AN: Blast my friend and his AMVs. He collaborated some of the best I've ever seen. This is the stuff where it gets your skin tingling and your inner writer busting out. Must... write! Blast him! I have to do homework but instead I'm writing this. I hope you guys appreciate it. Also, I've decided something. I have this whole arc set out for Naruto and Sasuke's battle but... it's too troublesome to put in Shikamaru's part of the storyline (hah! There's irony for you). So for the next... chapter or two, I won't be adding Shikamaru's part.
But don't despair. I will be updating like mad since... this blasted CD that sits in a nice jewel case with the words "NARUTO AMVS" on it will keep me motivated... for sure. I figure I'll have this all done by next Wednesday. Then we'll be BACK to Shikamaru and the AFTERMATH of Naruto/Sasuke's battle. Which will bring the Conclusion of Naruto's Love Triangle (which I will write a sequel to) and about three more chapters more of Shikamaru's torment.
It was dark that night. The moon hid behind several dark clouds, afraid of the terrible event that would occur tonight.
Sasuke stood atop his house's rooftop. He could see Naruto's apartment building and with his binoculars, he could see that that he had just dropped off Hinata at her house (on the opposite side of town) and was now walking towards his apartment building. This would be the perfect time. The young Uchiha heir had observe Naruto's patterns for the past few days. Along with Hinata's, she was a crucial part of his plan.
Naruto would go out with Hinata every other day. He would go out with Sakura the other days. Even after the strange event, Naruto seems to be able to mask his confusion and soulful despair quite well. "He's had practice..." Sasuke remembered Naruto's horrible childhood. He must be used to smiling when all he wanted to do is to break down and cry.
They would go around town, eating, shopping around and sometimes just sitting around sipping tea. But it always ended the same. Hinata would look a nearby clock and see it was time for her to go home. Naruto would walk her there, despite how far it was. Naruto would try his best to avoid a kiss. Always trying to make it seem like he's in a hurry. But Sasuke could tell, he enjoyed it.
The kiss was always accidental but it left both of them speechless in the end. Naruto would always smile, a genuine smile then walk home. About halfway home or at door to his apartment building, the smile will fade and he will realize what he has done. Sakura-Chan... Hinata-Chan. Those words must be balancing on a scale in his mind right now.
Hinata would go inside the courtyard of her house and close the gates. She waits about three minutes before going back outside and sitting on the porch, just holding her red cheeks. She sits there for a good fifteen minutes before heading back inside. She would be smiling throughout the entire day. Sasuke figured that she would be thinking about her time with Naruto that day.
That would be his time to strike. Fifteen minutes to capture Hinata without sound. He had seen Hinata train with Naruto as well (those days where Naruto and Hinata both agreed that they need to keep their strength up, to preserve their nindo ways.) She was stronger, much stronger than before. Her blows were more accurate, quicker and stronger. They weren't cumbersome and she has even learned how to use the Kaiten and 64 Hakke from her father. She had truly improved.
But that didn't necessarily mean she had surpassed Sasuke. She was strong but not strong enough for him. Fifteen minutes would be more than enough. The only question is that can he subdue him quietly so that Hiashi won't come busting out of the house along with every other Hyuuga warrior? Chidori was his primary assassination technique, very quick and silent. But he wasn't aiming to kill the Hyuuga heir... no. He had to subdue her and he knew exactly how.
He closed his eye. His Sharingan eye was no where near the power of a Mangekyou Sharingan one. But it was fully developed and it can do very light genjutsu. Like the suggestion of ideas, with his bloodline limit, Sasuke could do a small Genjutsu to stun Hyuuga. She would snap out of quickly being a holder of a bloodline limit herself (Especially since the Sharingan is a descendant to that of the Byakugan). But that should give him plenty of time to administer a real powerful Genjutsu, and then a little drug should do the rest.
