Naruto: A Tale of Determination Chapter 1: Life and Death, a naruto fanfic

DISCLAIMER!
I do not own Naruto, any other character or event from the Naruto manga. This disclaimer applies to this whole story.

I write this story for my entertainment and upload it for the entertainment of those who like to read it. I have no financial gains from this story whatsoever.

A FEW THOUGHTS CONCERNING THE STORY AND ITS AUTHOR

-This is my first fanfic, but I have read quite a lot in the past few months!
-About the pairings: I do not plan on making this a harem story, or pair characters with a huge age difference. Also, I want to deviate from most of the stories and not use the classic Naru-Hina pairing. Finally, there will be no yaoi pairings.
-In this fic I plan to portray a Naruto that has moments of genius outside of battle, his happy-go-lucky, naive behaviour will be an exaggeration of his normal character and is an effort to be accepted/recognised much like his dream to become Hokage.
-I find it hard to imagine that the Hokage, who wouldn't allow anyone to speak of Kyuubi would actually allow anyone to abuse Naruto mentally or physically, so here I will take a different approach.
-Even though I have many ideas that I consider quite original, anyone who sees part of their work here would be welcome to contact me and point me the chapter where the idea is used. Of course I will give them credit.
- Many of the non-canon jutsus in this story were inspired (or outright copied!) by VynosNeptune's 'Custom Elemental Ninjutsus', so credit belongs to him. Any jutsu that is my creation will be stated as such in the AN.

Let's get on with the story then!

CHAPTER 1:Life and Death

The sound of heavy rain muffled the sobs coming from the village of Konoha. The epicenter of the sobs was coming from the heart and mind of the village, the Hokage tower. On top of the tall, circular building, many figures, clad in black, stood.
They formed disciplined lines, their solemn looks turned towards a saddening sight: The pictures of their beloved leader and of their comrades, those who lost the battle with the Shinigami earlier, during the Sound and Sand Invasion.

Directly in front of the makeshift shrine, stood a twelve year old boy; his hair yellow and unkempt like the sun's rays; his eyes blue like the crystal-clear sky. While trying his best to hold tears back, Uzumaki Naruto, rookie genin of Konoha looked to his right to see a boy he considered his little brother crying in his teacher's embrace.

'Konohamaru....Iruka-sensei...'

Turning his gaze forward again, to look at his grandfather figure again, he desperately tried to remember every conversation he had with him, every time he had treated him to ramen, every piece of advice he had given him.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage was one of the few people Naruto could be himself around. As long as he could remember , the blond boy was always ignored by all the Konoha villagers he ever met while some adults even looked outright scared of him, rushing to get away from him when he looked at them. After some time, he tried being more friendly, smiling for little reason, laughing more often and wearing bright colour clothing to attract attention to himself in order to let everyone see how cheerful and nice he was. All of his tactics were met with little to no success, even pranking was of little use.

With the Hokage or 'The Old man' as Naruto preferred to call him, however , things were very different. Whenever the young blond saw him, he was always friendly and seemed to enjoy his company. Since he accepted him as he was, young Naruto was free to finally be a child around him, ' it would be irrational for the strongest shinobi in the village to fear a child', as he often thought.

' Remember Naruto , our village is like a tree, each leaf, each of us, doing its part so that the tree will keep growing stronger.'
He would always say that with passion evident in his eyes and it was that look that Naruto had associated with the title of Hokage; an unwavering faith that could change Konoha for the better, the duty of the Fire Shadow.

He could now hear a grey haired man with rectangular glasses, whose age rivalled that of the former leader, give a speech about sacrifice and and how everyone should try to continue their lives in a way that said sacrifices would not be in vain.

As the man kept talking, Naruto drifted again into his thoughts, being almost oblivious to everyone around him. One thought occupied his mind; Why did the Hokage lose? Wasn't he the one fighting to protect Konoha, his home? Wasn't he the one with the right reason to fight?

