Last time-
Giving a bark of laughter the nin regarded him with a glint of cruelty dancing in his eyes, "I'm going to take you on a trip kid. I just get you there, that and kill off any problems." Giving a significant look to Sakura the nin turned to him once more. "That's my job. Now let's see what makes you so special."
Whipping a shuriken at the enemy nin Naruto used the brief second the nin's attention wasn't on him to haul himself up and onto dry land. Readying a shuriken in each hand Naruto seized up his enemy. No extraordinary bulk or height, muscle mass hidden in relatively baggy clothing making him a wild card.
For a split second Naruto thought of running, he knew the terrain better than his enemy but then he caught sight of Sakura lying on the ground blood trickling out from her wound. He wouldn't leave her, he couldn't. She was all he had, before her he had nothing. Without her, he refused to even entertain the idea.
"You won't hurt Sakura-chan!" Snarling out the words Naruto charged, at the last second he veered right while throwing a shuriken. With a puff of smoke a log replaced the man leaving the log with a shuriken firmly fixed in it. Making an abrupt stop Naruto turned weakly parrying a blow aimed to plunge into his stomach, instead it traveled upward hitting by his ribs and the delicate underside of his left arm. With a howl of pain Naruto launched himself backwards and away from close combat.
Faltering slightly when he landed Naruto watched as the nin chuckled before strolling towards Sakura as if he had not a care in the world. Horrified at this Naruto pulled more weapons from Sakura's backpack that had been secured on his back and flung them desperate to avert the man's attention back to himself. Naruto didn't even notice that his wounds were knitting themselves together.
Without even turning around the four shuriken were deflected leaving them to ricochet. Eyes narrowing in anger Naruto realized something, he was being played with. Fury rising almost tangibly Naruto could feel it spreading through his veins, liquid fire. Giving a barely audible snarl he bounded forward intent upon both protecting Sakura and attacking a foe.
-
Simultaneously four heads turned westward as silence permeated the air. "What the hell was that?" Taking a step towards 'it' the patrol leader whispered harshly.
"A spike in chakra; a huge spike in chakra." The anbu masked woman spoke as she subtly tightened her grip on her katana.
"What could have that large a jump?" Spoke yet another anbu, male this time.
With a mischievous glint in his eye the fourth spoke, "Why don't we find out?" The three looked at their patrol leader for confirmation on their course of action.
"Move out and be on guard." They were off racing to the source of the disturbance.
-
Rushing the nin Naruto delighting in the surprised look his prey was giving him. He had every right to be shocked, the once fine whisker marks on the boy's face had deepened and spread jaggedly, his eyes were no longer round and innocent they had hardened unexplainable, his canines poked out from his bared mouth. Eyes widening marginally the nin quickly made hand signals to avert the growing danger. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi!" Slamming both hands into the ground and then bringing them upwards with a wall of earth following the hands the nin waited.
…Silence…
Snapping his head upwards the nin had time to see the boy beast hurl himself out of a tree claws fully intending to rip into him. Rolling away from his earthen wall and towards the river the nin could hear the boy coming towards him. Drawing a kunai from his thigh pouch he threw hoping to deter him.
Vaguely Naruto felt a pain in his face, his cheek but it was gone in a second. He could only see things tinged in red, feel only the bloodlust that had washed over him. Naruto wasn't sure he liked this but he found he couldn't control it. He didn't care for the harsh laughter that echoed to him from somewhere within him either. Naruto was scarred but that too wasn't shared by this, whatever had taken hold of him.
-
Nearing the immense chakra the patrol split up surrounding their unknown target while taking cover in the thick foliage surrounding the river. Closing in slowly they kept in contact via radio headsets.
"Cat, do you have a visual?" The captain's rough and gravely voice crackled out.
"Negative…wait, I can see something red. What is it?" Creeping forward further she briefly ignored the chatter in her ear as she slunk forward careful to mask her chakra and keep silent.
"Cat…Cat…answer me Cat." A different male voice this time.
"I'm moving forward for a better look." Slowly she went further almost not catching what was said next.
"Do not go further, I repeat do not move. Hawk has visual." Captain commanded steel in his tone.
"There's a fight going on, a kid against an adult. The kid's winning but…" Hawk trailed off unsure how to describe the scene before him. "He's all red, surrounded in red more like. There's a girl too, down about a hundred yards, knocked out looks like."
"Well Captain?" The fourth member of the team prompted.
"Move in but do not be seen."
-
Naruto couldn't feel much of anything but he could smell, it smelt of rotten things, dank, dusty things that almost made him gag but that was impossible wasn't it? The forest smelt of new things, floral, and earthy things. For a second he thought he felt something wet on his arm, thought he heard someone say, "Guess you are something special kid, damn you."
Then he came to, things were real again and he hated it. Blood, on his hands, his body. Dead body, the nin that had threatened him, Sakura-chan. With a start he realized he didn't know where Sakura-chan was. Was she ok? Looking around wild eyed he saw her, exactly where she had slumped to the ground, wound still there just as she was.
Dragging his utterly exhausted body over to his best friend before he fell by her, energy drained. Pulling her towards him, he hugged her to himself needing her warmth now more than ever. She was safe, she could make everything better. Crushing her limp body to him Naruto fell unconscious tears making their way from his eyes into her hair.
-
"Captain?" Hawk questioned watching as Cat and Tiger examined the battle ground.
"It was the container." Quietly as if afraid to speak the words at all. Hawk waited for Captain to elaborate. "The Kyuubi container. The boy." Hawk gazed at the sight of the two children huddled together lost in oblivion.
"Hard to believe." Hawk said slowly.
Captain nodded his head tiredly, "Have to tell the Hokage."
"Of course. What do you think will happen?" Hawk inquired watching the older man out of the corner of his eye.
"Nothing I want to know about." Captain returned stoically before giving his head a shake to get the thoughts out of his head. "Back to business, let's get these two to the Hokage, he can deal with it."
The plot is on the move. Now I'm spoiling you all with such a quick update, don't expect this to happen too often. My usual request as an author is in place, so if you love me (or my writing) then please review.
Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Type: Upside-down Mud Wall)