Chapter 5 - Itachi vs King; Sasuke 'vs' Naruto
The dark haired man ran through the halls, killing anyone who he met.
"Huh?" a maid, Hinata, turned and looked out of the door she'd just entered to see him running down the hall covered in blood. "Oh no! King! Queen!" she ran off to get Sakura.
He ran down the hall, killing a few more maids. Soon, he reached a door with the royal crest upon it and flung it open. A woman in white robes was laying in her bed. She heard the door open, and turned.
"Naruto? Is that-" she stopped, eyes widening, when she saw who it was. "Itachi..." she muttered.
He smirked. "Yes my lady, and I'm sorry for the delay in killing you." he sneered.
"Someone! Help!" The Queen called, then went into a coughing fit.
Itachi felt it pointless to kill an already dying woman. There was no fun in it. But he had to in order to complete his mission and leave the kingdom without a ruler. So he walked calmly over to the coughing woman and stabbed her through. She died almost immediately, whispering one word before she was gone.
"Naru...to" she muttered, then fell slack.
"Hmph...stupid woman." Itachi growled, then hurried off to find the king. He told any of his men that he met, to fall back. Many of them were dead, someone here could wield a sword.
-
Hinata went to the nurses quarters.
"Sakura! Sakura! We have a problem!" she called.
"What? Did that moron Naruto come back, then knock over some plates?" she asked in an annoyed tone. "I'm busy dreaming of my future life with Sasuke!" Hinata glared at her only-slightly-superior friend.
"Sakura..." she said softly, lowering her head.
"Yes? Hey, Hinata. Do you think Sasuke-kun would like me to just show up on his doorstep and proclaim my love, or should I be more drastic and pretend to be a hungry beggar girl in need? Oh! Maybe I'll-"
"Shut up."
"What?" Sakura turned to her friend, whose head was down. Suddenly, Hinata's head shot up, ad she looked furious.
"Shut up! All you ever do is talk about the prince of Uchiha! We are loyal to Prince Naruto! By the way, get your sword. We're under attack and the murderer is after the King and Queen!" Hinata yelled, picking up her katana and rushing out again.
"Uh...Hey! Wait!" Sakura picked up her sword too and rushed after her friend.
They went around, killing any of the enemies that they happened to come across. They were skilled. Moments after they passed, Itachi would come by to find his comrades dead.
-
Itachi began ignoring his mens' dead bodies and ran to find the king. He could've sworn that every-single-one of his men was now dead. So he didn't bother looking for survivors. He opened a door to his left, one of two large oak doors, and entered the room.
"Ah, the King's mighty study." Itachi said, as if gloating.
"Who's there? And why do you reek of blood?" came a deep voice.
A chair swivelled around to face him and the king blinked.
"Itachi Uchiha? There was no peace talk, to my knowledge. And I doubt anyone seeking peace would be covered in blood." King Uzumaki stated. Itachi smirked.
"No, obviously he wouldn't. Most of this actually happens to be my own men's blood, mixed with the blood of any maids that got in my way." The king stiffened, Itachi smirked and continued. "And of a certain woman dressed in white silk, who was dying anyway."
That did it. The king was up, and had his sword out. Itachi unsheathed his own sword and they had at it. Sword on sword, fist against fist, ramming each other, parrying the other's attack, slashing.
Itachi tilted his sword till it was parallel to the floor, the king did the same. They charged each other, sword piercing their enemy as their enemy's sword pierced them. No one would've guessed, that there were others in the room.
The king hit the ground, his eyes closed. When he opened them and looked up, a golden glow was all he saw. But still, he knew who it was...
"N-naruto? You came...back..." was the last thing he said before he passed away.
'My job is done...But...the throne is not...mine...' Itachi thought. 'Fortune shines upon you...younger brother...I'll...see you later...weakling...' he smirked before he too died.
A pink haired girl and a black haired girl stood in the doorway. The black haired girl screamed before running from the room. The pink haired girl ran to her king.
"King Uzamaki! King Uzamaki! Please wake up! It's me! Sakura!" she called. But the king was cold. Her attention was brought back when Hinata screamed again. "Hinata! I'm sorry my lord. I'll be back later to clean up your body."
