Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...
Note: Well, here I am again. Thanks for all those positive reviews for my last chapter. I really appreciate it. I really liked that chapter too, hehe. Anyway, here's the new one. Hope you guys and girls enjoy it.
Normal - conversations/narration
Italics - thoughts/voices in the person's head
Italics and Bold - jutsus
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kakashi throws three kunai, hitting two of the stone nins lurking in the shadows and wounding the other on the pelvis with pinpoint accuracy. He still could not believe that the Hidden Rain's watcher nins had not seen any of these stone nins enter the village. He had already killed four stone nins who had tried to kill him while he was lying on his bed in the hotel, and he had found that Shino had already taken care of three when he entered Shino's room to warn him.
Kakashi hides in the dark alleyways as he spots five more stone nins coming his way.
"Damn it, how many are there?!? It's clearly impossible for those watcher nins to miss such a large force of ninjas… maybe the Daimyo had planned this all along?"
Kakashi suddenly jumps to the right as a large spike erupts from underneath him. The large spike then grows out smaller spikes which launch themselves right at him.
"Judging by the jutsus used, there are even some jounin among them… what else could this be but a trap by the both the Hidden Rain and the Hidden Stone… I don't even see any more rain nins fighting with us… Shit, where's Kurenai?!? We need to round up the team and get out of here!!!"
One of the spikes catches Kakashi's left arm as he dodges, but he barely flinches. "I guess I have no other alternative but to use this…" Kakashi lifts the forehead protector covering his left eye, exposing the Sharingan. With it, he could predict most of the movements of the ninjas… that is, if he could even see them.
The stone ninjas seemed to have found excellent hiding places, which made fighting them harder. An unseen enemy was dangerous, and he had to shift the battle to his advantage.
Suddenly, Kakashi hears a scream from above him, followed by two bodies falling right on top of him.
"Drained of all their chakra… it must be the work of Shino's Kikai bugs."
Kakashi decides to move up towards Shino's position, although going on top of the buildings would make him a sitting duck for the enemy.
But instead, he sees Shino jumping down from the building, followed by a stream of kunai coming from atop the buildings.
"They're all over the place, Kakashi-san. Not only that, the Rain nins have started attacking us as well. It seems that this was a well-planned trap."
Kakashi couldn't help his worrying. He knew that he was strong, but having to face every single rain nin in this entire village and all those stone nins who had just arrived brought them into a troublesome situation.
A crack from the ground alerts Kakashi and Shino of an upcoming ground jutsu, and both jump exactly a second before the ground erupts and a multitude of dagger-like spikes pop out of the ground, covering the entire area of the street.
A sudden rain of needles immediately come from above, but Shino and Kakashi had enough time to initiate a Kawarimi Jutsu which allowed them to get into a safe haven just on top one of the buildings and also confusing the enemy nins with a replacement of logs and bugs.
However Kakashi then realizes the mistake they had just made. Surrounding them, every single one in a Chameleon Jutsu, were approximately fifteen nins.
Kakashi looks around and gets ready for a battle. "If I didn't have the Sharingan, then this fight might have become a hopeless battle… I thank you again, Obito."
Kakashi lunges forward, catching the nearest Stone nin off-guard, and immediately thrusts his heart, neck and right lung in quick succession. The Stone nins are surprised at the fact that Kakashi could see them, but then begin their assault.
Kakashi could see Shino releasing the Kikai bugs from his body, as he went toe-to-toe with the unseen enemies. "Hah, he's probably using the bugs so he can see the whereabouts of the enemy nins."
Kakashi clashes kunai with the Stone nin right in front of him, then throws the nin off balance while stabbing the other one beside him. A few shuriken are thrown right at him from nowhere but they are intercepted by a few shuriken coming from Shino.
"Hmm, Shino's doing pretty well for his first assignment as an ANBU squad leader… I guess the ANBU was right in making him a part of their group."
He watches as Shino, surrounded by a constant stream of bugs, clashes kunai with a stone nin lunging for his heart, while spreading the chakra eating Kikai bugs. Shino then forces the kunai into the floor, kicks the nin in the face and sends him flying towards a pair of nins coming straight at him.
