Losing Battles

Thanks to those of you who reviewed :) Glad you like Sai's point of view. He was a lot of fun to write XD

I know some of you are curious to see Sasuke's point of view... so here it is~



Losing Battles
Turning Point


"Show me a good loser and I'll show you an idiot."
~ Leo Durocher


~*~Battle 8:~*~
Sasuke

Sasuke was so close he could taste it. For years it had bothered him. He knew his lightning based jutsus were susceptible to harm from a high level wind, but he hadn’t believed Naruto would be the one capable of defeating him. It pissed him off in a way that only the dobe could- like they were twelve again and he had just discovered that his teammate had passed him up. And then… it simply excited him. He had something to strive for again and he had a rival that still managed to prove he was competition.

But now his strength had increased and he could feel it. He’d overtake Naruto once more. He grew hard just at the thought of it, though the wriggling body underneath him perhaps had a hand in it as well. He allowed himself a small smile, pleased with his progress the past month and impending victory. But until he could best the other man, he’d delight in dominating Naruto a little more carnally.

Naruto moaned into another kiss, hips thrusting upwards and encouraging Sasuke to reciprocate. Strong legs wrapped themselves around his hips, forcing their bodies together. Sasuke smirked, amused by Naruto’s lack of self control and brushed the thigh at his hip to signal to let go. The other boy really did lack patience. However, Naruto’s grip only tightened, arms snaked their way up and across his shoulder blades to lock him in place.

Sasuke glanced at the limbs now trapping him in suspicion. Naruto was grinning at him mischievously, much to his own annoyance.

“I told you, I want to see you as you cum.” Sasuke shot Naruto a warning look before trying to pry him off, but Naruto’s grip was solid. Sasuke felt a little trill of surprise. “And I don’t care if I have to dry hump you like this to do it.”

Naruto rolled his hips with deliberate slowness, escalating Sasuke’s annoyance. He had mistakenly believed the other boy was too far gone to think and now he was stuck. He knew Naruto was unpredictable, but this was not the type of surprise he enjoyed.

“Let me go,” Sasuke said calmly. He rolled his hips into Naruto’s in ways he had enjoyed before, attempting to turn his own game against him. Naruto let out a breathy moan and smiled as if he enjoyed it, but Sasuke recognized the look of fierce concentration in his eyes; the shade Naruto’s eyes became when he was intent on bringing down an opponent.

“You said I could be top when I beat you.” Naruto brought his hips up roughly. Sasuke hissed, trying to ignore his teenage hormones.

“Then I should be nailing you into the bed right now,” he nearly growled when Naruto repeated the thrust.

“But we didn’t practice taijutsu today.” Sasuke’s eyes narrowed. He could hear the mockery in Naruto’s tone of voice. “As far as I’m concerned, you still can’t beat Rasengan.” There was no humor behind those words. Sasuke knew then that his game was up. It had backfired unexpectedly.

Sasuke grinned. He tried to take over by disrupting the rhythm Naruto had set. “They nullified each other. I call that a tie.”

Naruto chuckled, but Sasuke couldn’t see what was funny. He watched Naruto’s face as the chuckling died down into a grin. He could make out his pearly smile in the moonlight. Sasuke kept his own face a blank, waiting for Naruto to explain his little joke. Naruto clutched him tighter then, yanked him forward so that they nearly touched noses.

“Did you really think that was the completed form of Rasengan? Last time I used it, I killed an Akatsuki.” Sasuke’s eyes flashed angrily. His thoughts whirled in so many directions. “That’s right. I took down an Akatsuki. It left my hand and wrist broken for a week.”

Sasuke felt his blood boiling. He had progressed a mile only to discover his goal was on the other side of the mountain.

“Tsunade-baba would toss a fit if I ever used it for something as silly as practice.” Naruto’s eyes narrowed. Arrogance, not anger was written there. “Not to mention it could kill you.”

Sasuke was furious. Naruto had been going easy on him. The famed dead last had deigned to go easy on him.

Sasuke grabbed at Naruto’s arms and pulled them off, pinning them above his head against the headboard. “This isn’t a game, dobe. Let me go.”

Naruto’s grip around his hips tightened painfully. The friction between them was no longer pleasant.

“Isn’t it though? Isn’t this all?” His lips no longer tried to smile. Sasuke didn’t need the sharingan to see the anger in his eyes. “Not my fault you’re a fucking sore loser!” And just like that, Sasuke was free. Naruto released him, pushing him off and rolling away from the bed. “Go. I don’t feel like doing this anymore.”

Sasuke didn’t need to be told. He grabbed his shirt quickly and left. He didn’t bother looking back.



