Chapter 33

The first thing that Sasuke's mind registered was the blood.

Lots of blood.

He stopped at the entrance of the rocky chamber, sharingan flashing as he surveyed the scene. Kakashi seemed to be holding his own against Kou, the dueling pair flashing through the room so fast that they were almost invisible. But when Sasuke focused on his ex-sensei, he noticed that a ribbon of blood was lacing down his right arm, leaving a trail of droplets on the floor.

"Not good."

Sasuke's gaze then flicked over to Shikamaru.

"Oh, shit."

The strategist, who specialized in mid-range jutsu, was down on his knees. One of the demon women was caught by his shadow, the deadly black tendrils struggling to hold her at bay. The other was circling behind the exhausted Nara, black eyes flashing and lips curling back as it eyed the kunai in Shikamaru's free hand.

At least some of the blood, it seemed, belonged to Shikamaru's opponents.

The rest was oozing from the shadow-nin, who panted and shook with the effort it took to maintain his ninjutsu. His vest was torn to shreds; angry cuts pulsing blood that seeped into the green fabric. A nasty looking gash, which seemed to be the source of most of the blood, showed through a rip in the material that covered his left leg.

Sasuke inhaled a sharp hiss at the crimson pooling around Shikamaru's sandals.

"Naruto's going to be pissed."

With that thought spurring him on, Sasuke bolted to Shikamaru's defense as the circling demon-woman launch towards him, bloodied claws outstretched. Sasuke jumped and spun midair, catching the creature with a roundhouse kick to the head. He heard a satisfying crack as his foot connected with skull, a shockwave rattling the cave as the demon hit the far wall.

"Sasuke!" Shikamaru said sharply, his normally dulcet tones cracking with pain. "Where's Naru -"

Sasuke glanced at the shadow-nin's face when he suddenly stopped midsentence. Frowning, he followed the path of Shikamaru's shocked gaze towards the entrance of the cave.

From the dark gloom of the hallway they could see a pair of red eyes, flickering and flashing like torches. A deep growl tumbled and echoed off the stone walls, making the floor vibrate.

The two demon women reacted instantly, their heads whipping towards the source of the noise. With a violent shove of chakra, the one held by Shikamaru's shadows broke free. But rather than attack him, it backed away slowly until it was beside its partner.

Still growling, Kurama stepped into the room. Flames of chakra began to lick along Naruto's limbs, redder and hotter than the golden flames that usually surrounded him. Sasuke could see Naruto's skin burning and cracking in the heat.

His eyebrows met in a frown before he quickly smoothed out his expression.

"Naruto's always been a fast healer." He reminded himself. "Don't worry about it."

The fox's eyes, so strange in Naruto's sculpted face, crackled as they shifted from the demons to Sasuke and Shikamaru. His lips pulled back, revealing fangs that grew longer before their eyes. He gestured towards the crimson covering Shikamaru's shaking body.

"Sasuke," Kurama's deep voice rumbled through Naruto's throat. "Take Nara to the medics."

"No." Shikamaru protested, trying to stand.

The colour immediately drained from his face as his left leg buckled beneath him. Sasuke reached out, catching him before he could fall.

"Dammit," He hissed, clutching his leg as pain pulled his face taunt. "One of those fucking demons bit me."

Sasuke's eyes darted towards the beasts, his stomach lurching as one of them ran its forked tongue over its teeth. The muscles in its body tensed. So did Sasuke's, anticipating the attack. The demon howled as it launched itself towards Shikamaru, sensing the inevitable kill.

Sasuke's hands tightened around his comrade's arms as he pulled him back sharply, twisting him away from the demons reaching claws. A heartbeat later Sasuke realized that, in his instinctual impulse to protect a teammate, he had left his own back wide open.

The demon howled triumphantly, its claws inches away from the back of Sasuke's exposed neck.

Flames crackled in the air. Kurama launched himself between Sasuke and his attacker, colliding with the demon and launching them both across the room.

Still holding Shikamaru tightly, Sasuke watched with wide eyes as Kurama pinned the woman and leaned down, almost as if he was going to kiss her. But then, in a flash of fangs and a gush of dark blood, he tore out the woman's throat. She convulsed beneath him, black eyes staring as blood pooled on the floor.

Kurama's teeth had sunk so deeply, Sasuke could see the bones in the woman's neck.

"Gross." Shikamaru said, his voice deadpan.

