Author's Note:
Hey guys, thanks for all the reviews! Before you read this chapter I just want you guys to know a couple of things!
First of all, Karin is dead to me. I hate her so much and in my world no one talks about her and I pretend she does not exist... That is why she will not be in ANY of the stories I write.
Okay now that you know that, another thing I wanted to inform you about is Naruto knows the truth about Itachi. I can't really fit explaining how he knows it in this chapter so I'll just let you guys know this ahead of time so you are not all like whaaat?
Lastly, I'm going try to work on my sentence structure/grammar and describing things/people like Agent G and Hish36 suggested :)
Yep, so that's all I needed to say! :D
Story is rated T (Note there is some vulgar language used)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it was created by a brilliant man named Masashi Kishimoto!
The Katana Ends A Life
The elderly nurse noticed yet another sigh escape through the pink haired kunoichi's mouth. She watched as the young girl changed the sheets on the bed where a patient had recently been laying.
"Sakura, that's enough." The old woman placed a hand on her shoulder. "You have really overworked yourself today, go home and get some rest."
Sakura lightly pushed her hand off. "I appreciate your concern, Karou-sama, but I'll be okay."
Karou let her mouth hang open as the girl continued to clean. Sakura scurried around the large room, disinfecting medical tools, making beds and cleaning up spills. Visible beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but that didn't slow her down at all.
The old nurse found herself laughing in disbelief, the girl had been working non stop since noon. Sakura had been helping around the Konoha Hospital for a very long time now, ever since being taken under the wing of Tsunade anyway. The lady Hokage's apprentice had Karou as another mentor. She gave Sakura tips and used to help her in the hospital whenever Tsunade was unavailable. The old woman was very wise and knew a lot about medical ninjutsu, but by now Sakura's medical skills had advanced and she no longer required Karou's assistance. The girl had surpassed her teacher.
"Do you like keeping yourself busy?" Karou asked, stepping to the side to avoid being knocked over by the hasty kunoichi.
"I guess." Sakura replied. "It helps keep my mind off... other things." It became quiet in the room as Sakura froze. She stood with her back turned to her elder, and Karou could see a slight quiver in her upper body.
"Is something troubling you, dear?" Karou asked, burrowing her brow.
Sakura wrung the white cloth in her hands. "I would say no, but I'd be lying. It's not really something I should be talking about... I..." She paused, the cloth falling from her grasp; sailing to the cold, tiled flooring. "I brought it upon myself... I suppose."
Karou watched as Sakura bent over to pick up the cloth. She was about to speak when another nurse came barging in.
"Oh god, Sakura Haruno!" The woman said bitterly. "What are you doing over here? We need you in room 206! Go!"
Sakura spun on her heel, flying past both the cranky lady and Karou. "Hai! Sorry!" She called before skidding down the hall.
"Give the poor girl a break! There's no need to be so rude, especially when she's been working her butt off for the past several hours." The brunette nurse gave Karou a sour look for her remark before strutting in the same direction Sakura had gone.
Aware that she was now alone, Karou sat on the bed Sakura had just made. "Well, if she doesn't need to then I guess I'll rest for a bit." She chuckled to herself as she lay back onto the fresh sheets. "Oh the energy of the youth these days, it never fails to amaze me."
"What?" Kakashi's eyes widened as his chidori pierced through the body; a body that was not Sasuke's. He withdrew his arm and the ninja's limp body fell at a rapid pace; towards the ground. Kakashi decided to fall back, jumping away from Sasuke. The Uchiha seemed to have no interest in old sensei as he let himself fall downwards, and land on his feet. Kakashi landed in a crouch, feeling the friction on the bottom of his sandals as he skidded backwards. As he started slowing down, he stood up. Tenten, Neji and Rock Lee ran to his side immediately.
"Are you alright, sir?" Lee asked.
"I'm fine, but..." Kakashi turned his focus over to where he had just attacked. "I didn't hit Sasuke."
Team Gai's jaws dropped. "Then who did you hit?" Tenten asked in dismay.
As a dirt cloud cleared, Kakashi could make out three bodies in the distance. Sasuke stood tall, his eyes cast downwards; he was staring at the man that had just been killed. Kakashi followed his gaze. The orange haired man had blood streaming out of his chest, forming a pool around his sprawled body. His orange hair was styled in spikes, giving him the resemblance of a troll doll. He did however look like a hefty man; his frame quite large and broad.
"Jugo..." Sasuke thought, narrowing his eyes.
Naruto remained frozen in place, still on the ground. "That was so close." He thought, staring in shock at Sasuke who stood only metres away. He had witnessed it all. Kakashi's chidori coming so close to striking in the back Sasuke and then an orange flash had appeared. The blonde shook his head, and then looked over at the dead body. It had all happened so fast, the orange haired ninja didn't have a chance to counter. He had basically sacrificed himself for the Uchiha."Who is he anyway?" Naruto wondered. The blonde thought the man looked awfully familiar...
