It has uh, well, been awhile, yes? Sorry about that. My first excuse was school but then I just got lazy. Don't worry, this fic shall not become a discontinued one. I promise!

Trombonista (anon.), I deleted your review as it was sort of rude. And just so you know, I DID in fact watch the match between Kimimaro and Lee. I'm not an idiot. Do me a favor and read the last paragraph in my bio.

Just a reminder to all reviewers, I appreciate CONSTRUCTIVE criticism but no rude comments. Don't flame. I review with respect and with good intentions, I don't try to bring anyone down. I expect you to have enough class to do the same.

Anyway, here's chapter 11!

Disclaimer: I STILL do not own Naruto

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Four pairs of eyes widened, instantly shocked. What? Did Gaara just.. No, of course not. Did he..?

Naruto was first to recover. "Wait, w-what did you say..?"

"I SAID I'D KILL HIM!" Gaara repeated, roaring at them.

Lee flinched, not daring to look into Gaara's eyes. His body trembled, fear beginning to swallow him up, pulling him into a dark void. This was no joke.. This was the real deal.

Gai closed his eyes, a smirk evident on his face. "What twisted love." He opened his eyes, bringing a tightly closed fist in front of him. "We won't let you get near him!"

At that moment, Gai slightly bent his knees and brought his fists to his sides. Blue chakra swirled about him, drowning him in incredible strength. His biceps seemed to bulge, as did his legs. His chest rose, also bulging. His large muscles appeared to be inflating like a balloon!

Neji eyed his sensei. Seemed he meant business too. Had he not told him moments before that this battle was his? Oh well. He could use the extra help.

Craters formed beneath Gai's feet, growing deeper and wider as he opened gate after gate, stopping at the sixth gate. All of a sudden he disappeared, dirt and wind blowing harshly against the three bystanders. The force was amazing, causing each of them to stumble back a few steps and shield their eyes.

Neji activated his Byakugan. His eyes darted from side to side and up and down, following his sensei's movements as best he could.

A loud cracking noise rang in the air and the three of them knew it came from the shattering of a bone. But.. whose was it? Gai's or Gaara's? Smoke covered the entire field, nothing visible, but the sounds of punches on the receiving end were heard. Naruto's eyes widened when Gaara shot up above the large cloud of smoke. At that moment, they knew whose bone had been broken. On the left side of Gaara's jaw was a nasty black-and-blue bruise that was stained with fresh blood. As quickly as he rose, he was shot back down into the smoke. His body was being thrown around in every direction imaginable.

Naruto's mouth hung open. "L-Lee..? Isn't that.. your technique?"

Lee tore his eyes away from the scene to respond. "Yeah, he is the one who had taught it to me."

Naruto didn't appear to be listening. He was drawn into the overwhelming performance right in front of him. Lee glanced over to Neji, watching as his eyes darted from one direction to another. He sighed. His sensei was presenting him with an incredible show but yet, he could not follow his movements. It made him feel bad, again wishing that he had a bloodline trait or, kekkei genkai. All he could do was just watch.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Neji, Naruto and Lee squinted, anxious to see what was going to happen next. They didn't have to wait long. Gai gave Gaara another crushing blow and he rose high into the air. Gai came up above him and focusing all his chakra into his left hand, he dealt the final blow.

"NGH!" Gaara fell at a fast rate, so fast that it seemed almost impossible. He crashed hard upon the ground, creating a large crater, bigger than the one Gai had made.

Gai jumped from the smoke that was slowly beginning to disappear, landing with a thud next to Neji. He panted hard, wiping the blood that had spilled from his nose.

Naruto slowly turned his head to meet Gai. He gulped and a smile grew on his face. "You did it!" He cheered, skipping around Lee, wanting him to join in celebration.

"No."

"Hm?" Naruto stopped and looked at Neji questioningly. "No, what?"

Neji closed his eyes. "He's still alive."

"WHAT?!" He screamed. "There's just no way!"

Gai shook his head. "I'm afraid he's right. Gaara isn't dead."

Groaning, Gaara slowly made his way to his feet. His body swayed back and forth and he cupped his aching jaw with his human arm. Glaring dangerously, he encased his body with the demon arm. A pulsation emitted from him.

"Oh.. no," Naruto murmured. He instantly turned towards the others. "Get back, hurry!"

Neji grabbed Lee by the wrist and ran after Naruto. Gai, unfortunately, had been left behind. His muscles ached and he was too tired to move. With one giant poof, there was Shukaku in all his glory. Gai barred his teeth, his body mere inches from Shukaku's feet. He gradually rolled away and out of danger.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee called after him.

Gaara emerged at the top of Shukaku's head. He grinned manically. Glancing down, he watched as Gai tried to roll out of his reach. Gaara shook his head and reached Shukaku's arm down, grabbing him around his midsection. He squeezed.

