Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Naruto Dragon Champion ❯ The Will of Fire Part 1 ( Chapter 15 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Naruto's army lends aid to Konoha as he and a small team track down Sasuke and help him as he plans to face Gaara. Shikamaru and Kin stay behind to hold off the Sound ninja hunting them, while Shino deals with Kankurou, and sasuke faces Gaara, but with his chakra dra drained, he is in dire straits. The battle reaches a high point after Naruto and Gaara face off with one another. Just as Orochimaru and Sarutobi face off as well.

Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Hentai / Fantasy / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.21.2008 | Pages: 25 | Words: 26.2K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed

Naruto - The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Naruto and all associated media of said series

Chapter 15

Part 1

The will of Fire

( ): Thoughts

((“ ”)): Holy Talon's voice

((( ))): Kyuubi's voice

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`Death and Life are part of the chain of existence…one can't exist without the other…Life End in Death, there is no denying that…'

“But from Death…comes Life…just as the trees die eventually, they will then become the soil where new trees will grow. And the life they give back to the Earth is remembered.'

`All mortal living beings seek immortality…some by dark and sinister means…and ancient power…but immortality is truly earned through spirit…and in the deeds one does and the legacy they leave behind in the hearts and minds of others.'

`That is true immortality…to be remembered forever for generations to come'

Teachings of a Dagern scholar…

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“Damn he moves fast…”

Naruto commented as he, Sakura, Pakkun, Shikamaru, Shino, and Kin were moving through the woods in tracking down Sasuke along with Gaara, Temari, and Kankurou. The small force was too large to say the least…but none of them had the will to count Shino out just yet and he did say that he was after Kankurou to settle an old score…no doubt not getting the chance to face the Sand ninja in the match.

“No kidding…what happened back there…what sort of thing was that arm that came out after Sasuke-kun and went back inside?!”

Sakura asked as she recalled seeing that ghastly…monstrous arm that came after Sasuke when he had used Chidori on Gaara's shield.

“I don't know…but I do know that Sasuke is in big trouble if we don't get there in time Sakura-chan!”

Naruto hated to lie in front of Sakura…but he couldn't say anything about what Gaara was…a demon container like him, he had to hurry before Gaara's mental state broke to the point that he would become a berserker, as Holy Talon had put it. The blonde ninja knew that this was going to be a seriously dangerous situation as Gaara was now over the edge…and that made him a dangerous foe…however, the Sand siblings and Sasuke had quite the lead on them and they all would have to move fast in order to reach them all in time or else things were going to get messy.

That was not the only thing as well…he had a feeling that is Sasuke's back was to the wall…he would be forced to rely on his Cursed Seal…Kakashi's warning on the matter was of very serious concern for Naruto as that would allow Orochimaru the chance to claim Sasuke's body and soul for his own…and in return…gain the Sharingan. He vowed never to let that happen and he was going to do just that.

As they made their way through the forest…it was then that the dog summon Pakkun sniffed the air and gave a growl of warning to the rest of them.

“What is it?”

“We've got pursuers…at least twelve Sound ninja closing in behind us.”

The others gasped at the announcement as Pakkun began to tell them to try several techniques to evade their current pursuers at the moment and while it seemed that their plans had worked…it turned out to be a mistake as Pakkun then told them that their Sound pursuers were still after them and that they were getting even closer.

“Damn it…of all the things we don't need!”

Kin then spoke to Naruto.

“Can you summon more of those soldiers of yours to help us Naruto-kun?”

Naruto shook his head and decided against it as they couldn't afford to slow down and let Sasuke by himself against Gaara or else he would be killed…not mention that he needed to reserve his powers to battle Gaara.

“It would delay us and even if I can summon a detachment of them to come to our aid…it would take too long for them to get here…we're on our own.”

Shikamaru sighed as he began to think up some solutions before this A-rank mission went down the tube and he was not in the mood to lose the situation at the moment. He thought it over and weighed the options and as soon as he was done analyzing the situation he spoke as they continued to move from branch to branch.

“We can set up and ambush to level the playing field.”

Naruto nodded.

“Good idea there Shikamaru…but there's a catch to that plan you have is there?”

The Nara clan member nodded with a bit of a nod.

“The way to set up and ambush needs two things working for it, the runner has to be able to make zero noise in order to avoid being caught by the targets and be the one to spot the enemies first so the ambush can play out. The second is the find a good location so we can ambush the pursuers and do enough serious damage to finish or cripple them and then vacate the premises before the enemy has any reinforcements behind them to come in and follow up with the attack.”

“If we don't do those things right…then those ninja…who are no doubt Jonin rank ninjas trained by Orochimaru would easily wipe us all out like we were nothing but dirt to be swept off a floor. There are some things we've got working for us in that regard…with the dog's nose, our knowledge of the terrain around Konoha, and the distance we have…this can work out.”

Kin and the others nodded…with the exception of Naruto…he had a feeling that it wasn't that simple and his thoughts were correct as Shikamaru gave out another observation as he worked on what could very well work against them all.

“On the other hand…they might know the land just as well as we do…since Orochimaru taught them all…and since he is from Konoha, he must know the land well and no doubt told them all the possible places for a set up an ambush, and they no doubt will be prepared to counter any attempts since Orochimaru no doubt trained them for it…Given the fact the squad's composed of a still possible idiot, a dog, a female ninja with little to special traits, a still untrustworthy Sound Kunoichi I knocked out, a bug man, and a big coward like myself, then one of us will have to stay behind and set things up to resemble an ambush.”

Kin and Sakura were not happy with the way Shikamaru described them….while Pakkun gave a very unhappy growl and a few swear words…no one knew if Shino was offended since he was not making any comments, and neither was Naruto…he decided not to dwell on things as they moved on, he had learned a lot from Holy Talon and knew that Shikamaru was right on all accounts, but there was more to this than just setting things up and he then asked a question the moment they slowed down.

“That being the case…who's going to stay behind? I can guess for a fact that if one of us stays behind…she or he is dead.”

Shikamaru sighed and replied.

“I'll do it…I was the one who came up with the plan and I'm the one who's got the higher chance of surviving this. Besides…you all know that my Shadow Possession Jutsu is perfect for this kind of situation.”

Sakura was not entirely convinced…she knew that Shikamaru wasn't exactly the kind to like to stand and fight.

“How can we be sure you might not decide to run away at the last minute?”

Kin was not as convinced either…

“I'll have to agree with Pink-hair here, you're jutsu worked well on me in the Preliminaries and you did get the one up on that fan wielding wind Kunoichi from Sand…but I doubt you could stand up to that many Sound ninja…not to mention the fact they may know how to counter that jutsu.”

“What did you call me?!”

Kin merely smirked at Sakura…further angering the pink haired Kunoichi, however Naruto was not going to let their new argument stop them as he spoke gently to the two Kunoichi but with authority….the authority of not just a Konoha ninja, but a Dragon Champion as well.

“Calm down you two…we can't be distracted right now…Shikamaru won't run away…I can promise you that. He's the only one who can pull this plan off…after all he is right about his family jutsu being ideal for this situation.”

Shikamaru smirked at that word of support from Naruto.

The two Kunoichi looked at Naruto and nodded, their argument placed aside for the moment as they sensed that Naruto was right. Though there was no doubt that Sakura was not going to let Kin slide off easily with that comment she had made about her hair.

Naruto then turned to the rest of the group, but before he could move on, Shikamaru spoke.

“By the way…thanks for the vote of confidence…besides Naruto…you have more power than anyone here in this group at the moment…if anyone can get there to Sasuke in time before that guy Gaara loses it completely…it's you…so don't you dare waste time and get yourself killed…got that?”

“Got it…I'll see you later Shikamaru.”

“Count on it.”

As the rest of them moved on…Kin gave a backward look to where they had left Shikamaru and decided to fall back and help that guy out…because she felt that it was far better for her to be there than being with Naruto, Pakkun, Shino, and Sakura as her skills were not that needed…besides…if anyone can go toe to toe with Gaara, it was Naruto.

Naruto turned as he felt Kin move back and he looked at the former Sound Kunoichi and wondered what was she planning…a sliver of fear made it's way into his heart and he feared that maybe she would side back with Sound…but he trusted Kin and she knew that as well as she spoke to both of them when they turned to look at her.

“I'll catch up with you later…I'll make sure that our Shadow user gets out of this mess alive.”

