This is going to be a great chapter

Chapter Seventeen

"I'll need a way to successfully make sure the evil chakra transfer goes smoothly," thought Naruto quietly as his Doppelgangers battled it out. "It's the trickiest thing I've ever thought of."

"Naruto!" said Gaara urgently through the earpiece. "It's time! I'm practically at your location!"

"Got it Gaara," said Naruto, standing up from his tree branch so he could see more clearly. He could definitely detect the three chakra sources coming nearer and nearer. He had less than a minute.

"Here goes nothing," he said to himself. He hopped down from the tree branch, and Sakura was startled from her sleep. She had been sleeping for a few minutes, having nodded off in the boredom.

"Damn!" she screamed to herself. "I can't believe you fell asleep! What kind of nin are you!" She saw Naruto walk out into the open and wait for Gaara's arrival. Gaara jumped down from a tree and stopped.

"They're right behind me, Naruto," said Gaara. "We'll have to do the best we can to not use up our demons too much, at least until Itachi arrives."

"I understand," said Naruto. "I have a few new abilities that might be able to help me without Kyuubi just yet."

"Put your heart into this battle, Naruto," said Gaara. "To be honest, I know for a fact that we are outmatched against Itachi and Orochimaru together… I'm counting on the famous Uzumaki weakness of not knowing when to give up. I know you'll come through for the both of us."

"Aww, come on Gaara," said Naruto, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "You make it sound like you think I'm stronger than you or something."

Gaara turned around to face the bushes, muttering something that sounded a lot like, "idiot," to Naruto. Out of the bushes jumped two foes that Naruto would like nothing better than to kill instantly.

Orochimaru and Kabuto were there, standing with their arms crossed. Their faces showed completely different emotions from each other though. Orochimaru wore that typical, sick, psychotic grin on his face while Kabuto remained Stoic and emotionless, neither excited nor seemingly put off at seeing Gaara and Naruto waiting for them.

Orochimaru looked over at his look alike and the Naruto bunshin fighting. "How strange," he said amusedly. "What is the meaning of that?"

"None of your damn business, Orochimaru," said Naruto, waving a hand nonchalantly. The Naruto bunshins disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"It seems we were lead into a trap, Kabuto," said Orochimaru, still smiling. "You think?"

"Yes, I see it now…" said Kabuto, shifting his weight a little. "Gaara is apparently quite the Henge accomplice. We were following a 'fake' Naruto to get to the real one. I wonder the meaning of this."

"It matters not," said Orochimaru. "Naruto-kun, I've been searching for you for so long, and now you reveal yourself to me? Whatever can you be hoping to accomplish?"

"Bad news for you, pal," said Naruto challengingly. "My days on this planet alive are numbered." Orochimaru's smile dropped a little. "That's right. I'm dying buddy, and there's nothing that can be done about it anymore."

"We can leave the Iris thing a secret for a little while, you think?"

"Good thinking."

"What do you mean?" asked Orochimaru. "You look like quite the healthy little boy to me, the perfect container for my soul."

Naruto laughed a few times, just to piss off Orochimaru. It seemed to work, as it became apparent that the Snake-Sannin was annoyed that he didn't know something that the blonde apparently did. "Orochimaru, you want me for the Kyuubi that dwells in my body. You think that having the body that is the container for the strongest Demon will help you? That Kyuubi is killing me Orochimaru. In fact… The next time I make a move in combat, I will die."

"You bluff."

"Why would I bluff?" asked Naruto sardonically. "I called you here for a fight anyway. That's my purpose for this fight. I will die while simultaneously taking you with me to the afterlife."

… "You show no signs of lying, Naruto-kun," said Orochimaru. "I'm looking at the face of a 100 percent honest man, aren't I?"

Naruto nodded. "And you, Gaara of the sand… are you going to tell me that you also are dying at the hands of Shukkaku?" Gaara nodded.

"I see," said Orochimaru. "I understand. Your bodies have taken too much stress from your respective demons. That's what's killing you. Well, I have no intention of fighting you two."

