Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the characters in this story.

More Than Just Comrades

Chapter 52

Author's Note: Gonna be another long one.

Theme for this chapter: Heart of the Sword (ending theme song for Rurouni Kenshin. Look it up on youtube sometime.)

After twirling his sword in an impressive show of swordsmanship, Sasuke charged forward at the same moment as Kimimaro, sword clashing against solid bone. The shockwave of the impact forced the combatants apart before they charged and clashed with each other again. When they forced each other apart again, they began to run parallel with each other, moving in to clash with each other before forcing themselves apart over and over again. To anyone with an untrained eye, Sasuke and Kimimaro appeared to be moving at inhuman speeds. But to each other, they were evenly matched in terms of speed.

They moved all over the battlefield, trying to best the other, but neither managing to gain the upperhand. Seeing as how this was getting him nowhere, Sasuke decided to go for a different approach. When he was forced back from a clash, Sasuke rapidly went through a set of hand seals.

"Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"

Sasuke inhaled deeply before expelling numerous fireballs from his mouth. Thinking of roughly the same thing as Sasuke, Kimimaro dashed to the side and fired the bones of his fingertips at the incoming projectiles. Some of them were incinerated while others made it through, forcing Sasuke to move while blowing out more fireballs. Sasuke fired them as fast as he could, however Kimimaro was simply faster, moving with liquid grace as he dodged while firing his own projectiles at the same time.

"This guy doesn't waste anything in his movements." Naruto commented as he watched the battle unfold.

Seeing an opportunity, Kimimaro dodged another series of fireballs before unexpectedly dashing forward. Sasuke was caught off guard as Kimimaro abruptly appeared in front of him and punched him hard in the chest, sending the Uchiha flying into a pile of rubble.

"Sasuke...!" Naruto cried in alarm.

"Those fireballs were really beginning to get on my nerves." Kimimaro said as he watched Sasuke stir underneath the debris.

With a grunt, Sasuke hauled the rocks from off top of him and got to his feet. "I could say the same about those finger bullets of yours." he replied coolly.

"Hn. Then allow me to try something a little different."

Using his kekkei genkai, Kimimaro forced the top of his spinal cord to protrude up behind his neck, the bone making a sickening cracking sound as it broke the skin. Kimimaro grabbed it and, more to Naruto's shock, used it to pull out his entire spinal column in the form of a whip. The protrusions on the bone whip were modified to make them stronger and sharper, and in the gaps between the bones was cartilage to allow for flexibility. Another cracking sound filled the air as a new spine grew to replace the old one.

'Great, he's gonna use his own spinal cord as a weapon. I suppose when you can use your bones as weapons, anything is possible.' Sasuke thought as he prepared himself for whatever would happen next.

With a grunt, Kimimaro rushed at him with a burst of speed, swinging the bone whip around him before lunging it at Sasuke. The Uchiha moved to the side as the whip hit, ripping through the rubble behind him. The wild, unorthodox movements of the whip made it difficult to avoid, let alone get close to Kimimaro. However, Sasuke was able to stay a step ahead of it anyway as Kimimaro swung it at him again and again, tearing up the ground and through any boulders that were in the way.

At last, however, Sasuke did slip up, letting out a scream of pain as the bone whip ripped right through his arm. Wasting no time, Kimimaro wrapped the Uchiha up in his bone whip and pulled hard on the handle. It should have resulted in Sasuke being torn to pieces. Instead, however, Sasuke dematerialized into pure lightning chakra, resulting in Kimimaro letting out a cry of pain as he was violently electrocuted, his bone whip shattering into millions of pieces.

"W-What...just happened?" Kimimaro asked himself out loud as he collapsed to one knee in pain, his entire body seizing up on him.

Suddenly, the real Sasuke burst up from the rubble where he'd been kicked, the Raikiri sparking wildly in his left hand.

"Lightning Style: Beast Running Jutsu!"

The Raikiri expanded into the form of a hound that charged at Kimimaro as the Uchiha thrust his hand forward. The lightning hound was still connected to Sasuke's hand by a string of electricity, allowing the Uchiha to control it during its attack.

'Now I understand. The one from earlier was simply a doppleganger made out of lightning chakra. The shock from defeating it would paralyze me, leaving me helpless to his next move. How clever.' Kimimaro thought to himself before he was struck head-on by the lightning beast and was flung straight up into the air.

With a smirk, Sasuke covered himself in his Lightning Style Armor and dashed to Kimimaro's position in the air faster than what the human brain could process, making it appear as though he'd teleported.

