Kidnapped

Chapter 10: In the Belly of the Beast

Naruto finds himself back in his mindscape alone. "What the? I just got out of here!"

Before he can think any further on his predicament, Orochimaru appears in front of him. He no longer appeared to be the snake that he transformed into in the lab, just a moment ago.

Orochimaru looks around at the sewer that is Naruto's mindscape. "You are certainly a strange child. I've never been in a mindscape like this." He looks into Naruto's eyes. "You have issues, child."

Naruto chuckles. "I don't have issues, I've got volumes!" (If you don't get the joke, send me a message and I'll explain it.)

Naruto launches himself at Orochimaru with a Rasengan charged up in his hand. As he is about to land the strike, Orochimaru punches Naruto in the gut. Naruto flies through the air and crashes into a sewer wall, causing rubble to crash onto him.

The Snake chuckles, "Once you know the rules, it is hardly a fight."

Sakura and Sasuke stand back-to-back, panting heavily.

"Where the hell are they all coming from?" Sakura could barely get the words out, she was so tired.

Sasuke easily ducks a clumsy strike and dispatches his opponent with a well placed finger strike into the chuunin's eye, forcing the eye to explode and his brain to jettison out of a newly formed hole formed in the back of his head, from the pressure. "They must have been the troops that Kabuto kept reporting to Orochimaru about. I never cared about them, so I'm not sure of their numbers." Sasuke flashes several hand signs and brings his hand up to his mouth. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" A fireball erupts out of his mouth and envelops the approaching squad charging down the hall, giving them a moment's reprieve.

Sakura giggles. "You are the only man I know that can do fireball like that that is so hot that it even burns the smell of the burning bodies away. Too bad."

Sasuke gives Sakura a confused look. "You're enjoying this? Damn, you're a sadistic bi…" Sasuke catches himself before he can make a HUGE mistake.

Sakura just giggles again. "Naruto was the only one of us to train with a Sannin that was sadistic."

Sasuke shudders at the look in Sakura's eye. He now realizes just how dangerous this young kunoichi has grown over the years. "I guess Kabuto isn't the only medical ninja that prefers dealing out pain than curing people of it."

Sakura gets a dangerous look in her eye. Right before she can throw her punch, Sasuke rolls under her guard and slices the throat of a shinobi that was rising out of the floor using an earth jutsu. At the same time, Sakura catches a thrown kunai that was aimed for the base of Sasuke's skull, before he rolled out of the way. Sakura charges at the approaching kunoichi. They struggle, almost even for a moment. Finally, Sakura catches the kunoichi by the throat and slams her into a wall, knocking the all down. Sakura drops the now lifeless kunoichi at her feet.

Sakura gives Sasuke a wink and they both take off down the hall in search of the blonde haired knucklehead.

Gai screams and launches himself feet first at the gathered shinobi in the entrance to a large room, "Dynamic Entry!" The wall of Chuunin fodder explodes and bodies fly in all different directions. Gai turns back to Kakashi. "HA! That's 31 to your 29! I will win in this race to save Naruto!"

Kakashi sighs and nonchalantly tosses a kunai into the throat of a slowly reviving enemy. "For the last time, I'm not in a competition. But that makes it 30 all."

Gai's face turns crimson in rage, but instead of taking the bait he runs further into the room, searching for any other entrances. "Looks like we have to keep looking. No other ways in or out of this room."

They both head out of the door and down the hall. Ten feet from the next intersection, they both stop and make ready as they here running and shouts of panic. Before they can react, five Sound nin fly past the intersection screaming for their lives. Behind them, two ink gorillas give chase with an exasperated Lee in tow. "You can't get away! We will drive on after you with the fires of youth in our hearts. We will find our comrade!!"

Sai brings up the rear and as he sees Kakashi, he gives him a look that spelled a slow and painful death for the copy-ninja. Kakashi just smiled and gave a lazy salute in response.

Gai looks to Kakashi with a tear in his eye. "They make me so proud. There is a great generation to take care of the village when we are gone."

