Chapter 10

The chase

"No matter how long the road, the prize is the true value of its worth"- Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage

Seeing how slowly the skin was regenerating, Sakura was having doubts. In the past her teammate's body could heal nearly in an instant even when he lost consciousness. But now it was going so slow. She looked at him, to find him gritting his teeth, as if suffering great pain. But one he was far too familiar with. While being able to endure pain is considered a good thing, a great feat, it was sad in Naruto's case, given what kind of life he had in the Leaf. She focused her eyes once more on his left arm, which was inhuman in appearance. No matter how hard she tried, the limb would not turn anymore human. Was this the effect of the Nine-tails' chakra? Or was it like this for far longer? And what if he was turn completely?

She looked back at Yamato, who was eyeing the blond with concern. Whatever that jutsu earlier was, it helped stop Naruto. "Captain Yamato." Sakura caught his attention. "That jutsu you used to get Naruto back… Please teach me."

The wood style user looked at the pink haired medic ninja, analyzing her expression and eyes. He knew what she was after. The girl's voice was filled with guilt and despair. She wanted to be of more help. Being a medic on the team, one taught by Tsunade herself, didn't seem to be enough.

"I'm sorry, Sakura. That's impossible." Yamato replied, earning a sad look from the young woman. "The thing is… Wood style isn't my natural ability. I was fused with Lord First's cells and, as the only one compatible with them, am able to access it. Still… my powers are nowhere near as strong as his. Plus the necklace around Naruto's neck- it serves both as a magnifier and the conduit in my case, allowing my wood style to be sufficient to suppress the Fox. Without it, I would not be able to stop the beast." Yamato explained, looking at the necklace. It must've been destiny that it was given to the young Uzumaki years back, when the boy saved her from Orochimaru's right-hand-man.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears, which were dripping onto Naruto's now recovered chest. "It's… always the same" she managed to say in her sadness. "All I ever do hurt him by being unfair. And… Just when I… try to… to do something to help… It's always something small."

Yamato smiled at Sakura, seeing how much she wanted to support her teammate. "It's not whether it's big or small what you do. It's a matter of how honest you are about it." Yamato said, confusing the young girl of the Haruno family.

Before anyone could say anything, they heard a groaning sound. The two turned their eyes to Naruto, who's finally awaken. As he lifted himself to the sitting position, he caught his head in pain. Sakura smiled seeing he was feeling better.

"Naruto. You're alright." She said happily, yet quietly. She wasn't certain if she wouldn't sound too loud for him. The blond looked at her with the corner of one eye he opened.

"W-what happened?" he asked, finally looking around. "Last thing I remember is Captain Yamato giving the signal to come out and… and, uh…" he was lost in words. No, he couldn't remember anything. That or the memories were too clouded for him to recall. Still judging by the expression on his face, he was onto the idea what had transpired here. "I lost it, didn't I?"

"You were addressing yourself as Menma and went on a rampage, yes." Yamato cleared it.

Naruto just snorted. "So he did manage to take control, huh?" the jinchuriki stood up with some difficulty. "I didn't think just seeing Orochimaru or Kabuto would affect me that much."

"You mean to tell me you knew about this?" Sakura asked him harshly, ready to punch him. Naruto raised his hands in defense, sweating madly.

"Well… not exactly. He can't take over if I'm prepared mentally."

"You idiot!" the kunoichi punched him hard. "You think that's enough of an excuse?!"

"Let it go, Sakura." Yamato ordered, restraining her arms. "Even if we were to know earlier, there was no quarantine we'd manage to keep Menma in check."

"Besides…" Naruto started, rubbing his head, "I thought granny had already told you about this… 'discomfort' of mine, since he's linked to the Nine-tails."

Sakura wanted to say something. However, to the blonde's surprise, she had no words for it. From what Naruto said it means that Tsunade knew about this. But why would she keep this to herself? Did she not trust her with this? Maybe she thought that Naruto should tell them about it? Or maybe there was some other reason? One that she couldn't come up with. Then she looked at Uzumaki's hand. Naruto saw where she was looking and covered his arm, growling. "Naruto. Let me finish healing your arm." The pink haired girl said.

