In a valley were two friends fought over differences long ago, history was about to repeat. A young man gifted with exceptional eyes faced off with a young man gifted with vitality. The irony laid in their ideals being switched to an extent. Neither was like either shinobi they represented personality-wise. Really, they were a mishmash of both, not that they knew or cared.
Sasuke knew what Naruto intended: to split his focus with a clone and blindside him, bypassing his Sharingan. If Kakashi didn't explain the Shadow Clone Jutsu's full capabilities, he would've gone straight for it and left himself open. Their arsenal of jutsu complimented and clashed with each other's, but he was still superior in Taijutsu as long as he had his eyes. Keeping a close offensive, as always, was his best course of action.
Naruto and his clone ran to opposite sides of their opponent. He stepped back, keeping them both in his view, but they accounted for it. The clone made the snake seal while the original reached for his ninja tools. If he couldn't slip past his Sharingan, he'd overwhelm or render it useless. Rupturing them was a devastating move he was aching to pull off too.
A clap of the clone's hands sent Sasuke flying over the statue's stone hair. The reach for a pouch told him what was coming next. He caught himself and held his position until catching sight of Naruto. Immediately, he dived behind the stiff yet wavy locks, avoiding a tidal wave of shuriken. Countering that tactic wasn't in his cards, but it wasn't like he was in any position to stop him then.
"What happened!? You were talking all that good shit a second ago!"
Clucking his tongue, Sasuke stood and jumped over the statue's side. He attached himself to it with chakra before running up across its head towards the Narutos. One drew shuriken while the other made the snake sign again, letting him know the two different moves he could do. When the shuriken were thrown, he flattened himself against the stone.
The clone clapped its hands to send the shuriken flying over his head. "Come on!" It, seeing the original draw more, began going through the Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu signs. "Can you do anything other than dodge!?"
He pushed himself up, drew his own shuriken, closed the distance between them, and threw it once the clone jumped back, impaling both its middle fingers forming the rat sign. Seeing the real one breath chakra over his, he rushed him. He tilted out of a 'stay back' punch before grabbing his upper arm and pivoting behind him. They were in opposite positions from the time he dislocated his arm in a hold.
"First Sakura, now you." The moment his elbow moved a centimeter back, his held arm flared in pain.
Sasuke hyperextended it a little more. "It's over, Naruto. Don't struggle, or I'll break your arm."
Naruto scoffed. "Did you really think a fight against me would end this easily?" Looking to the clone with free bloody hands, he signaled it with a wink.
"I was hoping it wou–" Sasuke narrowed his eyes when it made the snake seal. "...You're a clone, aren't you?"
"Nope." Naruto braced himself before it clapped.
Sasuke, on reflex, shut his eyes to protect them from the wind as they were both sent off the statue. He didn't let go of Naruto in spite of it. When he parted his eyelids, it was too late to stop him from ramming the back of his shuriken hand against his crotch. The pain only a male could feel made him let go, something he immediately regretted.
Realizing he was too close to use the proper Vacuum Shuriken, Naruto put them back into his pouch while the clone dispelled itself. In his other hand, he created a Rasengan, aiming to finish him as quickly as possible. All he needed was to touch his chest with it, and everything between them would be over. The Sharingan would make landing it difficult though.
Sasuke reached for his wrist before he could thrust with it only for his hand to inch back. He did the same as Naruto tried to hit his instead. The sight of chakra gathering into his other arm informed him of another Rasengan before it manifested. Shifting his body to avoid them, he moved parallel to his movements, maximizing his evasiveness, while aiming to grapple his wrists.
It was a violent, odd dance. Both pushed and pulled at the other, trying to and failing to catch their target. A person watching could almost forget one of them was actually trying to kill the other. The sheer spectacle of two young shinobi performing feats beyond most's level was magnified by it all happening while they were in the air. Each would've enjoyed it far more if it were under better circumstances.
When they finally approached the water, Naruto thrusted both his hands down. Sasuke, just as he predicted, moved his back towards it as he did the same with his body. A massive whirlpool formed beneath them on contact with the Rasengans. The force of the rotation alone was enough to send them spiraling away from the other, skidding across the wavering water like stones.
