Sakura and naruto were frantically searching each and every room in orochimaru's hideout to get even a glance of their derailed, lost friend,companion and their teammate.
Sakura almost three years ago had lost faith that Sasuke will ever return to home,Konoha but on the other hand due to continous yapping of some idiot minded person she had trained had under the almighty medic and hokage ,Tsunade and made he up prepared to a point in order to help the baka to keep up his promise of bringing their comrade home by knocking some sense in him together.
Naruto on the other hand was just waiting fo this single day of reuniting with his comrade and just drag him home no matter what,if he have to give up his life,he is ready fo it.
While searching all the rooms in the worn out basement his mind was racing miles per second. He haven't seen his best friend for nearly 3 years and anticipation of their meeting soon was making him feel more excited. He also wanted to see his rival's growth in power which both of them wee obsessed from their childhood.
Back in the Konoha,still no one had acknowledged him about being anywhere equal to his rival, just because uchihas are far more intelligent and fierce fighters , a gem for the village as compared to a nasty,loudmouth,good fo nothing,hothead,a failure and mischeivious and more for being hated a demon holder,uzumaki kid.
Childhood was sure rough for Naruto,but thanks to some of his friends,Iruka & Kakashi sensei and godaime Tsunade who have believed in him. By bringing Sasuke home he will prove everyone he is capable of atleast dragging an almighty stubborn uchiha home, more for village he was doing this for the sake of himself as he can never leave his good friends in darkness,because he knows how it feels and never wants anybody else to feel it.
While he was thinking all this and finding that bastard with Sakura in the hideout ,both of them stopped in their search after hearing a loud immediately ran at that direction with naruto following her. They both stopped momentarily after watching a broken wall with clearing outside. Naruto froze for a moment while Sakura still running at the clearing. She stopped in her trail to find captain Yamato had successfully restrained Kabuto and Sai already tackling a very pissed of Sasuke. She froze at the moment captivating a very handsome grown up Sasuke Uchiha.
She was brought back fom her trance moment when she realized Sasuke had knocked out Sai and was right there staring at her with a smirk plastered on his face. She was just so confused how to even greet her long lost comrade who has just now knocked out her friend. She was aleady gaping at the loss of words and under that intense stare that she didn't even ealized Sasuke was addressing her.
"I hope you didn't came here alone with this weakling",Sasuke said glved finges directing at knocked out Sai. Just when she was about to answer his disgusting tone she heard footsteps behind her without turning around she angrily replied, "The fact is I was never alone , if someone is alone right now is you Sasuke".
Turning around she saw Naruto looking at Sasuke with an awe. Taking a glimpse of each and every visible part of that pale body of his comrade, for Sakura it seems like Naruto was admiring Sasuke's perfect slightly muscled body. Bringing out Naruto from his thoughts Sakura began, "Naruto,here's our only chance ,don't try to waste it this time,Orochimaru is already out of his breath needing a body for his survival". She knowingly spat the last part as if just told for Sasuke to know what his future is holding here in this hideout.
Naruto knows better what to do as he has atlast arrived for rescueing his friend from snake sannin grasp. He was quiet relieved and happy when last time after not able to stop sasuke at the Valley of End,he heard the news that orochimaru had aleady performed body transfer and sasuke is safe and alive. As if god is now giving him a second chance, if he fails in this one he will never able to save his friend.
Breaking his train of thoughts Sasuke began,"Long time no see,Naruto and Sakura, I am quiet annoyed at dobe ,you only grown up physically but I guess mentally you are still stuck at believing that you can take me down so easily and even able to divert my mind by saying annoying things about bonds and friendship…..,I have long ago cleared that you cant understand me as you don't have a family from the starting, you can't understand my need for being an avenger".
Naruto got quiet irritated by people looking down at him constantly and hearing those words from Sasuke ,he realized that the bastard had still not changed a is still stuck with the avenger he was more determined that the bastard really needs to be knocked to have some sense in him.
"I see,so you're still stuck there from the past 3 years right sasuke, all about being an Avenger and destroying certain someone in your are right,if you are stuck in aventions,then I am stuck to drag you back home, hah! Looks like we are both still stubborn bastards, teme." In response,Sasuke was only irritated about dobe and replied, "tch".
