Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Broken ❯ Not according to plan ( Chapter 23 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: blackarora 
about dang time i wrote another chapter
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Hentai / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.23.2006 | Updated On: 03.27.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Completed
about dang time i wrote another chapter
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Psychological / Hentai / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.23.2006 | Updated On: 03.27.2006 | Pages: 8 | Words: 7.0K | Visits: 1.4K | Status: Completed
Broken 23
the long awaited new chapter.
Not according to plan.
Naruto looked around at the brightly painted buildings and signs as they walked towards the
markets on the way to the hokage tower. The sun kissed crags that over looked the village and
the tittering of the birds were just as he remember them. The green roof tops and colorfully
painted houses, all the way he recalled them to be. The hokage monument proudly looming in the
background as he and Kiba entered the market square. The familiar face's of the past kages
looking down at him, reassuring him like they always had.
Still, something was off. It was like Kiba and Lee reported, he did not see a forehead protector
on a single person. People were hurriedly going about the shops, stopping to send him a worried
glare, then taking off like they had never seen him, that had not changed at least.
A fair share of the populace of Konoha were merchants and shop keeps, people who would not
know what to do with a kunai even if they had one. They ran the stores and the hot springs,
supported by the shinobi that resided here.
In fact the only people around looked like they were harmless, older ladies touting bags of
vegetables and a shopkeeper nervously trying to sweep his storefront.
There were no kids, no middle aged people that might be able to fight. Just the week and
defenseless, who were obviously scared in to going along with the charade of pretending nothing
was wrong.
The short hair on the back of his neck was standing up. Kyuubi was territorial and so was he.
How dare they reduce his home town in to this, this mockery of a shinobi village.
Seeing yet another person scurry away as soon as she saw him, the blond could not hide the
growl of anger from both him and the fox.
There was a squeeze on his shoulder from his shadow and the blond took a few calming breaths.
He saw the odd look Kiba was giving him out of the corner of his eye and clamped down on the
demons chakra. There was not much of it pulsing through him, but even that small amount was
very noticeable to those around him.
Right now he needed to look like he was doing all he could to remain standing. Make the people
that stood in the shadows, watching him, think that he was fatigued and would not put up much
of a fight.
Akamaru growled and the brunet walking next to him, patted the dogs head as he covertly
signaled to look left. Twisting about like he had just seen something he recognized, Naruto
spotted the two shady forms watching them from the mouth of an ally. Making the total 77 shady
characters so far.
Trying to balance his nervousness, anger and welling guilt, Naruto swallowed and felt the
shadow hand of Sasuke tug him to go right. Lee and Sasuke were masquerading as their
shadows, making it look like the only person with him was Kiba, who was playing the part of
weary teen as well.
The brunet felt the guiding tug from Lee and maneuvered so that they passed under an awning in
front of a book shop. The shopkeeper disappearing inside as they drew near.
The two shadows darted off as soon as they crossed in to the shadow the awning cast and Kiba
nudged him to keep him moving forward like nothing had happened. Like he was not suddenly
without the moral support of the raven haired teen he had grown accustomed to.
Still he pressed any lingering doubts away and continued his hesitant steps forward.
They were the bait after all.
Sasuke and Lee would wait in the shadows for an akatsuki member to show himself and kill him
before he got to him. Well, that was the plan.
Part of it at least.
Walking out from under the awning without the reassuring pressure of Sasuke's hand on his
shoulder, he and Kiba made it to the center of the square before the men that had been watching
him the entire time, stepped forward. Out of the nooks and allies that they had thought provided
them cover from being detected.
The regular towns folk disappeared in to shops or ran home for cover, leaving only the two tired
ninjas to face the hoard of hired men.
This was part of the plan as well.
When the men got to close, the blond flew through hand seals, ending with the familiar crossed
fingers. The square was suddenly filled with at least a hundred Narutos and before the goons
could react, each blond copy preformed the summoning jutsu.
Toads of all shapes and sizes filled the square, each amphibian with a blond teen standing next to
it.
The real Naruto let out a shaky breath. He had lost about twenty five copies just from the
exertion of the mass summoning. But that was the point of it all, the toads did not need to have
one of his copies present to fight and as the first man drew his weapon, the melee started.
Toads belched oil and clones ignited it, pink tongues shot forth and captured the men to be
knocked out by the awaiting Naruto. A few clones ambushed a group of men trying to run in to a
store for cover, pained cries rose up from the few men that had tried to run away and were
hopped on by the large toads.
The sound of metal clashing together, rang out as the group of hired men regained their wits and
started to fight back more seriously. Seeing one man send two sets of clone and toad puffing back
in to smoke, the blond stepped forward and let some of the anger from Kyuubi influence him.
His eyes turned red and the marks on his cheeks spread, but that was as far as he let it go.
Gathering the sudden wealth of chakra in to the palm of his hand, the blond charged and
slammed the man in the chest with the rasengan. Sending him crashing in to a building on the
other side of the square.
Yet another man tried to attack him from behind and a toad whose clone did not survive the
summoning, stepped forward and blocked the blow. The orange and blue amphibian used his
studded tongue to punch the man away before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Having so many clones to control was draining his concentration and the hired thugs were
turning out to be decent fighters. The market square was filled with cries of pain and the
occasional pop as a clone or toad was defeated.
Sweat ran down the real Narutos back, he could produce thousands of copies if need be, but
being engaged in over thirty different fights at a single time was proving to be to distracting.
He was fighting a man wearing a fish net shirt at the moment and the guy was able to score
repetitive hits on him. Not very damaging hits, but making him lose even more concentration so
that a few clones next to him popped out of existence.
Freeing up their opponents to join the fish net man in the fight against him.
Three to one were odds he had grown accustomed to from his captive stay at the sound.
Removing Orochimarus sword from his back and using the blade to pari one mans katana, he
charged his free hand with chakra and slammed it in to the next mans side. The blast of wild
chakra sending the man flying and making the odds now two to one.
Expertly dodging a few kunai, Naruto swung down hard with the sword and cut the blocking
katana clean in two, gouging the front of the man wielding it as well. Charging the last man and
performing the Uzumaki sword combo, the fish net man popped and dissipated in to smoke as
the sword hit. The real one appeared behind the blond and kicked him face first to the base of a
little food stand.
"Your not the only one who can make clones."
Hearing the snide voice right behind him, but moving to slow from his fragmented concentration,
Naruto flipped over just in time to see the fish net mans kunai that was intended for his back, be
blocked.
Sunlight glinted off the large kitchen knife the man who owned the Ichiraku ramen held as he
stood over him, blocking the thugs kunai. The ramen cooks hand was shaking from holding the
blade back and sweat dripped from his forehead. Fish net shirt sneered and pulled back, but
before he could attack, there was a ringing thud and the man dropped. Ayami stood clutching a
large pan behind the now unconscious man at her feet.
The large, aproned man that had fed him ramen for as long as he could remember, reached down
and helped Naruto to his feet. The blond teen speechless at the assistance provided. The ramen
stand owner smiled and place his hand on Narutos shoulder.
"Finish this fight quickly, the shinobi are either locked in the hokage tower or in the caves with
the children. That bastard Itachi led the akatsuki right in to the secret fortification."
