The two shinobi stared each other down. Each went over the other's conditions, jutsu, tactics, and personality. Long and close range combat had benefits and downsides for both. One had an overall advantage thanks to two functioning hands, but his goal wasn't to kill his opponent: he was wounded enough as is. Their strikes had to be fast and hard to outpace the speed of their blood loss. While one could attack with impunity, the other needed to create an opening or attack where he couldn't see. His approach was decided based on that.
Naruto formed a Rasengan in his disabled hand once more. It was impossible to land at his current range, but that wasn't why he made it. He took a deep breath, jumped, and slammed the ball of concentrated force into the statue behind him. Again, he was sent spiraling. Exerting himself physically would've hastened his bleeding and lacked the same effect.
Sasuke, thanks to his Sharingan, leaned out of his path. The blood from his wound splattered over one of his eyes though. He wiped it on his arm bandages and heard the signature 'poof' of his opponent's favorite jutsu. Jumping away, he turned toward his foes with a cluck of his tongue. His hands joined into signs as he backed away, wisely keeping them all in view and far.
A portion of the clones spread out, drew shuriken with their good hands, and blew chakra over them. Behind the Vacuum Shuriken clones, several other groups sunk beneath the water. The former threw the shuriken at him and everywhere he could go above their makeshift ground. Whether above or below, there was something waiting for him.
Hands on the boar sign, Sasuke realized he couldn't use his jutsu in time. Sinking was less dangerous than staying, even with the clones. Playing into their hands wouldn't do him any good though. His Sharingan let him know exactly what path the shuriken would take. They would expand, so each was thrown where the clones thought they wouldn't clash with each other. He hopped, twisted between the wind saws, completed the last two signs, and spat fire.
The clones on the flanks jumped away to avoid the flames while the others sunk. Not all got to safety in time. Specifically, those closest to Sasuke were reduce to smoke. It, however, was something they accounted for. Clones that submerged themselves earlier finished forcing their limp hands into the appropriate seals. Beams of wind spat from their mouths with little interference from the water.
Sasuke saw one shoot out a few inches away from him just as another tore through the upper left side of his chest, rupturing his lung, from behind. Eyes widening, he darted away the moment his feet touched the water's surface, avoiding the projectiles as best his Sharingan allowed. He evaded several more Vacuum Shuriken with greater ease. The pain of a ruptured organ and sudden loss of half his lung capacity halted his momentum.
The Sharingan was rightfully considered a powerful kekkei genkai in the shinobi world. It bestowed nearly unrivaled analytical abilities, custom Genjutsu, and the ability to imprint thoughts in an opponent's mind. Few people knew it had the potential to go even further beyond. However, none of its abilities changed the fact they were still eyes. One on one engagements with Uchiha were bad ideas, but they were of little threat against superior numbers. Hashirama Senju killed Madara Uchiha through stabbing him in the back and many others before the massacre were dispatched much the same.
Naruto rose from the water with his duplicates, concealing his presence. He grinned alongside them at the red surging from Sasuke's chest. As bad as his wounds were, none of his major organs were damaged. The kunai in his wrist was more of a hindrance despite not being fatal. One appearing in his clones' was odd but beneficial to his anonymity: it wasn't like they'd be able to move it anyway since they beared his wounds.
Sasuke, realizing just how disadvantaged he was, circled around to the statues, dodging more Vacuum Shuriken all the while. He correctly deduced the clones in the water were operating off memory rather than eyesight, and there was a time they'd have to come up for air if they didn't dispel themselves. While the water served him earlier, it was playing against him now. Turning it against Naruto was his best move. He ran up the nearest statue, dropped himself to dry before reattaching himself, and repeated the process.
The clones raised eyebrows alongside their creator as they threw Vacuum Shuriken in vain. It wasn't until the balls of lightning manifested in his hands did they realize the purpose of his actions. Immediately, Naruto called for them, singling himself out. His alternative was being electrocuted while wet, so he chose risking the possibility of getting shocked. They grabbed on to him as best they could with one hand, threw him into the air, and launched him toward their enemy with the Gale Palm.
