Fandom: Naruto
Title: Never Ever
Part: 14 of 15
Genre: General/Action/Adventure
Rating: PG
Warning: AU
Spoilers: Manga up to Chuunin Exams
Summary: What if Naruto had sided with the Sand in the Konoha invasion?
Chapter 14: The Beginning of the End
A leaf was landed lightly on the ground seconds before it was unceremoniously trampled by the team of passing ANBU. The leader of the bunch caught and fell gracefully from one branch to the next, the rest following in his steps. Seconds later, two scouts caught up with them.
"Status?"
"Hokage-sama is within Orochimaru's flame wall jutsu." reported one. "And a fight is commencing in the stadium as we speak."
"The West Gate is in need of assistance." said the second. "The three-headed snake is proving to be much more difficult than the guards can handle."
The Captain drew in a quick breath. The situation was certainly more dire than previously expected. Looked like the senior chuunins would have to handle evacuation by themselves.
"Head for the West Gate."
"Sir!"
---
Fights continued to erupt from all sides of the arena. The most heavily concentrated one was, of course, at the center. An innocent passerby would have keeled over in shock at seeing the strange sight of people fighting all around a great dome of sand, some trying to get near it, and others doing their best to preventing the possibility of the former.
Kakashi does not show mercy to enemies on the battlefield. If the opponent had been a brat genin fresh out of the academy, he would've dealt with him like he had with any other full-grown shinobi. And since Kankurou was a far cry from a brat genin fresh out of the academy, he would've been in big trouble if Baki had not come to his aid.
"Remember your mission." His instructor snapped swiftly.
Oh yes, he was supposed to help defend the 'cocoon'. But Naruto was doing a fine job of that, and he had a feeling that if he got too near the twin Kyuubi, they'd mistake him as the enemy and help rid him of much needed body parts.
"Kankurou!" yelled Naruto, "go help Temari. I've got things covered around here."
He let out a breath. Leave it to Naruto to find him an honorable excuse to leave.
---
Sasuke glared at Naruto. He's been glaring much more than usual lately and for some reason, it was always centered on him.
He remembered Kakashi's words. How Naruto was 'originally of the Leaf'. How he had left in a miraculous flight, evading a team that consisted of Konoha's best, both Kakashi AND Itachi. When he was young, he didn't believe it, but now that he's fighting a person who had contributed to Itachi's darkness... he believed.
Naruto was fast. His sharingan kept up pretty well, but there was the ever-present nagging feeling that this was no where near Naruto's true speed. That time when Naruto fought Hyuuga Hinata? Not even close.
A fist came close enough to graze the side of his face, knocking Sasuke off balance and allowing Naruto a swift kick to Sasuke's opposing, unprotected side.
'He left Konoha.' he thought, rage bubbling to the surface rapidly as he picked himself up. 'Just like...'
All fights were promptly brought to a halt as the ground suddenly began to rumble
---
Sakura was doing her best to try and lose Temari, but with little success. The Sand girl was just too fast. She couldn't reveal the location of the academy, but she had to deliver her message.
Suddenly, a wave was emitted from the stadium so powerful it knocked both girls off their feet. Temari, obviously distracted by the sight, did not notice Sakura taking this opportunity to sneak off.
'If that didn't warn the Chuunin sensei,' thought Sakura frantically, 'I don't know what will.'
---
Somehow, when Kankurou was told to leave, his luck led him straight to the bug-based shinobi who was probably smarting over the fact that he didn't get to fight in front of hundreds and hundreds of spectators.
"I thought we could have a match now." said Aburame Shino quietly.
Kankurou threw a look back at the cocoon- it was beginning to shake. He really didn't want to be anywhere near It when it exploded, so he did the only thing he could and ran past Shino, who pursued closely.
'I'll take you on, bug-boy.' Kankurou thought, 'But only after I get the hell away from that thing.'
---
In all his years as a shinobi, Morino Ibiki never beheld what he was seeing now. The great dome of sand visible a mile away was trembling and growing at an alarming rate.
"Get reinforcements down to the stadium," he yelled, spit flying from his mouth. "Something's happen-"
A wave, more violent than any ever felt before in the peaceful village erupted from the dome and the walls of the dome began cracking, marking the beginning of the end for the Fire Country's shinobi village, Konoha.
---
'Are you awake, Gaara?'
'Yes.'
'Go to sleep. Now.'
'Yes... mother.'
---
There was a split second of peace- only a second. The entire world was still and no one moved. The children were silenced and the birds lost their voices. Then, like the calm before a storm, it shattered, throwing the world into chaos.
Shukaku- not Gaara- was the one who awakened, much to the Sand's dismay. There was at least a slight change that Gaara would listen to them. There was no earthly way possible to control Shukaku.
"YAHOOOO!" bellowed the demon, voice echoing all over Konoha. "I'm FREE!"
