Like I said in the previous chapter, I planned in posting up this chapter up soon. Consider it somewhat of an early Christmas/Holiday gift. Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 8
Bestial

"It happened again." In the office of the Kazekage, Gaara was being informed of a recent incident by Matsuri. By the sounds of it, this wasn't the first time that this topic was brought up. "Luckily there weren't any fatalities but the damage was extensive."

Although rarely showing emotion, the Fifth Kazekage couldn't help frowning. "This has become quite tiresome. It has gone on long enough." Turning his chair, Gaara looked out the window toward Suna. "Send a message to Konoha. We're in need of assistance."

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"We're almost there you guys. Let's keep moving." Well on their way, the team from Konoha was heading for Suna in response to the message that they received.

"Cool your jets, Naruto." Spoke up Ino. "We'll be there soon enough." Her words went on deaf ears as the fellow blond paid her no mind. "How are you able to put up with him?"

"He has his moments." acknowledged Hinata. Naruto knew that she was joking but still gave his girlfriend an annoyed look. The Hyuga simply shrugged it off.

"Can we just hurry things along?" questioned Kiba as he rode on top of Akamaru. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we'll be finished." There seemingly were some ulterior reasons detected by his remarks. Add that to that both Kiba and Ino were keeping their distance from one another were only creating more issues.

"Between you and Naruto this mission is going to be beyond troublesome." remarked the fifth and final member of the team, Shikamaru. "We'll get to Suna soon enough. No point in rushing things." That halted any further complaints and they continued their journey.

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"The Kazekage will see you now." As soon as the Konoha team arrived in Suna they went to see its village leader at his office. Quick pleasantries were made and it was time to get right to business.

"Thank you for arriving as quickly as you did." appreciated Gaara. "Can I presume that you were briefed on why you were summoned?" Nods of confirmation were given. "Then I won't bother to repeat it then. We'll start tomorrow. Until then, you can rest up at the home of the Kazekage. There's plenty of room for all of you." When it was clear that he wasn't going to take no for an answer they accepted.

"Matsuri will show you where to go. I request though that Naruto and Shikamaru remain." Most of the Konoha shinobi left the office, leaving only the three of them staying there. "Sorry for delaying you. But I have something to discuss with you before the rest of your team."

"Must be serious." figured Shikamaru. "Suna usually tries to settle whatever disturbances without relying on any outside aid."

"Those within the council view such an act as our village being weak." Reaching into a drawer, Gaara pulled out two sheets of paper and handed one to each of them. "These are copies of the description of what's causing the disturbances. You might find it fascinating."

Reading over the details there was indeed something that caught their attention. However, while Shikamaru was surprised by the info, Naruto had another reason to be shocked. "This can't be true. Tell me that this is a mistake." When no indication was given by the Kazekage, it was clear that it was legit. Recognizing the confusion from the shadow user, the blond elaborated. "We're dealing with the one-tailed biju, Shukaku."

Immediately Shikamaru understood the concern. "How is that possible? It was sealed by the Akatsuki. Didn't it get destroyed when the sealing statue was destroyed?"

"Container was destroyed but not its contents." Naruto gave a brief retelling of what he saw after the tower in Ame blew up. "The biijus were freed and scattered. Apparently the Shukaku returned to where it once resided."

"Can see why you want to keep this as quiet as possible." figured the Nara boy. "Imagine the uproar will come if this became known to everyone. Troublesome doesn't even begin to describe it."

"That's why I want to have this resolved quickly." reinforced Gaara. "It's why I requested for you to be involved, Shikamaru. From what I've been told, you're able to come up with strategies that regularly prove successful. I hope that you continue that success."

Considering the dilemma and what was being asked of him, Shikamaru had one thought. "This is such a drag."

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"This is what I needed." At one of the cafés in Suna, both Ino and Hinata were having a drink. "The people here must've adapted to this weather. I couldn't stand this heat."

"I'm not much of a fan either." confessed Hinata. "Surprise that I was included on this mission. My water based attacks won't be that useful in the desert. Kiba was already assigned so tracking was covered. Maybe Naruto badgered the Hokage until she gave in and added me to the mission." Her attempt of a joke fell flat as her companion wasn't paying attention. "Is something wrong Ino?"

