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Chapter 87: The Wrath of Konoha's Green Beast!

Normal P.O.V.

With time running out for our heroes, Team Guy, the Fourth Kazekage Gaara, Jiraiya, Kakashi, and the last Fourth Hokage: Minato Namikaze, had to defeat Madara before their world collapsed into chaos. In the Space-Time Dimension, Sakura and Obito worked on saving Naruto's life while Karin, the late First Hokage Hashirama, Orochimaru, and their team took care of Sasuke. Despite the fact they were in good hands, everyone understood that Madara possed a powerful threat. Fortunately for them, the Hidden Leaf's Handsome Devil arrived to save the day.

"So, can anyone tell me what we're up against here?" Guy asked without looking away from Madara.

"Guy-sensei, have you not been paying attention during the entire war?" Neji groaned.

"Of course I have! When the Hidden Leaf's Handsome Devil enters a battle, his only focus is on his opponent!" he brightly smiled as he pointed forward.

Despite his confidence, it did little to ease the groans and disappointment from those around him.

"Allow me to interject here," Kakashi said as he placed a hand over his friend's shoulder. "Guy doesn't have the most… tact when it comes to gathering information. But, for everyone else, it is essential to learn as much information about our opponent as possible. Guy, on the other hand, prefers to fight it out. Fortunately for us, this time, Guy's strategy might be what we need to turn the tide of this battle. Please allow me to fill in the gaps for you, old friend,"

"Kakashi, you always were the brains on our team," Guy continued to smile as he turned and looked at the silver wolf.

"And you were always the brawn. Now, Guy, I need you to carefully listen to me. You see that scary-looking man over there? In the all-white outfit and black staff? That's Madara's new form. He tried to kill Naruto and Sasuke, and the rest of us. Before he activates the Infinite Tsukuyomi, we must stop him and throw our world into chaos. What we know so far is that only Sage Chakra and Taijutsu work on him~."

"Taijutsu, eh? Well, isn't that lucky for us, Lee?"

"Yes, Guy-sensei. All of our training will finally be put to its maximum limit!" the younger cheetah cheered with flames in his eyes.

"Ugh, here we go again," TenTen sighed as she face-palmed.

"Do not stress yourself, TenTen. Only offer support when needed. We do not want to get in their way after all," Neji teased with his arms crossed over his chest. "Do not fear, Kakekage Gaara. Your knight is here to protect you,"

Gaara glared as he mimicked his alpha. "Do not mock me,"

"I did no such thing. I merely implied that I am here to protect you when you need it. I shall allow you to lead the way in this battle,"

Neji's smooth words entered the red-haired beta male's ears and caused a slight shiver down his spine. Fortunately, their conversation was so low that no one but them could hear it. Confident in this, Gaara shook off the shiver before he moved to stand beside his "secret" mate, "Don't think your charism will get you out of trouble later. We will discuss this later,"

Neji smirked at his fisty beta mate with amusement, "Of course we will, love,"

"So, Taijutsu and Sage Chakra are the only things that will defeat this village? That limits a lot of our options," Tenten said as the confidence left her body.

"Minato, did you ever improve your Senjutsu abilities and techniques? If I remember correctly, senjutsu was not your forte," Jiraiya asked.

"Sorry, sensei, but I have not," Minato sighed with his kunai in his mouth.

"And I only have one arm. This is not the ideal situation I had in mind,"

"Don't worry, Master Jiraiya, Lee and I have this. Just sit back and watch as we dominate this battlefield," Guy smiled before looking at his student with pride. "Lee! Are you ready to prove yourself in front of everyone here and your potential mate?!"

"Yes! But Guy-sensei, Sakura-chan is not here. So how will she see me in all of my awesome and youthful glory?" he asked as he scratched his head.

"Do not fret over the small details. Sakura's primary goal is to care for Naruto right now. Then, when she is done, and the war is won, she will be dazzled by your heroism! Now, let's end this war and go home to celebrate!"

"Oh, Guy-sensei! You always know just what to say to get me fired up!"

In the background, everyone either face-palmed themselves or carried an awkward smile at the two's antics.

