Chapter 1

"Sasuke!"

Naruto pulled himself out of the water gathering below him. His clothes were drenched, soaking him to the bone. He shook the excess water from his body before glaring up at his supposed best friend. Something was different about him, something he didn't like.

The Uchiha jumped down from his perch, landing a few yards away from him. His eyes were a crimson red, signaling use of the sharingan. His lips were distorted in a thin line, his expression emotionless.

"Sasuke, what are you doing? Just come back to the village already!"

"No."

Sasuke leaped into the air, his hands working fast to perform the appropriate hand signs. "Katon: Housenka no jutsu!"

Hundreds of heated fireballs flew directly at the blond. Their heat was excruciating, a kind of temperature that could burn skin in an instant. At the last second, he dodged the fiery missiles, leaping into the air. It made for a quick evasion.

"We're supposed to be friends!" Naruto shouted, anger beginning to boil deep in his core. He didn't want to have to fight him. They were teammates!

"Hn." Sasuke hurled his body into the air so that it was parallel to Naruto's. He narrowed his eyes at the blond and brought his fist back. Before the blond could anticipate his actions and dodge the oncoming attack, he sent it hurling at his face. It connected directly underneath his eye.

Naruto was sent whirling towards the ground. He hit the earth with a large splash, water lurching upwards upon impact.

Sasuke dropped to the ground, a few yards away from where Naruto crashed. He eyed the area closely, his eyes narrowing once again. He was sure that Naruto wouldn't be defeated that easily.

Naruto lay floating on the surface of the water. He couldn't believe this…

'There's…no doubt about it. You're serious.'

Naruto pushed himself up so that he could was above water. His hair, dripping wet, hung in his face. If it wasn't for his headband, it would be obstructing his view. 'You're really trying to kill me…'

Sasuke visibly tensed once he saw Naruto get up. "Just give up, dobe."

Naruto clenched his teeth, standing up straight. His hands clenched at his sides. "No. I worked too hard for this bond! I'm not just going to give it up!"

The young Uchiha glared, annoyed at the outburst. "So be it."

"Stop holding back!" Sasuke ordered, launching a bone shattering punch to Naruto's stomach. The blond gasped at the sudden impact, blood emitting from his mouth. Sasuke grabbed him by his collar, holding him close.

Naruto brought his knee up, knocking it into Sasuke's gut. The other boy quickly loosened his grasp, making it easy to escape the hold he had on him. The blond jumped back, landing on his feet.

The curse mark was traveling across the Uchiha's face, covering his entire upper body. The markings glowed a bright red before settling into an omniscient black. His hands began to form the hand signs for what he thought would be his final attack. "Chidori!"

The sound of a thousand birds chirping made its way to Naruto's ears. It was a sound that made his heart pump faster than was usual. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

A clone appeared beside him and together they began to form a rasengan. Sasuke started to charge for him, the chidori crackling in his palm. The clone dispersed and Naruto ran forward, ready to collide with the opposite technique. He wouldn't lose. He was determined to beat him!

Once the two techniques collided, a bright light enveloped the two of them. Naruto and Sasuke repelled each other, sending one another in opposite directions. They both splashed into the rising water, possibly a few hundred yards between them.

They both reappeared at the same time. Pulling themselves from the water, they stared one another down. An orange chakra began to gather around Naruto's body, attaching itself to him. The water surrounding him began to whirl around, forming a mini hurricane around him.

"Sasuke!" Even his voice sounded different. "I won't let Orochimaru have you! Even if I have to break every bone in your arms and legs, I will stop you!"

The red chakra disappeared from Naruto, although changes in his appearance remained. His nails appeared longer, shaped into claws, and his whisker marks seemed to appear more distinct. His eyes had changed from a piercing blue to a menacing red, his pupils turned to slits.

"What…are you?" Sasuke verbalized, squinting.

"Your friend!"

Naruto slowly got up from the pile of rubble that Sasuke had punched him into. Rocks fell from the newly created crater as he crawled out of it. Whatever had just happened, he couldn't even explain. The only thing he was sure of, was that Sasuke had undergone a serious change. He wasn't even recognizable anymore.

"It looks like neither of us have time to fool around," Sasuke spoke. He smirked a smirk that sent shivers down Naruto's spine. He pressed his hands together to do a series of hand signs. "Chidori!"

Naruto wasted no time. It was one thing that he couldn't afford to lose at the moment. Time. Sasuke was out to kill him, and he refused to let that happen. "Rasengan!"

The separate techniques glowed in their hands. Each one appeared more sinister than before, as a result of their new transformations. Silently, the only sound coming from the two whirling techniques, they launched themselves into the air. They aimed their techniques at one another, making the other their target. As they drew closer, they prepared themselves for impact.

Soon, the Rasengan and the Chidori met in the middle of their creators. They clashed, each trying to gain the upper hand over the other. While the battle raged, the creators stared at each other. Sasuke's eyes radiated hatred and the purpose to win. Naruto's only displayed determination.

"Rasengan!"

