Hello everyone. First off I would like to appologize for the late update, but my work schedual has finally settled back down and I no longer feel like I live there now. There was also a delay in this chapter because of the importance of the events that take place in them. They will determin a lot of the outcome further in the story. I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews that you have given me and I really appriciate them (what author is not a review whore, right). My next update will be for Kitsune Clan as I will do one chapter at a time for each. I also have to help my wife with some of her chapter material. Just as a remider for those that have not checked it out and if you are confused over timeline of events, please go to my profile for the a better understanding.
Shout Outs:
dksamuri: There will be more on them in the near future. I want to develope them further as I think the pairing will yield great results.
Aki: You are the first person I have seen that wanted me to develop that relationship further. It has twist in it and I have a good idea on how to push it further. I will get more into it probably on chapter 20.
Kingkakashi: I would have loved to put a lemon in there, but the emotional turmoil I had in my head for the writing was hard to grasp on paper. The emotions they had for thier former lovers would have had to show and I believe I could never had done it justice. It was a pleasure writing it as I am a big fan of Kakashi.
ex-ellent: I know what you mean about the dialog. It was a different style of writing I wanted to try. When I was putting it together I was thinking of having it more in a snapshot of life event rather than a witness of events. Photo's don't talk. But just like art we can interpret events and emotions from points in the creator. It gives a fastfoward effect of a storry without the whole time jumps that sometimes confuses people.
Chewie Cookies: I don't think she will play a major role in anything in the future, but she may play in tender moments between student and teacher whe they meet again.
Disclaimer: Ofcourse I don't own Naruto. It is so obvious. If I did own it there would be more manga chapters with Hinata and Naruto being together.
Uzushiogakure Traing Field
Looking to the north of the training ground, waiting for the intruders to arrive, the anticipation was palpable. For the young leaf shinobi, this was a sore spot they all carried within themselves. Knowing that this day would come eventually, they never took solace in the knowledge that they would have to face one of their own. This encounter would result in the death of one of their friends. The only thing that made it bearable was the knowledge that it would finally end the threat to Konoha their fallen comrade had become.
Naruto looked over at his longtime friend who was currently sitting on the ground as if there was nothing else going on that day. If it wasn't for him being a bundle of nerves, Naruto wouldn't mind joining the cloud watcher for a lazy afternoon. "Shikamaru, if at all possible keep the girl alive. She may have information we need. It will make going after Tobi easier, the more we know about what he is up to".
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow when he looked at the blonde, "So, when did the knucklehead stop charging straight in and think strategy?"
Naruto chuckled a little and remembered the way he was while growing up. "Around about the time I realized it is not just for the handful of people I am fighting for. Currently there are two villages, my friends, and my family on the line. I can't afford to make any mistakes. I will give Sasuke a chance to turn himself in, but if he refuses, I will end him here".
The lazy shinobi sighed knowing that even offering the traitor a chance to turn himself in was futile. He did not question Naruto's capability in defeating Sasuke, but worried about how it would affect the blonde.
Off in the distance on the other side of the training field two figures emerged from the tree line. They stopped upon a tuffet to look upon the field and the village in front of them. Naruto stood stiff as he looked upon his former teammate and whispered, "Sasuke".
Stopping, Sasuke looked across the field, nearly doing a double take as he saw who was standing before him. Knowing he would at least meet some resistance from the village, he never expected the person he would be facing was his former teammate.
Karin did not even notice the people that were standing in the distance. On their way to the village they had seen the area being covered by a light pink hue in the sky. Both of them jumped to the same assumption that despite the rumors of death, their former colleague with Orochimaru was still alive. Guren had been the only one they knew that could manipulate crystals to form such a shield.
What stood before Karin now inside of another barrier lay the village. Covered by a dome of light purple energy lay Uzu, their target. Trying to see past the barrier she took notice that that the village seemed to be pulled from the very stories that her grandmother had told her. She could have sworn that if the barrier was not there she could have seen the sun gleaming off the water in the bay only to be reflected by the buildings. The village would then have the look of a place stripped right from the pages of a children's novel. Her attention was quickly drawn back from her fantasy land as she felt a tensing in the person next to her.