"Bastard!"
Team Gai and Kakashi used their arms to shield themselves from the powerful force of wind that had suddenly hit. A ninja wielding what looked like a giant sword, appeared above; his purple eyes wild with fury. He swung the sword, sending a strong gust of wind towards Team Gai and the copy ninja.
"You killed him you bastard! Now it's Time for you to burn in hell! DIE!" He held his sword above his head and swung it downward with force.
"Dodge it!" Kakashi commanded and everyone scattered; just missing the man's sword. He hit the ground instead with strong impact, which caused it to crumble underneath the blade. "Ass holes." He muttered. He swung his sword back to his side, so the tip of the blade pointed to the right.
"Suigestu!" Sasuke barked. "I told you guys not to interfere."
Suigestu scoffed, his purple eyes glancing over his shoulder at Jugo's dead body. "Oh, shut up already, tough guy. If we hadn't interfered that would be you lying there in a puddle of blood..." The Uchiha let out a "Humph", not bothering to say anything else to his so called comrade. In a flash, Suigestu returned his gaze back to the others.
Kakashi swirled a kunai around his finger noticing the man's violent expression. He squinted at the sword he held, and then his eyes widened. he recognized that sword because it wasn't just any sword; it was Zabuza's Decapitating Carving Knife. "How did he get a hold of that...?" Kakashi thought surprised. His opponent looked nothing like Zabuza. This guy had white hair with a faint blue tint and what looked like fangs forming on his upper jaw. He looked pretty tough, but also quite reckless.
"I'll avenge him, I'll avenge Jugo! I'm going to kill you!" Suigestu yelled before charging at Kakashi. His white bangs cleared from his eyes as he ran at a rapid speed, dragging the sword behind him.
"Clear out guys, I'll handle him for now." Kakashi got ready and team Gai dispersed, falling back in order to give the other two room to fight. "Here he comes." The copy ninja watched as his enemy approached, his sharingan locking onto the sword wielding menace.
"Do what you want..." Sasuke said tightening his grip around the handle of his Katana. "I'm not responsible if you morons die." He frowned at the dead body and then never gave it a second glance afterwards. Naruto gulped as Sasuke turned to face him again. He looked up into those crimson eyes and the Uchiha pointed his sword in the blonde's direction.
"This is taking longer then it should have. I'm going to end this now, Dobe."
Sakura leaned against the white wall, scribbling furiously onto her clipboard. The sound of heels clicking against the floor could be heard. The irritating clicking grew louder, causing Sakura to look up. Tsunade's blonde pig tails hung loosely and her soft brown eyes held Sakura's in a deep stare.
"You're still here Sakura?" She questioned.
"Hai ma'am."
The lady Hokage walked towards her young apprentice, peering down at the clipboard she was clutching. "You've done quite a lot today, much more then I would expect from you. I think you should leave now."
Sakura brushed a lock of her pink hair behind her ear. "It's okay. I want to stay and help."
Tsunade frowned. "Sakura, you shouldn't over do it, you've been here long enough. I can handle things, so get going!"
"But Tsunade-sama I- "That was was not just a request; it was an order. Now move!"
Sakura scowled before handing over her clipboard. Tsunade watched as the kunoichi disappeared down the hall. Once she was out of view, Tsunade flipped through the pages on the clipboard; looking at all the patients Sakura had treated. "That girl, I swear..." She said smiling to herself.
"Sasuke, stop!" Sasuke continued to approach Naruto despite his pleas. He had a dark look in his blood red eyes. He also had a slight limp in his walk, and on his arm blood was trickling down to his wrist; it was from a large gash on his bicep. "He must have got hit by some of Kakashi-sensei's jutsu." Naruto thought, noticing the blood. Sasuke took another big step and Naruto jerked. He dug his heels into the ground and used his hands to try to back up. His body was still too weak, he hadn't the strength to battle anymore.
"Just stop this, Sasuke!" Naruto called. "...Itachi's dead, you got what you want! Quit the destroying the leaf nonsense..." He bit his lip harshly, drawing blood. "Come back home, Sasuke. There's no need for to fight anymore."
"Stop?" Sasuke spat. "I can't forgive those elders...they forced my brother to slaughter his own clan! They are monsters and now everyone shall suffer for it!"
"They are monsters? Sasuke..." Naruto felt his eyes water. "Look at what you've become. That was a mistake made a long time ago, you can't take away innocent lives for one mistake. Killing everyone in the leaf village... don't you see? That makes you a monster!"
