Hey guys! I've read some reviews that told me some of you were waaay less than satisfied with my story. Some of you are not happy I'm following the Shippuuden storyline so closely. This is just because I really enjoyed the Rescue Gaara Arc. It was insane. I love Gaara a lot…and I didn't want to skip it. Don't worry…from here on out things will be different. Realistic I hope…but different. And of course there was one guy, I can't remember his name…but you said that my chapters were too long. Well, I'm sorry you don't like how long the chapters are, but I myself prefer long chapters. I enjoy it a lot. Plus sometimes I just can't end it until I get to a certain point. So, I'm sorry…but my chapter lengths will stay the same.
And…to answer a review I quite liked…the review that asked about Sasori and his parent puppets: Well, I actually wanted to make it so that Sasori actually killed his parents to make him more evil. I realize that I had put earlier that the White Fang had killed Chiyo's family…but I plan on making that not Sasori's parents. Like maybe his aunt and/or uncle or something. I think that it makes him seem a bit more grotesque and evil to have him make his own parent puppets at such a young age. But thank you all for your reviews!
And…I apologize for the lateness of this chapter! I've been on a real Bleach Kick lately. If you like Bleach, check out my new Ichigo and Rukia Bleach Fan Fiction: Bleach: Listen To Your Heart! Now, on with another Chapter!
Lost in the Green Seas
Previously on Lost in the Green Seas:
Naruto turned and glared at Sasori. "Any last words?"
Something about the boy…made Sasori afraid. Actually afraid. An emotion he hadn't felt in a very long time. Naruto waited for a moment, but Sasori kept silent. "Fine." Naruto rasped, and then moved.
Sasori hadn't seen the speed of the Thunder Flicker…but he knew it was fast. He didn't expect it to be as fast as it had been, however. Naruto appeared in front of him, right fist cocked back. He had completely blown past the Sandaime and his Iron Sand, and Sasori reacted quickly.
Right before Naruto's fist connected with Sasori's face, something burst out of Sasori's stomach. It was a blade, attached to a rope, that was coated with poison. It exploded into Naruto's stomach, piercing him through his gut and traveling out his back. Naruto froze in the air, fist cocked back, red eyes glaring…and crimson blood trailing from his wound and from the corner of his lips.
"D…Damn it." He hissed…and Sasori grinned in relief. This was the end for the Jinchuriki.
The Continuation:
"This is your end." He said, relieved that the boy hadn't managed to reach him. His relief was short-lived, however, when Naruto clenched the rope with his left hand…and then reached into his shuriken holster.
"No…it's yours." Naruto rasped. He withdrew two kunai…severing the rope with one and dropping the metal blade. He started to fall, and slashed out with his remaining Kunai. It cut across Sasori's face diagonally, starting on the right side of his jaw and trailing all the way up to his left ear. Sasori back-pedaled and withdrew his severed rope back to his belly through his robe. He covered his facial wound, stumbling back.
Naruto dropped to his knees, crying out as the pain blasted its way through his body. Sakura screamed, and Shikamaru gasped. This whole thing had taken less than five seconds…and it had surprised everyone. Naruto fell face-forward, and Sakura ran towards him, tears spilling down her cheeks. Shikamaru instantly cast his Shadow Possession Jutsu…and luckily caught Sasori. Sasori froze, unable to move, and Sakura made it to Naruto's side. Chiyo approached as well, running to the boy's side.
Naruto's eyes were blood red, but they were glazed slightly. Sakura fell to her knees beside him and cried his name. "NARUTO!" She cried, and Naruto looked at her. Tears were flowing, anguish was written all over her face, but she was still beautiful. And still…his urge to make her stop crying, no matter how beautiful she was even when she cried, overpowered him. He mustered all of his strength and pushed himself up onto his knees. He grunted in pain, and blood dripped from his mouth…mixing with the puddle of blood that pooled around his knees.
He gingerly reached out and caressed her soft face. "It's okay, Sakura-chan."
"Stupid sentimentality…a waste." Sasori grunted past his hand, obviously happy he had at least done that much…but still disgruntled that he was frozen. He had lowered his guard…and it had cost him.
Sakura cast a glare at the Akatsuki member. Naruto reached around behind to his back, sending tears of pain cascading down his face. His eyes were still red and his whiskers were still thick. He gripped the rope that was oozing poison into his insides, and slowly drug it out of his body. It tore its way through his gut, and he screamed in pain when it came out completely. Blood flowed freely…and Sakura instantly placed her hands on both wounds. Naruto nearly passed out from the pain…and he was sure that with the amount of blood he was losing he was dizzy from that.
Chiyo also kneeled next to Naruto, and both hers and Sakura's hands glowed with green energy as they worked healing Jutsus. Sakura focused on the internal wounds…and Chiyo focused on the external wounds. But Naruto struggled to his feet and pushed their hands away. "Don't…waste your energy." He growled.
Sakura glared at him in anger. "What the hell do you mean, 'don't waste your energy'?! You're going to bleed to death if we don't stop it!"
Naruto swayed once he regained his footing, but managed to stay upright. "No…I won't. The bastard forgot something…and it's the reason he's after me. And you're treating me like a normal person Sakura…when I'm nowhere near normal." He rasped…and Sakura instantly understood.
"The…Kyuubi." Sakura murmured, and Naruto nodded.
"I need you to stand back. This could hurt you…" He murmured, and Chiyo and Sakura backed off a good five yards. Chiyo watched with interest, as did Sakura. Naruto closed his eyes, and then allowed a small smile to show on his lips. Instantly, a red boiling Chakra started to form…and Chiyo gasped. She could feel the anger, the evil, the pure malevolent intent radiating from the chakra…and she instantly knew the boy was drawing his Biju's power.
The Chakra formed around his body and its outline resembled a fox. "One tail of power should be enough…" They heard Naruto murmur…and Sakura watched in wonder as steam rose from his wounds. She saw, and she couldn't believe it, the flesh re-growing around the wound within split seconds. The blood on Naruto seemed to be steamed off…except for the blood that was stained into the back of the Yondaime's robe.
Chiyo murmured, "So…this is the power of the Kyuubi?"
Naruto's eyes snapped open, and he grinned. Chiyo shivered as the blood-red orbs locked on her…and he laughed. "This isn't anything compared to the true power. It's incredible…this is child's play." His voice hissed, and Sakura was concerned that he had lost himself for a minute. But…his intelligence and control was exerted, and he seemed to come back.
"But…I won't be needing this anymore." Naruto said, and cut off the flow of the Kyuubi's power. Instantly…the red chakra disappeared. Naruto sighed…and Shikamaru just stared in amazement. That life-threatening wound had been taken care of quickly…and Naruto was most likely revitalized by the surge of power. Naruto…was amazing.
"So…it seems that you're going to kill me now?" Sasori asked. He couldn't see a way out of this…not with how he couldn't move due to the Shadow Paralysis.
"Yes…" Naruto growled. It was time to end it.
--
Kakashi knew he was close to Neji's location due to the surges of Chakra that he could feel. They were small releases, indicating it was the Jyuken style, the Gentle Fist style, of the Hyuuga.
He stayed in the trees surrounding a clearing, and saw a sight that shocked him. Standing amid large craters, attacking with bursts of chakra from their hands…were two Neji Hyuuga's. They were expertly dodging, striking, redirecting each other's blows…and one Neji quickly initiated his Heavenly Rotation Jutsu. The other Neji sprang back in time, breathing heavily.
