Hope you guys enjoy
It was almost three days before there were any new developments.
When Sai had woke he'd told them that it had been Obito who freed Kabuto-which they'd all already suspected, Karin had yet to wake up-the head injury had been serious-even for someone with Uzumaki vitality, and Sasuke barely left the hospital-only leaving when Sasuke, Sakura or Sai agreed to stay with her while he went to wash and change and have something to eat.
Naruto had been helping Tsunade, making plans and contingency, reaching out to the other villages to inform them of the recent events, though she did find time each day to visit the red head, who was healing well despite the fact that she was still unconscious.
It was in the middle of the night that there was a truly significant development, Naruto was asleep when it happened, and she woke in her mindscape, curled up on the grass, and Kurama was nudging her with his nose, "Brat. Brat wake up now. I've made contact wake up."
And Naruto shot into wakefulness, her eyes wide instantly as she she sat up "Kurama did you just say what I think you said?"
"I said that I've made contact." then Naruto was being yanked through the mindscape, into a familiar place, the strange white sterile mindscape where she'd spoken to Gaara what felt like a lifetime ago.
Chomei and Fu were both there too.
They both felt frightened, Chomei was big, a blue armored beetle with six green wings growing from the end of its abdomen with a single tail-Naruto assume that the wings counted as tails or something, and it had what looked like horned protrusions from it's head, and it positioned itself in front of Fu, who was pale, her tanned skin looking pallid as she clung to Chomei.
"Wha-"
"Chomei." Kurama's voice was a rumble, warm and reassuring, "Chomei, peace it's me."
"Kurama?" Chomei's voice was shocked, "How-"
"I managed to pull you in here-it wasn't easy-"
"Wait-" Fu peered around Chomei, her eyes going wide as they landed on Naruto, who bolted from where she was stood next to Kurama, launching herself at Fu and hugging the mint haired girl tightly, and Fu hugged her back, tears pouring down the usually bubbly girls cheeks.
"Naruto-chan what happened?" her voice was shaking, "You said you'd come, you said you'd come but-"
"I'm so sorry, there were two attacks at once, I thought that the second tug was just Gaara calling me again-by the time I realized I was too late and you were gone. I'm so sorry." she was crying herself, "I'm going to find you."
"Please. Please find us." Fu's voice cracked, "They're going to take Chomei away from me."
"They're doing the ritual now." Chomei's voice was tight, and Naruto realized just how much smaller than Kurama the other Biju was.
Kurama had noticed too because he was wrapping a tail around the other Biju, an act that Naruto knew was his way of being comforting. "You're over halfway drained."
"We'll come for you." Naruto promised, "Fu-chan I promise we'll come for you. Do you know where you are?"
"No." Fu shook her head, "No, no I don't." she was shaky as she said that, "I don't... Naruto-chan what's going to happen? You won't find me in time it won't take them long and they'll have Chomei."
"I need a way to get to you." Naruto's mind was racing, "How long do you think we have."
"A matter of hours." Chomei spoke, "There isn't time."
"There might be." Naruto swallowed hard, "Fu-chan." she dragged the other girl to the floor, sitting cross legged, Fu following her lead. "I need you to pay very close attention now." even as she spoke she was biting her thumb and swiping it over her wrist, pulling out some parchment and some ink and brushes,.
"What are you planning."
"Watch me." Naruto dipped a brush into the ink and carefully painted a familiar seal. "Look at that okay? How does that look to you?"
"It looks like a seal-why-"
"You need to learn that seal." Naruto grabbed Fu's hand, a kunai suddenly glinting in her own as she sliced the other girls finger, "Trace over it with your blood-"
"What-"
"Just do it." Naruto ordered firmly, "I need you to trust me Fu-chan."
"I..." Fu hesitated before nodding. "I trust you."
So together they worked, Naruto forcing Fu to trace the seal out onto the parchment using her bloody finger over and over again until she could do it on her own with no help or prompting from Naruto.
After a while of this Fu hesitantly asked the question Naruto knew must have been playing on her mind from the moment Naruto started showing her.
"What good is this?"
"This-" Naruto tapped the seal, "Is my Hirashin seal." she saw Fu's eyes widening in shocked realization.
"If I can get it right in the real world-"
"Then I can reach you instantly."
"You're a genius!" Fu threw her arms around Naruto's shoulders, hugging her tightly, "Am I ready?"
"I don't think it's possible for you to be any more ready." Naruto admitted. "Kurama if Chomei stays here will she still be able to keep an eye on what's going on with Fu if Fu goes back to the real world."
"Yes. And I'll be able to keep in contact with you. Chomei and I will stay in here while you both go and do what must be done-you'll need your team."
Sasuke and Sakura." Naruto stated quickly, "My fellow powerhouse and a healer." she squeezed Fu's shoulder reassuringly, "We'll be with you soon Fu-chan I promise you."
"I know." Fu nodded, her expression pale and drawn but determined, "I'll get Chomei to tell Kurama as soon as I've drawn the seal. It won't be easy though, I can barely move out there."
"You have to try." Naruto tightened the hug for a second before pulling back, "You're so strong Fu-chan. Just hold out a little bit longer okay?"
"I will." Fu nodded, "I'll do what I have to do to stay alive."
"I'll go and brief my teammates. We'll be with you soon Fu-chan." Naruto hated herself as she stepped backwards, and then she was in bed and she scrambled to her feet, yanking her sandals on and a coat, the white fabric swirling around her as she made her way to Sakura's room and knocked on the door twice before pushing her way in, not bothering to wait for Sakura to respond, even as the pink haired girl sat up, yawning.
