Naruto Kyuubi Chronicles

Part II: Annihilation.

Flowering arranging was a relaxing change of pace, although Sakura did admit to being a little bored. She hummed absent-mindedly as she sorted through the lilies and reeds, her mind wandering elsewhere. The day was sunny and mild, warm without being too hot. A pleasant breeze gently stirred the flowers surrounding her, Sakura closed her eyes and basked her head in the sun's gentle warmth. Footsteps from behind interrupted her peaceful doze.

Sakura stared for a minute. It was Naruto, all right, but he seemed different somehow. His blonde hair seemed longer, spikier, and it wavered s

lightly as he moved. His entire gait seemed different, serious, confident but not as he was earlier…

'Hey, Naruto! Where've you been?' She called to him. 'You seen Sasuke anywhere lately?'

Naruto offered no signs of acknowledgement.

'And what's with that jacket? It's all burnt and is that blood?! Did something happen?!'

Still he walked onwards.

'Heyyyy Narutooo! I'm talking to you!! Cha, am I invisible or something?!'

He passed her without a word, or even a glance.

'Urgh. Whatever' Sakura retired back to her flower arranging. She watched as Naruto proceeded down the hill towards the village with processional gait. I Naruto sure is weird /I , she thought. Still, he seems different…I wonder what's happened?

In Konoha village, life was going as normal. Merchants at their shops, offering unique goods, the usual faces walking and talking, preparations for the final leg of the Chunin exams going underway.

The main court was busy as usual. People casually conversing, running errands, and children playing. A young man in a gray hooded top walked enthusiastically with his dog. 'Nice work Akamaru!', he said 'I get the feeling that we're stronger each day!' The dog yapped in agreement. He grinned widely at his canine friend, and bent down to pet him, accidentally nudging somebody in the process.

'Oh, I'm sorry' he said looking towards the person. 'Naruto? Hey!! How've you been buddy?' Without so much as a glance towards Kiba, Naruto slammed Akamaru with his foot, sending him flying with a pained yelp. Kiba stared in disbelief, 'What the hell man?!' he shouted, before running to his companion's side. Naruto smiled as he watched Kiba kneel down beside his dog, leaving his back exposed. He paced forward, with an eerie calm.

'Akamaru!! Uh… No… Please wake up!! Aka--' Distracted with the suffering of a comrade, Kiba had no insight of his own impending demise.

Naruto's hand plunged straight through Kiba's body. With his calm unnerving smile he placed his fingers around the dog's cranium, and lifted the two friends into the air. Naruto stared at them with sheer contempt for a moment before striking his arm to the side, sending the pair flying cleanly off his arm, cascading awkwardly against a wall.

There was much confusion and panic in the square. Various chunin around the vicinity leapt towards the scene whilst residents and merchants fled in horror. The three stood around Naruto, surrounding him in a triangle that would mean defeat for most other ninja. 'What the Hell Naruto?!' One shouted. 'What's wrong with you?!' The other two stared uneasily at him. Naruto laughed slyly. Unable to contain his anger, one of the chunin leapt at him, kunai at the ready and chakra raging. Naruto's eyes thinned, his lips serious but showing no emotion. With as little as a flick of his arm, he decimated the chunin, sending the warm unsettled blood across his comrades, pooling against the floor. The other two stared in utter mortification. One glanced up and stammered, 'Na.. Naruto?!', breath quaking as he forced the words out.

A jonin watched carefully and solemnly. 'That's not Naruto' he said. 'Keep your distance'.

A young man looked disdainfully towards the battle scene. With decisive action he leapt forward, landing directly in front of Naruto. 'You're not Naruto.' he said with a dominant air, 'who the hell are you? And why are you endangering our village?' Naruto looked cautiously at him, and gave him a look of respect. 'Well, well, Neji' he said, 'I guess you couldn't wait for the Chunin exams…'

With a burst of firey energy, Neji was knocked backwards, crashing haphazardly into a merchant's abandoned stall. He stared with contempt as he wiped the blood from his mouth. He charged at Naruto with an ambition stronger than any fortress in the world. Again Naruto blasted him away, discarded him like an old unwanted toy that one had grown tiresome of. Dammit, Neji thought. It's Naruto, I should easily be able to take him down. This is disgraceful. Naruto carried on walking through the square, ignoring Neji completely. How degrading. He got up once more, and prepared his body and mind. He concentrated solely with his eyes gently shut. His thoughts swirled as he focused intensely.

There!

Neji's feet pounded on the ground, his hair trailed behind him as each push closed him in on Naruto. Naruto turned around just as Neji put his right arm forward, palm forced forward. 'Do I have to kill you?' He growled, staring coldly.

In an instant Neji was soaring through the air again. Impossible… he thought, slipping into the warm unconscious. But how…? Why…

Gai ran over to Neji, having arrived some moment earlier. 'Neji…' he said softly, holding the unconscious boy in his arms. Urgh, he thought. This is getting ugly… He paused, surveying the area and thoughts racing. So many conflicting duties. After deep concentration and impenetrable thought, Gai looked forward nobly and said, 'Alright Neji, I'm going to and drop you off at the hospital with my Lee'.

Naruto turned around to see that the square had been pretty much deserted. He looked a little disappointed, before closing in on a small alley tucked away neatly with the connections of roads and side streets.

Hinata was shaking. Witnessing such events was not easy for anyone. Gasping for breath and fidgeting desperately with her hands she struggled to regulate her breathing. 'I should be safe here' she said weakly, 'at least until I've figured out what to do…' With another quaking breath, she realized that a few tears were trickling down her face. The cold grip of absolute fear had numbed her senses, she wondered if she had been talking aloud.

As sudden and sharp as the prick of a needle, Hinata immobilized. In the midst of her panic and fear she had become completely oblivious of Naruto's presence. He rested his chin on her shoulder. 'Hia'. She was totally frozen, her mind a cold white ache. Every muscle tensed, she dared not even to breathe. Tiny cold beads of sweat trickled down the back of her neck, prickling her hairs. Naruto looked slyly towards her, and moved his mouth to her ear. 'What's the matter?' he whispered softly into her ear. Closing his eyes, he opened his mouth and slowly traced his tongue up her cheek. Hinata stared forward in fear, before she could take no more and let out a pathetic whimper. Naruto smiled cruelly, relishing every delicious moment. He parted his lips and breathed, 'I thought you always liked me…'