Kakashi gently pressed his throat-mike and murmured, "All Team Guy Members…"
He made sure to keep still…so as not to draw attention from either of the Neji's watchful Byakugan. The Neji who had unleashed the Rotation slowly spun to a stop. That's when Kakashi noticed it. One Neji had a throat mike…the other didn't. The Neji who had unleashed the Kaiten was the real one.
Neji, Lee, Tenten, and Guy all activated their throat mikes. "Yes?" They all asked.
"This is Kakashi…and I'm about to help out. Neji…I need you to keep him from getting to me…I'm sure you'll both find me. I'd rather not get into close-combat with your double so I'm going to take him out long-distance." Kakashi murmured. Neji affirmed that he heard, and Kakashi channeled chakra quickly to his left eye. His red 3-tomoe sharingan started to twist and morph, and with a slight surge of Chakra…Kakashi's new Mangekyou Sharingan was revealed. It resembled a pin-wheel, completely unlike Itachi's.
Kakashi quickly activated his newest move…his Mangekyou Ability. He grunted slightly at the amount of Chakra it took to even activate the move, and the amount it took to keep it sustained. He focused his sight on the fake Neji's head, and suddenly the air seemed to shimmer, and then twist into a spiral…the center of the spiral being the fake Neji's face. The fake Neji stumbled in surprise, and the real Neji backed up some. Kakashi strained to push his ability to hurry up and finish it…he didn't want to lose so much Chakra.
The Neji double finally spotted Kakashi with his Byakugan, and he leapt through the air towards Kakashi. The real Neji moved faster than the double, however, and appeared in front of the fake, barring his route. Neji struck at the double, to find his moves blocked, but he pushed his fake self backwards away from Kakashi. Then…it started.
The air was filled with a strange sound, like something being sucked away down a tube. The fake Neji's head started to warp, and he cried out in pain. It spun slightly, twisting in a grotesque position as it was slowly sucked towards the center of the spiral of air. The fake no longer fought, but tumbled to his knees. Kakashi yelled, "Neji! Back away!"
Neji sprang back, as the warped area grew, and then with a strangled cry, the fake Neji's head was sucked away completely…leaving a stump of a neck that started to spurt blood. The body fell to the ground…and the blood stopped flowing and the body melted back into the ground from which it came.
Neji doubled over, trying to catch his breath, and Kakashi leapt out of the trees. As he landed, his knees nearly buckled, but he managed to stay upright. He strode over to Neji, and he said, "We need to go help the others."
Neji nodded, regulating his breathing, and then straightened. His heavily-veined eyes glared around, and the muttered, "Lee's closest…then we can get Tenten and then Master Guy."
Kakashi nodded, and the two sprang away. Kakashi was keeping his body under control, fighting the trembling that made it difficult to stand…let alone jump from tree to tree. He had to hold out, at least, to rescue the others.
--
Naruto stepped towards Sasori…but felt a surge of Chakra from beneath him. He immediately knew what was happening, and instead of springing back, he sprang forwards. A large vine exploded upwards, thorns stabbing out at Naruto. Naruto didn't have to worry about it, however, with his Thunder Flicker Jutsu still active. He dodged it easily, and as the Plant-like Akatsuki member grabbed Sasori…he punched at the man. Zetsu's visible eye widened in shock as he was thrown backwards, and Naruto made sure to not hit Sasori. Anything that happened to Sasori would happen to Shikamaru.
Zetsu tumbled backwards through the air, but landed upon his feet and skidded to a halt. "Hmm…the boy's quite fast." His white half said.
"But no match for us." Replied his black half. The man grinned, and Naruto felt fear clench its icy fist around his heart. He fought it back…but he couldn't help but be intimidated by this plant-like man. The vine behind him whipped around and attempted to impale Naruto. Naruto moved fast again, slamming his fist into Zetsu's gut this time. Zetsu had seemed to think that Naruto would attack his face again and had thrown up his arms to protect his face. Naruto added enough force to cause the man's eyes to roll into the back of his head, which they did, and then he followed up with a quick kick to his now unprotected chin.
The plant-man flew back, but instead of hitting the ground he was caught by a Shadow-clone. Zetsu instantly broke free, but then found himself surrounded by twenty or so Shadow Clones. All of them holding a strange three-pronged kunai. Zetsu, had his white half been able to actually visibly pale, would have. He glared, realizing that all he had to do was dodge the kunai…and the Thunder God Jutsu wouldn't work.
But someone yelled from above him. "ODAMA RASENGAN!!" Naruto had planned the Clones as a distraction…and it had worked.
Zetsu looked up, and he screamed as he saw two Naruto's, eyes blood red and full of hate. Between them, they held a red swirling Rasengan that was twice as big as the original Rasengan. The red swirling orb of Chakra touched Zetsu's head…and there was an explosion that was roughly equal to some of Deidara's explosions. Sakura, Shikamaru, Sasori and Chiyo all threw their hands up. Sasori's reaction was due to Shikamaru's, but still. Dust, wind, and chunks of rocks flew everywhere, obscuring everyone's vision. The Shadow Clones were dispelled, and the dust cleared after a minute or so. Everyone was coughing…and then lowered their arms.
Naruto stood in the middle of a crater, his chest heaving, and his red eyes blazing. Zetsu, somehow…was still alive. He was moaning, bloodied, and completely out of it. Sasori's eyes went wide as he was able to see…and he shivered. The boy's power was incredible. Naruto straddled Zetsu's body…and then drew back his right fist. He snarled in hate, and his lips curled back from his teeth. He slammed his fist into Zetsu's face, drawing blood from the strange Akatsuki's mouth. He drew his fist back again, and plunged it downwards. Again, and again he hit the Akatsuki member…his rage building higher and higher. He could see Gaara's pale, cracked face in his minds eye. His dark circled eyes closed, never meant to open and show the sparkling green iris' hidden beneath the lids ever again. His fist was starting to become coated in blood…blood from the Akatsuki's face and blood from his now ripped open knuckles.
He spoke, punches accentuating each word. "It's. All. Your. Damn. Fault!" He screamed, and he continued to beat the Akatsuki. He wanted to make them pay. They were the ones who made Naruto's life hell the past few years. Being constantly hunted…constantly having to hide and look over his shoulder. And then they go and attack and kill Gaara. He would make them feel his pain. He would make them pay for it in blood.
Sakura and Shikamaru watched as Naruto beat the Akatsuki member, long after he lapsed into unconsciousness. Sakura started to step forward, but Shikamaru called out. "Sakura! We don't have time to worry about Naruto. He can take care of himself, obviously! But my Shadow Possession Jutsu is giving out! Focus!"
Sakura shook her head and glanced at the Sandaime Kazekage Puppet. It was shaking, from Sasori's obvious attempt to make it move. The fact that it was shaking…made her realize she had forgotten about the Shadow Possession's time limit. Sakura darted forward, fist cocked back and ready to destroy the Sandaime.
Several things happened in such a rapid sequence that even a Sharingan user would have had trouble keeping up with. First, was Shikamaru's shadow wavered…and then detached. As soon as he was free, Sasori sprang backwards into the air. The Sandaime rushed towards Sakura head on, as did the giant black sand block and blade above his head. And Sakura bolted forward and swung her fist at the incoming objects. Her fist impacted with the giant sand block as it soared towards her, and she grinned as she surged her Chakra.
