❝𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑲𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒉𝒂❞

𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 19: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑾𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑰

RAGE.

It oozed from his very being and permeated deep into his soul. It was absolute and inescapable. It was a self sustaining cycle of self doubt which turns into loathing. From loathing to anger and from anger to rage. Kurama wasn't helping either. Just because he knew the fox's name didn't mean he already had his respect. No...Kurama wanted his freedom and now was the perfect time.

The 4th tail began to develop and Naruto lost consciences. The boy crashed to the ground as a sphere of red encased him. The sphere shot a beam into the sky and soon after a roar filled with malice that carried promises of death ripped through the forest.

Sakura's concern turned to dread as she watched the crimson beam shoot into the atmosphere. The roar chilled her blood and made her muscles freeze in fear. Her comrades weren't in much better condition. She seen Sasuke and her thoughts wandered back to the promise he had made. It echoed through her mind as she watched the raven haired man continue to struggle forward despite his body's very obvious protests against such suicidal actions.

'Naruto is my brother. I regret killing my real brother every single day. I swear that I will protect this brother with every ounce of my being. No matter how I'm punished I will continue to help him move forward in his dreams. This I swear!'

It was the first time Sakura had ever heard that kind of passion in the Uchiha's voice. He truly meant it and would move the sky above if that was what it took. It was obvious that Naruto was the man's last tether to this life. The last thing keeping him from doing something irreversible. Now that tether was threatened by a blade. His rope holding him here was being cut right before his eyes. He. Was. Desperate. That desperation slowly moved him beyond the sight of the paralyzed group. When the chilling feeling of death finally receeded the pinkette began her frantic journey forward. Everything was finally looking up for her only for Ino to open her big mouth.

Glancing over at her ex-rival she noticed a myriad of conflicting emotions that washed over her expression constantly. She had just suffered the loss of a friend and long time teammate only to accidentally cause another to go on a rampage. A loud explosion wrenched everyone's gaze forward just in time to see a wall of trees crash into them before darkness claimed them.

Sasuke drug himself from the crater he was buried in and gazed at the destruction around him. He had caught up with the rampaging blonde just as he fired a strange purple ball straight into the walls of Konoha. The destruction was unbelievable. At least 1/8 of the entire wall was vaporized in the blast. The treeline was pushed back almost half a mile to form a wave of wood when they were launched. Sasuke had been given just enough time to bring his Susanoo flaring to life before the ball had impacted. It was for that reason only that the large shard of wood had only stabbed him and not cut him in half. The flare of purple had only been seen by one person. The very person he was there to save: Naruto Uzumaki. That person was now inches away and looked at him with glowing white spheres for eyes. A strange white light seemed to compose his mouth and the cloak of chakra was only so dark red because of the blood the was mixed with it from Naruto's injured body. Sharingan meet white and the mini fox began to ooze disgust from his body. It was obvious that there was a history for this demon with the Sharingan. History bad enough to reward Sasuke with a tail whip across the face. His neck was almost snapped from the impact of the hit and Sasuke found himself airborne. Another purple ball began to form in front of Naruto's waiting mouth and Sasuke swore. There was no way he would survive a direct hit from something that wiped a mile off of the map.

The red and blue globs of chakra finished forming the massive sphere which rapidly condensed. Naruto opened his mouth and the sphere fell into his stomach. Sasuke ignored what was happening and continued to frantically think of something to do. He did the most obvious thing and brought his Susanoo into existence but that wouldn't even be close to enough protection.

He looked down just in time to see the ball of chakra get launched towards him.

'Damn...I've already failed in my promise...'

The explosion engulfed the airborne entity of purple energy. Naruto howled his victory to the world before turning back to the city before him. Red beams were shot from his mouth and explosions began to erupt all over Konoha.

Sakura felt the tears sting her eyes as she watched Sasuke disappear in the explosion. She had finally dug herself out with her super strength while Yamato aided with his Mokuton. They had just finished digging everyone out and had barely reached the start of the crater when a purple object was engulfed in a devastating explosion. She had immediately recognized the purple as Sasuke's Susanoo. The dots were connected before the first volley of chakra blasts rocked Konoha.

Naruto had killed Sasuke.

The man she loved had just killed their long lost friend like an insect was crushed beneath a shoe. The smoke from the explosion still covered the sky and was thick enough to bring on an artificial eclipse. The largest source of light was the fires that now raged throughout Konoha along with the occasional volley of chakra followed by explosions lighting up the darkness. Sound ninja had responded and were being cut down by the dozens in a flurry of slashes and a path of blood geysers was slowly forming a trail into the city. The earth was actually becoming mud from all of the blood that was mixing with it in this gorey massacre. Sakura soon found herself seperated from the rest of them as she fought off surviving Sound shinobi. A shout from behind her caused the pinkette to spin around only to have a kunai fly past her head close enough to take several strands of hair. The hand still held the kunai.

What remained of the man's head was crushed beneath the foot of a 5 tailed Naruto. He was about to attack her too when she shouted.

"Naruto please stop!"

The cloaked boy stopped his claw just centimeters from decapitating her as a sense of familiarity seemed to hit him. He cocked his head to the side and looked at her curiously as if pondering where he had seen the pink haired beauty before him.

"Remember me Naruto? Its Sakura-chan. It's the mother of your child Naruto. You remember right?"

The claw was pulled back as the chakra began to receed. Slowly a burned Naruto came into view. He was barely conscious and was too weak to support himself as gravity pulled him to jis knees.

"S...Sa...Sakura...chan?" He was about to say something else when a hand grabbed Sakura by her shoulder length hair and yanked her to the ground. She seen a brief flash of his eyes. It wasn't the bloodlust that got her. No it was the eyes themselves. Particularly the ripple pattern in his golden eyes. A katana was plunged through her stomach right in front of the wide eyed blond. The man laughed as she coughed up blood before he viciously twisted and turned the sword to prolong her agony. He finally pulled the blade from her shredded stomach and kicked Sakura in the side of the head hard enough to cause her to black out.

The man looked straight at Naruto and grinned.

"Tenzou Uzumaki at your service cousin."

The cloaked returned, half of Konoha became a crater, and the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox was one tail away from freedom.