Disclaimer: Do I own Naruto? Am I Masahi Kishimoto? No.
Thanks for all, I mean all, the reviews! I'd screen a video of my hysterical dances here every time I see a review, but that's not possible.
Still, I can screen these! Edengrave, sn1ck3rD00dl3, aknut, 2stupid, MagusKyros, katie, Cornett, noearthlyclue, Doomforyou, itachiuchiaismine, Kisses.In.The.Rain, me.
P.S. me isn't me. It's a reviewer. And thanks to Edengrave for the very long reviews!
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Chapter Ten—Demon Sucker
Gaara swerved his head left and right, almost oblivious to the pain as it's left side slowly evolved, soft sandy flesh covering his own. He sneered maliciously at the ANBU team that surrounded him as sand billowed.
"The sand is my home. You vermin shall be crushed under kaa-san's hands," Gaara intoned slowly.
ANBU Team Eight had been caught by surprise. The sand was almost faster than they were. Had he been feigning weakness during the Chuunin Exam? And what was this weird tingle in the air. One ANBU operative looked down at his shoulder for the source of the itch.
Sand…!
In that instant of sandly flume, four members had died grievously under the Desert Funeral. Most of them were injured, no matter a crushed finger or a mangled face. But they could not escape, Gaara gave them no chance, enclosing them in an invisible chakra prison which was steadily contracting. He was toying with them, they had long realised. If he had an opening, he could always close the prison and kill them all in an instant.
But if they could just lay a hand on him, it would be enough for reinforcements.
Sand exploded around them, sprouting from under ground. ANBU operative Mouse saw a flicker of sand come his way. He was off balance, having just dodged a dirt missile. He raised his arms in front of him. It scraped his arms as he twisted. When he was back on his feet, the guards strapped to his forearm sprinkled like white ash to the ground. He turned his arms over, where blood was pouring. The flesh had disintergrated. He could see the marrow of his bones.
He had swayed a second too long. Gaara's sand was upon him immediately.
ANBU Team Eight's captain Hyuuga Hiashi spared a second of anguish when he pounced onto Gaara's evolving monster arm. "Third Eye Gentle Fist!"
He felt the mass dissolve and splatter, and kicked Gaara's head, propelling himself away. Sands that reached for him fell under his Kaiten technique.
As Hiashi escaped, the remaining ANBUs charged in, baring weapons of their advanced bloodlimits or original jutsus.
Hiashi had his back to the special operatives, but his Byakugan saw everything. He saw his men charge in, he saw the Jinchuukri's chakra suddenly explode. His was flung off ground, landing on his arms, but his Byakugan still saw all. There were no more operatives. Gaara's chakra prison had not even acted, it had just disappeared. In his rage, Gaara had sent hands of sand to clench over the operatives. At the brunt of the demonic power, their flesh had already melted as the fists tightened, allowing blood vapor to dye the air.
Hiashi stood up, his broken Sloth mask slipping over his sweat-slick face. He had worked with them for too long, his face could not maintained composed, his robes were in tatters from various injuries, but how could they be compared to annihilation?
A gloved hand rested on his shoulders. He saw who it was without looking round.
"We can take it from here," Uchiha Itachi said. Hiashi shook his head. "A true ninja never shuns."
Itachi nodded in decisive understanding, "Very well. Don't get in the way."
"This is a Hyuuga you're talking to, Uchiha."
Itachi smirked as his team dispersed to evaded more cannonballs of blood-red sand.
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It had been thirty minutes since Itachi's team had first confronted the Suna Demon Priest, and yet, Gaara's arm had grown back, his clothes had burst as he grew into a full-blown Shukaku.
Needless to say, most of Team Three had been destroyed, leaving only the best; Uchiha Itachi, Hyuuga Hiashi, and Ranmaru Kenji.
"Great plan, Uchiha, now we're outnumbered again," Hyuuga Hiashi spat, frustration building up. He was on the floor, an accessory that hampered the real deal.
He still had his left arm, but he was sure the bones and ligaments were severely injured, explaining his pain. What he could not comprehend though, was why he was sitting on the roof, away from the fight, when most of the two best ANBU teams were dead.
