Welcome back to another installment of 'Immortalized'! Shit, you guys got me blushing with some of the reviews you leave, and then others have me laughing my ass off, seriously, that stuff is equal parts funny and awesome. Now, onto something a little more serious, the fight last Chapter between Sasuke and Naruto was a one-time deal. In the world I've created, Naruto would wreck Sasuke any day of the week. However, that being said, in the last chapter Naruto was a complete emotional wreck, and the fight was a brawl between him and someone who was in control. ControlPower any day of the week. Anyways…


Chapter 23

Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome


"Naruto, it's time you came with us."

It hadn't taken the two missing-nin long to find The Last Uzumaki, but then again, he wasn't exactly hiding. His chakra signature wasn't concealed, he wasn't hiding with a bunker or anything else, he simply stood in front of the memorial stone, dressed in his typical ninja garb, he had been to report to the Hokage later in the day and didn't see the merit in changing his clothes throughout his day. The man stood stoically with his back to the two ninja, who merely watched him as he finished talking to the gravestone in front of him, pulling the hand that had been resting against its surface back towards his body almost reverently, before he stood from the ground he'd been kneeling on, raising his head in the process.

"Sorry, Ero-Sennin, I'll have to cut our talk short, looks like I've got some business to take care of." The blonde kept his back to the two men, before he inclined his head to the side, turning just enough and raising his voice just enough so that they could hear his voice, a low growl. "Not here." That was all the more that was said before the man channeled his chakra to his legs, launching himself up the side of a building, and began to leap and bound across the city as he moved, the two cloaked members of Akatsuki hot on his heels, though none were in a particular rush. Itachi seemed impassive about the whole deal, and Kisame… he looked like a shark that had just tasted blood, it would have been quite comical, the difference between the two peers, had the situation not been lethal in nature.

From a young age, Itachi had been quiet and insightful, showing noticeable maturity for his age and knowledge on how to deal with every situation. At the same time, he had been naïve as a child in many real-world scenarios though he demonstrated the willingness to learn from his peers on how to differentiate situations. He had and continued to live at a distance, observing individuals and ideas without getting directly involved so that he could fully understand and interpret them. Although this approach prevented him from becoming close with many people, it enabled him to think and act without prejudice or preconceptions, instead evaluating things strictly on their own merits.

It was often that the young man would think about shinobi and origins of the village and its future, his own conceptions of it becoming twisted and foul. For this reason, he never became arrogant about his own abilities or accomplishments; to which, most views or statements he made were usually well-based, seeing the situation for what it was. Born from this philosophy, the stoic man held no self-righteous loyalty to his clan that was so common among the Uchiha; though at one point he loved his family and wanted the best for them, there were more important things to him personally. Itachi's dream wasn't to become Hokage, or a successful ninja, like others had thought for the raven haired man, no it was so much more than that.

He trained tirelessly to improve himself as quickly as he could and subjected himself to all of the shinobi life's inconveniences without complaint for the simple motivation of becoming stronger, becoming the best. And then, the Uchiha Massacre had happened, where Itachi had, without remorse, murdered every member of his clan save for his younger brother, with only a single goal in mind, testing his capacity and unlocking the Mangekyō Sharingan, though the latter didn't happen until he slaughtered his parents. But that hadn't been the end of it for the sadist, he needed to push his younger brother in the proper direction in order for the last aspect of his plan to come into play.

To force Sasuke in this direction, Itachi had withheld the true reason for his actions and instead took on the persona of a man who had no love for his younger brother. Per this persona, Itachi cared for Sasuke only because of the eyes that he could take to gain the legendary Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. His actions in Akatsuki were meant to reinforce this visage, and whenever he had run into his younger brother over the years he would taunt his weakness and encourage him to get strong enough to kill him, all in the effort for the child to unlock his own Mangekyō Sharingan, which he could then steal for his own. So far, the plan was working perfectly, all he needed was for Sasuke to awaken his new eyes.

But the Kin-Slayer's apathetic attitude on everything was nothing compared to the sick nature of his partner. Kisame loved to fight, in simple terms. Sadistic was an understatement with the large man and he frequently demonstrated no hesitation in mutilating his opponents, even going so far as to suggest to Itachi as they ran that they cut off Naruto's legs to make him easier to carry and to prevent him from escaping on foot. However, despite his aggressive nature, the shark-like man was also very perceptive and of a keen mind in battle, able to deduce the basics behind his opponent's technique and react to any potential danger he is aware of, or so he had shown with his previous engagements.