The Block flew backwards in an uncontrollable spin, shattering the upper half of the Sandaime puppet, and causing Sasori to jump out of the way. As soon as the Sandaime was shattered, all the black sand collapsed into giant mounds on the floor, burying the Kazekage.
Sasori rose from the ground, angered at having to dodge his own weapon. Chiyo glared at Sasori…as she realized that the wound across his face that Naruto had inflicted, was not bleeding. It looked like a simple gash, one that someone might inflict upon a block of wood or a tree.
"So…that's how you haven't aged, Sasori." Chiyo murmured, and Sasori's scarred face turned towards his grandma. There was no blood, and no emotion on his face. His pale green orbs were the only thing that seemed alive…and burning with an internal light.
"So…you've finally figured it out, old woman?" He asked.
Sakura turned to Chiyo slightly, keeping her guard up. Chiyo's face was saddened slightly…but she had a strange look of resolve as well. "Well then…it seems I'm out of puppets at the moment…so I might as well just use myself." Sasori nonchalantly called out…and he dropped his robe.
Sakura gasped at the sight, and Shikamaru's eyes widened considerably. Chiyo examined her grandson without emotion now…simply trying to figure out what weapons he had concealed. He was completely made out of wood, just like a puppet, but had several modifications. He had a strange symbol tattooed above his heart, that read 'Scorpion'…but the area around it seemed strange. It almost seemed to be pulsing. But Sasori no longer had a stomach either. Coiled where his intestines should have been was the severed rope that had pierced Naruto. Then, on Sasori's fore-arms were large scythe-blades, and then scrolls were attached to his back. What the scrolls held…they would find out shortly, of that Chiyo was certain.
Sakura sprang backwards, to group tighter with Shikamaru and Chiyo, and raised her guard. Here, she was sure, was where the real battle would happen.
--
Kakashi and Neji were close to Lee's position, they could tell from the loud shouts and sounds of trees being shattered. Neji stopped, and so did Kakashi, and they hid behind a tree. "Both of the Lee's are using two of the Inner Gates." Neji murmured. Kakashi nodded in response. "All you need to do, is jump towards them and draw their attention. I'll be springing behind them, and I'll eliminate the fake." Neji said, and Kakashi nodded again.
He slowly started to advance upon the two Lee's, while Neji disappeared. Neji would be going to circle behind them. Kakashi snuck over to where the two Rock Lee's were sparring. They weren't even visible to Kakashi's normal eye they were going so fast. Kakashi's Sharingan could see the flurry of combination moves used, and he was impressed with Lee's development. He was undoubtedly starting to advance upon Might Guys' strength level quite rapidly.
Kakashi thought about how to distract the two…and then decided to do his casual approach. He put his right hand in his pocket, and slouched against a tree. "Yo! Sorry I'm late, but I got lost on the path of Life." He called out, and the two blurs both froze. Both Rock Lee's were sweating, panting, and were bruised. The real Lee had a look of astonishment on his face, while the fake Lee only stared without emotion.
His face, however, abruptly changed to one of stunned disbelief at the same time a blue pillar of Chakra exploded through his chest. It left his skin unblemished…but Kakashi knew that his internal organs were fried from the Gentle Fist strike.
"Nice!" Lee yelled, and did a thumbs-up. The Lee clone slowly melted to the ground, and Kakashi gave Neji a nod of congratulations. Neji simply inclined his head slightly, and then turned to Lee.
"Lee…we're headed for Tenten next. Then…we'll get Guy-sensei." Neji said, and Lee saluted. "YOSH! LET US-" He was cut off by a glare from Neji.
"Just because he isn't here doesn't mean you get to do it!" Neji barked, and Lee lowered his head in disappointment. He seemed like he had been really looking forward to using Guy's phrase.
Neji turned, and sprang through the trees. Kakashi and Lee automatically followed, keeping in tight formation in case an Akatsuki member attacked. Kakashi was especially vigilant, looking for the plant-like Akatsuki member who had rescued Deidara.
Within a few minutes, they reached Tenten's position. The tree where the tag had been, sitting next to a river, was full of Shuriken and all assortment of weapons. Tenten was breathing heavily, resting on one of the tree branches. There was no sign of the clone. They drew close to the tree, and Tenten jumped down from the branches. She landed lightly, and smiled and waved. "Hehe…you're a bit late."
Neji grinned. "So you managed to take yours out?" He asked.
"Yeah…it wasn't too hard. I knew my own weaknesses, namely close combat. So, I pressed in and used a few clumsy moves to disarm the imposter and then filled them full of Shuriken." She boasted. Neji nodded, and Lee rushed in and gave Tenten a hug.
"You burn bright with the flames of-oof!" He lost his breath as Tenten elbowed him in the gut.
"Cut it out, Lee! We've got to go help Guy-sensei." She ordered, and Lee nodded as he clutched his gut. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. These guys were almost as comical as Naruto and Sasuke had been back in the early days…
"Okay…let's let Guy know we're coming then." Kakashi said, and activated his throat mike.
"Guy…we're coming to assist. Everyone's clear except you." Kakashi said.
Guy's voice, strained and almost unintelligible, sounded in their ears. "Yosh…I'm waiting. Do me a favor…and hurry." Guy gasped.
Kakashi nodded. "Will do." He replied, then he turned to Guy's team members. "Allright. Neji, let's go."
Neji nodded, and they sprang into action. Neji leading, Kakashi right behind him…and Kakashi was flanked by Rock Lee on the left and Tenten on the right. They ran in tight formation, trying to reach Guy. They all thought that if Guy was asking for help quickly…he needed it bad. He wasn't one to ask for help if it wasn't desperately needed.
"Hold on, Guy." Kakashi murmured, and started formulating a strategy to help Guy.
--
Naruto got up, blood dripping from his fists and coating his robes. Zetsu's face was unrecognizable, just a lump of now-deformed flesh. The plant-like jaws on either side of his head had shut a few minutes ago, most likely as a defense mechanism to protect him while he was unconscious. Naruto had tried to pry it open with a Kunai…but that hadn't worked. Naruto hissed in anger, well aware that he was treading on dangerous ground. If his anger got out of hand…things could get ugly.
Suddenly, Naruto heard a cry and a blast of flames from behind him, and he whirled. He realized he had been too wrapped up in dishing out damage to Zetsu that he hadn't paid any attention to the battle that had taken place behind him.
Sakura, Shikamaru, and Chiyo were all dodging blasts of flames from Sasori. Naruto gasped slightly when he saw that Sasori was a human puppet, and his eyes widened when he saw jets of flame issuing from his palms. He cackled madly, yelling, "Come now! Don't be afraid! I promise you I'll end it quickly!"
Sakura seemed to be making a strategy, talking with her team-members. Naruto felt the urge to attack Sasori…to rip him into pieces and destroy him before he had the chance to hurt his Sakura-chan. But, a voice spoke to him out of the back of his head. It was no longer boastful or full of pride…but somber and serious and thoughtful.
'It would not be wise to do that, young one.' Boomed the voice of the Fox. Naruto jerked in surprise, but quickly regained his composure. He watched, eyes darting back and forth between his comrades as they dodged the bright bursts of flame.
'Why not?' Naruto asked, and the Fox snorted in mockery.
'Do you not even understand your woman?' The Kyuubi scoffed, and Naruto felt his anger spike. The Fox continued. 'The reason is, you should know that her pride as an accomplished Kunoichi is on the line. This man looks at her as nothing but an amusing child…and she knows this. While you may have the overwhelming urge to coddle and protect your woman…you should know from experience that she does not wished to be coddled on the battle-field. She wants to prove herself, as she has all those years in the past, to show you that she is worthwhile. Especially now to you, instead of that treacherous Uchiha.'
