Warning: Angst, character death and violence is present in this chapter. Please do not read this chapter if this offends you, and don't flame me too much either if you still chose to read. I've warned from the beginning that there would be character deaths, and now I'm doing it again. (sorry)
Chapter Twenty Five – Point of No Return
"Sometimes you must hurt in order to know, fall in order to grow, lose in order to gain, because life's greatest lessons are learned through pain." - Pein
It was hours later and Naruto was still in shock over her current situation. Kushina was still alive, she knew because Naruto was watching her chest rise and fall like an eagle watches its prey. It gave a sense of time passing in the dark, humid cave.
Tirelessly she listened for sounds. Naruto imagined she could hear waves… Where they by the ocean? It would make sense; Kirigakure was the Village Hidden in Mist and situated in Water Country.
Ever since she had woken up the distant sounds were sparse. Every now and then a thump would make her tear her eyes away from Kushina, but it never resulted in anything.
Had they forgotten about them? Would anyone come? What was she supposed to do now?
Naruto was working hard on her bindings, but whoever had done them knew what they were doing. Even though it was a simple looking rope tied to a chain fastened to the wall, Naruto was still so snugly bound it was barely possible to move.
After hours came the first sign of movement though. An odd bouldering sound. Naruto didn't look up this time. Maybe because the sound was close to where she was imprisoned, and for the first time in a very, very long time Naruto was properly terrified of the situation she was in.
Footsteps approached rapidly, and her whole body started shaking as they stopped right outside the door of the cell. Naruto's head snapped towards the door just in time to see it open, and her eyes widened at the shapes standing in the doorway.
Pakkun, followed by Kakashi, Shisui and Genma were staring back at her. Naruto wasn't sure what to feel.
The elation she knew she should feel was absent and Naruto was more scared than ever. How did they find her? Why did they come here? Did they not understand how dangerous this was!?
Kakashi was in front of her a second later, cutting her ropes while Genma and Shisui ran to Kushina. Kakashi helped her up, looking her over for any obvious sign of injury.
From the other corner Shisui spoke up quietly. "Kakashi… She's..."
"She's not dead yet." Naruto growled and the moment she was free she sprang across the room.
With great care Naruto put her hand on Kushina and concentrated hard. Once this had been very arduous to do - it still was - but emotional distress had always simplified the action when Naruto had done this in the other time line.
She stole Kurama's chakra. Not the pure golden chakra from her mindscape, but the red one. Just like her Kushina could deal with the pure undiluted chakra from Kurama – even depended on it – and right now the lack of any Kyūbi chakra was the missing factor killing her. It wouldn't be a permanent fix but it would give her time. Short though it unavoidably would be.
Naruto felt chakra shoot trough her. From her stomach, past her chest, into her arms and out from the palm of her hands and into Kushina's chakra system.
The others looked startled at her, all three having noticed the discrete but potent chakra which had just been summoned from Naruto, and Kushina's ragged breathing calmed.
Genma had two fingers pressed against Kushina's neck and after checking it he looked curiously at Naruto. "What did you do? Her pulse is stronger now." He mused relieved.
"It's good for now. She needs to go to Konoha though. We all need to get there. But Kushina doesn't have long left to live. This was just an easy fix." Naruto explained hurriedly and got up. She stumbled and caught herself against the wall.
"And you?" Asked Shisui while looking at her intently. "You're pale, Naruto. What happened?"
Naruto's mouth formed into a thin line. "They… They sealed something… inside me." She answered, not sure how to get away from this explanation. "But I think I can handle it. Just take Kushina and get her back to Minato."
"What did they seal?" Asked Kakashi and grabbed her arm just as she was about to leave. She bit her lip, trying to stop herself from speaking. Her mind was a mess and her chakra system was acting up. Making her feel almost drunk.
"Later." Naruto replied coldly, staring straight back at Kakashi without blinking. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. All of them had gone silent.
"Take Kushina. Now. Take her home to Konoha." Naruto gritted out, furious at the world in general.
Kakashi inhaled and exhaled deeply and then let go of her arm. "Okay, you're right. Kushina needs to be returned to Konoha, so..." He looked back at Shisui and Genma. "Raidō is outside, and the fastest way to Konoha is with the Hiraishin."
It was a testimony to how exhausted Naruto was that she wasn't surprised by this suggestion. If anything she was just pleased.
Genma protested at once. "Are you serious? You can't be serious. We have only managed that technique once, and that was while we had only a few steps distance. This is miles. This is transporting someone else along with us. This is too dangerous."
"Kushina needs immediate help. And I believe you can do it." Kakashi argued without missing a beat.
While Kakashi and Genma discussed in hushed voices, Shisui was studying Naruto. Noticing something was very wrong with her. It was more than the physical changes. "Naruto…" Shisui whispered, but she didn't meet his eyes.
"I'll be fine Shisui. You guys get out. I have something I need to do first." Naruto replied and rolled up her sleeves.
"What? No, you're coming with us." Kakashi hissed, turning from Genma to Naruto so quickly it could cause a whiplash.
"No. I'm glad you came for us, Kakashi, but right now there are bigger things to deal with than my life. They took the Kyūbi." Naruto explained and nodded towards Kushina.
Two of three boys looked confused and only Kakashi seemed to understand what she meant. His grim expression revealed it.
Kakashi's fists tightened but he didn't argue. "What is our plan then?"
"My plan is to make sure Kiri can't use the Kyūbi, yours is to get Kushina outside. Alive. You need to protect Shisui and Genma until they get to Raidō, Kakashi. I can get through this base easier than you can. I'm smaller and I've already seen where I'm going." A lie, but she had a good idea at least. She had never had problems picking up Kurama's chakra. "And frankly, I'm the strongest one here. I'm the only one with the possibility of getting the Kyūbi back." Naruto explained and breathed heavily.
"No." Shisui argued furiously, but Naruto didn't even seem to hear him.
Kakashi was torn between following her and doing as she said. Naruto was right. Shisui and Genma would have to carry Kushina together, and it would be better if Kakashi could cover them while they did it.
"You're right. Kushina needs to leave, but can't you make clones to cover them instead? I'm not leaving you to face the Kyūbi on your own. You don't have any weapons anymore. Hell, even your forehead protector is gone."
Naruto's hand flew to her forehead where sure enough only skin met her fingers. Kiri had taken everything that could be used as a weapon away from her. But Naruto was still startled she hadn't noticed her lack of a forehead protector. By now it was like a second skin, and she usually noticed whenever she didn't wear it.
Naruto wondered briefly how she'd tell Anko that she'd lost all her spare Shuriken. She doubted she'd take the news well. Kidnapped or not.
Shaking away the thought Naruto frowned. But Kakashi misunderstood her expression and thought it applied to his demand.
He had decided already. He was coming with her.
Reluctantly Naruto nodded and put her hands in the familiar cross sign. Four Naruto clones suddenly popped into the air. Shisui noticed Naruto had used an unusual amount of concentration though, and so had Kakashi.
"Get out of here… I'll… see you later." Naruto said quietly.
Shisui threw Kushina's arm over his shoulder, lifting her up while Genma went to carry her feet. "Don't do anything stupid." Shisui murmured. "If it's too much get out. You alive is worth more than getting to the Kyūbi."
Naruto ran as fast as she could. Her legs were wobbly and made her trip a few times, but she was up again in an instant, fighting against the stiffness in her limbs with stubbornness alone.
Luckily Kakashi was more aware than she was, and while he made sure Naruto managed to keep up he constantly kept an eye out for enemies too.
The dark tunnel wasn't long, and Naruto doubted they would have much longer without being intercepted. A group of ninjas was already pursuing them, but she sent out clones to fight them. Stall them long enough that they could get lost in the myriad of corridors.
