'This is Videl. I'm in position. I can't sense anything yet.' Videl said as she reported from her position in the sky above the bridge via mental link.
'Understood. Maintain your position and keep your transformation up until said otherwise.' Replied Sakura.
Team 7 had begun their mission at the Tenchi bridge. During the remaining 4 days of their travel, Naruto, Videl and Sakura had reached their goal of 150 times gravity training. Naruto and Sakura were down on the ground set up near the bridge, while Kakashi was a few clicks away in a tree. Yamato had donned his disguise as Sasori and was waiting on the bridge for the informant. Videl was 500 feet above the bridge, transformed into a cloud to disguise her appearance, even though she doubted that anyone would notice her from that altitude.
"Sakura-chan." Naruto spoke up just above a whisper.
"What is it?" Sakura replied.
"If things get hairy, I want you to stay here."
"I'm not going to leave your side, Naruto." Sakura said with determination.
"Sakura-chan. If anything were to happen to you, I would never forgive myself. Plus, this new power of yours can't be called on at will yet, so that makes me worry about you even more. Just, please promise me you will find a safe place if things get bad." Naruto said with genuine concern.
Sakura could see the concern on Naruto's face as well as the concern in his tone. He truly was genuinely worried about her. After all of the training she has gone through, the countless blood, sweat and tears shed during the last week and a half, Naruto still worried that something would happen to her. The thought of that made her irritated at first, but she felt it was nice that her boyfriend would fret about her well being so much. It honestly made her comfortable in the fact that she was truly in good hands with Naruto.
Sakura just smiled softly and placed a kiss on Naruto's forehead.
"You really don't need to worry about me so much. But, I promise if shit does hit the fan, I'll find some place safe to go." Sakura said.
Naruto smiled and nodded, returning the kiss on Sakura's forehead and then returning his attention to the bridge.
"Naruto, Sakura. Stay focused." 'Videl, can you sense anything yet?' Kakashi said.
'I sense a relatively high Chakra level heading for the bridge. There is also a significantly higher one near that one as well, but its off a ways.. This may be our informant.' Videl replied.
'Understood. Maintain position.' Kakashi said via mental link. "Naruto, Sakura, Yamato. Videl says she has picked up on an incoming Chakra level. This may be our guy so stay alert."
"Understood." The 3 replied.
Elsewhere, Gohan, Tsunade and a freshly recovered Gaara were in the meeting chambers of the Hokage tower, going over Gohan's proposal as this planets defender.
Gaara had the same reaction as the Raikage at first, but then he remembered the stories Naruto told him about these newcomers and to have it comfirmed by Tsunade and to witness some of Gohan's techniques first hand and the report from the Raikage, solidified his resolve. The Mizukage and TsuchiKage already accepted Gohan based on the reports from the Raikage. Now it was Gaara's turn.
Gaara closed Gohan's file and interlaced his fingers as he rested his chin on them. He eyed Gohan with intense scrutiny, trying to see if Gohan would falter in any way. Gohan didn't budge, he remained solid and stern. Gaara smirked.
"I have heard a great deal about you and I like what I've heard and read. Your skills would be beneficial to our world and quite possibly bring about unity to the Shinobi villages."
"Thank you, lord Kazekage." Gohan said.
"Just call me Gaara. Any friend of Naruto's is a friend of mine. Where is he, actually?"
"He and the rest of team 7, including the one called Videl, are on a high rank mission." Tsunade said, to which Gaara nodded.
"Well then. To conclude this mission, I accept Gohan as our planets protector and am in favor of the motion to start the founding of the Neo Z Fighters." Gaara said.
Gohan was wide eyed. "Neo Z Fighters?"
Gaara and Tsunade nodded. "The Raikage brought it up at the annual Kage meeting yesterday and the other Kage's and myself agreed to the formation of this new team. You will be the leader and you may choose anyone you want to be added to your team from any village. He also presented me with a gift for you." Tsunade said as she pulled out an object wrapped up in a cloth and handed it to Gohan.
Gohan unwrapped the parcel and took out what was inside. It was a custom headband. The metal plate was made of Brass. Etched on it was a large Z with a circle in the middle of it. In the circle were four five pointed stars in a symmetrical formation. The plate was adorned atop of a red sash. Gohan eyed the beautifully crafted headband and smiled. Without delay, he tied it around his forehead to show it off.
"That symbol signifies the Neo Z Fighters. Your teams job will be to protect the innocent and to deter any planetary threat. You can choose up to 5 members per village and we will present you with their files." Tsunade said cheerfully.
"It took some time to get the Daimyo's to agree to this, but they eventually agreed that your help would be beneficial to our world. You answer to them, but us Kage's have to take your orders as you give them." Gaara said.
Gohan nodded. "Thank you very much. I already have 3 people in mind to add to the team."
Tsunade smirked. "Videl, Naruto and Sakura, no?"
Gohan nodded. Then his expression turned serious. "I select Sakura mainly because she has an enormous power laying within her. Videl showed me the other day that Sakura had unlocked it briefly and she took on a powerful transformation. Her power skyrocketed to the point where she could put me in a corner. I don't know what the cause of this power is or why she has it, but she is strong and I want to help her unlock it."