Peering at the people at the end of the clearing she began to reach out with her senses to analyze their chakra determining if the opponents would be a threat. The one kneeling on the ground didn't seem to be much of a problem for Sasuke, but may give her some difficulty. The other when she looked deep into him, she cringed. Not in terror but what the future may hold if what she was seeing was correct. The blonde young man had an insane amount of chakra, and it seemed to be growing by the second. In his chakra there seemed to be a swirling as it seemed additional chakra was being fed into his body, she had never seen anything like this before. Karin almost wanted to hesitate to study it a little further but by the reaction of the person she was looking at and Sasuke beside her that was not going to happen.
"SASUKE!" Naruto bellowed across the training ground. "Give up now, turn yourself in and go back to Konoha!" He knew the request was futile, but he would try anyways, in the hope that maybe by some miracle the young Uchiha would have changed his heart.
"Don't you worry Naruto, I will be in Konoha soon enough, once I am finished here," Sasuke returned with a smirk.
Naruto almost relaxed a little at the idea, but he knew something was off by the way his old friend was smiling at him. "What do you want here Sasuke?"
"Once I am finished destroying this village I will have all the resources I need to destroy the Leaf village for everything they have done to me, my clan, and my brother," he spat out at the thought of his brother being used in such a way.
Naruto's anger was growing as the threats were made. Naruto had the reports of what the council had insisted Itachi do, but Naruto still had a caring devotion to protect the village and the people of Konoha. What really caused a lot of the anger though were the threats of the destruction of his new home, Uzushiogakure. Hinata and he had made this their new home, one where they had planned on building a family. Spending their days after his retirement basking in the sun and cool waters watching grandchildren had become their dream. The people he cared for in his new home, the villagers, he came to know and care for as extended family. At a blinding speed he rushed at his former teammate and a loud clash of metal hitting metal was heard. In the center of the training field a kunai was met with a chokuto, with the two rivals facing each other.
"This is your only chance Sasuke. Give up now and return to Konoha. There is only three options here, one you surrender and be delivered back home safe and sound, and two, I beat you within an inch of your life and you still return back home," Naruto stated between clenched teeth.
Sasuke struggled against the force that Naruto was pushing against his sword, trying to get the upper hand. "I always knew you were a dobe. That was only two options. Let me guess the third one is where I defeat you so none of your threats can happen?"
Shaking his head lightly, never removing his eyes from Sasuke's, "No, the third is the same result as the other two, the only difference is you won't be breathing".
Sasuke jumped back a few feet to regain himself and measure up his target. He's different, he had always insisted in the past on taking me back alive, now he would go to such lengths? Naruto has also gotten stronger as well, at least in brute strength. It didn't even seem as if he was struggling under the pressure of my push. "Sorry to say but none of those suits me, so I will have to make my own option. The destruction of this poor excuse of a village, like it once was. Then I will make my way to Konoha to do the same there. Don't worry though; I will make sure that everyone you know suffers as much as possible before I finish them off".
Naruto felt one of the clones disperse and he received the natural energy from it, keeping the flow going. Three left. That should be enough to finish this off. The others seem to be fairing ok. I don't feel any major changes in their chakra levels although they have already started their battles. Naruto burst forward again and clashed once more. Once the blades connected again Naruto reached between them and grabbed Sasuke's collar while sweeping his feet. The blonde carried the momentum in the fall, driving his forearm into Sasuke's chest. With a loud thud and a small cracking of the earth, Sasuke hit the ground.
The brooding and stunned teen quickly rolled out of the way from any incoming follow up attack and regained his stance. He stood there for a moment waiting for the pain to subside in his chest, He is taking the openings. His fighting is different, like it is more precise. He was brought out of his thoughts as a Kunai was coming directly for him. Bringing up his sword to try to block the attack, he was not fast enough to bring in the full blade and had to block with the handle instead. The force of the kunai hitting the handle caused a reverberation in his hand forcing him to release his weapon, with the blade landing several feet away.
Holding on to some hope that he could still get through to the only person he thought of as a brother in his youth, he was going to try his best to bring him back around. Rushing forward again Naruto wanted to do just enough damage to cause Sasuke to give up on his path. As he neared his opponent Naruto saw Sasuke's eyes change to that of the sharingan. It was not that of the Mangekyo but any Sharingan could make things more difficult. As the two met they exploded into a taijutsu match where neither seemed to dominate over the other.
Naruto had thrown a right hook that was caught and returned by a rapid punch to his midsection. After two successive hits to his abdomen Naruto grabbed the offending appendage and used it as leverage, bringing his knee up to connect with Sasuke's jaw. Taking advantage of a stunned opponent, when Naruto touched back to the ground he followed up with a spin kick to the midsection causing Sasuke to tumble back a few yards. Naruto contemplated using ninjutsu in this match, but there was a high probability that Sasuke would just copy and use it against him.