Kurama turned to look at them, crimson dripping down his chin. "Get him out of here before the damn thing regenerates!" He ordered before turning with a fierce growl to the other demon, which had started to creep toward them.

As if to illustrate his point, the flesh of the possessed woman pinned beneath him began to shift, chords of muscle growing and snaking back together as the demon attempted to repair the damage. Scowling impatiently, Kurama plunged his fingers into her neck, snapping through her spine and cracking the floor beneath it.

"Go!" He roared. "If one of you brats gets killed, Naruto will never forgive me. Go! GO!"

"Tsk." Sasuke grit his teeth in annoyance before pulling Shikamaru's arm over his shoulders. "Taking orders from the damn fox. Hold on, Nara."

He tucked his other arm around Shikamaru's waist, holding up most of his weight and he hauled them both towards the exit. They had almost made it when a feral snarling sent shivers up their spines.

Sasuke turned, feeling Shikamaru's ponytail brush his cheek as the strategist craned his neck to see what was happening.

The other demon had launched itself at Kurama, knocking him off its partner. The demon whose neck Kurama had destroyed was already healing, and had jumped back into the fray. They grappled on the floor, howling and screaming as their jaws snapped towards the vital points of Naruto's body.

Sasuke's throat tightened. He had seen something similar before when he had wandered through an abandoned village: two smaller dogs teaming up to fight a larger, more powerful adversary, tearing it to shreds for the sake of defending their own lives.

"Go help him!" Shikamaru suddenly barked. "He can't let loose in here. He knows the mountain will collapse on us if he does. Help him, Uchiha!"

"Get against the wall and stay there!" Sasuke ordered, ducking away from Shikamaru.

He raced towards Kurama, wishing he had his sword. Instead his hands flashed through several seals, the hum of his lightning blade cutting the air. But before he could finish forming the blade, a flash of movement caught his attention.

"Shit!" He cursed, releasing his hold on the jutsu before skidding to alter his course. He jumped forward, catching a nearly unconscious Kakashi before he hit the ground.

The silver-haired ninja glanced up with one eye, his other tightly closed as blood dripped from it. "Thanks, Sasuke." He hummed through his mask.

Sasuke glanced over his old sensei critically. Besides the deep wound on his arm, Kakashi's body was striped with dozens of lacerations.

He looked up, eyes locking on Kou as he cupped his hand over the cut on Kakashi's arm, trying to slow the bleeding.

"Can you stand?" Sasuke's voice was low, but coated with ice as he continued to stare at their opponent. Kou ignored them pointedly, focusing his chakra into a blade on the outside of his palm. He used it to slice through his long hair, watching the strands fall to the ground.

"Yes." Kakashi answered, his tone serious. "But I can't fight for much longer. I'm almost out of chakra."

"Go get Nara and take him to Sakura." Sasuke whispered. "I'll take care of Kou."

Kakashi stiffened. "I can't leave you here alone."

"I'm not alone." Sasuke hissed impatiently, gripping Kakashi's arm a bit tighter. "Naruto - dammit, I mean Kurama – is with me."

Kakashi's dark eye crinkled with concern. "Two against three? How are you planning on -"

"I'll bring down the damn mountain if I have to." Sasuke barked, struggling to keep from yelling. He stood up suddenly, pulling Kakashi with him. "Naruto needs time to find and kill Kou on the spiritual plane. Until he does, I have to protect you. Now get Nara out of here before you both bleed to death."

Kakashi looked over at Shikamaru, who was leaning against the wall. Cold sweat dripped down his pale face as he squeezed the area above the cut on his thigh, trying to stop the steady stream of blood that was lacing down his leg.

"I'll take Shikamaru," Kakashi agreed in a hushed voice. "But then I'm coming back to help."

"Do whatever you want." Sasuke whispered back, annoyed. "Just don't fucking die."

"Roger that." Kakashi said before running to Shikamaru's side.

Sasuke watched him converse briefly with the shadow-nin before slinging his arm around him and escorting him out of the cave. He felt himself sigh involuntarily with relief.

"Now then." Kou suddenly said, "Shall we begin?"

Sasuke turned quickly, shifting into a defensive stance. "I'll tear you to shreds." He replied icily, his face an unreadable mask.

"I can't wait." Kou replied.

Sasuke's eyes twitched as the pinwheel pattern shifted into the Mangekyō sharingan.