"It's nothing." That wasn't true but the Hyuga decided to not pry. They stayed in reasonable silence for a while until Ino got it restarted. "Can I ask you something, Hinata? It's kind of a personal question so you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Getting no argument from her friend she asked her question.

"What was it like when you and Naruto got together?" Confusion was the only reply that was given. "What I mean what was it like when you became…intimate?"

Hinata instantly understood and not surprisingly started to blush. "Uh…well th-that's hard to explain." With each word she said the blush on her face became redder.

Noticing the flustered look on her friend's face caused Ino to laugh. "I wasn't asking for actual details. What I meant was how did you know that it was right?"

Getting clarification put Hinata at ease, if only a little. "That's hard to explain. The events around it were unique. Don't wish to get into details." There were multiple reasons for wanting to explain. "Wasn't something that was planned but neither of us regret it. What's with the curiosity?"

Ino didn't get the words out as she became uncertain. "Do you remember the reception that was held for Lee and Kin's wedding?" She got a nod of the Hyuga. "Remember how I was then?" She silently berated herself for asking that question.

"Vaguely. You got a little tipsy from having too many drinks. Got to the point that you were taken home by-" Something must've clicked for Hinata as she stared wide-eyed at the blond mind walker. "Did you and Kiba…" She left the rest unsaid as the Hyuga wasn't sure how to actually say the words.

"It just happened." Ino quickly defended herself. "We were both drunk and we happen to kiss. One thing lead to another and well…it's been awkward every since. I don't know how to act. What do I do?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure." Hinata admitted. "You should talk about this with Kiba. This'll only cause problems if the tension between you two continued." Ino didn't want to admit it but she knew that was what was needed to be done.

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"Think this'll actually work?" After leaving the Kazekage's office, Naruto and Shikamaru went to where they would be staying. Since then they were working on coming up with a plan to resolve the problem at hand.

"Hope it does." stated Shikamaru. "Be too troublesome if another has to be thought up." He tried to play it off; the shadow user was truly hoping that the plan would work.

"Are you two still going at it?" Walking in was Temari, the Kazekage's sister. "You've been at this nonstop. Why don't you take a break?" While the question was opened enough for the two, it was directed more toward Shikamaru. "How about we go get something to eat?"

"Go on." motioned Naruto. "Have some fun. I'll look over things to make sure that everything will be ready." Shikamaru was hesitant in going but when Temari started to pull him away by the arm he had no other choice but to follow. When they left Naruto reviewed what had been written. "Had something that you wanted to ask?"

Standing away was Kiba and Akamaru. "Not really. Just wanted to see if I could help create some strategies." explained the Inuzuka. "Also, I was bored and had nothing to do."

"Probably doesn't help that you don't want to accidentally run into Ino." stated Naruto without looking up from his work. When he did he saw that he got the desired reaction from Kiba. "Come on, I'm not that ignorant. Clearly there's something going on between the two of you. It's none of my business but keep it from interfering with the mission."

For a while it looked like Kiba was going to make some type of retort but stopped himself. Instead he turned around and left with Akamaru. The move surprised Naruto as an argument was expected instead of that.

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After leaving, Kiba walked down the halls. What Naruto had said repeated itself in his head. The Inuzuka knew that the incident concerning him and Ino needed to be resolved sooner than later but that was easier said than done.

Almost as if calling for it, he peered down the hall and saw Ino. He wasn't the only one to be caught by surprise at the predicament as she was shocked by the unexpected encounter. "Uh…hey there."

"Hey." Ino replied in the same awkwardness. Neither of them said anything as they didn't know how to move things along. "Have you heard anything concerning the mission?"

"No I haven't." Kiba was relieved by the question as it diverted the attention from the tension for the time being. "That'll probably change soon. At least I hope so or I'll get a little bored."

The last remark caused the blond mind walker to laugh briefly. When it passed the previous uneasiness returned. Throughout the whole thing, Akamaru remained quiet and kept out of it. Not being able to bare it any further, Ino was about to mention it but before a word could be said, a huge explosion occurred.