As Sasuke came to a stop he got to his feet. Things were not going as easily as he thought during this fight. Although he had been able to get in a few hits and was keeping up with the former dead-last, he spent most of the time on the defensive. Even his Sharingan was barely able to predict his opponent's movements. The worst part of this fight, that he hated to admit, was that Naruto didn't seem fazed by the attacks. He would have to push himself further, even if it meant that he would have to endure the pain of the Mangekyo. He had an objective to complete if he was ever able to complete his goal of destroying the Leaf. Staring at the blonde, he pushed his eyes further to the next level. With an air of confidence he peered into Naruto's animalistic eyes and whispered, "Tsukuyomi". This will break him. There is no way he can get out of this, no matter how strong he has become. The Sharingan cannot be defeated, he thought to himself.
Bright purple lines decorated with symbols appeared around Naruto's eyes when the genjutsu was directed at him. He knew what Sasuke had tried and was really happy that this experiment with the seal was proven successful. "It doesn't work Sasuke, there is no such thing as absolute power," he waved his hand behind him toward the village. "This village is a testament to that. Even a village with such an enormous amount of power was brought to destruction. Your quest is futile and without reason".
This was just babble to the dark haired youth, but it was giving him added seconds to try to recover a little and formulate a plan. Running through hand signs as fast as possible he yelled out, "Katon: Great Dragon Fire". He released his breath and spat forth a great fireball in the shape of a dragons head. Controlling the direction a little he forced Naruto to dodge, sending him further away, giving him time to put his plan into action. Allowing the jutsu to arc upwards and dropping control Sasuke went back to retrieve his sword once again. Running through the familiar hand signs once more he released another breath of fire.
Naruto started to dodge once more as this was the second 'Great Dragon Fire' jutsu that his opponent launched. As seconds passed Sasuke released his control and directed the fire to the sky once more. Another clone dispelled and Naruto received the rush of natural energy again to maintain his sage mode. Keeping his senses open to the other battles taking place, he felt that there was something off about the battle that Gaara was engaged it. Upon further insight he could feel that Temari's chakra was getting low and they were beginning to struggle. If this continued they would be in trouble soon. Naruto looked over at the small skirmish that Shikamaru was in and was not surprised at the turn of events.
The lazy friend was sitting on the ground leaning back on his arms and looking at the clouds. Twenty feet away sat Karin in the same position; the only difference was the look on her face. She panted heavily from fighting the shadow possession and had several small cuts across her body from kunai. Irritation at the helplessness of her situation forced a torrid of obscenities to escape her mouth.
"Shikamaru, Gaara and Temari are having some problems. I can handle things here, go give them a hand," Naruto shouted over to his friend. Dodging another dragon shaped fireball he looked to Shikamaru and saw him get up from his position the release his shadow from his opponent. As he did Karin dropped to her hands and knees, passing out from strain.
"Troublesome," he muttered as he leapt off into the direction of his wife and brother in-law.
Naruto's complete attention was drawn back to his longtime friend as he heard a crackle of energy. This was something he had never seen before, as lighting started to envelop the sword. All at once a beam of concentrated lightning shot toward him. At the speed of the attack there was no time to dodge. Concentrating as fast as he could, Naruto brought his hand forward as a Rasengan took shape in his palm. The two techniques collided with an explosion creating a blinding light and a crater at the impact zone. Out of the smoke and debris that filled the air, Naruto was thrown through the air from the concussive force, only to tumble on the ground.
"You should worry more about yourself than your friends," Sasuke shouted at the blonde who was getting to his feet. Knowing the only way he would defeat his rival was to keep him at a distance, he only needed a few more moments before his ultimate technique would be ready. The sky was darkening with thunder clouds as time drew on.
"Friends and comrades are the only thing that will make you strong Sasuke. That is the difference between me and you. I fight for friends and now for family, they give me my strength. You have only sought after power, this is why you can never get ahead of me," Naruto said as he felt a shift in the air. Something was wrong and he sensed that Sasuke was delaying for something. The Taka was still in the middle of their own fights and were not in any situation to assist him, so that was not the reason. Sasuke then raised his hand to the sky bringing Naruto's attention upward as lightning arced from cloud to cloud.
