Last Time:
"Take her," Baji ordered as he grabbed Hanabi by the shoulder and shoved her towards Minato. He handed the gun to Kidoumaru before making his way to Sakura and taking him in her arms again. He buried his face into her neck once more and inhaled her scent. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you too," Sakura lied but her voice sounded sincere.
"We'll be taking our leave then," Minato said as he stood up and placed a hand on Hanabi's back, guiding her towards the exit. "I want you out of Fire Country by the end of tomorrow."
With that, Minato and Akatsuki were out of the room. Sakura felt relief wash over her at the success of the exchange but it was short lived. She saw the expression on Baji's face, one she recognized from before, and felt her blood run cold.
"Everyone," Baji spoke into his wrist, "you may proceed."
Opposites Attract: Chapter 19 – "The lengths at which one will go…" (Part 5 of 5)
"Make sure Lady Hanabi makes it down to the van safely and unharmed," Minato ordered as he gently grabbed Hanabi's arm and pulled her back, handing her off to Yahiko who lifted her off the ground and draped her over his shoulder.
"Hey!" Hanabi protested to being manhandled and watched as Konan caught up and removed a set of ear plugs from her pocket. "What are you doing?"
"Trust us," Konan requested with a sweet smile before placing the earplugs in Hanabi's ears and removing the bandana that hung around her neck. She covered Hanabi's eyes and triple-checked the knot before patting Yahiko's back.
Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato took off ahead of Minato and the rest, bypassing the door they came through and as soon as they were pass the threshold, bullets went flying. Minato and the others hit the ground immediately as a stationed mini-gun tore through the front part of the house in an attempt to clear them out in one fell swoop.
"We would greatly appreciate it if you did something about that gun!" Itachi shouted over his ear piece just as more shots were fired from behind them. He looked over his shoulder and saw Deidara had fired his own pistol towards the other end of the hall, some Phoenix members attempting to corner them.
"Just a second," Kakashi said as he adjusted his scope and focused in on the operator of the minigun they had rolled out just minutes after Minato and the others had entered the house. As soon as the shot was lined up, he fired and immediately took out the operator of the gun and watched as the Phoenix members who had gathered outside began to scramble and duck for cover. "Minigun unoccupied, the others scattered. We'll do what we can from our positions but most of the groundwork is you guys."
"Right," Itachi patted Minato back, the lot of them returning to their feet and removing their own handguns from their belts and holsters. Itachi stepped in front of Minato before taking the lead out of the front door and immediately shooting two men who popped up and attempted to aim. "Get Master Minato out of here!"
"This way!" Hidan called as he, Sasori, Deidara, and Kakuzu circled around Minato and took down whoever popped up and attempted to shoot; Iruka, Anko, and Kakashi handling as many as they can from their sniper positions.
"Are you sure it was fair to give them their weapons back?" Orochimaru questioned as he watched the chaos unfold from a set of monitors alongside Baji.
"They would've been suspicious either way," Baji said with a slight shrug. "Plus, there's no way they're getting out of here," Baji added as he picked up a remote and changed the channel. "Reinforcements are already on the way and they'll have Minato surrounded in no time at all."
"Aren't you clever?" Orochimaru commented as he took a sip of his tea. "And the Hyuuga girl? Are you going to bring her back here?"
"Minato always thinks he's the smartest in the room and usually he is but tonight, he wasn't," Baji answered. "I could've kidnapped any young girl from Konoha and he would've come here anyway. He doesn't have it in him to let innocent people suffer simply because of the choices he made. Sure, you and I are both familiar with just how ruthless Namikaze Minato can be towards those he has hard feelings towards but when it comes to the lives of innocents, he'll do what he can to save them. It's the goody-two-shoes in him."
"I suppose his inert need to help people comes from his parents," Orochimaru said with a sigh as he watched the additional vans unload, all the riders holding semiautomatic weapons. "Do you have people going after the others?"
"Yeah, that's already covered," Baji answered. "Don't worry, we'll be handling the powerhouse of Whirlwind tonight," he reassured Orochimaru as he placed the remote onto the counter and began to leave the room. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go console Princess."
"Don't do anything unreasonable," Orochimaru called as he took another sip of his tea and continued to watch as the fight produced more bodies and flying bullets.
Down by the blockade, several of the cars were moved out of the way to allow the passing of several of Whirlwind's own vans full of people, the lot of them speeding up towards the compound to provide assistance amid the chaos. Just as five vans barreled through, two motorcycles squeezed pass and followed the vans up the hill.
