Ok, so I thought I'd give this another try. Thanks for all the encouragement and support.
Chapter Twelve: Death Wish
"What!"
The darkness literally vibrated with rage. The shadows surrounding the Akatsuki leader began to twist and writhe in the air like living creatures. His eyes flashed as he glared at the other three ninja around him.
"What do you mean he killed them all?!"
Itachi seemed the only one unfazed by their leader's wrath. "I mean exactly what I just said: Kyuubi killed them. Deidara, Hidan, Tobi, Kakuzu - all of them were killed when Kyuubi broke past the Fourth's curse seal and possessed the boy."
The shadow-wreathed man sharply turned away from Itachi, Kisame, and Zetsu and began to pace, anger rolling off him in almost tangible waves. His cloud-embossed cloak swished harshly across the ground as he moved. Finally coming to a halt, he turned back towards the other three and speared them with angry, calculating eyes. "If what you say is true then Kyuubi has surpassed all our original expectations. He is even more powerful than we ever imagined."
"The ease of which he killed the others was frightening," Kisame said. "He killed them all like they were nothing but rookie gennin."
Itachi's red-tinged eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Even though he was only able to channel a fraction of his actual strength through the boy, he was still unbelievably strong. After feeling that level of chakra, I don't know if we can actually control him. He's too powerful."
"If Kyuubi is really this strong, he might be too dangerous for us to risk going after again," the white half of Zetsu's face said. "He's already killed four of our top ninja," said the other.
The shadow-clad leader stepped closer to Akatsuki's only other surviving inner members. Darkness shrouded him like an impenetrable black cloak. "No," he hissed. "We have to go after the boy one last time. But this time to kill him. Kyuubi's proven too powerful for us to control. As much as I want that fox-demon for ourselves, we cannot risk the possibility of it running loose. Even if that boy or those protecting him were able to reactivate the seal, there's no saying when it will break again and Kyuubi able to fully escape. Such a thing could prove detrimental to Akatsuki's greater plan. The boy has to be destroyed now before he posses a bigger threat."
"Kisame and I will go," Itachi said. "We'll take care of the boy."
Their leader nodded. "Take as many teams of backup agents as you need. I don't want any more mistakes. We've already lost four of our elites to that demon. I want to put an end to this once and for all. Akatsuki cannot afford any more losses. We've already spent more time, energy and resources on this boy than on all the other demon-vessels we've captured thus far combined. At this rate, Konoha or Sand might decide to take advantage of our latest failure and attack us. I want this finished now before that actually happens!"
"I doubt we will need much backup," Itachi said. "Shortly after Kisame and I retreated, we felt Kyuubi's chakra signal disappear, meaning the boy is either already dead or his friends were somehow able to reseal him. Either way, it's doubtful the boy will pose us much resistance. Even before his friends rescued him he'd already begun contemplating ways to end his life. After this latest incident, it's probably safe to assume his will to live has deteriorated even more."
Their leader's eyes seemed to glow out of the inky shroud of darkness surrounding him. "I don't care how you do it, just kill that boy," he said. "And this time I don't want any more mistakes…"
"Four more teams of ANBU have been sent to help guard the compound," Shikamaru said in a hushed voice as he leaned forward to whisper to Sasuke. The lazy genius' hair was mussed and his faces streaked with dirt and dried sweat from their earlier battle with Kyuubi. He stood in the darkened hallway of the Uchiha mansion, his hands wearily shoved into his pockets. "Gaara's also sent several teams of Sand ninja to help. They're all patrolling the southern end of the compound, but it's unlikely Akatsuki will try to attack again so soon. The Hokage's taking no chances though."
Sasuke hovered in the doorway, listening to Shikamura's report. He too looked like he'd just survived the deepest circle of hell. The Uchiha's hair was matted and tangled - a far cry from its usual elegance - and his clothes singed black in several places. A faint smell of smoke surrounded him, a lingering reminder of the fire-wielding demon he'd faced and somehow managed to survive. His body was stiffly held up straight, his shoulders squared and his face carefully schooled in a stoic expression. But that did nothing to hide the subdued aura of weariness that seemed to hang over him like an invisible cloak.
"The Hokage's asking that your family's shrine, or at least the tunnel underneath it, be destroyed so that no one else can get into the village like Akatsuki did," Shikamaru went on. "It's a danger to the village's security."
