Title:

Rating:

Pairing / Characters: Hatake Kakashi, Pakkun, Jiraiya, Tsunade, Uzumaki Naruto, Sarutobi Asuma, Haruno Sakura

Word Count: 1, 182 words

Warnings: Some violence, possible disturbing imagery

Summary: Naruto takes on a dark aspect of the nine tails, Tsunade and Jiraiya plan their defences of Konoha, Kakashi is wounded and Sakura bumps into him, Naruto takes more lives

A/N: I never EVER EVER thought that I would say it, but am I glad this is nearly over…

Kakashi landed lightly beside Pakkun, who was eyeing the body near him with extreme caution. In another situation, Kakashi might have found it amusing that Pakkun wouldn't go near the nin, but this situation wasn't amusing in the slightest.

His ninken were trained for anything, and trained not to be alarmed by anyone, and the fact that Pakkun point blank refused to go near the mist nin's body meant dark things indeed.

'What's wrong with him?' he asked intently.

'Naruto's smell is all over him, but so is the smell of the kitsune. I don't like it; Kakashi, that chakra is evil.'

Kakashi turned the nin over, and caught his breath, shocked beyond measure at what he saw.

The nin's chest had been ripped apart, and there were terrible chakra burns on his skin. It wasn't just that – it seemed that the actual cause of death was the bite marks to his throat.

Kakashi swallowed. 'We have to find him, Pakkun. This is going beyond an emergency. I don't even want to consider the fact that Naruto is… you get the idea.'

Pakkun glanced at the body briefly. 'We have a problem with that. Naruto's scent ends here and I can't smell him anywhere else. Perhaps the kitsune's chakra is concealing his scent.'

Kakashi slammed a fist into the ground. 'Then there's only one thing to do – I have to find him myself.'

'Then I'll be off,' Pakkun replied, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Kakashi got up, scanning the streets.

It was his preternatural instincts that saved his life as out of the darkness, a spiked chain tore furrows in the ground where he had been standing.

Naruto crouched behind a pile of rubble that had once been a ramen stand, fighting to control the power of the nine tails. Within his mind, he could see the cage that contained the massive Youma, and the chakra that flowed towards him in a steady stream, encasing his body in a shell.

He turned his hand over, unsurprised to see himself bleeding from every pore.

Naruto was powerless against the chakra of the nine tails, horrified to witness the lack of control over his own body. He could still taste the blood of the shinobi he had so brutally killed, and the part of his mind controlled by kyuubi delighted in the metallic tang of the blood.

His head shot up.

Voices.

He didn't recognize them, but the kyuubi was still thirsting for blood. Before he could stop himself, Naruto came out from behind the rubble and snarling, confronted the enemies before him.

Vaguely, Naruto realized that he was outnumbered, but even without Kyuubi's influence, he had never been one to back away from a challenge.

Extending his right hand, he formed a rasengan, its color tainted by kyuubi's chakra.

He grinned menacingly, and flew forward towards his enemies.

They were all his enemies, each and every person, every last shinobi he laid eyes on…

Asuma brought up the trench knives again, but this time, his hands were poised in preparation of a seldom used jutsu.

'Katon: Haisekisho!'

As he exhaled, clouds of superheated ash filled the air. Asuma lowered his hands and watched as the particles of ash swirled around his opponents, burning everything they touched. He was oblivious to the screams; the men who had confronted him were already dying, and there was no need to worry about them. Asuma's dark eyes were icy as he slid the trench knives back into his weapons pouch and leapt to the roof of the nearest building, scanning the street below him for danger.

'Tsunade! It looks like things are starting to turn in our favor,' Jiraiya called, walking towards her.

Tsunade grimaced, wiping her bloodied hands on her robes. 'It's about time, too. They're strong, and they have the numbers, but we have the advantage – its our homes we're protecting.'

Jiraiya picked up her hand and studied it carefully.

Tsunade punched him. 'What the hell are you doing?'

The frog hermit glared at her. 'Checking you for injuries. You aren't infallible, you know.'

Tsunade's expression softened. 'I know. I'm not hurt, it's not even my blood.'

'I'm glad to hear that,' Jiraiya muttered, dropping her hand like it was hot. 'We should see to the defenses, Tsunade. I don't want to be surprised by more shinobi lurking just outside our gates.'

'Neither do I,' Tsunade replied. 'We should split up, though. I'll take the West wall, you take the East. I'll have Kotetsu and Izumo cover the North wall, and Anko should already be on her way to back Genma up.'

'The jounin senseis?'

Tsunade frowned. 'The last time I saw Gai he was searching bodies for any wounded leaf shinobi. Kurenai and Asuma, I don't know of.'

'Kakashi?'

'Is the last person I'm worried about,' Tsunade answered calmly. 'Wherever he is, I'm sure he's perfectly all right. As for Iruka, he's already at Hokage Mountain with Ino and Chouji, and I've sent Neji's team to back him up.'

'We should start gathering together the genin and the wounded and let the ANBU and the jounins handle what's left of this disaster,' Jiraiya remarked.

Tsunade smiled, although it was barely visible, Jiraiya heard it in her voice.

'Where do you think I've sent Shikamaru?'

Kakashi dived to the side, neatly avoiding the chain and cursing his bad luck, for whatever chance he'd had to find Naruto was lost.

The mist nin pulled the chain back and snapped it forward again; Kakashi threw up his hand to protect his face, and felt the spikes on the chain bite into his wrist. Twisting his wrist, ignoring the pain as his flesh tore, Kakashi grabbed the chain between the spikes and jerked the nin forward, pulling him off his feet.

As he did so, he pulled out a kunai and rammed it into the nin's shoulder.

The nin collapsed, and Kakashi brought up his knee, snapping the nin's head backward and sending him tumbling.

Kakashi untangled the chain, dropping it into a heap on the floor and cradling his injured wrist against his chest. Scowling beneath the mask, he was about to continue his search for Naruto when a voice called his name.

'Kakashi-sensei!'

Glancing over his shoulder, Kakashi saw Sakura running towards him. She was alone, covered in blood, and looked wrecked. Kakashi dropped to one knee, clasping her shoulders.

'Are you hurt, Sakura?' he asked in concern.

Sakura shook her head. 'No… just tired… Kakashi-sensei – you're hurt!'

Kakashi shook his head. 'It's just some cuts, don't worry about me. More importantly, you're low on chakra, aren't you?'

Sakura hung her head 'I'm really tired,' she admitted, drooping.

'Come with me, I'll get you to safety,' Kakashi told her. 'You can't stay out here much longer.'

'I wanted to do more,' Sakura told him, her voice breaking.

'We're only human, Sakura. Even the sannin have their limits. You can't fight forever, none of us can.'

Ignoring her protests, he put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward gently.