Gai let out an agonizing roar as his bones were beyond the point of breaking. Lee reached out to him but Neji held him back. He struggled to keep the green clad ninja in his arms. Lee kicked and punched and cried. He needed to save his sensei; there was no way he could let this demon destroy the person he's looked up to all his life.

Neji looked at Naruto. "Something needs to be done."

"Right!" Naruto winced when he heard another yelp from the older ninja. He formed hand signs: I Inu Tori Saru Hitsuji. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Miraculously, Naruto was able to summon Gama Bunta in one try. Neji flew away due to the force of the chief toad's poof. Lee landed on top of him. Immediately regaining his balance, he stood.

"Naruto!" He begged. "Please.. Please save Gai-sensei!"

Naruto gave Lee a thumbs-up. "You can count on me!"

"What do you want, little snot?" Gama Bunta asked the familiar ninja standing atop his head.

"Chief, I need you to help me fight this demon again," Naruto explained.

"HM? What demon?" He gazed upward, eyes resting on the monstrous being before him. "WHAT?! Why should I mess with a guy like him, again for that matter?"

"GAH! Just look at his hand!" Instructed Naruto, becoming impatient.

Gama Bunta's eyes squinted. There, in the clutched hand of Shukaku, was an older shinobi getting the life squeezed out of him. Literally. "I see him."

Naruto gave the chief a slap on the head. "Right! We need to save him and take that demon out!"

"Its like deja vu all over again," he said, unsheathing his sword. He lunged forward, again cutting off the right arm of Shukaku which held Gai. It crumbled and fell to the forest floor.

"Ungh!" Neji groaned as he caught his sensei. He didn't realize Gai was so heavy. Pulling him against a tree, he made sure Gai was as comfortable as possible. Lee came up, eyes full of concern.

"Gai-sensei! Are you okay?!" He did all but scream.

Gai opened an eye, nodding a thanks to Neji. He looked sadly at Lee before losing consciousness. Lee kneeled over his sensei, careful not to make his injuries worse. He cried onto Gai's face.

"Please.. Gai-sensei! Stay with me!" Lee pleaded, sobs racking his entire body. He couldn't lose his sensei, his father. He didn't know how he could live without him and he didn't intend to find out.

Neji rested a hand on Lee's shoulder. "Lee, let him rest. He needs it."

Lee rose and cried into Neji's shirt, crying harder than the time he thought Neji was toying with him. He gripped the shirt and he could smell Gai's scent. He wept even more, if that was even possible.

"Play Possum Jutsu!" Gaara announced and drifted into what was going to be a heavy sleep.

"Let's take him down like last time." Gama Bunta suggested.

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'm finally free again! Its been awhile since if breathed fresh air!" Shukaku, the sand spirit, pointed a large claw at Gama Bunta. "Its you again! I'll make sure I take you down this time. Here I come, BABY!" He slapped his stomach. "Air Bullets!"

Three powerful chakra-filled air bullets headed toward Gama Bunta. He jumped into the air. "Water Style: Liquid Bullets!" He sent three liquid bullets to counter Shukaku's air ones.
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Neji stared at the cold, falling rain, soaking both he and Lee. He didn't know quite what was going on but he didn't care. The battle was growing more and more dangerous. The two large creatures were nearing the spot where they stood. Neji stroked Lee's thick wet hair.

"Lee, we need to get out of here or Gai won't be the only one who's fallen."

Lee shook his head. "I refuse to leave him! He was always by my side. I refuse to leave his!"

Tightening his grip around Lee's waist, Neji jumped high onto a tree and jumped from branch to branch, creating distance. He felt Lee's fists pound against his chest and he regretted taking him away from is beloved sensei but having one shinobi down was better than having three down. Neji stopped about a good mile away, the scene still very visible for they were fairly large. He sat on the sturdy branch, taking Lee down with him careful to not release his grip.

"Let me go! I have to be with him!" Lee cried, struggling to get free.

Neji held him still. "Don't be stupid. If you die, then his death will have been in vain."

Death.

The word echoed in Lee's ears and tears flooded his eyes. No. Gai-sensei was not dead. He was strong, invincible! Nothing could take that man down! Lee found himself shaking his head, so fast and violently, he became dizzy.

Lee faced Neji, eyes cold. "He is not dead."

"Lee-"

"HE IS NOT DEAD!"

Neji accidentally lost his grip on the slightly younger teen. Lee jumped to the forest floor, Neji's attempt to grab him failed. He watched as Lee ran back to their fallen sensei. Looking up at the battle, he realized that they were moving further and further away.
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"Remember! Do NOT go over that way!" Naruto shouted, pointing in the direction of his comrades.

"I know already!" Gama Bunta claimed.

