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Naruto jumped back a split second before the kunai that had landed at his feet went off.
"You can't run forever, Dobe!!" Sasuke growled venomously, throwing more Kunai at him, each blasting away milliseconds after impact. Each getting closer and closer to blasting Naruto away with them.
'He's right...' Naruto thought, breathing hard, exhausted. 'I'm nearly out of Chakra.' He dodged yet another explosive, but only just, and his sleeve came away singed and smoking.
"You'll have to fight back eventually!" Sasuke growled, making a hand sign. He jumped high into the air, forcing chakra down into the Earth with his exertion. "Fire style..." He hissed, "Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" He took a deep breath, large balls of flame shot forth from his mouth.
'He's really trying to kill me this time...' Naruto thought, crouching as the fireballs grew closer and trying to judge where they would land before flailing blindly beneath them. He dodged desperately, twisting and jumping off of the surrounding landscape. His lack of Stamina finally caught up to him and the last few balls of fire hit their mark and Naruto was set aflame.
The Raven's breath hitched audibly in his throat as he hit the ground, a block of ice in his stomach forcing his blood to run cold in response to the pitiful wails and screeches from the Blonde.
He closed his eyes in composure when Naruto disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a loud pop. 'Idiot...' He thought, refusing to acknowledge the relief that flowed through him when the clone dissipated in front of him before focusing on finding the real one. The task required little effort since the idiot hadn't even tried to hide but stood out in the open.
'He must have plenty of Chakra left...' Sasuke thought, breathing deeply through his nose so that he didn't show his exhaustion. 'He hasn't thrown a single punch... My chakra, on the other hand, is almost completely gone...'
"Look, Naruto, if you don't leave... right now... I'll kill you. I won't hold back." Sasuke said carefully. He wasn't sure if Naruto had bought it or not, but if he had he wasn't fleeing. It was hard to tel sometimes if Naruto simply didn't believe what Sasuke told him or chose to simply ignore it.
'If he doesn't buy my bluff...' Sasuke thought tiredly, glaring at the blonde from behind his Ebony bangs. He didn't finish the thought, not knowing what he was going to have to do to get away from the determined Ninja before him this time.
Tears pricked at the edges of Naruto vision as he looked at his friend, the cold words stuck deep in him. He clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides, a small, strangled whimper escaped his lips.
"Sasuke..." He said shaking his head slightly. "I... I don't want to fight anymore!" He didn't even try to hide the tears as they fell freely from his face to the ground at his feet.
'Stupid...' Sasuke thought as he put his hand on his sword, ready to draw it if need be. "I can see that." He said flatly.
Naruto put his hand behind him, reaching for his hip pouch. Sasuke quickly drew his sword in grim anticipation, skipping the dramatics he loved so much. 'Didn't he just say he didn't want to fight?' he thought, keeping his eyes carefully on the Blonde and holding the sword out in front of him.
Naruto's hand reappeared holding the rugged, old hip pouch. The air between them become thick and began to crackle around the two of them. Chidori surrounded the sword in Sasuke's hand, sending off menacing signals and warnings to his friend to not dislodge his only weapons.
Naruto took the pouch off of his leg as well and held it out with the other out in front of him. Sasuke watched from behind the screaming sword, his face blank, his mind reeling.
The Blonde dropped both pouches to the ground resolutely, small clouds of dust rising up around them. "Please Sasuke... come back to Konoha with me." He said quietly. Sasuke hid his surprise by raising the sword a little, "I can't do that..." He responded.
Naruto took a few slow step forward, "Why?" he asked. Sasuke squeezed the hilt of his sword and clenched his teeth. "I just can't Naruto." He replied irritably.
'At least he's talking...' Naruto thought as he took another couple of steps toward his best friend. "Please Sasuke?" He asked quietly, the words barely more than a whisper last his dry and cracked lips. "What more do you want?" He asked, shaking his head a little. He couldn't understand. Sasuke had set out and accomplished his supposed personal vendetta against his older brother. 'Is there something else...' Naruto thought hazily.
Sasuke's new Team appeared on the hill behind him, looking down at the two of them. Naruto glanced up at them briefly, but looked back at Sasuke. He knew that if it came to blows from all four of the Shinobi, his chances were of making it out of here alive were slim to none. Forget bringing Sasuke back with him.
"Stay away from me, Naruto." Sasuke warned, his voice low. The dark haired man could feel the tingling waves of Chakra coming up behind him and recognized it as his group. They would be happy to cut down the Nine Tails where Sasuke always hesitated. Naruto raised one hand, showing that he was clearly unarmed."Put the sword down Sasuke." He said, finality in his words but pleading in his tone. Sasuke jerked his head slightly at it, not sure which to react to. "I said -" Naruto began, taking another step toward him.
Sasuke snarled and jabbed the screaming blue sword into the space between them. "I'll kill you!!" He raised his voice, but it was off. Strange and unwelcome emotion had found it's way to Sasuke's throat and he was having a hard time talking past them now.
