Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Welcome to the world of Naruto Elseworlds, a look at Naruto's life in an alternate universe where even the smallest of changes have the greatest of consequences. Hinata Hyuga was gravely injured by her cousin Neji but would make a full recovery and ultimately rebuild a close relationship with him. But what if the jonin had failed to stop Neji's final blow against Hinata? What if Hinata had died that day? Would the death of the shy and unnoticed Hinata be a footnote in history or would it be the catalyst for life changing events to come?
Naruto Elseworlds: Kyubi Avenger
Chapter 11: Comrades
Sasuke landed on large tree branch, sharingan blazing staring down the young Sand genin before him. Gaara straightened himself slowly, his face void of emotion, the sand whipping around him like a crazed animal a sharp contrast to the stoic boy. Behind him lay Naruto, still unconscious, but breathing and from what Sasuke could tell, relatively unharmed. In a flash Sasuke was in his stance, kunai drawn with Gaara looking on almost bored. The Sand ninja merely crossed his arms, the slightest of scowls marring his face as he spoke.
"It would appear that my worthless brother and sister have failed in their task," Gaara said glaring at the Uchiha, "their usefulness is at an end. They will die with the rest of you."
"I won't allow you to hurt my teammate," Sasuke growled.
"What you allow is of little consequence," Gaara said calmly, "Orochimaru said he wanted you alive, but what he wants is also of little consequence. He may claim what remains of your mangled corpse, once mother has been sated."
Sasuke leaped high in the air to avoid the stream of sand that shot forward, smashing through the tree limb snapping the oak as if it were a pencil. Grasping another branch, Sasuke flipped himself up while sending his kunai straight for the Gaara's head. He watched the blade sail true, until the sand rose and plucked the danger from the air, letting it fall harmlessly to the forest floor.
The river of sand changed course, shooting upwards transforming into a crude hand that snatched the Uchiha in one quick motion, smashing the body between its grainy fingers. But instead of the wet squish of flesh, the snapping of dry wood echoed through the forest as the sand fingers opened to reveal a shattered log. Gaara stared at the mangled wood in annoyance before letting it fall and shouting angrily into the forest.
"Is this all the Uchiha have to offer me," Gaara snarled, "where is your strength, your power? Are you nothing more than a weak coward?"
Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger, trying to maintain his composure against Gaara's taunting as he began to formulate a plan behind the tree he was using as cover. He had trained with Kakashi to use his new speed to stun and throw Gaara off. That was fine for the level floor of the stadium, but the woods and elevation of the canopy quickly negated that advantage. Plan B would have to do.
Gaara scanned the woods for any movement, his sand rustling around him like an agitated beast, pacing back and forth with restless anticipation. In all honesty, Gaara found himself disappointed as he was sure the Uchiha would have at least offered a better challenge than this. When they had first met he had seen the fierce look in his eyes, the cold vacancy that matched his own. But now, all he saw was worry and concern for his teammate, weakness. Gaara's thoughts were interrupted as the sand rose to shield him from another volley of kunai, the steel blades embedding harmlessly in his defenses, his target landing on a branch across from his own.
"What a foolish…" Gaara thought before Sasuke flashed through a series of hand seals.
"Dragon fire jutsu," Sasuke shouted, trails of fire shooting from his mouth, along the wire connected to the kunai now imbedded in Gaara's sand shield.
Gaara's eyes widened slightly as the sand rushed to quickly shield its master from the charging inferno. A sphere enveloped the Sand genin as the attack died away, the heat hissing off the protective bubble. Pressing the attack, Sasuke leaped forward flashing through another set of hand seals bringing his hand up to his lips.
"Great fireball jutsu," Sasuke called out engulfing the protective shield once again in a torrent of flame.
Sasuke was a man possessed, his body acting purely on instinct and adrenaline as he formed the seals Kakashi had shown him. Concentrating his chakra and melding it with the essence of his affinity until the sound of chirping birds shrieked throughout the forest.
"Chidori," Sasuke yelled out plunging his hand into the fire beaten sand barrier. The shield cracked and shattered, stunned teal eyes meeting spinning red as Sasuke's hand embedded in Gaara's chest. The shocked look on Gaara's face did not last long, as his pale skin morphed into a grainy brown and the sand clone oozed around Sasuke's arm.
"Damn it," Sasuke cursed striking the sand away and jumping back to safety. Sasuke scanned the woods for a target and caught a glimpse of Gaara reappearing in a swirl of sand several trees away. He had hoped to end the fight quickly with that chidori but to no avail. He did however manage to put some distance between Naruto and Gaara.
Charging towards Gaara, Sasuke pulled two fistfuls of shuriken from his pouch and form a new series of hand seals.
"Phoenix sage fire jutsu," Sasuke yelled launching a barrage of small fireballs from his mouth, the shuriken conceled within the flames as they streaked towards Gaara.
The sand shield rose predictably to protect its wielder providing Sasuke with the distraction he was hoping for as he broke towards where Naruto was slump against the tree. Gaara watched with disinterested as the weak attack fizzled out against his sand, the hidden shuriken falling harmlessly to the forest floor. Sensing the danger had past; Gaara's defense fell allowing for a counterattack against the charging enemy he assumed would be pressing his own attack. Instead, Gaara was greeted by the sight of Sasuke rushing to the side of his unconscious teammate, attempting to deny Gaara the glorious battle his blood craved.
