Lassoed with a Rope-Dart (Chapter 21 REDO!)

I'm back. Anyway, here's chapter 21. Again.

Well, a pal told me about his recommendation, and I couldn't agree more. You know yourself.

A toast: To the readers! May you all be forgiving in the years to come!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

21.1.

The Sage ducked a massive swing from Kubikiribōchō and pulled out a kunai from his pouch at the same time. As the cleaver sword passed over, he lunged forward with the kunai between the fourth and fifth rib of his combatant, but instead of blood flowing from the certain-kill vital spot, water poured forth. He stood confused for a moment, but that was all it took before Suigetsu to thrust kick him away from himself, as he himself needed more range for the sword to be effective.

"What the hell? What are you?" Naruto asked to himself.

"He's a Hozuki from the mist," the red-haired kunoichi answered nonetheless from where she was perched in his tree. "A real pest, too."

"Damn you, woman!" Suigetsu yelled.

Naruto got back to his feet and scowled like a thunderstorm. They argued as if there wasn't actually any strife between them, but more as if it was done more for semi-serious jesting. Was this confrontation actually serious to them? He didn't have the time for this! It was a mockery! He was still grieving, and eager to go and all but wipe the killer(s) off of the face of the earth.

He knew he was angry. But he didn't care.

Orichimaru leaned against a tree with his arms folded, almost as if he were still Uchiha Sasuke. "Well, well, now, you're eager to use only taijutsu, aren't you?"

"I'm not doing anything special, you damn snake!" Naruto yelled his answer before he went back on the offensive. "You're cursed, you're wearing a cursed body, the Copy Wheel Eyes that are reputed to be cursed that you only seek to use to replicate my jutsus…it's like you're nothing more than a malignant cancer that should be completely eradicated to ensure the levity of others."

"Big talk for a genin who wants to kill Pein," Orichimaru remarked with a chuckle. "You couldn't even 'save' Sasuke."

"I didn't care for him," Naruto said aloud as he tried to get close to Suigetsu, despite the swordsman's swinging arcs to use for bifurcation. "The guy's a prick. Or was, I should say," he said the last under his breath.

And there they were. Karin in a tree, Orichimaru content just to watch Naruto fight Suigetsu while he observed him, and Matsuri was looking on at the corpse of Juugo in the hole.

She suddenly flinched backwards unto her rear end, and scooted backwards. "What the- what is that thing?!"

Naruto looked over his shoulder to acknowledge her yell of alarm. A loud roar was heard as what could only be classed as horrific and the creature to emit it leapt out of the hole. Naruto could tell that it was the same young man who was called Juugo, but his entire body had transformed; he was taller, had a dark-brown complexion to his whole body and his left hand still was like an axe, but the right was like a large oversized, fist. Not to mention, since he was facing Matsuri and his back was turned to him (Naruto), he could see large growths in his back that looked like massive growths. In fact, all of him looked disfigured, and it reminded Naruto of Sasuke's transformation states.

"What the hell is-"

"Don't take your eyes off of your opponent!" Suigetsu yelled in triumph as he had just placed just enough distance to swing the sword so that the last foot of it caught Naruto at chest level, with all of his strength behind it. But instead of slashing him in two, it succeeded in batting him away into the undergrowth, and at that moment, Naruto had never been more thankful for having a tenacious skin while in Sage mode.

"Naruto-kun!" Matsuri yelled in worry as she stared off to where he had been knocked. But all too soon, she had to revert her attention to the transformed man who had his on her.

"Rahahaha!" The man cackled as he shot forward and grasped her by the neck where it leveled off into the shoulder. A crater formed at the front on the wrist of his axe-hand and he pointed at Matsuri's head. The crater lit up as a yellow came into being and the man laughed like one insane as all the craters on his back angled forward ahead of him and lit up, all pointing at the Suna Kunoichi. "Gotcha! Payback's a bitch, and you're a dead one! Multiple Lotus Nonself Connected Canons!"

Caught at point blank. Matsuri froze in apprehension, but at the same time she managed to share one last glance with Naruto and he with her. There was something Euripedean about the moment, and Naruto knew that she wouldn't survive. And the look in her eyes told him that she knew it too.

