Two-Sided Battle

Normal Monologue

Thoughts

Kyuubi

Kyuubi's Thoughts/Summoning

Jutsu

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

The shock and disbelief in the air was astounding; murmurs rippled through the Kamakura forces like a wave. Their hero was dead, gone forever. Their chances fell from questionable to slim in an instant, the hope replaced by fear, the courage with panic. Tigerstar smiled cruelly at their distress; it was like the icing on the cake. Kasai only bowed his head, shadows covering his face. Ishiko drowned out the whispers of concern behind him, the world fading until in was only the Muromachi boy. He wasn't like the others; the rest were basking in their certain defeat. Yet the only expression he seemed to hold was…regret, sorrow. Misery.

"We can't face Tigerstar without the prophecy! We'll be dead before we can even draw our weapons!", one of the Kamakura soldiers muttered to another, his eyes wide with dread.

"But to give up would be to let down Taisho and the other plethora of men that fought before us! We have to do this, foretold hero or not!", another whispered in return, confidence flooding his voice. Some of the men surrounding him cheered silently in agreement, while a few only hung their heads, still unsure. Ishiko inhaled deeply; there was no turning back now. They had to move on.

"We will not be swayed by your threats. The Kamakura will stand strong against you Tigerstar, prophecy or not.", Ishiko said hardly, though his eyes shone with uncertainty.

"Although we'd last longer if he were here.", Ryouichi muttered silently in addition, gaining a glare from the green-haired leader. Tigerstar's lifted an eyebrow in amusement.

"The mere idea of you believing you could actually win is laughable. You are outnumbered by hundreds, thousands even! And if you haven't forgotten, there is only one person in the entire line of history that could truly destroy me, of which is none of you.", the man chuckled evilly. For a spilt second, his eyes flickered towards Kasai, but the boy's head was hung, still studying the ground with great interest. He smirked.

Ishiko sighed; no matter how much he hated to admit it…Tigerstar was completely right. They were outnumbered to the point of surrender, and to make matters worse, their greatest enemy and threat was immortal, only able to be killed by one attack. One of which was out of their reach. One that only Naruto knew.

Had known. Ishiko thought glumly. He glanced around him at his comrades, their eyes reflecting his. Sadness. Dread. Anxiety. Concern.

…

Agreement.

Sucking in a breath, Ishiko took a step forward, gaining the attention of every man and woman in the clearing, including Kasai's. He slowly raised a hand, his eyes closed. Tigerstar grinned; sweet victory. He opened his mouth to gloat their surrender when Ishiko shouted the words he never thought to hear.

"For all that have died so valiantly in this bloody battle, Kamakura…attack!"

I felt a smile spread across my face; it had been the first one in days. Tigerstar's smug grin had been swiped off his face and thrown into a flaming blaze. My smirk only grew bigger. Take that you bastard.

The clashing of swords mixed with the rough sound of war cries in the air. Dust was kicked up as feet trampled to and fro, creating a smoky shield around the warriors. Blues, blacks and reds collided; from an aerial view, it probably looked like the field had taken a beating itself.

The battle was already in full motion, blood spattered over the grass, detached limbs scattered here and there. Swords gleamed with the crimson stains and stray arrows stuck half-way out of the ground, or half-way out of some man's form.

Ryouichi and Daisuke were handling themselves phenomenally; well, as well as two rookie nine-year-old warriors could. Their swords, named Hogasha and Bengonin, glinted brightly when the lightning struck, the tips already covered in a small layer of blood. Though they hated slashing their way through familiar faces, they also knew that their alliance didn't remain with them.

Ryouichi POV—

This was wrong on so many levels, cutting through people I've known since I was born. When they realize it's me, the shock and misunderstanding is so…frustrating. As if it wasn't hard enough without the looks of fear and confusion.

Focus Ryouichi, keep your mind on the reason, and keep your thoughts on your friends. The Muromachi only see people either as tools or as menaces; the Kamakura took us in, treated us their own.

All the Muromachi have brought was suffering and pain, sorrow and hate. If only Dad believed in peace…maybe this could have gone another way.