It was all according to Sasuke's plan. Directly attacking him was still out of the question. He shot a super Thunderbolt into the water, eliminating all of his clones. Pivoting, he avoided a stone-warping Rasengan and blood Naruto flung at his Sharingan with his other hand. Taking advantage of their new positions, he moved to choke him again.
Naruto predicted it. He inclined his head in time to guard his neck before biting into his Sasuke's upper arm, puncturing his brachial artery with his elongated incisors. Reaching into his pouch with his good hand, he pulled out a kunai but stabbed air. Sasuke reattached himself lower on the statue when he turned to face him. A cluck of his tongue summarized both of their present feelings.
"Are you…even still in there?" Sasuke panted, glancing at his bleeding wounds.
Scoffing, Naruto wiped the blood on his lips with the sleeve of his shirt. "If anyone's going to kill you, it's going to be me."
"I… I'm not going to…" Sasuke's panting didn't stop. "You…" His body was going into shock, blood loss and halved oxygen intake magnifying the consequences of each other.
"Aww, does the gloomy cocksucker have a boo boo? Get your mom to kiss them." He snickered. "Oh wait; she's dead!"
Sasuke snarled as his heart raced. He knew it was a ploy to throw him off and hasten his bleeding, but it still worked. In comparison to Naruto, his time was drastically shortened. The fight needed to end before he was too wounded to even carry his unconscious body. Grappling wasn't working in his favor while disabling limbs was. A crippling blow that cauterized any wounds it'd make was best.
Naruto, seeing Sasuke's hands join again, rushed him and growled as he willfully fell away. It was obvious the tide was turning in his favor. All he had to do was wait him out, but he was far too impatient. His ultimate victory over his appointed rival couldn't come down to something so anticlimactic. It had to be brutal, flashy, and make everyone that heard about it wish they were him. When lightning gathered in Sasuke's left hand, he recognized the jutsu from the Land of Waves and saw opportunity.
Sasuke's Sharingan narrowed at the chakra concentrating in Naruto's right hand. He couldn't tell by sight what would happen if their jutsu clashed. The Chidori was like an impossibly sharp spear while the Rasengan was like a contained explosion. Chances were they'd both lose their arms, but he had little options left. It was do or die.
Rasengan fully formed, Naruto charged. "Sasuke!"
"Naruto!" Sasuke ran up towards him.
Pure chakra met crackling lightning. Space warped around their combined energies for but a moment. One gave way to the other, too imprecise and weak in comparison. While their execution and natures were different, their fundamentals were similar: force concentrated at a singular point. Only one of them was perfected and the other, unknown to both, was an imperfect copy of it.
Eyes seeing his failure before it was obvious, Sasuke inclined away from the epicenter as much as he could. Skin on half his fingers tore and their bones warped. The Rasengan ripped across his arm, shredding everything in its path. He was fortunate to have a parallel dominant hand because it would've likely gone into his chest instead if he didn't. What he didn't account for was the sheer agony.
Naruto saw opportunity. He leaned towards Sasuke in turn, lining up his shot. There was no way Sasuke couldn't see it coming, but he could tell his nerves were too wracked from pain to react. As if he practiced the blow well over a thousand times, he smashed his knee into his liver. A grin spread across his face as Sasuke's contorted.
He fell like a puppet with its strings cut. The world around him spun several times until he smacked into the water. Pain and horror encompassed his being. With all his will, he tried to move his body but could only twitch. Shock from several sources held him still. Oxygen in his lungs kept him afloat, leaving him exposed. A shiver ran through him when he heard a nearby pitter-patter.
It was a dream come true for Naruto and a living nightmare for Sasuke. Their long-awaited battle was expected by both to take place at the Chunin Exam final, but that was interrupted by the mastermind of their predicament. As planned, there was a clear victor and loser after they pushed each other to their limits. Only a few details were off.
"I… I won." Naruto laughed as he approached. "I won!" Looming over him, he created another Rasengan. "I'm better than you! I was always better than you! I'll always be better than you!" He thrusted down.
Sasuke's eyes shifted from terror to broken acceptance. It wasn't unnoticed, but Naruto was too lost to give him the same leniency as Neji. There was no room left for doubt or compassion. He despised his old, weak self lashing out pathetically at a world that hated him. It had to die for him to break apart the system.
