?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter Five — Differences of Two ~ ?￢ﾜ ?

Kusari walked toward her house with a satisfied smile curling her lips ever so slightly. She had succeeded! She befriended Shinrai. Now she just had to hope that the awkwardness that plagued their relationship beforehand would fade with time. I hope it doesn't take too long.

After a short walk in the dying hours of evening, she reached her home: a small affair with outer walls of tanned, cracked paint. She opened her birch wood door and entered into her living room, where her brother Neji sat on the couch, reading as usual.

"Good evening, Kusari," he greeted before looking up from his novel. His brows furrowed as he observed the band-aid on her nose along with the bandages that wrapped her hand. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

Kusari shook her head, not bothering to hide her smile. "Yes, I'm fine. It was simply a sparring match through which I befriended my other teammate."

"Uzumaki?" Neji questioned, sharp as ever.

Kusari nodded. "Yes, him."

"Hmm," he hummed. "Well, I'm happy you had a good day, then. How has your sensei been training you?"

Kusari paused, her smile fading. This was the very subject she had been avoiding for the past two days. There's no more running now… she took a deep breath, preparing to tell the truth to her brother.

He narrowed his eyes. "Is it something bad?"

"Not necessarily," Kusari answered, constructing her composure as she met her brother's gaze. "Ryujin-sensei has been trying to get me to stray away from the path of the Hyuuga Clan. I have not liked it at all."

Neji's eyes narrowed further. Kusari did her best not to wilt under the gaze, gathering all the courage she had.

"However… I did end up discovering a way I can expand the arsenal of the Juken, increasing its effectiveness. I have begun incorporating my legs, and kicking into Juken to amazing effect," she explained calmly.

Neji hummed. "Is that so…?" he asked, not seeming to expect an answer. "You're allowing his propaganda to influence you?"

"No, I made that discovery on my own and I asked him to help me with it," Kusari responded.

Neji placed his novel on his lap and sighed. "He's playing you, Kusari. Your vigilance is faltering. I am not particularly bothered by the fact that you're expanding your arsenal with kicks, you're not the first to do it, and likely won't be the last."

Neji's gaze sharpened as he continued. "I am bothered by the fact that you are doing it so soon after your sensei tried to convince you to stray away from your Hyuuga talents. Yes, it may only be kicking now, but then you may start going into other things while remaining under the illusion that it was your choice to do so, and not you being influenced by your sensei," Neji explained.

Kusari pursed her lips and looked down. "I see…"

"He is a Jonin, Kusari; manipulating a Genin to do what he pleases is quite literally child's play to him," Neji warned. "Observe yourself carefully when you're around him."

Kusari bowed her head. "Thank you, brother…" she said before walking off to her room. I can't believe I didn't catch this before—she thought, aghast. He's guiding me like a puppet and I didn't even realize…

Kusari clenched her fists hard before releasing them with a sigh. How does Shinrai even get along with him… ?

—⊱✿⊰—

"Hey Sensei!" called a young Ryu.

A man looked back. His blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight like bars of gold and his purple eyes twinkled like amethyst-colored stars. "Hey Ryu, you don't have to call me sensei anymore. You're a Jonin. We're equals now."

"I guess so, but it doesn't feel right calling you anything other than sensei," Ryu said, grinning widely.

His sensei smiled, placing a hand on Ryu's head and ruffling his head of black hair. "I appreciate that. It's a shame Dantai doesn't show that same level of respect…"

"What does he call you?" Ryu asked, looking up at his sensei.

His smile faltered into a lighthearted pout. "Shiny…"

"So, the same thing as before, but without sensei?" Ryujin asked, looking for confirmation with a chuckle.

He shrugged. "Pretty much…"

"C'mon Shiny, don't say that you don't enjoy the nickname," another Jonin said. He was about Ryu's age, his full head of unkept, curly brown hair obstructed hazel eyes.

Ryu walked up to Dantai. "C'mon, show our sensei some respect!"

"I'd rather show him my love," Dantai rebutted with a smirk.

'Shiny-sensei' walked up to his two students and looked almost sheepish, earning a raised brow from both of them. "Okay, if you want to show me love and respect, then why don't you two help me on this A-Rank here?"

"Of course!" Ryu answered, pulling in Dantai for an armlock. "Right, Dantai?"

Dantai sighed in defeat. "Yeah, sure, as long as I'm getting paid."

"Why wouldn't you be?" he asked as he continued his walk toward the Hokage's office, continuing the light-hearted banter the whole way there.

Weeks Later…

Ryu and Dantai wore all black. They were showered with light rain that hid their tears of mourning for their sensei. There was simply a shrine with his portrait as there was no body to recover. Ryu shuddered, recalling the sight of his sensei's death… crushed under foot of a summon before he even had the chance to scream.

Ryu may have cried but Dantai sobbed. He barely had a chance to breathe between his near hysteric, gasp-filled sobs. Ryu clenched his fists… if only he was stronger. If only he was better, then his sensei would still be here.

Ryu grabbed Dantai's hand and looked him in the eyes. Dantai broke from his sobs and stared bewildered at Ryu. "Promise me… that we'll never lose each other. Promise me."

Dantai gripped Ryu's hand tight and pulled him into a hug. "I… I promise. I'll never lose you, and you'll never lose me."

"Thank you," Ryu said with a crack in his voice as he returned Dantai's hug.

That day, a promise was made… A promise that was never kept.

—⊱✿⊰—

Two weeks have passed since Ryujin renovated the home of the Uzumaki Brothers. He walked toward the training ground where Team 5 waited… he was uncharacteristically late. It was one of those days, so he spent time at the memorial stone, honoring the memory of his… many fallen comrades. Alas, he didn't want to mimic Kakashi too much, so he picked up the pace.

"Afternoon's greetings, Ryujin."

He looked back—still walking—and raised his brow. Well, speak of the devil… he muttered. "Why so formal Kakashi?".

"Because, I'm here to tell you that I instructed Team 7 to ambush Team 5," Kakashi said, walking up to Ryujin and matching his pace.

Ryujin raised his brow. "Excuse me?"

"Indeed! I just wanted to tell you in advance so you aren't concerned when you see your team defeated and unconscious when you arrive," Kakashi explained.

Ryujin tilted his head back. "...And this benefits my team how…?"

"You get ambushed sometimes as a Shinobi, so I decided to give your team that experience for you! Aren't you in awe of my generosity?" Kakashi asked sarcastically.

