Three forms remained very still, crouching in complete darkness.
Naruto could hear companions' breathing.
Hinata was pressed up against him in the nook they chose, and he could feel her heartbeat. She was frightened. He marveled at how calm and controlled she seemed on the outside.
"Pakkun….." Naruto whispered. "Anything?"
"No. Not yet. I could certainly use the rest." The dog sniffed. "You could use a change of clothing. And a bath."
"We could throw him in the next pool we come across," Hinata suggested. "As long as there's nothing living in it. We don't want to destroy the fragile balance of Nature…."
Pakkun snickered. Naruto grumbled.
"My…… ummm…… fragrant condition….. didn't stop you from taking advantage of me before, Hinata." Naruto grinned. She should know better than to mess with the master. "That kiss! I didn't know your tongue was that long. Are the Hyuugas descended from anteaters, or something?"
Hinata stiffened. Pakkun shook his head.
"N-N-N-"
"You have seen a picture of an anteater before, haven't you Hinata?" Naruto's smile belied his concerns. Even though they didn't hear any sound at the moment, the enemy had had plenty of time to marshal its forces and send them in various directions.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata kept her voice low. "You…."
Naruto chuckled. He took hold of Hinata's hand after finding it in the dark. He moved one finger.
"They have sharp claws." He wiggled her fingernail. "Their coat is gray." He tugged on her jacket. "The smaller ones, though, have black hair," he said. He reached out and tweaked her nose. "Long snouts, too. But, I guess there can be exceptions." He grinned, hearing Hinata make a small noise. "Small brains." He banged softly on the top of her head. "Very primitive animals…."
Hinata clenched her fists.
"I think they mainly eat ants and other bugs," Naruto said. "Hmmmm. It's amazing you get along so well with Shino, then." Naruto sighed. "Pakkun…… on the way to get me…… did Hinata walk around on her knuckles?"
The pug snorted. "If you bite him, he might shut up."
Naruto shook his head, then laughed softly. "Won't work. Anteaters don't have any teeth…. Ow!!!"
Pakkun laughed. "That was helpful to know. I did that for her!"
"Thank you," Hinata said. She was amazed at Naruto, despite his foolish behavior. No, because of his foolish behavior.
Lost in the countless caves, caverns, and tunnels beneath this mountain, he managed to keep in a cheerful mood. That, even given the fact that they were being chased down by ninja, with the threat of Akatsuki hanging over their heads.
The result of his shenanigans was equally noteworthy.
She didn't feel nearly as scared as she might otherwise have.
"That was----" Naruto never got to say what he intended to.
"Shhhhh…." Pakkun made a shushing sound. "Someone's coming this way, down our passageway. Hurry." He squeezed out from between the other two and began moving as quickly as he could in the dark, rope in his mouth.
The two shinobi followed behind him.
After an unknown length of time, Naruto called out softly. "Pakkun, any changes in the smell of the cave? Have you felt any difference in the air currents? How about the flooring?"
"Nothing so far. There is a sense of moisture, so we…." There was a splashing sound. "Urk!" There was the sound of claws scrabbling on rock, then Naruto and Hinata both sighed when the pug shook himself off all over them.
"Let's have the light again, Hinata. We're going to have to risk it." Naruto thought that the splash Pakkun had made was indicative of a fair depth of water. "Shit!" He shook his head when he saw what lay before them.
The tunnel ran directly into a huge underwater pool. It looked as if they would have to swim, as there was nothing to build a raft out of. He stuck one finger in the water.
It was cold!
Wait a minute….
"Everybody move back down the tunnel a bit. I need to get us a ride." Naruto bit his finger, then performed a summoning jutsu.
Smoke filled the passageway, drifting out over the water in dainty spiraling clouds.
"OOOOOOOOOOH! What is this. WHAT IS THIS?!!" A huge voice echoed throughout the tunnel. "IT'S F-CKING COLD!!!"
Naruto shook his head.