Naruto nodded, the caves in the hokage monument had long been the secret place to stash the
woman and children when Konoha was under siege. Only someone from the village would know
of its entrances and obviously Itachi used that knowledge to his advantage.
Suddenly lunging forward and tackling the man as several kunai slammed in to the side of the
building right next to were the ramen stand owner had been standing. Getting up quickly, the
blond looked at Ayami who had screamed for her father to watch out, not for the kunai but for
him. She refused to met his gaze and he was not all that surprised. Reaching down, he helped the
stand owner to his feet.
"Get to cover."
The owner brushed off his white apron and grabbed his daughters hand, nodded, then rushed
back in to the relative safety of the ramen stand. Watching the pair disappear in to the depths of
the building then have the door slam shut and hear scraping, as heavy objects were placed in
front of it.
Turning numbly to the wall that had at least a dozen kunai protruding from it, the blond solemnly
pulled two out. Grasping one in each hand, he returned his attention to the fight. Kiba was
starting to get over whelmed and the distraction from the ramen stand owner had made his lack
of concentration be the demise of several clones.
Charging in to the group of men that surrounded the Inuzuka, he dodged one mans sword slash
and jumped in to cut the mans throat, hot blood splattering on to the front of his clothes.
Finding his next target, Naruto charged and killed the man with out much effort. Block with one
kunai and slash the throat with the other. Block the sensation of blood running down his front out
and keep fighting.
No longer was he trying to make it so the hired thugs could no longer fight, he was just killing
them. He had thought that if he refused to kill unless forced to, maybe when it was all over the
towns people would be less wary of him.
But even when he had tried to save one of them, Ayami thought he was going to kill the man
who had just saved him. He knew that the villagers were going to be scared of him.
Of coarse she was frightened of him, who wouldn't be.
But he had thought that maybe, Neji was right and that he could be accepted back. That the towns
people could have forgiven him.
Shaking his head, Naruto scored another kill, the man falling lifeless at his feet. Even the toads
had felt the change in their summoner and were using deadlier techniques. Shaking as the
crimson dripped off the kunai he held, crystal tears fell from his eyes.
He had been a fool to hope that he would be able to come back, that he would find that the
people understood that he never wanted to do any of what Orochimaru forced him to do. No.
Ayami's scream summed up what he would face once the beast was sealed again, all the scorn
and hatred that he had just started to dispel when he was taken away. He was not even back at
stage one again, he was push back passed that. Everybody knew. What if Sakura screamed when
she saw him, or Hinata, or Konohamaru. No one was going to trust him again. He would be alone
again. The outcast again.
Roaring, as he focused the emotions charging through him, starting a combo that left 5 dead.
Turning at the last moment to throw Orochimarus sword, nailing the 6th man to a side of a
flower shop.
A shadow crossed over the blade and suddenly the sword vanished as Sasuke grabbed it and
forced it in to the shadow skill. The Uchiha was still waiting for the akatsuki to show up and
Naruto refused to let out the sob that was trying to escape him.
It was a good plan and he hated to ruin it, but it would be for the best if the demon died and what
better way then protecting the village?
The blond had already made up him mind to leave Sasuke behind after the beast was sealed, but
Ayami's reaction had finally made up his mind about where he would run to.
Sasuke would be upset, but move on, he had a dream after all and there could be no more
Uchiha's if he loved him. Konoha had not crumbled in his absence and would not fall if he never
showed back up. A few people might miss him, the old him, the loud prankster that had died out
from Orochimarus treatment.
But nobody knew what he was now, so scarred and weak, the decision to leave came in the
woods when Sasuke was holding him and deifying his erection. He could not even let Sasuke
touch him, he could not stand the contact and he had to get rid of his friends hard on, not because
he was turned on or even being considerate. He was terrified.
He had hid his fears and pretended to be jovial, coming to the decision to leave Sasuke behind
regardless of what happened when they reached Konoha. Because he could not get over the fears
that plagued him, no matter how hard he tried to forget the other mens touches and concentrate
on Sasuke. It was not fair to the raven haired bastard for him to love him. He was dirty, used and
most importantly, broken, he did not even think that he was capable of loving someone any more.
Sure Sasuke was his friend and he would do anything to keep him around.
But that was what he was doing. Letting the Uchiha do what he wanted to him because he wanted
Sasuke to stay with him. Sure he felt something for him, maybe it was love, but every one he
loved was killed off for being around him. Iruka was dead because of him and Sasuke might have
the same fate if he stayed around.
Yes, there was no reason for him to stay alive if he lived through this fight.
Just more pain waited for him.
Jumping clear of the clone beast tornado that finished off the few stragglers, the familiar
sensation of powerful chakra tickled his senses, just as a explosion rattled the market square.
Kiba stopped the getsuga and landed next to him as a large gray bird glided over head, a blond
with the black cloak with red clouds on it, riding the fabricated creature.
The cement around them cracked and buckled, a cage forming around them, made form black
sand. A crab like man adorned in the akatsuki robes stood in the far corner of the square, guarded
by puppets.
Naruto could hear the low growls from Kiba and Akamaru and the blond saw them both finch as
the shadows spewed forth a high speed green blur that slammed in to the gray clay bird. The
impact ripped the thing in two and rush of power from Lee's lotus coupled with the opening of
several gates, washed over them.
The blond that rode the clay bird fell to the ground, wrapped in the spandex wearer's bandages,
head first. Lee jumped away from the limp form, still tan from the force of the gates he had
opened to fight. The two puppets charged forward but fell to the ground limp as Sasuke dropped
shadow skill and was standing on the back side of the crab like man, The sword protruding from
the armor and a few drops of blood fell from the blades tip, having pierced the only organic part
of the puppet master.
The black sand cages around him and Kiba, fell apart. The dog lover rushed forward to block an
attack form an akatsuki member that had formed from the wall behind Lee, the akatsuki
knocking both Akamaru and Kiba away before getting hit back by Lee.
A midget stood on a nearby roof top directing men who fought Sasuke and two more people clad
in the tell tail cloak stood back watching the fighting.
Hearing a cry of pain from Lee, Naruto rushed forward, stopping and spinning around when a
familiar, coldly polite voice spoke directly behind him.
"You should fight your own opponents Naruto kun."
Itachi stood next to the imposing form of Kisami who had his overly large sword resting on his
shoulder. The sword not wrapped in its normal bandages so that the blond could see as it pulsed
and twitched, throughly awakened by the amount of chakra being emitted by the people in the
market square.
A small smile graced the blonds face and Naruto silently apologized to Sasuke. He had fully
intended to miss a dodged or block or something in the middle of a fight and die. Kyuubi just did
not have enough chakra to stop a critical wound, but he did not think that he would have to go up
against Sasuke's older brother.
It would be cruel to Sasuke for him to die at the hands of Itachi, but at least it was a sure thing.
Apologizing to Sasuke again for what he was about to do, Naruto charged the elder Uchiha.
Watching as the eyes turned red, then the 3 black tomo expand.
With the ease garnished from the repetitive times Orochimaru forced him to switch out with the
fox, Naruto snapped the demons consciousness in his owns stead. It was his only natural
advantage that his tenet did not like company and mutilated the minds of any foolish enough to
try a technique that involved going in to his head.