"He's improved a lot… in fact, all of the Rookie Nine have improved themselves beyond what we expected… they're all strong for their age…"
Kakashi deflects a kick which was meant to sweep his legs and immediately throws a shuriken right at the kneecap, while throwing another right at the eye of the one right beside him. He then backfists a nin who tries to sneak up on him and kicks him in the stomach, and throws a kunai straight at his shoulder for good measure.
"Damn it, these guys keep coming. What?!?"
Kakashi suddenly sees a multitude of fists made of rock erupt from the ground, hitting him squarely on the face, and allowing a few kunai to hit him on the shoulder, leg, and back. Shino had also been hit by the same technique and was now just recovering from the surprise attack, with a few kunai sticking out of his arms and legs.
Kakashi found it hard to make hand seals in a battle like this because of the number of opponents. He could barely even count how many nins he was actually fighting, because these guys just wouldn't give up and stop attacking.
He could tell that Shino was also getting tired as well as he was getting hit by kicks and punches more often now, and his breathing was getting heavier. The Kikai bugs were eating away the opponents' chakra, but not in a fast enough pace to leave them weak and completely harmless.
Suddenly, the night seemed to have covered them all and the battlefield was wrapped in total darkness. It was a powerful genjutsu, but not powerful enough to block out the Sharingan's capacity to see the opponents' chakra waves. Kakashi took advantage of this unexpected development and starts towards Shino, wounding any ninjas in his way who couldn't move because they couldn't see anything.
Shino is partly startled as Kakashi takes his hand and leads him out of the genjutsu field. Outside, on the rooftop of the building opposite to them was Kurenai. She looked haggard, and had a few bloodstains and wounds where kunai and shuriken had been.
Kakashi immediately jumps onto the building Kurenai was on, just in time for her to release her genjutsu. He then forms a few hand seals. "Kirigakure no Jutsu!!"
A heavy mist suddenly forms, seemingly out of nowhere, and hides the top of the buildings around the block. While the mist grows heavier, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Shino make their escape.
Kakashi turns towards Kurenai. "Have you seen the others?"
From the expression from her face, Kakashi could see that she was clearly worried about the others.
"Don't worry, Kakashi-san," Shino replied in his usual voice, but he was now breathing heavily. "I can track them easily because of the female bug which I placed on them right after our talk with the daimyo."
Kurenai and Kakashi looked relieved at this development, but suddenly tense up as a small group of rain nins appear around them.
Kakashi gives off a slight laugh. "Heh, it looks like they still want to play."
----------------------------------------------------------
Hinata was breathing heavily as she deflected numerous kunai aimed at her and Kiba using her own kunai. The enemy was just playing with them now, waiting for them to drop their guard so that they could go in for the kill. Hinata could feel this, but would not give up, despite the fact that she was bleeding on both arms and on her right leg.
She looks at the ANBU lying a little way off, dead, and then shifts her attention to Kiba who was now just lying right beside her, unconscious. The rain nins had aimed their initial attack at the ANBU, killing him as he tried to protect both her and Kiba. Kiba then tried to protect her, but failed as he faced the powerful stone jounin who was standing behind the five rain nins attacking her.
"Just give up, little girl." The stone jounin sneers, and then laughs out loud. "If you give up right now, I'll make sure you experience a painless death."
Hinata shudders as she hears the word 'death'. She was trained as a ninja, and ninjas were taught not to fear death, but she was still scared nonetheless.
I won't give up... and I never take back my words!!! That's my 'way of the ninja'!!!
A small smile forms on Hinata's face as she remembers the voice of Naruto, a friend that she once had. She had always admired him, looked up to him, and even liked him… but because of that incident…
She calms herself down, and a fire of determination enters her eye. "N…Never!!! I will never… give up!!! I will protect my friends… even if I have to… to die trying!!!"
"Fine, I gave you a chance already, girl…" The stone jounin smiles evilly. "I'll make you wish you hadn't said that. I'll make your death slow… and very painful."
The five rain nins charge straight at her, holding kunai on both hands. Hinata readies herself for the attack and assumes the position for the Kaiten.
"I need to be strong… I don't want to lose any of my friends… I will defeat them, and save Kiba!!!"
