A/N; I'm SO sorry it took so long!! My social life kind of caught up on me *sweatdrops* my best friend who moved far away has come to stay with his nan so he can come visit us all. And yesterday, the powercuts! There was like 5, 6, 7 of them! (I can watch rated 18+ horror films yet get creeped out by powercuts. I know, I suck -.-) But I had fun playing with candles and matches at 11pm while my dad watched me like I was an idiot. x) Oh well. They were like FIRE. xD xD xD Me likes fire! *Bricked*
According to TV, English and Irish women are the heaviest drinkers in the world? Especially underage? Oops... ^^U
My reviews! I made some poor reviewers cry! Gomen, gomen, gomen! Hugs and cookies to you! Longest review so far goes to Airiin-chan xD Yay for you! I love you too!! xD The last chapter got the best reviews ever and I thought it wasnt that good! ;~; Thank you EVERYONE I loved every single review (don't I always? Nevermind I still loved them!)! Thank you so much! You make me incredibly happy! Thank you to;
xXWolfAngelXx, Madelline Cullen, chi komoriuta, xNocturneX, Sybil Corvax, Ailikarana, xcresentxmoonx, Azura Soul Reaver, xXxAiriinxXx, craizypet, shadow-ninja44, angfnf, 7thDwarf, GuitarGirl1418, and justanothergaarafangurl.
(In order to earliest to newest review).
And thank you to all that reviewed the earlier chapters!! :'D
*Bricked for making the author note too long.*
Disclaimer: I couldn't make Gaara-kun as cute as he is in the manga. Seriously, does no one else think he looks adorable at the moment??! Sadly he and all other Narutotians belong to Masashi Kishimoto-sempai.
Claimer: I own this story, as well as Kari, Kita and all non-Naruto material.
Chapter dedicated to: Kyoto-san (cutiekyoto) because she gave me three amazing pieces of fanart, advises me, motivates me and tells me to update until I do. And most of all, because she's a great friend on here. :)
Kixyuujixyokatsudou
Rescue Mission
She's hardly a damsel in distress,
But she can't do this alone.
-----x-----
"So have you chosen other exceptional people besides me?" Naruto asked as he raced through the street beside Shikamaru, Kita on his other side.
"Aa." Shikamaru led them to a house and started knocking on the door. "Wake up, man."
"You said exceptional, didn't you?" Naruto asked.
"It can't be helped," Shikamaru sighed. He pulled out a bag of potato chips.
"Potato chips?" Naruto asked while Kita sniffed the bag.
"They're BBQ flavour," Shikamaru explained. "You help out too." And so the three of them began munching on the snacks. Shikamaru held the bag upside down and caught the last chip. "He's coming." Clad in pyjamas, Chouji stormed out, grabbing hold of the last chip.
"I won't let another soul have the last potato chip!" Chouji said sternly. Kita giggled while Naruto looked exasperated.
"I've teamed up with Chouji for quite a while. We work well together," Shikamaru explained.
"I understand that, but shouldn't you ask someone like Shino for a mission like this?!" Naruto screeched.
"So damn loud…" Shikamaru sighed. He stopped and looked round at the incoming best, heading for the last potato chip.
"Not good enough!" Chouji cried, ramming it into his mouth. Akamaru flopped down in disappointment.
"Shino isn't here because he's on a special mission with his dad," Kiba explained.
"Oi, don't tell me…" Naruto began.
"Okay, it's decided." Shikamaru said.
"Naaa?!" Naruto whined.
"Arf! Arf!" Akamaru cried happily.
With two new members and a nin dog, they head out to round up more people. Shikamaru quickly explained that Sasuke had left.
"I see, sounds like fun," Kiba said. "Looks like it was well worth getting up early for a walk."
"But Kari went with him to protect him."
"NANI?!" Kiba shrieked. "Why did Kari-chan get mixed up in this?!"
"She'll be there as back up when we arrive, though apparently she's weak from injuries so keep that in mind," Shikamaru said.
"Oi Shikamaru, what about others?" Naruto asked.
"I want to take my time to look around for more, but we're running out of time. If we can't find anyone before we reach the village gate, then this will be it," Shikamaru explained.
-----x-----
"I heard your surgery was a success," Neji said to Lee as they stood outside taking in the fresh air.
"Aa."
"Is it okay for you to come out already?" Neji asked.
"I was told I would be able to do some light training soon," Lee replied.
"Sou ka, Kari will be happy to hear that." He looked down surprised, his sharp eyes catching something interesting. At the bottom of the steps stood Shikamaru, Naruto, Kita, Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru. Neji assisted Lee down the steps and they were told about the mission.
"Sou ka," Neji said. Lee glanced at him. Though his voice was relatively calm, the hardness in his eyes and the slight tightness in his jaw showed that he was upset.
"It's troublesome, but there's nothing bad about having more people," Shikamaru said. Lee looked down depressed.
'At a time like this, I…' Lee thought.
"Lee, you do what you need to do," Neji said. "You know Kari will understand." Lee nodded and walked away from them to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
"Starting tomorrow, I will climb these stairs on my own."
"Lee."
"Daijoubu desu. Please go. Kari-hime needs you," Lee said with a smile.
"Gambatte Lee-kun!" Kita cried.
-----x-----
They arrived at the gates and the guards swung them open.
"Time's up," Shikamaru stated. "At least we have five people."