“What are you doing?!”

Kin smiled a bit and replied.

“Paying Naruto-kun back for saving my life and giving me a chance for a new life…don't worry…I'll be fine.”

Naruto looked at Kin and saw that she meant every word…and Holy Talon did tell him that she had every intention of getting back with them as soon as the ninja from Sound behind them were dealt with. He gave her a smile and she smiled back as she left to help Shikamaru…leaving Sakura alone with both Shino and Naruto…along with Pakkun. The pink haired Kunoichi was not happy with the situation…but they had little time to argue as they made their way to help Sasuke…

“Be careful then…Kin-san.”

The former Sound Genin smiled and left…Naruto turned to Sakura, Shino, and Pakkun and spoke.

“Let's go.”

Shino didn't hesitate and left ahead and since he was at full level of chakra and stamina…he was already ahead of the others and Naruto let him take the lead as Shino was an excellent tracker in his own right, he had a feeling that Shino was with them for a reason.

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Back in Konoha…

The battle raged on as the combined might of the Sand and Sound forces found themselves being held back by the summoned armies of Dagern under the command of Naruto and Holy Talon, along with the newly reinforced ninjas of Konoha…who had been able to rally and reinforce themselves…given time by the valor, courage, and ferocity of the summoned soldiers under Naruto's orders.

Several of the Steel Lancers were able to force back a handful of Sand ninjas and then slam into them and cut them down before they could recover…but some of the other soldiers were not as lucky as the debris being flung about by the Snake Summon crashed into them…'killing' them and allowing the Sound ninja to inflict casualties on the summoned soldiers…however, the soldiers were not giving up as the Sound ninja force was attacked by Sword Adepts and War Blades…the two forces cut down the opposition while being supported by the Falcon Rangers and their other comrades.

The Silver Star Mages unleashed storms of fire balls, chain lightening bolts and more at their foes…while Dragon Clerics would move about and heal the wounds of their allies…both fellow Dagern soldiers and Konoha ninja.

The Snake Summon was being besieged by the combined forces of the village of Konoha and the Dagern Army, but they were not able to beat the creature easily due to it's size and while the weapons and spells hitting it were wounding the creature…it was not giving up as bodies of both Dagern soldier and Konoha ninja were being knocked about and sent flying…but the Dagern soldiers were not out of the fight just yet as Dragon Clerics, Silver Star Mages, and Song Maidens unleashed their full powers and the results were really explosive as what had once been thought as a quick and simple plan of eradication made by Orochimaru was made into an all out battle…

Several Sand ninja were fried into cinders when they were hit by a massive chain lightning spell from one lone Silver Star Mage and another band was blown away wind ball strike. The Silver Star Mages were then flanked a small band of Zealots, Sword Adepts, and Steel Lancers…along with some of the Falcon Rangers. In Dagern history…the reserve soldiers protected their support troops and rarely left their side unless the battle was dire…that was what made the men and women of various races who followed either the Holy or Chaos Dragons and their respective Dragon Champions were strong and enduring.

It became apparent what set them apart from the ninjas of both Sound and Sand was the fact that they were trained to endure the storm and fire of warfare and with their weapons, training…and armor…they were more than a match for the agile ninjas…who despite being faster than them…didn't have the endurance and protection of the Dagern soldiers…allowing them fight longer and harder as well…not only that…

The support from the Dragon Clerics, the Song Maidens, and the Silver Star Mages were more than adequate to make things even harder for the ninja invasion forces as the mages not only cast powerful offensive spells…but effective defensive ones as well. The Dragon Clerics' ability to heal wounds was also a boon to their allies as this allowed them to maintain themselves in the battle field…while there were no Medic Nins among the Sound and Sand…and since the Dragon Clerics were more than capable in beating the living tar out of anyone trying to kill them…the Sound and Sand were having a hell of a time trying to eliminate the Clerics…the Song Maidens' powers through their voices inspired the Dagern soldiers and Konoha ninja to fight with greater ferocity and skill…and with the songs' weakening effects on the invasion force…things were getting really bad for the invasion forces.

The Snake Summon was the one that did the most damage to Konoha as it crushed through the ranks of the defenders…this gave the Sound and Sand ninja the chance to even the score as numbers of the summon warriors from all the groups were there…but instead of bleeding…the summoned soldiers merely lay there and seemed to be asleep…that unnerved the ninja of Sound and Sand a good deal as despite their best efforts to cut through the armor…and succeeding…the summoned soldiers merely fell to the ground and lay there.

Morino wondered just how they were going to stop that monster summon…their unexpected yet not unwelcome allies proved to be able to go and stop the creature despite their casualties…but they seriously needed something powerful to stop the creature before it tore the village apart. The special Jonin was with several other ninja as the Snake summon managed to knock aside another band of Steel Lancers that tried to stab it's body with their heavy spears…along with several Zealots and Sword Adepts…Those warriors who were too badly `injured' merely lay there…but the others got up and roared their battle cries and attacked once more.

“Those warriors that kid Naruto summoned have helped us greatly…but unless we get rid of that Snake Summon…we'll be over-run.”

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Jiraiya looked and sighed…he had gone back to see the barrier and knew that there was no way he could attack it and help Sarutobi…but he could help save the village from that Snake Summon…and he was going to do just that.

And he had the perfect summon to deal with that three headed serpent.

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Sasuke managed to track Gaara and his siblings as he kept on the move…he however knew that he would have to be careful in this battle…he had no doubt in his mind that either Kankurou or Temari might stay behind and lay an ambush for him so they could buy Gaara enough time to fully recover and then things were going to get really problematic.

He stops and grabs a bit of sand…noting that there were some elements that were off in the sand…he realized that with Gaara the way he was…he was closing in on him and his siblings. He smiled a bit to himself and forced away the image of what he had seen in the arena before and continued his pursuit.

(I won't let you get away from me so easily Gaara…I don't know what power you had there before…but I will not be beaten here and now…I will beat you…one way or the other.)

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The Sound ninja who were all in Jonin-level were NOT happy as they had been fooled by none other than Shikamaru as he had used fake foot and paw prints with some sticks and was able to restrain them with his Shadow Possession Jutsu, however…Shikamaru was in a bind as he realized that two of the Jonin had managed to evade his trap…his fear was realized as that meant that those two free Jonin would no doubt be moving in on his current location. And to make things even worse…was the fact that his chakra was not yet up to snuff to hold the current ten in it.

(Damn…I got to find them fast or I've had it…)

Shikamaru quickly used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to force the ninja to attack the area and that then gave him the chance to use the Shadow Possession Jutsu on the eleventh Jonin…however the other Jonin suddenly came right at him with a kunai in hand..however, that was when several Senbon suddenly came out and landed around Shikamaru and then the Jonin shook his head and missed the Leaf Genin as he seemed to be totally off balance for some reason. That allowed Shikamaru the chance to move and grip the twelfth Jonin…he was wondering what the heck had happen but when he saw the Senbon with the bells on them…he quickly made two and two together and turned a bit to see none other than Kin herself who was smiling at him.

“What the heck are you doing here?”

“Making sure you didn't decide to turn tail and run.”

Kin leaped over and managed to land a powerful kick to the side of the head of the Jonin that she had managed to weaken with her use of her trademark Senbon and her own Genjutsu…the very same one she had used on Shikamaru. She then took out her kunai and got ready to fight as the Jonin got to his feet, and as expected…he was able to counter the Genjutsu Kin used and faced the two of them…he glared at Kin and spoke.

“So...the little traitor bitch shows herself…Orochimaru-sama was curious as to where you had gone Kin…and now he will know that you sided with his enemies…so just before we kill you, do you mind telling us why you betrayed Orochimaru-sama?”

“I had my eyes opened…and I was rescued by someone here in the village of Konoha from being used as a mere pawn!”

“You speak of that blonde Naruto? Hmm…I can see now why he was labeled a threat by Orochimaru-sama…if he can make you turn on your village…then he must die…after we're done with you…then we'll hand over his corpse to Orochimaru-sama…I'm sure he will enjoy paying back Naruto for injuring him.”

Kin saw red at that as she heard of what Orochimaru would do to corpses and the thought of Naruto being subjected to that form of desecration, no way was she going to let that happen and with that in mind she quickly fired several more kunai and Senbon at the Jonin.

“DON'T YOU DARE LAY YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON NARUTO-KUN!!!!”

