Mizuki patiently waited in the interview room. He was not bound by chains or chakra. No, he was a free man. He bargained with the Mizukage to allow sanctuary inside Kirigakure from Konohagakure in exchange for information he supposedly had.
He had foot in the door. That's all he needed.
"Stupid Danzō…I outsmarted you."
There was a slight hiss of a snake behind him. Confused, Mizuki looked over his shoulder to see a black and white snake, coiled to strike.
"What the hell..?"
The snake pounced and ripped into his jugular. Blood spewed and covered the walls.
"AAAAHHHHH!"
His scream echoed but went unheard…Mizuki had been killed by Sai's ink snake.
-With Naruto-
Heavy rain fell around them. It was hard to keep going under the strength of the drops and the rumbles of thunder. And with the timetable, the trio couldn't afford to stop for a few hours to get some rest.
"We can't stop! We have too far to go!"
"Naruto, relax." Ino tried to reason. She wasn't sure about Sai but Ino definitely needed a break. "You said it yourself, we have until midday to reach the bridge. And we are already on the border of the Land of Fire."
"Tenchi Bridge is in the middle of the Land of Grass. We have to travel all the way through the land just to get to that border. That's nearly a three-day trip alone!" There was a slight desperation in his voice. "We have to get going!"
The frustration from Naruto's insistence and overall attitude finally got to Ino. "Then why the hell are we even going if it's too far?! You practically guilt tripped Captain Yamato and Kakashi sensei into letting us leave without them! I understand that Sasuke is your teammate, and you want to save him, but I mean c'mon, Naruto! This is too much! Even for you!" Ino had to take in a deep breath to keep talking. "You have been nothing short of horrible on this entire mission. You've been rude, angry, and just downright an asshole to everyone. Not to mention when you went AWOL to find that female shinobi just to thank her for nothing! What the HELL is the matter with you?!"
Ino's short breaths gave time for Naruto to digest everything that was said to him. He knew everything that Ino just shouted was all true. Every word. But, right now, he was so distrait. He didn't know how to feel or what to say. The inability to understand his own emotions infuriated him, making him lash out as a result.
Everything happened so fast. There was no time to process what all happened. He woke up in the hospital then Danzō paid him a visit. Next thing he knew, he was here. More broken and alone than ever.
Sakura was gone. Tsunade had lost her position. And Jiraiya was nowhere around.
What was happening? Where did all his people go?
Hearing Haku was alive and in Kirigakure ignited something in Naruto. Something that he may have never felt before. Desperation.
But that desperation only made him more upset.
"Why do you care?" Naruto questioned. "I'm not your responsibility. What I do doesn't matter to you. All that matters is that we get to Sasuke. I have to be there."
Sai was genuinely confused by that statement. "Why is that? Didn't Sasuke Uchiha try to kill you when you fought so hard to bring him back?"
"It wasn't like that. Sasuke was being controlled by Orochimaru. He wasn't thinking right. He's my friend."
"Not by the reports. I've seen traitors before. And your friend is the perfect fit for that." Sai stated. "I've read every single file on Sasuke Uchiha. Everything points to him betraying Konoha at some point. It was inevitable."
"You never knew him like I knew him."
"Perhaps. I usually don't try and befriend a traitor."
Naruto fiercely grabbed ahold of Sai's collar. "Sasuke's not a traitor!"
Ino was shocked by Naruto's actions. She never thought he would raise his hand against a comrade. "Naruto!"
"Why defend someone who tried to kill you?" Sai continued as if he wasn't being threatened. "Your arguments are terrible and make no sense."
"Shut up!"
"Your emotions are clouding clear facts. As shinobi, emotions only get in the way. You have bury what you feel and carry out the mission."
"You don't know what you're talking about!" Naruto's grip tightened.
"You're desperate, right now. I can see it, Naruto. You're clinging to whatever you have left. I understand what you're feeling."
His anger spiked, increasing his strength. Without realizing it, Naruto had lifted Sai off the ground. But Sai remained calm. Ino did not.
"Put him down, Naruto!"
"Shut up, Ino!"
"You're taking out your anger on those around. You don't understand your own emotions and are struggling to let them out properly."
"And what do you know about emotions, you emotionless bastard?!" Naruto's eyes flashed red then back to blue. "You're just some tool that carries out the will of others! You don't know anything about me!"
Oh, the irony in his words. "And you aren't a tool?"
WHAM!
Sai slammed hard against the tree, his air rapidly exhaling from his lungs. It felt instantaneous. The pure strength that Naruto held to launch him like that was unreal. How was he this strong?
Naruto slowly stalked up to Sai, ready to destroy him.
"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
Ino used her family's technique to stop Naruto in his tracks. She knew she was nowhere powerful enough to even try to stop him with a physical attack. This was her only option to save Sai.
Ino's eyes shot open, she wasn't in the forest. She was somewhere else completely. She stood in ankle deep water of a dank sewer-like hall. The only light surrounded her, seeing only a few feet in front of her.
