Clash in the Snow Country: Legacy Version

Chapter 10-Two Narutos

9:00 am

Naruto

He watched Gamayoyaku disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving the number one unpredictable ninja alone. Gamakichi was long gone by now, having left only ten minutes after Naruto had summoned him. Once Naruto had told Gamakichi that Kakashi was dead, the frog shut up immediately. Apparently, Kakashi's reputation was known even among the summons. He briefly wondered if Kakashi even had a summon of his own. He had never summoned in Naruto's presence before.

The young frog had told Naruto it would take him a full day to get to Konoha if he moved nonstop, but there was still the time factor for any reinforcements to come from Konoha to Snow. At best, it would take them the same amount of time as it did Team 7.

Two and a half days, plus the day it would take Gamakichi to actually get to Konoha for a total of three and a half days. Eighty four hours.

Too long.

They had to act as fast as they could, or the enemy would come at them first. They needed speed and time on their side if this mission was going to have any chance of success. They needed to strike first. He sighed out loud as he repeated all of Gamayoyaku's explanation on the Gama Suraimu in his mind. Of course, during that time, Sandayuu had come up and started to ask him something, and Naruto literally scared him off before he could ask whatever he was going to ask. Yes, he respected the man and was supportive of what he was trying to do, but that did not mean he was going to let anyone see him work on his jutsu! Sandayuu was no exception!

He frowned as he decided to walk it off a bit. He then remembered something. He considered his options, then reached a decision, which resulted in a small smile on his face.

Before he did anything else, he needed to go and resolve that little situation.


Sakura

She grumbled under her breath as she took out the item again and whipped it around, trying to get a feel for it. This was turning out to be quite a bit more difficult than she had originally thought it would be. Not that that was any surprise, to be honest, especially since she hadn't tried anything like this before. Still, that wasn't going to stop her. She would have this done by the end of today. She couldn't allow herself to think otherwise.

After all, failure was a high possibility. Even so, she could not allow her mind to drag on.

She took a couple of deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. She was about to start again when she heard someone say "Is this a bad time?" Pausing, she turned around and looked at the source.

Naruto.

"Kinda," she admitted. What could he possibly want? "What is it? Make it quick."

Naruto looked slightly uncomfortable. His stance was not the typical straight-up, firm, and confident one he was so known for. Even his mask seemed to slip a little, as he looked like he himself was confused as to why he was here. His eye kept darting from side to side, not willing to focus on anything. Finally, he looked in her direction and started speaking. "Well… you see… I came to… why do you have that ribbon with you?" he said, suddenly shifting gears, then getting a look like he wanted to kick himself.

Sakura looked at the item in her hand: the ribbon that he had just pointed out. "I was practicing with it," she told him, more harshly than she meant. "I did some of that ribbon dance yesterday and I found it fun, ok? That such a crime?" It was the truth… sort of… just not the whole truth.

"No, not really," Naruto fumbled, his eye just glancing around again. "If that's what you want to do…" He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Look… what I wanted to talk to you about… it concerns the Doryuuheki and…"

"I told you: I don't want to learn it!" Sakura protested immediately. Of all things he could mention, why did he have to mention that!? Couldn't he tell that she was doing her best to NOT repeat past mistakes!?

"No! That's not what I meant!" Naruto said in a desperate rush, waving his hands. "I was just going to say that if you wanted to learn it, I'd be willing to teach it to you!"

Silence.

Sakura felt as if someone had just dunked her head in ice cold water. Naruto just said WHAT!?!? He was offering to teach her one of his jutsu!? He must be sick! Deathly sick! There was no way that Naruto would ever be willing to teach someone else! Not the Naruto she knew! Not the stuck-up, arrogant, secret-keeping, hyperactive blond ninja who was so overprotective of his jutsu that he threaten to disembowel any person that even looked at his precious scrolls. "What kind of game are you playing at?" Sakura asked softly. "Is this some kind of – "

"It's nothing like that," Naruto interrupted as he looked even more uncomfortable then he did before. He took a deep breath. "You see… I didn't create that jutsu."

She raised an eyebrow at him. That made a difference to him? She thought such things didn't matter to Naruto, the fact that it was a jutsu he used as reason enough to claim that it was his and his alone.

"You see," the one-eyed shinobi continued. "Remember the time I was out of Konoha for a while?" Once she gave her nod, he continued. "I was traveling with the biggest, ill-moraled, lazy-ass, man-whore mega-pervert who… DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK!!" he shouted when he noticed Sakura's disapproving look concerning the kind of company he spent time with, and his face turned a brilliant shade of red as a result. "It wasn't my fault that he took me out of Konoha against my will! I was unconscious at the time anyway, since I had saved everyone's asses from Gaara, and the next thing I knew I was in some hotel room with the pervert! Ok… so his promise of teaching jutsu may have had something to do with it afterwards, BUT…"

Sakura cut him off; otherwise she was sure he would be ranting about this mysterious companion of his for who knew how long. She rarely saw him go to such lengths. The only times she could think of that were even close to him doing something like this were when Neji had nearly killed Hinata in the preliminaries, his reaction to seeing Sasuke using his Oboro then turning all his rage and anger on Kakashi, and even how he and Sasuke had argued in the hospital after the Uchiha came 'back.' But even with those encounters, he would simply shout loudly for a few seconds before either threatening and/or actually attacking the person in question. "Who is this person?"

