Hey, guys! Now that the chunin exams are finished. I'll be working on 2 new chapters at a time and it will be updated again sooner or later on in the few months. Anyways, Please Read & Review!
CHAPTER 25: THE START OF INVASION
Both of the Kages had reached at the rooftop of the building where the 4th kazekage demanded the sound ninjas to make a huge rectangular barrier around them to keep him and the 3rd hokage in. It was known as the purple flame wall, keeping them in a trap.
"This is bad..." Kakashi muttered.
"Nine traitors," Guy said in disbelief.
"For the sound to betray the leaf, an alliance is only useful as a camouflage to make the enemy set his guard down. These stupid fighting games ends here. And from here, history changes," the 4th kazekage said slyly.
"You want to start a war? We should avoid solving things through force and work out our differences through negotiation. There is still time, kazekage," the 3rd hokage explained calmly.
The 4th kazekage said monotonously. "Heh. Do we become peace-loving fools when we are, Sarutobi-sensei...?" The name he called made him realized that it wasn't the 4th kazekage the whole time, who he has spoken to throughout the final rounds. Now that his suspicions were confirmed, the 3rd hokage had to think of a plan before the entire village gets destroyed.
Down at the center of the arena, the referee covered Sasuke in front of him as Baki. Kankuro and Temari did the same for the redhead, who was experiencing the side effects in his brain.
"It's impossible to proceed now," Temari said.
"Then, what are we supposed to do? Do it without him?!" Kankuro questioned in irritation.
Baki made his decisions, saying firmly. "Abort the mission. You guys take Gaara and retreat."
"What about you?!" She asked while Kankuro puts Gaara's arm around to help him up.
"I'll join the battle. Now, go!" Baki commanded, just when they followed his order, withdrawing away from the arena.
"Is the leader of this party, Orochimaru?" The referee asked out of curiosity.
"Who knows? Let's just join the fun," Baki suggested with a cunning smirk.
"Hey! What's going on?!" Sasuke asked vehemently.
The referee answered. "Sorry, but the chunin exam is now over. You go pursue Gaara and his two companions. You're already at the chunin level. If you're a leaf shinobi, then make yourself useful."
Sasuke paused at that and left to go find them as he jumped over the arena wall. Kakashi and the others noticed, whereas the 4th kazekage remarked on how useless Gaara is.
"Your foolishness has caused the leaf to fall further and further behind... I have won," he claimed as he ripped off his disguise, revealing his wicked smile as a sign of creating a misfortune.
"Heh. It's not over till it is. I thought I taught you that, Orochimaru?" The 3rd hokage said and continued, still held from his long time former student's grasp. "I thought this day would come eventually. But you won't get my head easily."
He replied deviously. "I told you. You should hurry and choose the fifth... because you will die here, third hokage!"
Elsewhere, many of the jounins were lined up beside each other, standing on top of the east gate. They were preparing themselves for battle against the Sand and Sound shinobi, who were on their positions to attack them. Kakashi and Guy had beaten up the other enemies near them as they had observed what was happening at the roof of the central watchtower.
From that moment on, Kakashi gave Sakura a word of advice while the other shinobis were ruthlessly fighting off with high speed and no caring in a sense of manner.
"This is the first mission you've had in quiet a while. Listen carefully, for the first time since the task to the land of waves, this is now your A-rank mission," he stated as he sliced off the sound ninja hurdling towards them.
"Sensei! At a situation like this, you can't possibly-" Sakura protested but was cut off.
"Sasuke is in a pursuit of Gaara and his sand siblings. Don't worry about us. Just go and wake Naruto and Shikamaru to track them down," he said.
"But shouldn't I also wake Ino and Choji?" She asked concernedly.
"Most likely, shinobi from the sand and sound have already entered the village. With more than the basic four man small team, you lose speed and it becomes harder to remain hidden. You learned that during the patrols during the academy, right?" He reminded her and used a summoning jutsu in order for Sakura to have four people on her team, which appeared to be a dog. "This little guy, Pakkun, will be able to track Sasuke down by his scent."
The small dog hopped near in front of Sakura's face, saying. "Hey, missy. Don't call me a cute little puppy."
