A Scrap of Humanity

A Scrap of Humanity





Part VIII





To fight for him





Sasuke POV



I had determined while in the dark that would fight Naruto and obtain the Sharingan in the chance that he came after me. With him out of the way there would be nothing to keep me from my goal. No ridiculous emotions and attachments to trivial things. I embraced the darkness as it bit into me with excruciating pain. All I could think was to turn all that pain into anger, anger that would make way for power. I could disconnect myself from everything and become the perfect weapon. That was what I wanted now. All the visions I saw in the dark of true human nature and of betrayal twisted my thinking further into the disintegration of my bonds with the village and more so with Naruto. I followed that darkness grasping for its power.



Suddenly the darkness disappeared and light flooded my vision. I could feel the raw power serging through my veins and I could not help but laugh to myself. As I stood there my mind snapped to focus. There standing before me was Naruto. An army of Naruto and another of those mutants. Naruto yelled to me angrily and tried to come after me. The platinum haired figure stopped him though.





I chuckled teasingly at him, daring him to follow me, which I knew he would. Naruto would not give up the chance to pummel me into submission and drag me back. I had no intention of letting that happen. I'd kill him and take what I wanted, sharingan. Naruto was the key to that goal. I turned hearing him yell some more and then darted off.



NARUTO POV



I was lucky that Lee had shown up. I didn't know if I'd have the strength to battle that freak and Sasuke. I tapped into kyuubi's senses lightly just so I could easily follow sasuke's trail. Memories of him, of us flew through my head as I made my chase. Each saddened me more than it's predecessor. The more I thought I was becoming closer with him, the more I realized that Sasuke would never be within my reach. It hurt to know that I would never be able to save my best friend from his own darkness. The pain consumed me allowing Kyuubi to come through. Kyuubi's voice was loud in my head his anger booming throughout and making me feel as if I'd explode. Kyuubi only allotted me a small shred of my mind as I saw Sasuke. All I could think of was saving Sasuke. It angered Kyuubi, but I didn't want to kill him and I didn't want him to leave. Sasuke was laughing at me. He thought I was pathetic. The thought enraged my heart and I came at him I felt Kyuubi boiling below the surface wanting to take over my mind but I refused to lose that one shard I still had. I wanted to be the one to defeat Sasuke and bring him back. I had promised. The flames of Sasuke's attacks didn't faze me. I could feel them burning around my body, but Kyuubi's heat was more intense. The fierce inferno of Kyuubi's power burned more than anything, and if I could take that, then Sasuke's Katon was meaningless to me.



I cried out to him. I wanted him to remember that we were friends, the best of friends, and that he meant the world to me. I saw it crashing down before my eyes and I felt weak. If I could not rescue my best friend then I was not fit to be Hokage nor was I fit to protect the village. I was slowly realizing that this sasuke was not the Sasuke I knew anymore. He was now a slave to Orochimaru's power and would be until his ultimate goal was complete. My heart ached. His goal, killing the one who loves me more than anything and the person I'd do anything for, but the person that took away his life.



I felt Kyuubi take over more as my resolve weakened. I could feel my body changing to accommodate the surge in chakra and I could feel Sasuke's surprise. His anger permeated the air and was suffocating. I couldn't last this out and I decided I needed to finish it.



"Forgive me Sasuke."





Sasuke POV



Naruto's transformation was shocking. He still looked like himself, but then he looked like a beast. It was frightening to see someone who had always appeared so weak looking like that. I could feel his chakra and the heat was scorching, it wasn't anything like his chakra normally was. Before I knew it, my face was stinging and I could taste my own blood, but it didn't stop there. I couldn't see him pummeling my body. I could just feel the sharp jolts of pain thrumming in my nerves. I tried to attack, but his chakra prevented it. Even my Katon seemed useless against it. The flames would lick his body and then disappear into the ominous red energy surrounding him. It was degrading, but I was for once truly scared of Naruto. He howled my name with such venom that it boomed in my core. His voice was deep and tainted. I wondered if this was some family bloodline that he was the last heir to. The power was immense and I felt insufficient. He stopped his attack an glared up at me from his position on the water.



"You were my best friend! I'll be damned if I let the snake bastard take you!" His anger flared as did his chakra.



