Shang: Well, I had some connection problems lately, but it seems I made it for that one-week deadline I made myself, so... why are all of you guys here?

Kai: Well, we know that usually it's only one of us that make the interview, but since your birthday was just yesterday, we decided to stop by and wish you all the best! Kumiko-chan even made you a cake...

Shang: Oh... you guys shouldn't have... thanks... of course, this has nothing to do with the fact that the mission is at an end and more characters are going to appear soon, so you're scared about losing your 'main character' status, does it?

Kusari: NO!

Kumiko: Of course not!

Ibuki: What ever made you think that?

Shang: ... Thanks anyway. So, what do the reviewers want to know?

Takaru: Actually, I can't really see any questions... these are just 'good work' notes really... unless I'm missing something...

Shang: Well, the chapters should soon become longer... old crew is coming... Naruto's about to use the Kyuubi... with that I covered the issues that were haunting the readers of this fic from the beginning... so, at this point, I just hope you'll have fun reading this chapter and hope you'll leave me your opinion.

NOTE TO 'Love, Demons and Bloodlines' READERS: this one time I won't be able to upload newest chapters of all my fics together. But fear not, the work on fourth chapter has already began and next time I should be able to submit it.

Chapter #23: Final Move

Chapter Cover: this one would simply represent Sasuke with his arms crossed and an ANBU mask on the left side of his head.

"Listen carefully, whisker-marks" demanded Kouba. "It all began the moment we become gennins… and when the head of Fugou's clan went into conflict with the Kigakure leader…"

Flashback

"Father, why are we doing this?" asked eight-year-old Fugou. "You said that the leader of our village do not wish for our clan to be a part of the council…"

"Fugou…" began a man in his late thirties with long, blonde hair, falling freely on his back, dressing black. "There are things in shinobi world you'll have to know about if you wish to survive… the village leader can't find a use for our clan anymore… we were once the Hidden Tree top taijutsu users… but as the village grows bigger, our abilities are becoming useless… more over, your grandfather disobeyed the order… we must do anything that is in our power to keep the clan's good name… do you understand?"

"I think I do…" replied the young kunoichi.

Her father smiled at this as they both entered the Tree leader's office.

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"So your father became the member of the council?" asked young Kouba as he was laying on a tree branch near the Kigakure's administration building. "That's great news… your clan will remain one of the most important in the Hidden Tree…"

"I'm not so sure about that…" responded Fugou. "He doesn't trust the village's leader. He thinks your father still wants us out of the way… and he wants me to do it…"

"He was just kidding… I'm sure of that…" assured Kouba. "I mean… he's your father… he certainly wouldn't want you to take part in that experiment…"

"Yeah…" replied the young kunoichi with her head down. After a little while she raised her head and smiled at the brunette. "You're right…"

Flashback ends

"But unfortunately I was wrong…" concluded Kouba. "In the end Fugou's father forced her to be a laboratory rat… that's how she gotten power charms sealed in her bones… of course my father, the current Kigakure leader, seeing that the clan of his rivals gained a powerful weapon, couldn't allow himself to stay behind… that's how I was made…"

Naruto lowered his sight and stared at the floor.

"Soon after, still seeing my clan as a threat, Kouba's father ordered the ANBU to kill us all… except me…" Fugou continued the story. "Guess he didn't want to destroy a good weapon…"

"This is unacceptable…" announced the blonde jounin. "To do something like this…"

"We don't care" stated Kouba with an emotionless tone. "We made a deal… now let's finish this fight…"

"It was hard, wasn't it?" Naruto didn't even seem to pay attention to what the tree-nin just said. "Everyone looking with hate in their eyes… not accepting your existence… I know that pain… and I wouldn't wish it to my greatest enemy…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Fugou as she activated her charms again.

"You guys…" replied the blonde jounin while raising his head. It was only then that the former tree-nins noticed his eyes turned red and the whisker-marks on his face seemed to become larger. "… are not the only ones that were 'created'…"

"You…" began Kouba. "Now I see… you're a Jinchuuriki, aren't you?"

"I carry a demon fox inside" responded Naruto simply. "I'm not like other humans… but I still am a human-being… just like you are…"

"You're too optimistic…" announced the black-hair. "We may look like humans, but we are not! We're monsters! And if we die, no-one will pity us! That's how it is… and that's how it'll always be… humans will never accept anyone that's different from them… so let's just do what we were created for… let's fight!"

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Sasuke jumped over the lengthen blade, which cut the tree behind him in two. He took a quick look at the falling oak and then performed a short chain of hands seals, ending it with a yell: "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

As a powerful, fireball headed right at the former, shinobi swordsman, Ryu stick his katana into the ground and performed a set of hand seals of his own. As he finishes, he stumped his foot to the ground and called out: "Suiton: Mizu Haretsu no Jutsu!"

Suddenly a huge water wave came from under the ground in the place Ryu's swords was stabbed. The tidal wave completely stopped Sasuke's fire attack.

"So many seals…" Kusari thought to himself after seeing Ryu's technique. "And he performed them all in a fracture of a second… Can you even defeat a guy like that?"

"Who's winning?" asked Kai, not even turning away from the fight.

"Hard to say…" replied Takaru. "It'd seem they're eventually matched… however, that sword guy always has his blade, where as that Sasuke fellow can rely only on his jutsus…"

"That sword is the biggest problem…" nodded Ibuki. "If there was something we could do about it, that ANBU guy could win…"

"Unfortunately I don't think we can…" responded Kumiko. "If we'll interfere, we'll only make things worst… my advice is to stay away… at least for now…"

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"His speed increased multiply times…" Fugou admitted to herself as she jumped away from the place where Naruto aimed his fist. As his punch connected with the floor, it lifted up tons of dust. "That much chakra… there's no way we can withstand that!"