Tsunade was taken aback, She had received no word about some secret power that her Student has. Then she thought back to stories she heard her grandfather talk about. about how a savior among them would come, taking on the form of ones true element with emense amounts of power. "What did it look like?"
"Her hair had turned from pink to a dark purple and the rest of her, including her clothes were several different shades of blue. Her eyes had become solid midnight blue and she seemed to be surrounded by a blue and white aura. She dwarfed my first Super Saiyan form and was nearly overpowering my second. Whatever this form was, she was by far stronger than nearly all of my previous opponents and her attack nearly put Videl in a grave." Gohan explained.
Tsunade's eyes were as wide as dinner plates as her hands trembled. She wasn't scared, she was excited and shocked.
"There is an old prophecy about a being who had been the reincarnation of a god and is said to take on the true nature of their element and it is also said that this being is to possess an immense amount of power. This is merely speculation, but the way you described it, it sounds to me that Sakura has the ability to use Kami Mode. This is a transformation long thought to be a myth, but if what you say is true, then we need to find out more."
"It's funny, because the Super Saiyan transformation was once told to be mere legends until my dad achieved it when we fought Freeza. I achieved it a few years later and so did our friend Vegeta. Now I hear that my younger brother, Goten, and Vegeta's son, Trunks, can also use this transformation and it's highly possible that Videl can too." Gohan explained.
"Where are you going with this?" Gaara asked.
"It is highly possible that it is just a transformation of your race that can only be achieved through rigorous training and meditating. When Team 7 comes back, I will give Sakura special training to help her control this power and access it at will."
Tsunade and Gaara nodded in agreement. If Gohan was successful in this training for Sakura, this may open many doors for the people of this planet and a new insight to what they are truely capable of as Shinobi. Time will tell on that front. With everything said and done, The meeting came to a close and Gohan had to start looking around for new recruits. Since he was the leader of a planetary defense team, he was allowed to travel anywhere he wanted to in search of recruits. The first place on his list was the Hidden Cloud Village.
Hours later, back with Team 7 at the Tenchi bridge…
Everyone was growing weary, as tended to be the case in stake-outs. Naruto, never a patient boy to begin with, was becoming more and more restless as the hours dragged on. Sakura tried her best to keep him quite, but her patience was wearing thin as well. Videl had to retreat to the high altitude clouds twice to replenish her chakra to keep up her illusion. Kakashi was sighing at his three youngest teammates and how far they still had to go as far as stealth was concerned. Sure they were powerful beyond question, stronger than Kakashi had ever hoped to be, but strength could only get you so far in the ninja world. Although out of all the shinobi present, none had more right to complain than Yamato. For his was the most crucial role in the entire snatch and grab operation.
Using his unique wood jutsu, he was able to create a replica puppet similar to Sasori's outer shell puppet, but only in appearance. The team's hope was that it would be enough to convince their contact that Yamato was Sasori and share his intel.
With luck, he could also convince the spy to drop his guard and follow Yamato into the woods where Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were waiting in ambush.
It was a good plan, the best they could come up with given their small man power, and Videl's aerial reconnaissance plus her mental link with all the squad mates only increased the likelihood of success. It was just…hot as balls in the puppet suit.
The cool, crisp mornings had turned into a hot and humid afternoon and Yamato was feeling the heat. While Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura were hidden beneath the shade of the trees and Videl could feel a chilly breeze at her altitude. Yamato was stuck in a thick wooden coffin with a black cloak draped on top of it. The wind from the canyon below and the occasional cloud cover did nothing against the build up of body heat after spending more than six hours trapped in his wooden cocoon.
'How in the fuck did Sasori travel through the desert in this freaking thing? The guy wasn't human.' Yamato thought to himself.
Normally he wouldn't complain of such discomforts on a mission. He was an ANBU Captain after all, raised by Root and a special operative of the ANBU forces all his life. But the constant whining of the teenagers going off in the back of his head was starting to wear on him and he found himself thinking of his own gripes. There was a reason not ever Jounin had the stomach to train Genin if this was the result three years down the line. The pre-pubesant academy students had turned into horny teenagers who couldn't yet keep dating out of their priority list on missions.
'If the flying girl asks about how Sakura's date went one more time I'm going to asked to be disconnected. I don't care if I miss the warning, they can shout at me that the target is approaching and blow the mission.'
'We can hear you, you know?'
'AND I CAN HEAR YOU! Now can we please keep silent on the mental link until the target arrives? Or better yet can somebody switch with me? I am roasting in this damn thing.'
'Jeez, Tenzo, you weren't this whiny back when we worked together in ANBU.' Kakashi thought.
'You two worked together?' Sakura asked her sensei.
'You were in ANBU?' Videl asked Kakashi.
'Your name is Tenzo?' Naruto asked Yamato.
Before either of them could respond, Videl cut them both off.
'Wait a second guys, I'm sensing someone…Yeah a lone power level, average strength, coming right towards you Tenzo.'
'Its Yama-nevermind, are you sure it's the target?'
