A/N: Gomen, I've been gone a while :( Exams and usual teenage crap. Arigatou gozaimasu for all your reviews, I'll have to start working on the 300 review fanart! :D
Disclaimer: Naruto was sadly not born in my imagination.
Claimer: Kari, Kita, the Torai Kenshi and all other non-Naruto characters are property of me.
Kodomoro Koro
Childhood
She didn't know why,
but she had to understand
'Koitsu…' Naruto thought, staring at Gaara in his half transformed state.
"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said anxiously, placing a hand on his back. Kita was at Kari's side, equally worried.
'We were a bit late…' Pakkun thought grimly.
"S-Sakura-chan…?" Naruto said unsurely.
"You guys…" Sasuke forced out, while Kari just stared blankly at Naruto.
'Those marks… they must have got reckless,' Sakura thought to herself. 'Just like that time…' She was distracted by Sasuke groaning in pain as he tried to lift himself up. "Sasuke-kun!" she cried in alarm, seeing blood running from his mouth. 'Kakashi-sensei said their bruises were no longer a problem!' Sasuke groaned, struggling against the pain. Kari's eyes slowly turned back to him, dull and ridden with pain. His heart tightened painfully.
"What will happen if I try to use it more than twice?" Sasuke asked.
"The third will not happen. Remember that. For both your sakes," Kakashi said as he continued wrapping Kari's other arm. "If you try to use the technique forcefully… it will not function properly, and your chakra will be reduced to zero. And in the worst case scenario you'll die, in which case, so will Kari." Sasuke looked round surprised as Kari's ears lowered.
"I wouldn't let him die Kashi-nii, you know that," Kari said stubbornly.
"Even if you did survive, it wouldn't have any positive effects on you," Kakashi continued. "Especially, on the both of you."
"Because of the cursed seal?" Sasuke asked, Kari glancing up at him.
"If you let the hate consume you and depend on the cursed seals powers, you will cease developing and growing. What's more, Kari will be put through agony as her body tries to reject the cursed seal, her chakra clashing inside her body…" Kakashi paused and Sasuke felt Kari's grip tighten slightly on his hand. "She'll lose control of her chakra and will be torn apart from the inside out."
"We'll be fine, Sasuke's not that stupid. Ne Sasu?" Kari said looking up at him with a weak smile, but he could see the doubt laced in her eyes. His mind burned with memories of the forest of death and the sealing of their marks, the intense suffering that ate away at her. He never thought she could scream and cry like that… He never wanted to know that she could be hurt so much…
"Yeah, I'll never get rid of you," Sasuke said with a weak smirk. She sighed relieved and leaned against his leg, the shakes in his hand dying down in the embrace of her own smaller, delicate hand.
Delicate…
"Who is that…Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried.
"What do you want?!" she snapped.
"Who the hell is he, dattebayou?" Naruto cried pointing at Gaara.
"His appearance has changed, but he is that Gaara fellow," Pakkun replied.
'I took the life of the woman who gave birth to me when I was born. To become the ultimate ninja my father used a ninja technique to bind an incarnate of sand to me. I was a monster at birth.'
'The guy in front of me… is him?!' Naruto thought in alarm.
"Kari! Stop trying to move… You're just hurting yourself…!" Sasuke choked out as she fought against her pain and exhaustion, a shudder tearing through her body as she tried to move.
'Transform, it's the only way brat!'
'He did that to Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan,' Sakura thought warily, unable to suppress a bubble of anger that rose inside her.
"Oi ko-musume," Pakkun called. "I'm not a combat type, so don't blame me for not fighting."
"I can tell that from your looks!" Sakura said irritably.
"K-Ki-Kita…" Kari whispered.
"I'm here Okaasan! Okaasan will be fine!" Kita cried anxiously, a paw touching Kari's forearm.
"I'll look after Kita-chan, Kari-san," Pakkun said, realising what the kunoichi was trying to say. Relief washed across Kari's face, a tired half smile across her lips.
"Arigatou." She winced and Sasuke cried out in pain again.
'We have to get them to Kakashi-sensei!' Sakura thought desperately.
"You…" Gaara growled, his eyes fixed on Naruto.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried as Sasuke tried to lift himself again, the blood he coughed up staining the front of Kari's shirt.
"Yes you are… the guy I tried to kill…" Gaara said in realisation. Kari's eyes widened and she rolled over her nails embedding into the branch as she prepared to scramble over to Naruto. Pain paralysed her muscles, effortlessly defeating her, letting her feel Sasuke's dead weight crashing down on her as he collapsed again.
"Nigero! Minna!!" Naruto hollered, only to see Gaara shoot past him.
"DIE UCHIHA SASUKE!!" Gaara bellowed, hurtling towards them. As a last line of defence, Kari rolled to her side, pulling Sasuke to her chest, her arms tightly round him, shielding him with her own body. Sasuke's eyes widened, feeling Kari's heart dance wildly inside her chest.
"Kari-chan!! SAKURA-CHAN!!" Naruto shouted. Kari turned in horror to see Sakura standing protectively in front of them, kunai in hand.
