Chapter 2 - The Predominant Emotion

“Are we there yet?” Naruto whined, tugging at Kakashi’s sleeve.
“Not yet. Naruto, just relax, we’ll get there.” Kakashi’s assurance was falling on deaf ears. Naruto was still fidgety. Behind him, Sasuke and Sakura were talking quietly, clearly happy. Well, Sakura was anyway. Sasuke was his usual, unreadable self.
Naruto looked over at Sasuke. Something about him sent up a warning flag. There was something unsettling about Sasuke’s demeanor, even more so than usual. Naruto could always sense some kind of hostility, but there was usually a bit of friendliness in the mix. Today, there was deep thought and anger etched on Sasuke’s face.

After the mission, Sasuke left quickly, not even saying goodbye to Sakura.
“Hey, I’ve gotta go to! I’m, uh, meeting Iruka-sensei at Ichiraku! Believe it!” Naruto ran off, taking a round-about path to follow Sasuke, trying to remain unseen.


Ekyt picked a rooftop and sat up there all day, reading scrolls. He noticed his hand had turned red a few times, but thought nothing of it. Probably just training too hard or something… But the more he looked at it, the more he noticed something. When his emotions flared up, so did the color. Finally, to find out what would happen, he let himself be filled with hatred. He was shocked.
The Blue Blame chakra had turned red.
“Anger has become my predominant emotion…and my chakra changed with it. Strange…I’ve never read about someone’s chakra changing color. I’ll have to ask Lady Tsunade about it.”


As Ekyt was pondering this, Naruto plopped down next to him, his usually cheerful demeanor replaced by one of concern. He looked around for a moment, then spoke to Ekyt in a low whisper.
“Ekyt, I think he’s leaving. Sasuke. I heard him making plans to join Orochimaru.”
Ekyt narrowed his eyes, but didn’t remove them from the scroll. He didn’t want anyone who happened to be watching to think that there was anything going on.
“Did he say when he was leaving?” Ekyt replied in an equally low whisper.
“Tonight. At midnight.”
“That’s when the guards change…giving him a window of opportunity…it makes sense. But what can I do?” Ekyt asked, knowing full well he couldn’t battle Sasuke; the Uchiha boy was stronger than him, no matter how hard Ekyt had worked.
Naruto, however, had a plan. “Listen, I’ve got an idea. That chakra of yours is just about the only thing that can match that seal of Sasuke’s. So here’s what we do…”


Sasuke pulled his backpack up higher on his shoulders, shifting it’s weight to a more comfortable position. After a final sweep of the room, to make sure he wasn’t leaving anything behind, Sasuke walked out the door for the last time.
Sasuke walked along the road, in the dead of night, his Sharingan acting like night vision. It was thanks to his bloodline trait that he saw someone standing nonchalantly near the gate of the village. The person had either a cigarette or a toothpick jutting from their mouth.
“ ‘Evening Sasuke.” Ekyt said evenly.
Sasuke didn’t even attempt to hide his real motives. He knew there was no point. Ekyt might have been weaker than him in terms of jutsu, but the kid was astute.
“Move aside.”
“I’m not letting you leave. You’ll break Sakura’s heart! Think about this!”
Sasuke gave Ekyt a hard shove. Ekyt shook it off and stepped back in front of the gate to the city.
“Forget it. You’re going to have to kill me if you want to leave.” Sasuke activated his cursed seal.
The two wasted no time:

“Chidori!” The sound of one thousand birds chirping pierced the quiet night air.
“Transparent Hand Chakra: Red Flame Activation!” Ekyt countered. He put his right hand to his chest, feeling the anger he felt so often lately surging through him.
Ekyt ran straight at Sasuke, the red flame dancing in his hand as he ran. He leapt over the approaching Sasuke and jammed his hand down onto Sasuke’s neck, using a sealing jutsu to close Sasuke’s curse mark.
Sasuke spun around, Chidori still in his hand. He jammed it into Ekyt’s stomach, suspending the boy in mid air. Blue energy crackled around both of them. Sasuke focused his chakra particularly hard, sending Ekyt flying. The genin hit a building and slid down it, barely conscious.
Ekyt fell to the ground, the chakra receding from his hand. He lay face-down on the cobblestone street after hitting the building, not moving for a few long moments. Finally, he raised his head and spoke “Now…Naruto.”
Sasuke was exhausted from the battle with Ekyt. Naruto and 100 clones jumped on and beat him into unconsciousness. Ekyt gave a look of…longing, that was it- at Team 7. The three had each other, not to mention their sensei. Ekyt knew this would happen. He was alone again. He pulled himself to his feet, holding the wound in his stomach closed. There were tears in his, but they weren’t caused by the physical pain…
I’ll never trust anyone like that…never again…


Tsuande looked at Sasuke’s wounds first.
“He’ll live. At least that mark is sealed. Sakura, would you see to him? I’ve got another patient…”
Sakura nodded and started to mix up various pain relievers and stress busters. Her delicate hands flew all over the medicinal herbs, gathering them, cutting them, crushing them, all in the blink of an eye. She mixed them all together, then dumped all of it into an amber-colored liquid.
“Is he gonna be alright?” Naruto asked. He waited for a the hit that would accompany the question. Sakura’s so in love with him. Even though I did the right thing, she’s gonna hit me for hurting ‘her’ Sasuke…
“He’ll be alright…thank you, Naruto. You really saved him from making a stupid mistake.”
She gave Naruto a hug, who couldn’t even hide his surprise. She then tended to Sasuke, who was just starting to stir.

