Caught in the Middle

Chapter 21

Implementing Plan B

Hey guys, I'm back from the dead. I really don't even have an excuse, I just didn't feel like working on this story, so I didn't. I was reading some Naruto fics the other day though, and I finally got in the mood again, so I whipped this little puppy up. If anyone actually remembers what was going on before this chapter, then congratulations.

I'm just gonna stop talking because at this point you don't even care what I'm saying, you just wanna read the chapter.


Sasuke quickly found that he had an extreme dislike of magical extending red claws. Even in midair those claws were annoying and quite deadly, and somewhere along the way his Chokuto had been knocked from his hand and into the forest. He quickly came to the conclusion that flying higher into the air wasn't doing him much good. He instead stayed low to the ground, not wanting to waste energy on something that wasn't working anyway, especially now that he was weaponless.

His leg was busted, so he had to rely on his wings to move, attack, and evade. Naruto on the other hand, not only had recovered from his previous injuries, but had gotten stronger, probably surpassing Sasuke's current strength. The battle exhilarated and frustrated him at the same time. On the one hand, he was having the time of his life fighting such a strong opponent to the death, but on the other hand, he knew he had an objective to complete; to kill the fox-bitch.

Why Orochimaru wanted her dead, Sasuke didn't know, but it wasn't his job to ask too many questions. He was a demon hunter, killing demons was what he did. There were two plans of action in place. Plan A was to capture Naruto and kill the girl, Plan B however was to capture the girl and use her for leverage to get Naruto, and then kill the girl. He'd already decided to ignore orders and kill Naruto, both out of desire, and respect; he'd just lie and come up with an excuse. Orochimaru would be pissed, but he wouldn't kill him.

The demon hunter was pulled from his thoughts when one of Naruto's extendable claws came mere inches from taking his head off. He rolled in the air to the left and increased his speed, trying to remain as aerodynamic as possible. He came barreling into Naruto, who at the last moment threw his weight forward to intercept Sasuke. Sasuke has the advantage of more kinetic energy, and was able to overpower Naruto, knocking him back until the blond regained his footing and slid to a stop.

Naruto shot out another claw at Sasuke, who had retreated back after slamming into him. He saw it coming and flew over it, but wasn't able to move quickly enough to dodge the second which came right behind it. With Sasuke in his grip, Naruto proceeded to whip him around and extend his claw at the same time until he was able to smash his opponent into the treeline. Naruto yanked his claw around in a full 360 degree circle, smashing Sasuke through tree after tree.

When he completed the circular beating, he brought the claw closer and threw Sasuke up into the air. At first, Sasuke began to think Naruto had made an error and he had the advantage again being the air, but he severely underestimated the blonds jumping power. In the time it took Sasuke to look back down at the ground to check for Naruto, he had already leaped into the air above him, and came down hard with the heel of his boot to the back of Sasuke's head.

The boy flew straight down to the ground, whirling like a pinwheel all the way until he finally collided with the dirt. After a moment, gravity began to take effect and Naruto began to fall as well. He straightened himself out, and dived downward like a precision missile. Sasuke, who was laying on his back in a crater below, ran through some hand-signs to conjure up a spell he hoped would at least slow Naruto down.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique!"

Sasuke fired dozens of small fireballs at Naruto. The attack would have little to no effect on him, he knew that already, but it was more of a distraction than an attack anyway. With the glowing fire flying through the sky and blocking Naruto's vision, Sasuke was able to fool Naruto into thinking he was attacking instead of escaping, and the blond smashed right into the ground practically headfirst thinking Sasuke was still there.

Sasuke floated just a foot or so off the ground, staring at the impact site, waiting for Naruto to reveal himself again. A minute passed and still no movement; it was much to quiet. You can imagine his surprise then, when Naruto did finally show up, but not in the manner he had expected.

Naruto, instead of simply walking out of the crater, came up from underground, right below Sasuke's feet. Dirt flew everywhere and stung Sasuke's eyes while Naruto roared and delivered a jaw busting uppercut. Sasuke was knocked into the air again, and once again, Naruto went after him and grabbed both his shoulders. His aura burned and eroded his flesh. With a mighty yank back, Naruto drew him in and landed an aerial drop-kick to his stomach.

Naruto then grabbed him by the head and slammed him into the ground as they both fell. With a beaten Sasuke in his hand, Naruto grabbed him both his arms and pulled him towards him. A loud thunk echoed through the clearing as both their skulls collided. Naruto's aura protected him from most of the impact, but Sasuke wasn't so lucky.