She paused, seeing a man that looked so much like the prince she worshiped. But he looked so much more evil. Sakura shook her head and left.
-
It had been 3 days since Naruto had slaughtered the army and fallen into a deep sleep. Captain Fehrock had made sure he was kept under constant watch all the time. For 3 days, there was no change. Naruto merely laid there. In a deep sleep. Naruto had a dream on the third night, at about 6 p.m.
Naruto saw himself in third person. His view came up and out, till he could see the entire camp. A familiar blue aura that he couldn't place was somewhere off to his right. But his vision turned to his left and suddenly he's running across fields, rivers, and through forests.
He sees the castle come into view and he feels himself slow down. The blonde didn't want to hit the castle wall. But his body flowed right throw it, like water through air. He raced along the corridors and up stairs. He recognized it as the way to his father's study and wondered what was going on.
The sound of swords clashing caught his attention and suddenly he was in the room. He saw his father and Itachi, swords out, running at each other! But suddenly, it wasn't his castle, they weren't people, this wasn't Uzumaki.
It was a forested area. The two beings in front of him, fighting, were beings of fire and hate. Both burning brightly before the boy's eyes. Everything was ablaze, then...the two fire beings pointed their swords at each other and ran. They ran at each other and suddenly, both beings stopped moving.
They turned back into his father and someone who reminded him of his 6 year old friend. They both smirked and then fell to the ground. Naruto ran to his father. King Uzamaki looked up and saw a golden glow. It became his son.
"N-naruto? You came...back..." was the last thing he said before he passed away.
Naruto shed one tear before he turned to the other figure to see him smirk and die. He heard a girl scream before his mind was jerked back into the reality.
-
"Hinata! What's wrong?" Sakura asked, running into her majesties room.
She saw Hinata, mourning over a body. Sakura gasped and slowly fell to the floor, starting to cry and shaking her head.
"This...this can't be happening...It cant be happening!" She yelled.
"I...I must inform...the-" Hinata tried.
"Inform who? Our allies deserted us when the war against Uchiha began...Uchiha itself is responsible for this! Who else is there? The warriors? No General can command an entire kingdom! Uzumaki will fall now..." Sakura cried, burying her face in her hands.
"No...but a prince can..." Hinata said, standing up tall and turning to the window.
"What?" Sakura blinked and looked at the girl. "You know Prince Uzumaki's current location?" she asked. Hinata nodded, opening the window and sticking her hand out.
"He ran off to the war. He'd told me once that if he ever ran away, that's where he would go...Naruto-sama has always been kind to me..."
"If you knew! Why not tell the king? Or the queen!" Sakura yelled stomping over to her younger friend.
"I...I felt he needed...a...a chance to learn what real life...beyond the castle walls is like..." she stuttered under her friend's anger. A black bird landed on her wrist. "Ah, Mia..."
"What's with the bird?" Sakura asked, dropping her anger for the moment.
"Mia will fly to Captain Fehrock and tell the prince of our current situation. Please...try not to let this leak out...We will need all the house hands to help us clean the blood from the walls and to burn the sheets and to replace the carpet in the study. Dispose of all the intruders' bodies and take the king's murderer to the dungeon. The prince will inform us of what to do next."
"I am once again reminded of why you are the head nurse..." Sakura stated plainly, rushing out of the room as Hinata continued writing on some paper.
-
A darkly dressed figure came in from spying all night and set his things down. How long had he been out there? Sasuke checked the sun and guessed about 8 hours. That's almost 24 hours of non sleep.
The dark haired boy laid down and fell into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of burning lands, evil creatures, and death. His sleep would last but 3 hours.
-
Naruto blinked blearily for a minute, then sat up and held his head. It hurt really bad. How long had he been out? From what he could see, the sun was still out. But it was setting. The flap to his tent was swung back and a man with a bowl peered in. Upon seeing Naruto awake, he dropped his bowl and ran out again.
"Huh?" Naruto managed, feeling his headache get worse. Moments later, hurried footsteps could be heard and then the Captain entered his tent. "Captain! Good...um..."
