Chapter 4
Team Kakashi hid in the trees of the forest nearly spent of chakra. They'd been dodging the attacks of the two S-ranked ninja for nearly 3 hours now, and no matter how much they tried Team Kakashi couldn't shake them.
"What the hell? Why are coming at us with so much intent to kill?" Sakura asked while taking many deep breaths.
"Because Sasuke here set fire to place that is very special to Naruto." Came Ino's voice, startling the three would be victims. They relaxed a bit upon seeing it was Ino and not the terrible twosome.
"Just how do you know that Ino-pig!?" Sakura questioned suspiciously.
"She's right Sakura." Kakashi said, noticing Ino's shift in aura at Sakura's question. "That flower field is where Naruto-kun's father proposed to his mother." Kakashi said with a heavy sigh. "I guess you can say it's one of the few things Naruto has left of his parents." Kakashi finished.
"Oh…" Sakura realized sadly.
"No wonder…" Sasuke mumbled to himself. He felt the understanding behind Naruto's anger now. He'd react the same way if anyone defiled his clan's home.
"That doesn't explain why that girl attacked us as well though." Sakura retorted angrily. She had taken the brunt of most of Lia's attacks, and even when Sakura switched it up to target Naruto Lia was there to counter.
"She loves him." Ino confessed low enough for them to hear. But saying it out loud just made it sting a bit more.
"Whaaaaaat!?" Sakura screeched disturbing a few birds in the trees above. "How is that possible!? Why is that!? I'm too tired for this!" Sakura whined which made Sasuke grit his teeth and glare at her.
He for one was enjoying the small break from the vicious duo. "Ino what time is it?" Sasuke asked as he felt the wind start to pick up. With Sakura's outburst he knew Naruto and Lia were closing in fast.
"It's a quarter till 11. Why?" Ino told him after glancing at her watch. Before she could answer Naruto appeared in between Ino and Team Kakashi along with the strong winds again. Sasuke's Sharingan spun wildly as he stared into Naruto's glowing cerulean eyes. Then it became pitch black dark as far as Naruto could see.
"It's good to see Genjutsu still works against you." Sasuke's voice echoed around Naruto.
"You think so?" Naruto asked calmly.
"Naruto give up. We'll help you replant the flowers. We just want to end this damned mission Tsunade sent us on." Kakashi said as his voiced to echoed around him.
"No." Was all Naruto said before lunging into battle with his rival and teacher.
~With Sakura and Ino~
"Put me down forehead!" Ino squealed as Sakura carried her over her shoulder while she darted through the forest.
"No way you're gonna help me figure out how to beat this bitch, or you serve as a shield until I can find a way." It was then Sakura noticed Ino used the Kawarimi Jutsu with a nearby log.
"Like hell you're dragging me into this. Since it was YOUR precious Sasuke that caused this then you figure out how to get out of this mess." Ino said with huff before turning to leave. Walking pass Lia who appeared ten seconds prior Ino mumbled something. "Don't hurt her too bad… she's still my friend."
"Ino are you really still jealous I'm the one dating Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura yelled out playfully taunting her friend. Ino on the other then turned and said something else to Lia making the dark skinned girl smile. "Uh-oh" Sakura thought as she readied herself to do battle with Lia, and this time Ino stood by to watch with a smirk.
Lia released the power of her gauntlets, and decided she wanted to give Sakura a fighting chance. "Quick Style: Shadowless Flight!"
Ino watched Lia instantly strike Sakura from various angles while Sakura couldn't even get a bead on the other girl's movement . "So fast. She didn't even use hand signs either…" Ino thought as Lia continued her assault undeterred by Sakura's efforts to stop her. Suddenly Lia came to a halt which took both Sakura and Ino by surprise. Lia gazed upwards at the sky with her eyes agape and her body shaking. Sakura took this opportunity to deliver a chakra powered fist to the dark haired girl's stomach sending her flying through two trees.
Sakura collapsed to her knees and began to heal some of her more aching bruises. "That bitch is… ANNOYING! She wouldn't stay still for nothing!" Sakura grumbled.
"Why did she stop like that? What was she looking at?" Ino wondered as she began walking back to Sakura. She looked up and saw nothing but trees and the moon; then something clicked. "Sakura… did it look like she was staring at the moon?" Ino asked curiously as she reached her friend.
"I don't know… I was too busy getting my ass beat." Sakura deadpanned.
Before Ino could retort, a wave of malicious chakra and a howl that sent the forest animals scurrying made Sakura and Ino's blood run cold.
"Um Sakura… I think we need to go find the boys." Ino advised as the chakra got stronger and they could hear trees falling.
"Some Chunin you are." Sakura said as she stood up and tightened her gloves.
"Well excuse me not everyone was trained by a Sannin! Now let's go!" Ino shouted back and turned to leave only to lock eyes with a towering silver wolf that stood 10 feet tall. It bared its fangs and growled dangerously at the two young kunoichi.
