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Naruto and co. doesn't belong to me.

Chapter five

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S e c r e t s

Vanishing Bars

Naruto glared at Gaara, staring into a face which was revealing nothing but contempt and evil at an intensity that made him tremble uncontrollably. Was that the only expression the sand guy was capable of? Was the demon residing deep in him showing the same evil face? Naruto could not help but wonder as he eyed the boy. Even though he was now standing on top of Gamabunta, the king of toads, he was not confident. Could he manage to subdue him without himself getting killed first? Quickly, his attention shifted from Gaara to Sasuke with dark, creepy marks covering his face and arms and then to the unconscious Sakura who was captured by Gaara, held immobilised by a massive cement of sand that was tightening and slowly suffocating her. Eyes once again on Gaara, he gritted his teeth and then eyes snapped shut as he tightened his fist, trying to extract more power from deep within. His team mates were all he had, he would not let anything happen to them, and so he needed more power, more power to protect them. His whole body shook in effort as he summoned every ouce of chakra in him, feeling hotter and hotter as raw chakra started to course through his inner coils again. Out of a sudden, Sakura screamed as the sand around her closed in. Instantly, Naruto lost his concentration as his head shook up in Sakura's direction, his heart beating fast as he panicked. The chakra that was running through him in surges abruptly went out of control as the tumultuous flow that seemed to take on a life of its own continued to gush out from its source continuously. A weird sensation came over him as a searing pain cut through his stomach and skin burning terribly. He arched forward as giddiness hit him, gripping his stomach as an immense amount of chakra, a quantity thousand times more than his training or his battle with Neji swarmed around him. The swirling mass of red core power pulsated and swirling rapidly as his body jolted with energy. Despite the pain, Naruto was quivering with excitement, a reaction that was strangely foreign as he lurched in fast speed towards Gaara.

Unbeknownst to Naruto, at that very moment in time, at the highest level of the Chuunin exam arena, the heat of the battle between Sandaime and his disciple was escalating. Every clash and collide drew blood and sucked the vitality out of him as the third desperately fight out with Orochimaru and his helpers – the resurrected former Hokages. Sealing his fate with a Fuuin Jutsu Shiki Fuujin, he summoned the God of Death in exchange with the sacrifice of his soul. The resilient old man showed his last defiance, yielding the God of Death as the ultimate weapon, sealed the souls of his predecessors. But age and strength was still against him as his waning energy would not allow him to seal Orochimaru. With only his arms crippled, Orochimaru laughed as the third Hokage gasped painfully and started staggering. His soul would soon be engulfed by the God of Death and be eternally intertwined with the other trapped souls, cursed to never rest in peace, cursed to be battling with other souls constantly and cursed to be consumed by hatred forever. Sandaime coughed as blood spurted from his countless wounds. His many tasks were not completed, many feuds were not settled, but they could only be left to the next generation of Konoha to be finished. A smile appeared on his weather-beaten face, revealing the laughing wrinkles at the corner of his eyes. Slowly, his eyeballs rolled back, eyelids shut, the last sign of life slipped away as his body fell backwards, a true Hokage to the end.

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Blinking again for the third time, Naruto swung his hands in front of his face. Except for the feel of warm draught on his cheeks generated by his sweeping motion, he could see nothing but a blanket of darkness. It was a pitch dark and he had no idea where he was.

"Hey, anyone there?" he hollered repeatedly, only to be replied by his own echoes each time.

He was all alone in this cavernous, dismal place which had sounds of dripping water echoing through what seemed endless, winding spaces. Naruto floundered to his feet and fumbled for structures to guide him. After around ten steps, his fingers came into contact with a smooth cold surface. Tracing along the length of the wall, he walked for quite a distance before the wall led him into a cavern illuminated weakly by eerie, reddish glow. The stale air hung above him so thick and heavy that he coughed for a few times as he found it increasingly hard to breathe. Cussing under his breath, he wondered how he got here. He was fighting with Gaara and both of them were sprawling on the ground when Sasuke came. He said something, yes, he remembered now, he said that Sakura was safe and then he felt his eyelids slide down. He must have fallen asleep after that. Damn Sasuke, he had brought him to this bloody place!

