Chapter 10: Reunion

AN: It's the moment you've all been waiting for! Thanks for sticking with me this far. Please read and review.

For Kakashi, the next three minutes were the longest three minutes of his life. They had all crossed the proverbial Rubicon; there could be no going back now. The only option now was to see this through to whatever end. For the first minute of that eternity, Kakashi ran through ever possible permutation of the battle's course that he could think of. He knew he had to stay on top of every possible turn of events; this battle was far too important to leave anything to chance. He couldn't leave any opening to the enemy to exploit.

His train of thought soon took him to all of the old military classics he'd read in his teenage years while he was studying for the Jonin exams. One quote in particular stood out in his mind: "All warfare is based on deception." The implication of this was truly frightening. The fundamental problem with all battle plans is that they are made by humans. Humans are subjective beings, and any strategy can only ever be as good as the information that led to its formulation. Even the slightest amount of information missed can drastically change an individual's perception of reality.

Kakashi would never forget what his friend and sensei, Namikaze Minato, said to him after the conclusion of the disastrous mission that claimed the life of his comrade Obito. While Kakashi lamented his blindness and stupidity in front of the Cenotaph, Minato approached him quietly. Minato placed his hand on Kakashi's shoulder while he was kneeling in tears, and whispered to him, "You can't blame yourself, Kakashi. There was no way you could have known what was going to happen. No one could have known."

"That doesn't matter, Minato-sensei. I fucked up. There's nothing more to it," Kakashi replied sullenly.

"The only truth is your own, Kakashi. That is the most sacred lesson I have ever learned. When you realize that, you will understand that this wasn't your fault anymore than it was Obito's."

It had taken him a long time to truly understand what Minato's words truly meant. Our entire perception of reality and the world around us is nothing more than an image we paint from our experiences. It is no more reality than a picture of a pipe is an actual pipe. It is nothing more than an image, and we reflect ourselves into the image of reality that we have. And when the mirror speaks, the reflection lies. Therein lies the problem.

Battles are not fought with open playbooks and all the cards face up. All warfare is based on deception, and the enemy knows this just as well as we do. Because we reflect ourselves into our image of the world, we see most clearly that which we want to see. If the enemy shows us what we expect while concealing the truth, than he has become the master. This is the possibility that frightened Kakashi; the possibility that this "opportunity" was presented as a lure. And where

there is a lure, there is a trap waiting to be sprung. The sudden revelation that Sasuke was travelling with twice as many soldiers as was expected made this possibility seem all too likely.

While his mind raced to compensate, the thunder of the battle in the distance slowly grew in intensity. They were close, but eternity still dragged on. Finally, Kakashi decided that there was nothing more he could do now. He was as prepared as he could ever be, and there was no use looking back and thinking about what he could have or should have done. He needed to focus all his efforts on deciding what should be done in the here and now.

Naruto knew just as well as Kakashi how high the stakes were, and was no less determined to see this through to the end. He had bled and toiled six long years for this one chance to right every wrong and bring his friend back home where he belonged. He'd fulfill his promise of a lifetime that he had made to Sakura so long ago. Maybe then she'd stop crying in her sleep; crying silent tears that only Naruto ever noticed. Sakura herself didn't even know she did it, but every time Naruto saw it, it broke his heart. So long as he brought Sasuke back, nothing else mattered. "Come what may, I will bring him home," Naruto declared, as if he were challenging the gods themselves. He would keep that promise, even if it destroyed him.

In truth, Naruto wanted to bring Sasuke back home as much for his own sake as for Sakura's sake. He'd been separated from his friend, nay, his blood brother, for far too long. He couldn't let Sasuke destroy himself. Sasuke had been living as a ghost for far too long; a twisted wraith of his former self, utterly consumed by hatred. Such a life is no better than living death, and Naruto knew better than anyone the personal hell that such a life was. No one that was precious to him could ever be allowed to live such a nightmarish existence. "I'd rather die," he told himself, "I'd die a thousand deaths gladly before I let that continue to any of my precious people."

But still, he'd have to make it though this battle. Dear Sakura-chan was counting on him to make it through too. It felt good to know that he'd become as precious to her as she was to him. Before they left, she made him promise to her that he'd make it through this battle alive. He had no intention of dying right now, if it could be helped.

They were close by now. It would only be a few more seconds before they'd plunge headlong into the melee. They could hear the thunder and the cries of agony, the excited shouts of orders by officers. The din of war hung thick over the land as Kakashi's strike teams broke free from the tree cover, and raced across the surprisingly placid surface of the river. The enemy formation was now in sight, their backs turned, completely unaware that they were about to be enveloped. Kakashi uncovered his Sharingan, giving his team the signal to begin the plan.

