AN (I KNOW I KNOW…the chapter's late! …I'm sorry…. I was induced into an alcohol comma from Halloween….so again…. I'm sorry! On the bright side, this is my longest chapter ever! ALSO!… Some very sad news, indeed, my fellow Naruto fans. The ending of the Naruto manga is approaching on the 10th of November or the 6th if you read the chapters early. This is disheartening news but I have no doubt Naruto will live on. With our stories and dedication, Naruto will never end! HUZZAH! )
Chapter 8: I'll Find You…
Ino jumped down from her position on the tree tops to the forest floor. She elegantly lands in front of Naruto and looks up at him with a wide smile.
"Thought you could use some help, Naruto-Kun!" Ino says happily as she flicks her hair out of the way.
Naruto smiles widely as he shoots a thumbs-up her direction.
"Thank you, Ino!" Naruto replies loudly before letting his smile fall into a more serious expression.
Ino walks over towards Naruto, who has turned his attention away from her to the trees above. Ino turns and forms a back-to-back position with Naruto as she as well begins to scan the area closely.
"So, did you hear what she said?" Naruto asks sternly, never taking his eyes away from the trees, trying to spot Haru.
"No," Ino replies in a questioning tone, shooting a glance back at Naruto. "What did I miss?"
"The people who attacked us aren't after Hiro or his library at all," Naruto spoke sternly, still scanning the trees. "They're after Molly."
Ino glanced over her shoulder with a raised brow as she studied Naruto's face.
"What!? Why?" Ino asked apprehensively. "She's just a little girl."
"I…. I don't really know myself… It's hard to explain as of right now, Ino. Just know that it would be in our best interest to keep her safe and out of this woman's hands," Naruto informed, never looking away from the trees.
Ino gulped slightly and could feel a knot beginning to form in her stomach. Something was not right about this… she could feel it.
"Also, now that I can't use my chakra for the moment, I'm very much handicapped. You'll have to take the lead in this fight Ino. I'll have your back, though!" Naruto spoke confidently.
Ino flinched at this before turning to look at Naruto once again. She looked him up and down before seeing the small cut on his cheek. She narrowed her eyes. It was puffy and the area around it was slightly discolored. It was obvious to any medical ninja that the blade that made the injury had been laced with a toxin.
"You've been poisoned, Naruto-Kun…" Ino whispered out as she reached for her medical pouch on her lower back.
Naruto quickly grasped her wrist gently before she was able to pull out her medical materials. Ino looked from his hand to his face with a confused look on her own. Naruto still kept his eyes on the surroundings.
"Yes, but don't worry about it. Chomei is already working on an antitoxin that will allow me to use my chakra once again." Naruto spoke in a soft voice with a slight smile on his face.
"Ch…Chomei?" Ino asked with a raised brow.
"She's the Seven Tails that's sealed inside of me." Naruto said calmly. "She's part insect, so she knows quite a lot about venom and poisons. She'll have me back to normal in no time! So just worry about yourself and Molly right now, okay?"
Ino looked at Naruto with concern in her eyes, but decided to acknowledge his plea. Despite their friendship, he was still her superior, and she would follow orders. Ino then realized they were missing a very important component of their plan.
"Where is Molly, anyway?" Ino asked as she glanced around the dark forest.
"Safe… or at least hiding, I should say." Naruto let his half-smile drop.
An arrow rocketed out of the darkness towards Ino. She flinched and swiftly ducked; the arrow soared over her head, impacting the trees a few yards behind her. Ino stayed low as Naruto began to speak again.
"Our enemy specializes in long-range to mid-range fighting. Her arrows are laced with a poison that attacks the chakra network. Do not let it hit you," Naruto ordered calmly. "Her ace in the hole is clones, just like me. If you land a blow on her, be careful that's it's not just a fake."
Ino nodded and readied herself for the incoming fight. With Naruto somewhat out of commission, it was up to her to take over as the lead.
"I got your back until you can fight properly again," Ino said with a smirk, earning a smile from Naruto.
Haru jumped forward from the darkness of the trees, her bow already pulled back and aimed towards the blond duo. She smirked slyly as the rain prickled on her head and streaked across her face.
"You know, you almost got me with that water jutsu," Haru said calmly. "Although you lack discipline… if you surrender, I will spare your lives."
Ino glared and let a slight growl reach her lips. She balled her fist and shook slightly at the insult to her skills.
"HAH, AS IF!" Ino hollered before scoffing. "Just be lucky you got away! I won't let it happen twice, you bitch!"
Haru focused her eyes as another discomforting smile graced her face.
"As you wish…" Haru whispered.
On cue, Haru clone after Haru clone stepped out of the darkness of the forest in the trees above. They circled Naruto and Ino, all with their bows drawn and ready for attack. The tips of the arrows glowed with chakra and flickered in the night air.
"Th…that's a lot of clones!" Ino whimpered out.
Naruto let his shoulders slouch as he looked up at the threat.
'Brilliant…' Naruto thought with sarcasm.
Naruto made an effort to run for cover, but found that he was unable to move his feet. He quickly looked downwards to see that the mud on the ground was surrounding his feet, sucking him in.
'A Mud Floor jutsu!' Naruto thought in shock.
Ino tried as well to escape from the incoming attack, but found her feet were also encircled by the black forest floor. She yanked and pulled aggressively, trying to get away.
"SHIT!" Ino yelled in anger as well as fear.
"Secret Ninja Art: Mud Coffin Jutsu!" Haru yelled loudly before laughing.
The Harus let the arrows fly. They whistled in air, flying deadly quick towards Naruto and Ino. Naruto flinched and protected himself with his arms once again. The best he could hope for was that his rough Sage skin could protect his vital organs.
Ino blinked before calming herself. With quick thinking, Ino weaved through hand signs at blurring speed before slamming her palms onto the muddy forest floor.
"Water Style: Glacier Wall Jutsu!" Ino yelled out.
Just as the arrows were about to reach their target, a large wall made of ice shot from the forest floor and created a dome around Naruto and Ino. She continued to pump chakra into the wall as the arrows impacted and pierced the ice. The cracking and rattling of the wall shook Ino slightly, but her jutsu held as the attack subsided. Naruto quickly dropped his arms and looked around, his eyes wide at the sudden appearance of the large icy protector.
"N… nice job, Ino… That was close," Naruto spoke out in a shaky voice.
"Hah! I told you I would have your back, Naruto-Kun!" Ino said sweetly as she lifted herself back to her feet. "Now for this stupid mud!"
Ino went through a new set of hand signs before stopping and clenching her fits tightly.
("Water Style: Ice Knuckles Jutsu!")
A thin layer of ice manifested itself over Ino's fists, making them slightly sparkly. Ino quickly brought her left fist down onto the floor with a heavy punch, making it crack and shatter away from their feet. Ino smirked with delight that her jutsus had worked.
"Humph, stupid trick that bitch just pulled!" Ino growled in annoyance. "You okay, Naruto-Kun?"
She turned and looked over at Naruto, who had a look of awe on his face. He stared at her wide eyed with his mouth agape. His feet were now free but he still stood in the same position he had.
"…..Naruto-Kun?" Ino asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto shook his head, realizing he was staring and quickly blushed and turned away.
"N…Nice job, Ino…. I owe you one," Naruto said quietly, trying to get the blush from his cheeks.
"Since when did Ino learn all these jutsus?" Naruto thought in shock.
Ino smirked to herself, happy to see Naruto was impressed with her abilities. With a raised hand, Ino flashed a hand sign allowing the ice wall that was encircling them to crumble and dissipate. With the wall now completely gone, Naruto and Ino looked back up to the trees, expecting to see a stunned Haru. Yet to their surprise, there was no one there. The clones were gone as well as the original.
"She's fled into the trees again," Ino mumbled out in annoyance.
Naruto and Ino jumped back and up to the trees themselves, retreating a few dozen yards before coming to a stop on a large branch. If their opponent was going to use the darkness of the night to her advantage and stay hidden until it was time to attack, then so were they.
