Chapter 29
With Naruto, after they took Ayumi and Akira. He was about to give chase, but Kakashi held him back. "Let me go! I've gotta save her!" "Naruto, calm down! You won't help her at all if you just run after her recklessly!" Naruto calmed down as Kakashi continued, "She left us a trail, anyway." That's when Naruto noticed the blood droplets leading after them. "She's smart, Naruto. She'll be fine." "But…what do they want with her?" Kakashi's eyes softened as he said, "I…don't know…but we'll think of a way to save her…I promise…" Naruto nodded, saying, "I'm just…worried…" Kakashi nodded, saying, "We all are. We just need to find a way to get her and Akira out." "Maybe we should see what they're planning, and then find the best time to sneak in." Sakura suggested. Naruto nodded, saying, "We need to follow her blood anyway."
Kakashi nodded, summoning Pakkun, and they had to bring Nakashima with them as they raced towards the Grass Country. Pakkun stopped, saying, "They went inside, but it's too dangerous. There are far too many guards." Kakashi nodded as Pakkun vanished. "We'll try to communicate with her when it gets darker. Sakura, you'll keep watch while me and Naruto look for her, okay?" Sakura nodded, and Nakashima asked, "Why are you all willing to risk your lives for her?" Naruto turned to him, saying, "Because she's precious to us…and she'd to the exact same thing for us." With that, both him and Kakashi disappeared, looking for Ayumi.
Naruto had split off from Kakashi, running in the shadows of the rooftop, when he saw an angelic face looking out of a window, with the same blue/white eyes and dark curls he loved. 'Ayumi-chan!' he jumped onto her windowsill, and her eyes widened slightly before filling with relief and joy. "Naruto-kun!" she whispered, opening the window. He jumped in, saying, "We're here to save you!" "But he's going to execute Akira!" Naruto gave her a wide-eyed look as she remembered when she was thrown into the room:
Flashback:
Taiko threw Ayumi on the bed like a sack of potatoes, and said, "You're staying here for a while, princess, until the execution. It'll be before the sun sets, and then it'll be your big moment." Ayumi glared at him, saying, "You have no idea who you're dealing with!" "Actually…we do, little Uchiha." Her eyes widened as she asked, "How did you know?" "One look at your eyes and your headband, and we pieced it together. Now that Kaito knows you have the Ayaka Sharingan, he'll never let you go." She glared at him, thinking, 'These eyes really are a curse…'
End Flashback
Ayumi gave Naruto a pleading look as she said, "Just save Akira. Don't worry about me." "I'm not leaving without you!" Ayumi could see Naruto's determination, and she said, "But he'll hunt you down…" "Who will?" Naruto asked, softening. "Kaito…the one that's behind all of this…he says if I don't do as he says, he'll hunt you down…and kill you." Naruto felt rage fill his blood at the very thought of someone influencing her by using her fragile glass heart. "Ayumi-chan…I'll tell Kakashi-sensei. We'll get you out in time. I promise!" "Naruto-kun..." She wanted to tell him, but she also didn't want to.
"What is he planning to do with you?" Ayumi shied her eyes away, whispering, "He says he needs a queen…" Naruto's eyes widened as he said, "But…he can't…" Ayumi didn't answer, feeling his distress. "But I'll always love you, Naruto-kun." He was about to say something else when she kissed him innocently. That's when her eyes widened. "He's coming! Naruto-kun, you need to go!" Naruto nodded, saying, "We'll be back! I promise!" she nodded, and they kissed goodbye before he jumped out of the window. Right after she closed the window, Kaito opened the door, and Naruto watched through the window, hidden perfectly in the shadows.
He
saw Kaito wrap his arms around Ayumi's waist, nuzzling her neck,
and Naruto's eyes glowed like two coals in the darkness. He relaxed
when Ayumi pushed him away, walking to the bed. That's when Kaito
held her against the wall by her wrists. Naruto felt his claws grow
in, and his fangs grew in, too. 'How DARE he hurt Ayumi-chan? She
doesn't deserve all this pain…' 'She doesn't deserve it.
She deserves what we give her.' 'What do you mean WE?' 'Well…I
like her too! She was cool when the mark started taking over…'
'Kyuubi…you're weird…'
His keen hearing heard what they
were saying.
"Get OFF me, Kaito!"
