Haku cheering for her later was because they had all worked on strategy for their initial opponents together. Having known that the goal was humiliation, it was more entertainment for her and Naruto than watching a skilled fight between kunoichi.
Anyhow, here is chapter nineteen. I know some people will be upset because the Naruto/Gaara fight is so close to canon, but I had other parts I wanted to write and really couldn't think of the fight going much of a different way. I mean, come on, he's up against a released bijū. I think I made up for that in the other parts though...we'll see.
Gaara, in all his grotesque glory, leapt from his perch towards his prey. 'Soon mother, soon you will have blood.' He stalled slightly recalling an old memory of a time when someone else had the same expression on their face when protecting others again. Shaking the thought aside he was about to smack the girl away but was stopped as a foot implanted itself in the side of his face.
"I'm sorry Gaara-san, but as much as I despise these two I can't just let you kill them." Naruto said as he landed on a branch between Gaara and the other two genin.
"Hn, like I needed your help to beat him dobe. The Uchiha are the most powerfu..." Sasuke never got to finish as Naruto backhanded him away into the forest behind him.
"Hey! Don't you Hi...!" Then sent his faithful banshee sailing right behind him.
"Like I said, can't let you kill them, but you could have knocked them out. Such a pain in the ass..."
Meanwhile Gaara was watching the scene, not quite sure what to make of the boy in front of him. Normally people would run in fear from the sight of him. They would run even faster when they saw his sand come out, but when he started to transform they tended to become sniveling piles of flesh that he would feed to 'mother'. "You...entertain me greatly Uzumaki Naruto!" Gaara flung himself forward much faster than he had against the Uchiha, but apparently not fast enough as his target disappeared from sight, only to reappear with an ax kick to his head. Gaara plummeted through a couple branches before he was able to catch and right himself as he landed on the third one. Seething with anger and excitement he let some more sand slip out and cover the other half of his body.
"So this is how you transform..." Naruto looked on curiously as bumps formed all over the surface of Gaara's new body.
"Suna Shuriken!" Gaara watched Naruto's eyes widen a bit as the sand projectiles shot out. There were far too many over too large of an area to dodge. To his annoyance though Naruto did manage to dodge all but three hits, and even those were negligible. "Mother is getting impatient Uzumaki Naruto. She wants to taste your BLOOD!" Another round of projectiles shot out, but the blond was prepared this time and those that he couldn't block were sliced from the air.
"Gaara-san if you don't calm down you are going to make me have to get serious..."
"Come Uzumaki. Let us prove our existence against one another!" Gaara shot out at the boy who simply jumped over the charge. "Stop dodging Uzumaki! Stop running like a coward and face me!."
Naruto ignored the other jinchūriki for a minute in favor of another task. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" In a small puff of smoke two little toads appeared.
"Heya Naruto. What's up?" Gamakichi looked around a little before laying eyes on Gaara. "Umm...Sorry boss but I think I'll sit this one out."
"Oh can it Gamakichi. Take Gamatatsu and head over in that direction. You'll find two Konoha-nin, probably unconscious. Do what you can to wake them up and get them out of here, got it?"
"Can I have some candy?" The lighter of the two toads asked, completely ignorant of the situation. Ok, not completely, he saw Gaara and waved to him with a happy smile while Gamakichi slapped his forehead.
"Maybe if you get them both to go back to Konoha. Now go!" Naruto quickly tossed them away as Gaara came sailing toward him again. "Sorry for the interruption, but I'm not letting that Uchiha prick die from our fight. I want to knock him down myself. Now where were we?" Naruto crossed his fingers and surrounded himself with clones as Gaara prepared another charge. When the Suna-genin threw himself forward once more, Naruto spread out his copies and rushed rushed in to meet him. As the huge sand arm swung his way he jumped to the left receiving a boost from the clone there just as a tail pierced through it's chest, dispelling it. The other clawed arm attempted to grab him out of the air, but again he rebounded off a clone that was there. This continued for around half a minute before Gaara got bored and began to suck air into himself with the many mouths that opened all over his body.
"Fūton: Mugen Sajin Daitoppa!" A ferocious wind ripped through the trees causing all of the clone to instantly disperse and Naruto to fly away from his target and into a tree.
"Ok. That one hurt." The blond rubbed what he could reach of his back in an effort to lessen the pain. "But at least I can get my payback!" Making a ram seal Naruto watched in satisfaction as the seals he placed on Gaara during their little dance glowed brightly just before clouds of dust from the explosions hid him from view.
As the dust settled, Gaara stood distorted and looked to be melting with how his sand was sliding from his body. 'H-how...how could he know to hit where my sand armor is the thinnest...?' With some difficulty he glared at his nemesis, but the effect was greatly lessened by the fact that only one of his eyes was visible and that one was half covered by sand.
'I thought the Uchiha was doing well against Gaara, but this guy doesn't even seem fazed by the killing intent that's blasting the area. Hell I'm all the way over here and even I'm shaking.' Temari thought as she watched the battle unfold. A rustle sounded in the bushes behind here and she barely registered it, but was able to turn around to see a small pug dog sitting there with it's paw raised.
"Yo." Pakkun said as the girl turned to him. "I'm assuming you're Temari. Naruto asked me to get you away from here. He said it's going to get dangerous, and judging by what I've seen so far I would have to agree."
Temari was startled at hearing the dog talk, but she had heard other animals talk before so she shrugged it off. "I can't leave my brother. I can't just run away and let him die." She turned back to the battle in time to see Naruto create an army of shadow clones and begin to completely demolish Gaara. She sat there with her jaw on the ground as Gaara fell through the trees and smashed into the forest floor, shaking the earth around them. They sat there and watched as neither fighter moved for a few minutes, but that quickly ended with a huge spike of chakra. Temari fell flat on her ass and even Pakkun backed up a bit.
"Temari-san I suggest we leave now! This is getting ugly quick!" The girl nodded dumbly, but didn't move until he bit her on the wrist and started to forcefully drag her away. It didn't take much to motivate her though. As soon as she turned her head away from the scene she quickly set to the trees, intent on gaining as much distance between herself and the battle as she could. Pakkun just went along for the ride as he was still attached to her wrist.
Naruto felt the chakra spike, but was a little to late to avoid the sand that screwed itself through all of his clones as he was once again thrown backwards. When he looked up towards the canopy through the curtain of bloody hair that now draped over his eye he saw a giant sand creation. "Shit..." His thoughts were broken as he felt something gathering around his feet. He shot up just in time to avoid a tendril of sand that was about to snake around him, landing on the next branch up. He was force to jump again though as the sand followed him and more tendrils joined the first. "This just keeps getting better!" He yelled out angrily as he ran through the forest at the base of the giant Tanuki while he thought of a strategy. 'So, this is the Ichibi? Uses sand obviously, and wind...Fire could work well against it, but with his size it'd have to be really hot and really big. Plus, it would incinerate the host too...I can't do that to Gaara even if he is a little insane. It wouldn't be right, like killing myself. Water might work though...either way I have to wear it down.' His thoughts were broken as he heard a very loud, high pitched scream.
"YATTA! I'm free! Finally I can destroy things again!"
"Not good...Bunta!" Wiping some blood off of his face Naruto gathered his chakra and slammed his palm into a tree he was about to pass. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" With a huge cloud of smoke that quickly blew away in the wind, Naruto now stood atop the boss toad Gamabunta once more.
"What?! Kid why'd you summon me?" The toad looked around a couple times before spotting Shukaku. "...I see."
"I found something I want to kill! Fūton: Renkūdan!" the Tanuki's stomach bulged grotesquely before it shot out two orbs of condensed wind. Gamabunta responded by jumping out of the way. "Haha Got you now! Fūton: Renkūdan!" Two more bullets shot out towards the giant amphibian.
"Kid you better think of something to do quick. We're not going to be able to keep this up forever. I may be a strong summon, but this is a bijū! Sūiton: Teppōdama!" The toad boss shot out his own attack and two orbs of water met the Ichibi's attack halfway, exploding in a shower and soaking the forest around them.
"He used some technique to give Shukaku control. I was too busy dodging for my life to see what it was, any ideas?" Naruto called out over the roar that Tanuki gave in frustration.
"Tanuki Neiri no Jutsu..." He growled out. "The host forces himself asleep allowing the beast inside to take control. We need to wake the host on his head, but getting close is going to be tough...Hang on kid!" As soon as they hit the ground they leapt forward as Gamabunta unsheathed his blade. "Gamadosuzan!" Slicing was heard as the sound of metal through stone. As they settled on the other side Shukaku's arm fell from it's body and disintegrated into the forest. "Damn I was hoping to end it with that, but he's too dense. Kid, were going to have to try to wake up the medium."