"Where is everyone?" Kakashi asked in a whisper as they peeked around another corner with a small mirror. Makings sure the coast was clear for the moment.
Naruto had a suspicion, but she hoped it wasn't accurate. Maybe they were outside fighting their friends. Kakashi had the same worried line on his forehead as they made their way through the tunnel. "They'll be fine."
She didn't answer, but Kakashi had more questions. "What did they do to you, Naruto? What did they seal inside you?"
She could only shake her head, not able to answer despite the wish to do so. "I can't… say."
Immediately he stopped, looking at her closely. "Did they make you unable to speak of it?"
Naruto nodded. It was the only explanation to why she couldn't form the words. But maybe she could speak around it? "They… Kushina... Kyūbi…" She gritted her teeth, but then pointed at herself.
Kakashi's brow furrowed, and then his eyes widened. "Did they take the Kyūbi from Kushina and place it into you? Then where are we going?"
"No." She shook her head. "Another…" Naruto tried to form words that might work "bijū." and then pointed at herself again.
Kakashi didn't look anymore reassured by that. "They… sealed another bijū… inside you?"
Naruto nodded vigorously. Appreciating that Kakashi was so sharp. She then held up three fingers, indicated which one it was sealed inside her. Kakashi stepped backwards. Looking from her hand to her face repeatedly.
"I'm sorry… We'll… We'll fix this. We'll get help. We just need to get to Konoha. This isn't as bad as you might think, Naruto." Whispered Kakashi. "Minato-sensei has done a lot of research on bijū and jinchūriki seals, and Kushina-" he stopped himself abruptly, then hurriedly backtracked. "And then there's Jiraiya-sama too."
Naruto looked away, not sure if he was speaking the truth. But a conviction grew in Kakashi, and he gripped Naruto's arm, forcing her to look at him. "I don't care. I knew about Kushina and I never gave a damn. You're Naruto. My friend. And I'll get you home no matter what. This is not the end and I swear to keep you safe. I promise you that."
The declaration warmed her heart. Kakashi had never been one to speak so freely in her own time. His actions spoke louder than his words, but in that moment Naruto really needed it. "Okay." Naruto replied. Hearing for herself how much of a child she sounded like in that moment.
It was specious in this part of the base, and Kakashi was being more cautions than ever. Keeping Naruto behind him at all times as they continued tracking through the cave.
The both of them tensed as the sound of footsteps coming up from behind. As silently as they could they set off running. Hoping to find a room or anything that they could hide behind. But the corridor was a simple cave path, only made for a destination in mind and winded at its own leisure.
The footsteps behind them started hurrying, and so did they. Someone must have heard them.
Naruto noticed the pathway split into two up ahead, one to the side and one straight ahead. Kakashi went straight, and though Naruto wanted to duck to the side she followed after Kakashi.
He stopped them by pushing Naruto against the wall, and mimicked her stand by pressing up against the wall next to her. They heard the pursuing footsteps take off down the other route, and Naruto's heart calmed down considerably. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply in relief.
"Let's continue." Kakashi whispered and pushed off from the wall, starting to walk again. But only after a few steps a shadow appeared at the end of the short corridor they were in.
Naruto would have recognized him solely on his outline by now. There was no mistaking Fuguki Suikazan. Kakashi had his tantō out a moment later, while Fuguki tilted his head curiously. "Now, now… If you managed to get out of that cell what would you be doing deeper down in the base, blondie? And I've seen one-eye before too." He released Samehada from its bandages while he talked, the blade gripped firmly in his right hand while he locked them with his eyes.
And then a second figure appeared, Naruto heard him first, and whirled around on her toes. Recognizing the blue haired man who'd spoked to Fuguki when she'd woken up the first time inside the base.
"Ao, you're dallying." Fuguki drawled, starting to walk towards Kakashi and Naruto. The children stood back to back while realizing just how much trouble they were in.
Naruto charged first, heading straight for "Ao" while doing the clone technique. Four clones popped into the air as Ao readied himself. Two clones tried to get through his defense while one was helping the other make a rasengan. Naruto stood in the back, but turned at the sound of Kakashi's tantō clashing against Samehada.
He was pushed back at once, falling to the ground by the cheer force of Fuguki's strength. Naruto threw her only Shuriken at him. The one Kakashi had handed her earlier.
Fuguki had to duck to avoid it, giving Kakashi just enough time to roll away and get to his feet. "Brats." Fuguki muttered in a deadpan voice. Clearly not impressed with their effort. Just then Ao managed to dispel the clone with the rasengan with a well-aimed kunai, kicking her other clone and dispelling it at the same time.
Naruto gritted her teeth. They couldn't deal with both at the same time, and Kakashi was the only one with tools to fight against Fuguki. He sapped her chakra when she got too close, and she prayed Kakashi could stand on his own until she'd taken down Ao.
Ao went through hand signs just as Naruto did.
"Futon: Air bullets."
"Suiton: Water Shield,"
Naruto's air bullets clashed against the shield and she barely had time to throw up a wind wall as the bullets repelled back at them.
Keeping the wall in control in an attempt to stop the cave from falling in she started moving it towards Ao, forcing him backwards as the attack left no room to get through. Still, the whole corridor shook despite Naruto's efforts.
Naruto couldn't check, but she was still able to hear Kakashi move behind her. Something smashed against her wind wall, and it was dispelled by the energy. Her hands shot up to shield her face as stones came loose from the ceiling. Naruto jumped out of the way of a falling stone which would have knocked her unconscious if it hit its target.
"Don't bury us in here Ao!" Shouted Fuguki angrily.
Naruto was already running through the smoke though, but Ao was ready when she emerged. He slashed at her with his kunai, but Naruto got underneath his arm and stopped his wrist with her hand, sliding underneath his feet and getting on his other side. Naruto was vastly faster than Ao, at least if his reflexes were anything to go by.
The young man had barely turned around before Naruto had stolen the kunai stored in his holster, and as his kunai came down a second time she had a weapon to defend herself with.
"My, my..." Said a new voice and Naruto stiffened. None of them had heard him approach, and yet she knew exactly who it was even without having to turn around. "You always get yourself in trouble, Naruto."
He came closer, and Ao jumped backwards as Kakashi slid past him. Getting to Naruto while the Kiri ninja kept their eyes on the new arrival.
"Orochimaru-sama." Kakashi breathed in relief, and even Naruto felt some of the tension leave her shoulders.
Orochimaru stepped up next to Naruto, sparing her a short glance before turning towards the two ninja in front of them. "Why are you targeting children? I'm sorry, but you kidnapped the wrong Konoha Chūnin this time. Naruto is my student."
Fuguki looked a lot more serious now, and Ao had gone pale.
"Will you be fine here?" Asked Naruto and looked up at her sensei. "I have something I need to do. Kakashi, you stay here too, Fuguki is the main threat to me, but the rest I think can deal with. I just need to get through them."
"You're sitting out a battle, Naruto? What sort of trouble are you about to make?" Asked Orochimaru curiously, looking inquiringly from Naruto to the Kiri ninja who had gone from predators to prey in just a few seconds.
"I need to. Trust me Orochimaru." Naruto answered firmly. She couldn't explain what she was about to do right in front of the Kiri ninja, and she was sure Orochimaru would be strongly against her plan anyway.
Orochimaru arched an eyebrow, a small smile playing on his lips. "It's your funeral. I'm not coming to save you a second time." He answered with a shrug, his attention fully turning on his opponents now. Naruto turned and ran as Fuguki attacked. She heard the clang of Orochimaru's sword hit Samehada, and she prayed Kakashi would be fine against Ao.
Shisui and Genma climbed out of the hole awkwardly while carrying Kushina. The clones coming out last from where they'd dug their way into the Kiri base.
