Author Note

Hi there and welcome to another chapter of Cursed Eyes.

Yes, I know it's been too long since last chapter, but like I said, life is complicated for me right now with a lot of work and personal decisions that certainly will force me to divulge more attention to. Fear not, however, as I'll always find time, even if short, to write fan fiction. But I digress…this story happens to be my favorite to write, since I finished the Path of the Hunter-nin. Both characters (Hunter-nin Naruto and Sharingan Naruto) are, in my opinion, what the main character of story based on shinobi should be – strong, hardworking and fixed on achieving his goals, no matter how much pain he has to endure to get there. Before the time skip, Naruto was already strong for his age, but he was nowhere near strong enough even to defeat a high-level chunnin.

Right now, he may be at the same level as Kakashi without the Mangenkyou Sharingan.

Now as we move on to the top scale fights, we can see just how skilled Naruto actually became with the advanced use of his sharingan and his newly achieved bloodline affinity (granted by Kyuubi). I'd like to spend some time right now and answer some of the reviews, at least those with actual questions to answer to. Oh and just for the record, I've already figured out how to get Naruto the Mangenkyou Sharingan. However, don't expect me to simply divulge the information so soon.

Please Read my stuff – Yes, the magma release was given to Naruto by the Kyuubi, so it's implanted in his DNA. He will be able to pass it on. I'm not saying about Itachi's eyes, because this specific part is still due to occur in the story. Itachi is still very much alive and will eventually fight Naruto seriously, but not right now.

Lightning King – I'd put him close to Kakashi's level by now, because of the sharingan and lava release. He will not be S-ranked just yet. He may possess S-ranked ninjutsu to use, but his level isn't anywhere near the sannin or a kage level shinobi. As for his techniques, he'll be using a lot of them in this chapter and in the next fights. Naruto is a ninjutsu specialist above all, even if he can use genjutsu, taijutsu and kenjutsu as well. Thanks for the review.

Shootingcuz – No, I'm afraid not. He would need an affinity for wind for that to work and even so, he wouldn't be able to mix the three elements together. Remember that the lava release was Kyuubi's doing, not Naruto's. Naruto may have trained his affinities hard, but it was Kyuubi who gave him the edge needed to unite the affinities into yoton. Not to mention that it would simply overpower Naruto, making him too powerful. I don't like that to be honest.

Adrian11 – I get what you're saying and I agree. Naruto has three different branch of elemental ninjutsu to use and that makes him unpredictable in a fight. I'll try and focus more on him using fire and earth techniques, rather than simply focus on magma. I remembered wondering the same thing about Haku. He had water and wind affinities, but he only used one or two water techniques, before focusing only on his hyoton ability. It was sad actually. Thanks for the tip.

Firetemplar415 – Indeed, Naruto's relationship had progressed throughout the time skip. I can consider doing some flashbacks, sure. However, it won't be long. This story is more action oriented.

Hellfire44 – Well, I couldn't picture Gaara's death as enough, sorry. He could have been Naruto's friend and fellow jinchuuriki, but their bond wouldn't be big enough for the MS.

Velial13 – You're a genius. Yes, he surely can have the Rinnegan, but that would have to wait because Madara only achieved the rinnegan after he had the Eternal Mangenkyou Sharingan. I don't see Naruto jumping from the MS to the Rinnegan, right from the start. It's something to think about. Thanks a lot. As to the sealing, however, I don't particularly fancy him learning the art of fuuinjutsu. He is a ninjutsu specialist above all.

Ok that's about it. Let's begin, shall we?

Chapter 18 – Overcoming impossible odds

Beta: Kyuubi123

No sooner had they left Izumo and Kotetsu alone to recuperate and wait for the backup, then the squad arrived in front of the cave that Gaara was being held by Akatsuki, at least according to Kasumi. The gigantic seal imprinted on the rock in front of them made everyone frown, since time was of the essence. The more they wasted removing rocks, the less time they had to rescue Gaara. Genma was busy inspecting the seal in front of him and searching through his vast knowledge of fuuinjutsu. Naruto knew his captain enough to know that the man wouldn't take long to come up with a suitable answer to remove this damn seal and allow them to enter the cave.

"Genma-taichou…?" Naruto asked only to hear a sigh in dismay from Genma.

