Woo! Quick update and longer than usual! This one was easy to write, but it was completely improvised, I realsied upon starting it that i hadn't given this part of the story any thought at all. Ah well, let me know what you think, I'd hate it if these quick updates meant I was getting lazy with continuity and stuff. I'm actually quite proud of this chapter, without getting big headed I tihnk it does the event justice, if that makes sense. Anyway, again, let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: Only you can read this! Woooo-oooo-ooooo!
The snake returns to its nest
Sakura blinked as she suddenly sensed something. It felt heavy, like a great weight was bearing down on her. She looked up at the crowds and realised that one by one they were all falling asleep, almost as if-
"Release!" Naruto cried. His word confirmed Sakura's thoughts, and she too made a hand sign.
"Release!" she said, before looking at Naruto, "What's going on?"
"I don't know." Naruto answered, "I don't like this, let's find Kakashi."
"But what about the exam?" Sakura asked.
"Someone already decided it's over." Naruto replied, running off. Sakura glanced down at Sasuke, who appeared unaffected by the Genjutsu, before she ran after Naruto. She found he was waiting for her at the stairs, with the serious look that brought her both relief, yet a little disappointment.
"C'mon! I've got a bad feeling about this." he said, as she reached him. Together, they ran up the stairs. Their pace slowed when the heard the sound of metal on metal.
"Is someone fighting up there?" Sakura asked.
"Let's find out." Naruto replied, as they reached the correct level. They exited the stairwell and found themselves in the stands, where countless civilians were fast asleep. Up ahead they could see Kakashi and Gai fighting Oto Shinobi, who had appeared form nowhere.
"Naruto, Sakura!" Kakashi called out, "Get Sasuke and run!"
"No way we can take these guys!" Naruto protested.
"I don't wanna hear it!" Kakashi yelled, "I'm giving you an order, get out of here!"
"Let's go Naruto." Sakura said, placing a hand on his arm. Naruto paused for a second, looking at her hand. Then he nodded, running to the railing and leaping over it. He found Sasuke in seconds, Sakura close behind.
"What's going on?!" Sasuke asked, looking at their faces.
"Oto nin are attacking!" Naruto replied, "Kakashi ordered us to get out of here!"
"He wants us to run away?" Sasuke asked incredulously.
"We have to leave!" Sakura said, as explosions sounded off in the distance. She pulled Naruto's arm and he stumbled slightly, resisting.
"Hold on a second." he said, "We need to get Gaara out of here!"
He crouched down and grabbed Gaara's arm, which no longer had sand on it, and lifted him up. Sasuke bent over and took the other arm, supporting him.
"Ok, let's go!" Naruto said, the three of them running off. They reached the entrance and Sakura pulled the doors open, allowing Naruto and Sasuke to run through without stopping. She caught up with them and they ran into the streets, where they could hear cries in the distance. Naruto glanced up and saw smoke rising in the distance.
"It's not just an attack, they're invading!" he cried.
"Gaara's wounded!" Sakura yelled, "Should we take him to the hospital?"
"No." Sasuke replied over his shoulder, "Medical and transport facilities are usually the first places that are attacked. It keeps civilians from hiding or escaping and hinders the other sides progress."
"So what do we do?" Sakura asked, "We can't leave him like this!"
Before either Naruto or Sasuke could answer, an Oto Shinobi leapt down from the rooftops, blocking their path.
"Genin usually assist the wounded." he said, stoically, "I will eliminate you before you can get in the way of our mission."
"You guys go on ahead." Sasuke muttered, removing Gaara's arm from his shoulder, "I'll take care of this guy."
"Now way, don't risk it!" Naruto replied, "I can use my Kage Bunshins. Sakura, can you help Sasuke get Gaara out of here?"
Ok!" Sakura said, ducking under Gaara's arm as Naruto moved away. Sasuke put Gaara's arm back around his shoulder and nodded to Naruto, before he and Sakura ran off.
"Be careful!" Sakura cried over her shoulder, before they disappeared around a corner. The Oto Shinobi watched them leave, before looking back at Naruto.
"They will be dealt with soon." he said, "You appear awfully confident, for a Genin."
"I kinda got a right to be." Naruto replied, grinning.
