10 Years Ago
The sound of footsteps on a rocky surface, crunching the pebbles beneath them was heard before it stopped. Big blue eyes looked down upon a large mass of buildings, fields, and an innumerable number of trees. Soon, a large shadow loomed over the village and the eyes shifted their focus upwards to see cloudy skies.
A boy with shining cerulean eyes, rosy cheeks and a head of spiky blond hair stood on top of a head that looked very much like his own. The man's face was carved out on the side of a mountain, two long bangs framing his eternally stoic face. The boy's white t-shirt with a red swirl in the center hung over his frame loosely, a green long-sleeve shirt underneath adding to the aesthetic. His navy-blue shorts were dirtied and slightly torn up, as were his sandals of the same color. None of this mattered, however, as he gazed at the dark clouds above him. They blocked the sun, and the small child narrowed his eyes before closing them, a tired sigh escaping his lips.
"Why do I exist?" the boy asked to the open skies. The pebbles beneath his feet were blown over the edge of the Fourth Hokage's head, descending a long way's down to the ground. The boy tensed up and spun on his heels, hands in a defensive position as he heard a set of footsteps that weren't his own. Seeing a head of silver hair poking framing a dog-like white mask with red paint, his form relaxed. "Dog!" the boy cried, his previously contemplative look taking on one of childlike joy as he ran up to the tall figure that was dressed in standard ANBU clothing. The man inclined his head to see the boy's narrow eyes looking directly into his, trying to see through the mask. He placed a hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair fondly, much to the child's chagrin.
"I heard your question," he said as the boy forcefully removed the hand from his head. Wide blue eyes met dark eyeholes while Naruto awaited a response, a look of intense seriousness on his face. "We, exist to suffer," the dog masked ANBU calmly stated, emphasizing his first word. Upon seeing confusion in the child's eyes, he elaborated. "We are put on this earth to live, experience various things, only for them to be stripped away from us at a moment's notice," the man said in a dead tone. He was too far gone to see the boy's watery eyes and downcast look. "It truly is a paradox," he said, still not noticing the boy as he shrunk into himself with each word spoken. "Why are we put here just to suffer? Do we have no purpose? What are we as human beings? What is the true meaning of life? These are questions I've been asking myself for years upon years with no answers. You love only to lose and lose only to lose again," he said in a defeated tone, mask facing towards the ground, silver bangs framing it. Upon hearing what he had just told a child, he shook his head frantically, kneeling to come eye-level with the boy who was curled up in a ball holding back tears. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and mentally berated himself when he flinched.
"Naruto, I truly believe you have a bigger purpose in this world, at least more than I do," he said. The boy's watery eyes bore through the man's mask as his voice cracked when he spoke.
"If your life is meant to be full of suffering and I have a bigger purpose than you, wouldn't that mean my purpose is to endure more suffering?" The ANBU's body trembled slightly at the words before his composure was gained and he stood up, turning his back to the boy. A breeze of wind blew the bangs framing he and Naruto's faces, lightly brushing them away from his face as a low whistle was heard around the two. It sounded as though the wind was weeping.
"I don't know, Naruto," the ANBU said in a faraway voice, before vanishing in a swirl of leaves. "I don't know." Naruto's eyes focused on the trees that littered the forest behind the Hokage Rock as he stood up. The ground crunched beneath his feet as he swiveled around, facing the farthest tip of the Fourth Hokage's bust. He charged forward, sandalled feet smashing against the ground as he quickened his pace. Tears cascaded down his cheeks and flew into the wind before he screeched to a halt when hearing a sudden voice, carried by the gentle breeze.
"Stop!" the voice shouted. It sounded like a kid only a few years younger than him and he turned his head to see a raven-haired boy with pronounced lines marring his face, making him look far older than he truly was, straight raven hair tied into a ponytail, several thin bangs framing his face and hanging over the silver forehead protector wrapped around his head. He wore a black, high-collared t-shirt with pants of the same color, a red and white crest in the shape of his fan on his back—his clan insignia and proof of affiliation with the Uchiha.
The boy was only several feet in front of him, and with each step he took towards Naruto, the blond stumbled back, maintaining balance as he teetered on the edge. "Calm down," the boy said in a firm tone. Naruto, not even knowing why, remained completely still, his balance found once again as he stood calmly on the edge of the spike that jutted out over the village. Tears were still streaming down his voice as he spoke.
