Shinobi of Fire, Wind, & Ice!
Chapter 6
Over the Edge
Author's Note: Welp, I finally got this one done. I wish this delay was due to pressing matters in my life, but really a large chunk was procrastination and that reliable killer of progress: summer boredom. But through a Rocky Balboa training montage I mustered myself to finally finish this chapter. I'm really proud of how the action scenes came out in this. Writing it all was done while I listened to RWBY & Bleach music, which was surprisingly effective. There won't be music in this one, though I've got a simpler system, I'll just write the song name and artist for you guys to google, and I'll be going back and editing a little to add this change. Thank you all for the awesome reviews and for pm-ing me asking for the chapter. It finally got me off my butt and do some writing.
This chapter actually turned out so long that I had to cut this short to add on to the next one, which actually turned out really well, because the next one is shaping up nicely. Without further ado, let's begin with a song!
Naruto's Theme: Wright Brothers – Blood On My Name
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Each drop echoed. Like a clock ticking the drops fell with a steady pace. The only sound in the tunnels was those constant drops.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The sound carried through the tunnels and into the cave below. The cave was lifeless, utterly devoid of movement, for no insect or lizard was brave enough to go near it. They all felt and feared the dark horrific presence dwelling within. Like a constant flame a dormant creature's presence could be felt by all life beneath Konoha that warded away all life. But now a courageous pink-haired organism was venturing through the tunnels with the sole intention of reaching that monstrous vessel.
Despite the dank and unpleasant nature of the tunnels, Sakura felt focused on her goal. She had found an entrance by the spot where the old Ninja Academy was, and she was well on her way to pursuing Katsuro and the man in black, both of whom were nearing in on the dreaded Urn buried deep beneath the village. Sakura grunted as she kicked aside a large boulder in her path that scattered dirt and dust all over the large tunnel. Sakura payed little attention to it. Above all else, she had to reach the Urn before Katsuro did. The man in black was supposedly an ally. But then again part of being a ninja was deception, so at the very least he was a rogue element that she needed to be cautious of. If he turned out to be doubling crossing her, she'd have to take him into custody, or worse..
Earlier...
Sakura and Kakashi strolled through the village streets, passing by crowds and noisy hagglers all around them. Both were tired and in need of a hot meal. They had browsed through the Konoha library and found nothing useful, and Kakashi's knowledge boiled down to an old nursery rhyme that did nothing to reveal any new information regarding Serengetti. Sakura was not happy to say the least, and she seemed to emanate a grouchy aura that Kakashi could practically see with his Sharingan even when it was covered.
"How would you like some ramen Sakura?" He suggested lazily. Sakura barely seemed to hear him.
"That'd be fine." The muttered. Whether it was the fruitless search or the mention of Naruto's favorite food that further soured his pupils mood Kakashi wasn't sure, and he remained cautious of Sakura's inevitable explosion. The pressure in her mind increased every passing minute, and seeing every laughing face around her only added to Sakura's tension. These people could all be dead soon, the entire village annihilated. At least when Pain attacked there was something to rebuild from. All Serengetti was said to leave behind was ash. Just ash.
The worst part was these people didn't even know it.
But if nothing else, a bowl of food would distract Sakura, so Ichiraku's seemed favorable if horribly nostalgic. Just thinking about Naruto made Sakura...Tense. But the smell of delicious food soon slipped by her nostrils and she perked up to see Teuchi laying out two giant bowls of ramen.
Sakura was nothing but a pink blur as she zoomed to the steaming food, her eagerness bore an uncanny resemblance to Naruto's own appetite. As she savored the sweet aroma she looked ready to devour the dish. Her eyes glowed like two suns as she took in the savory meat, the delicious noodles, all the wonderful ingredients!
"Naruto would just love this!...He would.."
"Uuuugh!" THUNK
Sakura's low groan echoed as she face planted on the counter, the impact shaking the bowls. Kakashi merely stood by her with a sigh. Placing money on the counter, he nodded politely at Teuchi before he strolled off. Sakura needed some time alone with food, and he needed to finish the last chapter of his Icha Icha Paradise. For now it was best to take a breather. Or a massive bowl of food as the case may be.
Teuchi stayed behind the counter tossing about vegetables, while Sakura remained in her face plant stance for about five minutes straight, during which she was as still as a rock. Generally Teuchi left her alone during these kinds of days, particularly when she first started coming, which wasn't too long after Naruto left now that he thought about it. On a whim, Teuchi decided to attempt to rouse the kunoichi.
But Sakura began to show signs of life as she slowly raised her head like a zombie rising from the grave. Her lips were one flat pink line, and she stared ahead with half closed eyes. Teuchi marveled at the personification of deadpan before him, unsure of whether to be sad or laughing himself silly. To break the ice, he waved at the two bowls of steaming ramen with a smile. Sakura's face changed to one of great surprise, and tentatively pointed at herself with a questioning gaze. She assumed Kakashi would want some, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"You made two bowls for me?" she asked meekly. Teuchi simply smiled, nodded, and turned back to his cooking.
Sakura's mental load lightened as the sweet aroma filled her nostrils, and a faint hope returned to her mind, as well as some hunger. Unfortunately she couldn't enjoy her food when a familiar voice called out from behind the shop.