"I'll go and create a diversion." Pakkun suggested and looked worriedly around. Knowing as well as anyone that he was poor help in a battle. "I'll reverse summon if I get in too much trouble, but hopefully you'll get far enough away by then."
"Thank you, Pakkun." Genma replied genuinely. The Pug raised a paw in goodbye, before setting out at a surprisingly fast speed. In silence they watched as the young ninken bolted away.
Shisui and Genma had a clone on all four sides while walking as quickly as they could manage while carrying Kushina between them.
"This is bad… This is so bad..." Genma was whispering under his breath. Noticing the activity not far away.
Shisui didn't look like he'd ever open his mouth again. His eyes were hard, and his jaw was set in a frown. Genma was keeping a look out for danger, but so far they were good.
Just as they reached the cover of forest the ground started shaking. They all looked back towards the base they'd just excited.
"What did she do?" Whispered Shisui harshly.
"Released the Kyūbi?" Genma suggested humorlessly.
The rumbling stopped as abruptly as it had started. It hadn't been a large attack then. Hurriedly they picked up their pace, heading for the cover of the few trees in the area to transport Kushina up the hill where they knew Raidō was stationed. Not five minutes later the shaking started again, but now it grew more and more intense.
Naruto stumbled into a wide room in the heart of the cave, her eyes zeroing in on the jar in front of her. She could feel him from here. Kurama could too.
"Are you really going to do this?" Asked Kurama inside Naruto's mind.
"Yes. I said I wouldn't allow you to be controlled, didn't I? It might not be you specifically, but at least the past you." She replied angrily.
"Hmmm..."
Her clones were fighting on each side, keeping the path ahead clear. Naruto ran forward, attaching herself to the jar with chakra and climbed it with four steps, landing on the shaking lid. The Kyūbi inside was fighting to get loose.
A large kanji for sealing was inscribed on the lid. There was cracks in it, and the killer intent of the Kyūbi was very noticeable this close.
"What are you doing!"
"Stop her!"
Naruto ignored them. Sitting down cross legged she concentrated, trying to figure out how to go about this. The Kyūbi was immensely strong, and Naruto was pretty sure if she could just weaken the jar the fox inside would gladly do the rest.
She had a good idea how she'd go about this too.
Five chains shot out of Naruto, attaching themselves to the jar, and finally she could read the chakra.
There were multiple layers of chakra keeping the fox locked up. One chakra flow was going clockwise in a spiraling pattern, the next one was going vertically, and the last one was mirroring the first. She needed to counter each chakra flow to deactivate the jar. The problem was the chakra origins. She had to counter them individually.
Luckily one was Katon based, and Naruto could use Suiton to counter that. The other wasn't a problem either since it was Raiton and she had plenty control over her Futon. The problem was the Yang flow going vertically. She had to deactivate that with Yin - an element she had very little experience with and not a lot of talent. Maybe if she could unlock the first two the jar would become so unstable the Kyūbi would do the rest.
Biting her lip she pushed chakra through her chains, feeling how the jar mechanism started vibrating wildly.
The crack in the jar widened.
Naruto pushed more.
Another crack going parallel with the first appeared.
"Get away!" Shouted Isobu suddenly, "It'll crack any moment!"
Naruto threw herself off the jar just as light illuminated the room.
Genma saw Anko peek up from her hiding place on the other side of the field, and he had to release Kushina's feet to put his hands up in the air. Signing so clearly Anko had to spot it if she was looking in his direction. Telling her to retreat.
Suddenly the constant rumbling stopped again. This time it was worse though.
The two boys didn't dare move for many heartbeats and Naruto's clones all watched the base with frowns.
It was like the calm before the storm.
Then the sound of cracking stone rang through the air. A horrible chakra rushed through the air from the base, making goosebumps erupt all over Shisui's skin. On the outside very little changed, but Shisui knew that inside the cave was collapsing and crushing the inhabitants.
His breath caught in his throat, before movement dragged his attention away from the base.
They had lingered too long. They were discovered.
Kakashi coughed heavily. The cave had given in from whatever was happening. He could hear Orochimaru still battling on the other side of the fallen boulders, but Ao was now definitely dead.
That eye patch had to be very recent for him to still have a blind spot.
For a moment Kakashi took a break to contemplate their situation. While Orochimaru was stuck between a rock and hard place, Kakashi was simply stuck.
He had very little room to maneuver in, and he'd rather not wait for the rest of the cave to give in too.
It was lucky none of the boulders had hit him, but Kakashi had managed to move out of the way unlike the last time a cave had imploded on him and Obito had ended up sacrificing himself.
Dusting himself off Kakashi leaned against the wall, noticing that the fallen rocks had created a small crack over him. A slither of light streamed through, which meant he was not far underground at all.
His mind drifted to Naruto, wondering what she'd done to make the whole base shake and come to pieces. Who else could it have been?
A lump gathered in his throat before he forced it down. What could he do though? Kakashi was locked in. He couldn't move backwards or forwards, only up.
And he knew exactly the technique to get out of here.
Shisui was dragging Kushina along the ground. Genma had to let go when they were attacked, and left Shisui to his own devise to transport Kushina to safety.
He was so much smaller than her though, and Shisui cursed their situation while Genma blocked a kunai that had been heading for his skull. It clang and spun wildly through the air before landing feet away from them.
It was madness.
He'd seen this before. Experienced this sort of pressure during the war and now he was right back in that nightmare. His thoughts were drifting between Naruto and Anko. His team was spread out in all directions, and he had little hope one of them was still alive. But she was Naruto. She was a survivor.
He believed in her.
Gritting his teeth he heaved Kushina further up the tree covered hill. Glad the mossy surface gave some comfort to Kushina while he dragged her like a sack of potatoes along the ground. He had no hope of carrying her. She was much taller than him, and he needed his hands accessible in case an attack got through Genma and the remaining clone's defense.
He heard shouts up ahead, and Gai came swooping down the hill. "Konoha senpuuuu!" He shouted with fire alight in his eyes. His kick hit dead center of a Kiri ninja's head, breaking his neck by the impact and falling dead in a heap.
By Kami Gai was lethal…
"I'm here to help! But where is my eternal rival and Naruto-chan?"
"Get Raidō! We need Raidō!" Shisui shouted while he ducked out of the way of a fire ninjutsu.
Gai answered with exuberant energy as he danced between Kiri ANBU. "Raidō is protecting Rin!"
"Why aren't you doing that?" Snapped Genma furiously.
"You have more problems! He was dealing fine."
That was not what Genma wanted to hear however. "Switch places then, we need him right now."
"Where's Iruka if he's not with Rin and Raidō?" Asked Shisui between pants of air, again grabbing onto Kushina to continue the accent.
"Iruka is right he-" Gai stopped abruptly, staring around in confusion. "Where did he go?"
"Perfect..." Hissed Shisui, and his look alone was enough to make Gai turn tail and disappear the way he came from.
Naruto walked slowly through the cave tunnel.
One foot was placed in front of the other, and she repeated the motion until light finally appeared ahead of her.
In her wake she'd left a mass graveyard. All the Kiri ninja inside the main chamber had been buried after she'd unsealed Kurama.
It felt good. It felt horrible. She was relieved - They couldn't follow her anymore.
What troubled her the most was Kakashi and Orochimaru. They'd distracted the swordsman - the one person who could seriously have stopped her - and her action might have buried them alive.
They'd been far away from the main implosion, but the whole base had been affected by Kurama's unsealing.
But Orochimaru was a slippery snake, and for the first time that was a silver lining. If he'd come to save Naruto he would have saved Kakashi too if needed, right?