Kou didn't miss it. He launched an attack on Sasuke, who twisted out of range before he started moving, running parallel to Kou as his mind raced.

"I definitely can't use Susanoo in here." He thought, glancing towards to rocky ceiling. "And genjutsu is also risky, since Kou is a master of it himself. I could try to close him in using Amaterasu, but not until Kurama can get those demons under control. If I accidentally hit him…"

Sasuke stopped abruptly and rushed at Kou, lightning flashing along his arms. Kou read his intent instantly and smiled – a taijutsu battle was the safest thing to do in such a confined space.

Kou parried Sasuke's blows expertly, the smile never leaving his face despite the brain-numbing speed of their movements. Infuriated by his cockiness, yet fully aware that anyone else would have been overwhelmed by Kou already, Sasuke sent a course of lightning towards him. Kou smiled even wider, forming a shield from his own chakra and deflecting Sasuke's attack – towards where Kurama was having a standoff with the two demons.

He stood with his back to Sasuke, tails of flame flashing behind him as he bared his teeth to his opponents. He left his back wide open in order to defend Sasuke's, something the fox wouldn't do willingly. Simply knowing the viciously protective nature of his Jinchuuriki host had made Kurama do it on instinct, leaving himself wide open to attack.

Or so it seemed.

Kurama darted forward, seizing one of the demons with his clawed hands and spinning. The lightning that had been surging towards him struck his demon shield, a hair-raising scream crawling up its throat as it writhed in pain.

Throwing it aside, Kurama jumped at the second demon, which ran towards him screaming with fury. They slashed at each other with claws and teeth: fierce and feral.

Sasuke turned back towards Kou. Rage twisted his features as glowing light appeared in his palms. Without him needing to make a single hand sign, two thin blades of lightning descended from his palms, as curved and deadly as a snakes poisonous fangs.

Kou registered his shift in mood instantly.

He channeled chakra along his arms, using them to deflect the blades that Sasuke slashed at him with. Blindly furious, Sasuke ignored the scent of burning flesh, not caring what the source was.

Pulling his arms back, Sasuke swept his blades towards Kou's prone legs. He jumped. Sasuke smirked. His arms crossed over one another in the air beneath Kou's knees. He immediately bent his elbows, locking them together for added strength as he surge up into Kou's descending body.

The blades of lightning cut through his defenses as easily as a scythe cutting through butter. The force of their opposing momentums impaled Kou's forearms easily, the blades slipping into his chest before reappearing, with the scent of searing flesh, through Kou's back.

His green eyes flew wide with pain and shock.

Sasuke smiled triumphantly.

Unlocking his elbows, he yanked his arms apart viciously, his blades slicing through Kou's bones and effectively dissecting him.

Sasuke watched remorselessly as his opponent fell, eyes wide open and staring. No blood fell from his body, the lightning having cauterized the flesh wherever it had touched it. Sharingan gleaming in the light, Sasuke leaned over Kou and whispered venomously, "I told you I'd tear you to shreds."

Kou didn't make a sound. He could only stare blankly at the boy who leaned over him, his face twisted by rage and madness.

"Think of it as payback." Sasuke continued in a low purr. "For laying your hands on my angel."

Kou reacted. Emotion rippled through his dying body as his limbs began to convulse, his mouth working soundlessly.

Sasuke smirked and turned away smoothly.

"Kurama." He called. "Move."

The fox turned to look at him, a mangled but rapidly healing body in his hand. He read Sasuke's intent instantly, dropping the demon and jumping out of range just as black flames crackled to life on its skin.

The demon howled, scrambling across the floor as best it could with broken limbs. It crawled towards its partner, grabbing at it and screeching in pain. Immediately, the black amaterasu flames jumped from one demon to the next, burning them at a rate their regenerative bodies couldn't keep up to.

Kurama landed at his side, blood dripping from his face and hands. "That's a dangerous move, kid." He growled warningly.

"This is a dangerous situation." Sasuke retorted. "Now reel in your chakra, fox. Naruto's skin is burning."

Kurama glanced down, red eyes flashing as he realized that Sasuke was right. Layers of Naruto's sun-kissed skin had melted away, revealing bloodied flesh beneath. The little that had remained of his Sage cloak was gone, replaced by claw marks that blanketed his body in crossing patterns.

"Dammit." The fox growled, pulling the waves of chakra he was emitting back into Naruto's body. "Good thing he heals quickly."

