Opening - Haruka Kanata by Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Naruto sidestepped Orochimaru's jian, which would have otherwise pierced his heart. "I get it now," he declared, using what appeared to be his Asura Path to form a silver cutlass. "Back when the Sannin were a team, you focused on ninjutsu. You wanted to learn every ninjutsu in the world."
"Correct," Orochimaru replied, but frowned when Naruto easily parried his next attack.
"So you never studied taijutsu, did you? You thought it was a waste of precious time, that you could better spend learning another ninjutsu or two. Instead, you picked up this sword." Naruto slapped his blade against the Sannin's, and dodged a futile lunge. "And you never learned proper swordplay either. You just decided, like I did, that you could use a sword to scare away taijutsu users. You're fast, I'll admit that, but I actually learned kenjutsu. That's why you haven't killed me already, and why I'll probably beat you this time."
"Ah, but I'm not limited to kenjutsu," Orochimaru replied, and leapt into the air away from Naruto, dropping his sword mid-jump so he could form hand seals.
"Shinra Tensei!" Naruto shouted, and aimed his left palm at Orochimaru, who froze in midair. "Or at least, that's what it feels like, right? The Deva Path of the Rinnegan has limited control over gravity." Orochimaru scowled down at Naruto, confused. "Gravity can be defined as the attractive force created by two masses; anything with mass can exert gravity," he quoted one of Iruka's lessons, and added, "But can chakra exert that force? Does chakra, or a thought, have mass?"
"What are you getting at, boy?" Orochimaru spat.
"There's no gravity in here," Naruto replied simply. "Because there is no here. You're in my mind, in my thoughts, and in here, I have total control over reality. Here's the proof: I'm not using my Rinnegan yet." he held up his new cutlass, which dissolved into silver flakes that then disappeared completely. "You're held in place there by my thoughts, not gravity. Still..." Naruto paused, and grinned, "I've been wanting to try this really cool ninjutsu that I just don't have the chakra for in the real world. It's called 'Chibaku Tensei.'"
Orochimaru's eyes widened, and he resumed making hand seals so quickly his hands blurred together. "Sage Art: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" A serpent ten times the size of Hinata's creation leapt forth from Orochimaru's hands, enhanced by the natural energy he could only unleash through a Cursed Seal.
"Hah!" Naruto swung his right palm forward to face the dragon, and a pulse of barely-visible energy, like a heat wave, rippled forth from his hand and obliterated the water dragon. He snarled, and shoved his left hand forward as well. Another wave of force struck Orochimaru, but all he could do was wince where he floated as it struck. Naruto clasped both of his outstretched hands together, and brought them back to his chest. He breathed in deeply, then let the breath back out as a loud sigh, and pulled his hands apart.
Within them, a marble-sized ball of pitch-blackness floated innocently, and Naruto smirked down at it excitedly. "Chibaku Tensei!"
Kurama bared his teeth in a proud grin. "I suppose I could do worse for a host after all," he noted. The jutsu that the Sage used to create the moon... Even if you don't have enough chakra to use it in reality, the fact that you know it is surprising enough. Let's see how you wield it, boy.
Naruto roared, and threw the singularity forward. The black sphere struck Orochimaru's chest and stuck there. Almost immediately, the walls of the cavern began to creak and groan. The ball of false gravity tore at them until they shattered, and their pieces flew together, slamming one by one into Orochimaru. Naruto, meanwhile, was using his thoughts more directly, willing indestructible chains into existence that tethered him to Kurama's cage, and said cage to the ground. Once Orochimaru was completely entombed in a sphere of stone the size of a fully unleashed Bijuu, Naruto applied his omnipotence to their surroundings, replacing the dim cavern with a brightly sunlit field of grass under a thin layer of snow.
"That should startle him, when he gets out," Naruto announced, and squinted at the light.
"He survived that?" Kurama asked, mildly surprised.