"I'm only avenging my brother... " Sasuke hissed, struggling to keep going. "I wouldn't except you to understand."
"Teme! Look around you! That man just jumped in front of Kakashi-sensei's chidori to save you!" Naruto stated, referencing to Jugo. "He obviously cared about you; just like everyone else in Konoha. Your brother was willing to slaughter his own clan to protect the village he loved and only spared you! Can't you see? Itachi wasn't as evil as he portrayed himself. That gives you no reason to attack the village, unless...you really are becoming like Orochimaru!" Naruto cringed at his own words. He hated to say them, but it was true. All of Sasuke's talk about destroying Konoha reminded him of Orochimaru's attack that took place years ago, the crush the Leaf plan.
That stopped Sasuke, he stood just in front of Naruto. The image of the snake like villain appeared in his head, causing a slight shiver to run down his spine. He then thought of Jugo, the gentle giant that had always been by his side.
"Sasuke... see this is just stupid. I know you're still the same...please let's just stop this now." Naruto's voice was soft as he gazed up at the Uchiha's unreadable expression.
Sasuke just stood there, deep in thought. He closed his eyes, leaving Naruto to catch his breath.
~FLASHBACK~
"Why don't you just stop chasing after me?" Sasuke asked annoyed.
Naruto stood before the Uchiha; a gleam in his blue eyes. "Because Sasuke..." His hands turned into fists. "I made a promise to Sakura-chan and to myself. I promised that I would bring you back to Konoha; dead or alive!" The blonde grinned. "I never go back on my word...that's my ninja way! I'll keep hunting you down until the day you die!"
Sasuke felt the corners of his mouth twitch at the thought of the memory, Naruto hadn't changed at all. That had happened three years ago at one of their many encounters, but here they were now. Both were aged seventeen and still nothing had seemed to have changed.
"Naruto..." The Uchiha opened his eyes, revealing that they were no longer possessed by the Sharingan. "Forgive me."
Meanwhile, Kakashi dodged yet another swipe from Suigestu's Decapitating Carving Knife.
"Naruto!" Rock Lee exclaimed in fear, noticing how close Sasuke was to him. He began to sprint in his direction. "Naruto! I'm coming!"
"Lee, wait!" Neji yelled, but it was too late. Suigestu appeared in front of him. "I'm your opponent you little punk!" He raised his blade over his head, ready to slash Lee.
"Watch out!" Kakashi grabbed Rock Lee and leapt into the air, nearly missing Suigestu's vicious strike once again. "Fuck this, he's too fast." The purple eyed ninja cursed under his breath.
Kakashi brought Lee back to safety, falling back so he could join the others. "Alright guys we need a plan and we need to hurry, Naruto needs help and it's almost nightfall." He glanced back at Suigestu who was glaring daggers at them. "Tenten I want you to start off by firing weapons at him, my guess is he will use that huge blade of his to deflect them back at you and then Neji, that's where you come in. I want you to deflect the weapons and send right back at him with your jutsu."
Neji and Tenten both nodded in agreement.
"Wait, sir! What shall I do?" Rock Lee asked alarmed.
"I didn't forget about you Lee. If Neji sends the weapons back our opponent will attempt to either try to deflect them again or jump into the air to dodge, but it doesn't matter because I want you to attack from above. That will force him back onto the ground."
"Good plan, sir... but wait. What are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about me, I want everyone to focus on their roles and we will go on from there."
"Hai!" The three chuunin responded in unison.
"You wimps done with your lame huddle?" Suigestu snarled. "'Cause ready or not, here I come!" He charged again.
Tenten ran towards him so it looked like they were going head to head. She pulled out one of her large scrolls and sent kunai and a whole arsenal of weapons flying at him.
"Stupid girl!" Suigestu snorted using his sword to deflect them back at her.
"Kakashi-sensei predicted right." The kunochi thought grinning. Tenten then cartwheeled out of the way and Neji stepped in. "Rotation!" A blue veil of chakra surrounded the byakugan user and he spun rapidly, sending the weapons flying right back.
"Shit!" Suigestu jumped back and then upwards. "Now they are trying to gang up on me." He muttered, tightening his grip around the handle of his blade.
"WAAAH!" Lee yelled dramatically as prepared to attack. He was higher above in the air with a leg held up; ready to strike Suigestu in the face.
"Tch!" Suigestu used his sword to block Lee's punches, kicks and the rest of his taijutsu moves. He landed back on the ground, moving away from the green spandex wearing ninja.
"That grey haired bitch is probably going to attack me next. But...where is he?" Suigestu muttered, surveying the battle area. All of a sudden he felt a hand wrap around his ankle and it pulled him underground. His sword fell from his grasp and almost all of his body was forced in the ground; all except for his head.
