(***)
He had never been one to dwell on the trivial things.
Sasuke perched himself on an elevated boulder and watched the frantic scramble of the thief his team was supposed to apprehend. That was his goal, and anything that distracted him from it was only that - a distraction. Similarly, everything then was unimportant ... expendable, and therefore, unnecessary to him. It was this singular vision and focused determination that had seen him through his thirteen years of living. From the vengeance that drove him with relentless tenacity to the pride that motivated his shinobi achievements, he had - and still did - rely on this characteristic to make it through each day.
His target had nothing special to distinguish him from the regular men one would walk by on the streets. A receding hairline of slicked-back dark hair capped an unremarkable face with ordinary features. Perhaps it was these forgettable traits that made the thirty-ish man the ideal thief; he had an air that would allow him to blend perfectly into a crowd of people. But thanks to Kakashi-sensei, this man was nowhere near a crowd, and he stood out from the forest creatures like a loud, clumsy beacon.
Sasuke debated whether he should let the man flee a little further first before revealing his presence. On one hand, a hidden devilish side of him wanted to watch the man squirm a little longer, while on the other, the arrogant side of him wanted to single-handedly catch the criminal without the aid of his lagging teammates.
Knowing that no one saw him, he allowed a lopsided smile to tug at his facial muscles. He could easily defeat this inept thief, but the promise of watching Naruto attempt to upstage him would provide him with private amusement for days to come. Although he would never let it be known, he sometimes recollected the ambitious blonde's blunders on long, lonely nights when he felt the consuming emptiness creep into his soul. His burden was heavy, and the clawing demons of his clan's slaughter sometimes taunted him to his breaking point, but the antics and mishaps of Naruto's attempts to exceed him easily pulled him back from the edge.
Of course, the blonde would undoubtedly strut around like a puffed up peacock if he ever knew.
Sasuke sighed.
So it was settled then. He'd do this without his teammates, partly because he didn't feel like waiting for them, and partly because he secretly wanted to see Naruto's reaction when he found out that he'd been one step behind again.
In one familiar motion, his fingers reached into his side pouch, pulled out a couple of sharp kunai, and loosed them directly into the path of his target. The balding man stopped abruptly, his arms hugging the urn he'd stolen closer to his chest as he scanned the vicinity for his attacker.
Sasuke didn't waste any time. Swiftly, he launched himself off the large rock, and landed softly before the criminal. A quick flash of surprise crossed the older man's eyes before a large grin appeared on that bland face. His stunned posture relaxed somewhat as he stared the dark-haired boy up and down.
"A child?" he said with incredulous mockery. "They sent a child after me? Should I be flattered or insulted?"
At this, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He hadn't know what to expect, and shouldn't have even been surprised at the reaction, but it grated on him. It reminded him too much of ... of his brother. Again, with a speed that the untrained eye wouldn't even notice, he reached into his pouch and released a deadly shower of kunai in the older man's direction.
The thief quickly dodged the attack, his legs surprisingly fast for one who didn't carry himself like a shinobi. He easily regained his footing and actually had the audacity to chuckle at the young genin's thwarted attempt.
Sasuke unconsciously fisted his hands, his nails pressing almost painfully into his palms as the tension in his muscles increased. He wanted to scream at the man to shut up, to stop treating him like the bothersome insect his brother had labeled him to be, but he settled for a muted grunt as he sprung full force toward the criminal. His hits connected high, low, and mid-torso, yet each satisfying 'smack' was met with an anticipated block.
Frustration built to an overwhelming crescendo at his inability to land a damaging attack, and with one more feral growl, he launched his body at his opponent's middle. Again, he was blocked, but this time, the resistance from his enemy was enough to reflect his momentum against him and cause him to bounce back several meters. He managed to remain upright when his feet met the ground again, though his breaths came in burning heaves now after his recent advances.
"I think I may have overestimated you, kid," the thief stated lightly as he turned away and began to walk. "Maybe in a few years when you grow up, you'll ..."
Sasuke didn't hear the rest of the sentence as his hands began to imitate the initial forms of one of his more powerful jutsus. Those words ... that tone ... they reminded him too much of that fateful night when his entire world had collapsed around him in one burning heap. He would never allow anyone to underestimate him again. He would not accept his inferiority. He refused to!
The criminal didn't even know what hit him when the sheer power behind Sasuke's flames knocked him to the ground and the urn from his hands, the force enough to dig a small hole in the forest floor with his body. Before the older man had a chance to breathe, the dark-haired boy moved, kunai securely in his hands and leg muscles expending the pent-up fury of moments past.
Dark eyes twinkled with a murderous glint as Sasuke pounced on his target, weapon raised as he straddled the prone thief's waist.
'Hokage's orders be damned,' his rage-fuelled mind screamed as his vision become a crimson-tainted world of fury. He wanted to ... no, he needed to kill, to spill the man's blood until that mocking smile and taunting tone disappeared from his memory, until his demons had been assuaged into complacency, and the screams of those who had died so many years ago had quieted.