The Jonin moved away and quickly attacked as Kin managed to defend herself, the two clashed with one another…but Kin knew that her level of skill was not enough to best a Jonin…and that was true as she was knocked back and had a slash on her arm from the kunai of her foe.

Shikamaru groaned as he was reaching his chakra limit as his Shadow Possession Jutsu was now longer able to fully restrain the eleven Jonin he had been able to trap before. He barely had enough to help Kin as the Genin managed to lure away her opponent in the trees above.

And just his luck that his chakra had just run out…and the Jonin knew it as well.

“Looks like you've run out of chakra kid…and from what I can see…you've got nothing else under you're sleeve.”

(Damn it, so this is how my life's going to end…all I ever wanted was to live a simple…quiet life, I'd be a regular ninja, a regular living for myself, be paid like one, marry a simple girl…not too pretty or too ugly, to have to kids, a boy and a girl…then I'd retire once my daughter was married and my son was a successful ninja, and live the rest of my life playing shogi or go and then die before my wife did…and now instead of all that…I'm in this mess…man, why did I get involved in this?)

Shikamaru turned to look at the Jonin and his Shadow Possession faded and now it was time for the Sound Jonin to make their move. The lead Jonin called out to his comrade.

“Hey…when you're done with that traitor up there…come down here and deal with this punk and take his head.”

A form suddenly came down and Shikamaru got himself ready for face death…but he suddenly recognized that chakra signature. As soon as the smoke cleared out…there was not a Sound Jonin there…but a Leaf Jonin…and a very recognizable one at that.

Asuma grinned as he carried his defeated foe in one hand while Kin was right next to him, clutching her wounded arm but also smirking back at her former village comrades. The former Sound Genin was at dire straits when Asuma showed up and saved her life…and she quickly informed him of the situation and he decided to get involved.

“Sorry…but you're comrade's out of the game at the moment.”

Kin replied with a smile on her face as she held her wounded arm for a moment and then took out another kunai in her still working arm.

“Right you are…so I finally caught up with the rest of you…including you Shikamaru.”

The Leaf Genin turned and spoke to his sensei.

“Asuma?! How did you get here?!”

“That's a dumb question to be asking your sensei you dolt! I thought you were smarter than that.”

“Hey…quit making such annoying remarks.”

“Hah…if I wasn't wounded or injured…I'd kick you in the butt for that remark.”

Asuma smiled and quickly tossed away the unconscious Sound Jonin and quickly went to work on the other eleven. Three of them got decked out hard by the Leaf Jonin, one had his face hit by Asuma's trench knives…namely the brass knuckles part, the other got cut down by the knife part by one of the blades…while the third got hit by both weapons as Asuma hit with both knuckles and blade…the Jonin tried to take him out with their kunai…but it turned out to be a replacement jutsu as they hit only a log with their weapons.

Asuma came down and smashed his legs into the chest of another Jonin and introduced a powerful heel kick to the side of the head of another Jonin…knocking him out cold while sending him like a missile and knocking out another of his comrades…two more tried to leap over Asuma with weapons drawn…but he was able to take them out and managed to eliminate the remaining Jonin as Shikamaru and Kin watched the battle…Kin had to admit that Shikamaru's sensei's skills were impressive as well.

“Now if only you were as get go as your sensei…you would go places…you know that?”

Shikamaru glared at Kin who smirked back at him.

“Women…you can never figure them out…”

Asuma finished off his foes and grinned back at Shikamaru. The Sound Jonin were totaled and the Leaf Genin sat down and groaned.

“You did great Shikamaru…take a break…you've earned it.”

“Thanks….gaaahhh…that was too much work!”

“Quit whining already. You do know we still have to catch up with the others right?”

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Naruto and his group continued their pursuit and Naruto was getting really worried about what might happen if they didn't reach Sasuke in time before Gaara lost full control of himself and gave over to the Demon Shukaku…but knowing his team-mate's desire to be stronger…the blonde ninja knew that things were going to be really bad if Sasuke went beyond their range.

(Sasuke-teme…don't you do anything foolish…that Gaara is no ordinary foe…)

He didn't want to even guess what would be the outcome of the fight if Gaara allowed himself to be utterly taken over by the demon residing inside of him.

(Sasuke-kun…please be all right…)

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Ahead of Sasuke…

“Come on Kankurou…we've got to move faster!”

Temari shouted to her sibling as she, Kankurou and Gaara made their way through the forest. The two managed to get their distance…but they knew that they were being followed by Sasuke…Kankurou growled at Sasuke's persistence…while Temari realized that his time…they had other pursuers on them.

(More of them…four of them…great, we have five pursuers now…)

“All right! Hang on!”

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Sarutobi got ready as he saw the kunai with tags on them in Orochimaru's hands…seeing the First and Second Hokages brought to life in such a manner angered him to no end…but now he put his anger aside and realized that now was the time for him to show just what he was capable of doing despite his age.

Orochimaru smiled at that look and got ready with the kunai…

“That army Naruto-kun summoned might have halted my plans for now Sarutobi-sensei…but I will not be denied my chances…now let's begin shall we?”

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Back in the Forest…

Temari checks the ground through placing her ear on the branches while she and Kankurou paused to check just how far their pursuer was…the blonde used her chakra to improve her hearing and determined that unless they slowed him or her down a bit…then whoever was in the lead pursuer position would be right on top of them.

“I guess a few traps are in order…I'll be right back!”

Kankurou sighed and quickly moved on ahead while Temari got some wire and got ready to set up an ambush…

Minutes later…Sasuke cursed himself for making the rookie mistake of letting his guard down as he stumbled into one of the traps Temari had managed to set up despite the time and distance between them…he should have guessed that they would have made some traps to slow him down…but he had hoped to get to them before they had the chance of doing just that.

Picking himself up from the explosions…he quickly made his way back to the pursuit…not willing to be out done like this.

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“What were those?”

Sakura asked as she and the others moved on. Pakkun naturally was able to tell just what the heck had just happened.

“Trip wire traps and explosive tags…they certainly don't want Sasuke pursuing them…”

“Do you think he's?”

“Don't worry Sakura-chan…Sasuke's not the kind to be slowed down by that method…knowing him and that drive he's got…he's probably moving on and catching up with Gaara and his siblings.”

“I hope you're right Naruto-kun…let's go.”

(I hope this Naruto kid's right on the money…cause I have a feeling this is merely the beginning of one heck of a fight.)

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Back on the roof in Konoha…

The ANBU captain looked on with his subordinates…one of them had slammed into the barrier before and had died in flames…and since their original plan of dealing with the Sound Elite had failed…they had no choice but to stand by and wait and hope that the Hokage would be able to hold on until they had found a solution to the situation they were currently in.

(Hokage-sama…hang on…)

Orochimaru smiled and then decided to humor his former mentor on something.

“Are you curious as to who this came about Sarutobi-sensei? How did I manage to resurrect the First and Third?”

“I do not care…I will stop you no matter what method you used to commit this sacrilege of the dead!”

“Well let me explain either way…at you will know who it was done when you die…you see…my Edo Tensei Jutsu relies on not just drawing out the souls of the chosen ones I have resurrected…but the use of a living human sacrifice…the sacrifice namely allows the spirits to mold the bodies into their own…and with these tags…I can erase their personalities and make them my own slaves…naturally…they will have all of their inborn abilities when they were still alive in this world…quite ingenious actually…I have to work for nearly two years to master this jutsu.”

“You have truly fallen Orochimaru…the sacrilege of the Hokages…and this…I will make you pay dearly for it!”

“Come now sensei…as I were to recall, you used to tell Jiraiya that he should be like me more often…remember…now…enough talk…you have no idea what it feels like to know that you will kill the one you once called sensei. Now then…attack!”

The First and the Second Hokages…now nothing more than puppets launched their attacks on Sarutobi, the elderly Hokage knew of his weak points…but he was not going to give up like this and let Orochimaru destroy the village he himself had protected years before in his prime and now…he will not fail this fight no matter what would happen. The first unleashed his barrage of attacks while his brother the Second Hokage followed up, the two showed why they had the ability to be Hokages as their punches and kicks were too fast for normal eyes to see properly…however Sarutobi was not the kind to give up and quickly made the needed hand seals and unleashed another jutsu.

“KATON, KARYUU ENDAN!!!!”

