Okay, back again with a new chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
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"I sense that Sasuke has stopped," Pakkun commented, nose twitching in the air. "But he still is a long way ahead of us."
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Sasuke looked desperately at the two fleeing shinobi, one of which was his target. He half-heartedly threw a couple kunai in their direction, inevitably missing. It was too bad, but his attention had to now be directed elsewhere. He glared at Temari, the Sand kunoichi who was in his way. This would have to be taken care of quickly, and with as little effort as possible, after all, chakra was needed to be saved for Gaara.
He ran forwards, swiftly barraging the girl with shuriken. Temari's arms burned with effort from the last rounds of fighting she went through, as she lifted her fan up to create a gust to deflect the sharp projectiles.
Sasuke dodged the chaotic gust of wind, noting with slight wary that it cut through the branches of neighboring trees before coming to a conclusion to hide behind a particularly sturdy and thick one. He sat there, catching his breath a little and plotting how to win the fight before coming out, standing to face Temari.
Her fan. I have to do something about that damn fan of hers.
About time, Temari thought when she saw Sasuke come out.
Sasuke flashed through hand seals. Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!
A volley of small fireballs shot at Temari, forcing her to backpedal and land on the ground, where they surrounded her on all sides. Temari, with some effort, raised her fan again to blow the fire out. But Sasuke wasn't finished yet.
He arched his back, puffing his cheeks a little, before letting out a huge fireball that engulfed Temari in it. When he was finished with the jutsu, and Temari was surely scorched to a crisp, he jumped down, hoping to get away when his foot slipped on something, breaking his balance, leaving him free falling, as he desperately tried to hold onto something.
"You're mine!"
Eyes widened, Sasuke watched in disbelief as Temari jumped up, kunai flying from her hand to hit Sasuke with a sickening thunk. Temari watched, triumphant, as Sasuke hit the ground, walking closer to make sure he was finished.
Poof.
Cold sweat lined Temari's forehead when she realized that where Sasuke's body should have been was now a log, studded with kunai, and a burning–
"Paper bomb!" She realized out loud.
It was too late. The explosion filled the area, blasting Temari onto the ground. Her back hit something sharp, crimson liquid bursting out of her parted lips. She finally hit the floor, her eyesight blurring a little. Her hands dug into the ground, as she struggled to get up, raising her head to look at her opponent with difficulty.
"Gotta run," Sasuke said, eyeing his fallen enemy nonchalantly. "I already wasted enough time on you."
With that, he turned around and disappeared into the forest.
No. Temari's consciousness was slowly fading.
Gaara…
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"I smell two people stopping," Pakkun announced, nose still sniffing. "'Could mean a fight." He frowned as much as a dog can do so, nose in the air. "I also smell a newcomer."
"Friend or foe?" Hinata asked, a mix of desperation and hope. On one hand, an ally could give Sasuke the support he possibly needed. On the other hand, if it were someone hostile…
"I don't know," Pakkun said gravely. "But it doesn't smell human."
Hinata gulped and promptly ran faster.
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Sasuke looked at Shino who had his hands in his pockets, not a care in the world.
"Well, alright then," Sasuke said skeptically, looking at Shino with some doubt. "If you think you can handle it, then be my guest."
"Of course." Shino did not hesitate in his answer. "But it's not like you'll really complain, right? It's Gaara you're really after." Small bugs scurried out of the pores in his cheek, contrasting starkly against his pale skin. "But this is mostly for me because while your match was left unfinished, ours didn't even start." Shino eyed Sasuke, urging him to continue after his target. "Go. Give me ten minutes, and I'll come back to see if you're okay."
Sasuke smirked at the taunt and ran past Kankuro, gracefully flipping over the puppet master's head.
"I'm your opponent now," Shino said, almost warning Kankuro that, if he did not pay attention to him, the consequences would be dire.