"Chidori!"

SPLAT!

SCRATCH!

"I'm beginning to pick up a scent of blood, boss," Pakkun, one of Hatake Kakashi's nin-dog's, assessed. They were traveling through the trees as fast as possible, hoping to catch up to Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke before it was too late.

"I see. We'd better hurry. Pick up the pace," the silver-haired ninja ordered. He channeled more chakra to his feet in order to produce more speed. No good ever came from the scent of blood.

"Right boss."

Soon, the duo landed in the stone valley known as the valley of the end. The entire area looked to be trashed beyond repair. Rubble was tossed everywhere and the stone statues looked to have crumbled a bit as well. It seemed as if two entities had battled amongst this place.

Now, he could even smell the blood himself. It was a nauseating scent, and it was nearly overpowering his sense of smell. Shaking the scent from his mindset, he began to search for his two students. No doubt that they were the ones to create this massive destruction.

A single raindrop fell upon his head. Then another, and another. Soon, millions of water droplets were falling from above, as if the skies were weeping. It looked like a bad omen.

Scanning the area using every one of his senses, he searched for his two students. They had to have still been here. At least one of them had to. The scent of blood was too strong for them to have just disappeared.

He spotted them both near the waterfall at the edge of the valley. They were bother next to each other, probably closer than they'd ever been. Naruto was laying down, facing the sky as the clouds rained down on him. Kneeling above him was Sasuke, who seemed to be in a peaceful state. To be honest, he couldn't figure out who was the most injured at the moment.

He walked closer to them, taking his time. Now that he knew that they were fine and accounted for, he could rest easy. His swiftly beating heart could slow down for a moment.

However, as he got closer to the two, he could see that he had underestimated the damage of the battle. Once he was directly upon them, he could see heavy amounts of reddish liquid pouring from underneath the young Uzumaki boy. Sasuke didn't even seem to register that Kakashi had arrived. He was in a trance.

"Sasuke, what happened?" Kakashi asked quickly, kneeling beside Naruto to assess the damage. He motioned for Pakkun to call in for a medic squad.

"He pulled away," Sasuke replied unemotionally. He continued to stare down at the Uzumaki. "The idiot pulled away."

Kakashi turned his gaze on the Uchiha for a brief moment while adding pressure to a few of Naruto's wounds. No doubt that the fox would heal the minor ones himself in no time. What Kakashi really needed to focus on, were the big ones. "What happened, Sasuke?" he repeated.

Sasuke turned his emotionless gaze on his sensei as he began to replay the events leading up to the recently injured Naruto. He tried his best to describe he and Naruto's transformations, but he couldn't seem to find the right words.

Kakashi listened carefully throughout the entire explanation, not interrupting even once. He was too busy berating himself for teaching Sasuke the Chidori in the first place. If he hadn't, maybe the battle wouldn't have gotten as far as it did.

He sighed. No time for that now. He had to make sure that Naruto was okay. Once that was taken care of, then he could begin to properly beat himself up. Until then, Naruto was his main priority.

"I killed him, didn't I?" Sasuke spoke, his voice nearly inaudible. He still hadn't removed his gaze from his blond teammate.

"There's no way to be sure." Kakashi eased the blond into a sitting position and tossed him onto his back. "Let's go. We can't afford to just sit around and wait. Naruto's life may be at stake."

Sasuke stood along with his sensei. "But what about the-"

"We'll meet the medics halfway. Let's go."

Kakashi moved through the forest, struggling to keep Naruto steady on his back. They were moving as quickly as possible, their feet barely touching the branches before they were off again.

Naruto's body felt cool to the touch. His hands were icy around his neck and Kakashi hadn't felt a single warm breath since they'd left the valley. There was a slight possibility that Naruto's breath had just become small enough that he couldn't sense it but it seemed that the Uzumaki's fate had already been decided. He would probably die before they even reached the gates. Kakashi just hoped that the fox would be able to heal his wounds enough to enable him to live for just a little longer. Just long enough for Tsunade to get her hands on him.

"Kakashi… I'm sorry," Sasuke muttered. "I swear I didn't mean to-"

"There's no time for that, Sasuke. The main objective is trying to get Naruto back to the village in time," the elder ninja replied. He sped up in pace, the sudden reminder seeming to give him the energy to excel.

'Naruto… Just a little farther.'

Soon, they came upon the Gates of Konoha. They wasted no time in running into the village, hurrying to the hospital. Even if Tsunade wasn't there at the moment, they could get Naruto some minor help before she arrived. It would help in the slightest of ways, maybe even save his life.

Once inside the hospital, the quickly had Naruto given emergency attention. As soon as Kakashi was sure that Naruto was in good hands, he took off for the Hokage's office, leaving Sasuke to stay at the hospital. He took the shortest route possible, jumping over building after building to reach the tower. Once there, he jumped in through the window to evade having to use the door.

The Hokage looked startled by his entrance. "Kakashi, what is the meaning of this?"

"Lady Tsunade, Naruto's in trouble."