I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND/OR THE CHARACTERS
Kabuto was sitting in his laboratory struggling to keep his body from being overtaken by Orochimaru's remains.
"I've got to figure something out," Kabuto thought as he looked through his research for a solution.
Kabuto continued his search until he dropped to the floor in pained convulsions.
"Fight it, fight it, figh…" were his last words as he blacked out with only one thought on his mind.
"I'm hungry."
Naruto was in the Leaf Village contemplating his next step in life after his final destruction of the Akatsuki.
"Sasuke's still out there and I've gotta find peace and I've still gotta handle that thing with Hinata."
He continued to contemplate when an ANBU appeared before him.
"Naruto, the hokage wants to see you immediately."
"Right"
Naruto sped to Hokage Tower as fast as he could, he gets there to find Choji, Hinata, Kiba with Akamaru, Lee, Neji, Sakura, and Shikamaru talking to the new hokage, Kakashi.
"What's going on?" asked Naruto as he entered the office.
"Anko still hasn't returned from her mission to find Kabuto but we've gotten reports of someone with purple hair and wearing a Leaf Village forehead protector attacking people and eating them." Kakashi informed.
"Eating them?" asked Naruto in disbelief.
"Yes, whoever this person is has been devouring their victims, I've sent the ANBU to investigate but they haven't returned."
"I can't believe it, who eats people?" asked Sakura.
"Well, that's what you're going to find out," Kakashi said, "I've put this team together because this the most balanced team we have at tracking, information gathering, and combat at the moment, I want you to check it out and neutralize the situation as soon as possible."
"Right," they said in unison.
They left the village immediately on their mission to deal with this threat to their village's credibility.
"I want to say something to her but we're on a mission," Naruto thought.
If he could read her mind, he'd know that she had similar thoughts.
"He hasn't spoken to me since then, maybe I'm overreacting," she thought, "We are on a mission, after all."
They finally reached the village and found it completely barren with smell of death so strong that it overwhelms Kiba and Akamaru.
"Can you guys sense anything?"
"No way, this smell is awful," Kiba said as Akamaru barked in agreement while they both covered their noses.
"Hinata, Neji?" asked Shikamaru.
"Byakugan!," they shouted in unison as they activated their kekkai genkai.
"Unbelievable" Neji said.
"This is horrible" added Hinata.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Shikamaru.
"To the north there are dead bodies all over the place," answered Neji.
"Let's check it out," commanded Shikamaru.
They headed north and found the most horrible site, a field of people who were devoured to the point that there was barely anything left.
"There's nothing but flesh barely on their bones," said a horrified Sakura. "Who could've done something like this?
"I don't know, it's like they were eaten by wild animals," added Kiba.
"We should split up, we'd cover more ground that way," commanded Shikamaru.
"I am sorry for questioning your authority, Shikamaru, but I do not think we should," Lee interjects. "Something about this does not sit well with me."
"How troublesome, look, we're trained shinobi. Not to mention, we have super sunshine blast ninja here with us," Shikamaru assures Lee. "We should be okay."
"Okay." a begrudged Lee complies.
"Okay, we all pair off with your ordinary teammates and look around."
"Hey, I'll send a clone to back each of you up," added Naruto. "That way, if something happens and he gets dispersed, I'll know where to come looking."
"Good idea, Naruto," Shikamaru says.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he formed three shadow clones.
They split up and searched the village in four different directions. Kiba was so busy trying to fend off the smell that Naruto saw this as a prime opportunity to say something to Hinata.
"Uh, Hinata?"
"Yes, Naruto?" she said without her usual stutter.
"How have you been since you kicked Pain's ass?" Naruto said jokingly.
"Well, I've been thinking about you a lot."
"Really?"
"Well, you don't almost get kill for someone without thinking about them," she replied.
"Heh, yeah," he said as they share a laugh. "So, how long have you been in love with me?"
"Since the day I was walking through the forest and say you push through your tears in an effort to improve yourself," she replied. "Oh, I'm sorry about your master, I didn't have the chance to tell you since you left right after."
"Thanks, I really miss him. If I'd known he would've died so soon, I wouldn't have been so disrespectful to him," he said. "So, I was thinking that we should get together when we get back and work this out."
"Really?" she asked as her face brightened.
"Yeah, I think we should see where this goes. What do you say?"
"Of course, Naruto," she said as she snuck a kiss on him. "Oh, sorry. I don't know what came over me."
"Hey, who's there?!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru took of.
"What's going on?" Naruto ask as he and Hinata followed.
"I think I just saw someone watching us from around this corner!"
The trio pursued the person until they came to a dead end.
"Where'd they go?" asked Kiba in disbelief. "I'm sure I saw someone but I can't track their scent through the smell of this place."
"I'll check up top," said Naruto.
"And I'll us my byakugan."
"I don't see anything," Naruto told them as he came back from the roof.
"What about you, Hinata?" asked Kiba.
"I'm tracking a faint chakra heading away from us."