"That hurt! I'll get you back for that! Renkūdan!" Naruto and Gamabunta were forced to dodge to the side before shooting in as the toad tried to grab onto the sand behemoth. Shukaku just took a half step backwards, making his assailant slide off before hopping away.
"Shit I can't grab a hold of him. Kid! We're going to have to get creative! We'll use a Konbi Henge to transform me, but...I'm not that good with hand seals so you're going to have to do the seals and think of a form, something with claws and teeth would be good. I'll provide the chakra, get ready." They were forced to dodge another barrage of air bullets before they started to charge in. "Now!"
"Henge!" A huge puff of smoke shot out from the two, covering what they did until the modified Gamabunta shot out as none other than the Kyūbi.
'Heh nice one kid.'The toad thought as he rushed forward, but once again had to dodge as another shot of air came at them. Gathering some trees in his new tails he jumped at the Ichibi, who reacted with another volley off attacks. Gamabunta tossed the trees in the path of the attack causing them to explode in a shower of sawdust as he dove right through. It was too close for the Tanuki to dodge and he latched onto the sandy form, biting into it in order to keep his grip. "MAO SHID!" (NOW KID!)
Channeling a bit of chakra to his feet for the jump, Naruto leapt over to the Ichibi's head and landed on it's snout. As he started to run towards the sleeping form of Gaara though he found himself quickly sinking into the soft sand beneath him. "Shit!" He couldn't go forwards or back now. 'I know I really don't like this, but I don't have much of a choice. Fox! Time to pay rent!' With a burst of orange chakra the sand around Naruto's ankles was blasted away and he was able to make it a few more feet before more sand was able to stop his progress again. Thinking quickly now that his trump card failed, he took out one of his scrolls and flung it at the other boy's forehead. "Wake up you stupid prick!" The scroll bounced right off Gaara's forehead and an inhuman scream sounded through the area.
"NOO! I JUST GOT FREE. I HATE YOU! HATE YOU! HAAATE YOOOU!" The screaming was cut off though as the sand beneath Naruto and a slowly waking Gaara began to crack and crumble.
Naruto slightly registered Gamabunta telling him that he was too low on chakra to stick around, but when he disappeared the sudden rush of air blasted away a portion of the now soulless sand causing the entire structure to come crashing down. The two jinchūriki plummeted to the treetops, landing on the top of adjacent branches as they looked across at each other. "It's over Gaara...give up..."
"Why, why are you so...strong Uzumaki? You who are like me. I will not die here...I will prove my existence!" Forcing himself to stand Gaara shakily gained his balance on the branch as he looked over at Naruto who looked only slightly beaten, but was panting as well. At an unseen signal they both leapt towards each other, clashing in midair. It was Naruto though who was able to get the final hit as he swung his fist into Gaara's jaw. It wasn't really the smartest move though as the force stalled both of them and they continued their decent to the forest floor, hitting numerous branched on the way down. With a loud thud they slammed into the ground. After the pain and disorientation settled a bit they looked at each other. To Gaara's horror Naruto began to stand a bit shakily and lurch towards him. "S-stay away. My existence will not end here!"
"It's lonely Gaara...I know, but you have to find those who will protect you, and that you can protect in turn. People that will stand beside you no matter what. Those are the ones that will save you from your hell. Find them." Naruto shifted forward once more. "But if you try to take my precious people away, I will stop you, I will hunt you with every fiber of my being and I will destroy you." As he went to shift again three thuds hit around them. The only ones he could distinguish the owners of were the two nearest Gaara.
Temari and Kankurō landed next to him and dragged him to their shoulders. "Uchiha-san we ask that you let us leave in peace. This fight is over for both our sides." Temari looked to be glaring over at the person that landed closest to Naruto.
"Hmph like I care. I just came for this!" Naruto felt something get tugged from his back and was instantly furious, but he was too tired to do anything. Even so he managed to turn on his heel and glare at Sasuke.
"Teme that is my sword. If you plan on stealing it from me you better be ready for the consequences."
"Heh dobe, I don't plan on just stealing it from you." Sasuke unsheathed the blade from it's sheath. "I plan on killing you with it and blaming it on them." Quicker than they all thought he could move in his state, Sasuke shot forward and aimed a strike for Naruto's neck. Everyone's eyes went wide, but a blond and purple blur shot forward and a clang of metal was heard along with the slicing of flesh.
Naruto looked down at his chest to see his own blade sticking out of it. It didn't register at first, then he felt something coming up his throat and he started to vomit...blood. "T-teme..." Slowly he collapsed forward to his knees, then to his side as he hit the ground. No one moved an inch, until an insane laughter sounded through the trees.
"And that's why you are the dobe! Never cross and Uchiha!" Sasuke then turned to the reason why he had missed his original target. "If you ever interfere with my business again bitch I'll do the same to you, after I make you moan my name and beg me to make you mine." Another clang of metal was heard as Temari shot her fan out and knocked the boy into a tree nearby. She advanced on him but was forced to stop and block as a pink haired kunoichi came up behind her and tried to slice open her back with the same sword that had been sticking through Naruto a moment before.
"You would dare try to attack me from behind you little..."
"Temari! We have to get out of here. I can sense some more of them coming. We can't be here when they show up." Kankurō yelled over to her with urgency.
The girl glared at her target before pushing her away harshly. She hurried back to her siblings, but not without a quick glance to Naruto. 'Good he's still breathing. If they get here soon...' She turned to look back at the other girl who was now tending to the Uchiha. It was obvious who her concern was for, but at least she wasn't going to outright kill her fellow blond before the other Konoha-nin could arrive. Joining her siblings they quickly leapt off into the trees and away from the battle scene.
"Temari...Kankurō..." Both of them looked at their brother a bit shocked. "I'm sorry..."
"...Uh. I-it's ok Gaara..." It was a small exchange but it was a start. Not knowing how to react though they continued on in silence.
Back with Naruto, he could barely feel as his body was unceremoniously shuffled around as his things were taken from him. He couldn't believe the nerve of whoever it was, though he guessed it was Sakura. That thought was confirmed as he was kicked in the side, which was a lot softer than what the teme could have managed. When he gave no response the girl must have thought him dead as he heard her scuffle off towards another area nearby, cooing soft words to her Sasuke-kun. It was the last thing he heard before he passed out.
Sakura was brought out of her comforting when a group of ANBU along with Asuma landed nearby. Most of the ANBU went directly for the downed Uchiha while Asuma and another couple headed for Naruto.
"What happened here?" Asuma asked.
"That Suna genin Gaara turned into this monster, then a huge raccoon...thing, but we're safe now thanks to Sasuke-kun. He saved us all from that thing!" Sakura laid the praise on thick, not even bothering to incorporate the other Konoha genin's fight. Nor the fact that he had been the one to fight and ultimately defeat the Tanuki.
"What about Naruto?"
"Pft, as if that loser could do anything. He deserves what he got for getting in Sasuke-kun's way." The pinkette scoffed at the boy, but refrained from the urge to spit at him.
Asuma on the other hand sensed something wrong, but put it to the back of his head as he looked over at the ANBU tending to Naruto when they called out to him. "He's alive...but in bad shape. Looks like he got stabbed by a sword or something here in his stomach. He needs medical attention."
"Alright. You two get him to the hospital as soon as you can. We'll tend to the others here."
"What about Sasuke-kun! You need to get him back fast, he could be seriously hurt. What if he dies!" Screeched Sakura causing more than one ear to bleed.
"The Uchiha will be fine. He looks to have, at worst, a concussion. He'll wake up soon enough and we'll walk back. Now gather your things and get ready to move out." Asuma ordered
"They aren't my things, they're Sasuke-kun's. He earned them!"
At this point the smoking man was too annoyed to argue. "Whatever just pick them up and get ready to go." He watched as the girl huffed and mumbled about how the boy would show them all one day and they would learn to respect those with power.
• • •
Genma was having a tough time dodging Baki's seemingly endless wind jutsu as they battled it out on the arena floor. "It's a good thing you have bed aim Suna trash, otherwise this might have been a challenge."
"So says the Konoha scum who hasn't landed a single hit." It was the truth. While Genma hadn't hit Baki a single time, the Suna jōnin managed to scrape him a couple times with his wind blades.
