Chapter 10: Nine Horned Dragon Sakuro: Dark Ambition or Piercing Light?

Nightshroud: Thanks to Aeris Leonheart for telling me. I knew the name Sakumo was cool (sure enough..) but I didn't know it was Kakashi's dad's name. So I edited it a little. Sorry for taking soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo long, but I've been really busy. I will update frequently now. So, enjoy!

The leader of the Nine Dragons smiled cruelly. Kiba and Tenten looked at each other. Bated and trapped! Now what?

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sakuro, the Nine Horned Dragon."

The man had black hair that partially covered his yellow eyes, one of which had a scar running through it. He wore a black Japanese style jacket and pants with yellow outline.

Kiba spit at the man's feet. "You're a real lowlife, aren't you? Well it doesn't matter. We're gonna take you on, and we're gonna win."

The man laughed loftily. "Are you so sure of that?"

"Heck, yeah I am!"

"All right, have it your way."

The man arose from his chair and began to walk away. "Kill them."

The three other Dragons charged at the six chunin. Kiba ducked around them and ran for the Nine Horned Dragon.

"Kiba, wait!" Ariel shouted, racing after him.

"Go, you guys! We'll keep 'em busy!" Naruto shouted.

Kiba and Ariel raced through the tunnel that Sakuro had taken. It led them out to a large platform by the coast. There stood Sakuro, waiting for a distant ship to arrive in the harbor. Kiba rushed up and yelled to him.

"Hand the Star Hanabi over! That doesn't belong to you!"

Sakuro turned and smiked. "So, you've come to stop me, eh? Let's see how you compare to my power!"

Shikamaru gulped as he sized up the competition. "Man what a drag…ok guys let's do it!"

Shikamaru ran at one of the three Dragons. "Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

The man, with pale skin and large, eerie eyes sidestepped Shikamaru's shadow and then stepped on it.

"What the- hey, what's going on?!"

"You're not the only one who can manipulate shadows, boy! My ninjutus allows me to step on people's shadows and prevent them from moving. For I am Onigumo, the Six Horned Dragon of Darkness."

"Crud….man, this is such a drag. Hey, how are you other guys doing?"

Naruto was facing off against the Seven Horned Dragon of Fire, while Hinata and Tenten were fighting the Eight Horned Dragon of Lightning.

"Come on, punk! You're not going to stand in my way! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. More than a dozen clones appeared and all leapt at Kinmaru. He knelt down and used handsigns.

"Fire Style: Fire Wall Jutsu!"

Kinmaru was suddenly surrounded by a wall of fire, which destroyed the clones as soon as they made contact.

"Darn it! Well I'm not giving up, believe it!"

Meanwhile, Tenten and Hinata weren't faring any better against Takeshi. Tenten threw a spike chain at him, but he dodged it, and then sent lightning chakra through it, electrocuting her.

"Tenten!" Hinata gasped. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and then activated her Byakugan. "Hyuuga Style Taijutsu: One Hundred Palms of Fury!"

Hinata charged at the Eight Horned Dragon and unleashed her deadly barrage of attacks. Unfortunately for her, he was able to dodge each attack, and with each dodge he sent a shock into her, until she was numb with pain.

Shikamaru watched all of this with dismay. "We're getting slaughtered," he observed.

Sakuro unveiled the Star Hanabi and grinned with subtle arrogance. "It's a wonder how such a small object can cause such a large ruckus."

Kiba growled and inched forward. "Hand it over already! We warned you!"

Sakuro's smirk faded. "You want a warning? Star Hanabi: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

The Star Hanabi's red jewel glowed and shot off an intense fireball. With no time to spare, Kiba and Ariel quickly dived and avoided the attack.

"Woah…Uh, sure you won't just hand that over?" Kiba chuckled nervously.

The man growled with annoyance. "Star Hanabi: Fire Ball Jutsu!"

The Star Hanabi sent off another fire ball crashing by them. Kiba pulled Akamaru from his hood and set him down.

"Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: Man-Beast Clone!"

Akamaru transformed into a replica of Kiba. The two crouched in position, and then with Kiba's word, "Fang over Fang!" they leapt into action. Shooting around like blurs, it almpst seemed like Sakuro wouldn't be able to keep up. But when Kiba dived in for a swipe from the back, The Nine Horned Dragon whirled about in a flash and kicked Kiba square in the stomach, sending him flying and dazed.

"Kiba!" Ariel gasped. She got into stance and was ready to attack when Kiba yelled.

"No, Ariel. Let me handle this guy."

Ariel stepped back as Kiba rose to his feet. "I'm not going to be outdone by this jerk. He's all mine. Let's go, Akamaru!"

Kiba spun into a blur again and shot through the air towards Sakuro. Sakuro sidestepped again and shot a blast of fire from the Star Hanabi at him. It blasted him in the back and sent him crashing to the ground. When the dust cleared, Akamaru could be seen lying and whimpering.

"The dog? But then-"

His eyes widened as Kiba launched over his shoulders and punched him straight in the face. Sakuro staggered back and wiped his face.

"Ugh…better than expected. Still, you're no match for me. Star Hanabi: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

The Star Hanabi shot a flurry of fire blasts at Kiba. Kiba quickly scooped Akamaru up and ran from each blast. Kiba handed Akamaru to Ariel, placing him gently in her arms.

"Take care of the little guy for me."

He turned back to Sakuro and clenched his fists. "I'm not giving up, and I'm not giving in. No keeps me down, cause I'm top dog!

Nightshroud: Well there's part one to the fight (out of three). The next two are going to be good, so keep reading!

Next chapter: The Star Hanabi's Fate: The Tables Begin to Turn