Snake Lords

"Takes place around when Naruto comes back with Jiriya. Sasuke is still with Orochimaru. So yeah, they're all around 15 or 16. A Naruto and Harry Potter Crossover. I'm not sticking to the plots of either series."

Thinking

"Yelling"

On with the story!

Chpt 28: Desperate Situation

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Damn thing… He muttered, throwing it to the ground. I never liked them when I lived with them in hell, and I still don't like them now. As soon as Tsunade got close to him, Kyuubi unexpectedly sprouted a fifth tail.

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Who's first? Kyuubi asked, flaunting his new tail in front of them all. I'm going to kill you all in the end, so it doesn't really matter. He said, shrugging.

"We all have to attack him at once; we have no chance if we attack alone." Shikamaru muttered to Chouji.

Shikamaru, Kyuubi was suddenly behind him, not making a single sound. I don't like it when people talk behind my back…

"I was discussing who was going first." Shikamaru said desperately, stalling for time and racking his brain for some sort of strategy.

I'm not stupid you know, Kyuubi stretched out a hand towards his neck. I might as well just get rid of you before you become a prob… Kyuubi stopped in his tracks, still and unmoving.

"Then again, maybe you are stupid." Shikamaru grinned slightly as he lowered his arm, Kyuubi's lowering at the same time. Shikamaru had caught Kyuubi in his Kagemane no jutsu.

Oh dear! Whatever shall I do? Kyuubi gasped dramatically and then grinned. This old parlor trick? Bah, it's overated. Kyuubi stuck out his tongue, and gave Shikamaru a vulgar hand gesture. Surprisingly, Shikamaru copied him, astonished at what had just happened.

"H-How…?" Shikamaru gasped.

I mean really, just pour in a little chakra, and bam! The effect is reversed! Kyuubi yawned. You know, standing around and talking is great and all, but let's get back to business. Shall we dance? Kyuubi turned around, making Shikamaru turn as well. Fight my little puppet! Fight! Kyuubi punched at the air, directing Shikamaru to attack his own teammates.

"Hold him down!" Asuma cried, trying to grab a hold of his student. "We can't attack him!"

"You have to!" Shikamaru cried out, swinging wildly at anyone within a six foot radius. "Attack me, and get Kyuubi when he's off guard!"

The Jounin ran frantically after the uncontrollable Shikamaru. Whenever they finally caught up to him, they had to back off from the enhanced force of his blows.

"I got his arm!" Kakashi yelled, holding fast onto Shikamaru's right wrist. Gai followed and grabbed Shikamaru's legs. Asuma put him in a headlock, restricting his movements.

Tsunade and Jiraiya leaped at the temporarily immobilized Kyuubi and attempted to grab his throat. But before they could even touch him, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Shikamaru slumped over, relieved at being released from his own jutsu. A disgruntled 'hmph' came from a high up tree branch, where the real Kyuubi sat, picking out imaginary dirt from his claws.

Honestly, you guys suck. Kyuubi got to his feet and lightly jumped to the ground. I mean, what will you do if I do this? Kyuubi disappeared, and Sasuke let out a slight groan. Sakura turned around, and saw that Kyuubi had reappeared behind him, yanking his head backwards by his hair. Come on, tell me that you guys have something else up your sleeves!

Sasuke quickly did a karawimi, freeing himself from Kyuubi's hold.

"Let's see how you like this for a challenge." Sasuke's skin crawled with the first level of the curse seal. After a few seconds, his hair lengthened and turned gray, a black star appearing on his face.

God, this again? Kyuubi sighed and slapped his face. You could barely match my power when I had one tail. What makes you think that you can beat me when I have five tails?

"I'm not finished." Sasuke's body began to undergo another transformation. It went from the dull brown of the second level, to a bloody red hue. His hair went back to his normal black color, but the wings on his back remained. "Meet level three." Sasuke looked up and met Kyuubi's eyes. Twin black lines marked the sides of his face. Kyuubi sniggered.

Level three? What is this? Some sort of videogame? Sasuke didn't hesitate, and ran headlong at Kyuubi, his fanged teeth glimmering. Within 10 seconds, Kyuubi had him trussed up like a turkey. Sasuke lay on his stomach, his arms bent backwards by Kyuubi's powerful grip, and Kyuubi's foot in the center of his back. That's it? That's all you had for me? Pft. Looks like your quest for power turned out to be a flop.