"Well then!" Naruto cried. "Yosh! Minna, follow me dattebayou!" he cried, punching the air.
"Oi, Naruto. I'm the squad leader you know," Shikamaru pointed out. "It is troublesome though."
"Will it really be alright to let you lead us?" Naruto said sceptically. "You don't seem very reliable."
"Naruto-kun!" Kita scolded, puffing her cheeks out.
"So why are you acting like you're the boss, Naruto?" Kiba asked. "Still, I can't say I'm satisfied being ordered around by Shikamaru, who doesn't seem to be excited about doing this."
"Kiba-kun!" Kita scolded.
"But Shikamaru is a Chuunin now, and Kari-chan is already ahead and can't lead us," Chouji reasoned. "We must follow Shikamaru's orders. Being promoted to Chuunin means that the village head has acknowledged he is a capable leader."
"Hai!" Kita cried in agreement.
"Chotto matte, Kari-chan's a Chuunin?" Naruto said surprised.
"You didn't know?" Kiba asked, a smirk sliding onto his face. Naruto folded his arms and huffed.
"Well, let's get down to it. Tell us your strategies and plans," Neji prompted. "According to what you said, it's highly probable that our enemies could ambush us."
"Think of us as the pursuers, since this is a rescue mission. In other words, it will be easy for the enemy to ambush us. So right now, I want a formation that can react immediately to an enemy attack. If you ignore my orders and go off on your own, we will all die!"
Kiba winced.
"We will move in a single line formation. The most important position of forward scouting will be, you Kiba. You walk Akamaru all the time, so you know the terrain of the fire territory. Also, because you have a good sense of smell, not only can you track Sasuke and Kari, you can also detect booby traps by detecting the enemy's scent. The single line formation is weak against a frontal attack, but you have Akamaru to compensate for this, so it's more efficient to have you up front." Shikamaru explained to Kiba.
"Next is me, the squad leader. Being behind Kiba, I will be able to give orders based on the situations that unfold. Also, I can order the rest of you behind us, with hand signals." He pointed to his hand.
"Next is the centre, third position is Naruto and Kita. You have quick reactions, so you're able to cover the front and back right away. As the centre position you are the important back up man. You've also got Kage Bunshin. You also have Kita to aid you as she has basic skills, and she will also keep an eye on the rest of the squad while also using her senses to pick up anything Kiba might miss, like an attack from the side. She's also fast and small, so is an expert at sneak attacks." Naruto smirked and Kita nodded.
"Now, the fourth position is you, Chouji. You don't have much speed, but you pack the biggest wallop in the squad. Kiba, me and Naruto will be in front of you, and we will use you to finish off the enemy after the surprise attack. Meaning, you're the final blow."
"The last position is you, Neji. I'm going to have you handle the most difficult job as the rear lookout. With Byakugan, you can check to make sure there are no blind spots on the line." Shikamaru knelt down and opened a scroll.
"Listen up, and examine this carefully." He quickly started drawing. "Look at your appointed scouting area depicted in this drawing. Kiba will watch up front. I will also be looking out in front, but with a wider scope. Naruto is left. Kita is above and below and will stay on Naruto's shoulder. Chouji is right. Neji, you use your Byakugan for the entire rear area. Also, I want to know what our current battle strength is. Let me check all of your equipment right now. I'll keep what you have in mind. Any questions?"
'With the members he got in such a short time, he thought of a perfect formation so quickly.' Lee thought in awe.
"If not, let me say one last thing. This is the most important thing. Sasuke isn't a close friend of mine. I don't even like him," Shikamaru said. "But he is the same as us, a shinobi from Konoha no sato. He is our comrade. That is why we will put our lives on the line to help Kari bring him back. This is the way of Konoha. It's damn troublesome, so even for me it's hard to want to do it, but I'm responsible for you all. If anything happens to any of you, well I'll be more scared of Kari's wrath than the Hokage to be honest. Troublesome women."
"Heh, now you sound like a Chuunin," Kiba said.
"I know Kari is important to most of you," Shikamaru said, glancing between Naruto, Neji and Kiba. "She's a good kid, I trust her judgement. When we reach them I don't know whether she'll join us or protect Sasuke. But I'm pretty sure she won't attack us with the intent to harm. If worst comes to worst, knock her out, but do not use any high level attacks. It's reported that she's weak from injury."
Naruto glared at the ground as the scene on the roof of the hospital flashed before his eyes. And then seeing her laying there while Obaachan healed her. He could still remember the feel of her curled close to him. She had been so scared…
"Okaasan is strong!" Kita piped up. "Stop being down, emotions are like colds and spread really quickly. Be happy at the thought we'll be helping Okaasan on her mission!"
"Kita-chan… Has Kari-chan contacted you at all?" Naruto asked. The cub faltered and looked down sadly.
"She only asked that we stay strong, Naruto-kun. That was last night," Kita replied. "And she also expressed that she loved us very much."
Naruto quickly swallowed his tears.
"Well then, as soon as we finish checking our equipment, we leave," Neji said, bringing them back to the mission. "Minna, take out your equipment."
"Kita-chan has a kunai folded in her hitai-ate!" Kita pointed out. They pulled off their pouches and opened them.
"Sasuke wouldn't take that bastards invitation. He doesn't need to do that since he's really strong. I guarantee it."
'Chikusho! Nande, Sasuke?!'
Kita climbed up onto his shoulder, her fur brushing against his cheek.