"You don't have a choice," said Gaara, sand starting to peacefully flow from the gourd on his back. It formed a ring around him.

"We didn't bring you here to tell you it was fruitless to attempt to use our bodies as your slaves," said Naruto. "We brought you here to take you down before we go down. It's sort of like our 'dying wish'."

Orochimaru laughed his wicked, fear-inducing laugh. "Ku ku ku ku ku ku…" It occurred to Naruto that Orochimaru now knew something he didn't know himself. Orochimaru had some kind of trump.

"No, little boys, I don't believe that you realize it is indeed you that is without a choice," he said, his face switching to the menacing glare he gave when serious. "I am in control here.

"KUCHIYUSE NO JUTSU!"

A huge snake burst from the earth several yards away as it was summoned. Orochimaru's summoning ability hadn't evidently gotten any worse over the years. That was a lighting fast summoning if Naruto ever saw one. Naruto froze in horror as he saw what was wrapped tightly in the snake's long toungue.

Sakura was struggling helplessly in its grip, her arms pinned to her side. Orochimaru laughed even more. "I see that you're realizing the situation in which you have placed yourself, Naruto-kun," said Orochimaru. "See what you have done? You have jeopardized the life of this lovely little girl. And for what? You thought you could just take on Orochimaru of the Sannin! You foolish, stupid brat!"

"Sakura-chan!" yelled Naruto. "What the hell is she doing here? This is wrong! This is bad!" "Put her down right now, Orochimaru!"

"Or what?" asked Orochimaru. He raised his hand a little, and the tongue trapping Sakura tightened as she gasped. "I'll crush her. You know it's not beyond my ability or rational."

"Gaara… What can we do?"

"Naruto, you are a Shinobi," said Gaara. "A strong one at that. You know that sacrifices have to be made in the heat of battle. This 'Sakura' is in the way of our very last mission. He can't be bargained with."

"That's unacceptable," growled Naruto to himself. "Isn't there something we can do?"

"I will not be used as a tool to fight against Naruto-kun!" screamed Sakura with rage. She burst from the tongue of the snake by expanding her chakra in a bubble around her, using her strength taught to her by the Hokage-sama.

She dropped to the ground and landed on her feet as the snake hissed angrily at having its tongue torn apart. Orochimaru looked taken aback by the outburst of strength from just a girl. "You… are strong," he said after a moment's pause. "I only know one female to have accomplished strength like that."

"Hokage Tsunade-same is my sensei," said Sakura with her best glare she could muster. "I believe she is the woman to which you refer."

"I see," said Orochimaru. "This will be an interesting battle if I have to fight."

"You do," said Naruto, walking forward to Sakura.

"Naruto," she said quickly. "I'm sorry for following you here. I didn't mean to-

Naruto placed a hand over her mouth quickly. "I need you to stay out of this battle," he said seriously. "You weren't meant to be here for this. I don't want anything happening to you. Other battles, I've been able to be there by shear luck a lot of the times… I don't know how far that luck will take me in this battle. Leave, Sakura-chan."

Naruto turned around and faced Orochimaru squarely. "Your ass is grass," he said to him. "Kabuto can fight too. It's no matter You'll need all the help you can get."

"Ku ku ku ku ku ku… Such confidence. I hope you have a good show for me, Naruto-kun. Don't disappoint me, after all these words we have exchanged."

Orochimaru disappeared before Naruto or Gaara knew what was happening, and he reappeared right in front of Naruto, his kunai drawn. He jabbed with the weapon, but Naruto backflipped out of the way and jumped back with his own kunai.

The metal clashed on metal as sparks flew from their synchronized attack. They pressed into each other for a few seconds before Orochimaru was forced to retreat backwards. A stream of sand blasted right past him. Had he been a second slower in leaving Naruto, Gaara's sand would've had him.

