DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I want it, I do not own Naruto. I am still only borrowing the characters and promise to return them in good condition – well, maybe slightly battered! Thanks to my beta, TheCookiemonster77.

Chapter Twenty-Seven:

Solo - Ushi Village

When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It's where my demons hide

Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide

~Imagine Dragons~

"Bah, I hate Konoha. It's so muggy here. I took a shower three days ago and I'm still not dry. I swear I've got moss on my ass," grumbled an old man as he walked up to the gate. "So this is what we get for our money, a bunch of kids, only knee high to a grasshopper and still wet behind the ears?"

"Good morning Takeshi," greeted Asuma good-naturedly.

"Ah shut the hell up. Where is that damn nephew of yours, Haruki? I swear, if he doesn't get here with that cart, I'm going to kick him into next week."

"Wet?" murmured Sai quizzically as he touched his ears. "While I cannot vouch for anyone else, I can assure you that mine are quite dry."

The old lady cackled and then said, "Oh now Takeshi, be nice to these sweet young things. Can't you see that they're in fine fettle just rarin' to go?" She turned to the group and beamed toothlessly. "I'm Haruki Murakami and this is Takeshi Hasekura, our counsel leader. Now you kids don't mind that old coot. He gets a little cranky from time to time."

Ino exchanged a bland look with Sakura which Naruto easily read as, "What language are they even speaking?" He repressed a chuckle as the old man interrupted.

"I'm not cranky you old bat… and shouldn't you be in a kitchen somewhere? I just tell it like it is and if these whippersnappers don't like it, then they can go to hell."

"Ah old people…," thought Naruto with a laugh. Just then a young and rather unenthusiastic young man walked up leading a team of oxen and a cart.

Sakura pointed him out and asked, "Is that who you're looking for?"

The old man sneered, "Wow, you're even dumber than you look. You know, it would be pointless to make fun of you because it will take you the rest of the day to figure it out."

As Takeshi climbed into the cart, Ino grabbed hold of Sakura. "Calm down," she hissed, "It's a crime to kill our client."

"Wow, Déjà vu, it's like being back at the retirement home," muttered Sai to Sasuke.

"Hey little girlie – yeah you, the one with the funbags, are you going to stand around all day looking vapid or are we going to leave today?"

"Funbags?"

"Tch, blondes… You know - melons, chesticles, flapdoodles, gazongas, hooters, milk jugs, tatas, boobies…"

This time Sakura was the one to hold Ino back.

"You're right Sai, it's just like being back at the retirement home," commented Naruto wryly as he helped the old woman climb into the cart.

~~O~~

The slow, plodding gait of the oxen made the three hour journey much longer than was originally anticipated. The insulting comments from the old man, while amusing at first, quickly got on everyone's nerves. The jonin leaders could tell that the girls were nearing their breaking points. Kakashi figured they were close enough to their destination to do a bit of training as to keep their minds off murdering Takeshi.

"So Asuma, how good is your team at evasion?"

"Well, I don't know about Sakura, but my team has some… challenges. I have had some problems finding the right motivation. How 'bout yours?"

"Mah, not too bad. I've found the right incentive; a fun little game. This route is fairly safe. Want to play?"

A slight smile flickered across Asuma's face as he glanced sidelong at Kakashi. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply before answering, "Sure, why not."

Behind the mask, a hidden smirk that would have made team seven cringe went unnoticed. "Team Asuma and my little minions, gather round."

The six teens curiously looked back at the jonin, wondering why he was stopping them. They all stood at attention while they patiently waited for an explanation.

"Does everyone know where we're going?" asked Kakashi. He pointed to the top of the mountain and then said, "How about a fun little game to pass the time?" Asuma's team look intrigued, but team seven gave a groan.

"That sounds like fun," chirped Ino.

"You don't know our sensei," moaned Sasuke.

Sai shook his head dejectedly. "Yes, his idea of fun differs vastly from what any sane, rational person could think of."

