Part 3.1: Taste of Things to Come

"Here we are," said Raan. The three of them had finally stopped in front of a very ornate looking building that resembled a large temple. It had a very gothic style to it, with many arches and spires encircling it. Although the building resembled the Jade Palace in many ways, it seemed much less pompous and much more pious that the Raikage's home. It was not the largest building on the block, but it stood out more than any of the others. Stained glass windows depicting certain events in the history of the Thunder Country were placed along the main center of the building and at the tops of every spire. It was very ornate, and the genins looked up with wide-eyed amazement, the bowl-headed one taking a large amount of notes as he was continually flipping to the next page in his white pad.

During the trip up to the temple, Raan had taken the time to learn a little bit about each of the genin that were following him. One was named Rock Lee, a very enthusiastic genin who seemed obsessed with training his skills and confirming his nindo of hard work. Raan had to admit he found his enthusiasm pretty entertaining, and he appreciated someone who worked hard for everything in their lives. The other was named Hyuuga Hinata, and besides her name, she seemed to be too shy to divulge any other information. 'Well, I'm not surprised,' he thought, 'her clans got quite the history with the Hidden Cloud.'

They walked up the steps of the temple, Raan taking the lead and beckoning them up. This was one of the few places where the entire building was made of simple quarry stone than anything extravagant. "This is the oldest building in the city. It's stood here since before any Raikage actually existed. It used to be a temple of worship for a pagan religion, but they abandoned it a long time ago."

"What's it used for now?" asked Lee.

Raan smiled a bit, "Well, I'll show you." They continued up the steps of the temple until they finally came to the arched doorway. A man dressed in a long, orange robe smiled at Raan and opened the door for him. Lee and Hinata attempted to follow suit but were stopped by the robed man.

"It' alright Sule, they're with me," said Raan. With that, the Sule bowed deeply and went back to his post, allowing both Hinata and Lee to enter the temple.

It was very bright and hot inside the temple, which reeked of incense. The temple itself was very spacious, having a large domed area hundreds of feet up. In the center of the temple there was a single bolt of lightning that seemed to be continually moving from tip to tail. Around the bolt were eight, three story tall statues, each with their hands permanently placed around the long bolt of lightning. The statues were each made of a different substance, a rare stone or metal of some sort; gold, silver, platinum, jade, bronze, diamonds, rubies, emeralds. Despite the absence of light in the country, color reigned supreme in this temple. It was a symphony of color, the reds and yellows reflecting off the statues and the stained glass forming oranges; all spectrums of light reflected off these statues and made the room a constantly shifting spectrum. The sounds of monks chanting in the background could be heard, and people could be seen praying at the stone dais before each of the statues.

"Welcome," said Raan, "to the Temple of Legacy." He waved his arms broad as if allowing them to take in the complete sight of the temple.

Lee was in shock. His notepad fell to the floor with a thud as he stared in awe at the amazing sights he beheld. "This is amazing," he said, "we don't have anything like this in Konoha." Hinata's expression was much the same as she stared wide-eyed at the colorful display before her.

"This is my favorite place in the whole city," said Raan, "I come here when I need to get away for a while. This is where we honor the Raikages past and present, eight in all." He motioned towards the statues, beginning with the most prominent one, "That is the first, Izou Dou, regarded as the most powerful of Raikages and the founder of this village. Next to him is Izou Kai, the second Raikage who established the Hidden Cloud as a prominent ninja village."

Lee looked up at the statues. Izou Dou's statue was made completely of gold, with rare gems adorned at the eyes. They were red rubies, cut in an odd manner that he did not recognize. There was something awkward about the eyes that captivated him. "So," said Lee, "The first and second were father and son?"

"That's right," said Raan. He stared up admiring the craftsmanship of the massive statues. Izou Dao had a very long beard that went all the way down past his wait, covering most of his body and face. His face seemed to be stuck in a permanent grin. All of the statues bodies were placed in the Raikage garb, a long flowing robe that reach just past the ankles, and lay on top of the feet. Izou Kai was next to him, an expression of sadness placed on his face.

"Why do you have so many Raikages," came a shy voice from behind Raan. He looked behind him to see that the Hyuuga girl had finally decided to speak up. Her eyes quickly went to the floor as Raan looked back at her.