"Those two sure are full of… youth…." Minato chuckled awkwardly.

"Believe me, they're just getting started," TenTen confirmed as she readied herself.

Madara stared in irritation at the small group of shinobi. Then, wanting to get the battle onward, he slammed the end of his staff into the ground, effectively gaining their attention.

"It matters not how many reinforcements you may have I will still destroy all of you,"

Guy took this moment to jump in front of everyone with his arms crossed, almost in a heroic way. "Not if I can help it! Stand back, everyone! It's showtime! Seven Gate of Shock opened!"

Suddenly, blue chakra energy exploded from within him and covered his body.

Madara glared at him in annoyance as he shielded himself, "You dare insult me by only opening the gate before the Gate of Death?! Bring out the red vapors, Beast of the Hidden Leaf!"

However, before he could say anything, Guy rushed him. A flurry of kicks, flips, punches, and jab combinations was hurled at him. Madara dodged each one, even a few leg sweeps. The two matched speeds so fast, it was almost impossible to keep up. This did not last long. Guy realized that he was not getting anywhere, so he incorporated other attacks.

"Hirudora! Afternoon Tiger!"

The power from the white gust buried Guy into the ground as Madara's body was forced backward. Finally, he landed on his feet and used his weight to stop himself. When Madara finally came to a stop, he hurled a Six Path Chakra Ball towards Guy.

"Kakashi!" Minato shouted as he threw his kunai.

Kakashi caught it and threw it towards Guy's body. Lee used this to teleport in time to rescue his sensei before it was too late.

"Guy-sensei, are you ok?" Neji asked.

"Yes. Thanks for the rescue, you three," Guy panted as he leaned on Lee for support.

"This is bad. If all we have to rely on is Guy and Lee's Taijutsu~."

"Wait, Kakashi. It's too early to be saying my Taijutsu won't work. Our youth hasn't faded yet! You need to have faith in me," Guy shouted before grunting in pain. He held his limp arm as he removed himself from Lee. With a painful sigh, Guy-sensei looked up at the now floating Madara, "Things may not be happening the way we want them to. But, our dreams all started with one thing: a wish. I swear on my life… I will make our dreams' wishes come true,"

His words struck a chord within Kakashi as he stared at his friend's back, "Guy, you aren't seriously going to~."

"I will do what must be done," Guy said as he took a step forward.

"Guy, please… don't do this… We can find another way. You don't have to resort to using that," the silver wolf pleaded.

"I'm sorry, my old friend. But it seems that this is the end of the Hidden Leaf's Handsome Devil," he said as he unzipped his green jacket. "Lee, it's your turn to sit back and watch the show. Please, take care of everyone for me,"

"Guy-sensei!" Everyone screamed as they saw him run towards Madara with almost all of his gates opened.

Green chakra energy surrounded Guy's body, and his irises were no longer visible as he continued his run. As he got closer to his opponent, Guy stabbed his thumb into his torso, effectively opening the Death Gate.

"Hm. So the fool has decided to be serious after all. This should be interesting,"

"Eight Gate! Gate of Formation opened!"

Suddenly, the green chakra energy turned red, and his power increased. Besides his cheetah ears, claws, and tail, the power of the Eighth Gate being opened caused him to look more like a beast. Before Madara could react, Guy was in front of him, readied to attack.

"Sekizo, Evening Elephant! First Step!"

The beast-like man flipped in the air before delivering a powerful punch. Madara blocked it with his staff, but the force pushed him towards the ground. The white feline gave it his all, but it wasn't enough. The attack's pressure was so powerful that it threw him into the side of a nearby rock wall. Guy went to attack again with the Second Step, but the bone in his right arm broke, causing intense pain. Luckily, Guy already acclimated to it and pushed through. All he had to do was make sure to not leave any openings for Madara next time.

Inside the rock wall, Madara remained buried into the rock wall, groaning in pain. One of the horns on his forehead protector broke, and his body took its time recovering from the attack.

"Damn, he's pretty strong. Taking four or five more of those would be bad for me. I shouldn't let that happen," Suddenly, Madara shot out of the ground and flew upward until he was eye level with Guy. "It is not every day someone gets to face off with the Eighth Gate of Formation! Well, I'm game! Let's play a little, eh!"