Her mind drifted back to what had happened. The bright light. The intense chakra that had rushed through the room as Naruto fell backwards onto the floor by the bijū jar.
Only thanks to the two bijū inside her did Naruto have the healing powers to survive such a blast of energy.
But things had gone very differently than she'd expected after that.
She'd only seen Kurama in all his form for a split second as boulders and rocks collided around her. And then something utterly unforeseen had occurred.
The Kurama of this time line had been sucked into her seal.
The bewildering disaster had proved that maybe being unconscious the first time had spared her a lot of pain when Isobu had been sealed, even though she'd been semi-conscious inside her mindscape.
The pain was excruciating but luckily it didn't last nearly as long as it had with Isobu. Naruto suspected it was the Kyūbi's chakra being injected into her that made up the difference. After having his chakra run through her body since before her birth had probably made her chakra much more adaptable to his chakra over anyone else's.
Naruto had been desperate to talk to Kurama, and the second she could muster up the concentration she was inside her mindscape.
"What happened!" Naruto screamed at the fox, before her jaw hit the floor at the sight in front of her.
Two foxes were glaring at one another inside her cage. One was much larger than the other, except they looked like they were… dissolving…
Her eyes met Isobu.
"The two parallel Kuramas are morphing, Naruto." He explained without having to hear the question written on Naruto's face.
"Mo- morphing?" Naruto repeated in bafflement. "What! Why!? This doesn't make sense at all! If this… why? What! How?"
She wasn't sure how or what to ask. The only thing she knew was that she was clueless to what was happening and especially why it was happening now.
Naruto had been in this alternate time line for years, and the two Kurama had co-existed alongside each other just fine.
The smallest of the two - who Naruto believed was the Kyūbi who'd always been with her, his fur was just a tone lighter - turned to look at her, but he appeared less furious than Naruto had expected. He was studying her peculiarly.
Though his stare didn't take away the grotesque sight.
Parts of the large Kurama were fighting against the morphing. One paw was banging against the bars of the prison while the rest was being sucked together with the smaller fox. It almost looked like the demon was liquefied in places where they were becoming attached and blended.
After just minutes of shameless staring, the fox had six legs – four large ones and two sticking out oddly from its hips – and two heads. The only thing that didn't change was the number of tails. If Naruto had to guess she believed the tails had been the first things to morph together, and she had come into the mindscape while the back of its body was still growing together.
Finally it was over, and the fox fell into a heap as small shudders ran over his body.
Silence rang.
"Kurama?" Asked Naruto weakly.
"Hm?" Asked the fox in his deep, carrying voice.
Naruto walked slowly towards the cage. "Are you... okay?"
The fox eyes opened. The vertical slits in his red eyes zooming in her a moment later, and with the grace of the most gracious dancer he rose to his feet. "Just fine, brat."
"Then… What the hell happened, dattebayo!" Naruto screamed in rage.
"Can't you figure it out? There can't be two of the same being in one place, Naruto."
"But you've been in the same place as past Kurama for years! And nothing like this has happened before!" Naruto continued shouting. "Did you know about this? I was trying to set you free! I was trying to stop people from manipulating you! I was trying to prove that I could do something right! Why the hell didn't you say anything!?"
Naruto would have continued ranting if Kurama didn't start to laugh. And since the fox was who he was it was not a pleasant sound. The booming sound echoed through the room, making the whole of Naruto vibrate from the sound hitting the walls.
"I know. I wanted to see if you were serious. And I always planned to connect with my past self when I went back in time, and hadn't you interfered in my time travel I would have ended up a lot further back than we did." Kurama explained.
Naruto just looked confused.
"So far Naruto," started the fox to say very slowly, making sure Naruto understood what he was saying. "I have been sealed inside you. In a way this mindscape is separated from space itself. It's your own personal pocket dimension your mind can travel to and create a clone inside. That's why you have a body in here. It's not your real body, because that one is still lying like a beat up child in the ruins of the Kiri base. Here you're a mental clone inside the seal dimension."
Naruto's brow furrowed, but slowly she nodded in agreement. That made sense. Sort of.
"Which also means; that I have never set a foot in the world in this dimension. The same situation applied for the other Kyūbi while he was sealed inside Kushina. He was not part of the world as long as Kushina banished his chakra inside the seal keeping me – him – locked up."
Naruto nodded again, hoping he was getting somewhere with this.
"But when you released the other me from the bijū jar you used part of my chakra to do so, and in that moment both of us was part of the same space and time. Something that's not possible. Then you continued to free him with that connection. He was forced to merge with me."
Naruto still didn't completely understand, though some things were starting to make sense.
She had never – not once – used Kurama's chakra here in the past. Not like when she pushed Kurama's chakra into Kushina to prolong her life. Not like the chakra she had stolen from Kurama to free his alternate self.
He had healed her indirectly, and been very close to get out during the fight in Land of Frost, but Naruto had still been able to repress him that time. This time she'd used his chakra purposely and more importantly; successfully.
"But why… why did the alternate you end up here? Inside me?" Asked Naruto.
The fox looked sour now. His tails deflating behind him as a sigh escaped. Naruto felt the absurd urge to grin at the fox's disappointment.
"Your seal is a binding contract with the shinigami to seal the Kyūbi, brat." He started with obvious annoyance. "Though it hasn't happened in this dimension your father did once sign away his life for this binding between me and the seal. The only way to stop the contract would have been for you to dissolve your seal. Which you have not done."
Isobu shook his head mournfully, clearly sympathizing with Kurama more than Naruto who was still fighting her own bewilderment. She was being bombarded with a sea of new information.
"Like with all creatures there can only be one shinigimi. And the shinigami is always present in all time and space. The deal therefore spans across whatever dimension you find yourself in, Naruto. And since one of us had to morph into the other, the alternate Kyūbi had to merge with me instead of the other way around - which was my original plan."
"What was your original plan?" Asked Naruto.
"I already told you, brat! I was going back in time – much further back than where we ended up – to prevent myself from getting captured in the first place. Your chakra completely messed up the distance." Kurama growled.
"And since you don't exist in this world you didn't morph with anything upon your arrival either, as I would have if I'd succeeded. It would have created an alternative me with the knowledge of the future. I have no idea what would have happened to you if we'd ended up a few years later than we did, and you had already been born. You probably would have died. We bijū are pure chakra and our shapes can change and transform, but you human are stuck to your biology. It would probably have killed you – and in extent me."
Naruto stared wide eyed from Kurama to Isobu, trying to digest that.
Morph? She would have morphed with her baby self if she'd ended up in a time where she was already born?
Naruto had no way of knowing if what Kurama explained was true, but yet she believed him to be completely truthful. Instinctively she was certain the fox had finally spilled the truth he'd kept away from her for so long.
Why she was in the past. What had happened and most of all why it had happened.
It was a desperate jail break which had backfired on both prisoner and jailer. Naruto had already suspected something of the sort, but to find out the details in this situation was still unsettling.
After that Naruto hadn't stayed long in her mindscape. She had more pressing matters than figuring out where she stood with Kurama now.
It was ironic really. Naruto had started out with half a bijū, and in the span of twenty four hours she'd ended up with one and a half more.
And the physical affects it had on her was excruciating.
Naruto could feel her wounds heal at a rapid pace. Her broken bones from getting hit by falling stones were mending themselves.
No one really understood how painful rapid healing was. Months of regeneration sped up so quickly her body went into overdrive.
And it wasn't the only thing that was in overdrive either.
Everything hurt.
She had so much chakra inside her it felt like chaos. She'd been injected with one and a half bijū into her chakra system so quickly her body could hardly handle the excess of chakra. The pain came from her body desperately trying to keep up with the changes. Burning… Every inch of her was burning.
