Chapter 11

Seven figures bounded swiftly through the trees and ground at a steady and silent pace. No words exchanged amongst the individuals as they passed from branch to branch or over logs, each expectedly absorbed in their own private thoughts about the mission they had been set to complete. It was nightfall and a full moon was high in the black night sky; few stars accompanied it in the heavens.

A lone howl echoed long, piercing the stillness of the atmosphere, and the figures stopped. Two sniffed the air and one pointed far across the horizon.

"Kiba, you've locked on Pakkun's directions?"

"Yea. It appears to be a little further past those mountains." The wild haired shinobi wiped his nose and dropped a hand to rub the head of a grand white wolf. "Akamaru's picked up on it, too." Yamato nodded from his position high into a tree and looked over to Neji, who was silently perched on a large branch to his left.

"Neji, can you get a clear picture?" The young ninja nodded before blinking his opaque eyes and turning towards the mountains in the distant field. Lifting his hands to lock a seal, he firmly spoke, "Byakugan!" feeling the veins tighten about his temples as the area in his vision became a filmy translucent color. His eyes shifted across the plains and hills, pressing his sight further through the rock and stone until he could focus on their planned destination.

"There's a fire. Seems like…it's all about the village there…though not many of the buildings appear to be in tack."

"Any sight on Naruto?" Sakura spoke the words quickly without realizing they had even left her lips.

"Not yet…" Neji turned his head slightly to the right and continued his assessment. "Many people are injured…or dead. And there are several fights occurring…including an intense one…but no Naruto yet." Sakura closed her eyes tightly and spoke a few silent words, her hands balled into fists as she continued to listen to her teammate in the tree. 'Hm. Wait. There is a large field…like a garden…right on the outskirts of the village….there he is. But he's not alone…it looks like….Sasuke's there as well." Sakura could feel her heart stop as she reached out a hand and gripped a nearby tree to steady her legs, her eyes rounded with shock. Sa…suke? Sasuke's there, too? With…Naruto? Did Naruto leave to find Sasuke on his own? What were they-?

"They are facing each other. I can see weapons…strange….they look as if they have their own chakra networks." Several eyes and collective gasps of confusions drifted to Neji's ears though Yamato managed to ask the question first.

"Chakra networks? The weapons? What kind of weapons?" Yamato leapt over to stand next to the longhaired jounin, who was still scanning the area.

"They look like katana. And yes….there appears to be a chakra flow within the weapons in their hands." Neji could hardly believe what he was seeing with his own eyes. He had never encountered any living system within any inanimate object before, but he couldn't quite place the possibility of what he was viewing. He released the seal, his eyes returning to normal as he turned to face the rest of the team.

"They are about 1600 meters to the northeast…just over the mountains. I'm not sure what the two were doing, but it looks as if they were about to fight." The words hung in the air as they all turned to look in the direction of the mountains. Yamato and he jumped down to the ground amongst the group.

"We will split now. Neji, your group will head towards the village. Find out what's happening and help where you can. If that village is being attacked, then end it as quickly as possible. I'm not sure of Naruto's involvement in this, but terminate the threat with as minimal damage as possible. Find the leaders of the village and explain our involvement and establish a way to peacefully resolve this outbreak."

"Right." Neji nodded at Yamato's words. He continued.

"My group, we will head towards Naruto and Sasuke…let's move." They nodded in silent response and took off into the night.

She was worried. Or rather, she'd been worrying since he left about two days ago. She had done a number of things to keep her mind occupied, but it always returned to him. He said he would go training…so why do I feel like this? Why do I feel …? She was standing in front of a small window in the room that Sasuke was laying in recovery just a few days prior. The room was dark and she was staring out into the night, the bright light of the moon reflected off the lens of her glasses. She had wanted to follow him that day, but she thought against it, not wanting to upset him deeper than what he already seemed. So she stayed back at the hideout, playing mediator to the increasingly agitated members of Eagle. She wandered out of the room and out of the main doors, walking out on the plain, feeling the cool night air on her face. She inhaled deeply, feeling the sting of the crisp air filling her lungs and a familiar aura overcame her. This chakra…it's Sasuke's…

She turned her head to the far northeast. Something's not right. He isn't alone. There is another strong chakra presence, no, wait, there's several more… She sprinted back to the lodge and rushed into her room, grabbing a small pack, tossing in supplies and zipping it up hastily before dashing back out of the door. On her way back out of the building, she heard Jugo called out to her.

"Hey, where are you headed?" She stopped short.

"Sasuke…He…he may be in trouble."

"Huh? What gave you that idea? You found his chakra, didn't you? I thought you said he went out to train?"

"Yea…but these other chakras…near his…they're massive…I'm getting a bad feeling."

"He told you to stay here."

