Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.

Author Notes: This chapter is filled with action but i tried something a little different in how i approached writing the action scenes.

Chapter 20: Domineering Heart

The sound of trees burning in the distance filled the otherwise silent atmosphere. The fire crackled like it was alive, growing with each passing second. The stench it gave off was nauseating.

Naruto remained perfectly still, curiously examining his opponent. He didn't like the smile painted across Shikamaru's face. It made him uneasy but he was still excited. He had forgotten how exhilarating it was to go on missions and fight. He had given all that up when he had retired.

Shikamaru was nervous, "This is weird."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, clueless and not bothering to guess what he could be referring to. "What is?"

Shikamaru smiled, "I'm a little afraid of you but I don't know why."

Naruto looked at the smoke rising higher into the air. "I used to get that a lot when I was a kid, for different reasons though." He took out a kunai from his pouch, "Let's get this over with."

Shikamaru nodded, "As you wish." He quickly formed hand seals, "Kage Muchiutsu!" He wanted the first attack to get an upper hand.

Naruto was taken by surprise at the quick action, knowing it was premeditated. Pitch black whips were powered at him from every direction. He began jumping and rolling, in order to ensure he didn't get hit. Several times he was close to getting struck, but he managed to evade the shadow whips.

The technique carried a lot of power; trees were being cut down around Naruto. The Uzumaki began hoping for the technique to end, since he didn't know how long he would be able to keep dodging. Gazing at Shikamaru in between his manoeuvres, he realised he was controlling the whips.

Naruto put the kunai he was holding in his mouth and made hand seals, "Doton Deido Tarabagani Bougyo!" The earth around him covered him immediately and began to form the shape of a crab.

Shikamaru controlled his whips to hit the hard structure, but it was unscathed. He repeatedly began to lash at it with his shadow whips, the mud crab crumbling with each strike. He merged all the separate whips into one and struck the defence for a final time, demolishing it. Waiting with eager and slow breaths to see what had become of Naruto, he geared up to attack again.

The smoke cleared and the shell of the king crab lay in pieces, however the Uzumaki was nowhere in sight. Shikamaru had a disturbing realisation, while at the same moment the ground beneath him exploded.

Shikamaru was sent flying but managed to save himself from landing in a harsh way. Regaining his footing, he stared at the sight of the explosion to find Naruto. The yellow haired man had a huge smile across his face, "It's amazing what an exploding tag can do."

Shikamaru looked at the broken defence several feet away from Naruto, "You used that shell to mask yourself. You then tried to attack me from underneath to stop my technique. Not bad."

Naruto flipped the kunai in his hand, "I failed though." His voice didn't carry any hint of disappointment.

Shikamaru slapped his hands together, "Yes, you did." He had a stern expression, "Kagemane No Jutsu!"

Naruto didn't have the opportunity to react as several streams of shadows latched onto his own, rendering him completely helpless. He looked at the multiple lines of darkness coming from Shikamaru, which seemed to join with those of the trees and then his own. "I…"

Shikamaru continued for him, "…didn't expect that." He resumed in an informative tone, "There was a reason I brought you to this particular area."

Naruto's concern was etched across his visage, "That's why you started running away."

Shikamaru kept his hands tightly together, "Yeah. The formation of trees was denser here. I used my first attack to cut down a few, to make sure I would be able to get at you from every angle. This would stop you from escaping or avoiding my shadow bind."

Naruto tried his hardest to move his arm, even an inch if possible. However, it was hopeless since nothing happened. The sweat trickled down his face from the effort he was exerting.

Shikamaru shook his head, "You won't be able to escape by brute force this time."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, "Huh?" He didn't like the sound of his enemy's voice.

Shikamaru explained, "There was another reason for knocking down these trees. My shadow combined with theirs' increases its strength. It would take an inhumane amount of force, for you to power your way out of this."

Naruto's eyes caught one of the lines of shadow, binding him, rise from the ground; its edge pointed. "Damn."

