Part III The Rescue

The Tunnel

Inside the darkness of the tunnel, the team slowly made its way forward, lit only by the ball of chakra in Naruto's hand.

Shikamaru complained, "There are 5 of them and 5 of us. But they're all mutant psychotics and we have an old-timer (Kakashi's visible eye narrows), a kunoichi of average skills (Ino scowls), a close-combat fighter with no range attacks (Neji desperately wanted to poke a few of Shikamaru's tenketsus), and a brash fool (Naruto started to growl). How troublesome! The odds are against us as usual, sigh, and they're not your normal shinobis either." Shikamaru also thought of Kakashi, what's the use of knowing 1000 jutsus if you won't pull down your mask to use half of them?

Naruto, "The doctor guy mentioned chimras? What exactly is a chimra?"

Ino, "Chi-mer-a, you idiot! Weren't you listening? It's a hybrid of human and non-human DNA."

Shikamaru, "You should give some thought to your battle against Gaara."

Naruto, "What! We'll be facing 5 Gaaras?"

Kakashi, "It won't be as bad as that. They're not bound to an incarnation of sand or a demon. They're just humans with special advanced powers."

Shikamaru reconsidered, "Well, they may have special powers, but probably not too advanced. After all, they've been held in that facility for years so they haven't had much of a chance to use their powers. Their field experience will be limited, so will their teamwork coordination. We might have a decent chance."

Neji, "Think about the strengths and weaknesses of these creatures, once we identify them, we can figure out how to defeat them."

Shikamaru, "But it's sure going to be troublesome."

Naruto,"It's not fun if it's an easy mission."

Neji, "It's always good of you to have such a positive attitude even in the most dire of circumstances. Our target probably doesn't feel that way."

"Oh, yeah, right." Naruto grew quiet thinking about Rikako. He knew what could happen to female shinobis. He wondered if she were still alive. If she were not, what would Kakashi do? He was always so cool. When he did show any emotion, it was always hard to tell underneath that mask. Little Otori Rikako, aka Raikage Maruyama Rikako, who became a kage before him. How envious he had been, but now…

Shikamaru to Kakashi, "That doctor was not telling us the whole truth."

Kakashi, "No, I had a feeling he wasn't."

Ino, "Can we trust him or is he leading us into a trap?"

Kakashi, "I think we can trust him in regards to most of this information, but not what really happened."

Naruto, "You think he played a part in the kidnapping?"

Kakashi, "I'm not sure, but his hands are definitely not clean."

Neji, "The remnants of the hospital are still fairly recent, still smoldering. I would estimate its destruction was only 2 to 3 days ago."

Shikamaru, "Right, but Rikako has been missing longer than that."

Naruto, "What are you saying?"

Shikamaru, "It seems the kidnapping and the destruction of the hospital did not happen at the same time, unlike what the good doctor said."

The tunnel was actually a series of naturally formed caves connected to each other via manmade tunnels. It was narrow in parts so the team reformed to a single file. Neji in front with his activated byakugan, which could see better in the dark than the sharingan; followed by Naruto who generated a small sphere of chakra to light their way; Ino in the middle trying hard not to trip over anything; then Kakashi whose sharingan could not see any better than his regular eye in the dark so he kept it covered to conserve chakra. Shikamaru tried in the dim light to keep a look out in the rear for anything suspicious. He was used to working among the shadows.

They passed various speleothems, cave formations of pillars, mushrooms and pools. Quite a lovely marvel of nature if the team were to have time to notice. After a while they came to a fork leading to two tunnels. A dim light was coming from the right, so Neji turned, but Shikamaru stopped him."Wait, the stones there are recently tunneled. It might be a trap. Look down the other tunnel."

Neji turned his activated byakugan to the left tunnel. "That way is blocked," Neji observed.

Kakashi noted, "They're trying to force us into the other path, but there are ways to get through, take the left path."

They continued on in silence for what seemed like hours in the darkness but was only a matter of minutes. They heard water dripping from the stalactites onto the stalagmites. They could smell the foul dampness of matter unseen…then a scuttling sound.

