The Shadow Of A Flash
Chapter 10: A Part of Our Lives
The three genin of Team Seven walked out of the interrogation chambers calmly, Sasuke and Naruto both wearing their respective injuries like badges of honor. As they left the chunin leading them soon showed them outside to where the other successful genin were standing. To the side of the collection of Suna genin were the sprinkled remnants of the other villages. One area in particular housed the other two Konoha genin teams; Team 9 and, if Naruto recalled correctly, Team One. They approached the group and were greeted with the sight of an incredibly happy yet undeniably battered Lee spouting about how youthful Tenten had been in her mental fortitude.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at the sight of an untouched Neji; he had assumed the girl would be forced to sit out but it seemed that their team had a real kunoichi. Sakura had yet to show any true ability in the field aside from her astronomical booksmarts and it was starting to worry him. Perhaps the situation called for some sort of wake-up call? Hopefully these exams would be good enough.
Kabuto noticed their arrival and smiled, "Ah, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," He stared at the two boys, instantly realising they had been put through the torture, "It's good to see you survived." At this Sasuke snorted; in his mind he had done much more than simply survive. Naruto however, narrowed his eyes in suspicion. There was something decidedly off about the boy in front of him, as if he was trying much too hard to get in their good graces. He adopted a disinterested expression in order to prevent Kabuto from noticing his suspicion.
"It is indeed pleasing to see our most youthful comrades succeed!" Lee bounded over as he spoke, "Though I must say this test was most unscrupulous; I would never subject someone to such degrading activities!" With a start Naruto realised the boy was criticizing the torture aspect of the test. He was inclined to disagree with Lee; he did subject people to torture, although his version included a sunset, shouts of joy and obscene amounts of hugging.
Sasuke shook off the boy's enthusiasm quickly, "So," He aimed the question at Neji in particular in the hopes of a straight answer, "Anyone know what's happening next?"
"Yosh-"
Lee's loud reply was immediately cut off, "I don't know. We'll be led to the next portion of the exams soon I assume." Neji spoke hastily in an attempt to save the group from Lee's intense proclamations. Sasuke accepted his reply with a grunt and returned to the admittedly difficult task of ignoring the spandex-wearing boy while Naruto merely resorted to studying the other teams that had passed.
In one area the Suna team with Gaara stood, a wide berth being given to them by the other teams from their village. It made sense if the blonde thought about it; the intense bloodlust and gleaming insanity that he had been subjected to upon their chance encounter couldn't possibly be restricted to that one instance. No, that type of madness was slowly built up through constant mental strain. It was clear that his village had somehow caused or at least encouraged the boy's crazed demeanor and, from the looks of it, were now paying for it. The other genin wouldn't even go near the redhead so obviously he had paid the village's hostility back in dividends.
On the outskirts of the group was the only other team that Naruto was concerned about; the Iwa team that they had encountered earlier. When they had previously merely stared at Team Seven with something akin to hate it was only because of where they were from. They hated Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto because they were Konoha-nin. In this Naruto had felt a sense of relief; while personal the three hadn't formed a vendetta to the point where they might pursue them in the hopes of some sort of payback.
Now though, with Naruto's heritage out - having sealed the cloak and mask back into his storage seals - they were looking at the blonde with both disgust and pure, unadulterated hate. No longer was it simply a prejudice borne from different birthplaces. No, now with the son of perhaps the greatest villain of Iwa in history staring them down the three were clearly infuriated beyond belief. Such unhinged fury would only result in something horrible, whether for Team Seven or the Iwa team was yet to be found out. The girl in particular glared at Naruto with such loathing that he would have taken a step back if he was a lesser being.
He turned to his two teammates, "Sasuke, Sakura," The two gave him question looks, "It seems that I've incited some attention." At this he flicked his head toward the Iwa group. Sakura shivered at the looks they were giving them while Sasuke snorted in disdain.
