Author Note: Dun, dun, dun! The finale of Darkside has finally arrived. It was great and much fun to write and I really enjoyed all the awesome reviews that so many people have given me, you guys are so freakin' awesome! And so, without anymore interruptions, here is the last chapter of Darkside! Enjoy all you lovely people!
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Darkside
The feeling of acceptance
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Gaara struggled to pull himself up. With Kisame's back to him and Itachi surrounded, he had a chance to get Naruto, but his body was still shaking. The blond wasn't too far away from Gaara, only about two meters separated them, making it possible for his sand to reach Naruto and lift him from behind Kisame. But the swordsman wouldn't let him by that easily.
Jiraiya, standing in front of Naruto's body, saw Gaara's darkened form slip and fall each time he tried to get back up. Then, his sharp eyes noticed tendrils of sand creeping forward, using the dark as a disguise, headed straight for Naruto. Just what the hell is that kid thinking? It didn't take long until Gaara's sand passed over Jiraiya's feet, a low hissing noise accompanying it, and began to wrap around the blond. He's not thinking straight, it'll never work.
Kisame heard small pebbles shift near his feet and looked down, spotting a small wave of sand sneaking past him. He smirked, raising the heavy sword from his shoulder and instead of breaking the sand apart, he threw the dangerous weapon directly at Gaara.
"Watch out!" Sakura yelled, immediately catching on to Kisame's intentions from her spot beside Lee and Shikamaru.
Gaara pulled himself up and fell backwards just as Kisame's sword landed where he had been positioned only moments ago. Air hitched in his lungs and his heart pounded loudly as he stared at the large weapon, missing his death by mere centimeters. Gaara pushed backwards, pivoting his feet into the cold ground when Kisame appeared, a smug and somewhat accomplished look spreading on his face.
"Gaara!" It was Temari. "Get out of there!"
Kisame grabbed the handle of his weapon and pulled it upward, small rocks lifting up with it, stuck within the now torn bandages on the sword. Gaara thought that perhaps his life would end there and then, but as Kisame raised the heavy weapon once more, he knew that it was not to kill him, only to block an attack made by Neji.
Sparks flew as metal clashed with metal. Kisame added extra weight to his weapon, then jumped back, but was quickly countered by Neji, catching him off guard while in mid air. They landed near Itachi, each skidding to a halt, using their weapons as brakes and immediately continued their assault on one another. Neji's Byakugan played as a major trump card in the fight.
Itachi averted his eyes from Kakashi during their deadly staring contest for only a millisecond, but that was a good enough cue to attack. Kakashi tied transparent string to his kunai and threw it past Itachi, pulling down hard so the sharp weapon would hit its target in the back. Itachi didn't move at all, it was quite a predictable move so he simply used his last shuriken to knock Kakashi's blade in a different direction.
Kakashi pulled away and just like he expected, Itachi came at him. He kicked out at the deadly Uchiha as a distraction, then threw his kunai directly towards those dangerous eyes many feared and hated. His aim was accurate, the kunai struck Itachi, or so Kakashi hoped.
Itachi fell to the ground, face up, eyes closed. Cautiously, Kakashi approached, his only open eye looking closely for any signs of life, though he knew that simply scratching an Akatsuki member's face did not mean they were dead. Once he was almost above the missing-nin, Kakashi jumped back suddenly as Itachi sprang up, his eyes stained crimson, the sharingan completely activated.
The cave swirled out of focus, a world almost noone lived through came into view. Cold gripped his heart and fear was induced as Itachi took control, spreading haunting images through him like a wild fire. Horrible past events, ones that lingered in the depths of his mind surfaced, coming back to haunt him.
"Familiar little images, aren't they?" Itachi spoke smoothly.
Every colour became inverted, nothing but blue, white, and black flamed around Kakashi. He fought to move, his limbs iced over and unmoving... there was no escaping. Itachi materialized, nothing more than a shadow with piercing eyes, and stalked towards Kakashi with unspoken cruelty glistening in his crimson orbs.
