A/N - Okay, I know some of you were probably hoping I'd update something else, but I kinda wanted to update this again. I was excited to get to the Land of Water/Tiberoa arc...buuuut….well...the Sasuke Retrieval arc kinda stretched on for a really long chapter, as you can see. lol.
Anyways, this chapter took quite a while to type up. It turned out to be pretty damn long and I really had no idea where to end it. Hopefully you enjoy it. I think it turned out pretty well.
Chapter 9 - Naruto vs. Sasuke
The group met Shikamaru and his chosen team at the north gate, as that was the one Sasuke had been seen leaving through the previous night. When Naruto saw who his friend had brought with him, he quirked a brow before nodding in appreciation at his choices. "Neji, Kiba, Choji, and Lee, huh? That's a powerful team you've chosen Shika." he complimented.
Kiba glared at Naruto and snarled out, "What the hell are you doing here Naruto? Trying to interfere in our mission?"
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Tsunade gave me the order to join Shikamaru on the mission to hunt down and retrieve Sasuke by any means necessary. If he resists, depending on his actions and the level of force he uses, lethal force has been permitted. If you have a problem with it mutt, take it up with her. Now, if nobody has anymore objections, let's get going."
Lee frowned at this and shouted out, "You would use lethal force against a fellow Konoha ninja?! How unyouthful Naruto-kun! Sasuke is our friend and needs to be saved from those that took him from the village!"
Narrowing his eyes, the blonde Dragoon stared hard at Lee and shook his head in disbelief. "Sasuke is no friend of mine. And he wasn't kidnapped like you seem to believe. That jackass left on his own accord. He desires power and Orochimaru promised to give him the power he craved. The teme was always an unstable jackass that should never have been allowed to become a ninja. But nooo, he was a special case. Of course they'd allow a nutjob like him to become a ninja, no matter how fucked up he was. Sasuke needed therapy and he never got it. So yes Lee, if Sasuke fights back and he attempts to kill me for getting in his way, you can damn well expect me to kill him for it. I won't hold back on him." Naruto said fiercely as he poked Lee in the chest hard with his right index finger.
Before anyone else could say anything more, Rose spoke up. "That's it. I'm tired of you little shits badmouthing my beloved." she said angrily. "If you don't have the guts to do what needs to be done, then stay here. We'll go by ourselves to retrieve that little shit. We don't need to cooperate with the likes of you."
Neji shook his head and stepped away from Kiba and the other Konoha ninja. "I'm coming along. You'll need my eyes if you want to have any hope of finding them." he said.
Shikamaru sighed and stepped forward as well with Choji following shortly afterward. "How troublesome. I don't like it, but I agree with you Naruto. Sasuke needs to be stopped." he agreed.
Choji nodded timidly and looked into Naruto's eyes. "I...don't like the idea of killing a fellow Konoha shinobi, but I go where Shikamaru goes. I won't back down and I won't let my friend down. So you can count on me Naruto."
Lee frowned and turned away. "I will take no part in this. It's unyouthful to even think about killing one of our own! If that's your plan, I can't do it!" he exclaimed before walking away.
Kiba glared hard at Naruto and shook his head. "I'm not helping the likes of you dobe. You're on your own." he said angrily before storming off with Akamaru barking in agreement, his tail wagging as he followed after his master.
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "That's disappointing. We could have really used his nose to follow their trail."
Naruto sighed and shook his head. "We don't need them Shika. Yeah, it's disappointing, but we've got Neji, and if needed, one of my friends or I can transform and fly up high to scout ahead and see if we can spot them. But we've already wasted enough time; we need to get going."
Nodding in agreement, Shikamaru began to bark out orders to the team as the leader of this assigned mission. "Alright everyone, here's the plan. Neji, you're up front. We're going to need your eyes looking out for any sign of our enemies and any traps they may have laid for us. Choji and I will follow close behind as support units should we fall into an ambush, as I can quickly capture them with my shadow techniques and Choji can hit them hard right where it hurts."
Turning to Naruto's group, the young genius frowned in thought as he tried to figure out what to have them do. "Naruto, I'm placing you in charge of your group of friends. You know them best and Tsunade assigned you personally to this squad. That shows she has a great deal of trust in you and knows you can pull this off. But, I do have one request. Have one of your friends transform and scout around in search of our enemies. If (s)he finds them, they should return to us and inform us of their location and of anything else they may have seen."
Naruto gave Shikamaru a smile and nodded in understanding before turning to his friends. "Dart, you and Albert are up front with me. We're going to stick with Shikamaru and Choji. Rose-chan, you're the fastest of us, so I want you up in the sky looking for the bad guys. Hinata-chan, Shana-chan, and Hikari-chan, you take up the rear. You three will provide long range support as well as watching our backs in case our enemies manage to sneak up on us somehow. Haschel, I want you to stay near Neji and act as support for him in case they manage to make a sneak attack against him. Does everyone understand their roles?"
Everyone nodded in understanding before they all turned and began to make their way out of the village in search of their foes, each of them sticking to their assigned positions and tasks.
Later
It took some time, but they had managed to find their foes while they were resting in a small clearing in the woods to the north. This was to be expected however, as the Land of Sound, as it had been renamed, was in that direction. Or at least that's where it was supposed to be. The group wasn't entirely sure if that's where it remained, but if that's where their enemies were headed, then chances are that's where it still was.
Avoiding the traps, the group managed to reach their foes undetected, or so they thought. When they reached them, the enemies, known as the Sound Four, sprung their trap. The fat man with the mohawk on his head used an Earth Release technique to raise a dome around the group, trapping them within and beginning to drain the chakra of the ninja inside.
However, what the Sound Four did not expect was for the entire group to suddenly spring out from the woods around them and spring their own ambush on the four of them. Jirobo, distracted as he was with using his technique, couldn't react in time and was bisected in two diagonally by Dart's sword.
When Tayuya tried to leap away, she found that she couldn't. Looking down, she saw that her shadow was connected to another's by means of a single strand of darkness. If she could glance behind her, she'd see that Shikamaru had a hold of her and was therefore preventing her from escaping. Choji, taking full advantage of her immobility, swung his enlarged fist and smashed her into a nearby tree, causing her to scream out in immense pain upon impact.
After she fell to the ground, she gritted her teeth and struggled to try and get on her feet once again, but it felt as if her body was protesting the very actions she was making. "D-damn it. How? How did they ambush us like this?" she wondered aloud.
Kidomaru wasn't faring any better. Rose and Haschel had taken advantage of his shocked state and ganged up on him, forcing him on the defensive immediately. It hadn't taken long for Rose to sever one of his many arms while Haschel landed a powerful blow to his midsection, stunning him and sending him flying through three trees before finally impacting a final tree before he slumped to the ground and began hacking up globs of blood.
Unable to believe the power behind Haschel's punches, Kidomaru stared at the old man in horror and and his entire body began to shake. Whoever this old guy was, the spider-like man knew that if he fought him like this, he was going to die. If he wanted to stand any chance, he'd have to transform.
As for Sakon and Ukon, Naruto, Neji, and Shana had quickly put the two of them in a troublesome situation. Shana had unleashed an Addition she had cooked up that she called Double Arrow on the conjoined twins. The way this Addition worked is she took two arrows and held them side by side, quickly notching one and firing it before immediately notching the second one and firing it just slightly adjacent to the first arrow so they'd strike the same location, dealing double the damage to her enemy.
When both arrows struck Sakon through the chest, one of the arrows nicking his heart just slightly, she smiled triumphantly at a successful trial run for her first Addition. "Alright! Score one for me!" she exclaimed excitedly.
Naruto chuckled a bit as he flashed through hand seals and brought his hands up to his mouth before mentally saying, Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique! and unleashed a rather large fireball towards the wounded Sakon.
Wounded as he was, Sakon coughed up a bit of blood before leaping out of the way and collapsing to his knees, clutching at his chest in pain. Before he could do anything to try and help himself, Neji appeared before him and began to strike him with his Gentle Fist techniques, causing him to scream out in agony.
Ukon, furious that these Konoha ninjas were beating them so easily, activated his curse seal and, upon separating from his brother, lashed out at Neji, causing the young man to leap backwards out of the way to avoid the attack. When he looked back to check on his brother, he saw Sakon coughing up more blood before collapsing forward onto the ground, the arrows snapping under the pressure as the arrowheads were forced ever deeper into his body.