Before Sasuke could respond, a gurgling sound drew their attention away from the burning demons, who had fallen silent.

They turned in unison towards Kou, stepping closer cautiously. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they watched his body shifting, convulsing, shuddering.

Regenerating.

There was a snapping sound as the spinal chord Sasuke had sliced clean through fused itself back together. The tattered remains of Kou's forearms, held together by flaps of skin, straightened out and repaired.

Sasuke scowled, preparing to use amaterasu once more.

Kurama gripped his arm tightly to stop him. "Don't do it." He warned, glancing over his shoulder.

Following his gaze, Sasuke felt his stomach pitch icily. The black flames had spread from their intended targets, licking along the floors and up the walls. They were spreading quickly. Too quickly.

"Time to go." Sasuke said as he turned back to Kou. "We can't risk letting those flames touch us."

"Agreed." The fox barked before jabbing his thumb towards Kou. "What about him though?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The speed with which he'd defeated Kou was deceiving. Sasuke knew that, if he had less chakra than he did at that moment, Kou would have easily won.

"I can't take any chances."

He walked over to the tank Kou's body had resided in, the only one still standing. With a flash of lightning, Sasuke cut a giant piece from the thick glass, protecting his hands with chakra as he carried it over to where Kou lay.

Without pausing, Sasuke lifted the glass over his head and slammed the sharpest end through Kou's torso. The glass, coated with his chakra, cut into the solid rock beneath, effectively pinning Kou down, like an insect stuck to a board with a pin. He writhed with pain, grabbing at the glass with desperate hands, only to have them sliced by the sharp edges.

"There." Sasuke said bitterly, finding no pleasure in seeing his opponent in such a pathetic state. "That should hold him until the flames get to him."

Kurama's eyes flashed in his direction. He hadn't missed the duel meaning to Sasuke's words.

"Let's go." He said, glancing towards the creeping black flames again.

They turned as one, heading for the door at a run. They didn't look back until they neared the end of the rocky hallway, the light of late afternoon visible ahead. Kurama slid to a halt, turning to face back the way they had come.

Sasuke's eyes shifted, his powerful sharingan seeing the enormous pulse of the fox's chakra. It pooled between his hands, so condensed that it was almost black, spinning so quickly that the air around it hummed. And then, he threw it down the hall.

Without waiting to see what happened, he turned, pulling Sasuke along with him. For a moment, there was silence behind them. And then, the rasen-shuriken collided with the rocky passageway, and exploded.

The force sent them both flying, skidding across the rocky plateau outside the cave entrance. Dust poured from the mountain as an avalanche of rocks tumbled inside, effectively sealing the amaterasu, and Kou, inside.

When the sound of shifting rock finally settled, Sasuke glanced over at Kurama with a raised eyebrow.

The fox roared fiercely towards the mountain, the air shivering with the intensity of the sound.

"Nobody messes with Naruto." He grumbled, sounding strangely affectionate when he said the blond's name.

And then his eyes flicked back into his head. Pain tore across Naruto's features as his body, although devoid of his spirit, suddenly registered the damage to his smoking skin. Sasuke saw a flicker of blue as Kurama relinquished his control of Naruto's body. For a moment, the blond maintained his seated position, staring ahead blankly.

And then he fell back heavily onto the rocks before Sasuke could catch him. With a shuddering exhale, his head fell to the side.

And then, he went utterly still.

Naruto didn't like how easily he found his way back to the veil.

He stood with his eyes shut, not wanting to look around at the pale copy of the world he was standing in. The silence was oppressive, the chill of creeping shadows chasing shivers up Naruto's spine. His heart felt sick, his life force flickering as if it was unstable. Being here twice in one day was bad for Naruto's soul.

But something was different this time. The air around him hummed with static, indicating the strong use of chakra nearby. Proof that the others were still fighting.

Naruto opened his eyes slowly, staring at the place where Sasuke had been standing only moments before. His eyebrows drew together at the thought of the Uchiha, and the pained expression he had made before Naruto had switched the control of his body over to Kurama.

Closing his eyes, Naruto whispered into the silence, "Forgive me, Sasuke. All I ever wanted was to ease your pain."

