"Blah": Talking

'Blah': Demon speaking/Inner Sakura

'Blah': Naruto's thoughts/other people's thoughts

'Blah': Harry talking to Naruto

So here we are again at the latest chapter and the start of the grand finale of Book 3! It's almost Thanksgiving at the time I'm posting this chapter, so Happy Thanksgiving to all of the people who are reading this new chapter! I thought I'd post this latest chapter before the holiday and I can't wait to read your opinion about it in the reviews, because this chapter has one of Iruka's finest shining moments I think I've ever wrote for him! :D

But before we start, I feel a bit nostalgic because I think this was the chapter where Azeroth44 went fanboy-nuts over the dragon Deathwing when he made his first appearance in these introductions. Man, I can't believe how crazy and obnoxious these introductions were back in 2010…

Azeroth44: I like it!

Naruto: You demanded potato chips and guacamole in service to a mythical dragon from World of Warcraft.

AZ44: I like it!

N: I think Azeroth44 is broken…

Kvsyaoran: He's always broken, Naruto.

AZ44: You know, I'm feeling a bit nostalgic too! Didn't Deathwing burn you because you over-served the guacamole? Oh, wait! I think it was me who encouraged him to do that! Hahahahahaha!

K: Moving on! Let's skip to the chapter!

Reviews are welcome and wanted!

Disclaimer: Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto,

Harry Potter is property of JK Rowling,

Chapter 23: The Boomerang Warrior Rises

{{Flying Keys by Jeremy Soule}}

Naruto and his friends hopped from tree branch to tree branch. The trio of rookies followed Kakashi's summoned canine, Pakkun. And with his acute sense of smell, followed Sasuke's scent into the wilds of the forest. Naruto and Sakura were determined to find their teammate as the sounds of the violent invasion echoed in the distance and worried them. But Shikamaru looked bitter and irritated, as he didn't even want to be there.

"I can't believe I've been dragged into this stupid goose-chase," he whined.

Naruto snapped at him and said, "Relax, Shika! You're getting a mattress out of this!"

"You better cut me a deal with a king-size bed," he said, "And I want one with all the latest features! AND DON'T CALL ME SHIKA!"

Sakura hissed at both of them to be silent and moved faster as she followed Pakkun. The kunoichi was more determined to be involved and Naruto had some trouble catching up with his teammate. But he had problems of his own that slowed him down. Naruto didn't want to leave the Sandaime when he could have hexed Orochimaru as easily as he did to Jiraiya and save his life. He must have run over a hundred scenarios in his head on how he could have ended the battle with Orochimaru until he heard his older brother's voice boom out.

'You can't keep worrying about Sarutobi. He'll be ok, Naruto. He is the Hokage, after all…'

'I know, Nii-san… I know that he's smart and the strongest shinobi in the village. But he hasn't fought something like this since he fought in the Nine-Tails attack…'

'Nevertheless, Sasuke is our top priority right now. We need to find as soon as humanly possible. Even if he is a prideful idiot for going after his opponent like he did… For now, let's concentrate on where he is and find somewhere safe to hide. But do kick him in the head for me when we find him, ok?'

Naruto nodded and continued to hop across the maze of trees beside his current teammates.

'Between the two of us, I'd much rather hex him…'

Back at the Ninja Academy, Iruka was seated on a bench as he twiddled his thumbs. He took his class out to recess and ordered them to run laps as usual, while he sat down and waited for them to finish. While he waited, he thought about the match he witnessed and smiled at his brother's most victorious moment to date. But then his thoughts returned to what Sarutobi had warned him and looked over his shoulder to make sure he didn't hear a platoon of soldiers approach.

He relaxed and then he heard movement come from his bag. Curious, he looked inside and discovered what appeared to be a treasure he never noticed when he went to work. It was some sort of a present, swathed in colorful wrappings and it was addressed to him, from Naruto. The chunin unwrapped the parcel and was astounded to find a boomerang.

Iruka did have a collection of them at home, and used to have a true talent with them until he became a teacher. He still subscribed to Boomerang Collector's Monthly and added a new one to his collection whenever he found one he liked or could afford. But he took the time to examine the one Naruto snuck to him; it was carved out of wood, lined with a fine metal, and painted white and blue. The handle had a knob at the end of it and it fit in his hand like a glove. Iruka held his breathed as he admired the design and it felt so light as he held it, tempted to throw it and test it. It was smooth to the touch and felt warm in his hands.

The tan-skinned chunin checked on his students and decided to leave for one short moment to test it out. Iruka retreated to the field close to his students and took a few swings as he used his boomerang like a sword. It was perfect for combat as it sliced the air. Iruka then felt a twitch of excitement and decided to throw it. He tossed the boomerang with ease and it flew, to his delight. But then he held his breath when he saw it was about to crash into a telephone pole and wished it would avoid the collision. But to Iruka's shock and amazement, the boomerang did as he wished in his head. The boomerang changed direction and flew back towards him. Iruka caught the boomerang with almost no effort and stared at it for a solid minute.

A moment later, a small slip of paper slid out from the knob of the handle. Iruka took it and unfolded it to find a message written in Naruto's handwriting.

Iruka-aniki,

If you're reading this, then you've successfully used the charm I placed on this boomerang I made. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to take the time to make you a decent weapon. It has what's called a Flesh-Memory on it. When I gave it to you, and you touched it, the boomerang has recognized you as its rightful owner. I also put a special charm on the weapon with Harry's instructions that responds to your thoughts when you throw it. When you want it to go a certain location, it will go there on command and return to you.

I want you to have this if anything bad happens. Be safe and have fun with it. But please make sure you're careful.

Naruto

Iruka chuckled as he hid the paper in his pocket and admired the new enchanted weapon. The chunin felt like he wielded Excalibur before he threw it one more time to test the charm Naruto mentioned in the note. The enchanted weapon flew around the tower of the school and used his thoughts to command complex directions that were otherwise impossible to do with a normal boomerang. The weapon returned to his hand and he shivered and shook with untold amounts of childish excitement.

He couldn't hold it in for another second and he shouted out, "BOOMERANG! YOU DO ALWAYS COME BACK!"

Iruka blushed and almost cried as he rubbed the blade of his boomerang against his cheek as if it were a plush doll.

"What are you doing, Iruka-sensei?"

The tan-skinned chunin froze and looked behind him to see his students stare at him and snicker. Iruka sweatdropped so much, he almost lost his balance and wobbled for a moment.

"You… kids," he said and then shouted at them as it was clear he was embarrassed, "I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO RUN TWENTY LAPS, DIDN'T I?!"

One of the students, one of Konohamaru's friends answered, "Yeah, but we finished that a while ago, sensei! You were playing with that toy of yours while we waited!"

"It's a boomerang!" defended Iruka.

Konohamaru then said, "How about we cut class a little bit earlier, sensei?! You're not your usual self so how about we cut the lecture short this time?!"

"No!" he boomed and then commanded his students, "Get back inside now! The class with continue!"

All of the kids moaned but listened to Iruka as the students marched back inside. Iruka took his bag with him and stashed his boomerang within. But as he walked back inside the school, he looked back when he heard a subtle boom. At first he believed it was more fireworks for the festival, but then he realized how quiet it was outside and noticed the smoke from the Chunin Exam stadium. Iruka felt his spine chill and marched back inside, concerned about his students but also worried about his little Naruto.

{{Deeper Water by Jeremy Soule}}

Back in the forests, Pakkun led Sakura, Naruto, and Shikamaru continued to venture into the forest. Pakkun informed them once in a while when Sasuke's scent felt stronger and warned them to exercise caution. Naruto continued to follow with his teammates, but felt his scar burn for a moment. He continued to run but then it burned a second time, like a headache this time. Naruto suspected Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were close. But was disabused from the notion when Pakkun told the trio to slow down as he sniffed the air.

Pakkun said, "There's a group following behind us!"

Naruto and his friends were surprised, alarmed, and worried about the news.

"Friend or foe?!" asked Sakura.

Pakkun answered, "I don't have any friends that smell like that!"

"How troublesome…"

Naruto tried to think fast but instead asked, "What do we do? Turn back and ambush them?"

"No," the small canine shook his little head and said, "I can smell out at least eight or more shinobi behind us. We would be outnumbered, not to mention, out matched."

Naruto looked down for a moment and wondered what to do. Shikamaru told Sakura what needed to be done and lectured her and Naruto about how dangerous an ambush would be. The two of them decided to create a diversion instead. Naruto wanted to be the first to volunteer, out of boldness but also because he could create shadow clones to overwhelm their enemies. He could also use his magic to decimate the pursuers with ease and then catch up with Shikamaru and Sakura if he Apparated.

'Why not try it out, Harry? That way, the others can be safe and we can kick some arse…'

'We could do that… But do you want do it to save the others some time or because that way we won't run the risk of running into Gaara?'

