Naruto: Altered History
Chapter 20:
-The Moment-
By Geor-sama
Uzumaki Naruto was moving out of instinct. One moment he had been in the arena, and the next he was performing a Shunshin to the balcony. Reaching the railing a split second later, his eyes adjusted to the sudden change in the world. He had a moment to see the sheer chaos of swirling sand and a screaming red head, before he was swept back into the arena by a whip of sand.
Wincing from the pain he forced his way through his surprise, performing a somersault to land on his feet. The sound of an explosion followed this, and he grunted, springing upward with a burst of chakra. Grasping the railing, he yanked himself up and over, landing in a half-crouch, weapon in hand.
Instincts honed from training with Anko and his combat experience focused immediately on several key things: Sand covered everything including a mangled corpse, there was a massive hole in the back of the small balcony leading into the village and most of the examiness were either spralwed on the ground unconcious or absent. Spotting Ino, Naruto rushed to her side, other concerns forgotten beneath the need to make sure she was ok.
"Shit," Naruto muttered, frantically check for a pulse, a half second before he felt someone moving behind him and twisted, kunai poised to strike.
"Whoa," the girl said, lifting her hands in a stalling gesture, a small trickle of blood trailing along her face.
Naruto flicked his eyes from hers to her forehead, then relaxed. "Right, panda girl!"
"Panda girl?"
"Yeah, cause ya know... You look like a panda with those buns!" Naruto said, before shifting his attention the white-eyed boy who was approaching from behind, supporting a battered-looking Lee.
"Tenten, Lee-"
"What happened to Fuzzy Eyebrows?!"
"The same as occurred with Yamanaka," the white-eyed boy said blandly as he eased the green-clad boy into Tenten's care. "Gaara, the Sand Ninja, was caught in an attack from behind. He lashed out in a blind rage, brutally killing one of the attackers and then crippled one of his team mates when they got in his way."
"Neji, I think he's going to be okay..." Tenten said, looking up from her careful inspection of Lee's face. "Or, at least as okay as he ever is."
Naruto, however, tuned them out, turning back to Ino to check on her. His medical knowledge was embarrassingly simple; he could feel a heart beat, could tell she wasn't coughing up blood and that she was breathing.
"The others seem to just be unconscious," Shino said, and Naruto looked around to find the boy unsteadily regaining his feet using the wall . "How is she?"
"Okay," Naruto said softly before climbing back to his feet. "I think...Iunno, I'm not a medic or nothin'."
"Here, let me look," Tenten offered, and Naruto stumbled away as the older girl elbowed him aside. After a moment, she sighed, looking back up at them. "She's fine...She took a nasty bump to the head, and I think her arm might have been hurt again."
"I suggest we gather all those unconscious and carry them to the infirmary, since that is our most pressing problem at the moment."
"Yosh, he is correct," Lee said, struggling to his feet unsteadily.
Naruto opened his mouth to object, to point out that they had a whole arena full of people going crazy. Now that he had found out Ino and his friends were okay -hurt, but alive- his every instinct was screaming for him to enter the fight. He knew Anko would be out there, and she would be having fun, and Naruto wanted to be doing the same thing.
"Actually, we have bigger problems than you think," Anko's familiar voice said, as she appeared as if by magic in the balcony, followed by an ANBU, whom she promptly killed with a kunai to the eye. "Much bigger problems."
"Anko!" Naruto, said startled, even as the others -save for Neji and Shino- produced weapons.
Anko, however, ignored him for the moment, scanning the field silently before looking back at them.
"What the hell is happening?"
"Nothing you need to know about," Anko said blandly, twirling her kunai absently. "All you need to do right now is go after that Gaara prick."
"Huh?"
"Look," Anko said, sighing as she fixed them all with a stare. "We can handle the ANBU and whatever else is going on right now...Except for Gaara, and, trust me, from what Kakashi and the Hokage have told me, he's the bigger threat."
"Why?" Naruto asked, feeling a cold chill race up his spine. He had never heard that tone of voice from Anko, anxious and...afraid.
"He's got a lot of power," Anko answered, fixing him with an intense stare. "A lot of power...and, when he looses control it's not pretty. From what I've heard, the Kazekage can't even control him when he gets to that point, and now he's loose in our village, while all of our forces are trying to handle this problem."
"So it is up to us to track him down and subdue him," Neji summarized before glancing at Shino, then Lee. "However, I do not believe that all of us are fit for this pursuit."
"Score one for the Hyūga," Anko muttered. "Naruto, take Buns and whity there after Gaara okay? You others try to get these guys to the infirmary or something. We're wasting time, and I gotta get back to work."
Naruto nodded, grinning. "Oi, kick ass!"
"I always do!" Anko said, flashing him an equally insane smile.
"Uh, do you have any suggestions?" Tenten asked worriedly.
"Yeah," Anko said, turning to head for the railing of the balcony. "Don't get killed." With that, Anko jumped back into the fighting, and Naruto, with a last look at Shino to convey his message to watch out for Ino or else, led Tenten and Neji out the hole after Gaara.
"That was the last one."
Looking up at his assistant, the Hokage nodded, then glanced at the Kazekage, who was standing silently near the railing. Sandaime just couldn't fathom what was going on; all of their intel involving Unity indicated a strategic strike, not mass chaos. It made no sense, but at least they had managed to get the daimyos and others to a secure room.
"Find the ANBU Commander and-" Sandaime trailed off, rubbing at his left arm to dispel a sudden pain. "And see what else needs to be done. Myself and the Kazekage will try to help the villagers."
"But, Hokage-sama-"
"I'm the Hokage, I'll be fine. Now go." Watching as the man nodded and then hurried off, the old man sighed, approaching his much younger counterpart. "Kazekage-dono, I believe we should provide what support we can."
"I have my own priorities," the Kazekage said curtly, his eyes scanning the arena before widening in surprise. "It appears, Hokage-dono, that your village has more to fear than merely dealing with these fools."
"Are you referring to your...son?"
"Yes."
The Sandaime paused, then closed his eyes, taking deep calming breaths. although his left arm was throbbing with pain, he shoved it aside for a moment. His village was facing its greatest threat: an unstable boy with a demon sealed inside him.
"Is there anything you would suggest, Kazekage-dono?"
