I'm really sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I had aimed to get it out earlier too… Then I got hit by a couple of other muses.
I know it seemed like Minato may not have been up to par in the last chapter but I really didn't want Orochimaru to get an inkling of his existence just yet. I'm saving their epic battle for a later date. This was more for Naruto getting to go against a shinobi he wasn't yet ready to face just yet.
Also, I'm kind of interested in trying out different prompts, for one shots or otherwise, so if there's anything you guys would like to read, feel free to give suggestions.
Disclaimer: I think we all know the drill by now.
Chapter Seventeen: Separated
Sakura was more than a little stressed as she guarded her two unconscious teammates.
Orochimaru's attack had been utterly devastating.
Not only had he knocked Naruto out, but he destroyed their scroll and gave Sasuke a strange seal.
Sakura shivered as she remembered the Sannin and his words. He was wrong… Sasuke would never betray them. She was certain of it.
'Naruto… Sasuke… please wake up,' she prayed. 'I can't hold off every enemy all by myself.'
"We've already got both scrolls, Daichi. Why don't we just head to the tower?" Osamu asked the other boy.
"I want to see how Izou-kun is doing," Daichi responded.
"You're growing to be too obsessed with him," Michiru said. "There's no guarantee that he's the son of the Yondaime Hokage."
"He is," Daichi insisted. "I can feel it in my gut. Uzumaki Naruto is the son of that bastard who killed my father."
"You never got to know your father," Osamu shot back. "Why are you so determined to get revenge?"
"If it wasn't for Namikaze, I wouldn't be an orphan," Daichi declared hotly. His mother had just finished giving birth to him when the news of his father's death reached her. The shock proved to be too great for her and she passed away soon afterwards.
The sixteen-year old boy had lived a harsh life within one of Iwa's many orphanages… at least, until Kougyoku Jin adopted him.
The Jounin proceeded to fashion Daichi into a perfect tool, feeding his grudge against the Yondaime Hokage for his own purposes.
"The Yondaime Hokage stole my future," Daichi scowled. "So I will steal his. I won't just kill his son… I'll completely destroy him."
Michiru and Osamu looked at each other, eyeing their teammate in worry. It wasn't a big deal that Daichi hated Namikaze Minato. Everyone in Iwa did. However, the strength of his vendetta was a little alarming.
Daichi was about to speak more when they came across an area of the forest that looked like it had been utterly destroyed.
"Whoever fought here is definitely stronger than a Genin," Osamu mused. No Genin could have caused this much destruction.
"I wonder what happened?" Michiru pondered.
"Who cares? It's no concern to us," Daichi said dismissively.
He would have just walked on but he noticed something glinting in a nearby bush. Investigating it, he unearthed a certain three-pronged kunai.
A malicious smirk flashed across his face. "Well, what do we have here?"
"Mou… nobody takes us seriously," Ino complained after Team Ten had come face to face with Neji.
"I wonder why…" Shikamaru muttered under his breath, earning a smack upside his head.
"Don't be a sourpuss just because you got into an argument with your wife," Ino exclaimed with a huff. "Not that I can blame you. Naruto was very rude."
"I pressed him too hard," Shikamaru replied. "It wasn't his fault."
"How were you even able to notice that he was upset anyways? He certainly didn't act like it," Ino commented.
"Naruto's good at hiding things," Shikamaru remarked, getting a strange look from Ino.
"Uzumaki Naruto? Are you sure we're talking about the same guy?" Ino asked incredulously.
"What other Naruto do we know, Ino?" Shikamaru shot back. "You can't deny it. He's hiding a lot behind that smile of his. If you opened your eyes, you would see he's one of the biggest mysteries in all of Konoha."
"It must be a big one if it makes you want to unravel it, Shikamaru," Chouji stated with an amused smile.
Shikamaru just smirked but then frowned as he heard a commotion coming from nearby.
"I wonder what's going on?" Ino wondered.