Naruto struggled with that for a moment. He battled his urge to rush in, and the truth and wisdom of the Kyuubi. He sighed in frustration, and let his hands, which had risen up in the form of fists, fall limply at his sides. He cursed himself as he decided to watch, and make sure that Sakura wouldn't get hurt. But he would jump in if it looked serious enough.
He watched as one of the scrolls on Sasori's back suddenly hissed and dissolved, and the flames stopped shooting from Sasori's hands. Sasori seemed slightly disappointed when no one rushed in to attack. "So, are you stupid enough to actually think you can just wait out my attacks? I don't tire like you, you who have bodies of weak flesh and muscle. I am the perfect being. One who does not tire, does not feel pain or emotion, one who does not bleed." Sasori boasted, and Chiyo sighed.
"Sasori…even the strongest puppets have weaknesses. You can strive for perfection, but you will always have one weakness." She scolded, and Sasori glared at her.
"And what is that weakness?" He hissed, clenching his wooden fingers.
Chiyo allowed a smile to play on her lips. "Well…your weakness would be your lack of emotion."
Sasori scoffed. "HA! Don't you remember the Shinobi Rules? Emotion is nothing but a hindrance and weakness!"
Chiyo shook her head. "No. Emotions can increase your will to live, your will to fight, it can improve you in the heat of battle. Of course there is always the risk emotion can ruin you in the heat of battle, if it is a pure emotion, then there will be no folly."
Sasori's eyes seemed to blaze in anger, and without warning he shot forward. Apparently, another weakness of his was pride. He couldn't handle having his 'perfection' attacked. Sakura had anticipated this. She had planned it with Chiyo. She hadn't just learned Medical Ninjutsu, and strength from her Sensei…but she had learned to watch for Character flaws that would compromise a person in the heat of battle. She had noticed his pride in his work in his first argument with Deidara…and she had known it would be a deadly flaw.
Instantly, Sakura's plan went into action. Sakura sprang forward, flying to meet Sasori head on, and Chiyo tried to send in the two parent puppets. However, the parent puppets would not move. Sakura saw this, an instant before she engaged Sasori, and thought, 'Okay…they must have been immobilized from some previous attack. Time to think of a plan 'B'.'
But, as she dodged two swipes from Sasori, and then a spin kick and another arm-swipe, she saw Sasori leave himself open. She performed a quick jab, but as soon as her fist connected with his chest-casket, she unleashed her chakra. The resulting force blew Sasori to pieces, his body separating into dozens of different pieces. She paused, surprised, and looked down at the pieces of Sasori. She backed up a step, and Shikamaru frowned.
"That was too easy." He murmured, and walked up to Sakura. Chiyo walked up as well, hesitant and unsure. Could that really be the end for her grand-child? For such a prodigy…his ending seemed so anti-climactic.
Sakura turned and faced her teammates. Even she seemed to be struggling with the simplicity of the death. Shikamaru's frown deepened. "I suppose then, that his pride was indeed his downfall." Shikamaru said, and Chiyo nodded slowly. She ignored the pain in her chest, from the thought that she had helped kill her own grandchild.
Sakura turned, and they all looked at Naruto. They could see his blazing red eyes in the semi-dark of the cave, and he nodded at them. "That makes two Akatsuki down. I got this one." He called, and they nodded.
Sakura started to peel off her leather gloves, walking over Sasori's scattered parts to walk towards Naruto. She started to speak. "Naruto…what do we do with their—" She said, but was startled into silence when Sasori's parts started to make a clacking sound. She spun, eyes wide, and Shikamaru and Chiyo sprang backwards.
Blue forks of what seemed like some kind of lightning shot from Sasori's chest, and attached to his arms, legs, head, lower torso, feet, and hands. Suddenly, the kanji for 'scorpion' on his chest glowed blue, and all the parts flew up and assembled again. Sakura stifled a scream, and stepped back a few steps. As soon as Sasori was standing again, seemingly unscathed except for the gash across his face and severed rope in his belly, he turned his head and said without emotion, "Boo."
Sakura's eyes widened as Sasori slashed at her with his right arm, and she sprang backwards to try to evade the slicing blades on his forearm. She evaded it mostly, but a gash appeared on her forearm. She stumbled backwards as searing pain blasted through her body, and she knew immediately Sasori's poison had infiltrated her system. She stumbled backwards a few steps, and then fell to her knees on the ground. She felt the burning throughout her body, slowly starting to paralyze her. She heard someone yell her name, and she recognized Naruto's voice. She struggled to move her arm behind her to grab the antidote in the small pouch on her lower back. She was dimly aware of Naruto appearing in front of her with a yellow streak of light, and kicking Sasori a good thirty feet away. He knelt by Sakura then, instantly realizing what she had retrieved. He grabbed the hypodermic needle and jabbed the needle into her leg.
Sakura felt the fiery antidote burn for a split second, before she regained movement. She staggered to her feet with Naruto's help, and shook her head. She forced the sense of pain from her brain, and gritted her teeth. Naruto turned to face Sasori, who was now getting up again. His right arm was no longer attached. Naruto's kick had removed it, and it lay between Naruto and Sasori. Sakura watched as the kanji on his chest glowed blue once more, and then lightning forked from his right shoulder and linked with the dismembered arm. Instantly, the arm flew back to its proper spot and snapped back in place.
Sasori stared at Sakura with wide eyes. "How can you still stand?" He whispered, and Sakura allowed a fierce grin to show. "Because I'm smart enough to make an antidote." She replied, drawing a shocked twitch from Sasori.
'It's not possible…not even I could make an antidote for my poison without analyzing it for a few days and even then…finding the proper ingredients and herbs and mixing them together properly would take even longer! This girl…this mere child…figured out an antidote to my poison? She is indeed more of a threat than I realized.' Sasori thought, cold and calculating. This surprise had just completely destroyed his most useful weapon. This girl…was indeed a genius.
"Naruto…I'm fine now. Watch over the other one, and make sure he doesn't escape." Sakura said, keeping her blazing green eyes locked on Sasori's. Naruto glanced at her with his blazing red eyes, and nodded. He fought the urge to argue, and instead decided to have faith in Sakura. He knew she was strong…but the Akatsuki were brutal. They were composed of 'S' Rank Criminals, and the 'S' rank wasn't that easy to reach. He moved off to the side, and reached the battered and cocooned Zetsu. He kept an eye on Zetsu, but also watched Sakura.
Sakura felt gratitude towards Naruto. She was afraid he wouldn't let her finish this fight on her own. But, obviously he trusted her and had faith in her strength, if he was letting her engage this Akatsuki member. She clenched her fists tightly, squinting her eyes and trying to come up with a strategy. Sasori was doing the same. Sakura was searching for his weakness…
Sasori knew he couldn't let the pink-haired whelp dwell too long on a strategy. He didn't like to wait, didn't like keeping others waiting…and he most definitely did not want this brilliant girl to figure out his secret. He raised his right hand slowly, and grabbed at a hidden catch on the right side of his chest. His fingers pried open the hidden compartment, and the wooden shell opened a compartment, so its door swung open and off to the right. Then, he grabbed a scroll off his back, and unrolled it. Sakura backed off, warily guarding against attack.