"Dad!" Teuchi's young daughter Ayame walked up to him, carrying a thick brown envelope with noticeable effort. She had been very busy since the shop's business had begun expanding, and she looked rather worn out, but excited at her quarry.
"I found this out back."She grunted. She dropped the envelope onto the counter and it landed hard, shaking the bowls of ramen again. Leaning in, Ichiraku examined it closely with great suspicion.
"Is this from one of your secret admirers Ayame?" Sakura chuckled. The young waitress was quite popular with many villagers and even a few shinobi, though she always brushed them off with an annoyed huff. But here she slowly shook her head and looked at Sakura seriously as she pointed at the package.
"Actually, it's from one of yours." Right in the center was a small scribble.
To Sakura
From a friend
"What the hell?" Sakura muttered. She'd had a few admirers around the village since Naruto had left, but they'd be launched a few hundred feet by her or scared off by Sai of all people. Sakura was still trying to understand why he had mentally scarred them away from her, to no avail.
"Well open it up already! This could be a love letter!" Ayame squealed. Teuchi groaned at his daughters shrill tone. Sakura's eyebrow arched as she saw the contents. She started removing it gingerly, and looked taken aback at the contents as they slid from the package.
"I don't think love letter's are made of ice Ayame." The ice slab thunked onto the counter, revealing a small note etched into it's surface. Teuchi ushered his daughter back with some protest.
"But dad I want to see this!" Teuchi shook his head.
"This is addressed to Sakura, reading it would be very rude Ayame." With a sad moan, Ayame turned to the work of the vegetables but tried to steal a few looks as Sakura read the contents, which now held her rapt attention.
Dear Sakura, I think I've located the Urn. Turns out "center of the village" translated to "hundreds of feet below the center of the village." Yeah, I don't get it either. Go to where the small swing by where the ninja academy used to be, there should be a hole big enough for a person hidden in some bushes. Follow it, and keep heading down. This could be our only shot before the village gets roasted. Be ready for a fight, Katsuro could be well ahead of us by now.
Sincerely, a friend
P.S. Sorry I froze you, please don't hate me
Sakura's head titled as she finished the letter. It was certainly nothing like any other letters she'd gotten. Those tended to be...On paper.
"Well this is...new." She muttered. The letter was definitely from the man in black, that much was certain. Was he actually helping her, or was he luring her into a trap? Regardless, if the Urn could be found and kept out of Katsuro's filthy hands, she had to see. Sakura promptly rose from her seat and adjusted her gloves and headband.
"Sorry Teuchi. I have to run."
The cook nodded. "I'll just save these for later then." With a tired sigh he picked up the bowls of ramen.
"Thank you. Sincerely." With that Sakura burst off, scattering dust in her wake as she leapt up and over the many houses and shops to reach her goal.
Now...
Sakura's journey through the tunnel had been surprisingly simple. She had expected the tunnels do be small and ratty. While there were a fair share of rats and bizarre insects, the tunnels were easily three or four times her height and incredibly wide, at least twenty feet. A large squad of shinobi could enter here and have no trouble maneuvering in combat. These weren't typical caverns, they followed a clear direction and pattern. That alone was enough to have Sakura on edge. She had no idea how these tunnels were made and how they were dug, and she was right in the middle of them. Even in Konoha's dented shape, pressed into what amounted to a bowl, the tunnels went down for what felt like an eternity. The effort and sheer power needed to create these must have been enormous, all to hide something at the bottom. The tunnels were naturally hard to see in. Even with her eyes adjusted Sakura had a slow time of it, yet weirdly she had not once tripped on a stray rock or dead root. The walls and floor of the tunnels were smooth and packed, with noticeable large grooves. As if something very big had dug them...
Sakura shuddered at the horrible torrent of images her mind conjured from large insects to snakes to horrors unspeakable. Shaking her head, she pressed forward. Her fear needed to take a backseat to her mission, she couldn't let her thoughts about some colossal monster stop her from preventing whatever the hell Serengetti would do. But the progress she had made, namely none, was not at all encouraging. She had been making a steady descent through the tunnel, and there was still no end in sight.
"Would've been nice if that guy had waited for me." she thought. For the most part, Sakura had pushed aside her thoughts of the man in black. Learning his identity could wait until this oncoming catastrophe was prevented.
But now. "How the hell does he know me?" Was the most prominent question on her mind. Sakura cursed herself for getting distracted, this wasn't the time. With a huff, she quickened her pace and carefully felt the walls to guide her. Her footsteps echoed through the tunnels, the only sound besides the occasional pitter patter of bugs crawling near her. But then.
A metallic clang rang from below.
Then another, and another. The sounds of a fight.
"Shit!" Sakura hastened to a quick jog. There were already people in here and what's more, they were probably at the main chamber. The sound couldn't be more than a few feet in front of her and straight down!
"Wait..Straight down?"
Sakura skid to ahard stop that kicked up dirt and rocks in front of her, just regaining her balance as she felt a slight breeze coming from below. Looking down she could feel a large empty space that shot down for an unknown distance. She could survive almost any drop with her Earth Style, but the landing was always messy and right now she needed the element of surprise. Sakura kicked a single pebble down the abyss, and after several seconds there was a tiny thunk amidst the occasional clash of metal. Easily a one hundred foot drop. Sakura smirked. It was too easy
She nimbly jumped down into the abyss, and kicked off the closest portion of wall onto the opposite end to redirect her downward momentum, and she continued this until she landed like an alley cat onto the ground below. She crouched low to remain relatively unseen and gain her bearings of the cave.