He was blind to the fear that swam in the eyes that looked up at him, blind to the serene forest that bore witness to his condemning act, and with a final grunt of dismissal, he brought his weapon down.
"One moment of fury, and a lifetime of torment ..."
(***)
He had forgotten what a rambunctious teenager he'd been.
Sasuke watched his younger self confront and apprehend the low-class criminal with the unending well of energy and unfettered enthusiasm inherent to all youths. He vaguely remembered this period in his life; he recalled when everything had been uncomplicated and accomplishments had been achieved with singular determination. As a child, days had passed with ignorance of the real world, and although he had witnessed a slaughter that had aged him beyond his years, he had still viewed everything in terms of black and white ... of finding the end of that elusive rainbow in hopes of getting his sought-after goals. Itachi had been the villain. Itachi had done bad things. Itachi had to be destroyed. And with the drive and resolve unique to one so naïve, he had striven to accomplish his one goal without thought for anything else.
But life wasn't that simple as he had learned during the past several years. Reality wasn't only black and white, littered as it was with varying shades of gray. There were factors that pushed and pulled at even the most resolved child, and it would take time before he realized that he wasn't as invulnerable as he thought himself to be, that he couldn't always retain that tainted innocence ... and that the mythical pot of gold would never be found at the end of a rainbow.
The older man smiled sadly as the young Sasuke incapacitated the criminal and prepared for the inevitable deathblow.
"One moment of fury, and a lifetime of torment ..."
His sagely spoken words drifted toward the enraged youth and possessed the power to halt the downward arc of the lethal kunai.
The boy looked up then, and sought the origin of the statement, his mouth set in a grim, determined line.
The older man lifted up a dark eyebrow, waiting for the genin to react. He nodded his acknowledgement when their gazes finally met. "If you kill him, then be prepared to live with the consequences," he said candidly.
"Who are you?" the boy asked him in his no-nonsense manner as he stared dangerously at the interloper.
As the question left the younger shinobi's mouth, his victim saw the opportunity to escape. Catching the dark-haired boy off guard, the thief adeptly threw his would-be murderer off his own body and scrambled to his feet. The smaller Sasuke fell to the floor with a surprised 'umph', which went unnoticed by the criminal as he tried frantically to get away.
"Who am I?" the taller man repeated casually as he easily caught up to the unsuspecting thief, grabbed him by the jaw, and twisted violently. "I'll let you figure that out."
His answer was accompanied by the resounding snap of the criminal's neck, and the younger version of himself watched the whole act with a mixed look of shock and fascination.
Sasuke stared at the still idealistic boy. "If you're willing to kill, then you had better be willing to let go of all your emotions. Are you ready for that ... Sasuke?"
His own name sounded odd on his lips, but saying it somehow reminded him of a part of himself he had killed a long time ago.
The younger genin slowly rose, and brushed off the leaves and twigs that clung to his clothes. His eyes never left the stranger standing so dangerously close, and as he adjusted his body to fully face the newest threat, a bright flash of errant sunlight bounced off of his head protector.
The older fighter took in the symbol on the thing reflectively. How long had it been since he'd abandoned that mark? How long had it been since he'd deserted the shining ideals and stalwart philosophies that the symbol represented?
He mentally shook himself to pull away from the mire of melancholy that threatened to ensnare him. "Not long from now, you will be marked, Sasuke," he said in the way of grounding his wayward thoughts. His hand absently went to the side of his neck and rubbed the spot where the telltale symbol had been seared. "And it will change your life in ways you've never dreamed. You will feel a power more consuming than you've ever known, and you'll eventually give into it. All those you know will fall by your hand until you are all alone and left with nothing."
An intense, searching gaze bore into him as he spoke, and after he'd finished, the boy still retained a modicum of his shock. "How do you ... who are you?"
The jaded man observed the reaction with an impassive expression. "The 'how' is a technicality," he responded plainly, "but the 'who' ... take a good look at me, Sasuke. Who do you think I am?"
At first, the boy trained his delving gaze curiously on him, but after an indeterminate amount of time, those very eyes widened, incredulity written all over his face. "It can't ... not possible ..."
"Can't it?"
The genin shook his head in disbelief.
"There are things in this world that you wish you'd never seen, Sasuke, and I would rather end it all before it even has a chance to begin."
And with that, the older man attacked, his intent deadly and his strike lethal. But he had miscalculated the quickness of youth and his smaller self managed to evade his hit just enough to take a glancing blow off his shoulder. His hand vibrated with the thwarted sting of minimal contact and he found himself flexing his fingers to ready them again for the next attack.
The boy had absorbed the hit well, his left hand now holding his injured right shoulder as dangerous, focused eyes remained on the assailant.
'Ah, the resiliency of youth,' the older Sasuke thought with amusement as he wondered where he had gotten that determination from. He was beyond tired now, and he couldn't spend all day trying to kill the boy.
"Look at me, Sasuke," he said, almost seductively, in a low tone.
