So, excited to have all you lovely people showing me support! Thank you so much! Enjoy this chapter!
*** I'm altering what went down at the Valley of the End just a tad because I'm still confused and bitter that wind style (and Naruto) lost to lightening style (and Sasuke)...so… yeah… sorry…
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!
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When One Betrays
Chapter 4: A Friends Betrayal
***Time Skip: After they return with Tsunade***
Naruto was in his apartment, content that Tsunade had been able to heal Kakashi and Sasuke, and there was a chance, though slim, that she could help Lee as well. He set his alarm for the next morning, excited to see if his friend had woken up.
The blonde tried to sleep, but was restless; he decided to go and train some instead. It wasn't long into his workout that a familiar chakra drew near. This time though, there was no fear in him. He would fight back until his last breath, until someone could tell Sasuke that he had avenged him or had died trying.
Graceful steps echoed lightly in the still night, there wasn't even a breeze in the stale air. "Itachi" he growled when his eyes finally saw their target.
"How is Sasuke, Naruto-kun?" he asked, his voice devoid of any inflection.
Naruto snarled, his hatred waking the power inside him. "He's fine. No thanks to you!"
"I didn't come here to fight you tonight Naruto" he responded. His cold dark eyes tried to pierce through the younger, who didn't seem to notice they weren't their usual red.
Kyuubi stirred inside Naruto, he could hear the foxes voice in his head. "Let's kill him together boy, I hate Uchiha's!"
The blonde closed his eyes and found himself in a familiar metal room, staring down the tailed beast. "Give me your power!" he demanded.
The Fox chuckled darkly, feeding off the boy's hatred. The bubbling energy seeped out through the bars, swarming Naruto. When he opened his eyes again, they were red, the pupils warped into menacing slits.
"Interesting, the fear for his own life is not enough for him to call upon the Fox, but the need to protect those precious to him is" Itachi mused.
He watched the boy start to crouch on all fours, his fangs and nails growing in length and sharpness. Loose rocks began to levitate around him from the sheer power of his chakra. He lunged toward the Uchiha, his speed immense.
The older boy dodged the blow, activating his Sharingan. He could probably hold his own against the angered blonde, and wanted to know the extent of his abilities, but now wasn't the time for a heated battle. The surge of energy was sure to bring other shinobi out, and that was useless killing.
Itachi let Naruto tackle him, gripping his face in the process. His tomoes spun wildly as he looked into the blonde's animalistic eyes. Before Naruto could pull away, he was trapped in the Uchiha's powerful visual prowess.
The red began to bleed out of his irises, returning them to their previous blue before the lids started to close heavily. He pushed the boy off him and on to his back, leaning over to examine him.
"So beautiful…" he thought. He ran his fingers down Naruto's cheek and then across his slightly parted lips. It wouldn't be any fun if he was intimate with him right now, the blonde was unconscious.
There were shinobi coming towards them in the distance; Itachi could feel their chakra nearing closer. He gripped the boys chin one last time and whispered, "you will be mine Naruto" before disappearing into the protection of the trees.
Th elder Uchiha sat still while Kisame bandaged the gashes on his shoulders, proof that he and Naruto had clashed.
"It's not like you to be so careless Itachi" the shark man noted.
A smirk graced his lips, "I had to see the extent of Naruto's affection for my little brother. He will be devastated when Sasuke leaves."
The taller man sat down on a separate log near their fire, obviously waiting for Itachi to explain what he was talking about.
"Don't tell me you didn't see the mark Sasuke had on his neck when we encountered him at the hotel" he continued.
The missing nin smiled evilly, "Oh that one. That's one of Orochimaru's curse seals, isn't it?"
Itachi nodded, "my brother must have realized that he is not nearly strong enough to defeat me, and he now knows that Naruto is not as weak as he used to be either. It won't be long before he goes after that snake in search of power."
Kisame didn't comment any farther. He knew better than to pry into the Uchiha's personal thoughts. Opting to take the first shift instead.
Itachi laid on his makeshift bed and went back over what had happened. Naruto would be devastated when Sasuke left him, he knew of the blonde's feelings for his little brother. He hated Orochimaru intensely, and didn't like the idea of him being around his ototo, but that was a matter to handle later. Naruto, and his tenant the Kyuubi, were his primary concern now.
