Astonishing Truth; Pushed to the Edge!


I blinked and narrowed my eyes, "Now just survive and catch up to us when you can, because I strongly believe that I'm gonna need you should I have to use that technique."

I took a deep breath and sighed, "As for the matter at hand, Sasuke whatever you do, don't engage Gaara in battle until we find you." I begged.

Helena scoffed, "Knowing him, he'll already be in battle by the time we catch up to him."

I hoped she would be wrong.


We picked up our speed and were making good time, with Pakkun leading the way I was sure we would catch up to Sasuke in no time at all.

"Uh oh, trouble kids." Pakkun said, stopping on the next tree branch.

Sakura, Choji, and I stopped next to him while Naruto missed it and ran face first into a tree.

"What's big idea?" Naruto yelled, "Why'd you stop so suddenly?"

"Pakkun what did you smell?" I asked him.

"It smells to me that Sasuke is in pursuit of two of the sand ninja, while one is staying behind with someone else." he answered, staring straight ahead.

"Who cares about that, we have to catch up to Sasuke!" Naruto reminded.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked Pakkun.

"The two staying behind are about to fight, I can smell it." Pakkun answered. "Even if it'll cost us some time, we need to go around them."

"I say we charge right on in." Naruto rebuked. "Who cares if they're fighting."

"Naruto, think for once." Choji berated. "We don't have time to get mixed up in someone else's fight."

"No matter how much you might get a kick out of it." Sakura added. "Our mission is to get Sasuke, we can't get caught in the crossfire of some other fight."

"Sakura's right." I agreed, taking a kunai knife from my holster. I walked to the trunk of the tree and carved in an arrow, pointing to the direction we were taking to go around the fight. Then, I slit the center of my palm and wiped my blood across the arrow.

"What's the for Kris?" Naruto asked.

"To show Shikamaru the change in direction we took." I answered, bandaging up my hand. "The blood will also act as a stronger scent sample so Angel could get a better lock on it."

"Nice idea." Choji said, smiling.

"Are you absolutely sure he's following us?" Naruto grumbled.

I shot him a glare, "Yes, now come on." I ordered, following Pakkun, "We have a teammate to catch up to."

We quickly got back in the same formation and followed Pakkun around the fight that was about to take place. The question that I was thinking of was just who exactly was this new shinobi that stepped in to fight one of the sand ninja? And who was the one he, or she, was fighting?


As we continued to track Sasuke, Helena's seal pulsated and I had to suddenly stop.

"Kristin?" Choji asked, landing at my side. "What's wrong?"

I coughed and gripped my left hip. "Helena's seal, it's pulsating." I said through gritted teeth. "It's like she's trying to warn me about something."

"What is it?" Sakura asked. "Is it Sasuke? Is something wrong with him?"

I shook my head, "No, it's not that." I took slow, shallow breaths.

"That same chakra we felt at the arena just surfaced again." Helena told me. "I think Gaara's about to unleash the Shukaku."

"Is he fighting Sasuke now?" I asked her.

"I'm afraid so." she answered. "And if Gaara let that thing out, Sasuke's gonna need some backup."

I nodded my head and ignored the pain. "C'mon guys, we've got to move!" I ordered, running forward. "Double time it!"

So we doubled our pace and tried to catch up with Sasuke, before he became Gaara's next victim.

As we continued our pursuit, the pain from my seal intensified, probably because we were that much closer to Sasuke…and Gaara. I flinched as another wave of pain struck me and I remembered my encounter with Gaara at the hospital the day before the Chūnin Exam finals.


{Flashback}

Gaara still stared at us. "I was going to kill him." he answered, after a few seconds, no emotion in his voice.

"You already beat him once in the competition, wasn't that enough for you?" Shikamaru asked, narrowing his eyes. "Do you have a personal grudge against him or something?"

"I have nothing against him." Gaara replied. "I feel nothing, I simply want to kill him, that's all."

"You're sick in the head!" Naruto yelled, pointing his finger at Gaara. "You're crazy!"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, you think we're just gonna let you do what ya want?" Shikamaru added. "You sick, selfish, psycho."

"I wouldn't taunt him if I were you." Helena advised, her voice soft.

"If you three don't get out of my way, I'll have to kill you too." Gaara said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"Oh really?" Naruto challenged. "Let's see you try it!"

"Whoa, take it easy there Naruto." I told him, putting my hand on his arm. "You wanna get us killed?"

"Yeah, yeah, we watched your last match against Lee, we know you're tough." Shikamaru said, making me turn my attention to him. "But you know what, there are things you haven't even seen yet from Naruto, Kristin, and myself." he added. "And on top of that, it's three against one. So take my advice and go, quietly."

"I'll say it again, if you get in my way, I'll kill you." Gaara repeated, glaring at us.