He followed the rest of his generation's genins in line, a white rose in his hands, the last tribute to each leaf that had separated with the rest of the tree.

o---o

--ONE HOUR LATER--

Naruto was sitting on top of Sarutobi's head at the Hokage Monument. The weather had improved drastically, were it not for the still watered streets, not a soul would be able to tell that it was raining merely an hour before. The blond was overlooking the village, people running about with building materials, repairing damaged buildings or beginning to build new ones to replace the ones that were destroyed during the fight between Jiraiya's toads and the invasion's snakes. The sight of the Ichiraku ramen stand being rebuilt brought a faint smile to his face.

He didn't have any time to observe anything else, as his temporary teacher before the final test of the Chuunin exams made his appearance beside him. Acknowledging his presence, Naruto turned his head slightly, and with the faint smile he retained from before, he spoke.

"Isn't the view from up here nice Ero-sennin? I think he would enjoy watching us from here."

" I am sure he will, he ,along with all the previous generations of Konoha shinobi, have entrusted their will to us after all.". The Gama Sennin's words and tone surprised the blond somewhat; this serious side of his sensei was something he rarely saw. He nodded and waited for his sensei to continue. After seeing his hesitation however, he decided to ask his questions from before.

While Naruto voiced all of the thoughts that confused him, Jiraiya watched him, considering the appropriate way to answer. When the blond finished, he waited a few moments before responding.

" Naruto, I know how much you loved Sarutobi-sensei, but there are some things that you must understand. He did what he did for us, he sacr-"

"I heard that many times already!", the boy yelled, unable to control his feelings anymore, "But why did he have to die? How can someone with so many lives depending on him lose? To a traitor of all things, a man who abandoned everyone he knew, why can someone like that be allowed to win?"

Jiraiya was stunned to see his informal apprentice have an outburst like this, but he finally understood what he meant , he finally knew what the blond wanted to know all along. As Naruto calmed down, Jiraiya spoke again, his eyes locked with his student.

"Power is the key. All shinobi need it, so they train daily , pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion. Most of them have a healthy reason for doing so, like protecting their country, village or loved ones. Some, however, want power for the sake of being powerful, they strive to prove themselves the strongest, revelling in killing those they consider worthy adversaries. Orochimaru is a prime example of that logic, while my sensei always followed the opposite path. As for the reason he won...". Jiraiya stopped for a moment yet again, trying to find the right words to sooth the boy that was giving him his full attention.

"Orochimaru and his kind do not hesitate to do anything to win. In his battle with sensei, my former teammate used a kinjutsu, a forbidden jutsu in other words, to make the first two Hokages fight for him, thus gaining the advantage, forcing sensei to use a lethal sealing technique to stop him....", he said blankly, as if reading out loud a menu from a restaurant, or a report from a D-rank mission.

As he watched Naruto's face shift rapidly from one emotion to another, he added.

"I would really like to tell you that those with the desire to protect can win against any opponent, but it is not so, Naruto. It takes a powerful person to defeat another powerful person, nothing can change that. The only thing that we can do is train day after day, with our emotions strengthening our resolve."

Naruto did not have the chance to talk to his sensei more, as an Anbu member appeared behind them, informing Jiraiya of the council's summons with a voice devoid of emotion. The blond recognised the mask, remembering the man as one of the Third's bodyguards and could not help but wonder whether he felt anything for Konoha's sudden loss, since his attitude revealed nothing but pure, cold professionalism.

" Is this what it means to be an elite ninja? To hide every emotion behind a mask or to actually feel nothing? Is this the perfect tool that Zabuza and Haku meant?

NO , this was not right. One who has no feelings cannot fight with his life on the line, simply because he has nothing to keep fighting for. Loyalty and duty alone were not enough. To the young blond, every villager in his village was his reason to fight, no matter they treated him, with a smile or a frown, he would protect and help them, and for that desire he would become strong.

