Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
"Windows to the Soul"
by Chronos Astral
Chapter 11:
'Looked Down Upon'
The Joushououken ryuu (Rising Phoenix Fist Style) was a fighting style exclusive to the Sharingan-wielding Uchiha. The style relied on the vision-enhancing capabilities of the Sharingan to foretell the opponents next move and effectively dodge or counter it. At the same time, it can also be used to take the initiative by finding a weak point in the opponent's defense and breaking through it with ease. Speed and reflexes were crucial in the utilization of this style in combat, for if the opponent were faster, it would be a near useless endeavor.
Sasuke, though a user of the Joushououken ryuu, had yet to awaken his Sharingan, which made the style's effectiveness drop by a good margin. Still, that didn't stop the determined boy, as he stubbornly got around that disadvantage by forming a hybrid style of sorts, training himself on speed, power, and technique to use it. Effective as it was, it was still flawed, at least until he had awakened the Sharingan.
Sasuke stood at his offensive stance, his lips twisted into a focused scowl, with his onyx-eyes locked onto his opponent's form.
The Uzumaki boy faced him with sealed eyes, not actually 'looking' at him, but knowing that he was there. He still wore that pleasant smile, as if not at all worried or phased with what was to come. It wasn't out of confidence. It looked more like was just very calm about it.
"I don't need a handicap, Uzumaki," Sasuke said, pointing at the blond's closed eyes.
"I assure you, Sasuke-san, I don't need to open my eyes to see." Naruto replied with conviction and with a cryptic air.
The raven-haired boy shrugged to him a silent 'your loss'. He surveyed his surroundings, noting the clamoring crowd beginning to silence themselves in anticipation (with the exception of his fangirls whose noise he had tuned out for the majority of the time).
"Shall we begin?" The blond asked.
After giving a brief nod, the Uchiha rushed forward with impressive speed, hoping to catch his opponent off-guard, to land a punch to his midsection. To his surprise, the blond had calmly swerved out of the way of his fist. Unrelenting, Sasuke caught himself and delivered a sweeping kick to knock Naruto off balance. The maneuver was fruitless as Naruto lightly hopped over the kick, still beaming disturbingly as he did so. Still crouching, Sasuke delivered another kick upwards to the boy's chest, which was blocked by one of Naruto's palms.
"There's quite a lot of power in your kick there, Sasuke-san." He commented, feeling the impact of the soles of the Uchiha's sandals on his hand.
Sasuke growled in annoyance, and used Naruto's hand as leverage to push himself from him, flipping back into a stance a few feet away. Naruto stood his ground, and went back to his own stance.
He charged once more, this time aiming a hook to the blond's chest. The blond shifted his upper-body to avoid the blow. Sasuke came at him with a relentless barrage of punches, which Naruto retaliated by gradually backing away from him, dodging and blocking as he did so. The fruitless efforts were beginning to grate on the young Uchiha's nerves especially since his blond adversary was still retaining his smile all throughout.
In his impatience, he hastily decided to end it with a crippling blow, one he was sure the blond wouldn't be able to block. He geared up for the attack, but felt his feet go off-balance and tripped.
"Oof!" Sasuke grunted as he landed on his rear, glaring at the offending foot the blond had used to trip him with. "Why won't you attack, Uzumaki?" He demanded, knowing that he was quite vulnerable as he was.
Naruto's smile widened a fraction as he responded politely to the downed boy. "I am just gauging your power at the moment, Sasuke-san. I wouldn't need to attack for that."
This sparked a bit of anger within the Uchiha boy, knowing that he was (in a figurative and literal sense) being looked down upon. He attempted a kick to the blond's stomach, which was expectedly blocked, and he pushed himself away to a safer distance. "Fight back, Uzumaki!" He commanded imposingly but was given no reply. He snarled and charged in recklessly, attempting blow after blow in careless haste and wasted effort.
Shikamaru watched as the battle waged on in the Uzumaki's favor, with the Uchiha blindly pulling out punches and progressively tiring himself out. Every unsuccessful attack was evidently agitating him more and more. It made his offensive foolhardy and wild.
'Which was his plan all along...' The lazy Nara narrowed his eyes at the smiling whiskered face of Uzumaki Naruto, who had not even broken a sweat from his exertions. 'He has barely even moved from that spot at all. All he's been doing is dodging and blocking blows to get the Uchiha anxious and careless.' He observed as the blond flawlessly dodgedthe kick aimed at his face.
'What I don't understand is how he is able to anticipate each and every attack. Sasuke is, though arrogant, not stupid enough to use an easily spotted pattern of attack and his speed is unmatched by the most of us here, yet Naruto predicts them without any sort of difficulty and counteracts accordingly without so much as lifting an eyelid.' It wasn't far to say that Shikamaru was impressed with the new student's skill. It was also evident in the awed faces of his classmates and the disbelieving looks of the 'Uchiha Sasuke Fanclub'. Shikamaru smirked at that.
He had picked up some of the facets of Naruto's fighting style. The boy would stand his ground always, provoking his opponent to take the initiative. He would never attack, only taking a defensive stand, and once or twice pushing the opponent off his momentum as to avoid an otherwise unavoidable blow. His motions were fluid and quick, never sudden, which represented his state of mind; calm. He was very calm, patient even, as if he were waiting for something.