"SAKURA!!"
"Get out of the way!!" Gaara roared, his transformed arm extending and smashing her against a tree trunk, immediately knocking her out. Her pain numbed by adrenaline and fear, Kari jumped up onto Gaara's arm in front of Sakura, her legs caving in from strain the second she landed.
"Sakura?! SAKURA!!" Kari cried frantically. She clawed at the hard sand, not even leaving a scratch. She tried to force herself into a standing position, to kick, punch, try anything to set the kunoichi free, but her weak legs gave in and she twisted, falling awkwardly off the deformed arm.
"Kari-chan!" She landed safely, caught by Naruto's arms. He had moved Sasuke and landed next to him. "Kari-chan calm down!" but she wouldn't listen, struggling to get free and tear the arm in half to set Sakura free. "Kari-chan you're not strong enough" Naruto said setting her down, her legs ignoring her demands to stand and only twitching in response to the messages from her brain. "K'so, k'so! What the hell do I do?!" Naruto whispered frantically, looking up at his team-mate. 'I don't want to fight this guy!'
"Why?" Gaara groaned, hit by another wave of excruciating headaches. Images of Sakura protecting Sasuke, Gai protecting Lee, Kari protecting Sasuke, Yashamaru protecting the children, they burned in his mind and caused pulses of pain.
Kari choked a sting shooting through her eyes and then spreading through her skull as Gaara's childhood once again invaded her mind.
A young Gaara stared at the framed photograph of a young woman, almost identical to Yashamaru apart from a touch more femininity. She had short sandy blonde hair and grey eyes, and was pretty in an average way. Gaara clenched his fist and raised his arm, tightly gripping a knife in the other hand. He thrust it down, but it was stopped at the last second by a thick cloud of sand.
"It's no use, the sand interferes…" Gaara said sadly. He watched as the sand disappeared.
"Gaara-sama." The young boy jumped in alarm and turned to see Yashamaru standing at the door.
"Yashamaru?" He walked over and stood a foot or so away from the young boy.
"I was ordered by Kazekage-sama to be your caretaker. I am to keep an eye on your health and protect you. Please don't do such a thing in front of me." he said gently. Gaara looked down ashamed, a horrible guilty feeling clenching his stomach. "But I suppose the sand will protect you anyway." Yashamaru said smiling sheepishly.
"Yashamaru, gomen," Gaara apologised, looking up guiltily at the bandages around Yashamaru's forehead and right arm.
"Oh this? Its just a scratch," Yashamaru said touching his forehead with a smile.
"Do wounds hurt?" Gaara asked.
"Just a little, it will heal quickly though," Yashamaru said reassuringly. The wind rushed through the sand, pushing it up and giving it life in a sandstorm outside the window.
"Hey, Yashamaru… What does pain feel like?" Gaara asked. Yashamaru looked at him surprised. "I've never been hurt before so I was wondering how it felt…" he explained, smiling sadly.
"Hmm, how should I explain this… It's painful and unbearable… Like, when a person is shot or cut, he becomes very ill at ease and he can't think normally. I can't explain it very well, but simply put, it's not a very good to be in" Yashamaru explained, rubbing the back of his head.
"Then… do you hate me Yashamaru?" Gaara asked, his eyes flicking to Yashamaru's wrist before glancing away again.
"People hurt each other and get hurt during their lifetimes. But it is difficult to hate another." Yashamaru said gently. Gaara's face lit up into a relieved smile.
"Arigatou, Yashamaru! I think I understand what hurting is now. Maybe… maybe I'm injured too, like everyone else. I always hurt here…" Gaara said, placing a hand on his chest. "I'm not bleeding, but my chest really hurts here."
Yashamaru walked over to Gaara and knelt in front of him so they were eye level. He gently took the knife away from him and lightly cut his own finger. Gaara gasped, eyes wide in shock when blood immediately flooded out the cut, thick drops wrapping around the finger and dripping onto the floor.
"Flesh wounds bleed, and they may seem painful… but as time goes by, the pain eventually disappears, and if you use medicine, the wounds will heal even faster." He paused and smiled. "But the tricky wounds are the ones in your heart, those are difficult to heal."
"A wound of the heart?" Gaara repeated.
"A wound of the heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound, there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they never heal. But there is one thing that can heal a wound of the heart." Gaara looked up, waiting for Yashamaru to continue. "It's a troublesome medicine, and you can only receive it from another person."
"Nani? How can I heal this…?" Gaara asked desperately.
"The thing that can heal the heart is… Love."
"Aijou?" Gaara repeated.
"Hai."
"How can I get it? What should I do to be rid of this pain?" Gaara pleaded.
"Gaara-sama, you have already received it. Love is the spirit of devoting yourself to someone important and close to you. It is expressed by caring for and protecting that person. Just like my sister," Yashamaru explained. "I believe that my sister always loved you Gaara-sama. The Shukaku no Suna is a living soul that is usually used for combat purposes. The sand automatically protects you because of love. I believe that the will of your mother is inside the sand. My sister probably wanted to protect you, even after her death."
