Disclaimer: I had a dog once. I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft. Wait. Wait. What?

Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!

--------------------------------------

When Shandris and her Sentinels reached the edge of the forest, they were frozen by Tyrande's shout.

"Don't get any closer!"

Shandris stared at her superior, who stood a little ways away, Neera by her side. Tyrande's body was badly wounded, and her hands burnt so badly that it didn't appear they would ever completely heal. Her hair whipped around in the unnatural, hot wind that was emanating from the shaking, writhing form that once was Uzumaki Naruto. Shandris could not see her face, but from watching the scene unfold, she could easily guess it.

Naruto was changing. His body was covered in a thick layer of angry red chakra, which took the shape of a monstrous fox. It stretched out a few inches from the rest of his body, so that he appeared to be caught in a cloud of chakra. The head of a fox covered his own, with long pointed ears and wild red eyes. Claws covered his arms and legs, and two long tails of pure chakra swayed behind him, with a third one already half-formed. What could be seen of Naruto's face was a mask of pure, animalistic fury. There was nothing of the kind, determined boy left.

Both Tyrande and Neera were frozen in place. Neither felt like they could do a thing at the moment. Seeing Naruto; the sweet, fiery, inquisitive and stubborn boy that they had known for over a month, transform into the monster before them was more than either could take. They could but watch, in morbid fascination tinged with horror, as Naruto's third tail fully came into being.

Then it moved.

The creature Naruto had become lunged straight at Tyrande, not caring what chance it stood against her. With the demon's personality fully released, it had absolutely no mind any more. It was a creature of instinct, and always had been. It cared nothing for power levels, strategy, or anything of the sort. It would simply kill until there was nothing left. Though it was joyful for its freedom, it had long ago planned for its first action upon freeing itself.

It would kill anything that was there in front of it. Anything at all.

It had hoped that it would be the brat's precious people. It had prayed that when it got free, that first thing it would be able to do was destroy those the brat, whom had caged it for so long, cared about. It had gotten its wish.

But now there was no need for thought. It didn't hold the sick ideal of revenge in its mind, or delight in seeing the terror on their faces. It was simply reveling in its complete and total freedom by tearing everything it saw into pieces. Chance favored it.

For those it saw first were the ones the brat cared about.

Though it didn't concern itself with that. It didn't want to think anymore. It just wanted to act. As soon as it ripped everyone here apart, it would find more, and repeat the process. Just like old times. Back when it hadn't needed to think, back when it had simply reveled in its lust for destruction, and joy of the kill. For nearly fourteen years it hadn't done a thing but think. Now it wouldn't have to.

One of its massive claws stretched out on a long tendril of chakra, slicing at Neera and Tyrande. The two night elves leapt backwards, avoiding the swift, furious attack, landing just in time to dodge another, and then another. The Kyuubi attacked with everything it had at that point, even as more of its chakra began to pour through the break in the seal. Its sweeping claws tore through the sandy beach, throwing up large clouds of sand. Tyrande finally stopped her dodging, and brought up her three-bladed Sentinel's knife, blocking one of powerful strikes. She cursed at the sheer power it possessed, but held her ground.

Neera raised her weapon to attack, but froze when the Kyuubi, with Naruto's face, looked at her. Her hesitation was long enough for the creature to pull back from Tyrande and thrust a claw in her direction. It slammed into her stomach, palm first, lifting Neera off her feet and throwing her across the beach. She struck a tree, causing it to crack and her to cry out.

The Kyuubi would've continued its attack on her before a Sentinel's blade, directed by Shandris, slammed into its left shoulder. Enhanced by azure chakra, the blades cut into the thick layer of chakra, slicing straight through to Naruto's flesh.

The Kyuubi howled in pain, reeling from the attack. The Sentinel's blade cut deep into Naruto's left shoulder, nearly slicing the arm clear off. It passed straight through, doubled back, and returned to Shandris' waiting hand. Tyrande gasped in horror at her lieutenant's attack, seeing the damage it had done to Naruto's body.

Her fears for the boy's arm dissolved, however, as molten chakra flooded into the wound, and repaired it in nothing less than a heartbeat. It released several short growls, but with its hideous vulpine grin, it sounded more like cackling.

'What is this creature?' wondered Tyrande. This demon was nothing like Archimonde. It had no motive other than to destroy. It answered to no master, and acted on pure instinct, and seemed to bear only a grudge against life and existence.

And what more was that she could feel no corruption coming from the creature. This was not a tainted beast, fallen from grace. It was pure; created for one sole purpose.

Destruction.

How could such a beast have been sealed in Naruto? How could he have resisted that terrifying power for so long?

Illidan had only sliced through a portion of the seal, and thankfully that meant that the beast's power was not completely free. However, she could tell that every moment more and more was pouring out. She did notice, however, that it was not rushing out like water from a dam. It seemed controlled. The Kyuubi was not letting all its power come out at once.

She stopped thinking as the beast turned to her, one of its baleful red eyes boring into her own ivory ones.