A stream of snakes shot at and coiled around his arm. Some fell to swim at Sasuke before doing the same around both of his, acting as tourniquets. Effectively living muscle rope, they accomplished their tasks. The boys came to the same conclusion based on their prior experiences with snakes. Flowing adrenaline made them rule out any other suspect.
"Snake fu–" Naruto looked up and froze. "...Anko-sensei?!"
Her eyes, welling with tears, narrowed at his. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing!?"
Recoiling, he averted his gaze. "I…" His glee gave way to sadness.
"We are going back to the village, you are going to beg Lady Hokage for forgiveness, and so help me if Swirly Eyes here dies! Do you have any idea what they'll do to you if he does?! Do you have any idea what they'll do to you for even pulling a stunt like this?!"
"...I'm not going back."
Anko grit her teeth. "Naruto, do–"
"I'm not going!" He glared back at her even as his heart ached. "Why should I be a tool for people who only like me just because I'm useful?!"
"Naruto…" The tears streamed down her cheeks.
His lips quivered. "Let me go: if you really care for me, please just let me go."
"Do you have any idea what will happen if I do?!"
"Tons of people you don't know and never meeting are going to die; maybe a few you do will get hurt, but I'll be free!"
"For some other village to snatch up and treat even worse!"
If a kunai wasn't stuck in his other hand's wrist, he would've rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…" Who he was running to reduced the chances of her acceptance to absolute zero. "About that."
"Don't tell me those greedy Cloud bastards reached out to y–" The seal on her neck burned, drawing her free hand. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"He would come in at the worst possible time." Naruto looked away again as her face scrunched in disbelief.
"After everything he's done, you're going to Orochimaru!?"
"It's not like I had a lot of options!"
Anko scoffed. "He is the absolute worst: for fuck's sake, he's planning on taking over your body!"
"I know." Naruto squinted at her confused look. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"That's no–" Her curse mark visibly grew alongside its pain.
From the Land of Rice's river bank, a bandaged figure vaguely familiar to them walked onto the water. "This is a peculiar turn of events!" He hummed. "Everyone but Kimimaro is dead. Not unexpected yet still somewhat surprising: it seems there are other promising young ninja." His green slit eyes peeking out from the bandages ran over the boys' wounds. "Both of you need medical attention." They lingered on Sasuke. "One of you more than the other."
"Y-You've…" Anko's legs gave out. "What the hell?!" She nearly let go of Naruto when he, still aiming to kill Sasuke, struggled against her living bindings.
"Now, now!" He extended an arm at Naruto, shooting snakes of his own. "There's nothing either of them can do." Target constricted, he tugged him back and out of her weakened grasp. "If Anko is here, other jonin could be on their way, perhaps even your sensei. Kimimaro is extraordinary, but I doubt he can take Kakashi." A death glare from the child didn't faze him.
"Still want those stupid swirly eyes, huh?"
"There are only two full sets left."
Scoffing, Naruto spared Sasuke one last glance. "Looks like it's going to be just one soon." He shifted his focus to Anko and frowned at the horror in her eyes. "Like you said, other jonin from the village might be near. We should go."
Orochimaru hummed. "Yes." Sasuke was far too wounded to survive the trip to his hideout, and he wasn't adjusted to his new body enough for healing ninjutsu so leaving him was the wisest course of action. If Anko resisted the Cursed Mark to defend him, Naruto might slip past them both and kill him anyway. "Follow me." He turned around.
"Naruto!" Anko cried.
He looked to the forest beyond the border before giving her a sad smile. "I love you, Anko-sensei." Vision blurring, he walked after her old mentor. "I'm sorry."
She stared at one of her worst nightmares come true. Pushing against the water, she stood up only for the Cursed Mark to grow even more and send her back down. Red in what should've been blue drew her eye to Sasuke's side. There was a chance she could resist her affliction to catch up, but he'd certainly bleed out with no reinforcements. Kimimaro was still alive, which meant they'd be slowed down if there even were any. It was a choice between chasing after them, likely ending with a fight in vain due to her current state, and letting him die.