Raan smiled slightly, "Well, two reasons," he said, "first, our village was established before yours and is the oldest of the ninja nations, predating the Leaf by a few generations." His expression and tone then turned solemn. "The second reason is that the Raikage is chosen a little differently from your Hokage. Whenever the Raikage falls in battle to another member of the Hidden Cloud, the person who killed the previous Raikage is the new Raikage."

Both Lee and Hinata were taken aback by this startling news. Raan looked up at the statues again, the color leaving his eyes slightly. The statues hands surrounded the brilliantly white bolt of lightning that streaked between the two points in the ceiling and the floor.

"So then," piped up Lee, "Izou Kai killed his father?" Raan nodded his head. "And this still goes on today?"

Raan looked at Lee, "You may consider it barbaric, and in a sense it is. But the logic is that the Raikage should only be replaced by someone of greater or equal power. Still..."

Raan sighed deeply, staring up at the statues again. "Oh Raan," came a voice to his right, "It's good to see you again."

Raan looked over to see the head monk of the temple. He was dressed in the same orange robe as the others, but his hair was a single braid that came from the top of his head down. Raan smiled over at him, "Yeah, back again I guess."

Chiang smiled warmly as he made his way towards Raan. "Oh," he said, looking at Lee and Hinata, "are these Leaf nins with you Raan?"

Raan nodded his head, and Chiang laughed out loud, his large belly swaying back and forth. "You certainly have chosen wisely my young friends," he said to Lee and Hinata, "You see, the man who brought you here is a direct descendent of the first and second Raikages themselves."

The two genin looked at him in amazement, "Wow," said Lee, "you must be a very powerful and ultra-cool person then if you have such blood flowing through you."

Raan laughed nervously, "Well," he said, "I guess talent skips a generation or two. I'm nothing really special. Heck, my girlfriend can beat me up pretty easily."

Lee looked a little disappointed at this but changed his expression quickly, "Ah well," he said, "I'm sure you're doing something that would make your ancestors proud," adding a thumbs up pose he had given three times since he met him.

Raan looked downtrodden at the last comment. "Yeah," he said, his voice distraught, "I guess." He opened the watch attached to his belt and opened it, the picture of Kimiko reminding him of his prior engagement. "Listen kids, I've got somewhere I need to be so I'm going to have to let you go." Lee and Hinata looked slightly disappointed but followed Raan out of the temple.

Raan watched them go down the street back to a hotel. Raan pulled out a cigarette and looked up at the sky. He was shocked to see that it was getting very dark. 'What time is it again,' he thought. He pulled out his watch, 'Its only 12:00 in the afternoon. Why is it getting so dark.' He stared up at the darkness that seemed to be consuming the town. He ripped his mind from it and went towards the hospital, the dark clouds overhead still giving him a feeling of ill omen.

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Naruto breathed heavily now; he could hear his breath echo with every passing in the cavernous building. He could feel his emotions rise to the surface again; just the sight of Sasuke brought him near the brink of frenzy. He kept his breathing controlled, his emotions in check. 'Not yet,' he thought to himself. Sasuke stood across from him, his arms crossed loosely in front of him. He was wearing the exact same garb he had worn since he had seen him last, a loose black t-shirt and white shorts. The only difference was that his headband now bore the mark of the Hidden Sound, another reminder of the feelings of betrayal that welled deep down inside of himself.

Neither of them spoke, only stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Suddenly, Sasuke spoke, "So," he said, his voice melancholy, "here we are again."

Naruto's mind filled with so many questions that his voice could not keep up. He wanted to ask Sasuke so many things, but at the same time he also wanted to curse Sasuke into oblivion and crush him. "Why Sasuke," said Naruto finally, his voice seething with fury, "why did you leave everyone? The village...cared so much about you. Everyone loved you, recognized you, and you turned your back on them all. Was it all for power, your capacity? ANSWER ME!!" he finally shouted with enough force to startle the birds perched on the rafters making them flutter away.

Sasuke simply stood unflinchingly as if he hadn't even heard Naruto's question. "None of that, people, love, recognition, matters at all," said Sasuke, his voice very cold, "Since that day, my goals have been always been clear. Number one, gain power; number two, kill my brother. Nothing else in this world matters except achieving those two goals. Friends, they would only distract me. That is why Konoha is weak Naruto."

