Chapter 18

Infuriated, Naruto lifted his gaze from the spot Kakashi had truly died in.

That was it. He'd had enough. He got to his feet. Then sprinted out of the cave. He arrived in a misty clearing, rocks tumbled slightly at his arrival.

"IIIII'LL KILL YOU MADARAAAAA!" He bellowed and as if on que, a masked figure appeared a few feet away from him.

"Hello." His low voice rumbled. "So I see you actually killed it."
Sakura and the others appeared at the caves entrance, watching Madara with enraged hatred.
"Of course I did. He didn't seem... Bad enough to kill. Was he... Innocent!?" Naruto snarled, imagining if he was just a boy that he killed because Madara asked him to. That would make him no better than Madara's followers.

"You could say that. He was actually a part of me I needed to get rid of." Madara stated. Naruto's eyes widened as he realised what he's just done.
Madara had wanted to kill the only good left inside of him. He was a monster. For a whole minute they both stood in silence, glaring each other down.

"...The game is finished, I did what you asked me to. Give me back my sensei!"
Madara laughed mockingly, it echoed around the rocky clearing.

"Don't be a fool." He rumbled. Naruto froze and looked at him confusedly.

"What?"

"I'm not going to give him 'back'." He bent down to pick up a rock and examine it. "He was never yours to belong to."

"He doesn't belong to you either! Kakashi sensei belongs to the Leaf Village!" Naruto shouted. Madara snapped his head up and shot the stone at Naruto. The force was fast enough to dig into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto winced in pain. Sakura ran out beside him.

"Give him back." She said as calmly as she could.

"Pfft. I would never take orders from a girl as weak as you." Madara exclaimed, taking a step forward.

"What if I fight you?" Naruto looked up, holding his wounded shoulder.

"What if?" Was all Madara said.

"What if I won?" Naruto asked with defiance. "If I win, give me back my sensei."
Sakura tried to stop him but he gently pushed her away.

"Sakura." He said. "I won't die, you know I can't. I've still got to become Hokage."
Sakura's eyes gleamed with tears. "But your chakra is down and- Naruto!" But he was already running at Madara. Madara stood in a bored stance as Naruto ran to him.

"Rasengan!" Naruto exclaimed as a blue ball of energy appeared above his hand, created by two shadow clones that ran with him. Naruto went to attack Madara but Madara disappeared into the floor.

"Love makes you stupid. Makes you weak." Naruto heard Madrara's voice behind him. He threw kunai at him but they went straight through his body. Naruto backed away and stopped when he was a considerable distance away from Madara.

"Have you ever loved anyone!?" Naruto ran at the advancing Madara and Naruto's kunai's clashed.

"Of course I have!" Madara snarled, his mask was close to Naruto's face.

"Your lying!" Naruto exclaimed through clenched teeth. Madara growled at Naruto's comment.

"Believe what you want to believe." Madara punched Naruto in the stomach with his free fist. "But your sensei taught you the wrong lesson."

"If he taught me the wrong lesson." Naruto grimaced. "Then I wouldn't be out here to save him!"
Madara laughed deeply as they both jumped away. He swirled into the air, only to appear back the top of a rock across from Naruto.

He looked over his shoulder to try and see Sakura but she wasn't there. He clenched his teeth but when he looked back to Madara something amazing happened.
A hand shot through him, covered with blue lightning. Madara's only showing eye widened and he coughed. He swirled away, revealing someone behind him. He was hunched over, with a Jounin jacket hair was a strange silvery white and some of it was plastered to his head with blood and sweat. His legs were quivering and he fell to his knee's, his mask only revealing smiling eyes.

Naruto stood dumbstruck. He sprinted towards him. "Is it you!? Is it really... Really you?!"
Kakashi's breath came out in quick gasps. "Yeah..." He said , Naruto could make out that he was trying hard to speak.
Madara appeared behind Naruto, completely fine. Naruto jerked around, wincing at the pain in his shoulder. He scanned the group for Sakura, she would be ecstatic. She still wasn't there.

"Clever." Madara's voice rumbled. Naruto stood up, pulling Kakashi with him.

"What?" Naruto questioned, looking from Kakashi to Madara. But Madara wasn't talking to Naruto.
Sakura had finally appeared, staggering back out of the cave.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouted.