"Guillotine Drop!"

With all of his greatly enhanced strength, Sasuke delivered a downward kick to Kimimaro's chest with more than enough force to shatter his entire ribcage. The bone-user smashed into the ground, the impact being hard enough to be felt even by Naruto, despite his distance away. Sasuke dropped to the ground and back flipped a ways back before dispersing his Lightning Style Armor. For the moment, all was quiet, save the sound of Sasuke panting.

"That had to have done it. Nobody could survive something like that." Naruto said himself out loud.

Sasuke waited in suspense to see what would happen next. This battle was taking a toll on his chakra reserves, and using the Lightning Style Armor in conjunction with that last attack had left him with even less to work with. If that hadn't brought Kimimaro own, nothing would. For the moment though, it seemed as though it had worked.

Suddenly, Sasuke's head perked up when he felt Kimimaro's chakra spike up again. Then, slowly, Kimimaro pulled himself up out of the man-made crater with his bone sword in-hand, now sporting a rather ugly bruise in the center of his chest.

"You can't be serious! What hell is this guy made of?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.

"I must admit, Sasuke, that was rather impressive." Kimimaro said as he cracked his joints. "Had I not been able to harden my bones, I probably would not be standing here right now."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes before abruptly throwing a handful of shuriken at Kimimaro, all of which Kimimaro effortlessly cut in half. A single moment passed before Kimimaro rushed forward, his bone sword extended in front of him. Thanks to his quick reflexes, however, Sasuke jumped into the air just in time, causing Kimimaro to strike the boulder that was behind him instead.

"Hn, foolish!" Kimimaro said as he jumped and thrust his weapon up into the air.

Alarmed, Sasuke pulled out his own sword and used it to knock Kimimaro's weapon slightly off course. Rather than stab him in the abdomen, the bone sword instead pierced his side, causing him to scream in pain as it came out the other side. Kimimaro then yanked his sword out of the wound and roundhouse kicked Sasuke away. Fortunately, despite the pain, Sasuke caught himself and skidded to a stop.

'He may have avoided being impaled, but that wound is going to slow him down. I believe the Camellia Dance should be enough for him.' Kimimaro explained as he got into a fighting stance similar to the (*)Gatotsu.

Fighting through the pain in his side, Sasuke got to his feet and mounted a defense as Kimimaro lunged at him again, thrusting his bone sword forward. This time, however, Sasuke moved to the side at the last second with inhuman reflexes. Kimimaro's forward momentum made it impossible to stop on the spot, leaving him helpless as Sasuke twirled and delivered a hard kick to the back of his neck, hurling him face first into a boulder, and reducing it into a pile of rocks.

"It's going to take more than a simple wound to the hip to slow me down. Don't think you have the upperhand just yet." Sasuke said as he watched Kimimaro rise from the rubble.

"Full of surprises, aren't you? I see why Lord Orochimaru wants you so badly." Kimimaro said after spitting out a wisdom tooth, a thin trickle of blood running down his face. "And I'm delivering you to him in a hand basket!"

Sasuke met Kimimaro head on as they clashed yet again, moving all over the battlefield, pushing off boulders to give them more speed and momentum. As they moved in into clash again, Sasuke was able to knock Kimimaro's bone sword loose, leaving the Kaguya Clan member defenseless, though not completely.

"Next strike, your head will fly." Sasuke said as he pointed his sword.

"Hn. We'll see about that." Kimimaro said before rushing Sasuke head on.

'So, in the end you still chose Orochimaru over your own life. Hn, good riddance asshole.'

As Sasuke prepared to strike him down, Kimimaro took off his purple rope belt and used it to slap Sasuke's sword out of his hand. After delivering a vicious series of punches to his stunned opponent, he swung behind Sasuke, wrapped the rope belt around his neck, and attempted to choke the Uchiha out, lifting up with all his strength so that Sasuke's feet didn't even touch the ground.

Just as Kimimaro thought he'd had the upperhand, he was blasted back a good distance by a powerful discharge of Lightning Chakra released from Sasuke's body. The opportunity gave Sasuke the time he needed to catch his breath. A few more seconds longer, and he would've passed out from lack of oxygen.

For Kimimaro, however, things had become quite complicated. This was not how he'd expected things to go. He didn't know what had happened, but Sasuke had definitely gotten stronger somehow, for he hadn't been this strong during their first encounter. Either way, he had to deliver Sasuke to Orochimaru at any cost, no matter what it took. Seeing as how he was low on chakra and hardly had anymore strength to continue, Kimimaro had only one option.

