Frankly, I'm a bit too lazy to do any shoutouts tonight, and I'm dead tired. Sleep deprivation has a way of doing that to a man. I'm sorry, but you're getting a half-baked chapter again. It should contain a huge shocker or two though. Some things I took some liberties on, while others are direct from the manga series. Veterans will know what I mean.
That night, Naruto played host to an unexpected guest in his apartment. Gara of the sand had shown up after all the celebrating and reunions.
"Gaara, what the hell are you doing here?" asked Naruto, opening his door wide for the leader of Sunakagure. "This is definitely unexpected. Come in."
Naruto was alone in his home, having been alone for just over an hour. When he heard a knock on his door, he was actually expecting it to be Sakura. It was getting late now though, and she was probably at home with her family.
"Thanks, Naruto," said the ever calm Sand-nin, striding in and surveying his surroundings. It was a dump to say the least He preferred everything to be neat. This blonde, on the other hand, didn't share his tidiness. Whatever. To each his own.
"What brings you here, Gaara?" asked Naruto. "Is something the matter?"
"I need to talk with you about some things," said Gaara calmly and carefully. "You are not the only one who's been monitoring Akatsuki. I know about what happened between their crew and Orochimaru, so there's no need to explain. Listen, Akatsuki's target isn't just the demon in you."
"Don't tell me they're after Shukakku as well," said Naruto in has traditional whine. Gaara nodded. "Dammit… Have you run into any trouble lately?"
"None at all," said Gaara. "I actually have yet to encounter any members of the Akaktsuki directly… I've just been having spies keep tab for me."
"So what are you going to do?" asked Naruto. "I mean, it's not like you can go into hiding."
"No, I can't," said Gaara. "If they come to fight me, I'll fight them directly. You should be prepared to fight as well, Naruto. There's more I've discovered that concerns the both of us as well."
"Oh?" asked Naruto. "Go on."
"Though I have a feeling you may already have a faint idea as to what I have to say," added Gaara. "It's about the demons in us."
"We're dying," said Naruto. Gaara closed his eyes and smiled.
"Bingo," he replied.
"Yeah, I have been feeling it recently," said Naruto. "The Kyuubi… It is killing me."
"Yes," said Gaara. "At the same time, I am dying because of the Shukkaku. There's only so long that a human body can withstand all that demonic strength."
"I understand," said Naruto. "How'd you find all this out though?"
"Did some research," said Gaara. "There have been a total of three Jinchuuriki in possession of theShukkaku. They all died by the time they were fifteen."
"Gaara, we're older than that by a few years," said Naruto.
"I know," said Gaara. Such a fact was obvious. "The next time we are forced to use our demonic selves, that is to say that, the moment you use Kyuubi to boost your strength, you will have sealed your fate. The same goes for me and Shukkaku."
"Bummer," said Naruto, looking down. "So that's it. We're done for."
"There's no way to reverse it either," said Gaara. "The demon can be pulled out and sealed in another container, or basically in another human child, but it will kill the original Jinchuuriki."
"I wouldn't pull the Kyuubi from me even if it could save my life," said Naruto. "So what do we do about this?"
"It's very hard to say, Naruto," said Gaara. "There I a major battle approaching. I am sure of it. Akatsuki has few elite members left, but they are still strong. This next battle, should any of us be forced to engage in it, will undoubtedly be our last. It's only a matter of when this battle occurs."
"I see," said Naruto. "Itachi, whenver he strikes, will have the advantage against us should we be divided… but-
"If the both of us fight together with our demon life-forms, we would stand a chance," said Gaara. He smiled. Naruto returned the gesture. "This was another reason for my coming here. With this information about the Bijuu in the both of us, I figured we should take the initiative."
"You mean attack Akatsuki, as opposed for waiting for the inevitable?" asked Naruto. Gaara silently nodded. "It's a good idea."
"You can't tell anyone, Naruto," said Gaara, glancing around. "This is a top secret deal. Not even Tsunade knows I'm in town, so I could technically be in a lot of trouble should I be found. It wouldn't be a problem getting away, but it'd ruin foreign relations."
"Right," said Naruto with a smile. "Hey, while snooping about and looking up stuff, you didn't find anything about Orochimaru, did you?"
"He attacked the village once a few weeks ago," said Gaara. This news came as a great shock.
"What!" asked Naruto. "I didn't hear anything about that!"
"That's because I kept the whole thing a secret," said Gaara. "Nobody outside of Suna except you knows about it. That's because I didn't want you rushing out to Sunakagure, as I know you would've."
"You're damn right I would've," said Naruto. "I could've helped."
"Listen, we pulled through just fine," said Gaara. "There were surprisingly few casualties. It was an attack out of desperation for him, because he's running out of time to find a new body, or rather, the body he wants."
"Who's that?" asked Naruto.
"You," said Gaara. "He's been looking all over for you. You have a young body, and sealed within you is the most powerful Bijuu of all the tailed-demons, Kyuubi. He wants that power to compliment his own. His second choice was me, because of the Shukkaku. That's why he attacked Sunakgure. He wanted me in captivity, should he not be able to find you in time."
"Does he know I'm in Konoha?"
"Maybe," said Gaara. "I don't know. He very well may. He's been devoting a lot of time to finding your ass, and every day he grows angrier… But he is not the topic or main focus of our concern. We need to be worried about Akatsuki and the demons."
"I understand your meaning," said Naruto. He sighed heavily. "Well, if I have to prematurely depart this world, I might as well take something out with me, eh?"
"That's the spirit," appraised Gaara.
End Chapter Ten
Oh shock and horror! They're gonna die! Maybe they are, or maybe not! There could be a cure that no one knows about yet… Expect some intense action in the near future though. Lots of drama, angst, and romancy stuff coming up.
In the manga, as far as I know, it isn't mentioned that the demon in Naruto will kill him eventually. I may have missed it somewhere, but I think that's my little fabrication right in this story. I don't want anyone thinking that Naruto will die someday, or Gaara will die someday, because of the Bijuu in them. Some facts in this chapter were pulled from the most recent two chapters of manga though. For the whole scoop, if yo've not got my messages yet, head to Great place.
Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, Jinchuuriki, as I believe it's spelled, is the term used for a person who is an active container for a tailed-demon. Naruto and Gaara are both Jinshuuriki.
Also, the term Bijuu is used to refer to one of the nine demons identified by their tails, or "tailed-demon". Shukkaku is the one-tailed, I think. Kyuubi is the nine-tailed, I know.