"Okaasan wouldn't want you to be sad, Naruto-kun…" Kita whispered to him.
"Yosh, let's go," Shikamaru said once the checks were complete.
"Matte!"
"Sakura-chan," Naruto and Kita said with surprise.
"I already heard about it from Hokage-sama. Sorry, but I can't take you on this mission," Shikamaru apologised. "Not even you were able to convince Sasuke, right?" Naruto's eyes widened. "So there's no choice but to use force to persuade him to come back with us. If Kari couldn't talk him around, no one could. Sakura. Your job is done."
"That means… Sakura-chan, did you talk to Sasuke?" Naruto cried. His eyes fell on the dark jacket she clutched tightly.
"I gave that to Kari-chan…" Kiba murmured, his brow furrowing in recognition. Tears ran down the kunoichi's cheeks as she tightened her grip on the jacket.
"Naruto… This is the only favour I will ever ask of you…" she sobbed, the dark fabric absorbing her tears. "Sasuke-kun… bring Sasuke-kun and Kari-chan back." Kita's ears lowered and she sniffled a little. "I couldn't convince him. I couldn't stop him. I'm sure the only ones who can stop him… the only ones who can save him… Naruto, you and Kari-chan! Demo, I don't want Kari-chan to have to suffer to protect him anymore…"
"Sakura-chan…" Kita said sadly. Naruto smiled sadly, but quickly forced some fake cheeriness.
"You really love him, huh?" Naruto asked. "I can understand very well the pain you are going through dattebayou…"
At the academy, the day they were to get their teams and Jounin instructor, Naruto performed a henge transforming into Sasuke. He approached Sakura and took a seat next to her on a bench.
"Sakura, I waned to ask you something."
"Eh?"
"Naruto, what do you think of him?"
"He's become accustomed to interfering with my love. He has fun watching me struggle. Naruto knows nothing about me. He's just annoying."
"I know Kari-chan hurts too. She came to me last night not long before she must have left…" Naruto said softly, his expression becoming sad and gentle. "I've never seen such an expression of pain…" He smiled. "But I believe in her, and so should you Sakura-chan."
"Naruto… arigatou…" Sakura sobbed hugging the jacket close to her chest.
"I will bring Sasuke and Kari-chan back for sure!" Naruto said with a large smile, his thumb up confidently. "This is a promise of a lifetime, dattebayou!"
'You always understood me. You always helped me. Naruto!'
"Oi, oi, Naruto. You sure you're okay saying that? Kari-chan's pretty serious when it comes to promises!" Kiba said.
"Hmph! I don't go back on my words!" Naruto cried confidently. "That's my way of the ninja!"
"Mine too! Mine too!" Kita cried.
"Yosh! Let's get going, dattebayou!" Naruto cheered as he punched the air.
"We just lost some time, let's hurry," Shikamaru said.
"Hai!" Naruto cried as they turned, walking in a horizontal line out of the gates.
'Kari-chan, you always try so hard to protect those you care about without once thinking of yourself. You don't have to do this alone Ookami-nee. I'm coming, dattebayou!'
Sakura looked up, tears slightly clouding her vision as she watched their backs.
"Naruto-kun said it with the 'nice guy' pose," Lee said softly. "Everything is fine now. It will be alright. No doubt about it."
-----x-----
Kari had been silent most of their journey. Her tears had long since stopped, but the blood stains remained, dried to her cheeks. Her eyes were blank and the hand Sasuke held had gone cold, the hold loose. His coal eyes flicked back to her but she was staring at the grass seemingly in her own world.
"Around her is good, Sasuke-sama. We have left Konoha no sato," Sakon said as the sound four came to a stop. Kari's growl immediately sounded and she turned pressing her back against Sasuke's, red tinted eyes glancing between the four of them. Her grip had immediately tightened on his hand and her tension unsettled him slightly.
"Nan de?" Sasuke asked irritated feeling Kari's back muscles tense against his own.
"There is something important Orochimaru-sama ordered us to do," Sakon continued and Kari hissed, pupils thinning.
"So I'm asking, what is this about?" Sasuke stated, tugging on her hand. Her hissing eased but the threat was still there, plain in her ruby eyes. The leaves unsettled from their place in the trees as the wind whispered a warning. Orochimaru's subordinates chuckled darkly and Sasuke felt the static charge of Kari's Chakra flaring.
"You must both die once."
-----x-----
They had gone into the single line formation, racing through the trees.
'Sasuke…' Naruto thought worriedly. He felt an odd lurch in his chest as his heart skipped a beat. 'Kari-chan…' His hand touched his chest, where Tsunade's necklace lay hidden beneath his jacket. 'Stay strong ookami-nee.'
-----x-----
"Die once?" Sasuke repeated, holding tight to her hand to stop her from unsheathing her katana. She was silent, but the tremors in her body worried him. His eyes narrowed as Sakon pulled out a container.
"This is a mind drug, you both need to take it."
'Did you hear that my ko? They're going to throw you back into my darkness…' Kumouri's tone always seemed to be that sickening coo when speaking to her, but still it sent horrid shivers down her spine. Kari could feel her heart rate escalate quickly. 'Do you want to go back into my world, hmm? Perhaps this time you'll see the true horrors of what haunts the souls tainted by darkness…'
"Mind drug?" Sasuke repeated. He could feel her back into him more as the fur on her tail went static. "What is that?"
'You don't like it when people mess with you mind do you?'