"Yashamaru?" Gaara said.
"Hai?"
"Arigatou… for stopping me back there" he said, a small smile appearing on his face.
"My pleasure" Yashamaru replied, putting his lightly bleeding finger in his mouth. "You are a person who is important to me and close to me after all, Gaara-sama." Gaara took a step forward and then took hold of Yashamaru's wrist, pulling it out of his mouth so he could see the wound. He hesitated for a moment, and then put the bleeding finger in his own mouth. "Can you feel my pain?"
"It tastes like metal…"
Gaara groaned in pain, his eyes tightly shut.
'Why are you showing me this?' Kari thought, her head pounding. 'This has nothing to do with me!'
'I'm afraid it does, he is a jinchuuriki just like you. You are connected.' Kitai replied. 'You have to understand him.'
'Sakura's trapped, Sasuke can't move and Naruto can't do this on his own!' Kari thought desperately.
'We're trying to restore your chakra, but Kumouri is in a rage, we're using most of our chakra to contain her.' A large roar echoed through Kari's mind and her heart clenched. 'We'll do our best.'
Kari's body jolted as her eyes were clouded with images of Gaara's memories again.
A young Gaara ran through the streets of Suna. It was night, the only light coming from windows and streetlamps. He clutched a package tight to his chest, hope sealed around it. Inside was ointment, he had asked Yashamaru for it and was going to give it to the girl he had hurt today.
He came to a stop outside her front door, panting slightly. He paused for a second gathering his courage and then knocked.
The girl opened the door her eyes widening when she saw him.
"I'm sorry about before. It hurt ne?" Gaara said with a sad smile. He shyly held the package out. "Here, this is ointment. Use it if you want…"
"Go home!" she shouted, slamming the door in his face. "Bakemono!"
Gaara's eyes widened with hurt, the familiar pain hitting his chest. The package slipped from his trembling fingers and onto the ground. He turned and slowly started waling home. A drunk stumbled across his path and almost walked in to him.
"What the… Watch where you're going! You stupid kid—" Gaara looked around at him, causing the man's eyes to widen in realisation. "You're…"
"Again… Those eyes again… Nande? Nande?!" Gaara murmured, the pain in his chest intensifying. The sand whipped round him flying towards the man. His bottle crashed to the ground as a deep scream echoed through the street. Gaara walked away, leaving the man dead, barely listening to the people behind him.
"What? What happened?"
"It's Gaara!"
"Oi, he's dead!"
Gaara kept walking, he stopped when he felt a disapproving glare on him. He looked up to see a man with messy brown hair.
'Otousan…'
They didn't speak to each other and Gaara continued walking, feeling those disapproving eyes burning into his back.
Eventually Gaara stopped, sitting on a rooftop miserable and lonely. The full moon was behind him shining brightly, casting shadows around him.
'It didn't go well… why am I the only one who is a monster? What am I?'
The pain in his chest spread, causing a sting in his eyes and a painful lump in his throat. He looked down at his shaking hands.
'The thing that can heal a wound in the heart… is love.'
"Yashamaru…" Gaara sobbed, clenching the cloth over his heart. A sudden rush of sand behind him made him gasp. A dozen kunai had been thrown at his back. He looked round to see a masked man, bandages around his head, hiding his identity. There were kunai floating around him, all pointing towards Gaara.
'Nani? Nande? Why am I the only one to have to go through all of this?!' His sand shielded him from the four more kunai sent his way and he thrust his hand out, ordering the sand around the assassin. The sand pulled him up into the air and Gaara clenched his fist. The sand contracted and there was a crash as bones broke within it. Blood spurted up the wall and the body fell limply to the ground.
"Dare…? Nande…?" Gaara asked shakily, his arms brought up to his chest. The person didn't answer. Gaara stared at him and then suddenly noticed one of the assassin's fingers was bandaged. With a trembling hand he reached and grabbed hold of the cloth covering the persons face. He pulled it away and his heart clenched with pain greater than ever before.
"You are strong, as I expected…"
"Y-Yashamaru…" Gaara's breath choked and then he screamed in pain, sand flying around him.
"Kari!"
Kari gasped, her throat sore and eyes wide. 'N-Nani?!'
"Kari-chan doushita? You were screaming dattebayou!" Naruto cried in alarm, holding her trembling body close to his chest.
"Doushita?" Gaara growled, Naruto's attention snapping back to him. "I thought you were going to run?"
"Sasuke-kun… Kari-chan… Naruto… Ki… ta…" Sakura murmured.
"They… What are they to you?" Gaara demanded.
"They're… my friends, dattebayou!" Naruto cried setting Kari down beside Sasuke and jumping to his feet. "I dare you to hurt them anymore, I'll beat you up!!"
Sakura screamed as Gaara put pressure on her body. Kari's eyes flashed red but then a blinding pain shot threw her, her curse mark pulsing. 'Move, move, move, MOVE!!' Her muscles tensed, and became unbearably tight. She winced and struggled against her pain, but still she was unable to stand.
"Sa, doushita? I thought you were going to 'beat me up'?!" Gaara taunted. "KOI!"