With yet another goal to accompany his dream of becoming Hokage, Naruto set out from the Hokages' Monument down to the town to help with the repairs of the village, a certain ramen bar more specifically. He reached the place where the stand once stood proud only to see a middle aged man with his daughter apparently still cleaning up the rubble that was once their shop.

"Hey old man, good to see you're safe, you too Ayame-neechan!", the blond said with a bit of extra volume to make his presence known. The grey haired old man grinned, recognising his best customer, but kept his focus on the task at hand while the young girl moved next to the blond to ruffle his hair, but was discouraged when she noticed the sad look on his face. He gave her a small smile and formed his favourite hand seal Immediately, ten more blonds appeared.

"Let's get this place fixed up!", all the blonds shouted and began repositioning the piles of wood and stone in the area, courtesy of the many exploding tags used in the invasion. Their spirits raised by the arrival of help, Ayame and Teuchi continued their work , determined to rebuild Ichiraku's as soon as possible.

o---o

As the sun began setting, three figures stood in front of a clear piece of land (Sacred Ground in Naruto's case), two of them sweating whereas one was not even winded. All of them however, were proud of their progress.

"Thank you Naruto-kun, we'd still be only halfway done if it wasn't for you.", Ayame said happily with a smile adorning her face, as Teuchi scratched the back of his head.
"You young ninjas never cease to amaze me, Naruto. I guess I will treat you to an extra special dish when we get the place up and running again."

They did not know, however, just how much their words meant to the blond. To the young ninja, being able to help a fellow villager was rewarding by itself, but to help two of his most precious people felt like the most natural thing to do and made him feel content. All the thanking part to him was all but necessary but he couldn't resist his instincts so he eagerly responded.

"Well, old man, I would say that this much help merits at least a month's ramen free of charge...."

"You do realise that a regular person's month's ramen is what you eat in two sessions, right?" Teuchi couldn't control himself, he just had to point it out as a vein popped near his left temple.

"Ah calm down dad, I'm sure Naruto will help tomorrow too, so it will be a meal for a day's work, right? Won't you Naruto-kun?" she added as she cast a very convincing glare at the blond, who really appreciated her valid argument and agreed,but not before gulping quite audibly. Since they had already called it a day, he waved them goodbye and made way to his apartment, a faint smile on his face still.

With every step he took, the cheery atmosphere of the Ichiraku gave way to the gloomy one of the mourning Konoha. Somehow, Ichiraku's always had that effect on him. Whenever he was there, the world just seemed like a better place, somehow happier, more colourful At first, of course, he believed that his favourite food being served there had more than something to do with it. Now though, he knew what it was and always had been. It was a place he could be normal; a place where the civilians were not avoiding him, a young girl and her father were his safe haven.
'And they will continue to be if I can help it!'

His train of thought was lost when his apartment complex came to view. After a quick search in his pockets, he unlocked the door to his house. The usual sight greeted him; clothes thrown aimlessly here and there, empty ramen cups loitering the floor with chopsticks next to them and a certain carton of milk that Naruto was sure had been there before he made genin....months ago. Chuckling a bit, the blond wandered if it would still be there to see him make Chuunin, which actually was more likely than him cleaning the place up.

Sighing, he looked outside through the window next to his bed, not noticing a tall figure watching him from a nearby roof.

o---o

Jiraiya stood there, his eyes on the blond but in his mind rang parts of the meeting he had with the two most influential political figures of the village's council.

"We have decided that you should take up the mantle, Jiraiya", Homura said with Koharu nodding slowly.

Jiraiya stood there, his expression not changing, to the outside it seemed like he was considering it, but inwardly he was thinking of a way out of this that would satisfy the two elders.

"I am not a leader, the village would be better off with someone else..."

" We have spoken with the Damyo , Jiraiya, and you have his support and believe me when I say that there is no one in the village as qualified as you", Koharu spoke a bit hesitantly, as it was common knowledge to all three of them that she disliked him since his genin days, mostly because of his insulting hobby.

