Eternal Rivals: Yin and Yang

by Zipzapdoowoop

For millennia, 2 lineages have controlled the history of the continent. The world is kept in constant war. Death, suffering, and anguish are mixed in with instability. However, the birth of the last 2 of the bloodlines will transform the crowded continent of today into the barren wasteland of tomorrow. *Split-Personality Naruto*, *Byakugan Naruto*.

16. Chapter 11: Naruto and Sasuke

Yo. Ok, So I want to request a few things. I would like to remind you guys that if you have any ideas for possible jutsu or abilities you would like to see, let me know. I'm open to all suggestions. The abilities can be Sharingan, Byakugan, or Rinnegan abilities. They can even be completely new stuff no one's thought of. And they can be passive, and extremely over-powered. I'm open to anything at all.

I also want to thank everyone for getting this far. Nothing else in this section.

And also, I have been getting reviews from a person named "Nithi velu". I answered your questions in P.M. If you would like to talk to me, you can open them anytime. But if for some reason you can't access your P.M, I'll answer your questions here.

Review: "Hey man, I have just finished the second chapter and I really want to say something.

Your writing is really good. Seriously I hope you continue this good part.

I don't have concerns regarding this fic but I do have to share something. I don't know what have you planned for this pic. But you may consider it or just leave it.

Your story is mostly based on breaking the curse of hatred. Also you mentioned Naruto will most likely be not seen as a Hero. I like that part.

I know Minato is one of the most liked character in Naruto series. I will be honest with you. I never liked Minato for what he did to Naruto even with all the explanations.

Consider the fact that Obito(Masked uchiha) just attacked and escaped alive. Minato seals the nine tails inside Naruto. What would have happened if Obito(Masked uchiha) just came after a month and took Naruto away and released the nine tails again. Didn't he never considered that fact. I can even accept that point, but even in this you clearly mentioned Minato too knew the pain of being orphaned. But he just listens to some prophecy and made his son a jinchuriki. He clearly knows he will be hated he will be neglected. Also he was residing in his seal but never interacted anytime except during the nine tails try to escapes. He can easily seal the nine tails chakra into Kushina even with all the issues or heck he even has the opportunity to seal entire nine tails inside him. But yeah he made his son a weapon where he literally saw how jinchuriki will be treated.

Also I don't know what happens in the remaining chapters since I didn't read them, but Naruto never knows love. Even Jiraya didn't came into his life. So how come he possibly that easily forgiving person where he learned only hate from others. Please don't make him a mini version of Minato wielding Rasengan. We want to explore a different version of Naruto this time.

Anyway all the best for future updates."

Answer: "As for your comments, I'm happy you enjoy my writing style. I can promise I've improved since update 2, though.

And my story being about the Curse of Hatred? I haven't thought about what message I'm trying to convey in this story at all. It's mostly a story I wish was told in canon. But the Curse of Hatred has a lot of weight in this story, that I can guarantee.

About Naruto not being a hero. That was always my plan. I love Naruto and Kishimoto's original work, but I can see many of the flaws in his story. One of which is Naruto's personality. It's too good. Unrealistically good. I don't like that. Later on in the story, you will see the true cause of his extreme personality. I explain it in the 12th update titled "Chapter 5: Training and Ugly Revelations."

And I know very well all of Minato's shortcomings. I'm hyper-aware of them, and it will be a tool I will use further into my story. And it won't always be pretty. Naruto won't be happy at all.

And Naruto not knowing about love is something I will use. Naruto confuses infatuation, obsession, friendship, lust, friendliness, and overall anything in the spectrum as love. He thinks they are all the same thing, which makes sense for someone as unloved and naive as Naruto. He will learn the difference in my story, and every time he learns a distinction, it will be accompanied by the pain he caused by his confusion.

Lastly, Naruto's character will NOT be mini Minato. And sure, it will largely be the same naruto in part 1, barring some glaring differences in experience and psychological well-being, but it will change drastically in Shippudden. And it won't be for the better. I know where he'll end up, and all I can say is that my Naruto cannot be considered an honestly good person, as opposed to his canon counterpart.

And to be nice, I guess the premise of my story is exploring how much a person can take before they break. Take that as you will. :)"

Please, dude, next time, read your P.M.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and let's get on with the story.

General narration

"Talking"

Flashbacks

'Thinking'

Narration

"Yami speaking"

"Bijuu talking"

'Bijuu thinking'

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or Naruto Shippuden, nor the Naruto Manga. They are owned by Viz Media and Masashi Kishimoto. I only own "Narrator" and other OCs.

---

Naruto finally caught up to Sasuke at the border of Hi no Kuni. It's a waterfall in between a valley, with two statues on either side of it. Seagulls caw and the roar of tons of water crashing from tens of meters high fill the ambiance of the scene. It contrasts heavily with the mood both boys are displaying.

On the statue of Senju Hashirama, Naruto calls out to his friend. "Sasuke! Are you gonna run away from me?!"

Sasuke stops walking. He turns around slowly, fully facing Naruto.

Naruto's eyes widen.

Sasuke's left eye is the color of dull sulfur. His sclera is as black as his hair, and the Curse Markings are spread throughout the left side of his body. "Yo… Usuratonkachi." The boys remain silent, carefully scrutinizing the other. "So it's you this time, huh?"

Naruto frowns deeply. Sasuke's statement forces him to recall Sakura's pleas. Her pain and desperation for Sasuke's presence. That moved him in a way few things ever have, so for Sasuke to be so detached from it rubs him the wrong way. And the way Sasuke is looking at him… it doesn't feel right. It's like he's not even looking at Sasuke. It feels like a whole different person. An enemy.

"I also told this to Sakura, but it's over. Leave me alone."

Naruto scowls at Sasuke.

Sasuke chuckles darkly. "Hehehehehe. What's with the angry face?" Sasuke smirks mockingly at his teammate.

Sweat falls from Naruto's chin. He clenches his fist, but when he realizes Sasuke is trying to get a rise out of him, he relaxes.

"Why? Why are you doing this to us, Sasuke?"

Sasuke grunts.

A muscle twitches in Naruto's jaw. "I don't get it! What happened to make you like this?! Why are you doing this?!"

The way Sasuke looks at Naruto is so distant, so cold. It's like they are distant acquaintances, strangers even. "Whatever happens to me, how is that any of your concern? I have my own path to follow. Neither you nor anyone else can steer me from it."

Over the course of his speech, Naruto's face turns angrier and angrier. It doesn't matter much to Sasuke. "I will tell you this much. My days of playing ninja with you kids of Konoha are done."

Naruto is left revolted at Sasuke's words. Their friends… Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee. They… they all…"Everyone risked their lives. And why? To save you?!"

Sasuke deadpans. "Well, wasn't that nice of them." Sasuke turns around and walks away.

Naruto's eyes glisten from the moisture threatening to escape. He clenches his lids shut and bites the inside of his cheek. He glares at Sasuke's back and charges after him.

Sasuke spots the shadow being cast on the ground, He looks behind him and sees Naruto leaping at him. A blood vessel on his temple threatened to burst from the heat in his blood.

"Not so fast! You mean to tell me our comrades risked their lives for nothing? To save an ungrateful piece of shit like you?!" Naruto lands on top of Sasuke. He straddles him and punches him. He makes eye contact with Sasuke. He can see his words didn't sway Sasuke an inch. It makes him furious.

Sasuke spits his blood on Naruto's face. "My comrades, you say? There you go again with your surface-level ideals."

"Surface-level? Why you-!"

"Did I ever become stronger by staying with those so-called comrades? In the Forest of Death, I gained more power in an instant than a month of training in Konoha ever could. Now I'm going to where Orochimaru is."

Naruto's breath stutters. "Are you out of your mind?! Orochimaru killed the Sandaime-Hokage, and tried to crush Konohagakure no Sato! Do you think he will give you power for free?!"

Sasuke grunts. "Your words really are shallow. Orochimaru left everything from his past behind in search of his ambition. Itachi forcibly broke every bond he had in search of greater strength. Their power is leaps and bounds over that man that would never allow himself to abandon a comrade. And I'm more powerful than ever from the moment I left the village. This only further proves the merit of my road. Don't you see? The best way for me to gain power is by walking the path of an avenger."

Naruto is silenced. He has no argument against Sasuke's words. But he refuses to internalize them. To acknowledge the truth in the Uchiha's words. Instead, he tries to change the subject. "He just wants your body as a vessel! There'll be nothing of you left! You'll never get out of there alive! You think I'll stand by and just let you throw away your entire life?!"

Sasuke smirks slightly. "That doesn't matter to me." Sasuke grants Naruto a deranged look. It's sadistic and evil in nature. "The only thing that matters to me is achieving my goal. If you insist on getting in my way…then it can't be helped."

Naruto pulls Sasuke closer to him by the collar. "Well if you aren't gonna listen to reason, then I'll do this by force if I have to."

Sasuke smirks. He chuckles at Naruto, clearly amused by whatever he just said.

"What have you got to laugh about?!" Grinds out the blond.

"I remember you laughing the last time we met. Remember how thrilled you were at the thought of beating me to a bloody pulp? Where's your smile now?"

"Shut up! That was different! Maybe I felt that way at first, but you were different then. I never wanted that kind of fight. Even now I still don't."

"I couldn't give a damn about what you want, Naruto." Sasuke uses his non-dominant hand -his right hand- and grabs Naruto by the throat. He pushes him off of him and lifts him up.