"KUSO!" Naruto shouted as he jumped towards Gaara. Kari's heart skipped a beat and she almost got into a sitting position when her pain kicked her back down.
"Na-Naruto!" Kari cried.
He went to punch Gaara, but was thrown back by a simple flick of Gaara's tail.
'Chikusho… This is really turning out bad dattebayou! I have to… I have to save everyone.'
Gaara laughed mockingly.
"So you fight for another" Gaara said, making Naruto look up in surprise. "That is why you guys are so weak. You don't need a reason to fight. Only the winner can feel the value of their existence. Now, forget about your stupid friends and fight only for yourself."
"Stupid… friends..?" Naruto repeated, his fists clenching.
"People who bring unnecessary emotions into battle should just die."
"You just keep saying what you want… I swear, I'll beat you up!" Naruto cried, pulling out a kunai and jumping back towards Gaara.
"You guys do not know the true meaning of being strong" Gaara said smirking.
"Urusai!" Naruto shouted. Gaara flinched, his skull throbbing as images of people protecting each other filled his mid again. He swung his tail and slammed it into Naruto's gut. Kari winced, feeling a drop ob blood slide down her chin.
'Not again!' She thought as her vision went hazy, and Gaara's memories played in her mind, continuing where they left off.
Gaara sobbed his heart out over Yashamaru's bloody body, the man looking up at the moon and coughing weakly.
"Nande? …Nande? …Nande Yashamaru? ...Nande? …Nande?" Gaara sobbed, hiccoughing as he spoke.
'Love is the spirit of devoting yourself to someone important and close to you. It is expressed by caring for and protecting that person. Just like my sister.'
'You are a person who is important to me and close to me after all, Gaara-sama.'
"You… You… I thought you were…" Gaara cried as he wiped his eyes, but the tears wouldn't stop.
"It was an order…" Yashamaru said. "I was ordered to kill you…" Gaara's eyes widened. "By your father… Kazekage-sama…"
"O-otousan?" Gaara was suddenly struck with nausea, he bent over and threw up. "Otousan? Nande? Nande boku?"
"You were born with Shukaku no Suna, then observed like a guinea pig, Gaara-sama. But since you could not control the power of the living soul, Shukaku, and were unable to manipulate sand on your own… your existence was deemed a danger to the village. Before that happened…" Yashamaru said quietly.
"Then you did this unwillingly because Otousan ordered you to…?" Gaara asked, holding onto a shred of hope.
"Iie, that is not correct." Gaara's eyes widened in horror. "It is true that I received the order from Kazekage-sama… But I could have refused it if I had wished to. Gaara-sama… Deep within my heart… I hated you." Gaara gasped, his tears thickening. "You took the life of my beloved sister when you were born. My sister's memento… I tried to love you by thinking of you as her treasured child, but I couldn't. My sister did not wish for your birth, she became the villages sacrifice and died cursing this village. After that, I carried a wound that could never heal…"
'A wound of the heart is different from a flesh wound. Unlike a flesh wound, there are no ointments to heal it, and there are times when they never heal.'
"My sister gave you your name. This child's name is Gaara, an Asura that loves himself. Love only yourself, and fight only for yourself, by doing so you can continue to exist, your name carries those wishes. But my sister did not give you that name because she loved or cared for you. She gave you that name so you could continue to exist. Because she hated and cursed this village as she died, and wanted her deep hatred to exist and remain, to let others know of it. You were not loved."
The clouds shifted, blocking the light of the moon. Yashamaru undid his Jounin vest, revealing exploding tags stuck to him.
"This is it…" a weak smile spread across his face. "Please die."
Immediately afterwards, the tags went off exploding on Yashamaru's body. The moon reappeared, chasing the dust away. Gaara sat in a half dome of sand, unharmed from the blast. Yashamaru's body was gone, as well as the wall he had been up against. Gaara was sobbing, hugging his knees, unable to ease the agony in his heart.
'I believe that my sister always loved you Gaara-sama.'
Gaara clutched his head, crouching over his knees.
'The sand automatically protects you because of love. I believe that the will of your mother is inside the sand.'
And then suddenly, his pain was greeted by anger. He screamed out his pain and rage, the sand spinning wildly around him. And then suddenly, it stopped, frozen. Gaara stood panting in the middle as the sand slowly began to fall back around his feet.
'Love only yourself, and fight only for yourself.'
Gaara looked up, blood dripping down the side of his eye. He could feel the burning pain on his forehead. Pain in the form of the kanji 'Ai', love, a visible scar, stamped on his forehead for all to see, and a reminder… a constant reminder…
'That is what Gaara is… Me. I finally understand… I'm alone. I won't believe in anyone, or love anyone. I'm alone. Yes, I'm alone…"
Kari became aware she was conscious and looked round at Naruto. She understood why Gaara was the way he was, but she couldn't let her team die because of it. She would try and help him, but she'd only be able to do that if they survived.
"Doushita? Koi!" Gaara cried impatiently. "Don't you care what happens to your important friend?" Sakura winced as pressure was applied to her body again.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried in alarm. "K'so!"
