Chapter 10: His Better Half

The jonins dispelled the genjutsu as the arena fell asleep as Oto and Suna shinobi attacked them. Naruto gritted his teeth seeing in the arena how both Sasuke and Gaara where gone.

"Dammit..." He rushed where the genins were located and found Sakura waking Miu and Shikamaru up.

"Sensei!" Sakura screamed as he arrived "What's going on!?"

Naruto frowned seeing that Sasuke wasn't here either "We are under attack. Any idea where Sasuke went?"

Shikamaru yawned as he sat up and Miu jumped to her feet looking around. "He chased after Gaara... and Gaara was... turning into something made of sand..."

Naruto cursed as he felt someone jump behind him and as he turned around, an Oto shinobi fell dead with senbon sticking on his back "Naruto-Sama." Haku said as she landed next to him.

Naruto frowned. Hiruzen seemed to be trapped with Orochimaru, but if Gaara seal was tampered with and Sasuke was alone with him...

"Haku, how good are you tracking?"

"I am well trained in that area, Naruto-Sama." Haku said and Naruto nodded.

"Follow the trail of Gaara and Sasuke. Miu, Sakura and Shikamaru, go with her and help Sasuke."

Miu nodded "And you Bro?"

Naruto glared at the barrier "I have something to do. Now go."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Haku, Miu, Sakura and Shikamaru were jumping from tree to tree and Haku frowned "It seems we are being followed." She commented and Sakura gulped.

"What do we do?"

Haku looked behind, trying to calculate the distance they have on their chasers "Someone needs to stay behind and deal with them. I would do it, but I doubt you can catch Sasuke's trail. Which one of you are better in fighting in area?"

Miu and Sakura gave a dry look to Shikamaru who groaned "What a drag... fine, I'll stay."

Haku smiled at him "Thanks Shikamaru-Kun. Please, be careful." and with that, Shikamaru started to plan as he stopped jumping with them.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Naruto landed on the roof, and he could see Orochimaru fighting Hiruzen with... the first and second hokage?!

One of the oto shinobis, one with six arms, noticed him and he started to sweat "Oi, isn't that the Hollow Prototype?"

Orochimaru listened and smirked "Kimimari, deal with him."

A white-haired teen of his age, wearing an open white kimono, with a sarashi covering her breats rushed to him and tried to stab him with a bone coming from her palms, that he deflected with his katana.

Naruto examined her features "A member of the Kaguya clan?" He asked as Kimimari didn't answer and kept attacking.

It was an equal fight, that Naruto started to get the upper hand. He kicked her right leg as he deflected another bone coming from her elbow as he noticed her curse mark starting to grow, leaving black marks on her body.

Kimimari headbutted him, before kicking him on the ribs. He heard a crack, before he was stabbed by a bone, going through his stomach.

Naruto coughed blood as he blocked and held Kimimari's wrist, with a bone coming from her palm, pointing to his neck.

"Y'know, it seems you are having trouble Naru-Chan... have you slept well lately?" Zangetsu mocked as Naruto kicked Kimimari away.

"Of course not. You were having nightmares this past month..." Kimimari rushed to him, and Naruto blocked her attacks, before she elbowed him on his face... his vision becoming blurry, darkness on the edge of it.

"Why don't you rest a bit? Let me take care of this..." Kimimari took a bone coming from her shoulder and stabbed Naruto on the chest with it.

Naruto spit blood and his body went limp. Kimimari frowned seeing how chakra materialized from air onto his face. Suddenly Naruto's hand reached for her neck and started to choke her.

Naruto chuckled darkly and slowly lifted his head, where half a mask was covering his face. Both of his eyes were black with a yellow iris.

"Good night, sweet prince..."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke shunpo and landed in front of Gaara and Temari after Shino distracted Kankuro. Gaara was gripping what wasn't covered by sand on his head, one arm made by sand and looking like a gigantic claw clutching the tree and Temari was trying to calm him.

"SHUT UP!" Gaara screamed slapping his sister away and glared at Sasuke "You... you hurt me..."

Sasuke said nothing. He took out his sword as Gaara grinned "Blood... blood for blood..."

"Right Mother?"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kimimari was sent to the ground again after Naruto headbutted her again. But... he was different. This isn't the same man she was just fighting... this is the hollow.

"What's wrong princess!? So strong against my Naru-Chan, but with little mean me? You ain't nothing!" The hollow screamed as he vanished in front of her before appearing behind her, sword above her.