"That's not a real human being," the human pointed out to the walking ocean of chakra. "It's just a chunk of chakra that looks like Orochimaru. To destroy it, I can damage it directly, but that thing doesn't have a heart, a brain, or a spine." Burn. "I have to hit it until it just dissolves. Or, I can let it use ninjutsu until it burns itself out. I wish I could just tear him into little bits with my mind, but it looks like that won't work for some reason." he shrugged. "At least I get to beat the tar out of him for threatening Hina-chan."
"Likely the Cursed Seal. It gives him some limited measure of control over your mind." Kurama paused. "Would you really free me? If it meant winning this battle?"
"Kurama-san," Naruto replied sadly, " I hope I get to release you one day, but I don't want it to be like this. I want to let you back into a world you can appreciate and love." The Bijuu snorted. "No, really, believe it. You'll enjoy the world more if you don't hate humans, and I wanna make it so they don't hate you either."
"Stick to the Hokage obsession. It's a vastly more realistic goal."
"They're not all an angry mob out for our blood, you know. Remind me to find some way to introduce you to Hina-chan, and Kiba, and Asuma-sensei, Iruka-sensei and even Hokage-sama."
Kurama laughed, genuinely amused. "I suspect all but your little girlfriend would flee, or attack me."
"Then we'll start with Hinata. She'll be nice to you, believe it." Naruto would have said more, but the sound of cracking stone drew his attention. A shining bronze snake's head, ten feet long, burst through the surface of the artificial planet, and opened its mouth, revealing Orochimaru who winced at the unexpected bright light around him. "Cool. I didn't know you could use summons inside my mind."
Orochimaru smirked. "It's as you say. Neither this world, nor anything in it, truly exists. Hence I imagined one of my familiars into existence, but this is no more than an image under my control."
"Okay... and how much of your chakra did that take?" Naruto countered with a smug grin.
Orochimaru grimaced. "More than I would have liked," he admitted. "Influencing your thoughts to my advantage is no easy task, and it drains the energy in the Cursed Seal, which is to say me." The miniature planet behind him vanished into thin air, and he glanced back over his shoulder at the dull sound of it warping into nothingness.
When he turned back, he jumped away, startled. Naruto had been standing right in front of him, and the far younger shinobi noted, "Good thing I don't have that weakness, or this fight might've come close to fair."
"Cocky little brat, I can't wait to rip your eyes out," Orochimaru replied. "Ahh, I'm getting chills already. Perhaps I'll do it while you're still alive to scream, hm?" he grinned, and licked his lips, then held out his hand and beckoned with a single finger for Kusanagi to return. The jian shot hilt-first at him, and landed comfortably in his hand. The Sannin grinned evilly, and pointed the tip of his blade at Naruto.
Naruto willed another cutlass into existence, and folded his left arm behind his back. His left foot extended forward and his right slid backward slightly, and he held his cutlass in front of himself, relaxed. Orochimaru waved his sword lazily, directing the bronze serpent to attack, and it lunged at Naruto. The Genin, however, simply slashed it in half, snout to tail, with a crescent of shimmering blue light that extended from the tip of his cutlass and shot through the snake. The two halves of the beast fell in a shower of blood, then vanished from Naruto's subconscious without a trace. "Getsuga Tenshou," Naruto named the attack after its blue light faded.
"Another Rinnegan jutsu?" Orochimaru asked, impressed.
"Nope," Naruto replied with a grin. "Just a manga reference I've always wanted to use."
"Hm. Kids these days," Orochimaru noted sadly, shaking his head slightly, then charged forward with his sword raised.
Naruto let go of his sword, willing it to float in midair while he crafted hand seals. "Wind Release: Wind Scar!" Orochimaru swung his blade skyward, shattering the fragile blades generated by the C-rank ninjutsu. "Air Bullet!" Naruto continued without a pause. The second, B-rank attack forced Orochimaru to dodge. "Drilling Air Bullet!" The third jutsu, the signature A-rank technique of the One-Tailed Shukaku, was too fast to dodge, so Orochimaru simply caught the swirling ball of wind on his sword. In reality this would have killed him, but Orochimaru poured his chakra into influencing Naruto's thoughts enough that the jutsu split in two and sailed past the Sannin.
