Disclaimer: Don't own it.
Note: I'm only gonna write this once. Once. So, on reviews, please spare me the headache of having to reply to people with dumb questions. This is AU. AU. There, I underlined it. Happy reading!
Prologue
Madara Uchiha was smirking.
Yes, beneath that absurdly orange mask the corners of his lips were tilted upwards in the tiniest of smiles.
He stood on the giant index finger of the Statue of The Outer Path (1), his red eye studying the pair many yards beneath him. Waiting for the inevitable.
Naruto Uzumaki was glaring hatefully at him, and had Madara been a lesser man, he might have flinched under the stare of the boy's demonic eyes. Beside him, leaning heavily on the cold cavern wall of the AKatsuki Hideout, was Kakashi Hatake. The famed Jounin was holding his bleeding abdomen, where Madara's sword had struck moments before.
"You son of a bitch!"
The oldest Uchiha watched with interest as red chakra bubbled from beneath the boy's skin, his need to avenge his teacher washing away all reason.
"Naruto…" Kakashi choked out, "Go…get away…from here. You're falling…into his trap…"
Naruto turned pained red eyes onto Kakashi, but before he could open his mouth, Madara spoke.
"Oh, I'm afraid I can't let you do that. Once I have you, only the eight tails will be left. So, if you'd kindly give up and follow me…"
"Like hell I will!" the blonde snarled in response, his head snapping back to the masked missing nin.
"I see, so you wish to go about things the hard way."
As Madara's laugh echoed against the weathered walls, Naruto felt something inside of him snap.
Kakashi could only stare in horror as his student succumbed to the powers of his tenant, as his canines lengthened into monstrous fangs and he collapsed onto all fours.
The blue of his eyes was washed out with the bloodiest of reds. Within moments, the Kyubi's chakra completely encased Naruto's body, and as his student threw his head back and roared his fury at the suddenly wary Akatsuki leader, Kakashi felt his insides twist with terror.
Naruto…
The Jounin watched with fearful eyes as 'Naruto' lept with a viscous scream at Madara, who neatly dodged, a taunt on his lips.
While the two battled, Kakashi closed his eyes as guilt washed over him. The mess they were in was his fault, and if they ever made it out of it alive, he knew Tsunade would have his head.
He could feel himself getting weaker and weaker as his blood continued to leave his body. He hadn't been struck in any major organs, but if he didn't have medical treatment, and soon, he was almost certainly going to die.
Despite himself, he sighed.
And to think this all started with a simple D-rank mission…
Kakashi scowled.
Yamato's not here, and even if Naruto manages to drive him away, I'm nowhere near strong enough to incapacitate him the way I am now…
Looking over their predicament, Kakashi realized they were really and truly in deep shit.
And it was at that moment Naruto let out a long, pained shriek.
The jounin had to fight back the urge to cover his ringing ears as the sound reverberated throughout the enormous cavern.
When it died down to a fierce growl, Kakashi raised his head, inhaling sharply at what he saw.
Kyubi Naruto was fixing 'Tobi 'with an unwavering stare, and in the mass of red chakra it was hard to see exactly what his expression was.
Both of his hands and feet were pinned to the enormous wall by rods not unlike that which Pain had once used, though these glowed with chakra.
"Naruto!"
Kakashi tried to stand, but only rose an inch before he collapsed to the floor. Coughing up blood, he cursed himself.
Madara could feel the triumph shining in his face as he leaped atop the giant statue once more. The Statue of The Outer Path was directly opposite the wall on which the Jinchuriki was trapped, and though his cloak was torn in several places, and half of his mask had been broken away, he laughed.
So close! Once he had captured the Nine Tails, there was only the matter of capturing the Eight Tails, and sealing them both, and then the plans he had worked on so hard , for so long to achieve would finally be put in motion.
"I must say, Jinchuriki, I'm surprised at how easy it was to lead you here."
Kakashi flinched.
The aforementioned jinchuriki paused in his growling, though not for the reasons Madara believed.
"I see I've caught your interest…so there is some shred of sanity left in you."
As Kyubi Naruto directed an enormous amount of chakra to his mouth, Madara continued, his place on the head of the statue bringing him level with the blonde.