'Naruto isn't acting like himself… Did something happen between him and that guy?' Sasuke thought to himself.
'Anyway, anyway I have to save Sakura-chan! And Kari-chan's really hurt she can't last much longer. But how…? I know! This'll use a lot of Chakra demo… I'll have to summon the frog boss!' Naruto rapidly made hand signs and concentrated his Chakra. He bit his thumb and slammed his hand against a branch. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!"
"Nan de? It's just a little squirt!" A bright orange toad sat on the branch, only a little bigger than Naruto's hand. "If you want me to do something give me a snack, otherwise I won't play with youuu—"
"You know something?! I HATE YOU FROGS!!" Naruto screeched.
"What'd you say?! You better not disrespect amphibians!" and for added effect the little orange amphibian stuck its long tongue out at him.
"Naruto-kun…" Kari sighed flopping against a branch in exasperation. She adored him and his stupidity, but now was really not the time. Her hand twitched and she grimaced. 'I can't even make a hand sign and I don't even have enough chakra for a water jutsu, I can't summon anything… not even a youngster…'
"Actually I have no time to play with you, squirt." Naruto snapped back. He looked up at Sakura and then back at his hand. 'Why? I trained so hard! I can't think of anything else.' "I have to save minna!"
"Minna?" Gaara looked up, the whole of his head transformed save for a puff of red hair on the top of his head. "Don't make me laugh. I fight only for myself." Sand spread down from his shoulders and covered his torso and spreading down his abdomen to his knees. The arm holding Sakura broke away at the wrist, the hand still holding her in place. "The sand on this girl won't be released until you defeat me. Not only that, but the sand will constrict as time passes and will eventually crush her to death." His arm regret with ease. "Suna shuriken!"
Naruto grabbed the toad and protected it with his body, slamming into a tree trunk and falling through three branches before he came to a stop. Kari had rolled on top of Sasuke to shield him, but the shuriken zoomed over them, missing them completely. She winced, feeling the burst blood vessels under her skin. She'd have some heavy bruises later…
"You are weak" the toad huffed.
"Urusai!" Naruto grumbled.
"But who is that?" the toad asked. Naruto looked over at Gaara to see he had almost completely transformed save for his ankles and feet.
'What sad eyes… Such lonely eyes… he has a monster within him too. He's the same as me… the same as me and Kari-chan. I hated everyone. I didn't know who I was, why I was so hated, or why I existed…'
"In other words you are the Kyuubi who killed Iruka's parents and destroyed the village! The villagers have deceived you all this time"'
'After I found out the Kyuubi was inside me… I felt the villagers be even more distant. It was really… really tough… Demo…'
"Oi Naruto, want to go get some ramen?" Iruka said cheerfully.
"Yeah! I want lots of barbeque pork on mine!!" Naruto cheered excitedly. "And Kari-chan can come too ne?"
"Hai!"
"Hn, usuratonkashi. If you want to beat me, train more," Sasuke scoffed.
"Baka! Don't be so arrogant!" Kari scolded.
"Urusai dattebayou! I won't lose to you," Naruto cried confidently.
"Ne, Naruto! What did Sasuke-kun say about me?" Sakura asked, a strong blush on her face.
"Nothing much," Naruto said, not able to recall Sasuke mentioning her. Sakura sighed depressed. "Putting that aside, don't you want to know what I think of you? A-aa! Sakura-chan" Naruto whined as she walked off depressed.
"Ittadekimasu!" Naruto cried in delight as he prepared to dig into his steaming ramen. He was stopped by a basket filled with green stuff being pushed in front of him.
"Hmm Naruto, you're really going to die if you just eat ramen and drink sweet red bean broth" Kakashi said in a scolding tone, crouching on Naruto's windowsill. "Ninja's must eat more vegetables! This is a gift!"
"Nehhh I don't like vegetables" Naruto said leaning away.
"I win," Kari said grinning.
"I really should learn to stop betting against you," Kakashi sighed, handing her a pack of pocky.
"Kita-chan, who do you like better me or Sasuke?" Naruto asked the young pup.
"Okaasan said not to answer that question!" Kita said in a scolding tone. "But Kita-chan loves Naruto-kun very much dattebayou! You're very, very important to Okaasan therefore important to Kita-chan, dattebayou!"
"K-kita-chan…" Naruto said with a slight sniffle, his eyes watery. "I love you too dattebayou!" he cried pulling her into a suffocating hug.
"Mou! Naruto-kunnn! Ite-eeeeee!"
"Oi Kari-chan?" Naruto whispered.
"Mm?" she replied, her ear twitching.
"You're my best friend, you know that right?"
"Hai," she said smiling and looking round at him. "And you're my best friend too!"
"And we'll always be friend's dattebayou! Itsumo!" he said happily pulling her into a hug. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "And nothing will ever tear us apart!"
"Waa! Don't say things like that! I couldn't live without my Naruto-kun!" Kari whined in distress.
"You'll never have to, dattebayou! Because we're inseparable!" Naruto grinned and she smiled and nuzzled her face into his chest.