"Yeah," sighed Naruto unhappily, "Last week he made us give his ninken baths and they really don't like baths…"

"What's so bad about that?" asked Chouji, crunching away on potato chips.

"They can walk on water; do you know how hard it is to get a dog wet when you can't even push him down into the water? And Guruko kept substituting himself with a squirrel. I now understand my dad's hatred towards those damn things. I really hate squirrels now."

"You know, it took me a full hour to even get Bull to move close enough to the water and then went and rolled in the mud after I finally got him clean. As I said before, his idea of fun differs vastly from what any sane, rational person could think of."

Sasuke shuddered, "At least yours didn't want to get in. Mine insisted I wash his balls… twice… and then kept moaning and telling me to do it harder. I think I've been scarred for life."

Sai patted the Uchiha consolingly on the shoulder. "Remember what we said – breathe deep and find your happy place. Just keep telling yourself that it never happened, my brother."

"Are you three finished gossiping like little girls yet? Oh, and speaking of ninken," Kakashi pointed up the mountain, "The village is base."

"Oh shit…RUN!" yelled Naruto. He grabbed Sakura's arm and dragged her with him. "Its ninja tag!"

"Wh-what?!" she gasped out as she tried to avoid being smacked by the whipping branches caused by his insane speed. "Why are you freaking out baka? Ninja tag is a great game."

Dodging another branch, Naruto tried to make her go faster. "Not when he makes the hounds be it."

"But it's not like they have hands to touch us with."

"No, they use teeth."

Sakura's eyes widened. "He wouldn't…"

"Oh he would… You should see the scar on Sasuke's butt."

Asuma's team looked at each other in confusion as team seven practically disappeared in a blur. Faster than their eyes could follow, Kakashi summoned his pack of ninken. "They're it," he said lazily.

"I still don't get it," said Chouji.

The ninken began to growl deeply in their throats and then snap their teeth viciously. Ino stumbled back a step in uncertainty. Kakashi began to count down.

"Ten… nine…; better hurry…"

"Eight… seven…; they're going to get you…"

"Six… five…"

Chouji and Ino came to the conclusion that he wasn't kidding and leapt into the nearest tree. Old man Takeshi began to laugh and point, "Look at the little monkeys Haruki! See them climb."

"Four… three…; they're ninken; they can get up into the trees too…"

Chouji threw down his bag of chips and nearly tripping over his own feet in haste, began to run faster than he ever had before. Ino completely disappeared in her rush to evade the hounds.

"Two… one… Get 'em boys…"

Howls filled the air as the ninken separated to pursue the teens. Asuma exhaled a cloud of smoke and gave a deep chuckle. "That's some motivation."

"Mah, my cute little sycophants seem to like it."

"Yeah, I could tell by the looks of horror on their faces," said Asuma dryly.

"That's not horror," corrected Kakashi, "It's eager anticipation."

~~O~~

Their arrival in UshiVillage was not what any of them had imagined. There were no looks of awe at the sight of such powerful young shinobi, no looks of envy at the beautiful kunoichi, and no big feast of welcoming for a certain young Akimichi. Nope, none of that. Thanks to Kakashi, they arrived dirty, sweaty, and bedraggled. And in Chouji's case, with a heavily bleeding butt…

Now that their duty was complete, the ninken gathered around the teens as friendly as could be. Ūhei rubbed up against Naruto and wagged his tail.

"Traitors," he muttered, "You know how to make a dead dog go woof? With a bottle of lighter fluid and a match…"

"Aw don't be mad," whined the hound, "At least I didn't bite you today?"

"Tch, you ripped my favorite pants," complained Sasuke. "I think we should have pan-fried pooch for dinner tonight."

"Yes," agreed Sai, "With a little pickled pug on the side." He nudged the ninken with his foot. "You can leave now. We have a mission to complete."

~~O~~

After Asuma and Kakashi arrived, they received a full briefing from the Ushi counsel. Asuma split them into teams, each with a trained medic, a genin, and a villager to guide them. They were to inspect the animal remains at the various farms and ranches spread out around the town. Ino and Chouji, Sasuke and Sai, and Naruto and Sakura had to quickly leave so that they could return before nightfall while Asuma stayed behind to question all the villagers.