He threw his kunai at Gaara, which was effortlessly repelled by the auto defense of the Gourd sand. Kabuto landed next to Gaara and slashed several times toward him with his open hands. The sand raised itself automatically for each block, but it was cut apart by Kabuto's karate chops.

"You're using medical ninjutsu for combat?" asked Gaara as he stepped backwards a few steps with Kabuto's advances. "Chakra scalpel?"

"You're observant," said Kabuto. "Your sand is an ultimate defense, but my Chakra enhanced attacks can slice through it as easy as a scalpel cuts flesh."

Naruto followed Orochimaru into the air with a kunai in each hand. "Don't you run away from me!" he yelled. He threw a kunai at the sannin, which was blocked with ease. Naruto met him in mid air and parried a kunai from Orochimaru with his remaining free one.

"Resengan!" he yelled. The blue, swirling energy hit Orochimaru squarely in the stomach, and the man was thrown in a swirling heap to the ground, where he exploded into a puff of smoke.

"A Bunshin!" stated Naruto. Orochimaru fell from above with his katana drawn. He sliced vertically at the blonde boy, and the sword cut a long gash in Naruto's stomach as Orochimaru landed.

"You fell for a basic Bunshin?" asked Orochimaru. "Please tell me you can offer more."

Naruto smiled as he also exploded into a plume of smoke. Orochimaru saw only too late Naruto's plan, as the boy jumped from the trees above. "Et tu, Orochimaru!" he slammed both of his fists over the man's head, sending him into the ground like rocket.

"Underneath the underneath," said Naruto as he landed, clenching his fist victoriously in front of him. "A lesson learned from my former sensei. Get serious Orochimaru."

Orochimaru stood up strait and began laughing. "Your sensei was wise. Kakashi, no? Well, you're right. It is time to get serious." Orochimaru disappeared, the tell tale signs of the use of super speed. Naruto's eyes followed him effortlessly.

The snake-sannin threw a kunai at Naruto's head as he dashed sideways, which Naruto dodged by turning his head to the side a little. Simultaneously, Orochimaru switched directions fast enough to give anyone whiplash. Naruto's eyes didn't follow him after that. "Shit, I lost him."

Something smacked into the small of his back hard, sending him forward to his knees in pain. Orochimaru had placed his elbow conveniently in a strong attack. As he recovered, Naruto was hit again by Orochimaru from above, causing him to hit the ground with concussive force.

He stared up at a kunai that Orochimaru was in the process of stabbing him with. It almost hit, but he twisted to the side in a split second and curled his body into a brilliant spinning kick move that tripped Orochimaru while simultaneously kicking the dagger out of his hand. (Try to imagine a break dancing-like move)

He whipped himself to his feet while Orochimaru did the same. They faced each other grimly. Each had a small spot of blood on the corner of their mouths. "Your taijutsu is improved," said Orochimaru.

"And you're ugly," retorted Naruto with a laugh. "I've been training too long to only be equal with you Orochimaru. I'm going to prove that that training has made me powerful enough to take you down as a superior shinobi."

Orochimaru laughed again. Naruto couldn't possibly hate that laugh more he thought. But he was hating it more and more every time he heard it. "You? Equal or greater to me? My dear boy, you haven't a chance."

Orochimaru started performing some fast hand seals. "Kuchiyuse No Jutsu!" he yelled, summoning a cylindrical coffin from the ground. Naruto had heard of him doing something similar in his fight against the Third from an overheard conversation amongst Anbu. Naruto readied himself.

"Whatever puppet you've summoned won't be enough, baka," said Naruto, raising a singl kunai as he took his stance. Orochimaru laughed.

"Come on out, Uchiha Sasuke-kun," beckoned the sannin with a hiss.

Naruto's eyes widened in stereotypical surprise as, out of the coffin, stepped the body of Uchiha Sasuke.

End Chapter Seventeen.

Oh my, Sasuke's back? No, he's not really back. Anyone who knows anything will know that it's simply a soul duplicate attachment that's been placed in the dead body of a fellow dead man. It's not really Sasuke, though it looks like it. I won't give any more away.