The first detail Sakura noticed was that she could actually see in here. Someone had lit several torches on the walls that gave just enough illumination to see clearly, yet safely hide in the many shadows. That was probably Katsuro's doing. The surface of the cave was just wrecked. Scattered piles of large boulders and uneven surfaces were all around. Sakura quickly took advantage of them and rolled into nearby cover. She couldn't see the battle yet, but neither of the combatants could see her. The second thing she noticed was that the cave was absolutely massive. What ever thing dug through here must have been a titanic monstrosity. There were definite, mostly even walls, and rounded corners. That could mean the digger was intelligent, built with specific movements. Something large and probably strong built.
"This just gets better and better!" Sakura thought
"Ha!" One of the combatants shouted. The yell was closely followed by the sound of a fist colliding with flesh, hard. It sounded like the man was already giving Katsuro the beating of his life. Sakura confirmed this as the purple haired bastard flew overhead, right into a pile of rubble with such force that it cracked the stone. The thief was nothing if not persistent however, and he quickly popped himself out just as the man in black rocketed straight at him. Katsuro barely jumped out of the way as the nearby rocks shattered with the force of the man's fist. Sakura was beginning to feel cheated. Breaking Katsuro and smashing the terrain was her thing, damnit! Katsuro leaped away from the crater followed closely by the cloaked figure. But he seemed to be wearing a different coat, because this one was black with orange outlining. Sakura still couldn't see his face, but she could tell that he was desperate, pursuing Katsuro with no inhibition, like a man out for blood. His attacks and maneuvers were done with furious precision. Sakura pulled her gloves tight ready to engage, but a faint red glow from across the chamber caught her eye..
Naruto's mind was flooded with killing intent, his every movement done with the sole purpose of catching and annihilating Katsuro before he reached Serengetti's container. The thief threw back several kunai that whistled through the air at Naruto's head. His armblade extended and one smooth motion knocked those kunai aside. Nothing would stop him now. Naruto burst forward using his wind chakra to propel straight down, his landing cracking the ground as Katsuro fell on his knees. Naruto had inflicted many cuts and bruises on the remarkably sturdy thief through their battle, and they seemed to finally be taking their toll. Now was his chance to end this. The air around Naruto flared with a surge of chakra as he dashed forward. Katsuro threw several more kunai, all of them missing as Naruto zig-zagged right at him. With one nimble leap, Naruto crashed down on the thief, pinning him to the ground with a blade to the throat. Naruto leered in his face with utter rage while Katsuro struggled in vain.
"Give up! You've lost moron!" Naruto barked. Katsuro merely stared back in defiance with a sneer. "Like hell I will. Serengetti is mine! No one else's!" Naruto smirked at the audacious words, and slammed Katsuro in the gut. The thief coughed blood from the impact and was yanked up by the collar of his jacket to the clenched teeth and snarl that stood out in the man's shadowed face.
"Why are you so dedicated to wiping out this village!?" He growled. "You've been nothing but a plague to the people, and now you're trying to destroy it! Why!?"
Katsuro did not look away. His gaze shifted to one of pure loathing and agony.
"Because why should I care about a village that views me as a plague from day one?"
Naruto's mind paused. The question had hit him harder than Sakura ever did, even on the day of his secretive departure. Had Katsuro suffered the same persecution and hate he did, or was it just a lie to fool him? There was no reason to believe, but he spoke with the same kind of tone Naruto had heard all too many times from enemies. Pure hatred at those who mistreated them, and pain for their suffering. Almost childlike in it's simplicity. It was something he was all too familiar with.
Katsuro couldn't see the turmoil within, but what he noticed was that the snarl faded to an emotionless mask, and that he felt like a paper tiger in front of a cold, emotionless storm. But then something caught his eye. The red glow..
The Urn rested upon a stone pedestal as it glowed with sick, otherworldly power. The vessel was jet black, and what looked like red nerves decorated its surface. The red pattern emitted the crimson glow that all three could see clear as day. But whereas Naruto and Katsuro were a fair distance from it, Sakura was but a few feet away. During their scuffle, she had slipped by to reach the Urn, and now it was within her grasp. She didn't have much of a plan, just the objective of keeping it away from Katsuro and possibly the man in black, who was now looking on in terror.
"No! Don't touch it!" He shouted. Sakura whipped around as the black figure bolted through the air straight at her, arms extended. Sakura readied a battle stance just as he collided like a boulder into her. Both flew back and landed in a pile of struggling limbs. Sakura glared at the man as he pinned her down.
"Dammit get off me!" His grip remained tight but unpainful, and he was making no effort to attack her. Sakura however had had enough of this guy. She brought her legs to her body and sprung them out right into his stomach, which visibly hurt him and loosened his grip. Sakura finally broke it by introducing his face to her fist. He finally fell off her. Somewhere, deep inside Naruto's mind the Kyuubi was reeling from the harsh impact.
"I hate this woman boy!" He screamed from inside. Naruto groaned as he rubbed his cheek from the impact. That was bound to happen sooner or later, and Sakura stood ready to engage in front of him.