Rushing to him, Ukon rolled him over and began to shake him. "No! Wake up! Brother! Nooo!" he exclaimed in a panic. When Sakon didn't move, and when he saw that his chest was no longer rising and falling to signify that he was drawing in breath, Ukon turned to glare at Shana and clenched his fists angrily. "You! I'll murder you!" he exclaimed angrily before he rose to his feet and disappeared in a blur.
Before the enraged man could reach the wide-eyed brunette, Dart and Naruto both appeared at her side, the two of them easily fending off the enhanced Ukon. Looking into each other's eyes, they nodded at each other before they glared at Orochimaru's henchman. "You tried to harm Shana. You're a dead man." Dart said angrily.
"Agreed." Naruto said as he shoved Ukon back before drawing the Twister Glaive and taking his battle stance. "You're going to regret trying to hurt her."
Rose & Haschel
Meanwhile, Kidomaru had activated his curse mark and transformed into a grotesque monster as well. However, even then he was having a rough time of things. He thought if he could put enough distance between himself and his two foes that he'd have an easier time in the battle, but he hadn't expected for things to turn out like they did.
The woman, Rose, was far quicker than he was and had once again managed to sever one of his arms. The man though was the one that really scared him. Kidomaru was trying hard to avoid his attacks so he wouldn't receive another devastating blow like he had earlier, but it was growing increasingly more difficult as time went by, especially considering the fact that he was having to try and avoid Rose's attacks as well.
Eventually, Kidomaru slipped up and gave Haschel the opening he needed. Using his Flurry of Styx Addition, the mighty martial artist hit the spider man hard in the gut and caused him to let out a terrible scream before watching as he collapsed to the ground, convulsing in pain.
Rose, not willing to leave their opponent alive to continue the fight, appeared and stabbed her rapier through his brain, ending his life painfully. When it was over, she turned to Haschel and offered him a smirk. "That's three down. One appears to be crippled for the time being. That just leaves the other freak of nature and Sasuke to deal with." she said before returning with Haschel to check on the others.
Shikamaru & Choji
Shikamaru and Choji stood over Tayuya, who was now propped up against a tree, glaring up at them. "What do you shitheads want? You here to mock me for getting my ass kicked by a single fucking attack?" she asked angrily?
The Nara heir shook his head and released a sigh. "So troublesome." he muttered. "No. That's not why we're sparing you. We were hoping you'd be willing to come with us back to Konoha-Lohan. We need information on Orochimaru and we figured you could give it to us. I doubt he's the kindest person to work for. On top of that, I bet that once he finds out you failed to beat us, he'll kill you. You have no place in Oto anymore. Your best bet is to come with us back to Konoha-Lohan. Besides, you can't walk right now and I know for a fact that you can be healed if you come with us." he explained.
Frowning at this, the pink-haired woman's first instinct was to curse up a storm and deny his request. However, as she thought it all over, she came to the realization that he had a good point. She had failed Orochimaru and would most certainly be killed if she returned to him now. What made things worse is that he had taken her friend Kin from her, and that had caused her to start loathing the man. There was no reason to stay loyal to that bastard, so her decision was easy for her, especially if she'd be able to walk again. So, nodding her head in the affirmative, Tayuya spoke up. "Fine then. I'll come with you back to Konoha-Lohan. Just promise me that I'll be able to walk again. Got it asshole?"
Shikamaru sighed again and nodded once. "Sure thing. But could you please use my name? I'm Shikamaru. This is Choji. What's your name?"
Snarling, the pinkette pointed up at him and spoke in a harsh tone of voice. "None of your business Pineapple. Now shut up and leave me alone until we're ready to leave."
Releasing yet another deep sigh, the Nara heir closed his eyes and thought to himself, Women are so damn troublesome.
Naruto & Dart
Ukon was frustrated beyond belief. These two men were proving to be incredibly capable fighters, and one of them was just a teenage brat! Clenching his fists tightly enough to draw blood, the enraged Sound Four member screamed out in rage before holding up a single hand seal and shouting out, "Water Release: Gunshot!" before spitting out three large globs of water at Naruto.
Naruto's first instinct was to leap out of the way, but he knew Shana was behind him and likely wouldn't have enough time to get out of the way of the powerful blasts of water. So, deciding to do something a little risky, he performed three hand seals before shouting out, "Swift Wind Wall!"
Immediately after shouting this, a dome of wind erupted around himself and Shana that blocked Ukon's attack. When he lowered the dome, Ukon was practically right on top of him with his kunai poised to stab Naruto through the eye.
Eyes widening, Naruto prepared to move or block or anything to avoid losing an eye, but before he could, Dart appeared and cleaved off Ukon's arm at the shoulder, causing both the arm and kunai to drop to the ground harmlessly.
Collapsing to the ground on his knees, the Sound Four member let out an ear piercing scream from the pain he was feeling. After a moment, he began to curse up a storm before he took another kunai in hand and prepared to continue his attack, despite how wounded he was. So, with a sigh from both of them, Dart and Naruto thrusted their weapons forward. Dart's sword pierced Ukon's brain while Naruto's lance pierced his heart. Ukon's life had come to an abrupt end.
When they turned to the strange barrel-like contraption where they figured Sasuke currently resided in, they prepared to go and open it so they could retrieve Sasuke. However, what happened next caught everyone off guard.
An albino man leapt down from the trees and began firing his own bones at everyone, forcing them to all dodge out of the way, lest they suffer some severe wounds. When they looked to see where he went, they saw that the barrel had disappeared, most likely taken by the albino.
Snarling at this, Naruto clenched his fists and shook his head. "Oh no you don't. I'm not going to let you get away that easily teme." he said with a growl.
Shikamaru stepped forward and began to speak up. "Alright everyone, here's the deal. Choji, Hinata, and I will stay here to keep an eye on this woman. She has agreed to return with us to Konoha-Lohan in exchange for being healed. It is my hope that she can give us information on Orochimaru. So just in case anymore of Orochimaru's henchmen show up, we'll stay here to protect her. Naruto, I want you to lead the rest of the group after Sasuke and our mystery man and retrieve Sasuke. And just as Hokage-sama said...if Sasuke resists, you have permission to use lethal force if necessary."
Nodding in understanding, the fourteen year-old blonde turned and glared in the direction the albino had fled in. "Shana-chan...stay here and heal the girl. Get her walking again so that you guys can get back to Konoha-Lohan." he ordered.
Before the brunette could respond, Naruto continued with his orders. "Neji, use your Byakugan to follow that guy. We are not letting him escape." Seeing his friend nod and say "Yes." in response was enough for the blonde.
At this point, Naruto glanced around at the others. "Everyone else, follow Neji. I'm going to take to the skies and try to get ahead of the prick. Somebody has to stall him until the rest of us can catch up." Before anyone could protest, the Jade Dragoon held up his hand to silence them. "I know how risky this plan is, but I'm doing it. So you'd best hurry up and get going." he said before transforming and flying off, leaving his companions behind in the clearing.
Hikari sighed and shook her head as she folded her arms across her chest. "Damn it. Hurry up! I'm not letting my future husband die because we were too damn slow to give chase!" she exclaimed as she pointed at Neji. "Activate your magic eyes and lead the way Neji."
Rose growled and clenched her fists tightly at her side as she thought about what Naruto had just done. Damn it Naruto. Why do you insist on doing things like this?! I'm not going to let you do this on your own! She thought to herself in frustration. Transforming into her Dragoon form, she took off into the air after Naruto, refusing to let him take on that albino by himself.
Shana could feel her heart clenching as she worried for Naruto. She truly cared about him and couldn't stand it when he put himself in such danger. It was almost like he had a death wish, but she knew he didn't. She didn't know what to think! Still, she had her orders, so she walked to Tayuya and kneeled down to look her over. "Hmm, you can't stand up, can you?" she asked curiously.
Tayuya grumbled grumpily in response before watching as the majority of the group rushed off to follow Naruto and Rose. Turning back to the brunette, the pink-haired girl glared at her and shook her head. "No. No, I can't. I thought that would be obvious you dumb broad."
Blinking at the girl's attitude, Shana quickly shook it off before she went to work on healing her. Once she had finished, the White-Silver Dragoon helped her to stand before offering her a warm smile. "How do you feel now? Better?"
The now ex-Sound Four member tested it out by walking around slowly before nodding towards Shana. "Yeah, I feel great. How the hell'd you do that?"