Naruto's eyes widened, the anger coursing through him. Only the thought that perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope of reaching Sasuke kept him from attacking him. "You see Naruto," continued Sasuke, "Konoha puts so much stock in the fact that one's strength comes from the people around them. There could be nothing farther from the truth. Those people, who one would needlessly risk their lives for, will only result in a quick and meaningless death. Solitude, anger, deep feelings for revenge, these are all I need, all the motivation I need. Only with that single-mindedness can I truly achieve my goal and take my revenge upon Itachi."

"So then," asked Naruto, tears welling in his eyes, as both sadness and anger overwhelmed him, "does nothing matter to you? All the people that believed in you; that became your friends; that shared the deepest bonds with you. Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan... myself, do we mean nothing to you?"

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Sasuke contemplated Naruto's question. In his heart, he still felt the pangs telling him that he wanted friendship, to be comforted by people who would share his pain. He could still feel the lingering emotions within himself that so desperately wanted to run away from the pain and frustration that his goal entailed. Fond memories of their time as team 7 came flooding back to him. The spirited competition that Naruto and Sasuke had. Climbing the trees, the many missions where they watched each other's backs, the times when they were a team...but then...

The thought of Itachi staring down at him turned his focus back to present. 'I am an avenger,' he thought, 'there is no place for friends, family, love, these are only pleasantries that will get in the way of true power. My hate will fuel the fire within me.'

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, looking into his deep blue eyes as tears welled up in them. "That's right Naruto," replied Sasuke, "all those bonds I made in Konoha are broken. The only use you have for me now is as a measuring stick to test my capacity. You are strong Naruto, but your strength comes from your hate just like me. You hate the village for not accepting you; you hate the fact that you're always alone; and you hate me for betraying you. However, the origin of the hate is irrelevant; the fact that you hate is enough, and the more you hate, strife, and fuel the fire of rage within you, the stronger you become. That is the true way of the ninja!" he shouted, the echo reverberating throughout the warehouse.

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Naruto could not believe what he was hearing. 'Only a measuring stick?' he thought, 'that's all I am anymore.' The amazing bond formed between you two will come back full force as long as you don't give up on Sasuke. I'm sure he'll come back into the fold someday. Thickbrows' words came back to him full force. A fire began to burn within Naruto, he could feel the red chakra flow through his body, changing him. His hair grew long and wild, his teeth were bared and sharp. His fingernails grew into claws and the whisker marks on the sides of his cheeks grew longer and wider. His eyes turned into slits that burned straight into Sasuke. 'No thickbrows', thought Naruto, 'there is no more bond. Sasuke is gone, only this hate-filled demon is left. He is the cause of my pain, my suffering.' "If hate and pain are truly what makes you strong," cried Naruto, "than I will show you true power today!!"

Naruto charged at Sasuke, the pain and suffering he felt overwhelming him as he jumped at him, his claws reared and his fangs bared.

He charged forwards, his footsteps leaving permanent marks in the steel floor. Sasuke sidestepped his charge easily and took his position upon a stack of boxes in the corner. Naruto's feet squealed against the floor as he stopped his charge and stared at Sasuke. His Sharingan was activated now, the red, three dotted eyes staring at him. Sasuke smiled slightly as Naruto charged again, his voice emitting a huge growl as he dived forward, crashing into the boxes. Sasuke leapt off the boxes and landed gracefully on the floor. Naruto clawed his way out to see Sasuke laughing slightly and baiting him to attack.

Naruto crossed his fingers, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!!" he screamed as a hundred clones crowded in building, surrounding Sasuke. Every one was growling like a dog, their fangs bared, ready to tear into Sasuke. However, Sasuke simply flicked his hair form his eyes and smiled at Naruto, still baiting him forward, to attack.

Suddenly, every clone dived for Sasuke, creating a huge dust cloud in the middle of the building and making a large crash that was echoed out of the building; the impact breaking the windows and prying boards loose from the walls.