Sasuke couldn't stop his body from riding out the rest of his momentum. In spite of the throbbing pain enveloping him, he picked himself up on the water using chakra. Kakashi never showed or explained to them how to, but each was well beyond that level of chakra control. The waterfall was from natural sources and by earth, which meant a terrain advantage if he played his cards right.
Naruto, groaning, did the same. He gained some much needed distance in exchange for unstable ground. While not ideal, it was the best he could hope for against his opponent: there was no way he could last against his arsenal of ninja tool jutsu. The Sharingan had its limits, regardless of its seemingly endless potential. They'd make a neat nightstand trophy if he didn't want Orochimaru to get them though.
Again, saddened red eyes locked with hateful, slit red over a giant whirlpool between them. "You...really are trying to kill me!"
"Seriously!" Naruto brought his fingers together, creating another clone. "Have you been listening to a single word I've said?!" He reached into his pouch. "Come and get your shitty pinwheel eyes!"
"How do y–" Realization dawned on him when he remembered the details of Madara Uchiha's battle with Hashirama Senju. "The Nine-Tails!"
Naruto threw a shuriken while the clone went through hand signs. "Good on you! Die!"
Sasuke grit his teeth before also remembering what they were standing on. Force was somewhat harder to transmit through water. Compared to air, there was a presence, however weak. That wasn't a problem when it came to entire bodies worth of water, like the one under them, though. He stopped concentrating chakra to his feet two seconds before the clone made the last seal.
"Who's the dead last now, huh!?" The Narutos grinned and laughed as everything in front of them was consumed by shuriken.
Beneath the water, Sasuke could see their positions clearly with his Sharingan. It was only a matter of time before he realized the easy counter to one of his deadliest jutsu. He let himself sink deeper to minimize sight and noise before swimming under them. There was coin flip's chance he'd get the real one, but it was good enough.
Naruto's eyes widened when his clone was pulled under. "What the?!" Looking down, he saw his enemy choking it out underwater. "That's…really fucking boring! Do you have any idea how cool it would be if you just let yourself die there?!"
Sasuke's face scrunched in disbelief while the Naruto thrashed in his arms. It took him out of it long enough for the clone to stop and start creating a Rasengan pointed toward him. When he noticed the change in its behavior, it was too late. The rotational force sent both spiraling away from each other, knocking them unbalanced.
"Good job, other me!" Naruto took out several more shuriken and blew wind-infused chakra over them. "This will finish it." He jumped to give the Vacuum Shuriken enough startup time before throwing.
They buzzed into the water and floundered. While the Vacuum Shuriken could cut through it, its core couldn't. Its momentum dissipated, taking the saw of wind with it. Several normal shuriken spun in the lake for a moment until sinking still a good distance away from the intended target. Sasuke recovered a few seconds after and saw them going under.
"Oh, come on!" Naruto stomped his foot, splashing water around his feet. "Now I get why Anko-sensei hates water so much!"
Sasuke floated to the surface, took a deep breath, and went back under before Naruto could throw more. He was safe from most of his jutsu as long as he stayed submerged. While Naruto could see him when he was approaching, he couldn't do anything until then. The split moment he emerged would have to count if either wanted to get anywhere.
"Is this really how you want to fight me?!" Scoffing, Naruto moved towards the statues. "Fine!" He brought his fingers together, creating dozens of clones concentrating chakra in their palms. "Enjoy drowning, you pussy!"
Despite the water obscuring his vision, Sasuke could see the beacons of blue in Naruto's form. They weren't explosive, seeing as how they remained on the surface. It took them creating Rasengans in their hands to make him realize what was about to happen. He was too deep to escape what they had planned and too panicked to think of a way out.
The clones thrusted their Rasengans down as their progenitor attached himself to the nearest towering sculpture. Immediately, they began swirling with the water beneath their feet. It formed a massive whirlpool mere seconds after, powerful enough to draw Sasuke towards it while breaking their split concentration. They fell in.
Naruto released them all and whistled at their handiwork. "Kakashi, eat your water dragon heart out."
Sasuke had no choice but to ride out the vortex. The absence of Naruto's clones told him he at least had a chance. Knowing him, he expected another whirlpool to come as soon as it died. A ranged multi-directional attack too fast for them to counter while they fell would be ideal. It'd hurt him too, but it was either that or drown.