What happened?
Ino was supposed to transfer her mind into Naruto's body so that he wouldn't stomp Sai into mush. Why was she here? Where was she?
It was impossible to see through this darkness. It was as if Ino was staring into a black pit that sucked all light into it. She took a few steps forwards and her light stayed with her. Good. At least, she would see in her immediate bubble.
"Where do you think you're going, Yamanaka girl?"
The booming voice rocked the entire structure and knocked Ino to the floor. The voice carried so much power, it was terrifying. And Ino knew where that voice came from. That made it worse.
The light that surrounded only her suddenly expanded, illuminating the entire hall. And revealing the Kyūbi from underneath the veil of the darkness.
Ino began to shake in utter terror.
"Do not be alarmed, young Yamanaka. I am not going to harm you."
"W-W-What am I doing here?!" Ino was shaking so bad her words were stuttering. "How d-did I get here?"
"Trying to overshadow a jinchūriki's mind with that pesky Mind Transfer is a difficult task, even for the most skilled. But I have learned how to pull the caster into my domain. Your mind games won't work in here."
Ino couldn't believe it. How could something have the ability to pull another consciousness into their own realm like this? The power of a Bijū was vast and mysterious. And Naruto had this beast sealed inside of him. Chained by the throat.
"Ino? What the hell are you doing in here?" Naruto landed with a splash in front of her, putting himself between her and the Kyūbi. "How'd you get in here?"
Despite everything that was happening…well, out there, Naruto's presence made Ino calmer. He was the warden to this prison. He was in control. She hoped.
"I used my Mind Transfer to stop you from hurting Sai. I had no other choice."
There was no argument there. Naruto was going to hurt Sai. Simple as that.
A deep sigh. "Yeah, yeah. You can leave now. I don't like it when people roam around in my mind."
"You say that like it's happened before."
"Well no but I have that big thing screaming at me all the time so I have a pretty good idea that I wouldn't like it. Which I don't."
Ino simply sighed. "Are you going to keep yelling if I release the Jutsu?"
"Probably, yeah. You guys annoy me."
Ino rolled her eyes. "Well, maybe, we wouldn't annoy you if you'd stop being an ass about everything."
"…"
"Look, I understand you're going through a lot right now. But taking out your anger on everything else isn't the solution."
"You don't understand one thing about me!" Naruto snapped. "I'm all alone! You couldn't never understand what's it like. So don't try to understand anything I feel or what I do!" The water rippled underneath them. "I'm losing everything I love! And there isn't shit I can do about it!" The angrier Naruto got, the stronger the ripples became. "What have you lost?! That's right! Nothing!"
Throwing his hands forward, the water rushed and became a massive wave. His anger had weaponized the water and was forcing Ino out. She had no way of stopping it. The water engulfed her and carried her out.
"Ah!"
Ino screamed as she woke up back in her own body. She expected to be on the ground, but she had remained standing. Naruto still stood over Sai, threatening to beat him down.
How long was she out? Did that entire ordeal take place in the matter of a second? How was that possible?
Seemingly coming to as well, Naruto lowered his threatening stance over Sai and backed off. Sai simply stood up and was face to face with Naruto.
"Do not threaten me again."
Naruto snickered. "Or what?"
"You'll become more alone than you already are."
There was no question, in Sai's mind, that Naruto would eventually beat him. It wasn't a matter of downplaying his own skills, but a testament to Naruto's. But Sai knew it wasn't about skill either.
Naruto was becoming a lost soul. Everything he cherished was quickly being taken from him and there was very little he could about that. Sai understood what it was like to watch everything disappear. And through his own means, he wanted to show Naruto he knew these feelings.
For what reason, Sai couldn't figure out. He just did it without thinking. He wanted to help.
"We can fly on one of my drawings and we will be at this bridge by midday. So, we can rest for a few hours."
"…Fine. I'll take first watch."
Ino could only watch with curious surprise. Excluding her attempt to defuse the situation, Sai had talked Naruto down from his anger and come up with a solution that he agreed to.
She definitely needed to figure that one out.
-Tenchi Bridge-
"…Kabuto…?!"
As the transmission echoed through the headsets and into their ears, the mission had suddenly become that much more personal. This man had fought and utterly dismantled them all back in the Chūnin Exams. It was only when Sasuke began to emit that cursed power did the beat down stop.
"He's the mole in Orochimaru's organization?" Kiba questioned.
Sakura stared at the man. Something was wrong here. Kabuto was Orochimaru's right hand man. When something needed to be done, he was the man that was called. His medical skills rivaled her master's. She even recalled Kakashi saying something about his fighting skill matching his own. His ability to blend in and become one with the surrounding population was second to none. He had them all fooled back when they were kids.
Why would someone of his hierarchy status be an informant for Sasori? A double agent? A triple agent?
