First Christmas Disaster part 6

"Sakura, what are you talking about? I haven't got time, I have to find Naruto".

"This is ABOUT Naruto Sasuke! He's ill and hurt and I saw him in the hospital. He looked really sick; covered in blood. I asked Jiraiya if he was going to die and he wouldn't tell me anything. He wouldn't even look at me! Come on, you have to go and see him".

"What?! How did you know he was sick? How come no one told me?" he then remembered back to the conversation he had with Ino and Shikamaru.

"Well Ino thought she saw him in the street. Apparently he was on his knees and trying to breathe. He also had some red stuff on his hand".

"Red stuff?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, we went over to where he was supposedly and there was a small pool of blood there", Shikamaru continued.

"Take me to him Sakura", his pallid skin paled even more. Sakura grabbed his hand and ran with him to the hospital. They had reached the entrance and ran up to Naruto's room without going to check at the desk. Sakura burst open the door and saw Tsunade and Jiraiya talking seriously, almost arguing. She couldn't see Naruto on the bed.

"Tsunade-sama!" Sakura released Sasuke's hand from hers and walked over to them, Sasuke followed slowly. "Where's Naruto?"

"We…we don't know Sakura", Jiraiya answered.

"He disappeared. He's run away. That brat! We started having some answers as well".

"What do you mean?"

"We reckon he's gone to Orochimaru but we don't know whether it is to join him or to kill him. Either way, it's a lose-lose situation".

"This is a disaster! One was bad enough but now a second has run off to that bastard. Well Naruto got you back so I guess its now your turn to go and get him". Tsunade narrowed her eyes at Sasuke and Sasuke almost glared back at her. he felt bad enough about that incident already.

"So much for a good quiet Christmas", Sasuke muttered, but he was ready and willing to go after Naruto; time to return the favour.

"Sakura, I know your skills are limited but you have to go and help too. Take two others with you. We have to find that brat and cure him before the brat … before Naruto dies".

"Who should we take?" Sasuke asked.

"Well we need to get him back here before he does anything else stupid. Someone who can manipulate people in to doing what they want", Jiraiya stated, looking back to the window.

"Let's take Ino and Shikamaru. The combined effort of Mind Transfer and Shadow Possession should be enough to catch him?" Sakura questioned.

"Don't be so sure. He's been affected by something that may have by now taken him over and is controlling his actions. We're not completely sure what it is but there is something wrong with him and it is connected to Orochimaru". Tsunade looked at the two teenagers in front of her. She saw that they both looked determined to bring back their team mate.

"Well, we better go and find them and leave straight away; the longer we stall the further he's going to get", Sasuke said. The worry on his face was apparent; so obvious in fact that it made Tsunade and Jiraiya smile inwardly.

Sakura followed Sasuke as they left the room.

"Let's check the Hall first", Sasuke said, "and then their homes. Okay?"

"We have to get him back. Poor Naruto, I wonder what he caught then if it was from Orochimaru".

Sasuke placed his hand around his neck and felt the curse mark he had received. He didn't want Naruto to go through what he went through earlier on; the pain he went through, the exhaustion and the feelings of power he endured that drove him to almost kill the person he loved most. Naruto brought him back in the end but not before being quite hurt. He was going to make sure that he didn't hurt him as much as possible.

Sakura watched as Sasuke remembered his own mark; his face looked pained as he remembered the horrible recollections of the time. She, herself, couldn't do much to help and she felt so useless because of it. It was about that time she started considering asking Tsunade to be her teacher. She eventually plucked up the courage and her wish came true. She was now being tutored by one of the legendary sannin: an honour. With fresh determination that she would be able to make a difference this time round, she quickened her pace to find Ino and Shikamaru,

Jiraiya watched out of the window and saw the two teenagers run in to the distance, sighing he turned to Tsunade. "Do you think they'll be able to do much?"

"Who knows? They may find some abstract way to get Naruto to come back; they have sharp minds, they'll find a way. I have faith. And if they fail, well let's not think about that". She smiled and walked out of the room.

Jiraiya turned back to thinking of what he saw in Naruto's subconscious. It was interesting to see the relationship they had with each other – it made Jiraiya wonder if Kyuubi would actually kill Naruto if it ever escaped his body. Jiraiya smiled slightly at the thought of Naruto shouting at it inside his mind. Only Naruto would be brave enough or stupid enough to yell at the creature.

Meanwhile, Naruto collapsed next to a tree in the middle of the forest surrounding the village. His body and mind were arguing with each other. The two living within the one body were arguing again.

"We have to go back; I can't just run off impulsively! Stop trying to take me over".

"Well of course I'm going to take advantage of you when you're weak I always do. You're not strong enough you little brat. We have to go and kill that Orochimaru before he does this to us again. I am not going to get killed in such a fashion", Kyuubi spoke in his mind.

"STOP!" Naruto's legs were getting up to start running again. "Do I have to break my own legs to get the point across to you, you stupid fox?! I'm not going to run to kill Orochimaru by myself! I'll die!"

"Better die that way than like this", Kyuubi spoke.

"No!"

Naruto sat down and coughed up some more blood. He didn't stop coughing for a few minutes.

"Okay let's go kill that bastard!" Kyuubi spoke with Naruto's mouth. Naruto was getting weaker faster than the Kyuubi. It was time for Kyuubi to take over and have some fun. The whiskers on Naruto's cheeks deepened and his hands turned in to claws; he crouched down on all fours and snarled. He started radiating a dark orangey-red colour. Kyuubi glanced at the surroundings for the fastest way to reach Orochimaru. He somehow knew the way to his hideout and was contemplating the quickest way there. He climbed the tree and started jumping from branch to branch. It was the quickest way through the woods at any means.

"Will you stop controlling me?" Kyuubi heard Naruto yelling in the back of his mind.

"I told you", Kyuubi hissed "That I am stronger than you at the moment so I am the one who dominates the body. Don't worry, I won't let you die, I'm cleverer than you. Remember you die then I die".

Naruto's worries were starting to echo through Kyuubi's mind too. He stopped and soon he was arguing with Naruto again. It was at this time that he started hearing voices yelling his name.

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