"Fuck!" Sarutobi Asuma cussed as he ran his fingers through his hair and watched as the motorcycles disappeared out of sight. He brought his walkie to his mouth and spoke into it, "The Young Master and Uchiha Sasuke just got through the blockade with the rest of them."
"What?" Itachi shouted before taking a bullet in his shoulder and sucked his teeth. He ducked down behind the van and held his shoulder before pressing the button on his ear piece. "You were supposed to keep them out! Not let them through!"
"If it's not one thing it's another," Minato complained as he reloaded his pistol and cocked it. He looked towards the entrance of the house and watched as some Phoenix members came rushing out. He managed to unload three bullets into the one leading the charge and watched as two others were plucked off by sniper fire.
"Find those damn snipers already!" one of Phoenix shouted into his own radio before taking a bullet through the side of his head and hitting the ground.
"Behind us!" another Phoenix member shouted just as the Whirlwind vans came barreling through and taking out anyone in their path.
Minato let out a sigh of relief at their reinforcements finally joining. He looked around and watched as Naruto and Sasuke's bikes pulled up, Naruto not bothering to turn off his bike before jumping off and running over to him.
He quickly removed his helmet and looked over his father, his eyes becoming fixated on his father's ride side. "Otou-san?"
"What?" Minato sat there confused before looking down to see what Naruto saw. He groaned and held his side, the pain finally hitting him as he finally noticed he'd been shot. He hit his head against the van a couple of times before looking at his wound. "Shit. Your mother is going to kill me."
"I think Okaa-chan is the least of your worries right now," Naruto said with a nervous laugh as he removed his jacket and balled it up and held it against his father's wound. "We need to get you out of here."
"How did you manage to get yourself shot?" Nara Shikaku complained as he ducked behind the van and looked at the now bloodied hoodie. "You're losing a lot of blood, and fast. Come on, I need to get you out of here."
"Wait, will he be okay? Where's Hanabi? And Sakura-chan?" Naruto questioned quickly as he watched Shikaku help Minato to his feet while Akimichi Chouza and Yamanaka Inoichi provided cover for them.
"Hanabi's with Yahiko," Minato answered, sweat beginning to collect on his forehead and his skin beginning to lose its color. "Sakura-chan, she's inside. You need to get her."
"Minato," Shikaku warned.
"Inside?" Naruto repeated and saw Minato nod. "Why is she inside? What happened?" Before Naruto could get an answer, the lot of them ducked at the sound of an explosion happening nearby. A van was overturned in the process, the scorching heat from the fire almost enough to burn.
"I was hoping to keep you away from all this just a little bit longer but I guess I don't have a choice anymore," Minato said as he groaned and struggled to sit up after being thrown down with Shikaku. "Listen to me, Naruto," Minato watched as Naruto looked up, intense fear now filling his eyes and expression, "I need you to do whatever it takes to bring Sakura home, do you understand?"
"Otou-san?" Naruto watched as Minato was picked up and taken away by Shikaku. He sat up and watched as Sasuke came to his side and carefully looked him over before letting out a sigh of relief. "He said Sakura-chan was inside."
"What?" Sasuke said.
"She offered herself up for a trade so we could get Hanabi," Itachi answered their unasked question quickly as he reloaded his own gun.
"Make way!" a Phoenix member shouted as they quickly split and Whirlwind members dived out of the way of the car that sped towards them.
Naruto and Sasuke looked up in time as the car passed to see Baji in the driver's seat and Sakura beside him. Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto and Sasuke mounted their bikes and sped off after them, the shooting continuing behind them. Following behind them however were several more cars.
A few miles away, Konan removed Hanabi's bandana and earplugs and waited as Hanabi's senses returned to normal. Once Hanabi blinked a few times and looked around to get a bearing on her surroundings, Konan gave a slight nod of approval.
"What's happening now? Where are we going?" Hanabi questioned, her voice slightly shaky.
"Relax," Konan told her. "We're headed back into the city now to return you back to your family."
"Where's Master Minato?" Hanabi questioned as she looked in the front seat at Nagato and Yahiko.
"He shouldn't be too far behind," Nagato said in a reassuring tone despite the messages that came in on the tablet on his lap. "You can relax for a little bit though since we have a bit of a drive. We're three hours outside of the city after all."
"Oh," Hanabi said as she looked down at her hands, her wrist slightly red from the handcuffs.
"Are you okay?" Yahiko questioned as he looked in the rearview mirror back at her. "Baji didn't touch you or anything?"
Hanabi shook her head. "He didn't."
