Welcome to one of the final chapters of Naruto Estacado! Don't worry, I'm not abandoning or anything. I'm just gonna end this one soon, and start up the sequel after the timeskip. But at the moment, I wanna get this done before the New Year, so I can start the sequel in 2011. So, without further ado, I give you the penultimate chapter!

Last Time, on Naruto Estacado...

"Is it just me," Shikamaru asked, turning to Naruto, "Or does something seem very wrong?" Naruto shook his head in response, indicating that he thought Shikamaru was over-thinking this. Once Neji had found the perfect place, they jumped down, weapons at the ready, and attacked the two remaining members of the Sound Four. But when they attacked, their weapons passed straight through them, as if they weren't there.

"Shit, you leaf fuckers are gullible, huh? That wasn't even one of my strong genjutsu, but still you got trapped like a bunch of fucking rats!"

Chapter 21, Give Me Your Power!

The three Leaf-nin turned to see Sakon and Tayuya in the trees above them, the latter grinning like an idiot as she crossed her arms over her chest, her flute in one hand. She brought the metal tube to her lips and began to play, and Naruto could see, with his demonically-enhanced eyes, a trio of large creatures forming above them, ready to attack. Tayuya played another tune, and the three creatures dropped down, revealing themselves to be akin to golems or ogres, and their large fists crashed into the ground where the three had been only moments before. They had dodged just in time, and spread out to hide in the trees around them.

"Hiding? How pathetic! I thought you 'proud Leaf shinobi' would be eager to fight us!" Sakon remarked, and threw a kunai armed with an explosive tag at a tree which just so happened to be right next to Naruto's hiding place. Naruto's Demon Arms coiled around him instinctively to protect him from the blast, but still he was thrown across the clearing, into Shikamaru.

"Man, you suck at hiding! If you're gonna conceal yourself, maybe you should practice concealing your chakra! I could feel it from a mile away!" He laughed mockingly, and Naruto growled, helping Shikamaru up. Despite his anger, Naruto knew he was right. He was never any good at hiding, preferring to battle outright than skulk in the shadows. He was about to attack, when Shikamaru grabbed his shoulder and pointed up.

"Cool it! Look, Sasuke's getting away!" True enough, Sakon's twin, Ukon, had separated and was swiftly tree-jumping away from the battle, leaving his brother and teammate to take on the leaf ninja. "You go after him, we'll take care of everything here!" Naruto nodded and took off after Ukon, leaving Shikamaru and Neji to ready themselves for battle against the two remaining members of the Sound Four.

"Oh, you think we'll let you get away with something like that?" Sakon yelled, throwing another explosive kunai toward Naruto, but Neji jumped up and blocked it with his Kaiten, sending it back at Sakon. Tayuya played a few quick notes on her flute, and one of the Doki demons leaped into the kunai's path, shielding them from the blast.

"Damn. We need a new plan." Shikamaru muttered, falling into his meditation pose behind a tree. Suddenly, he felt very drowsy. But Tayuya wasn't playing her flute. He felt another kunai approaching behind him, and Neji was too busy with the Doki demons to deflect it. He braced himself for the impact, and let this insatiable drowsiness to take over him, letting him drift off into unconsciousness.

But the kunai didn't hit. He tried to open his eyes, but found he couldn't, as some force seemed to be holding them shut. He could move, however, and he stood up, and touched his eyes. They were closed, but he was unharmed, as if the kunai had never struck whatsoever. He could still feel the chakra in the explosive tag in front of the tree, stationary, and could feel the chakra of the other three ninja, also unmoving. Without opening his eyes, he jumped up to them and tried to attack the nearest one with a trench knife, which happened to be Tayuya.

"What the fuck?" She screamed, as a large gash opened up on her chest from a seemingly invisible blade. She searched the area frantically, and, finding no assailant, summoned her Doki to protect her regardless, leaving Sakon alone against Neji.

Shikamaru could have laughed. He could feel her Doki moving ever so slowly to her position, and it was so pathetically easy to attack her he could have killed her already. But some part of him wished to make this battle last. To make this girl suffer. He cut the girl again and again with his knives, gashes appearing across her skin but no blood dripped from the wound. Her Doki finally surrounded her, and he slashed each of their throats in turn, before they very slowly disappeared in clouds of smoke.