'Kumouri, please, leave the poor child be.'
'Silence kitsune!' the dog snarled.
"Your seal levels are Stage One," Tayuya said. "That pill will forcefully awaken Stage Two."
"However, when you reach Stage Two, the speed the seal spreads will increase rapidly. If you're left like that you will die immediately. So in order to control Stage Two, a lot of time is needed to control it. That way, you'll be able to obtain power equal to ours," Sakon explained. "But… After it awakens, it will only take a few minutes for you both to die."
"What will happen after I die?" Sasuke asked and gripped Kari's hand at the flinch he felt from her.
"Don't worry, that's what we're here for," Sakon said beginning to walk forwards. Kari's Chakra flared sharply and he paused.
"Kari..." Sasuke warned. "Her body rejects the seal, what will happen to her?"
"Orochimaru-sama advised for her to take three at once to overpower her demonic Chakra. However, there's a high chance she won't make it," Sakon said, placing the pills in Sasuke's free hand. Sasuke felt his heart go cold. "With our barrier technique we will reduce the side effects. We can soften the eternal death into an apparent death."
"Can we trust your barrier technique?" Sasuke asked.
"Sasuke-sama. We are normally Orochimaru-sama's guards. Barrier or protective wall techniques, cursed seals and sealing techniques are our speciality," Kidoumaru said confidently. Kari shivered slightly remembering his arachnid characteristics.
'I…' Sasuke thought as he pulled off the lid of the small jar. 'I can't die yet, no matter what…'
"Sasuke," Kari mumbled and his attention immediately turned to her. "I've got a being of death bound to my soul, I won't let you die." She released his hand and he let four tiny pills slide into his palm.
"You four though…" she trailed off and a smirk came to her face.
"Here," Sasuke said, tipping three into her hand. "You have to take these all together."
'Don't you dare put those inside you!'
White hot pain shot through her, but she ignored it.
'I have to… For Sasuke… For everyone… I have to protect him…'
'NO!' Kumouri roared her chains crashing together.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly, his brows furrowing in concern. "You might…"
"I won't die," she said her voice monotonous.
"Together," he said, grasping her free hand tightly. She looked at the three tiny pills in her palm and smiled slightly.
'Somehow I know, this is gonna sting like a bitch.'
"Sasu. You still owe me pocky you tori-atama," she said softly.
'You had better live too baka,' Sasuke though with a weak smirk, seeing the hidden meaning immediately.
He squeezed her hand and they tilted their heads back, dropping the pills into their mouths.
-----x-----
Naruto's eyes widened when he felt a pang in his chest.
'Kari-chan, what's happening to you? Why does it feel as though something bad will happen?'
"Naruto-kun?" Kita whispered and his azure eye's immediately snapped to her. "Okaasan will be okay, right?"
"We're talking about Kari-chan here," Naruto said softly. Those baby blue eyes tugged at his heart and he managed a shaky smile. "Kari-chan will be Kari-chan."
"Hai, Okaasan will be okay because she won't want you to be worried or upset," Kita said with a nod.
'I hope you're right Kita-chan…'
-----x-----
Sasuke's eyes widened and he pulled her to him tightly, crushing her against his chest. She felt the vibrations of her knees hitting the ground, yet couldn't feel the impact. There was too much pain! Her hands grasped the back of his shirt as she felt her organs constrict and mouth fill with blood. Her eyes burned and her head span from the unexplainable pain. Their was blood coming out of her nose, ears and eyes and she felt her lungs close off, refusing to allow any more air.
"If you guys don't hurry up, they'll go crazy," Sakon said pulling out a scroll.
She couldn't tell if she was hot or cold but she couldn't stop shaking. Sasuke seemed to fall limp and she pulled him closer, his head on her shoulder and his arms now loose around her. One hand clutched his hair while the other tightened around his back. She was loosing her sense of touch as everything went black.
'Sasuke… Naruto… Gomenasai.'
Her shudders stopped and she became still. Jiroubou stepped forward and lifted them as Sakon summoned what seemed to be a barrel from the scroll. They were lowered into it.
"Get into position. Start!" Sakon cried as they all clapped their hands together before stretching their arms out, purple Chakra surrounding their hands. It formed into a dark cloud above the barrel, growing larger and larger. What seemed to be red lightning flashed across the cloud and a horrid beastlike sound seemed to echo all around them. Ignoring it, they thrust their hands down and the cloud spiralled into the barrel.
"Shikokumujin!" A lid slammed down on the top. Sakon pulled out some paper and bit his thumb, writing seals in blood. Once done he threw them at the barrel and clapped his hands together.
"Fuukoku Houin!" The seals stuck the lid down. "Yosh, the first part is finished."
"Do you think it was a good idea to let her have three pills?" Kidoumaru asked uncertain.
"They're Orochimaru-sama's orders," Sakon said simply, rolling up the scroll. "Seeing the way she reacted, the kid'll be lucky if she dies."
-----x-----
"I'm tired," a Jounin sighed, sitting on a tree root.
"I didn't think the missions would last this long," another agreed.
"Shh!" Genma said as he heard a noise. "I'll go check it out. Raidou, let's go."
"Hai."
-----x-----
The Sound four started to walk again, Jiroubou carrying the barrel strapped to his back.
"Ugh, looks like things are going to become troublesome," Sakon grumbled coming to a stop.
"One?" Tayuya said. "No, two."
"Here they come!" Kidoumaru cried.
