A/N: I guess it's been a while. So, in the words of Albus Dumbledore - to all new readers; welcome. To the old ones, welcome back! I do hope you haven't terribly abandoned this story. I promised to finish it - and finish it I would! (Sometime before the end of this year, I hope...)
Anyway, with this chapter, we have only a few more to go. Lots of thanks to all those who bothered to review the last one, it seemed to turn out to be much more popular than I hoped. Now, that was a very epic Wave battle if I do say so myself. Good morning!
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Ultimate Naruto
Chapter Eighteen
(Hasn't this been what you've waited for?)
Finally the fight:
Naruto vs Sasuke!
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Opening theme: Bhaag DK bose, Aandhi aayi by Ram Sampath
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The room was dark, not necessarily the way the old man liked it, but it would have to serve for current purposes.
The air conditioning was also off; in favour of the simple ceiling fan - which probably wasn't the wisest of decisions (considering the unbearable heat this far under the ground), but kami, he needed his pipe; and he wasn't stupid enough to suffocate himself in the already uncomfortable room.
A knock resounded.
Twice. Once. Twice again.
"Come in."
Refilling his pipe, he watched as a younger man entered; pose as aloof as ever. The new arrival spared only a fleeting look at the picture of a blonde man beside him before taking a seat, much to the former's mild amusement.
"Sandaime-sama", he greeted, "You called?"
Straight to the point - as always.
The old man nodded, "Good. I see Iruka delivered my message. I'm sure you know why I was so adamant on you meeting me, Kakashi."
The jonin shrugged, "Probably has to do with the genin team I am to be assigned... you know I'll only fail them, Hokage-sama."
A small smirk.
"I doubt you would, Kakashi - not if you've taken the time to look through the files of your new wards."
Frown.
"Sandaime-sama, surely you know I wouldn't try to be favourable just because of sensei's son..."
"And I'm not asking you to. I never wanted this path for young Naruto but it seems fate has been determined to play it out of my hands. However, that is not the reason I called you here."
"I see. Then it must be because of the bijuu."
"Yes and no."
"Huh?"
The Third's eyes twinkled, "Do you remember the names of your genin off your head?"
Kakashi shrugged once more, "Uzumaki Naruto. Uchiha Sasuke. Haruno Sakura. I was told this was a supposedly balanced team."
"Yes, and so it was. However, Ibiki deemed it best to make a few last minute alterations. Haruno Sakura has been withdrawn from your squad. She is to be replaced with one Miss Hanataka Kyuubi."
A raised brow.
"Kyuubi? Like, after the Nine-tails? Is that a joke?"
Hiruzen sighed, "No, it isn't. I had initially briefed Tenzo about this - he was originally meant to mentor her - but Ibiki advised that this would be for the best. I doubt Tenzo would be too pleased about it, though. He really was looking forward to this."
"Brief?", the tall, masked man asked, "About what?"
"You remember Hanataka Gin?"
"Yeah", the jonin nodded, crossing his arms and wondering what terrain his leader was headed, "He was the chief of our medic unit for a long while after Tsunade-sama quit."
"Good, because Gin's daughter; Hanataka Kyuubi, is the true jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed demon fox."
In the ensuing silence, one could have heard an ant breathe.
"Excuse me?", Kakashi asked, the moment he gathered his wits about him.
Hiruzen gave him a crooked smile, "Which is unbelievable? The part about Gin having a daughter or the part about the Kyuubi no youko?"
"You know which it is, Sandaime-sama! What do you mean by 'she is a jinchuuriki?!'"
The Third lowered his pipe, "She's manifested twice, Kakashi. And each time I was there to re-seal the chakra. There's no mistaking that youki..."
"But... but... what about Naruto?"
"What about him?"
"Was a bijuu sealed in him or not?"
"Kakashi..."
"Please answer me!"
The aged man sighed, he had expected a reaction like this from the former student of the Fourth Hokage.
"As far as I can tell, apart from the trademark attributes inherited via his mother's blood, young Naruto has no connection whatsoever to the fabled beast of yore."
"How? Why?"
"That is a question I cannot answer, unfortunately."
A spiel of emotions coursed through the jonin's face in record time. Hiruzen observed the famed mercenary come to terms with this new revelation.
"Why wasn't I informed of this up until now?", the man asked in a pained voice, "Something of this magnitude, it would certainly have affected how Naruto might have grown..."
"Kakashi - had I told you about this beforehand; you might have been forced to take drastic actions even you could not control. Besides, I was still quite unsure about it all at the time. You are one of the handful who know about the true events of October ten. Surely, you must also know that drawing unwanted attention to Miss Hanataka now would have only raised eyebrows."
"I do", he answered sourly.
The Hokage waited another minute before saying, "I know what is truly troubling you, you know, but I cannot help you if you do not speak it out."
There was a brief period of silence in which the masked man ran a pale hand through his hair before asking, "What is the implication of all this?... I mean... sensei... What does this mean for Sensei?"
"..."
"The Fourth claimed to have sealed the demon in his son!", he continued impatiently, "He made the ultimate sacrifice! Was it all a lie? Or some common mistake? Was it an oversight? Or a thirst for glory? How could he trap the Kyuubi in the belly of some random child only to declare to have done so to his?! How could he?! It goes against everything Sensei stood for, you know it!"
Another bout of silence ensued as Kakashi finished, breathing a bit more heavily than usual. The Third took the time to lace his fingers together before levelling his gaze on the talented jonin.
"I have no idea what went on that fateful day. I didn't even know Naruto had been born till I saw him with my own eyes. The only one with any knowledge of that awful occurence is the Yondaime himself. We can only guess..."
"But, surely, Hokage-sama!..."
"However, it is to my knowledge that a demon of such nature cannot be sealed in any ordinary child. Remember; only eight of the tailed beasts existed in our world up until that day, and even that wasn't popular knowledge. A demon such as the Kyuubi would have needed an extremely capable host. It is indeed possible that the Fourth might have found a more suitable candidate for the sacrifice than his son, and being who he was; couldn't stand to see someone else's child be stigmatized for something entirely his fault."
