Chapter Text
The west wind blew across the hospital rooftop, tugging at loose bandages and rustling the sparse tufts of grass pushing through cracked concrete. My friends stood ten paces apart beneath the blazing sun, their eyes locked in silent challenge. I stood at the doorway, the metal frame cool against my white-knuckled grip. Far below, the village buzzed with life. Footsteps on cobblestone, distant laughter, the call of street vendors faintly reached my ears. Up here, there was only silence.
Naruto’s fists curled tight, nails digging into his palms, the bright orange of his jacket and the sharp blond of his hair almost trying to offend the alabaster rooftop. Sasuke’s shoulders stiffened, crimson eyes narrowing behind the curtain of his dark hair. A low chuckle tore through the dead air.
“What’s so funny?” Sasuke demanded.
“Nothing in particular. It’s just that today’s the day I’ll finally shove my foot up your ass.”
Sasuke’s face contorted into a sneer.
“Don’t tell me the doctors gave you a lobotomy while I was under.”
“All I’m hearing is that you picked a fight and now you’re too scared to go through with it, Sasuke! Now put on your headband.”
“I don’t need that thing,” Sasuke said, a smug smirk tugging at his face. “You won’t be able to even lay a finger on my forehead,” he said, tapping it with his thumb.
My eyes lingered on Naruto’s headband. It wasn't just armor; it meant two ninjas were on the same footing. The look in his eyes betrayed a pride that refused to bow.
“You don’t really believe we’re equals, do you?”
Naruto’s face darkened as he lunged in Sasuke’s direction. I covered my eyes, fingers digging into my brow, but the sting in my throat betrayed me. My breath came short, and the stone beneath me felt suddenly colder, harder. The grunts and yelps of pain assaulted my ears and the copper stink thickened in my nose until it was all I could smell. With each impact, my ears rang. With each choked yell, my skin prickled. The rooftop slammed into my knees, but I barely felt it. The violence hooked its claws into me, dragging my gaze up. I let it.
The fight’s tempo snapped, cut off as Sasuke backflipped onto the edge of the roof, giving way to a low, dangerous hum between them. The air stilled for but a single, wary heartbeat.
The pause shattered as Naruto’s hand swirled with a sphere that shrieked into my ears, a violent spiral of air that wanted to tear itself and anything near it apart. Responding in kind, Sasuke’s arm blazed with a blade of lightning that screamed and spat sparks everywhere. The two sounds crashed together in a cacophony that rattled my bones; the howl of a hurricane smashing against the frenzied cries of birds. The burnt air clung to my throat, daring me to breathe. I’d seen Sasuke’s lightning split stone like paper, and I didn’t need to know what Naruto’s weapon was to understand it could kill just as quickly.
I screamed at the top of my lungs for them to stop, yet they charged full speed at each other. I pushed forward, my breath catching as I neared. Each step I took felt heavier and heavier, like the ground itself was warning me not to interfere. Before I knew it, a shower of blood blanketed my vision.