Chapter 24: Naruto vs. Gaara

Alright, we're at the Naruto vs. Gaara battle, though Sasuke and Sakura will be there for a little bit and help out, but I decided to keep Naruto having his solo hero battle here, so sorry to anyone who didn't want Sakura to be a damsel in distress. Then it will probably be the final stretch as we get into the Search for Tsunade Arc which is where I've decided to end this story. I will probably begin updating more frequently like I did with my other Narusaku fanfic sooner or later. I don't know when I will begin or how many chapters will be left that but I'll let you guys know. Also, I learned that someone is doing a reading of this story on youtube. I'm honored! Shoutout to Fiction Series for doing that.

Naruto looked at Gaara and saw the transformation he'd gone through. Naruto almost didn't recognize him but could still see the red hair that covered half his head while the other side had turned monster like.

"So, this is the monster he talked about," Sakura said narrowing his eyes.

Gaara growled.

"More people to kill! Very well!" he said.

He leapt at them and they struggled to dodge. Naruto drew his sword.

"Wind Slice!" Naruto said as he swung.

The attack flew at Gaara who countered with a barrage of sand shuriken. The sand overpowered the wind and hit Naruto who was thrown back, he dropped his sword which fell to the floor of the forest below. Seeing his chance, Gaara leapt at Naruto who just managed to look up. But Sakura leapt at Gaara at the same time.

"Cha!" she shouted as she struck.

Somehow she managed to get a blow on him. His sand seemed to have stopped coming out to protect him and was now simply being used for all out attack in this new form. Gaara growled.

"You dare interfere!"

Sasuke threw a kunai, though he doubted it would work. But he had to try. He was right. Gaara simply raised his transformed arm which the kunai stuck into and then seemed to sink further in. Gaara chuckled.

"Thanks for the weapon!" he said to Sasuke.

Sasuke's own kunai came flying back at him. He had no time to dodge, with his chakra depleted he couldn't even use his sharingan now. But he did manage to put up his arm and avoid a potentially fatal injury. Unfortunately Gaara went for him again and batted him with the transformed arm. Sasuke went down, hitting his head on a tree as he went. He continued to fall, if he hit the ground it would sure be the end for the Uchiha.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as he leapt and caught his teammate around the waist. He landed on a branch and set Sasuke down on it.

Gaara looked at them with murderous eyes. Naruto put his fingers together and formed his usual hand sign.

"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A dozen Naruto's appeared. Almost all of them charged at Gaara while one leapt further down to the forest floor. Gaara dispatched the clones with ease, shooting sand or pommeling them with his monstrous body. One by one the Naruto's vanished. Soon he was to the last Naruto and he grinned assuming this was the original. But as he stuck his clawed hand into the body it popped.

"Another shadow clone!" Gaara yelled. "Where is the original?"

As if on que, the real Naruto leapt up from the trees behind Gaara.

"Wind Slice!"

Gaara failed to block the attack in time as he turned around. Naruto's attack hit him in the front and sent him flying back. His sand coated body blocked the worst of the damage, but he still suffered a severe cut to his chest.

"No! I can't lose!" Gaara yelled.

The sand reacted to his rage, stopping his bleeding, and he became coated in another form as Naruto watched. Sakura leapt by his side as they stood at ready. Gaara was now in a completely monstrous form that resembled a racoon made of sand. They had a sinking feeling that was bad.

"We have to end this quickly Naruto!" Sakura said.

She began weaving hand signs.

"Blinding light…"

Gaara lunged at her as she tried to perform the jutsu. She couldn't dodge in time and he seized her with his monstrous clawed hand. She was pinned against a tree with a grunt and was unable to move.

"Naruto!" she yelled in fear.

"Sakura!" he yelled back and began using his sword to try and cut Gaara's arm to free her. But the sand around the monstrous arm was too thick.

Gaara grinned at him. "You are like me! I saw it that time you battled those sound ninja! That red chakra, you hold a tailed beast as well! But you have a great weakness, you fight for others!"

Naruto gritted his teeth at his foe.

"If you want to truly unlock your full potential you must fight for only yourself!" Gaara said. "That is how I have become as strong as I have now!"

"You're insane!" Naruto said.

Sakura struggled, trying to get out but it was all for naught. Gaara tightened his grip on her and she screamed. The pain from being crushed under this sand was becoming too much and she felt like she was going to black out.

"Let her go!" Naruto yelled.