Originally when the two had first been partnered, Kisame had warned an equally hostile Itachi to be wary of him. Over time, however, the large man and his stoic partner became two of the few members of Akatsuki that actually got along well with each other, despite the fact they had opposite personalities. The only common ground between both missing-nin was that they had betrayed those close to them, leaving behind kin and country in search of something more. Kisame was perfectly aware of his weaknesses and shortcomings and in turn, was also quite conscious of the fact that his partner being perfectly capable of compensating for him.

Despite his pride, the former member of Kiri's Seven Swordsmen acknowledged Itachi as the stronger and more intelligent of the duo, evident by his earlier statement to the man that he himself was no match for Jiraiya, but perhaps the Uchiha might survive a one-on-one encounter with the Sannin. Yet, the man also had a playful and morbid sense of humor and would often make light of serious situations while sporting a sadistic grin. This trait would even show during his fights as he would often mock his opponents to a horrid extent, never letting up even in victory. These ideas and twisted morals would grow to become his philosophy, the code of which he'd lived for the last several years.

It didn't take long for the trio to reach their destination, a forested area a few miles from the walls of Konoha, the three men dodging and evading all the groups of ninja and civilians in their path. It wasn't really confusing as to why the two missing-nin had agreed to the blondes request, it was pretty basic actually. If they had fought the man in the center of the village where they had first found him, the ensuing destruction would have brought on all the ninja in the village, an army versus to two ninja. No matter how strong someone was, this wasn't an optimal situation, so the two had agreed to follow the man, many of the other Jinchuriki they had faced having asked the same of their attackers.

The Human-Sacrifices had had differing reasons for bringing their would-be attackers away from their village, the different ideologies being as varied as the beasts that they carried. Some had done it out of love for their village, such as Yugito, the Jinchuriki of the Nibi. The formerly alive woman had led her attackers out of the village in an effort to protect it from collateral, allowing her to cut loose. The Jinchuriki of the Gobi however, had brought them out in an effort to test his own strength and capabilities, though in the end, he had ultimately lost, being subdued on the battlefield and having his Bijuu forcefully torn from his body, killing him in the process, just as all the others had been.

The Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune though, was another matter altogether, the reason evident on his eyes as he turned to face the two men that now stood before him. No, Naruto wasn't here out of respect for his village, or out of fear of hurting them, the blonde shinobi was here to he could really cut loose, and not be interrupted. The Jounin knew himself, and he knew that he desperately, violently, threateningly needed this. He needed a chance to feel the sweet rush of combat, the sugary kiss of death upon his lips as he fought, dodging and evading attacks, falling under, jumping over, living by instinct. He needed this, and if it was in part defending the village, and in part fighting and hurting the organization that took his godfather from him, then so be it.

Naruto looked from the grinning visage of the large and shark-like man that was Kisame, to the stoic and impassive Uchiha, focusing on the man's shoulders as he already knew that his Sharingan was active, not willing to subjugate himself to a Genjutsu before the battle had even begun. The former Kiri-Nin slowly reached behind him, clasping his hand around his sword before bringing it to bear rapid and roughly, slamming the tip into the ground in front of, and slightly off to the right of him, his pointed teeth blazing in the sunlight, clearly excited about fighting another swordsman. The Last Uzumaki's cobalt orbs narrowed as he looked at the two men, mentally running through all the information he had on them, before speaking in a monotone, annoyed voice.

"I think I'll start." That was the only warning that the two men got as Naruto launched himself forward, Kaze no Karitoriki falling into his hand with practiced ease as he moved, a clone falling into place on either side of him, all three moving to engage their targets. This fight wasn't going to be a pretty one, it was going to be brutal, he was going to take his time, he was going to enjoy it and meticulously tear his enemies apart. And then finally, at the end of it all, he would drag the battered, broken body of Itachi back to Konoha, he had made a promise to Sasuke, and though he'd failed in his previous endeavors, the blonde would do his damndest to keep them. That didn't mean he was going to pull any punches, though, both men were S-Rank for a reason.

Kisame had gotten his sword up quickly, easily blocking the overhead strike from the Jounin as he flew through the air, his attention completely focused on the shinobi that was his target as his partner engaged the two clones before him in a quick battle of Taijutsu. It was soon revealed that the blonde had packed his clones with far more chakra than normal, both clones sustaining several hits, though they were landing some of their own on the Uchiha prodigy. Though Itachi was certainly very deadly, Naruto, and by proxy his clones, were no slouches either, and he was more than capable of holding his own against either one of the two men, though fighting the two together would definitely prove to be a challenge.