His statement angered me. As if I was so weak as to let someone take me. I felt a rush of the energy I had felt from before as well as the anger that Naruto was hiding something from me. I assumed though that it was the massive power he was displaying now. I could feel the chakra fill my body and making it change. I was no longer weak.



"I acknowledge that you have gotten stronger. Of everyone I have considered you my best friend."



"Then why?" He growled while taking a defensive pose.



"I must break those ties. Naruto, I understand now that you are special, but I am more special than you."



That said I called up my newly discovered chakra and formed the most powerful chidori I could. Naruto's chakra flared again and I could sense that he was creating the jutsu he'd used before. I felt the pull of it and attacked him aiming to kill. I would kill him to become stronger and then I could defeat Itachi. Naruto didn't understand how I felt. I didn't want to choose the same path that he had, but Naruto was leaving me with no choice. He was so determined it was endearing almost, but I could not let him get in the way of my goal. I felt a surge of energy as he came at me with his attack, it was powerful, but I was almost positive that mine would dominate his because I doubted that he had the intent to kill that I did. I was right. I felt the wall of his chakra break and melt around me, but I was suddenly assaulted with memories, his memories. They were all things from his childhood concerning me. Each one was sad, but it was still hopeful. It was if in those memories he was trying to understand the loneliness that I never even fathomed had developed in his life. I truly was one of the few ties he had, and it made sense now as to why he fought so hard. When I came to again, my hand was stuck in his chest scant inches from his heart. I could feel the faint beating of his heart and could feel warm blood dripping down my arm and fingers. His body twitched violently and I opened my eyes wide. I had just impaled my best friend and he was dying. I quickly removed my arm and began to panic as he fell backwards unconscious.



"Get up Naruto!" He made no move, and there was no sign that he was alive. "Get up damnit! you don't have a right to look like that." I could feel my voice cracking and my whole body trembling in sadness. "I know you're alive....get up dobe..." I fell to my knees over him. "Dobe..?"



I didn't know what to do. If I left he'd die, but I couldn't go back to Konoha, not while everyone would know. I stood and turned away from him. I rationalized that if I left there were probably already Nins looking for him. I stared ahead of me toward my path of revenge and took my first steps. There I'd find power, I'd find the abilities to destroy Itachi, then...then I could come and take Naruto with me. I'd end his suffering in Konoha and bring to a better place. My steps halted as the sounds of clothing rustling behind me came to my attention. I turned expecting to see Kakashi or anyone else than who I saw. My heart stopped. He was kneeling over Naruto with an almost disappointed look on his face. His hand was resting lightly against Naruto's neck. Fear wracked my system. Angry fear.





"You..!" I hissed. "you get away from him!"



He instead ignored me and picked up Naruto's seemingly lifeless body and wrapped it in his cloak. When he was done he turned his attention to me. His vicious crimson eyes stared at me in disgust probably at my failure in getting full Sharingan. Naruto's body was tucked safely against his chest and in my condition there would be no way to even think of getting him back. His eyes lowered back to Naruto's form.





"You're lucky he's even alive." His voice was low and angry. "You don't deserve the stress and responsibility of having a precious person so I will take it off your shoulders."





"You...." I trembled in rage. "You give him back!" I glared hard at him. " You have no right to criticize me. You killed shisui-sama and he was your best friend."





"Why...so you can continue to play your little revenge game with him? True, but I was provoked." He smirked and kicked me back several feet. "Remember this little brother...Your hatred will never be strong enough to defeat me. I will take this as a token to remind you." My eyes widened as he kissed a bleeding spot on Naruto's face. Suddenly his shoe crushed into my shoulder blades pushing me to the ground face first. "Why would anyone lay waste to something this perfect? I will replace you in his life Sasuke. You will never see what could have become. He will never know you as his precious person."



The pressure disappeared and I heard his footsteps squishing against the mud. "Come back Bastard!" I could feel tears brimming in my eyes. "Come back...." I felt my vision blurring and everything darkened.





When I awoke again I was on Kakashi's back. Wind and rain whipped past my face. I felt like a failure. I had failed in leaving, failed in getting the Sharingan, and moreover failed Naruto as a friend. My breathing hitched and I felt Kakashi turn his head in question.



"Naruto..?"



"Gone...there's no trace and my dogs can't follow the scent because of the rain."





"Itachi..."



