THE VALLEY OF THE END by Kiraya
Henceforth, all is in second person. Guess who the "you" is :P
Italics denote direct quotes from the manga.
Drabble III: Doushite?
--
Why, Sasuke...?
What is it about power that calls to him so strongly that he'd do this, that he'd leave everything he's ever known behind, with no chance of returning?
I can't let you...
You can't allow him to offer up his body to that soulless bastard Orochimaru, all for the sake of the power he wants, craves, needs to defeat his aniki.
Itachi... of course. The drive to kill that man has been the center of his life for so long, and having him within reach so recently, being so thoroughly trounced by him... It must be unbearable.
But Sasuke doesn't want to take the time to lick his wounds and continue training, continue trying to improve himself in the traditional way. He'd get to where he wants to be through that — you know he has the potential, that if ever you were to have a rival for the position of the Rokudaime Hokage, Uchiha Sasuke would be it. But he wants a shortcut, something that will allow him to strike back now, while the sting of his humiliation is still fresh.
Revenge is a dish best served hot, after all, and his just came right off the reheat.
Still... you can't let him do that. You won't let him, even if it costs you your life in the end, even if he refuses to acknowledge you as an equal in this battle — heavens forbid that dead-last Uzumaki Naruto be equal to the genius, the last child of the great Uchiha clan.
This, then, is how you must fight him.
--
Note: "Doushite" is Japanese for "why."