Daisuke POV—

I smiled slightly as I saw my brother fighting valiantly a few feet away, but I could easily see the emotional pain he was going through. I understood completely; I mean these were people that we had called family only months ago. But then again, our eyes had been closed until…well, let's not think about that.

They had never really cared. We were just pawns in their eyes. In Dad's eyes. But with the Kamakura, we had found a home, with people who cared for us truly for who we were, not for the potential that we had. They had trusted us in the very beginning.

At least…Naruto had.

Just the thought of that brunette taking my sensei's life made my blood boil. What the hell had Naruto ever done to him? Naruto never deserved death at such a young age! How could he have fallen for a weakling like him? Why?!

I never realized until now that I cared for Naruto so much. It was only now that I knew…I needed him. He was like the father I never had, the father I had always wanted.

And now it was too late.

Sasuke POV—

I angrily whipped my sword, Doragon, in a tight circle, taking off the head of the approaching ambusher. With a simple flick of the wrist, I stabbed right through another Muromachi's chest, killing him instantly. Thrusting his body off, I searched for my next victim, my blood red eyes scanning the battle field skillfully.

Hey, it's not my fault that I'm lusting for every black coat's blood. I mean, would you be calm and collected if you just heard that some rookie Muromachi had killed your best friend? I think not. I slashed at another warrior; idiot ran right into my range without a strategy. Suddenly, Naruto's sarcastic voice floated into my head.

"Have you ever thought of leaving them unconscious? Maybe you wouldn't be so dark and evil all the time."

Sighing, I sheathed by sword, moving to only taijutsu. Fluidly, I took out a circle of men, blocking each of their pressure points with a bit of chakra. They fell to the ground, out cold and paralyzed. Now they were out of the way and couldn't be a pain in the ass later. As I turned, my satisfied smirk fell, for once sadness creeping into my expression.

I missed him already.

Sakura POV—

It was strange sometimes. Naruto loved to pick fights, and absolutely enjoyed his job as a shinobi, and yet he hated bloodshed. I mean, when it was completely necessary, he did it without a word, silently finishing the job. But when there was a questionable fate for the victim, he always fought with Kakashi or Tsunade, or whoever that there were better ways of dealing with people.

Now, there was the off chance that Naruto went all Kyuubi-berserk, and then he was a killing machine. And then there was the point of revenge and just the fact that they pissed him off to a point where things just got out of hand…

Ok, so maybe Naruto wasn't exactly great on the mercy when he was mad, or in Kyuubi mode, but other then that, he was pretty good at the whole 'no killing unless it's the last option' kind of thing.

Still, he would hate this. There was a perfect reason for it too, but he would hate it all the same. Every now and again he'd whine about how we should just send them off to the moon or something else totally ridiculous, but hey. At least the kid's got heart.

Or should I say he did.

A pang of sorrow washed through me and I almost collapsed right there in the middle of a brawl with some Muromachi. I felt like crawling in a corner and crying for a long time, mourning the loss of one of my best friends. I could grasp the idea that Naruto had actually lost, that his seemingly endless strength, and courage, and will to fight had run out at some point.

But I guess that's the key word there. Seemingly. Everyone has a limit I guess. Even Naruto. I felt the tears well up again, threatening to spill over and torrent down my face. But I furiously kept them down. I didn't have time to cry.

Naruto would want me to keep going.

Kakashi POV—

I could see that Sasuke was on a killing rampage, slicing and dicing every man in his sight. I sighed. Note to self: Don't get on Sasuke's bad side.

Sakura seemed to be holding up ok except for occasionally tearing up. I could see why they would both be upset; I mean, their long-time comrade was killed only recently. The three and been extremely close, forming a small family of their own. And now one of them was gone.

I had never said this to them because they would probably hold it over me forever. But I always thought of them as my family too, as my precious people. My father had died when I was young and I never really knew my mother. I never had children of my own, so I saw Naruto as a son for all these years. Sasuke…well, he's starting to grow on me; if only he could shake that emo-like attitude. Sakura was so much like a daughter that when I looked at her, I couldn't help but smile. They've all grown so much in the past few years.

But now, my son was gone.

