Chapter 17 is being written as I type! Well…rather the INTRO to chapter 17 is being written as I type! WHOOO! INTRO! WOOT! That means the chapter will start soon! GJ0RGANSPL00GE! Ooohhh I'm hyper…

Once again please forgive my bad Romaji skills. It's all I could really think of…Haha…I keep apologizing for a lack of Romaji skilllllzzzz…

And then the world exploded. Boom. You're all dead.

Sorry this chapter took so long everyone…I was planning to have it out middle of last week…Then Neon Genesis Evangelion happened…Yeah… I was like… "O.o" And then this kid was like… "ZOMG REI IS SO HAWT!" …Yeeaaahhh… Annnyywwayysss…. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't watched it yet…

Now I'm being distracted by music…it's not easy to head bang to ska…or "Bohemian Rhapsody" for that matter… Don't hate my taste in music…Damn ADHD…I should really get back to writing…

Chapter 17: Kaoshi VS Orochimaru Part:1

The crowd sat on the edge of their seats in utter silence. No one dared blink or speak a word because they were afraid that they might miss the outcome. The same went for our heroes on the sidelines. They dared not blink or speak.

They were still partially confused however. Naruto had suddenly jumped up and had chakra pouring from him. That didn't really matter at the moment though. Their minds were on the battle that had just come to a close.

Smoke and dust slowly fell from the air revealing the two competitors. Naruto's arm was lodged in the right side of Sasuke's chest and was clearly visible on the other side. Sasuke's wrist was held by Naruto's left hand, pushed harmlessly out of the way. Sasuke coughed up some blood and started to fall. Naruto leapt forward to catch him. He had won, but at what price?

"Hey Sasuke…" Naruto said with his normal voice.

"Good job Naruto…" Sasuke said to his teammate and best friend. "Looks like I'll be joining you…as team 7 again…" he said smiling.

"Hehe…" Naruto said smiling. "Looks like it."

"Oi…" Sasuke said grabbing his wound. "What the hell WAS that thing Naruto?"

"Hehe…" Naruto smiled again. "That was the super version of the Rengoku no Hokuro…" Naruto explained. "It's the Rengoku no Hokuro…but with a rasengan in the middle; doubling the power."

"Damn…" Sasuke said smiling. "That's why this thing hurts so much."

Two sound med nin ran out onto the field to cart Sasuke off.

"Don't touch him." Naruto said glaring at them.

"But if we don't get Sasuke-san to the med room he'll surely…"

"I SAID DON'T TOUCH HIM!" Naruto yelled as two tails of chakra exploded from his back.

"B-But if we don't…Orochimaru-sama will have our heads!"

"It's your choice…" Naruto said feircly, "Either you try to take Sasuke and die right now…or you leave him and die later."

The med nin fell down and scrambled back.

"That's more like it." Naruto said returning to normal.

"But he'll…" Started one.

"I have my own med nin on the way…" He looked up to see the newly released Sakura trotting across the arena towards them. "…I'll leave you two alone…she's probably gonna say stuff that is too mushy for my tastes…"

"Hehe…thanks a lot Naruto…" Sasuke said sarcastically.

"No prob." Naruto said with a chuckle. As Sakura drew close Naruto stood up and started to walk away. Sakura ran up to him and stopped. She threw her arms around Naruto.

"Thank you Naruto-kun…" She said. Naruto smiled.

"Don't thank me. I promised you I'd do it didn't I?" He said with his classic smile. "Go. He needs your medical skills. I kinda did a number on him…" He said scratching his head.

Sakura smiled and turned back to Sasuke. She immediately started on the gaping hole in his chest.

"Damn." Sakura said. "What did Naruto DO?"

"I'm not really sure…" Sasuke said with a slight smile. "All I know is that it beat me. He got so strong…"

"Sasuke…"

"He did it the right way too…" Sasuke said. "Not with kinjutsu…but with good old fashion sweat and hard work…" Sasuke looked up at the sky. "Maybe…when we get back to Konoha…I should rethink my life…"

Sakura didn't say anything, but she was very happy. A smile crept across her face. After nearly ten minutes Sakura decided that it'd be best to move Sasuke back to the group; safety in numbers and all.