Sasuke smiles. "Hah!" He exhales loudly. He lets go of Naruto and sucker punches him in the gut. Blood flies out of Naruto's mouth as he is launched off the statue of Uchiha Madara. Naruto falls into the lake below, near the waterfall. Naruto's body bounces off the surface of the water like a skipping stone.

Sasuke withdraws the influence of the Curse Mark. His face goes back to its normal state.

Naruto sinks into the water. 'What power! He's changed. He was never this strong before.' He swims back to the air above.

Naruto uses his chakra to stand on the water. He runs toward his wayward friend. "Wake up will you?! Before it's too late!"

Naruto leaps up the Madara statue and Sasuke jumps off it. They meet in the middle. Naruto throws a wild punch which Sasuke ducks. He swings a high kick as a counter. Sasuke grabs Naruto's weapons pouch as the short boy is sent back to the depths of the lake.

"I have woken up, don't you see? That idiotic self who dreams of a lax, peaceful future…he was the one who was asleep."

Naruto swims his way to shore. He glares at Sasuke. 'He has my pouch. Kaa-chan's scarf is inside there. Damn it!'

"That's why I left the village. That's why I search for power. My dream is not in the future. My dream is in the past."

Naruto draws a shuriken from his holster tied to his leg. He throws it at Sasuke. Sasuke leaps out of the way and pulls out a kunai from Naruto's pouch. He beams it at the Uzumaki.

Naruto jumps behind a boulder for a breather.

Sasuke pulls out two more kunai. He jumps and throws the first kunai in a straight manner. When he reaches his peak, Sasuke flips upside down and throws the second kunai in a downward arc. It hits the first kunai and changes its course. It goes straight down, right where Naruto's head is.

The pop of a clone is heard and Sasuke smirks. 'As expected.' Sasuke puts some wire in his mouth.

When Naruto jumps out from the boulder, Sasuke throws a barrage of shuriken at Naruto. They all miss him, but Naruto doesn't notice the wire attached to them until the last minute. The shuriken curve in their path, making a circle. The wires grab onto and dig into Naruto's clothing and skin, pinning him to the boulder.

Naruto sees Sasuke put up a handseal. 'To think… he'd really go so far.' Naruto's chest feels tight and his heart is contracting tightly. His blood feels hot and he can feel his right arm burn. Yami's power is rushing into his coils rapidly. The power is overwhelming. He can feel darkness close in on him. The roar of the waterfall starts becoming muted. Hikari loses sensation in his body.

Yami narrows his eyes dangerously at Sasuke. His malevolent right eye is inflicting its wicked gaze on the Uchiha. "You don't have the guts, Sasuke. You could never be secure in your path before, what makes anything different now? Always walking in between being a loyal comrade and trusted friend, and losing yourself to that selfish goal of vengeance. Not that we are ones to talk."

Sasuke looks sharply at... Naruto? It looks like Naruto, but his left blue eye looks void, like there's nothing there. He largely looks normal, except that his right eye... looks wrong. Black, red, and deep. It's like a Sharingan gone wrong. He remembers seeing that eye before in the Forest of Death.

"You never considered us a rival before, but now, by the look in your eye, we know you can't stand us. You think you're inferior to us, no, you know you are, dattebayo!"

Sasuke's demeanor sours. These words… they aren't Naruto. Is this the alternate self Naruto mentioned all that time ago? He never thought Naruto was serious about that.

"But because of that, you see us as a true rival now, right? And you think you should be the superior one, and that's why we make you frustrated. But guess what? Whereas we have always tried to follow our path, you could never commit to any of your choices. You can't save a comrade when you really want to, and you can't even beat the object of your vengeance. YOU are the loser of this rivalry, you pussy!" Yami grins mockingly at Sasuke. He loves the look on Teme's face. It's intoxicating seeing such an expression. So much anger, rage, hatred, and best of all, insecurity. It's all so delicious!

Sasuke grits his teeth and his body shakes, trying and failing to contain his fury. He performs his handseals faster.

"We're warning you. You're making a big mistake!" Despite his bravado, a beam of sweat forms on Yami-Naruto's nose.

"Like I said, a future with you guys isn't what I want anymore!" Sasuke ends with a Tiger seal. He places the wires in between his fingers. "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

A great torrent of flames travels along the wires, heading straight for a bound Naruto. When the flames hit the boulder, they explode in searing heat. The screams of the blond can be heard from inside.

A flamed bundle shoots from the furnace that is the boulder. Naruto glares furiously at Sasuke. He is in the same state as before, except his left eye has life in it once more. "Sasuke!!"

Naruto concentrates all his chakra into his right arm and unleashes it on Sasuke. His right eye loses its darkness and he looks true in his intent.

Sasuke looks back at Naruto blankly.

Naruto growls and swings another punch, this time a left hook.

Sasuke turns back again with a far-away look in his eyes, like he's not really all there.

Naruto continues his beatdown of Sasuke. Punch after punch, spittle, and blood shoot into the air, nothing gets a reaction from Sasuke. "What's with him? Why? Damn it!" Naruto shoots an accusatory glance at his bloody knuckles as if they are at fault for being too weak to be worth Sasuke's time.

"Is that the best you can do? I thought you were stronger. If that's all you've got, I guess I won't need it."

"What?"

"You haven't realized it?" Sasuke bores into Naruto's baby blues with his onyx eyes. "I'm not using my Sharingan."

Naruto throws his body into a clumsy strike. "Don't mock me!"

Sasuke catches the fist easily with his non-dominant hand. "You don't have what it takes. Not the strength, or the desire."

Sasuke's expression stills to become completely blank. "If I just kept playing around with you guys-" Sasuke punches Naruto off the statue. He leaps after him and stamps on the blond's stomach rapidly, like a jackhammer. "-I wouldn't have been able-" He thrust his foot straight down, slamming Naruto into the rocky terrain of the cliff. He lands a double-footed diving stomp on Naruto's midsection. "-to gain this much power."

Sasuke jumps off of Naruto. He pulls the scarf out of Naruto's weapons pouch and stuffs it inside his pocket. He throws the pouch back at the downed form of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki. The pouch finishes its descent by using Naruto's face as a landing pad.

"Now I know what is needed of me. Only through hatred and power can I hope to surpass my Aniki."

Naruto drags himself to his feet. He glowers venomously at Sasuke. He bites the inside of his cheek hard enough to draw blood. He picks up his pouch and gazes longingly at the opened and empty secret compartment. Naruto's eye twitches violently. "Kaa-chan's scarf… give it back."

Sasuke smirks at Naruto. "I hope that woke you up. Now you know I'm not messing around."

Naruto secures his pouch back on his waist. He takes a deep, sharp inhale through his nostrils, and a slow, calculated exhale through his mouth. "Would you really go so far to feed your bruised ego?"

Sasuke's smirk widens. "We had a bit of an interruption that day. But it won't be like that this time. This-" Sasuke pulls out the scarf.

Naruto growls deeply. It's filled with base, and reverb, and it's dark in intent. It's akin to the Kyuubi's nightmarish growl.

"-will be insurance that you won't be able to get out of this fight. Now, I'll show you the true power of the Sharingan." Sasuke's eyes flash crimson.

Naruto clamps down his jaw so hard a molar cracks. "I don't care about fighting you! Give me back the scarf! Give it back you son of a bitch!"

Sasuke summons a small fire in the palm of his left hand. He slowly inches the scarf toward the tiny flame.

Naruto yells out in flustered frustration. "Arrrggh! Fine! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto summons ten clones.

Sasuke charges headlong into the crowd of blonds. He kicks and punches the first two clones he sees, successfully dispelling them. "What good will that do you?" He slips in between the extended legs of two clones and sweeps their planting feet. He stomps them and Judo flips a clone flying at him. He slams his knee into the gut of another, and he wraps the scarf around the throat of the final clone sneaking up on him. He twists the scarf and kicks out the clone's legs from under it. He yanks on the scarf and pushes his foot down into the spine of the clone. The gags and wheezes of the clone come out muffled from the scarf.

"Ten times zero is still zero!" The clone's face resembles the color of a grape now. With one final yank of the scarf and a push of his leg, a snap is heard in the neck of the clone. The clone's body goes limp and dispels.

Naruto clutches his throat in sympathy for his clone. When it disples, he shudders as he can feel a tingling sensation at the base of his neck. A type of phantom pain.

Sasuke flickers in front of Naruto. He grabs the scarf and ties it around Naruto's hands. "I could spot the real you in one go with my Sharingan. I played along with your little game for old time's sake." Sasuke chuckles sneeringly. "Now though, I won't hold back."

Sasuke supercuts Naruto's chin and kicks him in the gut. Naruto rolls to the ground. Sasuke runs up to him and punts the side of Naruto's skull. He drags him up and begins whaling on his defenseless form. Naruto can't block the strikes, and he isn't willing to damage the scarf in order to defend himself.

Punch on the ribs. Hook in the cheek, knee to the gut, stomp on the foot, leg sweep, stomp on the chest. Sasuke straddles Naruto and hammers punch after punch onto Naruto's face. Sasuke builds up strength and swings a heavy left hook onto Naruto's temple. The force naturally rolls over Naruto's body.

