Hey guys. Inspiration striked me and so I have this chapter ready to serve!
Most of the chapter won't be much to fuss about, I am more proud of the ending. I really enjoyed writing the ending of this chapter.
Sadly, there won't be much Killer B in this chapter. It's not just because he won't have that important a role today, but also because finding rhymes for everything he says is a pain. I wonder how Kishimoto can find so many lines for him.
To compensate, this chapter has more than one NaruHina moment. And Sasuke will appear too.
Anyway, let's get onto the story.
-o-
Lars turned to Menma as they jumped through the trees "Naruto was there." he said.
"Yeah, I know, I could see his chakra." Menma replied "How did he escape our barrier?"
"So you don't know that either?" Lars said.
"Whatever the reason was... We will probably have to fight him." Menma said "It won't be a problem, I will be able to at least merge the two chakras of the Kyubi together before we have to fight him. He only has the Kyubi's Yang chakra."
-o-
Somewhere...
-o-
Sasuke put the Kumo ninja to sleep. Apparently the Shinobi World still considered him a criminal. Well, he didn't expect for the world to forget what he had done in just one year. He inspected the ninja to see if he didn't have any Kibaku Fuda or something like that. He didn't find anything explosive, but he did find a report paper.
Sasuke took the paper out and read it.
The villages have been attacked in the last few days. First Sunagakure, then Konohagakure, and finally Kumogakure. The cause for the attacks is, as of yet, unknown. Because of this, it is impossible to predict where the next attack will be.
Sasuke blew a weak fire to the paper and burned it to ashes. This had to do with the guy that had attacked him a few days earlier. That guy said he had fought Naruto and that he was going after the Hachibi. The attack on Sunagakure was probably because of Gaara, who was a former Jinchuriki. There were no more Jinchurikis on the lose, so it was safe to assume that the attacks would stop for now.
"This means that guy isn't dead." Sasuke said to himself "Someone got him out. They're probably heading to their hideout."
Sasuke activated his Sharingan and looked around, something like the Bijus would have to be big in terms of chakra. If he looked for a few days, he would find them. Then he would get rid of them. He said Naruto was trapped in Konoha, then he would head there immediately after he dealed with those guys and kill Naruto once and for all.
"Time to go." Sasuke said as he left the Kumo ninja there.
-o-
Two days later...
Kumogakure...
-o-
Naruto entered their shelter worn out. He would make sure B-occhan would pay for this. Now he had to give autographs to God knows how many people. He sighed as he sit on a chair, his wrist was hurting of writing so much.
"Naruto." Gaara called "Go on."
"Oh Gaara, can't it wait?" Naruto replied "My wrist is hurting."
"Go on." Gaara ignored Naruto's plea.
Naruto stayed still for a few moments as he entered Sage Mode, then he put his hand on Hinata's shoulder. Hinata was charging chakra to expand her field of vision to its maximum distance. Naruto concentrated.
"That really is an ingenious method." Sakura said.
"By using the sensing powers of Sage Mode, and the distance the Byakugan can cover, we can expand our research area quite a lot." Gaara explained "Naruto is also providing her with chakra, so the Byakugan can look even further beyond. It won't be late until we find them."
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, Sakura went and opened it to see a Kumogakure ninja holding a bouquet of flowers.
"A delivery to..." he read the paper attached to the bouquet "Hyuga Hinata..."
"Hm?" Hinata broke the search as she and Naruto turned to look at the delivery man. Hinata walked toward him and he handed the bouquet to her.
"Is there anything else?" Sakura asked.
"No, that is all." the ninja said before leaving.
Sakura closed the door and turned to Hinata, who was looking at the flowers in surprise "Someone has a secret admirer."
"What? Hinata got flowers?" Naruto said "But... who gave them to you?"
"It doesn't say here." Hinata replied.
"And how the hell do they know your name?" Naruto continued "And how do they know you're staying here?"
Hinata turned to Naruto "I... don't know..."
"Naruto, why are you so surprised that Hinata got flowers?" Sakura asked.
Naruto looked at Hinata in the eye "Actually, I'm not surprised at all..."
Naruto and Hinata stared at each other for a few moments, she started feeling her cheeks going hot.
Gaara cleared his throat to call their attention.
-o-
Later...