"Prayer," the Kazekage said blandly. "I am sure that your ANBU are aware of the danger he poses; hopefully they can subdue him. If he is forced too far, I fear this village will have to weather his wrath."
Turning away, the Sandaime rubbed at his chest as the pain from his left arm spread. His breathing was growing labored, and he knew without being told what was happening to him. Still, he had a responsibility to his village, he had to protect its people. Glancing at the Kazekage, who was staring aimlessly at the battles ranging below him, the Sandaime started off, only to stumble, growing dizzy.
No!
Shaking his head, feeling a chill sweep through him, the Sandaime forced his way through the dizziness and continued on with his task. Still, he knew, his days were shorter than even he had anticipated.
He was Hokage, though, damn it, and he wasn't going to give up until he saw his job done.
Anko grinned, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as she threw herself into a diving crouch, followed by a cartwheel. Dodging the hail of kunai that punctured every inch of the space she had occupied, she worked her way ever closer. She heard the curse of the rogue ANBU a split second before she struck, knocking his arm up as she crouched and spun, driving the kunai between the armor plates.
"D-damn...you..." the rogue hissed as Anko slammed her palm into her weapon to drive it in deeper before yanking upward. A spray of blood later, she was moving like a flash once more, like a ghost, avoiding the man's partner.
Her adrenaline rush was in full force, coursing through her as she danced her way through another storm of metal. Spinning into a coil, she launched herself into the air, dodging even more weapons. They came dangerously close to piercing her -she could feel the wind from the blades- but she managed to avoid that fate.
Coming down, she drove her foot into the man's mask, cracking it, then, with a pivot, she pushed off at an angle, slamming a front kick into yet another rogue ANBU. He hit the arena wall, then stumbled forward once more, and Anko calmly drove her kunai into the hollow of his throat.
It was her precision as an assassin, making her movements smooth and silent. Grinning, she looked around, eyes flashing in excitement as she tried desperately to find something else to attack. She was back in her element, and she wanted to hold onto the moment for as long as she could. Spotting a familiar tuft of white hair a short distance away, about to be caught in a pincer movement, Anko shot her hand forward.
"Seneijashu!"
A second later, she grimaced as snakes erupted from her sleeve and hurtled across the space to entwine the ambusher. Yanking her arm, she jerked the man off his feet, then, twirling her arm and the man over head, she sent him crashing into another group of rogue ANBU.
Grinning in satisfaction, Anko joined Kakashi as he finished his other opponent. "I didn't know today was my birthday."
"Wha?" the masked ANBU commander managed, deflecting a stray kunai.
"Well, all this...I thought I'd have to get my jollies just watching Naruto kick that Sasuke's ass." Anko chortled, deflecting yet another stray weapon.
"...You never change," a new voice said, shortly before the owner appeared with the fall of a rogue who had been approaching from behind.
"Ibiki!" Anko said happily, staring up at the scarred man.
"Anko," the Interrogation expert returned with a small smile before looking at Kakashi. "I just got word that we've settled most of the outer areas."
"Good," Kakashi said, scanning the immediate area.
Anko herself frowned, her mind turning toward a nagging feeling she had. Something that she had been avoiding thinking about ever since the battle had started. Something that was only growing in strength as she watched the skirmish between Unity and the ANBU. "Why the hell are they doing this?"
"Because they want one ruler," Ibiki said sarcastically.
"No," Kakashi said, glancing at the man. "I believe Anko was referring to why they are attack en masse. After all, the modus operandi has been small scale. Assassinations, playing things close to the cuff. Now they've gone public... And they're utterly ignoring the Fire Daimyo."
"Yeah," Anko said, shaking her head as she tried to think about what they were attempting to gain. She could see nothing and then, remembering that she had sent Naruto after Gaara, she felt a knot of concern settle in her stomach. "You better send a few people after Naruto,"
"Why?" Kakashi asked, glancing at her.
"Gaara," Ibiki said simply, glancing between the two.
"He was attacked and went after his attacker into the village. When I arrived, most of the Examinees were out cold."
"So you sent Naruto after him," Kakashi summarized almost blandly. "Did you send anyone else?"
"Yeah, the Hyūga and that girl with all the weapons."
"Well, that would be a solid team," Ibiki said with a smirk. "A boy capable of holding his own against Orochimaru for a few minutes, a genius that can track and a weapons expert."
"True," Kakashi admitted before sighing.
"Well, they'll still need help," Anko said with a scowl.
"I wouldn't worry. Sasuke is on his way to Itachi to deliver a message to find Gaara." Kakashi explained, his eye curving upward happily. "Best case, Sasuke dies after delivering the message, and Itachi arrives so they get the backup needed. Worst case, that li'l Jutsu thief gets killed before he delivers the message, forcing Naruto and his team to handle it alone."
"Aww," Anko teased. "Is the Copy Cat Kakashi upset that someone stole his special Jutsu?"
"No, no," Ibiki said, chuckling. "Surely not the great Copy Cat Kakashi, who's copied over a thousand moves!"
"...Sometimes I wish the Kyūbi had just eaten you two," Kakashi said blandly.
"Being eaten isn't so bad," Anko quipped with a teasing grin on her face, amused by both men's blushes. "I find it rather enjoyable, myself..." with that, she darted back out into the fray, shoving her amusement to the back of her mind as she killed a distracted rogue in passing.
Among the cacophony of clashing weapons and Jutsu, Anko darted and weaved. In the space between heartbeats, she danced, bringing death and destruction in her wake, grinning a maniacal grin that only Naruto and Orochimaru had ever seen. Her jacket was shredded, her fish netting ripped in places, and still she lost herself in the sheer joy of the slaughter.
Yet, despite her business with bringing as much death as she could to her enemies, she kept checking the link between her and Naruto. Because she knew Gaara was not the only thing they had to be wary of. What Naruto had inside him was potentially more dangerous.
More importantly, however, she kept checking to make sure the closest thing she had to a brother was still alive.
That was the fifteenth body, Naruto thought darkly as he followed Neji away from the rooftop. They had been at this for nearly an hour, trying desperately to catch up with Gaara, especially after they had discovered the first body. You would think it'd be enough to kill your attacker, but no, the boy was leaving a trail of corpses behind him, each more gruesome than the last.
