Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Summary: This story begins from Naruto Manga 307 pg 11 (entitled Caprice) where Naruto has caught up with Sasuke, and Sasuke has ended his tirade about his fraternal bond of hatred. From there on I write my own version of what happens next.

You have been warned: Language, Manga Spoilers, Sexual themes and Violence.

"Jutsu" means Jutsu name

"Inner Sakura/Kyuubi" means Inner Sakura or Kyuubi speaking

"Inner Thoughts/Flashback" means Inner Thoughts of a person or a Flashback when stated

CHAPTER 1: HUMILITY 101

Standing with Sai and Yamato, Naruto and Sakura look up with despair at Sasuke as he stands on the edge of a tall embankment. Sasuke looks down at his former team-mates with serenity as he comes to the end of his tirade, "Still, the one thing I can say to you is that back then I chose to spare your life at nothing more than a whim of mine."

Naruto glares at Sasuke, "You stuck-up, pompous son of a b!tch."

Just as soon as he finishes his train of thought, Naruto finds himself looking at Sasuke's upper arm. "He's quicker. And he still smells like a fish. When was the last time he took a shower?"

Yamato, "He's fast ..."

Sakura moves into a defensive stance and looking utterly bewildered, wonders when he moved.

Sasuke, now with his arm around Naruto's shoulders continues, "Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage one of your dreams? If you have the time to chase me around, you would have been better off training don't you think Naruto?" After a brief pause, Sasuke unsheathes his Katana, "And that's why this time you're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine."

Having exited Orochimaru's lair, Naruto had already surveyed the surroundings. Sasuke, with his latest manoeuvre, had given up the upper ground. Earlier, he had brushed off Sakura-chan's concern over his battle with Orochimaru, but Naruto was feeling the aftermath of his transformation into the four tailed fox, and his coordination wasn't at its usual best. Naruto snickers to himself. But it was time to get focused. "Like there's a chance someone, who can't save a friend, could become Hokage, don't you think Sasuke?"

"Humph" Sasuke replies.

Sasuke, having drawn his blade, begins his killing stroke. Being the closest to Naruto, Sai quickly counters by grabbing Sasuke's wrist.

"Your choice of defence ... quite correct." Sasuke remarks.

In the blink of an eye, Naruto flips holding onto Sasuke's free arm.

Yamato and Sai take advantage of the opening. Sasuke simply closes his eyes and activates his sharingan.

Sasuke shouts, "CHIDORI NAGASHI" as his entire body erupts with arcing lightning and emanates with a horrible chirping noise. Naruto and Sai are thrown into the air and land awkwardly.

Sakura runs in determined to help. But Yamato, recognising the disaster in her choice of attack, takes her place, blocking her path. Sasuke plunges the katana into Team Kakashi's stand-in captain.

Naruto laughs inwardly with the nine tailed fox. "He continues to underestimate me. Typical! Will he never learn?" Naruto begins to collect himself and looks around to ensure his team-mates are ok.

As Naruto stands up, Sasuke uses his sharingan to gaze into Naruto's soul.

Outside of the Kyuubi's cage, Naruto stands face to face with his body's tenant. "SHALL WE KILL HIM THIS TIME ...?"

Sasuke suddenly appears standing next to Naruto.

Naruto turns to his body's newest intruder, "Why are you here?"

Sasuke ignores the question and glares at Naruto through the corners of his sharingan eyes. "Now I am able to see ... so this was your secret power then. Hard to believe, that something like this existed inside you."

With his eyes hardening with anger, Naruto shouts out with the top of his lungs "THIS IS MY DOMAIN ... YOU SASUKE UCHIHA DO NOT BELONG HEREEEEEEEEEEEE!"

With Naruto's arms thrown backwards, a storm begins to emanate from Naruto's throat. His voice billows out with such a tremendous force that Sasuke is forced to shield his eyes.

To maintain his balance, Sasuke widens his stance and draws more of his chakra in an attempt to remain in Naruto's mind. Piece by piece his body seems to atomise and disappear. "How ... how ..." an utterly bewildered Sasuke responds before his face disappears into thin air.

Now back in reality, a sweating Sasuke stumbles to one knee and looks up to see Naruto approaching him full of emboldened confidence.

