AN: I am back! I apologize for not writing the chapter last week. I've been busy irl and mostly I've been writing other story ideas. In fact I had an idea. Would y'all be interested in reading another fanfic I've been writing. It's a Hinata on Team Seven au story. Hinata's as canon as I can write her, but she doesn't faint that much. If your interested I can post the first chapter soon. Let me know. Onwards to the chapter!
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hinata and Sasuke ran through the trees, jumping from branch to branch as Hinata watched Temari and Gaara carefully.
"Gaara is waking up," Hinata says, "We're almost there."
The two stop on a branch, Gaara opened his eyes and glared at Sasuke.
Hinata looks over at Temari, the blond was watching them with wide eyes.
Gaara cries out as he holds his head, "Gaara no! Remember the mission!" Temari yells.
"We're so alike Uchiha, I may not have friends as you have but they're not what makes you strong. It's your purpose that does it..in that way we're alike, but mine is a stronger purpose. For only by destroying you and all you represent can I even prove that I exist! Only by killing you can I exist!" Gaara says as he clutches the left side of his head.
Gaara screams as he falls onto his knees clutching his head, "You are my prey! You...are..! MY PREY!"
Hinata stares at the Sand Ninja in terror, 'I-Is the tailed beast inside him...coming out?' Hinata thinks as she sees the sand erupt from his gourd and start to cover his right side.
Temari cowers back when she see's Gaara's state.
Gaara launches towards Sasuke, the Uchiha and Hyuuga jump back, landing on different branches as they watch the Jinchurikki carefully.
Sasuke dodges anothe attack and hides behind another tree as Gaara taunts him, looking for the hidden Uchiha.
Sasuke attacks from above, Gaara attacks him but the Leaf Ninja uses Substitution Jutsu and attacks from behind, throwing six kunai that Gaara sends back at him.
Hinata watched from a higher branch, unsure of what to do as Gaara launches through the trees once more, cutting them down as he searches for Sasuke.
'Gaara's strength is to powerful...Sasuke won't be able to do anything to take him down at this rate. If Gaara is really going to release his Tailed Beast...What chance to we have at stopping him? The only way to take on a Tailed Beast is with another..or maybe a powerful summon but we're just Genin, there's no way we would be able to summon something powerful enough to take on Gaara. What are we going to do?' Hinata thinks, as she watches the red head down below.
"What's wrong?!? Sasuke Uchiha! Are you really afraid of me?!? Is this the existence you live now?! Prove that your existence is more powerful than mine!"
Sasuke summons his Chidori and Gaara immediately spots the lightening behind the tree. The two jump at each other, Sasuke's Chidori tearing through Gaara's covered arm.
Gaara continues to yell out as he holds his transformed arm. Gaara's right arm reforms and a tail forms as well, Gaara launches at Sasuke again, much faster than before.
"Fire Style! FireBall Jutsu!" Sasuke yells as he speed out his attack, Gaara shields himself as the Jutsu has no affect on him Gaara throws Sasuke against the tree opposite of the red head.
Sasuke creates a Chidori for the third time, though it falters as Sasuke strains himself. His curse mark activates and he's able to destroy Gaara's transformed arm.
Gaara quickly reforms it and attacks Sasuke again.
Only to be stopped by both Naruto and Hinata, Naruto lands a solid kick to Gaara's face as Hinata sends him back with an open palm to his vulnerable left side.
The two land on the branch as Naruto stares down Gaara.
Sakura lands next to Sasuke as she tries to help him up.
"Hinata? How'd you get here?" Naruto asks.
"I've been here the entire time...unfornately I hadn't stepped in until now. I wasn't able to find an opening," Hinata explains, 'I don't know what would've happened had I stepped in earlier...I would've died.'
Hinata glances down at Sasuke, "W-What's going on with him? What are those marks on his body?"
Sakura stiffens as she stares at Sasuke in worry, 'S-Sasuke.'
"Guys we gotta go now!" Naruto yells.