The large toad leapt toward Shukaku, allowing Naruto to jump off and give Gaara his signature pound to the face. The sand spirit only watched as the duo shadowed above them. The blonde ninja waited until he was directly above the sleeping ninja before plunging downward, arm extended with a closed fist.

"Nice try, runt!" Shukaku swung his heavy arm and sent Naruto flying far to the side and out of sight. Gama Bunta cursed under his breath. Perhaps he could get close enough to smack his smoking pipe across the redhead's head? It was worth a shot.

"You'll pay for that, you overgrown raccoon!" He roared, leaping backward then lunging forward. He was in perfect range to swing his pipe but Shukaku slapped his round stomach and sent Gama Bunta flying with an air bullet.

"Ah, that hurt as much as it did last time." Gama Bunta commented, regaining balance. He eyed the sand spirit, as if mesmerized by its features. Its heavy tail swung back and forth behind it, waiting patiently for the chief toad's next move. There was no doubt he was going to need Naruto for this.

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Naruto lay unconscious on the forest floor, more than a mile away. Luckily, he hadn't landed head first, but he did land harshly on his back, possibly breaking a vertebrae. His forearm was bent in the opposite direction, a protruding bone barely visible. Blood ran down his face, caused by deeply scraping his forehead against a tree right before impact. The idea of him getting up soon wasn't likely.
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"Lee.." Neji neared the audible sobs that were obviously coming from Lee. Just as he expected, Lee was hovering over his sensei's body, his tears drowning Gai's face. Neji couldn't help but feel bad for Lee. Gai had been a part of his life since his academy years. He sighed; although he didn't like him very much, Gai was a big part in his development too.

Lee didn't even turn around when Neji approached him. Instead, he bit his lower lip, choking back his sobs. Neji had seen him cry enough so he decided he'd stop for now. It wasn't like crying was going to save Gai-sensei.

"You're only hurting yourself. Staying here will only make you feel worse." Neji explained as he opened his arms, signaling Lee to embrace him.

Lee only turned away and lowered his gaze to the ground. Neji sighed and dropped his arms, stepping forward. He placed a hand on Lee's shoulder, feeling the slight trembles rack his body. Lee turned toward Neji and yanked his arm, causing Neji to double over.

"What are you-?" Neji stopped when arms wrapped around his neck. He kneeled in the mud, allowing Lee to embrace him completely. Glancing over at Gai, he noticed a faint rise and fall of his chest. He smirked.
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"UNGH!" Gama Bunta amazingly did a flip in the air after being smacked away by Shukaku's massive tail.

"Haha! You're going to have to do better than that!" Shukaku screeched with laughter. Yes, this was indeed the most fun he'd had in years.

"Need help?"

"HM?" Gama Bunta looked behind him. "Tsunade?!"

"Who'd you expect?" Tsunade winked. "Okay Katsuya! Let's see what we can do!"

Katsuya nodded, "Yes, my lady."

With that, the giant slug released a smaller portion of herself on top of her head, next to Tsunade's feet. Tsunade picked it up, spun three hundred sixty degrees, and launched it at Shukaku. He smacked it to the side, just as he did with Naruto.

"Gama!" Tsunade called. "Where's Naruto!"

The chief toad blew out some smoke. "He got slapped like your slug did," he explained casually.

"Damn!" She cursed before bending over to talk to Katsuya. "Katsuya, release another slug from behind. Make sure it crawls up that demon's leg and toward Gaara. In the meantime, I'll distract it."

"Yes, my lady."

"HM," Gama Bunta wondered aloud, watching as a slug was being formed from behind Katsuya. 'Very clever.'

Tsunade jumped off Katsuya's head, landing near Shukaku's feet. She raised a fist and slammed it onto the ground below Shukaku. In an instant, the ground beneath him gave out, and he fell into the crater. The smaller slug had successfully crawled onto Shukaku's face and was now inching closer to Gaara's sleeping form.

"NOW!" Tsunade screamed.

The slug leaned back and spat. "Acid slime!"

Acid encased Gaara's back, melting his clothing and severely burning his skin. The excruciating pain was enough to wake him up. He opened his eyes and glared at the slug behind him.

"NO! You have got to be kidding me! Already?!" The Shukaku was then again sealed inside Gaara.

Gaara directed sand onto and around the slug, squeezing it with his Sand Coffin Jutsu. But before Gaara could use Death Burial, the slug burst into even smaller slugs, falling onto the ground and reuniting with Katsuya.
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Naruto coughed up blood as he picked himself up with his good arm. He stood on his knees, taking in large amounts of air. He breathed hard, a stinging sensation shot up his spine to the broken vertebrae. He didn't like the look or feel of his arm either. Picking himself up, stumbling a bit, he dashed back toward Gama Bunta. The battle wasn't over until either one or both of them were dead.
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"Now we need to get rid of the Shukaku's body." Gama Bunta told Tsunade.