Naruto was about to speak before his eyes flickered and waivered. Not long after, his yellow irises and red hued eyelids faded before finally dissipating completely, leaving his natural blue orbs. Naruto grunted in annoyance as he looked to his side at Ino.
"My Sage chakra is gone… seems the poison that's constricting my chakra shortened its lifespan drastically. And with my other clone that was collecting Nature Energy being dispelled, in my current state, I'm officially baggage for you," Naruto said sourly.
Ino looked back at Naruto, staring at him briefly before grunting in exasperation.
"Well, this situation just keeps getting better and better," she grumbled sarcastically. "So…what now?"
Naruto pondered the question for a few moments. The brief hiatus that was taking place in their fight at the moment was just what Naruto needed in order to get his bearings.
"We need to get out of these trees, it's too dense and it gives her an advantage over us with her trap style jutsus. There was a small clearing about 500 yards from here. If we can get her out in the open, the advantage will swing in our favor dramatically." Naruto spoke confidently, his eyes going back to the darkness around them, scanning for Haru in the dark tree line.
"Alright… Lead the way, Naruto-Kun," Ino responded, giving a confident nod for emphases.
Naruto nodded and with a swift jump, they were off, their movements quick as they seemed to flicker through the tree line. They had no need to look back as the familiar presence of their enemy was hot on their tail.
'The only downside is… we will be leading her right to Molly," Naruto thought in a worried tone.
After a brief moment, they reached the clearing where Naruto had hidden Molly earlier. The duo jumped forward and out of the trees and then skidded to a stop in the clearing that was coated in damp mud. They turned back to where they had previously just traveled, waiting for Haru to emerge.
Ino took a brief moment to look over her surroundings noticing the large cliff behind her and the mossy overgrowth that was towards the lower hillside of the massive rock. Ino noted how something didn't seem right about it.
Naruto glanced to his side to see Ino looking upon the cliff calculatingly.
"Molly is hidden in a cave at the bottom of the cliff behind us…" Naruto enlightened. "Do not let anything happen to her and keep the enemy away."
Ino wrenched her head back towards Naruto with complete shock in her eyes.
"SHE'S WHAT!? Why would you lead her right to Mol-!?" Ino blurted out but her sentence was stricken short as another figure entered the clearing in front of them.
Haru skid to a stop a few yards in front of the blond duo with a small smirk on her face that glistened from the rain that fell upon it, the water dripping from her chin.
"Done running?" Haru asked in a snicker.
Naruto stared blankly at Haru in a relaxed, upright-standing position.
"Something like that," Naruto spoke out softly.
Ino glanced from Haru back to Naruto with a flustered look on her face. She sighed out aggressively before resettling her attention on Haru.
'Dammit Naruto-Kun, what the hell are you thinking?!" Ino thought as she readied herself. "Our job's to protect Molly, not lead the enemy right to her like it's a tour! Ugh, you better have a plan, Idiot!'
There was a hush between the three shinobi as the rain fell around them. They all stood motionless, letting the ice cold drops from above crash upon them. Each side waited for the other side to act first. The cold night air was filled with wind and the sound of rain. The stillness was broken as Naruto quickly pulled and threw a kunai at Haru as he dashed to his left, away from Ino.
Ino launched her own slew of shuriken in sync with Naruto as she dashed to her right. With a quick draw, Haru shot a few arrows to block off the blades that sliced through the air towards her. As the weapons impacted with each other in the air, the high-pitched chime of metal hitting metal, Haru threw her bow over her shoulder and dashed to her left, the same direction as Ino.
Ino and Haru ran at each other with blades in hand. Kunai impacted Kunai, bringing both women to a halt. They stood eye to eye in a heated deadlock, each trying to overpower the other. After seeing their strength was evenly matched, both women jumped back and began to fly through hand signs simultaneously in midair.
"Water Style: Raging Dragon Jutsu!"
"Fire Style: Molten Serpent Jutsu!"
Both called out their techniques in unison as they landed 20 yards from each other. A large snake engulfed in fire burst forward from behind Haru and jolted in the air towards Ino. On the other side, a large dragon composed of water came to life in front of Ino. The water dragon roared out and launched forward, impacting with the blazing serpent in-between Ino and Haru.
The clash of jutsus sent out an explosion and shockwave that engulfed that battlefield. Ino and Haru were sent reeling backwards, end over end, from the blast. Ino collided with a boulder and it cracked and crumbled on impact. She winced as a streak of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth, her wet bangs sticking to her tattered face.
Haru tumbled back before she was able to catch her balance and skidded to a stop on her feet. Burns and scorch marks from the blast etched her face and body, making her wince, leaving only on eye half open. Just as she came to a stop, she was caught by surprise as a fist firmly planted itself on her left cheek. Her face rippled with the blow as blood from her mouth splattered out to the floor. Her body jerked to the side and she was sent soaring into a tree a few yards back. The bones of Haru's body crackled loudly as she impacted the tree, leaving a dent in its trunk.
Naruto pulled his arm back at his side, shaking it slightly to get rid of the stinging in his knuckles.
"Don't forget about me," Naruto said in a mocking tone, a small smirk evident on his face. "Even without my chakra, I still have some nasty Taijutsu to work with."
Haru coughed up blood as she stood up from her slouched position against the fractured tree. She leaned against it with her right hand as she tilted her head up slightly so she could glare at Naruto through her damp bangs. She growled and wiped the blood from her mouth with her free hand.
Naruto only watched with an amused look on his face.
"…Fucker," Haru growled, straitening herself from the tree.
Haru raised her hands and made a hand sign Naruto knew all too well.
"Kagebunshin No Jutsu," Haru whispered out.
Three clones popped to the left of Haru, all glaring daggers at Naruto. Naruto flinched and took a step backwards. He looked almost dazed by the jutsu, but calmed and readied himself as he lowered his body into a fighting stance. He quickly shot a glance behind him to see how Ino was doing. Ino was currently trying to pull her injured body off of the large boulder she had crashed into. She looked over to Naruto with a pained look on her face. Her left eye was closed while her right looked to be half open.
'She's injured, but I can't blame her; not a lot of people can take a blast like that and stand back up.' Naruto thought softly.
Ino collapsed to a knee, breathing raggedly as more blood slipped from her mouth.
'Shit, I ruptured something,' Ino thought in a pained tone. 'I'll need to fix it before fighting again.'
She raised her hands to her abdomen, which was currently blotched with spots of dark purple and blue. Her hands began to glow with dark green chakra and hissed in the air. She winced in pain as she felt the tears on her insides beginning to mend.
'Damn, a level 2 rupture… This will take time to fix,' Ino thought in aggravation.
Ino glanced back up to Naruto who was still looking at her worriedly. Ino looked back before growing a serious and focused look. Naruto paused for a brief moment before nodding in understanding.
No words had been spoken, but Naruto had gotten the message.
'Just buy me a little bit of time, Naruto-Kun… I'm so sorry. I was the one who was supposed to be buying you time…'
Turning his attention back to Haru and the clones in front of him, Naruto furrowed his brow and shook in anger.
"I think it's time this fight comes to an end!" Naruto said heatedly as his knuckles popped.
Naruto's glare pierced the night air as the Haru clones all giggled softly.
"I couldn't agree more, Naruto-San, but what of your little girl toy over there? She isn't too broken from our little quarrel, is she?" the Haru clones said in Unison.
Naruto cracked his knuckles and drew his last kunai from his leg holster.
"Shut up, bitch!" Naruto growled out as he gestured for Haru to attack, kunai in his right hand.
The Haru clones lunged forward with blades drawn and ready to strike. With all three clones lashing out, Naruto back flipped and pushed off the ground with his hands propelling himself into the air. The Haru clones quickly recovered from the missed blow. Two clones jumped into the air after Naruto as the other clone stayed planted on the ground by the original.
Naruto lifted his kunai to block a swing from Haru's blade with a clang. The second Haru clone connected a strong kick to Naruto's back, sending him rocketing to the ground. He smashed into the earth with great force. Naruto coughed up blood from the impact as he rolled to his hands and knees. He quickly stood up and glared at the Haru group. The rain quickly washed away the blood that ran down Naruto's chin from his mouth.