It was like she was breaking and healing repeatedly. Her chakra coils melting before the bijū inside her mended them again.
Over and over and over.
Her mind drifted back to the present when Naruto finally reached the end of the cave and moonlight touched her face.
For a moment all she could do was breathe in the fresh air. Her eyes closing as she soaked in the chill wind cooling her overheated skin. Compared to the stuffy, moist underground it felt like a piece of heaven.
Then she opened her eyes and everything came back to focus. Naruto wasn't free. She was barely alive, and the ones she loved the most were fighting for their lives.
Someone was running towards her, but her blurry vision made it unclear who.
Iruka finally reached her, his arms crushing Naruto to him as he hugged her tightly. "You're alive. You're alive, thank Kami." He whispered and released her again.
Naruto smile appeared slowly. She had no more moisture to waste on tears, but if she had she would have started crying again.
"I'm alive. Thanks for rescuing me." Naruto murmured.
"Come on. The others are fighting. Can you..." Iruka took in her appearance for real this time. "You're… injured." He pointed out quietly.
Naruto nodded. "But I can fight. I won't give up yet."
"We need you." Iruka told her honestly.
"I'm here."
Anko was having the easiest post imaginable.
The fact that she'd been paired with Ensui should have given her a clue. He was the only one who'd been dangerously injured before they'd set out, so of course Kakashi would place Ensui somewhere quite safe.
Their hiding place was close to the ocean, between two large boulders where you got a small view if you looked closely between a crack in the stone. The view showed where base three was located, and where base one exited from the cave.
Anko had seen Raidō and Ensui return with Kushina and Naruto. Though it quickly became apparent that four of them were just clones. Meaning that Kakashi and Naruto were not there at all, and Anko had no idea why.
Then the earthquakes had happened, and the terrifying chakra which had exited from the cave, Anko had seriously considered abandoning post to gain some information and help out.
Yet no one had given them the signal to come help, though Shisui obviously needed it. Genma was left to his own device by now, Shisui dragging Kushina after him.
Soon after Iruka had broken away from base three. Completely disregarding any orders as he crossed the ground between his post to the Kiri base in a straight line. Anko's jaw had dropped open in bafflement at the boy's action. Wondering what on earth he'd seen to disregard all sense of safety to get across a line mine of traps and enemies.
Gai was running back and forth between the two groups. Not sure where he was the most help. Raidō had less enemies, but Rin was not much help in combat. While Genma and Shisui was both good fighters, but they also had to protect a very unconscious Kushina.
And Naruto and Kakashi was still missing.
She fumed while she watched the base. Hating having to sit and watch because some stupid order hadn't been given yet. They obviously didn't have time to call for help. Anko and Ensui should be helping already.
It was then she noticed the figure on top of the base. Kakashi was crawling out from between rocks, looking like he'd taken a dust bath with how his hair had changed from silver to brown. And he was alone.
Where the hell was Naruto?
What was happening down there?
"That's it. We're going now!" Exclaimed Anko, getting to her feet forcibly. Ensui looked up, and then dragged her down again as a Shuriken flew past her head.
"Okay… I guess we don't have choice now anyway." Muttered Ensui in answer.
Shisui had rarely been as relieved as when he finally made it to the top of the hill. Not only did it give him a good view of the battles going on around the base below, but it also made him able to see twenty orange dots and a beige one running crazy.
Naruto and Iruka.
Kakashi was all on his own, using speed to run in zigzag towards Shisui from a completely different direction than Naruto and Iruka was.
How they'd gotten split up was unknown, but Shisui was just happy to see them all alive.
Next he found Anko and Ensui.
They stood back to back battling at the foot of the hill, trying to fight their way up to them too. And lastly was Raidō, sprinting up the hill while dodging three ninjas throwing Shuriken at him.
Gai and Rin were even further away from the Kiri base than he was. Up by the start of the thick forest where they had put up traps. Shisui could hear Gai shout every other second as he held off whoever got too close.
They needed to gather. The group was stronger together than scattered about the battlefield like this. Especially if Genma, Raidō and him had to leave them.
Shisui laid Kushina carefully down. Stepping over her and readied himself to join the battle. If they were to perform the Hairishin they needed time. Time to prepare themselves.
Unlike Minato this was a highly difficult technique for them that needed their undivided attention. Being distracted by attacks couldn't be happening if the technique was to work.
Within a moment he was behind one of Raidō's pursuers, cutting into his leg with a kunai. Maybe Shisui couldn't do the Hairishin alone - but he still had the Shunshin.
While the first enemy crumbled down on one knee from his injury, Shisui turned the technique into the Zanzō Bunshin, enjoying the confusion of their attackers when they realized they couldn't figure out which of him was real.
But the longer Shisui battled, the more he grew frustrated. By now his blood was boiling as he attacked. They needed to get out of here soon.
Movements from the base caught his eye just as his ninja wire caught around a kiri ninjas throat, and he pulled hard. Cutting his throat in one sweeping motion.
"Orochimaru-sama!" Cried Raidō while pointing towards the base, which caught the attention of quite a few of their attackers too.
Shisui had noticed him too. He had no idea when Orochimaru had arrived - and no understanding of how he'd gotten inside the cave - but the relief of seeing him almost made him stop breathing.
Orochimau was here. They were saved.
But not far away Naruto and Iruka were in trouble. They were trying to break through the group pressing them back towards the base, but it was clear they were struggling.
Genma had caught the problem too, and came up next to Shisui, his hand shooting forward. Shisui could not see where the senbon was aimed, but a second later an explosion went off right behind the Kiri ANBU targeting Naruto and Iruka.
It created an opening. As it went off their comrades took the opportunity to break through while their enemies dodged away to save themselves from the explosion.
Four clones were flanking Iruka, and they were running as never before to get to them.
Kakashi was just a little down the hill now, rolling sideways as a man with a katana was slashing wildly in an attempt to hit him. But no matter what he tried Kakashi was just one step ahead, rolling and ducking until the enemy was probably dizzy with having to spin around so much to keep him in line of sight.
Anko and Ensui had been joined by Orochimaru, and had much better success with his help.
Even though the Kiri base had imploded it looked like most of the ninja had been outside. Shisui couldn't help but feel frustrated at that fact, and very suspicious too.
The Konoha base was filled to the brim with their ninja at all times during the war. You stayed inside the base so it wouldn't get detected. Here the majority of the Kiri ninjas had been stationed outside it instead.
Again the puzzle didn't add up to Shisui. Were they expecting them all along? Was this a second ambush?
Shisui didn't have time to ponder his theories though. They needed to gain room to work. Kakashi was heading for them, probably to cover them so they could do the Hiraishin. But until he reached them they would have to fight smart. Being careful not to use up their chakra and to stay unharmed if possible.
Kakashi was their leader for a reason though, and expertly made his way up the hill towards them while he dealt with any ANBU who came at him.
He had almost reached them when Kakashi's voice carried over the chaos. "Go! Go to Konoha now!"
His attention was diverted then, and Kakashi dodged a water jet technique by rolling sideways. The technique left behind a crater in the ground while Shisui threw a Shuriken at the ninja who'd attacked Kakashi. The ANBU blocked it, but not the senbon Genma shot at a second later.
Kakashi turned his back to them, his intent clear while he readied himself against the incoming Kiri ninjas. "I'll cover you while you prepare. Get out of here now."
Raidō, Genma and Shisui shared a quick glance and nodded. The three hurriedly stood in a circle around Kushina, their hands coming up to form a cage.
It was then things went from bad to worse in a matter of seconds.
It happened so fast.
Shisui wasn't sure what caused him to look up at that precise moment. One second he was focusing on his breathing, trying to calm down his pulse and to access his chakra, and next his attention was forced towards Naruto and Iruka.