"Gofuu Kekkai (Five seal barrier). It's really a pain in the ass type of fuuinjutsu." Genma turned to both Naruto and Kasumi. "Naruto use your sharingan on the seal and please tell me what you see." Naruto nodded and activated his doujutsu. He saw five chakra lines emerging from the seal. "I bet you can see five lines coming out from the seal and going towards random locations, correct?" Naruto nodded at Genma's question, before he turned to Kasumi who nodded. The sharingan could follow the chakra residue, but was not able to follow it all the way to the source. After Naruto pointed the direction, Kasumi used her eyes and followed the direction until she could see the seals just like Genma suggested. "I can break the seal, but I'll take a while. I will need to match my chakra with the seal so that I can affect all five of them at the exact same time." The group nodded and waited as Genma went to work.

Kakashi watched the man work with a nostalgic feeling as he remembered his old sensei doing exactly the same thing. As Minato's only living pupil, Kakashi received training from the Yondaime Hokage in practically everything shinobi related. The only shinobi art Kakashi could never quite understand, or at least not as far as being considered a prodigy in the field, was fuuinjutsu. Genma, however, picked up on the art like a fish to water and it caught Minato's attention up to the point that he became a member of the Yondaime's guards, composed of three shinobi to whom Minato bestowed the knowledge of his strongest and most feared technique, the Hiraishin no Jutsu.

When Genma opened his eyes, he then went through a long series of hand seals, before a new seal appeared on the palm of his right hand. He jumped towards the main seal and smashed his right hand.

Fuuin Kaihou (Seal Release)

The main seal on the rock glowed red for a couple seconds, before it vanished from the paper. Genma jumped just as the paper fell off the rock. Genma looked to Naruto with a silent order, earning a nod from Naruto. All the team needed now was something that would pack a punch to move the gigantic rock. And Genma knew that there was no technique in anyone's arsenal that could pack a stronger punch than one that Naruto managed to improve upon throughout the last three years.

Oodama Rasengan (Big ball Spiral Sphere)

Naruto quickly formed the Rasengan in his hand, while using a clone to pump in more fuel, thus doubling the Yondaime's technique in size. Kasumi had to stop using her byakugan, because the amount of energy generated by Naruto's newly improved Rasengan was too much for her bloodline. He slammed the technique on the rock, shaking the entire hill where the cave was located. The rock was cracked to pieces in mere seconds. When they entered, everyone was surprised at the scene before him. Like Kasumi described, Gaara was in the middle of the room surrounded by a dark purple energy barrier. They could see a red substance coming out of his mouth and heading towards the strange looking statue behind them where all the Akatsuki members were there.

"Well, it appears that the seal didn't hold them like we thought it would." Kisame smirked. "However, the procedure is nearly complete."

Naruto's sharingan could see that too much chakra was leaving Gaara's body and could only theorize that Akatsuki would not only take the demon away, but also the jinchuuriki's life as well. A kage bunshin suddenly appeared next to the real Naruto and charged towards Gaara with the intent of taking him away from the field. The clone quickly jumped inside the field and body slammed Gaara, forcing him out before his entire chakra supply left his body. Another clone soon appeared and took Gaara back to the group. As soon as the procedure was over, only the real members remained as the rest were mere projections. Deidara and Sasori soon jumped to face the Konoha squad.

"Sasori-danna, it seems we have another jinchuuriki to play with us." Kakashi narrowed his eyes cursing the fact that Naruto was included in the bingo book.

"Just don't take too long this time. You know how much I hate waiting." Deidara snorted at his partner, before falling into a battle stance. Kakashi was immediately on edge and quickly made a plan. His team had the numerical advantage, but their adversaries were both S-ranked criminals. Deidara was a member of Iwagakure's Special Blast Corps and Sasori of the Red Sand was skilled in the art of puppetry, very deadly and also very subtle in the art of killing, as according to rumors, the man's poison expertise was unmatched. It would only take a small scratch to kill someone in mere seconds. Just the thought alone sent a chill up his spine.

"Genma, you and Naruto can take on Sasori while Kasumi and I will deal with Deidara." Genma looked at Kakashi for a couple of seconds, but nodded. In his right mind, Sasori was the worst enemy here.

"Let's stop the chit chat. Here is a sample of my art, hm." Deidara stopped their conversation by quickly throwing what appeared to be small spider made out of clay. The Konoha team jumped away immediately just as the spiders exploded. From the smoke, Deidara emerged laughing like a hyena while flying on top of a giant bird made out of clay. He quickly went towards the clone that was protecting the unconscious Gaara. The clone wasn't fast enough to evade another spider and was dispelled immediately. Deidara captured Gaara and escaped through the cave entrance. Kakashi and Kasumi cursed the mad bomber, before beginning pursuit. Naruto looked at their fleeing backs and cursed his inattentiveness. Immediately, the memory of the genin his team failed to save sprang to mind, angering him. Genma realized the sudden spike in Naruto's chakra and narrowed his eyes.