Kabuto let the wind pass through him, gently embracing the breeze. There was a slight shift in the direction that felt odd to the man. He glanced around, his glasses reflecting the bright sun.
All too easy.
By his count: there were three directly past the tree line, two somewhere higher up to act as the eyes forward, and probably a few underneath the bridge. He thought he felt something within the wood. He assumed it was a bird's nest. Clever bunch.
"Come on out! I know you're there!"
A brief moment of hesitation before Neji signaled off the others and only himself jumped onto the bridge. The two men stared off.
"Well, well…if this isn't a blast from the past. An old friend of mine, Neji Hyūga. How are you? It's been a while."
"I wouldn't exactly consider us friends. You tried to kill me. Twice. But enough talk of the past. You're the Akatsuki's informant for Orochimaru?"
There was chuckle. "For the Akatsuki? Heavens no. Lord Sasori and I had a mutual understanding. We exchanged information. I was never a follower of that puppet making asshole." Then he turned sinister. "If you know of this meeting, then that means dear old Sasori has been killed, right? By you?"
Neji smirked. He played along. "He sung beautifully once I had him beat. Tried to beg for his life with this info. But…we don't allow Akatsuki to live."
At his words, Kabuto broke into a fit of laughter. "He begged for his life?! Then you definitely aren't the one to defeat him. Sasori wanted to die for years. Besides, I'm sure whatever he was hiding underneath that massive puppet he lived in was much stronger than anyone else could've imagined."
Frustration mounted quickly, Kabuto was no easy person to trick. If they wanted any shot of finding Sasuke, they needed to take him quickly.
"Now, everyone!"
Bodies flew with quick precision and swift action. All converged onto the bridge and immediately surrounded Kabuto on all sides. There was no avenue of escape.
Kiba had Akamaru ready to bite the rouge's head off at any given moment. Tenten and Lee drew their weapons, ready to kill. Hinata stood ready with Shino and Chōji. Shikamaru acted quickly and trapped Kabuto with his shadow. And Sakura stayed a step back as the last line in case all else failed.
Despite his situation, Kabuto continued to smile. "My, my…what a wonderful reunion." Knowing all the members well, he immediately noticed the absence of one. "It seems young Naruto truly didn't make it that day, didn't he? Shame. That boy had some true power."
Even more tension fell upon them, so much that Kabuto could tell something awful had happened between them all.
"He survived alright." Neji answered. "But he wasn't allowed to be here today. Which is a great shame. But we will manage just fine without him against you."
Kabuto chuckled darkly. "I'm sure you would. But who says you're just fighting me?"
It was Shikamaru's time to chuckle. "Don't even try and bluff. We know you're alone. We've scouted the area and have eyes constantly watching."
The bright sun reflected off Kabuto's glasses. They had seriously overestimated their own abilities and planning. "Lord Orochimaru has been on the run from Konoha for decades. He has learned from every single encounter. Don't you think he's come up with a way to beat the all-seeing powers of the Byakugan? You don't give my master much credit, do you?"
Both Neji and Hinata strained their veins. Something to block the Byakugan? Was something like that even possible?
"Hinata. Take another look of the area." Shikamaru ordered.
Hinata nodded and focused her eyes to take an extra-long examination of the surrounding area. Nothing seemed out of place. Only critters and other assorted wildlife mixed in with the trees and brush. She detected no chakra signatures. No signs of human life besides the ones on the bridge.
"Anything, Hinata?" Shikamaru questioned.
The heiress shook her head. "There's nothing out there. I couldn't see anyone."
"He's stalling then. Why you ask? Because he's not trying to escape or bargaining for his release. It seemed to me that he wanted to be captured." Shino pointed out.
The idea clicked in all their heads at once. While Kabuto was strong in his own right, his chances of surviving a fight against all of them would only result in his death. He put up no fight. He hardly seemed shocked that there was an ambush. Kabuto was a smart man but he had no reason to believe that Sasori had been killed. There were not a lot of scenarios that Shikamaru could come up with that made complete logical sense.
Except, for one.
They were expected.
They weren't the ones setting up the ambush.
The ambush had been set up for them.
"Keep your guard up!"
Suddenly, from high in the sky, a large hawk summon came screeching down. The two men atop the large bird braced as it slammed onto the bridge. Causing Shikamaru's hold on Kabuto to break. The group jumped away and conjoined together on one side of the bridge.
"Oh, Kabuto…how do you always get yourself in these situations."
That sinister, slithery voice. The Snake Sannin, himself, Orochimaru.
But he didn't come alone.
"And look, it's a full-blown reunion of old friends…Sasuke."
And the Uchiha prodigy, Sasuke Uchiha. Former member of Konohagakure.
The shock zipped through them all. Suddenly, the odds had been evened by their enemies. Despite the three of them, their strength was no joke. It was going to take them all to try and stop them. And, hopefully, bring Sasuke back.