"Do whatever you have to do," Sasuke said. "I don't want anymore enemy-nin sneaking in here either. Tell the Hokage I also give her permission to have ninja search the rest of the compound for any more tunnels or secret entrances."
Shikamaru nodded, and glanced over the Uchiha's shoulder into the room behind him. His eyes bright with worry, he leaned closer to Sasuke and whispered in even a lower tone, "How's Naruto doing?"
Sasuke's entire demeanor seemed to deflate at the question. As if too weary to keep his mask of stoicism in place anymore, the boy's eyes grew distant and his shoulders slumped. Shikamaru was startled by the sudden change in the usually unreadable Uchiha.
Glancing briefly over his shoulder before looking back at Shikamaru, Sasuke shook his head. "Not well. He hasn't moved since I brought him back inside. He barely answers me when I try to talk to him and he doesn't even seem to be aware of where he is half the time. It's like he's in a state of shock."
Shikamaru nodded sadly. "I know. We all saw him after he fought Kyuubi back…"
"Has there been any word on Kakashi, Gai, or Jiraiya yet?" Sasuke asked.
Shikamaru sighed and scuffed his foot against the ground. "The Hokage said Jiraiya should make it. Sakura managed to stop the worst of the bleeding until medical teams could arrive, but I'm not so sure about Kakashi or Gai. They were both taken to the hospital, but are still in surgery as far as I know. Lee went with Gai to the hospital and sent a message not long ago to Neji and Tenten. He said the doctors are doing everything they can but they're only giving Gai a twenty-five percent chance of survival right now. The entire front of his body was burned where Kyuubi's tail hit him. I don't think Kakashi's doing that well either. He's been in surgery for at least two hours now. Sakura went with Tsunade to the hospital to help, but by the way both of them were acting I'm not so sure either Kakashi or Gai are going to make it…"
Sasuke hung his head, a curtain of tangled black bangs swinging forward to partially hide his face. "Damn it," he swore. Looking back up he speared Shikamaru with a steel-hard glare. "We can't let Naruto know about this or let anyone else tell him," he said. "He won't be able to handle it. He already blames himself for killing those Akatsuki ninja and everything else that happened. Until we hear more from the hospital or know something definite, don't tell him anything. He'll completely lose it if he hears that now."
"He knows none of us blame him, right?" Shikamaru said. "We'd never blame him for what happened. None of this was his fault. Even Lee doesn't blame him for what happened to Gai. The others are waiting in the other part of the house. They sent me to ask you if we could see him. We're worried about him."
Sasuke glanced over his shoulder into the room again, his eyes shadowed and tired. "I'll have to ask him, but I doubt it. He's not dealing with everything very well right now. I'm not sure he'll want anyone to see him."
Shikamaru nodded slowly. "Alright… Just tell him we're still here for him. We're not going to abandon him."
Sasuke gave a curt nod of understanding. "I'll let you know what he says, but don't expect much." He began to turn away to go back in the room but was stopped by Shikamaru calling after him.
"You're the only one that can help him now, Sasuke," the lazy genius murmured, his eyes shining with a profound look of understanding in the moonlit that spilled past Sasuke into the hallway. "We all realized it when he regained control of his body. You're the only one he trusts. He wouldn't let anyone but you touch him or even come close. We're all trusting you to bring the Naruto we used to know back." Then, saying nothing else, Shikamaru turned, his hands still shoved in his pockets, and walked away - probably back to the main part of the house to wait with everyone else for their friend's reply.
Sasuke silently stared after him a moment before slowly turning back into the room and pulling the sliding-door close behind him.
The room was completely dark except for the silvery cast of moonlit filtering through the shoji doors on the other side of the room. Naruto's futon lay in the middle of the room, empty. But Sasuke was unperturbed. Calmly turning to the far corner of the room - right where Jiraiya had been sitting less than a few hours before - Sasuke approached his friend's huddled form.
Naruto sat with his back pressed against the wall, his knees pulled up to his chest, and his arms wrapped around both legs. His forehead was bent down onto his knees, hiding his face from view. His entire body language practically screamed misery and guilt. He hadn't moved from that position since Sasuke helped him back into the mansion from the chakra-scorched courtyard; nor let anyone but the alienated Uchiha near him since forcing Kyuubi back into his prison.
Sasuke carefully approached Naruto and sat down beside him on the tatami mats.
Naruto didn't move or even seem to acknowledge the other boy's presence.
