Pray for me, if you love me,
Cross your heart and hope,
That I don't die before,
The best day of my life,
Just pray for me tonight.--Pray For Me-SIXX:A.M.
The morning was silent. The only noise Iruka could hear was soft shuffling while meager bags were packed. He didn't have anything to pack, and sat twirling the final instant ramen cup in his hand. This was it. The end was drawing near, and what an end it would be. Glorious redemption or death was only a few hours away.
Over the past few days the tension in the group had grown. They all knew the end of their alliance was coming. Iruka was glad, and terrified out of his mind. He was going to die, but he would no longer have to work with people like them. He wouldn't have to bend his twisted morals to someone else's preferences, because Kisame and Itachi were going to kill him the moment the alliance was dissolved.
Iruka had reached a resignation about his inevitable death. He was no longer trying to find a way to live, but trying to find away to get Naruto away from Itachi and Kisame. They didn't want the boy for himself. Iruka had decided they must want the Kyuubi, but in a easier, more manageable package than what it was in now. Dread was the only thing Iruka felt when he thought of Kisame and Itachi getting their hands on Naruto. He'd fight to the death to let the boy get away--not that he had any choice in the matter of dying.
Kisame stowed the last bit of gear away in his pack and stood. He looked at Iruka, and grinned. It was a blood-thirsty grin if Iruka had ever seen one. It sent shivers up and down his spine. There had been no friendly sparring matches or friendly jibes at 'Oikawa-chan' in the past few days. Iruka had gone from an amusing threat to an unnecessary hanger-on. His days were numbered--his hours now, and Kisame would love ripping his Oikawa-chan apart.
There were no words. They didn't need words. Everyone knew what to do, and what was coming. Iruka's stomach flipped, and he wanted to drag his feet. He was marching to his death, but he didn't dare go slowly. It might already be too late for Naruto. He couldn't delay this for anything. He didn't dare. He marched towards his death, warring eagerness and trepidation. He was going to die, but Naruto would be free.
Iruka scooped water into his ramen cup and began heating it. They didn't have time to waste on a fire, and Iruka would just have to sacrifice a little of his precious chakra. Iruka tried to ignore the looks he knew he was getting from Kisame and Itachi. He tried not to feel like his skin was trying to crawl off. No shinobi liked getting looks with killing intent in them.
Iruka jumped across the array and stood in the middle again. This time he had a different job to do. He was sealing, not being sealed. Kisame ushered the water into the array, and Iruka looked up to the trees. He knew Kyuubi-Naruto stayed close by to him most of the time, and he had to hope that the Kyuubi's sharp nose would pick up the scent of ramen and come for it.
Iruka felt a jagged grin cross his face. He was back in the same position. He was calling the Kyuubi into a dangerous array for the plans of someone else. Had he changed at all since that time? He'd done things he'd never thought he'd do, but had he changed? Was he still the same worn-out teacher searching desperately for a reason to stop? Was he still barely living?
No, he was different. He was stronger now, even if he didn't feel like it. He had lived on edge for far too log not to have changed. He had pushed himself past his limits and found he hadn't broken. He'd thrived. He'd grown. He'd lived through death and killing.
Here was the final test of how he'd grown. Could he do this without dying? Could he manage to seal the Kyuubi and then get Naruto away from Kisame and Itachi? He was going to find out soon. As soon as the Kyuubi touched down in the center of the array they would begin. Seconds, minutes, or hours from now it would all be over, and Iruka would have nothing to worry about. He'd be dead. He silently prayed for Naruto to come quickly.
He didn't want to die, no, but he didn't want to spend hours stewing over the fact was going to die. This was like getting a shot or taking a big test. The sooner it was over and done with the better. Waiting made Iruka twitchy. It made him want to scratch his skin off as it came alive with the crawling sensation of bugs. It made him edgy and jumpy, and that was the last thing he needed.
Iruka felt a wash of chakra that made him choke and flinch. After all this time he still wasn't used to the Kyuubi's chakra.
Iruka made himself look up and smile. "Hey, Naruto. How's it going?"
A snarl answered him, and the Kyuubi advanced.
Hinata was always early. Now she was waiting for the rest of her team to arrive, and she had settled down in one of Konoha's giant trees to wait for them. It was easy for her to sit silent and let the noise of Konoha wash over her. This close to the Kyuubi's Forest there was a lack of birds, and the village wasn't as loud as it had been before the Kyuubi had broken loose. Lots of things had changed since then, and not the least of them Hinata. She felt older, darker, and wiser in the ways of the world.
She hoped that was a good thing.
Two shinobi sat on the very edges of the wall, just within her sight. They had arrived after her, and didn't seem to notice her. Hinata was tempted to call one old and the other young, but that was wrong. They were both old. She could tell that in the way they sat, ready but tired. One she knew to be the great Toad Sage Jiraiya, and the other was Namiashi Raidou. What they were doing she didn't know. They seemed to be waiting.