"What'd you do?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"It's not what I did really." Naruto wrinkled his nose in distaste, "They hate me because of my father." The pink-haired girl looked at him in confusion and so he elaborated, "No one truly knows the body-count my father left behind in the Third Shinobi War - the destruction he caused was obscene - but it was enough that he earned an S-Class ranking in every foreign bingo book and a flee-on-sight order in Iwa and Kumo's." At the girl's rapidly paling features he continued, "Kakashi-sensei once said he wouldn't be surprised if every shinobi family in Iwa lost someone to him."
Sakura seemed aghast at this, "And they want to kill you because of him?" She gestured at the three shinobi. It was clear that such prejudices were entirely foreign to her.
To Naruto's surprise it wasn't him that had to answer but Sasuke, "Sakura, do you know how many Uchiha have been blamed for the actions of another clan-member? Revenge is the lifeblood of the shinobi world..." The boy sneered in disgust, "Or as the fools who pursue it call it, vengeance." He laughed darkly.
Naruto looked at the boy in anger for a moment; what would he know of revenge? The desire, nay, need to kill someone for justice. Not only that, but as a way for repentance for one's own involvement in another's death.. Shrugging off his dark thoughts - the masked man was beginning to materialize in his mind - Naruto looked at Sakura.
"Look, you don't need to agree with them. Just be sure you're aware that they might be out to get us."
Sasuke snorted again, "I'd say it's more of a matter of when they'll try to exact revenge rather than if." Naruto didn't reply to this, instead shrugging. Sakura, if possible, grew even more pale at the declaration and curled in on herself slightly in fear. Before Naruto had a chance to comment on her low self-esteem a tall Suna jounin hushed for quiet from the group of genin. Naruto quickly focused on the man in interest. He was dressed in the standard Suna attire with one half of his face covered by hanging cloth.
"Greetings," He announced coldly, "I am Baki and I'll be your proctor for the second portion of the Chunin Exams." At this he looked around the group silently, counting the numbers, "A large number. No matter, the desert will claim many of you yet." At this he gestured for the group to follow him, "Please proceed to the village gates; the second portion will be taking place in the desert." At this the man disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Team Seven didn't say a word as they followed the crowd of genin toward the gates. Sasuke and Naruto were silent as per their usual personalities while Sakura seemed to be lost in thought about the upcoming trials. They, along with the collection of genin in front of them, soon found themselves outside the imposing gates of Suna. In front of them were sand dunes as far as the eye could see with a few scarce bushes and shrubbery.
"This," Baki gestured to the wild expanse of the desert, "Is our training ground." He smirked at the group, "And it's also the location of your next trial. This particular exam will last five days."
"B-But what about food!?" A terrified Taki genin asked.
Baki turned and gave the genin an intense look, "If it were up to me you would be surviving purely off what you packed. Lucky for you, the esteemed council deemed it too harsh to do so. Each team will be provided with enough food and water to survive five days in sealing scrolls. No more, no less."
"So... What? We just gotta survive?" It was a Suna girl that spoke this time.
"Well, yes, that would be required to pass but it's not all you have to focus on during your stay..." He pulled out a black scroll and waved it in front of the group, "There are twelve of these scrolls in the desert, each in a different location and attached to a wooden poll. In order to pass you," He gestured at the group, "Need to find one for your team and then travel to the center of the permitted area within the allotted time-frame. There, you will find an entrance to an underground caving system that will lead you back here."
"Permitted area?" The Taki genin asked again in confusion.
Baki smirked, "In the desert you may find barriers of some sort warning you off from proceeding in a certain direction. I would trust them, otherwise you might find yourself lost very fast. And trust me, we won't come to your rescue."
As he spoke Naruto grimaced in thought, "The danger of this exam lies morein the environment than the other teams..." And it was true; from the sounds of things they were much more likely to fall victim to the dangers of the desert rather than by the blade of a foe.
"What about the other teams?" The Suna girl from earlier voiced her concerns again.