Sasuke just sat there a moment and quietly studied his friend out of the corner of his eye. Even in the moonlight, he could see the raw patches of skin covering Naruto's hands and forearms. After leading his sobbing friend back into the mansion away from the staring eyes of others, Naruto had frantically tried to wash his hands of the blood and bits of fleshy viscera from his hands and beneath his finger nails. Sasuke had had to physically restrain the blond before he could scrub his own skin off. It had then taken him over an hour to fully calm the hysterical demon-vessel down. But instead of allowing Sasuke any opening then to comfort him, Naruto had instead shut down and become disturbingly quiet and withdrawn. He barely reacted when Sasuke spoke to him, or to anything else around him for that matter. Nothing Sasuke did seemed able to break through the other boy's almost tangible aura of guilt.
But that didn't mean he was about to give up just yet…
"Naruto," Sasuke murmured, finally shattering the intense silence of the room, "your other friends are asking about you. They want to see you. Do you want me to let them in?"
To Sasuke's ultimate surprise, he actual got a response. He saw the muscles in Naruto's shoulders tense and the blond shift where he sat in a half-curled ball.
"No," came a muffled reply from behind the shaggy mess of bangs resting on Naruto's knees. "It's too dangerous. I already hurt Gai and Kakashi-sensei. I don't want to hurt any more people…"
Sasuke sighed and leaned back against the wall beside Naruto. "You're not going to hurt anyone, Naruto," he said, a note of exasperation entering his voice. "We all know that wasn't you that did those things. It was all Kyuubi, and he's been resealed. No one blames you for what happened. Shikamaru told me himself. Your other friends want to see you. They're worried about you. Can't you see you're not doing yourself any good sitting here like this? There are people who want to help you if you'd only let them."
There was a long moment of silence from the blond. Then: "You really want to help me, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, finally lifting his head off his knees to look at Sasuke with empty, red-rimmed eyes. "Then why won't you just do what I asked and kill me?"
Sasuke stared at his friend, an icy feeling curdling the bottom of his stomach. "I already told you, Naruto, I'm not going to kill you. I'm not going to let you give up that easily."
"I'm not giving up" Naruto said. "I'm just doing what's best for everyone. I'm a danger to everyone in this village. I don't want to hurt any more people. All I hear is Kyuubi clawing at the back of my mind. I'm just so tired of hearing him… Why can't you see this is for the best, and just do me this one last favor?"
"Because I'm your friend and don't want to see you kill yourself for some stupid, suicidal ideal," Sasuke shot back. "I know you're strong enough to fight Kyuubi. I know you can get stronger and push him far enough away so that you don't have to hear him anymore. You just have to get it in your mind that you can do it. I know you're strong enough."
Naruto snorted under his breath. "When we were still a team you never once thought of me as an equal. I was always just the brainless idiot. And now, when all I want to do is admit you were right and stop fighting a hopeless battle, you go and say you think I'm strong enough to fight one of the most powerful demons in the world. Gods, make up your mind, Sasuke."
The dark haired boy stared at Naruto, taken aback. Never had he heard such bitterness come out of the blond's mouth before.
"Cynicism doesn't suit you, Naruto."
Another laden pause from the blond. "After everything I've been through, there's nothing really left for me…" he softly murmured.
Naruto's eyes dimmed, and he emptily looked back at the floor. To Sasuke, they looked just like the eyes of a living corpse.
"Can you please tell everyone I can't see them right now?" Naruto murmured, hanging his head so his bangs partially hid his face. "It's not that I don't want to see them. It's just that… I can't. Tell them I'm sorry, but I just can't…" His voice trailed off in a waver, as if fighting back a sob. "Please Sasuke," he murmured. "If you can't do anything else for me, can you please just do this? It's all I'm asking for…"
Sasuke sat there, his heart shattering at the utter hopelessness in his friend's voice. Was that really all he could do to help his friend? Wasn't there anything else he could do besides play messenger boy to make that emptiness in his friend's voice go away? Was that really all he was capable of?
"I'll go tell them, Naruto," he said - unable to find any answers for his own frustrated questions - and stood. His throat was tight as he began to head for the door, anger and helplessness stewing inside him like a noxious bile. He hated this. He hated this feeling of helplessness. Wasn't there anything he could do to help his friend?
Coming to the door, Sasuke paused and glanced back over his shoulder into the room. Naruto still sat exactly where he'd left him - hunched over in a tiny ball against the wall with his face buried between his knees. He looked so wretched and alone, for a moment Sasuke contemplated going back inside and comforting his broken friend.