Neji glared daggers at the Sasuke. "Uchiha…"
Sasuke stared right back. "Hyūga…"
Sakura couldn't believe it. There he was. Right there. Her teammate. Her friend. No longer the young Uchiha boy of her affections. Now stood a strongly confident man with the power back it up. As the dire situation set in her mind, Sakura briefly thought how more handsome he had become. But now was not the time for those thoughts.
"Sa…Sasuke…"
The Uchiha looked past all his former comrades. Sakura had grown well. Beautiful and strong. Naruto had chosen well. But he still could the man who kidnapped him rip a hole through her. He still could see her shivering from the blood loss and whimpering in agonizing pain. And, for that, Orochimaru would pay.
It wouldn't be much longer now.
"Sakura…it's been a long time. Where's Naruto?"
He saw her sink into a shell. At the mention of his name, the Sakura he knew disappeared. Like hearing his name triggered a flight or fight response. Something had happened. And it wasn't Naruto's death.
"…What happened?"
"Enough questions, Uchiha!" Lee had suddenly become defensive on Sakura's behalf. "It is of no concern to you." He was angry. Lee wanted some payback for their last encounter.
Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Why are you all here?"
Shikamaru drew a kunai. "We have our orders, Sasuke. Either bring you back in willingly or…" He hesitated for a moment. While seemingly a traitor, Sasuke was still a comrade to him. He was a Konoha shinobi. "…kill you."
Orochimaru chuckled. "Kill Sasuke? I am sorry to say but none of you are strong enough to do that. Even together, he is stronger than you all."
"Lord Orochimaru, don't you think this would be a good test of Sasuke's skill?" Kabuto added. "He has shown great promise. And these are all promising shinobi before us. They'd make great opponents for our young apprentice."
Orochimaru loved it when Kabuto showed his menacing side of his brilliant mind. "A wonderful idea, Kabuto. Shall we make bets?"
"Zip it. Both of you." Sasuke's tone was just as menacing. Something he learned to do quite well from being under Orochimaru's tutelage. There wasn't much that could intimidate him but there was plenty for him to intimidate. "Either help me or get out of my way."
Sasuke gracefully jumped off the large bird. Kabuto quickly took his place, allowing the bird to take off and hover over the bridge.
One against all. Nothing Sasuke wasn't already used to. Orochimaru had put him through various training gantlets that pinned him against multiple opponents at once. But this time it was different for obvious reasons. These were his former comrades. People he used to fight alongside, albeit for a short time.
And he could see it in their eyes. They held some form of tempt for him. No doubt the real reason had finally come to light about his departure. That had to be the cause of their anger towards him. But that brought Naruto back into the picture. He thought they were coming around to him, accepting as a friend.
What in the world happened?
"So, this is how it's going to be, Sasuke?" Neji questioned, trying to give him one final time. "There's no turning back if you do this."
"Sasuke…" Sakura's fragile voice spoke up. She had pushed her way up to the front. "Please, come home. I need you. Now more than ever. Naruto…needs you."
Sasuke actually took those words to heart. He knew this would effectively seal his name as a traitor. Just like his elder brother. But he was different from Itachi. He had a plan. He would kill Orochimaru, then kill Itachi. If Konoha didn't see him in good graces after that then so be it. He wanted to be back there. To be there with his teammates. With Sakura. With Naruto.
But this was what needed to be done. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few.
"Sakura…I'm sorry. But this is the way things are now." Sasuke slowly drew sword from his sheath. He was ready.
He felt horrible. He could see that Sakura was doing everything she could to not breakdown and cry. It nearly broke his resolve. Sasuke needed to be strong. Once he accomplished everything he needed to then he would return and face his punishment for abandoning them.
"Bastard!" Kiba shouted. "Let's go Akamaru!"
"I'm with you!" Lee charged with the Inuzuka.
"Everyone go!" Neji commanded.
All members of the retrieval team charged directly at Sasuke. The Sharingan spun into life as the phantoms of their next moves allowed him to counter the first wave. Sasuke blocked all the shuriken and kunai that Tenten shot. He had to jump high to avoid being trapped in Shikamaru's shadow. Lee jumped with him, and they exchanged blows as they fell back to the bridge.
Neji was immediately there, and the two prodigies of their clans duked it out with their own fighting styles. The pace was intense. Neither were giving an inch. Hinata perfectly interjected and gave Neji the upper hand, dealing a strong blow to Sasuke's midsection.
The Uchiha rolled back. Kiba was quick to come at him from two sides with Akamaru and their Gatsūga while Chōji rolled violently at him with his Nikudan Sensha. And Tenten had unleashed a volley of all kinds of ninja tools. He was surrounded with no time to jump again. And no doubt Lee was waiting to jump with him.
"Chidori Nagashi!"
Chidori erupted from every direction on Sasuke's body. A strong electrical discharge acted as a protective barrier against the attacks. He continuous funneled the current until all attacks had been neutralized. But he couldn't stay in one place for long. Shikamaru's Kagemane was never far away. Especially with someone keeping them grounded.