The Dragon shaped projectile of fire moved in and forced the First to move away, but his brother the Second was skilled with the Water Element…to the point that he could very well summon water anywhere and unleashed his own jutsu to counter the technique of his own former student Sarutobi.

“SUITON, SUJINHENKI!!!”

The massive wall of water immediately blocked the Third's Karyuu Endan as Water naturally defeats Fire and with that, the Second quickly unleashes his own attack as a follow up while Orochimaru was looking on with utter glee and amusement.

The Third then summoned the counter and used his hand seals.

“DOTON, DORYUHENKI!!!”

The massive wall of Earth came from the roof and blocked the massive barrage of water and allowed the Third to get away from the flood, but the First naturally attacked and quickly got Sarutobi with a few well aimed hits…but the elderly Hokage didn't become the Hokage and the `Professor' for nothing as he evened up the odds a bit with counter attacks of his own. However the Second turns the ground into water and quickly drags the Third down into the water, however, the Hokage counters and is back on his feet…however, the First is far from finished as he unleashes yet another devastating attack and the one technique that had made him one of the most famed members of the clan he belonged to…not to mention a rare and powerful jutsu.

“MOKUTON HIJUTSU JAIKAI KOUTAN!!!”

(Damn it…I should have known he would use that jutsu…it's his blood line trait after all.)

Sarutobi was then caught by the roots of a tree… a tree grown from the chakra of the First Hokage and the branches quickly caught him due to his lowering speed and then began to strangle him. The Third managed to hold on but knew that he would have to hurry and quick if he wanted to avoid being choked to death…he quickly made some hand seals and summoned an ally of his…while the trees quickly grew everywhere on the roof of the arena building.

“Looks like this fight is over eh sensei?”

Sarutobi glared and replied.

“You forgot the first lesson I see…”

“Oh?”

“Never think it's over! SUMMONING JUTSU!!! MONKEY KING ENMA!!!!”

The smoke filled the area and the place moved as if hit by an explosion and suddenly before Orochimaru and his Hokage puppets, the Sound Five and the ANBU…the new arrival was a massive monkey who was decked in a regal and functional ninja uniform and seemed to be highly intelligent and stro9ng…Orochimaru however had a very clear idea as to who this new comer was.

“I should have known…the old Monkey King Enma himself…”

Enma looked at the three as he went a bit closer, but his gaze was directed only to one in question…Orochimaru himself…if the animal summon was surprised to see the resurrected Hokages…he was not showing it as he glared darkly at Orochimaru.

“You again…I should have known that this was going to happen…”

Enma then turned and spoke to Sarutobi with disappointed resignation.

“I told you Sarutobi…you should have killed him when you had that chance all those years ago, that foolish choice you made to spare him…look what that decision has brought on you.”

“I know Enma…but now I intend to follow through this time…I will kill Orochimaru…even if it has been too long since then.”

“It's already been too long old friend…but I guess that there's not much left for us to do now is there?”

“Quickly Enma! ADAMANTINE STAFF!!!”

Orochimaru glared as he knew the implications of that order and quickly turned to his two puppets.

“STOP HIM NOW!!! HE MUST NOT TRANSFORM!!!”

The two Hokages managed to rush up there and get ready to attack, but Enma…despite looking far older as well…showed his powerful strength and an overhead fist sent the Second Hokage smashing to the ground, while the First was kicked aside like a toy. The Monkey King Summon was now ready for a true as the ANBU looked on in awe as they had never hoped to see a Kage level battle in their life-times. Orochimaru smiled a bit and then summoned out Kusanagi…the only weapon that could still harm Enma even in his staff form…however the Monkey King then noted something was off…

“The Kusanagi seems…different now…it may seem like my own eyes deceive me...but it looks as if the Kusanagi has been damaged somehow…even broken.”

Sarutobi looked on and smiled a bit as he noted that the Kusanagi was lacking something in itself…

“I see Naruto's attacks have done their work…you may have re-forged the Kusanagi Orochimaru…but now…it's power is not the same as it used to be…I can tell that the power Naruto used has left it's mark on your sword.”

Orochimaru glared at his former sensei…and had to agree…the Kusanagi was never the same after Naruto had broken it in half…with a good portion of it's once unbreakable blade shattered by whatever technique Naruto had used… a portion of it's power had been depleted and lost to him. Thankfully, the said sword was not under Sarutobi's control.

“Maybe so…that brings me to another plan I had…I know you know more about the sword than you let on sensei…so before I kill you…I will KNOW all there is to know about that beautiful sword.”

Sarutobi snorted and replied.

“You're not that arrogant are you Orochimaru? You should know by now that Holy Talon will NEVER obey you…as I recalled from talking with Naruto…it nearly incinerated you and even your healing abilities were nearly spent by that one incident.”

Orochimaru winced at the memory…though he had recovered…the feeling of the white and golden flames consuming the right side of body was still fresh on his mind…but he put those thoughts aside for the moment.

“I have not forgotten…but as soon as I know all about it's powers and how it was made…from you sensei…then I will make a sword that will rival that one…better yet I will find a way to corrupt that sword and it shall belong to me.”

Despite the seriousness of the battle, Sarutobi couldn't help but grin as he got ready with Enma in hand in his staff form.

“You have no idea of what Holy Talon is at all…do you Orochimaru? Then here's something to make sure you understand…it's a weapon that far exceeds anything that exists in the world we are in…the fact that it broke the Kusanagi in half, summoned Dragons, armies, and nearly killed you in battle shows that it is NOT some mere toy for you to play with…it is more than a living sword…but the very symbol of divine power…power neither you…nor I could ever hope to master. Only Naruto is chosen to wield it's awesome might…and I doubt that it's creator will ever make another…nor make one for you.”

“Really? Then I will persuade him or her to tell me…before I give that person a slow and painful death. I am very…persuasive after all.”

“Holy Talon's master will NEVER bow to your will Orochimaru…and you will NEVER find him…and if you do kill me…you will still fail in that new plan of yours.”

“We shall see!”

The two clashed as Sarutobi used the transformed animal summon in both defensive and offensive maneuvers while Orochimaru blocked and attacked at the same time. However the Hokage knew that he couldn't afford to relax and his worries prove to be accurate as he was attacked by the First Hokage. However, he was not giving up as he managed to use an explosive tag and then he did the same thing to the Second before he was knocked aside…he was exhausted and he knew why.

(I would have been able to beat Orochimaru…back then…when I had the stamina and the chakra reserves…I could have used Kage Bushin to even the odds and use my chakra to keep it up…but I am not that same person anymore…my years are long past me…)

Sarutobi looked at Orochimaru as the former student gloated and taunted him…but he was not listening as he thought back on that fateful day he found out about how far into the depths his former student had fallen…and he recalled how saddened he was…however he knew that this was not the time to be weepy and with a roar of fury, the elderly Hokage attacked his former student and that allowed him to get him in a position where Enma managed to release his hand from his staff form and managed to grip Orochimaru's neck. The Snake Sannin was being strangled by the animal summon…but he suddenly turned into a pile of mud and managed to escape and then Sarutobi realized that there was only one option left…it was suicidal and it would result in his absolute death…but to finally atone for his actions and to stop his former student…it was worth it.

(I will stop you…even if I have to use the one jutsu I swore to myself to never use…)

However…he suddenly noted that Orochimaru had something to say to him…considering the blasted smug look the man. He then noted that the limbs of the Hokages had been regenerated…making him realize that normal ninja tactics would be useless on them both and that extreme measures had to be undertaken to defeat them.

“By the way Sarutobi-sensei…here's another Jutsu I would like to show you…I have finally mastered it after all this time.”

What Sarutobi saw in the next few minutes was enough to further show him how evil Orochimaru had become and his rage further increased. Orochimaru laughed even more as he relished this battle…and this further angered Sarutobi as Orochimaru showed his younger body.

“You really are a demon now! This was the very reason I chose to never have you become Hokage…especially the lives you've sacrificed and ruined to master that vile jutsu.”

He recalled the day that he and a small squadron of his fellow ninja infiltrated Orochimaru's hidden research lab to find out if his former student was truly responsible for the kidnappings of a considerable number of villagers…and there…he saw the remains of his own people…and the utterly remorseless nature of his former number one student as he planned to use this very jutsu to cheat death and gain immortality to master all the jutsus that existed in the world.

