บท 210: The Fated Battle - Part 4

("I'll retract this Rasengan when it consumes that Chidori and then pin him down…") Naruto thought aiming the giant Sage Art Rasengan towards the Chidori.

("I WILL FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED TO ITACHI!") Sasuke charged forth with a resolute mind and a Chidori in the palm of his hand.

Naruto's Clone holding Sakura back stared at the confrontation from the side thinking back to the time the two had faced off on the Hospital rooftop in the previous timeline. Back then they were in the same position as today, except more powerful. Sakura tried to stop them, but was weak. Kakashi had stepped in the last second sending both Naruto and Sasuke flying towards the water tanks instead.

("This is what Kakashi-sensei saw huh...") Naruto thought as he stared at Sasuke charging towards his main body.

("This is wrong, why are we here again... It wasn't supposed to be this way...

Didn't Sasuke leave the village right after this back then as well??

Kakashi-sensei isn't here, why did I get fired up about this? it shouldn't be this way...") Naruto thought instantly dispelling himself, the clone that was watching from the side.

Up in the air Naruto charging towards Sasuke suddenly regained clarity, frowning at his own actions he dispelled the Rasengan, continuing his fall towards Sasuke.

"What?" Sasuke was confused seeing the Massive Rasengan disappear, his gaze landed on Naruto, noting a disappointed expression. at that moment Kakashi's words played back in his mind.

---- FlashBack ----

"I am going to present you with the conditions of mine," Kakashi said as he held up his finger.

"One,"

"You will only use this technique when the situation demands it."

"Mm." Sasuke nodded.

Kakashi put up two fingers towards Sasuke.

"Two,"

"You will never use this technique against a comrade from your village," Kakashi said.

-- End of FlashBack --

Sasuke gritted his teeth but immediately stopped his technique.

"Huh?" Sakura was surprised to see the two come to a stop.

Naruto looked away from the two staring over the Third training ground. His gaze over the three stumps that stood in the training ground.

"Sakura, Sasuke..." Naruto called out.

("What's he upto?") Sasuke thought as we walked over to Naruto followed by Sakura.

"Back where I came from..." Naruto said as he pointed to one of the stumps,

"I was tied up cos we had failed to take the bells while I secretly tried to get the lunch." Naruto said.

"What?" Sasuke and Sakura was stunned. They instantly understood Naruto wasn't referring to what happened between the three but the way the original events were supposed to play out.

...

"I tried to be sneaky, and well... I got tied up, and you both were given your lunch" Naruto said with a grin as he reminicised.

"Loser," Sasuke commented as he withdrew his sage mode while Sakura imagined the version of Naruto she knew before the genius one.

"That does make more sense," Sakura giggled.

"I know right?" Naruto had an awkward smile as he placed his right hand behind his head laughing in self mockery.

"Why did we stop?" Sasuke asked suddenly.

"we both did the samething we did today back where I came from..." Naruto said looking at Sasuke.

"..." Sasuke stared silently.

"You had the chidori and I, a regular rasengan... Sakura tried to stop us..." Naruto said, causing Sakura and Sasuke to be shocked thinking back to the earlier situation.

"That day we were lucky we had Kakashi-sensei to stop us, else who knows what would have happened..." Naruto said falling on the grass, on his back staring at the sky.

"..." Sakura and Sasuke stared in silence knowing that Kakashi had just left along with the other jonins towards the Hidden Sand.

"You left the village the next day ya know, going in search of Orochimaru for more power..." Naruto said.

"..." Sasuke was speechless, but it was also a thing he would have done knowing his thirst for power at the moment.

"Of course, Sakura tried to stop you, but you knocked her out..." Naruto continued, closing his eyes thinking back to the time the events happened, while Sakura had a hand closing her open mouth staring at Sasuke.

"The next morning a team was assembled, Shikamaru was the only Chuunin at that time, me, kiba, choji, n Neji we all came together, risking our lives taking out Orochimaru's subordinates each one of them as strong as jonins or higher... Lee despite barely having recovered caught up to us and helped me hold the Boney guy back, the last guy before I caught up to you at the valley of the end..." Naruto said as he picked up a leaf that had slowly landed on his head as he narrated the events.

"We both fought over there and the same thing happened, me with my rasengan and you with your chidori..." Naruto said as he held the leaf by the stem and sliding his index finger over thumb causing the leaf to spin back and forth.

"..." Sasuke silently thought back to the moment he and naruto were charging over moments before.

"Of course it was only us... Kakashi-sensei wasn't there. I was exhausted after our battle. I think you just walked off somehow, and then I never saw you for the next 2 years..." Naruto said looking up at Sasuke and Sakura who were standing just nearby.

"that time, Kiba, Lee and Shikamaru were lucky that Gaara and the others showed up to help,"

"they all made it back to the village and were able to recover from critical injuries." Naruto said.

Sasuke remained calm after hearing everything that had transpired meanwhile Sakura just stood speechless.

"I don't mind telling you the truth Sasuke, the only part I'm afraid of, is what you'll do right after." Naruto said as he got up and dusted off the grass from his back.

"the truth..." Sakura stared at Sasuke curious of his reaction.

...

"..." Sasuke closed his eyes, replaying the memories of Itachi leaving him his final words.

("When you have the same eyes as I do, come before me.") Itachi's image popped up, his three tomoe sharingan manifesting into his own Mangekyou Sharingan.

("No") Sasuke dispelled that image and thought back again to that final moment he had seen itachi turning around to leave the uchiha estate.

("think! think back to that time") Sasuke urged thinking back to the time he fell to the ground almost knocked out, with itachi turning around.

("think!") Sasuke forced himself finding out that one moment in his memory if Itachi revealing tears at that moment was real or not.

("Think!!!!!!") Sasuke screamed internally as he almost heard something similar to a glass being shattered, and then, it suddenly became as clear as a day. The moment of Itachi shedding tears at the moment sasuke fell to the ground after exiting Itachi's jutsu.

"Nii-san" Sasuke groaned almost losing his consciousness like that moment from that day his clan was massacred.

Sasuke fell on the grass clutching his head, Sakura immediately held on to him.

"Sasuke!" "Sasuke-kun" Naruto and Sakura reacted.

"argh!" Sasuke clutched his head between his hands.

Naruto found it strange seeing sasuke like this.

"Could it be..." Naruto murmured.

"feels like the headache that comes with the release of a strong genjutsu..." Sakura chimed in, observing Sasuke's condition.

"How do you feel?" Naruto asked trying to help Sasuke up.

"I think I'll need to lie down for a bit," Sasuke replied in a weak voice.

"all right" Naruto looked at Sakura who was holding onto Sasuke.

The two brought Sasuke to a spot under a huge tree that had a good shade. Having reached the spot Sasuke immediately fell asleep, with sakura naturally taking advantage of it having sasuke place his head over her lap.

About 2-3 minutes in, Sakura looked at Naruto.

"Is it a good time to talk about it?" Sakura asked.

Naruto naturally knew what Sakura was referring to. The reason for Naruto's existence in the current timeline, and the things they had to prepare for the future.