Illuminated only by Naruto's chakra ball, a large shadow appeared for an instant. It looked like a man from the waist up but the body was that of some sort of insect.

Shikamaru shouted, "Back to back formation!" The team huddled together with their backs facing in and their alert faces facing out. They waited for the creature to make its move. The seconds felt like an eternity. A pungent odor pervading the air. Neji noted, "It's the same smell from the site, formic acid."

"Disperse! Behind us!" Neji yelled as the shadow became substance, a mass of crawling scorpions, fusing to form the creature. Its body was armored like an insect with one arm ending in a pincher claw, the other a misshapen hand as if it wore a gauntlet. Its eyes, all three sets, positioned around its monstrous head, were completely black and bulging. A slit for a nose, and mandibles formed the rest of the so called face. Naruto attacked directly with his kunai, but the creature suddenly disassembled into hundreds of small scorpions. They advanced on the team.

Neji was about to fling them off with his kaiten, but Kakashi ordered, "Stop! If you fling them off that way, they can land on one of us!"

So Neji released his chakra from his tenketsu more carefully, acting like a armor of chakra to protect himself.

Kakashi protected himself with a wall of earth rising from the ground. "Don't let any escape! This one's a scout. Anyone of those bugs could warn the rest of them!"

Naruto's clones surrounded and protected him while also crushing the scorpions beneath their feet.

Shikamaru prevented them from attacking by using his shadow bind and then crushing them with his shadow.

But poor Ino had no special defense so she jumped on top of Shikamaru, with her legs straddling his neck. Shikamaru thought, Geez…she said she was on a diet, sure doesn't feel like it!

The scorpions suddenly disappeared back into the shadows, burrowing into the ground.

"Damn, how are we going to get them now?" Ino asked, disgusted at the creature's appearance.

Kakashi managed a water jutsu, drawing from the dampness of the cave. He concentrated the water into the ground. "Everyone get back onto the dry rocks!" The scorpions started to emerge from the ground and Kakashi let loose a lightning justu, electrocuting most of them.

Naruto started to say, "Well, that's one down I guess…" but before he could finish his sentence, the insect chimera emerged behind him. Naruto quickly turned around and fended off its pinchers with his kunai. But his kunai started to dissolve from the acid released by the pinchers! Surprised at his dissolving kunai, Naruto didn't notice its tail. The tail was a scorpion's tail in shape and curved over its body. It reached over and grazed Naruto's left shoulder before he threw his dissolving kunai at it. Naruto felt the effects immediately, but with a great force of will, he changed his ball of light into his rasengan and rammed into the creature, but again it disassembled into a mass of scorpions.

Kakashi asked, "Naruto, you okay?" but he thinks, the demon fox should heal him even if he's been poisoned. Naruto nods and gives him the thumbs up sign despite feeling slightly ill. His kunai was still smoking from the acid released by the creature's pinchers.

Shikamaru looked up at Ino. "Ino, can you detect the creature's mind?"

"Not really, it's like there's no individual mind, they act like a collective hive. I can't transfer my mind or confuse it at all."

Neji commented, "We can't just use defensive tactics all night. There's less of those scorpions than before so it's not as if it has an unlimited supply of chakra to produce them."

Shikamaru agreed, "We have to get him to reform as a whole and take him out completely at one time. I'll bind him, we need a strong attack to destroy the whole body."

"What about that armor? It's got to penetrate that as well," noted Ino

Kakashi nodded, "I can take care of that, but I can't use another water technique, there's not enough water here. We'll have to get them out of the ground another way."

"I might be able to address that problem," Neji said as he prepared a seal, "get ready." He placed his palms against the earth, forcing pulses of chakra into the ground. The scorpions emerged and converged…

"Behind you!" Ino shrieked while still on Shikamaru's shoulders.

Shikamaru extended his shadow backwards, but not before the scorpion's tail grazed his arm. "Ugh, make it quick," he managed to say while starting to sweat.

