Wow...first fanfic story. Well, I hate rants, so I'll make this quick and straight-forward.
I'm a new author, so give me some actual opinions. Tell me what you like and what you don't like.
...
Naruto coughed violently, as he spat out just a tiny bit of blood. He lifted up his left hand to wipe the blood away, but ended up coughing more harshly, although no blood appeared this time.
"You're pathetic, Naruto...if you truly wanted me to return, you should have tried...you're weak, and not even fit for a shinobi" scowled Sasuke, as he walked over to the fallen Konoha Hitai-Atei. Naruto growled quietly, as he struggled to stand up.
"You...c-cant leave..." he groaned, reaching out for the Uchiha, only to fall forwards again. He hit the ground hard, catching Sasuke's attention again.
"You idiot...no matter what I say, you keep trying..." he smirked, shaking his head. Naruto sighed weakly, before laying his head down.
He had failed.
"Why do you bother?...why do you insist on bringing me back? I know why you want me back, Dobe...you probably promised Sakura to bring me back...but even if you do, she'd only be back to loving me, why not let me go, so you can have an actual chance at getting her?" asked the Uchiha, causing Naruto to stagger as he attempted to stand up again.
"This...is more then about just her...you're like my brother...and I'll break every single one of your bones before I willingly let you go to Orochimaru..." murmured the blonde. Sasuke merely scowled, before taking a few steps away from Naruto.
"You're an imbecile...my goal is to kill Itachi, and I'll do what it takes to accomplish that goal" stated Sasuke, as he thought back to his encounter with the infamous murderer. Naruto spat at the ground, a newfound determination in his eyes.
If it means saving him from that Hebi-teme...I'll play fire with fire...
"And you think...Orochimaru will help you?...Itachi became powerful by...being cold...as long as you push everyone away from yourself...you're just going to end up like him...Teme..." he sighed, hoping the trick worked.
"I will not! I'm nothing like Itachi!" shouted Sasuke, as he swung his fist aroudn to hit Naruto, who managed to duck down in time to dodge the blow.
"You'll be the same...angry...and always hating the world..." he taunted, infuriating the Uchiha even further.
"Shut Up!" yelled the once-stoic Uchiha. Naruto mentally grinned, despite his body's protests as he moved around. The trick was working.
"Then prove it...be...better then...Itachi...you aren't...the only one he hurt...he put...Kakashi-sensei in the...hospital...he...killed countless people as a...shinobi..." added Naruto, almost freezing Sasuke in mid-action.
"O-others..." muttered Sasuke, as he tried to grasp the aspect of how many people and families Itachi had broken and destroyed.
"You think...you felt pain...at least you...have memories to keep you going..." coughed Naruto, spitting out a mix of saliva and blood. Sasuke merely stared at the injured blonde, a look of confusion and interest mixed into his face.
Is it possible?...could there be people like me out there? People who were hurt by Itachi more then me? People who could share my pain?...
"...so be it, I won't go to Orochimaru..." he stated, after having spent a few minutes thinking over the situation. Maybe he wouldn't be training under a Sennin directly, but he would be witnessing a world that could possibly relate to him more then Konoha or Orochimaru ever could. A world where he could feel the pain of another's life and sufferings. Where he could belong...
"Wh-where...are you go-going?..." asked Naruto, confused as to why Sasuke was still heading in the opposite direction of Konoha. The Uchiha merely turned around and tossed a self-satisfied smirk.
"To meet my destiny...I'm going to kill Itachi, but first I will find anybody who suffered under his hands, and train under the best shinobi in all the world, not just one..." he replied, before facing forward again, and walking off, leaving Naruto wondering.
"...Oh, and maybe it's time you took your own advice Dobe...I won't deny your talent, or how stronger you got ever since we left the Academy...but, maybe you could become stronger if you left Konoha...you'll never grow strong enough there, though...not enough to bring me back" he stated blankly, walking away for good now.
Naruto merely laid there for a minute or so, before dragging himself up, and staggering away, towards the forest in the direction of Konoha. Maybe he could find some supplies from the battle fields along the route they had taken...
...