Gaara launches at Sasuke once more, but Sakura stands in the way. Right before he can swat her aside Hinata appears between them, "Protecting Eight Triagrams! Sixty Four Palms!" The dome of chakra protects Hinata, Sakura, and Sasuke as it attacks Gaara. The red head roars as he jumps back, landing on another branch glaring at the four ninja.
Hinata lands on the branch in front of Sasuke and Sakura, slightly panting from the rush of the attack and the chakra she spent using it, 'That was close, a second later and Gaara would've attacked Sakura for sure...'
Gaara clutches his head as he groans in pain, his entire face scrunched up in pain.
'What is this guy?' Naruto thinks, "Who is that?!"
Hinata frowns, "That's Gaara."
Naruto's eyes widen in terror, 'T-That's Gaara! What's wrong with him?!'
Gaara's hand drops from his face as he looks up, "What's the matter? Aren't you supposed to make a run for it?!" Gaara taunts, "These three..who are they to you?"
"Their my friends! And if you lay a single finger on them I'll pulverize you!" Naruto yells.
Gaara's transformed arm grows as he attacks Hinata, the Hyuuga covers her arms in chakra and crosses them in a quick defense but cries out when she's thrown back into a tree.
"Aren't you going to pulverize me?!"
"Dang it!" Naruto yells as he jumps at Gaara, but the red head swats him away sending him flying. The blond looks down at Sasuke and Sakura, "I gotta protect them! It's all up to me!"
Hinata lands next to Sasuke and Sakura as Naruto attacks Gaara again, but is thrown back by his tail.
"What's the matter?! Why don't you attack?!" Gaara yells.
'This is gonna use a heck of a lot of chakra..but it's time to bring in the chief toad!' Naruto thinks, "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto yells as a small toad appears in front of him.
"Caring for others..that's your big mistake! I fight for me and for me alone!" Gaara says as his entire body begins transforming.
'H-He's getting closer and closer to fully transforming, and if he does we're all gonna die!' Temari thinks.
"Sand shuriken!" Gaara yells as he sends the attack towards Naruto, the orange clad ninja grabs his toad summon and jumps back but is still injured as he falls to a lower branch.
'Those eyes of loneliness..I've seen them before...from me, and now he's transforming into a monster. Like me,' Naruto thinks, 'When I think back to before I met them it's all dark and scary. What would've happened if I stayed there? All alone. That's how come I can understand him. I don't know how it happened, but this guys been there all alone, and he's still there. And maybe he's right, maybe it is a weakness to have friends who care about, to know what happiness is...can I really win against a guy like this?'
"Fight me now!" Gaara roars.
Naruto jumps forward, "You asked for it! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Sand Storm Devestation!" Gaara yells as he throws back Naruto and disperses his clones, "And again!" He throws back the orange clad ninja again, "Sand Shuriken!"
Naruto slowly stands as he looks up and glares at Gaara, 'I have to beat him even if it kills me!'
"What is this? You come at me with all you got and this is it?! What a joke!" Gaara yells.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto says, "Get ready for the ultimate Taijutsu technique! Naruto Body Slam Jutsu!"
Naruto repeats his Shadow Clone Jutsu before appearing behind Gaara, "A technique from Kakashi-Sensei himself! A Thousand Years Of Death!"
Hinata sweat drops, 'That's a technique Kakashi showed them?'
Gaara throws Naruto back, completely unaffected by the attack.
"Ahhhhh!" Naruto yells as he gathers his chakra, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
The others look at Naruto in shock at the sheer massive amount of clones produced.
"Alright everyone! Look out here I go!" Naruto shouts, "Na-ru-to! Two K! Uzumaki Barrage!!" Gaara is sent flying back with the final punches, "From Naruto's handbook!"
Gaara looks up as Naruto comes forward along with his army for another attack, 'Where did all this come from..all of a sudden!'
"There's no way that I'm gonna lose to a guy like him!" Gaara roars as his sand flies up, dispersing all of the clones..smoke filled the area as a giant sand monster appears, "I never thought that you'd bring out this side of me!" Sand pins down Naruto to a branch, "This is the end of you!"