The blonde grinned as he ducked under a sword swing from Kisame, dropping his weight and spinning, kicking out with his left foot, driving it into the blocking forearm of Itachi, the talented man having already dealt with his two clones, before diving in to attack in tandem with his partner. The three began a brief and rapid series of Taijutsu and Kenjutsu spats, Naruto managing to keep both older men on their toes through his clever techniques and through rapid use of the Hiraishin and Kage Bunshin, alternating between the two as he moved, a slash here, parry there, dodge under a swing from the swordsman, lash out with a spinning fist towards the traitor, every move a follow up from the last, his mind working overtime to come up with something for the Uchiha, for he already had a plan to kill Kisame, he just needed the proper moment to activate his trap.

The blondes attack strategy so far was near perfection, keeping Itachi close enough so that he couldn't utilize his large repertoire of Ninjutsu, always focusing on anything but the man's eyes to avoid his lethal Genjutsu, but at the same time, leaving Kisame at a distance great enough that the man's gigantic sword was out of reach, yet still too close to perform any of his highly destructive techniques. That isn't to say that the younger shinobi had the two on the ropes, though. Far from it, none of the three were breaking a sweat yet, and the shark-nin seemed to even be enjoying himself, the small cuts he had received at the end of Kaze no Karitoriki not even bothering him.

There was a brief clash, and it was only due to his mastery over Kage Bunshin that Naruto didn't die at that very moment. On one side stood the blonde warrior, his prized katana held across his body, blade pointing towards the ground, the large broad body of Samehada across it, its owner forcing it down upon the man, both men visibly straining. On the other side, with its back to his master was a Kage Bunshin of the feared blonde of Konoha, a kunai in either hand held in a cross block, guarding against the tanto that was held in Itachi's free hand.

But then, of all things to happen, the Last Uzumaki smirked, vanishing in a flash of his signature cobalt, the clone behind him giving the Kin-Slayer a sinister look even as Kisame was thrown off balance by his massive sword slamming into the ground. The clone mouthed a single word to the Uchiha, the man's eyes widening as he became able to visibly see the chakra forming on the clone, right before it exploded in his face, Itachi getting out of the way at the last second with an extremely fast shunshin, crows billowing in his wake as he moved. He didn't even need to worry about his partner, something like that wouldn't even dent the large man.

The two Akatsuki member's teamwork was definitely unrefined, that much was for sure. The duo, while used to operating with and working alongside each other, had very little actual combat experience fighting as a tag team, and thus during this fight, even with as little as it had progressed so far, they were likely to get in each other's way- an advantage Naruto had counted on and was sure to press. Of course, the idea to simply fight alone had come up, and if the two were fighting to merely kill their opponent, it would have been much more viable. Unfortunately though, this was not the case, so the clandestine organization had to take a different approach, especially when their target was the Uzumaki Heir.

The man was no ordinary shinobi, that much was for certain. His accomplishments were long and thorough, ranging from his time in ANBU as Captain of the Seventh Division, to personally besting not one, but two Jinchuriki in their full released forms, defeating a Bijuu in its full released state, and then there was the slight addition of his having fought and won against several S-Rank missing-nin, all of which was accomplished without using his tenants chakra. It was truly an impressive rapport, and to further the bad situation, the two men in combat with him currently couldn't even make use or their more deadly techniques, wanting to take him alive.

Uzumaki Naruto had no such restriction when it came to them, though.


The Uchiha Compound was a dark and somewhat dreary place, ever since the attack all those years ago that had claimed the lives of so many men, women, and children. The streets that were once filled with smiling, happy children were now empty, devoid of life. The stalls that had once been tended by the adults of the clan, selling fruits and vegetables and all sorts of other things from trinkets to tinkers, were barren, not a whisper passing through them but for the breeze. The fields and areas dedicated to the training of the young were empty, the ground not having been scarred there in ages, save for one that was adjacent to a specific house, on one lone corner in the walled-off compound.

The house in question was the long since renovated and cleaned home of Uchiha Sasuke, who had absolutely and vehemently refused to leave his home, despite the horrid events that had transpired there. Through hard work and sheer force of will, the stoic Uchiha had managed to make great strides in overcoming the crippling fear and anxiety that used to grip him whenever he would walk the streets of his old home, let alone entering the actual house that he had witnessed his parent's murder in. Yet, in his heart of hearts, he knew he would never be able to truly overcome that night, not until his clan had been avenged and the souls of the damned laid to rest.

These thoughts all flashed through the raven-haired man's mind as his eyes snapped open like a bolt of lightning, his heart rate picking up though he still hadn't even moved. The last loyal Uchiha would have recognized that chakra signature anywhere, day or night, it hadn't changed and it was ingrained into his mind and soul like a tattoo on his skin. Directly after the signature of his brother, he felt an additional two presences, though they were very well masked, and while he couldn't make out one of them, he recognized the other as well, years of working with the man granting him familiarity over others. There wasn't even a question on whether or not he was going to help, his mind was already made up.