Sasuke smiled. Tonight was the night he would fulfill his purpose. He can finally justify his existence. He will become the best to prolong his life. And in order to become the best, he had to kill his best friend. He didn't smile; it was not an act of pleasure. He regrets doing such a despicable move. But his life demanded it, without it he cannot fight on. He smiled before... because it was the only thing he could do to stop himself from weakening.
"Naruto..." Sasuke shook his head. They were best friends, rivals... and brothers. Naruto felt more like a brother to the Uchiha heir than Itachi, even before he slaughtered his clan.
Shaking off his weakness, Sasuke steeled himself. Tonight was the final night of either his or Naruto's existence. Hinata would be going into her house soon, he had to act fast. In a blink of an eye, he disappeared, not even his shadow remaining.
Naruto was about to open the door to his apartment door when a familiar scent filled his senses. Hinata-Chan was around. He could tell, the strange smell. It was pleasant, very pleasant. It was a rich smell but with a hint of nature. It always made Naruto smile. He turned around, hoping to see Hinata-Chan.
A horrific sight filled his eyes instead. Hinata was there all right but she was not standing, her hands clasped together, about to greet her crush. She was there, hanging onto life by a thread. Sasuke, that despicable Sasuke had her in his arm, a kunai at her throat. Her breath was shallow, indicating a drug or a heavy genjutsu. She looked like she was beaten pretty badly.
"She put up a bigger fight than suspected. But she didn't warn Hiashi-Sama at least. She wanted to prove to you... that she could beat me. She loves you Naruto." Sasuke, a smile plastered onto his face.
"Sasuke... what the hell do you think you're doing you bastard?" Naruto screamed, anger boiling in his blood. He could feel Kyuubi awakening.
Damn kid, calm down, you're going to burn ME if you get any hotter.
"Naruto, fight me, fight for her life. Help me prolong my existence by fighting your best!" Sasuke jumped out the window with Hinata and then flung Hyuuga heir onto the wall of a building. Flinging several-strung kunai, he kept her on the wall. "I am sorry... I wish there was another way. But you won't fight your best, not unless someone you hold dear is in danger." Sasuke said with a grim look on his face. He had taken the most important person in Naruto's life and had beaten her to a pulp.
Naruto's red Chakra swirled around him. The powerful energy wrapped around him like a suit of armor. Naruto growled, anger seething from every pore of his body. He was controlling the power, the power that he unleashed when Sakura was in danger. A power he was able to control when Hinata-Chan was in danger. He wasn't just controlling a small part of the demon fox's power either. He was controlling the entire thing. Kyuubi was being drained of all his power.
You really do love her. Go get him kid.
Letting out an ear-splitting battle cry that even made Sasuke flinched. He flinched for only a second though; he regained his posture and positioned himself. Naruto busted out the apartment hall, demolishing the doors on the side and destroying the wall. He twirled down at his old best friend. Sasuke's fully developed Sharingan activated and saw the move coming. Naruto's attacks were fast. It was the Law of Relativity. When something is moving at an incredibly fast rate, time would slow around it. Sasuke though, was keeping up with the movement.
Naruto swung his clawed palms at Sasuke, quick jabs, turning into combos with heavy hooks and swings. Sasuke saw each move coming, blocking each. Despite him seeing each move, the power of each blow was staggering. The power that his friend was wielding was something on a whole different scale. To throw attacks like this at such a speed... It was truly incredible.
Sasuke drew upon his strength, hoping it would give him enough power to fight back. But his reserves were dead; his body's Chakra supplies were being used just to keep up with the attacks. He then felt his old seal activating. Orochimaru's Bite Seal. Unlike the hand seal that the Snake Sannin held, his bite seal gave him twice as much Chakra. He could feel the marks spreading throughout his body, the Chakra inking his body to indicate the level of Chakra he was using.
Soon Sasuke was fighting back with just as much fervor. His attacks were keeping up with and even on par with Naruto's. He could see much better, predict his attacks faster and counter better.
They were soon just throwing punches, and blocking and countering and blocking those counters. It was an endless cycle. The two were standing in the same spot, dust flying from their position from the constant blows. Wind started to kick up from their attacks, their power growing with each attack, with each block and with each counter.
