Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto"

Chapter 3: Forgotten

Finally, they stopped. He stood atop the head of giant statue, and the blonde nuisance was across the river atop the head of another statue: the first and second Hokages. There was so much power coursing through him, he was giddy with it. He could almost drown out Naruto's persistent yelling, with his own laughter. Almost…

"Sasuke! Sasuke!"

He took a step as to leave.

"Are you going to run away from me?"

Sasuke stopped and turned slowly on his heel. It's then that Naruto saw his face for the first time since leaving Konoha. Orochimaru's curse mark had spread over a third of his face, making his left eye animal in appearance. The iris was gold and the white had turned black. The appearance of his friend shocked Naruto.

"Yo… idiot." They stared at each other for a long while. Naruto's eyes wide with confusion and Sasuke's cold and uncaring. "So she sent you?"

Naruto thought back to the day Shikamaru's team had been put together. Sakura had asked a once in a lifetime favor of him. With tears spilling down her cheeks, she had asked Naruto to bring Sasuke back. He had promised he would.

Sasuke spoke again, interrupting Naruto's train of thought. "I also told this to Sakura, but don't worry about me anymore." His stance relaxed and he placed his hands on his hips. "What's that face?" he asked with a smug smirk on his lips.

Naruto's eyebrows knit together in frustration, his mouth slightly agape, and sweat dripped down his nose. They had been put on Team 7 together because Sasuke had graduated highest in the class, but he had graduated lowest. They would even out the team according to Iruka Sensei. Sasuke had said he didn't care as long as Naruto didn't slow him down. That's when their rivalry had started. Naruto's fists clenched as he thought back to those days of training. The many times they had pushed each other… the many times they had fought for each other.

"Why?" Naruto asked with pain lacing his voice. "Why, Sasuke… why did you become like this?"

"Why should you care what happens to me?" Sasuke replied. "I have my own path, and nobody has the right to tell me what to do. I will tell you the truth…" He paused for a moment and then said harshly, "I'm done playing ninja with you guys of the Leaf. Go home."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Choji… Neji… Kiba… Shikamaru… Lee… everyone. Everyone risked their lives to come find you!"

Sasuke shrugged. "Good for them." Again he turned to leave and Naruto stood there soberly watching him walk away.

Sasuke looked at the stone at his feet as a Naruto shaped shadow grew in size. He looked up to see the idiot falling from the sky. He was furious.

"Your comrades of the Leaf risked everything for you!"

Naruto landed on Sasuke, pinning him to the ground, and punched his right cheek. His lip split and blood oozed out. Sasuke looked surprised… and then he spit in Naruto's face. He gripped the collar of Sasuke's shirt and pulled him up to see eye to eye.

"Comrades you say? Could I have become this strong with those so-called comrades?" Naruto's expression was unsurprising. "I'm going to Orochimaru."

"Orochimaru killed the Third Hokage and tried to destroy the Leaf Village! Do you think he will give you the power freely? He just wants your body as a vessel! You might not come back, you might get killed. Do you think I'd let you go to such a monster?"

Sasuke smiled ever so slightly. "That doesn't matter to me. If my goal is accomplished, then that's all that matters. If you intend to get in my way, then it can't be helped…" and he griped Naruto's collar.

"You're not gonna be able to go. I'll take you back by force!"

Sasuke smiled still and chuckled.

"Why are you laughing?"

"You were laughing at that time too, when we fought on the roof. You said you were happy because you would finally defeat me. You wanted to fight me, right? You were thrilled weren't you?"

"That was different… you were different. That was not the kind of fight I wanted. Even now… this isn't."

"I don't care about what you want." And he began to lift Naruto off him, high until his feet no longer touched the ground. He struggled in Sasuke's grip, clawing into his wrist to be released. The cords in Sasuke's arm stretched and his muscles flexed with Naruto's weight. And then he grinned and threw his fist into Naruto's gut making him fly.

Sasuke looked at his own hand. "What is this power? It's flowing out?" And then the curse mark receded and his eyes returned to normal. "So this is the power that the guy was talking about. It grows and is making my body stronger." He grinned manically. "If it's like that now… if I release the curse mark, I wonder how much power I'll have."

He looked down to see Naruto rising from the river and racing towards him. "Wake up already!"

They raced toward each other and blocked oncoming attacks… but Sasuke's foot connected with Naruto's face. "I am awake. The idiot who dreamt of a lax peaceful future, hanging with comrades… he was the one who was asleep. That's why I left Konoha! That's why I sought power. My dream is not in the future… my dream is in the past. That's the only place it exists."

He was able to pin Naruto with a rock using Naruto's own ninja tools.

"Sasuke… have you forgotten about the friends you've made?" Naruto pleaded. "Don't you remember all the good times?"

"What good times?" Sasuke laughed that unnatural laugh.

"Don't you care that you're hurting Sakura?" At these words, Sasuke blinked.

Sakura… he thought of her for only a moment and then he grew angrier. "She's annoying."

"She loves you and you are hurting her!" Naruto yelled. "She doesn't deserve this and you don't deserve her!"

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke shouted.

"Sasuke, you really—"

He cut Naruto short, "I told you, I don't need a future with you guys anymore." He then put the end of the wire that held Naruto between his teeth and proceed to do a series of complex hand signs. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!"

Sakura woke with a start. "Sasuke…"

Naruto had found him, she was sure of it. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. She had a feeling that things weren't going good. She turned on her side and pulled her blanket tight over her shoulders. She sobbed into her pillow. Why was this happening? Why did he leave her? She faintly remembered his arms around her, the touch of his lips against hers… did she remember or had she dreamt it? She didn't know. But she longed for him to return, she longed for his safety and happiness. But he would never be happy. And he had taken away her opportunity to be happy. He hadn't even given her a chance, hadn't allowed her to choose to stay or follow him. She would have gone too. She would have followed him to the ends of the earth. Had he forgotten all the time they had spent together? Didn't he remember?

A/N I had fun writing this one. Question: do you guys like the mirroring of the show? I'm gonna try putting in more of my own interpretations in the next chapters. Please R&R, I love hearing what you guys think.