"Your movements are slow and labored, Naruto-San. Seems the poison restricting your chakra is also wearing on your body as well," Haru spoke in a snickering tone.
Naruto glared as he readied himself again.
'Dammit… she's right. My body is weakening from the lack of chakra. It won't be long before I can't even move little alone fight!" Naruto thought in frustration.
"Naruto-San!" Chomei called out from Naruto's inner psyche.
Naruto jumped back as four arrows pierced the ground where he formally stood. Naruto planted his right foot into the mud to stop his momentum and change his direction. He charged forward at the Harus with his final Kunai in hand.
The four Harus swarmed Naruto as they fought in close quarter combat.
'YA!?' Naruto thought out as he did his best to attack and dodge the Harus swarming around him. His body was beginning to drag and tremble.
"The anti-poison is complete!" Chomei stated enthusiastically. "I will inject it into your chakra network now and it should take affect after a few minutes!"
Naruto raised his kunai to block a strike from Haru's blade. The two weapons connected but to Naruto's dismay his Kunai snapped. Naruto was taken off guard and was rocketed backwards from a stone cold uppercut from another clone that connected with his chin during his shock. Naruto was thrown back from the force and landed on his back roughly as the air was forced from his lungs. He slipped and skidded through the mud before finally stopping in a small rain puddle not far from the entrance to the cave Molly was using for her hiding space.
Naruto slowly rolled to his knee placing one of his hands on the ground to keep from toppling over. His body trembled and ached, his breath was raspy and ragged and blood fell from the new gash on his chin caused by the punch. Naruto coughed as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes focused on the wet ground in front of him.
'Nice job, Chomei! I knew I could count on you!' Naruto thought enthusiastically.
Naruto looked up towards Haru with a smirk on his face that quickly changed to a shocked expression as a Haru cloned rocketed toward him with her fist pulled back. Naruto tried to move is body to counter but found his muscles wouldn't cooperate.
'SHIT!'
Haru put full force into her punch as it connected with Naruto's face. Naruto's face rippled with the strike and his body was flung back violently through the foliage that was covering the small entrance of the cave behind him. He tumbled head over heels before his back collided with the back stone wall of the cave with a loud crack. The stone wall creaked and chipped away with Naruto's impact. Dust fell from the ceiling, showing the force of the collision.
Naruto coughed up blood once more as he slowly lifted his head to look back out of the now exposed cave entrance. His left eye was now swollen shut with his right doing its best to see through the blurriness his fading consciousness was providing.
'Come on! I just need a few more minutes and then my chakra will be back!' Naruto thought while trying his best to fight the plunging darkness of unconsciousness that was encircling his mind and body. 'Just…a little bit… more…'
Naruto was on the edge of slumber before a soft voice reached his ear bringing him back to earth.
"N…Naruto-Sama," A soft voice whimpered from the right edge of the cave.
Naruto turned his head slowly to see a cowering Molly in the corner of the blackness. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears; fear was stricken on her face as her shoulders trembled. Naruto stared at her for a brief moment, trying to get his head working through the haze.
'Molly… W… Why is Molly here? She should be in the cave… The cave…'
Naruto's eyes rocketed open
"I'M IN THE CAVE!" Naruto shouted in horror.
He had no time to react as the four Harus pushed the brush out of the way to allow them to easily walk through the entrance. The four stopped and smiled slyly at the banged up Naruto on the floor still leaning against the fractured wall. Then all four noticed the little girl that was balled up in the corner.
"AH! There you are, little Miru Hito of Purity!" she purred. "This made my search so much easier!"
'Miru…Hito?' Naruto though curiously.
Molly recoiled and tried to scoot herself farther into the cave, but didn't get very far before her body made contact with the cold wall behind her.
"NO! Stay back!" Molly hollered in fear as tears streamed down her face.
Haru made a move to walk closer to Molly before the three clones behind her burst into smoke. Haru flinched and twisted her head quickly to see what had caused the sudden disturbance. There, still standing on the outer edge of the cave letting the rain fall upon her body, was a smirking Ino. Her midsection was wrapped in gauze and medical tape to help cover the injury she sustained earlier.
"I believe the young lady said to stay away, whore," Ino said in a mockingly sweet tone.
Haru growled while Naruto smirked and let out a sigh of relief knowing Ino was ready to step in once again. His body was beginning to heal as the gash on his cheek and chin began to shrink as well. His broken ribs popped and creaked as they were pulled back into place. Naruto could feel it… he was almost ready.
Haru pulled her bow from off of her shoulder and reached behind her back to pull out another arrow from her holster, but found she was only grasping at air. Haru growled once again.
"It's been quite a while since the last time I used all of my arrows in a fight. How embarrassing," Haru whispered nonchalantly as she glared at the still-smirking Ino. "But no matter… I'm still far from being out of this fight."
Ino glanced over Haru's shoulder to see that Naruto was moving to stand again, and he look to be no worse for wear.
'He's healing…his chakra is coming back!' Ino thought happily as she did a little dance for joy in her head.
"Now… I wouldn't say that," Naruto whispered out mockingly.
Haru turned back to Naruto to see that he was standing, but not only that…
'His… his wounds… they're gone!' Haru thought in shock, her eyes wide. 'H… How is that possible?!'
Naruto began to bend and twist his now healed body, popping and stretching his sore joints. He ended it with a couple pops from his neck before he smiled wickedly at Haru who stared back at Naruto in complete shock.
'Kurama… how does my chakra look?' Naruto asked in slight hesitation.
There was a slight pause before Kurama's unmistakable giggling echoed out from Naruto's subconscious.
"Hahaha! ….. Waste this bitch!" Kurama laughed out earning a confident grin from Naruto.
"With pleasure," Naruto whispered, earning a confused look from Haru. Naruto then raised his hands to form his trademark cross hand sign. Haru's eyes grew wider as her breath caught in her throat.
"Kagebunshin No jutsu!"
Two clones exploded to life next to Naruto, both grinning wickedly at Haru. The clone closest to Naruto turned and raised his hands as Naruto lifted his right hand arm with his palm facing towards the ceiling. Within no time, a bright glowing Rasengan swirled heavily in Naruto's palm.
"You look scared… Don't want to fight anymore?" Naruto asked insultingly as the clone next to him puffed away, leaving only one.
Haru gulped a dry breath before refocusing and getting back into her fighting stance.
"Hardly, but I will give you this. I don't know how you were able to rid my poison from your system so quickly, but it will change nothing in the outcome of this fight!" Haru growled out.
"Well… let's find out shall we?" Ino asked from behind Haru as she as well got into her fighting stance.
Naruto dashed forward with his Rasengan pushed forward in front of him. Ino also jumped forward into the cave with a kunai drawn and ready to slash out at Haru. Haru threw out a few shuriken before turning and blocking Ino's slash. Naruto slid underneath of the projectiles and regained his footing without breaking pace. Haru tried to turn herself to defend against the still incoming Naruto, but Ino reached out and grabbed Haru, keeping her from moving.
With an understanding of what Ino was doing, Naruto unhesitatingly dug his Rasengan into Haru's back. The chakra twisted and tore away at her skin. Blood and skin splattered to the floor, leaving a small hole in her body that showed her organs. A small shockwave was unleashed at the end of the attack, sending Haru and the still-latched-on Ino flying and tumbling back out of the cave and into the downpour outside.
Naruto huffed and turned to his right to smile sweetly at Molly. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her head.
"Hey, I'm going to leave a clone with you okay?" Naruto spoke softly. "He will watch out for you while I finish this fight."
Molly smirked back as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Okay, Naruto-Sama."
Naruto turned and walked toward the entrance of the cave as his clone walked over to Molly and kneeled down next to her, doing his best to comfort her.
Naruto stopped at the entrance of the cave and made it just in time to see that Ino had gotten up from her tumble and was now in a heated brawl with Haru. He was surprised to see Haru didn't look very hurt.
'Tough broad,' Naruto thought with a sigh. 'Kurama, is the cloak ready? I don't feel like playing around anymore.'
"Haha…Yes, it's fully collected." Kurama snickered out.
