-Tunnel of Destined Love pt 2-
CHAPTER 25 - PUSHING TO THE LIMIT
Sakura stood ready upon the now stilled water facing the fourth hokage. She clinched her fist as he stood looking at her with an unconcerned face. Sakura's brow twitched slightly from the intimidation of facing against a legend.
Pakkun stood looking on from the rocks on the side, "Sakura... We'll she be able to do this?..." Pakkun said then looked over to Naruto then at Sasuke in the rocks unconsious, "Come on...wake up guys.. Sakura needs you" he sweated in worry.
"Come..." said the fourth as he moved his finger back and forth to indicate for her to charge him.
Sakura, thinking first of her times of being a hindrance to Naruto and Sakura, charged the 4th at top speed and pulled back her fist.
Naruto struggling hard to muster up some chakra, rose his head out of breath and looked on as Sakura charged the 4th. "No...Sa..Sakura-chan..." he placed a hand down on the water and began to try and push himself up to his feet but to no avail.
Once in range, Sakura pulled back her fist and swung it at the fourth in which he dodged. The fourth, flipping into the air above Sakura, kicked at her head in which she ducked close to the water to avoid. After the missed kick, the 4th landed back to back with Sakura. Thinking fast, Sakura turned around and threw a right punch to the 4th in which he dodged once again by jumping above Sakura. While in the air, the 4th threw a special tag at Sakura's back in which she activated her chakra scalpel quickly and sliced it in half before it could make contact with her back. The fourth landed on his feet once more and faced Sakura. Sakura stood facing the 4th hokage with determination.
Naruto lifted his head once more with widened eyes at the rate of which Sakura is fighting against the 4th. "Sa..kura-chan..."
Sakura turned her head slightly to face Naruto getting to his knees but stumbling back face first on the water's surface, "Naruto... Dont worry. When it comes to fighting for friends..." Sakura clinched her fists tightly, "I wont lose!" she took out 2 kunais, one with a tag, and threw them at the 4th hokage.
Not concerned with this petty attack, the 4th easily caught the first kunai and used it to deflect the second.
Sakura smirked at this happening, "yes... " she whispered to herself.
"Hmm?" the 4th hokage looked on at the Kunai he held in his hand and came to the realization of why she was smirking. The clash of the two kunais flared a spark that ignited the tag of the kunai in his hand.
"Boom..." she said lowly then suddenly, the tag exploded on the 4th... making a giant smoke cloud fill the area around him.
Sasuke, coming to consciousness, awoke to see the explosion, "Sakura?... She did that?" he thought to himself.
Naruto lefted his head some, was suprised that Sakura had done it. "Good job... Sakura-chan" he said with one eye open still from being battle weary.
A couple of minutes later, after the smoke cleared, the fourth hokage stood unharmed with a neutral expression on his face. "not bad... not bad at all" he said to Sakura. "I'll say... your doing better than Naruto and Sasuke. It seems that you are more powerful when it comes to saving your friends..."
Sakura stood without word, readying herself for round two. "I knew that wasnt going to be enough to take him down... what now?" she thought to herself.
The yondaime started to walk toward Sakura and reached into his pouch. He took out shuriken and threw them at Sakura then dashed toward her in high speed.
Shocked at his movements, she hurried and took out a kunai to deflect the shuriken but was stuck in the arm with 2 of them, making her drop her kunai. She hurried once more and pulled out the two shuriken then looked for the yondaime but he was gone from sight.
"Huh...where did he go?" she thought as she looked around for him.
Pakkun yelled out to her, "Sakura! below you!" he yelled to signafy that he dove underwater when she wasnt looking.
Moving quickly, she looked down just in enough time to see a fist thrusting upward from the water towards her chin as Naruto did when he fought Neji in the chuunin exam. Having somewhat of a quick reflex, Sakura leaned back into a backflip, thus dodging the suprise uppercut chin attack by inches. She continued her backflip from her hands on the water back to the final flip to her feet on the water once more.
"That was too close..." she said then began to remember where she saw someone do that... "Naruto... he did the same thing to Neji..." she thought remembering how they were similar in the suprise attack.
Suddenly the 4th hokage disappeared with yellow lightning being left behind. Sakura's face become shocked with fear as she realized he must have a tag on her. She quickly began to try and find it but it was too late... The 4th was already behind her with a kunai up to her neck. Sakura began to think of how he got a tag on her when she wasnt looking then realized that he must of thrown one of her back when she backflipped out the way of the chin uppercut.
