The boy stared at the slowly approaching behemoth. Its heavy footsteps leaving the mark of its paws on the ground, and Naruto swore that with each step, a small wave of energy emanated from it.
Slowly, Naruto moved away, but he couldn't go very far. The lair was surrounded by a chakra barrier, very powerful by the way, in which he would not be able to get out.
Especially with a beast of that size on his neck.
Naruto swallowed dryly and began desperately searching for a way out.
The Behemoth approached his cub and sniffed him. The creature stood still for a while, as if processing that its baby was dead.
Naruto's brain was working fast, it was then that his gaze focused on the huge cave road, just behind a part of the white mamba's body.
"It will have to do."
The blond man then began to run as fast as he could to the cave, glaring at the Behemoth that was devouring the cub's body.
He concentrated a large amount of chakra in his legs, moving blindly into the cave, hoping that he could find some way out, or even somewhere to hide.
"Kuramaaaaaa, this is a good time for you to wake up. Wake up!"
He shouted in his mind, but with no response.
A chill ran down his spine, and he propelled his body to the side with the help of his fuuton chakra. Soon, a continuous beam of chakra pierced through the wall and pierced the ground.
Naruto widened his eye, the amount of chakra and destructive power of that thing was far greater than that of the cub.
" Damn you fox!"
Naruto gritted his teeth and ran back, leaping up the walls and occasionally picking up momentum with his clones.
Again, a chill ran down his spine, and as he looked back over his shoulder, he groaned as he saw a huge wall of fire approaching him.
Making a hand signal, he creates a row of clones, which make a few hand seals quickly.
Clones- Suiton: Suidan no jutsu!
The row of clones spat large water projectiles towards the fire element.
Both elements collided, and a huge cloud of steam spread across the scene. However, it was nothing of much consequence to Naruto, since he could hear that being rushing towards him inside the wall, destroying everything in front of him.
Creating a few more clones, the boy takes a huge leap forward, glaring at the clones that destroyed the cave passage with his rasengan.
However, the Behemoth destroyed that, going through rocks like butter, and approaching, seemingly more annoyed.
Naruto creates a few more clones, and again, destroys the cave passage, temporarily obstructing the Behemoth's view of him.
At one point, he creates three clones with an amount of chakra that left them proportionally equal, and the four "Narutos" split up.
The real one went through one of the multiple passages within that huge tunnel, only this particular passage was much smaller. A natural cave, hopefully, his other clones would buy him some time. He, perhaps, could lose the Behemoth in that cave system.
As he ran, he felt the Behemoth stop running for a while, confused by the sudden splitting of the chakras. However, he became very worried and tense as he felt the creature concentrate a certain amount of chakra, and soon, a loud thud echoed through his ears.
Four similar noises split. The boy heard it well, whatever it was, penetrating the ground as it approached him and his clones.
Naruto gritted his teeth, and using his wind element, he propels his body backwards, deflecting the attack coming from the ground.
"That... is that a chakra paw?!"
He wondered as he saw the similar shape of the Behemoth's paw in pure chakra in front of him, an intense purple, a huge energy emanating from that.
The chakra paw advanced again, very fast, and Naruto dodged it, running away again soon after.
However, the paw followed him, and just like the Behemoth's body, it went through rocks with ease.
The boy jumped, slipped and "flew" through the various "stages" of the cave, but that chakra paw followed him without too much trouble, neither moving away, nor getting closer.
Until at a certain moment, he reaches a dead end.
The chakra paw approached, and in reflex, Naruto crouched down, dodging its attack. Soon, he tries to run again along the same path by which he came. However, the chakra paw comes down hard against his body, crushing him against the ground.
Naruto spits out a small amount of blood as he feels his ribs crack and groans loudly in pain, almost in a scream, especially as he feels small pieces of his rib bones pierce his organs.
Its clones were undone, and that's when the Behemoth found the real one.
Gritting his teeth, Naruto turns around and hits a rasengan on the chakra paw, knocking it away from him.
However, the jutsu didn't seem to have had any effect, as the chakra paw quickly grabbed him, being large enough to hold most of his body.
Soon, the chakra paw started throwing Naruto against the surrounding walls, one...
two...
Four...
Seven...