"Naruto, do not fret about Gaara. Kakashi-sempai will surely get him back." Taking a deep breath to calm down, Naruto nodded to his captain as he faced Sasori of the Red Sand.

"When I looked at Gaara, his chakra was almost entirely gone, Genma-taichou. I fear that if we take too long, he will die." Genma nodded, since he knew from experience the consequences of extracting the bijuu.

"The sooner we deal with this guy, the sooner we can aid sempai and Kasumi." Naruto would have nodded, had Sasori not taken the opportunity of distraction and fired an infinite amount of senbon. Genma and Naruto managed to evade the senbon rain, though Naruto was almost grazed by one of the projectiles. Genma quickly grabbed one of the senbon on the ground and smelled the toxin with a frown on his face. He gave the signal for Naruto who went through hand seals. The chunnin wasn't fast enough or at least not confident enough that his speed would be enough to save himself from the senbon onslaught. Naruto just couldn't allow Sasori to draw the first blood. Quickly molding earth chakra, Sasori and Genma watched as Naruto's limbs was enveloped by rock. However, unlike before when Naruto would harden his limbs, this time the technique enveloped his entire body, until he changed his appearance completely.

Doton Ishi Yoroi (Earth Release: Stone Armor Technique)

Where once stood Naruto, now stood a modified shinobi, completely enveloped by his earth technique. Even Naruto's head was covered, save for the sharingan that looked at Sasori. This specific form reduced his agility, but it protected his entire body from Sasori's senbon. Quickly drawing both his swords, Naruto charged at Sasori, who once more unleashed his senbon rain. The senbon were all blocked by either Naruto's fast sword play or his earth defense. As soon as he was inches away from the puppet user, Naruto managed to dodge a sudden tail that erupted from Sasori's back, before enforcing both swords with chakra. He slashed twice, first aiming the metal tail and then, Sasori himself. The tail was gone, but the second slash hit nothing but air as Sasori managed to evade being sliced in half. His focus was on Naruto, allowing Genma to move behind Sasori and quickly covered Sasori's body with explosive tags, before using his speed to get away.

Naruto's sharingan saw a blur coming out of the puppet, before the explosive tags were off, sending shards of wood everywhere.

The sharingan user released his use on the technique and saved some chakra for the ongoing fight. He had a feeling that Sasori had a lot of hidden weapons to use. He saw the man who got out of the puppet and was surprised to see that for someone who was born a long time ago, at the last great shinobi war, he looked barely above twenty. Also, there was something very wrong about the man's chakra flow. At first sight, using Naruto's sharingan, he couldn't detect anything unusual. Looking further, he could see with some surprise that Sasori's entire chakra network was originating from his heart.

"Sharingan, huh." Sasori's voice also had startled Naruto and Genma as it didn't belong to a man as old as the sannin. "Throughout the years, I have fought many Uchiha and none of them came close to hurting me. What makes you think a brat like you could amount to anything? You may have destroyed Hiruko, but I guarantee you both that I have barely scratched the surface of what I can do. And to show you just how outmatched you are, let me show you my favorite puppet." Sasori said as a scroll appeared from within his right sleeve. He unrolled it and showed it to both Konoha shinobi. All they could see, however, was the symbol representing the number 3, before a puff of smoke erupted from the seal.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto narrowed his eyes at the new opponent, but Genma opened his mouth in shock, dropping his senbon. It just couldn't be…

Naruto turned to see Genma's astonished face and wondered what passed in his captain's mind right now.

"Taichou, what is it?" Genma turned briefly to his subordinate. Naruto wouldn't know about it, as he perhaps wasn't even born yet.

"That puppet over there matches the description of the Sandaime Kazekage." Naruto looked at him incredulously while Sasori smirked upon sensing apprehension in Genma's voice. "You wouldn't know of this Naruto, because it happened even before the reign of the Yondaime Kazekage. When the last great shinobi war broke out, Konoha had received word that the Sandaime Kazekage had simply disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Suna's Anbu tried searching for the man, but to no avail. It seemed that the answer to the mystery had just appeared in front of us." Genma then turned to Sasori who was now showing a vicious smile on his face. "It was you who killed him then; I presume and managed to transform him into a puppet somehow." Sasori nodded and got into position with the Sandaime Kazekage's puppet hanging over his shoulder.