Tayuya was terrified. Not only was she soaked in her own blood and her body couldn't keep itself up, but her Doki had all been destroyed in less than a second by this mysterious assassin, who speed was a match for time itself. She could think of only one thing to do. She let out a deep breath, and let the curse seal run over her bloody skin, filling her with power. But when she felt the barrier that sealed off her second form, she pushed on through it, allowing its immense power to flow through her like a tidal wave. He eyes sharpened, and she could just about see a blur moving around her, cutting superficial slices into her now dark skin.

Shikamaru had no idea what was going on. If he was able to open his mouth, he would have yelled, 'What the fuck?' All of a sudden, he felt her chakra increase exponentially, and his cuts stopped dealing quite as much damage as before, leaving only grazes on her tanned skin. On top of that, she was moving faster herself, even fast enough to block most of his attacks with the edge of her flute. He stopped to think of a way to counter her new power, but as he slowed down she sped up considerably, throwing a fist toward him. If he could, his eyes would've widened, and he quickly made to dodge her fist, but he couldn't get himself moving again, and her fist collided with his stomach, sending him back into a tree.

"What the fuck happened to all that speed you had earlier, cockbite? You finally run out, huh?" She roared, leaping towards her before she rammed her fist repeatedly into his abdomen. His eyes and mouth finally opened, and the feeling of drowsiness vanished, leaving only pain in its wake. He tried to scream in pain, but it came out as a strangled cough as a rivulet of blood spilled from his lips.

"What... what did you do?" He asked between gasps of pain, trying half-heartedly to force her off of him. She scowled and plunged her fist once more into Shikamaru's stomach. The lazy shinobi let out a shout, before Tayuya dropped him, letting him fall from the tree and make contact with the ground below.

Meanwhile, with Neji...

"Is this all the noble Hyuuga clan has to offer?" Sakon asked mockingly, throwing yet another explosive kunai in Neji's direction. The Hyuuga quickly performed his Kaiten again, deflecting the kunai into the forest. But as the sphere of chakra dissipated, Neji fell to his knees and began to breathe heavily. His chakra was running low, and even his basic Jyuuken techniques were failing him.

'Damn...' Neji thought as he knelt, panting, on the forest floor. 'Naruto wouldn't have any trouble with this guy. So what's different? Why can't I beat him? Why can't I even do damage to him?'

"You earned my respect, Neji. The rest of your clan, however, has a long way to go." He remembered Naruto praising him during their match in the Chuunin Exam Finals. He didn't even bother to look up when he noticed Sakon approaching him, twirling a kunai on his finger.

'What did I do differently to earn his respect? I didn't win, I didn't even do much damage! So why am I worthy of his respect?'

"Heh, guess you're outta luck, Leaf-nin. You should've known better than to come after us." He Said, and brought the kunai down toward Neji's neck. But, much to his surprise, a hand came up to meetit and closed around his wrist. "What? Haven't you given up yet? I told you already, there's nothing you can do to save Sasuke!"

"I know now..." Neji muttered, catching Sakon's attention.

"Huh? Know what? What could you have just realised that could help you?" He said smirking, but his smirk vanished as the pressure on his wrist increased, and he swore he heard a crack. Neji looked up, a flash of yellow in his normally pale eyes, and a dark grin on his face.

"I know why I'm better than the rest of my clan... It was because he saw that I can change... and that I was actually able to hit him!" Neji pulled on Sakon's wrist, bringing the sliver-haired boy closer, while his other hand came up to dig into his chest; not in the form of a palm strike, but a full blown fist. The force behind it was incredible, and the sheer impact was enough to throw Sakon back into a tree.

"Damn you! How dare you touch me, filthy Leaf-nin!" Screamed Sakon as he pulled himself from the tree, and threw another explosive kunai at his opponent, who raised his arms as if to block. Sakon grinned, knowing that he would die if he tried to block an explosive kunai with his bare skin. And he was not disappointed, as moments later a large explosion enveloped the clearing and Neji himself, blanketing the scene in a roaring flame.

But his grin sank into an expression of rage and shock as the smoke and flames cleared, to reveal Neji, unharmed. Though strapped to his arms were a pair of large shields, their edges sharpened into blades so that they could be used also as a pair of makeshift arm-mounted axes. Carved into the shields' faces was an image of a skeletal warrior riding a golden chariot, pulled by a pair of horses, one black and one white.

