"SAKURA!!!!" shouted Naruto as he bounded over the piles of rock and rubble. "SAKURA!!!!!!!"
Following behind Naruto was Sasuke. As soon as the dust had settled they were running back towards the demon gates, eager to find a way in to their teammate.
When Naruto reached the gates, he wasted no time in summoning Shadow Clones and had them both surrounding him to create the Odama Rasengan, a giant Rasengan that had to be held by himself and another clone in order to stabilize its size.
"RASENGAN!!!" shouted the Narutos as they slammed the ball into the gate.
At first the Rasengan seemed to have had an impact as it squished against the gate, but the force of it was not enough however, as the ball of chakura started pushing back. Before Naruto knew it, he was thrown back when it needed to find another exit. As Naruto skid across the hard rubble, he was nicked and battered against its hard edges but was snatched up by the collar when he nearly struck a sharp edge.
"Arigatou, Sasuke," said Naruto when he realized what he was saved from.
Naruto dusted off his pants and looked up at the gate that towered before him.
"How the hell are we supposed to get in there?" asked Naruto under his breath.
Sasuke was silent. He was wondering that himself. Even using his cursed seal mark wouldn't have helped. The heavy weight of it made it ideal for gliding mostly, and there were no nearby mountains that could get him high enough.
"Do you think we could run it?" asked Naruto with his hand shielding his eyes from the sun.
"We could get halfway, at best," answered Sasuke. "We'd have a real problem once we hit the roof of the gate. It's too big and slanted so that we wouldn't be able to really catch it, even if we did manage to run that high. I doubt even then that that is all that gate is good for. Who knows what would happen if you tried to climb over it."
"What about your wings?" said Naruto, cringing at the mere thought of the giant hands that protruded from Sasuke's back when he saw it the first time.
Sasuke shook his head.
At a loss, Naruto turned his eyes towards the ground before looking back up at the gate. There had to be something they could do.
"We could wait," said Sasuke.
"What?" asked Naruto, shaking his head in surprise.
"We could wait here, and trust that Sakura can handle this situation by herself," repeated Sasuke.
"Are you mad?"
"...... I see that our time apart has not made you any more wiser. You don't even recognize the ability that she now possesses."
Naruto made a noise with his mouth in defense.
"....I recognize her ability..." said Naruto under his breath. ".... I just want to make sure that she uses it correctly."
Suddenly there was a vibration and a whisper.
"What was that!?!" shouted Naruto, but Sasuke just looked to the left corner of the gate.
As the whisper got louder, Naruto took a few steps back, and waited as the sound of it continued to progress. Sasuke too, began to retreat.
All of a sudden black flames shot out from around the corner as if someone were putting a blow torch to the gate, but the black flames were something they had never seen before. At least, Sasuke didn't.
"Itachi...." said Naruto.
Naruto took off towards the corner as soon as the flames fell back. Coming around the bend, he saw Itachi in the distance, standing with a concentrated gaze upon the gate.
Not even the Amaterasu worked... thought Itachi as his Sharingan disappeared.
"Itachi!" yelled Naruto, waving his hand in the air as he ran towards him.
Itachi looked towards Naruto. He knew that Sasuke wouldn't be far behind.
"Itachi," huffed Naruto as he reached him. "Any idea on what to do?"
Itachi shook his head, and for a brief second, his eyes betrayed his worries to the outside world. Though Naruto caught a glimpse of it, he didn't acknowledge it because he knew that it would only have made it worse.
"Do you think we can break in somehow?" asked Naruto, but he stopped in his questioning when he noticed that Itachi was looking behind him. Seeing the look he had, Naruto knew that his gaze had been cast on Sasuke.
Naruto didn't even turn around. Instead, he just straightened up and began to speak in a low and serious tone.
"I don't know what you two are thinking, but if you start fighting with each other now, we're going to lose the one person we all care for the most. It doesn't matter to me what you two have going on, but if I see one of you turn on the other before I get Sakura back....I will kill you...."
Itachi and Sasuke turned their eyes off eachother to look at Naruto. There was something in his voice that told the absolute truth. If they didn't get Sakura back before they started settling scores, Naruto really would kill them.
Naruto was silent. He stood there and let a breeze pass until he could feel that his words had impacted them. "Good," he said. "Now, what can we do?"
Itachi looked at Naruto and didn't address Sasuke.
"My Amaterasu is about as hot as the sun, if not hotter," said Itachi, looking at the black scorch marks that were left behind. "If anything would have gotten through, that would have been it...."
Naruto sighed in a disappointed breath before moving to a growl.
"What are we gonna do now!?! Sakura could be under attack already!!!" yelled Naruto with his fingers in his hair.
Itachi was silently staring up at the gate. His emotions were getting to him because his ability to think strategy in a time like this was becoming foggy.
"....There's one thing that can get through...." said Sasuke.
Itachi and Naruto looked at him.
"In fact,"continued Sasuke. "I heard it got through several of the gates....."
"What???" said Naruto in bewilderment. "What is it???"
Sasuke turned around to look Naruto square in the eye.
"It's you..."
"What?" asked Naruto, clearly confused.