"Why can't you just forget that boyfriend of yours? He's never coming to get you…"
"He's coming to get me! And then you'll be sorry! Especially when Kakashi gets a hold of you!"
'It's true…Kakashi is super protective of Ayumi…he'll kill this smug teme if I don't do it first…'
"You believe they'll save you…what if they value their own lives more than yours?"
Naruto saw Ayumi's eyes widen innocently, and he thought, 'Don't listen to him, Ayumi-chan! Everyone in Konoha would risk their lives for you! Think, Ayumi-chan!'
"You don't know them…and you don't know me!"
"Your wrong on the last part…I do know you…"
Naruto was ready to jump in to help her when Kakashi appeared beside him. "I see you've found her…" Kakashi whispered, looking in the window. "What in the world! That guy is dead!" Naruto only saw Kakashi show emotion when it came to Ayumi, whether it was kindness and sympathy, or anger and rage. They continued watching, and saw Taiko walk in, making Kaito release Ayumi. "The preparations for the execution are ready. And so are the…other preparations." Kaito nodded at Taiko's report, saying, "Then its time she got ready…" "I'm not getting ready for anything!" she responded defiantly.
Kaito pretended to not have heard her as he continued talking to Taiko. Ayumi looked out the window with a sad, pleading look that went to both shinobi's hearts, until Taiko stabbed her in the arm with the device that sucks up chakra. Naruto saw the chakra swirl around brightly, and asked, "Is it safe for them to suck out that much chakra?" "I'm not sure…it usually depends on the shinobi." 'I wonder what that Kaito guy is planning to do with her afterwards…' 'OH MY GOD!!!' '…OH MY GOD!!! We need to stop him!' 'Why do YOU care so much?' 'I thought I answered that question already?' 'Hey! She's my girl!' 'Technically…she's OURS…' 'I hate your logic!' 'You hate logic in general…'
Before Naruto could continue this internal dispute, he saw them drag Ayumi away, and Kakashi whispered, "Okay…we just need to find where the execution will be taking place and get them out before. Okay?" Naruto nodded, and they went to meet up with Sakura and Nakashima. Kakashi explained the situation while Naruto imagined many gruesome deaths for Kaito. "We need to save my father!" "And what happened to Ayumi?" Naruto asked, being a TAD temperamental…actually, he was pissed…"If he wants her, he can have her. Its more important to save my father…"
Naruto's eyes turned red as he said, "I'm not leaving her here to suffer because you're selfish! When I go in there, I'm coming out with her!" Kakashi nodded, saying, "We're going to save both of them." He sighed, saying, "If it's at sunset, we need to go quickly. Me and Sakura will take out the guards, and Naruto will get Ayumi and Akira out." Naruto nodded, and looked at the sun, wanting to go save her already. Finally, it seemed that Kakashi was going to go, and Naruto jumped to his feet, anxious. They hid Nakashima before they ran quickly, but there weren't any guards. They were all out in the actual city.
Kakashi saw the three shinobi, and whispered, "Sakura and I will hold them off. Naruto, you just go look for Ayumi." Naruto nodded, and ran where Kyuubi said Ayumi was when Kakashi and Sakura sprung a surprise attack. He followed Kyuubi's directions, and found he was at the door to a huge ballroom, with gallows in the center. He saw them put Akira on, and he hid in the shadows. He looked around for Ayumi, and his heart beat rapidly when he caught sight of her. She had been forced into a formfitting dress the same blue/white as her eyes, that was tight until her knees, where it flowed to the ground like water, with a slit on the side halfway up her shin.
Naruto almost thought he saw her shuriken holster, but it would be impossible to hide it…her hair was down, brushing against the lower part of her shoulder blades. Naruto felt an impulse to go and comfort her when he saw the pain in the innocent white eyes he'd always loved…even when he'd first seen them. Her eyes flickered to him, and he smiled slightly as relief flooded her eyes. He saw the hole in her arm healing slowly, inconspicuously, and his eyes flashed red as he thought of them draining even more chakra out of her. Her eyes then flickered to Akira, and he saw her hand twitch very slightly towards something on her right leg.
Naruto sighed silently, keeping his eyes on Kaito, when he went over to Ayumi. He took a seat that was next to her, and made her sit beside him before saying, "The execution is about to begin." Ayumi looked sympathetically at Akira, mouthing something that no one except Naruto noticed. A man put the noose around Akira's neck before moving to a handle. As he pulled the handle…