A driving force slammed into Kyuubi, knocking him 20 meters away from Sasuke. Everyone saw Kyuubi struggle with some sort of blurred object that moved abnormally fast. Unfortunately for the assailant, Kyuubi could also move abnormally fast. The attacker was blown backwards, landing in Chouji's arms. It was Lee.

"Naruto, please stop this!" Lee begged, staring at Kyuubi's red swathed form.

Haven't I gone over this before? Kyuubi asked tiredly. I. Am. Not! NARUTO! Kyuubi yelled to the sky, a sonic boom resounding high above them. Get it? Kyuubi crouched down on all fours. Bored now.

Kyuubi launched himself at the nearest target, which so happened to be Sakura. Completely unprepared, Sakura was tossed up into the sky. Tsunade ran forward to catch her, but Kyuubi lashed out at her with his claws. She was just able to avoid them, but she could feel one of her ribs crack. Jiraiya, losing no time at all, prepared a Katon: Karyuu Endan. The wall of flame blew towards Kyuubi, but he literally shrugged it off, snatching a piece of the fire with his claws.

Kyuubi leaped up into the air, just avoiding a black cloud that swarmed over the ground. The black cloud split up into three different parts and flew upwards. Kyuubi spun around, creating a fiery circle with the ball of fire in his hand. The black clouds lit up in flames, plummeting towards the ground. Upon closer inspection, they could all see the charred remains of bugs.

As soon as Kyuubi landed, Shino appeared out of nowhere and unleashed a torrent of both Destructor bugs and his newly acquired Fire beetles that Hagrid had given him. Kyuubi opened his mouth and unleashed a beam of chakra from his mouth, eliminating every bug it touched.

Shino stuck out his arms, and black, shell-like sheathes erupted from his skin. They sharpened into points, an amber liquid oozing from the tips. Shino ran forward, slicing at Kyuubi with these shell-like blades. Kyuubi moved like water, flowing from one movement to another, avoiding every attack as if it was nothing. Kyuubi reached out with his tails and bound Shino's arms to his sides. Kyuubi's hand stretched wide; a miniature red typhoon swirling around in the center.

Rasengan! Kyuubi drove the sphere into Shino's stomach, sending him flying backwards. As he landed, the lenses of his sunglasses shattered, the glass spilling all over his coat.

Kyuubi spun around, striking Chouji in the rib cage with a resounding crack. Chouji, who had attempted to sneak up on him, fell to the ground, a pained expression on his face. Tsunade wrapped her arms around Kyuubi's shoulders from behind, bracing herself firmly on the ground. His vision swirled as a pricking sensation shot up his spine. Kyuubi laughed as his limbs refused to move the way he wanted.

Try harder! Kyuubi shouted, sending his chakra out in waves, shattering the genjutsu Kurenai had created like it had been nothing but a toothpick. Tsunade was thrown back, disoriented from the dizzying force of chakra. Steadying herself, she punched the ground, making it shatter and fall to pieces. Kyuubi laid his hand on the ground, and he rose up on a column of solid rock, high into the sky.

Sakura leapt up as soon as he had risen. She brought her heel down, attempting to smash his skull in. Kyuubi jumped over her, Sakura's heel splitting the giant column of rock in two instead of his head. Kyuubi whistled slightly.

Not bad for a human her age. Kyuubi flipped in the air and brought his own heel down in the center of her back. Sakura cried out and plummeted towards the ground at a speed that human bones were not meant to withstand. A giant cloud of dust and dirt spread outwards from the impact. Sakura lay in a crater 20 feet in diameter. She opened her mouth to scream, but blood poured out instead.

Jiraiya, Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai attacked Kyuubi in a four-way formation, trying to catch him off guards somehow while Tsunade and Kakashi ran to Sakura's side. Tsunade's hands glowed green, trying to stop Sakura from becoming completely paralyzed.

During this whole time, Sasuke had been on the ground where Kyuubi had left him. His face shook nervously as he watched Kyuubi continue his relentless attack. One of his wings was broken; it had been snapped when Kyuubi stepped on it. Groaning with the effort, he pushed himself to his feet, some blood dripping down his back. He saw Kyuubi mercilessly toss Jiraiya into a tree, while strangling Asuma, Gai, and Kurenai with his tails at the same time.

Kyuubi's eyes flickered back to where Tsunade was healing Sakura, a glint shining in his eyes. He lifted the Jounin off the ground, and slammed them into the ground. Kyuubi ran towards Kakashi and drove his claws into Kakashi's stomach. Kakashi fell, a small grunt escaping from behind his mouth. Kyuubi continued on towards Tsunade, who was frantically trying to finish before he reached her. Kyuubi brought up his hand to punch her, but was knocked to the ground.