Carefully, moving ever so slightly and gently so as not to wake the sleeping woman at his side, Sasuke got out of the bed, his naked form moving briefly across the room as he hastily got dressed in his combat attire, every second counting as he moved. He was rushing still, and it only took him a minute or so, but he was dressed, armored up, and was about to walk out the door before he stopped, turning around and walking to the side of the bed, briefly. His onyx eyes danced down the form of the sleeping Sakura that lay in his bed, his mind briefly wandering back to all the times the pinkette had been there for him.

She had been there when their team first formed, and though he had originally thought her annoying, she quickly proved her worth as a shinobi when her 'fan-girl' phase wore off, quickly growing into the role of a support and medical specialist, and it was then that Sasuke had begun to notice her. After that, there had been multiple instances of her helping him home after he trained himself to exhaustion, days of where he had been haunted by the past his brother had wrought, only to find her passed out next to his bed, her chakra depleted from trying to ease his suffering through medical Ninjutsu, and eventually, the woman had managed to fight her way into the Avenger's heart.

It was silly, Naruto teased them constantly about being a couple, and in reality, the two had been together for quite some time now, though they still had elected to keep it a secret for the time being, not wanting to mess up a team dynamic. The two had even recently decided to take their relationship to the next level, and had begun sleeping together, the slim woman more often than not staying over at the Uchiha Compound, falling asleep after their nighttime activities. Sasuke felt a spike of chakra, and cursed lightly under his breath, maybe he was getting soft, but he'd have rather stayed in bed with Sakura than go out to fight at the moment.

He let out a quick and quiet sigh, leaning down and planting a soft kiss on the forehead that the kunoichi was so self-conscious over, that he himself actually liked, before he vanished in a shunshin. The onyx eyes of the Jounin rapidly morphed into the three tomoe of a fully matured Sharingan, the iris's going from black to a deep bloody crimson as he moved, his mind refocused on the task at hand, his chakra already building within his body as he channeled it, forcing himself to moved faster, and cursing his blonde friend the whole way there.

Seriously, sometimes Naruto had the worst timing.


Kisame was having the time of his life.

The original Naruto was nowhere to be found, but at the moment, the monster of the Hoshigaki clan couldn't have cared less, as long as the enemies kept coming, he'd keep killing. The clones were coming at him in droves, some launching jutsu, some attempting to battle the legendary swordsman in Kenjutsu, anything they could think of, really. And so far, due to his own skill and the stoic man that was Itachi watching his back, they had been unable to deal anything of lasting damage to him, or his short partner.

Itachi, in the meantime, wasn't necessarily worried, but he was definitely wary on their adversary. The younger man was clearly planning something, though the Uchiha didn't yet know what it was. So far all that had happened was a seemingly endless army of clones had attacked them from all sides, effectively keeping them corralled from the continuous assault, every time one of them attempted to leave the are two or more clones blocked them off with some form of jutsu, and there were enough of them to block all avenues of approach and retreat, mildly angering the raven haired man as he fought back against the never ending army of Naruto.

And then, just as suddenly as it had all began, the never ending attacks of clones ended, and all was silent for a brief moment, right up until the ground under Kisame exploded, the Last Uzumaki himself bursting from the ground, a Rasengan in his hand as he struck out at the shark-like man, missing by mere centimeters as the man backpedaled out of the way, Itachi already in motion. However, the blonde made no move to counter, and when Itachi's hand slipped under his guard and hit the boy's shoulder, it stopped. Stopped as in it didn't moved, held back by nothing more than skin, and that's when he noticed it. Naruto's eyes were no longer azure, now being yellow, with toad-like irises, a distinctive orange pigmentation around the edges of his orbs.

This time, the usually controlled Uchiha was unable to hold back the light curse that fell under his breath as he vanished in a rapid shunshin, only just escaping the follow up blow that had come from the blonde. This wasn't good, not good at all. The feared 'Sage Mode' was something that had made Jiraiya legendary in his own right, and though the Uchiha had never faced it in person, he knew it to be very dangerous, and the fact that the blonde shinobi had just brought it forward somewhat early on in the fight meant that he had just kicked it up a notch, and definitely wasn't holding back on his attacks.

Sage Mode had a number of advantages and disadvantages that he knew of, and there were probably even more of that he had no clue about. Itachi ran through an extremely fast mental breakdown of the technique as he dodged yet another attack from the shinobi that was his target, moving out of the way as Kisame moved into the fray to fight as well. 'Sage Mode' was an empowered state that could only be entered by blending natural energy with one's chakra, creating Senjutsu chakra. It allowed users to tap into the natural force of the world, opening up new techniques to them and even allowing them to power up their existing moves with the new Senjutsu chakra.