Closing his eyes, Kimimaro allowed his Curse Mark to completely envelope his body, ascending to Stage 2. His normally pale skin turned dark grey, six large bone spikes protruded from his back, and a long spiked tail grew from his spine. Last to go were his eyes, which went from green to yellow and his sclera turning charcoal black. He didn't have much time left, so he had to make this quick.

"Oh great. Now what the hell is this?" Sasuke muttered to himself as he turned on his ass, sensing a change in chakra coming from behind him.

"I'll admit, Sasuke Uchiha, you are the strongest opponent I have ever fought. Never before has anyone pushed me to use Stage 2 of my Curse Mark. Consider yourself honored." Kimimaro said. "Now, Clematis Dance: Flower."

Using a considerable amount of chakra and the full power of his kekkei genkai, Kimimaro grew an enormous bone drill from his left hand, so big that it took up his entire arm. It was his strongest weapon, enhanced to the highest degree maximum solidity due to the dense compression of the bones twisting around each other. It was bone of the highest density, capable of piercing through anything. Nothing could break it.

"This is the end!"

With that, Kimimaro charged forward with another burst of speed, his bone drill extended forward like a jousting spear. As he came closer, Sasuke attempted to rise to his feet, but found that he could not. He'd used up more strength than he really had, and his body simply could not keep up. Despair set in as Sasuke watched Kimimaro speed toward him like an oncoming train, feeling like a sitting duck.

So, this was it. In the end, it looked like he was going to Orochimaru anyway. He'd fought hard, but apparently not hard enough. Once Sasuke was incapacitated, there would be nothing to stop Kimimaro from going after...

'NO! I won't let that happen. I refuse to let it end this way! I refuse to lose to a scumbag like him! I'd die before I ever let Orochimaru get his hands on me!'

Suddenly, Sasuke felt a huge surge of power well up within him from out of nowhere. He didn't know where it came from, but Sasuke wasn't about to question it. With new found determination, Sasuke got to his feet and immediately surrounded himself with his Lightning Style Armor. That's was when Sasuke noticed something else odd. Normally, the Lightning Style Armor would rapidly drain his chakra upon activation. This time, however, that didn't happen. If anything, it was giving him more power.

'Strange, he seems rejuvenated all of a sudden. No matter, I'll finish him before does whatever he's planning.' Kimimaro thought as he increased his speed a little more.

Unfortunately, all that speed contributed to be Kimimaro's downfall. Sasuke teleported forward with a burst of speed so powerful it tore up the ground at his starting point. All Kimimaro could do was open his mouth in an "O" of surprise as Sasuke appeared in front of him and drove his elbow into his jaw as hard as he possibly could, the blow being heard and felt even from Naruto's distance.

With the Lightning Style Armor actually shattering his bone drill, Kimimaro was hurled back like a ragdoll, smashing into a large boulder behind him and winding up stuck in the impression his body created. Slowly, the boulder cracked until it finally fell apart around him, his body laying on top of the debris.

With a sigh of relief, Sasuke deactivated his Lightning Style Armor before going over to pick up his sword. It was finally over.

He'd won.


"I wonder where that inner power come from? It couldn't have been the Curse Mark, or else it would've felt dark. It was all genuinely my own chakra, but..." Sasuke trailed off to himself after picking up his sword and examining it. "Whatever it was, it's gone now."

"Sasuke, you won!" Naruto exclaimed happily as he ran over and captured Sasuke in a tight hug. "I thought you were a goner for a minute there. Lucky you got that second wind, cause I was about to step in. How did you do that anyway?"

"...I'll let you know when I figure it out myself." Sasuke replied after a moment, but returned the hug none the less. "Normally, the Lightning Style Armor leaves me drained. But instead, it increased my chakra for some reason."

"Think about it when we get back to Konoha. Now c'mon, we gotta regroup with Shikamaru and the others."

Sasuke looked over to Kimimaro's direction and narrowed his eyes.

"No, not yet."

Without any explanation, Sasuke casually made his way over to where Kimimaro's body lay, a curious Naruto following close behind. As it turned out, Kimimaro actually was still alive, his jaw surprising still intact despite the tremendous impact. Obviously though, the guy wasn't moving any time soon. He didn't appear to have any broken bones, but his body was beyond exhausted and that hit had taken whatever strength he'd had left. The guy apparently didn't even have enough strength to stay transformed, for he was now back to his original self.