"So...the boy is still heading back to Konoha?...such a shame, even after Sasuke's motivational advice" shrugged an orange-spiral masked man. A tall and orange-haired man stood next to him, multiple piercings covering his face.
"Why such an interest in him? He may be the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but you seem to hold high regard for the boy" he stated, somewhat interested in the subject.
"I want the power of the Juubi, and to do that I need all nine demons...should even one of them die, they will require such an extensive time to recover, that it will exceed not only my own lifetime, but the lifetime of another few dozen or so generations" answered the masked man, in a blank and emotionless voice.
"So you plan on converting the boy to our cause?" asked the man with multiple piercings.
The masked shinobi merely chuckled, as he patted his acquaintance's shoulder.
"Convert him? No, Pein, I plan on him joining us" he smiled, as he walked away.
"How? He's obviously loyal to Konoha, and he won't simply give up that loyalty..." stated Pein, as he watched the masked man.
"It's not as difficult as you would assume...he just forced himself to fight his own 'brother'...he's emotionally and mentally unstable...all he needs is a little...push?...in the right directions...get Zetsu, he's crucial to the next phase in young Naruto's conversion to Akatsuki" ordered the man, before he vanished in a swirl, leaving Pein alone.
"I don't know if you're who you say you are...but I don't trust you Madara...I may be a god, but even the gods can be de-throned...I'll get you little Naruto...but he'll join me...and when that happens, I'll rid the world of your insufferable sins..."
...
"Fucking shit...I can't believe I'm fucking going to die in this shithole of a forest...taken out by a damn bunch of annoying little brats...well, shit on a stick and call it cotton fucking candy..." growled Tayuya, as she sighed, looking down at her legs. She felt the urge to pull her hair out rise up her throat, before a huge lump built up. She felt her eyes grow teary, before she started to sniffle, then move to a full-blown sob. She was going to die here, in the middle of a shitty ass forest, where the animals would eventually eat her, and then shit her out.
Why bother hiding her sobs?
"F-Fuck y-y-you Kami! W-why me! Couldn't y-you have k-killed Sakon s-slowly! The fucking d-da-damn asshole probably died q-qu-quickly! she cried, stuttering her words, due to the heavy sobs and tears.
She wasn't somebody who cried normally, but the realization that she was dying slowly was now fully sinking in. The fact that she was helpless no matter what, was crushing her tough exterior easily.
"WHY ME! FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU! BURN IN HELL AND GET RAPED! I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS! I NEVER FUCKING ASKED TO BE OROCHI-COCK-SUCKER'S FUCKING PAWN!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, desperately kicking at the tree that was crushing her legs, wanting to be as free as possible, to be able to use her legs to kick the tree until it fucking bled to dea-...wait.
She was...kicking...the tree?
"What the...FUCKING ASS HOLE!" she yelled, as she now saw her legs free and fully functional. From what she saw, her legs had fallen into a crevice within the ground, and been shielded from the tree itself.
"Fuck you, Kami! You sick and twisted ass-kissing, monkey-fucking, shit-licker!" she exclaimed happily and still, angrily, as she hugged her legs.
Now she could run, before the Anbu units from Konoha even came nearby to her location. She could be home-free, and go wherever she wished to.
"H-help...me..." whispered a weak voice behind her, causing her too jump in shock.
"Aaahh! Shit!" she shrieked, before calming down at the sight of the person. It was the blonde loudass brat from before.
"...fuck you, blondie, I got a life ahead of me, and I'm not risking my sweet, firm ass for you" she replied, with a sneer, as Naruto collapsed. Tayuya let out a loud groan, knowing well, that a decent person would at least help him to a hospital.
"Uggh...my head..." moaned Naruto, as a splitting headache ran through his skull. It felt as if he had been stabbed in the brain, and that it wouldn't die.
"Shut the hell up, kid...you're lucky I dragged your ass ten miles...a decent person would have dragged you the other five or so miles to the hospital" snapped Tayuya, as she bit off a chunk off meat from a tuna fish. Naruto sighed and went back to laying down, just now noticing the wet cloth on his forehead.
"...what's your name?..." he asked, wondering aloud. Tayuya didn't bother responding instantly, as she was chewing a large bit of meat.
