Before the start of the Chapter, I must first apologize to you all who have read this story for so long. I have not abounded this story however this chapter should have been out a long time ago. I must admit I haven't been working on it like I should have, maybe because for the first time since I started writing fanfiction I don't have another Naruto story in the pipeline that I feel is worthily. I have some which are interesting in my view but either too close to stuff I already have or I haven't figured out a good ending for it. Maybe the idea that I would no longer have a Naruto story has prevented me from finishing this story like I should have until I came up with a new plot that isn't a repeat of some of my other ideas. I am sorry and I hope you all can forgive me, I know now that I can't let the fact that I don't want to close the door on Naruto fanfiction stories prevent me from closing the door on this story. I am sorry and now long overdue here is the next chapter.

Sorry for the delay Wilkins75.

Chapter 57 Friends or Enemies

Out near the center of the Lake what remained of their band who where all still human stood looking back at the destruction of the top vacation destination in the Land of Fire, the village of Nysha. A massive cloud was rising from the center of the city and even from their location they could see that few buildings remained standing.

"What the hell was that?" whispered Ino as she looked at the distant destruction. Flying demons could actually be seen falling out of the sky, some of them in multiple pieces.

"What the fuck was that." Added Karui as she almost repeated Ino's words.

"If I didn't know better I would say that was one of Naruto's rasegans but it was different too. I higher pitch and the spun a lot faster." Stated Kiba as he remembered the spinning disk of death which had descended down on the city. "And that isn't even taking in the size issue."

"There is no way that thing can be a single justu." Countered Karui as she turned to look at Kiba "No one can do a justu like that and live."

"Naruto-kun." whispered Sakura as her heart skipped a beat at the idea of the man she loved killing himself to allow her a chance to escape to carry on the thin chance of saving humanity from the red flue and the demons who where turning them.

"We need to get going." said the oldest person in their group, Hana Inuzuka as she looked at the seven other people in their group.

"This morning there were dozens of us but now we are down to just this." said Ino with sadness in her voice as she looked back to the city where her father and her boyfriend Sai had made a stand to buy her time. A few flying demons could still be seen in the sky but they where few and far between, more figures moved on the ground in the distance but more bodies could be seen floating in the water. "What is the point?"

"We need to save humanity." Stated Hanabi Hyuuga as she glared at Ino.

"Cut the bull." snapped Sakura as she looked at the elder Hyuuga "You don't care about humanity, you only care about your social order, the position of your clan. You want your clan to be back ontop of the social order of the Leaf and that isn't happening no matter what deal with it."

Hanabi's eyes narrowed as she glared at Sakura as the others looked at her.

"How did you know that? You where dancing with Naruto when I told his demon sister of that." Stated Hanabi

"Demon hearing, so Naruto heard you. I had to talk him down of not cursing you out right then." Stated Sakura as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It would mess up Neji's and Tenten's wedding and it wasn't worth it. You just want your old life back where you can look down on everyone who you feel is not the equal of a Hyuuga."

"Which is no one." Added Hanabi "Still it doesn't matter, we need to save humanity so that we can set the world back to where it was suppose to be."

"And how do we do that with all the dead and everything that was destroyed." Stated Temari as she looked at Hanabi

"Think of all the records that were destroyed in the fires which raged through the villages, all the lost property and the like. How can you prove that someone owns anything now? Even we save humanity it will never be the same. Clans mean nothing now." confirmed Shikamaru

"The world has been turned upside down." added Kiba with a sad laugh.

"We have company coming." said his sister Hana as two figures could be seen coming toward their little group. Sakura turned to look as her heart skipped a beat as she saw Naruto moving toward her, he was tired looking with soaked cloths and signs of battle all over him from ripped cloths to bloody knuckles. Forgetting everything she bolted toward him and jumped into his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him cloths with everything she had. She kissed him like she had never kissed him before as his blood covered hands wrapped around her waist pulling her to him. For the longest time neither of them wanted to break the kiss but the basic need for air, forced them to break the kiss. Even so they remained in their position with Naruto resting his forehead against Sakura's so that they could look in each other eyes.