Naruto didn't answer to his older brother but did feel a slight temptation when his fear of the jinchuuriki returned. But Shikamaru finished his little lecture before Naruto had the chance to think about it.

Pakkun mused over their options and said, "That could work. But there is almost no guarantee that you could survive."

"One of us will have to take our chances, then," said Naruto, "But…"

Sakura asked, "Who should it be?"

For several moments, the three rookies had an internal debate to decide which one of them should make the sacrifice to ensure the mission's continuation. But before Sakura or Naruto could make a single utterance, Shikamaru beat them to the punch and volunteered.

"I'll do it," he said.

The other rookies stared at the heir to the Nara clan and couldn't believe his decision. Shikamaru was never considered brave, virtuous, or noble enough to make such a sacrifice. Sakura and Naruto couldn't help but wonder what he had in mind or if he should do it at all.

"Shikamaru," started Naruto.

The slothful rookie shook his hand to shoo them and said, "You and useless are Uchiha's teammates. Who would be better to bring him back than people he actually listens to?"

Naruto didn't want to leave Shikamaru behind. He did mention that he had used a lot of chakra in his match with Temari, so Shikamaru wouldn't stand much of a chance on his own, not even with his clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu.

Naruto, Sakura, and Pakkun were silent as the wind breezed through the trees and then silenced. There was an awkward air of silence before Shikamaru broke it and tried to convince his comrades.

"Besides, it's better than being annihilated by Gaara, huh? If you think about it, I will most likely survive since being a distraction is in my bloodline! Didn't you guys know that the Shadow Possession Jutsu my clan developed was designed as a delaying tactic?" he asked them.

The blonde-haired shinobi insisted, "You don't stand a chance! I have no doubt you can distract them, but you'll be massacred, Shikamaru! Let me do it instead! I'll stick behind and hold them off as best I can with shadow clones!"

Sakura was shocked that Naruto was so fast to offer himself instead of Shikamaru. The blonde-haired rookie didn't want to face Gaara, but he wasn't a coward. He wanted to stick behind because he could eliminate the enemies fast with his clones and magic, while Shikamaru and Sakura were smart enough to help Sasuke out of a situation if he was in any serious danger.

"If you stayed behind instead of me, I wouldn't be able to face off against that Temari's two weirdo brothers," smirked the slothful rookie, "You still have a lot of chakra to use, Naruto, and that brute strength might be what's necessary to get through to Sasuke and save him. You need some muscle to stand a chance against those idiots. What other options would this team have without you? You have a talentless kunoichi, a mutt, and then me; someone who doesn't even want to be here…"

Sakura and Pakkun both scowled at Shikamaru's remarks, but Naruto stared at Shikamaru when he realized Kankuro was still formidable and Temari could still fight, even without her fan. Not to mention if Sasuke resisted none of them would be able to force him to come back. Naruto took a step back from his lazy friend to allow him the chance to leave.

"Are you sure about this?" asked Sakura.

Shikamaru stated, "I'm going, and that's final."

Naruto still didn't want Shikamaru to leave, worried if he would turn out alive or dead. But if his friend insisted on it, there was no time left to lose, as Sasuke would continue to run while the four of them stood around and waited to decide which of them was to be left behind.

"Shikamaru," he called out, "You sure are a lot braver than I ever believed you to be… Be careful and don't be reckless out there… Best of luck, mate…"

Shikamaru stared at Naruto for a short moment, touched at his concern for him. But he nodded and dismissed his comrades before Sasuke was too far to track down his scent. With one movement of his hand, Naruto, Sakura, and Pakkun left without a word, and Shikamaru never looked back to see them leave.

Back in Konoha, the boas stormed even further and earned the attention of the Konoha shinobi forces. While the Oto and Suna forces took their time to rampage across the village, the snakes took their time to cause as much destruction as possible. The homes, stores, apartments, schools, and businesses that once stood tall were crumbled down and reduced to mounds of trashed rubble and debris. Dust, fire, and smoke rose into the air and closed in on the once peaceful hamlet as Suna warriors used wind-based techniques and explosives. Some Suna shinobi summoned their own animals and used puppets, like Kankuro.

The Konoha chunin and jounin all stood their ground, defending their village with their own weapons and skills. The shinobi of Konoha started fought with fire techniques to fend off the giant serpents. But the fires were ineffective as the shinobi from Oto came in and eliminated them. Those still alive tried to fend off the boas, but the skin of the beasts was so thick all it did was scorch them. Some of the bulkier Konoha shinobi used their immense strength to hurl their kunai into the faces of the beasts. At first it seem to work, but the shinobi were soon killed with a series of violent snaps and the ambushes of more Suna shinobi.

The ANBU that patrolled the perimeter of the village soon joined the battle. Their commander was Ibiki Morino and was able to lead the snakes towards the center of metropolis. Ibiki ordered his men to do whatever was possible to take out those snakes.

"Aim for the head! AIM ONLY FOR THE HEAD WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" he roared.

A unit of his men carried out his orders, as five ANBU attacked themselves to the beasts and tried to stab at his face with swords and kunai. The men and women did well but the boas shook them off with a violent shake of their heads, throwing them into the forests.

Ibiki flinched and cursed under his breath as he watched his soldiers be thrown around like dolls.

"UGH! We can't handle this!" he shouted.

But then a loud and boastful voice cried out from nowhere, "Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu!"

All of a sudden, Ibiki and his remaining soldiers sensed a massive force rain down from above. An enormous shadow formed over the snakes that Ibiki's platoon were fighting. And then a gigantic toad, whose body stretched over three blocks, crashed down on the serpents and crushed the beasts to death. The snakes released a river of blood from their mouths before the snakes vanished with a cloud of white smoke.

"I've… I've seen that technique before…" breathed Ibiki.

Ibiki and the others shielded their faces from the debris that flew over them. Once the dust cleared, the men saw the gigantic toad with aquamarine skin and dark marks around it. The beast wore two katanas on its back and wore a pink belt around its vast stomach. On the crown of its head, stood a gigantic man with wild white hair and wore a red, cloak vest.

The man boasted at Ibiki and said, "Long time, no see, Ibiki! What have they been feeding you?! You've grown up to be such a big man!"

Ibiki blinked when he recognized the voice and said, "Master Jiraiya!"

The commander behind Ibiki breathed, "Jiraiya?! One of the Sannin?!"

"ALRIGHT YOU BABY CHICKS! OPEN THOSE BEADY LITTLE EYES OF YOURS AND WATCH CLOSELY!" the Sannin roared with a smirk.

Jiraiya then started to do an unusual kabuki dance; he balanced on one foot, waved his arms about but somehow maintained perfect balance. He stomped his feet down hard n the toad's head and spread out his arms and legs.

"WHEN IT COMES TO DEALING WITH STRANGE AND OTHER-WORLDLY BEASTS AND MONSTERS, NOBODY IS BETTER TO SAVE THE DAY THAN A STRANGE HERMIT NINJA!" the man roared and continued to boast, "THANK GOODNESS THAT JIRAIYA'S HERE!"

The other massive serpents in the area stopped and turned to look at Jiraiya and his giant toad stead. The beasts seemed alarmed at the sight of their fallen kin crushed beneath the wide bottoms of the toads from Myoboku Mountain. Jiraiya saw the snakes seem fearful of him and his toads and the Sannin smirked. But then he noticed the marks on the crowns of the massive creatures and realized Orochimaru was involved in their involvement in the invasion effort. The white-haired Sannin crossed his arms and frowned at the beasts.

The tall and wide man thought, 'So he's done it… Orochimaru made his move and attacked the very home that raised him… What a way to show you're appreciation...'

Ibiki appeared before Jiraiya in a swish and bowed down to him low and the Sannin asked, "Where is the Sandaime?"

"He's fighting Orochimaru in the Chunin Exam stadium…" answered Ibiki.

Jiraiya nodded and seemed solemn, "I see…"

The Sannin didn't seem too bothered, but after a while, he seemed somewhat worried about his old mentor, 'Don't die on us, old man…'

Jiraiya went on to crush the other snakes across Konoha and forced the Suna and Oto forces to retreat further from the inner area of Konoha.

As Naruto and Sakura ran through and above the trees of the forest, the duo continued with Pakkun as their leader. All was fine and even somewhat quiet until Pakkun called out to the two rookies.

"Something's wrong," he barked, "The enemies are closing in on us again!"

Sakura cursed, "THAT COWARDLY LITTLE TRAITOR! Shikamaru must have run off the moment we left!"

"No," said the blonde rookie, "Shikamaru is a sloth and whines about life all the time like an old man, but he isn't a coward, Sakura-chan! He wouldn't do that!"

But the kunoichi still had her doubts, "What else could have happened?!"

Naruto remained silent, unsure if Shikamaru even followed on his word, unconvinced of his own words. But he also feared Shikamaru had been eliminated before he had a chance to hold them back. The blonde-haired shinobi adopted an intense, worried look as he ran with his teammate. But soon he weaved his favorite seal and focused some chakra

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he shouted.