"Still alive, huh? Gotta admit, you're one tough son of a bitch." Sasuke said as he and Naruto stood over Kimimaro.

Surprisingly, Kimimaro did not protest or curse Sasuke. Instead, he stared up at the sky and was silent for a minute, appearing to be deep in thought about something. A lone tear dropped down his cheek before he finally spoke.

". . .Kill me. I have failed both my master and at the one thing that could give my worthless existence any meaning. Death is all that awaits me now." Kimimaro said, still looking up at the sky.

'This guy...his eyes don't hold any evil or dark intent at all, only sadness. I don't know why, but I feel bad for this guy all of sudden.' Naruto thought to himself.

"Hn, if it's death you want then death you shall have." Sasuke said as he raised his sword. "Good riddance to ya!"

"Wait, stop!" Naruto said, catching Sasuke's hand and ignoring the glare being sent his way.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sasuke asked in an irritated tone.

"I just need to ask him something real quick." Naruto replied, letting Sasuke's hand go.

"You wanna run that by me again?"

"It'll only take a minute. There's a couple things I need to know."

Sasuke shook his head in exasperation, but moved to the side anyway so that Naruto could address the person at hand. Why Naruto wanted to speak to the guy who'd tried to kill him went over Sasuke's head completely. Sometimes, there was just no figuring the blonde out.

"Your name is Kimimaro, right? What did you mean when you said you'd failed at the one thing that could give your life meaning? Why are you so obsessed with helping someone like Orochimaru?" Naruto asked.

At hearing those questions, Kimimaro's gaze finally shifted from the sky to Naruto, his face still showing no emotion, but his eyes telling a different story. At first, Kimimaro said nothing, leading Naruto to believe he wasn't going to answer. At last, however...

"In order for me to tell you that, you must understand my history. It's not a happy one, but if you are willing to listen, I suppose I'll tell you." Kimimaro finally replied.

Naruto only nodded to show that he was all ears. Sasuke, on the other hand, just looked plain annoyed. He could care less about the bastard's past.

"Most of my childhood was spent locked up in a cage, cut off from the outside world. My family, the Kaguya Clan, feared my abilities and what I was capable of. During my time spent in solitude, I began to question the world around me. Why are we here? Why are people born, I used to ask myself. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that we are all put on this Earth for a special reason. Each one of us has something we're meant to do with our lives. I am no different. However, I could not find my purpose. I was simply raised in the darkness, forever lost with no reason to live." Kimimaro explained.

"The only time I was ever allowed outside was when the clan needed me to fight. It wasn't long before I came to call that my reason for living. I didn't care what I had to do or who I had to kill, so long as I could be of use to someone. That gave my existence some value. However, it only lasted but for so long. One night, the Kaguya invaded Kirigakure, and were all slaughtered. I was the only survivor of that incident. For the remainder of my childhood, I wandered all alone as the sole survivor of the Kaguya Clan. But then...he appeared."

As Naruto listened, he began to understand why Kimimaro was the he was, why he felt a connection, even without him having to finish his story. Kimimaro had suffered the same loneliness that Naruto had. They both grew up wanting to be acknowledged and loved by someone. Fortunately, Naruto had Iruka. Kimimaro, however, had...

"Lord Orochimaru found me in the forest when I still a mere child. If there really was a point to life, he would help me find it if I followed him. So I did. Lord Orochimaru was the first person to ever care for me, and by following him, I eventually did find a new reason to live. My reason to live existed in helping him fulfill his own dream of acquiring all that this world had to offer. I completed whatever assignment he had for me without question. I was finally of use to somebody, and that's all that mattered. So long as I could help him reach his dream, I was happy."

"But how does his 'dream' involve Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

"Lord Orochimaru has already acquired the immortality jutsu, but a vast amount of time is needed to obtain every jutsu and everything he wants from this world. Just because he is immortal does not mean his body can maintain itself forever. So before his body withers and decays, a new stronger body must be made into a vessel for his soul. Originally, I was to be that vessel. Unfortunately, I became stricken with illness and my body was no longer of any use. To be the vessel was my purpose in life, but it slipped away from me. What was there left to give my existence meaning? And then I realized, my purpose was not to be the vessel, but find the vessel. That was the only I could repay my master for my failure, hence how I came to be here now. Unfortunately, I have even failed in that. If there is no reason for me to live, then I am better off dead."