"You really don't know what it's like fighting me," Kankuro said, mouth twisted into a wide, almost maniacal grin. "Well, I'll help you. Imagine. Imagine something more monstrous than your worst nightmare. Only…it's real."
"I'm having a little trouble picturing it." Shino disregarded Kankuro's menacing words almost carelessly. "Why don't you go ahead and show me?"
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"Hinata, hurry up!" Naruto called out, running leaps ahead of the panting kunoichi.
"I-I'm sorry!" Hinata replied, trying to catch her breath. Where in the world was all her stamina? And why did her chest hurt from the lack of oxygen already?
"Are you okay?" Pakkun asked, scrutinizing her with narrowed eyes. "You seem a bit…out of breath."
"I'm fine," Hinata gasped out, pumping her legs harder. "I'll go faster."
Her heart jumped in protest. She ignored it and raced to meet Naruto in the front.
Keep on going.
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Black lined eyes flickered open, revealing cold green irises that narrowed when the person with those eyes stopped onto a branch, now conscious. Temari breathed out a sigh of relief when Gaara had finally woken up. However, her little brother was groaning, gripping at his hair, and struggling to stand up. Concerned, she reached out to him. "Gaara–"
"Go away." The cold statement was said with a raspy voice laced with nothing other than raw exhaustion and frustration. "You're nothing but a nuisance." Gaara took a step away from Temari, one arm still grabbing at his hair, and the other hanging at his side.
"But, Gaara!" Temari protested, only to be in the middle of her sentence by Gaara's arm coming up and slamming into her midsection, sending her flying into a tree. She hit the trunk with a soft thud and fell less than gracefully with a quiet groan. Her head lolled weightlessly to the side.
Gaara didn't even flinch at his actions to his own sister. No, his attention was elsewhere. A certain Uchiha was standing right in front of him, and that person had committed a crime in his eyes. Because, how dare this person interfere with his purpose of living?
Sasuke felt a slight unease rustle inside of him when he saw cracks growing along Gaara's already crazed face, adding to the insanity that the boy already had. He quickly swallowed the feeling, instead replacing it with confidence that he had gained from the protection of having a new and powerful jutsu in his arsenal. A jutsu that could destroy the person in front of him. And so, Sasuke decided to speak.
"I don't know what you Sand clowns are planning next, but I will stop you," He declared, but all his bravado faded at Gaara's next words.
"We're so alike, Uchiha," Gaara rasped out, almost thoughtfully, one hand over his left eye, the one with the kanji for "love" above it. He completely disregarded Sasuke's earlier words. "You and I…I have no friends, nor do you. And…" The tone of his voice grew darker, the cracks around his eye multiplying. "Only by killing you can I know what life is."
The feeling of unease haunted Sasuke again, this time tenfold more than what he felt before with Kakashi on the mountain.
You have the eyes. That's what Gaara had said. The eyes that seek power, and will stop at nothing, and do everything to achieve it. Even kill.
Did he have those eyes?
"You are my…" Gaara's voice got cut off when blood curdling screams ripped out of his throat, falling to his knees and clutching his head with both arms, shaking. Sasuke and Temari both gasped, although for very different reasons. "...YOU ARE MY PREY!"
The last scream came out of him gratingly, his head thrashing back, his eyes closed, so all Sasuke could see were two thick black lines with harsh, fragile cracks embroidering them. Sasuke stepped back, more than a little wary now, hands unconsciously sliding to where his kunai pouch was.
Is this guy insane?
Sasuke gasped when he realized that Gaara was somehow transforming. The left side of his face was no longer the color of smooth, pallid skin, but a whole new creature. It was like a monster was melded into half of him. Temari flinched away at the sight of her little brother, covering her face with her shaky hands.
"Now…Let me feel it!" Gaara charged at Sasuke, eyes widened manically, spittle flying out of his mouth.
An extension of sand shot straight at the branch Sasuke was on, crushing the limb entirely. Sasuke sat against the trunk of another tree, panting both in fear and shock. What in the world is Gaara?
