I DO NOT OWN NARUTO! If I did, I'd buy fanfiction so I could make sure there would be no more problems with my account.
Please be aware that I posted TWO new chapters today--so make sure you read Chapter 25 First!
Chapter 26: Welcome back—Akatsuki Plus Two
In the early dawn light, Itachi stared up at the frozen statue of the Akatsuki.
Fools. He thought. They should have waited for us before they activated it. They've only worn out their own chakra.
He almost smirked. Soon, it wouldn't matter to him one way or another. He had a much bigger plan and it was time to start concentrating on that. He had ridden along with Akatsuki as far as he would go.
"Ah, welcome back." The leader called down to them. "I'm impressed you had the courage to show your face again after failing me a second time."
The Uchiha subconsciously rubbed the pink hair that was still twined around his finger. He would not dignify the leader with a response.
He and Kisame took their places near the base of the wooden structure.
Itachi would humor them for now.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sakura dodged through the shadows using the vanishing darkness and the ever-present haze of smoke to conceal her movements.
If anyone who knew her had seen her, they would have commented on the swiftness in which she moved and the new determination set in her eyes. It was as if the months and months spent on the mission had been erased and she had just woken from a normal, restful sleep.
Sakura scanned the buildings before her.
Nothing.
The fighting had moved away from that area.
She tried to keep her mind focused on Ino, but it kept wandering back to her friends behind the wall. She was sure they were leaving the protected area behind to continue the fight, but she hadn't told any of them when she had left herself.
Sasuke. She almost didn't dare think of what had happened just a few hours ago. And when she had finally awoken—still resting against his shoulder—she wondered if it had all been a dream. But Sakura knew it was reality, no matter how many ways she thought about it in her mind. She knew he would be furious when he realized she had left without telling anyone, but she also knew that her friend was depending on her.
To hear Sasuke's feelings only strengthened Sakura's resolve to find her childhood friend. Even if no one else was out here looking for Ino and Choji, Sakura was.
Now that the sun was up, she managed to catch fleeting glimpses of other shadowy forms moving past her. They may have been enemies; they may have been her friends. She could not tell. But the morning sun was bringing both sides back into heated battle.
The pink-haired healer stepped gingerly over a dead Grass Shinobi. Guiltily, she knelt down, double-checking for any sign of life. To Sakura, it didn't matter what side someone was on if they were in danger of death. Feeling nothing, she sighed and leapt away.
The sound of exploding tags lead her to the far North side of town.
Crouching along the corner of an old restaurant, Sakura peered at the battle going on before her.
She could not tell where the attacking shinobi were from. They did not appear to be from Grass country, as the majority of the enemy seemed to be. From their rooftop position, they hurled kunais with attached tags toward a burning home.
Instinctively, Sakura knew.
Ino!
Sneaking back around the opposite side of the building, she was able to see inside the home under attack. A large hole in the wall nearest to her provided a good view of the trapped ninja within as well as serving as a way of entry.
Staying under the radar as best she could, Sakura darted across the street and dove through the opening.
"Sakura-chan!" Choji looked up in shock. "How…I mean…you…when?"
She looked from him to the unconscious form of Ino and over to the two jonin kneeling in the corner.
"Kurenia-sensei?" She didn't recall the other shinobi's name, but she recognized him as the examiner of her first chuunin exam.
"Sakura!" Kurenai winced in pain. Sakura noticed the giant gash in the woman's side. The man next to her reached out to support her.
An explosion on the roof made Sakura dart over to where Choji protected Ino's form.
He looked at Sakura. "We're out of chakra—all of us. They've kept us in here for two days with those exploding tags. It's just a matter of time before this place collapses in around us."
"What happened to Ino?" She placed a hand on her friend's cool forehead.
"She managed to catch on of them in her mind-transfer jutsu…but they killed their own ninja when they realized it was her! She…she just managed to do a release before the body she was in died." He shook his head. "She hasn't woken up since."
Sakura frowned, sending her healing chakra into the motionless form in front of her. She could sense nothing wrong physically with her friend.
The shock of throwing herself back into her body must have worn her out.
She focused the chakra on Ino's forehead.
After a few moments, the blond's eyes opened slightly.