A Naruto clone was going up in smoke. A kunai was twirling wildly though the air – having been knocked off course. Before it smashed into Iruka.
Shisui stopped breathing.
Iruka stumbled backwards, in his pain filled shock wide open for any attacks. The Naruto clone which had evaporated had been covering him, and the Kiri ninjas knew it.
The same type of water jet technique which Kakashi had dodged earlier was cast again, but now it was hurtling at Iruka instead. And the boy was barely standing with the kunai sticking out of his neck. With lethal precision the roaring liquid spear hit Iruka square in the chest.
In shock the real Naruto turned towards Iruka as the water went from clear and rushing white to blood red as it drilled through their comrade. Shisui heard the shout of pain all the way up the hill.
"Iruka!"
The scream came from Ensui. Shisui could see him getting pushed behind Anko who covered him while he was distracted.
When the water was gone Iruka was on the ground. Lying in a blood filled puddle. His shirt had been ripped away and a large part of his chest had been smashed away by the Water technique. His ribs were visible to the naked eye.
Shisui screamed, but Kakashi hurriedly blocked his view of the scene.
An incoming opponent had almost cut off his arm while he was distracted by Naruto and Iruka's battle.
"Go Shisui! All of you return to Konoha now!" Kakashi commanded in a hateful shout. Pointedly looking between Shisui, Genma and Raidō.
Shisui felt a hand drag him back by the shoulder and found Genma's grim expression look back at him. "We need to go. The faster we leave the faster we can get Minato-sensei here."
Shisui nodded in understanding, turning back to the circle where Raidō was taking deep breaths and Genma was already concentrating.
But Shisui was distracted, how could he not be? And yet he needed to push away everything around him. Trust completely in Kakashi's ability to keep them safe. Trust that his friends would stay alive until they could come back.
His eyes opened at the sound of Kakashi's breath being caught in his throat.
All three watched in horror as Kakashi twitched and crumbled in on himself. Struck down by a kunai to the stomach.
Shisui's eyes trailed further - down to the field below to the scream of emotional agony from Naruto.
She was sitting bent over Iruka, not even bothering to look at the Kiri ninjas circling in on her. Her tattered orange jumpsuit seeped in red.
"No..." Whispered Genma in realization.
Shisui took a step out of the circle, his priorities changing when he realized Naruto would not manage this on her own now. But he halted as a chakra shockwave flew over the field.
Shisui could feel it to his very bone. Naruto was still clutching Iruka, but she was illuminating the night with chakra - except it felt nothing at all like Naruto's chakra. It was pulsing, creating a waves in the air that made everyone go freeze up.
This was what they'd done to her, wasn't it? This was what those Kiri bastard had done. And it terrified him to the point where he found himself running towards Naruto before he knew what he was doing.
But something grabbed his ankle, and Shisui pummelled face first into the grass, tasting the grimy substance upon impact. Spitting, he lividly whipped his head around to find the person guilty of stopping him.
Kakashi was holding onto his ankle.
"Her seal… It's weakening." Kakashi hissed. He kept a firm grip on his ankle while he crawled back on his feet, blood seeping down from a abdominal wound. "They sealed a bijū inside her, Shisui! Making her a jinchūriki. But now… No jinchūriki survives if the demon escapes."
Shisui didn't want to hear it. It couldn't be true.
Kakashi's open eye narrowed in frustration. "There's nothing you can do, Shisui! You'll just get killed if you go any closer. We don't know who's in control right now. Naruto or the Three Tails."
Shisui tried to break free of Kakashi's iron hard grip, but he couldn't shake the boy off. He didn't even care about the fight around him, or how Raidō and Genma were working to protect them instead of readying the Hiraishin.
But at the sound of another painful scream Shisui finally forced himself to look forward.
Rin was immobilized by shock. She couldn't move or even breathe as something monstrous happened to Naruto. She didn't even know what it was!
They had been distracted by Naruto's scream. It had reached all over the area.
Naruto's skin had started peeling off. It looked for a moment as if she was being burned from the inside out.
Bluish chakra emerged from her, creating an unstable lash of energy to shoot out from her and even making Rin stumble backwards from so far away.
Gai was covering her now, but it was as if his energy had been drained out of him as they watched whatever was happening to Naruto.
She changed in shape as the chakra grew like a cloak around her. Wrapping itself around every inch of her while tails emerged.
Rin could count two tails swishing violently behind Naruto, and the sound of her grunts and screams indicated that she was in a lot of pain.
It was horrible and utterly grotesque. Naruto was still recognizable, but the bluish chakra seemed like a separate entity controlling the blonde. What had Kiri done to her?
"What… is that?" Gai whispered in horror.
It felt like she was falling into an abyss. Naruto's thoughts muddled with only one underlying common feature. Iruka.
It was such a stupid mishap. A redirected kunai. A water spear technique. So little could cause such horrible and irreversible damage.
Iruka. Iruka. Iruka. IRUKA!
Sweet, kind, caring Iruka who was too nice to be on this mission at all. He shouldn't have been here. Naruto should have done better. She wasn't strong enough to do anything.
Her mind was in chaos, the only constant emotion was sinking misery and the tempting relief to escape the truth as Isobu wrapped himself around her. Burning through her as he tried to break free. But Naruto couldn't find it in her to care. Break free if you can. Naruto thought hysterically.
But you can't! Haven't you noticed yet? The cursed tag is placed on me – and in extent you. You can no more break free than I can set you free. We're cursed together all three of us.
And Iruka was dead.
What the hell mattered anymore? Why was everyone still wasting their time fighting? Didn't they know the worst had already happened? The world was crashing and nothing at all mattered except for this. Of all the deaths, of all the hardships and plans she'd made - what did any of it matter now? What was so great about this world to make it worth helping?
Through a red mist clouding her vision Naruto stared at the one who'd done this.
He would die.
She'd rip him to pieces.
Her hand shot out, Isobu's chakra which was wrapped around her skin, elongating and reaching all the way across to him in a heartbeat. The rest of her was wrapped around Iruka, holding the boy against her chest and refusing to let go.
The claw wrapped around the Kiri ninja's masked face. The shout of pain sent reckless shivers of delight down her spine. Naruto then smashed his head as if it was made of soggy mud.
Appalled the Kiri ninjas rallied, all of them running in unison towards her, and Naruto felt herself get dragged further into herself as Isobu took care of the rest.
A technique she'd never seen or used before escaping from her mouth, and mist covered the whole area.
Kakashi was back on his feet as the veiled mist sailed over him, confused he stared at it while feeling an unsettling heaviness in his chest weigh him down. The world contorted into strange shapes around him, and Kakashi was suddenly no longer standing outside the Kiri base.
He was inside his old house.
Confused and disoriented Kakashi stared at his small hands. They looked childlike and young.
But of course he was young.
He was six years old.
Wasn't he?
The moonlight filtered through the crack of the door ahead of him - his destination. He knew exactly how many steps it took to cross the hallway, and his feet moved before he was consciously aware of it. The creaking sound of his dragging feet carried through the house.
When he finally reached the door he slowly reached out, and a strange sense of foreboding lurked in the back of his mind. Silly… He was perfectly safe inside his own home. Gently pushing the door open Kakashi stepped into the lounge.
His eyes were downcast, unreasonably afraid to look up. Something dark was staining the hardwood, and Kakashi's gaze followed the trail of liquid over the floor. The stains grew larger until it ended on the figure lying underneath the window. A dim shine illuminating his silver hair seeped in his own blood.
His father's face was turned down towards the floor, his body curled in on himself. It was so silent, not a breath in the air, not a rustle from moving fabric. Everything was still and quiet, but outside he could hear the drip, drip, drip of falling rain.