Naruto summoned over fifteen shadow clones and ordered them to run back and assist Shikamaru. The clones vanished behind him with wands, shuriken, and kunai drawn out.

"I'll send those shadow clones to assist Shikamaru if he's still back there! If he ran or if he's done for, the clones will at least distract them for a little while," he told his comrades.

Pakkun nodded, "Good idea!"

"Ok, then," Sakura smiled at her teammate, "Good thinking, Naruto!"

Naruto said back, "It's been known to happen."

The blonde-haired rookie didn't smile or even smirk from the praise as he and his friends continued onward. He had no idea if his friend was alive, dead, or ran off to save himself. He wished with all his heart that Shikamaru didn't abandon them, but didn't wish for harm to come to him when it was Sasuke's fault the rookies even risked their lives.

Back with Shikamaru, he seated himself behind a tree when his nerves felt shot and he collapsed in a fit of stress. He raised his head to look at the clouds through the trees and tried to calm down.

"I can't believe I got away like this," he breathed.

With that last breath, he lowered his head and stared at his feet. Within no time at all, Shikamaru heard noises around the tree but never moved to look around and see who it was. He heard the sounds of loud feet as nine men arrived in the closure. All of them were Oto-nin, the same men that followed Shikamaru and his comrades. As he remained hidden, Shikamaru listened in on their conversation.

"Good," one of them said, "We're close… Remember, I call dibs on the blonde one…"

"Can't we have some fun this time around? I mean, there's no reason we shouldn't since we aren't taking prisoners," whined one of the other soldiers.

The nine shinobi bickered over their mission until the entire team froze like statues. Some of them looked down and saw their shadows were black and each of them was connected to a smaller shadow from behind a tree. Shikamaru walked around the tree he used to hide and frowned at the soldiers. All of the men slouched as Shikamaru did and made several of them cramp.

"Oops," said the slouched rookie, "It looks like I was supposed to be someone that doesn't want to get involved… But I guess, I picked up the wrong script this morning! I'm about the last person you'd expect to be here, huh?"

The commander of the team scoffed, "Just some idiot kid! I can't believe we've been caught by this!"

"So this is Konoha's famous Shadow Paralysis Jutsu, huh?" another Oto-nin scoffed.

"Huh? If you like calling it by it's old name, then go on ahead! I'm afraid it's now called the Shadow Possession Jutsu. My dad made one or two adjustments to it in his youth," said a calm Shikamaru.

Despite how Shikamaru smiled at the team of terrorists, he breathed heavier than usual as he felt his chakra diminish more and more. He was tired but he drew out dozens of shuriken as the soldiers imitated his movements. But unlike his match with Kin, none of them had shuriken to throw. Shikamaru was about to make his move and kill all nine of the men, but then he noticed one of them wasn't there.

'Wait a moment… In a platoon, there is always that one person that stays behind a little to make sure that the rest of the group doesn't get caught in a trap or genjutsu… But I know what to do in that kind of situation…'

Shikamaru took out a kunai and threw it at the platoon before he took them all out. But the kunai was deflected from the ninth member of the team, hidden in the bushes. Shikamaru heard the ninth member chuckled and the rookie tried to extend his shadow after him. But as soon as he tried, the collection of dark shadows deteriorated and receded back into his normal shadow.

'I don't have enough chakra left to use the Shadow Possession! I'm screwed!'

The commander of the team smirked at the rookie and gloated, "Heh! You're screwed, kid… So much for the fearsome Shadow Possession Jutsu… Your dad should have checked for all the bugs in his jutsu before he re-released it."

'This is it… I'm dead…' the rookie thought before he stared at the clouds, 'All I really wanted was to be an average shinobi… making an average living, marry a regular girl whose not super pretty or super ugly… Have two kids, a girl and then a boy… Retire when my daughter got married and my son became a successful shinobi… And spend the rest of my life playing shogi…A nice, carefree retirement… Then I'd die of old age before my wife… Yep! That's the life I wanted…'

He looked down at his enemies and scowled at them, before he looked back at the clouds.

'And yet, I die now, protecting some friend of mine and his good-for-nothing girl teammate of his, and their stupid dog… Even though I just wanted to finish off of this world as another regular guy… But no, I had to get myself stuck into this mess…'

As Shikamaru was about to embrace his fate, he heard a sound in the distance. A sound that sounded like a sudden swish and then someone fell over in the crowd of Oto-nin. He heard countless swishes as countless coated figures appeared and surrounded the team. Shikamaru then heard a loud boom behind him as someone tall and muscular appeared in the closure. Shikamaru didn't dare turn around out of fear, but noticed the commander of the Oto-nin team appear terrified, as did the rest of his followers.

It was his sensei, Asuma Sarutobi and Naruto returned with countless shadow clones as all of them aimed their weapons at the Oto-nin. Asuma carried the ninth Oto-nin Naruto had stunned for him while the others shivered and turned white with fear and shock. The team recognized his face from the bingo book and knew for a fact that the team leader had a bounty of over thirty-five million international credits.

"We've finally caught up with you, Shikamaru," thundered Asuma.

Shikamaru recognized his sensei's voice and turned his head enough to see his bearded face.

"Asuma?! H-How did-" the rookie stammered.

The bearded jounin smirked before he grunted at the terrified faces of his targets, "I ran into your little friend here a little while ago. He told me what you did and said that you could use some help fighting off an entire platoon of soldiers. So he helped me find you, I ordered him to take out this scrawny little snitch over here. And as soon as he was done, I grabbed him and now we're here to save the day!"

Shikamaru turned around and faced Naruto, who smiled at him.

"You came back for me…" was all he said.

Naruto shrugged and told his comrade, "Well, I couldn't let Sasuke-teme ruin your chances at a life you had plans for."

Shikamaru frowned before he smiled at the blonde-haired rookie in appreciation for his concern.

But then Asuma said, "Excuse me, kids, but…"

The tall, bearded shinobi threw the unconscious Oto-nin into a tree with almost no effort and drew out twin trench knives.

"IT'S ASS-KICKIN' TIME!"

Asuma disappeared in a blur far faster than Rock Lee or even Gai-sensei. And with that incredible speed, he stabbed, slashed, skewered, and knocked out the other Oto-nin in twelve seconds flat. Blood was smeared on his clothes, and a little bit on his face as well, but no blood remained to be seen on his twin weapons. The bearded jounin smirked with all of the enemies eliminated and chuckled when he saw Naruto's shadow clones burst into smoke and saw Shikamaru and Naruto fall on their bottoms and stared the team leader in awe and shock.

Shikamaru did it more out of exhaustion while Naruto was more amazed to see another experience shinobi kick butt.

"You did a great job today, Shikamaru," smiled Asuma, "I'm proud of you. But how about you rest for now?"

Naruto was pleased to see Asuma was close to Shikamaru as a teacher would be with their student. Which was odd, as he remembered Asuma when he lived at the Sarutobi estate and he didn't seem to like kids at all back then. Naruto shook it off when the bearded shinobi looked to him and nodded.

"Thanks for the assistance, Naruto," he thanked as he nodded and offered a small smile to the rookie, "I'm not sure if Shikamaru would have made it out alive if it weren't for you."

The blonde-haired rookie nodded and smiled at the jounin.

Asuma then asked, "Will you be needing any help catching up with-"

"No," interrupted the rookie, "You should stay here and make sure Shikamaru is safe. I appreciate the thought, Asuma-sensei, but I'm still with Sakura and Pakkun right now. I should let them know Shikamaru is safe and the team trailing us had been eliminated. I hope you guys make it out of this alright."

Naruto then blasted into white smoke and left Asuma and Shikamaru somewhat dumbfounded that he had been a shadow clone the entire time.

"I didn't know he could control a clone to such a degree," said Shikamaru.

Asuma smiled at him his student and said while he smoked, "Good thing you and Choji are friends with him, huh?"

Shikamaru frowned but then a small, genuine smile spread across his face and he answered, "Yeah… He is…"

{{The Silver Doe by James Hannigan}}

Back at the Ninja Academy, Iruka seemed tense as he continued to lecture his class and showed them slideshows in connection with his lecture. It was a new tactic he used after the advice Harry offered him on how to better teach his students and it worked wonders. But as the students wrote down notes, some of the kids noticed Iruka was unfocused, as he would look outside once in a while ever since after recess ended. The tan-skinned chunin was still worried about Naruto and the invasion. There were no clear signs that the enemy had attacked, but ever since he saw the smoke from the stadium, he wondered now more than ever if he should call the other teachers and evacuate the students to the shelters.

But then his door slid to the side and one of the other teachers stormed inside, "Iruka-sensei. You're needed down in the main office now."

Iruka blinked at the fellow instructor and nodded, e then turned to his students and warned them, "We'll continue the lecture later. Stay here and don't get any funny ideas. I'll be right back."