"Why?" he asked in a broken voice. He sounded lost, like a child who didn't know his way back to his parents after having lost them in the marketplace—but this boy did not simply lose his parents, he lost his livelihood as well the day he was born.
"Because you must find your purpose," the boy said, reaching behind his back as he continued to walk towards the boy. He crouched in front of the boy and motioned with his free hand for the blond to move forward. Hesitantly, Naruto did so, still trembling from his sobs. He slowly sat down on the ground, his legs spread out and hands furiously wiping at his eyes even as the tears continued to fall, drenching his sleeves. His hands quickly rose to protect his forehead as he felt two fingers make contact, leaving a small bruise.
"Wha-Wha…?" the blond stuttered out, unable to find his voice. He was presented with a pair of green goggles in the raven-haired boy's hands. The boy's dark, onyx eyes looked directly into his cerulean ones and offered a soft, genuine smile. I wish I could smile like that… Naruto absently thought with mild confusion at the gesture.
"Take these," the older boy said. "Think of these as a tool that will help you see much better; help you see things more clearly. Seeing the boy completely still, the elder of the two sighed and took it upon himself to put the goggles on the blond. A light click was heard as the goggles were wrapped around the blond's forehead before getting refastened and pulled over his eyes. Naruto blinked as he saw the boy's face more clearly. The sun shone on the two as it peeked through the clouds, its rays hitting the older boy's face and casting a nice glow.
"One day you might get rid of these to replace them with a forehead protector of your village, pledging your allegiance to your Kage. That is the day when you will truly see things clearly, becoming your own individual and setting out on a journey far greater than any can imagine. I honestly believe you can solve the wonders of this world, the questions that man has yet to answer—mine is whether we can achieve true peace. When I see you," he said, pointing to the boy's confused face, "I see someone who seeks things beyond his own comprehension, someone imaginative, someone who can take the world by storm." Standing up, he held out a hand for the blond who eagerly took it and hopped on his feet with a new surge of energy. "My name is Itachi," he said with a polite smile. "There's no need for you to tell me your name, soon enough, the world will know." With those final words, the boy vanished in a swirl of black feathers, leaving Naruto alone once again. His eyes briefly shone with an intense glee at the performance but they quickly turned misty as he lost himself in thought.
"Find… my purpose?" the boy asked himself, walking towards the edge once again. He looked over the village that was now illuminated by the sunlight, the wide expanse of greens and buildings providing a nice bird's-eye-view.
"I don't know my purpose, but I know what I want… to be acknowledged… I'll become Hokage!" the boy declared, shifting his goggles with one hand as he kneeled to pat the Fourth's bust. The wind lightly rustled the boy's hair, causing him to giggle, running off with a new goal in sight.
Two figures watched as the boy disappeared into the thick brush of the forest.
The taller of the two stood with his arms crossed, his masked face looking down at the ground beneath his feet, shadowed by the treetops.
"You cleaned up my mess pretty well," he said, raising his mask up to drag a hand down his face, absently tracing his fingers on the scar that was over his right eye which was shut tightly. His other eye, an onyx black, had a hint of sadness in it as it leered at the ground.
Itachi, who had previously been leaning against a tree with his arms behind his back pushed off with one foot, staring straight at the masked man. A face cloth was covering the lower half of his face, but he knew the man well enough to understand by the slight twitching of his face muscles that he looked distraught.
"His life has only just begun, Kakashi. Remember that."
"Sakura," came the soft voice of the elderly woman. The pinkette turned her head to see Chiyo on her left, facing forward with her head slightly inclined in her direction. "I understand that you are a novice when it comes to knowledge regarding the bijū, so I'll give one last tidbit of information as we continue our trek towards Lord Gaara." Sakura's face remained passive which the woman took as a note she could continue.
"If the process is completed and Gaara's bijū is successfully taken from him, he will..."
