By Silver Dragonfly
Chapter 05 - Snake, Fox, Dragon
"THERE'S NO WAY SUCH A STUPID COWARD LIKE YOU--IS THE SASUKE I
KNOW!" Naruto snarled at the dark eyed boy who stared at him in shock. His anger
rolling, Naruto continued to stare down his teammate and rival. "I have no idea how
strong this guy is... but what guarantee is there that he'll let us go if we give him the
scroll. YOU'RE the one too freaked out to understand the situation!!"
"Naruto..." Sakura whispered as she watched the stare down between the boys. She
couldn't describe the sense of relief she'd felt when Naruto had arrived. With Naruto
and Sasuke working together, she'd felt hope that they would make it through this.
But now... Sasuke was still to shaken and teamwork looked impossible.
"Hehehe...Naruto-kun. You are correct. Since I can just kill you and take the scroll,"
their enemy drawled as he bit a finger and marked his right forearm with a stripe of
blood.
Naruto snarled. The hatred for snakes spilling onto this enemy who strongly
resembled the scaly creatures and had summoned the reptile that had attempted to
eat him. "Shut up!" He shouted and charged forward.
"No!! Run Away Naruto!!!" Sasuke shouted.
Naruto ignored him, dodging a counter attack and moving forward again. "I've lost
respect for you Sasuke!" He stated flatly. Just as Naruto reached striking distance a
large swirl of power surrounded their enemy blowing several of the near by trees to
pieces and sent Naruto flying skyward. "AHHH!!!" Naruto cried as his back collided
heavily with a tree.
"NARUTO!!!"
Their foe chuckled from his perch atop the newly summoned snake's head. "Go
ahead and eat him," the man commanded motioning to the battered form of Naruto.
Naruto coughed blood and glared at the snake as he began to fall down. I WILL NOT
BE SNAKE FOOD-- KYUUBI!!! A surge of power was the kitsune's answer,
Naruto's whisker marks darkened and became more pronounced. His eyes turned red,
and his pupils slit. "EAT SHIT!!!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his fist into the nose of
the large snake, snapping its mouth shut. The snake reared back in pained shock, its'
master looking in surprise at the blond haired boy.
"This kid... could it be..." Their enemy whispered as he studied the blond haired boy
charging him once again, red slit-pupil eyes glaring a challenge.
Sasuke watched in wide-eyed silence too shocked to move. He had been paralyzed
with fear and then Naruto had come showing no fear at all. His non-action had shifted
from being paralysis caused by fear to complete shock over Naruto's sudden show of
strength. Then there were Naruto's eyes...Naruto's eyes had changed. "This is... This
is Naruto's strength..." Sasuke whispered unbelievingly as he watched Naruto charge
again.
The Snake-freak smirked and responded with a blazing fire jutsu sending Naruto
falling once more through several branches to land with a final sickening crunch.
Their enemy smirked. So much for the nine-tails brat, hehehe...this is getting fun. He
turned to face Sasuke once again, "Sasuke-kun, now it's your turn! What will you do?!"
Sasuke stood frozen, unable to react as the snake rushed towards him.
"SASUKE!!!" Sakura screamed.
A growl and thundering crash echoed in the surrounding woods as one blond-haired
boy only a scant two feet from his teammate stopped the snake's movement. Naruto
breathed heavily as he stared at Sasuke, his arms outstretched and hands gripping
the kunai embedded in the snake's nose tightly. Sasuke remained staring in shocked
silence, held rooted in place by the fierce determination and power held in Naruto's
changed eyes. "Are you all right... Scaredy Cat?"
Sasuke could only stare as his memory flashed to when he had said the exact same
words to Naruto. Then it had been Naruto who had frozen up. His mind flashed
forward to Naruto's words from only moments ago,
"There's no way such a stupid coward like you...is the Sasuke I know!"
Before Sasuke could say anything further, Naruto was suddenly caught in the grip
of their enemy's long serpentine tongue.
"Damn it! Let go of me!!" Naruto cursed as he struggled to break loose.
Their enemy only chuckled as he brought Naruto up only inches from his face and
met the boy's angry glare steadily. "So the nine-tails brat is still alive..." His tongue
slithered around, lifting Naruto's jacket away from his stomach to reveal the
now-visible seal beneath.
"Oh my, the seal is visible... when your emotions are heightened... the power of the
nine-tails overflows...interesting"
Sakura's eyes widened as the information their enemy was giving them reached her...