"But I never said cute," she sweat dropped in mind as they soon sneak up and nullify the genjutsu upon Naruto and Shikamaru with a gentle tap on the blonde-haired's back. She stopped for a moment to realized that Shikamaru had been awake from the very beginning much to her annoyance. Pakkun gnawed his ankle for him to move, causing him to shriek. "You were able to deflect it! Why were you pretending to be asleep?!"
"Bah! I didn't want to be attacked. I refused. Who cares about Sasuke?" He said, pinching Pakkun's cheeks as he got bitten by him again. "Ouch!"
Naruto, who finally woke up, asked in puzzlement. "What's going on in here?" Without sensing a Sound ninja behind, Sakura yelled out in warning. But as soon as Guy came to arrive to contend against him with a huge blow up punch in the wall, breaking through it. Kakashi appeared and restated their mission.
"Once you've heard it, escape through that hole and chase after Sasuke. Join up with him and stop him. Then take him away to a safest location," he advised sternly.
"What happened to him?" Naruto asked worriedly.
"I'll explain as we go! Come on!" Sakura wrapped her arms quickly as they hovered out through the wide open hole, along with Shikamaru and Pakkun, leaving the two jounins fight off the rest of the remaining sound ninjas. As the team were heading to the forests, nine men in two squads began to chase them from behind.
"Don't look as if they've got a fix on our true position yet. But they're closin' in on us quickly while on the lookout against any surprise attacks," Pakkun said, looking at the corners of his eyes.
"Sheesh! What a drag! They're probably all beyond the chunin level. If they catch up with us, we'll be annihilated!" Shikamaru said as a matter-of-fact.
"Annihilated?" Sakura thought in perplexed.
"Well, if that's the case, then shall we ambush'em and do'em?!" Naruto suggested as they skipped on the tree branches and continued. "We'd certainly have a great advantage if we were to ambush them! Even if they're twice our number, as long as we can surprise them."
"It's no use. They're subordinates of Orochimaru, a former konoha shinobi, you know," Pakkun pointed out.
"Sheesh. I thought we might have been able to pull it off. But I guess not then," Shikamaru said in irritation.
"Huh! Why, that has nothing to do with it, does it?" Sakura asked for assurance.
"Like, what do you mean?" Naruto questioned.
"You guys just don't get it," Shikamaru said and continued. "Ok, listen up!" He raised up his two fingers, indicating a strategy. "There are necessary conditions that must be met. The first is that those feeling must move without making noise and discover the enemy first! The second is to locate and quickly conceal themselves in a place and position where you can take them off guard and ensure you cause maximum damage to them. Only when both of these conditions are met without doubt, will the ambush become effective. Well, the first isn't so hard to clear as long as we have Pakkun's nose. Even with the second condition, it may seem at first glance that we would be able to secure the best position to surprise them. Since this is our home and we're quite familiar with the geography. But this plan won't work against the subordinates of a shinobi who was from konoha! The ambush will still be advantageous to us but there's too many undecided factors involved. To begin with, the enemy's a ninja squad that's been organized for this plan, whereas we have." The whole entire explanation he gave to them thought how much they've compared themselves as low.
"An idiot," Naruto said in mind.
"A dog," Pakkun gazed angrily.
"A kunoichi with no special ability," Sakura felt envious as they listened to him talk.
"And the best guy at running away... me! Battle tactics, you know! It's how to come up with the best plan after fully grasping the combat ability available in a given situation. And so, after that analysis, there's only one thing that we can do now..." Shikamaru muttered sternly.
"One thing?!" Sakura repeated.
"We need to create a diversion that looks as if we're going to ambush them. One of us will have to remain behind and delay them by faking an ambush!" Shikamaru suggested.
"In other words, a decoy," Sakura said anxiously.
"That's right. If they're stalled, they won't be able to lose the trackers. But the one who stays behind will probably... die," Shikamaru concluded, much to their dismay and asks. "So who's going to do it? The dog's necessary to chase after Sasuke, in which case..." He trailed off in his words, leaving themselves in dead silence as they continued to head forward, passing through the trees.
"Ok! I understand. I'll-" Naruto was about to agree on taking the risk, but Shikamaru decided to do it.
"Why you?" Sakura questioned.