"Everyone, avert your face, take cover if you can!" ordered Kakashi. Neji and Naruto ducked behind a large rock. Ino jumped off Shikamaru and followed them. Shikamaru could only lower his head and place his arms in front it.

Kakashi lowered his mask and released a huge fireblast that enveloped the scorpion creature. Shikamaru released his shadow bind when he could no longer bear the heat, but he's not sure whether it's from the fire or a fever from the venom.

Naruto looked up, a fire jutsu from Kakashi? He would need to lower his mask for that…crap, I missed seeing his face again! No wonder he ordered us not to look!

Flashback (Arai's analytical voice):

Patient number 127, pre-adolescent male, eight years of age, parents deceased, selected for experiment number 55, method number 9. Retrovirus D19 impregnated with RNA fragments from 1) pandinus imperator of the order scorpiones, class arachnida 2) camponotus obscuripes of the order hymenoptera, class insecta…Evaluation after completion of genetic re-encoding: Eyes are sensitive to light, superior night vision, but can only detect regions of strongly contrasting light intensity. Claws have the ability to emit formic acid. Chakra programming has given it the ability to disassemble and reassemble and move in the shadows. However, subject no longer retains individual identity or self consciousness. Mind no longer comprehends human speech, has reverted to basic instincts… Experiment deemed a failure as subject is unable to follow orders…attacks without restraint.

The scorpion creature was still smoldering when the team came over to check on its status. It was not reduced to cinders, but the dragon fire baked its innards within its armor. The smell of roasted meat permeated the air.

"Here, let me treat your wound," Ino said to Shikamaru.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked her doubtfully. "Treating poison is not the same as a regular wound, you know."

"Of course I know! I did pass the advanced first aid class!"

"By how much?"

"Oh…umm...enough…"

Ino took out her medical bag and her kunai. She cut into Shikamaru's arm to release the venom with the blood then cleaned the wound with antiseptic. Shikamaru gritted his teeth in pain. Geez, she could be more gentle with that!

Ino performed a seal and applied chakra to help heal the cut.

"Thanks, at least you're good for something on this mission…"

Ino tied the bandages extra tight, ignored the gasp from Shikamaru, and gave him some medicine to counteract the remaining poison.

Meanwhile Kakashi checked out Naruto's sting on his shoulder. It's deeper than Shikamaru's, but Naruto seemed less affected. Still, Kakashi performed the same procedure as Ino.

"All right, one down, I'm fine, let's go!" shouted Naruto exuberantly.

Shikamaru groaned, he still felt ill as if his chakra were being drained, but the team continued onwards.

They finally came to the end of the tunnel but it was blocked by a huge boulder.

"I can't see through the boulder. There might be traps on the other side," said Neji.

"I'll take care of this. I'll just use my rasengan to grind a hole through the rock."

Shikamaru stopped Naruto, "Wait, Neji's right, there could be traps. Maybe disrupting the boulder will activate something."

"How else can we get through?" asked Naruto.

Shikamaru turned to Ino, "Do you sense anything on the other side?"

"My range isn't good with that boulder in the way, but I don't sense anything nearby."

Kakashi suggested, "I think it's time we take those soldier pills."

The team took a quick break as they each swallowed a pill to replenish their chakra.

"I can dig under it. That might be safer than trying to go through it," Kakashi offered.

Shikamaru turned back to Naruto, "Wait, Naruto, can you make just a small opening to the side of the boulder?"

Naruto nodded and started a small ball of chakra. Having had practice for so many years, Naruto now has absolute control of his rasengan and no longer needed multiple hands to generate it, and now he can control its size and force - from a pinpoint prick to an overpowering basketball size sphere of destruction. This little sphere was just about ping pong ball size and he releases it at the edge of the boulder and the cave's entrance edge. The spinning sphere cut through about two feet of rock, allowing the night sky's luminescence to stray in.

Neji pressed his byakugan to the hole. "I don't see anything suspicious, but from here I can only see straight forward and the ground, not around the entrance."