"Lead the way, Hinata," Naruto said.
While they followed the chakra signal, Sakura and Naruto were continuing to dig around the village.
"This is really creeping me out, Naruto," said an uneasy Sakura. "There's nothing but corpses in this town."
"Not to mention the fact that I feel like someone's watching us," added Naruto.
"Watching us?"
"Yeah, like there's a presence that's not quite here. Like it's not really alive but not really dead yet."
"Is there anyway you can see what it is, Naruto?"
"I can only think of one way but you have to watch out because I can't move for a while."
"Okay."
Sakura keeps watch as Naruto stands completely still with his eyes closed to gather natural chakra, he opens them a moment later and begins to look around.
"Sakura, I need you to stay calm but we have a problem."
"What?"
"I feel a lot of different chakra around us."
"Where?"
"It's hiding, I think we'd better find the others and regroup just to be safe. We'll find Shikamaru and Choji first, because I can feel Neji and Lee heading in the same direction as Hinata and Kiba."
Neji was leading Lee and Naruto's clone after the same chakra that Hinata, Kiba, and Naruto's other clone was chasing.
"Naruto what is wrong with your eyes?" Lee asked as he didn't recognize Naruto's condition.
"I'm in Sage Mode for some reason," Naruto said as he was following Neji. "I can sense a lot of charkas behind Sakura."
Naruto and Sakura hurried as Naruto started to sense the charkas following them.
"Keep going Sakura, don't stop until we get to Shikamaru and Choji."
"Right, Naruto."
Naruto ventured a look back and saw what was chasing them.
"What's the hell is that?"
"They look like they're dead but that can't be possible" Sakura said as her medical training told her of the sheer impossibility of the situation.
"Whatever, let's just find the others."
They continued on until they saw a giant flash of light in the sky.
"That must be Shikamaru and his Shadow Crushing Palm Jutsu," said the frantic Sakura.
When they reached Shikamaru and Choji, they found them fending off the creatures.
"What are these things?" Shikamaru asked Sakura.
"I have no idea," she said as she and Naruto joined the fight.
"Neji and Hinata are on the trail of something, we should probably find them before they run into these things," said Naruto.
"Let's go," commanded Shikamaru.
"I'll deal with these guys," said one of the Narutos.
The rest of them left as Naruto's clone unleashes a Rasenshuriken that disintegrated the creatures. Neji and Lee caught up to Hinata and Kiba as they were in pursuit.
"Did you see who it was, Hinata?" Neji asked.
"No, Kiba barely got a look at them."
Their pursuit took them to the forest where the person eventually stopped, they caught up to them to find something that horrified them.
"Is that Anko?" asked Kiba.
"Yes but look at her, she looks decayed," added Lee.
"How I look is the least of your worries," said the horrifying Anko as a group of ANBU appeared around them. "I get the one in the green, I'm sure his flesh will taste great after all that training with Guy."
"My flesh?"
"I don't care," said one of the ANBU. "That dog bit me once, it's time to return the favor."
The ANBU attacked them and Hinata defended herself and Kiba with her Sixty-Four Palm Point Defense Jutsu while Neji used his Rotation and Lee used his Leaf Hurricane.
"What are these things?" one of the Naruto's asked as he used Frog Fu to battle the ANBU.
"I don't know" answered the other. "These things are gnarly."
As Anko watched, she notices an opening with Lee as he was fighting.
"Snake Bind Jutsu!" she shouted as a boa constrictor rose from the ground and wrapped itself around Lee.
"What is going on?" he asked as he struggled to get free.
He kept struggling, Anko appeared behind him and bit him on the shoulder.
"Aaah!" he screamed out in pain.
He could feel her trying to tear his flesh from his body.
"Get off of him" screamed one of the Naruto's as he hit Anko with a Frog Fu blow that sent her flying.
The snake released Lee and he grasped his shoulder.
"Thank you, Naruto"
"Don't mention it."
"I don't know who or, better yet, what they are but they must be dealt with."
"I agree, Rasenshuriken!"
Naruto destroyed the undead ANBU as Neji, Hinata and Kiba avoided it. The jutsu even caught most of Anko leaving only her arm. Sakura and the other arrived on the scene to find their friend relieved.
"Looks like things were troublesome here as well," said Shikamaru.
"Yes," replied Neji. "And Lee has been injured."
"I'm on it," said Sakura.
She went to heal Lee.
"What happened to you?"
"Anko, or whatever it was, bit me."
"Bit you?"
"Yes, as if she was trying to eat me."
"I guess the reports were true," added Shikamaru. "Well, we destroyed them all, right?"
"I don't see anything else," said Neji with his byakugan activated.
"Nor do I," adds Hinata with her byakugan.
"And I don't sense anything," Naruto added as he left Sage Mode.
"Good, let's head back to the village," commanded Shikamaru.
"I'm taking her arm for study," said Sakura as she prepares the arm for transportation.
To Be Continued.