To make matters worse, Naruto could still see skirmishes going on as they raced after Gaara. True, it wasn't like earlier, a near riot, but still. Naruto had to keep beating down his urge to deviate from his path and help, settling instead on the occasional Kage Bunshin. Still, he wondered how he got himself talked into this.
He remembered, of course, Anko telling him to go after the red-head, but he was seriously beginning to think this was a waste of his skills. After all, there was fighting going on all around him, and he was stuck chasing a ninja. Naruto, for all of his skill, brilliance and roguish good looks, did not have the patience to deal with an invisible enemy.
Turning his gaze away from yet another brawl between Konoha nins, the blond forced his mind onto another topic. Mainly Sakura, how she could have still cheered Sasuke, and how he had finally accepted what Anko had told him so many months ago. Naruto had never really known her; he knew she could be bossy and a tad violent, but he had always believed she would at least be able to see past a crush for the important stuff.
Instead, she was still blindly devoted to that prick of an Uchiha, and Ino was still hurt, and Naruto wanted to make something bleed. Still, he couldn't help but realize something very strange about how things were going. That Uke had Sakura and Ghostie, the boy currently acting as a tracker, had Panda girl. At the rate things were going, Naruto would end up with either the psychotic bitch or I-
"Something's been bother me," Tenten said, her tone anxious, utterly unaware that she had just derailed Naruto's thoughts.
"Oi, what about?" the loud ninja asked, shoving his thoughts and annoyance to the back of his mind.
"We know our specialties -weapons and tracking- but not yours. What, exactly, do you specialize in?"
"Huh? Why do you need to know?"
"Because the more we know, the better our strategy." Neji said, attention never wavering from straight ahead.
Naruto blinked, then stared at her curiously before shrugging. He had never stopped to think about what exactly he specialized in. Not taijutsu, that was for sure. Ninjutsu? Well he was strong at that, but that didn't feel right. Thinking about it, he frowned ever-so-slightly, wondering if there was some clue he had over looked.
"Well?"
"I..." Naruto stopped and scowled, remembering that Ino had taken after Hayate, and that Lee had claimed that, without someone named Gai, he would be nothing. If you specialized in whatever your sensei specialized in... Naruto looked back over his skills. Well, it didn't feel entirely right, but it was close. "Assassination. I specialize in assassination."
"What?" Tenten said softly, eyes wide.
"Considering what I have seen," Neji said seriously without turning his head, "you have the skills to support such a specialization. However, I believe it would be more accurate to say you specialize in combat and tactics."
"Whatever," Naruto said. He hadn't spent a lot of time around the white-eyed boy, but Neji irritated him. He always spoke as if he knew everything. He couldn't imagine how this prick and Hinata from the academy could be related. Still, at least he wasn't as big a dick as Sasuke.
"So, Naruto-kun," Tenten said, taking over the conversation once more. "Who exactly was your sensei? Plus, I've never heard of a family or clan with your name."
Naruto almost told her that it wasn't his real family name, that he was really an Namikaze, but that wasn't right. Whatever he felt for his dad, the man had erased that name for several good reasons. "I'm an orphan."
"Oh," Tenten mumbled, looking away slightly. "Well, what about your sensei? I mean, I know that the Uchiha and his team had Yūhi Kurenai, and we've got Maito Gai..."
"I would hazard Gekko Hayate," Neji said blandly, "judging by how the Yamanaka girl handled her sword."
"Well, when I was transfered to the team for this exam he was. But then my sensei took over for some reason." Naruto offered, shrugging, "I might have asked why, but you met her just now-"
"Anko is your sensei?" Neji said his tone turning cold, then at Naruto's nod it became glacial. "Mitarashi Anko, student of the of the Sannin Orochimaru? That Anko?"
"Err, yeah," Naruto said, blinking. "You got a problem with her?"
"She and her sensei killed several of my clan while developing their taijutsu style," Neji grated out harshly.
"What the hell do you know about it?!" Naruto said angrily, his mind replaying everything Anko had said to him a few months ago. "Pampered little bastard."
"Don't talk to Neji-kun like that!" Tenten said angrily. "He is a member of the Hyūga, the strongest clan there is, and he has every right-"
"Not another 'my clan is the strongest' bastard!" Naruto said, voice rising in anger. "Plus, like, she's sorry for all that shit! You don't understand what it's like to be so desperate for acceptance that you'd do anything!"
"First," Neji said, finally looking away from the path they were following, "do not mistake me for that pretentious Uchiha Sasuke. Hyūga are the strongest, but it is the Clan itself, not the individual members. Any one Hyūga can be overcome, but as a Clan we are the strongest in the Leaf. There is, after all, a difference between justified arrogance and pompous stupidity."
"I don't see a difference," Naruto said darkly. "You're both stuck up bastards."
"Second," Neji continued as if he hadn't heard Naruto,"there is no excuse for what she has done to my clan. She is forever an enemy of the Hyūga."
"Like I said, you're exactly like that bastard Sasuke." Naruto said, as he spotted another body which brought him back to the situation. "So does anyone have a plan?"
"I have an idea," Tenten said almost cautiously. "His sand is the biggest problem for us, right? I noticed that when Neji-kun used his explosive notes in his match, it was momentarily rendered useless. If we have at least one person providing explosive attacks, then the two best at combat could strike."
"It is a sound plan," Neji said with a curt nod. "However, we are entering an area of the village I am unfamiliar with, and our target is still ahead of us."
Naruto blinked, then grimaced. Now that Neji mentioned it, Naruto realized where they were. Still, he had a job to do, and, no matter what, he had to stop Gaara. Better here, in the slums of Konoha where almost no one lived than in the more populated areas. "I know where to go," Naruto said sourly.
"Where?"
"There," Naruto nodded at a taller and slightly less-decrepit building. "We can cut him off there, trust me..."
"He does appear to be heading toward that building," Neji allowed, his tone guarded. "However, I don't see how to arrive before him on our current path."
"I know a shortcut."
"How can you be so sure?" Neji asked as the group shifted directions, with Naruto taking the lead and Neji watching Gaara.
"'Cause," Naruto said lamely. "It's my apartment."