"No." Naruto said, taking yet another step for him. Sasuke's eyes widened in confusion and surprise at his statement. He almost took a step back, his instinct was telling him to step away if he wasn't going to fight. But his pride screamed at him to keep his ground. Mixed signals forced the Uchiha to wobble slightly, fighting himself now. "No, you won't... You won't hurt me." Naruto repeated.
If Naruto saw the battle that his friend was having with himself, and Sasuke was sure that he did and was going on that during his negotiations, he didn't comment on it. Sasuke's team certainly did, for suddenly they lept into action behind him and came tearing down the hill toward them at alarming speeds. Sasuke hurriedly signaled them to stay away with a signal from his free hand, not taking his eyes off of Naruto's face.
"You don't think I will?" Sasuke asked, exasperated. He force a step forward, the sword still held straight out in front of him, spitting blue warnings in all directions. "You don't think I can't do it? Kill you? It'll be easy!" He reasoned, knowing that if Naruto refused to fight, this his bone and flesh may as well be butter beneath his Katana. "Stay still!!" He snarled, still feeling flighty.
Naruto held up both hands, swallowed nervously, but he didn't move this time. "You're suffering..." he said gently. Sasuke scoffed and made a pained face at him, failing to come up with e decent smirk for once. "You've been alone for a long... long time." Naruto continued, he moved a few quick steps forward in blind determination, still revealing his vulnerable palms.
He had cleared half of the space between them now. "Don't patronize me..." Sasuke hissed, his facial features cast in menacing shadows from the blue light in front of him as he raised the sword higher to Uzumaki's advances. The light added deep and rolling depth to his pinned red eyes.
Naruto ignored him and took half a step forward, returning to his previous method of inching his way forward again. For now, Sasuke's team had stopped and were pacing a hundred yards or so away. Naruto didn't know how much of what was being said could be heard by them, but he didn't care. "But you know what Sasuke?" He continued, a gentle shake residing in his words now. Sasuke, still looking pained and uncertain, couldn't hold back the response that leaped out of him. "What?" Suddenly the sword in front of him screamed louder as he forced more Chakra into the sword.
"I have too." Naruto pleaded, taking a few steps forward again. He was so close he could feel the hot energy of Sasuke's chakra falling off of the sword he brandished. The Chidori sputtered altogether, losing the magnitude of screams and pitches for an instant before Sasuke capped his surprise and got it under control again.
"I've been alone too. And I've suffered." He said, getting closer still, he knew that he was signing his death certificate. With every step he took he added another jagged letter to the dotted line. "Stay!" Sasuke yelled, suddenly panicked. He took half a step forward, then took it back. He clenched his free hand to keep the tremors away.
"It's a dark place...and lonely. Isn't it Sasuke?" Naruto said sadly, tears were threatening to spill over again. 'Sasuke is in the darkness...' He said, remembering Neji's words from a past that seemed like centuries ago.
Sasuke almost nodded, almost let Naruto see just how right he was. But he fought it and tried to force the blank stare onto his face again. But he couldn't, Naruto's words had reached him and he didn't trust his voice anymore.
"We're both in the dark, Sasuke." Naruto said, tears rolling down his cheeks again, his chest ached for his friend. Sasuke shook his head, backing away from Naruto now, the tip of his sword shook. He didn't want these feelings, they were a sign of weakness. His pride had fled along with his smirk and expressionless features.
"Let me be there with you Sasuke. Let me save you from that darkness, and the loneliness. I'll take it, Sasuke. All of it. From you." Naruto said, he was standing directly in front of the sword now. "Give it to me."
"No..." Sasuke whimpered slightly, before shaking his head. "No!" He repeated, more fiercely. Naruto only nodded, and snaked his hand out to grip the sword. He flinched, biting back his agony with sheer determination but didn't look away. The Chidori screamed louder, it's wielder deciding to force his opponent to let go of the sword.
Sasuke watched in horror as a river of blood ran down Naruto's wrist and forearm, quickly soaking through dark sleeves and puddled around his feet. "L-let go!" He said, jerking the sword, but he only managed to slice deeper into Naruto's hand and earning an agonised yell. The blood flowed quicker if that was possible.
"No!" Naruto growled, pain and determination in his eyes. Tears rolled down Sasuke's face, his eyes fading from crimson to onyx. 'Let me be there with you Sasuke...' Naruto's voice echoed in Sasuke's mind.
He took a step back and the Chidori grew less powerful, the screaming less ear splitting and the blue streaks resending back down the cold metal. 'Let me save you from that darkness...' The sword thumped to the damp earth with a dull platter. 'I'll take it from you...'
The Chidori had died away completely and the renowned Uchiha Sasuke dropped to his knees. "Let me take you back to Konoha with me." Naruto gasped, his injured limb hanging limply at his side.
Sasuke didn't respond but he didn't move, dull eyes staring blankly at the ground before him. "We can be alone together." Naruto offered lightly with a small, sad smile.
Sasuke still didn't look up, but he gave an almost imperceptible nod. He heard Naruto fall to his own knees in front of him an instant later. "I saved you..." Naruto said quietly to himself.
"Finally."