I apologize for grammar errors, Polish is my first language, not English. I speak and type English fluently, but I do sometimes struggle.

:radio chatter:

word - word = break in radio chatter

I do not own Naruto.

waterfalls of death III

Naruto had recovered by the time they had stopped running, the pain in his back and neck had disappeared. The rest of his team wasn't that lucky. Morio and Shoto's stomach had been ruptured, the bleeding stopped by the Taki shinobi's medic, chimon was still unconscious, and Kaori was awake but concussed with a broken arm.

The strange group had run for miles without stopping, waves crashing on the northern coast could be heard a short ways away. so could the explosions of war it's distant echoes making the Taki nin look back in horror every time one sounded off.

They collapsed to the ground after stopping. only Naruto and Fan had remained upright, and the older man looked ready to collapse. But he stubbornly refused to go down, barking orders for his team to check up on the ANBU. Naruto dumped the civilian on the ground, the man cried into his gag as Naruto rolled him over with his boot.

"what are we gonna do?" Naruto turned his masked face up to Fan.

"im…im gonna interrogate him, w-we need to find a key to lock the door."

"what?"

"it's complicated, but basically in that cave is what's causing the blight. It's behind a door we close the door and lock it with its key and we'll stop it but."

"we don't know where the key is." Kaori struggled over to them.

"how do you know all this?"

Naruto shared a look with Kaori, "you don't need to know that, but your welcome to join us in…interrogation." Behind his mask, Naruto licked his lips nervously. Fan looked ill.

"I'll pass." Naruto nodded professionally, before sagging and grabbing the crying civilian.

Kaori limped after them, testing her reset arm. The medic healed it to the best of his ability, and Kaori had wrapped it in their own medical chakra bandages. the only sound in the forest was their footsteps and the quiet sobs of their captive. Naruto wouldn't lie and say he wasn't nervous. His hands were shaking, and he sweat as they walked deeper into the woods.

"this seems good enough." Kaori squatted down cracking her neck as she tied the prisoner to a small tree. She took a kunai and cut the gag out of the man's mouth.

"please, I-I-I don't know anything, I-I-I-im just a scientist."

"we wouldn't have taken you if you knew nothing. Now we can do this two ways, you came here with a key to that door in the cave, you can tell us where it is, or we can make you tell us." The man sobbed

"I don't know anything, please!"

"right, let's burn it out of you." She popped up looking at him expectantly, "dog you have the honors"

He didn't move, he should move they needed the info, they needed to save his friends and the country but he couldn't move.

"dog?" he took a step back. "no" she moved forward grabbing him with her good hand lifting him off the ground. "you're not doing this to me, not now. Remember the villagers? You burned them."

"they were monsters! They weren't human and he-"

"he is the enemy! An enemy who was prepared to unleash monstrosities on our country, on your home!"

"but-"

"grow up." She dropped him like a sack of potatoes "this isn't about you, it's about our friends at home." She took out a kunai and stalked towards the man.

"no. p-please, no-" he began to scream as she cut into him.

"where's the key?" the man screamed out.

"I DON'T KNOW!" more screaming.

"what is the blight? I'll start taking fingers!"

"i-i-its a parasite! a-a-a-a creature that survives of a host! Lord kabuto can control it I don't know how b-b-but he can" there was a slicing sound followed by an incoherent scream.

"that's not what I wanna know! what I wanna know is were the key to the door is kept?"

The man sobbed. Kaori turned to Naruto. "if you're just gonna sit on your ass and let your friends at home die, just leave I don't want you here anymore!"

Naruto took a step forward, he swallowed the bile rising in his throat. "f-for home" he said to himself.

Screams echoed in the air.

They didn't return to the camp with the captive, the Taki nin looked green and there was a pile of vomit near a tree. Kaori was soaked in blood, leaving a trail back to the corpse. Naruto's own armor and clothes were only dirtied by what had already been on them, but his hand was steaming with heat.

"we know where the key Is." His voice was blank and distant " it's in Oto, just east of here about a half days run." A massive explosion went off in the distance. "I….I don't expect you to come with us, but-"

"you're pushing your selves this far for our country, there are ulterior motives but at the end of the day, it's our country that's being hurt. We won't stand around and watch our home get torn apart!" Hana the youngest Taki kunoichi shouted out, nods were passed around.

"we're with you guys." Fan stuck out his hand, naruto's shaking hand grasped it firmly. "when do we leave?"

"lion and bee are out for a while, we can leave them here in a defendable area, the base is supposed to be small and relatively unguarded apparently they sent a majority of their forces here."

"im sensing a but."

