Chapter 25: A Clash of Demons

The ominous shadow of the Akatsuki monster loomed over the village.

Shikamaru and Temari glanced at each other, wide-eyed. The two keen analysts had hoped that the statue wouldn't awaken so soon.

"Temari," Shikamaru grabbed her elbow. "Your brother—Gaara—is he here with you?"

She yanked herself from his grip. "Of course, you idiot. Do you think I came here all by myself to save Konoha?"

He rolled his eyes. How troublesome. "I think I might have a plan, but we have to find him first."

Raising her eyebrow, she said, "He and Kankuro will be close to the wooden beast. What do you have in mind?"

"Well, it's not a full plan yet, but I'll explain what I am thinking as we go."

They sped off in the opposite direction of the fleeing crowd.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Come on," Saruwatari was already racing away from them. "We should find the others and figure out a plan from there!"

"Granny Tsunade," Naruto yelled up to her. "We need to find her! She's the one in charge!"

"Eh?" The Raiju woman looked at him, slightly confused.

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he raced away from the base of the statue. "He means our Hokage."

"Tsunade-sama is near the hospital," the soft voice of Gaara broke in. "I spoke with her briefly."

"Alright!" The blond kyuubi man grinned. "Towards the hospital we go!"

He cut to the right, heading down a narrow alley. As he ran, he glanced around, glad that he had seen no villagers caught in the crossfire. No doubt Iruka-sensei had evacuated them all to the cavern behind the mountain carvings.

Naruto grimaced. He hoped that none of the villagers had seen the intimidating form of the dragon sitting over the town. It would send them all into a panic.

He strained his eyes, but the faces of the past Hokages were still hidden behind a screen of smoke.

"Naruto!" Sasuke stopped them in the middle of their tracks. He inclined his head to the end of the alley. "Someone is waiting for us."

They squinted against the dust cloud. Two forms were outlined in the light, facing them from the opposite entrance to the corridor.

"Oi, Naruto?" A deep voice called to them. "Is that you, Naruto?"

"Hai! Shikamaru!" Naruto walked over to them. "Oh and Temari-san."

"When did you get back? We thought you guys were gone for good!"

The two men clapped each other on the back in greeting before the Nara youth's face became serious again.

His eyes went to Gaara.

"It's good to have you back, but now isn't the time to catch up. Temari and I have been talking. We think we may know a way to slow that thing down. It'll be troublesome, but with the Kazekage's help, it just might work." Shikamaru glanced over at Saruwatari. "Eh? Perhaps we should drop off the old woman where it's saf—"

He choked on the last word as the Thunder ninja grabbed him by the shirt. She glared at him, lighting up her eyes with blue sparks. "I am tired of being called an old woman."

That said, she placed him down gently, and walked back to her spot beside Sasuke.

Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "Naruto…don't give me too much detail, but who is she?"

"Why, she's the six-tails' host." His blue eyes lit up. "She's here to help."

"Hmmm, here to help, eh?" He looked thoughtful. "There's seven of us now, that might be enough."

Temari nodded.

"Alright, here's what we were thinking…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tsunade and Sakura peered over the wall at Akatsuki.

The Hokage's eyes narrowed. "Why hasn't it attacked yet?" She whispered. "What are they waiting for?"

Sakura didn't respond. Where are Naruto and Sasuke? She relaxed her stance, realizing that she had been holding her breath. Kakashi? Saruwatari? There were so many people she hadn't even seen yet. Behind the wall, Lee, Neji, Tenten and Kiba were the only ones she could account for. Everyone else was still out in the village.

Sakura's jaw clenched. Ino.

Tsunade's hand on her arm shattered her thoughts. She looked up at her teacher.

"Sakura." Her brown eyes looked at the young woman knowingly. "I'll ask you to stay behind the wall…but I won't force you."

"I—"

Hokage and student ducked as a massive ball of water and rock hurtled through the air, hitting the mountain with its full force.