"Good" Naruto said quietly before he closed his eyes and sighed deeply. He focused on activating the chakra. The warmth of the power washed over Naruto as his body began to feel lighter. The gold chakra began to flow out of his abdomen and encircle his body, but after a brief moment the chakra began to halt its flow over Naruto's body. It flickered and wavered before it began to die out. Naruto's eyes shot open as he looked back at himself in confusion.
'Kurama!? What's going on?" Naruto asked in confusion. "I can't activate the cloak!'
"I don't know. Your chakra network is fine, and so is mine… It should have worked."
Naruto felt the cloak's power wash out of him quickly and just as the last drop of chakra was pulled away Naruto's body began to ache and burn like the power of the fox was tainted.
'What the fuck was that!?' Naruto thought in shock waiting for Kurama to answer.
"It… It seems as if it's being washed away… or pulled back? " Kurama spoke in an interested tone.
Naruto blinked before he felt a sickening feeling beginning to dwell in his stomach.
'Washed away by what!? It usually just comes when I need it….Can't you do something!?" Naruto asked in frustration. "It's your chakra, after all!'
Kurama kept silent for a brief moment before responding.
"I don't know, Kit… I've never seen anything like this before. Well need to talk it over; l" Suddenly, a loud voice interrupted him.
"HEY IDIOT!" Ino yelled angrily, causing Naruto to snap back into reality. "I could use your fucking help over here!"
Ino was currently in a heated back and forth with Haru in who could strike first with the next jutsu. As Ino finished her yelling she jumped backwards as a dozen mud spears pierced the earth where she had just been standing.
Naruto blinked a few times with wide eyes before he shook his head and ran out of the cave.
'I guess I'll just roll with it,' Naruto thought in aggravation.
Naruto ran up next to Ino who was currently standing with her back to him. She was staring down an injured but not beaten Haru. Both women were panting and showed signs of chakra exhaustion. Ino even slightly trembled as she tried to keep herself standing.
"I'm at my limit, Naruto-Kun," Ino rasped out between her breaths. "Since I had to heal myself earlier, I could probably manage maybe one more jutsu before I'm out."
Naruto nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be fine,"
'I hope…' Naruto thought as fear and doubt began to creep into his spirit.
Haru giggled upon hearing Naruto say that and a malicious grin spread across her face.
"Is that so… Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…"
Naruto and Ino were taken off guard as Haru quickly did a one handed hand sign.
"Earth Style: Iron Needle Jutsu!"
'WHAT!?' Naruto thought in surprise.
The ground beneath them glowed briefly, signifying the chakra that was coursing through it. Hundreds of brown, razor sharp needles exploded from the earth below them, rocketing into their legs and feet. The sharp weapons pierced their bodies, splattering blood onto the wet forest floor. The weapons went completely through, leaving small holes on their legs and feet.
Naruto and Ino screamed out in pain before collapsing to the ground.
"Arggh! Fuck, my leg!" Ino hollered in agony.
Her left leg was completely shredded and pouring blood. Lucky for her, the jutsu had missed her right leg. Naruto's feet had been pierced violently, leaving his black sandals looking redder then they ever should. His feet trembled and twitched in pain as the holes began to seal, thanks to Kurama.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Haru laughed out menacingly as she clutched her sides. "You two are pathetic!"
Ino growled as she continued to grab at her blood soaked leg. She tried her best to stifle her grunts of agony.
Naruto just stayed seated on his rear as his feet healed. His eyes were wide and his breath was short and labored. His complete attention was focused on Ino's damaged leg. Naruto felt his body lock up and his fears from before the mission come rushing to the front of his mind.
'Ino… y…your leg…' Naruto thought in a whimper as Haru continued to laugh like a mad woman. 'You won't be able to heal yourself…. You don't have enough chakra…'
Naruto watched the blood gush out of the holes on Ino's leg and watched as she did her best to remain tough, even though he knew if she didn't heal herself or got help soon she would die from blood loss. Then the thought of her death washed over him like a wave of dread. Echoes of the past reentered his now trembling mind and psyche.
'"Could you take it if they died?"' Tsunade's voice rang out.
Sasuke's face then flashed in front of Naruto's eyes as well as Ino's dead body, lying motionless and cold in the rainfall as the blood still poured out of her wounds.
Naruto began to tremble uncontrollably.
Ino looked away from her leg and over to Naruto. His eyes were hollow and distant. His shoulders shook like he was going through hypothermia and his skin was pale.
"N…Naruto-Kun?" Ino asked worriedly as she watched as Naruto continued to stare at her leg.
"DAMMIT BRAT, GET YOURSELF TOGETHER! SHE'S A NINJA, AND INJURIES HAPPEN! NOW STOP BEING A LITTLE BITCH AND GET OFF YOUR ASS! YOUR FEET ARE HEALED!" Kurama hollered in anger as he began to thrash about in Naruto's mind. "NOW GET UP AND KICK THIS LITTLE TWAT'S ASS!
Naruto listened to Kurama's words and he began to calm down. Suddenly, Naruto remembered something that he felt stupid for forgetting.
'My Sun Mark!'
Naruto rolled to his knees in front of Ino. His face of fear was no more as it changed to a strained look of confidence. Naruto pulled and twisted his orange athletic tape off of his right hand, letting it fall to the ground. His mark glowed slightly in the night air as he pushed his chakra through it. Ino and Haru looked in awe as Naruto reached forward and placed his hand on Ino's leg.
'Is that…A mark of the Six Paths!? What…How….Where did he get that!?' Haru thought in complete shock as she watched Naruto's hand begin to glow brightly.
"Naruto-Kun, what are you doing?" Ino asked as she watched Naruto's hand began to glow.
Naruto stayed silent as he focused on pushing his chakra into the mark. After a brief second, Ino's leg began to heal at an incredible speed. Her wounds hissed closed quickly and her blood seemed to evaporate off of her skin. The warm chakra that was being pushed through her leg… felt amazing.
Naruto glanced from Ino's leg to her face to see the look of comfort on her face.
'It's working! Thank goodness…' Naruto thought in relief.
The moment was short-lived though, as Naruto's palm began to burn. Ino yelped in pain and Naruto reached his hand away from her skin, leaving her leg partially healed. A burn mark was in the center of her thigh where Naruto previously had his hand. Ino cringed as the mark throbbed in pain. Naruto looked from the burn to his palm. His hand was shaking and his palm was bleeding.
"W… What?" Naruto whispered as the pain in his hand began to rise.
Ino opened her eyes from her wincing to see Naruto staring at his hand with wide eyes. It shook violently and sparks of chakra began to lash out from the pulsating mark on his palm.
"Naruto-Kun…What's happening?" Ino asked in concern as the sparks of chakra became more vicious.
The ground began to shake as a sharp high pitched hissing sound began to emanate from Naruto's sun mark. Ino winced at the sound and felt scared as the ground beneath her trembled with the chakra. Haru covered her face as the chakra sparks lashed out and singed the area with their touch. Her eyes were wide with horror at the power the chakra held. Naruto continued to try and seal the mark and keep it from causing anymore harm.
Naruto realized he was in a losing battle and began to loosen his hold on the Mark's power. Naruto was expecting the terror to stop but to his dismay, it continued to build. The hissing still grew and the dark feelings of the lifeless chakra began to build in Naruto's palm.
"W…WHAT!?" Naruto asked in shock as he stared at his violently shaking and bleeding hand. The Sun Mark was glowing brightly in the darkness of the night.
"KIT, KNOCK IT OFF!" Kurama hollered in anger. "I DON'T WHAT THIS IS BUT IT'S BECOMING DANGEROUS! SHUT THAT THING DOWN!"
'I DON'T KNOW WHATS HAPPENING!" Naruto protested with fear evident in his voice. "IT'S LIKE MY SYMBOL IS GOING CRAZY! AND THIS CHAKRA IT'S EMITTING… IT'S SO DARK!'
Haru watched with wide as before her expression turned to one of malice.
'So he is indeed one of the six Miru Hito, but it would seem that his power isn't working correctly,' Haru thought with a snicker.
Haru had to jump back as one of the chakra sparks connected with the ground right in front of her. It left a small crater in the mud and smoke rose from the hole.