"Every human being must find his own way to cope with severe loss, and the only job of a true friend is to facilitate whatever method he chooses."
~Caleb Carr

~*~Battle 9:~*~
Konohamaru


The next day…

Konohamaru was strolling down the street when he noticed a familiar shade of orange. Glancing a little closer, his eyes trailed up to find a head covered in spiky blond hair.

“Naruto-nisaaaaan!” he yelled, quickening his pace to catch up to the older shinobi.

Naruto turned around, his face splitting into a wide grin at the sight of him. “Konohamaru!” Long time no see!” Konohamaru tried not to falter under the strong slap to his shoulder.

“I’ve got a new jutsu!” He grinned mischievously.

Naruto’s eyes lit up. “Oh!? Let’s see it!” He took a step back and crossed his arms. Konohamaru grinned, putting his fingers in place to form the seals and concentrated on the image he wanted to project.

“Dobe, hurry up.” His concentration broke when dark eyes regarded him coldly. “You said you wanted to settle this.” The famed former rogue nin turned and began walking away.

“Hey you bastard! Just wait a minute! Konohamaru is my friend!” Konohamaru darted his eyes from one to the other. He didn’t know the Uchiha too well, but he had also kept his distance. He was wary of the man who took down Orochimaru- his grandfather’s murderer. “Wait a minute, ok? I’ll be right back!” Naruto-nii smiled before trotting off. They were just down the road when Naruto-nii caught the other man and pulled him back. They seemed to glare for awhile. Naruto-nii glared and yelled and moments later, the Uchiha was walking away.

Konohamaru approached cautiously. Naruto-nii looked down. The expression slid as soon as he noticed he was being observed, smiling quickly instead.

“Sorry for the delay! Let’s see it!”

Konohamaru wanted to ask. He cared about Naruto, but part of him didn’t dare. He had never known his friend to really be down about anything, though he was sure that he too had his hard times; and Naruto-nii seemed intent on ignoring it, was trying so hard to smile. As his friend, Konohamaru chose not to press him, hoping his new jutsu would give him something to really smile about again. Konohamaru stared at his fingers. He tried not to dwell too much on Naruto or the bittersweet smile he could just make out in his peripheral vision. Bringing his hands together, he focused on his seals instead.


"Losing an illusion makes you wiser than finding a truth."
~Ludwig Borne

~*~Battle 10~*~
Neji





Neji stood from a safe range, Byakugan activated and zeroed in on the two moving chakra figures. Everything looked normal to him so far- Naruto’s faintly blue chakra spirals signifying that the demon chakra was still properly sealed.

It was an easy mission and one that he would have accepted even without the Hokage’s personal request. Who wouldn’t take the chance to see the famed Uchiha in practice or refuse a chance to peek into whatever new jutsu these two power houses were attempting to create?

Still, he was surprised. He didn’t peg the Uchiha as one willing to invest so much time into such an elaborate collaboration. Most ninja preferred to work alone. But in a way, he was also relieved. Many of the villagers were suspicious when Sasuke returned. They knew who he was and what he had done and it was much easier to forgive a boy of twelve than a young man of seventeen. Neji was one of the few that had offered his friendship upon his return. He had been one of the original five willing to risk his life to bring him back. He was relieved the sacrifice had not been wasted.

But Uchiha’s coldness had prevented any bonds between them. It was unfortunate, Neji reflected as he watched that fluid form spar with grace and ease. Not a single move wasted; the definition of efficiency. Naruto was still messy in his fighting style, but there was a method to it- a recklessness that came to be expected and a hastiness that left his opponent flabbergasted when it proved not as reckless as it seemed. Still, Uchiha saw right through it and slid easily out of every well sprung trap.

Neji watched their dance carefully. There was a comfort between them- one he knew was possible after coming to trust your partner. Neji smiled. At least one of them had managed to get through to him.

He noticed another approaching from behind, butdidn’t take his eyes off the pair in front of him. “They’re still warming up?” Hatake Kakashi asked from his left side.

“Yeah,” Neji confirmed.

“Good, then I made it on time.” Neji quirked an eyebrow. “They should start working on their jutsu pretty soon and when they do, I want you to watch both of them like a hawk.”

Neji nodded. “The Hokage has informed me of the necessary course of action should the nine tailed demon manifest itself.”

Kakashi chuckled. “Yes, that would be her top priority, but that’s not what I’m interested in.” Neji listened carefully, his curiosity piqued. His eyes never left the sparring pair. Hatake stood still, watching them as well- a white shadow in the periphery.

“They’re dealing with chakra manipulation- the elemental kind. Naruto claims they are trying to combine them, to enhance the other’s ability.” Neji noted the word ‘claim’. He had a feeling something was up.

“Anyways,” Kakashi seemed to switch tracks, leaving Neji to wonder what was being omitted, “keep a close eye on them. Especially the chakra levels. I want to know who is stronger and where the chakra is going.”