"Kirin!" Sasuke shouted as he brought his hand down directing a lighting strike toward Naruto. As his eyes met the ground where the blonde stood he noticed the spot was absent one occupant for the intended strike.
"I don't think you would be able to control the lightning if you couldn't predict it's movements with the Sharingan," Naruto said from behind Sasuke.
Sasuke turned quickly as he had not seen his opponent even move. There was nothing there and he didn't sense him until there was a sharp pain to the back of his legs from a sweep kick that brought him down. His eyes shot open as his head made contact with the ground and only took note of the hand that was placed on his face. There was a flash of purple light and reality turned back to normal as his enhanced vision faded.
Naruto jumped back as the storm around them raged on. Lightning arced across the sky with thunderous claps in an ominous way. He hoped that with the loss of the Sharingan, Sasuke would give up on the power lust that had driven him for years. He watched as his one-time friend stood and palmed his face trying to find out what happened to his eyes. "It won't work Sasuke. I have sealed the Sharingan closed and you will never be able to use it again. I beg you one more time, please forget about your revenge and hatred. Return to Konoha and I will help you".
The blonde's words fell on deaf ears as rage built up in the mind of the Uchiha. It's not possible! No one can just seal away the eyes of another. He cannot be this strong, Sasuke thought. Feeling his anger rise at the thought of not being able to surpass the former 'dead-last' of his youth, he tapped into power he had not done in what seemed like ages.
Naruto looked on as he saw a vision of his past take ahold once more. Black flame markings were spreading across Sasuke's body once again as he tapped into that tainted power. This was the power that started the downward spiral of his friend's life. It was the boy's first real taste at power beyond what he thought possible. The intoxication was too tempting, and he started to actively seek out more, causing him to abandon his home. This is not good. I don't know how far he can push himself like this, or how powerful he is like this. I will have to think of something quick and get rid of this too.
Just as his thoughts came out, two demonic wings sprouted from Sasuke's back and he lunged forward with amazing speed as the transformation took full effect. Caught off guard he took a hit to the face, causing him to stagger slightly. Missing the leg that connected with his left ribs, he was launched through the air again. Rebounding after the small tumble, he spotted his attacker coming at him again, with his left hand outstretched.
Naruto caught the offending appendage before it connected. Sasuke tried to reel it back but it was too late, Naruto started to crush the bones in his hand. He brought his other fist forward to impact with the wrist, shattering the joint connection and hand bones simultaneously. Sasuke cried out in pain at the loss of his hand, trying as hard as he could and with surprisingly little effort he pulled back his useless appendage. That is when he noticed through the pain that Naruto had used the motion to catapult himself behind him and there was a sharp pain in his back that quickly followed.
Wrapping his hand on the right wing he twisted the demonic looking protrusion while pulling. The skin at the connection started to tear and the blonde didn't release until he started to hear the popping and cracking of bones over his friend's screams. When he finally let go the demonic wing hung limply down the back.
While Sasuke was on his knees in pain clutching his hand to his chest, Naruto went through a series of hand signs and held up his right hand that was now glowing bright purple. He placed the glowing fingers on Sasuke's left shoulder where the curse mark resided. The fingers seemed to enter the skin around the mark and Sasuke howled in pain once more. This time the screams seemed to echo from all around them as smoke billowed from the shoulder. A disgusting foul odor drifted into Naruto's face as the seal was being burned away. Slowly the cursed features began to recede, and the normal appearance of his former friend started to take prominence once more. Naruto finally pulled his hand from the spot where the seal had been placed.
Sasuke collapsed on the ground with strain etching his face. The dark haired youth passed out from the pain alone. "I'm sorry," Naruto whispered. I hope you can forgive me in time when you return home. Naruto's head snapped to one of the battles in the distance. There was a disturbance that he did not like and required immediate attention. He was torn over leaving Sasuke here and what was happening at the other location. Without hesitation he disappeared from sight, leaving his former friend on the ground.
Another Battlefield
Naruto flashed into existence and scanned the area, trying to take in all the information that he could in the shortest amount of time. The area that he was standing in was normally a forested one, now it was a large clearing. There were chakra burns across the grounds, obviously from Kaiten use. A short distance from him on the ground was Neji clutching his leg, by the bend of the limb, it was broken. Sakura was there with him, covered in debris and obviously fatigued, doing her best to bend the limb back into place while healing it. Both had fear in their eyes as they looked at the person next to him, and rightfully so.