"Sutinga! (Stinger)" black chakra covered the sword as he stabbed her shoulder, the blast going through the roof into the building.

Kimimari screamed as the hollow twisted the sword making him laugh "C'mon honey, we are just beginning!" He then started to stomp on her head, before removing the sword and kicking her to the wall.

Zangetsu chuckled "Boy oh boy..." He turned to a smirking Orochimaru.

"Thank you so much."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Sasuke kept dodging sand attacks from Gaara who laughed manically, trying to find an opening. His sharingan spinning, as he jumped to cut Gaara, just to be slapped away.

He crashed with a tree and feel on a branch of it. Gaara chuckled before he was kicked by Miu on the face, making him take a step back, as Haku threw senbons that got stuck on the sand.

"Sasuke-Kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked as she helped the Uchiha up and Gaara glared at her.

"I... I'll kill you all!" He threw a wave of sand to Sakura as she took a kunai but was sent against a tree. Haku frowned as she did her hand signs and Gaara was surrounded in a dome of ice mirrors.

"That should give us some time." She said as Miu tried to get Sakura free from the sand "We need to hurry."

The ice mirrors shattered due to a burst of sand, and Gaara was covered in sand fully. He turned to Haku and sent a barrage of sand bullets that Haku started to dodge as she did more hand signs as the dome started to form again.

"Die!" Gaara screamed as the sand that fell around Haku launched to her and trapping her against a tree.

Miu glared at Gaara who laughed "You... you will prove my existence now! Because we are the same after all! We fight for ourselves!"

"No." Miu said "We are similar, only that I had people around me. People who cared for me." She glared at him "Because when you fight to protect them, only then you are strong!"

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"

And now Gaara was surrounded by a thousand Miu's that jumped him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kimimari crashed against the wall and Zangetsu sighed "Maaaaaaaaan, where did all that gusto go? You became lame all of the sudden."

Kimimari attempted to stand up but a coughing attack plus all the pain and injuries didn't let her. Zangetsu chuckled "Welp, time to put you out of your misery."

He raised his sword over his head as black chakra cover the blade "Getsuga-"

But he found himself trapped by a tree and branches. "Eh?" Kurenai jumped in front of him and grabbed the mask and started to pull it away "Don't you dare you fucking bitch!"

Kurenai didn't answer as she took the mask out, blood pouring from where it was attached to as Naruto eyes returned to their natural color, the black iris retracting back as his eyes rolled back and passed out.

Kurenai turned to where Orochimaru and frowned as the snake sannin was retreating and the third was...

XxXxXxXxXxX

After the barrage of punches and kicks that Miu sent to Gaara, the Ichibi was fully released, Gaara sleeping on top of its head.

Miu eyes widen seeing a tailed beast, but she was training something else besides the rasengan.

She bit her thumb and did some hand signs "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

From the cloud of smoke, the chief toad appeared, Gamabunta "You again?! What do you want this time?!"

Miu frowned "Look; Just help me defeat that thing and you can go!"

Gamabunta looked at the Ichibi and growled "Another one of this?" he sighed "Fine! Let's do this!"

Gamabunta jumped to the Ichibi that threw more sand, but the toad summon dodged and with his sword, cut the Ichibi's arm clean and landed behind the Bijuu.

The Ichibi laughed "Is that all!?" He mocked as the arm grew instantly. "Come on Foxy! Do something better!"

Gamabunta raised a brow as Miu's eyes widen "Foxy?" The toad asked and the girl grinned.

"I have an idea!" She exclaimed and looked at Gamabunta "Bite him."

"What!?" Gamabunta asked and Miu grinned as she did the hand signs.

"Trust me!"

A cloud of smoke appeared as the Ichibi saw how the Kyubi appeared, and its eyes widen in fear "W-What!?"

The Kyubi opened its mouth as Ichibi put an arm up and the fox bit down... with no pain?

"Eh?" Ichibi asked as Miu jumped to where Gaara was and the Kyubi popped in smoke and Gamabunta was biting down the Ichibi "You damn frog!"

Miu punched Gaara making him wake up and the Ichibi eyes widen "No!"

Gaara eyes widen and looked around "Wha-" He was interrupted when Miu yanked him out of the sand as the Ichibi started to dissolve.

As they were falling, Gamabunta caught them. "Impressive." The toad said as Gaara panted.

"Thank... you..."

Miu nodded "You're... welcome..." She said as both passed out.

Next Chapter: Stray Dog