" There may not be anyone in the village, but what about outside the village?", he smirked as the look on the elders' eyes proved their understanding." Then I will be seeing a familiar face from the past soon then?", the Gama Sennin enquired, even though he already knew the answer as Homura and Koharu nodded. He turned away and began walking.

"I almost forgot; I am taking one of your genins along for the trip, you don't mind , do you?", he said without turning to look at them. Hearing no complains, he jumped to the rooftop and sped up.

Looking at the boy's sleeping form, Jiraiya sighed loudly. Even though Naruto looked like his father a lot, his behaviour was nothing like him. Unlike Namikaze Minato, the Fourth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki was just that; an Uzumaki in spirit. While his determination and devotion to his training was admirable, he was far from the genius his father was. Nevertheless, Jiraiya would train him as part of his duty both as his godfather and the sensei of his father, although he really doubted he would do the same if he wasn't. The rumours regarding an organisation that was gathering the bijuus didn't help any.

The Toad Sage just hoped that their little excursion would take his mind off the recent events and bring back his usual self, which, although annoying at times, was actually a refreshing presence most of the time, getting excited at everything new thing he encountered, be it a jutsu, a person or a place. He smirked thinking of the boy's reaction to his 'research' and novels once more before leaving the boy to sleep as he tried locating houses with suspicious movements inside.

'Night time research... it's been a while since I last performed one, but its effects are vastly superior to the usual ones..... ahhh what do I do for my novels' and fans' sake...' , he thought as he tried to stifle a giggle. Moments later, his keen senses spotted the much sought after sight and a lecherous smile appeared on his face.

o---o

A small pot full of water was boiling under the watchful eye of an impatient blond boy, who unconsciously was squeezing a cup of instant ramen in his hands. His supplies were almost gone since lately, with his training taking up most of his time he barely had time to shop for essentials. He silently congratulated himself for yesterday's spontaneous decision to help the Ichirakus' out.

'I have to complete the stand today no matter what!', he thought full of determination as he squeezed his last cup of instant ramen a bit more.
Twenty minutes later he was in front of Teuchi's house, knocking on the door to wake them up to get to work, his shouts not sparing their neighbours' sleep.

o---o

-SEVERAL HOURS LATER-

"And...... it's done!", exclaimed an excited Teuchi, placing the last stool in place in front of the counter, as about thirty copies of a boy cheered on and on.... and on, his antics making Ayame giggle. He soon dispelled his clones as he chose one of the stools and sat down. It was noon now, they had been working for five or six hours, he non stop while his co-workers took several breaks to catch their breath in order to keep up with him and his blond repair crew. His rest was cut short, however, as he felt a hand on top his shoulder and the familiar voice mumbling a cheerful greeting alerted him to his perverted teacher.

"Somehow I knew I would find you here gaki". Jiraiya took a seat next to Naruto.

"Hello to you too, Ero-Sennin, you said you were looking for me, so what is it?". Naruto turned his head to face the legendary ninja.

"I am going on trip to find an old friend of mine and I decided to take you along, and I'll even teach you a jutsu or two on the way. Meet me at the west gate in an hour. Pack light."

A big smile formed on the blonde's face as he nodded. " So what was that meeting about?". Jiraiya had already formed the seal for a shunshin, but Naruto knew he heard him, as he winced slightly before disappearing in a whirl of leaves. The young boy sighed as he stood up and made his way outside as he heard Ayame's voice calling out to him.

"Thanks again Naruto-kun. I kind of overheard the discussion with Jiraiya-sama, so... have a good trip and get stronger!", the young girl said with a smile adorning her face.

"Sure thing Ayame-neesan!".As he kept going , Ayame shouted with a bit more volume. " And don't forget to come by when you return! We didn't treat you for your help yet!"