It lunged at Tyrande this time, thrusting its claw towards her chest. She ducked swiftly beneath it, and brought her weapon up, slicing through the chakra, splitting the arm in two. The spectral claw fell to the ground, whereupon it dissolved into dark red wisps of smoke, and returned to the Kyuubi's body. The stump began to bubble, and from it a new arm took shape a blink later.

Before the Kyuubi could move again, however, three arrows suddenly struck it in the chest, knocking it backwards. The arrows bored through the increasingly thick chakra and into Naruto's flesh, but were thrust out by the Kyuubi's chakra as invaders. More arrows soon followed, however, causing the demon to leap away, bringing a tail up to defend its head from the deadly barbs.

Tyrande moved away from it, shouting behind her. "That is Naruto!"

Several of the Sentinels stared in shock at what had become of their former training partner. Shandris, however, ran up to Tyrande.

"My lady, what do we do? How do we stop this?"

Tyrande cursed as another hail of arrows halted the demon's movement again. They had to act fast. "We have to suppress the chakra before it gets any greater. Illidan cut the seal! We have to--"

Suddenly a wave of power blasted them backwards. Both landed deftly on their feet, their eyes shooting as one up to the Kyuubi's body, which had begun to change. The red chakra became thicker and darker, almost black. It grew taught against Naruto's flesh, its claws grew larger, and the chakra molded itself to the blonde's face, all but erasing his features save for twin wide, pupil-less eyes and a grinning maw. Behind it, they watched in horror as a fourth tail appeared. It now looked more fox than human.

The ground exploded, turning the sand to glass, and sent flying those who had not bolstered their footing with chakra. The air was now so thick with chakra that neither could stand it. It was asphyxiating, and it burned their skin and dried their lips. The hot wind had grown worse, and seemed to steal the air from their lungs as it rushed by them. But greater than all of that was the fear that began to course through the hardened warriors' bodies. Fear of both the chaotic, wild power in front of them, and what it meant for the boy caught within it.

Tyrande came awake as the creature seemed to settle for a moment, observing its new form. So it wasn't as single-minded as she had thought. It appeared to have a personality, even in the real world.

But she knew that with the few Sentinels they had, they wouldn't be able to stop it. They had to retreat. They had to get reinforcements, and find a way to stop the chakra from coming out any more. She had an idea, but at the moment, it was impossible to perform.

The Kyuubi suddenly let out a great roar. The forest seemed to shrink back, and she could hear the creatures of the forest in flight behind her, moving as far away from the monster as they could. They needed to do the same for now.

She made a long series of hand seals, followed by smashing her palms into the ground. From deep within the earth, two massive spikes of rock erupted just in front of her hands. With another seal, she placed her hands on the rocks spikes, surrounding them with a glowing, pearl chakra. Just as she finished, the Kyuubi moved.

She thrust both hands out, crying "Spears of Heaven and Earth!"

The spears of rock exploded from the earth, streaking and slamming into the Kyuubi with the force of bullets. They did not pierce the creature's hide, but the force blasted the demon off its feet, and carried it along with them. It soared away from the beach, far out into the ocean.

Tyrande didn't stay to see the results of her attack, however. She roared to the others, "Let's go! We need to get help! We cannot fight it on our own!"

Shandris did not hesitate. She nodded, and commanded the others to follow them into the forest. Tyrande leapt towards where Neera lay, still unconscious from her first blow. She lifted the young elf up, and disappeared into the forest.

----------------------------------------------

'EXCELLENT.'

The Kyuubi grinned horribly in Naruto's mindscape, staring at the trapped blonde with its big, fiery eyes. Naruto had stopped struggling, pain and despair weakening his resolve.

'I FEEL IT AGAIN. I AM FREE, UNHINDERED BY YOUR ANNOYING MIND AND ACTIONS.' It leaned in forwards, so that Naruto could feel its hot, stinking breath. 'MY CHAKRA IS NOT COMPLETELY FREE, BUT IT WILL SOON BE. I DON'T WANT YOUR BODY DYING BEFORE THAT HAPPENS, SO YOU ARE GOING TO HELP ME.' It boomed with laughter, as one of its four tails swept down and covered Naruto's head, muffling his renewed cries.

'JUST AS I HELPED YOU IN YOUR BATTLES, BRAT, IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO HELP ME IN MINE!'

----------------------------------------------

The forest was screaming in fear.

Fandral Staghelm stood among the great trees of the Cenarion Enclave, listening to its cries of horror. He could feel, too, the source of that horror, growing ever stronger in the distance. It had appeared suddenly, after the sounds of an unknown battle had died away. He had heard and seen the effects of Tyrande's Starfall, and had felt another, familiar power along with hers.

But then this power had come.

He unconsciously shuddered. Something was coming, something powerful, immense, and extremely harmful to the sanctity and peace of the night elves. It was an awful power; wrathful and hot, a maelstrom of unfocused rage that would soon sweep across the entire island, and reduced it to cinders. It was different from the feeling of corruption that the Burning Legion brought. It felt more primal, older. It was not a creature corrupted by Sargeras, but a force of nature, a pure demon. It simply wanted to destroy.

