A/N: well, I'm sure you all realize a few things about the temporal placement of this event, and rest assured, it will be relevant. I'm not going to elaborate for fear of spoiling the plot, but be patient.
The one called sugar: YES!
Ten Wings: you forgot the doom.
Dragon man 180: while I do hate Sasuke, its for honorific and tactical reasons. From what I've seen, he's a tactical retard. He also is honor-less for betraying his own village under the conditions he did..
Crow T R0bot: you make assumptions too quickly. Keep reading you'll see my reasons. Thanks for the meter on the gravemind, its very enlightening, though a bitch to write. Though upon checking his phrases as he talks, I notice he doesn't usually talk in septa meter at all. he tends to just have two lines of similar syllables in a trochee format, plus one extra word. He also switches to iambic occasionally.
And also I must make mention, this chapter would not have been possible in the superb form it is, if not for the help of Gloria Stone, another writer, who gave me some of the dialog. (By the way, to said author, I didn't need to change it after all as most of the words lined up anyway.)
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"The... flood? As in water?" Naruto asked.
Orda scoffed at the lack of knowledge on the human's part, but realized they had never dealt with them before. "A parasite more powerful then you shall ever see." he said, "We should make our way out of here, we don't have sufficient strength to fight these opponents, we would be overwhelmed."
"But what about the miners?" Sakura asked.
"They are already dead." Jira replied.
"Pretty quick to abandon them aren't you?" Sasuke stated.
"Quiet you impudent brat, the flood are not to be trifled with." Qwaar retorted.
Kakashi interjected before things got out of hand, "Well we should at least get moving, and right now we only have one way to go." he said, gesturing further into the cave.
"So be it." Zuka stated.
The group got into a rough formation, and proceeded down deeper into the cave. Sakura still held a flare in front, and their sight range was also extended by the glow from the elites plasma weapons. The group started to become tense in the silence, the only noises were the footfalls they created when they stepped on the hard rock, or in some cases, the soft protrusions of the flood that had infested the cave walls.
The group was also unnerved by the larger blobs they would see periodically on the walls. It showed just how much organic mass whatever they were headed towards, had. Some were the size of people, others, though they didn't project outward very much, were wide enough to block the cavern if they were placed in the way. Suddenly, Orda had a horrid realization.
He ran up to one of the larger blobs, and pulled out the map.
"What is it?" Jira asked.
"Come here, look at this." he gestured to all of them. They all walked over, eager to hear his news.
"I've been noticing these larger masses, and I have just realized that they are consistent with these." He noted several capillaries on the map, some of which led out. "We are being herded."
The humans in the group paled upon hearing this, the elites growled in irritation.
"Well I wont be played for a fool by this loathsome parasite, step aside." Qwaar said, pulling his sword up to chest level, before driving his blade into the flood mass in front of him. When he did this, the "wall" shuddered, and a pained roar was heard. This was followed shortly after by a rumbling beneath their feet.
"Smooth, show off." Naruto sarcastically stated. The ground a little ways behind them then collapsed, and the cave-in was moving towards them. "OH SHIT!" he yelled.
It stopped slightly before them, which ushered a confused "Eh?" out of each of them. They then noticed the slimy slithering sound coming up the newly formed cliff. Qwaar immediately leaned over the ledge, and fired his plasma rifles. The blue bolts flew down into the darkness, and momentarily illuminated a huge mass of head-sized grub-like creatures, skittering along on their tentacles. The plasma bolts did little to their numbers, but it did show a vague impression of just how many there were.
Orda yelled to run in covenant, startled to the point he forgot about the humans. The humans caught on pretty quickly though, and followed the elites only a few steps after. They only got so far though, before another mass started moving through a small crevice in a wall, and they started pouring in all around them. The elites started slashing, and firing every time some got close. The ninja slashed, and avoided them when the flood lashed at them. After a while though they where forced to spread out by the endless onslaught.