-o-
"We got it!" Naruto said, breaking the search.
"Where?" Gaara asked.
"In an island between here and Kirigakure." Hinata said.
"Naruto, warn Killer B." Gaara said "We will leave immediately."
"Wait." Sakura said "What if it isn't them after all? Isn't it better for a few if us to go and check it first?"
"That would take days." Gaara said "If it is them, they might be done by the time we get there. We have to go now, it's a risk I am willing to take."
"Me too." Naruto said.
Hinata nodded.
"Fine." Sakura said "Go, Naruto."
Naruto exited the shelter and went to find B.
-o-
At sea...
-o-
Sasuke walked on the water. He didn't know if this was the right way, but something told him it was. Soon, he would get rid of that guy for good. Menma... He had insulted Itachi and the Uchiha and stole the eyes of Uchiha Madara... He was going to pay for the atrocities he did against the Uchiha. 'I will crush you like the bug that you are!' Sasuke thought and he started running on the water, to pick up the pace 'Just wait, Menma...'
-o-
Later...
On a forest...
-o-
They were on Gaara's sand clouds, speeding through the skies. Hinata and Sakura were on one of the clouds, Naruto and B were on another one of them. Gaara was on the cloud at the front. At this pace, they would arrive there in half a day. There might be a chance they would be able to stop whatever plans their enemies had.
"Sakura-san..." Hinata said.
"Hmm?"
"What do you think that Naruto-kun meant when he said he wasn't surprised?" Hinata asked.
"About the flowers?" Sakura looked at Naruto, who was talking with B "It could mean a lot of things. But I think he meant that it's not surprising for people to like you."
"Why would he say that?" Hinata asked.
"Because that's what he thinks." Sakura replied "He's not the kind of guy that beats around the bush, you know?"
"You think so?"
"I'm sure of it." Sakura said "Naruto holds you in a very high regard."
'Naruto-kun...' Hinata looked at Naruto... She had always wanted be beside him... And somehow she felt that she was closer to him than ever. Was what Sakura-san was telling her true? Did Naruto-kun really think so highly of her?
-o-
Menma & Lars' hideout...
-o-
Lars kneeled down with the exhaustion... It was unbelievably tiring, but he had managed to finally replicate the Hachibi's chakra. He had also gained the ability to control sand, thanks to the Ichibi's chakra. He was now more powerful than ever before... Now he would be able to get back at the Kazekage and the Hachibi...
"Wah!" Menma fell to the ground after merging the two halves of the Kyubi's chakra. He panted so heavily it seemed he was hyperventilating.
"Menma..."
"Don't worry..." Menma said as he slowly got up "With the Kyubi's chakra complete, I'll be able to supply myself better to withstand Madara's eyes... And now, to replicate Uchiha Sasuke's chakra..."
"Don't be so rash." Lars said "You barely survived the replication of the Kyubi's chakra, you're going to merge Sasuke's and Madara's powers so soon?"
"They are coming." Menma said as he opened Sasuke's scroll "I know it! Soon, they will be here to attack us..."
"What?"
"I'll use Senju DNA as well to make it easier..." Menma said "You should use it too."
"Why would I need it?" Lars asked.
"The way you are now, you're at equal level to that of the Kazekage and the Hachibi combined." Menma said "With Senju DNA, you will be able to crush them both at the same time..."
"You are thinking about the battle..." Lars said "Does that mean we won't be able to revive the Juubi before they arrive here?"
"Yes." Menma replied "We will have to kill them first."
-o-
Hours later...
Kurikimo Island...
-o-
Gaara alowed them to step down from the sand clouds "Is this the place?" he asked.
"Yes, this is the place I was seeing when we found that enormous amount of chakra." Hinata said.
"But now that chakra's gone." Naruto, in Sage Mode, said "Did they manage to achieve their goal?"
"That is possible." Gaara said.
"Then... we lost?" Naruto asked.
"No way in hell we lost! We will beat'em up no matter what the cost!" B rapped "Oh yeah!"
"But if they have what they want..."
"Naruto-kun, we will win." Hinata said.
"But..." Naruto looked at Hinata.
"Didn't we say we would beat them?" Hinata replied "If we said we will beat them, then we will beat them."
"Hinata..." Naruto looked at her in awe, before regaining his confidence "Okay, then. Let's go!" Naruto started running.