And it took only an instant. As the rain nins came into range of the Kaiten, Hinata immediately begins releasing chakra while spinning. A tornado of chakra emerges from Hinata, protecting her and blowing away all five rain nins.
"Neji nii-san… thank you…"
She could still remember all those days Neji had trained with her. He had perfected even more techniques himself, but he would not keep them to himself. Instead, he would train with her once or twice a week, and then teach her some of the jutsus that he knew. She thought of Neji as both an older brother and a teacher. He had really changed… ever since Naruto defeated him during the tournament.
Hinata slows down her spinning and stops the chakra flowing out of her body. That technique still took a lot out of her, and she couldn't use it as often as Neji. But when she finally stops spinning and faces the stone jounin, she notices the jounin was already in the middle of doing his hand seals and using a jutsu.
Hinata's eyes widens as the jounin stops his hand seals, and initiates the jutsu. "Doton Doryuu Maguma Endan!!"
A dragon head suddenly appears right in front of the stone jounin and beathes out a flood of magma right at Hinata.
"I don't have enough strength… to move… This is it… I-I…I'm about to die… right here… I-I'm sorry, Kiba… I can't save you…"
Hinata slowly closes her eyes as she feels the magma come closer. The heat was intense, and she knew it would be a painful death, but she tried not think about it.
But the pain that she was expecting did not come. The heat suddenly died down, and the magma seem to have suddenly vanished all of a sudden. As she opens her eyes, she sees a tall man with long, blonde spiky hair with a small part of his hair tied behind his back. It seemed he had deleted the jutsu itself, and he was now facing the stone jounin with strange kunai in both of his hands. He was wearing a ninja vest, with a black, long-sleeved shirt underneath. His black cloak with red clouds designed all over were pulled down to his waist, and she couldn't help but feel awe for this newcomer.
The blonde suddenly speaks up without looking at her. "Hinata… are you alright?"
Hinata realizes from his voice that he was the same man she had gone out earlier. She blushes a little, but shrugs it off.
"B-be careful… Kou-san…"
Hinata smiles a little, but suddenly collapses due to sheer exhaustion. She sits up, and tries to stand but her weakened legs would not allow her to do so.
"Don't worry, Hinata… I won't let anything happen to you." The blonde then turns towards Hinata, and she realizes that he still had his ANBU mask on. "I promise you… I will protect you… and I never take back my words."
---------------------------------------------------------
Naruto smiles behind his mask. "Hinata… That's my 'way of the ninja'."
He focuses his eyes at the enemy, and analyzes him. The color of the vest and the Doton jutsu he just used made it clear to him that the enemy was a stone nin, probably around jounin level.
The stone nin suddenly sneers and laughs out loud. "So, you think you're all that, huh, blondie? Let's see what you can do."
The stone jounin suddenly begins another chain of hand seals, but Naruto had already thrown one of his kunai at him to interrupt the jutsu. The stone jounin realizes this and takes out his own kunai, deflecting the kunai to his right side.
Naruto smiles slyly. "Time to die, bastard." He quickly performs a few hand seals. "Shunshin no Jutsu!!"
---------------------------------------------------------------
Kakashi could not believe his eyes.
"The blonde guy… the blonde guy just used the 4th's Shunshin no Jutsu!!! How can that be?!? Only the 4th knows the secret behind that time-space jutsu… how is that possible?!?"
Kakashi, Kurenai, and Shino were watching atop a building as the blonde stranger suddenly disappears from his place right in front of Hinata and in a split second reappears right next to the stone jounin, instantly stabbing him in the side, the heart and on the back of the head so quickly that if they had not seen it with his own eyes, they wouldn't have believed it.
"Who is he???" Shino asks quietly. "I don't remember any of the ANBU's in Konoha having blonde hair, nor being that skilled."
"He's not from Konoha, Shino…" Kakashi answers quietly, looking at the red clouds on the blonde's cloak. "He's from the Akatsuki."
---------------------------------------------------------------
Naruto felt flesh as he struck the stone jounin quickly, killing him almost instantly. The stone nin was still able to say a few words, but he violently coughs out blood afterwards.
"Konoha's Yellow Flash, huh? Is that what you were called back then, Yondaime-sama?"
