Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Flowers in the Sand ❯ Chapter 21

Chapter 21- (Again, apologies. I can see it in my head, but putting it in words is much more difficult. Please don't flame me.)

 

“You are nowhere near my level,” Sasuke told the unconscious Lee crumpled against the wall. He turned to the remaining five Konoha Jounins watching him warily. “Who is next? Or will you all come at me at once?”

 

“That's enough, Sasuke,” Naruto interrupted as he and Gaara strode into the room. “This is between me and Kabuto. Step aside.”

 

“Ah, the Kyuubi host appears,” Kabuto remarked cheerfully, setting down his glass of wine and standing up. Slowly he walked toward the shinobi invading his room. “How good of you to come here. It makes this so much easier.” He waved off Sasuke. “He's mine.”

 

Sasuke glowered at Kabuto but nodded and moved aside. Shikamaru and Chouji edged over to where Lee was lying. Naruto flicked a glance at them. “Get him out of here. Take the girls and Lee and find somewhere safe.” He looked back at Kabuto. “This is going to get ugly.”

 

The seriousness in their Hokage's tone brooked no argument. The five men nodded and, with Shikamaru and Chouji supporting Lee's unconscious form, vanished from the room, leaving only Gaara and Sasuke, Kabuto and Naruto facing off.

 

“You don't need to stay,” Naruto murmured to his fellow Kage.

 

“They stole and hurt the woman I love,” Gaara replied in his soft-but-deadly voice. “I am not leaving.”

 

A tiny part of Naruto's brain nearly collapsed at hearing his normally cold-feeling friend admit his love for Safaia. However, there was a much more important matter at hand. He'd get around to annoying him later about it. “There's something I don't understand, Kabuto,” Naruto called out.

 

“Oh?” Kabuto looked amused. “Enlighten me. Whatever could perplex the dumbest shinobi in the history of Konoha?”

 

“You told me long ago that you hated the Akatsuki,” Naruto said, ignoring the insult. “Why are you now leading them?”

 

Kabuto chuckled. “I suppose, since you won't survive this meeting, that I'll tell you. It is true that I despised the Akatsuki… but with their downfall at your hands, I found a wonderful opportunity to regain my power.” He narrowed his eyes at Naruto. “After all, if everyone thought I was dead, I would be able to move about freely, plotting my revenge.”

 

“Dead?” Naruto looked confused and Gaara didn't react. “No one thought you were dead. We've known all along that you were still lingering somewhere. And why are you trying to capture all the Biju? They are of no use to you once they're extracted.”

 

“It's not so much capturing the Biju,” Kabuto explained, taking a couple steps forward, “but eliminating the Jinchuriki that host them. Your power comes solely from Kyuubi's limitless chakra- without it you're no threat to me. The same can be said for the rest of the Jinchuriki.” He stopped, an all-too-comfortable smile on his lips. “And as far as everyone believing me to be dead… well…”

 

Reaching up, he dug his fingers into his forehead and cheek, ripping into the skin there. Forcefully he pulled the skin away and tossed it aside, the round-rimmed glasses shattering on the floor. Both Naruto and Gaara gritted their teeth in well-restrained horror as they stared with wide eyes at the face revealed.

 

Orochimaru's snake-like face smiled from underneath a mane of silver hair. “I always knew that Kabuto would be useful in the end…”

 

“You… you transferred your soul… into his body?” Naruto managed to grit out, holding a tight rein onto his rage.

 

“That is correct, little boy,” Orochimaru nearly purred. “When you and that useless shell next to you killed my body all those years ago, I had already made arrangements for my soul to be transferred to Kabuto's body. Of course, he was not aware of this plan…”

 

Naruto started growling. “You really are a monster, aren't you…”

 

“Now, why should you care? Just because he helped your friends out when they were injured? Because he fought against the Akatsuki alongside you, until I called him back to my side?” Orochimaru smirked. “He was just another expendable pawn. Nothing more.” He glanced over at Sasuke, who stood silently in the shadows nearby. “And when I'm finished with you and the sand-crab, I'll finally be able to take my cherished container- and obtain the ultimate power and learn every jutsu in the world!”

 

Gaara narrowed his eyes. “Did he just call me a sand-crab?” he muttered to Naruto.

 

Naruto lowered his chin but kept his gaze locked on Orochimaru. “I'll kill you for good this time,” he growled. “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” Now a dozen Narutos faced off against the evil Sannin.

 

Orochimaru sighed. “Can't you come up with something more original than that? You've been using the same technique for over a decade.”

