And here's Chapter 17. Hope you like this one. I worked hard on it. Rejoice! For AUATD has now recieved over 300k hits! A very nice feather in my cap. Couldn't have done it without you guys. Readers, Reviewers, Thank you...Second Heartbeat by Avenged Sevenfold.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Naruto dodged yet another sword swipe from the Uchiha, backpedaling in circles around the dunes. Sasuke's face was one of pure, unadulterated hatred and anger as he tried repeatedly to hit the boy. But it seemed the Sharingan was having trouble predicting the movements. Everytime he would see the phantasm of Naruto's body move, the image would slow or speed up, confusing his eyes.
It was, to say the least, infuriating.
The raven-haired boy thrust the sword forward, catching Naruto's cloak and tearing a gash all down the side of it, splitting it in twain. Naruto leapt back again and grasped the torn fabric. He frowned at first, the frown soon turning into a full-blown death glare.
"This was my father's jacket. It has priceless sentimental value to me and you ruined it."
Sasuke smirked and settled himself into a low sword stance.
"Your father? Don't make me laugh. A loser like you doesn't have family. You don't have parents. You don't have a legacy to live up to. I do. I have a family to avenge. I have a legacy to live up to. Remember that day when I said I would kill you on a whim? I'm killing you with purpose now."
Naruto's face was set in a grimace as he jammed his staff into the ground and let the fabric fall from his hands before shucking the coat and tossing it aside. His shirt followed and Sasuke noticed the seals drawn onto his arms and his pectorals.
"What are those loser? Tattoos?"
Naruto smirked and stood up, rolling his pants legs up as well. The necklace around his neck bounced in the wind and he put it into his pants pocket, lest it get lost.
"You'll find out later if I actually need them Sasuke. I didn't just appear into this world you know. I was born like you were. I had parents who were more special than yours."
Sasuke blinked and the blonde disappeared. Sasuke looked around frantically, only to have a familiar arm wrap around his neck and a kunai thrust against his Adam's apple. Naruto leant down to his ear and whispered.
"My parents were amazing shinobi Sasuke. Amazing. There were none like them and there never will be. The Uchiha never made a Hokage did they? They never accomplished anything. Itachi was the best of you all and he went rogue. You can't hold a candle to him and do you know why?"
Sasuke grit his teeth and eased his sword back to strike the blonde. Naruto chuckled and pushed the kunai harder into the boy's Adam's apple.
"You will never beat him unless he lets you. You simply can never catch up to him because he will always be better than you in skill. 'Only an Uchiha can kill an Uchiha' you said one time. I think that's a bit facetious. I had plenty of opportunities to kill you at the Valley of the End and Haku did a good job of rendering you helpless. He could have taken you out at any time."
Sasuke jerked his head backwards, headbutting Naruto in the nose and turned around quickly, jamming his Kusanagi into the blonde's chest. Naruto coughed up blood and looked down. Sasuke grinned and twisted the blade, making the boy gasp and spit up more globules of blood.
"Worthless. Just like the rest of them. You were never on my level Naruto. I only acknowledged you that one time because I had thought you a worthy rival. But you were never on my level."
A low chuckle came from the blonde as he grasped the sword hilt and looked into Sasuke's eyes.
"You're right. I've never been on your level because I surpassed you long ago."
With a burst of smoke the clone was gone and Sasuke twirled round and round to find Naruto standing several feet away with his staff in his hand. The Uchiha activated his Sharingan again and sneered at Naruto.
"What's the matter you blonde fool? Afraid to get close even when you have a knife to my throat?"
Naruto shook his head and tapped the staff on the ground.
"Sasuke, you're going to learn a hard lesson here. I'm going to show you just how useless that Sharingan of yours is."
Sasuke let out a short barking laugh and the tomoe in his eye twirled as if in disbelief.
"You couldn't break the Sharingan then without the Kyuubi's help and you sure as hell can't do it now."
"I seem to remember someone else needing help from another source as well. And you relied on its power first. I never chose to rely on another's power. Mine's been with me since birth. Want to know something else?"