"Whee!" Killer B folowed Naruto.
Gaara didn't say a word and followed suit.
Hinata turned to Sakura "Sakura-san, let us go."
"Yes." Sakura replied as they started running as well.
On top of a hill nearby Sasuke looked down on Naruto, Sakura and the others. What was the meaning of this? Wasn't Naruto trapped in Konoha? Why were he and Sakura here? The Hachibi's Jinchuriki and Gaara were also here. That meant they were here to battle those guys...
Sasuke was fighting back the urge to battle Naruto right here and now. The plan he had devised was that he would get rid of those guys first. Then he would take care of Naruto...
-o-
They walked out of the cave that was their hideout. They took a gander at the giant island from the entrance of the cave.
"They're here." Menma said, using the Kyubi's sensory skills "Not only the Kyubi, the Hachibi and the Kazekage, but Uchiha Sasuke too."
"Do you think they teamed up?" Lars asked.
"No." Menma replied "Sasuke's too proud to join powers with the Kyubi's Jinchuriki."
"That will be his downfall." Lars said.
Menma gave a wicked smile "Pathetic, they are going to fight us only to be crushed like bugs." he said "I will make them suffer before I'm done with them."
"And what happens after we're done with them?" Lars asked.
"We will revive the Juubi completely and scatter despair through the world." Menma replied "Hm?" he looked forward to see Sasuke.
"Suffering? Despair?" Sasuke said "Are you fighting for those empty values?"
"Of course I am!" Menma shouted "Revenge, friendship, bonds... Those things mean nothing to me! I kill because I want to!"
"Not only did you steal the Uchiha's power, you dare to use that power for such a pathetic reason?" Sasuke replied "You're an insult to the Uchiha legacy! I will eradicate you from this world with my own hands!"
"Lars." Menma said "I will fight this one." he gave another wicked smile.
"Be my guest." Lars replied as Menma stepped forward.
Naruto and the others arrived at the scene. They looked at Menma and Sasuke as they prepared to battle "What...? What is Sasuke doing here?"
"Was he targeted too?" Sakura said.
"Oi, Sasuke!" Naruto shouted.
Sasuke ignored them.
"Aren't you going to ask for the help of one of your friends?" Menma asked.
"I don't need any help against the likes of you." Sasuke said as he activated his Mangekyo Sharingan.
Menma looked at Sasuke "Good! That way I will make them suffer by looking at how I toy with your dead body!"
Naruto suddenly felt a huge pressure on his shoulders. It was Menma's chakra "He..."
"What's this?" Hinata said as she felt a pressure on her shoulders.
Amazing, this guy's chakra was so heavy even those who couldn't sense chakra could feel it. Naruto looked at Sasuke again. This was bad... He ran toward Sasuke "Sasuke! He's-"
Sasuke raised a wall of Amaterasu between him and Naruto, making Naruto stop right in his tracks. The black flames then disappeared "Naruto, stay out of this."
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted. He didn't advance, because he knew Sasuke would activate Amaterasu again.
Sasuke ignored Naruto's shouts and concentrated on Menma "Let's get this fight started."
Menma laughed "Hahaha! Okay then." he activated Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and was enveloped in an orange chakra cloak, reminiscent of Naruto's Kurama Chakra Mode "Let us go!"
Sasuke changed to his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. 'This guy has Kyubi's chakra? I thought he only had Madara's eyes...'
"You would be surprised at how many Jutsus I can pull off." Menma said.
'So that's it. He stole the power of the Kyubi too.' Sasuke thought.
"You're wide open." Menma said, from behind Sasuke.
"Wha..."
Sasuke didn't even have time to turn around when Menma delivered a chop that sent Sasuke flying across the field. Sasuke hit the ground several times before finally stopping. He slowly got up and looked at Menma, only to see he wasn't there.
"Looking for me?" Menma appeared right in front of Sasuke and grabbed him by his throat, lifting him up into the air "What's wrong? Weren't you going to eradicate me from this world?"
"Gah!" Sasuke gasped for air as he struggled to break free from Menma's grasp. He unsheated his sword, before blindly slashing at Menma, who twisted his wrist, forcing him to drop the sword.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted in concern.
