Chapter 8: Reunion

After running back home to change clothes, Naruto walked with Tenten to go face Sasuke. When Naruto and Tenten arrived at the training ground, they were surprised to see that the field was buzzing with excitement and packed with shinobi. Ino ran up to the pair, rubbing the back of her head in slight embarrassment.

"Yo, you two!"

Tenten narrowed her eyes at the bubbly blonde.

"What did you do this time? Are you responsible for this crowd?"

Ino pouted.

"Geez Tenten, how can you accuse me of such a thing? I might have told a couple of my friends, who might have told a few of their friends. I didn't expect that the news would spread so quickly."

"Hmph… well I guess this means that there will more people around to watch Naruto beat the shit out of Sasuke."

As Naruto walked towards the waiting Sasuke, Ino pulled Tenten to the side.

"Hey Tenten, what do you mean by that? Sasuke's really strong. I know what he did to Naruto and Konoha was wrong, but that doesn't mean that he's weak. Sakura says that all Sasuke does is train all day. I know Naruto managed to beat Hinata's dad, but Sasuke isn't going to go down without a fight."

Tenten smirked, causing Ino to stop her rambling and look at Tenten quizzically.

"Tell you what, Ino. If Sasuke is able to knock Naruto on his back once, I will go shopping with you for a whole day and pay for everything."

Ino's eyes widened at this: she could finally get her hands on that new skirt that she had been eyeing for the past few days. She was about to accept Tenten's deal when the weapons mistress cut her off.

"But, if Sasuke can't do it, then you will become my practice partner for a month."

Ino paled at this statement. It was a widespread rumor that Tenten's teammates, Rock Lee and Hyuuga Neji, were found hugging each other and crying about their teammate's cruel training session. If the little Green Beast of Konoha and the strongest inheritor of the Byakugan were scared shitless by Tenten's training regimen, what chance did she have of surviving? Her mind wandered back to the really cute skirt. Surely Sasuke-kun should be able to knock Naruto back once…

"Deal."

The two kunoichi shook hands to solidify the deal and moved to join the other shinobi gathered to watch the battle.

'Naruto, you better not mess around. If you go easy on him and let him land a hit, I'll make you suffer.'

Naruto was facing Sasuke, staring his former teammate in the eye.

'Maybe I should go easy on him for a while to get a feel for his strength. Maybe let him land a few blows.'

He felt a sudden chill run up his spine, as if something bad was going to happen to him if he didn't take the fight seriously from the beginning. He looked over and saw Tenten giving him a fierce glare and gulped. Maybe he should take this fight seriously from the beginning.

"Dobe, you managed to catch me off guard last time with your strange jutsu, but I'm prepared for it this time."

"…"

"Hn? Not going to say anything to your old teammate? What happened to the hyperactive loudmouth blond?"

Naruto blinked.

"You say something, Uchiha?"

Sasuke balled his fists in anger. This was an opportunity for the two of them to test their strengths, and the dobe was ignoring him, treating him like trash.

"Nothing. Let's fight."

Sasuke drew out a kunai, an action that Naruto reciprocated. There was a silence as the two shinobi faced each other, gauging each other's defenses.

A hidden signal passed between the two combatants, and they leapt towards each other simultaneously. Their kunai met with a metallic clang in the middle of the clearing. Sasuke used his free hand to throw a punch at Naruto, who easily ducked the underneath the blow. Twisting around at the waist, Sasuke followed up his punch with a swift leg sweep.

Naruto kicked Sasuke's leg away and slipped underneath Sasuke's guard and landed a shallow slice across the cheek with his kunai. Sasuke took a step backwards and wiped off the blood from his cheek, wearing a slightly feral grin.

"It's about time we up the stakes, huh dobe?"

Sasuke flashed through a series of very familiar hand seals that ended in the Tiger seal, finally bringing his right hand up to his mouth.

Katon: Goukayuu no Jutsu

A large fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth and rushed towards Naruto, burning everything in its path.

'God damn it. I hate that stupid jutsu.'

Naruto leapt into the nearby river to take shelter while the inferno passed overhead. As Naruto waited at the bottom of the river, he felt the water start to lift him towards the surface and solidify.

'Huh? When did he learn this jutsu?'

Naruto quickly jumped out of the water before the suiro no jutsu (water prison technique) could take hold. Using a kunai to deflect the brace of shuriken headed his way, Naruto landed back on the ground and raised an eyebrow at Sasuke.