The Uchiha eyed him warily as Naruto grinned.
"I haven't used it since either. Now pay close attention. I've been training for the day we would meet again and I have a nice little surprise for you. Remember those 'tattoos' you were admiring? Those are seals. I have six on my body. Let's see you keep up when I release them. I wonder how many I'll have to release to take you down?"
Sasuke grit his teeth as the blonde mused to himself. His eyes widened when he felt a sudden rush of wind as Naruto swiped a hand over one of the seals on his chest and it slowly vanished. The blonde smiled and patted his right pec.
"Ah, that's better. Now then, let's see how much faster I am."
In a blur he was before Sasuke and clubbed him in the chin with the staff, sending the Uchiha rocketing backwards over the sand. Sasuke skidded for a moment and rolled on his back, coming back to his feet. Naruto grinned and tapped the sand with his staff.
"Well? Whaddya think ya whiny bastard?"
Sasuke's answer was to snarl and rush back towards him, Sharingan blazing.
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Kisame looked across to Itachi and saw he too had his eyes fixed solely on the fight below. The giant blue man wiped his brow again, hoping desperately for a thunderstorm or even a simple cloud to cover the sun.
"The kid's gotten better huh? Your brother is having quite the time down there."
Itachi nodded and let his eyes rest for a moment.
"Those seals on him intrigue me. I've never seen such things. I wonder if he made them himself?"
"I dunno. That breeze felt good though. I'm almost tempted to shake his hand and thank him for that."
Itachi grunted and reactivated his Sharingan.
"I am still not impressed by either yet though…"
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Sakura cracked her knuckles as she looked at Karin, who looked like a mouse caught by a cat. The red haired girl's eyes darted here and there looking for a way out.
"Hey! Red! Give up and I won't knock the mess out of you."
Karin's eyes locked onto Sakura and she dipped into a taijutsu stance.
"I don't want to be here right now and I know this is a bad idea, but Sasuke-sama wants those eyes like his brother. Uzumaki has to die. I have to help Sasuke-sama attain his goal."
Sakura looked perplexed as the girl readied herself.
"Why? Why help him?"
Karin looked into Sakura's eyes and hardened her own.
"He saved me from Orochimaru. That's all you need to know."
Sakura threw up her arms and blocked the first kick before rolling aside. She grimaced when she thought of how she had used to blindly follow Sasuke everywhere…and apparently he had actually saved this girl. It would be hard to convince the redhead to give in.
Sakura pulled her gloves a little tighter and leapt back into the fray.
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Kakashi eyed Suigetsu with utter boredom, his hands in his pockets.
"You know, I have history with that sword. It doesn't belong with you. It was a monument to a great swordsman, one who earned my respect."
Suigetsu brandished the sword with both hands and sneered.
"I'm honoring Zabuza in my own way. Kubikiri Houcho was meant to be used, not to rust in the ground. Claiming the blood of the Copy Ninja will be a great feather in my cap and another ninja fallen in the sword's illustrious history."
Kakashi sighed and blinked again, his eye only half open.
"I was hoping you would give up so I could go and watch my two former students beat the tar out of each other. But, I guess taking that sword back to its rightful place is just as good."
Suigetsu scoffed and lowered the sword another inch.
"The only way you're getting this sword from me is to pry it from my cold, dead hands."
Kakashi's visible eye glared at the former Mist nin and he pulled a kunai out of his pouch.
"So be it. Don't say I tried diplomacy."
Suigetsu ran to him with a battlecry and Kakashi blocked the sword with his kunai, his lazy eye still present.
"You know, you may have skill for one so young, but Zabuza was a master and I defeated him. You don't have a snowball's chance in hell."
Suigetsu laughed and lunged the sword back again, swinging for Kakashi's midsection only to hit a Kage Bunshin.
"Resorting to cheap tricks Copy Ninja? That's fine, so can I."
Kakashi shook his head from his position under the ground.