---
Sasuke vaguely registered the growing horror on Naruto's face that mirrored his own. Fight completely forgotten, Naruto threw a look of confusion toward his instructor. 'Shukaku was only meant to come to life if something Gaara couldn't handle happened.'
The twin Kyuubi circled around Shukaku's body and came to a stop behind Naruto, as if grudgingly awaiting orders. "Go to Temari." he said to them, never taking his eyes off the true demon. "Assist her."
They ran off just in time to avoid being trampled by the now-rampaging demon. "WHO WANNA PIECE OF THIS!" yelled the demon, pounding at his chest, ignorant of the presence of the many humans who had to scramble out of the way quickly to avoid being trampled. Shukaku tore into the village, splitting in the arena walls in the process. "WHO WANTS TO DIE!"
Naruto, who retreated up the side of the walls still intact, knelt next to Baki. Shukaku was definitely doing more damage than the twin-headed snakes, that's for sure. He couldn't help but feel concern for Temari, who ran out a while ago and was now most likely in Shukaku's warpath, Kankurou too. "What do we do now?" he asked quietly.
"We can't do anything else." Baki replied curtly, lunging forward and deflecting a kunai aimed toward Naruto. "Keep your guard up and stay alive- that's your goal now."
"Yes sir."
---
Somewhere in the forest, Kankurou and Temari were locked in combat with Aburame Shino. After losing sight of Sakura, she happened to catch sight of Kankurou leading Shino into the forest and she had followed.
Kankurou gave her the signal and they both dove into the air, leaving a confused bug boy behind to inhale the poison gas. "We should probably head back." Temari finally said moments after the bomb was deployed. "They're waiting..."
He hesitated for a split second, and then nodded in agreement. The two dashed back toward the heart of the battle, never noticing a cloud of black bugs regrouping and recreating the form of their master, who pursued the pair, taking care not to be noticed. .
---
Staying alive was much easier than avoiding death, decided Naruto. Luckily for him, the majority of the Leaf jounins- who, he had to admit, no matter how grudgingly, were pretty damn strong- were occupied with Shukaku. Sadly, most the Leaf jounin like Hatake Kakashi and Shiranui Genma who were already at the stadium in the first place remained within the stadium, thus changing the difficulty of avoiding death by very little.
Suddenly, his back came in contact with another person's. He would've stabbed the person had she not said his name in a hurry. Kurosaki. "Naruto-san, go see the battle between the Kages. Now. I'll take care of things here."
He glanced at her, confused. Was she seriously asking him to abandon a mission at its primary stage to go watch another battle? Why-
"Go!" the urgency in her voice was evident. "I said I'll handle things and I will. Please go now."
And he went, not having a clue why she told him to go or why he was listening to her and going in the first place.
---
Naruto worshipped the ground Kazekage-sama walked on. He was the one who granted sanctuary when Naruto was on the run, He was the one who provided tutelage for Naruto to become a shinobi, and He was the one who gave Naruto a home and raised him, almost as his own. Kurosaki knew all that. That was why she had to send him to see the Kage battle.
The one fighting Sandaime Hokage was Orochimaru; Kazekage-sama was nowhere in sight. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened. There was no way Kazekage-sama would allow such a grand-scale attack to be unmonitored, and Kazekage-sama was not the type to change the plan at the last minute. If Orochimaru had been masquerading as the Kazekage the whole time... there was even that slight chance that Kazekage-sama was already dead.
Kurosaki had decided, mostly on impulse, that if Orochimaru was setting up the Sand, she wouldn't let it slide by without at least trying something.
'Please do something, Naruto-san.'
---
As she had hoped, it didn't take Naruto a long time to realize that they'd been deceived.
'Orochimaru.. you bastard.' he thought savagely. 'You're-'
An ear-splitting shriek broke into his thoughts and nearly shattered his eardrums. Shukaku was somewhere at the southern end of Konoha, and there was a giant toad leading him away from the village and into the forest. And atop the giant toad was a person, an old man- the same old man who commented on his jutsu in the forest.
It was that second when Naruto realized that the Sand was doomed to defeat either way.
---
What was he going to do? What could he do?
Days from now, months from now, YEARS from now, Naruto would reflect upon this decision as The most imbecilic and blockheaded one he's ever made. But at the time, it seemed like a good idea.
He remembered running faster than ever before and landing on Shukaku. The sand didn't register him as an enemy so it didn't make a grab to suffocate, choke, or any of the other things it usually tried on invaders. When he was within range, after yelling out "Gaara, wake up!" for the umpteenth time with no success, he went and punched Gaara in the face, waking him up, destroying Shukaku's spell, and dispersing the demon's body.
He saw Orochimaru being carried out by the Sound Four. He saw the frog disappear. He saw Gaara hit the ground. Then darkness overtook him as his body came into contact with the ground as well, having fallen from fifty feet above.
The invasion was over. The Sand had lost.