Sasuke gets up and walks in front of Naruto. He places the arch of his foot under Naruto's chin and uses his foot to slowly lift Naruto back to his feet. When Naruto is back on both legs, Sasuke spins and delivers a crushing spinning back heel kick on Naruto's cheekbone. (Pretty much like Malakai Black's Black Mass finisher if you need a real-world reference.)

Before Naruto can take flight, Sasuke frees him of his bindings and stores the scarf back into his pocket. Naruto soars through the air, the strength behind the kick launching him back many meters. While Naruto is in midair, Sasuke rapidly performs a set of familiar handseals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The fireball makes its way toward Naruto.

The resulting explosion uproots many of the surrounding trees and sets fire to many more. Thankfully, because of the humidity in Fire Country, the fire doesn't spread. But even weirder is that inside the blast zone, there is no sign of Naruto.

"All that talk and this is what you show? You boast about your Way of the Shinobi and this is all you've got?"

Naruto wipes the blood from his lips and rubs the forming welt on his cheekbone. He walks out from behind a bush. He feels untold amounts of indignant rage at Sasuke for sullying his Kaa-chan's scarf in such a way, but he absolutely loathes himself for letting that happen.

"Hn. You still think we're playing that little comradery game of yours, don't you? If that's the case, then you are a hopeless fool!" Sasuke charges in toward Naruto for another strike.

Naruto hops up the tree and jumps away from the forest toward the cliff edge.

Sasuke runs after him. Sasuke tries to nail punch after punch, but Naruto keeps dodging his strikes. "What are you waiting for? I want to see what the Number One Hyperactive Knucklehead Ninja has got!" Sasuke bats away Naruto's arms and rams a rib-crushing straight punch into Naruto's solar plexus. Naruto falls off the cliff and into the body of water in between the valley.

Sasuke looks at the scene below him with rapt attention.

Naruto struggles to swim and stay afloat. He clutches his chest and desperately gasps for air.

Sasuke gazes at it with harsh, grim determination. 'No matter what darkness might lie ahead, I will meet it head-on. And no matter what happens, I WILL get that power.'

Sasuke keenly remembers Itachi's words to him that day. "Like me, you may be one of the few who can use Mangekyo Sharingan. However, there is one condition. Take the life of your best friend. You must kill him."

Yes. The only way he can reach the next level is by killing his best- no, his only friend. Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto wills himself back to the surface of the lake. He uses his chakra to kneel on the water as he hacks up the foreign fluid in his lungs. He grits his teeth and looks at Sasuke. "What am I to you now? We were comrades! Or have you just forgotten all about that?! Are you telling me all the things we did together as Team 7 mean absolutely NOTHING to you now?!"

Sasuke closes his eyes. "No. It wasn't meaningless. One singular thing was worthwhile. To me, you became my best friend."

Naruto stands up and looks at Sasuke with awe. "We became…best friends?" Soon the awe fades and turns to skepticism. "Then why are we fighting?!"

"I just told you. It's because we're friends, there's far more meaning in destroying you."

"I don't fully understand, but I get the feeling you want to fight me with your all!" Naruto runs on the water and up the Madara statue to meet halfway with Sasuke, who makes his way down the same statue.

---

"What did you say? You mean you sent Genin after Sasuke?!"

Tsunade folds her hands over her face. "It really couldn't be helped. You know that state the village is in right now."

Kakashi sighs.

Tsunade ignores the action. "Anyway, I have a contingency plan in place." She means the Sand siblings.

Kakashi looks down at his feet. He feels so empty. Disappointed. Sad. But most of all, he can't help but feel ashamed that he wasn't harder on his treatment of Sasuke. He left the village, and it might be all his fault. He could've prevented this. He can't help beating himself over this. After all, when is it not his fault? He deserves this shame.

Kakashi turns and walks away from Tsunade.

"Hey! Where are you going? You already have a mission assigned to you!" Tsunade holds up a paper with an S-rank stamp on top.

"I have to go run an errand first. I'll be back in a bit. Don't worry." He leaves the office and flickers away from the tower.

Tsunade can't help but sigh. "Oh, brother."

…

Kakashi heads toward the village gates. When he reaches the exit, he casts 5 hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

His entire squad of Ninja hounds is summoned. "Okay guys, fan out. I want you to search and find Naruto's and Sasuke's scents. Let me know as soon as you can find their trail. I'll be there immediately. Now, scatter!" The hounds run off in separate directions, all looking for clues on Naruto and Sasuke's whereabouts.

Kakashi ran off on his own to do his own search. "I hope I'm not too late."

---

Naruto and Sasuke meet in the middle, on the helm of the skirt of the Madara statue. They collide and push against the other in a test of strength. It's a battle Naruto is quickly losing.

"I know I said this already, but be honest with yourself, you were waiting for this too, weren't you? Neither Kakashi nor Sakura is here now. Nobody is here to stop us. To stop me."

Sasuke rotates on the outside of Naruto's guard. He grabs a kunai from Naruto's weapons pouch. He jumps off the statue toward the water below. "This time, we settle this once and for all! It will be the end of you!" Sasuke swings the kunai up toward Naruto's face.

Naruto takes out a shuriken from his leg holster and deflects Sasuke's kunai.

Sasuke runs up the statue and uses his legs to throw Naruto off of it and toward the lake. The move is similar to a Hurricanrana. Sasuke leaps to a boulder on the cliff and off the statue. He does three handseals and sends chakra to his left hand. "Chidori!"

Naruto lands on the water's surface in a squat. "You idiot! Same here! I'll beat you into oblivion if that's what it's gonna take to drag you back home!" Naruto crosses two half ram seals. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Sasuke allows himself to slip from the boulder so he can build speed and momentum.

Naruto's clone helps him form his new jutsu. The spiraling blue sphere of chakra. "Rasengan!"

Sasuke runs out from behind the waterfall. Naruto's clone spins his original around and toward Sasuke. Both boys sprint at full speed toward their destiny.

Sasuke's static electrical, if robotic chirping of a flock of birds contrasts with Naruto's soft, yet powerful hum of energy in the palm of his hand.

They drive their techniques forward, and they clash. The collision of the techniques creates a shockwave across the valley. The water below them is pushed back, making a dip in elevation from the force repelling the water. It creates a forcefield, or force barrier out of pure chakra and electricity.

Naruto maintains his Rasengan as it is. He wants to -no- needs to verify something with this. He won't make it any stronger, but he refuses to weaken it either. He can feel Sasuke's Chidori gain more power, more chakra, more electricity, and more sharpness. Sasuke keeps pushing and pushing until finally, he overwhelms the Rasengan.

The techniques cancel out but leave behind pure pressurized chakra. The chakra expands outwards, creating a shockwave that pushes both boys back. Sasuke slides across the surface of the water while Naruto tumbles across the same lake.

As he sinks into the water, Naruto can't help but feel stunned. 'Sasuke…Damn you!'

Sasuke swims back up and claws his way back to the surface. He remains in a crouch to catch his breath. 'Damn it. He was able to counter my Chidori at its full power. That damned jutsu!' Sasuke grits his teeth. 'You pathetic loser!'

Naruto floats back to the surface of the lake. It's something Sasuke notices immediately.

'Naruto! Damn. I can't waste another Chidori like that. It would be pointless since you can counter it with that weird jutsu of yours.'

Naruto stays floating on the water. He stares at the sky in resignation. His eyebrows are slightly pinched and his lips are pursed. He tries his hardest to hold his emotions in. But almost in disregard of his will, his eyes are glistening.

'That's it. There's no mistake or room for interpretation. You… really intended to…' Naruto slowly drags his body to the surface of the lake. He stays on all fours. He looks at Sasuke. Naruto's eyes knit together and his lips pull back to display his clenched teeth.

He sniffles, and despite how desperately he tried to stop it, tears flow freely from his eyes. 'You really intended it. If you go through with this, if we really are friends, at least try to kill me softly. Can you do that... Sasuke?' The back of his throat feels tight, like there's a lump in his esophagus. His sniffles come harder and shivers roam his body. A tear falls off his chin, and that was when he started being racked by despair.

Sasuke smiles grimly in sadistic glee at Naruto's tears. His Curse Mark spreads throughout the entirety of his body. "Did you know, Naruto, when two shinobi are powerful enough, they are able to read each other's hearts simply by an exchange of fists. All without uttering a single word."

Naruto stays quiet.

"You've always been naive, Naruto. Tell me, what do you know? What's inside this heart of mine?" Sasuke casts unfamiliar seals. "Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" Multiple little fireballs rush rapidly toward Naruto.

Naruto instinctually jumps over the many fireballs, where he is intercepted by Sasuke. 'His speed…Is this the power granted by the Curse Mark?' Sasuke kicks Naruto in the face. A satisfied smile settles on Sasuke's lips.

Naruto closes his eyes and thinks back on his and Sasuke's relationship. 'Sasuke. I always knew you were alone. At first, when I realized there was someone else like me around, I was relieved. And happy too. To tell the truth, I really wanted to approach you right away.'

Sasuke slams Naruto onto the water's surface. He punches him back down when he stands up. 'Naruto. I first saw you so many years ago. I remember the way people used to look at you and talk about you. Your behavior to the looks and comments always made me curious. Why would you seek attention? Why act so bratty? I didn't understand then, and even now, not completely. So when my family was killed, I started to see you as a kindred spirit of sorts.'

Naruto bounces off of the water's surface as if he was slammed onto solid ground. 'But...I couldn't work up the nerve to say hello. You were always able to do everything, and with such ease. And moreover, you were always being praised by everyone.'