'You're a water user in the desert you fool. You're way out of your element."
Kakashi wordlessly reached up and grasped Suigetsu's ankles, pulling the boy underground so only his head was visible. He crouched down beside the youth and gave him an eye smile.
"Like I said, you have skill but Zabuza was a master. You're out of your league."
His smile faltered when Suigetsu gave him one of his own.
"You ain't seen nothing yet Copycat."
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The others were all gathered around Juugo as his demeanor became more and more bestial and barbaric. It almost seemed as if he was having a battle with himself, like a part of his psyche, the dark part, wanted dominance at the moment. The giant grunted and groaned, grasping his head.
Shikamaru watched as Juugo fought with himself. He couldn't figure out really what the problem was but he was leaning toward split personalities. He sidled up to Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Gaara.
"So…any ideas on what this guy's capable of? If I have some clues, maybe I can come up with a way to subdue him."
Jiraiya nodded, his eyes still transfixed on the struggling Juugo.
"His name is Juugo. My sources tell me that he is the origin of the curse seal. His psyche is split into two parts; a peaceful one and a bloodthirsty one. His bloodthirst is always fighting to get out and kill. He usually keeps it in line but in situations like this, it comes to the forefront."
Shikamaru nodded his head.
"If I capture him in my Kage Mane and Gaara and Chouji help subdue him, can one of you knock him out?"
"It should be possible. From what I hear, he has no tact when he's in a rage. He's just a killing machine. We'll help you bind him and then Tsunade can knock him out with her strength."
Shikamaru nodded and made the rat seal.
"Here we go then."
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Naruto grinned as he dodged another blow from Sasuke. He was somewhat disappointed that the Uchiha's speed wasn't up to par with his but remembered a time when it was the other way around. Naruto had always been the powerhouse of the group while Sasuke had been the speed demon. All of his attacks depended on the speed to deliver them.
Sasuke grit his teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. He had spent the last couple of minutes just trying to land a blow on the blonde and nothing had worked. Surely those six small seals hadn't done that much to help his speed. And what the hell were they? He took a deep, calming breath and stood up straight again.
"I'm done playing around with you. It's obvious that you've improved. But so have I. You have to remember, I killed Orochimaru."
Naruto scoffed.
"Oh please, anyone could have beaten Orochimaru if they'd attacked him at his weakest, on the day his current body was giving out. Now quit complaining and just do the curse seal thingy you like to do. I have other places to be."
Sasuke growled as the black marks spread across his skin. He hated to be disregarded as insignificant and what Naruto was doing was infuriating him right now. He grinned as the black flames danced across his face and his eyes changed once again.
"You're going to regret that."
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Kisame watched gleefully as the two boys pounded away on each other, his fingers drumming excitedly on Samehada's hilt.
"Hey Itachi, how far do you think those two will go?"
Itachi didn't bother looking at his much larger companion as he kept his Sharingan active, watching the two.
"I don't think it will last much longer. Ninja fights of this caliber rarely do since they'll be pumping out such massive amounts of chakra."
Kisame nodded and patted the sword back and forth in his hands.
"Will we make a move on the jinchuuriki?"
"I've already told you, no. There is something else going on here."
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Sakura sighed as she dragged an unconscious Karin back toward the main group. The girl had been admittedly little trouble, having virtually no formal training as a ninja. Her chakra sensing capacity and temper had been on par with Sakura's though, and the fight had escalated into an allout bitchfest.
Sakura felt around unhappily at a small, missing patch of her hair that had been torn out. She turned around and glared at the unconscious girl and tugged a little harder on the hair she had her by. If she had time to stop…
Her attention diverted to the scene of Kakashi and Suigetsu fighting. Kakashi wasn't really having much trouble. True, Suigetsu may have been the coming of the next Zabuza but unfortunately for him, he never saw his true potential realized. His training had not been completed and in all reality he just swung the sword wildly. Whereas Zabuza knew how to utilize the massive blade, Suigetsu didn't and it showed.
It showed badly.
