Early the next morning the two young men sat discussing their plan for the day while eating some rice balls.
"I think we should split up. We will be able to cover more ground that way." Naruto hadn't mentioned anything that had happened the night before to Sai.
"I don't know Naruto, what if we run into the enemy?"
"Well, either we split up, or we only check one of the possible locations for an Akatsuki hide out. I can send a shadow clone to get you if anything happens, and you can send a bird. We are only doing recon, right?"
"I guess if it's the only way." He didn't sound convinced.
"Alright, we will meet back here at sunset. Let's go!" Naruto quickly disappeared into the forest. Sai couldn't get rid of the bad feeling he had in his chest about this idea, but it was the only way to check both places.
Naruto let out a deep breath once he was away from Sai, he wasn't sure that he would go for the idea of splitting up. The more he thought about finding Sasuke the faster his feet moved. The thought of finally seeing him again made his heart race. He would get him back. He had too. Having found that picture last night, he knew that it was possible. Sasuke stilled cared about them, why else would he carry the picture? He could still remember that day like it was yesterday. He couldn't help but snicker, they were 12 then, children, and their rivalry had been so stupid. He had just wanted to find someone to take out his frustration on, and that bastard with his know it all attitude had been asking for it. He had worked hard, trained hard, almost everything he had done was just to be better than Sasuke. Naruto chuckled internally, who would he really be without Sasuke? He was almost 17 now. It had been almost five years since Sasuke had left the village, it was hard for him to wrap his mind around it.
Who would he be today if he hadn't been working all these years determined to grow strong enough to bring Sasuke back? Back than he had convinced himself that he hated Sasuke, but that wasn't true at all, he was his friend. His best friend. That day in the Valley of the End, it had been pouring rain, and he had chased after him. Partially because he had promised Sakura that he would bring Sasuke back to her, but also because Sasuke was his best friend. Sasuke had been so angry, so full of hate. Naruto clenched his fist as he thought about it, he knew that feeling. In the end, when he lost, all he could think about was how much he didn't want Sasuke to leave him. He didn't want to lose the one person in his life that had really matter to him. Understood him. I couldn't bring you back then, but I will if I find you today. Five years I've been training, I won't let you walk away from me again. No matter what it takes.
It was a cloudy day today, the exact opposite of how the last two days had been. It would probably start raining soon, which meant if he didn't hurry any chance of picking up any kind of trail would be gone. The sky looked about how he felt. The clouds churned in the wind like ocean waves. To describe his emotions as churned up was probably an understatement to say the least. As he broke through the tree line, he found himself on the edge of a lake. He started across the water when something made him pause in his tracks. Sitting on a ledge on the other side of the lake was the person he had been searching for. The two locked eyes, neither one moving. Naruto thought his chest might explode; it was pounding so hard it almost hurt. He couldn't take his eyes off Sasuke, he looked different, yet completely the same. He had that same expressionless "I don't care" stare that never seemed to leave his face. Yet, no matter how hard Sasuke tried he couldn't hide the fact the he had feelings from Naruto. Or the fact that he felt them deeply, intensely. Naruto knew, he knew because it was the same for him, except he goofed off and played pranks to hide his emotions, Sasuke just acted cold and uncaring.
After a few moments that felt like an eternity, Naruto finally decided to break the silence.
"Sasuke…" He paused trying to figure out what he should say. "They've been saying you've joined the Akatsuki…is that true?" He rolled his eyes internally at himself. Five years and that's the best thing he could come up with to say.
Sasuke took in Naruto with his dark obsidian eyes. "For now."
"But why! Sasuke, they're evil, and Itachi is dead now, just come home!" Naruto could feel his emotions starting to boil to the surface.
"I have other things I want to accomplish."
"How is the Akatsuki the way to do it? I don't understand!" Naruto clenched his fists.
"I wouldn't expect you too!" Anger flamed up in Sasuke's eyes. "I came here for one reason, and one reason only…to kill you!" With that Sasuke flew from the ledge he had been using for a perch. In the blink of an eye he was directly in front of Naruto. Naruto's eyes were wide with shock. He hadn't been expecting that. Thanks to his training and reflexes Naruto was able to dodge Sasuke's attack despite being caught off guard.
