Aligning the Stars

The Grinning Man

"Sasuke please, don't do this!" screamed Naruko as she stood on the statue of Hashirama across from Sasuke.

"Shut up! I won't stay in that village of weaklings! You're holding me back," growled the Uchiha.

"You're not thinking clearly ... so I'll drag you back!" A clone appeared and helped her form a spiraling ball of ball of energy.

Sasuke snarled, "As if a weakling like you could stop me." His hand was consumed with electricity creating a loud chirping noise.

They charged each other ...

Naruko felt something slice into her chest ... it was Sasuke's fist ...

The Uchiha was blown backwards as the spiraling ball nicked his arm. They both it the earth hard, but he staggered to his feet and moved over to the bloody form of his teammate as he clutched his broken arm, "For a demon you're very weak." He spat at the girl's face before walking away ignoring the blonde cough up blood.

"I f-failed." She choked out painfully as tears flowed from her eyes ...

The demon fox started to heal her punctured lung and she tried to get to her feet, but kept slipping on the loose blood soaked earth under her. Finally she managed find some solid ground and dragged herself upright using a tree for support.

"I ... have to ... get back to ... Konoha." She panted in strained voice as she fought to stay conscious ...

She only made it a few steps before someone landed in front of her. "Ka-kashi-sensei." She smiled in relief as her sensei came closer to her ... she was safe ...

"Where is Sasuke?" asked Kakashi who didn't even glance at the badly injured girl.

"I'm sorry sen ...sei, h-he got away." Naruko coughed up some blood and noticed her sensei was oddly quiet, "Sensei?" She saw his fist clench so hard that his knuckles turned white ...

"Can't you do anything right?" Naruko was shocked at those hurtful words, but she didn't get a chance to say anything. She froze in horror as she looked at her sensei's eyes ...

Those eyes were filled with so much hate ...

Kakashi took out a kunai and stepped towards the frightened girl ...

Cold metal carving up her flesh. That's what she felt as she was stabbed several times in places that would make for a slow painful death and she fell limp on the ground. The sensei she once admired loomed menacingly over ...

"You deserve this you fucking demon," he laid his foot on her side ... nothing could stop him, not even the tears pouring out of the girl's eyes as he kicked her into the frigid waters below ...

Even as she sank deeper and water filled her lungs she could see him through the water that was tainted with her own blood ...

He was just standing there on the ledge waiting for her to die ...

Kakashi's hateful eyes were the last things she saw before she was consumed by darkness ...

XXXXXXXXXX

Silence ... that's all Kakashi received when he gave his report ...

"Ummm ... hokage-sama? Did you hear me? I killed the demon." He eye smiled, thinking he'd hear cheering. Unfortunately, for him the civilian council and Sakura weren't there there because they were setting up a huge party to celebrate the demon's demise.

"Yes ... I heard you ... I'm not the first person you told," said Tsunade.

"No, sorry, I wanted to tell everyone the good news. The party is starting soon," exclaimed a far too happy Kakashi as the shinobi clan heads walked in with the surviving retrieval team and the sand siblings. Save for Shibi and Shino who were on a mission everyone was present.