"You learned some new tricks while I was gone, haven't you, Uchiha?"

"Well, the Sharingan is the cherished bloodline of Konoha, so I've been growing stronger every day through the power of the Sharingan. Soon I'll be strong enough to avenge my family and protect Konoha from future disasters."

Naruto jumped over a fuma shuriken and twisted in the air to avoid a kunai, which stuck into the tree behind him. The acrid smell of burning sulfur wafted through the air, causing Naruto's eyes to narrow.

'Exploding tag, huh? That's too simple for someone like Sasuke. What's his real plan?'

Naruto braced himself for the explosion, but the tag simply fizzled out. He sensed wires snaking in his direction and quickly leapt to the side, avoiding the danger.

Meanwhile, the spectators were watching the two shinobi battle. Inoichi turned to Shikaku.

"Say, what do you think of this fight so far? They're pretty evenly matched so far. Sasuke hasn't been able to land a blow, but Naruto hasn't been doing anything so far…"

"Hmm? I'd say it's too early to say for sure, did you see Naruto's fight with Hiashi?"

Inoichi shook his head.

"I was busy doing work for the wife, but Ino told me how Naruto used some strange technique to catch Hiashi off guard."

"That's what I heard too. I wonder if he can hold up against the Mangekyou Sharingan."

"You two are making the same mistake that I made."

Inoichi and Shikaku turned to see the normally stoic Hiashi grinning ever so slightly.

"What do you mean by that, Hiashi-san?"

"It is not something that can be simply described in words. Let me ask you this- have you ever faced Namikaze Minato in a serious fight?"

The two shinobi nodded.

"Do you remember feeling a sense of dread when he looked you in the eyes?"

Hiashi watched Naruto land a kick to Sasuke's stomach as Shikaku and Inoichi nodded in affirmation once more.

"When I faced Naruto-san, I had a similar feeling. However, when I looked into his eyes, I knew there was something different, something deeper. It was as if his eyes were penetrating the depths of my soul."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Hyuuga clan is well known for possessing the Byakugan, which has been called the all-seeing eye. One minor ability of the Byakugan is to be able to read the emotions of one's opponent. My nephew, Hyuuga Neji has a natural talent for this. What Naruto-san does, however, is on a whole different level."

Hiashi watched as the two combatants paused for a moment. Sasuke's face contorted in pain momentarily before he looked up at Naruto, revealing his Mangekyou Sharingan. Hiashi grinned.

"I believe Uchiha-san will start to understand what it's like now."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the Uchiha survivor, who had just activated his completed Sharingan.

"Finally going all out, teme?"

Instead of responding, Sasuke ran towards Naruto, wielding a short katana. Naruto sighed, pulling out a kunai to knock aside the sweeping blade. As Naruto and Sasuke continued to fight, Sasuke's irritation continued to rise.

'Tch, why can't I hit Naruto? No matter how much faster I move, he always seems to be one step faster. It's as if my Sharingan can't pick him up at all.'

Sasuke's eyes widened in realization.

'No way, my Sharingan isn't working against him at all! It looks like I'll have to use it.'

Sasuke parried a kunai thrown by Naruto and looked his former teammate in the eye with his Sharingan wheels spinning.

Tsukuyomi

Gasps went through the crowd as Uchiha Sasuke captured Naruto in the almighty genjutsu. Tenten clasped her hands in worry.

'Shit, I didn't think that the bastard would go so far as to use a deadly jutsu in this spar. Naruto-kun… please be alright.'

To the surprise of the audience, Naruto seemed unaffected by Sasuke's jutsu. Instead, Sasuke was the one who dropped to one knee, clutching his eye and panting heavily. After recovering his composure, Sasuke rose up once more and glared at Naruto.

"How did you do it? How did you manage to defeat the Tsukuyomi?"

Naruto answered by sending a flying kick at Sasuke, who barely dodged the attack. The two continued to fight, although Naruto was seen as having the clear advantage.

Meanwhile Ino was, for once, not thinking about shopping and fashion. When the fight started, she prayed with all of her heart for Sasuke to knock Naruto to the ground at least once. She really wanted that skirt, damn it! At first, she thought that it would be an easy bet to win. Even though Sasuke hadn't managed to land a solid hit, the two combatants seemed to be evenly matched in her eyes.