"How dare I touch you?" Neji asked, his voice more eloquent and aristocratic than before. "You try to abduct one of our own, and you expect us not to retaliate? You are a fool, and will pay dearly for your transgression! For we Konoha shinobi are proud of our fellows, and will protect them with our lives, as will I!" He yelled, leaping toward his opponent swing one of the circular shields. Sakon dodged at the last second, and rolled away from the strike. Neji's arm continued on its path, however, and cleaved the tree Sakon was standing in front of in two horizontally, leaving the top half to fall to the ground with a deafening crash.

'Damn, good thing that didn't hit me, I'd be a goner." Sakon thought to himself, preparing for another attack. 'Shit, most of my attacks involve Ukon, but I can't perform them since he ran off with Sasuke, and that blonde guy went after him. What do I do? Unless...'

"Have you conceded defeat already? Good, that means I won't have to strain myself too much." Neji said, noticing that Sakon had stopped moving, and was standing on a branch with a grin on his face. "What is so amusing, Oto-nin?"

"What's funny is that you still think you're gonna win!" He said, as the curse seal began to travel across his face, empowering him. Neji seemed unimpressed, however, and simply raised both of his shields, holding them close together as small sparks of electricity began to pass between them.

"Kouman'na Geijutsu: Namida Tsuki (Prideful Arts: Tearing Moon)!" Neji exclaimed, as the sparks converged into a single orb of pulsating electricity between the two shields reminiscent of a full moon. Neji pulled his arms away, separating the two shields, and forced the sphere of energy towards his opponent, who was still adjusting to the power that his curse seal gave him, and so was unable to defend against the powerful lightning attack. Instantly his senses were overloaded with the feeling of every cell in his body trying to tear itself apart, gashes and burns sprouting on his skin as his skin ripped itself apart and was burnt by the searing electricity coursing through his system.

"Damn you... Damn you, damn you, DAMN YOU!" Sakon roared, activating his second stage in fury. Neji's eyes widened slightly, seeing his foe's wounds seal up and his skin turn a deep red, while a long horn sprouted from his brow. "I WILL KILL YOU, I WILL KILL YOU!"

Back with Shikamaru...

'Dammit... Was I supposed to lose here? Was this how it was meant to be?' Shikamaru thought, as he lay, near unconsciousness, on the forest floor. 'I don't want to lose... I want to fight! For once, I don't want to be the lazy layabout that everyone thinks I am! I want to win...' "I NEED TO WIN!" He roared out loud, as the ground shattered under the pressure of the chakra spike he was expressing. He tried to stand, but the force of his own chakra kept him on his knees. He flexed his fingers slightly as his nails lengthened, almost into claws, his eyes turned pitch black as if you were staring into darkness itself and his teeth became fangs that poked into his bottom lip.

"Don't you people ever die?" Tayuya yelled, throwing another punch at the transforming teen, who grabbed it with a now-bony hand. His clawed fingers closed around her fist, and his black eyes stared into her brown ones, somehow filling her with dread. She felt her hand go cold as his fingers began to crush hers, and her entire arm went numb before she could try to pull away.

"Die? Why would I die? I still have things I need to do... people to protect." Shikamaru spoke, his voice layered and ghostly. Images of his friends flashed before his eyes, especially Naruto and, surprisingly, Temari. He grinned at that, which only served to make his features seem more demonic. He plunged his fist into Tayuya's gut and threw her backwards onto the dirt. She coughed up a few drops of blood, before attempting to crawl away from the advancing Nara. She found it difficult, as she could not move her arm at all, and all feeling in both said arm and her stomach were gone.

"Get away from me, you fucking freak!" She screamed, holding a kunai in front of her with her good arm, in a feeble attempt to defend herself. Shikamaru chuckled slightly, but continued walking slowly towards her, like a predator.

"But you attacked me first, so I'm really just returning the favour. And now, you... DIE!" He yelled, thrusting down with one of his trench knives, intent on ending her life. But just as the knife had been about to cut her, a loud shout echoed through the forest, followed by an incredibly strong gust of wind.

"Fuuton: Dai Kamaitachi!" The voice yelled as the gale passed through the forest, slicing through trees regardless of the thick wood making up their trunk. The tornado-force winds threw Tayuya from her place on the ground into a tree moments before it too fell to the powerful technique and was lost under so much firewood. Shikamaru managed to keep himself from being blown away long enough to escape the attack's range, before the technique ended and its user came into view.

"Temari? What the hell are you doing here?" Shikamaru asked, his voice and appearance returning to normal as he took in the sight of the Suna-nin landing on a tree branch before him.