"SUMMONING TECHNIQUE!" Sasori yelled, and the large scroll disappeared in a large puff of smoke. The smoke obscured Sasori from view, and Sakura jumped back to Chiyo and Shikamaru. They all watched…and Shikamaru gasped. "No…that can't be possible!"
Sakura couldn't see, at first, what he was carrying on about. But then, the smoke cleared, and Sakura saw a sight that completely astounded her. At least one hundred puppets were floating in the air around Sasori, blue chakra strings extending attached and coming from the hole in Sasori's chest. Sasori laughed. "I didn't think I would have had to use this technique on a little girl, an old hag, and an intermediate ninja." He jeered, and Chiyo glared.
Sakura fought the tremors that threatened to make her knees buckle. Her, Shikamaru and Chiyo versus a hundred puppets…three Shinobi versus a hundred puppets was going to be suicide. She took a step backwards, contemplating a tactical retreat, but Sasori seemed to read her thoughts. "I used this move to level a whole country. Don't think you can outrun them. Their range is almost infinite." Sasori warned ominously, and Sakura fought the urge to curse. She had to keep a level head.
"Don't worry Sakura, we'll do well enough." Chiyo said, stepping up to Sakura's side. Shikamaru mirrored her, so they formed a straight line defense against the floating horde of puppets.
"How do you think you can last, Grandmother Chiyo? My parents aren't functioning, and you seem to have run out of tricks." Sasori laughed. Chiyo simply reached her hands into the folds of her robes, and withdrew two scrolls. They exploded in a large cloud of smoke, and when the thick substance cleared…standing in front of Chiyo were ten puppets. Outlandish, frightening, and intriguing were their carving designs, all wearing white robes.
"This is my Ultimate Move. My Ten strongest puppets, one puppet for each finger. I used these ten puppets to bring down a fortress. While not as impressive as bringing down a whole country…their skills and my skills combined will more than make up for it." Chiyo said, and she kept her hands from shaking. She knew that they were well-outnumbered. This would be their last stand.
"Fine…let's see who's left standing then…shall we?" Sasori asked quietly, eyeing the puppets. He crouched slightly, anxious to send his puppets into their deadly dances. Chiyo, Sakura, and Shikamaru nodded, crouching as well. Chiyo's puppets clacked as they were prepared, but then they heard a rasping voice from their right.
"You wanna fight to the finish with a bunch of dolls? I'm in. I've never been a fan of dolls anyways." Naruto hissed, and made a couple of Kage Bunshin to watch and guard Zetsu. If he were to awaken, they would take him. Naruto then walked to Chiyo's right, on the end of the line. His father's blood-stained robe fluttered slightly, and Naruto assumed a read position. He grinned, and Sasori nodded. The Jinchuriki might throw a wrench in things…but that's what his other two scrolls were for…back up plans.
The battle began with such frightening speed, Sakura almost cried out in surprise. The Hundred Puppets flew towards them, activating blades and shooting needles and kunai. Shikamaru and Chiyo were the first to react. Chiyo sent her puppets out as the first wave, guarding the others against projectiles, and Shikamaru threw several kunai with exploding tags at the incoming horde.
Sakura recovered quickly, and sprang into the fray, fist already cocked back and ready to shatter a puppet. She lost track of everything, but swayed and dodged and blocked and attacked in a strange yet familiar dance. She shattered one puppet, dodged a swipe, jumped over a poisoned projectile, shattered an incoming puppet, and continued.
Naruto hung back for a second, watching the others do their damage. Shikamaru was doing well, even though he preferred long-distance fighting. He was hurling exploding kunai into the cloud of puppets, and he decimated quite a few. He ran out, however, and put his hands together in seals unfamiliar to Naruto. "Nara Secret Jutsu: Shadow Spike Pillars Jutsu!" Shikamaru yelled, and Naruto's eyes flew to the crowd of puppets.
Shadows were flitting all over the cave floor, ripe for Shikamaru's use. Suddenly, out of dozens of the shadows, large black spikes erupted from them, impaling at least two puppets per spike. It took Naruto a moment to realize that the spikes were physically manifested Shadows. Naruto shook his head at Shikamaru's skills, and flew through hand signs. He ended quickly, and felt his Chakra surge throughout his body. His Thunder Flicker Jutsu was reactivated.
He flew into the cloud, moving faster than the human eye could follow. He dismantled puppets quickly, breaking their fragile limbs at every joint he could find, effectively dismantling dozens in mere seconds. He mainly stayed around Sakura and Chiyo, protecting them from attacks they couldn't see coming while they destroyed puppets. But, within minutes they had dismantled three quarters of the cloud.
Naruto's Thunder Flicker ended, landing him directly at Sakura's side. Naruto was breathing heavily…his Chakra strained from using the move so many times in a day, as well as using all the others earlier. He didn't want to draw on the Kyuubi's power unless necessary. He formed a Rasengan and shattered a puppet that tried to attack Sakura's back, shattering it into kindle and traveling through it and demolishing several others. He performed several more kicks and flips, immediately going back to Sakura's side.
He glanced at Chiyo, and saw she was down to two puppets, but with them she was even more proficient, able to concentrate more fully on their functions. How puppeteers were able to do what they did was beyond Naruto…but he respected her skills immensely. His respect however, was interrupted as he dodged a blade aimed for his head. He shattered the arm of the offender, and quickly shattered the rest of it with his bare fist. His fists were bloody from destroying so many dolls with his bare hands, but he knew the Fox would heal him quickly.
Sasori hissed in anger as he directed the last remaining few puppets at the Shinobi. His hundreds of puppets had been demolished and brought down to only fifteen in less than ten minutes…all because of the Jinchuriki. Though the other certainly were great fighters, the Jinchuriki was the strongest. He quickly reached behind him, grabbing a scroll. He wanted to see how the Jinchuriki would handle this.
"Summoning Technique: Devil Puppet Master!" Sasori howled, tossing the scroll in front of him. It exploded, obscuring his view, and the other's for a split moment. Sasori took that moment to sever the remaining strings in his chest, and gather more and connect them to his newest weapon that was brought out.
Naruto, Sakura, Chiyo and her now remaining one puppet, and Shikamaru brought up their guard as the smoke cleared. Sakura and Shikamaru were gasping for breath, Naruto was slightly winded, and Chiyo was struggling to still stand. What little breath they had caught in their chests as they saw the monstrosity that had been brought out of the scroll.
Standing before them was a giant puppet, one that almost touched the ceiling of the cave. It was red, and the design was similar to Kankuro's Kuroari puppet. It had ten arms total, five on each side of its large barrel-like chest. It had a thick black mane that framed its grotesque face, a large-scale version of the face on Hiruko's back. It had a large whip for a tail, and each of its fingers on its hands were tipped with large pointed nails. Naruto blanched slightly.
"Do you think you can take this one out so easily?" Sasori yelled, and the large puppet rattled as it moved in response to Sasori's orders. Sakura growled out, "I'll take it."
Naruto grabbed her soft white shoulder as she started forward, and held her still. "No." He said. Sakura looked back at him, his feral appearance no longer phasing her. She opened her mouth to protest, but Naruto glared at her, quieting her words before they even left her lips.
Naruto stepped forward a couple of steps, flexing his clawed hands. 'You know you need my power.' Hissed the deep voice of the Kyuubi, echoing through every corner of Naruto's mind. Naruto nodded slightly.
'I know.' Naruto replied evenly. He didn't let the fear he was feeling influence even his mental voice.
