Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Scissors, Paper, Stone	By : LilMonk Category: Naruto > Het - Male/Female Views: 6221 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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- 5
"The bonds of family bind both ways." -Desire (Neil Gaiman), 'Sandman: The Wake.'

Disclaimers: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto. I only own this piece of fanfiction.

A/N: I'm only shaping words to bring out the
visuals for the flashback. It can be interpreted as shonen-ai (although in the manga and anime,
it seemed more like friendship to me). A good song to go with it would be Toshiro Masuda�s �Grief and Sorrow�.
Words in Italics denotes primary thoughts.
Stone meets Scissors
Sasuke enjoyed meditating.
Between gruelling missions, social interaction kept to a minimum, taking care of his family and training, he didn't have a lot of time to himself. Count in the fact that tomorrow, he would resume his search for Uchiha Itachi without giving up, and even that would no longer exist. Staying away from Rinji and Hinata would be so painfully difficult...
Sitting atop a worn tree stump, alert solemnity stared at the lush forests that separated Kohona from this little spot of peace he'd chosen, a nonchalant flowerless field populated with wild grass. Routine didn�t vary much in these four years, ever since he became a parent. Today would be no different. The morning was devoted to his hobby, Hinata would later bring two packed lunches for them to share, and then both would return home to wait for Rinji to get back from nursery school. Neji would be escorting him, playing the role of 'favourite' uncle that Sasuke suspected he enjoyed, but would never admit outright.
He had a wonderful wife who understood him and he adored, a lively and lovable child, a cousin-in-law that was good for a challenge and a reliable ANBU team but something was lacking.
There was one thing he'd never told anyone. Uchiha Sasuke couldn't meditate for more than
ten seconds. After that precious one-sixth of a minute, all thoughts of peace would vanish faster than a packet of tapioca chips around Chouji.
The peace
would be replaced with innermost torment that he could never placate. It could
be summed up in one word.
Naruto.
Anything he remembered would be about Uzumaki Naruto in his past, his present� and the impossibility of a future together. It also reminded him that Time didn't heal wounds; it only reduced the pain as much as possible and distorted perception, but raw agony remained in hibernation. All it required was the appropriate trigger.
One type of initiator was having too much time on one�s hands, like doing meditation.
The twenty-four-year-old enjoyed it because that was the only time he could see a certain blond-haired man as much as he wanted, as opposed to real life. The one person a lot of older people used to recognise----only as a demon----should soon be Hokage. Judging from the stories told by fellow friends such as Sakura, Hinata, Neji, Lee and Genma, his ex-team mate was proving his worth beyond a doubt in the missions undertaken. Akatsuki had so far been thwarted in capturing the Kyuubi, due to the former student of Kakashi and Jiraiya surpassing all expectations (even with their aid). Rumours were rife in other countries, about Uzumaki Naruto's full prowess being far greater than any hidden village leader in history.
He knew everyone would easily mistake Naruto�s concern towards Sakura as unchanging love, ever since Team 7 had first been formed. That smokescreen had enabled Uchiha and Uzumaki to spend many cherished moments together, before they painfully parted, so that neither man would betray his own integrity where Hinata was concerned. Now, endless gossip linked Gaara and Naruto together, due to the latter spending a lot of his free time in Sunagakure enjoying the friendship of the Kazekage. Why hadn't that one remained dead? Naruto had never told him the answer.
Anyway, Sasuke could only listen all these years, because he had chosen to distance himself from his best friend. Just like that best friend had done so in return. Everyone else had assumed that they were bound for different paths in life and the initial divide of years when Sasuke left had been too much to close, hence the distance between the two. However, it was not due to spite, jealousy, envy or anything petty. It was a necessity.
Tilting his face towards layers of gathered clouds grim with unshed rain, a bittersweet smile hovered about pursed lips. Randomly scattered patches of sunlight dotted the field, creating shadows reembling abandoned Shogi pieces.
Why� why can�t I stop missing you, dobe? It's insane to want something I've denied myself but no matter what I do, it all comes back to you. What worries me is that Akatsuki has not made a collective effort to capture you and judging from stealth reports courtesy of Jiraiya-sama, they have hardly any patience left. You're the last jinchuuriki. When that time comes, I want to be by your side fighting those assholes� even
if a sand-nin is indeed the one you�ve moved on with.
The future looked bleak, the present was painful and hence, he preferred the past.
Meditation was a useful thing indeed. Closing his eyes, Sasuke was remembering their actual beginning...
~*~*~*
Claw-like nails sank through orange cloth to burrow through flesh and blood. Tightening
muscles in that tanned face was now taut with pain, followed by the other boy
making some movement Sasuke wasn�t aware of, using razor-sharp fingernails. Red
danced around blue, mixed and fused to expand into blinding night. The fading
blackness that was caged by crimson, gazed into disappearing feral slits that were a
warmer shade than his darkness. It was only all-consuming blankness that both
were aware of, as fair lashes began to close while unmoving three-tomoe
Sharingan echoed dawning realisation on pale features.style="mso-spacerun: yes">