"Shhhhh! Stop being a damn drama queen, Gama-Loki. We're being followed, and you just gave our freaking position away. Next time I'll have Hinata knit you up a big pair of woolen mittens!" Naruto waved for his companions to return.
"We need a ride across, then you're free to go! This is life and death stuff here. But, if you'd rather fight Kyuubi, Yamata No Orochi, and Rokumen-happi-no-Jaki by yourself, we'll do it that way instead…." He mumbled under his breath, "Big Baby!"
"G-G-GLAD T-T-TO B-B-BE OF S-S-SERVICE…." The huge frog shivered as he slid into the frigid pool.
When everyone was secure on the huge amphibian's back, Gama-Loki sped across the water at a frantic speed, kicking up a huge wake. As soon as everyone had jumped off onto dry land, he disappeared.
"You may have some use, after all." Pakkun raised a paw, keeping the others silent. "The noise is much louder. They'll be here soon. Let's hope that the dam water slows them down a good while."
"OK. Speed is of the essence. Let's have all the light you can give us, Hinata. Time to haul ass!" Naruto began running, one step behind Pakkun and Hinata. "Let's hope this leads somewhere. If not, we'll have a fight on our hands."
Naruto almost sounded eager.
The three members of the Leaf moved swiftly along, their speed limited only by the reach of Hinata's light. Leaping from one side of the broad tunnel to the other, they continued their race through the bowels of the earth.
Hinata was beginning to tire. She had used up a lot of energy during her run from Konoha. The light she maintained slowly depleted her chakra reserves.
"Here!" Pakkun doubled back, looking up a narrower shaft in the rock. "This goes up fairly sharply. It might be an old volcanic vent."
As the three ascended, climbing on all fours, Naruto kept pushing the pug upward every time his claws lost purchase.
"There are better things than having a dog's ass in your face every few minutes," he griped.
"What, you want the girl in front of you?" Pakkun's irritable reply had Naruto losing his own grip, sliding back down onto Hinata.
"Oooof!" Hinata had the wind knocked out of for a second.
"Sorry," Naruto said. "I think I'm going to tie my rope to that dog and drag him up this chimney!"
"Ummm…… be nice, boys….." Hinata resumed climbing behind Naruto. She was still blushing.
At one point, things got very steep. That had Naruto using his oldest jounin-level skill.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu, many many clones!"
A large number of Naruto copies extended up along the shaft. The uppermost clone anchored himself, and had the others all join hands. Before they disappeared, Naruto, Hinata, and Pakkun had been pulled up into a more manageable area.
"I guess I could have just sent Hinata up," Naruto said. "She could have lowered down her tongue."
Hinata kicked Naruto in the ankle. Very hard. Pakkun thought about biting the other, but he still had a bad taste in his mouth from before.
Eventually, their running came to an end. A huge cavern opened up off of one side of the shaft. The passageway itself terminated at a dead end.
"Look!" Pakkun was sniffing along the ground, excited. "Guano. That must mean there's a way out." He moved along the shaft a bit, then called out. "There's a small hole here. Too small for me, but big enough for bats, foxes, mice, and the like.
"Yes," Hinata said. Her light frightened a number of bats. Looking up, she saw a great number of them clinging to the roof of the cavern.
Naruto nodded his head. He had found a few piles of rodent skeletons, and some relatively fresh animal droppings. Asking Pakkun to step out of the way, he went to examine the hole.
"Everybody find a secure place, one that doesn't have a lot of shit hanging down over it. I'm going to try to make this hole bigger."
"I would do it quickly if I were you," Pakkun remarked. "There is noise down the shaft."
The rock proved incredibly thick. After three attempts at Rasengan, Naruto had only managed to widen the hole enough so that the dog could fit through.
"Pakkun, Hinata…… come here…." Naruto was breathless, needing a moment to regain some strength.
When the two joined him, Naruto gave them their orders.