'He's no civilian, that much I can tell…he stopped moving, probably looking around.'
'Do either of you have eyes on the target?' Kakashi inquired.
'Negative.' Yamato thought.
'Negative, but the target is moving again. You should see him shortly Yamato.' Videl informed.
Yamato readied himself as a hooded figure emerged from the treeline and stepped onto the Tenchi bridge. He or she was sporting a grey cloak that completely covered the wearer's features. From the head down to the tips of the toes.
'Classic 'look at me I'm so inconspicuous' cloak. This is bound to be our guy.' Yamato relayed to the rest of the squad who all sent back reaffirming thoughts.
'Ok Yamato, meet him halfway on the bridge and play it cool.' Kakashi directed.
'I'm on it.'
'Sakura, if you notice any inconsistencies with our Sasori's mannerisms, help correct them.'
'Understood.'
'Videl, keep sensing the surrounding area for stragglers. I don't want any party crashers. Be ready to run interference if outsiders get too close.'
'Got it.'
'Naruto, stay ready. If things get hairy, don't move in unless Yamato or myself gives the order.'
'Right.'
'10 meters from the target.' Yamato reported. All the pieces were in place.
'Alright, initiate phase three.' Kakashi ordered.
"Greetings Sasori of the Red Sand." The hooded figure spoke to the disguised Yamato. An air of respect lingering in his voice.
"Likewise." Yamato spoke in the best impression he could make of the voice Sakura could remember coming from the Puppeteer's first form.
"I must admit you caught me by surprise. Usually you wait until I step into the open before revealing yourself. Your appearance is more attractive to wandering eyes." Yamato flicked his costume's tail as a show of authenticity.
"Felt like catching a nice tan." Yamato replied back.
"Was that supposed to be a joke?" The figure asked, taking a tiny step back.
"Am I not allowed to make a joke?" Yamato inquired.
'No no! Sasori didn't joke like that. He was more old-fashioned.' Sakura frantically thought.
'You said he was cocky.'
'Not that cocky.'
"I suppose not." The figure laughed ever so slightly. A bead of sweat dropped down Yamato's brow.
"Could we knock off this dilly dallying and get to business? I have more pressing matters to attend to." Yamato demanded.
'Dilly dallying?' Naruto asked.
'Shut up.' Yamato thought back.
"But of course." The figure agreed. A collective sigh was released by the rest of the team. "I just need the pass code." The figure said. Everyone froze.
'Sasori never mentioned a pass code! Just a date and a time for the meeting!' Sakura thought.
'That bastard set us up!' Inner Sakura thought privately to Sakura.
'No choice then. We have to take him. Videl, Naruto, get ready!' Kakashi ordered.
"The pass code? Or course, its-" Yamato whipped out a kunai to attack the informant, who quickly dropped into a defensive stance. But instead of jumping back, he jumped to Yamato's side and faced back towards the end of the bridge Yamato was facing.
'What is he?' "Hello there Sasori." A new voice hissed. To the three original members of Team Kakashi, it was a familiar voice, but it couldn't be.
Yamato gazed down the path of the bridge to see another figure, a man he knew well. The same man that had made Yamato's own childhood a living hell.
Videl looked down to see the third party that had come into play. From 500 feet up she could make out only the faintest of details. A tan outfit held up at the waist by thick purple ropes, arms crossed in a relax manner, long black hair that made it difficult to tell if it was a man or a woman, and the palest white skin Videl had ever seen. One thing was the certain though, everything about this figure gave the half Saiyan the distinct impression of a snake.
'Videl! Why didn't you inform the team that Orochimaru was here?!' Kakashi mentally scolded.
'What? I'm sorry, I didn't sense any Ki or Chakra signatures. He must know how to suppress them both.' She thought back, feeling a little ashamed of herself. Her one job and she failed.
"Thank God you pulled that kunai when you did." The figure spoke. "Otherwise Orochimaru could have slit my throat without me even noticing."
"Don't mention it." Yamato replied, returning the kunai back beneath his cloak, his cover safe for now.
"My my, come now why the theatrics? Did you think I wouldn't know it was you who was betraying me, Kabuto?" Orochimaru spoke with venom in his words.
'What, Kabuto?' Sakura thought, more so than the others.
The figure sighed and pulled his hood back, revealing himself to be none other than Kabuto. With his grey hair wrapped in a pony-tail and his black rimmed full moon spectacles.
"One never could pull the wool over your eyes, my Lord." Kabuto answered. He quickly fired off the hand signs necessary to activate his mystic palm: scalpel technique. Turning his right hand into a bladed weapon sharp enough for surgery, as well as less delicate arts.
"Yes, but I must admit you kept up this façade longer than most. It was one of the reasons I recruited you in the first place, for your espionage skills." Orochimaru complimented.
"Why thank you my Lord." Kabuto graciously replied.
'This is bad.' Yamato thought. 'Kabuto will know I am not Sasori the moment I try to fight back.'
'We never anticipated Orochimaru arriving on the scene. At worst he would send lackeys to dispose of any traitors to his organization, but Kabuto? His right-hand man? We've struck gold, but the dragon is here to defend his treasure.' Kakashi thought.
