A/N: I'm working on making these things shorter. While they do take up page space (hehe) it's kinda long… so yup! It's the fight—or not fight—we've all been waiting for! What will happen? Really? Everything happens (maybe) in this new exciting chapter … XD (I'm not making any promises though) Read and Review, my pets! (Ohohoh! And summer school is FINALLY OVER! YES!)
Slight warning: Sage state will not be exactly the same as canon, because for one it's new Naruto, for two I don't exactly remember what happened and I'm being a Shikamaru, which means I'm too lazy to look it up. Random POVs again (think, when do I not have it?)
Disclaimer: K. Masashi's…or is it M. Kishimoto's? Which is his surname anyway?
Dark Angel: Chapter Ten
Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go. –Kahlil Gibran
For all the sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, 'It might have been.' –John Greenleaf Whittier
"Miss me?"
After those two words, nothing happened, exactly. Nobody jumped into action, nothing so climatic like that. Just…
Silence.
Naruto couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Really? After his dramatic entrance and all that, they couldn't think of anything to say?
Pathetic. The whole lot of them. He guessed he'd just have to provide the entertainment, then, even though he was technically a guest. Such bad manners. Naruto must've lowered his defenses during his grand revealing, and the Kyuubi had taken the opportunity to sneak back in.
Why don't you entertain them by killing them?
I already told you! I'm only killing the Akatsuki. Say it with me… A-KA-TS-KI!
Forgot the U.
You know there's NO U when you pronounce it!
Naruto shoved the fox away again. He only served to distract him, and that was something he couldn't afford right now. Talking would just have to settle as 'entertainment' until they actually started fighting. Naruto groaned silently. Adrenaline had found its way into his system and was making him itch for a battle.
Patience, isn't that right?
So he must wait. Well then, why not make it fun? "You all must be so surprised to see me. You aren't even saying anything!" Naruto didn't feel uncomfortable at all, with his back to the Akatsuki and all those eyes on him. A perk of when he was outgoing, he supposed.
Oh, look! Naruto's eyes had been scanning the Konoha ranks—he was not searching for his ex-teammates! Just sizing up the competition… The demon gave a snort.
It seemed like such a long time since when he'd snuck into Konoha, October 10… And his eyes eagerly devoured the faces of the eleven ex-teammates he'd been closest to—they were all in the most foremost ranks of the makeshift army.
Yamato (when had he dropped the formalities too? So many things happened in so short time), Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Sai, and of course, Sakura-chan (some things were harder to forget though) even Kurenaiwas here! Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Kiba, Shino, Lee… They all had identical expressions of shock on their faces.
Was I really that big of a surprise? Naruto wondered. I mean, they must've started to figure it out after that more-than-obvious fight between me and Sasuke. They knew I was after the strongest missing-nins, so it was certain that I would target the Akatsuki. They even saw me that day in Konoha!
Apparently, some had expected him though.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
He'd remember that apathetic voice anywhere! "Gaara, long time no see, eh? Still the Kazekage? Not dead yet?" Naruto grinned.
Gaara had no emotion—as usual—whatsoever on his face. His stance was deceptively casual, hands in pockets, the familiar gourd still strapped to his back. But Naruto knew that no matter how much the former Shukaku vessel looked to be relaxed, he was anything but. Everyone was in Gaara's prime territory for attack. Sand could reach up and kill you without Gaara even moving an inch.
Naruto didn't feel afraid. He wasn't afraid of someone like Gaara, not anymore.
What's this? the Kyuubi asked softly, almost like he was speaking to himself. Hmm… Interesting…
Care to tell me what you saw? He received no reply, not that he had really expected one anyway. The fox ran on his own schedule and nobody else's.
In the end it didn't matter of the Nine-tails had told Naruto or not. Gaara's next words revealed it all.
"You are in our way. Get out." Naruto shook his head, still with that maniacal grin plastered on his face.
"And miss the fun? No way!"