In another room, Ekyt was resisting treatment.
“I’ll be fine.” He insisted, squirming away from Shizune and Tsunade. The Chidori hadn’t hit home with anything close to full power. That didn’t mean that having a hole in his stomach wasn’t painful. But not painful enough to warrant drugs. Ekyt wasn’t the type to let himself get drugged up needlessly.
Tsunade was going to force him into treatment, but Ekyt was already up. To Tsunade’s shock, Ekyt walked over to Shizune.
“Shizune-Sensei, will you teach me the healing arts? If I’m going to be…alone…then I need to know how to patch myself up.”
Shizune had never been asked like that, and it took her a moment to recover.
“Sure, I’d be glad to. We’ll start tomorrow, okay?”
Ekyt nodded his consent, then walked out, rather than his normal exit of jumping across rooftops.


“Pardon me, Master Sarutobi?”
Sarutobi (formerly 3rd Hokage) looked up from his painting.
“Ekyt, this IS a surprise. What can I do for you?”
He and Ekyt were standing on Sarutobi’s deck. It overlooked what seemed to be a well-kept jungle. A pond stretched 100 yards across, with beautiful, lush green land on either side. Trees grew tall and proud, and the place was alive with wildlife. Two herring were fishing, standing on one leg in an odd position. It was this tranquil scene that Master Sarutobi was painting. He moved his brush expertly. Ekyt had tried painting, and even drawing for that matter, and understood it’s difficulty. You had to hold the brush firmly, yet not so tight that you would be “strangling the snake”. If you did, you would have blots of ink or paint all over, taking away from the quality. If you held the brush too loose, as though “afraid of the snake”, your lines would be soft and inconsistent.
Sarutobi put down his brush, turning toward the genin next to him. The bandages around the stomach confirmed the news Sarutobi had been told.
“You’re here because of your fight with Sasuke…” Sarutobi stated/questioned.
“Partially, Master Sarutobi. I…” Ekyt started to talk, but was over come with emotion. He leaned against the railing, his stoicism failing him for the first time.
“I’ll never measure up! I have no ability, I’ve been a genin for four years! I’m doing mindless crap work that others less than half my age are already finished with! I want to leave the village, but Lady Tsunade is forbidding me to! It’s because I’m weak! No matter how hard I train, no matter how many scrolls I read, no matter how many jutsus I know…I’ll never make the grade…All I am is an extra body, one that is functional enough to perform mindless tasks! I don’t want to be kept around because I’m a “nice guy”!”
Ekyt actually let himself cry. Four years of contained emotions, all relieved in one burst.
“What will it take, Master? I’ve got nothing, nobody! Everyone tells me “You’ve got talent” or “You’ve got potential”. Do they really mean it, or do they just want someone to do their crap work? Am I just being jerked around? What will it take for me to get real abilities? Lee can do it through hard work alone, and without chakra…I’ve got both, and where is it getting me?”
Ekyt’s fists were clenched. He looked ready to give up on everything.
It wasn’t the first time Sarutobi had seen something like this.
“There is more to your pain than that. Unrequited love, frustration with your position…it’s no secret to me that you hold these emotions inside you. Their raw power is enough to tear ANY man apart, but you contain it. If your potential is properly channeled, you will surpass many…I, for one, put your skills on par with Sasuke eve now In the future, you will surpass many, those even more powerful than Sasuke.”
Ekyt’s eyes widened in surprise, although you could hardly tell from the puffiness from his emotional outburst.
“But Master…he defeated me…”
Sarutobi took a long puff of his pipe, inhaling the rich tobacco’s scent, breathing in heavily, then exhaling a wreath of smoke.
“Sasuke is the polar opposite of you. Whereas he cares for no one and lives for nothing except vengeance, you care a great deal and live for this Village. It’s your caring that you are mistaking for weakness.”
Sarutobi looked at the tranquil scene in front of them, a hand on Ekyt’s shoulder.
“Never stop caring. Gaara and Sasuke are powerful, no doubt, but it’s your emotions that will someday give you the power to surpass them.”
“But Master, aren’t my emotions tearing me apart? I mean, look at me. What kind of warrior breaks down and sobs because he’s alone?” Ekyt felt tears welling up again, hating his emotions, cursing their existence.
“What was it you told me once? A samurai quote? Ah… “The Sword fits the hand.” Metaphorically, your sword is a painful one to wield. But it’s one that I wish more would possess freely. You, Naruto, Lee, and Sakura are going to be the strongest someday. Mark my words, hold onto these emotions, even enjoy them when you can.”
“Master…emotions aside, I want to be stronger. You’re right. There’s so much I care about, that I’d die to protect…What can I do? Training, anything?”
Sarutobi beckoned for Ekyt to follow him. “Come with me.”