The canons went off.

=X=X=

"So those are our options, huh? Try to bring him back ourselves, let him get reverse summoned, or let him go kill some kinda Rinnegan toting demigod. Well, if he's successful, that is," Tsunade moaned. "Jiraiya. Why the hell did you have to go and die on me, you…lecher," she groaned out the last, for she that in spite of all things, she loved the man like a brother. "Now who the hell's gonna keep Naruto in line?"

"Perhaps…Matsuri-san," Shizune mumbled, "could make an honest man out of him."

Tsunade smiled a genuine smile at hearing this. "Yeah, but he's 'honest' already, heh heh. And just imagine if she became even half his strength. She'd have him completely whipped."

"Really, now?"

"Really. But I wonder if I could use my Strength of a Hundred to do Tug-of-War with Gamabunta?"

"If the jutsu name is to be taken literally, do you think a hundred people could budge Gamabunta's forehand, much less wrestle with a massive chain?" Shizune asked wryly.

"Ugh. I'm giving them three hours to get back here. If not, then reverse summon Naruto, Matsuri or no Matsuri. She shouldn't have gone into the frying pan in the first place. She'd better be able to take care of herself."

Just then, a massive explosion was heard in the distance, and all there in the office knew that it was of fighting. "What the-?" Tsunade got up in a hurry and stared through her window and saw a smoke and dirt cloud rising what was around five miles off. She decided that perhaps Naruto was maybe venting his frustration out. If he could wrestle with a gigantic summon, then he might as well do his training from the village, although she was wondering if he were far enough. A part of her told her that it was conflict, but she ignored it. Surely it wasn't one with Pein, as Ame wasn't a mere stone throw away. Besides, who would be crazy enough to pick a fight with Naruto anyway?

But just in case…

"Shizune, you and Fukasaku-sama go after Naruto to see what's going on out there. If it's trouble, reverse summon him to Mt. Myoboku and bring Matsuri home the long way. If he's just venting his anger out on a couple of trees like I'm hoping he is, then let him vent. It'd be safer for everyone, and should have the least casualties."

"And if there's fighting, Tsunade-sama? Wouldn't we be at a disadvantage? I'm primarily a medic, after all." Kato remarked.

"Can she be reverse summoned for a tactical retreat, Fukasaku-sama?" The Hokage asked the toad, hoping for a positive answer, as she was really clutching at straws to send her own assistant and she hadn't any real top-tier ninja to send out as backup for her.

"No," he answered, much to her disappointment. "She'd have to sign…hmm…has she signed the Slug contract?"

"She has, although she has yet to summon them."

"Well, you can have Katsuyu reverse summon her instead. Now then, let's go."

=X=X=

Nothing has more strength than dire necessity.

Matsuri suddenly found herself prone on the ground and a massive explosion took place right where she previously was. As she saw the yellow blast blew it's way forward from Juugo, she saw Naruto go flying away from it haphazardly through multiple trees and finally, his velocity took him to the ground and he carved out a trench more than a hundred meters long on his back.

Matsuri was breathless. That…that should have been her! What happened? 'Did…he substitute with me at the last second? Why?!' She yelled in her mind. "NO! NARUTO-KUN!" She nearly screamed herself hoarse as she ran to him to be at his side.

Naruto was distant, both in literal distance and in the land of the living. His eyes creaked closed momentarily and he spat up a globule of blood. He fought to keep his eyes open, and he heard his significant other scream his name. It was all he could do whisper hers, and he did it with the words he had wanted to say for a long time.

"I…love you, Matsuri-chan," he mustered out and thought of her in his mind's eye, hoping that she heard him, but sadly knew that she did not.

Then all went black.

=X=X=

"Well, well, well, look at this. My jailer has come to see me in his dying hour."

"Shut it, fox. I know you hate me, so why try to start a conversation?" Naruto harrumphed. "But I can't die here! She's in trouble!"

"Ever the damsel in distress, isn't she?" The Kyuubi asked with a chuckle. Naruto glared at the biju so frostily that it actually shut him up.