The chunin followed the other teacher and soon arrived at the main office where all the teachers and staff were collected. Daikoku was seated in his chair on the round table while all the other teachers took their seats or stood behind. Iruka sat down in his office chair and noticed Daikoku looked somewhat nervous, or at least sweat a little bit more than usual. The other teachers looked over at Iruka when he arrived last and the summit started.

The kind-hearted kunoichi instructor, Suzume, asked, "Daikoku-sensei, should we start now?"

"Y-Yes," stammered Daikoku, as he failed to notice all the teachers were already seated, "Let's sit down."

The other teachers looked at each other and then shifted in their chairs in unison.

The overweight head instructor cleared his throat and tried to find his voice and pretended all was well, "We have a few announcements to make… F-First, we… we would… like to discuss… the vandalism committed onto my portrait there on our staff wall…"

All of the teachers looked at the portraits of all the current teachers and saw someone had drawn an Mario Brothers moustache on Daikoku's face, buck teeth, missing teeth, crossed eyes, devil horns, a fatter nose with warts, flies, and what appeared to be an illustration of a foul odor emanating around him, all of it written in a black marker. Iruka would have snorted out loud and a lot of teachers would have burst with laughter but most of them were irritated that the entire staff had to be taken out of their classes when it could have been addressed after the students went home.

Some of the teachers were a lot more vocal about it:

"You dragged us out of our classes to talk about some stupid picture?"

"Yeah! We have classes to teach right now!"

"Can't we discuss this some other time?"

"I cancelled a class fieldtrip to the Stone Faces for this?!"

Daikoku cleared his throat and tried to reclaim control over the situation, "Alright! Alright, folks! Calm down! I was kidding! Just a joke! Please, calm down!"

"Then why are we all here?" demanded Iruka; "You should only have to remove us from our classes whenever there's an emergency. So what's the emergency, Funeno?"

Daikoku stared at the chunin with a foul look, as he seemed to have forgotten about the documents he told him to finish, "I'm about to address that, Umino! It seems we… we have to discuss what we should do to celebrate the Chunin Exam festival, and inform the students about what we will need to do when the foreign leaders are in attendance and-"

The other instructors were even more furious at Daikoku. The head instructor lectured the teachers about the celebrations that didn't even need to be addressed, but he seemed keen on keeping the teachers in the room. He also mentioned to make sure none of the students left or allow them a chance to sneak into the stadium and watch the Chunin Exams.

As the office became filled with the sounds of nonsense and shouts, Iruka looked outside and noticed the smoke in the distance over the trees. The chunin realized the invasion had indeed started and it would be a matter of time before the chaos reached the school. He then heard the subtle sound of low booms from bombs, softer than a distance thunder, but made a much deeper impact. Iruka had to start the evacuation as the Sandaime instructed him. And as worried as he was about his little brother, the time had come for him to focus on the children in the school. The students needed Iruka now more than ever and he could let them down until he was sure they would be safe.

Iruka stood from his chair and made an announcement that silenced the room as all the teachers, "Listen to me for one second, please! The Sandaime told me earlier that Konoha could be at risk of an imminent invasion from the forces of Otogakure no Sato and Sunagakure no Sato... And now I fear that our village is under attack right now."

"What?!"

All of the teachers held their breaths, covered their mouths and couldn't make a noise. But soon, the room became filled with the sound of worried murmurs. Iruka motioned towards the windows and the teachers noticed the smoke in the distance and felt the subtle thunder-like booms.

The other instructors buzzed and couldn't decide on what to do while Daikoku looked terrified, but not at the invasion as he stared at Iruka with wide eyes.

But then Iruka silenced the room with a calm, authoritative voice, "Calm down! The Sandaime ordered me that if there is an invasion then I should alert the staff and take control of the situation at once. First, we should remain calm and evacuate the students at once. I think our best course of action would be to lead them to-"

Most of the teachers stared at Iruka and seemed to calm down and follow him as if he were a true leader. But Daikoku didn't feel the same and interrupted the chunin before he could finish.

"Now hold it there, Umino!" he shouted, "I'm the one in charge here! What is this nonsense about an invasion?! It's a lie! Suna would be out of their mind to think to attack our village!"

Iruka frowned at the head instructor, and didn't have to be reminded how much of an idiot he was, and told him, "The Sandaime knows that Otogakure and one of our allies has combined forces to use the Chunin Exam finals as their chance to invade Konoha. He said that he thinks Suna is the village that's involved. The Sandaime ordered me to evacuate the students if an invasion seemed imminent. And last time I checked, I saw smoke outside."

"Why the hell didn't the Sandaime tell me this?!" the head instructor challenged.

All Iruka did was stare the incompetent teacher and answered, "Because he trusts me."

That was all the other teachers needed to hear and looked to Iruka for directions on what to do next. The tan-skinned chunin was a little bit overwhelmed at the attention and trust he received from his fellow teachers, but he didn't have time to blush or drink in the sense of reliance he felt from his comrades.

But as to be expected, before the chunin even had a chance to utter even a single command, Daikoku reminded the teachers that he was still the leader of their school.

"HA! Even if we are about to be invaded, I'll decide on what we should do! I'm still the head instructor here!" he shouted, but didn't even come close to the same confidence as Iruka.

Suzume stared at Daikoku and challenged him in a calm but timid voice of her own, "Then what should we do, Daikoku? To be fair, Iruka seems to have a clear idea in mind."

The other teachers stared at Daikoku and waited for him to take command. But the fat man remained seated and lost as the entire room focused on him. Sweat ran down his cheeks and second chin and didn't make a sound for half a minute. As one of the teachers was about to turn back to Iruka, the head instructor tried to summon some confidence but came across as stupid and childish in his answer.

He said, "We, uh… We should wait here at the school, lock the doors and windows, and then wait out the invasion until it's over!"

The collected teachers all shouted at Daikoku for such a bad idea and made him squirm in his seat, like he was about to burst into tears.

"WHAT?!"

"What kind of an answer is that?!"

"Are you an idiot?!"

"We should evacuate now!"

Suzume supported Iruka's leadership when she said, "If the Hokage trusts Iruka-sensei, then we should do as he says."

"NO," shouted Daikoku, the obese teacher stumbled as he stood and seemed to determined to force the students and teachers to remain at the Ninja Academy, sounding desperate to do so as he made up excuses, "There could be foreign shinobi out there to kill us now if we leave! If we hide out here and wait then we should be safe!"

Iruka was tired of Daikoku's excuses and shouted at him, "Or we could wait for the school to be bombed or wait for the enemies to search the school use the students as hostages! The Ninja Academy could be one of the main targets when the enemy reaches us! We have to evacuate the students while there's still time!"

"WE ARE NOT LEAVING! WE ARE STAYING RIGHT HERE AND THAT'S FINAL! I FORBID YOU TO LEAVE!"

The entire room was silent after Daikoku roared at Iruka and the other teachers. He stormed to block the entrance and refused to move, as he stood rooted where he was. Iruka was taken aback at his desperation and couldn't help but question if Daikoku was too much of a coward to leave or he had an ulterior motive in mind.

The tan-skinned chunin was forced to ask, "What the hell is the matter with you?! You wanted to be the head instructor bad enough to ruin my chances to take it. But when the time comes to show some responsibility, you can't even show some guts and make a responsible decision!"

"W-When I took the position, there was no mention in the contract that I had to lead an evacuation in my first semester in charge," he stammered and shouted back.

Iruka shouted at the head instructor, "YOU COWARD! If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted us to stay here and wait to be slaughtered when the enemies forces arrive!"

Daikoku froze when Iruka said that and looked like he had been caught in the act. The tan-skinned chunin didn't expect the rotund teacher to have that reaction and felt his stomach start to sink when he realized the reason Daikoku was so determined to keep the school's occupants confined.

"What's that look all about?" he asked.

Daikoku looked cornered as the other teachers stared at him in shock while others started to look livid. Iruka didn't want to believe it, even though he knew Daikoku was a pathetic shinobi when he became a teacher.

The obese head instructor stammered as he flushed and tried to take control with almost no voice of his own left, "I think… I think this little summit of ours is over… Return to your classrooms and wait out the invasion with your students…"

"What did you do, Daikoku?" demanded Iruka.

The stout teacher repeated, "Please return to your classrooms."

"Did you know there was going to be an invasion?" the tan-skinned chunin demanded as he wondered out loud and marched to confront his boss.

Daikoku shivered, shook, and sweat as his voice cracked and practically begged as Iruka towered over him, "Please return to your classrooms!"

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?! TELL ME!" screamed Iruka as he clenched the front of his boss's uniform and shouted at his fattened face.

Daikoku let out a terrible scream when he confessed, "THEY SAID THEY WOULD SPARE ME!"

Iruka and the other teachers stared at Daikoku but Suzume was the first one to break the silence when she asked, "What?"