"Pakkun, squeeze your furry little butt out through the hole, holding onto the rope. If it's a slope and not a cliff face, run and see if you can find help." Naruto passed the pug the rope. "But wait a few moments, until Hinata does her part."
"Naruto-kun?"
"Hinata, throw a good bit of fire out through the hole. If someone doesn't see it right away, maybe a couple of bonfires will catch their attention." He rubbed his chin. "Hopefully it will be someone on our side!"
"OK." Hinata stepped up and did as Naruto had commanded.
After that, Pakkun wriggled outside, then commented on his findings. There was indeed a slope downward. He couldn't see, hear, or smell anyone yet, but would be off in search of the Leaf shinobi who had followed Hinata and himself.
"Good luck," Hinata whispered, stepping away from the hole and joining Naruto down in the cavern.
"I want you to use the new jutsu that old pervert taught you. Try and loosen the rocks at the opening. If you do that enough, I might be able to break us out of here." Naruto went and stared down the shaft. "You better hurry!"
Hinata did as she was instructed. Naruto began tearing large chunks of rock out of the cavern floor, placing them over by the shaft. He would roll the boulders downward, providing a nice welcome for their pursuers.
"It's very thick and dense, Naruto-kun!"
"Do your best, Hinata. Just do whatever you can! I have a few things I need to say to Old Lady Tsunade yet, about the way she had me guarded! I need to get home to do that!"
Naruto sent rock after rock bouncing down the shaft.
Suddenly, someone converted a fair amount of the cavern floor to mud, making a separate pathway up from the shaft. Naruto cursed, when he saw the first two figures make their way up into the huge space.
Itachi and Kisame.
"How's it going, Hinata?" Naruto's voice was a touch anxious. He wondered if he would be facing more than those two Akatsuki members.
Two was more than enough.
Jiraiya had given that pair a run for their money. And, they needed to keep their 'demon carrier'alive. Maybe he could do this.
Naruto cursed when Hinata returned to stand by his side. She went a little pale, seeing Samehade in the hands of the towering and ghastly looking Kisame. Blood ran down from the man's mouth, making him look more hideous than usual.
Itachi said nothing. He simply took a moment to brush the dust from his robes. Kisame grinned a horrific grin, then began chuckling.
"You two little mice led up on a fair chase, I'll give you that. But, the cats are here now. The game is over." He laughed. "You did thin our number out quite a bit. Saves me the trouble of killing them later on."
"Hinata…… get the hell out of here…… do whatever you need to do to squeeze through that hole. Leave your coat behind if it takes up too much space!" Naruto pushed Hinata towards the opening.
"No" Hinata answered.
"What?" Naruto said loudly. "This is no time to play the hero! I can hold them off long enough for you to escape. After that, I will see if I can take them out."
Itachi began walking slowly in one direction. Kisame walked along a different course.
"No. I will stay here, Naruto-kun!" Hinata took out a kunei.
"Huh? Don't be stupid. I know you care for me, but…." Naruto kept his eyes on his approaching adversaries.
"I'm…… I'm not here…… I'm not here to defend you, Naruto-kun…" Hinata's voice sounded anguished.
"Then what…."
"Kill the girl," Itachi said flatly, understanding what Hinata must have in mind. "Quickly."
"With pleasure," Kisame said. He brought his terrible weapon sweeping in flat powerful arcs with one hand. With the other, he prepared to begin single-handed seals.
"They cannot be allowed to take you alive, Naruto-kun." Hinata felt as if she were an S-class criminal herself, saying those words. "I'll see to that."
"You… you'd kill me, Hinata?" Naruto began working through various jutsus in his mind, trying to take the shape and composition of the cavern into mind. "Really?"
"Y-Y-Yes…." Hinata's voice was no more than a whisper.
"Good for you!" Naruto smiled. ""You got more guts than those two black-hearted bastards combined!" He laughed. "Better teeth too. Though, Itachi does have nicer hair. Those manly looking Uchiha, you know!"