That being said ,Sasuke pulling on his Kusanagi replied,"looks like this really needs to be settled now or never". Naruto was now far more pleased as now he can also test his achievement in his strength and his training with the Toad sannin. Naruto also settled in the fighting stance pulling out kunai from his pouch replied, "I am eagerly waiting for you, this time am not giving up in this fight till my death, hope so you will also not hold back anything".
With that said Sakura moved away from her teammates and aid knocked out Sai,she knows she needs to give naruto his room to fight and involving her will only create hindrance for Naruto to settle scores with sasuke. As she was aiding Sai with he medical ninjutsu, she heard the loud sound of kusanagi and kunai clanged together,the most deadly fight has started.
One shinobi was determined on his way to vengeance and avenge the massacre of his clan and the other shinobi determined to bring back his best friend on the path of light. Both having their own goals and ready to kill the other for being hindrance in his path of aventions and other is ready for not giving up to bring out his friend from the lone and heartbreaking part his friend has fight had now turned serious, none of the two was slowing a bit..instead just giving their all just to able to knock each other out as both are as stubborn as hell.
Sai who had now just healed,thanks to medic Sakura had also joined the other 3 as a spectator who were watching the blood curling fight before them.
In between fight Sasuke was now quiet irritated and finally decided to snap out on Naruto, "will you only play defense or are you ashamed to admit that you don't have your so called awesome jutsus up in you sleeve".Naruto slightly grumbled at the sickening comment and by dodging the next attack he admitted, " because I am not here to kill you, just remember this, I am not here to bring back your body in Konoha, I am here to bring back living Sasuke,either unconscious or badly hurt it doesn't matter."
The fight was starting to get a bit more gruesome with both shinobis now running low on chakra. Both being quiet amused with each others improvement in battling skills.
"You sure had gotten stubborn dobe since the last time, I'm just amazed you haven't still give up yourself to the nine tailed fox" That was a surpise for Naruto,'has the teme just acknowledged me or was just a another shit of insult'.
Just as planned Sasuke had managed to get the dobe offguard and managed the opportunity to overtake him by tackling Naruto underneath him. Naruto mentally cursed himself to fall in such a disgusting trick played by his of them wee panting hard as a result of loss of chakra. Sasuke settled to naruto's lap straddling him to ground and started pouncing his face quiet brutally,leaving every ounce of his hatred with each fist attacking his opponents face. Naruto was just taking in all of the beatings and trying to gather rest of his chakra for his next move.
With each pounding sasuke was letting away all his emotional pain, his hatred for his brother,his irritability as people cant understand him and leave him was in so dire need to be in peace and more importantly his only friend is being a pain in ass as don't want his only friend to be tackling with his brother and as for a cherry on the top being killed by the akatsuki.
"why cant you leave me alone Naruto" ,spam
"why cant you just mind your own business",spam
"why do you have to be so stupidly stubborn",spam
"why cant you understand I don't want you to get involved with any of my plannings and goals",spam
"I want to be the only one who will kill you,can't you understand",spam.
The last line was enough to rage naruto, till now he have gathered enough chakra..'payback time teme'. He quickly tackled sasuke under him now, much to displeasure of the uchiha,now it was time for naruto to pound on the teme.
"Then why can't you understand I will always stick to your side and watch your back",spam
"why can't you understand that friends are always there for you",spam
"why do you have to always believe that you are alone, can't you see my worries for you",spam
"can't you have a little faith on you village and comades",spam
"why don't your thick skull just register the fact that orochimaru and kabuto jerk are using you for their own benefits",spam.
With that said naruto panted a little as this beatings had got a little harsh on both of them, waiting fo sasuke to reply.
"I am here for power",Sasuke admitted quietly,tired fom all the beatings.….Naruto snapped at the reply.
Looks like this was the final straw for naruto,and he loosed himself to kyubbi's chakra. Quickly transformed to the 2 tail stage, naruto replied totally unaware of his overtaking by fox's chakra.
"power,my foot sasuke…you're such naïve to even think about gaining power from a sickening bastad sannin, who killed thid hokage in front of everyone,you are also aware of it you know how much I was worried about you,every day I feared about losing you to that snake to that day we were able to gain enough time to delay orochimaru's body your friends were not there you were not even fighting me and talk stupid about all the power needed fo you avenger are just a shit thinking you are getting orochimaru's power but in reality that bastard is trying to overtake you power and will not serve you for taking down Itachi for you,dammit."