"You don't remember it, but from what I heard, the last time you fought Orochimaru you had summoned four tails of the Kyuubi and blasted a hole right through the gates...."
Naruto's memory flashed back to the time that he had hurt Sakura. He didn't remember a thing then, but he did remember how awful and stupid he felt when he found out that his anger had not only taken control, but caused him to hurt a precious comrade. He was lucky that Yamato was there. If he hadn't, Naruto would really have been lost for good that time.
"...I... I can't control it..." whispered Naruto. "I hurt Sakura the last time.... I didn't even recognize her, and I didn't even remember what I had done...."
Itachi and Sasuke looked at each other. They knew they didn't have time to waste, but they also knew that neither of them could control the Kyuub itself without proper preparation.
"What would happen if the Kyuubi came?" asked Itachi.
Naruto looked down at his hands and images began to trickle in of his bloody wounds that stood out when he had finally come to.
"I would be damaged, every part of me. My skin and flesh would burn from the Kyuubi's chakura and there'd be no stopping me. I wouldn't know friend from enemy and I just might end up destroying Sakura if she got in the way," finished Naruto as he turned to look Itachi square in the eye. "We could all end up losing everything."
Itachi was troubled. They really didn't have any other way.
"Wait...." said Naruto suddenly, turning away from the gate and the others so that he could think straight. ".... If the fourth tail came, it would still be in my body. It would still be influenced by my emotions and thoughts.... If I were to take the form of the Kyuubi, I just might center my attention on Orochimaru and Kabuto alone...."
"Are you sure that would happen?" asked Itachi.
"Yes.... If no one got in my way, yes. From what was explained to me after it happened the last time, I had run off chasing after Orochimaru. My anger towards him is what set me off in the first place, but I actually chased him down to try and kill him. Sakura only got hurt because she tried to change me back. It could work!" shouted Naruto, whipping around to face Sasuke.
Sasuke looked at Naruto with a blank expression that seemed as if he didn't care. His reply however, spoke very differently.
"No...." said Sasuke bluntly. "Instead of losing Sakura, we'd lose you instead."
"It doesn't matter!" yelled Naruto. He wasn't going to let them even think it. "I would die for Sakura before she even got hurt! She is the one person that holds us together! She is the one reason that I didn't say 'screw it' to getting you back, Sasuke! I would have dropped your traitorous ass a long time ago if I hadn't promised her that I'd bring you back! You may be my friend, but even friends have a limit to their patience! She and I put up with a lot of shit from the villagers when you left! We fought hard to keep you in our constant thoughts, and it's all because of her! Don't tell me I can't give my life for her!!!"
The last sentence reverberated into the forest. All that was left was silence between the three. No one could contest Naruto's decision after that. They could see then that they had no right.
"Alright..." said Itachi, voicing the answer that his brother could not seem to summon. "We'll do it. The question is, how do we bring you back? I'm not doing it unless we can. Setting the Kyuubi loose on Orochimaru is one thing, but risking the chance that you might attack another village, or even worse, letting it go back to Konoha, would be disastrous on all our parts. Though, I think the worst would be Sakura's fury when she finds out what we did...."
Naruto gulped. He hadn't thought about Sakura's destructive temper. The last time he was beat by her fists he actually had to see a doctor, and the memory of it was still a bit hazy.
".... You've got a point...." whispered Naruto. The look of fear was evident in his eyes. "Still..... You can always bring me back this way...."
Naruto dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a tiny envelope. Opening the fold he pulled out a little paper with the character "seal" drawn upon it.
"If Yamato-taichou isn't here to do it, you can use this to bring me back," explained Naruto, slipping the paper back into the envelope and passing it over to Itachi. "Kakashi-sensei gave it to me before we separated, and told me it should be use the moment the tails start to appear. Still, I don't know if it'll work on me once the fourth tail completely takes over my body, but we've got no time to test it out.... Even if Sakura is angry with me for the rest of her life, I could never live with myself if I lost her...."
It was in that moment that they all understood the degree to which Naruto would sacrifice for Sakura, including if it meant Naruto's life itself. Itachi looked at Naruto in gratefulness, but in the last moment before Itachi averted his eyes, Naruto saw that his expression changed to be as if looking at someone whom he may never see again, before slipping the envelope into his coat.
"So...." said Sasuke. "Can you voluntarily let the Kyuubi go?"
Naruto thought for a second. He had only ever called upon the Kyuubi in situations where he had gotten the living daylights knocked out of him, literally, or it had naturally arisen to overtake him while being unconsciously on the verge of death.
"Well.... Let me see...." said Naruto, shutting his eyes.
Sasuke and Itachi looked at Naruto with strong intent, carefully watching his facial expressions to see if he had made contact. A breeze whispered past, brushing up the snowflakes that lay fresh and soft upon the ground. Though the surroundings were silent, their insides were screaming with impatience and anxiousness. When a minute had passed, Naruto let out a deep sigh.
"It's no use..." said Naruto, opening his eyes.
"What a waste of a minute," said Sasuke.
"Shut up, Sasuke!"