"Naruto-kun…you baka." said Sakura with tears in her eyes.

"Yes, but I am your baka." added Naruto with a tired laugh as suddenly he turned his head and removing one of his hands from her body coughed violently. When he turned back to her, a small amount of blood ran down the corner of his mouth. "Sorry."

"Naruto-kun." said Sakura as she pulled back and gave him a once over again, this time with more of a medical eye. His hands where bloody, most of all the one he had just coughed on, his color was off taken on a pale look and his breathing was fast and shallow.

"Sorry, I took more damage from that justu then I thought I would. I am alright, it destroyed some of my chakra network but with my healing ability, I will recover." answered Naruto, as a medical ninja Sakura knew that chakra networks once somewhat destroyed took in some cases months or even years to recover fully. "I am just not in a position to really do much fighting right now."

"That's ok, I have some blood pills here." Said Sakura as she went for her medical supplies and pulled out a blood pill and some water. "You need to replace your blood, that will help with the treatment and once we find a place to rest I will do some of the healing justus to speed up the process."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan." Answered Naruto as he took the pill and popped it into his mouth before taking the drink of water.

"I hate to interrupt this reunion but we have a problem." said Fuu as both Naruto and Sakura turned to look back toward what remained of the lake front city of Nysha but nothing was there. "Other direction."

When they both turned back they saw that Hanabi Hyuuga had pulled a kunia and had taken up a combat stance while glaring straight at Naruto and Sakura.

"If that one is a demon." stated Hanabi with hate in her eyes as she looked at Fuu "Then that one is also a demon."

"Shit." Cursed Naruto before coughing so hard that he had had to place his hands on his knees to prevent himself from falling down.

The area was strangely clear of smoke and dust, the once howling wind was gone and the storm which had brought pounding rain was gone as well. The only sign of the storm was the mud on the ground but the brown mud was actually pink in a lot of places because of the blood pouring from the wounds from multiple dead bodies. The smell of fresh rain which came after a good storm was no where to be found, only the smell of death and the beginning smell of decay filled the air.

"My God." said Meiko as she looked around at the damage not a single building was fully standing, walls where gone and roofs where long gone. Trees for the most part where gone with only their trunks still remaining all their limbs for the most part broken. A few trees which had lined the road had been shielded somewhat from the destruction and had a few limbs still on their body, with no leaves on the branches they looked more like hands reaching up toward the sky.

As she moved down the rubble filled streets she saw a few hands, some of them where human left overs from the mass grave which had sat outside the hospital. That image would haunt her nightmares forever but this was as if she had entered the gates of hell itself. Body parts both long dead human, some with no flesh remaining on the bones covered the ground with more intact remains of demons. Some of the flying demons lied on the ground with their wings gone, feathers from air kamas and insect like wings as well also floated down from the sky.

For the longest time she heard nothing, no one crying out in pain, no one begging for loved ones or even praying. There wasn't even the sound of animal life, the only sound came from the gentle wind which caused the smoke-filled landscape to slowly become more visible and water from busted pipes. The smell was horrible, mixed in with the smell of death and decay was the smell of waste as people soiled themselves either out of fear or in death. She stepped into a small pool of what she hoped was water but could have been anything from pee to blood. She didn't look down to find out instead she kept moving forward through the nightmare before her.

She turned what would have been a corner in the road, there was an image which would haunt her to her dying day. A flag pole had somehow made it through the storm however now impaled on that pole was five bodies and one of them was somehow still moving. The first survivor she came across was impaled on a flag pole sandwiched between dead twisted bodies.

"Kill me." The man or was it a woman, she couldn't tell pleaded as her father, who had been walking beside her moved forward and looked into the already dead woman eyes for a moment. The victim nodded his or her conformation and before her eyes her father stabbed the already dead victim in the side of the neck ending the pain. She ducked into what would have been a building and threw up, only to realize that a body had been impaled in the still halfway standing stone wall only a foot away from her, his scaled covered head dripping blood.

"Meiko, are you alright?" inquired her mother as she placed her hand on her daughter's back.