"His true sacrifice, therefore, might have been in allowing his son bear the brunt of the stigma while leaving the real container to lead a semblance of a normal life. Of course, this is naught but a hypothesis."
Kakashi frowned. 'Had sensei claimed to have sealed the Kyuubi no youko in Naruto so as to protect its real host? It seemed exactly like what Minato would be capable of... always making the sacrifices. But then...'
"How did he get the Hanatakas to give away their daughter for the ritual? She would only have been an infant by the time. How did they manage to consent to something like that?"
Hiruzen smiled, "Maybe that's a question for Gin and not me."
Kakashi nodded. Though he didn't know much about his sensei's former teammate, he would be questioning him the first chance he got. Something definitely wasn't right here.
"That brings us to your assignment."
The old man pulled open a drawer and withdrew from it a nondescript file. He slid it across to the masked jonin who thumbed through its contents, a passive look on his face. Within it was all the information the Oniwabanshu had on Hanataka Kyuubi and the demon, along with a bunch of wavy pictures.
"Miss Hanataka's power over the Kyuubi's youkai is growing. Her coils are steadily expanding to contain the malevolent chakra and she has already started displaying the characteristics of a true jinchuuriki. However, the Kyuubi's power is not something that can be controlled by a teenage girl. It is expanding exponentially and she is losing control, fast."
He caught his employee's eye, "It is very likely that during the course of your duty as sensei, she would approach you for help. When that happens, I want you to render any assistance for it would help win her trust... However, a time will come when the Kyuubi's power would become too much for such a frail girl to hold - I do not believe in the continued suffering of jinchuuriki, Kakashi. When that time comes, I want you to do what must be done, no matter the circumstances. This is your mission. Do you accept?"
The masked jonin stared at a particular picture; one of a red-haired girl blowing the candles out on her tenth birthday. She was dressed in a simple sundress and there were numerous people around her who could only have been friends and family.
His eyebrows furrowed.
"I do."
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(Present day - City of Konoha)
"Aww, men, not again!"
The sun-tanned blonde was in a very dour mood, the reason for this being the frail paper held between his hands. He glared hard at the prominent F visible on the sheet, wishing bodily harm upon the irksome alphabet that seemed to be saying - 'It's not my fault I'm here. You're the one who failed, dumbass.'
He sighed. This was the third mid-term he had failed this week. If this kept up, he just might find himself flunking out of high school much sooner than he even expected.
"Yo, Naruto. How did you do?", Mikami Tokio; a freshman with reddish-brown hair asked. The blonde scowled and crumpled his sheet before forcing it into his pocket.
"That bad, huh?", the redhead whistled, "I got a D", he flashed the score across Naruto's face, "My mom's gonna kill me! That's the lowest I've ever done in Math. Maybe it won't kill us to take those extra lessons after all."
The scowl on Naruto's face deepened. This guy wasn't Sasuke. The Uchiha never would have suggested after-lessons!
"Anyways, I guess it can't be helped", the boy said, yawning loudly. He adjusted his uniform, "You wanna hit the arcade tonight, 'ruto? It beats sulking at your report sheet."
"No... no arcade", Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. Damn. He hadn't exactly studied hard for the test; what with all the late night training and all, but he had certainly hoped to do better. A third F? Good thing he had nobody to care.
"Woah. Your scores got you that low?"
Among other things... "You have no idea."
Tokio whistled again, then proceeded to point towards a group of girls gathered at the front of the class. Amongst them was a raven-haired one with a snobbish air.
"I heard that Kaoru and her friends are planning to hang out at the arcade. I was hoping we could be there too so I could ask her on a date again. I know what you're thinking, she turned me down last time... but, I know I can do it this time. A guy's got to try, right? Right?"
Naruto watched as Tokio bit his fingernails nervously. A few were dirtied.
Definitely not Sasuke.
"You know, Kimi's gonna be there too", he continued, "I heard she and Riko ain't a couple anymore. She's gat the mega hots for you man, especially after you kicked those bullies to the curb. She'll be at the arcade too - I think you should definitely hit that."
"Who said I haven't?", Naruto smirked amusedly.
Tokio did a double take, "Wow. I heard the rumours but... wow. You the man, 'ruto! How did you...? What was it like?"
'Damn. Was this guy that un-Sasukeish? The Uchiha would have given him a lecture on the merits of underage cockblocking not try to dick-ride him.'
"Nah, maybe another time, dude", the blonde slumped deeper into his chair; safely deposited at the back of the class. It was some months after his original admission yet he was still being treated as the misfit of his peers, "Besides, I haven't talked to her in a while. You know, been busy with stuff and all that..."
Tokio's eyes widened and he looked around anxiously before dragging his chair over to his friend's, "Is this about the 'stuff' that keeps you away from school most of the time? You can tell me, right 'ruto? I won't breathe a word. Promise."
The blonde frowned. It seemed the rumours about him being a mercenary were still in the mill. He would have to pay Riko a visit sometime soon.
The bell sounded. All as one, the students began packing their bags.
"Maybe another time, Tokio", Naruto waved, gathering his books. He began wrapping his trusty bandanna around his head when his homeroom teacher called out,
"Mr Uzumaki, one moment, please."
Naruto groaned and slumped back on his chair, ignoring the smug looks sent his way. He waited till all the students had cleared out before approaching her desk.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"Sit down."
The blonde eyed the chair worriedly causing the bespectacled woman to frown, "It'll only take a moment. You would soon be on your way home, Uzumaki."
He shrugged and sat down, "Er? So, what's up, sensei?"
Mrs Kuneida watched him with tired eyes before taking her spectacles off, "It's about your grades, Naruto. There's a general worry among your teachers that it might have finally hit rock-bottom."
Naruto didn't speak.