Ryujin nodded slowly. "Uh huh… this isn't you getting revenge for me giving one of your dogs to Miya?"

"Oh it is, but I also decided to be nice in spite of that," Kakashi said with an eye smile.

Ryujin chuckled with a devious edge. "When my team wins, you're not touching Icha Icha for a month."

"I'll take my chances with that bet," Kakashi said as he pulled out his copy of Icha Icha Paradise and kissed the cover through his mask.

Ryujin let out an amused breath and made a half seal for the Body Flicker. "Let's pick up the pace, shall we?"

"Yeah, I'd hate to miss the festivities," Kakashi agreed, mimicking the seal. The two Jonin flickered out of sight into the morning breeze.

—⊱✿⊰—

Shinrai laid down on the grassy field where Team 5 trained, and today, where they awaited their sensei's arrival.

"He's late today," Kusari noted.

Shinrai hummed. "Astute observation."

"Ugh, you're starting to sound like him," Gosei commented with distaste.

Shinrai smirked and looked at Gosei. "Is that a problem, Senju?"

"Shut up," Gosei mumbled.

Kusari chuckled. "Why do you think sensei is late?"

"The less time I spend around him, the better," Gosei responded, laying his chin on his hand.

Shinrai sat up. "Hey, Ryu's a pretty great guy."

"Says the person who's apparently on a nickname basis with him," Gosei argued flatly.

Shinrai nodded in agreement. "Exactly, so get on a nickname basis with him, then you'll see how great he is!"

"No," Gosei answered, leaving no room for any further debate.

Kusari chuckled again. "You two are entertaining when you banter."

"What?" Gosei started. "What do you—?"

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

Team 5 snapped their heads up to gaze upon the massive orange ball of burning flame that descended upon them like a meteor. Gosei wasted no time and weaved hand seals as he stood. "Water Release: Lakeland Rush!"

Gosei spewed a gigantic volume of water from his mouth that matched the fireball. In a humid cloud of heated steam, the area around Team 5 was shrouded. Most of Team 5 was blinded by the fog, aside from Kusari, whose Byakugan granted her sight in the area of blindness.

"Team 7 ambushed us!" she announced, before focusing her attention toward Sasuke Uchiha. This is a perfect opportunity, she noted to herself. Kusari charged Sasuke with a Juken strike, knocking him out of the steam and running out to catch him.

Gosei furrowed his brow, keeping his guard up. "Team 7?" he questioned before being tackled to the ground, only seeing flashes of orange in the steam. "Damn you," he muttered before throwing his opponent off of him.

"NARUTO! YOU BASTARD!" Shinrai shouted through the steam, grabbing at the movement of steam in front of him and tossing whoever it was out to the left. He was disappointed as it wasn't Naruto; whoever he just tossed was as light as a feather. But alas, he couldn't leave them be. So, he charged out of the steam toward them.

He ran for a couple meters, to see a girl with pink hair with an outfit to match, getting up from the grass and dusting herself up. "That hurt you idiot!" she yelled.

"Oh no, it's you," Shinrai stated, looking at Sakura Haruno's irritated expression. "I was hoping Sasuke was just a very unheavy human being…"

Sakura stomped her foot. "Hey! What do you mean by 'oh no?!'"

"You're weak. I want to fight someone strong. This isn't going to be fun," Shinrai pouted.

A vein popped on Sakura's forehead as she clenched her fists. "I AM NOT WEAK!"

"Yes, you are!" Shinrai argued with a shout. "There's nothing special about you! All you wanna do is ride Sasuke's dick!"

Sakura scoffed, glaring at Shinrai in disbelief. "Hot shit coming from the guy who's been rejected by over thirty girls at the academy!"

"TWENTY-EIGHT!" Shinrai corrected with fire in his eyes.

Sakura laughed haughtily. "Like that's much better!"

"Hey, at least that means I can recognize when someone I like doesn't like me back!" Shinrai shouted.

Sakura stomped forward. "Well, that just means I'm loyal and dedicated to one person!"

"That doesn't mean shit when you're loyal and dedicated to the wrong person! Sasuke does not give a single fuck about you!" Shinrai yelled, shaking his head.

Sakura growled. "Girls in general don't give a fuck about you! Just turn gay, your chances will be better!"

"You should just give up on romance in general, as long as you want lil' Sasuke's even littler meat in ya mouth, then you're not going anywhere," Shinrai rebutted, laughing his ass off.

Sakura nearly popped a vessel as her knuckles cracked from how hard she clenched her fist. "Y'know what, FUCK YOU BITCH!" she screamed before charging at Shinrai, weaving hand seals.

"FUCK YOU BITCH!" Shinrai yelled back as he ran toward the charging Sakura.

She finished her hand seals. "Earth Style: Crater Fist!". A mass of earth surrounded her right hand in the shape of a fist of solid bedrock. She pulled her fist back and hurled it at Shinrai's face with full force.

He stopped, stumbling back from the impact. Shit, she hits hard; he murmured as the ache from the impact radiated in his head. He smirked. "Fighting you is gonna be more fun than I thought!" Shinrai yelled, clenching his hand into a bare-knuckle fist of his own and throwing it at Sakura's face, causing her to stumble back as well.

She glared at him, rubbing her nose. "Oh, it's on mother fucker."

"Damn right it is," Shinrai agreed with a wicked grin.

—⊱✿⊰—

Kusari and Sasuke faced each other. The former's Byakugan eyes were pumped full with blood and chakra as they stared down Sasuke with a pale lavender gaze. The Uchiha matched it with an intense glare of coal black.

"I wanted to fight the Senju," Sasuke said, his tone sharp with irritation.

Kusari's eye twitched. He was writing her off. "Well, you're fighting me," she stated, leaving no room for argument for anything contrary.

"Why would you want to do that?" he questioned, his tone bewildered.

Kusari narrowed her eyes. Did he ask out of arrogance? Genuine curiosity? It didn't matter. "The Hyuuga have been just as much a rival to the Uchiha as the Senju. I wish to fight you to prove the superiority of the Hyuuga."

The words she spoke were a lie; in reality, the doubt in her abilities as a Hyuuga never faded. As much as she'd hate to admit it, they even grew due to her sensei's constant prattling, as well as the situations he purposely put her in to further grow that doubt. If I beat him right now, all my doubts will be proven wrong.