Itachi's Tsukuyomi made a world controlled by him in the victims own mind, normally
unbreakable until the time limit set by Itachi passed.
Naruto felt the demons sudden rage and stepped back in control of his body. Just in time to see
the shocked expression on Itachi's face and form a rasingan in the palm of his hand.
Completing his interrupted charge and slamming the swirling ball of chakra in to the murders
stomach. Dodging and twisting to avoid the sword Kisami swung and feeling the chakra in the
rasingan be eaten by the sword.
Landing in a crouch and sliding a few feet as the older Uchiha got back to his feet, Kisami's
sword having eaten most of the chakra in his rasengan so that Itachi was merely knocked away.
Watching as the murder stood back up, Naruto shuttered and attempted to suppress the angry red
chakra that had started to seep from him. Itachi's little excursion in to his head had pissed
Kyuubi off and the fox was attempting to take control.
Growling fiercely, the blond charged again, forcing the red chakra to his finger tips then swiping
at Kisame. The shark man dodged and Naruto had the boiling chakra forming over him,
momentarily taken away as the sword absorbed it. Lurching back and spotting Itachi in the
middle of a set of hand seals, Naruto jumped back, barely escaping the circle that had formed
around him then shrank suddenly.
Forcing the boiling anger that was trying to place itself over his awareness, back down in to his
stomach. He needed to be the one in control, he had to be able to force himself to take a hit.
Kyuubi would dodge and fight on instinct and he did not want to take the pleasure of killing
Itachi away from Sasuke.
Naruto jumping to avoid the fire ball from the elder Uchiha on impulse, Kisami jumped up and
swung the massive sword. Hitting Naruto back to the ground only to have the blond puff in to
smoke. The real Naruto slashed at the shark man from behind, scoring a deep hit on the grayed
flesh as Kisami turned in mid air to knock him away.
Landing on his feet, Naruto had to jump quickly to escape the collapsing circles Itachi kept
throwing over his head. Jump, jump, roll, bounce of the side of a building and throw a kunai at
Itachi.
The Uchiha would not let him stop moving, the moment he slowed a glowing ring would form
around him, not knowing what it was, he did not want to chance it not being fatal. Jumping away
from Kisami, he saw Itachi remove a short sword from his robes. The murderer charged him and
he flinched as he forced himself to stand still and take the blade to his chest.
Only to have a hand grab his neck from behind as the illusion of the sword wielding Uchiha
vanished. Twisting around, a glowing ring formed around his neck and shrank. A heavy collar
appeared from the dissipating light and sat snugly against the flesh of his neck.
All at once, every iota of chakra vanished from his system. Kyuubi was locked away and he fell
to his knees as Itachi let go, not having enough energy to support himself.
His vision blurred in and out, the fuzzy form of the Uchiha standing in front of him snapped a
chain to the collar around his neck and jerked up on it. Dragging him back to his feet.
The blond could not make his muscles do as he commanded, all he could do was hang there as
panic filled his trapped mind as the elder Uchiha leaned forward and spoke in his cold,
dispassionate voice.
"The demon is to valuable for me to kill you, Naruto kun. There is no way for you to get away,
you will come with us."
‘NO.'
Naruto could not speak, could not scream the way he was on the inside. He could not even lift a
hand to brace himself as he was thrown to the feet of Kisami, who picked him up and threw him
over his shoulder.
‘NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.'
He could not go back to anything like it was at the sound. He could not live with himself as he
was now, how could he live with what the akatsuki would make him do? Sasuke would not be
there to support him and give him hope, no one would be there, just the pain. The endless pain
of his existence. There was no way he could do that again.
The shark like man started to walk out of the market square with him still over his shoulder.
Little by little the blond's metal form started to wither, then crack as a scream from one of his
companions drifted up. He was being taken away again to face whatever the akatsuki had in store
for him, for the demon. Screaming to the barren walls in his own head, the fox blocked from him
so completely that he could not even go to the cage to get support from the presence of the
Kyuubi, the blond's mental image fell apart. Broken in to a thousand pieces as Naruto tore his
mental form to shreds, unable to live with what was going to happen to him again but unable to
phisicaly do anything about it.
The blond teen, once so full of life and attitude was now a hollow shell with nothing inside, so
broken and destroyed that even through the barrier put up around him to prevent his interfering,
Kyuubi could feel the smothering of Naruto's consciousness as it faded out. The blonds body still
breathed in and the heart still beat, but there was no one left inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sasuke delivered the final, decisive blow to the midget in the akatsuki robes and turned to see
how the others were fairing in their fights. Lee and Kiba were working together and were holding
off a man that looked like he had a venous fly trap over his head. But he could not see Naruto,
where was Naruto?
Glancing to the hokage tower he saw the flash of light that was Kakashi's chidori against the red
barrier and see that the seal gave a little, but still held. Looking back over the fighting below him,
he saw the familiar gray hulk of his brothers partner with a shock of blond hair thrown over his
shoulder.
A stab of panic and rage tore through him and he removed Orochimaru's sword from the
bleeding corpse of the midget. Throwing it across the square to slam in to the place that had held
Kisami. Then leaping out of the swords shadow to punch the solidly build man in the gut and
getting him to drop the blond teen.
Sharingan registered every movement, every little twitch the shark like man made and noticed
that Naruto did not make any at all. In a flash Kisami had draw the large sword and was about to
swing when a pale hand adorned with black nail polish appeared, stopping him.
Itachi stood in front of the grey skined man, facing his seething little brother.
"I will handle this. Kisami san, take Naruto kun."
Sasuke watched as Kisami shouldered the sword and bent down to pick up the limp blond form.
Releasing several shiruken, making the gray man jump away from Naruto, Sasuke brought
chidori to life and charged the man.
Seeing the blur that was his brother step in to his path and grab his wrist. Not hesitating in the
least, Sasuke dropped low and swung his leg, barely clipping Itachi's leg. Making his older
brother let go of him before they both jumped back.
Itachi stood dispassionately in front of him, like he always did, but Sasuke could see his
movement ever so slightly with his sharingan and he had actually clipped his brothers leg in his
counter attack. His older brother would never just let him get a hit in, no, he liked to show him
how much farther he had yet to go to reach his level.
Seeing his brothers hand motion a moment before it had happened, was just enough time to avoid
being roasted alive by the black flames that his older brother summoned.
It was slight, but he could see it, his brothers movements, the immeasurable gap between them
was not so large any more.
Feeling his brothers fist slam in to his back, knocking him back to the charred cement, he
conceded that although the gap was not as large as it was, there was still a distinct gap between
them.
Rolling away, dodging the fist that slammed in to the cement with enough force to buckle it,
Sasuke jumped to his feet. Charging his brother and hearing the clang as their kunai collided,
jumping back to avoid the explosive tag Itachi placed in the brief meeting.
All Sasuke could do was dodge or jump back as his older brother started to fire off Jutsu after
jutsu, barely escaping serious harm. Burned and bleeding from the numerous near misses, he cast
a quick glance to the limp blond. Kisami was inching his way over to him, having to dodge the
Uchiha's attacks as well.
There was a crack then a blinding pain as the raven haired teen was slammed in to the nearest
building.
