Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or anything that comes along with it otherwise I probably would have killed off Sasuke long ago, or at least stopped him from being such an arrogant ass.

"Speech"

"Thought"

"Kyuubi thoughts"

Chapter 4: Chidori's Call

Memories of their last encounter in these same surroundings flooded back to the fox boy's mind in quick succession, reiterating how they had danced the same battle now as the time before.

"It's been a long time since then hasn't it?"

The words echoed in the back of Naruto's mind as he remembered how long it had actually been, how long it had taken for another meeting between the two to finally take place after believing they had lost their former comrade forever to the clutches of Orochimaru, their hopes only slightly lifted when they heard of the snake-summoner's death to only be further crushed when they realised his return was not inevitable, not even after the accomplishment of his clan's revenge.

"I still haven't forgotten my promise to Sakura-chan."

At this point Sasuke looked down upon the Kitsune with a mild interest, not actually having known the promise contracted between the pair. He knew that Sakura probably asked Naruto to bring him back to Konoha but he decided to leave it to speculation, instead listening to the elaboration he was sure he was going to receive.

"I promised Sakura-chan I would bring you back. I don't break my promises- if I have to force you to come back then I will."

Rearing himself up for another attack Naruto overlapped his fingers to form the classic seal of one of his signature jutsus- Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. After a few minute moments shadow replications littered the vast expense of the valley, covering almost every available surface except for a five-foot radius around their opponent. It was an impressive sight for anyone who hadn't seen this high level of chakra display before, especially when at least a hundred if not more of the Kitsunes now opposed the Uchiha, who merely fell into a fighting stance, the silver brilliance that was his katana unsheathed by his side resting horizontal to his body.

Even as the Kyuubi began to spread its red-hot rage throughout its container's body the illusion of the fierce scarlet eyes could not deny the presence of emptiness that the male felt- the guilt that he couldn't fulfil his promise fuelling the determination that caused him to carry on and bring home the missing-nin. However as thought this shinobi dance was just like the time before- his opponent once again able to push back his advances.

The Uchiha's body was almost lost amongst the smoke that amounted around him as the each clone the blonde had created disappeared in a white cloud, what started as nearly a hundred clones reduced to pitiful numbers in only a few moments. Each movement that was made was perfectly executed and had none left to waste; each action having their own purpose in the battle. It was only after he thrust the blade clean through the last clone that he realised the real Naruto had slipped from his superior eyes- the tomae of his sharingan spinning at rapid speeds as he scanned the landscape for any trace of movement that the demonic Kitsune made.

The usually silent Sasuke couldn't stop himself from uttering a small cry as something suddenly wrapped itself around his ankles, forcing him under the water despite the chakra upon the soles of his feet straining to keep him above. It was only when he jerked his head down that he realised the reason for his submersion- his favourite hyperactive jinchuriki, home to the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

The battle ensued even with their new underwater surroundings, each charging towards the other with a speed akin to as if it were on solid ground, kunai and katana striking each other in the midst of a bubble storm. Each weapon the two shinobi wielded were unlike any other, being of unique metal which allowed the user to channel their chakra through the blade or kunai to reinforce the sharpened edge, making it possible to slice through liquids or even the air within the pair's hands- if they were any around at that time that is.

Even though they had been trained to have a higher endurance in certain situations to their untrained kin it didn't stop the fact that they were still human- in Naruto's case human in body and partially in mind- and humans needed oxygen to live. However the first to break the surface was surprising, for it was the ebony-haired that sought out the vital necessity first, his normally 'I-won't-let-the-dobe-win' attitude (this included anything from spars to the rock, paper, scissors game favoured by Gai and Kakashi) unable to ignore the burning sensation coating his insides from the depravation of air. He was only left a few breaths before his bloodline limit directed his attention to the river bed, a tailed shadow quickly advancing upon his position, the three tails rotating behind them as some sort of driving system, mimicking the propellers upon the back of boats to make his way through the water at an impressive speed.

'Shit…he's coming up too fast."

Sasuke immediately sprang from the water's surface and into the air with a slight exertion of his chakra to his hands and feet, the water droplets fleeing from their temporary home back into the pool of water as he climbed further into the air. This effort though did not spare him from the clutches of the Kitsune's cloak; the scarlet chakra grasping upon his leg as if it were clutched by a hand, swinging him into the wall nearby with full force, a crater formed by the male's impact. Soon after the perpetrator of the attack crawled from underneath the water, standing defiant upon the rippling waves as he glared after the Uchiha.

'He's gotten stronger than last time- but I'm still going to be the one who wins."

"Hey, Naruto."