"Die." Sakura finished for the woman. A solemn nod from the woman ushered Sakura to speak. "I drew that conclusion when you told us how powerful a Tailed Beast truly is. If one were to control it, the best course of action to take would most likely be sealing; that was my general assumption." A deliberate glance towards Naruto's form was made before she continued, "And the only thing powerful enough to hold one back couldn't be a simple object, right? It would have to be a human sacrifice, and as we already know…" she trailed off, looking at the ground with a saddened expression. Chiyo took note of this and remained silent, allowing the girl a bit of silent contemplation.
Giving his teammate a quick glance and seeing the distraught on her face, Naruto's blood began to boil. To have someone so compassionate and empathetic towards him while Gaara had no one, suffering in silence for his entire life thus far.
A purpose to live.
Crimson eyes blazing with fury and vigor, Naruto redoubled his efforts and completely vanished from sight.
"Shit!" Sakura cursed, "We'll never be able to catch up to him how he is now!" Kakashi gave a slow shake of his head, watching as his student desperately tried to quicken her pace, only wasting stamina and chakra in doing so.
Chiyo stared at the spot ahead of them that the blond had previously been occupying. "Why does this kid try his best to save Gaara, knowing it may be futile?" Her bias of other villages surfaced with a vengeance as she added, "the two aren't even from the same village…" earning a sidelong glance from Kakashi. "Just who in the world is he?" she asked no one in particular. The silver-haired man sighed, staring straight ahead.
"A jinchūriki—of the Nine-Tailed Fox." Chiyo's face took on an aghast look of shock. "It's most likely Naruto has no special feelings towards the Sand Village, but Gaara himself is a jinchūriki. That alone means he understands Gaara that no one in his own village could come close to having." Kakashi's lone eye drooped with sadness, his eyelids feeling heavy as he spoke, "When it comes to the treatment of jinchūriki in their home villages, they're pretty much the same—that's something that hasn't changed since the practice has been put into effect. That's why Naruto must save Gaara. Whether it's the Leaf or the Sand… means nothing to him." Kakashi paused to take a breath. "To Naruto, Gaara is… a comrade who shares his pain. Naruto's dream is to become Hokage, and from what I understand, Gaara has become Kazekage… the thought of it must have frustrated him to some degree." His eye formed a 'u' shape to signify he was smiling beneath his mask.
"On the other hand, Naruto was and is sincerely happy for Gaara… I believe that Naruto has a special power, one that has nothing to do with what's sealed inside him—quite the contrary, in fact; without exchanging many words, he has the capability to create a friendship with anyone…" Chiyo silently mulled over the jōnin's words before making her next statement.
"I've lived many years… and seen many things… I've learned the ways of the world accordingly. Due to the fact I've found alliances with other nations as nothing more than mere formalities, we needed [outside] resources to protect our village." The two fell into a deep silence.
"The jutsu that sealed Shukaku in Gaara, I did it." Kakashi's head perked up slightly and he gave the woman a glance with his lone eye, attempting to see any form of deception. "I did it to protect the village and because of that, the villagers suffered for it. And now," she chuckled dryly, "the village I avoided and didn't make an alliance with is trying to save us." The sheer irony of it was amusing. "All the things that I have done may very well have been mistakes, even worse, I've become decrepit and started giving up on things easily…" she said, berating herself as Kakashi listened. When the jōnin heard his name, he turned his head to note he was listening.
"The young have so much potential within. I envy them," she said. Kakashi shook his head.
"No, no. Your life has only just begun. You're still quite young," he said with an eye-smile. To this, Chiyo gave a hearty laugh.
"That may be true, but there should be something I am able to do." Still something I can do…
Naruto, Kakashi, Sakura and Chiyo simultaneously came screeching to a halt in front of Team Gai, who were standing beside a clone of Naruto in front of a large rock. Kakashi made a mental note that Pakkun had already returned to the Summoning Realm.
"So, it looks like my clone already tore apart the seal," Naruto said, cracking his neck. All present aside from Sakura nodded their heads in admiration at the accomplishment. "It was child's play after all." Although it is odd that it was a seal that looked eerily familiar, like I'd seen it somewhere before… but that isn't possible… is it?
Sakura stepped forward, brushing past Naruto with her left hand gripping her right forearm, a dark look on her face as she flexed her muscles. Her bangs shadowed her face so nothing, but her eyes were seen. She looked down at the ground when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.