But forcing himself to turn away from the painful sight, Sasuke stepped through the door and into the darkened hall beyond. If this was truly all he could do to help his friend, then that was what he would do. If he couldn't fulfill any other request of Naruto's, he could at least do this.
As he navigated the confusing maze of halls and passageways that led back to the main section of the mansion, Sasuke's mind wandered.
When had it come to this, he wondered. When had he lost control to do anything to pull his friend back from the brink of despair? He'd always prided himself with being in control of situations - of knowing exactly what to do or how to act. But now, when he was needed the most he had no idea what to do. Naruto's will to fight was gone - completely evaporated in the wake of Kyuubi's possession. He no longer wanted to live and had even asked Sasuke to deliver the final blow.
How could Naruto ask that of him? Didn't he know he could never raise a hand to the blond? Didn't he know he was the only one that kept him sane in this miserable world? Before Naruto had come back from training and after his supposed death he'd had nothing to live for. He'd all but given up the will to live himself. And now, when he finally had his friend back - the only person he'd ever felt any sort of connection to since his family's massacre - Naruto wanted to leave him alone again. And this time forever.
Unbidden tears stung the corners of the boy's eyes. Pausing in the middle of the hallway, Sasuke scrubbed the back of his hand across his eyes, struggling for control over his own treacherous emotions.
Why was Naruto doing this? Didn't he know he was willing to die to keep anyone from hurting him again? Didn't he know how much he would be missed if he went through with what he wanted to do? And not just by himself, but by everyone else as well?
Unlike Sasuke, who if he were to die, no one would care. But Naruto… Naruto had always been the life and laughter of Konoha. All those that knew him loved him. That much was apparent after Akatsuki had faked his death. To lose Naruto again - and this time for sure - would be like extinguishing the brightest star in the heavens, robbing everyone of that shining beacon of light. And Sasuke couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't. Naruto was his only friend - his only remaining tie to human emotions beside loneliness and despair. If he were to lose Naruto again, he had no illusion he wouldn't be able to go on anymore. He'd already lost so many precious people through the years. Naruto was his last remaining one. He couldn't stand the thought of losing him too. It was just too painful.
But now Naruto was pushing everyone - including himself - away. It was like he was systematically cutting off all personal ties to people to somehow make his passing easier for them to bare.
Despite himself, Sasuke snorted under his breath, frustrated by the predictably selfless sense of duty Naruto lived by. The stupid idiot was willing to throw his life away just on the pretense he might somehow be a danger to those around him. It was so foolishly noble like Naruto to do something like that it almost made Sasuke sick. Did he ever have a hope of someday knocking some sense into that numbskull's head?
If only he could make Naruto believe him. He wasn't going to let Naruto give up so easily. If only his friend wasn't so hell-bent on trying to protect everyone else but himself he might realize Sasuke wasn't about to let him do anything to hurt himself…
Sasuke's thoughts trailed off, a sudden thought freezing his blood.
He had no idea what brought the frightening premonition on, but after years of being a ninja he'd learn to listen to his instincts. It was what had kept him and his fellow teammates alive on more than one dangerous mission.
And right now his instincts were screaming at him to get back to Naruto's room. Now.
Spinning on his heels, Sasuke took off down the hall, his feet eating up the distance. Sasuke's heart pounded against his ribcage as he sped through the darkened hallways, dread rising in the back of his throat like acidic bile.
No… Why didn't I see what he was trying to do sooner? Why did I let my emotions blind me to what he was actually doing?
Coming to the door of Naruto's room, Sasuke flung the it open and looked inside.
Just as he expected, the room was completely empty. One of the shoji doors on the far side of the room was slid open, leading outside into one of the mansion's inner courtyards. Moonlight streamed in through the doorway, illuminating a patch of tatami mat in a brilliant wash of silver.
Swallowing down his panic, Sasuke turned and raced back the way he'd just come - back towards the main part of the house. He had to go alert the other Rookies and everyone else. Naruto was gone - probably on some last-ditch suicide attempt to protect those he cared for. They had to find him. Before the dumb blond could do anything stupid and hurt himself.
I swear, Naruto, if you're still alive when I find you I'm going to kill you myself, Sasuke swore as he sped through the empty mansion.