Kisame laughed at that. "You remind me of myself in some ways, boy." His grin had Hinata looking away. "Too bad for you…."
Itachi showed no reaction.
"Hinata…… if we make our way out of this……" Naruto bent over to whisper in her ear. "I'm giving you the necklace, Rasengan or no Rasengan. After I clean it off, of course…."
Hinata had no chance to reply.
"Attack now. There is someone coming!" Itachi's voice sounded calm, but his posture tensed up ever so slightly.
"Make sure you don't---" Naruto's warning to Hinata came to late. The two of them had grown used to Itachi moving and speaking at a leisurely pace.
When he flashed to stand in front of the white-eyed girl, Naruto couldn't act without striking Hinata too.
Itachi had attacked with Tsukiyomi. Hinata had no chance to withstand it. Falling to her knees, she was out of the fight.
"We can't let you go, boy." Kisame closed his eyes, trying to sense something. He smiled, then. "We've already done the calling. If our two special friends arrive here and the process isn't complete, that would be rather unfortunate."
Grunting, the ugly man concentrated his chakra and worked one techinque multiple times in succession. Suikoudan no Jutsu. Out of thinner portions of the cave wall he had sensed, water drawn up from a nearby underground river shot towards Naruto, talking on the shape of giant sharks.
"Bullshit!" Naruto answered, gritting his teeth. Working his own seals, he tore up a solid wall of dirt and rock, using it as a shield. The Doton, Doroku Gaeshi didn't seem to work, as some streams of water bypassed the wall and tossed Naruto hard against the rocks, leaving him a crumpled heap.
"Ha! I haven't enjoyed myself that much since I assassinated some of the local feudal lords attached to Hidden Mist Village." Kisame rammed the but of his weapon against the cave.
Itachi caught what his hideous companion missed. The form was not Naruto. It was a clone. Moving only slightly, he dodged a vicious strike by the boy, who had swung his Chidori-like attack in a sideways motion.
Huge sections of the wall fell free, cut away clean by the jutsu.
"Shit! You little bastard!" Kisame recovered, swinging Samehade at Naruto. Dozens of clones intervened, sacrificing themselves on the weapon, while their brethren went for the ugly ninja's hands, feet, and face.
Hinata, meanwhile, was trapped in an illusionary world, believing that she was in another place, at another time, in another situation. In that terrible void within her mind, Itachi had her feel the worst pain imaginable, for the longest period possible, even though it was in less than two minutes in actual duration.
To her, she seemed to live the same horror over and over, for days on end. Kunei in hand, she plunged it into Naruto's heart. As the blood fountained from Naruto's mouth, Pakkun walked up to her and said, "We're saved. You and the boy are safe. Akatsuki is finished." Mouth falling open, she would then hear Naruto say "I thought you cared for me Hinata…." just before he died.
Itachi worked one jutsu, then moved immediately to another. As the Naruto clones popped out of existence, the cavern floor filled with Uchiha clones. But there was a significant difference, as the suicidal creations soon showed.
The exploding clones sent Naruto flying, but he had shielded himself with a wall made by massive falling stalagtites, escaping the brunt of the force. Rolling back to his feet, he spat blood and laughed. He thumbed his nose, but kept quiet.
Flame roared, as a giant dragons-haped column of fire wrapped itself around his body, courtesy of Itachi. But, it was not Naruto. He had worked the substitution technique with a large stalagmite.
Samehade swept towards the true Naruto, coming from his blind side.
Calling forth his new jutsu, Naruto formed a incredibly sharp plane of chakra, energy extending in waves of Kyuubi chakra away from his arm.
The severed tip of the rasping weapon, buzzed through the air, bouncing to a stop at Itachi's feet.
"You will pay for that, you son of a bitch." Kisame once again cursed the fact that they were not allowed to kill heir foe.
Naruto bit his finger, then slammed his hand against the ground. A small frog came into view, returning a hand signal before it disappeared back from whence it came. But, before it left, Naruto used another new jutsu to create countless copies of it.