Next to him, his target in the teleport was a bright glow of red chakra. His wife, Hinata, was enveloped in a cloak of the fox's energy, on her knees and obviously in pain as her body was feeling the effects of the burn.
Rushing to his wife he thought inwardly. 'Kurama, what are you doing?' it was a statement more than a question. 'We had a deal and you try this'.
Do not question my honor Kit! the fox roared in his head. I had no part in this. It is only recently that I noticed this.
'What happened then, if you are not doing this?' he said with concern straining his mind.
She exhausted her chakra and strained herself to keep from draining your chakra pool. Still needing more power to defeat her opponent she drew upon mine without me realizing it.
Curious now as the young woman cried out in pain, 'Why didn't we sense it though?'
You draw a lot more than she can, I didn't even think she could with your link. This has never happened before even when she exhausted her reserves during training. The Kyubi was curious about this as well.
'Then how did she access it,' concern spread across his face as to what he could do to fix the situation.
His tenant thought for a moment before responding, My power and chakra are fueled by, and drawn to, anger and hatred. It may have been possible that she was in a state of blind fury when she attempted to reach for your shared pool. That may have opened up the path for my chakra to leak through.
'If that is even possible, how do we fix this? I have never done anything like this. I've been on the other end and not this one,' he said.
Another scream of pain ripped through Hinata as they thought quickly for a solution. If you shed the sage mode and take up the demon chakra state, you should be able to draw the infecting chakra from her system.
'We have never done that out here, only in the mindscape. We don't even know if it will work, or even if I can control it,' fear crept into his mind at the possible consequences.
It is the best I can come up with on the short notice right now kit. I will help you all I can, but our agreement still stands.
Naruto let go of the natural chakra he held and released his last clone that was gathering it for him. Concentrating on the change, the two switched chakra that they practiced many times in his mind. There was an explosion of energy surrounding the Uzukage as his appearance changed. He looked upon his own body and saw the similar colors and patterns that he did when they practiced. Kneeling down to his wife, he pushed his hand through the chakra cloak and rested it on her shoulder. Carefully he sensed the demonic energy and focused on pulling it from her body and into himself. Slowly the cloak disappeared and Hinata let out a gasp before falling to the ground, unconscious. Picking her up bridal style, Naruto walked to the other two noticing the concerned faces as he approached. No one had ever seen him like this before, even Hinata, and he understood the concern. "It's ok guys, I'm still here".
Hearing the care in his voice as if he was trying to calm them, Sakura responded, "Is that really you Naruto-kun?"
He nodded in response as he placed Hinata down near the two. "Can you tell me what happened right before the she started to change? I didn't even know it could happen so I need to know what I can do to prevent it. Her body isn't used to this type of chakra".
Neji spoke up through gritted teeth, more than aware that Sakura had stopped healing while she watched the events unfold between Naruto and Hinata. "That monster broke my leg after he caught me. Sakura-san was already thrown back and recovering when it happened. After he discarded me like a ragdoll, he started to make a move toward Hinata while rambling. His chakra is strange though, it doesn't flow or look like normal chakra, or even the demonic cursed chakra we know Sasuke uses. Even when I was able to close off his network it still flowed through his system like it was being gathered from the outside".
"That is nature chakra," Naruto interjected. "It acts like normal chakra for the most part but the flow is different as it comes from the environment rather than from our own natural stores".
Neji sighed in relief a little as Sakura brought her attention back to the injured leg, "Whatever it is he started to go after Hinata-sama, mumbling about killing the women and children first. He said he wanted the men to watch helplessly. That is when she screamed and dropped to her knees". Neji then thought for another second, "When I looked at her, I could see something in her eyes; they looked like yours would when the fox would try to take you over. But there was an intense amount of rage and anger when he said that to her, then it was like a light went off in her mind and she was enveloped in that energy. In all my years I have never known her to ever be angry, but the way she looked, it was as if she could have brought down a small army with a single glare".
Aside from the situation Naruto could not help but chuckle before he shivered at the memory. It was when they first started to develop their true relationship after they came to Uzu. Naruto had accidently left the toilet seat up one night, and Hinata failed to notice when she got up in the middle of the night having to go. She had fallen in butt first, and the most shocking thing he had ever witnessed took place shortly after she extracted her wet rear. As she flipped the mattress that he was sleeping on she yelled at him. She didn't speak loudly, it wasn't an aggravated tone, she yelled out at him in an octave he never knew she could reach. In his stunned silence while sitting up on the floor, being berated by his wife, he felt fear for his world, that she might end him.