* * * * *
Sakura and Sasuke burst through the doors of the academy, placing Gaara face down on a desk. Sakura reached into he pouch and pulled out her first aid kit, setting to work immediately. Sasuke leant against the wall, gazing outside at the smoke and faint red glows that came from the village.
"I thought Otogakure was just a small village?" he thought aloud, "How the hell are they doing so much damage?"
"I don't know." Sakura replied, disinfecting Gaara's wound.
"Who the hell trained them to be this strong?" Sasuke continued, "Could this have something to do with Orochimaru?"
Sakura's entire body tensed at the mention of that name. although she had never met him, from what she had heard, he sounded terrifying.
"Do you think…" she began, "If he is behind the attack, will he try and take Naruto?"
Sasuke glanced at her, before shaking his head.
"He went to too much trouble to antagonise Naruto, taking him would just put all those efforts to waste." he replied, "If this attack has anything to do with Naruto, then it's just another one of Orochimaru's tests."
"Why do you think he's interested in Naruto?" Sakura asked, applying the bandages.
"It's almost definitely to do with the Kyubi." Sasuke replied, "Naruto said Orochimaru's working for this Madara guy. It sounds to me like Madara wants to get the Kyubi back."
"You really think so?" Sakura asked, rolling Gaara onto his back.
"Yeah, I just can't figure out why. If it's the case that the Kyubi's just a powerful weapon, then he'd have taken Naruto as soon as the Yondaime was dead. But he didn't. He left Naruto and disappeared. Why? Why would he risk losing the Kyubi like that?"
Sasuke's eyes widened as he realised something.
"He's got someone on the inside!" he exclaimed, "There's someone in Konoha working for him!"
"How can that be?" Sakura asked, looking at Sasuke worriedly, "There's no way someone could stay undercover for this long, at least not while keeping an eye on the Kyubi!"
"I don't know." Sasuke replied, "We'll have to talk to Naruto about this. He said the Kyubi sees everything, maybe he knows something."
"Do you think he will help?"
"Even if it isn't true, Naruto told us the Kyubi was his father. If the Kyubi does care about Naruto, he'll help. If not, he'll help to preserve his own existence. I doubt he'll want to be Madara's slave again."
Sakura bit her lip. She really didn't know what to believe when it comes to the Kyubi. She trusted Naruto, but not him. She jumped in fright as she heard a groan.
"Where am I?" Gaara asked, slowly opening his eyes.
"The exams over." Sasuke replied, "Oto ninja are attacking Konoha. Naruto asked us to help you out."
"Naruto?" Gaara repeated, "Where is he?"
"He's out there." Sasuke answered, "He was holding off an Oto Shinobi when we last saw him. He wanted us to get you to safety."
Gaara stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, before he tried to sit up.
"You shouldn't be moving." Sakura said, putting a hand on his arm to stop him. Gaara stared at her hand, before looking up at her. His eyes narrowed and she quickly let go, suddenly quite nervous of being this close to him.
"I can see some of Naruto in side of you." Gaara said. Sakura blinked.
"What?" she asked, confused. Gaara didn't reply, instead he got to his feet, "You really should stay down."
"I am fine." Gaara replied, "Naruto is out there fighting for my sake. For some reason he doesn't seem to fear or hate me like everyone else does. I am indebted to him for what he has done. I am going to assist him."
"We'll come with you." Sasuke said, moving away from the wall, "Now you're back on your feet, we need to find Naruto, he could be in trouble."
Gaara nodded in acknowledgement.
"Where are Temari and Kankuro?" he asked, with a stoic expression.
"When you started… changing, they ran off." Sakura replied, as tenderly as she could.
"I see." Gaara said, "It doesn't matter, they are meaningless."
With that, he turned and walked to the door, Sakura and Sasuke close behind.
"Are you sure you can fight?" Sasuke asked, "After our fight, I finished of your Biju."
Gaara looked at Sasuke without moving his head.
"This was Naruto again?" he asked.
"Yeah, he's been doing a lot." Sasuke replied.
"I can still feel the sand on my body, my Suna no Yoroi." Gaara said, "That means my chakra is still mixed in with the sand; I can still control it."