These too were explosive.
"Thanks for the idea!" he shouted, watching as the amphibian clones shot out their long tongues, wrapped them around the limbs of Naruto's adversaries, then pulled themselves close before detonating.
Both Kisame and Itachi had performed multiple substitutions, and Itachi had brought forth more clones. But, the cavern was crawling with frogs. When the smoke cleared, Kisame lay on his back, smoking, his face contorted with murderous rage. Itachi looked down at his robes, which were torn along one arm. He frowned.
"You might have become a powerful ninja, had you lived." Itachi shook his hair, causing small bells to ring. "But, make no mistake about it, you will be present at the ritual. Kyuubi will be released. And we will reach our desired goals."
"Yes…." Kisame sat out blood, and at least one tooth. "Itachi is too noble to use the fallen. But, I am not." Cradling the remnants of Samehade, he walked slowly over to Hinata's prone form. "This will peel the flesh from the girl's bones before you can move again."
Naruto stood still, shocked.
Looking down at his feet, he remembered Hinata's brave stand. He would need to do the same.
"You can hurt her. You can even kill her. But, you will not stop me that way." The red chakra began streaming out of Naruto's body, waving like nine huge tails. "You will make me angry." His face went feral. His fingers turned to claws. "You won't like me when I'm angry!"
"Fool…." Neither Kisame nor Naruto knew who Itachi's comment was directed towards. Working a tremendously powerful wind jutsu, he formed countless cutting blades of force, shearing off all of the remaining stalagtites. They fell downward like countless gigantic spear tips. With that as a distraction, he began another technique.
Kisame was forced to jump aside, nearly skewered.
Naruto moved as quick as he possibly could, heading towards Hinata, while a huge number of clones formed a dome over their bodies. Only good fortune kept the two Leaf shinobi from being terribly injured.
"DOWN!!!"
Naruto threw himself flat, doing the same to Hinata's body. The thick wave of poisoned projectiles send forth by Itachi were blown backward by a tremendous spinning force.
Jjiraiya's Rasengan blew an opening into the cavern.
The presence that Itachi had sensed coming had finally arrived.
"You guys almost made it," Jiraiya said. His voice was light-hearted, but his face was so stiff as to look as if it had been carved from stone. Naruto had never seen his teacher look that fierce before. Ever. "We have some unfinished business, don't we."
The Legendary Sennin worked a complex series of hand seals, just as Itachi and Kisame began their own attacks.
Naruto created a small dome of stone over Hinata, with a jutsu similar to one used by Jiroubou. Having done that, he growled and looked to get back into the fight.
"Go, Naruto. Leave Hinata and run. That is your task, now. Run until you can't run any more. Die before getting captured. You must not be brought back here tonight for the Blood Moon!" Jiraiya caused a huge number of Stalagmites to form, shielding the Leaf ninjas from the Akatsuki attack. He followed that up with a high-level summoning.
"Shit! Not again!" That was Kisame. He was perturbed to find himself inside a cavern lined by living tissue.
"The others are coming." Itachi could only mean additional members of The Nine.
"Stomach, this time. Not esophagus!" Jiraiya said. "Shit that you are, perhaps I should have gone for large bowel!" He roughly pushed Naruto towards the opening. "Go! Why are you still here? The Fourth did his job by making a stand. If you ever want to the Sixth, do your job by running!"
"But…." Naruto looked down at the dome covering Hinata. He winced, as the stalagmite barrier exploded, pelting his face with stinging rock fragments.
"GO!!!"
Naruto ran. Jumping through the hole in the mountain wall, he sped down the slope, accompanied by numerous small rocks laying about after his master's entry.
The retreat was probably the hardest thing he had ever done. Not physically, as Kyuubi's energy still flowed through his body. Emotionally, he was torn, knowing that he had to avoid capture above all else, but realizing that he was leaving two of the most important people in his life behind.