Sasuke jumped straight into the air, forcing himself from the dust cloud. He inverted his body parallel with the floor and began performing hand seals while in midair. "Suijin-Heki Suiton," he yelled, as a river of water streamed forth from his mouth, drenching the clones and the floor beneath them. Naruto looked up at Sasuke, who was now standing on the rafters, the blast of water having carried him up to the high ceiling of the building. Naruto scowled at him, 'Damn, I haven't even hit him yet,' he thought.

Sasuke was smiling maliciously at him. "You're still strong Naruto," he said from above, his voice sardonic, "but you're not on my level." He began to perform hand seals again, "Raidon Reku-Daan!" His hand grew white and suddenly a bolt of lightning sprung forth from it, connecting with the floor below and scattering it across the water drenched floor.

Naruto felt a searing pain shoot through him, burning every inch of his body, intensifying as time passed. He heard the slight pop of the clones disappearing and fell to his knees in pain until the jutsu was finally stopped. Steam was coming off of his body and his breathing was becoming labored.

"Just as I thought," said Sasuke, his voice demeaning, "you're not even close to my level. Your hatred for me is no where near the loathing I have for my brother. Only through this hate, can you possibly ascertain the power I have now."

Naruto had heard enough. The burns on his body slowly healed together. He stood up, his nostrils flaring, his eyes wide with rage. Every breath he exhaled sounded like an inhuman growl. "You want fury!?" Naruto yelled, "I'LL SHOW YOU FURY!!!!" He charged at Sasuke at breakneck speed.

Sasuke quickly began to transform into his curse seal mode. They charged at each other, each step vibrating the ground they stood on. They were feet form each other, then inches. A gigantic explosion rocked the building they were fighting in and dust and debris filled the air.

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Julius watched the explosion in the distance. He had felt a gigantic force in this area; he had never even sensed this kind of power from an outsider. It was coming from two sources, with very different and terrible chakras. Julius watched from a distance, nonchalantly, but impressed with the power he was feeling.

"This must be the Uchiha," he thought. He jumped from roof to roof coming closer to the abandoned industrial district that he was feeling this from.

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The smoke from the impact finally cleared, but Naruto felt that he didn't hit anything, nor did he feel anything hit him from the front. Instead, he was now laying on the ground as powerful arms were wrapped around him, restraining his movements. He struggled against the grasp, but the person was extremely strong.

"That's enough Naruto," came a familiar voice, "this is not the time for such a confrontation.

Gai was laying on top of him, shoving his face into the ground, his arms locked around Naruto with a vice-like grip. He looked very distraught, and somewhat angered. Sasuke was still standing, reverting back to normal while Kakashi stood to the side looking at the two.

"Do not forget what Tsunade-sama said Naruto," continued Gai, "If the Hidden Cloud were to find out about this they would not be pleased, and the Hokage would have a much tougher time getting a treaty."

Naruto didn't care about any of that. Rage was still coursing through his body, wanting to pummel Sasuke into a bloody pulp. "LET ME GO!!" he screamed. A sharp, hard pain came across his neck and then darkness consumed him.

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Kakashi watched as Gai hit Naruto across the back of the neck, causing his body to go limp. "Sorry Naruto," said Gai, "but nothing can be accomplished from this premature engagement."

Kakashi's attention then turned to Sasuke who was standing with a very disappointed and slightly bored expression on his face. "A timely interference," Sasuke said, "you're lucky you didn't get in my way though." Kakashi scowled inwardly at Sasuke.

"Gai," said Kakashi, "take Naruto back to the hotel and calm him down."

Gai lifted Naruto up on his shoulder and looked slightly anxious at Kakashi, "Don't do anything brash Kakashi."

"You know me."

"That's what I mean."

Kakashi shot Gai a dirty look. Gai nodded at Kakashi and then sped off back towards the residential area. Kakashi's focus returned to Sasuke who returned his gaze. "Its been quite a while Kakashi-sensei," said Sasuke, the arrogance reeking from his voice.

Kakashi said nothing. The anger flowed through him but he kept it under control. He turned to leave and follow Gai. "You were wrong you know," said Sasuke.