Furthermore, the user's physical strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, perception, and durability are enhanced. The user's Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu become more powerful with the addition of being able to mold the natural energy within themselves. His mind was only relatively put at ease at the two major disadvantages of the technique, though. One, in order to gather enough natural energy to initiate the transformation into Sage Mode, the user must remain perfectly still, leaving them vulnerable, and two, because the user needs to move during combat, the Senjutsu chakra cannot be replenished mid fight, which means the user can't stay within this state for extended periods of time.

So in theory, all he had to do was wait for Naruto to wear down his Senjutsu reserves, and all would be fine, however he doubted it would be that easy, but that's what he had his own trump cards for. By this time, hulking Hoshigaki had recovered and repositioned himself near his partner, the battle taking a brief lull as the three fighters sized each other up, but that was all and in a split second the battle had begun again in earnest, a wild and almost happy look in the Last Uzumaki's eye as he moved, seemingly vanishing and reappearing again and again around the battlefield as he once again began engaging his enemies.

Just as Kisame had found himself in a rhythm of attack from the unpredictable blonde ninja, the attacks stopped, before the man himself appeared over the battlefield, both men under him staring up. Itachi rushed to form the hand seals for his own attack, but found himself a mere half second too slow as with his enhanced speed and skill from Sage Mode, Naruto called out his own technique. "Senpō: Fūton Sunabokori! (Sage Art Wind Release: Dust Cloud!)". He briefly held the substance in his mouth, before exhaling a massive cloud of dust from his orifice, thick enough that it was capable of blocking his enemies' vision completely, even Itachi's fully matured Sharingan couldn't pierce the veil that permeated the area.

However, this handicap didn't apply to the caster of the technique, his already enhanced senses now becoming near superhuman and allowing him to move through the mist, his hearing and sense of smell guiding his path as he made his way towards the former member of the seven swordsmen. Unfortunately, his path was blocked by the prodigal Uchiha, and though neither of the two men could see, they began exchanging in a fierce Taijutsu/Kenjutsu battle, with Naruto beginning to pull ahead of the shorter man, before the traitor leapt back from him, his hands already flashing through seals to a very familiar jutsu, molding his chakra and unleashing in on the area.

"Futon: Diatoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!) The effect was immediate, the enormous gust of wind slamming into and through the dust cloud that had covered the area, Itachi's third affinity putting in a huge amount of work as it dissipated the technique, scattering the ashen dust to the surrounding trees. He was only given a brief second of respite, though, for as soon as the final laps of air had left his lips, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi was upon him, swinging in at him with a wild haymaker that he would have seen coming a mile away. Years of experience weren't even needed to dodge the attack, and as the man leaned just out of reach of the passing fist, he'd realize his folly.

The Kin-Slayer watched in seemingly slow motion as the blonde's fist passed by his face, missing by mere inches, and then, right before he could move to counterattack, something in the rough shape of a fist slammed into his cheek. It felt as though he had been hit by one of the chakra enhanced punches of the Slug Princess, Tsunade, and before he had even recovered from the attack he knew that his jaw was absolutely fractured, if not broken. It didn't matter how much conditioning one were to put themselves through, a human body could only take so much punishment, and he hadn't been reinforcing his body with chakra like he usually did during a Taijutsu brawl. All said, the Uchiha was lucky that the blow hadn't taken his head off.

Naruto landed on his feet lightly, watching as Itachi bounced away before righting himself, and turning to face him once more, not failing to notice that Kisame hadn't attacked in a minute, before he allowed a grin to grace his lips. He had to admit, when he had first heard of the Kawazu Kumite (Frog Kata) from Jiraiya, he had been skeptical, but after being able to put it into practice he was more than happy with the results. The mechanics behind the Kawazu Kumite were actually quite simple for such a devastating technique. The natural energy used by the practitioner to generate their Senjutsu chakra also surrounded the user in an aura of that same natural energy. The Sage would then manipulate the aura to act as an extension of their body.

But the real lethality came from the fact that anyone who wasn't in Sage Mode was rendered unable to see the technique- it was completely untraceable to even the Byakugan and Sharingan, he'd tested that. But Naruto had taken it even a step further, by utilizing the aura, he could extend the range and force of his physical attacks, not unlike the chakra arms of a Version Two Jinchuriki. Consequently, attacks that seemingly or would normally miss his target could actually be manipulated into making contact with the enemy. And once again, as with the rare chakra itself, only users of Sage Mode could see or sense this aura's extension.

This is where Naruto had brought his tactical mind into play though. It was true that he had been fighting the two men while in Sage Mode for several minutes now, and in doing so, he could have used the Kawazu Kumite at any given point in time. However, it was a trick that he could only probably catch his enemies off guard with once, maybe twice if he was lucky, so he had had to time his attack carefully, hoping to use it as a killing blow. Unfortunately, as he watched Itachi rise to his feet, it hadn't been, but it was very clear that it had dealt a massive amount of damage to the man, if his demeanor was anything to go off of.