"Then we'll just have to take you by force. This will give us a perfect chance to complete Operation: Hunt Uzumaki Naruto." It was then something broke in Gaara's eyes. Naruto hadn't noticed it before, and he couldn't now since it was already gone. "You've played right into our hands, saving us the problem of finding you. For that, I thank you."
Why did Naruto feel the strangest feeling of…something like… regret, coming from Gaara? When he said thank you it was almost as if—he was thanking Naruto for something else. For… Confusion made his mind run slowly.
Whatever he might've thought or figured out vanished after the Kyuubi snarled, See? They're ALL against you!
Gaara too, then, eh. It wasn't unlikely. After all, Gaara had been going to Konoha that night, and no doubt he'd also voted yes to hunting him. Still, betrayal couldn't stop itself from punching into Naruto's head, and he felt his smile drop like a stone.
His eyes bled red as he growled, "I don't need your thanks—or your pity. I'm here to do one thing…and one thing only!" Familiar orange circles, almost like eye shadow, appeared around Naruto's red eyes. The eyes themselves didn't change color, but the elongated pupils now had another dash through the center, like a cross. (1)
Naruto vanished, a puff of sand rising from where he had been.
Screw the Akatsuki plan.
"You made me stay here so you could freaking interrogate me like you're some—therapist?.!"
Nakami could only laugh at Sasuke's angry expression, which just made him all the angrier. If normal people saw him like this, they'd probably pee in their pants from fear, and grizzly bears would run away screaming. But Nakami… She just laughed! LAUGHED! At Sasuke! Uchiha Sasuke!
Sasuke had—long since, actually—realized by now Nakami didn't have a particularly great sense of self-protection.
Although that might be because she isn't really alive at all.
The black-haired teenager pretended that it didn't bother him at all. And to a certain degree, he could pretend.
"Sorry, Sasuke, but I'm in charge now," Nakami replied, wiping her eye. She was facing Sasuke on the makeshift pallet, where they'd stayed like that for who-knew-how-long. "Remember?"
Her answer was a glare.
"I guess you do, then," she said cheerfully. The first few hours had been used to shove the truth about Madara down his throat, and mainly torturing Sasuke using angst and other very reliable methods to reveal the issues of his childhood. He hadn't seemed to mind—a lot—at first…He looked pretty fed up now though.
"How long is this going to take?" he growled, hands clenching. Sasuke fought the urge to throttle Nakami when she smirked (dammit that was annoying when she did that! Was that how others felt when he did that?). The urge plagued him every single second, and the only reason he didn't give in was because he knew it'd be no use at all on the girl across from him.
She reached out a hand, expression hardening once more, despite her careless words. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, don't be so eager to leave just yet. I'm getting to the best part." Her reply was another glare and stony silence and Nakami had to fight back another insult. Just why was tormenting Sasuke so much fun?
Huh, maybe because he was actually pretty easy to torment, after you got under his skin?
Maybe.
Nakami dropped the pretenses of camaraderie along with her hand as she leaned forward once more. "Listen Sasuke, to me when I say this to you. It's the question you've kept avoiding over and over, the one you secretly dread having answered. But why do you dread it? Is it because you already know why, but you just don't want it to be said aloud? Or is it because you don't know, but your conscience"—she pointed to herself, allowing a gentle smile to grace her lips—"does?"
Sasuke answered coldly, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"You do, and you're just being stubborn now. Everything else was just a buildup to this part, Sasuke," the girl sighed, stretching and lying down on her back. The cave ceiling was far up, shrouded in darkness, like Sasuke's heart. In order for Sasuke to realize what was best for him, he had to figure this out on his own.
It didn't mean she couldn't prod him every baby step along the way though.
That was what sisters were for, right? Nakami grinned before sitting bolt up-right again. "You do know you're wasting your time here, with me, right? If you answer this question, sincerely, I'll even let you go." She looked at him expectantly.
Nothing.