"I'm just going to investigate. When I find him, I just want to make sure he's ok, and then I'll head right back. I won't be gone long." She continued past him before he could offer to tag along and out of the door, solely focused on finding Sasuke.

Dark piercing eyes stared into blazing blue ones; both set on stern faces of determination. The slightest of breezes wafted between the two and the low distant rumble of thunder sang out into the night.

"Hey, I guess it's a contest to see who can put a scratch on the other's forehead first this time, huh Naruto?" Naruto looked up at his opponent in confusion before realizing the reference of his words. His hand absently drifted to his naked brow and his eyes lowered to the ground; hiding them away from Sasuke. A few moments passed, the two still silent, before Naruto decided to be the one to break the increasingly uneasy hesitation that seemed to be growing by the second between the two young men.

His head shot up again suddenly and a grin was firmly re-plastered across his face. Sasuke could sense a difference in countenance within the liquid blue spheres, even as Naruto's mocking reached his ears.

"No backing out by running away like last time, Uchiha. We're going full out!" A small sideways grin set on Sasuke's face as he watched Naruto lunge forward, sword held high like a player at bat. Sasuke had to fight back laughter as he studied the first few steps of this form before quickly re-adjusting to the blond's change in direction as he shifted slightly and threw his arm out to his left side to block the large side sweep of Naruto's sword with his own. Wasting no time to counterattack and using his rival's recovery time as an opening, Sasuke pushed Naruto back and swept his arm outward and upward, bringing his sword down in a quick chopping motion, almost revealing his surprise at Naruto's quick deflect of the attack, the resounding clink of their metal ringing in their ears. Naruto's arm stung from the block, causing him to let out a deep grunt into the air.

"Hm." Blue eyes narrowed at the smirk on the raven-haired shinobi's face.

"Agh!" The blond shoved forward on the weapons, putting distance between them once more as he stood fully to his feet. Sasuke stepped back on his right foot, taking a defensive stand, as he prepared for the blow of Naruto's next attack, anticipating another barrage of strikes from the sword in the visibly under skilled shinobi's hands with a katana, before him.

Naruto started forward again, this time, his sword outstretched on his right side. Sasuke frowned at the blond for the obvious head on attack before sensing the slightest of changes in his surroundings, causing him to swiftly hop backwards to avoid the assault from the air as he watched Naruto slyly jump into the air and slam down into the spot he had stood just a few seconds earlier. He dashed forward in a sprint, the dark metal of his sword catching the faint light of the moon, it appearing as an extension of his right arm as he beheld the image of his opponent in his mind. He stopped short and executed a quick 360º turn as he brought the metal down hard into the body of the blond, hearing an annoying puff as smoke emitted from where the weapon sank into a partial tree stump, appearing like a mocking apparition before the dark-eyed ninja. He back flipped quickly and landed in a low crouch, slowly rising to stand, scanning his surroundings. Naruto had seemingly disappeared, but Sasuke could still feel his chakra nearby him in the area. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply; feeling a faint, yet familiar calm start to fill him. The palm that held the black onyx colored sword radiated a soothing warmth up his arm and Sasuke's eyes shot down to look at the weapon, which was now glowing a cool blue at the hilt where the crescent symbol was embedded.

It did that before…in the room…what does this-

His thoughts were cut short as he felt the ground beneath him crumble and give way, causing him to take to the air, as he watched the tip of the sword Naruto carried pierce the earth. He could hear a battle cry above him as he looked up to see the ninja descending upon him with full force. Sasuke threw his arm up and blocked the blow as they were both thrown backwards and landed hard onto the ground below. Sasuke swung around to his left side and shoved his elbow sharply into the back of the shinobi and his ears were once again met with the pewrt of the disappearing body; only this time a shadow clone.

Naruto could see the annoyance setting into his rival's face as he rushed in from behind after Sasuke dispelled his clone. As his feet pounded heavy into the grass of the plain, he picked his opening, hoping to throw his opponent off balance. Swinging his body forward, he executed three quick attacks…

Clink, ching, clink!

He dropped down to one knee. A warm, damp feeling was creeping down his right cheek. His hand lifted to investigate, only to smear his fingers with fresh blood. He looked up at the young man standing a few feet away from him, meeting the stolid look of dark eyes as they stared back at him…

"Give up, Naruto, you won't beat me." A loud clap of thunder boomed across the skies as the heavens broke into a soft shower of rain. Naruto could feel the wetness on his face as he hoisted himself to his feet, using the sword as support. His body was beginning to feel warm, even in the cold downpour, and as his eyes drifted down the strip of gleaming gold-like metal, he could see the spherical orb illuminating bright yellow.

If you are real…are you telling me…not to give up, Akemi-sama?

He could feel the stinging from the wound on his cheek as he addressed his ex-teammate, who by now, was staring up into the blackened sky.