Dirt and stone tumbled down on them, shrouding the recovering shinobi in a film of deadly mountain debris. Huge chunks fell disconcertingly close as Sakura and her old classmates fought to move the wounded ninjas to the protection of a large outcropping of rock.

The last of them moved, Sakura looked over at Tsunade.

The sannin nodded sadly.

Determined to find her friends, Sakura hopped up and over the wall.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The group dove for cover as the wooden creature spit out another massive ball of rock and water. It flew overhead, demolishing an entire block of houses as it landed a few hundred meters behind them.

As the Akatsuki demon spewed forth more balls of watery death, Shikamaru nodded to Gaara from his position on the opposite side of the road.

The Kazekage inclined his head once in response.

The giant figure itself had only advanced a few steps since beginning the attack. And as it moved forward, so did the Akatsuki members at its feet.

Naruto only recognized Kakuzu. The other members he had never seen before.

His eyes narrowed. The figure on top of the monster's head was probably their leader.

Temari also was studying the figures before them. Her brow furrowed in thought. "Shikamaru…"

"Eh?"

"Watch the cloaked shinobi."

He turned his attention from what Gaara was doing to the calm figures of Akatsuki. His eyes narrowed—and then widened suddenly as he realized what Temari was pointing out.

As the wooden fiend launched another attack, Shikamaru noted that one of the Akatsuki was deep in meditation, his hands forming occasional symbols.

He looked at Temari.

She smirked. "Looks like we may have found a weakness."

The young man nodded. So…that's why each Akatsuki was assigned an individual tailed-beast to find. It was so they could control them once they were inside the statue! And if each Akatsuki controls an attack type, it means they'll be leaving themselves open for outside interference when they go to perform the technique. If only he could figure out which member controlled what function.

He turned his attention back to Gaara. The Sand shinobi had just finished the last seal of his jutsu.

They all looked up as the Akatsuki members yelled out in rage.

Shikamaru smiled.

The statue had stopped. A large sinkhole of sand had opened up beneath it and even as they watched, it began to descend into the soil.

But the jutsu was putting a strain on Gaara. Without the demon inside of him, he didn't have enough chakra to keep up his performance. Even as it was, sweat was beading on his forehead as he struggled to keep the pit of sand swirling around the monster.

Naruto was the next to catch Shikamaru's eye.

The notoriously lazy youth nodded.

"Alright! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" The crowd of Naruto clones grinned. "Let's do this!" They swarmed toward the Akatsuki members, leaving the real Naruto behind.

"Okay!" Shikamaru called over to them. "Now, while they're distracted! Sasuke! See if you can…"

But as the Uchiha got ready to dash forward and light the statue ablaze…he and the rest of the group stopped and stared in dismay.

While the clones still fought around the base of the structure, the Akatsuki leader at the top had settled himself into a concentration pose.

Gaara fell backward, crying out. His chakra was depleted; his jutsu shattered. As they watched, the sand beneath the statue slowly began swirling in the opposite direction, drawing the grotesque wooden beast up and out of the pit. Once it had emerged, the sand below rose up into the air, solidifying until it had formed an impressive wall around the giant.

The Akatsuki leader spread his arms wide—

--and the wall exploded outward.

Sasuke felt himself thrown back, only to be caught by the strong yet gentle arms of Sakura.

She shielded him with her body, grimacing in pain as chunks of hardened sand pelted her along her back.

Sasuke looked up at her, momentarily surprised. "Sakura?"

Wincing in pain, she smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "Sasuke-kun! I'm glad you are alright!"

He wasn't fast enough to return her embrace with how quickly she jumped up and away. "What's going on here?"

But Shikamaru hopped down beside them before Sasuke could explain.

"We're going to have to retreat for now. Gaara's exhausted, and I hadn't counted on them using our own moves against us. Now that they know we're this close, they'll be out looking for us. But I don't think they'll leave the close proximity to the statue"

Sasuke nodded.

The rest of the group had recovered and had made their way over to where Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru were kneeling.

Saruwatari brushed the dust off her long robes, irritation written all over her face. She frowned. "Come on. Let's go meet this Hokage of yours and maybe we'll be able to figure out something else."