"You arrogant prick!" Naruto responds.

Sasuke launches into a full attack with his chidori charged katana. It stabs Naruto and exits through his back. Naruto shakes his head in disappointment, and disperses into a cloud of smoke.

"A shadow-clone?" Sasuke questions.

The sound of whistling comes from the tunnel where Team Kakashi first arrived. Naruto casually strides out with his hands in his pockets. This time Naruto stops short of Sasuke and places one foot on a boulder and leans on his knee. "I admit you have gotten a bit faster. But after all these years, I expected more of an improvement." After a brief pause, Naruto's gaze hardens, "Entering my head ... quite an achievement! But don't do it again." Naruto warns with a sinister voice.

An enraged Sasuke attacks again. With his enhanced speed he attempts to gauge Naruto's reaction. But he simply doesn't move. He merely glances at his nails to see if they are too long or something.

Again Sasuke's katana strikes true and again the Naruto before him laughs and disperses into a cloud of smoke.

"I ... I ..." Sasuke's confidence wanes, "I should be able to see his clones with my sharingan?"

The sound of whistling again gets Sasuke's attention and he quickly turns to face where the sound is emanating from. Naruto suddenly hardens out of the embankment's rocky surface and casually strides up to Sasuke, his hands still in his pockets.

"I have spent the last three years training to save my friend. To do this, I have adapted myself to counter everything you have."

Team Kakashi look at Naruto with sheer bewilderment.

"You think you're fast Sasuke?" Naruto asks questioningly.

Before Sasuke has a chance to respond, his sharingan beholds a golden light encircle him. He attempts to keep up but his sharingan only sees the shimmer of where Naruto once was. He lashes out with his chidori charged katana but merely disperses the haze. Sasuke receives a massive blow to the side. He turns to face his attacker, but receives another blow to the opposite side. Grasping for air, he forces his katana into the ground to regain his balance and with a free hand braces one of his shattered sides.

"Sasuke, can't you see me? Are your eyes working ok? You feel alright?" Naruto's voice echoes around him and drips of sarcastic concern. Naruto slows and sits on a nearby boulder.

"Just imagine how strong you could have become had you stayed. Why ... you may have even been able to keep up with me."

"NARUTO!" Sakura screams, reaching towards her friend, "BE CAREFUL." Naruto glances in her direction. He sees a bead of sweat roll down her cheek. "Or are they tears? Perhaps I should take it easy on him for Sakura-chan's sake ... just to be on the safe side". Naruto thinks.

Inner Sakura is practically bursting with excitement at this sudden turn of events, "Look at Naruto go ... HE OWNS SASUKE'S ARSE. GOOOOO NARUTO!!"

Sasuke uses the distraction to attack; he takes a huge deep breath and launches his fireball jutsu. Naruto turns to see the oncoming ball of fire, "It's a lot larger then it use to be … and more intense." But again he doesn't dodge it. Sasuke sees the fire engulf Naruto but before the flames enveloped him, he catches a glance of the smirking Naruto. He looks around. And behind him sits Naruto, "Not quite quick enough."

Sasuke lifts his katana, ready to try another form of attack.

Naruto's eyes gleam as time stands practically still. He moves to Sasuke's katana and takes his time to slowly move each of Sasuke's fingers from the grip of his weapon. Naruto moves back to where he was sitting, taking up the exact same position and faces Sasuke.

"Nice weapon you have here but you shouldn't rely on it too much. What happens if you lose it?"

Sasuke's eyes shoot open as he looks from Naruto's newly acquired weapon to his now empty hand.

"You're so pathetic! You think your bond of hatred has made you strong! It has made you stupid. Why don't you get it?" Naruto shouts. "Your body's going to be stolen by Orochimaru any time now!"

Sasuke stares at Naruto, "If that happens, then it happens. Revenge means everything to me, don't you get it? As long as I have my revenge, I couldn't care less what happens to me, or the whole world for that matter. If I can accomplish this goal, through nothing more than offering Orochimaru this body of mine, then he can have my life, and my afterlife for that matter."

Another blow, but this time to the side of the jaw. Sasuke feels it shatter. He wishes to scream with the pain but to do so would result in further injury.