"You fought well... but its over" the yondaime said to Sakura as he drew the kunai closer to her neck.
"No! Sakura-chan!... " exclaimed Naruto still trying to get to his feet, this time getting to one knee.
"Gotta...help her out..." said Sasuke as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a demon wind shuriken slowly. He quickly snapped it open, "Sakura! Duck!" yelled Sasuke emerging from the rocks then forcibly threw the giant shuriken at the 4th hokage.
The 4th hokage, suprised to see Sasuke back to his feet barely, moved away from Sakura in enough distance to catch it in time. He then looked on at Sasuke and threw it back at him with even greater force.
Pakkun yelled over to Sasuke, "Sasuke! Watch out!"
Sasuke, attempting to dodge out of the way, fell to one knee from his damage from the rasengan, breathing hard. Knowing he couldnt dodge it, he quickly reached behind himself and grabbed his Kusenagi and sliced threw the giant shuriken in two pieces. After slicing the shuriken in half, Sasuke fell to his knee tired. "That was too close..." he thought.
The yondaime looked at Sasuke with a calm expression, "Hmm He knew he couldnt dodge it in time... so he cut through it...clever" then suddenly his thought was interupted when suddenly Sakura grabbed his arm and smirked.
"Never take your eyes off the opponent" she said then swung him around then launched him straight into the air. After making the yondaime go airborne, Sakura flinched from the two shuriken cuts on her arm. She quickly formed her handseal, making green energy emerge from her hand then placed it on the cuts... healing them. Recovering from being thrown into the air, the yondaime began to fly back downward toward Sakura while forming a rasengan in his hand. "Rasengan" shouted the Yondaime as he fell closer and closer to Sakura.
Seeing this, Naruto managed to stand on both feet but then fell back to one knee, "Sa...Sakura-chan! Run!" shouted Naruto.
Sakura could only look on in fear at the descending Yondaime with a rasengan in hand coming at her. Suddenly, a moment flashed into her mind... the moment when she promised Tsunade that she would always do her best and not be a hindrance to her friends anymore.
After remembering this in an instant, her facial expression changed from fear to determination as she clinched her fist and pulled it to her side. The yondaime, once in range, thrusted the Rasengan downward at Sakura. Sakura, ready to strike looking upward, thrusted her right fist up at the Yondaime... Suddenly, a giant gust of gale force winds began to cause the waters to go crazy. The result of the clash was blinded to Naruto and Sasuke as they shielded their eyes from the wind. After the winds died down, Sakura flew from the smoke unconsious, going toward the rocky walls in a dangerously fast rate.
Just then, before Sakura could hit the rocky walls, Sasuke jumped in the way and caught her into his arms but slid back, making his back hit the rocks hard. Sakura, opening her eyes, looked up to see Sasuke looking down into her eyes.
"Sasuke-kun..." she said slowly as she began to drift out of consiousness once more. Sasuke, managing a smirk, looked down at Sakura unconsious then placed her down on the ground lightly. Pakkun ran over to her.
"She...she'll be okay..." said Sasuke to Pakkun out of breath.
Pakkun looked up at Sasuke, "Are you alright? You hit the rocks pretty hard."
Sasuke's eyes began to flicker as he fell to his knees then onto his face. "I... cant move...I used up most of my chakra to make it in time to catch Sakura" said Sasuke tired.
The smoke from the clash began to clear, revealing the yondaime standing with an unharmed look on his face but something was different...
Naruto became suprised at the sight of the yondaime.. "He...he...Sakura-chan punched a hole through him!" he shouted. The yondaime looked downward and notice a hole in him where Sakura must have punched through him.
"I see... so she was able to dodge out of the way of the Rasengan just in enough distance for her to punch a hole in me... but since she was so close to the rasengan still... the effects of it still blasted her away." the yondaime thought. "Well... she did pretty good. But it would seem that all of them are at their limits..."
The Yondaime looked toward Sasuke and the unconsious Sakura with a whole still in him, "Its been fun... but this is where it ends..." said the yondaime with a smirk. "After I'm done killing you guys off, I can go back to Orochimaru's side and finish the destruction of Konoha... along with it's people."
"I DONT THINK SO!" yelled a voice.
The Yondaime, being suprised to hear this, turned to his side and saw Naruto to his feet.
"I wont let you...destroy Konoha!... I'll fight for everyone..." said Naruto tired but determined then an image of a beautiful long haired hyuuga girl flashed into his mind, "...I cant die here! I WONT DIE HERE!" exclaimed Naruto.