"That may be true, but my body count is still higher. At least I don't need fodder to come and block attacks on me." Suna chūnin bodies littered the ground around them. The reason Baki was so unharmed was because of the number of ninja he had ordered to assist him, only for Genma to make quick work of them.
"Che, like I needed them. Fūton: Hisan Kaze!" A gust of wind shot from Baki again, forcing Genma to jump to avoid it. The Suna jōnin smirked at his fortune. "Now die! Kaze no Yaiba!" The wind blades shot out towards the air-born proctor as he looked on with glee.
His celebration was short lived however. As the blades hit Genma he burst into smoke revealing the body of one of the fallen Suna chūnin. Baki cursed as he searched the area for his target frantically. "Hagane no Arare." The sound of Genma's voice made Baki shoot his head up towards the wall of the stadium where he saw the man perched on the side. His attention was drawn more to the massive raid of senbon that was now headed his way however as he tried to dodge the area attack. Even with his speed and armor, the needles turned out to be just too dense and he was struck in the leg shoulder and back. To his credit though, only getting hit a few times in such an attack is a testament to his skill.
"Sneaky little bastard! A Konoha brat like you would use such an underhanded attack." Baki tried to move his arm to form another jutsu, but to his horror the senbon in his shoulder seemed to have pinched a nerve causing his whole left arm to go numb.
"We're not saints Baki, we're ninja. Maybe if you went into this fight realizing that you wouldn't have been caught off guard so easily." Genma hopped to the arena floor to face his opponent once again.
"Che I don't have time for this!" Using his good arm, The Suna jōnin reached into his vest and threw a few smoke bombs down at his feet.
Genma got ready for the attack, but it never came. 'Che, coward. All that noise just to run away. Oh well. Looks like there is still plenty of game to be had.' The fight now over, he leapt to the stands and searched for his next target.
• • •
"Sandaime-sama! Shodai-sama and Nidaime-sama are not getting back up. It seems that since those seals never entered them that the technique never completed." One of the two still living ANBU stated as he joined Sarutobi's side from the forest that now sprouted from the roof of the Kage box. "All that's left is Orochimaru and the four maintaining this barrier."
The Sandaime sighed. "Good job. Now stay back and try to do something about this barrier. I'll take Orochimaru..." 'Like I should have all those years ago...' The old man got into a fighting stance as the snake sannin started laughing.
"You seem to be breathing rather heavily...sensei. That's why you will whither and eventually die, but I won't let myself succumb to the same fate. You see I will never grow old and die like all the feeble fools around me." Orochimaru grinned evilly.
"Y-you didn't. You've completed that jutsu haven't you?" The Sandaime's eyes were wide as he thought through the implications of what his former student had done.
The sannin simply reached up and...peeled his face away, revealing the face of a young female before 'he' began to laugh hysterically. "You see sensei, While everyone around me will grow old and die. I will simply hop around to the most convenient body."
The Hokage was sickened. "...How many innocents have you taken..."
"This is my third body, and I've already taken steps to acquire my next body. One that will allow me to further my goals of learning every jutsu with unsurpassed ease."
"Uchiha...Sasuke..." He watched the man smile in confirmation. "He is a shinobi of Konoha. I won't let you take him!"
"Ku Ku Ku...It's not your choice. The boy will come to me to seek the power he craves. Power that you cannot give him."
"As long as I stop you here you won't be there for him to go to. Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" The old man quickly summoned his old, faithful ally. The monkey king Enma. "Enma, I will need your help with this brat. Please transform into Kongōnyoi!"
The elder monkey looked towards there opponent. Obvious distaste showing on his face. "So the time has finally come, Orochimaru. This would have been much easier had we taken care of him back then Sarutobi..."
"A man and his monkey, how exciting this fight is becoming." Though still annoyed that his Edo Tensei had failed, Orochimaru was still confident in his ability to overcome his one time sensei. After all He had a fresh young body to pit against the miserable old man. As the monkey transformed into the diamond staff that Hiruzen now swung around, the snake brought out his Kusanagi sword. It may not be able to cut through Kongōnyoi, but all he needed to do was get around the staff and cut the old man holding it. With Kusanagi's poisons, even a shallow wound would fester enough to distract an opponent enough to deal a killing blow. "Let's see how well the monkey can dodge the snake..." With that he charged and the battle began anew.
Strike after strike was dodged, blocked or parried. Everyone was deadly accurate for both sides, but with the experience both had it was near impossible to land any hits. It was the Sandaime who broke the repetition though as his staff shot out and slammed into his opponent's wrist. Luckily for his target it wasn't the one that was holding the sword, but that didn't make it hurt any less as the bones snapped, causing him to wince. The Hokage was soon on the defensive again though as Orochimaru gained a new fervor from the hit. The swipes began to close in closer until he jumped back in order to get some valuable distance. This seemed to be a mistake though as the sannin shot his arm out.
"Sen'eijashu!" Snakes sprang out from the man's sleeve and headed straight for Hiruzen, who batted them aside furiously, trying in vane to push the tide of scales away. To his merit only a couple got through, but it was enough to leave some nasty bite marks on his arms causing the muscles to spasm and the staff to clatter to the ground. "It seems you're slowing down old man. Nothing I wouldn't expect from someone who has aged so much." Orochimaru burst through the snake corpses now littering the roof, intent on ending the fight against the defenseless Kage. His blade was blocked once again as the forgotten staff turned back into Enma as he grabbed the sannin.
"You're not going anywhere snake." The monkey growled as he held the man by his sword arm. "Now Hiruzen! End this!"
Orochimaru struggled in the great ape's grasp. "Let me go you failure of a summon! I will end this today!" Sarutobi slowly, shakily got up from the ground. Glaring at his ex-student through half-lidded eyes he began a set of hand seals. About halfway through Orochimaru made a desperate move and with a flick of his wrist, Kusanagi flew towards the aged Kage. With Enma's grip on his arm though his aim was off, and instead of hitting him in the heart the sword only impaled him in the stomach.
"Foolish student, look around you. The village will not fall because the will of fire burns to brightly in all of its inhabitants. Your plan here has failed, now burn away and leave this world in peace. Katon: Karyū Endan!" A white hot stream of fire blew out towards the sannin as he struggled in Enma's grasp. At the last second, the monkey king pushed him to throw off his balance before leaping away.
Orochimaru was able to follow suit after regaining his balance, but not without a cost. As the flames got close he threw his arms in front of him to guard as he jumped as fast as he could. As the jutsu ended he let his arms fall limp from the pain that now coursed through them from the intense heat of the fire. Blackened skin flaked off revealing that even the flesh underneath was well cooked. "Damn you you old bastard! You'll die for that!" With the slightest movement he could make with his fingers he activated one of the abilities of Kusanagi and forced the sword from Sarutobi's stomach, causing the man to grunt and fall to his knees. With the last of the feeling in his arms fading he shot his fingers forward once more he made to pierce the man's heart this time, but was once again thwarted when Enma jumped in front of the blade, taking a hit for the old man. "Damn you monkey!" Orochimaru could only yell his curses as the feeling in his arms left him completely. Moving to finish the pair off with his feet if he had to, he snarled as the two ANBU reappeared beside them.
"Hokage-sama!" One of the two knelt down to check on his leader while the other stood at the ready. "He's poisoned. I-I don't know how bad, but we need to get him help soon." Two Naruto clones landed next to the ANBU and took up ready stances as well.
"Hey Hebi-teme. I want to thank you for the opportunity to study you unique seals." One of the Naruto clones grinned at the sannin across from him as the man looked on slightly confused. "You really should take some more lessons though. You made a lot of basic mistakes. Here let me show you one. A little payback from the poor souls you used for your little ritual, and punishment for trying to do the same to Kin-chan. BOOM!" The clones made tiger seals as each activated the seal arrays on two of the coffins that Orochimaru had landed near. Without warning, both of them exploded in a shower of smoke and splinters as a shape shot out away from the Konoha group.
The sannin was even more furious now, but couldn't think straight through the amount of pain he was feeling now. Not only were his arms burnt beyond recognition, but he also had numerous spikes of wood sticking out of random points in his body. 'So it was that kid that messed with my seals. To do that with so little time though...I haven't seen skill like that since Minato. I swear you will die soon enough brat.' He snarled as he took in the scene before him.
The two clones took up ready positions once again, prepared for anything the snake might try. They flanked the ANBU captain as his subordinate took care of the Hokage. They still had numbers on their side, and they would do their best to keep him away from his target.