Kakashi blocked another strike and slashed out at Suigetsu's head, the kunai going right through with a splash. He frowned unhappily and leapt back, catching sight of Sakura as she watched the fight unfold. He slashed the boy again and watched as the water splashed and then reformed.
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
"Sakura! Go get Gaara and Jiraiya-sama and tell them to come here!"
"Why?"
"I need a beaker!"
She puzzled at his words, but nodded and ran off. Kakashi turned back to Suigetsu who was staring at him with amused eyes.
"You've lost it haven't you? You should have had her help you because by the time she gets back, you'll be dead."
Kakashi gave the boy another eye smile and jumped back, making hand signs as he went.
"Actually, I'm just running distraction right now to keep you away from your teammates. In the desert, you're not much help at all. Fuuton: Daitoppa!"
The wind whipped at Suigetsu and he jammed Kubikiri into the sand to hold his place. Once the wind had died he yanked it free and charged Kakashi once again.
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Sakura came running up to the group and her eyes widened at the sight of a transformed Juugo, struggling against the bonds that Shikamaru, Gaara, and Chouji had him trapped in. He was screaming bloody murder that he would kill them all and Shikamaru was sweating from exertion.
"Now Tsunade-sama! Now!"
Tsunade leapt onto Chouji's giant hand and reared her fist back.
"Say goodnight!"
She slammed her fist into Juugo's face, making it jerk sideways. She stared in disbelief as he slowly turned back to her and grinned.
"I'm gonna kill you slowly bitch. Real slow."
She reared back again and kept slugging him over and over. Lee, seeing her begin to tire, leapt in and took over. No matter how much they hit him though, they couldn't knock him out. Neji suddenly thought of an idea and walked over to Gaara.
"Hinata-sama and I will take over. We just need you to provide us an opening."
Gaara kept concentrating and nodded.
"What do you need?"
Neji called Hinata over and stood before Gaara.
"We need you to make openings for us at these spots. Just call your sand away from him at these points and have Chouji relinquish his hold while Shikamaru retains his. Ino! Give Shikamaru a soldier pill!"
The blonde rushed to Shikamaru's side and popped a pill in his mouth. The results were instantaneous as Shikamaru's shadow widened slightly and he concentrated harder. Neji and Hinata began to tap Gaara on his body and he let the sand slide away from Juugo's body in those certain spots. The two Hyuugas walked to either side of Juugo, one in front, one in back and readied themselves. They spoke as one.
"You are in the field of our divination."
Gaara concentrated more and tightened his grip.
"Let go now Akimichi!"
Chouji jerked his hand back just in time as Hinata and Neji rushed forward and began to pound into Juugo's body at his points, the sand just enough out of the way for them to blast their chakra into his coils. The transformed Juugo slowly began to nod his head until he passed out and Shikamaru and Gaara dropped their jutsus.
Gaara turned to some Suna jounins and snapped his fingers.
"Bind him in the strongest chakra sapping chains we have and throw a few more on for good measure. Bind her in chakra sapping rope. Make sure both are blindfolded and gagged. I don't want to have to put up with either one's mouth."
The shinobi saluted and shunshined off. Sakura tapped Gaara on the shoulder and he turned with a quirked eyebrow.
"Yes Haruno? What is it?"
"Kakashi-sensei said he needs your help. He said he needs a beaker…"
Gaara blinked and nodded before rushing off towards where Kakashi was fighting. Sakura ran to Jiraiya and grabbed his shoulder.
"Can you still do fire jutsus?"
The old Toad Sage nodded his head.
"Come with me. Kakashi-sensei said he needed a beaker."
Jiraiya's curiousity piqued, he followed her to where Kakashi was fighting.
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When they arrived they found Gaara stoicly watching the Copy Ninja keep Suigetsu occupied as the frustrated young man desperately tried to hit Kakashi with his sword. Kakashi saw the two he needed standing to the side and hollered.
"I need a beaker!"
The two men stood puzzled at his words until Sakura snapped her fingers.
