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…

"I'm proud of you three," said Kurenai as she stood before her team. "You each lived up to your duty as a Konoha ninja and assisted the village when it counted the most."

They had decided to meet up at a clearing not too far off from their regular training grounds. Somewhere within the village would have been fine normally, but Hinata had been drawing all kinds of negative attention from anyone that saw her save for her fellow rookies.

"I bet I'm going to make Chunin after this," said Kiba with a smug look on his face, knowing that he had played a large part in holding off the Sound nin.

"That is, assuming that your performance during the invasion will count," said Shino, knowing that it was very possible for such a thing to be neglected.

"I'm sure it won't hurt," smiled Kurenai. "But anyway, I digress. I called this meeting here today because I thought it would be important to discuss a few things and let them out in the open rather than keeping them all bottled up."

Hinata felt the weight of Kurenai's words. She had been trying not to think of it, lest she relapse into another episode with the cursed seal, but she had spilled blood for the first time during the invasion. Real blood. What was worse was that she hadn't even thought twice while she did it, killing mercilessly, and almost even turned on an ally.

"Yesterday was probably the first time any of you have seen a death - a shinobi one - take place," said Kurenai, aware that almost no matter where her pupils had been during the invasion, the constant fighting had been inescapable. "I'm sure a few, if not all of you, also ended up taking a life."

All three of the Genin bowed their heads slightly, their sensei's statement ringing true for each one.

"When you graduated from the academy, I made it fairly clear to all of you that the road a ninja walks is by no means pretty. Though this is the first time you have had to take another life, remember that this is by no means the last," said Kurenai sternly. "If any of you three decide that you want to turn in your headband now, I will happily take it."

The Genjutsu mistress didn't mention that the fact each one was a potential future heir of their clan would probably make that last part a little difficult, but she was sure each of them were weighing up the burdens placed on them as a result of being the children of their clan's leaders silently.

"However, before you come to any final decision, I'll ask you all to listen to me speak not as your sensei but as a fellow ninja of the Leaf - a former Genin who went through exactly what you are now, a once scared little girl who had to make her first kill," said the Jounin. "Taking away the life of another human is never something that should be performed lightly. It doesn't get much easier - you may become better at tuning out what you have done, yes - but you will always feel horrible for killing someone when you sit down and think about it."

Kiba bit his lip. He'd always imagined himself to be one of those legendary ninja with death counts that exceeded that of villages but now... he wasn't sure if he was looking forward to that anymore. It felt horrible and the more he dwelt on it, the worse it was. Just thinking about the fact that he had killed someone who was the child of two parents, that there would be people who would weep when news of his death reached them, made his knees feel weak.

"But, the thing is that you killed today for what we would call a noble cause. It doesn't take away the impact of what occurred in the slightest but you fought for the best interests of your village, and as long as you love Konoha your sacrifice will have meant something. You saved the lives of others yesterday and you should feel proud that you did so, just remember to stay humble about it. You protected your loved ones and there were people who did not. The best way to honour those who did not manage to save their loved ones, ally or enemy, is to cherish your own loved ones and your life. It is hard to accept but I have complete faith that you three will come to terms with it the right way."

…

"No, no please no," sobbed Sakura, tears raining from her eyes as the body of Naruto crumpled to the ground. Kakashi also watched in shock as he tried to fight the bonds which held him but to no avail. No matter how much he struggled he couldn't so much as budge, something which in it's own right seemed odd. Seemingly understanding the situation, Kakashi bit into his lower lip drawing the faintest bit of blood.

"Now it's your turn, Girly," said the man with several arms as he took aim once more, knowing that this time the blond brat wouldn't be able to do anything to save their friend. With precise aiming, he let loose his weapon, Sakura not even paying attention to it, eyes anchored on her blond teammate.

Yet again though, she was saved, this time by her sensei who had managed to break the genjutsu that they had been under and dragged both her and Sasuke to safety. With a kunai in hand, he had pricked both of his students enough to break the jutsu over them and free them from their imaginary bindings.

"Are you two okay?" he asked as he lifted up his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan.

"It was all… genjutsu?" said Sakura as she slowly understood what was happening. This, of course, meant that Naruto was okay as well.

Sadly she couldn't be more wrong.

With a pool of blood beneath him that had stained the grass red, Naruto remained unmoving as the wind fell silent as if mourning him. "Oh God," said Sakura as she clasped her hands over her mouth.