He smiled fondly and a warm feeling overshadowed all others as he waved his hand and continued his walk, many eyes turning to face him, only to quickly look away in fear. He kept going through it all, his head high.

o---o

-ABOUT AN HOUR LATER-

A single guard was stationed near the west entrance, lazily looking over the road, his hand supporting his head, his eyes only half open. He had noticed a boy pacing back and forth opposite his small was easy recognising the boy that hosted the Kyuubi. He shivered at the memory of the fox's killing intent all those years ago as he subconsciously moved a bit further away from where the boy was. He knew and greatly respected the Fourth Hokage, but even though their leader was as strong as they came, he couldn't help but think that mass of evil could escape at any moment and continue what it had started a decade ago. He, just as many others, were not really surprised by the boy's victory over the Sand beast during the invasion, after all only a demon can stop a demon......right? Still, he was not blind enough not to see that they were saved from the beast by it...no, him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a swirl of leaves revealing a tall white haired man standing next to the boy, who apparently got scolded for something by the blond, which the guard deduced was Jiraiya-sama being late. Ignoring the blond's loud comments about the reason he wasn't there on time, the Toad Sage walked out of the west gate as the blond run after him still shouting, determined to get a reaction from him.

The young adult shifted his gaze back the road in front of him, keeping an eye out for any suspicious characters( literary, as his other one was closed, succumbing to boredom). His break was short lived, however as he suddenly felt a presence behind him yelling at him at the top of his lungs. Any normal ninja would be surprised and would have turned to face his opponent.

He was not a normal ninja.

"Dammit Shikamoto! How many times do I have to tell you not to daydream while on duty!", his superior officer shouted yet again, not expecting an answer.

The lazy guard just sighed and muttered a single phrase;" How tiresome...." as he half-heartily opened his other eye to look more closely.

"Lazy Naras...", the officer mumbled as he turned around to see if any of the other guards was slacking off.

o---o

Naruto was rubbing his throbbing head, proof that he had finally gotten through to his perverted teacher. ' Thank Kami that Ero Sennin's punches are far less powerful than Sakura-chan's, her anger-powered punches are lethal!'
Thinking about his pink haired teammate and crush, a realisation dawned upon him. Ever since he passed the second part of the Chuunin exams, he had been continuously training and knew that Sasuke had done the same, Gaara would vouch for that. Now he came to see that he had not spent any time with his team for over a month, even after the invasion the only news he heard about them was Kakashi's reassuring words that they were fine. The blond sincerely hoped his peers were better, because the last time he saw them, one was being crushed between sand and a tree and the other was half covered with some strange black spots...

"Hey Ero-Sennin, when are we gonna return home? And why are you in such a rush anyway? I mean the whole village is still recovering from a foreign shinobi invasion and you run off to find someone you haven't bothered to look for in years and-". A loud bang was heard followed by the blond protesting about his sensei's punches while rubbing the other side of his head.

" Well, did you stop to think that maybe meeting this person is more important than rebuilding the village? After all the Great Jiraiya Sama cannot stay in one place for long, the whole world must benefit from his sublime and magnificent presence!". The blond only sighed at his sensei's antics and kept quiet.

" In any case, the person we are looking for is a former teammate of mine and more importantly, to you at least, she is possibly the best medic-nin alive right now, and I happen to know at least one friend of yours that could really use her help.", the tall man said as images of a green spandex-wearing boy flashed through Naruto's mind. " She is the granddaughter of the First Hokage, her name is Senju Tsunade, the third member of the Sannin, known all over the shinobi world as The Legendary Sucker.", he stressed his last words. ' I just love sexual innuendos', Jiraiya thought while successfully stifling a giggle.

Naruto just shrugged, as long as she could help one of his friends he couldn't care less about some nickname of hers, even though the way that his teacher mentioned it did worry him; he suspected that his pervert ways were the reason they had not talked in years, he hoped it wouldn't affect their chances of success a lot.

o---o

-KONOHA VILLAGE, MIDNIGHT

The full moon was dominating the night sky, no clouds to hide it from the face of the earth. Some would say it was beautiful, others that it was romantic.

