Hey everybody! I hope you all liked the last couple chapters. The end is closing in, so without further ado, here's Chapter 14 of Blade of the Fox.

Previously…

She froze when she heard the beloved voice, and began weeping when she saw him remove the hood, showing his caring blue eyes, the scar on his lip; he had aged a disproportionate amount of time than had passed, but she knew it was him. He gently embraced her, covering her shame with his warmth. A yellow flash, and she was finally free.

A week passed by in quiet peace, uninterrupted by any Templar attacks. Led by Shikamaru, everyone with applicable skills began rebuilding the Hokage Tower, adding new technology and dozens of secret passageways and escape routes. Another week passed by, then another, until three months had passed. Kurenai gave birth to a healthy baby boy she named Hiroshi, Kakashi proposed to Anko, and Sakura slowly began to heal from her trauma.

Naruto sat on his father's carved head as the third month rolled by, leading into December, contemplating Sakura. Since he had rescued her, she had seemed to go out of her way to never be around when he was, so he found it impossible to talk to her. For the first few days, it hadn't really bothered him; he figured that she just needed some space. Besides, Tsunade and Shizune had insisted on "thanking him" for their respective rescues yet again, and he didn't really want Sakura walking in and seeing her Master's and fellow student's bouncing breasts. The way he reasoned, they had yet to actually enter a relationship, and after more than three years of rejections from her, he figured he was entitled to some orgasms before he committed to her.

Recently, however, he began to worry. Beside her continued absence, Sasuke had yet to appear and try to enact his revenge, and Naruto knew that whenever the Templars were hidden, they were biding their time, waiting for the chance to deliver the killing blow. His spies had been unable to find any sign of the Templars whatsoever; Sasuke had just disappeared, as if he had never existed.

Snow began falling down, and Naruto sighed, scratching his beard. Still don't know why that's blond, he thought, rising to his feet. Oh well, not that important I suppose. Naruto pulled his Grand Master Robes tighter around his body, shivering as the cold weather started to seep through the usually-warm clothing. Within minutes he was inside the Assassin base, striding casually through the warm halls.

"Kiba, Sonia, if you have sex on the table you two will be going through drill for five months," Naruto said as he strode past the two, grinning as they split apart from their lip-lock. Continuing through the hallways, he finally made it to his room, where he was surprised to see Sakura waiting for him. "It's… it's good to see you," he said awkwardly, feeling his charm fly out the window. "I… uh, I trust you've found your accommodations reasonable?" Dear god, I might as well be asking her about the weather.

"I'm afraid not," Sakura said, sashaying toward him. "I was hoping that I might be able to get a warm, handsome blond to add to my bed." Naruto's features split into the goofy grin she used to know, the grin that had not been seen for more than a year.

"Well, I'm sure something could be arranged…"

Naruto awoke the next morning in a groggy haze, feeling several of his scars twinge in phantom pain. Turning onto his side, he smiled when he saw Sakura's nude form huddled against him. A peaceful expression was all he could make out through the cascade of pink hair, and he gently brushed aside her bangs, kissing her forehead. A knock sounded on his door, and he sighed, climbing out of the bed and dressing in his full equipment. Another knock sounded, more frantic this time, and he shouted out. "Hold your horses, I'm getting dressed!" Finishing his ensemble by strapping on his Hidden Blades, he opened the door, seeing a red-and-gray dressed recruit. "Karin?" he asked, closing the door behind him as he stepped into the hall. "What's going on?"

"It's Sasuke. We found him."

The base was a flurry of activity as the various Assassins armed themselves and talked strategy. Naruto sat in his high-backed chair in the front of the Great Hall, watching his men and women. So many since I started this mission, he thought, counting the people. Eighty serve me now, where once I was the sole Assassin in the Elemental Nations. This battle will be hard for those who have fought with chakra alone for so long; Sasuke still has one Apple. A long, paper-wrapped parcel sat across his knees, and Naruto slowly lifted it as he stood. The assemblage quieted instantly, all eyes turning to him, and Naruto took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Step forward, Sai, and stand before me." The crowd parted as Sai began striding forward, his expression inscrutable as ever. "For a single mistake, you lost your arm," Naruto said when Sai reached him. Hefting the box, he tore it open, and a gasp came from every Assassin, Sai included as they beheld what Naruto himself had created.

