Revenge at Long Last
Sasuke kept his rage under control, maintaining his cool demeanor. But something else was eating at him. Something that made the hollow feeling in his chest grow, expand, until it enveloped him entirely and threatened to spill over.
He wouldn't stagger under its weight, and kept his posture straight and tall.
Sasuke thought of Naruto's face. That accusation in his eyes, the brutal heat of his words, how he had looked at Sasuke like he was truly untrustworthy. Like he was a villain, after all. Sasuke took a deep breath.
It was sadness he was feeling. And Sasuke didn't care for it.
He had been allowed a moment to visit the Uchiha memorial under disguise. The Mizukage was resting on a bench nearby, and he sneered at her peaceful figure. He had doubts about Tsunade's newest friend, but he shook the thought and turned his focus to the memorial. It was the last place in the world he wanted to be, but after the confrontation with Naruto, he found he couldn't ignore it. He was pulled towards it still, following the grief.
Nagato had blasted away all evidence of his past. Now all that remained was polished marble engraved with the names of the dead clansmen sitting at the center of a circular public garden.
Now that he was here, staring at the names, at the brief history of the stone's meaning, he felt his blood curdle in disgust. It was something he had avoided when he had first snuck into Konoha's walls, all those months ago, seeking out Naruto. He hadn't dared himself to pause, because he knew if he had, he would have never seen Naruto that night.
How dare the Leaf dedicate a memorial towards the very clan they had annihilated? The memorial's purpose, to Sasuke, seemed more of a mockery, an example of what happened to those who strayed more than anything. It infuriated him beyond rational thought.
Children, infants, wives,mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins…all dead. Slaughtered by his brother's hand, true, but it had still been an order carried out by the Council itself. Still authorized. Tsunade might not have had anything to do with the massacre, but the Elders on the other hand…
The Elders had helped conspire. They had decided it. Sasuke's hands formed into fists, so tightly clenched his knuckles turned white, and what little nails he had bit into his skin. He had vowed vengeance. He had promised to bring suffering and death to the murderers of the Uchiha clan. Had he not trained for this day?
He thought of Naruto again, thought of the distance put suddenly between them. Suddenly deciding to actually carry out the revenge didn't seem like such a bad idea. Not when everything he had was gone, or hated him.
His mind whispered dark thoughts. These people ordered the deaths of so many innocents, and never lost a wink of sleep over the fact that they had exterminated an entire clan and its children. Hadn't Susano'o made him realize that by destroying Konoha in its entirety, he would be delivering the same justice upon Konoha that had unleashed upon the Uchihas? Children, infants, defenseless women, unsuspicious men, all had been killed despite age and affiliation. They were Uchiha, therefore guilty.
Could the same be said for Konoha and its inhabitants? He thought of Naruto again, and unclenched his fists. No. I would never stoop to such a pitiful level. Not now. Not anymore.
He would stick to the plan he had originally created before Susano'os influence: the Elders would die for their crimes. Naruto should have realized his drive to reach Konoha had more meaning than simply putting distance between themselves and Madara. Danzou was dead, maybe not exactly by Sasuke's own hand, but dead nonetheless. Now all that stood in his way were the Elders.
Sasuke had waited patiently for this. In truth, he genuinely felt for Naruto. Maybe one day, when this was over, Sasuke would be able to admit to Naruto that he was in love with him; but in this moment, there were other things that took precedence.
Later, he would realize he had taken his closeness to Naruto for granted.
He had used the circumstances to get closer to his target, despite his feelings. He had done so not knowing what he would do once he was here. Not knowing if he would truly carry it out, but now, seeing this memorial, his mind was made up.
If only the ANBU had killed him before he was inside Konoha's gates (as were their orders!) but Naruto had put a stop to it, even when he'd seen Sasuke kill that guard, he wouldn't allow a hand to be laid upon Sasuke.
Naruto…
Naruto…
Naruto…
That idiot, he thought, closing his eyes, but it wasn't a venomous thought. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes, noticing the gingko tree. Sasuke had seen the tree that grew next to the memorial. He'd noticed the slashed initials. His gut twisted, and he felt pained at the thought. He balled his hands into fists, and grimaced.
He wished he could tell Naruto he was sorry to have planned this. He wished, quite suddenly and feeling slightly foolish for it, that he had bothered to tell Naruto he loved him, at least once, before this had happened. What if, gods forbid it, he never saw Naruto again after this?
But he wasn't sorry, and now it was too late. He wasn't going to change his mind about this. Not even for Naruto.