"Don't lose sight of your opponent Sasuke. Besides, Naruto is a vegetable now, there is no way
for you to save him."
Jumping to his feet and flinging several kunai to make Kisami dodge and get away from Naruto,
ignoring his brother as Itachi repeated his last attack. The force from the gout of lighting that hit
him, made the wall behind Sasuke crack. Forcing himself to breath, dragging air is to his
scorched lungs, he could only glare at the man who had been the root of his pain for so long.
"You may not have noticed, but Naruto kun was suicidal. When I failed to release him of his life,
he destroyed his mental image, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. Surly you can sense that. Or
am I overestimating you?"
The cold emotionless words grating on his nerves. Yes, he could sense the absolute lack of
chakra and emotion from the blond laying on the ground. He had hopped that Naruto was just
unconscious, but it would not explain to totality of the emptiness he sensed. Even newborns had
a little buzz of life to them. Naruto was devoid of the tell tail life signs.
Breathing rough, Sasuke stepped away from the wall, holding on to his last kunai and taking a
offensive stance. He had known that Naruto was unsure of himself and that he had pushed him to
fight, that ultimately it was his fault for pushing Naruto to come here.
Watching as his older brother unsheathed the wakazashi sword he kept hidden in his robes,
Sasuke knew he had to end this fight fast. So far he had been barely touching his brother and he
knew there was one sure way to get with in striking distance.
Forming chidori in his free hand he charged his elder brother.
Itachi expertly dodged the roaring hand and plunged the sword in to his little brothers chest.
Hearing the grown of pain that the sound of blood hiting the ground near his feet. Not quite
expecting Sasuke's hand to grab on to his over the sword handle and hold him there.
Dropping chidori the moment he felt his brother slip past it, then the bolt of ungodly pain as the
sword tore though him. Sasuke latched on to the hand that held the sword in his chest and slashed
across with the kunai in his other hand.
It hurt. His chest hurt to much for words. Moving just made it worse but he had to, he had to
slash and the moment he felt the hot sting of his older brothers blood as it splattered on to his
face, he knew that it as over. The hatred, the quest for vengeance, no one, not even his perfect
older brother could survive a slit throat.
Itachi pulled away, making a step before his blood ran out of the slash across his throat and he
collapsed to the ground, dead. Sasuke's vision blurred in and out and the metalic taste of blood
was in his mouth. Staggering, the raven haired teen grabbed the blood soaked blade through his
chest and tried to pull it out. Stopping at the massive pain the action caused and falling to the
ground, coughing up blood and making it hurt worse. Hurting so bad that he did not notice that
the hulking grey form of Kisami had stalked up to him.
There was a sharp pain as Kisami used his foot to kick him to his side, unable to lay on his back
with the sword protruding from him the way it was. Then more pain as the shark man pressed a
foot to his chest and grabbed the handle of the sword and pulled it free.
The world blurred out, but he refused to give in to the darkness that was creeping up on him, not
yet. Not when he was so close. Forcing his eyes open against the weariness that was settling over
him, Sasuke saw Kisami grab Naruto and pick him up.
Turning his head, the raven haired teen saw the flash of rasingan and felt the tremor as the two
remaining members of the legendary three shinobi fought against the barrier that held them. The
red wall gave in a little bit more then before, but it still rushed back to fill in the gaps the moment
the attacks stopped.
He could see Lee and Kiba getting their ass's kicked by the remaining akatsuki off to the side.
Then the hulking grey form with his blond dobe over his shoulder, start to walk away.
There was a deadness to his arms and legs, a numbness so complete that Sasuke could not get
them to move, could not take a deep breath, could not stop the blood rushing out of the hole in
his chest and still Naruto was being taken away.
Naruto committed mental seppuku to not have to go through the pain again, to not have to face
something that scared him so bad, he withdrew so far into himself to escape the mere threat of
the pain, that he destroyed his metal state and it was all his fault.
He had pressured Naruto to go to the village where they had met up with the others, he had
known that the blond was uncomfortable with telling people no and would go with what the
others had decided.
It was his fault that Naruto was basically dead. Yeah, his heart beat and his lung pulled oxygen in
to his body, but he would never wake up, never be Naruto again.
He was responsible for the death of his best friend.
As the retreating form of the shark man stepped farther and farther away from him, Sasuke felt a
change in his eyes. They were still burning with the sharingan and it felt the same way it had
when it had first formed, or when the copy wheel eye completed in the fight at the valley of the
end.
The sudden burst of color, of motions that had not yet happened, made the last remaining Uchiha
blink several times. Knowing what had just occurred and knowing that it just confirmed that he
was right about his guilt, Sasuke forced his weight on to his numb side and felt with unfeeling
hands the kunai that was still in his clenched fist.
His arms were heavy and awkward, but his muscles followed through with the action they had
preformed a thousand times and sent the kunai sailing towards the back of Kisami.
The shark man turned abruptly and swatted the blade away, then glared at the bleeding teen who
did not even have enough strength to sit up.
That was all Sasuke needed and he started spinning his new mangekyo sharingan. Not quite sure
how it was done, but trying anyway, he formed the red sky and the reality that he could control
inside Kisamis head.
His vision was blurring and it was hard to focus plus Kisami was ragging against the justu, trying
to dispel the master technique. Sasuke still had not done any thing to the shark man, he was not
sure how. What did his brother do? How did he do this?
Gagging on blood and feeling the control slip and Kisami attempting to get him out of his head,
Sasuke gave his representative in Kisamis head a sword and slashed the shark. Over and over,
ripping the creature apart until he was just pieces, then making him whole again and starting
over.
"You will relive this for 24 hours."
Coughing fiercely, Sasuke slid out of the sharks mind as a new round of slashes started.
It was hard to breath and with his blurred vision all he could see was the blond form laying at the
feet of the shark that had dropped him when the master illusion started. Saw the gray feet start to
move toward him and the sword that Kisami carried, be lifted as the man roared in rage and
charged him.
‘Didn't the jutsu work?'
Feeling the darkness creep in, keeping pace with the blood flowing out of his chest, Sasuke could
not even brace for the blow Kisami was going to deliver.
But right before the shaving sword could hit him, a roaring chidori burst through the man,
showering the cement with the sharks blood.
Sasuke felt hands be place over his chest and the tingling sensation as the hokage started to heal
him. Still the darkness was closing in on him as all the villages shinobi took up the fight.
‘How?'
Inuzuka's dogs raced by and the zori clad feet of Jiraiya stood by the limp form of Naruto.
That was all he wanted to see, his blond, his dobe.
He was sorry. He wanted to tell him that and a thousand other things but mostly that he was sorry
and that he loved him. He wanted to hold him again, to feel his hesitant warm lips on his own.
He wanted to see that open smile and the bright blue eyes filled with mirth and laughter.
But all he could do was lay here and watch as Naruto was turned over with careful hands. Watch
as feet thundered by him, racing to get to the fighting that was still going on. Watch the light
wind make the golden strands dance as he passed out from blood loss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N First off, don't kill me for this chapter. Secondly, this is not the last chapter. I would never
just leave it there. As a cliff hanger yes, as the conclusion , no. And as side note this chapter
veered off in to an area I was not sure about, but liked once I saw it written. So I will continue in
this direction. For only about five more chapters or so, then it will really end.