"Oh shit…" Sakura muttered before the beast lunged. Both girls jumped away in separate directions only for Sakura to take a claw swipe to her left side, and Ino to be smacked into a tree with its tail. "INO!" Sakura 's shouted for her friend as she laid limply at the base of the tree.
~With the Guys~
Naruto heard the howl and his guard dropped a bit which allowed Sasuke to leave a cut across his right bicep. He was still trapped in Sasuke's Infinite Darkness Jutsu, so he couldn't see, but he felt the demonic chakra start flowing through the area. Kakashi and Sasuke felt it to as they stopped and were looking in the direction all the commotion was coming from. It wasn't until they heard Sakura scream Ino's name that things seem urgent. Naruto snapped and allowed Kyubi's chakra to flood his system then broke free from the illusion. In an instant he took off with renewed vigor toward where he sensed the girls… and smelled blood.
~With Jiraiya and Tsunade~
"Jiraiya what's that?" She asked as they both looked out of her window.
"We have to go." Jiraiya said seriously as he removed Tsunade's sweat sheened body from atop his own.
"Alright I guess I don't need to ask how serious this is considering you're stopping with no hesitation." Tsunade teased as she started to get dress.
"You know now that I think about we could finish THEN go help out—" Poor Jiraiya was cut off by his beloved Slug Princess.
"Move it." Tsunade said with a scowl as she pointed to the door.
When they felt the burst of Kyubi's chakra both Sannin moved with lightning speed towards the forest that housed the demon entities squaring off once more.
~Back with Naruto and Co.~
"Naruto what the fuck?" Sasuke asked with wide eyes. Standing above them all was a giant wolf with Sakura trapped beneath its paw and baring its fangs toward the three men.
"Let her go Rubi!" Naruto said callously.
"Or what brat? You'll kill me? Ha I think not and after what you did to me last month I think devouring these annoying little twits will make us even." The giant wolf known as Rubi Okamika said in amusement.
Naruto made a shadow clone before doing a number of rapid hand seals and slammed his palm into the clone's chest. "Soul Shadow Clone Jutsu!" The blonde called out before the clone was surrounded by a plume of smoke. When the smoke cleared a man wearing an all red business suit, about Kakashi's age with fiery red hair, blood red eyes with vertical slits stood next to Naruto. The man cracked his neck and knuckles before noticing Ino a ways away. He shunshined over and draped his read suit over her frame in a gentleman like fashion. He shunshined back to Naruto's side and loosened his red and black striped tie.
"It's that time of the month again I see." The man said, with a glare at the wolf who now took Lia's human form with her aesthetic demonic changes.
"Yea. Let's end it quicker this time eh… Kurama." Naruto said before donning his hood once more. Suddenly all three of them flickered away into the forest.
Kakashi and Sasuke stood there still in awe. They were beyond tired for this and it wasn't until Jiraiya smacked them both in the back of the head that they returned to reality.
"Lord Jiraiya?" Kakashi asked with a blink. He looked to see Tsunade healing the wounds of an unconscious Sakura. Once she was done she made her way over to check on Ino.
"You know your team failed the mission." Tsunade said calmly.
"Fuck the mission! You sent us up against two S-ranked ninja with bad tempers!" Shouted a delirious Sasuke.
"What do you mean S-ranked ninja?" Tsunade asked with a scowl.
Kakashi pulled out his Bingo Book and flipped through the pages until he found them, and handed it to Tsunade. "That's Naruto and a girl named Lia. She appeared after we found Naruto with Ino" Kakashi explained making Tsunade's eyes widen.
"You mean that girl that was in the office with us? S-ranked? You mean they're the ones who took out two of the Akatsuki's members?" Tsunade asked in further disbelief. She turned to grab Jiraiya but found he been long gone, and Sasuke took Sakura home then to finally get some sleep.
"It would seem the rumor of someone 'hunting' the Akatsuki is true, and it's Naruto. If he's gotten strong enough to turn the hunters into the hunted then…" Kakashi said as Tsunade began to get nervous.
"It's only a matter of time before they get backed into a corner and become desperate. A desperate group of S-ranked ninja won't be good for anyone in the shinobi nations." Tsunade concluded. "Jiraiya what were you thinking?" Came Tsunade's thoughts before they heard Ino groan.
"Ow my head." Ino winced as she sat up.
"Easy kid you had a mild concussion. I healed you quick enough but you're gonna be sore and maybe a little disoriented for a while.
"Where's Sakura and that giant wolf?" Ino asked making Tsunade look from her to Kakashi with a curious gaze.
"The girl Lia can apparently turn into a giant demonic wolf. Naruto and a red haired man named Kurama lured her away." Kakashi stated making Tsunade rub her temples. She felt a big headache on its way.
With a sigh Tsunade stood and helped Ino to her feet, and after bidding her superiors a good night Ino made her way out of the forest as best she could.
"What do you think Kakashi?" Tsunade asked the famed copy ninja. As walked through the forest.