"You show up in class whenever you like, you barely turn in your homework on time and, sometimes, you skip school altogether for days on end! Not to mention, the current results of all your mid-terms."
"I'm not going to ask you what you're always up to, Uzumaki - despite my worry of your prolonged disappearances. Your lifestyle is currently the favorite topic of discussion among we staffers and there are numerous rumors milling about the school - but that is your business not mine. However, as your homeroom teacher, I have the responsibility to subject you to remedial lessons due to your poor grades..."
"What?!"
"Mr Uzumaki", his teacher chastised sternly, "I am not going to do that. However, I do implore you to improve your grades, otherwise, I will be asking to see your guardian and would be forwarding this case to the principal."
Naruto grimaced. That was a tricky one (the system had no idea he was an independent orphan) but anything was still better than remedial lessons. Although, the glitch might be the extent to which these rumours spread. Mercenarization was a capital crime, though not any more serious than shuffling coke or trafficking little girls. He wondered what the school might do if they finally confirmed he was indeed a member of the Oniwaban... wonder, wonder...
"Do you understand me, Uzumaki?"
"Loud and clear, ma'am."
"The same goes for your friend, Mr Uchiha. His grades are much better than yours, though his extended absences have resulted in him missing the entire mid-terms. Luckily, I took the liberty of informing his brother about this when he came to call in Sasuke's indisposure. He would be taking remedial tests immediately he returns. You, on the other hand, have up until the end of the term to up your grades, young man. I'm giving you one more chance to do this on your own terms, Uzumaki."
"Thanks, sensei. Is that all?"
His teacher nodded, quickly replacing her spectacles and her grading sheets once again, "Well, I guess, Naruto. You may leave if you want."
The blonde didn't need to be told twice.
"Woah. You took quite the time", Tokio spoke as he exited the classroom, "What did she want to talk about?". He had waited for him outside the hallway, another thing Sasuke never did.
"What else?", Naruto answered hotly, "Of course, my grades."
"Oh - wow. Sorry about that, man. She didn't ask to see the rents, did she?"
"No, but she gave me a heads up."
The duo fell into a solemn silence till they'd crossed the gates.
"Y'know, if you're still up to the arcade tonight..."
"Don't worry, I'll give you a call", Naruto replied, waving him off.
"Sweet. See ya later, 'ruto!"
The blonde grunted, barely acknowledging the greeting. Skipping by all his usual haunts, he began the journey by road to his old apartment.
Naruto sighed. A lot had changed ever since the Wave incident; he could feel it.
There was the fact that he rarely saw his team again; except when Kakashi popped out of nowhere to burden him and Kyuubi with the occasional D-rank, and even that was happening less frequently than before.
There was also the realization that; no matter how long and interesting one's life had been, it could always come to a short and boring end - something he could now personally attest to.
And then, to top it all off, there was Sasuke.
Naruto had always lived a hard and fast-paced life and he had believed the mercer equivalent to be even more interesting, as such, he was little equipped to deal with this sort of downtime.
And yet, despite always blaming all of his educational setbacks on Kakashi's erratic schedule, he found himself even more unable to concentrate on schoolwork now that he had the time to do so... not when he could be out there doing so much more as a liscenced mercenary. He lived his life for the thrill of a fight, goddamit!
His cell rang; rousing him from his thoughts, an odd sound the blonde still hadn't gotten used to. One of the first things he'd done after their major payday was to purchase one of those little gadgets. According to Kakashi, it helped set team meetings up much easier.
"Yeah?", he grunted, not bothering to glimpse the caller ID.
"Yeah to you too, Naruto."
"Kyuubi-chan?!"
Had anybody been watching, they would have wondered why an ear-splitting grin suddenly appeared on the blonde boy's face.
"You deleted my number already?", he could hear her pout even across the line.
"You wish. What's up with ya?". If she was calling now, then it obviously meant she had just finished from school. He wondered what she needed to chat about that couldn't wait till after dinner.
"I'm cool, Naruto. I was wondering if you had a minute to spare..."
The blonde paused by a sidewalk and leaned against a wall, ignoring the blind guitarist playing next to him, "I do now. Shoot. What's been bothering ya?"
"Well... it's about Sasuke."
He sighed. When would it never be?
"What about teme?", he gritted out.
Kyuubi paused for a moment, causing the youth to wonder if he had sounded harsher than he had originally intended.
"Green is definitely not your colour, Naruto-kun. It doesn't suit you", came her melodious voice, ("Sorry", he intoned) "I was worried about Sasuke. He isn't picking my calls."
"What do you expect?", he growled, feeling touchy as the familiar subject was broached yet again, "Teme hasn't been in Konoha in ages. I doubt he even remembers who we are anymore. Itachi-nii definitely doesn't talk about him..."
There was another pause, this one much more heavier than the last.
"Ara, Kyuubi-chan?"
"You didn't know, Naruto?", the girl asked in a suspicious tone.
"Know what?", he replied, already impatient with the current topic.
"You didn't know? Like seriously? Are you sure, or are you just pulling my leg?"
"What are you talking about?", he snipped crossly. Damn, he hated riddles!
"Naruto - ", Kyuubi hesitated, " - Sasuke-kun's been at home now for the past week or so."
"WHAT?!"
"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I had no idea you weren't aware! Kakashi-sensei told me a few days back so I figured he might have informed you too. And I managed to get Sasuke-kun's cell last week and he mentioned arriving home shortly. I had no idea, honest!"
Naruto felt the beginnings of a familiar rage begin to run through him. Sasuke? Home? He didn't know which hurt more. The fact that he hadn't been told, or the fact that he hadn't had much contact with anyone (including Itachi) ever since the Wave episode.
And the more he looked at it, the more he realised that his current misfortune; yes, everything - including his boredom, low grades and troubles in school - could only be blamed on, no, revolved around a specific individual...
"Teme..."
"Naruto-kun?"
"Don't worry, I don't blame you, Kyuubi-chan", he said, now heading opposite his prior direction.