"...Tayuya...and you're...Naruto?...the little fucker that was with pineapple-head during the battle?" she replied, and asked. Naruto nodded, surprised she remember his name at all.
"Yeah...thanks...for helping me out...sorry for being a burden" he apologized, surprising Tayuya slightly.
The hell?...'sorry?'...most people would either say thank you, or slit my throat and take the little supplies I have...and he's saying SORRY?
"...you're fucking weird" she stated bluntly, causing Naruto to sweat drop.
"W-weird?" he repeated, scratching his head as he held a nervous grin. The same grin he wore whenever Sakura caught him doing something stupid.
"Yeah, fucking weird...you apologize after I save you, for being a burden, then you proceed to hold a conversation with me...you're damn strange, blondie...be thankful I'm traveling along with you" she stated, making Naruto smile sheepishly.
Whew, I'm not in trouble haha...wait, what?
"Tr-traveling with m-me?" he asked, shocked. Tayuya nodded, before tossing him a small bag of chips.
"That's your dinner...eat it, we won't have any more food until we find jobs or missions in the surrounding villages" she grumbled, scowling at the boy. She had a feeling he would bring her a shit ton of headaches in the future...yet, something was...nice about him...
"Nehhh, that's it? That's my food?"
But he was still fucking annoying.
"Shut the hell up, before I take it away!" she yelled, quickly silencing the blonde boy, much to her pleasure, and irritation.
"Quit being such a fucking pansy, you damn punk" she scowled, causing Naruto to flinch again.
"S-sorry...I'm not used to being with someone serious..." sighed Naruto, as he tore open the bag of chips. Tayuya raised an eyebrow in confusion, as to what he meant.
"Care to elaborate?" she asked, in curiosity. Naruto shrugged.
"My team wasn't the most efficient...Sasuke-teme was a just that, a Teme, who refused to see me and Sakura-chan as equals...Sakura-chan was always chasing after Sasuke-teme, while Kakashi-sensei was off reading porn books" he answered. Tayuya merely nodded, disappointed in the powerhouse, that was supposed be Konoha.
"Eh, not much better then mine...fatass Jirobo always ate and never bothered doing anything else...Kidomaru was a prick and he thought he was all that...Sakon and Ukon were assholes and they thought they were the head honchos to every fucking plan..." she responded, not really knowing why she was spilling every secret. Orochimaru's seal would have acted up by no-...the seal!
As she quickly whirled around, reaching over to her neck, to look for the seal, she felt her eyes widen as she felt the seal missing.
"I'm free! Wait...shit, that means I lost every advantage I had!" she cursed, recognizing the double edged sword she had been handed.
"What seal?...like the one Sasuke-teme had?" asked Naruto, wondering what her celebration was about.
"Yes! The exact same type! That fucker of a sennin must have felt my dying will, so he shut it down to stop Konoha from finding the seal! I'm free!" she exclaimed. Naruto smield, before yawning.
"That's good...well, I'm going to sleep, night, Tayuya"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure whatever...I'm free, bitches!"
As Naruto went to sleep, in his bed roll, he couldn't help but marvel a bit at Tayuya. She was brash and had a dirty mouth, but he had a feeling she was going to be great someday...
...
"Am I to understand, that my most promising combat genin shinobi, apart from Hyuuga Neji, have left the village?" asked Tsunade in a low and quiet tone.
"Yes, Hokage-sama, they had left at least a good hour before I got there..." replied Kakashi, as he tensed up his muscles, ready to dodge any hits or objects, as best he could.
"Hmm...alright, thank you for informing me, now go and break the news to Sakura" she added, visibly relaxing Kakashi.
"Yes, Hokage-sama, right on it" he said, as he bowed. Suddenly he felt a massive amount of pain shoot down his back, as Tsunade elbow dropped onto him.
"YOU BAKA! YOU LET THEM GET AWAY! YOU'RE JUST AS BAD AS THAT PERVERT JIRAIYA!" she shouted, quickly standing up as she stomped on his unconscious body.
