Copyright: Take what you will from this, but I own nothing...sadly...

How troublesome.

"Why are we bringing the kid along again?"

"I'm not a kid!"

"You're short that counts enough."

"Because if we turn back now then we might as well abort the mission." Neji answered Shikamaru while they hopped through unknown territory alongside Hinata, Shino, Ino, Choji, Tenten and the recently discovered Konohamaru, "But I warn you child. You will obey every order that we give you or you'll be a genin for the rest of your life."

"Big deal. Naruto's still a genin and that's not stopping him. Kore!" Clearly the boy had learned more from Naruto then just perversion, "But I understand! I just want to make sure that Nii-chan's okay!"

"So do we..." Hinata agreed and spotted something with her active Byakugan, "We're getting close! I see Kakashi and Sakura's chakra...and Naruto-kun's!"

"Anything else?"

"A smaller chakra signature that I don't recognize and...a very dark chakra...potent, but weakening."

"Thank you Hinata." Neji shouted back and activated his byakugan. Though his range was not as far as Hinata's, it did suffice to ensure that Danzo or Akatsuki didn't have any other surprises waiting for them, "Tenten! I see Lee with Kiba and Sai! Take Ino and Choji to ensure that they are alright! Everyone else, stay in formation and stay ready."

The entire situation stank.

Naruto could clearly see it now. He could see why everyone had told him to forget about Sasuke, why he was seen as a criminal.

Because that was what he was now. A criminal.

He had nearly killed Sakura twice and was now madly ranting about destroying Konoha for something that no one knew about.

Naruto and Kakashi had known the truth about the Uchiha massacre thanks to Madara and though doubted if it was true, it seemed true enough for Sasuke. He had already killed one of the village elders, Danzo. Granted, Naruto hated the man and Konoha was honestly better off without him, but that wasn't the point. Sasuke had truly become an avenger, just like Madara had said.

Only he was an avenger that would leave nothing left.

"Guess I was a fool..." Naruto said as he finished adding the wind chakra to the rasengan forming in his hands and prepared to meet Sasuke's chidori just like they had three years ago, "Sasuke...believe it or not...I understand why you're doing this."

"This again?" Sasuke laughed, the song of a thousand birds chirping from his lightning charged arm, "Either give up or get out of my way."

"Had things been a little different...our places would have been reversed."

"I'll admit...your life must've been tough with the Kyubi inside of you." Sasuke readied himself, there would be turning back for him, "But don't think that you can compare to me."

"You're right." Now finished, Naruto dispelled his shadow clone and took initiative as he darted for Sasuke, "YOU'VE NEVER BEEN IN MY LEAGUE!"

"IS THAT A JOKE?" Sasuke roared when he launched himself forward, "CAUSE I'M NOT LAUGHING!"

"RASENGAN!"

"CHIDORI!"

Just like they had three years ago, the two former friends clashed their signature techniques into each other. One resolved to leap into the darkness and the other determined to prevent the fall.

This time, the result was much different.

This time, Naruto's S-Ranked Wind bladed Rasengan easily sliced through the lightning based chakra of Sasuke's A-Ranked Chidori and enabled the Hyperactive genin to slam his Rasengan into Sasuke's chest. Blades of wind erupted from the rotating orb of condensed chakra as Sasuke screamed in sheer pain while Naruto remained completely silent. Naruto then exerted the last ounce of Sage energy that he had gathered before coming here and used it to propel the rasengan forward and take Sasuke with it.

Sasuke was thrown across the lake, leaving behind a thick trail of blood as the rasengan continued to pummel and cut him. By the time the rasengan dissipated a few seconds later, the lake had calmed and Sasuke was floating upon it's surface.

"It's over..." Sasuke's body lifelessly floated with the waves, the Uchiha's lifeless eyes still marked with shock and terror from the last few moments of his life, "Good bye Sasuke."

"Naruto..." Naruto turned from the corpse of his comrade and walked towards where his solemn sensei and his teammate were waiting nearby, "I'm sorry that it had to come to this."

"So am I sensei..." Maybe there was a better way to resolve this, but Naruto couldn't take that chance. The village would have enough problems with Akatsuki and Madara, but Sasuke threatened to break the camel's back. His refusal to renounce his obsession with revenge was a choice that he had made with full knowledge. Just like with every other choice he had made up to this point.

He choose to go with the Sound Four to Orochimaru.

Choose to keep going despite the "rescue" made to save him.

Choose to try to kill Naruto multiple times in the Valley of the End.

Choose to attack the team when they tried to retrieve him in Orochimaru's hideout.

Choose not to return after killing Orochimaru.

Choose to join Akatsuki after killing Itachi.

Choose to help Akatsuki by capturing the Eight-Tails Jinchuuruki.