"She's stronger than me. I'm…weak. I can't even allow myself to have emotions properly without having to keep your influence in check. She's the one that keeps me stable."

"And it's just a glance at her to make your emotions rage out of control," the Demon Fox pointed out with a toothy grin. All around, the area in the seal started to dim, but the Fox knew that he'd soon die with his container. He sensed outside the lad's physical body and sensed that the girl had come to his side, but she was being approached by Juugo. Soon, the two of them would be turned into bloodstains, and the Kyuubi itself would most likely trapped in limbo due to this damnable Reaper Death Seal that also had half of his chakra in the Shinigami's stomach.

"The greatest pleasure of life is love," Naruto quoted out loud, but he soon felt like he'd break down. "I don't care about being a sage. What's it f*ckin' matter if I can't love someone?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs at the fox, who dressed back a step. Tears flowed down the jinchuriki's cheeks and he did nothing to stop them. "Can't like, can't dislike, can't love, can't hate!"

"Well, my chakra is on ban to you as far as you care," Kyuubi intoned. "But you're still alive, although you're practically touching noses with the Shinigami. You can recover from your wounds if you enter Perfect Sage mode. It'll heal you, and you should have enough battle prowess to finish off these people."

"I'll have to disregard my love for her and my hate for Pein to be strong enough do what needs to be done? To become Perfect?"

"Yes. Forget her, as your standard Sage mode isn't enough."

"No." He answered straight-arrow.

"She'll die," Kyuubi reaffirmed, hoping to change his mind. It was all being done to keep Naruto alive long enough to free himself in the future, so one step backward today was more acceptable than failing completely. "Forget her, and save her!"

Naruto looked down at his feet in the murky sewer water and realized that the Kyuubi was right. In fact, he knew that he was being selfish, but to embrace perfection to save Matsuri…a small price to pay. He'd do anything to keep her safe.

He wondered if she knew.
He wondered how she felt about him.
For once, he prayed that she didn't love him.

It'd make things far easier for everyone.

=X=X=

"Oh Kami…" Matsuri cupped her mouth when she saw the gaping wounds all over the front Naruto's body. She knew him to be durable as a Sage, but an attack like the one he just got shouldn't have been to damage him that much. Unless the attack was more than just a normal chakra attack.

"Why did you take that attack for me?" She mumbled as he clutched his hand, hoping that he was still alive. "You pulled a substitution for me? What have I done to deserve it?" His pulse was weak, but the footsteps coming up behind her were strong and intent. She knew that it was Juugo approaching; she glanced back and saw a mirror image of the sharingan in his remaining eye, and Orichimaru, Suigetsu and Karin approached confidently. The orange-haired man appeared more reserved now; he must have been under genjutsu.

She made no movement as if to get up. She'd be damned if she ran from Naruto's side.

"Well, well, I thought Naruto had more bite than bark this time around," Orichimaru sneered as he reached the two. "But he's still as weak as ever."

She pulled her dart out, got up and readied herself into her usual stance before the lifeless young man on the ground, between him and the group of four. "Shut your disgusting mouth; I don't wanna hear you say your name in it!"

She had prepared to die. She stood in front of the man who may have just killed her significant other, the rogue of the Sannin with a powerful dojutsu, a man who couldn't be hurt and wielded a massive sword, and a wildcard kunoichi.

She was going to die.

"You're all just a bunch of murderers; good for nothing criminals," she growled. "He had no quarrel with you."

"And you do, I suppose?" The possessed Uchiha stated before he suddenly had Kusanagi at her throat, point forwards. To kill her, all that he needed to do was to press it forward and it'd go right through her neck. "It would have been so much easier for you to run away. Pray tell, why did you stay?"

She didn't have to answer him, but instead felt like doing to him what she had earlier done to Juugo. But instead, she surprised the man.

She had never admitted it out loud, much less to anyone. But some fraction of her made her say it, seeing that she was going to die anyway.

"Because I love him."

Orichimaru shook his head with an amused smile as he clicked his tongue. "What a foolish notion. And by all means, judging from his actions, one can tell that he thinks the same of you. It is disappointing really. I suppose nothing more can be done except to resurrect him using the Impure World Resurrection Technique and force him to tell me. Unfortunately, you'll only be around long enough to feed the maggots with your decaying corpse-"

That was all he had to say before many things happened all at once as Orichimaru blinked while he spoke.