He answered. "It's better than being annihilated, isn't it? Besides, if you think about the guy that can fulfill the job of the decoy successfully and be the most likely to survive then." He snagged onto the tree branch and hopped on it, saying. "I'm the only one in this bunch who can do it, because the Shadow Possession jutsu was invented a delay tactic. Anyway, I'll catch up with you later. Go on, get going."
Naruto nodded in approval and said. "We're counting on you, Shikamaru... Sakura."
She glanced at him as they looked into each other's eyes, hoping that they are able to stay alive. The three of them turned around continuously searching for Sasuke, leaving Shikamaru behind.
Sakura looked back in mind, saying. "When did he became this dedicated?" She prayed that he will make it through, once the enemies have been defeated.
As the Sound ninjas were beginning to find the footprints trailing on the tree branches, Pakkun sensed them by their scent.
"I wonder if he was trying something back there," he said curiously, much to Sakura's dismay.
"No, don't tell me..." she said in disbelief.
"Shikamaru will be just fine," Naruto assured.
"Hopefully, he didn't ran away," she retorted heatedly.
"Look, I said he'd be okay and I meant it," he said firmly.
"How do you know?" She questioned.
"He's lazy. He's always complaining about everything, but he would never betray us," he stated and continued. "I know he hardly ever volunteers to do anything himself. But if he says he's going to do it, then he'll do it. That's for sure."
Sakura stared off space in deep thought. "I want to believe I do... But..."
"Pick up the space, slackers," Pakkun demanded as they quickly head on further.
Elsewhere, Shikamaru managed to get away and hid behind the tree shamelessly, whereas the sound ninjas lowered onto the ground and found another footprints. Thinking to themselves that they caught up with it, they turned around to see him standing bravely in front of them. No doubt of unexpected surprise as his smirk widened.
"Would you look at that...? He's just a kid," one of the sound shinobis remarked.
"To think we'd be captured by the likes of him. This must be the famous shadow binding jutsu, huh?" The other one guessed.
"Ahh. That's a really old-fashioned way of saying it. Times are changing. Now, it's called Shadow Imitation jutsu," Shikamaru claimed and released his shurikens through his finger flying towards them.
But they were missed and fell onto the ground. Just when the shadow's speed won't have any more stamina to convert to chakra.
"It's useless. We already know all about your technique," the sound ninja said maliciously.
"I guess this is it," he said in mind calmly with defeat.
"Looks like you're at the end of your rope. This so-called Shadow Imitation will be gone soon. Be prepared!" The sound ninja exclaimed.
While Naruto and the others kept moving on, they sensed that the pursuers have stopped follow them. Thanks to Shikamaru. Although, they prayed that he'd be alive and catch up to them eventually.
As the sound ninjas were facing Shikamaru one of the asked sarcastically to their allies to lop his head off. Just in time, Asuma had arrived in the scene and whooped their asses quickly, much to Shikamaru's relief.
Before and after the tension is beginning to die down between the 3rd hokage and Orochimaru, the third explains that in exchange for using the sealing technique, the user is sentence to death as it was demonstrated by the Fourth Hokage. Because of the large amount of his soul that has been removed, Orochimaru is now able to see the demon of the seal, just in time to witness the consumption of the hokage souls affected by it. Once eaten by the demon the souls are trapped in its belly, forced to spend eternity in a constant battle of hate with one another. This revelation brings fear to Orochimaru's eyes who tries to ensure the Third dies before he can be given that same future.
"In exchange for this jutsu to work, you hand over your soul to death. It's a sealing jutsu you pay for with your life. There's no need to avoid it... I'll die anyway! Once the sealing is completed, my soul will be consumed simultaneously. It's the jutsu of the hero who once upon a time, saved this village with this jutsu. From now, you'll die as well!" The 3rd hokage exclaimed firmly.
"You mean that this was the jutsu that sealed even the nine-tailed fox?!" The Orochimaru questioned.
"Yes... I'll drag your soul out of your body soon and seal you. You too should be able to see it about now. Your soul is about halfway out too with this jutsu, the one whose soul is sealed will suffer for all eternity in the belly of death, never gaining release," the 3rd hokage finished explaining, just when the souls had been eaten as Orochimaru was watching in horror.
For the others who were facing the giant snakes destroying the buildings, Jiraiya came in time to help them fight.