Sasuke sprints and rams a powerful straight punch into Naruto's gut, knocking the wind out of him. 'But you were always walking ahead of me, Naruto. Just like my Nii-san. And for such a long time, I avoided you for that reason. I even resented you for it.'

Naruto wheezes from the force of the blow. 'You were always so far ahead of me. But I didn't want to admit it, so I started to see you as my rival. I didn't want to lose to you, and with everyone calling me a loser, it just made things worse, dattebayo. I never stopped feeling that way, even when we became Team 7. I was stubborn, and couldn't express what I really felt.'

Sasuke's right hook barrels toward Naruto's cheekbone. 'I only started feeling otherwise when we became Team 7, Naruto. I felt like you represented all the best qualities of my Nii-san and none of the bad. So, you became a figure of light to me. You were a great friend and a trusted companion. You were always so sure of yourself and your path, even when you knew nothing. I was jealous of that. So when you gained enough power to start on your path, and even challenge me, I started seeing you as a rival. It made it very awkward to express how I felt about you.'

Spittle flies out of Naruto's mouth, and his lip is busted open. The throbbing heat and ache of his lip make itself known. The metallic taste of his blood mixes with the bitter taste of his dry spit. It's a most unpleasant taste. 'The truth was I really wanted to be like you. You were everything I aspired to, so when you finally acknowledged my strength, you have no idea how happy you made me that day.'

Sasuke wraps the scarf around Naruto's neck. He pulls and tightens it, sealing Naruto's windpipe, restricting the flow of oxygen into his lungs. 'You, Naruto, represented everything I wish I could be. Everything I knew I could never be. You were kind, willful, gutsy, generous, creative, and so empathetic. You were the parts of my Aniki I kept chasing. So when you told me that you trusted me, I felt… accomplished. Like I was finally getting closer to being the person I wished to be. I was learning to be good. And when I was able to give you comfort that night in the forest, I felt like I had finally made it. At last, I was who I wanted to be. I thought that would make me happy.'

Sasuke lifts a limp Naruto by the collar. A false shadow is cast onto Naruto from his clothes by the blue light of the Chidori in Sasuke's hand. The screeching of the birds, for the first time ever sounds melancholic.

'Sasuke. Despite the fact you tried your best to deny it, we both know that you and I are friends.'

Sasuke gazes darkly at Naruto. 'This is not insignificant to me. To me, there's no question. You're my closest friend.'

A faint orange aura surrounds Naruto. 'But now, you're trying to take me out for real. I don't really know if you meant what you said before, or if you meant any of the good things you ever told me. Maybe I was the only one who thought we were friends.'

"I told you already, it's too late now, Naruto!" Sasuke thrusts his Chidori into Naruto's chest. He can smell the hair and flesh burning off of Naruto's skin. He can feel the warm blood on his skin and he felt it evaporate. He felt the hardness of the bone fade and dissolve, like eggshells to a countertop. He felt the hard string-like properties of the tendons. And he felt the pulsing of the muscles surrounding his arm.

But most of all, he heard the sound of his Chidori striking the blond. It sounded like his flock of birds was dying, like all the life had seemingly evaporated from the jutsu. This sounded like something more spiritual and intimate died.

Naruto feels the blood drip down his right arm. 'If I really was the only one who valued what we had, then how stupid am I, Sasuke? I don't know why? I really don't. But I can't bear seeing you lose yourself and be taken by someone like Orochimaru.'

Sasuke smirks at what he sees. Naruto's left hand holding tightly onto his wrist like a vice grip. "You managed to divert the blow with your left hand at the last second. But in the end, it doesn't matter, does it, Naruto?" Sasuke deactivates his Jutsu and yanks his arm out of Naruto. You can see his grinning face through the gaping orifice in Naruto's shoulder,

"You're finished regardless. You can forget about hand signs and that jutsu of yours!" Sasuke moves his bloody hand toward Naruto. He seizes his throat and tightens his grip, closing and crushing his esophagus as best as he can. 'This is the end!'

Sasuke more so hears it before he feels it. He hears the snapping synonymous with a twig being crushed or a bone breaking. And then he feels the dull, yet searing ache of his wrist being slowly crushed.

Sasuke lets go of Naruto and jerks back, temporarily retreating. An orange aura surrounds Naruto.

Sasuke glares at Naruto. 'What is this orange chakra? Where is he getting this kind of power?'

Naruto's nails form into sharp claws. The density of the aura surrounding him increases exponentially. It explodes around him, creating artificial waves on the lake from the pressure of his chakra,

Sasuke's pupils shrink to points and his jaw hangs open when he sees the figure inside Naruto's chakra. The massive, monstrous visage of a grinning demonic fox becomes vivid.

'Wh-what the hell? Is that the Kyuubi?' Sasuke stares at what is happening to the hole on Naruto's shoulder. 'The wound. It's vanishing. I can't believe it.' Sasuke is disturbed at seeing Naruto's shoulder being reconstructed right before his eyes.

Naruto lifts his gaze and gives Sasuke a wild look. His hair is erratic and spikier than usual. His nails have turned to claws. His canines have elongated to the point where they resemble the fangs of a carnivore. The whisker marks on his cheeks have become thicker, and his eyes have become scarlet with pronounced vulpine-slit pupils.

"Sasuke! I'm not gonna let Orochimaru take you away, dattebayo! Do you understand me?! I'll break every fucking bone in your body if that's what it takes to stop you! You're not going anywhere!"

The force of Naruto's chakra creates rumbling around the entire valley, almost like the Earth itself is protesting the existence of such a foul entity. His chakra is dense enough to create light, making it seem like it's nighttime in their corner of the valley.

'That's…Naruto? What is this intimidating power? Is this even the Kyuubi? Is Naruto some kind of monster?'

Sasuke growls at Naruto. "I've had enough of this! Just what the heck are you?!"

Naruto stills for a moment. He can feel the power from his elbow reach higher and higher until it reaches a third of the way up to his humerus. Everything below that is now bonded to Yami's chakra.

He looks back at Sasuke. "I'm your friend. Rahhhhh!" Naruto punches the air in front of him. The power behind his punch creates a blast wave similar to an air cannon. It launches Sasuke back, giving Naruto the room he needs to charge.

Naruto rams a straight punch into Sasuke's gut, making the Uchiha's eyes go white. Naruto follows with a barrage of hooks to Sasuke's ribs, bringing him higher and higher off the lake. Finally, Naruto jerks his leg up, making it seesaw into Sasuke's chin.

Sasuke flies back, rolling on the water, trying to catch himself. He gets up and rubs the bruise on his chin. When he looks up, his face is greeted by the painful kiss of a double hammer punch. He torpedoes into the water from the force of the attack. The sudden shift in momentum in the water creates a miniature whirlpool, where water rushes in to fill in the void left by the displaced water.

The power gets to Naruto. He growls in pleasure at the energy in his cells, and the buildup of power forces him to yell out. "Haaaaaahhhh! HAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Sasuke breaks past the surface tension of the lake and glides his way toward Naruto. Naruto sprints after the Uchiha, his speed making it look like he's skating.

Naruto leaps toward the cliffside and jumps back toward Sasuke. He kicks him in the face and rushes back in to kick Sasuke's ribs. A right uppercut to the chin is followed by a left hook Sasuke dodges. Naruto's right hook spins Sasuke, allowing Naruto to jump onto the taller boy's chest and push him back.

Sasuke falls on his back as Naruto leaps back to the cliffside. Naruto bounces back, getting ready to smash into Sasuke.

The raven-haired boy realizes the move in time and casts handseals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" The fireball heads straight toward Naruto, getting ready to forcibly intercept his path.

Naruto takes a deep breath in and roars. "RAHHHHHH!" The force of the yell protests against the fireball, pushing the heat and flames down toward its caster.

The sound of the fireball exploding directly on the lake's surface reverberates like a thunderclap inside the valley. The waves created by it crash into the cliffside, breaking down boulders and entire rock faces off the valley walls. Sasuke received the full brunt of both his jutsu and Naruto's yell.

Naruto dashes straight down, double stomping onto Sasuke's midsection. His superior speed and power allow Naruto to attack Sasuke while swimming underwater. Sasuke feels a blow below him, then to the right. Then comes one above him and below him again.

Sasuke swims as fast as he can to the surface, but Naruto is not far behind.

While in mid-air, Naruto spins forward and hammers his heel on the top of Sasuke's skull. He grabs Sasuke by the arm and leg, and he spins, slamming Sasuke back down to the water below. Sasuke strikes the water in a way that makes his body ricochet off its surface, like a skipping stone.

When halfway through his descent, Naruto meets with Sasuke's ascending form. Naruto contorts his body and slams a downward heel kick into Sasuke's gut. Sasuke shoots back down to the water, like a meteor crashing into the Earth.

Sasuke hits the water with enough force to bounce off its surface once more. Naruto grabs Sasuke's leg and spins him around. "Rahhh!" Naruto hurls Sasuke toward the cliffside, where he crashes and craters into it. Boulders fall off the cliffside in the aftermath of his landing.

Naruto walks toward Sasuke's broken form. "Now let's go. Snap out of it already! If you don't come to your senses, I'll have to break your bones and drag you back to the village!"