"Naruto, this fight just escalated from bad to worse. Sandaime Kazekage was considered the most gifted Kage in Hidden Sand's history with his ability of using magnet release in conjunction with sand. I don't know if the puppet is able to use it as well, so be on your guard." Naruto nodded and looked at the puppet directly. Like all the other puppets before, this one was linked by the chakra threads that came out of Sasori's fingers. This way, Naruto could at least use his sharingan to anticipate the movements and plan accordingly. He wouldn't put it past him that Sasori had coated all of his weapons with the same level of toxin. He needed to tread his actions carefully. He saw the briefest movements in Sasori's hand before the Kazekage puppet came flying at him in top speed. However, with the sharingan activated, Naruto could adapt much faster. The sharingan user was surprised when a strange looking weapon full of small blades and wooden contraption appeared from within the Kazekage's sleeve and attacked him. The blond quickly grabbed both his swords and blocked it, much to Genma's relief.

The senbon chewing shinobi didn't know if he would be agile enough to stop that attack.

Sasori kept on attacking Naruto using the strange weapon, forcing Naruto on the defensive. Genma would bid his time, since he knew how Naruto worked. He instead kept observing both the puppet and the puppeteer to see any pattern he could exploit. Like he expected, Sasori was paying close attention to him as well as Naruto. Genma knew that if he attacked right now, Sasori will simply turn the puppet to him instead of Naruto but Genma didn't have the sharingan to anticipate the attacks. Naruto managed to block the attacks by enforcing his swords with earth chakra. His chakra enforced metals had more endurance then the weapon inside the puppet. When it became clear that the puppet's weapon was destroyed, the Kazekage used another weapon that came out of the Kazekage's other arm. A wooden contraption came out and Naruto could see two seals attached to it. He narrowed his eyes as suddenly a great load of puppet material came out of the seal and charged at Naruto moving like a snake stalking its prey. The blond waited until the attack came at him and slightly evaded before going through hand seals.

Katon Dai Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release Great Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)

From Naruto's mouth came six medium sized fireballs, three aiming for Sasori and the rest at the puppet. Being an S-ranked shinobi, Sasori managed to evade the fireballs while at the same time maneuvering his puppet out of the way as well. However, while he managed to evade the fireballs, Sasori wasn't able to keep his focus on his other opponent, allowing Genma to throw a great number of explosive tag kunai at the Sandaime Kazekage, taking advantage of the distraction Naruto provided with his strategy. Sasori spotted the explosive projectiles and maneuvered his puppet out of the way of impact, forcing Genma to activate the seals early. The damage done to the puppet wasn't as extensive. Genma used his speed to attack Sasori, who just stood there with a smirk on his face, while slightly adjusting his fingers. As the Kazekage appeared from behind the Konoha jounin, Naruto managed to lift a hill of earth, stopping the assault. Genma didn't even look back as he summoned a much larger kunai to attack Sasori. The puppet user quickly replaced himself with one of the spare puppet parts sprawled on the field.

Both Naruto and Genma stood at attention when the puppet opened his mouth. From within, much to Genma's fear, black sand emerged, before hovering around the puppet.

"I have to concede that you two fought well so far for a couple of brats. However, no one can withstand the Kazekage's Satetsu (Iron Sand)" The dark sand came out of the puppet's mouth slowly, while Naruto and Genma stared at it apprehensively. Never before had either one faced a Kage before, even if it was just a puppet and not the original. Naruto went through hand seals immediately as he couldn't allow Sasori to finish whatever move he was planning.

Katon Karyuu Endan (Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Projectile Technique)

Genma had to shield his eyes from the bright white fire that erupted from Naruto's mouth, while at the same startled by the sudden action from his subordinate. The fire blast hit the puppet full on, though, rasing black smoke everywhere. When Naruto ended the fire blast, both he and Genma looked on in surprise as the puppet had formed a barrier using the black sand. That attack was used by the Sandaime Hokage and yet it proved useless against the black sand. Sasori just maintained his usual condescending smile at the opposition's attempts. He moved his chakra threads a bit, controlling the puppet's techniques. The black sand gathered once more and formed large structures, able to squash and pierce anything without any resistance. Above the puppet stood two 3D figures, a pyramid and a pillar of black sand. With a slight twitch of his fingers, the structures flew with great speed and great threat at Naruto, who couldn't help but dodge constantly.

So far all of Sasori's weapons were laced with poison, so presuming this one to be so as well was the best course of action.