One boy did not share their feelings in the least. Uchiha Sasuke hated the Moon, his hate only multiplied when it was a full moon. But he hated himself more because he could not bring himself to look at it, not since that night. Just the thought of it was enough to keep him awake until it disappeared, letting the Sun take over again. This time though something urged him to go on a walk, and he decided to give it to that feeling.

The raven haired boy walked slowly in the empty street, often turning his head to the side to see the trees around him. This path went through a park and next to one of the biggest ponds in the village, and was one of his favourite routes due to that same pond.

As he emerged out of the park , he looked over at the water's surface as memories of the past resurfaced...

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" . A large fireball was formed over the water's surface, instantly boiling part of it and causing steam to fly at every direction. After a few seconds, the ball of fire began to shrink , until it finally gave out, the only sign of it ever existing was the newly formed steam cloud.

Uchiha Sasuke, the seven year-old son of Uchiha Fugaku, was panting; that jutsu had taken most of his chakra to execute, but it was worth it. A smile formed on his face when he imagined the praise he would get from his father for his progress.
Tilting his head to face his father, he saw him walking towards the house, his back turned on him. He clenched his right fist, disappointment and sadness evident in his eyes. Then he suddenly heard it. It was faint, not stronger than a whisper, but he heard it.

"Congratulations Sasuke. You have now come of age in the Uchiha clan. As expected, you truly are my son."

Those words were enough to make him more proud of himself than he had ever been. He had been acknowledged by his father; he finally felt like a true member of his family.

Turning to face the road along the edge of the lake, he noticed a group of figures which, judging by their height, belonged to adults. After a more careful observation, he saw that there were five figures, three on one side and two on the other. Not making out their faces, he activated his two tomoe Sharingan to see more clearly. As soon as he did, his feet froze in place; his breathing became irregular short pants.

Anger and fear took over him.

His Sensei was standing next to a bearded Jounin and a black haired woman in a red and white bandage dress. On the other side stood his fated opponent; the man who took it all away; the man he once loved and now hated with the same intensity. He did not even spare a glance at his tall blue skinned companion.

o---o

-A SHORT DISTANCE AHEAD-

Kakashi knew he was at a disadvantage. Looking at the strange shark-like man who was revealed to be a former Swordsman of the Mist, Hoshigaki Kisame and none other than their own Uchiha Itachi, the Jounin-sensei understood that they only could slow their opponents down until reinforcements came.

" We are here for the Fourth's Legacy." Itachi said in a cold, emotionless tone.

All three Jounin understood what that phrase meant. One however , interpreted it in a different way than the other two.

'Naruto?'

'The Kyuubi kid?'

" Why?", Asuma Sarutobi voiced their common question.

"Why do you pretend to care?" Itachi answered, surprising them. Wanting to take the initiative, Yuuhi Kurenai began going through hand seals, Kisame looked at his companion, who only nodded. A large grin formed on his face; things were getting interesting.

As soon as she stopped, Kurenai whispered the name of her technique and a large tree appeared behind Kisame, trapping him inside its trunk. Wasting no time, she grabbed a kunai and sped up for the kill. Kisame's grin only widened as she came closer. As she aimed her weapon at his jugular, the genjutsu mistress sensed a chakra pulse releasing her target from the technique. The pulse itself did not surprise her, as it was a common method of neutralising a genjutsu, but its origin. Itachi had yet to make a move against them and Kisame couldn't even if would. That only left....

A blunt pain snapped her out of her thoughts, the tip of Kisame's sword pushing her shoulder down with tremendous force.

o---o

Kakashi's Sharingan was spinning wildly as if realising the enemy's calibre. The white haired Jounin engaged in a Taijutsu match against his red eyed opponent, with the cloaked man easily dodging most of his attacks and blocking the others, still refusing to fight back.

He looked at the masked Jounin with a cold stare again. " It is pointless to fight us."

Meanwhile....

Asuma was in front of Kurenai, both trench knives surrounded by a blue light Kurenai knew to be wind chakra. He was barely able to stop the sword before it hit the woman with full force.

'What is this? The wind chakra is weakening rapidly! I can't stop him!'