"Whatever happens in there," Baki pointed out to the wide expanse, "Is not my concern. Anything is permitted." He shrugged, "As long as you reach the center with a scroll in time with your full team intact then you'll pass." Several of the genin grimaced at this as they realised that teams might prey on each other. Team Seven pointedly ignored the hushed whispers occurring around them and instead watched the approach of the two other Konoha teams in mild interest. Baki had seemingly stopped talking for a moment to allow the knowledge to fully sink into everyone's minds.
Kabuto was the first to speak, "So, the alliance from before still up?" He grinned conspiratorially.
"Yosh-"
"Y-Yeah. It is." Tenten quickly interjected before Lee could go off on a tangent.
Sasuke looked at both Sakura and Naruto before adding, "Yeah." At this the three teams dissolved into idle chitchat between each other as they waited for the signal that the competition was going to begin.
"Alright!" Baki raised his voice to grab attention, "It's time for the third portion of the Chunin Exams to begin. Each team will be led by a Chunin to a specific position just outside the permitted area. You will be told which direction the center is in and then, on my own signal, will be released into the area. Everyone is spread out both randomly and evenly so don't even think about any funny business." As the group of genin all begrudingly nodded he added, "Please wait for a Chunin to take charge of your team." He looked like he had finished before he suddenly added with jokingly, "Oh! And good luck."
The three genin under the tutelage of Kakashi all silently pondered the dangers of the exam. Naruto and Sasuke were both excited by the prospect of proving themselves in the trial while Sakura herself was, if she was entirely honest, terrified by the dangers that the intimidating desert expanse held within them. To not only have to survive the hostile habitat but also the ire of the other teams was a scary thought.
Team Seven were jolted out of their thoughts when a brooding chunin walked up to the three of them and gestured angrily at them, "Follow me." He grunted in annoyance. It was obvious the man was displeased with beign given the job of what was essentially babysitting and as such remained silent throughout the long trek toward wherever Team Seven was being dropped off. Eventually, the three of them found themselves in a completely foreign area, sand dunes covering the now distant memory of Suna's huge gates.
The man raised an eyebrow at their apprehensive looks, "This is where we stop. The center is that way," He pointed in a particular direction and all three genin took particular note of where, "And on my signal you can go." He stopped talking at that and a silence filled the air.
Sakura looked at her teammates hesitantly, "Should we come up with a plan?" Sasuke nodded in assent to her question while Naruto watched the two quietly.
"It'll be difficult to keep track of where we're going in this environment." Sasuke noted mildly. "So while I would usually suggest we move away from our starting position I'm not quite sure that's a good idea."
Sakura nodded emphatically, "How about we head straight toward the center and set up there?" It was a cunning idea, to wait out teams that had a scroll at the finish line rather than searching for themselves. Naruto however, was aware of some weaknesses of it.
"Perhaps in a more agreeable location I would support that plan." Naruto began slowly, "The issue is, this desert prevents us from setting up an ambush and, with the long sight-lines, increases the chances that we might be discovered."
Sasuke grunted, "I see what you're saying but I'd rather not rely on chance and simply search for a scroll."
"How about a compromise " Sakura almost shrunk under their curious gazes as she spoke, "We could search for a scroll for the first two days and then head toward the center - even if we don't have one - and then plan from there?" Naruto hummed in thought at the idea.
"That could work," Sasuke began slowly, "If we find a scroll then we can head into the safety of the underground immediately..."
"And if not, we'll simply have to do our best to find a team that has one." Naruto finished for him.
"Then it's decided." Sasuke added calmly. Naruto merely nodded slowly.
"Good thinking, Sakura." Naruto gestured her way and the girl smiled under the praise. It was rare for the blonde to be so kind toward her and so she cherished the moment as much as she could. In fact, if she thought about it this was one of the few times that she felt she had actually contributed in some way to the team. It was a harrowing realisation and put into perspective how sheltered she was by her team.