"S-sakura-chan?"
The medic smiled. "Hey Ino-chan. Don't move around too much. I'll take care of everything."
"What are you planning, Sakura?" The male jonin asked.
Her eyes narrowed in thought. "Are you and Choji able to cause a distraction for me?"
Genma nodded. "We're alright except for the lack of chakra."
Sakura picked her way over the debris toward the hole in the back wall. "Alright, you cause the diversion, and I'll take care of the rest."
Out the hole she went.
From her original position a street over, Sakura watched as Choji and Genma exited the front door, Kurenai and Ino in tow.
The attacking ninja snickered, amazed that their quarry would attempt to leave right in front of them. As they prepared to throw more weapons down on the fleeing Leaf shinobi, Sakura ran out from hiding and placed a hand tentatively on the building.
The enemy looked down at her, intrigued by the arrival of a new victim.
She grinned wickedly at them—
--and slammed her fist into the wall.
Their outraged cries were cut short as the building collapse inward, taking them with it. A few explosions, from the unused tags sealed the tomb.
"Come on!" Sakura helped Choji with Ino. "Let's get you guys to the Hokage!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sasuke's mind was wandering as he listened to Shikamaru's plan.
He had been more than surprised to wake up and find Sakura gone. He'd been dangerously angry and annoyed at first, but now he was simply concerned. However, his face retained its stone-like front and no one was the wiser about his thoughts.
"…so, any questions?" Shikamaru asked.
Everyone, Sasuke included, shook their heads.
"Alright," The Nara youth stood. "Head out then. You all know what to do." He, Temari, Gaara and Saruwatari leapt up and over the wall.
Tsunade shook her head. "Good luck. Jiraiya and I are going to go scout the village. We've got a lot of unaccounted for shinobi and no doubt they need some help."
She cast a glance at Sasuke, aware that she was not the only one worried about Sakura.
"I've got faith in you guys." The Hokage smiled. "For Konoha!"
Naruto and Sasuke took off over the wall.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The wooden creature shuddered as the Akatsuki around it concentrated their chakra. With the arrival of Kisame and Itachi, they now had enough power to complete the attack.
The statue suddenly roared to life.
The Akatsuki leader steered the abomination into the town, crushing buildings on its journey towards the Hokage's palace.
He smiled as he spotted four figures on a distant roof.
Fools! They think four worthless shinobi can stand up to the powers of these demons?
His smile grew larger as he redirected the beast towards them.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Alright," Shikamaru said, mostly to himself. "Almost—"
"—Now!"
They hopped away from the oncoming threat, heading toward the southern base of Konoha's cliff, away from the palace and Tsunade's medical facility.
Wait…wait…
"Now!"
They leapt away again.
Now, they had reached the cliff and could go no further. The wooden creature stomped through the buildings. Its massive hands grabbed and crushed things in its wake.
Shikamaru, Temari, Saruwatari and Gaara held their ground at the base of the ridge.
Off to his right, the young strategist could see the tell-tale red glow of Naruto's chakra. The kyuubi youth and Sasuke were a few buildings off to the right, waiting for Shikamaru to give them the word.
The statue loomed in front of them and the Akatsuki members were mere meters away.
Not yet! Sweat formed on Shikamaru's forehead. Not yet Naruto…just wait..
One of the creature's eyes lit up.
Temari opened her fan fully, forcing herself to remain where she was. "You'd better be right about all this, idiot." She growled at Shikamaru. "I'm not sure if you're a fool or if you're brilliant."
He fought a smile, eyes never leaving the creature as chakra surged to its hands.
"Now!!" He screamed. "Now Naruto!!"
Shikamaru and Temari dove one way as Gaara and Saruwatari dove the other. They watched as Naruto appeared in all his four-tailed glory.
The ball of energy died instantly as the surprised Akatsuki dropped their guard.
They watched as Naruto ripped into the base of the statue. But Shikamaru was aware that Sasuke as taking the biggest chance by leaving his body unattended. The Uchiha was slumped against the wall of one of the buildings, hopefully out of view, his energy focused on staying inside Naruto's mind.
As the Akatsuki jumped to safety, the Nara youth signaled to the rest of the group.
