Yeesh, you people are stingy...I didn't get that many reviews...but WHO GIVES A SHIT! Anyway, zees chappy may cohntaen (contain) ae (a)feewe (few)new techniques I kinda made up. Characters might be slightly OOC but in a good way, y'know?
Neji sat and stared in the direction Naruto had left for many a moment. Slowly he reached up and slid his fingers across his forehead where the blonde's lips had just been before. Rubbing the spot (mentally he vowed never to wash his forehead again), he smiled softly and returned to his own tent, thoughts filled with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Sasuke silently withdrew himself from the tree he was hiding in, a hand to his heart. He grasped the folds of his shirt, wondering why he felt such pain when he saw the dobe with Neji together. Gritting his teeth, he swallowed the lump in his throat and leapt towards his tent. Why did it hurt so much when Naruto was with someone else? Sasuke'd never cared about anyone else before, and he wasn't planning to. And yet…Naruto was an exception, a special case, and if the Hyuuga thought he could ensnare the blonde so easily, Sasuke would provide him with redoubtable competition.
The Next Morning
Naruto yawned sleepily and exited his tent, rubbing his calloused hands over his eyes. Stripping down to his boxers, he jumped in the nearby river and swam to and fro, picking up the occasional fish for his breakfast. He roasted the fish, left some for Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara, and began to fold his tent.
Gaara awoke from his meditative trance and helped himself to some fish. Watching Naruto intently, Gaara scrutinized his eyes closely. Upon further observation, he noticed a sad sparkle, minute but there, in Naruto's eyes. The blonde really did have a sad history of rejection from the villagers in Konoha.
Kimimaro gazed once again into the calm aqueous solution of the pool. Orochimaru silently came towards the Kaguya, watching the boys as well. The two stood in silence before Kimimaro spoke.
"Is there a specific one I should capture, Orochimaru-sama?" The snake-summoner smiled in a feral way.
"Sasuke is no longer of use to me, seeing that he didn't get past the blonde brat. The power of the Kyuubi is my new objective, so see to it that you capture the blonde." Kimimaro bowed and exited the room.
Orochimaru watched for a while longer, sinuous tongue weaving back and forth. It slid over the image of Naruto, and Orochimaru chuckled. The blonde would prove useful indeed, and he could fully trust Kimimaro to bring him back.
The team of four traveled on in silence until Gaara stopped, normally lifeless eyes now alert and wary. Naruto turned to the redhead.
"Shukaku?" Gaara nodded.
"Yes, he says that the Stone is about five miles away if we head east. The human who stole it apparently doesn't know we are following them. They fully expect a demon to be on their pursuit." Naruto nodded.
"That's good; we have the element of surprise."
"However Shukaku says that this person has immense power."
"That's what Kyuubi says as well." Gaara inclined his head. Together the four made their way towards the site of the stone.
Half an Hour Later
Naruto held a hand to his forehead, shielding it from the sun. Sparkling sapphire eyes widened in joy and amazement. The four boys stood on a cliff, taking in the scenery.
"Wow!" Naruto surveyed the breathtaking view that played out before him. For miles and miles there was nothing but mountains and forests and beautiful scenery. Sasuke crept up beside him and grasped the boy's shoulders. He bent and whispered in Naruto's ear.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically, too astonished by the landscape to acknowledge Sasuke's advances. The Uchiha's hands slid around until he held the boy by the collarbone, pressing his back to his stomach.
"The sky is so clear…it reminds me of some eyes that I know all too well." Naruto tensed, as stiff as a railspike at the implication of Sasuke's words. Relaxing slightly, he turned towards the Uchiha.
"Sa…suke?" It felt that his heart was beating so hard, the vibration would send them both off the cliff.
"Naruto…" Sasuke's tongue slowly caressed Naruto's ear, moving down to his jaw. Naruto inhaled sharply, breathing in light shallow breaths. Sasuke slipped his tongue back into his mouth and left the other, withdrawing to the company of the rest of the team. Naruto shifted his weight back and forth, a little shocked from the encounter. Kyuubi spoke inside his head, deep voice laced with urgency.
"The person is right in front of us, hiding in the forest. If we hurry, we can catch up. The individual seems to be resting right now, so this would be the perfect time to attack." At once, Naruto turned and fled to the others. He skidded to a stop only to be met by a knowing look from Gaara.
"We should get going." The foursome leapt off the cliff and stealthily made their way down the gorge to the forest. Naruto mentally spoke to the fox.
"Get ready. I may need to use your chakra." Kyuubi consented, and the blonde leapt ahead, hopping nimbly off the branches. Suddenly something heavy slammed into the fox-child who careened off course.
"Neji!" The Hyuuga had his arms wrapped around the boy as they plunged downward. Seconds later, a huge flash erupted from their right and shrapnel fell around the two. Neji put up a chakra barrier to shield them.