Orochimaru knew his time was up. The two downed opponents would have been easy, but with the two ANBU now present, and the troublesome clones of the blond brat...Even he knew when to withdraw. "It's over. We're leaving!" At the sound of his command the four that were sustaining the barrier nodded, slightly surprised, and let it fall as they rushed to their leader's side. "Get my sword and let's go. Don't try to engage them. Konoha's ANBU are that rank for a reason." Two of his subordinates grabbed him and started jumping away while the female of the group picked up the sword and followed leaving the odd man with multiple arms covering their escape.
Since the barrier was now down more ANBU swarmed in, some of which attempted to chase after the fleeing traitor, but were stopped as a thick webbing shot out and ensnared them, followed by a spread of golden kunai. They were left only ensnared though as two puffs of smoke signaled that they were saved by someone they hadn't expected. Both Naruto clones had attempted to pursue as well, but chose to sacrifice themselves for their comrades rather then attempt to fight four possibly high ranked ninja and their mostly disabled leader.
The ANBU with the Hokage were a different story though as they did their best to patch up the old man. He was fading fast and they did what they could to stabilize him before rushing him towards the hospital. They all knew what had happened by now, and the outlook was grim. They could only pray that it looked worse than it was.
• • •
Elsewhere in Hi no Kuni:
Three Suna genin were making tracks for the boarder as fast as they could with one supported on the others' shoulders. All they wanted to do at this point was to get home and rest after their long fights. Temari was still the worst of the three. She remained bruised slightly from her encounter with the Uchiha along with a couple new ones from being a little too close to the final battle between her brother and Naruto. 'Why did I help him? Was it to repay him for helping me, or just because I found it wrong that that black haired bastard would do such a thing or just because he reminds me of Gaara? ARGH! Not the time to worry about this Temari. Time to get back to Suna.' She looked over at her youngest brother and couldn't help the smile that started to cross her lips. 'Then again, at least something good came from his loss. Maybe...maybe we can remake those bonds we should have always had.'
On the other side of the jinchūriki, Kankurō was lost in his own thoughts. 'We did research on the Aburame dammit. Nothing mentioned that they would be that strong or that they used traps. They were supposed to only use their damn bugs and that's it. If he would have followed that information at least I would still have karasu...Aburame Shino...At least I hit you once, that's all that I needed even if you did blow up my puppet. Though I do wish we could have met again later.'
Between the two Gaara was completely silent. Alien thoughts entered his mind and he was having difficulty sorting them out. 'Uzumaki Naruto...If they hadn't shown up it would have been your existence that was proven this day. Am I weak? No...you were just stronger. What was it that made you so strong? You said it was you precious people that you wanted to protect, but who are they and why would you go so far for them? Uchiha Sasuke...He was supposed to be your comrade, but he attacked you instead of us...Why?' He shifted his gaze to the left and right slightly. 'Perhaps I will try your method...perhaps I will try to let people close...one more time.'
"Where do you three think you're going!" The trio of genin stopped suddenly and whipped around in a defensive stance as best as they could manage. They came face to face with one person they really didn't want to see right now.
"Baki-sensei. We are disengaging due to Gaara's extreme exhaustion and me having no adequate weapon since karasu was destroyed. Without them, our part in this invasion is finished. We're going back to Suna."
"I think not. Kankurō, take Gaara back to Suna. Temari, you still have your fan. Come, we're going back to help the others." Baki leered at the teen as she started to back away.
"Baki...Why are you here?" The sound of Gaara's voice shocked the other three.
"To...to make sure you three are doing your jobs. If we don't all do our jobs we aren't going to win this fight!"
"Baki, we are a long way from the fight. Why are you here."
"I am your leader. You dare question my orders?"
"Baki...mother smells... your blood." This made all of them step back in fright, but none more than Baki himself.
"S...Stay back you brat. We have a war to win and this is the best action! Let's go Temari!"
"Mother says you're lying. We can smell your 'heat' from here. Baki you have hounded my sister far too long, but that doesn't matter anymore." Gaara wound one hand up into a half ram seal and it was only then that Baki realized that he was standing on a sand pocket. It was too late for him to react though as the sand spun up around his body. Unfortunately Gaara was only able to cover up to the middle of his chest due to his low chakra supply. "Baki, if you live through this, give my regards to the Konoha interrogation department. Suna Gōmongu." They all heard Baki's scream as they stood there transfixed by the jutsu. The man that had been such a pain during their entire stay in Konoha was now emptying his lungs as blood began to spill out over the rim of the sand.
It only took a couple minutes for the jutsu to cause the jōnin to pass out. The Suna siblings looked towards their brother to find him nearly gasping for air as he glared at their sensei. As his sand began to fall away, they were able to see the damage he wrought upon the man, making them turn from the sight as each hole was displayed. The holes were spread out only a few inches in places and it was obvious that they were meant to cause pain.
Their wonderment stopped though as Gaara dropped to a knee. Temari was at his side in an instant to catch him before he fell the rest of the way. "Gaara!"
"Protecting our precious people...That is what Uzumaki said would make us...strong." In his fading consciousness, the last thing Gaara felt were two arms wrapping around him. His first hug in more years than he could remember. It felt...nice
• • •
Dripping water greeted him as he slowly awoke. Opening his eyes he found himself in a dark tunnel. 'Great, not only do they stab me when I'm down and steal my possessions, but they also went so far as to dump me in a sewer. I feel so loved right now.' Naruto groaned as he slowly got to his feet, using the wall for support. Checking himself over he saw that he was actually in pretty decent shape physically. 'Guess the fox is keeping up his whole survival deal. At least some good comes from him. Well no point in standing around, better find my way out of this dump.' Slowly he trudged through the shin deep waterways until he heard what sounded like...breathing? Following the sound he soon came upon a large gate in an even larger cave-like room in the sewer. As he took in the massive structure in front of him he noticed the seal paper in the center and wondered what it could be for. He only got a moment to study though before two giant red eyes slowly opened and stared down at him.
"So the boy finally decides to show himself...You're lucky those ANBU came when they did, otherwise we would be dead." The eyes moved forward revealing a massive body of red fur that seemed to glow as the dim light that seemed to emanate from the walls hit it.
"Y-you're the Kyūbi...!" Naruto's eyes widened in realization. Then took on a look of confusion. "But if you're here...then where exactly are we...?"
"Inside your mind child. I must admit, I'm impressed that you're not cowering in fear right now. Would you mind telling me why that is?" The large being boomed out.
"Well, I'm pretty close to a hallway that I'm rather certain you couldn't fit down for one. You also seem to be somewhat stuck behind a large impenetrable object. Aside from that you...intrigue me." Naruto took on a calculating gaze as he took in more of the fox's features. From his elongated ears to his nine flowing tails not a hair seemed out of place. "You seem rather well kept for a demon fox you know."
Kyūbi chuckled a bit as he took to his haunches. "Boy, do you not realize with whom you speak? I am the lord of all demons, the Kyūbi no Yoko. I am nobility in its highest regard, short of Kami-sama. Do you not think it appropriate that I keep myself looking as such?"
"Hey, I'm just going by what I was taught about you. The pictures we've seen aren't exactly...pleasant. Nor were my encounters with other bijū. Considering I just finished fighting one that seemed rather insane...I would have to lean on the side of the textbooks for descriptions so far."
"Yes, the Ichibi, Shukaku. I watched your fighting, quite impressive for a human. Shukaku however...unnerves me. Something must be wrong with his jinchūriki in order to cause him to behave that way. If you see him again, try to find out what is going on. Aside from that I will also let you know that I am impressed with how you have lead your life. Hiding your true intentions in order to benefit the greater scheme...However, I want you to stop that pitiful act all together. You hold in you the Kyūbi! Lord of all demons. I will not have a weak vessel, and while I am pleased with your current abilities I will not be satisfied until you have surpassed all and have risen to the top. Now leave me we will discuss more on this matter later. You have business outside, such as getting our possessions back from that conceited Uchiha." With a flaring of chakra the giant fox pushed Naruto back into the land of consciousness. 'Do not disappoint me Naruto. You have no idea of the destiny you possess.'Once again Kyūbi shrank back into the shadows and closed his eyes, contemplating his next move.
• • •
Beeping and white was what met Naruto as he woke from his slumber. A dull ache was all that remained in his chest from his injuries. The room itself almost blinded him as he tried to get used to the brightness. Scents assaulted his nose in a violent yet familiar mixture. 'It smells like...home.' Lazily he let his head fall to its side as he looked towards the window only to find his vision obscured by two heads, one blond, one brunette. 'Ino...Haku.' He smiled at their sleeping faces before turning his head towards the door. 'Hinata, Kin...Tenten?' The last was confusing, but he was still touched that so many had come to see him. He made to move but in doing so let a groan of discomfort slip. It might as well have been a cannon going off for how quickly the surrounding kunoichi shot up.
