and arguable one of the most timid and shy creatures in the face of the earth. It was bizarre and Naruto couldn't help but feel protective of her shyness, no, her innocence.
There was something pure inside Hinata, that he was sure. And that purity of humanity drew him in. It was like his tainted soul – the part that happily slaughter man after man because of the Elle incident – was attracted to and (at the same time) silenced by that pure, white spirit. It was no wonder that Hinata was accepted into the newly established Medic Nin Academy. She was perfect for the job. In fact, it was arguable that she was 'Medic Nin' personified with her caring personality and kindness.
It was surprising to Naruto how fast Tsunade was able to implement changes once she had returned to Konoha. On the first day of her arrival, straight after she was able to stabilise all the injured genins whom went after the traitor – namely Ino, Chouji, Neji, Kiba, and Sakura (to a slight extent); she was able to get the full story out of all of them and immediately started on implementing changes. On her second day, she had organised a small committee of high-ranking Medic Nins whose sole purpose was to attract talented Chuunins and Genins to study the art of Medic Nin techniques.
Tsunade had been appalled at the level of proficiency at the Konoha hospital and had made the establishment of a small Medic Nin academy the foremost of her priorities as well as shifting most of the Chuunin and Genin teams around, grouping the Jounins into teams of 2 or (at most) 3 to go out on missions.
Though nowhere near as organised as a 'neat freak' may be, Tsunade did manage to get the job done. Funny as it may seem, Tsunade had kept Hiashi as her second in command, even after the bungle he made with the Sasuke incident. She just pushed all the heavy paper work and minor details to him to handle while she controlled all the major projects still being undertaken. Such projects include: changes to the security structure, and even stripping some power from the own council heads – who were not amused of course but simply decided to remain silent for now considering they needed her advanced strategic leadership.
Things were changing, and at such a rapid pace that Naruto was slightly worried that everything would collapse even before the foundations had been finished. Luckily, Tsunade knew exactly what she was doing and everything appear to be running as smooth as silk, especially the classes for the upcoming Medic Nin academy.
The Medic Nin academy had been a past dream of Tsunade's and now it was finally coming to fruition. Though the student numbers were small in comparison to the normal Ninja Academy, Tsunade still couldn't have been more proud of the first batch of students to undertake the Medic Nin training. Sakura, Hinata, Chouji and surprising Ino as well, had signed up to become students and each had already been taken in by a personal sensei of their choice: Sakura with Tsunade, Hinata with Shizune, Chouji – due to his injury was unable to participate for the time being, and Ino with Haku.
Neji, since being recognised by Hiashi as a real prodigy, was welcomed to undergo special training by the Hyuuga main house once he had completely recovered from his wounds, under orders by Hiashi of course. Lee will be having his surgery in the next few days and as such, couldn't sit still and wait for it to come, he was that excited about the prospect of going back into training. Shino had brooded for a time after the Sasuke incident since he was one of the few people not involved in the event and was rather miffed that he was left out. But soon enough, the bug clan prodigy pulled himself out of his wayward depression and started serious training in the field of his clan – learning all about how to efficiently control his insect creatures.
Kiba was out and about now that his injuries were mostly healed, but you could tell by his reserved and slow walk that he wasn't yet up to his usual energetic antics. And coupled with Akamaru's now partial blindness in one eye, the once cheerful and arrogant boy had become far more sombre than anyone would have liked. Kiba had lost his bounce; he had lost his hyperactive sensitivity and he still blamed Akamaru's injury on himself.
If Akamaru hadn't tried to protect him, the dog wouldn't have been hurt in the first place. But at the same time, Kiba had become extremely studious in his studies, often spending hours at home or in the Library (since he couldn't actively train) studying up scrolls on techniques he could learn or read about his family jutsus. Secretly, Kiba had already sworn an oath to himself on the day Akamaru had been hurt. He swore that he would become strong; strong enough that he would not need someone else to save him again, strong enough to become a Hunter-nin and hunt down all the traitors of the Leaf or any other Nuke-nin. His near lost of Akamaru, coupled with the anger and feeling of betrayal felt by Sasuke's leaving had forced the boy into a defensive attitude of 'seek and destroy' instead of trying to understand and forgive. In just one incident, Kiba had grown up much faster than anyone would have ever thought and in essence, a few of his close friends had missed the bouncy boy's personality.