"Uzumaki Naruto, your hot-headed recklessness and short temper have helped to bring about your downfall. First I will capture you, then I will kill your teacher, your friends, your village – I will destroy anything and anyone that has ever meant anything to you-"
He turned his gaze momentarily to Kakashi.
"And I will take back the Sharingan you stole, Hatake."
Madara moved to do just that, when he froze.
The rocks and pebbles on the floor of the cavern were rising as if gravity had been turned off, and the walls began to tremble.
Madara felt foreboding bubble in the pit of his stomach at the disturbance, and he looked up in time to see Kyubi Naruto open his mouth inhumanly wide.
A monstrous red ball, composed entirely of the Nine Tails' chakra, was aimed directly at Madara, whose eyes went comically round as the jinchuriki threw his head back, then threw it forward again, the ball rocketing out of his mouth and hurtling to its target at impossible speeds.
Madara threw himself to the side so fast he was a blur, and though the ball barely brushed his arm, he screamed in agony as it burned through his cloak, clothes, and skin.
The ball shot past, and hit one of the open eyes on the statue instead.
The explosion could be heard for miles.
Madara, holding his arm and covered in dust, roared in fury as the eye shattered open, and out burst a silvery blue figure that resembled a cat, two slender, flame covered tails swaying behind it.
Its translucent form hovered in the air for a moment, savoring freedom, then it sprinted straight through the newly made hole in the cavern wall without a backwards glance.
"No!"
Madara stumbled to his feet, the naked side of his face shining with rage as he stared at the place where the Two Tailed Monster Cat had disappeared.
Kakashi struggled free of the fallen debris, coughing frantically, his eyes immediately finding Nauto. His student lay a little ways away, his body free of the Kyubi's malicious chakra. A rod was still lodged in his right hand and left foot.
His clothes were torn and dirty, and an enormous gash covered in fresh blood was on his left side. The blonde's right arm stuck out at an odd angle.
The fall must have knocked him unconscious…he thought, wincing at the damage.
The Jounin's racking coughs caught Madara's attention, and he turned hateful red eyes on the Hatake.
"I should end your lives right here," he snarled.
"Lucky for you, I have a Tailed Beast to recapture."
Before disappearing, the Uchiha said in a whisper that chilled the little blood left in Kakashi's veins,
"Consider yourself very fortunate, Kakashi of the Leaf, that you will live to see another day… But I assure you,"
The air around him rippled, and the older man began to fade.
"…We'll meet again."
Uchiha Madara was gone, and so was the giant statue, yet his words continued to echo in Kakashi's foggy mind.
That man…
With a shaky breath, he forced himself to stand, and was immediately overcome by a nauseating wave of dizziness.
His front was soaked with his own blood, but the bleeding had stopped somewhat.
Yet with each step he took towards the unconscious body of his student, agony made itself known in the pit of his stomach.
He gritted his teeth against the pain, telling himself he was a ninja, that he had suffered worse.
But even though that was most certainly true, the hopelessness of their situation weighed heavily upon him. It could take hours, days even, before Tsunade realized they were missing. The mission had been to deliver a simple set of scrolls to the Fire capitol, which was days away from Konohagakure. (2)
He collapsed next to Naruto.
With a shaking hand that seemed blurry in his own eyes, he gently shook the orange-clad jinchuriki.
"Naruto."
No response.
"Naruto…Naruto…Naruto, can you hear me? Wake up. Please."
When the boy still did not stir, a terrifying thought struck him. Trembling, he placed his ear above Naruto's heart. Relief unlike he'd ever felt flooded through him when he felt a feeble 'thump.'
It's faint, but it's there.
He wrapped his arms around the younger shinobi's body, and it took every last ounce of his strength to heave the boy onto his shoulders, let alone trying not to cry out in pain.
With a shaky breath, Kakashi stumbled towards the impromptu exit, half-carrying half-dragging his spiky-haired student.
Yes…deep shit, indeed.
A: So, how was it? A little boring, I know, but I had to get the details out of the way. I'd appreciatereviews! I'm not gonna beg for them…but…ya know…it'd be nice… Anyway, if I get an amount good enough to lift my spirits, you can count on a quick update. Also, Hinata is in the next chapter.
PS: If you're gonna criticize me, be gentle. And actually have a reason. Saya out.