"That's enough now. It's time to go," Kakashi whispered, his one gray eye fixed upon Sasuke. Sasuke swallowed, fighting the urge to unleash his rage at that very second. But to be successful, he needed to be convincing. He turned, following Kakashi, and his anger mounted with every step.
Homura Mitokado poured the tea steadily, though his hands shook slightly. The only source of light in the room was the ruddy light of a flickering candle. He turned to his companion, half of his face eclipsed in shadow, the crystal of his glasses lenses glinting in the candlelight as he handed her a cup of tea. A clap of thunder sounded from outside as the rain continued to pour.
"She truly will be the death of us. She might as well be trying to have us killed!" Koharu Utatane muttered darkly into her cup before taking a delicate sip.
"As if we didn't have enough to worry about! Now, Sasuke Uchiha is running rampant within our gates! He will come for us, Koharu. He will come."
"I know." The old woman whispered. Hamura's hand fluttered to his sleeve.
"You know what to do if he gets past the guard-"
"Of course. We'll drag the brat straight down to hell along with us. Don't worry, Homura, he won't survive," the old woman said irritably. At that moment, a strange thump echoed from behind the closed door of their quarters. Koharu put down her tea, and Homura stood, sweat beading on his brow.
"He is here." He tried to hide his unease, his fear. Koharu didn't move, she stayed sitting comfortably on her pillows, and picked up her cup of tea again.
"Let him come," she said.
There were more sounds of a struggle, another thump, a scream that ended too abruptly. Koharu took another sip of her tea.
"I'm surprised Kakashi let him come this far," she commented, bemused.
"The fool's either dead or close to it," Homura reasoned. At that moment, it suddenly quieted. For a long moment, Homura waited, poised and ready, sweat beading on his upper lip. Koharu still drank her tea.
"Relax, Homura. He will come. Patience."
It was then that the door exploded in splinters, showering the Elders with flecks of wood and smoke. In the doorway, his Mangekyo Sharingan activated, stood Sasuke Uchiha.
"Ah, Uchiha. We have been waiting," Koharu said as she stood, her cheek bleeding from a splinter that had struck her. Homura's hand fluttered to his sleeve once more.
"You will die for your crimes against the Uchiha clan!" Sasuke hissed. Homura laughed.
"Crimes? You've a lot to learn about the world, boy. We saved the country from war-!"
"They were Uchiha," Koharu interjected as she stood. "And therefore, they needed to die. Women and children all. Hatred is passed down generation to generation, as you have so excellently exemplified. And after your death, it shall also be seen to that that little monster of yours is carefully taken care of."
Sasuke's eyes widened. "You won't get a chance to touch them." He pulled away his sleeve, revealing the seal on his wrist. The Elders responded just as the shuriken were summoned and thrown, sizzling with lightning as they shot forward with amazing speed.
Koharu deflected numerous shuriken with a kunai she had hidden in her sleeve. Homura dodged deftly, and from his sleeve, produced a scroll. Sasuke leapt away as it was produced. Multiple shuriken erupted from the scroll like angry hornets, clashing with Sasuke's lightning ones. Sparks illuminated the room. Sasuke sent another shower of shuriken, and the Elders were ready. They came quickly, but as Koharu reached out to deflect them, she gasped. Her kunai met nothing but air.
"Homura!" she shrieked, but barely in time. Her companion had realized, at that precise moment, that the shuriken were nothing but shadows. Real shuriken burst forth from the shadows the Elders had tried to deflect, and Koharu was struck in the chest multiple times. She groaned, clutching at her bleeding chest and plucking the shuriken from her flesh.
Sasuke extracted his blade, noting that Homura was abandoning his weapon scroll, and charged. Homura had pulled a blade from the scroll, and he met Sasuke head on in a shower of blue sparks. His blade quivered, and he felt a surge of electricity up his arm as he clashed with the lightning blade. His arm prickled numbly.
Sasuke leapt away, dodged Homura's slash, and jabbed with his own blade. Sasuke's eyes quickly darted to the corner where Koharu lay, and Homura slashed again,trying to distract him, but Sasuke had already taken notice of the blood seal on the floor.
Homura pressed forward, but Sasuke dropped and rolled away, Homura's sword leaving a gash in the wooden floor. Sasuke darted towards Koharu, but Homura did his best to keep him at bay. With an aggravated yell, Sasuke slashed with his lightning blade, and twin dragons made of lightning burst forth from the tip of the sword like snakes.