Orochimaru resumed his approach, but stopped after a moment. "...Wait. You don't look drained at all, not even after using Chibaku Tensei, and those Wind jutsu. Why not?"
"I'm not really using ninjutsu," Naruto admitted with a shrug, and plucked his sword out of the air. "I'm just imagining these attacks, and they happen. I'd love to start throwing lava at you, but since that's an image I'm less familiar with, it might drain my chakra or move slower than a Wind Release jutsu. That Getsuga Tenshou I used did both."
"So, I can't possibly overpower you," Orochimaru realized.
Naruto nodded. "But I've had my fun now." He stepped backward a few paces, passing through the bars of Kurama's cage. He sheathed the silver sword he'd imagined into existence, and slapped his hands together in a short sequence of hand seals. "Your turn, Kurama-san. Substitution Jutsu!"
X
Meanwhile, the real Orochimaru considered summoning the real Kusanagi. Despite the Sannin unleashing the full extent of his killing intent, Gaara hadn't budged, and in fact seemed mildly angered. "...I'll ask it of you once more," the crimson-haired boy rasped. "Remove the Cursed Seal, this is your last chance. The concept of mercy no longer amuses me."
Orochimaru smirked, and stated proudly, "I dissected the last foe who tried to bluff me like this."
Gaara said nothing and remained immobile, but the sand around him rose up in a massive wave. Orochimaru watched the surge close in, still smirking. Gaara's line of sight was briefly obstructed by his own attack, and Orochimaru chose that moment to deploy the Body Flicker and reappear behind the Ichibi Jinchuuriki. He lashed out with Kusanagi at the back of Gaara's neck, but a tendril of glistening tan sand caught the blade.
"Eight far better swordsmen than you have tried that," Gaara growled without turning to face Orochimaru. "Of those eight, four were ANBU assassins. I killed them all." he held up his right hand, and clenched it into a fist where Orochimaru could see. "Sand Coffin."
A lesser weapon would have been ground into dust, but Kusanagi was indestructible, and instead it was merely swallowed by the sand and torn from Orochimaru's grasp. The snake Sannin retreated with another Body Flicker, and Gaara turned to face him. Orochimaru tried to summon Kusanagi to his hand, but the weapon remained buried in Gaara's sand. He scowled, and dodged another stream of sand that obliterated the branch he'd been perched on.
Gaara turned, and his grin was horrifying enough to even startle Orochimaru. "We've been getting ahead of ourselves, haven't we, mother?" he swung his left arm wildly, and a flow of sand traced a larger version of the same arc, slamming violently into Orochimaru. "Here we are fighting a powerful opponent, and I concern myself with a seal on someone else's neck? I should just revel in the proof of my existence, shouldn't I, mother?"
He must be talking to the spirit of the One-Tails, Orochimaru observed. It looks as though he's about to draw on its power. I'm certain I could handle even that, but there's still the matter of marking Sasuke Uchiha with my Cursed Seal. And if I face Gaara in his Tailed Beast Mode, I'll end up killing him. That's no good for the attack plan. "Gaara no Sabaku, I'll admit this was an amusing little encounter, but I have business elsewhere. Goodbye."
"You're not going anywhere!" Gaara howled, and latched two tentacles of sand around the Sannin's ankles. Orochimaru opened his mouth, and an identical copy of his head emerged from within. Dripping a pale green liquid, Orochimaru emerged completely, like a snake shedding its skin, and disappeared into the forest.
Gaara roared and seethed, but Shukaku's influence receded without any prey in the Bijuu's sight. The Jinchuuriki growled in frustration as he was reminded of Naruto's plight. After a moment's consideration, he followed Orochimaru.
Hidden in the tree leaves above, Kankurou sighed, and leapt away in pursuit of his younger brother. Temari followed, frowning.