Hinata couldn't believe what her world had become. In a matter of a minutes, she had gone from watching the match between that awful Sasuke and Naruto-kun to trying to evacuate the villagers during an apparent revolt. It was mind boggling. Still, the heiress was thankful that at least the enemy were ignoring them, and she hoped that Naruto was safe.
Using her Byakugan to confirm that her teammates had the last of the villagers from this section of the arena, she froze. The immediate section was clear, and she had stretched her sight, looking further, and what she saw made her pause. It was impossible to say what shocked her more, the fact that three academy ninja were purposely attacking a group of rogue ANBU, or the fact that the Hokage was struggling toward them.
Focusing even more on the scene that had frozen her, she felt her mouth gape slightly. What medical training she had, one of her stronger points, told her that the Hokage was seriously hurt.
"Asuma-sensei," Hinata said in her whisper-like voice. Still, the bearded man heard her; he had learned long ago to keep her close by, since she was not a combat type.
"What is it, Hinata?"
The girl winced as one of the Academy students took a hit. "There are three Academy students in the next section attempting to engage rogue ANBU and, anou, the Hokage is rushing to intervene. However, uhm, he looks very bad, Asuma-sensei."
"Shikamaru! Chōji!" Asuma shouted almost immediately. "Follow us."
A minute later, Hinata was racing alongside Asuma, feeling a knot of worry forming in her stomach. The Hokage had engaged the ANBU already, but the more she saw, the more certain she became that he was very unwell. A second later they arrived, with Shikamaru using his family technique to bind the ANBU, Chōji rushing forward to grab the two nearest children, while Hinata moved to tend to the unconscious boy, and Asuma moving to take care of the two ANBU.
They were a very efficient team, after all.
The minute it took for Team Asuma to arrive and take matters into their hands, the Hokage had finished his first ANBU. Then, he stumbled and clutched a seat for support. Hinata was there in a heartbeat, followed by Asuma, who was chewing his cigarette nervously.
"Anou, are you okay?" Hinata managed, reaching out to help the old man to a seat.
He brushed her off, a weak smile on his face. "I'm fine, just fine... Not as young as I used to be is all." He paused, taking a sharp breath and rubbing at his chest weakly. "Are there any other villagers?"
"No," Asuma said, reaching out to put his hand on the old man's shoulders. "Maybe you should sit down, Hokage-sama, get some rest?"
"No," the old man said thickly, trying and failing to continue supporting himself with the seat. Hinata reacted a split second behind Asuma, both shinobi grabbing the old man to attempt to arrest his fall.
Hinata's mind was flashing through the basic medical information that she had, taking note of the rubbing of his chest and the shortness of breath. Paleness and sweat. "A-anou, Hokage-sama...uhmm... Is your left arm, anou, is it hurting?"
"N-no... Well, it's nothing really..." Sandaime said his eyes flickering to her before back to Asuma.
"Shit," Asuma said, hurriedly taking the man into his arms and standing. The Jōnin spared a moment's attention on the two males of his team holding the other two hurt and irate Academy students. "Shikamaru, Chōji, bring those two. Hinata, bring that other one and follow me. We have to get to the hospital."
"Yes," Hinata said, shoving her nervousness down, aware that the Hokage's life now hung by only a thread. Gathering the unconscious boy into her arms, she followed after Asuma, fighting the urge to tremble and fall apart. Still, she was a Konoha ninja, and, right now, her Hokage needed her to be strong.
All she could really do, besides tending to the boy in her arms and rushing after Asuma, was offer her prayers.
The sand moved silently, the whispered voice craving blood, as it raced unnoticed parallel to the fleeing ninja, before whipping around and arching up to form a wall. The ninja hit the wall hard and before he had a chance to recover, the wall of sand collapsed encasing him within a cocoon of sand. The man's shout of surprise became a scream of pain and terror as the sand tightened around his body like a massive fist.
Standing on the opposite rooftop, arms crossed, Gaara watched with a maniacal grin on his face and a sadistical joy in his heart. The crunching of bone as it snapped from the pressure, the gouts of blood and bellowing screams as the ninja hemorrhaged. It was such a magnificant and beautiful thing, and lifting his hand methodically, he felt his mother cry out for the release of even more wonderful blood. He squeezed his hand, slowly crushing the final dredges of life out of the man.
Grinning, he snapped his fist shut, finishing his gruesome display in a spray of blood and sand.
A shiver delight raced up his back, while his mother feasted in delight and without warning his head throbbed and his body screamed to release his full power. He struggled against it -he didn't want to now- but the earlier blast had awoken the spirit that dwelt inside him. Collapsing to one knee, he clutched his head and squeezed his eyes, grimacing as he fought for dominance. It was a loosing battle; he could feel his armor of sand cracking, crumbling, and the voice of his mother urging him gently into just letting go.
He was losing control, he was losing...losing... Opening his eyes, Gaara looked up as three Konoha ninja arrived. A sick and dark amusement welled up from the spirit that was claiming his mind. Even more of his armor chipped and then peeled away, and Gaara couldn't help the deep, ominous chuckle that escaped him.
"What the hell is wrong with him?"
"I am unsure if this was a wise course of-"
"You that are strong, you that have ambition, you that has companions...Once I have destroyed all of that, only then can I feel it, can I be alive!" Gaara managed through a slavering desire for death and destruction. With a silent roar, his mind shattered, and the sand consumed his arm, wrapping and twisting around it, shaping half of him into a blue veined monster. "Come! Let me feel it!"
"Scatter!" the white eyed boy said. A split second later, as Gaara lunged, his deformed hand whistled through the air to destroy a part of the roof and capture the brown-haired female.
Gaara paused, drooling with anticipation as he gazed around in a mad delirium. "Are you afraid of me?! Afraid of my existence?!"
"Like hell!" one of his toys shouted before the female in Gaara's grasp exploded.
"GYAAHHH!!" Gaara screamed, his monstrous arm torn apart from the blast until a dark humor welled up from inside him, and he began laughing while his arm began to reform. "I see, so that was it!"
"What the hell!?" another brown-haired female said, freezing in surprise.
Gaara homed in on it immediately, and his arm shot forward, extending as it went, absorbing the weapons it encountered. A moment later, he felt the heavy thunk of meat as his sand impacted against her. Roaring, he squeezed, earning a scream of pain.