"Why do you hide, Uchiha?" Gaara dragged out, drool lining his chin. The Uchiha was like everyone at the end of the day. Prey. Things to prove his existence. "Are you that scared of my new form…Uchiha?" Everybody was. "Sasuke Uchiha," Gaara rolled the name over his tongue, relishing in the blood that was about to be spilt. "I must kill…and you are my prey!"
Three, two, one…Now!
Sasuke raced out from behind the tree, hurling a small volley of kunai at his target. Gaara merely brought up the transformed arm, blocking the projectiles with it.
Dammit!
Gaara grinned, kunai still embedded in his monstrous arm. "Here, you can have them back!" His tone ripped off any sanity you could infer was attached to the words.
The kunai shot back at Sasuke, but this time, they were red hot instead of normal kunai. Sasuke dodged, watching as they cut through a tree branch like it was butter.
"Why do you run and not attack, Uchiha?" Gaara hissed, the cracks across his face spreading. "Why?" They always run. Didn't you know? They always run. "Why do they always run away?" He muttered, his tone now a huge difference than what it was before. He clutched at his hair, as if he suddenly was in agony, sinking to his knees. No. This was his prey. No running.
"I won't let you get away," Gaara suddenly said, as if it was an afterthought. "You hear me, Sasuke Uchiha?" His arm shot out, destroying tree branch after tree branch. Gaara looked around, eyes crazed. "What's wrong? You're not afraid of me, are you?" His mouth curved into a wide grin. "You fear me, don't you? Uchiha?"
Sasuke, behind a tree trunk now, was taking his time. What in the world was Gaara? He took a deep breath. Now was not the time to freak out. He had to stay calm.
Think.
He currently had the lower hand right now–Gaara's transformation clearly gave him superhuman abilities, and although he doubted that the girl would do anything, if she did, it'd be two against one.
Not good. Especially with the level of ability Gaara had right now.
He glanced at his hand ruefully. He could try using Chidori, but…
"Only two times. Understand? Your body has a limit, and if you cross it…"
He shivered a little. Turning to sneak a glance from behind the tree, he immediately turned back, cold sweat lining his brow at the sight of the raging monster behind him.
Just one time. One shot.
He urged chakra to surge towards his hands, brushing away the exhaustion that the jutsu gave him with every passing second, feeling the warm tingling of the cold blue of crackling lightning.
They charged at the same time.
Sasuke rammed straight into Gaara's sand claw, tearing through the "flesh" of it, and then landing heavily on a branch. Gaara screamed, falling less gracefully than Sasuke straight onto the branch, colliding onto his back with a loud thump, his legs bent at an awkward angle. Sasuke panted, looking at his fallen opponent triumphantly.
That should do it.
But much to his surprise, Gaara sat up, his face gruesomely disfigured. There was a sandy ear poking out of one side of his head, and half his mouth was enlarged to fit in sharp fangs. The mouth grew larger as he laughed, a laugh that was maniacal and crazy and insane. It rang around the clearing, entering Sasuke's ears like a nightmare. Sasuke's eyes grew wide. How–
His thoughts were cut off when sand began pouring out of the bottom of Gaara's gourd, forming a large tail that slapped his way, slamming him into a tree, a crater forming around him from the force of the impact. Sasuke slipped down the trunk, groaning, and hit the branch. His head slumped down. Smoke rised around his hand, evidence of the power of his Chidori.
"That's it?" Gaara mocked the fallen ninja. "That's all you can do to fight for your existence? Pathetic." Spittle lined his chin as he spoke, the cracks spreading and breaking with his mouth movements. "Your hatred is weaker than mine. Far weaker–"
"Shut up."
Gaara looked up, surprised by the interruption.
"Shut up!" Sasuke stood up now, electricity lacing along his hand, illuminating his face and red Sharingan with a cold blue glow. "I am an avenger!" The yell ripped out of his throat in pure fury.