X
A kunai flew toward the back of Hinata's head, and she leaned out of the way with a fluid, lightning-fast motion. Her Byakugan continued to track the blade as it passed her, and stabbed into the belly of one of the white-clad Genin, revealing him to be an illusion when he dissolved into white fog. This surprised neither Hinata nor Kiba; Kiba's sense of smell warned him, and Hinata's doujutsu showed her that the boy was simply a cloud of chakra without a chakra network or tenketsu.
Kiba turned to face the direction the kunai had been thrown from, and caught sight of one of the green-clad Genin from the other team, who blanched. Kiba moved faster than a normal eye could see, and Hinata's doujutsu could barely keep up. He arrived in front of the Genin and punched him in the jaw, leaving a burn and a fracture on the now-unconscious boy. "That's just sad. A normal Genin would be able to dodge that attack, I even pulled my punch, and he's still out cold." The half-canine Genin turned to face the oldest boy present, the one wearing the green trenchcoat. "I can smell the fear on the other guy," Kiba nodded to the boy at Shigure's side.
He continued, "I'm guessing you just bullied these two into coming with you as a three-man team. They must've known, with this kind of skill, they wouldn't make Chuunin, but in order to get into the exam you need a full team, and you thought you could pass the exam, right? That's low. I'll make you a deal though. Fight me one on one, and your sidekick there can sit it out."
"What about your teammate?" Shigure questioned as his partner fled. "She's up against three Genin from Ame, and I grew up with them. I can tell you right now they're strong."
"Pfft. Hinata's gonna destroy 'em," Kiba replied simply.
"That's right, don't worry about me," Hinata called, then addressed the apparent army of white-clad Genin. "My Byakugan can see through your clones, and since they have no chakra network I can tell them apart from the real three of you." she pointed to each of the real shinobi hidden amongst the clones. "It's not a genjutsu, like the basic Clone Jutsu, but they're still harmless, that much I can see. So what are they made from?"
"This is the Fog Clone Jutsu," one of the clones admitted. "Ideal for use in Ame, where it's always rainy and miserable." Then the army of clones fell apart into a cloud of mist, which wasn't thick enough to interfere with either side's vision. "It's our favorite jutsu," one of the real three added, "but it's not our only weapon. We'll still beat you."
"So," Shigure asked Kiba, "What are you, anyway? A Jinchuuriki?"
Kiba glanced down at the form he shared with Akamaru. "It does look that way, doesn't it? This is the first time I've used it in a real fight, and I gotta say it's pretty cool." he looked back up at Shigure, who was drawing one of his four umbrellas from the holsters sewn into his trenchcoat. "An umbrella?" Kiba questioned, confused. "I expected some kind of sword. What the hell are you gonna do with that?" Shigure smirked, and Kiba bared his teeth in a growl. "On second thought, I don't wanna know." He lunged at the Ame Genin, who swatted Kiba's first punch aside with his umbrella. Kiba followed up with four more punches, the last three of which struck their target, both burning and bludgeoning Shigure's chest.
The Ame Genin kicked himself off the ground violently, vaulting into the air away from Kiba. He unfurled his umbrella and tossed it into the air, where it floated and began to spin, firing senbon needles randomly in all directions. Kiba scowled, noticing Shigure draw a second umbrella to hide under. He made a few hand seals, then aimed his open palms at the umbrella and the senbon pouring out of it. "Fire Release: Hellhound Barrier!"
The flames cloaking Kiba's half-dog form abandoned him, and intercepted the rain of senbon as a horizontal wall of red fire that melted the steel needles and caught the molten metal. Another hand seal twisted the wall in midair, pouring the droplets of metal harmlessly into the dirt. The flames returned to Kiba's skin, and he cracked his knuckles. "You've got three more of those," he noted as the umbrella, now emptied of senbon, landed between the two Genin. "Then what?"