"We can mourn later. For now we need to fight these three off," said Kakashi as he tried to focus on the task at hand, not an easy feat considering he had let yet another of his team members fall. It seemed like he was a death magnet to those around him.

Sasuke had remained silent this entire time, his mouth slightly agape. He just couldn't believe that his teammate, the one who constantly claimed that he wouldn't die before becoming the greatest Hokage ever, the deadlast who had challenged himself to rise to Sasuke's stature and succeeded, was dead on the ground. Never in his wildest nightmares had he even considered the possibility of something like this happening.

"Pfft, you're mourning this sack of crap," said Tayuya as she came down to stand by her teammate's side, another joining her moments later. As a result of their failure in Konoha, Orochimaru had instructed them to wait just outside of the village they had attempted to overthrow before ambushing Team Seven on their return to Oto. They were also given very clear instructions that if they didn't return with Sasuke, then they would be better not returning at all.

"He's not," shouted Sakura, her emotions starting to flood out. Naruto couldn't be… gone. They'd just started to get along, to become a better team. A mere hour ago, when the blond had refused to shut up while they were travelling, now seemed like an eternity away - nothing more than a distant memory which would never be repeated.

"Please," said Sakon. "You're all sacks of crap, and to prove it..." The Oto shinobi proved his point as he kicked the lifeless body, Naruto flying through the air sending a spray of blood all across the ground before he slammed into a tree.

"I"LL KILL YOU!" shouted Sasuke as his hands went through several hand seals. Nobody, and he meant nobody, showed such disrespect to his friends.

The Oto shinobi smirked with confidence as the Genin charged at him with little care for his own well being. Their task wouldn't take too long after all.

...

As though he were in the middle of a dream, Naruto found himself standing in what seemed like a large sewer with no idea how he got there.

The sewer looked like it stank yet it did not seem to exude a stench. There was water which reached to Naruto's knee, and even though everything below that had been drenched in the sewer water, he did not feel uncomfortable.

"I want to eat you."

Naruto looked about startled. He wasn't sure where the voice had come from, but he figured there was a chance he would hear it again if he continued forward. At the same time, however, he didn't really have a choice; trapped in this labyrinth of sewer pipes, any kind of social activity was better than none, especially since the last thing he remembered was his throat being slashed.

With the only sound being that of his steps through the water, Naruto made his way through the damp labyrinth in an attempt to find the one who had called out to him. Thankfully, it didn't take long for him to come to an opening that was much larger than anything else he had come about, giant iron bars sealing off a section of the waterway; he couldn't help but assume they was there for a reason.

Walking forward with purposeful steps, Naruto entered the isolated area and stood before the bars, taking slow and deep breaths in order to keep his nerves in check. Standing there, Naruto stared at the iron bars and deep within the darkness behind as if trying to see an entity that didn't truly exist.

"Come out, Kyuubi," shouted Naruto, determined to get the attention of what he believed to be trapped.

For a few seconds nothing happened, but then Naruto noticed small ripples in the water stretching outwards towards him. Slowly appearing from the darkness, Naruto's eyes managed to make out the form of a giant beast, something which made every building in Konoha look like it housed ants as opposed to humans. "It seems as if my host has finally decided to reveal itself," stated the demonic being as it glared down at where Naruto stood, its eyes fixated on the blond child standing before him. "Pathetic mortal, finding yourself here after dying upon the battlefield, and in such an insulting manner might I add."

While Naruto wanted to argue with the gigantic monster, he knew that he had to keep calm. Jiraiya had informed him that sooner or later he would come face to face with the Kyuubi and that he would have to make sure not to insult the beast in order to ensure that whenever he was in peril he would be able to find the Kyuubi's chakra circulating through him. "I take it since I'm here as opposed to some eutopia that I haven't died, at least permanently."

"So it would seem, without my aid, human, you would have bled to death upon the ground like the useless little worm you are," mocked the Kyuubi with a dark chuckle.

"So, does that mean I can go back to my team?" asked Naruto, attempting to ignore the monster's ego-damaging words.

"Those pathetic creatures that stood by as you were killed?" questioned the Kyuubi.

"They're not pathetic!" shouted Naruto in retaliation. It didn't matter what kind of demonic creature you were, nobody insulted Naruto's friends

"Perhaps not by your standards," the Kyuubi gave out a dark laugh that oozed of superiority. "However, I am able to recognise them for the insignificant little insects they are."