"It's fine." Naruto said with a dark tone.

"But it's still not healed. Let me…"

"I SAID LEAVE IT!" Naruto roared at her, releasing some killer intend on her. It took him a moment to calm down before he continued. "It's too late. Three years too late." He said with a rather annoyed tone.

"But… what happened?" She asked. She expected the blond to try and act tough, which was why she got ready to punch him. However, the sorrow look in his eyes told her far more than she'd expect.

"A reminder… of my failure." He said, turning to face Yamato. "Will you give the order to move out or are we going to discuss my physical appearance?"

Yamato collected himself like a kid who was daydreaming and just got awoken. "Ahh… yes. Team, let's move!" he ordered. And Team 7 moved out.

The three ninja dashed through the fields of emerald and bronze flora at full speed. The pale skinned young man looked at the serpent like rogue ninja leading them, expecting an attack. His master, Danzo, warned him of Orochimaru's ways. The fact he survived back there was only because of the letter he passed. Clearly, it was enough for Orochimaru to let the youngest of the group to live- for now. But now he was Orochimaru's. his life could be ended at any moment by this man's hand. Sai had no choice. He had to cooperate. Then there was Kabuto, the right-hand-man, who was watching him very closely. This man, no doubt, could kill him with little effort. And it would be hard to make him give an opening. Still, Naruto, or Menma, was able to beat him with no effort at all. This could prove both useful as well as troublesome in the long term plans of his master. At the very least, he should earn Orochimaru's trust. And he knew just the trick.

"Lord Orochimaru." Sai said, getting the said man's attention. "We're being followed."

"I know." Orochimaru replied, shocking the Root agent. As he turned around, he saw an explosion. If he was to be a little closer, he would find the place of detonation to be filled with scorching wood. Clone Yamato was taken down.

And the original felt it. He stopped and looked as if trying to recollect his thoughts. Sakura seemed concerned. But Naruto, being perceptive, knew there was something more than just a headache.

"Captain?" the blond asked. Wood style user turned to face them after his expression softened.

"My wood clone… It has been find out." He explained. "We have no way of tracking them now."

"How are we going to track them now?" Sakura asked.

"They're heading west." Naruto said, getting their attention.

"Naruto, how would you know?" the kunoichi asked in disbelieve.

"I may not have Kiba's nose or the Hyuga's byakugan. But during my travels I learn about tracking." He explained, pointing at the spot where the grass was strangely bended. "There are surprisingly many way to track the enemy without some chakra enhancement. Bended grass. Broken branches or twigs. Trials in the sand. Even hair. You just gotta look carefully. It's just telling how far ahead they are that's hard."

Yamato approached the track and analyzed it for a while, as Sakura was eyeing her teammate. Surely enough, Naruto did grow a lot. He was definitely a better ninja than her. And it was rather annoying. Naruto was usually rather goofy and stupid when they were kids. Now, when he was using his brain more often, it made her feel useless again. But this was not the time for this. She shook her head. They needed to track Orochimaru and his two companions to find Sasuke. So she had nothing to complain about.

"They're about 5 km away from us at best." Yamato stated. "Great work, Naruto. Let's move." He ordered. And the team dashed.

It was a long journey. On multiple occasions they were guessing their directions. Fortunately, they found it. Orochimaru's hideout. And judging from the footprints they entered not so long ago. Now they only needed to enter. The team looked at each other. Then everyone looked at Yamato, who snapped his fingers. He put his finger into the soil and focused his chakra. There, in the earth, his finger turned to root, that dug deeper and deeper. It grew until it made a hole into the hallway of the hideout. It was a time consuming process, as they needed to ensure they would not be heard. Luckily, they got in with no one alerted. Immediately, Yamato sensed one of their targets. And fortune seemed to be on their side. The first door they opened was to Sai's room.

"Looks like we got ourselves a traitor." Naruto commented, as Yamato subdued the renegade ninja. Naruto approached him calmly and stared him into his dark eyes. "Now then, how about some explanation? Why did you abandon us for the serpent pedophile?"