"Actually, it's two to one," Itachi retorted, sweat pouring down his brow. The Demon Priest was smarter and more powerful than he had thought. Where are the reinforcements? Ten seconds, and the three of us are gone.
"This is a demon, dammit! This is a Seventh-Of-A-Kyuubi scale war! We should be dead, and helped," Kenji joked lamely as he tore mouldy flesh off Gaara.
They could not see the demon's head or body now, it had covered itself with armours of sand and its great 'furry' tail.
Kenji dodged an attack and yelled, "Itachi! Use your Amaretsu!"
Itachi ignored him and continued to mutter into his mouth piece, "This is Uchiha Itachi, calling for reinforcements against Suna Jinchuukri in the West District… This is- "
There was nothing but choppy static.
"Kaa-san. You have not tasted good blood for a long time. But I have found a good prey. I am a filial son," Gaara muffled behind the growing meat. Over time, his voice had grown more agitated, as if he was losing control.
Two seconds. We're still alive.
"Itachi!"
"Mangekyou Sharingan! Amaretsu!" Itachi opened his eyes forcefully, and the Demon Priest burst into black flames. Itachi unactivated his Kaleidoscope Sharingan immediately. Against a demon that large and of that repelling power, his chakra reserves were down by three-quarters.
He had not wanted to risk it. If the Shukaku was anything like Kyuubi, it had regeneration powers, albeit much less effective.
His black fire had already shorted out, and the demon was rising from useless pulp again. At least I bought us three seconds.
Itachi lifted two fingers and motioned over to a collage of mountains. There was no sand there, only stone, and more stone. Takekutaa Mounts. It was the best quarantine place they currently had.
Kenji nodded behind his Jaguar mask and picked up Hiashi, and together, the two of them made their way there.
Itachi went in the other direction, towards a row of shophouses where swords clashed. Hopefully, the blood that Hiashi was oozing would draw the demon away for awhile.
Running below many swords and spears, he came to a pink haired kunoichi. "Sakura, no time to explain… Get Team Seven to the Takekutaa Mounts. Find Team Kakashi, somewhere along the Chuunin Finals stadium, tell them that Shukau has been released at the Mounts. Now."
Sakura watched as her sensei turned around and ran again, disappearing through the many folds of fluttering robes. Confused but determined, she fought her way to the rest of her team and told them the situation, they nodded and left.
Naruto crossed both hands for a Mass Shadow Clone Technique, but Rukawa shook his head. "Conserve your energy. If Shukaku is growing, that means that Kyuubi needs all it's going to need. A few lives lost here will be nothing compared to a demon in full control. Sakura, go, quickly."
Sakura nodded and ran through hand seals, disappearing into a flume of smoke.
Rukawa took a ball from his pocket and threw it into the crowd of fighting ronin. "One exploding bomb, I guess I can waste that. Let's go."
They escaped just as the ball hit ground and exploded.
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Naruto could feel the tension welling inside of him before they even ascended Takukutaa Mounts. It was a small circle of mountains that surrounded one large lake, frozen even under a bright sun. Several kanji were carved upon its banks. Many a time Leaf Jounins had tried to erase the markings, but to no effect.
They said that a sea monster lived beneath the large crust of ice. Naruto had always scoffed, but now that he was on it, the fable did not seem so mythical anymore.
"Naruto," Sasuke called out. "Gaara may be a demon, but you've got the Kyuubi. No matter how much we, especially you, dislike it, Shukaku can only be defeated if the Kyuubi comes out. Demons are defeated by demons. You may not be the demon, but you have the demon. We need your power, Naruto."
Naruto grinned reassuringly. Sasuke had misread his fear, but at least his friend had given him confidence. It was true. Konoha needed him now. He would prove his worth and his loyalty now. Thank you Gaara, for giving me this opportunity. Kyuubi!
Need help, kid?
Yeah. Finally have some entertainment for you. Shukaku. One Tails. You know the guy, right?
Oh, that dumb demon. A real brat. He has power like all of us, and more guts than any of us, but intellectually challenged… compared to me.
Ooh, what confidence. Then you'll help me?
A demon does not help. I'm merely using you.