"You better shut up or I'll come in there and make you!" promised Naruto, growing more and more agitated by the second. The Kyuubi wasn't just evil, he was an asshole.

"Please do…" the fox whispered as though he were a dinosaur standing before an ant.

Naruto paused for a moment, suddenly becoming increasingly aware of the insidious amount of killing intent that the fox was exuding. Realising that following through on his last promise perhaps wasn't the best idea, he backed away from the creature. As he looked at the demonic fox, the Uzumaki found himself recalling a conversation he'd had with a certain white-haired pervert.

...

"So Naruto, what have you learned today?" asked Jiraiya as he looked down at the young Jinchuuriki.

"That we were created as weapons, or at least we were originally," answered Naruto trying to remember everything that Jiraiya had told him throughout the course of the day. The amount of information Naruto had received however had been relatively small in quantity. The hard part was merely trying to get Jiraiya to pay attention to him and not try and go peek on any nearby woman.

"That's right," said Jiraiya. "The Biju are creatures of immense power and when sealed within a host are able to grant them... gifts, if you will."

"So not all of us have the same powers then?" asked Naruto.

"No. Even I don't know the full extent of a Jinchuuriki's power," said Jiraiya as he stroked his chin. "There is word, however, that in Kumo lives a Jinchuuriki stronger than any other, and this is for one reason and one reason alone."

"What's that?" asked Naruto.

"That he and his Biju are connected, that they actually commute with one another much how two friends would," answered Jiraiya. "Because of this, instead of being someone only able to use a portion of the Biju's power, he is able to use all of it."

"Wow, how did he do that?" asked Naruto wondering what he had to do in order to obtain that kind of power.

"I have no idea," said Jiraiya, which made Naruto face vault into the ground. "There are some secrets which are impossible to discover, and this is one of them. I don't know whether they managed to strike a deal with their Biju or if they were willing to help one another, and that's only two theories I can construct."

"I see," said Naruto as he sat on the ground with his legs crossed. "So what now? How do I access more of the Kyuubi's chakra?"

"That Naruto, is for you to find out."

...

"Fleeing so soon. Where's all that bravado you possessed not too long ago?" goaded the Kyuubi. "Proves to show that even with all of my power at your disposal, you're still weak."

Naruto didn't truly know what to say in response to that. This creature before him was the entire reason he had grown up in such isolation, how everybody turned and treated him like dirt.

"What's the matter? Nibi got your tongue?"

"I don't need your strength," shouted Naruto. "I never wanted it and I sure as hell didn't ask for it to be given to me, but you know what? Out there, my friends are the source of a power much greater than you, and I don't care what you say because they are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Power greater than mine?" repeated the Kyuubi before breaking out in a maniacal laughter. "Let me show you what real power is capable of."

Without anymore warning, a wave of red chakra burst from between the iron gates before swallowing Naruto whole, the boy unable to react before he found himself buried beneath the demonic essence.

...

Sasuke weaved between the three summons that Tayuya had produced, dodging as a large club bludgeoned the ground he had occupied only a split second earlier. Rolling to the side, he ducked to avoid an oncoming kick before punching the creature square in the jaw. It had little effect, however, as it charged at him once more, Sasuke sliding through its legs in order not to get pushed into the other two Doki he had seen come at him from behind.

Reaching for his back pockets, he grabbed hold of some shuriken and launched them at where Tayuya stood. Watching the projectiles flying at her, Tayuya easily moved to the side whilst still playing her flute and not relenting her assault on the Uchiha for the smallest of margins, solidifying her control of the fight.

Or so she thought before he pulled the air downwards, and only too late did she notice that he had multiple strings in his hands. The shuriken she had avoided turned in mid flight and circled her before tightening and holding her in place. Sasuke was incredibly thankful for that as he looked over his shoulder to find that one of the summoned creatures had frozen in place with its fist only inches away from his face. His reprieve, however, was short lived as another one of the Oto shinobi, the one who had been fighting Sakura by his reckoning, came to his comrade's aid and slashed the wires holding Tayuya in place.

"What took you so long, fuckhead," insulted Tayuya as she rubbed her wrists.

"Doesn't matter. Pinky won't be bothering us anymore," said Sakon.