But that did nothing to stop the wave of sickening dread from rising in the back of his throat…
The world was nothing but a darkened kaleidoscope of shadows, trees and shifting moonlight. His breath was coming in harsh, raspy gasps. He could feel sweat dripping down the sides of his face and soaking the neckline of his shirt. His entire body ached, screaming with misery as he delved ever deeper into the forest. But somehow he forced himself to keep going.
Naruto moved in a stumbling lope, struggling to keep his legs under him and moving. His body trembled with exhaustion. He had to steady himself against each new tree trunk he passed to keep from collapsing. He knew he wasn't going to last much longer. Kyuubi might have healed the burns and bruises covering his body when he'd possessed him, but even Kyuubi's healing abilities couldn't completely heal the damage several months of starvation and torture had done to his deteriorating body. It was only a matter of time now before he dropped from exhaustion. And he couldn't let that happen. Not yet. Not until he was far enough away from Konoha and everyone he might unintentionally harm if his curse seal should break again.
Naruto knew he had precious little time before the others noticed his absence and came after him. And probably with Sasuke in the lead.
Naruto forced more effort into his shaking legs, struggling to put more distance between himself and those he couldn't stand the thought of harming anymore. He knew his friends would probably be worried and upset when they found out he was gone, but it was for the best. He couldn't let Kyuubi hurt anyone else he cared for. He'd already hurt Kakashi and Gai-sensei, and even Jiraiya had almost been killed trying to protect him. It was all his fault. What if next time he hurt someone else? What if the next time Kyuubi got out he hurt one of his friends or, worse yet, Sasuke?
Naruto shook his head, trying to dispel that frightening image from his mind. No. He couldn't let that happen. He had to protect his friends. He didn't trust himself to be able to fight back Kyuubi again. The fox was getting too strong. Even now, he could hear the demon gnashing at the bars holding him captive in the back of his mind. His friends might have been able to help reseal Kyuubi, but for how long?
Sasuke didn't understand what he was up against. He knew Sasuke was serious when he'd said he'd do anything to help protect him, but could he really risk endangering the other boy's life anymore? Sasuke had already done so much for him; even if he hadn't been able to fulfill his request to help put an end to his misery. Maybe it was actually better this way. Now Sasuke wouldn't have to live the rest of his life blaming himself for his death. The other boy didn't deserve that kind of guilt. No, he should have never asked Sasuke to do what only he should have been responsible for. Kyuubi was his curse, his responsibility to deal with. He shouldn't have asked his friend to do anything more than what he already had. He already owed Sasuke too much to pull him any deeper into his own problems…
The lights of Konoha were beginning to fade from view, disappearing behind the thick foliage of the trees. He had to be nearing the village's outer defenses by now. It wouldn't be long before he was out of Konoha's immediate vicinity and in the open wilderness. The tunnel below the Uchiha shrine had let him out much deeper in the forest on the eastern side of the village than he'd originally expected. He just hoped Sasuke didn't come back too soon and find him missing, or think of following him through the tunnel. He had to try and put as much distance between himself and the village as he could before his friends tried coming after him. He had to put an end to all of this before they could stop him…
Pausing to catch his breath, Naruto half-collapsed against the nearest tree and rested his forehead against the scratchy bark. He didn't know how much farther he could go. He was so tired. All he wanted to do was just lay down and sleep and never have to think about waking up again. His whole body hurt so much. Would it hurt when he died, he wondered. It certainly couldn't hurt as much as when Kyuubi tried to possess him. Nothing could compare to that kind of pain.
Naruto could imagine it now: a momentary flash of pain, the feeling of fading away from the world, and then… nothing. If death offered him nothing more than an empty sea of darkness to spend the rest of eternity in, it would be enough. No. It would be more than enough. It would be paradise. All he wanted was an escape from this endless cycle of hopelessness and pain. Any place that offered him an escape from that could surely be considered heaven.
He still remembered the place Jiraiya had taken him all those years ago to try and teach him how to call on Kyuubi's chakra. He still remembered that bottomless gorge with it's water-polished sides. Only this time he had no intention of summoning Gamabunta to save him. This time he'd let himself fall, and let the ground rush up to claim him…
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Naruto heard the rattle of metal bars and distant echo of a demonic howl. As he listened, the gnashing began to grow in volume until it was all he could hear. Visions of flames and heat-shattered bones appeared in his mind's eye, followed by those of salivating fangs and blood-soaked claws.