And right on cue, Lee was right there. Fists and kicks grew harder with each attack. And the shadow grew closer. Sasuke's speed quickly overcame Lee's strength. Just as the shadow was about to connect to Sasuke's, the Uchiha was gone again.
"Damn it! He's too quick!" Shikamaru glanced behind him to see that Sakura still had not moved. "Sakura! Get your head out of your ass! We need you in this fight!"
Sakura just stared in utter disbelief. How could Sasuke be doing this? They were comrades? Friends? Did that suddenly mean nothing? All that time as Team Seven and fighting along side each other were just cast aside.
Why?
Why was this all happening?
First, she lost her mother.
Then, Naruto.
Her master lost her place as leader.
Now, she had lost Sasuke.
Why?
Something deep inside Sakura snapped. All the things she cherished in her life had all but disappeared in the blink of an eye. She felt worthless. Useless. Unworthy. She hated feeling this way.
And that hate made her angry. That anger became a red-hot rage.
Sakura balled her fists. Bringing all her chakra into them. Disregarding all the logic in her mind, Sakura only wanted one thing. For this stupid bridge to be gone.
"CHA!"
With a mighty roar, Sakura slammed her fists into the wood. Cracks rushed through the boards and shook the bridge violently.
"What the hell was that?!" Kiba shouted.
"Sakura?! What are you doing?!" Completely flabbergasted, Neji realized they had mere seconds to get off the bridge before it completely collapsed. "Everyone off the bridge!"
The internal structure of the bridge shattered. The support beams broke away from the rock on either side. Pieces and chunks began to fall rapidly, hitting the rushing water at a high velocity. Hinata was the last one on the bridge. She moved to make the final jump, but the ground collapsed underneath her. And she fell with the bridge.
"AH!"
"Lady Hinata!" Neji shouted.
"No! Hinata!" Kiba hesitated. He wanted to jump after her but couldn't bring himself to do it.
But someone did. Sasuke used a piece of the remaining bridge to springboard himself to Hinata. He knew that he could easily transform to Level 2 and use his wings, but he didn't have to exert extra energy this way. Falling faster than Hinata was, Sasuke caught her midflight.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Sasuke summoned another hawk to stop their free fall. The hawk hovered there, allowing Hinata to regain herself from the fall.
Hinata had accepted her fate. There was no way she was going to survive that fall, especially not into the waters below. But she was eternally gratefully for her savior. And it certainly was not the person she was expecting.
"You're safe now…Hinata."
Her beautiful white eyes opened to Sasuke had been the one to save her. None of her friends and comrades. The former member of their village that turned traitor had risked his own safety to save her from death. Hinata could hardly believe it.
"S-Sasuke?"
The Uchiha prodigy looked down at the Hyūga heiress in his arms. "None of you understand what's really happening here. I am not your enemy. I am simply following my own path. Do not take my resisting as an act of being a traitor." The hawk moved to dodge some falling bridge debris before beginning to ascend.
"Then why fight at all? We are your comrades, Sasuke. We can help you."
Sasuke focused his eyes to the others above. Making sure they did not try anything to would jeopardize his ascent. "…None of you could ever understand what it was like for me. I have a mission. A mission that I must complete. And a man I must kill. Please, do not stand in my way any longer."
The hawk flew past the cliff edge and Hinata jumped off, landing next to the others. They were all happy that she was safe. But confused as to why Sasuke had risked himself to save her. Even more so that Sakura was the cause of it. Because of her anger and lack of judgement, she nearly cost Hinata her life.
Kabuto was also curious. "Hm. That sure interesting. I didn't expect that."
It certainly was a perplexing thing. Orochimaru had to agree that he wasn't expecting that to happen. None of that. "It seems our Sasuke still has a small soft spot of Konoha."
"Maybe simply just a spot for that girl. She is quite beautiful."
Orochimaru never pegged Sasuke to be the romantic type. Then again, he had been wrong about that stuff before. "His revenge on Itachi means for to him than some girl, that I can assure you. He will stay under my rule."
A concern that Kabuto wasn't really thinking about. Kabuto spent a lot of time just watching Sasuke during his training. Because of the hazards of his duty as a spy for Orochimaru, Kabuto had learned to read people and understand them better than most.
Sasuke betraying Orochimaru was a near absolute. It was a matter of when, not if.
Another presence rapidly approached them. A familiar one. Causing them both to chuckle. "Certainly, another surprise."
The massive wings of the creature created equally sized gusts as it came to a quick stop from the high speeds it was traveling at. The ink bird peered down to reveal the three passengers. Sai, Ino, and…
"…Naruto…"
"…Sasuke…"
The two stared at another. Memories boiled back to the surface of that fateful night. The night that everything changed. Not just for them, but for Team Seven as a whole. That team meeting was the last time the four members were together as one.