His eye narrowed at that. "The said man is not worth mentioning, but what is important is the fact that he was the one who taught me the Doryuuheki, and…" that uncomfortable look he had earlier was back in full swing. "And… since it was taught to me instead of me creating it… and since it's not such an uncommon jutsu… plus the fact that it would benefit you… I'd be willing to teach it to you…"

Sakura wasn't entirely sure what to make of this new development. Part of her was wondering if this was all some kind of joke or trick. He certainly sounded sincere, and with those awkward gestures of his, it looked like he was uncomfortable with this somehow. Like he was embarrassed by admitting that he learned this jutsu from someone as opposed to creating it himself. Was that enough to break Naruto out of his way of thinking, that all his jutsu were his and his alone and no one was allowed to look at them, much less learn them? What could have happened to him that made him take such a complete change in attitude like this?

Well… whatever it was, Sakura couldn't help but feel intrigued with the offer. She just hoped this wouldn't come back to bite her in the rear afterwards.

"Well?" the boy pressed. "Do you want to learn?"

If Sakura had been thinking clearly, she would have just said no. Not because she didn't want to learn, but simply because she was already straining to try and finish what she had previously been working on and didn't have the time to try and master both of them. The smart decision would have been to tell Naruto 'no' and for them to try another time.

But she didn't tell him that. Remembering what she had seen of the Doryuuheki and how much awe she had been in was enough to make her rational mind forget that she was on a time limit.

So she smiled at her blond-haired teammate. "Do I have to call you sensei, then?"

The word instantly changed the atmosphere around the two. "Gomen," Sakura said quietly.

"It doesn't matter," Naruto replied immediately. Sakura saw his stance shift and his mask firmly back in place now, like he was trying to erase every bit of emotion within him, external or otherwise. "Shinobi die all the time on missions. It was just Hatake's time, that's all," he said. Even his voice sounded flat and monotone, like he was forcing himself to talk that way. "It doesn't bother me a bit that he was killed." He paused, then added "Except I won't get the chance to thoroughly kick his ass now."

"Naruto," Sakura said firmly, but he gave her a small cold shoulder look. She knew him fairly well at this point, but even if she didn't she could tell that Naruto was deliberately trying to act calm, impassive, and closed off, as opposed to him just naturally doing it. She wondered if the loss of Kakashi was affecting him more than even herself or their other teammate and he was simply trying to hide that fact.

Men… why did they always have this idea that showing their emotional side was a sign of weakness? Where did they get the idea that a man 'should not cry' or 'must be strong' or 'can't look bad in front of others'? Where did this macho attitude of theirs begin and why did they cling to those beliefs like it was a matter of life or death? Was it all simply a matter of pride to them?

Thank Kami she was female.

"Look, Naruto," she started again, this time not stopping. "Not all of us hated Kakashi-sensei, alright? Lie to yourself if you want, but not around me. You'll find girls don't like that type of attitude." She then straightened up and felt she better change topics now, or risk another outburst of his temper. "So… if you're still serious about teaching me… shall we get started?"

Naruto stopped with that cold shoulder look, before nodding in agreement. He then ran through the seals again. "Let's start with something simple," Naruto told her, right before his cheeks bulged and he spat out a new amount of mud on the ground. She watched him reach down and grab a fistful of dirt and brought up his hand, the dirt clinging to his palm. "You have to use your chakra and be able to let the dirt cling to your palm like this."

Sakura watched attentively and nodded. She then bent down and grabbed her own dirt, while Naruto continued talking. "It may take you a couple of tries to – "

"Like this?" Sakura interrupted, standing up and showing her hand, the dirt clinging to her palm effortlessly.

The look Naruto gave her was not one she expected. It showed a mixture of surprise, annoyance, and above all else, envy. He quickly turned around, putting his back to her. "Well, of course it's easy, didn't I say it was a simple exercise? I just wanted to make sure you were good with earth, but I guess that's a given from your Doton earlier. But don't let this fool you, the next step is much, much, MUCH harder." He said all that in a very fast voice.

"Isn't that just coughing up dirt?" Sakura asked, confused. What was his problem?