"Magic." Shana answered simply. "I'm able to use healing magic. So healing you was really no problem at all."
Blinking in shock at the answer, Tayuya nodded slowly. "Huh. Magic. Didn't see that one coming. But I suppose anything's possible. After all, I didn't expect our two worlds to merge, and yet some little fuckwad pulled our worlds together, at least according to the snake pedo. That right there shouldn't have been possible, so that's definitely the most fucked up thing I've ever heard of happening in the two worlds."
Shana narrowed her eyes and glared at Tayuya angrily. "Don't call Naruto a...a 'fuckwad'!" she shouted, though the curse word was hard for her to say. "He's a great person and I...I really like him! I won't let you talk about him like that."
Shocked by the sudden outburst, the pinkette nodded a couple of times very slowly. "I'll...try to remember that. S-sorry." she replied. "I didn't realize he was your boyfriend. I didn't even realize that he was the one that linked the worlds together. Was he the blonde? Or was he someone else?"
Blushing deeply, Shana began to fidget and look away. When she caught Hinata's gaze, she quickly realized that she had yet to come clean with Hinata about her budding feelings for Naruto. Hinata was currently glaring at her and, before the Light Dragoon could say anything, the fourteen year-old Hyuga grabbed her hand and pulled her aside to speak with her.
Shikamaru, seeing as they hadn't answered Tayuya's question before walking off, decided to answer for them. "Yes, Naruto was the blonde. Just so you know. Sorry they didn't answer you, but Hinata's in love with him. Didn't think that girl liked him too." he said with a shrug.
"Huh. Seems like a pretty popular guy. So why do so many people fawn over that Uchiha prick when that Naruto guy seems so much nicer?" Tayuya questioned.
Choji frowned at this and shook his head. "We don't know. The girls back home are weird. Sasuke doesn't even give them the time of day. Naruto was always really nice to everyone, but they always treated him like crap. Well, not everyone, but enough of them." he explained. "Sasuke got all kinds of special treatment and was always everyone's favorite too. You'd think he'd show some kind of appreciation for it all, but…"
Tayuya sighed and shook her head. "Yeah...a little shit like that doesn't know how to be kind to anyone. Then again, he's an Uchiha. Most of them were entitled little shits anyways. To be perfectly honest with you, I hope that Naruto guy kills that self-entitled little prick. He rubbed me the wrong way." she admitted.
Chuckling a bit, Shikamaru nodded along and closed his eyes. "Kami knows he'd deserve it. Sasuke's a prick. He doesn't respect anyone. Knowing him, he'll try to kill Naruto for getting in his way, so Naruto's probably going to have to kill him. Ah well." he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders before he began to walk away. "Anyways, let's head back. We should get back to Konoha-Lohan."
Choji nodded and began to follow his friend with Tayuya following almost immediately. However, she looked over her shoulder at Hinata and Shana, who were in the middle of what appeared to be a heated discussion. "Umm...what about those two?" she questioned.
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "So troublesome. They'll catch up soon." was all he said as he just continued walking.
Hinata and Shana - Moments Earlier
After pulling Shana aside, Hinata glared into her eyes and poked her in the center of the chest. "Did you know that Naruto-kun told me he's got a crush on you?" she asked the brunette.
"He did? When? Why?" Shana asked in shock.
"It doesn't matter." Hinata said. "What matters to me is that you have no right to say you like him too when you're in love with Dart-san. Do you have any idea how much you're hurting Naruto-kun by leading him on the way you are?! He really, genuinely loves you and all you're doing is hurting him!" she yelled angrily.
The brunette Dragoon flinched and could feel tears stinging at her eyes as she listened to Hinata's words. Here was a friend of hers, tearing into her for having feelings for a man she was in love with. After taking a moment to gather her thoughts, Shana began to speak. "H-Hinata...I do love Dart. I love him very, very much. But…" sighing, she couldn't stop the tears that began to flow down her cheeks. "Dart only sees me as his little sister. Naruto on the other hand...he's just so sweet and gentle...he...he genuinely loves me. And I can't help but have feelings for him too. I just...don't know quite how deep my feelings for him go. I...I can't decide between the two of them. People keep giving me advice, but...I'm still so confused. I don't know what I want and I don't know what to do! I…"
A loud smack sound could be heard echoing throughout the clearing and the nearby forest, causing Shikamaru, Choji, and Tayuya to pause and turn around. Shana's head was turned to the side, a red handprint already forming on her face from where Hinata had just slapped her hard.
"Don't you dare start with that! You're acting like a selfish, spoiled brat and I will not tolerate it! You can't have it both ways and you can't keep stringing Naruto-kun along like this! You're going to have to choose Shana, and soon! But I swear to Kami that if you choose Naruto-kun and then you hurt him, I will end you!" Hinata vowed, clearly pissed the hell off.
Shana looked into Hinata's eyes for a little while, unsure of what she could say. When the Hyuga heiress began to walk off to join Shikamaru and the others, Shana buried her face in her hands and began to sob. I hate this! Damn my indecisiveness! Damnit Dart! If only you returned my feelings to begin with, I wouldn't be caught in this mess!
Naruto & Rose
When Rose caught up to Naruto, she glared at him for a moment before moving to fly alongside him as they began looking for any sign of the albino. "I'm mad at you." she said simply.
Sighing softly, Naruto nodded his head. "I figured as much. Sorry Rose-chan. I'm just...frustrated. That shit at the gate pissed me off, and then that asshole trying to attack Shana-chan, and now some asshole grabs Sasuke and tries to make off with him? It's all just so irritating. But the biggest thing that's really getting to me right now? Sasuke had EVERYTHING! He was fucking worshipped in that village! People loved him to death and they gave him everything. If he wanted more power to 'avenge his clan' by killing his brother, then they would have gladly given it to him. But he couldn't be patient. No, he wants to betray the village that loves him and go to a fucking traitor that promised him power in exchange for taking his body. It's hard to get any dumber than that." Naruto griped.
Rose frowned, finding herself unable to say anything to her beloved. When he suddenly froze and began to dive, she was startled out of her thoughts and looked down below to see the albino leap into a large, grassy plain. Narrowing her eyes, Rose dived down as well and unleashed a Dragoon Addition on the albino, forcing him to release the barrel and form a barrier from his bones in an effort to protect himself.
Naruto watched as his girlfriend's attack struck the bones, clipping off pieces of it, but not doing much damage. At least until the final few attacks when her rapier pierced through the bones and through the albino's left shoulder and then through his right side.
Not wanting to be outdone, Naruto summoned up his magic and unleashed a Wing Blaster spell, watching as the wind tore through their enemy's bones and lashed away at his skin, leaving gashes and smaller cuts all over his body while his bone shielding fell to the ground at his feet.
The albino glared at his opponents for a moment before he took a ready stance once again and took a deep breath to steady himself. Before he made an attack however, he decided to speak to his foes. "My name is Kimimaro Kaguya. Might I ask the name of my opponents?" he questioned respectfully.
Naruto looked at him curiously for a moment before taking hold of his lance and bowing his head in respect. "I am Naruto Uzumaki. My companion is Rose. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but…"
Rose frowned and shook her head as she pointed her rapier at their opponent. "You are our enemy and you are in our way. We're here to kill that little punk you have behind you. So if you don't want to die, you'll step out of our way now."
Kimimaro shook his head and glanced behind him at the barrel that housed Sasuke before looking back at his foes. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Lord Orochimaru has need of this boy. I have been sent to retrieve him and I will not fail my lord. Now prepare yourselves!" he shouted before he pulled out his spine and began to use it as a whip to attack the two Dragoons.
Before they could retaliate in any way, two things happened. One: the barrel burst open and Sasuke leapt out with his back turned to the three of them. Two: the remaining good guys arrived in the clearing, all of them ready to kick some butt as they joined Naruto and Rose.
Sasuke turned around and, upon seeing Naruto, smirked at him evilly. "Ah, hello again dobe. Happy to see me?"
Naruto sighed and, without warning, unleashed a second Wing Blaster spell on both of them, watching as Kimimaro threw up his arms in a feeble attempt to ward off what damage he could. Sasuke on the other hand screamed out in agony as the wind tore into him, causing a great deal of damage to his body.
When it was all over, Kimimaro stood there panting in pain, his bone whip destroyed and his arms a bloody mess. When he looked to Sasuke, he saw that he had gashes and cuts all over his body and he had blood running from a cut above his right eye down into his eye, forcing him to keep that eye closed.