"Stop talking so much crp." Naruto screams.

With his jaw out of place, Sasuke begins to strike out randomly. The golden blaze no longer circling him but rather moving in random patterns. To the left ... no ... to the right. Sasuke's sharingan attempts to predict Naruto's movements with little luck.

"Focus", Sasuke thinks to himself. "He has become too fast. I must get him into a place where I can strike at him with my new jutsu. I had hoped not to resort to my cruder methods but I see little option."

Sasuke turns in the direction of Sakura, his gaze full of murderous intent.

"You dare Sasuke!!" Naruto shouts from what appears to be thin air.

Sakura's eyes shift from one side to another seeking answers. Within the blink of an eye, a golden ray of light sweeps in front of her. Sakura's hair billows with the force of the movement. For a brief moment, she makes out the outline of Naruto's body running at Sasuke.

"I SEE HIM!" Sasuke shouts inwardly and begins making the necessary hand signs. His entire body begins again to emanate with arcing electricity, and that chirping sound is more piercing and getting louder by the second.

Naruto clenches his fist and drives it into the stomach of the avenging Uchiha. With Sasuke's approaching speed, Naruto's fist collides with Sasuke's spine, nearly ripping through his entire body.

"No time ..." Sasuke says to himself, and the lightning around his body begins to dissipate. "Underestimated him … Should activate the cursed seal … Too drained … Attempting to remain inside Naruto's mind took too much chakra …" Sasuke immediately begins to cough up blood, and collapses over a nearby boulder.

Naruto looks at his charred black fist. "Ouch!" He starts blowing on it to cool it down and jumps from one foot to another. "Sakura-chan … Sakura-chan … Ouch … Ouch!"

Sensing another's presence at the top of the embankment, Naruto and Sakura look up. Orochimaru and Kabuto stare down at the scene before them.

"Amazing!" Kabuto says to himself.

Orochimaru, "This boy intrigues me to no end."

Inwardly Orochimaru questions himself, "Sasuke beaten by this mere brat! Perhaps I have chosen the wrong vessel. And what's more surprising is that he didn't use the Fox's chakra. It is all him! Simply astonishing."

"What are you looking at?" Naruto bursts out.

Naruto looks down at his once time rival and with his charred hand, picks him up by scruff of his shirt and tosses Sasuke's limp body up to the top of the embankment where Orochimaru and Kabuto are standing. Sasuke's stomach lands on the verge of the embankment, his legs dangling over the sides. More blood gushes from Sasuke's collapsed jaw.

"What strength!" Yamato whispers.

"Heal Him!" Orochimaru says to Kabuto, whilst not taking his eyes from this powerful foe.

Kabuto drags Sasuke's limp body to a more appropriate area and begins assessing the damage.

"He's in pretty bad shape, this may take some time. Not only is his jaw crushed, but he has broken ribs on the left and on the right. His lungs have collapsed and he is suffering severe internal bleeding. And that's not to mention the damage to his spine. We need to go if we are to save him!"

Feeling utterly drained himself, Orochimaru nods.

Kabuto picks up Sasuke and stands next to Orochimaru. All three begin to disperse into a hazy cloud of smoke.

Sakura turns to Naruto and shouts "YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU THROW HIM BACK?"

Inner Sakura, kneeling out of apparent exhaustion, silently sobs, "That was so beautiful...What a fight. Let's make it happen again and make sure we have popcorn and maybe a remote control to slow down the action a bit. I had trouble keeping up. That will teach that bastard Sasuke for leaving us. YEAH! BELIEVE IT!"

Sai and Yamato turn to Naruto, interested to hear his answer.

Turning to Sakura, Naruto's eyes glaze over and he falls to the ground unconscious.

"NARUTO!" Sakura shouts, running over to his collapsed form. She kneels over him with her chakra enveloped hands.

"WE NEED TO GET HIM BACK TO KONOHA!" Sakura shouts to Yamato and Sai. "I have done what I can here." Her voice turns into a solemn whisper.

Sakura scrutinises Naruto's charred hand, "Funny … The skin was all burnt and blistered as one would expect. But underneath the skin, there was absolutely no damage." Sakura shrugs, "Guess the nine tailed fox got to it before I could."