Sasuke

Same time

Somehow… someway… Sasuke had managed to prevent himself from completely demolishing his entire cabin. That damn urge of his was starting to feel stronger than ever and the utter need to cause complete and absolute destruction was VERY appealing to him. With that urge still burning in him greatly, he had taken it upon himself to walk in circles as he swore and ranted about whatever he thought about.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He stopped and looked at the door. "What do you want?" he demanded, making no move to open the door, let alone see who was being courageous – or stupid – enough to come and irritate him.

The door swung open with a sufficient degree of force and Naruto entered the room. "Hey. I need to talk to you."

That has to be a first, Sasuke thought to himself. What did he want now? There was some small hope in the back of his mind that maybe… just maybe… he was here for some beneficial purpose. Like maybe knowing what was wrong with the Kisou Karyuu. Or would it be too much to hope that he was here so Sasuke could pound on him?

"I want to talk to you about those strange jutsu those Yuki-temes used," Naruto said, casually plopping himself down on Sasuke's bed, then placing his feet right where his pillow was, while putting his arms behind his head.

"You mind not putting your feet there?" Sasuke inquired. "That's where my head rests and I'd rather not have lingering odor of dope in my face."

"I said: do you know anything about those strange jutsu those Yuki-temes used, dumbass?" Naruto replied, readjusting his position to get himself comfortable. "With listening skills like yours, no wonder Sakura-chan is pissed off at you or why you have so much fucking trouble with all your lines."

Sasuke could feel his irritation levels rising steadily… and he was already irritated enough as it was! What was the idiot's game now? It was like this morning hadn't even happened! Did he really want to talk about the Hyouton jutsu they had seen, or did he just want to run that dirty mouth of his? Well… whatever the case was, there was only one reason why Sasuke did not attempt to murder the blond shinobi right then… and not because it would stain his bed with Naruto's blood and insides.

With listening skills like yours, no wonder Sakura-chan is pissed off at you...

He didn't listen to Sakura? Was that the reason why she was avoiding him and giving him the cold shoulder? He didn't listen to her? But he had been willing and waiting for her to say what was bothering her all this time. Did that not count? He let his mind drift back, thinking of all the times he had been around her. Which among those times had he not listened to her, so much that it would tick her off so badly?

The answer that came almost immediately was when he was 'leaving' Konoha, and she begged him to stop, going as far as to declare unconditional love to his face.

"So, what do you know about those jutsu?" he heard Naruto say, jerking him out of his thoughts. Heavy sarcasm with a hint of mockery entered his voice now. "The great, all-knowing Uchiha genius surely must know something. Even if he is a pathetic, washed-up has-been."

Maybe the stained bed would be worth the price…

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "The only time I've seen techniques similar to those were the ones that Haku used against us back in the Wave Country."

Naruto lifted his head towards him. "Oh? Like what?"

Figures. Get him talking about jutsu and he stops mouthing off, Sasuke thought irritably as he debated with himself on how much he should tell Naruto. On the one hand, he did not want to admit how easily Haku had beaten him, or how close to death he had been. Even now, he could still feel the senbon that had punctured his neck. Why Haku didn't deliver the final blow, Sasuke still did not know. And that bugged him slightly. But on the other hand, he was finding himself curious about this Hyouton as well. He had first thought that it was simply Haku's bloodline, that he and his clan alone would be able to create and manipulate ice. Yet now, they had seen three Yuki-nin – and Sasuke was positive they weren't related to Haku – use the same thing. Plus, Kakashi had copied one of those jutsu with his Sharingan!

The thought of Kakashi's name gave Sasuke a momentary pause, as he tried to put all thoughts of the man out of his mind, since images of his deceased clan were now starting to surface. He hadn't been that close to the man, but knowing that someone else he had known and respected (to a degree) was also dead to him was not something he wanted to think about.

So it was that thought – along with his own curiosity about the potential with Hyouton itself – that outweighed Sasuke's desire not to reveal his past performance. Barely.

"When I was fighting Haku, he used this jutsu he called Makyou Hyoushou, creating several ice mirrors all around me," Sasuke told him, noting that he had the blond's complete attention. "He was then able to merge with the mirrors somehow, allowing his entire body to be inside them. He could then move in between each mirror at a phenomenal speed. He would also hurl senbon at me from each mirror. By moving from each mirror quickly, he could make it seem like senbon were raining on me from all directions. The ice was so thick that my Katons were worthless in trying to melt it." He left out the part of his awakened Sharingan allowing him to be able to dodge for a short time. He wasn't about to go that far in trusting the blond.

Naruto slowly nodded towards him as he casually laid back down. "I see. All he used against me were some Mizu Bunshins and some kind of flying water needle things. Laaaammmeee." Sasuke noted that he was drawling the word out on purpose. Just what kind of stupid game was he playing at now? Naruto brought up a fist and looked at it. "If he used that Makyou Hyoushou thing on me, he might have put up a decent challenge before I killed him."

