Shadows within a Dream
By: Kisu
A/N: Sorry for not updating so long! I've only found time after my nice exams to write a next chapter! I can't wait to watch Naruto 79 today! Did you also read Chapter 212? SQUEAL! …; anyways…I'm typing this up while watching "Duplex"…really funny movie! =D
Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me! ^^
Chapter 2.10: Regrets
Itachi stood silently with all his senses aware of a certain silver haired jounin and his attempt to spring a surprise attack on him. He sighed in boredom and made a move to jump off the roof when Kakashi appeared in front of him. "I don't want to play with you anymore, Kakashi. You're no fun." Itachi commented as he eyed the jounin warily. Kakashi disappeared and reappeared behind him. Itachi noticed this from the corner of his eye and swung around, sidestepping so Kakashi's arm sliced through the air beside his head. Itachi closed his eyes smugly before stepping in and landing a blow to the jounin's stomach and a kick to his midsection. Kakashi flew through the air and when he hit the ground, a large log had replaced him.
"This might get interesting." He smirked as he let his red eyes wander. They widened slightly as he spotted Sasuke crouching next to an unconscious Naruto. "What did he do?" He hissed, preparing to drop off the roof. Kakashi caught him in mid air and slammed a kunai into his chest. Blood splashed onto his face and Itachi smirked as he disappeared.
"Clone?" Kakashi gasped. "How? When?"
"You're getting old, Kakashi." Itachi said, from behind him. Kakashi turned around and met his eyes. The next moment, he collapsed onto the ground in agony while clutching his head. "Now then." He proceeded to drop off the roof. Sasuke, seeing this, got off the ground quickly.
"What do you want?" He asked, suspiciously.
"What did you do?" Itachi demanded, angrily.
"What?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"There is no way you can beat Naruto." Itachi concluded. "He's way stronger than you."
"Shows how little you know." Sasuke smirked. Itachi was in front of him in mere seconds, holding him up by his shirt. Sasuke glared at him and Itachi narrowed his eyes. Sharingan eyes met sharingan eyes.
His will is stronger. Itachi noted with satisfaction. But my will remains stronger than his. Sasuke groaned and gripped his head.
Hate me. He thought. Hate me and live.
"NO!" Sasuke yelled as agony stirred his subconscious.
"Itachi."
The older Uchiha looked over his shoulder and noticed the hand that was clasped firmly on his arm. Purple chakra rose off the hand and bit savagely at Itachi's arm, ripping his cloak and leaving red welts on his skin.
"That's enough." Naruto said, tiredly. Itachi could see the faint outline of the Kyuubi looming over him and a look of awe crossed his face.
"His true power." Itachi murmured.
"You lied again." Naruto whispered. "Everything you told me was a lie. They were always lies."
"You don't believe that I can make them come true?" Itachi asked. "Look what had happened the last time."
"Enough." Naruto's voice was firm. "I'm tired of your games." His fingers dug into his arm.
"Oh?" Itachi gave a slow seductive smile. "I didn't know you liked it rough."
"Itachi." Naruto hissed, warningly. "Let him go." Naruto's nails, sharp from the presence of the Kyuubi broke the surface of his skin and blood trickled down his hand. Itachi watched with interest before dropping Sasuke into an undignified heap at his feet and pried Naruto's hand off his arm. With precision, he began to lick the blood off of Naruto's fingertips. He watched as Naruto's glare wavered slightly. Then, the blonde jerked his hand back and growled at him. Itachi licked his lips and gazed at Naruto. The blonde stood, surrounded by his large amount of blue chakra. Red chakra also emitted from him in the shape of the Kyuubi , shadowing Naruto's figure. Where the blue chakra and red chakra crossed from his body, purple chakra danced wickedly.
"You're so beautiful." Itachi smiled, as he took a step closer to him. The form of the Kyuubi rose up high before him and sank his teeth into his shoulder. Naruto's blue eyes changed into a bloody red.
"You will be fun to kill." Kyuubi said, through Naruto. His voice was raspy and powerful, different from Naruto's smooth baritone.