He charged forwards, meeting Gaara in the air with a bright flash.
Both landed on the tree branch, Sasuke with a tall and proud posture, Gaara slightly hunched over.
Gaara's arm disappeared in a rush of sand. Sasuke looked down at his Chidori smugly, black markings marring his face.
And then he fell, hand on his neck as everything went shaky. The curse mark. It had come to plague him again.
No, no, no, no…
He gripped his neck harder in pain, the effects of the third Chidori coming again, and when the lightning faded, he saw his hand was burned raw, smoke drifting upwards from it. Unknown to him, however, Gaara was behind him, ready to strike his collapsed body. An orange leg stopped him.
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Naruto kicked Gaara in the face. Hard. So hard, the Sand ninja was sent flying back, back onto his back. Naruto landed on a branch, one hand in the air, and the other on the wood for support. Hinata ran to Sasuke's fallen form, hand quickly surrounded by a green that illuminated her determined face. They finally had arrived.
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Hinata hovered over Sasuke, her shaky hands floating over his burnt one, soothing the sting.
"Hinata?" Sasuke croaked out, trying to sit up to look over her shoulder at Naruto. "...And Naruto?"
"Yes," Hinata confirmed, her voice as shaky as her hands. "W-We're here, Sasuke." She was breathing heavily, the run to get here was more taxing than it should've been. Perspiration beaded her forehead.
She looked down at Sasuke, worry invading her system. He was losing control over the curse mark again, she had to do something fast.
"Hey, Hinata?" Naruto said in a solemn voice.
"Yes?" Hinata replied, quivering hands trying to remove Sasuke's own hand from his curse mark to try to block the chakra points there.
"You see this guy over here?" Naruto asked, jabbing a thumb at Gaara's direction.
"Huh?" Hinata looked up, confused. "Yeah, why?"
"Well, who is he?" Naruto wanted to know.
Hinata stared at him, a bit dumbfounded. "What?"
Pakkun sighed and stepped in. "He's the one you know as Gaara."
"WHAT?" Naruto looked back and forths, from Gaara back to Pakkun. "No way!"
Hinata drowned out Naruto's incredulous cries to her best ability. They had to get back to the village, and then send Sasuke to the hospital or something. But how in the world were they going to do that? Sasuke's curse mark interfering with his clear thinking, and not to mention the raging lunatic behind them, was both going to be huge obstacles to overcome.
Naruto realized the same thing–and vocalized it loudly.
"Guys, we have to go now!" He said, panicking now with his newfound realization that this person was Gaara.
The words barely left his mouth though when Gaara suddenly charged at Sasuke, arm outstretched for another blow. Naruto turned his head, mouth opening to warn him.
There was a flash of white, and suddenly, Hinata was standing in front of Sasuke, arms held in front of her in the Gentle Fist pose.
Her Byakugan was activated, looking straight at Gaara. In the back of her mind, she realized that there were a lot of similarities between the Sand ninja and Naruto considering their chakra, but that was it. That was where their similarities ended. Gaara considered his comrades as mere tools, while Naruto would never let his friends suffer harm.
That was his ninja way.
And hers as well.
Gaara glared at the offending girl in front of his mission to prove his existence. How dare she. He took his arm, and swept her away straight into a tree, claw pinning her down. Hinata yelped as she was slammed into the trunk, chest constricted by the claw.
Her heart pounded in protest.
Gaara was having an internal dilemma. Why? Why would anyone risk their life, their existence, their being, their purpose for another? Why? Who, who thought that another's light was brighter than their own? He remembered the taijutsu boy he fought, and his sensei who protected him, and then, he remembered Yashamaru–
He increased the pressure he had on Hinata, her screams drowned out by his desperate thoughts.