Irritation spread across Sakura's face, "This isn't a time for laughs Naruto".
Stifling his giggles he stood up straight and looked at the three wounded, "You're right, but you will be fine. Just watch Hinata-chan for me please. I'll be back as soon as I can". After he said that he flashed out of existence.
Several Minutes Earlier
Karin started to stir and reality set back in. She was in the middle of a fight and she was being held in place by her own shadow. Somehow she was actually able to move on her own now. Quickly looking around she could tell that there was no fighting taking place around her. She was still in the same field as if someone had just forgotten she was even there. Then more than several yards away she could see that Sasuke was lying down face first in the grass. Getting to her feet, she swayed slightly due to exhaustion. She made her way to her crush's side. As she neared him she could see that he was in bad shape. It appeared as if something had burst from his back out of slots near each shoulder as the clothing had holes in those areas. As she approached she could discern his right shoulder was a mess. It looked as if the skin had been torn at and ripped away. Even the sinew and some bare bone were visible from the injury.
When she finally reached his side she sunk to her knees and started to roll him over. Her face showed signs of complete disbelief as she had never seen Sasuke in this bad of shape ever before. Even while he was in this state there was an immeasurable amount of pain etched into his face. His left hand looked as if someone had removed the bones from above the wrist down. It was twisted and laid limp with no structure, aside from the fact it was now three times the original size. Pushing despair out of her thoughts, she started to apply healing chakra into Sasuke's head to bring him out of his forced slumber.
The moment he regained consciousness an ear piercing scream erupted from his throat as pain racked his mind and distorted everything around him. It would be a few moments before he could compose himself enough to analyze the situation. Finally taking notice of who was next to him he groaned at the movement while coming to a sitting position.
Karin started to roll up her right sleeve to hasten the healing within Sasuke. She had doubts that it would ever heal that hand though, but she would try anyways. "Here, bite down," she said while offering him her arm. As he held her arm to his lips then finally bit down she almost let out a slight moan at the thought of his lips being on her exposed flesh. Normally she never found this way of healing erotic. But there was something about the way he did it, or just the thought of him touching her that drove here senses wild, no matter the predicament they were in.
It wasn't long before she started feeling the drain; he was pulling chakra from her system and at an alarming rate. Gently trying to push him a little as she was running low herself, "Ok Sasuke, that is enough. I'm running low," He didn't relent, he had even brought his hand to her arm to hold her place while he syphoned whatever he could from her. Pain started to build in her arm where he was latched and panic filled her mind. At this rate he would kill her. "Stop Sasuke," she shouted.
His eyes opened and peered into her soul. He knew she was scared and in his mind she had every right to be. He was nowhere near the strength he needed to complete this task. Whatever his former teammate had done to him had left him weak and without any abilities. He continued to drain her anyways.
There was an increase in the drain as he syphoned more at an increasing rate. Her mind raced but she couldn't think with the loss of energy. Weakly she pleaded once more hoping that he would stop, "If you continue, you will kill me".
It was only then that she saw a glimmer of hope as he released his mouth from her arm. "Then take solace in knowing that your sacrifice will benefit the greater good in the end," he said with no emotion anywhere in his voice or demeanor.
Weakly she made futile attempts at pulling herself from her crush, the man that had every intention to end her life. She silently sobbed as darkness clouded her vision.
A bright flash of light captured their attention; both were surprised at what stood before them. The sudden increase in power was alarming to Sasuke as his eyes narrowed on the new comer. The flame licked body with the intricate pattern spread across it looked down at the two in a judging manner.
Naruto looked down at the two and could feel that the woman was losing consciousness as her chakra was being drained from her body, where the brooding male was latched onto her arm. Faster than any perceivable eye could detect, Naruto kicked Sasuke in the chest just below his throat. There was a shrill of pain that pierced the air as blood sprayed the scene. A chunk of flesh was ripped from Karin's arm where Sasuke's teeth had been sunk in. After the sounds abated she fell limp as exhaustion and the pain forced her mind to shut down.
Sasuke tumbled across the ground for nearly twenty yards before coming to a stop. As he got to his hands and knees he coughed up blood while trying to feel his body for damage. His hand was destroyed, his eyes would not activate when he pushed for his bloodline trait. Even the cursed seal would not activate. His chest hurt so bad from that last kick, he could only assume that he had several broken ribs, and was still low on chakra despite the amount he drained from Karin. He needed to leave now if he was expected to survive, that was unless Naruto intended not kill him out right.