"Evening." the captain finished. "Naruto...do you remember what happened?" the captain asked.
"I remember...fighting...then you about to get killed it seemed...I jumped up and began...killing all the men off...but...soon after I start slashing, it all goes blurry." he said truthfully. The captain sighed.
"Naruto...You took out an entire enemy fleet...by yourself." he explained, looking tired.
"An...an entire fleet?" Naruto wanted confirmation. The captain nodded and Naruto noticed something else was wrong. "Captain...is something wrong?"
"Naruto..." he looked at the ground. "Something happened at the castle...something I learned of, just this morning." he seemed to be taking the long way around.
"What is it captain?" Naruto said, slightly stern. Fehrock turned his head away and Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I'm the prince, Captain Fehrock and I order you to tell me what happened!"
"No Naruto...you are not the prince..." The captain started. Naruto paused.
"What?" he leaned a little bit towards the captain. Now he sat on the edge of his bed. Captain Fehrock stood, and bowed.
"I am honored to be in the presence...of King Uzumaki." he said boldly, yet sadly. Naruto out right fell out of bed at that.
"What?" the camp shook with his yell. Everything around the camp stopped, including a black haired boy as he readied for another sleepless night.
"Your majesty, please...calm...calm down...Your majest-your-NARUTO!" Captain Fehrock yelled. Naruto paused. "Calm down."
"How can I calm down? My parents are dead, I'm the new ruler, and you expect me to be CALM?" Naruto yelled.
"No. I expect you to be upset. But Hinata has asked what you want her to do with the bodies...sir. Those of your mother, father, and their killer...whom your father killed in the battle." Fehrock answered calmly. Naruto stopped and thought.
"Hm...Tell her to put my family's killer in a small, wooden boat with one of his weapons. Send him over the falls. I know he isn't of the Uzumaki territory, but he no doubt fought bravely for his kingdom. Place my mother and father in the same boat, arms around one another to show their bond. Set it aflame, like they used to do, and send them out to sea..." he turned to the door as the news finally sunk in.
"And...you, my lord?" the captain asked. Naruto shook his head.
"I wont be attending. Leave the castle in Hinata's capable hands. She'll handle it while I'm...here. I can not leave my post sir. Even if I am king. That is even more reason to fight." he then left, the captain frowned and then followed him out.
"Then know, young king...A name only the king may call me." he said softly, catching Naruto's attention. "My real name, is Hatake Kakashi. But in front of the others, call me captain." he smirked.
"Hatake...Kakashi..." Naruto repeated slowly before smirking, and walking off.
-
Sasuke proceeded slowly through the bushes. That yell, no one else in his camp had heard it. He now looked, not for enemies, but for the source of the call.
'Why am I drawn to it like this?' he asked himself.
-
Naruto shuffled soundlessly through the brush. He was remembering years of time with his parents, but never really being with them. They always had something else to do, never had enough time for him...So why was their death hitting him so hard? He hadn't smiled since he woke up. Only that smirk to the captain.
There was only one reason. They were his parents. Simple as that. No matter how bad your parents are to you, if something happens to them, the difference it can make is devastating and can ruin your life.
His parents, though nearly thoughtless, still cared. His father's last words had been 'Naruto...You came back.' as if it were a wonderful thing and now he could die happy. And that's probably what he did, Naruto thought with remorse. He hoped Jasmine was alright. Hinata and Sakura, the other house hold hands, the aviary, the forest and his lake. Naruto unconsciously grabbed the necklace around his neck and held it carefully.
Why did it hurt so much? He was king now, he could do what he wanted. But he couldn't show weakness. Naruto had to be strong, like his father had been, but kinder than even his mother.
Naruto saw something black in the green and stopped. He looked through the bushes to see a boy in black, half his face covered. He seemed to be either asleep or deep in thought. Naruto waved a hand slowly in front of his face. Nothing...he took a deep breath.
"HEY!" he yelled. The boy jumped and his mask fell down.
"Ow...huh? AH!" he jumped back and leaned against the tree as if it would protect him. He had been sleeping...definitely.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Naruto asked in a serious tone.