Gaara just laughed. Suddenly his hand holding Sakura detached itself from his body and a new one formed.

"You want to free her you'll have to defeat me! And you better hurry, because the sand will continue hardening around her, until it crushes her to death!"

Sakura shuddered at this. "Naruto!" she screamed.

"Hang on! I'll stop him!" Naruto said.

The pain was too much for Sakura now and she blacked out. Naruto turned his attention to Gaara.

"Alright you asked for it!" Naruto said. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Gaara's eyes widened as he expected to face some beast of formidable strength. Smoke blocked out Naruto for a moment, but when it cleared, what was there in front of the blonde was a mere… toad. A small orange one in a coat that bore a resemblance to Gamabunta.

"Hey! Wow I've been summoned!" the small toad said. "Names Gamakichi, at your service!"

"Ah!" Naruto yelled. "I spent all that time training and this is the best I can do?"

He didn't have time to lament any further as Gaara attacked.

"But you'll have to do!" Naruto aid as he grabbed hold of Gamakichi and leapt out of the way of the sand barrage.

He landed in a heap on a nearby branch.

"Boy are you pathetic," Gamakichi said.

Naruto gritted his teeth once again. "Hey I just saved your life!"

"Use your power Uzumaki! Come on!" Gaara said.

Naruto growled as he got up. He didn't want to use the Nine Tails chakra badly, as he'd heard Sakura once. But it might be his only choice.

"Fine," he said.

Closing his eyes, Naruto looked into the cage containing the fox.

"Alright you stupid fox! Give me your chakra!" he said.

Red light flashed and soon mixed with black. The curse mark on the back of Naruto's neck began to expand and cover his body while he was also cloaked by the red chakra briefly. His eyes turned red and fangs grew from his mouth, his fingernails turned to claws and black marks covered his whole body.

"I'll make you pay for this!" Naruto said in rage.

"Yes, let the hatred flow through you! Forget about your friends, they make you weak!" Gaara said.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, then he remembered Sakura's words to him when they had learned of Gaara having a monster inside him.

He may have a monster inside him, but he talks like a monster! As if he's become one! He is not as strong as you! Maybe physical, but not in spirit. He's weak! He let himself be consumed by the monster within! You haven't!"

"You're wrong."

The cursemark faltered for a moment. But they soon reappeared as hatred filled Naruto for this man who know looked like a monster. No, he was a monster, a monster that was threatening the ones Naruto considered precious to him. He thought of Haku as those thoughts went through his mind. He thought back on his lonely days when he had no one. But now he had friends, and a love. Sakura, Sasuke, Kakashi, Iruka, the Third Hokage. Their faces all appeared in his minds eye.

"Those that are truly weak, are people like you!" Naruto said.

He stuck his sword into the tree, he was more experienced without it. A growl escaped his lips and Gaara made one to match, the two Jinchuriki glared at each other and then charged. Naruto moved much faster then before, he was even faster now then Sasuke had been in the match back at the stadium. He dodged Gaara's sand claw and then struck the arm, breaking off a large chunk of sand, much to Gaara's surprise.

Impossible, the sand ninja thought.

Before he could recover from his surprise, Naruto was up in front of him and began punching him wildly. The blonde let out a primal shout as more and more sand began coming loose. Then Naruto sent Gaara flying, but instead of letting him hit the ground he leapt after him and followed up with even more attacks, kicking him in the stomach multiple times. Gaara felt the multiple impacts as he landed on his back.

How can this be happening. Gaara thought. I can't lose, not against that coward!

He remembered Naruto shaking when he'd told him about having a monster inside him.

Naruto leapt down to continue the offense.

"No way I'm going to lose to you!" Gaara yelled.

Sand erupted from him and he finally unleashed the final form of his monster. Shukakku the Sand Spirit, a giant racoon like creature with sand brown skin and dark blue markings. Its eyes were yellow with dark sclera. Gaara

So this was the monster in its full form. Naruto knew that even with his enhanced power, he wouldn't be able to take on such a large creature. He needed to try again and…

Calling up all the chakra he could muster, Naruto shouted. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A much larger cloud of dust appeared, when it cleared, Gamabunta was there.

"What is this," Gamabunta said looking around and seeing Naruto who was on his head. "You again?"

Then noticing what was directly ahead of him, Bunta spoke. "Well well, Shukaku the Sand Spirit!"

"I need your help Chief Toad!" Naruto said.