Kakashi looked back at him. "You said I would no longer grow," continued Sasuke, "that I would never defeat my brother if I embraced the curse seal. You lied; I have grown stronger than I have ever been, and under Orochimaru's tutelage I continue to develop. I understand now that the only thing Konoha ever did for me was hold me back from my true potential. You preach your blind faiths in friendship, compassion, family, but when it comes to real power, it is only done alone, with only one's hate to keep him warm."

Kakashi turned to stare at Sasuke. "At any other place, in any other time," he said, his tone level but still malicious, "I would kill you where you stand."

Sasuke laughed openly, "Do you think you could?" said Sasuke, his voice baiting Kakashi, "I have already surpassed your greatest weapon," changing his eyes to reveal the three dot Sharingan within them.

Kakashi smiled slightly, "It's true that your amazing eyes surpass my single one," he said, "but I think you may place a little too much stock in those eyes of yours Sasuke."

Sasuke furrowed his brow, "What are you talking about," he said, "these eyes and this seal will be my keys to destroying my brother completely."

Kakashi turned his back to Sasuke and went to leave, "I will say this before I go Sasuke," he said, "of all the mysteries and powers that exist in this world, your Sharingan is truly great. But some powers exist in this world that cannot be conquered alone, no matter what tools you may possess. The lonely road you take now is only leading you to an early grave Sasuke; I truly hope you realize that before it's too late."

Kakashi left Sasuke alone there and followed Gai back to the hotel, jumping from roof to roof. He suddenly stopped, his single eye showing wide. He looked around himself, only seeing darkness. 'There's that feeling again,' he thought. He looked around, standing very still, attempting to find the source of the feeling. 'This is odd,' he continued, 'I guess I can only hope it's still just residual.'

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Sasuke scoffed at Kakashi's words, "What does he know," he thought, "he's just trying to mess with my mind." He began to slowly walk out of the building, going down the alleys he had led Naruto down originally. Something was bothering him, a feeling like someone was watching him. He looked skyward, 'Whoever it is," he thought, "he's keeping himself well hidden." Sasuke continued to walk, looking for signs of his watcher. Finally, he came to a dead end alley. "Alright," he said, "whoever you are, show yourself now. I'm tired of you following me." He waited for a moment and then heard a slight drop in the darkness behind him. He turned around suddenly and readied himself for battle, going into his fighting stance.

He heard footsteps slowly getting closer to him, echoing in the darkness until a strange looking person finally appeared in the light. He was a few inches taller than Sasuke and was dressed completely in white, with a gold trim around the edges of his loose robe and pants. He looked to be no more than thirteen despite his size. His hair was streaked white and black and it cascaded down the sides of his face. His face was expressionless, his stance loose.

He spoke with a very cold and inflectionless tone, "Interesting that you've spotted me Uchiha Sasuke," he said.

"You know me?" asked Sasuke.

A slight chuckle passed through the stranger's lips before becoming stoic once again. "Intimately," he said, "I have been told everything about you Uchiha Sasuke, from the lips of the man who holds my leash."

Sasuke's brow furrowed in confusion, "Who the hell is this guy,' he thought. "Who is your master?"

"All in good time Uchiha," replied the stranger, "I am here to gauge your strength, nothing more. We are very interested if your master's stories about your 'unsurpassable strength'."

"He's not my master," said Sasuke indignantly, "and if you're here to gauge my strength then you're a fool. I could kill some piece of crap like you in a few minutes."

The stranger's eyes widened and his mouth seemed to curl in a smile though he tried desperately to hide it. "How spirited he is," said the stranger, "We all serve a master Uchiha Sasuke, even if it is not a corporeal one. In my case, I am the weapon which punishes the wicked who would oppose us. I am a divine cleanser which destroys the impure souls that would destroy the utopia we seek to create."

"What are you babbling about," said Sasuke.

The stranger quickly regain his composure and became stoic again. "It seems like I have failed in my mission. But I have gauged your strength somewhat. The examination will be interesting Uchiha Sasuke; I do hope you show me the power you possess. It will simply be disappointing otherwise." The stranger then went back into the shadows and into the night which slowly swept over the village as the grey sky turned to black.

A/N: I don't speak Japanese at all, so I just kind of made up the names for Sasuke's jutsus out of what I saw in the manga. Sorry if it doesn't make sense but I'm not even close to fluent.