Two Konoha Jounin landed in front of them.
"You're Orochimaru's…!" Raidou cried, remembering them from the Chuunin finals.
"From your direction, looks like you guys are on your way back from Konoha no sato," Genma evaluated. His eyes roamed over to Jiroubou. "What's in the barrel?"
"Fighting against two Jounins… Might be a little tough," Kidoumaru said smirking as he activated his cursemark. The others did the same allowing the markings to cover their faces and half their bodies.
'Every one of them has the cursed seal, huh?' Genma thought.
"Nothing to say, eh?" Raidou asked. "We are completely different since that surprise attack."
"Urusai, trash. Just die," Tayuya said.
"Don't underestimate Konoha shinobi, you toys of Orochimaru."
A kunai appeared in Sakon's hand and he rushed forward, Genma heading towards him. He threw the kunai but it was deflected by the senbon Genma spat out of his mouth. With that, the battle began.
-----x-----
"They're both late," Shizune said worriedly, standing beside the last member of their group.
"What should we do, Shizune-san?"
"Let's go."
"Hai."
-----x-----
Akamaru whined.
"Shikamaru," Kiba said glancing back. Kita looked up sniffing the air.
"Doushita?" Shikamaru asked.
"Nearby… I smell blood," Kiba said looking forward.
-----x-----
"This is…"
Shizune's eyes widened, taking in the torn up trees, the wounded ground and her injured comrades lying limp, a variety of ninja tools sticking out of their bodies.
"Raidou! Genma!" Shizune cried racing over to them. She pressed her ear against Genma's chest listening carefully to his heart.
Thud-thud, thud-thud, thud… thud… thud…
"This is bad!" Shizune cried laying Genma on his back. She concentrated and her hands glowed green with healing Chakra.
"I can't believe these two lost…"
Once finished with Genma, Shizune rushed to Raidou.
'I can only do emergency care here.'
"Shizune-san. I'm going after them."
"No!"
"Sh-Shikashi…"
"Matte, Iwashi…" Genma murmured. "That technique isn't a ninja move… If you go after them alone, you'll die."
"Genma," Shizune said. "Don't talk."
-----x-----
"Two different scents collided with the six of them, including Sasuke and Kari-chan's," Kiba explained as they raced forward. "The six of them are getting farther away from the other two. What should we do?"
"Yappari de, so there are people guiding them," Shikamaru said. 'This has become troublesome.'
"Who cares? Let's just hurry up and go after Sasuke and Kari-chan, dattebayou!" Naruto said.
"Urusai yo, Naruto!" Kiba said. "Shikamaru is the only one to decide that, stop acting like the boss."
"Shikamaru?" Chouji prompted.
"If they smell like blood that means there was probably a battle. If we go there, we may find out some things. But we can't go in carelessly so we'll change to scouting position, and close in by walking in slowly," Shikamaru explained.
"If we go there, Sasuke and Kari will cross the border and be out of Fire territory," Neji pointed out.
"What are we going to do Shikamaru?!" Naruto cried.
"Yosh, let's go after Sasuke and Kari," Shikamaru decided.
"Yosha, that's more like it!" Naruto cried. Kita felt relieved, but couldn't help that heavy feeling of dread sitting in the pit of her stomach.
"However, if there was a battle it means that they're on alert. They will definitely be expecting pursuers. In other words, there is a high possibility we will encounter traps and ambushes. Listen; keep your eyes and ears open. We need to find them before we get ambushed first. Also, if you find anything suspicious, don't just dodge it, interpret it," Shikamaru instructed. "Kita, can you get any contact from Kari?"
The wolf concentrated but her ears lowered and she shook her head. "Iie."
"Yosha. Once we find them I'll beat them up with my new move dattebayou!" Naruto cried. But despite his confidence he felt unsettled. Kari never ignored Kita when she tried to contact her. Kita's confidence seemed to have dropped and she now seemed anxious because of this. Naruto shook his head and just reasoned she was probably upset, and didn't want to worry the cub.
'Naruto is coming up with new moves every time I see him. Tch! Just when I thought I caught up to him. It must be from having Kari-chan as an official team-mate.' Kiba thought. Akamaru's nose twitched and he whined.
"Oi! The enemy's scent is all over the place!" Kiba cried in alarm.
"Minna, stop!" Shikamaru shouted. They all landed on a branch.
"Up!" Kita pointed out.
"Explosive seals," Neji confirmed. "There are five total, the formation is a barrier seal."
"Barrier seal?" Chouji repeated.
"It's a form of a trap Ninjutsu," Shikamaru explained. "Seal traps are activated when the enemy is inside the surrounded area. It's a high class Ninjutsu; it was in a book my dad made me read."
"Tch! We'll have to go round it," Kiba said.
-----x-----
Lee looked up at the high set of stairs in front of him.
"Lee, you do what you need to do."
Oh how he wanted to go with them! He wanted to help his apprentice, his comrades. He wanted to be of use… Placing his crutch against the wall, he decided to start working on his promise. Grabbing hold of the stair rail he went to stand on the first step.
"Lee! You can't do that yet!"
"Godaime-sama," Lee said looking around to see Tsunade.
"I know that you're a reckless one, but you just got out of surgery. What are you planning to do, rushing it so much?" She turned and picked up his crutch.
