Rise Above

No warnings for this chapter. This is a Naruto Shippuden fic. I have only seen the anime, so any differences between the anime and manga have not been observed by me. I hope you all enjoy. This is my first Naruto fanfic.

Chapter One

Above, a faint speck circled slowly in the clear sky. A gull perhaps, or a hawk. From where Naruto lay it was only the suggestion of a bird. However it stood out stark against a blue sky devoid of clouds. It was a crisp and pure winter sky, and the bird turned lazily far above him. So far out of reach.

He blinked and even that was an effort. He felt maybe it would be easy to close his eyes to the sky for a while and to lay here in the rubble and sleep. He didn’t want to move, though he knew he must. He must move. Already he could hear the faint scuff of sandaled feet stuttering as Sasuke attempted to get up. Did he have to get up so soon? There was a sound of metal scraping on stone. Yes, he had to get up. The kyuubi wouldn’t help him. The fox had slipped away into the darkest corners of his cell, a glimmering spark of red eyes shone warily far from the bars. The kyuubi didn’t like Sasuke, those eyes sent it into silence. Naruto, however, felt differently.

He had to get up. He had to speak those words. Kakashi had gone to take Sakura back to the others somewhere nearby. Soon as they’d regrouped they would be back and Naruto would lose this opportunity. They would all want to attack Sasuke then and take him down while he was wounded. It was that thought that forced Naruto to open his eyes again. This time the sky was blocked by a dark shadow above him.

For a brief moment he wondered if it was the hawk swooping down, blocking the sun. The glint of a kunai held in a shaky bloody fist showed this hawk had talons. He stared up at Sasuke. Those familiar frowning dark eyes were rimmed with dried blood and Sasuke’s face was pale. He’s so tired, thought Naruto. Tired of this. Gone was the manic near hysterical energy they’d held at the beginning of this battle. Now Sasuke was staring down at him like Naruto was some particularly stubborn puzzle to work out.

Naruto had to move. When he tried, his body screamed and he let out a heavy breath. Cracked ribs, definitely, probably broken. Sasuke didn’t move. He was standing so close that Naruto could have rolled slightly and bumped his shoulder to Sasuke’s ankles. Naruto didn’t blink now, he just met Sasuke’s gaze with one of his own. It was a similar look, only sapphire in colour.

Slowly Sasuke knelt to one knee beside him, the kunai raised. He felt the steel kiss his throat but did not flinch nor take a breath. There was something… something in those storm grey eyes. Confliction. A battle greater than the one they’d just had. There was no jitsu here, however. Just silence. Naruto felt the words that had been on the tip of his tongue and he opened his mouth to speak but Sasuke was faster. With the base of the kunai he struck Naruto on side of the head. Blue eyes rolled up and Naruto’s body relaxed into a slump.

Sasuke let out the breath he’d held through his nose and glanced around, giving the ruined bridge and the river a quick scan. Once he was satified he grabbed the front of Naruto’s shirt and hauled the blond haired boy up over his shoulder. He stood with a wobble and a wince. Too much had been expended this day.

Nearby he could see a flash of scarlet hair where Karen sat huddled against a broken pillar, forgotten by everyone. She was staring at Sasuke, fear creeping into her widening gaze. They were not softened by misguided emotion any longer. Not after what Sasuke had done to her. She should have died. It would have been cleaner. He hesitated, feeling the growing weight of Naruto over his shoulder more than he normally would have. He should kill her now or Konoha would get everything they wanted out of her. He clenched his fingers around the kunai. Karen started to shake visibly, her lip trembling and her eyes gathering tears. But maybe she could tell them all about what happened to Danzo and let fear rock those old bastards to sleep at night. When Sasuke came for them, they would know not even their Hokage Danzo could stop the inevitable. That’s what Sasuke’s revenge would be.

Let them find peace with that thought. And the fact they’d lost their pet fox to him. Without another look he sprinted away, leaving the girl to sag against the pillar, forgotten once again.

Naruto’s weight was not an unfamiliar one, though he was no longer the idiot boy, gone was much of his childish scrawniness. Still, although he felt the weight, it was not so bothersome as Sasuke moved to put as much distance between himself, Kakashi and the Konoha team as he could.

He travelled someway up river, moving from boulder to river detritus, avoiding the shore for several miles before doubling back half the distance and then entering the trees. He knew it would probably make little difference, but time spent covering his tracks now, could save him precious time later for recovery.

As he travelled, his thoughts skittered. Mostly he felt the overpowering exhaustion. His eyes ached and although they were once again focused and his sight clear, his earlier near blindness left a horrible suspicion he did not yet want to consider. Nor did he want to think too much on the larger why. That being, why did he have Naruto over his shoulder? Why had he not stabbed his kunai into Naruto’s throat? Why had he not killed him where he lay, leaving him to drown in his own blood? No, he did not want to think about the why. He would have killed Kakashi and Sakura both, he would have cut those bonds clean, as they needed to be, as he had wanted to do. Once they were dead he could move on. Forget them. And take his full revenge on Konoha without those burdens.

So why had he not done the same to Naruto? He was sure he would have. Until now he was certain had the opportunity presented itself he would have taken it. But he had surprised himself. And yet now there would be other problems.

Madara had not shown himself since the battle. Perhaps he had gone to follow Kakashi but Sasuke doubted it. While he could not begin to understand the true motives behind the other Utachi, and certainly he did not trust whatever they were, right now he found himself not caring.

Sasuke needed to recover. He would head for the old base nearby that Orochimaru had maintained until recently. Team Taka was supposed to meet back there should they get separated following their attack on the Kage. Konoha would not find it. They would think he had taken Naruto to Madara. The nine tails for his master plan, or whatever. Perhaps Madara would think he’d taken Naruto for that same reason. To make up for the bungle of the eight tailes. Perhaps he still would yet…

However, Sasuke had his own agenda. He would destroy Konoha, he would use Madara, just as Madara was using him to meet this goals. But as for Naruto?

Stupid fool… Naruto should have just done what Sakura had finally realised. He should have tried to kill him. But at no point in their battle had he tried to do that at all. He’d tried to reason with him, knock him out, push him to his limit, all of these things but take his life. Stupid… stupid fool. And maybe I am the greater one…

For certainly taking Naruto would light a fire under Konoha. Somehow the fox had won their hearts when once they had despised him. The fickle hearted bastards. And those old schemers that controlled the town would want their demon back. To those ones Naruto was just a pawn to be used. Just as the Uchiha family had been… pawns to be used and then discarded!

Sasuke felt his rage simmer as he soundlessly landed in a small clearing and found the barely concealed cave entrance. He entered the dark musky lair, following the curving dark halls with effortless familiarity. When he found the room he’d been looking for he hefted Naruto and threw him down. The boy’s foot caught the leg of a steel table, causing trays of medical tools to slip and clatter.

“Naruto gave a groan, his ears picking up the sharp ringing sounds. Sasuke dragged him up against the wall and clicked thick steal manacles around his wrists, chaining him with little room against the wall. “Don’t move.” Sasuke said, his voice clipped and cold as the steel room. It smelt faintly of disinfectant, blood and reptiles. Naruto shifted, and tried to breath but his chest was tight from his broken ribs. Consciousness was playing tag around about his head and slowly the great throbbing pain that was his head and his body came agonising to the fore. He muttered a curse that earned a huff from his opponent. Though clearly the battle was over.

“ “Ever so annoying... I should have cut you open and left you to die.”

“Naruto glanced up and found himself face to face with Sasuke, grey eyes meeting his blue. “But you didn’t.” He managed to say, though it was rasping.

“No,” Sasuke frowned, “now tell me why?”