Kakashi gave them a few words of advice before they split up. "This is not just a 'C' rank mission. What have I always said?"

"Every mission is an 'A' rank."

"That's right Naruto. The rest of you remember that." The copy-nin looked each teen in the eye before continuing, "Be alert, be aware, and stay alive. There's been a lot of rain in the area the past few days so you probably won't find any marks in the ground, but I want you all to carefully investigate anyways."

Asuma nodded in approval at their serious faces. "There was another attack the night before, so Kakashi will go there to search for tracks. I want everyone back here by seven, understood?"

"Hai."

Naruto bumped fists with Sasuke as they parted. "Kick some ass, Teme."

"Don't get lost, Baka."

He punched Sai on the shoulder. "Don't step in any cow pies, Aho."

"Moo."

Chouji opened a bag of chips and inhaled the salty scent with relish. "You guys are weird," he said as he reached in to grab a handful.

Asuma snatched the bag and chided, "Let's keep this professional."

"Okay sensei," said the Akimichi sadly.

~~O~~

"Someone's been here recently."

Sakura looked around. "How can you tell that?"

Naruto shrugged. "It's a feeling you get in the forest. When you get good, you can find a track and tell not only how many they are, but also their morale, how far they're going, whether they're near their camp, sometimes even the weapons they're carrying."

"How can you know about their weapons and how far they're going?"

Naruto smiled.

"Mostly from the imprints when they put them down to rest. Their morale from the way they drag their feet, or the things that may be lying around. If they're near a base camp, they wouldn't be conserving food; they'll be throwing it away half-eaten. If the branches aren't broken, it could be that their swords are slung. I don't see any signs like that, but if you look over there by that bush, you'll see an odd track. It looks pretty fresh."

Sakura moved in closer to take a good look. She put her finger in the groove and touched the dark spot within. "Naruto," she said sharply and showed him her fingertip. "It's blood."

They both began a quick, but thorough search of the surrounding area. Shortly after, Naruto's shout had Sakura and Takeshi running over to join him. They found him kneeling over a strange brown lump.

"What is that?"

Waving away the cloud of flies, his brows knitted together as he studied the carcass. "Goat… I think." His intense, focused gaze turned to bafflement then worry.

"Naruto, what is it?" asked Sakura after she saw his body tense.

"It's still a little warm."

"What's that mean?"

"It means this animal was killed recently… very recently. I thought the attacks have only occurred at night."

Takeshi gasped, "But that means it could still be in the area." He froze as a sudden thought occurred to him. "The Nobutoshi family…" He spun on his heel and jogged away, suddenly very spry in his worry.

"Old man wait!" yelled Naruto as he chased after him. Easily catching up, he grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. "You need to let us handle this. We're ninja…it's what we have been trained for."

"Please hurry kid. They are the last of my sister's family. I… I have no one else."

~~O~~

Wind howled through the empty ranch. The only sound was the banging of a broken door as it swung on its hinges. As the wind died down, an eerie silence followed. Not even the lowing of animals could be heard.

"There," pointed the old man, "That one is my niece's house."

"Sakura, stay here with Takeshi while I check it out," said Naruto grimly.

The pink-haired kunoichi frowned in consternation. "Why should I stay here like some frightened little kid?" she thought in annoyance. She was about to disagree when she caught a glimpse of Takeshi's worried face. He had been nothing but a huge pain in the butt the entire way, but she had a duty to fulfill. She squashed down the urge to argue and nodded without protest… but not without sending the blonde a glare that told him just what she thought.

Naruto's dancing blue eyes were oddly still as he warily looked around and took a deep breath. His nostrils flared as he sniffed. He held his finger to his lips and then stealthily approached the house. While he didn't sense anything, his father had always told him to be alert for anything.

Naruto slowly opened the front door, wincing at the loud squeak, and entered the home. Several tense and interminable minutes later, he walked out. Sakura could tell instantly that something was horribly wrong.