"I want to train as soon as possible…" Lee said softly, his hand shaking. "So that… So that…"
"Making your body stronger isn't the only form of training. Don't you agree?" Tsunade asked. "Ninja are fighters who are able to get through any kind of situation. I understand how you feel, but think of this as another form of training."
"Training?"
"If you push yourself too much and injure yourself again…" she pulled a bottle out of her coat.
"What is this?" Lee asked.
"It's a medicine I mixed up," Tsunade said smiling. "Drink this and get better Lee."
"Okay!" he cried saluting.
"Now, let's go."
"Hai!"
-----x-----
"Damn this path is full of traps," Kiba sighed stepping over the wires.
"Aa, but the enemy must not have much time, you can detect these traps fairly easily."
"Oi, oi, Naruto. There are wires at your feet, don't get caught by them," Kiba warned. Seeing this as a good training opportunity, Kita was on the floor to avoid the traps herself, stepping carefully over each wire.
"Wakata dattebayou," Naruto grumbled about to step on a wire.
"Matte, Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted and Naruto felt his body freeze mid-step.
"Kage mane no jutsu…" Shikamaru said, holding Chouji's scarf to keep himself balanced. "Made it just in time…" Kita jumped up Neji's back and landed on top of the Hyuuga's head.
"Oh! Kita-chan can see the wire!" Kita cried.
"Naruto! I told you to be careful!" Kiba scolded as Shikamaru managed to get Naruto to safety.
"One of the wires is easy to see from the sunlight," Shikamaru pointed out. "But the other one is camouflaged in green."
"It's difficult to see with the naked eye. It's a double trap," Neji stated.
"It seems like they're in a hurry, but it's a rather well made trap. Meaning…"
"They're resting. They must be injured." Neji finished. "Or is it a trap? Byakugan!" he activated his Byakugan and suddenly everything was blue and white. He extended his sight and finally spotted them. "I've found them."
"Yosha, Yosha! We will bring Sasuke and Kari-chan back for sure!" Naruto cried.
"Naruto. Sorry, but I'll be showing my new move this time," Kiba said.
"Me too," Chouji added.
"Don't rush it," Shikamaru said. "Once my strategy is prepared, we will make contact with our target!"
-----x-----
The four sound ninja's breathed heavily, leaning against trees. Tayuya chose to sit on the barrel instead.
"Tch, we're in a hurry but we have to rest," Sakon scoffed.
"It couldn't be helped," Tayuya said. "If we fight in Stage Two, we consume a lot of energy."
"What's bad is that we can't use our bodies for a while," Jiroubou said.
"It couldn't be helped, fighting against two Jounins," Kidoumaru added. "If we held back, we would have lost."
-----x-----
"Kiba. for that, don't have your timing off on the smoke bomb," Shikamaru said.
"Aa."
"Now then, let's split up," Shikamaru said.
-----x-----
They moved closer, getting within around twenty feet of the enemy.
"Looks like they haven't noticed yet," Shikamaru murmured, peering between the leaves of a bush. "Huh? I don't see Sasuke or Kari."
"Looks like they're in that barrel," Neji said, his Byakugan activated.
"Both of them?" Shikamaru asked.
"Aa. Demo, Kari doesn't particularly like being forced into enclosed spaces," Neji said, his expression becoming slightly tighter. She always did fight back more viciously when she was backed into a corner.
"Are they dead?" Shikamaru asked.
"There's a barrier around the barrel. I can't see through it," Neji said sharpening his Byakugan. "Since they want Sasuke and Kari, they wouldn't kill them."
"That's true."
"However, it unsettles me that she's in the barrel to begin with and even more so that it isn't being obliterated from the inside. She should have sensed our Chakra and tried to send us a sign of some sort."
"You think she's hurt?" Shikamaru asked.
"I doubt she's conscious."
Shikamaru gasped when a kunai flew directly at them, exploding tags attached to the handle. The jumped away but the explosion was too large. They skidded forward, stopping a foot or so away from the enemy sound ninja.
"What's this? I just tried throwing a knife around and found two bugs instead of a snake," Sakon mocked.
"Hold on. Wait!"Shikamaru cried jumping to his feet and holding his hands out in front of him. "We didn't come here to fight. We just came to negotiate."
"Tch, then what are these?!" Kidoumaru cried pulling Shikamaru, Naruto and Chouji out by a string. Kiba smirked, a smoke bomb held tightly in his hand. He threw it to the ground covering them in violet smoke. "And what's the meaning of this smoke bomb? There's no way you can get away from me. These strings are thinner, yet stronger than wires, so you can barely see them. My strings are laid all round the area."
"K'so," Kiba hissed as the three of them laid on their backs.
"Ite-e, ite-e, ite-e…" Naruto whined.
"The two wire traps were set like that on purpose," Shikamaru said in surprise. "So it was a simple trap, you got me. Heh, I didn't think you had someone with such a technique." But then he realised. 'Yappari. They didn't catch Kita…'
"I'll get you guys… Nan de? My body…" Kidoumaru said.
"Nice, dattebayou! Kiba, Shikamaru!" Naruto cried. "Kage mane no jutsu, successful!" Shikamaru's shadow had managed to catch all four of theirs.
"But I have this attack. Thanks for letting everything go according to my plan." Shikamaru smirked.
"You got me," Sakon said simply. "But I still have this technique."
From her position in the trees Kita's eyes widened. 'The thing on his back is gone!' "Shikamaru! Behind!" she cried in alarm, her ears picking up the attack.