'We can take him!' Videl thought. 'Naruto, Sakura, and I have been training non stop in the gravity room. Our power levels dwarf Orochimaru like its not even funny.'
'No! Do not underestimate Orochimaru. He has more than enough tricks up his sleeve that raw power won't be enough to take him on.' Kakashi thought.
'Oh give me a break. I'll just flash right down there and blast that snake to Kingdom come.'
'Stand down Videl, that's an order!' Kakashi sternly thought.
'I still need a game plan over here!' Yamato thought. 'What happens now?'
To answer his question, Kabuto quickly brought his hand down upon the puppet shell, slicing it open to reveal the Yamato hidden inside. Yamato quickly hopped back out of melee range.
'He attacked me? But I thought he was Akatsuki's double agent?' Yamato thought.
"Excellent work, Kabuto. Posing as a triple agent for so long." Orochimaru commented. "Although it seems our effort spent on trying to surprise the Akatsuki was wasted on these Leaf whelps."
"Always a shame, my Lord." Kabuto replied before addressing Yamato. "Oh I knew you weren't Sasori all along. The man is nothing if not meticulous, always greeting me with the passcode and nothing else. Its hard to gather intel when your contact is always straight to the point. Still, it was a good way of letting the Akatsuki know exactly what Lord Orochimaru wanted them to know about him."
"Forgive me, but my higher ups were under the impression that you were serving Sasori while under some kind of mind control jutsu." Yamato asked, trying to buy time for his team to think up a plan.
"Oh, my Lord removed that pesky genjutsu years ago. I only serve Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto explained.
"Now if you're quite done playing the lone wolf, you could signal your back up to come closer and stop hiding behind those trees, my Little Experiment." Orochimaru spoke with a venom that sent shivers down Yamato's spine. Not just that fact that he knew about his teammates, but that he remembered Yamato as one of the kids he experimented on.
'Well crap.' Yamato thought as he signaled the rest of his squad.
'Kakashi, do we seriously go out in the open?' Videl thought. Her other two squad mates remained silent.
'We will. You stay up there for now.' Kakashi ordered. The rest of Team 7 jumped out of their hiding spots and in front of where Yamato was kneeling.
"Well well, isn't this day just full of surprises?" Kabuto stated. "I wasn't expecting the Kyuubi brat, the fangirl, and the cyclops to show up. What's the matter? Here to save your wayward teammate again? Didn't you get the memo? He's dead."
That struck a nerve with Sakura. To hear it again from Kabuto made it all the more real.
"Give…him…back…" A dark voice growled beside Sakura. She turned her head and was shocked to discover that it came from her blond love Naruto. Who looked possessed, his once barely noticeable whisker marks now thickened and prominent on his face, his hair was more frazzled, his ocean blue eyes were now blood red and slit like an animal's, and his face…it was full of rage.
"What are you going on about?" Kabuto asked. "Are you off your rocker?"
The other occupants noticed that there was now something foul in the air. Not a stench, a feeling.
"You took Sasuke away. You got him killed. Now give him back…" Naruto spoke, his teeth now baring visible fangs. His lips turned black.
"Have you forgotten? Sasuke came to Lord Orochimaru on his own. Seeking power. Yet he sought vengeance against his brother too and his arrogance led to his downfall. He attacked Itachi before he was ready like a fool. He died by his own hand as much as he did by his brother's." Kabuto explained in a manner he would use against a child.
"Don't pretend to understand how other people feel, Four-Eyes!" Sakura yelled back in defense of Naruto.
"Oh please." Orochimaru interjected. "Quit it with your pathetic thoughts of sentimentality, girl. It doesn't befit a ninja." Everyone's eyes turned to Orochimaru, who was not one known for displaying annoyance. Usually arrogance, for he was always in control.
"Why you three continue to pester me over that useless Uchiha is beyond me. In the end he was a traitor to you and a failure to me. He was no prodigy, just an arrogant child that took my training and wasted my time. Such a failure." Orochimaru finished.
The foul air then condensed around Naruto, its source, into a thick fog of bubbly orange chakra. It shifted and wrapped around him like a thick cloak. The cloak took shape around Naruto, giving him claws, long ears, and three tails. Even from high up above Videl could feel the air pressure surrounding Naruto, like a thousand bee-stings.
"I SAID GIVE HIM BACK!" Naruto screamed. He launched himself at Orochimaru with a devastating swipe of his right claw. The snake sannin was knocked back into the trees. Kabuto, who was standing next to his master, was thrown aside by the shockwave of Naruto's movement. Only by grabbing onto the railing did the medical spy keep from tumbling hundreds of feet to the river below.
The rest of Team 7 had to shield their faces and apply chakra to their feet to keep from being blow back by Naruto's overwhelming power.
Orochimaru, meanwhile, had crawled out of the remnants of his distorted body, like a snake shedding its skin. "I am curious!" He called out to the Jinchuriki. "How well Jiraiya managed to train his own apprentice!"
At the behest of Orochimaru's taunts, Naruto threw his head back and bellowed a massive roar. The resulting shockwave blew the concrete and steel bridge in two, sending shrapnel in every direction.