"Let me go." She said in a soft voice. Naruto shook his head, ignoring the edge in her tone. Her head turned slightly so she could look him directly in his eyes. "I'm going to break this bitch down and kill those bastards with my bare hands."
A chilling breeze passed through the area and everyone's bodies tensed up in anticipation, save for Naruto who remained completely calm. The boy leaned down so that his mouth was right by the girl's ears and whispered lowly enough for only her to hear. Sakura's shoulders relaxed and she stood directly behind Naruto, arms crossed. Her face was neutral as she watched him walk forward.
All stepped back, carefully examining Naruto as he stepped into line with his clone. The two simultaneously raised up one hand each, palms facing the sky. The wind rustled everyone's hair and anticipation built up as a dense chakra was felt permeating the air. In a split second, a spiraling mass of blue chakra at least ten times larger than the blond himself was being held over the two boys' heads. Every bystander shielded their eyes from the debris, dirt and ground that was flying about from the sheer density of the gigantic Rasengan. Heavy gusts surrounded Naruto and his clone's forms, a spiral of wind swirling at their feet.
"This is ludicrous!" Gai yelled past the destructive sounds of the swirling mass of energy. "He's outputting so much chakra at a steady rate without breaking a sweat!" As a response, everyone's eyes merely gaped at the calmly furious boy in front of them.
Yosh! My flames of youth must burn far more brightly to compensate for how far behind I have fallen! Lee mentally exclaimed.
As Naruto's clone dispersed in a cloud of smoke, a furious expression marred the blond's features. His pupils turned a dark cobalt blue, turning to slits and he roared a guttural roar as he brought his arm down and directly at the enormous boulder. As soon as the Rasengan made contact, it began to dig into the rock like a knife through butter, disintegrating everything in its wake. Once Naruto felt no more resistance, he plunged himself through the debris, dispersing his Ultra Big Ball Rasengan. A flash of blue light was seen, and a gargantuan explosion ensued, enough to illuminate the whole cave for a few seconds, the two Akatsuki members having to shield their eyes to prevent themselves from going blind. Sasori looked past the tail he used as a makeshift eye shield to see the last bits of the jutsu blasting apart the remaining rocks and debris. As the outside light seeped into the cave, Naruto could see two lone figures standing completely still, looks of concentration etched on their features as the extracting process wavered but continued.
"It seems as though our plans have come to a halt. We will regroup after Sasori and Deidara see to our guests. Do not by any means allow the jinchūriki to fall into enemy hands. Should that happen, there will be hell to pay." All holographic figures disappeared once the statement was made, the leader lingering for one second longer to prove dramatic effect. The two Akatsuki members who were in their physical forms nodded.
Naruto's crimson eyes shifted to Gaara's writhing form as his friend had the life slowly leave his eyes, muffled screams of agony filling his ears and echoing on the cave walls. His body floated in the air, dense Tailed Beast chakra seeping out of his pores and into a swirling mass formed right above him.
Sasori and Deidara's eyes opened simultaneously, and each leaped back as they had to avoid getting impaled by a large claw of bubbling red chakra. The extraction process ended and Gaara's near lifeless body fell to the ground in a heap, the Kazekage writhing in pain from the collision. Sasori grunted in annoyance as the hand continued to follow him, but Deidara, who was quite unlucky, was grabbed by the hand and slammed into the ground with concussive force, headfirst. Naruto watched with the same expression as the body of Deidara dissolved into a lump of clay and a decently sized explosion followed soon after.
Using chakra to reinforce his position he stood still, facing the large brown puppet that was a husk for Sasori's body. A clone came into existence right next to him in a puff of smoke that quickly disappeared from the speed it used to dash over to Gaara's prone form. An arm reached out and just as it was going to touch the boy's cloak, he was whisked away by a white blur with Deidara riding on top.
Naruto blinked slowly as Sasori's tail headed straight towards him. As it neared closer and closer, he spoke a sentence that unnerved Sasori of the Red Sand a great deal.
His voice started as a low growl, "Don't worry my friend, your time will come. I'm sure my teammate will be gentle with you, it is your first time with a woman after all," A sinister grin was plastered on his face as he glared daggers into Sasori's puppet husk and vanished in a gust of wind. The puppet master retracted his scorpion like tail and watched as his partner soared away on an owl made of clay through the hole the blond boy created and groaned.