Hinata would think that Raidou would want to stay as far away from the Kyuubi's Forest as he could, but there he was. What was he waiting for? Hinata sat still and watched. She'd find out what was going on soon enough, and if Shikamaru and the rest arrived before the shinobi left then she would ask them what was going on. It was their job to know what was going on around the forest.
Hinata caught movement out of the corner of her eye and turned her head slowly. She saw two people walking up the street--two shinobi. One was Shiranui Genma, and the other she wasn't so sure about. She thought his name might be Kotetsu. She'd seen him at the mission's desk, and he'd had something to do with the Chuunin exam.
Genma looked tired. He was younger than Raidou, but he looked just as old. They way he moved was practiced, second nature. He slid along, and if there had been more people on the street Hinata knew he would have been invisible, despite the shinobi uniform. He looked like all the shinobi Chuunin and above did these days--frayed and worn. They were, it seemed to Hinata, two steps away from madness, and some were dangling a foot in madness.
Kotetsu was mad. Hinata didn't know how she knew, but she did. Maybe it came from years of living around the Hyuuga shinobi as they aged and either went mad or retired. Those seemed to be the only two options for a shinobi. In Kotetsu's case, there was madness. He wasn't dangling a foot in the water of madness, but was standing knee-deep in it admiring the fish nibbling on his feet.
Hinata wondered if she would go mad like that. She'd thought she would after she'd first heard about Naruto. The utter darkness in her soul had frightened her, and nothing she did seemed to lessen it. Life seemed to grow dim and monotonous. Nothing made her happy, and everything seemed to drag her deeper down into the darkness that ate at her soul.
Lately she'd managed to stuff the darkness away while she worked. It was still there, but she liked to think it was fading. She didn't know if it really was, or if she was just getting used to it. Maybe she'd have to live with this heavy feeling for the rest of her life. Maybe this darkness of the soul was what drove shinobi mad. Hinata could see how that would happen. Maybe that was what had happened to Kotetsu.
Hinata watched as the two pairs of shinobi met. They were obviously heading out for the same purpose. The way Raidou mussed Kotetsu's hair, as if he were a Genin, and gave Genma a thump on the back spoke of camaraderie. They way all three looked at Jiraiya, though Kotetsu was picking at his clothes as if they felt strange. His feet fidgeted and his eyes wandered, but Hinata got the feeling he was paying the strictest attention to Jiraiya.
They headed out the gates, towards the forest. Hinata almost jumped down and ran after them. She didn't. For all she knew they were on official business. Hinata knew her team was something of a forgotten group. They were sometimes remembered, but the few times Shikamaru had forgotten to turn in his daily report they hadn't been chastised. In any case, what were the chances Jiraiya of all people was doing something he shouldn't be?
Hinata settled back against the tree and resolved to tell Shikamaru when he arrived. They would watch for the return of the group, but she didn't see a reason to stop them.
Ramen. He smelled ramen. His senses strained. It was ramen. His mouth watered. Ramen was good. Some part of him lunged for the thought that ramen was good and hung onto it. Ramen was good. Ramen was excellent. He wanted ramen, and he always got what he wanted. He should go and get the ramen--his ramen.
He growled and pawed at the part of his mind that had grown almost silent. Things about it stood out, mostly the love of ramen and a familiar person who was good. Now it struggled for the ramen, seeming convinced ramen was necessary for life. He growled again, shoving it down and away. He felt it cower for a moment, and then it set up its howling again. It wanted ramen, and there would be no peace until it got ramen.
Ramen was good. It was nice, soft, and it didn't have to be chased down. It was easy food, not that he really needed food. He didn't need anything, really. He did want the ramen, and what harm in there was it? He prowled forward, sending chakra out like a cloud. He liked to know what was around him. He liked to feel things cower before the faintest brush of his chakra. He snarled at nothing, pleased to hear the sound.
Maybe the annoying shinobi would be there again. The shinobi didn't seem bothered by the Kyuubi's chakra. How such a puny thing got to be so comfortable around the burning red chakra was a mystery. Maybe he was stupid, or simply too weak to know the trouble he was facing.
A small part of the Kyuubi's mind snarled at that. It beat against the larger part, railing that the annoying shinobi wasn't weak or stupid. The Kyuubi batted it away again, but that didn't shut it up for long. It was clambering for ramen, recalling how good it tasted and how nice it was. It was annoying, but right. The Kyuubi almost turned away from the ramen smell just to spite it, but he didn't. He wanted ramen, and he always got what he wanted.
Maybe he'd even kill that annoying shinobi, if he was stupid enough to be around. The tiny part of his mind wailed, flinging itself at the Kyuubi. It scrambled briefly for control, and failed. The Kyuubi pushed it down, and felt it scream and struggle. He grinned at the feeling of dominance and tossed the tiny part of his mind out of the way.
The Kyuubi prowled forward, intent on the ramen.
Deadfall crackled under his feet, burned away by his chakra. He slid through the forest, growling to himself just to hear the noise. It reverberated off the dead trees, and made the smaller ones shake. Ah, he was almost as powerful as he'd been before this pitiful prison had been placed on him. Soon he'd be back to his old strength. As soon as he got rid of the last vestiges of the prison's mind he could go back to being the glorious Kyuubi. The prison's mind clung like spider webs, and refused to be brushed away. No matter, it was weak now, and it couldn't last much longer.