Hinata's head felt light. Her body was numb. The only thing she could feel was the sharp agony of her heart struggling to keep up. She started hacking, coughing painfully until blood replaced the air that was forced out of her lungs. A burst of scarlet red came out of her parted lips, staining her chin and the sand beneath it a bright crimson.
Hinata blinked. Why was the world so blurry? She tried to keep her head from falling, tried to stay conscious.
Her heart gave one last weak beat.
And when her world went black, the last thing she saw was Naruto's desperate face.
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Naruto's eyes widened when he saw Hinata was unconscious. How–? He remembered her heart injury against Neji. She had been slowing down when they were chasing after Sasuke, frequently stopping for moments to catch her breath. He cursed himself for not noticing then.
He had to get her out from there.
He raised his hands up and yelled, "Summoning Jutsu!"
After flashing through signs, he bit his thumb hard enough for it to bleed, and then smashed it into the wood beneath him. Smoke filled the area, clouding his sight, and then…
"Got any treats?"
Naruto jumped back. "WHAT?"
He looked at the tiny toad right next to him, shocked. This was not Gamabunta, that was for sure.
"Well?" The small excuse for an amphibian tapped his foot impatiently. "If you don't, I ain't staying."
"W-Wait!" Naruto desperately beckoned the toad back with his hands. A small toad was better than no toad after all. "I–I'll give you treats after you help me!"
"Alright," The toad shrugged. "Fine. What do you want?"
At this, Gaara's claw crashed into Naruto and the toad's direction. Out of a natural reflex, Naruto grabbed the toad, protecting it with his body. He broke a branch, shattering it into splinters, and fell onto another, dropping the toad in the process.
"Well, you're useless," The toad remarked, dusting himself off.
"Urg, whatever," Naruto muttered, getting up and dusting himself off. "Why can't I see the Chief Toad?"
"Eh?" The little toad looked his way. "Dad's busy."
"WHAT?" Naruto looked at the little toad incredulously. "No way! How are the great Chief Toad, and, and you related?"
The toad stuck his tongue out at Naruto rudely.
Naruto shook his head, looking back at his opponent. He could not afford to get distracted.
Gaara had almost fully transformed now, the top half of his body had turned into a lethal, yet graceful beast, contrasting greatly than what he looked like before with just halfway transforming. His head was lifted haughty, his long tail encircling it gracefully. Two bulky arms were gripping onto the trunk, carving deep gashes into the wood. The only human part about him was his legs, sticking out awkwardly yet fittingly.
As if symbolizing how his soul was not all demon yet.
Naruto looked at the boy, feeling something like sympathy twinging at his heart. He was clearly a jinchuriki, just like him. The pain he must have gone through…Naruto could relate. But he was on one side, and Naruto the other. He remembered the hate he felt because they hated him. They ostracized him, they looked down at his very existence. And he didn't know why. He didn't know why they looked at him that way with those eyes. It felt like it was ripping into his soul, and a torn soul was something he could see in the eyes of the person in front of him.
And yet…
Guiltily, he realized that he'd rather save the lives of his teammates than the person, perhaps one of the only in this world he could fully connect with, one of the only that could truly understand what he was feeling like. Because those people helped him out of the dark pit of loneliness he was in, and, now, he realized that he'd rather relate to happy people than what he was before.
He'd rather be happy.
It had suddenly hit him then, looking into the sad sad eyes of the boy in front of him, that even though he wanted to be happy, and he was happy, he still couldn't brush off the past. It was there, like a lingering scar that never faded. It didn't hurt as much, but looking at the faint outline still stung, as if the memory was painful. But what Gaara was feeling was not a scar, it was a huge, gaping, bleeding wound, one that would leave a mark that would stain his existence forever.
And it made him think, think, what would have happened if he stayed in that pit of darkness and loneliness? Would his gash have ever healed? Yes, scars were painful, but fresh wounds were even more so. Because when you look at them, you are not reminded of the past, but rather of the present, the current hell you're living in.