"This complicates things." He had to jump back when a fist contacted the ground right in front of him, shattering the surrounding area within a 50-foot diameter to pieces, small rocks and boulders crashing down on him, which he easily evaded, even in his large puppet armor. A head of pink hair greeted Sasori's vision, and he grunted upon seeing her accomplice.
"So, you're still alive, huh, Granny?" A woman with bun-shaped hair and a scroll in her hands appeared beside the elderly woman.
"Don't count me out yet!" Tenten shouted with a grin on her face. Sasori looked from left to right, seeing a collection of calmly furious, apprehensive and excitedly nervous facial expressions. The tail behind him swayed back and forth.
"This should be exciting. Just don't waste my time, will you?"
"Kakashi, it seems your student is too far ahead of us," Gai said in a less youthful tone than usual. He sounded perplexed by his own statement. How Naruto could out speed and outmaneuver two of the Leaf's best jōnin was anyone's guess. As the small group of Rock Lee, Neji, Kakashi and Gai hopped through the wild assortment of logs that framed over a ravine, they began to get impatient.
"I see that, Gai," Kakashi said flatly. He turned to the Hyuga beside him. "Neji, use your Byakugan to approximate the distance between us, our target and Naruto. The veins around Neji's eyes were already bulging before Kakashi had made the command and a scowl replaced the previously confused expression he had.
"I've been doing so for the entirety of our chase so far, and there still seems to be no trace of him anywhere. No faint hints of chakra or anything of the sort," Neji said in an exasperated tone.
Lee was about to open his mouth before a loud crashing sound was heard several miles ahead. A large cloud of dust and debris was seen in the distance. "I believe we have just located our youthful comrade," Lee stated with a look of awe. Neji and Kakashi simultaneously sweat dropped.
"Then let us go, my student, for ahead of us lies in wait a comrade in need!" Gai shouted with enthusiasm. Tears streamed down Lee's face as he nodded and agreed with his sensei, following the man in green spandex as he dashed forward, making impressively large leaps with practiced grace and mobility.
"Here we go again," Neji sighed.
"Fuck!" Deidara cursed as he redirected his clay bird to soar upwards, the bird, marking a sharp vertical incline as it passed the trees, hoping to lose Naruto in the dense assortment of the foliage. "This guy is persistent, hm!" The boy deftly leaped off a branch, using chakra to boost his jump. Deidara looked down and saw two foot-sized holes on a branch while a blond mop of hair greeted itself with his chin. He staggered slightly, his bird repositioning itself to help him balance himself. What he failed to account for was the blond standing right behind him. It was when a foot connected with the back of his head that he noticed, nosediving for the ground that was hundreds of feet below.
Naruto sucked in a breath of air, his cheeks puffing up, before he blew it out, blowing apart the clay bird's head in a mess of a white, viscous substance. He grabbed Gaara's near lifeless body as it nearly rolled off the bird's back, tucking himself into a ball as an explosion collided with his back.
He righted himself while in the air and braced himself for the landing. The increased momentum caused him to hit the ground with a loud crash. Positioned in a crouch, Naruto slowly stood up, looking towards the sky to see once again, his opponent was above him. This time,
"Lightning Style; Rasenshuriken!" Naruto cried out as he tossed the swirling orb of chakra. It had blades of lightning revolving around it with great intensity, crackling as it whizzed through the air. Deidara's visible eye widened and he felt his right arm separate from his shoulder down. The worst of it did not happen yet as he saw Naruto's fist clench and a dome of lightning surrounded him, sparks flying everywhere and shocking him with dangerous levels of voltage. The trees in the surrounding area were ripped in half and disintegrated on the spot, smoldering pieces of bark falling to the ground. Jolts of lightning struck at other trees, not dealing as much damage but starting the embers of a forest fire. Deidara screamed in agony as he felt his skin and insides burn to a crisp. After a full minute of his floating body going through excessive amounts of torture, the dome dissipated. his body along with his severed limb fell limply to the ground, crashing and splintering while breaking branches on the way down. Deidara's eyes were wide, pupils no longer visible, and mouth open in shock, smoking coming straight out of his throat from how badly his insides had been burnt. His nervous system had nearly completely shut down, as he could no longer feel pain even as his body crashed to the ground with a deep 'thud', creating a small smoldering crater. The clay owl he was previously riding on fell to the ground in a scattered mess of small white droppings.