"If that doesn't prompt you," the girl groaned, "then…I was planning on using this as a trump card, but seeing you don't seem inclined to move your mouth anytime soon, I guess I'll have to use it now." She peeked through her eyelashes, waiting to see if Sasuke would just talk already. Nope.
"You know what? I'll just tell you and make you regret me telling you!" Nakami placed both her hands on her hips. This was getting old. Fast.
Sasuke finally snapped. "You don't actually have anything up your sleeve, do you? You're just saying that because you want me to talk!" Red eyes.
Nakami looked shocked, which was even weirder on her face than it normally was. It was disturbing for Sasuke to see emotions he'd never have displayed playing so blatantly across someone who looked frighteningly like himself. Just to make that face go away, he said, "I …I believe you." The words struggled to force themselves out of his throat. Damn pride—not that it was a bad thing.
"'Kay!" she bounced, grinning unexpectedly again, the shocked look gone as if it'd never been there. "I'll tell you anyway though, since I'm so nice and stuff." Without warning, she launched the bomb into the open, still appearing oh so casual. "The Akatsuki are at Suna, along with your brother, Konoha, Suna, and Naruto. About to get into a big fight too! Can't wait to watch it…"
It was like Nakami was talking about television or something, a small (very small) part of Sasuke thought. Not a real thing where many would die and—Naruto and Itachi are there! The bigger parts of Sasuke crushed the minuet voice, making his vision redder than it already was.
"You just tell me now?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't think it was that important, Sasuke." Nakami liked using his name in a condescending manner. A lot. "Told you, you'd want to leave now, don't you? So answer the question for me."
He grounded his teeth together, feeling the anger shake through him. A minute passed before he trusted himself enough to speak without severely injuring the girl, and even then his words were forced to sound civil. "What. Is. Your question?"
"Oh you know already, but I'll tell you again anyway." She just loved playing games. "Why did you bring Naruto here? What's the real reason why, Sasuke? The one that's hidden deeply in your heart?" Nakami's voice lowered.
"Why do you act like you don't care about anyone?"
That voice.
All the Konoha 10 had realized it now. It was the same as the rogue ninja's the day of the festival—the one Sakura swore had Naruto's eyes.
It looked like it had been Naruto after all.
Sakura could only pull herself out of her shock after she registered what Gaara was saying. Her eyes automatically snapped to the pale man's features, blank and schooled. Just like Sasuke's—and… She watched silently as the smile (it'd looked so real it hurt) dropped from Naruto's lips without any hesitation, making Naruto's face become…unreadable.
She hadn't noticed until now just how much they relied on Naruto's smile to read his face.
Just like Sasuke's—and…
…Naruto's.
The pink-haired girl unconsciously touched the cloth folded neatly in her weapons pouch, resting against each other comfortably. One black, one blue.
Sakura had kept the forehead protectors after she'd found them—until now, she hadn't known why she'd had that terrible feeling of loss then…was it just two days ago that she stood in Tsunade's office?
Well, she knew why now.
It was because Naruto was truly gone. The small part of her that'd refused to accept the fact—caved. Disappeared.
Died.
And this wasn't Naruto, whatever it was that stood in Naruto's body, with Naruto's face. Not the voice, not the personality. The Naruto they'd known had vanished…
Or never had existed in the first place.
Sakura's hands clenched tight around the dull metal. It was good she hadn't been using her monster strength, or else the headbands would be scraps of steel by now. And she couldn't afford that. The urge to pick up and keep those headbands explained themselves to her: it was the only thing left of the old Naruto.
But even that was scarred and not truly Naruto's. The scratch on both forehead protectors marred the iron beauty of what otherwise could've fantasized dreams about 'it might have been'.
Impossible.
The tears dried on her eyelashes as she remembered what Gaara had said, not a minute ago. "For that, I thank you."
I thank you too, Naruto…for making me who I am today. For keeping me strong. For always being there for me.
So this time, I'll be there for you.
She saw Naruto's eyes turn a blazing red and orange circles appear around them—the Sage state. Sakura drew her hand into a fist, zipping the weapons pouch closed for the last time, and got ready to kill her best friend.