"Good," Konan said as she let out a sigh of relief. "We're glad you're okay."
"Thank you," Hanabi said quietly.
There were a few moments of silence before their van was rear-ended and they jerked forward. Yahiko managed to maintain control of the car but as both he and Nagato looked in their sideview mirrors, they could see a few cars had caught up to them.
"Damn it," Yahiko sucked his teeth. "Lady Hanabi, if you wouldn't mind putting on your seatbelt and holding on as best as you could; things are about to get a little bumpy."
Hanabi did as she was told and watched as Konan removed a case from underneath their seat and unhook the latches. She watched as she pulled out a large rifle and quickly and effortlessly set it up on a stand. "What are you going to do with that?"
"Oh, nothing really," Konan said as she got up and unlocked the back doors before kicking them open and hanging on as Yahiko swerved to knock a car out of the way. Konan calmly took her position at the newly set up rifle and aimed. "I'm just going to get rid of these pests really quick and we'll be back to smooth sailing." As Konan took aim, she noticed one of the faster cars quickly approaching. She focused her aim there until she noticed Sakura in the passenger seat. "We have Baji coming up on the right with Sakura in the passenger seat!"
"You serious?" Yahiko questioned and watched as the car sped by and he caught a glimpse of Sakura looking at them. Shortly after they passed, he noticed Naruto and Sasuke pass as well along with a few more cars. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"Don't care about your feelings right now, just keep it steady," Konan requested as she loaded her rifle and took aim at one of the cars that still hung around them.
Ahead of them, Sasuke and Naruto drove as fast as their bikes allowed in order to keep up with Baji who tried his hardest to lose them. As they drove, Sasuke noticed a car pull up alongside him and when he glanced over, he felt his blood run cold.
On Naruto's side, another car drove alongside him, the two cars pushing closer together causing Naruto and Sasuke to do the same. At the last minute, Sasuke slowed down so Naruto could squeeze ahead of him and without a single moment's hesitation, jumped from his bike onto the back of Naruto's just as he sped up to avoid being crushed between two cars.
"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto shouted as Sasuke held onto him.
"Trust me," Sasuke shouted as he reached behind his back and removed his own gun. He checked the chamber and its sleeve before cocking it and shooting behind him, the cars swerving to avoid bullets and slowing down in the process.
"Hey!"
Naruto looked beside him and saw Tayuya was driving beside them, Kidoumaru in the passenger seat with his own gun ready. Naruto prepared himself to avoid them but saw that neither of them was attempting to knock him off.
"Don't worry," Tayuya reassured him. "We're just as sick of Baji as the rest of you. We've been stuck with Baji for most of our lives and we've been trying to find a way out for the longest. We'll help you get your friend back!"
"She's my sister!" Naruto corrected her as Tayuya nodded and swerved out of the way to avoid being hit by a Phoenix car. Naruto sucked his teeth and sped up, Baji's car having slowed down at a bend making it the perfect opportunity for him to catch up. He drove along the passenger side and saw the look of relief on Sakura's face but quickly had to slow down as Baji shot out the window.
"What's the plan?" Sasuke questioned as Naruto sped up.
"You heard Otou-san: do whatever it takes to get Sakura-chan back," Naruto shouted. "We'll do exactly that!"
The next few minutes went by as a blur. Alongside Naruto's left, another car pulled up with Jiroubou and Kimimaro as the passengers, the two of them waving to Naruto before speeding ahead and pass Baji before cutting him off and causing him to swerve. Along the right, Sakon and Ukon drove and drove alongside Baji to keep him at bay just as they entered onto the bridge that passed over an old industrial park.
All together they entered onto the bridge, the chaos unfolding rapidly as Phoenix attempted to knock Yahiko's van off the bridge with all of them in it and get Naruto off his bike. Bullets flew and zoomed pass ears and heads, some tires being blown in the process and causing cars to flip and more dangerous maneuvering in the process.
Another bend was coming up. Naruto gritted his teeth and sped up as Baji did as he did before and slowed down, even more than earlier because of the lack of a concrete guardrail. He caught up as he did before and without needing to say a word, Sakura leaned out the window and grabbed ahold of Sasuke.
Baji gritted his teeth and grabbed Sakura's skirt in an attempt to hold her in the car but merely took her skirt with him as Naruto pulled away from the car and pulling Sakura out with him, her legs getting mildly scratched up in the process.
But before Sakura could celebrate her rescue, she was handed off to Tayuya who had caught up as in Baji's fit of rage, jerked his wheel to the left and guided Naruto, Sasuke, and himself over the edge of the bridge and down through the old roof of an abandoned factory.