The boy desperately closed his eyes and covered his ears, trying to block out the horrible images and sounds. But to no avail.
Kyuubi's angry howls seemed endless. Naruto could almost imagine the fox-demon throwing himself at the barred gates of the Fourth's prison, gnashing his teeth in mindless rage as he tried to break past the curse seal pasted there.
Choking back his tears, Naruto pushed himself away from the tree with a strangled cry and took off in a stumbling run. He had to get to the gorge. He had to end this. Kyuubi just kept getting louder and louder! He couldn't stand it anymore! If he could just make it to the gorge, he could finally put an end to all his suffering and finally make that fox-demon go away!
Naruto blindly wove his way through the maze of shadow-draped trees, desperate to reach his final destination. His breath began to come in shorter and shorter gasps. His heart hammered madly against the inside of his chest. It was getting harder to keep his feet under him as he tried to outrun the demonic howls ringing in his ears. His sides began to cramp. His legs began to sting. His body screamed in pain.
But he forced himself to keep going. He couldn't give up now. He had to make it to that gorge. He had to put an end this once and for all…
Suddenly, the trees parted to reveal a small clearing. Naruto stumbled into it, barely even aware of where he was going - only that it was towards his final hope of escape. The moon hung high in the sky overhead, bathing the clearing in silvery-blue light. Naruto - still trying to block out the sounds of Kyuubi's wrath - could barely see anymore. All he could see were images of death and destruction and hear the fox-demon's thundering howls of rage.
So it was only when Naruto felt his foot suddenly catch on a root laying half hidden in the grass and was sent crashing face first onto the ground, that the boy was broken out of his horrified trance.
Gathering his waning strength, Naruto frantically tried to push himself back off the ground to continue his fateful journey. But his body seemed unwilling to respond to his calls anymore. His arms shook as he uselessly strained to stand. But it was no good. He was just too weak. He had no more strength. His body was at the end of its limits. He was so weak he could barely even lift his chest up off the ground.
"No!" Naruto wailed, finally giving up and collapsing back down onto the grass. Tears leaked down his cheeks and into the dirt. "No, no, no, no, no!"
Laying there - too defeated and weak to even raise his head - Naruto let his frustration overtake him in the form of ragged sobs. Now what was he suppose to do? How was he suppose to make the pain stop or make Kyuubi's voice go away now? Why couldn't anything just work out the way it was suppose to for him? What'd he ever do to deserve this? Why was it always him that had to suffer?
Naruto didn't know how long he lay there, letting his pitiful sobs echo into the night. But as the moon climbed ever higher into the sky on its heavenly track, a sudden rustle off to the side startled Naruto back to the presence. Turning his head towards the sound, he saw two figures slowly materialize out of the surrounding shadows of the forest and step into the clearing. Each wore long black cloaks with red embossed clouds. Without even looking at their faces Naruto knew their identities. But strangely, he felt no pulse of fear course through him at Itachi and Kisame's appearance.
"You guys came back a lot quicker than I thought you would…" he murmured, weakly pushing himself off the ground enough to kneel and face the two Akatsuki. "I thought you would have learned by now to stay away from me…"
"You are too dangerous to be left alive, Naruto Uzumaki," Itachi said. His red eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. "The nine-tailed fox demon is too powerful for even us to control. You must be destroyed before it can break loose again."
Naruto nodded. He'd suspected as much. After killing several of their members, he'd had no doubt Akatsuki would try to come after him at least one more time. And this time to finish him off once and for all.
Itachi took a step closer. The long, grating hiss of sharpened steel being drawn sounded, followed by a flash of moonlight reflected off the blade of the older Uchiha's sword.
Naruto didn't move as Itachi advanced on him, his sword drawn and gleaming in the moonlight.
"There will be no more games, Uzumaki," Itachi said, finally coming to a stop in front of him and leveling his sword at the kneeling boy's neck. "This ends here and now…"
Naruto didn't move or even cringe away. He just calmly knelt there and stared up into the older Uchiha's eyes. Then with a trembling sigh of relief, Naruto smiled in gratitude.
"Thank you…" he whispered, and willingly bared his neck to Itachi's blade.
Finally, he thought as he closed his eyes and waited for the final blow to fall. Finally now I can rest…
To Be Continued…
(sigh) Only Naruto would ever try to do something so sickeningly noble. He's such a selfless little hero. But I think that's one of the reasons why I like him so much…
Any thoughts?
Please review!