"I hold in my hand a prosthetic, and Augmentation. (AN: Think Adam Jensen's arm from Deus Ex: Human Revolution) With this device, you will be stronger than ever." Sai's mouth fell open into a small O, unable to keep his mask up for the splittest of seconds. "We leave in three hours. In the meantime, take this to Shikamaru. The Apple will help him integrate it into your body." Sai bowed, taking the device in his remaining hand before hurrying off.

"Assassins! Prepare for battle! Insieme per la vittoria!"

Naruto stood hidden in the branches of a tall pine, the needles stabbing into his exposed skin. The latticework was sufficient to keep him hidden, but open enough for him to see Sasuke's camp in the darkness. He counted out ten fires, with at least as many sitting around each. A large tent in the center of the area marked Sasuke's residence, gaudy in its splendor. He's not in a clearing, Naruto thought brushing some needles away from his face. He has the tents situated in the forest itself. He might be hoping that the trees will hinder our movement somewhat, but that also hinders any possible escape. His own tent is backed against a large tree, making it hard for someone to attack from behind… but not from above. Putting his hand to his ear, he utilized the old shinobi radios he had had the Assassins install into their cowls.

"This is Master Naruto," he whispered. "Report in." The various four-man teams reported in, each leader under his various call sign. "Listen up; Sasuke's hoping that the trees will slow our approach. We will use them to our advantage; take to the trees, and take out your enemies from the sky."

"Where shall my thieves attack?" Neji's voice sounded over the radio, and Naruto nearly fell from his perch in surprise. He had been unable to find Neji since their less-than-friendly meeting months ago, but he was not about to let another ally slip away.

"Slip through the trees and try to take out the sentries quietly. Once that is complete, I'll give the command to attack." The wind picked up, a light gust in the night, and Naruto said, "Assassins, take your positions in the trees now, while the wind covers us! Attack on my mark only!" He launched as silently as he could through the mess of trees, the wind masking the few sounds he made. A rustling here, a fall of needles or leaves or branches; these were the only signs of the other Assassins moving through the trees, and they were so easily passed off as the wind's handiwork. Naruto took up position in the giant pine above Sasuke's tent, and moved forward on a branch until he found a clear path that would have him land directly where Sasuke would be sleeping.

The minutes creeped by, and one by one the various people around the fires either moved to other fires, continued eating or drinking, or retired to their tents. Finally after thirty minutes, Neji's voice sounded over the radio. "All the sentries are taken care of. On your signal." Naruto breathed deeply, closing his eyes and flexing his fingers, feeling the blade slide from its casing. A second passed by, then another, and another until a minute had passed. "Naruto, are you there?" One more final breath and he opened his eyes, stepping off the branch and feeling gravity take its hold on him.

"Attack!"

The fabric of the tent tore underneath his feet as he fell, and as the hole opened beneath him, his blade descended, stabbing into an empty mattress as he landed. In an instant he was on guard, turning as the steely rasp of a half-dozen blades being drawn from sheathes sounded behind him. Six men stood dressed in full armor, bearing wicked-looking blades in one hand, pistols in their other. "Sasuke knew you would be here," one said, his face marred by a ropy scar running from his temple to his chin. "He slept in a regular tent, and left this here, knowing that you would take the bait." They leveled their pistols at him, the hammers being drawn back with audible clicks. "Goodbye, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto's arm shot forward, hurling the explosive pellets Shikamaru had made for him at his attacked, aiming for the hard edges of their armor. Four men stumbled back as the explosives went off, shattering their armor and turning it into shrapnel. Each man was killed as the majority of it entered their bodies, and one other assailant was hit by the shards, crumpling as he clutched his bloodied eyes. Only the man who had threatened Naruto stood, and he fired as Naruto launched forward at enough of an angle so as to allow the ball to graze his cheek, rather than kill him. They met in a clash of steel on steel, and Naruto rolled over the man's back, falling through the tent flap into a mess of chaos.