"it's filled with blight." Kaori sounded better off then Naruto did "dog will destroy as much as he can but, as soon as his fire is spotted, we're gonna have to book it back to the door." The group nodded.

"if we attack during the day, we have a better chance of not being spotted." Chimon, stretched as he stood up, running a hand covered in medical chakra over his head. "ninja always expect a night attack. Dog's white flames should be harder to spot if we get there at mid-day."

"we leave at first light, start getting as prepared as you can."

Naruto walked off without another word, away from the team. If he listened correctly it was in the direction of the ocean. The beach was gorgeous and for a moment, Naruto thought he wasn't in Taki, that he wasn't in the middle of a war zone, that it was just him staring out at a beautiful view. Then an explosion went off in the distance, shocking him out of his trance.

He fell back ready to let the hard sand catch him. Kaori caught him instead, guiding him down till he was resting between her legs, his back against her chest, her arms wrapped around him.

"im sorry." He didn't say anything, content to let her warmth and wonderful smell wrap around him, they didn't say anything more.

Oto was much like Taki territory in climate type, despite its terrain being rice patties and fields, it was still muggy and in the middle of its rainy season. Their feet made no splashes as they rushed through the field, the Taki shinobi in the rear copying the ANBU's zigzag movements. They had scouted the base earlier and discovered that the key was being moved, disguised under a supply train, it would head west towards the invasion for an hour, before going south to the main base of Otogakure.

The three Konoha ANBU rushed out of the rice field. Lightning flashed behind them, as they tore through the startled Oto chunin at the front of the line. Chunin barked orders out and the few ninjas in the train launched into battle.

Naruto propelled himself up into the air, flashing through hand signs his chakra burned inside of him. The pressure of the flame that escaped his lips sent him higher in the air and incinerated the front four carts. He landed on the ground, sending mud up into the air, a small group of genin charged him. Their young faces were filled with terror, as he cut down the first one no older than himself. The Taki nin entered the fray at the rear. Setting off explosions and killing a majority of the remaining chunin.

The genin fled, towards the middle of the train, intent on finding someone stronger than themselves to fight them. a NOTE unit landed in front of him, Oto's own version of ANBU. Naruto sent a fireball slightly left of the man, he dodged right into Kaori's fist. The NOTE's body crumpled.

:dog NOTE units attempting to escape east:

Three shinobi carrying something large, leaped out of the chaos, racing deeper into sound country. Then a roar sounded off and a blight covered body jumped out of one of the carts.

:lion take Wolverine and the Taki nin after the target – I'll handle the blight:

:understood:

Kaori lept away from him, darting after the NOTE units. Naruto flashed through the unfamiliar hand signs, sending another massive gout of flame towards the blight. The cart it had come from was vaporized, but it was too late, the genin that had retreated screamed and begged. Then they changed, the black slime tore through their bodies, spraying blood and gore around the battlefield. then they charged at anything nearby, shinobi unused to the blight were torn apart, changing rapidly afterward, in seconds the once chaotic battlefield, was now an organized mess of flailing black bodies.

Naruto ignited his hands and charged, throwing blasts of flame into the charging pile of creatures. He rolled in the mud underneath a lunge, catching the leg of the beast and setting fire to its body. He chucked it into a pile of squirming bodies, they burned and screamed. The remaining monsters circled him the blight, curling over the bodies changing them into horrific shapes. He charged one and they all charged him, he jumped over them spinning in the air and launched a blast of fire into the colliding bodies making them scream into the air.

The only sound was the burning carts and the screams of the dead monsters. His team returned to him pausing at the sight of the burning area, before meeting him in the wreckage. The Taki nin stared at the flames with wide eyes, in the first battle they had only witnessed him fight from a distance and had never seen the destruction up close.

"we've secured the package, but we may have run into an issue." Chimon gestured to the Hana and Haruto who were carrying the key, it looked more like a sword than anything, its massive blade formed an A shape around the handle. The two ninjas dropped the blade, and almost fell with it.

"it drains chakra faster than anything I've seen, and we can't seem to seal it." He interrupted naruto's reply. "you're not carrying it, as it stands, only you can damage Kabuto and the blight. If you're taken out. Everything we've done will have been for nothing."

"w-we don't have to rush we can wait a day! Recover and attack tomorrow or even the next day." Fan said.

"we don't have time." They looked at chimon, "one of their ninjas said it was too late, that they were ready to unleash the blight on Konoha." Naruto's insides froze, visions of the village being ravaged by the dark creatures passed through his mind, The Kyuubi's roar echoed in his ears.

"we need to stop this now!" white-hot rage passed through his veins.