"Naruto-kun!" Shouted three of the girls.
"Naruto-sama!" Came Kin's voice.
"Oh hiya Naruto." Tenten said with a smile and a wave.
"Ugh...H-how long...was I out?" He managed to mumble.
"Almost two days." Said another voice from across the room. "Quite the feat considering how worn down you were, not to mention that hole you had in your stomach."
Naruto looked over to see Kakashi leaning in a corner reading one of his books and ignoring the glares of the females in the room. "Kakashi? ...What are you doing here? I would have thought you'd be with your team..."
"Sasuke got away with minor chakra exhaustion and was released yesterday, despite the orders for the doctors to notify a ninja when he was awake. Sakura was just sparsely bruised and didn't even need to be here, but chose to stay with Sasuke. Shino was poisoned, but his father took care of it on the field. Shibi was rather impressed when he saw the remains of a puppet scattered around the area. I think you may have a client. Kiba was with the others that failed during the preliminaries and they were pretty well guarded. He still managed to get his first kill and keep fighting. Typical of an inexperienced Inuzuka to fight blindly. He's lucky he was able to limp away with a sprained ankle and a couple kunai jabbed into his arm, in addition to his previous injuries. He'll be in here for a couple more days for observation just in case the kunai were poisoned."
He flipped his book closed and put it away before coming closer. "Naruto...The Sandaime fought Orochimaru...even with your help in getting some ANBU in he was still cut pretty badly by Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword...It was emitting poison and we can't really fight it with what we have available to us. Naruto, he stands a good chance at dying." Kakashi expected the boy to cry out, tell him he was lying, run out of the room screaming to see the Hokage. Instead what he got was cold, heavy silence.
Naruto drooped his head. He didn't want to believe it. His surrogate grandfather was...dying...No, he wasn't dead yet. He was still fighting. As long as he fought Naruto would not give up. He let his head hang a second longer to gather his strength then looked at the jōnin with as much determination as he could. "Tell me what I need to do." A simple phrase, but the determination caught the room off guard.
"What?"
"I will save him. Tell me what he needs and I'll get it."
"Naruto I..."
"TELL ME!" The fury behind his voice shook the walls of the room causing the closest nurses to rush in to see what was wrong. They were quickly shooed away however by Kakashi while the five girls tried to compose themselves.
"Naruto, this isn't as simple as going out and finding some medicine. The Kusanagi's poisons are unique to the sword. They change themselves, frequently, just about every time it kills. It's almost impossible to find a cure. We're already having a hard enough time just keeping it from spreading too fast...We've already had to amputate his arm..." The grey haired ninja lowered his head.
"There is one person who could help..." A new voice sprang from the windowsill as all heads snapped in that direction.
"Ero-Sennin..Tell me..." The pleading in his eyes spoke volumes of the meaning the old man had to him. Possibly even more meaning than the man had to his own students.
Jiraiya scratched his nose. "...My old teammate. Tsunade."
Naruto wracked his brain for a second 'Tsunade the legendary healer. Best at her craft, but no longer in Konoha...' He looked at the man. "I'll do it. I'll find her and drag her back here by her hair if I have to."
"Don't worry you won't be going alone. I'll be going along since I have a task that involves her as well. I've been ordered to find her and bring her back here." The sannin said, though he seemed a bit reluctant, and his fears were confirmed when he saw Naruto's eyebrow twitch.
"You were ordered? By who? With the Hokage out of commission who would have the power to...The council, but it's ninja only now isn't it?"
"There's an old by-law that states that if the current Hokage is temporarily unable to command in a time of crisis then the council is to act in his or her stead. There's a loophole though. It states that both sides of the council are supposed to take charge to ensure things run smoothly. With all of the commotion going on around the village there was only one shinobi representative in the council chamber at the appointed time when the Daimyo came to help restore order..They decided that it would be in the best interest of the village to have experienced council members reinstated. Naruto...The whole civilian council is back and they seem to be out for blood, yours. That's why these lovely ladies, Kakashi and myself took it upon ourselves to watch over you. Luckily after the clans got word that the civilian council was out they rushed to the chambers before too much damage could be done. The evidence against them for what they were arrested for though was destroyed by their order. Their pet projects paid for by Konoha money, personal purchases using what was meant for shinobi gear and many reports of muscling their way into the council seats through any means necessary. There wasn't a clean one in the bunch, but now they're all out free." As Kakashi spoke the room seemed to darken more and more as a heavy amount of killing intent laced the air.
"Naruto were going on this trip to find Tsunade to not only find her to help sensei, but to get you away from the council's grasp."
"Who was it that allowed this? What shinobi allowed those bastards loose?" Naruto's eyes narrowed as he glared between the two older men.
Jiraiya straightened up getting ready just in case the boy made a dash for his soon to be enemy. "Hyūga Hiashi."
"Then he will die." The girls gasped as the coldness in his voice.
"Maa, maa, Naruto. You can't just go out and kill a clan head." Kakashi tried to bring out a lighter mood, but it was clear this was no time for laughs.
"The bastard tried to take Hinata-chan away from me. He has been against my existence with every step I take. No, he won't die right now, but his life is forfeit by my hands, I swear it." Everyone looked at Hinata to gauge her reaction, but surprisingly she looked only slightly saddened. "Hinata-chan...I'm sorry, but I can't allow people to keep pushing me around like they used to."
"I-It's ok Naruto-kun. He is one half that created me, but he has never been a real father. I will feel sad that he's gone...I think...but if that is what it takes for us to be together in peace then I will accept it." Hinata lowered her head and let a single tear fall from her eye to the hand she clutched in her own.
"..." Naruto kissed Hinata on the crown of her head and whispered a few soothing words to her. The only reaction the others saw was the slight nod of her head before Naruto once again sat up. He looked around the room a bit and saw his clothes. He also saw that they lacked his equipment. Anger boiled anew and he didn't really need to asked the question since he already knew the answer, but he had to make sure. "Where is my gear?" Kakashi and Jiraiya pointed to the pile of clothes. "Yes, those are my clothes, where is my gear."
Jiraiya pulled out a scroll with a lone spiral seal on it. "This is the only thing, aside from you genin, that the ANBU team that picked you all up were able to find." Naruto shot out of bed, ignoring the slight vertigo, and snatched the scroll before grabbing his clothes and heading for the small bathroom. In minutes he was dressed and had joined them again.
"What are you planning Naruto?" Some of the girls, like Hinata, had been around him long enough to know something was wrong and he was in a hurry to fix it.
"I'm going to get my stuff back." Channeling his chakra into the spiral, he unsealed the scroll and quickly opened it to the first seal.
"Naruto if someone took your stuff then they are probably either long gone or guarding it well. You're going to need more than one scroll." Jiraiya said as his perch on the windowsill got noticeably smaller.
Naruto shifted his eyes over to the man. "For that teme and his bitch this is all I need." Everyone in the room saw Jiraiya's eyes widen as he saw whatever it was that Naruto held before the blond was nothing but a blur crossing the rooftops.
After a few seconds Jiraiya finally broke the silence. "...Well he seems in a hurry. I guess he knows who this teme is that took his stuff." He was roughly shoved aside once more as more bodies piled through the window. "Hey! What the hell!" the sannin's words fell on deaf ears though as the whole crew from the room bounded after the boy. "Man, no respect at all in the younger generations." He turned and followed the pursuit intent on knowing what was so damn important.
• • •
Naruto sped across town towards his estate. If he was lucky the teme hadn't found the key yet. As he got closer though his heart beat raced and a cold sweat developed on his brow. The gate was wide open and it looked like people were filing in. Thankfully nothing was coming out...yet. Within seconds the flow of people was cut off as a very pissed off jinchūriki landed in their midst. "Who the fuck do you people think you are!" Without so much as a hand signal there was a puff of smoke and Narutos covered the area. Civilians and shinobi alike were dragged away kicking and screaming like babies as the clones formed a perimeter around the property to catch anyone that might try to escape with anything of value. Meanwhile the real Naruto stomped inside and began unceremoniously knocking people out left and right. He may not have had any non lethal weapons, but he still had his bare hands...and his trump card. Once the front yard was cleared out he made his way inside.