With that, he let the raven haired demon hunter fall to the ground. Sasuke growled and groaned as he held his head. Aching pain coursed through his skull, and he suspected a concussion was all but inevitable.

He rolled back, trying desperately to get away from his opponent and recover. Naruto didn't stop him; he stood over him with the obvious advantage.

"Give up Sasuke, your leg is busted, and you can hardly sit up, let alone stand and fight," Naruto growled.

Sasuke growled back and ground his teeth as he defied Naruto's words. He sat up shakily and –with the help of his wings- was able to get back into a position where he could offer some sort of resistance.

"We'll see; I've got someone else I have to kill, and I won't die before I do. Break my bones and send cocky remark at me all you want Naruto, nothing short of you ripping my head from my shoulders will stop me."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "If that's what it takes to keep you away from Karen, consider it done."

The blond wasted no more time in lunging forward and grasping at Sasuke. The attack missed as Sasuke ducked underneath it, and he took the slight opening and grabbed Naruto's ankles. With a strong heave, he swung Naruto back over his head, and slammed him down to the ground.

Not wanting to lose the momentum, Sasuke came down on Naruto with his good leg, kneeing him in the stomach and pinning him down. He threw a flurry of punches into his face, knocking the blonds head from side to side. He would have continued long afterwords to if I hadn't been for Naruto suddenly shoving both into Sasuke's chest and released a demonic pulse, blowing him backwards.

With Sasuke laying on his back, Naruto stood back up, feeling his jaw pop back into place after Sasuke knocked it completely out of place. He walked forward to Sasuke again as he massaged his cheeks.

Sasuke still wouldn't give up, and came at him again head on. At this point, Naruto was guessing he was just looking for any hit he could get. The blond braced himself and caught Sasuke by the shoulders when he came at him. He was pressed back a few feet, and he left tracks in the ground where his feet had dug in, but he had still stopped him.

With the advantage his once again, Naruto kneed Sasuke in the stomach as he had kneed him, and then finished it with a high kick to his chin. Sasuke flew back again, practically doing a back flip, and landing almost ten feet away.

Naruto walked up to him, inspecting his condition. He was pretty badly beaten, and his leg looked like it would shrivel up and fall off any minute now. He was still determined to keep the fight going though, and he latched onto Naruto's leg, squeezing as tightly as he could, which wasn't much at this point, and attempting to get up again.

Naruto simply lifted his free foot and applied some pressure to Sasuke's shattered leg. The pain was enough to make him let go as his fingers instead went to the dirt and dug into the ground. With another nudge of the leg, he slid Sasuke away from him another ten feet.

It looked like Sasuke was really done this time. Naruto wasn't sensing much power left in him; his scent was getting exponentially weaker. Still, he never stopped trying to get back up.

Naruto decided it was time for this to come to an end, he had to get back to Karen, he didn't like leaving her alone in this sort of situation. He lifted his left hand and extended his aura claw, grabbing Sasuke by the neck. The demon hunter grasped at it in a weak resistance, but he couldn't make it budge.

With his target secure, Naruto then lifted his right hand, and began building up chakra in his palm. He rotated it, packing it together with his aura as a stabilizer, and soon he had a glowing Rasengan in his palm. Sasuke recognized the technique as the same Jiraiya had used on him, and he squirmed even harder to break loose.

"You should have given up."

With that, he pulled Sasuke back towards him and thrust out the Rasengan. The swirling orb hit his mid-torso, just below his ribcage. Naruto let go of his neck and the blow sent him flying back instantly, well beyond the treeline surrounding them and Naruto's vision.

Even without seeing him though, he could hear the crashes as he was knocked into trees and the ground. After a moment the noise ceased, and all the quiet. Naruto could sense Sasuke was unconscious and barely alive, and that the battle, for him at least, was over.

His aura dropped slowly, and Naruto suddenly felt much more fatigued. He dropped his knees, holding up his weight with the help of his arm.

"You're lucky…Sasuke," he muttered to no one in particular though ragged breaths.

"I really…really wanted to kill you…but there are…too many questions I…need answered."

He looked back up at the higher area of the mountain where Karen was and Jiraiya was fighting with Orochimaru. It looked like his godfather was doing pretty well. The only person unaccounted for was Kakashi. He remembered sensing him nearby, and while he was too tired to be able to pick him out accurately, he did have the general direction in mind.