Naruto grinned at the denial. Okay then… fox.
Naruto felt the whiskers on his face thicken and his eyes suddenly became aware of every detail in the stone that he was ascending. Very soon, Sasuke and Rukawa were trailing behind him. They were almost at the mouth of the Mounts.
Naruto stopped and waited for his teammates to catch up.
"So, what's the plan?" Naruto asked, surprised that he was still hearing his voice. He had expected the Kyuubi's.
"Aniki will be fending off Shukaku. We don't have time. Rukawa and I will create a distraction to lead it away from Itachi, then you'll jump him, and we'll leave it to you."
"Good plan. Let's go," Rukawa murmured. They hopped over the mouth and hurtled downwards, using chakra as their only control. Naruto stayed behind, standing on the tip of the mountain.
As dark colours of granite sped by, Rukawa performed several handseals while saying to Sasuke, "Power up your Sharingan and Chidori, Sasuke, and keep it there. Hope to get level three, and get your Chidori at its best. We're talking about a Kyuubi equivalent. There's a ninety-nine percent chance that Itachi is dead and so will we be. Our only mission is to get it distracted, you hear me?"
Sasuke nodded and powered up a burning Chidori.
"Even if you see Itachi, me, or anyone else on the verge of death, don't do any stupid life saving thing. Carry out with your mission, and then continue to fight. It's war. Casualties are normal."
Sasuke nodded as his Sharingan came on, soaking his dark irises. Both boys turned back as they were upon the still-growing Gaara-Shukaku form. Sasuke saw a movement behind a large boulder, a form smacking against the stone and laying still.
The undone ponytail, the familiar shirt. Sasuke hardly had time as a wave of chakra threw him off his feet when all that fitted his mind was his older brother.
He was sure that Rukawa had seen Itachi. If so, he showed no signs of it, continuing his charge downwards. Rukawa was at his fastest, only a tiny shimmer, the landscape of boulder and rock hardly blemished. The only telltale was the glowing charges of electricity.
Sasuke tried to stand up, but his ankle was wedged between two rocks. How had it gotten there in the first place? Then he felt the sharp striking pain when he moved. It was either twisted terribly or broken. Sasuke deactivated his Chidori and wrested three painkillers from his medical pouch, popping the pills into his mouth.
With a simple release of chakra, the Kyuubi had done so much damage to him. Was this what the many ninjas felt when they fought the nine demons? Did they experience the same terror.
With no vessel, Sasuke thought, it was probably much worse.
Sasuke swore once, then cursed again. Here he was stuck, safe from death, all because of his stupidity, and now Rukawa was alone. He looked up. Naruto was still standing there, red chakra enamating. Still communicating strategies with Kyuubi, waiting for the perfect time.
Sasuke heard a ghostly scream, and turned to Shukaku, most of its leg was gone, ripped off by Rukawa's most powerful bloodlimit attack. The severed limb thudded on the ground.
Sasuke felt admiration and respect for Rukawa admist the fear. To conquer such killing intent, he was a ninja. If so, then what was he, Uchiha Sasuke? A mere genin?
Rukawa was turning around again, but a whip made of chakra caught him in the stomach and threw him into the mountains. Sasuke heard a crunch as Rukawa tumbled down, limp. Sasuke screamed out Rukawa's name, fear coming up again. He looked frantically at the sky. Do something, Naruto! Please!
Naruto was gone.
Vrrrrboooom!
Sasuke turned down again. Naruto, bubbling with scalding chakra had banged into Gaara, a chakra-formed claw striking the Shukaku's side. Disabled by the still regenerating leg, Shukaku made to bite the chakra Kyuubi, But Naruto leapt away with inhumane speed before pivoting around and laying all of his tails onto the Shukaku, pummeling it to the ground in a second. Then Naruto was off again, speeding away on all fours up the mountains as the Shukaku chased after him, its leg regained.
Shukaku crouched down and jumped.
"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. But Naruto could fend for himself now, for three lashes of red chakra whipped the falling Shukaku. Then Naruto turned around and used one of his imaginary tails to punch Shukaku, dispelling the bubbling raccoon form's abdominals.