And of course thank you for being putting up with the delay as I edited the prior chapters.
Next chapter, titled; Dealing with Demons.
the long awaited new chapter.
Not according to plan.
Naruto looked around at the brightly painted buildings and signs as they walked towards the
markets on the way to the hokage tower. The sun kissed crags that over looked the village and
the tittering of the birds were just as he remember them. The green roof tops and colorfully
painted houses, all the way he recalled them to be. The hokage monument proudly looming in the
background as he and Kiba entered the market square. The familiar face's of the past kages
looking down at him, reassuring him like they always had.
Still, something was off. It was like Kiba and Lee reported, he did not see a forehead protector
on a single person. People were hurriedly going about the shops, stopping to send him a worried
glare, then taking off like they had never seen him, that had not changed at least.
A fair share of the populace of Konoha were merchants and shop keeps, people who would not
know what to do with a kunai even if they had one. They ran the stores and the hot springs,
supported by the shinobi that resided here.
In fact the only people around looked like they were harmless, older ladies touting bags of
vegetables and a shopkeeper nervously trying to sweep his storefront.
There were no kids, no middle aged people that might be able to fight. Just the week and
defenseless, who were obviously scared in to going along with the charade of pretending nothing
was wrong.
The short hair on the back of his neck was standing up. Kyuubi was territorial and so was he.
How dare they reduce his home town in to this, this mockery of a shinobi village.
Seeing yet another person scurry away as soon as she saw him, the blond could not hide the
growl of anger from both him and the fox.
There was a squeeze on his shoulder from his shadow and the blond took a few calming breaths.
He saw the odd look Kiba was giving him out of the corner of his eye and clamped down on the
demons chakra. There was not much of it pulsing through him, but even that small amount was
very noticeable to those around him.
Right now he needed to look like he was doing all he could to remain standing. Make the people
that stood in the shadows, watching him, think that he was fatigued and would not put up much
of a fight.
Akamaru growled and the brunet walking next to him, patted the dogs head as he covertly
signaled to look left. Twisting about like he had just seen something he recognized, Naruto
spotted the two shady forms watching them from the mouth of an ally. Making the total 77 shady
characters so far.
Trying to balance his nervousness, anger and welling guilt, Naruto swallowed and felt the
shadow hand of Sasuke tug him to go right. Lee and Sasuke were masquerading as their
shadows, making it look like the only person with him was Kiba, who was playing the part of
weary teen as well.
The brunet felt the guiding tug from Lee and maneuvered so that they passed under an awning in
front of a book shop. The shopkeeper disappearing inside as they drew near.
The two shadows darted off as soon as they crossed in to the shadow the awning cast and Kiba
nudged him to keep him moving forward like nothing had happened. Like he was not suddenly
without the moral support of the raven haired teen he had grown accustomed to.
Still he pressed any lingering doubts away and continued his hesitant steps forward.
They were the bait after all.
Sasuke and Lee would wait in the shadows for an akatsuki member to show himself and kill him
before he got to him. Well, that was the plan.
Part of it at least.
Walking out from under the awning without the reassuring pressure of Sasuke's hand on his
shoulder, he and Kiba made it to the center of the square before the men that had been watching
him the entire time, stepped forward. Out of the nooks and allies that they had thought provided
them cover from being detected.
The regular towns folk disappeared in to shops or ran home for cover, leaving only the two tired
ninjas to face the hoard of hired men.
This was part of the plan as well.
When the men got to close, the blond flew through hand seals, ending with the familiar crossed
fingers. The square was suddenly filled with at least a hundred Narutos and before the goons
could react, each blond copy preformed the summoning jutsu.
Toads of all shapes and sizes filled the square, each amphibian with a blond teen standing next to
it.
The real Naruto let out a shaky breath. He had lost about twenty five copies just from the
exertion of the mass summoning. But that was the point of it all, the toads did not need to have
one of his copies present to fight and as the first man drew his weapon, the melee started.
Toads belched oil and clones ignited it, pink tongues shot forth and captured the men to be
knocked out by the awaiting Naruto. A few clones ambushed a group of men trying to run in to a
store for cover, pained cries rose up from the few men that had tried to run away and were
hopped on by the large toads.
The sound of metal clashing together, rang out as the group of hired men regained their wits and
started to fight back more seriously. Seeing one man send two sets of clone and toad puffing back
in to smoke, the blond stepped forward and let some of the anger from Kyuubi influence him.
His eyes turned red and the marks on his cheeks spread, but that was as far as he let it go.
Gathering the sudden wealth of chakra in to the palm of his hand, the blond charged and
slammed the man in the chest with the rasengan. Sending him crashing in to a building on the
other side of the square.
Yet another man tried to attack him from behind and a toad whose clone did not survive the
summoning, stepped forward and blocked the blow. The orange and blue amphibian used his
studded tongue to punch the man away before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.
Having so many clones to control was draining his concentration and the hired thugs were
turning out to be decent fighters. The market square was filled with cries of pain and the
occasional pop as a clone or toad was defeated.
Sweat ran down the real Narutos back, he could produce thousands of copies if need be, but
being engaged in over thirty different fights at a single time was proving to be to distracting.
He was fighting a man wearing a fish net shirt at the moment and the guy was able to score
repetitive hits on him. Not very damaging hits, but making him lose even more concentration so
that a few clones next to him popped out of existence.
Freeing up their opponents to join the fish net man in the fight against him.
Three to one were odds he had grown accustomed to from his captive stay at the sound.
Removing Orochimarus sword from his back and using the blade to pari one mans katana, he
charged his free hand with chakra and slammed it in to the next mans side. The blast of wild
chakra sending the man flying and making the odds now two to one.
Expertly dodging a few kunai, Naruto swung down hard with the sword and cut the blocking
katana clean in two, gouging the front of the man wielding it as well. Charging the last man and
performing the Uzumaki sword combo, the fish net man popped and dissipated in to smoke as
the sword hit. The real one appeared behind the blond and kicked him face first to the base of a
little food stand.
"Your not the only one who can make clones."
Hearing the snide voice right behind him, but moving to slow from his fragmented concentration,
Naruto flipped over just in time to see the fish net mans kunai that was intended for his back, be
blocked.
Sunlight glinted off the large kitchen knife the man who owned the Ichiraku ramen held as he
stood over him, blocking the thugs kunai. The ramen cooks hand was shaking from holding the
blade back and sweat dripped from his forehead. Fish net shirt sneered and pulled back, but
before he could attack, there was a ringing thud and the man dropped. Ayami stood clutching a
large pan behind the now unconscious man at her feet.
The large, aproned man that had fed him ramen for as long as he could remember, reached down
and helped Naruto to his feet. The blond teen speechless at the assistance provided. The ramen
stand owner smiled and place his hand on Narutos shoulder.
"Finish this fight quickly, the shinobi are either locked in the hokage tower or in the caves with
the children. That bastard Itachi led the akatsuki right in to the secret fortification."
Naruto nodded, the caves in the hokage monument had long been the secret place to stash the
woman and children when Konoha was under siege. Only someone from the village would know
of its entrances and obviously Itachi used that knowledge to his advantage.