"What the fuck happened? How did Naruto do this?" inquired Meiko

"He didn't, I did." answered her father as he scanned the destruction, the area was covered with the dead, not many where left alive and those who did managed to hang on to life where not looking well. Maybe it was the shook wearing off but more and more survivors where appearing out of the smoke. Some no longer had arms, legs or in the case of someone Meiko saw a lower jaw, others looked perfectly fine but so shaken up like Meiko that they had no idea what to do.

"How?" inquired Meiko

"Naruto…Naruto was channeling the extra natural charka to clones which where forming the seal. It was actually an ingenious move, the clones took some of the damage spreading it out and saving his life, but it was balancing act. When I destroyed one of the groups controlling the chakra all control was lost and it went out of control." Explained Minato Namikaze as he looked at the destruction before him. "This is the result."

"So where is our son?" inquired Kushina as Minato looked out toward the large lake. He could see some figures on it, most of them where heading back to shore carrying wounded and dead loved ones. He couldn't see far enough out to spot his son but knew he would head that way.

"If Sakura is out there he will be with her." answered Meiko as she looked out over the now calm sea.

"Minato, Kushina, Meiko, we need your help!" yelled Shizune's voice from behind them as the three Namikaze looked back to where Shizune was doing the best she could to treat any wounded she found in what remained of a stone temple off the main road. The temple with its thick stone and old hardwood beams was able to stand up to the storm of chakra better than most. Even so it was now open to the air and had large blocks of stone some of which had to weigh hundreds if not thousands of pounds thrown over fifty yards away.

Demons most of them having originally been humans from the Leaf village who had managed to escape the destruction around them started to come up from the basements of buildings which had shielded them. They stood there stunned for a moment only for the higher ranking former ninjas now turned demons to begin to take over. Their first duty was to find survivors and treat the wounded and that is what they did.

What few buildings could actually be used as a hospital was now being used as one and in their the horror show was even worse. As medics tried their bests to save people but too many had their chakra networks totally destroyed and where doomed to death. It wasn't a pretty death at that, people where throwing up blood and losing going into shaking fits as their nervous system which ran beside the chakra network broke down along with the chakra network. Added to that blood loss which seamed to walk hand in hand with a failing chakra network means death was likely for a lot of those who had made it through attack at first. Some who were far enough away or simply just lucky where going to live through the night.

"Is there anything we can do for them?" inquired Meiko as she looked at the walking dead around her.

"Officially we can save almost all of them." admitted Shizune as she feed one of the injuries a blood pill. "If we where in the Leaf and had called in almost every medical ninja and doctor in the whole fire country then yes we could. We do have a good amount of blood pills, every ninja keeps at least one or two in their medical pouch and that will help with the blood lost but what we need most of all are doctors."

"And we don't have enough here." Inquired Minato as Shizune paused for a moment, she looked down the Rhyuu she had been trying to help had just died.

"Not even close." said Shizune "We would need teams of doctors for each of them, medics to make sure blood flow is kept up, that healing chakra is pumped into the body to speed up repair of the network. We have none of that here."

"Most will die, then." said Minato

"Yes, maybe the demon healing ability will save some we would normally would lose but the bulk maybe as many as 80% will die from their wounds." added Shizune with a heavy heart as she looked at all the death around her. "Most will not make it past noon."

"What can we do?" inquired Kushina

"Maybe we can help with healing chakra, it is just pumping chakra into the body right?" inquired Meiko as she felt a hand come down on her shoulder. She turned to see her sensei, Rin standing there.

"It's good to see you Meiko but no it is more complex then healing a cut, one false move or wrong placement of hand or if you add too much chakra you could kill someone." explained Rin "We don't have time to teach you or anyone else that now."

"So what can we do?" inquired Meiko

"Why don't you go watch our guests, while your parents help gather the wounded and hand out water and food." Offered Rin as she pointed toward a side room, well would have been a side room if two walls plus the roof where still standing. A brick wall formed a L shape marking where the room had once been. "Besides it will free me up to help people."