Naruto, clucking his tongue, shook his head at the calming waters. "No way you're dead: it hasn't even been a minute." He created more Shadow Clones that jumped off the statue, channeling chakra into their palms.
As they descended, Sasuke emerged and, having completed every other sign in anticipation, made the final seal of the Thunderbolt Jutsu. Balls of lightning crackling in his hands sent a current throughout his entire body, but his alternative was worse. The jolt in his nerves almost broke his concentration, almost. Jagged, whitish-blue branches shot from the lightning orbs into the clones, sending their chakra back to the original.
"Found your balls, huh!?" Naruto furrowed his brow at the resulting smokescreen. "Wait, aren't you wet?"
Sasuke didn't let up. He went through the hand signs of the Phoenix Flower Jutsu before spitting bursts of flame at the bright blue form of Naruto and anywhere he could've run to. It wouldn't be enough to kill him, as per their orders, but it would force him back on the water or distract him for a moment. From there, he could return the fight to a close ranged engagement.
The sudden flames caught Naruto off guard. While he managed to avoid a few, several hit their mark. His upper right arm, left leg, chest, and stomach were scorched, lighting parts of his clothes on fire. Panicked, he made the mistake of dropping over using the Gale Palm on himself. His clone's smoke dissipated, letting him see an attack coming far too late.
Sasuke, skin burned with the same pattern his jutsu created, greeted him with a jumping uppercut to the chin that sent him back, launching him hard enough for the wind to extinguish the flames. "Is this what you want?!" He chased after his flying body and pressed him against the foot of the statue. "Huh?!"
"...Those eyes." Naruto frowned at the narrowed Sharingan. "Everyone's always looking at me with those eyes."
Sasuke's gaze softened. "Maybe they used to bu–"
"You used to look at me like I was a piece of shit you stepped on!" Naruto grit his teeth. "Why should I forgive any of you?! I'm only worth respecting when you can use me?! Fuck you!" He snarled. "You're all the damn same. Why should I care whether any of you live or die just because of a few good moments in an endless stream of bullshit?"
"That's…" There was truth to his words, lies, and hypocrisy. He was too lost in his anger to see anything but the first. One of the lies was born from ignorance, not that he blamed him. It was something he could never admit: he was jealous of him. Naruto lacked the same bonds that tortured him, had the fortitude to go on even in the face of hopelessness, and could tell everyone how he really felt about them without hesitation. The strength he had made him feel weak, which the widening gap between them compounded. Now, he was leaving, just like Itachi."I understand."
"I was alone right from the beginning! What makes you think you know anything about it?! Almost everyone who was supposed to guide me used me as a weapon, a tool! My own father made me one!" He wrapped his arms around him and formed the snake sign behind his back. "You actually had people who cared about you! I spent years wondering what I did wrong to ignore the truth: I was just a convenience!" Throwing him back with all of his body strength, he clapped his hands to blow him away. "How the hell could you possibly understand!?"
Sasuke let himself sink into the water momentarily over catching himself, wary of any followups. Underneath, he saw Naruto's blue figure waver, likely from a concussion. He rose up and on to his feet. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to drag him back to the village. They'd lock him away forever, but it's what they had to do. Naruto could not be allowed to jeopardize the security of the Leaf, which meant treating him as a tool. His heart ached as he dropped into a stance. Tears emerged from his eyes before their tomoe shifted. A third and final swirl marked his Sharingan mature.
Naruto nearly fell over trying to regain his balance. "Son of a...bitch."
"Let all of your anger and hatred consume you. Use my power, and we can be rid of this disgusting Uchiha."
"I don't… I don't want to win that way."
Sasuke furrowed his brow at his lips' movements. "You're talking to the Nine-Tails, aren't you?!" He could see something strange in his red eyes he couldn't before. "What i–" The valley faded into a sewer-like cavern he didn't recognize. "...Huh?"
"How did y–" Naruto squinted. "You swirly-eyed cocksucker."