Sasuke tilted his head. "You know, you're not the first Hyuuga I've fought before. I battled Hinata Hyuuga before, the heiress. She wasn't exactly difficult to defeat."

"Do not compare me to her!" Kusari spat, the glare of her Byakugan intensifying tenfold. "She is weak and unbefitting of the title of Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan. I am far superior to her."

Sasuke smirked. "Alright then." He crouched into a battle stance. "Game on."

Without another word spoken, they began their battle.

—⊱✿⊰—

Gosei, meanwhile, was still shrouded in steam. He couldn't see anything. However, he remained calm as he extended his senses to try to find his opponent. His ears twitched as the sound of a jutsu activating echoed in the smoke, followed by the bang of what seemed like dozens of smoke bombs going off. It was a sound Shinrai acquainted him with well.

Shadow Clone Jutsu?! That can only mean I'm fighting—

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" shouted a dozen voices simultaneously

The steam was blasted by dozens of gusts of wind unidirectionally toward where Gosei stood. All sides hit his body. It felt as if the hands of a giant crushed him. The strength of the Senju allowed him to break the giant's grip and weave hand seals.

"Earth Release: Bedrock Explosion!" Gosei shouted. The ground below him erupted, disrupting the jutsu and shielding him from the rest of the wind. The dust and steam cleared and Gosei could see once again.

What he saw were a dozen clouds of white smoke around him, with a blond clad in orange standing directly in front of him. "So, you're my rival for Hokage."

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Gosei said, narrowing his eyes. "I've heard about you."

Naruto laughed. "That's great to hear! So that means you already know you need to forfeit your dreams of becoming Hokage."

"It's not a dream, it's simply an eventuality of my future. I will become Hokage," Gosei stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto scoffed. "Shinrai was right about you! You're really stuck up."

"You're simply not worthy of being Hokage—especially compared to me, the prince of the Senju Clan," Gosei said, his expression bored and irritated.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "How about the Yondaime, huh? He was an orphan! Yet he ended up being the strongest Hokage!"

"Second strongest," Gosei corrected. "The Shodai was superior."

Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah! If the Yondaime can become Hokage, then I can too!"

"That might've been a possibility if I wasn't here," Gosei said. "I am of the bloodline of the Senju, the strongest clan to ever exist. I'm descended from the Shodai. I will become Hokage simply because I am—"

"I'm of the Yondaime's bloodline, you're not special!" Naruto shouted, before widening his eyes when he realized what he just said.

Gosei paused. "What? You're of the bloodline of the Yondaime?"

"It doesn't matter!" Naruto dismissed it with a shout. "It doesn't matter where you come from, what your bloodline is, who your mom is, your dad is, all that matters is what you do! It's you that has to prove yourself worthy of Hokage!

"And I'm going to prove that I'm worthy of Hokage by beating you right here, RIGHT NOW!" Naruto roared, before charging at Gosei with his hands crossed. "MULTI-SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

In a massive plume of smoke, over a hundred other Narutos joined the original's charge against Gosei. The Senju's eyes widened as he entered a battle stance, preparing to take down the army of Narutos.

—⊱✿⊰—

Sakura's crater fist clobbered Shinrai's head. He retaliated by hurling his fist into Sakura's face. They performed this dance of facial physical trauma, much to the frustration of the girl in the fight.

"WHY ISN'T YOUR SKULL DUST ALREADY?!" Sakura shouted as she punched Shinrai in the face for what felt like the millionth time.

Shinrai tanked the hit and laughed, not seeming to be bothered by the broken and bleeding state of his nose. Despite the damage he took, he only felt stronger. "I'm having too much fun to fall unconscious!" he cheered. He pumped his fist full of chakra and struck at Sakura's head, but she had the sense to dodge it.

Shinrai wasted no time and pounced on her. She dodged as Shinrai's fist made a small crater in the ground where Sakura's head once was. The Uzumaki grinned. "It looks like my punches should be called the Crater Fist."

"OH SHUT UP!" Sakura yelled before charging at Shinrai and hitting him in his already broken nose. However, Shinrai stood there with his eyes shut. He grabbed her arm and lifted Sakura into the air.

He slammed her on the ground and used the momentum to launch himself into the air. He clubbed his foot into Sakura's stomach, only for Sakura to explode into cherry blossoms.

"What the–?" He questioned, before falling to the ground as one of his knees was battered by what felt like the Crater Fist, but he saw nothing.

He heard footsteps behind him. He pulled out a kunai and slashed at Sakura, only for her to explode into cherry blossoms, further obscuring his vision. A stone fist bombarded his head, and he stumbled. The power of his chakra, the pump of his muscles—it only grew.

Shinrai grit his teeth as he pumped his chakra, not even making a hand seal. "Release!" The cherry blossoms faded out of existence, and right in front of him he saw Sakura winding her Crater Fist up.

"Shit—!" he cursed, before flooding his hands with chakra and catching it. Sakura growled as she pushed harder, only causing Shinrai to strain more. He smirked, then he roared. Visible chakra erupted from his arms as he crushed Sakura's crater fist in his hands.

Sakura leapt back, eye wide with fear and disbelief as earthen remnants crumbled off of her hand. "What are you?!"

"The one… who is going to delight you," Shinrai answered, before weaving a short set of hand seals.

Sakura's lips curled in disgust. "WHAT—?!"

"Sexy Style: Sakura Destroying Illusion!" he shouted with a devious smirk. He watched as Sakura squealed and her nose spewed blood like a fountain, leaving her unconscious and twitching on the floor.

Shinrai chuckled. She must've seen something real nice in there… probably a million naked Sasuke's… His skin crawled as he shivered his thoughts away. "There's my Genjutsu," he quipped before turning his back and walking in the vague direction where he remembered the rest of teammates being.

—⊱✿⊰—

Naruto charged at Gosei, bloodied, battered, and bruised, but that clearly didn't stop him. Gosei shook his head, letting out an exasperated and tired sigh; other than a few scratches, he was entirely unharmed.

Naruto leapt toward Gosei and threw a punch. The Senju cocked his head to the side, dodging it. He grabbed Naruto's arm and flung it into the dirt, stomping on him. "Give up," he ordered. "You are not going to win this fight."

"I'll die before I even think about giving up," Naruto declared through gritted teeth. He forced himself up, fighting against the force of Gosei's foot. He shouted and seized Gosei's leg with a grip of steel.