Sorry, Tsunade-sensei, but it looks like we're going to be getting a head start on Operation: Hunt Uzumaki Naruto!
Tsunade frowned.
Strange. The feeling…was going away?
Naruto slammed his fist into the wave of sand that poured up, blocking Gaara's face from his punch. The strike almost went all the way through too, with his Sage chakra enforcing it—his knuckles even peeking through the grains before they pushed back out. Naruto flipped in the air, moving so fast he disappeared once more.
Maybe in some corner of his mind, Naruto knew he was being unreasonable. He couldn't very well just give up on the Akatsuki, could he, when they were sitting right there, like ducks on a bank waiting to be shot? They were practically inviting him to go over and kill them.
So why he didn't do that, and instead, went for Suna, he had no idea.
Naruto noticed his leg strike out before finding himself staring at the back of Gaara's head, trying to land another punch. How did he get here? It almost felt like… he was being controlled.
He didn't notice that the malicious intent had completely vanished—because it had grown too big to be contained.
"What may that thing be, Naruto?" Gaara suddenly asked, his sand still blocking Naruto's moves.
The blond was momentarily confused. What thing? Words bubbled out of his lips without his permission. It was not to say that he wouldn't have said that himself, but it was just a little weird to hear his voice speak without him consciously allowing it to.
"To kill all of you!"
Naruto's voice had deepened and was definitely more part growl than human. Gaara's eyes didn't change at all, upon hearing it. "So you think, Kyuubi. Forcing Naruto to do what you want… Despicable."
"What are you talking about?" Naruto snarled, back in control of himself. The earlier 'being-taken-over' thing never happened, in Naruto's book. "I'm doing this all on my own!"
"You are a true demon," Gaara said, continuing to speak the randomness Naruto couldn't understand. "That is why we cannot allow you to remain on this earth." The Suna shinobi behind Gaara still seemed in shock, because they hadn't moved an inch since Naruto had attacked their leader. Although, it had only been a minute, to their credit…
Naruto's voice did that weird speak-by-itself thingy again. "I'd like to see you try, weakling. None of you could kill me!" He felt more than saw—in Sage state, he could sense the chakra signatures, and the Akatsuki's were more than powerful—a blue-ish chakra launch itself toward him. Stupid Suna shinobi. Don't you know not to mess with a pissed off demon?
He reached out a hand, Rasengan already formed into it.
The ninja was dead the instant the chakra ball touched his heart.
Naruto casually side-stepped the body. What? Was his original plan actually to kill the Akatsuki?
How stupid.
How could he possibly have chosen that over his ex-teammates? Unthinkable.
Some might have argued that it was unthinkable how Naruto had had such a change of heart.
Others would have insisted—and they'd have been right—that it was because of the demon fox.
Naruto didn't notice what all his ex-teammates had as he streaked across the sand, abandoning Gaara, toward a familiar white-eyed girl.
They'd all noticed long before Naruto probably ever would…
That the Kyuubi was slowly gaining control over Naruto.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Why?" Nakami repeated, staring into Sasuke's eyes. Sometimes, it seemed like Nakami was either the loudest, brashest or most perceptive of them all. She always knew what to do. What to say. What buttons to press. Everything about her seemed to be laid out for the world to see.
So why was it that he got the absurd feeling that she was, in reality, hiding more than any of them ever could?
Sasuke ignored his thoughts, however, and stared at Nakami. "You want. To know. Why?" His anger still remained, full force. The way she stared at him—seeming to say 'isn't that what I just asked?'—just fueled that anger. "I already told you!"
The tone of her voice suddenly dropped about thirty degrees, frigidly icy. "You, Uchiha, count an apology as why? What kind of crappy answer is that, huh? An apology for five years ago—yeah right!" Nakami bit her lip to stop herself from saying more, only going on after taking a deep breath to calm herself. "I was your apology for that day, Sasuke. What do I have to say to make you talk?" she cried, frustrated. "Just tell. Me. Why. Oh. Maybe this is bothering you…?