"What are you going to do?"
"Me? Oh nothing. Just gonna have a nice, little chat with Sauce-gay, is all."
"Oh... Don't be too hard on him, Naruto. We really don't know what he's been through..."
"Like I said before; don't worry", he grinned nastilly, "I won't so much as harm a hair on his head."
"Okay... well, talk to you later, Naruto-kun."
The line went dead leaving the blonde to trek casually to his new destination.
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There was one more thing about the Mercer world Uzumaki Naruto had learnt at the bridge: You were only as rich as you were strong.
Exceptional mercenaries could take on higher-ranked missions; which also attracted the highest pay, while meagre operatives were forced to wallow in C-ranks or worse; desk jobs, for the rest of their active lives.
Following the pay he had recently recieved, the blonde urchin knew which category he wanted to fall under.
Truth be told, there were only a few times in his life that he'd owned such large amount of money in one go - some more pleasant than others. He had purchased a phone like Kakashi adviced (a simple symbian device none too fancy) while a sizeable amount had gone into re-stocking on food and mercer supplies. The rest he didn't know what to do with, he eventually hid in the safe underneath the floorboards lest it be spent wastefully. (Maybe if he made any more, he could consider moving to a more habitable environment - one that wouldn't have rats serenading him every moment of the night.)
It was the dream of every urchin to be rich someday, and the Uzumaki was no different. Spending your entire childhood in an orphanage donning only second-hand clothes did that sort of thing to you. He had dreams of grandoise - delusions of grandeur. He wanted the fame and resource he had only been able to watch others display from across the cages of his life, and to get that meant only one thing:
He had to take his vocation seriously.
You see, Uzumaki Naruto wasn't kidding back when he informed his sensei of his ambition to accumulate a ton of gold. He wasn't kidding either when he had thrown himself headfirst into his training shortly after their successful return from the Wave. The mercer way meant the world to him, and he would be damned if he let anything try to rip it apart - not even his so-called best friend!
He snarled as he crossed the street, not even aware whom he had passed, until a familiar mocking tone reached his ears.
"Oh, look who it is, Izumo. How could we have missed him? It's the little street rat."
Sighing, he continued on, not even bothering to chance so much as a look backwards, "Give it a rest, guys. I'm busy today."
"Wait, did you hear that? He said he's busy. You know what that means, don't ya bud?"
"Of course. Considering who we are talking about, it's probably nothing good."
Naruto sneered. Wouldn't those two ever give him a break?!
Ever since they passed the law enforcement bar, Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane had sworn to make his life a living hell. They had done everything they could to get him in juve and it had only been due to Itachi's interventions that he was yet to attain a criminal record. If the Shisengumi were supposed to be super cops who protected the rights of the people, Naruto couldn't really be blamed for hating the fucking force because of vermin such as those two.
He tried to ignore them, even as their sleek cop car pulled up beside him, blatantly shadowing his very movement.
"I wonder what street rat is doing these far out in the urban areas. I'm suprised he ain't back at the slums, trying to riff out a meal from the nearest garbage."
His partner snorted.
"I'm not too surprised", Naruto fired back, "Trust only deadbeat cops like you two nitwits to fail to recognize a uniform when you see one. What happened to make you lot this jobless? Is there a sudden shortage of fastfood eateries for nincompoops around these parts?"
"Watch your tone, Naruto", Izumo smirked, "Harrassing an officer is a federal crime. Besides, its Lieutenants Kamizuki and Hagane to you."
"Don't blame him", Kotetsu continued, "He never did learn manners as a brat. Wonder which kid you begged that uniform off, Naruto. I'm sure you'd go as far as work a brothel to earn the clothes on your back."
"You know what, fuck this shit!", Naruto yelled, making a sudden turn, "I'm not taking this 'cos you guys got nothing on me! Not now. Not ever. Why don't you EARN your pay and go chase ACTUAL criminals? There are lots of them milling the streets while you slack around... that's if you don't end up crapping your squad car in the process, of course."
"You know, Naruto", Kotetsu fired, swerving wheel to keep up with the blonde, "We might not have anything on you yet - on paper at least - but we have enough suspicions of your activities to have the Chief warrant your arrest himself. You got the list, Izumo?"
"Yup", his partner said, pulling out a notebook, "Street rat's done everything. Robbery. Arsonry. Carjacking, and those are just the good parts. There's also rape, plundering, child abuse, drug trafficking and civilian molestation. Wow. With such a record, it's a wonder you're not in real butt-pounding jail by now."
The youth snorted, "Too bad all you have is made-up theories and not actual proof. Why guys, keep this up and I can actually see you winning the Detectives of the Year award... at the Razzies that is. No wonder all the praise goes to the Uchiha. He's definitely got the only brains in the entire Police force, from what even your Chief can see."
A dark look clouded Kotetsu's face and he leaned across his window to bare his teeth at Naruto; something the blonde didn't even notice.
"You might have friends in high places, streetrat - who help cover your tracks and keep you protected - but we know a criminal when we see one. Trust me Naruto, it'll only be a matter of time before we have you behind bars..."
The blonde mock-gasped, "Oh no guys, didn't you know I was underage?"
"Yeah we do!", the cop replied nastily, "But there's a loophole, because we know what you are, Naruto. And by law, it is a serious capital offence. We are very close to having the evidence we need... we know you are in the Oniwaban, street rat."
Naruto stilled at their laughter and watched them drive off, Izumo giving him the 'I'll be watching' sign. He sighed. Maybe they really were more competent than he gave them credit for.
The rest of his journey was done without further incident and he soon found himself in the Uchiha residential areas. Steeling his features, he walked up to the main house - ignoring the glaring looks of hate he encountered on the way (kami, was that an old granny with the sharingan staring out her window?) and gave a short rap on the door - but it opened before he even finished.
He didn't expect who stood behind it.
Uchiha Fugaku.