Sasuke woke up violently. He thrashed around, the pale blue covers of the hospital bed being twisted in the process. A tray of food clattered to the floor, sending carrots and peas, along with various medications, flying. Sakura ducked as a bowl of fruit nearly hit her. It smacked against the far wall, marring it’s pale green surface.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sakura assured him calmly. She gently pushed him back down in bed. Sasuke, for his part, flopped down, closed his eyes, and spoke:
“I’m going to kill him…” Sasuke muttered, too weak to speak very loud. He was bruised all over, although no serious damage had been done.
Sakura held his hand. “I know Sasuke, you’ll kill your brother…”
“He’ll die, but I’m going to kill Ekyt for sealing my curse mark. It was my only chance against Itachi…now it’s gone…”
“Sasuke, that’s not true! You’re powerful! More powerful than almost anyone in the village! And he HAD to stop you, or Orochimaru would have gotten you! You couldn’t kill Itachi if Orochimaru had taken over your body!”
Sasuke opened one eye. “The power I could have gotten could have made all the difference. If I don’t kill Ekyt, then I’m going to kill Naruto, for going along with Ekyt’s plan. Either way, one of them is going to pay…pay for costing me my dream…” Sasuke laid his head back down, clenching one fist in anger.
Sakura didn’t share this point of view, but knew better than to argue. She simply put a tray of food in front of him and encouraged him to eat. Sasuke…please don’t do it. Don’t make me choose between what I know is right and what my boyfriend wants…


Naruto and Sakura wandered around the village separately, occasionally bumping in to each other. They both had time off from missions, since their team mate was injured, and Kakashi was off on missions of his own. Naruto was taking a break from training, and Sakura needed a rest each day after her work with lady Tsunade.
“How’s Sasuke doing?” Naruto asked as they bumped into each other once more.
“He’s doing better, but he’s worrying me…he wants to kill Ekyt for sealing his curse mark.”
“I asked him to. There was no choice. I couldn’t let Sasuke leave…” Naruto was clearly upset over the whole issue. He bit his fingers nervously. Sakura, in a rare moment, patted him on the head.
“You did the right thing, you know. And…it’s hard to say this, but I’m glad you didn’t tell me, I would have tried to stop Sasuke myself. And Ekyt might have survived it, but that Chidori would have killed me…”
Naruto looked at the ground, apparently at a loss for words.
“And how’s Ekyt doing?” he asked, trying to make conversation.
Sakura rolled her eyes. “Refusing treatment, training with Shizune…pretty much everything Lady Tsunade warned him not to do. I mean, he shouldn’t be able to move! Even Sasuke hasn’t gotten out of bed!”
Naruto had heard enough. “Listen Sakura! Sasuke might be your life-long crush, but don’t you think he would have given more consideration to your feelings? When I asked Ekyt to do this, the first words out of his mouth were talking himself down. “I could never beat Sasuke,” or whatever he said! But you know what? He DID. He might have been torn almost in half, but at least he gave it a shot! You kissing Sasuke’s @$$ isn’t doing a damn thing! Be honest with him, and yourself Sakura: Do you REALLY want a boyfriend that wants to kill everyone? If there’s one thing I know, it’s that YOU aren’t a killer! Believe it!”


Sarutobi led Ekyt to the stone obelisk that served as a memorial to the ninja who had lost their lives fighting the nine-tailed fox.
“All these names…I knew every single one…not a day goes by when I don’t think of them…They gave everything for this village…Something I have no doubt you yourself would do…”
“I’ll never be numbered among them…they’re heroes…I’m a barely glorified grunt that Lady Tsunade feels bad for.”
Sarutobi shook his head again. “You may very well be numbered here someday. I hope that no names will be added, this village has seen so much death already…Which is why I’ve talked with Lady Tsunade, through my summon, Enma. She’s found you a traveling partner. It’s only a short trip, but she feels that you and Sasuke both need time to cool off, or you’ll be killing each other.”
Ekyt didn’t bother to contain his excitement. “Good! I know Sasuke wants to kill me, and I know just as well what little pride I have would never let me back down.”
“Well, you will have two weeks, and you will be traveling with Master Jiraiya. Before you leave, I want to wish you luck, and to tell you this: I’ve predicted you will become among the strongest of us. You, Naruto, Sakura, and Lee, you will someday be the pride of this village…”


As Sakura sat at Sasuke’s bedside, Naruto’s words running through her head. She must have smoothed her pink hair a hundred times out of nervousness. Somehow, she knew Naruto was right. No matter how much she thought of him as an annoying little brother, Naruto showed flashes of brilliance at times, and now was one of those times.

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