Title: Belief
Rating: K
Word Count: 971
Warnings: Spoilers for Suna/Oto invasion, Gaara's demon and the identity of a character from a later story arc.
A/N: THIS IS NOT STOLEN! This is a repost of a fic from my other account on this site. Repeat: THIS IS NOT STOLEN!
I watched as Kakashi-sempai sent his two students and the other boy after his third student and the three traitorous Suna-nin. He was trying to get them out of the main battle zone, that much was clear, but it was also clear that they would be in just as much danger with the task he'd just assigned to them. Really, assigning an A-rank mission in the middle of a battle was crazy enough. Assigning it to three genin, one of whom hadn't even made it into the interrupted final exam, was even crazier. Slamming my fist into the face of an Oto-nin who'd attempted to sneak up behind me I headed for the gap in the wall made by Gai-sempai. I would follow and make sure that they didn't find themselves in too much trouble. And when they reached the three Suna-nin.
The two exhausted shinobi in the branches below me were no concern of mine. The puppeteer was too exhausted to be a threat, his chakra almost completely drained by his opponent. The young Aburame heir was poisoned, but the chakra signature of a senior clan member was approaching. I would leave the boy to his clan and they would draw the poison from his body better than I could. The slippery sand-blasted branches ahead were more of a threat, showing where the fan user had tried to knock out one of her pursuers. It was most likely the Uchiha boy on the receiving end. I would have to watch out for him as well. Orochimaru's Cursed Seal was on him, and that didn't bode well for his future.
The group of dead Oto-nin on the ground were not surprising. I'd felt Asuma-sempai's chakra even as the Nara boy's had faded and knew that he was responsible for the deaths. He'd been watching over his students as he usually did, allowing them to get far enough into trouble that they nearly died before bailing them out. It seemed that he'd used one of the blood pools to extinguish his cigarette. Typical. At least now I only had Kakashi-sempai's three students to worry about. Hopefully I would get there before they forced the sand user to tap into the source of his powers. Something like that would cause a catastrophe.
The burst of chakra and the giant sand construct up ahead forced me to reevaluate that thought. He was already using the Ichibi's power, and it was only a matter of time before he was strong enough in that form to level Konoha completely. If I got there in time then I may be able to subdue his power without the necklace as an aid. If I didn't and the demon was already strong enough to require me to use the necklace then there would be nothing that I could do. The necklace that would give me a focus point for the Shodaime's borrowed powers was in Tsunade-hime's hands, and no-one knew where the powerful medic-nin was.
Even as I thought this my mind provided me with an even more horrifying scenario. What if the release and transformation of Shukaku's vessel prompted the same actions in the Kyuubi's vessel. Even at a fraction of his power I wouldn't be able to control and subdue Kakashi-sempai's student, Arashi-sama's son, without the necklace that could buy several whole mountains. As I thought of the horror of two demons rampaging uncontrolled through Konoha an earth-shaking crash nearly knocked me out of the trees.
A giant toad was facing the giant tanuki. Jiraiya-sama was here. Konoha's Seal Master would subdue both Jinchuuriki by forcing their demons back. As Gamabunta leapt into the air I looked for the mane of white on the Boss' head, but it wasn't there. Kakashi-sempai's student was controlling the Toad Lord, who was agilely avoiding blasts of air from the Shukaku construct. When did he meet Jiraiya-sama and gain his respect so he could sign the Summoning Contract? When did he learn enough to be able to safely tap into Kyuubi's chakra and summon Gamabunta.
When the toad transformed into the Kyuubi I began to form the seals for the Suppression Jutsu. If I could suppress the Shukaku vessel then maybe Kyuubi would leave on its own. In my haste to create the seals I made a near fatal mistake. Like an amateur I let my guard down. The Oto-nin that came up behind me distracted me long enough that when I turned round the battle was already over. Shukaku and Gamabunta/Kyuubi were gone. Ignoring my bleeding arm I started to make my way towards where the genin had been fighting.
"Leave it, Tenzou, there's nothing you can do for them." Kakashi-sempai's voice was as calm as ever. You would think he hadn't been in a fight for the safety of the entire village. "Naruto managed to defeat Gaara without unleashing Kyuubi on the village." Dammit, how did the man know what I was worried about.
"Of course Kakashi-sempai, I had no doubts that he would release the demon. I was worried for his safety, that was all." The single-eyed stare told me that the genius son of the White Fang didn't believe me for a second.
"Naruto has more strength and talent than most people are willing to believe. He will need people to believe in him in the times to come. I trust that after seeing this you will be one of those people, Tenzou-kohai."
"Of course Kakashi-sempai. I do not doubt that the boy...no, Naruto, is a fine ninja and will continue to improve as time goes on." As I said it I knew that I believed it. I wasn't just trying to impress my sempai; I really did believe in the strength of the boy that might one day carry the future of us all.