'That's it!'He concluded internally, with his eyebrows shooting up in realization. He was waiting for the opportune moment to-
"Somethin' wrong, Shikamaru?" A voice asked, breaking him from his thoughts.
Shikamaru turned to the plump face of his best friend, Akimichi Chouji, who was eyeing him curiously. "Nothing's wrong."
Chouji nodded, and turned his attention back to the ongoing fight and the bag of chips he was currently enjoying. "That Naruto kid sure is something." He commented whilst chewing on a chip.
Shikamaru grunted an affirmative, vaguely recalling what the Uzumaki had introduced himself as on his first day.
'Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune'
"He's something alright..."
'Why!?' Sasuke screamed mentally as he missed once more. 'Why can't I hit him!?' He was getting tired, as evident on the beads of sweat dripping from his face in stark contrast to his adversary's unphased state. Not only was the blond not in the least bit fatigued, but he had not made any effort to retaliate. It irked him greatly, his teeth clenched in a perpetual snarl.
"Fight back, damn you!" He seethed, his anger boiling within. It felt unnatural that his emotions were flailing so fast and so uncontrollably, but he didn't care. There was no response. With a strangled cry, he snapped and vigorously upped the ante of his offensive.
There was little improvement. Every twitch of his muscles, every shift of his bones, every sway of his fingers, every heave of his chest, he could have sworn Naruto sensed them all. It was like the blond knew what his brain was telling his body to do before it happened. Every motion was not unseen from the blond's visage.
It was like being lured into a cage and trapped within, unable to escape the gaze of his trapper within its confines.
'Damnit...' If this was true, then his efforts would be fruitless in the end.
'Damnit.' Another attack blocked and ineffective.
'Damnit!' He... He was being played like a fool.
'Damnit!!!' With another fierce cry, he lunged at Naruto with all his strength, anger clouding his better judgment and abandoning all reason.
"DIE!!!"
Many gasped at the raven-haired boy's exclamation. The boy had given himself into his rage, leaving him wide open. Now was the time. The blond veered his head away from the strike and in one swift, fluid motion, launched his fist into Sasuke's stomach.
Sasuke choked at the impact, eyes widening in shock. It wasn't a strong blow of any sort, only enough to knock the wind out of him. But that was just it. His fatigue was catching up to him followed by mental exhaustion from his rampant attack and chaotic state of mind, all shoved into him with one simple punch to his gut.
He crumpled onto the floor, resisting the urge to wretch out his lunch. His body ached all over, a result of his wasteful endeavor. It refused him movement, screaming at him to lie down and rest, but his pride yelled back in defiance, holding him unstably up.
There was a deafening silence all around. All he heard were the sounds of his labored breathing and the buzzing migraine in his head.
'I... lost...?' The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.
It was sickening. Humiliating. Painful.
"It was a good fight." Said a calming voice. Sasuke strained his neck to look up at the smiling blond, Uzumaki Naruto, holding out his hand in offering.
'What!?... What is this!? Is he mocking me!?' The Uchiha boy snarled in disgust, narrowing his eyes at the victor of their match. Was it not pitiful enough to have him like this? Did he seek to taunt him even more for his defeat?
With the pent-up anger still battling on in his soul, Sasuke roughly shoved the boy's hand away and barked at him through clenched teeth. "DON'T FUCK WITH ME!!"
For once, Naruto's calm facet dropped to one of surprise and genuine hurt, retracting his hand away from sneering boy. He could feel the utter rage still boiling within him. It was suffocating. Naruto decided to leave the boy be, and attempted to part away without a word.
This was an insult to the Uchiha's onyx eyes, as he the retreating back of Naruto began to fade into something different. Something eerily familiar. Maybe it was the exhaustion or his clouded mind, but what he was seeing now was not his blond, kimono-clad classmate, but a darker figure. A mane of jet-black hair, and cold blood-red eyes replaced the visage of the tranquil blond to one of someone much crueler. None other than the Uchiha prodigy turned murderer, his older brother, Uchiha Itachi.
"You are not worth my time, Sasuke. You are far too weak." The image said in spectral similarity to his own brother's voice. It was mocking him, writing him down as weak and unworthy, as it had done before, leaving him to wallow in his own worthlessness and inability to stop him.
There it was. His motivation. His drive. His ambition. His vengeance. His hatred.
"DON'T YOU DARE TURN YOUR BACK ON ME, BASTARD!!"
In a mad rage, Sasuke quickly formed his handseals, ending with Tora (Tiger) and announcing his jutsu. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!! (Fireball Technique)" He drew in a deep breath, summoning as much chakra as he could and released it into a stream of scalding hot fire erupting from his mouth, surrounding the image of his older brother in flames. He smiled evilly at the sight of his brother's ashes scattering in the wind, the darkness within finally settling.
His smile instantly faded when he his senses caught up with him, making him see the smoldering form of Uzumaki Naruto, vanish into the blazing pyre of his own creation.