"And I'll say it again, I wanna see you try it!" Naruto yelled.

Shikamaru held his hand out, "Whoa, we don't wanna go there." he warned. "This guy fights like he's mad, like he's a demon or something."

Naruto smirked, "He can act like a demon all he wants to, but I got the real thing inside of me."

"He's not the only one." Helena chided.

"And so does Kristin for that matter." Naruto added.

"Hey do not drag me into this." I told him, stepping closer to Shikamaru. "I, for one, value my life."

"A demon huh?" Gaara repeated, closing his eyes.

"Huh?" Naruto and I questioned in unison.

"My demon is as real as yours are." Gaara added. He opened his eyes and locked gazes with us. "Before I was born, my father cast his ninjutsu on me, infusing my unborn self with a sand spirit." he said. "I took the life of a woman who gave birth to me. I was born a monster."

"Sand spirit?" I thought.

"It couldn't be." Helena gasped.

"It's name is Shukaku and it's the living incarnation of an old monk from the sand village who was sealed away in a jar of tea." Gaara informed.

I gulped.

"Yeah, some demonic jutsu." Shikamaru said. "But to use it on a baby, before it's even born? Man that's creepy."

I cast a sideways glance at Naruto, who had a shocked look on his face, that probably mirrored my own.

"Shukaku, it can't be." Helena whimpered.

I blinked and in a flash I saw her back into the recesses of my subconscious mind.

"Is he…like me?" I thought.

"Gee, he seems like a swell guy. Your dad must've loved you a lot." Shikamaru smirked.

"You speak of love. Don't measure me by your standards." Gaara replied. "Love, family. These words mean nothing to me. The only ties I have to my family, are the ones I want to wrap around their throats. They're only ties of hate."

The three of us gasped. Gaara went on to tell us that even though he was pampered as the child of the Kazekage, since he became six years old, his father tried to have him killed.

A devilish smirk crossed Gaara's face, "Those who become too strong, soon become feared." he said, almost growling. "The jutsu that had been cast unbalanced something in my mind. I became a threat to the very village I was meant to save." he added. "I had failed at the one thing for which I was meant to do. So begged the question, what was left for me, why go on living?"

"I could never find the answer." Gaara admitted. "But in order to live, you need a purpose. To exist for no reason, is the same as being dead. My reason for living was in the killing of others." he said. "It all became clear to me; I fight only for myself, I love only myself. As it was the death of my mother that gave me life, it's the killing of others that sustains it, making me almost happy to be alive."

Gaara stopped by the doorway, "All the same I will kill you." he warned. "I'll kill you all." and he walked out, his footsteps echoing down the hallway.

{End Flashback}


I shook off the memory and quickened my pace. "Just hang in there Sasuke, we're coming." I thought. I cast a glance behind me, "And Shikamaru, I hope you're on our tail, because I may have no choice but to fully unleash Helena if Gaara has unleashed the Shukaku."

I took a deep breath and focused on the mission at hand, and quickened my pace once more.

"Slow down Kristin, we'll make it in due time." Pakkun said.

"Pakkun, what I'm sensing, we can't afford to slow down if we want to make it to Sasuke before he's killed." I replied, and that got Sakura and Naruto motivated to catch up to me.

"Let's do this." Naruto voted.

"We're right behind ya Kris." Sakura added.

I smiled at both of my teammates and we all sent some chakra to our feet for another burst of speed, and lunged ahead. Pakkun and Choji were on our heels.


After pursuing him for what seemed like hours, we finally made it to where Sasuke and Gaara were. What I saw struck me to the core, Gaara was partially transformed into what looked like some creature. The chakra I sensed matched the one I felt in the arena earlier before this whole mess started.

Naruto kicked Gaara square in the face, protecting Sasuke from what could've been a fatal blow.

"Sasuke!" I called, landing next to him.

He was laying facedown on the tree branch and I could see the black flame-like pattern on his neck and arm.

I gasped, "Oh no."

"He activated the curse mark." Helena noted.

Sakura landed on the other side of Sasuke while Pakkun landed next to me, and Choji landed behind me. Naruto stood on the leaves in front of us, staring down Gaara.


Next time…

Kristin: What the hell is this?

Helena: it must be the spirits of me and Shukaku resonating. We're looking at Gaara's past, why he's like this.

Kristin: Wow, he did have a rough childhood. So sad, I almost feel sorry for him.

Helena: Next time: Assassin of the Moonlit Night.

Kristin: Although, I'm starting to feel a little lightheaded…and everything's beginning to blur…


A/N: Sorry that it's a bit shorter than the other chapters, I combined episodes 74 and 75 to make this chapter, just to move the plot along. Anyways read and review^^

XOXO~Cyber