Naruto immediately runs back to Hinata, but Kakashi, Kurenai, and Shino suddenly block his path. He stops, and looks right at the team right in front of him.
"Will you be fighting me? I think it would be better if you Leaf nins just escaped, before even more rain or stone nins come," Naruto states coldly.
Koujiro suddenly appears right beside him. He didn't have his ANBU mask on, and he had his kunai out. "We do not want to fight. But if you wish to do so… then we will have no choice but to kill you, just as we killed those rain and stone nins."
Naruto suddenly notices that that there were no rain or stone nins around them. In fact, all he could see around him were the buildings and the dead rain and stone nins.
"What the?!? Did Koujiro slaughter them all?"
Kurenai suddenly steps up. "No, we don't want to fight. We're just here to take our comrades away. But the next time we see you criminals, we'll make sure we defeat you."
Naruto's heart was full of regret as he sees Hinata being taken away. His heart called out to Hinata, he wanted to run to her as she was led away and hug her, touch her, just be with her… but he suppressed the emotion. He knew that he didn't belong with them. Tears start to build up in his eyes, and he turns away.
"I… I'm sorry, Hinata, but this is… good-bye."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kakashi stares at the two men in front of him, but most especially at the guy who had his mask off.
"No… it can't be… you..."
The man turns his back on Kakashi, and starts walking away with his comrade. He stops a second later, and turns back to face Kakashi.
"Don't get in our way, Kakashi-san. I don't want to kill you. But if you get in my way…"
Kakashi looks on as both Akatsuki members make their way out of the village, and into the forests.
"I see… so you're still alive. And you're a part of Akatsuki now... is this your revenge, Arashi Koujiro?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was an intense battle, and Naruto was starting to feel the effects of his fatigue. Bodies where everywhere, blood was spilled as if it were water, and the once lush landscape had been changed because of the level of destruction their jutsus had brought about.
Naruto was very tired, and for some reason he was desperate.
"I need to kill them… before they kill me."
He could feel all those eyes directed toward him, and every one of those eyes had hatred and anger in them.
Hatred and anger for him.
Because of what he was.
He immediately releases the chakra of the Kyuubi, melding it with his own. And he felt good. Smile crept up on his face, as a realization hit him.
He was supreme. He was invincible. He would change the world, and he would kill anyone who tried to stop him.
He immediately moves in a speed that his enemies could barely even see, slaughtering them one by one. All of them fall down one by one in bloody heaps, and he takes a look around. There was still one left.
"Die… die!!!"
Naruto moves with such speed that the person wasn't even able to move. He immediately stabs his kunai multiple times into the opponent, and kicks the person right on the face.
"Ha… ha ha… hahahahahaha!!!! I am invincible!!! No one can defeat me now!!!"
A wild light dances in his eyes, and he laughs out aloud.
"N-Naruto-kun… How… h-how could you??"
Naruto's momentous laugh immediately stops, and he faces the person he had just killed. There, in front of him, was the figure of Hinata, her beautiful features soiled with her own blood.
Naruto's eyes widen at the gruesome sight in front of him.
"No… n-no… it can't be… I…"
Hinata falls down in a pool of her blood, and Naruto could only look on as her blood steadily flowed out from her wounds, her eyes looking at Naruto with such fright.
"Did I do this?!? B-but, I didn't recognize her… I was…"
Naruto looks at the pool of Hinata's blood right as his feet. His features were not the same anymore. Naruto looks away in horror into what he had become.
He… was the Kyuubi.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Naruto opens his eyes suddenly, and sits up on his bed abruptly, looking around the room.
"That's right… I'm back… I'm back… it was all a dream…"
He puts his hand to face, feeling the whisker-like marks on his cheeks.
"I'm still me… I'm still Naruto. I'm not the Kyuubi… I am Naruto. And I am with the Akatsuki. Yes, yes, that's right. And this is my new home…"
He was back at the Village of the Dawn, the Hidden Village of the Akatsuki. It was still dark, but Naruto decides not to go back to sleep. It had been a week since he and Koujiro had finished their secret operation in the Hidden Village of Rain.
"That dream… that dream just keeps coming back. I… I… is that what I will become if I stay here? Will I eventually become a monster?"