Shikamaru darted ahead of the rest of the group, with Neji and Lee following close behind him. Shikamaru's shadow stretched and snaked across the twilight battlefield, ensnaring a long corridor of enemy reserve shinobi. By the time the enemy nin noticed they could no longer move, it was already too late. With inhuman efficiency, Neji and Lee overran their helpless foes, striking them down one by one while they gazed in helpless horror at the twin angels of death that came for them. A dozen down in three seconds. Not bad, but Lee thought that they could have done better.

The rest of Kakashi's strike team poured into the vacuum created by Neji and Lee, cutting off the enemy's escape route. The moment Kakashi touched down on the field of battle, his hands moved into a lightning blur of hand seals. He fired a grand fireball straight into a cluster of Oto-nin, who only now turned to see their doom sneaking up from behind them. They met an agonizing, messy end, charred to dust in the raging inferno. A couple managed to jump out of the path of the fireball, escaping with only third degree burns. Another half-dozen enemy down, give or take a few.

The sickening rank of charred flesh wafted over the battlefield, enough to make even the strongest wills want to lose their lunch. Neji and Lee soon plunged into the melee once more, clashing with the enemy up close and personal, denying them any reprieve from the fight. Kakashi soon joined Neji and Lee in the melee, saving his chakra for more important targets. Gai, not to be outdone by his rival, joined Kakashi, creating his own chorus of shattering bones to complement Kakashi's more subtle attacks.

"Shall we place a friendly wager on this, Kakashi-san?" Gai cried out in between punches.

"Now is really not the time, Maito Guy," Kakashi retorted, as he ducked under a volley of shuriken.

"Nonsense! Whoever loses the KO count buys the victory meal!" Gai declared, upping the ante of their normal friendly rivalry. He delivered a round house kick to an Oto genin who had the misfortune of winding up in his path, and was the reward with the sound of cracking vertebrae. "That's six for me now, Kakashi."

" Whatever Gai. I'm at ten now anyway. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Gai smiled, flashing his sparkling teeth. Kakashi knew immediately that this was going to be a long night.

Elsewhere, Ino and Shikamaru played long range support. Shikamaru used his Shadow Bind to halt enemy counterattacks, providing the strikers the perfect opportunity to take them down. Ino lay collapsed by his side. In the confusion of the battle, she had pinpointed an important looking enemy Jonin in the enemy's ranks, and performed the Mind transfer technique. As soon as she had the hapless man, she began fucking with the enemy's chain of command. In the years she'd spent watching Shikamaru strategize, she'd picked up a thing or two about tactics; for the most part, she knew what notto do if she wanted to win a battle.

She barked out all the worst orders she could think of, effectively paralyzing an entire division of the enemy group. In the confusion created by the battle, no one would know any better until it was too late. She guided Oto-nin into waiting traps that Shikamaru and Kakashi had briefed her on before the start of the battle. This tactic was dirty, underhanded, malicious; very much like gossiping done at the end of a blade. And she loved every second of it.

Now that the preliminary preparations were complete, it was Chouji's turn to enter into the battle. Naruto, Sai and Sakura held the right flank of the Konoha battle line, skirmishing with the

enemy to keep them from out flanking the smaller Konoha force. To his left, Neji, Lee, Gai and Kakashi tore into the enemy ranks, threatening to link up with the Suna force on the enemy's opposite flank. And Chouji would hold the center, with Tenten as his back up. Three years before, he was already a man of imposing stature. Now he was a veritable titan, and he knew how to throw his weight around to the greatest effect. He used a naginata pole arm with deadly efficiency to extend his reach. The powerful pole-arm weapons suited Chouji fighting style perfectly. He knew his part of the battle plan. He would be the fulcrum on which the entire battle pivoted. He could hold the entire center of their line by himself, so indomitable was his strength.

Sasuke heard the unmistakable roar of the Grand Fireball technique thundering in the distance, perhaps a kilometer behind him. He held up his hand, signaling the vanguard to halt. "So they actually did decide to come for me. Fools," he declared. "This is an unexpected turn of events."

He turned his gaze to his Jonin escorts, staring them down with malicious cunning. He studied their reactions carefully. Over the course of the past few years, he'd become quite good at reading people. The Sharingan gave him the perfect tool to dissect his opponents involuntary reactions and chakra flow. After five seconds of staring, he cackled, "So this was a trap all along, wasn't it?"