Those last words seemed to make Sasuke freeze in place right then. WHAT!?! NARUTO KILLED HAKU!? No way! It wasn't possible… was it? He knew that Naruto had always held back his true strength from him… and the Wave Country wouldn't have been any different…he then lightly shook his head, trying to calm himself and think rationally. Kakashi was the one who had claimed credit for killing Haku, and Naruto hadn't said anything at the time. If he really had defeated such an opponent, he would have bragged about it. He couldn't think of any reason why Naruto would want to hide such an accomplishment.

So he's lying. That must be it, Sasuke thought to himself. Of course, what was he trying to accomplish by telling him such a lie? Because that was it had to be: a lie.

Still…why did he get the feeling that there was more to the story than what Kakashi had told him?

"Of course, such a thing is easy for the future Hokage!" Naruto said out loud, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts. "Especially when you have one of the Sannin training you."

This time, Sasuke didn't have to think about his reaction. He did something he rarely did. He burst out laughing. It was a weird feeling for him to simply laugh, but how could he help himself? The mere idea of Naruto being trained by one of the Legendary Three was as improbable as it was stupid. Naruto!? Being trained by a Sannin!? "You would need training by a Sannin to keep up with me," Sasuke said in-between laughs.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto asked, his grin coming into play. "So how do you think I was able learn my most awesome jutsu, huh? Like the one I decimated Gaara with?"

Sasuke's laughing stopped right then. No way… he couldn't… not Naruto… he… he couldn't have really been trained… could he? Sure… his life was filled with secrets… but something like this? But… if he really had received training from a Sannin… then… he really could have learned such a destructive jutsu… "When?" Sasuke demanded, his tone hard. If this was another attempt at a lie, it was no longer amusing. Not when it could be true…

"On and off," Naruto said dismissively. "Most notably during the time before the Chuunin Final Exam, as well as when we went searching for the old hag to become Hokage. Taught me lots of powerful stuff, not like some lazy has-been that got killed by an iceberg falling on him. But teme, you seriously have to have a talk with that brother of yours. He's a bigger pain in the ass than you are, if you can believe it."

This time Sasuke felt himself go ice cold, while simultaneously gazing at the other. No… Naruto… he couldn't have said… no… it wasn't possible. He hadn't mentioned his brother in front of Naruto before… he… he must have heard it from… someone… anyone…

"Name's Itachi, right?" Naruto asked. "About a hundred and seventy-five centimeters tall, two distinct facial lines on his face," he traced the same areas on his own face. "Hair in a ponytail. Hardly talks at all, hardly reacts to anything at all, as if everything is beneath his notice."

Sasuke was unable to keep the surprise off his face. What could his brother and Naruto possibly have in common? He just heard about Itachi from Kakashi, or someone else, right? Yet… would that allow Naruto to describe Itachi so accurately?

It was time for a thorough interrogation of the blond and Sasuke had every attention of doing so.


10:00 am

Sakura

Sakura flew through the five handseals again as she felt the mud gather in her mouth. She then made the effort to spit it out. Unfortunately, she had produced a bit too much of the mud in her mouth. The result was her gagging as the mud filled her mouth and she ended up coughing it out in chunks, as opposed to just one burst.

Once again, she noted that Naruto had a certain gleam in his eye whenever she failed at this part. "I never knew you had such a mouth, Sakura-chan," he said, clearly amused.

Sakura did not verbally respond, as she began wiping the mud off her face. Once again, she was finding her front covered in mud, though this time it was a result of her own efforts, as opposed to Naruto doing it.

Truth be told, she felt was doing very well. Naruto had performed the move once more in front of her so that she could clearly analyze how it was performed. Between Naruto performing it and all of her own attempts, there was a considerable amount of mud on the ground, as well as on Sakura herself. When she had done it the first time, she spent the first ten minutes gagging since the mud was stuck in her throat. Once that was clear, she made several attempts, each time slightly changing what she was doing: from the amount of mud she created to how much chakra she put into it.

"You really are starting to get the hang of this, Sakura-chan," Naruto offered as she went through the seals again, remembering some advice she had heard from what seemed like a lifetime ago. It took roughly half an hour, but he finally stopped with that weird envy tone of his. Now he just made smart-assed comments at her attempts. The greater the result she made – mistake or otherwise – the more smart-assed the comment. Which she guessed was Naruto's way of encouragement and being impressed. But those comments were getting more and more irritating as time went by and because Sakura was learning from him, she had to use plenty of self-control to keep herself from pounding the one-eyed shinobi into oblivion.

Her cheeks bulged again and she spat out a small portion of mud perfectly onto the deck as opposed to herself. Though it was smaller than the ones Naruto had produced, it was fairly close. Naruto looked down, then at her and whistled at her with a small smile. "Damn, girl. You really are picking this up fast."

She returned the smile with her own. "Thanks. Just had to remember something Neji once said to me: Don't try to control the chakra, just let it flow. It knows what you want it to do, just let it."