As he came close, his expression was oddly guarded. "There's no one there."

Sakura moved towards the door to see for herself, but Naruto quickly moved in front of her. Don't," he warned, his tone taking on a melancholy note, "There are some things that can never be unseen."

"Move aside Naruto." Determined jade orbs flashed at him in challenge. "I am a kunoichi and a medic. I need to see."

Stiffly, Naruto resolutely nodded and moved back a fraction to allow her to pass. As Sakura opened the door, he closed his eyes in sorrow.

The once cheerful home was painted with bits and pieces of human flesh. Blood, limbs, and body parts that should never be seen, were so mixed together it was impossible to even guess how many people had died in the attack.

Sakura choked back the bile and forced herself to study the nightmare in front of her. Her disbelieving gaze at last halted on the blackened stone mantle and the head of an old man that had been placed there like a precious heirloom.

The mouth hung open in a silent scream and the eyes were gazing out in an eternal look of terror. Flies were gathered on the head in such numbers that it looked like he wore a dark-haired wig; a moving wig.

Nausea rolled through her stomach. "No animal did that," she stated in revulsion. "I can't even imagine any human capable of such savagery."

Naruto stood at the open door and leaned in. His face was set in fierce, angry lines. "We've got to figure this out; find out who did this and stop them."

Sakura vaguely nodded. With effort, she battled back her encroaching horror and forced herself to think with what logic she could muster.

"An animal couldn't have put that head there," she said shakily, "but it was torn off the body and not cut. I really don't think it's possible that a human could rip apart a body like that with his bare hands."

"So what are you saying? Do you think its both?"

"I don't know…maybe."

Naruto's nostrils flared. Somehow, he caught a whiff of something different over the powerful metallic, bloody scent. He shot across the room and opened a door at the end of the hall. It was a closet. Sakura watched in bafflement and then anger as he tore everything out and threw it aside.

"Naruto… Have some respect for the dead."

With a wordless cry, he ripped open a trapdoor on the floor and discovered the bodies of five people.

"Sakura, come quick… I think they're alive!"

~~O~~

"It happened early this morning. Everyone was just finishing breakfast when we heard the animals. My husband went outside to stop whatever was attacking them." The woman lowered her head and chocked back a sob. "That was the last time I saw him." tears ran from her face though she didn't cry. "My father-in-law, Jiro and two eldest sons ran outside when they heard my husband's screams. It was awful," she shuddered, "Not long after, my father and sons ran back inside and barricaded the door. Jiro hid us in the cellar and faced the killer alone."

Sakura, who had been trying to calm the woman, asked, "It was a man?"

"No, it was a demon."

The two were taken aback at her vehement tone, but wisely decided not to argue. It was plain to see that she was in a state of shock. Naruto looked over the huddled children and gave Sakura a significant look.

She walked over to where he was leaning against the wall. "Well, what do you think?" he quietly asked.

"The boys need to get back to the village. There is an infirmary there. They need more help than I can provide at the moment."

"Yeah, I think that's probably…"

A loud crash interrupted their conversation. The children shrieked in terror. Naruto yanked out a kunai, walked across the room and over to the window. He turned his head and held out his hand. "Quiet them," he commanded seriously. "I need to think." He studied the yard, but didn't see what could have caused the ruckus.

Sakura joined him in the front room and said softly, "Well, unless you intend to nail a chunk of steak to my butt and have me run around as a distraction, I would suggest we prepare for battle."

Naruto replied in a near whisper, "You're not going out there Sakura."

"What! You can't tell me…!"

"Listen!" he hissed over her protests, "You need to stay here and heal these people enough so that we can take them away from here. You know that. I'm going to make it safe for us."

Muttered curses floated behind him as he shut the door, clear enough for Naruto to realize that he was being unflatteringly compared to a jackass.

Ah well.

He gave a shrug as he turned away from the house. He'd been called worse. And probably would be again.

No doubt from the girl angrily waiting behind the door.