Naruto was passing by Karin, making his way to Sasuke who was trying his best to get to a more mobile position. It was then that he felt a surge in chakra from the area. It was a large surge and he stopped just in time to lean back as a mutated looking fist passed right above his face. Looking at the new comer, he knew that this was the one that had pushed Hinata so far as to draw upon the Kyubi's power. He would have to put a hold on capturing Sasuke and deal with the new threat. The large man with orange hair and cursed features came to a stop just a few yards from him.
A viscous but one sided taijutsu match started in which the oversized brute was attacking Naruto in a brawler style manner. Naruto being more of a street brawler himself was easily able to predict the incoming arms and legs. Despite his dodging efforts he thought to himself, If this is the way I fight, then I need some serious discipline to sharpen my hand to hand skills. Maybe Hinata will help more with that. After a wild haymaker was thrown from his left, Naruto ducked beneath it and connected with a single punch to Jugo's midsection. Once he was bent over staggering, Naruto jumped and brought a knee to his opponent's chin. Just as his feet touched the ground there was a follow up of a mid-section roundhouse kick to the ribs. Jugo bounced a few feet away and started to get up already with what seemed like little effort.
There was a pop in the distance that brought Naruto's attention around to where his former teammate had landed just a few minutes ago. There was a small cloud of smoke and as it cleared he could see a giant hawk standing upon the ground. On the back of the hawk lay Sasuke as the bird started to flap its wings. Not wanting to let Sasuke escape Naruto made a dash effort to stop the bird from taking off. As he took his first step a hand grabbed his wrist and spun him around. He was met with a fist connecting to the side of his face. Even in his demonic chakra form that still hurt and brought him to one knee.
Just as the pain started to ebb a leg connected with his stomach and brought him off the ground. The hand that was still holding his wrist, took advantage of the situation by hurling him across the training field where he landed about fifty yards from where he once stood. Bouncing back up, he saw that Jugo was fully recovered and charging at him again. Not wanting to waste any more time he gathered energy into his right hand like he had so many times before. Although, this time he failed to notice the demonic chakra that started to leak into the Rasengan, fueling it even further. The size of the attack was small but the power released from the technique was overwhelming as it came into contact with Jugo's chest. There was an unexpected explosion as large parts of earth were shot out from the contact point. Dust filled the air and took nearly a full minute before anything became visible again. Naruto looked upon the training ground from his landing point at the edge of the field and there was nothing but destruction from the demonic chakra infused attack. From the scattered parts of Jugo it was apparent that he was no longer a threat. He looked to where Karin had passed out, she was laying a few yards from her original position, still in a limp state. Surveying the sky sadly, there was no trace of where Sasuke had fled to.
With a deep sighing breath Naruto released the nine-tails chakra and returned to his normal state. In doing so he collapsed to his knees feeling the exhaustion himself. Despite the ordeal he had just gone through, Naruto looked around at the training ground while gaining his breath and thought to himself. This is going to take a lot of time of rebuilding before anyone can use this training ground again.
Just as he got to his feet he could feel several people coming to his location, but at a hesitant pace. As he looked to where Hinata was when he last left her, he saw two people emerge from the tree line. On the back of the female, he could see that his wife was being carried by his past teammate. Next to her limping at a remarkable pace after a broken leg was Neji. In the opposite direction from a trail that was used to walk between training grounds, one of his first friends came with his two partners. The young couple looked a little worse for wear, but they were not injured too badly.
As they reached the center of the once lush field where Naruto stood, they surveyed the damage in sheer awe. When they reached the blonde Uzukage, Sakura spoke what was on everyone's minds, "What happened here?"
Grinning like an idiot while he scratched at the back of his head he responded, "I don't really know. I used a Rasengan against a wild nut job with orange hair".
"Hinata-sama hit him five times with one and it almost didn't seem to faze him," Neji said.
It was fused with my chakra. In essence it was a 'tailed beast ball'. Kurama said with a little snort. Just not as powerful as the smaller ones I have created in the past. Why I didn't think of teaching you that, I do not know. Perhaps I didn't think it could be done. But the technique you used was the same principle none the less.