"I-I know about the invasion… I-I-I knew about it for over a month…" sobbed the pathetic shinobi teacher, all the while, he blubbered like the countless children he tormented over the years, "A man from Suna, a man in a turban, threatened to have me killed… unless… unless... unless I had the students and teachers remain at the school when they arrived… They said they might need hostages when I mentioned I was a teacher, so I offered them the children that came from clan bloodlines… He and his friends said they'd spare my life if I promised to serve them the Ninja Academy on a silver platter… If they found a child with a useful bloodline, they said I would be rewarded with more…"

Iruka stared down at the traitor and couldn't contain how furious he was as he almost snarled at the man. The overweight mass that shriveled before him was the same man that bossed him around and stole his position, tortured Naruto when he was his student, and threatened the education of countless children for almost a decade. And then Iruka remembered what Daikoku mentioned earlier when he doubted the Sandaime would even be around to discipline him. Daikoku did know about the invasion, he knew about the attempt on the Sandaime's life, but chose to save himself above all others.

"You worthless sack of shit," the chunin chewed out, "The adult generation lives to protect the next generation! My father's last words to me were a firm reminder of that principle! He died imparting that wisdom onto me, and you were willing to sell out the next generation of our village shinobi to our enemies to save your own worthless behind?!"

Daikoku felt tears of humiliation run down his face in torrents before he blubbered one last time to command the authority he believed he still had over the chunin, "Y-Y-You can't talk to me like that! I-I'm still the head instructor! Y-Y-You listen to me, Umino! O-O-Or you're fired! You hear me?! I-I-I'm still in charge! I'M STILL IN CHARGE!"

Iruka seemed to simmer down as he stared at the teacher with a mixture of boredom and irritation. The chamber was silent as ever and no one could make the tiniest noise. But back outside the school, aside from the distance sounds of the invasion, all seemed well. But then the window to the main office burst from the inside as Daikoku was thrown violently and screamed.

"AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The overfed former head instructor hit the earth with a loud thud. He moaned as he tried to scramble to his feet. Daikoku was covered in cuts, bruises, and his own blood, his clothes were sliced from the broken window, and he was flustered and speechless as he cried and ran as fast as he could waddle. Iruka looked down from the broken office window where he threw Daikoku with his bare hands and watched him as he fled the school. The overweight mass of human waste never looked back as he ran for his life like the coward he was, with no honor and no conviction. No one would miss him and he had nothing to offer no matter where he ran.

The tan-skinned teacher walked back to his comrades as he dusted his hands with a satisfied look on his face and with a casual voice he asked the staff, "Anybody got a problem with that?"

All of the instructors shook their heads in unison, sounding like saltshakers, and allowed Iruka to sit down in the same seat he used earlier.

The chunin then took command as he should have and told his fellow teachers, "Good. Now that we're done wasting time… we have to evacuate the students as soon as we can. Return to the classrooms and tell them we're going to do an evacuation drill. But no matter what, don't let any of them know that we're under attack. We don't want them to start panicking and screaming for their parents or for their personal belongings. We'll move in groups and lead them to the shelters behind the Stone Faces. Make sure no student is absent and do a headcount every few minutes to make sure no one is missing or sneaks out. Don't leave anyone behind."

All of the teachers nodded at their new leader and the tan-skinned chunin stood to return to his students.

He then said, "Let's do it, folks! We don't have a lot of time before the enemy forces reaches our location! Move out!"

Iruka then marched out of the office, as did his fellow teachers before he collected his students and took his new boomerang with him.

Somewhere close to the furthest outskirts around Konoha's immense forests, Naruto received the information from his shadow clones and smiled. He turned towards Sakura and Pakkun, but failed to notice the tree in front of him.

"Good news! Shikamaru is-"

The blonde-haired shinobi slammed into the trunk of the tree and heard the sound of his brother's voice as he took one second to mock him.

'George, George, George of the Jungle, strong as he can be…'

'SHUT THE HELL UP!'

Naruto slid down the smooth bark of the tree before he stumbled, shook his head to focus, and turned to his two allies, "Shikamaru is ok! The shadow clones made it in time! He was about to face the enemies on his own but Asuma-sensei was there to save him! He's alright!"

Pakkun nodded while Sakura found her breath and said, "Thank goodness… For a minute there, I was convinced he abandoned us…"

"You should have a lot more faith in people," said Pakkun, but then the little canine sniffed the kunoichi and asked, "Wait a minute, that's a familiar scent. Do we use the same shampoo, Sakura?"

Sakura shot a strange look at the small mutt, but Naruto couldn't care less about it and insisted the three of them continue their search and focus.

"We have no time to lose! The longer we stay here, the further away Sasuke gets! Let's move!" he said.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN, YOU MUTT?!" screamed Sakura, "WHAT?! DO I SMELL LIKE A DOG?!"

Hidden behind the Stone Faces of the Hokage Mountain, a series of tunnels and caverns were carved into the land where the citizens would be safe in Konoha were ever attacked. These were the shelters where Iruka led his students and countless others. The teachers did well to evacuate the school but it became clear to the students that it wasn't a drill as other civilians were led into the shelters, covered in dust, dirt, and even blood. But as scared as most of them were, the students remained silent while Iruka reassured them.

"That's it, kids," he told them, "Stick to the line and remain calm! Remember to remain quiet and keep calm!"

All was well as the last of the children entered the shelters with the other teachers, until Konohamaru found Iruka and ran over to him with his two closest friends. Tears threatened to run down their faces as their cheeks swelled and turned red.

"Iruka-sensei…" he almost sobbed, "Is Naruto-aniki ok?"

Udon sniffed and said, "W-We saw smoke coming out from the Chunin Exam stadium at recess! We saw an explosion, too!"

Moegi already started crying while her two friends comforted her and all Iruka could do was frown and feel bad for them. She must have been scared out of her mind or worried that Naruto, someone she seemed to admire, was somewhere out there in the middle of the invasion with his life at risk.

"I-Is Naruto-nii going to be ok? W-What if he's in danger? I don't want him to die!" she started sobbing as Udon tried to comfort her.

Iruka knelt down to their level and tried to reassure his students. But even while he did so, after it seemed he had succeeded in his mission from the Sandaime and evacuated all of the students, he was worried sick for his blonde-haired little brother.

The chunin still smiled and tried to convince the children, "It'll be fine, kids… Naruto is going to be fine. If worse comes to worst, he'll know what to do and he'll be safe. Naruto is a shinobi, like me. And he won't be alone out there. I know that for sure."

Konohamaru sniffed and tried to clean his face of tears, "You swear?"

Before Iruka could reassure Konohamaru and his little friends, another chunin arrived and ran over to him. Iruka stood and recognized it was Hikaru, who wasn't at the school earlier as he took the time off to watch the Chunin Exam finals.

"Iruka-sensei! I've been ordered to come back here and aid in the evacuation effort," he said after he saluted.

The older chunin seemed surprised, "Sent back?"

"Jounin back at the arena sent me back when one of the rookie team leaders realized I was a teacher and told me to evacuate the students but the school was deserted! But I'm here now, so what should I do, sensei?!"

Iruka stared at the fellow chunin. He realized Hikaru was sent back because the jounin didn't know if the schools were aware of the attack. But then Iruka realized he had an opportunity: if Hikaru arrived to aid with the evacuation of the students, then someone from the shelters could return to the stadium to inform the jounin of the successful evacuation or aid in the battle. Iruka saw his opportunity to help fight back and help Naruto and his friends if he was still there at the stadium.

Iruka still felt he should remain with his students, but when he looked down at Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi, the children stared at him, streams of tears run down their faces as they silently begged him, begged their teacher to go out there and save someone they truly admired. Iruka looked back towards the shelters and saw his students and countless others were reunited with their parents that arrived moments earlier.

Iruka turned to look at Hikaru and asked him in a stern voice, "Hikaru-sensei… Can you make sure the students are safe until I return?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I'll do whatever I can, Iruka-sensei! You can count on me!"

Iruka nodded back and told him so that Konohamaru and the others heard him, "Good. I'll be more useful out there than stuck in here with the civilians and the children. The stadium for the Chunin Exams is one of the last defenses before the center of Konoha. I'll head over there now and make sure the invaders don't come close to the shelters."

Konohamaru and his friends stared at their teacher and seemed to smile. Iruka did look at them one last time and promised he would return to make sure his students were safe. He then marched out of the caves and started to run faster and faster.

Udon and Moegi both smiled at their current teacher and shouted as he vanished, "Good luck, sensei!"

Hikaru seemed confident that Iruka would do well in the effort and had confidence that he would do well to comfort the children as he led them into the shelters. But then Konohamaru clenched at his trousers and forced him to stop.

"I have to use the bathroom! Real bad, sensei!"

Hikaru-sensei smacked himself in the face while Iruka was nowhere to be seen. Outside the caves, Iruka ran outside and dashed towards the Stone Faces. He used his chakra to run even faster and soared over mountain. The tan-skinned chunin slowed his descent with his chakra while the wind breezed through his hair and he entered the battle with a loud hoot.

"WHOO-HOOO!"

Naruto and Sakura followed Pakkun so far into the forests; no one could even see Konoha from their distance. It seemed that Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were determined to flee back to Suna, as it would seem their mission had failed. Naruto remembered his visions when Baki told his students Gaara was essential to their plan, but it looked like their efforts on him were wasted based on how far the trio fled so far.

Earlier, the little canine noticed one of the scents that Sasuke followed had vanished and trailed off somewhere else with another, unfamiliar scent. It seemed like someone else from Konoha must have found them and one of the trio broke off to hold them off.

And now, for the second time, Pakkun's nose twitched and he noticed another scent.

The canine barked at the two rookies, "Someone is close! I think it's one of the scents Sasuke has followed from the stadium! It's close! And I think its female!"

"A kunoichi?" breathed Naruto, "It's gotta be Temari!"

Sakura said, "That's Gaara's sister!"

'Thanks for the newsflash, Captain Obvious…'

The trio continued their trek after Sasuke with a lot more caution. The three of them waited for Temari to come out and attack them, but as the team moved, Naruto found Temari: she was unconscious, on the floor of the forest and didn't seem to breathe. He snuck down without his teammate's notice and ran over to her with his wand drawn. Naruto noticed Temari's clothes were sliced; she was bruised, covered in dirt, and it was obvious she had been attacked.

Naruto believed she was dead but then she twitched and the wizard saw she wasn't able to breathe. Her chest rose and fell over and over in an unnatural pattern, but she didn't inhale or exhale. She had the wind knocked out of her and something was obstructing her breathing. She would suffocate to death if she weren't treated soon.

Naruto should have left her to die, as she was a kunoichi from Suna. But he could stand aside and let someone die in such a cruel and painful manner. Naruto also figured he could use her to learn how to apprehend Gaara if he saved her life. So he went to work as fast as he could and tried to heal her.

'Harry! What's wrong with her?! Why can't she breath?!'

'Temari's spine has been damaged and something is obstructing her breathing! Clear her throat and heal her injuries with whatever charms you know.'

Naruto looked over him and saw that Sakura and Pakkun realized he had vanished. With what little time he had to preserve his secret abilities, he rolled Temari on her side and aimed his wand at her back.

He annunciated, "Episkey!"

And Naruto heard a number of cracks come from Temari's back as the charm worked and fixed her. The blonde wizard rolled her back onto her back and aimed at her chest when he noticed she still couldn't breathe.

He did his best to remember another useful charm and said, "Gula Clarus!"

Temari took a breathe of life as if she had risen above water. She coughed several times and took a few moments to catch her breath before she lost consciousness again.

Naruto aimed at her one more time and said, "Rennervate!"

The blonde wizard stashed his wand seconds before Sakura and Pakkun arrived. Sakura hit Naruto in the head and shouted at him for his sudden disappearance. But then Temari started to wake up. As soon as her vision was restored, Pakkun and Sakura backed off. Sakura would have grabbed the back of Naruto's shirt to pull him, but Temari held her breath and tried to grab a kunai to stab Naruto in the head. But the blonde-haired rookie blocked her arm, forced her to drop the weapon, and then punched her in the face. The back of Temari's head slammed into a tree, before Naruto clenched the front of her shirt and threw her into another tree close to them. He took out two kunai and drove the one in his left hand into the bark next to her head, used his left forearm to hold her down at the throat, and readied his second kunai to stab her in the face.

Blood ran down from Temari's nose and a bruise formed in the center of her face while Sakura stared at her teammate, unsure if she should be impressed or terrified at how intense and serious Naruto became when he was normal less than a second ago.

Naruto breathed through his nose and his face remained frozen as he frowned at Temari.

"YOU BASTARD! THAT HURT! HOW DARE YOU!" she shouted at him.

But then she remained silent when she saw the kunai and how cold and focused Naruto looked as he stared at her and said, "In case you didn't notice, you miserable, double-crossing desert bimbo, I saved your life! I could have left you out here, alone in the hot sun, until you suffocated to death! And because I saved you from a fate as painful and miserable as suffocating to death, I WOULD SHOW A LITTLE APPRECIATION!"

Temari felt a flush of color rise in her cheeks from how serious and valiant Naruto behaved. The blonde-haired rookie did not turn around to look at Sakura or Pakkun and decided to use Temari to force her to aid in their mission. Naruto intended to stun her as soon as possible, after she had helped them with Sasuke and fend off Gaara. He had no reason to trust Temari, and knew if he lowered his guard, she would probably kill him.

"You listen to me right now, because I'm only going to say this once," he said in a more calm voice, "We're going to need your help, Temari."

The kunoichi stammered at his request while Sakura looked shocked and Pakkun seemed lost, "W-What?!"

"Naruto," his teammate marched over to him and said, "What are you doing? We don't need her!"

The blonde haired rookie almost looked at her and insisted in a somewhat gentle tone, "Trust me on this!"

Temari almost made a move to escape but the rookie from Konoha used his forearm to cut off her air and forced her back against the tree. Naruto turned colder towards her attempted escape and took control of the situation.

"I know what Gaara is," he stated, "I know that he's a jinchuuriki."

Temari flinched, "Y-You know about that?"

"He told me," he nodded, "Gaara told me what you and the rest of your damn village put him through, and I know that he contains the One-Tailed Tanuki."

The kunoichi didn't seem to understand what he needed her for and asked, "What do you need me for, then?"

"I need you to help us defeat him," he said, and then he ordered her, "Tell me his weaknesses and tell me what I need to know when I ask… All I want is to keep my teammates safe and go home in one piece. But in order for me to do that, I have to know how to take him down…"

Temari stared down at Naruto and decided to challenge him, "What will you do if I refuse?"

"I'll kill you. Right now," he said in a cold voice, he thrust his arm into her throat and readied his kunai to stab the kunoichi in the face, she stared at him in shock and couldn't breath as he chewed out, "If you're no use to me, then there's no point in keeping you alive and let you get in the way of our mission or let you kill one of us if we let you go."

Sakura and Pakkun were shocked to see Naruto become so cold and calculated. It was so out of character for him, even Pakkun (who never met Naruto until now) didn't think it was natural. Sakura was a little bit scared to see her friend act like this, but soon realized how truly loyal he was to his comrades if he went that far to ensure their survival.

Temari started to shiver as Naruto drew the blade closer to her face while he aimed. She stared at him and saw how cold and focused he was as he threatened her. The look he shared with Temari scared her stiff and no one ever scared her as much as her little brother. She had heard that Konoha citizens were known to be loyal to their comrades, but it they were anything like Naruto, she feared for the fate of Suna above her own life. If one of Naruto's friends died as a result of her actions, he would have no reason not to kill her, but could unleash his wrath (as seen in the arena) on the rest of Suna if the invasion were a success or not.

Temari did think, for one second, she could kill Naruto as soon as his back was turned. But she had no idea what other secrets he had hidden. She would be foolish to act against him if she couldn't predict even one of his actions ever since she first met him.

Naruto continued his threat to stomp down any hope Temari had in finding a way to escape, "Don't think for one second that I can't or won't do it once I loosen my grip, Temari. I will not hesitate to kill you if you show any resistance or try to stop us. And if you target any one of my friends, I swear I'll-"

"Ok, fine," she breathed in reluctant defeat, "I'll do it… Naruto."

After a while, Naruto relented from the kunoichi and lowered his kunai. Temari walked around him, but soon he snatched all of her weapons and tools and handed them to Sakura for her to use. Temari soon came to terms with her situation and figured she had no choice but to flee if she couldn't fight. But until then, she would follow Naruto and his friends for the sake of her own survival.

As soon as Sakura was armed to the teeth, she whispered to her teammate before their departure, "Naruto… You didn't mean all that back there, right? You weren't actually going kill her, were you?"

"I'm not sure if I would have been able to do it," he admitted, but then he cracked a sly smile and asked, "But it sure was a convincing bluff, huh?"

Sakura stared at his blonde-haired teammate and watched him snicker for the first time in what felt like ages, and then she said, "That is so cool…"

"Thanks," he said.

The kunoichi looked back at Temari who stared back at her while Pakkun watched her for the rookies, "But if she attacks us when are backs are turned… don't hold back for one second. Kick her butt to the curb. I'll make sure to do the same."

"I don't think we'll have to work too hard to do that," he smirked, "No fan and no weapons."

Sakura smirked back at him and the two of them threw out the crushed remains of Temari's fan. As soon as the new team was assembled and armed (save for their fourth member) Pakkun led the rookies towards Sasuke's location. As the four of them soared across the trees in search for the black-haired Uchiha, Temari told them she ordered Gaara to run while she fended off Sasuke. She also mentioned Shino Aburame tracked them down with his insects and forced Kankuro to leave them and fend him off, but she hadn't heard from him since. It looked like Shino was going to get the match he had desired after all.