'I better get out of here! At this rate this idiots gonna destroy the whole forest!' Haru thought in surprise before she turned and jumped off and into the trees.
The sparks continued to lash out as they created small craters and knocked over trees. The leaves began to burn, but were quickly put out by the rainfall.
'I CAN'T STOP IT, KURAMA! IT JUST CONTINUES TO BUILD!' Naruto thought in horror as he continued to try and seal the mark away once more.
Kurama kept quiet as he analyzed the mark. He felt the chakra that was emitting from it. It felt lifeless… It felt… sorrowful.
"NARUTO… IT'S FEEDING OFF YOUR EMOTIONS!"
Naruto flinched at this and watched as the power in his hand continued to grow and destroy the landscape. The fear in his heart grew, as well as the chakra.
'It's… feeding off my emotions?' Naruto thought in shock.
The chakra grew even stronger and the ground began to shake. Naruto and Kuruma knew that his hand couldn't handle this much Chakra just raging through it… In no time, he would be a walking bomb.
"NARUTO! The mark feeds off your emotions. Right now, it's feeding off of your doubts and fears! You've got to suppress those!"Kurama ordered as Naruto listened in shock. "Be confident like you were in the War! That's when it works correctly! YOU CAN'T HAVE ANY FEAR OR DOUBTS!"
'But… but I can't just…' Naruto thought in sadness as the chakra grew even stronger and wilder.
Boulders cracked from the pressure and gravel began to rise in the air from the friction the chakra was emitting. The air was thick and the winds began to pick up. Naruto watched in horror, unable to fight back the whirlwind of emotions flying through him.
"NARUTO!" Kurama yelled out once again, sensing that Naruto was beginning to panic.
Naruto smashed his eyes shut before he yelled in anger.
"I CAN'T STOP IT!"
The black chakra erupted from Naruto's palm and the ground began to shake more violently. The life around them began to die. Trees wilted and grass turned brown and brittle. The flowers nearby that shook in the rain wilted and died. This chakra was death.
Naruto knew he was going to lose this battle to regain control of the mark, so he decided to switch into damage control. He looked to his left to see Ino watching the destruction in horror from her sitting position in the mud.
"Ino, all this chakra is about to go off! Now I need you to put up the best chakra wall inside that cave and protect yourself and Molly!"
Ino looked at Naruto in awe and was going to respond before Naruto's clone he had left behind earlier picked her up, being careful with her damaged leg. Naruto watched as they ran off behind him to the cave before he refocused on his palm. He then noticed that Haru was nowhere to be seen.
'Probably bolted to get away from this mayhem,' Naruto thought in an angered voice.
"NARUTO, PREPARE YOURSELF!"
Kurama felt afraid for his host…he had never felt chakra that was so…depressing. As the hissing sound had reached its peak and the earth shook violently, Naruto looked over his shoulder to see that the Ice wall was already beginning to build inside of the cave. Ino looked at Naruto with fear and sorrow in her eyes as she had Molly in her arms. She was on one knee, knowing her leg wouldn't let her stand. Naruto tried his best to smile at Ino before the hissing and shaking stopped completely for a brief second. Naruto fell to his knee in exhaustion as all of his chakra was pulled from his body. He looked at his palm as the symbol turned from yellow to a dark purple. Then…there was a flash.
(BOOM!)
All of Naruto's chakra erupted from his hand in one great explosion. The blast obliterated the area immediately. The trees were disintegrated from the heat and the ground was immediately dried of the rain that was upon it. The crater that was created was a hundred yards deep and half a mile wide. The blast of chakra reached miles into the sky as the power and fury of the blast moved clouds and rattled homes miles away. The sky turned to daytime from the flash while the blast was detonating and the earth trembled with its power. After about thirty seconds, the chakra dissipated and all that was left was the aftermath. There were absolutely no trees to be seen for at least two miles from where the blast originated. The crater was deep and immediately began to fill with the heavy downpour from above. Yet the most haunting part of the blast was the feeling the chakra let out. Despite that it was Naruto's chakra and even more so that it was from the Light symbol on Naruto's hand, the chakra felt… dark… It felt…lifeless.
-Hiro Complex, 20 Minutes Earlier-
After the flash bang that Shikamaru had set off subsided, Sakura let her arms drop from their protective position in front of her face. She tried to get her eyes to focus through the fuzzy white dots that sprinkled her vision. The strain of her pupils to dilate was giving her a slight headache and caused her to groan. Once she could see clearly in the dark night and rainfall she saw something that made her sigh in relief.
'You smart bastard!' Sakura thought happily.
The water spikes that were set to rip Shikamaru to shreds had been halted by a large black wall that had appeared in the darkness. The wall was connected to Shikamaru before it began to disappear. The wall blended back into the blackness of the night and disappeared. The spikes clattered to the ground before dissolving into water. Shikamaru stood from his kneeling position and turned with a smirk on his face to look at the baffled Kira, who had finally recovered from the flash.
"How did you do that!?" Kira asked in frustration as she rubbed her left eye gently.
Shikamaru smirked and stifled a laugh.
"My family specializes in shadow manipulation jutsus," Shikamaru informed in a calm yet cocky voice. "Although they are powerful and can be very helpful, in the dark they are rendered useless unless there is a light source. With the moon being covered by the storm, it's almost impossible to make a shadow out here. However… a slight flash bang just gives me just enough time to create a shadow."
Haru furrowed her brow in frustration and mumbled curses under her breath. Sakura ran up next to Shikamaru with a look of confidence restored on her face.
"You're intelligent…. I'll have to keep that in mind from now on," Kira said calmly as she resettled herself in her stance.
Kira smirked before she seemed to fade in front of Sakura's and Shikamaru's eyes and disappeared into the rain once more. Sakura blinked in surprise before Shikamaru spoke once again.
"Like she said, Sakura, she is a water affinity user. Seems this ability to blend into the rain is a type of Kekkei Genkai. Also explains why her voice seemed to resonate from all around. She uses the raindrops around us to transport herself… She will be lighting fast because of this." Shikamaru spoke calmly as he looked around into the night fall of rain.
Sakura flinched at Shikamaru's analyses as memories of 6 years prior flashed quickly through her mind.
'This Kekkei Genkai….it sounds similar to Haku's!' Sakura thought in shock.
Sakura was pulled from her memories as a loud voice rattled through the rain.
"Water Style: Roaring Rapids!"
A large wave of water shot forth from the darkness in front of the duo, traveling with great speed towards them. Sakura and Shikamaru jumped apart and to the side of the large wave and it passed by them and collided with the courtyard wall 30 yards behind them. The wall cracked and gave way to the jutsu, leaving a large hole that revealed the rebar and pipes holding the structure together.
Sakura rolled to her feet after jumping to the side, but as she looked back towards where she had been standing, a fist caught her off guard as it contacted her gut. The air was expelled from her lungs violently and she was launched back a few yards. She skidded and rolled on the drenched stone floor of the courtyard before she was able to catch herself. Sakura rolled to her knees and spat out a slight bit of blood as she glared back at the smirking Kira, who disappeared back into the rain.
"Sakura, are you okay?!" Shikamaru called out from the other side of the courtyard.
Sakura stood up and wiped her mouth on her arm in aggravation.
"I'm fine!" Sakura yelled back aggressively, causing Shikamaru to gulp and shiver.
'Great, just what I needed… Two angry women in the same fight…What a drag,' Shikamaru thought in exasperation before refocusing on the fight.
The rainfall stood still for a few moments as Sakura and Shikamaru tried their best to pick up on any signs of when Kira would strike again.
'This is bad… We're sitting ducks with us only able to block her attacks. There has got to be a way for us to attack her while she's in this droplet transfer ability she has. If we don't start striking back soon….we're gonna-' Shikamaru thought calculatingly before a large, roaring thunder sounded and flash illuminated the battlefield.
Shikamaru looked up at the bolt of lightning that flickered over the sky, making the sky rumble. He smiled widely as the gears in his head began to move.
'Bingo!'
