To the Shadows of Time
As they traversed through the ruins everyone kept themselves on high alert; they were in His territory now.
"We're nearly there." Grandma said,"Be prepared for anything."
They came upon an large 15x10 stone door that had a mural on the wall.
It was a picture of what looked like the body of a black lion with the tail of a scorpion and the head of dragon.
"What's that?" Naruto asked.
"I cannot see it, put I do know it describes what lies behind this door." Grandma said.
"How do we open it?" Kiba asked.
"Break it down?" Sakura suggested.
"No...doing that would activate all the traps within meant to contain the beast. I'm sure their is a hollow rock we must push in to safely enter." Grandma said.
"Here it is." Hinata declared pushing a stone in.
The door rattled for a second, then slowly lifted up to a pitch-black walkway.
When they took one step in, candles along the walkway lit up the path ahead of them.
"Tread carefully." she warned, "The traps may be centuries old, but they still work. There is a stone somewhere around here that we musn't touch, it activates everything."
As they all walked, carefully keeping from stepping on the wrong stone, something roared and shook the ruin.
Naruto lost his balance and stepped on a stone sticking out of the ground.
That stone sunk into the ground, everyone stopped dead.
"Uh-oh."
Sakura hit him on the head.
"Dammit Naruto you clutz!"
Neji gasped, "Duck!"
They all ducked as the walls began firing darts.
They crawled through the crossfire and ran for it.
Their speed and bloodline eyes kept them away from most of the traps.
They were mostly faced with traps such as the pendelum and trap floors.
They ran into a chamber and closed the door, stopping to catch their breath.
"I think that's all of them." Neji said.
Suddenly, the bloodline eyeusers opened their eyes and looked ahead of them.
They could all hear growling, a shallow hiss, then more growling.
A pair of bloodred eyes looked at them from the shadows as the creature from the mural came into view.
It eyed them all with a savage hunger, licking its chops as it drooled.
"It's Him." Grandma said,"Or, the form he's chosen to fight us."
"Why couldn't he choose something small and cuddly?" Sarah whined.
He gave an earthquaking roar then charged at them.
They all jumped, His claw nearly caught Choji's leg.
"Man He's fast." Shikmaru said; he got on one knee and was trying to do his Shadow possession jutsu.
He caught Him, but He was slowly walked up to him.
"What? Why isn't it working?" Ino asked.
"He's a shadow himself. Those attacks don't work on him." Grandma said.
"Perfect." Shikamaru sighed.
He charged again, faster this time.
He was met by Shawn, arm covered in spiked bones.
He jumped left at the last second to avoid Shawn, and the bones raked His leg.
He stopped and looked at His leg.
Everyone watched in horror as he wound began to heal itself in the form of a black mist.
Shino sent his bugs out, "We need to trap it."
"Right." Shawn said,"I need a way underground!"
"Leave it to me!" Choji said.
Forming himself into a boulder he tunneled under the ground, Shawn running close behind him.
What are they planning? Bara thought.
She had to put that on hold when He charged at her.
Sasuke and Naruto moved in front, sword and kunai out.
He pivoted left in an attempt to get around them, but Sakura and Hinata covered that side.
Soon everyone but Shino stood behind Bara.
He looked down and saw that the bugs had already began to crawl on him, but he didn't seem to care; His only concern was getting rid of her.
As the bugs surrounded him he walked back and forth, trying to find a breach in their defenses.
"Swarm!" Shino ordered.
The bugs sprang upon Him, and held him in place.
"Now Shawn!" Sarah yelled down the hole.
"BRACKEN DANCE!"
Bones sprang from the ground, impaling Him as the bugs held Him in place.
"Everyone now!" Grandma yelled.
They all attacked Him using their strongest attacks.
In one roar he knocked everthing away, bones, bugs, people.
He was weak, too weak to heal himself.
In one desperate attempt he leapt at Bara; and she had a surprise.
She kicked him to the floor and unsheathed a crystal dagger.
She quickly impaled Him, and his howl sounded more like a man's scream of pain.
She quickly made a series on hand signals.
She pointed a him, and a string of light escaped her finger.
Sasuke rose, "NO!" he yelled getting up and running up to her.
The light left her finger, and she fell.
Sasuke caught her, her eyes closed, a small smile on her face.
Before he perished, he shot a black arrow from his mouth, impaling Grandma's left arm.
Everyone gasped, Oh no! Sakura thought.
When the last of the light entered Him, his eyes and mouth glowed with it.
He gave a long rasping death rattle, then slumped over and disappeared in a cloud of mist.
Sakura quickly ran over to Grandma and removed the arrow.
"What do we do now?" Ino asked looking at Sasuke, his eyes full of sorrow.
"We must...get the relics...before this dimension destroys itself." Grandma gasped.
"What do mean destroys itself!?" Naruto yelled.
"He is gone from this dimension, therefore there is nothing keeping it stable. We have enought time...if we act quickly."
She feebly raised and flicked her hand; seven portals appeared in front of them.
"I will need only seven of you to retrieve them. Do not dawdle...destroy what is only directly in your way."
"What do you suppose is guarding it?" Kiba asked.
"I don't know...I do know his most threatening creatures here are gone. You will all...face mediocre enemies at best. It must be done in the order of going from left to right. Each time one of you finds one...I'll teleport you here."
It was decided that Kiba would go for the first, Rock Lee for the second, Choji for the third, Neji for the fourth, Sakura for the fifth, Sasuke for the sixth, and Naruto for the seventh.
"Get moving!" She told them.
"Sasuke," Naruto said, getting his attention.
Naruto gave him his famous thumbs up sign, "Don't worry, we'll get her back!"