"Listen, you big idiot. I already know your answer! I'm not making you tell me this because I want to hear it," the black haired girl hissed. Sasuke stared down at the hand around his wrist, holding it tightly enough to make bruises appear. He didn't wince. "You know why I'm doing this? So you know why. You and Naruto are a lot alike, you know that? Both of you have problems telling others about aforementioned problems. Believe me: this way, you tell me, you'll get a huge weight off your chest. You probably don't even realize it's been there. But it has. Looming over you—and that's why you had to come to me." Finally, she released his wrist, and that was only because Sasuke ripped it away like her hand was on fire.
She really is like a freaking therapist. But despite what his thoughts sounded like, he couldn't stop himself from saying the truth to the satisfied looking girl in front of him.
The only girl that Sasuke would—could—ever trust.
"I brought Naruto… because I can't cut the bonds no matter how much I try."
Simply too amusing.
It was like watching kittens play, really. Except kittens made Madara want to kill them. Not that this was really any different, right?
There was literally a streak of black in the air as Naruto abruptly disappeared from in front of Gaara. He wasn't worried, because with his Sharingan he could see the trail of sand as Naruto's feet skimmed over the earth—heading straight for Konoha.
Well, this worked out perfectly for Madara, yes, but he still felt a little insulted that the jinchuuriki didn't even consider them a threat. Or rather, the Kyuubi didn't, but on some subconscious level, the boy hidden inside did. Either way, he'd have a free show and watch the vessel wear himself out.
Hey, no one said Madara didn't fight dirty. Some extra help was always welcome.
"Hey, this is boring," White Zetsu whined. Apparently the Black side got the cloak this time (taking turns or something) so the other half was forced to improvise with the leaves connected to his body. Madara found both of them disgusting, but Black Zetsu was easier to tolerate, plain and simple.
The rest of the Akatsuki didn't stoop so low as to answer the question, instead opting to stare aimlessly out, ignoring the battle that was going on. They would come when they'd come. The 'army' couldn't very well stand and watch Naruto take out multiple Konoha-nins without doing anything, could they? It could be considered treason to a certain extent.
"Just watch," Madara instructed, smirking under his mask. "It'll be a good lesson on how the fox fights.
"After all, one can't have too many advantages over an enemy, especially one as idiotic as this one."
Naruto appeared in front of Hinata, face inches away from hers. To the indigo-haired girl's credit, her face didn't flush red.
But neither did it spew hate.
Akamaru automatically growled at the missing-nin. Naruto barely flicked his red eyes down before thrusting his palm toward the dog. It flung itself backwards a couple feet before skidding to a stop, whining.
"Akamaru!" Hinata cried, forgetting for one heart-stopping second about the danger directly in front of her.
Her mistake.
"Long time no see, Hinata…or maybe not that long, I guess," Naruto said, still smiling as he drove a hidden kunai into her stomach. Her eyes widened. Red stained her chin. The smile façade dropped once more, quickly, and a dangerous look in his eyes replaced it. "Don't you dare look away from me."
"N-Naruto-kun…" she choked. The rest of the Konoha 10 was frozen. Again. Why did they always freeze at the most inopportune times? Yet none could get their bodies to move.
Naruto's voice was more of a snarl than ever, her two words seeming to enrage him. Or rather—Kyuubi. "You still think that pitiful brat has any control over his own body now? You think I'm Naruto?" Her eyes told it all. "What a joke! You all are dumber than he ever was." The kunai came out with a weird shluck sound. "Can't you sense it? Use your eyes, Hyuuga. Tell me; is the chakra red or blue?" Hinata panted heavily, managing to get out one word, the word that always seemed to plague everyone.
"Why?"
"Why? Do I need a reason why? Maybe because I don't want"—the kunai found a new home buried in a random jounin's throat, piercing all the way through in N—or rather, the Kyuubi's—anger—"to be trapped in here! Maybe because I hate you all! And what the brat is too weak to do, even though he insists he's cut all bonds… well, I'm not too afraid to do it."