Shigure scowled and folded the umbrella in his right hand, then swung it, unleashing a cluster of needles from its tip. Kiba dodged; even through his flames were hot enough to melt such weapons, they'd still pierce through his cloak before they melted. If his weapons are all like this, I could use the second level of Hellhound Mode. Its cloak is strong enough to melt kunai on contact, and senbon won't stand a chance, but... I want to beat him with only the first level. This power is supposed to be my main jutsu, and if I need to go so far as using Level Two on this chump...
"Two Palms!" Hinata called, and set to work dismantling a white-clad Genin's tenketsu. "Four Palms! Eight Palms!" she dodged a feeble punch from the boy, and doubled her speed again, frowning with concentration. "Sixteen Palms!" she continued, and finished with an ordinary kick to the boy's sternum. He fell, and she turned to face one of his two allies. "You can choose to leave at any time," she noted. "We have nothing to gain from hurting or chasing you. Just go," she implored.
"Kagari's a tough kid," one of his teammates noted. "He'll be fine, and he wouldn't want us to give up."
"Actually," Hinata replied in an apologetic tone, "I just shut down sixteen of Kagari's core tenketsu, which connect to the heart, liver and lungs. In two minutes, his breathing will falter, in three, it'll stop altogether," she admitted with concern in her voice. "His liver will stop filtering toxins out of his blood, and his heart will stop completely in under five minutes. I can reactivate those tenketsu easily and stop that damage, but only if you surrender."
Kiba dodged another set of needles, and drew a kunai from his weapons pouch. The cloth wrapped around its hilt burned away at his touch, and the metal glistened bright orange from the heat. There was a fuinjutsu on his clothing that prevented it from turning to ash, and kept the heat out of his weapons pouch, but once a kunai was drawn it had no protection from the flames. He threw the superheated kunai, which Shigure took to be a serious threat, and dodged.
What the hell was that? Shigure watched the glowing kunai pass him. He turned back to face Kiba, and jumped when he saw the boy already making hand seals. "Fire Release: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Shigure tossed aside his umbrella, and drew a third one from his back, this one larger and reinforced with iron plates for use as a shield. He crouching behind it and winced as the flames washed over his shelter, then sighed in relief when they passed.
Shigure looked up, and saw two dozen small fireballs change their path after passing by his shield. "Damn it!" he rolled frantically out of the way, and the Phoenix Flowers slammed into the dirt where he'd been crouching. He scrambled to his feet, reaching for his fourth and final umbrella, but Kiba was already sprinting toward him on all fours, and the fire-clad Genin tackled him. Kiba's aura of flames winked out, just before his knockout punch struck Shigure's jaw.
Hinata's Byakugan showed her the entire exchange, and she nodded to where Kiba stood over Shigure. "It's two on two, now," she noted. "If you surrender, I'll reopen your friend's chakra network, and let you leave."
"Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!"
Hinata saw Oboro's attack coming from behind her even as it was formed, and she spun to face it while her fingers slipped in and out of rapid hand seals. "Water Release: Water Bullet Jutsu!" she countered the attack in kind, and the two spheres of compressed water slammed together, exploding into a harmless mist that sprayed the trees and all eight Genin, conscious or otherwise. "Stop it!" she shouted. "Just calm down and think for a second. I'm being fair about this, I really am! I won't even take your scroll; you can all go and fight some other team with minimal injuries. You haven't even used that many jutsu; you're not badly drained." her voice hardened then. "But if you won't accept my offer, I'll knock you all unconscious, take your scroll, and restore your chakra networks before I and my team leave."
The two remaining Ame Genin, without taking their eyes from Hinata, made their way to each other. Oboro's right hand began a sequence of seals with Mubi's left. Hinata's eyes widened, since she recognized the pattern. That jutsu... they're melding their chakra together, since it takes too much for one ordinary Genin. "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!" they roared in sync, and a torrent of water burst from each boy's mouth, tearing off the voice-distorting masks they'd forgotten to remove. Hinata watched the attack approach her, knowing she wouldn't have enough time for hand seals to counter the attack, as she had with Oboro's Water Bullet.