Then he plunged his hands into his own chest, his form shimmering as he pulled out something that gleamed and pulsed like a pounding heart. Naruto put aside his own feelings of vulnerability as he held his humanity, his ability to love, in his hands - willing it to shape itself into a weapon. He watched curiously as the glowing mass began to change, waves of energy flowing from it and encompassing his body with warmth. The strength of it shocked him, his limbs suddenly humming with power.

Naruto closed his eyes against the glowing light, waiting for his heart to settle on a form. When the light finally dimmed, he opened his eyes slowly. For a moment he was confused – his heart had, instead of taking the form of a weapon, wrapped itself around his body like a glowing cloak – but realization came just as suddenly. His love, his strength; it was a shield. Honed to protect those he cared for.

"And not," He thought, "Very different from the power I usually have."

He basked in the glow of this realization, reassured that he had made the correct decision in using his love as a weapon. It felt so similar to the power his chakra gave him; it seemed obvious in that moment that it was love, more than anything else, which fueled him.

Not wanting to let any more time slip away, Naruto took off at a run. As he went back into the mountain, he could sense a cold presence looming before him. He turned the corners of the hall, the washed-out colours of the rock shifting curiously as he passed.

He finally rounded the final bend and burst into the chamber, momentarily thrown by the silence. And then he saw him.

Kou.

Their eyes connected, vivid blue and pale green. Naruto scowled.

Kou's spirit, warped by age and the touch of demons, looked transparent and sickly. Twisted, hornlike spikes protruded through his skin, blacker than coal and dangerous looking. His hair was just as long as it had been in the real world, but here it shivered behind him eerily, as if it concealed a nest of twining serpents.

Naruto's eyes widened fractionally as colour began to bleed into the pastel landscape around Kou. Dark tones seeped into the rocks, spreading around them like water. As Naruto watched, flashes of light danced across the rocks, illuminating them momentarily, although the source of the light didn't exist in this plane.

"Sasuke."

Naruto didn't take the time to wonder how Kou was managing to alter their surroundings. He had learned about something called a "duel-spirit", a label often placed on those who could linger in two separate planes at once. Technically Naruto, being a Sage, was one of them.

"You know," Naruto called out, his voice sure and absolute in the silence. "If you wanted to live forever, you should have become a Sage. Thanks to the natural chakra we absorb, we can keep ourselves alive indefinitely."

Kou's pale eyes flashed, and Naruto braced himself for an attack. None came. Instead, the air between them shimmered, and Naruto suddenly found himself staring at his reflection, as if Kou had placed a mirror between them.

Only, it wasn't his reflection, Naruto realized. He was looking at himself through Kou's eyes. The resulting sensation was strangely alienating.

The man who stood before him, tall and grim, glowed from within with golden light. He was wrapped in colours of fiery red and orange, draped around him in a smoothly flowing cloak. His hair danced around his face like a flame, his eyes paled to an almost silvery hue by the light. But it was what hovered above his shoulders that had Naruto's eyebrows shooting up towards his hairline.

Two enormous, shimmering wings, made from golden flames.

The vision suddenly faded, and he found himself staring at Kou, golden light reflected in his green eyes.

"Wind-spirited." Kou whispered. "The strongest of souls."

Naruto shook his head in confusion. He had wandered through the veil plenty of times, but he had never seen himself. He had known that souls sometimes had altered appearances, but applying that knowledge to his own image felt strange. Especially when that image was such a symbolic one.

"Angel of death…"

Naruto reached up to feel the air above his shoulders. Sure enough, his hands connected with something soft that hummed under his touch. A chill ran through his body.

"I saw you." Kou whispered. "Always I linger in death, Naruto Uzumaki, so I could see your true form. Not the fox spirit that so many others see, but yours: the spirit of one who commands the winds. I could see it. So could my children. My children…"

Kou suddenly pitched forward, his arms twining around his chest as if he were holding himself together. He coughed loudly, grimacing in pain as he growled, "Uchiha…my body…"

Naruto shook his head sharply, furious with himself for getting distracted. Sasuke was fighting right now. He needed to hurry.

In a surge of energy he stepped towards Kou, feeling his power shifting. "I won't let you hurt anyone else, Kou." He said gruffly. "This ends now."

Kou returned Naruto's gaze, a flash of sorrow touching his eyes briefly.

And then he attacked.

A/N: Hey everybody! Hope this new chapter got your wee hearts racing. Just to let you all know, I've been (slowly) editing some of the earlier chapters, making them a bit...ahem...saucier. Check 'em out, let me know what you think! Enjoy!