Flashes of yellow and red flared throughout the dome. Faraway, it seemed like fireworks within the cursed mountains, but from within its bowels, it was like a horrible parody, a beautiful clash of colours as blood splattered across the mountains.
Sasuke decided that Naruto was in control now, and made to removed the rock. He took out his Fuuma Shuriken, spasming at every movement. Using the weapon as a lever, he tucked it under the rock that was on his foot and counted to three, dreading imminent pain.
"One. Two. Three!" The rock flew out, just as his ankle gave so profound a pain that Sasuke fainted twice.
He tossed five more painkillers into his mouth and bandaged the broken ankle tightly. Snapping a thick piece of wood growing from the mountain, Sasuke propped himself up and edged downwards towards Rukawa, who was much nearer.
It took him about twenty minutes, oblivous to the fighting demons around him, before he finally approached the fallen form fearfully. Raising trembling fingers, fear clenched over his heart.
A prominent trail of dark blood was laid infront of Rukawa as he had richoted into the cracked stone. Deep gashes had torn across his side, arms, knee, and face. Now Sasuke saw it. The power enamating from the Shukaku had became invisible knives tearing across the air. Even with the Sharingan, these knives popped up from nowhere as long as it was within the demon's range. Sasuke did not think of what his brother looked like.
Blood was trickling down, and Rukawa was settled into the rock wall, his arms resting over protruding stone like armrests. When Sasuke took Rukawa off, it was like peeling skin off an orange. He was… dead. Sasuke checked for a pulse. It was faint. Faint. It was all his fault.
Frantic, hardly breathing, Sasuke ripped his medical pouch from his belt and took out the painkillers and blood replenishing pills and poured them into Rukawa's mouth. Please don't be dead. I know it's my fault, so don't die. Shit! Why is there blood? Why is there blood?
Almost senseless now, Sasuke tore his gaze away from the bloodied face, only to see the hole in Rukawa's abdomen. Blood was pouring from there. "Why didn't I see this? Shit! Shit! Shit! The damned blood pills aren't gonna work!"
Unfurling all the bandages he had coiled in his medical pouch, Sasuke wrapped it around Rukawa's torso quickly, jerking everytime he felt his fingers press against slippery blood or an open cut. The blood was soaking the bandage until Rukawa's stomach looked like a badly wrapped Christmas present.
Sasuke laughed dementedly. This was no Christmas.
"Don't die, you dumbass! Shit! Don't die!" Sasuke screamed. He needed to get away now. Taking up his crutch, Sasuke backed away from Rukawa's dying figure. He rounded many boulders before another figure reached his sight.
Itachi. Aniki. Brother.
Itachi was hardly recognizable now. Maybe dead, with so many cuts and blood spurting out. I don't care. Just stop the blood, it'll be fine. Stop the blood.
Rushing over as far as pain would let him, Sasuke did the very same for Itachi as he had with Rukawa, constantly chanting "Don't die" like a wild man. He was a wild man.
His eyes were burning with pain from the flowing tears. No, it wasn't the red tears. He could feel the power, the rawness. Naruto and Shukaku were now moving in slow motion. They were having some demented conversation he did not register. Every flicker of chakra caught his attention. Then his chakra depleted and his Sharingan disappeared. Sasuke looked at his brother, tears flowing freely down his grimy face.
Mangekyou Sharingan.
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Many minutes ago, Naruto had wanted to rush down the cliff and tear at Shukaku.
Not now, brat. Can't have that. It's not time yet!
But the raccoon bastard is tearing Rukawa up with chakra! I have to!
You don't have to. His sacrifice will mount to nothing if you go now!
Sacrifice… sacrifice! Let me go!
No, you dumb pigeon!
Damn you!
NO!
Naruto calmed down significantly after that, then he saw a powerful cord of chakra blaze through the air into Rukawa, and he knew he had to go.
GO!
Under Kyuubi's instruction, Naruto pitched forward and fell into Shukaku like missile against missile. His body cracked under the intense pressure, but Kyuubi immediately covered it up with super fast regeneration.
"Damn you, rat-faced freak!" Naruto yelled, bringing his arm forward. His arm extension, which was a fox-shaped chakra mould, ripped through the Shukaku's body as if it was merely a sponge cake and not infact protected by sand armour that was supposed to be able to block anything.