With Neji...

"STAY STILL, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"Sakon roared, throwing a red-skinned fist at Neji, who blocked with his right shield. An electric current ran through the metal of the shield and into Sakon's fist, shocking him. Using Sakon's momentary freeze as he nursed his hand as an opportunity, Neji swung his arm, slamming the shield into Sakon's face and throwing him back. But instead of landing in a tree or on the ground, as Neji expected, he landed inside a large wooden coffin with arms, legs and a head, which closed around him.

"Well, well, well. I must say, I didn't expect to be helping you, Neji. I'd expected to have to help the dog boy, since he looks like the least intelligent ninja in your village." Came the calm, amused voice of Kankuro, the puppet master of Suna. Neji scoffed and turned slightly, his shields vanishing in a flash of lightning as he crossed his arms.

"I didn't need your help, Kankuro. I had him on the ropes." He said, turning his back to his ally, who, with a swift movement of his hand, commanded Karasu to kill Sakon. A scream filled the clearing, before it was over, and silence reigned over the forest. Kankuro rolled his eyes and walked up to Neji, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon, don't get your panties in a twist. We gotta go meet up with Temari and Gaara, and find your friends." He told the proud Hyuuga. Neji shook off his hand and took to the trees, his ally following after.

"Do you know what became of Shino and Chouji?" He asked, not turning to Kankuro.

"I didn't see them, but we saw signs of a large battle on the way here. From the looks of things, your friends were winning." At that, Neji grinned and sped up.

"Then we should not be late. It would be rude to keep the victor waiting."

With Naruto...

"Get back here!" Naruto yelled, chasing after Ukon, who had been evading capture for the whole time. The silver-haired boy was becoming a bother, as he was much faster and more agile than his brother, who was the brawn of the two. They ran into a large field, devoid of trees, with one path that led off to the Valley of the End, a landmark in Konoha's history. The ancient battleground of Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha.

Ukon was beginning to get very tired. While he might have been faster and more agile than his brother, they were still linked. They shared their stamina, so when one got tired, they both did. He had felt his brother become exhausted quickly in his fight, and when his cursed seal had activated, and he had also felt the moment his twin had ceased to live. So at the moment, he was getting weaker by the minute, and he just couldn't keep this wild goose chase up much longer. He stopped, still carrying Sasuke's coffin which was starting to leak a thick purple smoke, and turned towards Naruto, scowling.

"So, you've finally given up, huh?" Naruto asked, standing before him, panting heavily. He knew he wasn't built for speed, but raw power. He drew Pestilence and span it on his finger, waiting for Ukon to act. The Sound-nin placed the coffin behind him and stood, defenceless, before Naruto.

"Yes. My brother is dead, my comrades are dead, and I'm dying without my brother. But I'm afraid it's too late. Sasuke's about to awaken, and then he will kill you. You seem like a good soul, so I want to tell you the truth."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused by Ukon's words. "What do you mean, the truth?"

"I never wanted to aid Orochimaru. In fact, I wanted to get as far away from that man as possible, but I couldn't leave my brother, who was only interested in power. So I went along with it, secretly despising my leader. I want Orochimaru dead as much as you, so I wish to help you. Here." Ukon threw out a hand, a small brown pill flying from his fingertips. "It's the same pill we gave Sasuke. I can tell that the powers within you will enable you to bypass the 'death', so you should be able to face Sasuke. So, please, kill me."

"No. Why should I kill you, if you've hated Orochimaru as much as I?" Naruto said, but before he could say more, the top of the coffin burst open, and Sasuke jumped out. Naruto shot a Demon Arm forward to attack, but missed and impaled Ukon through the heart by mistake. Ukon did not cyr in pain, but simply smiled and fell to the ground, as Naruto leaped after Sasuke.

With Shino...

Shino was having trouble.

Not too much trouble, like he was about to die trouble, but not too little trouble, like a mosquito bite.

Just the right amount of trouble for your average battle against a demonically enhanced ninja with six arms and an infinite supply of arrows. It was almost a routine. Shino would swarm him with tiny blue flies with big red eyes that would overwhelm him and begin to take his chakra and suck his blood, then Kidoumaru would use a wave of chakra and force them off. He would then fire an arrow at Shino, which he would block with Beelzebub's staff and the cycle would begin again. There was little variation in this cycle, about as much as the limitations on their abilities. Kidoumaru was arrogant enough to believe that his arrows were enough to kill anyone, while Shino had only just gained his new power, so he had not had time to train with it.

