Okay, by the looks of how things are progressing, I'm going to give everyone a break from the fighting next chapter before resuming with Itachi's arrival. I'll probably just pass the whole Naruto brings Tsunade home part though. That, and we'll be skipping big parts of the Sasuke Retrieval Arc (you'll find out why soon). I'm mostly sticking on Shiunju's POV, but Kita and Team Kasumi's character developments are also very important. You'll notice that I'll be mostly employing their POVs instead of that of the canon characters. But knowing what they think of these people is also interesting. Decisions, decisions...

I'm guessing that the pre-Shippuden part will end around the 50th chapter. Don't forget, we have a break of a chapter (or two) and we follow with Itachi and Tsunade which won't take a long time, but the Sasuke retrieval arc will definitely be longer. Then, I have to settle for the conclusion of the first main arc of the story.

Thanks to you all who read my story, reviewed, voted, favorited, followed and so on.

Chapter Thirty Eight

(Kita's POV)

This feeling… It was like something was replenishing my energy. Kouji also barked in agreement as we ran through the trees. He was leading me to Tsukiko and Sasuke's location where they were fighting.

Flashback

"Kita, you should go."

I looked up to Kiba-nii, startled. We were halfway to the refuge and Hinata-san has yet to wake up. One of the Chunin also got dragged into the fighting.

"You're worried about Tsukiko and the Uchiha," Kiba-nii stated. It was true. "Hinata's here and I know that Shino will be fine, but you should go and kick some Suna and Oto butt. You've been waiting for a real fight for a long time. You deserve it. Kouji too."

"Kiba-nii…" I was really grateful. "Thank you. I won't let any of you down."

"Now go before I change my mind, Ta-chan."

"Whatever you say, Ba-chan."

End Flashback

And that's why I'm here now, running after Tsukiko's scent. Luckily the wind was coming towards us so we got a good sniff. Now, I just have to hurry up to help them out.

"Woof! Woof!"

"No, Kouji. That's not the reason why I'm worried!" I exclaimed, blushing at my partner's statement. If he were able to talk then he'd be snickering by now. "Kouji! That's not it!"

(Third Person's POV)

Naruto used Kage Bunshin no Jutsu to summon hundreds of clones, ready to fight. "I'll show you a secret move! Uzumaki Naruto Tackle!" Gaara grabbed three of the clones with his hand and another clone threw one of his companions towards Gaara. Right as the Suna Jinchuuriki was about to punch him, Naruto made another Kage Bunshin to take his place, landing behind Gaara on another of his clones.

"Take this! The secret ninja move that Kakashi-sensei taught me… Hidden Village of the Leaves secret combat move…" He was approaching his opponent from behind and fast. "A thousand years of pain!"

Shinju could feel the sweatdrop in the summons and Temari's auras. She herself was resisting the urge to chuckle at her fellow villager. But the real intention of the attack was only made clear after Gaara pushed him away again with sand. The explosive tag attached to the kunai finally went… BOOM!

Sasuke leaped to protect his teammate from impacting on a tree whereas Shinju readied her weapons. Gaara was somewhat weakened and injured, but it wasn't enough to take him down, something the Uchiha also mentioned to Naruto. Shinju heard their conversation and that Sasuke was planning on buying more time so that the dobe can escape with Sakura. She personally didn't like the plan that much, feeling the damage the Juuin was doing to him, but she also knew the almost-prodigy to be quite stubborn. But either way, he wouldn't be able to hold Gaara off for long, that was for sure.

"I see…" Naruto finally realized. "I thought that he was strong, because we've felt the same pain and loneliness before. Because he was alone and only fought for himself. But that's not what being strong means. You can't become truly strong if you only fight for yourself." His chakra began to act like crazy but in a controlled manner. "I swear… I will protect everyone!"

"Taijuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Even more clones appeared. Shinju made her way to Sasuke's side and told him to stay still as she stopped the pain from the cursed seal. It was done much faster than last time, and the marks no longer covered his body.

"Oi, Tsukiko. About that other time…"

"It's fine Sasuke, I already forgave you, but don't push it."

Meanwhile, Naruto attacked Gaara with Shuriken and punched him along with his one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine clones. Kita has also arrived with Kouji admist the fight. "Tsukiko! Sasuke! What did I miss?" Kouji barked happily and licked Sasuke and Shinju's cheeks before returning to his partner. Sasuke resumed the situation as Shinju left to help Naruto fight Gaara.

"… So now the dobe's trying to take the guy out by himself. I don't think that Tsukiko will be of much help though."