"I WANT MORE!" Gaara screamed at the sky and the gods themselves. He was rewarded as a several rapid chakra- enhanced palm heels struck him, followed by kicks, a leg sweep, and an explosive note attached to his arm to free the girl. Reeling, Gaara stumbled from the blows and explosion before falling through a weakened section of the roof.
Even as he fell, Gaara began to tremble in anticipation of seeing even more blood.
Naruto couldn't help but wince as he watched Neji tear into the deformed Gaara. Those blows had to have hurt, monster or not. The look on Neji's face alone had been enough to convince Naruto never to hurt Panda Girl. Still, he was a ninja, and, for the moment, these were his teammates, so at the last minute, realizing that Gaara would pull Tenten down with him through the roof, Naruto had darted forward and used one of his few exploding notes to blast the sand arm and free her.
No sooner had he caught her and landed than Neji was there and already taking over. Moving away, eying the hole where Gaara had fallen, Naruto waited.
"Uzumaki-san," Neji said after a moment studying the prone girl's body, "Tenten needs medical attention immediately."
"I don't think we can-" Naruto began, turning to look at the boy and then paused. Admittedly, emotions were not easy to read for him, especially in this Neji guy, but Naruto could see something. Naruto knew it was different from what the boy normally displayed. He wasn't even sure what it was, but he knew. "Is she okay?"
"She's bleeding internally; I think her ribs have been broken," Neji rattled off seriously, even as he climbed to his feet, cradling the limp body in a rather heartbreaking fashion. "There's an ANBU heading toward us; however, they are several minutes away."
"Okay," Naruto said. Team mates kept each other alive, after all. "We'll head for them, then come ba-" Whatever else he was going to say was cut off as he was knocked off his feet, as the section of roof behind him exploded, allowing the twisted form of Gaara to reappear.
Naruto recovered first, in time to see Gaara lunging for a stunned Neji and an unconscious Tenten. It took only half a heartbeat to react; a Shunshin -which was surprisingly painful- later, he was between Gaara and his two team mates, slamming a jump round kick into Gaara's face, which sent him hurtling across the rooftop. Landing in a heap, breathing heavily, he glanced at Neji and Tenten. The boy seemed to have recovered and was scooping Tenten up.
"Uzumaki-san, we should retreat."
Naruto shook his head, watching as Gaara regained his own footing. "You go, take her and get some help... I'll keep Sandy here busy."
"I am not sure this is a wise plan," Neji countered, even as Naruto created Kage Bunshin and had them charge Gaara.
Turning, Naruto fixed him with a stare, the sort of stare that would do Anko proud. "Oi, I got this! You go, get her help, and then get me some!"
"Uzu-"
"Go!"
Neji nodded once and then took off. Naruto had a moment to consider what he had just done and then, using a blade of wind, managed to deflect a blast of sand. His body, however, seemed to be more exhausted than he first thought and, without warning, Naruto wavered before collapsing to one knee.
Struggling his way up once more, he locked eyes with the monster across from him, noting almost absently how cold and lonely they seemed.
"What's the matter? Aren't you going to run away too?" the deformed ninja across from him taunted, saliva trailing from his mouth.
"I don't run away."
"You're protecting them," Gaara said, his features contorting slightly. "Why? What do they mean to you? Why are you protecting them?"
"Because," Naruto said, creating even more Kage Bunshin and realizing once more just how low on chakra he was. "I'm the only one that can... So stop now, or I'll kick your ass!"
"Let me prove my existence!"
Naruto charged without a second thought, his clones following his lead. He doubted he could produce another Shunshin, so he settled instead for the tried-and-true method of channeling chakra into his legs. The distance between him and Gaara shrank, and Naruto pulled his arm back, kunai in hand ready to strike, mirrored by his clones. Then, his world exploded as that tail of sand whipped around and slammed into him.
His chest felt like it was caving in, his head hammered with a throb of pain. Then, he slammed painfully into the roof and rolled away, clutching at his chest. Coming to a stop, he winced as he smacked into the edge of the roof, wishing he had thought that through better. Forcing his pain aside -he had felt worse under Anko (not by much, but still)- Naruto pushed his way back to his hands and knees. "Shit... Fine, no Taijutsu."
"Is that all you have?!"
Glaring at the hulking creature, Naruto decided it was time for the big guns. Gathering as much chakra as he dared, the blond lunged to his feet while forming the tora seal. "Fuuton: Daitoppa!" A second later, Naruto watched in satisfaction as the gale-force winds slammed into Gaara, throwing him bodily backward. However, that attack had no other real effect, except to cave in the wall of the building behind him.
Cutting it short, Naruto stumbled, head swimming. He had used a lot more chakra than he had intended, and, worst of all, Gaara was already on his feet and laughing, completely unfazed. The blond prepared for an attack, but watched in muted fascination as the boy crouched, the sand spreading even more until his entire upper body was now deformed and covered in those thick blue veins.
"I fight only for myself!" Gaara shouted, and Naruto started to charge until the boy crossed his arms and swung them forward, sending blasts of sand at him. "SUNA SHURIKEN!!"
Naruto cursed and tried to perform a Shunshin, only to feel his body jerk in pain from the attempt. It was too late, however, and he was caught in the hail of sand shuriken; it was all he could do to cover his head and chest with his arms. Not that it did much good, since he was knocked off his feet and sent slamming into the edge of the roof once more.
Coughing, the blond rolled over onto his side, then tried to push himself upright. He collapsed and then tried again, wincing as his body reported just how much he was hurt. "W-what the hell is he?" Naruto murmured to himself in a daze, staring up at the ninja that was now more monster than human. Whatever had been Gaara was gone; all that remained was a creature made up of massive arms that ended in oddly-shaped hands; a curving, spiked tail; and those sad, insane, gold eyes.
"What's wrong afraid of me? To fight for yourself... Or to fight for others... Just love yourself!"
Naruto, shaking his daze off, struggled to his feet. He didn't waste the time on thinking of what to say; instead he thought desperately toward how to win this fight. He was low on chakra, alone, outmatched, wounded... But he refused to stop.
"Fight only for your own sake! That is the way of the strongest!" Gaara taunted, flexing those odd clawed hands of his. "Come on, fight me! Show me the power that you think would make you Hokage, and I'll crush it!"