"wait, Dog!" he grabbed the key, and for once in his life, the Kyuubi agreed to help him. The drain hit him hard, dropping him to levels lower than he'd ever been, the Kyuubi's chakra flooded his system.

"lets….go!" he grunted out. Without waiting, he shot off cracking the ground, beneath him sending his group sprawling.

Naruto had entered takigakure territory in his one-tailed state, he entered his two-tailed state when his team caught up to him when they neared the cave Naruto could feel the darkness's oppressive presence.

"it's coming" the Kyuubi whispered into his ear

"Wolverine, spider take the key!"

"why-" it overwhelmed their senses with dread, one of the Taki shinobi dropped to the forest floor unable to handle the pressure. Dark voices whispered in their ear, begging for release, for use, for death. Naruto shrugged it off, but Kaori collapsed her emotion sense couldn't handle both the Kyuubi's malicious anger and the oppressive dark, she screamed and collapsed to the ground.

"spider, fan you need to take the key I'll handle Kabuto! Hana get Wolverine and your friend out of here." Then he was on them.

pure darkness collided with raw anger. Kabuto crashed into Naruto shattering his mask and sending him flying away, he smiled at the group of shinobi, revealing dark fanged teeth. Naruto crashed into Kabuto, forcing them into a grappling stalemate.

"go!"

They ran off barely performing under the pressure. Kabuto went for a kick Naruto released him, rearing his fist back he punched, it shattered the tree they were on but missed kabuto. The older teen ran off following the key, Naruto crashed into his back, grinding him through dirt and trees. He released a roar that blew the leaves off and echoed throughout the surrounding area.

Kaori couldn't breathe, it was like the weight of the entire ocean rested on her back, drowning her in darkness and anger, a massive gust of wind and an echoing roar blasted her off her feet knocking the precious air out of her lungs.

"Wolverine, Wolverine!" the Taki nin Hana was standing over her, Hana's mask was torn off, revealing a young kunoichi. "wolverine get up please!" she begged while tugging on Kaori's armor tears leaked out of her eyes. Kaori realized that she could feel the warm tears land on her face.

"please!" she wiped them away, groaning while she stood. A mass of anger flew over her head, being chased by piercing sorrow. She collapsed again, the emotions causing her to hurl. "wolverine we need-" the sorrow returned, gripping Hana's head. The girl screamed, Kabuto forced open her mouth, holding his own over hers, Kaori watched more tears leak out of the young girl as Kabuto forced black slime down her throat.

he let the girl go, before making his way towards her. The anger returned, Naruto crashed down in front of them a red tail whipping through a tree setting it ablaze with white fire. They clashed, the shock waves sending Kaori into the heated dirt. The sorrow and anger moved away their battle altering the landscape. Hana sobbed on the ground.

"Hana!" Kaori crawled on her knees, towards the downed kunoichi. "Hana!"

"get it out! Get it out! Get it out!" she clawed at her stomach. "please, get it –" her face froze black lines squirmed around her body, she gagged before stilling. Tears still leaking out of her eyes. Then she blinked. "no! no! no!" it tore out of her, spraying her blood over Kaori. The black creature stood in her place, its bones cracking in a cacophony of horror. Then its mouth split into a grin.

They were dragging the key towards the cave, chimon had taken two chakra pills nearing his limit. Fan had taken three. The cave was visible now, only a few feet away from the entrance. Fan collapsed chimon didn't see him moving anymore. The chakra drain doubled, nearly sending him to his knees. He took a shaky step forward, then another and another. He fell releasing the key to the ground. his vision swam with the edges turning dark.

"spider!" that was Shoto's voice! why was Shoto here? The man in question appeared in front of him, "spider, shit he's got no chakra!"

"ge…..key….doo" his vision turned dark.

Naruto slammed into a tree, toppling it over. His tails flexed ripping it apart, lighting it on fire. They flew through the air, crashing into a wall of darkness kabuto had summoned.

"let it consume you!" kabuto rushed forward, rearing a fist back. Naruto rolled left, using a tail to hold himself in the air, he breathed fire blotting out the daylight with white flames. Darkness pierced the light. A blast of dark power flew out of the flames. Missing Naruto by a hair's width. The Kyuubi roared within him, thrashing in its cage, techniques and memories flew through his mind. He paid them no attention, none of them would work. Although they were working somewhat together, the Kyuubi's chakra was still corruptive, it still hurt. Naruto felt his arm go numb, kabuto laughed.

"you're reaching your limit, even the Kyuubi can't match up to this perfect symbiote"

They were standing in a crater, they had formed. Beyond the roaring of the Kyuubi, Naruto heard the roaring of a dark beast, and his mind worried about which of his friends had turned.