Kakashi and the girls landed outside the Namikaze estate amongst the chaos and cursed. They tried to shout at Naruto before he entered the house, but he didn't acknowledge them as he slammed the door behind him. They would have followed but two obstacles stood in their way. The first was Naruto's clones who were firm in not letting anyone pass, even the girls. The second was that the gate was closed now. Meaning no entry without a poison needle taking them out. Reluctantly they delegated themselves to trying to organize the mob that had gathered, calling for the demon's head. They would have argued against them, but that was when the screams started.
Inside Naruto was horrified. People were rummaging through everything in the house, boxing or bagging it up as others were tallying what all was there. Anger raged inside of him as he slowly pulled his mothers sword from its scabbard. Everyone withing hearing distance stopped what they were doing and turned to the boy. Sadistic smiles plastered on their faces as they prodded him about finally releasing the Yondaime's possessions from the monster's grasp. This stopped however when Naruto slammed his hand on a seal near the door. Clicks were heard around the house as doors and windows locked. Shutters slammed shut, and in an instant the house was almost pitch black. "You think you can come into my house and take my things?"
"These are Yondaime-sama's belongings demon! We're taking them back from your clutches where they can find places with people who will appre..." The man's words were silenced as a dull wet thud sounded in the room.
"For the crimes of breaking and entering, burglary, vandalism, and breaking the Sandaime's law..." He readied his blade as chakra seemed to flow out of him causing a low red glow through the house. "...I sentence you to death." Before most of the people could blink half the room was now on the floor, lifeless or close to it. It wasn't so much an execution as a massacre as Naruto went room by room slaughtering and slicing anyone and everyone he came across with no exception and no remorse. Even those who pleaded for mercy and told him they'd never bother him again were coldly told they should have never started in the first place before they too joined those on the floor.
"Oh...shit..." Haku said
Kakashi and Jiraiya looked over to the ex-sound nin. "What is it Haku?"
"He activated the siege seals. It's over..." She tried to explain.
"Siege seals? What do you mean? What the hell is going on in there!" Jiraiya questioned further.
Hinata elaborated. "They completely seal up the house, both from outside attacks...and internal escapes."
"Judging by the amount of killing intent right now I would say that our house is no longer a residence right now, but an execution ground." At Haku's clarification many eyes got wide as they looked towards the house in terror. The screams now made sense and with each one the crowd flinched.
Straightening up to his full height Jiraiya turned to the crowd. "Just what the hell were you people thinking breaking into his house?! Now all those people inside are probably dead or about to be because of your ignorance!"
"B-but Jiraiya-sama. We were rescuing Yondaime-sama's property from the dem..." Just like those inside, the woman outside found herself staring at her own, now vacant, neck. The people around her flew back and screamed as blood sprayed the ground.
"Apparently, you all have forgotten the laws around this village. Naruto lawfully bought this property from the Hokage, which made it and everything in it his. Not Yondaime-sama's, but Uzumaki Naruto's. That means anyone that he catches trying to get into his house and take things without his explicit permission he can lawfully execute without punishment. I hope for your sakes you don't have many friends or family in there, because as of now their lives are forfeit." At his word people started to frantically look around for their loved ones that had come with them. Screams of terror outside now matched those inside as people realized that the family and friends they had thought to bring along would never again be seen alive. They begged the jōnin and sannin as well as the gathering ANBU to save their loved ones, but all they got in return from at least the two unmasked men were harsh glares while the ANBU stood by helplessly.
Finishing the upstairs, Naruto made his way back downstairs to cover the last two rooms. The halls were crowded now as bodies littered the floor, but he managed to find himself outside his office. Slowly he opened the door and took a precautionary peak inside. The room was in disarray as papers seemed to have been tossed everywhere. The cabinets were all open and their contents spilled out across the floor. He could see fragments from the pot that concealed the entrance to the hidden room laying about. Chancing the loss of surprise he open the door a little further and was enraged to see four very recognizable ninja garbed like ANBU huddled in the corner where the pot once stood. They looked to be laying out an array of explosive notes on the floor that he knew all to well what their purpose was.
Cautiously he stepped into the room and hid himself on one side of the desk just as one of the ROOT shinobi checked the room. "Hurry up. I just got a bad feeling."
"Oh can it. Just because those moronic civilians are celebrating the 'saving' of their precious Yondaime's trash doesn't mean you need to worry. If they see us in here they'll probably just think we're normal ANBU. Now let's take some cover and blow this thing out the wall." The four moved around the desk as Naruto followed suit as he grabbed a brush and flicked it through and ink puddle on the way. Once all the ROOT had taken cover Naruto rushed over to the seals and began messing with the array as much as he could. He didn't have time to analyze them since the ninja could blow them at any second. When he was satisfied he leapt back to the desk and waited for the inevitable.
"..."
"..."
"What the hell is going on? They aren't exploding!" The ROOT took a quick glance over the top of the desk and saw that the seals were indeed just sitting there, though smoking slightly.
"Did we get a dud?"
"Impossible I checked them all myself! You guys stay here just in case it blows. I'll have a look." The man got up and started making his way over to the corner where the seal was. As he bent down to inspect it he never noticed the shadow sneak out from the vacant leg space under the desk. A quick slice and the man was lowered to the ground as the image of his assailant wavered and changed.
The ROOT-nin made room as their comrade rejoined them. "So did you fix it?"
"Yeah we had some overlapping seals. Which of you put these down?" The man handed out a few seals to each of them so they could see what he meant.
"Wasn't me. I've never seen anything like this."
"Nope. I don't carry seals with me."
All three looked at the last man who just shrugged and shook his head. The one who handed them the seals then got up and turned to face them, crossing his arms. "Well one of you did it and it could have cost us a lot."
"Listen we'll deal with this later, lets just blow this thing open and get out of here."
"No I'll deal with it now." As the ROOT-nin made a snake seal it was far too later for the others to realize their mistake as each seal suddenly exploded in their hands and released an assault of needles into each one of them. Masks and chest plates may be able to save you from the occasional kunai or sword, but against a hail of needles they might as well have been wearing leaves for all the openings the pins were able to fit into. The strongest one was only able to flop forward onto his hands and knees before succumbing to the poisons that coated the needles now protruding from his various unprotected areas. The last thing he saw was his leader's image waver before it revealed a blond haired genin scowling at him in disdain.
"It's gotten quiet. I wonder if it's over..." Tenten whispered, the oppressive atmosphere.
"Let's hope so. If the gaki goes too long he could lose himself." Jiraiya whispered back.
Behind them the crowd began to part as a grim procession made it's way forward. Koharu and Homura at it's head. "Now what could possibly be going on to draw so much attention?" Koharu murmured aloud. The civilians seemed to tense, but then look between the house and the new arrivals with madness in their eyes.
"Councilors that monster is killing our villagers! We demand you do something about this travesty."
"Is that so? Killing innocent villagers? Well now, that I believe comes with a very high punishment." The councilors grinned menacingly as they took their time to make their way to the front of the crowd.
"Excuse me councilor, but he is well within his right as a..."
"That has yet to be decided sannin. For all we know he could have invited them inside in order to slaughter them. We withhold our right as keepers of the peace to detain Uzumaki Naruto for this crime until a date where he will be judged and punished."
"We are witnesses that he has done no such thing. He had been unconscious all morning until just recently." Kakashi argued back.
"Spare us your drivel we have no need for it." Homura spat at Kakashi.
Their tirade would have gone on longer, but new people began to arrive. To the relief of the seven ninja between the councilors and the estate it was the ninja half of the council. "What is the meaning of this crowd?"
"Ah Hiashi-sama what excellent timing. It seems that we caught the Uzumaki brat indulging in some of the..baser forms of his instinct. As we speak the child is slaughtering those inside his house. Innocent civilians that meant no harm."
"That is hardly the tru..."
"Silence genin. You will speak if spoken to and not a moment sooner." Despite the elder Hyūga's harsh glare, Haku met him eye for eye.
Their conversation was cut short however as new screams pierced the air. These though made one of the council members pale. "My baby! He's killing my baby!' Everyone looked to the Haruno head as she began to scream hysterically. "Hurry up and get us in there!"
Now finished with the office Naruto had one last place to look. The library...he could hear mocking singing and laughter from a voice he knew all too well. It made him cringe at just how off key it was, but still he descended the stairs. In the middle of the floor, amongst half filled bags of scrolls with numerous others spread about her was the little, pink-haired, Uchiha whore. Silently he crept up on her, unsure of whether to kill her outright or let her live. "...Hello Sakura-chan..." He whispered in her ear, causing her to freeze solid and turn her head slowly towards him.
