Itachi groaned in pain despite being unconscious. Sakura had gotten him out of the danger zone and into the forest where she rested him against a large tree. Her lover was slipping further into a critical condition as each minute passed, so she wasted no time in attempting to stabilize him.
Putting one hand over Itachi's eyes and the other on his stomach region, Sakura let her chakra flow into Itachi's body, causing him to wince momentarily from the initial burn. A couple of moments into the healing, the raven-haired man relaxed under the hands of the medical kunoichi as her chakra provided some relief from his pain. Thank goodness, I can definitely stabilize him, she thought to herself, wearily smiling as she became liberated of worry. I'm not sure what I can do about his eyes, but for now, he'll be alright…What should I do after I'm done healing him? The thought of Naruto fighting our battle alone breaks my heart, but…I can't leave Itachi by himself, and I am carrying another life inside of me…I'm sorry, Naruto…Please, fight on my behalf and don't get hurt. I believe in you.
The clashing of metal echoed throughout the forest that surrounded the Akatsuki hideout; Sasuke and Naruto matched each other's movements as if they were doing some sort of ancient dance, both sustaining impressive damage. Neither ninja was vastly superior to the other—this had become obvious fairly quickly-and this was feeding Sasuke's fury.
"Naruto, although I would love to stay and fight to the death, I must find my brother. I will not allow him to escape my vengeance," the younger Uchiha brother spat out, cold eyes almost piercing his former teammate's soul.
"I already told ya: your brother has something important to tell you, and until you're willing to hear him out or I'm dead, one or the other, I'm not gonna let you pass." Blue eyes bore into Sasuke's in return.
"You never cease to find new ways to annoy me. Protecting an S-ranked criminal now? Hn. What happened to your sworn loyalty to the village?"
"My job as a ninja is more than just loyalty to The Hidden Leaf Village. I won't give up on people when they need me, and if needless bloodshed can be avoided, then I'll do what I can to stop it. If I can't help protect others—hell, if I can't even save my best friend from himself—then I don't deserve to call myself a ninja, and I definitely don't deserve to call myself Hokage. I never wanted this, but your eyes can't see us anymore. Isn't that right? You can only see darkness…Sasuke…Please, try to remember who you used to be!"
The rogue ninja stared at his old friend, taking in his words but quickly disregarding them. "The person I used to be was too weak—remembering does no good. I want to sever my ties, and that means I must completely break the bond that you and I once shared. Prepare yourself, Naruto!"
At Sasuke's last words, he summoned his Chidori once more—the lightning attack that had ended Hinata's life. Naruto stood calmly, narrowing his eyes slightly in sadness for his former teammate; he truly could see the light no longer. The blonde-headed jinchuriki began creating his Rasengan using chakra and air; he glanced over at the Hyuga girl's lifeless body and then halted, allowing his Rasengan to fizzle out. "I won't do it…" he stated quietly, keeping his eyes cast toward the ground.
"What?" the younger Uchiha brother narrowed his eyes at his old friend's statement.
"If you really feel like our bond is so meaningless—like it is such a hindrance—then kill me. I won't stop you…Take your hatred out on me."
"Naruto, you idiot! Fight me!"
"I can't…"
"Fine! Don't expect any mercy." Sasuke lunged at Naruto, his Chidori extended in front of him. Through the lightning of his attack, he saw his old friend give a sorrowful smile and could swear that he saw him mouth the words "I'm sorry".
After he reached his rival, the Chidori fizzled out, and the young avenger's eyes widened. His arm was stretched out at the side of Naruto's head; he had not hit him. Sasuke took a step back, dumbfounded. He…had not been able to do it. He wanted so badly to sever his greatest bond, and yet he subconsciously diverted the attack to spare his former teammate from death. "Why…Why couldn't I…Why did you not try and defend yourself?! Why were you just going to give up and let me kill you?!" he muttered out in shock.
"Because we're friends," Naruto explained, rapidly moving forward and locking Sasuke in an embrace.
"W-what are you doing?! Get off of me! Get off!" The Sharingan user struggled against his old friend's hold on him, only leading the young jinchuriki to grip him more tightly; his squirming halted when he felt moisture on his shoulder. Tears were making their way down Naruto's face.
"Are you always gonna stay this dense? I don't want you to be alone anymore, Sasuke. When you hurt, I hurt too, and I can't let you shoulder the darkness in the world alone. No matter where you run to, I'll always find you, and I'll try to drag you home. I want this cycle of hatred to end, but I can handle anything you throw at me; the more you push me away, the more I will inch closer to you! Don't you understand, Sasuke?!"
"That's why…That's why I…couldn't do it…"
"Why you couldn't do wha—" Naruto was cut short by the feeling of arms wrapping around him; Sasuke had returned his embrace.
"That's why I couldn't kill you," whispered the young Uchiha, more to himself than to his old friend. "I couldn't do it because…"
"Hm?" the jinchuriki questioned as Sasuke tightened his grip.
"…because we're friends."
A/N: Short chapter, I know. I wanted to set up the stage for the next chapter (don't worry, the climax isn't over with yet; that would be a bit too cliché of a highpoint). I want to thank you all again for your love and support towards my story. Despite working on other things throughout it, "Love Holds No Boundaries" was my first true fanfiction, and I have to admit, I'll be a little sad when it ends; however, I know it has dragged on for years, and as a reader of fanfiction myself, I understand how annoying it is to get really into a story and then for it to either never be finished or to be worked on inconsistently. Please leave me feedback on how the story is going! Can't wait to show all of you what is in store next!