“I care little for that foolish title Sarutobi-sensei…but after I kill you…I will transfer my soul and mind to Sasuke-kun and then NOTHING will stop me from accomplishing my dream.”

The First Hokage then summed a massive tree to fill the entire dome and there as he heard the horrible truth from Orochimaru and saw it for himself…Sarutobi felt the anger….as Orochimaru's former teacher…he had hoped to turn his student from this path, but that night…as he and Enma destroyed the lab and all of the horrors within…he realized that it truly was a horrible mistake to let Orochimaru live…

(I will do this…even if I die…I will never let you succeed Orochimaru!)

“You may have managed to master that jutsu Orochimaru…but I know one jutsu that you never had known…and this will be the one I will use to kill you!”

----------

Back in the Forest…

Pakkun and the others moved on and he got a whiff of the scent…and stopped.

“What is it now?”

Naruto and Sakura stopped as the dog sniffed the air to be sure about something and then gave his answer.

“Sasuke seems to have slowed down…and if that's the case, then he must be facing someone from the three we're pursuing…and judging by the smell…it's a female ninja he's fighting.”

“That must be Temari he's fighting…come on…we've got to move.”

----------

Sure enough…

Sasuke looked on as Temari was before him…the eldest of the Sand Siblings had decided to stay behind and stall Sasuke's advance…he knew well enough that she was not someone to look down on and while he had not seen the battle between her and Shikamaru…he knew well enough that ranged combat with that fan and wind is what she was the best at.

(This is going to be something…I can't waste too much of my chakra to take her out…she probably stayed behind to buy her brothers time to recover…I've got no doubt she's not going to let me past her that easily….I guess I have no choice then.)

Temari on the other hand was in a situation of her own.

(I used up a good portion of my chakra fighting that lazy Genin Shikamaru…I have to keep him from knowing that and buy Gaara and Kankurou time to recover…at least I get to fight a better looking guy than that lazy one…shame it's not Naruto Uzumaki I'm fighting…as much as I dislike losing…losing to that hunk isn't that bad.)

“So I get to fight you Sasuke Uchiha…and you were the one who followed us…so…let's get down to this fight shall we?”

Temari unleashed a massive barrage of wind at Sasuke who used the trees as cover and he contemplated whether to use Chidori to quickly incapacitate the blonde Sand ninja…but decided against it as he might need to use it on Gaara…he wondered a bit if that meant having to fight Kankurou and while was not familiar with the way Gaara's elder brother fought…he knew that he couldn't afford to be careless at the moment.

Temari upped the ante as she used one of her trademark techniques to flush Sasuke out of the area.

“NINPOU KAMAITACHI!”

The wind began slicing into the trees…leaving massive gashes on them and slicing off weaker branches…Sasuke moved out of the area to avoid being turned into sushi by air pressure and kept on the move as Temari kept on attacking with the said technique…however…it didn't take very long for Temari to even up the odds once more between him and her.

“NINPOU FUUSAJIN!”

The Dust wind pinned him down near a tree and Sasuke realized that the only way he was going to get past the Wind Mistress of Sand was to take that fan away from her so he can take her out quickly.

“KATON HOUSENKA NO JUTSU!!!”

Temari quickly moved out of the way of the number of fireballs coming right at her and moved along to get a better angle of attack and used her fan to unleash a gust of wind at Sasuke to further disrupt his balance…however Sasuke was not going to let this go down quickly and used yet another family jutsu of his clan.

“KATON GAUKANKYUU NO JUTSU!!!”

Temari dodges the massive stream of fire coming right at her and quickly used her previous jutsu to make Sasuke move and right into her trap as he slipped on the sand left behind by her secondary attack, and she quickly capitalized on that mistake to throw a pair of kunai and they struck Sasuke right on the back..she sighed a bit as she heard the groan and she landed near Sasuke and decided to assess whether he was dead from the two kunai buried in his back…but her face changed to shock as the body of Sasuke suddenly poofed and revealed itself to be a log.

“A replacement jutsu?!”

She had no time to recover as she spotted and explosive tag that was already lit and she quickly moved away as the tag exploded, she was then thrown backwards and hit the tree…she recovered and saw that Sasuke…the real one merely snorted at her and went away.

(That guy's good…but he's a real wise-ass!...Damn it…he's going to catch up to Gaara and Kankurou soon…I have to hide before the other pursuers behind him find me…or I've had it….be safe you two.)

Temari…despite her injuries managed to find a place to hide…with her chakra drained…there was no way she could make an ambush to stop the others that were behind Sasuke and as such, she decided to rest and hope that she would be able to recover enough strength, chakra, and stamina to reach her siblings in time.

----------

Orochimaru was intrigued at this and smirked at his former teacher as he had remodeled the body back to his older form and he replied to Sarutobi's words.

“A jutsu that can kill me? And a jutsu that I know NOTHING about? Then show me this vaunted jutsu…Sarutobi-sensei!”

“Gladly!”

The ANBU and their leader could only hear parts of the conversation as the trees summoned by the resurrected First Hokage had blocked their sight to the inside of the roof dome…and they only prayed that whatever jutsu their leader had in hand…it would be truly enough to finally end the life of the traitorous monster Orochimaru.

Sarutobi then created three clones to even up the odds with the three foes he faced as he began to make the hand seals needed to use the jutsu…this was the very same jutsu that his fellow Hokage…the Fourth used to finally end the bloody rampage of the Kyuubi…and he knew just what the price of this jutsu was as he cast the jutsu.

“SHIKI FUUJIN!!!”

He managed to survive another assault as the First Hokage and concentrated on the jutsu than that and Orochimaru's further taunts. Behind him was the Death God itself and the devilish entity carried it's knife in it's mouth…and sure enough…he sensed his own soul not in the grip of the Death God and in moments…the arm of the Death God pushed it's way into his soul's back.

“AAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHH!!!”

The pain was great as while he was not physically harmed by the jutsu…it was then that he decided that since the jutsu was done…he now had to make his move and sure enough his Kage Bushin rushed out and quickly caught two of his targets…revealing none other than the First and Second Hokages…the Darkness that had flooded the area faded and in that moment Sarutobi managed to break Orochimaru's hold on the souls of his former teachers as he bade them farewell as their bodies began to break down and return to the dust and earth that formed them. He vowed to give his life…recalling their words to him when he was younger. And when he looked at the piles of ash, he spotted the faces of both Zaku and Dosu…both Genin were dead as their souls had been lost in the Jutsu started by Orochimaru…the callous way he sacrificed his own agents and villagers sickened Sarutobi.

“You used your own people as pawns for your own gain…I will never forget that.”

“I will kill you yet sensei.”

The two fought once more as Sarutobi used Enma in his normal staff form and Orochimaru used the Kusanagi to fight back but the fight was quickly drawn in as Sarutobi was able to knock aside the sword and Enma reached for Orochimaru but was blocked by the snakes summoned…however that allowed Sarutobi to grab Orochimaru and get him ready for the Death God to extract his soul.

The very second Orochimaru felt the spectral arm of the insidious Death God enter his body…a feeling of pain filled his being…pain that while not equaling the pain he felt when holy Talon's flames burned him was enough to make him fearful…after witnessing what had happened to the previous foes…he knew that unless he stopped his former sensei from using the jutsu, he would die for sure as the arm began to pull back and take out his soul.

Orochimaru knew what had to be done and while his control over the Kusanagi was not the same after it was broken by Naruto and Holy Talon, he was not going to give up. The sword flew right at Sarutobi's back and Enma…now in his normal form managed to grab the sword…but the weapon cut deeply into Sarutobi…however what stunned both Enma and Orochimaru was the fact that Sarutobi didn't budge…even with the sword sticking out from his chest.

“Sarutobi…”

“Why didn't you dodge old man?”

“There was no need to do so…for Shiki Fuujin Jutsu takes the very life of the user anyway. For you see….the price of the summoning of the Death God for this sealing jutsu is the soul of the user in exchange for banishing his foe's own soul into the waiting maw of oblivion Orochimaru…even if you…didn't use your Kusanagi to stab me in the back…I am still going to die anyway.”

Orochimaru tried to escape but a cold realization hit him as he felt his body begin to freeze up.

(My jutsu…I can't use them!!!)

“This just was developed by the Fourth Hokage…the Great Hero who stopped the bloody rampage of the Kyuubi…I will die once this seal if finished…but I will die knowing that I will be taking you with me into hell!”