Naruto threw Gosei's leg. His balance remained true as he spun around and kicked Naruto in the face with that very same leg. Naruto rolled over the dirt. Soon, he recovered and crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Twenty Narutos appeared in a gigantic plume of smoke. They wasted no time charging Gosei, who let out an irritated groan. Curse his Uzumaki vitality, I'll be fighting him for hours… Hopefully, Shinrai or Kusari can wrap up their battles soon so I can get this over with.

Gosei weaved hand seals. "Earth Release: Bedrock Explosion!" he yelled as Naruto and his clones were right in front of him. The earth beneath them erupted. It blew a vast majority of the clones out of existence.

What he presumed to be the original pounced at him through the dust and grabbed onto his clothes. Naruto tackled him into the dirt. Gosei punched Naruto's face as hard as possible, and he popped into smoke.

Gosei furrowed his brow. A clone? How did it survive my jutsu—

A sudden kick to the side of his head ceased his thoughts. The remaining clones leapt onto Gosei and stomped on him. Gosei growled and sent out a burst of chakra that blew the clones into smoke. The original was left flying into the crater where Gosei activated his Bedrock Explosion.

Gosei stood and leapt up, landing on Naruto's chest and digging his back into the jagged rock below. Naruto wheezed, out of breath and in pain. Gosei walked off of him. He grabbed Naruto by the hair, narrowing his eyes as he brought him up to his level.

Gosei punched Naruto in the gut, further knocking the air out of him. He dropped him then kicked Naruto back into the ground of the crater. Naruto fumbled and coughed on the ground as Gosei looked down upon him.

"You have no hope of becoming Hokage as long as I exist," Gosei said matter-of-factly, his tone dipping into annoyance. "You'd be better off trying to become a strong Shinobi of your own merit instead of needlessly competing against me—"

Naruto growled, gripping his chest as he stood. "SHUT THE HELL UP! Y'know, I'm getting really tired of hearing your fucking mouth. What's worse is that you talk all this bullshit like it's a fact!"

"Because it is," Gosei said, growing increasingly irritated. "I am the eldest heir of the Senju—"

Naruto glared. "Who gives a fuck?! Because I know damn sure that I don't!"

"You…" Gosei growled. "What makes you think you can become Hokage? Because you have the blood of the Yondaime?! Because you're an Uzumaki?!"

Naruto shook his head angrily. "NO! None of that matters! I'm going to become Hokage because I work hard because I need to prove myself and my worth. I'm going to become Hokage because of who I am, not what I am!

"You're not going to become Hokage to me because who you are is an arrogant, stuck-up bastard!" Naruto yelled before throwing a punch at Gosei's face.

Gosei caught his fist, glaring at Naruto. "Your words mean nothing to me," he spat. Gosei kicked Naruto in the stomach. The Uzumaki used both of his legs to jump on Gosei. He simply spun around and pinned Naruto to the ground.

Naruto shouted, pushing against Gosei as he pushed back. How is he matching me after being beaten so thoroughly?! Is his Uzumaki Bloodline seriously this powerful?!

Naruto grit his teeth, beginning to push Gosei back.

Impossible!

Naruto roared, throwing Gosei off of him before weaving hand seals. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto shouted, blowing a gigantic gust of wind that nearly blew Gosei off his feet.

"I'm getting sick of you," Gosei scowled, breathing deeply to keep his anger under control. He weaved hand seals of his own. "Water Release: Lakeland Rush!" Gosei shouted as he spewed a massive volume of water from his mouth.

Naruto crossed his fingers, yelling the name for Shadow Clones as a dozen appeared below him. They launched him above the jutsu as he weaved the hand seals for a second Great Breakthrough, propelling him through the air toward Gosei.

The Senju's eyes widened as Naruto fell upon him like a meteor, his fist clenched. Gosei barely had time to brace himself before he was struck. They both collapsed to the dirt.

Naruto immediately leapt up and pounced on Gosei. He uppercut Naruto before he could do anything. The Senju stood, his emerald eyes glared at Naruto like furious statues as the Uzumaki stood, his orange chakra exploding just beneath his skin.

"I'm done playing games with you," Gosei spat, anger clear in his tone. However… it wasn't exploding outward; it was controlled, directed, and as hot as ever before. Gosei kicked the already downed Naruto. Before he could fall further, Gosei grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up into his fist.

Naruto groaned, but was quickly shut up by another strike from Gosei. Naruto brought his hands up to guard, but Gosei then kicked him in the gut. Naruto buckled as Gosei released his collar, bringing his knee up to hit Naruto in the chin.

"Whether you choose to accept it or not, you will never become Hokage," Gosei sneered, looking down at the downed and bloodied Naruto.

Naruto let out a chuckle. "Keep telling yourself that," he murmured, before forcing himself to his feet, much to Gosei's disbelief. "I said I'm gonna become Hokage, and I said I was gonna prove that by beating you here and now. So, I'm gonna do that."

Naruto's azure eyes shone with determination. "I'm gonna do that because I never go back on my word; that's my ninja way."

Gosei furrowed his brow and shook his head. "You're hopeless—"

"Oh, what's going on here?"

Both Gosei and Naruto turned their eyes to see Shinrai walking over, dual kunai in hand. Naruto grinned. "Shinrai!"

Gosei let out a relieved sigh. "Come over here and help me finish off your brother for good. He's getting on my nerves," Gosei commanded.

Shinrai looked up to the sky and hummed in pondering. "No, I don't think I will."

"What?!" Gosei questioned, clenching his fists. "This whole ambush was obviously orchestrated by the Senseis of both teams. It is our team's objective to win."

Shinrai scoffed. "I'm not stupid, y'know," he said as he began walking to Naruto, and standing beside him alongside Gosei. "But helping my brother prove himself against his rival for Hokage means more to me than this team ever could."

"YOU BASTARD!" Gosei screamed, pulling out a kunai as his anger overflowed.

Naruto smirked at his brother. "I've been getting real sick of him, y'know!"

"Imagine having to deal with him for two weeks, five days a week," Shinrai said.

Naruto shrugged. "I have to deal with Sasuke."

"True…" Shinrai admitted. "Anyway, let's put this tree man into the dirt where he belongs."

Naruto's smirk grew. "Sounds like a plan."

Gosei clenched his fists and charged, slashing at the brothers. Shinrai blocked it with both of his kunai, shattering Gosei's. Naruto kicked him at the same time. Gosei sneered. Shinrai slashed at his face, cutting the bruise where Naruto punched him earlier.