Both of them failed to notice the ground beginning to shake. Sakura was utterly focused on this rogue element, and Naruto was equal parts distracted by the red glow, Sakura's beautiful angry eyes, and the fact that Katsuro was nowhere in sight.
"Why the hell did you tackle me?" She shouted. Naruto refocused himself on the task at hand, extending his blade to ready for what was to come.
"Because..." The ground began rumbling violently, leaving them both struggling for balance. Naruto dropped to a steadying crouch, focusing on the Urn. "I was afraid there was something still guarding the Urn, guess I was right."
The ground around the Urn began cracking and shifting as something moved deep beneath the surface. The rocks and dirt rose, and fell as a large, worm-like creature slowly began breaking the surface. Now the entire chamber was shaking as the monster crawled out with a low groan.
"What..The Hell...Is that thing!?" Naruto could only shrug at Sakura's words. But deep inside his head the Kyuubi growled in anger at this creature.
"Fox, you know this guy?" Naruto asked
"Yes! It's a creation of the First Hokage!"
The writing mass of the creature slowly emerged in full. It's mouth was filled with razor sharp teeth the size of an arm. The claws and legs were enormous, but paled in comparison to the creatures length. It's sheer size dwarfed all three humans, and it moved with obvious weight and mass that could crush pure steel. It had the head and shape of a serpentine dragon, except for a giant elephants trunk on its upper jaw. Slowly the monster rose, bending like a snake to even fit inside the cavern. The fox snarled. This was a foe he knew all too well. "Naruto, see it's skin?"
His vision focused on the creature's skin. The only problem was that there was no skin, just...
"Wood." Sakura said. A sudden thought crossed Naruto's mind. The First Hokage hadn't created a giant tree or weed to bury the Urn, he used something else entirely to dig deep down and guard it.
"Exactly."
Naruto shuddered. The anxiousness the Kyuubi felt was leaking out and affecting him now. They spoke in unison, Naruto relaying the info to Sakura.
"Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique." Slowly the dragon's body turned, creaking and groaning from the movement, and it's gaze affixed to the shinobi before it. It seemed to breath with ancient and powerful energy that could shatter mountains. Par for the course from the First Hokage. It seemed to sniff the air around it, and noticed the unfamiliar stench of an intruder, one that bore the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox! The dragon's anger manifested in an earth shattering bellow so loud that the two shinobi had to cover their ears, and still felt pain from the force of it. Rocks and dust were scattered all over from the sheer force. The power in the dragon was still formidable even after being sealed down here for so many years.
Sakura managed to open her eyes slightly through the impact to see a familiar purple-haired thief sneaking around the rocks despite his injuries. When the noise died down, the dragon seemed to crouch, staring straight at the two of them completely unaware of the real threat. The irony did not escape Sakura.
"Great, I'm here trying to stop that Seregentti from going berserk, and now the guardians giving me the stink eye!" Naruto took offense to her remark.
"Hey I'm trying to stop this catastrophe too!" He protested. Sakura could only glare at him. She was still suspicious of him. Naruto sighed.
"I'm sorry I froze you alright, and I'm doubly sorry that things have gone so badly, but I promise I'll make it up to you." Sakura was again left surprised by his words which were spoken with that same familiarity, and with a grin she recognized but simply could not pin connect with anyone she knew at the moment. She groaned at the predicament she found herself in.
"Can you handle the dragon?" She asked.
The man in black shrugged.
"What?" She shouted. "What the hell does that mean? What the hell does-" She imitated his gesture. "-this mean!?" The man in black paused, and rose from his crouch. He cracked his knuckles, and Sakura could see a large toothy grin beneath his hood.
"Leave that thing to me." With those words he offered his hand to Sakura. She took it tentatively.
"You can have Katsuro all to yourself." He chuckled.
Sakura for once cracked a grin at this man, before she dashed ahead to clobber the thief. As she ran, she thrust fist at the ground, dragging it along and gathering chakra. She opened her hand, and suddenly a distinct shape formed in the ground: that of a gigantic mallet. She ripped it out, swinging it to rest on her shoulder.
"Earth Style: Mountain God's Hammer!"
The dragon's head struck forward like a snake at the shinobi, whom jumped over a split second from impact, flying over the creatures form. The dragon's head crashed into the ground and it rose slowly only to be slammed right back down as Naruto body-slammed it's head into a nearby boulder, practically surfing the beast into the debris.
"Hi there! It's-" Namikaze ejected and extended into it's full form, and Naruto raised the blade above him. "-knife to meet you!" The blade plunged straight down into the dragon's head, and the monster roared as the metal cracked the wood where it stabbed. The dragon trashed about, shattering boulders and scattering dirt all over as Naruto had to ride it like a raging bull! With one angry roar it's body slumped down and it's movements began slowing down. Naruto could only chuckle at his victory.
The Kyuubi's voice vibrated Naruto's brain with its furious tone "Idiot! Get off the damn dragon!" Naruto was about to ask what was wrong until he felt an odd sensation in his legs. It was like he was getting more and more tired with each passing second. Suddenly the dragon's body twitched, and the cracks he'd made started to mend themselves around his blade. Naruto was getting extremely pissed at not knowing all the details.