It had no other motive.

But he could feel that it was nothing in comparison to Archimonde. But from the way the trees trembled and shook, he knew it had the potential. That meant they had to stop it quickly.

Other druids began to gather. Some appeared visibly frightened, others affixed masks of stoicism and calmness so as not to cause panic. But all could feel the disturbance. It was impossible not to. They looked to Fandral, their Arch-Druid, their leader, with questioning eyes. How was he going to combat this threat? In the past, the one who had always been the one to save them was Malfurion. Without him, would they be doomed?

Fandral's eyes swept across the gathered druids. He saw their fear, their doubt. He gritted his teeth. Malfurion's legacy, he scoffed. He hardened his eyes, which appeared to glow brighter in the darkness. He stood up straight, and let his chakra flow out, seizing the attention of all those around him. The trees themselves seemed to react, extending their roots and branches towards him so as to listen better to his words. The druids' mutterings fell silent at once.

He would give no long speech. He would give no powerfully spoken words to encourage the hearts of those around him, to whip them into the spirit of battle. That was not his style. That was more Malfurion's.

No, he simply intended to convey to them the direness of their situation. If this creature, whatever it was, was allowed to get anywhere near the main city, then he knew that untold destruction would be caused. Thousands of lives would be lost. He intended to tell them as simply as possible that if they did not win, they would all die.

After another sweep of his eyes, he spoke. "This threat, I do not have to tell you, is immense. Whatever seeks to harm us, whatever has revealed itself to us this night, is beyond dangerous. If we fail, if we are unable to stop it from reaching our city, then it is over for us. There is nothing else to say. We must stop it."

He then lifted something up, which before he had been clutching in his left hand. Upon seeing it, the druids seemed to grow heartened.

"Then let us go," Fandral said, clenching his fist. "Let us fight to win again. We are strong. We are the Kaldorei!"

------------------------------------

'This is bad,' Tyrande thought with a curse. 'Very bad.'

Their flight had not gone as planned. The creature, despite her efforts, had not been stopped for very long. It had been unharmed by the attack, and had recovered and pursued them, running across the surface of the sea. They were only halfway back to the city when it reached them again.

It swept its tails in a long arc, suddenly releasing a massive explosion of chakra. Trees were blown apart, the ground was flash-burned to nothing but rock and sand. Tyrande focused as much chakra as she could into her feet in order to keep her balance, but even then it was difficult. It stretched a claw, shooting it directly towards a Sentinel that had fallen to the ground near it. The Sentinel cursed, leaping away from the arm, but it only continued after her. She knocked an arrow, poured her chakra into it, and released it at the extended arm.

The arrow bounced off the thick chakra, and before she could grab another arrow, the arm burst apart, flinging deadly bullets of dark red chakra in every direction. The bullets struck her body, tearing through flesh and bone, and poisoning her chakra system. She died seconds later.

But even as the Kyuubi was ending one Sentinel's life, it was searching for others. The Kyuubi's chest suddenly bubbled, and six groping arms erupted out, tearing through trees and earth, searching for lives to claim.

Tyrande was unfortunate to find the attention of one of these arms, as was Neera. Making a seal, Tyrande thrust her hand out, and released a burst of purifying chakra, created specifically to destroy and suppress demonic chakra. The red arm recoiled and fell apart.

Neera, on the other hand, having recovered a little ways into the forest, was doing her best to avoid the deadly creeper, having no way to dispel it like Tyrande did. The High Priestess, however, soon came to her aid, and dispelled it in the same way. Tyrande then turned to Neera.

"Get going. I will stay."

Neera gasped. "But my lady...what about--"

"Don't worry," said Tyrande. "Get as much help as you can. I'll be able to hold it off until then. Spare no expense. All of my Priestesses must come, as must all the Sentinels, druids and anyone else who can help." She glared fiercely back at Neera. "We don't have time. Go!"

Neera jumped, but went. She moved as fast as she could, leaping from tree to tree, back towards the city.

Shandris looked back, cursing when she saw two more Sentinels fall to the chakra claws of the Kyuubi. She then noticed, to her horror, that Tyrande stood her ground upon the earth, yards behind her. Her first impulse was to stop, but her second made her continue forwards. She knew that Tyrande was buying them time. Therefore, they needed to get back as fast as possible in order to get the reinforcements that Tyrande desperately needed.

And, she thought grimly, Tyrande was most likely the only one of them that could stand up to this power without being immediately slain. She only hoped that Tyrande would be able to stay alive long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

Tyrande, for her part, had to do all that she could to stop the demon from advancing. They needed to find some way to stop this beast, to suppress the power and allow Naruto to reassert his control over it. In order to do that, she would need all of her best Priestesses, and everyone possible in order to stop it long enough for her to complete preparations. She already had an idea on how to stop this creature. She just needed time and help, both of which were in short supply at the moment.