As Kimimaro finished telling his story, Naruto now fully understood the boy perfectly. Kimimaro was not evil at all. He did none of what he did simply for pleasure, but because that was all he knew. Fighting and killing was how he had been raised all his life. All Kimimaro had ever wanted was someone who could give his life meaning and he found that in the worst possible person. None of this was own fault nor did he deserve to be used like this.

"...Sasuke, don't kill him. He's coming with us." Naruto said from out the blue.

Sasuke gaped at him incredulously, as though the blonde had just said the dumbest thing in the world. In Sasuke's opinion, he practically had.

"Take him with us? Naruto, have you completely lost your mind! This guy tried to kill you and the baby, and now you're asking me to spare him? He works for Orochimaru, Naruto! He's the enemy!" Sasuke exclaimed.

"That's only because he met the wrong person! We're only enemies because of the circumstances he was found under. He deserves a second chance!" Naruto shot back.

"He deserves death! You heard him say so his self!"

"Look, will you just give me a minute?"

"I don't fucking believe this! You know what? Whatever. You're on your own with this one."

Despite his anger and frustration, Sasuke backed off and allowed Naruto to have his time with Kimimaro, however pointless it was. Try and help the guy who tried to kill you? That was the most absurd thing Sasuke had ever heard of.

"Listen, Kimimaro, I know how you feel. Trust me, I went through the same pain as you did. I know what's like to want to have someone acknowledge and care about you. I understand the loneliness you went through as child, and while Orochimaru may have been the closest thing you had to a father figure, he isn't the man you think he is. He cares only about himself and his own goals. He treats peoples' lives like toys, playing with them and then throwing them way when he's done. You've been brainwashed your whole life. You mean absolutely nothing to Orochimaru. To him, you're just another pawn for him to throw away when he's finished. You may think you have a place in his heart, but you don't and you never did." Naruto explained in a calm, but firm voice.

At first, Kimimaro said nothing. Instead, he merely stared at Naruto with a blank stare, as though nothing the blonde said made any sense. Then, very slowly, Kimimaro's impassive face distorted into a look of pure anger. If looks could kill, Naruto would've keeled over right then and there.

"No, you're wrong! You don't understand anything about me at all! I will see the truth of this world, and Lord Orochimaru will show me! I am not his pawn! My master understands me, he is the only one who has ever given my life meaning! But how could the likes of you ever understand that?" Kimimaro screamed in anger, showing true emotion for the first time.

"Now do you see, Naruto? There's no hope for this guy, he's past the point of no return. Now move aside, and let me finish this." Sasuke said as he stepped forward and raised his sword.

"I said no!" Naruto hollered as he shoved Sasuke back.

Naruto then bent down and attempted to help Kimimaro up. "C'mon, you're coming with us."

"Get your hands off of me! I would rather die than accept help from those who would dare oppose my master!" Kimimaro said angrily as he shoved Naruto back with what little strength he had.

"I'm trying to save you, damn it! Why can't you understand that Orochimaru doesn't care about you? What's it gonna take to make you see that?" Naruto asked, also a bit frustrated.

Before anyone could say anything else, all three warriors suddenly became aware of a large number of unknown chakra signatures making their way toward them. Everyone waited to see if these newcomers would be friend or foe. They didn't have to wait long, for a number of kunai were thrown their way from out of nowhere, forcing Naruto and Sasuke to back flip away from Kimimaro as the knives embedded themselves into the ground where the two once stood.

Several seconds later, both Naruto and Sasuke found themselves facing a large group of Sound ninja, all of them wearing ski masks with a music note engraved on their headbands, which were sewn onto the foreheads of their masks. The only visible part of their faces were their eyes, and they were all giving Naruto and Sasuke menacing looks.

"What the hell? Where did you guys come from?" Naruto asked.

"Who're you? Start identifying yourselves." Sasuke demanded.

After several moments of staring each other down, the larger of the Sound ninja stepped forward, obviously the captain of the large group. He looked between Naruto and Sasuke as though contemplating something before finally addressing the matter at hand.

"The one on the left, he is the one Lord Orochimaru is after. The Sharingan is a dead giveaway." the leader said, pointing a finger at Sasuke.

"What about the one with the blonde hair? What do we do with him?" asked his closest subordinate.

"I believe that one is the jinchuriki of the Nine Tailed Fox. Just bring him along with us too. We'll let Lord Orochimaru decide what to do with him."

Naruto and Sasuke both visibly tensed as some of the Sound ninja advanced forward to apprehend them. Just as the two sides were about to engage each other in combat, they were stopped by another Sound subordinate.