"The First's technique can absorb chakra from physical contact! It's using yours to repair itself!" Naruto yanked his sword out of the dragon's head which only succeeded it getting it even more enraged. It's whole body contorted with alarming speed until Naruto found himself face to face with the dragon's terrible eyes. Naruto had no words for it this time. He couldn't even think of a pun as the jaw snapped open and shot at him. He kicked off the dragon's back just as the teeth lightly scraped against his coat. Naruto landed several feet away while the dragon looked to be waiting for a moment of vulnerability before it struck again like a viper.
"Anything else this thing can do? Can it blast chakra like a tailed beast ball or shoot poisonous wood darts out of it's body!?" He angrily shouted with his mind. This wasn't exactly an ideal situation, but the fox seemed more focused on growling in Naruto's head.
"Don't let it catch you Naruto, whatever you do." Naruto spun his blade to hold it in both hands and bent his knees for his next strike.
"And do not try using my chakra, that'll only make it even stronger."
"So we can't use the chakra mode, great!" Naruto groaned. "Any other helpful news!?"
The kyuubi made a sound like a tsk much to Naruto's confusion.
"There is actually some good news . Look at it's body again." In the midst of the fight he'd been more focused on dodging, but now that he examined the dragon's form, it showed Naruto that the wood dragon actually looked fairly decrepit. It's body looked like it had been rotting for years down in this cavern, with brown wood chips seeming to fall off it's body like old scales being shed.
"It's not exactly pristine is it? Naruto grinned at the fox's reasoning.
"So it's not really in top form right now. I can work with that." He thought.
"Exactly, but if it gets too much of your chakra it'll be fully restored and then we'll have more problems than your girlfriend braining you against the rocks!" Naruto briefly smiled to himself.
"She hits me the same way even when she doesn't know it's me." The fox moaned at it's containers love struck attitude. The only time in this whole battle when he wasn't filled with killer intent was when he was near that damn pink haired girl.
Naruto refocused his thoughts on the battle at hand, lunging forward at the dragon as it dashed right at him with a thunderous roar. This would be a hard battle.
Nearby, Katsuro was quickly becoming reacquainted with his longstanding pursuer as a gigantic stone mallet slammed into the ground mere inches away from him, and the impact knocked him back at least twenty feet to a stumbling halt along the ground into the hard face of a boulder. The impact left him dazed and unable to move as a furious pink figure stood over him. His vision was restored to the sight of Sakura sporting an insane grin, her hammer resting on her shoulder.
"Now, are you going to surrender, or do I have to hit you some more?" Katsuro snickered. Raw force wasn't going to work on the cherry blossom juggernaut in front of him. Maybe mind games?
"You know, I bet you'd make a great wife for some lucky fellow." he joked. Sakura's cheeks suddenly turned bright red. One of her eyebrows arched, and she seemed to be staring at him in either disbelief or confusion, Katsuro honestly could not tell which.
"W-what did you just say?" Her words came out with an icy tone as her face darkened. Perfect.
"I said you would make a great wife someday!" He blurted. Maybe it was the concussion or blood loss, but Katsuro could swear he saw a steam-like substance shooting out of her nose and ears. Just like his boss had predicted. Now she was on the verge of snapping in anger. The boss's advice proved correct as the shinobi's knuckles cracked spontaneously, and her left hand slowly balled into a fist that could literally shatter rock and split metal.
"I am giving you-" still with that cold tone "-three seconds to surrender, or else I will reintroduce you to the meaning of pai-" It was time to slide in the scalpel!
"Or did your dear sweetheart up and die on you?" Sakura's movements froze. Katsuro himself winced inside at his own words. Even he thought that was cruel. But would not be stopped from snagging that Urn, even if it meant breaking the heart of this girl. Her expression didn't betray her anger, but it was generalized, not reacting to anything specific. She did have someone. Did. But he wasn't dead.
"So, he didn't die then. Let me guess..." Katsuro tried to emit a grin that came out looking like a sneer
"He left?"
Sakura turned into a pink blur as she swung her hammer overhead and brought it down like a mountain in Katsuro's direction. Unfortunately he was expecting a straightforward strike, which he just barely avoided. The blow shattered the ground and scattered boulders with the shock wave alone. "Kami..." He thought. The devil had been unleashed, and he was the one who pissed it off. The air around her sparked from the levels of chakra that were flaring in her.
"Take." Sakura spun her hammer like a staff overhead with practiced grace and furious speed.
"That." The spinning grew ever faster. Sakura began pumping chakra into her mallet to increase his destructive power ten times over.
"Back!" Quick as lightning, Sakura darted back and forth at Katsuro. He threw a kunai at her with terrified desperation, only to see her disappear into thin air. Several seconds passed as Katsuro looked all around the battlefield.
"I said.." What felt like a steel plate slammed into his back, knocking him aside and crashing through rubble. Katsuro's vision was blurred by the impact and blood in his eyes. He had seen Sakura fighting, but she was never that fast. Even with her hammer she had moved with such ease that she could have obliterated an entire ANBU squad. The blood was wiped away, and the sight before him was one that filled him with blind terror. Through the dust strode the Sakura Haruno. She walked slightly slumped, every footstep cracking the ground. Her hammer burned with visible blue chakra. Her voice was calm, collected, and the stuff of nightmares.
"Take. That. Back."