As the fight dragged on, Ino started to pay closer attention to the fight itself. Once Naruto managed to throw off the legendary Tsukuyomi without any adverse side effects, Ino totally forgot about her bet with Tenten and was instead focused entirely on the fight.

She saw how Naruto always seemed to stay ahead of Sasuke, no matter what traps or jutsu Sasuke seemed to throw his way. Slowly, she started to realize that Naruto was on a totally different level than Sasuke. It wasn't due to a difference in ability, strength, or speed that set the two apart, but Naruto exuded an overwhelming pressure that seemed to make his movements crisper, stronger. Even at a distance, Ino knew that she wouldn't stand a chance in a fight against Naruto. A shrill cry of pain brought Ino back to her senses.

'Huh? What just happened? Did I lose track of the match?'

Moments before, Naruto and Sasuke had come to a standstill once more.

"Naruto… you aren't taking me seriously, are you?"

"Of course I am. Now, do you want to continue to chat, or do you want to finish this fight?"

Sasuke smirked at Naruto, and for the first time during the fight, there was a bit of doubt in Naruto's mind. Sasuke held out his right arm, palm-face up, causing Naruto to narrow his eyes.

'That doesn't look like the Chidori… no way… it can't be…'

Naruto froze stiff as a ball of swirling chakra appeared over Sasuke's hand.

'Rasengan?'

"That's right, it's the technique of the Yondaime Hokage. It wasn't that hard to learn, thanks to the Sharingan. Prepare yourself, Naruto."

Naruto stood there, shell-shocked, as Sasuke drew closer with the completed Rasengan. He showed no sign of making any movement to dodge the jutsu. Finally, Tenten's shrill voice cut through Naruto's thoughts.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU FUCKING MORON? IF YOU DON'T MOVE, I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS SO HARD, NOT EVEN KAMI WILL BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU!"

"TOO LATE! TAKE THIS, DOBE! RASEN-AAAAARGH!"

Sasuke clutched his right arm, reduced to a bloody stump, and let out a scream of pain. Naruto flicked his wakizashi, effectively cleaning the blade of blood. The crowd watched in shock as Naruto turned and started to walk away.

Tenten noticed Naruto's slightly stiff motions, and the small trembling of his hands.

'Naruto-kun…'

She watched fearfully as Kakashi shushined in front of Naruto, in an attempt to block his former student's path.

"Naruto, I understand that you may not trust us, and you might even hate us, but should you really have done that to Sasuke-kun? You need to learn to control your emotions better."

"…"

"Are you just going to ignore me like that, Naruto? Even if you don't want to, as your superior, I am permitted to use necessary force if you are being insubordinate."

"…"

"Just because your father was Minato-sensei, it doesn't mean that-"

Kakashi's statement was cut short when Naruto stared him in the eye.

"Hatake… you have no right to call my father your sensei."

Kakashi took an involuntary step backwards when he saw the fierce look in Naruto's eyes, allowing Naruto to walk away unimpeded.

The crowd was silent as Naruto walked off into the distance, but once Naruto left the training grounds, the gathered shinobi erupted in conversation. It was during the commotion that Tenten silently slipped away from the rest of the group.

'Naruto-kun… Wait for me…'

Tenten slowly made her way up the path to the top of the Hokage Monument, where she was sure that she could find Naruto, as it was no secret among the Konoha 12 and their jounin sensei that Naruto could often be found at the Hokage Monument when he was younger. Through her concern, the irritated part of Tenten's mind decided to make herself be heard.

'My God, why the hell does Naruto have to pick such a high place to brood? Not everyone has that freakish stamina of his. I mean seriously, here I am looking for him and he's run off to the hardest place to reach in Konoha.'

She reached the top of the Hokage monument, fully intent on giving Naruto an earful. A fearful wave of tension forced her words back down her throat. She looked towards the source and wasn't surprised to see that Naruto was standing on the Yondaime's head with his head bowed and his hands clenched in fists at his sides.

Thinking that Naruto wanted to be left alone, Tenten turned around to head back, but stopped when she heard Naruto call out.

"Tenten, could you stay here with me for a while?"

Tenten walked to Naruto's side and stood still. When it appeared as if Naruto wasn't going to say anything, Tenten stretched a hesitant hand towards his arm. Naruto's soft voice broke through the air stopped Tenten.

"Hey Tenten, what does Lee say about hard workers and geniuses?"