"Wait! What about...him?" said a grunt soldier, pointing at Kimimaro.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about him." The leader said before turning back to Sasuke and Naruto. "Excuse us for a moment. This bit requires our attention first."

Curiously, Sasuke and Naruto watched as the enemy seemed to forget about them completely, and instead rounded in on Kimimaro. At first, the pair thought these Sound shinobi had shown up to help Kimimaro. However, if that were the case why were they pulling out their swords?

"What is the meaning of this? What're are all of you doing here?" Kimimaro asked, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"We're here to complete our mission of retrieving the vessel for Lord Orochimaru's immortality jutsu." said one of the Sound ninja.

"What do you mean? This assignment was for my team and I." Kimimaro replied.

The Sound ninja around him chuckled darkly.

"No, I'm afraid you have that a bit twisted. Lord Orochimaru is fully aware of the deteriorating condition of your body, and he knows that you don't have much time left as it is. Lord Orochimaru needs that Uchiha's body in order to continue toward his goal, and he didn't wanna risk you dying and messing up his opportunity. That is why he sent us as a sort of 'insurance policy.' The antidote that Kabuto gave you was only meant to last a couple days, not a full week. If you weren't back in two days, we were to come and retrieve the vessel ourselves as you would be dead. If, by chance you were still alive, well..." the subordinate trailed off.

"What are you saying?" Kimimaro asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"...If you were still alive by the time we got here, Lord Orochimaru instructed us to ambush you & your team, and then take the vessel ourselves. Get it? This mission was ours from the beginning. Lord Orochimaru sent you first, however, just to get you out of the way and hopefully lure Sasuke out into the open by the time we arrived, which you have. We are to retrieve the vessel at any cost, even if it meant invading Konoha again. Luckily, you saved us that trouble. However, you have now out lived your usefulness and must be done away with."

Kimimaro looked up at his assassins looking dumbstruck. "L..Lord...Orochimaru...ordered this?"

"Precisely. Seeing as how he can't use your body anyway, he figured he'd put your final moments to good use. This was set up since the very beginning. I'd say everything went as planned, wouldn't you, Kimimaro?"

All Kimimaro could do was continue to look dumbstruck, his mouth gaping open. This all seemed like a bad dream. Orochimaru had raised him since he was a small child, saving him from a life of intense loneliness, and now the man that he deified and worshiped had ordered his death at the snap of a fingers. This whole time, he'd been used just like...like a...a pawn in a game of chess. The blonde one had been right, Kimimaro realized that now. However, it was too late. He and his team were going to die and there was nothing he could do about it. "Betrayed" didn't even begin to describe what he was feeling at the moment. His life and all that he had done had meant nothing to Orochimaru, absolutely nothing...

"No...no! You can't do this to me!" Kimimaro protested. "Lord Orochimaru. . .how could you?"

Kimimaro's eyes widened as the Sound ninja around him raised their swords. "Heh, sayonara..."

Before any of them could bring their blades down, however, they were all blocked by Naruto, who seemed to appear from absolutely nowhere. Within mere moments of catching them all off guard, he cut them all down with his Chakra Knives before staring the others down defiantly with his Rinnegan afterwards. Alarmed, the other Sound ninja all jumped back, unnerved by what they'd just seen.

'Lord Orochimaru really wasn't kidding about this kid's speed. Even I couldn't follow his movements.' The leader thought as his men murmured in hushed voices around him.

"You people are monsters, turning on one another the way you do! Well you're not hurting Kimimaro! I'm not gonna let you throw him away like some toy!" Naruto hollered in anger.

One the enemy ninja grunted and boldly rushed at Naruto, only to have his head sliced clean off by Sasuke in the blink of an eye. The poor bastard's head went bouncing along as his now headless body crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"Anybody else wanna be stupid?" Sasuke asked rhetorically as he and Naruto now both faced their enemy. He did not care about saving Kimimaro, however he wasn't going to let them hurt Naruto.

"Damn it, seize them!" the leader ordered angrily, pointing his finger forward.

At the command of their leader, the small army of Sound ninja rushed forward at Naruto and Sasuke, who also rushed forward to engage them all head on. Before they could actually clash, however, both sides stopped as a huge wave of sand erupted up in front of them. Naruto and Sasuke slid back downhill near Kimimaro as the wall of sand rose up and crashed onto the Sound ninja on the other side like a ton of weight.

"Giant Sand Burial!" yelled a loud, but cold voice, none other than that of Gaara.