At that moment, he felt the hand of his teacher, Umino Iruka, gripping him tightly on his shoulder. "What have you done!?" He screamed, outraged at how one of his own students had just killed another.
"I-I... I didn't..." For once in his life, Sasuke found himself stuttering, speechless, and disgusted with himself. There was an abnormal spike in his emotions, which he was sure was the reason for his loss of control. But he normally had better control of his emotions than that. How could he have been so easily angered?
The crowd looked on in despair at the flames their blond classmate had disappeared into. They may not have known him for too long, but they didn't think that anyone so young deserved to die like that before they even became a ninja, especially one that was obviously skilled and had the potential to be a good ninja.
Hinata, Ino, and Sakura, watched in horror at the sight, their hearts wrenching as the embers burned ominously at the place where their friend once was.
"Calm yourselves." The wizened voice of the aged Sandaime Hokage called to them all, approaching the chuunin and Uchiha in an even pace.
"H-Hokage-sama! H-He just-!"
"I'm well aware of what Sasuke had just attempted." The Hokage stated sternly, keeping a critical eye on Sasuke. "But I believe that Naruto is safe..." He continued as he pointed towards the fire.
The flames slowly receded in their scorching fury, revealing the charred earth beneath yet no sign of the blond anywhere. All beheld the sight with amazement and yet unabashed relief.
Iruka inspected the aftermath of the powerful jutsu, confirming no bodily remains of any sort to signify any injury inflicted. There was no trace of Naruto there. "H-How did he-?"
"Kawarimi no jutsu (Substitution/Change of Body Stance technique), it would seem, though as it appears what he substituted himself with has been seared into oblivion." The Hokage explained, noting the clumps of charred dust. He turned to Iruka, who was comforted to know that his student had not met an untimely demise. "I expect Sasuke to be given proper punishment for the attempted murder of his own classmate."
"H-hai, Hokage-sama." Iruka nodded obediently, giving the young Uchiha's shoulder a firmer grip. "But what of Naruto?"
Sarutobi pondered on this a moment, seeing as the boy had not revealed himself to them after having successfully avoided Sasuke's jutsu. "I think that young Naruto wants to be alone right now."
"I see..." Iruka stood and cleared his throat to address his students. "Everyone go back to the classroom. Mizuki will take over the teaching for now. I'll be talking to Sasuke here." Some students groaned in defiance, but were silenced by the chuunin's hard glare. They quietly dispersed and retreated into the academy building, still shaken by the day's events.
Iruka sighed tiredly and addressed Sasuke. "Come, Sasuke. We need to talk." The boy was rooted to the spot, unresponding as if not hearing. Iruka nudged him. "Sasuke, are you okay?"
There was an utterly terrified look in the Uchiha's eyes. He was shaking, aghast of something. Teeth clenched and sweat dripping, unable to move at all.
"What's wrong Sasuke?"
He could feel it. He didn't know how but he could just feel it. The anger directed at him, practically burning him from within. It was so intense, so powerful, so inhuman!
Sasuke didn't see them. He didn't need to. The pale blue eyes boring into him from afar, glaring at his very soul. Those eyes were hurt, betrayed, much like his own once before, but far worse. It was directed at him, at his being and existence. It was so painful and so terrifying, like those eyes would pull you into an infinite void of darkness. It drove him mad within, making him relive the painful stare of his brother when he left him among the bloody corpses of his family.
Uzumaki Naruto was still here. He didn't where, but he was here, hawking at Sasuke like he was the scorn of the earth.
Sasuke couldn't hold it in any longer, the shaking of his teacher not helping him.
He vomited.
The Hokage felt the fleeting familiar signature draw away from the scene, assuming him to be Naruto who was hiding in the trees. It was intriguing to note that the boy had hidden his presence well, and that the moment he was gone, Sasuke had unsightly retched his bowels clean. Poor Iruka would need to wash his chuunin vest after that.
The aged village head approached the foliage the blond Jinchuuriki had hidden himself in previously. Something in particular caught his observant eye.
'A feather?'
Upon closer analysis he came upon a trail of feathers littered across the soil and out into the same direction Naruto had fled to. He found this odd, considering that it was unlike any feather he's seen before and no birds should be near that vicinity. Fascinated, he picked one up, eyeing it critically. The feather was a deep pitch black, with an almost dark violet hue. While beautiful to behold from afar, up close, one could feel an unnatural sense of chaos coming from within its raven bristles. It felt painful and grody to just hold it. Strife, discord, anguish, rage, hints of these practically emanated from the plummage.
A few moments later, the feather brittled away and rose into the air like ashes. The same happened to the other feathers cluttered on the ground, leaving no trace of their existence.
'What was that?'
A/N
Done. Woo. Leave review.
I think I heard about the Rising Phoenix Fist Style somewhere. They said it was the Uchiha's personal style, though I'm not too sure. I take no credit for the style, but I made the Japanese translation of it myself.
Check out my other two fics if you haven't seen them yet.
"Something About Naruto"
-Everyone falls in love with Naruto, regardless of gender. (With a few exceptions)
"I am not Submissive!"
-Small humor-ish fic of how Naruto can be too nice sometimes. Possible harem.