She prayed again that they were already mobilizing. She knew that it would a short time before Fandral and his druids arrived, and for once, she was counting on him. The druids would certainly be able to keep it contained for the time she needed. Her Sisters of Elune were hopefully ready as well. They must have sensed the Kyuubi's presence by now. Something so awful was impossible not to feel.

The Kyuubi howled suddenly, so wild and terrible. Tyrande could hear nothing of Naruto in the howl. He was gone, and to where she did not know. She only hoped that her plan would work. She only prayed that they would be able to seal the beast away again, before it completely consumed Naruto.

The awful chakra that now covered him made her fear for the blonde's life. She had seen the corrosive effects it had on everything it touched. So why would it not have such an effect on the body that it surrounded? If they didn't stop the chakra from coming out, then Naruto's body would be destroyed.

The Kyuubi released another explosion, clearing away another large patch of trees. Tyrande bolstered herself with chakra again, and ran forwards to meet it. It stood in the very center of the new clearing, releasing another ear-shattering roar. Its tails whipped around it in a frenzy, and it twisted its head in every direction attempting to sight new quarry. When it found Tyrande, it lunged for her.

One of its claws stretched out, coiling and flailing as it flew at Tyrande. The High Priestess of Elune made a seal, thrusting out a hand.

'Moon Shield!' Pearl-colored chakra erupted from her hand, forming a glistening semi-transparent wall in front of her. The claw struck it, but at the same moment Tyrande stepped forwards and turned her body angling the shield so that the claw glanced off. Tyrande stepped forwards then, and dispelling her shield, made another few hand seals. Lifting her Sentinel's blade, she threw it hard, making disappear in a flash of light.

'Moonlight Strike!' The blade smashed into the Kyuubi's chest with amazing force, jettisoning it backwards. It crashed through a group of trees, shattering and destroying them all with but its presence. The extended arm slowly began to retract.

Tyrande called her Sentinel's blade back, and it flew from the fallen, now burning trees back into her hand. She waited, keeping one eye trained on the still retracting claw and the other on the pile of fallen trees, from which the Kyuubi had yet to emerge.

Suddenly something happened.

The claw, which now flailed in mid-air a few yards in front, suddenly swelled up like a huge balloon, making Tyrande's eyes widen. The arm suddenly took another shape, growing a head, body, tails and claws of its own. It became a full fledged Kyuubi, but only possessed two tails.

The pile of burnt trees suddenly exploded, and another Kyuubi emerged, with two tails as well. They remained covered in the dark red opaque chakra, and still had wide, pupil-less eyes.

'It's using Naruto's techniques!' she thought, horrified. She had no more time to think, as the one nearest her attacked. Tyrande dodged two swipes from the demon's claws, and another from from a tail that had grown long and thin like a spear. The other Kyuubi rushed at her side, one of its claws growing as large as its body. It brought it up over its head, then smashed it down on Tyrande.

The High Priestess of Elune avoided the attack, which drove straight through the earth, rock, and wood of the great waterlogged tree. Her hands flew through more hand seals, and as the beasts renewed their attack, she slammed her palms together.

"Aura of Elune!" she cried. Purifying chakra erupted from every pore of her body. It exploded outwards in a quick, furious blast, throwing both Kyuubis back, and making them roar in pain and anger.

Breathless, Tyrande charged at the nearest Kyuubi, making more seals as she did. She planted her hand in the Kyuubi's chest, hissing in pain at the contact, but at the same time releasing a massive burst of purifying chakra. The creature screeched and fell back, writhing, a gaping hole in its chest.

But then its began to swell. It grew big, its limbs becoming grotesquely fat and its body becoming almost spherical. It made a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a cry of glee, and exploded.

Tyrande moved. Faster than she ever had before. Before the Kyuubi clone burst, she had already traveled the entire distance of the clearing, and was beneath the trees when it finally did. Even then, however, she was nearly knocked to the ground by the force of the blast. Trees were uprooted and flung into the air, or simply reduced to cinders where they stood. Tyrande covered herself from the flying dust and debris with her arms. For a moment all she could hear was the roaring wind and crashing impacts of trees returning to the earth.

Then silence reigned.

Tyrande stood, now at the very edge of an even larger clearing. The Kyuubi stood near the middle, once again in possession of four tails. It was howling again, this time in apparent victory. It did not even bother to look in her direction.

She slowly made her way out into the open. She was shocked to discover, however, the purple mist above her was gone. She could see the night sky, clear as day. It was something that she had never seen before in Teldrassil.

Then, she saw the Kyuubi look at her. It stopped howling, and seemed a little surprised at her appearance, tilting its head to the side as a curious dog might. She stared back at it. She readied herself to fight again.

But there was no need.

From the earth beneath the Kyuubi, huge, thick dark vines erupted. Some were as thick as oak trees, others as thin as reeds. They wrapped themselves around the Kyuubi, lifting it into the air and completely surrounding it. They continued to emerge and bind until the Kyuubi was no longer visible.

A figure emerged from the trees. Tyrande knew who it was at once.

"Fandral!" she cried, rushing towards him.

Fandral Staghelm turned as Tyrande called out to him. His eyes narrowed briefly as she came to a stop, panting, in front of him.