"Don't underestimate her, she's really good at Suiton Jutsu and she sparred with Gaara daily." Kita objected. "They'll be able to take down Gaara for sure."

"Keh. No wonder she sucked at Katon Jutsu… I should've expected that…" Then again, I didn't know about elemental affinities at the time. Not that'll I'll admit it.

But then, Gaara turned into the almost perfect Shukaku form and destroyed most of Naruto's clones. It wa giant and powerful. Shinju sheathed her sword and hopped to Naruto's location. "That's… the monster insde of him?"

"Don't be so shocked, Uzumaki." He turned to her, startled. "Kyuubi no Yoko should be about the same size, you know. Not to mention, the sand is heavy, which will slow his movements a bit. If I can attack with a big enough Suiton Jutsu, like the Kyodaina name no Jutsu, to slow him down even more. Then, you can attack with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu."

"Uh. Demo, the Kage Bunshin won't have any effect on him… unless…" Sand began to form around him, holding him down. Further away, Sasuke collapsed, Kita trying to steady him. Naruto, owever, did not give up. As the sand encased his body, he concentrate his chakra into his hands and formed hand seals. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

"Uzumaki Naruto… You entertain me greatly."

Shinju stood next to said Jinchuuriki, having jumped on the summon earlier. "Oi, Uzumaki. I do hope that you have a decent plan. We're running out of time." She told him. "Uh. I know."

"What the hell?" The summon asked. "You again? Who gave you permission to let someone else get on my head?"

"Sumimasen, but we're in a bit of a bind here so…" Shinju didn't add anything else as she looked at the Ichibi's true form.

"That was Shukaku of the Sand." The toad summon observed.

"Frog Boss, fight with me." The reaction Naruto had towards the toad's response made Shinju shake her head at his antics. Really, only he would act like an idiot in the middle of the battle… even if Gaara has yet to attack. But what made her react the most was the little frog calling the giant toad… Pops. The little frog played the bully's victim card to change his dad's mind and finally, the fight resumed.

The toad charged at Shukaku, katana at hand, making both Naruto and Shinju concentrate their chakra to anchor them on his head. If Kasumi-sensei didn't help her with this, Shinju would've fallen off after the huge leap. The Frog Boss successfully cut off one of Shukaku's arms, amazing everyone and creating quite an earthquake that Kita, Temari and Sasuke felt. What's more was the major destruction on the forest. This wasn't time for a scenery change.

"This is interesting," Gaara stated as he turned towards them. "This is interesting, Uzumaki Naruto!" Shinju felt Gaara's aura surfacing from the Bijuu's protection. Chakra was heading towards him as well. It must be something bad, since Temari was fleeing the battlefield.

"Is that the medium?" The toad summon asked, already knowing his answer.

"This is a reward for entertaining me. I'll show you the true power of the incarnation of sand!"

"Those rings under his eyes… He must be the Jinchuuriki of Shukaku," the toad observed. "There are signs of insomnia showing."

"How does being insomniac is linked to the Ichibi?" Shinju asked. "It's true that he never slept during his stay at the compound… Is there a particular reason?"

"Those who get possessed by the monster raccoon Shukaku are unable to sleep at night because they are afraid. If the person falls asleep, the Shukaku will slowly eat the person's personality… and the person will no longer be himself. The person cannot sleep most of the time, so the medium's personality tends to become unstable. While the medium is awake, the Shukaku's influence and true powers are , if the medium falls asleep…"

"Gaara will fall prey to Shukaku's influence and the Ichibi will be able to do as it pleases," Shinju realized. "So that's why he was such an instrumental part of the Oto-Suna invasion! Bijuu are known to be extremely powerful and their giant forms allow them to cause much more damage than all of the ANBU in a village. Also, it won't be easily stopped, like the Kyuubi. The only downside is the possibility that Gaara will harm his own allies, but I'm certain that all of the enemy nin already know that."

And by the looks of it, Shukaku is finally coming out…

As if on cue, the Shukaku exclaimed with glee at his newfound freedom. An exchange of a Fuuton Jutsu from Shukaku and a suiton Jutsu from Gamabunta took place. Kita and Kouji were irritated at the water falling on them, like rain. Sasuke was just staring at the sky in disbelief.

Another exchange took place, only in bigger numbers. But Gamabunta missed one of the airballs and got hit. Everyone could hear Shukaku shouting his victory in glee, but the fight was far from over. Luckily, Shinju was able to gather water from the air and create a Water Prison Jutsu around them to protect from the impact. Unfortunately, if the toad summon gets hit by anymore of those attacks, he won't last. The only way to stop that is to wake up Gaara.

