Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Kale's POV

"I see that's what happened." Naruto said as we ran through the trees after Sasuke "He's always too anxious."

"So why am I out here?" Shikamaru grumbled "I'm not some babysitter."

"Kakashi-Sensei's orders." Sakura said.

"This way!" Sensei's dog said taking a sharp right before he perked up a bit "Pick up the pace you guys."

"What's wrong?" I asked swinging to the next branch.

"Two squads behind us, eight…no wait nine men." Pakkun explained.

"Already?" Naruto yelled.

"I don't think they've got a fix on us yet, but they're closing in fast." The dog explained "They're a little slow because they're looking out for surprise attacks."

"If they catch us we'll be wiped out." Shikamaru warned.

"Can we flip it around and ambush them?" I proposed.

"No way." Pakkun said "They're Orochimaru's subordinates."

"Damn, we might have been able to do it." Shikamaru sighed "There's too many factors to do a safe ambush. Besides all we have is an idiot, a girl with no specialty, a nerd, a dog and a guy good for running away, that last one is me. There's only one thing we can do."

"One thing?" Sakura wondered.

"We'll have to create a diversion and make them think it's an ambush." Shikamaru proposed "Someone is going to have to stay behind."

"So a decoy." I said.

"Right." Shikamaru nodded "If they're stalled they won't be able to locate the rest of the team, but the one who stays…is probably gonna die."

"Come on we can't think like that." I said "We can still do this. Even if someone stays they'll stay alive."

"The dogs the tracker so he's out." Shikamaru mumbled.

"I'll stay-." Naruto started before being cut off.

"I guess I'm the only one." Shikamaru sighed.

"Shikamura?!" Sakura yelled "You can't."

"I'm the one with the best chance of survival!" he said grabbed the branch and landing "My Jutsu was a delaying tactic you know."

We all stopped to make sure this was a serious plan.

"Don't worry." He waved "I'll catch up later."

I quickly moved my hands "A parting gift to keep you alive, Alacrity!"

I cast my buff on Shikamaru before we took off.

Hopefully it lasts long enough to be of some help…we're counting on you Shikamaru, not just to hold them back, but to come back alive too.

"The enemies are still coming." Pakkun warned "Are you sure he's delaying them?"

"He…He couldn't have run away could he?!" Sakura gasped.

"No!" Naruto snapped "he acts like everything's a pain but he's not the kind of guy to turn his back like that."

"We have to trust him." I said as we ran "Every ninja in the village is ready to lay their life down for a comrade, Shikamaru is no different."

"HMM!" the dog perked up a few yards later "They stopped!"

"See he did it!" Naruto cheered.

"I knew it." I smiled.

Now it's a matter of catching up to Sasuke…try not to die.

It was taking us a lot longer to catch up to Sasuke then I would have liked.

"Sasuke stopped!" Pakkun yelled "But we've still got a ways to go!"

"Alright!" Naruto cheered.

"Wait!" the dog yelped "Someone else besides us is chasing Sasuke!"

"Who is it?" I asked.

Anyone but Orochimaru.

"I don't know…but it's not human." The dog warned.

We ignored that and kept following the dog to the Sasuke. I could hear lots of crashing and shattering in the forest, someone was fighting.

I think we're too late.

"There he is!" I yelled "He's fighting Gaara!"

"Those marks!" Sakura said "And he's not moving!"

Naruto dashed ahead just in time to kick Gaara away from Sakura.

"Nice Naruto!" I yelled.

I slid to a stop and got a look at the situation, Gaara was covered in sand, turning into some monster, he had a claw and an arm of sand.

"We made it." Sakura and I said going over to Sasuke while Naruto stood across from Gaara.

We didn't make it in time…he fought Gaara and now the curse mark has activated.

"Hey…who the hell is that?" Naruto asked.

"That's Gaara you idiot!" I snapped "He's transforming into something…be careful."

This is that same feeling from the arena…and the bridge.

"You the one I failed to kill…" Gaara growled.

"Get outta here!" Naruto yelled.

"RAH!" Gaara jumped right over him and came at us, more specifically Sakura.

"Sakura!"

"GRAAA!" Gaara hesitated for just a moment before punching her and binding her to a tree with sand.

"WHOA!" I jumped back.

He's fricken fast.

I slid under Gaara, grabbed Sasuke and jumped back towards Naruto.

We can't take on a guy like this.

"RAH!" Gaara kept grabbing his face "GAH!"

Is he…in pain? He has no wounds, he looks, upset.

"Naruto listen Gaara's mind in falling apart right now." I explained "We need to find a way to reach the real Gaara."

I jumped back with Sasuke "I'll back you up, I'll leave the main fight to you."

The first thing I did was cast Alacrity on Naruto "This will speed up and let you hit harder, Temari!"

"EEP!" she gasped.

"Tell me everything about Gaara." I demanded "Is there anything he's fond of?"

"No." she said "Gaara…has no emotions except for calm and angry."

"I take it he has no weaknesses." I said as Naruto flipped around to distract the boy.

"No…" Temari frowned "he is only darkness."