When they looked at Naruto, they saw his transformation end and Kimimaro couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Sasuke, on the other hand, snarled and prepared to activate his Chidori and rush at him.
Before Sasuke could do anything stupid, the albino turned to him and shouted out, "Don't even think about it Uchiha! Run! Get to Orochimaru-sama! I'll hold them off for as long as I can!"
"Tch." the raven-haired Uchiha scoffed before he turned and began to dash off as fast as he could while trying to wipe the blood out of his eye.
Naruto, unwilling to let Sasuke get away, quickly tried to follow after him, but was forced to leap out of the way of a bunch of finger bullets. Turning to glare at Kimimaro, he was prepared to unleash another attack on him, but Hikari beat him to the punch by moving in with her katana and attacking him with one of her two Additions: Rising Dragon.
This Addition involved stabbing her opponent in the chest with a ki-enhanced blade before dragging her blade downwards in a curve. From that point, she'd drag her blade straight upwards, cleaving her opponent's torso and head in two.
Sadly, Kimimaro's bones proved to be too strong for her blade to penetrate, so all she managed to do was cut part way through his torso. "Tch. You're a tough one, aren't you?" she grumbled out before flipping backwards to avoid being stabbed by his bone sword.
While he was distracted, Naruto rushed off to follow Sasuke, unwilling to let the son-of-a-bitch escape. Dart and Rose both saw this happen and, upon looking at one another, they both nodded and quickly set off after him to help him if he needed it.
Kimimaro scowled as he watched them leave. He wanted to chase after them to keep them from reaching the Uchiha, but he had a group of enemies that would take advantage of his momentary distraction to end his life if he did. So he let them go and instead focused all of his attention on the foes in front of him.
Looking around at those before him, he thought about the kinds of foes he was seeing. A female ninja that seems to use a technique different from those of our world, meaning she's probably from the other world. An old man that has the look of a true warrior. A man that looks like he belongs in a royal court than on the battlefield. Finally, an obvious Hyuga. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I'm wounded and my disease is catching up with me fast. I hope I can take them down with me…
Neji looked Kimimaro over as he slipped into the Gentle Fist stance and prepared to fight. This man's bones were incredibly solid and provided him an incredible defense, but if he could just close off his tenketsu, then he hoped it would help the group in putting this monster down. So, slowly moving in closer, the Hyuga prodigy tried to gauge his opponent carefully to see what he would do next.
When the albino dashed towards the prodigy and swung his bone sword in an attempt to cleave him in two, Neji prepared to move, only for Albert to appear in a blur and knock the sword off target with his lance. Quickly taking advantage of this, Neji struck a number of tenketsu on Kimimaro's left arm, closing them and rendering that arm immobile. Before he could do the same to the other arm, the two of them were forced to leap away as the albino's tibia bones shot out of his legs in an attempt to strike them.
Before Kimimaro could make another move, Haschel appeared in front of him and thrust his fist into the center of his chest, cracking his sternum and causing him to hack up a glob of blood from the force of the blow. When the albino attempted to put some distance between them, Haschel moved in close once again and performed a spin kick, hitting him in the side and pulverizing his ribs, causing pieces of bone to lodge themselves in Kimimaro's left lung.
As Kimimaro stumbled back and began to hack up blood onto the ground, he was unable to defend himself when Albert moved in and unleashed his Gust of Wind Dance Addition, dealing quite a bit of damage to the heavily wounded Oto ninja. At the end of his attack, the king of Basil thrust his lance through Kimimaro's throat and left it there for a few brief moments before pulling it free and propping it up at his side.
The group of four watched on as the ninja they had been fighting fell to the ground, clutching at his throat as he gasped for breath and fought to stop from bleeding out. Kimimaro gagged and choked on his own blood as he attempted to speak, but no words would come out. All-in-all, it was a painful, horrifying death and it was very unpleasant to watch, but watch it they did.
When it was all over, the four of them decided that it was time to make their way back to Konoha-Lohan where they would wait patiently for Naruto, Dart, and Rose to return with good news.
Naruto
When Naruto caught up to Sasuke at the Valley of the End, he saw the Uchiha standing atop the statue of Madara Uchiha with a cocky smirk on his face, just waiting for him to show up. Releasing an exasperated sigh at this, the blonde looked at the fool in disbelief. "Seriously? You had a chance to escape to Orochimaru and you instead choose to stop and wait for me? Are you really that stupid?" When his own question registered in his brain, Naruto facepalmed and shook his head at his own stupidity. "No, never mind. Of course you are. You're a damn idiot."
Growling at this, Sasuke quickly activated his Chidori and rushed towards Naruto. Before he could land his blow, however, Naruto slipped past Sasuke and snapped his wrist. Immediately afterwards, he formed a Rasengan and slammed it into Sasuke's stomach, sending him flying into the face of the Madara statue.
When Sasuke peeled himself out of the statue, he coughed up a few specks of blood before shooting a nasty glare at his rival. "D-damn you dobe. You are nothing compared to me! I'm an elite! I'm an Uchiha! You are nothing but a pathetic, worthless dobe! You don't matter! Why are you trying to stop me from gaining the power I need to kill Itachi?!"
Naruto smirked and shook his head again. "You really are an idiot. You could have easily gained the power back in Konoha, but noooo. You were impatient. You just needed to train hard and study under the right people. But nope. Instead you choose the shortcut to power: the curse seal. You chose to go to the pedo snake that wants you for your body. Yuck by the way, that's just plain creepy." the blonde said before shivering in disgust at that mental image. "Yeah, you may get stronger, but once you're as strong as he needs you to be, he's going to take over your body. You won't get to have your revenge. So yeah, you're an idiot Sasgay."
When Sasuke looked about ready to blow his top, Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. Why am I trying to stop you? I was never trying to stop you from getting stronger Sasuke. I was never trying to get in your way. It was all in your head. You and your damned inferiority and superiority complexes are such a problem. You needed some serious therapy, but you never fucking got it. So…why am I trying to stop you now? Because you're a traitor now Sasuke. You've betrayed the village of Konohagakure. And you've tried to use lethal force against me now not just once, but twice. Do you know what that means?"
The Uchiha scoffed and shook his head. "What? That you're afraid? That you want to run away with your tail between your legs like the coward you are? After all, it's not like you can beat me. I am your superior in everything dobe."
Sighing, Naruto shook his head and took hold of his lance, clenching it tightly. "No Sasuke. It means that I can respond with lethal force. I don't need to hold back on you. I'm going to kill you and nobody is here to stop me from doing so." he explained before he disappeared from where he was standing and reappeared in front of Sasuke, his lance mere inches from Sasuke's chest.
Sasuke, eyes widening, barely managed to use the Replacement Technique in time to escape from what would have been a lethal strike through the heart. Quickly activating his Sharingan, the Uchiha prepared to fight his opponent, only to see him appear in front of him faster than his Sharingan could follow and unleash an attack that he could barely follow.
Naruto frowned as Sasuke narrowly avoided his Rod Typhoon Addition and growled. I really hate the fucking Sharingan. He thought to himself angrily. Forming a Rasengan in his free hand, he thrust his lance forward in an attempt to pierce Sasuke's throat, forcing the Uchiha to dodge to the side. When Sasuke looked back at Naruto, he received a Rasengan to the face, causing him to scream out in agony while he went flying into a boulder on the other side of the lake.
Groaning, Sasuke pushed himself out of the indent he made in the boulder and began to cough up some more blood. Wobbling a bit, he looked at his opponent and realized that he'd have to get serious if he wanted to win this fight. "Fine dobe. You asked for it." he said as he activated the curse seal level 2 and transformed into a rather grotesque form with hands for wings and a darkened skin tone. "Now that I've transformed, you don't stand a chance!"
Dart & Rose
Dart and Rose were rather pissed off right now. On their way to the Valley of the End to help their dear friend, they were stopped by one Kakashi Hatake. Looking at him, they could tell immediately that he wasn't their friend in this instance. No, he was an enemy, and they were going to have to deal with him if they wanted to reach Naruto in time to help him deal with Sasuke. Damnit. Naruto, please be safe. Rose thought worriedly.
"You two aren't needed here anymore. Leave Naruto and Sasuke to me and return to the village now." Kakashi commanded. "I assure you they'll be safest in my hands."