"I trust you're not the delivery boy I am to be expecting", the clan head spoke, in that gruff voice of his which could make little kids wail in their sleep (When the hell did he return from Suna?)
Naruto observed his features, which looked like an older replica of Itachi's, down to the pronounced tear throughs and stoic gaze. The Uchiha patron was clad in a worn bathrobe with loosened hair hanging all over his face. The blonde hid his surprise at the pair of fluffy slippers, but even those had the Uchiha symbol encrusted on them.
Before he could reply, the elderly man had turned away from the door, muttering a loud 'Sasuke'. The short youth glimpsed the cup of coffee in his hand. Wow. He knew Fugaku wasn't a morning person, but an evening person too?
He didn't have to wait long before he saw the one person he wanted to see. An unrecognizable Sasuke had just walked up to door, all pale, scruffy-looking and unlively. His onyx eyes widened a fraction upon casting a glance at his friend.
The blonde frowned.
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The tension in the room could be cut by a knife. Neither boy had said a word ever since they'd set eyes on each other. Sitting across the dining, the blonde tried to read his obstinate friend.
Sasuke looked pale, more so than he usually did. There were bags under his eyes and his hair looked like it would have been better suited on Naruto than one such as himself. He seemed to have lost some weight too, and it was obvious to all who saw him that he hadn't showered today - or the last three days for that matter, considering the smell.
To summarize, his friend looked like fuck.
A phone rang. Both boys ignored it.
Sasuke's soulless eyes were staring into his and the blonde realised that he was trying to unnerve him. But he wouldn't be intimidated. Not this time. He briefly pondered on the absence of the other members of the house. Mrs Uchiha usually became like this any time her husband returned.
The phone rang again.
"H'llo." They could hear Fugaku's voice speak from the adjacent room. Naruto pondered again why the patron always saw the need to speak like he had the flu, "Uchiha main residence. Who is this?"
Few, quick words were exchanged with whoever was on the other end and soon, Fugaku had joined them in the dining, all brushed, suited up and ready to go. Naruto almost let out a whistle. No one could don a suit as carelessly - yet classic - as Sasuke's dad could. Still, his dour mood hadn't lightened one bit even in the new attire.
"I'm out for the evening, Sasuke", the patron grumbled, sparing not so much as a glance at Naruto, "I'm needed at our company, but I shouldn't be over for an hour or so. We'll leave for your appointment when I return, inform your mother of this."
Sasuke simply grunted, "Hai, tou-san."
The man was out quicker than he came. They heard the Lexus pull away from the driveway.
A thick mist of silence descended over the household with Fugaku's absence. Both boys stared at each other, neither able to say a single word.
Naruto frowned as he looked at his friend, feeling a lot of emotions begin boiling to the surface. Questions; lots of them, coursed through his mind, but none lingered long enough to be asked.
Sasuke for his part, seemed rather bored of the whole encounter, but he held his gaze steadily, never once wavering from the fierceness of his friend's eyes.
Naruto had just began forging an approach, "Why -?", when he saw the small smirk break across Sasuke's face - a rarely seen, but well known declaration of superiority - and then all hell broke loose.
He crossed the length of the dining in an impressive one second and Sasuke's eyes had only time to widen before a solid fist smacked him across the face.
The chair beneath him gave out with a squeal and he was forced to the ground - Naruto following his assault with a second punch and another yet again.
After the third blow, the Uzumaki grabbed his friend by the collar, a bit unnerved by the percieved lack of responsiveness on his part.
"Why?!", he cursed through gritted teeth, looking deep into the other's soulless orbs, "Why are you trying to push us away? Why do you want to rip our team apart?! After everything we've been through! Kyuubi's worried sick!"
Sasuke raised an arm to wipe the smear of blood off his chin, seemingly unbothered by his friend's actions. Naruto punched him again.
"Did you hear me, you selfish BASTARD! You're making Kyuubi worry! You're making ME worry! What the fuck is wrong with you?! You cut contact with us for a month! A whole month! Why didn't you tell us what you've been going through?"
And it seemed at that moment, something in his friend snapped because a darker side to Sasuke that Naruto had never seen before, was soon burning within his eyes.
"And what would you have done, eh Dobe?!", the Uchiha yelled back, spittle flying from his mouth, "What could you have done?! I'd just lost my Sharingan! How in the world could you have helped me?! Stop acting the glory hog! It's not me you're bothered about - it's Kyuubi, isn't it? You love-sick nincompoop!"
Naruto paused, unable to adjust to the sudden change, but then Sasuke's words finally cut through his clouded brain and he raised his fist in anger.
The punch never connected.
Quicker than thought, the Uchiha had seized the offending fist, and in an impressive judo maneuver, had tossed Naruto over him; headfirst into a wall. The blonde picked himself up groggily to find Sasuke already waiting, a cocky look on his face.
"Watch yourself, Naruto. I won't allow you hit me again."
"Heh. So you lost the sharingan, eh? Whoopie. You never really had it in the first place, yet you're no good without it. You better back down now, Sauce-gay..."
The Uchiha's fist clenched, "I don't need the sharingan to humiliate you. You're less than me. Always have and always will. Know your place, Naruto... Or I'll show you."
The blonde charged but in his cockiness, he had misjudged Sasuke's sickly form. The Uchiha blurred out of sight just as Naruto reached him and flipped the blonde, using his momentum against him. Naruto found himself face down before he even realised what had occured.
Thinking quickly, he pivoted on his palms, aiming to sweep his friend's feet right off the floor - but Sasuke had already leapt into the air, and it was with a grunt that Naruto embraced the bared foot which smashed into his face, sending him reeling some ways back. He found himself sprawled in the living room.
He cursed. It was obvious that Sasuke's skills hadn't dimmed any, despite his broken state. In fact, it seemed to have even increased ten-fold!
The sound of pounding feet caused him to look up and he watched in amazement as a running Sasuke took to the air in a lethal flying kick. However, his wits were still about him, and he responded in kind at the last instance, plucking the Uchiha off his trajectory with an identical kick to the midsection.