An all-encompassing growl shook their surroundings. It sent a shiver through Sasuke, but it reassured Naruto. Countless heard it before falling victim to its origin: hatred and anger incarnate. They were insignificant when compared to it in almost every way. Naruto was too used to it for anything it might do or be to ever intimidate him.
Sasuke stared at the cage with the paper labeled 'seal' covering its gates. "I-Is that…" A colossal orange-furred claw rammed through the gaps and into him, snapping him back to reality.
"Stay out of my head!"
"Stop restraining your anger and kill him!"
Naruto snarled. "I already told you no!"
"Don't let it control you, Naruto!"
"You dumbass!" Red chakra bubbled around him. "We're arguing over how to kill you!" It dissipated as he got his bearings. "And now I'm healed! Looked what you did for yourself!" He scoffed at his scrunched face. "I'd let you do that again but way too much is riding on this!"
"I suppose this is the best I could hope for."
"Oh shut up! You're ruining this fight for me."
"They're going to lock us away forever if you lose!"
"Well, I won't." He moved his hands together.
Sasuke, seeing the movement far sooner than he usually would, drew several shuriken and threw them where his fingers would meet, where he'd move them, and the positions his wrists would be. To both their surprise, each found their mark. His Sharingan gave him a decent idea of where his movements would be, but they were nowhere near that exact. Every subtle shift of momentum in his own body, Naruto's, and the whirling shuriken was visible to him. Putting aside his awe, he sprinted after him.
"How?!" Naruto sunk over engaging in close combat. The two tomoe Sharingan was already too much for him to deal with. He could blindside him, but that was far more difficult with a fully matured Sharingan. Beneath the water, he took a page from Tayuya's book, ripping the shuriken out with his teeth. He formed the Shadow Clone Jutsu sign as Sasuke submerged himself.
Vision filling with Narutos, Sasuke rose back to the surface, narrowly escaping one's clutches. It was unwise to use another lightning jutsu while covered with water, but his fire wasn't effective while they were in it unless in vast, chakra-consuming quantities. His reserves were better than they were yet still nowhere near Naruto's level. First, he needed to get dry.
The clones, sharing the same concentration-divided mind, knew they couldn't rush in blind, even with their massive numbers. If they were going to beat an even greater Sasuke, they had to cut off any room for escape. His eyes or his mobility needed to go and getting close was a bad idea. Almost all of their ranged attacks were useless underwater save one they hadn't tried yet.
Sasuke's eyes widened when he saw nearly half in his vision make the snake sign while the others moved in front of them. It was a tactic so absurd only Naruto could think of unironically using in a live combat scenario. He leaned away from a rocketing clone and was knocked off balance by another shooting from behind him. A pair of hands grabbed his ankles from beneath, unintentionally steadying him while rooting him in place.
With his mobility limited, the clones emerged from the water and drew kunai. They rushed him without a second thought. He could still move his hands, but that didn't matter when surrounded and restrained. No Ninjutsu or Taijutsu in his arsenal could work efficiently under their conditions. It, as far as they knew, was checkmate.
He realized the dire situation too. Unlike them, he knew it was far from over. Making the snake sign, he took a deep breath to calm himself and prepare his counter attack. The ram, monkey, and boar seals followed before the first clone thrusted its kunai. He leaned out its path and grabbed the clone's other hand to form the horse seal with its fingers.
It and the other clones furrowed their brows. "Hey!" When its fingers were forced into the tiger, they knew he was about to do something.
Sasuke spat fire over it aiming for his true target: the water. The heat caused it to boil and steam, creating a dense fog. Unable or not wanting to handle the pain of being boiled alive, the clone holding him poofed. He dispelled nearest one with a punch straight to its throat. They couldn't see or react despite being able to hear his feet splash against the surface.
One by one, the clones were picked off. Several Gale Palmed to only send each other flying. The Narutorpedos launched with the intention of attacking from above, not below, just flopped into the water without a clear target. Each was tempted to make explosive clones, but they couldn't without knowledge of the original's position. Vacuum Shuriken were less questionable yet still dangerous.
The real Naruto looked down from the top of the wavy-locked statue, having swam and climbed it after making so many copies. He could've ran into the Land of Rice, but that meant leaving Sasuke alive. Whatever Orochimaru had planned with his eyes couldn't come into fruition. Releasing his clones, all his leftover chakra returned to him. He created one more, grabbed it, spun on his heel, and threw it over his shoulder as far as he could over the mist.