Gosei retaliated with a punch. Both of the brothers dodged, crossing their fingers and yelling, "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!"

A massive pop rang Gosei's ears. Dozens upon dozens of Shinrais and Narutos alike rained down upon him like an Uzumaki hailstorm. What?! Shinrai can't make that many clones—

A Shinrai clone punched Gosei square in the face. He kicked it and it popped. Dozens of Naruto clones bombarded him with countless strikes. A dozen Shinrai clones did the same. By the end, he was being pummeled by a vicious combo from both. When Shinrai struck high, Naruto hit low; when Naruto attacked from the left, Shinrai assaulted from the right.

Gosei growled and bursted his aura of chakra, eliminating the nearby army of clones. Dammit—it's like they're twice as strong individually when fighting together. Gosei sucked his teeth and weaved hand seals.

"Water Release: Lake—"

Shinrai gripped Gosei's mouth and slammed him into the dirt, forcefully canceling the jutsu. Gosei kicked him off. Shinrai weaved hand seals. Gosei dashed toward him to interrupt the jutsu, He was tackled to the ground by another Shinrai.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto shouted as Shinrai disguised. Gosei and Shinrai were dragged into the dirt by the wind. The latter popped into smoke. Gosei forced himself up off the ground. He stood with his rage flaring his chakra outward.

Gosei grit his teeth as he glared at Shinrai. "We're teammates Shinrai! Why are you fighting against me?!"

"Because right now you're in the way of Naruto's path to becoming Hokage; Team 5 and especially you mean nothing compared to that!" Shinrai explained before cracking his neck. "I never really liked you, anyway."

Gosei glared, not saying another word as his chakra flared even higher.

The Uzumaki brothers stared him down, standing together with a smirk on their faces. Shinrai gripped his dual kunai and Naruto pulled out a single one of his own. Gosei stood his guard as the brothers sprinted toward him.

Gosei punched Naruto, only for Shinrai to rip and tear his arm apart. He kicked at him in retaliation. Naruto struck his other leg. The Senju collapsed. Gosei's fall ceased as Shinrai gripped him by the hair and pulled him up into his knee.

Naruto struck Gosei with a barrage of punches to his chest. Shinrai released his hair. He fell. Gosei caught himself. He slammed his fists into Naruto's face. He was sent skidding across the dirt.

Shinrai glared at Gosei. He kicked him in the face. Gosei grabbed Shinrai's ankle. He slammed him into the ground, then stomped on his chest. "You're gonna pay for betraying me."

"Sorry, I'm broke," Shinrai quipped. He pulled himself up onto Gosei and stabbed him in the shoulder. Gosei growled. Shinrai dug the kunai deeper into his shoulder and slashed outward. Gosei screamed as Shinrai bellowed with laughter.

Naruto leapt back and punched Gosei in the neck. Naruto smashed his face in the dirt. Shinrai stomped his foot onto his nose. He grinned with satisfaction as he heard the crunch of the breaking bone.

Gosei punched Shinrai in the knee. He leapt out of the way, holding his shattered nose as glared at him and Naruto. The blood pooled from his hand and dripped into the uprooted grass. His other arm oozed blood from the multitude of cuts that Shinrai inflicted, mostly from the deep wound in his shoulder.

"Not lookin' too good there," Shinrai observed with a smirk. "I thought with how much you talked about the Senju being so great and strong that you'd be harder to beat."

Gosei's face twisted in anger. "Go to hell!" he roared. He fought against the pain in his arm to weave hand seals. Halfway through, his shoulder screamed out with agonizing pain. He collapsed to his knee. However, he continued to fight his pain, completing the sequence. "Earth Release: Fault Line Strike!"

The ground in front of Gosei split with a tremor and blitzed toward Shinrai and Naruto. They both threw a smoke bomb to the ground, shrouding them out of Gosei's line of sight. He narrowed his eyes before widening them. Two shuriken flew out from the smoke.

Gosei forced himself up to dodge them. They bursted into smoke, revealing the Shuriken to be Shinrai and Naruto transformed. Gosei's panicked eyes widened even more as the brothers weaved hand seals.

"Fire Style: Burning Attack!" they yelled.

Gosei drew in a sharp breath. They were both Shinrai! he realized as he leapt forward. He dodged the dual firebombs and panted. Where's Naruto then—?

His question was answered when another poof of smoke popped right in front of him. Naruto appeared with a grin and sent an uppercut directly into Gosei's groin. The Senju stifled a scream through his teeth. Every ounce of strength evaporated from his body. He collapsed to his knees in agony.

In that moment of weakness, the Uzumaki brothers pounced. They summoned a multitude of Shadow Clones and attacked Gosei. The brother's synchronization was flawless; they mimicked each other's fighting style to a T. They collectively ripped Gosei apart. He growled, panicking as he was struck, slashed, and beaten dozens of times over. I can't tell who's who!

The Senju punched at a Naruto, only for another Naruto to rip his chest open with two kunai. Gosei elbowed that Naruto. He weaved hand seals. "Fire Style: Burning Attack!" Naruto shouted as he erupted into smoke, revealing himself to be Shinrai. He spat a scorching ball of fire from his mouth, hitting Gosei directly.

Gosei screamed as he erupted into flames. He remained standing as he frantically extinguished the fire He was stopped by a dozen Naruto's leaping on him. Gosei wheezed. The wind was pummeled out of him by twenty-four separate fists.

Gosei laid on the ground. He smoked with most of his opened wounds cauterized by the fire. He shakily sat up, narrowing his eyes on Naruto and Shinrai as they looked down on him, with clones popping into smoke around them.

"Let's finish this!" Naruto declared.

Shinrai's smirk grew. "YEAH!"

"Uzumaki Brother Combo!" they began as they weaved consecutive hand seals. "Great Burning Breakthrough Attack!"

Shinrai spat his Burning Attack, and Naruto blew his Great Breakthrough. The two jutsu merged into a white-hot jutsu of living incineration. Gosei shut his eyes, bracing for the attack.

The jutsu detonated. A flaming ball erupted into the air, burning a crater into the dirt. Gosei's screams were overtaken by the sounds of fire. The jutsu subsided shortly after. Gosei remained on the ground, singed and covered in burns throughout his entire body. He gasped with short and choppy breaths.

However, the brothers weren't done. Naruto pounced into the crater and stomped on Gosei's arms. Shinrai stabbed both of his kunai into the Senju's palms, pinning him to the floor. Gosei screamed for what seemed like the hundredth time.