Saruwatari nodded, closing her eyes and performing hand seals so fast, no one was able to track them. After a moment, a dark cloud appeared over the wooden demon, spewing forth rain and lightning and shaking the ground with the force of the thunder.
The Akatsuki leader cried out to his other members. "You fools! Keep your focus! All we need is one good attack!"
He began forming seals.
But the other members were more concerned with Naruto thrashing about at their heels. Only Zetsu and the leader were making any attempt.
Shikamaru saw another eye begin to flicker.
He knew it was now or never.
He watched as Gaara focused and a massive arm of sand exploded out of the nearby cliff and headed toward the creature.
The leader stared in open shock for a moment before her was forced to dive from the wooden beast and onto a roof with Itachi.
His rage was indescribable as he watched the sand cover his creation. The rain water soaked the sand, making it one hundred times heavier.
But something happened no one had expected.
Out of Naruto's eyes, Sasuke watched as Saruwatari doubled over, bolts of lightning surrounding her. Her eyes went white and her form suddenly changed. The rain stopped and the entire sky clouded over. An unearthly shriek erupted from her. She was no longer Saruwatari.
Naruto… Sasuke mentally touched the demon fox's chakra. Naruto, I'm going to have to leave your mind! I'll turn off the fox first , so you'd better get to cover once I'm gone!
He received a mental agreement from the young man.
Sasuke pushed the demon fox away and returned to his own mind. He staggered to his feet and left the cover of the buildings. Racing toward a confused Shikamaru, he was thrown back by a storm-induced wind.
He concentrated on the Raiju, not sure if what he was planning would work or not.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru knew the plan was in danger of failing. Akatsuki would not let them have another chance.
He signaled once more to Gaara and then to Temari.
The Kazekage raised his hands, causing the ground in front of them to turn into sand. To his side, Temari reached back with her fan…
…and sent a wave of air out and away from them. The gust of wind picked up the fresh, dry sand and plastered it to the wet sand covering the Akatsuki statue. She repeated her technique a few more times until the entire thing was encased.
They had created a giant brick.
But now Shikamaru was concerned. He had counted on Saruwatari sending a lightening bolt into the nearby cliff and sending a barrage of boulders down to crush the immobilized threat.
He looked over at Sasuke and the Thunder nin.
Saruwatari's mind was alien, but the Uchiha was still able to reach her. He had no idea if he had the ability to suppress the Raiju as well as the Kyuubi, but it was worth a shot. He searched through the lonely halls that symbolized her mind, eventually coming face to face with the fierce monkey demon.
Unlike the Kyuubi, the Raiju railed against Sasuke's presence. It fought to push him out, but as he laid his hands on it, he knew that he was the one in control.
Naruto watched, barely able to move, as Saruwatari returned to her normal self. The blond allowed Temari to haul him bodily behind a building.
They were soon joined by Sasuke and a weary Saruwatari.
Gaara and Shikamaru remained out in the open.
Akatsuki would be on them soon and they had nothing left to fight with.
But a loud, ferocious voice caught everyone's attention.
On the cliff above, looking down on them, was a familiar figure.
"Hey! I think maybe it's my turn now!"
Naruto grinned as he saw Badejiru. The Earth shinobi was in his second transformation and behind him stood an army of his countrymen.
"Alright!" Naruto winced as he yelled. "It's about time!"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From her position on the mountain, Hachimata watched the six shinobi below her with interest.
She was aware that the ground beneath her was hollow and filled with the non-shinobi villagers of Konoha. If she weren't so amused with the Kyuubi, she would have been tempted to crush them all herself.
Instead, she watched as the enemy approached via the long road up the mountain.
They were unaware of her presence, since she had moved back and away from the carved faces.
It was clever, sending a few ninja this way to wipe out the villagers. They were probably not very well protected.
But, she frowned.
You're going soft. She said to herself.
The advancing shinobi suddenly found their path cut off as the dragon slammed her clawed hand down on the road.
All eight heads grinned down at them "Oh no you don't." She boomed. "You'll have to go through me first!"
Afterward, she wasn't sure how many of them died out of fear before she even got to them.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Coming soon: Chapter 27: Itachi's Ultimate Plan