“This is…the jutsu that bested the Kyuubi then sealed him up inside Naruto-kun.”

“Take a good long look at your own soul Orochimaru…for inch by inch it will be taken from you, and as your body dies slowly from the extraction you will be alive long enough to see it taken and bid it farewell as it will be sealed forever in the stomach of the Death God…”

“What?!”

(My body…it's not moving…I…can't move my body!)

“But do not think that your suffering will end…for your soul and mine will be bound there in everlasting hatred and unceasing combat for all eternity until the very end of this world! You will never find rest or peace in the stomach of the Death God…a fate you so richly deserve you traitorous devil…now prepare to die and be the food of the Death God!!!”

Orochimaru looked on at his former teacher and saw that he meant every word and then saw the Death God take it's knife and reap off the souls of the dead, namely that of the First, the Second, Dosu, and Zaku and with one slash of the spectral knife it carried, the Death God severed them from the world of the living and began to feast on them as they entered his mouth…it then directed it's hungry and demonic gaze right at him.

Orochimaru fought back his fear and called forth his anger and hatred and shouted back at his former teacher.

“You old fool! I will not cower like a frightened child! I will kill you yet!”

With that he managed to force the Kusanagi to slowly push it's way through his former teacher's back. Sarutobi groaned in pain but was not going to give up and lose this battle…too much was at stake for him to give up now.

----------

“So…I finally found you.”

Kankurou glared as he spotted Sasuke facing them and Gaara was still not ready to fight yet…a seriously risky situation if he ever saw one…it was then that Temari showed up…somehow the young woman had managed to get enough strength and stamina to reach her brothers…but she knew that there was no way she could fight Sasuke and protect Gaara at the very same time…Kankurou knew that to be true as well and got ready to fight. He was happy his sister was still alive but she was low on chakra and was not going to be able to fight at her best.

“Sorry Kankurou, I guess I failed in delaying him.”

“At least you're alive…and every second is enough for Gaara…now…”

He then handed Gaara to Temari and spoke to his sister.

“Take Gaara…I'll see if I can't get this pest off our backs permanently.”

“But Kankurou…”

“Look sis…don't argue with me on this…you're low on chakra and you'll only injure yourself further…and you'll get in the way in this state.”

“But…”

“Don't argue…get Gaara out of here…I'll catch up with up you and him when I deal with this pest.”

Temari realized that Kankurou was right and she would only be a hindrance in this fight…she then nodded and took Gaara with her, while Kankurou got ready to face Sasuke…and while he had to admit that Sasuke was no slouch…having wounded Gaara…he had no doubt low chakra having fought not just with Gaara, but Temari as well…and while Kankurou was not that skilled a tactician…he knew that he had an advantage as he had not used up his chakra just yet.

Sasuke looked on and saw Kankurou take off that puppet of his and he gave a slight growl.

(This isn't good…his chakra level is at it's highest…he must have forfeited his match while I was away…and that means he's at a full tank while I'm down to half already…I have to get past him without wasting what's left of my chakra…)

“You may have beaten Temari…but this is far as you go!!!”

Sasuke got ready…but suddenly out of nowhere came Shino…apparently the bug user had left behind both Naruto and Sakura while they had watched Kin stay behind to aid Shikamaru. The bug user looked at both of them and spoke to Sasuke.

“You should get going Sasuke…this fight is mine.”

“Shino?”

“This one tried to weasel his way out of a match with me…and if there's one thing I despise…it's not having a fight with my chosen foe…go and get Gaara.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Shino faced Kankurou and replied.

“It's fairly obvious isn't it…the Chuunin Exams may be postponed with this invasion…but you and I STILL have a match to finish…and you are not walking away from this one.”

“How did you find us?”

“I planted a bug on you earlier…the female bug emits a very faint scent…so faint that not even that ninja dog summon can smell it…but my bugs can…the pheromone drives the male bugs nuts and they'll follow it no matter where it is at the moment. But enough about that detail…Gaara is your real target…not this one…he on the other hand is mine”

Sasuke saw that reasoning with Shino was out of the question and smiled.

“All right then…good luck Shino.”

As soon as Sasuke left…Shino looked at Kankurou and Kankurou looked right back at him. The two traded words and that was the end of that as Shino got himself ready. Kankurou knew that this fight was going to be something he was not going to have an easy time with since this guy Shino had some unique skills and the bugs freaked him out as well…he wasn't scared of bugs as a kid…but the way this Shino guy used them was a bit unsettling.

Pakkun smelled the air and told the two ninja following him that Shino had engaged another member of the Sand Siblings and while Naruto worried that he might have engaged Gaara, he was told by the ninja dog that Gaara's smell was too far away and that he was accompanied by a female and chased by Sasuke…with that in mind…both him and Sakura decide to take the long way aside to let Shino do his thing.

----------

The battle was now about to begin…that much Shino knew as he faced Kankurou…the Aburame clan heir knew a good portion of what the Sand Sibling was capable of doing with that doll weapon of his that was still wrapped in bandages behind his back. Kankurou wasted no time and got out his puppet and attacked.

Shino knew that being attacked by the puppet was a bad idea…but that was proven even more when the puppet unleashed several hidden blades from different parts of it's body and from what Shino smelled and with the aid of his bugs…there was strong poison there on those blades as well…if he got hit…then he was in major trouble.

He was able to dodge the attacks well, but knew that his best chance was to engage Kankurou and fast so that he could get that puppet of his out of the way for him to defeat Kankurou. He was able to close in and see that while Kankurou was skilled as a puppet user…the focus required to control his puppet Kurasu meant that he was weak in close combat and he managed to attack but Kankurou evaded the attack and got some distance.

(Damn…he found out my weak point…but as long as I make him keep his distance…the advantage is still with me here.)

He came close to finishing off Shino…but the wily bug user was able to even the odds with his own Bushin comprised of bugs and this fight was proving to be tough for the middle sibling of Gaara and Temari. However he was able to hit Shino with a blast of his puppet's hidden poison gas weapon and he now had the advantage…however Shino was able to use his bugs to gum up Kurasu's joints and render the puppet unable to move…

Kankurou however was not going to give up just yet as he detached the head of his puppet and showed that he could control the puppet regardless of having to disconnect from them…and with Shino affected by the poison as he was on his knees…it was going to be an end to this fight.

“Now I've…what the?!”

Kankurou was shocked when he felt his body begin to lock up and he felt his stamina apparently beginning to be drained. He saw the chakra strings on his hands fade away and then he spotted the bugs on his hands…the bugs were taking out the chakra from him but how did that happen.

“What's going on?! How did they?”

“How did my bugs get to you…I think it's obvious…weren't you paying attention?”

“What the hell do you mean?!”

“I hate explaining the same thing twice…that punch I threw before…I wasn't missing…I merely had to give you a passenger…when I attacked I made sure to place a bug on your forehead…and it's the kind that all the other bugs LOVE to track down.”

“You put a female bug on me…”

“Good guess…now our fight is over.”

Kankurou fell down and was out for the count as his chakra was eaten by Shino's bugs.

Shino sighed and felt his own body begin to get sluggish as he was still affected by the poison in his body…Shino however decided to rest for now and use his chakra to kill the poison and allow his bugs the chance to force the poison out…he didn't have that much training in that sort of thing…but it was better than nothing.

----------

Ibiki and his fellow ninja looked on and blocked several debris from their faces as the giant Snake summon attacked the village…ripping apart buildings and killing more of the Konoha ninja, and sending their Dagern allies. Ibiki hoped that they had some back up apart from Naruto's summoned army…but things were looking real bad.

However they heard a voice shout out and it was a summoning jutsu and then a massive explosion occurred and one of the heads of the Snake Summon was crushed.

“YATAI KUZUSHI NO JUTSU!!!”

(That jutsu…I know that one!)

“My, my, Ibiki…you've grown…what have you been eating these past few years…you used to be such a little squirt last I saw you.”

Ibiki looked to see a massive toad with swords on it's back and a certain someone he recognized quite easily.

“Jiraiya-sensei!!!”

“One of the Sannin?! All right!!!”

The other ninja nearby who were on the side of Konoha cheered as Jiraiya…after making the usual introductions quickly finished off the Snake Summon. As soon as that happened…the Konoha ninja began to get back into the fight as the Dagern soldiers came back into the fight.