Soon the two were in a dead lock, their palms smashed together in a brilliant finale. Red and purple Chakra intermixed, fighting each other for dominance. No victor was present, only equals. Something neither of them could be.
Sasuke let go first and dropped to the side, hoping to catch a kick to Naruto's head. Naruto blocked, as expected. Sasuke drew a kunai and threw at his friend's head. Naruto had to think fast. He saw the kunai being drawn. Preparing himself, Naruto tensed the muscle in his mouth.
The kunai flew straight, aiming directly between Naruto's eyes. The blonde-haired ninja turned his head slightly and caught the kunai between his teeth. He spat it into the air and pushed Sasuke back with a heavy arm tackle, followed up with a palm strike that Sasuke could only avoid by jumping back. Stepping to the side would end up Naruto following it up with a roundhouse kick, something Sasuke would not be able to keep up if he side steps.
Sasuke saw this with his eye and flipped back, his foot catching Naruto's jaw. He could feel the heavy wood of his sandals kick off the hard jaw of his friend. The Sharingan-User flew back about ten feet before landing using his hands as anchors in the ground.
Sasuke's eyes couldn't see the dust he had to kick up from using his hands as an anchor. Suddenly, a kunai zipped through the dust. The raven-haired boy turned to the side to avoid, thinking it as a simple attack. The kunai hit the ground dully. Sasuke smirked, but it quickly faded when a small but deep cut appeared on his face. Sasuke looked back at the kunai, the red Chakra still emanating from the weapon.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" Sasuke could hear his old friend saying. The dust still very visible, Six Naruto's appeared from the cloud of smoke. Sasuke couldn't tell which was a clone. When you use Kage Bunshin, all your Chakra is dispersed equally.
They all charged at once with very obvious punches and kicks. Sasuke would waste much stamina if he were to fight them all. He had plenty of Chakra left, but he could feel himself starting to breathe harder. Sasuke flipped back, gaining more air than distance in his jump.
"Katon, Gougaku No Jutsu!" Sasuke didn't even have to form the seals anymore. He had use the technique over and over again. The way he needed to mold the Chakra was imprinted into his brain. He held his hand over his mouth, several fingers parted for a small opening. Fire started to pour from his mouth. The attack destroyed all the clones, leaving more Chakra clouds behind.
Six shurikens shot out of the clouds this time. Sasuke had to focus this time. He had to make sure none of the shurikens were enlarged with Chakra. None of them held such power. But that was strange, why would Naruto use such a common attack on him. There had to be a trick.
"Kage Bunshin Shuriken No Jutsu!" Naruto yelled out, the cloud from which he hid from finally clearing, his hands out in front of him in open palms. Suddenly, the six shurikens duplicated, six became sixty.
Sasuke scowled. Such a powerful technique! The Sharingan-User thought. He had only seen it been used by Sandaime, was Naruto already at such a level?
Sasuke had to act fast, sixty shurikens were still difficult to avoid, even with his Sharingan eyes. He drew six of his own shuriken and flung them at the storm of metal before him.
Metal clanged on metal as his own shuriken met Naruto's. Several Chakra clouds appeared as the Shadow Shurikens disappeared. Sasuke pulled back on the strings he had on each shuriken he had. Though Shadow Shurikens could strike a human being causing flesh wounds. If they were to hit another shuriken, they would poof up into Chakra smoke.
Sasuke commanded each of his shuriken to fly through Naruto's. He was done to about twenty when the storm of metal was approaching. Sasuke put more Chakra into his eye, relying heavily on his blood limit now. He caught four shuriken and dodged six. The other ten were slightly lagging. He flung the four he caught at the remaining ten, crashing into four shurikens, which rebounded into the others. Six shuriken clattered to the ground while everything else became Chakra smoke.
Sasuke landed, almost out of breath. That had required heavy thinking on his part. Though not much Chakra or stamina required, it still scared the young ninja. It was his turn now.