Choose to attack the Kages at the Summit just to get Danzo.

Choose to wound his own comrade.

And now he tried to kill Kakashi and Sakura.

Naruto didn't kill Sasuke. All he had done was destroy the sad mindless shell that he had become.

But that wasn't the only burden that Naruto felt like lifting from his shoulders.

"Sakura." Naruto tossed his teammate the kunai that Sasuke had tried to kill her with and merely looked into her eyes, "How did Sasuke take this from you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Curious that's all..." Naruto admitted though a glance from Kakashi confirmed his irritation, "You did the same thing that I did back in the Valley. Back when neither of us knew better."

"What do you mean?"

"I could've taken out Sasuke back then...but I didn't want to hurt him. He didn't think the same way..." Naruto laughed while rubbing the spot on his chest where the scar from that battle still ached, "But we're not kids now Sakura...you knew what he had done...you saw what he did to his teammate didn't you?"

"He was our friend once-"

"Sasuke was almost completely blind, drained and exhausted from fighting Kakashi-sensei and Danzo." Maybe he wasn't being fair to Sakura, but at the moment he really didn't care, "Weren't you trained by baa-san? Aren't you supposed to be the smartest of us? Can't you put craters in mountains? You clabbered a whole army of Sasori's puppets and his Third Kazekage puppet...but I had to save you from a blind man? A blind man disarmed you and nearly killed you?"

"Naruto...I-"

"How do you fuck that up?"

"I'm sorry-"

"HOW DO YOU FUCK THAT UP!" He roared right in his teammate's face. As he heavily breathed, he saw Sakura's face tear up and then she began to cry. Considering his track record with Sasuke, maybe he didn't have any room to lash out at her like that. But after the confession, "I'm done...I'm going home."

"You're cut. Let me help-"

"Stop helping Sakura...it only makes things worst." He walked past the sobbing Sakura and leapt up to where Sasuke's comrade had been watching the entire scene. He gave one look at her and then turned to leave just as his face felt like it was burning.

As he heard himself growl, Naruto felt consciousness get stolen from him by the poison on Sakura's kunai...

"Damn...I was this close to deciding to save you." The orange masked observer mused while watching the aftermath of the Avenger's demise. His puppet was fun for a little while, but he pushed his luck too far. Now the Avenger's slayer was convulsing on the ruined bridge as a result of the hesitation of Uzamaki's medical comrade.

He could have gone down and recovered Sasuke's body, but it was not a pressing matter. Besides, the rest of Uzamaki's class were already arriving on the scene and the observer still needed to replace his arm before he attempted to face the full might of the Konoha 12 plus two jonin and a surprisingly talented stowaway genin.

"What do you want to do Tobi?" White Zetsu asked while Tobi watched The Root agent finish covering Sasuke's body in wrappings made from ink and sealing him within a caligraphy scroll.

"Unfortunate, but it is not a total loss. Contact Crimson Moon." Tobi ordered as his sharingan activated, "When I return from Ame, I will require an Uzamaki..."

Author's Notes:

Before going any further into this short story, I have to make a few things clear.

1) While I'm not the biggest fan of Sakura, I'm also not trying to unfairly bash her. It really is objectively stupid for her to nearly be killed twice in a row by a blind, drained and exhausted enemy even if it was her friend. She's supposed to be Tsunade's apprentice and close to an S-rank shinobi. There there's her false confession, attempting to go after Sasuke at all without telling anyone and gassing her teammates because she clearly wouldn't need their help.

2) It always bugs me that Naruto never uses the Wind Release: Rasengan even though it's fairly easy to create. (I'm not talking about the Rasenshuriken, I mean the wind rasengan that overpowered Kakashi's rasengan) And seeing that Wind beats Lightning, then the result between the Wind Rasengan and the Chidori should be pretty easy to guess.

3) I don't hate Sasuke and I'm not trying to make him look weak. I just don't think that he would've stood a chance if Naruto decided to waste him after his fight with Kakashi. This is Sasuke at his lowest point and Naruto's maturity just suffers every time he refuses to deal with him in the most pragmatic way. The Cycle of Hatred doesn't really apply here because Sasuke is a clear aggressor who intends to wipe out Konoha for the crimes of three people and is getting more deranged as he goes along.

In fact, it took intervention from Zombie Itachi for Sasuke to return to the Light.

So there.

Don't worry, I plan to have Naruto and Sakura reconcile eventually, but it's not going to be a smooth transition. Things are going to be very different between them. And before you ask, no this is not a NaruSaku fic. Because ask yourself one simple question: Why would you want to be with a girl whose false love confession was spent making you the silver medal to the bad boy that she couldn't get? Especially after what she does after you call her out on her bullshit?

I'm not trying to be unfair to Sakura, but it's just not happening in this story.