Killed off by one of these Muromachi creeps. I was filled with a rage that even me, who used to be one of Konaha's greatest ANBU leader, and the current Copy Cat ninja, could not fully understand. I wanted to walk up to that brunette boy and do exactly what he did to my pupil, only about a thousand times worse.

Hiraku stumbled out of the sea of warriors, his katana dragging slightly on the ground. He glanced around, his eyes questioning; why was there a break in the battle here? But soon, he saw his answer.

Tigerstar stood in the center of the field, his arms crossed tightly over his chest, smirking faintly. Instantly, Hiraku was filled with hatred and fury, fire rising up in his body until he thought he wouldn't be able to contain it.

"Tigerstar.", he seethed, walking up to him until they were only a few feet apart.

"Hello Hiraku." he said pleasantly, as if this was all just a casual conversation. Hiraku's eyes narrowed.

"Cut the crap Tigerstar. Start talking.", the brunette spat in return. The Muromachi leader chuckled. "You promised you wouldn't hurt him."

"Yeah, and I also promised the return of your dad.", he added. Hiraku froze cold, confusion contorting his features.

"W-wha?", he asked, shocked. "I…You said he was alive!", Hiraku stuttered. Tigerstar smirked.

"Well here's some advice for you…the bad guy always lies.", he replied. He clipped his sword out of its sheath.

I saw Tigerstar pull his sword from its sheath and I couldn't help wondering who his poor victim was. I glanced to the right and was shocked at who I saw standing there. Hiraku was frozen in his spot, his expression much like a deer-in-headlights. Tigerstar skillfully whipped his sword into a maneuverable position and charged heading straight for Hiraku. My eyes widened; move you idiot! But Hiraku wouldn't budge, as if some unknown force was keeping him glued to the spot. It was at that moment that I knew the truth…Tigerstar was going to kill him, for real.

And with that realization, I knew I wouldn't be able to stand this any longer. It was heart-retching, impossible…and everything that went against my philosophy. I was going to break.

Tigerstar neared, his sword tip drawn out, aimed perfectly…at Hiraku's heart.

"GOODBYE, KAMAKURA!!", he shouted, gaining the attention of the rest of the Kamakura elite forces. Hiraku's eyes closed tight, waiting for the hit that would kill him instantly.

A few seconds later, he heard a sickening slicing sound, the sound of metal being thrust through flesh at a flying rate. Blood splattered, covering Hiraku's face. But he felt no pain. Was he already dead?

He dared to crack open an eye, but what he saw made him gasp. Standing protectively in front of him was the rookie warrior, Kasai. The sword was embedded through his upper chest, the blade coming out the back, the tip barely stopping before it hit Hiraku's chest. He was clutching the length of the blade that showed, which was almost at its hilts. Crimson dripped from both sides of the gouge, raining onto the ground, painting it red within a matter of seconds. By now, the battle around them had stopped, both Muromachi and Kamakura frozen in shock and confusion. Why would a Muromachi give his life for a Kamakura?

Kasai grunted in pain, his knees shaking under his weight. And when he did, an astonishing sight occurred. His image shock and dispersed, falling away like broken shards of glass combined with a soft glow of light. Once the dust of power cleared, the sight made everyone gasp and Sakura scream in horror.

"NARUTO!!"

Ok, I am sooo excited about this cliffy. I don't think it's the greatest, and I could have done better, but this chapter is sooo incredibly late right now, I don't want to delay it anymore then it already is. So imagine the scene in your mind. Your friend and ally just was "killed" and then this new guy comes and…well, you read it, you get the picture. It was amazing and totally awesome in my mind, I'm just not that good with putting it down on paper. Or describing it. Wow, this is a long author's note. Anyway, sorry it's late, due to problems with imagination and crap. Yeah, promise the next update for next Friday. I swear my Twilight tickets on it, and you don't understand, I am obsessed with Twilight. So yeah, see you next week.

Kyubbi-Kitsune

Next Chapter: Fallen

"His heart rate is falling; I…I don't know what to do!!"

Doragon –The Japanese word for 'Dragon'

Hogasha - The Japanese word for 'Protector'

Bengonin – The Japanese word for 'Defender'