Sasuke nodded. Gaara turned his head a little, so he could see him clearer.
"You defeated me." he noted.
"I guess."
"Congratulations."
"…Thanks."
Sakura looked between Gaara and Sasuke. Both of them seemed very tense, but it was to be expected considering they were opponents only a half hour ago. They left the academy, looking out into the village.
"Will Naruto be in the same place as before?" Sakura asked.
"Probably not." Sasuke replied, "Chances are he made a lot of noise and drew attention to himself."
"Is that likely?" Gaara asked.
"Number One Loudest, Unpredictable, Hyperactive Knuckleheaded Ninja of Konoha." Sasuke quoted, "A title given to him by his own sensei."
Gaara paused, taking this in. Sakura had to supress a smile as she saw the confusion on his normally expressionless face.
"So how do we find him?" she asked.
"We can't risk being detected by the enemy." Sasuke replied, "So we can't use the rooftops. It won't be easy looking for him on street level, and it puts us at risk of ambush. I don't really see a way to find him without endangering ourselves."
"We'll travel by air." Gaara said. Sasuke gave him a look, his brow hanging low and his eyes half shut.
"Can you sprout wings out your back?" he asked, "Cos I sure as hell can't."
Gaara didn't give an answer, but sand began pouring out of the gourd.
"He was kidding!" Sakura said quickly, worried Gaara was going to attack them.
"I know that." Gaara replied, as the sand piled onto the ground. He stepped onto the pile and the sand moved out, giving Sakura and Sasuke room to stand as well.
"Get on." Gaara said. It wasn't a request. Gingerly, Sakura and Sasuke stepped onto the sand. Almost immediately, they were lifted into the air. Sakura stumbled slightly in surprise, but Sasuke grabbed her arm before she fell off.
"Thanks." she said, embarrassedly.
"It's fine." Sasuke replied, letting go of her arm. Gaara raised the sand high into the sky, until they had a birds eye view of Konoha. From what they could see, Oto ninja had scaled the walls before attacking the gates from the inside, allowing more of their forces to get inside. But they tried not to pay attention to that, instead scanning the streets for Naruto's telltale orange jacket.
"I don't see him anywhere!" Sakura said, but her words were drowned out by a deafening screech.
"Over there!" Sasuke cried, looking down to the left. Sakura joined him and her yes widened in terror. A gargantuan three headed snake had appeared and was attacking the village, crashing through the streets. All over Konoha ninja were doing battle with the serpent, all the while trying to hold off the Oto nin attacking them.
"We need to find Naruto now!" Sakura cried, "We have to get out of here!"
"Sakura, there's a giant three headed snake." Sasuke said, staring at her pointedly. Sakura stared back, until a few seconds later she caught on. She let out an exasperated groan, covering her eyes with her hands.
"Oh please don't tell me he's-" she began.
"I see him." Gaara interrupted.
"Where?!" Sakura and Sasuke cried, leaning over the edge.
"Look at the snake."
They both nearly fell off right then and there. He hadn't just headed to the snake, hadn't just attacked the snake, but he was literally on the snake. As in, running up its body, with Zenko and Yako on either side.
"What do we do?" Sakura asked, deciding to put off her exasperation for the moment, it seemed like a good idea for now.
"There's nothing we can do." Gaara replied, "We won't be able to get near him without the snake seeing us and I don't have enough sand to even blind it let alone kill it. The best thing we can do is wait for an opportunity."
Sasuke nodded in agreement. Sakura looked to them both before her gaze returned to Naruto, worry and fear clear on her face.
"Be careful!" she thought.
"RAAARRRGGHH!" Naruto yelled, running up the snake's back. He channelled Futon chakra into his hand and ran his fingertips along the skin of the serpent, cutting into it and leaving a long slash as he ran. The snake screamed and one of the heads turned to attack him, mouth snapping open as it lunged at him. Zenko instantly transformed into chakra and rammed itself into the snake's eyes, blinding it. The head roared in pain, swinging about wildly and smashing into a nearby building. As Zenko's chakra returned, Naruto swiped at it, the chakra forming around his hand and taking the shape of a large claw. He reached the point where the three heads connected and proceeded to leap between each one, delivering a quick slash before bounding back off onto the next one. With each slash he left some of his chakra, which caused the wounds to burn and spread. By the time he'd reached the middle snake head, they were all writhing in pain, heads swinging about dangerously.