Sasuke crashed into a shelf, taking a whole rack of pictures down with him - and Naruto briefly cringed at how irked Mikoto would be - but he quickly abandoned that line of thought when Sasuke charged again; madder than ever, forcing him to focus on the battle once more.
He parried the first blow but the Uchiha proved his superiority when he struck him with the second, third, fourth and fifth. A dazed Naruto barely had time to block the overhead kick but soon found himself sailing across the room again - from a violent uppercut; the couch stopping his trajectory this time.
"Get up! I'm not done with you yet!", spat Sasuke.
Naruto's head swam. A blinding rage was beginning to seize him (and he felt a tooth knock loose) but he knew this was not the time to think irrationally. Sasuke had the superior speed and skill; a lethal combination, but there were two things about Naruto his opponents always failed to factor in. These were, his resiliency, and his penchant for doing the unpredictable.
Sasuke was attacking again, this time going for a swift axe-like kick. Naruto didn't even think. His fingers crossed in his most familiar technique ever.
"Kage bunshin no jutsu!"
The two summoned clones defended him from Sasuke's assault, causing the Uchiha to leap back a bit.
"Typical", he sneered, "Hiding behind your clones as usual."
None of the three spoke, instead they all struck a stance and raised their palms in the universal sign of 'come get it'. The Uchiha snarled.
He leapt immediately for who he thought was the real Naruto but the others immediately flanked him. Attacked from both sides, he took a punch to the shoulder and one to the hip before he could react in any manner. Yet, quite unlike the usual approach, the clones didn't act independently, instead choosing to defend one another this time around. They made a pretty lethal unit with their haphazard yet co-ordinated moves, and after a brief but brutal minute, Sasuke had to withdraw; sporting a bruised lip, a prominent limp and an injured shoulder. He hadn't dispelled a single clone.
"Not so tough are you now, Sauce-gay!", one of the clones mocked cheekily.
The Uchiha growled; realizing that this method worked far more effectively than the blonde's usual mass attack one, and had just begun flipping through handseals, only to be stopped by the finger of another clone, who wagged it like he was chastising a stubborn child.
"Now, now, teme. I'm not so sure your mom would appreciate you toasting her living room like that."
"NARUTO!", he cursed. The blonde was smart; he'd give him that, but Sasuke wasn't dumb. He too had tricks of his own. The brunette rushed head-on at the blondes and like a unit, they converged, forming a tightly knit phalanx. But he wasn't going to try to break through this time; Naruto had already proved his improved skill with kage bunshin.
Vaulting over the first clone, and evading the attack of the second and third; he danced around the trio and led them out of the living room - towards the narrow passageway that connected the dining to the pantry. The Narutos stopped at the entrance, upon realizing Sasuke's trickery, causing the Uchiha to smirk.
"What's wrong, dobe? Scared?"
"Heh. I'm not the one running around, teme!"
"Then come get it! Or did you mince words? Even without my sharingan, you're still afraid of me."
And like he planned, the dobe's blind temper always won out in the end.
The clones sprang forward, but due to the nature of the passageway, only one could advance at a time. Sasuke didn't blink, rushing forward to meet them. Clone number one was dispelled in all of two seconds and after an impressive manuever that saw him leap off the walls and execute a perfect roundhouse kick, he soon found himself face to face with the real Naruto.
"Teme!"
He ducked under the direct punch with the ease of one who possessed the sharingan, and took to the ground in a spring-roll. Bracing himself on his palms, he caught the underside of the blonde's jaw in a brutal double kick and sent him hurtling into the air - but he wasn't done yet.
Righting himself, he latched unto Naruto's trailing legs and swung with all his might, impacting his friend furiously against the near wall. Bits of plaster and dust crumpled down upon them.
Naruto groaned heavily but did not give out, rather he responded with a weak effort aimed at Sasuke's midsection. The Uchiha, however, simply repeated his wall-leaping technique and vaulted behind his friend, sending his head smacking into a wall with one swift kick, then sending his entire body crashing into the pantry with another. There were banging noises as an entire stack of pots were felled.
"I told you before, dobe", he sneered, after calming from the adrenaline high, "Know your place - or I'll show you."
There was no reply. Neither groan nor clanking of pots came from within the pantry. Sasuke's eyes narrowed in suspicion and he raced towards the entrance; only to see an immobile Naruto lying amidst the ruckus. He smirked.
That smirk quickly turned into a frown when upon recalling his friend's trickery - and his eyes roved around, searching for the source of the surprise attack - only to be stopped by a sharp whistle.
"Over here, Sauce-gay!"
Sasuke's eyes immediately leapt to the ceiling where he spied the blonde standing upside down; arms crossed, with a stupid grin on his face. His eyes widened. The dobe had even perfected the tree-walking technique!
Mind running quickly, he began planning numerous ways to quell any attack that might follow when he realized with some dismay - and too late at that - that this Naruto was the actual diversion. He turned back to the former he had seen sprawled on the ground only to get brained with a pan to the head!
Cursing, he tried to parry the furious blows, but a fire seemed to have awoken within his friend; who attacked him viciously, wielding a pan in each hand.
After a particular heavy blow that almost saw his face imprinted on the side of a pan, Sasuke had had enough. He roared fiercely, and with an athletism that was becoming second nature to him, outmaneuvered the blonde, dispossessing him of one of his makeshift weapons in mere seconds.
Naruto didn't blink, instead choosing to fling the second pan at his adversary. Sasuke knocked it out of the air disinterestedly but it vanished in a puff of smoke - to his ultimate surprise - and took the form of a clone; who seized him about the wrist. The pan he held in his other hand also did same - this one gripping him by the waist. Sasuke gasped.
What was this?! Transforming clones into inanimate objects?! When did the dobe learn any of this?!