Sasuke slowly opens his eyelids. They appear heavy, as if two eights are forcing them shut. Sasuke shakily takes in a breath. "Just shut the hell up…for once." Sasuke swallows hard. "What the heck do you know about it? It's not like you ever had a family in the first place."

Naruto's lower lip quivers.

Sasuke reactivates his Sharingan and scrunches his face fiercely at Naruto. "You were on your own right from the beginning! What makes you think you can understand anything about me?! I'm agonized now because I had those ties."

Sasuke's body shivers in barely contained rage. "How could you possibly understand what it feels like to lose all that!?" Sasuke grabs Naruto and tackles him off the cliffside with him.

They roll off the cliff and into the water. They kick up logs and use their chakra to stand on the ends of the log above the water. They stare each other down.

Naruto looks at Sasuke in resignation. "It's true that I can't understand how it feels like to have parents or siblings. However, when I'm with Iruka-sensei, I wonder if that's what it feels like to have a father. And when I'm with you -I don't know if I ever told you, but- I wonder if having a brother feels something like that."

Sasuke's head falls. He can't quite meet Naruto's gaze. He stares at the water below and his reflection bouncing off of the surface. He can see how conflicted he looks. His heart, mind, and soul are at war with each other, in a three-way deadlock. It's like his old self has been resurrected and is trying its very best to claw its way back into his mind and take control of him.

"And I think that should tell you everything. I'm willing to go so far for you, Sasuke, because this is the first time I've ever had a bond like this."

Sasuke gasps. His lower lip quivers. He bites down on it to stop the twitching of the muscles.

Naruto's expression softens and he smiles at Sasuke in a kind and uncharacteristically gentle manner. "That's why I'm going to stop you, dattebayo!"

Sasuke closes his eyes and breathes in deeply. He understands now. Naruto's strength isn't only from his chakra and jutsu, but also from his iron will. His unshakeable self-belief and his self-sacrificing nature. Strength of mind is gained walking Naruto's path, but there is still no clear way to gain tangible strength.

He can see that Naruto's path is valid. It's a genuine way to gain a type of power, but unfortunately, he just isn't built to walk such a road. There is no turning back for him. Maybe if he realized this sooner, things might have been different. At the very least, he'll give Naruto what he wants the most as a parting gift. Acknowledgment.

Sasuke takes his headband out of his pocket and ties it around his forehead. He takes the scarf out of his other pocket and tosses it to Naruto, who immediately stuffs it back inside his pouch. "It's too late, Naruto. It's just too late. I can't turn back anymore." Sasuke stomps on the log and splits it like string cheese.

He grabs a stray piece of wood and throws it perfectly in the middle of Naruto's log. The log splits, and Naruto clumsily falls to the water, barely managing to balance on the surface.

For his resolve, Sasuke is rewarded with the missing piece of his vision. A third tomoe appears in each of his Sharingan eyes. They are now fully matured. "Come, Naruto!" Sasuke gets in a stance. "If that's the case, I'll just have to sever that bond."

"Just like that, huh?' Naruto's crimson-slitted eyes bore into Sasuke's matured Doujutsu. "Then why even bother wearing that headband?"

Sasuke smiles. "I'll acknowledge you. You are definitely strong. And now I have my answer why. Gaara, Orochimaru, Itachi. They all have one thing in common. They gained strength by cutting down all of their ties. They were no longer burdened by their connections. They were the example of how to gain power.

That was until you defeated Gaara. For a while, I was confused as to how you achieved that when you claimed that your source of power was your bonds. And it seems that way at face value too. But then that got me thinking. What do you have in common with all of those guys, and me as well?"

Naruto gulps. He does NOT like where this is going.

Sasuke smirks. "It's simple, really. It's because you know the pain of solitude, just like the rest of us. It's that very same pain that makes you and I stronger than the rest, Naruto."

Naruto's face scrunched up in disgust, like he bit into a whole lemon. "You're wrong! Real strength comes when you have something precious to protect! Bonds is where you can obtain real strength, dattebayo!" Roars Naruto.

Sasuke's smirk widens into a smile. "Your words hold a lot of conviction. If I was anyone else, I'd believe you. At one point, I did believe that too. That you were different, the exception. However, I realized something just now. The common denominator in every single fight you've been in since we became Team 7. In Nami no Kuni, in the Chunin Exams, against Neji, against Gaara, against my brother and his teammate, and even now against me. Whenever the going gets tough and your surface-level values are challenged, you resort to drawing power from the Kyuubi!"

Naruto's eyes widen to astronomical proportions. His fingers twitch. "What?"

Sasuke's smile widens to a grin. "The very being that opposes your Ninja Way! Whenever plain hard work and determination just aren't enough, and the strength of your bonds becomes obsolete, you rely on the Kyuubi, the very cause of your solitude! You use a power gifted to you to prove the supposed merit of your hard work! A power that isn't your own! That is the confirmation I needed. Your hypocrisy proves that there are no exceptions to the true source of strength! It is and always will be solitude! Your source of strength isn't your bonds, nor is it your own effort. Your strength is the Kyuubi!"

Naruto's mouth dries. His body shakes uncontrollably. He hugs himself to try and keep his composure. Darkness closes in on him, creating walls in his vision. 'No, it can't be true! No no no no no! I swore that I would never quit and never run. I swore that I would never go back on my word! That's my Nindo! My Ninja Way!'

Naruto feels shivers crawl up his spine. He feels his right arm burning him as if he stuck his hand in a deep fryer. "Hehehehehe! I like the Uchiha! He tells the truth. Despite what you believe, Hikari, think back to every one of your major fights. You used the Kyuubi's power for the very first time to defeat Haku. I helped you kill him.

I helped you kill the Amegakure shinobi during the Forest of Death, and you used the Kyuubi's power to fight off Orochimaru.

You used the Kyuubi and me to help you summon Gamabunta.

You used the Kyuubi to help defeat Neji.

You used me and the Kyuubi to take down that Sand psychopath! You needed our help multiple times! You even had to beg us for the crumbs of power that we'd drop from the dining room table. You have no idea how good it felt to hear that!

And don't forget. When the times got tough and you proved to be no match for Sasuke's convictions, who did you ask for help? That's right! Me and the Kyuubi!"

Hikari hyperventilates. He clutches his chest to try and soothe the ache in his heart. He attempts to get his breathing in order, but what comes out of his mouth equates to wheezes and asthmatic gasps. Tears fall freely from his eyes, and he grips his head to try and soothe the throbbing pressure building. But it's all in vain.

Yami laughs hysterically at Hikari's suffering. "Hahahahahaaaa! Face it, without us, you'd be dead! Without us, you'd be nothing! Without the pity Kyuubi and I have for you, we'd have faded from existence years ago. So stop fighting it. Be honest for once and admit that you have failed. You have already lied to everyone else. Don't lie to yourself. After all, Mama didn't raise a liar, did she?" Yami grins sneeringly at Hikari.

'Mama.' Naruto instinctively grabs at the scarf in his pouch for comfort. He can feel the love in every stitching, and he can feel himself relax at every stroke of his thumb on the fabric.

Naruto eventually gets his breathing under control and his vision back in focus. He looks at Sasuke and readies himself to fight. He's clearly shaken to the core and in no condition to fight, but he has no choice. Naruto can't escape this fight, but he can avoid thinking about Sasuke's and Yami's words for as long as he can. It's all he has left to keep him sane. Despite that, he can feel his entire world on the verge of a complete collapse. The only thing keeping him together is the threads on a seemingly ordinary scarf.

"You're done?" Asks Sasuke rhetorically. "If I can break our bond, then I can achieve even greater strength. It's time you and I fight on equal terms. But even then, you won't be able to lay a single scratch on my forehead. I know that hasn't changed."

Naruto stares at Sasuke with detached rage. He feels empty and numb to the outside world, but beneath all the self-pity lies a boiling lake of hatred given form.

"Come at me!" Sasuke does a come hither motion.

Naruto sprints toward Sasuke at a speed that creates after-trails of water. He blurs between the waves so well that not even his trademark orange clothing can be spotted. However, with the Sharingan, Sasuke can see all of Naruto's movements in slow motion.

Naruto swings a haymkaer at Sasuke. Sasuke blocks it and uses both of his hands in a lever-like motion to flip Naruto over.

Naruto lands on his feet and tries to land a back heel kick. Sasuke ducks under it and blocks Naruto's backhand. Sasuke dodges Naruto's hook and uses the opening to punch Naruto on the jaw.

He flips Naruto over again. Naruto gets up at inhuman speeds, but to Sasuke, it looks like Naruto crawled back to his feet. Sasuke jumps back and up the cliff wall. Naruto leaps after Sasuke. His jumps appear so slow to Sasuke that it looks like he's floating.

He can see the drag of the air resistance pull back on Naruto's facial muscles, making his face narrow and his nose pronounced.

Sasuke leans back to dodge Naruto's right hook. He blocks Naruto's backhand and ducks under his left hook. He blocks the blond's elbow strike and ducks under his roundhouse kick.

When Naruto jumps in the air and starts his barrage of stomps, Sasuke blocks every strike and kicks Naruto back down the cliff.

Naruto rights himself in mid-air and glares at Sasuke. He picks up his speed and runs on the cliff walls, creating dust clouds that chase after his heels.

Sasuke dodges Naruto's right and left hooks next. He diverts the path of Naruto's straight right. He sends two quick jabs on either of the blond's whiskered cheeks.