Reacting quickly, Yamato created a wooden barrier to absorb the worst of the blast, but couldn't expand it in time to cover Kakashi and Sakura as well. All three were knocked back by the explosion. Sakura took a massive blow to the head when she hit the ground. Kakashi was better off but still dazed.
The bridge began to bend under its own weight. Yamato was just coherent enough to summon up large wooden pillars to try and stop the bridge from falling. Kakashi managed to grab a rail by his elbow, but Sakura remained unconscious and was sliding off the bridge.
"VIDEL, GRAB SAKURA!" Yamato yelled. Videl was snapped out of her own daze. Everything had happened so fast, it was overwhelming. So this is what ninja missions were like.
Videl swooped down and picked up Sakura right as she entered free fall. Then she tossed the pink haired medic over her shoulder and flew over to pick up Yamato and Kakashi be the scruff of their necks and carried them to safety.
Once on solid ground, Videl reached into her poach and pulled out three senzu beans for each of them. Yamato was hesitant at first but quickly chewed the offering and was instantly rejuvenated. Kakashi likewise pulled down his mask and ate the bean faster than anyone could detect.
Damn. Thought Yamato. Missed my chance.
Videl helped the unconscious Sakura chew her senzu bean. Instantly the medic woke up feeling refreshed but panicked. "NARUTO!" She shouted.
"Sakura, relax!" Videl shouted, holding the girl back. "Its fine. You guys just stay here, I'm going after Naruto." The whole squad was shocked at Videl's proclamation.
"Videl, wait!" Kakashi ordered but it was too late. The brunette had already blasted off towards where Naruto was last seen headed.
Sakura was about to sprint off after her when Kakashi place his arm in front of her. "Sakura, wait! Not you too."
Sakura was frantically shuddering. "Move Kakashi-sensei! I need to-
"Stay here and help us think up a plan." Kakashi interrupted. His hands now gripping Sakura's shoulders, determined to keep her in place.
"But Naruto-
"Is beyond reason right now." Kakashi once again interrupted. Sakura was too caught up in her own worry to look directly at Kakashi, but Yamato could see the look of pain in his eyes (well, eye, the one that wasn't covered). Sakura stopped her fighting and went quiet. She felt so helpless right now.
"Not even Orochimaru can defeat Naruto while he is in that state. The Kyuubi is too powerful. But we need a plan if we want to subdue him." Kakashi reassured Sakura, which somewhat helped brighten her mood, but only just.
"Yamato, send a wood clone after Naruto and tell Videl to get back here. She's not concentrating anymore and the mental link has been cut." Kakashi ordered, not taking his hands off his student's shoulders as a show of support.
"Already on it." Yamato replied, even now a figure of wood was detatching itself from Yamato's form and took on its creator's appearance. The wood clone Yamato then jumped off the edge of the cliff and rode atop a rapidly expanding wood pillar.
Meanwhile, Videl was tracking Naruto. Which didn't prove to be all that difficult, she just had to listen for the explosions. Videl had never expected this from Naruto. Even though she had seen his three tails form before in the gravity room, this version was a lot less controlled. More raw and…evil.
This wasn't the main thing plaguing Videl's mind though, it was her own failure. Twice now she had let down the team. She failed to notice Orochimaru before hand and if it wasn't for Yamato yelling at her she might have let Sakura fall to her death. Her first mission and she had already screwed up so much.
'No matter though.' She thought. 'I'm a half Saiyan, I have Gohan's training and the training of the greatest Jounins in the Leaf. I'll subdue Naruto and kick that slime-ball Orochimaru's butt back to the Leaf village. Just you wait.'
Another explosion rang off and Videl zeroed in on her teammate who was busy tearing up the landscape below her with Orochimaru dodging his every attack.
From the small of Naruto's backside now four tails protruded outward. The bubbling chakra was now boiling the young man's skin like roasted chicken. With each furious swipe, more of the Jinchuriki's skin peeled off. His blood began to bleed into the chakra cloak which mixed, turning the Kyuubi cloak dark red. The only light that could be seen was the glow of the Jinchuriki's eyes.
'Is…is that the demonic fox?' Videl thought to herself. Having only heard the briefest explanations from others about the demon sealed inside Naruto.
"You know something?" Orochimaru taunted. "I'm starting to think that my bumbling teammate was right! You are superior to Sasuke, my little fox. I should have chosen you as my vessel. You have so much more rage inside you that I could exploit. And you carry so much less baggage. Not like your worthless teammate, he was always more concerned with his own goals than that of his master's. Not like you, fox boy, you have undying loyalty. I can see that. The way you throw yourself to a demon for power for the sake of an already dead man!"
"RAAAAARH!" The jinchuriki roared back. This time however, instead of lunging at his prey, the mini fox took up a stance. The bloody chakra clinging to him broke off and formed baseball sized orbs all floating around him. One by one they gravitated towards the mouth of the Jinchuriki where they compressed themselves into a dense new orb as black as night.
'And what are you going to do with that, little fox?' Orochimaru thought to himself.