"Hey Naruto-kun!" she yelled. "I need some help moving Sasuke!"

"Hai." Naruto came swiftly over and picked up Sasuke from under the arm. Sakura grabbed his legs and they started to carry him off the field.

"Not so fast." A familiar voice said. Naruto and Sakura both looked to find Orochimaru charging them. "I will not lose the Sharingan THAT easily!" He opened his mouth and a sword hilt started to come out. After a second an entire sword appeared, gripped by the snake Sennin's tongue. "Die!"

A flash of light came from behind Naruto and Sakura. Suddenly Kaoshi appeared in front of them and blocked Orochimaru's attack with his own sword.

"Hehe." Kaoshi said. "You guys get that kid outta here. Orochimaru's MINE!" Naruto and Sakura smiled and started carting Sasuke away.

"Good luck, Kaoshi-san." Naruto said in a respectful manner. He had always called Kaoshi, 'That Kaoshi guy', 'That guy', or some other disrespectful thing. But he figured that since Kaoshi had saved his life many times in the last few days, he deserved a little respect.

"I won't need it."

"Haha. Right." Naruto said with a smile as Sakura and himself moved Sasuke.

Kaoshi turned his attention to Orochimaru.

"Hello Orochimaru…" Kaoshi said through slanted eyes. Then he added. "…You know? I kind of think that 'Orochimaru-CHAN' does fit you rather nicely…"

"Call me what you wish." Orochimaru said grinning. "For the words of a dead man matter but naught in the grand scheme of things…"

"I could say the same to you." He said with confidence.

"Well then…prepare to die." Orochimaru shifted into a fighting stance.

"Hold on a moment." Kaoshi said with a smile. "I have to make some preparations." Kaoshi removed his trench coat revealing his bare chest and the black metal bands used to contain the curse seal. He dropped it on the ground and it kicked up a huge dust cloud. He put his hands together and made a seal. "Kuroringan." Kaoshi's eyes turned changed into a shape resembling that of a sharingan but it was black with white wheels. "This Orochimaru-chan is the result of all of those tests you had performed on me. You wanted to replicate the sharingan but this is as close as you got." Kaoshi looked at Orochimaru with his black and white eyes. "It can predict and replicate enemy attacks. It can even go as far as to memorize hand seals. But it can't perfectly copy a jutsu and that's what you want. So what did you do? You kicked me out. Not only that but you tried to KILL me while I was still weak."

"I guess I didn't succeed now did I?" Orochimaru said mockingly. "I never really was good at taking care of trash."

"Hehe. I'm glad you feel that way…so let me know what it's like to be KILLED by the trash you didn't clean up properly."

"I'll tell you when it happens." Orochimaru said with a smile. The two shifted their weight, each taking a defensive stance. The first to move would probably be the first to die.

The two suddenly disappeared. The ground around where they were standing exploded. Snakes exploded out of the ground and started attacking Kaoshi who fended them off with his sword. He had already opened Kaede's first release.

"CHIKIRI!" he yelled. All of the attacking snakes fell into pieces on the ground. He landed on the ground as several more snakes burst of the ground under him. "SHI--!" He yelled. "Ryukansen!" He spun around slashing through three of the snakes. Two more lunged at him. He threw Kaede into the air and ran through a series of seals. "Deterioration no jutsu!" He yelled as he thrust his hands onto the jaws of the oncoming snakes whose flesh dissolved on contact.

"Interesting jutsu…" Orochimaru said appearing behind Kaoshi. "I may have to steal it from you…"

"I'd like to see you try…" Kaoshi said with a sneer.

Orochimaru then rammed his hand through Kaoshi's chest. Orochimaru got a huge shock through his arm as Kaoshi poofed away in a cloud of smoke.

"What!" Orochimaru yelled in confusion.

"A jutsu inspired by Naruto." Kaoshi said glancing over at the boy. "Raikage Bunshin no jutsu."

"You've gotten much better since I last saw you…but you're still trash."

"Hehe…" Kaoshi laughed. "Well then…I don't mind being insulted…but Kaede here…she doesn't take to kindly to it." He said tapping the blade. "Why don't we show him what this trash can do Kaede?"

"With pleasure."