As first blood was drawn, Gaara found that the adverts Shukaku had posted in his brain were fraudulent. You stinking liar!
There was small font at the bottom of the page.
Whatever! Shit, he's coming… MOVE!
Gaara used his tail to swat Naruto's fox-arm away, before using his deformed jaws to clutch onto Naruto. All was nought when Naruto deftly shifted away and jumped out of reach.
Gaara surged forward, but suddenly, Naruto back flipped, unfurling all nine tails.
Noooo! Hot cross buns!
The tails slammed like fingers, nailing the screaming Shukaku into the iced lake. Gaara heard a growl behind him, a small murmur underneath the thick freeze and shivered. Then he remembered. Sand Lord, what did you mean by hot cross buns?
That's Kyuubi's most infamous attack on lesser demons.
You are inferior?
No. In case you didn't notice, our leg is back. Let us savour demon blood.
Gaara smiled and raced after Naruto, and they darted on the mountain walls like cyclists on a sloping race track. Gaara cackled and sent daggers of chakra flying at Naruto's back, only to see the yellow chakra disperse under armour of red power.
Naruto felt his powerful arms and legs leap from rock face to rock face as he talked with Kyuubi over strategies again. According the Kyuubi, it was lucky that they had no damage so far, and that the little attacks had lowered at least ten thousand chakra points.
Then his amber eyes slid over to a disfigured rock face with a bowed figure settled into it, and he lost it.
I'M GONNA KILL THAT BASTARD!
Naruto felt tears vaporise as his chakra increased tenfold. He whirled around to face the falling Shukaku, and unleashed pent up rage. Three claws shot out and caught Shukaku full in the groin. Screaming, Naruto slammed one of his tails into and through Shukaku again.
Gaara felt blood leave his mouth in a streak as his back smashed into pieces. Pain roared, then died down. Enraged, Gaara performed many handseals and shouted, "Dream State!"
Shukaku felt Gaara's dominating presence slide into the back of his mind and smirked evilly. Opening his mouth, Shukaku said, "Kyuubi. Finally, I really get to play now!"
"Dream on!" Naruto shouted and sent a ball of chakra at Shukaku, who received and repelled it with its own. Shukaku tackled Naruto to the ground and screamed gleefully.
Then Shukaku's hand sank into Naruto's form. "Genjutsu…!"
"Red Claw!" A voice shouted behind it. Naruto did a motion as if throwing a ball, sending three claws of burning fire into Shukaku.
A demon's fight can be similar to a ninja's fight at times, this was one of them. An improvisation of the Uchiha Housenka Jutsu, patented by me, the great Kyuubi-sama, Kyuubi thought aloud.
"You are disgusting, fox!" Naruto screamed over the roars of Shukaku and maybe himself. He and Gaara were hardly moving now, letting ropes of chakra and missiles of power clash against each other, giving defeaning twangs.
"Aren't we supposed to be serious instead of joking?" Naruto shouted over the chaos again.
I am having a serious fight with Shukaku. In fact, my chakra is depleting fast. Our fight is not only physical, since demons are more than human punches. We are fighting mentally. Currently, I am trying to break through Shukaku's flimsy defenses.
If its so flimsy, Kyuubi, I believe we'd be in now.
Not true, you dumb, selfish human. It takes concentration keeping your puny brain under my defenses so that you won't go crazy and die from the pressure. I can't believe I'm even talking to you. Your stupidity makes me lose my concentration.
Then Naruto shut up as commanded.
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Sasuke hefted himself up onto one rock, then pulling, using only his hands, and flipping over to stop on another ledge. Panting heavily, he used his elbows to edge further, then grabbed onto another jutted stone and pulled up again.
He could hear his heartbeat thumping in his mind like a sick joke. The mountain's mouth seemed so far away. Why was he so slow?
He had always thought his power was self-sufficient, and yet now, he was useless to his dying brothers. Itachi his blood brother, Rukawa his friend-brother. Losing his family again, all alone because of his weakness.
Struggling to inflate his lungs and breathe out, Sasuke pulled himself further, muscles trembling hard from the effort.