Naruto nimbly back flipped as the dragon's tail whipped along the ground near him, scattering rocks everywhere. The creature moved with lighting precision despite it's considerable weight and mass. Landing, Naruto jumped back and flung several kunai into the beasts back. They landed with considerable impact, embedding themselves in the wooden frame. Unfortunately they seemed to do little damage. The dragon moved unimpeded, dragging its tail from underneath a pile of rubble it unintentionally created. The battle was proving detrimental to the area, and the damage only increased as the tail whipped back and forth to crush Naruto.
"This is-" He ducked under another swipe.
"Getting me-" the tail swung back around and headed straight for his head.
"Nowhere!" Naruto lept forth and spun like a top with his blade, swiping clean through a good third of the tail as it separated, the severed chunk flailed through the air and embedded itself in the nearby wall with a spectacular crash. Naruto landed on the ground, satisfied with his work. Finally the training was paying off. Against a dragon no less!
"Well, that's a good start." He thought. The dragon seemed to look at the twitching remain of its tail with something resembling regret and sadness through its glowing yellow eyes, only to dart at Naruto with lightning speed. With nanoseconds of prep time, Naruto timed his jump and landed on the dragons large trunk, kicking off it to flip high over the head. From his inverted position he rapidly sheathed his blade and slammed his open palms together, dropping the temperature around his body to replicate a technique he saw once in the Land of Snow.
"Ice Style: Swallow Snow Storm!" Naruto's palms separated to create a series of tiny bird-shaped ice projectiles capable of shredding flesh with ease unless neutralized by fire. Naruto doubted the dragon had such a defense, and with one wave of his hand he sent the ice-birds straight at the dragon's neck and upper back. Naruto landed as his weapons made contact. Some streaked and zipped along the outer body, creating thin but lengthy cuts before crashing into the floor and shattering into tiny shards, but most of them stuck into the dragon's back. The chakra enhanced wood kept them from getting far however and they were simply stuck inside. Naruto cursed himself for not using something more powerful. But anything with real force might risk hitting the Urn. The swallows could be directed slightly at least.
"Fox, does thing have any elemental weaknesses?" Naruto asked.
The fox grunted, still glaring at the creature through Naruto's eyes.
"Madara was too busy fighting the First to try them, but fire could work on it. It is still wood."
"Reeaaally?" Naruto thought with a sly grin. He formed several hand signals and breathed deep. Naruto waited for the perfect moment, when the dragon's body was compact and squished together for his jutsu to have maximum spread. The dragon turned back around and snaked through and over the terrain to Naruto. Its body parts moved closer together as the coils moved and contracted for maneuvering.
"Now!" The fox shouted. Naruto soared clear over the dragon, and opened his mouth.
"Fire Style! Great Fireball!" A torrent of flames erupted from his mouth like a flamethrower, spewing all over the dragon's body. It's contorted body caught alight in the blaze as Naruto skid gently along the ground. The rotting, dry body burst into a glorious display of fire as it began screaming and roaring in pain. The creature jerked and thrashed around as it's body was roasted under the hot flames until it collapsed in a still burning pile.
"Well that was actually not that-"
Suddenly an enormous shockwave exploded across the chamber in a wave of blue chakra. With earth shattering impact the dragon's still burning form was flung into the wall just below its severed tail. Naruto himself was sent head over heels into a pile of rubble. The impact left him unhurt, but dazed. His natural endurance and the tendency of getting slugged helped. Suddenly the flailing form of Katsuro soared overhead like a rag doll. Naruto looked at where the thief's flight originated, and the sight left him agape and horrified.
Sakura walked slowly to her target. Her mind was wreathed in icy fury that was solely directed at the sniveling little piece of garbage in front of her. She would make him pay for saying that. Left her? Naruto would never do that, to anyone he cared about.. . . Dead?
"No. He can't be." That blonde moron couldn't be dead. Nothing was going to kill him. Until he became Hokage, he wasn't going to let anything kill him! But this weasel who endangered so many lives – men, women, and children – now mocked him, made light of all his achievements. Up until now, Sakura had not once entertained the thought that the man she had grown so attached to could very well be dead, and now this rat decided to just vomit it out. He would pay. Dearly.
"Take. That. Back." Sakura lifted her weapon high into the air, its bright blue aura flaring with power. The real danger in this technique wasn't the hammer's impact, it was the burst of chakra into a concentrated wave. She lifted her slumped gaze up to Katsuro's beady eyes.
"Take that back now!" In one smooth concentrated motion Sakura swung down. The weapon fell and a split second before it did, the chakra exploded into an enormous wave of pale blue light that tore the ground in every direction, but the brunt of the blast collided with Katsuro's fleeing body. He failed to escape the wave. His body bent at an unnatural angle with a sickening crack, before spinning and flying across the chamber. Sakura could see the now burning dragon being launched into the wall. The man in black, with his face still hidden landed in rubble. A cloud of dust concealed him, but Sakura didn't care about his condition right now. All she wanted was Katsuro, and she would have him by Kami!
Sakura leaped after the thief, only to see him on his knees, shaking madly. The Urn was gone from it's pedestal and was being cradled in his filthy murderous hands!
"Shit!" Sakura forced chakra into her feet, exploding it behind her to propel herself. One quick strike was all she needed to end that bastard, but several more kunai she evaded slowed her progress. She pumped more chakra into her hammer. She was so focused on smashing Katsuro that she barely noticed hell breaking loose right behind her.