"No," said Sasuke as he clenched his fist in anger. First these bastards had taken Naruto, and now Sakura too… how many of the people close to him were going to die?

"Don't worry, she's alive. Barely," said Sakon as he looked down at the Uchiha. "Figured that Orochimaru might want a new toy to play with, so trust me when I say that death would be sooo much better."

Sasuke had had enough as his fingers started rushing through multiple handseals. "Raiton: Mahi Yuhi!"

The Uchiha charged forward at breakneck speeds, his sharingan spinning with bloodthirsty intent, as he slammed his crackling fingers into the Sound ninja's chest. The result was instantaneous as Sakon gave off a deafening scream, clutching the affected area in agony. Sasuke was caught by surprise, however, as a third fist protruded from the man's body and smashed into the Genin's cheek, sending him flying backwards.

Sasuke managed to break his fall by diving into a roll but quickly had to throw himself backwards again as Tayuya's three Doki charged forward. Thanks to his Sharingan he quickly became aware of the fact that something was going on with Sakon. The Oto-nin appeared to be… pulling himself into his own body? It was a scene that Sasuke could not describe and did not have the time to investigate as the three Doki charged forward once more. To make matters worse, Sakon now had strange black marks running all across his body - a trademark of Orochimaru's cursed seal that Naruto had once described to him.

Sakura was down. Kakashi was dealing with the other guy and probably trying to protect her. Naruto was dead.

It was over.

Or at least it should have been.

An animalistic roar caused everybody to cover their ears as trees near the source of the sound were uprooted from the sheer power that had exploded onto the vicinity. No matter what was happening in terms of the fighting going on, nobody could ignore the power radiating from where it had started. Turning in that direction, nobody could really tell what had happened except for the experienced Jounin of Konoha.

"Kyuubi," he said under his breath, wondering just how much worse this day could get.

"The hell is that?" asked Kidomaru in shock as he felt the presence coming from the other side of the battlefield. While he had been split up from his teammates, he was fairly certain that none of them possessed the power he was sensing now, even with their cursed seals fully activated.

As if to answer his question, two glowing red claws stretched forward and grabbed a couple of the nearby trees, ripping them out of the ground to reveal to both Kakashi and Kidomaru what they were up against. Standing before them was the recently deceased Naruto who was now very much alive. Although while it was clear he was breathing he hardly seemed conscious, or at least in the normal sense. With red slitted eyes and fangs that made him look like a member of the Inuzuka clan, it was as if he was more beast than human.

With his Sharingan eye, though, Kakashi was able to see through the dense blood-red chakra that surrounded his student and was able to focus on the tail that swung back and forth behind the blond-haired kid. While Sakura had told him about Naruto's strength in Suna, this was something well beyond that. It was only because of years of hardened experience as a ninja that he was able to prevent himself from trembling in the wake of the raw, unfocused killing intent that the boy was radiating.

With blistering pace, Naruto charged forwards with a vicious yell escaping his lips. Before Kidomaru could respond in time, Naruto's fist had embedded itself in his face, causing blood to shoot out of his nose. "Bastard," shouted Kidomaru in response as he lashed out at Naruto with his extra arms. While he managed to land his attacks, Naruto was completely unfazed as he grabbed one of Kidomaru's arms, the chakra surrounding at him burning at Kidomaru's skin.

Before the Oto nin even had time to scream, Naruto pulled on the limb and popped it straight out of the shoulder pocket, and if Kidomaru hadn't been experimented on by Orochimaru all his life he was certain his limb would have been ripped right out of the socket. Black marks raced along his skin as his cursed seal rapidly tried to activate and reach its second level but that was immediately halted as a dark-red claw tore straight through his neck, decapitating him as the chakra residue left on his shoulders bubbled with toxicity.

Kakashi attempted to keep up with his student, knowing that things would not be pretty for any party if he did not prevent Naruto from going out of control. Naruto had used the Kyuubi's power before on more than a few occasions but never had the masked Jounin seen the boy so uncaring for the destruction he left in his wake.

The Jounin's heart stopped for a moment as the two of them came across Sakura. She was barely conscious but looked as though that wouldn't last for long, and Kakashi was not entirely sure if his sensei's son could tell friend from foe. However, Naruto did not seem to take notice of the girl and instead charged towards his other teammate and said teammate's assailants.