His vision flashed with splattered blood, a hole in both bodies, the blank faces. Sasuke hauled himself up five more holds. He could feel his blood and water slick hands slip under the rock, and dug in further.
His climb was painstakingly slow. Crawling up inch by inch was too slow. If only his ankle was not broken…
Then a bang behind him sounded, the mountain shook, loose rock tumbling down. Sasuke felt something sharp slit his calf, before the rock he was clinging onto cracked and flipped over.
He landed on the ledge he had landed on, feeling something in his back pop, and darkness claimed him.
The last thing he felt was hopelessness of a boy five years ago.
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Sakura ran from roof to roof, dodging past kunais and shurikens, though one was lodged in her shoulder.
She swept away sweat from her chin and stopped to look around.
Then she saw it… the flash of green spandex and a white twinkle.
Picking up her pace again, Sakura jumped up and over a high wall onto the row of spectator stands. It was opposite of where she had been sitting earlier that day, everything was the same except that it was now a crater with ninja fighting in it. Kakashi was fighting with his white bone knife, flashing about, doing quite well against the tanned man with eight limbs puking spider webs.
Sakura inched her way cautiously around the crater's edge. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her around the neck and pulled her forward. She felt fingers clamp onto her throat. Looking downwards, she saw a hand growing out of the forearm holding her. It held a kunai.
Looking up again, Sakura saw Sarutobi Asuma stop in his tracks.
The man holding Sakura said, "Heh heh. I should just let you see the girl die. But if you let us kill you, I promise I'll let her go."
Asuma contemplated, then sighed through his nose, a smirk etched on his face.
Akon saw the bearded Konoha nin smirk. Before he could react, the shinobi had threw something. Akon felt his brother's sandaled foot reach out of his stomach to stop the blade and smiled. But then, the black knuckle blade thudded through the sandal, the foot, and his own body. Pain struck, and Akon felt his brother slide out of his body.
Akon lay, coughing at the hole in his stomach. Sakura massaged her neck, turning away from the visible hollow. She picked up the blood-dreched blade and handed it to Asuma, asking, "Wind element speciality? And thanks for saving me, Asuma-sensei."
"Yes, just be alert. Can't afford to make mistakes," Asuma replied gruffly. Then he pulled out two kunai and threw them, each pumelling into the centre of his two Sound nin opponent's foreheads.
Hearing the two strangled screams, Sakura jumped out of her reverie.
"Asuma-sensei!"
"W-what?" Asuma shouted, shocked. "Man, don't scare me!"
Did he really just kill two peope? Are we really ninja? Sakura asked herself at this weird conversation. Then she reported Itachi's words to him.
Asuma swore violently and tapped the handheld radio on his buckle. "This is Sarutobi… Damn this static! The enemy must have tapped out our communications. Kakashi, Gai, Kurenai! We need to go, now!"
"Heard you! Two demon-equivalents!"
"Kakashi, Asuma! Go on ahead. Kurenai and I will take care of these people," Gai said, his thick brows meeting.
Kakashi tucked the white blade into its holster as Gai's shadow clone took over him. Nodding curtly, he and Asuma left their comrades for the greater mission, following Sakura's red cloak, billowing back like a memory of fresh blood.
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Kimimaro was positioned in the Konoha borders. He had picked a bad spot, meeting with a patrol of Hyuuga special jounins. With their special dojutsu and graceful moves, he was losing four to one badly.
"Kaiten!"
"Thousand Palm!"
"Dance of the seven cranes!"
Blood shot and spurted. Kimimaro skid along the dirt road, panting. It is indeed to hard to follow four white eyes. Orochimaru-sama, I'm afraid this will be the last time I will serve you…
Then a black flash of fire lit up and dissolved the four Hyuugas. The figure landed on the ground, his purple sandals catching the gravel.
He wore a black cloack, embodied with bold red clouds. Kimimaro frowned slightly. The man had approached him before.
"Kimimaro-san, we can't have you dying now. This is the last time I'm proposing. If you reject now, I will kill you, which my power is perfectly capable of doing so easily," Uchiha Shisui said.