Sai didn't seem intimidated at all. Yet he had no reason to keep this to himself. "Because there are two objectives in my mission." He started. "First one being spying on Orochimaru. I am to report everything to Lord Danzo using my ink jutsu."

"You would write down everything you've learned and then use that ink beast whatever to turn the text into an animal. Then it would sneak out of here, get to the village and turn back into the text for Danzo to read. Am I correct?" Yamato asked. As Sai nodded, the team captain continued. "What about the second objective?"

"Simple. Assassinate someone. The question is who? Orochimaru is out of the question since he may prove useful in a long run. Kabuto I more of the serpent's personal nurse…" Naruto started to think. As the thought about the third person crossed his mind, Sakura appeared to think the same. And she punched the pale man.

"You will not touch Sasuke!" she said with a dreadful tone.

"He is a danger to the village ever since he abandoned it. He must be dealt with." Sai said bluntly. Sakura balled her fists and got ready to punch him. How dared he say this about the Uchiha. But before she got to hit him, Naruto got to him first. He sent Sai flying into the wall. The cracks appeared and a small stream of blood escaped the man's lips. Naruto clearly did not hold back. The blond caught him by the throat before Sai could hit the floor and pressed him against the wall.

"That is NO excuse!" he growled from between his teeth, as his eyes blazed with yellow, chirping light. The Uzumaki turned to the team captain. "Tie him up and gag him!" he said with the tone of both authority and thread. Yamato did as he was told. But before he could gag him…

"Why do you even bother trying to save him?" Sai asked. "Did he not try to kill you? Besides, Orochimaru will never let you get him away from his side. He'll crush you."

Naruto just turned to face him. What Sai saw in these deep blue eyes was some kind of strength he's never seen before. Power. Confidence. Loyalty? "Let him try." Naruto said. "He may crush my bones. He may shred my flesh. He may torture me all he wants. But as long as I can draw a breath, I won't give up. As for Sasuke… well, it's pretty much the same. As long as there's hope, I will chase after him. I will get him back to the Leaf or die trying." Then he left. And Sai laid in his chamber tied up. What was this strange feeling?

Team 7 decided not to spread out. It was safer in the group. While they could cover more ground separately, it was safer to stay together. And so, together they entered the huge chamber. It was really big, with a statue of a snake, serving as a great torch. As they walked in deeper, they sensed something strange. A presence, a dark one at that. As they kept eyeing the place, they notice a lone figure at the base of the statue. A figure came out of the darkness. He wore a long, sleeveless, dark grey cloak over a white, unzipped shirt with a turtle neck and navy blue pants. He was resting his right arm on the blade tied to his hips. As the group took a better look, they recognized the figure more.

"Sasuke." Sakura whispered.

Naruto analyzed him. Hitashi really did patch him up. Sasuke's left eye was also blazing with the sharingan's fearful red. And his left arm seemed unscratched. Sakura, however, did not know about this until now.

"What happened to you, Sasuke?" she asked, seeing some scars on his arm and two small ones around his eye.

"Why don't you ask Naruto?" he answered. "He's the one who did this to me."

"Naruto?" she growled at him, releasing some killer intend. Strangely, Naruto seemed to ignore her.

"You know it wasn't me, brother." The blond said, walking towards him.

"From what I could tell, you went berserk. As if you were suffering a split personality." Sasuke commented, suddenly standing next to Naruto. The two remained quiet for a time. No one moved a muscle. The Uchiha smiled. "You grew." He commented, noticing he was slightly shorter than the blond. Though he was more likely commenting on the fact that Naruto was more bulky, while Sasuke was slim. "That will make it easier for me to hit you." He drew his blade, ready to use it. "I remember all these times you used to listen to me, Naruto. Remember how I told you how I wished father would see me for me instead of Itachi?"

"He always compared you two." Naruto answered. "I would always say: Your father should write your names on your foreheads if he can't tell which one is which."

Sasuke chuckled a little. Then he pointed his blade at his friend. "Too bad. This is where our paths separate, brother." He tried to stab the blond. To end his life. The blade move at such speed no one would block it.

Or would they? The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed throughout the complex. To everyone's shock, it was Sai who blocked the blade.

"You are my replacement?" Sasuke asked the newcomer.