Naruto looked at her curiously. "I didn't know you hung out with him. What were you guys… talking… ab – " He then pointed right at her, his attention completely focused on her. "Say that again," he said in a rush.

"I… said…" Sakura started, now confused about his sudden change in attitude. "'Don't try to control the chakra, just let it flow. It knows what you want it to do, just let it.'"

Naruto just looked at her intently, his mouth hanging open, while his eye darted around, looking like he was trying to grasp something. Then he burst out laughing. "Don't try to… OF COURSE!! That's it! It's so obvious!" He then slapped himself hard on the forehead, now making Sakura wonder if he had just lost his mind. "Why didn't I… now it makes sense!" He then waved at her, looking very jittery, like a child right on Christmas morning. "Thanks, Sakura-chan!" He then took off running, leaving Sakura in complete confusion. After a moment, she took off after him. To learn what he was talking about, if nothing else.


Sasuke's Room

Sasuke was finding himself more and more pissed as their talk went on. Though he meant it to be an interrogation, it was more like a talk of who could say more shit and dodge direct answers, but little by little he felt he was getting the information he sought.

Naruto had started telling him about his journey with Jiraiya when looking for Tsunade to become Hokage. Most of what he talked about was the awesome and powerful jutsu he had learned. Whenever Sasuke made an effort to find about Itachi's role in this, Naruto deliberately gave a half-assed response that could mean anything and shifted to another topic, such as repeating how easily he had killed Haku.

And Sasuke's anger was at its peak right there and the only reason why he hadn't tried to beat the crap out of Naruto was because he had to know what Itachi was doing there. Naruto had discreetly hinted that Itachi had been after him personally, but always skipped around the details as to why. And after all this talk, Sasuke didn't know what to believe anymore. Did Naruto really kill Haku? Had he really received training from a Sannin? Was his brother really after him? Dammit! He wanted the damn truth of all this!

"And so, I won the bet with the old hag, who was so thoroughly and completely impressed with what I did that – " Naruto was currently saying.

"WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND TELL ME ABOUT ITACHI!?" Sasuke roared once again. Oh… what he wouldn't give just to shut Naruto's mouth permanently.

"Why don't you just shut up and worship me?" Naruto demanded, not moving from his position on the bed. "See? I'm not getting what I want and you don't hear me whining about it like some three-year-old."

"JUST ANSWER ME, DAMMIT!!" Sasuke shouted again. "OR I'LL – "

"Or you'll what?" Naruto interrupted as he looked at him. He then slowly got off the bed and walked towards him until they were face-to-face. "Beat me up? Kill me? Face it, Sasuke: you can't beat me. You're too far behind me now."

"I'll do whatever it takes to beat the crap out of you," Sasuke hissed back at him, surprised that he could talk somewhat levelly. He then subconsciously touched the Curse Seal on his neck. If there was one positive thing about this whole thing, he was that he didn't feel that damn urge once.

"Like resorting to that Curse Seal of yours?" Naruto pressed. "You're still going to take the easy way out? Fine! Go get your false strength! You like it so much, why don't you just go to Orochimaru then like everyone thought you were doing! At least that way I don't have to deal with your sore loser attitude!"

"Maybe I will!" Sasuke shouted back, surprised at what his own mouth was saying, but he no longer cared. He just wanted to rip Naruto limb from limb. "That what you want so bad?! For me to be gone? Fine!"

He saw Naruto gave a small half smile that remained for a split second before disappearing as quickly as it came. "Then let's settle this once and for all," he said.

Despite himself, Sasuke found himself intrigued. "Go on," he said slowly.

"Let's go and fight, like we did at the Valley at the End. Without that bastard Hatake around, no one will be able to stop us like earlier. Let's settle this between us right now, see exactly who the weakling is."

Sasuke found himself grinning. This would be a great stress reliever; after he had Naruto on his knees begging for mercy he would finally drag the truth about him and Itachi out. He then gestured with his head to the door as the two began walking towards it. Behind Sasuke's back, Naruto lowered his right arm to his side. A small syringe dropped out of his sleeve and into his hand. Sasuke then moved to open the door, when it suddenly swung open and slammed right into him. A second Naruto appeared in the doorway, with a very happy look on his face. "Hey! Teme! I figured it out! Huh!?" He stopped as he looked inside, seeing himself. "What is this, some kind of joke, teme!?"

Sakura then appeared in the doorway. "What are you doing, Naruto?" She then looked in the room. "Er… Narutos?"

"Idiot…" said a strained voice. All three people looked to see Sasuke violently push the door back at Naruto, which slammed into him. "What the hell…" he trailed off as he looked at the two Narutos. "What the hell are you trying to pull with your stupid Kage Bunshins!?"

Naruto slowly pushed the door back. "I… haven't… made any Kage Bunshins recently," he said.