Naruto saw Sakura in all her glory. Right now she was all he could see in the world. Her hammer rested on her shoulder like Zabuza carried his sword, and she emanated an aura that literally cracked stone with every step. She carried the look he knew from seeing himself in the Kyuubi's rage. Her gaze seemed to gloss over him.
"Maybe you should have told her you were here moron." The fox muttered. Naruto struggled to respond to the fox's words just as he felt the wall behind him shaking, the force rumbling the whole chamber. Naruto turned to see the writing, agonized burnt form of the wood dragon ripping itself from the wall. With one might push, it crashed out of its position and its body landed right next to Naruto, whom by now was face to face with a growling monstrosity out of somebody's nightmares. Naruto moved to take it down, but he was so beset by panic from seeing Sakura that he failed to notice the creatures hacked end whipping around. With lightning speed it connected, and what felt like a moving mountain rammed into Naruto's entire body, crushing him deep into the wall.
The dragon let out a pained irregular rumbling noise from deep inside it's throat as it laughed at killing the one who reeked of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Just then, it felt another creature nearing the Urn, then suddenly another. Two were nearing the container! Just as Sakura landed right in front of the Urn with hammer raised high over the snarling Katsuro, the dragon lunged faster than lightning, roaring as it moved to kill the intruders. The sudden roar caused Sakura to look behind her to see the eyes of death fast approaching and ready to consume her. It moved so fast, and she had been so focused on Katsuro that she wouldn't have enough time to counterattack or even dodge...
Time seemed to slow for her. The dragon inched along as its mouth opened wider and wider.
Sakura's thoughts zoomed through her mind. Her childhood, the first days of ninja academy, forming Team 7. Memories came clear as crystal to her in what were her final moments. The mission to the Land of Waves, the chunin exams, Sasuke's departure, and the team's confrontation with him two years later. But the last was of Naruto, on the day of his departure. Of giving him her red ribbon from her childhood to remind him of her.
"- you really want to give me this?" Naruto had looked at her, clearly touched at her gift, but worried he'd lose it.
"Moron, of course I do. I know you won't let anything happen to it. I trust you."
He smiled faintly. "Even so, I thought this meant a lot to you." Sakura remembered holding him close for what felt like hours, until she kissed him. It felt like heaven in a single gesture to her. Once she broke the kiss, she replied.
"It does mean a lot, and that's the only kind of gift worth giving Naruto. I want you to have it."
Sakura's mind drifted back to the present. She was sad more than anything. About all she left undone. She hoped to become a successor to Tsunade and help end the threats of Akatsuki. Maybe sway Sasuke back to their side, as unlikely as that seemed now. Beating Ino to the alter and hopefully have a family. But above all else, she wished she could've seen Naruto again, just one last time. Did he still have her bow, did he take care of it or was he already dead? It looked like she'd never hear the answer.
"Maybe I'll see that baka in the next life." She braced herself for the end...
Suddenly, a black-orange blur darted out from a massive dragon shaped indent in the wall and rushed right towards Sakura's position. It darted with such velocity that it was tearing up the ground in it's wake, to the point where the rapidly approaching dragon seemed to move like a giant slug. The figure's arm dragged near the ground as a small swirling ball of blue light ripped through the stone like butter. The shape made a sharp and perfect ninety degree turn in her direction, leaping through the air right into the path of the dragon's rotting head. It was all happening so fast that Sakura couldn't fully process who was running now to save her. But her eyes didn't decieve. It looked like the man in black's hood had been torn in the dragon's strike. The concealing jutsu failed, and his face was now clear for her to see.
"Na...ru...to.."
She could hardly comprehend what was going on as a mixture of anger, surprise, happiness and above all else confusion filled her mind. Right now, the man she had confessed her love to was flying straight at a giant wooden dragon.
Naruto was back.
His arm pulled back as the jutsu flared with power. The dragon was still focused on it's target, and scarcely had time to react as the shinobi rocketed at the beast's head. Naruto swung his arm around, screaming like a madman and the jutsu hit its mark.
"RASENGAN!" The attack collided with the dragon's head in a shockwave that Sakura had to brace against just to endure. The Rasengan tore the wood dragon's head into sawdust. It's roar of anger was swiftly silenced as it lacked any means to vocalize it's rage. With one shout, the Rasengan expanded and exploded with a deafening boom. The dragon's head was disintegrated, and the recoil launched its entire body as it was again crushed into a wall with a spectacular impact that rattled the whole cave.
Naruto landed on the floor, panting hard. The dragon's surprise attack had taken more out of him then he realized. Even through all his battles that one strike had been fast and ferocious enough to devastate him. Who knew wood could hurt more than stone?
"Oh please just stay dead you damn dragon." He grumbled. He looked up as the dust settled to reveal a limp, dead foe. Now, it was definitely dead.
"Yaaay-urgh!" Naruto could hardly enjoy his victory when the sensation of being slammed into a rockface took full effect. His ribs felt off, his entire damn body was sore, and he was pretty sure there were some barbs or sharp thorns in the dragon's hide. Struggling just to stay upright, he shakily rose from his crouch.
Thankfully his coat was still...
"Waait." Naruto patted his head.
He felt hair.
The hood was gone.
It must have been torn off in the attack. He'd have to get it stitched again-
The hood was gone.