In that
flash of clarity, two entities truly saw their reflection in the other� a
white-washed world of barren lines gradually suffusing with colour, as index
and middle fingers wrapped around each other simultaneously. Effervescent
comfort surrounded the two, while a gentle breeze caressed childhood innocence.
Blue eyes squinting in happiness as cheeks became rounder with giving it, that
emotion softened the boy with no expression into smiling with genuine
reciprocation. Only for a fleeting moment�

Magenta
stained a gigantic hilt carved out of stone. Further deep scarlet was
splattered on rocky banks flanking the river among large puddles. Cool air
bathed a blood-soaked hand as the blond-haired genin began to fall. He never
struck matter, as instinctive support steadied and lowered that short, compact
frame to gritty safety.

His dobe�s
eyes were closed.

Mind and
body had gone numb, seeming to have ceased function except for inexplicably
steady feet. The last rays in a circle of strong sunlight began to shrink and
vanish, leaving silenced boisterousness alone. The valley was now shrouded in
cool shadows. That hauntingly important visage was relaxed, even under the
fixed scrutiny of his team mate. No outraged shouts ofstyle="mso-spacerun: yes"> �Teme!� reached his ears, nor could Sasuke
sense any� reaction. His head suddenly felt strange and then he knew why.

A forehead
protector plummeted through neutral space to land face-up on uneven rock.
Looking at that deeply visible line across the Leaf symbol while gazing at
still features, dry lips quirked slightly. Charcoal pupils softened their
solemnity. He remembered. He knew. He didn�t have to hide anything from this
one. He should have told him.

�Naruto��

The
absolute quiet was deafening. A multitude of emotions raced through revived
feeling. Wake up, Usuratonkachi. Can�t you hear me? You�re supposed to
respond. Say something; do something, anything� don�t leave me with nothing�

�I��

His friend
didn�t even reply. A raindrop plopping into collected pools did not count. Its
following companions made their unwelcome protest, from a gentle pitter-patter
to a heavy downpour of mockery. There was still no sign, which the victor of
their physical fight and who was bleeding inside from a soul-shattering wound,
did not want to believe. Was this real? A dream had encountered a nightmare
that he couldn�t differentiate between? Stormy heavens were equally cruel in
their consistency of carrying out a naturally designated role, further
emphasizing the stark contrast between them and one Uzumaki Naruto.

A stab of
pain sprang up from nowhere, shooting throughout his body. Recoiling slightly
while grabbing at a hurting shoulder, that sharp reminder of the dangerous
power he had gained humbled disintegrating pride to its knees. Coughing out a
mouthful of rust-flavoured over-exertion, unwavering vision glanced at the
crimson liquid that had thankfully missed yellow hair. Travelling on to
encompass an unsmiling mouth, whisker-marked cheeks and a covered forehead, his
gaze returned to rest on those short, thick lashes.