"He finally started it, huh. That Orochimaru. Where's the hokage?" He asked, glancing at the proctor.
"He's at the test arena," he answered.
"I see... Don't be dying now... old man," Jiraiya prayed in mind that his long-time sensei would make it out alive as well as the others.
The sand siblings kept passing through every trees to escape, but it wasn't long enough until they stopped to a halt. In front of them was Sasuke smirking confidently and saying that there's no point of running away. On the other hand, Pakkun sensed their scents nearby and discovered that the other one is barely even human.
Kankuro, who placed his puppet beside him, instructed Temari to take Gaara ahead and claimed to fight Sasuke. But a voice called out behind him, which revealed to be Shino.
He pointed his finger at him, explaining. "Before you left the arena, I used some female bugs to spread their scent on you. Sasuke Uchiha, you chase after Gaara. After all, your match with him has yet to be decided. I'll fight this one since I was supposed to be his opponent anyway."
"You're rather smug about this. You think you can do it?" Sasuke asked for assurance.
Shino replied without hesitation. "Don't worry. I'll keep him off your back for 10 minutes."
"Hmph. By that time, I'll be finished up here," Sasuke said grinning boastfully.
"You guys have no idea about the experience of true terror," Kankuro's eyes glimmered wickedly at them.
"And so you want me to experience that sort?" Shino spreads his arms forward to prepare his attack.
"No. Wait til you defeat me and catch up with Gaara. You will experience it then. But you'll have to defeat me first!" Kankuro made signs to perform his technique. "Puppet jutsu!" The bandages began to extend out, revealing one in front of him.
A bug that was appearing on Shino's arm started multiplying little ones around, forming it as a weapon. "I am a chunin of the hidden leaf. During battle, it doesn't matter how weak my opponent is. I won't underestimate him. I will fight all out!"
"Hmph. Bring it on!" He said in remark while Temari continues to head on, carrying Gaara on her shoulder with a quick pace.
From tree branch to another, the redhead made a slight groan and asks her to put him down. But once they had stopped, a headache was causing him to awaken the beast inside him. There, he startled in shock and viciously swung his arm to her as she stumbles down onto the other branch. Gaara's eyes were fully hardened directly above Sasuke's figure at a near distance between them. Both of their eyes matched the feelings of resentment, vengeance and a purpose that they've kept inside themselves. Though, their perspectives were quite different as the cold tension is now surfacing among them.
"Ugh," Gaara grunted at the sudden pain on his head.
"Although, I don't know the motives of your village. I will stop you," Sasuke claimed. "I want to see your true face."
Half of Gaara's face is Shukaku's form and said. "You're strong. You have companions. You have that ambition. You're just like me. But after I kill you, I will be the one to destroy all of that. Only then, I can survive. Only then, I can feel alive!" In a few seconds he dropped down to his knees, growling and starts to transform half-fully at a breaking point, whereas Sasuke and Temari couldn't help but watch him in alarm.
"Looks like this battle won't end as quickly as I thought," the dark-haired boy noted in mind.
The rest of the shinobis are coping up with the battles they are currently in, which takes matters at worst. Back in the village at a near monumental faces, Iruka lead every children into a secret safe hideout, informing them not to get panic in case if the enemy appears. A sound of crack of the third hokage's stone monument was noticed by him and Konohamaru that indicates a bad sign.
Elsewhere, Shino's bugs had been jamming the puppet's joints as it disinfects the chakra string to get to Kankuro, who quickly cuts them before he gets affected. He then reconnected the strings instantly and releases one of the puppet's booby traps towards Shino. Edging the sting of poison closer to his head, Shino on the spur of the moment leaked his bugs out of Kankuro's fingertips. Henceforth, he questioned to when did they get to him without noticing anyone of them crawling up to him. The bugs grew larger that covers half of his body while Shino is explaining his strategy.
"At the time, I attacked you before. I deliberately missed, so I placed the insect on you at that moment," he said in stillness.
"How could you know where I was with just one bug?" Kankuro queried.
"I dislike having to say the same thing again," Shino answered and continued on. "Before you left the arena, I used one of the insects to spread their scent on you that is non-existent. Only the males of the same species can trace the faint scent."
"You mean... this one on my head," Kankuro gazed at his headband directly.