Orochimaru was distracted, so if he could help Kakashi beat Kabuto, they both might be able to help Jiraiya finish him off. Naruto began running as fast as he could manage into the forest, which wasn't too fast considering his already fatigued state. As it so happened however, he ended up running right into Kakashi on his way to find him. As they both recovered from their slight collision, Naruto immediately began asking questions.

"Kakashi, did you beat Kabuto?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, we were fighting, and he managed to partially paralyze my leg. He ran off before I could stop him. He's heading for the mountain right now to get to Karen. You need to go after him, I can still walk, but I'm no where near fast enough in my current state to catch up to him in time. Leave me and go and save her."

Naruto nodded and began running faster than he had before. His legs burned and he was almost bone dry on adrenaline, but he kept on running towards the path that led up the mountain. He had to get there in time; he had a promise to keep.


Karen held onto the rock wall with both hands as everything around her quaked. Two giant animals brawling outside would shake pretty much anything up. Jiraiya had been fighting out there the entire time, and Naruto had been gone a while as well; she was really getting worried. Her hopes were raised though, when through the rumbles of the battle raging outside, she heard footsteps echoing against the cave walls and reverberating all the way to her.

She jogged out into the passage that led to the outside, hoping desperately to see Naruto grinning confidently, but she didn't. In fact, she didn't see anyone. She cocked her head and scratched her head, wondering if her ears were playing tricks on her. She inhaled through her nose and smelled something within the cave; she had heard someone.

She looked from right to left, up and down, but she didn't see anyone, but she did feel something brush against her tail. Her eyes widened and she was about to whip around when she felt a hand come over her mouth and another on her back. There was a tingling sensation that ran up and down her spine for a moment, then she suddenly felt very light headed and soon enough, all she saw was black.

The very moment she went down though, Naruto swung around the corner into the cavern just in time to see Kabuto reveal himself from his cloaking. He had a sneer on his face, and had his arm now wrapped around Karen's neck.

Naruto was about to charge right at him when Kabuto shook his finger at him. "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do anything hasty now. I do have a hostage you know, and I have no fear of killing her."

The blond growled. "Why are you guys doing this, Karen's never done anything to deserve this! Just leave her alone, she's lost enough as it is!"

"I have no doubt that this girl is an innocent soul. However a simple vendetta isn't what motivates us; in reality, this girl you protect so devoutly, is far more dangerous to the world than you know. In the wrong hands, she could bring about unbelievable destruction, and those wrong hands are at work right now just waiting for the proper opening to grasp her. For my masters own dreams and desires to be fulfilled, this girl must die, to ensure that the catastrophe she could very well bring about never comes to pass."

Naruto stepped back, not believing what he was hearing. "W-what are you talking about, Karen would never do something like that, she wouldn't destroy the world."

Kabuto grinned. "Not on her own, no. She possesses something that makes her unique though, she possesses the power of influence. The Kitsune people are desperate for a new leader; their society is beginning to crumble with a throne-less kingdom. There's no price to high for them at this point; if someone demanded even the most unreasonable item or privilege, they would grant it if it mean this girls head on a pike. There's a group out there, right now as we speak, who are aiming to capture this girl and manipulate the Kitsune society for their own goals. What those goals are is unknown, but one thing is for certain, this girl is the most important and vital piece, the queen if you will."

"The FBPS can protect her! As long as she's kept secret then they'll never know where she is! You don't have to do this!"

Kabuto shook his head. "Were you listening at all? The Kitsune, her people, are becoming a degenerating civilization, they won't last more than a few years before they're in permanent decline, and even a new leader won't be able to repair the damage. Are you willing to let an entire race of beings rot and die for one girl? Besides, if word were to ever get out that the FBPS was harboring this girl -and believe me, there are people who know and are willing to rat you out- how do you think that would look? It could very well spark a conflict beyond anything you could possibly imagine."

"I know the risks, but I can't let you hurt Karen; there's always another way, there has to be a way to satisfy everyone where Karen doesn't die! There has to be something I can do to convince you to let her go! I'll do anything, whatever you want!" Naruto begged.

The silver haired doctor's grin grew even larger, this was what they were hoping for, this blind devotion was so easy to use against him. He would have him in hand in a few moments, and he'd never know about the micro-explosive attached to the base of her skull. "There is one thing."

"What is it, name it!"