"Tyrande," he said. "It seems you have done well in keeping it occupied. Good. But your presence is no longer needed. We shall destroy this creature." To prove his point, he produced something that Tyrande had not seen in ages. It was horn with an ornately carved head that resembled a bird. It emanated no special power, and had no special presence, yet Tyrande was not fooled. She recognized it instantly, for she herself had used it once, long ago.

"The Horn of Cenarius..." she whispered. Then, realizing what he intended to do, she cried. "No! You cannot!"

"We can," replied Fandral. As he said this, more druids began to move from the trees. Some held their hands together in a seal, staring at the writhing mass of vines with looks of intense concentration. She could feel their chakra flowing out, into the earth and vines, reinforcing their power. Even so, she knew that they couldn't last long.

"No, you don't understand! That is Naruto's body! The demon has taken him over, thanks to Illidan. We must find a way to seal the demonic chakra away again, not kill them both!" Tyrande said, glaring at him.

Fandral stared at her a moment, then turned back to the mass. "That is the boy? Hmph. I knew that there was something off about him. He never told us that he had a demon inside of him. And I though I recognized the other presence earlier. Nevertheless, it does not matter. We will destroy him hear and now, no matter who he is."

"You will not!" Tyrande cried, now desperate. "It is not his fault! Please, I know how we can seal it! I just need my Priestesses and Sisters. We don't have to destroy him! Please, Fandral!" Normally, she would have never pleaded with him. Normally, she would have punched him or swore at him until she could no longer, even though anger never worked against Fandral. But this involved Naruto's life. She didn't know why, but she found herself almost hysterical with worry. The boy had become very close to her, without her even realizing it. She couldn't let him die. She couldn't!

Again Fandral stared at her. His face was as unreadable as ever. Then, he nodded.

"Retrieve your Sisters. We will stay here, and keep it occupied. Go. Now."

Tyrande didn't stop to thank him, or even smile in relief. She turned and ran into the forest, towards Darnassus.

When she was gone, Fandral turned back to the vines and their captive. He could feel the awful power growing inside, and knew that they had to act now.

He shook his head. It was strange, he thought, as he raised the horn to his lips. She had never even thought to suspect him of lying. That boy must have been very important to her, to make her so strangely trusting.

He blew the horn, just as a massive explosion of chakra incinerated the Kyuubi's vine prison, freeing it.

The creature landed, bellowing out a long roar which drowned the sound of the horn. But that didn't matter. The horn had been blown, and Fandral knew that it would only be a matter of time before the spirits answered his call. They would simply have to wait until they came.

The Kyuubi screamed again, slashing one claw at the druids, producing a blast of hot wind. The druids summoned shields of wood, protecting themselves, as Fandral thrust a hand at the beast.

Two long wooden poles erupted from the ground, smashing into the Kyuubi. It screeched, but grabbed the poles and ripped them apart, even as Fandral made more seals. He thrust a hand at the Kyuubi again, roaring into the air.

'Moonfire!'White-hot, sapphire blue fire burst into being on the Kyuubi's chest, immediately covering the whole creature. The flames burned deep, attacking and eating away the thick, fiery chakra that made its body. It writhed and screamed, but as long as Fandral willed it, the flames would remain.

The Kyuubi then thrust his claws out in every direction. One of them grew immensely large, smashing through the shields of wood and clawing at the druids behind them. Most dodged away, but even then, the large fingers suddenly grew long, becoming miniature claws themselves. Two punctured a pair of druids' bodies, burning through their flesh and destroying their chakra systems. They died with gurgling cries.

Others managed to get away, and fended off the attacking claws with shields of wood and creeping vines.

The other hand made straight for Fandral, who conjured more vines, which wrapped around the claw and bound it in place.

Then, Fandral began to smile. It was their victory.

For the army of nature, called by the horn, had arrived.

Wisps, glowing everywhere from sky blue to bright yellow, began to flutter out from the trees. They made their way slowly out into the clearing at first, but at Fandral's shout, suddenly shot like bullets towards the Kyuubi.

They converged, forming a cloud of rainbow around it. The demon swatted at them, though it seemed puzzled by their appearance. Fandral smiled. The battle would end now. This creature was done for.

It happened seconds later. In a terribly bright flash, the wisps detonated, engulfing the Kyuubi in a mighty explosion.

The druids called up shields again to protect themselves. Fandral, listening to the howling winds, and watching the flying debris and near blinding light behind his shield, knew that they had won. As Malfurion had done against Archimonde, using the power of the World Tree, so would Fandral do against this beast, using the power of Teldrassil, his World Tree. The wisps had answered his call.

The blast blew away trees and scorched the earth. It cleared away the rest of the purple mist above them, revealing the night sky. A third massive clearing was formed by the explosion, and hopefully the last. It lasted for several moments, and Fandral and his druids knew only chaos in those moments, as the world was seemingly annihilated around them. But their shields protected them, the very tree they stood upon keeping them safe from nature's wrath.