"We can't waste any more time, some of those scorpions probably burrowed out. They might have informed the rest of them already. I'll dig under." Kakashi used his earth tunnel technique and within seconds he was on the other side. "All clear," Kakashi said into the hole.

The rest of the team emerged one by one out of the tunnel. But last to go was Naruto, and being stockier than Kakashi, he got stuck halfway through! "Ugh, I could use some help here!" he called out.

"Quiet! You idiot!" admonished Shikamaru.

"You really should cut back on all that ramen..." suggested Ino.

Neji reached into the tunnel to help pull out Naruto as Kakashi and Shikamaru surveyed the mountainous land around them.

The Second Enemy

The sun had already set once the team emerged from the ground, but there was an almost full moon in the clear night sky. Neji used his byakugan to survey the surrounding area.

"Over there, straight ahead, there's another crevice with a cave system like the good doctor said. I can see heat emanations. Chances are they're probably holed up there."

Shikamaru said, "Wait, it's too obvious, we'd better check for traps or genjutsu. This is too easy, a scout should have warned them by now."

"My byakugan can see through any genjustu."

Kakashi explained, "It depends on the level of genjutsu. It could be directly affecting your mind. We may not have been told the full extent of their powers. It's best to be cautious. They may have projected images into our minds and you're seeing what you expect to see even with your byakugan."

Naruto looked quizzically at Kakashi. He never understood genjutsu, had never been able to master it. His taijutsu and ninjustu were now excellent, but alas his genjutsu still sucked major eggs. But he followed the rest of the team in using kai to dispell any possible illusion.

Six feet in front of them was a dead drop into a gorge of sharp rocks.

Naruto asked, "How are we supposed to get across now?"

"How did the chimeras get across?" added Ino.

Shikamaru picked up a few pebbles and threw it into the gorge. The pebbles bounced all the way down. "This is another illusion. I didn't hear any noise as the pebbles bounced down. I only hear a sound on the first bounce."

The team used kai again and now the gorge appeared to have moved another 6 six feet further. Shikamaru performed the same test again with the same results.

Kakashi observed, "Whatever creature is projecting the genjutsu it appears to be visual only. We don't know how many layers of illusions there are or how far it extends. We can't trust what we see."

Shikamaru called out, "Everyone collect pebbles. I'll throw them ahead of us to see if the ground is safe."

The team slow made its way forward with Shikamaru leading. Suddenly they hear a sound of flapping above them, then a screeching sound.

Kakashi ordered, "Concentrate chakra to block your ears!"

The team looked up to see a bat-like creature, but it was more like a gargoyle with full use of its clawed arms and legs.

Flashback (Arai's analytical voice):

Patient number 103, pre-adolescent male, twelve years of age, parents deceased, selected for experiment number 43, method number 3. Retrovirus B36 impregnated with RNA fragments from 1) nyctalus noctula of the order chiroptera, class mammalia…Evaluation after completion of genetic re-encoding: Able to retain free use of appendages. Chakra programming has given it the ability to project genjutsu at will. However, subject no longer retains visual acuity but instead relies on echolocation…limited intelligence, has reverted to basic instincts… Experiment deemed a failure as subject has subpar intelligence and poor vision sensitive to daylight…attacks without restraint…

Naruto growled, "Damn! How are we going to get that?"

Kakashi let loose a lightning blast but the creature was extremely swift and avoided it easily. It then let loose another screech, but a different frequency. This one drove the team to its knees.

Shikamaru said, "Ugh, that one wasn't meant to just affect the auditory system, it vibrates the molecules of entire body. We're done for if we can't take it down."

Ino suggested, "I think I can confuse it enough to hold it in position for a few seconds, if you can bind it…"

Shikamaru yelled, "Do it!"

Ino used her mind confusion on the creature and it momentarily hovers over them. Shikamaru despite feeling faint concentrates his chakra into his shadow and used his shadow bind to hold it. Unable to flap its wings, it fell to the ground. Just then Ino screamed and collapsed.