"So we finally meet, Kyuubi." Itachi laughed.
"Foolish human. How dare you mess with our mind." The Kyuubi snarled. The pupils in Naruto's eyes dilated to form a cat-like slit. A pure killing intent radiated from those eyes and even Itachi became unnerved.
Itachi threw his head back and laughed. "Show me your power, Kyuubi!"
"Rasengan!" A ball of purple chakra swirled in Naruto's hand and he found himself looking back into calm blue eyes. He gasped as Naruto pressed the ball into his stomach and Itachi inhaled sharply as it exploded.
***
"Sasuke." Kakashi dropped down next to the young man and touched his shoulder. "Are you all right?"
"I think I have to break a promise." Sasuke told him, quietly.
"Do you think it is worth it?" Kakashi asked. Sasuke ducked his head so that his dark hair would fall over his face.
"Yeah." He replied, as he felt the pulse from the cursed seal.
"Sasuke, do you know what you are doing?" Kakashi frowned in disapproval.
It began to flare and spread over his skin and across his neck—
"What the hell are you doing, Bastard?" A hand clamped over the seal and he looked up to see Naruto staring angrily down at him. "You're not activating it, are you? Chances are that, it could revive Orochimaru. He's not completely dead yet."
"It's the only way." Sasuke said, painfully. The seal fought against the wall of chakra that Naruto planted around it.
"If you want to sell your soul that much. Give it to me." Naruto said, calmly.
"Nani?" Sasuke's head shot up and Kakashi turned to his former student.
"What are you saying, Naruto?" He asked as Sasuke could only stare at the blonde in disbelief.
"You're willing to sell your soul for power?" Naruto asked, bitterly. "Is that what it means to be an avenger?"
"Yes." Sasuke snapped, shooting to his feet. "I need to sell even my very own soul to defeat Itachi."
"Baka." Naruto replied, still expressionless. He bit his finger and quickly drew a length of letters onto the ground. Kakashi squinted at the scrawl and scratched his head. "Bite your finger." Sasuke did as he was told and Naruto quickly drew a seal onto his left hand. Using Sasuke's bloody finger, he drew the same seal on his right. Clasping their hands together, Naruto did a flash of unrecognizable seals with one hand. "Soul Binding no Jutsu!" The bloody letters on the ground flared and flew into their clasped hands. Sasuke winced and tore his hand away when pain shot up his arm. His chidori arm even!
"What did you do, Dobe?" He yelled.
"I own your soul now, so in exchange—you will receive my chakra." Naruto explained. "But there's a catch." Sasuke looked up from the black seal on the palm of his hand. "If you happened to die, I will die too. Since we are bound."
"What?" Sasuke hissed, angrily.
"Naruto, where did you learn to do that?" Kakashi asked, covering his sharingan eye again.
"Secret." Naruto smiled, placing a finger over his lips. "Anyways, since I have your soul now. I get to take care of the body. So I will be watching the cursed seal closely." Naruto leaned closed to his ear and whispered. "Because if I don't take care of your body, it won't function correctly now will it?" Sasuke blushed.
"What did he say?" Kakashi asked, with interest.
"Shut up." Sasuke growled, taking off into where Itachi's chakra was present.
"They grow up so fast." Naruto gave a mock sigh and turned around. "Well, Kakashi-sensei! Take care of yourself!"
The jounin's easygoing smile froze and his one eye opened. "Make sure you take care of Konohagure while I'm gone!" With a wave, Naruto darted off into the direction that Sasuke had taken.
…Those words… Kakashi realized. They were the same.
Before the Yondaime's life was taken away after he had sealed the Kyuubi, his Sensei had ruffled his hair…
***
The man was tall, lean, and graceful. His golden hair seemed to even shine in the darkest of hours. Kakashi, almost as tall as he is stared at his smiling face. "…Sensei?"
"Take care of yourself, Kakashi." The man grinned, reaching up to fondly ruffled his spiky silver hair. "Make sure to take care of Konohagure while I'm gone."
"Sensei?" Kakashi blinked. The Yondaime gave him a wave, before rushing away to where the Kyuubi was.