The nominal leader of his escort tried to check his reaction, but he involuntarily flinched anyway. Such a reaction would have been unperceivable to anyone but the most careful observer. But to Sasuke, it gave everything away. Sasuke stared into the Jonin's eyes, paralyzing him with fear. But he couldn't look away from the hellion that began peering into his soul. "Hell of a time for tasteless tactics," Sasuke spat, "Why wasn't I informed of this plan or the intelligence leak?"

There was no point in playing dumb anymore, so the poor man spilled his guts. "Orochimaru-sama felt that it was best that you didn't know. He didn't want you getting any ideas."

Sasuke heard a rustling in the trees behind him. "Hmm. A genius plan, I suppose," Sasuke declared, as if he was reading the Jonin like an open book. "You have me scurry along back to Otogakure while you and the forty or so reinforcement's behind me go and trap the Konoha team sent after me. There's only one problem with it."

"Enlighten us, Sasuke-sama," challenged an Oto shinobi emerging from the trees behind Sasuke.

"I have no intention of going along with it, Masato-teme. You deadlasts can go scurrying off to your deaths for all I care, but I intend to stay right here until either Konoha or Orochimaru comes for me. As for why, you leave my reasons to me. But if you try to stop me, I will kill you all."

It was very clear that there could be no arguing with the fiend. Killing all of them might have been a stretch, but it wouldn't be outside the realms of possibility. "Fine, have it your way, Sasuke," Masato replied, "Just remember, that tomorrow night, I will still be among the living." He spat on the ground, and motioned for his troops to follow him towards the battle in the distance.

Sasuke perched himself on a fallen log, and waited for the Oto-nin to leave. In truth, Sasuke didn't know quite why he was going to do this. Part of it was certainly out of just plain spite. He hated being deceived most of all. Orochimaru could come get him if he wanted him so badly. Part of it was the desire to stretch his legs one last time, and have a good fight before he died. In this living death of hatred that he lived, the only times he ever felt truly alive were when he was engaged in a fight.

But some of it, he wasn't so sure of. Maybe he wanted to see Naruto and Sakura one last time. He didn't want to kill them, but he wouldn't allow them to keep him from his revenge. Orochimaru would have his body, but his soul would finally be at rest, with the knowledge that Itachi would surely meet his end.

"They'll come. I'm sure of it," he said to himself. "I'll tell them to give up and move on. I'll send them off, hopefully without a fight. Maybe we can have a touching goodbye moment. Ahh, fuck it, I'm not good with those anyway. But if they refuse to leave, I guess I'll have my fight."

Konoha's battle continued to rage on, still oblivious to the machinations set in work to undo them. Chouji, true to form, held the center, a veritable rock of ages. He cut down enemies left and right, letting none get past him, while Tenten rained a barrage of kunai and shuriken on the enemy.

Two hundred meters away, on the other end of the battlefield, Temari, Kankuro and Gaara began to tire, but still held the ground with dogged determination. They skirmished, keeping the enemy from escaping, but dealing very little actual damage to the enemy. They denied the enemy the opportunity to engage them in melee, and nipped away at them when possible, containing them within the pre-arranged killing zone.

Naruto's shadow clones contained the right flank, skirmishing along the river, while Sakura provided the powerful punch that was needed. She shattered the earth beneath the enemy with one of her mighty blows, swallowing a few hapless enemy up in the chasms that she created with her blows.

Elsewhere, on the left flank, Neji had to admit, Lee was the most ferocious melee fighter he'd ever seen. He hadn't seen Lee in action for a while now, and Lee's improvement was clearly visible. They were both torn up a bit, their clothing slashed up, but they were otherwise fairly well off as they danced through the melee. Neji ducked under an Oto-nin's blow, and sent a jab straight for his heart. He collapsed quickly. Soon, his comrade fired off one her more powerful sound based techniques, forcing Neji to dodge into the air. As gravity began calling him back to earth, Neji saw something in the distance behind him that intrigued him.

He turned to focus on it. When he saw forty Oto-nin closing in to outflank them, his heart skipped a beat. "This is bad…" he thought out loud.

"What is it, Neji-san?" Lee inquired.

"We're about to be flanked. Forty enemy soldiers are closing in on us from behind." He broke out of the melee, and yelled to Kakashi, "Kakashi-taisho, we have a problem!"

"What is it, Neji-kun?" Kakashi asked, startled by Neji's tone. Neji was not the type prone to being alarmist.