It proved how much time can change things.
Sakura was overcome with so much emotion. She couldn't believe her eyes. Her teammates. They were here. Together. The last three years of training were about to pay off. Finally, Sasuke was going to come back home and her and Naruto could…
Naruto…
Terrified, Sakura didn't dare make any sort of eye contact with him. But from what she saw out of her peripheral vision, she could clearly state that he was not in a good state of mind or health. And it was all her fault.
Monster…
It would haunt her forever, whether she would forgive him or not.
There was no movement from the others. All parties watched with tense breaths. They were waiting to see who was going to make the first move. But the silence continued to reign over them. It was as if an invisible battle was happening between their eyes.
"Glad to see that you've been living all this time. I was starting to think that Kumo bastard actually got you."
A silent chuckle. It was so good to hear and see him again. "You know me. I never go down easy."
The feeling was mutual. "I would expect nothing less."
Something changed in Naruto's eyes. "…I remember what you told me. Remember? A simple exchange?"
Sasuke nodded ever so slightly. It was truly the only way they could communicate clearly. "I remember." Sasuke moved into position. "Show me then, Naruto."
Naruto mimicked. "Oh, I will."
Jumping simultaneously from their birds, the two clashed midair and continued to fight as they fell towards the raging river at the bottom. Trying to get the advantage over the other, multiple different tactics had to be modified due to them freefalling. But hardly changed the ferocity of their strikes. In fact, it pushed them to hit harder.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"
Using a shadow clone to throw himself towards the cliff, Naruto slid to a stop with his chakra keeping him falling further. Sasuke pulled out a kunai attached with some wire and threw it at the cliff. The weapon dug itself into the rock and allowed Sasuke to pull himself in before hitting the water.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Flames spewed from the Uchiha's mouth and followed Naruto as he ran around the cliff side. The fire suddenly stopped and black smoke covered the area. Naruto blew through it all, only for Sasuke to be flying towards him. Kunai drawn, Naruto clashed with Sasuke's blade.
The struggle was short. Sasuke channeled his lightning through his blade and sliced through the metal of the kunai. With the backside wide open, Sasuke laid a massive kick on Naruto that sent him flying back up to the others. Naruto regained his bearing quickly and balanced on the edge of the shattered Tenchi Bridge.
'Shit!'
Naruto had to duck faster than he ever did before to avoid his head being sliced clean off by Sasuke's sword that was coated in lightning. He dodged a few more attacks before realizing this battle had quickly transformed into a duel of the blades.
Tojin instantly appeared in Naruto's hands and blocked Sasuke's sword in perfect time to counter his downward slash.
"This sword…" Sasuke remembered it well.
"You aren't one who can fight with a sword." Naruto smirked up at his counterpart. "I hope you can keep up."
The fight began to move faster and faster. The blades flew in wildly as sparks burst from each clash. Sasuke activated his Sharingan to keep up while Naruto fell in tune with Tojin's will to counter Sasuke's strikes. Neither gave an inch. Power, speed, and technique. These two were on par with one another in all three categories.
The others were watching. It was absolute madness to witness. There was no surprise that Naruto and Sasuke were the strongest of their graduating class. But the gap in power between them and the rest was simply too much for two to grow in three short years. How was it possible? Naruto is fresh off fighting a Tailed Beast and Sasuke is keeping up. Unreal.
But that's not what was on Sakura's mind. No. She could only two things right now. The two people that had brought her out of her shell and pushed her to be strongest version of herself. Without Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura would have probably given up on the shinobi life or had been killed.
And to make matters worse, Naruto had summoned that stupid sword…
Meaning he was going to try and kill Sasuke…and his heart was going to pay the price.
"S-Stop…"
Their duel had continued to grow. The strikes were harder. Each attack could easily kill the other. The blocks had to be perfect.
"Don't…kill…"
Shikamaru was the closest to her. "What did you say, Sakura?"
Sasuke had slipped. Or did he? Naruto went in for a strong attack that would most defiantly injure. But Sasuke countered at the last moment, saving him some time that horrible recovery room. They each aimed for each other's throats.
"DON'T KILL HIM!"
Swords halted mere inches from the skin. A too heavy of a breath would result in a pierced jugular. Naruto and Sasuke stared at one another, deep into the pits of their souls. It was a surreal moment to feel. The connection between these two were so close that this whole fight had been a silent conversation of emotions.
Unbelievable.
And that's when Sasuke appeared before the Kyūbi.
The large beast was held back by an equally large collar and chain that disappeared into the black behind him. Sasuke could only wonder where it went. It wasn't long before the new scent filled the Kyūbi's nostrils and its eyes opened.
"The Uchiha...you've grown quite well."
"So, you're the all-powerful Nine Tailed Fox Spirit that I've heard so much about." Sasuke had to hide the fact that his ears were ringing from the booming voice. Naruto's ears must be shot.