"Naruto-kun… I can barely smell your scent under all that ramen!"
"That's a great idea! Let's go get ramen Kari-chan!"
'I've finally met people who acknowledge me, and Kari-chan and Kita-chan who I'm so important to. That's why I was able to bear the fact that a Bakemono kitsune is inside me, and the cold eyes of the villagers. It was a relief knowing Kari-chan was the same as me, that she could understand… She opened my eyes to the friends I had, she showed me I wasn't alone anymore. I never thought that it was such a joyful happy thing. I really, really was glad… That I could stay here… And I felt I existed here and I was relieved.
'That's why… When I think of the old times… I get the chills… That pain wasn't normal, it was a dark hell. If I had remained alone… if Kari-chan had never came… That's why I understand.'
"So why do I exist and live? And this is what I concluded. I exist to kill everyone other than me."
'I don't know what happened, but he's been alone and he's suffered. He has never felt any relief, he can only believe in himself. He is still fighting in that hell. Yes… Since I have people that acknowledge me… I may only be a frivolous coward to him. Can I really beat such a guy?'
"Doushita? Are you afraid of me?" Gaara mocked. "Are you going to fight only for yourself? Or for another? Just love yourself and fight. Fight only for yourself! That is what makes a strong person strong! Now, fight me! What happened to that spirit? Show me your power, I will crush it! Doushita? If you don't fight me I will kill that girl!"
"Kuso!" Naruto shouted, jumping towards Gaara "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
"Fuuton; Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" He blew out with the force of a sandstorm, easily destroying the clones.
'K'so… That hurt a lot…' Naruto thought to himself.
"I'll play around with you so that you won't die just yet. I can't wait to see when you give up, abandon your friends and run away. Suna Shuriken!" Gaara cried, pelting Naruto with sand. Kari grimaced, feeling the impact and grimacing as she felt pain tear through her wounds.
'Kuso…'
'But what is this feeling?' Naruto thought as he stood up.
"I'm not through yet!" Gaara cried pelting him with yet more sand shuriken, sending Naruto flying through a branch and into another tree trunk. Kari's breathing was getting hoarse again, her vision blurring.
'Not now… Please not now…'
"Kari" Sasuke groaned, gripping her hand. "Don't… Don't give up on me now!" As Gaara released another onslaught of shuriken she felt a warm liquid slip out of her mouth. "Shimatta… Hold on Kari…"
"Chikusho! Chikusho!" Naruto cried. 'What is this feeling gushing out of me? I don't know why but… I don't want to lose to this guy, even if I die!'
"Doushita? You came after me and this is what happens to you? You can't even touch me. You make me laugh," Gaara scoffed. Sakura groaned as the sand tightened around her again. Before Kari could even thick about moving, her body went rigid with pain again. Naruto pulled out a kunai, wrapping a exploding tag around the handle.
'I don't know how far I can get… But I'll do as much as I can!' Naruto thought to himself. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he cried and four clones appeared. "Let's go! I'll show you a secret combat move; Bunshin Taiatari!" Gaara caught three Naruto's with his claw.
"Now!" the clones cried.
"Okay!" Naruto replied, as another clone landed on the claw and through the real Naruto directly towards Gaara "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Gaara cut through the clone with his other claw as Naruto flipped over his head. "Again! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" A clone appeared, allowing Naruto to jump of it, stopping his fall. "Eat this, the move Kakashi-sensei taught me! Konoha no sato's secret master combat move; Sennen Goroshi!" and without hesitation, Naruto thrust the kunai right up Gaara's behind.
"Ne??" Kari whispered, eye twitching.
"An enema?" Pakkun asked.
"Mou, that can't be hygienic Naruto-kun…" Kita sighed from beside Pakkun. Gaara looked round at Naruto and swiftly smacked him with his tail. Naruto smirked as he fell.
"Boom."
The kunai exploded, coating Gaara in smoke. Kari grimaced and sighed deeply.
"Don't you ever do that to me," she mumbled, glaring at Sasuke.
"Che," Sasuke scoffed. "How are you faring?"
"Not good," she sighed. She had to hand it to Kumouri; the Inu-Yasha didn't give up. "I think I'll be able to move soon… I'm starting to get some chakra back…"
"Baka! You'll be killed easily," Sasuke hissed.
"I'm surprised I'm not dead already…" Kari muttered under her breath. "Oi! Incoming!" Kari cried in alarm, noticing Naruto falling straight towards them. Sasuke didn't even have a chance to look before orange covered his eyes and he felt a blow to his gut as they were sent flying. There was a painful crash as they smacked into the trunk of a tree.
"Sasuke? Oi where's Kari-chan dattebayou?" Naruto asked.
"Itai…" Kari grumbled.
"Kari-chan daijoubu!" Naruto cried rushing to her side and helping her sit up.
"I'm fine, I'm fine…" she sighed.
"That was a nice move…" Pakkun said cringing slightly.
"Did… Did he kill him?" the little orange toad asked.
"You did all that but only managed one hit?" Sasuke asked as he too sat up.