"Nani?" Shikamaru cried, turning and getting three shuriken in his arm. Having given away her position, Kita joined the Konoha nin, no longer safe with the enemy in the forest that no doubt knew where she was. Te orange-haired oto giant smirked when his shadow was released.
"Doton Kekkai." He slammed his hands into the ground and the earth shattered, like an earthquake heading straight for them. "Doro Doumo!" The mud circled and surrounding them, quickly becoming taller and setting into a dome, trapping them in place.
"K'so…" Shikamaru cursed.
"Where are we?" Neji asked.
"We're inside that big guys barrier," Shikamaru replied.
"Ne, ne, I don't like it in here," Kita said pressing her front paws against the wall.
"I got these kids," Jiroubou said simply as Sakon returned to normal. "Let me recover some."
"Hmph! Once you've finished eating, catch up with us," Sakon said.
"We'll go on ahead," Kidoumaru said as he picked up the barrel. "Here we go!"
"Hurry it up, then catch up," Sakon said looking back while Kidoumaru and Tayuya started walking ahead.
"K'so! Let us out! Chikusho!!" Naruto shouted, pounding on the mud wall.
"Urusai, Naruto," Kiba said irritated.
"From observation alone, it's a wall made of soil," Neji said.
"It's one of their techniques," Shikamaru agreed. "There's most likely some kind of trick to it."
"Heh. I don't know what it is, but all we have to do is break through the wall, right?" Kiba asked.
"Making moves carelessly is dangerous, but it seems like if we don't do anything it will be even more dangerous," Shikamaru said.
"Tsuuga!" Kiba cried jumping up and beginning to spin, ramming into the mud wall and drilling into it. He jumped down, only to see the dent he had made fill in as though it was never there. "Oi…" Kiba said pointing at the wall.
"I saw it."
"LET US OUT!!" Naruto shrieked while Kiba whined and started clawing at the wall panting.
"Ne, Kita-chan doesn't feel so good…" Kita said as she continued to claw at the wall.
"So it really isn't just an ordinary wall made of soil," Neji stated. "Byakugan!" His eyes focused. "Th-this is…"
"What is it?"
"What's wrong?"
"This is bad," Neji said looking at his hands. "Our Chakra is being sucked out."
"I didn't think they would just leave us trapped inside the barrier, but I didn't think they'd be sucking out our Chakra," Kiba said.
"Oh, hell no! Hurry up and let us out!!" Naruto shouted.
'I'm consuming quite a bit of Chakra…' Jiroubou thought with a smirk. 'Thank you for the meal.'
Inside the dome everyone had sunk to either backsides or knees, no longer having the strength to stand. Kita seemed to be doing worst of all, her breathing laboured as she sprawled out, unable to even sit up.
"I feel like I'm weakening dattebayou…" Naruto said pulling Kita up into his lap.
"Things don't look good if this continues Shikamaru…" Neji informed the leader. "Kita could be dead within half an hour at most."
'I was careless to get us caught before finding out the enemy's abilities. On top of that in here…' Shikamaru thought.
"K'so, it can't be helped. I'll make an air hole before all my Chakra is gone," Kiba said. "Akamaru!" Akamaru stood and yipped as Kiba held out a food pill to him. "Here's a hyourou again." Akamaru's fur immediately bristled and turned red as a deep growl came from him. Kiba smirked swallowing a food pill of his own. "Akamaru! Mimic technique!" 'And I'll use my beast technique!' Akamaru transformed into Kiba as Kiba became more wild. "Gatsuuga!!" The two of them span rapidly, smacking into the walls like drills.
"Yosh! Good, Kiba!" Naruto cried.
"It's useless," Jiroubou scoffed.
Finally they stopped, Akamaru returning to normal. All the dents that Kiba and Akamaru had created smoothed over as if they were never there.
"K'so, all the damage I caused is being repaired," Kiba panted while Shikamaru finished tying a bandage around his wounded arm. "Same with the ground. We won't last ten minutes at this rate. We'll lose all our Chakra."
Naruto tried to form a Rasengan, but it was too weak and wouldn't form. 'In this place where Chakra is being sucked out and is difficult to control, there's no way I can use Rasengan. Maybe if Kari-chan was here I could, but…'
"Kuso!" Naruto shouted. Neji had taken over looking after Kita for the moment, using soft nudges to keep her awake.
"Oi, listen to me," Shikamaru ordered. "I want to speak to your leader. We won't pursue Sasuke or Kari anymore. So let us out."
"Oi…" Kiba said.
"Shikamaru? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked.
"Begging for your life? How interesting," Jiroubou chuckled. "However, you guys are my meal. There's no way I'd let you guys out."
"Then just one is enough. Just let me out," Shikamaru said simply. "This fight… Is too troublesome."
"Temee! Do you have any idea what you're saying?!" Kiba cried.
"Urusai, Kiba. Be quiet," Shikamaru commanded without turning to look at him.
"Nan da to?!"
"Fighting amongst yourselves?" Jiroubou asked with a deep laugh. "Looks like you're the leader. Yet you're the only one to beg for your life. When humans are placed in a dangerous position their true nature is revealed. Fools like you don't deserve to have responsibility for watching out for the lives of your squad. What a fine piece of shit you are."
"Let me say one thing. This is the most important thing." Chouji remembered gritting his teeth.
"You would abandon Sasuke and Kari and sell out your comrades?Is that how Konoha's Chuunin are?"
