CHAPTER RATING: T

Chapter 37: The Final Act, Part II: Shattered Bonds

The Sword of Kusanagi seemed to fall in slow motion as Sasuke brought it down towards Naruto. It inched closer to him at every second. Sasuke felt friction push the sword back as the sword descended. He expected to hear a scream, and see the blood of his former best friend.

He didn't hear anything.

He didn't see anything.

Naruto's arm was wrapped around the sword, blade down, between his arm and body. In a swift motion, he turned, and knocked the sword out of Sasuke's grasp; letting the wind take the blade, which sent it flying into the forest.

"Interesting, you've gotten faster since the last time we did this. You didn't need that low-life ANBU Root loser to save you." Sasuke spoke.

"Don't talk about Sai that way." Naruto replied with a low voice.

"Do you not understand, Naruto? Are you still so stupid that you don't recognize a compliment when you hear one?"

"Sasuke…Why are you doing this? Why can't you just come back to Konoha? Just leave all of this behind!"

"We already had this talk, and you know my answer. There are only two ways I'm going back to Konoha, either to destroy it, or in a body bag." Sasuke raised his hand, and opened his palm. Naruto heard a loud whistling from behind him. The Sword of Kusanagi was headed directly for him. In a panic, he turned and fell towards the ground, the blade soared by his head as he landed on his back.

The wind ran across his cheek, and a stinging sensation ran through his face. He reached up felt the red liquid that began to run down his body. He heard steps just as the pain registered.

"You were no match for me. And you still are no match for me." Sasuke spoke as his shadow cast itself over Naruto. He raised his blade and brought it down forcefully.

Naruto swiftly turned to his side, and rolled away. In a single motion, he leapt up to his feet. His hand covered in his own blood from the scar he suffered from Sasuke.

"You're really willing to kill me?" Naruto asked. "You're willing to throw away our entire history! All that we've suffered through together…Everything?"

"The past is the past. It doesn't matter anymore." Sasuke smirked. Naruto took a deep breath.

"Fine…I'll see to it that you won't hurt anyone ever again." Naruto reached towards the satchel wrapped around his leg and removed a kunai from it. "You've left me no choice." Naruto wiped his cheek again, blood stained the scar, but the bleeding had stopped. His mind filled with the words that he heard from the old toad sage.

"You must remember, Uzumaki Naruto. You must remember, that child's eyes have been blinded by vengeance. His mind, lost in the darkness. The light of redemption will no longer reach his vision. This, you must remember."

Naruto's grip tightened and he charged towards Sasuke. He moved his hands together, and in a cloud of smoke, four shadow clones appeared; with his feet planted firmly into the ground, Naruto took to the air, he was followed by two others, while the rest of the clones charged on.

Sasuke slashed at them all, four bodies of smoke came into existence, but in the mist, Sasuke had lost track of the original Naruto. He felt Naruto's arm wrap around his neck and forcefully closer around it. Sasuke brought his own hand up, trying to loosen the choke hold. Naruto moved his kunai towards Sasuke's neck, and drew blood, with a quick thrust, it speared into Sasuke's neck. Sasuke fought off Naruto's arm, twisted it and kicked him away.

"Naruto…You've surprised me. I didn't know you would have it in you to attack me with such…Hatred." He said in a struggling tone. Naruto coughed as he tried to regain his breath.

"I'm not like you at all." Naruto answered back. "I'm fighting to protect those that I love."

"You really are ignorant beyond all belief." Sasuke spat blood onto the ground. He brought two ember red fingers to his neck. His flesh sizzled as he flinched at the sensation. The wound immediately closed with his swollen flesh. "It doesn't matter what your end goal is. Your intentions don't matter. It's what you do that determines who you are." He opened his stance. "I know who I am, I've killed many people, but I'm fine with it, I am here to avenge my brother, to avenge all those who have been wronged…But I have destroyed myself in the process." Sasuke took a deep breath, and smiled with sinister intent. "If you kill me, you'll be just like me."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock, everything Sasuke was saying made sense. "If I fall before you, Naruto. It will only prove that I wasn't strong enough to fulfill my goal. But I will pass onto you the will of a killer. That will be my present to you." It pained him to hear Sasuke's words. But he had already decided. It was just as the Nine-Tails had said: He would carry everyone's burden, even at the cost of his very soul.