"Letter bomb. It seems the person left a few traps." Neji's elegant head turned to survey the area, pearl eyes moving to and fro, Byakugan activated.
"The others are okay. Gaara's sand protected them." Still holding the blonde, Neji swerved back to the group. Sasuke's petroleum eyes were filled with worry.
"Naruto! Are you okay?" To his surprise, Naruto smirked.
"Since when am I never okay?" Sasuke shook his head, and the team continued their pursuit, avoiding the various traps along the way. They soon came to a wide terrain where they landed. Silence passed until it was shattered by a low sinister laugh.
"So you are the brats who have come for the Stone. I fully expected someone older, or at least a demon, but instead they send me children? I'm terribly insulted."
The voice reverberated around the area. Neji's Byakugan spotted a cloaked figure in a nearby tree, a large package held in his hands. The figure jumped down and slowly stood, undoing the tie on his cloak. The material fell away to reveal a shocking surprise. Naruto jumped up and pointed in amazement.
"YOU! You're a GIRL!" The woman nodded.
"How observant you are."
"I DON'T WANNA FIGHT A GIRL!" The team sweatdropped and a vein appeared on the woman's forehead.
"OH SHUT UP YOU SEXIST BRAT! KNOW THIS! MY NAME IS NANASA, AND I SHALL DESTROY YOU REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU'RE A BOY OR A GIRL!" Naruto stepped back and bowed regally, hands making intricate curlicues and taradiddles in the air.
"Very well then. I cannot refuse a lady's wish. You may move first," Naruto sang out mockingly. A few more veins appeared on Nanasa's forehead.
"You're going to regret that, boy!" She came at Naruto with fury. Naruto dodged her punch and delivered a kick to her stomach, grinning teasingly. Neji silently observed the fight.
"They are only sparring for now," Sasuke nodded in agreement.
"Yes, but Naruto has the advantage. This woman doesn't have that much stamina." And indeed, the Nanasa was beginning to pant. She flipped backwards and clenched her teeth angrily.
"Shit. I have a disadvantage in a close battle, and this boy isn't that bad."
She made a few hand seals and seconds later a shower of spears pelted the fox-child. Naruto dodged some, caught some, and threw some back. Nanasa laughed and successfully evaded the offending articles. She made some more seals, and vines exploded from the ground, wrapping themselves around the boy, covering his form completely. Nanasa flicked her wrist and the vines tightened themselves around Naruto with a sickening crushing sound. Both Neji and Sasuke looked away, a pained look upon their features; afraid to accept what they thought had happened. Slowly the bundle of vines grew limp.
Kimimaro watched in the shadows, hiding his chakra well. This boy wasn't half bad at close range; he had indeed improved from the last time he saw him, but he could see the skill the woman possessed at a distance. Kneeling slightly on a branch, he watched the mass of vines that held the boy. Lips curved up in a smirk. The boy was more skilled than he thought. Already he could make out the chakra radiating from the vines.
Nanasa smiled triumphantly. The boy was pathetic after all. She turned to go when one of the vines twitched. Horrified, she turned and stared in shock at the quivering mass of leafy ropes. A pure white light exploded from the vines, disintegrating them completely. Naruto leapt down, a vulpine grin on his whiskered face, and stuck his tongue out at Nanasa in insolent defiance.
Sasuke shot forward, amazed at the power Naruto had amassed.
"Naruto! Where did you learn that? I haven't seen you use that jutsu before!" Naruto turned and addressed the Uchiha.
"Kyuubi's been training me along the mission. When we were traveling through the trees, I put my body on automatic while my soul trained with Kyuubi. He bound my soul's memory to my main memory, which is why I can remember all the stuff he's taught me. He also did something to adjust my body physically as well." Sasuke nodded slowly, brain still processing all the new information.
"Who is this Kyuubi?" Nanasa interrupted. Naruto smiled silkily.
"You'll find out soon enough." The woman growled.
"How the hell did he, a mere boy, manage to break out of my vines? No one's ever done that before…I must be careful."
Nanasa circled the fox-child menacingly. Naruto merely watched in amusement as she paced back and forth, meeting her scathing gaze steadily.
"He believes in himself; very interesting. It will be fun to break him."
Nanasa tested the blonde by sending a few fireballs and needle-sharp icicles his way. Naruto simply dodged them all, calculating frantically until he came up with a plan. It was nowhere near what Shikamaru could accomplish, but Naruto had learnt a bit from the ponytailed youth and Kyuubi. He silently melted into the ground and created several Kage Bunshins, sending them out to hide in the trees, each with a piece of twine in his hands. The Kage Bunshins immediately began working in the shadows of the trees, crisscrossing and twisting the twine in an intricate web, attaching a kunai or a letter bomb at regular intervals.