Suddenly lunging forward and tackling the man as several kunai slammed in to the side of the
building right next to were the ramen stand owner had been standing. Getting up quickly, the
blond looked at Ayami who had screamed for her father to watch out, not for the kunai but for
him. She refused to met his gaze and he was not all that surprised. Reaching down, he helped the
stand owner to his feet.
"Get to cover."
The owner brushed off his white apron and grabbed his daughters hand, nodded, then rushed
back in to the relative safety of the ramen stand. Watching the pair disappear in to the depths of
the building then have the door slam shut and hear scraping, as heavy objects were placed in
front of it.
Turning numbly to the wall that had at least a dozen kunai protruding from it, the blond solemnly
pulled two out. Grasping one in each hand, he returned his attention to the fight. Kiba was
starting to get over whelmed and the distraction from the ramen stand owner had made his lack
of concentration be the demise of several clones.
Charging in to the group of men that surrounded the Inuzuka, he dodged one mans sword slash
and jumped in to cut the mans throat, hot blood splattering on to the front of his clothes.
Finding his next target, Naruto charged and killed the man with out much effort. Block with one
kunai and slash the throat with the other. Block the sensation of blood running down his front out
and keep fighting.
No longer was he trying to make it so the hired thugs could no longer fight, he was just killing
them. He had thought that if he refused to kill unless forced to, maybe when it was all over the
towns people would be less wary of him.
But even when he had tried to save one of them, Ayami thought he was going to kill the man
who had just saved him. He knew that the villagers were going to be scared of him.
Of coarse she was frightened of him, who wouldn't be.
But he had thought that maybe, Neji was right and that he could be accepted back. That the towns
people could have forgiven him.
Shaking his head, Naruto scored another kill, the man falling lifeless at his feet. Even the toads
had felt the change in their summoner and were using deadlier techniques. Shaking as the
crimson dripped off the kunai he held, crystal tears fell from his eyes.
He had been a fool to hope that he would be able to come back, that he would find that the
people understood that he never wanted to do any of what Orochimaru forced him to do. No.
Ayami's scream summed up what he would face once the beast was sealed again, all the scorn
and hatred that he had just started to dispel when he was taken away. He was not even back at
stage one again, he was push back passed that. Everybody knew. What if Sakura screamed when
she saw him, or Hinata, or Konohamaru. No one was going to trust him again. He would be alone
again. The outcast again.
Roaring, as he focused the emotions charging through him, starting a combo that left 5 dead.
Turning at the last moment to throw Orochimarus sword, nailing the 6th man to a side of a
flower shop.
A shadow crossed over the blade and suddenly the sword vanished as Sasuke grabbed it and
forced it in to the shadow skill. The Uchiha was still waiting for the akatsuki to show up and
Naruto refused to let out the sob that was trying to escape him.
It was a good plan and he hated to ruin it, but it would be for the best if the demon died and what
better way then protecting the village?
The blond had already made up him mind to leave Sasuke behind after the beast was sealed, but
Ayami's reaction had finally made up his mind about where he would run to.
Sasuke would be upset, but move on, he had a dream after all and there could be no more
Uchiha's if he loved him. Konoha had not crumbled in his absence and would not fall if he never
showed back up. A few people might miss him, the old him, the loud prankster that had died out
from Orochimarus treatment.
But nobody knew what he was now, so scarred and weak, the decision to leave came in the
woods when Sasuke was holding him and deifying his erection. He could not even let Sasuke
touch him, he could not stand the contact and he had to get rid of his friends hard on, not because
he was turned on or even being considerate. He was terrified.
He had hid his fears and pretended to be jovial, coming to the decision to leave Sasuke behind
regardless of what happened when they reached Konoha. Because he could not get over the fears
that plagued him, no matter how hard he tried to forget the other mens touches and concentrate
on Sasuke. It was not fair to the raven haired bastard for him to love him. He was dirty, used and
most importantly, broken, he did not even think that he was capable of loving someone any more.
Sure Sasuke was his friend and he would do anything to keep him around.
But that was what he was doing. Letting the Uchiha do what he wanted to him because he wanted
Sasuke to stay with him. Sure he felt something for him, maybe it was love, but every one he
loved was killed off for being around him. Iruka was dead because of him and Sasuke might have
the same fate if he stayed around.
Yes, there was no reason for him to stay alive if he lived through this fight.
Just more pain waited for him.
Jumping clear of the clone beast tornado that finished off the few stragglers, the familiar
sensation of powerful chakra tickled his senses, just as a explosion rattled the market square.
Kiba stopped the getsuga and landed next to him as a large gray bird glided over head, a blond
with the black cloak with red clouds on it, riding the fabricated creature.
The cement around them cracked and buckled, a cage forming around them, made form black
sand. A crab like man adorned in the akatsuki robes stood in the far corner of the square, guarded
by puppets.
Naruto could hear the low growls from Kiba and Akamaru and the blond saw them both finch as
the shadows spewed forth a high speed green blur that slammed in to the gray clay bird. The
impact ripped the thing in two and rush of power from Lee's lotus coupled with the opening of
several gates, washed over them.
The blond that rode the clay bird fell to the ground, wrapped in the spandex wearer's bandages,
head first. Lee jumped away from the limp form, still tan from the force of the gates he had
opened to fight. The two puppets charged forward but fell to the ground limp as Sasuke dropped
shadow skill and was standing on the back side of the crab like man, The sword protruding from
the armor and a few drops of blood fell from the blades tip, having pierced the only organic part
of the puppet master.
The black sand cages around him and Kiba, fell apart. The dog lover rushed forward to block an
attack form an akatsuki member that had formed from the wall behind Lee, the akatsuki
knocking both Akamaru and Kiba away before getting hit back by Lee.
A midget stood on a nearby roof top directing men who fought Sasuke and two more people clad
in the tell tail cloak stood back watching the fighting.
Hearing a cry of pain from Lee, Naruto rushed forward, stopping and spinning around when a
familiar, coldly polite voice spoke directly behind him.
"You should fight your own opponents Naruto kun."
Itachi stood next to the imposing form of Kisami who had his overly large sword resting on his
shoulder. The sword not wrapped in its normal bandages so that the blond could see as it pulsed
and twitched, throughly awakened by the amount of chakra being emitted by the people in the
market square.
A small smile graced the blonds face and Naruto silently apologized to Sasuke. He had fully
intended to miss a dodged or block or something in the middle of a fight and die. Kyuubi just did
not have enough chakra to stop a critical wound, but he did not think that he would have to go up
against Sasuke's older brother.
It would be cruel to Sasuke for him to die at the hands of Itachi, but at least it was a sure thing.
Apologizing to Sasuke again for what he was about to do, Naruto charged the elder Uchiha.
Watching as the eyes turned red, then the 3 black tomo expand.
With the ease garnished from the repetitive times Orochimaru forced him to switch out with the
fox, Naruto snapped the demons consciousness in his owns stead. It was his only natural
advantage that his tenet did not like company and mutilated the minds of any foolish enough to
try a technique that involved going in to his head.
Itachi's Tsukuyomi made a world controlled by him in the victims own mind, normally
unbreakable until the time limit set by Itachi passed.