The Jinchuriki swallowed the dense chakra orb and instantly his body inflated like Choji's expansion jutsu.
'Oh fuck me with a weasel.' Orochimaru thought while nipping the tips of his thumbs with his teeth.
BOOM!
The Kyuubi vessel released the built up chakra in a massive blast, headed directly at the snake sannin.
Orochimaru slammed his palms down and summoned the Three Sacred Gates just in the nick of time.
Videl was blinded by the resulting explosion, the air pressure made her ears pop. By the time she had rubbed the light out of her eyes the dust had settled and all that remained was a barren field a mile across. Neither Naruto nor Orochimaru were anywhere to be seen.
'Unreal.' She thought. As she hovered in the air in awe, her eyes focused on a patch of dirt where Naruto crawled his way out, still in his bloody Kyuubi cloak.
"Naruto!" She cried, descending down to the ground. The Jinchuriki ignored her and shook off the debris that still clung to his cloak.
"Naruto, its okay now. You won, you can calm down now and-" Videl never got to finish her sentence as at that moment, the Jinchuriki looked at the half Saiyan. His glowing eyes pierced her very soul. The killing intent he was giving off was of an intensity Videl had never before experienced. It was cold, and evil, and wouldn't think twice about swatting her aside.
"…I…" Despite herself, Videl could not summon up her courage. Not that it matter, as two senbon came sailing out of the bushes and found their mark near Videl's jugular vein. The half Saiyan was instantly knocked out and fell face first into the dirt.
The Jinchuriki tilted his head at the strange actions of his new prey when out of nowhere the upper half of Orochimaru came bursting through the dirt and punched the Kyuubi vessel squarely in the cheek. It was pointless however, as the chakra grew into a secondary torso of the Jinchuriki and swatted at the snake sannin, slicing him in two. The severed sannin torso was sent flying back but was caught by a river of snakes that quickly reunited the upper half of Orochimaru's body with its lower half. Similarly, the two torsos of the Jinchuriki merged back into one and the mini fox pressed his attack.
As the two monsters battled on, a lone figure emerged from the tree line, looking battered and bruised after surviving the afternoon's initial explosion. Yet he could hardly be described as in a bad mood. He picked up the unconscious form of the half Saiyan girl in a fireman's carry and pushed up his full moon spectacles with a sense of smug superiority.
"Target captured." Kabuto spoke aloud.
Sakura and the rest of Team 7 were still on the other side of the remains of the Tenchi bridge.
At Kakashi's insistence, they remained behind to think up a plan of action for subduing Naruto. The main problem being how they were supposed to keep Orochimaru away from the Jinchuriki long enough for the Kyuubi chakra to be contained. Even then, how to escape from the deranged Sannin with two jounin, a medical chunin, a missing genin, and a KO'd man. It was common knowledge that to take down a sannin you needed the two other sannin. Even with three of their members revised to full strength thanks to Videl's senzu beans, Kakashi did not like their odds. This mission had exceeded their parameters. Experience had taught Kakashi that they needed to fall back and regroup. Yet a negling feeling in the back of Kakashi's head made him think that given his group's strength, with Naruto wearing Orochimaru down, they could have a chance at taking the rogue sannin down once and for all.
'No.' Thought Kakashi. 'Right now Naruto is the priority. In his state, he's too much of a wild card. We need to focus our efforts on subduing him. By then we'll most likely be too worn out to take on Orochimaru by ourselves. Even if we were, Sakura would prioritize Naruto's safety and stay out of the fight to attend to him. Videl, where ever she is, is still too raw for me to rely upon her in this kind of fight. And Yamato and I together still wouldn't be enough.'
Kakashi sighed. Didn't he just get back from a crazy over the top mission? He really was getting too old for this shit if he missed the lulls between exciting missions like before Naruto returned.
'Things aren't going to calm down for a while now, aren't they?' He asked himself, already knowing the answer.
The Jounin's eyes looked off at his one kunoichi student. Sakura was trying in vain to keep herself composed, but every explosion they heard sent her stomach plummeting down into her guts. That was her boyfriend fighting over there, the boy who had loved her since their academy days and had finally managed to win her heart. More to the point that was her teammate out there fighting against a monster and Sakura was stuck here waiting for Captain Yamato's wood clone to return to give them an update. This was exactly the reason Sakura had undergone all that intense training from the Hokage. To not be left behind while her teammates risked their lives while she stood by the sidelines! Years of backbreaking conditioning, sleepless nights spent reading medical books thick enough to beat goats to death with, followed by real world open heart surgeries the next morning. And for what?
To stay behind and think up a plan.
'Fuck this.'
Before Sakura could stand up to protest, Yamato cupped his left hand to his ear.
"Guys my clone radioed back!" Yamato said excited. Kakashi and Sakura's faces also lite up with anticipation for some action. "He says that Naruto is fighting with Orochimaru in a large field 5 miles east of here."
CRASH!
Faster than any of the ninjas could see, a man sized figure came hurling from the east and crashed right into the cliff side of the Tenchi canyon. The dust that was kick up obstructed the shinobi from seeing what exactly had been launched at them, but they could see an impossibly long staff of metal protruding from the dust cloud and running all the way back towards the horizon. They only later realized that it was a sword.