Deidara craned his neck upwards to glare at the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, a pained grimace on his face as his bloodstained teeth were gnashing together. He looked to the boy's feet and saw the unconscious Kazekage.
"Fuck you, you bastard! My art will not be vanquished by the hands of a tasteless nuisance like you!"
Naruto's facial expression was shadowed by the towering trees that blocked the sun's rays, but a large, spiraling blue ball twice as large as he was tall started forming over the boy's head. The sound of a mini cyclone tore through the air before Naruto brought the orb down, descending it upon Deidara's form, grinding his body into dust.
"Ultra Big Ball Rasengan!" Naruto cried out! He gritted his teeth as he continued to press the attack further and further into the ground, chunks of rock and dirt kicking up, a massive crater forming in the where the Rasengan had hit. As the jutsu faded, a smoking crater was all that was left, a singular piece of burnt and torn clothing in the center. Naruto panted heavily, not from the physical exertion, but the mental strain and the rage that was boiling inside him had quickly dissipated, leaving his mind a mess. The boy crouched down, picking up Gaara and holding him in a bridal carry as he headed back towards his team with a wicked grin on his face.
"So, the Akatsuki really thinks they can pull a fast one on me, huh?" Naruto asked aloud, putting his hands behind his head as he chuckled. The large fox in front of him rested its head on its haunches before scoffing.
"If I hadn't granted you the ability to sense chakra to the degree of a Tailed Beast you would never have been able to tell that they escaped," Kurama huffed arrogantly. Naruto wagged his finger at his foxy friend with a reprimanding expression.
"'Ifs' are irrelevant as long as we live in the present; a reality in which those ifs are nothing but," he said with a finger under his chin in thought, nodding his head to himself at his intelligent statement. Kurama snickered at his only human friend's antics before standing to his full height, nose poised straight up. "But really, that white guy is becoming a nuisance, eh?" Kurama snorted and nicked behind his ear with one claw absentmindedly, ignoring the question but filing it for later.
"Looks like a lot is going on outside in the real world, Naruto." The boy in question glanced upwards and felt his body return to the world of consciousness.
Naruto's male companions quickly reached his position with Kakashi in the lead. Seeing the destruction left behind, he posed the question on everyone's minds.
"What happened?" the cycloptic jōnin asked. Naruto smirked slightly as he said-
"They got away." The shocked expressions on Neji and Rock Lee's faces were priceless. Kakashi and Gai, however, were stoic yet slightly perplexed.
"They?" Gai urged, "It was to my knowledge that you chased down only one member, the blonde-haired kid," he said, staring at the boy to sense any deception. Kakashi nodded with the assessment. Naruto, with Gaara still in his arms, shrugged his shoulders.
"It's a long story, which I'll tell after we get my friend here some medical attention," the boy said in a serious tone, a frown on his face. Gai placed his hands in front of himself as if struck, a shocked expression on his face. He quickly became apologetic, tears streaming down his face.
"Apologies, young Naruto! I am ashamed that I did not notice you completed the objective! For this mistake I shall climb the Hokage Rock 1000 times on my hands before sunset! If I am unable, I shall do 10,000 push ups on my pinkie fingers!" Gai's shouting was drowned out by Naruto, who stared at Kakashi as the man began to speak.
"Had you not rushed off on your own, it's most likely that we would have been able to capture them," Kakashi said, frowning through his mask. Naruto continued to stare as his lips curved into a small smile.
"So you think you and that borrowed eye could do something, hm? I'm a one man army, and you're one shell of a man who clings to the past and refuses to move on and better yourself." Naruto's face remained the same as he said this, his voice an even tone. Kakashi stared blankly back at Naruto, enduring the slight tongue lashing until it was finished.
"Are you not doing the same thing? We've all made mistakes in the past, but being unable to move on, forgive and forget things is nigh impossible. Even so, it's something you specifically have been able to do. So why can't you just this once?" Naruto's face tightened only the slightest bit as his brows furrowed imperceptibly, Kakashi owlishly blinking back at the frowning boy. An awkward silence between the two ensued, Rock Lee and Gai's rambling providing a comical chorus. Sensing the building tension, Neji coughed into his hand.