Sasuke ripped at Kyuubi's face, trying to keep him pinned to the ground. Kyuubi snarled and bodily lifted Sasuke off him.

Stay out of this pretty boy. Kyuubi latched a hand around Sasuke's throat. Maybe I'll let you enjoy life a little longer. Kyuubi mercilessly tightened his grip while Sasuke frantically tore feebly at his arm. Then again, maybe I'll just snap your damn neck.

"L-leave them a-alone…" Sasuke croaked out, cringing as his windpipe was slowly being forced shut. Kyuubi looked curiously at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.

Uchiha, you confuse me. First, you abandoned them for power, almost killing my container in the process. Now, you're trying to protect them? Do tell me, where do your loyalties truly lie?

"Y-You damned demon." Sasuke spat in Kyuubi's face. "You're n-nothing but a c-coward, u-using Na-Naruto's body against h-him…"

What did you say? Kyuubi hissed. Don't call me a coward. Do you think I like being trapped in this frail body? Do you actually think I care about kit? I'm a demon. Kyuubi put one of his claws at the corner of Sasuke's left temple. I don't play by any fucking rules. Kyuubi pushed his claw in, puncturing Sasuke's skin. You shall pay for your insolence.

Sasuke screamed as Kyuubi began to slowly drag his claw across his face. Like an artist at work, Kyuubi slowly split Sasuke's skin, going from his left temple, down across the left side of his face, ending the line in a small triangle. Kyuubi continued to draw, forming a tail that covered the left side of Sasuke's face. Blood seeped out, making Sasuke's third level skin even redder. Kyuubi removed his claw, and brought it up towards his mouth. He licked every speck of blood off his hand, his eyes lighting up with a dangerous gleam.

Kyuubi brought Sasuke closer to him, a sort of madness shining in his eyes. With no warning, Kyuubi bared his fangs and bit into the side of his neck that didn't have the cursed seal. Sasuke's Sharingan disappeared from his eyes; his body reverted back to his normal form. His limbs went slack. His body felt empty, not just because of bloodloss, but he could no longer feel his own chakra.

Kyuubi's teeth sunk deeper into Sasuke's neck, rending at the fragile muscles. Kyuubi released him from the choke hold, and lowered him to the ground, still biting his neck. While he drank, red clouded his vision, a familiar feeling washing over him. Sasuke's chakra was fading, being absorbed into Kyuubi through his blood stream.

Blood dripped off the ends of his fangs, quickened breath passing between them. Ever so slowly, more chakra gathered around him. Kyuubi's normally red eyes disappeared, replaced with a white glaze. A winding tower of chakra surrounded him, highlighting his maddened features. A sixth tail swayed in unison with the other five, a growl emitting from his throat. A mixture of froth, drool, and the Uchiha's blood spilled over his bottom row of teeth. Everyone watched with horror and dread. This was the beginning of Kyuubi's bloodlust.

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"Madam Promfrey!" Neji pushed open the Infirmary doors, balancing Ginny on his back while allowing Akamaru through the doors. "I have two patients! One being in critical condition!"

"Oh dear!" Madam Promfrey busily bustled about from one bed to another. "Put them in whatever free space you can find dear!" Neji inwardly shuddered as he caught a glimpse of a boy whose arms were bending the wrong way, blood seeping out of the broken joints.

Neji carefully let Ginny down to rest on a bed, propping her foot up on a stool. He walked over to Akamaru and lifted Kiba up gently, putting him down on a clean, white bed. Neji lifted his head up and saw Ino lying in the bed next to Kiba's. Sweat beaded her forehead as she shook with fever. Neji cursed under his breath, how did they get into such a desperate situation? Neji looked down at Kiba again. The white sheets were no longer white, but red.

"My goodness child!" Madam Promfrey whipped out her wand and hurriedly tried to close the holes in Kiba's chest and neck. "What is happening out there?"

"More than you could imagine." Neji said tiredly. "Listen, I have to go. Unless you want more patients like this."

"Please!" Madam Promfrey pleaded. "End this as soon as you can!"

"I will." Neji turned around and paused by Ginny's bed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Have faith in him, he'll make it." Ginny nodded dumbly, staring at Kiba's blood streaked face. Neji then patted Akamaru's head, telling him to stay on watch in the Infirmary.