Jiraiya then turned to Ibiki and quickly asked.

“Where's the Third Hokage?”

Ibiki pointed to the still present barrier and Jiraiya did not like the looks of that situation and decided to help with the defense…once the invaders were pushed back…he would get moving and help his sensei in beating his former team-mate.

----------

Elsewhere…

Temari shook her head and was now seeing Sasuke and Gaara face each other…she had tried to heal Gaara, but he knocked her aside and she was out of it as Gaara spoke to Sasuke and from the tone in her brother's voice. She knew that things were about to get hairy…and when Gaara began to scream she knew what that meant as fear fell on her heart and mind.

Sasuke looked on with shock as Gaara's gourd began to meld with his body to create the same monstrous arm that had grabbed him back in the arena and this time he knew that there was going to be nothing that would stop Gaara from unleashing his full power on him and whoever he got his sights on.

Gaara now wanted to goad Sasuke out for a fight and this time he talked to the Uchiha as he continued to transform, he then decided to goad Sasuke even further and spoke on how he knew that Sasuke seemed to have the same eyes as he did…but unlike him…Sasuke had friends and a purpose and he planned to make his name known…to be the one who killed Sasuke Uchiha…the last of the Uchiha Clan and then he would kill Naruto to further show his goals…to be strong.

Sasuke had no idea what was going on here and spoke as he managed to avoid Gaara's murderous rampage all over the place and he spoke to the enraged Sand Sibling.

“Why the heck are you like this?!”

“I will kill you…for you are the first to cause me pain…the pain that I have long wished to feel…and I will kill you to prove that I have a reason to exist!!! This is a battle to the death Uchiha!!!”

Sasuke knew that the time for talking was over and they fought one another and he knew that his best chance was to use Chidori and it was his only chance to slice through the Sand form that was covering Gaara but he had to time it just right to get a solid hit on Gaara…if he missed then he was in real trouble now.

With that in mind…Sasuke began summoning his chakra and then the Lighting chakra and once he gathered the energy needed he faced Gaara. Gaara roared with glee and attacked…using his monstrous arms to move and attack Sasuke. Sasuke then unleashed Chidori and in a moment the two ninja slammed into one another. Gaara intended to crush Sasuke into a pulp with his Shukaku arm and then he would revel in Sasuke's death.

The Chidori cut right through the Shukaku arm and Sasuke hoped that it was enough…however…he was stunned to see that his last ditch attempt to finish Gaara was worthless as Gaara laughed manically and had recovered his sand arm. The sand that composed the gourd continued to cover Gaara until it made him even more like a demon beast and a tail finally appeared.

Sasuke was in a bad strait as he realized that his last attempt at Chidori was now wasted and he would only have to rely on his normal methods of attack. He recalled Kakashi's warning when he had been teaching him the Chidori

----------

Flashback…

“Remember Sasuke…at you're current chakra power level, you can only use Chidori two times each day…if you attempt to go beyond that…you will severely damage your chakra reserves and the Chidori won't function properly and you will be unable to use your chakra.”

“At best, you're chakra will be reduced to zero…and at worst…you will die. And even if you will survive…the damage will be severe indeed. So the bottom line Sasuke…is NEVER to try using it more than two times.”

End of Flashback…

---------

Sasuke gritted his teeth together as he attempted to use his shuriken and kunai…sadly the weapons couldn't cut through Gaara's sand armor namely in his bestial form and even with his family jutsu…namely the Katon Goukakyuu No Jutsu which Gaara shrugged of with no ill effects…and with one swipe of his sand form tail. Gaara was angry and began to insult him to see if he had enough power to continue fighting him.

“You're weak Sasuke…you may have the eyes…but you don't have the drive and power to beat me…and you can never kill the one you seek with that power…you are a weakling Sasuke Uchiha!!!!”

(Damn it! This guy's really angering me…that's it…I will beat you Gaara…even if I have to use the seal!!!!)

Sasuke knew that his plan was going to be a high risk one as the Cursed Seal would no doubt be even more controlling of him, but he decided to use it to amplify and re-power his Chidori…as he did so, the familiar rush filled him as the flame patterns appeared once more and this time. But as he tried to summon the same Chidori…a a massive blast of pain hit him and he realized that Kakashi was right and his body collapsed as his chakra fizzled out.

Gaara roared and attacked…but just as he was about to hit Sasuke and crush him…

“ DRAGON BREATH!!!!!”

Gaara turned in time and block with his sand arms…but the blast was enough to send him reeling as he grabbed a nearby branch and got himself on a tree and faced his new attacker and his smile became more feral and bestial.

“You…”

Sasuke turned to see Sakura rushing up to him with a dog ninja summon who he guessed was Pakkun, Kakashi' personal nin-dog summon. He turned and saw Naruto with his sword drawn and facing Gaara, the blonde turned and spoke to him.

“You okay Sasuke?”

“Yeah…you made it…”

“You didn't think I'd let you go on alone do you?”

Sakura saw the flame patterns but was surprised that Sasuke was not acting like a monster, and so was Naruto, but the blonde ninja placed that aside as he faced Gaara and spoke to Sakura and Sasuke.

“You guys better move out…Gaara's got to be stopped, you're out of chakra Sasuke…let me handle this guy until you're back on your feet.”

Sasuke wanted to stay into the fight, but his common sense won over his pride and agreed with Naruto. Gaara roared and replied.

“You will stay here Sasuke…you and your pink haired team-mate will stay here and watch me rip Naruto to pieces and scatter him all over the place!”

Sasuke hoped that Naruto would make it out alive…he still wanted to fight Naruto

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Naruto looked at the now transformed Gaara…he was covered in sand that took a very much bestial form and the Sand Genin and container of the Demon Shukaku was raving mad as he looked at Naruto who was next to Sasuke who the others were tending to. Naruto glared at the still transforming Gaara and vowed to defeat the Sand Sibling no matter the cost…

He turns to Sasuke who was still out of it as Sakura tended to his wounds, and Sasuke thanks her for coming in and nodded…there was a nicer side to his rival for the time being…and now it was time for him to fight with all that he had in his body and soul. With mind clear…Naruto placed Holy Talon in an attack position and growled out at Gaara.

“Come Naruto Uzumaki!!! FIGHT ME!!!”

Naruto quickly leaped towards Gaara who lashed out with his massive sand arms but Naruto quickly slashed aside that limb and landed on a tree and quickly pushed himself forward as Gaara regenerated the slashed off limb and attacked once more at Naruto. Naruto moved away at the last moment but Gaara moved his sand arm and sent Naruto slamming into a tree…his armor held…but Naruto was not out of the fight as well as he got up and flipped over as Gaara slashed with his sand arm and cut the tree in half.

Naruto fired several shuriken at Gaara who blocked them and moved his hand away…but to his surprise Naruto was right in front of him and smashed a fist right at him with powerful force…knocking him back, Gaara was able to right himself and lash out at Naruto with a gust of wind…but Naruto suddenly slashed downward with Holy Talon and out came from the sword an arc of pure energy that slashed through the air and bite right through his chest armor…spewing sand all over the place as Gaara roared in pain.

Naruto was about to finish the battle…but Gaara attacked with one of his sand arms and smashed into Naruto and smashed him hard near a tree…and Gaara was about to crush Naruto…but Naruto quickly released Holy Talon and the sword glowed as it spun itself and slashed off the sand arm and severed Gaara's control over the sand that held it's master on the tree. The Sand fell off of Naruto and the ninja got the sword back as he charged and in mid leap…spun like a top and forced Gaara to move away from his position as Naruto came right at him and slashed the middle of the tree in half. Naruto pulled Holy Talon of the tree effortlessly and turned to slash off Gaara's next sand arm attack. Naruto charged but slipped on the sand there and Gaara attacked with a descending strike from his arm…intent on crushing the blonde ninja…but Naruto looked up and unleashed another spell to help him.

“DRAGON FIRE BULLET!!!!”

A sphere of flame appeared before Naruto and fired out with massive force as it smashed through Gaara's hand and ripped through it with little to no effort…allowing Naruto to get up and charge once more at Gaara and this time attacked with a sword technique as he dashed and leaped towards Gaara with his sword at level like a wing.

“ARC EDGE!!!”