Because of the sharingan, Naruto was able to dodge the structures and even move into attack position, but he couldn't make two steps before having to retreat. Sasori obviously had great expertise with the Kazekage's ability and could adapt it to keep Naruto away from him. Genma even attempted to attack Sasori, but was met with the same pillar trying to squash him into the ground. Seriously, what he was thinking, trying to sneak behind an S-ranked shinobi? However, something needed to be done here as it seemed that the black sand could withstand Naruto's fire techniques. Genma watched the enemy's movements with focus as Sasori's hands were the key into understanding the pattern. While Genma was busy with his analysis, Naruto was already feeling angry for being cornered like this. He couldn't do anything but dodge the damn structures from fear of either getting killed or getting poisoned, which was actually the same thing, in the end.

He needed to find some way to reduce the structure's free mobility. As he dashed away from the attacks, Naruto frowned realizing that perhaps the only method he had was to literally reshape the landscape a bit. With the thought in mind, Naruto stopped dodging the pillar and smashed it with the rasengan. The black sand was immediately sprawled, disengaging the structure, leaving enough time for Naruto to perform hand seals while heading towards the ground. He placed both hands on the ground. He actually only attempted the smaller version of the technique as he molded a huge amount of chakra, the likes of which only he was able to, without simply succumbing to chakra exhaustion.

Doton Baisuu Hashira (Earth Release: Multiple Earth Pillars Technique)

Everything happened in mere seconds as Sasori looked at his black sand being disintegrated. When the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki landed on the ground, all around the cave, multiple pillars lifted from the ground and from the walls and ceiling. Genma looked at the new scenery before him and smiled at Naruto's ingenuity. He mentally applauded the method in which Naruto managed to stop the Kazekage's technique from working. Because of the new scenery, Sasori just couldn't manipulate the black sand structures as freely as he used to, thus reducing the threat level and allowing them to sneak behind Sasori's back. Just by looking at the enemy, Genma could see that the man was annoyed. Naruto had that effect on the enemy. Not only did he have the sharingan, but he also had enough energy to last longer than most in the field. Others would handle their chakra carefully so as to use it when the time comes. Naruto doesn't have this restriction.

Although by the look on Naruto's face, Genma could see that the technique had taken a lot out of him.

"You two flies are beginning to annoy me. This nuisance is taking longer than necessary. Let's end this."

Sasori made a few movements with his hands before the black sand structures vanished. The black sand now hovered up above the cave ceiling, spreading throughout the landscape like a spider web. Both Genma and Naruto looked up in shock as the black sands turned into black spikes all of them pointed in their direction. There was simply no way of escaping. Sasori made the technique reach the entire cave. The man in question smirked at their predicament. He was already counting Naruto as a future puppet because of the sharingan and his impressive ninjutsu repertoire. He flicked his middle finger slightly and allowed the rain to drop on them. Naruto took his swords and worked rapidly by blocking all the projectiles. Genma managed to avoid all of his by using his speed. When the rain stopped, Sasori could be seen with the same victorious smile on his face, worrying Genma.

"It looks like even the famous sharingan could not stop the Kazekage's Satetsu Shigure (Iron Sand Autumnal Showers)"

Genma looked at the man quizzically, before turning to see Naruto only to gasp at the flesh wound located on his arm. He had no doubt in his mind that the weapon was poisoned as well. Naruto for his turn looked at the wound and snarled mostly at himself for his lack of timing in taking care of all but one of the projectiles. His sharingan spotted it, but his body just could not move in time. He could feel the powerful toxin entering his veins as he struggled to remain standing while the puppet was attacking Genma once more. Naruto could not take the pain and kneeled on the ground, all the while cursing himself for letting Genma fight this guy alone. He needed to do something to get back in the fight, but he was no medic-nin. No one would be there to save him from Sasori's deadly poison. It suddenly became a fact for the chunnin that in that minute he became useless and a hindrance. It was a feeling he did not wish to feel. Naruto just could not stand not being able to do anything about it.

"Hmm, once more you make a fool of yourself Naruto. You have only yourself to blame for being in this situation in the first place." Naruto flinched at the jab. His body was aching one hundred percent, but the comment hurt even more.

"Damn it, I know this already. You don't have to remind me." Naruto ignored the humorous laughter coming from the fox inside of him. Of course, the furball would take its time enjoying Naruto's misery. "Can't you do anything to rid the poison?"