"Tsu-Tsunade-sama?...i-is everything al-alright?" asked a trembling voice. Tsunade turned around to see Sakura standing nervously at her door. She took a deep breath, readying herself for the same news that, although not visible, had her on the verge of tears.
"...Sakura...have a seat...this isn't easy for me to say..." she murmured, just enough for the young girl to hear.
"O-okay...what is it, H-Hokage-sama?..." she asked, forcing Tsunade to bite her lips. She had to think of a way to save both Sasuke and Naruto's reputations. If word got out that they had willingly left the village, they would be branded as nuke-nin, and be hunted down. She also couldn't afford the chance of Sakura telling anybody the truth, so even telling the pinkette was out of the question.
"What...what I got to tell you, isn't easy for me to say...but...but...Naruto and Sasuke...are both dead..." she whispered, closing her eyes sadly. Having to tell somebody that their teammates, who were like family, was horrible to endure...but, lying to them about their 'deaths'...that was just sick...
"Wh-what?...d-de-dead?...no...n-no...you're lying, right?" she asked, her voice quivering. It had to be a joke, right?
"I'm afraid not...Sasuke was under the influence of Orochimaru's seal mark...he attacked Naruto, and the to fought it out...we found this...Naruto's hitai-atei..." replied Tsunade, as she handed Sakura a slightly bloody headband. The pinkette clutched it to her chest, her eyes glazing over, as her mind tried to grasp what she was being told.
S-Sasuke-kun...you...you killed...him...th-this is what...I loved you...for?...to kill your own friend?...N-Naruto...I...its my own fault...I made you promise...I...should have gotten someone stronger...Kakashi...Gai-sensei...I sent you...to your death...Sasuke..
"You have be lying, playing some sick prank! N-Naruto wouldn't simply ro-roll over and j-just let it h-happen!" she screamed, not even bothering to control herself.
"Sakura...it's true...they were both far gone by the time I got there..." groaned Kakashi.
Truthfully, he wasn't lying. They really both far gone when he got there, simply in distance though. It was Sakura, who took it as being far gone into death's grip.
"He...he killed...Naruto...I loved Sasuke-kun...I could have warned someone before he left...but I tried to stop him, on my own.." whispered Sakura, closing her eyes as she felt the urge to cry.
Kakashi and Tsunade exchanged glances, before inwardly berating themselves. This lie could work three ways...it could crush Sakura's dreams of becoming a real kunoichi, or it could motivate her to try harder then ever before to become stronger...
"I'll kill him...I'll kill that s-snake...I had it all...a pe-person I loved, that was finally opening up...a teammate that could make me la-laugh and g-giggle, and w-would always support here...I'll murder him...and a-anyone that gets in my way..." she growled, although still holding a sniffle and tremble to her voice.
Or she can become obsessed with violent revenge...thought Kakashi and Tsunade sadly.
Little did they know, this would become a turning point in the future of, not only Konoha, but the world itself.
...
Sasuke took a deep breath, as he looked into the horizon, from a high cliff. Just ahead of, maybe a day or so of traveling, was a small village. If he heard right, this was one of the first small towns, where Itachi conducted his first mission.
It's taken me almost a week of snooping around...but I finally found where he first started...maybe now I can see what made Itachi who he was and now is...maybe I can find out why...
As he stepped down from the cliff, he turned around to see a shadow vanish from behind a tree, although he simply scratched it off as a forest animal.
"So...this is the path he chose...maybe...he'll become stronger then me...maybe friendship was the one thing we never had..." whispered a low voice, hidden behind the trees.
"You seem unusually active, Itachi" stated a azure-haired woman. Itachi turned around, and for the first time in a long time...smiled.
"I am...come on, Pein will be waiting for us...and I hear he found someone interesting" stated Itachi, although Konan merely shook her head.
"Another jinchuuriki?" she asked. Now, it was Itachi's turn to shake his head.
"No...something about resembling Yahiko, whoever that is" he replied, drawing Konan's instant attention.
"Let's head out" she ordered, almost leaping past Itachi.
The Uchiha raised an eyebrow, before following pursuit.
And she says I was active?...well, you're an interesting one, Uzumaki Naruto...perhaps you'll change the world...