True to his naïve nature, the young shinobi met the older man's gaze, the challenging light still shining bright as a more developed Sharingan wove its way through the small body.
Cynicism would be a long time in coming, and the taller fighter was grateful for the small gift. Without anymore preamble, he walked toward the boy, his perpetual sadness slowly giving way to the excited anticipation of this planned conclusion. He would end it here ... he would end everything here before his whole world fell apart and the idealistic illusions deserted him.
"What ... what did you do to me?"
Futile actions from a boy in a futile situation.
Even though he couldn't move, the determination on that younger face told the story of continued attempts.
The older Sasuke shook his head at the stubbornness in his smaller self. He had never been one to accept the inevitable.
"Relax," he said soothingly as he raised an arm, carefully concentrating his chakra in the said limb. He felt the energy flow furiously through his body, his well-trained mind somehow aware that this would be his final, decisive action. Yet, before he had the chance to follow through, an unnoticed kunai sliced through the air, just barely skimming the skin of his hand.
Sasuke cursed himself for not having his defenses up as he watched a sliver of red liquid well up in his cut. The pain was negligible, but the fact that someone had managed to sneak up on him caused him to turn angry eyes on the new attacker.
"Hey, you! You haven't finished with me yet!" The loud voice was undeniable, and the dark-haired man wasn't surprised when he saw Naruto standing, disgruntled, several meters away. But the chakra - an overwhelming, all-encompassing chakra - was something he hadn't been prepared for.
The demon fox ... he'd forgotten all about it.
Sasuke smiled wickedly. It had been so long since he'd sparred with this Naruto; once upon a time, he'd been awed by this energy, and it had been what motivated him to reach the limits of his potential, but now, it was his chance to re-live a childhood fantasy before he put an end to everything.
"Come then, Naruto," he said encouragingly. "Let me finish you off ..."
Those words - haunting words he had said years ago in the days when their rivalry had become one of his primary lifelines - instilled in him such a sense of nostalgia that he almost wished the moment would never end.
Not needing any more of an invitation, the blonde attacked, his aura almost visible as he screamed with the anger of being passed over for his eternal rival. And Sasuke reacted, leaving his frozen younger self behind and rapidly meeting the attack with a fervor more suited for someone half his age.
They met in a blazing explosion of strength and power, a clash of the metaphorical titans where only their own world existed and reality was nothing more than a mere plaything. Even after everything he'd suffered and endured, Sasuke had never met anyone who matched the beautiful fury of his blond teammate. Blow after blow, and deflection after deflection, he felt his every wish and every want being fulfilled, and it wasn't long before he realized that there had never been a period in his life that he'd been happier than when he fought with Naruto. Through all his achievements, through all his accomplishments, he could never - and would never - find a time when he'd been more content. This was his one ultimate desire, his one true wish ... his one perfect moment.
But like a falling star, his euphoria quickly faded as they both went crashing to the ground, each having given and received a damaging hit from the other. Sasuke could feel his whole body spasm at Naruto's powerful hit, but as soon as he regained control of his muscles, he rose and charged blindly toward his opponent. He had managed to re-channel his chakra and was prepared to end the fight as the victor.
However, he was not the only one with that intention in mind for Naruto had recovered just as quickly, the blond genin charging as well with kunai clutched tightly in both hands.
The set-up was ideal for Sasuke because he knew that in such a scenario, he could easily overpower the blonde, but inexplicably, unexpectedly, that vibrant flash of blue appeared in his mind's eye, and he hesitated.
He had always thought that dying would be much more painful. Instead, it didn't feel like anything at all ... just plain numbness.
'What a funny twist of fate,' he mused, enduring an eerie sense of déjà vu.
He stared curiously down at the kunai buried deep in his own chest, his blood trickling over two small hands that still held tight to the handle. With more strength than he'd anticipated, he looked up into those burning, blue eyes, beautiful gems that would follow him to the grave. Slowly, he brought a hand up and delicately traced the smooth skin of the blond boy's face, committing each pure and innocent detail into his memory.
This was how he wanted to remember him. This was how he wanted to remember Naruto ... so clean, so untainted ... so perfect.
Naruto allowed him his exploration, his keen eyes searching the man he'd just defeated. And then, realization lit up on his face, followed by an expression of undisguised horror.
"Sasuke ..."
The dying man smiled, a strange sight in his opinion, since he knew his lips were dyed deep red with the blood he tasted in his own mouth.
"You selfish bastard! You fucking, selfish bastard!" Horror gave way to unparalleled anger as Naruto finally figured out what had just happened. "This was what you wanted all along, wasn't it? Idiot ..."
Sasuke couldn't seem to wipe the smile from his face. So, he decided to look down again.
Naruto's hands were almost all covered now, the sticky, viscous fluid eagerly coating those young fingers, but somehow, he knew with undeniable certainty that Naruto would come through this as spirited and as boastful as he'd ever been.
He would have laughed if he'd had the energy.
So he wasn't as strong as he'd originally thought.
And maybe ... just maybe, Naruto was the stronger one after all.
End Chapter 3
