…For those of you who have started reading at chapter nine (which is a strange place to start) I do Not own Naruto…
Author's Note: I had my fingers crossed that the manga chapter released Thursday would show me Naruto's new jutsu—but of course it didn't. I have a feeling the current manga fight scene is going to drag on into January, so it may be a while before we see Naruto in action. So…I had no choice other than to let my imagination take the reins.
Chapter 9: Battle RoyaleAll of Sakura's physical pain took a backseat to what she was feeling now. Sasuke. She had failed him. And she had foolishly thought upon seeing him that the youngest Uchiha had come to help save her. Now she knew that he—Orochimaru—had come only to help Itachi.
She had never meant anything to him. It was a truth she had told herself before, years and years ago. But a part of her thought that maybe, just maybe, there was more to Sasuke than he had let on.
But she had been wrong.
Sasuke had chosen revenge, in the end. And now he was gone.
This new pain was far more overwhelming than anything Itachi had done to her. But as much as it made her want to give up—it made her want to fight just that little bit harder. She couldn't fight for Sasuke any longer, but she did have four other friends that had come all this way just for her.
She wasn't going to let them down.
And she wasn't going to let Orochimaru get away with what he had done. She wouldn't let Sasuke's revenge be forgotten.
Using what little chakra she had regenerating within, she began to discreetly heal herself.
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Sasuke looked away from Itachi, aware that if he looked at his brother any longer he would lose all his control. Instead, he stepped toward where team seven struggled to hold a partially transformed Naruto in place.
Sai stepped in his way. "I won't let you harm him."
Sasuke growled inwardly. While he was close enough to Naruto to do what he wanted, he had hoped that no one was going to challenge him until after he had revealed his plan.
"Step away." He said calmly. "This doesn't concern you." He looked pointedly at Sai, hoping that the other young man would get the idea. But Sai was too unfamiliar with Sasuke to know what he was implying.
The former ROOT member shook his head. "I will be the one to kill you, Orochimaru."
And though Sasuke regretted having to do it—in a lightning fast movement he stepped in toward Sai, grabbing him by the arm and hurled him across the clearing toward the line of trees.
It's now or never. He thought.
Staring hard at Naruto, Sasuke entered the enraged young man's mind. Once again, he stood before the giant gates holding the Kyuubi back. Only this time a small, red line of chakra seeped through the bars and swirled around Naruto.
For a moment, the two former friends stared at each other.
"Orochimaru." Naruto's voice held heavy distain. "You're mistaken if you think you can beat me just by entering my mind. Even if it kills me, you won't be leaving here."
"Shut up for once, Naruto." Sasuke scowled. "We don't have much time, so just shut up and listen."
The blond's eyes went wide.
"Orochimaru is dead. It's all been a ploy to get me closer to Itachi."
"What? You really expect me to believe that? After all that's happened? If you're really Sasuke, why couldn't you have told us sooner?"
"It was important that no one knew. Itachi would have been able to see through the deception if any one else had to pretend. And if he had entered one of your minds—he would have known the truth instantly."
"You're just trying to get my guard down."
"Damn it, Naruto!" Sasuke slammed his hand on the mental gate, causing the Kyuubi to cringe. "I don't have time to convince you! I'm only here to stop you from taking what's rightfully mine."
That was the moment that Naruto realized the man before him really was Sasuke.
He shook his head. "It's still about you, isn't it Sasuke? It's only you and Itachi and no one else matters."
The Uchiha was silent.
"Well don't worry. I couldn't care less about your brother. But if your revenge puts Sakura in harms way, I will kill whoever I have to in order to save her."
The hidden meaning of Naruto's words was not lost on Sasuke. He reached through the gates, laying a hand on the demon fox. "Fine. But just to be safe—"
The fox vanished, suppressed again by the Uchiha power.
"—I can't risk you becoming…uncontrollable."
There was a long, oppressive silence as they watched one another. And then Naruto's expression softened slightly.
"Sasuke…" Naruto stared at him, his face unreadable. "…I'm glad you're okay."
It was an honest omission and it struck Sasuke more forcefully than he thought possible. He didn't know what to say. There were so many things he thought he should say but just couldn't find the words for. He wanted to tell Naruto he was wrong—that Sasuke was there for Sakura just as much as his brother. But that thought in itself was something he had not come to terms with yet.
So, instead, he looked at the waiting young man and replied, "Thank you, Naruto, for loving her. But it's time to end this."
And then he was gone, leaving Naruto in the calm of his own mind.
Within Naruto's head, the interaction had taken minutes. And for everyone else, outside in the real world, it had taken less than a second. For all they knew Orochimaru had just stepped up next to Naruto and tossed Sai across the clearing. The only change was that instantly, it seemed that Naruto's fox chakra had disappeared.