"Let me get this straight." Menma said as he gripped Sasuke's throat even harder "You only won our battle because I let you win."
"Sasuke..." Naruto looked hopelessly at Sasuke.
Sasuke grabbed Menma's arm (the one that was gripping his throat) "I... Ugh!" he ran electricity through his body to try and shock Menma, but to no avail. Menma only strengthened his grip even further, forcing Sasuke to stop the attack.
"The difference between me and you." Menma said "Is like the one between the sky and the earth."
"Ugh... Ah!" Sasuke still struggled to break free as he felt his body going numb. He would soon be unconscious.
"How disappointing." Menma said, before he summoned his Susanoo's arm and sword.
Sakura watched in terror as the Susanoo's sword pierced through Sasuke's body, causing blood to drip from his mouth and his eyes to go lifeless "SASUKE-KUN!" she screamed in agony. She started running toward Menma, but Naruto stopped her "LET ME GO! SASUKE-KUN-"
"Sakura-chan... Stop." Naruto said as he struggled to keep Sakura in place. He could barely contain himself... seeing Sakura-chan lashing out in agony only made it that much harder.
Menma kicked Sasuke's body toward Naruto and Sakura "That was what the last of the Uchiha could do against me... Pitiful..."
Sakura fell to her knees as she saw Sasuke's body with a huge hole in his abdomen. She started crying on top of Sasuke, before desperately trying to heal him.
"Sakura-chan..." Naruto tried to pull Sakura from, but she didn't let go of Sasuke.
Hinata's eyes teared up, while Gaara and Killer B looked on.
Naruto looked at Menma, before activating Biju Mode "Hinata, watch out for Sakura-chan and Sasuke." he calmly said.
"Naruto-kun?"
"I'll make sure he doesn't do that again." Naruto said "I won't let him hurt my friends."
Menma laughed "Hahahaha! You saw what happened to him! Do you think you stand a chance against me?"
"Naruto-kun will defeat you!" Hinata shouted, surprising Menma. She stepped forward and stood beside Naruto "We won't let you hurt our friends anymore!"
"We will never go back on our word!" Naruto and Hinata shouted together as they held hands "That is our nindo, our ninja way!"
The chakra around Naruto exploded as he passed it to Hinata, just like a year before.
"Prepare yourself, Menma!" Naruto shouted as he charged at Menma, leaving Hinata to protect Sakura and Sasuke.
-o-
It was cold, it was dark... as if he was slowly falling through a bottomless pit. Was he... dead? He didn't feel much alive. It didn't hurt, it didn't feel good, nothing... He wasn't even conscious of himself. He was just there... falling through the darkness...
"S... k...n..." he heard a faint voice. He couldn't exactly make out what it was.
"S... k...!" he heard a different voice, but just like the previous one, it was too faint to know what it was.
"Sas... kun..." the voice was getting clearer, he had heard this voice before.
"Sas... ke!" the second voice had also become clearer. It also felt familiar.
"Sasuke-kun..." the first voice was now loud and clear. He looked above as a small light appeared.
"Sasuke!" the second voice barged into his ears as the light exploded, showing two faces. The first one was that of a blond kid, he had whisker marks across his face and deep blue eyes. The second face belonged to a pink haired girl, she had eyes that shone like emeralds and a delicate smile.
"Sasuke(-kun)!" the two faces said, before their bodies appeared and they extended their arms to him.
He didn't know what to do. Should he grab their hands? Should he just keep falling? Who were these people? Who was he? What should he do? Suddenly he felt a hand behind his back, pushing him up. He turned to see who it was. It was a man with black hair that framed his face, onyx eyes, and a friendly smile.
"Go, Sasuke." Itachi said with a smile on his face.
"Sasuke(-kun)!" Naruto and Sakura said once more with their arms outstretched.
Pushed by his brother, Sasuke took their hands and let Naruto and Sakura pull him upward toward the light. He saw the light come closer until it completely surrounded him.
He was wrong, he wasn't dead. He was more alive than ever.
-o-
"Haaaah!" Naruto shot a Biju Dama toward Menma.
Menma summoned Madara's Susanoo, and used the wood sword to slash the Biju Dama in two, creating several explosions behind him "Not nearly enough!" he mocked.
Naruto went to form another Biju Dama, but he was instead forced out of Biju Mode. He kneeled down in exhaustion.