The current hell Gaara was living in.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Gaara snarked, breaking the blond out of his musings. "Scared?"
He arched his back, revealing the many mouths on his body. "Or are you planning on how to save your friends?"
He didn't give Naruto a chance to answer as sand shuriken were spewed out of his mouth, crashing into the many limbs of trees, and forcing Naruto to get down onto his stomach. Naruto's eyes narrowed as the sand shuriken fell around him.
What is this feeling?
It was determination, determination to protect his friends, to prove this person wrong…
To win.
He would win this.
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"She's still not awake?"
"Yeah."
Naruto looked at Hinata's comatose form worriedly.
After a while, Sasuke had managed to bring both of them back from the forest. Naruto had healed up quickly, but Hinata…she had not awakened yet. The nurse said that her heart had suffered damage. Too much damage.
She had gone under cardiac arrest again. But unlike the time with Neji, she was not waking up.
Naruto sighed, and for once, Sasuke agreed with what he was feeling. The nurse said that the chance of immediate death had passed, but without a more talented medic, she was going to stay in that state for a long, long time.
They boys had visited her every day for an hour, hoping that maybe she would wake up on her own, but the heart monitor remained a steady, slow beat.
And Hinata remained asleep.
After a while, the boys had gotten up and left, opening the door to the most unexpected visitor they'd seen to visit Hinata yet.
"Neji Hyuga?" Naruto cried out incredulously. "What are you doing here?"
"Visiting Lady Hinata of course." He sniffed haughtily. "Can I not?"
"I thought you hated her," Sasuke said coolly. "Isn't that part of the reason why she's in the hospital?"
Neji bristled. "How dare–" He caught himself, taking a deep breath to calm down. "I actually came here to give her an apology."
He held out a scroll that neither Naruto or Sasuke saw him carrying.
Naruto eyed it curiously. He had known that he'd pulled out the stick shoved high up his ass, but the results were almost too good to be true.
Sasuke was less curious and more suspicious. He had not seen the match between Naruto and Neji, and, so, still thought that the boy had malicious intentions towards Hinata. But before he could say anything, Naruto suddenly grabbed his shirt, dragging him along.
"Hey, hey, loser!" Sasuke grappled at Naruto's hands. "Let me go, idiot!"
Naruto dragged him out of the hall before he let go. "Sorry about that."
"What was that for?" Sasuke asked, indignant.
"Well, you were going to ruin the cousin bonding time," Naruto said sagely. "I had to do something."
"Hinata's unconscious," Sasuke said flatly. "Or have you forgotten, genius?"
"Oh. And I was so excited."
"Tch."
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Naruto was sulking outside of the hospital when a hand landed on his shoulder. Jumping a little, he turned back to see the Great Toad Sage himself.
"Pervy Sage?" He asked, frowning a little. "What do you want?"
Jiraiya ignored the irritated tone of his student. "I need you to come with me to retrieve someone."
"Who?" Naruto inquired.
"Oh, a beautiful lady," Jiraiya said, eyes crossing a little as a blush flitted across his face. "A very beautiful lady. And so strong…" His face suddenly paled before he recovered his composure, coughing a little before turning back to Naruto. "Well?"
Naruto sighed. "Pervy Sage, I can't always run with you to do your…" He shivered a little. "...perverted things."
Jiraiya shrugged. "Oh well. I guess I'll go ask Sasuke–"
"WHAT?" Naruto immediately jumped up and down. "Oh no, I'm coming!" He ran in place a moment before going to his small studio apartment. "Wait one sec, I'll go get my stuff!"
Jiraiya smiled a little at the little orange blob fading in the distance.
The new age of Hokage has to start again.
Tsunade Senju…no more running.
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So Hinata's unconscious. Oh well. More of a reason for the Sannin to come back. Plot devices...*insert evil laugh*. Anyways, if you have any writing tips, please, REVIEW! (I'm in desperate need of some).