"He's beating them!" Sakura cried, both surprised and ecstatic. Gaara and Sasuke were still waiting for an opening, but they were nonetheless taken aback by Naruto's ferocity.
"It's strange." Gaara muttered, "He actually seems to work with his Biju."
"So that's what his power is?" Sasuke wondered aloud, "How can he handle such a chakra?"
"Taju Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto cried with his hands in a seal. From his technique, twelve Bunshins appeared around him. eight of them immediately leapt off, four of each landing on the other snake heads, leaving him and four other Bunshins standing in the centre. Each of the Bunshins moved at the same time, two leaning over each eye. They then progressed o move from side to side, switching places with their partner and greatly disorienting the snake.
"DO IT NOW!" Naruto yelled out. All the ninja fighting in the area threw kunai with explosive tags at the snake, each blade embedding itself in the skin. Simultaneously, the tags were activated, all of them exploding at once. The snake let out a final scream, before it crashed to the ground, sending shockwaves throughout Konoha. The snake disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only a coughing Naruto, Zenko and Yako standing in its wake. All fighting had ceased momentarily as the snake was defeated, but soon resumed. However, it seemed the Konoha nin were motivated form this victory and fought harder than before, while the Oto nin seemed disheartened form losing their biggest advantage. Up in the sky, Sakura was cheering excitedly.
"Well, I think now's as good a time as any to go get him." Sasuke muttered, smirking.
"He never ceases to surprise me." Gaara muttered as they descended. As they neared the ground, Sakura jumped off the last few feet and ran to Naruto, throwing her arms around his neck.
"That was incredible!" she cried, "I can't believe you took out that giant snake!"
Naruto laughed and returned her hug. He was surprised to see her here, but happy nonetheless. When they let each other go, he looked at Gaara and Sasuke, his brow raised in surprise.
"You're back on your feet?" he asked.
"I am." Gaara replied, "That was impressive."
"It wasn't much!" Naruto said, modestly, "I could only distract it, if everyone else wasn't there with their explosive tags, I would've been in trouble!"
"That's right." Sasuke said, smirking, "We all know Naruto couldn't take a monster like that on his own."
Naruto nearly blew his lid, but Sakura's giggle made him realise Sasuke was only joking.
"What about you?" he asked, smirking himself, "You couldn't even beat a girl who throws needles around, oh wait, it was a guy!"
Sasuke's eyes bugged out as he realised what Naruto was referring to. His face suddenly reddened and he looked away, his bangs and collar hiding most of his face.
"We should get out of here." he said, "We shouldn't take part in this fight."
"Yeah, but where should we go?" Sakura asked, looking around. Suddenly, her eyes widened, "What is that?!"
Everyone turned in the direction she was facing. What she saw was a massive barrier surrounding the rooftop back at the arena. It reached high into the sky, and sent out a dark chakra filled with malevolence and hate.
"It's a barrier." Sasuke noted, "So who's inside it?"
"It's positioned exactly where your Hokage and my father were watching the exam." Gaara replied, "They're probably fighting."
"The Hokage's fighting the Kazekage?!" Sakura exclaimed. Sasuke and Naruto glanced at each other.
"If Orochimaru's behind this attack-" Sasuke began.
"Then he's probably there!" Naruto finished, eyes wide with shock.
"Orochimaru?" Gaara asked, glancing at Sakura.
"He's one of the three Sannin." Sakura answered, "And he's looking for Naruto."
Gaara frowned at her, "Then why would we go to him?"
"Because Naruto's looking for Orochimaru." she replied.
"…I see."
"It's a long story." Sakura said, rubbing her forehead.
"Very well, then we should get moving." Gaara replied, manipulating the sand so there was room for Naruto as well. Naruto, with Zenko and Yako on his shoulders, climbed on after Sakura and Sasuke. Gaara then lifted the sand, moving them back in the direction of the arena.