"No," Gaara screamed sending a deluge of sand intent on crushing the Uchiha.
Sasuke was about to pick Naruto up when a fist of sand nearly splattered him against the trees. Had he not had his sharingan active, he might not have been able to dodge in time. Sasuke leaped clear as Gaara once again placed himself between the two members of Team Seven. Sasuke fell back into a defensive stance as it had become apparent that the only way he was going to get to Naruto was through Gaara. He had already wasted one chidori and from what Kakashi had said he could do one more before suffering any ill effects.
Gaara watched as the Uchiha stared him down, trying to formulate a strategy that would no doubt fail. It seemed strange that he would stop his attack to try and rescues his teammate considering how dismissive he had been to the blond when they first encountered them. He had considered him a worthy opponent to begin with not only because of his abilities, but that the Uchiha seemed to hold the same philosophy of strength as he did. He fought for himself, for power but now it would appear that he would now fight for others.
"You have changed," Gaara said deciding to voice his opinion.
"What are you talking about," Sasuke questioned preparing for an attack.
"When we first met and I looked into your eyes, I saw strength. You fought for yourself, for your own power and it made you strong," Gaara said crossing his arms. "Why then do you now fight for him," Gaara asked motioning to Naruto.
For a moment, Sasuke froze unable to really think of a reason why. A month ago he considered Naruto nothing more than a nuisance, a second rate ninja whose dead weight he would have to carry. But he had chased after Gaara without a second thought, the first only being that he had to save his friend. The thought brought a small smirk to Sasuke's face as the revelation came from such a simple word. Naruto was his friend, a comrade in arms, someone who now understood Sasuke through the pain of loss. If Sasuke was honest with himself, then Team Seven was really the closes thing Sasuke had to a family now. He had already lost one and he was not about to lose another.
"You're wrong," Sasuke said smirking, "I fought to avenge my clan, my family. I must gain strength for them, to bring their killer to justice. I once saw my family and comrades cut down before my eyes, I will not let that happen again."
"You would be willing to die to save him," Gaara questioned.
"As he would do the same for me," Sasuke said defiantly.
Gaara appeared to mull those statements over before fixing a hard glare on Sasuke.
"Weakness," Gaara muttered as the sand exploded from his gourd.
Sasuke dodged the large columns of sand as they snaked around the forest canopy, weaving around the deadly but cumbersome attacks. Kakashi had warned him that Gaara liked to wait for you to attack and then to counter or to ambush you from below while distracting you from above. However, Kakashi had theorized that since he relied so heavily on his defense, that he was not an offensive minded ninja and his attacks would rely on brute force rather than finesse. Attacks Sasuke would be able to weave around before getting closer to strike the final blow.
Gaara was looking on somewhat annoyed as the Uchiha continued to evade his sand, jumping from cover to cover. The two sand "snakes" chased thiuer prey down the trees to the forest floor where he watched Sasuke throw several kunai straight into the sand pursuers. This confused Gaara for a moment until the explosive tags attached to the kunai exploded, bursting the sand columns apart and sending Gaara staggering back.
His distraction deployed, Sasuke made the seals for the chidori and sprinted up the tree trunk towards his target. The sound of birds caught Gaara's attention as he looked down to see Sasuke barreling up the tree, his hand aglow in lightening. Sasuke reached Gaara just as the sand shield had reformed, Sasuke striking across at Gaara's chest. The chidori carved a path straight through the incomplete sand barrier and found its mark, the sound of birds glossed over by the sound of pained shrieking. Sasuke turned to finish his opponent off when a sand whip slammed into his chest sending him crashing into a nearby tree, the unforgiving wood doing little to cushion the impact.
Sasuke had the wind knocked out of him and his vision blurred as he tried to stand. Through the haze of his mind, he saw Gaara clutching a wound that ran across his chest screaming in pain. Sasuke shook the focus back into his head as he took a step forward before a sharp pain erupted from his neck.
"No…not now," Sasuke thought as he saw the familiar black markings overtake his body.
Sasuke struggled to his knees, the pain of the counter seal fighting the curse mark searing every part of his body. He knew eventually the pain would stop, but he couldn't afford to just wait it out. Clutching his neck, he rose to his feet becoming aware that Gaara's screams had stopped.
"Maybe he's dead," Sasuke wistfully thought, he had no such luck.
Gaara stood where he had been struck staring at his hands that were now covered in blood, his blood. The cut across his chest ran from arm to arm, the chidori shredding his tunic and cutting the strap that held his gourd to his back. Said gourd had fallen and smashed itself on the tree branch spilling the sand that trickled down much like the blood making its way down Gaara's chest.
Gaara had at first reacted to the pain since he had never in his life experience anything like it. The sensation both terrified and excited him as he gazed curiously at the tear in his flesh. It was then he noticed the blood that covered his hands when he instinctive grabbed his chest. He noted it looked no different from any of the blood he had spilled in his lifetime, but that fact that it was his piqued his curiosity.