"I am surprised you could enter this place so easily. Eyes such as yours should not be able to project into a person's mind. Your eyes…they remind me of that bastard Madara Uchiha…"
He glared angrily. "I don't care who that is. Where's Naruto?"
There was a faint glow from behind Sasuke. Another part of this maze had someone in it. "Fighting his own instincts. Follow that light and you'll find him there."
Sasuke turned to see the faint light around the corner of the corridor. Then it began to glow brighter as the person approached them. The burned brightest as Naruto turned the corner and walked towards Sasuke.
But something wasn't right.
"He lost to the will of Tojin."
Sasuke kept his eyes on Naruto. "What do you mean?"
"The boy now only has one goal in mind, and that is to kill you, Uchiha. I suggest you get ready to defend yourself."
Sasuke's Sharingan spun rapidly, analyzing his path to predict his next move. He kept his hand on his sword. Whatever was happening, he had a small hope to reason with Naruto. "Naruto…it's me. Whatever you're feeling, you need to fight it. Don't make me fight you anymore."
That's when Sasuke saw it. The difference. Naruto's right iris was red and the white of that eye was completely.
"…What in the world?"
Without a single word, 'Naruto' charged with a kunai in hand. Sasuke countered by igniting lightning from every part of his body and shooting towards Naruto.
"Chidori Nagashi!"
'Naruto' dodged and evaded as much as he could until he couldn't avoid the surging lightning any longer. "Tajū Kage Bushin No Jutsu!"
The horde of clones shielded 'Naruto' from the lightning and created a cover of smoke. The Uzumaki burst through the smoke with great speed and slammed his fist square into Sasuke's jaw. Grunting, Sasuke was able to recover gracefully.
Taking in a deep breath, this fight was quickly escalating. Sasuke needed to be one step ahead. He drew his sword, causing 'Naruto' to drew a kunai.
"Don't make me do this, Naruto."
There were no words. No emotion. Only a hollow shell. A shell that Sasuke needed to shatter.
Sparks flew as they clashed. Steel met hard and fast. Mixed in physical attacks with chakra infused weapons. Lightning arched from the sword as wind and fire blasts collided. The two shinobi were equally matched in power and skill.
'Naruto' landed another strong punch on Sasuke's jaw, sending the Uchiha flying back. The Uchiha bounced off the tall walls of the corridor before summoning the flames of his clan from his mouth.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
'Naruto' was caught in midair. The flames came quick and fierce. There was no time for him to escape. He called upon the powers of his demon sealed within him and blast away the flames with a mighty roar. The roar extinguished the flames and covered Sasuke in a large smoke cloud. As he waited for the smoke to dissipate in one direction, it slowly stopped then quickly began to move in opposite direction. A strong vortex was pulling it in.
'Naruto's' Ōdama Rasengan.
Sasuke quickly drew his sword and channeled the lightning into it. A simple Chidori was not going to counter a jutsu of that size. And with the power of the Kyūbi no influencing him as well, his sword was going to act as the equalizer.
It was going to take everything he had.
"This…is going to end it, Naruto!"
Again, no words. Only the kill.
The two launched at one another, just like when they were kids on that fateful day.
"Ōdama Rasengan!"
The echo from the clash would have been heard for miles in reality. Red and black clashed for dominance over one another. Both entities pushed their power and wills into their attacks to win out. Evenly powered. Something had to give.
Sasuke's hand began to tingle. He could feel the thousands of chakra threads inside that rotating chakra ball. He pushed more chakra into his hand. Creating black, arching lightning with a purple trail. The Curse Mark had over taken Sasuke's body. And given him the power he needed.
"RAH!"
With a mighty roar of his own, Sasuke's Chidori overpowered the Rasengan.
But even in the ensuing explosion, the bond never broke. The two remained together through it all. And Naruto was freed.
Sasuke sheathed his weapon as the rumbles began to slow. He approached his downed friend.
"Just like old times."
He already had come to. His eye had returned to normal. "…Thanks, Sasuke. I lost it back there." He took Sasuke's hand and stood.
"These last three years haven't been kind to you, have they?"
That familiar burst of happiness that Sasuke knew Naruto had instantly came out. The reaction he was hoping for. The light shined brighter. "No actually, they were great! I trained with Pervy Sage and mastered a super strong technique! Well, a few actually." Then came the change. The light dimed as did his emotions. "Then I came back to Konoha…everything changed."
Perplexed, Sasuke needed to know. Sakura was acting strange. They all acted strange. "What happened? I noticed Sakura wasn't acting like she used to. Did you guys fuck and you didn't her call the next morning?"
It was an attempt to get him to laugh, but it was fruitless. Extremely insensitive in hindsight.
"…I killed her mom during a recent attack."
"…Oh."
The absolute emptiness in Naruto's eyes sent a shiver down Sasuke's spine. It served as a reminder of how he felt after Itachi had killed his clan. The hopelessness and utter defeat were strong feelings to combat. It was easy to drown in them.