Suddenly, he spotted two spots of bright light in the far end ahead. Light! It must be the exit! With great anticipation, he rushed towards the exit. As he came nearer, he halted his steps. He could see clearly now and it's a bit too clear, for the two spots were no light but a pair of eyes, red-rimmed, smouldering with hatred and ever intimidating. Recognition dawned on him as he stiffened. Those eyes! It's Kyuubi's eyes!! He moved away but those eyes came closer. Naruto froze. He could feel prickles of sweat on every part of his skin. His eyes darted around, searching frantically for the bars that kept the Kyuubi at bay. Where are those bars?

"Don't come near me!" he shouted, his voice already husky and trembling a little.

Paying no heed to his words, the Kyuubi advanced forward. Very soon, the snout of the fox was almost brushing his nose. Naruto gulped as he took in the massive form of the Kyuubi, along with its infamous nine tails thrashing viciously behind.

"Silly boy, there are no bars to separate you from me now."

It was a voice that made Naruto think of a nasty child being cruel to an animal. A nasty grin broke out on its face as its bloodthirsty eyes gleamed with excitement from the sheer thrill of being that close to fresh warm human blood. Imprisoned for fourteen years, it was at last free from the detesting seal. Naruto scowled, he wanted to hit that beast but his limbs seemed lead heavy, simply refusing to yield to his will. How can he be so useless at this crucial moment? He wanted to hit himself. Out of the blue, the memory of Zabuza's attack shoved itself into his head. He was rooted to the ground then like now, unable to move, unable to fight, letting Sasuke called him a scaredy cat but he also recalled the blade of the kunai slicing through his palm and swearing that he would never need someone to rescue him again. He was no coward. He can fight back! A reassuring feeling of courage swelled inside him as he raised his hands and his fingers made a seal.

"Trying to use Kage bunshin? Foolish. It's of no use here in my territory. Nothing can conquer me here!"

The Kyuubi laughed. It was a low gurgle, a strange sound like somebody controlling a malicious laughter and then unexpectedly it fell into silence, blazing eyes locked onto Naruto's. His blood ran cold as he felt his newfound courage withering away.

"I've enough of you, brat! With your skill, you can't hold me here! Now that the seal is broken, I no longer need to stay here!"

Naruto was stumped speechless as he shook his head in disbelief.

"The seal is broken?" he sputtered finally.

Ignoring the boy's remark, it sneered, every word seething with spite and fury, "You're just a useless stupid human. I don't need you as my vessel. I don't need your filthy body anymore! I'll squash your life away like a little ant. Well deserved for a pathetic idiot you are. Die! You will die, along with the other filthy humans out there. Wait till I lay my hands on them. All of you must perish!"

Naruto was quivering with anger as wave of futile rage swept over him. He will show the Kyuubi that he was not useless! Charging towards the demon, he took a swing at it but it was faster, it leaped back and caught him on the chin with a blow that knocked him over. Naruto was up on his feet in an instant. Wiping his blood from his mouth, he bolted forward. Before he had a chance to come near the demon, the Kyuubi's tail seized him from behind and flung him to the far end of the wall. He fell off with a thud and lay sprawling on the cold, hard concrete, wind knocked out of him but once again, Naruto stood up, knees wobbling from the impact. Steadying himself against the wall, he gasped for breath as blood trickled down his head and arms, excruciating pain tearing his body apart.

"I'll quit playing games with you. Now for the real action!"