Naruto had just run out of shadow clones and was about to create more, when he noticed Sakura being forced to a closed off side passage. "Sakura look out!" he yelled.
Unfortunately she thought he was talking about a infection form that he noticed lunging at her, she jumped back, and smashed through the thin plywood and fell screaming down the steep incline, deeper into the tunnel.
"SAKURA!" He yelled.
Sasuke turned, guessed what happened and yelled, "Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu!" before promptly blowing a stream of fire at the flood, eradicating any in the way of the flame, and clearing a path for Naruto. "Naruto! Go!" he commanded, not able to get there himself before the flood did.
"Right! Thanks Sasuke." Naruto said, then set off down the passage in a much more graceful manner.
Unfortunately, the heat of the flames seemed to quite effectively piss off whatever was growing in the cave, and a huge tentacle lashed out of the ground, and smashed the entrance to the passage, before lunging at Sasuke. Sasuke, being a ninja, wasn't easy prey however, and the dodged it and sliced off a good five feet of the tentacle. The tentacle then slumped to the ground, apparently defeated, Sasuke gave it a look of contempt, before another length of dead tentacle landed in front of him. He spun around, and saw Kakashi standing amongst a bunch of stunted masses, which Sasuke then realized had been heading for him.
"That boy seems to have made the parasite think twice about attacking us." Orda stated.
Sasuke looked around, and saw that besides themselves, the cave was empty.
"Yes but Naruto and Sakura are cut off from us." Kakashi said, pointing at the rubble that was the side passage entrance.
"We will have to regroup further ahead, most of these passages seem to lead to a large cavern, this one, and that one among them." Orda said.
Qwaar nodded then added, "but keep in mind, that's probably where the parasite is herding us, odds are if we try to regroup there we will be overwhelmed."
"Not as if we have a choice though, I'm guessing that's the only way it will LET us go." Sasuke stated. The rest of the group nodded solemnly.
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As Naruto continued down the shaft, he noted while it was completely survivable, it would be none to comfy to fall all the way do this shaft. It was very steep, and had inconsistent flooring, rocks that would hurt a lot on the way down Sakura had taken, and it was DARK. Soon enough he reached the bottom, which was illuminated by another of Sakura's flares.
She was checking her bruises to see if any bones were broken underneath, and gave a sigh of relief after finding none, and noticing Naruto's arrival. "Kakashi is going to kill me for not being aware of my surrounding huh." she jokingly said, trying to keep calm.
"If that's the case, I'm dog meat for just jumping down after you." he played along.
After this exchange a loud gravely voice boomed around them, "The silence of the grave has been broken. Simple ones of flesh and faith permeate the crypt. But they are not of mere mortality, as an aura spreads from four."
Naruto and Sakura noticed an odd hesitation between each phrase, and he accented syllables in a pattern, but were much more attentive to the fact that the voice didn't come from any one direction.
"These two groups, shall sustain my soul, and keep it bound to this world." the voice finished, a strange figure began walking from the shadows of the cave, moving slowly to the light.
Sakura noticed an object in its hand, which she quickly saw was a pickaxe. "Look its one of the miners!" She yelled hopefully. Naruto had a bad feeling though, while obscured by the shadows, the figure seemed menacing, it wasn't walking straight, and its head was at an odd angle. He readied a kunai in his hand just in case.
The figure then flung its arm forward, and threw the pickaxe at the duo, though missing badly. The mining tool buried itself in the hard granite behind them, implying the huge inhuman strength of the being.
"But? Why? Why is he doing that?" She asked, confused and afraid.
Naruto was about to throw the kunai, but the figure stepped out of the shadows, and he was frozen in horrified shock. Sakura gasped and muttered "My god."
