Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Reflection of Oneself ❯ Requiem ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Title: Za Utsurikomi no Wagami - The Reflection of Oneself

Summery: Having his blood stolen by Kabuto for the sake of experimentation upon his after, Naruto's destiny takes a sharp turn. Twelve years and eight failed experiments later, Kabuto finally succeeded in achieving his ultimate creation - a perfect clone of the young fox-boy with the power of the Kyuubi intact. What he never expected was for Sasuke to help the to boy escape…

Author's Note: Yo! Well it seems as though I haven't gone long. So here I am once again, creating a new story for all you fanfiction connoisseurs! Thanks for this story goes to Belletiger, for the kindness of having shared the plot bunny that had brought it to life- you're the best! Anyway, this is also my first non-crossover Naruto fiction, so please be kind to me - I bruise like a grape.

Warning: I don't have a beta reader nor am I a literature expert, so please don't expect for things to be perfect - there to be some mild grammar and spelling errors. All flamers and cruel critics, you have been forewarned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If there should ever try to claim him as my own, may evil clowns eat me in my sleep! Shudder! Also the song `Darkening of the Light' belongs to Concrete Blonde.

Legend

“…Hello…” - Dialogue

`…Hello…' - Thoughts

`…Hello…' - Demon Dialogue

“…Hello…” - Jutsus

-.ooOoo.-

The Reflection of Oneself

Chapter 1: Requiem

Death.

It was so blunt that it seemed to mock him simplicity.

Like trying to catch wild butterflies, it always escapes your reach when you were longing for its embrace and like trying to escape a consuming darkness, it always found you - ready or not. Death defined the very existence of nature - the never-ending cycle - and taunting all those around it with the vastness of its almighty power. Death had the ability to be both merciful and merciless.

But most of all it was, in itself, emptiness incarnate.

Knowing all this, Sasuke stared down at the still form that was laid out before him and couldn't help but feel dead inside. He had killed - an act that had been so painfully simple. It had been what he had wanted - what he thought he wanted - the next step in his livelong goal of having his revenge upon his brother. Because of it, he had attained the fearsome and most coveted form of his clan's kikkai genkai - the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Yet even though he had it, the tri-bladed wheel spun listlessly in his dulled eyes as he began to feel the weight - the guilt - of what he had done set in. Naruto was dead now because of him. The blonde, once so vibrant, so spirited, so annoying… was gone. All that remained of the boy he had once known - the first person he had dared to call his friend - was nothing more then a slowly cooling corpse.

His fault…

The raven-haired youth shivered, rocking back on his heels as felt the rain being to fall. He coiled his fingers into his dampening hair and raised his crimson eyes to the heavens, very much aware that he was forever forsaken as the downpour washed away his tears. The heavens were crying for Naruto - weeping in sorrow because Sasuke had snuffed out the light of one of their brightest stars.

“Sasuke-sama…”

The teen turned his head slowly, looking up as his gaze fell on that of Kabuto. The gray haired medic only stood a few feet away, looking something like a wraith in the pouring rain. The older boy looked at him quietly, taking quite note of the newest Sharingan his eyes possessed, knowing exactly what they meant as he somberly looked away from Sasuke and then down at Naruto.

For a villain and traitor, the young gray-haired medic truly looked regretful. Sasuke wistfully remembered the blonde fervently telling him of a fight between the pair - when the younger boy had traveled with the Toad Sannin in their mission to bring Tsunade back as the Godaime Hokage.

Apparently Kabuto had had more respect for his fallen teammate then he had.

“So you've killed Naruto-kun” it was more a statement rather then asking a question. “Such a shame. He had so much power… and had been tempered accordingly, he could have made a very formidable weapon”

Power? Was Kabuto talking about that strange power Naruto had called upon during their battle? It would have to be. After all, Naruto had been able to heal that Chidori wound to the chest he had inflicted upon him…

But then Kabuto shock his head. “Unfortunate, yes… but we must go now. Orochimaru-sama sent me to escort you to Oto. Are you able to walk?”

Sasuke looked at him, shivering. From the moment Naruto had breathed his last to this very moment, the weight had been setting in. His mind felt heavy, sluggish. After having fought, having lost… he didn't want go anyway. He just wanted to let the darkness on the edge of his vision to consume him.

Unable to answer, the raven-haired boy tipped forward and crumpled into mud, his consciousness fading to black.

Kabuto looked down at the boy and sighed. Sloshing through mud to the Uchiha's side, he bent down preformed a quick diagnostics check. “Chakra exhaustion”

He looked back at the lifeless form of the blonde next to the now unconscious brunette. Such power. It was an absolute shame that Sasuke had killed Naruto. The things that could have been done with the jinchuuriki had he lived…

“Hmm…” he muttered, pondering a sudden thought for a moment. “What if…”

Reaching into his supply satchel, the young medic rummaged briefly before withdrawing a large syringe. Leaving Sasuke's side, he knelt next to the deceased boy and rolled his head to the side, baring the neck. Inserting the sharp tip deeply into graying flesh, he began to pull the plunger back, watching as the cylinder began to fill itself with the dark reddish blue liquid that was Naruto blood. Thankfully it was still fresh, as the blonde had only been dead for, at the most, five minutes.