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Naruto ducked under one chakra blast and took a running leap over two. He landed running. He could feel Kyuubi tiring. But if that was so, so was Gaara. But the sleeping Gaara was only a prick to the large demon, while Naruto was still himself with Kyuubi's chakra extensions.
Blast it. I can't beat this crap if I'm only at thirty percent, brat.
"No can do, you stinky fox! Just think of something! Rukawa said that if I let you have control this time, the seal will weake-!"
Blast that dead prodigy! Blast the seal. Even if not for your life or mine, think about your stupid village! You don't want it destroyed, do you?
"No!" Naruto yelled defiantly, feeling his flesh melt and regenerate all too quickly. He wanted to win.
Then Shukaku laughed. High pitched and awning. Apparently, shouting blonds amused him. But derisive laughter does not amuse those of the likes of Uzumaki Naruto. Growling, his previously iron-willed defiance was replaced with brute rage.
"Go, fox!"
Kyuubi grinned as Naruto slid into the space outside his cage. Naruto landed heavily on the clean floor. No more was his dungeon a defiled place, a place unfit for the king of demons. Sewage, huh!
Ever since Naruto had visited the place, the mental blocks were cleared, thus explaining the clean, good tiles. Even the rusty jail bars were now shiny chrome steel.
Naruto lifted his hands to space, allowing red chakra to wound around him. Immediately, the physical world came back on. But now, he felt as if he was occupying only a dot in his mind, watching the screens play for him.
He felt Kyuubi's hundreds of years of knowledge compare against his own. A mite. Naruto shuddered, then grinned along with Kyuubi as his body pummelled Shukaku's behind once, then another time, then again, this time punching through the hard flesh through the chest, yellow chakra and blood pouring out of the hold.
Naruto saw his finger lift at Shukaku's body, and then his mouth moved. "Ichibi, you really are weak, compared to me, even as I possess a small boy, while you are in full power."
Shukaku roared and started forward.
Naruto saw his lifted hand unclench to hold an invisible rod. The red chakra solidified at that spot and took form into a magnificent and powerful weapon. A sword.
Naruto crouched down as Shukaku came upon him, taking upon a samurai's stance. As the first bit of Shukaku landed, Naruto let out a war cry and thrust his sword forward.
Kyuubi, I do not shout like a savage.
Shukaku faded to the left, and dug its claws into the rock face, swinging his tail forward. Naruto twisted the flat of his blade up to catch the tail and swung, shaving off a peel of Shukaku's tail.
Before Shukaku could pull its tail out of the way, Naruto jumped onto the bloody hollow, throwing away his sword. Opening his jaws wide, Naruto sunk his pointy teeth and claws into the flesh and burrowed quickly.
This is getting disgusting. Am I actually tasting Shukaku? Eww. He's bad. Worse than spinach.
Biting and scratching a passageway through Shukaku's tail, Naruto finally tore through stomach flesh and jumped onto the acidic hollow. Outside, Naruto heard Shukaku yell in pain as gobules of flesh and blood fell through the shave and hollow in its tail.
Drenched in blood and saliva, Naruto felt his body jump into the air, and his fingers digging into the opening in the highest part of Shukaku's stomach organ. He knew this from science lessons… di…dia… esophagus!
Dimly catching on to what Kyuubi was doing, Naruto grinned ferally.
That's right, brat. This is what I am, brutal, evil, and good at what I do.
That is soooo random, fox.
I'm just copying what you've been doing for the past few minutes.
Naruto felt himself scramble up the squelchy tube of muscle, more of Kyuubi's chakra siphoning off everytime it had to regenerate Naruto's digesting flesh. But no matter. Only a small amount of chakra wasted.
Then he clambered into Shukaku's vast buccal cavity, and he was amazed, in the small space he now mentally occupied, and the many rows of teeth, the bloody, bitten tongue that was oozing of sand. Kanji was written on the roof of the mouth. A symbol made of kanji.
Mesmerised, Naruto watched as his hand held the glowing, unique sword once again, before Kyuubi-Naruto slammed the point of his sword through the symbol, out of the bone, and out of the centre of his forehead. Already, as the made first escape into fresh air, Naruto felt Shukaku's flesh disintergrating.
