Hello there! It seems like I left off on a suspenseful part of the story, but fear not the rest of the fight is included in this chapter, so sit back and enjoy.

Recap: Ya bears get pissed if you hit them the wrong way...Especially if you inadvertently rip out their guts.

"....I see...." Neji's face dead-panned, as he stared intently at Naruto's clone. The clone scratched the back of his head; a habit one might say.

"Yeah well..."

"Lee carry Tenten back to the hospital, Hokuto-san can you please lead the way. If Naruto is truly fighting a grizzled-spotted sun bear then he is no doubt in over his head."

"Right…" Lee signaled as he collected Tenten from the clone and launched off to the hospital. Neji nodded as he turned back towards the freckled girl.

"Of course, this way Neji-san..."

Naruto's vision became distorted as he tried valiantly to focus yet it was all in vain, even as a thin veil of mist slowly started to set in on his irises.

"Fu...ku....rou...."

His lids grew heavier with each and every passing second, until finally they fell. Naruto found that he could no longer be able to see as the world around him faded to black. Even as his world darkened, this feeling....This cold, dark, desolate feeling...It would never leave him.

Liquid began filling his lungs much to the blonds' dismay. Couldn't one die in peace without having to worry about drowning in their own fluids? Naruto thought as he half heartily hacked up the liquid; funny for some reason it lacked that coppery metal taste that normally associated itself with blood.

Naruto struggled to open his eyes, millimeter by excruciating millimeter he accomplished the task; even if he could only get them to be half lidded it was better than nothing. Once again the blond found himself in front of the titanic gate, its' bars gleamed in a corroded glow of age.

From his puddle Naruto could hear scraping sounds from just beyond the gate.

"Not again....Kuso...."

"Mmhahaha.....You're nothing without me. Nothing more than a weak, pathetic brat. Be grateful to me for this....." With the last of his remaining strength Naruto threw an unfocused glare in the Kyuubi's direction, but not before flipping the fox off.

"K-kutabare..." The daemon laughed mirthlessly at his container as he sent a sudden surge of crimson chakra to come and overtake him.

Searing power coursed through Naruto's veins, and his body spasm-ed back to life. The blond slowly rose to his feet while the audible cracking of his neck mingled with the silent air, disrupting the bear from what it had assumed to be an easy meal. As he continued to raise his head, it suddenly snapped up realigning the bones to their proper places. The bear unleashed a low growl as it turned its' head to face the blond. Naruto in turn lifted his head up; red eyes boring through the beast. The loose flesh that hung from the side of his face fluttered in the breeze, giving the all within view a glimpse of the ever sharping calcium set in the boy's jaw.

Naruto's blacked lips began to part into an ominously manic smile as the chakra cloak formed two tails one growing after the other; they waved with vitality behind him. The boy's cheek-flap, was forced tenderly into place as steam arose from the area fusing both skin and flesh back together. Naruto raised a nailed hand to trace where the wound once was, his smile growing more sinister by the minute.

The bear snarled as it raced to finish the boy; its' entrails dragging across the forest floor. Naruto looked on in malevolent pity.

This bitch was on, dattebayo.

Naruto quickly charged at the beast with blinding speed reappearing just in front of it. The surprise animal struck out vicious bite only to realize that its' target had disappeared once again.

The bear looked around in confusion when suddenly it felt the boy's presence, but it was too late. The animal released a cry of agony as Naruto sunk his teeth into the bears' jugular; severing the blood from its' passage.

Blood gushed into the boy's mouth but he paid it no mind, if anything he savored the taste and wanted more. Naruto quickly bit deeper into the bears' esophagus. The bear reacted violently by rolling over in an attempt to shake the boy off, but to no avail, he just wouldn't let go!

The bear continued its' desperate roll, lashing out with its' claws to try to pry the boy of of it. Not missing a beat, Naruto pause for a moment before ripping the entire paw off its foundation. The bear cried as the ground below soaked red with blood, as Naruto jumped off of the animal; growling with annoyance.

The bear stumbled but it regained its' footing; with one paw gone who wouldn't?

Naruto charged on all threes, as his clawed-hand scraped against the hard earth, sharpening them against it. In a flash of red the bears' head was torn from its' shoulders, spattering the the forest in a crimson rain as blood continued to spurt from its' neck. With a loud 'thud' the bear's body collapsed in a heap as its head soared over the treetops.

Naruto smiled gleefully at the carnage before him, his smile growing wider still. The boy shuddered and clutched his seal in pain as more chakra poured out it. In a hellish scream he fought for control as a third tail started to form.

In a last ditch effort, Naruto plunged his hand into his chest, in an attempt to get his message across. Slowly the malevolent energy seeped less and less from the seal; and the charka cloak began to dissipate around him. The blond fell to the ground in exhaustion as blood oozed from his chest cavity.

All was quiet on the battlefield.

"OK, now we ca-"

"Naruto-san!!" Hokuto said as she tore out of Neji's grasp and rushed to Naruto's side, all previous fears replaced by concern. After tearing a piece of her skirt, she placed the fabric on the wound, in the hopes that it would begin to clot. With that task accomplished the girl shrugged the boy's arm around her shoulder and carefully lifted him to his feet. The brunette then turned to Neji, and motioned towards where the owl laid, before taking off in the direction of the village.

Neji sighed as he cautiously picked up the broken bird. Fukurou lifted his head up and released a silent hoot. Neji however failed to notice as his mind was busy elsewhere.

'It's that same chakra from before, there's no doubt about it....' Neji turned heel and took off towards the hospital; quickly catching up with the girl that had only left a few moments prior. Neji glanced ahead, his eyes lowering when they met the back of the blonds' head.

'What's going on with you, Naruto?'

Well, well, well looks like the fight is over. But still what's to happen next. No one can truly say, only time will tell. Before I forget though...Thank you all for your support and patronage, almost 20k hits now for this story alone. So thanks guys.

Later...