"We can't let you take Naruto back. It would be rather... unnecessary if you did. We've got more need for him now than you." Itachi took out a glistening kunai and waved it threateningly over Kakashi's stomach. "And... you're being quite bothersome, Kakashi. Perhaps..."
Jiraiya acted quickly once Kakashi's body began to shake. He unraveled one of three scrolls attached to his back, the finely made parchment flapping loudly throughout the cave as Jiraiya bit his finger, making a trail of crimson over neatly painted symbols. However, Kisame noticed the older ninja's summon technique and threw a black metal shuriken before Jiraiya could complete his special technique.
Neji lashed out as the missing-nin turned his attention away from him, but was violently kicked into a cave wall without warning. Kiba and Akamaru took over, distracting Kisame from Jiraiya as Temari, Kankurou, and Gai began to attack him from all angles.
Jiraiya flipped his scroll away and ran for Kakashi's fallen kunai with the transparent string tied to it. He tossed the sharp blade upward, catching it with his left hand and aimed for Itachi, causing him to release the copy ninja. There were no weapons thrown at him from Kisame this time so it was safe for him to assist in taking Itachi down.
Kakashi stumbled, nearly falling face first into the ground as Itachi's sharingan came undone, all inverted colours faded away shortly after. The silver haired ninja regained his balance and composure, refusing to cover up his own sharingan eye, even though it used up his energy tenfold to what he usually expended.
Lee and Sakura, who remained out of the fighting, headed for Naruto. Sakura skillfully dodged an attack from Kisame, the deadly sword almost grazing the small of her back. Lee kept a sharp eye out for danger, ready to defend the kunoichi at any second. They passed a struggling Gaara, whom nearly had himself standing, and reached Naruto shortly after.
Sakura now knew of what happened to the people known as Jinchuuriki once Akatsuki reached them. She witnessed it personally and wished for it to never take place again. The fact that Naruto, someone who had stuck up for her no matter what, would be ice cold dead was not a thought Sakura wanted stuck inside of her mind. It couldn't be possible, Naruto never gave up.
The kunoichi threw herself down beside Naruto, sharp rocks tearing the flesh on her knees like glass, and immediately checked for a pulse as her heart beat at a rapid pace. Lee watched, his overly large eyes hardening as he waited for good news, it had to be good news. Guys like Naruto with the good guy pose never gave up on life so easily. Gai-sensei had told him so!
"He's alive!" Sakura said as tears threatened to spill from her emerald eyes. If they had arrived any later, Naruto would have been dead.
Sakura gathered chakra to her hands, a green glow soon emitting from them. She first healed his burn marks and then focused on waking him up. Relief struck her hard as Naruto began to stir, slowly at first, then opened his brilliant blue eyes, confused as to where he was.
"Naruto!" Both Lee and Sakura said, happy that their friend was no longer closed off from them.
Gaara watched as Naruto looked tiredly around, alive and somewhat well. His arms were the only thing supporting Gaara upward and much to his dismay, pain bolted outward from his wounds and the shaking returned not too long after. Gaara fell down, flat on his back, the sand surrounding him protectively incase any attacks were made. But he wasn't finished, not yet, he wanted revenge. Now. For both himself and for Naruto as well.
Shikamaru smirked to himself as Naruto was helped up by Lee and Sakura. His ever so observant eyes caught on to Itachi as he moved slightly towards Naruto, his feet pointed in the blond's direction though he faced Kakashi and Jiraiya. Only seconds could be spared before harm was inflicted upon his teammates and so Shikamaru released his shadow jutsu, entrapping Itachi and stalling him momentarily.
Gaara knew the perfect opportunity to attack when he saw it. Sand circled his hand before he mentally commanded it to lash out, instantly wrapping around the bottom of Itachi's feet. Shikamaru's jutsu held the missing-nin in place, but only for a few seconds. Time was running out, Gaara had to act now.
Eyes narrowed, revenge so near, Gaara spoke quietly: "Sabakukyu!"
