Night fell, and Naruto was still training outside in the forest.
Damn Ero-sennin, I didn't waste this day so you could run off and 'research'!
He sighed, slightly depressed.
Sakura-chan... I promised I'd get Sasuke back... but... that damn ERO-SENNIN wouldn't show UP!
He punched a tree, only to bring it back quickly and whimper at the instant pain of his cracked knuckles.
There was a low rumble, and flash across the sky, as raindrops began to fall. Naruto looked up, frowning.
Maybe I should go back, it's not like I'm getting anywhere today.
He wiped away the drops of rain from his face with the sleeve of his coat, and turned to head back home. Along the way, his senses became alert, telling him danger was near. He looked about, and believed he caught a glimpse of a figure hidden in a tree far off.
"Hey coward, show yourself!" He screamed, having no more patience left for anything.
The figure chuckled, slightly stepping out into the light. It's face was hidden behind the tree leave's shade, thought it was wearing a blue shirt and white shorts. Naruto's eyes widened, a sudden recognition crossed his mind. Sasuke? He narrowed his eyes.
He called out, confirming his doubts. "Sasuke? Is it...?"
Is it really you?
It seemed impossible to him that Sasuke would return to Konoha, but life was always throwing people off guard.
"Funny you should be calling me the coward, Scaredy-cat." The figure jumped down, stepping in the moonlight. Sure enough, Naruto's doubts were indeed confirmed.
"S..Sasuke... you're..." Naruto was shocked, the sight of a familiar, yet distant friend broke his guard.
"I'm back... for you." His cold, distant eyes was locked with Naruto's own, as he pulled out a kunai and moved into his fighting stance, a smirk crossing his features. "Let's fight."
Naruto was at lost to even be angered with him at the moment.
"F-fight?"
He looked confusedly at him, "dattebayo... datte! We're friends, why do you still insist on fighting! Sasuke -"
"I'll show you how different we are in strength!. Konoha is full of worthless shit. How can you remain here?"
Offended, Naruto growled, "If anyone's a worthless shit, it's you!" His angered sparked, "Why are you with Orochimaru?"
"I'd think you would know the answer to that question. Never catching on, are you? Dead-last." He smirked, adding fuel to Naruto's rage. "That reason, is for me to know, and for you to keep on guessing. Why do I exist, Naruto? Why do I live and breath on this repulsive world? What do I have to gain?"
Naruto formed a fist, gritting his teeth.
I can't let him slip away this time... It's my only chance to get him back... for Sakura's sake... for our team...
"I know who I am," Sasuke continued, " and I'm never turning back. You're pathetic. You have no talent. No power. You can't grow or improve here in Konoha. This village is weak. I hate it! How can you stand it? This repulsive atmosphere."
Naruto grabbed his collar, infuriated. "Don't you dare call Konoha 'worthless' or 'repulsive'. This is your home! Where your team is! You're suppose to be here! Completing missions with Kakashi-sensei and Sakura-chan! And you call you're home 'worthless shit'? What happened to you?"
"Don't you touched me!" Sasuke yelled, avoiding the question and kneed Naruto in the stomach.
He fell back, surprised and caught off guard. He quickly got up, glaring at his best friend.
"How can you do this?..." Why must we fight? We... were a team...
"Kage bunshin no Jutsu!" His dopplegangers instantly appeared, surrounding Sasuke in a circle.
"Heh. Still at these old games, are we? Still at these lame - old - GAMES!" Sasuke gave a look of disgust, "Don't make me waste my time and strength on you!"
"Must I knock some sense into your thick head! Your home, your family is here in Konoha. Why are you leaving it all behind? Just for power? What'll you do with power if you're not going to protect the most precious things! SASUKE!" Naruto charged at him, his dopplegangers following suit. "I'll bring you back to Konoha, I swear --!"
"Precious things! hah! What is that really? Just objects to throw away. Points of vulnerability! I need no precious things! Just shut up and fight me!" Sasuke dodged his dopplegangers with ease, throwing kunais accurately at them as they disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Naruto ran up behind him, landing a punch to Sasuke's face when he looked over his shoulder. He continued with a series of kicks to his stomach, but failed to inflict any more strikes – Sasuke had activated his Sharingan to aid him in his battle.
Naruto stepped back, beginning to breath heavy. "I promised you I'd break every bone in your body If I have to." He summoned more shadow copies, preparing for his next move. Sasuke had regained his composure, glaring at Naruto with his fiery eyes.
"Let's see you try." He mocked, charging through Naruto's shadows and brought a kick to Naruto's head, only to be blocked by his arm. Naruto countered with an elbow to his chest, sending him a few feet back. Before Sasuke could regain his footing, Naruto's shadows moved in and performed the Uzumaki- Rendan. Sasuke took the first two blows, blocking the rest and back-flipped, landing on his feet. The two were glaring at each other, pondering how strong the other had got after their last battle.
Sakura finished her training with Tsunade-sama, heading out the Hokage's quarters. She looked up at the pouring sky and the gray clouds, sighing with fatigue.