He wasn't given any more time to lament on it anymore though, as he was forced backwards into a leaning bridge, Samehada slicing through the air above him. It had nearly caught him off guard, he had forgotten how sneaky the large shinobi could be, the man usually preferring the direct approach. However, the man hadn't been a master of the silent killing technique for nothing, and even without it he was a skilled fighter, his cunning impressive in his own right. As he moved, ducking and diving around the man's huge sword, he thanked his Godfather from beyond the grave, Sage Mode-Enhanced reflexes were saving him here, before he stepped forwards kicking off of Samehada itself and throwing himself backwards.

As the Last Uzumaki moved, a clone formed on either side of him, all three powering through hand seals as his shark-like enemy at the opposite end of the clearing did the same around his sword, both men calling out the names of their techniques in mere seconds of each other. "Senpō Katon: Dai Endan! (Sage Art Fire Release: Big Flame Bullet!)", "Futon: Diatoppa! (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!)", "Raiton: Gian! (Lightning Release: False Darkness!)".

"Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Bomb Technique!), Suiton: Suijinheki! (Water Release: Water Encampment Wall!)" The three chakra enhanced forms of nature shot across the field from the blonde, the Natural Energy infused and Wind Chakra boosted bullet of fire arcing across the field, before impacting against the large and dense counterpart of itself made entirely of water. The liquid sphere, though strong and extremely powerful in its own right, was no match for the combination jutsu, and it was quickly overwhelmed, the spear of lightning that was added to the mix proving entirely too much for the technique to bear, though the three moves were all eventually stopped by the hulking wall of water that appeared in front of the wildly smiling Kisame.

Once again though, Naruto was rendered unable to move in with a follow on technique as he was forced to dodge back and out of the way of an absurdly large fireball that danced across the ground where he had been mere moments before, though it would prove to be for naught as an equally large ball of bursting flame collided with it from an opposing angle, Naruto landing softly to the side as a familiar and dark form landed soundly next to him, smirking slightly as he did so. The Last Uzumaki didn't even need to turn his head to recognize the familiar presence of his friend, and merely inclined his head slightly to the right as he spoke.

The raven haired man wore a black cloak over an equally black shirt and pants, a white belt and white bandages wrapped up to his knees on both legs. The last Loyal Uchiha had donned a black cloak with purple lining, and a grey, long-sleeved, collared shirt, over which he wore a periwinkle vest. On one hand was a dark grey fingerless glove, his other one remaining unhindered. His Hitai-Ite was worn in a similar fashion to his blonde teammate, letting it hang from his left hip. His long-sleeved shirt finished down in light grey cuffs, and around his waist there were a pair of brown leather belts with various weapon pouches, a brown shuriken holster on his left thigh, and brown shinobi boots to finish off everything in decency, though the most distinctive thing about him were the spinning crimson eyes he had.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Sasuke. I've been out here fighting them for a bit now, and after all the trouble I went through to pass by the Uchiha Compound just so you'd know… seems a bit harsh, if you ask me." The man next to him stood tall, after years of preparation and both inner and outer conflict, of fighting against himself and training to exhaustion more times that he could count, the day was finally here. After today, he would be able to rest easy, his clan's honor restored and his name cleansed, the dead souls of his family put to rest as he buried his own Kin-Slayer of a brother.

"Had to say goodbye to Sakura, she'd have been mad if I just up and left without saying anything." As he spoke, the man's visible eye widened briefly as he looked to the man at his side, the blonde smirking briefly with an all too familiar 'I-so-fucking-called-that' look, though he opted not to say anything about it at the moment, there were other, more important things to deal with now. "So…you remember the deal we made, right?" It was a rhetorical question that the raven haired Uchiha asked his friend, they had made the pact only a week or so prior, there was no way he could have forgotten."

"Go say hello, I'll finish up here and meet up with you in a bit." There was no longer any need for words, the two members of Akatsuki on the other end apparently having a very similar conversation, before Itachi looked over to his younger brother, the two making a very brief and intense eye contact before the two sole surviving members of the once decorated and revered clan vanished in a pair of dual shunshins, leaving the large frame of Kisame to face the smaller but no less intimidating one of the Last Son of the Uzumaki Clan, both men grinning in earnest.

Now that it was a one-on-one fight, it was only a matter of time before the blonde could spring his trap on the large man, he just needed to wait for the right moment.