'Then take it! USE IT! Show this bastard…this hunter of the tailed beasts, what power he truly hunts!' Roared the Kyuubi. Naruto realized then…that the Kyuubi was angered almost as much as Naruto was about Gaara's death. For the Kyuubi, a fellow tailed beast had been captured…brought into servitude by the Akatsuki and suppressed. It enraged the Demon Fox, and Naruto realized that perhaps the fox wasn't so alien to him after all…
Naruto drew his breath, and then held it. He pulled at the fiery energy that he was containing within his belly, and pulled it outside of his body. He could feel it bubbling up and out, covering him and immersing him in fiery power. He let his breath out in a hiss, and snapped his eyes open. He knew the Chakra shell was floating around him, boiling and hissing with the Kyuubi's and Naruto's anger. Naruto felt his lip quiver as his and the Kyuubi's hatred merged into a solid and unbreakable bond, and he felt himself change as he had only once before.
(Flashback)
"Last time he went into a three and four-tailed state, he blacked out and lost control. He injured me…and then he killed seven rogue ninja that were attacking us." Jiraiya whispered.
Naruto quieted the disbelief at the blatant lie that Jiraiya told them. He had indeed gone into a three and then four-tailed state…but he hadn't blacked out. He had lost control, but he remembered everything that had happened quite visibly. Tsunade and Sakura seemed to have bought the lie, and Naruto stayed silent.
(FLASHBACK)
Naruto lay on the ground, hissing in anger and pain. They had been ambushed by seven rogue ninja, all of them Jonin or higher in rank. Jiraiya had been careless on accident, and let slip Naruto's name. Apparently, Orochimaru wanted Naruto dead for delaying Sasuke's arrival so Orochimaru couldn't have his body. These were hired thugs, who had boasted about being paid by the snake bastard. Naruto had been incapacitated within a minute, as all seven rogue ninja had broken past Jiraiya and nailed Naruto with a Genjutsu.
Naruto had been broken out of the Genjutsu by Jiraiya as he had rushed the seven men, but Naruto was slowly recovering. The Genjutsu had trapped Naruto in a strange mindscape filled with horrifying images of death and torture, and Naruto had been heavily affected. But…not in the way that the men had hoped.
Naruto was affected, because the images of death and torture, had shown everyone Naruto cared about being hurt. Brutally and savagely tortured, were Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, and every last member of the Rookie Nine. Naruto was filled with anger beyond his own mental level. He could feel hatred fill him, not just from his own emotions, but from the Fox as well. Naruto was struggling to stay in control, but he was fighting a losing battle.
Suddenly, he felt power explode through his body as the Chakra shell coated his body, and he got to his feet. He snarled in anger, as a second tail formed and waved in synchrony with the first. He cried out in pain, however, as the third suddenly sprouted into existence. Power burned its way through his system, and Jiraiya and the bandits froze in their battle. They watched in horror was Naruto fell to his knees, clawing at the ground in agony.
"What the hell did you do?!" Cried Jiraiya, screaming at the bandits. They shook their heads in response, fear flooding their own bodies as rapidly as the hatred filled Naruto's. Killing intent and power physically blasted off Naruto, causing even Jiraiya to shiver.
Naruto screamed, his voice hoarse and guttural, echoing through the forest they were in. Birds soared from the trees, squawking in distress. Slowly, majestically, and terrifyingly…a fourth tail bubbled into existence. Naruto's cry died away into a gurgle of agony, as power ripped him apart from the inside out. He felt as if he would die, right there and now…but something else happened.
Naruto felt a strange ache in his body, deep within his bones. He heard cracking, snapping, and felt lightning pains stab him throughout his body. He screamed in pain, his throat ripping and becoming raw as Naruto underwent a transformation that made one of the rogue ninja wet himself.
"NARUTO!" Jiraiya yelled, and watched in growing horror as Naruto rolled around, clawing at his chest, throat, and face. He writhed in agony, squirming like a snake, but jerking quickly that indicated unbearable pain. Jiraiya watched as Naruto's skeleton distorted, his chest becoming broader deeper, his arms growing longer, his legs bending strangely and growing longer as well. Naruto managed to work his way onto his hands and knees, and Jiraiya noticed that Naruto's teeth were all pointed now, not just his canines, and his whisker marks almost covered his entire face. Naruto suddenly changed, where he was no longer on his hands and knees, but on his hands and feet…but he was like an animal. Like a fox, or a wolf. And Jiraiya noticed that Naruto's leg bones had changed, snapped into different positions so they were like an animal's hinds legs, like a canine's haunches. Naruto screamed then as two physical tails ripped from his backside, their downy golden hair blazing in the red Chakra shell.
Naruto screamed once more as a third tail erupted from his backside, and then it transferred from a scream to a guttural growl. Naruto clawed the earth and hissed, "Nobody hurts those precious to me! NO ONE!" He howled, and Jiraiya's knees shook in fear. The power radiating off this new Naruto had multiplied as the physical tails manifested. It was almost physically crushing Jiraiya.
Jiraiya only managed to dodge the blow that came out of nowhere, but it cut deep into his chest. Almost instantly, Jiraiya passed out.
(END FLASHBACKS)
Naruto relived the memory as he transformed, but his chakra shell only had one-tail still as he sprouted two physical tails. His Chakra shell grew another tail, and coated the second blond appendage, and Naruto began to growl and scream. He didn't collapse this time, because he was expecting the pain. But, he did fall to his knees.
Sakura, Chiyo, and Shikamaru all watched in horror as two blond tails waved in the air behind Naruto…and Naruto's frame became larger and his leg bones changed shape. They watched as he clawed the ground in desperation, and then finally he grew still, panting as he recovered. Sasori eyed the Jinchuriki with a mix between surprise and revulsion, and then was surprised when Naruto stood on his hind legs. He was much taller now, and the Hokage coat only came down to his knees, and it strained against his much broader shoulders. Naruto glared up at the giant red puppet, and heard a strangled sob from behind him. He glanced behind him, to see Sakura watching with tear-filled eyes full of fear and shock.
"Sakura…" He rasped out softly. His voice was deeper, still raspy, but still Naruto's voice. He gazed at Sakura with concern, and continued. "I'm still in control, Sakura. Don't worry." He knew her, Chiyo, and Shikamaru were being battered by the power pouring off him and she was concerned he would lose himself to the delicious power running through his body.
Sakura cleared the tears from her eyes and nodded, using her iron will to keep the tears from coming anymore. She had been terrified to see Naruto suddenly sprout tails and hear the revolting sound of his bones snapping and re-shaping. She knew though, that he would do his best to stay in control.
Naruto turned to the giant red puppet, and spread his arms out at his sides, clenching and unclenching his fingers. Sasori glared at Naruto, and quickly went about his attack.
The giant red puppet swiped all of its arms, jumping into the air, and Sakura watched in awe as Naruto dodged the giant arms and their razor-sharp razor nails. Naruto was moving fast, not as fast as he could with the Thunder Flicker, but still incredibly fast. He moved with a fluid grace, and the tails waved behind him and actually looked like they belonged.
Naruto dodged to the right of one of the incoming arms, and knew that the longer he was under the Kyuubi's influence, the greater chance he would lose control. He decided to end it fast. He flew up into the air, jumping a good 50 feet until he was at the Devil Puppet's head. He raised his right hand, and started to swirl his Chakra in his palm. A purple Rasengan formed, coated in the red chakra shell as well as Naruto. Naruto knew that there was no way that the puppet could dodge such a blow, not with how large it was.