"I want you to come with us. Your demonic abilities intrigue me, you're the first person in quite some time to receive the Kitsune's Gift, and it's never been studied in any real detail before. If you volunteer yourself for a few science experiments, then I'll let this little fox go."

Naruto wasted no time in answering. "Done deal."

Checkmate.

"Very well, come to me slowly and I'll set her down. I warn you though, try anything at all and she'll die, I can guarantee that."

Naruto nodded and took a few slow steps forward. For every step forward, Kabuto set Karen closer and closer to the ground. He had to fight off the urge to grin, this was working so smoothly, and Naruto was so predictable.

He was about halfway there when there was a sudden a voice rang out. "Naruto!"

They both looked to the entrance of the cavern and saw Kakashi. He was a bit dirtier from trekking through the forest with a slightly limp leg, but overall he was alright. Naruto also noticed that his previously covered eye, wasn't so covered anymore, and it was red, a red he'd seen before. He wasn't sure how, but Kakahshi had a Sharingan. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Kabuto.

"Let her go Kabuto, I might be weakened but I'm not out of the fight. You're outnumbered and there's no getting out of here."

He was right, he was outnumbered. With Kakashi here everything went down the drain, he'd never get Naruto with him there. He supposed he could still complete the mission by killing the girl, but then he would be hostage-less and he would most likely be killed as well, and that didn't appeal to him one bit. He supposed he would have to go with an option in between. He'd just have to escape with the girl and then devise a way to lure Naruto to them. Then Lore Orochimaru would have the girl, and he'd have his guinea pig.

Kabuto grinned like a madman and slipped his hand into his back pocket. "I'll admit Kakashi, you foiled my attempts at killing two birds with one stone, but I'm hardly trapped. Lord Orochimaru considered the possibility the one who got the the girl might end up trapped, which is why each of us came prepared."

He pulled his hand out again and held up a striking red feather. Kakashi knew what he meant now and knew he had to act quickly. "Naruto, we have to stop him!"

Before Naruto could even ask why, Kabuto yelled out the command: "Althielo!"

Instantly Kabuto seemed to be pulled forward at extremely fast speeds, and slammed into Naruto, knocking him off his feet, and flying right past Kakashi out of the cavern. After that, he flew straight up into the air, and as Naruto and Kakashi both watched, he flew off with Karen into the horizon. Orochimaru, seeing that they had at least one of their targets, followed suit with his own Phoenix Feather, and he also disappeared from sight in a matter of moments.

Naruto stood there for a moment, absorbing what had just happened, and fell to his knees. Without even realizing it, tears were falling down his face, and he couldn't tear his eyes away from where he had last seen them. He failed, plain and simple. He was assigned to protect her, he promised to protect her, and he didn't, he screwed up.

Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. "You tried your hardest Naruto. We'll get her back."

Jiraiya dispelled Gamabunta and jumped down to the cliff as well. He'd seen the whole thing, including Karen flying past in the hands of Kabuto, and knew his godson would be extremely sensitive at this point. He sighed and sat down next to him.

"I know how you must be feeling right now kid, trust me. If its any consolation, I think she would have been extremely thankful of how much you did for her, and she can thank you herself when we find her."

"I failed...there was more I could have done, I was too slow! I was too busy dealing with Sasuke that I forgot..."

They both looked at him expectantly.

"You forget...what?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto suddenly stood up. "I know how we can find her."

Kakashi and Jiriaya looked at each other in confusion as Naruto stormed off back down the mountain.


Sasuke was still laying in the forest from Naruto's Rasengan. He'd just barely regained consciousness, and wondered how much time had passed since he was knocked out. He groaned as the pain washed over him like a cruel shower. He was able to hear footsteps coming from beyond the trees, but he didn't dare turn his head to find out, it hurt too much as it was.

He soon got his answer anyway. He saw the spiky trough of blond hair as he stepped over him and knelt down. Naruto grabbed him by the neck and yanked his head up. Sasuke would have screamed if he had the energy.

There was something different about Naruto than before though. He was back to his normal self, but his eyes still had that burning rage in them that said 'I want to kill you'.

"I've got a few questions for you," he growled, tightening his grip around Sasuke's neck, "and you'd better give me the right answers."


And Naruto's pissed as Hell. His best friend/love interest has just been kidnapped right in front of him, and he's about ready to rip everyone's head off. If anyone has any questions that don't force me to go on a spoiler frenzy, then don't hesitate to review or drop me a PM. I'll see ya next chapter, and I honestly have no godly idea when that will be.

Review in the meantime!