Sasuke watched her stumble to him. The pain in his side worsened when she took off her coat and forced her hands against it, slowing his bleeding as best she could. He shifted his gaze from her crying, black flame-marked face to the clouding sky above. Without a doubt, it was the worst failure of his life. Nothing he could do, even bringing Naruto back years after, would let him live it down. All he could hope for was his squad mates' survival and a minimal loss of life in what was to come. His eyes closed as fatigue took its toll.
"Hold on, you broody brat." It took her all she had to keep from screaming. "Village has already lost its biggest asset."
The clouds overhead blotted out the sun. A minute after, they darkened and let loose drops of rain. It sprinkled before growing into a full shower in seconds. Whatever lingering traces of Naruto were washed away with the droplets. The freshness of his blood was irrelevant to one of nature's common neutralizers.
"Anko!"
She turned back to see a familiar masked face, dog wearing a Leaf forehead protector at his side, jumping on to the water surface. "K-Kakashi?!"
His eye drew to the Curse Mark pattern spread over her body before stopping on the boy. "That's!" He rushed to her side and felt his heart sink at the sight of his wounds.
"I'm sorry… Naruto went with Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru!?" Looking over the border, his eye narrowed.
The dog looked up to him. "Kakashi, the rain."
"I know." His hands clenched into fists. "He's gone."
Anko swallowed a lump in her throat. "Can you help me with him?" Blood covered her own hands in spite of the coat. "I can't stand up, and his bleeding is really bad."
While she kept her coat against Sasuke's side, he lifted him up to tie it around him tight. "I need to take him back to the village immediately."
"Go. I'll be fine."
"I'll send someone." He picked him up, turned, and took off towards the village while his dog disappeared in a puff of smoke.
She waited until he was surely distant to wail out her grief. A warmth she thought she'd never have again was torn away. Their shared happiness wasn't enough to keep away his resentment, not that she expected it to. She hoped it'd fade as he was recognized more, but his mind was made up. Once more, she wasn't enough for someone else.
It was another lament they shared and another tragedy added to the valley's history.
What was left of the Naruto Retrieval Squad rushed towards the border. They lacked a solid formation, but it was the least of their concerns. Death awaited them one way or another and facing it then would prevent many other possible early meetings. Unwise as it was, their losses drove them onward.
Shikamaru stopped at the sight of a green and blue blur far ahead, driving the others to do the same. "Someone's coming!" He formed the rat sign before everyone else prepared too.
Kakashi grounded himself on a tree branch Tenten threw warning shuriken in. "Stand down!"
"What a–" Sakura's eyes widened at the young man in his arms.
Ino nearly fell over. "S-Sasuke?!"
"Where's Naruto?" Shikamaru, already knowing the answer, asked.
"He's gone to Orochimaru." Kakashi glanced down at his wounded student. "Your mission is a failure."
Lee dashed onward only to be stopped by him. "I cannot accept that, Kakashi-sensei, and I'm sure the others here cannot as well!"
His good eye swept over their group and closed in remorse of his correct assumption before opening. "How many more of your comrades have to die before you realize it's over?" Lee physically wavering signaled acceptance of his words. "If you want to make yourself useful, Anko Mitarashi needs assistance up ahead." He looked at the others again. "Collect the wounded and the fallen before returning to the village." With no further words, he took off.
Sakura followed after. Her heart pounded hard enough to deafen her ears to anything but it. The shock from the news and the sight of Sasuke hanging on to life by a thread made her act without thinking. If she took the time to process, she'd break down. It was inevitable and better to have in the safety of the village.
Ino turned her head when Shikamaru took off in the same direction. "Hey!" She followed.
He turned back while still branch hopping. "There's a chance we can save Choji if we bring him to Lady Hokage in time!"
"Really?!" She nearly slapped herself when she remembered who their Hokage was. "Let's go!"
Tenten didn't meet Lee's concerned gaze. "I'll stay with Neji." Eyes dull, she looked down. "Go on ahead, but you better come back."
"I'll make sure he does." Kiba jumped to his side.
Gaara joined them. "Enough people have died today."
The group split once more in opposite directions. It didn't take long for the three to reach the valley. Countless nicks left on the Land of Rice's statue hair let them know the battle happened there. More importantly, they could see Anko's black and olive figure contrasting against the blue lake below. A mishmash of their colors joined right after.