Tsunade jumped backwards, returning to her place atop Katsuya's head. Now how were they to do something like that? 'It'd be easy if he was out of chakra.' She narrowed her eyes, trying to determine whether or not he was tired.

"Kagebunshin no Jutsu!"

One hundred Naruto clones appeared all around Shukaku, each and very one of them in perfect condition unlike the original Naruto, who stayed hidden behind the trees. He needed more, and by borrowing the fox's chakra, he conjured up another nine hundred clones. One thousand total. Nearly falling, Naruto grabbed a tree and held on to it.

"HM?!" Gama Bunta looked around, spotting the original Naruto not too far from his position. Tsunade followed the toad's gaze and jumped onto the ground, knowing Naruto was probably injured.

Gaara glanced at all the Narutos. "Well! Are you all just going to stand there!"

Blue swirls of chakra were emitted from a palm of every hand belonging to each of the one thousand clones. The blue chakra balls were steady and all at once, the clones launched themselves high in the air toward Gaara and the Shukaku's body.

In unison they yelled, "RASENGAN!"

Each ball was pushed into various places on the Shukaku's body, blasting those areas. The solid sand returning to its original texture. Gaara watched as its body was destroyed. A shadow loomed over him and he immediately looked up to see a clone with a smirk on his face.

Gaara raised his arms. "No! Stay away!"

His request was denied, and the clone pushed the chakra ball into Gaara's abdomen, slipping him out of the Shukaku's head and sending him spinning to the ground. His body fell through the trees, rustling them until he crashed upon the ground, a short distance away from Neji, Lee, and Gai.

"Katsuya! You may leave. Your assistance is no longer needed." Tsunade told her.

"Yes, my lady." With that, she poofed away along with Gama Bunta.

Tsunade quickly found Naruto, slumped against a tree, panting. He held the shoulder of his broken arm, glancing at the approaching Hokage. He gave her a small smile as if to apologize for getting so injured. She just sighed and shook her head. Reaching over, Tsunade was about to gather chakra in the palm of her hand but Naruto had stopped her.

"Gai-sensei is in worse shape than I am," he gasped, pushing himself off the tree to lead her to the other three.

She didn't want to have him walking around in his condition but if he said Gai was in worse shape, she needed to check him before she checked anyone else.
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"Is.. Is he dead?" Lee asked, releasing his firm hold on Neji.

Neji activated his Byakugan. "No. He is alive."

Lee slowly walked over to the body that seemed to be lying completely still. Neji was right, he was alive. He could see a faint rise and fall of his chest. Lee felt a little bad. Sure Gaara had done something unforgivable toward him but did he really deserve all this? He didn't think so.

"Lee, don't get too close," Neji warned, his body stiffening. He sensed something really wrong about the situation.

Leaves crunched and both ninja shot their heads toward the loud noise. Through the brush, two familiar figures emerged. One slightly bent forward and the other stood straight.

"Naruto! Are you alright?" Lee questioned worriedly, running over to the badly hurt boy.

Naruto smirked. "This is nothing. I'm fine."

Lee frowned. "But your arm-"

"I said I'm fine. Honestly!" Naruto cut in, satisfied when Lee nodded.

Tsunade brushed past Naruto, analyzing Gai's present state. Kneeling next to the man, a frown etched her face. Not liking what she saw, she ran a hand up and down his body a few times, deciding just how serious his injuries were. It seemed his bones weren't too great. If he had been squeezed even ten seconds longer, he'd would look like jelly.

Sighing, she rested her hands in her lap. "I can't do much here. I don't have the appropriate equipment. He needs to get to the hospital immediately. Because most of his bones are broken, many fragments have punctured his organs."

"Okay, let's go," Naruto told them, turning around. Lee followed Naruto, lifting his uninjured arm over his shoulders. Tsunade picked the large man up and slung him over her shoulder. Neji glanced back at the fallen redhead. If they leave now, he'll only go back to Sunagakure to recover before coming after Lee again. He wasn't about to let that happen.

Steadying the necessary amount of chakra for a finishing blow, Neji pulled his arm back. "This strike should finish him. Gentle Fi-! What the-" He was barely able to stop himself from striking Lee in the heart. "What are you doing Lee?!"

"I know what he did was unforgivable but," he looked over his shoulder, "I do not want him to die because of it."

Neji lowered his arm, staring at the ground. He suddenly found interest in the blood spatters that stained the dead grass. If this is what Lee wanted, no matter how much he disagreed with him, he'd do as he say. Lee only grinned, happy that he had won.

The grin didn't last long.

Lee was now staring at a large sandy-colored arm with purple streaks protruding from his front midsection, Gaara grinning madly behind him. Lee practically vomited blood, his face in pure shock.

Neji's face fell.

"LEE!"

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I hope you liked this one. I know it's shorter than the last few chapters but hey, they can't all be super long.

R&R!!