With a wordless roar at the insult, Naruto charged, forgetting about why he was even fighting.
Despite what Kakashi had said to Anko earlier, he really had hoped that Sasuke would reach Itachi. He knew that Naruto was strong for a Genin, probably the strongest one at the moment, but Gaara was a very large threat to the village. He had seen the reports, had heard the cobbled-together case history.
Gaara was basically uncontrollable, especially when he gave into what was sleeping inside him. Plus, there was the little matter that Naruto was his sensei's last living relative, and he would hate to have the boy's death on his hands. So, when Kakashi received word that Sasuke had turned up on the other side of the village, without having ever made contact with Itachi, the Commander was understandably pissed.
To make matters worse, despite having for the most part settled the fighting outside arena, he couldn't spare any ANBU.
So, when he received a garbled report from an ANBU who had just returned from a long range patrol, he had felt a moment of joy. He had issued his orders and left it at that after all, any ANBU was better than none. Or so he had thought, because now he was receiving yet another report from the previously-assigned ANBU and was feeling a great deal of annoyance.
Why?
Because the ANBU he had assigned to relieve Naruto was busy playing nurse to Neji, while rushing Tenten to the hospital. To further increase the Commander's irritation, apparently a new outbreak of Unity was occurring near said hospital, where the Hokage was currently being attended to after suffering a heart , he had managed to send Ibiki to gather Itachi and his team, so that they could handle the Unity near the hospital.
Which meant he was now actively hunting for the only person he knew that could take two spare green recruits and provide decent backup for Naruto. Mitarashi Anko, who was currently slaughtering anything that even came within striking distance and she did not see as a friend.
Ducking the slash of his own enemy and then shoving a kunai through their throat, he studied her between opponents, thankful that Naruto would never know how accurate he was in calling her a psycho. Stepping and spinning to slip past another attackers guard, Kakashi shoved a poisoned kunai into their ribs and continued on toward Anko.
His Sharingan could make out the faint traces of blood flecking her skin and hair, and he shivered; she was brutal.
Then again, she had earned the nickname Reaper for a reason.
Kakashi parried a block, knocking the arm up while slamming a front kick into the rogue ANBU's chest. By the time the man landed and rolled to a stop near Anko, Kakashi had covered the distance, kunai slashing through the air. The rogue tried to regain his feet and block at the same time, but missed, allowing Kakashi to drive the blade into his collar, then, spinning, jam it between the armor plates of another.
"Nice," Anko commented, a sadistic grin in place as she slaughtered another rogue ANBU.
"Thanks," Kakashi said wearily, glancing around at the arena. He winced, knowing each name and face of the dead that were littering the area. "I need you-"
"Not now," Anko said, eyes darting to another rogue ANBU. "But after we're done here you can have me..."
"Not like that," Kakashi said. "Anko, Sasuke never made it to Itachi. He got sidetracked and Naruto's alone, fighting Gaara."
He was surprised by the sudden shift in her attention, along with the sheer malevolence radiating off of her. "What?"
"Neji and Tenten were injured, and Naruto covered their retreat," Kakashi explained, motioning for the two ANBU he had selected earlier. "I don't have anyone to spare; most of us have to stay here, and the Military Police are straining to keep the villagers under control and Unity pockets from spreading. I sent Itachi and Ibiki to the hospital because Unity was in the area, and the Hokage's there in critical conditio-"
"You talk too much, Kakashi," Anko snapped. "I'm going to help Naruto." Then, as if he had no say in the matter, she took off, killing anything that got in her way. Her backup was several steps behind her, muttering that this was a very bad idea.
"Great," Kakashi muttered, moving back into the fighting. "I must be getting old; I just sent the Reaper to help a boy that managed to hold off one of the Sannin. Gaara's going to be slaughtered."
Killing a random Rogue, he sighed. "I'm going to be blamed for the death of a Kage's son." Ducking, he killed yet another Unity member. "...Kami, if Anko wasn't great in bed and a new Icha Icha was due out in another month, I'd have nothing to live for."
Why!?
Gaara inhaled deeply, his monstrous chest expanding before he belched forth an overwhelming gust of wind to turn back the pathetic attack. The Kage Bunshin who had all been attempting to use the Kaze No Yaiba, were decimated by the combined power, and the real Naruto suffered the brunt of the remaining force. It should have been over, the blond should have been begging or trying to flee. Instead, he was struggling to stand again, blood dripping from his mouth.
Why...
Gaara hurled another blast of Sand Shuriken, knocking the boy down once more. Naruto started to rise, shaking his head as he reached his knees before collapsing. Still, he tried to stand yet again.
wouldn't...
Gaara lashed out with one of his massive hands, slamming the boy into the roof and then pressing down. He was rewarded with a scream, but when released, the blond tried to rise once more.
he...
Gaara roared and launched himself through the air, but his prey dodged to the left and tried hit him in the face with a blade of wind. Reeling from surprise, Gaara lashed out, satisfied to hear a crack as some bone was broken. Turning, he glared at the figure, who was struggling upright.
stay...
Gaara hesitated, watching, his mind unable to comprehend what he was seeing. He stumbled, head throbbing, as he remembered his uncle, remembered what it used to feel like when he believed he was loved. When he had something precious. Gaara lashed out in a blind fury, decimating the buildings around him and the boy before him.
down?
Gaara felt his breath coming in shorter stabs, his mind and heart tearing themselves apart as he tried desperately to understand why this Naruto would keep getting up. Why didn't he stay down? Why didn't he beg? Why didn't he run away? WHY DIDN'T HE FIGHT FOR HIMSELF!? How could he be this strong... Why was he this strong?!
"I'll never..." Naruto hissed through clenched teeth, his hands balled into fists.
Gaara lashed out, not knowing the answer, but knowing how to silence the disquiet growing within him. If he killed this boy, he could prove his existence. Could prove that he was right! That you had to fight for yourself! He launched Sand Shuriken after Sand Shuriken, blast of wind after blasts of wind, slammed the boy into the roof with his hands.
Sprays of blood, screams, pain... None of it soothed his shattering mind. It only got worse as Naruto tried, failed, then tried to stand again.
"You..."