"We are about to be surrounded by Oto-nin. I can confirm forty enemy soldiers approaching us from behind our lines. If we want to complete this operation, we are going to have to strike now."

Kakashi flipped the talk switch on his wireless radio on. "Shikamaru, come in. I need your feedback ASAP."

"What is it, Kakashi-senpai?" Shikamaru replied, clearly troubled.

"We're about to be surrounded. Forty more enemy nin are approaching from the west. We only have a few minute window to go after the Uchiha."

"That is verytroublesome. Give me one moment."

Shikamaru crouched down, and assumed his familiar meditative position, touching his fingertips together. He drew in all the factors of the battle. Everything all came together at once, and then the conclusion hit him like a two-ton heavy thing. "This is very bad news," he replied over the radio, "We cannot hope to hold line outflanked like this if one third of our force departs to takedown the Uchiha. We can only afford to send two after him. Send Naruto and Sakura pronto. If they can't bring him back, no one can. Sai will need help holding the right flank. Kakashi, move to the right flank, and let fury have the hour."

"I concur," Kakashi replied.

Before he could give the order, Naruto came onto the radio. "We'll get right on it, Kakashi-sensei!" he cried, "We'll break through the opening, and retrieve Sasuke. Just make sure you're all still in one piece when we get back."

"You got it, Naruto. " Kakashi looped around to the right flank of the battle line. As soon as he arrived, Naruto and Sakura bolted off. He waved them off, and turned all his attentions to holding the enemy at bay. This would either be their moment of ruin, or their finest hour.

Naruto and Sakura barely slipped past the advancing enemy as they charged straight for Sasuke. Their hearts were racing; the moment that they had waited for so long had finally arrived. "Sakura-chan," Naruto cried, noticing her troubled face, "everything will be okay. I won't let you down. We will bring Sasuke back."

She smiled meekly back at them as they darted through the trees. This moment had finally come. Six years ago, she was a foolish little girl who couldn't save either of her precious people from heartache and loss. Now she was determined she would right every wrong, and heal the wounds

in all of their hearts. She owed as much to Naruto for his unwavering devotion to her. "Naruto, I just want you to know that I will never leave you, no matter what."

He nodded, blushing slightly. For the first time, he felt secure that he wouldn't lose Sakura to Sasuke after they triumphed. That fear had always lingered in the back of his mind, but now he was sure he could put that fear to rest. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her, but alas, their target was now in sight. He sat on a fallen tree, waiting for them to come. The love talk would have to wait.

Naruto and Sakura dropped out of the trees, and approached Sasuke cautiously. When they got to about ten meters away from Sasuke, Sasuke stood, and made eye contact; red sharingan eyes that were the maw of hell itself burning a hole in their souls. His stare burned and froze them all at once. They could feel the aura of hatred and malice emanating from his body, and it gave them both the screaming mimis.

Then he spoke. "Naruto. Sakura. It's been a long time. I always knew I would get to see you one last time."

"What do you mean 'one last time', bastard, we're here to bring you home," Naruto cried.

"I have no home, deadlast. I still have unfinished business to attend to. Itachi still lives, and I am not strong enough to defeat him on my own. There is only one way to defeat him. We've been through this all before."

"That is not your only choice, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, "Come back with us! We'll defeat Itachi together, I promise!"

"Bonds make us weak. I severed our bond to gain the strength to kill Itachi. I'm not about to go back to playing ninja with you deadlasts just to appease your naïve crush, Sakura. That will only weaken me, and destroy all that I've achieved for so far. I cannot go back now. It is too late for me."

"I wonder if you were ever my friend, then," Naruto spat, "If our bond was just a lie, a bond you formed just to gain power by breaking it. How far does your deception go, Sasuke?"

"I am not Itachi!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto had clearly struck a nerve. Seeing Sasuke's reaction, Sakura laughed inwardly. Her suspicion had been correct.

"So then there is nothing we can say to get you to come back with us?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes. Nothing you say will make me turn back from my path."

"Then we shall have a fight," Sakura replied, her anger brewing to the surface.

"We shall," Sasuke confirmed, as he drew his chokuto, moving into a combat stance.

Naruto and Sakura had both already averted their eyes from his gaze to avoid any Genjutsu. They both readied themselves for the battle. They both knew they had a trump card up their sleeve. Something Sasuke could neither anticipate nor defend against. Setting it up would be difficult, but once Sakura was confident that once they had him locked down, it would be all over. He'd already unexpectedly betrayed his greatest weakness, a vulnerability that Sakura knew she could exploit if given the opportunity. She'd spend months preparing this technique. Those months would not go to waste.