"She used her chakra to heal the dying boy. She only healed him for the time it would take for him to bring Hatake back. Clever." Madara said to a glaring Sakura. "Very clever."
Kakashi's eyes widened. "Sakura did..." He trailed off.
Naruto wanted to run to Sakura but be couldn't as he was holding his sensei up.

"See how love is stupid, Naruto?" Madara said at last. "That stupid girl could have gotten herself killed all because she was trying to save her 'beloved sensei'."
Kakashi's face went paper white and he looked disorientated for a second. It looked as if he was upset. But what about? Sakura?

"Kakashi sensei?" Naruto put a hand on his arm. Kakashi jerked away and looked to Madara, with stone cold eyes.

Naruto clenched his fists but Kakashi held him back. "I used to think the same." He panted, staring into Madara's Sharingan. " I thought it made you weak, a bad warrior. To love is to destroy, I believed that. I used to think being a good ninja meant not caring, about anything. Myself especially. But I was wrong." He sent a knowing glare Madara's way. "You're wrong."
Madara stared at Kakashi for a moment. "Are you trying to prove something?" He said, trying to sound bored.

"You know what I'm trying to say." Kakashi said roughly. Madara didn't speak for a moment. He just stared Kakashi down. Soon enough Madara turned around.

"Hmm..." He mumbled. Naruto grew agitated from Madara's constant defiance. He began to run to him but Kakashi held him off and shook his head.

"But... But look what he's done to you!" Naruto gestured to Madara angrily. Kakashi didn't answer but held him back anyway.

"Yes..." Madara said suddenly. He turned around and Kakashi's Sharingan eye opened and met with Madara's. Naruto watched in confusion and annoyance. Why couldn't he just kill him!?

"Oh, what is this?" Madara bellowed. Kakashi scowled.

"Don't think I have no idea." Kakashi growled even though his hands were shaking and his eye's were drooping...

"Oh..." Madara laughed. "Kakashi this fight will have to wait." He held a hand up in front of him. Kakashi opened both of his eyes and Madara titled his head. "And how you think that you can defeat me... I don't know myself- what's going on in your head. I'm afraid I'll have to be taking my leave."

After sending a slightly confused, saddened glare at Madara, Kakashi turned around. Naruto watched in amazement as Kakashi just dismissed all that happened in one swift movement. It was almost like... They knew each other.

Naruto ran for Madara anyway, powering up his last Rasengan but when he went for Madara, he disappeared. Naruto staggered forward after hitting nothing but air.

"Huh?" He scowled. Madara's dark laughter hung in the air and Naruto grimaced. He punched the ground in frustration.

"No!" He shouted. Just then he noticed the group all coming towards him. Sakura was with them and he ran to her first.

"Sakura!" He exclaimed. She nodded. "Are... Are you okay? I mean-"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's all." She smiled weakly. He smiled back, Guy was ranting at Kakashi behind him and when everyone had met Kakashi again and Kakashi had thanked everyone for their amazing efforts, Naruto plodded over to him.

"Hey... Kakashi sensei..." Naruto looked at Kakashi's terrible looking face. "Did you know him...?" It did seem impossible to Naruto but... It just seemed that way.

"Naruto." Kakashi looked at Naruto sceptically. "Can you ask questions when I'm not in this state?"
Naruto grinned tiredly. "Heh yeah, sorry."

"It's fine." Kakashi went to stand up. "The others have already talked to me, maybe you should go say hello."

"Oh I did!... It was amazing... What Sakura did!" Naruto looked at her almost dreamily. He shook his head and looked to Kakashi. He was swaying on his feet and Naruto immediately gave him support.

"Kakashi sensei, you okay?" He asked but just as he did Kakashi practically fell into his arms...

It's a short chapter I know and I realize now that I am a hindrance on all you people that followed this story... how long ago was it?... Like half a year ago or something but I decided that I couldn't leave people who still read it on that cliffhanger so there xD I apologize a million times to all of you but I just got so caught up with exams etc, that I didn't have time to write. BUT HAVE YOU GUYS KEPT UP WITH THE MANGA I MEAN HOLY HELL WHATS GOING ON THERE!? I've always read the manga even when I lost interest in Naruto but now for some reason my interest has sparked again. But guys... ITS ENDING SOON AHHHHH! Yeah anyway, I'll wrap the event's after this in the next chapter which I'll post regardless... Thanks anyway for being lovely reviewers and stuff! :D 3