"I won't give up...even if I die, I won't lose..." Naruto slurred, blood dribbling from his mouth. "You're not going to beat me..."
"Why?!" Gaara raged, knocking the boy down yet again. "Why? Why do you get up!? Why do you keep fighting! Are you fighting for those that abandoned you? Love? Whatever the reason, to fight for others... You can't beat me unless you love yourself! I FIGHT FOR MYSELF! That is my strength!"
He watched as the blond rolled over, coughed up blood, and, with shaky legs, stood. He watched as the boy stumbled and tried to maintain his balance.
"Why are you going so far? You should run away! Why do you keep getting up!?"
"Why are you going so far? You should run away! Why do you keep getting up!?"
Those words echoed as if from a deep well, and Naruto shook his head. He couldn't concentrate, all he knew was that he had to get up, that he had to fight. Only as he struggled to his feet once more did he realized he had nothing left. Clenching his eyes, he concentrated, grasping for even a shred of his chakra.
He felt his body make contact with the roof yet again, but slowly he started trying to stand, digging deeper than he had ever dug before. Yet, he couldn't concentrate enough; the pain was almost too much, and he was distracted by a distant voice screaming one word as he was battered: 'Why?'
"Because," Naruto said in annoyance, crossing his arms, "if you don't, then who will?"
Naruto dug deeper.
'Why?!'
"You know, I wonder if Anko will scream. No, I think she'll cry... Because I'll tell her you could have stopped me and didn't."
"You won't touch her!"
Naruto coughed in a spray of blood, but dug even deeper, desperate.
'Why!?'
"I'm tired of people telling me what I can't do! That I can't be a ninja! That I can't reach my dreams! I'm going to get to that damn application, I'm gonna sign it and I'm going to present it! And then I'm going keep kicking asses until that old man HAS to make me Hokage!"
Naruto dug deep and grabbed something magnificent, something powerful.
'WHY!?'
Because he would be Hokage some day, he couldn't stop, would never stop fighting. He had to keep getting back up because he had to protect his village. For my precious people, Naruto's mind screamed in answer, because I'm going to be Hokage. To a Hokage, every single person in the village was precious to him and he had to protect them.
He was not going to let Anko, the old man, Iruka, Ino, Shino, or anybody else down. He would protect them!
Naruto held what he had found tightly, and he could feel his power. A chakra equal to when he had fought the kumo-iki, equal to when he had fought Orochimaru, it was coursing through him. His body no longer hurt; the pain was fading, and the exhaustion.
Slowly, still unsure of himself, Naruto stumbled to his feet one more time and met those odd, lonely, golden eyes.
"WHY DO YOU GET UP!?" Gaara roared in a berserker rage.
"Because I'm going to be Hokage!" Naruto roared right back, charging as he formed his favorite seal. A second later, ten Naruto's filled the roof, attacking in unison. Gaara stumbled from the first onslaught, caught by surprise with the boy's new enthusiasm.
Naruto didn't let up: he kept hurling clones at the boy, then hastily wrapped a kunai with an explosive note as he charged along with several clones, roaring a distraction. "UZUMAKI NARUTO: KAGE BUNSHIN BODY SLAM!" Gaara rounded, lashing out with both arms, catching and crushing numerous clones, allowing Naruto to use others as a spring board to clear the boy and come down in a crouch behind his enemy.
Landing, the blond winced and then created another Kage Bunshin to throw him clear, as he left behind every explosive note he had left. There weren't many, but the amount should get some sort of response. Naruto hit the ground round, twisting his body around and rolling from the impact, as the first note went off, setting off a chain reaction that engulfed the hulking monster in an explosive cloud while destroying the few remaining clouds he had left.
As the smoke cleared, Naruto got to his feet, shaking his head to try and clear it. Turning his gaze toward his opponent, he felt his stomach drop. There was another massive hole in the roof and the monstrous form of his enemy was disfigured, but it was already reforming and seemed to be expanding. He needed more, that form was too powerful, but he wasn't sure any of his techniques would actually do any serious damage to that damn thing.
So the solution would be, Naruto realized with surprise, peeling Gaara out of it and if a single technique wouldn't do the job then; lifting his fingers, Naruto created a dozen Kage Bunshin. Without a word they charged the stunned enemy and took up the 'tora' seal. With a final surge of chakra, Naruto ran for all he was worth and then using the back of a Kage Bunshin jumped, forming his own 'tora' seal and a second later thirteen Futon: Daitoppa were unleashed on a single target simultaneously.
The blasts created a backlash that not only destroyed the Kage Bunshin along with their target apparently, but sent Naruto somersaulting out of control, as it tore gouges out of nearby buildings and collapse a good portion of the roof. Naruto hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud, with enough force that he was stunned into immobility; but that didn't last long as the roof began to sack and a frantic Naruto desperately got to his feet. A loud and devastating crack shook the building, and a large portion of the roof in the far corner crumbled, followed by the space that Naruto had been standing on falling half a foot.
The blond was confused and terrified, but rallied enough to scramble back up, but the building was shifting again. With an ominous rumble, it tilted to the right viciously, nearly throwing Naruto off the roof. Kami, what had he ever done to deserve this?Then, with a thunderous crash, the building crumbled, and Naruto went tumbling end over end; only, the building hadn't crumbled... It had been blown apart.
His eyes saw a massive blue-veined arm, or at least a portion of it. It was so massive, and he was so close, that he had no scale for reference.
But he knew that this was Gaara unleashed and that he had no hope of stopping this thing. Naruto, however, had no use for despair and, creating even more Kage Bunshin, used them as stepping stones as he tried to climb skyward towards the head.
Maybe he could hurt it if he struck the eye. He had to try something!
Apparently Gaara noticed him, because suddenly Naruto was forced to perform a painful Shunshin to avoid a massive arm as it smashed through the space where he and his clone had been. Creating another Kage Bunshin, Naruto hurled himself toward the monster's face. His momentum allowed him to escape the arm, but he fell short of the head.
One last Kage Bunshin solved that, and now he was standing on the snout of the massive sand creature, panting and sweating. Eyes darting left and then right, he tried to find something to strike, or some way to hurt this monster. There was nothing else for it; he'd just have to run up there and cause as much havoc as he could.