***
"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled, but his voice fell to unknowing ears. "Make sure there won't be any sacrifices." His eye closed gravely and he looked away to where the Hokage monument stood out in the darkness. "…Sensei."
***
"Sensei!" Kakashi rushed through the crowd and ran to where the fourth Hokage laid.
"Kakashi?" The Yondaime looked up at him, tiredly. "Well, I did it."
"Sensei." Kakashi's voice was filled with relief as he helped him sit up.
"Kakashi, watch over him for me." His teacher's voice was grave.
"Watch over who?" Kakashi asked, numbly.
"My…son." The Yondaime whispered, his eyes closing.
"Sensei!" Kakashi yelled, as the Fourth took his last breath. "Sensei!"
"What should we do with it?" Someone whispered.
"I think we should kill it!" Someone else replied. Kakashi glanced over to see what they were talking about. A baby lay in a basket, crying with unhappiness. A black seal was visible around its navel.
"He's a monster!" Someone spoke up. "Let's just gut the demon now! Before it grows up!"
Kakashi could just watch with his late sensei in his arms. His eyes were frozen at the sight of the crying baby and the voices of the villagers that ran through his head. He couldn't do anything. His mouth wouldn't open, he couldn't yell at them. They got it all wrong. The baby wasn't a demon! He was a hero! He clenched his hand into a fist and his lips drew apart, trembling---
"Get away you bastards." Jiraiya, the Yondaime's sensei had pushed through the crowd and Tsunade crouched down to pick up the baby. Her eyes were sharp as they focused on Kakashi and the late Yondaime. With a shaking hand, she touched the Yondaime and took it away.
"He's gone." She reported, her eyes looking away with pain. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and looked up into the sky.
At that moment, a group of angry villagers broke through the crowd. "Give him to us!" The leader ordered. "We'll get rid of him!"
"He'll eat the children!" Another man yelled.
"No, my baby!" A woman cried, as she held onto a young boy tightly. Kakashi could feel Jiraiya's eyes on him. He felt the longing to support the Yondaime, but he couldn't voice it. After all, it had taken away his dearest person—his mentor.
"You stupid villagers!" Jiraiya yelled. "If you only knew that this is—" He was cut off by Tsunade's hand. He frowned and clenched his fist. "Back off fools or I'll make my toad eat ya!"
"Let's go." Tsunade said, as she walked away. Jiraiya stopped short and picked up the Yondaime's body in his arms. Then they walked away, until he couldn't see them anymore.
***
It seemed like he couldn't even protect him now. Kakashi clenched his fists and his body trembled in anger. He had silently watched as Naruto grew up with no one. He had watched as the boy had cried and screamed at the villagers. He had watched his firm determination to become Hokage and become acknowledged. Yet he did nothing. To the Sandaime's disapproval and to Iruka's, he had done nothing.
When Naruto had been announced as his Genin team, he had done nothing. During the Chuunin exams, not knowing what he could do and with Sasuke's cursed seal in mind, he had placed Naruto into Ebisu's care. Then, Naruto had found his way back to Jiraiya.
The only one who had stuck up to the villagers.
The only one who had confronted him with a calm exterior when Sasuke and Naruto fought on top of the hospital.
***
"Don't you think that attack is too strong to be taught to a boy?" He had asked, his favorite author. Jiraiya looked back at him coolly.
"What made you teach him the Chidori?" Jiraiya asked.
"He has the potential." Kakashi replied.
"What makes you think Naruto doesn't?" Jiraiya questioned. He smiled. "Are you still dwelling on the past?" Kakashi froze and Jiraiya shrugged as he turned to look up at the blonde. "Hey you damn brat! If you use that move again, I'll beat you up!"
"I want to see you try!" Naruto shot back, sticking out his tongue.
"You damn brat!"
The smiles on their faces…
The smiles were…
Warm.
***
"Naruto." Kakashi murmured. A guilty feeling welled up inside him. "Gomen nasai, Sensei."
TBC!
Next chapter…showdown with itachi, naruto, and sasuke!