"I most certainly could, yes. However, I often find myself wondering whether doing so would teach you not to face something you are not ready for yet. Like always, you presume yourself able to perform things out of your reach of capabilities. Nevertheless, as I know what you are going to say before you even think about it, we have a binding contract with one another and through this agreement of ours, it was established that I would offer my aid to you when the situation arises. Sadly so, this situation had arrived and I am compelled to attend to my container's wishes." Naruto simply grunted in pain, but nodded in appreciation. He actually only wanted to hear either a 'yes' or a 'no'. Sometimes, he wondered if the fox just took forever to explain something just so that Naruto would listen to it longer.

As he felt the fox's chakra running through his veins and ridding him of the poison, Naruto ignored the stinging feeling that perhaps his wonderings held truth. The Kyuubi let out one of his irritating and presumptuous laughs once more.

When he opened his eyes once more, Naruto saw that the puppet was coming right at him while positioning for strike against Genma. Naruto relaxed knowing his captain was ok. This puppet sure as hell gave them a hard enough time. Naruto believed that the puppet had overstayed its welcome. It all happened in less than a second. As soon as the puppet flew on top of his downed body, the chunnin turned his hand and molded the rasengan, before slamming right at the puppet's stomach, shattering Sasori's famous puppet into unrecognizable pieces of wood and clothing. Sasori looked at Naruto perplexed as the kid was poisoned just seconds ago. He shouldn't even be able to move let alone stand up and mold enough chakra for an A-ranked technique. Genma took the brief break and appeared next to Naruto.

"Are you okay Naruto? I thought he had poisoned you?" Naruto nodded while never taking his eyes away from Sasori.

"He did poison me. Kyuubi managed to rid me of it, though. I'm good to go once more."

Genma released a sigh he did not know he was holding. Because of the fight, Genma had forgotten about Naruto's high healing ability, thanks to the fox inside of him.

"Okay, but watch out next time, you hear. You should have used your earth armor technique and block it, instead of using your swords. It was a wrong judgment call that could have got you killed." Naruto knew every word to be the truth.

"You're right Genma-taichou. However, by the time the technique started, I just could not use the technique as I did the first time. It takes time to cover your entire body."

Sasori recovered from his wonderings, as he listened to the fox's name coming out of the jinchuuriki's mouth. Of course, the fox would be able to neutralize his toxin. However, the information did not appease Sasori as much. This fight was dragging on much longer than it needed to and he had lost quite a lot of his favorite puppets thanks to these two. Sasori clenched his teeth hard as he slowly unbuttoned the Akatsuki robe. Genma and Naruto stood at attention as the black robe was thrown on the ground.

"Never before has someone taken me so far as to use myself. You two deserve the credit, congratulations." Both Konoha shinobi took in the man's appearance and gasped. There was no flesh to be seen, but puppet parts as well. They were fighting a puppet this entire time. A puppet that was able to control other puppets. Despite the fight they were on, Genma had to hand it to the guy. Sasori was perhaps the strongest foe he ever had to face in battle. Quickly assessing the situation, Genma had enough chakra to hold his own. Naruto, for his part, saw the seal located on the enemy's heart and frowned.

"So that's why…" Genma turned to Naruto for clarification. "When he first appeared, I could see that all of his chakra coming out of one specific part of his body. It was located just close to the heart region. Can you see the seal there?" Genma turned and nodded.

"So if he is in fact a puppet, then the seal must be the one giving it chakra. I recognize the formula somewhat, but not entirely. I believe we have found our enemy's weak point, Naruto. Focus on that seal." Naruto nodded and got into position. Sasori looked at both of his enemies with detachment as expected from a soulless puppet. Even his appearance now resembled a controlled corpse rather than a normal human being. As Sasori watched his enemies get into position once more, he took one of the three scrolls placed on his back using a single chakra thread. These two were able to defeat his favorite puppet, the Sandaime Kazekage. Sasori just couldn't believe that he would do what he was about to do. With this next technique, he was able to conquer an entire nation. Now, he would be using it to best two simpletons. The S-ranked criminal was truly ashamed of himself right now. But, it won't matter. Soon, these two will perish and Sasori will have plenty of time to forget this troublesome situation.

"Let's not prolong this much further, shall we? This time, neither of you will escape alive."

When the scroll opened up in front of Sasori, all Naruto and Genma could see were black blurs, thousands of them leaving the scroll. It actually took an entire minute for it to end. Naruto and Genma looked up and almost felt like giving up that instant. Droplets of sweat appeared on their cheeks as both trembled slightly at the huge noise caused by kami knew how many puppets now stood against them, all bearing weapons of all kinds, no doubt laced with poison as well. No matter what they did to dismantle Sasori, the puppet user would always appear with something much stronger than the last. It was daunting, to say the least.

