The Second Sun
This is the moment I've dreamed of...yet why do I feel so empty... so cold. Never mind, this is what I must do, so it will be done. Sasuke brought down the sword, staring pitilessly into his brothers eyes and seeing for the first time himself in them. It was too late though, there was no way he could halt his swing. With a clang he felt his sword deflect, but still it plunged into Itachi's body, a few centimetres from a vital spot. Underneath him a small, black haired women wearing Akatsuki robes held a kunai that she'd used to save Itachi from instant death. Drawing the sword upwards Sasuke said with cold admiration,
"A good block considering you used a kunai, women. I had heard there was but one woman in the Akatsuki, and she a lot taller with bluish hair. Who are you?" Meiunhi smiled as she stood up and lifted her head; allowing Sasuke to view her face. Unlike his brother, Sasuke could not completely hide his surprise and she saw one of his eyebrows twitch; a flicker of shock rippling behind his eyes.
"Not Hinata, surely?" Sasuke asked with a hint of disbelief. Meiunhi smiled.
"Not really. I was once Hinata, but I'm now Meiunhi. You should know how a person can change Sasuke, why the surprise?"
"Hmmph. Well some changes surprise more than others. Besides it's not as though I said it was a bad surprise to find another who seeks to become stronger. Shall we see just how strong you are?"
"It's hardly fair considering you just fought Itachi, surely?" Meiunhi taunted. Sasuke just smiled and slashed with his sword, but Meiunhi dodged it with the neatest of foot spins. "Bring it on big boy," she hissed, but there was less menace and more joy in the hiss; for the first time in a long time Meiunhi was anticipating more fun in the actual battle rather than the mere killing.
The dance of death between them continued for a long time, both reluctant to release their true power and end the enjoyment. As the battle moved away from the fallen Itachi to the nearby wood a shadowy figure stepped from the trees and drifted across the clearing. Sasuke's two other companions' guarding the clearing had already met him before they passed on to new lives, now he was here to meet Itachi; to send him on the same journey.
As Itachi lay in the pit, still very much alive, for Sasuke's sword had only inflicted a serious not mortal wound, he saw a familiar face move over him and his eyes opened wide.
"Tobi, I thought you'd died..." He couldn't tell what Tobi was thinking behind his swirling mask; it was somehow unnerving, like his all too cheerful voice.
"Sorry Itachi, seems I'm very much alive." Tobi stooped down and rubbed some substance into Itachi's wound, sending pain shooting through Itachi's chest.
"There, that should help you get better quicker Itachi-san," Tobi quipped lightly as he skipped back off into the clearing to keep his eye on Sasuke; the final piece in the puzzle and so close to being his.
In the crater Itachi convulsed several times before whispering,
"That bastard..." They were the last words he spoke before the light faded from his dull red eyes.
The battle between Sasuke and Meiunhi was, like Itachi's life, coming to a speedy end. Sasuke, despite his bravado, was still tired from his last fight and wanted to bring this one to an end quickly; but every attack was nimbly dodged by his opponent. He tried to work out where his bodyguard were but it seemed they'd vanished. He sent another fireball towards Meiunhi with the last of his power, decimating a huge swathe of forest for miles, but when it cleared Meiunhi was spinning within her ultimate defence. Then she somersaulted down to land neatly behind Sasuke's ever searching eyes.
"I probably don't need to use this, but given how much I respect you I feel you deserve a fitting end." Her eyes glowed a sudden startling green and two dark suns circled within them.
"It's over Sasuke," she whispered with a deathly undertone. A circle of thick black light rose up around Sasuke and from it seven burning black suns reared up like snakes to close off the space overhead. Sasuke knew he was trapped with no escape, he'd used Orichimaru's snake escaping from Deidara. Desperately he tried to come up with a plan but time was against him.
Outside the circle Meiunhi paused, for some reason she felt a little sad. No person had given her the enjoyment that he had in battle for the last twenty minutes, and he wasn't even fully fit; plus he had a fantastic body. But it would be far less trouble just to finish him now. She wavered as she tried to make up her mind...
Tsunade was in one of her usual, thunderously bad moods; worsened as her supply of sake hadn't yet arrived. Her object of rage was once again Naruto, who stood languidly in the middle of the floor.
"What's with the pathetic look Naruto! This is the third assignment in a row you've made a hash of dammit! Your group can't keep bailing you out every time and I'm now going to have to reimburse the Sand Country for the cost of the merchants goods that were lost to the highwaymen... Well Naruto? I'm becoming more inclined to demote you, you know? Have you anything to say? Or are you just going to stand there and act like the pathetic loser you are?" Naruto just stood looking at the floor and occasionally he would shiver as though a cold wind from another dimension was blowing across him. Tsunade glared at him, she knew she was being overly harsh on Naruto but she couldn't help a certain prejudice creeping over her given Sakura's recent spate of unhappy flings and the harm that had been done to Sakura's training. She knew it was somewhat irrational to blame Naruto for it but inside she still felt as though he ought to be to blame. Before she could speak further Naruto's face jerked up and it was clear he was only just holding back tears.
"I couldn't save them, any of them: Sasuke or Hinata or Gaara -the old lady saved him, and I let Sakura-chan down. Why should I care about promotions or the rest when I'm not worthy of being Hokage, when every close friend seems to fall away despite me giving my all? The only thing I can do now is to try and save them...I will go and save them." He turned and ran from the room, tears streaming down his face.
"Naruto wait! Don't you..." It was too late, he was gone. Tsunade groaned and briefly let her head rest on an upturned arm before wearily calling for Shizune. Maybe I was right after all. I'm really not cut out to be Hokage here...but I have no choice but to do try and do the best I can...damn I need my sake...