Due to the level of detail that Kakashi's sharingan enabled him to see with, he quickly realised that the person, despite all the black marks, wasn't the same as before. There was something slightly off about him, almost as though he were an almost identical twin or something. He didn't have much time to ponder upon it, however, as the leader of the Sound Four quickly moved to intercept Naruto.

"You fucking pieces of trash just don't know when to give up, do you?" shouted Tayuya as she supported Sakon by moving her three Doki, the battle with Sasuke a distant memory. Sadly, the numbers didn't phase Naruto in the slightest as he charged forward, chakra-coated arms tearing into anything that got within range. The Doki stood little chance as they ripped in two as if they were no more than tissue paper, a result which had Sakon try and get some distance away from the beast in front of him.

It was too little too late, however, as Naruto burst forward with unforeseen speed and plunged a clawed hand straight through Sakon's stomach and out the other side drenched in blood and holding some kind of internal organ. The Oto shinobi couldn't even scream in pain as his insides were burned by the chakra that Naruto excreted from his skin before he pulled his arm out, allowing Sakon to drop to the ground. Any kind of relief, however, was short lived as Naruto drove his fist into Sakon's head with enough force to create a spiderweb of cracks in the ground in all directions.

Whatever confidence Tayuya had in surviving this battle had vanished in an instant, the red-haired girl turning around in an attempt to flee. She didn't get far, however, as before she could even realise what had happened, she was caught by the throat by Naruto, who held her off the ground with minimal effort as she gasped for breath.

"Naruto!" shouted Sasuke trying to get the attention of his friend, in hindsight a very poor move.

Twisting his head, Naruto stared Sasuke straight in the eyes before tossing Tayuya to the side like a rag doll and charging straight towards his teammate. Sasuke swore that at that moment he could have seen his life flash before his eyes until Kakashi leaped in front of him, taking the blow which could have ended the young Uchiha's life.

"NARUTO!" yelled Sakura as she burst onto the scene, clutching her side painfully. Naruto turned his head to the side to look at his pink-haired teammate before looking down at his extended fist which had connected with his sensei. Seconds ticked by as realisation slowly settled in, as Naruto retracted his fist but never lost the feral look in his eyes. That was until his hands reached up to the side of his head and started screaming as if he was trying to fight his inner demons.

"Get out of my head!" said Naruto with a growl before he took off through the forest, demolishing any part of it that was in his way.

As the pink-haired Genin joined the both Kakashi and Sasuke, she couldn't help but notice that Tayuya had decided that there was no longer any point in staying around."She's getting away," stated Sakura as she saw the retreating form of Tayuya fleeing from there as fast as she could. Needless to say none of them could blame her after what had happened to her teammates.

"Leave her," commanded Kakashi, not showing the excruciating pain he was in. He was pretty sure his ribs were broken, which made breathing all the more difficult. His team was still 'alive' for the most bit and he intended to keep it that way. "We need to give chase to Naruto and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Both Sasuke and Sakura couldn't help but feel that that comment had no real meaning. Even though he had come back from the dead - to which they were all grateful - it was clear that he was nowhere near in control of his actions. If they wanted any more proof on such a thing, their peer having broken Kakashi's bones before screaming at something to get out of his head was enough.

While Sasuke was new to this whole ridiculously overpowered Naruto thing, Sakura was not. But the man who had slaughtered the two Oto nin only minutes ago was not the same one that had rescued her in Suna. The glowing red tail he had brandished today was the last piece of proof she needed to confirm every suspicion and destroy any lingering doubt that Naruto did not have the Kyuubi sealed inside him. Unlike Suna, it seemed to have more of a stranglehold on him, the chakra around moved and flowed as if it was alive and out of his control. He had moved without fear or ration, only seeking destruction. Only when his eyes had set upon her had he calmed down enough to try and wrestle some control back. The question of whether or not he had succeeded was yet to be discovered.

"Let's hurry," said Sakura, being the first one to solidify their resolve. Twice now she had been saved from certain death by the former deadlast of the class and she was determined that she would help him through this, every step of the way. As she leaped off down the path of destruction Naruto had caused, she found that her footsteps were not the only ones she could hear as both Sasuke and Kakashi ran beside her. All had one thought in mind.

They were not returning to Konoha, not yet.

They had one final thing left to accomplish.

…

Raiton: Mahi Yuhi = Electric Release: Paralysis Fingers

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