Guy, accepting his challenge, rushed towards him again. This gave Minato an idea. "Gaara, can you please prepare some sand for me?"

"I assume you're going to have me transport Kakashi with it, correct? I must warn you; however, my sand is not fast enough to counter any of his attacks,"

"That is fine. That is my job. Kakashi will carry one of my kunais. Kakashi, as you are assisting out there, please be careful,"

"Yes, sensei," Kakashi nodded as he took the kunai.

"I will go with you, Kakashi,"

"Master Jiraiya, you are needed here. You haven't had enough time to adjust to using your max strength with one arm yet. Please, stay here and watch over everyone for me," Kakashi smiled.

"Alright then. But you better not screw up, kid. We're relying on you,"

"Kakashi-sensei, I shall go in Master Jiraiya's place!" Lee said before activating his own Gates. "Sixth Gate of Joy opened!"

Before Lee took off, Minato ran over to give an order, "Lee, please be here to support and protect everyone. And please take one of my kunais. You'll need it,"

Lee reluctantly agreed. As they readied themselves to attack, Guy ran circles around Madara, literally. Guy ran several circles around Madara to confuse and disorient him. It worked. Madara blocked Guy's First Step, but he couldn't stop Steps 2-4. Each blow was somewhat devastating, but Madara recovered quickly. This gave the white feline time to recover and prepare for Step Five.

"He comes!" Madara thought to himself as he prepared a shield.

Once his shield was up, Madara released all of his Six Path Black Chakra Balls. Then, the others enacted their plan of attack. First, Lee threw Minato's kunai, causing him to appear and take the brunt of the Chakra Balls attack on his back before disappearing again. Next, Kakashi activated his Kamui and opened Madara's shield. It worked, allowing Guy to deliver a devastating attack. Guy punched the white feline into the ground and caused him to slide across the land until he was several yards away.

Sweat dripped from Guy's chin as he watched his adversary stand and wipe away the blood from his lips. "That was impressive, Beast. But can you still dance?"

Having the Eight Gates opened took a lot out of the cheetah. Sweat dripped from his hairline and down his cheeks. Although his resolve was still there, Guy was unsure how much longer he could keep up their dance. All he knew was that he needed to eliminate their greatest threat before his time was up.

The same could be said for Madara. Now that Sasuke and Naruto were eliminated, he knew his most significant threat was this rabid Beast in front of him. So they ran towards each other, both filled with passion and youth as they fought the other. Their dance was something of a mystery and wonder. Bother were unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. If they were not watching it now, they thought it was a legend. The two continued their dance despite their exhaustion. Clothes had ripped, chakras, and energies weakened. Madara borrowed his power from the Ten-Tails Beast. Guy was not so fortunate.

More sweat dripped from the sides of his face and down his chin and body. His shirt was torn to almost shreds, and he could feel his life force coming close to an end. He knew he needed to end things quickly. However, Madara wanted him to keep going.

"Yes, Hidden Leaf Beast! Dance with me more! I thrive on your youthful spirit!"

"Damn. This isn't good," Guy internally thought. "Nothing seems to be enough. All I have left is Night Guy. I just need to give it my all!" Guy got down on all fours, dug his claws into the earth, and steadied himself. "Charge!"

Next, a large, red, chakra dragon head emerged around Guy's body; this excited Madara. To fight an opponent with this intensity of power was something to marvel at. After all, it is not every day that someone who only specializes in Taijutsu could match someone else almost on the same level as a God.

"I, Madara Uchiha, declare you to be the strongest Taijutsu user to ever live! Now, show me what you can do!"

Guy charged at Madara. The power from his attack flowed through his body and skin, leaving red indentations along his face and body, achieving his final beast form. Although Madara thought he was prepared to block the attack, he was wrong. Guy jumped into the air, controlling the dragon's head before extending his leg and hitting his abdomen. Next, Madara spat out blood from the attack's pressure, craking both the white feline's chest bones, ribs, and some of the vertebrae in his spine. Guy's leg also sustained substantial damage. Despite the fact it was shattered, Guy pushed through his attack until Madara hit the base of his Infinite Tsukuyomi.

