Chapter 14. Just another chapter with a twist.
He tightens his grip on the wires, making Sasuke grunt slightly at the added pressure. There was no way out. Sasuke can barely move his muscles.
"You didn't answer me," Kakashi states slowly, menacingly, "Where is Naruto?"
"Why would you want to find him?" Sasuke asks, "He chose to come here. I just honored that request."
"What do you mean he wanted to, Sasuke?" Sakura asks.
"I didn't have to force him at all. He came completely willingly," Sasuke starts, "He said something about the leaf village being dead and having no other options."
"Naruto doesn't give up like that and you know it, Sasuke!" Sakura yells.
"I thought I knew it, but apparently we're both wrong. I've been with Naruto for weeks now and he never once complained or fought back. In fact, he said he wouldn't."
Flashback
"Go ahead, Sasuke," he chokes.
Sasuke's eyes widen and for just a moment he shows concern. He hoped for a much better fight than this. In fact he hoped that Naruto would fight back at all. "I won't fight back." Naruto continues answering the question that he knew Sasuke was thinking.
Flashback End
"I'll be honest, it surprise me too. But I wasn't going to give up something that would benefit me." Sasuke continues.
"How would this benefit you?" Kakashi asks.
"Helping the Akatsuki gain the tailed beast increases my power."
"What an awful way to treat a friend, Sasuke," Kakashi says, sadly.
"I broke those bonds a long time ago." Sasuke hisses.
"Didn't seem that way." Kakashi responds, eyes narrowing.
So they were the ones following them so they saw everything. Sasuke knew that chakra felt familiar. How annoying.
"Why are you so obsessed? With me? With Naruto? He chose this, let him go through with it!"
"Because he'll die if he does!" Sakura screams, tears finally flowing over her pale face causing her green eyes to glitter.
Sasuke went numb, shock painting his features from her outburst. "What do you mean die?"
"You mean you don't know!" Sakura choked, this time her voice squeaking from her tears.
Sasuke stands stoic, his eyes glaring into hers. These were the answers he was wanting, the answer to all his questions from before. He never considered the other jinchuriki dying because from what he knows the tailed beast are released when they pass away, but he's seen no sign of devastating destruction from them.
"Sasuke, were you aware of the Akatsuki's true intentions?" Kakashi asks, breaking the silence.
"What do you mean?" Sasuke responds, painfully twisting his head over to look at Kakashi, the wires digging into his skin further.
"So Naruto didn't tell you, did he?" Kakashi probes.
"What didn't he tell me?" Sasuke questions, getting more anxious and angry by the second, but keeping his voice calm anyways. He wanted answers so bad, but letting the others gain an advantage wasn't in the game plan.
"Sasuke," Kakashi begins, "the Akatsuki are after the tailed beast, you know that much. However, have you ever wondered what happens to the jinchuriki?"
Sasuke stares at the ground and eventually sighs in acknowledgment, "All the time."
"Well the Akatsuki are only interested in the tailed beast, not jinchuriki. So they remove the tailed beast from the container."
"Hn." Sasuke nods, understanding.
"When a tailed beast is removed," Kakashi slows, his voice growing deeper and more serious, "the jinchuriki dies."
Sasuke says nothing. He shows no emotion. He stands still, deathly still. From there he breathes deep, quiet breaths. His obsidian eyes face the ground as he takes in his current situation. He sentenced Naruto to death. Not only that, but he wasn't going to be the one to kill him.
He thinks back to when they were all part of team seven, when he believed Naruto was stronger than him. When Naruto fought him, as he was leaving to go to Orochimaru, even though Naruto was the unconscious one, Sasuke was the one who gave in.
He lost that day. He wasn't strong enough to defeat him then. But he always wanted a rematch. He knew one day he would get it once he found that Naruto was still looking for him.
However, now things changed. He sentenced Naruto to death by bringing him here. He'd never have his rematch. He'd never reclaim his place above Naruto.
He felt sick to his stomach, in fact it felt like there was a hole where his stomach should be, like it was non-existent.
"Did Naruto know about this?" Sasuke asks, quietly.
Kakashi stands up straight from his defensive pose. "Yes." He answers swiftly and matter-of-factly.
So Naruto knew. This is what he's been hiding. Sasuke imagines Naruto on the verge of tears in his holding cell, awaiting the light at the end of the tunnel. He was committing suicide.
This was not the Naruto he knew. This is not the one he wanted to have a rematch with, not at all.
"Sasuke," a voice said, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. He found it to be Sakura, "Where is Naruto, Sasuke?"
Sasuke thought long and hard before giving an answer. "With the Akatsuki."
"Where?" Kakashi emphasizes.
"I gave you my answer." Sasuke replies, looking as stoic as ever.
"Why are you letting him die, Sasuke?" Sakura says, "Don't you feel anything towards your friends anymore?"
"Shut up." Sasuke growls, glaring daggers at Sakura. "That person, is not Naruto. Not anymore. Naruto would fight back and wouldn't be so willing to die. That person is not him. So what if he dies?"
Sakura growls. She builds up the chakra in her hands and then slams her fist into Sasuke's right cheek. He flies backwards, the wires unable to hold him against the momentum of her punch so they all break with many large snaps. He falls on his side to the ground.
"You're a terrible person, Sasuke!" Sakura yells in frustration and anger, "To think we've been looking for you all the time."
Sasuke gets to his feet, dropping down in a fighting stance. "I told you not to."
He attacks. But before he could reach Sakura, Kakashi steps in and grabs Sasuke's arm throwing him over his shoulder with added momentum. Sasuke, being the skilled ninja he is, lands on his feet and then attacks again. This time using all of his strength to cast a Chidori, He aims for Kakashi but ends up hitting the ground instead, blowing a massive hole into the earth.
Now they're on opposites sides. Kakashi and Sakura on one side, and Sasuke on the other. However, before Sasuke could blink an eye they were gone. They retreated. Probably to get reinforcements. He thinks.
He didn't let that slow him down though, he quickly runs around the marsh, never stepping into it until he was sure that no one was following him. Once he had that comfort, he dove in, making his way around the barriers and into the hideout.
He had to talk to Naruto before anything happens.
If Naruto stands his ground, showing the old Naruto is in there somewhere, then he will help him live. If not, then he will let him die.
That was Sasuke's decision.
So what do you think is going to happen? Also my chapters go up to a little over 1000 words, which is why you may think their short, but it was so that I could post this over a few months while also being able to write short excerpts as I go along while still being able to update on time. I'm still in school, after all.
Many of you, in your reviews have pointed out my writing style being full of twists and turns.
So if you had to guess, what do you think is going to happen?
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