"Let's check it out," Shikamaru said and they went to investigate.
They came across the scene of Sakura trying to fend off the three Oto nin.
An injured Rock Lee lay nearby and in the cover of a tree lay and unconscious Sasuke and…
Shikamaru's heart leapt in his throat at the sight of his pale paramour. He looked so vulnerable…
Shikamaru wondered what could have taken the blonde down.
'This is what I was worried about. His guardian could have protected him,' the lazy genius thought to himself, not knowing that Naruto had already made amends with his father.
Looking back, he saw a strange look on Ino's face as she watched Sakura fight so hard to defend her teammates. He knew what she was thinking.
"We have to help them," she said and Shikamaru was more than inclined to agree.
If Naruto's angel wasn't there to protect him, he would be.
/ 'Where am I?' Naruto thought to himself, finding that he was standing in a large white, empty space. 'The last thing I remember is Orochimaru hitting me in the stomach.'
There was a sudden breeze and Naruto realized he was no longer alone.
He turned and saw Minato standing there, looking away from him.
Naruto sighed in relief, recalling how the Yondaime had disappeared right before he lost consciousness.
"I'm glad you're here, Tou-san. You really scared me, vanishing like that…" Naruto spoke aloud, only to be met with silence. "Tou-san?" he called out again, this time in trepidation.
Again, Naruto was ignored. Minato didn't even turn to him.
'What's going on?' Naruto thought to himself, worried. 'Why won't he answer me?' He was starting to get the feeling that something was very wrong.
His heart leapt in his throat when he saw Minato begin to walk… away from him.
"Where are you going?" Naruto queried, running after him. The Yondaime Hokage didn't acknowledge him, causing Naruto to grow more distressed.
Naruto didn't like this. Something told him that if he let his father walk away, he would never see him again.
'Don't go…' he thought in desperation. "DON'T GO!" he yelled, reaching out with a hand as he chased after the older man. Just as he was about to grab onto Minato's cloak, the older man vanished, almost as if he had never been there.
Naruto was left standing there frozen in complete disbelief.
'I didn't imagine it… Tou-san is gone…' Naruto realized with growing horror and grief. 'He's gone…'/
'How did things turn out like this?' Shikamaru thought as he watched Sasuke beat the Oto nin that had been giving them trouble so easily.
His brutality was startling. Shikamaru wondered why the girls liked someone who was so utterly ruthless. He was like a demon.
The Oto nin were begging for mercy and Sakura was about to try to reason with Sasuke when Naruto woke up.
It was far from peacefully.
He woke up, screaming.
Shikamaru only got a glimpse of Naruto's tear-filled, heartbroken blue eyes before Naruto's chakra went absolutely nuts, producing hurricane force winds.
The chakra was wild and completely out of control, unlike Naruto's normal wind chakra, or even the guardian's.
They had never seen Naruto so upset before… thought that was only a side thought as they fought to keep grounded in the face of such strong winds.
Dosu, Kin and Zaku, who were already so beat up, took an extra beating from the winds, having not been able to protect themselves. They were quick to flee.
'We have to calm him down before he exhausts himself or hurts anyone else,' Shikamaru thought, mind whirring as he tried to find a solution to their current predicament.
Coating his body with his own wind chakra to protect himself, Shikamaru started walking towards Naruto.
"What are you doing?" TenTen asked as she and Neji shielded their injured teammate.
Shikamaru chose not to respond as he was completely focused on the blonde Jinchuuriki.
"He's crazy…" Neji muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Ino.
"He's trying to help," she defended her teammate. She had complete faith in the lazy Genin.
Shikamaru reached Naruto and pulled him into his arms, swallowing Naruto's cry as he pressed his lips against the blonde's.
All around them, the other Genin began to blush at seeing the public display of affection.
"Oh yeah, he's definitely trying to help," Neji stated sarcastically.
'This isn't the time to make out with your wife, Shikamaru…' Ino thought with a sweat drop.