The girl didn't have a chance to ponder the dark thoughts however, as the chunin near the three announced suddenly, "It's time." He stood and gestured at the center once again, "Go." The three didn't need any further prompting and stood as one, immediately shooting off into the desert with wind kicking up the sand as they dashed across the empty expanse.
It took them some time but on the second day they did happen to stumble upon a scroll. It was positioned in such an obvious way that Team Seven felt as if it were almost a trick of some sort. After numerous genjutsu dispel attempts and countless tests of the validity of the site the three did eventually stumble their way through the sand to reach the object. It was situated on top of a large wooden pole that could be seen from hundreds of meters away. It was fortunate that the sand dunes rose so quickly and so often or Naruto was sure that all the scrolls would have been quickly found. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the Uchiha of the tesm quickly grabbed the scroll and looked it over in keen interest.
Sasuke looked to the two others, "Naruto?" The blonde blinked slowly in confusion.
"Hmm?" He queried the boy quietly.
"I'm more of a short-range fighter than you. You should hold the scroll." At this he thrust his hand out with the aforementioned object. Naruto stared at the offering silently for a moment before grabbing it quickly and, through a quick moment of intellect, sealed it into his own scroll. While Sasuke stared at the display in mild interest Sakura was looking down at her feet in shame.
When Sasuke had suggested Naruto hold the scroll it only made sense. After all, he was more of a short-range specialist. Naruto, being who he was, was capable of almost any type of role although he seemed to prefer mid to short range. It was the unspoken rule that had the pink-haired girl down however; Sasuke didn't even bother to mention what she was and, with a slight moment of despair, she realised she didn't have one. Considering the point she was at in her profession she realised she should have long since decided what branch of the shinobi arts to pursue.
Sasuke was a brilliant mold of taijutsu and ninjutsu, almost untouchable in those categories by his age group except for Naruto. He was also gifted with the natural genjutsu genius that all Uchiha's displayed and so had long since found comfort in how he wanted to fight. As he said, he preferred to be up close and personal and, if the injuries their opponents sustained was anything to go by, he was very good at it.
Naruto on the other hand seemed so far ahead of the two of them it was ridiculous. His taijutsu was strict and regimented, never using more energy than needed and always brutally efficient. He was a genius in ninjutsu of unparalleled proportions. Sasuke had heard his brother mention how the boy had almost complete mastery over wind and was soon to start his training in his second element. His genjutsu was hindered by his incredible chakra reserves but the boy seemed sufficient enough to deflect most illusions. It wasn't his raw skills that were his biggest threat however, it was the crisp, calm and collected method of fighting he portrayed that had Sakura so utterly amazed. He was, to a degree, untouchable for the younger generations.
And then that left Sakura. While she often fantasized about a budding relationship with the Uchiha she was no fool. The boy, while polite and talented, had almost no interest in her or any other girl. He was obsessed with surpassing his brother and making his family proud to the point of excluding everything else from his life. With her 'life's ambition' in tatters the girl often had to wonder why she ever became a shinobi. When Sakura had first joined the academy it was to do her father proud and prove to her civilian mother that she had what it took to follow in his footsteps. Somewhere along the way that was lost to the glorious pursuit of Sasuke. Because of this, her skills were severely lacking; to the point where she knew she didn't have what it took to keep up with her two teammates. The depressing realisation grew a pit of frustration in her stomach before she finally resolved that after the chunin exams she was going to do something about it. She was going to become a true shinobi.
Back to the matter at hand, Sakura looked at Naruto as he sealed the scroll into one of his own scrolls, "Why'd you do that?"
"People might assume we don't have one if they can't see it." It was Sasuke that answered her question, "And anything that discourages conflict is good in my eyes." Naruto didn't bother to reply, instead nodding in agreement. Sakura found herself quickly accepting their reasons and so nodded meekly in reply.
"So..." Naruto began slowly, "Time to go to the center?" If the two were surprised by the unusual event of him speaking out of turn they didn't show it and instead nodded in assent.
"Sure thing." Sakura replied for the two of them.