"My blood," Gaara murmured to himself, "this is my blood."
Slowly the sand from the shattered gourd began to rise and engulf Gaara's arms and head like a shroud.
"You have spilled my blood," Gaara screamed, a manic smile splitting his face.
Sasuke watched in horror as the sand began to harden into blue veined arms and clawed hands over Gaara's body, the boys face disappearing behind the hideous snout of what looked like a rabid tanuki.
"You have impressed mother," the sand creature snarled, "she will feast on your blood first and then she will consume your friend!"
By now the sand had nearly consumed what once had been Gaara, his feet the only part of his body that resembled a human. Behind him, what looked like a tail swished back and forth as the claws that had become Gaara's hand scratched deep grooves in the branch.
Sasuke was out of options as he prepared for a third chidori. There would be no strategy, no distraction this time around. Lightening would meet sand one last time and whoever was standing at the end would win it all.
Sasuke crouched low, preparing to launch himself like a missile towards this monster that stood before him. Gaara roared like an animal, the tail swinging back and forth with his claws gnawing at the wood with anticipation waiting to meet his enemy head on. It was then that Gaara seemed to freeze, his posture rigid almost like a statue. Gaara screamed and growled, but remained still as Sasuke looked on puzzled.
"Don't just stand there damn it," a familiar voice grunted.
Sasuke turned to see Shikamaru standing behind him, his hands locked in a rat seal ad sweat pouring down his face. Without a word, Sasuke turned leaping forward arm held back waiting for the plunge. Gaara was struggling to break free, the shadow users hold weakening each second. He could feel his body shaking, the control returning as he watched the Uchiha sail towards him.
"He's too powerful, I can't hold him anymore," Shikamaru yelled out.
To Sasuke, the warning was like white noise, the forest seeming to calm as he approached his target. He plunged his arm forward, the crackling of the electricity in his hands a dull noise, Gaara's screams seemed muted and time stood still as he saw Gaara shake and swing a heavy clawed arm forward. The chidori burned through the sand like fire through paper, a long trail of destruction that ended as Sasuke's hand embedded in the solid flesh of Gaara's body. Sasuke turned to look into the eyes of this creature, red meeting a sickly yellow. Gaara turned his head slowly to look Sasuke in the face and a vicious smile etched across the sand.
Sasuke had missed his mark.
Gaara's other arm came around slapping Sasuke away, removing his hand from Gaara's shoulder in the process. Shikamaru dove to grab Sasuke before he embedded in a tree, the two of them landing in a heap on a wide branch. Shikamaru looked up to see the sand slowly begin to reconstruct a new claw arm over Gaara's bloody own.
"Why does Team Seven always have to fight the troublesome super powered psychos," Shikamaru whined trying to think of a plan.
"Where is Shino, what happen to the other Sand siblings," Sasuke asked ignoring his backups complaints.
"Shino went to back up Kiba and get some help for us," Shikamaru said catching his breath, "the Sand ninja are tied up and unconscious."
"We need a plan," Sasuke said holding his arm.
"I'm working on…MOVE," Shikamaru said shoving Sasuke aside as a sand claw shot between them.
Shikamaru jumped back and turned to see a second claw coming straight towards him.
"Checkmate," he solemly said as he threw his hands up to cushion the blow. The sand claw struck him dead on, slamming and pinning him to a tree knocking him out.
Sasuke stood and tried to summon another chidori before both his neck and arm erupted with pain, his body's rebellion against his current actions. Collapsing on the branch, he watched as Gaara leaped forward landing in front of him. Sasuke soon found himself being held in the air by his neck, consciousness threatening to leave him as Gaara's grip tightened.
"Fighting for others has made you weak," Gaara growled, "I fight for myself, my existence will go on!"
Sasuke's mind had nearly succumbed to the darkness, his lungs burning for the air Gaara was withholding. And just as quickly as he had been slipping, he found himself free, gasping and lying on the branch. His vision was blurry but he could feel a burning sensation on his skin as if he was standing next to a roaring fire. He looked up to see Gaara now staring away Sasuke rolling over to see what had grabbed the murderous creatures attention.
At first it seemed like a swirling vortex of fire, it seemed hot but it was more than that. It reeked of anger and bloodlust not unlike Gaara only it was far worse. Sasuke vision cleared and he could see a figure standing within the cyclone of what looked like a boiling red cloud. He seemed to be hunched over like an Inuzuka, flat on all fours with clawed hands and fangs, piercing red eyes staring out under a wild head of blond hair.
"Naruto…what the hell are you," Sasuke thought staring wide eyed and shaking.
"YOU," Naruto roared, "I'LL KILL YOU."
Another chapter for you guys to confirm I am not dead. I'm trying to get on a monthly schedule so I can have some more regularity with my updates. Thanks for being patient and I hope you liked the fight. Naruto vs Gaara is next and that will official conclude the invasion arc and we move onto Itachi and Tsunade after that. Be sure to check out my other story On a Whim and vote in the poll at my profile to decide the pairing for that story. I hope to have On a Whim updated within the next few days. Til next time read and review people.