"Alright, Sand Express!" Naruto grinned. Gaara rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd heard that joke. Once they'd reached a safe height, the sand moved in the direction of the arena, at a slower pace than before considering the extra passengers. Sasuke had crouched down, a hand place on the sand as he watched the barrier closely.
"Naruto, we need to tell you something." he said, "We think there might be someone in Konoha that's working or Madara."
Naruto crouched down as well, his grin falling.
"So you figured it out as well?" he noted.
"You already knew?" Sasuke asked, looking at Naruto in surprise.
"Yeah, I've known for a while. The problem is, I don't have any idea of who it is."
"Can't the Kyubi tell you?" Sakura asked, "You said he can see everything."
"It's not exactly like that." Naruto replied, "He could only see everything before he was sealed. But he remembered it all, and he's really wise, so he can tell what's going to happen from what he has seen. He's been right every time, I tested it a lot. But so much time has passed, he can't make clear judgements like he could before. And there's something else."
Naruto raised his hand to his face, obscuring his mouth.
"When it comes to someone who can be considered 'unpredictable', he can't make any judgements at all, because there's no telling what that person might do. Also anyone working with that person is the same, because the unpredictability will affect them, no matter how obvious that person may be. To put it simply, anyone working for Madara can be considered unpredictable. There's no way of telling who's working for him, at least, not by using the Kyubi's power."
"So what does that mean?" Sakura asked. Naruto paused, staring straight at the barrier up ahead.
"It means that right now, the only people I can trust are you three." he said. Gaara glanced at Naruto from the corner of his eye.
"You would put your trust in me?" he asked, thinking Naruto had miscounted.
"Definitely." Naruto confirmed. Gaara looked away, he didn't dare make eye contact.
"I see." he replied, "You would be the first person to do that, are you sure you don't want to reconsider?"
"I trust all of you." Naruto said, confidently. They all fell silent, unsure of what to say. Sakura sat down next to Naruto, resting her head on his shoulder.
"We won't let you down." she promised. Naruto smiled to himself.
"You don't need to say that." he replied, "I know you won't."
Sakura smiled as well, but it was short lived. They were nearly inside the arena, where bodies littered the area. They could vaguely see Kakashi and Gai still fighting strong, but the number of enemies had increased since they'd left. Up at the barrier, several ANBU units were standing, looking inside. Naruto looked around the barrier, seeing two obscured figures crouched at either corner. He assumed there were two more on the other side, but he couldn't see because of the miniature forest that had grown in the short time they'd been absent. They landed on the rooftop, where four of the ANBU immediately readied their weapons. They soon realised that Naruto and the others weren't enemies, but they didn't relax.
"You shouldn't be here." one of the ANBU said, "All Genin should be assisting civilians to the shelters."
"What's going on in there?" Naruto asked, ignoring the ANBU's words and walking to the barrier. Sakura, Sasuke and Gaara joined him, standing by his side. Sakura's expression turned to shock as she looked inside.
"Aren't those the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage?!" she exclaimed, "How is that possible?"
"It is Orochimaru's Kinjutsu." one of the ANBU replied, accepting that they weren't going to leave. None of the other ANBU had tried to stop them either, they simply weren't important enough in comparison to the situation.
"Orochimaru?!" Naruto repeated, scanning the area.
"Him." Sasuke said, pointing to a pale figure who was standing aside from the three Hokage. The long black hair, the yellow eyes, the insincere smile, none of these were familiar to Naruto, but he had no doubt at all in his mind that this was the man who was looking for him, and that he was looking for. He could see Orochimaru talking, and tried to listen in, though the barrier made it difficult.
"Age has made you weak, Sarutobi-sensei." Orochimaru said, "Can someone in your condition really protect this village?"
"I am strong enough to defeat you!" Hiruzen replied, dodging attacks from the two previous Hokage.
"How can you say that, when you are struggling to handle a pair of corpses?" Orochimaru asked, chuckling to himself, "Now do you see what a hindrance aging is? Wouldn't it be better if such a thing were to stop? To remain forever young?"
"Is it your wish for me to accept your horrific Jutsu as correct?" Hiruzen asked, "All life is precious, I always tried to teach you that. Why is it you could never understand?"