He slid around another tree and found himself in a clearing. His eyes focused on the annoying shinobi, crouched by the bowl of ramen. He snarled, and enjoyed the flinch the annoying shinobi gave. The annoying shinobi needed to learn his place. The Kyuubi snarled and leapt.
He covered the distance to the annoying shinobi in one leap, and growled as he landed. He grabbed the ramen cup and began devouring the salty contents in great gulps. The annoying shinobi jerked back and, with a jolt of chakra, jumped away from the Kyuubi. Maybe he wasn't as stupid as the Kyuubi had first thought. The Kyuubi dismissed the annoying shinobi and gobbled at the ramen. The cup was melting in his hands.
He smelled chakra gathering around him. He looked around, and saw the fiery lines flying along water, gathering in a complex pattern. The lines of water around him were beginning to glow with chakra. He snarled at them and gathered himself up for a jump out of the chakra. If the annoying shinobi had thought to capture the Kyuubi so easily he was in for surprise.
The Kyuubi tried to jump, and fell. His claws were dug into the dirt, and small part of him, suddenly strong and viciously desperate, was trying its hardest to stay on the ground. It huddled down and fought against the Kyuubi's attempts to move. The Kyuubi snarled and growled. He dragged at the tiny piece of his mind and tried to shake it away as he had before. It didn't budge. It trembled, and for a moment the Kyuubi had control of an arm. Then it was strong again, hanging on and refusing to give up anything.
Naruto! I'm Naruto, and this is my body!Kyuubi howled, tearing at the puny shinobi that held him down. It didn't budge. It held tight to its body, daring to defy the Kyuubi as he ripped at him, tearing away at his feeble control.
The chakra was growing stronger and closer. It pulled at his own chakra, funneling it away into the complex gathering. He snapped and snarled. He howled and tried to thrash his body. It twitched and quivered, but stayed still. It didn't move. The Kyuubi couldn't wrest control of his body away from a tiny, weak boy!
The Kyuubi howled again, and pressed down on the tiny part of his mind. He pushed, compressing the tiny part away from control and back into the darkest corner of the Kyuubi's mind. He pushed it far away from the control, and ignored its shouts and screams. He shoved it away and stamped it down till it was silent.
The Kyuubi gathered itself to jump out of the chakra, and felt it grab him. It pushed on him, compressing and squeezing. He howled, trying to shake it off. It was too late. He'd taken too long with the tiny boy. He was trapped.
Again.
Iruka couldn't see anything through the glow of chakra, but he could certainly hear something. The Kyuubi howled and snarled and the chakra built. Chills raced up and down Iruka's spine as he tried to remember all the signs. His hands were still flashing through them, but soon he'd have to hold one. They didn't actually need to finish the sealing jutsu, which was good. Iruka's chakra was draining fast. He couldn't keep this up much longer.
Iruka felt something crack. His body was filled with white hot pain. It raced up his chakra paths, burning into him. He gasped, but couldn't scream. He heard one long keening note rise from the middle of the array, and then the pain and light were gone. Iruka dropped to the ground, spent and exhausted.
He struggled up and looked around, collapsed in the middle of the array was a small figure...no tails or demonic chakra in sight. Iruka felt a surge of triumph. He wanted to shout. He wanted to dance. He wanted to run around screaming for the heck of it. Naruto was back, and the Kyuubi was sealed. He'd done it. He'd gotten Naruto back. He'd actually done it.
But, now...now he had to get his student away from Itachi and Kisame. Now he had to drag eighty-odd pounds of dead weight away from two S-class missing-nin without dying. Now come the impossible part. Now came death of a painful, bloody, and messy nature.
Iruka lurched to his feet, and looked over at Itachi, who was doing the same. Kisame was already on his feet. Iruka looked between them and began a lurching run for Naruto. He didn't have enough chakra for a translocation spell, or, more accurately, he needed that chakra for more important things. Maybe Itachi and Kisame were more drained than he was. Maybe he actually had a chance.
Half-way across the array Iruka ran into Kisame, who swung his sword with the intent to decapitate his 'Oikawa-chan'. It was a rather merciful death coming from Kisame. Iruka flung himself back and ducked, and was thrown back by an unexpected exploding tag. He heard Kisame swearing and saw a spiky-haired figure barrel into the missing-nin.
Then a giant toad nearly landed on Itachi, and chaos broke loose.
A/N: Ya'll knew this was coming, didn't you? I love cliff hangers. Don't you?
Thanks to the reviewers: RandomReviewer, CWolf2, Mare, wolvknight, icestar-comet-moon, WannabeFireFox, BlackDove-alchemist, Marz1, RedTheRetard, A kira, Sasori-kun, Nicole Miklos, Miranda Crystal-Bearer, Ally Plz, InARealPickle, and Cutest Despot Ever!
Only a chapter and the apilogue to go! Next Chapter: Coup de Grace!