The dragon approached her with red eyes that glowed with fury, and she realized exactly what jutsu she could use to counter it. She curled the fingers of her right hand like claws, and began swirling her chakra in a condensed ball in the palm of her hand. The pale blue energy glowed faintly, and gave off a humming sound to indicate the completion of the jutsu. "Rasengan!" she declared, and threw her armed right hand forward, meeting the dragon's snout head-on. The half-sentient ninjutsu roared in pain and fury, and pushed forward in an attempt to overpower the Rasengan. Hinata's feet dug into the softened ground, but that was all; it was too late to stop her. The Spiralling Sphere ripped the Water Dragon Bullet apart into dozens of splashes that soaked the entire area.
Hinata was left with a Rasengan in her palm, which was a significantly darker blue than before. A transparent teal bubble floated just past the surface of the sphere, quivering slightly from the swirling energy inside. She stared down at it, wide-eyed. Her chakra had absorbed the Water Release orientation from Oboro and Mubi perfectly, and she knew exactly what to do with it.
"Water Release: Rasengan!" Hinata declared, and lobbed the new jutsu at the space between Oboro and Mubi. It exploded on contact with the ground at their feet, generating twice as much water as the Water Dragon Bullet did, and throwing it in all directions. Oboro and Mubi were both carried into the air with the water, and slammed into the ground by gravity, knocking them both out.
X
Kurama grinned down at Orochimaru's avatar. The Demon Fox's eyes were alight with hate and sadistic anticipation. "I haven't killed in twelve years, did you know that?" he asked. "Yet another thing for which I must thank my gracious host."
Orochimaru turned to run, but the bars of the cage had been replaced by solid steel walls. The sole source of light was now the aura of fiery orange pouring off the Kyuubi. "Ah... you're not the real Orochimaru, but you can still feel an instinctual fear of death, as if you were human. That pleases me. I haven't heard a human scream since I was sealed in here. Twelve long years, as I just said. Now... scream."
The persona of the Cursed Seal turned, and looked up at the Tailed Beast Ball forming in front of Kurama's open jaws. It screamed.
X
Naruto's eyes snapped open, and the Cursed Seal on his neck exploded into a cloud of black mist. He threw himself to his feet and drew a Hiraishin kunai, just as the mist coalesced into a hissing white snake that floated in front of him, glaring at him with Orochimaru's hateful yellow eyes. With a roar, Naruto sliced his kunai through the near-helpless creature's neck, cutting off its head. Once again, it became a cloud of mist that scattered in all directions, returning the energy of nature whence it came.
Breathing heavily from the adrenaline, Naruto returned his kunai to his pouch. He touched the spot on his neck where he guessed the Cursed Seal had been, then looked around. He was still in the Forest of Death, amid a few particularly massive trees. The ground, covered in wild grass and flowers, was soaked and torn apart from an apparent battle.
Hinata came out of nowhere, and nearly tackled him with a hug. "Naruto-kun!" she greeted him gleefully. "You're all right!"
Kiba decided, after careful consideration including a thought of the fight he recently dominated, decided his best course of action was to deactivate his Hellhound Mode, help Akamaru back into his spot in Kiba's hoodie, and lean against a tree trying to look cool.
"Yeah, I'm okay," Naruto agreed, then looked around again. "What the heck happened, though?"
"You passed out," Hinata began her recap. "Gaara and his team showed up, gave us their scroll, and followed Orochimaru. Then two teams of Genin saw us with both scrolls, and fought us. I just finished healing them a moment ago; they're tied up over there." she pointed to a pile of five unconscious Genin. "Well... one of them ran away after Kiba punched out his partner, so there's five of them tied up, and we have two of each scroll now."
Naruto blinked, and glanced at Kiba, then back to Hinata. "...You fought six ninjas and won?" Hinata nodded. "And got three scrolls while I was knocked out?" She nodded again. "And... since you're the one who uses Water Release... it was you who did this?" he gestured around at the drenched forest, and she nodded a third time. Naruto paused, and scratched his head. "I... can't even think of any way to describe how awesome this is."