"That's right. It's the female bug," Shino said as he made his escape towards the tree branches, leaving him behind.
Concurrently in the middle of the day, the two boys were now gazing towards each other coldly as the redhead's half beast form is ready to strike with his huge beast claw. The blue-haired ninja recalled the memory of one of the beast's demonic eyes staring at him outside the spherical sand barrier, which gave him unpleasant chills.
"It's that eye from before," Sasuke thought in mind as his fists started twitching apprehensively.
Just when Gaara dashed forward lay at him with a roar, Sasuke stepped back quickly and letting the tree branches crumbled into pieces. He hid behind one of them and questioned if the red head is a monster.
"Are you afraid of me?!" Gaara asked in a malicious tone while searching his hiding spot. "Sasuke Uchiha... are you afraid of my existence?!"
Sasuke took a moment to remembered what his older brother had done to their clan and the words he had spoken echoed through his mind. He finally knew that he let him live so that he doesn't have to feel guilty about killing them. He was only alive for a reason and that is to become an avenger; to hunt and to destroy him. As he made a few hand signs to perform his Chidori Technique, Sasuke flashed his eyes wide opened, awakening his Sharingan in the process.
"What's the matter? Has your fear overtaken the hatred, the killing urge? If you crave for answer, come and get me!" Gaara shouted vehemently, now that the two began to cross towards each other directly to attack. Whilst Sasuke ends up to diverge through Gaara's half beast arm form, severely injuring it as he screamed in pain. Although, Gaara just laughed hysterically instead when he began to spoke. "So that's what it was."
"Impossible! He countered the transformed Gaara?!" Temari stuttered in astonishment.
"The reason why I'm so excited is because I just got the answer!" He grasped onto the beast arm and trembled. "Defeating a man strong enough to hurt me and utterly destroying him. That's what gives me an even greater sense of existence!"
Sasuke smirked at him without replying back, whereas Temari was quivering a little at the thought of how he wounded his right arm.
"Hahaha! I want more!" Gaara craved in exclamation. He starts to change his shape and form, then charges faster than before that wrecked every other tree branches. His beast a had stretched onto the trees to counter Sasuke's fireball jutsu and bewildered.
"Die!" Gaara smacked him off with his sand defense that clearly did not have any damage at all by the fire nor lighting effect. "Is this all your existence? Let me make it clear for you then... you are weak!" He shouted crudely and continued on. "You're too soft... because your hatred isn't strong enough. The power of hate is the power to kill. The power to kill is the power of vengeance. Your hatred is weaker than mine!"
"Shut up..." Sasuke muttered under his breath in irritation while hiding and resting behind a tree. He then shows up with his Chidori on his hand that made him snapped out of his reverie and began to hastened at the redhead.
"You're weaker than me!" Gaara repeated as they both head towards each other to attack once again.
Unfortunately, the Chidori was starting to fizz out, resulting the loss of Sasuke's chakra usage. But he managed to him him in the square of his shoulder the way he was also hit. For a few seconds there, the sand was beginning to slowly dissolve down until Sasuke's curse seal was now taking over his side of the body. The dark-haired ninja collapsed onto the branch when the redhead jumped off to attack him.
Luckily, a kick by Naruto threw him off who came just in time, along with Sakura and Pakkun, much to Gaara's startlement.
He stepped back and watches her examine Sasuke's wounds and scratches.
"This can't be... the curse seal," Sakura thought anxiously. She then moved her eyes and glanced at him and knowing that his body was transformed into a half beast form. She was not surprised at all that a beast can take control of him and asked herself in mind, sympathetically. "What have I done?"
Gaara just glowered at them in death stare while wagging his tail back and forth and ready to attack them like a predator wanting to devour on his prey.
On the other hand, Naruto was facing at his direction to fight him off in a battle. He stood confidently and informs his friends, softly. "Leave this guy to me. I'll take him." He began to clenched his fists tightly together and contemplate on the plans he had in mind.
Both him and Gaara were narrowing their eyes at each other in a heated moment, whereas Sakura and Pakkun was carefully observing to see whether Naruto is capable of defeating him or not. If all else fails, that is where Sakura would step in to fight Gaara.
However, the only problem is... Will she be able to go up against her best friend she thought once knew?