"What the hell did you just do? This is such a dirty move!" He snarled, squirming continously; like a worm in a dirt.
Kakashi appeared before him, giving him deadly look with the eye that had the Sharingan. "Call it what you want, but now you're stuck." He did hand signs at a astonishing speed and blue lighting sat in the palm of his hand. "It's over."
"Ah, what a long day!"
"Oh kami, I know. It's going to be dark soon!"
Sakura overheard the conversation of two young medical students as they walked by. She was still inside the Hospital, close to the entrance. Across from her were huge windows, giving the hospital a view of a part of Konoha. She walked towards them, letting her eyes take in the village. Young kids ran about the streets, with over protective parents warning them to careful. Shops were full of life, people chatting and eatting happily. Sakura's gaze wandered over to the faces of the Hokages and that's when he crossed her mind.
"I'm sorry...Sakura."
Her hand turned into a fist at the remembrance of Naruto's last words to her before deciding to go after Sasuke. He had left bright and early this morning; the morning they had argued. She chewed on bottom lip, Naruto still wasn't back.
"Hey, Sakura-chan!"
The way he used to say that to her... He always had that goofy grin plastered across his face and would look at her with those bright blue eyes. Also looking so happy whenever he saw her...
Sakura felt her eyes water. She brought a hand up to the window, the pads of her fingers pressing against the cold glass. With lips quivering, her gaze drifted up; towards the evening sky. "Please..."She whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek. "Please be okay."
Sasuke raised his Katana high in the air.
"No... Sasuke..." Naruto whispered helplessly.
"I have reasons... for doing this, Naruto." Sasuke said staring down at his old teammate. "First, you plan to bring me back to the Leaf village. Bringing me back to Konoha...you can't imagine how awful that would turn out. Second, you believe that I, Sakura, Kakashi and yourself will be a team again. That is nonsense, it would and never will happen...I can't follow orders anymore. I've learned to follow my own path." Naruto felt his eyes brim with tears as the Uchiha paused.
"And lastly..." A smile crept onto Sasuke's lips. "You have the potential to be Hokage someday." Naruto let out a gasp, his mouth twitching.
"That is why this must be done." Sasuke closed his eyes once more. "Mother, Father, Itachi, Naruto...forgive me."
Naruto's eyes widened, but he couldn't manage a word. In a flick of Sasuke's wrist, down the sword swung. It looked like it was headed in the direction of the blonde's chest in which case he shut his eyes immediately.
"Is...this it?" The blonde thought frantically, his heart racing; awaiting the contact of the cold steel.
The exact moment the sword pierced through flesh, Kakashi's chidori tore through Suigestu's body. The sound of chirping birds and the ground giving away could be heard in the background, But the real horror came from the other battle that had just ended.
Blood. The stabbing from the sword caused blood to ooze from his chest. It drenched his clothing, and trickled down his body; collecting in a pool at his feet. The sword had went right through his heart; giving him no chance of survival.
The blonde opened his eyes and at that moment he thought he was going to pass out. The sight before him was something he would expect to see in his worst nightmares; not in reality. The number one unpredictable ninja let out a scream so eerie; it caused Kakashi to shudder and team Gai to turn around in shock.
The blood that dripped from the Katana's tip did not belong to Naruto...
It was Sasuke's.
DUN DUN DUNNN!
Sorry, couldn't resist doing that! So what did you think...was it predictable? Ugh, I hope not I tried to make it seem like Sasuke really was going to kill Naruto.
So why did Sasuke stab himself... Was he really good at heart? Was he crazy? Did Naruto's life mean more to him then you thought? Or... was he just really EMO? (Aha I kid, I kid). You'll have to find out! ...or maybe you already know...
(Oh and BTW , if you guys are confused of why Sasuke stabbed himself don't criticize me for it, just be patient and wait for the next chapters to come out)
I wanna point out eternalfox92620's review because believe it or not, it gave me the inspiration for this chapter :O I found the perspective of that review really interesting and it got me thinking! My original plan for this chapter was for Kakashi's chidori to just kill Sasuke and then Naruto would basically mourn for the most of it. Sounds pretty boring once I think about it! Anyway, I'm really glad that the review was posted because it made me think for a while and the whole idea for this chapter popped into my brain and I couldn't stop typing! So I thank you eternalfox92680, even if giving me an idea was not intentional! :D
I just checked and I think I have like 20 reviews...that is awesome guys! Seriously, I thought I was going to get five at the most, but I'm pleasantly surprised at the number. I don't want to bore you guys to death so tell me if I'm keeping you interested so far!
Also If you guys haven't noticed... I've been updating pretty quickly and that's because I'm getting so much feedback. Keep it up! :)
Well that's it for now! Till next time my lovely readers!
~XOXO~