It was in the cover of darkness that the three of them finally neared the center. The desert was silent and still, the winds having dropped to nothing. With this came the mind-numbing cold that forced the three members of Team Seven to shiver and moan. Of course, with the darkness came an advantage; their movements were nigh on untraceable with their clothing blending in perfectly with the now pitch-black sand.
Naruto let a breath out of him and watched as his hot breath liquefied into a misty substance. For what felt like the hundredth time today, he pulled his clothing around him tighter in an attempt to ward off the chill of the night. He soon returned his attention to the direction they were travelling and realised in a small amount of relief that they couldn't be too far off. Regardless, he forced himself and, by proxy, Sakura and Sasuke to continue their daunting pace.
As the three of them reached the pinnacle of one of the thousands of sand dunes they had passed a small flicker of light could be seen in the distance. No one reacted at first, disbelief strewn across their faces. Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, it disappeared in a brilliant blue flash. Naruto blinked a few times in surprise; they had been out in the desert for three days now and they had yet to encounter another team.
Sakura was the one to break the silence, "Do you... Do you think that was someone else?" No one replied for a moment as they all tried to come to grips with the sight of the blue light.
"What else could it be?" Sasuke muttered darkly. Naruto didn't blame his irritated demeanor; they had traveled at a brutal pace to avoid other teams and only now, when success was in their grasp, did another group show their face.
"Should we just avoid them?" There was a moment of silence; they probably could but did they want to?
"No." Surprisingly, it was Naruto who spoke, "If it's a Konoha team we should help them."
"And if it isn't?" The Uchiha asked.
"Then we leave." Naruto paused for a moment, "And if we can't, we deal with them."
Sasuke's look of skepticism was quickly replaced by a blank expression, "If you say so..." He went silent as he finished the sentence and gestured at Naruto to lead them toward the chakra source they had seen. The blonde needed no further prompting and began to move quickly over the sand dunes, using the cover of night as camouflage. Sasuke quickly followed suit and Sakura, momentarily dazed by how fast the decision was made, moved to catch up to the two boys.
Gai was watching the screen in front of him with an intense expression on his face. Kakashi sat to the right of him, worry forcing him to watch his fellow jonin in concern. The two sat silently for a moment as they continued to peruse the image in front of them. Surrounding them were dozens of other foreign jounin and, in particular, a few Suna jounin sat idly by with what could only be described as grins on their faces. It was obvious why too; they were about to cause a Konoha team undue harm.
The TV had been set up so all jounin sensei who had participants could watch. It would often flick through numerous different fights that were occurring or about to occur and allowed every jounin to be updated on their teams progress. When Kakashi had seen Team Seven find a scroll he had been notably relieved and subject to a grinning slap on the back from Gai about the 'youthfulness' of his team. At the time he had been irritated by the other man but now he wished they could return to that. Instead, he was now being subjected to an obviously distressed Gai who was practically radiating fury.
The reasons for his anger were obvious; on the screen was his team of Lee, Neji and Tenten. They had been attacked by three Suna teams and deliberately split up from each other, the sand dunes separating the three. Without the infamous teamwork of Konoha the three had the odds stacked against them, having to fight three-on-one each. It was obvious that the Suna teams had planned this and must have met up and aimed specifically for a Konoha team. It was precisely because of this that Gai was so infuriated. The man was never one for backhanded tactics and this was the height of it.
Regardless, the man should be proud of his team; they were surviving against overwhelming odds. Lee seemed thrilled by the challenge and was knocking his three opponents around while Neji, some way off to the right of him, was keeping up with his own by playing a defensive game. It was Tenten the most in trouble however; he fighting style relied on offence and when she was forced up against three opponents it was obvious that she was struggling to survive. Gai's face had been growing more and more stricken as he watched her take scratches and cuts from her opponents. Even Lee seemed to be tiring from the never-ending assault of the Suna genin.
It was obvious that unless something changed drastically - and changed soon - then the three genin under Gai's care would be defeated - or worse...