"face it Naruto! You're done, this world is done! We will consume this world, elevating humanity to new heights! Creating the perfect army!"

"we? you're not even you anymore!"

"what?" kabuto grunted, his face distorting into pain. "Naruto? What? Enough!" Kabuto or whatever this darkness was launched its self at him. The Kyuubi moved him, spinning around racing towards the door.

It whispered to his mind telling him what to do. Kabuto roared after him losing control of the beast inside of him, it tore out of his body creating new arms, and legs. Leaving the boy a grotesque remnant of himself. Chimon laid outside the cave, in his haste Naruto couldn't see if he was breathing. The dark beast ripped up the ground behind him. Shoto lay against the cave wall blood leaking out the bottom of his mask. Morio wasn't too far way crawling forward with the key.

"Naruto! I can't do it. I-I can't." Naruto charged past them past the door and into the darkness.

Kaori limped away from the burning body of Hana. She had used a burning stick to smash the girl away, but she was unsuccessful at defending herself. The black slime squirmed around her injuries, biting into her skin.

"wolver-" Haruto bleeding from being knocked around entered her vision. "y-y-your"

"I know!" she huffed out "I fucking know!" she continued to limp towards the cave she tossed him her flaming stick. "use this when I complete my mission!" he shook when he nodded. They continued on, the dark cave was illuminated by flashes of light coming out of the darkness behind the doorway.

"Kaori?" morio laid on his side breathing heavily "Kaori your!"

"shut up, help me close this thing."

"naruto's inside!" she stared into the darkness watching the flashes of light illuminate the cave.

"we have to close it."

"what! We can't just leave him!"

"he's trapped kabuto inside, we seal it now we can end this, Haruto get the door!"

Kaori moved forward grabbing at the door, ignoring Morio's protests. She winced when the inky dark seeped into her injuries, it wiggled around before it tunneled into her body. She screamed but kept pulling on the door. A hand stuck out!

"morio get him!" the redhead crawled forward grabbing Naruto's hand and pulled. Naruto came out, a black liquid shadow monster came out with his leg. Terror filled her heart and she fell to the floor, then the pain set in, something was going to bust.

Morio grabbed naruto's armor, Naruto let go, and Kaori's heart leaped to her throat. He reached out grabbing the monsters face then breathed. The flame was controlled precise and accurate, it spilled into the creatures smiling mouth. it screeched, along with something inside Kaori, it roared and her chest hurt. The beast retreated to the darkness, its screams echoing out into the cave.

"shut the door, shut the door, shut the door." Morio crawled grabbing the door she had let go of, together he and Haruto shut it with an echoing boom. She clawed at her chest.

"get it! Get it out! get it out!" she pictured Hana's screaming face, then her monstrous form, then Kaori died.

Kaori stopped moving next to him, Naruto didn't know whether to cry or scream, he leaned back pulling the key up with him, and slammed it into the door. Despite being solid stone, the key passed through without resistance. Kaori gasped next to him, her eyes wide with shock she screamed as the black lines bulged around her, he twisted the key. White lines spread out from the entry crawling around the door lighting up the cave, they pulsed with chakra, before fading. Kaori kept screaming, then coughing, finally she puked out grey slime. It weakly wiggled on the cave floor.

The door continued to glow, and silence had descended on the cave. The door had one word on it.

ZETSU.

Naruto limped out of the cave, Kaori's irregular breathing tickling his neck as she leaned heavily on his good arm the key held loosely in his injured arm no longer draining chakra. His pale almost death-like clone struggled to drag morio out of the cave. Their new favorite Taki nin was backpacking Shoto through the cave. When they got out the only other surviving member of the Taki team was attempting to treat chimon, who was propped up against the wall in front of the cave.

They all sat next to him, as Haruto who only had minor wounds and was still relatively good on chakra, began to try and heal them. "did anyone else make it?"

The kunoichi shook her head "Hana got turned, Fan died from chakra use, and Hansuke got hit by a blast of whatever it is that Kabuto man was throwing at you." She reached into his utility pouch pulling out his bandages and tried to wrap them around him.

"no, Kaori first."

"y-you mean wolverine?" he nodded.

"we don't have masks, and well….fuck it" morio chuckled.

"little dog just cares about his girlfriend!" Naruto just rolled his head back, to tired to fight him. Kaori grunted something unintelligible out until the girl stripped her out of her armor and began to apply bandages, then she just hissed.

thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. again I apologize for any grammar issues.

leave a review, hate, criticism or like.