Neji quickly approached it and concentrated his chakra into his hands to use his jyuuken techniques to destroy its internal organs.

Naruto yelled, "Hey! I was going to finish it! Damn, I'm not seeing enough action on this mission!"
Shikamaru muttered, "Idiot, you'll get your chance, we still have three to go. And this time they'll probably attack as a group." He checked on Ino who was conscious but holding her head. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, just a major headache. It sent out some kind of mental attack, but luckily I had my mind blocks up. Are you okay Shikamaru? You look kind of pasty, not that you don't normally, but…"

"The poison from that scratch must have additional effects. Despite taking that soldier pill, I feel my chakra draining away. Damn, and my shadow techniques are most effective at night."

Kakashi said concerned, "That one was another scout. The enemy probably heard its screech already. We don't have time to waste."

Neji observed, "The gorge isn't deep at all. We should have no problem traversing it. But we won't be able to sneak up on them. Most likely they're already waiting for us."

Shikamaru sighed, "Perhaps we should try negotiating. There's still five of us and three of them. They could be rational. Didn't that doctor say they were getting treatment at the hospital?"

Kakashi did not respond. He did not want any negotiations, he wanted them dead.

The Hideout

Shikamaru thought over what the good doctor told them and what he withheld. "You will encounter the insect chimera in the tunnels. It moves in the shadows. It can attack in two forms, as a mass of scorpions, or as a single humanoid creature, the more deadly form." He assumed we knew about the poison and the acid, but he did not mention the side effects of consuming chakra. There's no easy cure for it. "Next you will probably encounter the bat hybrid at night. It flies around surveying the area. It uses sonic attacks." But he did not mention its powers of genjutsu or its psionic power.

The remaining three that Arai mentioned were elemental chimeras who had control of lightning, mist/cloud, and metal, no seals necessary. What additional powers could they have?

The three remaining chimeras were waiting outside the entrance to the safehouse cave. The team approached slowly. The gorge led to a mountain plateau, a large expanse in front with a cave system carved into the mountain at the rear. There was no way they could mount a surprise attack. Yet though the enemy knew they were coming, they encountered no traps, or barriers, as if they wanted, looked forward to a fight. Shikamaru offered to do the talking.

"I'm here to negotiate the ransom for the Raikage," he said to the three figures in front of him. They were all still wearing the light yellow patient robes from the asylum.

The creature with blue hair, golden eyes and pale skin spoke, "You are not of the Cloud Shinobi, what business do you have with us?"

"We've been hired to return her. What are your terms?"

"Return her? If you want her body, you can have it. We're pretty much done. And in exchange, all we ask for is… He suddenly shot out a lightning bolt from his hand. Shikamaru was sizzled and writhed in pain, but it was too sudden and too late for screams. His body disintegrated into ashes, blown away by the wind.

"Instant cremation, saved you the funeral expenses," laughed the lightning elemental while the other two creatures attacked the rest of the team. The other two appeared to be twins. Both had vacant grey eyes, silver hair, and were very slender, waif-like. What distinguished them was the darkness of their eyes and hair, one had light grey eyes and hair while the other had dark grey eyes and hair. The dark grey one made for Neji and the other for Kakashi. Naruto felt left out as usual and ran toward the lightning elemental. The elemental summoned a wall of crackling chakra, akin to a high voltage fence. Naruto ran right into it. The wall curved into a sphere, engulfing him and he suffered the same fate as Shikamaru. Ino stood there, uncertain what to do, but then she took out her shurikens and kunais and threw them at the two advancing elementals. One phased into mist and the shurikens passed right through him. The other metamorphosed into what appeared to be a running suit of armor. Kakashi and Neji jumped out of the way, but the metal elemental formed a lance with its right arm and stabbed Ino in the gut. Blood ran from her body onto the sandy limestone plateau. The three creatures turned their attention to the two remaining Leaf shinobis.