Sakura was met with a sight she never wanted to see in her worst nightmares. Behind her stood Naruto, but she could have dealt with that. It was the blood that covered him from head to toe and his feral grin that tore at her mind, making her mind scream at her to run away. She couldn't though. He was between her and the only exit. "Y-you're supposed t-to still b-be in the ho-hospital..."
"Well...sorry to disappoint. You see, I tend to heal quicker than most, so when I recovered this morning I decided to check up on my house, and what do I find?" He shot his head towards her his eyes red with hate. "I find the people I protected trying to steal my things. Don't worry though. I...took care of them. You see the wonderful thing about laws in this village are that they are so infrequently updated that I can pretty much twist them to my needs. There are delightful laws that let me deal with...intruders as I see fit. Now the only question I have is, how did all these people get into my estate. You wouldn't happen to know would you Sakura-chan?"
This was getting worse and worse for the girl. It was supposed to be easy. She found the key when she took his things and figured she'd use it to get all his jutsu for Sasuke. Sure she let other people in, but for all that the blond put her beloved through she'd figured he deserved it. It was fair wasn't it? She hadn't done anything wrong, right? After all...
"Well there are a few ways to go about finding out if you don't want to talk. Personally I'd like to try a few of them, but I'll give you one chance to fess up before I begin."
"H-hah. L-like a baka l-like you will sc-scare me! A little news flash baka! My m-mother is back in charge now a-and once she gets here your d-dead!"
"Oh I'm sure she's already here, but this is my property for a reason. I have many security measures in place. Right now this building is locked down tighter than the Hokage's vault." Naruto walked slowly around her until he was standing right in front of her kneeling form and looked directly in her eyes. "Right now it's just you...me...and a house full of corpses. HAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto laughed menacingly as Sakura stood and bolted for the stairs, screaming for help. Naruto walked slowly behind her in no rush what-so-ever. "Give me a good hunt...Sakura-chan."
Sakura ran from room to room, trying every window, every door. Nothing opened to her prying fingers. The menacing form of Naruto trudged slowly behind her as she rushed from each possible escape point before he could catch up. She could tell he was enjoying this from the look on his face. Her voice never seemed to quit as she screamed even when she tripped over a random body, or body part. Staring into the faces of those that proceeded her to the grave only caused her volume to raise. She was sweating bullets as she came to the last possible room. The upstairs bathroom. She clawed at the frosted glass of the window in a vane attempt to breech it as Naruto crept closer and closer. The room was far too narrow for her to dodge around him, so instead she did the only thing she could.
Naruto watched as Sakura slumped down on the floor of the basement and curled into a crying ball. "Pitiful. Falling apart at the slightest genjutsu. It almost makes me wonder if you even tried being a ninja at all, but I already know the answer to that one: Dear, dear Sasuke-kun. Get up!" He pulled her roughly to her feet until she was eye level. "Now tell me what I want to know. How did you get in my house, and why"
Sakura was crying openly now as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "I f-found your k-key. M-mother said Sasuke-kun would be h-happy if I got him your jutsu. I just wanted him to l-love me." She sobbed out.
"I see...all for love huh? Well guess what. Your love means shit to me. Love doesn't make you steal from others, no that's arrogance and stupidity. The inability to see the bigger picture. I have been used and abused my whole life, and I'm tired of it. You will admit what you did in front of the entire village if needs be, but the blood of those that lay dead upstairs is now on your hands. Start walking."
The screaming stopped almost as suddenly as it started. Then, after many tense moments, the front door to the house opened and out stepped Naruto with an unsteady and still crying Haruno Sakura being forcefully marched in front of him. He walked her to the gate, but didn't open it. "Now speak."
"You let my daughter go you monster!"
"Shut up lady Haruno. Remember who's hands your daughter's life is in right now or I will be forced to remind you." Naruto held his blade up to the girl's throat earning gasps from the gathered crowd. Some from the audacity of the boy, others from the sword he wielded. "Now speak."
"M-mommy...I don't wa-want to do this anymore. Wh-why did you make me come here?" She cried out towards the council member she knew best with pleading eyes.
Isako for her part looked rather uneasy at this point. "What is the meaning of this Haruno?" Tsume glared at the woman who had enough sense to back away.
"Tell us Sakura, what did your mother have you do?" Much to Naruto's distaste though the girl shook her head violently. "Fine...Inoichi-san I ask that you scan her mind as a possible traitor to Konoha." Gasps were heard with one coming from the girl in his grip as she struggled to get free. "Struggling against a simple mind walk Haruno? Something to hide?" He chided.
"Naruto-san I don't think..." Inoichi began, but was cut off.
"Daddy, do it." Ino stared at her father with unflinching eyes.
"Honey...I don't think it's appropriate to do this in front of a crowd."
"It wasn't appropriate for them to try to ransack Naruto's house either, but that didn't stop them." Ino was glaring at him now.
Inoichi knew his daughter was right. He was allowed to interrogate someone in the open if the situation called for it, and right now, with the way Naruto was acting, it could mean the life or death of the person he held. Judging by the state of his attire it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't shy away from such a deed either. "Fine." He walked over to the gate where Naruto held Sakura within arms length. "Naruto-san I have to be in contact with her head for this to work. Would it be possible to let me in?"
"Hai. Sakura-chan, please unlock the gate. I believe you still have my key." Naruto asked with a smile.
Acting in a daze, more out of fear of getting cut than thinking of the implications, the girl reached into her pouch and drew out the estate key, earning some hard looks from those outside from the simple action. The fact that she knew exactly where it was without looking or asking more or less proved that she knew it was on her person and not planted. Sakura unlocked the gate as Naruto forced her to step back in order to allow room for Inoichi to get in. As soon as he was inside though Naruto kicked out to shut the gate on those trying to rush it, namely Isako and some of the ANBU that came with the civilian council, as he grabbed his key back..
"Now I will give you one more chance Sakura, to tell us what happened, before Yamanaka-san here takes a nice little stroll through your memories." Naruto gave her a moment, but despite the obvious fear in her eyes matched with the quivering of her lip she refused to talk. "Fine. If you would please Yamanaka-san."
Inoichi was torn a bit. This was a council member's daughter after all, and there was no concrete evidence against her. Despite that he knew that the boy holding the blade was serious and as such his choices were limited. Resigned to his fate he placed his hand on the pink mop of Sakura's hair, closed his eyes and began to channel his chakra. Sakura stiffened for a moment, then went mostly limp as her mind was now at the mercy of Konoha's top mental interrogator. Naruto allowed his blade arm to drop to his side since there was no longer a need for it at the moment.
As soon as their minds connected the man wanted to throw up. The area he was in was obviously thought up by a very girly-girl. Pink was the primary color scheme, but there were a lot of other pastels around. The only other extremely prominent thing were the numerous pictures of, what he could only guess was, her portrayal of Uchiha Sasuke. Closing his eyes to gather his thoughts he held out a hand and was rewarded with a large scroll shooting into it from nowhere in particular. 'My god, it's like she has no capacity to block any mental attack. Has her obsession with the Uchiha dulled her thoughts so much?' Setting his own thoughts aside he began to scan her recent memories. The first ones he came across were from inside the house as he began his trip backwards. One thing he noted as they made their way back to the basement was the bodies, but also that there didn't seem to be enough blood. Yet at the same time the girl's mental projection of the blood made it almost as if they were drowning in it. 'Borderline Hemophobia...'
Finally arriving at the basement he found out exactly what he was looking for. Sakura recounting how her mother encouraged her to this action. He wouldn't stop there though. No, he needed to see the interaction with her mother and, if he could, how she got his key. Delving forward he relived the terror of Naruto's genjutsu, but again wondered at how easily it should have been broken. 'Wasn't this girl supposed to be one of the top kunoichi of her class?' He flashed forward a bit through her packing up the jutsu scrolls. Then through her letting people in and her thoughts on what would happen because of letting the gate open. Honestly it disgusted him that she would think so little of the boy that had done so much to help his village. After a few minutes of pointless interactions he finally got back to the girl's house.
"Mom! Look! I got the key to Naruto-baka's house!" Sakura gleefully announced as she approached her mother in the kitchen of her home.
Isako turned around and looked at the small piece of metal in her daughter's hand like she was holding a fist-sized diamond. "S-Sakura honey that's great! What do you plan to do with it?"
The girl smiled even brighter. "Since Naruto-baka is in the hospital I'm going to go over and take anything that might help Sasuke-kun! With that as a present he's guaranteed to fall in love with me."
