Theme 13 - Traitor {Naruto & Sasuke}

The cold winds blew. The powdered snow on the ground picked up and twirled in front of Naruto's face, although he didn't notice it. He was concentrating on his mission. He, along with Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi, crouched behind a large banking of snow, waiting for their targets to make a move. So far it had been a good quarter of an hour and nothing had happened. It seemed as though the targets were waiting as well.

Naruto suddenly sprang up, yelling as he always did when he was impatient,

“That's it! I'm going in and taking them out myself, believe it! They won't stand a chance against my-” Three pairs of hands pulled him down and Sakura clamped her hand over Naruto's mouth,

“Shut up, Naruto,” she hissed angrily, “Do you want to blow our cover!?”

Naruto's eyes flashed from the murderous face of Sakura, across to Sasuke who was shaking his head in disbelief. He sagged his shoulders,

“Sorry,” he said, his voice muffled by Sakura's gloved hand. Kakashi rolled his eyes. Naruto was always the one to jump first and think later.

All four eyes looked up, suddenly hearing something flying over-head. Naruto spotted it first and, taking this as a signal, jumped up with his own weapons ready,

“Wa-HA! Take that, Orochimaru!” He threw the large, round snowball in his hand towards the man at the other side of the park, also hiding behind a snow drift. Just then, as he was watching his snowball fly, three more figures appeared over the other hill of snow and launched their own attacks; obviously more in sync than Naruto's random throw. All three snowballs hit him in concession; once in the face and twice in the chest. He fell backwards, down into Sakura. He lay there, motionless against her. She rolled her eyes, pushing him off her,

“Naruto, don't be such a drama-queen!”

He opened one eye and grinned, wiping the snow from his face,

“I get more sympathy when I am!” He pulled himself up, looking between his team-mates, “So,” He counted on his fingers, “it's Orochimaru, Kabuto, Kimimaro and Karin,”

Kakashi smiled from behind his mask,

“A fair fight. How noble of them. We can each target one person then.”

Naruto grinned, pumping his fists,

“Great! Let's do it!”

Sakura and Sasuke nodded,

“Right!”

All four sprang up from behind their snow-drift and threw their snowballs, each aiming for somebody different. Kimimaro was hit first, once in the shoulder by Sasuke's snowball, then Karin had one hit her square in the face. Sakura hollered,

“Yeah! Take that you-”

“Sakura, get going!” Kakashi interrupted, pointing out into the field, “You too, Sasuke!”

“Right!” They said in unison, bending down to make a snowball each before running out into the main field. Naruto watched them, grinning in anticipation. Orochimaru was going down!

“Naruto!” Kakashi yelled, pulling him from his trance.

“Wh-what?” Naruto looked around just in time to have a snowball connect with his chin, “AUGH!” He fell over backwards. Kakashi glanced sideways at him, then dodged down just in time to have a snowball fly over his head. A voice called from the other side,

“Oh, come now Kakashi, don't be such a stick in the mud.”

Kakashi rolled a snow-ball in his hands, calling back,

“Dodging from an attack is not being a stick in the mud, Orochimaru.” He jumped up and threw his snowball, only a moment he seemed to freeze on the spot. Naruto looked up at him from the ground, curious, then he heard a scream. It was Sakura. Naruto jumped up; snowball in hand; ready to take out whoever had just hit her. He stopped mid-swing, his eyes suddenly wide.

“Sa-.... Sa-”

“What's the matter, Naruto?” Said an icy voice. Naruto surveyed the scene. Sakura was lying on the floor, brushing bits of snow from her hair and off her clothes with her face a mask of confusion. Next to her, walking further and further away stood Sasuke, his lips curled up at the edges. The members of Orochimaru's team were grinning smugly. Sasuke looked Naruto dead in the eye,

“Naruto, you didn't really believe I would stay with the likes of you, did you...?” He turned to point at Orochimaru, “Not when they have so much more power to offer me,”

Naruto was lost for words,

“S-Sasuke...”

Sasuke walked further away, over to the other snow-banking. He bent down, scooping up a ball of snow once he was stood next to Kimimaro. Naruto clenched his fist. Traitor. His jaw tightened. Kakashi, surveying the whole scene from the sidelines, saw what was about to happen and darted forward onto the field, stopping next to Sakura. She was oblivious to him, staring at Sasuke in disbelief. He bent down, scooping her up in his arms,

“I think it's time we got out of the way. Naruto's going to need some backup.”

Sakura's eyes finally left Sasuke, to look at Naruto. His knuckles had turned white. Kakashi flash-stepped back to behind the barracks, watching Naruto in anticipation. Sasuke, still stood on the field, threw the snowball he was holding into the air once, catching it again. He smirked,

“Orochimaru's side is stronger. You have no way of beating us, and you know it, Naruto. Back down now,” he fell back into an offensive stance, “Before you get hurt.”

The wind picked up again, lashing the snow about the park like a whip. Naruto was stood, unmoving. His fist was clenched still.