Training had become more difficult for her. The skies cracked with thunder over the forest, sending a small flock of birds to migrate. Sakura's eyes wandered to the village exit, the road which she last saw Sasuke. For a strange reason, she felt compelled to visit the road once more –as if it would give her some kind of clue to Sasuke's whereabouts. She headed down the stairs, walking towards the exit of Konoha. She passed by the forest, hearing the clashes of kunais.
Is someone training? In the rain? She made her way through the forest, finding an unbelievable site.
"S-sasuke? Naruto? What on earth is going on here?" She said in disbelief. For a moment she considered it could be Genjutsu, but it was unlikely.
Naruto and Sasuke stopped the fight for a moment, turning their attention to Sakura.
"S-Sakura-chan..." Naruto looked over his shoulder at her. "What're you doing here?"
"Get lost Sakura, you're annoying and weak. Just like the rest of Konoha. You don't belong in this scene."
Naruto turned his attention back to Sasuke, feeling angry with his insults. "You bastard!" Naruto threw a punch at Sasuke's face, pinning him to a tree with a kunai held to his throat.
"I had enough of you! You don't even know how much everyone's gone through for your damn sake! You don't know how much Neji, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Kiba suffered because of you! Everyone's been working hard to restore Konoha... Sakura-chan's been training hard because she felt useless, And even now, you simply call her 'weak'. I'm not taking this bullshit from you! "
"Suffered? You don't even know what Suffering means! And neither of you would ever become strong in this sad excuse for village full of ninjas."
Naruto tightened his grip on the handle of his kunai, overwhelmed in jumbled emotions of hurt and hate. His heart wrenched in emotions, desperately holding back tears that refuse to fade.
"Look at yourself. You weak pathetic scaredy-cat. Want me to wipe those tears off?" Sasuke punched Naruto across the face again – But Naruto looked back, glaring with his rising Kyuubi eyes.
"That didn't hurt a bit." He struck a blow at Sasuke's face.
"Yeah? well that didn't hurt either. I'll show you what real strength is."
"Unlike you I know what real strength is! You're the weak one! Constantly chasing after a far off dream. You'll never beat him your state!" He growled, referring to Sasuke's revenge on Itachi.
"I know. that's why I'm not facing him yet. " Sasuke said truthfully, though in disbelief he opened himself to Naruto.
What am I saying? He doesn't need to know this!
"You're a coward! Turning your back on your team, your friends! What good have you done at you're time here!" Crimson chakra was flowing along with his emotions, his claws and marks extending out. He was shaking with anger and despair, how could he bring Sasuke back in his current stubborn state? Sasuke continued to refuse to return.
Sakura could watch no longer, she had to use the jutsu she learned. "Naruto... Step back."
He wouldn't give her a glance, much too enveloped with his rage of making Sasuke understand all the suffering that Konoha's genins had gone through.
"Naruto..." He finally looked back to acknowledge Sakura, finding a blue flame gathered around Sakura, as she performed all the hand seals of the zodiac. But there was another seal that neither Sasuke or Naruto had recognized.
Sakura thought to herself. Tsunade-sama forbade me to use this. But I have to. It's a forbidden jutsu too. The seal that was never ever used before. The seal of...the CAT. She completed the seals, looking intently at the two. "Naruto, step back."
He complied, as Sakura ran up with the chakra glowing in her hands, and struck Sasuke in his chest. He emitted a scream in pain, as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and dripped.
Surprised, Naruto took a step back, and swallowed hard at the sight. Tsunade-baa-chan... really... did make Sakura-chan monstrously insanely scary!
Sasuke coughed, looking at Sakura in recognition of her improvement. He used his sleeve to wipe the blood from his lips. "So you did... get stronger... I'll give you that..." He was leaning against the tree trunk, breathing heavy.
"What? Why isn't he dead? Damn, it failed Naruto!"
"Dead? Sakura! You were trying to kill him?"
Sasuke chuckled, bringing his hand to his chest and preformed a healing jutsu he had learned from Kabuto.
"I'm sorry, Naruto. But look at him now. This is not the Sasuke that we once knew. We have to kill him, or else..."
"Weak, Sakura, weak." Sasuke's wound was completely healed. "Let me show you how to kill!"
"Don't you dare touch Sakura-chan!"
Sasuke lunged forward, preparing a kunai to slit her throat, only to cut Naruto's chest when he stepped in to interfere. He took the pain, but took the advantage to grab Sasuke by the wrist and kneed him in the stomach. "I won't... let you go..."
"Naruto!" Sakura looked at Naruto with worry. She took the chance to hit Sasuke once again, this time with all the chakra she could muster. Please, end this.
Sasuke fell on his knees, taking too much damage all at once.
Sakura felt a stab of pain, and winced, falling to the floor with Sasuke. She was sweating and sputtering blood.
"Sasuke," she said gratefully, "thanks for everything." Tears were brimming in her eyes, slowly flowing down her cheeks as she felt her strength to breathe slowly fade.
Things were falling apart.