A few feet away, Itachi studied what had just happened. He was an expert of the mind and he knew a plan was in the works. There was something about the feel of the air and the look in their eyes. Something was up—but after all, Itachi had expected as much from Orochimaru.
He knew he would have to kill the sannin eventually. But he still had to wait until the demon was released. He needed the other sharingan for the moment. There should have been no attachment between the snake shinobi and the Kyuubi boy and it was puzzling Itachi as to why Orochimaru hadn't attacked yet. Even if he was going to betray the oldest Uchiha, it should have made little difference if the others lived or died.
Something was definitely not right.
From where Sasuke stood by Naruto, it only took him the briefest of moments to flash back over to his brother.
He swung down with his sword—ignoring Kabuto's yell of "not yet!".
Itachi moved equally as fast, aware that Sasuke's blade could not be blocked by any other means than moving out of the way.
His red eyes narrowed. "So, Orochimaru, you thought to betray me? You think that in your new body you will be able to defeat me?"
Sasuke stared silently at Itachi.
"You're a fool!"
Off to the side, Kabuto shook his head. That idiot! He should have waited until Itachi was ready to do the summoning! The medic shook his head. If Sasuke had really wanted revenge, he would have killed Naruto, obtained the mangekyo sharingan, and kept Itachi thinking that he was still on his side. Once they began the demon release—then would have been the time to attack. The Kyuubi's death would have been a small price to pay for Itachi's defeat.
Now, it was anyone's guess as to how this would end.
What was Sasuke thinking?
There was a brief moment of confusion as team seven watched the standoff between the two Uchiha. Only Naruto knew what was happening. He was the only one that knew Sasuke was still Sasuke.
The young man looked at where Sakura lay. "We'll worry about them later." He motioned to Kisame. "Let's take care of this one first."
Kakashi nodded; his own sharingan visible. He had encountered Kisame before, but without water around, he would not be able to replicate any of the shark-man's jutsus. Unlike most water-element users, Kisame did not need to have a source of the liquid near by. It was his unique trait—and it was something Kakashi could not copy.
He and Naruto were the only ones who had an advantage over their adversary. Yamato's earth-based jutsu had a natural weakness to water and Sai's painting jutsu was similar.
The copy-nin turned to the newly-recovered Sai. "Take Yamato and get Sakura out of the way. It'll be up to you to protect her. For some reason I don't think Itachi is ready to give her up this soon, so watch yourselves."
Sai nodded. He hadn't been there to protect his friend in the beginning, but he was there now. And no one was going to touch her again.
As Kakashi and Naruto moved in toward Kisame, Sai looked at Yamato. The ANBU member nodded.
Sasuke noted the separation of team seven's forces. Good thinking, Naruto. He knew what they were planning and he also knew that it would be up to him to distract Itachi enough to allow Sai and Yamato their opportunity.
He flipped back and away from his brother, but upon landing, he shot his arm out and sent a tangle of snakes flying through the air toward Itachi.
The force of their impact threw up a cloud of dust, preventing Sasuke from seeing whether or not he had actually hit his brother.
Of course you didn't. He knew such obvious attacks wouldn't ensnare the other Uchiha. He was going to have to stay one step a head if he had any hope of winning.
Sasuke immediately withdrew the snakes, leap up, and rolled forward away from the figure of Itachi that had materialized behind him. The slash of the kunai barely missed him.
As soon as his feet hit the ground he rushed back toward his opponent, sword drawn and flooded with chidori. But steps before reaching the waiting figure of his brother, Sasuke stopped and flung the blade backward, impaling the other form that was hiding behind him.
He was slightly surprised, however, when the sword-impaled body vanished in a cloud of smoke.
Shit! A shadow clone! He had thought that perhaps it would have been the true body of Itachi.
No! You're still not thinking far enough ahead!
A forceful kick to his back sent him sprawling forward, sliding through the grass and rock of the clearing. He stood up quickly, glaring at his smiling sibling. But Sasuke was calm. He knew that they were on the same playing level. Itachi would not—could not—use the mangekyo sharingan. Sasuke's own sharingan was mature enough now to ward off Itachi's genjutsu. And if his brother did use the mangekyo he would be leaving himself open to the other enemies around him, not to mention that he needed to use it for the demon release. Since Itachi thought he was dealing with Orochimaru, he probably was holding out hope that there was still a chance to open the demon gate.
Sasuke couldn't wait to see his brother's expression the moment he realized there was no possibility of that happening any more.
A yell from Kisame interrupted both Uchiha's thoughts.
"Itachi! The girl! They've got the girl!"
Itachi whirled around, his eyes narrowing as he saw Yamato and Sai making their way toward the woods with Sakura.