"Summoning Jutsu!" Smoke filled the clearing once more as Naruto appears atop a large red toad.
"What the..not you again..what is this?" Gambunta says, "Well if it isn't Shukaku the Sand Demon."
Gambunta argues with Naruto until his son, the tiny frog that Naruto summoned before, convinces him and the fight between Gambunta and Shukaku begins with the giant toad chief jumping forward with his sword drawn attacking Shukaku, taking an arm off the giant sand beast.
"Hey chief! Don't attack that way! My friends are over there! Try luring him this way!" Naruto yells.
Gaara emerges from the top of Shukaku, "Thank you for entertaining me today...now I'll show you the true power of the manifestation of the sand!"
"Playing Possum Jutsu," Gaara says before slumping forward.
"Hehehe! I'm finally free! I hope your all ready to die!!" Shukaku yells.
Gambunta jumps high into the air as Shukaku sends a wind attack, the chief toad spits water out at him. Shukaku knocks Gambunta to the ground but Gambunta is still standing.
Gambunta sends another water Jutsu at him before jumping down and gripping Shukaku's shoulders, "Now's your chance kid!"
"Your gonna have to keep a better grip on him than that chief!"
"Then transform us into something with fangs and claws!" Gambunta yells as he charges at Shukaku.
"TRANSFORMATION JUTSU!" The Nine Tailed Tox appears as he attacks Shukaku. The two tailed beasts facing off against each other.
Hinata stares up at the battle in shock, 'Whats going on here? Naruto is far more stronger than I imagined..just what did he do in that one month?...and how will I ever catch up with him?'
Naruto jumps from the chief as he lands a punch to Gaara's face, landing on the Shukaku's head.
Naruto slides down and attempts to charge at the red head again but Gaara stops him with his sand.
Shukaku and Gambunta continue to face off as Naruto focuses on Gaara, 'I'm running out of time! I have to stop this monster before it's too late!' Naruto thinks, 'I don't need much..just give me...give me some chakra!'
Naruto yells out as the nine tails chakra surrounds him, 'I'm going to protect everyone! Get ready you crazy monster!'
"I-...I've had it with you!" Naruto yells as he head butts Gaara. Blood trickles down their faces as Shukaku crumbles completely.
Naruto and Gaara free fall to the ground as Gambunta disperses along with his son.
Gaara and Naruto land in the trees across from each other, panting deeply from the lack of chakra in each of them.
Naruto and Gaara stand as they face each other once last time, before jumping at each other, Naruto lands a final punch at his face before the two fall and hit the ground in an empty clearing.
Hinata, Pakkun, Sasuke, and Sakura stand on the branch of the tree, still in shock and awe from the battle they had just witnessed.
Naruto struggles as he inches closer to Gaara, Gaara's eyes slowly open as he see's Naruto getting closer.
"No! Stay away!" Gaara yells.
"It's unbearable isn't it? The pain of being alone..I know that feeling..I've been there..in that dark and lonely place. But I've found people who I care about more than myself, so no matter what I'll save them! Even if it means I have to kill you."
"But why would you do that for anyone but yourself?" Gaara asks.
"Because their the first to accept me for who I am, their my friends," Naruto says.
Sasuke lands next to Naruto as Kankuro and Temari land protectively in front of Gaara.
Kankuro lifts Gaara up and he and Temari disappear into the trees.
"Temari..Kankuro..I'm sorry."
To be continued...
AN: it's 2 in the morning as I finish this chapter..that's how late I am with this chapter. I'm so sorry for my lack of writing Altered lately. Life be crazy am I right? I hope y'all enjoy this chapter as I pass out and sleep. Btw I am leaving tomorrow and coming back on Friday cuz I have camp. So yeah. A chapter may or may not come out next Sunday but I will definitely try and write!
Don't forget to Favorite and Follow and leave your thoughts by reviewing! And if you'd like to see the story I mentioned in the above AN let me know by reviewing as well!
I'll see y'all next chapter! Bye!