~~O~~

As soon as Naruto stepped outside, the smell hit his nostrils. The pungent scent was unlike anything he'd ever smelled before. He followed it around the barn and that's when he saw him…it…the - whatever the hell it was…

A vicious cross between a gargoyle and an ogre, the creature had dark, armor-like skin and a ridge of spines that ran from the base of its large, misshapen head down between its leathery wings to the tip of its long tail. Its abnormally long arms ended with clawed hands, as did his powerful legs.

The creature was squatting over an eviscerated cow, shoving handfuls of intestines into its mouth. The squelching sounds of its hands digging through the mangled carcass made the genin shudder in revulsion.

Strange black markings ran throughout its body, and when it turned its head, Naruto felt a cold ball of dread lodge in his stomach. It had enough human-like features on its face to make him think it had once been a man… if he didn't look at the mouth that seemed to be overflowing with elongated teeth…

It spotted him and slowly stood up. A long, glistening tongue slipped from its open mouth and slowly licked its dark lips. It smiled hungrily as it ran a hand across its face and took a shambling step forward while Naruto stared in shock.

In a very bewildered voice, Naruto mumbled, "What the hell are you?"

It hissed defiantly at him.

~~O~~

The raucous sounds of battle drew near the house. Sakura hit the floor, wondering what the hell was going on, but as the din drew nearer, she realized what must be happening: Naruto. Naruto was happening. Sometimes he was like a natural force; he happened the way a storm happened, the way lightning happened, abruptly crackling down a dark sky. She desperately wanted to join him and was about to do just that when one of the boys grabbed her hand in terror.

"Don't worry," she confidently assured the frightened children, "That's my friend out there. He'll protect you and so will I."

Even exhausted, preoccupied with his own fears, and after only a one day association with the two shinobi, Takeshi realized that Naruto was the more imaginative and mentally nimble of the two. Sakura was smarter than her teammate, but she was a more methodical thinker and more likely to make the sudden leap of logic to arrive at insightful deductions than he was, but he would be the one to come up with more imaginative solutions.

Sakura would more often be right than Naruto was, but on those occasions when the shinobi resolved a client's problems quickly, the resolution would most likely be attributed to Naruto. They made a good pair, and Takeshi, as the frightening sounds grew louder, realized he was relying on their complementary natures to save them all.

~~O~~

There was nothing human left in those eyes; nothing that could be reasoned with anyways. The alien beast-man that appeared before him had tackled him with such swiftness and ferocity that the force of it sent them both flying through the air before they hit the hard ground. Teeth that looked custom made to rip through flesh snapped dangerously close to his neck.

And when the creature couldn't get his teeth around his neck, he tore at Naruto's body with his sharp claws. Thank Kami for his amazing healing properties and stamina, because an ordinary human being would have easily died from the beating he took as they rolled around the farmstead, warring with each other.

The beast-man was too fast. Naruto had no opportunity to use any ninjutsu whatsoever. Every time he tried to make a hand sign, the creature would charge forward. All he could think of was how he grossly underestimated the beast's strength. He had assumed the creature was nothing but a dumb brute. But despite his appearance, the creature was cunning… and insane, giving him a unique edge when it came to sheer viciousness.

Naruto tried to throw him off his body, but the creature held on like the madman he literally was. It didn't take long for him to go mad himself. It was sitting down on his back tearing into his skin like an animal when Naruto growled and jammed an elbow up into the side of his face. The suddenness had its own force that sent it falling to the side giving Naruto a chance to get up and stand.

"His face burned as the air hit the opened wounds that had been made by the creature's teeth and its hands. And the more pain he felt, the more his fangs grew and whisker marks thickened. Thoroughly enraged, he directed an intense and deadly glare at the monster. "No more screwing around!" yelled Naruto, "I'm done playing with you."

He palmed a kunai quickly and let the thing tackle him to the ground as it came to finish him off. He let it get nice and close.

Too close.