Everyone gasped as they watched the attack finish and the dragon head and dust disappear. Kakashi ran closer towards where Guy should have landed and searched for him with his nose to the ground.

"That was Guy's last move. But I don't see him anywhere,"

After a few moments, the dust cleared enough to revile Guy's chard body and Madara with half his left side missing. Suddenly, a blood churring laugh filled the air around them.

"That was incredible! I almost died, you bastard!" his laughter died out as he stood up and allowed his limbs to grow back. However, the smirk never left his face as he licked his dry lips. "I see your flame is about to go out. What a shame. You were the best Taijutsu dance partner I've had so far. Out of respect, allow me to finish you off,"

Madara summoned one of his Chakra Balls from his left hand to finish off Guy. Kakashi stood on top of a cliff and stared down at the scene with worry. He couldn't get to his friend in time, and now he had to watch said friend die before his eyes. Kakashi knew that he couldn't use Kamui because he was too far away and because Guy's body was too badly damaged that he wouldn't survive. This would be the second childhood friend/ rival that would die because of his weakness. Kakashi knew that he could not stand it. He fell to his knees and let his claws dig into the ground. Tears spilled from his eyes as he called on a prayer from the Gods.

"Please, someone, anyone, save him. Save Guy for me. I can't lose him too,"

Little did Kakashi know that both the Gods and luck favored them this night.

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Back in the Space-Time Dimension, Sakura continued to try and keep Naruto from dying. However, she was faced with another problem: a weakened Obito Uchiha and her dying teammate stood in front of her. She couldn't fight him, or else Naruto would die. Would all of her efforts be wasted? Would she lose one of her best friends and still be considered weak? No, she couldn't let this happen. So she promised to protect Naruto until her dying breath, and that was what she was going to do.

She reached into her pouch and pulled out a kunai with her free hand. Obito stopped when he saw the desperation in her eyes. "Stop! Don't come any closer," she growled.

"Don't worry. I came to help, Naruto,"

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"I guess you don't, do ya?" he smirked as he staggered towards them, using only his staff for support. Sakura watched the older feline finally kneel beside Naruto's body without moving. Instead, cautiously, he placed his hand over Naruto's chest and fed the Nine-Tails' chakra into him.

Realizing that Obito would not hurt her friend, Sakura put away her weapon. "Why are you doing this? Why betray Madara?"

It took him a moment to answer. But when he did, it was with a sigh, "All my life, I've never walked a straight. I've always thought I was right in what I did but couldn't feel it. After being rescued by Madara, I followed his orders to a fault. I knew what he had planned wasn't exactly right, but he convinced me that I was actually doing something. I was going to make something of myself, especially with my dreams of being Hokage dead.

But, after talking with Naruto, he made me see that there was still a straight path for me to walk. He helped me realize that I was lost and searching for my way in this world. And, for the first time in my life, I can see clearly. Saving his life is the least I can do,"

Neither Sakura nor Obito said a word as they watched the Nine-Tails' chakra go inside of Naruto's body. Instead, excitement filled the young bunny as her friend's heartbeat started on its own again. Then, carefully, she removed her hand from inside of Naruto's body and worked on sealing the cut on his side.

Despite training under Lady Tsunade, there was still so much for Sakura to learn about the practice of shinobi medicine. For example, she learned that if a Tailed-Beast was extracted, the Jinchūriki would die. Luckily enough for her, Sakura's quick thinking kept her friend from dying. Her only hope is that whatever happens next would be enough to save Naruto's life, although out of her hands. All she could do now was pray.

With her hands clasped, Sakura began her silent prayer with tears in her eyes, "Gods above, listen to my prayer. Please… don't let Naruto die. I can't lose him or Sasuke. I've done all I can do, so I leave it to you. Save them. Save my boys,"

And, just like Kakashi, luck and the Gods favored them this day. As a lone tear fell to the ground, a young feline and fox woke up elsewhere.

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To Be Continued…