"You may be better at this than me…but I won't lose to you, I won't lose you-"

"Enough, Naruto!" Sasuke's face was stern as he lowered it to face the blond's words. "This isn't a sparing match, any genjutsu or one of Konoha's good faith peace missions! This is real! Why would I want to return to that place, huh? Why did you leave? Are you a rogue-nin, now?" Another heavy tremble of thunder rolled within the skies.

"No! I'd never betray Konoha!"

"Then why are you here? No forehead protector…and you were travelling with that monk…" Naruto could feel his lower lip quivering as he struggled for the right words to say to his estranged friend. He understood. He got it. He knew deeply what it had meant to lose someone close and feel helpless against it. He understood what it meant to be weak and what it meant to want revenge, but he also understood…

"Sasuke, if I turned my back on what helped shape me into who I am; I'd see it as an insult to them." A small weak smile accompanied sad blue eyes as Naruto became lost in which were actually tears and which was rain streaming down his sullen face. "Everything I discovered in a place filled with people that hated me; Team Seven…the old man…are all things that are precious to me. Maybe that makes me an idiot, but I can't change who I am…I won't go back on my word." He closed his eyes; feeling warm trails of water travel his face as he held his sword in both hands, concentrating on collecting his chakra and pushing it into the blade. Visible blue charges began to appear and circumnavigate around the metal steadily becoming as thin as the blade itself. Sasuke shifted his eyes into his Sharingan as he studied what his opponent was creating.

"Finally got the oppressors at Konoha to teach you a new trick?"

"Heh, just watch." Thin and sharp, huh, Asuma-sensi? When he was satisfied with what he had managed to do, he clasped his hands differently about the hilt of the sword and shouted, "Massive Shadow Clone Jutsu!" creating several dozen exact copies of the blond, each holding their own replica of the sword in the original's hands.

Sasuke craned his neck slightly to take an assessment of what he was viewing. He had faced Naruto like this before, when they were boys, but this time was different…this time he was much stronger.

The first wave charged forward and Sasuke's arm lifted automatically and swung through a few thrust and strikes, replacing the bodies with a cloud of dissipating haze. Turning on his right heel, he brought his arm around and felt the metal sink into the chest of another, hearing its cry before it too, disappeared, even as he ducked away from two more crowding his sides. Naruto watched his friend tentatively, his eyes following his movements through his clones as he weaved between the clusters, scoping the distraction that would give him the opening he needed. Sasuke shifted into a rounding kick and sent several more copies away from him flailing backwards into four others, only to watch a large hand full clamper over the fallen one to descend upon him. Sasuke closed his eyes and concentrated his own chakra, feeling the prickling sensation across his skin as he gathered a massive energy. He felt the fingertips of the first clone reach him and he released his collection, sending large electrical waves out of his body and into various points of contact: the ground, the clones, and his sword. Collective cries and dispelling poofs resonated across the field as Sasuke's full body chidori charged outward and Naruto stopped short mid-stride and jump straight into the air to avoid being electrocuted. During his descent, his eyes caught Sasuke's blood red ones with eerie black points that replaced his normal pupils as the young man had taken to the air as well, his electrically charged weapon gripped tightly in his hand as Naruto swung his sword downward to meet Sasuke's in a crashing blow…

***

Several people stopped cold and looked towards the sky as a brilliant burst of light filled it and illuminated it like the morning sky. Isao gripped his sides and coughed gruffly as his eyes shifted upward, the faint moan of his fallen opponent at his shaky feet…

***

Sakura's eyes were as round as saucers her group halted and faced the event in the sky. Her heart pounded as her mind swirled with despair, feeling a sudden wave of loneliness and emptiness…

***

An envelope of blue and gold encamped about both young men from the contact of the swords. The roar of the storm seemed distant in their ears, as the atmosphere appeared to change around them, keeping them suspended in mid-air. The heat was increasing in their bodies and the glow of the weapons was blinding as each felt their hands tremble around the hilt of each sword.

'Agh! What the-?!" Two beams of white light shot from the blades and wavering images stepped into view. Two men dressed in black, gold, and red hakamas and kimonos, one blond, the other raven.

"So Tasogare, fate has thrust us back to one another, even across time and space itself."

"Across time…and across lifetimes…my old friend." The welcoming words echoed within the young ninjas minds as they watched the two specters stepped away from the streams, the swords pulling forcibly away from the boys' hands and joined beside their respective owners. Naruto could feel a sharp pain shoot through his arm as he let go of the weapon and gripped his right wrist tightly, his burning eyes staring blurrily into his palm, making out the faint shape of the image that he had found on the hilt of the sword he had carried. He eyes shifted past the addressing spirits and to Sasuke, who he could make out was scanning the details of his own palm.