"I am here because I am curious about this bond you two share." Sai commented.

"Then you will taste it." Sasuke said in a dangerous tone… And attacked.

Yamato tried to bind him. But he was quickly caught in a genjutsu. Sakura charged in, wanting to stop them. Sasuke swung his blade, only to have Sai block him again. "Chidori Current!" he called, as the electrical charge spread thoughout the chamber, electrocuting everyone. Everyone beside Naruto, who strangely enough endured it. Sasuke charged at him.

"Gotta use it." He whispered to himself. And his body started to change, surprising the Uchiha. As the electrical charge ran through the Uzumaki's body, his arms became even more muscular, covered in veins. And his eyes- they were dark blue completely, along with the sclera. And the pupils turned into six, yellow point, connected with electrical discharge. He easily dodged the blade and slapped Sasuke in the face, sending him flying a little.

"What is this, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "Some new stupid trick?"

"This is my heritage, Sasuke. I call it Raiju Keitai (thunder beast form)" Naruto answered, ready to attack. He ran through a sequence of hand-seals, when pain struck him. He did not expect this. The influence of the Nine-tails' chakra still didn't allow him to use Raijin's power? It would seem so. The god and the demon were like fire and ice. So apparently there was still a lot of the Fox's chakra in his body, making it painful to use the godly power. Sasuke seemed to take the chance. He looked into the blonde's eyes…

Contact.

A dark sewer. Water everywhere. Water dripping. This was the mindscape. Sasuke looked towards a big bubble talking to Naruto, trying to convince him to take some of its power to win this fight. Naruto seemed ready to take the offer, But the Uchiha would not have it.

"So this is the source of your power?" Sasuke asked. "No wonder you had such a messed up life, idiot. You really are a monster."

"I see." The Nine-tails said, after it recovered from the shock of seeing the brunette before him. Your sharingan managed to develop to this level."

"So you're the Nine-tails. I'm not impressed." Sasuke commented.

"Your eyes… they're so wicked. And that chakra… even more sinister than mine. You remind me of him- Uchiha Madara." The beast said, as it blew up. Sasuke did not seem touched.

"Never heard of him."

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, PRINCE?" another voice came. As the brunette and the blond turned, Menma appeared. "Get out of OUR KINGDOM!" he charged at the Uchiha, ready to kill him this time. Sasuke just disappeared and reappeared elsewhere. He was not intimidated. And yet he underestimated the newcomer. Menma managed to punch him straight in the gut. "Surprised, Prince. Don't be. After all, this is still our mind. Meaning, that we are the god here, while you will always be just a speck of dust." Menma commented, ready to rip off Sasuke's head, when the Uchiha kicked him away and disappeared, hearing only the Fox's voice.

"Don't kill… Naruto. You… will only… regret it…"

The two jumped up, as if they just awoke from a nightmare. They eyed each other, ready for another round, when…

"Now, now, Sssasuke. Don't waste your energy." Orochimaru said, appearing behind Sasuke. Then he eyed Naruto. "You're not at full ssstrength. Yet… you were able to sssurvive thissss long. I am impressssssed. Oh, well. Come Sssassuke. Let'ss go elsewhere."

The two formed a ram seal and where disappearing in fire, when…

"Sasuke!" Naruto roared. "Are you really willing to give up your body if it means getting your revenge? Trust me- it's not worth it. Revenge itself, Sasuke, is not worth the price. Just like this deal, it a delusion! SASUKE!"

"Naruto. You know nothing. Revenge is the only thing left for me. If I can it, I will sell my own soul for it. That must be." Sasuke answered, disappearing. Naruto shook his head slightly in disbelieve. The way Sasuke said that… It was not of someone thinking straight. The answer was just something to say something. The blond punched the ground with incredible force, making the chamber tremble. Even now, he failed.

"It's alright, Naruto." Sakura's calming voice spoke to him. He looked at her. She was still after answers for what he did to Sasuke, but right now they had to deal with another lost chance of getting him back.

But they will get him back to the village one day. They will.

End

A.N.: Sorry for the late update. I was feeling a little down lately. Still feel a bit. I fell the power coming back. Stay tuned for the next chapters.