I don't own Naruto
Chapter 34
"Are you sure you have enough chakra Naruto?" Shukaku is growing impatient with the fight. An aura of pure bloodlust is falling over the area, stifling in its intensity. Even Naruto, dense as he is, can feel it. My own chakra senses are pulled as tight around me as I can get them in order to not be overwhelmed. The taste of copper still seeps in anyway.
"Yeah, don't worry I've got enough juice. Let's do this!" He pumps his fist in excitement.
"Why can't you just flash step us both over there?" I look to my darker teammate. He may be considered a genius, but he looks the worst for wear. Blood is soaking through his hastily put on bandages and bruises cover nearly all his exposed skin. I'm surprised that he is still standing and rearing to go.
"I've never tried to move with another person before. Chances are we'll end up on top of the Hokage monument." I take a deep breath and look towards our adversary. The demon is shifting restlessly as he banters with the giant toad, we don't have much time…
"I can't go by myself, even if you two would let me, because I doubt I have the physical strength to drag Gaara out of that sand."
"Hn," is the only reply I get. If we live through this I'm going to remove that word from his dictionary.
"Alright! Let's start! Ready Boss-Toad?" At Naruto's cry Sasuke and I take our positions on either side him.
"Of course you brat! Brat's friends, you will have to move quickly, I won't be able to hold him very long."
The 'Boss-Toad' as Naruto calls him readies himself for a charge and we all hang on tight. With a mighty leap the toad flies at Shukaku, who in his impatience has started to prepare his own charge.
Mid-leap Naruto forms the hand seals for the academy's favorite jutsu, the transformation. A massive amount of chakra, more than I have even felt at one time, pours from Naruto and covers the toad. In an instant the amphibian is coated in Naruto's chakra and a typical smoke cloud covers us.
I feel the instant the moist skin under me changes to fur. In a moment of startled surprise over the change I release my hold over my own chakra. The now familiar taste of pure evil that sometimes taints Naruto's chakra surrounds me. It's like Naruto's normal sunshine taste is surrounded and mixed with something…ELSE…like blood and fear and death and sadness…like WAR.
I imagine that's what war tastes like…brisk isn't it.
In the split second that this happens we break free from the smoke cloud and ram into Shukaku. Long shaggy canine forearms tipped with deadly claws sink into the sandy body and latch on. The second the sand demon is firmly held in place I take off.
Sprinting across the furry arms I glance back once to check on Naruto. The arms I'm running on have a red-brown fur coating are connected to an equally red-brown furry body, lithe and powerful in form. The snout is long and filled with razor sharp teeth, two pointy ears sit on the top of the head, but the most noticeable feature of the creature is its tail…
Tails…
Nine of them swish back and forth…
That explains so much…
I turn back to my task with wide eyes…Naruto's the… he's a…
FOCUS! Ask him later
Right…I'm nearing the end of the fox's arms. Right as I get to the end of the paw I give a mighty jump, I can see Sasuke out of the corner of my eye doing the same. We both land on the head of Shukaku, near where his cheeks should be…much too close to his teeth for my comfort.
Immediately we sprint for Gaara. Like he can sense where we are heading sand shoots up into spikes, trying to impale us. I dodge to the left as I feel the rumble of the sand under my feet; half a second later a large spike shoots up.
Sasuke and I are closing in on the sleeping beauty…
Nice one…
Suddenly the entire creature shudders violently, sending both of us toppling. I hold on with my chakra as the beast begins to thrash in the hold the toad…er, fox, has on him. To keep Shukaku from escaping the fox uses his teeth. The giant maw closes around Shukaku's shoulder, sending him into a frantic frenzy.
The demon throws his head back sending Sasuke and me scrambling for purchase. I can see Gaara still stuck in the sand up to his waist and dead to the world asleep. Something out of the corner of my eyes catches my attention. Sasuke is using the tilted landscape to his advantage, sliding in a direct path towards Gaara.
My teammate actually lands on Gaara, nearly straddling him in the first uncoordinated act the Uchiha has ever done. I angle myself towards them and let go, allowing gravity to take me in the right direction. A mere hundred yards away, just as Sasuke is charging up some lightening to free and/or awaken Gaara a rumbling starts.
I can feel it underneath me and abruptly the sand in front of me explodes. The sand detonates and I am sent flying off of Shukaku's head at an amazing speed. Reaching into my damaged pouch I pull a set of wires out. Embedding a kunai into the sandy ear of Shukaku I swing myself back onto the head.
Wiping sand from my eyes I frantically looking about I find Sasuke coated in sand from toes to chest. He seems to be unconscious and in pain. From this distance I can see the sand moving, trying to drag him into the demon's body.
Hurry and wake up Gaara, that's the only way we'll be able to save Sasuke.
Following orders I channel chakra to my feet and sprint towards the red head. I pull several more lengths of wire out and add chakra to them as well.