Kisame only smirked. If they thought that the attack had been stopped, they were in for a big surprise. He tightened his grip around his sword and pulled with all his strength , waiting for the blood to flow.

It did.

Kurenai's shoulder was almost ripped apart. She tried to resist screaming at the pain , but it felt as if her skin had been hooked into the blade. She was pulled forward and hit on Asuma's back then on the ground. Asuma noticed that by now his blades were completely drained out of chakra, as Kisame sped forward , forming a fist and hitting the bearded Jounin in the gut before he could register his movements, sending him over the pond.

"UCHIHA ITACHI!", a voice echoed in the night, followed by a small flash of light in the distance. The Konoha nins recognised it as one of the genins in the Chuunin exam... Uchiha Sasuke.

Itachi showed no signs of acknowledging his brother's presence, but took a shot at Kakashi who was momentarily distracted by his student's arrival and was forced to disengage and stood next to his injured comrade-in-arms. They both searched for Kurenai only to see her on her knees , panting heavily and clutching her wound in a poor attempt to stop her bleeding; she was in no condition to fight.

"ITACHI!", the raven haired boy once again yelled," you will pay for what you did, I swear it!"

The older Uchiha looked at Kisame, who nodded after sighing in defeat. They both disappeared from the road, leaving Sasuke, lightning still crackling violently in his hand, with the injured Kurenai.

" Sasuke, take Kurenai and get out of here!", Kakashi shouted, hoping that the boy would listen to him. Deep inside him though, he knew he wouldn't, nobody would, not after going through what Sasuke had.

True enough, Sasuke was by now oblivious to everything around him besides his brother. As he saw him standing in front of his sensei and that other Jounin, he released his jutsu and ran with all the power he could muster, and jumped off to meet them in the middle of the small lake.

He had not been taught how to walk on the water yet; his Sharingan though made it clear that they used an amount of chakra below their feet with enough control to stand as if the water surface was actual ground. He pumped chakra to his feet, preparing to land.

His first step was, however, unsuccessful, making him sink up to his knee before jumping up and trying again, now one step closer to his brother.

Itachi's eyes were still locked with Kakashi as his Sharingan's tomoe changed into a three edged pin-wheel.

" Asuma, close your eyes, if you see his Sharingan he will cast a genjutsu on you", Kakashi said hastily before closing right eye, leaving only his Sharingan eye open.

Slowly, Itachi formed a hand seal and muttered a single word: " Tsukuyomi...."

A second later, Kakashi fell on the water, unconscious.

"NO!", Sasuke yelled , trying his best to reach them, still adjusting to water walking. 'I will not let you take him too!'.

" Foolish little brother,", Itachi began, " you cannot even reach me here and you think you can kill me....".Sasuke gritted his teeth; he was now five steps away from him and began going through the hand seals for his strongest jutsu. Five steps

"What a disgrace, maybe I was wrong about your potential, or maybe..." he trailed off as Sasuke finished and lightning was again in his grasp. Three steps.

"... You don't hate me enough.", Sasuke's concentration was broken by the amount of anger he had gathered up and the effort to get there; His feet began sinking again; the water's surface was now up to his waist. One step.

"Hmph.... as expected from the son of that weakling...."

'Not like this! Not like this!' . Sasuke's mind was screaming so he did the only thing he could do now.

"CHIDORI!", he said, pumping all his spare chakra to his feet and launching himself with all his power, his Chidori aimed at his brother's head.

Itachi pivoted his body, Sasuke's hand passing inches from his face. As the younger Uchiha kept going forward, Itachi's face finally shifted to his direction, his eyes meeting Sasuke's. Immediately, Itachi vanished from his brother's sight. Sasuke looked on to see where he would land.

As he fell down , he saw the Moon's reflection on the lake's surface. It's colour began to change rapidly from white to red, as if it had been stabbed and was bleeding.

"Tsukuyomi...." he heard a whisper, as he fell into the dark waters, his eyes closed, knowing what was to come.