The Uzumaki brothers finally ended their assault and exited the crater, satisfied with their handiwork.

"Hopefully this finally gets him to shut up, y'know!" Naruto said, stretching.

Shinrai nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it better."

"YOU TWO—!" Gosei shouted.

Shinrai pulled out a kunai and glared. "If you don't shut your fucking mouth, I'll shove this down your throat."

"DO IT BASTARD!" Gosei challenged.

Shinrai walked over to Gosei and looked toward his brother. "Hold his mouth open."

"On it!" Naruto responded diligently as he ran over.

Gosei panicked. "Wait—WAIT!" he screamed before Naruto stuck his hands in Gosei's mouth and pried it open.

"I thought you wanted me to do it?" Shinrai questioned as he twirled the kunai on his finger. "Did ya get cold feet?"

Fear radiated in Gosei's eyes. Shinrai laughed. He spun the kunai and stuck the handle into Gosei's mouth, much to Naruto's amusement.

Gosei made unintelligible sounds of distress, and the brothers left him to his own devices for good.

"Y'know… Naruto," Shinrai began. "Now that we've proven that you're the one who's gonna become Hokage; I kinda have to beat your ass now."

Naruto looked at his brother and grinned. "It has been a while since we've fought!"

Shinrai punched Naruto in the face at the exact same time the Naruto did to Shinrai. They stumbled to the ground and laughed.

"Team 5's gonna be the one to win this!" Shinrai declared.

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, Team 7's got this in the bag for sure!"

Without another word spoken, the Uzumaki brothers charged at each other and brawled.

—⊱✿⊰—

He's planning something for sure… Kusari noted, watching Sasuke—quite conspicuously, she might add—trying to lead her in a certain direction with her Byakugan. She narrowed her eyes. He must be trying to get rid of me using as little energy as possible… because I'm not worth his time.

Kusari stopped chasing Sasuke and planted her feet firmly into the dirt. "Face me and stop running, you coward," she spat, channeling her mild irritation. Now that I've insulted him, he'll surely be more willing to face me head on.

"What did you just call me?" Sasuke questioned, stopping to look Kusari dead in the eyes.

She smirked. He's taking the bait. Kusari stepped forward and glared at Sasuke. "A coward. You had one brief exchange with me, then you decided to run away and attempt to defeat me using underhanded tactics. Is it because you know you're not strong enough to defeat me in a fair fight?"

"No, I'm saving my strength so I can continue to fight after I beat you," Sasuke said with an unnerving glare in his coal-black eyes.

Kusari tilted her head. "That's assuming you can beat me. It doesn't seem that way right now."

"If you're so sure about being able to beat me, then why did you stop chasing me… are you scared of where I may be leading you?" Sasuke asked, a smirk growing in his face.

Kusari narrowed her eyes. "No, I am simply not going to do something as idiotic as run directly into a trap."

"And I'm not going to do something as idiotic as fight a Hyuuga in close-range combat," Sasuke stated.

Kusari chuckled internally. He's good… she noted. "It seems we're at an impasse, then."

"Not quite…" Sasuke said before pulling out a demon wind shuriken and hurling it at Kusari.

Her Byakugan pulsed. She blocked the shuriken. She guided it to the floor with the finesse and grace of the Juken. She had no time to mount a counterattack due to the two dozen shuriken that Sasuke flung at her.

Kusari knocked every single one of the shuriken out of the air. Her Byakugan caught something. Ninja wire… Kusari leapt forward toward Sasuke. He pulled his hand back, and every single shuriken—including the demon wind shuriken—followed Kusari. She prepared her Juken again.

Chakra flickered from the tips of her index and middle fingers. She cut the wire in twine with her hands, dodging any shuriken she was too slow to catch. Kusari sucked her teeth, seeing Sasuke run up behind her with a prepared kick.

She crouched into the stance of the Eight Trigrams. "Rotation!" she called before swirling on the dirt. A protective sphere of chakra formed around her, deflecting both Sasuke and all the remaining shuriken.

She ceased her jutsu. Immediately, she had to strike the demon wind shuriken with her palm. It was cut. The remainder of the shuriken that didn't have their wire cut followed Sasuke's hand and flew toward Kusari for the third time.

I don't want to use palm techniques this soon… she mumbled begrudgingly. Kusari pumped her body with chakra. She not only deflected the shuriken, but channeled chakra into the wire and cut it. She repeated this process, not getting hit once as she disabled the threat of every single shuriken.

Kusari looked at Sasuke with an even look. "Is that all you've got?"

Sasuke smirked. He answered her question with action as opposed to words. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" he shouted, spewing a ball of sunset orange flames from his mouth at Kusari.

Kusari dodged the jutsu and locked onto Sasuke. Close the distance. Kusari dashed toward Sasuke. He quickly canceled his jutsu and leapt back. Kusari jumped toward him. She landed right in front of with her palm striking the earth.

Sasuke kicked her in the face. Kusari grabbed his leg tightly. She saw Sasuke's chakra spike with fear. She couldn't help the small victorious smirk that curled her lips.

She hopped to her feet and struck Sasuke's chest. He wheezed and stumbled backward. Kusari didn't relent. She struck his stomach, his arms, his legs, and even his face. Sasuke's chakra network and flow were ravaged.

He stood there shakily with his entire body trembling. Kusari crouched into her Eight Trigrams stance. It was time to finish him. "Eight Trigrams: Thirty-two Palms!"

She struck thirty-two of Sasuke's chakra points. They were sealed shut. Sasuke's eyes went vacant as he fell backward. He faded into the morning wind. Kusari's Byakugan pulsed. It was too late for her to react to the punch that Sasuke delivered to her face.

Kusari struck Sasuke's chest with the Juken again. He visibly winced and forced himself to weave hand seals through the pain. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" he yelled, firing the jutsu point blank at Kusari.

She sucked her teeth and crouched down the quickest she's ever had in her life. "Rotation!" she shouted. The flames circled around her jutsu, creating a torrent of flame.

The moment the flames dissipated, she ceased her rotation. She charged. Only to be stopped in place by lengths of ninja wire wrapping itself around her. She was immobilized.

What?! How did I not see it? He must've hidden the ninja wire in the flames! She fell to the floor with a thump. She watched in horror as Sasuke weaved the same set of hand seals for the third time.