"How long do you think this will last?" Shino asked, breaking the awkward silence that surrounded their endless battle.

"Who knows? Could go on forever." Kidoumaru replied, firing yet another arrow, which was yet again deflected.

"I hope not. I have things to do."

"You're not the only one."

"Unersättlich Blitz!" A green beam shit through the clearing, throwing Kidoumaru to the side while turning the dirt below to glass. Shino turned to see Chouji, uninjured, his hand smoking. The Akimichi grinned and walked up to Shino. "I'd high-five you, but I'm afraid of the consequences." He said sheepishly, gesturing to the mouths on his palms.

"So, it seems I'm not the only who gained power from Naruto. Good, this was beginning to become boring." Shino said with a smirk, as Kidoumaru stepped out of the hole in the trees cause by the Flash, his skin burnt and bruised as smoke rose from his body.

"You're kidding me... that fatso beat Jiroubou?" Kidoumaru yelled, and Shino tensed up. "What?" He asked, confused.

"You... probably shouldn't have said that. Chouji..." Shino told him, turning to his friend. "Are you ready?"

"Hell yeah. Let's take this guy DOWN!" He shouted exuberantly, his palm beginning to glow lime green. Shino smirked again and raised his staff, the eyes of which glowed red as he pointed it toward Kidoumaru. Chouji did the same with his arm, and they both charged their abilities.

"Unersättlich Blitz." Chouji said, waiting for Shino to speak.

"'Eyenyev Shel Hemlek Letves (Eyes of the Fly King)." Shino announced his own attack, and they both fired at the same time, releasing a beam of red and green mixed together. The powers of Gluttony and Greed combined as they collided with Kidoumaru, destroying him instantly, leaving no trace of the Spider-nin or any of the surroundings, for that matter.

"Well, that was easier than I expected." Shino commented, as his eyes returned to normal and his necklace and staff disappeared into purple smoke. "So, why exactly are you unharmed? I don't believe that defeating your opponent was that simple."

"Because I ate him to heal myself."

"I suppose I should be disturbed by that, but for some reason I'm not."

"Yeah, weird, huh?"

With Naruto...

"Uchiha Sasuke, halt! You are under arrest by order of Tsunade Senju, Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato!" Naruto yelled over the roar of the waterfall between the two statues of the Shodaime and Madara. Sasuke stood atop Madara's head, his back turned, while he himself stood upon Hashirama.

"Or what, dobe? You gonna kill me?" Sasuke asked without turning around. Naruto scowled, knowing he'd probably get exiled or something for killing him. He replaced Pestilence on his belt and held his arms at his side, staring at the back of Sasuke's head so hard it could've caught fire. Sasuke turned around slowly, half of his face covered by the flame-like marks of the curse seal.

"You know not what you do, Uchiha." Naruto spoke, though they were not his words. The Darkness was speaking for him, sensing Sasuke about to strike. Naruto closed his eyes momentarily, and when he opened them again, they were the ominous yellow of the Darkness. His tentacles and Creepers sprouted from his back as clouds rolled across the sky, blocking out the sun.

"This is it, dobe. The day I finally show you who's stronger of us two." Sasuke said with a smirk, clenching his fist. Naruto stared at him, his face emotionless.

"And so it begins." He spoke, raising a hand.

No, I'm not finishing the battle in this chapter! That will be the focus of the final chapter of this story, chapter 22! As I said before there will be a sequel, make no mistake. There's no way I'm ending this on a cliffhanger. Besides, I have way too much to do to end this story now. So, hopefully sometime between now and New Years, Part 1 will be over. Expect more intense battles, shocking plot twists, more harem madness, and a surprise visit from an unexpected guest. Someone who's died three times, and still won't go down. And he wants to battle Naruto!

Next Time, on Naruto Estacado:

The epic showdown between Naruto and Sasuke is here, and everyone's ready! All members of the Sound Four have been defeated, overwhelmed by the strange powers granted unto the members of Naruto's team. But Sasuke has gained the second stage of the cursed seal, and it's stronger than the others'. Fortunately, Naruto has one more trick up his sleeve...

What will happen when the two powerhouses finally throw down? What can Naruto do to defeat his 'rival'? And just when will Neru and Haku actually get some development and screen time? Each... well, most of these questions will be answered in the final instalment of your favourite story! Until next time, goodnight!