Shikamaru aimed the tendril, "This is it."

Naruto saw the tendril rushing towards him. No matter what, he couldn't afford to get hit even once. He closed his eyes and concentrated intently, searching for something deep inside him. The air around him seemed to whistle, while his body was covered in a shroud of red chakra.

Shikamaru was clearly shocked, and was nearly blown off his feet when a burst of red chakra seemed to explode from Naruto. The blonde moved out of the way at the last second, the tendril missing him. Shikamaru was in disbelief; his hold had been broken. "That power…" He was stopped from continuing once a kunai flew through the air and struck Naruto.

The man was gone in a puff of smoke, revealing that he was a shadow clone. Shikamaru was confused by what had happened, but everything was made clear soon enough. A voice resonated throughout the locale, "That idiot! You're not meant to use its power!"

Shikamaru looked at the Naruto in one of the still standing trees. He could tell this was the real one. Quickly standing up, he prepared for whatever may come next.

XXXXXXXXXX

"We can talk about this!" Naruto's voice was loud enough to cause deafness, "Why are you so violent?" He was running across the grassy knoll haphazardly, pursued by a white eyed Hyuuga.

Hinata stopped and took out wires which were invisible to the naked eye, unless they were looked at keenly. Quickly retrieving a few shuriken, she wrapped the wires around them. She was glad to see that Naruto hadn't realised her actions, throwing the projectiles.

Naruto saw the shuriken pass him, knowing it wasn't a good sign. His wariness was for good reason when he noticed there were wires attached to the weapons. The shuriken changed direction and came towards him, casing his body. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, the gleam of chakra from the wires reflected in his eyes.

Hinata didn't have time to waste, taking out a kunai and rushing at Naruto. This was her chance and she had to make the most of it.

Naruto could see the approaching woman from the corner of his eye. He gave a slight yell, "Stop!" His shout didn't cause any deterrence to the approaching kunoichi.

Hinata was inches away from Naruto when his body gave out a rush of chakra and cut the wires. Naruto moved to the side and tripped the woman. Hinata quickly flipped back onto her feet, but Naruto had already produced several feet of distance between them.

The woman was apprehensive of what Naruto had just shown. "That ability is considered difficult even amongst the Hyuuga."

Naruto shrugged, "You just have to know where your tenketsu points are."

Hinata didn't like the way he brushed it off as being simple. She had spent a long time mastering that move, because it was the first step towards learning one of the main house techniques.

Naruto pointed at her, "You look angry."

Hinata ran towards him and began throwing multiple combinations. Naruto tried his hardest to avoid them, feeling a wave of chakra passing him with each blow that was deflected. He couldn't keep blocking for long and needed to do something. Ducking an oncoming strike to his chest, he slammed his hand on the ground, "Doton Gankai Takamari!"

Hinata was stopped from her onslaught, the ground beneath her shooting upwards with her still on it. She was launched higher into the air before the mound of rock receded to its original shape. Naruto ran towards one of the trees and jumped onto it, keeping his eyes on the airborne Hyuuga. Climbing higher, he waited for Hinata to come within his reach before leaping towards her.

Hinata was dreading her landing since it would be painful. She heard Naruto's battle cry and readied to defend herself. When the man got closer, she tried to strike him in his stomach. However Naruto was too quick, grabbing her arm and shifting around her. The wind rushed past them upon their fast descent towards the ground. Naruto used all his strength and threw Hinata directly towards the ground, resulting in a thundering crash.

Landing himself, he rolled backwards and stood up. Naruto looked at the dust rising from the cracked surface of the earth. He assumed the battle was over, turning to walk away. The sound of stones moving caused him to stop in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder, seeing his opponent slowly rise from the ground.

Hinata's face was scratched and there was a trickle of blood escaping her arm. She placed her hand on the dislocated arm and pushed hard, screaming from the pain. She was panting, visibly hurt from Naruto's attack.

Naruto eyed her curiously, "You're not done?"