The lightning elemental spoke again, this time more loudly, his voice carried and echoed in the great expanse. "Okay, time to stop fooling around. It was a nice warm up but now show your true selves." Kakashi and Neji disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Well, that didn't work. No negotiation, but good job Naruto," said Shikamaru. Naruto had used his kage bunshin/henge combination to make clones of them all. The team was still in the gorge but pressed themselves right up against the edge, hidden from view.

"Now we know which one has what powers." It was also a distraction, Shikamaru now had the three in his shadow bind, but he was sweating profusely. "Now!"

---------**********--------

Neji attacked the elemental with the light grey eyes, the mist elemental.

Kakashi confronted the lightning elemental. He was the leader, the smart one, he had the experience and techniques to counter him, Naruto did not.

Naruto ran toward the metal elemental with the dark grey eyes and hair with his rasengan.

The three chimeras started to laugh. It was not dark evil laughter that one would expect from insane shinobis, but a joyful laughter like children at play. Ino's skin crawled. She reached out tentatively with her mind, but found them impenetrable. But from the attempt she sensed strong feelings of exhilaration. These were on another level all together, she thought, not like the other two. We're in trouble…she started to tremble. Suddenly Ino released a scream and fell unconscious to the ground. It happened again, like with the bat creature, a psionic feedback attack. This time strong enough to render her unconscious.

Damn it, Shikamaru thought, I told her not to try that again. What was she thinking? He could not yet release his shadow bind to check on her.

These creatures did not need seals to transform or to attack. All they needed was to think. Neji's creature suddenly disappeared, or rather it dissipated into mist and his chakra from his jyuuken passed right through it. The mist now surrounded Shikamaru and pervaded his orifices. He breathed some of it in and it was poisonous. Shikamaru could no longer hold the elementals and he collapsed next to Ino.

The metal elemental erected a wall in front of Naruto that suddenly curved in and bound him. Naruto's rasengan broke through the metal barrier.

The lightning elemental sent a lightning blast at Kakashi who countered with a wall of earth. The earth barrier was destroyed, but Kakashi was not behind the wall. As the dust cleared he was nowhere to be seen. The lightning elemental looked around and frowned, then he looked down as Kakashi emerged from the ground with his chidori activated. The lightning elemental swerved just out of the way while sending another blast at Kakashi. But Kakashi had his sharingan activated and was able to anticipate the movements. What he didn't anticipate was a nonlinear attack. The lightning blast curved back and Kakashi was unable to fully avoid it. A searing pain rides up his left leg. Damn! How can a lightning jutsu curve around? How can he control its trajectory?

Naruto freed himself from the barrier and continued toward the metal elemental.

This But he then he used kaiten, hoping the centrifugal force would either concentrate or repel the mist. But Neji throws off the mist. But

time he used kage bunshin and all his clones started rasengans. But the metal

elemental shot out hundreds of needles from its palm and all the clones were destroyed and Naruto took a few hits in his arms and legs.

The entire teams was injured and down. Things looked bleak.

The team regrouped as Shikamaru woke Ino up and the rest checked their wounds.

rasengan to block the cave entrance slow down other shinobis. Kakashi use chidori to kill one.

Rebound shots, reflection strategy, freeze the ground with water present mineral absorption

Kakashi least affected uses wind jutsu to blow it back hydroprison to capture it blown toward fire

Lightning and mist work together mist froms cloud rain and lightning and thunder metal helps conduct the lightning rods

Creature of carbon manipulation diamond hard extracts organic material convert carbon to diamons, hydrogen to explosive gas, oxygen to fuel cells

Replenish themselves from absorbing organic material or minerals from the ground and air, carbon to diamond, hydrogen and oxygen gas explosive

Mist has no shadow, enter orifices

Need to acclimate to high altitude fight at a disadvantage

Ginseng to oxygenate the blood

But where was the entrance? It was now blocked and indistinguishable from the rest of the rocks. Naruto, "Now it's my chance…" he uses his rasengan to tunnel into the rock and in seconds they were through

Mission Complete

The inside of the cave was lit with electrical lights powered by a backup generator replenished by solar power collected by unseen solar panels. There were few furnishings, just a large table, several chairs, a number of bedmats and blankets. In the back were several boxes, presumably research backup files. Much of the cave's natural formations, large pillars and boulders, were left untouched.