Kakashi unexpectedly puts his hand on Gai's shoulder. "No truer words could be spoken. We've done well, especially you. Lee is a marvel and a genius of hard work. He is a great shinobi of the Leaf and will become one of the best ever."

Kakashi takes off down the now empty corridor leaving Gai in tears and speechless. "Come on. I'm going to get a lead on the body count!"

Gai shakes the cobwebs out and follows after Kakashi. He whispers to himself. "No, it was all Lee."

Kakashi grins to himself as he hears the softly spoken words. Only the Inuzuka have better senses than Kakashi and not many of them at that.

Naruto pulls himself gingerly out of the rubble. He rubs the back of his head. "That's strange; there's no blood. I hit that wall hard." In the back of his mind, Naruto can barely remember something. Something about control and his mindscape. He can't quite figure out what it is though.

Before he can think any harder on it, Orochimaru is by his side. Orochimaru inhales deeply and gives a frown. "What's this? You aren't afraid yet? Kukuku, the meal isn't nearly as delicious when the prey isn't scared. I guess I will have to tenderize the meat a little more then.

Orochimaru grabs Naruto by the back of his shirt and throws him at the far wall. At the last possible instant, Naruto spins around. When his feet touch the wall, he springs back with blinding speed. Before Orochimaru can even realize what happened, the number one knuckleheaded ninja, slammed that head square into The Snake's face.

"What the? How did I do that?"

As Naruto is pondering, Orochimaru stands up with his face ruined. His nose is flattened and he now has a leaf imprint right in the middle of his face. "Still have some fight in you then? Good." Orochimaru licks his lips with that long purple tongue. The tongue extends out to cover his entire face. Everywhere it touches, the damage is healed.

"How in the hell did you do that?!"

"Not too bright are you. Oh well, I don't need your intellect, just your body."

Naruto blanches and takes off down the sewer.

"MMMMM, a chase. How lovely." Orochimaru follows at his own pace.

TenTen drives her spear into the chest of a doomed Sound nin. The force causes it to explode out the unfortunate kunoichi's back and sprays her fellow in the face with blood and parts of lung. Instead of retracting the spear, TenTen kicks the quickly dying kunoichi into the traumatized male shinobi behind 

her, impaling him in the stomach. It is hardly a life threatening injury, but he is trapped against his teammate and watches as a grey-eyed Hyuuga drives a Gentle Fist strike directly into his face, killing him instantly.

Neji looks to TenTen. "You are so messy. I'm going to have to burn this outfit when we get back to Konoha."

TenTen grabs him by the front of his robe and pulls him in for a hard kiss. After she let him go, she gives him a sultry look. "Maybe I'll get you out of those clothes sooner than that." She giggles and runs off down the hall leaving a completely dumbfounded Neji standing alone.

He smiles and shakes his head. "How is she still able to make my brain mush?"

"Are you coming?"

He smiles again and takes off after her.

Naruto stops in the room with the now empty cage. Seeing the cage, he remembers what Kyuubi had told him. "This is MY mindscape. I control it. Not him. Lets see how he likes this."

Naruto concentrates and changes the sewer into the Team 7 training ground. About the time the transformation finishes, Orochimaru emerges into the room.

"What's this, child? Do you have multiple personalities? We are no longer in your sewer. I guess we are going to find out what you like about this place."

In an instant, Orochimaru was behind Naruto. Before Naruto could react, Orochimaru had a kunai driven into his kidney.

"AAARRRGH! How did you do that?"

"Kukuku, we aren't at you academy. I don't give lessons for free. They always come at a price." Orochimaru licks Naruto's ear. "Pain, but still no fear. How interesting."

Naruto leaps away from Orochimaru, tearing the kunai away in the process. He reaches back and pulls it out. The wound closes up immediately. Angry orange chakra started coming out of his pores. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!" A single tail forms behind Naruto. It starts translucent, but as more chakra comes out of Naruto's body, it gets more and more solid. It forms into a solid fox's tail, roughly 6 feet long. Naruto's skin takes on a more orange hew and his fangs get longer. His muscles bulge outward, making his skin seem tight and ready to explode. Finally, his hands become more claw like. They are still human hands, but the nails are as hard as the hardest diamond and sinister looking.