The being was a horrid abomination, it USED to be a miner, that much they could tell, but something had twisted him, tortured his body, and made him into a hell-spawn-like creature. Tentacles protruded from its left arm. Its right, was dilapidated and boney, but still mobile and strong. Its abdomen showed similar dilapidation, and seemed rotted, as did the legs. As Naruto had noticed earlier, its head was twisted back. A strange yet familiar set of tentacles grew out from the chest cavity. This is what Orda meant. A flood of these hellish things. I don't know how this happened to you pal, but I'm gonna end it. Naruto then let loose the kunai, which plunged into the creatures chest... and shot out the back. Naruto gagged in disgust, before letting several shuriken loose, one of which hit the tentacle cluster, and killed the monster.
Naruto and Sakura walked over towards the corpse. Naruto shuffled through the body for anything useful. After a moment, he found a battered journal, stuffed into a pocket. He opened it and began reading, Sakura following along over his shoulder.
We found a new cavern today with the fiber optics we were issued. We are going to open up a tunnel to it tomorrow. If we're lucky, we may get our quota for the month right here. I'll be able to show up for my daughters birthday party for once. I so hate this job, after next month, I should have enough money to search for a better one, one which will let me see my family.
We opened up the new cavern today, we sent a team in, and they are late getting back. Kohaku was with them, he probably got himself hurt again, clumsy bastard. He's a good kid, a bit young to be working here, hope he's alright. Dammit I'm hungry, time for dinner.
The next entries were sloppily written, as if the miner had been rushed.
My god, they found Kohaku, his body was mangled, it looked like a swarm of rats had attacked him or something. Luckily, the docs say he should be fine, though they cant move him much, but he's still breathing. His body reeks, and something seems off about him. If the docs aren't worried he should be fine, a few scars though. I only wonder where the others in the team are, and why they left him.
MY GOD! What the hell is happening down here? We went back to the cavern today, and these THINGS came after us. They got most of us. I got away by heading away from the majority of the guys. I dragged Kohaku with me, he looks so ill, his face like a death mask. I shouldn't have jostled him so much, but I couldn't leave him for those THINGS.
I don't even know if I wish to live anymore... Kohaku woke up today, but he was mad. He attacked me, and I tried to snap him out of it, nothing worked. He forced me to kill him. His mangled body barely held together from my pick. I want to rid myself of this thing, but I need it if those things come. I'm so lost in these damned caves, will I ever get out?
I am starved, and dying of thirst. I can barely move I'm so tired. I hear those things slithering through the caves now, they know where I am. I am doomed. I don't even have enough strength to kill myself. Suki, my daughter, I'm sorry for not being strong enough to get to you. Oh sweet wife, please, don't stay here, run from the village, go somewhere far and safe. I love you both.
There was a little more, but it was smeared off by blood. Naruto put the book in one of his pockets, deciding to try and help the man's family if he could. They looked at the body, before sorrowfully moving on.
The voice abruptly boomed again, "One shows strength expressed with flame. Another shows it in lightning. Questions linger on wether the pair apart from them have strengths."
Naruto and Sakura knew what the voice was referring to. They were disturbed that the thing knew were they all were at all times, and watched them so thoroughly. But at least while it was talking about getting ready to do whatever it wanted to do, it wasn't doing it, so it meant the others were alright. They tried their radios, but predictably, the cave blocked the signal. They went in random directions, as this portion of the cave didn't have any of the blobs blocking passages.
After about an hour, they came across a scene of utter carnage. Blood and equipment was scattered everywhere. No bodies where on the ground, but the blood spread radially from a small tunnel that looked man made. So this is where he was talking about. The pair was wary of the entrance, but curiosity got the best of them, and they peered inside. They barely held back their yells when they saw a huge monster. One that rivaled Gamabunta in size.
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The elites and the other pair in team seven had yet to encounter another large group like before. They saw occasional clusters, and they had been shown a similar enemy to the one Sakura and Naruto saw. It had some "friends" with it and the battle seemed to greatly un-nerve Sasuke. When asked about it, he confessed that he had fought in a similar incident with Orochimaru, and had been reminded when he saw an infection for burst from a hosts chest when it couldn't fight anymore.