Naruto hopped over to Sakura. "Sakura-chan! When did you get here?"

"Just in time to get hit by a bunch of sand." She smiled.

"Well come on! Let's get back to the hospital!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you sure?" Tsunade asked. "How can you be that positive?"

Jiraiya sighed. "I am not positive, Hokage-sama. But it would appear that Akatsuki are low on chakra and that is why the statue has stopped."

The sannin looked out in the dim light of dusk at the now dormant colossal figure.

"But how can that be? There must be unlimited chakra inside that thing due to all the demons."

The white-haired sage was thoughtful. "I don't think that's it. From what Shikamaru told us, the individual Akatsuki members control different aspect of the statue. It seems likely that they need to use their own chakra to activate the attacks. Once they are tired and out of chakra, then they can no longer control the beasts on the inside."

Tsunade nodded. "And there are only five of them. That means most of the control is going to one person and it is probably a great strain on them. Once the missing members arrive then, I think, our luck will be out."

From her spot along the base of the mountain, Sakura could hear her mentor's foreboding words. She rubbed her sore back, staring up at the sky.

Most of the ninjas had retreated to their respective sides once night began to fall. They could have kept fighting, and there were places that the battle still waged, but both sides took the darkness to regroup and heal their injured comrades.

The smoke still clouded the air, but Sakura thought she could catch a glimpse of a star every now and then.

The sudden appearance of three disheveled forms caught her attention.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruto rushed over. "Kakashi-sensei! Shino!

The Hyuga girl blushed furiously even in the dim light. Naruto grabbed her by the hand. "Hinata-chan! Come and meet a friend off mine!"

Sakura watched him haul her towards Saruwatari.

Ino. Her smile disappeared. She hadn't seen her blond friend since they had arrived in Konoha. She could only hope that Ino and Choji were safe with other shinobi in a separate part of town. Shikamaru had told her the last place he had seen the flower-shop girl was near the Hokage's palace during the first stage of attack.

"Sakura."

She looked up. "Oh, Kakashi-sensei. I'm glad to see you're okay."

He chuckled. "Ah, Sakura. You know better than to worry about me." He ruffled her dirty hair. "Everything alright?"

The medic smiled. Kakashi always had a way of knowing when something was on her mind. "I'm worried about Ino."

"Eh? Ino? What for?"

"I haven't seen her."

"Hmmm. You know, neither have I."

A new fire broke out in an abandoned home on the other side of the wall. It cast an orange light over

Sakura's worried expression.

Kakashi patted her shoulder and stood up. "Ah, Sakura. I'm sure Ino is fine. I think she'd see dieing as a way of letting you win."

Sakura had to chuckle as her ex-sensei walked away from her, orange book in hand despite the poor, fire-induced lighting.

She sighed and stood. Tsunade probably needed an extra hand to help heal their fellow shinobi.

She looked out over the collection of resting bodies.

It was going to be a long night.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sasuke watched Sakura's form in the flickering orange light. He could tell she was growing increasingly weary with every person she healed. When he saw her fall to her knees next to a patient, he stood and walked over to her.

"Sakura." He pulled her up gently. "Enough."

She tried to pull away from him. "No. I…I need to help…"

Pulling her arm over his shoulder, he walked her back over to an empty place by the wall. "Sit."

She plopped down on the pile of blankets.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

He stood in front of her awkwardly for a while, before sitting down next to her. He hadn't really spoken with her much since hurting her feelings in Earth country.

She turned her face to him. Her eyes were exhausted.

"Sasuke-kun, I have to go find Ino."

She was so serious, he didn't know what to say to her. Even though her eyes were heavy with sleep, her mind was just as sharp as ever.

"Go to sleep, Sakura."

"No. Once I rest, I'm going to go find Ino."

"Hn." He looked at her. "Don't be stupid. You're not going out at night—alone no less." Even as he said it, he cringed on the inside. Are you ever going to try being nice to her?