"I'll do it, Naruto." Shinju told him. "I know which spot for him is the most sensitive. One hit and he'll be back to normal." AKA awake.

Gamabunta then jumped down and held Shukaku by the shoulders. "Now!" Shinju leaped and struck Gaara's right arm with a precise blow. He was already injured there thanks to Lee, before. Then, during their spars, Shinju would hit that spot from time to time. It should still be a bit sore and the sand won't be protecting Gaara since it was forming Shukaku's body. With a jolt, Gaara was awake once more as Shinju slid nearer to Shukaku's nose.

"Shinju! Stop interfering!"

"I won't let you do it! Uzumaki is a comrade, but you are a friend. I won't let you kill each other!"

Gaara frowned. Shinju thought that he was a friend? Even after seeing Shukaku and witnessing his power firsthand? That girl, blind or not, was crazy. But that look in her eyes has changed. It was still lonely and sad, but somewhere, there was a tiny glow. "My existence will not disappear!"

"It won't! But killing people like this… It's not necessary!" Shinju's voice was firm. But Gaara didn't listen and continued attacking Naruto and Gamabunta. The sand also held her firmly in place as she shot water bullets on Gaara and under her in order to break free. Moments later, she felt an explosion of chakra from the village and Naruto. "Oi, Tsukiko! Leave Gaara to me!" With that, he used the Kyuubi's chakra and both Jinchuuriki's foreheads hit. Shukaku crumbled shortly after impact and Kita went to get Sakura with Sasuke once the sand crushing her fell to the ground.

The toad summons chose then to return where they belong, making the three Genin fall on trees. Naruto landed across of Gaara, whereas Shinju was closer to the Ichibi Jinchuuriki.

"I'm already empty, you are too. Let's end this fight between two similar people."

They both leaped at each other, but Naruto was the one who managed to punch Gaara. Then, they fell to the ground, Shinju following them (more gracefully, of course). She felt the chakra inside the village and knew that the fight between the Sandaime and Orochimaru was over too. All of the main combatants survived and there were only few casualties on their side. The invasion has failed.

"Don't get near me!" Gaara exclaimed as he watched Naruto pitifully crawl his way towards him.

"The pain of being alone… is completely out of this world, right?" Naruto asked, tears flowing from his eyes. "I don't know why, but I understand you feelings so much… It hurts. But I, I have people who are important to me now. I won't let you hurt my precious people."

"Same goes for me," Shinju added as she sat by Gaara's side to look at his wounds. "I know that you can find a purpose. I'm still looking too, but I think I'm getting closer towards it every day. We can look for it together." She clasped his hand tightly.

"Shinju…"

"You were the first to acknowledge the real me… and to notice my condition. Thank you, Gaara."

"Why? How can you stand protecting these strangers?"

"I understand, no, we all understand how terrifying loneliness can be. To be saved from it, is the best thing anyone could do for you at this stage. That's how everyone, you, Temari, Kankuro-san, the rookies… That's how you all became important to me. I don't want to go back to that time, never again."

"You can stop now, Naruto." Sasuke just arrived along with Kita and Kouji. "Sakura's fine now… He's out of Chakra too… Since the sand holding Sakura has released her."

Temari and Kankuro landed in between Shinju, Gaara and Sasuke and Naruto. They were on their guard, ready to attack despite their depleted Chakra.

"Don't fight them. Let's stop."

"Gaara…" Kankuro, surprised, looked at Shinju for an explanation.

"The invasion failed and your father was never here in the first place. The Kazekage that came… was Orochimaru in disguise. I believe that he used you all as pawns so I suggest you to make an investigation once you return to Sunagakure."

Kankuro didn't say anything, but bent down to carry Gaara. Without a word and after a glance towards Shinju, the trio left. The Hyuuga sensed their chakra heading towards the border where many other chakra sources were heading. Sighing, she turned towards Sasuke and Kita.

"That was some fight. Let's spar together one day," Kita suggested.

"You're stronger than before," Sasuke stated.

"You too, Sasuke. And Kita, I might agree… one day. But first, let's get them to the hospital. We all need some rest."

So there! Finally so Gaara/Shinju moment, kind of. There won't be any others for a few chapters so hang in there! This is probably one of my longest chapters. I resumed around two three episodes in here! By curiosity, would you rather that I keep writing chapters of one thousand to two thousand words each or should I regroup all of the chapters that are related (ex: Neji vs Hinata, Second Exam, etc.)? I'd like to have your opinion.

Pairings

Kita/Sasuke 2

Ino/Sai 3

Ino/Kiba 3

Sakura/Lee 2

Sakura/Shino 1

Tenten/Neji 1

Please vote and/or review!