Kiba caught Hinata as she fell, snarling at the demon who'd taken over his friend's body. So this was why they'd all been so fearful…this was why they had to kill Uzumaki Naruto. "Do what exactly?"
"Oh, dog-boy, you know what. You want to make me say it? Really? Fine then." Naru—no, it was the Nine-tails! Not his friend. Not anymore. As proven with the demon's next words:
"I'm not too afraid to kill you all."
No…
The feeling wasn't going away.
It only came back stronger.
Tsunade groaned as she read the message from a messenger hawk that had just flown in.
"Naruto… damn you."
A tear slid down the Hokage's cheek.
A dozen Konoha-nins slammed like dominoes into each other, from the force of Naruto's gigantic Rasengan. Sage state was certainly useful, he observed as he wrecked havoc in the forces. Faster, stronger… Of course, this was the Kyuubi talking, so it didn't really make much of a difference to the demon. This was how it should be—the brat should be this strong naturally, in order to even be qualified to be a jinchuuriki.
Said brat was currently sleeping deep inside his own body, unconscious to the pain the Nine-tails was inflicting.
By now the others—meaning, Suna and the rest of the Konoha forces—had semi-organized themselves. It was as hard for Naruto as it was for his many opponents. Jutsus couldn't race out at random, because then they'd take the risk of hitting each other. The shinobi had to be careful—because they only had one target. So, it would be safe to say, it was easier for Naruto.
Sakura made a mental note as she punched the ground, forcing it to split open: If they failed to kill Naruto today, then later, they'd have to have smaller forces to actually take down the quick missing-nin.
In her heart, deep down, it still hurt. A lot. But if she chose to dwell on the fact that they were killing Naruto and not ridding the world of a demon, then she wouldn't get anything done.
So Sakura had to do what every good ninja should do: Seal off her emotions. Totally.
How could one kill, when one could still feel?
A few hapless jounin got caught in the crack, and Sakura felt slightly ashamed. She quickly dismissed it however when she saw Ino fall.
"Ino!" she shrieked, jumping over bodies to get to her friend. She was slumped on the ground, eyes closed, and for a moment, her heart seized. Then, Ino suddenly opened her eyes and grinned.
"Sorry, Billboard-brow, but I'm not dying yet."
Sakura would have growled, but instead, tears rose to her eyes. Ugh! Emotions! "Don't do that again, Ino," she whispered, hugging her friend.
The Yamanaka girl scoffed and pushed her away, standing up. "Don't get all emotional on me, Sakura! It was only a misplaced mind jutsu. I'll be fine." Seeing Sakura's worried face, however, she softened a bit. "I'll be fine," she repeated. "All I'm really worried about is—"
"How touching."
Both kunoichis looked up, horror on their faces, as …the Kyuubi…watched them. It was just so hard not to think of Naruto when she looked in his face, Sakura thought sadly. But Naruto had surrendered himself, no matter how temporarily. If this ever happened near a major village—then they'd be in serious trouble. Who knew how long the fox could keep itself in control?
"Watch out, Sakura!" Ino cried, shoving her friend out of the way. Sakura felt the whistle of a dozen kunai fly past her, barely missing her face. As it was, some of Sakura's hair got cut off from the sharp knives. "Pay attention. We can't afford to lose this fight!"
The Kyuubi grinned. "Yes, Sa-kur-a, listen to your friend." His voice sent shivers up Sakura's spine, and looking into his eyes (red as the blood on her best friend's face)—she could see no sign of who Naruto had been.
It scared her.
"As I said"—he flickered out of view—"Don't you dare take your eyes off me!"
Sakura felt another kunai appear at her throat, the demon's voice purring in her ear. "Because if you do, the last thing you'll see…is red." She stood frozen—am I going to die? By Naruto? No, the demon. Remember—the demon!