"What is the use in a life that doesn't meet its full potential?" Orochimaru asked, "If someone chooses to be useless, or is unable to be of any use, then they only serve to weaken you. I simply give the useless a purpose, that is all. Who knows? Perhaps when I achieve my ultimate goal, I will use my knowledge for the good of the world?"
"Have you no humanity left?" Hiruzen asked, a disgusted look on his face, "Why did you return here? Was it just revenge that drove you to attack this village in such a cowardly manner?"
Orochimaru chuckled, looking at Hiruzen like he was a child.
"Oh how naïve you are Sarutobi-sensei." he said, "Do you really think I care about the past? In fact, I am grateful to this village. If my deeds hadn't been discovered, I wouldn't be faced with the opportunity I have now. But I couldn't leave without saying hello to my dear sensei, that would be rude."
"Am I to assume that the opportunity you speak of is Naruto?" Hiruzen asked, "For what reason would you seek that poor boy? Are you still working for that organization?"
"Kukukuku, you have been paying attention." Orochimaru replied, a devious glint in his eyes, "But I am no longer affiliated with those individuals. I work with a much higher power."
"A higher power?" Hiruzen repeated, "Explain yourself!"
"Don't think you can give me commands!" Orochimaru hissed, eyes narrowing to a sneer. He continued to speak some more, but his words were drowned out as trees grew from the ground, completely blocking the view from outside.
"Isn't there any way to get inside?" Naruto asked, looking between the ANBU.
"There isn't, we've tried everything." one of them replied, "It's up to Hokage-sama to get out of this situation."
Naruto, who didn't like this answer, ran around the barrier a couple of times, trying desperately to find either a way in, or at least an opening so he could see inside. As he ran round, he made eye contact with each of the ninja generating the field. Each of them smirked as he glared hatefully, one of which even gesturing him to try and come in with another hand that appeared seemingly form nowhere. He returned to Sakura and the others, an angry look on his face. Sakura was about to try console him when a voice rang out.
"SHIKI FUJIN!" Hiruzen roared.
"He can't be!" one of the ANBU exclaimed.
"Don't do it Hokage-sama!" another yelled. Naruto stared at the barrier, dumbstruck.
"Shiki Fujin?" he thought, "Isn't that…?"
"Yes, it's the Jutsu Namikaze Minato used to seal me inside you. The Hokage is attempting to kill Orochimaru at the cost of his own life."
"What?! Shouldn't we try and stop him?"
If he succeeds, Madara loses an ally. However, if Orochimaru were to die, we'd lose our best lead. We will let fate decide our next move."
He didn't like it, but Naruto knew he had no choice. He grinded his teeth as he waited in anticipation. Several minutes passed before anything happened. Then the barrier fell, the four ninja who generated it disappearing. Immediately all the ANBU ran in, Naruto and the others close behind. In the centre of the rooftop, three bodies lay on the ground. The Shodai, Nidaime and Sandaime Hokage's lay dead before their very eyes. Orochimaru stood panting heavily, glaring at the ANBU who were surrounding him. He slowly looked around the crowd, then his eyes met Naruto's. even in his weakened state, Orochimaru couldn't resist smiling at him.
"So we finally meet, Naruto-kun." he said, "I wish we could talk some more, but I'm afraid we have to leave."
Suddenly one of the ANBU lunged at Orochimaru, placing a hand on his shoulder. The ANBU then made a hand sign and the two of them disappeared, leaving only a puff of smoke and the memory of Orochimaru's face imprinted in Naruto's eyes. Silence fell as the smoke dissipated, all eyes falling on the three dead Hokage. Every single ANBU in the area bowed their head as a sign of respect. It was the most emotion they were allowed to show. Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke however, were only Genin and were free to act as they liked. Naruto's hands tightened into a fist, a look of anger and loss on his face. Sasuke stared at Hiruzen's body expressionlessly, as did Gaara, although his reasons were justified. But the biggest reaction came from Sakura, who buried her face into Naruto's, tears pouring down her face. Naruto looked at her and put his arm around her, pulling her into a hug that she returned gratefully.
In the distance, the cries and explosions faded away, leaving only echoes of the short lived battle sweeping throughout Konoha. Then, as if the sky itself shared the village's sorrow, it began to rain.