Nine times...
Blood covered the boy's body, who did everything to soften the damage he had suffered, but this task was proving increasingly difficult.
Gritting his teeth, he blasts his chakra out of his body, making the chakra hand release it, and imbuing his chakra in the black blade, he attacks the Behemoth's jutsu.
A diagonal cut, followed by three more cuts.
The fingers of chakra, followed by a large extension of the paw, dissipated, but it was not enough to undo the jutsu completely, and soon, Naruto was hit again.
This time, much harder than before, throwing his body farther away, so hard that it penetrated the walls through which it passed, "flying" through several other caves until finally coming to a stop when it collided with a wall slightly infused with chakra.
His vision blurred, the surrounding noise was muffled, and all he could taste in his mouth was his own blood, dripping from his lips and onto his clothes.
With a trembling body, he crawled out of the small hole he had made, using some chakra in his hand, onto a slightly round surface, and a strong wave of pain hit him.
Looking down faintly, he didn't know what to think, or what to feel, when he saw one of his ribs sticking out of his chest, his leg was turned back, and his arm was in fragments.
His sword had fallen to the ground, and was soon sucked into his ring, since he couldn't carry it. In fact, he didn't even know if it would make any difference. The Behemoth was approaching, and he had no way to fight, or escape.
It was then that a snap next to him caught his attention, and struggling not to faint, struggling not to focus on the pain all over his body, he turned his head.
His red eye focused on the active portal up ahead, similar to the portals present in that nukenin city.
Why was there a portal there? And why was it active?
His gaze followed a chakra flow that ran along the ground, coming out of both sides of the portal, until it reached a small sphere on the ground, exactly at the place he had touched to get up. The chakra in the sphere was a brilliant blue, mixed with the red of his blood.
Naruto spat out some more blood, and leaned on the wall. The Behemoth was already dangerously close, he had to hurry.
Using some more chakra, he began to crawl up the wall, trying not to step on his broken leg.
His vision had become even blurrier, and his body was suddenly weak, but he forced himself to keep dragging.
Especially as he felt the Behemoth concentrating chakra again.
Naruto approached the portal, and the creature spat a massive ball of chakra in his direction.
Naruto gritted his teeth, and using what little strength he had, jumped into the portal, moments before the chakra ball hit the object, destroying it.
Everything went dark again, just as it had been some time ago. Naruto didn't know where he was, or what had happened. But if he was there, it meant that he was not dead yet.
Not yet... goddamn it.
He couldn't speak, couldn't see anything but the black of that space, but he could feel his body. Lying on something soft, with a cold but refreshing sensation that came and went slowly to his waist.
Occasionally he heard some muffled noises.
Occasionally, he heard some voices.
- It must have been around here.
A male voice, for example. He didn't know where it came from, nor could he recognize it.
- Man, I'm warning you, there's nothing here. No way they could have survived in that forest, no matter how strong Hans was.
Another voice, not as loud as the first, but also male. He understood the words he was saying, but his mind was in no condition to form a whole sentence. He was listening, but not paying attention.
- You heard the same thing I heard, the device beeped, it means Hans and the others have returned.
The voice got a little closer, but it didn't sound like he would wake up so soon.
- Or, it means that the device broke because Hans died a long time ago and lost his sword. It has been months!
- No chance, the device and Hans' sword are connected... he made sure of that himself.
- Argh, Zaku, you and your blind loyalty. Juugo and the others came back after spending weeks looking for Hans, and they didn't find him!
Another voice, female this time.
- Shut up, Kin!
The voices were silent for a while, and Naruto even thought that it was just a dream, just something in his head.
But again, he heard muffled noises... something like footsteps in the low grass, bodies moving between the branches of bushes and small trees.
- Hey, someone's here!
The female voice shouted, now extremely close, as if right in front of him.
- Is that them?
- No... it's a child...
- What?!
More footsteps approached, and the boy felt... no, he knew they were all staring at him.
- A child?! Here?! How?!
-The portal...?
- Kin, do you realize how ridiculous this is?! A boy, a child, survived more than two minutes in that forest, managed to find his way inside a maze of caves avoiding his imminent death and...
- Shut up, animal! The boy doesn't seem to have avoided death, look at his condition.