The two black shadows mirrored each other as they blurred through the forest, passing through the branches at a breakneck pace, before they both came to rest in a small clearing a decent distance away from where the original battle was being fought between the Akatsuki Representatives and Naruto. The two estranged brothers had not said anything as they moved through the trees, neither man even needed to look at the other as they headed to the area they would fight, the place they were heading being both symbolic and perfect for their needs.

The Last Surviving members of the once revered and respected Uchiha Clan landed at opposite ends of the small clearing, both men coming to an abrupt halt as they squared off against the other. Together they stood in the training area that Itachi had taken Sasuke countless times before his betrayal, the two training and playing for untold hours as children, the older of the two even teaching his brother a thing or two about being a ninja, bonding as siblings and brothers. But no more. Time had changed the two men more than the passing of a tide against a stone wall, and the fruits of their labor would soon show.

"Itachi." It was a single, simple word that left Sasuke's lips, his Sharingan spinning rapidly as he stared down his older brother, the man's own crimson orbs piercing the irises of his own. The older man merely inclined his head slightly at the younger man, briefly taking in his appearance as the two looked on, no moves being made as of yet, both content to play this little game against each other. It was in vain, though. Neither man was stupid, and both were quite capable shinobi in their own right, and there was only one way that this would end. By the end of the day, the world would have one less Uchiha.

"So Sasuke… I told you once that when you had grown enough hate within yourself, that when you had obtained the same eyes as my own, that would be when you faced me. So tell me, Younger Brother…" The man paused, letting his words sink into the air as he briefly closed his eyes, dipping his head slightly and causing the sun to shine off the slashed Konoha Hitai-Ite that graced his forehead, before tilting it back up, his own Doujutsu blazing madly as he yelled across the clearing. "Do you have the Mangekyō?!"

The younger man sighed briefly, almost seeming bored on the outside, though underneath the raven-haired man was incredibly tense. He chose his next words carefully, speaking briefly and keeping his words concise. There was no point in attempting to preach to and to turn to his brother, in his eyes the man was too far lost to be redeemed. "No, but these eyes that I do possess… they can see fine in the darkness, their vision is perfect, and with them I see your fate."

"Then you are still worthless to me. You aren't even worth killing as you are now, foolish little brother." Sasuke didn't show it, but the man's words stung like ice on a cold day. Even after all these years, a small part of him still yearned for the approval of the only family he had left, though he knew it would never come and that it was foolish to do so, but the next words from his elder brother only served to anger him. "Go away. You don't interest me at the moment, I have more pressing matters to attend to than killing someone as pathetic as you."

""The words of a failure making excuses. Are you telling me to admit my limitations and give up, that I'll never surpass you because I refuse to kill those closest to me, to become the embodiment of my own hatred? This is what happens when you always had everything handed to you, Itachi. Power has caused you to become isolated and arrogant, drunk on your own abilities." The younger man finished, his rage boiling just beneath his skin as he pushed every ounce of self-control he possessed to the surface, desperately keeping himself in check as he faced off against the object that had been his greatest source of pain and hatred for the last decade.

Itachi merely watched his younger brother with apathetic eyes, the man having proven to him once again just how useless he was by failing to achieve the Mangekyō in the last several years. Perhaps he had executed his plan poorly? It didn't matter, in the end he mused. Sasuke wanted to fight, then he'd humor him, Kisame should have been able to take care of Naruto on his own, and regardless this fight wouldn't take long for him to finish, anyways. The Kin-Slayer tensed his body in preparation to move forward and attack, every muscle poised for an assault as he spoke the final words of the battle.

"Forgive me, Sasuke. There won't be another time."


"And then there were two…" The deep voice of the bulky man permeated the small silence that had been left in the wake of the absence of the two Uchiha. Kisame flexed the grip he had on Samehada, loosening his hand and then tightening it once more as he grinned with his predatory features, his gaze fixed on the man before him. In all honesty, the former member of the Seven Swordsmen was quite happy that Itachi had left, this meant that he could go all out with abandon, not having to worry about angering the smaller man or being stopped by him. It was time for him to cut loose.

Naruto on the other hand, had never let his guard down, and the minute that all movement on the battlefield he had stopped instantly, already drawing the harsh natural energy from the surrounding area into his body and molding it with his own, replenishing his nearly spent reserves. The blonde man was no expert in reading the small facial tics of another, preferring to learn all he needed through combat, but in this case Kisame wasn't exactly hiding his intentions. Hell, the blonde ninja wasn't anything close to a sensor-nin and he could already feel the man's chakra spiking, and while it didn't bode well, it would serve his purpose nicely.