He roared the name of the Fireball Jutsu through the teeth that bit down on the ninja wire that immobilized Kusari. A stream of fire snaked down the ninja wire.

She grit her teeth hard as the heated wire cut into her burning skin. The flames extinguished soon afterward. She was left on the charred grass, struggling against her still-hot constraints.

Sasuke was on one knee, visibly fatigued with this sweat and heavy breathing on full display. He forced himself to stand, and he looked down at Kusari. "You took a lot more out of me than I thought you would."

Kusari didn't respond. Instead, struggling against the ninja wire holding her down. I need to find a way out.

Sasuke let out a small chuckle and left toward where the other battles were taking place.

Kusari clenched her fists. She had lost and ironically enough and as much as she hated it; it was in an exact way her sensei warned her about… Kusari let out a ragged sigh. She failed to prove herself to her insecurity. Because of that, they only grew. Her doubts crowded her mind, leaving her unable to think about anything other than the failure she was—

NO! She yelled, denying her doubts. This battle is not over; I'm still conscious, and so is he. I will defeat him by the end of this day; it was his mistake leaving me conscious, and he will pay dearly for it.

Kusari took deep, calming breaths. How am I going to get out of here…? she pondered, closing her eyes and delving into her thoughts.

—⊱✿⊰—

Shinrai and Naruto stood a dozen feet from each other. Naruto was breathing heavily, barely standing on his feet as he nursed the slash wound on his chest with a visibly broken arm.

Shinrai stood tall. There was barely a hunch in his posture aside from the awkward way he stood on his sprained ankle. His hand was laid on the kunai that stuck out of his left trap.

Shinrai smirked, Naruto paled, and then Shinrai charged. He kicked Naruto in the face, knocking him to the ground. He then took the kunai that was stuck inside of him and threw it at Naruto's broken arm.

"AHH! THAT HURT!" Naruto screamed.

Shinrai grabbed Naruto by the collar and smirked. "Good," he quipped before punching Naruto in the face, he punched him again, and again, and—

Shinrai was kicked in the skull. His ears rang. He was flung off of Naruto and landed on the dirt. The fuck…? He questioned before looking up, and narrowing his eyes as he saw the one who kicked him in the face. "Sasuke, you bitch!"

The Uchiha smirked as he stood above Naruto in a battle stance. "You don't look too good, idiot."

"Oh, fuck off," Naruto spattered as he laid on the ground, panting. "I was fighting Fake-Hokage over there!"

Sasuke raised his brow. "Fake-Hokage…?

"Gosei! Senju kid!" Naruto explained.

Sasuke's eyes widened. "You beat him?!"

"No, we beat him," Shinrai corrected.

Sasuke turned his eyes back to Shinrai and narrowed them. "You battled against your own teammate?"

"Yeah, it's not like I like him anyway," Shinrai said dismissively with a wave of his hand. "Naruto, you don't like Sasuke, right?"

Sasuke's expression morphed into one of confusion. Naruto shrugged. "He's tolerable."

"What are you getting at—?" Sasuke started.

"Do ya' wanna beat his ass together?!" Shinrai asked with a grin.

Naruto pondered as Sasuke leapt away from Naruto with bewilderment. "Nah," he answered before getting up. "Hey, Sasuke! You beat Kusari up, right?"

"I did…" Sasuke answered cautiously.

Naruto grinned. "Then that means we only have to beat Shinrai, then Team 7 wins this match!"

"Oh, fuck you Naruto," Shinrai spat half-playfully.

Sasuke smirked. "Sounds like a plan."

Okay, because Naruto's arm is fucked, he can't use Jutsu; Sasuke isn't in the best condition either, I can see how he's shaking. I wouldn't count on him using too much Jutsu either… Shinrai theorized. His active chakra flared.

I can still win this. I have about three or four more Burning Attacks in me and Clones are basically nothing. Shinrai smirked. "Come at me, bitch boys," he taunted.

Sasuke sucked his teeth and dashed at Shinrai, with Naruto following not far behind. Shinrai leapt into the air and crossed his fingers. A dozen clones of Shinrai appeared in a cloud of smoke. They dropped on Naruto and Sasuke.

Naruto was being demolished by the clones in his weakened state. Sasuke was handily taking care of them with a show of Taijutsu. The real Shinrai bolted toward Sasuke and cut his cheek open with a kunai,

He sucked his teeth and kicked Shinrai. He pushed through the pain and grabbed Sasuke's leg. Shinrai's clones dog piled him. Sasuke growled. He twirled, releasing his leg from Shinrai's grip. He struck the remaining clones in the throat, dispersing them all.

Shinrai pounced on Sasuke but was uppercut further into the air. Sasuke leapt up and kicked Shinrai in the skull. He leg locked Shinrai and threw him into the dirt.

Shinrai wheezed as the breath was knocked out of him. That didn't stop him from dodging out of the way of Sasuke's follow-up. He weaved hand seals. "Fire Style: Burning Attack!"

Shinrai shot his ball of fire—which was nearly double as strong as the last—at Sasuke. He dodged. Sasuke weaved hand seals of his own. Shit, he can still use Jutsu! Shinrai cursed as he leapt out of the way of the Great Fireball Jutsu.

When the Jutsu made impact, he didn't feel any heat from it whatsoever. "Release!" Shinrai yelled as he flared his chakra. The fireball was an illusion. Sasuke stood alongside Naruto with the clones that attacked him gone.

Shinrai sucked his teeth. He made a single clone and charged. Naruto and Sasuke did the same. The two Shinrais each pulled a smoke bomb from their pouch and threw them at the Team 7 members.

They split to opposite sides of the smoke screen and weaved hand seals. "Fire Style: Burning Attack!" they yelled in sync. Each spat the ball of fire into the smoke screen.

The clone dispersed. Shinrai smirked. However, Sasuke leapt out of the smoke—charred but otherwise unaffected—and punched Shinrai into the ground. He stomped on Shinrai then kicked under him. Shinrai was launched him into the air. Naruto axe kicked Shinrai into Sasuke's knee. The Uchiha used that same leg to kick him across the field.

"Fuck…" Shinrai grumbled as he let out a chuckle. This is the most fun I've had in a minute… he noted before his thoughts were cut short by another combo attack from Naruto and Sasuke.

I counted on that Double Burning Attack to end things… guess I was wrong; he lamented. Naruto and Sasuke beat him relentlessly. But, you know damn well that giving up is for BITCHES! Shinrai declared before mounting a defense and trying his best to leap back.