"No!" Sakura shrieked as Kidoumaru slammed on the brake, all of them stunned at the act.
Beside them, Yahiko pulled up and ran out of the van and to the edge to look over to where they all had fallen. He ran his fingers through his hair and quickly dialed a number. "We have a serious emergency. Get over to the Old Industrial Park beneath Katou Bridge just forty minutes away from the Phoenix Compound. Hurry!"
Down below in that factory, Baji's car lay upside down with Naruto and Sasuke a couple feet away from it. For a while, the only sound was the howling of the wind through broken windows and rotting foundation until the driver-side door of Baji's car was forced open. Slowly, Baji crawled out, his injuries severe as he coughed and gasped for air.
"You…bastards!" Baji shouted in anger as he attempted to rise to his feet. "You're all the same…you Whirlwind…scumbags! You take…and you take…and you take…everything away from me!"
A couple of feet away, Naruto began to regain consciousness and felt a shooting pain in his right arm. He refused to look as he forced himself onto his feet, his stability almost nonexistent and his mind fuzzy. He looked down to see Sasuke's gun just by his feet and he dropped to his knees to grab ahold of it.
"You took my freedom! My dignity! My power! My position! My princess!" Baji shouted as he managed to stand upright but still sway violently. "For years I dreamed of nothing more than the death of that bastard father of yours and yet all I'm left with is his pathetic offspring! Nonetheless, at least I'll get some satisfaction out of ending your life and making Minato suffer; even if it'll be temporary."
Naruto looked at Baji through discolored vision. He watched as Baji struggled to take a step towards him and he carefully stood, Sasuke's gun in his hand. He weakly raised his arm, gun aimed and safety off and all Baji could do was laugh.
"What's this? Is the boy finally becoming a man? Finally popping that cherry of yours?" Baji questioned as he laughed before coughing violently and stumbling. "Do it then! You don't have the balls to pull that trigger you pansy! You're nothing more than a disappointment to those parents of yours! You'll never be able to live up to their expectations or carry on what they built. You'll be the downfall of Whirlwind one way or another and I'm just severely disappointed in myself that I won't be there when it happens. All because I let you upset me. You're not even worth the effort it takes to move!"
Naruto stared at him for just the slightest moment. "For Sakura-chan," he muttered before aiming his gun downward and shooting Baji between the legs. Baji hit the ground and screamed out in pain and Naruto stumble over to him. "For my mother," Naruto shot Baji in the stomach, "and for my father." He shot Baji in the stomach again. He lifted his foot and stomped as hard as he could onto the new bullet wounds as Baji screamed and cried out in pain.
"Say…what you will," Naruto said as he looked down at Baji, a dead look in his eyes, "but you and I both know that you didn't stand a chance against my family."
"You bast –!" Naruto pulled the trigger once more, the bullet going through Baji's forehead this time.
"Quit with your yelling already," Naruto muttered quietly as he swayed. "It's annoying," he said as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell unconscious.
"My, my," Orochimaru sucked his teeth and shook his head ind disappointed as he waltzed into the scene, his hands behind his back and his apprentice, Yakushi Kabuto, following close behind him. "Kudos to you, Kabuto-kun. Never did I think Baji would be foolish enough to lead himself here."
"Baji's been a loose cannon for years now," Kabuto commented as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Everyone knew he only wanted out so that he could get Sakura back, not so he could gain control of Konoha."
"I see that now," Orochimaru said with a slight sight as he stopped beside Sasuke's body. "It appears he's still breathing," he breathed as he carefully knelt down and brushed some of Sasuke's hair out of his face. "I suppose I can understand Baji's unprecedented desire to get Sakura back."
Kabuto merely stood by and watched as Orochimaru seemed to look over Sasuke's bloodied and bruised face. He let him stay there for just a few short moments before checking his watch and clearing his throat to get Orochimaru's attention again. "Master Orochimaru, we should get going. Whirlwind shouldn't be too far behind now."
"Yes, you're right," Orochimaru sounded slightly disappointed as he stood to his feet. "We'll make an effort to get Sasuke-kun back another day I suppose. It's best I let him enjoy his life a bit more before I bring him back home."
"You're very kind, Master Orochimaru," Kabuto said with a slight bow as Orochimaru passed him. Kabuto looked after him, a slight look of disgust on his face before looking over his shoulder at the now barely conscious Sasuke. "I'd appreciate the days you have left before Master Orochimaru decides to come and get you, Sasuke-chan."