Sasuke followed his gaze, a new type of fear finding hold in his heart as he saw his brother look at the damaged form of his pink-haired teammate.
Itachi glanced briefly at Sasuke—before he vanished and reappeared next to Yamato and Sai.
The two shinobi looked up in shock but had little time to react as Itachi took both of them out with well aimed blows. While they were struggling to recover, he made a small motion with his finger. Before either realized it, they were each trapped in their own personal genjutsu hell.
Itachi stared down at Sakura. He could tell with his sharingan that she was trying to heal herself slowly. He knelt down, fingers extended. But before he could touch her slightly-healed face he was thrown backward, his body painfully stunned by the blast of chidori current.
Itachi looked up. His expression darkened as he saw Sasuke standing over Sakura.
This was not Orochimaru. The snake sannin would never have jumped between Itachi and another. Especially if the other person meant nothing to Orochimaru whatsoever. The realization sent shudders of rage through him, quickly nullifying the pain he had just felt.
And if it was not Orochimaru…there was only one other person it could be.
"Sasuke."
The younger Uchiha's face was blank but he nodded slightly.
Itachi stood and dusted himself off. He pushed away the stray hairs that fell over his eyes. "I thought I told you only to face me when your eyes were like mine."
"I have spent all my life defying you. Why would I stop now?"
"A good question." Itachi's eyes flicked toward Sakura. "Why would you stop now? What would make my little brother throw away his chance at revenge?"
Sasuke remained impassive.
Itachi continued. "I am impressed. I truly thought you were Orochimaru. And you could have easily kept me believing that by killing that worthless blond brat. So why didn't you? Why did you choose the hard way again?"
"I will surpass you in my own way."
"You're a fool, Sasuke. Your emotions got in the way again and you're an even bigger fool if you don't realize it."
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Sasuke knew Itachi had a point. Before, he would have sacrificed anything to kill his brother. But when it came right down to it, he had blown his cover and instead taken the difficult—if not impossible—road.
But at least his friends wouldn't think he had betrayed them
And if he had killed Naruto, Sakura would never have forgiven him.
After all the years he had spent running from them, his feelings had caught up to him in the end.
"I will kill you, Itachi." Sasuke whispered quietly. "And you'll have to kill me before I'll let you near my friends again."
Itachi smirked. There was more than one way to get to his little brother. And now he knew just how to do it.
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Sakura's body had instantly tensed as she felt the presence of Itachi near her again. She didn't hear him—in fact, couldn't hear anything at the moment—but she had known he was there. The concentration required to heal her severe wounds caused her to block out most of the noises around her.
But the feel of cold hands on her bare arms shocked her momentarily from her deep meditation.
Sakura looked up, her eyes green and clear. Her freshly healed gaze was greeted by the face of Kabuto.
"Sakura-chan," He bowed, smiling at her. "A shame we never seem to meet when you are healthy."
"What do you want, Kabuto?"
He glanced out at the clearing. Yamato and Sai still lay on the ground, trapped in their illusions. Kakashi and Naruto were a ways off battling the distant form of Kisame. And though Itachi and Sasuke were still near by, neither Uchiha had noticed that Kabuto had slid Sakura behind the cover of the nearby line of trees.
"I am leaving, Sakura-chan." He rubbed his hand briskly together. "But I thought I might heal you before I go."
"Why?" She looked at him, untrusting. "Why would you heal me?"
"I simply want to tip the odds."
Sakura looked out in the clearing. Is…is Orochimaru actually fighting Itachi?
"What happened? Orochimaru betrayed Itachi?"
Kabuto looked up, surprised. She didn't know? How amusing. He wasn't about to tell her either. As much as he wanted things to go his way, this might make the ending more interesting.
So he smiled and gently placed his hands on her abdomen. "Yes. Orochimaru-sama had always intended to kill the oldest Uchiha. At least Sasuke-kun's sacrifice wasn't in vain, no?"
Sakura was silent. She could feel her bones mending and her bruised organs regaining proper blood flow. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel. It was good that revenge was at hand, but she still couldn't help but feel hatred toward the man who had taken Sasuke from them.
When he was done, Kabuto sat back. "You'll still be weak for a while yet. Don't try to move. Let your body recover."
"Thank you."
He nodded slightly. "Perhaps we will see each other again, Sakura-chan."
She glanced at his eerie smile. "Let's hope not."
He chuckled softly, shrugging on his pack, crawling away from her through the thick underbrush.
Sakura was left alone.
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"You know I showed her Tsukuyomi."
Sasuke tried to conceal his anger at the mention of his brother's mangekyo world. He had been there himself, and he knew what could be done to a person trapped there.
"I showed her more than once."