The air was then filled with the anguished cries of the Sound ninja as the sand they were buried under imploded, liquefying their bodies under tons upon tons of pressure, blood spurting in all directions. As Naruto and Sasuke looked on in shock and confusion at what had just happened, their attention was then brought to a conflict involving the leader and another person. Instantly, the pair realized who it was, for the green jump suit was a dead giveaway.

"Is that Rock Lee? What the hell is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be injured?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah. I hate to admit, but after what Gaara did to him in the Preliminaries, I was sure Bushy Brows was done." Naruto agreed.

As the fight continued, it was mostly one-sided. Even though the Sound ninja leader was a Chunin, he was no match for Rock Lee's speed and agility. Before the guy even knew what had hit him, he was kicked into the air, turned upside down, and then pile-driven into the ground head first in the Primary Lotus. And that is how he stayed, his head buried under the ground and his neck crushed from the impact.


Kimimaro groaned as he attempted to sit up, but ended up plopping back down on the rocks underneath him, the dull edges of the stones digging uncomfortably into his back. He tried a few times more only to meet the same result as the first. Eventually, Kimimaro was forced to accept the fact that he simply wasn't going to be able to get up on his own. His strength was all but gone.

"Take it easy, Kimimaro. Don't try and push yourself." Naruto said as he gently propped Kimimaro's head up.

"...Why? After all that have I done and what I tried to do, why would you still save me?" Kimimaro asked.

"Everyone deserves a second chance. It's not your fault how your life turned out, and I don't blame you for anything. You're exactly like I was as a child: all alone. I know what it's like because I'm a jinchuriki. Only difference between us is that you were just found by the wrong person." Naruto replied.

Kimimaro's eyes widened in surprise as he stared up at Naruto. Even despite all that he had done, this boy showed no hostility toward him and instead was still willing to forgive him. In Otogakure, it had been survival of the fittest and every man for himself. This sort of unconditional kindness had never been known to Kimimaro, yet he welcomed it. Orochimaru had betrayed him, so now what purpose in life did he have? Maybe, just maybe, if he followed this boy, he could find a new answer to that question. It was rare that anyone received a second chance at life, and yet Kimimaro was being offered one, even though he did not feel he deserved it.

As Kimimaro was about to reply, however, he suddenly broke into a fit of uncontrollable coughing, spitting up a little blood as he did so.

"Kimimaro! What's the matter? Are you injured?" Naruto asked frantically. He did not know much about the human body, but he did know that coughing up blood usually meant there was some kind of internal injury.

"No, but I am very sick. I have been for some time now. Prior to coming to retrieve Sasuke, I was given an antidote by a man named Kabuto Yakushi. However, as it was mentioned earlier, it is already beginning to wear off. Despite your efforts, I'm afraid I am going to die here anyw-" that was all Kimimaro could get out before breaking into more coughing.

"Save your strength. As soon as we get back to Konoha, I'll have Grandma Tsunade fix you up good as new. You'll be back on your feet in no time." Naruto said reassuringly. This time Kimimaro did allow himself to be pulled onto Naruto's back piggyback style as the blonde rose to his feet with a grunt of effort.

After making sure he had a secure hold on Kimimaro, Naruto made his way to the edge of the clearing to meet up with Sasuke, Rock Lee, and Gaara.

"Naruto Uzumaki! It is good to see you again!" Rock Lee said enthusiastically as Naruto walked up.

"Glad to see you made a full recovery too, Bushy Brows." Naruto replied.

"Yes, my surgery was a success. A wonderful outcome, was it not? I am not quite at full strength yet, but I will get there with more training and burning passion!"

Naruto sweat dropped as Lee pumped a fist into the air, his eyes igniting into flames. However, at finally taking notice of the other presence, Lee looked over Naruto's shoulder and made eye contact with Kimimaro.

"Who is that on your back, Naruto-kun?" Lee asked with a confused look.

"This is Kimimaro. He used to work for Orochimaru, but that snake bastard betrayed him. So he's coming to Konoha with us." Naruto replied.

"Oh, I see. He is yet another victim of Orochimaru's evil. Well any friend of Naruto-kun is a friend of mine! Welcome to the team, Kimimaro-san!" Lee exclaimed happily, extending his hand in friendship.

A cricket could be heard chirping in the background as an awkward silence passed between them, Kimimaro merely staring at the appendage...

"...You're odd." he said, causing Lee to fall over anime style.

"I still cannot believe you're actually taking him back with us." Sasuke said with dissatisfaction.