Naruto growled as Sakura poked her head over the sand dune. The girl quickly took the hint and ducked back down behind the desert hill. Sasuke seemed to find amusment in the entire situation as he let out a loud snort. Ignoring him, the blonde of the team stealthily looked over the sand in front of him in an attempt see what was going on. In particular, he tried to find out who was on the other side.
Needless to say, when he was greeted with the sight of a bruised and battered Neji he let out a gasp. Sakura and Sasuke were both deeply perturbed by his emotional outburst and so quickly had a look for themselves. Upon seeing the member of Gai's team they too were surprised; Neji was known as a prodigy among an already talented clan - what could possibly force him to be so exhausted? The answer was obvious enough when the genin of Team Seven saw three Suna shinobi surrounding the Hyuuga; he was being outnumbere. The question was, where were Lee and Tenten?
As the battle raged on Sakura quickly muttered, "Should we, um, help him?" She was cautious when she spoke, trying to hide her voice under the sounds of the conflict near them. Sasuke didn't answer and instead turned to Naruto for an answer.
The Namikaze nodded grimly, "Yeah," He looked at Sakura, "Can you put a genjutsu on them?"
"I think so..." She frowned, "I could managed one that messed with their balance."
Naruto nodded, "Then do that. Sasuke," The Uchiha stared back at him intently, "I'm going to draw them away from Neji. When I call your name can you launch a fire jutsu at me?" The raven-haired youth looked appalled at the very suggestion and so Naruto quickly elaborated, "I'll be performing a substitution with this," He pulled out a kunai, "To get away."
The fire-user smirked, "It'll be done." The three stood silently for a moment and watched Neji fight desperately against his opponents. Suddenly, one of the Suna genin found an opening in his defence and seemed to be moving to take advantage of it. Sakura gasped in shock while Sasuke moved to save the boy before Naruto held his hand up to stop him. The two begrudgingly listened to the blonde and prevented themselves from lurching out of their metaphorical seats.
Naruto was soon vindicated in his decision when the Hyuuga, with reactions as quick as jonin, quickly slipped away from the Suna-nin before he stretched his hands out straight. He began to spin rapidly and chakra coalesced around his body. A huge dome of blue chakra swirled around him and knocked the three Suna genin back. As it occurred Naruto realised that the defense they were witnessing was the thing that had drawn them to the team in the first place.
"Hakkeshō Kaiten!" Neji announced tiredly as he slapped his attackers away.
At the sight of the fatigued teen Naruto beckoned toward Sakura, "Alright, now Sakura!" The girl didn't bother to reply, instead beginning to flip through the countless handseals required for her genjutsu on the three Suna-nins. Naruto didn't stick around to see her success, instead jumping over the sand dune and toward the battlefield. The last member of the team, Sasuke, moved himself to a position where he could launch his own attack.
When Neji spun for what could be his last time Gai's worry was palpable. Kakashi could feel the man's fear radiating off of his very body and he understood why; to be forced to watch one of his students fall onto his last legs was a horrifying ordeal for a jounin-sensei of Konoha. Needless to say, the copy-nin was not envious of his counterpart's position. For a moment he wondered where his own team was and how they were doing. Since retrieving the scroll the TV hadn't flicked to them for which Kakashi was thankful. It hopefully meant they had avoided any further trouble.
He forced his attention back to the screen and mentally prepared himself for the possibility of trying to comfort a Gai who had just witnessed the death of his student. The silver-haired man was certainly not looking forward to such a thing; the Green Beast of Konoha was already fairly inconsolable with the slightest of issues so he couldn't imagine what his reaction would be upon the event of Neji's death.
Fortunately for the two Konoha jounin, they were both saved from their fates by the sight of a new individual appearing on the screen.
Naruto had just jumped in between the three Suna genin and the Hyuuga - and from the looks of things he was not happy.