Naruto gritted his teeth at Sasuke, knowing all too well that familiar look of lameness in his eyes after years of experience. Still, it was somewhat of a comfort to Naruto because it meant that the Sasuke he knew was still somewhere in there, and it was the one familiar thing he had with him in his last moment of consciousness, being glad that it belonged to an old friend.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Sasuke, sheathing his sword.
"Well, I guess we're going to have to do it the tried and true way," answered Naruto, once again turning his eyes to the gates and putting his hands on his head to stretch his back.
"What's that?"
Naruto heaved a deep sigh. "Well.... you have to get me pissed off.... pissed out of my mind actually.... and at the same time my life has to be endangered, I guess. That's how it normally happens...."
"Fine," said Sasuke, stepping in front of him. "You ready?"
"Just a second," said Naruto.
Naruto looked up at the sky and watched a patch of blue peek through the remnants of the passing storm above them. In the brief moment that the sun shone through, the light struck Naruto and the others, warming their souls in a bit comfort. It was perhaps the last moment that Naruto would be able to recognize the color, to breathe in its severity of freedom and hope. Looking down to the ground he then dug his foot into the snow, and the others watched him give a sad smile at the clear imprint of his shoe that was left behind. Naruto never thought he had ever made such a clear imprint as this in all his life. As the presence of the others were ever imminent around him, Naruto then proceeded to check all of his pockets.
Shuriken, kunai, explosive notes, and a bit of twine, were all that was left in Naruto's pouch.
Hmm? What's this? thought Naruto.
Grabbing what felt like a book, Naruto pulled out the latest edition of Make-Out Tactics.
"You're reading those now?" asked Sasuke, remembering the all too familiar companion of his former sensei.
Naruto huffed a small laugh.
"No," said Naruto. "I just forgot to give it back to Kakashi after I stole it for fun."
Digging into his pouch again, Naruto pulled out a pen and began to write:
Please tell Ero-senin and Tsunade-sama goodbye for me. I was lucky to have known them.
Arigatou, Kakashi-sensei.
Naruto slipped the book back into his pouch. Knowing that he wouldn't need it, he tossed it over to Itachi.
"Don't lose it," said Naruto.
Itachi nodded.
"Ok, Sasuke.... I'm ready."
Sasuke stepped forward in an instant to pick Naruto up by the neck. As Naruto looked down at Sasuke, he saw his eyes switch to the Sharingan and everything went black.
Wet footsteps were heard in Naruto's mind, and he could feel the slight tremors of water as Sasuke's feet stepped through the dark halls of his unconsciousness.
"Sasuke...." came a faint voice that sounded like Naruto. "Whatever you do, do not break the seal!"
Sasuke's eyes darted ahead when he heard a deep echo. It sounded like something large was lurking in the room up ahead. Stopping for a brief moment, Sasuke took one last chance to calm the nerves of his friend.
"Don't worry.... I won't let it go...."
Waiting to see if Naruto would respond, there was nothing. So, Sasuke once again made his way down the dark corridor, knowing that this time would be the true test of his skills.
"You again?" came a menacing voice that shook the water when it spoke. The Kyuubi hadn't even seen that it was Sasuke, but he could smell him from around the corner. "What does the fearsome Uchiha want now?"
"Hello, Kyuubi..." said Sasuke as he rounded the corner. "You know what I want..."
"If you think I'm going to waste my power on saving that girl, then you came here for nothing....."
Sasuke walked to the center of the room and faced the giant eyes of the Kyuubi. Bringing his hand up to his side, Sasuke withdrew his sword. Stabbing it into the ground, he addressed the Kyuubi.
"Last chance...."
The Kyuubi looked at him with doubtful eyes and laughed.
"You can't hurt me without breaking the seal."
"You're right. I can't....... CHIDORI!!!"
Lightning flowed through Sasuke's arm, down his blade, and shocked through the water until it hit the walls. The electricity couldn't break the seal, but it had a different effect.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!" came a scream of pain from Naruto's voice that reverberated off the walls and shook its foundations.
Sasuke sent a stronger pulse and the screaming got louder.
"Do you feel it, Kyuubi!?!" shouted Sasuke. "Your container is dying! He said he'd die for her, and he will! If he dies, you just might die too!"
The Kyuubi's eyes narrowed in anger. Sasuke had not planned to persuade him by mere words, but was actually trying to force him into helping them. There wasn't enough time to be talking, so Sasuke had chosen to do the direct approach.
"What will it be, Kyuubi?" asked Sasuke.
The Kyuubi growled and the water around Sasuke turned red with its chakura.
"Alright.... you win...."
Sasuke stopped the Chidori and stood up to read the Kyuubi's intentions.
"We just need four tails.... that's all...." said Sasuke.
"Fine."
".... but you have to promise to help bring him back...."
The Kyuubi chuckled. "You know, this kid is something else. Once I let him have some of my chakura, his anger makes it difficult to reign it back in... Four tails may be too much for me to recall.... Besides... if he loses complete control, I'll be free to do whatever I want..."
"If he loses control," threatened Sasuke. "You'll have two Uchihas and a very pissed off woman who will not hesitate to kill you should Naruto be lost. I recommend that you don't...."