The footsteps came closer, and Naruto felt something touch his back, a rough touch, but it didn't bother him.
He felt no pain, even with all those injuries.
- How long since the device beeped?
- Two days.
- So, if the boy really used the portal, he has been like this for two days.
- How the fuck is he alive?
- Does it matter? What matters is that he has Hans' sword!
- I don't see... the ring!
His arm with its bones broken into hundreds of pieces was rudely grabbed, and the ring on his finger was torn off.
- Damn it! It's his sword!
- How did he get it?
- Did Hans give it to him?!
- Are you crazy?! Hans would never give his sword to anyone, let alone a child! Hell, he wouldn't even let Juugo touch it, and they're brothers!
- Guys...
- But this doesn't make sense, Zaku! Why-
- Guys!
- What's your problem, Kin?! What is it?!
- His leg... is regenerating...
Naruto's leg started to rotate 360 degrees, the blood present in his body started to be "pulled" to the wound, the exposed bone started to move still inside his flesh, lost and torn muscles started to regenerate. A slow and time consuming process, but one that would leave his leg brand new.
More footsteps approached him, and the boy felt his head being lifted with some force, and his eye opened.
- A demi-human! The kid's a demi-human!
- Man, aren't they extinct?!
- Who cares?! He's a fucking demi-human!Fuck, if we hand him over to Orochimaru, we're set! We can ask for anything we want! Fuck, we'll even move up in rank!
- Not without first handing him over to Juugo. Even though he's a demi-human, this is still Hans' sword, the boy must know what happened to him.
The girl said, and the two men grumbled.
- You're kidding, right?
- Do you really want Juugo to find out that we found Hans' sword but not Hans himself? Do you want to die?
-... Argh, shit, fine! Let's take him to Juugo. Considering that the boy regenerates, I don't think he will die.
- Strange... why doesn't his eye regenerate too?
- Who the fuck cares?! Come on, I'll carry this little shit!
Naruto felt arms around his body, and soon, he was thrown upwards. Probably over the shoulder of whoever that guy was.
- Hm, light as a feather and... fuck, gross! His blood is on me!
- Your problem, come on.
Minato looked with a simple smile at the small discussion that was going on in front of the gates of his house. As always, involving the same people.
Kakashi, Obito and Guy, again, were discussing who had arrived there first. Rivals to the hilt, and even Kakashi, who was always behaved, calm and serene, shouted saying that he was the one who arrived first.
This being one of the rare moments when he showed real emotion.
And, to make matters even more unbelievable, they all wore suits and were dressed up.
The man sighed, he was going to enjoy this while he could, he had no idea when he would see his students so well behaved.
- Minato.
His wife's voice caught his attention, and he turned, admiring the beautiful woman in the black dress embroidered with gold details who approached.
It took her best friend Mikoto arriving and practically taking Naomy by force in her arms for her to finally let go.
- Yes, dear?
- Hiruzen's wife and Asuma have already arrived, but he hasn't yet. He's not coming?
- Ah... I think he's busy at the Hokage tower. You know, a lot of work.
The redhead narrowed her eyes.
-... He could just make a clone and come here. That's no excuse.
She crossed her arms, and Minato scratched the back of his head.
- There are things he, as Hokage, should avoid doing, dear. But don't worry, I'll bring him here myself later.
He kissed her quickly, and she nodded, turning and walking over to Mikoto, who was gently rocking Naomy in her arms as she said something to her youngest son, Sasuke, who was staring at her with a disgusted frown.
Minato smiled at the scene ahead. Jiraya with his elbow leaning against the kitchen counter, a glass of drink in one hand, a gallant smile on his face as he flirted with Tsunade who played hard to get, but it was obvious she was falling for his charms.
His wife, her best friend and her two children chatting about something in a corner in a lively manner. Fugaku chatting with Inochi in another corner. Chouza and his son, Choji, competing to see who gets to eat more of the barbecue that Shikaku was forced... was making by free and spontaneous pressure from his wife.
It had been a long time since his house had last been agitated like that. And although he was grateful for all that, that house would never be truly complete.
But, he was in no position to complain, and taking another look at the trio ahead, where Kakashi was hanging both Obito and Guy, the man walked into his house.