The blonde jounin, surrounded with red chakra that shaped itself around him, adding him tails and long claws, looked with madness in his eyes at the former tree-nins, causing shivers to run down Kouba's spine.

The black hair began a new set of hand seals and when he finished, he slammed his hands to the ground, calling out: "Nekko Gyuujiru no Jutsu!"

Instantly roots shot out from the ground and began surrounding Naruto. Before he knew it, he was forced to the floor with the weight of the plants.

Kouba smiled under his nose but his smirk instantly disappeared as the leaf-nin's chakra exploded, thus freeing the blonde from the roots. Before he even noticed, Naruto appeared right behind him and gave him a strong hit in the back, sending him flying at the wall and crushing hard into it.

"Damn it!" cursed Fugou as she landed a powerful punch on Naruto's face. The blonde however seemed not to be effected by it. The only thing that proved the attack connected was the fact that the leaf-nin's head turned a bit due to the impact. "This is bad…"

Before she knew it, she was pushed away by Naruto's chakra hand and forced against the wall. As the chakra palm hold her tight, the blonde's real hands performed a quick chain of hand seals and with the final symbol electricity began surrounding the leaf-nins hands.

In a fracture of a second Naruto jumped to her and slammed his hands at her, calling out: "Raiton: Ikazuchi Dageki".

Fugou screamed in pain as electricity shot through her body. Soon after she lost consciousness due to the pain. Naruto then turned to his other adversary, who was just getting up from the hit against the wall he received few moments ago.

"We underestimated him…" he thought to himself as he looked at his fallen comrade with sorrow in his eyes. "But at least your wish will be granted, Fugou… chan… " and with that he raised his gaze upon Naruto. "Finish this…"

The blonde jounin stared at the former tree-nin for a moment and then held out his hand. Instantly a huge orb of red chakra appeared in it and the leaf-nin charged at the black hair with a wild yell: "Kitsune Rasengan!"

----------

Sasuke dodged another cut lunched by Ryu, but the blade was coming at him once more, this time directly. The ANBU jumped into the air, thus avoiding the attack and landed on the lengthen blade.

Before the swordsman could react, the leaf-nin charged at him, running on the blade of his sword. As he was half-way through, he performed a quick chain of hand seals and when he was finished, he called out: "Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu!"

Ryu's eyes widen as a powerful, fire breath was coming right at him. He instantly jumped to the left, thus dodging the attack and taking the 'ground' from under Sasuke's feet.

The ANBU however had no problems landing. He wasn't ready to dodge any attack though and thus another cut lunched by Ryu cut his torso. Sasuke jumped back just in time to avoid a fatal wound.

The leaf-nin forced his hand to his torso, trying to stop the blood that started to escape his body. He gave the swordsman an evil glare but his opponent didn't seem to be scared by that:

"Looks like Konoha ANBU's are overrated…" announced Ryu.

"Well, I guess I let this child's play for to long…" replied Sasuke. "I even got wounded… the dope activated his power… I can sense his chakra even here… so he'll be finishing soon… I should do the same…" and with that he performed another set of hand seals.

Instantly chakra began forming in his palm, surrounding it and creating sharp edges. Everyone who saw this, including Ryu, were totally stunted.

"What the hell?" Kusari's eyes widen. "His chakra became visible all of a sudden! That's just like Naruto-sensei's Rasengan!"

"This is the end…" announced Sasuke as he charged at the former mist-nin at an unbelievable speed, yelling: "Chidori!"

And with that the 23 chapter ends! To be honest, I was scared it wouldn't get that far with people still reading it. Great to know that you still like the story and hope you'll like what's in store for you.

I hope you'll leave me a review once you're done, coz I'd really like to know your opinion.

Now for the quick, jutsu encyklopedia:

Suiton: Mizu Haretsu no Jutsu (Water Element: Water Explosion Skill) - a simple, water technique. The user first must make a whole in the ground. Then he has to send his chakra to the ground, which looks for any, underground water. Lastly, with the use of right seals, the chakra send to the ground pulls up tons of water in the form of a tidal wave. This jutsu can only be performed near a large, underground water source.

Raiton: Ikazuchi Dageki (Thunder Element: Thunder Blow) - the user must first concentrate chakra into his hands and then, with the use of right seals, release it in the form of electricity. Thanks to that, the user can give anyone a powerful, electric shock by just touching the opponent with his hands.

Kitsune Rasengan (Fox Rasengan) - the same as normal Rasengan, only much more powerful. Can only be performed with the use of Kyuubi's chakra.

Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu (Fire Element: Dragon Fire Skill) - a jutsu invented by Sasuke. A technique that sends a stream of fire towards the opponent, originating from the users mouth.

Chidori (Thousand Birds) - This jutsu is Kakashi's sole original technique, originally formed for the use of assassination. The user, gathers such a large concentration of chakra in the hand, that it becomes visible. Pushing the limits of the body, the user charges forward, the chakra amount growing, as does the incredible speed. The chakra becomes so powerful, that it becomes similar to a blade, and is able to cut through nearly anything. The attack creates a constant 'chi' noise, sounding like a thousand birds advancing towards you. The jutsu gained its name from this sound. This jutsu gained the nickname 'Lightning Edge' or, Raikiri - When Kakashi cut a bolt of lightning in half using it. It is kinda surprising for me thought, that for this one, even though the usage should be similar, you need to perform seals (at least in the manga).

And that's that. Hope you enjoyed it and take care.

See ya on the next upload (hopefully).