“Onzon!”

After performing the pair of seals that went with the jutsu, a pale greenish blue light surrounded the vile preserving the precious blood within. Once that was done, he returned the syringe to his satchel. Although the turn of events today were most unfortunate, things had definitely made a turn in his favor.

Smirking lightly, Kabuto patted the boy's cold whiskered cheek.

“Even in death, you are still of some use. Rest in peace Naruto-kun… while you can”

Standing, the gray haired medic walked back to the unconscious Sasuke and picked him up, tossing the limp boy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The Uchiha grunted softly, mumbling quietly - something about being sorry.

Kabuto shook his head. It wasn't something to dwell on. He had completed his mission and more today, which was really all that matter. And giving Naruto one last furtive glance, he turned and began his long walk back towards Sound.

-.ooOoo.-

Kakashi had cursed as the rain began to fall and cursed some more when it began to fall harder. The jounin quickened his pace, Pakkun at his side doing the same. They couldn't loose track of the scent. Without it, they would never have a chance at reaching Naruto and Sasuke on time.

But nonetheless, the trail was growing weaker.

That very fact left the silvered haired man with a feeling of dread deep within his stomach. Blinking the water out of his eyes, continued to run and continued to pray that he would reach his two students on time before anything drastic transpired.

“This way” Pakkun barked, taking a left. “I can still smell their scent, but it's stronger this way”

“Lead on”

Kakashi took a deep breath and grit his teeth.

And so the pair persisted on in silence. Their trek last only a few more minutes, in which they had finally arrived at the boarder of Fire Country and the edge of the Valley of the End. Sliding down one of the rocky embankments, Kakashi noted with unease that the great battle had recently taken place, the pockmarks from explosions doting the cliff face.

As he arrived at the end, the base of the grand statues that overlooked the valley, he found only one of the two boys he was searching for. He could see Naruto lying upon the ground in the distance, drenched from the rain. The top of the boy's vivid orange jumpsuit was a fist sized tear, indicating that he had taken a massive blow to the chest though the skin below remained unmarred.

Pakkun stopped suddenly.

“What is it?” Kakashi asked, looking down at his summon.

The small dog whimpered.

“I… I smell death”

Those words chilled the silver haired jounin to the bone, as though an icicle had pierced his heart. Turning back to gaze at Naruto, it was only then that he noticed the blonde wasn't breathing.

Clearing the distance between them in seconds, the older man knelt next to student and pressed two fingers to the side of his neck. He winced, drawing his hand back sharply. Although he had known Naruto wouldn't have a pulse when he checked, the iciness of the boy's flesh caused him to shudder.

Naruto was dead.

Standing back, Kakashi was forced to bite down on the back of his gloved hand to keep from crying. Even after all these years of torment and heartbreak, he still wasn't able to hold it back. The blonde may have been annoying, but he was his student… and someone that had become important in his life this past year, even if he hadn't shown it.

`I've failed again…' he though miserably, chocking on a lump that had begun to form in his throat. `Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei - but mostly you sensei. I let your son die - I let mystudent die…'

Swallowing painfully, he knelt back down and took the small body into his arms.

`He was so much like you Obito. He had the same heart, the same determination, the same sense of humor… the same annoying smile'

Glancing at the sky, Kakashi felt the burning in his eyes slowly subside as he began to walk. As he reached Pakkun's side, the little dog looked up at him mournfully.

“Why do you hold it back?”

“Nani?”

“Why do you refuse to cry?”

“You know a ninja isn't to show emotion…”

Pakkun glared at him.

“Showing emotion and showing weakness are two entirely different things - you should know that by now. Naruto was a good kid, he deserves as much”

But Kakashi just shook his head. “No. By the time we return to Konoha, there will be enough people crying for him”

The dog simply sighed.

“If you say so Kakashi. But remember, when a ninja brakes under the pressure, it is their own fault it happened in the first place”

With that said, Pakkun vanished, leaving the silver haired man to travel back to Konoha alone. And as he did, however, he didn't even notice the tiny pinprick on the side of Naruto's neck…

-.ooOoo.-

Like a ghost - is the curtain

In the white light of the morning -

Dancing in the morning

Are you there - are you there?

And a shadow - like a sadness

Falling across the garden

Dancing in the garden

Are you there - are you there?

Shine on, friend. Goodnight

Why then the darkening of the light

And the leaves at my feet

Whisper sounds so familiar

Whisper so familiar -

Are you there? Are you there?

Shine on, friend. Goodnight

Why then the darkening of the light

Where the clouds pull apart

And the moon changes faces

In the quite secret places

Are you there? Are you there?

-.ooOoo.-

Translations and Original Jutsus:

Onzon/Preserve - lower B-rank ijutsu. Creates an airtight bubble of chakra around the chosen containment, keeping whatever is it cast upon locked within suspended animation. This technique is used by field-medics to preserve blood and/or tissue samples for testing at a later date - its ranking may raise to mid S-rank should it be used to preserve an entire living body, depending on the size.