Sasori watched in surprise as Naruto howled, "Vermillion Rasengan!"
He thrust his right hand, and the purple Rasengan smashed into the nose of the Devil Puppet's face. The power of the Vermillion Rasengan was spectacular, emitting a blinding purple flash of light and the Rasengan completely shattered the face and caused the top half of the puppet to explode. Naruto didn't stop there, however, and he darted in through the debris. Giant chunks of wood battered him, but still he flew through the cloud of smoke and debris. When he reached the lower half of the puppet, Sasori used one of the few lower arms still attached and functional, to bat Naruto away.
The impact was cushioned some by the Red Chakra Shell, but Naruto still felt a rib or two break as the massive wooden arm smashed into him. He flew backwards, crying out, and landed with a heavy thud on the cave ground. He quickly picked himself up and formed a familiar hand sign. "Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" He roared, and immediately, several Naruto's appeared. They each looked like Naruto, with tails, extremely thick whisker marks, modified skeletal frames and legs, but they did not have the thick Chakra shell.
Immediately, three out of five ran at the puppet, which Sasori was controlling with great difficulty now that it was heavily damaged and unbalanced. Naruto held out his free right hand, and a clone went to Naruto's left side and held out his left hand. The left over clone stepped in front of them and started to spin a Rasengan. The Rasengan started small and blue, but quickly expanded to the size of a basketball and it turned purple. The Clone disappeared once the Rasengan was formed, and Naruto and the remaining clone sprang at the puppet.
The first three were demolished almost instantly, and then Naruto and his clone rushed the puppet head on. An arm shot at them, it's hand spread wide and ready to crush both the clone and Naruto. Both Naruto's thrust the Rasengan at the incoming hand so it hit the palm head on, and they screamed, "ODAMA VERMILLION RASENGAN!"
The Power that exploded from the Rasengan blew everyone clear off their feet, Sasori included. It ripped through the Devil Puppet's arm, sending shockwaves of Kyuubi power driving through the remaining skeleton and burning it and shattering it. Shockwaves of purple and red energy slammed into the Konoha Shinobi, and Sasori, and threw them a good ten feet off the ground. They all hit the ground hard, and stayed down as wave after wave of power battered their bodies and even inflicted a few shallow cuts on their bodies. Finally, when the smoke and the power abated, they all got to their feet.
Naruto stood, chest heaving and knees shaking, in front of a pile of burning kindling. The wood was no longer red, but scorched black, and the pieces that did remain were on fire. There was ash falling around Naruto, as the incinerated pieces of wood rained down on him. Naruto fell to one knee, losing his focus and strength for a moment.
"Damnit!" Hissed Sasori, picking himself up off the ground. He now had only one scroll left…and then it was down to his physical attacks. This Jinchuriki's power level was way beyond anything Sasori had witnessed in his life…and Sasori had foolishly engaged him without his partner at his side.
Sakura turned to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru…you go get Naruto! Chiyo-sama and I will finish this!" She yelled, and she darted forward. Chiyo followed her, leaving Shikamaru to retrieve Naruto. Shikamaru didn't complain though, as he was out of Chakra. Battling the puppets had used a lot of his chakra, and all he had left was maybe enough for a minute's worth of Shadow Possession. He ran to Naruto's side, and thankfully for Shikamaru…the Red Chakra dissipated. Naruto, however, didn't change back to normal. He was still half-animal and half-man. Shikamaru helped the shell-shocked Naruto to his feet and helped to drag him away as Sakura and Chiyo closed in on Sasori.
"Time to end this!" Sakura cried, and Sasori gritted his teeth. Chiyo's one remaining puppet had joined her, so now it was three versus one. Of course, they weren't sure how to kill Sasori, he was sure. But still…they might get lucky. Sasori sprang backwards and grabbed his one remaining scroll off his back. He was all out of tricks after this scroll.
He dodged Chiyo's puppet as she sent it flying at him, and he cursed as it almost sliced his scroll. He protected his scroll with his arm, which became severed and flew off. He didn't pay it much attention as it flew back on, however. Sakura cried out suddenly, "So that's it!"
Sasori panicked. She must have finally picked up on how he was able to re-attach himself and stay living. He hurled the scroll at her in desperation as she suddenly appeared in front of him, her fist cocked back. It hit her, causing her to flinch, which gave him enough time to slash at her while jumping away. Chiyo's puppet, however, landed in front of Sakura and took the hit, which severed it in half at mid-chest. Chiyo was now puppetless, as was Sasori. Now, it was all up to Sakura.
"You aren't completely puppet, are you Sasori?" Sakura asked, and Sasori remained silent. He didn't dare answer her. Chiyo raised her eyebrows at Sakura, surprised. "What do you mean, child?" Chiyo asked.
"I mean…that he has to be part human, otherwise he wouldn't be alive. There is no way he could stay living. There is no such thing as a living puppet. If he were all puppet, he would have to have a puppeteer pulling his strings." Sakura said slowly, and Chiyo seemed thoughtful.
"That is true…isn't it, Sasori?" Sakura asked, and the glint in her eye said it all for Sasori. She had finally pieced it all together, and he was doomed. Now, all he could do was bid for his life.
"If you kill me, you'll lose valuable information." Sasori stated calmly, and Sakura raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? Like what?" She asked, and Sasori chuckled.
"Well, for just a tiny instance, locations for several of Orochimaru's secret bases. Or the fact that I have a spy in Orochimaru's ranks, rather close to the snake himself, who has been undercover for many years. I'm supposed to meet him in two months…and get information. If you were to kill me, you wouldn't get that information. That information…and I have information on my organization." He said calmly. He knew that this would almost completely solidify his worth alive, and he smiled softly. The smile that would have seemed charming, seemed vile and grotesque as the scar that decorated his face twisted his features slightly.
Sakura hesitated, as did Chiyo. "Sakura..." Chiyo said, voicing her uncertainty. Sakura quickly went over everything she knew, and looked back at Naruto. He was on his back on the ground, Shikamaru watching over him with concern. If she were to keep Sasori alive, they would know more about Orochimaru so they could get Sasuke back. If she were to kill Sasori, that would be one less Akatsuki member in the world, and one less who would try to kill Naruto. Sakura looked at Chiyo, just as uncertain as the older woman.
Sasori seized his opportunity, springing forward and slashing at both women with his forearm blades. Sakura and Chiyo cried out, trying to spring backwards out of the range. They both knew they wouldn't make it.
Suddenly, Sasori froze, his scythe's inches away from Chiyo and Sakura. He was shaking, eyes wide in surprise. "This move again?" He asked loudly, and Sakura and Chiyo turned around to see Shikamaru with his hands in the seal of the Rat.
"Yes…the Shadow Possession technique again." Shikamaru acknowledged. He had just barely been able to send his shadow rocketing towards Sasori in time.
"Sakura…kill him. I can't hold on to this much longer." Shikamaru called, and Sakura nodded. She clenched her fist, holding it in front of her.
"Any last words, Sasori?" Sakura asked, and Sasori laughed wildly. He was now going to die…there was no other way around it. He couldn't stand up to her blows, not when she could surge her chakra throughout his entire body and break up every last piece of him into smithereens.
"You fought well, for a girl. But, I'll tell you something for being such a worthy opponent, at least. My spy, will be waiting for me on a bridge out in the middle of Grass Country. That's all I'll tell you, the rest you'll have to figure out yourself." He laughed, and Sakura glared at the man.