Kusanagi was snapped in half and the blade thrust through Juugo's remaining eye straight through his skull. The corrupt user of senjutsu toppled like a ton of bricks.

Orichimaru was knocked backwards with a double-axe handle attack aided by senjutsu force, getting every bone above his neck shattered before being sent in a scorpion slide backwards for all of a hundred meters.

Suigetsu got a vermilion rasengan that had streaks of the Kyuubi's chakra running rampant in it, and as the man screamed, the corrosive properties of the corrupted chakra left the man bleeding profusely before his torso grinded apart into blood rather than water. He was soon sent rocketing away as he rotated behind the rasengan, but when it collided into a boulder, he stopped moving but the rasengan pressed forward, annihilating him.

Karin froze in fear at seeing the massive Kubikiribōchō held overhead to make a swing downwards; she immediately held her hands up to placate, seeing the stone-faced blond about to dispatch her. When she saw that he tossed the sword away as if in abandon, not caring if she wanted to persist or not, she took the opportunity to run away as far as possible, and never looked back.

Matsuri nearly cried as she saw the four blonds in front of her, each facing a direction to where her antagonists had been in. "Naruto-kun? You're alive!"

Three clones vanished, leaving the original that had knocked Orichimaru into next week. He turned to face her and her heart fell when she saw him stoic. He looked…devoid of all emotion. "Matsuri, go home. You're a liability."

He didn't even use the affectionate.

"I-" Was as far as she got before he cut her off.

"I don't want to hear it. Go home. NOW." He said the last with a warning, and she could tell that he was serious. He wasn't the same Naruto that she had fallen in love with. This was his other side. The one she had resolved over and over to fix him of, but this one…looked permanent.

She wouldn't let herself be intimidated though, not by him. "No. I'm not leaving."

He almost winced, but kept himself together as he glared unconditionally, although he relented. "Fine. But stay out of my way."

=X=X=

Shizune felt the ground shake and another explosion rocked the area. She remained silent, suffering quietly.

"We'll soon arrive," Fukasaku spoke up. "But this is not the sounds of training. It's definitely a fight."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Well, given from all the localized earthquakes, it's a given that he's going all out with taijutsu. This isn't like Strength of a Hundred, this is all natural strength, the very same he used against Gamabunta. But who could force him to go that far? Could it be Pein?"

"Maybe we should just reverse summon him, Fukasaku-sama?" Shizune asked worriedly.

"Why should I? Isn't this what we want to happen? Him going all out against a foe that deserves it?" The toad asked.

"No, it's what you want!" The medic chastised, making the summon hang his head. "It's not right for Naruto to be like this!" The finally broke the tree-line, and they gasped at the sight of seeing of Naruto holding up Orichimaru by the neck, the man bleeding profusely. His mouth started opening unnaturally wide and what looked like fingers coming through, but Naruto, without hesitation, made a rasengan and forced it inside. The Yondaime's technique was forced into the man's gaping mouth and the head exploded in gore.

"No more regeneration, Hebi!" Naruto shouted before slamming the man's headless body into the ground and apparently lost his temper. Shizune stared in horrible fascination as Naruto bellowed his next technique as he began beating the shit out of the corpse using only his fists.

"Urrraagh! Sage Art: Kilo-tonnage!"

His strength was starting to tell, and the ground shook violently and actually rippled with each blow the corpse took. The force of the Sage's strength took the corpse apart into pieces, then to shreds, then to a paste, then to a stain before Naruto formed another large rasengan that looked to be comprised entirely out of the Kyuubi's chakra and slammed it to where Orichimaru's body previously existed.

And with that, even the stain that the man had been was completely obliterated to zero, and the rasengan finished off even the area that the fight took place.

Well, personally, I think I prefer this chapter. Still not my best work, but better. It took most of my Sunday, so you'd better appreciate it. I mean it.
(Yeah, yeah, Orochi's dead. Woot.)

Anyway, later.

Valete omnes,

MRAY 4TW.