Naruto jumps back to avoid a high knee strike, but Sasuke follows up with a spinning back heel.

Naruto gets back up and gathers as much strength as he can in his legs. He runs his fastest and his hardest, hoping against hope that his haymaker, no, his hail mary would land.

Sasuke sees every twitch of Naruto's fibers and every subtle shift in his stance. The flexing of his muscles, the momentum of his movements, and even the direction of his gaze. Using that, Sasuke's own haymaker landed, crashing into and caving in Naruto's face.

The Uzumaki belly flops right on the water and sinks into its murky depths. The Kyuubi's chakra restores his fractured facial bones and sets them back into place.

Sasuke jumps down to the lake's surface. He knows very well that this is nowhere near over. He places his hands together in a prayer motion and breathes deeply. He needs to clear his thoughts and focus on what's to come.

Suddenly, multiple figures explode from out of the water. Sasuke's eyes open. The tomoes in his Sharingan have finally settled into place, giving him the true vision potential of his eyes.

Naruto's shadow clones come falling back down toward Sasuke. They ready strong, heavy blows that would cripple Sasuke should any land.

Sasuke dodges the first clone's punch, ducks under the second's clone flying kick, crouches under the third clone's flying tackle, and uncoils his body to kick the fourth clone back, finally dispelling one of the troublesome doppelgangers.

Dozens upon dozens of clones torpedo out of the water, like flying fish. All of them hone in on Sasuke. He punches and kicks away every clone that get's close. They all dispel.

When the numbers of clones thin out, dozens more Naruto missiles soar toward the Uchiha heir. Sasuke flips and spins his way around them. Managing to avoid getting hit.

He jumps into a group of clones coming out of the water that failed to be dispelled. He punches the first clone, kicks back the second, and follows through that same kick to a third. A clone sneaks up behind him and grabs him from behind. Sasuke flips back to kick away another clone and finishes his flip by punching the clone holding him back.

He punches back two more, and he swings roundhouses and back heel kicks around, trying to land a solid blow on any Naruto he can find. They all dispel.

Sasuke takes a look around and finds the valley to be a little too empty. He looks around once more, but he hears no life and sees no movement. Just where is Naruto?

He feels two hands grab at his ankles and tighten up, like an adjustable spanner. Sasuke is dragged underwater, where he is greeted by a discombobulating punch to the cheek.

As he literally spirals out of control, his eyes widen to dinner plates at the legion of clones that are underwater.

A kick to the back of the head spins his body around once more. It disorients him in such a manner that he can't tell which way is up or down.

A knee strokes into his midsection, causing Sasuke to gasp out. He winces as he feels the burning sensation of fluid rushing into his lungs. His eyes see a clone in front of him swinging a reckless haymaker toward him. Sasuke puts up a guard to block it, but because they are underwater, and because of Naruto's superior physical prowess, Sasuke is too slow to block the punch.

When Sasuke's head is forcibly jerked to the side from the punch, a heel jabs its way into his eye socket. Sasuke's right eye closes to try and soothe itself, leaving him only his left Sharingan to defend himself with.

Sasuke kicks away a clone that got too close. But another clone simply took his place. Sasuke tries to block all of the punches and kicks from the Naruto clones, but just like in his battle against Lee, Naruto keeps breaking past his guard. Sasuke's body simply isn't fast enough.

A kick to the gut has Sasuke hacking up blood for the first time in the fight. A punch smashes into his cheekbone on his blind side. He could feel his zygomatic bone crack.

Sasuke allows the force of the punch to take him away. Whenever any clones come near him, he kicks them away and pushes them back. He can feel the panic set in his body, and the painful tightness in his chest. He doesn't have much time left. He needs to get a breath of air, and this is the only way for him to get enough space to escape this water prison.

The original Naruto sees Sasuke has made a considerable amount of space for himself. He cannot allow Sasuke time to regroup, or else he loses this advantage. Naruto gathers a collection of his, Yami's, and the Kyuubi's chakra in his arm. He punches the water in front of him and in Sasuke's direction. A pressure blast is formed. It's similar to his first punch in his Kyuubi form and the roar against Sasuke's fireball.

The pressurized air pocket races toward Sasuke.

Sasuke is caught off guard by the pressure blast that consumes the entirety of his blindside. He is caught in the artificial current created by the air pocket and is dragged further into the murky depths below.

A nasty punch on his blindside busts Sasuke's lip open. This is the second time Naruto has drawn Sasuke's blood.

Sasuke is still reeling from the punch when he feels a strong kick to his gut. He can feel a good bit of the little remaining air in his lungs escape in a gasp."Uooo!"

He feels another powerful kick to his ribs on his blindside. "Zuuogh"

He feels a particularly vicious kick to his left ribs. "MfaaaH!"

He felt a hard, merciless punch directly on his spine send him to his peak. "Kghiiih!"

When Sasuke finally manages to open both of his eyes, He sees a horde of hundreds of Narutos readying devastating heel kicks. No matter how much he would like to, he is unable to block what happens next.

The Naruto clones slam their legs down onto Sasuke's midsection. Those that don't get to do that punch any part of Sasuke's body that is bare. "Bgharragj!"

Sasuke feels his ribs crack. He feels bile make its way to the back of his throat. He feels his back slam into the deceivingly hardened bed of the lake, and he feels the little bit of oxygen he had left leave his lungs. He has no time left.

Sasuke instinctively gasps. Water rushes to his lungs and he coughs under the water. He grabs at his throat, trying desperately to close his own windpipe. He gasps, and wheezes, but all that does is further irritate his lungs. He has never felt a burn so unbearable. It's so much worse than any Katon training he's ever done.

Sasuke feels movement around him. All of it is muted in comparison to the agony his body is in at the moment.

What cannot be ignored is the hands clutching his ankles in a vice-grip. "SASUKE!" Sasuke feels his body being rag-dolled in the water at lightning speed.

He then counts his blessings when he feels himself being lifted up into the sky. He punches himself in the chest and coughs up all the foreign fluid in his lungs. He desperately swallows the precious oxygen he never once gave much thought to.

Over a hundred Naruto clones are lifted out of the lake, all grabbing onto each other, creating a human rope, or chain. They spin around in the air and gather absurd momentum. The clones straighten up and pull back. Sasuke and the clone chain crash into the peak of a ledge on the cliff. They crater the ledge and displace many boulders on top of it.

"Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!" Flames explode out of the cliff. Boulders soar through the sky and crash into the water, forest, and into the cliff opposite. The flames melt the stones near its source, creating fresh lava. Some of the stones flying out are set on fire, casting a fire rain in the historical battleground of the Senju and Uchiha. The flames travel along the Naruto clone chain, setting every clone on fire, and even reaching those underwater.

The clones largely dispel immediately. The unfortunate few that don't dispel crash into the water and break on impact. On the ledge, lava drips down from the massive hole on the side of the cliff. Sasuke breathes deeply, trying his best to catch his breath and restore the air capacity in his lungs. He stares almost in horror at the burning body in front of him.

Naruto's sweater burns off completely, exposing the mesh clothing underneath. The now bright red mesh has absorbed the heat of the jutsu and is cooking Naruto alive, burning his torso and charring his skin black. Now having little much for fuel, the flames on Naruto's body dies down.

He weakly lifts his head off the scalding stones and gazes at the raven-haired boy with almost dead eyes. "Sa…su-ke."

Sasuke's wide eyes look at Naruto in slight worry and regret. It doesn't matter what he thinks now. He's in too deep. He has no choice but to keep going. "It's too late, Naruto." With his resolve reinforced, Sasuke's eyes narrow at the beaten blond boy. With a sharp intake of breath, he jerks back to his feet. He grabs Naruto by the collar of his mesh shirt -completely ignoring his own sizzling flesh- and stares him in the eyes. "It's too late now,-" Sasuke chucks Naruto off the cliff. He jumps after him. "-NARUTO!"

Sasuke grabs Naruto's body close to his own. He wraps his limbs around him and clutches him as tightly as he can. The boys zoom straight down and crash into the rocky ground beneath them. Sasuke piledrives Naruto headfirst into the rocks.

The force of the crash reverberates throughout the entirety of their bodies. The sound of Naruto's neck snapping and being crushed is the first thing to register in Sasuke's ear. The next is the clinking of falling metal. Naruto's mesh clothing shatters the moment he lands on the rocks, exposing his now blackened torso with grill marks all over. Some of the cracked places leak thick, viscous blood.

Sasuke lets go of Naruto. He watches as the boy's body falls back into the lake. His entire being is limp and his head sinks under the water. at an unnatural angle

Sasuke looks at the red fluid soaking into Naruto's hair, coloring it a bright crimson color more saturated than Naruto's eyes.

Finally, Sasuke looks down between his legs and the cratered spot on the ground, right where Naruto's head was. All Sasuke can focus on is the bright red fluid inside the hole, the same color as the fluid in Naruto's hair.

Sasuke stumbles back. He looks away from the carnage and retches violently on the shore. He expels away all the contents of his stomach, and with it all the self-disgust he feels from himself. He gasps desperate breaths, seeking to so dearly keep himself together. Sasuke coughs harshly, struggling to hack out the vomit that went down his windpipe along with any remaining water left inside.

In the middle of the lake, Naruto's body floats aimlessly. The air in Naruto's lungs has at last been expensed, and now Naruto's body sinks underneath the surface. And with his body, so too does his mind sink into the dark, murky depths.