Anko's watering eyes, one their normal brown and the other snake yellow on black, met them. "A-Already?" She focused on the Sand ninja. "Tsunade asked for you?"
"If you mean me specifically, maybe." He stood watch beside Kiba as Lee helped her up, slinging her arm over his shoulder. "The village elders seemed uncomfortable during our briefing."
"...Worried about you getting ideas."
He followed Lee in the direction they came from. "Most likely." Her tears not quite hidden by the rain drew his attention. "Who is Naruto Uzumaki to you?"
She raised an eyebrow while Kiba, also curious, looked at her. "Ever...meet someone a lot like you but before you made a mistake or got fucked up?" She laughed. "Someone you didn't really like at first until they did something so crazy you had to?"
"Just recently."
"It's Naruto, isn't it?" Her laughter grew when he nodded. "Brat is way too good at that!" The laughs devolved into sobs. "If he waited a little more… If he could only just put aside all the bullshit!"
The rest of the group remained silent. All shared similar laments, Gaara especially more than the other two. In the back of their minds, they knew everyone else would come to regret it too. Naruto's desertion tore a gaping hole in the Shinobi World's power structure, and it could only be rectified one way: violence.
Darkness grew over Naruto and Orochimaru during their trek. The thick forest protected them somewhat from the rain and what little light passed through the clouds. Only droplets pitter-pattering against leaves were audible. Naruto was processing too much to say anything while the other assessed his own situation. Even when they reached the hideout entrance, a stone staircase into the ground overshadowed by a giant tree, both were silent.
A familiar face greeted them in the serpentine halls. "For a moment, I thought I wasn't going to see either of you again." His eyes drifted towards the tear in Naruto's side. "I know it's foolish to say this, but how are you still conscious?" Looking up to his blank wet face, he smirked. "Surpri –" He blinked as he brushed past him. "What happened?"
"Kimimaro is dead," Orochimaru answered.
"...Oh." He glanced back at Naruto going onward. "Then the other four are as well."
He nodded. "I was expecting at least one of them to die. All four is surprising." Walking onward, he hummed. "Kimimaro…"
Kabuto followed. "Makes it alarming."
"Either there was a jonin on the retrieval team or I missed yet another promising young shinobi."
"You don't think they found a way to kill him as a group?" He adjusted his glasses.
Orochimaru laughed. "A hastily put together squad prioritizing Naruto's retrieval?"
"Good poi–" A vaguely familiar smack drew Kabuto's eyes to the priority in question's limp body. "I was wondering when that was going to happen."
"Would you please see to him before Kimimaro's sacrifice becomes in vain?"
"At once, Lord Orochimaru." He walked over and picked up the boy, careful to keep the warped wound elevated.
The lack of irony in his voice made Orochimaru murmur. While expected, the shift from questionable allegiance to unflinching loyalty was still jarring. He was more than familiar with his type: lost and purposeless. It was only a matter of time until he either latched on or returned to his prior miserable existence. A perfect opportunity, one many would've killed for, to strike at him was available hours ago, and he passed on it. Kimimaro was irreplaceable, but Kabuto would have to do.
Catching up with him, he followed further into the hideout's depths.
Ever bleak and damp was the deepest part of Naruto's mind. It was a consequence of his childhood as well as recent events, mostly the revelations. The sewer's water level was above its usual ankle-high: a person could submerge themselves completely but still stand out. Naruto himself was floating halfway under, facedown.
"You should have used my power against the Uchiha." The Nine-Tails' snout was nearly pressed against the bars of its cage. "We would know for sure if he was dead." Its eyes narrowed at bubbles rising to the water's surface above Naruto's head. "There is being prideful and then there is being stupid." It groaned at more. "Are you really going to mope?"
He raised his head, exposing his watery frown. The outcome was never going to be perfect or the worst, but it was deep on the bad side of the scale for him. Even though he knew the entire time, hearing Anko's answer was still painful. Sasuke surviving would've been an acceptable trade-off if it never reached his ears.
"After everything you have been through, that woman's rejection is what lowers you to this state." It twitched at him dropping back under.
