Gravel...

"Where's Naruto and what have you done with him!?", the Hyuga screamed while attacking the Uchiha heiress .

"How should I know? I can't control where he goes!", the raven shouted as she blocked Hinata's attack.

The two kinoichi skidded across the grass as they stared each other down. There was silence for half a minute; contemplation of words and assaults filled both their minds. Sasuke was the one that spoke this time.

"You're in my way...", there was a souless look in her eyes. The purple haired girl leaped towards the emotionly dull Uchiha who had a sudden indifference towards her attacker.

"Juken," Hinata's attacks were intense, but nothing that Sasuke couldn't keep up.

Sasuke was deciding if she should kill the Hyuga; but first the raven would have to weaken and defeat her before coming to a more clear decision. The Uchiha was intelligent enough to know from experience that she wasn't alone and there was probably a moderately sized search team catching up to her position. Perhaps, she thought, that it would be her best to keep the fight on the move, and in the opposite direction of where she arrived.

"I won't let you run and get away with all the vile things you've done!", the Hyuga's momentum was quite nimble as the Sharingan kunoichi is starting to take her opponent more seriously.

"Hey, atleast I don't hide behind a telephone pole and stalk the boy I like!", Sasuke insults the purple haired kunoichi; being the catalyst to the flames of rage inside Hinata.

"You're one to talk! You've manipulated someone who was good natured and loyal to his village and using him for god knows what!", the Hyuga retorts back.

The Uchiha ends up a kilometer past the point she was originally at. Her plan had a potenial to be pulled off. Hinata with full byakugan flaring was waiting for an opening so she can disarm Sasuke. Her clan's signiture jutsu would surely have some damaging effects towards her.

"I'm done playing with you, miss stalker...", the kunoichi exclaimed as her sharingan had 3 tomoes.

As Sasuke began to make hand signs for Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu, she got caught off guard by Hinata flanking and hitting the raven's left side of her body. Now disarmed, it was the Hyuga's chance to pumell her enemy.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho!", the purple hair girl began her attack by hitting chakra nerves located on the Uchiha's body. The technique did work, but it only had half the effect as Sasuke countered after the fourty second strike. This left the raven, however, slightly disoriented. Despite being pummeled, she was certainly still in the fight. The Uchiha heiress needed to end this soon, otherwise there was a good chance she would be subdued; this time by more formitable opponents. The fight began to take a different turn when Sasuke pulled out her katana with her right arm. Even though she was left hand dominant, she was well learned to use it almost as effectivly with her weaker side.

"Hghh!", Hinata grunted as she gets grazed by the sword.

The Hyuga in a poor attempt to counter the Uchiha's glistening blade pulled out her best kunai. It lasted until two strikes. It was now a useless hunk of metal. With the purple haired Byakugan used exhausted, she was defeated. The raven stood over her, almost gloating over her victory.

"No matter who that idiot loves, he has every right to do his best for her.", the Uchiha starts to activate Chidori one handed albeit slightly weaker than usual but enough to be a lethal blow.

There was a pause after she said those words. Sasuke was deep in her thoughts.

Should I end her? She's my enemy, after the same boy. No, there are conciquences for killing shinobi. What does it matter? I will probably be confined for life or even put to death if the villages capture me for the things I've already done. No... What if Naruto would hate me for doing this, what...

"A-after you abandoned your village, Naruto started to notice me. I was there for him when you weren't. Do you really think you're even good enough for him? All I can see in you is that you're leading him to the path of ruin...", Hinata said coldly.

The raven's emotions got the better of her as she decided she was going to sink her blade into the immoblized Hyuga.

"GATSUGA!", two drill like formation attacks collided with the Uchiha's katana; barely having time to react to the attack.

"Shit...", Sasuke swore.

The search team arrived despite her best efforts to evade them.

"Sasuke Uchiha, this is your only chance to surrender, you will face worse penalties if you resist any further", Yamato exclaims directly.

Naruto felt recharged; but only physically. Mentally and in spirits he felt weary. Being alone made his self worth plummet. It reminded him of the times where the villagers in Konoha would have hatred in their hearts for him as he walked the streets. His pace remained stagnant. He missed himself. The identify he had established and nurtured into had morphed and forged itself anew from this path he did not forsee. He now has a growing dark side inside that his tenant was more than willing to take advantage of.

"Hey fox, I bet your realling in my agony right now... hehe...", Naruto said with a faint smile.

"Why should I care about your woes boy, when that is all that is around in this world? But perhaps in some ways, this makes us the same", Kurama's booming voice echos.

"What makes you think were the same? You've killed innocent people that didn't deserve to die. I get it, I'm no saint. But why the hell did you mow down all the families; the children? Is that all you exist for?"

"YOU FOOLISH MORTAL! You are truely ignorant of this existence of a world that spawned you! The cages are all around you. They all have the eyes. You ignore the captives. You condemn them without a thought. When one sees freedom on the outside, the captor is the one truely enslaved."

The Uzumaki never thought he would actually exchange words with the demon inside him. But the things he says are hard to comprohend, and seemed like ramblings of an old dementia patient. But like before, he doesn't have enough of his own power to contend with another power that doesn't truely belong to him. He remained speechless for a second with nothing of substance to counteract all that has been said.

"You're wrong! I know you are!", the blonde jinjuriki shouted back.

Kurama merely laughed; knowing he can have small victories like this.

"How am I wrong? Please enquire."

Naruto just remained silent, the cave seemed the same with the night lights. The stars where the only source of light in the encompasing darkness.