Shikamaru was brought back to earth as a kick to the side of his ribs rattled his body. He grunted in pain before another strike to the face sent him reeling backwards and skidding across the ground. Water splashed and rippled as Shikamaru came to a stop. Sakura jumped forward and threw a fist at the darkness where Shikamaru had attacked, but found only thin air.
Sakura skidded to a stop and growled in frustration.
"This is bad, Shikamaru… We need to-"
"I know," Shikamaru interrupted as he stood up and brushed the damp dirt off of his body. "I have an idea, but I'll need your strength to do it."
Sakura stared at Shikamaru briefly before nodding and smirking. "What do you have in mind?
Shikamaru smirked. "Well, first, we need time to talk and make sure she won't be able to hear us."
Sakura thought for a brief moment before giving an "aha" face and reaching into her medical bag placed on her lower back. She ruffled around inside of it with her left hand for a few seconds before returning with 2 small paper balls that looked like flash bangs.
"These will do the trick, Shikamaru. These two explosives emit an air toxin that increases the sensitivity of the victim's hearing a sight causing it to become unbearable." Sakura informed. "It doesn't last very long, but it will give us enough time to come up with a better strategy."
Shikamaru smiled and nodded with recognition of her idea. Sakura and Shikamaru didn't have long to wait after that as Kira once again pounced out of the blackness of the rainfall. She had two kunai pulled, one in each hand. She rocketed towards Sakura with her arms and blades pulled back and ready to clear Sakura's head from her shoulders. Sakura jumped back as Shikamaru jumped forward with his own Kunais drawn. The two ninja met in a stalemate as their weapons clashed against each other.
"Shikamaru move!" Sakura yelled as she launched the 2 small capsules at Kira's face.
Shikamaru ducked and jumped out of the way just as the small explosives connected with Kira's midsection. The two explosives ignited and launched a puff of white smoke that covered her body. Kira swatted the air clean of the smoke as she realized that her opponents had fled to an unknown location.
"That didn't even hurt, you cowards! You think you can hide from m-" Kira yelled before her eyes and ears began to burn, interrupting her. 'H… Huh!?'
Kira's eyes became super focused as the slightest bit of change in lighting made them burn. She shut her eyes closed as she rubbed at them violently. Her ears then began to bleed from the amplified sound of the rainfall. Every droplet sounded like an explosion in her ear making them go numb with pain. Kira howled in pain as she tried to protect her ears as well. After a moment, she faded back into the rain to protect herself as she waited for the effects of whatever was hurting her to subside.
Shikamaru peered out from the side of a large boulder of rubble that had been created from the water jutsu Kira used earlier that damaged the courtyard wall. He watched as she trawled in pain before receding back into the rain. Shikamaru then turned to his left to see Sakura was also leaning against the boulder in a crouched position.
"Looks like your little bombs worked… She seemed to be quite irritated by them."
Sakura nodded and smiled "Good; that will buy us at least five minutes."
Shikamaru glanced once again around the corner of the large rock before returning to Sakura.
"Okay…Sakura, how far do you think you could throw a kunai strait up if you used your full strength?" Shikamaru asked.
Sakura seemed to be taken aback by the question as she looked at him in a confused look.
"I…I uhh…Maybe half a mile, I guess…. Why?" Sakura stammered out trying to understand his plan.
"That will do perfect. Okay, now listen closely, Sakura. She uses her little ability to travel through the rain, but she needs chakra to be flowing through the rain drops for her to do this."
Sakura nodded in understanding.
"Meaning that the water in the air is now connected without the drops having to touch one another."
Sakura nodded once again.
"So if we hit one of her water-based with lightning, it will-"
"The chakra flowing through the rain will act as a conductor and send the lighting right to Kira even if she's in the rain drops!" Sakura interrupted. "Shikamaru, that's brilliant!"
Shikamaru smirked at seeing how quickly Sakura was able to pick up on his idea. Sakura looks of joy quickly fell to dishearten.
"But, neither of us has a lighting affinity… how will we be able to-" Sakura was cut off as a loud blast of thunder echoed out through the sky and a flash of lighting struck not far from where they were.
Sakura processed the sudden interruption, as well as the information that she had been given for a brief second before her face lit up once again.
"OHHHHH! That will work!" Sakura said in a confident voice.
She looked back down to Shikamaru, who was looking back at her with a smirk.
"Let's do it," they said in unison.
They stepped out from behind the rubble and walked out into the middle of the courtyard. The rain fell around them as thunder and lightning continued to rattle off far above. They stood there waiting for Kira to emerge once again from the rain for a few minutes. Their patience was rewarded as Kira walked out of the darkness with dried blood from her ears and eyes on her skin. She glared at Sakura.
"I fucking hate you, Pinky! I don't know what the fuck that was, but it reeaally pissed me off!" Kira yelled in anger, earning a sly smirk from Sakura.
"I have that effect on people," Sakura said mockingly as she shrugged her shoulders earning a growl from Kira.
"Well, let's see how much you like me after this, you bitch!" Kira hollered as her hands flew through hands signs.
Shikamaru and Sakura tensed as they readied to put their plan in motion.
"Water Style: Colossal Raging Rapids!"
With a deep breath and exhale, an even larger wave then last time poured out of her mouth. It gained speed and became a large scale tidal wave. It rumbled the ground and rushed towards the Konoha duo.
"NOW!" Shikamaru ordered as he jumped to safety away from the oncoming attack. Sakura, however jumped far into the air above the jutsu. At the peak of her leap she turned and saw the jutsu had contact the courtyard wall once again, but this time destroying the area it hit completely with its force. As the water settled on the ground with the chakra from Kira still coursing through the liquid, Sakura took action. With her descent, Sakura turned back to the sky and launched a kunai with a steel wire connected to it far into the night sky. It whistled with its flight and disappeared from sight. Sakura then threw another kunai that also had steel wire tied at the end, connecting the two knives together, into the large puddle of water on the ground that contained Kira's chakra. It stuck into the ground with a thud.
Sakura then joined Shikamaru, landing on the wall, well above the ground and away from the danger of their plan. The duo looked up into the sky and waited for the strike.
'Come on… come on…. Strike the knife, dammit!' Shikamaru thought with a slight fear that the knife would not be struck.
Luckily for him and Sakura, the sky filled with a bright flash as a large bolt of lightning made contact with the soaring kunai knife.
"YES!" the two said in unison as they watched in awe. The lighting ran down the steel wire in a flash of light. As it connected with the watery floor, it sparked and coursed through the water. After a few seconds, the chakra in the water caught the charge and the electricity sparked up into the air and began to jump from raindrop to raindrop in midair. It sparked and crackled as it dashed through the air at what seemed to be a hundred miles an hour. Eventually, the bolt of lightning hit its mark.
With a great flash and slight explosion, Kira's scream rang out through the courtyard as her body twitched and convulsed as the lightning coursed through her. Her body became black with burns and the smell of burnt flesh lofted in the air. Kira's body fell to the ground with a thud after the lightning had subsided. Smoke rose into the air off of her completely burned body. No one who had seen her before would have been able to recognize her.
Sakura and Shikamaru jumped down off of the wall, knowing the threat of being electrocuted was now gone. They walked slowly over to the unmoving Kira, who laid face down in a puddle of rain. They stopped a few feet away as they turned to each other.
"Nice job, Shikamaru; it worked like a charm!" Sakura complimented as Shikamaru made his way over to the smoldering body.
Shikamaru stopped right in front of Kira's body as he studied the remains. He then felt a bolt of fear course through his body as the Kira lying before him burst into water and disappeared. Sakura and Shikamaru flinched in shock and were taken of guard as Kira appeared once again, this time behind Shikamaru. Before he could move or react, a long blade pierced his lower abdomen. Blood sprayed to the wet stone floor. Kira smirked with a demented satisfaction as she wrenched the blade from Shikamaru's body.
"A… ah…." Shikamaru grunted in pain as he fell to the ground in a heap.
Sakura was lost for words at how fast the tides had just turned for the worst. A lump grew in her throat at seeing her friend and comrade being struck down so quickly and unexpectedly. She made a move to run over to him, but Kira appeared in front of Sakura this time, lashing out with the same blade that she had just stabbed Shikamaru with. His blood still coated the blade and Sakura could only lift her left arm as protection, having no time to do anything more. With a quick slice and a bone shuddering scream from Sakura, blood once again mixed with the fallen rain.