Hinata had a steel look in her eyes, "Not until I complete my mission."

Naruto faced her, a grim expression across his soft countenance, "Even if it means your death."

Hinata rushed at him, "I'll decide that!" With every blow she threw at him, images of her past with her team flashed through her mind; every time she had decided to give up but they would keep on cheering for her to continue, the long journey it was to finally gain confidence in her abilities, the smile her father finally showed her after all that training.

Naruto dodged Hinata's fist and returned with a punch to her stomach, which sent her backwards and onto the ground. "You really are determined."

Hinata rose to her feet; her usually shy voice with a hint of firmness, "Are you being sarcastic?"

Naruto's face was blank, "No." He got into a fighting stance, "I used to be like that; never giving up until all my energy had left me. I know the worst thing for you right now would be for me to walk away." He closed his eyes, "So, I'll stay here and finish this fight."

Hinata nodded, hesitating for a moment, "Thank you." She didn't want to fail since she had already sacrificed too much in her life to do so. She had been working hard to finally be able to make a difference on missions, and not leave the important objectives on her team mate's shoulders.

"Let me join!" The scream came from a new shirtless Naruto, who landed next to the other one.

Naruto looked at his new ally, "Why are you shirtless?"

The shirtless Naruto scratched his head, "It was burning where I came from. I got hot."

Naruto had a displeased expression, "But you're basically naked."

The shirtless Naruto turned to face Hinata, "No I'm not. You're an idiot."

The remark left Naruto dumbfounded, "We're the same."

Hinata observed the two arguing; knowing that one of them must be a shadow clone at least. She needed to beat them both and if neither of them was the real one, she would have to set out to find him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto stared at the spot where his shadow clone had been moments ago. Jumping towards the ground, he landed without making much of a sound. His vision shifted to Shikamaru, analysing his condition.

Shikamaru was still in amazement over what he had just witnessed, "That…was the Kyuubi's power."

Naruto was instantly alert, "How do you know that?"

Shikamaru had a regretful voice, "It wasn't hard to figure it all out. My mentor died against Akatsuki; the hunters of the tailed beasts."

Naruto knew exactly what Akatsuki was due to his past with them, one which had left a sizeable blow on his heart.

Shikamaru resumed, "I remember you; the lonely kid." He could see his words had an impact, "Your disappearance wasn't noticed by most of us. But now that you came back, I realised who you were. Following your capture and escape, there were many rumours over the village. One of them was that you were the Kyuubi's container."

Naruto prepared to attack, "Is that so?"

Shikamaru was smiling, "It made sense that it was you. Before Asuma-sensei died, he told Akatsuki they wouldn't be able to capture all of the tailed beasts since the Kyuubi's container was missing. I checked some files to make sure and I got my answer."

Naruto's face was shadowed, sending an eerie feeling into the Nara, "Surprised to know that Konoha has its mistakes. They're the same as every other village out there."

Shikamaru nodded, "We're shinobi; our lives are full of deceit and darkness." He hesitated before continuing, "I still think what happened with you was wrong though."

Naruto didn't answer, itching to start the battle. Shikamaru recognised his actions and prepared himself. They both stared at each other, waiting for the first sign of movement.

Shikamaru took the initiative because he knew he couldn't win in a drawn out battle. "Kage Kamayari!"

Nothing happened before Naruto saw a spear coming at him from within his own shadow. He stepped backwards as the spear shot upwards. He avoided it for the most part but it had still partially cut his shirt and stomach. The wound he received could be seen from the hole in his shirt. Shikamaru turned the spear into a tendril and brought it towards himself, catching the piece of cloth it held.

Naruto knew that Shikamaru's main form of attack was shadows. He understood that the current battlefield was suited to his tastes, and would be dangerous for him to fight in. Before the Nara could do anything, Naruto rapidly made hand seals, "Gouon Anoyo Yajuu!"

Shikamaru was frozen to the spot when it seemed like the air around him gave a thunderous roar. He couldn't shake the ominous feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Then, when he was about to let out a relieved sigh, he was blown off his feet.