Light...

The renegede shinobi reminised to himself of any good he has done. He remembered people like Tazuna, Tsunami, Kaiza, Inari, Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, and possibly the people of Iwagakure. The virtues and values he learned over years of experience still cemented within some part of his spirit was an affermation that despite his expatriation to the Konoha system, he wouldn't commit acts of cruelty and evil on innocents and would aid those in need. After Naruto finished his moment of catharsis, he accepted Kurama's challenge to his ethos by giving him a firm statement.

"Maybe not today, but one day, I will show you through my actions rather than my words!"

The demon fox seemed amused at his statement, albeit rather dubious of it.

"We'll see if time and your self-rightousness will once again coalesce..."

The parallel path that Naruto walked on faded into one as the being inside's voice faded into obscurity, perhaps to ponder on those words sometime in the future.

In a office filled with paperwork, a woman who had a youthful appearance was going over information in her head about the intelligence gathered over time. Tsunade was going to brief the operative who was about to spearhead another operation that is to help with national security. There were, however other non-productive thoughts entering her mind.

"Come in, there's no need for formalities", the blonde woman directed.

The figure that came in was rather tall in size and had long spikey white hair spoke.

"It's been a while, hasn't it old friend?"

"Jiraiya. It's funny how I first took office. I knew lives where in my hands, and I had qualms sending them out into the unknown. I got used to it, but the sentiment remained unchanged", the Slug Sannin averted her eyes from the Toad Sannin.

"I doubt any of us could've forseen such this situation. There's no need to denagrate yourself."

The Hokage averted her gaze again, and once again locked eyes with her old peer with a little more soul.

"Perhaps I'm not alone in this unwanted dilema. All we can do now is discuss all our options on the table considering that the world's platform shifted..."

Sasuke was surrounded, but unwilling to surrender after getting this far. Hinata was weakened from the previous fight so she fell back and reluctantly let her teammates rush the renegade Uchiha. Yamato had confidence that he could defeat the Uchiha heiress, but being careless would cause him a early and unexpected defeat. He had to close the distance.

"Mokuton: Mokujōheki!", the wooden dome incapsulated all combatants.

"Nikudan Hari Sensha!", Chou also exclaimed.

The raven saw what they were trying to do. The Akamichi with the dark enclosed space created by the Mokuton user was going to disrupt her attempts of escaping. Evading this wasn't much of a challenge to Sasuke until Kiba and Akamaru joined in the attack. She knew that if all of her chakra network stayed intact, the Uchiha would've made quick work of them. Sasuke was too blase; underestimating the Hyuga in battle. Her body low on nutrients and energy started to play an underlying factor as well. She had to find the source of the jutsu built wooden dome and stop the source in order to escape. The attacks, while not powerful, prove to be a nuisance. The Sharingan began to strain the Uchiha heiress as she has had it activated for some time now. Sasuke had two choices at this time to make while blocking attacks in a weakened state. Either she could hold out and hope for her enemies to tire out and escape when they have gaps in their defenses; or end this quickly by using Chidori Nagashi multiple times on her foes and the dome structure; but needed extra chakra to pull it off.

No, I have to end this quickly if I'm going to have a chance...

She activated her curse seal; this ended up making things worse for the Uchiha. While her body had the markings starting to cover her, a debilitating pain shot through every part of her being.

She fell to the ground.

The raven, who prided herself as being possibly the strongest kunoichi of her clan and possibly more capable than many ninja that are her senior in rank is subdued. Not by the actions of her enemies, but her pride and lust for power. The words from somewhere distant was a painful reminder of what brought everything to a screeching halt.

"Foolish girl! You made a promise to me. I would have fulfill your revenge, and I would have your body! You expect me to give a traitor like you my chakra to fight? If I will never have your body, I will never let you have my power."

Orochimaru...

Sasuke felt numb as she was in restraints, watching the jutsu her higher ranking pursuer used decintegrate. That feeling was slightly muddled when the raven saw a welcoming figure in the distance.

Naruto felt a lot of activity from a distance. A sense of importance swept over the jinjuriki and he began to run to that area. What he found was a large wooden structure; likely built by a Mokuton user began to crumble.

Wait, that looks like something Yamato-Sensei...

He stopped his thoughts as his suspisions are confirmed. He saw the man Yamato himself, Kiba, and Chou. The next two people made his heart sink.

Hinata was in a injured; disheveled state; shocked to see the boy she had been in love with and in a extraction team searching for most likely himself.

The Uzumaki looked away, with a sense of guilt.

Then he saw the one he truly loved; subdued.

This moment swelled up inside of him. They all saw him, not knowing what to expect other than possible conflict.

"Naruto don't!", Sasuke calls out crying.

"Naruto! Please, let's go back peacefully!", Yamato commands.

The Uzumaki eyes are casted in an earthbound direction.

His body hunches over like an animal. The wind shifts, move every blade of grass in a violent motion. Naruto's blue eyes were replaced with rage filled crimson kyuubi chakra as boiling, fiery blood-colored chakra began to embrace his body.

"Kakashi, we need reinforcements right about now."

END...

Alright, I wanted to thank all of you for the support, about 20,000 views! I feel humbled that there are many people enjoying this. Unfortunately, my writing is in a semi limbo as life and muses change for me. I apologize if there are any inconsistencies in the story and oversights in grammar that I missed prior to upload of this. Even though I'm not active on here like before, I don't forget about the people that upload content and enjoy it. Thanks again and happy trails! =)

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EnigmaticSentinel