Team Aeternum: From Heaven to Hell

Chapter 9: In case of failure…

I do not own Naruto

"In case I fail, let it be known that I at least tried."

-Unknown

Chapter Start

It was when they teleported where the duo realized their lives were going to be forfeited. It was when the duo pulled the girls in closer to them where they accepted the reason as to why their lives were going to be forfeited. When they raised their kunai, the duo knew it wouldn't spare their forfeited lives, but could perhaps save the reason as to why they forfeited their lives in the first place.

Their kunai shattered from the initial impact of the swords shortly before the blades lodged themselves against their sides, cutting more than several inches deep.

There was no gasp of pain, no grunts or screams of agony; just a sudden realization – no, awareness, of their bodies' composition as they fell every part of their body for a moment before it slowly went numb. They needed oxygen – they needed to breathe – they were aware of that, but their bodies felt otherwise, almost as if it didn't matter, as if breathing didn't matter.

At that moment, that moment of awareness to their bodies, they realized they were dying. They had knelt on both knees before they teleported in order to better protect the girls from the attack, and it was in that position that they stayed at as their bodies' weight fell on their now numb legs. The girls in front of them had closed their eyes in fear, not noticing that they were still alive while their saviors slowly succumbed to their pain. The duo felt it was better this way, their lives fading away to an empty audience in front of them as this type of scene would be hard to watch.

The last view the duo got to see were the girl's faces, eyes shut tight in fear of the death they thought was coming. Their eyesight turned blurry as a dark miasma covered their vision before the strain on their necks was too much to hold their heads up any longer.

When their heads fell, their eyes slowly closed as their bodies relaxed for the last time. They could hear the drop of their broken kunai hitting the ground below them before the shocked screams of Tenten and Hana hit them full force.

Their names have never sounded so fitting to them, as the last thing they would hear was a reminder as to who they were. They were ready to pass on, ready to die as their bodies had all but given up and accepted death, but…they didn't. They were conscious, aware that they were aware, that their bodies were gone, but their minds still remained active as something was holding them back. Time – did time even matter where they currently were? – passed before they felt something from within pounding – pulsating, breathing, screaming. What was once cold and numb received a low warmth race throughout their bodies, allowing the duo to feel once again – and they felt everything; the pain, the lack of air, the inability to breath or move. They had been revived, but not entirely as if something were missing.

They could hear Tenten and Hana's panicked breaths, the constant dripping of their blood onto the floor and… Naruto.

"THEY ARE NOT DEAD!" They could hear the blonde scream from afar. His voice… shook them.

"I…" The duo felt something crawl around their body, something boiling hot as it left a trail of heat behind it when it moved. It traveled around their bodies before it stopped at their stomach, where the heat spread throughout their entire bodies, their veins, as they felt their insides burst into flames.

"I'LL…" Naruto's voice changed as Shikamaru and Shino felt their blood begin to boil.

"I'LL KILL ANYONE WHO TRIES TO TAKE THEM AWAY FROM ME!" Naruto roared.

Shikamaru's left hand twitched before it traveled to the sword's blunt end, Shino's right hand doing the same before they pushed the blades deeper into their bodies, the pain eliciting a shaky gasp of air.

"S-Shino…?"

"N-Nara…?"

They heard their names get called shortly before their heads shot upwards to meet the eyes of the girls in front of them. Their scared visage bothered the duo as a mixture of emotions went across their minds; frustration winning over as the surplus amount of energy that revived them wanted to be let out – demanded to be used. They needed to vent, they needed to yell, they needed to…fight.

Zabuza and his clone struggled to remove their blades from the duo's bodies as they held a frightening grip on the weapons. The constant tugging of the blades dug deeper into their wounds, finally pushing the duo over their threshold as their sudden irritation turned into full blown anger. With a raspy start, the altered duo jolted their heads up high and let primal animalistic instinct take over by releasing a roar filled with pain, anger, confusion and strength.

The roar startled those around them, sending chills down their backs as they were not in front of humans anymore, but rather…something else.

The roar was long, its animalistic nature emphasizing when the duo began to change. Their hands changed, turned sleeker as their nails grew into claws. Although it was missed on Shino's part, both of their mouths changed as their teeth grew sharper and bigger than before. The duo tightened their grip on the swords' blunt ends before applying force downwards, snapping the blades into pieces, startling Zabuza while dispelling his clone.

"Impossible!" Zabuza growled in disbelief as he took a step back, his broken sword on hand. The duo was still on their knees, heads aimed at the sky before they rose to their feet. Their heads dropped as they turned to face the sword user. Demonic pressure hit Zabuza as his eyes locked on to theirs.

They were a bloody mess – literally speaking – as the huge gaping wounds on their sides gushed profusely, staining their left/right pant leg with a deep coat of blood. When they stepped forward, their wounds opened more, allowing an extra torrent of blood to escape. They didn't look fazed by the blood loss. Several of steps later the duo fell on all fours, growling in anger, before they charged the sword user. With advanced speed, they closed the gap between them in no time before slashing out with their hands in an attempt to claw Zabuza.

Zabuza was nimble on his feet, however, as he dodged their frenzied attacks. The sword user was disturbed by this development as his opponents changed dramatically. He wasn't facing off against trained shinobi anymore, but two frenzied animals that wanted nothing more than to rip off his head clean off. They had no concern for their wellbeing as their attacks left them open for counters that he could not take advantage of at the moment; they were too fast of an opposition – attacking one would leave him open for the other one to step in and counter.

Shikamaru and Shino growled as they ignored the instincts that have been drilled into them for the past couple of years; their training meant nothing anymore as they clawed, punched and screamed when attacking, leaving deep claw marks and craters of busted concrete with every attack they missed to deliver.

The duo both jumped and pounced but missed as their claws dug into the concrete, leaving them both vulnerable.

"There!" Zabuza yelled as he swung his broken blade horizontally, cutting across their chests the moment they removed their claws from the concrete. Their blood was spread across the ground around them, but they didn't stagger. They remained standing in place before glaring at the man in front of them. Shikamaru and Shino roared one last time as their wounds began to heal, evaporating the blood into a hazy steam.

"What are you?!" Zabuza growled as he raised his now repaired sword.

xxOxx

Naruto's roar shook the crystal ice mirrors nearby, shocking the mysterious attacker at the sudden transformation. The blonde's hands healed before turning into what could resemble an animal's claw as his nails turned sharper. His eyes turned sleek and narrow, turning crimson red as his mouth grew sharpened teeth.

'This cannot be him!' The attacker thought in shock as he/she overlooked the blonde from the safety of the ice mirror in front of him.

Naruto's head jerked down from the sky and looked ahead, almost as if the blonde had heard the attacker's thoughts. With unprecedented speed, Naruto charged forward on all fours, leaving craters on the bridge's surface as he ran. When he was about to collide with the mirror, he saw the attacker disappear from sight. Naruto growled in irritation as he looked around for the attacker.

From behind the blonde, the attacker prepared several dozen senbon as he/she aimed at him. 'Please forgive me…'

Naruto was caught off guard as his back was suddenly riddled with senbon; the metal spines pierced his back as the attacker flew across the dome from the mirror behind the blonde to the one in front of him. Naruto hunched over, his back curved as his arms lowered down to his knees before he jerked upwards with a roar. The force of the action shot the senbon out of his body, piercing the crystal ice mirrors around him as the red chakra flooded the area.

The altered blonde charged the crystal ice mirror in front of him, roaring to deflect a salvo of senbon from reaching him, before smashing it into a thousand pieces with a single punch in an attempt to kill the attacker, but found that he missed his target as the attacker escaped from a broken mirror shard into the ice mirror above him.

'I'm sorry Naruto-kun…!' The attacker plunged from above, wielding a kunai to stab the blonde across the back.

With a sudden jerk, Naruto spun in the air to avoid the attack before rolling back to catch the attacker's arm to prevent him/her from escaping into a mirror.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Naruto screamed as he made a fist with his right hand. Red chakra formed around his fist as he pulled his right arm back. Naruto yelled as he focused his strength into his right arm, sending massive surges of chakra across the dome around them. With a roar, Naruto's fist collided with the attacker's mask with a devastating punch that shattered the bones in his right arm as the attacker flew back, breaking through the thick crystal ice mirror in front of the blonde before violently rolling across the floor.

Naruto, feet apart with his back hunched and his right arm momentarily useless, stood in the center of the dome as the surrounding ice mirrors around him shattered. His form was a silhouette before a snarl formed across his face.

The attacker struggled to get back on his/her feet from the attack, almost falling down, before Naruto charged forward to slam a red chakra infused hit-stun punch against the attacker's stomach, causing for him/her to double over. The mask the attacker wore cracked from the first punch, leaving a cracked trail across the majority of it.

'Zabuza-sama… I have failed you…' The attacker thought sadly as Naruto, in his enraged form slammed his open hand against his/her throat before grasping it tightly. The attacker could do nothing as Naruto raised him/her by the throat. With a yell, Naruto raised the attacker quickly before slamming him/her onto the ground, cracking the mask even more.

Naruto straddled the attacker, grabbing the clothing around his/her neck to pull the attacker's head forward as he cocked a fist back to decapitate the attacker.

'I… I am sorry…' Naruto's fist roared towards him/her.

xxOxx

Hana and Tenten were shocked at the total transformation Shikamaru and Shino went through in front of them as they fought Zabuza with complete recklessness. Hana likened the form they were fighting to almost resemble a very clumsy imitation of her clan's fighting style as their attacks seemed similar to the animalistic techniques her clan would use. Their eyes – Shikamaru's eyes, at least – resembled those of an Inuzuka when they would undergo the beast transformation jutsu.

"Is that… Is that really them?" Tenten asked as she tried to get on her feet, but failed to do so from the pain she felt in her abdomen. Shino growled as his back was sliced from a failed attempt to pounce Zabuza.

"I… I don't know…" Hana panted heavily as her body ached from the kicks Zabuza's clone had given her. Shikamaru stopped Zabuza's sword with his hand – almost losing it were it not for the malevolent chakra that covered his arm – before violently head-butting the sword user, launching him several feet away.

Tenten shook her head. "N-No… Shino doesn't act like that…" The bun haired girl thought back on the spar, the fight with claw, the fight against each other, the festival… Shino is calm, precise and in control, whatever… this… was, it couldn't be Shino, not…not this monster.

Hana had to agree as Shikamaru wouldn't fight or act this sort of way, not so animalistic.

Zabuza growled as he got back on his feet from the head-butt. 'They should be dead already! How the hell did they change so suddenly?!' Zabuza groaned as he held his sword horizontally above his head to block Shino's attack from above. Shino brought his fists down on to Zabuza's sword from above; the force of the hit was tremendous as it made several cracks on the sword's surface. As Zabuza blocked Shino's attack, Shikamaru charged Zabuza, tackling him down into the ground. The altered duo knelt down on both sides of the sword user before raising their fists into the air. A blood thirsty growl was all they gave before they brought their fists down on him.

xxOxx

'Am… Am I dead…?' The attacker thought with closed eyes but could hear heavy panting coming from above. With hesitation, the attacker's eyes opened to see the blonde's fist to the left of his/her head, a large crater of broken concrete surrounded his fist. The attacker looked up and found the blonde looking at something below him.

"Why…" The blonde muttered, tightening the grip on his left hand, gripping the clothing even tighter. "Why do you have this…?" Naruto's right fist was raised off of the broken concrete and moved to separate the clothing from the attacker's neck, revealing a necklace… with a white rose charm adorning the necklace at the center.

The attacker stayed quiet.

"Answer me!" The blonde raised the attacker until his face was against the cracked mask the attacker was wearing. His voice was livid. "How…! Did…! You…! GET…! THIS…?!" Naruto screamed as he raised the attacker's head before smashing it down with his own with every word. "You better have not hurt her!" His voice was now panicked. The mask cracked even more, forcing a large chip to break off on the right side, revealing an eye behind it.

A very familiar looking eye.

Naruto froze; his blood went cold as the sudden shock forced him to change back into normal. All but his eyes changed back to normal, the crimson color leaving his eyes but his pupils remained as slits.

"…No…" Naruto whispered as he made eye contact with the attacker. "P-Please… no…" With a hesitant hand, Naruto palmed the mask before lifting it from the attacker's face. The mask hit the floor, finally breaking it into pieces when it came into contact with the bridge's surface.

"…I'm… I am sorry… Naruto-kun." Haku coughed blood before smiling weakly. Naruto put her down gently on to the ground as he reverted back to normal completely. After he placed her down, Naruto got off of her and backed away before falling on his backside. His eyes were distraught.

"W-Why…? Why would y-you do this, H-Haku…?!"

Haku wasn't able to move. "…this is the way of the shinobi…Naruto-kun… This is the life we lead, the life we follow without hesitation…" Haku coughed once more, causing Naruto's heart to pound hard against his chest.

He shook his head. "No, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" His hands were shaking when he looked at them.

"You know it to be true, Naruto-kun…" She blinked, still smiling weakly. "…until now, you were aiming to kill me…why did you stop, I wonder…?" Her words were calm, slow and even, despite her critical condition, making it twice as painful to hear for the blonde.

"Y-You can't be serious…" Naruto mumbled in disbelief. "Y-You're my friend, Haku! I… I can't kill you!"

"T-Then, why was I able to try and kill you, even if you are my… my friend…?" Haku asked slowly but with determination in her voice.

Naruto had tears in his eyes. "I… I don't know…" He stammered as his heart beat against his chest.

"We are just tools to be used, that is our obligation as shinobi, Naruto-kun… Nothing more than tools to carry out orders without…without hesitation… without second thoughts… without any distractions…" Haku repeated the mantra that she lived by with shaky breaths. She coughed several times.

"And now… I am nothing more than just a broken tool… that can not carry out a task anymore…" Haku spoke softly, defeated. Her eyes blinked once, twice, before glancing at the blonde. "So please, Naruto-kun… dispose of this broken tool…" Haku pleaded sadly.

Naruto stammered with wide eyes at her words. "W-What… What are you saying, Haku…? You… You're not a tool, you're a human being!"

Haku coughed blood some more before gasping a breath. "Please, Naruto-kun…" Her voice sounded weak.

"Who… the hell taught you to think that you were nothing but a tool, Haku!?" Naruto paused as he swallowed.

Haku inhaled gently. "When I was young… I had no one, my family was gone and I was all alone…" Haku remembered the bitter memories of being alone for as long as she was. "…but then I met Zabuza-sama… and he took me in, gave…gave me a reason to live. He is my precious person, the one that I would do anything for, his essence and dreams are what gave me strength to live…" She breathed in slowly. "The shinobi life… is very difficult for me… but for him, I will embrace that life and take it as my own."

Haku smiled softly. "I was happy to be by his side…" Her eyes closed. "Zabuza-sama…has no need for a broken tool, and if I… am not needed anymore by my precious person…then…what good am I?" Her voice was calm and accepting, too calm to not be completely broken. "So please, Naruto-kun…take my meaningless life…get rid of this broken tool."

The blonde shook his head slowly. "Haku… I… I can't…"

Before either of them could go on, they heard screams coming from further in the bridge.

"Shino, stop!"

"Nara, stop! It's over!"

Naruto's head jerked to the side to face the direction where the screams came from. He felt the biggest relief come to him while Haku felt the opposite reaction.

"Z-Zabuza-sama!" Haku yelled in panic as she willed her body to crawl. The rest of the mist dissipated, allowing Naruto and Haku the ability to see Shikamaru and Shino standing over a downed Zabuza. Tenten and Hana had grabbed Shino and Shikamaru from behind, their arms wrapped around their stomachs.

"…I-Inuzuka…?"

"T-Tenten-san…?"

The duo groaned as they reverted back to normal before passing out in the girls' arms. Hana and Tenten held the duo before dragging them back to a safer location.

Naruto had run halfway towards his friends when he got the go-ahead from the girls about his friend's wellbeing. He smiled with relief when he knew of their safety, but had no time to fully relax as he heard Zabuza groan.

"Z-Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried as she crawled, forcing her body to fight through the malevolent hit-stun that paralyzed her.

Zabuza coughed, catching Naruto's attention. "S-So you let her live, brat?" He groaned weakly. Shikamaru and Shino had really beaten Zabuza to a pulp if the deep bruises, lacerations and claw marks could speak for themselves. "You… really don't understand the way of shinobi, do you, kid…?"

Naruto growled. "How could you say that about her?!" Zabuza scoffed.

"She failed me… what else could I say about her?" His voice was heavy.

"Do you seriously not care about her?! Does she not mean anything to you?!" The blonde shook his head in anger.

"He is my precious person, the one that I would do anything for, his essence and dreams are what gave me strength to live…"

The sword user blinked his eyes as he tried to inhale. "…Her strength and skill, that means something to me. But the girl…? Nothing." He answered gruffly, facing away from the blonde.

"After everything she did for you… Haku lives for you!" Naruto growled in anger.

"Is there… someone who is precious to you?"

"You are the most important thing in the world to her!" Naruto yelled. "And she means nothing to you?! Nothing at all?!" He paused for a moment. "While she was sacrificing… everything for you, you never felt anything for her?!"

"The shinobi life… is very difficult for me…"

"She fought for you… ready to throw her life away for you!" Naruto breathed in as tears formed around his eyes. "…you never let her have a dream of her own, but she didn't care because she had you by her side!"

"I was happy to be by his side…"

"She's not even dead and you… you dare call her useless?! Nothing but a broken tool…? Man… that's so wrong… so wrong!" Naruto cried tears that dripped from his face to the ground as he looked down.

Tense seconds passed as both sides stayed silent.

"You talk too much." Zabuza spoke softly, causing Naruto to face the man. There were tears in the sword user's eyes as he looked up at the sky. "Your words cut deep… deeper than any blade…" His voice was neutral but his eyes showed sadness as he turned his head to see Haku's crawling form. Her heavy panting reached him as she slowly moved towards him.

"You… you never liked fighting, did you, Haku?" Zabuza turned on his stomach, feeling pain across his chest before forcing his body to crawl forward as well. "…you were always too soft and too kind… You felt pain and sorrow and now, curse you, I feel them too…" Zabuza dragged himself towards her.

"Z-Zabuza-sama… I'm sorry…" Haku cried as she crawled her way to him. When they met, face to face, both on the ground crawling, Zabuza sighed in exhaustion.

"I failed you." Zabuza looked at her, tears in his eyes. "I robbed you of so much..."

"Z-Zabuza-sama…!" Haku was startled at his words.

"For so long… you were always at my side." Zabuza recalled their past together, since she was a young child, her training, to her upbringing in the present.

"I'll help you achieve your dream, Zabuza-sama."

His right arm was brought forward, finally letting go of his sword as his hand opened, palm upwards. Haku whimpered as she moved her hand to grasp his.

"…the least I can do is stay beside yours in the end…" Zabuza looked at her.

The duo stayed silent for several seconds as Naruto dried his tears away. "H-Hold on, I can heal you both!" The blonde exclaimed as he moved a hand over a damaged seal, only being able to produce one. "W-What?! N-No…! Not now!" Naruto muttered as he tried again and again, but to no avail. The seal was broken.

"Save Z-Zabuza-sama –" Haku began but stopped as Zabuza gripped her hand tighter.

"…My time is up on this earth, kid…" Zabuza muttered weakly. "You…on the other hand, have the whole future ahead of you, Haku." His eyes locked on to hers. "I robbed you of a dream…of a life of your own… Take this as your chance to do all of that, Haku…"

"N-No, Zabuza-sama I can't! I am nothing without you!" Haku clenched her hand in his. "P-Please…"

"Stay alive, Haku." Zabuza ordered weakly yet sternly. "That is my final order as your master." Zabuza coughed as Haku sobbed before nodding hesitantly. "…as for my legacy goes…" Zabuza groaned softly. "Haku… Take my sword and use it for better reasons than I did…" Zabuza tilted his head down, making his forehead come in contact with hers. He sighed weakly.

"Use it to carve your own destiny, not as a minion…" He coughed. "…but as a Momochi…" He closed his eyes. "If only… if only I had realized it sooner…" Haku sobbed harder, closing her hand over his, as she understood his words. "Take… take care of her, kid…"

Naruto shed tears before silently nodding at the scene.

"G-Goodbye, Haku…" Zabuza breathed out peacefully as his hand relaxed for the final time.

Haku closed her eyes before gripping her father's hand once more, as snow began to slowly fall to the ground gently.

The violence had finally ended.

xxOxx

Several Days Later…

"Do you think they're okay?" Tenten asked as she peered into the room, the bun haired girl had opened the door to see inside.

"I don't know, they haven't woken up since the fight on the bridge." Hana frowned as she crossed her arms, leaning against the wall next to the door with her left leg raised up, left foot planted against the wall.

"Their vitals seem stable, however." Haku spoke softly as she peered into the room from the opposite side of Tenten. The soft spoken girl grabbed the door frame with her left hand and gently scratched her right cheek with her other hand.

Shortly after Zabuza's death on the bridge, Naruto had made sure nobody was critically injured, giving his last health potion to Haku, before checking on his friends. Gai showed up moments later after he made sure the village was secure. While he was initially upset at missing such a battle, his tone turned somber after Naruto told him about Haku and Zabuza's last words to one another.

Gai had turned to see the girl kneeling over Zabuza's body, tears still dripping from her empty, expressionless face. With an understanding nod, Gai put his trust in Naruto's words that she was no longer an enemy, but now an ally, and he promised that he'll make sure to explain to his students the fact.

Naruto had sighed in relief before bending down to pick his friends up from the floor. When his hands came into contact with them, however, the blonde felt a tremendous jolt of pain in his stomach before passing out. The Jōnin was concerned as to what happened before calling Tenten and Hana to tend to the boys.

Haku's status change from enemy to ally was strange – no, absurd – for Neji to handle. When the Hyūga had finally awoken from his unconscious state – after the senbon was removed from his boy – his first instinct was to try and kill the former enemy with a precise palm aimed at her chest. Gai had stopped the Hyūga in the last second and explained the circumstances that occurred since their fight. It took more than several hours of explaining and convincing – with a sincere apology from the girl herself – to make the Hyūga calm down.

Lee was confused on the whole thing, and while he was cautious around the girl at first, it was Gai's words on how friendship could be formed on the battlefield, where friendships of that matter were some of the most purest of them all, Lee grew tears around his eyes before wholeheartedly forgave the girl. Lee's acceptance of the girl was one of the deciding factors that finally won over Neji, something that pleased Gai.

Tenten and Hana had not faced Haku in combat, making them less biased towards the girl than the boys were, but still regarded her with an uncertain tone for the first two days until she finally won their trust over with her words and sincere worry over Naruto's wellbeing.

It has been about five days since the trio had fallen into their coma-like states, and with each day that passed, more and more villagers would pay a visit to Tazuna's home to check on the boy's recovery. Their act on the village center, where the trio sacrificed their purity when they killed the attackers in the span of several minutes, touched the villagers deeply as the boys' shaken composures after the deed showed that they were humans that felt remorse for their actions.

The villagers would come in droves, thanking the unconscious trio for what they did. Some prayed for their recovery – their faith in a higher power suddenly revived thanks to these boys – while others resolved to become more like them in terms of helping around the village, even going as far as training to help defend the village.

The visits were surprising for the members that resided within the home, but all of the visits the trio received paled in comparison to the visit of a young man, dressed in a fancy suit with his hair slicked back. The man had simply walked in, left a sealed envelope on the dresser near the entrance of the room before leaving, thanking Tsunami for the kind hospitality as he left.

As it were, the village reacted well to the events that transpired and were slowly getting their hopes up for the future.

The trio of girls – Tenten, Hana and Haku – had taken the habit of checking up on the boys every couple of hours to see if they had awoken during the past couple of days, each one having their own time schedule to do so. Be it morning, afternoon or night, the girls could be seen traveling the hallway that contained the boys' room in an attempt to see if they had awoken.

As for the boys themselves, the battle in the bridge had taken a serious toll on their clothing – completely shredding Shikamaru and Shino's undershirts since their coat and vest were all but completely destroyed beyond repair while Naruto's jacket was deemed ruined by the blood and holes it had acquired. The trio was now wearing white shirts over their upper bodies – a gift from a villager who used to work as a retailer – their regular black pants (now washed, courtesy of Tsunami), and that was it.

Tsunami had removed Shino's scarf from his face and proceeded to wash away the blood it contained, making it cleaner while also having the added effect of making it smell pleasant, before she placed it back into its original spot around the Aburame's mouth and neck; much to the chagrin of Tenten, who had missed seeing the Aburame without the cloth covering his face. The hostess was also the one responsible for their body's cleaning, what with all the blood and what not the boys needed to get their hair, face and upper bodies cleaned as well, but she was not alone in the task as several other women aided her in the task.

The girls stood outside the room, watching the trio with disappointed eyes at their continued unconscious state. They were worried for their health, but curious as well towards their injuries – or lack thereof.

The girls had talked about it – the fight – the day before, confirming their suspicions towards the trio's injuries. Tenten and Hana had seen Shino and Shikamaru get cleaved by Zabuza and his clone's swords – the large, gaping wounds the duo had received scared the girls – and get even more injured during their fight after they… changed. The duo had gotten sliced repeatedly across their bodies, their flesh being torn apart by the sword, but they lacked any sign of injury anywhere on their bodies, almost as if they never got sliced in the first place.\

Haku had also noted Naruto's transformation during her fight with him. The many senbon she had riddled his body with suddenly flying outwards off of his form was impossible, his wounds healed and the pressure points she struck suddenly seemed to repair themselves. He wasn't supposed to be able to move at all, and yet after he…changed…he was faster than he was before – faster, stronger…more feral.

Whatever it was that happened to them was more than enough to completely shock the girls at the intense strength they had when they fought.

The girls had questions that they wanted ask: Are they okay? What happened to them at the bridge? What did the white tattoo on their left arm mean?

But for now, the trio needed rest, the girls decided as they kept their curiosity to themselves for the time being.

With a slow hand, the girls closed the door to the room before departing.

xxOxx

Darkness…

The sound of footsteps broke the deafening screech of silence in the sewer-like system of pipes, black water and cement walkways that created their surroundings.

They walked because they could; the destination was unknown as was the path they took. They walked without looking back, without missing a beat, without failing to make sure they were close together, because the events that occurred the last time they were separated terrified them to no end.

They were together now and that was the only thing that mattered as they walked – because they could – but did not dare speak as they were afraid it would break whatever it was they were in; sending them back to the place where they almost lost each other, one another.

Had they failed?

Was this where the dead went?

They silently pondered as their feet hit the cement beneath them. They hoped not, but disregarded the thought – they walked because they could, which meant there was a place they needed to walk to, right?

Without knowing where to go, the trio confidently walked forward because they could. They could walk, so they did.

As they walked, the trio eventually heard something other than their feet hitting the cement beneath them. It was a low growl, weak at its core but strong in its presence. The trio wanted to hesitate, wanted to stop… but they didn't.

The trio walked forward because they could, despite the threating noise that seemed to be growing louder with every step they greedily took for granted. The growl hit a glitch – a sudden distortion in whatever mouth it was coming out from as it turned from a growl to a raspy intake of air. It – whatever it was – was weak at the moment.

Hitting a wall, the trio only had the option to walk to their left or jump across the waterway in between the cement walkway they stood on and the one to their right. Deciding that they were meant to turn left, the trio opted to walk towards the noise, coming face to face with a massive steel gate. As the trio approached the large structure, the path they took to get here began to get covered in darkness, blocking the way behind them.

The trio looked at the massive gate, gazing at its impressive height before each of them grabbed one of the metal rods that composed the structure in front of them. The metal rods were cold on the side that faced them, but were scalding hot on the side that faced the darkness on the other side.

A large crimson eye opened from the other side of the gate, startling the trio. The eye began to glow, illuminating the area behind the gate sufficiently enough to allow the trio to see the eye's body; a large, three tailed fox, its orange-red fur matched its eyes but contradicted the intensity with its pained breaths. "So, I have finally come face to face with my hosts?" The beast muttered slowly as it rested its head on its paws, its voice echoed throughout the complex they were in. The fox was at least nine feet tall – from its paws to its head – and at least ten feet in length from head to tail(s). Its eyes were half open, a sign of fatigue.

"Well then? Are you not going to speak?" The fox asked in a surprisingly mellow voice.

The trio backed away slightly before Naruto slowly pointed at the beast behind the bars of the gate.

"W-Who…" The blonde gulped, his mouth and throat dry from disuse. "…Who are you?" The blonde's voice echoed in the large section of the sewer they were in.

The fox raised an eyebrow slowly, its tails swung wildly behind it. "Who am I?" Its voice gained some mirth. "I have many names, one of them is real, and the others were made by your kind." The beast blinked. "For now, you'll call me by the name your people called me last: I am the nine-tailed fox; Kyuubi."

The trio gaped in surprise, backing away slightly.

Kyuubi rolled its eyes weakly. "That's right; I'm not dead or vanquished." Its voice sounded strained. "Now listen closely, I don't have much time to talk with you three. Having you in here with me is difficult to handle right now. I'll try to explain most things later, ask what's important now." The Kyuubi closed its eyes, trying to ignore the massive strain it was enduring.

"W-Where are we?" Shikamaru asked, listening to the Kyuubi's rushed words.

"You… You are in his mindscape." The Kyuubi's tails dashed forward, pointing at Naruto. "His mindscape is the product of his mind and the seal that binds me to him. The reason you two can be here as well is due to the seals your teacher placed on you all those years ago." The Kyuubi answered quickly, trying to answer questions before they were asked.

Shikamaru and Shino looked at Naruto, their faces showed a confused expression.

The Kyuubi groaned, telling the trio to ask quickly.

"Earlier, you mentioned that you were the nine-tailed fox, yet you only have three. Why is that?" Shino asked, feeling more or less comfortable with the situation.

The Kyuubi sighed as it prepared to speak. "When your teacher placed the seals on you three, the one on him…" The Kyuubi's tails pointed at Naruto. "…fused with the seal that had already imprisoned me within him. The seals fused your chakra network, but also split… split my power amongst you three, hence, the three tails. My power resides within you two as well, and I suspect that it has already formed into separate versions of me." The Kyuubi groaned.

"It was due to my power that you three survived that fight, for I fear of what would happen if one of you were to perish…" The trio stood silent, shocked as to what they were hearing right now.

"I… am in a treacherous situation, right now." The Kyuubi muttered. "I am weak from being separated from the rest of my power and by keeping you three alive when you should have died…" The Kyuubi gasped as it lost some control, making the surrounding area begin to fade. "You… have many questions and I have the answers… G-Go and speak to your teacher…tell him about this…and we could help each other out…" Static began to form as the Kyuubi lost strength.

"What's happening?!" Naruto yelled as his hand began to dissolve.

"W-Welcome to the life of a jinchūriki…" The fox gasped out as it released the trio from the mindscape.

xxOxx

The trio awoke in a gasp, covered in a cold sweat as they jerked upwards into a sitting position. The room was dark, only illuminated by the night sky's moon outside the window. They rubbed their foreheads, wiping the sweat away before looking at one another. Their clothing was different, clean at least.

With tired eyes and hunched backs, the trio whispered to one another about their crazy dream involving the Kyuubi. Their spines tingled when their dreams turned out to be identical.

"S-So it's true…? The…Kyuubi is… is inside of us…? Inside of… me…?" Naruto asked slowly, his hands shook as he clutched his stomach.

Shikamaru and Shino stayed quiet as they didn't know what to say – what could they say? They themselves were shocked to find out about Naruto's tenant… their tenant…

They shuddered at the thought, but by the way Naruto looked, they needed to say something, anything at this point. Naruto looked shaken to his core, eyes wide – panicked and stressed – when Shikamaru moved from his spot and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulders.

Naruto shifted his eyes to face Shikamaru, not losing his panicked expression.

"Y-Yeah, it appears… it appears so…but, the same goes for us too." Shikamaru pointed at himself before slowly moving his finger to point at Shino. "You…You heard what it said… about meeting its hosts – us three." He swallowed, his shaky words trying to calm down his friend. "Ah, crap Naruto…!" Shikamaru removed his hand from his friend's shoulder before bringing it to his stomach as well.

Shino did the same as he brought his hand to his stomach. He swallowed. "…we are in this, together." His words were too heavy, too shaken to be calm.

The trio breathed in rapid bursts until they calmed down significantly.

Aeternum

The word on their arms began to glow white, causing each member of the trio to cover the word with their hand. The action gave them relief for they were not alone.

Never alone, always together.

xxOxx

It was early in the morning when the girls came by to check on the trio, each surprised to see the room empty. The girls stepped in the room, each confused as to the whereabouts of the trio.

"Good morning." The simultaneous greeting came from the hallway outside the door. The girls turned around, each of them smiling when they came face to face with the trio.

Chapter End

Chapter 9 is over! Kind of a short chapter, but eh, what can you do?

If you guys didn't know, Zabuza's sword has the ability to repair itself by absorbing the iron that is found in blood. Check out Narutopedia :P

All right guys, I really need your input now.

How is the story so far? What do you guys think of the fighting scenes? Is it hard to follow? What more should I add to the story – if anything? What would you guys like to see in this story? More characters? More detail? Less fluff? More fluff? How are the romantic scenes?

Please, please, PLEASE let me know.

Okay, here's a question that will definitely impact the story somewhat:

Should the Kyuubi be male or female? I need your input on this as well. Would you guys like the classic male Kyuubi or the Fanfiction exclusive female Kyuubi? I'll be asking this question for at least two (2) more chapters before I make a decision based on what gender you guys would like. This is more of a preference really, but it will change some of the story just a little bit.

I have about a 100 – almost 200 – people following this story, and I would like to hear more from you. Read and review, even if it's just to say "Good chap" or "This sucks" "*long paragraph about the story*" Every writer likes to hear what people want to say about their work, including me. So let me know what's good, bad, awesome, or terrible about this story.

TL;DR: Let me know what you guys like/dislike about this chapter/story. Male or female Kyuubi, gender? Review.

Thank you guys for reading, and as always, have a good day!

-TheRedGhillie