"Urusai, I'm not in the mood to put up with your tantrums today" Kari grumbled her eyes closing. Naruto was so warm, his jacket soft…
"Hai! Urusai dattebayou!" Naruto huffed.
"Baka, I told you not to go to sleep."
"I'm not, I was resting my eyes" Kari retorted. Her eyes slid open and she looked down at the blurry figure that was Gaara. Half of him seemed to have melted away.
'I didn't expect him to attack the base of the tail where the armour is thinnest. I wasn't wounded, but the sand couldn't absorb all the impact. I underestimated him…' Gaara thought as he leant against the remainder of the tree, sand pouring out his side.
"Oi Naruto. You better rescue Sakura no matter what—"
"Waa! You admit you have feelings for her!" Kari cried in delight, she would have hugged Sasuke, but her movements were still quite restricted.
"Urusai baka. And once you do, I want you to take her and Kari and run. You can do it—"
"Naniwoitte iru no ka?!" Kari cried grabbing hold of the front of his shirt.
"Sasuke… are you…?" Naruto said in shock.
"I can buy you some time… If it ends here, it means I was only capable of getting this far…" Sasuke said trying to get up. "Kari, don't look at me like that…" he said looking away from her. He didn't want to see those bloodshot eyes. He didn't want to see her cry any second now.
"Anata baka! Watashiha anata wonokoshite I nai n dayo!" she shouted.
"I have already lost every thing once… I never want to see an important friend die in front of me ever again," he stood up, but she still clung to his shirt, her legs shaking beneath her. "I'm never able to protect you, at least let me protect your life" he said softly, trying to get Kari to let go of him. "Let go…"
"IIE!"
"Kari let go…" Her head fell against his chest, her body shaking with suppressed sobs.
"Watashiha anata no manami shinai yo!"
"An important friend…" Naruto repeated. "Sou ka… Sou dattebayou. He's like me… I've felt the same loneliness and sadness in my life… That's why I thought he was strong, because he was alone and fought only for himself."
"Naruto…" Sasuke said surprised. Kari looked around slightly, so that she could see him.
"Naruto-kun…"
"But that's not what being strong means. You can't become truly strong if you fight only for yourself…" Naruto said.
"Haku-kun…" Kari said softly.
"No one makes Kari-chan cry…" Naruto growled, slamming his hands together in a hand sign. Kari's legs gave out and Sasuke caught her with one arm. Chakra surrounded Naruto.
'He's creating an enormous amount of chakra! Is this really Naruto?' Sasuke thought, drawing Kari closer to him.
"I swear… I will protect everyone dattebayou!" Naruto cried.
"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Naruto cried.
"He's pretty good," the toad mused looking around at the countless clones that had appeared.
"Sorry to keep you waiting! This is where the Uzumaki Naruto Ninja Chronicles begin!" a Naruto announced.
"What's with this number of replications?!" Gaara cried.
"What is this?" Temari cried.
"This is amazing…" Pakkun said in awe while Kita was hopping from paw to paw, her tail wagging.
"You have some good qualities" the toad said.
"Did you… do this?" Sasuke asked in shock.
"Sasuke, you rest and protect Kari chan. Leave this to me, Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto said in determination. He paused, an idea striking him. "Ne, Kari-chan?"
"Mm?" she asked looking around at him; her eyes still a bit red and sore.
"If I win… You'll kiss me again ne? After all my great battles?" Naruto asked hopefully.
"Naruto!!" Kari whined, her face flushing red. She buried her face in Sasuke's shirt. "Neh, I don't see why not…"
"YOSH! Minna! Let's go!!" Naruto cried, commanding all his clones. "Fly! Naruto Ninja Chronicles!"
'He's… that Naruto?' Sasuke thought in shock.
"The No-Escape Shuriken Chapter!"
'My body still isn't ready; I'll have to guard it with the sand!' Gaara thought, blocking the shuriken with his arm. Clones charged in and delivered kicks to him forcing him into the air.
"U!"
"Zu!"
"Ma!"
"Ki!"
"The Naruto Two Thousand Rendan!!" Clones covered Gaara, delivering countless punches. "Chapter!" Gaara fell from the trees and landed hard on the ground.
"Koitsu…" Gaara mumbled.
"This time, we'll use our legs and do a Four Thousand Rendan!" the clones cried.
"Who is this guy?… He suddenly…" Gaara asked.
"This can't be… he's winning against that form of Gaara?!" Temari cried in disbelief.
"Where is his power coming from…? Me… Lose to this guy…? There's no way I can lose to this guy!" Gaara shouted, sand shooting up and destroying the clones.
"KUSO!" Kari cried, clutching her head as she felt chakra start to burn at her body.
"Nan de ore wa?" Sasuke said in shock looking up at the huge beast. Kari's body shook feeling her canine's lengthen. 'No, no, no, no, no, no!' "Kari doushita?" Sasuke asked feeling her starting to slide down, he placed her on the branch and knelt beside her.
"That's the monster inside of him?" Naruto whispered.
"I didn't expect to show this form to you guys!"
Naruto cried out in alarm when he realised sand was starting to wrap around him.