"None of your business." The boy snarled back, he had regained himself quite well and Naruto wondered if he was involved in the war.
"Well anyways, what side are you on?" he ventured. The boy, Sasuke, smirked and seemed proud.
"The proud Uchiha Kingdom." he said with an air of defiance.
"Heh, well, have you heard the news from the Uzumaki Kingdom?" Naruto seemed indifferent.
"What about it?" Sasuke asked with a bit of anger.
"Itachi, the first heir to the Uchiha throne, attacked the Uzumaki castle-"
"I know that." Sasuke cut him off.
"Yea, so? He got in successfully and started killing everyone off. The 'royals' are dead." Naruto said bitterly.
"Well, that's good. The war is over then, and Itachi will take the throne." Sasuke seemed almost sad about this.
"Hey, this war is far from over. And that two-faced-good-for-nothing Itachi guy was killed by the king the same time he killed the king." Naruto snapped.
"Itachi is dead?" The black haired boy gasped.
"Yea. Now, I'm leaving." Naruto turned away.
"Wait!"
"Huh? What?" He turned a bit to face the second prince.
"What happened to the prince?" Sasuke blurted out before thinking. Naruto blinked, then shrugged.
"If he's still alive...he's not at the castle..." he seemed suddenly sad. (1)
"Oh..." Sasuke looked at the ground and seemed about to cry, but didn't.
"What's your name?" Naruto's voice brought him out of it.
"What? Why should I tell you?" he snapped. Naruto glared at the stupidity of this brat.
"Cause I asked!" he blinked and smirked. "I'll tell you my name, then you'll have to tell me your name." Sasuke cursed under his breath, it was common courtesy. "My name is Naruto."
"What?" Sasuke looked up from the ground.
"My name is Naruto." the blonde boy repeated.
"M-my name is...Sasuke...What's yours?" Sasuke managed to choke out.
"Naruto." he said, smiling softly.
"Hello? What's your name?" Naruto pushed, getting impatient.
"Sasuke..." he managed in a whisper.
"Ok. See ya Sasuke. Maybe we'll see each other again." he turned to leave but Sasuke grabbed his wrist. "Huh? What's the big idea?"
"W-what's your last name?" Sasuke stuttered. Dammit! Why did he stutter? Naruto blinked.
"My last name?"
"That's right, you don't know. You're from the Uchiha Kingdom, you've never met me. I'm Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto bowed.
"Uzu- you're a royal?" Sasuke stepped back. He regained himself soon after. "I'm a royal too! Uchiha Sasuke."
Naruto paused.
"Technically? Uzumaki." he stated. Sasuke tensed. "But non-technically? I guess I don't really have a last name." he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Sasuke...I gotta go...Could you let go of my wrist? It's turning purple." (2)
"Oh!" he let go. Naruto began to walk off. Then he paused and turned around.
"What's your last name?" he asked. Sasuke shrugged.
"It's just like yours. Uchiha, but I have no real last name if your not being technical." he said in a slightly bored tone. Then he gave Naruto a puzzling look. "Meet me here again? Tomorrow?" Naruto paused.
"Sure." he said finally. Sasuke visually relaxed. "See you tomorrow, right here, same time." he picked up a rock and slashed hard into the tree Sasuke leaned against.
"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked as he stood up and brushed the wood chips from his hair.
"Marking this place." he said simply. When he was done, Naruto turned to Sasuke. "I really gotta go now. The sun set a few minutes ago. I'll be looked for if I don't get back." he waved.
'He's just like me.' Naruto thought, walking off.
He's just like me.' 'Sasuke thought, watching him walk off.
'He seems torn up on the inside but is strong on the outside. And that's just from meeting him once...' both thought at the same time.
9 Pages!
(1) Naruto's wondering if what he is at the moment is really being 'alive,' so he tells Sasuke he isn't sure.
(2) He really doesn't thinkof himself as Uzumaki Naruto. Besides, it would ruin what he'd just said, the angst, and the whole plot.
Oh, Can you tell that Sasuke can inwardly feel that it's his Naruto.
