"If you'll excuse me," said Naruto, "I need to speak to Sasuke alone." His voice was strong and cold. Sasuke was amazed at how calm and powerful he had become in these nine years. Sango and Sakura quietly rose and left them alone ,striding out of the Uchiha section of the village and into central Konoha.
Naruto strode over and stood before Sasuke, his eyes growing dull and icy. Neither of them spoke. There was too much to say, too few words to use. The wind grew colder and whistled eerily through the streets, carrying a new wave of snow. It was a lonely sound. Finally Naruto spoke, softly and without emotion.
"Why?" That one word seemed stronger than a million spoken by any other man. Naruto's immense new power and confidence brimmed over in his stiff, cold attitude. "Why?" he repeated when Sasuke was silent. "You can't fool me," he whispered with frighteningly calm venom in the words. "Coming back now, after all this time... What are you trying to prove?" Sasuke's expression darkened.
"Prove?" he asked mockingly. "You don't trust me?" Naruto lunged forward and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him into the air. A red Rasengan spun in his other hand.
"Shut up!" Naruto yelled into his blank face. "You think after all this time I'll just welcome you back with open arms?! It'll take way more than that to regain my trust! I can kill you right here, right now!" His body began to glow orange. Sasuke smirked tiredly.
"Ah, the fox... always the fox..." He laughed coldly. "You always were... special, weren't you?" Naruto's eyes widened. Those were the same words Sasuke had used in the Final Valley. During his first failed attempt to bring his friend back. His eyes burned, but he refused to cry. His hand tightened around Sasuke's shirt. He prepared for a Rasengan strike.
"I hope Naruto's alright," said Sakura.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Sango asked nonchalantly. "He's really strong."
"Yes, but... Still, I'm worried... Naruto always seems to lose his common sense around Sasuke... He just fights him without any strategy or defense... relying on the fox..." She looked blankly down at her feet.
"It's alright," said Sango, trying to console her.
"Maybe, but... Sango, I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to see Sasuke again. I don't think it's safe."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, something's different about him. Even though he let me hug him, I... Something felt wrong, like his aura had changed. It felt evil." Sango felt herself shiver involuntarily.
"Should we tell Naruto?"
"No. He may or may not realize the difference, but I think he'll be alright. This is his battle. He needs to fight it out on his own. Besides," she added quietly, "it scared... even me... the feel of him..."
"What?" Sango asked, unsure of what she meant.
"I know it's winter," said Sakura, "but even so, he should have been warm. Either that's not Sasuke, or he's transformed somehow." She paused, shivering. "Because... even though I heard his heartbeat, he was still cold as death."
Naruto stopped his hand when he saw Sasuke's expression. He was smirking, his black eyes starting to lighten to amber.
"Heh heh. Go ahead. Kill me, little fox." He laughed coldly, his voice becoming raspy as he did. Naruto formed another Rasengan, still hesitating.
"Why don't you do it?" Sasuke teased. "Guess it was all an act. Even nine years later, I'm still more special than you." Naruto's face contorted in rage.
"Graaaaah!" he yelled, throwing Sasuke into the dirt. Without pausing, he slammed the Rasengan into the ground inches from Sasuke's head.
"Go! Leave here now!" Naruto growled. His voice was cold and sounded like multiple people. "Get out of my sight, you jerk!" He slugged Sasuke across the face, making it bleed. "I'll face you in six months. Until then, train and hope that then I'll accept you." His eyes were changing color, as well, fading from blue to red. His canines were so long they overlapped his lips. He was far past rage.
"And if you ever do anything to hurt Sakura again," he whispered, scraping an elongated claw on Sasuke's neck, "I really will kill you." In a flash, Naruto had vanished, leaving Sasuke alone. He stood and walked toward the house he had lived in as a child.
But after a few steps, he fell to his knees, panting with exhaustion and sweating. He felt as if he wanted to vomit. He suddenly gagged, coughing and splattering the ground with blood.
"Uhn... ugh..." he gasped, wiping the blood from his mouth. His cold skin began to regain its heat, and his eyes turned black once more. He was suddenly terrified. It had taken all his effort to control himself around Naruto. He had almost lost memory of this feeling - of transformation. The seal was broken.