Kakashi had been forced to use chidori on one that had snuck up on him. It had pinned him and he couldn't reach his weapon pouch, the elites were distracted by more combat forms.
After the skirmish the elites had taught Kakashi and Sasuke a little more about the flood, including names of the different forms in the life cycle. Needless to say, they were much more disturbed then they had even been before.
They continued on a little more before a voice boomed overhead, one which they had heard earlier, this time it was saying something about strange power. They took a moment to realize it was talking about Sasuke and Kakashi, and then Naruto and Sakura.
"We should make haste, for this presence is a dangerous one." Orda said.
"We nee to find Naruto and Sakura quickly." Jira elaborated.
"Steel your nerves comrades, we cannot turn back." Qwaar finalized.
"Then lets go, and take out whatever gets in our way." Kakashi stated. Sasuke smirked, and for a moment they were all invincible, as nothing would break their resolve. Even as flood swarms could be heard with their moaning roars ahead, the group charged forward with all their strength.
The flood forms could barely react to what was happening before they would be torn asunder by plasma swords, shuriken, kunai, plasma bolts, and jutsu. The group charged with vigor, and anger, towards the cavern. They didn't care if they were herded, as they couldn't do anything about that, but they were going their on purpose now. For their own respective reasons, each one of them would not allow another comrade to be lost while they themselves lived.
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Naruto and Sakura noted the sounds and shockwaves of explosions and heavy combat reverberating through the cave, and it was getting closer to the cavern they were watching. Naruto noticed that the creatures attentions was undividedly focused on one of the larger blobs that blocked the entrances to the cavern. Wait a sec, why isn't this blocked? And why hasn't he seen us? Naruto dwelled on this for a moment before the realization came to him like a ton of bricks. There isn't enough of him for the whole cave! Naruto relayed this sudden knowledge to Sakura, and she herself edged out a bit and looked.
"Hey, look there." she said, pointing to the other side of the cave. "That part is open too. The... stuff isn't even near that entrance."
"Think it's a way out?" Naruto asked.
"I'll check, hold this." she said while handing him the flare, and taking her copy of the map. "Yes there is a path that leads to the outside on the far side from the village. It looks like it was too uneven for the miners to use as a way to extract stones, so they ignored it, but we wont have that problem." she said, smiling. They just had to get back to the others, and avoid that monster.
She looked at the map again, and frowned. "But this is the only place we can meet up."
"Well, that sucks." Naruto stated. "Nothing we can do bout it though. Think you're up for sneaking around it?"
"Yeah, I can do that. And that route over there is relatively untouched." she said, pointing to a path that led around the edge of the cavern. "Though we will have a problem there." she then pointed at a long stretch or ground that would force them to get closer to the creature to go across quickly.
"The others sound like they will be here soon. We should get started at least." the fox carrier said. As they moved out of the crevice in the wall and began to move silently across the cavern. They thanked the god that the creature was distracted and hadn't noticed them so far.
Abruptly the sounds of fighting stopped, and a muffled human voice was heard on the other side of the blob over one entrance. The fleshy mass suddenly exploded and a huge stream of fire punched through. The beast made no move to retaliate, though it did flinch slightly in pain.
The group then came out of the smoke, and their steel resolve shot out of their bodies.
"What is that horrid parasite!" Zuka yelled. The others muttered similar phrases, and Kakashi noticed Naruto and Sakura sneaking towards them.
"I?... I am a monument, to all your sins" He said, in a practiced tone "I am referred, by those of flesh and nerve, as the Gravemind."
"Yeah? And what is it you want from us?" Sasuke asked.
"Sustenance." it simply stated, its huge maw gaping afterwards like a hungry bird.
Naruto noticed the tentacles hanging close to the wall, soundlessly moving towards the group. "GUYS LOOK OUT ABOVE YOU!" he yelled as loud as he could, before they both sprinted to the others to try and help them.