Sasuke knew something was wrong when all his enemies disappeared. He checked his immediate surroundings before looking up. It took a single second for him to figure out what clone it was, the presence of another Naruto a good distance away all but outright stating. He drew shuriken, threw them, and sunk to get as far away as he could. The blast sent him spiraling further down over annihilating him thanks to his quick thinking.
"Troublesome, gloomy cocksucker!" The Nine-Tail's chakra bubbled over his body. "Would you just fucking die already!?"
"Yes! End it!"
With those words of encouragement, it dissipated once more. "How many times do I have to tell you that's not how I want this to go!?"
"Do you want him to die or not? Not even your most dangerous jutsu worked, and you don't have the chakra to do it again, as if it would work. You need my power."
"If I don't do this for myself, it'll haunt me forever." He created several dozen clones and began going through the hand signs for the Vacuum Sphere Jutsu with them.
Recovering, Sasuke saw the beams of wind coming just in time. The water slowed them down long enough for him to react. He swam away, shifted between, and even flipped out of their path. It didn't stop. After nearly a minute, he needed to come up for air. His hands began forming the signs of the Fireball Jutsu as he rose, still evading the wind projectiles.
The Narutos focused their attacks on Sasuke when he rose. Before any beams could hit, he spat a fireball that consumed them all, increasing its power. It took them a fraction of a second to shift into Gale Palming. To their joy and Sasuke's horror, the fireball grew even bigger and turned against its creator.
Sasuke, wisely choosing boiling over burning, took several quick breaths before going back under. The scathing heat would've made him regret it if the other option wouldn't have been more damaging. He kept his eyes open for more wind attacks but none came. Instead, he saw the clones falling down with chakra swirling in the palm of their hands.
Naruto began jumping when they trapped him in another Rasengan-induced whirlpool. "Yes!" He almost squeed as he made more clones to repeat the process before he could escape. "How does it feel to die boiling and drowning!?" Laughter erupted from his lips. "Hey, aren't you still a virgin?!" Holding on to his sides, he laughed even harder. "You're going to die a virgin!"
It was a petty thing to be happy about, but he couldn't help it: for once, he was winning over Sasuke in nearly every way. He was always compared to him, he failed to be a proper rival, and he envied the family he had, however brief their time was. Deep down, he wished he was him. It brought out his worst feelings of worthlessness.
Sasuke knew he couldn't get out of the whirlpool using the same tactic. His nerves were shot enough as is. There were jutsu he could use but never tried before. While reckless, it wasn't like he had better alternatives. It was the first time he was pushed to such an extent. He brought his fingers together into a sign his enemy knew all too well.
Naruto pursed his lips at the sight of Sasuke floating to the latest whirlpool's surface. It was well over a minute at that point, and he was already under for a bit before. He drew shuriken alongside his clones, threw them into the body, and grinned when blood seeped out. Of course, he wasn't dead yet: suffocation was a drawn-out way to die. He dispelled his clones, not wanting them to ruin the moment. Rasengan forming in his hand, he jumped down from the statue.
The body was limp when he lifted it. Without any oxygen or consciousness, there was nothing it could do. Naruto's Rasengan thrusted towards its chest. Another Sasuke emerged behind him and lodged a kunai into his wrist before it could land. He snaked an arm around Naruto's throat, but he slipped out in time and jumped away, leaving him panting.
Naruto nearly made the mistake of pulling out the kunai. "Exactly like Sakura!" He scoffed. "Should've known you'd both try and copy me."
Sasuke dispelled his clone and coughed at the phantom feeling of water in his lungs. While he clung to consciousness, his clone didn't to sell his apparent defeat. It was a risky maneuver, but it worked. Naruto couldn't use most of his Ninjutsu without both hands. There was almost nothing left for him to work with, just as he planned.
Naruto, intending to force his still fingers, moved his hands together just for the pointer and ring fingers of his functioning hand to be stuck with shuriken. "Seriously?!" He shot him a look to get one back.
"You are trying to kill me!"