"Naruto-chan?" her voice was tired, "What's going on?" she saw the look on the blonde's face and straightened slightly. "Fu?"
"I made contact, she's going to try and draw a Hirashin seal we need to get there as quickly as they can they're in the middle of the extraction."
"Right." Sakura nodded, yanking her sandals on quickly and getting to her feet, "Who else are we taking?"
"Sasuke-kun if he'll come." Naruto held out her arm and Sakura took it, letting her Hirashin them both to the Kunai Sasuke had on him at all times.
Sasuke was already awake, he was the only one of them even dressed- Sakura was in a pair of pink pyjama's with white polka dots on and Naruto was in a pair that were orange with frogs printed on them-a present from Jiraiya during their training trip.
He took one look at them and stood up, grabbing a kunai from the bedside table next to him-and Naruto spared a glance at Karin-she looked much better than she had but she still looked too small, too pale in the large hospital bed.
"What happened?"
"Kurama and I have made contact with Fu. She's drawing a Hirashin seal as fast as she can. They're in the middle of the extraction."
"Well shit." Sasuke grimaced, "This should be fun."
"Our priority is getting Fu-chan out." Naruto said firmly, "Alive, though that should probably be pretty obvious. Sakura-chan will probably have to get to work on healing her immediately, Sasuke-kun-"
"I'll use Susanoo to protect us, it probably won't hold up against their attacks but it'll give us time to get in and out."
"It's a plan." Sakura nodded, "How long until Fu's managed it?"
"I don't know. Let me check in with Kurama." Naruto closed her eyes, and Kurama's response came before she'd even asked the question.
"She's drawing it now. Chomei's weakening Naruto. As soon as Fu's finished you need to be there."
"Got it."
"Fu's doing it now. Grab on ready." Naruto ordered, "We won't have any time to mess around."
Two hands came down onto either shoulder, holding on tight, and when, after perhaps two, three minutes Kurama's voice came again saying;
"It's done, Naruto hurry."
The blonde was already flashing through the handsigns, focusing on Fu, picturing the girl in her mind.
It was slightly harder-it wasn't a seal she'd made so she wasn't so innately connected to it but with enough focus she'd be able to get straight to the other Jinchuriki.
And sure enough they arrived in a dark cavern like area, and they were on the ground in front of a gigantic demonic looking statue.
She heard Kurama snarling in the back of her mind but Fu was on the ground and the girl took up all of her attention-there were weird ass looking dragon's made of some kind of energy surrounding Fu, ripping Chomei from the barely conscious mint haired girl.
She ignored the startled yells from above them, dropping to her knees next to the girl, fury ripping through her-and she heard Kurama's screaming as the Dragons retreated-she felt a dawning sense of horror as she felt Chomei's chakra, the last of it being ripped out of Fu, and then Kurama's voice, loud and clear in her mind almost screamed.
"Infuse her with a tails worth of my chakra! Chomei begged me to save her, give her our chakra!"
And Naruto's chakra cloak flared to life around her even as Sasuke's eyes spun red and a familiar skeletal set of ribs surrounded them, shielding them as Naruto pushed her deep fire like golden chakra into the older girl, even as Sakura dropped to her knees next to them, hands glowing as she got to work supporting Naruto in her attempts to save Fu's life.
Once the infusion was done Naruto gripped Fu's arm, since Sakura was gripping the other Jinchuriki's body too that would work, and her gaze moved to Sasuke. "Sasuke-kun! We need to retreat now." Fu had to be the priority, as much as she wished they could tear through the Akatsuki and rip them all to shreds.
Sasuke however wasn't looking at her, his gaze was tilted upwards, locked on one of the figures above-they were on the weird statues fingers Naruto realized absently-and she could feel fury and hate rolling off of the Uchiha.
"SASUKE!"
"Danzo." Sasuke's voice was tight and furious, "It's Danzo-"
"Sasuke-kun please!" Naruto's voice was frantic, "If we don't get her out of here then Fu will die!"
That caused Sasuke to hesitate and his gaze shifted back to Naruto, even as the figures above then began to move, clearly overcoming the shock of their sudden arrival.
She could hear voices but she couldn't focus on their words as Sasuke dropped to her side and grabbed her shoulder.
Then Naruto's hands flashed through signs and they were in Karin's hospital room and they landed in a heap, though Sakura caught herself quickly, hands still glowing green as she focused on Fu.
"She's still alive." her voice was tight, panicked, "The infusions saved her life-the trauma of the sudden removal is what would have killed her, if she survives then the chakra you gave her should be able to gradually pass through her system giving her time to adjust to no longer having the chakra of a Biju. But it's an if still."
"What do we do?"
"I need a bed and other medics." Sakura ordered, and Sasuke nodded, moving to the door quickly and opening it, calling for help, and a moment later there were more medics bustling into the room and they were helping Sakura get Fu up from the floor and load the girl onto a bed before wheeling her away-Sasuke grabbing her shoulder to stop her when she tried to follow.
"I should be with her-"
"You'll be in the way." Sasuke's voice was firm but comfoting, "Sit down. Breath, talk to Kurama."
"I... fuck. Kurama." Naruto let Sasuke shove her into a seat, lifting her hand to press it to her face, letting out a shaky breath.
"Kurama are you okay?"
"I am furious."
The fury in the fox's voice was very easy to detect. "I knew they had done it to the others, I knew but to witness it, to be there as Chomei was ripped from a Jinchuriki it liked and to see my sibling locked away in that monstrosity..." he snarled, "We must stop them kit. Stop them and free my trapped siblings. This is a war."
"We will."
Naruto closed her eyes, considering his words, a sad smile playing across her lips.
"And as much as I'm loath to admit it you're right. This is war."