"…I've become the monster I was scared of…that they were all scared of." Naruto's head hung. "Sakura can't stand the sight of me. The flower is gone…"
Sasuke's eyes went wide. He remembered the flower. The flower that Sakura had given him. It was his most prized possession that, in Naruto's own words, kept him out of the darkness. Now, it was making sense.
It was fear that filled his former classmates when he spoke Naruto's name to them.
Naruto was right. They were terrified of him.
Sasuke knew Naruto well. In some way, probably better than he knew himself. He also knew from experience. The empty feeling and failing will to move doesn't go away. Even today, Sasuke still felt the pull into that abyss. There weren't many things that someone could say to help. There just wasn't. They didn't understand. They may feel sorry but weren't actually. They weren't willing to do whatever to help. All were just nice lies.
Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He was going to say something that he wished someone to him.
"I know it sucks. And it will for a while. But get over it."
Appalled, Naruto was ready to lash out. But Sasuke continued to speak.
"I say that because that's the only helpful thing I can say to you. I may understand certain feelings you have but not all of them. The road ahead for you, and for me, is going to be challenging and long. But, if there is one thing you and I know how to do, it's to preserve. I am sorry about Sakura. And I wish I could help in some way, but I can't."
"You won't come home with us? Orochimaru is right there! With all of us, we can take him!"
Sasuke raised his hand, telling Naruto to stop. "No, Naruto. This isn't something for them to do. I have a plan."
"A plan?"
"Orochimaru grows weaker each day. The time for him to need a new body isn't far off. That's when I'll do it. Then, I'm going after Itachi."
"But if you fail then Orochimaru will take control over you! I won't let that happen!" Naruto wasn't about to let three years of training go to waste. Not everything. He needed Sasuke back.
"It's not your choice, Naruto. Orochimaru is a parasite that needs to be dealt with by me." Not fully knowing why, but Sasuke was adamant on seeing this through to the end. He just had to. But he couldn't leave Naruto hopeless. "Once he reaches that point and I've learned everything I can from him, then he dies. And once Itachi lays dead at my feet, if the village will allow me, then I'll come back."
That perked him up slightly. "You mean that?"
Sasuke smirked. "We're Team Seven, remember?"
"…Not without Sakura."
Sasuke tightened his grip on Naruto's shoulder, reinforcing the confidence he had in him. "I may not know everything that happened, but I do know this. You would never do something to harm her or anything close to her out of pure malice or simple jealousy. It wasn't you when you killed her mom, that I know. Whatever I fought, that's what killed her."
The corridor began to slowly fade away, as did the two friends.
"You are not a monster."
No, they weren't just friends. They were brothers.
"You are not a traitor."
Brothers on two different paths of life. Respecting their choice and supportive in their own ways.
Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha pulled each other into a strong brotherly hug as everything disappeared.
How was that ending? I thought it was rather nice and fitting for them. The two of them have a special bond and it was exactly what Naruto needed to hear. It didn't fix practically anything, but hearing those words from someone like Sasuke meant everything. It'll carry through the future.
And to explain Sakura's actions. To put simply, Sakura is loosing it. She lost her mom to her lover, then her lover because of that, her master lost her position, then to top it all off Sasuke refused to come back to the village and attacked his former comrades. So, she did the only thing she could control. Destroy the bridge and not care about anything else. She's close to a mental breakdown…
I had this chapter going in a few different directions, one of which having Naruto and Sasuke fighting the physical manifestation of Tojin. The Lingering Will. (Yes, he is still around. And will come back.) I considered it but then I figured that wasn't how I pictured the feral/Tojin's will taking over Naruto. I ended up Naruto having lost the battle and having the 'feral' take over Naruto to become his…alter. Yeah, that's what I'll call it for now.
The Alter will come back.
Ino's scene in Naruto's mind was something I originally wanted to happen back in the Forest of Death. My first draft had Naruto being the aggressor, Ino trying to subdue him with the Mind Transfer, and Sasuke using the Curse Mark to stop him. But ultimately I needed to set up Sasuke's curse mark turn and that was the perfect time to do so. It would've been an early set up for what's to come with him and Ino later on. But it worked out here too.
I'm not having Naruto convince Sai to be his friend. Sai is going to come to that realization himself because of their common understanding of their pain they have felt.
If you notice, Sai and Ino are setting up to be something for Naruto…take a guess on what that could be.
The rest of the Konoha Twelve, as they have been called throughout the fandom, have their own thoughts and feelings about this whole thing. Specifically Neji, Hinata, and Shikamaru…more to come with that.
I liked this chapter a lot. Simply because of Naruto and Sasuke's battle and interactions. It's always fun to write with them. Hopefully you all did too.
And I hope I can continue to write as much as I did and update more often. My new job gives me plenty of time at a computer.
Until next time. Peace out.