Assassins, thieves, and Templars were battling each other in a mess of blades, knives, maces, axes, and various other weapons. Dozens of Templars had fallen in the surprise attack, but they had rallied at such a swift rate that it was astounding. The thieves were the most ill-equipped, unsuited for open combat, and as a result half of them were already lying on the ground, dead or dying. Neji was the only one able to really hold his own, and he was weaving between a half dozen opponents, fighting with a set of steel claws that allowed him to utilize his Gentle Fist style in a different way. Kiba fought nearby Neji with an identical weapon on his left hand, a Turkish kijil in his right hand. Kiba screamed out in shock as a long sword erupted between Sonia's breasts, blood spraying as far as ten feet away. The Templar withdrew the blade, watching her slump to the ground before Akamaru pounced, tearing out his throat with razor-sharp fangs.

Naruto's eyes finally fell on Sasuke, seated on a roan charger, a stolen scimitar in hand as he slashed at the men around him. Rising to his feet, Naruto charged forward, tearing a spear from a falling Templar without breaking stride. A man appeared in front of him, and Naruto plowed him down, running the spear through his chest before tearing it from his corpse as he kept moving. Don't stop, don't stop! he thought, ignoring those around him, even as Neji fell to the ground, howling in pain as he scrabbled at his ruined right eye. Sasuke's eyes locked on Naruto just as the Assassin leapt at him from the back of a cart, and Sasuke leaned back, dodging the spear and grabbing Naruto, hurling him clear over his charger. Naruto rolled as he hit the ground, and cursed as Sasuke spurred his horse onward. Whistling for Kaze, Naruto quickly fought his way to Kiba, tearing the man away from Sonia's corpse.

"Listen to me!" he roared over the sounds of battle. "She's dead, Kiba, she's dead!" A dead look in Kiba's eyes chilled Naruto to the bone, but he did not relinquish his grip on the man's collar. "Nothing you do will change that! This has to be ended now, or more will join her! I want you and Kakashi to order a retreat and lure them to the river we passed a half-mile back. I have to chase Sasuke and finish this!" Kiba nodded, and charged away just as Kaze leapt into the clearing, charging through clusters of men. The horse did not slow down as it approached, so Naruto caught Kaze around the neck as he blew by, spinning around and sitting himself in the saddle.

Sasuke had a great head start, but with his Eagle Vision Naruto easily picked up his trail. Spurring Kaze into a deadly gallop at break-neck pace, the pair nearly flew through the trees. Naruto hissed as a branch seemed to whip out of nowhere, slicing open a large cut on his forehead, which Kurama's chakra managed to heal a second later. Kaze screamed in pain as branches tore at his mane, but he kept moving, never slowing, never faltering.

Finally, after over an hour off riding, the forest ended suddenly, opening out onto a huge plain. In the light of the rising sun, Naruto could see Sasuke riding furiously just a hundred yards ahead, and he spurred Kaze on faster as Sasuke turned in the saddle and saw them. Sasuke tried to spur his roan to charge faster, but the horse gradually began to slow down, unable to maintain its pace.

Two statues came into view as they continued, and Naruto felt an ominous sensation in his gut. The Valley of the End…

They stood across each other on the rope bridge, the surrounding area pounding with the roar of the waterfall below. Both horses had been abandoned; Sasuke to try and flee across the bridge, and Naruto to chase him. Sasuke glared at Naruto as the young man gazed amusedly over the edge of the void. "It's fitting," he yelled over the roar of the falls, "that is should end where it all began." He turned back to Sasuke, and drew his father's blade, feeling the balance and strength of the blade. "No jutsu," he said, holding up the Apple and sending a shockwave throughout the area. "No Kekkai Genkai. Just steel." He stopped at the center of the bridge, holding the katana casually by his side. "Let us see what you are made of, bastardo."

Sasuke's lip turned up in a snarl, before slashing his arm across his body and drawing his old chokut ō with a fast move. He quickly advanced, and Naruto pulled the cowl over his head, preparing for the clash. Sasuke advanced faster, and a moment later they collided in a flurry of steel. Naruto made sure to guard with the flat, keeping the edge sharp, ready to slide through the Templar's flesh. He slid Sasuke's blade to the side, steel sliding on steel until Sasuke overextended himself by an inch or so, allowing Naruto to make a small cut across the young man's bicep. "For Tsunade," he said as Sasuke hissed in pain, tearing off the tattered remain of the sleeve.