Naruto carried the nine-tails. "Sasuke! Naruto is-!!"
"--FIVE PART SEAL!" Their enemy shouted, plunging his fingers into Naruto's
stomach around the black spiral marking.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Naruto screamed and then fell silent as he
blacked out in the enemies hold. The man chuckled as he removed the heaven scroll
from Naruto's pack.
Twelve years since the seal... Naruto-kun and the nine-tails chakara are beginning to
fuse--but right now you're in the way. And with that he threw him off to the side.
"NARUTO!!!" Sakura cried out. He's going to fall! And quickly through a kunai,
managing to pin Naruto to a tree by the jacket. Sakura turned to see a still stunned
Sasuke staring at the unmoving form of Naruto. "Sasuke-kun!! It's True That Unlike
You, Naruto Is Clumsy And Can Get In The Way... But-AT LEAST HE'S NOT A
COWARD-RIGHT!!!!"
Sasuke turned away, closing his eyes tightly as he remembered his brother's parting
words. "Foolish Brother-If you want to kill me...then hate, spite, and live pathetically!!
Run and run--cling desperately to life." NO!!! Sasuke shouted in his mind, his eyes
snapping open to reveal the crimson of his Sharingan. I won't run away any longer!
I won't let Naruto's fight go to waste! With that newfound determination his battle
against their snake-like enemy commenced.
Deep in Sasuke's mind, Ryukai watched anxiously. Finally his chosen partner was
beginning to follow the correct path.
**********
Deep within Naruto, in a part him that had always been filled by a bond, Kyuubi
fumed, growled, and all but hissed. The seal had been sealed. That was the only way
he could describe it. That freaky snake-like slime ball that had appeared and caused
Naruto and his teammates trouble-- caused HIM trouble. Had sealed his seal. And in
Kyuubi's opinion it couldn't have come at a worse time. While his bond with Naruto
was over twelve years old, it had remained largely dormant until just recently. And
the last few weeks had not been enough time for it to strengthen to the point where
the seal could no longer affected their bond. Add to that, this new additional seal- the
combination had nearly severed the bond. Kyuubi could barely sense what was
happening to his partner, although he was sure the boy was unconscious due to shock
if nothing else.
For nearly twelve years Kyuubi had done what he could to aid the boy while the bond
laid dormant. His efforts primarily resulting in Naruto's accelerated healing
abilities-- abilities that would not be changed or blocked by the added seal, though
they wouldn't continue to grow either. Kyuubi growled. The snake-bastard couldn't
have chosen a worse scenario either. Naruto had been drawing on his power to his
maximum ability and the shock at the sudden cut of that power flow had been
devastating. More so to Naruto then to himself and there was absolutely nothing
Kyuubi could do to rectify the situation but wait.
**********
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO SAUAKE-KUN?!" Sakura screamed as Sasuke groaned
sinking to his knees. His hands reaching to clutch at the juncture of his back and neck
where three black dots tipped by swirl like tails began to take form.
"I gave him a going away present," the snake-like man now identified as Orochimaru
stated as he vanished into the tree.
"Like hell he does!!" Ryukai roared as his power burst into being through his weak
bond with Sasuke. "I am not about to let some slimy snake try to move in on my chosen
partner. I will not be overcome or gotten rid of so easily as that." And with that
declaration an interior battle began between curse seal and guardian bond; the only
externally visible signs of this battle showing in the blue lines forming the pattern of
scales that began to form around the swirling black dots.
Within moments the enemy had vanished to leave one young pink haired female
shinobi and her two gravely injured and unconscious teammates without any aid or
support. Sakura nibbled her lower lip as she glanced back and froth between the two
boys. She had to find a defensible, secluded position as far away from their current
location as she could manage. She would protect her teammates now when they
needed her the most. She glanced at Sasuke to make sure he would remain still for a
few moments then moved as close to the tree Naruto was pinned to as she could.
Forming several seals she closed her eyes and concentrated. In a tiny flare of
chakara her eyes snapped open and where Naruto had been pinned before now
appeared to be a broken branch and some growth on the side of the tree. Nodding to
herself she turned back to Sasuke. I'm sorry Naruto. I'll find a safe location and take
Sasuke there then come back for you once he's safe... She glanced back at the
genjutsu-hidden boy. Stay safe. With that final thought sent her teammates way, she
struggled to lift Sasuke and brace him against her shoulders then set off at a slow but
steady pace.
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