"Alright." Said Meiko as she moved off leaving her parents, Shizune and her sensei to help with the injured and dying.

She entered what remained of the room to find figures lying on blankets, all of them had been restrained in one way or another. She saw a the deer like Bai Zing demon, resting on the best of the blankets he had another blanket covering the bulk of his body but Meiko could recognized even in the changed face Iruka. Beside him on another blanket looked to be Anko, aside from her skin taking on a purplish tone and her hair becoming a deep purple as well. She looked human until under the blanket which covered her body from the neck down, Meiko saw that Anko had another set of arms.

"An Asuras." Said Meiko to herself in wonder tone as she saw Guy beside Anko, he looked totally human from the waist up. No skin change or anything she could see, however from the waste down he had the body of a horse. "A Keshis, both of them died out during the destruction of demon society by the humans. Why are they being reborn now?"

She looked to the other side to see the two Naras resting on a larger blanket beside each other. Both of them where Bai Zings like Iruka. That made it easier in the end, since both of them were Bai Sings they wouldn't have to go through the process of changing into another demon to be together. Also beside them was Inocihi his new bird like wings meant he was lying on his side. His wings where a golden bronze color and actually looked very good in her view.

Sitting with their backs to the wall, their hands and legs restrained and what looked to be a seal attached to their chests where the still human. Neji and Tenten where still passed out with Tenten's head resting on her husband of less then a day shoulder. Sai was awake and looking right she tried to read his eyes, was it hate of her or accepting of what was coming soon.

"Sai are you alright?" inquired Meiko

"Shino…Shino was out on the lake when that thing hit? Any sign of him?" inquired Sai, Meiko turned her gaze out toward the lake only to see some demons still coming in but the water was full with floating dead bodies.

"Well…we can hope he is ok." Said Meiko

"In other words he is likely dead." said Sai as he let out a sigh, "I thought so."

"Most likely." confirmed Meiko as she looked away from the dead bodies floating on top of the water. She couldn't see where the floating dead actually stopped but there was so many of them on the water that it looked as if she could walk over them.

"Well he went out fighting that is one thing." Said Sai "And we went out buying time for the others to make their escape, that isn't too bad."

"Well it isn't going to matter, sooner or later it will all be over either they will be dead from the flu or they will be demons." Stated a new voice as Meiko turned to see a lightning Kami standing there, at first she was confused for a moment then Sai spoke up.

"Kakashi-sensie how are you doing?" inquired Sai

"I am doing ok Sai." Said Kakashi as he moved forward stopping beside Meiko before turning his gaze to her. "You must be Meiko? Rin-chan talked about you along with your parents."

"Kakashi…yes I remember Rin-sensie talking about you. You where on the same team right?" inquired Meiko as Kakashi nodded his head. "and Dad was your jonin instructor."

"Yes, and I am your brother's instructor in turn." Confirmed Kakashi "Along with Sakura and Sai."

"Well my brother and Sakura are still out there and somehow Naruto is already a demon." Said Meiko

"Naruto-kun is already a demon!" yelled a voice as Meiko turned to see Hinata standing there.

"Oh God, you let her out." Complained Meiko

"Naruto-kun is a demon, what kind?" inquired Hinata not really paying attention to Meiko's comment about her.

"What kind do you think he is?" inquired Meiko with a roll of her eyes.

"A kitsune, like me…I knew we are destined to be together." Confirmed Hinata

"Or it could be that he is a kitsune because his entire family are kitsunes and he had the Kyuubi who is also a kitsune was sealed within him." Countered Meiko but to Hinata it was as if she had said nothing. Instead every sign she saw said that she and her brother where destined to be together.

"Where is Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata

"No idea, he and the others headed to the North following the lake road." Said Meiko as Hinata bolted in that direction.

"You sent her in the wrong direction, didn't you?" inquired Kakashi after they waited long enough for Hinata to be out of hearing range.

"Yes." Said Meiko with a slight laugh. "Maybe once Naruto and Sakura are married and have a kid she will calm down."