Homura attempted to deflect them, but one grabbed his sword between its sizzling teeth, while the other wrapped around his leg and bit into the back of his neck. He screamed, convulsing as the electricity coursed through his body. The pain…His skin was on fire…
His eyes swiveled to Koharu, whose head rolled away as Sasuke brought the blade down upon her, but he hadn't reached her in time. Koharu hadn't tried to fight back, as was the plan. She had let the Uchiha come. The blood seal spread, covering the floor and the walls. Homura laughed.
"Die, Uchiha!" he screamed through his delirious laughter as darkness filled his vision. He was dying and he knew it, but it had been the plan.
The Elders' quarters began to glow, and Sasuke darted for the window, heart racing, a sense of instant panic gripping him coldly, but his skin burned as he touched the glass. The second he'd touched it, the seals appeared on his hands.
He watched in horror as the blood seal began to form all over his body. The walls and glass were red hot, like molten metal. Sasuke's skin began to glow. He looked to the window, and saw the sky veined with lightning. A million thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. The lightning flashed, and he remembered thinking that the fleeting blue light of the lightning was similar to the blue of Naruto's eyes.
"Naruto…" It was all he had time to say, to think.
The room exploded in flame and heat.
Naruto gritted his teeth in anger. He should have known, should have realized what Konoha meant for Sasuke. What was the strength of the guards Tsunade had surrounded the Uchiha with compared to his hatred for the Elders? He'd come to this conclusion once he'd realized Sasuke was nowhere to be found, and Kakashi had been found, unconscious and under a genjutsu, but otherwise only badly bruised.
Naruto was leaping over rooftops and running along with a group of ANBU. As long as he was careful about the amount of chakra he used, he didn't tire too quickly. Despite the seriousness of the moment, an absurd thought popped into his head.
He hoped all this running didn't give the child brain damage or something from all this jostling. Could that happen? He smiled tightly. Leave it to him to think of something like that in midst of a crisis.
Naruto's disappearance had been noted and a team was looking for him, Ao had been found dead, the Mizukage and the rest of her guard were surrounded, and the ANBU were in a frenzy trying to split themselves up accordingly so that each group had enough men for the jobs at hand. Naruto kept his chakra masked, and continued forward with his stolen garb. So far, no one had questioned or stopped him. It was much too chaotic.
He had to find Sasuke, and quickly. Naruto had to stop him before it was too late. The moron! But maybe the temptation to seek out the Elders had been too much this time around. He thought of earlier that day and clenched his jaw, heart thumping. Would this had still happened if he'd tried to listen to Sasuke?
He didn't want to know to the answer to that.
The story was that Sasuke had fooled the ANBU guard, and Kakashi had been wounded in the struggle and caught unaware. The orders were to go straight to the Elders quarters to protect them.
If they found Sasuke, Naruto doubted Tsunade would hold back on her orders for his death any longer. He ran faster. Despite what had happened, he couldn't let allow Sasuke's death to take place. He wouldn't let it happen! Then, when he found Sasuke…then…
Then what? He hadn't given it much thought past "find Sasuke, stop him, and run like hell". Part of him didn't know why he was doing this for the bastard, especially given the fact that he was so pissed at the Uchiha he wasn't sure if he had even forgiven him yet. Why save Sasuke's ass, when it was clear to Naruto what he meant to do? Because I love the bastard. Because I still believe in him.
Sasuke hadn't defended himself when Naruto accused him, but there had been emotion in those dark eyes that gave Naruto hope and pause in his accusations. Sasuke had also given him the idea to protect himself tonight, and he couldn't have known what was going to happen.
Why would Sasuke do that? Maybe he'd wanted to talk to Naruto about it. The Elders, the baby, even. Maybe he'd been planning on telling Naruto what he was up to. Maybe Sasuke had been thinking twice about it.
Sasuke could deny it all his pretty little ass wanted, but Naruto knew he had been waiting for the baby to move against his hand.
The building was in sight, and Naruto's could hear his heart in his skull. He had to reach Sasuke before the others. He looked to either side of him, noting the group he traveled in.
"Forgive me," he whispered. He formed the seals quickly, and multiple Shadow Clones burst into existence, instantly forming into two teams and forming rasengans as they materialized.
It caused more chaos and confusion.
The ANBU reacted quickly, but they didn't rid themselves of enough clones before the rasengans hit the ground. The ANBU were stalled by the explosions, but ultimately unharmed.
As soon as Naruto's feet hit the ground he was running. Then the Elder's quarters exploded, and Naruto screamed, thrown back with a jerk from the force of the explosion.
"No!"
Naruto righted himself and ran as fast as his body would allow. The burning building collapsed, spitting fire and embers.
He sank to his knees before the heat, but didn't feel its burn.
"SASUKE!"