The original rushed to attack once more and Sasuke had managed to dispel only one of his captors (a cheap trick that involved an elbow to the groin) when the blonde was upon him. He lashed out but Naruto was swifter this time, and he slipped under Sasuke's guard in a delicate bend before responding with an elbow to the gut which forced the Uchiha some steps back.
Following the move with a horizontal twirl, the blonde switched swiftly to his right fist (Sasuke's injured shoulder his target) and then his left elbow again, until he had enacted a full-powered spin combo that had his friend stumbling out of the pantry. Clone number two then dispelled with the intent to obscure vision, allowing Naruto to strike with a body blow, before crouching on the floor.
The Uchiha had barely recovered, when the first clone (who had formerly been lounging on the ceiling) leapt out of nowhere, bounding off Naruto's back with cannon-like propulsion - in a fierce headbutt - which rounded off the impressive display; and glanced off Sasuke's collarbone, spinning him forcefully out into the dining.
"Kuso!", the Uchiha cried, shocked by the manner in which Naruto had suddenly gained the upperhand. Already the duo were flanking him, not willing to allow a moment's rest, even as he struggled to stand.
'This is patethic!', he pondered, pain lancing through his arm, 'The dobe knows he can't go against me head-on so he keeps using clones to his advantage! And I'm handicapped here because of my inability to use jutsu! I have to even the playing field!'
The duo were upon him again, forcing Sasuke to evade with a pained roll, and risk his injured shoulder in the process. He ducked beneath a table and slunk across the hall, all the while skillfully dodging advances from his attackers. It was only as he slipped out of the kitchen and into a hallway that Naruto realised what was going on.
"Oh no you don't! Taijyuu bunshin!"
There was a loud yell as a hoard of Narutos appeared, focused in pursuit of the fleeing brunette. They raced all over the ceiling and walls in a swarm of orange, knocking numerous items to the floor (including Mikoto's vase and Itachi's most prized chandelier), but Sasuke was undaunted.
With quick wit and even quicker reflexes, he weaved through them, not once pausing to exchange blows or lose sight of his real goal. A few of the clones got dispelled in the confusion, via head-on collisions with others. The backyard door loomed in sight.
"Get him!"
A small number of bunshin were racing across the ceilings, heedless of the commotion going on below. They now leapt in front of Sasuke's path, aiming to cut his escape through the doors. More followed behind.
Sasuke neither stopped nor faltered. Ducking into a sliding motion, he swept beneath the clones and tangled himself in their midst. They attacked all at once, most getting dispelled in the process; allowing the Uchiha to leap unto the shoulders of the two foremost clones and force open the sliding doors. The last rays of the setting sun crept through and he sailed across the doorway - a mere instance before his captors reached him - bounding off the porch and into the backyard in a great arch. The chasing clones poured through.
He smirked. Who could imagine? It seemed the more clones Naruto made, the stupider he got.
Twisting overhead so that he now faced the hoard, he clapsed both palms together and signed even as the dopplegangers cried out in alarm.
Ox. Snake. Monkey. Horse. Tiger.
And then he let loose - with eyes so keen they seemed sharingan-like - a precision burst of fireballs that raced towards all his intended targets, not a single breath wasted in the process.
The clones at the foremost tried to flee and scale back into the building but they were prevented from doing so by even more of their kind who came pouring through. All were vanquished by the precise attacks of the Hosenka jutsu and at the end of it all, a badly singed Naruto was left lying alone on the porch; charred walls and deep craters the only remnants of the earlier bombardment.
Even as the blonde picked himself up, Sasuke strode forward and tossed him bodily into the lawn. Then, leaping after him, proceeded to pummel him endlessly with blows until his face was imprinted into the dirt. He stopped only when the blonde retaliated with a knee to the groin, and a smashing headbutt to the skull, which caused him to topple off his hold. The two boys sat up on the grass and glared at each other, all bloodied and panting, but with more than enough energy left to go.
Naruto blinked suddenly. 'What was he doing? What were they doing? This was Sasuke, for kami's sake! They had sworn to finally stop the madness, and here they were; fighting again as if nothing had even changed!'
However, even as he thought this, the Uchiha was pushing forward with a maddened look in his eyes, and as he prepared to defend himself for yet again the upteenth time, they were washed in a swarm of crows and all went black.
Both boys awoke shortly after to find themselves chained to stakes, in a world of red, a stoic Itachi before them. The setting appeared quite familiar to them (had it only been three years ago?), and though the senior Uchiha appeared calm to all but those who knew him, the two rogues cringed at the sternness of his gaze - even as they wondered in amazement, how he'd managed to channel the broken remnants of his precious chandelier along with him to the pseudo - genjutsu realm.
"Naruto-kun. Sasuke. I am disappointed", he said simply. Both knew then and there that they were finished.
Sasuke sighed. Even if he still had his sharingan, there was no way of breaking out of any of Itachi-nii's genjutsus. They were almost always as powerful as that of Otou-san. No, scratch that. Even way moew powerful.
"Sorry, Naruto", he grumbled softly, ignoring his pride, and finally deciding to see the bigger picture.
"Yeah, you too, teme", the blonde grumbled back.
It was best they made peace. This was going to be a very long night.
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"Open his eyes."
The command was sleek; hiss-like, in a tone that tolerated no disobedience. Natokomi Hirano soon found the bag pulled roughly from over his head, allowing him to see for the first time in what felt like days (even if it had only been a few hours) - not that it mattered. The room being so dark that the sole source of light - a candle - could do no more than outline the silhouette of a smallish man seated before him.
Hirano gritted his teeth and gnashed out in a voice strained with loathing, "What is the meaning of this?! Why have you brought me here, O - !", but a heavy blow landed on his back, forcing his face to the ground. His captors laughed at his plight only to be rebuked by a sharp hiss. Natokomi felt the shudder that ran through the entire room at the sound. A bell rang somewhere. Clang, Clang it went. Seemingly far off.