A raging wind spread from Naruto in all directions, destroying the land and the fallen trees. The dust rose like a cloud while the land was ravaged by the raging wind. Shikamaru was lying on the ground and covering his head. He was out of the immediate range, but his arms were still getting engraved with wounds.

The roar quieted down and with it, the attacking wind. Shikamaru was coughing upon sitting up; the dust making it hard to breathe. His eyes widened when he saw what had happened; the land was scarred. A large space was now created where there was no sign of life except for the two combatants.

Naruto spoke from behind Shikamaru, taking him by surprise, "Now you no longer hold an advantage." He grabbed Shikamaru and forced him to stand.

Shikamaru tried to drive a kunai into Naruto's leg but his hand was caught. Naruto twisted his hand before slamming his head into the Nara's nose. He finished by throwing multiple punches in his stomach and then an uppercut to his chin.

Shikamaru fell to his knees, helpless against the direct form of attack. Naruto was no longer joking around, "Without your shadows, you can't do anything."

Shikamaru looked up at Naruto and grinned before receiving a final blow into his neck, which knocked him out. Naruto looked at his unconscious form, "I have to end these fights quick and get out of here."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hinata was trying her hardest to block the oncoming punches, but every few seconds she was getting hit. The two Naruto's were relentless in their attack; the Hyuuga's face was now more bruised than previously. She was finding it extremely hard to battle the two. They were coordinated and worked very well together. She couldn't get one attempt to retaliate, due to the fact she wasn't being given an opening.

Hinata was getting beat and she couldn't keep defending herself for long. Then with gritted teeth, she let some chakra escape all of her tenketsu points; ready to channel it. "Hakkesho Kaiten!"

The two Naruto's instantly retreated upon feeling the outburst of chakra from Hinata. She was spinning on the spot with chakra surrounding her. As she calmed down, the shirtless Naruto looked at his ally, "That would've spelt the end for us."

Naruto scratched his head, "Yeah, we need to finish this."

The shirtless Naruto shook his head in disappointment, "You're the idiot slowing us down."

Naruto slapped his head, "You keep saying that but we're the same."

Both of them stopped their bickering and positioned themselves on each side of Hinata. The Hyuuga was waiting for them to make a move, not being in the condition to attack head on.

The Naruto's started forming hand seals, slowly as if taunting her. They finished simultaneously, "Futon Daburu Kiritateru Atakku!" Lines of wind rushed towards Hinata who began to dodge them, only to find them rebounding from the Naruto they headed towards.

Hinata successfully dodged the first few but they were increasing in speed with every passing second, eventually catching her and cutting her across the leg. It wasn't too long until she found herself getting slashed across several parts of her body. She fell to the ground with a silent thud.

The two Naruto's stopped the technique and walked closer to the woman. Naruto wiped his head, looking at his half naked counterpart, "I'm the reason we won you know?"

The shirtless Naruto decided it was time to leave; walking away, "Keep lying to yourself."

Naruto shrugged, watching his ally walk away. His one moment of distraction cost him when Hinata flipped onto her feet, "Hakkesho Sairensaa!" Hinata thrust her palm twice into Naruto's chest and finished with one to his face.

Each blow sent a wave of chakra throughout Naruto before he vanished in a puff of smoke. Hinata was smiling even though it was just a shadow clone. The shirtless Naruto was waiting for her to turn around but she didn't, instead falling to the ground. She had used her remaining energy to do one last attack.

The shirtless Naruto tapped his chin, "I said you were an idiot; always letting your guard down."

"And what were you doing by turning your back?" The real Naruto walked onto the battlefield, observing the unconscious woman.

The shirtless Naruto laughed sheepishly, "We're the same."

Naruto looked at the only shadow clone and waved his hand. The shadow clone understood the order and disappeared in a puff of smoke. There was only one person left to beat and he would be occupied with the last clone he made. He would finish this alone and finally continue on his path outside of Fire Country.