Dart could practically see the malice rolling off of this man. So, drawing his sword, he held it before him and prepared for combat. "Sorry, but I refuse to do that. You see, I just don't trust you. Naruto's our friend and I feel it's my duty to back him up. You understand, right?"
Rose watched as Kakashi's one visible eye twitched at that and his hand slowly began reaching for a weapon. Drawing her rapier, she pointed it at him and snarled out, "I can sense your ill intent. Your goal isn't to help Naruto, but to kill him! Well, as Naruto's lover, I refuse to let a scumbag like you get anywhere near him! So prepare yourself, because we're about to end you!"
Kakashi quickly raised his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye, and withdrew a handful of kunai, throwing each of them towards the two Dragoons. When they deflected them, he wasn't shocked. No, instead he had already flashed through a series of hand seals and called out, "Fire Release: Flame Bullet!" and began shooting out a bunch of large fireballs at the duo.
Dart and Rose cursed under their breath at this attack. Rose, still in her Dragoon transformation, and Dart, who decided to transform just now, flew into the air to avoid the flame bullets.
As they flew around to avoid the attack, they began to discuss strategy. "Rose, I think one of us is going to have to distract this guy somehow. If I do it, think you can take him out?" Dart questioned.
Rose smirked at her friend and nodded her head. "Of course I can. But, are you sure you can keep his focus on you long enough for me to slip behind him and finish him off?"
Smiling at her, Dart nodded his head before he looked down at the ant below them. "Definitely. Just watch me Rose." he said determinedly before he summoned up his magic and called out, "Final Burst!" before shooting towards Kakashi at high speed.
Kakashi, seeing this attack coming a mile away, quickly leapt out of the way and avoided the brunt of the attack, but he still felt the immense heat of the attack and screamed out as the flames licked at his bare skin. Patting himself down to put the fire out, he turned to glare at the flying man and his companion. "You'll pay for that." he said.
After a moment, he noticed that Rose wasn't there. Dart was in front of him, but Rose had disappeared. Getting a bad feeling, Kakashi quickly activated his Earth Release: Hiding Like a Mole Technique to escape underground. However, before he could fully submerge himself, Rose pierced him through the chest, just narrowly missing his heart.
As Kakashi vanished underground, Rose landed on the ground as she reverted back to normal, unable to hold her transformation for any longer. Dart, meanwhile, cursed under his breath. "Damn that slippery bastard." the red-clad Dragoon growled out as he flew down and hovered next to Rose. "Where do you think he slinked off to?"
Rose frowned and shook her head. "I don't-" she started, only to suddenly pause as realization struck her. "Naruto! He's going after Naruto! Come Dart, we need to hurry!" she exclaimed as she took off running towards the Valley of the End with Dart flying as fast as he could in the same direction. That rotten bastard! I'll fucking kill him if he hurts my Naruto!
Naruto vs. Sasuke
Naruto cursed under his breath as he avoided yet another giant fireball from his opponent. Fucking hell! If only I could transform! I still haven't built up enough Spirit to do so yet though! He thought to himself in frustration.
Sasuke smirked as he watched Naruto jump and flip around to dodge all of his attacks. As soon as he avoided the last one, the transformed Uchiha began to laugh maniacally. When he finally calmed down, he spoke up in a demonic voice. "Now do you see dobe? I am your superior! You should be on your knees begging me to spare your pathetic life! You never stood a chance against me!"
Glaring up at his airborne opponent, Naruto grumbled again and said, "Okay, enough is enough. I'm grounding you, you son-of-a-bitch. It's time to clip those wings."
Performing the hand seal for his favorite technique, Naruto called out, "Shadow Clone Technique!" and summoned forth five Shadow Clones. Afterwards, they each pulled out a single smoke bomb and threw them down at their feet to shroud themselves in smoke, blocking them from Sasuke's view.
Sasuke, unsure about what the hell Naruto's plan was, was caught by surprise when he felt something latch onto his right wing from behind him. Feeling a sharp tug, he looked over his shoulder to see a kunai with chain attached wrapped tightly around his wing. Struggling against this blasted contraption, he was caught unawares again when something sharp pierced through his left wing and tore right through it, causing him to scream out in sheer agony. It didn't help matters any when that wing was torn off completely just seconds later.
As the one-winged Sasuke plummeted to the ground, he could hear Naruto's voice echoing all around him. "Poor wittle Sasuke. Does he have a boo-boo? Here, let's make it all better." The next thing Sasuke knew was agonizing pain as he felt a superheated kunai slice open his side before another blade sliced through his insides. When Naruto's voice shouted out, "Searing Slash!" immediately afterwards, he couldn't help but groan at the stupid name. At least he thought it was stupid.
Naruto kicked Sasuke in his fresh, new wound and rolled him over onto his back so he could stare up at him. Looking down into the traitor's eyes, Naruto smirked at him and pointed his two kunai down at him, one imbued with fire chakra and the other imbued with wind chakra. "How's it feel to be so damn weak, Sasuke? I bet it's an agonizing feeling. Mmm. It feels good to be standing over you as the victor of this little fight. Now, are you going to return to the village with me peacefully, or am I going to have to kill you and drag your corpse back with me? It's your choice teme."
Before either of them could say another word, they heard what sounded like an entire flock of chirping birds coming from behind the blonde Uzumaki. Turning to look behind him, Naruto was shocked to see Kakashi rushing him with a Chidori in hand. Shit! He's too damn close! What the hell do I do?! He thought in a panic.
Thankfully, Rose and Dart showed up just in the nick of time and impaled Kakashi with their swords. Rose's rapier was impaled right through Kakashi's head while Dart's was impaled through his heart. When they withdrew their weapons, the jonin sensei of Team 7 dropped to the ground, his life force fading away practically instantly.
Sadly, when Naruto turned back around to face Sasuke, he received a Chidori straight through the chest, tearing a hole straight through his body and damaging his heart in the process. When the traitor withdrew his fist, Naruto coughed up a large glob of blood onto the ground and stumbled forward a few steps.
Glaring at Sasuke, Naruto raised his lance and, with the last of his strength, stabbed Sasuke straight through the heart. Keeping his eyes on the 'last' Uchiha, he waited until the last bit of light left the bastard's eyes before he finally collapsed to the ground and fell unconscious.
Dart could only stare, frozen in abject horror at what had just befallen his dear friend. Rose, on the other hand, immediately rushed to Naruto's side and rolled him over, holding him close and sobbing as she looked him over. "No! No no no! Naruto! Don't you leave me! Not like this!" she pleaded.
After a moment, Rose calmed herself just enough to look at Dart, who was still in his Dragoon armor, and called him over. "Dart! You can fly! Take Naruto to Konoha-Lohan as fast as you can! Get Shana and Tsunade to heal him as quickly as you can! I'll drag these two traitors back and meet you at the hospital when I get there. I don't like it, but somebody has to drag their carcasses back to the village." she said angrily.
The red-clad warrior nodded and took Naruto from Rose's arms and immediately took to the sky, leaving Rose with the bodies of Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha. Glaring down at them, Rose made a silent vow to herself that if her beloved died, she would follow Sasuke down to Hell and make him suffer a fate worse than anything Hell could throw at him.
Konoha-Lohan - North Gate
A short while later, Dart touched down just outside the North Gate of Konoha-Lohan right as his transformation ended. Rushing forward, he looked around for Shana and saw her waiting with the rest of their group. "Shana! Hurry! Follow me to the hospital! Naruto's hurt bad! We need to get him to the hospital right away! The rest of you, either follow me or get Tsunade!" he shouted before he rushed past them towards the hospital.
Everyone's eyes widened considerably as they stared after Dart and, more importantly, the young man in his arms. Tears springing to her eyes, Hinata cried out, "Naruto...Narutooooo!" before rushing off to get Tsunade. She wouldn't let her beloved Naruto-kun die if she had anything to say about it.
Shana had tears streaming down her face as she rushed off after Dart. This was the second time she had seen Naruto in such bad shape and she was really starting to hate it. Wiping at her eyes, she hurried towards the hospital, determined to save his life again, no matter what it took.
Neji, Shikamaru, and Choji were astonished. Naruto was one of the strongest people they knew, and yet they had just witnessed him be carried by in critical condition with a hole through his chest. How the hell was someone supposed to survive something like that?! After taking a moment to think, they rushed off to the hospital to be there for their friend, hoping he would somehow survive this.