Filing away that information for later Naruto tried to assure his friends that it was nothing new, "I guess I put more into it than I thought. What about you Gaara? Did you finish off the guy you were fighting?"
Shrugging off the sand gourd from his back letting it land on the ground with a loud 'thud', "He is being detained for right now. He was a slippery one in the beginning, until my brother in-law showed up. I was able to contain his water form in my sand and placed him in here". Much to Naruto's surprise he noticed Gaara's smile when he referred to Shikamaru. It was as if he really did approve of the union of his sister to the lazy tactician.
There was a slight pause before a low voice was heard, one that Naruto was hoping he wouldn't hear right now especially with the question that was asked. "What about Sasuke?" Sakura inquired.
Naruto turned to the pink haired young woman and looked her in the eyes. After a moment he looked away toward the ground before he responded, "He got away. I don't think we will see him ever again though. This may have been the last chance we had to catch him."
"Why is that?" Shikamaru asked.
With a deep sigh he looked in the direction that Sasuke likely fled. "I sealed his Sharingan and removed the cursed mark. He can't even perform ninjutsu anymore for the most part. In my effort to capture him, and force him into submission, I crushed and obliterated every bone in his left hand. Even the wrist and the connecting bones in the forearm were shattered beyond repair". Looking away from his comrades, who had just helped him repel an attack on his village, he felt shame that he didn't want them seeing in his eyes.
Although strained Neji interjected, "What are we going to do now Naru… Uzukage-sama? People are sure to find out now that you and my cousin are still alive".
Chuckling slightly at this misstep in name placement from Neji, he walked over to Sakura who was still holding Hinata. "It's ok Neji, you can drop the 'sama', and the Uzukage, at least around our friends. Although around the villagers for now we will have to keep up my father's name in place till we return". He reached behind Sakura to pull his unconscious wife in his arms, even if it was just to feel the comfort of being near her.
"So you're going to do it?" Shikamaru asked.
Nodding he replied, "I knew we couldn't keep it a secret forever. In all honesty though I wish it would have lasted a little longer. Before that can happen I need to get hime to bed so she can rest right now, besides, I think Neji want's his wife back. After some rest and relaxation we can leave tomorrow morning for the trip. Until then you can all stay at the compound. I have a few more open houses you can use."
At the Gates of the Uzumaki Compound
Standing in front of the gates of the compound there was a few gasps, and a chuckle. The chuckle actually came from none other than his pink teammate. "Really Naruto, did you have to go make a compound for yourself? I know you always wanted to pretend you were from a clan or large family, but I think this may be a little overboard". It wasn't said with any malice or even in a cruel way, but more in a joking manner. She was actually happy for the blonde, finally getting what she had finally realized he deserved.
Before Naruto could explain there was a sharp 'snort' from one member of the group. The sound wasn't what drew the attention, but more who it came from, Neji. "Oh, this will be good. I love this story, almost died of shock when I first learned it. Not only did the 'dead-last' become possibly the strongest shinobi the world has ever known, that I could have lived with regarding his circumstances. But his lineage more than likely surpasses that of the founders of Konoha". All of this was said while laughing at the thought. Everyone aside from Naruto had never seen Neji act this way and were staring at him like he had been possessed. "Go on, tell them the story Naruto-san."
As Naruto opened the gate he retold the story of his family and the contributions that they had made to the ninja world. At the same time he quickly showed them around the grounds, pointing to the gardens, and the house where Neji and Tenten resided. By the time he was finished a few in the group had sworn that they had dirt and fresh lawn clippings in their mouths from their chins being in such a close proximity to the ground.
As he led them into the main sitting area he excused himself so he could lay Hinata down before he retrieved Tenten and Kushina. When he approached the access door for the vault he took a deep breath as if he was preparing for battle. In his mind he was doing just that. In his mind somewhere, he could only remember how emotional Hinata had been when she was pregnant. Although Hinata was a close range fighter, Tenten was not, and there was a good chance that when he opened the door, sharp pointy objects would erupt from the entryway in large quantities. Reluctantly he bit his thumb and placed it on the door. He took one quick look and ducked back just in case. He peeked back in when there were no explosions at this point and saw Tenten standing at the bottom of the steps looking back at him, first with worry and then she relaxed.
"Tenten-chan?" he called out.
Looking up with a sigh of relief she responded, "Yes?"
"Your request to see your parents to announce your pregnancy has been approved; we all leave tomorrow after I meet with the council," he called out to her with a grin on his face.