Kira disappeared into the rainfall with a sinister laugh escaping her lips. Sakura fell backwards and landed on her back as she coughed violently, blood dripping from her mouth. Sakura lifted her head to access the damage of Kira's attack. Running across her left arm and part of her chest was a large, seeping gash, starting at her shoulder and going diagonally down and stopping just below her left breast. Blood flowed smoothly out of her wound as the mixing rain helped wash it away. Sakura tried to hide her grunts of pain as she rolled to her right side and lifted herself to her feet.
Her left arm dangled at her side as she slouched over with her head facing the earth. She tried to move it but found it was unresponsive and surged with pain at every attempt. She grunted in pain as well as anger.
"T…the muscles have been severed… It's useless now,' Sakura thought in a pained voice.
She lifted her head to look over at the still-down Shikamaru who, as far as she could tell, was dead. He head was face first in the rain and the ground around him was a smoggy maroon color. Sakura wanted to cry… she felt afraid and defenseless with her arm now being rendered useless. She muffled her whimpers as she looked at Shikamaru's body.
"H… How did this happen… We had won?" Sakura whispered out in pain.
"You two thought that I didn't know what the weakness of my own jutsu was… HA! How foolish and cocky," Kira's voice called out from behind Sakura.
Sakura flinched before she turned to see Kira standing behind her, towering above Sakura's current kneeling position. She had a water sword raised above her head and was ready to pull it down, severing Sakura's head from her body. Kira stood motionless before a wicked smirk crept to her face.
"You two got so caught up in your little idea that you never once thought that I had the upper hand all along! Yes, my jutsus are weak to lighting and electric affinities… but I've known this my entire life. That's why when I was using my Rain Dance Kekkei Genkai to move among the rain drops, I had a clone take my place. So just in case you did use a lighting jutsu or whatever the hell you just did with that lightning… I wouldn't be hurt."
Sakura's eyes widened as realization set in.
"We were….it was…"
"A Clone," Kira finished Sakura's sentence. "You had not once landed a hit on me through the entire fight… so you had no idea. So while you played with my Water Clone, I stayed safely in the back ground, waiting for you to slip up… Which, as you can see… you eventually did."
Kira's grip tightened on the sword she held above her head. Sakura's heart began to race as she made a move to run but found her legs were glued to the ground. Sakura looked down to see that her legs were wrapped in chakra wires Kira must have put on her when she attack earlier. Sakura looked back up at Kira with complete fear in her eyes.
"It was fun, Pinky… Now it's time I run along and catch up with my sister!"
With that being said, Kira brought down her arm. Sakura winced and closed her eyes in anticipation of her death.
'Sorry… Naruto-Otouto… Sasuke-Kun… Kakashi-Sensei,' Sakura thought as a single tear finally escaped her eye.
Kira was mere centimeters from slicing Sakura's head in half when a large shockwave boomed over the courtyard. Kira was sent reeling backwards, tumbling end over end from the shockwave that just hit her. The blade she was holding liquefied back into water. Sakura was held in place by the chakra wire holding her to the earth. She shielded herself from the wind as dirt and debris rushed by her with the blast. Shikamaru's limp body skidded across the ground a few feet before stopping not far from where he had been laying.
After a few moments, the wind died down and the rain fell normally once again. Sakura looked over her shoulder to see what had caused such a blast. Kira had risen to her feet after her tumble with an angered look on her face. Both of the women's faces dropped into awe at the sight that lay before them. A large mushroom cloud of what looked to be like chakra rose high in the distance. The air immediately filled with a feeling of death or lifelessness that the chakra was emitting. Sakura gulped as she realized where the blast had come from.
'That's the direction Naruto and Ino were headed!' Sakura thought with an even larger lump forming in her throat. "Naruto-Otouto…"
Kira watched the cloud of chakra, also studying the feeling the chakra was emitting. A knot resonated itself in her throat as well.
'Sister… Please be okay!' Kira thought with worry.
Kira turned to look back at Sakura and then back to the cloud in the distance. She stayed still for a brief moment before grunting in exasperation. She walked over to stand a few feet in front of Sakura as the two stared into each other's eyes. Both emitted a slight amount of killing intent.
Kira smirked.
"You're lucky… That blast just saved your life,"
Sakura didn't respond as she continued to glare at the woman.
"I'd love to finish you off, but it would seem our time has run short. Although, I believe we will meet again, Pinky. Until next time." With that being said, Kira dashed off towards the direction of the blast. Sakura watched as she left. Not long after, the chakra threads holding her still extinguished.
Sakura immediately stood on her feet and caressed her damaged left arm. She looked at the large chakra cloud in the distance but was brought back to her current location by a rough coughing sound coming from her right. Sakura turned quickly to see Shikamaru trying his best to lift himself to his knees.
"Shikamaru!" Sakura said happily as she jogged over to him. "You're alive!"
Sakura reached down with her good arm and help him to his knees. She then began to study the large puncture that went through his midsection. She sighed in relief.
"She missed my vitals, but she pulsed some kind of chakra through the blade, and it knocked me out…" Shikamaru spoke in a soft voice. "I've lost some blood, but I'll be fine."
Sakura nodded, coming to the same conclusion at seeing the wound. Shikamaru looked up and saw Sakura's sliced arm and torso and cringed at the exposed bone and muscle.
"Sakura… Your arm."
"I'll be fine, nothing a little medical treatment can't fix," Sakura informed while trying her best to put on a smile even though her body pulsed with pain.
Shikamaru looked at her for a brief moment with worry before nodding.
"Sakura… go after Kira and find out what that blast was," Shikamaru ordered as he began to stand.
"W…what!? No, I've got to get you fixed up! You'll bleed out if I do-"
"Ino has taught me some medical techniques over the years," Shikamaru interrupted. "I'll patch myself up and I'll go check on Hiro and the others…I'm too banged up to help… I'll get Sai or Choji to back you up when I get to the bunker."
Sakura looked at Shikamaru with worry before nodding at his orders.
"Okay… I'll go." Sakura said quietly.
With that, Sakura turned and rushed out of the courtyard and over the wall towards the still-looming chakra cloud in the distance. Shikamaru watched her leave before he sat down in a huff once again and pulled out some medical wrap and gauze. He began to work on his wound as he thought about the explosion.
'Be okay… Ino… Naruto…'
Sakura dashed through the trees as she tried to wrap her arm while on the move. With no time to work on it properly, a simple wrap and sling would have to do. She finished her task as she continued through the trees quickly. The rain moved past her in a blur and the air became thicker the closer she came to the explosion.
'Naruto… Ino… I'm coming… Please be okay!'
-Bottom of Blast Crater-
Naruto laid face first in the mud at the bottom of the crater as his body twitched and convulsed in pain. His body was broken and beaten and he struggled to breathe through the ruptured lung he now knew he had. He looked up from the wet floor below him and tried his best to focus his eyes. His head hurt… as well as the rest of his body. All of his chakra and been taken away for him… For what reason did the Mark suddenly turn on him…? He did not know right now. All he knew is that if he was still able to continue somehow… he needed to find Ino and Molly.
Naruto tried to move his body, but found that it wouldn't comply.
'D… dammit… I can't move…' he thought as his body convulsed in pain.
He turned his head back to where the cave used to rest. There was nothing left; just the wet mud of the crater he laid in. He felt fear immediately rush to his senses again.
'N… No… Ino… Molly…W… Where are you?' Naruto tried his best to turn his body so he could look in that direction better. 'D… Don't tell me I…. I...'
Naruto didn't have to finish his thought as he was finally able to turn his head enough to see just out of his peripheral vision; a limp and battered Ino lay motionless in the mud not far from him. In her arms was Molly, who seemed to be knocked out as well, but fine besides that.
'Ino….Molly…' Naruto thought in relief. 'I need to make sure… they're okay…'
Naruto tried to get his body to move, but found he was still paralyzed. He winced in pain as his broken bones rubbed against each other. The left side of his body ached in pain… while for some reason, his right side felt numb.