The bones in Itachi's feet were crushed within seconds, sending the powerful Uchiha to his knees involuntarily. Kisame, who blocked an attack by Gai, grit his teeth and once those surrounding him planned another line of assault, he jumped toward Itachi, slinging him over his shoulder while holding his dangerous sword in his left hand.
"I don't think so!" Jiraiya grit out, moving away from both Akatsuki members and bringing out another scroll. "You won't be leaving so easily!"
Everyone except for Lee, Sakura, Naruto and Gaara stood in front Kisame, allowing Jiraiya to proceed with his summoning while preventing both missing-nin from interrupting it. The fine parchment was stained with crimson as Jiraiya dragged his thumb down it. A large cloud of smoke appeared before the only way out of the cave moments later.
A gigantic toad, bigger than most buildings in Konoha, blocked any escape from Akatsuki's cave, his head pressing into the ceiling, causing several pieces of rock to rain upon everyone. He looked down, laughing at the sight of Kisame and Itachi.
"Akatsuki, huh? Do you want to be crushed or burned? It's your choice!"
Multiple large rocks, almost the size of boulders, came crashing down only two feet or less from Jiraiya. He danced around each rock, yelling loudly at the massive amphibian. Akatsuki's cave wasn't strong enough to stand being crushed, Jiraiya realized, and it looked as if the roof would cave in any second now.
Sakura pulled Naruto up, careful not to tear his arm off with her super strength as Lee helped her out as well. She guided the blond away from Akatsuki's monster-like thing, towards Kakashi and Gai. They passed Gaara, who was just barely standing, and Naruto insisted that he be helped too. The blond batted off Lee and Sakura, assuring them he was fine, then slung his arm across Gaara's shoulders, assisting him as the redhead walked on shaky feet.
A chunk of the ceiling plummeted down, creating a small fissure where it landed. More followed; the cave looked as if an earthquake had ravished everything inside, and soon noone could stand still, otherwise there was a great chance of becoming a ninja pancake.
"Put your pet away!" Temari hissed. "It's going to kill us all!"
Jiraiya refused, hoping that he could make mince meat out of Kisame and Itachi, but the possibilities were low. "They'll get away if I do!" He barked sharply.
Naruto and Gaara, along with Lee and Sakura, were close to their destination, dodging falling rocks and moving as quickly as they could. Naruto could vaguely see Kisame and Itachi, the darkness that still lingered blocked their appearance but it was enough for anger to clip his confusion and drowsiness in half. He handed Gaara over to a perturbed Temari, then ran for the two Akatsuki members despite the warnings everyone shouted.
Kakashi appeared in front of him, tired and worn, gripping Naruto's shoulders tightly. "Stop! You're in no shape to go after them, nor do any of us have enough time to fight. That includes you too, Naruto." The blond tried to pull back but Kakashi strengthened his grip. He looked ahead, nodding in Jiraiya's direction. "We've got to go... now."
A large cloud of smoke surrounded Gamabunta, followed by a slew of angry mumbling directly mainly towards Kisame and Itachi, then he disappeared. The entrance to Akatsuki's cave collapsed altogether, any chance of escaping was now gone. Naruto broke away from Kakashi and ran for the others as rocks rained down upon him.
"We've got to get out of here!" Temari grit out. She let go of Gaara and Kankurou took her place. She jumped upwards, opening her deadly fan, and sent blades of wind toward one of the cave walls. "Take that!"
Neji used his Byakugan, scanning the cave for any potential weak spots. He pointed at a crevice near by, informing everyone of his discovery. Kisame heard this as well, tightening his grasp on Itachi, then charged at the weak spot, his sword held out and ready to strike anyone down that dare get in his way.
A wall of sand splashed in front of Kisame, holding him back. Gaara felt his chakra weakening, but continued to fend off the tall man, determined and confident that it would work. Kakashi focused his chakra, blinding everyone and choking out the darkness as bright flashes of brilliant white sparked from his hand. With Kisame distracted, Kakashi ran to the wall and cut a thin line, spilling in light from the outside.