Kakashi wasn't even sure he was breathing anymore.
Furiously he shook his head. A strange sense of deja vu going through him. He had been here before hadn't he? But his father was… he would know if his father had really...
Kakashi gritted his teeth. What was this?
He wanted to run away and never look back. He hated the feeling of inadequacy. Not being enough to stop his father from going through with this. For being so small and weak.
So Kakashi ran. His feet didn't make a sound as he rushed past his father's corpse and through a door which had never been in their living room before, but which promised freedom from this place. The door opened before he touched it, and as he stepped through it was like someone had turned the sound of the world on again.
Thunderous crashes were beating against his ears. He was half blind. His eye hurting and the dust clouded air made it even more difficult to see, but he wasn't running alone anymore.
A sharp pain flashed through his head, and Kakashi didn't know he'd fallen before he felt his mouth fill with gravel. He was going to get up again - to run. But hands clamped around his shoulders, half lifting, half throwing him away as if he was as light as a backpack.
The sound and cracks was too much and he had to cover his ears to stop his ears from splitting. Feeling safer here where there was less sand to inhale.
The world slowly calmed. The crashing and rumbling coming to an end and Kakashi slowly opened his non-bandaged eye. Finding Obito half buried underneath a massive boulder. Rin crying. Feeling himself shattering.
This… These were his failures.
What was this?
The feeling of deja vu returned, and Kakashi gripped his head. Tugging at his hair in sorrow, shame and terror.
And then he understood. None of this was real at all. It was a genjutsu.
Kakashi didn't want to be here a second longer. He was needed. It did no good for him to stay here in his personal hell.
"Kai!"
Kakashi gasped when the world snapped back into place. The abstract sense of space leaving him as he released himself from the gejnutsu. His lip was split where he'd bit into it with too much force in his attempt to escape the nightmare.
He was back again, and he was unsure how much time had passed since he'd gotten caught in the mist.
The mist.
Kakashi's head snapped towards Naruto.
She was exactly where he'd last seen her. Still hovering over Iruka while the terrifying bijū chakra attacked from her immobile position.
The technique used was like nothing Kakashi had seen before. A strange substance shot at lightning speed towards the ninja daring to come close, and on impact it turned hard and shell-like while paralyzing the victim.
No one managed to get close to them. For which Kakashi could only be grateful.
He hurriedly checked out the others, the fog finally gone from his mind and the urgency of the situation re-hitting.
Shisui was exactly where he'd been, though he was a tad paler than before. His attention was drawn towards Genma and Raidō who both wore blank expressions. Kakashi ran over at once, wincing when he was reminded of the kunai wound to his stomach. The genjutsu had made him forget himself. Trapped him deep inside his subconscious and he was working on re-jogging his memory to get back up to scratch.
Shisui had realized too, and followed him a second later.
"Kai." Kakashi whispered simultaneously with Shisui, both pushing chakra into Genma and Raidō respectively. Peeking up towards the forest he saw Rin do the same to Gai, and he was sure Orochimaru could do the same for Anko if she got trapped. Ensui could probably dispel it on his own.
Genma shuddered and inhaled sharply as he was released from the genjutsu, while Raidō fell to his knees.
"That was a malicious genjutsu. It makes you relive your worst memories." Muttered Shisui and looked back towards Naruto. His brow furrowing deeply at the sight of the bijū influenced girl preventing anyone from coming too close.
"Naruto is only attacking Kiri in defense." Kakashi murmured, a hopeful tone shining through his words.
"Is that still Naruto?" Asked Shisui weakly.
It hadn't been easy. Nothing was more tempting to Naruto than to just float away and get lost in her own sub consciousness, but though Isobu had partly taken control of her she could still feel Iruka in her arms. Could sense his skin turning stiff and cool in her grasp.
That should have been more of a reason to want an escape, but finally she remembered her other friends.
They were waiting for her. They wouldn't leave without her as long as there was a chance. That thought alone was what brought her back in control.
She breathed sharply as she fought her own instincts. Going against a seal not meant to control a bijū. Not meant to do anything but demand and restrict, instead bend, shape and create like her father's.
Naruto was back in the mindscape. Her lips curled over her teeth while she stared up at Isobu.
"Don't! My friends are there… Please don't harm them. I can't… no more. Please don't make me lose even more people." Naruto begged. She was kneeling in the bluish water, leaned forwards while she rested on her hands. Chakra was pressing through the pores of her skin, breaking and sealing while it tried to force itself free - but couldn't.
"You're just a human. Death should be a natural thing to you. Why fight an inevitable fate? Death will always catch up in the end." Asked Isobu curiously.
"I… I need to… I can't release either of you completely. Something is repressing me. I can feel it in my heart. You should have broken free, shouldn't you? I mean you should be completely free. But yet we're still attached… You realize that don't you?" Naruto wheezed out in pain.
Isobu grumbled in agreement, a flicker of frustration flashing in his open eye.
"It's the cursed tag seal." Kurama murmured. "It locks Isobu inside you for the time being."
"I know." Naruto stared between them. "I can't lose anymore. None of my friends… and not you two either. I'll… I know what to do now. I should have seen it right away. Just please let me gain full control of my body again, Isobu."
The turtle thought about it for a moment before the bluish chakra swirling around her calmed down, and Naruto felt the pressure around her chest lessen. "What will you do?" Asked Kurama suspiciously.
But Naruto left the mindscape before he received an answer.
For a moment all Naruto could do was breathe.
She stared at her hands. Examining the chakra bubbling over her skin. It hurt so much. She could feel one of the two tails shrink and dissolve, the influence of Isobu lessened though not completely disappearing. She now only had one tail, but it would have to do. Naruto was short on time.
Glancing down in her lap was the sight of Iruka. She hadn't moved away from him while she'd been under Isobu's influence. Some part of her had refused to let him go even when Isobu had tried to gain control of her.
Faintly she registered she was covered in his blood. Especially her clothes. They were dyed crimson.
Grimacing Naruto slowly reached out and grasped the metal of Iruka's forehead protector before carefully sliding it up off his head. Her hand brushed back his brown hair afterwards, her lip quivering at the cold feel of his skin when her fingers came in contact with it.
If she was going to do this Naruto would need the forehead protector.
Once the forehead protector had been hers, and it had been more precious to her than anything else she'd ever owned.
On autopilot she tied Iruka's forehead protector around her head, a mute acceptance blooming inside her chest.
In the cell she'd spent hours crying for Kushina, and Naruto doubted she was physically capable of ever crying again. Her grief over Iruka's death was too heavy for tears. Now that her fury had subsided it left her numb instead.
As she tightened the knot Naruto knew there was only one thing she could do now.
Subconsciously she had known what to do since her last conversation with Kushina, but like the frightened little girl she was Naruto had pushed it away. Hoping beyond hope there was a way to escape.
It was a delusion, and Naruto knew she needed to snap out of it now.
Looking up she saw her friends still battling. A large number of the Kiri ninja had broken out of Isobu's genjutsu mist, and with the exception of the ones she'd killed and the ones now stuck to various places with Isobu's coral attack, the rest was watching her cautiously.
Probably considering the pros and cons of attacking Naruto again.
Adamant Naruto got to her feet, carefully sliding Iruka from her lap and onto the ground. The tail behind her swished annoyed. She was somewhere between transformations and Naruto could see her angry, red skin through the coat of chakra around her limbs.
It was like it had been during the battle against Sasuke.
Her clothes were ripped open and her head pounding with the headache of the millennium.
She was limping and had problems with her focus.
She hadn't eaten in days.
She was thirsty.
She was beaten and injured.
Naruto didn't think she'd ever felt as physically ill in her entire life.