The four then just looked at each other, as Sasuke and Sakura slowly absorbed what the second Naruto had just said. "Then…" Sasuke said as he tried to sort all this out as he pointed at the first Naruto. "Who…"

"Enmaku!" The first Naruto shouted as a dense smoke cloud blew out of his mouth, engulfing the other three. Sasuke hated this damn jutsu simply because it was so simple, yet so effective. And most of all: because someone like Naruto thought of it first. He then felt a sudden gust of air as the Naruto ran past him and collided with someone. Sasuke then cleared the smoke himself alongside Sakura as they saw the two Narutos grabbing each other and fighting on the ground. It might have been funny if he wasn't as confused as hell.

One Naruto then punched the other one hard on the chin, sending the other one into the air. The first one then crouched down, leapt into the air and kicked the other Naruto hard in the gut, sending him crashing through the deck. That seemed familiar, Sasuke commented to himself as he quickly followed through the new hole.

Sakura had lingered a moment longer, looking down on the floor. She saw a small syringe on the ground. Curious, she bent down and picked it up as she looked it over. It looked like one of the ones Shizune had shown them in the CLS classes. She then heard cries above, so she stuffed it into her back pouch as she too leapt up.


Main Deck

Sakura quickly jumped onto the deck. All around her she saw that all the crewmembers and movie crew were frantically running around, both trying to get out of the way of the two fighting Narutos and trying to understand why there were two Narutos fighting in the first place.

Sasuke looked at Sakura as she ran over to him. "You think it's…?"

"The intruder?" she finished. "Might be. Yuki-nin wouldn't be here, plus Kakashi-sensei is…"

Sasuke merely nodded. The Narutos continued to grab, bite, claw, punch, and kick each other as they rolled across the ground. A Naruto then managed to get both feet firmly planted on the other Naruto's chest and launched him like a cannonball. That blond crashed into several boxes loudly.

That Naruto then quickly shouted "Tatewaru!" and charged the other one. Sasuke then looked around and saw the bastard. He quickly grabbed him by the arm. "Get everyone off deck," he ordered. The second Naruto ducked underneath the strike, and proceeded with a swift kick to the other Naruto's jaw, causing Makino to turn and watch them. The Naruto with the Shieldbreaker went flying upwards, with the other one quickly following him, producing a kunai.

"Now!" Sasuke shouted at the director, snapping the older man back to reality. Makino then looked at Sasuke, then the Narutos, and he quickly nodded. Makino then started gathering everyone and they all began running below deck. Makino then grabbed several cameramen and muttered to them "Get this on camera!"

Soon, the deck was clear except for the four shinobi figures. The Naruto with the Tatewaru pivoted in midair and landed against one of the sail posts. Using it as a brace, he launched himself at an astounding speed back at his doppelganger. That said Naruto then dropped the kunai and abandoned the idea of using a five seal jutsu in favor of a three seal one instead.

"Kaze Tate!" A Naruto roared. Immediately, fierce winds erupted from around his body and pummeled into the other Naruto, who had been an eye blink away from striking with the Tatewaru. Instead, he was blasted into the air again, crashing through the sail post and kept on going.

That Naruto in the air swore loudly. "Hey, Faker! DON'T STEAL MY JUTSU!!!" He let the Tatewaru die out and then formed several more seals. "Kaze Doriru!" Sharp winds then formed around the boy and allowed gravity to hurl him downwards.

"ME!?" the Naruto at a lower altitude shouted back. "YOU'RE THE DAMN FAKE!! KAZE KIWA!!" This Naruto's right arm was encased in the same deadly wind as he touched the ground. He then rebounded and shot towards his other. The two collided in midair. Both winds then seemed to drill into each other, each trying to overcome the other while their users kept making them stronger and stronger. Then the wind burst all around them, sending a Naruto crashing into the opposite side of the ship.

"KAZE OSHIYARU!" the Left Naruto shouted.

"KUNAI SOUFUU ATSU!!" the Right Naruto answered.

The two wind techniques rushed forward at each other, with the Kunai Soufuu Atsu cutting through the heart of the Oshiyaru, reducing it to a pathetic wind, but the effort cost the Kunai Soufuu Atsu as it was overcome in the process.

"DAMN YOU!!! THAT'S MY JUTSU!!!" Both Narutos shouted at each other as they ran towards each other. Neither one bothered to use another jutsu as they clashed in the center of the ship. One Naruto threw a fierce right hook, hitting his opponent in the chin. That Naruto then uppercutted the first one in the chest. The first Naruto then grabbed the other one's head and slammed his forehead against his, causing both to back off, yelling "Ouch! That smarts!"

"It was your fault!" one Naruto accused.

"The hell!? You were the one that did it!" the other accused.

"RETARD!!" They both shouted as they ran towards each other, exchanging blows once again.