Sasuke sat on the bed as Sakura peeled him apples like she always did for her teammate when he was hurt. His hatred for Itachi and jealously of Naruto had reached its head now, and he was determined to put them both in their place.
He slapped the fruit to the floor and challenged the blonde, heading to the roof to prove that he was the superior ninja. But he soon found that Naruto was at the very least his equal when he caught a glimpse of the back of the water container.
"There's no way I'm going to lose to a guy like him! I've got to be stronger or I'll never defeat Itachi!" he growled in his mind.
Later that night, he would leave with the sound ninja.
*** Valley of the End***
Naruto and Sasuke still stood after their final attacks, neither was willing to back down. "Please Sasuke, come back with me to Konoha!" the blonde cried in desperation.
The raven did his best to glare at his rival. There was nothing the dobe could say that would make him return now; he'd gone too far to give up on leaving. "I already told you loser, there is nothing Konoha has left to offer me. Orochimaru will make me strong enough to kill my brother; I'm an avenger and I will have my vengeance."
The blonde's heart continued to crack. After the massive battle they had, even when he had proved that he was Sasuke's equal, the boy still didn't care about him or his feelings. He willed himself to say what had been on his mind for years now.
"What about me Sasuke? I'm in Konoha and I want you there with me. Please, I-I… I love you…" he stuttered out.
The young Uchiha gave a moments pause, he'd developed possessive feelings for the dobe as well but that wouldn't help in in his quest for revenge, or to rebuild his clan. Despite how much it bothered him, he pushed it down, determined to leave everything, even Naruto behind. He would return to claim his blonde later.
"You just don't get it do you? I will never care about a loser like you. You're no better than Sakura and all the other fan girls chasing after me. Go home before I decide that a pathetic life like yours isn't worth more extinguished" he breathed out.
Naruto was already feeling dizzy; the intense blood loss from the gaping whole in his chest was quickly killing him, but the words were far worse than any Chidori could ever be. Tears streamed down his battered face as he took another step towards the second Uchiha to ever cut him so deeply.
Kabuto flew from the shadows, hitting the already critically injured blonde across a tear and blood stained cheek. Kakashi arrived an instant later and sprang in front of him before he could give the killing blow.
He narrowed his eyes at Sasuke, who had fallen to his knees in exhaustion. Orochimaru slunk out of the dark woods next, his demeanor challenging the Jonin to a fight. A decision was made, Naruto was too injured to fight back, and he couldn't take both men on while protecting the blonde.
Kakashi picked up the unconscious form and leapt off, returning to Konoha where the other teens were also receiving emergency medical treatment.
***In the Hospital***
Naruto woke from his restless sleep, his eyes glassy from the pain he felt. Sasuke, his rival, crush, and best friend had told him he was meaningless. The scene of him stabbing him through his chest with Chidori replayed through his mind over and over.
How could he have been so naïve, he wondered. To think that he and the raven shared a bond worth dying for and then having it thrown back in his face so violently shook the very core of his faith. He'd failed Sakura, though she along with everyone else maintained that it wasn't his fault; that Kakashi had intervened when Orochimaru showed up.
Even though he had would have won the fight, the snake would have easily killed him in his weakened form. But what bothered him most was the knowledge that had he been able to bring Sasuke back, the younger would have hated him forever, more than he already did.
His heart ached from the loss, though he did his best not to show it when his comrades were around. He was so grateful that at least no one died following him on a useless retrieval mission; they came for him, not for Sasuke.
As the days past, his anger only grew for his rival. He needed to release the rage that was consuming his broken heart. His will to never give up fought against his desire to let Sasuke be. He had told Jiraiya he would stay a fool his whole life if it meant that he never gave up on his friends.
The Sannin seemed secretly pleased with his answer, but now that the blonde had time to think about it, he wished it had never come from his mouth. He wished he had never stooped so low as to let the raven know the extent of his feelings for him.
"How could two brothers make me feel ashamed of myself so easily?" he questioned, "how could Sasuke tell me I mean nothing to him after I confessed my love? Am I really that worthless?"
By the time he was discharged from the hospital, the gleam of hatred was present in his eyes for anyone who cared enough to look to see. Jiraiya decided to take him on his journeys for many reasons. To keep him safe and train him, but also to try to help the blonde heal.
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Sorry it's so much shorter than the rest 😐 kind of had a writer's block that wouldn't budge until the next chapter. Hope it didn't suck too much, but if it did please leave a review saying so 😊
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