"Sasuke is the same of us, a ninja from Konohagakure no sato. He is our comrade. That is why we will put our lives on the line to help Kari bring him back. This is the way of Konoha."
"People like you should die. I'm not going to let you out."
"Shikamaru! I trusted you! I've lost my faith in you now! Step outside!" Naruto cried.
"We can't baka, that's why we're arguing," Kiba said matter-of-factly.
"What do you mean 'baka'?!"
"It's just the truth, baka!"
"You said 'baka' again!" Naruto cried grabbing Kiba into a headlock.
"Don't… Please don't… fight…" Kita panted.
"Minna, listen to Kita-chan and shut up for a bit!" Chouji said angrily.
"Chouji?" Naruto said surprised, releasing Kiba and looking around at the usually good-natured boy. Shikamaru sat, his hands forming the familiar circle as he began to think.
"Now he's speechless, dattebayou," Naruto scoffed. "Sheesh. What is he thinking?" Chouji opened a bag of chips and began rapidly stuffing the snacks in his mouth. "Oi! Why are you eating snacks right now?!"
"When Chouji gets pissed he starts eating like crazy. Sheesh, he's also useless," Kiba said.
"Stop it…" Kita pleaded.
"It can't be helped, I've got to use Kage Bunshin now," Naruto said.
"Don't," Neji interrupted. "The wall is too heavily shielded by the enemy's Chakra. Even if you damage it a little, the wall will be repaired immediately. Meaning, we must have an explosive Taijutsu attack in order to break through the wall in one shot. Otherwise there's no point in trying."
"An explosive attack that's more damaging than mine would be Chouji's," Kiba replied. "But like that…"
"K'so. What should we do? What would Kari-chan do?" Naruto asked.
"Kari would go on a frenzy and attempt to break through the wall with her 'Meiken' style attacks as Gai-sensei likes to call it. Called Meiken because it was apparently her 'destiny' to create such a style and 'dansuken' did not sound 'youthful' enough. She would attack the whole perimeter constantly and eventually would probably pass out from overexertion," Neji stated.
(A/N; I never explained the meaning of 'Meiken'! Mei means life, destiny in this case. Gai was secretly linking it to Neji too, what with the young Hyuuga's destiny talks. Neji wanted to call it Hayaiken 'fast fist/quick fist' or Keiken 'Strong fist' but Gai, of course, youthfully won.)
"Neji. Gomen, but with the last of your Chakra, can you carefully observe the wall behind you and Chouji." Shikamaru asked.
"Shikamaru! Urusai!" Naruto said.
"Yamero! Okaasan won't want you to fight!" Kita shouted.
"Naruto! You still don't get it?!" Chouji cried angrily. "Remember what Shikamaru said when he gathered us!"
"It's damn troublesome, so even for me it's hard to want to do it, but I'm responsible for you all."
"Chouji. From here on, don't speak too loudly," Shikamaru instructed as he got to his feet. "Kiba, could you hit the wall behind Neji and Chouji again?"
"Mm," he agreed. "I don't know what you want but I'll go wild again! Tsuuga!" he cried jumping up and drilling into the wall.
"Heh, no matter how much you try it's useless," Jiroubou said. Kiba jumped down and Neji scanned the wall with it's Byakugan.
"Sou ka. There!" Neji said.
"Neji, throw your kunai as a marker," Shikamaru instructed. "Chouji, are you ready?"
"Okay. Any time," Chouji said confidently.
"Yosh. Let's get this going, then," Shikamaru said.
"Ne, what's going on?" Naruto asked picking Kita up and setting her on his shoulder.
"As I said earlier, Chakra is on every surface of this wall. But even for such a wall, there is a possibility that there is a low concentration of Chakra somewhere. That's what Shikamaru guessed," Neji explained.
"How? How can you know that?" Naruto asked confused.
"'Tis logic Naruto-kun," Kita said simply.
"Remember what happened earlier? When Kiba and Akamaru attacked the surface of the wall, there were fast repairing areas and slow repairing areas and Shikamaru noticed them." Neji threw his kunai into a slower repairing area. "So, he thought that slower repairing spots meant there was a lower concentration of Chakra there. Then Shikamaru spoke to the enemy, in order to confirm his location on the outside. Why? Because he assumed the wall furthest away from the enemy is the place with the lowest concentration of Chakra. And he wanted to confirm that. Isn't that right?"
Shikamaru smirked in confirmation.
'I see. In order to trick the enemy he had to trick his comrades first. Damn… I didn't notice such a plan behind all that talk.' Kiba thought to himself.
'But that means Chouji noticed the plan and ate like crazy to recover his Chakra.' Naruto realised.
'So this means that these two haven't been teaming up together for so long for nothing.' Kiba thought.
"I'm counting on you, Chouji," Shikamaru said.
"Baika no jutsu!" Chouji cried, his body expanding. "Yosh! Here I go!" His arms, legs and head disappeared creating a perfect sphere. "Nikudan Sensha!" He cried spinning into the wall. "Roll, roll roll, roll, roll, roll, roll!!" He kept pushing and pushing. "Roll roll, roll, roll, roll, roll, ROLL!!!" he cried as he burst through the mud barrier.
"What?!" Jiroubou cried.
They wasted no time jumping out, Kita jumping on Chouji's shoulder and rubbing her head against his cheek happily praising him.
"Chouji." Shikamaru said as the mud barrier caved in. "You really are the best."
Chouji grinned.