"Very well." She said, and drew back her fist. She punched Sasori's chest casket once, unleashing a large amount of Chakra from her system. Immediately, Sasori cried out in surprise, and then the chest casket with the 'scorpion' kanji on it exploded. Blood erupted from it, flying out behind Sasori. His form exploded from within, thanks to Sakura's chakra punch, and that was the end of Sasori of the Red Sands.
Chiyo sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. She fought back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, as she realized that her own grandchild was finally dead. The Grandchild that should never have turned out the way he did. She was surprised when Sakura laid a hand on her shoulder gently. "Chiyo-sama…" She said softly, and Chiyo nodded. The world was rid of an evil, and her actions had been necessary.
They turned together, seeing Shikamaru shaking. "Wow…I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to deactivate the Shadow Possession technique in time. I almost died." He whispered, shaking his head quickly. He shivered, but then turned to Naruto. The sound of bones cracking and reshaping filled the air, and Naruto moaned in pain as his body went back to normal.
Sakura ran over to him, and kneeled at his side. His gaze was distant, glazed over slightly…and she realized that the power he had used was straining his system. She quickly cast a quick diagnostic Jutsu and placed it on his stomach, to see if there was anything else wrong besides 'Chakra Shock'. She called it 'Chakra Shock' because he was overloaded form the amount of power he used, completely unused to the amount he unleashed. She was surprised to find that Naruto's Inner Coils system was re-shaping…and was much larger than it had been just a few days ago.
Naruto grabbed one of her wrists gently, drawing her attention. She looked over at his face, which had a slightly vacant look, and into his deep blue eyes. "Sakura…where is the plant-guy?" He asked, and Sakura glanced over where the large crater was. She could see three other Naruto's guarding Zetsu carefully, so she knew he was still there.
"He's still where you left him." She murmured, and Naruto nodded. "You over-exerted yourself Naruto…" She continued to say, and Naruto nodded again. "It was huge. I had to pump out a lot of power to do that."
"You shouldn't have done that. You could have managed without doing that…" Sakura murmured. She could tell his muscles were injured as well, with two broken ribs, and of course his internal organs were burned form the sudden flaring of his Chakra system. She shook her head, and prepared a Jutsu, when Naruto spoke.
"No, don't bother, Sakura-chan. I'll be fine. But, we do need to paralyze or bind that other Akatsuki." Naruto said, indicating to the crater. Sakura nodded and turned to Chiyo.
"Do you know any immobilizing Jutsu? I know a couple, but I want to stay with him." She asked, and Chiyo nodded. "I shall immobilize him." She said, and went off to the crater. Shikamaru helped Sakura lift Naruto into the sitting position, and he asked, "Naruto…what happened to you?"
Naruto glanced away from them for a moment, but then looked back. "I…I'm not quite sure, myself. I know the general, just not the specific." Naruto said, and Sakura gave him a look that made him quickly speak up. "The general idea is that the Kyuubi's anger and mine synchronized, bonding us together. Through that bond, he somehow influences a change in my physical make-up, making me part fox and part human. I also grow tails, in case you didn't notice." He said, and their looks said they did notice. Naruto carried on. "Well, those tails make me part demon. Half human, half demon, with tails of power like the tailed beasts. That, mixed with my Chakra Shell, it creates a heck of a lot of power, as you've seen. This is only my second time transforming, so I didn't quite understand how much power I could harness. But still…that's what happened." Naruto said, and he was surprised as Sakura wrapped him in a hug.
"Don't. EVER. Scare me like that again!" She whispered fiercely, and he could feel her trembling body shaking against his. He gathered her in his arms and held her tight, cradling her against himself. He could tell she was battling tears, fighting the urge to cry. He held her, wishing he could protect her from the fear she had felt that was now surfacing again. He breathed gently in her ear, "Sakura…I'm sorry. I really am." He said. She didn't answer, but sobbed now.
"I guess I am a demon…" He murmured softly. In his mind, this was true. He had fought so hard to prove he wasn't a demon, that he wasn't the Kyuubi, but in the end he ended up synching with the beast who was in his belly. He was a demon, no matter how much he denied it. And then Sakura's face flashed into his mind, full of fear and horror as she looked upon his changed visage. He started to remove her from his lap, to push her away and distance her from himself so she wouldn't be offended or disgusted or afraid of him anymore.
She clung tight to him, however, arms looped around his chest and holding him tight. "Sakura-chan…" He murmured, reverting back to his old nickname for her, "let go…" He whispered. He fought back the tears as he felt himself rip apart his own heart with his action. He was a demon, she had seen it and feared it, and he wouldn't let her be involved with him if she feared him. Love could not live in fear.
"No." She whispered, determinedly. She didn't understand the change…she was confused by his sudden actions and words. She stayed on his lap, holding him. She could see a stony emotionless mask over his face…blocking what he was feeling from her. His eyes, however, told her of pain and she could see the tears welling up. His words were as painful as his actions, to her. He had called her 'Sakura-chan' without emotion…reverting not just back to her old nickname but doing so with a coldness that matched Sasuke's.
"Sakura-chan let go." He said, a bit more firmly this time. She could hear the pain in his voice, and the coldness and indifference he was trying to feel. She felt just as she had the night Sasuke had left her…before he had knocked her unconscious and laid her on a bench. She let her grip go slack, and he moved her off his lap, and stood. He didn't look down at her, but turned to Shikamaru.
"I'm going to get Gaara's body. I'll be back." He said curtly, and Shikamaru nodded. He kept his face guarded, and watched as Naruto sprang away, running from the cave. He disappeared at the mouth of the cave, jumping away to retrieve Gaara.
"Sakura…what…?" He asked, clearly wondering exactly what she was wondering. Sakura brought her knees up to her chest, and wrapped her arms around her knees. She allowed her tears to flow down her cheeks as she whispered, "What did I do?" She then rested her forehead on her knees…and sobbed. Shikamaru knelt by her side, and Chiyo came back with the three Naruto's holding a stiff Akatsuki member on their shoulders between them.
"What did I do?" Sakura asked louder, confused and exasperated. She stood, wiping her tears away and letting anger bloom from the pain she was feeling. She glared at the cave opening, and then turned to Shikamaru and Chiyo. "Wait here. I'll be back." She said, and bolted off after Naruto, leaving Shikamaru and Chiyo and three Naruto Shadow Clones.
'Damn it, Naruto…you'd better have a hell of a good explanation for making me feel like this!' Sakura raged, and felt both the urge to inflict major physical harm upon the boy she cared so much for…and the urge to grab onto him and cry on his shoulder and demand to know why he was such an ass. She chased after Naruto, feeling for his Chakra Signature, desperate for him to give her a reason for breaking her heart like he had.
Hey ya'll that's finally the end. I just left it with some NaruxSaku drama, but next chap will have the resolution of it and then the resolution of Kakashi and Team Guy. And then of course, you'll get to find out if I decide to keep to the story line and let Gaara live. As much as I love Gaara, I might just decide to kill him. It would give Naruto a heck of an incentive to go after the Akatsuki, instead of leaving him with Gaara alive. So, sweat it out! You'll see next chapter! Oh, and I want to know, how many of you are NaruxHina fans? I am thinking about making a NaruxHina story to write as well. And, I want to know if you guys would read it. I know I'm a NaruxHina fan all the way, but I just wanted Naruto and Sakura together in one story of my making. So, Lemme know if any of you would read it!