Then the light began to fade, and the dust and debris began to settle. A calm settled over the battlefield, and everything was veiled in silence. The night air, Fandral just noticed, was cool and breezy. He looked up into the sky. It was something he usually found so distasteful, so incredibly huge and open that it made him feel small. He hated that feeling. But now, he felt as if he could reach out and grab it. He had won. He was strong, just as he had always said.

He was not so far away from Malfurion now.

But then he heard it roar, equal to the screams of a thousand feral beasts, a thousand raging demons. It brought a great fear into the elf's heart, eroding the victory away.

Malfurion was suddenly a speck in the distance, so very far away again.

He felt so very small again.

A second explosion rocked the world. But this one was different. There was no bright flash, only a maelstrom of wind, a tremor through the earth, and a sudden feeling of great dread. The awful power, the power of the demon, was growing again. It suddenly felt more awful then ever before. The wood shields of the druids began to crack and burn, the demon's horrible chakra burning through them. Fandral was for a moment unable to even breath, as the Kyuubi's chakra reached a new level.

As it settled down, Fandral stepped boldly from his protection, and saw his fears confirmed.

The Kyuubi now had five tails.

It was bigger than ever before, nearly his height on all fours. The chakra that covered it was just as dark, but seemed to emulate skin and fur even better. The demon's claws were even more wicked, and its grinning maw now filled with even more teeth. It's eyes were still pupil-less, but seemed sharper and narrower, making it look even wickeder than before. It tails were longer and wilder, and its face more elongated and vulpine.

Fandral was stunned. The wisps, though they had answered his call, had not been enough. His World Tree had possessed none of the power that the former one had.

Malfurion had been right again. This World Tree could never compare.

But even as he stared down a creature he knew he couldn't beat, Fandral hardened himself. He was Kaldorei. He was strong and fearless. No matter what he faced, he would fight to the death.

But perhaps, he thought grimly, Tyrande would come through.

For once, he hoped that the woman would bring help soon. As irritating as he found her, he knew that in this instance, she would be their only hope.

She and her feelings for that brat.

----------------------------------

Tyrande emerged from the forest to find an army waiting for her.

Shandris had done well. She had gathered the entire standing army of Darnassus, and had called six Ancients of War from around the city. These massive, tree-like beasts were even bigger than those that Naruto and Kira had met outside the city. They had huge tusks of wood, and were outfitted with massive shoulder and shin guards, as well as colorful war paint. Their hands were sharpened into claws, and their massive legs could easily trample a dozen people in a single step. Their faces resembled animals'. They stood at the back of the gathered, silent and still, waiting for their orders.

"Tyrande!"

Tyrande turned as Kira and Kylia pushed their way to the front of the group. Kira looked terrified, though whether it was from worry or the demon's presence, she didn't know. Kylia remained calm, a pillar for Kira to lean against.

Neera appeared minutes later, Shandris by her side. Immediately, the commander of the Sentinels bowed to Tyrande and said, "I couldn't find the druids. It seems they have already gone."

Tyrande nodded. "I met them. They are keeping it occupied. We must go over the plan now. I have an idea of how to stop--"

A great explosion behind them drowned out her words, and lit the air with a bright flash. Tyrande felt a surge of chakra behind her, one that was not the Kyuubi's. She knew, however, exactly what it belonged to. She had felt something similar many years ago, on a day she had faced another demon of great power.

Though she had not heard it, Fandral must have blown the Horn.

Horror welled up in her. 'Naruto!' she mentally wailed, nearly toppling to her knees. No, it couldn't be possible. He couldn't be dead.

Shandris caught her at the last moment, staring at her in puzzlement. Kira and Kylia were watching the now fading explosion, eyes wide at its size.

"N-Naruto..." she mumbled, causing Kira's attention to snap to her.

"What is it? What happened?" Kira asked. The look on Tyrande's face filled her with sudden dread. She had heard everything from Shandris. She knew that Naruto was now dominated by the Kyuubi's personality, and unless they did something, he would die, and the Kyuubi would be free to walk the earth again. They couldn't let that happen.

"The Horn," muttered Tyrande, disbelievingly. "He used it. He used the Horn of Cena--"

Her words died on her lips as she heard the second explosion, and the return and ascension of the Kyuubi's chakra. She stood, her fear for Naruto vanishing in an instant. She did not think of what had happened to Fandral. She did not question why the Horn had not worked. She didn't care. They still had a chance. They could still do this.

"Never mind," she suddenly said. Her voice was cold and calm now. The worry that she had once displayed was gone, and replacing it was the familiar mask of the High Priestess of Elune; the battle goddess that Illidan had worshipped. "I have a plan." She sucked in her breath.

"We need to seal the Kyuubi. There is nothing that we possess currently with which to destroy it, so we can only rely on our seals to suppress the chakra and push it back into Naruto. Illidan didn't destroy the seal. The Kyuubi is not completely free. Its chakra is slowly pouring out from the ruptured seal, and invading Naruto's body. It grows tails each time its power grows past a certain level, and a certain amount of it is freed." She looked at everyone with determined eyes. "But I know that at the same time, this chakra is harmful. It burns everything it touches, and if it gets into your system, it poisons it, and gradually destroys it until you yourself die. Unless you are strong enough to combat it, a single touch from the Kyuubi might kill you.