At this point Naruto was fighting 2 battles at one time…one with sasuke and other with chakra running so low he cannot even control kyubbi and saske being pain in ass was adding to his was now just fighting kyubbi fo being conscious. Captain yamato was seeing all this feeling quiet helpless with the position he was in….if he tried to control naruto at this point he will loose the game from both sides. Being helpless he just let naruto be how he is doing right now..he knows with kyubbi taking control the fight will be over very soon.
With last bit of consciousness left naruto handled to say"No matter what sasuke I am always with you till my last breath,Konoha had made your brother the capable shinobi he is..only konoha can make you equal to him….."naruto was now on verge of his losing consciousness and manage to let out the last sentence panting hard & tired with fighting…:"please..I am…always there ….for you…be by my side….to protect me too." And as he rasped out the final word naruto's eyes closed mind sinking into unconsciousness as kyubbi's 4 tail had took formation and naruto's body was wrapped in red chakra,with skin now burned and fox has formed in place of naruto.
Sasuke was watching all this with bewildered eyes…now he have to deal with the kyubbi no kitsune..just great..
With that kyubbi immediately formed tailed beast bomb and attacked the quickly dodged it and activated his sharingan with the last ounce of his energy.
' …be by my side….to protect me too' words were constantly running in his ear. His tomoe's in sharingan were whiling quiet fiercely and summoned chidori though his kusanagi, on the other hand kyubbi had already started to form another beast bomb and threw it in direction of sasuke but the beast was quiet late as for now sasuke was now just facing kyubbi with merely a hand distance. The beast bomb and chidori just brushed apart, holding kyubbi by shoulder sasuke got the control of kyubbi via the sharingan and reached the inner consciousness, place where the kyubbi resides in his host's body and attacked the fox spirit with chidori there. A blood curling scream can be heard from outside that place..which he recognized to be of naruto.
He took some time..not bothering for the dobe and as for curiosity took a look at the cage 'so this is where his you reside'.
Suddenly his eye was giving him lot of trouble ,his chakra was now zero..he was having hard time remaining conscious..just then kyubbi formed another attempt ..as the effect of sharingan had already nullified and his own host had been unconscious and injured the worst to as for using the fox chakra three times today with full force has surely damaged the kid a lot from being able to stand and kyubbi to heal him.
Kyubbi took the opportunity to throw a rasengan on to the uchiha. Sasuke was staring wide at the approaching attack, not able to move he closed his eyes submitting to the attack….which never come. He opened his eyes with remaining strength and what he saw shocked both sasuke and kyubbi too.
There stood naruto with hands open facing the uchiha…his whole skin suffering a third degree burns and a stupid grin plastered on his unrecognizably burned face, standing on his own inner consciousness protecting his best friend from the beast residing in his own body. His eyes closed slowly taking in the warmth of the unconsciousness again, he flopped on the uchiha.
Sasuke immediately caught the blonde in his arms. This single gesture made tears in the eyes of the stoic stubborn uchiha. After watching this level of sacrifice for his best friend uchiha can't control to hug the now unconscious body of his comrade and allow himself also to be engulfed in the same darkness as Naruto's.
They were now laying side by side on the ground holding hands to each other .
Captain yamato was now relieved that uchiha has perfectly controlled the fox spirit and naruto was also successful in his life long mission of taking sasuke back home. Sakura was also quiet happy fo the blonde..but also afraid how much damage had already been done by use of full effect of fox's chakra. She ran towards the 2 unconsious shinobis and started to check them…both were having some serious injuries, while naruto's condition was quiet serious as compared to the uchiha.
Sakura was now captivating kabuto, Sai was carrying unconscious Naruto on his back while captain Yamato has securely tied unconscious sasuke and carried him on his back, team was now returning to their home,Konoha.
In the hideout orochimaru may not survive if he doesn't get a body for his soul transference..and without kabuto its simply not possible.
It took nearly one & half day to reach konoha for the team with rushing speed. Both the shinobis were still knocked was almost afternoon when they reach the a-un gate of the Konoha. The gate guards kotetsu and Ibisu were quite surprised when they saw the being on the shoulders of Captain Yamato. Yamato decided to avoid the main route at the hub of konoha to avoid public gatherings on seeing the uchiha. So they simply took the shortest route for ninjas…jumping from house to house and finally they got inside konoha hospital in no time.
Godaime hokage was already informed about the arrival of the team so she was present right inside the hospital to receive her patients immediately and begun the treatment.