"Of course! Suigetsu can change into water and get away so he needs a container to put him in. Gaara-sama, make a large container with your sand and Jiraiya-sama, you bake it with a Katon jutsu. It'll turn it into glass."
The two nodded and Gaara formed the needed canister and Jiraiya baked it until it turned clear. They smiled at their handiwork and Sakura grabbed it in her hands, running toward the two combatants.
Kakashi saw Sakura coming and stopped Kubikiri with his kunai, smiling at Suigetsu.
"It seems our fun has come to an end. I still say you were no Zabuza though."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
As he finished speaking, Suigetsu realized to late the shadow plunging toward him on the ground and found himself trapped in a glass container, his sword on the outside. He slammed against the glass but found it wouldn't budge. It was too thick.
"Quick! Bake a plug before he escapes!"
Jiraiya and Gaara had already though of that however and the glass lid slammed shut over the hole while Suigetsu cursed them from inside. Kakashi wiped his brow and gave them an eye smile.
"Been a while since I've worked out in such hot weather. Now, let's find Naruto."
A resounding boom and spray of sand came from nearly a mile away and Jiraiya sighed.
"Shouldn't be too hard to find him. I'll get a toad to take this one back and we'll tell the others to meet us there."
The three nodded and took off while Jiriaya summoned a toad. As soon as it was off in the direction of the rest of the ninjas, he took off toward where Naruto undoubtedly was.
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Naruto spat out a glob of spit as Sasuke's fist sank into his gut. He had thought one seal would be enough, even for the curse seal, but he was mistaken. The damn thing just kept enhancing Sasuke's strength and speed. The only downside was that it kept draining him quickly of chakra since there was no longer an Orochimaru to draw from.
He rolled out of the way of a Chidori enhanced sword swipe and backflipped away a couple times to a safer vantange point.
"I guess one seal isn't enough Sasuke. I'll have to take another couple off."
Sasuke sneered and charged his sword again.
"What's the matter loser? Afraid of me already?"
"No. Just better to be safe than sorry."
Naruto swiped his hand over the other seal on his chest and the one on his right arm and the wind kicked up again as the resistance left his body. He glared at Sasuke and held his arms out to the side, parallel with the ground.
"I haven't just been learning jutsu Sasuke. I've been learning manipulation. Let me show you an invention of mine. Of course, no handseals so you can't copy it."
He nearly laughed at Sasuke's face and knit his eyebrows together with concentration.
"I can only do this when I drop three seals because there's usually too much resistance. Check it out."
His eyes grew harsh as the wind began to pick up to incredible speeds and the sand whipped around him, leaving cuts in his pants and on his arms. Naruto paid no heed as Sasuke brought his arms up to shield his face.
"Kamikaze."
The wind that had surrounded Naruto focused into a nonexistent wall and barreled toward Sasuke, kicking up the sand as it went. Naruto watched silently as it slammed into the raven-haired boy.
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Kisame's jaw dropped as he watched Itachi's brother get slammed by the huge wall of wind.
"Holy shit! Just think Itachi, that could have been one of us."
Itachi nodded and grinned slightly.
"Yes, it could have. Luckily, my foolish little brother volunteered to gain this information for us. It is not wise to rush into danger after all. This is the difference between the two of us."
Kisame chuckled and turned his attention back to the fight to see if Sasuke had survived.
"Remind me to send the kid a thank you letter for all the breezes he keeps giving me though. Almost makes me sad he has to die."
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The four Konoha ninja had come up behind where Sasuke was standing and had watched in awe as Naruto became surrounded by a wall of wind and were mortified as it barreled toward Sasuke and thus, them. Gaara threw up a hasty wall of sand and struggled to hold it as the wind buffeted his defense until it finally slowed.
He let it drop just as the rest of the Konoha ninja and Temari and Kankurou, as well as some high-ranking Suna nins, came charging up. Temari was nearly in a panic as she ran up to Gaara.
"Where the hell is Naruto? What the hell was that?"
Gaara quirked an eyebrow at his frantic sister and put his hand on his shoulder, calming her immediately.