Sasuke and Sakura were watching helplessly on the sidelines, wondering what the hell they should do as the two Narutos simply stood their ground and pounded on each other, neither one even trying to block, but seeing who could endure the most pain. "How do we tell the real one apart?" she asked him desperately.

Both Narutos pulled away from each other. One spoke out. "I'm the real one!"

"No, dammit, I'm the real one and I'll prove it! Sasuke's a big dickweed!"

The other Naruto turned around and pointed right at him. "Is that the best you got, imposter!? Sasuke is just a power-hungry motherfucker!"

"Now I know you're the fake! Sasuke is a red-eyed freak who can't fight on his own without that wussy Sharingan shit!"

"That's lame! Sasuke's just a dumbass who uses false power because he's a self-centered brat!"

There was no doubt in Sakura's mind now. These two – imposter and genuine article – were indeed enjoying this. As for Sasuke, he was muttering threats under his breath, while his whole head twitched in anger. "Screw this… I'LL JUST KILL THEM BOTH!!!" With that, Sasuke fired a Goukakyuu at the two, stronger than average just for an added incentive.

Both Narutos saw that quickly and jumped back to avoid the blast, which went flying out into the open sea. "WATCH IT, TEME!!"

"This is just ridiculous," Sakura said, rubbing her forehead. "Same personality, same actions. Heck, even the same jutsu. How are we supposed to find the real one?"

Sasuke merely snorted in response. "I kill one, and you can kill the other?"

"That's not funny!"

"Fine, back to the original plan: I'll kill both myself."

"Will you shut up, Sasuke!?" One Naruto demanded. "That's not helping the situation! Besides, I can kick both your asses if I have to!"

"At least that jutsu works," the other Naruto said. "Unlike his other one. He'll never get that thing working." He then broke out into a big grin. "Of course, for someone like me, I could do it in no time! Not that I would ever agree to something like that. Hey, Sasuke! If you beg me to, maybe I'll reconsider!" He then began laughing quite loudly.

Sasuke gave a small jerk as he slowly remembered something. Slowly, a small smile appeared on his face. "You're right…" he said to the one that spoke. "The real Naruto wouldn't offer such a thing." He then looked at the other one. "So you must be the fake."

"Are you sure?" Sakura asked confused, while that Naruto grinned in response as he reached for a kunai. "You think so, huh? Fine. I'll just kick your ass first, then the fake's."

"Um… wait…" Sakura said halfheartedly, not sure if she should try to intervene or not. Sasuke then made six quick seals, while the Naruto took out the kunai and flashed through five.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no – "

"Kunai Soufuu – "

At the last second, both boys turned and faced the other Naruto as they yelled "JUTSU!!" and "ATSU!!" The spiraling air collided with the fireball and the two attacks merged as they flew to their target. That Naruto screamed out as he bent backwards almost a full ninety degree angle, barely missing the combined attack. Once it passed by him and he fell on the deck, he shot a death glare at the two. "What the hell did you do that for!?"

"You're the fake," both Sasuke and the Naruto said as he walked over to his two teammates.

"What?!" the other Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing at their direction. "I thought we just agreed that I would never agree to help you on a jutsu."

"And that's why we know you're the fake," Sasuke said confidently.

"There are some things that go unspoken," Naruto said. "And what you just said wasn't one of them."

Both the other Naruto and even Sakura didn't understand what the two were talking about, but the two boys did.

"No," Naruto answered honestly. "Katons aren't my thing. But if I'm going to help you fix the problem, I need to know what I have to work with." He looked harder at Sasuke. "And I mean that in every sense of the phrase." He held out his hand and waited. "Are you game?"

Sasuke didn't respond immediately. He seemed lost in his own world, but Naruto didn't press him. He knew how reluctant he would be if it was the other way around, so he waited. A small smile then appeared on Sasuke's face. He stretched out his own hand and slapped Naruto's. The two firmly clasped. A pledge between men. And more importantly… between friends.

"I'm game," he answered, the coming of dawn just emerging.

There was no way that moment of understanding between them had been fake. Both boys had been completely sincere with each other, holding no ill intentions and willing to help each other for the mere fact that they were friends. And the fact that the imposter had said something completely against that clearly showed he had not experienced such an understanding between the two of them.

Fake Naruto then appealed to Sakura. "Come on, Sakura-chan! You believe me, right?! I'm the real one."

Sakura considered all the boys eyes focused on her. After a time, she spoke. "Would you be willing to teach me one of your jutsus?"

"Huh?" That Naruto said, as he looked confused. He looked like he was debating with himself while the other three waited. Finally, he said "If that's what's needed to prove I'm the real one, fine!"

Sakura merely nodded as she looked at the other two. "You're right. He's the imposter."

"WHAT!?"

"You're the imposter," Sakura repeated. His hesitation had been more than enough to confirm to her that he was the fake. If he had been the real one, he would have commented that he was already teaching her one. There was no reason to hesitate to give such an answer, especially in this situation. Since he didn't, he must have been the one in Sasuke's room. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking of that earlier.