'K… Kurama… I need some help…' Naruto thought through his agony… but there was no response. 'Kuruma….are you there?'
Once again there was no answer.
'Damned fox, where the fuck are you!?' Naruto thought angrily.
Naruto was pushed from his thoughts as a familiar presence reentered the area. Naruto tried to turn his head away from Ino's unconscious body but was unable to.
"The great Uzumaki Naruto… can't even keep his feelings under control, hehe," Haru spoke up from behind Naruto.
Haru walked around Naruto's twitching and bloody body as she slowly strolled over towards Molly. As she entered Naruto's vision, he realized this and began to fight his inability to move even harder, but yet again to no avail.
"N… (COUGH) No! Stay away from her!" Naruto barked out.
Haru didn't break her pace a she turned to look over her shoulder.
"You know… I knew the girl had a mark, but I never expected you to have one," Haru said in a mocking tone. "I was just able to get out of the blast radius before your mark and arm went pop. Haha… How pathetic."
Haru made it over to Ino and Molly as Naruto still struggled to move. Haru kicked Ino to the side as she reached down and grasped Molly and lifted her under her left arm.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Naruto screamed in complete anger, his eyes becoming blue slits before molding back into normality.
Haru turned back to Naruto and smirked.
"You know… if I could kill you I would, but now that I know you have the mark… well… kind of… I'll have to take you with me." Haru started to walk over to Naruto with Molly still under her arm.
"SISTER!" A voice called from behind Naruto, but he could not turn to see who it was.
Kira appeared behind Naruto in the crater and jumped forward to land next to Haru. She looked at the girl under Haru's arm and grinned wickedly.
"So you've got her! Nice work, Big Sis!" Kira said enthusiastically.
Haru smirked but was shaken when Molly began to move and awaken from her slumber. As her eyes opened she realized she was facing the ground and was being held in the air. She looked up to see Naruto lying in the mud ten yards in front of her. She saw how hurt he was and became scared. She then slowly looked up to see who was holding her in such a fashion and at seeing Haru's face…Molly burst into tears. She tried to fight free.
"LET ME GO, LET ME GO! NARUTO-SAMA, HELP ME!" Molly hollered as she struggled for freedom.
Haru growled at Molly's whimpering and fighting to get free and shook her violently in her arms. Kira eventually walked over with a syringe in her hand. She pushed it into her neck and after a brief moment, Molly went limp.
"That'll keep the brat still!" Kira spoke as Haru sighed in relief.
Naruto watched in anger at how they treated Molly. He growled through his pain and could feel his blood boil.
"I'll…" Naruto spoke out angrily getting Kira's and Haru's attention back towards him. "I'LL KILL YOU!" Naruto yelled in rage earning just mocking smiles from the girls.
"I almost forgot about you, Naruto-San. My apologies," Haru mocked. "Kira, you know Naruto Uzumaki… the hero of the five nations, A.K.A The Blazing Angel of Konoha."
Kira looked from her sister over to the struggling Naruto and laughed loudly.
"HAHAHAHAHA! This is that Naruto! How pathetic! HAHAHA!" Kira barked loudly through the rain.
Naruto growled as his pride began to burn. He wanted blood, and somehow he was gonna get it.
"It gets better, Sister…" Haru said slyly. "He holds one of the Six Paths within him."
Kira immediately stopped laughing and looked at Naruto with a shocked face.
"He's a Miru Hito!? Which gift does he have!?" Kira asked in fascination.
"I don't know… he blew up before I was even able to tell, but wait until we bring not one but TWO Miru Hito back to the guys! We'll be champs!" Haru said in satisfaction.
Kira could only grin at that as she started to walk towards the unmoving Naruto.
"I like the sound of that! I'll bag him and we'll get the fuck out of here!" Kira said enthusiastically as she approached Naruto.
She was cut short however when a kunai knife hit the dirt between herself and Naruto. Kira blinked in surprise before she looked up and saw a pink figure appear into the crater.
"Step away from Naruto!" Sakura yelled in anger.
Kira smirked as she felt her sister Haru walk up to stand beside her. Both women glared with wicked smiles at Sakura.
"Ah! Pinky, I wouldn't have thought with that wound you'd be able to chase after me… My mistake," Kira said calmly, earning a glare from Sakura. "Don't worry, Sister; I'll finish her off right now."
"No," Haru said, causing Kira to look at her with a questioning look. "We've both lost too much chakra. We leave now while we still can."
Haru looked down at Naruto as he glared up at her with rage-filled eyes.
"Looks like we will have to come get you another time, 'Naruto-Sama'," Haru said as she blew a joking kiss over to the downed hero.
Naruto chose to ignore her and looked down at the limp Molly that was in her arms. Her body was not moving but he could still see that her eyes were open and responsive. Tears still flowed down her face.
'Molly…I know you can hear me,' Naruto thought as Molly's eyes darted right towards his own as she was now looking at Naruto with tear filled eyes, listening to his thoughts. 'First off, Molly… I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you, but I need to you listen, okay? I need you to be strong… These women are going to take you.'
Molly's eyes began to cry more at hearing these and Naruto's heart began to hurt. He pushed on.
'Molly… I will find you… I will bring you home… I will never stop until you are safe, okay! I'm so, so sorry, Molly… Be strong… Naruto-Sama will bring you back soon!' Naruto thought as tears threatened to fall from his own eyes.
Molly looked at Naruto for a few more minutes before she closed her eyes in sadness and wept silently in Haru's arm. Naruto watched and felt like his heart was being pulled from his chest.
"Let us go, sister," Kira said as she placed her hand on Haru's shoulder.
Both women began to fade into the rain, and not long after, the Sisters were gone… as well as Molly.
Sakura walked her beaten body over to the still-laying Naruto as she watched him weep into the mud. She kneeled down before she realized something horrible about Naruto's condition. She could only look at him with shaky eyes before Naruto's voice reached her ears.
"I failed… I failed again to keep someone safe," Naruto choked out through his tears.
Sakura kept quiet as she felt the same sadness wash into her. She could only kneel there next to him and let the rain fall upon their bodies. Sakura looked over to where Ino was laying and saw the rise and fall of her chest. She just seemed to be unconscious with a few chakra burns on her body. She would do a full evaluation on her later, but she was alive and that was all that mattered at the moment.
Sakura turned to look behind her as she heard someone approaching. A large black-and-white bird landed in the crater and Sai jumped off of the large animal. Sai rushed over to Sakura's side and looked down at Naruto. He felt a twinge of something he couldn't describe in his gut as he looked at the right side of Naruto's body. He forced himself to look away and saw Ino not far from them. He looked down at the kneeling Sakura, who was watching the silently crying Naruto lying face first in the mud next to her. Sai could see that Sakura's own eyes held great pain and sorrow within them; even he could see that.
Out of nowhere… Naruto spoke.
"Sakura… Sai… I'm about to pass out from Chakra exhaustion… but before that… I want to say I'm sorry… I failed once again."
Sai was about to respond, but Sakura raised her hand in a fashion that made him stop. He looked down to see a pleading look coming from the girl. At this, Sai decided to stay quiet. He looked back at Naruto with hurt in his heart… He knew how much this mission had meant to Naruto.
"S… Sakura-Oneesan…" Naruto whispered out.
"Y…yes?"
"I… I can't move the right side of my body at all... How bad is it?" Naruto asked.
Sakura cringed at the question and reached over and pulled Naruto over so that he was now on his back instead of chest first. Naruto looked up at Sakura with the little ability he had and saw the complete sadness in her eyes. He then did his best to look over at his right side. After a brief moment at fighting his body, he was able to look down at his side. His eyes grew wide in shock.
Sakura finally found the courage to speak as she gulped a dry breath.
"Naruto….Your right arm… it's gone."
And with that being said, Naruto promptly passed out from exhaustion.
END CHAPTER 8
AN2( So…I wrote that I was going to blow off Naruto's arm way before Manga 698 came out…So I've come to the conclusion that I have psychic powers! Also I get the chance to be even more canon…so…YA!)