"Naruto is over that dune and that blast of wind was him using a jutsu I believe."
Temari pushed him aside and clambered up the side of the dune, her eyes wide as she saw the damage.
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Naruto huffed slightly as he dropped his arms, looking out over the canyon he had just carved out of the desert sand. The sand still had not receded by Sasuke and Naruto was having Déjà vu of his fight at the Valley of the End. The scene was too eerily familiar and the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end.
Sure enough, when the dust settled, there sat Sasuke on his hands and knees, his wings surrouding him. Naruto clucked his tongue disapprovingly as Sasuke stood up.
"Still relying on Orochimaru's power huh? You're pathetic."
Sasuke sneered, his canines slightly longer than normal and gave Naruto an odd smile as he flexed his claws.
"Bring it out dobe. Bring out the fox's power. I want to beat it again. I want to revel in the feeling that I've beaten a demon."
"Sorry, no fox for you. You'll just have to settle for me at my best."
"Your best isn't good enough."
Naruto frowned and bent over, sending chakra to his hands as he swiped at the seals on his legs.
"Do you know why the seals on my legs are bigger Sasuke? It's because they hold me back the most. Try to stay standing."
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Temari's eyes widened when she saw Naruto go for the seals on his legs and she ducked down quickly.
"Everyone down now! It's about to get bad!"
Tsunade blinked as they all ducked and asked why.
"Naruto's explained his resistance seals to me. He even gave me a couple on my arms to help in my wind training. Those ones on his legs are twice as big as the rest and therefore, twice as restrictive."
Jiraiya's eyes widened in understanding and he nodded.
"So when he releases those…"
Temari nodded and peeked back up over the dune.
"He doesn't really need Hiraishin. He couldn't do it anyway since it isn't his element and that tore him up inside, not being able to use his father's jutsu. But, he found a way around that. He took his father's resistance seals and…now he doesn't need the kunai and he doesn't need the seals."
She turned to face the rest of the group and grinned.
"Naruto might be an idiot sometimes and he might not have many jutsu, but that's because he doesn't need them. This may take a lot out of him because it's pure, physical speed, but he can move fast enough that it looks like he teleported. It's his way of honoring his father in the only way he can."
Lee's eyes widened and his smile grew.
"His speed must be as great as mine then when the gates are unlocked…"
She turned to look back just as Naruto swiped his hands across the seal.
"He can beat the Sharingan…"
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Sasuke watched with unbridled rage as the wind whipped around Naruto, swirling the sand and rising towards the heavens before suddenly dying and the sand rained back to the earth. He watched as Naruto slowly straightened himself back up and, instead of the red eyes of the Kyuubi like he had expected, he was met with the sparkling blues of one Uzumaki Naruto.
"Let's see the Sharingan keep up with this."
Sasuke only felt pain as Naruto battered him from all sides, his transformed body keeping up with the damage only slightly. In a rage, Sasuke roared and lightning erupted from his body, hitting Naruto and sending him plummeting back to the earth, while Sasuke floated back down and landed heavily, panting hard. Naruto rolled to his side and groaned.
"Damn you and your lighting jutsus. I hate those things."
Sasuke grinned and held his hands towards the heavens as the sky began to darken.
"Then you'll really hate this. Kirin!"
Naruto's jaw dropped as lightning formed in the sky and he could practically feel the electrical charge in the air. Without hesitation, he called thrust his hands upward just as Sasuke thrust his down and the lightning came crashing toward him.
Naruto uttered no words as he merely wanted to stop the attack coming, he could feel the wind as it whipped around him and collided with the lightning, the two elements battling for dominance. Sasuke and Naruto's faces were full of concentration as they battled for supremacy.
Naruto grit his teeth and dug deep inside himself, trying to quell the thought that he might need the fox for this. He could hear it in the back of his mind after all this time, trying to coerce him.
'No! I won't be swayed by you!'