"So drop the act!" the real Naruto yelled at the fake. "Tell us who you are already, and more importantly: HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW MY JUTSU!?!"

The other Naruto looked at them all. Then, slowly, a smile bloomed on his face. "Yes," he said in a voice completely different from any of theirs. He calmly stood up and brushed himself off. "I suppose maintaining this charade is rather pointless now, isn't it?"

"Just shut up and tell us who are you are!" Sasuke demanded.

Fake Naruto laughed. "You don't recognize me? Well… I guess that's my own fault." He gestured at himself. "Allow me to clear things up."

The figure then began to grow taller, as well as more muscular. The pale pink skin was replaced with a ghostly white. The spiky blond hair turned jet black as it grew out. The orange clothes then shifted to a light tan shirt, a large purple belt-like thing, and grayish pants.

"You…" Sasuke said slowly, the rest of his words lodged in his throat.

"No…" Sakura said, on the verge of tears. "Not you… not you…"

"Bastard…" Naruto said in a low voice, but began sweating as well. This… was bad. Very bad.

Orochimaru smiled at the three Genin anew. "Long time, no see, my little genin."


(Author's Note) Whew… this chapter is finally done. I had quite a challenge with this one. Not only have I been hit with a lazy streak that has hindered my ability to write recently, but the scene with Naruto/Bakeru and Sasuke was also quite difficult. I had to be careful how much was said, what was said and why it was said, especially since such topics are rather crucial to the Legacy storylines. So I discussed the basic outline of the plan with Tellemicus and got his opinion on it (thanks for all your comments on that, my friend!). I think the end result came out ok, but I'll have to see how you all view it.

Just out of curiosity: how many actually thought it was the real Naruto when he was talking with Sasuke? I felt it was fairly obvious that it was a fake, just given on how "Naruto" acted, such as spilling secrets Legacy Naruto did not want to be revealed, but that may simply be because I'm the author.

How was the Naruto vs. Naruto fight? Confusing? I hope so! I found it very much so when I wrote it! I also felt it was rather short, but fun at the same time. I could have tried to expand it, but the fact is all of Team 7's fights can't be epic since I'm working with a short timeline here. Otherwise, not only would they be showing abilities above that in Legacy of the Rasengan Part 1, but also they would also be a bit too overpowered by having too many fights (high-leveled or otherwise) with very little recovery time in between. It's not only unrealistic to me but also a bad idea overall. To be honest, I think I'm stretching this aspect to its limits already, but I hope not to outright break it.

Jutsu used in this chapter

Fuuton: Kaze Tate--Wind Release: Wind Shield/ This jutsu creates a small tornado-like wind around the user. In general this jutsu is only able to deflect the average kunai and shuriken and has several other minor uses. But the true power of this defensive jutsu lies in the amount of chakra used in it, the more chakra used means the stronger the shielding action will become. There is no real definite answer as to just how powerful this jutsu could become, but it could most definitely blow away an entire army if used correctly. (low C-Class Ninjutsu) Original technique created by Tellemicus

Fuuton: Kaze Doriru--Wind Release: Wind Drill Technique//Currently it is a combination of the Kaze Wana and Kaze Kiwa jutsus. Naruto made this on a whim of desperation to get Gaara away from Sakura in the forest, it was only to be used as a distraction anyway. But now that he has made it, he will continue to experiment and enhance its effects. It will essentially just become a Kaze Kiwa extended to cover the whole body while Naruto is taking a nosedive at an opponent from a great distance above. The speed of the dive with the cutting power of the Kaze Kiwa makes this a lethal jutsu… if it can hit the enemy. If the enemy sees it coming, it is very easy to avoid it. But if he's taken by surprise, there is a high possibility that he/she will die. (High C-Class Ninjutsu) Original technique created by Tellemicus

Katon/Fuuton: Baaningu Soufuu Atsu--Fire/Wind Release: Burning Blast Pressure//A combination of Katon and Fuuton class ninjutsu. Both Sasuke and Naruto will perform their respective jutsu: Goukakyuu and Kunai Soufuu Atsu and then launch them both in the same direction. This allows them to merge by effectively setting the Kunai Soufuu Atsu on fire, with the winds of the technique feeding the flames and making them that much more intense. This results in the victim being pierced by the sharp wind, as well as burned by the flames. Though the merging is easy, this limits in how this jutsu can be used, as both Sasuke and Naruto must fire in the same direction, as well as make sure their jutsu connects with each other making it not as versatile as either of its 'parent' jutsu. (High C-Class Ninjutsu) (Naruto and Sasuke)

I do not own Naruto. It belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. Also, any jutsu that Tellemicus created that are used in this story belongs to him. Big thanks to paintball-gamer for betaing reading this!