His bare
brow still felt cold. The distance between inanimate quiet and scarcely
maintained composure that stemmed only from reflex, was roughly the length of
an index finger. The digit best used for tracing nonsensical shapes with
invisible ink, underlining invaluable necessity, saying what one was so
foolishly afraid to tell and touch�

Drooping
raven tips brushed blanched skin, unlike the rest of its kneeling owner. He
continued to intensely observe unmoving eyelids fringed with physically
preserved sunlight, breath warming stiffly gelled spikes and untarnished metal.
He wanted them to open, to see serene, blue sun-kissed skies that were his
secret solace. Unblinking eyes felt burdened with accumulative moisture.

Naruto,
I have to follow my destiny. I don�t want to hurt anyone else, especially you.
Because in doing so, it�s killing me more than any curse seal or monstrous
sibling�But please let me know that you can still be hurt�I need that
confirmation�
Precious vulnerability was shielded with his own weakness. Sasuke was
re-experiencing what it felt like to be going through the motions of living,
instead of being alive. The only difference was that there seemed to be no
minute chance of light, or hope of its warmth.

You have
to live. You have to be Hokage and make the villagers acknowledge your
presence. You have to go on because if you don�t, I�I cannot bear this hell
that was made tolerable with our bond, without perishing inside.

Dark lashes
briefly grazed visible shadows underlying mildly sunken eye sockets before
retreating, while usually calm eyes betrayed naked emotion in its tortured
depths. Soaked to the skin, nevertheless he wanted to go on like this forever
until his most cherished person woke up. There might be more pursuers though,
and� he wished he had never heard of the Mangekyou Sharingan. All was so cold,
dark, empty� endless. The Valley of the End fitted its name.

�Forgive
me, Naruto. Please forgive me...�

It was
raining as if aching anguish would never stop. Uchiha Sasuke had to force his
body to obey him. Taking a deep breath, he readied himself for the excruciating
finality of departure.

~*~*~*~

Somersaulting
off the log as a tremendous torrent of flame devoured the space where he had
been, he landed facing distant mountains while doubling the distance between
himself and the attacker.

When the
smoke cleared, Sasuke was gazing at another aspect of his past. This monster
was the complete opposite of Naruto, only bringing destruction and/or death
wherever he appeared. He was staring at one who could have been his mirror
image, save for familiar lines beneath sockets that contained the most
detestable aspect of the Sharingan. The air was roiling with undercurrents of
barely repressed enmity, like sulphurous destruction building up inside a
volcano.

�Such a
predictable creature of habit. You haven�t been a good boy.�

Must.
Stay. Calm.

�Stop
uttering rubbish. It�s time.�

�It should
have been so, ages ago. Then I wouldn�t have �met� a certain female,
although the Kyuubi vessel was almost as tempting while considering the two
choices.�

The younger
Uchiha was almost speechless with rage. How dare this heartless murderer brag
of his shameful crime, and to even mention Naruto- He would enjoy pounding
the jackass into the dirt before executing him. Formulating a plan and
analysing every possibility managed to cool down his temper. A barely audible
voice was filled with suppressed anger.

�Shut up
and let�s start.�

Low mocking
laughter was the reply he received.

�That
brings back pleasant memories. Your virginal bride was quite the opposite.
Begging me for more, as I took her from every conceivable position� Much better
than an inept Uchiha who can only screw a blue-eyed demon.�

That was
too much for Sasuke to stomach at one shot. He didn�t care to think through
what had been thrown at him. This shadow replication of his brother really
pissed him off. Where was the actual scumbag? Gritting his teeth and using Kage
Bunshin no Jutsu, he decided to find out.

~*~*~*~

�I won
first in school! Let me find tou-san!�

One hand
reflexively went to his pouch, whereby a letter written by Hinata was hidden.
Someday, this one would have to know who his real father was. Neji didn�t enjoy
being entrusted with the possible duty of delivering the truth, but� He was
sure that with the passage of years, his timid cousin would pluck up the
courage to tell her son when he was suitably mature enough. Asking him to do so
was probably just her usual case of nerves, not to mention he did detest the
promise of always keeping this piece of potentially calamitous history close at
hand.