"Um... Naru-kun..." she played with her fingers again, blushing subtly. "Can I talk to you alone for a second?"
"Sure," he replied, and the two of them moved behind one of the absurdly huge trees nearby. Hinata glanced in Kiba's direction, making sure he couldn't see them, then jumped forward and kissed Naruto. His eyes widened; it was somewhat unusual for her to move to kiss him instead of the other way round. But after a moment, the surprise wore off, and he wrapped his arms around her. A few seconds later, she broke off the kiss, and breathed out a contented and relieved sigh.
"I told myself I'd do that the next chance I got," she admitted, blushing a deep scarlet. "When I saw that seal... The chakra in it..." she shivered. "I was worried, Naruto."
"It's all right, Hina-chan. I won't worry you like that again..."
"HEY!" Kiba yelled. "I can smell your pheromones, and hear every word you're whispering. Cut the lovey-dovey crap!"
Hinata's blush darkened, and she winced. Naruto just laughed, though, and after a few moments, she started giggling too, although she was still blushing dark red.
"Hey, Hina-chan, Kiba," Naruto began when they all stopped laughing, "If it's all right with you guys, I think we should give that extra set of scrolls to Gaara's team, if we find them."
Hinata nodded, still smiling. "They went out of their way to help us, we should pay them back. But... they're up against Orochimaru... what if they lose?"
X
Gaara scowled, and burst through the cover of the treetops with Orochimaru in his sight. Kankurou and Temari emerged flanking the Jinchuuriki, and Orochimaru looked up, releasing an unconscious Sasuke Uchiha, who already bore a Cursed Seal identical to Naruto's. Meanwhile, a girl with long pink hair was screaming in horror, and an unconscious boy in a green jumpsuit was pinned to a tree by several kunai.
Gaara had managed to fully calm himself down, and despite his mother's screams for the Sannin's blood, he observed the scene calmly. Orochimaru fled again, and while Gaara wanted nothing more than to follow the snake, he decided to do what he imagined Naruto might, and that meant confirming the other three Genin's conditions were stable before he continued.
In a soothing voice, his mother murmured, Why aren't you chasing Orochimaru? Why bother with these weaklings, when you can simply go on and prove our existence?
I... I just can't help but feel that Naruto Uzumaki... might be right. Perhaps I can prove the value of my existence in more ways than blood and killing. That's not to say I won't kill him, and Orochimaru as well, but... maybe there's more to our life than this.
No, his mother replied sadly. This is what we are. We kill, to live. To continue our existence, we must end that of our opponent. This time, her sweet tone seemed somehow off, and it unnerved Gaara.
Perhaps. But I will humor him, just for today. Gaara made his way to Sakura, and spoke. The words tasted bad in his mouth, but he said them anyway: "...Are you and your... friends all right?"
"S-Sasuke...kun... he's hurt," she replied shakily.
"He'll live," Gaara intoned solemnly. "That mark on his neck won't kill him, and it should be gone soon... but are you..." he glanced up at the boy pinned against the tree with kunai. "...and this boy in green, are you both stable?"
"Lee's been cut by those kunai," she turned to look at the boy. "It doesn't look fatal though. I'll keep him safe."
"Good." Gaara blinked. I wondered how Uzumaki could stand being this way, but the more I do it, the less it bothers me. Perhaps he's not as much a fool as I thought. "I'll follow Orochimaru. When I kill him, that seal on Sasuke Uchiha's neck should fade away." he turned, and saw Kankurou and Temari staring at him, wide-eyed. "Come with me, Temari, Kankurou," he commanded, and leapt away in pursuit of the Sannin.
Meanwhile, word had reached Anko Mitarashi of Naruto's Cursed Seal, since the Forest of Death was lined with hidden cameras. She sprinted blindly into the Forest of Death, while night fell over her and the rest of Konoha.
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