Naruto had no other option rather than using his earth armor once more and hope that it together with his swords would be enough against the army of puppets. His concern also lied with Genma, however, as the man just wasn't suited for heavy fighting like he was. Genma was the support type, catching the enemy off guard when the time was right. Now suited with the earth armor, Naruto turned to his captain. Naruto received a nod in return for his silent concern, but the chunnin just couldn't share the same tranquility as his captain. Genma was subtly telling him not to worry about him, so Naruto had no other choice other than comply. Genma for his turn knew he was outmatched here. He would need to get out of the battle zone, so that the enemy focused on Naruto instead.

He would then bid his time and attack Sasori directly.

Naruto even reinforced his armor with enough earth chakra to withstand damage. Sasori smirked at the pathetic endeavor, before opening his right chest. From within, a mass of thin chakra threads appeared, linking one into each of the puppets. It was said that the skills of a puppeteer is measured by the number of puppets one can control at the same time. Sasori could easily be the strongest puppet user of all time. He didn't even bid Naruto goodbye, before the puppets charged at the chunnin, promising nothing but an agonizing death. Naruto dodged the first one and saw in slight alarm when the puppet drove the chakra blade right in Genma's chest. The jounin captain, however, took the precise moment to replace himself with a spare puppet part, vanishing from the area.

With a mental note to get his revenge on the captain for ditching him, Naruto saw the next batch of puppets come at him. His sharingan worked extensively in anticipating the moves. Naruto first used one sword for defense and another for attack, while focusing some of the attacks on his armor. He just couldn't use both swords to block otherwise he wouldn't be able to attack. Naruto's sharingan eyes looked like they were loose from its sockets as they went from right to left almost instantly, allowing the blond to overcome the opposition. He was already feeling the strain in his muscles from the heavy workload and his head was pounding at the excessive information received by the accursed dojutsu. The puppets just wouldn't stop coming and attacking him with everything they got. Nevertheless, it wasn't like he had never trained in such odds before.

He would summon bunshin to attack him in order to train his taijutsu and his battle awareness.

However, this time, the army was fixed on killing him and the puppets would have done so, almost fifty times now, had Naruto not reinforced his armor with earth chakra. He felt the pain of each strike, but he couldn't stop. His body was aching all over the place, both from the strain of his movements and from the attacks coming from all directions. He persevered, though. Right now, the floor became littered with puppet parts sliced by his swords. When approximately forty puppets were gone, Naruto almost dropped to the floor as his body went numb for a second. It was simply too much strain. Sasori just smirked at the valiant effort, before sending in the next batch, with two puppets leading the fray. Naruto's sharingan anticipated where the attacks would be and focused as much earth chakra as he could on his stomach as the giant axe hit it. The strike was so powerful that it broke Naruto's reinforced armor and even sent the chunnin flying. Naruto had recovered senses on his body as he looked at the puppets approaching for the death blow.

He could count the entire army coming at him with its weapons drawn, ready to slice him in multiple pieces. Focusing a large amount of chakra, Naruto went through hand seals as his body performed a low pass, inches from the ground. Quickly, Naruto used the momentum to flip his body so as to fall on his two feet and looked at the puppet army closing in with their weapons. His hands stopped with the bird handsign as he inflated his chest. He had no doubt that his chakra would be nonexistent, after this.

Katon Gouka Mekkyaku (Fire Release: Great Fire Majestic Removal Technique)

Naruto exhaled a thin layer of fire right at the puppet leaders, before the fire spread through the entire area engulfing everything in its path. Sasori wasn't able to maneuver the puppets out of the way, since firstly the fire engulfed the entire cave and secondly, he was confident that sending the entire fray in one go would deal with the sharingan brat. The powerful fire technique kept travelling over ground for a large range of burning. Sasori even worried that it would reach him, but it only focused on the puppet army. When the smoke cleared, Sasori snarled in frustration as his entire collection of puppets laid in front of him, or at least the ones who hadn't turned into ash because of the fire. He saw the Kyuubi brat breathing erratically in front of him and could estimate it as the consequence of near chakra exhaustion.