A cry of Gatsuga filled the air causing Naruto to promptly turn around. He was too late though, as the spinning entity crashed into him twice. Naruto was sent rolling across the ground, his body feeling like it had been slashed by a meat cleaver. He sat up slowly; the cut on his stomach had grown deeper. He was in agonising pain, not bothering to look at the new arrival.

Kiba picked up Hinata, placing her to a side, "You're the real deal, I can tell. The other one vanished when I hit him only once." He turned around and focused on Naruto who was now standing.

Naruto touched his stomach, his hand covered in his own blood, "That hurt."

Kiba looked at Akamaru who was growling viciously, "That technique you just felt was only me. Let's see how you handle it when Akamaru joins in."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi slammed his hand into the ground, making smoke fill the air. As it cleared, Pakkun was standing with his paw raised, "Kakashi, what's up?"

Kakashi stood up, "New mission." He opened the package he had received from Jiraiya. Taking out a vial which was filled with a grey liquid, he threw it to the ground.

The vial broke open and the grey liquid spread across the soil. It had a strong stench but it wasn't noticeable to humans. Pakkun covered his nose, "That's really smelly."

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, "I know but that's what they used. The team we need to follow lined the path they took with this scent. You need to guide us to them."

Pakkun got ready to leave, facing the tress. They were in the forest outside of Konoha. Sakura and Sasuke stood near Kakashi as the masked jounin was waiting for something.

Sakura decided to speak, "What's wrong? Why aren't we going?" She had been, surprisingly, happy to know that Naruto had escaped. She had recognised from the torture session; that keeping him imprisoned wasn't doing anyone good.

Kakashi faced Sasuke, his voice quiet, "The guards who were looking over Naruto had their memories of the break out wiped clean. There are plenty of things that could do that. But those men still retained older memories meaning they were placed under a genjutsu of sorts; one that the sharingan can easily accomplish."

Sakura looked at Sasuke who had his eyes closed. She knew what Kakashi was implying, "You let him go?"

Sasuke spoke in his common detached tone, "If I did, are you upset?"

Kakashi turned around, "No." He was inwardly smiling because Sasuke had made a choice. He had, for once in such a long time, done something according to what he wanted. This miniature yet visible difference was pleasurable for the masked man to know of.

XXXXXXXXXX

The signs of concern were stamped across Naruto's face, his clothes dirtied and scruffy. He was finding it increasingly hard to avoid his attacker. Rolling across the ground, he threw a kunai at Kiba but it was deflected by the rapid spinning. Naruto jumped to the side, barely dodging the incoming attack.

Kiba and Akamaru were like a minute twister, cutting whatever came in their path. Naruto was in pain from the cut on his stomach; feeling a jolt through his body, he fell to his knees. Kiba took advantage of the opportunity, crashing into the blonde. Naruto was sent rolling along the ground, a bloody trail following him. He needed to do something to nullify Kiba's form of attack.

Kiba was glad to see he had the upper hand. His voice was full of delight, "Forget our orders, I think I'll finish this myself." He looked at Akamaru, "Get ready." Akamaru was a mirror image of Kiba, barking in confirmation. Rotating on the spot, he drilled himself into the ground. Kiba jumped into the air, spinning faster than before, "Ametsuchi Zubatto Kumiawase!"

Naruto glanced at Kiba who was now high in the air. He rose to his feet when Kiba dived towards him, the force of a tornado seemingly in his palm. Naruto realised a vibration in the ground underneath him as it exploded. Akamaru thrust into Naruto's back before Kiba slammed into his stomach.

Naruto let out a gasp of pain, the blood escaping his mouth. He was sent soaring through the air and into one of the trees. Naruto gritted his teeth in anger, using all his strength to stand. He ran into the forest as fast as his feet would allow him to.

Kiba noticed the departure, "Akamaru, let's go. We can't let him get away now." The duo set off behind Naruto, who was already entering another clearing.