"But from what Kira and Naruto have both told me, every time he uses the demon's chakra, it corrodes his own body as well. He has never before reached the level he has at this point, which leads me to believe that his body is at this very moment being slowly destroyed by the chakra that surrounds it."

Kira gulped. "So the how do we stop it?"

Tyrande took another deep breath. "I'm getting to that. The demon seems to be regulating its chakra flow. I'm sure that if it allowed its chakra to flow out too fast, then Naruto's body would be destroyed. If his body dies before all of the Kyuubi's chakra can come out, then it is likely the demon itself will die. They are still connected, as long as the creature's chakra is behind the remnants of the original seal.

"My plan is to overlay another seal, the strongest one that we have ever developed, and hopefully combine both seals so that one single, much more powerful seal is created. To do that, I need all of my Priestesses to help me. The Grand Seal of Elune is something that we have never performed on such short notice, but in order to stop the demon, it must be done."

"But," she said, eyes sweeping across them. "We must buy time. I need every able person to keep the beast contained or distracted in order for the seal to be prepared. It will be incredibly difficult. Many may lose their lives. But it must be done. This creature is not like Archimonde; it is an engine of destruction. It does not get overconfident, and cannot be beguiled. It must be stopped with force. We have to do it quickly, too. The longer we wait, the more Naruto's body is destroyed. If we wait too long, there may pass a point when we cannot heal him."

Kira gasped. The Sentinels, those who had trained with Naruto and spoken and laughed with him, hardened their faces into grim looks. Neera swallowed, looking worried, while Shandris showed no emotion at all. But they all felt it. They all knew what Naruto's death would bring to them: immense, irreparable holes in their hearts. An incredible feeling of pain and loss that would never go away.

That was how much Naruto meant to them. In his short stay, he had already brought so much, and inspired so many. He was their friend, their ally; a precious person to all who had met and known him for even a day.

"Then let's go," said Kira, quietly. She looked at Tyrande. "Do what you need to do. We will handle the rest."

"Yes," said Neera, nodding. "Leave it to us, my lady."

"It's all we can do," said Shandris, her face still as hard as ice. "We will do our part, and you yours, my lady."

Tyrande smiled. The rest of the gathered elves: Sentinels, warriors, magi and even potion makers shared her friends' sentiments. Naruto would survive, and they were counting her her to ensure that.

With another nod, Tyrande called her Sisters forwards. Bedecked in silvery armor of battle, the Priestesses came to her, forming a ring around their white-garbed, wounded and dirty leader. Tyrande had little need to explain. The seal they were attempting was something that none of them would forget. It was something that they had been developing since the Third War. The Grand Seal of Elune was something that they had begun creating for one purpose, before a better, much more permanent solution had been found by her husband.

To defeat Archimonde the Defiler.

But Malfurion's alternative, despite the heavy costs, would have been far better in the long run. But she had not abandoned work on the seal. She did not know why, but she had felt that it must be completed. She and her Priestesses had then created the sealing technique, knowing that one day it might help them in a battle against one as terrible as Archimonde. It was that day.

All she told them was what she intended to do. She was going to alter the seal slightly, and add some parts to it that would hopefully make it automatically reshape itself to combine with Naruto's seal. Combination seals were always a risky business, but not impossible. Some seals could be combined easily, and they did most of the work by themselves. She remembered little of the blonde's seal, having only seen it once or twice when she had asked during their talks. She knew it was a strong seal, and she knew that it was likely adaptable too. Someone had given their life for it. It had traces, therefore, of another's chakra in it, and therefore would hopefully be receptive to another seal. The Grand Seal of Elune was a powerful seal, too, and would hopefully adapt. She expected no lives to be given in the sealing process, instead using multiple people's chakra and small bits of their life energy to achieve the same effect as one person giving their life.

She had no idea what the combination effect would be. She had no idea if they could be combined. But she had to try. At this point, it was the only thing they could do.

Before they turned back to the battle, Tyrande hardened herself. She was, she told herself, not doing this for Naruto. As much as she was beginning to care for the boy, if they didn't stop the Kyuubi, then her people would be destroyed.

But, she gazed on them again. Those who had come to fight were all filled with a great fire, ignited almost a month ago by the blonde's appearance. They were doing it for him as much as they were doing it for themselves. Tyrande knew that it was that spirit that would allow them to win this fight.

The Kyuubi's bellowing roar filled the air again, but not a soul was affected this time. They had faced peril as dire as this before, and had pulled through fantastically. They marched into the trees, going to face a monster not of their world.

And no matter what, they would win.

-------------------------------------------

The Kyuubi laughed. It was enjoying itself immensely, at didn't want to stop. Its chakra was slowly filling the boy, invading him. Soon, all its chakra would be free. When that happened, it'd be able to use what was left of the brat's organic tissues to make himself a new, fleshy body. It'd have all of the brat's techniques, too, and would enjoy using them to the fullest degree.