The others looked up and promptly annihilated the tentacles, but another was coming from a newly made blind side.
"I won't let you hurt my friends you ugly slime ball!" Naruto yelled again, throwing a kunai with all his strength at the tentacle, and pinning it to a wall.
"Naruto help!" Sakura yelled. Naruto turned around and saw another tentacle had been climbing after them. He had seen us that whole time we were in the cavern. He realized, and pulled out his last kunai and lunged into the air, and severed the tentacle, freeing Sakura.
"Sakura run!" he yelled, planning to hold the beast off, but the tentacle coiled itself, and launched at him, grabbing him. He yelled a bit, but he was already to high for the others to help him. The room seemed to freeze as the creature brought him up to his face.
"A child comes in here. As if he had nothing to fear." The Gravemind said, "Threatening me, and all that I see. He will fall, and in the end come to my call." it continues, bringing up another tentacle resembling the ones on the little flood spores.
This thing actually is going to kill me! And the others... Naruto fixed an angry glare at the Gravemind. Had been paying attention, he would have noticed a slight burning in his tenketsu, and a red mist gathering around him. Not that he could focus anymore, as his thoughts were becoming muddied by something.
The Gravemind on the other hand had noticed the new developement. "A child, yet so much more." he realized aloud, "He has something dangerous within his core. Burning fire in the red swirling light." he knew he had to get rid of the boy before he became a larger threat. "Be gone now from my sight."
Naruto let out a yell that turned into a increasingly animalistic roar. However whatever carnage he was about to unless was interrupted when the Gravemind showed a slight bit of increased concentration, and several golden rings gathered around Naruto and removed him from existence.
Team seven and the elites stood in shock for a moment, then Sakura screamed, "NARUTO!"
Orda was likewise affected, but more outraged, "YOU LOATHSOME PARASITE!" He and the other elites all opened fire on the Gravemind in an attempt to avenge the loss of their comrade. The ninja quickly followed up with their own barrage.
The red chakra from Naruto's partial transformation still lingered in the air. The mist of burning chakra held up a moment longer, before collapsing on a central point due to its lack of a host. The effect was a large shockwave. The force of this flung the gravemind back into a wall, and knocked down our remaining heroes. The extensive damage to the cave system caused by all this began a rapid deterioration of its integrity. The end result was a cave in.
As boulders fell all around the team, they realized they had to run and get out. The Gravemind seemed to be retreating through a large crevice that it must have been covering.
"This place is coming apart! We need to go!" Kakashi yelled. Everyone in the group showed some form of anger or sorrow, but they realized the simplicity of the situation. If they stayed, they would die, and Naruto wouldn't come back. Nobody said a word as they ran to the opening Sakura pointed out from earlier, they were relieved to see that the flood growth had pulled even farther away from it, as it retreated with the Gravemind.
As they entered the small tunnel, Orda turned for a moment, and regarded the place his newfound brother disappeared. "Walk the path brother, be at peace." he said in honor, before turning to catch up with the others.
It was a long hard run to the outside, they had a lot of stumbles along the uneven flooring and having to dodge falling rocks. When they made it outside, they immediately dived to the sides as a rush of air and debris forced its way out of the cave while the majority of it collapsed.
There were a couple moments of silence as the ground settled, and people caught their breath. Jira stood up and looked back at the collapsed tunnel. Part of the dream you told me was of people to respect you. Your acts have likely saved us. If those are forgotten, I wish not to know of what is remembered or revered.
They all remained in a sullen mood as they marched across the bluff that was over the mining system, they reached the town, and warned the people to evacuate to a safer place. The town leaders looked angry at the advice, but the team didn't pay that much attention, as they left the city and headed back to Konoha one man down.
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A/N: well another chapter out of the way, and likely a hell of a lot of short sighted flames. sigh. Well, guess I will sit back and submit this, I'm eager for your (hopefully) diverse responses.