“Get back here, Sasuke,” he unclenched his fist slightly, “You're one of us, not them.”

Sasuke shook his head, shouting loudly over the sound of the uproaring wind,

“No, Naruto. I'm not.” He darted forward. Behind him, Orochimaru lowered his snowball and smirked, throwing his hand up to stop the others advancing. Sasuke would take them out for him.

Naruto, seeing Sasuke charging towards him, smirked darkly. Kakashi and Sakura stepped back. He suddenly dropped his snowball to the ground, throwing his hands together. With Sasuke still advancing rapidly he yelled,

“Multi-shadow-clone jutsu!”

Within seconds the whole of the snow drift was filled to the brim with clones of Naruto, each holding a snowball, eyes murderous. Orochimaru's lips curled up into a smile – but so did Sakura's and Kakashi's. In unison the pair yelled,

“Now, Naruto!”

The storm of Narutos charged onto the field, advancing quickly towards their target. It was at this point that Sasuke stopped in his tracks, the smile still on his face. He turned on his heel. Orochimaru's face faltered,

“Sasuke, what are you doing?”

He closed his eyes and kicked the snow at his feet; the team of Narutos approaching behind him.

“There's one thing you have to know about me, Orochimaru,” He dropped the snowball and clasped his hands together. The Naruto-clones were still charging. He took a breath then opened his eyes, “I don't desert my friends.”

The dozen-or-so clones of Naruto charged past Sasuke, dodging him at times so-as not to hit him. As they went by, Sasuke yelled,

“Shadow-clone jutsu!” casting five clones more of himself, each of whom held a snowball. They charged. Orochimaru had no time to react. He had not been expecting this. He had been double-crossed by the double-crosser.

“Karin, Kabuto, get go-AHHH!” he was cut off by the sheer power of the snowballs being thrown at him by the wave of Naruto and Sasuke-clones. The last things he saw were the red-eyes of Sasuke, and then they were hidden by white.

Moments later Naruto and Sasuke dropped to the ground, looking at the large hill of snow they'd created over the banking. Naruto turned to Sasuke and grinned, throwing his thumb up,

“Good job.”

Sasuke looked back and smiled,

“Hn.”

From behind them, Sakura and Kakashi called from their own snow-drift,

“Way to go guys!”

“Mission accomplished!”

Naruto turned to them and grinned, scratching the back of his head sheepishly,

“Aah, it was nothing, you guys,”

Sasuke turned quickly, hearing something. He looked at the snow hill questioningly. It had moved...- there. It moved again. He fell back into a defensive stance.

“Naruto,”

Naruto turned, looking wide-eyed at Sasuke,

“Huh?”

Sasuke motioned his head towards the snow-drift,

“Look,”

Naruto looked. He saw the snow-drift shake. He jumped in surprise,

“Ah!”

He fell into a defensive as well, waiting to see what was going to happen. For a moment nothing did, and then the snow fell away at four different places. At each snowless spot a head had appeared, looking slightly dazed; almost comically - there were little stars floating around the heads and everything. One head, Orochimaru's, shook itself to clear away the stars, then the man said with a small smile,

“Well done, you two,” the pile moved as Orochimaru picked himself up out of the snow, slowly followed by his other team-mates, “I wasn't expecting that at all,”

Sasuke and Naruto dropped their defensive stances, Naruto grinning,

“Ha! We got you good this time, didn't we?”

Orochimaru brushed some of the snow from his hair,

“That you did,” He pulled himself completely from the snow and walked forward, towards Naruto. He held his hand out, “Good game,”

Naruto shook his hand, grinning from ear-to-ear,

“It wasn't all me, Sasuke was great too!”

Orochimaru passed him a sideways glance, smiling,

“Yes, he was. I would never have expected that kind of a stunt from you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke smirked, almost smugly,

“Glad I could surprise you,”

Naruto laughed, jumping over and grabbing Sasuke around the neck with an arm,

“Sasuke would never really leave us, you should have known that, Orochimaru!”

Sasuke pushed at Naruto's chest, trying to get the personal-space he wanted,

“Get the hell off me, dobe!”

Naruto and Orochimaru laughed loudly together, Sasuke trying hopelessly to tackle Naruto off.

*

Naruto's eyes opened slowly; sunlight preventing him from sleeping any longer. He lay there in his bed, a smile on his lips...- but then he sat up. He looked towards the window. There was no snow. His eyes suddenly darted round the room, searching. They fell on an old photograph from two years ago. Naruto pulled himself from the bed, walking over to it slowly. He picked up the photo-frame and looked at the picture, his eyes slowly fading of the happy twinkle that had been there moments ago. The picture showed he, Sakura, Kakashi... and Sasuke. Oh, that's right. Sasuke was gone.

Naruto put the picture down and walked back over to his bed; getting back into it, pulling the covers around him as he curled into a ball. Sasuke was gone. There had been no snowball fight. He had left that day. He hadn't double-crossed Orochimaru. He wasn't coming back.

There would be no happy smiles and laughing when they stood on the same battle field again.