Chapter 24: Losing the battle

No matter how strong the spirit is. The body is feeble. That's the reason why I'm developing a jutsu that will let me to exchange bodies. So it won't matter if the body is injured or destroyed, I'll always have more bodies in the reserve

What will happen to the original owners of the body? Isn't Nature the one that shows a great truth: The Strong survive. The Weak disappear

Orochimaru

Sakura opened her eyes. Naruto face's was centimeters from hers.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! Sasuke is..."

Sakura violently stood up.

"Is he gone? How long ago?" yelled Sakura holding Naruto violently.

"... One hour ago." answered Naruto, surprised by Sakura's outburst.

"Then we have no time to waste. We are the only ones that can save Sasuke." She said and paused for a second to think "If he felt Itachi in the city, we can go there. There should be many witnesses that saw a person moving too fast for a normal human being. We have to hurry.

"Don't worry. Sasuke is too stubborn to die." Naruto said, even if he didn't really believe it.

"Uchiha Itachi killed the whole Uchiha clan, the elite of the Leaf Village, eight years ago. How strong do you think he probably is now?

Naruto didn't answer.

Sasuke ran at full speed, got behind Itachi in a flash, and tried to stab him from behind. Itachi without even glancing back blocked Sasuke's kunai with his own. Metal clashing against metal Sasuke still moved forward holding another kunai, getting ready to stab Itachi in the heart.

Itachi's punch slipped through Sasuke's guard as if it were not there. He was thrown backwards twenty meters and barely managed to protect himself from the fall, jumping backwards three times to contain the impact.

Sasuke panted. It was impossible. Taijutsu was useless against the Uchiha genius. Not with his own weak level. Using ninjutsu was also useless, as his brother had taken the Sharingan a step farther. Instead of merely copying the techniques, he was able to copy them instantly and then releasing an even stronger copy than the original. Using genjutsu against Itachi's Sharingan sounded like a bad joke. He couldn't even look at Itachi in the eyes, lest he risk the chance of suffering Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan.

"Damn you!" Sasuke started to run around Itachi at superior speed, one that had gotten after endless training. He started to read Itachi's movements and throw precise shurikens at his blind sides.

Useless.

Itachi wasn't even breaking a sweat as he effortlessly blocked every single shuriken, spinning around himself. He didn't appear concerned by Sasuke's efforts at killing him.

Sasuke snarled. Still running around, he used Kagen Bunshin. Five Sasukes ran at full speed to Itachi using the chidori. Itachi didn't even use a weapon. He didn't need one. He too easily kicked and punched the five clones away.

The four clones banished. The real one fell against the tree. He staggered and then he managed to stand, spilling blood. «Two, no, three ribs broken. The smallest movement hurts like hell. Bastard. »

"Tired already? I should have known. You are weak. And the reason you are weak is that you keep on running away. Your hate is not enough-

"Running away?" asked Sasuke. He had to be careful, he needed an effective strategy. "I have been chasing you since that night. I have never run away from you. I hate you with all my soul!"

"Have you killed your best friend yet? You haven't, since you keep avoiding my eyes. Why do you have a ring in your finger? The ring our father used to wear? I guess there is a woman out there that has our mother's ring. As I said, you are running away from your destiny."

«Yes, that was the Uchiha Itachi I remember. One that can read all, plan every single movement of the fight from beginning to the end, one that is a superior shinobi, one that dad and mum were proud of. »

"Caring for someone… taking revenge on you… they aren't mutually exclusive, are they?" asked Sasuke, after finally managing to stand up.

"If you want to realize your dreams, you must make sacrifices. The measurement of the importance of your dreams depends not on your hard work, but on the sacrifices you make" said Itachi, and for the first time since the one-sided fight had started Sasuke noticed a feeling in Itachi's voice besides scorn. It sounded like sadness. No, it had to be something else. "If you want to kill me, you have to become like me."

"I will never be like you! Katon: Noba no jutsu."

The powerful firestorm burning everything in its path moved at frightening speed towards Itachi who didn't try to avoid it. The inferno engulfed him, and Sasuke thought that he had finally killed Itachi.

Vain thought.