As the rookies continued to run from tree to tree, Naruto was curious how Temari landed herself in that near-death state in the forest.

"Temari," he called, "Who was it that attacked you before we found you back there? Was it Gaara?"

The kunoichi from the desert scowled in remembrance and said, "No! You can thank Sasuke Uchiha for that! The bastard almost killed me! I wouldn't mind it much if he had knocked me out but he took the extra mile and took his time to eliminate me! I hate to break it to you, but your precious little teammate has a sick mind! He's a sadist!"

"Sasuke-kun wouldn't be so cruel," hissed a furious Sakura.

Temari insisted, "He tried to kill me with intent!"

"Well," the blonde-haired rookie reminded her with a flat look on his face, "You did invade our village."

Temari glared at Sakura sharply and looked like she wanted to slaughter her when she rambled on about Sasuke. She would have loved to kill her, but Naruto threatened her with one look and forced her to listen to Sakura's ramble. When she was done, Temari looked miserable and would have loved to kill Sasuke if it meant she would have to hear Sakura praise him again.

Temari said after she shook her head, "I know I can't hurt him and run the risk of certain death, but if I could I'd like to kick that bastard in the head."

"Get in line, sister," said Naruto, "I called first dibs!"

A few minutes later, Naruto and the others were close and heard the sounds of violence in the distance. But then the rookies and Pakkun felt a chill run down their spines when a shrill wail echoed in the closure ahead. Temari seemed the most distraught when she heard the noise and dashed ahead of the team.

"It's started! GAARA! Hold on, Gaara! Wait for me!" she cried out as she fled.

She moved so fast, Naruto and the others were thrown off and almost crashed into the trees. Naruto tried to chase after her, but she vanished.

"Temari! No! WAIT!" he shouted.

Sakura scowled, but instead of a usual whine, she sounded more serious when she said, "Even without her weapons, she could still use Gaara and have him finish us off at her command!"

"No," he said to his teammate, "I don't think she can do that! C'mon! We have to catch her!"

Pakkun followed for once as Kakashi's two students followed the distant sounds of the battle ahead.

{{Jabberjays by James Newton Howard}}

Temari stormed far ahead and found Gaara, hunched over a vast tree branch. His breaths were slow, forced, and monstrous as sweat ran down his face and sand leaked from his skin and clothes. The kunoichi moved in, as dangerous as she knew it was, and tried to reason with her little brother.

"Gaara! What's wrong? Tell me what's the matter," she tried, but seemed to fail.

The red-haired rookie clenched his head in his hands and looked like he suffered from a massive headache.

He then glared at Temari when she touched him and screamed at her, "Get away from me, Temari!"

"What?" she breathed as she backed off.

"I SAID GET AWAY!"

Gaara backhanded Temari with immense strength and she was thrown into the trees, landing on a soft collection of leafs. She stared at Gaara with fear but then saw someone ahead of her on a branch above her and Gaara. It was Sasuke Uchiha, untouched since he left the stadium. The Uchiha looked determined to take Gaara down, even while he sweat and Gaara's skin cracked and crumbled into sand. Gaara seemed to start expanding from beneath his sand as he looked fatter than he did in the stadium.

Gaara held his head in his hands once more and Sasuke stared down at him to intimidate his opponent.

"We never finished our fight," he said in a cold voice, "Now let's get started, freak."

Temari tried to tell the Uchiha to make a break for it, "No… GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER! You shouldn't even be here! You'll be annihilated!"

Sasuke scowled at Gaara and said, "I wanna see the rest of your face. You had a different face back when you were encased in that ball of sand. I wanna know what the rest of it looks like!"

A few weeks earlier, somewhere far outside of Konoha, where Kakashi took Sasuke to train him, Gaara had followed and interrupted their latest training session at the time. At the time, the wind was harsh and carried Gaara's scent when he spied on his opponent and Kakashi. The masked shinobi smelled him out and sensed his bloodlust when he hid behind a massive bolder. When he came around, Sasuke was irritated and demanded he leave but Gaara refused and remained where he stood.

Back then, Gaara had asked, "What drives you to obtain so much power? Why is it that you desire and lust for greater strength?"

"Piss off," he answered, "You're getting in the way of my training you freak."

Gaara stared at him and said, "You're rude… But in a way we are very similar… Your eyes have the same look as mine… The wickedness… the need to seek out power… determined… I can sense the bloodlust… You're just about as much of a monster as I am… But for now, you are just my toy to play with later."

Sasuke flinched at his words but stared back at him with undeniable hatred.

But now, Gaara's face crumbled more and more. Cracks showed all over his face like some sort of infection. He continued to hold his head in his hands and somehow continued to gain weight as his loose clothes tightened more and more. His appearance wasn't similar to an Akimichi, but rather, a somewhat rotund animal, like a raccoon. All the while, more sand slithered down his trousers and out his sleeves.

The redhead stared at Sasuke and said, "I do not have friends or comrades as you have. But they are not what make you strong. It is your purpose in life that does give you strength… in a way we are a lot alike…"

Gaara's body pulsed all of a sudden as he glared at Sasuke with even more malice.

"But mine is the stronger one… for only by destroying you and everything you represent can I even prove that I'm ALIVE!"

Gaara's body released one more painful pulse and he fell over on the branch that held him above the floor of the forest. Gaara doubled over and clenched onto his head. His entire body suddenly flooded with pain as his heart rate increased and his skin began to morph disgustingly. Sasuke stared at him with disgust while Temari watched as the right half of Gaara's face was transformed. Gaara drooled and screamed as his right appendage extended and morphed into a giant arm, exactly the same as the one seen in the arena. His skin on the right side of his body turned the same color as sand. Bluish veins raced beneath his new skin as Gaara roared and raised his head to show Sasuke what he wanted.

Gaara crouched down low on the branch and moved like a raccoon. Half of his face was mutated as his teeth on the mutated side of his mouth were four times their normal size and became needle-like. His flesh had bloated to make him look more like an animal as Gaara's right eye turned from white to black, with a yellow iris, and a dark pupil that resembled a star with miniscule black dots around it. Gaara's arm had mutated and formed claws that emerged from his skin at random.

Sasuke's became terrified from the moment he saw him. He had never seen an actual monster before, but wished he never had. Before now, he used to think of monsters and demons as no more than childish nonsense, stories, and nightmares. Sasuke couldn't move, he couldn't even breathe as he stared into the face of a true killer.

Temari felt the blood leave her face as she turned white and couldn't move either. But while she hid in the trees of the forest, Sasuke continued to stare at the monster and shook as he watched the creature drool from his uneven mouth.

'T-That's the same eye I saw back at the arena…' he thought.

Gaara crouched down even lower and prepared to pounce at Sasuke. Gaara then sprung himself forward and roared at the Uchiha like a wild animal.

"UUAAAHHH!"

Gaara struck at the branch that Sasuke stood on and the branch was blasted into a million splinters of wood. Wind blasted out as dust filled the area. The winds scratched the bark of the trees and blasted Temari off her feet. She crashed into another tree while Gaara lashed out at random trees and branches. He took down at least ten trees, each of them thicker than ten feet. The earth shook as the trees collapsed and blasts of wind made it impossible to see.

Sasuke hid behind a hook in one of the trees, far from Gaara. He looked terrified; more scared than he felt when he lost his clan. The Uchiha shivered and tried to look over his shoulder but flinched and retreated back to hide out of sight of the beast. He could hear it breathe, cold and slow, and he could even hear it drool as its footsteps drummed in his ears. Sasuke shivered, unable to move as he waited for the creature to lose him, praying it would leave and look somewhere else.

'He's some kind of a monster! He's a demon!' he thought.

Gaara roared for the Uchiha, "SASUKE UCHIHA! ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME?"

Temari looked tearful as she watched her little brother at a distance with a mixture of terror and shame.

"ARE YOU AFRAID OF MY EXISTENCE?"

Sasuke remained seated where he was and refused to move.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER? ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME? HAS YOUR FEAR OVERWHELMED YOUR HATRED? THE URGE TO KILL? IS YOUR REASON FOR LIVING AS PATHETIC AS THIS? IF YOU DESIRE AN ANSWER, COME AND GET ME!"

Gaara's words, as low and monstrous as they sounded, caused Sasuke's stomach to boil. He started to stand and weaved handsigns, the same set he used in the stadium. His hatred of the monster overwhelmed his fear of death as he activated his Sharingan. He focused his chakra and released a constant, electric burst of chakra in his hand. Gaara reminded him of what he still had to do and he turned livid as he remembered his older brother. Gaara had mocked him, mocked his mission in life and made him feel weak and worthless, like he did when Itachi slaughtered their clan.

He refused to be reduced to that state ever again, and would rather face death with a fight than cower in fear and let it consume him like it did when he was a child.