Hikari clenched her fists in anger tight enough to draw blood. If the person that hurt her beloved wasn't dead, they soon would be! After a moment, she took off after Hinata to go and fetch Tsunade. They really needed her help if they wanted to save Naruto.
Haschel and Albert quickly took off towards the hospital so they could be there to support their friends and pray for Naruto's recovery. He was one of them and he just had to make it through this! If he died...if he died, they just didn't know what they would do!
You may be wondering where Tayuya was in all this. Shikamaru and Choji had already delivered her to Tsunade upon returning to the village earlier and from there she was no longer their problem.
Hospital - A short time later
When Tsunade arrived at the hospital, she hurried up to Dart and asked, "What the hell happened?!"
Dart shook his head and pointed at the room the surgery was taking place in. "No time for that. Please hurry inside and help Shana with the healing process! She can't do this on her own, no matter how powerful her magic is!" he pleaded.
Nodding in understanding, Tsunade looked him hard in the eyes and said, "You'd better tell me what the hell happened after Naruto's life has been saved. I want to know everything." before she entered the room and proceeded to Naruto's side.
Outside of the operating room, Hikari could be seen pacing around nervously, unable to sit still. Hinata, on the other hand, was seated in a chair with her head in her hands, sobbing quietly. "Damnit. If that damned Uchiha did this to him, I'll tear him apart piece by fucking piece. He won't get away with this." Hikari growled out.
Dart, who was leaning against a wall, sighed and shook his head as he closed his eyes. "Sasuke did this to him, but Naruto managed to end his life right before he lost consciousness. Rose is dragging his corpse back to the village as we speak. So I'm sorry, but you won't be able to take your revenge out on him Hikari."
Sighing at this, Hikari stopped pacing and took a seat next to Hinata. "Damn. So what am I supposed to do then? Just sit here and wait while my darling Naruto could be in there dying?! I...I…" Tears began to stream down Hikari's face at this point and she began furiously trying to wipe them away. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose him. I can't stand this waiting! I just...I just...I need him to be okay!"
As Hikari buried her face into her hands and sobbed, Hinata looked at Hikari and slowly wrapped her arms around her, hugging her close and stroking her hair. "I...I know exactly how you feel Hikari-san. I feel the same way. Naruto-kun's my whole world. If he dies...a large part of me will die with him. It's my dream to marry him and give birth to his children someday." she admitted softly with a small smile on her face. "I...can't do that if he's dead, you know?"
Albert watched as the two young women held each other and continued to sob quietly. Releasing a quiet sigh, he turned to look at the doors of the operating room before glancing up at the light above the door for a brief moment. "I don't want to lose another friend." he said. "Especially not so soon after losing Lavitz the way I did."
Dart nodded slowly and opened one of his eyes. "I know what you mean Albert. Lavitz's death still weighs heavily on all of our souls. If we lose Naruto too, it will crush us all. So, let us have faith that he will make it. Let us believe in our friend and his will to stay alive." the mercenary said passionately.
Everyone nodded in agreement with that statement and they each began to pray silently for their dear friend to survive through this ordeal. Little did they know that even if he survived this ordeal, another one laid right around the corner…
North Gate - Rose
As Rose passed through the North Gate, she didn't expect to be stopped by a group of ANBU and a couple of elderly people. Glaring at them, she demanded, "What do you want? I need to see Tsunade and get to the hospital immediately. If you don't get the hell out of my way immediately, I will use force."
One of the elders, a man by the name of Homura, waved his hand towards Rose and commanded, "Detain her and gather the bodies of Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha immediately. She and her boyfriend, that little demon, will be tried and executed for their crimes against loyal Konoha ninja. Now take her away."
Furious, Rose drew her rapier and began cutting down all the ANBU before turning her attention on the Elders. When they turned to face her with wide eyes, she spoke up with a cold tone. "Did you really think I wouldn't fight back? Tsunade wouldn't approve of the actions you're taking here. You're acting without her approval. I wonder what she'll have to say about this? Perhaps you'd like to come with me and tell her about this yourselves?" she questioned all too sweetly.
Sweating profusely, the two elders tried to flee, only to scream out in fright as Rose dashed in front of them and stabbed her rapier into Koharu's shoulder, causing her to let out another scream, though this one was a scream of pain. "Please don't try to run away. You two are coming with me to explain yourselves to Tsunade. If you try to run again, you won't live to regret it."
With that said, Rose sheathed her rapier and grabbed Kakashi and Sasuke's legs again before continuing to drag them along. "We're going to the hospital. My lover is there, so that is where Tsunade will be. Try to take me anywhere else and I'll start removing limbs." she threatened angrily. Needless to say, the Elders were regretting ever pissing this woman off.
Hospital - A short time later
Right as Rose walked up to the group with the Elders still in front of her, the light above the operating room went off and Tsunade stepped out. When she spotted the Elders, she scowled and was about to say something, but she stopped when she spotted the bodies of Kakashi Hatake and Sasuke Uchiha behind Rose. Sighing, she asked, "What is this all about? Will somebody please tell me what the hell happened?"
Rose scowled and glared back at Sasuke's body. "Dart and I were hurrying after Naruto to help him in his battle with Sasuke when we were stopped by this man, Kakashi I think his name is?" she questioned unsurely. Seeing Tsunade nod, Rose nodded in turn before continuing on. "He did not have good intentions. Kakashi was out to kill Naruto, so Dart and I fought him to try and keep him from reaching Naruto. The coward managed to escape us though and hurried after Naruto."
Dart sighed and shook his head. "We hurried after him and caught up just in time to see Kakashi attempting to kill Naruto with the Chidori, the same move we saw Sasuke use in the Chunin Exams. Rose and I killed Kakashi to save Naruto, but as soon as Naruto turned around to deal with Sasuke…"
Rose growled and glared back at Sasuke's body. "Sasuke rammed a Chidori straight through Naruto's chest in an attempt to kill him. Before Naruto succumbed to his wound, he put an end to Sasuke's life."
The Godaime Hokage nodded in understanding at this and glared at the two dead bodies. "They deserved what they got then. Good riddance." she growled out before turning to face the two Elders. "And what are these two doing here?"
Rose snarled at this point and glared at the backs of their heads. "As soon as I walked through the north gate, these two and a squad of ANBU surrounded me. They tried to take the bodies of these two and attempted to arrest me as well. They said that Naruto and I would stand trial for the murder of two 'loyal' Konoha ninjas. Somehow, I don't think you approved of such actions."
Tsunade glared at the two Elders and hit them with an enormous blast of Killing Intent, forcing them to their knees as they gasped for breath. When she finally let up, they were drenched with sweat and they were on the verge of passing out. "How DARE you? My godson is laying in a hospital bed, barely clinging to life, and you want to charge him with murder?! I gave him the order to kill the Uchiha brat if he wasn't given any other choice! Besides, you do not command the ANBU. But obviously some of them appear to be more loyal to you than to me. It looks like I'm going to need to fix that. As for you two, you're under arrest for treason. I hope you enjoy spending the rest of your miserable lives rotting in prison, because that's where you're going to stay." she said angrily before snapping her fingers.
When a group of ANBU appeared, the Elders looked at them pleadingly and begged them to have mercy on them, but they wouldn't listen. Instead, they took them away, leaving Tsunade with the heroes so they could discuss Naruto and if he would survive or not.
Hikari looked at the busty Godaime Hokage and decided to be the one to ask the all-important question. "Hokage, will Naruto be alright? W-when will he wake up?" she asked somewhat hesitantly.
Tsunade frowned and shook her head. "Shana and I did everything we could," she began, causing the group to gain saddened expressions as they feared the worst, "but there was really only so much we could do. We managed to seal the wound, but there was...was…" At this point, Tsunade began to shake and ended up hugging herself as tears began to stream down her face. "There was damage...to his heart. I'm amazed he's still alive. His own healing factor combined with the Kyuubi are somehow keeping him alive, and they seem to be repairing his heart, even regenerating it somehow, but...it could take a while. Right now we're keeping him in a medically induced coma until the damage has been repaired. Once he's recovered, we'll wake him up and run some tests to see how he's feeling. I know you all have a really important journey ahead of you, and I'm really sorry that this will set you back for a while, but there's nothing more we can do. I hope you can wait until he's better."
Dart smiled and nodded his head in the affirmative before he spoke up. "We can wait as long as we need to. Yes, our journey is important, but our friend is more important than chasing after Lloyd. In the meantime however, you might want to look into dealing with the problems in your internal government system. I highly doubt those two Elders were the only problem." he suggested.
