8 Leaving

"Danzo, and you as well." He replied darkly. The two shinobi were struck into silence.

"Why . . . I wouldn't-" Sarutobi stuttered.

Naruto remained impassive. This seemed to be a difficult subject for him. "No. You wouldn't. Not if you had any other choice. Unfortunately, you weren't given any. The Uchiha were beyond listening to reason. Even Fugaku couldn't quench their anger at being suppressed for decades. So in the end, it was either kill them, or let them stage their coup." He didn't say any more and Hiruzen found that he really didn't want to ask. Inoichi felt it wasn't his place to comment.

The memory continued. "Sasuke, come back with me, please." Pleaded Tiny Naruto.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told Sakura. It's over, go home." Sasuke growled.

"Why? Why are you doing this to us, Sasuke? What happened to make you like this?"

"Why should you care what I do?!" Sasuke was shouting now. "It's my concern, not yours! I have my own path to follow now and neither you nor anyone else can lead me from it. The days of me playing ninja with you Leaf shinobi are over!"

Tiny Naruto looked down and as he spoke his voice shook with emotion. "Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, Lee, they all risked their lives for you! To save you!"

"Well, isn't that nice of them." Sasuke sneered before letting out a laugh.

Little Naruto jumped high across the valley and landed on Sasuke. He punched him. "Are you going to tell me that your comrades risked their lives for nothing?" This time it was anger and frustation that shook his voice, not grief.

Sasuke spit on him. "Comrades, huh? If I would have stayed with comrades like you I never would have gotten this strong. Now I will go to Orochimaru. Only he can grant me the strength I need."

"And you really think he will just give it to you for free? He's only using you, Sasuke, why can't you see that? Do you think I'll stand by and let you throw your life away?" Tiny Naruto asked softly.

"None of that matters now. All that matters is achieving my goal. If you insist on getting in my way then it can't be helped."

"Well, if you won't listen to reason then I'll do it by force if I have to." Sasuke started laughing at this.

"Why are you laughing?!?!" Demanded Tiny Naruto.

"Funny, I remember you laughing last time. You just couldn't wait to beat me to a bloody pulp."

"Shut up! That was different. Maybe I felt that way at first but it's different now. I never wanted that kind of fight and I still don't."

"I don't give a damn what you want." Sasuke lifted the younger Naruto into the air, only to drop him and punch him with such a force that the young boy flew into the water that rushed below them.

Naruto quickly surfaced and using his chakra, he stood on the water's surface. "Wake up, Sasuke! Before it's too late." He pleaded once more.

"I have woken up, don't you see. That guy who dreamed of a future of peace and friendship - he was the one asleep. That is not the future I dream of anymore." With those words the two began to fight. Every time it appeared, Sasuke had the upper hand, Naruto would find a way out of it.

However, the two visitors noticed that Sasuke wasn't just trying to injure Naruto, he was trying to kill him. Though they didn't know the boy well and this was only a memory, the two seasoned shinobis' hands were unconsciously inching towards their weapons pouch. They felt the need to protect him.

"It's okay. Just relax, there is nothing you can do." Said Naruto. He was gazing at the scene with a kind of pain that was foreign to most. The pain of being ripped apart by the necessity of fighting someone you care deeply about. Someone who you deem precious.

Tiny Naruto was now yelling at Sasuke. "What about Team Seven?! Kakashi-Sensei and Sakura?! What was all of that? Did it all mean nothing to you!?! What about all we did?!"

"No. It was it nothing. In that time we became best friends. For awhile, I thought that I could forget. I thought that I could set aside my hatred and vengeance. But that's not who I am. I am an avenger."

"You said we were best friends? Then why try to kill me!?" He asked with pure agony coloring his voice. Even Kurama winced at his torment.

"It's quite simple really. By killing you, the one who means more to me than anything, I can achieve ultimate power." Explained the raven. He jumped from his position on the side of a cliff to join Tiny Naruto in the water. Both ninja balanced on the flat ends of logs a few dozen meters apart. Sasuke reached into his weapons pouch and grabbed a piece of fabric. He tied it around his head revealing it to be a Leaf headband. This seemed to be something symbolic between the two of them.

"You know Naruto, they say that when two ninja are powerful enough they can read each other's thoughts by an exchange of blows without ever having uttered a word." He said it almost jokingly, but not quite. "So tell me Naruto, can you read my mind!" Sasuke proceeded to charge at the blonde. Again they were locked in battle.

The scene faded. Kurama gave Naruto a sympathetic glance. "That's enough." Said the blonde, whom looked close to tears.

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened?" Asked the Hokage.

Naruto looked at the ground. "I failed." was all he said before the next scene faded in.

Tiny Naruto was in the hospital, the pink-haired girl was with him.

"What happened? Where's Sasuke?" She said expectantly. Her question was answered through silence. She looked down with tears in her eyes.

Kurama wrapped his tails around the nineteen year-old version of Naruto who couldn't look at the all too vivid memory.

"I don't go back on my word." Said Little Naruto as he met her gaze with solid resolve in his eyes. "I still plan to bring him back. This changes nothing." His voice held steel. Sakura smiled at him.

"Alright. You may have to wait on me a bit, but next time I'm coming with you." The two shared a look of resolution.

Once again the memory changed. Little Naruto was still in the hospital wrapped head to toe in bandages, but this time instead of Sakura there was Jiraiya.

"Look kid, I understand that you want to save your friend, but you can't keep chasing after him. You have other things to worry about. The Akatsuki are after you now. We need to focus on getting you stronger. If you continue on this fools errand I will not continue as your mentor." Warned Jiraiya, with complete sincerity.

Midget Naruto was silent for a long time. Then, he finally spoke. "If being smart means what you say it does," He looked up and glared at the old sannin with fire in his blue eyes. "then I will remain a fool my whole life. I will never abandon a comrade, even if it kills me." It was clear that he meant every word.

It was now Jiraiya's turn for silence. Then he chuckled lightly. "Well I wouldn't expect anything less from my knuckle head student." Tiny Naruto beamed.

"Does this mean you won't drop me?" He asked eagerly.

"Well, who else would put up with you. You need to get strong and you need my tutelage to do it." Replied the sannin enthusiastically.

Next it showed Younger Naruto at the gates of the village with Jiraiya. He was waving at the small crowd of people that were there as he looked to the village as if saying goodbye. At Jiraiya's threat of leaving him behind, Tiny Naruto ran to him and they began their journey away from the Hidden Leaf Village.

This time when the memory ended they were left in darkness. There was a long silence. No one could think of the right thing to say. Reliving these memories seemed to cause Naruto great pain. Kurama pressed his muzzle to Naruto's side knowing that this wasn't the worst of it. They had still to see the war that left the once happy kid broken.