 

“Why change when it works so well?” one Naruto yelled as the lot of them surrounded him. They all made a series of identical seals with their hands. “Kokuangyou no Jutsu!”

 

Orochimaru's eyes widened in surprise as total pitch-black darkness enveloped him. This… this is the First Hokage's technique! How did he learn it? He held up his arms in a defensive position, knowing that in this darkness, an attack could come from anywhere.

 

Sure enough, a barrage of kicks, punches, and even a head-butt or two rained down upon him. He looked around, sensing the shadow clones' pattern. “You cannot defeat me with such a juvenile tactic!” He flung out his arms, revealing snakes that slithered out from underneath his sleeves. “Sen'eijashu!”

 

As each snake attacked a Naruto, the clone would grunt in pain. But they didn't disappear into smoke immediately. One by one, the clones sliced, beheaded, and disemboweled each snake before puffing away. Orochimaru scowled.

 

“You've strengthened your shadow clones,” he observed. “Interesting.”

 

“That's not all that I've strengthened,” Naruto said from less than half a meter from Orochimaru's face. The Sannin's snake-like eyes flew as wide as they could go as Naruto held out his right hand, which held a swirling ball of chakra.

 

Immediately the self-confident smirk was back. “Your pathetic Rasengan can't hurt me,” he hissed.

 

Naruto gave him a smile that sent shivers down his spine. “This isn't my old Rasengan,” he murmured. The chakra ball changed colors, adding red chakra to the blue. The colors swirled together faster and faster, until the sphere was purple. A magnificent gust of wind, strong enough to fling Sasuke and Orochimaru against the walls like rag dolls and flatten them there, helpless, swirled around Naruto. It grew in strength as he stood there, letting the sphere grow in size as well, until it was the size of a melon.

 

In less than the blink of an eye, he was in front of the Sannin again. He shoved the sphere into Orochimaru's stomach. “Kaze no Rasengan: Harike-n!”

 

Orochimaru screamed in pain as the hurricane-force wind and chakra sphere tore through him, making a hole in his stomach. His head fell onto his chest as the winds died down and Naruto was left standing in front of him. Naruto turned away, leaving the unmoving figure behind. “Nice work,” Gaara murmured. “Didn't think I would get to see you use that one.”

 

“Heh… heh… heh…”

 

The two men turned around to see Orochimaru chuckling weakly. A familiar glow of chakra flowed around the gaping wound in his stomach, healing it slowly but steadily. Naruto didn't look surprised in the least. “You cannot defeat me,” he gasped, his snake eyes wild. “In this body, I can use Kabuto's healing jutsu. I am immortal!”

 

Gaara narrowed his eyes at Orochimaru. “I think it is time, old friend,” he said to Naruto.

 

Naruto nodded grimly. “Looks that way. You ready?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Sasuke remained in the shadows, watching the fight unfold. Orochimaru turned to him. “Watch, my lovely container… watch what true power is!” He turned back to Naruto and Gaara. “Your meaningless lives end here!” He made a new series of hand signals. “Sune-kudansu no Jutsu!”

 

Orochimaru's body began to lengthen, his legs fusing and becoming a long, sinewy tail. His upper body grew in size, gaining mass and muscle. Fangs sprouted in his mouth and a long, forked tongue darted in and out. He had become a naga-like creature, but the strength radiating from him indicated a deadly power.

 

“Jeez… and I though he was ugly before,” Naruto muttered.

 

Sand slid out of Gaara's gourd and danced in the air around him. “We only have this one chance,” he reminded his friend. “If we miss, there will be two less Kages in the world.”

 

“Ha ha haaa…” the naga-Orochimaru hiss/laughed. “There is no way for you to defeat me! I will heal any attack you manage to hit me with… not that you will be able to break through my barrier!”

 

Naruto frowned. “Barrier…?”

 

“Kyuukyoku Toku!” A visible shield of chakra engulfed the transformed Orochimaru in a sphere of blue-green light. Gaara looked slightly worried. “That looks like my Suna no Tate,” he commented quietly.

 

“Probably just as tough… dammit!” Naruto sighed. “We'll just have to try it. If we miss…”

 

“It has been nice knowing you, Hokage,” Gaara replied.

 

“Ditto, Kazekage.”

 

Naruto began gathering chakra in his palm again, forming another dual-colored Rasengan. Gaara's sand stirred and flew to the chakra ball, joining with it, becoming one with it.