The dust cloud soon dissipated, leaving behind a crater with a silhouette in the center of it.
Sakura didn't know what to make of it. From where she stood, it looked like a million black and bloody tendrils had amassed to form a single humanoid body, but it was far from human. Its limbs were stretched, its fingers sharp like claws, it had animal hind legs, glowing eyes, jagged fangs, long ears, and four fox tails- Sakura gasped. It couldn't be…
"…Naruto?" She whispered. Fearing the answer.
The creature bellowed an impossible loud screech. It grabbed the blade that had failed to penetrate its chest and tossed it aside.
"Watch out!" Kakashi cried as he yanked Sakura back for safety. The tip of the sword coming dangerously close to where Sakura was once standing.
Miles away, the head of Orochimaru was hanging high up in the air being supported by his elongated neck. From his mouth the sword protruded from.
'So even the Snake's Mystic Sword cannot penetrate your hide, eh fox?' Orochimaru thought. He looked down to his most loyal servant with a female draped over his shoulders. 'No matter, I got what I came for.'
The sannin retracted his blade back into his mouth and his neck snapped back into its normal length.
"Come along Kabuto, we have much work to do."
"Yes, my Lord." The two rogue ninjas sprinted off towards their hideout leaving the remnants of Team 7 to sort out their teammate's temper tantrum.
Unknown to either of them, a figure hidden within the trees was following them close behind.
Back at the ruins of the Tenchi bridge, Kakashi had been playing the most intense game of keep away in his life.
Naruto had gone completely ballistic, the Kyuubi had poisoned his mind and he could no longer tell friend from foe. He attacked anything that moved, yet he seemed especially drawn to Sakura. What especially wasn't helping matters was that Sakura had chosen that exact moment to go into a daze. Forcing Kakashi to have to jump around her daydreaming ass weighing him down.
Meanwhile Yamato was attempting to seal away the Kyuubi chakra in Naruto, but it was proving impossible. Naruto would just break free of any restraints Yamato put on him and the wood user was starting to run low on chakra.
Inside Sakura's mind, memories were flashing all around her.
"My dream is to one day be the greatest Hokage ever. Then the villagers will stop hating me and treat me like I'm somebody. Somebody important."
"Nice to see you're back, Master!"
"But I can do it! I'm awesome!"
"Hey, Sakura-chan. Can you help me get the hang of this?"
"DON'T EVER UNDERESTIMATE ME! I DON'T QUIT AND I DON'T RUN!"
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, this'll be a piece of cake."
"Sakura-chan, wha-what happened to your hair?"
"If you let yourself lose to that crazy Sasuke-chaser you'll be a disgrace to all women!"
"I vow to win…"
"Hey Sakura-chan!"
"Hey Sakura-chan!"
"Sakura-chan…"
"Don't you worry one bit! I'll bring Sasuke back to you in no time! It's a promise of a lifetime!"
"I never go back on my word. Cause that is my shinobi way."
"Hey Sakura-chan."
"God do I love you…"
With every flash of her memories, Sakura tried to fill the image of Naruto with this new image of the demon he had become, it just didn't add up.
'This…this isn't Naruto!' Sakura thought as she felt her mental projection being twirled around to face her inner self.
'No shit! Now get there! Naruto needs you!' Her inner self screamed.
Sakura was snapped back into reality where she was being held in Kakashi's arms while he dodged another one of Kyuubi Naruto's slash attacks. She untangled herself from her sensei's arms and stood up.
"Is your head back in the game, Sakura?" Kakashi demanded. There was no time for niceties.
"Yeah, I'm good." Sakura replied, not taking her eyes off of Naruto as he tried to dislodge his arm which had gotten stuck after that last attack hit the ground.
"Good, then heal up Yamato. He's the only one that can seal the Kyuubi's chakra. I'll keep Naruto distracted." Before Sakura could say a word in reply, Kakashi had already sprinted towards the Jinchuriki. His Sharingan uncovered and working overtime to anticipate the raging Jinchuriki's movements. He fired off the appropriate signs to active his Lightning Blade technique. Although instead of thrusting his fingertips into the Kyuubi vessels flesh, he struck him with his open palm, sending an electric shock pulsing through the Kyuubi host. It was enough though, as the boy simply grew angrier. Kakashi jumped over his target as the vessel thrashed about. Kakashi struck again, this time hitting the boy's lower back and then his thigh, still no effect. Three pulses of electric current through a target's nervous system was always more than enough to incapacitate them. Either the Fox's chakra was nullifying Kakashi's lightning jutsu or the demon chakra itself was controlling Naruto's movements.
While Kakashi played tag with the mini demon fox, Sakura was hard at work restoring Yamato's chakra.
"We need a plan." Yamato spoke in between grunts of pain. His muscles felt incredibly sore after just a short time dodging Naruto's attacks.
"I thought Kakashi said you could seal away the Kyuubi's chakra?" Sakura asked, forcing herself to focus on her patient instead of her boyfriend.