Kaoshi closed his eyes. He once again found himself in a completely empty void. This time two spheres of light appeared. Kaoshi reached out to the second sphere.

"Kai." The two voices said in unison. Chakra exploded from Kaoshi's body.

"What the!" Orochimaru said through clenched teeth. The being he was looking at now was far more powerful than the one that Orochimaru had deemed useless all those years ago. He was already powerful enough to take on Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi all at once. "Shit." He said as he spit at the ground. "This isn't going to be as easy as I thought."

Kaede had changed shape again. The dull and bladed edges were still separated by a gap but now the blade extended down to the bottom of the hilt, guarding the hands.

The chakra that swirled around Kaoshi ripped apart the ground around him. Orochimaru threw a kunai at Kaoshi to test the danger of this chakra. As it reached the swirling chakra the kunai seemed to melt.

"You're not going to make this easy for me, ARE you?" Orochimaru complained.

"Hell no." Kaoshi said grinning. "I expect the same treatment from you. So please, just show me what you can really do." Orochimaru smiled.

"If you insist…" Orochimaru lunged at Kaoshi. He focused his chakra into his hands as he drew closer to the wall of chakra created by the cloud nin. As Orochimaru reached the barrier he threw his hands into it. The sphere started to warp and contort until it completely disappeared. Kaoshi swung at Orochimaru with his free hand. Orochimaru easily dodged and returned with a kick, which Kaoshi easily avoided. The two jumped back to disengage.

"How'd you do that?" Kaoshi asked.

"Hehe…" Orochimaru said grinning. "I simply disrupted your chakra with my own. It's very easy to do when it's all flowing in one direction…"

"I'll keep that in mind…" Kaoshi said. "Now if you don't mind…" Kaoshi lunged at Orochimaru. "I'd like to continue!" The two nin met in the middle of the arena slashing at each other with their swords. No matter how hard or how fast they attacked neither of them could hit the man in front of them.

They broke off yet again. The two panted in exhaustion.

BACK TO THE RATHER LARGE GROUP OF SIDELINE NINJA!

"This is going to go on for quite some time…" Kakashi said.

"Neither of them wishes to give up anything." Neji agreed.

"Kaoshi is fighting for his and all of our freedom." Sakura said half watching the battle and half working on Sasuke.

"And Orochimaru for himself…" Shikamaru added.

"I wonder whose will to win is greater…" Kiba mumbled.

"That doesn't really matter…" Tenten said.

"Why do you say that?" Kiba asked with a frown.

"It only matters who's stronger."

"No…" Naruto said. "That's the least important thing."

"How do you figure?" Tenten asked skeptically.

"As long as one of them has the will to fight…the battle will rage on." Naruto said.

"Yes." Kakashi agreed. "The last one standing…will not necessarily be the stronger."

"Then Orochimaru could win…?" Tenten asked nervously.

"No." Kakashi said flatly. "Kaoshi won't lose."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Trust me." Kakashi said.

BACK TO THE RAGING BATTLE BETWEEN KAOSHI AND ORO!

Orochimaru and Kaoshi broke off from one another and Orochimaru threw a kunai at his opponent. Kaoshi had to sacrifice his footing in order to dodge. Orochimaru was on him in a flash.

"Damn you…!" Kaoshi yelled flailing around on the ground while dodging Orochimaru's attacks.

"STOP FLAILING LIKE A FISH AND FIGHT ME!" Orochimaru yelled wildly.

"FINE!" Kaoshi pushed off the ground with his hands and kicked Orochimaru in the face with both feet. Orochimaru was sent reeling in the other direction. Kaoshi took the opportunity and delved into the black void yet again.

"Wow." Kaede said. "All three?"

"Yes." Kaoshi put simply. "He's too strong." Kaoshi reached out to touch the last glowing orb when he noticed a small glimmer out of the corner of his eye. He looked towards it and saw nothing. "Must be my imagination…" he said to himself as he reached for the last orb. He snapped back into reality. Kaede had nearly tripled in size but was similar in shape. "You gained some weight Kaede-chan." He said jokingly.

"Go fuck yourself." The voice said. "Let's do this."

"Yeah…" Kaoshi agreed. "Let's."