PURPOSE by Kiraya
Disclaimer: I just wish I'd thought of it all first… Le sigh.
Warnings: Oodles of spoilerific fun for those who haven't read the manga up to the end of part I; slightly AU (hey, I can't predict what Kishimoto-sensei's going to do with 'em now that they're all grown up, though I must say WOO GAARA!). Tangled-up incidences featuring various degrees of SasuNaru; whether they stay platonic or not remains to be seen.
For this installment specifically… meh. Nasty words, a little violence… what else is new?
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Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
"Get off my bed."
Uchiha Sasuke paused in his experimentation just long enough to respond. "Why? You're not using it." Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
Footsteps as the Rokudaime Hokage approached his carelessly sprawled rival and watched his messy attempts at the jutsu only three had ever mastered. "You're never going to be able to do it that way," he commented.
The chakra dissipated. "Then how do I do it, smartass?" Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
A snort. "Why should I tell you, bastard?"
The chakra dissipated. There was a challenging edge to the last Uchiha's voice now. "You know I'll pick it up eventually." All they had to do was keep fighting; the Sharingan had never failed him, and damned if he'd let it start now. It was only a matter of time.
Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
"…I don't think so."
The chakra dissipated. Sasuke was getting frustrated, but resolved not to show it. "Why not?" Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
"There are some secrets that no eyes can discover, no matter their power," Uzumaki Naruto replied mysteriously. There was a rustling as he donned the Hokage's long robes.
The chakra dissipated. "…That was probably the corniest thing I've heard since Kakashi-sensei's whole 'underneath the underneath' bullshit." Concentrate. The chakra whirled—
A well-aimed towel hit Sasuke in the face, and the smell of ozone and burnt cloth filled the air. "Fuck!" the black-haired man snarled, shoving the charred fabric onto the floor. "Be a little more careful, asshole, okay?"
The blond shrugged in response.
Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
"Corny, yeah," Naruto said off-handedly, "but both of us know it's true."
The chakra dissipated. Sasuke said nothing, but his mouth twisted in an ironic smile.
Concentrate. The chakra whirled; the chakra inexplicably dissipated. Do it again.
Footsteps as the Hokage moved away. "Get off your lazy ass and let's go already. We're late enough as it is."
The last Uchiha made a face at the irregular, unstable thing he held in his hand, and lobbed it at his rival's back.
Naruto snagged the proto-Rasengan right out of the air, only to have the chakra dissipate the moment he caught hold of it. "Gee, Sasuke, I didn't know you could pull something like that off. Your mastery of that jutsu is spectacular." He turned, and looked scornfully at the black-haired man. "Stop fucking around and let's go."
Uchiha Sasuke had other ideas, though.
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Uzumaki Naruto let out a huge sigh as he frowned at the hole in the wall where the door once was. "Dammit, Sasuke," he grunted as he staggered to his feet, grabbing the cracked plaster for support. "When are you going to stop this childish bullshit?"
The black-haired man very slowly eased himself into a sitting position and carefully began counting how many ribs he'd broken this time, deliberately ignoring his rival.
Naruto gingerly tried to rest some weight on his right leg, and winced. "You broke it again, asshole," he said accusingly. "I'm not going to be able to walk straight for a week."
Pale lips flecked with dark, precious, rare Uchiha blood smirked at him. "You've been asking for it for a while."
The Hokage rolled his eyes as he limped over to his former teammate. "Let's just go find Sakura. I don't think they'd appreciate it if we showed up at the office like this, na?"
Sasuke stared at the calloused palm in front of his face, then looked up at the man offering it to him.
From Naruto's expression, one would never have been able to tell they'd been engaged in such a violent struggle just moments before. His blue eyes held no malice in them, just a little pain lurking behind warm, slightly amused affection.
Wordlessly, the last Uchiha took the Rokudaime's hand.
…He let go once they'd gotten outside, though. After all, he did have a reputation to maintain.
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End Act X. 18 February 2005.