As Kabuto made his exit out a side door behind Orochimaru, two vans came to a screeching halt just outside the main entrance. Members of Akatsuki hopped out of their vans and dashed over to where Sasuke and Naruto lay, looks of horros coming onto all their faces at the sight of them.
"Sasuke," Itachi panicked as he looked over his younger brother. "Sasuke, can you hear me? Sasuke!"
"Put a tourniquet around their arms," Konan ordered as she looked back and forth between the two of them. "We need to stop as much as the bleeding as we possibly can before moving them or they won't make it to the hospital."
"Come on buddy," Yahiko breathed as he held Naruto's head in his lap and gently pat his face. "I'm going to need you to wake up for 'Yahi-nii,' okay? It would mean the world to me right now if you just woke up and let me know you're okay."
"Done!" Hidan called as he tightened Sasuke's tourniquet.
"Sasuke-kun!"
Kakuzu got up first and caught Sakura before she got too close to the scene. He held onto her as tightly as he could despite her pounding her fist into his back in an attempt to get out of his hold. "Sakura-chan, stop!"
"Naruto-nii! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried, the amount of blood and their still bodies causing a chill to run down her spine. "Naruto-nii!"
"Get Sasuke and Naruto into Yahiko's van," Konan ordered and watched as they gathered around and carefully lifted Naruto and Sasuke off the ground. "Kakuzu, take Lady Hanabi and Sakura-chan in your van."
"Got it," Kakuzu said as he began to walk away with Sakura still over his shoulder.
"Let me down, Kakuzu!" Sakura demanded as she continued to struggle and watch as Naruto and Sasuke were loaded into Yahiko's van. "Let me go!"
"Go!" Konan shouted as she was the last one to climb into Yahiko's van and shut the door, the van speeding away as quickly as possible.
"Aniki," Sasuke spoke softly, his voice raspy and his eyes beginnning to flutter open.
"I'm here." Itachi quickly moved to Sasuke's side and took ahold of his hand. "I'm here, Sasuke-kun. Aniki's here." Itachi watched as Sasuke struggled to speak before going limp entirely. "Sasuke-kun?" Itachi shook his a few times before listening for his breathing, his eyes widening in response. "Sasuke-kun!"
"Stay awake!" Itachi pleaded as he began to perform chest compressions on Sasuke while Sasori tied a tourniquet around Naruto's leg. "Sasuke, please!" Itachi shouted before lifting Sasuke's head and blowing air into his mouth. "Yahiko, drive faster!"
"I'm driving as fast as I can!" Yahiko shouted back as he kept the gas pedal to the floor and continued onward towards Konoha Central Hospital.
"Deidara!" Sasori shouted.
"I got it!" Deidara said as he punctured the top of a small bottle and filled the syringe with its contents. He did the same with a second and handed one off to Itachi who immediately stabbed the needle into his younger brother's chest and injected the fluids. Deidara did the same for Naruto, the lot of them waiting anxiously until they both came up gasping for air.
"Hold them down!" Konan ordered as she did her best to hold Naruto down, both he and Sasuke crying out in pain as their injuries seemed to hit them all at once. "Naruto-kun, we're here. It's going to be okay. We're here."
"Ba-Baji?" Naruto questioned between gasps of air as he grasped at Deidara's arm. "And Sakura-chan? Hanabi-chan?"
"Baji's isn't going to be a problem anymore," Deidara told Naruto as he took ahold of his hand and squeezed firmly. "Sakura-chan and Hanabi-chan are both safe. You did good so don't worry. Just relax and do your best to stay awake for us, okay? We're going to get you taken care of."
"Orochimaru," Sasuke breathed as he grabbed Itachi's arm and held onto it as though his life depended on it.
"He's not here," Itachi cooed as he pulled Sasuke's head into his lap and gently moved some of his hair out of his face. "Orochimaru isn't here; he can't hurt you. He won't get anywhere near you so long as I'm around."
"I saw him," Sasuke told him, fear filling his eyes along with tears. "He was there Itachi. He was there."
Itachi pursed his lips together before putting his forehead against Sasuke's. He shushed him patiently and gave Sasuke's chest a reassuring pat. "You're okay. You're going to be okay."
"Naruto-kun?" Konan saw Naruto's eyes begin to flutter. "Naruto-kun, I need you to stay awake, okay? Do you hear me? Hey!"
"Can you drive any slower?!" Deidara shouted as he felt Naruto's grip loosen up completely. "Yahiko!"
To Be Continued…