She was chained to a large boulder by one leg and one arm, half naked, only a shredded skirt covered her lower parts. Her back was streaked with dried blood. She looked up at her savior.

"Help me…please," she said weakly. "You…you've come to save me?" she asked with tears in her dark eyes.

Naruto rushed over to help her. "Don't worry, you're safe now that we're here…"

Kakashi came in behind him and immediately shouted out, "Naruto! Wait!"

But Kakashi issued his warning too late. Naruto was bent over trying to get the chains off, while the woman's free left arm suddenly transformed into a crystalline spear. Kakashi quickly grabbed Naruto and pulled him out of the way, but she gores Kakashi on his left side instead.

Damn it, he's always falling for traps, especially when it comes to women. It's obvious she's one of them. There's not a cut on her body. It's just henge.

She transformed from the small dark haired girl he knew to a statuesque woman with short snow white hair, red eyes, and translucent skin, an albino. She too wore the yellow robe.

The woman used her crystallized arm to cut herself free of the chains. "Well, I got one of you at least," she said with a cruel smile as her entire body started to crystallize. "Thanks for letting me out of here. Those bastards put me to sleep, sealed me in here, and put up a barrier. Now that they're dead, I'm free."

Kakashi and Naruto took cover behind a huge pillar. Damn that Arai, he didn't tell us about this one. What is that jutsu? Ice? Kakashi thought back to Haku's ice techniques. But why did they treat one of their own like this? Just because she was the only female?

Naruto yelled, "This is sooo not the way to thank someone!"

The crystalline creature's laugh was like the ringing of small tin bells. "Well, I did try to kill you with one blow rather than slowly..."

The rest of the team finally finished recovering and joined Kakashi and Naruto in facing another opponent.

Shikamaru groaned inwardly, Damn another one. How troublesome. I had a feeling we weren't done. I'll use the rest of my chakra to end this. Shadow imitation, shadow neck hold…Shikamaru's shadow crept up to hers, bound her, then crept further up to her neck, and squeezed, but it had no effect at all. She smiled at his attempt.

Neji approached her quickly, he could see her tenketsus hit her where the heart should be, trying to push through his chakra to reach her internal organs. His chakra rebounded, it did not penetrate at all! Suddenly Neji sensed something…he pulled back and shifted his side, he released chakra to protect himself but shards of crystal cut into his shoulders, and gut, missing his important organs by fractions of an inch. The shards seemed to come from her tenketsus and were not deflected by chakra!

Meanwhile Ino was standing next to Shikamaru. "I can't touch her mind…"

The creature shot out crystal shards, without seals, without any effort, directly at Shikamaru. Ino cut in front of him with her kunai and deflected a number of shards before her kunai cracked and several shards penetrate her body. Shikamaru grabbed her and pulled her out of the way. They took cover behind the boulder with Neji.

Now the creature was free to move. But instead of attacking, she danced around, singing an odd tune but in a lyrical voice.

Kakashi finished applying first aid to himself while Naruto apologized for his stupidity. Damn it! I'm a jounin, but why do I keep making these stupid mistakes? Damn brain just doesn't work that well! "Are you all right, Kakashi sensei?"

Kakashi nodded, "It's a good thing she's unfocused, still crazy, else we might all be dead by now."

"Damn it Ino! Why did you get in front of me like that?"

Ino said with a smile, "Like you said, I'm an idiot."

Shikamaru looked at her, and then at her wounds and sighed, Ino is a lot like mom…she has a nice smile once in a while.

Neji observed, "It seems those crystals are not of ice if they can shatter a kunai and my jyuuken can't penetrate." He, Ino, and Kakashi were losing blood. Shikamaru was dangerously low on chakra but he took out his medkit to help Ino who was now coughing up blood, a sign of internal injury.

Neji looked at her with his activated byakugan and checked for damage. "Don't worry. She'll be fine if we can take that creature down."