"Leave my friends alone!" Naruto yelled.

"AAAHHH!" Sakrua screamed as Gaara squeezed down on her.

He has no joints because of the sand so Cold Snap is useless, EMP won't help, Tornado will only make it harder to see, Forge Spirts won't help…I can try that though…

"Exort, Exort, Wex!" I clapped my hands "Chaos Meteor!"

A giant flaming boulder fell from the sky towards Gaara but he swatted away with his tail.

Naruto can't get close…I need to disorient him.

It's now or never, if I can't use that move then people are going to die.

"Naruto Duck!" I yelled "Quas, Wex, Exort!"

I thrust my palm forward "Deafening Blast!"

"GAHH!" Gaara screamed stumbling off the branches.

Deafening Blast blows out your ears and disorients your body with a barrage of sound…I guess that Dosu guy was a help after all.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto placed his hand town and a little toad appeared.

"Is he trying to get us all killed?!" Temari snapped.

"Naruto focus!"

"I'm trying!" he yelled "I wasn't calling him!"

Gaara transformed more and his free arm turned into another claw.

"What is Gaara!" I yelled at Temari.

"He…"

"Sand Shuriken!"

"Ice Wall!"

I erected a block of Ice to protect Temari and myself.

"Tell me!"

"He's the One Tailed Beast Shukaku!" she yelled.

"What?!" I gasped "Naruto can't win against that, even with me backing him up as support."

My wall melted away and I saw Naruto staring Gaara down.

"Naruto! We have to get out of here!"

"Come here so I can crush you!" Gaara snarled "I'll be all that's left! And if you refuse I'll kill that girl!"

"Alacrity!" I buffed Naruto again before jumping back to avoid a sand blast from Gaara.

Even with the increased speed from my buff Naruto still got pelted by Gaara's attacks.

Is there no way to win…are we all going to die?

"I…won't lose." Naruto said standing up "Again!"

"Alacrity!"

Naruto used his clones to get around Gaara and jam a Kunai with an exploding not into his backside. Naruto got smacked hard but the attack did blow off Gaara's tail. Sasuke managed to get up and catch Naruto before he hit the tree and Gaara's animal features were starting to slip away.

"I thought he was strong because he lived all alone." Naruto sighed "but I was wrong, that's not real strength, strength doesn't come from fighting alone, it comes from protecting people no matter what!"

Naruto crossed his fingers and summoned up and army of Shadow Clones. Naruto used some of the clones to knock Gaara up, some to pepper him with shurikens and some to kick him with his Rendan.

"I refuse to lose!" Gaara yelled.

"It's here!" Temari yelled as a sand storm kicked up and blinded us.

"What the hell is that thing?!" I yelled at the sight of the giant raccoon.

"That's Gaara's final form." The girl explained "We're all finished."

Naruto was suddenly surrounded by sand.

"Naruto!"

I'm not gonna be able to help!

"Desert Coffin!"

"Summoning Jutsu!'

There was another cloud of smoke and this time a giant toad appeared. Naruto and his new pal engaged Gaara and his beast in battle, the rest of us could do nothing but stand there and try not to get crushed.

"We have to get out of here!" Temari yelled as portions of the forest were crushed.

"No shit!" I said jumping after her.

As we moved it started raining from the attacks the giant toad was using. Suddenly the toad turned into a giant fox.

Naruto…just how are you capable of this?

I don't know what happened up on that giant beast but Naruto stopped Gaara and made the whole creatures crumble to sand.

"Gaara was…stopped?" Temari said in complete shock.

"Naruto!"

I ran to the area they should have been in and found both of them barely clinging to consciousness.

"Naruto…" I smiled "You made it."

"I…" Gaara took a breath "I refuse to let my existence mean nothing! I won't disappear!"

Naruto was crawling on his belly to try and get over Gaara.

"What…?"

"Stay away!" Gaara screamed.

"The pain of being all alone, I understand it." Naruto told him "I feel your pain, but now I have people that are important to me, and I won't let you hurt them. Even if you try and kill me I will never stop fighting for them."

"Why…" Gaara asked "Why do you go so far for the sake of other people?"

"They saved me for the hell of being by myself, they acknowledge my existence they're all important to me."

"You did it Naruto." I said "Sakura is gonna be okay, you stopped Gaara…Gaara's motto was ultimate defense, but you broke the defense he had around his heart…great job."

Temari and Kankuro both landed in front of Gaara, they seemed defensive.

"It's fine." I said picking up Naruto and putting him on my back.

"It's over." Gaara sighed.

"Right." Kankuro said picking him up.

"Well…" I said as we left "I'm sure we'll see you guys around."

"Same." Kankuro said leaving.

I got Naruto back to the village, he passed out on the way back. I figured we had the worst of it behind us when Gaara was stopped but…when we got back I found Mom and Dad clearing out the last of the enemy, they told us that the Third had been killed in the fighting.

The Third was Great Uncle's teacher…I…can't believe that nice old man was killed. Now that I was able to use Deafening Blast Uncle will start my next lesson…I wonder what path lies ahead?

AN

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Till Next Time!