"Well why not? Kimimaro is no different from you and I, and he deserves a second chance." Naruto reasoned.

"I beg to differ."

"No, Uzumaki is right." Gaara said with his usual impassive expression as Lee began to pick himself up. "When I look at Kimimaro, it reminds me of you, Uchiha. You may not see it, but you and him have the same eyes, seeking to prove the value of your own existence. You and Kimimaro are one in the same. He would do well to make a new life in Konoha with you and your friends."

Sasuke scowled at him. "Why the hell are you even here anyway? Shouldn't you be terrorizing Sunagakure or something?"

"My village owes a debt to Konoha for their involvement in Konoha's invasion. It's only a start, however we're working to improve relations between our two villages." Gaara explained, ignoring Sasuke's rude remark about his previous actions.

"Whatever. Lets just go find Shikamaru and the others already. We're wasting time standing around here."

Sasuke didn't wait for any further comments before he went leaping through the trees, the others having no choice but to follow or be left behind. They figured their best bet would be to find Shikamaru first before rounding up all the others, as he was their squad leader for this mission.

Surprisingly, the group spoke not a word to each other as they traveled, as neither really had much to say. All that mattered was that they regroup with the others and make it back to Konoha in one piece. They could only hope the others had fared just as well. However, if the rest of Sound Ninja Five were anything like Kimimaro, they most likely had the fight of their lives.

"Naruto-kun, may I please make a request?" Kimimaro asked, breaking the silence.

"Huh? Oh, sure. What is it?" Naruto replied over his shoulder, happy that Kimimaro had added the -kun suffix to his name.

"If any members of my team happen to still be alive, would it be alright if we bring them with us?"

"You can't be serious." Sasuke said, looking back.

"I understand that you consider them the enemy, but they are still my teammates none the less. We were all mere pawns to Orochimaru and he has more than likely sent Sound ninja to attack them as well. If we can save them, I can use this betrayal to my advantage and convince them to switch sides. Please, they are the closest thing I have to a family and vice versa. Their skills would make great assets to Konoha in return for sparing their lives." Kimimaro explained.

"Sure." Naruto said firmly, glaring at Sasuke. "We'd be more than happy to."

Sasuke scowled and gave his usual "Hn" before turning his attention back to the front.

Eventually, the group did manage to meet back up with Shikamaru, who'd received assistance from Gaara's older sister, Temari. Just as Kimimaro had speculated, more Sound ninja had in fact arrived and had attempted to ambush Shikamaru and Tayuya. Luckily, Temari had arrived in the nick of time and used her Summoning: Blade Dance to not only slice the enemy ninja to pieces, but also level the surrounding forest.

Unfortunately, Tayuya ended up being caught up in it too. After some searching, the foul-mouthed girl was eventually found unconscious and buried under several large tree trunk parts. On the bright side, however, she was still alive.

With Tayuya secured in Sasuke's arms, the group traveled a ways more and eventually met up with Kiba & Akamaru, who'd receive help from Gaara's older brother, Kankuro. Needless to say, they weren't surprised to see a bunch of dead Sound ninja littering the area, as the trio had been ambushed while fighting Sakon & Ukon. Unfortunately, it was too late to save either of the brothers, for Kankuro had already killed them by the time the other enemy ninja had shown up.

After patching up Kiba & Akamaru's injuries as best they could, the group moved further through the forest before they eventually came upon Neji and Kidomaru. The group arrived just in time to witness the latter slaying the last Sound ninja before he eventually collapsed from pure exhaustion, barely alive due to his injuries. Neji himself lay motionless on the ground, a gaping hole going straight through his collar bone.

Kankuro and Temari begrudgingly ended up having to bring the two unconscious individuals along before the group was setting off again, moving closer toward Konoha. Along the way, they picked up Choji's unconscious form and discovered a clearing full of the bodies of dead Sound ninja, Jirobo being among them due to a fatal punch to the chest.

In the end, only two members of the Sound Ninja Five were saved (three counting Kimimaro), and the other members of Shikamaru's team were left severely injured. Despite the added weight and casualties, the team was able to walk through the gates of Konoha, their mission a success.

That concludes this chapter. In the end, Kimimaro lived and so did a couple others. How will all this pan out? Stay tuned for the next chapter. Also, don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think.

(*)The Gatotsu is a sword technique from the anime Rurouni Kenshin, used by Saito Hajime. A picture of the Gatotsu stance can actually be found on Google. Click on Images and type in Gatotsu. It should be the first picture if they haven't changed it.