Naruto felt the demons sudden rage and stepped back in control of his body. Just in time to see
the shocked expression on Itachi's face and form a rasingan in the palm of his hand.
Completing his interrupted charge and slamming the swirling ball of chakra in to the murders
stomach. Dodging and twisting to avoid the sword Kisami swung and feeling the chakra in the
rasingan be eaten by the sword.
Landing in a crouch and sliding a few feet as the older Uchiha got back to his feet, Kisami's
sword having eaten most of the chakra in his rasengan so that Itachi was merely knocked away.
Watching as the murder stood back up, Naruto shuttered and attempted to suppress the angry red
chakra that had started to seep from him. Itachi's little excursion in to his head had pissed
Kyuubi off and the fox was attempting to take control.
Growling fiercely, the blond charged again, forcing the red chakra to his finger tips then swiping
at Kisame. The shark man dodged and Naruto had the boiling chakra forming over him,
momentarily taken away as the sword absorbed it. Lurching back and spotting Itachi in the
middle of a set of hand seals, Naruto jumped back, barely escaping the circle that had formed
around him then shrank suddenly.
Forcing the boiling anger that was trying to place itself over his awareness, back down in to his
stomach. He needed to be the one in control, he had to be able to force himself to take a hit.
Kyuubi would dodge and fight on instinct and he did not want to take the pleasure of killing
Itachi away from Sasuke.
Naruto jumping to avoid the fire ball from the elder Uchiha on impulse, Kisami jumped up and
swung the massive sword. Hitting Naruto back to the ground only to have the blond puff in to
smoke. The real Naruto slashed at the shark man from behind, scoring a deep hit on the grayed
flesh as Kisami turned in mid air to knock him away.
Landing on his feet, Naruto had to jump quickly to escape the collapsing circles Itachi kept
throwing over his head. Jump, jump, roll, bounce of the side of a building and throw a kunai at
Itachi.
The Uchiha would not let him stop moving, the moment he slowed a glowing ring would form
around him, not knowing what it was, he did not want to chance it not being fatal. Jumping away
from Kisami, he saw Itachi remove a short sword from his robes. The murderer charged him and
he flinched as he forced himself to stand still and take the blade to his chest.
Only to have a hand grab his neck from behind as the illusion of the sword wielding Uchiha
vanished. Twisting around, a glowing ring formed around his neck and shrank. A heavy collar
appeared from the dissipating light and sat snugly against the flesh of his neck.
All at once, every iota of chakra vanished from his system. Kyuubi was locked away and he fell
to his knees as Itachi let go, not having enough energy to support himself.
His vision blurred in and out, the fuzzy form of the Uchiha standing in front of him snapped a
chain to the collar around his neck and jerked up on it. Dragging him back to his feet.
The blond could not make his muscles do as he commanded, all he could do was hang there as
panic filled his trapped mind as the elder Uchiha leaned forward and spoke in his cold,
dispassionate voice.
"The demon is to valuable for me to kill you, Naruto kun. There is no way for you to get away,
you will come with us."
‘NO.'
Naruto could not speak, could not scream the way he was on the inside. He could not even lift a
hand to brace himself as he was thrown to the feet of Kisami, who picked him up and threw him
over his shoulder.
‘NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.'
He could not go back to anything like it was at the sound. He could not live with himself as he
was now, how could he live with what the akatsuki would make him do? Sasuke would not be
there to support him and give him hope, no one would be there, just the pain. The endless pain
of his existence. There was no way he could do that again.
The shark like man started to walk out of the market square with him still over his shoulder.
Little by little the blond's metal form started to wither, then crack as a scream from one of his
companions drifted up. He was being taken away again to face whatever the akatsuki had in store
for him, for the demon. Screaming to the barren walls in his own head, the fox blocked from him
so completely that he could not even go to the cage to get support from the presence of the
Kyuubi, the blond's mental image fell apart. Broken in to a thousand pieces as Naruto tore his
mental form to shreds, unable to live with what was going to happen to him again but unable to
phisicaly do anything about it.
The blond teen, once so full of life and attitude was now a hollow shell with nothing inside, so
broken and destroyed that even through the barrier put up around him to prevent his interfering,
Kyuubi could feel the smothering of Naruto's consciousness as it faded out. The blonds body still
breathed in and the heart still beat, but there was no one left inside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sasuke delivered the final, decisive blow to the midget in the akatsuki robes and turned to see
how the others were fairing in their fights. Lee and Kiba were working together and were holding
off a man that looked like he had a venous fly trap over his head. But he could not see Naruto,
where was Naruto?
Glancing to the hokage tower he saw the flash of light that was Kakashi's chidori against the red
barrier and see that the seal gave a little, but still held. Looking back over the fighting below him,
he saw the familiar gray hulk of his brothers partner with a shock of blond hair thrown over his
shoulder.
A stab of panic and rage tore through him and he removed Orochimaru's sword from the
bleeding corpse of the midget. Throwing it across the square to slam in to the place that had held
Kisami. Then leaping out of the swords shadow to punch the solidly build man in the gut and
getting him to drop the blond teen.
Sharingan registered every movement, every little twitch the shark like man made and noticed
that Naruto did not make any at all. In a flash Kisami had draw the large sword and was about to
swing when a pale hand adorned with black nail polish appeared, stopping him.
Itachi stood in front of the grey skined man, facing his seething little brother.
"I will handle this. Kisami san, take Naruto kun."
Sasuke watched as Kisami shouldered the sword and bent down to pick up the limp blond form.
Releasing several shiruken, making the gray man jump away from Naruto, Sasuke brought
chidori to life and charged the man.
Seeing the blur that was his brother step in to his path and grab his wrist. Not hesitating in the
least, Sasuke dropped low and swung his leg, barely clipping Itachi's leg. Making his older
brother let go of him before they both jumped back.
Itachi stood dispassionately in front of him, like he always did, but Sasuke could see his
movement ever so slightly with his sharingan and he had actually clipped his brothers leg in his
counter attack. His older brother would never just let him get a hit in, no, he liked to show him
how much farther he had yet to go to reach his level.
Seeing his brothers hand motion a moment before it had happened, was just enough time to avoid
being roasted alive by the black flames that his older brother summoned.
It was slight, but he could see it, his brothers movements, the immeasurable gap between them
was not so large any more.
Feeling his brothers fist slam in to his back, knocking him back to the charred cement, he
conceded that although the gap was not as large as it was, there was still a distinct gap between
them.
Rolling away, dodging the fist that slammed in to the cement with enough force to buckle it,
Sasuke jumped to his feet. Charging his brother and hearing the clang as their kunai collided,
jumping back to avoid the explosive tag Itachi placed in the brief meeting.
All Sasuke could do was dodge or jump back as his older brother started to fire off Jutsu after
jutsu, barely escaping serious harm. Burned and bleeding from the numerous near misses, he cast
a quick glance to the limp blond. Kisami was inching his way over to him, having to dodge the
Uchiha's attacks as well.
There was a crack then a blinding pain as the raven haired teen was slammed in to the nearest
building.
"Don't lose sight of your opponent Sasuke. Besides, Naruto is a vegetable now, there is no way
for you to save him."