"ORRAAAAAAA!" A blur of speed, Naruto darted forward, fighting for his balance, left arm swinging back to search his weapons pouch. An explosive note in the middle of the forehead might do it... And then he was jerked to a halt. Looking, down he swore, finding his ankles trapped in the surface of the monster.
Looking up once more, sensing more than knowing, he witnessed Gaara's upper torso sliding to the surface to face him. The red head hung forward limply, eyes rolled back into his head, and only the most ominous gaze on his face. "Thank you for keeping me entertained..."
Naruto struggled, knowing that he didn't have long before he was killed and this bastard was set free on the village.
"I'm not going to kill you. First, I'll let you watch. I'll destroy your existence here and then I'll kill you." Gaara intoned, his voice a mockery of humanity. "My existence will continue!"
Naruto knew the futility of it -the kami had never answered his prayers before- but this was not just for him. This was for his village, his precious people. Clasping hands together he concentrated every erg of himself into this, prayed for the chakra he needed to be there and then looked inside himself.
He found it. It was dark and tainted, but it was there, beneath his own chakra, flickering and waiting for him, and Naruto took it. He felt his skin burn, he felt the sand release him from the sudden burst of chakra. Without hesitation, he started forming seals, seals that he had never formed, had never thought he could use.
He only had one shot at this.
With a sudden movement, he was off, a Shunshin so fast that even a Sharingan would be unable to follow, a burst of power strong enough to shatter the remaining windows in the ruins.
One shot, that was all he had.
Naruto knew it instinctively, the way others knew how to breathe: this was his only chance to use the seal that perverted sage had taught him.
"Yaaah!" Naruto shouted, thrusting the activated Gogyou Fuin towards the surprised boy's stomach. The sand, which had been surprised into inactivity, burst forth, grasping his ankles desperately with bands and another band around his waist. For one horrible moment, Naruto thought he had failed, that he had been to late. Then, there was a small flash of light as his outstretched, blue and red glowing-fingers connected with Gaara's stomach.
Those insane eyes stared at him in disbelief, then looked around as if unable to believe what was happening.
It took Naruto a moment to realize the truth, but the monstrous form that Gaara had created out of the sand was crumbling. Cracks were spreading like wild fire and then, suddenly, it was gone. All that existed was air, loose sand, and two boys falling to the ground.
Naruto hit the ground like a ton of bricks. It felt as if every bone in his body had been broken. He could hear people moving in, but he knew he couldn't stop yet. He had to make sure Gaara was down, that he couldn't hurt anyone else. Pushing himself to his hands and knees despite the blinding pain in his ribs, arms, and legs, he paused, desperately breathing through his pain.
"Not yet...gotta get up..." With one massive heave, Naruto forced himself upright, stumbling from the momentum, but managed to keep his balance. Wrapping one arm protectively around his torso, his vision red and swimming, he stared at the prone form of Gaara.
He couldn't tell if the boy was dead or just unconscious, but he had to do something. It took all of his willpower, but the blond managed to put one foot in front of the other. It was so hard, but he struggled his way toward the boy before he toppled forward.
Thankfully, he didn't hit the ground. Instead, he was caught and eased onto his back.
"You can stop now. You won," Anko said firmly, but with a definite hint of pride.
"I won?" Naruto asked, staring at Anko.
"Yeah." Anko flashed him a grin. "You kicked his ass."
"I always do, psycho." Naruto managed and then happily let his exhaustion take him.
Legends don't die, they just fade away.
It was a widely held belief among the villagers in every country, from Kaminari no Kuni to Kaze no Kuni. Taken as a gospel truth by all, save for the Shinobi. Shinobi knew the truth, that legends did die, painfully and usually alone, but always as a Legend. No where was this knowledge more prevalent than among Konoha Shinobi.
They had produced a great many Legends, including what they and many other countries -however grudgingly- considered the greatest Legend, The Yondaime Hokage. A Hero, a Legend; strength and power unmatched. Supreme in the last great Shinobi war and the final victim of the Kyūbi no Yōakai.
They had been witness to the Legend's triumph and his crushing death.
So, Konoha Shinobi knew, better than anyone, that Legends did die, died painfully and alone. That was why, in all of the Shinobi Villages, Konoha was considered unique. They knew the true fate of Legends, and they would still watch.
Would still cheer...
As Konoha brought order to the chaos in the Chūnin arena and the surrounding area, as heroes stood tall and proud there was a roar that pierced the air, and all eyes turned to the sight of yet ANOTHER demon destroying their village. Fear had gripped the hearts of many. Panic and terror. Old, forgotten memory-wounds, from the Kyūbi's attack were ripped open as they beheld the monstrosity.
Who did they have to stand against it? The ANBU were exhausted, fighting against a rebellious faction of their own organization. The Military Police were stretched thin. The forces on the walls were too far away to stop it, if they even could. The Hokage, rumor whispered, was critically ill.
It was then that everything was eclipsed.
Nobody knew who it was, not at that moment, but they saw what appeared to be a blond boy fighting against that thing, and everyone stopped breathing to watch. Was it a savior, or just a preview of their own inevitable deaths? Cries rang out as the boy was bashed and battered, and yet he kept coming back. He was not stopping, and when, with a flash of light, the boy finally struck, and the monster began to crumble...
...They knew, and they cheered!
For the younger Shinobi, who did not understand the truth about Legends, there was nothing sad. They celebrated in their innocence. Villagers cheered happily, calling out to the nameless savior. It was the Elder Shinobi, the Daimyo's, the villagers who had been samurai or had been around long enough, that offered the most respectful forms of praise.
Each offered a wan, sad, knowing smile. A new Legend was coming. They would watch, of course, but for them any joy they found in this would always be bittersweet.
Still, this was the moment it all started, the beginning ascension of the brightest star of the current generation. Uchiha, Hyūga, ANBU, Military Police, all others were forgotten. All that mattered was this moment, when a boy defined his beginning as a Legend.
The battle would be whispered through out the world, it would be embellished as time went on, and things would be forgotten, but a Legend would still be defined. Most importantly, however, Konoha would begin to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, they were witnessing the creation of their next Hokage.
The moment Uzumaki Naruto defined himself, he set himself on the bitterly painful path that all Legends followed.