Strangely enough, she felt the Kyuubi go stiff behind her, the kunai dropping from his fingers. A quick flip away and a turn of her head rewarded her with the sight of Ino's body, again on the ground.
The fox was reaching shaking hands toward its own throat, eyes wide. "No…" it forced out. "NO!"
A burst of red chakra flamed out from the body, and Ino's eyes opened with a gasp. "Sakura! Get away!"
Automatically, she jumped back at the same time as Ino did. Lucky for them. Just as they cleared the small pocket where they'd been fighting, a circle of the fox's chakra (red as blood and red as flames) seared the earth. Whatever had been left of the Sage chakra vanished as the Kyuubi crouched on the ground—whiskers more pronounced, hair more like that of a beast.
Eyes redder than ever.
The same eyes bore promises of hate and death—evil and malice. "I'll get you for trying to control me! Me! Again! You think you can?" it growled. There seemed to be a double tone in the voice, echoing through the shinobi.
Whatever unlucky ninjas were unfortunate enough to be directly behind the fox were eliminated, immediately, as another wave of acrid, heat-inducing chakra demolished them.
Sakura felt the aftershocks of the attack hit her, blasting her hair back. It was strong enough to make a mini-sandstorm start, stabbing into the shinobi's skin. The Akatsuki were still simply standing there. Watching.
Never had Sakura felt so helpless.
Suddenly she found Sai standing next to her, eyes narrowed and scroll out, ready. A glance showed Shikamaru and Choji next to Ino; Neji, Lee, Tenten; Hinata, Kiba, Shino. Yamato-taichou tapped her shoulder from behind her, nodding his head.
The storm suddenly quieted as new grains of sand fought the old, forcing them back to the ground. Gaara appeared from the dusty aftermath, hands outstretched, no emotion whatsoever. Temari smirked from beside him, leaning on her fan, and Kankuro's puppets were unwrapped and ready to kill.
The helpless feeling vanished as quickly as it'd come.
She wasn't alone. And while Naruto might be, isolated, by himself…
"So troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, forming his hands into a seal. His friend, beside him, cracked his neck. Ino grinned, right back at Temari.
Sakura certainly wasn't. And because of that…
Neji activated his Byakugan, getting into the traditional Hyuuga stance, like Hinata. Tenten pulled a scroll easily from her back, and Lee was whooping in his usual hyper manner. Hinata had been healed, and while her eyes were regretful, her face showed that she knew what they had to do. Shino's bugs formed a steady buzz in the air, and Kiba hollered, "Bring it on!"
Because of that, they could certainly kill the angry fox in the center of their circle.
They weren't alone.
But Sakura couldn't help wondering:
What is...loneliness?
(1) The way his eyes looked when he faced Nagato in that hollow tree thing
Tada. There it is. :) The chapter was a bit harder to write than normal, so apologies. Hope it was still good. So as a treat I'll put questions up! (Haha, treat..) What did Sasuke mean, bonds? What about Tsunade's feelings? What's the dreaded 'black-and-red' organization going to do now? Is Naruto really going to abandon the Akatsuki plan and kill his ex-teammates? What about Konoha? Are they going to kill Naruto?.! DUNDUNDUNDUNNNN So many unanswered questions!
Oh! I just remembered. Guess what? I'm working on a one-shot kinda thing…! (no romance again *tear*) but I'm going to try and post it. Soon. . . Before I go on vacation, duh. XD I'll tell you when I post it! (*laughs evilly and thinks about all the reviews I probably won't get* :P) It's about Halloween…cackle Oh yeah! One more thing. The following is an answer to a reviewer whose PM thing was disabled, so if you don't wanna read my random babbling, catch ya in the next chapter! ;)
Mattchew: I couldn't get to you, but I just wanted to let you know that your review made me laugh so hard! I was banging the arm of the couch I was laughing so hard ^-^; I don't know why, it just did… XP I love cliffhangers, don't I? Haha! –hugs–
If anyone's still reading… My awesome anonymous reviewers: LOVE YOU ALL TOOOO!
TBC!