He cursed, now feeling extremely uncomfortable himself. This room was too dark. Too dank. Too hollow. Was he in a well? A creaking noise alerted him to the fact that someone else was moving - hovering close to the figure of the seated man. He couldn't see what was going on but he was becoming aware of other noises as well. Slithering noises - creeping all over the walls, floors, ceiling...
"Heh. I was warned something like this could happen", he spat defiantly, "Dealing with you - but you waste your time! You cannot do away with me because you still need me! And I've put enough provisions in place to make sure you never walk a free man again should anything ever become of me! Do you hear me?!"
A murmur of laughter rang out again. The small figure didn't bother with a rebuttal this time. Natokomi grit his teeth, feeling like the brunt of a joke. Here he was, naked and chained - his dignity exposed to the world - kneeling before the devil he had been warned not to parlay with, but he would have the last laugh. His spies would soon be combing the entirety of the Fire Nation, searching for the cause of his disappearance. The madman would pay for this! There would be nowhere to hide!
"You're right. I need you", came the short, hiss-like voice again. The room became silent once more. Natokomi frowned, looking intently at the speaker. Now that his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, he could perceive more of the shapes around him. He never could forget that voice, but this silhoutte?
A low laugh - he gasped. His eyes had caught the glimpse of bandages. Whoever was speaking had his back to him - and from what he could see in the dim of the candle - had a face lined entirely in wrappings from hair to chin. Two small slits as nostrils were the only signs of any apertures, and several needles poked out of the bundle at extremely odd and definitely painful angles.
The figure close by was moving silently, skillfully extracting the last of the senbon from the featureless face. Hirano felt something restless coil in the pits of his belly. What was going on?
"You see, Hirano-san", the voice continued, "Like you said earlier; I need you, but you were mistaken. I simply do not need you, per say, rather, everything you possess, I need - and even more so than you can ever imagine..."
"W-what a-are you saying?"
The second figure had already began unfurling the bandages; the needles safely deposited in a tray. The air became humid with tension as inch by inch of skin was revealed. Soon, the last of the wrappings were pulled back and discarded, and the speaker's face was finally free. His back was still turned.
"Ah, much better", came a deeper, more sinister hiss, "I think it would be best for all parties involved if Hirano-san here could witness the fruits of our hardwork, wouldn't it?"
And the candle flared suddenly with flame - allowing the speaker to swivel on his seat and reveal his features to all in the room.
"N-no!"
Natokomi Hirano gasped - because down to the short hair, and eyes, lips, baggy cheeks and mole under his chin; he was staring at an exact replica of himself, not one hair out of place, as if he had just looked in a mirror. The occupants of the room murmured in approval.
"No! No!", he cried, "What sort of devilry is this?! What have you done to me?"
"Devilry?", his doppelganger raised an eyebrow, "No. Not devilry, you stupid, little fool - the scope of such power is beyond your understanding! This is simply jutsu! A little more than a walk in the park for one who has devoted his lifetime to mastering every single art hidden beneath the sun. I said I needed you and I will have you, but this is not enough. Come!"
And he felt it - from within the depths of his belly - a coiling, writhing movement that had him gasping in pain. His mouth was forced open and a great snake burst through, on which was written an illegible seal. It slithered through the air, straight towards the open jaws of its calling master.
Natokomi watched dazedly as the man devoured the snake; assimilating everything it had stolen, including memories, speech patterns, ticks and habits. In mere seconds, the ritual was over and it was with a sinking feeling that he watched his doppelganger turn to him, a sadistic grin on his face.
"I guess you finally see how worthless you have become. You've served your purpose..."
"No", the weakened man croaked, even as he sensed his captors stepping away from him, "I h-helped you before. I can still help you! I can still give you aid! Give you power! You need me...!"
But his adversary spoke no more and it was with a dreaded feeling that he heard the odd slithering noises rapidly approach him in the dark. He turned around in fear and gave a loud cry of shock, and that was the last that was ever heard from him.
The five other figures now gathered around their master, who was taking great care to admire his new features in the dull of the flame.
"It's perfect, master", the shortest intoned.
"Really now?", came the mirthful reply.
"What are you going to do now, Lord Prime Minister?", another jovially asked.
Natokomi Hirano stood, already docked in the clothing of that of the original.
"Well, it is obvious, is it not?", he laughed, speech twisting mid-sentence into the familiar aristocratic pattern of that of the original, "Contact dearest Kabuto. It seems I now have a nation to rule."
(Insert Omake:)
And then he gave off a particular, resonant, bone-chilling laugh that went on for hours on end, before remembering that he was a great, evil overlord; hellbent on taking over the world, who should have more important things to do than stand around laughing in a dark cave, so off he went to go do his laundry.
And so begins the second phase of Ultimate Naruto.
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Ending theme: Prelude 12/21 - AFI
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Forgive the jest at the end, I couldn't resist! However, I am sure we all know who the villain at the ending scene really is. If you don't, then more reason to keep reading!
I tackled a lot of things in this chapter. Most noticeably; the beginning (which I'm sure even a chimp would have noticed wasn't concordant with the rest of the timeline), and the halfway mark; where we got to see the fallout of the Wave mission on team 3, and a bit more insight on Naruto's life outside the mercer world. Poor Naru seems to be learning the hard way that there are going to be consequences for everything...
The Kyuubi issue would later become one of the driving plots of this story so please don't blame me for letting it stew or adding more confusing references to the mix. UN is a story of characters, after all, we as readers can only hope, read and wait.
And what did you think of the Naruto-Sasuke battle? I'm not sure I killed it, but I definitely loved writing the variations in fighting styles between the two. I don't even know whose I enjoyed better! (and yes, a deKyuubified Naruto is about equal to a desharinganified Sasuke in my head so do not hate me for the stalemate).
And while I'm glad for the increased number of followers, remember; the more you review, the more incentive you give me to write. Do not fear to voice your thoughts or questions! Mayhaps, if the UN fanbase gets any larger, I might think of organizing a character popularity poll one of these days. Goodnight!