It grinned down at the imprisoned shinobi, who was still struggling. Humans, it thought, were an interesting breed. They fought everything, no matter how pointless it was or how hopeless it seemed. To the Kyuubi, it was an endearing trait. It had high respect for those that refused to give up, and continued to fight no matter what the situation was. The brat was one of those. So was the Fourth.

But now, it was going to have his sweet, much deserved revenge. It could already feel his prey coming closer, a great many of them too. It laughed. This would be fun. The druids had provided it great amusement, and the ones that still remained were slowly earning its respect. One of them was particularly tenacious, and no matter how many times he seemed to fall, always got back up.

The Kyuubi was loving the battle. It was loving the feeling of freedom it now had. It was a feeling that it was sure would always last. Unless these fools had a Fourth up their sleeve, they would not win. They were not a weak people, but after the druid's failed attempt at defeating it, the Kyuubi was sure that they could do nothing more.

It looked down at the brat again. It could not hear what the brat was saying, it only felt his struggle. The demon grimaced. The brat had a lot of willpower. It was confident that Naruto could do nothing, but it didn't want to take the chance. The brat would die here, as the Kyuubi had always planned he would.

In the darkness of Naruto's mindscape, the Kyuubi leered again. It felt the brat's important people close, and they would be arriving any second. It would busy itself with the remaining druids until the real fun began.

And all the while, Naruto struggled and thrashed, hoping desperately that his precious people still lived. It was all he could cling to.

The pain was great, and he felt as if he was boiling alive. But he knew that the pain would be even greater if he found his precious people to be already dead.

----------------------------------------------

Sakura lay awake in bed, her heart aching with worry.

Despite reprimanding Ino for her foolish superstitions, Sakura had been raised with the very same ones. Her mother had always made quite a big deal about them, even if sometimes they didn't mean anything.

And yet, when it had happened, she had been thinking of Naruto. For no particular reason, either. She'd just thought of him, right then, just as the cup broke. It was unnerving her, and despite her reasoning that it was nothing, she couldn't get it out of her head.

They hadn't received a letter from Naruto for another long time. Not since nearly a month. She would be going off to the Chuunin Exams soon, and hoped that they would get another message before then. She rather wanted to send a return message, too. It would be her first ever, anyone's first ever, actually.

But for some horrible reason, she didn't believe that Naruto would send one.

She sat up, glancing over at the picture of Team Seven, focusing particularly on Naruto's scowling, petulant, totally Naruto face.

"Naruto," she muttered. She prayed that her teammate and friend was alright.

'I'll bring back Sasuke for you, Sakura-chan! I promise!'

She lay down again. The phantom words gave her some small, warm comfort, and she didn't know why.

He would be back.

He had promised.

She ignored the slight sliver of doubt, and tried to fall asleep.

--------------------------------------

Shorter chapter, but came out faster, right?

Don't worry, next chapter will be a continuation and conclusion of the Kyuubi battle. What will happen? Who knows?

I hope I portrayed the Kyuubi in a realistic light. It always struck me as odd that it never spoke outside, only acting like a mindless, feral animal. So I chalked it up to instincts and a simple mindless need to destroy. It is smart, and cunning, to be sure, but its first instinct is always to kill. It is a demon after all. Tyrande finds out that despite its mindless appearance, it is still quite deadly and cunning.

There are, as you found out, a couple of reasons why it doesn't just let its power flow out completely. One is exactly what Tyrande said-- if it did, Naruto's body would be destroyed. It makes some sense, considering how much damage the Four tails form does to Naruto. It doesn't want Naruto's body destroyed, even if the seal is ruptured. It is still connected to Naruto, in my opinion, as long as its chakra remains behind the seal. So it has to let all of it pour out, in a controlled rate, so that Naruto's body gradually burns away, eventually dying when the demon is free. I imagine if the seal was completely destroyed, this wouldn't be needed, since it would be freed instantly, but if that happened, I imagine Naruto would die instantly.

Naruto would die if the Kyuubi was freed in any way. Gaara died when Shukaku was removed, right? They are connected. As long as the seal is still partially intact, Naruto and the Kyuubi remain connected, until the Kyuubi has completely freed itself.

I hope this is acceptable. It makes sense, doesn't it?

The Horn of Cenarius-- didn't work because Teldrassil doesn't have as much connection to nature or power as Nordrassil. Simple as that. Fandral was rather naïve to think so, wasn't he?

Next week: The Power of the Five Tails Naruto! And Tyrande and Kira's struggles to seal the beast away again! Maybe even more Illidan!

Thanks!

General Grievous

Spellbook:

Aura of Elune- Releases chakra of purification; something that helps suppress and destroy demonic chakra, from all parts of the body. Not an Ultimate Defense.

Moonfire- Creates a powerful, almost ever-burning fire that consumes all its hits. Remains as long as the caster wants it to.

Moon Shield- A shield of light chakra. 'Nuff said.