Sakura surprised him. She grabbed his chin and turned his face to hers, so they were looking eye to eye.

"Sasuke, I'm going to go find Ino." She dropped her hand. "She would do the same for me. I'm not afraid, and I'm not stupid."

She looked away from him.

"I know," He said. "I know you're not stupid."

"I'm just annoying, right?"

He frowned. "No…not annoying either."

Somewhere out in the village there was a crash. Sakura jumped, startled due to her exhaustion.

She stood, shakily. "I can't wait any longer. She could be dead or dieing. After all we've been through, I owe her this much."

Sasuke grabbed her arm, forcing her to sit back down. "Stop saying that, Sakura. You don't owe anyone anything. After all you've done for your friends…" He was almost at a loss for words. "You don't owe us anything."

She shook her head. "I owe it to her because I care about her. That's what it means to be a friend. You just automatically know that there is someone out there worried about you; searching for you. It's because I'm her friend that I owe it to Ino…not because she saved me and now it's my turn to save her."

Sasuke's face was blank but her words echoed in his head. I owe it to her because I care about her.

He took a deep breath.

And another.

"Sakura…" he began. "I have never been, and will never be, the man to tell you the things you deserve to hear." He avoided her wounded gaze. His hand still held her firmly in place—he needed her to hear him out. "But…" he swallowed, "It's not because the feelings aren't there."

There. He'd said it.

She stared at him, her green eyes wide and no longer sleepy. Her mouth had opened slightly. She remained silent.

Damn it. Sasuke ground his teeth. Why isn't she saying something? His expression became angry. He should have known better than to say anything. Now he just felt like an idiot.

The Uchiha's fist had clenched and he was just about to stand when Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder.

He instantly tensed under her touch.

"Sasuke-kun," she looked at him with uncertainty. "Why are you telling me this?"

He glanced at her, not answering.

Sakura's eyes misted over.

Sasuke held his breath. Was she going to reject him? What kind of tears were those?

But Sakura smiled at him. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

The memory hit him like a ton of bricks. So many years ago…he had said those same words to her. Had she said them just now to prove a point?

No. As he looked at her, he knew she hadn't even said them on purpose. She was truly thanking him and not just looking for a way to dodge his feelings.

"Hn."

Sakura surprised him by laying her head on his shoulder. Sasuke froze, unsure what to do as she yawned sleepily.

But she surprised him even more when she yawned again, and mumbled, "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

And then she was asleep.

Relief flooded through Sasuke, though he still wasn't sure what to do next. He leaned back against the wall, glaring at the stupid grin Jiraiya was giving him. Even Kakashi was staring. Sasuke frowned at them all, slightly concerned that Naruto was avoiding looking at him completely. Those shinobi who had known him in the academy also stared, unaware of just how much Sasuke had changed. To them, it was as strange a sight as the Akatsuki monster destroying their town.

Sasuke sighed and looked away. He had just complicated things immensely.

Itachi.

His eyes narrowed. His need to hunt down his brother had lessened due to the urgency of the last couple of months. But now that he was back in Konoha, and so close to Akatsuki, the drive was back again.

He listened to Sakura's deep, even breathing.

This was why you didn't want to tell her all those years ago. You're just going to cause her more pain if something happens to you. And then what? She'll go after Itachi herself.

He frowned at his own logic. He had been surprised, when he learned that Sakura knew about his brother, that she had not already gone after the older Uchiha with Naruto. She must know how important it is for me to be the one to do it.

His attention was drawn to Shikamaru as the youth suddenly stood and shouted:

"That's it! I've figure out what we need to do!"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Coming soon: Chapter 26: Welcome Back-- Akatsuki plus Two

Author's Note: I tried to update for the last THREE days, but fanfiction has been giving me a horrible time with my account. Half the time my chapters won't upload and I haven't been receiving updates via email. I know some of their hard drives crashed, but they said everything should be fixed. (yeah right) I go to the support sight they tell you to go to…but there's nothing there. So hang in there with me, I WILL complete this story in a timely manner. But, just fair warning, there are not many chapters left.