"So both are them are together, good to have that confirmed." Said Kakashi with a smile before his smile disappeared as he looked at the death and destruction around him. "I just hope that once this is all over the people here will accept Naruto, he did just kill a whole lot of their friends and loved ones here."

"And the demons killed hundreds of thousands more with the red flu if they can accept being a demon they can accept him back in the Leaf." Stated Meiko as a three priests dressed in red robes came from around the corner and entered the makeshift area.

"I understand we have some humans to turn." Said one of the priests before he noticed the three humans there. "Ah…I see we are in the right place."

He nodded his head as a fellow Priest summoned one of the plants.

"Lets start with the one who is a wake." Said the head priest as the two other priests moved forward and picked Sai up by the arms lifting him off the ground. Meiko lowered her head, she didn't want this change to be forced even if it would save Sai from the Red Flu. Sai for his part didn't struggle instead he stood proud and walked toward the plant only to suddenly stop. The fact that he had been cooperating only to suddenly stop caught the two priests by surprise.

"Will we have to force you?" inquired the younger priest

"I have some items I want to keep sealed on scrolls in my pouch." stated Sai as the priest looked down and spotted the pouch. "Can you remove them?"

"Alright." Said the priest as he let go with one hand and with two quick movements released the two buckles holding the pack to his leg. He then tossed it to the side. "There now will you go?"

"Wait!" ordered Meiko as she moved forward, the priests looking at her. With care she quickly removed Sai's Leaf ninja headband from his forehead. "I am sure you want to save this as well."

"Thank you." Thanked Sai as with his head held high walked toward the plant which would take away his humanity.

Back on the lake, the situation was tense as Hanabi held her weapon ready as Naruto fell to his knees coughing so hard that blood and even a tooth came out. His blood floated on top of the water for a moment while his tooth fell below the water and disappeared into the darkness.

"Naruto." Said Sakura as she got down on one knee and placed her hand on his back as he kept coughing. Finally after some blood again came up and with Sakura's help he got back on his feet and looked straight at Hanabi Hyuuga.

"So are you a demon or are you not a demon?" inquired Hanabi with cold venom in her voice as Sakura looked toward where Ino, Kiba, Kauri and Hana where standing. None of them where moving to join Hanabi in threatening Naruto but none of them where in a rush to come to their aid.

"That doesn't matter now, we need to get as far away from here as possible." Said Sakura

"Shut the fuck up demon whore." Snapped Hanabi as she glared at Sakura while keeping the kunai aimed at Naruto and Fuu. Naruto took a step toward Hanabi only to have Sakura stop him by placing her arm in front of him.

"Let it go Naruto-kun." ordered Sakura as Naruto growled a bit showing sharpened canine teeth, the tooth that had fallen out had been replaced with a sharp canine tooth which only added to his inhuman look.

"You aren't surprised by that little display." stated Hanabi. "You knew about them being demons, you were not surprised when we saw that one in her demon form so you must have known, and you slept with him so you slept with a demon. You are a demon whore."

"Well if you want to look at it that way then you just called Kiba's and Hana's mother that as well." Added Fuu with a slightly laugh as Hanabi turned her attention to the other demon. "She slept with her husband after he became a demon, what's his name Iruka as well but he didn't know so can't really blame him for that. Besides why does that matter, it is a little kinky but we all have our kinks."

"Shut the hell up demon, you three can't be trusted." Stated Hanabi as she glared at the three of them. "You may betray us."

"Really? You think I would betray humanity look who betrayed us it wasn't Sakura-chan, it wasn't Fuu and it wasn't me. It was Sasuke and his little group that betrayed us." Snapped Naruto with anger in his voice as he moved toward Hanabi before pointed toward the destroyed city behind him. "If we were traitors do you think that would be there now, a whole army is now destroyed because of us."

"And how many of our group is gone." countered Hana as the elder Inuzuka clan member spoke up. "We have lost almost everyone and among the seven people here only five of them are human. We can't be too careful and right now I don't think Naruto and Fuu should come with us. Too much of a risk."

"Sakura is a risk as well, she can't be trusted as well." countered Hanabi "She should be left behind as well, she could turn us in to become a demon."