"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted but his body froze with pain and he fell forwards onto his knees. "K'so… my body…" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Kari?" The air was starting to feel hot and static, like when Gaara came in training and Kakashi got panicky.
"I've used up most of my chakra with those Bunshin!" Naruto cried as the sand started swirling around his torso. "Kari-chan… Sakura-chan…"
"Na-NARUTO!"
"Su—"
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!!" Naruto cried as the sand enclosed his head. There was an explosion, and when the smoke cleared Gamabunta was revealed.
"Gama-sama," Kari said with a weak smile of relief.
"Amazing, he summoned him in that situation," Pakkun said impressed. Sasuke stared in shock at the toad that was as large as Gaara's demon form.
"I will protect Kari-chan and Sakura-chan!" Naruto cried. "And Kita-chan too!"
'Uzumaki Naruto… you entertain me greatly' Gaara chuckled in his thoughts.
'My training has finally produced some results dattebayou! Yosh! I can win this!' Naruto thought with confidence.
"What the hell?" Gamabunta said. "You again? What do you want? Oh? That's Shukaku no Suna."
"Boss, fight with me!" Naruto cried with a grin. Gamabunta blew out a puff of smoke from his pipe.
"Iie," he said bluntly.
"EHH?!"
"Why do I have to fight that guy? That's stupid," Gaara scoffed.
"Nande, dattebayou?! You said you would make me your subordinate last time! A boss is supposed to help a subordinate in trouble right?! Isn't that your moral code?!" Naruto screamed repeatedly smacking Gamabunta's head though not doing any damage at all.
"I did say I would make you my subordinate. But we haven't even had a drink yet," Gamabunta said simply.
"That's ridiculous! I'm not even twenty yet! I can't drink alcohol!" Naruto cried.
"Don't say that, please listen to him Otousan!"
"Eh? Otousan?" Naruto repeated looking up at the little toad sitting on his head.
"Why are you here, Gamakichi?" Gamabunta asked.
"I was bored, so I came out here to play," Gamakichi said simply.
"Eh? You're father and son?" Naruto asked.
"Anyway, that guy tried to pick on me!" Gamakichi complained, pointing accusingly at Gaara.
"What did you say?" Gamabunta asked dangerously.
"Then this guy helped me out. He was able to fight that monster equally. This guy is pretty interesting," Gamakichi explained.
"Sou ka…"Gamabunta replied. "Gaki! I officially accept you as my subordinate," the toad boss said as he reached for his blade. "I'll show you how the moral code works in this world." He drew his katana and held it horizontally in front of him. "You're going to pay fro what you did, you flunky!" Twisting his blade so he was holding it to his side Gamabunta charged, sending Naruto flying backwards. "Hold on tight!" He swung his blade and smirked. "Got ya!" he jumped away slicing off Gaara's arm.
"Sugoii…" Naruto whispered. Gamabunta's sword slammed into the ground, the wind slamming through the forest. Kari flew into Sasuke and he held her steady as best he could.
'What a guy… he was so heavy I could barely cut through him with my dagger. I'll need to finish this quickly or the landscape here is going to change…' Gamabunta thought.
"Ano sa, ano sa, boss!" Naruto cried. "Kari-chan and Sakura-chan are over there, so don't go that way! Lure him over here!"
"Sakura-chan?" Gamabunta repeated. "Kari-chan was the winged one who stopped your fall?"
"Hai! I need to defeat him to save them," Naruto cried.
"This is interesting!" Gaara cried. "This is interesting Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara rose out of Shukaku's head.
"Is that the medium?" Gamabunta asked.
"This is the reward for entertaining me… I'll show you the true power of the incarnate of sand!" Gaara cried.
"Those rings under his eyes… The medium must have been possessed by the Shukaku there are symptoms of insomnia showing," Gamabunta said.
"Eh? Fuminshou?" Naruto repeated.
"Those who get possessed by the monster raccoon Shukaku are unable to sleep at night because they are afraid. If they fall asleep, the Shukaku will slowly eat the person's personality and the person will no longer be themselves," Gamabunta explained. "The person cannot sleep most of the time, so the medium's personality tends to becomes unstable. While the medium is awake, the Shukaku's true powers are limited. But… if the medium falls asleep…"
"Tanuki Neiri no jutsu!" Gaara cried, his eyes closing as he fell limp.
"He's done it…"
"What's going to happen, boss?" Naruto asked. "Kari-chan!!" Naruto cried in alarm as he heard a scream pierce the forest.
"Once he finishes the Tanuki Neiri no jutsu, the Shukaku will finish coming out…"
"YATTAAAA! I'm finally out here!" Shukaku roared in delight.
Translations...
Koitsu - he, that guy
Naniwoitte iru no ka - What are you talking about
Anata baka! Watashiha anata wonokoshite I nai n dayo - You idiot! I'm not going to leave you
Watashiha anata no manami shinai yo - I won't leave you
Fuminshou - insomnia
Tanuki Neiri no jutsu - Forced sleep technique
If you're unsure about any other words put it in a review or PM me :)