Inside Naruto's mindscape.

With Naruto's body in critical condition, Yami too is feeling the impact of the blows. Yami screams out in agony with all the wounds on Naruto's body. Naruto is practically braindead, and Yami is slowly fading, becoming translucent. There is nothing else Naruto can do.

Massive crimson-slitted eyes open inside the cage. The Kyuubi snarls at what he sees. "You runts! You really are weak, the both of you. Ahahahahahaha!" The Kyuubi chuckles darkly at the abject weakness and arrogance of both halves of Naruto. "You better be grateful to me. And your beloved Yondaime Hokage who sealed me inside a weakling like you!" The Kyuubi's eyes glow from the power being exuded from its pores.

Back to the Real World

Sasuke hears a deep rumbling from inside the lake. He sees bubbles form on the surface, and steam being released when they pop. His eyes follow the fish floating to the surface of the lake, now dead. What is going on?

His gaze travels down inside the lake where he sees a bubbling orange mass floating back up to the surface. The orange mass produces its own light. It's uncomfortable to look at. The orange mass breaks past the tension on the lake, showing Sasuke what it was he was looking at.

Naruto's black skin crumbles off his body and new healthy skin forms over his temporarily exposed flesh. The rate of his recovery is supernatural, even to shinobi standards. Steam rolls off his form in waves. The heat of the steam is what was causing the lake to boil.

Sasuke walks over to Naruto in trepidation. Nervous sweats break out. "Wh-what?"

The orange mass -which Sasuke now sees is an orangey-red chakra- surrounds Naruto's body entirely. The chakra lifts Naruto back up to his feet, resembling what films portray as something akin to being resurrected from the dead.

Naruto's head jerks back to face him. Sasuke's eyes widen, resembling saucers. He doesn't even notice it when a fist comes barrelling right at his nose. Sasuke is launched many meters back, flipping repeatedly in mid-air.

Sasuke yells out against the torture as he writhes in agony. He clutches his nose, trying desperately to dull the pain.

Naruto looks down at his body, feeling confused at the state of it. His bare torso is in perfect condition. Healthy pink skin protects his flesh and not the charred crips plates that were there before. He doesn't have any clothing to cover his chest or midsection either. But worst of all is the orangey-red chakra mass trying to take control of him.

He can feel the overwhelming power in him now. As the chakra surrounds his head, he screams out a bestial roar. He feels the coils in his right arm being destroyed and reconstructed. Yami's merging spreads up his arm, nearing the midway point, passing it. It nears the lesser tubercle of his humerus. He feels the chakra pass even that and at last reach the head of his humerus.

For the first time, his right arm in its entirety from the shoulder down has merged with Yami.

Naruto's body instinctively gets on all fours. The chakra surrounding him stabilizes. He now has fox ears on his head the size of his forearm and a fox tail swishing behind him the same length as his entire body. All of which are made up of chakra.

Naruto growls at Sasuke and scrunches his arms behind him. Naruto jerks his arms forward. The power from the swings creates a massive wave of water headed directly toward Sasuke.

Sasuke uses his arms to protect his face from the wave. When he puts his arms down and opens his eyes, he sees a chakra-covered claw an inch away from his face. He barely dodges the claws, but the chakra surrounding it smashes into his face.

Sasuke is launched back, and rolls over and over, like a sock tumbling in a dryer. He manages to get on a log and balance himself. He eyes Naruto warily. 'What was that? I can still read his movements, but his chakra, it's like it has a mind of its own.'

Sasuke remembers the conversation Jiraiya had with Itachi last month. "Now I understand!" Sasuke jumps off the log and runs to the shore. He hops from boulder to boulder.

Naruto chases after him on all fours. His spine compresses and decompresses in an inhuman manner, and his shoulder blades poke out of his back at uncomfortable angles when he runs. His body moves similarly to a Cheetah.

Sasuke shoots fireballs at the sprinting Naruto. Naruto dodges the first 5 from his sheer speed. He then turns and runs directly at Sasuke. He moves side to side and dodges every fireball.

"Rahhhh!" Screams out the blond Jinchuriki.

Sasuke swallows a large gasp of air. He builds up as much chakra as he can in the seals "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

A fireball half the size of a comet races toward Naruto. It's too big for him to dodge in time. The fireball explodes on contact with Naruto.

Sasuke eyes the steam cloud in trepidation, not entirely believing the fireball would be enough to take down his teammate.

Sasuke's eyes widen when he sees Naruto charging toward him at full speed. It didn't even slow him down. It makes no sense! 'That chakra is protecting him?!'

Naruto swings an arm forward. A tendril of chakra around his hand stretches out toward Sasuke. Sasuke barely jumps out of the way.

The chakra hand chases after him, and Sasuke contorts his body in mid-air to try and stay out of range. The claws on the hand tell him he should NOT get caught no matter what.

When he lands back on the lake, Naruto circles around him, sprinting at speeds Sasuke can't read and keeping him trapped inside. Sasuke dodges a chakra hand searching the back of his head, and ducks under one trying to claw at his face.

Sasuke feels an arm drag him underwater. 'Not this again!'

Sasuke winces at the sizzling heat of the boiling water on his skin. He feels a punch from a chakra hand hit his face, and another hand slaps the opposite cheek.

He feels another arm pull him back up in the sky and throw him back to the water. That same hand smacks him back down. Sasuke's body ricochets off the surface of the lake again where the hand smacks him back down again. He's being dribbled like a schoolboy's ball.

When Sasuke is bounced back up again, he grabs onto the hand and rolls around it. He drops back to the lake, except this time on his feet.

When he lands back on the surface, Naruto circles around him once more. Naruto doesn't want to lose this advantage. He wants to keep him trapped inside. Sasuke dodges a chakra hand searching the back of his head, and jumps over one trying to make another grab at his feet.

Sasuke grabs the hand closest to him and bites his lip at the burns and blisters forming on his hands from touching the toxic energy. He fights through the pain and pulls Naruto toward him. He roundhouse kicks Naruto on the face, sending him to the opposite side of the valley.

Sasuke runs back as fast as he can to gain some space. Naruto runs up the cliffside and wraps his tail around a ledge. He uses his tail to swing and fling himself toward Sasuke's general direction.

He stretches out another chakra arm and punches the lake surface to block Sasuke's vision. The arm breaks past the water wall and grabs Sasuke. The hand tosses the Uchiha in the air. Two chakra hands are formed and rush toward Sasuke. The hands stiffen and rush toward each other.

Sasuke is caught in between them. The chakra hands clap powerfully, with Sasuke being sandwiched between the arms. He takes the full brunt of the clap.

When Sasuke falls back to the lake, the arm lifts Sasuke to the cliffside and drags him along the rocky wall. When it's done, the arm throws Sasuke back into the water.

Sasuke desperately swims back to the shore. He wheezes out the fluid from his lungs. He rips off his torn collar and wraps it around the cut on his right arm.

Sasuke hears a deep, ominous rumbling from the lake. He turns back and sees a massive red chakra hand comparable in size to the lake surface from… well, the lake.

He sprints as fast as he can inland. The hand looms over him, threatening to crush him. At last, the hand slams into the ground, cratering the Earth and cracking the stones below.

Sasuke was lucky enough to end up inside a gap between the fingers. He keeps his back to the wall as he feels the heat from the energy evaporating the water from his clothes and on his skin. He sighs in relief when he sees the hand fade. 'Damn! What is he? All I can do is dodge!'

Naruto lands on the shore and stares at Sasuke with red, beady eyes.

A hand shoots out from below Sasuke's feet. He feels the fingers wrap around him, and the fist clamp sealed. The rest of the arm breaks out of the soil.

Naruto yanks his arm back with a yell. "Rah!"

Sasuke zooms toward Naruto at such a speed that he can't make out any shapes, even with his Sharingan.

Naruto swings his right arm back and clenches his fist. "Hah!" When Sasuke is close enough, he thrusts his arm forward. "HAAARRRGGHHHH!"

Sasuke feels the bones in his face cave in just as clearly as he can hear them crack. He flies back, his back slamming against the ground. He tumbles further, and his arm smashes into a rock. He bounces, and at last, his back collides with the cliff wall.

Sasuke chuckles in equal parts the humor he feels from the pain, and from the dark power threatening to be unleashed. "Oh well. No getting around it, I guess." He drags himself back on all fours. "Once I let this power take over, I…I'm not all that sure about what will happen to me in the end, but you're not leaving me any choice, Naruto."

The Curse Markings spread on the entirety of Sasuke's body. The tainted energy slowly restores the bones on the left side of his face. The marks become larger, and finally, they connect, covering his skin completely. The immediate surge of tainted Nature Energy restores his face.

Sasuke's hair elongates, reaching his middle back, and turns to the color of slate. A four-pointed star marking rests on Sasuke's nose. The sclera of his eyes turns black. His skin, blackened from the Curse Mark lightens up and settles on an ashen gray color.

Sasuke looks at Naruto in admiration. "There's no question that you're special. However, you're not quite as special as I am." Sasuke licks his lips and feels his now longer and sharpened canines nick a cut on his tongue. He flexes his arms. He looks at his fingernails. They slightly resemble claws. Maybe not to the same degree as Naruto, but close enough.

Naruto charges at Sasuke with a growl. He rears back his claws and aims them at Sasuke's face. Naruto slams Sasuke into the cliffside once more, and then to the feet of the Madara statue.