"Are you crazy?" inquired Ino "I know and trust both Sakura and Naruto, so what if he is a demon now that may help us more then it hurt us."

"Thanks Ino." Said Sakura

"Going off what my brother has told me I would trust them with my life." Added Hana before shaking her head. "However we are not trusting them with our own lives but all of humanity, we can't take the risk. I say Naruto and Fuu need to be left behind and since I am the highest ranking ninja here we will follow my orders."

"No." said Sakura "If they stay I stay. I am not leaving Naruto."

"And without Sakura you might as well kiss humanity good buy." Stated Kiba as he looked at Ino. "Sorry Ino, I know you're a good doctor but your not to Sakura's level."

"God I know that." admitted Ino "And if Sakura is staying so am I."

"This isn't a debate." Stated Hana "I am the highest ranking ninja here and therefor my orders will be followed."

"Ninja ranks doesn't mean a flying fuck anymore." Stated Sakura with tears in her eyes. "Our friends, our family is likely being turned into demons right now and you want to pull rank?

Hana glared at Sakura but before she could say anything her brother spoke up.

"Sis, you're a veterinary ninja, Naruto has more frontline combat experience then all of us what happens when we run into more combat focus demons." Inquired Kiba as he looked at Karui "I don't know about you, Karui but I wouldn't want to take on some of the demons we are facing."

"Splitting up is last thing we want to do." stated Temari

"And having two demons may help us pass through any lines." offered up Karui

"Very true." Confirmed Shikamaru "They can trick the demons to go looking for us in different locations or go out to gather supplies safely."

"Or they can turn us in, no all three of them have to be left behind." Countered Hanabi "For humanity as you say we can't trust them."

Hana let out a sigh and looked at Naruto, Fuu but most of all at Sakura. She had a pleading look in her eyes directed at the medical ninja.

"Sakura, we are leaving I am ordering you to come with us. Naruto and Fuu will not be going with us. They have to stay here." ordered Hana

"And so am I." said Sakura

"Leave the demon whore." stated Hanabi as she turned and started to head toward the far shore.

"Kiba, Karui, Ino lets move out." ordered Hana as Kiba, Karui and Ino looked at Sakura, Naruto and Fuu. Kiba walked forward and offered his hand to Naruto.

"Good luck." Said Kiba as he pulled Naruto into a hug tapping him on the back before pulling back and doing the same thing for Sakura. For Fuu the two just shared a nod, Karui didn't approach but nodded at the three of them. Shikamaru and Temari both shook hands with Naruto while hugging Sakura. Ino walked up and stood for a moment in front of her best friend for a moment the two best friends just looked at each other.

"You need to go with them." Said Sakura as she pulled her friend into a hug. "Maybe this is for the best, one of us will get pass the demons. If we stay together we might both get caught."

"Without you, I don't know if I can do it." admitted Ino through tears as she held her friend tight.

"You are better then you think you are." said Sakura with tears running down her own face. "I will see you when this is all over. Piggy."

"I will see you too forehead." Added Ino as she pulled away and looked at Naruto. "I would say keep her safe, but that is kind of pointless considering that you already do that."

"Good luck Ino." said Naruto

"Same to you." said Ino as the band moved off leaving Naruto, Sakura and Fuu standing on top of the water.

"I noticed you said that you are better then you think you are to Ino and that you will see her when it is all over not that she will find a cure." Added Fuu as Sakura let out a sigh and moved some of her pink hair out of her eyes, before Sakura could answer Naruto had another coughing fit as his legs began to give out. He began to sink below the water only stopping when Sakura and Fuu got under his arms and lifted the taller man up.

"Lets get Naruto-kun to a place he can rest, after that…" said Sakura as she looked toward the nearby island which sat in the center of the lake. It was much closer and they started heading that way. "After that I will worry about other things."

"Good enough." Confirmed Fuu as they headed toward the nearby beach.

Like I said I hope you can forgive me for the delay next chapter will come out much sooner. Now I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thanks Wilkins75.