The blonde gave the large man no reprise, launching himself forward and beginning to flash to the numerous kunai that had now come to litter the clearing the men had been battling in, only to be somewhat surprised as Kisame jumped back, his hands already finishing the seals for a jutsu of his own. "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Dragon Jutsu!)", there was a brief roar as the dragon formed into existence, but the S-Ranked Missing-Nin was no longer concerned with that, forming another technique and shooting off immediately. "Suiton: Suigadan! (Water Release: Water Bullets!)".

Unfortunately for the swordsman, the Last Uzumaki was a Ninjutsu powerhouse himself, and he wasn't planning on being captured today. With that sentiment in mind, two clones of his target exploded roughly into view on either side of him, all three rushing through seals of their own, powerful combination jutsu that screamed to life in seconds to meet the water of their opponent. "Fūton: Reppūshō (Wind Release: Gale Palm!)", "Katon: Karyū Endan! (Fire Release: Dragon Fire Flame Bullet!)", "Raiton: Jibashi! (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder!)".

Several things happened in tandem at that moment, the most prominent being the slight explosion that was made from the collision of the superheated fire meeting the condensed liquid that was its opposite, creating a large cloud of steam in its wake. Following that, there was a brief flash of electricity as the only remaining Naruto on the far side of the field slammed a sparking hand into the earth, releasing the lethal bolts of lightning into the ground and watching as they arced towards the last known position of his enemy. However, this was proven to be in vain as the man in question came launching at the Last Uzumaki from the left, an angle which wasn't covered by the deadly combination attack, swinging his large blade in a crushing arc towards the smaller man.

The Jounin of Konoha barely had time to pull up his own Katana in a block, bracing himself as the two blades connected, his own eyes glinting dangerously as he was forced backwards and felt his feet digging into the dirt. The two men locked eyes, both of them predators and killers in their own right, legends amongst those they served with, before they both simultaneously kicked off of each other, their respective shins stinging from the force of the dual blow. Kisame stared down his enemy across the field, and deciding that he had had enough, began the preparations for his ultimate technique, slamming his sword into the ground and rushing through hand seals as Naruto's eyes widened, the man charging forward and molding his own chakra.

"Suiton: Dai Bakusui Shōha! (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave!)" The large man spats out a great volume of water from this mouth, swallowing up and crushing the surrounding area with the advancing surge. The amount of water created with his technique was directly proportional to the amount of chakra used; and Kisame had poured enough into it to transform even a dry wasteland into a small ocean. Unfortunately, this technique would prove to be his folly, his ultimate asset turned against him, and he only began to realize his error as he saw the small smirk that graced the Last Uzumaki's lips as he held a single hand up, the fingertips glowing blue before slamming it into the ground.

"Kekkai Fuinjutsu: Keimusho Shūyōsho no Hōkai! (Barrier Sealing Method: Collapsing Prison Encampment!)". Six walls burst into life around the former member of the Seven Swordsmen, forming a perfect hexagon with the large man as the center. The walls burst to life with a red hue, a ceiling forming and connecting all of them as they called out to each other, blocking the flow of water inside their walls, before they began to contract against each other, all while the water continued to pour from the man's mouth. Kisame's eyes widened in horror and surprise as the true extent of the technique dawned on him, the man desperately canceling his jutsu, though he knew in his heart that it was already too late.

The water still flooded the area, but now, instead of cascading around the surrounding area and creating the large dome that was the man's second home, it repelled off the ever enclosing barrier and moved back towards him, the pressure only multiplying as it began to condense even more. Kisame tried to struggle, but it would eventually prove be no avail as he was slowly crushed by the force and power of his own technique. Though the man was undoubtedly strong, a human body can only take so much before it and everything inside it reduced to mush. It didn't matter that he could breathe underwater, but then again, nothing mattered anymore. The man couldn't even coherently form any last words as the increasing pressure soon proved too much for even him to handle.

In mere moments, the last person to ever wield the legendary Samehada would die, the sword itself also succumbing to the intense forces upon it, compressing and effectively killing the sentient blade. Hoshigaki Kisame would have loosened his grip on the handle of the blade, but at that point the force of the water upon his skin held his body in a grip like a vice, he was unable to move even the smallest appendage. There was no glorious finish in which he went all out, only to be bested by an even stronger opponent, no, he was simply killed because of someone that was not only skilled, but smart in their fighting, the blonde in question watching on as his seal slowly crushed the life out of the hulk of a man.

Hoshigaki Kisame, former member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, holder of the moniker of 'The Tailless Bijuu', member of the world class Organization Akatsuki, and partner to one Uchiha Itachi, had died.


Author's Note:

And that brings us to the end of this chapter. Don't really have a lot to say, just that I'm incredibly happy that the feedback I'm getting from you guys is largely positive. Means I'm doing a good job and that you all like what you see. Hope the fight with Kisame was alright for you all, dude was a total beast in canon. Anyways…

That's all I got. Out.