"I think… there are a lot of questions we don't have the answers to." Kakashi said as he gazed at the starry night sky.
"Meaning Naruto just brought a whole new wave of trouble with him." Tsunade said with a small smile.
"Yea… Lady Tsunade were you and Lord Jiraiya by any chance…" Kakashi asked leaving the question hanging in the air but still glance over in time to see Tsunade cracking her knuckles. "Never mind."
~With Ino~
Ino finally made it back to village and she'd never felt more exhausted than right now. With a heavy sigh she made her trek through the northern part of the village. She knew going home would mean facing her father, she couldn't stay with Sakura on the account she now lived with Sasuke, and the thought of spending the night in a massacre site sent chills down her spine. "Oh man I just wanna lay down sleep." Ino complained comically.
"You can come stay at my place." A familiar voice said to the tired Yamanaka. Ino looked up to see Naruto standing there with a bag of groceries.
"Where'd you disappear to?! Where'd that crazy wolf bitch go!? Why are you so calm?!" Ino ranted making the late night roamers stare at her and Naruto.
"How about you stay with me for the night Ino-chan, and I'll answer your questions in the morning before your dad comes to murder us both." Naruto said with a grin.
"Fine." Ino lamented with a slight blush and followed her fellow blond up the road and around a corner to a cozy looking two story home. "Wait what happened to your apartment?" Ino asked curiously.
"Sold it to move into my family's home. Well I had a shadow clone do it when we first got back." Naruto said as a matter of fact. "Hey! I'm back with food!" Naruto called out as he set the groceries down on the kitchen counter.
"I swear kid you took forever and a day. Oh what's this brat? I see you picked up a little late night dessert for yourself ehehehe." Said Jiraiya after entering the kitchen.
"Shut up you old pervert." Naruto said as he placed a pot of water on the stove.
"Dammit Naruto where's my cigs!?" Kurama asked gruffly after he ransacked the groceries and came up nil. Naruto reached into his pocket then threw a pack of cigarettes to the fabled demon.
"Oi Kurama you're too loud." Lia said now sitting on the island typed counter top.
Ino watched with a bewildered look as the three of them fought over the food that Naruto brought home. "Hey we have a guest behave yourselves!" Naruto growled out.
"We're sorry." Said Kurama and Jiraiya meekly while Lia now stood in front of Ino staring at her.
Ino shifted uncomfortably before Lia bowed. "I'm sorry you were hurt tonight."
"Um it's alright…" Ino said a bit thrown off by Lia's apology. "Does that mean you concede then?" Ino smirked with a sudden bravado.
It took a few second before Lia caught on then smirked. "Never."
"I sense a disturbance in air." Jiraiya whispered to Kurama as they watched the sparks fly between the two.
"Alright you two break it up. Follow me Ino I'll show you to our indoor onsen." Naruto said as he led her by the hand out of the kitchen.
Once the two blondes were gone Kurama turned to Lia with a raised brow. "You're okay with that?"
"It's one night. She deserves it after what Rubi did to her. Besides… who said I didn't want her to? I think it'll be fun exploring that body of hers." Lia said causing nosebleeds for both males. The brunette teen giggled before skipping away with a box of strawberry pocky.
~Sometime Later~
Naruto laid on his bed staring out the window at the stars. Ino entered his room with her long wet still dripping from the onsen. She was in nothing but one of Naruto's oversized orange t-shirts. She climbed in bed with him and cuddled into his side then joined in his stargazing. "Tell me everything… like you did before you left." Ino said suddenly.
"What do you wanna know Ino-chan?" Naruto asked as he moved a lock of her damp hair behind her ear.
"About us… It's something I've held onto for three years… what would've happened with us if you hadn't left… what are we now? " Ino mumbled softly while her hand rested over his heart. To Naruto this was very uncharacteristic of the Yamanaka Clan Heiress.
"To be honest Ino… I'm new to this whole relationship thing. I wouldn't even know what to do let alone explain it to you." Naruto said a bit disheartened.
"So you want me to be your girlfriend now huh?" Ino said as she straddled him with a cocky smirk and a lustful gaze. Now this was the Ino he'd come to like so much, although he could do without the sexual teasing.
"I have a question… when we were at your house you said we ended up like because of Sakura. What did you mean?" Naruto asked noticing Ino's face become a bit gloomy.
"She… dared me to kiss you… or give up competing with her over Sasuke… I still don't know why she chose you though…" Ino admitted a bit ashamed.
"It's because Sasuke and I are rivals… she was probably hoping it would hurt your chances some kinda way." Naruto analyzed. "But thanks to her I can do this." Naruto said before placing a soft kiss on her lips then began trailing butterfly kisses along her jawline and down her neck.
"Naruto… from now on you're mine mister." She said warmly as she rested her forehead against his.
"Does that mean we're together now?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Yes silly now lay down and sleep it's almost dawn." Ino said before cuddling with him beneath the covers. With one last kiss the two blonde, blue eyed teens joined each other in the realm of dreams.