Naruto: I Copy Skills

A/N: Double release (1/2) For another Double Release, let's hit 500 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Goal: 500 Powerstones!

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"Even so..." Temari began, her voice filled with hesitation, but Gaara cut her off with a calm reassurance.

"Temari, don't worry about it," he said, his eyes remaining fixed on the battle below.

Temari sighed, reluctantly continuing to watch as Naruto and Sasuke's fight grew even more intense. Down below, the two were preparing their signature moves. Sasuke's hand crackled with a darker chidori, while Naruto's hand held a swirling ball of the Vermillion Rasengan.

"The Chidori... He'd use that against a friend?" Gaara pondered aloud, his brow furrowing. "We may have misread this battle."

Rock Lee tensed as he watched, a sense of awe and confusion filling him. "Naruto... Sasuke... What is this alien strength?"

Temari's mind raced as well. "Those two... they're trying to kill each other."

'If we don't let this fight happen, Sasuke will remain dissatisfied. If we intervene now, he'll just want to fight Naruto again. We want him to come with us with the least amount of resistance. It's not like he's going to kill Naruto anyway.'

The moment Sasuke and Naruto clashed, the shockwave was overwhelming. A massive eruption of energy shot out from the point of impact, sending Gaara, Temari, Goro, and Rock Lee tumbling back.

Gaara quickly reacted, raising a thick sand wall to halt their momentum, preventing them from being blown back any further.

As the dust settled and the shockwave dissipated, the group advanced cautiously to assess the aftermath. When they reached the battlefield, they saw Sasuke kneeling above Naruto, coughing up blood. His headband had slipped off, and after a moment of hesitation, Sasuke stood and began to walk away, leaving Naruto behind.

"I was wrong..." Gaara thought, his expression contemplative. "He didn't intend to kill him."

"Let's go!" Rock Lee shouted, immediately running down the statue.

Gaara created a sand platform for himself and Temari, slowly descending, while Goro simply leaped down, landing hard enough to crack the ground beneath him.

Sasuke, sensing their approach, twisted his head back, his eyes widening as he saw the group now pursuing him.

Gaara rushed over to Naruto's side to check his condition, while Rock Lee ran after Sasuke, shouting, "Wait up, Sasuke!" Sasuke paused, wincing in pain as he held his injured arm.

Goro crouched beside Naruto, carefully examining him before looking over to Gaara. "He's fine," Goro said. "His body doesn't have any serious problems."

'The Nine Tails' regenerative ability is amazing..'

Rock Lee caught up with Sasuke, grabbing him by the arm. "Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Choji, Ino, and even Goro put their lives on the line to get you to come back to the Leaf."

"I'm done with the Leaf," Sasuke replied coldly, attempting to pull his arm away, but Rock Lee held on tightly.

"You're saying they all did that for nothing?!" Rock Lee exclaimed, his voice filled with emotion.

Sasuke bit his lip, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Rock Lee. "What is it with all of you? You can't seem to leave me alone!" he spat.

Gaara, who had been quietly observing, stood and walked over to Sasuke. "I don't know much about you, but do not go down a dark path, Sasuke. Naruto viewed you as a comrade, so he did the best he could to knock some sense into you. The way he did for me."

Sasuke clenched his teeth, pulling his arm free from Rock Lee's grip with newfound strength. "Even after what I've done... I still haven't done enough to sever the bond between me and the village?!"

"I also did much wrong," Gaara replied, his voice steady, "but Naruto showed me that it's never too late to lead a better life."

At that moment, Shikamaru and Kiba arrived, supported by Kankuro. Shikamaru, limping slightly, smiled as he looked over the scene.

"So, you guys did it, huh?" he said, a grin spreading across his face as Kiba, leaning heavily on him, managed a nod.

"Kankuro," Temari greeted, her eyes softening at the sight of her brother.

Kankuro, always blunt, looked at Sasuke. "You guys have quite the force. Do we just pummel Sasuke now?" he asked, half-serious.

Before Gaara could respond, Goro acted swiftly. Clocking back his arm, Goro's threw his fist connecting with Sasuke's face and knocking him out cold.

"He's too stubborn," Goro said flatly, shaking his hand as Sasuke crumpled to the ground.

Gaara's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "That speed... I didn't even notice until Sasuke moved on impact," he thought, impressed. 

Sasuke lay unconscious, the fight finally over.

Kakashi, arriving late as usual, walked over to the unconscious Sasuke lying on the ground amidst the aftermath of the battle. His eyes scanned the damage and destruction around them, the clear signs of a fierce clash. "They must've given it their all," he thought, kneeling down to lift Sasuke onto his shoulder.

"You did good," Kakashi said to the group of Genin standing around, proud of their accomplishment. 

With Sasuke secured, Kakashi then approached Naruto, still knocked out, and effortlessly hoisted him onto his other shoulder. His eyes met Shikamaru's.

"Shikamaru, I trust you'll bring Kiba back safely," Kakashi said.

Shikamaru, still bruised but composed, nodded. "Yeah, I got it."

For a brief moment, Kakashi glanced at Goro, his single exposed eye lingering on him longer than usual before flickering away with both Naruto and Sasuke in tow.

"Why did he just look at me like that?" Goro wondered, frowning slightly but shrugging it off.

"We're heading back," Shikamaru announced to the rest of the group. Goro and Rock Lee nodded in agreement, ready to follow.

Temari, unable to resist a joke, smirked and said, "You're in a rush to leave, lazy."

Shikamaru sighed, responding, "Hey, I actually fought. What did you come for? Morale support?"

Temari's smirk faded, her expression annoyed at the jab. "Morale support? You've got some nerve, Shikamaru."

Gaara, always the calm mediator, turned to Goro and said, "We'll be going back to the Sand."

Goro nodded and replied, "Thank you for the assistance."

Gaara, looking thoughtful, said, "We didn't do much," then turned to his siblings. "Let's go."

"Hold up," Goro interjected, weaving a series of hand signs. A massive water phoenix materialized in front of them, its majestic form rippling. "The Sand is too far to travel on foot. Take this bird," Goro offered, gesturing to the phoenix.

Gaara nodded, and using his sand, he lifted himself onto the phoenix, bringing Temari and Kankuro along with him.

Walking over to the phoenix, Goro ran his hand over the surface of its watery feathers and commanded, "Take them to the Sand Village."

With a powerful flap of its wings, the water phoenix lifted off, soaring into the sky and heading toward the Sand Village.

Shikamaru watched the bird disappear into the distance, then glanced at Goro, a playful smirk on his face. "You should've used that for us," he said, half-joking.

'Easy enough.'

Goro, weaved hand signs once more, summoning another water phoenix in front of them. "Hop on," he said.

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Reminder: For another Double Release, let's hit 500 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Goal: 500 Powerstones!