"Let's finish this." Sasuke said in a low tone. With his chakra molded into his feet, he shot forth at an incredible velocity. He brought his Sword into a horizontal slash. Naruto watched his movements and jumped back, but felt a pain across his midsection. His jacket torn open, and a deep wound emerged. The force of Sasuke's swing forced him to take a step forward.

Naruto saw his opening, brought up his kunai, and charged forward. He too, channeled chakra into his feet, and with an equal velocity, brought his fist towards Sasuke's eye, and slashed forward. Sasuke fell back, and dodged Naruto's attempt, the momentum carried him forward as he brought his blade towards Naruto's back.

His shirt tore open again, pain stung across his entire back. Sasuke jumped back and dropped the Sword of Kusanagi onto the ground. He brought his hands together into seals.

"Katon! Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" A fireball formed from thin air between Sasuke's hands. Naruto felt the heat build behind him. He planted his feet into the ground again, and began to channel chakra into his kunai. The chakra took the form of the kunai, and formed sharp edges that would pierce through stone. He leapt forward, and with great force, threw the kunai towards Sasuke.

He felt the heat slowly shift away from him as he moved backwards. The kunai entered Sasuke's fireball with a burst that seemed to push Naruto even further away. The fireball grew exponentially as the kunai passed through it. The wind was slowly engulfing it in fire, superheating it to the point of molten steel. What emerged from the other side of the fireball was molten, black ash covered kunai that flew towards Sasuke. The flames had veiled it from his sight; it moved faster than he had expected.

Sasuke let out a bone-chilling shriek of pain as the weapon pierced his shoulder, burned his flesh, passed through his body in one single motion.

"AUUGGGHHH!" He grasped the wound with his hand and rolled around in desperate pain, as it seared through his flesh, and shattered his bones.

Asuma-sensei, I owe you for that one. Naruto took a deep breath, and flinched at the stinging in his body as the heat from Sasuke's fireball dissipated into nothing. Sasuke held his shoulder. The muscles in his arm had torn, his bones had broke, and on the right side of his body, there was one useless arm that he could no longer raise.

Naruto held his arm against his stomach as he approached Sasuke. With a smile and desperate breaths Sasuke spoke:

"Ha ha ha! I knew you had it in you. Good job, Naruto." He let out another breath. "I'm proud of you. Now, let's end this."

Through more deep breaths, Naruto reached for another Kunai.

...

"If you want to reach Naruto in time, you must hurry." The Nine-Tails' voice echoed through Sakura's mind. Sakura ran towards the border of the country. The trees began to thin as she reached the edge of the forest. She saw Naruto sitting at the base of a tree, and called out to him.

"Naruto!" she whispered. "Naruto, is that you?" The clone shook his head. Sakura approached him and noticed his eyes, covered in an orange hue. The clone stood, he stood still, trying to not break his concentration.

"Sakura-chan, you need to get out of here, now. Naruto is fighting Sasuke, and if you distract him, it'll only mean trouble."

"But, I have to see him! I need to be there for him!" She began to run towards the opening. The clone extended his hand, and grabbed hold of her.

"Sakura-chan, please, I can't lose my concentration, if I do…" His concentration was breaking as Sakura pushed on. He knew that in this state, if he tried to stop Sakura anymore, he would break his meditation, and his entire purpose would be compromised.

"Shit! Fine Sakura-chan! But don't say I didn't warn you." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

…

The shadow clone's knowledge flowed into Naruto's mind. He felt worry flow over his resolve to kill his best friend, and turned to face the forest.

Sasuke saw the opening that he had just been given, he took hold of The Sword of Kusanagi while channeling his chakra into his left arm.

Blood ran down Naruto's body as the sword impaled him.

A/N: to clear up any sort of confusion: You'll know the story is over when you see "The End" at the bottom of this page. :)

Thanks for reading!