"Sorry, Naruto! I will have to charge more chakra!" Kurama said.
"You ran out of chakra so soon?" Menma mocked "I thought you would be more of a challenge."
Lars lunged himself at Killer B, who dodged the attack. Gaara tried to catch Lars with the gold dust, but he was too fast. B took out Samehada and swung down at Lars, who dodged the hit. Lars then charged the Hachibi's chakra to his leg and kicked B square in the chest, sending him flying across the battlefield.
Lars started feeling the ground below him move. He jumped to get out of the way of a possible attack, but was instead left wide open for Gaara's real attack.
"Ryusa Bakuryu!" Gaara shouted as a tsunami of sand lunged at Lars.
"Tch!" Lars stretched his arm out "Ha!" he shouted as he tore a hole through the sand tsunami with electricity, before he controlled the dispersed sand to launch an attack on Gaara.
"What?" Gaara protected himself with gold dust from Lars' attack "You can control sand?"
"It was a gift from you." Lars said "With information from our previous battle and your previous Biju, I became able to control sand."
"Using our own powers against us?" Gaara said "Do you have any pride?"
"I am not like you." Lars replied "I will do what-"
"Don't you forget about me, you fool!" B, transformed into the Hachibi, came down on Lars with a Biju Dama prepared to launch "To the Hachibi-sama you're not cool!" he fired the Biju Dama.
"This is nothing!" Lars took flight and transformed partially into the Hachibi, before firing a Biju Dama of his own, along with electricity and lots of sand.
The two attacks clashed and an explosion ensued, sending B flying and causing Gaara to almost fall off his sand cloud. Gaara raised a huge shield of sand to protect both himself and Killer B, besides the two girls around Sasuke's body.
The two ongoing fights suddenly stopped when a pillar of purple chakra appeared out of nowhere. Everyone looked at the source of the chakra, it was Sasuke.
"What?" Sakura said.
"Ugh!" Sasuke opened his eyes and the pillar ceased to exist. He then sat up, before looking at his hands in bewilderment "I..."
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura screamed with joy as she hugged Sasuke, who appeared not to have even noticed.
"I..." he remembered being strangled by Menma, before he was pierced through with the sword from Menma's Susanoo. He then grabbed his stomach, it was intact. Had he been... healed? Only then did he notice Sakura was hugging him "Ugh..."
"Sasuke-kun! I thought you had died!" Sakura said as she stopped the hug "I tried to heal you, but nothing worked! I didn't know what to do, but... you're here!"
Sasuke looked at Sakura for a split second, before standing up.
"Wait, Sasuke-kun, you shouldn't move yet!" Sakura said, but she was ignored.
Sasuke looked around to see Menma fighting with Naruto, and Gaara and the Hachibi's Jinchuriki fighting against the guy that was at Menma's side before. He looked for his sword, before running electricity through his body and 'calling' the sword to him.
"It can't be..." Menma said, before his expresion turned from one of enjoyment to one of anger "How can you be alive? I killed you with my own hands!"
Sasuke sheathed his sword "A present from a friend." he said as he looked at Sakura for a moment again "I was saved and given a second chance to wipe you off the face of this planet."
"What?" Menma angrily said.
"Naruto!" Sasuke called "I am the one who will kill you, so why are you having so much of a hard time against him?"
"Sasuke, I-"
"If you die here, I won't be able to destroy Konoha." Sasuke stepped beside Naruto "Once we're done with this guy, we will settle our score."
"Yo! A master shinobi joined the ranks!" B shouted "Now we will beat them down the planks! Yeah, baby!"
Gaara smiled, it seemed Sasuke wasn't a lost cause after all.
Hinata and Sakura looked at Sasuke in surprise and awe, before Sakura said "Now, we will win."
"Uh?" Hinata turned to Sakura.
"The strongest tag-team has just been formed!" Sakura said.
"Menma, get ready to bite the dust!" Naruto said as he entered Kurama Chakra Mode.
"Let's go!" Sasuke activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
-o-
And that was the chapter! How did you like it?
The strongest tag-team is formed! Will the Naruto-Sasuke combination be able to defeat Menma? Leave a review.
The next chapter might very well be the last one. I'm not sure, but the story is drawing to its close.
Have an awesome day.