After all that was done, Neji pushed open the doors and started to run towards the nearest window. He pushed it open and jumped out as far as he could. Neji landed on the shoulders of a wizard and twisted his ankles, breaking the man's neck. As the body collapsed, Neji placed his hands on the ground, starting a cartwheel. Keeping a hold on the wizard's neck, Neji swung the body down on his partners, knocking them all to the ground.

As they fell to the ground, Neji slammed his hands into their chests, rupturing their hearts at the same time. Having taken down those three in under 5 seconds, Neji looked up and saw an Oni standing in front of him.

"Whoah! Don't attack it!" Kankurou's face popped out from behind it. "I've got it under control!"

"Your control?" Neji asked, quite obviously confused.

"Yeah I know, I'm not quite sure how I can do it either." Kankurou shrugged. "But Temari can fly and stuff; it's pretty weird." He said, pointing to his sister.

"Wait, have you noticed anything else?" Neji asked, an idea popping into his head.

"What do you mean?" Temari asked, supporting Amanda on her shoulder.

"Like, have you seen anyone else do something they couldn't do before?"

"Well, we ran into Shino a few minutes ago." Temari suggested.

"Oh yeah!" Kankurou snapped his fingers. "He could make this shell stuff come out of his body."

"What kind of shell?" Neji asked persistently.

"Listen, now isn't the time to be playing 20 questions. We have to get out of…"

"Just tell me!" Neji interrupted Temari.

"You like on bugs, that kind of outer shell. An exoskeleton! Yeah, that's it."

"Bugs…, metal…, enhanced speed…, able to fly……" Neji took all the information he had and wondered. Why did this all sound so familiar? Then, Neji remembered something Dumbledore had told them before they had come to Hogwarts.

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Flashback

"Ne, what can we do? I mean, how can just 14 people make a difference?"

"I'm not there yet, Naruto. Now, you all know how there are two sides to Chakra right?" Everyone nodded. "Well, in the beginning, ninjas, wizards, and humans were one people. They all used the entire spirit, or chakra, that inhabits the body. Mind, and body. However, there were many disagreements. Some preferred mostly physical strength, who turned into current day shinobi, and another part liked the mental strengths, the wizarding community. The majority that weren't on either side didn't like using any spiritual energy and preferred using brainpower and technology, these becoming the human race. They frowned upon energy users and quickly overpopulated the other sides. They then all split into the people we know today, wizards and ninjas becoming myth in the normal human race."

"Then why can't normal people or shinobi's use magic?"

"Oh, but they can. You see, my theory is that our powers became weak from under use of the other side of our chakra, and normal people from not using any at all. And… if somehow, we can train the other half of the spirit, it could possibly double, even triple your current abilities by a magnitude far beyond anyone's comprehension."

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That's it! Neji thought. Both sides of the spirits must finally be working in unison! That power Dumbledore was talking about, it must differ according to each person's abilities and strengths!

It all made sense now! Ten-ten was able to absorb metal and change it however she wanted because she has an affinity for weapons. Lee could now move at even faster speeds without burning out so quickly. Temari must be able to fly because she uses mainly wind based attacks, and Kankurou can control live people when before he was only able to control specially made puppets.

His own power was a little odd, but Neji turned on his Byakugan and looked down at his chakra system. To his surprise, he found that his own chakra had mutated. Part of it was now white, and able to be molded into shapes outside his body.

"Listen, standing around and talking is fine and all, but we have to get everyone out of here, now." Temari interrupted his thoughts.

"Hn?"

"Shukaku is taking control of Gaara as we speak." Kankurou said earnestly. "When it gets out, we will most likely die."

Neji stood there like a statue. What will happen to Gaara? If the same thing with his spirit happens, then what about… Neji twitched and turned on his Byakugan and searched the battlefield. His stomach turned as he saw Naruto bathed in red chakra, destroying everything in his path.

"This just keeps getting worse and worse…" Neji whispered hoarsely. He started to run, ignoring the shouts that Temari and Kankurou gave after him. There was no time to lose.

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I swear, I have been really trying to write, but my time has been so limited these days, it's not even funny. Anyways, I hope to wrap this story up within the next five chapters or so. Sorry for those who enjoy it, but it's just getting harder and harder to write. Besides, it has to end eventually. I mean, it can't go on forever.

For those of you who are interested, I wrote a oneshot called "Windows". It's a sad little story, so if you like sad stuff, you might want to read it. Till then!