"You started it with the pinwheel eyes, and it doesn't mean you have to defend yourself using the same boring tricks!"
"We both know that's not what we're fighting over." Sasuke managed a smirk. "You're just mad you keep falling for it."
"Oh fuck you!" Naruto grit his teeth. "I'm fighting for my freedom, and you're fighting to keep me as a tool. Even if there were no Mangekyo for you to keep from me, that's cause enough for me to kill you!" The frown forming on Sasuke's lips made his thin. "...If you really care about me, let me go."
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"Shut up!"
Sasuke's gaze steeled. "You know I can't let you."
"Yeah…" A sad smile spread across Naruto's face. "If dad couldn't, how could you?" Letting his crippled hand flop upward, he began concentrating chakra into its palm. "Let's."
"End this." Sasuke finished, dropping into a stance.
Naruto, ripping the shuriken out using his teeth but keeping them, charged. He infused them with wind chakra, reached into his pouch with his freed hand, jumped, and threw the Vacuum Shuriken horizontally at opposite sides of Sasuke with a jerk of his neck. While Sasuke hopped over the wind saws towards him, he drew and blew over a kunai pointed at him. It was an almost perfect setup.
Sasuke could discern the infused kunai's properties. It was like the shuriken: in a second or two, a deadly weapon would stabilize. The shuriken put him in a dangerous position. He could lean into the Rasengan or into a razor sharp blade of wind. Attacking wouldn't stop him either. Gritting his teeth, he impaled his side on the kunai before the blade could form and caught the Rasengan hand by the kunai in its wrist.
Eyes widening, Naruto moved to sever Sasuke's spine with the fully formed Vacuum Blade, but his other hand kept his in place. "Y-You!"
They landed on the water's surface with a splash. Blood oozed from their wounds and dripped into the lake. Neither moved, rightfully fearing whatever came next. All either needed was a single opening or to make a single mistake. Sasuke's Sharingan let him see Naruto's next move and, whether he liked it or not, the Nine-Tail's chakra was still flowing through his system. It couldn't last much longer.
Sasuke almost glanced down. "...I'm sorry, Naruto." He twisted the kunai in his wrist, breaking his focus, before using it to ram his palm against his side, hitting him with his own Rasengan.
Naruto was sent spinning back towards the foot of the statue. A choked gasp left his lips at the impact between his body and the stone. Red streamed from a tear in his body where skin, muscle, and a portion of his intestines were. It wasn't immediately fatal, but it would kill him without treatment from infection alone. Going on in spite of it would hasten his blood loss.
Sasuke didn't need to look down to tell he was bleeding too. The force of the Rasengan let Naruto tear through his side completely. While not as bad as Naruto's wound, it was still going to kill him if left alone. "As the head of the Uchiha Clan, I can make a plea on your behalf! We can make sure you're comfortable!" He knew it likely wouldn't be accepted, but he wanted to ease his pain at the very least.
Naruto forced himself out of the stone. "F-Fuck you!" He almost fell over when his feet touched the water. "You're not putting me in a cage!"
"As entertaining as the irony of that would be, I don't want you in one either. It's time to stop letting your pride hold you back."
"Just…" He snarled in frustration.
Their long-awaited battle was coming to a close. While one seemed like he had the upper hand, it could change with the wind. Both were on borrowed time. Neither knew for sure if there would be support from anyone coming, so they had to end it or they'd both end up dead from their wounds. Only one of them wanted the other to die, and a true victory for his opposite was coming home with him alive. Even if either got what they wanted, it was uncertain they'd be satisfied.
AN: I have absolutely no idea how this almost took two weeks. 1k a day looking far better now. Consequences of life getting more hectic where and how I live.
This fight gave me trouble at times. Certain moments breezed easily enough but others took a lot of thinking. In terms of pure destructive output, Sasuke could never match Naruto. Their differences in chakra reserves alone are too great. As precise as Naruto has become, Sasuke's Sharingan is even better. They both had to outthink each other's specialties when caught in them.
Next chapter will likely be the end of the arc. The fallout alone might take one or two chapters. What happens after will effectively be this fic's Part 2. I don't think I'll do a multi-year time-skip though.
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the form of a review or PM.