"Shall we first go to assist our female comrades, or shall we seek medical attention for this young man?" Neji asked with a deadpanned look. Naruto quieted the boy by beginning his run back to the Sand Village. A bead of sweat trickled down the side of Neji's temple. "As I thought."
All was quiet within the depths of a large cavern. A large, metallic, scorpion-like tail swayed back and forth menacingly as its owner stared down three women. The sound of wood creaking was heard as Sasori whispered, "Stop wasting my time."
Chiyo, being the main focus of the attack unraveled a string of Kunai from her sleeves, hurling them towards the form of Sasori's puppet, Hiruko. Quickly, the tail was retracted and used to knock away the metal that flew towards him. He clicked his teeth as the sound of cloth shredding filled his ears, the cloak covering his puppet getting torn apart by the hail of throwing knives. Above him, a brunette with her hair tied into two buns was descending upon him, a pair of exploding tags in each hand. Quickly, the cloth on Hiruko's back ripped apart to reveal a demonic mask, which the tail also emerged from. Tenten swiftly released the tags from her hands with great force, directly into the mouth of the mask.
Sasori's eyes widened and a loud explosion was heard, right where the puppet had been standing. Tenten held her arms in a cross formation over her face to defend herself from the shrapnel that flew at her out of the cloud of smoke and dust that had been created by the explosion.
"Tenten!" Sakura cried out as she covered her face with one arm, anchoring herself with chakra to withstand the knockback of the explosion. Her hair flew back wildly, her ponytail coming undone from how much it was being blown. She gritted her teeth and waited for everything to settle.
The sound of clanging metal was heard and the cloud of dust dissipated to reveal Tenten, with scratches and burns littering her body, holding a chain that was connected to a spiky pendulum like weapon. The most shocking part of this was not the fact that Hiruko had the ball in its mouth, but that it was relatively unscathed, save for its tail being blown to bits. Smoke emerged from the demon mask as Sasori chuckled.
"You women truly love doing useless things don't you?" Tenten growled as the struggle for dominance continued. She ignored the question that rang in her mind, 'How can he still talk with this thing in his mouth?' and pressed on. She noted that his teeth's grip on the weapon was loosening and thought up an idea. Forcefully, she ripped out the ball and chain from the puppet's mouth, causing a shower of metal to fly at her face. This, along with the sudden barrage of poison needles at point blank range made for a devastating combination.
Her body felt completely numb as a needle entered her leg, but she was suddenly hoisted into the air by an invisible force, landing safely in front of Chiyo several yards out of the blast range.
Sasori chuckled as he nimbly avoided a spiked pendulum with a backwards leap. The weapon landed in the ground with a loud crash, creating a small crater. Tenten clicked her teeth. "Well, there goes my weapon," she said dryly, wrenching the tranquilizer type needle out of her leg. She sighed and thanked Lady Chiyo as the elder woman quickly healed the wound as well as the injuries she took from before.
While in the air, Sasori was unable to move, and due to underestimating the girl's speed and strength, took a direct hit to the back, courtesy of Sakura's fist. His puppet Hiruko was smashed to pieces of wood and splinters that clattered all over the ground. With a furious expression, Sakura pursued her target, who rose out of the puppet's remains in a completely different body like a phoenix from its ashes. Lady Chiyo, who had been ready to flank Sasori with a flying kick screeched to a halt, mouth unable to form coherent words.
"Granny, looks like your grandson…" the figure said, pausing to weave away from a strike to his temple, "…has…" he continued, bobbing and weaving to avoid several well-timed punches to his face, "…returned." He finished, hunched over as a barrage of needles once again flew out of the head of Hiruko, one of which cutting Sakura's cheek as she narrowly avoided the rest with grace and agility. She grimaced as she felt the poison within the senbon take effect, her vision becoming slightly hazy. She fell to one knee, watching their enemy carefully as she injected herself with a vile of green liquid, exhaling sharply as she did so.
In front of them stood a rather short young man, or puppet, rather, with messy red hair, wide greyish brown eyes and a dead look on his face. He, just like his puppet husk before him, was garbed with the cloak of the Akatsuki, crimson clouds and all. He glanced at the assortment of fallen needles on the ground, Sakura's blood staining one and glanced towards at the girl.