Naruto grunts in pain. He can feel a stinging sensation on his knuckles, and a warm fluid on his fingers. He doesn't need to see to know that he busted his hand open. He feels the surface his knuckles are touching. It's hard, boney, and…feathery?

When the dust settles, he sees a massive webbed hand covering Sasuke. It looks hideous. It's like hundreds of snakes fused to make the monstrosity he is seeing. He can't even make out what possible use such a thing has.

The hand swats him away. He crashes into the feet of the Hashirama statue. Naruto looks back toward the statue opposite him. He stares in abject disgust once he realizes the hand is attached to Sasuke's back. No, not attached. It came out from his back! Naruto resists the urge to wretch when the next hand explodes out of Sasuke's shoulder blade. Are they…supposed to be wings?

Naruto looks deep into Sasuke's eyes. His gaze…the emotions inflicted from his vision, and the feeling his Sharingan gives off. It's the exact same as Orochimaru. 'Sasuke?! You're a monster!' Naruto grunts as he loses sensation in his left arm. He can feel it go limp.

Sasuke bites the inside of his cheek, trying desperately to hold in a scream. The pain from the Curse Mark is nigh unbearable. It's only his sheer willpower that lets him stay in control of his mind. When he looks at Naruto, however, he sees he's not the only one struggling with their new powers.

"That power of yours. Seems to involve some risks, too." Naruto doesn't answer Sasuke. It's not like he can. He can't speak while in this form. Maybe that'll change with further training, but in the meantime, all he can do is think.

Sasuke smirks. "Did you know that this place is called The Final Valley? It's the perfect stage, don't you think, Naruto? It's fitting that this is the end of this fight and every other fight before now." Sasuke casts the seals for Ox, Hare, and Monkey.

Naruto clenches his right hand shut. He closes his eyes and concentrates inward. 'I only have one hand now. I can't cast Rasengan by myself. So please, help me cast it this one time.'

Hikari can hear the out-of-breath panting from Yami. The pained shudders racking his body, and the angry growl was directed at him. "Fuck. You. Damned weakling!"

Hikari twitches in annoyance. "Kyuubi. Can you help me out with this one? Just this once.?'

Hikari hears a huff of irritation. "I've already done all I can. If even all the power I gave you isn't enough, then YOU are the problem!"

Hikari sighs in resignation. He sees Sasuke charge up a Chidori, one that is turning black in color.

Naruto closes his eyes and gathers chakra in the palm of his hand. A small blue swirling ball of chakra is formed. It's small, weak, and unstable. Naruto grunts in exertion. He can feel his hand go numb from the effort. In the end, it's all in vain.

Hikari hears a frustrated groan from inside his head. And accompanying that is a "Tch! Fine!" Hikari feels Yami's chakra flow in his arm. The chakra goes to the palm of his hand and rotates the chakra for him, as well as keeping it contained.

Hikari smiles and supplies the power needed to match Sasuke. Yami and Hikari's chakra merge inside the Rasengan, creating a dark indigo Rasengan. It hums an ominous whistle, one noticeably different from the sound of a regular Rasengan.

Naruto leaps at Sasuke with his arm reared back. Sasuke flies toward Naruto, with his Chidori set in front of him. Naruto can't help but see Orochimaru whenever he looks at Sasuke.

Sasuke sees two versions of Naruto holding the spiraling jutsu together. The same bright blue-eyed boy he's come to care for, and a mad, grinning red-eyed fiend masquerading behind the mask. If Naruto is anything like Itachi, then the ghoulish fiend lurking underneath must be the real Naruto.

Time seems to slow as the two boys inch ever closer to each other.

"CHIDORI!"

"RAHHHH!"

Both techniques collide. The corrupted energies combine and swirl around in a dome. Both boys are swallowed by the chakra sphere, where they are trapped in a bright, white world.

The remnants of electricity in Sasuke's hand move forward still and stab Naruto through the right side of his chest, exactly where he stabbed Naruto the first time with Chidori. Naruto's claws swipe at Sasuke's face, but because of his short stature, the most Naruto's claws can do is slash a horizontal line in the middle of Sasuke's headband.

The chakra dome explodes, creating a perfectly round area of destruction. Anything inside the blast zone was eviscerated, and inside the dome remains the two boys.

Naruto's skin quickly loses color. The chakra around him fades, and his eyelids grow heavy. He looks at Sasuke in unquantifiable sadness. A stray tear runs down his cheek.

Sasuke's Curse Markings retreats back to the seal on his neck. He stares at Naruto and can't help but feel some regret, maybe even…remorse. Maybe if things had been different, this fight would never have happened. Maybe if Naruto learned to mind his own business, then this wouldn't be anywhere near as painful as it is now.

Slowly, but surely, the curtains on Naruto's eyes are closed, and the boys fall down to the wet soils beneath them.

...

Sasuke stares at the unconscious form of Naruto with heavy emotions and extreme turmoil. He has never felt so conflicted before. He has a kunai in his hands, and no one is there to stop him. He can kill Naruto once-and-for-all and obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. But if he does that…he fears he will lose the last shred of his humanity. He lost so much of his capacity for good during the last month. He is in freefall and ending the life of the last bit of light left in this rotten world will guarantee he'd never be able to drag himself out of that abyss. But…he could avenge his clan with the power.

Eventually, vengeance wins the war for his soul. Sasuke takes a deep breath and hardens his heart. "I… am an-" Sasuke's monologue is broken when a cold drop of fluid lands on his nose. He looks up at the sky and sees the rain start to pour. He feels it much more than he can see it.

Sasuke yells at the throbbing pain in his left shoulder. The Curse Mark has left the nerves in his arm firing and sensitive. He collapses to his knees and coughs up a few ounces of blood.

He swallows needy breaths of air. He grabs the kunai that slipped out of his hand and brings it toward Naruto. He raises his hand but freezes when he hears the only words that could ever set his mind at ease in a moment like this.

"From now on, walk your own path. Not in the footsteps of your brother. Work hard to soar high and to bring honor to the crest you wear on your back."

Sasuke gasps and looks behind him. He sees nothing. He could've sworn he heard someone. And that voice! It could only be… "Tou-san."

The kunai slips out of his grasp. Sasuke looks down and sees Naruto. He looks so peaceful now that he's asleep. Like nothing can hurt him anymore.

Oh, how he envies him.

Sasuke lowers his head. His forehead touches Naruto's own. He closes his eyes and breathes in deeply. "Goodbye, Naruto."

Sasuke forces himself to his feet and hobbles off to the other side of the border.

---

Kakashi arrives a few minutes later and looks around. He spots Naruto, with cuts, bruises, and covered in dirt. His torso is bare to the elements. His upper body is completely naked. There isn't even a sign of his mesh shirt. His shorts are torn, dirty, and filled with blood.

But worst of all is the large bloody gash on Naruto's right pectoral muscle. If there is a wound like that on him that even the Kyuubi hasn't -or couldn't- heal, then this is much worse than he thought.

There is no sign of Sasuke. There are no trails to follow, no footprints, no disturbances in the environment, and the rain has washed away any scent trails.

Kakashi sighs defeatedly. 'To think friend-killer Kakashi was too weak to even stop his own student's defection. Too slow, and too late. The story of my life.'

Kakashi picks up Naruto as gently as he can. He hugs the boy close to his chest. He needs to provide as much warmth as he can. Doing so will allow Naruto to survive as long as he possibly can. At the very least he hopes it will last him reaching the village.

This fight between his students…He should've done more. Been tougher. Been smarter. Been stronger. Been faster. If he was even half the man Minato-sensei was, or even a quarter of the teacher Guy is, then none of this would've happened. What occurred today was all his fault.

It was just another set of failures under his belt.

---

Sasuke limps his way past the border of Hi no Kuni. He thinks long about his past, and everything that has led up to this moment. His parents and their words, his brother and his kindness, the tragedy, and the fight with Naruto.

The rain finally stops.

Itachi's words come back to him like a stubborn cold. A poison that refuses to leave his system. "Take the life of your best friend. You must kill him!"

Sasuke's eyes snap open. "No, nii-san. I'm not gonna abide by everything you say! I will get my hands on that power, but not the way you want me to. I'm going to surpass you, but I'll do it my way. I will!"

Narrator. The shadows of the trees in the forest swallow up Sasuke's form, metaphorically taking him into the depths of darkness.

It's obvious that Sasuke would always win his battle against Naruto. It was inevitable. Sasuke's path is one of resolve and darkness. But he was always hesitant to commit.

Naruto's path was already decided from the moment he became a shinobi, but he hasn't made any effort to try following his own word.

When the time came for them to finally cross paths, Sasuke had at last found his resolve and made a choice. Naruto was still right where he started.

Sasuke has finally committed to his fate, whereas Naruto hadn't even started his path of bonds. It makes you wonder, if there was ever a time when both boys would be completely resolute in their paths, and embodied what it means to be an Avenger or Hokage, how would that fight go?

No, no, that is a tale for another time. It's more of a fantasy than anything, really. The boys will never reach the full potential of their paths, as neither will ever truly be the person they want to be.

But the next time they do face each other, the consequences will be catastrophic. The world will change forever, never to be the same again.

---

That's the chapter. I got nothing to say.

As always, If you have any questions or concerns, even criticism, Please PM me or Review. I'll always answer.

This is Zippy, out.