When in range I throw them with all my strength. They wrap around Gaara's body, binding him to me. Planting my feet on the uneven sand I pull…
Put more chakra into them,
The wires start to glow with chakra…
Shukaku starts to toss his head widely…
The fox turns back into a toad and draws his sword once more…
Pull!
A tug on the wires around Gaara seems to throw the demon into a fit, screaming and scrambling for his head Shukaku falls to the ground. I am knocked into some trees as he lands, still attached to Gaara by the glowing wires.
I can hear Naruto screaming out an order and the toad follows through with a vicious stab through Shukaku's back.
"Hurry up Sakura-chan!"
With Shukaku pinned by the sword and a better purchase in the trees I begin to pull again, pushing as much chakra as I can into the wires so they don't break. A slow burn begins to take over my hands as the superheated sharp wires start to cut through my gloves.
Even now Gaara has a sand shield coating his body and protecting him from my wires. Even though they are sharper than a kunai, even though they cross over his arms and chest, he has not a scratch.
The sand is still trying to absorb Sasuke, slowly pulling him under. I need to think of another plan… Got it…
This is going to hurt like a bitch…
I wrap the wires twice around my forearms, spin once to brace them against my back and call out. "Toad! Grab me and pull! It's the only way to get Gaara out and save Sasuke!"
Large webbed hands reach out and close around me, lifting me into the air and away from the fallen demon.
"No Don't," the wires pull taunt. "Puny humans, I'll kill you all." Wires dig deeply into my back, spreading out crisscrossing over the skin. I can feel the blood begin to spill down as I am pulled further. "AAARrrgh." The final scream the demon lets out echoes my own at the last tug that pulls Gaara out and flays my back wide open.
The second the boy is pulled from the sand I cease all chakra output into the wires and immediately they break, nearly dissolving, and send Gaara crashing to the ground face first.
The pain is intense, like a white hot poker was taken to my back and a masterpiece was drawn. Luckily the gloves saved my arms from this agony.
Remember, this was to save Sasuke…
At these words in my head I look for the dark haired boy. Just turning my head hurts as the skin on my back pulls just the smallest bit.
The demon basically dissolved into sand the moment Gaara was pulled free, so the ground looks like a desert. I spot a tuff of black hair sticking from one pile of sand.
The toad lowers me back to the ground and as soon as my feet touch the ground he poofs away. Standing is a greater agony than I have ever faced…I don't think I can do it.
I got ya
Inner's strength flows to my legs and steadies me
We need to get to Sasuke…see if he's still alive.
Even Inner sounds exhausted…
I drag one foot in front of the other, barely moving towards the tuff of black hair. I sense more than see Naruto land in front of me, back first arms sprawling.
"Damn frog…no warning whatsoever… Hey you okay Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan."
His words get more frantic as he notices the blood dripping to the forest floor…good thing he's not standing behind me…he'd have a heart attack for sure…I mean if it feels like it's made of hamburger meat then it must look worse…Well then again he does like hamburgers…
Blood loss must really be getting to me.
I have no strength to answer him, so once again I feel Inner taking over partially.
"Fine…tired…need to check on idiot number two…" At this Naruto spins in place, looking for our other team member. Instead of finding Sasuke Naruto spots Gaara…
The red head, now awake, is standing amidst the sand swaying in place and looking confused. His purely green eyes, no taint of Shukaku, meets mine and understanding passes through them. He knows that his mission has failed.
"Naruto," the blonde doesn't move his eyes away from Gaara, but I know he can hear me. "This one's all yours."
"Got it, just check on Teme and rest." He issues his orders like the Hokage he wants to be.
Inner slowly moves us towards the fallen Sasuke.
"Why?" I barely notice the question until it is repeated much louder and I realize that it is directed at me. I drag my eyes towards Gaara who keeps glancing between me and Sasuke. "Why? When you are so injured do you keep going to him? Why care for your teammates? People are all the same! I heard them calling you a monster! I can see that we are the same, but why do you fight me and save them? Explain it to me?" By now he is yelling again, working himself into a real tizzy. The sand however, doesn't move an inch in his anger. Maybe he finally ran out of chakra.
Throughout the questions Inner and I work together to get us to Sasuke. One question, one step…
Finally we arrive and look him over. He's sticking out of a mound of sand with more scratches and more blood, but he's still breathing…
With the last of our strength we meet Gaara's eyes and answer his question. With a literal growl that reverberates through my chest we spit out, "Because he is one of MY BOYS."
The second the words are out the world begins to fade. Blessed blackness sweeps over my vision and my knees begin to buckle. I never feel the ground hit, only a warmness that encompasses my entire being. The last thing that registers is a yell, a flash of heat, and the taste of spicy toothpaste…
Posting at school, just hang with me and this confusion will make sense...spicy toothpaste.