Itachi was spinning around himself, creating a current of air that was protecting him from the fire. The fire was flying in the air around Itachi, creating a column of fire and illuminating his Sharingan eyes. Sasuke tried launched ten shurikens with strings attached. He was planning to use the strings to trap Itachi as soon as he avoided the shurikens, since not even Uchiha Itachi could stop all of ten shurikens launched simultaneously at different parts of the body.

Itachi stopped the ten shurikens with his left hand as if it were nothing.

Sasuke sighed. Itachi was just fighting defensively. Why didn't he try to kill him? Was he still so worthless he wasn't even worth killing?

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no jutsu" yelled Sasuke doing the seals and a Water Dragon attacked Itachi, who blocked the water blast with his bare hand.

"Useless" Itachi said.

Sasuke didn't answer. He ran really fast and got behind Itachi. Chidori blazing, he charged towards Itachi hoping to surprise him. Itachi blocked the chidori with an arm and hit Sasuke violently with an elbow.

Sasuke felt blood in his mouth, while he staggered. Itachi continued his attack and Sasuke barely had time to see the strike straight to the face, far less to try to avoid it.

Sasuke's body was thrown to the side as if he were a rag doll. For a moment his limbs refused to accept his orders.

"Is that the best you can do? Pathetic!" said Itachi. Sasuke gritted his teeth, his limbs were moving coordinately again and they were out for blood "I'll show you real power, the true power of the Uchiha clan" continued Itachi.

Sasuke backed and got ready. Itachi started doing some seals at frightening speed. Still, Sasuke recognized them. He bit his two index fingers and started drawing the seals of Orochimaru's strongest defense before Itachi had finished.

"KATON! NOBA NO JUTSU!" Yelled Itachi and a true inferno came to him, far, far strongest than his own.

Sasuke finished the jutsu Rashomon and a huge wall contained the fire. For a moment it looked like the wall would resist the fire. However nothing could resist the conflagration. As the wall fell on him, Sasuke smiled. Maybe he still had a chance of surviving.

Naruto and Sakura looked up to the horizon. A huge light had suddenly appeared from nowhere. There was a huge chakra being released.

"What..?"

"It's them! Run!" yelled Sakura. Naruto was forced to run behind her.

Kisame was looking at the forest that had been there just a few seconds ago. The trees that were in front of Itachi hadn't been burn, they had been carbonized. Itachi calmly walked to Sasuke, or more actually what was left of Sasuke. Most of his body was burnt; the rest was buried in rubble.

"Your use of Henge no Jutsu has always been weak, foolish brother" Itachi said.

The half-burned body smiled and got up while the genjutsu disappeared and Sasuke, again, full of bruises, was up again. However, Itachi had to admit that even if his little brother's body didn't hold on till the end, his eyes, his spirit, apparently did. They were looking at him, with so much hate, so much fury...

Itachi grabbed a kunai and started to walk towards Sasuke.

"Let's finish this! "Sasuke and started running towards Itachi using the chidori.

Itachi got ready to cut him down when a second Sasuke, emerged from underground, grabbing Itachi from behind. It was less than a second, but it was exactly what Sasuke needed to pierce Itachi with the chidori. The second clone disappeared.

"When the wall was hiding me, I got a shadow clone to surprise you, brother" There was a long pause. Blood started to pour from Itachi's wound over Sasuke's arm that was still unmoving. "I hated you brother... and I missed you too." There was a tired smile playing on Sasuke's lips.

"Aa." answered Itachi with the eyes closed. When he opened them, there was contempt in his expression "As I thought, you are still weak.

Sasuke blinked once, twice and understood. He tried to take out his arm... too late

In that moment the explosive clone exploded, and Sasuke took the full blast.

Sasuke opened his eyes. Itachi was on top of him holding a katana. His reflexes acted and he jumped away, barely missing Itachi's strike.

He tried to pick up a kunai with his right hand, but he realized that where his hand used to be, there was only a stump now. There was no pain yet. He calmly analyzed the situation and considered that he was in a state of shock. His left hand went to his face and he looked with disdain as his hand came back red with blood. He took the forehead protector. It looked just a scrawny piece of scratched-up metal. His head was also bleeding.

"You failed" said Itachi, turning around.

"Are you trying to run away again?" Asked Sasuke coldly "I'm still alive. I haven't given up!"

Itachi stopped and turned around.