With a speed of light, its claws stole across Naruto. Naruto tried to dodge but was no match for its quickness as it ripped off his sleeve along with some flesh. Naruto winced in pain. With no time lost, he backed away, turned and ran, away from the Kyuubi chasing relentlessly behind. He ran for a long time, his heart beating wildly, feet pounding the concrete and breathing became more laboured. Blood surged from his wound profusely and he was becoming weaker by the minute. Gritting his teeth, he pressed on, wishing his energy and stamina were in tip-top condition which was far from reality as his previous battle with Gaara had sapped his reserves severely. It was getting harder to keep running with his vision growing blurrier. The Kyuubi was close at his heels as its footsteps rang loudly in his ears. His eyes were so blurry that he could not see that he was running towards a wall and rammed into it. A dead end! He was trapped. Even Kami-sama was not helping! He kicked the wall in frustration and crumpled to the ground, watching helplessly as the Kyuubi stepped closer and closer.

"You'll never escape here!"

With red eyes still fixed on him, it swiftly lunged forward and its tails twitched as one of them reached for his throat and snaked around his neck, lifting him off from the ground.

"Kyuubi! If I die, you perish with me! Let go!" he spat, wriggling hard and then sank his teeth deeply into the tail.

The Kyuubi's sour lips twisted in scorn as its grip around Naruto loosened.

"Listen stupid boy, you think I'll die with you? Naive! My chakra is million times more than yours! I won't be threatened by you sly humans!"

Its tail then tightened its grip around its prey. Tears stung his eyes as he choked for air. His chest was near to bursting for the need of oxygen in it. Naruto felt heat rising in his face as images of Kasumi, Tsuki, the Hokage, Iruka and his team flashed across at the back of his mind. Their faces gradually ebbed away by a ball of fire, devouring his brain as an odd ringing sound resounded and seemingly yelling out his name. He was fighting a losing battle as darkness slowly invaded his whole being. However, the voice refused to stop, disembodied and remote, it clung to Naruto persistently, infiltrating into his consciousness as a part of him stirred and came to life.

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"Naruto! Wake up!"

Sasuke yelled into his ears and grabbing him by his shirt, he shook him violently many times and slapped his face but Naruto was unresponsive, his eyes remained shut tightly and body writhing on the bed in agony.

"Get up, idiot!"

"Hey, stop sleeping!!"

"Wake up!"

Like hundreds of flashbulbs firing at once, a blinding flash of light penetrated Naruto's eyes as his eyelids snapped wide open, revealing blank eyes that stared straight into Sasuke's, their faces only inches apart. Alarmed, Sasuke dropped his hold on the shirt and shoved the boy away as he drew back from the bed.

Distractedly, Naruto touched his neck which was throbbing with dull pain as a wave of nausea hit him. It was real. The Kyubi… He shivered a little at the prospect of his neck being crushed by the Kyubi's tail. Lifting his shirt, he looked at his abdomen for markings of the spiral seal. Then he hit his head for his stupidity. The seal is not visible unless he used his chakra. What should he do? Is the seal really broken? The Kyubi will kill him! Maybe Ojjisan can help. He will know what to do. Naruto smiled as he calmed himself down. That's right, Ojiisan will set everything right. Nothing will happen to him.

For the first time since he woke up minutes ago, his attention shifted to his surroundings. With eyes screwed up in the bright sunlight streaming from the open window, he took in the dreadful white paint and bleak décor as his nose wrinkled in distaste by the strong antiseptic smell that assaulted his senses. Annoyance rose in him as he spotted the figure by the window and frowned hard at him. Sasuke was leaning against the wall and arms crossed with a look of irritation and impatience marked on his paler than usual face. Before Naruto could raise any protest, Sasuke stopped him. With questioning eyes still riveted on Naruto, he said hoarsely, "Sakura is already up. Get change, we need to go to Hokage's funeral." He finished abruptly, averting his eyes as he turned to walk out.

To be continued

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Yep, a chapter done.. I'll try to post up one chap every month if I can.. Some readers might find it confusing as the story jumped forward too quickly. I'm sorry about last chap too, putting in too much stuff at once. Right now, it's after the battle with Gaara and then the encounter with Kyubi during his stay in the hospital where he slept for a few nights straight. And everything is following the anime's storyline closely until of course this chap onwards. Hopefully all confusions are cleared but if there is any, do tell me and I'll definitely explain. Review if you can.. Thanks…

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Ja mata..

S-chan