With a guttural roar, he pushed more chakra into his attack and watched as the wall of wind bent the lightning and sent it screaming toward a wide-eyed Sasuke. The lightning hit the transformed youth and his mouth contorted into a soundless scream as his own jutsu was turned back on him.
Naruto fell to his knees, gasping for breath as a now normal Sasuke collapsed forward, smoking from the brunt of his own attack. Temari was by Naruto's side before he knew it, checking all over him.
"Are you all right?"
Naruto gave her a weary smile and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Do me a favor? Pack a couple extra changes of clothes in my bag. We might be in Konoha a while."
Temari sighed as he passed out and began to snore on the baking desert sand. Tsunade ran a diagnostic over him and smiled.
"He's just passed out. He's fine, except for the being an idiot part."
Temari giggled and looked over to the smoking form of Sasuke, who was being tended to by Sakura.
"And him?"
Sakura shouted out that Sasuke was still alive, but his pulse was weak. Tsunade sighed and stood up.
"Guess we'll have a few more guest going with us to Konoha. Gaara, I think we might have to put off leaving for a couple more days."
The Kazekage nodded and used his sand to pick up Naruto and his sister as he walked back toward Suna.
"Come. We'll discuss this in my chambers. Have someone get the other Hebi members."
Tsunade nodded and followed, smirking to herself. At least this little gift should bring the council around to her way of thinking…
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Naruto awoke to the feeling of something cold on his forehead and the pleasant sensation of someone running their fingers through his hair. He rolled his eyes upward to find Temari smiling at him.
"Hey you. You gave me quite a scare back there."
Naruto grinned and tried to sit up, but found it difficult to do. He looked around to find himself in his room. He and Temari were alone and she was only in her panties and her large t-shirt.
"What happened to everyone else?"
Temari yanked slightly on his hair.
"Everyone's fine. Team Hebi was captured and are being held as we speak. Sasuke is alive but you didn't hold back much on him did you? He barely had a heartbeat when Sakura began working on him."
"He didn't hold back on me."
"Very true."
She took his head off her lap and moved her legs, setting his head on his pillow, before pulling the covers up and laying down beside him, her right leg thrown over his and her arm around him.
"Temari…if your brothers see us like this."
She playfully bit his shoulder and snuggled up closer.
"I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing. Now shut up and go to sleep. I know you're still tired."
Naruto let out a yawn and began to drift off again.
"What happens now?"
Temari looked up at him through half-lidded eyes and pecked his cheek.
"Gaara and Tsunade talked and we'll be going to Konoha as soon as you're able. We have a council to beat the shit out of…talk to…whatever…Go to sleep."
Naruto nodded and kissed the top of her head, drifting off to well deserved rest. It would only get more interesting from here…
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Itachi and Kisame walked along back to the Akatsuki base and Kisame nearly drank a stream dry when they got back to a wooded area. He looked down at Itachi and frowned.
"We still didn't find out who used that plant jutsu on us."
Itachi nodded his head.
"No, we didn't. But I have a good idea who it was."
"Care to share?"
"Not until my suspicion is confirmed."
Kisame sighed and boredly looked off to the side.
"That kid is good Itachi, damn good. We would have had trouble with him if we had just jumped in without knowing what he was capable of."
Itachi nodded again but remained silent.
"What do you think they'll do with your brother?"
Itachi grunted and his Sharingan activated briefly.
"I don't care."
Let me know what you think. I closed on my house today, so I don't know when I'll update next. Hopefully I can get hi speed out where I'll be living, but that remains to be seen. The trip to Konoha happens next.
And please, stop by my new c2 and see what we have to offer. We pick through and sort out the fics to find only the ones with the best grammar, storyline, and all around goodness. All stories, or most, will be Naruto-centric and there is a six month cutoff date. If a fic doesn't update in six months, it's out of the c2 unless it's complete. Our staff is compromised of three of my fellow authors DarkHeroOrion, Paladeus, and MatrixExplosion and myself. We try to keep our standards high and we hope you do too.
Enjoy the rest of your reading you crazy kids...