The Godaime Hokage sighed and nodded her head as she ran her fingers through her hair to smooth it back. "Believe me, I know that better than you might think. Between the civilians and Danzo, I've got my work cut out for me. But I'll get it taken care of, for Naruto's sake if nothing else." she promised.
Rose nodded in acceptance of that before she looked at the operation room doors and frowned. "Why hasn't Shana come out yet? What's she doing in there?" she questioned somewhat suspiciously.
Tsunade frowned at this and shook her head. "She said she wanted to be alone with him. I don't know what for. If you want to talk to her, feel free to go in and check on her." the Godaime said.
Rose nodded and was about to enter the room, but was shocked when Hinata stepped up beside her and looked up into her eyes. Nodding at each other, they both entered the room and were shocked to see Shana with her lips pressed against Naruto's.
Stomping over to her, Rose poked Shana in the chest and glared at her. "What the heck do you think you're doing Shana? Why are you kissing my boyfriend? I thought you were in love with Dart?"
Hinata clenched her fists tight and glared fiercely at Shana, not liking this one bit. She had a feeling that Shana was only behaving like this because her emotions were currently a clouded, jumbled mess since Naruto nearly died. If she was thinking clearly, she wouldn't have done this. But she wasn't thinking clearly! Hinata was pissed.
Shana looked hard into Rose's eyes and gently pushed her off of her. "I love them both. But...Dart doesn't return my feelings. Naruto does. And...Naruto's nearly died in front of me twice now. Both times...it's nearly destroyed me inside. My heart twists into an incredibly painful knot and all I can think about is how horrible my life would be without him in it. When I got to thinking about it...I realized that I'm just as much in love with Naruto as I am with Dart. And...I couldn't help myself. I kissed him. I want him to wake up. I want him to know how I feel. I want…"
Rose reached up and slapped Shana on the cheek and shook her head. "Just listen to yourself! You want the best of both worlds Shana. Naruto doesn't need to be your second choice just because things didn't work out with Dart. You're still going on and on about Dart and your feelings for him, and that's only going to hurt Naruto in the long run. I refuse to allow that! If you want to be with Naruto, you have to mean it. Sincerely and truthfully Shana. Sincerely and truthfully. If you can't commit to him, then I want you to focus strictly on Dart and forget about Naruto. Do you understand me?"
The brunette archer frowned at this and could feel tears stinging at her eyes. Without a word, she rushed out of the operating room and fled down the hall and out of sight, much to the confusion of Dart and the others.
Left alone with Rose, Hinata looked at her and shrugged her shoulders. "Do you think that maybe we've been a little too hard on her Rose-san?" she wondered aloud.
The Darkness Dragoon shook her head and released a heavy sigh. "No. Not at all Hinata. Some tough love is what she needs right now. And personally, I'd rather she stick with Dart than go after Naruto. I just get the feeling that if she ends up in a relationship with my Naruto...that she'll end up hurting him terribly to the point he may break inside. I don't want that anymore than you do."
The Hyuga heiress nodded in agreement. "I know exactly what you mean. Shana-san's not a bad person by any means, but I just don't trust her with Naruto-kun. Seeing her kissing him like that just...it felt so wrong. Unless she can get over Dart-san...I think that the very moment he finally shows an interest in her, she'll practically throw herself into his arms and forget all about Naruto-kun. It would break his heart."
Rose nodded in agreement and shot a glare towards the doors. "Agreed. Dart may think of her as his sister right now, but there's nothing that says he won't want more somewhere down the line. With how much Shana fawns over him…" Shaking her head, the black-haired woman released a sigh and looked Hinata in the eyes. "Well, you've already said it best. I don't need to say it again, now do I?" she asked with a smile.
Smiling at each other, the duo stayed with Naruto for a while, just watching him sleep and wishing the best for him while holding a conversation with one another about whatever came to mind.
Waiting Room
Dart couldn't help but frown as he looked in the direction Shana had run off in. Pushing off of the wall, he began to follow her, but he was soon stopped by Hikari's voice. "Are you sure you want to follow her? What if she wants to be left alone right now?"
The Red-Eyed Dragoon shook his head and clenched his fist at his side. "She's like a sister to me Hikari. If she's upset, I need to find out why. Whatever's troubling her, maybe I can help her through it."
Hearing this caused Haschel to let out a sigh and shake his head. Dart, if you go saying things like that to her now, you're only going to hurt her more. He thought to himself in silence as he watched his young friend walk off down the hallway in search of Shana.
Tsunade, meanwhile, looked at everyone and sighed. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I need to go call a council meeting and discuss the outcome of the retrieval mission. And I need to figure out what to do about the bodies of Sasuke and Kakashi, namely their Sharingan eyes." she said.
Choji piped up at this point and looked towards the doors of the operating room. "Why not transplant Sasuke's eyes into Naruto? If you ask me, he'd make the best use of them. He's a pretty cool guy and wouldn't abuse them or anything like that." he suggested before looking into the Hokage's eyes.
Looking at Choji, the busty blonde thought it over for a moment before she eventually nodded in agreement with the idea. "I like it. I don't know if he'd approve of it or not, but I think it would be best to do the transplant as soon as possible, which means it will have to be done while he's in the coma. So, sadly, I can't get his permission first. But at least this way I can do it without the council trying to fight me on this decision." she said with a shrug.
Shikamaru sighed and looked at Kakashi. "As for Kakashi's eye...I'm not sure what to tell you Hokage-sama. I can't think of anyone in the village that's truly worthy of such a gift. My best recommendation is to simply seal it away or destroy it."
Tsunade sighed as well, but nodded her head in agreement. "For now, I'll just seal it away until I can find someone worthy of it." she said. "Now, since we're already here, and Sasuke's body is readily available, I'm going to go ahead and perform the transplant. Can one of you go and fetch Shizune for me please?"
Neji nodded and hurried off to find the Hokage's assistant while Tsunade carried Sasuke's body into the operating room where she saw Rose and Hinata holding Naruto's hands. Looking at them, the tall blonde smiled softly and spoke up. "Sorry to disturb you ladies, but I need you two to vacate the room. I'm about to perform a delicate operation and I can't have you in here. I do apologize."
The two women blinked in confusion for a moment before they both nodded and left the room so Tsunade could get to work. Shortly after they left the room, Shizune hurried inside to help her master get to work.
Dart & Shana
When Dart found Shana, she was in the hospital garden, sitting on a bench all by her lonesome. Offering her a small smile, he sat down beside her and reached over to pat her hand. "Shana, what's wrong? You know you can talk to me about anything." he said.
Looking into Dart's eyes, Shana shook her head and lowered her gaze once again. "It's nothing Dart. I'm just worried about Naruto is all. I hate seeing him like this."
Frowning at this, Dart could tell that something else was clearly troubling his friend and gave her hand a squeeze. "Shana, I can tell when you're lying to me. What's really troubling you?"
Sighing, the brunette looked into Dart's eyes again and spoke up. "It's really nothing Dart. Can't you just leave it alone? I don't want to talk about it."
Sighing, Dart decided to try just one more time to get a straight answer out of his sister figure. "Shana, you're like a sister to me. Why can't you just trust in me? Maybe talking it out will help?"
At this point, something inside Shana just snapped and she turned a harsh glare onto Dart. Without warning, she began to yell at him. "Damnit Dart, I told you to leave me alone! Maybe you're part of the problem! Did you ever think of that?! It doesn't help that Rose and Hinata both slapped me because...because...ugh! You know what? It doesn't matter! Maybe I'm just not meant to be happy! I'm just an emotional wreck right now and I want to be left alone! Sometimes you can be such an idiot Dart!"
With all of that being said, the Light Dragoon stood up and stormed off to find someplace where she would cool down and be alone, away from everyone else.
Dart, meanwhile, was left a shocked and confused man. What the hell did I do? How did I screw up?
A couple hours later
After the operation, Naruto had been moved to a hospital room reserved just for him where he would be protected around the clock by a group of ANBU specially selected by Tsunade herself. The Godaime Hokage knew that as soon as news got out that Naruto had killed Sasuke that a great many of the villagers of Konoha-Lohan would be out for his blood without giving two shits that he was currently in a coma.