"If you want to die so badly, so be it."

Sasuke got ready. He still had control of his body. He had to kill Itachi before he died of blood loss. He would have to use all the chakra he had on regenerating destroyed cells to close the wounds. That meant that he wouldn't be able to use any jutsus. Didn't matter, since all the jutsus he knew needed two hands.

« I will never be able to use any jutsus again. » The thought came to his head, and he was surprised how little he cared about the future. He only cared about this fight. He had to think about a plan.

Then Itachi attacked. Sasuke couldn't read his movements at all. First, a powerful kick to his face. He was barely able to block it. Without any pause, there was another kick to his abdomen. He would have fallen but Itachi beat him to it. A third kick his legs, sweeping them. For less than a second Sasuke was falling down. Itachi finished the fight with a flip-kick to his face. This time Sasuke wasn't able to stop it.

Sasuke felt the bruises around his body while he tried to stand.

"Weak" said Itachi slowly, carefully pronouncing carefully every letter. Only that gave Sasuke enough hate to stand up and to back away.

Itachi smirked and started to dash again directly to Sasuke who saw the blade coming to his head. Sasuke barely dodged, jumping backwards while a glinting metal katana passed where his head had just been. Even as he felt the blood running down his cheek, he felt something close to ecstasy. His brother was finally turning back and looking at him. Finally he was strong enough that his brother had to kill him.

Itachi attacked.

Sasuke tried to block him, but Itachi just moved past him, getting ready to attack Sasuke from behind.

"Damn!" yelled Sasuke. He jumped forward, hoping to avoid Itachi's next attack, and turned around in the air, trying to catch a glimpse of his brother. However he wasn't anywhere.

«Where? Right, left, down and...» And for the first time in the fight, he felt a killing intent... «... and behind. » He could feel Itachi's black cape almost touching him for the effect of the wind.

"You are really fast!" Sasuke said. He was feeling weak. He looked to the right without moving his head. Itachi's shadow was there. Thanks to the shadow he could see Itachi holding the katana. He could also feel Itachi's aura, like a wolf getting ready to jump. The slightest movement and Itachi would cut him. "I am not beaten yet."

"You are pathetic!" Itachi said. "I killed the whole clan, and still, deep in your heart, you have doubts. I was in position and yet you doubted for a second in launching your trap."

"I was just waiting for the right moment" corrected Sasuke. He didn't want to ask himself if Itachi's words were right. No, he didn't want to. If he doubted for a second, he was afraid he was going to faint. He still needed more time to create new body cells to replace the destroyed ones.

"Brother, I'm kind of jealous, why did you have to kill that girl's family? Wasn't one avenger enough? Do you really want to die so much?"

"I don't want to die" corrected Itachi. "For me, you are just" Sasuke could almost feel his smile "toys to amuse me"

Sasuke felt his rage burning him inside. His chakra reserves were almost depleted, but at least he wasn't bleeding anymore. He was ready for the final strike.

"Let's finish this!" He said.

"Aa" answered Itachi. Sasuke could see the shadow moving the katana, getting ready to strike.

Sasuke grabbed his last kunai. He had been too optimistic at the beginning of the fight, and had thought that he had one possibility out of a hundred to beat Itachi. Being realistic, his chances were right then one out of a million. Itachi was going to kill him now. However, even if his possibilities were one in a trillion, he would still fight him.

Sasuke smiled, and started to turn, full speed. He could also feel Itachi's moving. It was said that one's whole life passes in front of you when you die. He was watching his life now. His life of Avenger. The voice of the one he used to love filled his mind.

"Foolish little brother..."

He was still turning. He could barely see Itachi now.

"If you wish to kill me—hate me..."

The image of his parents, bloody and lifeless on the floor of their home, flashed in his mind.

"Survive pathetically and run, run..."

He could see Itachi now. His katana was going faster than him. He was going to die.

"...and cling desperately to life."

No, he didn't want to die remembering the words that had set his path as an avenger. He wanted to forget them. Even if it was just for an instant, his last instant, he wanted to think about something else. He didn't want to remember the horror of that fateful night.

He wanted to die remembering them, the people that had somehow broken all the walls that he had put around his heart.

"Friends forever" Naruto said. He had been crying.