I just need to weave one hand seal, Shinrai stressed as he was continuously pummeled with punches, kicks, and even the occasional kunai slash. He was bruised, bloodied, and cut up, but that pain only fueled him. The pain let him know that he was alive, and as long as he was alive, he needed to keep fighting.

That only made him stronger.

Shinrai roared as he erupted his chakra. It blew Naruto to the ground, and Sasuke back only for a split second. That was all he needed. He weaved that single hand seal and grinned. Sorry-not-sorry Naruto, he apologized before uttering, "Genjutsu: Demons of Within."

Naruto and Sasuke paused. They couldn't see him at all. Shinrai smirked. From all the times he's seen Ryu use the jutsu on Gosei—from the many times he's sent a clone to spy on Gosei's training due to all the yelling that was over there—he managed to pick up on it, he even adapted it into a Sexy Version.

He knew that the Sexy Style variant wouldn't work on Sasuke. Every single girl in the village was all over him and he did nothing. Seriously, he must be gay or something… That was beside the point, he'd take this time to rest before—

Sasuke kicked Shinrai in the throat and stomped on it. Rage was palpable in his coal-black glare. Shinrai barely managed to breathe. "What… was that?" Sasuke questioned through his teeth.

Shinrai let out a chuckle. "Genjutsu, dumbass. What's wrong, did you see your brother again—?"

"DO NOT SPEAK OF MY BROTHER!" Sasuke yelled as he stomped on Shinrai's throat, completely cutting off his airways and blood circulation.

Shinrai gasped for air. He clasped at Sasuke's foot, attempting to push him off; he was semi-successful. "You're a fool if you think Genjutsu is going to affect an Uchiha like me."

"Well, it obviously did something," Shinrai taunted. "And I should've slit your throat while you were under so you can go and join your bastard clan—"

Sasuke stomped harder, but Shinrai managed to keep him from crushing his windpipe. "Not strong enough," Shinrai chaffed.

Sasuke glared and Shinrai swore he saw his eyes glow red for a second—but it didn't amount to much because Sasuke started screaming. His shoulder was thrust out of socket by the Juken.

Kusari struck Sasuke in the chest with the full power of her Juken. He stumbled off of Shinrai. Her Byakugan pulsed as she crouched into the Eight Trigrams Stance. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-four Palms," she spat as she pounced forward and struck Sasuke sixty-four times, closing an equal amount of his chakra points.

Sasuke dropped to the floor, completely unconscious. Kusari stood victorious over him. She let out a sigh. Shinrai grinned, before coughing and massaging his sore throat. "Kusari!"

"Hello, Shinrai," she greeted before walking over to him. She took his hand and helped him up from the ground. "Are you okay?"

"Better than ever!" he answered with a thumbs up.

"Where is Gosei?" Kusari asked.

Shinrai pointed over to an ashen crater about a dozen meters away. Kusari focused her Byakugan to get a better look at him. She gasped. "What happened to him?!"

"The Uzumaki Brothers showed him who's going to become Hokage," Shinrai declared with a smirk of pride.

Kusari looked at Shinrai with a mix of disappointment and shock. "You did that to him…?"

"And Naruto," Shinrai added. "Speaking of which, I should go check on him, he's been under that Genjutsu for a while…" he realized before going over to check on Naruto… who was crouched on the ground sobbing.

Shinrai's blood ran cold as he released the Genjutsu. "Hey, Naruto—"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Naruto screamed as he pushed Shinrai off of him. "DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU HATED ME?! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?!"

Shinrai's heart raced. "No, Naruto, that was a Genjutsu. Nothing you saw there was real!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Naruto screamed, clenching his fists. "THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID YOU ALWAYS DO! ALL YOU'VE EVER DONE IS LIE TO ME!" he roared as he radiated an aura that made Shinrai's stomach drop.

Kusari ran over and tried to pull Shinrai away. "His chakra, it's doing something—i-it's violent, malicious… red."

"No, stop!" Shinrai yelled. He yanked out of Kusari's grip and approached Naruto, fighting against every single instinct in his body that told him to run. "Naruto, it's okay! I love you! I'll never hate you and you know that!"

"FUCK OFF!" Naruto screamed. He hurled a fist into Shinrai's face, sending him flying over a dozen meters into a tree. His nose and skull were shattered. He slumped on the tree with his back broken, unconscious.

Kusari paled as ice cold adrenaline pumped through her veins. Naruto's chakra was blood red, molding itself into the form of a fox as he growled. His broken bones snapped back into place with a sickening crunch. His wounds steamed with heat as they mended themselves together.

Kusari's heart raced as she willed herself to move, but nothing happened. Fear spread like a plague throughout her body. Naruto's demonic chakra spiked again.

His hair frizzed into a wild shape, flowing in the wind like a fox's tail. Pointed canine fangs protruded from his lips. His growl deepened, and he curled his lips, bearing his fangs and exposing his mouth of fully sharpened teeth.

Kusari was trembling. Move, move, MOVE! She cried but remained paralyzed.

Naruto bellowed. A primal scream ripped through the forest as his crimson-slit eyes glowed. He yanked his clawed hand back and pounced at Kusari.

Kusari's eyes widened. Her pupils trembled. MOVE KUSARI PLEASE! She pleaded. She barely registered Naruto's blitz toward her. Someone faster stopped him in his tracks.

Ryujin thrusted his hand into Naruto's stomach and rotated his hand to the right. Naruto's red chakra dissipated and his features returned to normal.

Naruto stumbled into Ryujin's arm, unconscious. He looked back at her. "Are you okay?"

Kusari nodded quickly, sweating buckets. Her heart frantically pumped ice into her veins.

Ryujin let out a sigh as Kakashi approached with Shinrai in his arms and Gosei limping beside him.

"What the hell happened?" Gosei questioned. "That presence…"

Ryujin shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"But—"

"Gosei," Ryujin said with a commanding tone. "Not right now."

Gosei let out a breath and winced. "We need to go to the infirmary."

"No, the Hospital," Kakashi corrected. "I'll go retrieve everyone else."

Ryujin made two clones, non-verbally denying Kakashi's offer. Ryujin carefully laid Naruto over his shoulder and began his walk toward the hospital. Gosei leaned on Kusari for support and followed behind Ryujin… in dead silence.

?￢ﾜ ? ~ Chapter End ~ ?￢ﾜ ?