Orochimaru just stares at the transformation, unable to tear his eyes away. He whispers, "Just what ARE you?"

In an other-worldly voice Naruto answers. "I am Kyuubi no Naruto. I will be the scourge of all that oppose me. You have threatened me and all that I hold dear. I will consume you."

The entire team meets up at the bottom level. "We've searched everywhere! Where else could he be, Sasuke?" Sakura seems on the verge of tears.

"They must have changed something. Is there anyone left alive?"

Neji activates his Byakugan and scans the complex. "I can see one massive chakra signature. It was blocked from above before. I think that something must have recently torn down the barrier. It is two floors up and near a large room. I think that that was Gai-sensei's and Kakashi's sector to scout.

The two Jounin look to each other and both know where they need to go. Kakashi looks back to the others. "Let's go."

Naruto charges headlong into Orochimaru, despite being stunned by the transformation, Orochimaru manages to stay just out of the reach of those terrible claws and thirsty fangs. For the first time since Sasuke defeated him, The Snake knew fear. "Get away from me you fiend!"

Orochimaru launches an assault. Snakes spring from the ground and attempt to latch onto Naruto with their poison laden fangs. Naruto simply flares his chakra leaving nothing but ash falling to the ground like snow.

Naruto growls and takes all fours on the ground. As he does, two more tails emerge. He glares daggers into Orochimaru and the orange hairs come out of his skin giving him a coat of orange-red fur. He rends a handful of earth from the ground and springs to the attack. Covering the 100 feet to Orochimaru in a split second, Naruto swings those taloned fingers raking his claws through the chest of The Snake exposing muscle and bone. The next swipe destroys those bones and rips into the gray green lungs underneath.

Orochimaru screams in pain and disappears in a puff of smoke. Naruto spins around and catches a completely healed Orochimaru in the face with a spinning heel kick. He disappears again. Finally Orochimaru enters again through the same entrance he came through at first. "How interesting. You are so full of surprises. You will be a great container."

Before Naruto can spring to the attack again, he finds himself enclosed in snake scales. He flares his chakra but nothing happens. "You can't escape from this jutsu. This is where I consume you. Although, your little claim was amusing." Orochimaru smiles and walks closer to the ensnared shinobi.

Naruto struggles, but more and more scales cover his body in an ever growing mound. "How do I get out of this?!"

The combined teams explode into the room that Gai and Kakashi cleaned earlier. Standing near the now exposed false wall is the Sound ninja that got away earlier, Okubo. "You're too late. Master should be finishing up his dinner any second now. He won't be needing another big meal for a couple of years now. But I think that I'll take care of the table scraps."

Okubo claps his hands together and both the ceiling and floor turn to mud. As they start to sink, everyone springs out and finds solid ground.

Kakashi blows a fireball at the earth user causing him to duck for cover. "If we keep him on the move, he can't target the lot of us in one strike."

In answer, Sasuke takes off across the mud. Before it can grab his ankles, Sakura slams her hands on the ground. "Doton: Nendo Hashi!" (Earth Style: Clay Bridge)

The mud beneath Sasuke's feet hardens and turns to clay. Sasuke clears the small distance to the Oto-nin and sinks a Chidori into his gut. The Mud Clone explodes, leaving a dirty, but uninjured Sasuke looking for the original. Sasuke leaps away as a stone arm reaches out of the mud and tries to grab his ankle.

A kunai with a tag wrapped around the hilt exploded as it embedded into the stone arm. At the same moment, its owner used a steel bo staff as a pole vault and cleared the mud to engage the now exposed Okubo. As they trade blows, Gai and Lee spring across the mud and use Konoha Senpu (Leaf Whirlwind) kick from opposite sides to destroy Okubo's legs. At the last minute, Okubo substituted himself with a stone statute from across the room. The statue exploded and showered TenTen with rubble.

Okubo assesses his situation and retreats into the lab before Sai's ink Mythical Beasts could attack. After he cleared the doorway, he activates the seals he placed there and collapses the doorway.