Naruto jammed his kunai in the creature's exposed neck, its teeth closing with a sharp snap right above his neck. The creature gasped for breath. The sound it made was horrible – a strained unfulfilled wheezing that brought it suddenly to his knees. He looked at Naruto with a very human look of fear."

"I've killed him," Naruto thought as he saw the beast-man fall face first onto the ground. He felt no sadness, just the bewildered thought of what the hell should he do next.

~~O~~

Naruto knocked on the door. "Sakura, it's me. Let me in."

The pink-haired kunoichi swiftly ran to the door and threw it open in relief. She stared in surprise at the genin in front of her. It was still Naruto, but he was different somehow from the boy that had traveled with her that day. His spiky blonde hair looked wilder and his whisker-marks were thicker and darker than normal. He had a lingering look of malice on his face, his nails were longer and more resembled claws and his canines were more pronounced and sharper.

She reached out to touch him, but then stopped herself, a little leery. "N-Nar-Naruto? A-Are you okay?"

He shook his head as though trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind and then took a deep breath and smiled widely. "I'm fine. Trust me – it's all good."

For all his attempts to appear his usual happy-go-lucky self, there was no mistaking the pain that tightened his features and the weakness that plagued his body. "Are you sure?" asked Sakura, "Because you look hurt."

"No really," he assured her, "I'm okay; it's just a few scrapes."

"Thank Kami," she said in relief before throwing her arms around him. She hugged him tight for a second and then punched him, angrily shouting, "What were you thinking – leaving me behind like that?!"

"Oh don't be mad Sakura," he pled, "I'm sorry."

"I am just as much as a shinobi as you are."

"I know. I swear it's not like that Sakura. I couldn't heal those people. I don't have the skills like you do. I swear I didn't make you stay for any other reason."

Slightly mollified, Sakura pulled him aside. "Is it safe for us to leave?" she whispered, "We really should get these people out of here and return to our team. It's going to get dark here soon and I don't think it'll be safe."

"I'm not sure. I think so though; I didn't sense anymore of those creatures."

"Creatures? Just what attacked you?"

"I don't know what it was and I don't have time to figure that out right now," Naruto glanced over at the injured civilians and said pointedly, "I don't want to scare these people any more than necessary. You're right; we need to gather them together and leave right now."

~~O~~

Showing his faith in Sakura, Naruto let her lead while he pulled the cart with the injured people. At first she was doubtful that he would be strong enough, but after removing the resistance seals on his arms and legs, he proved her wrong as he hefted the cart and began to run at a swift pace.

"You've been wearing them this whole time?" she asked in surprise and confusion. "Why didn't you take them off?"

"Sakura, this was only supposed to be an easy 'C' rank mission. I just had them made stronger two weeks ago and haven't had the opportunity to practice first with them off. The last time I had them removed, I nearly punched myself on accident."

One of the children leaned over the side of the cart and anxiously asked, "Are we gonna make it? What if the bad thing comes back?"

"Don't worry kid." Naruto took his hand off the handle, patted his pouch, and winked at the young boy. "Weapons – never leave home without them."

He cast one last worried look back at the empty ranch and wondered to himself what could have taken the body of the creature he had killed. Something was very wrong; he knew it deep in his soul. Not wanting to scare the civilians with his fears or suspicions, he put on his cheerful, 'everything's okay mask and said, "Hey Sakura, I can't taste my lips. Could you do it for me?"

...

...

The look on the civilian's faces was worth it, Naruto decided as he tenderly rubbed the knot forming on his head.

AN:

Old Person translation guide:

knee high to a grasshopper: young kid (Yeah, I actually had someone say that to me...I was confused as hell!)

wet behind the ears: inexperienced

fine fettle: feeling good

coot: old person

whippersnappers: young kid

Thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/commented on the last chapter!

I wanted to thank Lightningscar for the idea about bathing the ninja hounds - that was golden, my friend!

I wanted to recommed a new story I just read. It's called Blind Stars of Fortune by 100demons. Very excellent Kakashi time travel fic.

Ja Ne,

AZFAERYDUST