Nanasa snarled and stamped the ground in fury. Emerald eyes narrowed as they searched the area for any sign of the blonde. She tensed as a kunai came towards her. Jumping nimbly to the side, she triggered a step-wire which sent a few more kunai towards her. Hopping to and fro, she continued to set off traps, letter bombs, kunai, or shuriken until she found a spot with no traps.
A shadow fell across her. Looking up, she saw a net coming down at full force. Leaping to the side, she immediately found her feet trapped within an earth barrier. Struggling to pull free, she realized too late that this was the very spot the blonde had disappeared into earlier. At once all the Kage Bunshin leapt towards her, Rasengan in hand. She screamed as the swirling balls of chakra imbedded themselves in her body. There was a huge explosion and meadow was filled with smoke. The clones dissipated, and the real Naruto landed gracefully at a safe distance. The smoke slowly cleared, and Naruto gasped in shock at the large figure before him.
Nanasa was indeed severly injured and incapacitated, but she was riding a large lizard that didn't look at all easy to take down. The tongue flickered in and out, and the lizard stamped its foot, sending a huge shock wave at Naruto. The blonde quickly summoned chakra to his feet and jumped into the air. Nanasa laughed hoarsely from the lizard's back.
"No one has ever survived an encounter with my lizard. You shall perish here and now." To everyone's surprise, Naruto laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"I think I shall be the first…IF what you speak is true." And with that Naruto pulled out a small scroll.
Kimimaro focused curiously on the scroll. It was unlike any scroll he'd seen before; this one had a strange unearthly chakra pulsing from it. Cocking his head to one side, Kimimaro hopped silently to another nearby tree to get a better view.
Nanasa watched as the boy pulled out the scroll. She snorted in disbelief. He dared to take down her lizard with a mere scroll? Such pitiful tactics. She winced and clutched at her sides. Her rib cage was totally shattered; both arms were broken in various places as well as her legs. She felt her jaw. It seemed dislocated. She bit back a shriek of pain. That brat would pay and pay dearly. She watched in shock as the scroll grew from a small roll of paper to a large towering object.
Naruto unrolled the scroll and stared intently at the contents, eyes roving over the tiny kanji. Making his decision he bit his thumb and went through the seals for Kuchiyose. Swiping his thumb over the various symbols, he slammed his palm on the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
Huge clouds of smoke rose over the meadow. When they cleared, a fox, a ferret, a dragon, and a hawk towered over the lizard, making it seem insignificant and puny. Although these animals were unlike any normal Kuchiyose; they seemed different somehow, a hundred times more powerful and far more deadly. But it wasn't just that that made them seem different. It was something else; something in the way their auras circulated, in a deadly and restless way.
Neji and Sasuke gasped in shock and amazement. Even Gaara's normally calm eyes held a trace of fear. Even Kimimaro who was hidden in the shadows gaped at the sheer size and chakra of the magnificent beasts. To think that the mere boy had summoned these powerful creatures; Kimimaro was willing to bet that those four animals alone could destroy the world.
Naruto smirked and glared at Nanasa's lizard from atop the fox's head. The woman looked positively petrified, frozen with fear at the sight of the animals. She shook visibly and cowered on the lizard. The lizard visibly recoiled, retreating slowly from the massive creatures.
At Naruto's command, the fox opened its mouth and spewed a great fireball at the lizard. The hawk sent a blast of wind from its wings, and the ferret spewed a corrosive liquid from it's mouth. The dragon turned around and blasted a great many scales at the lizard, needle sharp and coated with poison. All of these elements combined and melted the lizard and its passenger completely. A sizzling hiss was heard, and no more was seen of the two save for a discolored splotch on the grass. A package fell to the ground and the fabric fell away to reveal a shimmering blue stone.
Naruto dispelled his Kuchiyose and picked up the scroll. He turned it over and over, marveling at the beauty.
At once Kimimaro shot out of the trees at an inhuman speed, heading straight for the blonde. Catching the fox-child off guard, he snatched Naruto and turned to face the others.
"I must do what Orochimaru requests."
Naruto took the opportunity to sink his teeth into Kimimaro's wrist. The Kaguya hissed in pain and extracted his bleeding wrist from the blonde's sharp teeth. Naruto used the distraction to fling the Stone at the others. Gaara's sand caught the artifact and brought it to safety while Neji and Sasuke flung themselves towards Naruto. They were stopped by Kimimaro's tail of bones, but struggled fiercely to get to the blonde.
"Don't worry about me, you don't have a lot of time left! Get the Stone to entrance of the netherworld, located at the Seven Falls in the east! Shukaku will guide you!" Neji and Sasuke protested frantically, straining in vain against the bones. Naruto smiled sadly.
"I'll be okay, I promise. Now GO!" That was the last they saw of the blonde before Kimimaro hauled him off through the woods.
Will Kimi kill poor Naru? Find out next time!