Naruto had arrived back at the river he was initially following. Turning around, he saw Kiba and Akamaru rushing towards him. Naruto jumped into the river with a booming splash. The water rushed by him on his descent to the riverbed.

Kiba stopped at the river's edge, not diving in like Naruto. He addressed his companion, "Akamaru, drive him out and I'll finish it."

Akamaru barked in agreement; jumping higher into the air and, once again, spinning in the twister like motion. The huge dog slammed into the water with an immense amount of force. Naruto smiled when he saw the attack and moved to the side, dodging it. He didn't let Akamaru regroup for another turn; instead he launched himself at him.

Naruto ignored the new cuts which developed on his arms when he grabbed Akamaru. He formed hand seals hurriedly, "Raiton Hibanahouden!" Naruto placed his hands on Akamaru's chest, letting out a sparkle. Akamaru growled in pain as his body shook from the current, slowly falling unconscious. The river was sizzling, steam rising from the surface. Naruto looked at Akamaru, who landed on the river bed and transformed back into his original state.

Kiba had a worried look when he saw the river crackle like it had a current of electricity run through it. His thoughts went to his friend, "Akamaru!" Upon his shout, the body of Akamaru was shot from the water and landed on the bank of the river. Kiba was worried, running towards the dog. He analysed his condition, the anger within him building from the sight.

Naruto exited the water, clutching his stomach. He was drenched in water, looking at Kiba, "Without your dog, you lose a lot of your strength. You should think twice before leaping in."

Kiba faced Naruto, recognising the fact that he had been lured into a trap. "Damn, I'm going to kick your ass." Before he could perform his usual method of attack, Naruto threw a shuriken at him. Kiba was forced to duck the projectile but that was all the time Naruto needed.

Rushing towards Kiba, he drove his knee into the bent Inuzuka. Naruto followed with a few punches to his face before jumping backwards. Kiba was dizzied from the attack, but he could make out Naruto forming hand seals.

Naruto had a stern demeanour, "Teisei Anoyo Yajuu!" The wind gave off a shrill sound, circling the Inuzuka. Kiba was defenceless as it crashed into him, slashing him across numerous regions of his body. His last thoughts were of his failure, before falling to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

Naruto coughed upon finishing his technique. He ripped off his shirt and tied it around the wound on his stomach tightly. Walking to Kiba, he turned over the unconscious jounin. Ripping off his pouch, he started searching for anything useful. A faint smile appeared across his face when he found two soldier pills. He put one in his own stolen pouch and the other in his mouth. Ignoring the bitter taste, he swallowed it whole. A rush of energy entered his body and he felt rejuvenated. Standing up, there was only one thought on his mind. It was time to go home.

Ametsuchi Zubatto Kumiawase – Heaven And Earth Piercing Combination (Original)

Doton Deido Tarabagani Bougyo – Earth Release Mud King Crab Protection (Original)

Doton Gankai Takamari – Earth Release Rock Upsurge (Original)

Futon Daburu Kiritateru Atakku – Wind Release Double Slash Attack (Original)

Gatsuga – Double Piercing Fang

Gouon Anoyo Yajuu - Roar Of The Beast (Original)

Hakkesho Kaiten - Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin

Hakkesho Sairensaa – Eight Trigrams Palms Silencer (Original)

Kage Kamayari – Shadow Spear (Original)

Kage Muchiutsu – Shadow Lash (Original)

Kagemane No Jutsu – Shadow Imitation Technique

Raiton Hibanahouden – Lightning Release Spark Discharge (Original)

Teisei Anoyo Yajuu – Whisper Of The Beast (Original)

Author Notes: As you can see, i had to create quite a few jutsu for this one chapter. Anyways, i wanted to know whether you all liked the way it was written and that it wasn't hard to understand or follow. I wanted to keep the fights short and sweet. The next battle which is in about 2 chapters will be bigger and more original since you'll get a lot of background on certain characters. Oh and one more thing; Naruto will finally reach the encampment next chapter. Look forward to it.