The Third Hokage choosing Orochimaru and the village shattered him before the meeting with his father broke what was left. Anko was by his side when he needed her the most. If she hadn't been, he wasn't sure if he could've ever moved from the shade of the cemetery tree. Now she had done the same as the old man.
Growling, it glared at its host. "...Fine." A brilliant idea made it hold back a grin. "Give up and let the snake take your body then! You were never going to amount to anything!" His narrowed, hateful eyes were a welcome sight. "If that dog boy is still alive, he'll name the runt of the litter he has with that Hyuga girl you love so much after you!" A twitch nearly drew a laugh. "Unless the war on the horizon has the Cloud snatch her away first."
Naruto jumped straight to his feet. "Fuck you, you orange-haired asshole!"
"My name is Kurama."
"Like I gi–" He blinked. "Ku..rama?"
"If you tell anyone, you will never hear the end of how your mother and father made you." It snickered at him gagging.
"Who would even believe me after all the years we've spent calling you The Nine-Tailed Fox?!"
"Just don't tell the vermin, and I will spare you endless agony."
He squinted at Kurama before smiling. "I think I'm starting to figure you out." Walking to the cage bars, he held out a hand.
It murmured. Countless years passed since the only time anyone reached out to it like that. While it towered over the man still, Kurama felt so small before him. Reality was clay to his will, but his air of serenity was beyond anything it had yet to experience. Naruto was worlds apart from him yet kept reminding it of its creator.
"You know you want to." He wiggled it for emphasis.
Kurama rolled its eyes. Seconds later, it began inching forward. The barely restrained laughs he kept down dissuaded it yet not completely. Relatively smooth skin patted its rough nose, marking the first time in millennia a human being touched it nonviolently. It stared as Naruto and its cage turned to the side until they were upside-down.
He cooed at its fluffy exposed belly. "Just like a cat!"
As much as it wanted to voice its protests, it knew any would be ridiculed. Cuteness, aside from reshaping the landscape through sheer power, was its specialty anyway. The nostalgic, pleasant feeling kept it from moving back. Naruto grinning and laughing drove it to close its eyes. An old man took his place in its mind, albeit far shorter. Longing buried deep under hatred was soothed by his touch. The smallest of whimpers whined out its throat.
Naruto, as much as it didn't want him to, heard it. "You know, Kurama…" His smile turned sad. "All you and me really wanted in this life was to be held." Frowning, he turned to the still creature. "You've been alive way longer than me and will live longer than I ever will… Does it get any easier?"
Its lips parted, froze, and rested against each other. While life in general took an immediate downturn after The Sage died, it was never a complete downward slide. There were times of peace and prosperity even in the catastrophe left after his passing. Sometimes it found it tolerable and others it found it unbearable. Like many things in their world, the answer wasn't so simple. Saying it like that wouldn't satisfy his curiosity though.
"Yeah, I thought so." He sat down, keeping his hand on its nose. "If The Sage of Six Paths really could do anything, why didn't he change the world?" One of Kurama's eyes opening halfway nearly made him regret saying anything. "Maybe he didn't want to; maybe he couldn't. You can't change people who think they're doing the right thing without forcing them to, and it doesn't sound like he would've wanted it to happen that way." He took a deep breath and sighed. "Without power, all you can do is control how you react to things. There's a limit to how much you can do with it too, taking you Tailed Beasts for example." Shaking his head, he groaned. "It's all such a pain."
Neither once thought they'd be in their current positions: resting side-by-side and through the cage that bound them both. Years worth of bad blood were cast aside for the sake of a shared goal. Whether or not they'd stay amicable after accomplishing it was something they weren't sure about. That was still some time far from then. Each one's compassion for the other would have to last until then, at the very least.
AN: Life happened. Things I am uncomfortable mentioning, and frankly I shouldn't mention at all, on the internet affected my day to day life. When I write, I have this flow and excitement. Instead, I was just frustrated. I'm an uncle now if that's good enough news I guess.
This fic is now over 500 favorites and 600 followers. I'm glad you stuck with me, even after the three month plus wait. That honestly makes me feel a lot better. Hope things are going better for all of you.
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