Naruto walked out of the Chakra smoke, staring Sasuke like he was the most despicable person on the planet. At the moment, he really was.
No words were really needed between the two. Somehow they had seen it coming; somehow they knew this was going to happen eventually. Naruto's blue eyes had disappeared now, his red Kyuubi eyes replacing them.
Sasuke formed a few seals in his hand and then breathed in deep. "Katon, Karyuu Endan!" The fire that spewed from his mouth took from of Chinese dragons, and launched at Naruto.
"Geh!" Naruto knew this technique well. He was still struggling to learn it. The Karyuu Endan technique was not your normal fire Jutsu. It was a very high level not because of its speed, nor because of its power. It was because of its intelligence. The attack almost acted on it's own, homing in on it's target until it hits or is negated.
Naruto focused his demon fox energy into a single shuriken. "Baika Shuriken No Jutsu!" the young man flung the single shuriken at the flames that was rolling down towards him. The technique took place. It was a variation on the Akimichi's family's trade technique. Instead of growing his own size, Naruto had grown his weapon. Panting heavily, the blonde-haired ninja gripped his stomach. He had plenty of Chakra with the demon fox residing within him. But even Naruto's stamina had a limit. He could feel his body requiring more air as he exerted himself more and more.
The giant shuriken grew to about three stories high, colliding with the fiery dragons. The monstrous weapon destroyed three dragonheads, but one remained and it continued to fly down to Naruto. The Kyuubi vessel had no time to dodge, he had to block. Red Chakra surrounded his forearms; he raised them to protect himself.
Sasuke could see that the shuriken was starting to shrink, but it was still flying at him and was still about two stories high. He couldn't block, the Karyuu Endan technique had taken a lot out of him. He has to block then. Purple Chakra surrounded his forearms as he raised them.
Naruto and Sasuke were both knocked backwards a good five yards, smashing into opposite buildings. They both coughed up blood as their backs collided with the heavy wall. The village boomed to life. Everyone started to get his or her bearings as the huge explosion shook everyone awoke.
Naruto and Sasuke pushed themselves off the wall. It was time they finished it. They walked back slowly, gathering Chakra and energy within themselves. They looked up from their location.
"I recognize you... Naruto. You have my recognition." Sasuke smiled.
"And you have mine... Aniki." The two ninjas raised their hands, Naruto's palm facing up; Sasuke's facing down.
Red Chakra swirled into the ball called Rasengan. It's energy so fearsome, every adult in the village could sense the old Demon Fox's power. Naruto poured everything he had into it. "Hinata-Chan..." He said; his teeth gritted. She is the most important person in his life, he knows that know and he isn't going to let her go.
All of Sasuke's Chakra poured into his Chidori. The blue and purple mass of energy gathered in his palm. His life would be justified with this single attack. His right arm came up and gripped his left. He charged with a roar.
Naruto started to sprint as well, not as fast as Sasuke, as his attack did not require much speed. The young ninja also let out a roar, pushing the Rasengan in front of him.
The two were about three meters away from each other. Their eyes met and they knew that this was what they really wanted.
"Later... Aniki." Sasuke closed his eyes and awaited their clash.
"Hinata-Chan... I love you." Naruto said.
A huge explosion took place, the windows of all the buildings within a ten-block radius exploded. Paint of walls started to strip and anything that wasn't nail down was flying. ANBU members that just made it to see the finale were almost blown away. The Chakra in their feet the only thing keeping them standing still Dirt kicked up in all direction.
But most importantly, Hinata had awoken and had broken down from the wall. The drug had worn off and she could see her love's face. "Naruto!" She raised her hands and concentrated her energy into her feet and forearms. The dust brushed past her invisible shield, leaving her almost untouched save a few bruises from debris.
The cloud died down and the dust started to settle. The winner has been decided, but with such thick dust, no one can see who it is. Hinata waits impatiently, a despair filling her heart. "Please be okay Naruto-Kun!" She prayed. And pray was all she could do.
AN: Ooo... What a Cliffhanger. Wait until next Wednesday!