"Oh. Crap."
With rapidly growing dread, Naruto's gaze slowly shifted from the floor, up to the rubble, then the raised pedestal, until his eyes met with Sakura's. She stood there, gazing back down at the blonde moron. Her blonde moron. Naruto looked back at the cherry-blossom juggernaut, her eyes were still as green and beautiful as he remembered, and he could feel himself getting lost in them as he had so many times before. The time spent staring at each other was tantamount to an eternity. Naruto had never anticipated this kind of reunion, he'd hoped to avoid clashing with Sakura at all, just slip in, stop Serengetti, then slip out of the village and "return" with a big smile. He'd spent a stunning amount of thought into what he would say to her. But now, all the time spent thinking about his grand entrance and his exact words was just tossed aside in his mind. Now there was only one thing he could say in his whirlwind of thoughts. He fumbled his words as he coughed.
"Um...Hey Sakura." Her eyes widened at hearing his familiar voice, and her face was filled with blind confusion and disbelief.
"Whe...Whe..." Sakura's hammer fell to the floor as her grip on the handle loosened. She didn't physically fall back, but her mind was reeling from his words alone, to where she was stuttering worse than Hinata ever did. She gulped nervously to try to regain some form of composure but it didn't help much. The most basic emotional part of her took over, and she asked the only thing she could think of, that she needed to know.
"Whe...Where h-have you b-been?"
The faint smile Naruto wore faded into a blank, regretful stare. His gaze dropped to the floor, ashamed as Sakura's stay affixed to him. This would not be an easy talk. The two were so engrossed in finally reuniting that they failed to notice the worst possible outcome coming to life. A mad laugh echoed throughout the chamber. Alerted, the two scanned the room for the source and quickly located it right above them. Clambering with desperate speed was Katsuro. He was somehow still in one piece, but he bled so freely that he was practically leaving a trail on the wall he now climbed. He had the Urn, and he was already halfway up the tunnel.
"Ahahah that's just too cute!" He whipped out a kunai with an explosive tag. Upon closer examination, Naruto saw that he had lined the tunnel beneath him with the damn things!
"Unfortunately kiddies I have to run! Gotta unleash this little monster and smash a village-" He patted the Urn like his own little trinket, chuckling at the two. "Though luckily you two won't live to see it!"
"You really think a little pile of rocks is going to stop either one of us for even a minute?!" Sakura shouted as she formed hand seals. "You're an even bigger moron than Naruto!"
"Hey!" He whined.
Katsuro laughed once again, and sneered back at Sakura. "No but I'd like to see you get outta this!" He snapped his fingers, and suddenly huge explosives started going off all around the chamber like a minefield. The force of them was shaking the walls of the chamber to pieces and knocked Sakura off her footing, tumbling near Naruto was just barely clinging to the ground. He couldn't do much in his current state besides hold on for dear life.
"When did he set up these things!?" Sakura shouted.
"He must have planted them when we both fought him!" With a twinge of humor, Naruto half smirked and half grimaced.
"I guess he's not as big a moron as you thought!" Naruto popped a small smile at the now bewildered Sakura. The walls continued to fall around them and the ground quaked. The dragon's corpse fell out of the wall, again. The weight of its body slamming on the gorund only made the collapse happen more furiously, but that wasn't strictly on Sakura's mind.
"Are you kidding me!?" She bellowed. "You've been gone two years and the first thing you say to me is a lame joke?!"
"I said 'hey" didn't I?"
"I've been worried sick about you baka!"
"That didn't stop you from caving my face in!"
"But I didn't know it was you! You froze my damn legs!"
"Did you not read the letter!? I said I was sorry!"
Sakura was positively fuming. Not a minute together and they were bickering like an old married couple. Unfortunately two kunai landed near them, primed to blow. Naruto's gaze darted between the kunai, and between not seeing Sakura for two years, the incident during his travels, Katsuro and the upcoming apocalypse, his mind and mouth simply quit on producing anything elegant.
"I really hate my life."
Sakura looked over at him with some bizarre whirlwind of emotion. The rage, confusion, disbelief, and joy all boiled to the breaking point. Her emotions were at their zenith, until they similarly deflated and she could only manage a glum:
"Yup."
"Nice knowing you two!" Katsuro laughed. There were only seconds until the kunai exploded, and the rocks were tumbling fast. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, nodded, and lunged without any hesitation. The two collided in a tight embrace on the ground. If this was to be there last moments, they'd at least spend them close. The confusion and anger didn't mean anything to them right now.
"Don't let go of me!" Naruto shouted.
"You know I won't!" Sakura responded.
Naruto gathered chakra in his bruised hands and formed several hand signals, while Sakura slammed an open
"This has to work!" They thought.
The kunai continued to detonate all around them, boulders were shattered into shrapnel that flew all around. The kunai in the tunnel exploded too, and a wave of stone death fell upon the shinobi. The entire chamber collapsed in on itself, rocks tumbling over rocks, falling and smashing into place. The indoor avalanche continued until finally coming to a quiet, dead stop. There was no movement, no sound. Whatever trace remained of the two shinobi was buried under twenty feet of solid rock.
Somewhere in the cave, the water drops continued to fall.
Drip.
Drip
Drip.
Author's Note: As always, r&r. Look forward to the next and final chapter of this arc: The Will of Fire!