He walked casually back, though he felt extremely drained, and simply side-stepped rocks as they fell toward him. Kakashi stopped beside his rival, tilting his head to the left. "Gai, I think you should be able to finish the task of getting us out of here."
"Right!"
Gai gave the wall one good kick, one that was strong enough to rattle the cave, and soon after Kakashi's thin cut became a passage that could fit several people through at a time. Gai smirked as Lee praised his work.
"Great job, Gai-sensei! That was amazing!"
Sakura grabbed Lee by his arm and pulled him forwards. "Come on! We've got to get out of here!"
Jiraiya exited first, followed by Shikamaru, Neji, Kiba, and Temari. Gai pulled Kakashi through, sending him flying where he landed in a patch of grass with Lee close behind. Sakura left next, though she wanted to stay and help Naruto, but he said that he was okay. Kankurou balanced Gaara as they made for the exit, Kankurou leaving first so he could lift his younger brother out. Gaara, however, stopped and turned back, extending his hand into the cave and grabbed Naruto, pulling on his arm. All three ninja fell backwards, doing small somersaults as they stumbled out of Akatsuki's cave.
Naruto sat up, shaking his head back and forth rapidly, then looked at their escape hole just as a large boulder came crashing down where he had stood only moments ago.
"Whooo... that... that was close!" He glanced down to where Gaara lay lazily, his eyes staring at nothing but the sky. "Hey... you okay?"
Gaara shifted his gaze to the seals and healed burn marks on Naruto's stomach. They had been so close to losing Naruto, even now those gut-wrenching screams were all too fresh, his life had almost been lost. Gaara nodded in a silent reply. "Are you... okay?"
Naruto looked confused by smirked nonetheless. "Well of course I'm okay! I'm not too sure what happened but I'll get those guys one day!" He clenched his fists and glared at the cave.
"Akatsuki..."
"Come on you guys!" It was Kankurou, already standing up, both hands extended toward Gaara and Naruto. "We've got to get back to Konohagakure!"
From inside Akatsuki's cave, Kisame stared blankly at the closed hole. He thrust his sword into the ground and set Itachi down. Naruto got away, their key got away!
"Damn brats..."
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Konohagakure had been repaired. The tall, wooden walls were patched up and all those inhabiting Konoha settled back down, no longer afraid, no longer angry. A large welcoming party was gathered outside the village gates, most of the people ninja, others simply villagers that gained respect for Naruto over a small period of time.
Tsunade, along with Iruka, Shizune, and all the village elders, stood at the front of everyone. The Hokage smirked as those sent to retrieve Naruto came into view, striding at a fixed pace down the path. People cheered, shouted, and whistled happily when Naruto appeared.
"Hey... what's going on here?" The blond asked, terribly confused as to why everyone was cheering for him.
Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "They're here to see you."
Tsunade and Iruka stepped forwards, both smiling widely at the blond. Naruto was completely dumbfounded... so many things had happened and yet nothing made sense. Gaara, who stood beside him, summoned sand, pushing Naruto ahead of everyone else to greet the Hokage and the Ninja Academy teacher.
"Welcome back, Naruto," Iruka greeted and Tsunade nodded. "We've got something special for you."
Naruto cocked his head, scratching his golden locks of hair sheepishly. Sakura chucked a small rock at his back, hitting her target perfectly. "Go on," she whispered. "Ask what it is!"
"Uhhh... yeah! What is it, Iruka-sensei?"
Tsunade smirked and spoke instead. "Well, Naruto... we've decided that," she paused, spiking Naruto's curiosity. "That..."
"Come on! Tell me!"
"Naruto, you are now officially a chuunin!" Iruka said loud enough for everyone to hear.
A cheer rose up, so loud that it was deafening. Naruto smiled brightly, flashing his teeth and laughing happily. This was great! People were congratulating him, they were happy for him, this time, nobody gave him the cold shoulder or disgusted looked, they were celebrating! All around him people jumped up and down excitedly and everyone smiled.
Naruto looked around, feeling extremely proud. He was accepted, people cared.
Naruto had never felt so happy in his entire life.
THE END!