They had backed away from each other; a mutual momentary rest.
Itachi took the opportunity to break Sasuke down further. "She fought me at first. I was impressed." He watched for his little brother's reaction. "And even though she was cold and naked; lying in the red dirt, she still fought me."
It was barely noticeable, but Sasuke's jaw clenched.
Victory. Itachi kept his face as blank. "Eventually, though, I won. And I found something she had tried desperately to keep away from me. I don't think I need to remind you what happened the night you left for Sound."
Sasuke's eyes dimmed with memory.
"Yes, I know you remember. You were so cruel to her. It was almost like you were doing it on purpose—like you enjoyed making her feel so awful. I broke her with that memory, of course. I didn't even have to change it at all. So… in reality…you're the one who broke her."
"I won't listen to your lies any more. I'm through with your manipulations!" Sasuke shook with anger. "Shut up!"
"Manipulations?" Itachi nodded. "You're right. I have pushed you to where I wanted you to go. But what use are manipulations to me now? Only one of us will walk away from this. I just felt that…I owed it to Sakura-chan to point out how you hurt her far worse than anything I have done to her."
The words cut through Sasuke like knives. Not just the words, but the familiarity with which Itachi spoke Sakura's name. Even if he made it through this, would she ever be able to look at him again without remembering what his brother had done to her?
Was that what he wanted? Did he really want to be back with his old friends?
For the first time in a long time, the decision was clear.
There was no where else he wanted to be.
"Let's finish this, brother." He straightened his stance. "No more games."
Itachi smiled behind the rim of his cloak.
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"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yelled out in warning as he flew toward the blue man.
Kakashi instantly dove out of the way, aware that Naruto's wind jutsus were large and would easily take him out as well if he got in their path.
The blond barreled toward Kisame, four clones in his wake. Each clone held a spiraling ball of compressed wind energy.
Since perfecting the ransengan technique, Naruto had gained the ability to control many more of the smaller wind-element entities.
Now he and his clones leapt around Kisame.
The blue man swung samehada in a wide arc, using the cruel sword to shave through some of the clones.
The Naruto replicas launched themselves into the air around him, any one trying to find an opening to hit the Akatsuki member with a ball of energy.
There was no way Kisame could avoid them all, so he pressed his hands together and preformed his seals. Instantly, a huge wall of water rose up on all sides of him, trapping the clones and the real Naruto in an impenetrable cage of water.
But Naruto was not so easily defeated.
He combined the power of the ransengan in his own hand with that of the ransengan in the hand of the clone nearest to him.
The force of the married power was too strong for the wind-susceptible water cage—causing the build-up of pressure to blow outward.
The force of it sent Kisame reeling backward into the proximity of a waiting Kakashi.
The copy-nin dodged the blow from samehada as Kisame regained his feet. He stepped backward, blue lightening held in the palm of his hand.
Kisame wasn't fooled. He knew what stood in front of him was a clone of Kakashi and that the actual famed ninja was coming up behind him. Waiting patiently, he kept his back turned.
When he sensed Kakashi behind him, he dropped low and brought his weapon around the top of his head.
The blow landed exactly where he wanted—
--but what happened next was not what he had anticipated.
Instead of the real Kakashi, a puff of smoke verified that the presence behind him had been a clone.
And as he turned back around, he was faced not with a clone of Kakashi—or the real Kakashi—but with Naruto, who had transformed himself in his sensei temporarily.
It was too late when Kisame saw the ball of air in Naruto's hand begin to grow. Soon, he was unable to move. The gale-force wind spread out from the Kyuubi youth and assailed the shark-man from all directions. The equal force of wind around him held him securely in place.
As the force of wind spread outward, it cut away the earth around Naruto, carving a massive crater in the land and obliterating anything that stood in its path. Trees, rocks, grass—everything was ripped apart by Naruto's power.
And that everything included Kisame.
Kakashi had seen the final result of Naruto's new jutsu once. It had marked the land with a giant hole, much like the one that the young man stood in now.
The copy-nin hadn't realized just how deadly it was.
From the upper rim, he stared down at the exhausted blond. He wasn't even sure what to say. If there had been anything left of Kisame to comment on, Kakashi might have mentioned proper disposal of the body. But there was nothing. Even the malevolent samehada was splintered into tiny shards.
Naruto looked up at Kakashi and grinned.
The other man shook his head. "Come on, Naruto. Sakura isn't safe yet."
The smile instantly vanished, replaced by a determined nod.
Naruto clambered out of the hole, wondering how Sasuke's battle was going.
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Coming soon: Chapter 10: The Final Showdown -Sasuke vs. ItachiSorry Guys! I wanted to do it all in one chapter, but it was just going to be way too long. Thanks for being patient!