That Damned Raven Haired Boy (SasuNaru)

Part 2

Naruto opened his eyes and stared at the sky, focusing on the red-tinted world that had thrown itself upon him like a blanket during his sleep. The colour, it seemed, was exclusive to the sky. So when Naruto brought a hand to his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and saw his hand covered in a thin film of red, the surprise that grasped him was very fitting.

He took a moment to observe his appendage in silent wonder. The red was reflecting off his hand in much the same way light reflected off objects under water, creating an odd illusion of lines and sparkles that were almost hypnotic in their beauty.

Around him, the sounds of night echoed in the clearing, composing a symphony that continuously lulled from the harsh buzz of dissonance to the soothing tone of resolution. It was to this tune that Naruto's mind slowly swam into focus, taking in the small wisp of cloud that fiercely hid the moon above. He had fallen asleep outside, he realized a moment later as he slowly stood from the ground on shaky feet, feeling almost transparent in his tiredness.

Between the trees, the flicker of something, a shadow perhaps, was visible for a moment before it disappeared; allowing the night to close in around Naruto - embrace him. Within the confines of his mind and body, Kyuubi paced with raging unease, releasing a sudden burst of chakra in warning.

The drowsy ninja staggered at the sudden discharge of energy and grasped the nearest tree for balance. The startling wave of nausea that had grasped him was unexpected but not completely a surprise. It pulled him closer to the tree as he fought the pain surging through his body, his cheek pressing against the rough texture of the bark hard enough to leave a myriad of lines indented in his skin.

The sensation provided brief respite from the ache grasping his body. However, when the discomfort returned, the young ninja found himself pushing away from the tree, both his hands finding his head in a distressed jumble of movement. His mind was spouting forth soothing words to the demon sealed within his body desperately, trying to find some way to quiet the irritated animal.

When trying to calm the edgy fox failed as was expected, Naruto slowly made his way from the clearing with a defeated sigh -a subtle stagger caused by unexpected waves of nausea was visible in his gait- and back to his apartment. He slept uneasily for the better part of the morning with haunting dreams and an unexplainable feeling of dread as his only company.

Wind rushed past his face and pulled back tufts of blonde hair as Naruto lunged forward, his fist drawn back in preparation to strike the opponent that stood across the clearing. He cursed when his punch missed its target and instead whizzed through the air as his adversary dived to the side, lashing out a leg that nearly knocked him from his feet.

Luckily, the blonde shinobi's coordination had increased over the years and Naruto managed to roll into a standing position, his chest rising and falling with labored breaths, a sign that he was combating a worthy opponent.

He grinned. The image had a feral appeal to it as it was accentuated by jagged canines and distinct whisker marks, but Naruto had never known how untamed his appearance could become.

The boy continued his assault by leaping into the air; sending six shuriken soaring down and in the direction of his opponent's shocked face. Surrounding his frozen combatant was the field, matted from their war, the grass crushed to the ground. The six lethal weapons soared through the air and hit their target with a dull thud before being engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke with a pop.

Naruto frowned and landed on the ground in a squatting position, watching suspiciously as the smoke cleared to reveal a log with six shuriken embedded deep within it, proof that he had been outwitted.

On the bright side, at least his aim was on, he thought with a subtle shrug.

"Too slow," a voice taunted as a shadow fell over Naruto. The boy looked up, visibly surprised, and rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a well-aimed punch that left a large crater in the ground. He let out a hiss of breath and dug his fingers into the dirt, building up the chakra in his feet.