You must have up to Episode 16 to understand the back-story of this moment.
Naruto slowly woke up, looking around. As his eyesight cleared he was able to see the Hidden Mist Ninja that Zabuza had been with was un the ground.
"Geez, you…"
Naruto looked up at Sasuke.
"Always just get in the way…"
Naruto almost jumped up, "You did it Sasuke!" then stopped, looking closer; Sasuke had needles through his chest and arms, and was breathing deeply. He'd protected him!
"What's… with that face…?" asked Sasuke, slowly, "you total moron…"
Naruto jumped to his feet, "Why did… you save me?"
"How should I know?" replied Sasuke, thinking about the time they'd known each other.
"I'll surpass Hokage! And then I'll have the whole village acknowledge my existence!"
"You all right? Scaredy-cat…"
"Both of us made it to the top!"
"All I ever hear is Sasuke this, Sasuke that! What's so good about this guy?"
"More!"
"Sasuke!"
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke smirked to himself, letting out a little laugh; after all the arguments they'd had together, he'd risked his life to save Naruto's, and in some way he couldn't describe he knew that Naruto would have done the same for him.
"I… hated you…" said Sasuke, coughing up blood.
"But why?" yelled Naruto, "Why?" Why me?"
Sasuke laughed to himself, why had he saved Naruto? Naruto took it the wrong way, yelling "I never asked for you help!"
"I don't know…" said Sasuke, "My body just moved on its own, there was no time to think!" He felt himself starting to lose consciousness, "Idiot…" he fell back, further, further, until his feet left the ground. Before he hit the ground he felt Naruto's arms wrap around him from the side.
"Sasuke!"
"That man…" Sasuke murmured, "My brother…I told myself…I wouldn't die until I killed him…"
Sasuke turned to look right into Naruto's eyes, "You…Don't die…" And that was all; his arm fell limply against his side. They kept looking at each other, before Sasuke's eyes slowly closed, he fell unconscious against his comrade. Naruto looked at him for a moment, before slowly pulling him closer, the only hug they had ever shared.
Haku looked on, "To protect a special person, he rushed in, knowing it was a trap. He used strength he never knew he had. He was a shinobi who deserved to be honoured," and he melted slowly into the ice mirror behind him; "is this the first time someone close to you has died? This is the way of the shinobi…"
"Shut up," replied Naruto; he could feel something inside him, it had started off as despair, "I hated you too, Sasuke;" but not it was swelling; steam was forming around them from the cold, "I won't forgive you." The steam filled the area around them and the mirror, suddenly bursting out with energy swirling around Naruto in a huge tornado.
Haku was confused, "what is this? Chakra isn't meant to be clearly visible? This stuff is shredding the ground it touches!"
"I'll kill you!" growled a voice from inside the chakra tornado. Haku felt himself shiver as he heard the words; Naruto was changing inside the tornado! His body was growing, his face had stripes over it.
"What, this chakra is…" Haku thought to himself, "What is this evil chakra?"
He watched as Naruto's body began healing itself, the cuts vanishing as his ice-shards were pushed out of his body.
"This boy… what the hell is he?"
Naruto turned his head to look at Haku, his caring blue eyes replaced with blood-red cat eyes.
Kakashi feel the intense chakra "is that Zabuza?" he asked himself, "No! Oh god, it can't be…"
Zabuza didn't know what was going on either, "Is that Kakashi? No, it's too powerful, even for him! Who is it…?"
"Naruto," Kakashi realised, "This is bad; the seal has been broken?"
Naruto dived at Haku, his mask falling away. He was consumed by rage at this point,
Sakura ran straight past Naruto.
"Why him and not me, still?" Naruto asked himself.
Sakura fell to her knees and hugged Sasuke close to her. Why? Why had her Sasuke had to die?
Sasuke felt something soft crushed against his face. Whatever this thing was, it was leaking all over his face. He heard crying; Sakura! He opened his eyes and looked at her and asked her to get off; as usual it had the opposite effect.
"Sasuke! You're alive!" Sakura squealed and hugged him even harder.
"Where's Naruto?" asked Sasuke when he was able to get Sakura off him; sitting up he looked around.
"Sasuke!" yelled another, much louder, voice. Sasuke actually smiled to himself, something very few people had ever seen before. Naruto rushed up to and knelt beside Sasuke, desperately holding back the urge to hug him, wearing the biggest, stupidest smile he'd ever had. Both of them looked right into each other's eyes, almost forgetting that Sakura was there, still fussing over Sasuke.
After a few minutes, Naruto spoke.
"I still hate you, Sasuke," said Naruto, both of them knowing he meant something totally different. Sasuke mentally gulped, he'd never felt this way before about anything. He still had his mission, he had to kill Itachi, but that was far in the background right now. All that mattered was…
"I hate you too, Naruto," replied Sasuke. He tried to get up but he just slumped to the ground again. Naruto looked on concerned but unable to do any more with Sakura around; if she knew the thoughts that were going through his head she'd kill him!
When he was able to get Sakura off him again he managed to get up to his knees; he started to push himself up when he felt something under his arm; he turned to see Naruto with an arm wrapped around his waste. He was startled that he didn't brush Naruto off, as he would have done just the day before. Sakura quickly moved under his other arm and the two helped him get to his feet, still a little shaky, and walked across to where Kakashi was standing with Zabuza…
Currently still a 1-shot. Comment in your reviews if you think I should continue the story.