"Sasuke. That night, we both got drunk, and we made love. It was a mistake we both made, but it was the sweetest mistake I have ever made. I don't repent of anything I did. We have been living together one year, and I want to be together the rest of my life with you. That's the whole truth" Said Sakura.

"Sakura, I love you. I really love you. I am glad I was born, because I was able to meet you."

His last words to her. He had meant every word. They would be his last memory. To die fighting Itachi, thinking his precious people was a good way to die.

Itachi's blade was almost reaching his neck, when Itachi suddenly changed its trajectory and used the katana to stop one dozen shurikens.

Sasuke continued with the movement of the kunai and Itachi barely avoided it.

"Who?" asked Itachi, still keeping an eye on his brother and looking for the new enemy.

"The star of the story always comes at the very last moment to save the day!" yelled a blond shinobi with an orange suit.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?" asked Sasuke.

"You will never be on your own as long as I'm still here. I haven't forgotten your promise either. You have to make Sakura happy!" said Naruto, adopting a fighting pose. One of the annoying customs he had picked from Lee.

"Naruto! Go away! Itachi is too strong!"

"You are unfair Sasuke" said Naruto. "If it were me, you would stay, wouldn't you? If you were to die, I would feel very alone. You are like a brother to me. That's the reason that I'm going to fight with you. Remember, you are not alone!" He took a good look at Sasuke's wounds "Besides you really need my help"

Sasuke was going to yell at him, was going to order him to go away, tell him that this was his fight, when he saw something in his kunai. There was blood. He raised his eyes. Itachi was holding his bleeding arm. Uchiha Itachi had been hurt. He had finally gotten hurt, thanks to Naruto's intervention.

Maybe, just maybe, his approach to fighting Itachi was wrong. If both Naruto and Sakura were so important to him, and he was so important to them, then fighting alone was wrong. If he didn't want to hurt them, then he had to fight with them and make sure everybody survived.

"Let's fight with Team 7's full power!" yelled Naruto. Sasuke's eyes turned to Naruto. Oh, yes. He had understood it. Sakura was around, probably hidden, waiting for the chance to strike. Damn it! He should have pressed the pressure points harder. He had been too concerned with her welfare and he had pressed them too softly. "Sasuke, don't forget that I am four times stronger than you."

«Strategy four?» thought Sasuke. Well, that was probably the correct one, considering the circumstances. Using his own face as bait, Naruto would dance with his shadow clones around Itachi while he waited for his chance. It was a fat chance, but it was the best they had.

Naruto started concentrating his Kyubi's chakra. He had gotten better over the years at using the chakra of the monster.

Much better.

Kisame looked at the person standing in the ball of chakra, wind and sand moving around him. He wasn't the Naruto they had to kidnap. Instead of a clear, pale blue, the small pupils of his eyes were red, and in its depths, he imagined a fire blazing. The six marks on his cheeks had lengthened considerably and he was gritting his teeth in anger.

He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Itachi was also staring with attention at Naruto, his hair and clothes billowing in the wind produced from the huge power of Naruto's chakra. He was smiling. He was more afraid of Itachi than of any nine-tails demon.

"Itachi, we should..." he tried to call.

"Kisame, shut up!" Itachi ordered and his eyes returned to the two shinobis. One of them, his own brother, still bleeding and with one arm and half of the face missing. The second one, the Kyubi vessel "This is going to be interesting."

Kisame watched as the Kyubi vessel transformed into the young Uchiha using Henge no Jutsu and then he produced hundreds and hundreds of copies of himself. Kisame tried to guess where the real one was. That was impossible when all the Sasukes rushed at Itachi. Nobody could follow every single one of... well, in Itachi's case, he probably could.

Just then, he noticed another's person chakra. He looked to the left. Hidden behind a tree, he could feel a chakra. Probably one partner of the other two leafs. Kisame smiled. He was finally going to get some action. He was Hoshigaki Kisame. He was one of the Akatsuki members. Nobody should underestimate him. Before the day was over, there was going to be a lot of blood.

Well, here is the next story. I hope you like it. Did you like the fight? Most of part 2 is going to be about fights, although there is still going to be heavy character development, so I need to know how are my abilities in writing battle scenes. Please send me some feedback, since I really learna lot from all the reviews I get. So, did you like the story?