The first strike was successful; Naruto hit one of the male Suna genin in the stomach and he quickly collapsed to the floor from pain. The second, a kick branching out to his left, was blocked hastily by the much more alert female of the team. For a single moment Naruto locked eyes with the girl and saw the terror spiking in her purple orbs. It was obvious that the three Suna genin hadn't planned to have to fight on equal grounds and now, at the first sight of danger, were struck by a horrifying paralysis.
The blonde used the pause in the fight to his advantage and jumped backwards from the girl, his leg recovering from the strike quickly. As soon as he was able he moved toward the girl again and this time aimed a punch toward her face. The purple-eyed girl lifted her hands in defense. Unfortunately for her it was at this precise moment that Sakura's genjutsu was enacted. Rather than block the punch, her hands instead were placed in an entirely different area to block an attack that only she could see, her vision distorted by the illusion forced on her.
A crack could be heard as Naruto's fist collided with her face and blood spurted out rapidly from her nose. She reeled backwards in fright and collapsed meters away from the Namikaze. Before the previous boy had a chance to gather himself Naruto threw him toward the girl and they collided together, creating a heaps of flailing limbs. Seeing the opportunity for what it was, the blonde turned to the final member of the Suna genin team, hoping to launch him toward his own teammates. He soon saw the boy staring grimly back at him from a few metres away.
Without a moment of hesitation the two sprung toward each other and clashed. As they fought they traded blows and a deadlock seemed to be forming. Naruto noticed the boy was aiming to hit him toward his own teammeates so, recognizing the fact that he wanted to be surrounded in order for Sasuke's fire jutsu to be a success, allowed himself to be struck in the chest. He flew backwards from the strike into the grasp of the two other fully recovered genin. The girl looked at him with a vicious kind of anger, her nose clearly broken from his earlier punch.
They moved toward him as one, kunai drawn and licking lips in anticipation of the kill. Rather than being daunted by the prospect of his impending death, Naruto smirked at them before suddenly looking toward the sand dunes that he had first come from.
"Now!" He screamed. Before the three could react Naruto replaced himself with the kunai next to Sakura, his chakra homing into the signal of the weapon easily. As he landed he shook his head to dismiss the usual disorientation that came from pulling off such a fast kawirimi.
Sasuke meanwhile had jumped at the sound of his voice and flashed through handseals rapidly, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" His mouth opened and the Konoha-nin were greeted with the sight of a fully formed fireball being launched toward the now visibly terrified group of Suna genin. It struck the area they were standing quickly, with almost no time for them to escape. As the smoke left the area the Uchiha could see one of the bodies mangled and burned beyond recognition.
It was only after the girl and the second boy reappeared angrily next to the charred body that the Uchiha realised who he had struck with his jutsu. For a single deadly moment Sasuke shivered; he had committed his first kill. He realised with a start that he had actually ended the life of another human being. While it saddened him it also elicited an excited shiver. The boy didn't know which was worse; the fact that he felt bad for the victim or that he somehow took joy from it. He shook his head to dismiss such thoughts. It wasn't the time for such brooding.
Before he could spring back into action he was greeted by the sight of an infuriated Naruto flashing past him with great speed. The boy quickly blocked a kunai that had been heading towar the unaware Uchiha of the team and then slid forward into the range of the other boy in the Suna team. A quick fist struck out and slammed into the boy's nose. He flinched from the hit and fell to the floor in a heap, disoriented from Naruto's vicious strike.
The blonde took the momentarily lull in the battle to turn and comment angrily at Sasuke, "This isn't the time, Uchiha! Wake up!" The raven-haired boy didn't know whether it was the Namikaze's rare angry tone or the fact that he addressed him by his clan name but he suddenly found himself paying attention to the fight again, all thoughts of the boy he had killed leaving his mind.
His eyes returned to the battlefield just in time to see Naruto charging toward one of the remaining Suna genin was a furious expression on his face. Whether it was brought on from the battle itself or Sasuke's momentarily lull in concentration didn't matter, the Uchiha flung himself toward the blonde to support him. Naruto slipped him a grateful expression as he noticed the action and then put his full focus on the person he was moving toward - the other male of the Suna team.