How could Jiraiya possibly hold off Akatsuki on his own?
Even if he managed to escape by himself, Hinata would be left at the mercy of those heartless jerks.
"Damn! Damn Akatsuki. Damn Kyuubi. Damn everything!!!"
Whistles sounded throughout the forest he was descending towards. Dark figures were heading in his direction. They were not likely to be allies. Somehow, those criminal scum had gotten word to their forces outside of the stronghold.
There was no way for him to know how many shinobi might be converging on him.
"Protect Naruto!"
That voice was familiar….
"Ai!" Another familiar voice answered.
Before Naruto knew it, Kurenai was running at on his left, while Anko ran on his right. They were soon joined by Asuma, Iruka, and Ibiki Morino.
"I'm not a warrior. I will see you all later!" That was Pakkun's voice, fading behind them all.
"Be well, Naruto!" Iruka headed towards one group of approaching ninjas.
"Is Hinata aright?" Kurenai asked, waiting to rush off on her own. She watched as the other jounin headed in their own directions.
"I don't know…." Naruto answered. "Jiraiya is with her!" He bit his lip as he watched Hinata's mentor rush off to do battle.
So many of the people he knew and cared about were now in harm's way, because of him and the damn demon he was cursed with. As he threw a number of shuriken at barely seen figures below him, he wondered if Kakashi, Gai, and the others had survived the damage he had caused while leaving Konoha.
But, everybody served in their own way, as best they could.
He would not let his misery, doubts, and concern slow him down. The men standing in his way were going to die. Then, he was going to run like he had never run before.
For a while, everything was a blur.
Naruto didn't know what jutsus he had used. He didn't know how many mercenary ninjas lay crushed and dead behind him. As the sun began shining down on the mountain woods, he didn't even know where he was headed.
He ran.
As he needed to do. As his sensei had told him to do.
His eyes burned from tears he fought. His lungs burned from the physical strain. His mind was on fire, filled with an endless progression of images from his past.
"Why!"
Why him? Why was he the one chosen by Yondaime?
Why did Akatsuki have to find the written passages? Why did they have to discover a way to bring him out to these mountains?
Why hadn't he died when he fought Orochimaru twice and Kabuto once?
That would have saved everyone from the horror The Nine hoped to unleash.
No.
That was the wrong attitude. If his friends died, he did not want to place his doubts and self pity as wreaths on their graves.
Jiraiya was right!
Yondaime had not gotten up one morning, hoping to die in a momentous battle with Nine Tails. He had simple done what needed doing.
Naruto knew he didn't choose this path his life had taken, but he would walk it the best he could. Wrong. He would run it the best he could.
Mile after mile passed beneath his feet. He ran beneath towering evergreens, and large groups of poplars and ash. Moss, leaves, dirt, and stone tested the strength of his boots. Sweat soaked the fabric of his clothing.
Much of his journey was through areas with little or no sign of human intrusion. He passed occasional makeshift huts, ran over rickety swinging bridges, and avoided snares set by unseen trappers.
Stopping to take a drink at a serene looking mountain stream, he looked on curiously as large ripples formed in a small pool off to one side of the rushing water.
Soon, he could feel a rhythmic tremor in the ground he kneeled upon.
Water, mud, and small stoned drenched himin a huge unexpected wave, as the roots of a huge cedar struck just beyond the stream.
Something had torn up and thrown an entire tree!
A hideous roar filled the morning air, causing a number of flocks of migrating birds to return to the wing. Looking upward, Naruto couldn't believe what he saw.
He had sat upon the head of the Boss Frog. He had jumped from that head, towards a giant sand badger. But, the demon he faced now had his eyes bulging.
"AHHHHHHH-UUUUUUUU-AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH-H-H-H-H--H-H-H-H!!! "
A scythe large enough to toss trees like blades of grass came whistling down towards Naruto, causing the top halves of numerous trees to jump skyward, before tumbling back down again.