"I can see that," Gamabunta said. "But I think I'd rather not test my luck against one of the tailed beasts, even it is the weakest one."

…

Gaara closed his eyes, it was time to let someone else be in charge of the body. Shukkaku was already desperate to be in control.

Something in Shukakku's eyes changed and the monster glared at the toad. "What did you say you stinking toad? That I'm the weakest of the tailed beasts? That's precisely what the fox used to tell me! And just for that I'll crush you!"

…

Gamabunta was prepared to transport himself to return his home but before he could something small jumped on Naruto's head and he grunted in surprise.

"Ah come on Pops! Don't give up so easily!" Gamakichi said.

"Huh? Pops?" Naruto exclaimed.

"And what are you doing here Gamakichi?" the larger toad asked.

"Oh come on I did have anything better to do," Gamakichi said.

Naruto was able to put two and two together after a moment. "Huh? Huh?" he looked back between them. "You're father and son?"

"By the way, Pops that big ugly lug was picking on me before!" Gamakichi said pointing at Shukakku/Gaara.

"Come again?" Gamabunta asked.

"Yeah, but then our friend here leapt to my rescue!" his son said. "He went head to head and toe to toe with that monster and was really kicking his butt before he got big! I'm telling you Pops there's a lot more to this kid then meets the eye!"

"Is that right?" Bunta asked. "Alright fine, if this kid can stand against the host then I'll do it! And I'll avenge you my son! No one picks on my little toad!"

He drew the large tanto he had on his side. Then it was a long battle Gamabunta shot blasts of water to meet Shukakku's sand attacks. Upon his request, Naruto transformed him into something with fangs and claws, the Nine Tails itself. Then he managed to smack Gaara in the head and Shukakku's form crumbled. Gamabunta, being at his limit by the end of the fight went back home with his son.

Gaara and Naruto leapt at each other with Naruto hitting Gaara harder. They both fell to the ground and hit. Naruto then crawled slowly over to Gaara who began to feel true fear. His sand and chakra were used up and would not defend him.

"No stay away!" he cried out.

"I can't let you live," Naruto said. The curse mark had faded from his body during the battle and his nine tails form had receded as well. He now looked normal. "You and I are a lot alike! We both have monsters inside our bodies! I was hated by everyone just like you! I had nothing. But I have to stop you! Because you are a threat to my friends. They are the reason I fight, I care about them!

"Why?" Gaara asked in confusion. "Why would you fight for anyone but yourself?"

"Because they rescued me from my loneliness!" Naruto said. "Unlike you, I didn't shut everyone out! And that gave me real strength. I may have this power, and that thing Orochimaru gave me! But the strength I prefer to rely on is my own! And I will do anything with that strength to protect those that are precious to me! From people like you, even if I have to kill you!"

He was almost to Gaara, he reached into his pouch and pulled out one of his last kunai to do the deed.

"Naruto!" A voice called.

Naruto looked up and saw Sasuke. The Uchiha had woken up.

"Its over, Sakura and I are no longer in any danger. The sand crumbled away, I managed to wake up just in the nick of time and catch her. She's free."

Naruto let out a heavy sigh. "That's a relief."

Suddenly Kankuro and Temari were there. Sasuke prepared to battle but Gaara called his siblings off. They looked at him in astonishment and then helped him up before leaping off. Sasuke then helped Naruto to his feet and they went back to where Sakura lay.

Naruto lay over her and shook her shoulder. "Sakura, hey wake up!"

She opened her emerald eyes. "Naruto?"

"I'm here Sakura," he said. "You're okay."

"Oh Naruto!" she said as she got up and hugged him. Her body ached all over and she had some sand leftover as well. "Thank you."

They got up and headed home with Naruto leaning on Sasuke. When they returned to the village they found Iruka waiting for them. He managed a small smile as he saw them.

"Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke," he said. "You're all alright!"

"Yeah," Naruto said as he continued to lean on Sasuke. "Did we win?"

"Yes," Iruka said. "But at a great cost. Many of our ninja died… including the hokage."

"What?" Sakura exclaimed.

"No! It can't be!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke didn't say anything but his cool demeanor shattered at those words. He hadn't been very close to the old man but he did respect him in his own way. Naruto rushed forward, heading to the Hokage House. But all he found there was confirmation that the worst was true.

Sorry to cut the fight short but I was approaching my deadline. Perhaps in the future when I have some time I will add a bit more detail to the final bits of the battle with Shukkaku like I did with Zabuza's debut.