�You look
like stone. Let�s go!�

�Yes. Let�s
go find your parents.�

~*~*~*~

This
long-awaited challenge was invigorating. His little brother had indeed improved
greatly; being able to fight back skilfully instead of just receiving and
countering his attacks with mindless fury. The thrill of exploring how far this
one had developed made him almost breathless with glee. It was amazing how much
one could achieve with a few well-chosen words. Sasuke might actually hate him enough
to ensure his death, after that last little 'chat' of theirs.

Itachi was
elated and loving every minute of this. The results of testing him with one of
his normal genjutsus had been amazing. Sasuke had broken free within five
seconds of its activation. The warm-up was over; time to get serious and
advance to the final stages in his plans. If he lived, the Kyuubi for Akatsuki
was next on his list after this; he had procrastinated long enough as the
others captured their respective jinchuuriki. All because of an asinine
brother� otherwise he would have had no other goals to keep on living.

Deftly
avoiding a kick that would have smashed his face in and having his punch
intercepted, the last of their taijutsu combos cancelled one another out. Both
skidded backwards, the hostility and determination on Sasuke�s face a stark
contrast to the slight, cruel smile playing about thin lips.style="mso-spacerun: yes">

Large
expanses of grassland had been razed or flattened; earth scorched and scarred,
and huge pits dredged up as a result of many ninjutsu techniques utilized from the
hidden villages of Leaf, Cloud, Sound and Mist. The air was full of dust, and
the landscape was changing rapidly. How fortunate that they were more than one
hours� travel from Konoha, so no interruptions were likely.

In the
blink of an eye, the field was populated with kage bunshins from Itachi, his
brother not too far behind in using the same technique. It became a confusing
blur of black and blue, as vicious fighting broke out. Alertly scanning for the
original villain while dispelling an enemy shadow replication, Sasuke felt
uneasy. Where is he? What is he up to?

A streak of
darkness moving faster than all the others was headed right towards him.
Focusing on it, the ANBU captain who had activated his Cursed Seal to the
maximum capacity immediately recognized it as another replica, but something
was different� he was retreating immediately. It exploded.

The sound
of destruction caused closed eyelids to open. Time to really determine the
little brother�s potential.

Dissipating
flumes of smoke was not helping his vision. Listening intently for even the
slightest hint of a giveaway, a blurry figure loomed before him. It was
instantly dealt with using Katon Goukakyu no Jutsu. He had to reach a
conclusion fast; Itachi had pushed him to fully use Orochimaru�s �gift� and
that in itself was dangerous-

Something
caught his attention and he looked up, to see the actual version of his older
brother in the descending arc of somersaulting over dying flames, gazing down
at him. Unfortunately, the younger man also accidentally caught a glimpse of
modified eyes now elevated to a deadly offensive. Mangek-style="mso-spacerun: yes">

Instinctively
wrenching away his gaze and abruptly leaping back, Sasuke managed to counteract
and avoid being affected by Tsukuyomi but even that brief moment of
visual contact momentarily robbed him of his senses, the effect similar to
being bludgeoned by a club over the head.

That
temporarily opened up a blind spot in his defences, which angered a landing
Itachi. He didn�t achieve it after all. He won�t be able to kill me. Stupid
little brother, you disappoint me! There was the faint rasp of a loosening
scabbard as the older man pulled out a well-worn daito from beneath shadowy
robes, while rapidly closing the distance between them.

Three-tomoe
Sharingan only had time to begin registering ruthless lethality in his
immediate line of vision.

The ugly
sound of lightning-fortified metal slicing through flesh was underscored with a
spray of coral richness.

Owari for this chapter

What will become of the pattern?

Definitions

Jinchuuriklang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>i: Monster sealed inside a human
sacrifice

Kage
bunshin: shadow
replication

Katon
Goukakyu no Jutsu: Grand
Fireball technique

Shoglang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>i: Japanese chess on a 9 x 9
board, with 20 pieces per side. Objective: To capture the opponent�s King.

Teme: Bastard

Tsukuyomilang=EN-GB style='mso-ansi-language:EN-GB'>: Literally �God of the Moon�. An
illusionary technique that brings one into the user�s world, whereby Itachi
controls time and space there.
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Scissors, Paper, Stone