"There you are." exclaimed Naruto from around the corner. "The thing that we were called in to deal with is here. Hurry up and meet the others at the village's entrance way." After delivering the message he disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing that it had been a shadow clone all along.

Slightly cursing at the bad timing, Ino, Kiba and Akamaru hurried to where they were told to go. They soon met with the others and wasn't long after that they all encountered what they were up against. "What the hell is that?"

"Let me introduce you guys to Shukaku, the one-tailed biju." Standing before them was what resembled a large raccoon seemingly composed of sand. It thrashed about, swiping at whatever was within reach. Fortunately what it was striking at were just sand dunes. Still, there was an ominous feeling coming off of the biju that only a few there could comprehend. "It's acting like a beast."

"Because it has the mind of a beast." informed Kyuubi. "Without a consciousness, the biju will devolve into a simple minded bestial creature. Shukaku already had a few screws loose and this only makes things worse."

"Time to go with the plan." announced Shikamaru. Right away, Naruto took the lead. He created twenty shadow clones, each of them having the Wind Edge just activated.

All at once they charged toward Shukaku. Specifically, they went after one of its front limbs. Noticing the oncoming assault, the biju prepared to crush them all. However, as it tried to it's movements were sluggish. Enough that it allowed the swarm of Narutos to get within reach and used the wind jutsu to completely sever one of the large limbs. The lost seemed to only anger Shukaku as it let out an echoing howl and kept itself from toppling over.

"That was more difficult than I thought." expressed the real Naruto. He rejoined the other while the clones continued to attack the sand raccoon. "Thanks for the assistance."

Not far off was Shikamaru, whose shadow retracted back to him. "Thanks aren't needed. Just don't ask me to do that again. Took everything I could and I was only able to slow it down." His struggle was more event as he had a labored breath. "At least it was worth it."

No sooner were those words that Shukaku destroyed the clones and collected the nearby sand to reconstruct a new limb. Having regained its lost appendage, the biju raised it over its head. Bringing it back down a wave of demonic chakra enforced wind was sent at the opposition.

It was coming toward them at such speed that it would be impossible for them to get away. Before hitting though, another wind based attack collided with the oncoming one. They weren't strong enough to stop it but were strong enough to divert it harmlessly elsewhere.

"We made it." From the opposite side of the commotion were Temari and two other Suna shinobi, one of which was carrying a large scroll. "Any later and you would've been dead. Consider yourself thankful."

"Yeah, yeah, we got it." grumbled Shikamaru halfheartedly. "Did you bring it?"

The older sister of the Kazekage gave the shadow user a mild glare. "Of course I did." Temari motioned to those that accompanied her. Understanding, the scroll was unrolled on the ground to reveal that inside it was the symbol for the word 'container'.

Doing a few hand signs, the symbol was replaced with a large metal pot that had the symbol for 'seal' carved throughout it. "Only problem is that it'll take sometime to get everything ready. That and assistance will be needed to be prepared."

"As if things weren't difficult enough as they were." Thinking quickly, Shikamaru thought up a strategy. "Hinata, you and Ino help get the sealing ready. Naruto and Kiba, you keep the one-tailed beast occupied while Temari and I will protection for the sealers." There was no arguing the quickly thought up plan. Getting into position they set the plan into motion.

"You think this'll actually work?" questioned Temari. She had her battle fan completely open, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

"Who knows." confessed Shikamaru. "If it doesn't then we're all dead. A drag really."

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"Fang over Fang!" Spiraling like a drill, Kiba went for one of Shukaku's limbs. Adding to the attack was Akamaru as he had made himself appear like his partner and was using the same attack. The combo move only resulted in minimal success as whatever damage done was quickly repaired. "This is getting us nowhere. How did you beat this thing?"

"Mostly luck." muttered Naruto. Like Kiba, his attacks were proving ineffective. "Also the circumstances were different then before." What made it different couldn't be elaborated on.