Ino suggested, "Hey, if she can break a kunai, maybe she can transform to diamond hardness, that means there must be a flaw or some point where we can hit her so that she'll break apart, you know, like a jeweler who cuts large diamonds into small ones."

Shikamaru agreed, "You're smarter than you look. But then again it does have to do with jewelry. Hmm, Neji, look at her with your byakugan, find the flaw." It would make sense, the mist elemental drew its power from the water vapor in the air. The metal elemental drew its power from minerals in the earth. The lightning elemental channeled static electricity and the potential differences in the air and ground. This one...perhaps can convert carbon to different forms.

Neji scanned the dancing figure. It took awhile and he had to use both his telescopic and penetrating vision. "There, behind the navel, but to get in close enough to hit that spot accurately would be suicide."

"I'll do it! I have a plan." Naruto offered. Not really, but I'll think of something in the next few seconds.

Naruto used kage bunshin, his clones ran toward her. She smiled and more shards shot out from all over her body. Naruto continued to replicate, letting his clones take the hits, again and again until he was close, close enough to use his rasengan. He hit her right in the stomach, in the navel. The crystalline exterior started to shatter. Shards exploded everywhere, cutting through the boulder and the pillar where the rest of the team took cover. The force of Naruto's rasengan drove the creature back, crashing into the cave walls, leaving a deep impression. Blood streamed from her head and her eyes lolled in their sockets.

Kakashi looked around the room. "Where is she? he asked anxiously.

Neji answered him, "There, behind those boxes, there's another room."

--------**************------

There she was, lying on the ground. Her clothes, or rather hospital gown, were practically bloody rags. Kakashi did not recognize her immediately, her lovely dark hair matted with crimson blood covered her face. She looked very much like a cast away ragdoll that had been through several rough children. He checked her pulse and pupils, then her bleeding wounds and broken bones.

Neji activated his byakugan, and scanned for internal injuries. "Her chakra is nearly nil. There's internal bleeding. I doubt if she'll survive the trip back."

The report came as no surprised. It was a miracle that she was alive at all after so many days. "She'll survive, she's a fighter," Kakashi insisted. In silence, as the rest of the team nursed their own wounds, Kakashi performed first aid, using his chakra to stop the bleeding and heal her more superficial wounds. He prayed that the internal damage was not extensive. There were medical kits in the safehouse which he confiscated to clean her wounds and wrap her in bandages and splints. "Naruto, pay attention! You need to know how to do this if you want to save her life." First a stasis seal, then a temporary chakra transfer, then he crushed some blood pills and soldier pills in water. He tried to coax her to drink some, but she was unresponsive. From a medkit he took out a hypodermic needle and used it to inject the solution into the pale blue vein in her left arm. Finally he took a woolen blanket and wrapped her tightly.

"Naruto, you have the most chakra left (a virtually unlimited supply, he thought) I want you to take her, use a summons, do whatever will get you back to Konoha the fastest way possible. Don't worry about sentries or anything else. Don't stop for anything. Take her to her father, he's the closest doctor there and then bring Tsunade to him. You need to do exactly what I did every hour, the stasis seal, chakra transfer and the injections. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir, I understand. But why back to…"

"It's not safe for her here, no more questions, just do it!"

Kakashi watched as Naruto carried her in his arms and sped way. It should be me bringing her home. But she needs help as soon as possible. I'm counting on you Naruto. Bring her back safely, please. His stomach clenched and he dropped to his knees. He finally felt the pain from his own wounds pervading his body.

------*************---------

The wind was cutting at her face. Her body bounced roughly from side to side. The disturbing pain and motion caused her to wake for just a few seconds. Who is this? Someone familiar but who? All she could make out was a shock of yellow hair with golden glints in the sunlight before everything faded to black again.

-End-

Author's Notes: This is pretty much what I imagined for the end of this story. In the next story, Rikako has memory loss and Kakashi tries to help her rebuild her life. I'll clean up what I have and post it sometime in the future.