As the blonde moved toward his target Sasuke blocked a kunai that had been flung near the two Konoha nin. He traced it's trajectory and found himself face to face with the grief-stricken eyes of the female of the Suna team. She stared at her failed attack numbly for a moment before seemingly realising just who had blocked it. Her expression suddenly morphed into a furious, smoldering gaze.
"You were the one who killed him!" She glared daggers at the Uchiha, "You fucking-" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence as something struck her from behind. For a single moment her eyes widened in horror and blood spurted out of her mouth. She stumbled for a second before suddenly collapsing to the floor, her form no longer moving. Sasuke was greeted with the sight of a grim-faced Hyuuga Neji standing behind the Suna genin, his hand contorted out in the classic Hyuuga taijutsu style.
Before Sasuke had a chance to contemplate the girl's life Neji announced slowly, "She's dead." He was shaking slightly but it was obvious that he was regaining control of his emotions, "I struck her in the heart. No one can live from such a blow." He turned to look directly at Sasuke, "Come on. We should help Naruto." That was all the raven-haired boy needed to hear before he suddenly turned, heading toward the direction that he had seen Naruto barreling off into.
Their intervention wasn't needed as, in the end, the two clan-children we greeted with the sight of a silent Naruto standing over the body of his opponent. Blood coated his right hand and as it dripped onto the sand Sasuke realised the Suna genin had a gaping hole where his heart should have been. A temptation to throw up struck his body and he retched slightly. Neji had more control then him and simply turned away from the distasteful sight.
"The girl - she's dead?" Naruto asked slowly as he noticed their arrival.
"Yeah," Sasuke answered numbly, "Where's Sakura?" Their pink-haired teammate was nowhere in sight.
Naruto raised his head as he spoke and before he could answer Sakura poked her head over a nearby sand dune, hesitantly waving at the three of them. She quickly approached the small group and, much like Sasuke, held her hand over her mouth as soon as she saw the bloody remains of Naruto's opponent. She looked to be turning to run but before she could Naruto grabbed her with his clean hand.
"Don't turn away," He spoke softly, "This is a part of our life - your life - now, and you'll have to get used to it." The blonde hesitated for a moment before adding, "Your genjutsu was the reason I was able to land the blow. You are as responsible for his death as I am." It was a harsh reality that the Namikaze struck her with and the girl looked like she was about to protest but before she could he added, "Accept it. It's better you do it now, then on a mission when we won't be here to help you stand back up."
And it was true, Sasuke realised; they all needed to come to grips with the idea of killing. They all needed to attain that acceptance that while killing isn't something they should desire, it's something they should anticipate - something they should understand. They all needed to be more like the blonde boy in front of them.
But as the Uchiha stared at the grim-faced Namikaze in front of him, blood seeping through his clothes and a disturbing disinterest about the actions he had just committed, he wondered; was it worth it? Was killing their heart and being like Naruto all a shinobi had left in their life? He found himself without an answer.
Neji interrupted the grim silence, "My teammates still need help." He spoke quickly, as if he had just realised that their lives were in danger, "We should move now."
Surprisingly it was Sakura who answered him, a shaky smile on her face, "Y-Yeah. Let's go."
A/N: Sorry for the delay.
I've never really seen much development into Sasuke's ideology surrounding being a shinobi. After all, by the time canon rolls around he's too emotionally scarred to care about killing. Fortunately, in this story his brother hasn't fucked his whole life up so I thought I'd have a gander at his character. I've always seen Sasuke as an example of a kind soul corrupted by darkness and so, much like his brother, gave him a sort of pacifistic nature.
We also get to see the darkness in Naruto's heart - however justified it is. Sasuke bears witness to the blonde's broken humanity while Sakura is, well, attacked by it. But it doesn't matter, that silly girl needs a good slap to the face to wake up anyway.
Enjoy.