The miniature Kitsune's eyes narrowed upon his target as they began to dislodge themselves from the rock, uncaring for the various cuts and bruises painted across his body from the impact. A familiar sound disrupted the silence- the sounds of thousands of birds calling in unison, the trademark technique of this particular Uchiha. Yet this time it was different. Instead of the regular action of the lightning sphere forming within his hand it was now crackling down the length of his blade in a continual loop from the hilt to the tip. Before Naruto could react he had already flung the katana through the air, the screech of the air being slit in two by the lightning-infused weapon harmonising with the chirping noises as it advanced quickly upon its target.

"This kid is slipping up- there is no way this could hit us."

When it came to predicting movements the demon fox was nearly always right and this was no exception. A simple spring backwards a few feet meant that the weapon sailed into the depths below, a feral grin forming upon Naruto's face courtesy of the nine-tails. The voice that came from the Konoha shinobi was almost entirely demonic- only a few traces of his human personality managing to break through the malicious tones.

"Uchiha- you're losing your touch. Do you really expect petty things like that to strike down the great King of all Bijuu?"

An equally demonic laugh followed soon after, the blood-red eyes of the Kyuubi conveying his amusement at the pathetic attack.

"I wasn't aiming for you, Fox."

Not even a second was spared to allow the feral blonde to glance down and see where the blade had lodged itself before a surge of electricity shot through his veins, forcing the unknowing Kitsune to a frozen stance. Each movement he made was rewarded with a sharp pain shredding through the chosen body part, before dying down once more to a light shock until the action was foolishly mimicked again. This paralysis however did not stop the chilling glare the male directed towards the Uchiha, not did it stop him from emitting a killer intent so strong that it even made the distant Sakura feel uncomfortable.

"This ends now Naruto."

The all too familiar lightning chakra began to gather once again in the male's hand, the distinct sound of bird's calling in unison erupting from the raw power, announcing that an end to this dangerous battle was soon to arrive.

As the missing-nin charged towards him in the same time the mini-Kyuubi began to slowly lose the characteristic red aura that made up the demon's cloak until only the jinchuriki remained, the fiery scarlet of his eyes having reverted back to the calming azure blue the blonde was famous for, those same eyes professing a pain that could never be understood by another. It was after a few moments of faltering vision due to the last attack that he submitted to heading their call for rest and closing them, his last image being of the deadly shinobi only a few quick paces away with a murderous look expressed with no remorse.

Only a few minutes before the Chidori first emerged into the assailant's palm the original wielder and teacher of the jutsu awoke, the single weary eye unable to fixate upon a certain thing until they encountered the familiarity of the pink-haired medic-nin checking him over after noticing his arrival back into the world of the conscious. The voice that emerged from his lips sounded aged long beyond his years, the hoarse words he was able to dislodge from his throat quickly silenced by his student's commanding tone- something she had obviously picked up from her tutor, Tsunade, along with her medical prowess and inhuman strength.

"What happ-"

"Ssh! You need to rest right now, otherwise you may do yourself more harm then good. I have managed to heal the worst of it, but you still won't be feeling in peak condition for a while UNLESS YOU REST."

"Humph."

The reply that Sakura received from the silver-haired jounin calmed her fears that he wouldn't try anything stupid and get up, her worries practically non-existent as she noticed him pull an infamous book from his pack- one of the Icha-Icha series that Jiraiya had penned himself while on his various 'research' missions.

'When is he ever going to pay attention- well, at least he's quiet.'

With her patient/sensei in a stable condition she turned to the battle that had raged on without her notice, her eyes first taking in the large crater within the rock face before allowing her gaze to travel to the water's center, and see her former crush advancing fast with the very jutsu she had cursed Kakashi for teaching him. Her eyes widened as the gap came ever closer, knowing that this certainly wasn't a friendly fight- it was a fight until one or neither of them were left standing.

'He's going to kill him…'

"Naruto-kun! Watch out!"

The disgruntled jounin looked up from his 'colourful' book with a raised eyebrow in surprise to Sakura's antics, his curiosity into what had caused such an outburst causing him to lean slightly to the side in order to see past the female blockade and at what had caused the medic-nin to react in such a way. When he finally realised the reason behind the warning Kakashi realised that perhaps this was one of those times when staying unconscious and oblivious to the events would have been best, wondering if all the years he had spent as Konoha's copy-ninja could ever prepare him for this moment.

A/N: Took a bit longer than I thought to write but it is longer overall so that sort of compensates for it. Sorry for the annoying cut-off point that I chose, but it all becomes resolved (what has happened in A Past Encounter and Chidori's Call) in the next chapter which I will post as soon as possible.

Promise ;)

(Reviewing might push me to get this done quicker, so there's an incentive!)