Not much to say this time, I guess. Got a couple more reviews. No chapter tomorrow, however. We have to go down to my grandfather's house. Anyhow... I couldn't respond well to the reviews I got because most anything I can say would give something away. So I guess all I can say is thanks for the reviews! Oh, and the "Italicized with quotations: Kyuubi speaking" in the key just may be put into use for the first time in this chapter! But you'll have to read to find out. ;)

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER MAY CONTAIN SOME SERIOUS SPOILERS. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHERE THE KYUUBI CAME FROM OR WHO THE THIRD SURVIVING PERSON FROM A CERTAIN CLAN THAT BEGINS WITH A 'U', THEN STOP READING NOW.

Shit, that last part might have been a spoiler in itself! shifty eyes Uzumaki... I meant Uzumaki...

Key:

"Quotations: Speaking"

Italicized: Thinking/emphasized word

"Italicized with quotations: Kyuubi speaking/thinking"

Chapter III: The Kyuubi Unleashed

Naruto was speechless.

As he and Itachi fled from the hideout of Orochimaru, he couldn't speak. Sakura had stayed to fight Kabuto, and would he ever see her again? Would they ever be together again? What if they never found her again... but most of all, would she ever know how he really felt? Itachi looked back at Naruto. He wasn't looking back for long, however. Naruto's heart was in his throat, and he was so nervous about finding Sasuke. He began to run faster until he had almost passed Itachi. Itachi said nothing, just quickened his pace. In Naruto's mind he knew that what Orochimaru said was right - they were probably far away by now. But still his ears strained to pick up any abnormal sounds that could be them, or and unnatural sights and movements that could be them. For awhile he saw nothing.

One hand covered with visible chakra swiped at the air, finding it hit nothing. Another hand, covered with a glove, swiped at the ground, finding its target, and sending a split in the rock towards its enemy. Two figures fought in the arena-like room with brute strength and amazing chakra control.

"Shit!" Kabuto said as he jumped back, trying to evade the split in the rock that was heading toward him. He didn't react fast enough, and within moments he disappeared behind mountains of broken ground.

Sakura, on the other hand, who had managed to evade all of Kabuto's attacks except one, jumped and landed on a flat plateau of rock. A gash in her leg was bleeding from Kabuto's attack. She gazed silently at what she had done without chakra, nothing but pure strength. But it was too silent. She waited for an attack from the sides or from above, but nothing happened. There was one place she forgot to watch.

"Gotcha," Kabuto mumbled from beneath the rock as he burst out, landing a chakra-covered punch right under her chin. It sent her flying and she fell, unable to get up for a moment.

While this was going on, Naruto and Itachi had made a good distance between them and the hideout. They had left the desert-like area where the hideout had been under and were back in the forest. Itachi picked up a slight trace of Orochimaru, but there was something else... it almost seemed like an Uchiha scent, but t wasn't just Sasuke. It was someone else.

"This way," he said, somewhat alarmed at the fact of there being another Uchiha near. They turned sharply, and Naruto almost faltered.

But they lost his chakra-scent, and Naruto's hope began to diminish. He had a feeling that he wasn't going to make it in time to save Sasuke.

Sakura felt the same.

Her senses were giving up - her head began to spin, she couldn't see straight, and a gash in her neck cut off her breathing once or twice. She felt her heartbeat begin to slow. Through her blurred vision, she saw Kabuto, bleeding just as heavily, running toward her, about to finish her off. As he approached, she gathered her remaining strength. As soon as he drew too near, she aimed a punch at his forehead...

...and hit dead-on.

She heard his forehead protector snap, and his skull shatter. He fell to the ground.

She walked outside and forced herself to the edge of the forest.

She fell, and inched one hand over the grass.

"Naruto..."

Sakura's body lay lifeless.

So much running had taken its toll on Naruto, and as the sun was about to start its descend in the sky, Itachi was forced to stop. They rested, and Naruto rubbed his aching feet. He was thinking about how much he had dreamed of having parents, and after he defeated Orochimaru, how he just might be able to become normal again, with a family, when a voice behind them said, "Well, well... Itachi."

That's the Uchiha scent I caught, Itachi thought as he jumped to his feet and whirled around to meet his challenger. It was much more than he expected.

"Madara!"

Naruto knew that was the first time he, or anybody, had heard Itachi actually sound nervous. Madara threw an open hand toward Naruto, instead of Itachi. Naruto began to feel a strange tugging... as if the chakra inside him was being pulled out of him... almost as if his spirit was.

Then pain overcame him.

He fell to his knees and yelled, every muscle in his body tried to move away but couldn't. As he opened his mouth, he saw red chakra draining out of it and forming into a dull 'thing' in front of him. That 'thing' got bigger and bigger and began to take shape. Soon the pain stopped and Naruto fell to the ground. He looked up - whatever the shape had been now became a solid form, and it was HUGE, far larger than anything he'd ever seen. A giant, orange paw armed with lethal claws landed next to Madara, who, Naruto realized, was now using his Mangekyou Sharingan to control whatever it was. Naruto then realized what it was. He stood up as an ear-splitting roar filled his ears.

Madara had summoned and was controlling the Kyuubi.

It opened its mouth and condensed energy into a small sphere, and released it, sending it straight at Itachi and Naruto. Naruto closed his eyes. There was an explosion, and then everything went silent. Naruto opened his eyes to see what had happened, and saw a dome of chakra protecting them. It disappeared.

"Why are you after Sasuke," Madara asked without emotion, just like Itachi.

"Years ago I made a huge mistake by listening to you," Itachi said, "and killing my family."

Madara had a shocked look on his face, as did Naruto. The Kyuubi fired another blast at them.

"Get out of here!" Itachi yelled to Naruto. "And tell Sasuke..."

He never got the time to finish. He barely blocked the blast, and Naruto ran. He ran onward, away from the demon inside him, and onward toward Sasuke.

Naruto was panting. He had run until early morning. He finally sat down, unable to go any farther. Something began to burn. He realized it was the orb and he quickly took it out of his weapon pouch and held it in front of his face. Orochimaru's face appeared on it.

"Look at that," Orochimaru said, "looks like one's down."

Naruto didn't understand what he meant at first, but Orochimaru's face disappeared and another scene came to life on the glossy surface. It was Sakura - reaching out for her love that she never would see again.

Naruto's eyes widened. He dropped the orb.

"Sakura!" he yelled at the sky. He looked back at the orb, yelling at it. "Sakura, wake up! Get up!"

She didn't move.

Naruto bellowed his rage as the visions in the orb disappeared.

To be continued...