Neji found it odd that Kakashi requested this of him when he was sure the sharingan could detect the same thing he could, but he would not ask a senior to clarify when he knew it was deemed important. Neji gave a nod of confirmation and Kakashi was turning and pacing away with a book in his hand. He gave a lazy wave with his left hand. “I’ll be back later to gather your report. Tanomu yo*.”

Neji’s eyes narrowed. Naruto was currently being thrown onto the floor and pinned by Sasuke.

It looked like the warm up was finished.

They took a small break, allowing Neji to release Byakugan for a short period of time. He kept his eyes closed, resting them and knowing his concentration would have to double for the next session. He could hear the sounds of nature all around him and had expected to her Naruto’s laughter, or joking, or conversation or even banter. He was surprised when both voices were unexpectedly silent. Five minutes later, it was Uchiha’s voice telling him they were ready to begin again.

Neji opened his eyes again, formed the necessary seals and went back to seeing white shapes.

They started with small increments, testing their chakra levels to ensure that they were even. They built up slowly, switching to shadow clones when chakra levels became more dangerous. It would limit them, but it would also prevent injury. Neji was impressed with Uchiha’s level of control. It seems this part of the exercise was more for Naruto’s sake. Not to say that Naruto was weak. His bountiful supply of chakra meant that he could afford to waste a bit more than most of them. It had also made him sloppier than most. But watching him as he increased his levels by increment showed how much he had progressed.

He did as Kakashi asked and monitored their levels closely. It appeared that for each time their jutsus cancelled each other out, Uchiha was expending more chakra. That was to be expected since Naruto had the natural advantage. There were a few instances in which they had failed to match, Uchiha’s chakra falling short and Naruto’s rasengan causing no small explosion of power. Neji noted that the Uchiha’s power seemed to be enhancing Naruto’s ability and not the other way around.

He watched for some time as they built it up step by step until finally both men stepped away from their bunshins, Naruto having left two in place and both began forming chakra in their hands.

Naruto had finally learned to do a simple Rasengan one handed, though he still could not add the wind element. Hence two bunshins formed a small compact ball of spinning blue chakra as lightning compressed into a ball in Uchiha’s palm. The bunshins began from a safe distance away while the two shinobi watched from a safe distance. Uchiha observed from one side of the grounds while Naruto walked over to Neji, grabbed him by the arm and began pulling him back.

“Wouldn’t want to singe your hair,” he teased. Neji never took his eyes off of the bunshins.

He was fascinated by the blue ball spinning in the hands of Naruto’s replicas. He had only heard about it second hand and had never had the privilege of seeing it. It was not a jutsu that Naruto called upon often. He was beginning to see why.

One look at Uchiha’s jutsu and he was suddenly alarmed. Uchiha’s level had doubled at least. The amount of chakra being poured into the jutsu was not one that was proportionate to their earlier practice. Perhaps Neji had missed something, or misunderstood the intent of this exercise, but he found himself taking steps back, even without Naruto’s insistence.

And then they were moving. Three outline bodies blurred until they all collided and all Neji saw then was an explosion of color.

He tried to take it all in. He tried to watch everything and keep track of what went where, but it was such a mess.

When all the dust had settled, there was only a hole in the ground to signify what had taken place there.

“Whoo, not bad.” Naruto chuckled at his side. “That crater is much bigger than the one we made last time.

Neji couldn’t respond. He was still in shock over what he had seen.

“Naruto, you’re playing with fire.”

“Actually Sasuke is using his lightning chakra, not fire.” He laughed as if it was a simple misunderstanding.

“No… you don’t understand. I saw what happens when Uchiha’s chakra levels are below yours and it fuels your own power. But that… he doubled his amount.. I don’t think he meant that to be a compliment to your power.”

“Huh?”

“It seems like… he was trying to destroy you, not work with you. Like he was trying to not only cancel you out but blow you away with the remainder. I don’t know what game he’s playing, but I suggest you pull back.”

Naruto laughed. “Thanks Neji, but I can take care of myself. You worry too much!” He slapped Neji on the back. But all Neji could do was stare at the crater before him and wonder what in the world he had just seen.

He released Byakugan and gave Naruto a pointed look. “You once helped me Naruto and I’m grateful. I’m hoping I can return the favor by telling you to listen- watch out for Uchiha. Don’t be so willing to take him at his word.”

A dark look passed across Naruto’s face. It was there for only a second before his face lit up again leaving Neji to wonder if he had really seen it in the first place. “I told you, I know how to take care of myself. Don’t worry so much dattebayo!”

Neji’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He stepped away from the training fields, leaving Naruto behind. Kakashi would need that report.




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A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Sasuke lovers, please don't hate me... too much >.>; Please review!