The spiked ball at the end of a mammoth rusty chain gouged a jagged furrow in the soil just behind him.
A soot black club of iron fractured a nearby rock outcrop into sparkling gray dust, covering Naruto from head to toe. Only his eyes remained a different color, until he shook off the pulverized stone.
Again and again, an unbelievably large spear tip stabbed tens of feet into the ground, pock-marking the lush landscape with holes as Naruto frantically dodged the vicious attacks.
Now, he ran faster than ever before, but the demon following behind him could cover hundreds of yards with a single stride.
"AHHHHHHH-UUUUUUUU-AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUH-H-H-H-H--H-H-H-H!!! "
The fleeing ninja could not spare a moment to glance back at his howling pursuer. But, he didn't want to. One good view of that monster still had him feeling weak in the knees.
Had Kyuubi been there in his natural form, standing at his full height, he would have barely come up to the ogre's shoulders.
Not two shoulders, though. Four shoulders. Each giving rise to two arms.
The massive naked body, with its eight arms and six faces, gave good indication of what creature was dead set on destroying Naruto. As he ran, he wondered why no mention had been made of the four dangling…. never mind…. he wanted to purge that image from his memory forever!
The faces might be the worst part of all. Insane looking, tusked, and dripping with huge streamers of saliva, each visage was situated along the enormous head of the beast, with coarse greasy hair, quills, and bat-like ears competing for the remaining space.
It looked worse than anything he had ever seen in a nightmare.
"AHHHHHHH-UUUUUUUU-AAAAAAAUUUUUUUUH-AAAAAAAAH!!!"
Every time that Rokumen-happi-no-Jaki howled, all six faces contributed to the undulating call. One long swinging strand of saliva slammed into the fleeing Naruto, as he was busy keeping out from underneath the gigantic demon's clawed feet. He was pulled airborne, stuck to it, before its thinned out and fell to the ground.
"Shit!" Naruto rolled out of the way of the spear tip just in time. As it was, he was thrown down again by the weapon's impact with the forest floor.
For one brief instant, Naruto wondered if it might be best for everyone for him to just lie still. It would be over quickly.
No.
His will to live was too strong. So was his pride. That ugly sack of shit was not going to bring him down.
Ah….
But, it might very well be destined to bring Akatsuki down. It, and the dragon he hoped never to see.
"Follow me, asshole!" Still using most of his effort dodging, Naruto led the demon in the direction of the Nine's stronghold. Once he figured out the speed and pattern of its attacks, he would flash away, leaving it heading for his one time captors.
"AHHHUUUUU-AAAAAAAUUUUUUUU-AAAAAAAAUUUU-U-U-H!!!"
Running for his very life, Naruto wondered why the ogre was after him? And, how had it known where he was? Something Jiraiya said might make sense after all.
His master had mentioned a how the three creatures summoned by the Legendary Three balanced each other out. Manda was Gama-Bunta's bane, while Katsuyu was the snake's better. The slug, on the other hand, could be checked by the frog.
Some scrap of ancient parchment had suggested a similar arrangement for the three great devils. Kyuubi was Yamata No Orochi's bane. The dragon could topple the ogre. Rokumen-happi-no-Jaki had the upper hand over Nine Tails.
The giant beast probably could sense Kyuubi's presence.
Old rivalries obviously died hard!
Finally, Naruto figured out the blind spots resulting from the odd shape of the ogre's head, and the arrangement of the faces. He worked out the timing of the demon's attacks. Running into a low thicket of bushy trees, he sped away under cover, leaving more than one hundred clones scattering in every conceivable direction.
Obviously, the monster's senses were overloaded, overwhelming its ability to actually think and detect Kyuubi's presence.
As the nightmare creature called out its angry cries, Naruto began running in the direction he had chosen prior to that unwelcome encounter.
As he ran, Naruto contemplated how life went sometimes. Not too many days in the past, he had been worried about going to a Dance with Hinata.
Look at him now….