As for Sasuke himself, Naruto heard that the boy (like him) had fallen into a short comma for a time but he was able to pull through a few hours before Naruto himself. For now, Sasuke is to remain in custody but after Ibiki's attempt at interrogation, Sasuke had showed no sign of physical awareness. Though conscious, he seemed to be still in mental shutdown, unable to comprehend and not willing to 'wake up' so to say.
Naruto had been sad that his ex-teammate would willingly remain in a half-conscious, half-unconscious state but if Sasuke needed more time to come to a decision on his future choices, then Naruto was willing to wait for his friend. He truly believed that in due time, Sasuke would realise his mistakes. And though the boy had too much pride to apologise for his own wrongdoing, he would still do his best to redeem himself. /Yes... All I need is faith.../ Naruto thought to himself lastly, before slowly shutting his eyes and willing himself to fall into a light, contented sleep.
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
"Are we ready?" The snake Sannin hissed to his right hand man.
"We are ready, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto answered confidently.
"Then... let's set off... TO KONOHA!" Orochimaru yelled out his order to the thousands of warriors standing in front of him. Instantly, they yelled in reply, slowly but steadily moving off in hordes of black and grey masked men, women, and even some children. This was what their master wanted, this was what they're master will get.
"Soon... soon... Konoha will be mine..." Orochimaru promised himself quietly.
xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx xxx XXX xxx
"Orochimaru has set off on his quest to destroy Konoha." The tallest of the four shadowed figures commended in mild curiosity, shifting his large blade on his shoulder slightly.
"He's still hell bent on his mad quest, yeah? The quest to learn all the jutsus in the world... Yeah? That man is rather stupid in the end, don't you area? Yeah?" Another of the shadowed figures cheerfully replied, almost bouncing on their feet in excitement.
"We should attack during the confusion of the battle between Sound and Leaf. Then, there will be no one to suspect us and even if we were found out, the Leaf would be too busy to bother us." The third member of the group ordered in a monotone voice, completely confident in his own plans.
"Then, lets not leave them waiting." The last of the four figures, and most definitely the shortest slugged along after the other three, considerably slower as he literary had to dragged his body across the floor instead of walking on it like a normal person.
(end)
(1) I mentioned before (in previous chapters, not sure exactly WHEN), that the Seven Council Members have the power to 'possess' people's bodies. Sort of like Orochimaru's Jutsus, but they don't actively leave their own bodies or forms, they just mind control people and inflict pain on them through mental stimuli. It's a similar effect to some of the Yamanaka family Jutsu, but is far stronger than (let's say) Itachi's Tsukiyomi Genjutsu.
(2) If you haven't guessed, this is the first time I've actually had 'Elle' physically interact in my story, instead of just being 'referred' to.
(3) Believe it or not, this entire vision scenes were inspired by the Christmas Carol story – where the main character was visited by 3 Ghosts (the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Future) all on Christmas Eve.
(4) The 'dream room' is a special room inside the Uzumaki palace that you all will read about in later chapters. It's sole function is to connect with the special bloodline ability of the Uzumaki and enable them to see a full 3-dimensional hologram of their visions, instead of snippet. This room can also be used to show what the Uzumaki knows directly to their pupils, so its also a learning/educational room.
(5) The time where he stayed unconscious during the Chuunin exam – after the Forest of Death incident – not counted because they were inside the tower thingy and never really left to rest in an actual hospital.
Finally got this chapter out and finished. I'm really sorry for the excess wait, but be warned that from now on, I really have much less time to be spent on writing then anything else. And I also apologise for the slight twist in atmosphere in the middle of the chapter. I had half of it written a long time ago but had only recently found some time to finish off the rest of the chapter.
I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out but be sure that it will be ACTION PACKED. Finally, my war is able to begin!
Once again, please read and review. And please don't bite my head off for the long wait.