"Huh? He's always saying that hard work will always defeat natural genius."

"What do you think of that mindset?"

"Huh?"

"Tenten, the Rasengan was a jutsu that my father created. It didn't require any special bloodline to learn- only the willpower and the strength of hard work. It took me over a month of constantly practicing that one jutsu before I could even form a passable Rasengan. Ero-sennin might not have been the best teacher, but he was the first person who actually took any interest in my training."

"But what about Iruka-sensei? I know that you two are pretty close friends. Didn't he teach you during your years at the Ninja Academy?"

Naruto dropped his head a bit and spoke in a low voice.

"Iruka-sensei and I never saw eye to eye while I was at the academy. To me, he was the same as everyone else in Konoha, and I was a reminder of Konoha's tragedy. It wasn't until the day I graduated that we accepted each other as friends and brothers."

"The day of your graduation? What happened then?"

Naruto smiled sadly and shook his head at Tenten.

"I'm sorry, Tenten, but that's a story that I treasure. Maybe one day when I am ready, I will tell you this story. For now, I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until then."

Tenten blushed in embarrassment.

'Why did I have to ask such a personal question? He's probably really upset now. '

"Naruto… I'm sorry if that offended you…"

Naruto managed a slight grin and waved her off.

"Don't worry about it. Anyways, where was I again? Ah right, learning the Rasengan. In a way, the Rasengan can be seen as the pinnacle of hard work, attainable through training and dedication. It makes me so angry that Sasuke used his precious eye to copy the pain and sweat that everybody else must endure. "

"I don't get it. The rasengan doesn't require any hand seals. How was he able to use the Sharingan to copy it?"

"I'm not sure, but I guess that the Sharingan allows the user to watch their opponent's chakra flow and then induce an identical flow through the user's own body. All he needed was for someone to show him a proper Rasengan, and then he'd be able to copy it easily. He couldn't copy mine because I use the Kage Bunshin to stabilize my Rasengan. If I were to bet, I'd place my money on Kakashi showing Sasuke the Rasengan. The lazy bastard would probably think it'd be a way to remember me as a teammate."

"Do you… hate them?"

Naruto chuckled, causing Tenten to look over at him.

"What's so funny?"

"I want to hate them. I want to spit in their face and swear at them. I want to hate them so much, but I just can't do it."

"But they had you executed! You have every right to hate them!"

"Tenten… I've been hanged, burned, stabbed and poisoned many times before. I didn't realize it at the time, but it was thanks to the stupid fox that I'm still alive today."

Tenten looked over and saw tears starting to form in Naruto's eyes. She slowly wrapped her arms around the blond.

"Naruto, it's okay to be upset. Just let it out…"

The two slowly sank to the ground as Naruto relaxed into Tenten's embrace.

"It hurts so much, Tenten. To see something that you worked so hard for thrown right back in your face so easily cuts deeply. At that moment, I wanted to kill him, the person that I had once considered a good friend."

"Naruto, it's alright. It's perfectly normal for you to feel this way. You didn't deserve to be treated the way you did, but you still stayed strong. You really are an incredible person, Naruto. I'm glad I've gotten to know you…"

The two sat there in silence for a while, with Tenten's arms still around Naruto. After a moment, Tenten peeked around to take a look at Naruto.

'He's fallen asleep, huh? Can't help it, I guess…'

Tenten closed her eyes herself, allowing Naruto's warmth to permeate through her body. She barely noticed as she slowly fell asleep herself.

Moments later, Tsunade was walking back to her office, giggling and cradling a camera.

'I've finally got some good blackmail on the brat. He's never going to live this one down.'

Meanwhile in Otogakure, Orochimaru was curled on a bed, screaming in pain. The wound caused by Naruto's strange jutsu wasn't healing, in spite of all of Kabuto's efforts. Out of nowhere, he heard a deep voice speak.

"Having trouble with that wound of yours?"

"W-w-w-who's there?"

"A friend. I can grant you the power to get rid of the brat, all you have to do is ask."

"Very well…"

In Tenten's mind, a different situation was taking place. She looked around the pure-white surroundings, but failed to see anything that would tell her where she was. A voice broke through the void, causing Tenten to turn towards the source.

"Tenten-chan… it's nice to finally meet you."

"Huh? Who the hell are you?"

"Ah, I failed to properly introduce myself. I am…"