"Why what a great idea honey, but I think we should do a bit more. After all don't you think that dem...Naruto deserves it for hindering Uchiha-sama so much?" When her daughter gave her a confused glance Isako explained further. "I'll just call up a few people that would be interested in certain items in the house. Don't you think there are more worthy hands for Yondaime-sama's possessions?" She smiled as Sakura's eyes seemed to light up.
"Yeah! That baka deserves to lose everything for what he put Sasuke-kun through!"
"Good girl. Now go ahead over and get started while I inform some people about what needs to be done." Isako shooed her daughter back out of the house with an evil smile before the door shut and the memories continued.
'So she not only encouraged it, but most likely got this mob started. That still doesn't tell me how she got the key though.' Continuing his search he riffled through more recent memories of the girl going through the village. Her time spent with the Uchiha as he recovered, which nearly made him retch. Then her being escorted back by the ANBU and Asuma as she glanced worriedly at the Uchiha and with disdain at Naruto. Back to When the older ninja showed up at the small clearing. Noticing her just standing up when the other ninja showed up he was relieved. 'Finally, something that looks promising.' He went back in her memories a bit to get a full picture and was rewarded with a view of Naruto's last hit on the Tanuki which he laughed at a little with how unconventional the beasts ultimate demise was. He watched as both of the fighting genin tumbled into the treetops as the memory shot through the trees. 'A fall from that height...no wonder he was in such bad shape when they found him.'
The vision stopped again on a branch overlooking the two genin. It shifted momentarily to the side as the Uchiha landed in the same tree. Both parties, and the mental invader watched as Naruto spoke to the Suna jinchūriki, but they couldn't hear what was going on. All Inoichi could make out was that Naruto, despite the obvious pain he was in, was limping forward intent on keeping the village safe by ending the life of its threat. It wasn't until the rest of the Suna team appeared that something very interesting happened though. Soon after they showed he watched as Sasuke leaped down and joined the conversation, then right in front of the new observer he took off Naruto's sword and stabbed him with it. Inoichi almost left right then out of rage, but decided to stay since he hadn't seen anything dealing with the key yet and it seemed like there would be more interaction with the Suna kunoichi. The fact that she stopped the blade from hitting anything vital intrigued him.
Sasuke got thrown back away from Naruto and faster than he thought the girl could react, Sakura jumped down and unceremoniously pulled the sword from Naruto's gut as went after Temari. Now that he was close enough to the action he suddenly regretted it since he was forced to hear the girl's screeching first hand. Luckily the ANBU were on their way and the Suna team bolted. Once again he was intrigued by the look that the Suna kunoichi gave to the fallen blond before she left, but was brought out of his musings when his vision shifted to Sasuke. After checking him over a little Sakura went back to Naruto. 'She couldn't have been about to kill him since he's still alive, so why...?' His question was answered as she quickly emptied all his pockets and piled their contents, including the key, into both Sasuke's and her own clothing. After she kicked him to check for signs of life he was thankful that the ANBU got there when they did. Having seen more than enough to incriminate not only Sakura, but Isako and Sasuke as well, he let his mind recede until he was once again standing in the front yard of the former Yondaime's home.
The onlookers watched as the Yamanaka head came back to the land of the living. He took his hand off Sakura's head before turning her around roughly and grabbing her by the collar. "Haruno Sakura is under arrest for theft from and assisting in the attempted murder of Uzumaki Naruto as well as neglect of an injured friendly ninja on a safe battlefield, attempted theft and vandalism of a privately owned property and breaking and entering a protected property." Gasps and shouts erupted from the crowd as Sakura's eyes widened and she started to cry.
With a big smile on his face Naruto opened the gate and let the man and prisoner out. "Thank you Yamanaka-san, and I'm sorry if your trust in my generation has wavered from this."
Before the man could speak they were joined by the older Haruno as she tried to pull her daughter from his grasp. "How dare you accuse my precious girl of such a thing. That monster deserves what he got and you will not punish my daughter for doing what was right." *Smack* Her rebuttal was ended with a backhand from Inoichi which forced her to the ground and earned more gasps from the crowd.
"How dare you hit a councilor. Even if you are a clan head this action is inexcusable!" Denbe shouted at him.
Inoichi just glared at the man, and the rest of the civilians before settling his gaze back on Isako. "Haruno Isako is under arrest for instigating the mass looting of a privately owned and protected property as well as encouraging the means of entry, aiding in a burglary and attempting to assist in the escape of a convicted criminal."
"I have done no such thing!" Isako screamed, but it was fruitless as ANBU appeared to take both her and Sakura.
"You daughter was kind enough to show me your interaction earlier and as such has shown the fair grounds of these charges. Take them both to sub-level B and put them in separate cells. We'll deal with them later." As quickly as they arrived the ANBU were gone, leaving an open-mouthed crowd and council wondering what was going on.
Their thoughts however were interrupted by the sound of a sword being re-sheathed. "Again, thank you Yamanaka-san." Naruto bowed to the man before turning to the crowd. "You all showed up hoping to get a piece of my property. Well you will find out now that you will get back even less than you came with. I won't lie and tell you that everyone that decided to enter my house is still alive and well..." Many cries and shouts of 'monster' were heard at this, but Naruto ignored them. "...but I will tell you that it was only those that broke the Sandaime's law that were brought complete justice upon. The rest received punishment, but as you can see now they are still alive...mostly." That said he stepped aside as a parade of clones exited the house carrying numerous people through the gate. It was difficult to tell just how injured some of them were just by looking, but as they were laid out It was obvious that their chests were definitely rising and falling.
Families rushed forward to check on their loved ones as additional people were brought forth in a long cycle of clones entering and exiting the house. It took awhile, but when bodies wrapped in sheets began to appear the crowd knew that any relative or friend that had been inside that wasn't already out, would not be joining them in conversation again. While this was happening Naruto once again addressed them. "You may have noticed that there are more living than dead here. Be thankful that only those few were dumb enough to break that major law. The rest simply saw fit to try and steal from me. Let this be a reminder that I don't take to thievery or trespassing kindly. Now get them out of here. I have more important things to do with my time." As the last set of clones exited the gate he once again locked it, but before he could take off there was a hand on his shoulder. "Yamanaka-san?"
"Where are you going Naruto?"
"To get back my property." He shook off the man's arm and turned to leave. "Don't worry. I won't kill him. He deserves much worse. He may need some medical attention when I'm finished though." With that he leapt off as a few people came up to the only man who seemed to know what had happened.
"So where's the gaki headed? I would have thought he'd want to stick around until this sorts out." Jiraiya was the first to question the boy's actions.
"Just like he said, he's going to get his stuff back. It seems the Uchiha is going to be in for a painful day."
"He's going to attack Uchiha-sama?! He must be stopped! How dare he attack our savior!" Koharu nearly screamed, making many wonder if she was related to the Haruno women.
When the ANBU that arrived with the council went to move he shot in front of them and halted their advance. "You will do nothing of the sort. That boy has been pampered far too much and it will do well for him to be reminded of his position. He may be the last 'loyal' Uchiha, but he is also a shinobi of Konoha, and as such there are rules he must follow. Based on what I saw he has broken a fair few of them. Also, based on that same information I hereby issue a warrant for the arrest of Uchiha Sasuke on the grounds of falsifying a mission report, theft of a Konoha citizen's property, attempted murder and willfully accepting known stolen goods."
"How dare you make such accusations of Uchiha-sama! What proof do you have of such allegations?" Homura strode up to the small group with a scowl on his face.
"Simple. Based on the memories from Haruno Sakura, it was Uzumaki Naruto that defeated the Suna-nin Sabaku no Gaara by fighting him in his Tanuki form with Gamabunta. Uchiha Sasuke, taking advantage of the weakened Uzumaki, stole his sword and stabbed him with it. Haruno Sakura placed some of Uzumaki Naruto's possessions on the Uchiha's person who in turn made no motion to return them. As such Uzumaki-san is well within his rights to pass judgment upon Sasuke as per the laws of Konoha. No doubt you council members agree being as you were there when some of said laws were put into place." Inoichi grinned at their sudden discomfort. A calculating mind he may be, but he also disliked the civilian council and their constant scheming and bickering. The two elders could only sputter out unintelligibly as they recalled the laws they themselves put into place to protect their own homes from possible ninja theft.
Fūton: Hisan Kaze: Wind Release: Scattering Wind – D Rank
A simple gust of wind that is dangerous enough to hurt, but not kill. It is meant to make the opponent move.