Naruto stands and walks towards the balcony of his room. As he opens the balcony doors, a strong and cold wind enters his room and chilling him to the bone. Despite the cold, however, he continues onto the balcony and starts looking at the stars.
"Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, Shino, Kiba, and… Hinata… it was good to be with you again. When I was around you guys, I actually felt like I was a Konoha ninja again… and I didn't want that to ever end. But…"
His hands could still remember the sins he had done a year ago, before he joined Akatsuki. He had unleashed it… he had unleashed the power of the Kyuubi at his own village.
He could still feel the hatred, anger, and loneliness that he felt back then. He had allowed the Kyuubi to take over his body, and the result… was utter devastation.
And yet, he watched on like he was watching a movie as the Kyuubi controlled his body and attacked everyone and everything in Konoha. He could hear the women's screams, the angry shouts of the ninjas, the cries of pain of those he had injured… yet he did nothing. His anger at those that had lied to him, that had deceived him, that hated him, made him so emotionless at that single moment that he simply didn't care if the Kyuubi destroyed everything.
He watched as he blindly attacked everyone, even Jiraiya, who chose not to defend himself. He saw his chakra imbued hand envelope his hand and created a Kyuubi claw which pierced right through Jiraiya's stomach. He then lifts the hermit above him, and throws him to the side like a doll.
But a realization hit him during that incident. What was he doing? Why was he doing this? It was like waking up to a dream. His intense emotions had blinded him, and he could only watch in horror as he finally saw the blood on his hands. He turned around and ran, ran through the forests of Konoha, and finally met up again with the Akatsuki member known as Arashi Koujiro, who had offered that he join Akatsuki. They were then attacked by a whole group of ANBU which Koujiro dispatched quickly. And he could still remember his words, those words that had moved him to join.
"Uzumaki Naruto, you are special. And because you are special we need you. We need you to create that New Red Dawn for us. And with that red dawn, you will be able to create a world which doesn't have people that feel the way you felt, a world wherein everyone is accepted and no one will ever be neglected and abandoned. But with every new world, you need to make a sacrifice."
"A sacrifice?"
"Yes, you will need to leave this village, and from now on treat it as your enemy. The Akatsuki does not need any loyalties, nor does it need any ties with any village."
"That is a sacrifice? Hmph… I don't care about this village. From now on…"
Naruto sighs and closes his eyes. He could feel the guilt in his heart, he could see Hinata's face in his mind, he felt very strongly towards her, and he wanted to escape from this reality and take Hinata away with him… but he pushes these things aside.
"From now on, they are my enemies."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glossary:
Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hidden Mist Skill)- a jutsu that utilizes the use of mist to hide the whereabouts of the user. Mainly used in assassinations.
Chameleon Jutsu-a special jutsu that is taught to the Hidden Village of Stone'sninjas when they reach chuunin level. It enables the user to completely blend their physical bodies with their surroundings. However, inexperienced users of this jutsu can only hide themselves physically; their chakra patterns can still be seen or sensed.
Kaiten - full name: Hakke Shou Kaiten(Heavenly Spin): an advanced bloodline jutsu wherein an extremely large amount of chakra is expelled from the chakra holes of the body, thus causing the body to spin like a top. The attack is then deflected and the enemy is thrown away; exclusive to the Hyuugas.
Doton Doryuu Maguma Endan (Earth Release: Earth Dragon Magma Breath)-a high level jutsu which creates a dragon from the earth that sends a large amount of pressurized magma at the opponent. The enemy does not die immediately but will be burned and melted, allowing the opponent to feel the pain as he/she is burnedand melted alive.
Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Skill)- a secret jutsu used by the Fourth Hokage; it was also called his favorite jutsu, and that jutsu also gave him the name of "Konoha's Yellow Flash". All that is known of the jutsu is that it is a time-space jutsu which allows the user to move in between two points in an instant.
Author's Note: Well, I hope you liked this chapter. But I would actually understand if you people just find this chapter satisfactory, because I kinda rushed it(and I seem tobe experiencing writer's block).My exams are coming ever closer, andI'm getting more things to do (like reviewing and stuff) so I can't really focus on the story too much.I'll try to do better next time. Anyway, please review!!!