Kakashi looked at me questioningly, "Itachi what?"





"...Naruto...left..." I was angry that I was too weak to even say what happened.



Kakashi stopped and set me down. "Are you saying Naruto left with Itachi?" He asked suddenly. I nodded in response. "I didn't think he'd act this soon after he was discovered. Damn..."



Kakashi said nothing else and picked me back up again. Itachi had probably been waiting for that fight. It was my fault that Naruto was going to be used. If only I had been strong enough then, I could have killed that man and this would have never happened. I closed my eyes again falling asleep against Kakashi's back.





I again awoke later in the hospital. I looked over to my side to find Sakura asleep in the chair by my bed. I made a move to get up but pain shot up and down my sides and back. Slowly I slid back down panting. Naruto had done way more damage to my body than I realized. Of course I was sure the back pain was from Itachi.





"Itachi...."



I frowned as I heard the window slide open and I turned to find Kakashi sitting there. He regarded me cooly before leaping down and taking the chair next to Sakura. "You want to tell me what happened?" He asked slightly perturbed.



I scowled at him and motioned to Sakura. Kakashi nodded and stood. He reached over and hefted me up and proceeded to go to the roof. "All right talk."





I found myself scowling again not particularly wanting to take credit for Naruto's disappearance. "Naruto and I fought. While we were both weakened Itachi came and took Naruto. He was unconscious." The image was burned in my head. "I passed out before I saw anything else." It was true basically. I was omitting things, but he didn't need to hear about those.



He gave me a look that let me know he had caught on, but he didn't question any further. "Hokage-sama has already sent out a team to look for him. Chances are that Itachi won't kill him for now. Akatsuki seems to need him for something bigger. The chances of us finding him now are going to be slim though, especially since Itachi will be on guard for it. Until then, you are going to train with me. Strictly under my supervision. If you stray, I will not hesitate to incapacitate you."





This didn't make me happy, but for now it would do. That being said Kakashi took me back to the hospital room and told me to sleep. I did, but the dreams were not easy to deal with. Itachi's treachery was fresh on my mind. Naruto's lifeless form was also burned there. Both scenes repeated over and over again until I could bear no more. I promptly awoke and knocked myself out so I could sleep.





NARUTO POV





I felt warm all over. I knew it was partially Kyuubi healing me. From what I couldn't remember, but it didn't matter. It was warm. My eyes slid open and I found someone with dark hair and coal colored eyes looking at me with concern. It was fuzzy, but a name came to mind and I seemed right. "Itachi-rin?"



He nodded and I noticed relief wash over him. Slowly my memories were returning. I remembered him chasing the thunder away. I remember his present and his protection from the villagers. I remembered becoming a ninja and my team, Sakura and Kakashi. There was someone else, but I supposed his name wasn't relevant as I at least remembered arguing with him over ramen. I remembered Itachi's kisses and then all I could remember was being attacked by monstrous chakra. I started to shake. Itachi's hand came to rest on my chest though and I calmed down.





"Itachi-rin, where am I?"



"You're with me. Konoha sent some people to kill you over Kyuubi. I took you away to protect you. It was a secret mission from people who care about you."



Satisfied with that I smiled at him. "I've missed seeing your face. I'm glad they sent you to protect me." I clasped his hand. "Is that why I'm hurt?"





He frowned and nodded. "They sent your teammate and supposed friend to kill you. He obliged happily because he was jealous of you."





"Why would my friend do that?" I wondered out loud.





"He was only close to you to catch you off guard. He was basically using you. I was forced to stay out of it until something happened. It was tearing me up to know such a thing. You can't go back to Konoha. He'll try to kill you again if you do."





I sighed saddened by what I heard. It wasn't too bad though. I had Itachi now and I was happy. Itachi would protect me and train me to be a good ninja. I blushed at the thought, but I also had Itachi now to love and I could maybe be his lover now. Itachi rubbed my chest and ushered me quietly to go back to sleep so I could heal. I obliged him and smiled as I drifted away. My life was changing now, but I was happy.







A/N: Guys I am so sorry. I have not abandoned any of my fics, but life has been rather hectic as of the past year. I'm hoping it will get much less stressful. Thank you all for your reviews and supporting my work. It honors me greatly to have fans. Hope you'll enjoy this. Here is the turning point where we don't parallel to the manga anymore.