 

“No matter what you try, you will fail!” naga-Orochimaru cackled, beginning to make seals with his hands for some deadly final jutsu.

 

“That's what you think,” Sasuke's voice whispered from behind the monster's head. Naga-Orochimaru, startled, turned around to see Sasuke right behind him, his arms held out slightly, each bearing a fist of lightning-like chakra. “Tsuin Chidori!”

 

Naga-Orochimaru's eyes flew wide in shock and horror as Sasuke punched his Chidori-powered fists into his chakra barrier. The dome cracked, split under his fists, and finally shattered, falling to the ground like broken glass, only to dissipate into the air moments later.

 

The transformed Sannin howled in absolute fury. “You traitorous, useless bastard!” he roared. “How dare you betray me!!”

 

“This,” Sasuke hissed back, narrowing his eyes, which had now shifted to the Sharingan, “is for thirteen years of hell.” His eyes flared, locking the monster in his gaze.

 

“Kaze no Sabaku: Suna Bakuha!”

 

Naga-Orochimaru's head snapped around just in time to see a spiral of wind, sand, and chakra barreling toward him at full force. His slit-like pupils contracted to mere lines as the blast hit him full on- he had no time to even try and block the attack.

 

He shrieked in agony as the force of the blast tore into him, ripping off pieces of skin here and there, then the muscle and sinew were being shredded off. In mere moments, it was over. As the attack died off, the clatter of bones on the stone floor was the only sound heard in the room, mixed with the lingering echo of Orochimaru's final screams of pain.

 

Naruto and Gaara, both nearly spent and utterly exhausted from the strength of their combined jutsu, were on their knees, panting for breath. They both stared at the pile of bones now littering the floor with cold disinterest.

 

After a moment, Gaara turned to Naruto. “You knew,” he accused his friend.

 

Naruto nodded. “Sasuke returned to Konoha just after we had defeated the majority of the Akatsuki and he had killed his brother. Finally freed of his lust for revenge, he wanted to live a normal life- but Orochimaru still had his hold on him. So he came to me and confessed that he had been ordered to gain Konoha's trust again and then betray us all- and thus bring me, or rather the Kyuubi, to him. So Sasuke and I plotted to make it seem as if he were following Orochimaru- in Kabuto's guise. When Gobi was found, he told Sasuke to capture Safaia as well, at the earliest possible moment. However, Orochimaru got impatient.”

 

“And took Sakura to lure you out.”

 

Naruto nodded. “Exactly.”

 

Gaara glanced over at the grisly remains of Orochimaru. “That was his final mistake.”

 

The blonde Hokage sighed wearily. “It's over. It's finally done.”

 

Sasuke staggered out of the shadows, leaning heavily on the wall. “Nice attack. When the hell did you two learn that one?”

 

“Way to jump out of the way at the last damn second,” Naruto grunted. “I was seriously afraid there were going to be two piles of bones when we got done.”

 

“Nah,” Sasuke replied with a familiar smirk. “I could see your jutsu coming- very ingenious, by the way. Mixing wind, sand, and chakra to make a super-powered sand-blaster. Gaara must have thought that one up.”

 

“Not me. It was all Naruto.”

 

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and grinned toothily. “Got the idea from watching some guys strip paint off a building. Talked to Gaara about it and we worked on it for months.” He chuckled, a little embarrassed. “We went through a lot of trees, didn't we, sand-boy?”

 

“Lucky for you Konoha is surrounded by such vast foliage.”

 

Sasuke snorted. “Lucky for both of you he didn't kill the entire village.”

 

Naruto burst into laughter and Gaara allowed himself a chuckle. Thanks to you, Naruto, you saved us all- even Sasuke, who could have easily rejoined Orochimaru to regain the power he once had. But your talent for creating lasting friendships has proven to be the strongest power of all.

 

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

 

Kage Bunshin no Jutsu- “Shadow Clone Technique”

Kokuangyou no Jutsu- “Bringer-of-Darkness Technique”

Sen'eijashu- “Hidden Shadow Snake Hand”

Kaze no Rasengan: Harike-n- “Swirling Sphere of Wind: Hurricane”

Sune-kudansu no Jutsu- “Snake Dance Technique”

Kyuukyoku Toku- “Ultimate Shield”

Suna no Tate- “Shield of Sand”

Tsuin Chidori- “Twin One Thousand Birds”

Kaze no Sabaku: Suna Bakuha- “Desert of Wind- Sand Blast”

 

It ain't over people! So don't panic! We still have Neji and the others to mess around with! Muahahahaha!!