"I can, but it takes time to drain the Kyuubi's chakra away and I can't pin Naruto down. It's all that damn gravity training he does. It increased his base strength to unimaginable levels and the Kyuubi chakra only enhanced that so my wood isn't enough to hold him still." Yamato explained. That set a light bulb off in Sakura's head.
"Captain Yamato, do you think you have enough chakra to seal the Kyuubi chakra away?"
"Yeah, but only to seal it away. That things are going I'd need the chakra of two other Jounin to be able to hold Naruto down." Sakura stopped her mystic palm technique midway through healing Yamato. "What are you-
"Alright, get ready to seal him." Sakura tightened her black gloves, a habit she developed whenever getting ready for a tough fight.
"Sakura, you're not planning on fighting Naruto are you? Me and Kakashi can handle this, we just need to wait for Kakashi to wear Naruto down so that- Sakura, wait!" Yamato shouted as Sakura made a bee line for Naruto at speeds barely visible to the human eye.
Kakashi was on his last leg fighting against Naruto, literally, one of Naruto's swipes had cut into one of his leg tendons and he was finding it difficult to put any weight on his right leg. Soon adrenaline would wear off and that would be it. He'd have to try something lethal if things didn't improve.
Naruto lunged at Kakashi who was preparing his chakra for another quick leap when the enraged Jinchuriki found himself yanked back down to the ground by his tail.
On the other end was Sakura holding the end of one of his tail. The bloody chakra smeared across her shirt as the actual Kyuubi chakra burned her skin. Tears were streaking down her cheeks yet a look of pure determination could be seen in her green eyes.
"Sakura, are you crazy? Get back!" Kakashi screamed, but it was too late. Kyuubi Naruto got over the shock of the girl's boldness of grabbing his tail and lunged at her. Instead of dodging back, she stepped into the Jinchuriki's path, managing to pin the boy's arms into an iron grip hug.
The Kyuubi vessel thrashed about with all his strength, but Sakura had been training in the gravity room as well. With her chakra enhancing her already impressive base strength, the most the Jinchuriki could do was dig his claws into her backside. Every slash felt like hot iron nails being dragged across her back, but Sakura refused to yield. Naruto was in there somewhere and if enduring this pain meant bring him back then she would endure it for as long as it took. She rested her cheek on her boyfriend's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Shhhhh, be still Naruto, be quiet. It'll all be over soon." The Jinchuriki continued to fight against her, but could not break free.
Neither Kakashi nor Yamato could believe what they were seeing. They also couldn't decide which was more unbelievable; that Sakura thought she could hold down a raging Kyuubi chakra enhanced Naruto or that it was working. Either way Yamato wasted no time in raised the necessary pillars to begin the sealing. He had never attempted this jutsu on the real thing before, and especially never when there was a third party involved. This could kill Sakura by sucking out her own chakra along with the Kyuubi's. Not that it mattered, they were out of options. Yamato slammed his palms down onto the ground.
"SEAL!" He shouted, twelve pillars release tentacles of chakra that wrapped around the forms of Sakura and Naruto. The two of them were wrapped in a cocoon of glowing green chakra before the chakra extended a sign arm to meet Yamato's outstretched arm. Slowly, ever so slowly, the chakra receded until it came from a single point on Naruto's chest. Dragging along with it the bloody Kyuubi chakra that had been covering him. Soon Kakashi and Yamato could see the blond's golden locks again, then his face with skin colored an angry red to match the look of overwhelming pain upon his face. The poor boy moaned in pain, just barely conscious. All the while he was held in place by the pink haired medic who refused to let go.
Once all the evil chakra had been absorbed, Naruto slumped against Sakura's embrace. She didn't even recoil when the young man's entire weight was brought down against her. She was prepared to endear all that and more.
"Sakura…" Kakashi called out when Sakura went a few moments without moving.
The girl shifted her weight and lowered her boyfriend gently down to the ground. Making extra sure not to agitate his burned skin more than necessary and that he was comfortable while laying down. Once she was satisfied that he was comfortable, she unzipped his jacket and got to work healing Naruto's burns.
Neither men said a word. Neither dared to break the tranquil silence. Although each secretly wished that they too would be lucky enough to find a girlfriend as gentle and caring as Sakura.
The moment was ruined when Yamato received radio chatter from his clone.
"Kakashi." He whispered, not wanting to break Sakura's concentration. "My wood clone reports that Orochimaru and Kabuto are retreating back to their hideout. My wood clone is pursuing but…"
"But?" Kakashi whispered back, his patience long since spent.
"He believes that Videl has been kidnapped by them. No idea what they plan on doing with her." The wood user reported.
"Shit…" Kakashi whispered. His gaze fell upon his two former Genin students. Unknown to him, Sakura had heard them but continued to focus on healing Naruto.
'One crisis at a time…'
Uh oh! Videl got a little more than she bargained for! With Naruto's rage subsided, how will team 7 handle getting Videl back? What will Gohan do when he catches wind that his girlfriend is in the hands of the enemy? Will Videl be able to break free on her own? Find out next time on Legacy of Heroes!
Next Time: Videl's ascension; Orochimaru's demise