Perhaps if he tapped into the fox's chakra would better the odds but that wasn't really an option. Doing so would cause unwanted attention and was something Naruto preferred to avoid. "Just have to rely on other methods. Let's hope he's cooperative." Biting his thumb he drew up a large amount of his chakra. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A large cloud of smoke appeared that covered the entire area. When the smoke cleared there stood a large toad that was the same height as Shukaku. Standing on top of the toad was Naruto. "Where am I?" bellowed the toad. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Sorry but I need your help, Gamabunta." informed Naruto. He may have summoned him but the blond was careful with what he said as the chief toad wasn't always cooperative. "We're up against a familiar enemy."

Gamabunta quickly understood as he set his sights on Shukaku. "History repeats itself. You're fighting the one-tails only this time without a host. You're more trouble than your worth at times. Consider this another thing to add to the list." Naruto's relief about the cooperation but that was forgotten as he had to hold on tight as the chief toad charged forward.

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"What in the world is he thinking?" As she was told, Ino, along with Hinata were assisting in getting the sealing process completed. "Doesn't he realize that he'll cause more trouble for all of us?"

"Naruto knows what he's doing." Hinata defended the actions of her boyfriend. "He's trying to give us enough time to do our part. Let's not waste it." Agreeing, all of them refocused on their task. However, every once and a while, Hinata glanced back, worried about the person she cared for.

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"There's no end to this." The statement made by Gamabunta was an understatement. Despite their efforts they were unable to incapacitate Shukaku for a long period of time. Even with Kiba and Akamaru helping here and there wasn't making a major impact. "He's more difficult to deal with than last time. Not sure if the previous method that was used to beat him will work."

Naruto wasn't in favor of that method as henging into the nine-tailed fox would lead to questions being asked and he didn't want to answer. "Then let's go with something that Jiraiya came up with. I'm going to need some oil."

Understanding what he meant, Gamabunta spewed out a blast of oil. When it was halfway to its target, Naruto threw a kunai with a paper bomb attached into the stream. The bomb went off and ignited the oil, causing it to become a stream of fire. It would consume Shukaku as it flailed about. The attack lasted about a minute and when the flames disbursed, it revealed a crystallized biju.

"Not done yet." Going down to a knee on the chief toad's head he channeled his chakra into the summoning. Recognizing what was being attempted, Gamabunta synchronized his chakra with the boy's. "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu." Again the toad spewed a liquid but this time being water.

Another thing was that the stream was coming at a high velocity. The ending result was the water smashing into the still frozen Shukaku. Still fragile from the fire attack the second attack had more impact as it cause the biju to crack and shatter into dozens of pieces.

"You did it." shouted an excited Kiba. His excitement was shared by everyone there. "You stop it."

"For the moment." corrected Naruto who was slightly winded from using so much chakra. What he said became clear as slowly the sand began to come together again. "It's reconstructing itself." That wasn't good considering that he didn't have enough chakra to do any jutsus that could do significant damage. "Haven't you guys finished yet?"

"We're almost there." shouted Ino as her group worked on preparing the sealing. "Until then, get off our backs." The wait wouldn't be long as soon the process was completed.

Now ready, the two Suna shinobi simultaneously performed a set of hand signs that ended with them slamming their hands onto the scroll. The seals on the scroll lit up and traveled to the pot as it also reacted. Another thing that was responding was the reconstructing parts of Shukaku. It had gotten rid of the crystallization and had mostly returned to its previous stature.

As if drawn in like a magnet, the biju was being sucked into the pot. Realizing what was going on, Shukaku struggled against the pull, resisting something that had happen before. Try as it might it was impossible to escape as slowly the tailed beast was drawn into the pot.

Before completely going away, it flailed its claws at those trying to continaing it. Hinata and the Suna shinobi were able to get out of harmm's way but Ino wasn't as fortunate as she lost her footing. She would've been torn apart if she hadn't been pulled to safety. Seonds later the rest of Shukaku was pulled into the pot. The lid was quickly placed and the seals glowed brighter before dulling.

"Is it over?" The question from Shikamaru was one that was shared by everyone. Another thing they shared was them hoping that was the case.

"It is." assured Temari. "That method was the same one that was used to seal the biju before attempting to put into a person." It wasn't information that she was proud of but helped to reassure her proclamation.