Suddenly, winds began to pick up around him, making the Yondaime's hair blow wildly, "What is this wind? Where is it coming from all the sudden" he said to himself.
Sasuke managed to look up and at Naruto, "This is...Naruto?" he asked himself like he always did when he saw Naruto do something amazing.
Pakkun, watching over an unconsious Sakura, turned to see Naruto, "Naruto... "
Sakura, in her unconsious state slowly muttered the words, "Naruto... "
Naruto stared on into the eyes of the Yondaime with fearless eyes. He crossed his fingers in the shape of a plus sign, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!" he shouted, making 2 clones appear next to him. The Yondaime's eyes widened with suprise.
"Where is he drawing this energy from? Is he using the Kyuubi?" The yondaime thought.
Naruto put out his right hand then the two clones began to motion their hands above it... starting to form the rasengan first... the other clone, taking it further...
"He's doing it... " the Yondaime thought. "So, lets see what you got!" exclaimed the Yondaime as he placed his right hand to his side and began to form the Rasengan.
Suddenly, in Naruto's hands, the Futon Rasengan began to form. Once formed completely, he dispersed the two clones and held onto the Futon Rasengan ready to strike.
The Yondaime and Naruto stared each other down for a moment then charged each other while yelling. Once in range, the Yondaime thrusted the Rasengan toward Naruto. Naruto thrusted the Futon Rasengan toward the Yondaime's Rasengan and they both clashed making a power struggle occur.
"I Wont Let You Win!" said Naruto shouting in rage as the Futon Rasengan began to destroy the Rasengan in the Yondaime's hands. The Yondaime became suprised at this then was impaled in the chest by Naruto's finished Rasengan. Suddenly, a wind spiral began to circle the Yondaime's body, encasing him in a sphere of high cutting winds that cut and shredded the Yondaime's body all over. After a moment of being cut up by the Wind Rasengan, the blast sent the Yondaime hurling toward the other side of the rocky cavern and crashed him into the rocks hard by gale force winds.
As the gale winds raged throughout the valley, it became very hard to breathe. Sasuke began to gasp as he couldnt breathe then looked down onto Sakura struggling to breathe in her sleep. Seeing this, Sasuke motioned himself over Sakura to block the strong winds from her. Pakkun held his breath and shielded his eyes with his paws from the raging winds.
Sasuke and Pakkun then managed to look on with widen eyes, "He...He did it.." they said in unison. Sakura's eyes began to flicker open slowly.
After hitting the rocks, the wind rasengan let off of the yondaime, leaving his body engraved into the side of the mountain unconsious and battle damaged. Naruto limped over to the rocky side of the valley and faced the Yondaime's unconsious body. He looked closely at him wondering some things to himself. Suddenly, the Yondaime managed to open his eyes slowly.
"Na...Naru...to..."
Naruto continued to look on at the Yondaime
"Naruto...I-im impressed... You were able to use the...finished form of the Rasengan... in that condition..."
Naruto fell to one knee from his loss of chakra and began to breathe hard in maintaining his conscousness once again... his eyes flickering open and closed and his head becoming heavy.
"Im truely happy to see the finished form of the Rasengan... I thank you for that..." said the Yondaime as his body began to decay from the cuts and began to blow in the wind. The decaying began from his feet and began to blow away from them to his knees then to his waist and chest.
"Im proud of you...My son..."
Naruto lifted his head thinking he heard him being called 'son' and looked at the Yondaime's head and body finally decay and blow into the wind... being put back to death. Naruto, finally giving in, passed out from exhaustion.
"Did he ...call me ...son? ... or am I...just imagining it..." thought Naruto in a daze of subconsciousness then finally passed out to a slumber.
Pakkun looked over Naruto passed out on the ground on the other side of the valley's lake and smiled warmly, "You did it... Naruto..."
And thats chapter 25. I left the ending in a mysterious sort of way. Thats to please both the people who believe Naruto is the son of the Yondaime and the people who dont believe it. Did naruto really hear the Yondaime call him his son? Or was it just Naruto's subconsiousness playing with his mind? Its all in what you believe I guess. Thats for you to decide. The next chapter will go back to Konoha's last defenses fighting against Orochimaru and his army. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Pakkun, now done with the Yondaime, can heal up and contnue on to Konoha, but will they make it in time to help... will they be able to help? Find out on Chapter 26! Coming sooner than this one did. lol. PLEASE REVIEW!! Thanks. The end of the story is near! sad to say. only 2-3 more chapters left to go!