"So you're the Avenger now?" Sasuke laughed, the demented sound echoing over the falls. "You, who condemned me for lusting after vengeance, for my hunger for my brother's blood?" Naruto remained silent and still, his face expressionless under the shadows of the hood. "God, that's what I hate about you Assassin!" Sasuke declared, hefting his blade. "You are such hypocrites!" He charged, and Naruto leaned back, feeling the rope handrail against the small of his back. At just the right moment, he leaned back, flipping over the rope until he was hanging over the abyss, sword in one hand and rope in the other. Sheathing his blade and tightening his grip, he brought his feet so they were resting on the boards as Sasuke blew by, missing his mark. Naruto exhaled, before releasing both hands, drawing his throwing knives and hurling one at each support of the rope bridge as he fell back. As he saw the lines snap and the bridge began to fall, he twisted himself, diving gracefully into the frothing water below.

He quickly rose to the surface, taking care to avoid the falling debris, before swimming to the shore and climbing over the rocks, wringing water from his cloak. An explosive gasp sounded behind him, before he heard the sound of armor being dragged over rock. "I wondered when you'd crawl out," Naruto said, turning to look at Sasuke. "You look like a drowned dog." The Templar glared at him as he slowly rose to his feet. "That was for Anko."

Sasuke charged again, and Naruto pivoted around his blade, giving Sasuke a shallow cut on the hip as he passed by. "For Ino," he murmured, slicing at the straps holding the breastplate. Sasuke tried to dodge, but wound up tripping on the wet rocks underneath, falling into the attack and opening a deep wound against his shoulder. Warm blood gushed out, spraying Naruto's robes, and he stepped back, watching Sasuke frantically attempt to stop the blood.

"No…" Sasuke murmured, watching his clothes stain red with his life. "This is impossible… no man can kill me!"

"And yet you kneel, dying before a man," Naruto said, sheathing his sword and activating his Hidden Blade. "You own anger has led you here."

"And it will assure me a place in history!" Sasuke exclaimed through his teeth, holding to the last bits of life.

"No. Itachi Uchiha deserves a place. May no one remember your name." And with that, he sunk his blade into Sasuke's throat, finally ending the Templar Menace. "For Sakura," he murmured; his weariness caught up to him, and the world faded to white.

Naruto sat deep in thought hours later as Kaze faithfully trotted home, galloping when the terrain permitted. For the umpteenth time, he activated his Hidden Blade, gazing at the blood still flecked along the steel. With Sasuke dead, the Templars are all but gone, he thought, gripping the reins tighter as Kaze jumped over a narrow ravine, landing safely on the other side. Is Konoha finally safe? he wondered as the gate came into view. Or have I merely delayed the inevitable? He heard the sentries' shouts, indistinguishable from this distance, before he heard the creak of the opening gates. As he rose through, he saw a group waiting, beaming faces turned up in welcome.

Tsunade wrapped him in a bone-breaking hug, laughing as he gasped for breath before releasing him. Then there was Sai, who gave him a vigorous handshake with his new prosthetic arm, the metal cold yet lifelike. Neji gave him his usual blank look, made more intimidating by the eye patch covering his now empty right eye socket, a pregnant Hinata standing next to him for support. Tenten, one of the few to escape injury, gave him a polite hug, laughing when he hugged her back. He saw Kiba hanging off to the side, mourning Sonia's death. Shikamaru sat on a nearby rooftop, wearing a work apron and rolled-up sleeves, having finally found his calling as an inventor. Anko was hanging onto Kakashi's arm, nuzzling her fiancée while his arm rested around her waist. Kurenai gave him a warm smile, cradling her newborn son. There were dozens more, but his gaze reached one woman, and he found himself unable to look away. He strode forward and kneeled, reaching into his pouches. A moment later, he pulled out a white feather, dyed red with Sasuke's blood.

"It's finally over, cara," he said, handing Sakura the feather. "He died on his knees like a coward." Sakura swallowed hard, turning the feather over in her hand. A solitary tear escaped her emerald eyes, and he rose, brushing the drop from her cheek. She wrapped her arms around him, allowing the tears to flow once more.

There would be time for love later, he decided as he held her. Once she was ready, they would repair their broken lives. After all, the Templar threat, at least for the moment, was finally over.

Well, there it is guys. I'll do one more chapter to sort of wrap things up, but it's just about done. Review, and tell me how I did.

-Zeratide, out.