The Chidori revealed his location to Gaara and the monster smirked as Sasuke stood out from around the hook. Sasuke then used a burst of chakra to vanish out of sight. Gaara drool with excitement and hunger and used his own strength to dash after Sasuke. As the branch beneath the monster burst under his immense weight, Sasuke launched himself at Gaara. The mutated rookie reeled back his clawed arm and Sasuke focused as he made his move and roared.

"CHIDORI!"

"URAAAAHHH!"

Sasuke used the Chidori to slice through Gaara's mutated arm. From between the central claws, the Chidori sliced the flesh of the mutated rookie as Gaara screamed and fell down to another branch below. Sasuke smirked at Gaara when he heard him scream, but then it faded when he heard Gaara start to cackle. He soon broke out in hysterical laughter while he caressed his wounded arm in an almost sensual manner.

"Hahahaha… I see! So that's what it is!"

Temari trembled as she stared at Gaara, 'How can this be? Uchiha was able to counter Gaara in that transformed state?'

{{The Fog by James Newton Howard}}

Gaara's needle-like teeth extended further while his face seemed to fatten with more abundant sand-like flesh. Sand leaked down from the wound on his arm like blood as the seam of his clothes were tested to their limits as Gaara's flesh continued to expand.

"The reason I'm so excited… I JUST GOT THE ANSWER!"

Sasuke stared at him and asked himself, "What's the matter with this freak?!"

"It's this pain… DEFEATING A PERSON STRONG ENOUGH TO HURT ME AND UTTERLY DESTROY HIM WILL GIVE ME THE ULTIMATE PROOF THAT I TRULY EXIST!"

Gaara's excitement only grew as he glared up at Sasuke with an even stronger desire to kill him.

"MORE! I WANT MORE!" he screamed.

Gaara's mutated arm soon healed itself as the container of sand on his back burst and formed a solid tail of sand-like flesh. Sasuke couldn't move as he stared at the creature and watched as the tail became solid flesh, swished about, and then took down an entire tree.

The Uchiha screamed in his head, 'What the hell is he?!'

"HERE I COME!"

Gaara swished his tail behind him and took a hold over the branch he stood on. His massive arm clenched the same branch and the monster launched itself at Sasuke. The mutated rookie vanished with the same speed as Rock Lee but Sasuke moved in time. He was knocked to the side, into another tree. The Uchiha used his chakra to boost himself to the branch above him and stuck to the surface upside-down.

Back with Gaara, he tried to slow down after he crashed into a tree, his mutated arm became like tentacles and grasp onto the countless branches and trunks until he slowed to a stop.

Sasuke weaved through a few handsigns while upside-down and took in a breath of fresh air, "Fire Style: Gokakyu no Jutsu!"

Gaara was consumed with the flames of Sasuke's most used fire technique but it was useless as the flames went over Gaara's flesh like a breath of wind.

"DIE!"

Sasuke crossed his arms over his face in defense from Gaara's attack and retreated.

'DAMMIT! I GOTTA USE THE CHIDORI OR I'M DEAD!' he thought angrily.

Sasuke moved fast to hide from Gaara behind some trees the jinchuuriki crushed. He remained hidden and dared not to make another sound. The Uchiha would have went ahead and focused some chakra in his left hand, but Kakashi had warned him to never exceed his limit with the use of Chidori. He used it once in the arena, a second time a few moments earlier, but if he did a third time, he could exhaust his chakra down to zero and die. But if he didn't die, he would still be defenseless and weakened.

"Is this all your existence means to you? Then you're nothing but a weakling!"

Sasuke twitched at Gaara's words.

"You're too soft… Your hatred is not strong enough…"

The Uchiha lowered his head as his hair hid the furious expression on his face.

"The power to hate is the power to kill… the power to kill is the power of revenge…"

Sasuke was reminded of the words of his older brother. He said similar words to him after he slaughtered the clan and left him alone to avenge his clan.

"No one suffers more than the jinchuuriki… and no one hates more than the jinchuuriki… Your hatred is weaker than mine, Uchiha!"

Sasuke seethed, "Shut up, you freak…"

"You understand what that means?" he asked, "IT MEANS YOU'RE WEAKER THAN ME!"

The Uchiha suddenly became so blind with rage he formed another Chidori in his hand, revealing his location. He glared at Gaara, envisioning him as Itachi. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and used his chakra to speed after the jinchuuriki. He dashed after Gaara as he forced his use of the Chidori, but it soon went out and left no more than a cut on Gaara's bloated skin. The Chidori died out as soon as Sasuke crouch on a distant branch and his curse mark had spread across half of his face. The Uchiha shivered, blood leaked from his mouth, and he collapsed on the branch, unable to move.

"Urh…GOAAHH!"

Gaara started to make more weird noises as his arm healed and he continued to mutate. But the jinchuuriki turned around and faced the weakened Sasuke with a wicked smile on his face. He licked his lips and continued to drool as his teeth prevented him from closing his mouth.

He then let out an almost alien roared before he dashed after the Uchiha, "UOOH!"

Sasuke covered his face and then he screamed, "I CAN'T MOVE!"

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Out of the trees behind Sasuke, a shadow clone of Naruto burst in and kicked Gaara as hard as he could. With his foot coated in chakra, Gaara was sent off his feet and hit the other end of the closure. The real Naruto behind the clone stood beside Sasuke and helped him back on his feet. But then Naruto did one fluent movement and kicked Sasuke in the face.

'YES! FINALLY!'

"OWW!" he shouted.

Sasuke's back kissed the bark of the tree as he twitched and covered his bruised cheek.

"You idiot," the Uchiha almost screamed at his teammate, "What the hell was that for?!"

Naruto chewed out his teammate, "THAT WAS FOR RUNNING OFF AND FORCING US TO SAVE YOUR SORRY ARSE, YOU TOSSPOT!"

"Sasuke-kun," shouted Sakura, "Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura arrived as well as Pakkun but the two of them tended to Sasuke on the same branch. Sakura hovered over Sasuke's weakened form and forced him to turn his head when he tried to hunch over and hide the black flame-like marks that decorated his face.

Sakura freaked out at once, "Sasuke-kun! But Kakashi-sensei said that the mark was taken care of!"

Naruto shouted, "EVERYONE! GET BEHIND ME!"

The blonde-haired rookie stared at the beast Gaara had transformed into, scared out of his mind and disturbed at the appearance of the demonic creature. He shivered at the sight of the monster, but still insisted his friends hide behind him as he prepared for the battle of his life.

To Be Continued…

Ok! That's the latest chapter and I shall post the next one soon! We're almost at the end of Book 3, after more than two years since I started rewriting it! :D I look forward to reading your reviews!

But now it's time for the usual "Old vs. New" of this chapter! In the original version, I omitted the scene when the Oto-nin targets Naruto and their friends that was featured in the anime. I didn't see the point in including this scene because it's short and doesn't really add much, other than making the Oto-nin look sadistic and generically pure-evil.

In the original fanfic, Iruka read from a magazine about boomerangs during his class study hall, thinking about the Tales of Beedle the Bard and drew the Deathly Hallows mark on a paper. In the original scene between the teachers, Daikoku announces that the invasion is happening but suggests they stay put because he's too cowardly to leave the school. When Iruka challenges him to leave and practically interrogates him, Daikoku confesses that he's actually an illegal immigrant from Iwagakure who snuck into Konoha in the aftermath of the Kyuubi attack because he was a pathetic ninja no one in his former village missed and needed an easy job that paid well (I chose Iwa because his resemblance kinda reminded me of Akatsuchi). Upon learning this, Iruka took his vandalized portrait and threw it at him, destroying the portrait, cutting Daikoku's face with the broken glass, and Iruka made him run away when he roared at him, "YOU COWARDLY SON OF A BITCH!". I thought changing it to making Daikoku cowardly enough to sell out innocent children and comrades to save his own skin was a better direction, and keeping him a Konoha citizen. After all, I based Funeno's character as a hybrid of Vernon Dursley, Mundungus Fletcher, Peter Pettigrew, and a little bit of Dolores Umbridge, but leaned more towards Pettigrew.

I also omitted a scene where Pakkun mentions he smells Shino Aburame, like he does in the anime. But the scene was so short and I didn't even write Shino's battle in the original book. I don't wish to neglect Shino, but I just didn't see what else I could do with the fight with Kankuro to make it more interesting or fresh.

I changed the scene between Temari and Naruto a little bit too. In the original version, he threatens Temari with the guilt of being responsible for everyone who could die if Gaara isn't stopped. I doubted Temari would feel a lot of guilt if everyone in Konoha was slaughtered by her brother, considering she still followed along with the operation. But in this version, I decided Naruto would intimidate her and show how determined he is to keep his friends/comrades safe, without him actually carrying out his threats. While it's not as strong as guilt, I think it shows how far Naruto is willing to go for the sake of his friends and show him becoming a more confident shinobi.

Other than a few grammatical fixes and trimming down the fat of my old over-explained style of writing, those are all the changes I made. And I hope this version entertained you guys.

Until next time, please be sure to leave me a review and let me know what you think!