The very reason behind Sasori's choice was so that he wouldn't be affected by human emotions. Emotions did nothing but hinder a shinobi of his true potential, so he transformed himself into the perfect being, setting aside such feelings as it would only hinder him in the long run. Nevertheless, anger and frustration were all he could think of right now. In front of him, lay his life's work, all the hardships he had to endure, all the sacrifices he had to make in order to be where he was right now. Everything that he had built was turned to pieces and ashes by one single individual. Pretty much fifty years of hard work destroyed in mere minutes. Sasori couldn't help it. No matter how much he tried separating himself from emotions, he now realized for the first time, what it was like to feel blinded by anger and frustration.

It was all because of this kid. Killing Naruto was now a matter of life and death, Sasori reasoned. He no longer cared for Akatsuki's goals; he no longer cared that he would kill a jinchuuriki.

As the second scroll from his back vanished as well, Sasori later realized that he was right all along about emotions being a ninja's worst enemy as he felt an attack from behind piercing the seal located on the heart region. His eyes looked down to see that a black senbon had pierced a boulder, laced with chakra. His analytical mind didn't take more than a second to realize that the weapon was coated with wind chakra. He looked backwards to see the other Konoha shinobi standing there looking at him. In his clouded mind, focused on killing Naruto for ruining his life's work, Sasori had forgotten about the other one. The puppet master simply fell on the ground and its parts disengaged from the body, without the piece that sustained it all; Sasori himself. Genma stood close to Sasori as he took the structure that came out of the puppet's body.

It was blue in color and cylinder shaped with the seal in front. The jounin captain just couldn't risk it and sliced the structure in multiple pieces.

He looked up just as four new presences entered the cave and approached the downed Naruto. Genma relaxed as he spotted Izumo and Kotetsu, followed by Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee. It seemed back up arrived. He landed nearby, surprising the four other Konoha shinobi. Hyuuga Neji was observing Naruto's condition while Kotetsu and Izumo performed some quick first aid treatments. Naruto's body was covered with bruises, but no scratches were visible, other than the first one.

"Hyuuga Neji, isn't it? How is he?" Genma asked, earning a nod from the Hyuuga jounin.

"His chakra capacity is low, but by no means is it empty. It will take a while to replenish it all. His chakra coils are twice as large as ours." Genma nodded. By experience, he estimated that Naruto would wake up soon. The Kyuubi was there to help him after all. "Genma-taichou, can you explain us what happened here? The cave is on the verge of collapsing and I can see what appeared to be Sunagakure's Kugutsu." The captain picked up his favorite senbon as Izumo worked into extinguishing the fire.

"I assume you're already briefed about our mission here." Neji nodded, so Genma continued. "You were right about the Kugutsu, as I and Naruto here faced none other than Akasuna no Sasori." All four were surprised by that fact alone and Genma couldn't help but smile at that. Imagine how shocked they would be at the impossible odds both him and Naruto had faced. Genma took some time reporting the entire fight, including the Sandaime Kazekage and Sasori's other techniques. In the end, he explained how Naruto dealt with the opposition while he finished the opponent, taking advantage of a relapse. Genma couldn't argue how much stronger Naruto became.

After hearing the report, Lee immediately initiated his fire of youth speech, but everyone ignored it. Dealing with a second Gai was simply too much to handle right now.

"What of Kakashi and Kasumi?" Genma asked, earning a solemn nod from Neji. Genma immediately feared the worst.

"Tenten and Gai are with them right now, treating their wounds. Kasumi-sama had received a lot of burnes from the enemy's blast release attacks. They managed to recuperate Gaara's body, but the enemy escaped. From Kakashi-sensei's report, he was able to deal a lot of damage on Deidara, even yanking his only arm somehow. However, the enemy targeted the wounded Kasumi and Kakashi saved her. Deidara took the opportunity and fled. We should go there and rendezvous with them." Genma nodded as Lee volunteered to carry the unconscious Naruto. The adrenaline of the fight was slowly diminishing and Genma's sense of danger tingled at the notion of just defeating an S-ranked opponent, even one as dangerous as Sasori. The senbon chewing shinobi could not wait to get into a bar and have some sake.

Author Note

Well, it's finished. I have to tell you; describing this fight took a lot out of me. I had to go back and watch the anime once more, so that I wouldn't miss anything. I also had trouble adapting the fight, since in this one; Naruto didn't have Sakura's strength to destroy the puppets. For those who remembered that Sasori had two other abilities before using himself as a puppet, I had opted to jump that part. If, for instance, Sakura didn't need Chiyo to watch her back, then the old puppet user could have attacked the man as well. I did the same thing with Genma and took his knowledge of seals into account.

Please tell me what you think.

See ya.