Nevertheless, Naruto's wind calmed down and he went limp, resting against Shikamaru tiredly.
"No matter how questionable his methods were, it worked," Chouji said in support of his best friend.
Shikamaru rubbed Naruto's back comfortingly. "What's got you so scared?" he queried.
"He's gone…" Naruto whispered brokenly, as if he really couldn't believe it.
"Who's gone/" Shikamaru questioned, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.
"…Tou-san…" Naruto replied.
At first, Shikamaru was confused. Wasn't Naruto an orphan? Didn't that mean his father was dead? Thinking harder, he recalled Naruto's slip up back before the Second Exam had begun. Suddenly, it all made sense.
Naruto's guardian angel was his father. It would certainly explain why the angel was so protective of him. No stranger would have cared so much for the blonde. It would also explain why Naruto was so broken up over the loss.
"Wasn't he already gone?" he queried in confusion.
"He was…" Naruto admitted. "But then he came back."
Shikamaru's eyes widened. The angel had returned to Naruto, only to disappear again a short time later. But why would he do that?
"What happened to him?" the lazy genius asked.
Before Naruto could respond, they felt a strong wave of Killing Intent and suddenly, they were ripped away from each other.
The Jinchuuriki found himself in Sasuke's possessive grasp, who was still under the effects of the Cursed Seal.
"What are you doing?" Naruto cried out, struggling against Sasuke's tight hold.
"Keep away from him, Nara…" Sasuke growled, Sharingan glowing malignantly. "He's mine…"
"I'm/He's what?" everyone exclaimed in shock. They hadn't heard Sasuke correctly, had they?
'Sasuke-kun isn't himself right now,' Sakura thought, fear bubbling within her at the thought of Sasuke fixating on the obviously stricken and vulnerable Naruto.
"Like hell I'm yours!" Naruto yelled, squirming vigorously, trying to summon enough chakra to have the strength to force Sasuke away from him. Unfortunately, he'd exhausted most of his chakra supply when he had freaked out and he was having difficulty trying to manipulate the rest. Something was messing with his chakra control.
This only amused Sasuke.
"You're not so powerful without Daddy Dearest, are you, Naruto?" Sasuke sneered, having overheard Naruto and Shikamaru's quiet conversation. All of his senses had been enhanced greatly by the Cursed Seal.
"Shut up!" Naruto yelled out angrily. Sasuke had no right to speak of his dad like that. He clamped his mouth down on Sasuke's nearest hand, digging his teeth in viciously.
Sasuke let out a loud cry of pain, recoiling and releasing Naruto. The blonde instantly fled.
He needed space to absorb everything and calm down. He couldn't do that with everyone around.
"Naruto!" he heard Sakura and Shikamaru call out after him in worry. He didn't look back.
"Damn it!" Sasuke swore, aiming to go after Naruto, but Sakura stopped him as she wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Sasuke-kun, you've got to stop. You're not in your right mind, and neither is he. Just calm down!" she pleaded with him, holding on as tightly as she could.
Sasuke growled but slowly relented as the effects of the Cursed Seal finally started to fade away. His eyes went back to being their normal lifeless black and he relaxed in Sakura's arms. "You can let go of me now," he snapped and Sakura released him, feeling relieved that at least the horrible chakra he'd been giving off was gone for the time being. She made a note to herself to tell Kakashi-sensei about it.
"Poor Naruto-kun…" Lee muttered He didn't fully understand what was going on, having no prior knowledge of Naruto's protective spirit but the pain on Naruto's face was enough of a reason for his sympathy.
"Pathetic…" Neji sneered with a scoff at Team Seven's 'disgraceful' behavior. He had at least expected the Uchiha to act like a proper shinobi but with his possessive act, Neji had lost all respect for him.
A/N: I hope the chapter was to your liking. Naruto will calm down and start thinking a bit more rationally in the next chapter. Sorry it's a little short.