As Orochimaru continues to advance, Naruto futilely flares his chakra to break out of the crushing weight of the snake scales. "It is over child. I have you now." Orochimaru finishes closing the distance and stands directly in front of Naruto. "Am I starting to smell fear?" Orochimaru leans in so close that Naruto can smell his fetid breath. Orochimaru smiles and licks Naruto's exposed cheek all the way up to his hairline. "MMMMMM, I taste the fear as well."

Naruto gives Orochimaru a fierce glare. "I'm done playin' around!" Naruto flares his chakra again and the scales explode sending Orochimaru flying across the training ground like a rag doll.

Panting heavily Naruto stands with a feral snarl. Now all nine tails are swinging behind him. As Orochimaru staggers to a standing position, Naruto flashes out of sight and blasts Orochimaru in the face with a heavy fist. Orochimaru flies another hundred feet, but before he can even land, Naruto is there again landing a kick that doubles The Snake in two.

Naruto picks up the lifeless body of Orochimaru. "Now, it's over." Naruto throws the slowly reviving body a short distance away. As Orochimaru goes to a knee, Naruto claps both hands together and concentrates. Suddenly, Kyuubi's cage emerges around Orochimaru. Naruto slams the door shut and slaps the seal in place. "Enjoy your new home. The last inhabitant earned his parole. I don't think that you will be that lucky."

Orochimaru screams in impotent rage as Naruto dismisses the mindscape and wakes up in the lab. He looks up to see Okubo readying a powerful jutsu as a ton of rubble explodes from a punch from Sakura. Just before Okubo can finish the last seal and attack the vulnerable kunoichi, Naruto screams and lands an orange Rasengan directly in the back of Okubo's head, sending gray matter all over the wall.

The two teams swarm into the room and are surprised to see an extremely exhausted, but healthy Naruto panting on one knee. Before anyone knows what is going on, Sakura rushes over and lifts Naruto up. They stare into each other's eyes. To the surprise of everyone, especially Naruto, Sakura presses her lips against his and envelops him in a crushing hug. They kiss for almost a minute. In that time, not a soul takes a breath.

When they finally come up for air, Sakura's lips are bleeding from Naruto's newly acquired fangs. Everyone exhales at once and both of the shinobi just stare at each other. Not knowing what to say, everyone leaves the two of them alone. As Sasuke enters the site of the previous battle, Kakashi puts a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"

Sasuke looks at his mentor. "I'm not sure." He looks back into the room. "But I think that it will be."

Inside of the room, Naruto and Sakura continue to stare at each other. "Sakura-chan, not that I'm complaining, but what was that?"

Sakura's eyes well up. She throws her arms around his neck and sobs, "I don't ever want to lose you again. I can't lose you again."

Stunned, Naruto rubs her hair and whispers soothing sounds into her ear. "It's ok. Everything is ok."

After a moment they separate. "I'm not sure what to do now, but I think that we should take it slowly, Sakura-chan."

Sakura nods. "I think, I think that I would like that."

Naruto smiles and gestures to the door. As they exit, Sasuke catches Naruto's eye. Naruto expects to see hatred, anger or hurt in the Uchiha's eyes. All he sees is happiness. Sasuke nods to his best friend and leads the troop to the compound entrance. He knows that they have a long way to go to get Naruto home to Konoha. They will have time to talk then.

A/N: Well, that is the end of Kidnapped. I am going to do a sequel, but I haven't figured out a title yet. I hope that you liked it. It was a lot of fun to write. I hope that you all follow on and read the sequel. Keep an eye on my profile page. I am sure that it will be Naru/Saku. I'm not sure as to what other pairings will be involved. I'm not sure what else to say. I really enjoyed writing this and I'm sad to end it. If you have any suggestions for the sequel, let me know. I am going to be brainstorming for a while to see where I am going to take it.

Oh yeah, I need to thank my reviewers! Thank you very much to: lirica, sheilanaruto, Sunny-Dip, KunochiDreamer, vash3055, Toraus, and Reidluver. I really appreciate the reviews. They help me to be a better writer.