"Hear that, Gamabunta? We did it." Naruto showed his appreciation by patting the toad's head. "Good thing you followed my lead."

"Don't be so cocky, kid." the boss summoning argued. "You were merely lucky. One other thing..." All of a sudden, Gamabunta's tongue wrapped itself around Naruto and lifted him into the air. "How dare you summon me, an amphibian, in a desert. That can't go unpunished." With a flick of the tongue, Gamabunta sent the blond flying. Having done what he wanted, the chief toad returned to where he came from.

All the while, Naruto was unable to stop his decent as he crashed onto a large mount of sand. It may of cushion his fall but he still came down with a thud. Concerned, Hinata hurried to check on his condition.

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"Ah, that's what I needed." After the whole fiasco with the one-tailed biju, those involved had scattered to do their own thing. For Ino that was taking a bath to get rid of all the sand that cumulated on her body. It was now night and the mind walker planned to go to her room and rest up for the trip back to Konoha.

That would be delayed though as standing by the door to her room was Kiba. Eye contact was made and the awkwardness between them resurfaced. "Hello."

"Hey." Kiba returned but not in his usual brash manner. "Came to see if you were all right after what happened today."

"I'm okay. I've been meaning to say thanks for saving me from getting torn up." Ino couldn't help berating herself for acting the way she was. "Listen, Kiba. We need to deal with what's going on between us. It's going to cause problems."

The Inuzuka let out a drawn out sigh as he leaned against the wall. "Yeah I know. People have already started to notice. Things will only get worse." His frustration about the situation was evident. "Don't know why this is so difficult. I mean we were drunk and…slept together. Not like it's going to happen again right?"

"Right." Ino hastily agreed. "We'll never speak of it again." She started for her room again and just as she reached for the doorknob her hand made contact with Kiba's.

They said nothing as they stared at one another. All of a sudden they were making out with a passion. After a while they separated and tried to regain their breaths. "Maybe one more moment of lapsed judgment before we forget any of it happened?"

"One more won't hurt." Again they started making out while stumbling into the room. "Have to say, you might be bitchy at times but you're still good looking."

Kiba's remark caused Ino to stop what they were doing. "Bitchy? I might be considered a bitch but tonight, you're my bitch." She then pushed the surprised Inuzuka onto the bed before joining him.

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"Thank goodness that's over with." It was the day after dealing with the situation in Suna and the Konoha group was making their way back home. "Troublesome doesn't even begin to describe how that mission turned out."

"Quit complaining." voiced Naruto. Fortunately he hadn't gotten seriously injured from being tossed by Gamabunta although he was immobile for a few hours. "You're just upset that you couldn't spend more time with a certain female wind user." Shikamaru didn't make any retort but he could be heard muttering a few choice words. "Mission was completed and we'll be back at the village shortly. I for one can't wait to get back and enjoy some leisure time."

Hinata had an idea what her boyfriend was alluding to and it caused her to blush. The suspicions would be confirmed as he gave her a look that hid nothing. That resulted in the Hyuga girl to become flustered as vivid images appeared in her mind. "Naruto has definitely rubbed off on me. Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"Keep whatever perverted thoughts to yourself." exclaimed Ino. Surprisingly she was ridding on top of Akamaru as they headed back to Konoha. "You're in the presence of women so be civilized."

Naruto refrained from saying any remark as it would've led to more trouble than it was worth. Still something was bothering him. "Been meaning to ask, why is she being allowed to ride Akamaru?"

The question was directed toward Kiba who was moving along side his partner. "What can I say? She wouldn't stop bitching." To the shock of those there, Ino didn't get angry. Instead she let out a smirk.

You're probably wondering why I did the whole thing with Kiba and Ino. Honestly, it was just something I came up with when I had them little inebriated in one of the previous chapters. Much like the other relationships in this story, it won't be heavily mentioned or shown but don't be surprise if you saw it again down the road.

This'll very likely be the last chapter I'll be posting for this year. Next one will be out sometime in the first two weeks of next year. Until then, please leave a review as I would like to hear what you guys have to say about this story has gone. See ya in 2013 and I hope you have a fun and safe holiday.