"These swords…have been our chains of bondage for generations…weapons of both great peace and great destruction." Akemi reached out and took his sword by the hilt, giving an immediate burst of brilliant golden light to the blade. The steady hand of the dark-haired warrior reached out and gripped the smooth black sword hovering by his side, adding a soft blue hue that mingled about with the gold, the colors swirling about one another in an endless dance.

"When we last met, as we are captured now, our passions for our own truths took us away from one another and in the end…against each other…and yet, we have only this…one final round, my old friend, as we ascend into the heavens to join the ancestors and find peace."

"It has truly been a journey to you, dear Tasogare. Our bond has proven as strong as the threads of time and as merciless as such…" Akemi raised his sword and pointed outward towards the man before him, who, in turn, raised his own sword, facing his to the blond. They rushed towards each other and in one powerful strike, both swords collided in a piercing clash of metal as they shattered on impact, scattered about the sky in a million tiny particles, leaving no trace of weapons or spirits…

***

Sakura could not hear the sound of her own voice, but she knew she was screaming, even as her feet pounded the dirt and grass beneath her, fighting to reach the spot in which her missing teammate would land. He was rocketing out of the sky at an alarming rate and she was uncertain as to how he had even gotten up there, let alone remained so long to be thrown down. She surmised it had to do with the light they had seen overtake the sky, right above the place that they had been located at…where they were noted as possibly fighting…

She pumped her legs harder and felt her body tremble violently as she watched him slammed to the ground hard.

"NARUTO!"

***

"C'mon…c'mon Sasuke….please…bite…down….please…." He wasn't breathing. Even as she pulled his head into her lap and held her arm out to his pale lips, wiping back damp clumps of his dark hair that plastered down his face from the rain and blood, and shook him slightly, she could not sense him breathing. Her voice caught in her throat as she held onto him, her fingers trembling from the ice-cold slick of the rain as she worked her hand inside of his slightly askew shirt and pressed her ear down on his chest. A deep sob escaped her lips as she felt the faint flutter of a heartbeat and she resisted the urge to plant a kiss on his lips as she continued to hold him. He's alive…he's…Sasuke…

She pulled him into an embracing hug as she felt her heart rise with new hope.

It was still raining. He had heard someone mention that perhaps a few days ago…? He wasn't sure about that, he hadn't felt apart of his surroundings for quite some time. His last thoughts were of seeing the horror across Sasuke's face as they fell from the sky, which he knew, mirrored his own. His face was the last thing he'd seen before everything went dark.

"Sasuke…"

"Naruto?" He felt a warm hand on top of his. He opened his eyes slowly, allowing them time to focus on the image in front of him before turning to face the voice. Streaks of water were running down the panes of glass in his direct line of view, confirming his thoughts that it really was raining. He stared out into the blurry view beyond the glass, feeling his lips move weakly to respond.

"I failed you…again…Sakura…I'm sorry…" He felt his body tense for a moment, and then relaxed as he felt the warmth of her body cover his torso, her silky short pink hair tickling the parts of his chest that wasn't wrapped in thick white bandages.

"No…stupid…you didn't fail…you…" He could feel warm liquid drop onto his skin and hear a faint sniffle. "I know…that you took things hard a while ago, but…I…we all care about you here in Konoha and we don't want to lose you." The tears trickled around his sides and absorbed into the cotton of the gauze as Naruto closed his eyes a moment and hoisted himself up from the comfort of the bed, straining through the pain shooting through his body. Sakura sat up quickly, wiping her eyes, and steadying his shoulders.

"Naruto, what are you doing? Your wounds are completely healed…yet…" She sat back as he raised up and took her hand away with his own, meeting her shinning green eyes with his blue ones.

"Thank you…Sakura. For everything. When I met Sasuke, again…this time…this time was different…next time…when we meet…I won't have to worry about how strong I am. Next time won't matter. Next time…he will…" His voice drifted into the silence of the room as he dropped his head down and closed his eyes once more, barely noticing when Sakura slid off the bed and walked over to a small table near the door. She removed something from the counter and walked back over to Naruto's bedside, opening his palms with her hands and pressing something into them. His eyes opened at the cold feeling and his heart melted at the sight.

"I hope you don't mind. I found it when I cleaned your apartment for you yesterday so it'll be ready when you left the hospital. It was amongst a lot of dirty laundry…Anyway, I knew you'd be looking for it…so…I brought to you." His hand tightened around the cold metal of his returned headband, the soft pads of his fingertips sinking into the grooves of the symbol in the middle of it, the depiction of a leaf, and the icon of the Hidden Village of the Fire country that was Konoha. He opened his mouth to begin to express his gratitude when he saw her smiling face but was interrupted by a knock on the door. It slid open revealing the beaming faces of the members of the rescue mission and the Hokage herself, all friends and cherished people in his life, and his smile lit up the room.