And yet nothing hurt more than then the idea of Iruka leaving her. It was like she'd lost a part of herself. Lost her home and the one factor that hadn't changed no matter which dimension she was in. That Iruka was always there as her precious friend.
Naruto wasn't sure why the thought of home was so important in all this. Maybe it was from being kidnapped, and the need to get somewhere associated with safety was weighting on her heart.
At least it mustered up the strength to continue. She'd be home soon.
A brave opponent came at her, but Naruto had made a Rasengan before she was physically aware of it. Smashing it into the man with a brutality unlike herself, and not even noticing she'd made the technique without the use of her normal clone.
As the man fell dead her chakra went haywire and sent a row of people harshly into the ground. As parts of the wall of Kiri ninja fell Naruto spotted Anko at a distance.
Home.
Wouldn't it be nice to go home?
The words popped back into her head.
Abruptly Naruto remembered what home entailed. Home meant arguing with Anko in their apartment about who was to do the dishes that evening. Pestering Kakashi to eat dinner with them though they all knew he'd come despite his complaints. Joking with Shisui while they sparred on training ground three.
It was eating ramen with Iruka at Ichiraku.
Home. That was her home. And Naruto had to protect it at all cost.
Adjusting Iruka's forehead protector with both hands Naruto summoned her courage.
"Naruto!" Shisui shouted relieved when he spotted her. He had to refocus quickly on his opponent though, his tantō meeting the katana of his attacker while his Sharingan flashed. Casting a genjutsu on his enemy to gain an opening in his stance.
The ANBU stumbled, not catching himself on time before Shisui slashed him down. When the Kiri ninja fell Shisui hurried over to Naruto who had climbed up on a boulder.
Naruto placed Iruka's body carefully down on the boulder. It was up and away from the heat of the battle below. "You look… Are you okay?" Asked Shisui as he stepped up to her.
Of course he had noticed the pronounced animalistic features on her. The slight change to her eye color made the clear blue look muddy green, the paler skin and her chakra covered body. But despite the changes Shisui knew this was still Naruto. Somehow the look in her wrong-colored eyes was so purely Naruto he could never mistake it. She'd fought down the beast.
"Shisui," Naruto said between breaths, her focus now on a new enemy. "They did something to me, and now I can't go back to Konoha! You have to-"
The words were cut off because Naruto had to throw herself at Shisui and push him down to stop him getting pierced by flying Shuriken. The impact was enough to make him act again, and they were back on their feet a moment later, blocking the next round of Shuriken with their kunai.
"Have you lost your mind!? You're coming back to Konoha, Naruto! We'll fix this whole bijū thing. This isn't your fault." Shisui more or less shouted at her in anger. "We came all the way here and we're not leaving without you."
"Shisui-" But she was cut off as another round of attackers distracted her. No less than twelve ANBU flocked them, efficiently cutting off Naruto's reply.
Was it just Shisui's imagination or had they grown stronger? Had the Kiri ninja been holding back before?
Shisui distracted them, splitting up from Naruto he jumped down on the ground, and though he was pleased he found it suspicious that only one Kiri ninja stayed behind to deal with Naruto.
Her enemy was taken down easily. He hadn't even been trying. A Wind ninjutsu was enough to knock him out and for Naruto to focus on her task.
From below Naruto heard the sound of Kakashi's chidori, and her head snapped in his direction. His left hand was clutched around his right wrist, the electricity gave loud chirp sounds and lit up his surroundings while he readied himself. One eye closed and the red one glaring at his opponent.
He zigzagged and ducked, quickening his speed to the limit as he found his target. And next moment his hand blasting through the man's chest.
Naruto was transfixed by the sight.
She knew that technique all too well. Naruto had once had Sasuke drill a hole through her with that technique. It had been extremely painful and a small reflex away from death.
"What are you doing?" Shouted Isobu from inside her mind.
Naruto was too focused to really pay attention though. Kakashi was skidding towards Raidō now, helping him while the sandy blonde boy struggled with his opponent.
"Answer, Naruto!" Demanded Kurama a moment later.
Raidō got a hit in while Kakashi distracted the Kiri ANBU. And both boys jumped in to help their friends. Naruto felt almost forgotten up on her boulder.
"I'm setting you free." She answered. "I can't go back to Konoha, because we all know what will happen the second I'm there. And I can't be controlled by Uchiha Madara. I just can't! I have to protect my friends."
It felt like she was outside her current situation. Naruto was simply an outsider watching as her friends fought for their lives. Outside heartache, pain and fear itself.
Orochimaru, Anko and Ensui had completely eliminated their attackers and were now running the great distance to rejoin them. Ensui looked furious and almost reckless in his movements and Naruto could relate.
He'd lost everyone on his team now. Kushina might still be alive but it wouldn't be for long.
Gai and Rin were struggling worse than before. The Kiri ninja had grown vengeful in the face of the destruction they had created. Genma and Raidō were protecting Kushina the best they could while Kakashi and Shisui were protecting them.
"Don't worry. I have a plan and I won't fail. You will not die." Naruto reassured the two very unsettled bijū inside her.
Naruto heard it again then. Chidori. She was running out of time.
The birds screeched into the night as Kakashi flew forward at blinding speed. Coming towards the Kiri ninja who was attacking Shisui.
With force Naruto stepped hard off the boulder, soaring free through the air before landing directly in Kakashi's path.
As her feet touched the ground Naruto hoped fervently that he would someday forgive her.
A split second later Kakashi's arm blasted through Naruto's heart in a shower of blood.
.
.
.
To be continued...
Author Note: Thank you so much for reading! The chapter was beta'd by AnjoRemix! And I got tons of help with this chapter from ReVeaLxMeMoRieS! I can't thank you enough for all your help with this.
This was a horrible chapter to write. It was rewritten and edited many times, because I was indecisive to the extreme for obvious reasons. (Iruka)
But the fact that I'm afraid of flamers shouldn't stop me from writing what I had planned and want to. It's my story, and I take it in the direction I wish to. Though I'll admit to being very uncertain.
Before you start asking, please read the following!
Why I killed Iruka? For many reasons.
One: I wanted to draw a parallel between Naruto and Obito's state of mind. They are always described as similar, and here Naruto loses someone she loves as much as Obito loves Rin. Though its a platonic love. She's also been kidnapped (similar to Obito) and she's physically handicapped (also a lot like Obito).
Two: It activates Naruto's bijū transformation. Because Kushina is not dead yet, and Naruto is already used to not having Kushina in her life from her previous time, her current state isn't as difficult for Naruto to deal with emotionally.
Three: Where this leaves Ensui. He doesn't have a team anymore. Hitomi and Iruka is dead. While Kushina is almost dead.
Four: It has a lot to do about Kurama and Isobu. These chapters were written with the intention of building a bridge between Naruto and the bijū. You will see why I mention these two in context with Iruka's death in the next chapter.
Five: One of them dying is more realistic. You have eight children, no one older than thirteen, in an area filled with Kiri ninja. Having all eight get out of this alive is simply ludicrous, since the Kiri ninja was all ANBU of Chūnin and jōnin rank with more experience than many of them. Luck has a lot to do with surviving in a war. War is pointless and death is not reserved for those who deserves it. And though yes; Kiri was in canon chasing Kakashi and Rin back to Konoha they could still try and do it here too. They just didn't need to have all eight make it back to the village this time as long as Naruto did.
Six: Naruto gets Iruka's forehead protector. Honestly, this is the one that tipped the scales in favour of his death.
And a random note at the end; The reason I describe Naruto's eyes as murky green; Isobu's eyes are yellow while Naruto's eyes are blue. Yellow and blue makes green – and since the transformation is halfway I did it this way, though I know perfectly well it doesn't happen in canon.
Thanks for reading and have a good day!