Jumping to his feet and flinging several kunai to make Kisami dodge and get away from Naruto,
ignoring his brother as Itachi repeated his last attack. The force from the gout of lighting that hit
him, made the wall behind Sasuke crack. Forcing himself to breath, dragging air is to his
scorched lungs, he could only glare at the man who had been the root of his pain for so long.
"You may not have noticed, but Naruto kun was suicidal. When I failed to release him of his life,
he destroyed his mental image, leaving nothing but a hollow shell. Surly you can sense that. Or
am I overestimating you?"
The cold emotionless words grating on his nerves. Yes, he could sense the absolute lack of
chakra and emotion from the blond laying on the ground. He had hopped that Naruto was just
unconscious, but it would not explain to totality of the emptiness he sensed. Even newborns had
a little buzz of life to them. Naruto was devoid of the tell tail life signs.
Breathing rough, Sasuke stepped away from the wall, holding on to his last kunai and taking a
offensive stance. He had known that Naruto was unsure of himself and that he had pushed him to
fight, that ultimately it was his fault for pushing Naruto to come here.
Watching as his older brother unsheathed the wakazashi sword he kept hidden in his robes,
Sasuke knew he had to end this fight fast. So far he had been barely touching his brother and he
knew there was one sure way to get with in striking distance.
Forming chidori in his free hand he charged his elder brother.
Itachi expertly dodged the roaring hand and plunged the sword in to his little brothers chest.
Hearing the grown of pain that the sound of blood hiting the ground near his feet. Not quite
expecting Sasuke's hand to grab on to his over the sword handle and hold him there.
Dropping chidori the moment he felt his brother slip past it, then the bolt of ungodly pain as the
sword tore though him. Sasuke latched on to the hand that held the sword in his chest and slashed
across with the kunai in his other hand.
It hurt. His chest hurt to much for words. Moving just made it worse but he had to, he had to
slash and the moment he felt the hot sting of his older brothers blood as it splattered on to his
face, he knew that it as over. The hatred, the quest for vengeance, no one, not even his perfect
older brother could survive a slit throat.
Itachi pulled away, making a step before his blood ran out of the slash across his throat and he
collapsed to the ground, dead. Sasuke's vision blurred in and out and the metalic taste of blood
was in his mouth. Staggering, the raven haired teen grabbed the blood soaked blade through his
chest and tried to pull it out. Stopping at the massive pain the action caused and falling to the
ground, coughing up blood and making it hurt worse. Hurting so bad that he did not notice that
the hulking grey form of Kisami had stalked up to him.
There was a sharp pain as Kisami used his foot to kick him to his side, unable to lay on his back
with the sword protruding from him the way it was. Then more pain as the shark man pressed a
foot to his chest and grabbed the handle of the sword and pulled it free.
The world blurred out, but he refused to give in to the darkness that was creeping up on him, not
yet. Not when he was so close. Forcing his eyes open against the weariness that was settling over
him, Sasuke saw Kisami grab Naruto and pick him up.
Turning his head, the raven haired teen saw the flash of rasingan and felt the tremor as the two
remaining members of the legendary three shinobi fought against the barrier that held them. The
red wall gave in a little bit more then before, but it still rushed back to fill in the gaps the moment
the attacks stopped.
He could see Lee and Kiba getting their ass's kicked by the remaining akatsuki off to the side.
Then the hulking grey form with his blond dobe over his shoulder, start to walk away.
There was a deadness to his arms and legs, a numbness so complete that Sasuke could not get
them to move, could not take a deep breath, could not stop the blood rushing out of the hole in
his chest and still Naruto was being taken away.
Naruto committed mental seppuku to not have to go through the pain again, to not have to face
something that scared him so bad, he withdrew so far into himself to escape the mere threat of
the pain, that he destroyed his metal state and it was all his fault.
He had pressured Naruto to go to the village where they had met up with the others, he had
known that the blond was uncomfortable with telling people no and would go with what the
others had decided.
It was his fault that Naruto was basically dead. Yeah, his heart beat and his lung pulled oxygen in
to his body, but he would never wake up, never be Naruto again.
He was responsible for the death of his best friend.
As the retreating form of the shark man stepped farther and farther away from him, Sasuke felt a
change in his eyes. They were still burning with the sharingan and it felt the same way it had
when it had first formed, or when the copy wheel eye completed in the fight at the valley of the
end.
The sudden burst of color, of motions that had not yet happened, made the last remaining Uchiha
blink several times. Knowing what had just occurred and knowing that it just confirmed that he
was right about his guilt, Sasuke forced his weight on to his numb side and felt with unfeeling
hands the kunai that was still in his clenched fist.
His arms were heavy and awkward, but his muscles followed through with the action they had
preformed a thousand times and sent the kunai sailing towards the back of Kisami.
The shark man turned abruptly and swatted the blade away, then glared at the bleeding teen who
did not even have enough strength to sit up.
That was all Sasuke needed and he started spinning his new mangekyo sharingan. Not quite sure
how it was done, but trying anyway, he formed the red sky and the reality that he could control
inside Kisamis head.
His vision was blurring and it was hard to focus plus Kisami was ragging against the justu, trying
to dispel the master technique. Sasuke still had not done any thing to the shark man, he was not
sure how. What did his brother do? How did he do this?
Gagging on blood and feeling the control slip and Kisami attempting to get him out of his head,
Sasuke gave his representative in Kisamis head a sword and slashed the shark. Over and over,
ripping the creature apart until he was just pieces, then making him whole again and starting
over.
"You will relive this for 24 hours."
Coughing fiercely, Sasuke slid out of the sharks mind as a new round of slashes started.
It was hard to breath and with his blurred vision all he could see was the blond form laying at the
feet of the shark that had dropped him when the master illusion started. Saw the gray feet start to
move toward him and the sword that Kisami carried, be lifted as the man roared in rage and
charged him.
‘Didn't the jutsu work?'
Feeling the darkness creep in, keeping pace with the blood flowing out of his chest, Sasuke could
not even brace for the blow Kisami was going to deliver.
But right before the shaving sword could hit him, a roaring chidori burst through the man,
showering the cement with the sharks blood.
Sasuke felt hands be place over his chest and the tingling sensation as the hokage started to heal
him. Still the darkness was closing in on him as all the villages shinobi took up the fight.
‘How?'
Inuzuka's dogs raced by and the zori clad feet of Jiraiya stood by the limp form of Naruto.
That was all he wanted to see, his blond, his dobe.
He was sorry. He wanted to tell him that and a thousand other things but mostly that he was sorry
and that he loved him. He wanted to hold him again, to feel his hesitant warm lips on his own.
He wanted to see that open smile and the bright blue eyes filled with mirth and laughter.
But all he could do was lay here and watch as Naruto was turned over with careful hands. Watch
as feet thundered by him, racing to get to the fighting that was still going on. Watch the light
wind make the golden strands dance as he passed out from blood loss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N First off, don't kill me for this chapter. Secondly, this is not the last chapter. I would never
just leave it there. As a cliff hanger yes, as the conclusion , no. And as side note this chapter
veered off in to an area I was not sure about, but liked once I saw it written. So I will continue in
this direction. For only about five more chapters or so, then it will really end.
And of course thank you for being putting up with the delay as I edited the prior chapters.
Next chapter, titled; Dealing with Demons.