"But…but Sasuke…why?" Naruto couldn't hide his emotions this time. It was like his heart had torn in two. The last thing he wanted to do was fight Sasuke to the death, he couldn't, no, he wouldn't. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"I don't want to fight you Sasuke! Don't do this!" Sasuke was taken aback when he saw tears begin to form in Naruto's eyes. He couldn't understand why Naruto continued to fight for him with so much conviction. Even after he had just told him his goal was to kill him. No, he couldn't back down he had come this far. He was going to finish it.
"Fine then, die!" Sasuke called forth all his rage, his katana was out of its home before you could take a breath and was swinging toward Naruto with deadly speed. The initial surprise and shock Naruto felt had quickly faded and was replaced with a burning desire to change Sasuke's mind, whatever the cost. As quickly as Sasuke had attacked, Naruto dodged. He used the few seconds he had to put some distance between him and Sasuke.
"Multi shadow clone jutsu!" A clone appeared and began forming the ball of chakra in Naruto's outstretched hand. "Don't make me do this Sasuke!" Naruto could tell by the look on Sasuke's face that he had no intention of stopping. He was really going to kill him. "Rasengan!"
As quickly as Naruto prepared his attack, Sasuke was ready with his counter. "Chidori!"
With a yell they charged each other at full speed, in reality it took only a moment for them to reach each other. For Naruto and Sasuke it felt like slow motion. For Naruto it was slow enough for him to realize he couldn't do it. He had been through this with Sasuke at the Valley of the End. Just like then, he hadn't been able to muster up the will power to truly hurt or kill Sasuke. He wouldn't, he couldn't hurt Sasuke. Fighting him to the death wasn't going to bring him back to the village, so he would just have to think of another way. Just before contact he let the Rasengan dissipate. He had just enough time to position himself to prevent Sasuke from hitting a vital area. Sasuke's hand protruded from Naruto's back. It had gone straight through the muscles of Naruto's shoulder and chest, just below his collarbone. He lurched forward unable to remain standing against the excruciating pain. It took Sasuke a moment to register what had just happened. He pulled his arm free and stared in shock as Naruto fell onto the surface of the water.
Why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense. That idiot! What had started out as shock turned to anger. It made Sasuke furious that Naruto would do something so stupid. So, he thought not fighting back would make him not kill him? He kicked Naruto over onto his back. Straddling Naruto's waist he knelt over him. He held his katana over his head in both hands. Naruto had managed to prop himself up on his good arm just a little bit, his other hung limply.
"Just do it! If you want me dead that badly go ahead!" Tears poured from Naruto's eyes. Partly from the pain and partly from the horrible sadness that was breaking his heart. Why did it hurt this bad? "If I can't bring you back, I might as well die trying!" His eyes flared with determination. "If fighting you back when we were young didn't work to bring you back, it's not going to work now. I won't fight you again Sasuke. I. Won't. So just do it. Because if you don't, I will never stop chasing you."
Sasuke's whole body shook with rage. The longer he stared into Naruto's tear stained face the more it grew, and yet he still hadn't moved. Why hadn't he moved? He had his chance all he had to do was move! Sasuke let out a yell; he poured his heart and soul into it. He let all the emotions he had been feeling and holding inside out in that yell. He plunged his sword downward. Naruto closed his eyes tightly as his death came barreling toward him in the shape of Sasuke's sword.
A few seconds had passed before Naruto realized he was still breathing. He slowly opened his eyes to see Sasuke's katana safely put away in its sheath on his back. His head hung, face in his hands. Tears dripped through his fingers onto Naruto.
Sasuke let the tears flow freely. He didn't care, in fact, it felt good. All the rage he felt looking at Naruto, he felt it because he knew he couldn't do it, he couldn't kill him. He had always prided himself on that fact that he was willing to do whatever it took to become more powerful so that what happened when he was a child could never happen again. But he couldn't complete his final goal. Why did Naruto make him feel this way, of all people? He could still feel his anger burning deep inside him, but it was different somehow. He regained his composure. He looked down at Naruto, who immediately locked eyes with him. The look on Naruto's face didn't make any sense to Sasuke. It wasn't a look he had seen before. It was as if Naruto had just realized something and it was hurting him more than any physical pain ever could. It made Sasuke's anger flare.
"You stupid idiot!" He punched Naruto with all of his strength. Then he did it again. One to the face one to the stomach. The third time he caught Naruto in his wounded shoulder. Naruto cried out in pain and lost his concentration on maintaining his chakra, he sank into the water.