"To think you concocted an antidote in such little time and to such a degree… you're rather impressive. However, stalling your death may not prove to be as fortuitous as you think. Unlike art or my puppets, your bodies aren't meant to last," he said in a monotone voice. Chiyo stood shocked at the loss of humanity from her grandson. Gone was the boy she raised with as much love and care as she could in an empty home. She frowned, feeling as though she failed herself and her grandson upon seeing the path he had walked down. A shout broke her out of her thoughts.
"Lady Chiyo! Keep your head up!" Sakura shouted towards the elderly woman. She hadn't turned her head, but had she done so, she would have seen a shocked look on the woman's face. "This," she said, gesturing to her grandson with a finger, "isn't your grandson. This is a puppet! If you want to save him, you'll have to destroy this part of him to reach where he truly is! I'm sure you know where I'm talking about," she said, a finger pointed at the center of her chest. Chiyo's face hardened as she nodded.
"Getting scolded by a student of that old slug is quite demeaning, I have to say. But when you're right, you're right, lass, I'll give you that!" Chiyo said with a deep chuckle before a serious look marred her features.
Omake - A Nighttime Visit
"I've been waiting for you, my love," a pale lavender-eyed woman said seductively as she reached around a blond man's neck. The boy in question had a blank look on his features that threw the girl for a loop. She tilted her head, asking, "What's wrong, darling?" she received a chop to her head courtesy of the boy and was engulfed by a cloud of smoke. In her place was a girl far younger looking with the same eyes, but dressed in a white nightgown. She cradled the spot on her head where she had been struck and groaned in pain.
"What was that for?!" she hissed out.
"Hinata doesn't talk like that," Naruto said, shaking his head in exasperation, "and she told me she'd be on a week-long mission. It's only been a day since she told me. Plus, if you're going to try to impersonate a person, make sure the breasts are the right proportion, Hanabi-chan," he said teasingly, a condescending smirk on his face. I wonder if this is how that bastard felt whenever he looked down on everyone. Hanabi scowled at the insult towards her body.
"You jerk, I'm only 12!" she growled out, crossing her arms over the offending area. A pout was on her face and directed at Naruto, who chuckled slightly, patting the dark-haired girl's head goodnaturedly. "Why are you here, anyway?" she asked, forcefully grabbing and moving Naruto's arm away. "You said you knew she wasn't here." Naruto shrugged.
"I wanted to see what her room looked like since I haven't been here before," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. He turned to look out of the open window he had gotten in through. The half-moon shone brightly past the moving clouds, signifying it was late at night. He turned back to see Hanabi was confused over his answer, and posed his own question. "Ne, why are you here?" he asked accusingly, "what could you possibly need from Hinata's room?" he inquired, eyes darting all over only to fall back on Hanabi's shrinking figure. Her face was flushed red and she had her hands balled up as fists, covering her eyes to not meet his gaze.
"Um, she has some, nice... toys... I like to borrow..." she said in a hushed voice. Naruto's eyes examined her form, noting that she wasn't lying and shrugged.
"I won't tell anyone you play with dolls," he said calmly. The girl's head shot up to meet his eyes. Seeing he was being brutally honest she thought, Man, Big Sis is in love with an idiot! A grin was on her face was she rubbed her neck embarrassedly.
"Thanks. You know, it's unbecoming of a Hyuga to be seen playing with dolls at such an age," she said embarrassedly. Naruto hummed in agreement, having some semblance of understanding when it came to politics. He still had his questions but felt no need to pry. Hanabi shielded her eyes from a sudden gust of wind and her eyes were greeted by Naruto's crouched form on the windowsill, curtains flapping beside him.
"Don't worry about it. And you're right, it'd be pretty embarrassing if it got out that you were riding d-" a puff of smoke later and the Naruto vanished, courtesy of a Gentle Fist strike to the groin by a fuming Hanabi, face red with embarrassment and anger. She slammed the windows shut and grumbled something before turning out the lights, storming out of the room.
Two things; I think innuendos are hilarious and yes, another cliffhanger, but this time it's for a fight I had to put a little bit less thought into so, here you go. 'Til next time. Ciao!