Kyuubi! Get Gaara!
Growling in affirmation, Naruto turned back and grabbed onto the awakened but now drained Gaara, and they landed behind the icy basin to the boulders, beside Sasuke.
With two weakened people by his side, Naruto felt himself weaken as Kyuubi let itself out of his physical system. It was awkward to feel his small frame of mind magnify into real time again.
Quick brat, clone to get the other ninja. I can power up a dimension of defense over us, but not at different spots.
Naruto immediately did the handseal for ten kage bunshins and let himself stay back as the clones ran around the boulders finding his master and Rukawa.
Ten seconds later, all ten clones landed beside Naruto on the ledge. Naruto was surprised to see an additional ANBU operative with a Jaguar mask and an adult Hyuuga. They were dead. Naruto felt tears leak from his eyes. He brushed them back, forcing his eyes to lock up the tears. Ninja rule… never show emotion. Wonder what Rukawa would-
Naruto's trail of thought broke off when he saw the bloody and torn form, covered in bandages.
Before he had time to speak, Naruto felt a cold wind rustle from no where, and then he saw red walls enclose around them like a cube.
Beyond Kyuubi's chakra walls, Naruto heard a loud twang of explosion, muffled by the powerful chakra Kyuubi had. Awed, Naruto stared as a white, long haired demon appeared, clothed in a one-piece of deathly white. In its mouth was a sharp dagger, inscribed with the kanji: death.
Shukaku was splitting into bars of light, all pointing from his demon inscription. As the death demon floated closer, the bars of light turned into black ice. The Sand Priest shook convulsively, melting away. Then the death demon unlatched pointed teeth from the dagger, souless hands taking the hilt, before the demon stabbed the Sand Priest and fit the whole contents into its large mouth, like a human would spear a dumpling with a fork and put it whole into his mouth.
Just as sudden as the eerie aura had come, it disappeared, and natural light flitted the Takakutaa Mounts again. Kyuubi released control over the chakra defense.
Naruto rushed over to Rukawa and dropped to his knees. Picking up Rukawa gently, he turned to race up the Mounts to the nearest medic station when his knees buckled.
He tried to stand, but could only realise: He could not move.
He felt so tired. Rest… could be what I…
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Kakashi leapt into the Mounts as soon as the chakra barrier which stretched across the mouth of the cave. Sakura, Asuma, and Kurenai then followed.
Kakashi landed in front of Kenji. From the positions of all of the ninjas, none of them were anywhere near full health. Rather, all were in critical, or dead.
Even though he heard Sakura crack into silent tears which were not so silent, he used his most commanding voice. "Sakura, get Sasuke. Asuma, you'll carry Itachi. I'll take Rukawa. Kurenai can get Naruto. Leave Hyuuga and Kenji here. They are dead. Forensic will… clean the mess."
Biting her lower lip, Sakura took Sasuke onto her back, powering chakra into her legs. She could feel Sasuke's blood drip onto her arms, and the ankle was pathetically stiff. Faster than a ravaged man, Sakura went.
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Author's Note: I know I promised a really fast update, and I really tried to fufill it, but I had loads of homework, and end-of-years are only 28 days away. So, it will be about a month and a week before I can update.
Did Sasuke seem a bit weak? So far, he's still in the trauma of the Uchiha Massacre, so of course he cracked up.
As for the Kyuubi-Shukaku fight, no, I hope it wasn't lame. I tried to make it graphic, sad to say, it was probably ultraman versus teletubies. Still, I hope you enjoyed it. When Naruto gets control, and when Kyuubi has teamwork or leadership skills, the fights will get better.
Ninjas fell easily under the Kyuubi back then, so why wouldn't Rukawa and Itachi? They are powerful, but still human.
Sighting of Uchiha Shisui! I've been waiting for this for a long, long, long time. No, I'm not mad, I'm normal, contrary to what some people say...
Oh yeah, for Amaretsu's name, I'm not sure if it's Amaretsu, or Amaratatsu, or Ama(something). So it it isn't Amaretsu, please tell me so I can correct it… Actually, I have a lot to learn and improve about writing, so comments are really more than appreciated.
Please make me happy again and review!