While Hikari, Hinata, and Rose were sitting in the room watching over him, Shana was taking a walk through the village, trying to cool down and think things through with a clear head. However, soon enough, the girls heard a commotion outside the room and got up to see what was going on.
Upon opening the door, they spotted Sakura and Ino struggling with a couple of ANBU outside the room. "Let us go! We just want to see Naruto!" Sakura shouted angrily.
Ino glared up at the ANBU that was restraining her and yelled at him, "Yeah! We have to make that punk pay for taking away our Sasuke-kun!"
Hearing this immediately pissed the three women off enough that they stepped out of the room and started approaching the two Sasuke fangirls. Once they were close enough, Sakura and Ino spotted them and began to speak. "Oh look, it's Naruto's little hussies. What the hell do you three want? Here to protect him? You should get out of our way before we beat your asses and make you cry!" Sakura shouted cockily.
Before either of them could say anything more, Hinata reared back her fist and swung it forward with all her might, slamming it hard into Sakura's face and sending her flying backwards until she hit the floor hard.
Meanwhile, Hikari looked at Ino and smirked devilishly at her before punching her hard in the stomach, lifting her body off the ground with her fist buried in her gut. Afterwards, she threw the blonde girl down the hallway to land beside her pink-haired friend. "If you two don't want to end up crippled or dead, you'll leave. NOW!" she shouted out.
Ino struggled to her feet first and glared at the three women fiercely, but when a wave of KI hit her, she quickly turned and fled down the stairs and out of the hospital building. Sakura, on the other hand, rose to her feet and charged towards Rose with a kunai drawn and positioned in front of her.
Rose sighed and prepared to end Sakura's pathetic life, but before she could, an ANBU agent stepped in and disarmed Sakura before knocking her out. Turning to Rose, he apologized to her for interfering before vanishing with Sakura to speak to Tsunade about what had just transpired.
"Tch. If he hadn't interfered, I would've killed that bitch." Rose said grumpily.
"I kind of wish you had. I'm tired of her always berating Naruto and hitting him for the stupidest reasons." Hinata said. "Kami knows she deserves to suffer for what she's put him through."
Hikari simply nodded along before the three of them walked back into Naruto's hospital room and retook their seats, simply wanting to be near him.
Council Chambers
"Alright, as you've all heard by now, Sasuke Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake have been killed." Tsunade began, causing a bit of an uproar amongst the council. After a moment of this, she pounded her fist on the table and shouted at them to be quiet. "Now that everyone is silent, allow me to continue. Ahem." she coughed into her fist and continued to speak. "I gave the order to Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki that they were to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha by any means necessary and permitted them to use lethal force if necessary. You understand what this means, I assume?"
When nobody said anything, Tsunade smirked and nodded her head. "Good, glad to see we're all on the same page." she said. "Anyways, the teams I sent out defeated Orochimaru's henchmen before two members of Naruto's team were approached by Kakashi Hatake, who, as some of you may already know, considered Naruto to be the Kyuubi itself and blamed him for the Yondaime's death. Kakashi was out to kill Naruto Uzumaki today and would have done so had Dart and Rose not interfered and killed Kakashi first." she explained.
Mebuki Haruno, one of the civilian council members, spoke up at this point. "That's absurd! There's no proof that he did such a thing! They're just lying to you to make themselves look good! I demand that they be put to death for their crime! They murdered a loyal Konoha ninja and should be punished accordingly for it! Besides, he would have been doing the village a favor by killing that thing!"
Glaring harshly at Sakura's mother, Tsunade blasted her with a healthy dose of KI and caused her to start clutching at her throat as she struggled to breathe. "Watch what you say about my godson Mebuki. His name is Naruto. Not 'thing'. Not 'demon'. Naruto. You will show him the respect he deserves or you will suffer the consequences." the Godaime threatened. "And Dart and Rose will not be punished, as they committed no crimes against Konoha-Lohan. And before any of you ask, I have sealed away Kakashi's Sharingan for safekeeping so it cannot be used by anyone. I don't trust anyone in this village to use it properly or for the right reasons." she explained.
Danzo, hearing this, narrowed his one, visible eye at Tsunade. "That was not your decision to make Tsunade. Tell us then, what of Sasuke's eyes? Where are they?"
Glaring at Danzo for his blatant disrespect, she spoke with a venomous tone of voice. "First of all Danzo, it's Hokage-sama to you. Second, the Uchiha's eyes are somewhere safe and that is all you or anyone else here needs to know. Finally, speaking of the Uchiha, as I'm sure you're all more than curious, he's the one that put Naruto Uzumaki in the hospital in such critical condition. At the end of their battle, Naruto had won. Naruto apparently offered Sasuke mercy and asked if Sasuke would return to Konoha with him peacefully. However, when Kakashi appeared and attempted to kill him, Sasuke took advantage of that moment to plunge a Chidori through Naruto's chest in an attempt to murder his teammate. Before losing consciousness, Naruto killed Sasuke to prevent him from escaping to Orochimaru. Do you all understand now?"
While the clan heads nodded, the civilian council exploded in an uproar. Mebuki once again spoke up for the civilians. "No, we don't understand! There was absolutely no reason to kill Sasuke-sama! Why couldn't those other two bring him back alive? That brat had no need to kill him! Those two, Dart and Rose or whatever, could have left that stupid brat there to die and brought Sasuke-sama back to the village!"
Tsunade sighed and shook her head in disbelief. "You just don't learn, do you Mebuki? I warned you." she said before snapping her fingers and watched as an ANBU took Mebuki away. "Anyone else want to test my patience? No? Good." she said. "Sasuke was a traitor. He attempted to defect to Oto to join Orochimaru and he attempted to murder one of our own. He got what he deserved."
When more of the civilians went to speak up in protest, the busty Godaime slammed her fist down and cratered the table. "Don't say another word, any of you! This meeting's done! And I warn you now! If I find out that any of you have spread the word about Naruto killing Sasuke, I'll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death for it. Is that understood?"
Everyone nodded slowly in understanding. Well, everyone except for Danzo, who merely stared coldly at Tsunade. Looks like I'm going to need to keep my eye on you Danzo. I won't let you hurt my godson you rotten bastard. The Godaime thought to herself determinedly as she watched everyone get up and start to leave.
Returning to her office, Tsunade was a little surprised to see an ANBU standing there with a bound Sakura down on her knees, struggling to get free of her restraints. Walking past the both of them, the Godaime Hokage took a seat and decided to get to the bottom of this. "Alright, what the heck's going on?"
The ANBU agent sighed and began to explain. "Sakura Haruno and her friend Ino Yamanaka attempted to enter one Naruto Uzumaki's hospital room so they could 'make the demon pay' for killing Sasuke Uchiha ma'am. While Ino fled after being scared off, Sakura Haruno remained and attempted to kill Rose. If I hadn't intervened, Rose would have killed Sakura ma'am. What would you like to do?"
Before Tsunade could say anything, Sakura began to shout. "That bastard deserves to die for what he's done! Sasuke didn't deserve to die! He had such a beautiful soul! He was the best person I've ever known! He wouldn't have hurt a fly. He was so kind and wonderful and sweet. Nothing at all like that baka Naruto! I need to make him pay for killing Sasuke-kun!"
Tsunade and the ANBU shared a look of disbelief with one another, though the ANBU's was hidden behind his mask. Looking back down at Sakura, the Hokage couldn't help but voice a few questions to her. "Are you absolutely certain we're talking about the same Sasuke Uchiha here? He was rude, arrogant, stubborn, egotistical, and he had both an inferiority and superiority complex that was so bad he couldn't see straight. That brat needed therapy badly. What the hell world were you living in that you saw all the crap you just spouted out?"
Sakura would have started shouting out the same nonsense as before, but a raised hand from Tsunade stopped her. "You know what? I don't want to hear it. Just get her out of my office. Take her to Ibiki and see if he can figure out what the hell is wrong with her. I don't want to deal with her shit."
The ANBU agent nodded and soon vanished in a Body Flicker, leaving the Hokage alone in her office. "Now I know why sensei always said he was too old for this shit." she said.
A/N - Okay, that's the end of this really long chapter. Again, I hope you enjoyed it. As you can no doubt see, a LOT of things happened in this chapter. Tayuya was spared, Naruto was nearly killed, Shana kissed Naruto, things were REALLY insane this chapter!
I'd say more, but I'm shaking REALLY bad right now and I'm not feeling so well. Sooo...yeah. Take care everyone!