Naruto moved in and unleashed a powerful slash that forced Gaara back and Gaara saw the edge was merely inches from his eyes…the blow was powerful enough that if it had connected…it would have sliced out his eyes and his face….Naruto landed and before Gaara could react, the blonde ninja began to attack hard and fast as he slashed and stabbed at Gaara…the Holy Dragon Sword slashed past Gaara's defenses and was worrying Gaara as he moved back once more and used spikes coming from his body to force Naruto back and then he lashed out with his new arms and managed to get some good hits on Naruto who was sent flying to the trees…and breaking several branches aside. Naruto however was not out of the fight as he managed to land nimbly on the tree and got back to his feet and faced Gaara once more but not before he charged and unleashed several kunai with explosive notes at Gaara.

Gaara reeled from the explosions and laughed manically at Naruto who had some wounds but was still on his feet.

“YOU ARE STRONG…BUT I AM STRONGER!!! I DON'T FIGHT FOR OTHERS LIKE YOU!!! THAT IS A WEAKNESS!!!!”

Naruto however was not giving up as he summoned both his chakra and the powerful magical reserves of Holy Talon and his body was covered in a golden halo mixed with silver and blue and it nearly blinded the others in the battle ground…even Gaara had to cover his eyes and as the light faded, the people looked on and they were all awed as Naruto was bristling with pure Dragon Fire and chakra…a river of power that defied all odds and Naruto spoke out.

“Then you truly know nothing of Konoha…TAJUU KAGE BUSHIN!!!”

In a moment literally thousands of Kage Bushin appeared all over the place. Naruto wasted no time as he and his clones attacked all at once…

“DRAGON CLAW BARRAGE!!!!”

The attacks shredded Gaara's sand form and Gaara roared in pain as the attacks ripped through his sand armor and form and he managed to kill several of the clones, hoping to find the real Naruto and take him out fast…but every time he thought he had the blonde ninja in his grasp…it turned out to be yet another Kage Bushin and that was beginning to really wear his patience thin. He then unleashed spears of hardened sand from his body and the weapons managed to kill more of the clones that Naruto released…evening up the odds for him once more

The real Naruto however was not killed and he then came close enough and summoned a sphere of explosive magical fire that covered his fist and slammed it right in Gaara's chest.

“BLAST STRIKE!!!!”

The explosion was enough to send Gaara slamming into a tree and smashing his way through some of them and as he got to his feet….his body was dropping sand by the bucket loads and he was in pain…he thought the pain he suffered from Sasuke's Chidori was painful…but Naruto was proving to be in a league of his own as Gaara got up to his feet…he thought back about his past and it made him even more enraged.

“I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU UZUMAKI!!!!”

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He recalled how harsh his life was…no friends, and his own family treated him like an outsider and a monster. His only friend…his uncle then turned on him and lied to him…he tried to love others but they shunned him because of his curse and their own petty mistake…to have Shukaku inside of him and then treating him like a monster…he tried his best and then his uncle tried to kill him…all because of the death of his mother. And he knew know why he was named Gaara and what he was supposed to be.

And after he finally saw the truth of life…he vowed to never be the same again… He had killed all those who sought to kill him and prove that he will always remain here until he was the strongest of all…and now before him was one who planned to defeat him…to destroy him…and he would NEVER let that happen!!!

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Gaara roared out and fired out several blasts of high grade air at Naruto and the blasts hit Naruto with the force of boulders and then he attacked…firing even more spikes of sand at Naruto who blocked and dodged the rest as best he could…but some slammed into him hard and sent him flying…however Naruto's armor held and withstood the attacks and kept him alive.

Naruto kept his calm and focused on stopping Gaara as he cut down several of the spikes heading right for him with Holy Talon and then fired several Dragon Waves to destroy the rest and he then charged while using several Kage Bushin to take the impact of Gaara's sand spears and his arms…the clones faded and Naruto closed in and landed several powerful kicks and punches to Gaara and sliced off another arm with Holy Talon…Gaara roared in pain and anger and launched out another close range blast of air that send Naruto reeling and unable to stand… Gaara knocked him aside with a swipe of his other hand.

But Naruto was not giving up just yet as he got closer to Gaara by using his clones and then with a Dragon Breath to imbalance Gaara… and then with a powerful kick sent Gaara into the air and then all of his clones and him flew into the air…and Gaara looked on and saw Naruto channel his chakra right into his body and the Dragon Fire covered his sword and the clones seem to have the same effects on them and Naruto attacked…turning his body in flight and so did the clones who were close to Gaara and at the last turn…Naruto and his clones attacked.

“HAMMER STORM BARRAGE!!!!”

Naruto and his clones struck Gaara hard…at the very same spot and at the very same time…this was a variant of the same technique he had used to hit Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death in the previous days…but with the Kage Bushin striking at the very same time…the impact of the blows were impressive as Gaara was sent down to the ground like a missile and smashed through several branches and slammed into the ground hard and literally the shockwaves were enough to uproot some trees and shatter the ground hard.

Temari was awed by the move and despite her fear of Gaara in that state he was in, she was worried greatly for him and when she looked…she was happy that he was still breathing…but Naruto and his clones were not giving up as they crowded on top in the trees and Naruto and his clones charged, intent on finally ending Gaara's rampage.

Sasuke was stunned as he looked on at the battle between his teammate Naruto and Gaara and looked at the power possessed by his team-mate and never expected this level of power to come from Naruto himself

However…Gaara had enough of this non-sense and summoned his full power. In a moment a massive sand storm erupted in the area and knocked aside the clones and knocked Naruto back and Gaara decided to complete the transformation. Naruto coughed out some blood but gathered his wits in time to avoid another attack and he could sense that things were not going to look good and decided to summon some help…he couldn't summon any of the soldiers nor the Dragons since the situation was too far gone and decided to switch to his animal summons and knew just who he would summon.

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Naruto quickly took some of the blood from his mouth and made the seal…but instead of getting Gamabunta…he summoned a smaller version of the Boss Toad and much to his shock as well as he had hoped to summon Gamabunta and no matter what happened…get his help before things really went down south.

“Who the heck are you?!”

“The name's Gamakichi to you…and why the heck am I here? Did you summon me or something?”

“I was supposed to be summoning the Boss Toad, but I summoned you instead!”

“You were trying to summon my father? You really need to have more control if you want to do that you know.”

However they barely had time to finish as Gaara unleashed another barrage of sand spikes at them… the little toad summon screamed but Naruto got in front of him, and quickly cut down the sand spikes with Holy Talon and shielded his new companion. The toad watched Naruto as he cut down the sand spikes and had to admit the boy certainly had skill and guts to be taking the burnt of such an assault. Naruto got hit and this time Gaara got lucky as his spike managed to bypass Naruto's armor and wound him…and that was when Gaara unleashed a massive spike at the two of them and forced Naruto to use another spell.

“DRAGON SCALE DEFENSE!!!!”

The hexagonal shield came to life and shielded both him and Gamakichi and the sand slammed hard on the shield and broke down as the energy shield made like dragon scales defended them both.

“Thanks…I owe you.”

“No problem…but now we've got a serious one!”

The two looked at Gaara who had now completed the transformation was now a giant sized demon raccoon of sand and he was now planning to crush all in his path. Naruto knew that he had no other alternative at this very rate but to summon the Kyuubi's chakra…there was no way he could fight Gaara if he was in that form unless he was planning to get himself killed. With that in mind…he entered his mind to pay a visit to his tenant as he realized that his current chakra level was not enough to summon the Boss Toad and he would need a serious boost.

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In Naruto's mind…

(((What's with the bloody racket?)))

Naruto was back in the cage of the Kyuubi with the cage bars being covered in the energy that the Dragon wardens used to further restrain the Kyuubi. The blonde saw the same Kyuubi appear in the cage with his eyes glowing red and his toothy grin there once more.

“I'm dealing with a tough foe right now…and I think you know him Kyuubi.”

(((Oh really now…then who is this foe you seem to be having problems with brat?)))

“I'm dealing with Gaara of the Sand and he's like me…he has a demon inside him as well.”

That got the attention of the Kyuubi right off as his next question indicated. The Kyuubi had sensed something in the air but only faintly as his Dragon wardens had limited his abilities on sensing the situation beyond his cage.

(((Gaara of the Sand, huh? So who's the demon he's got inside of him?)))

Naruto filled in the details and the Kyuubi was laughing and as soon as he was done laughing, the Kyuubi looked at his jailor.

(((Shukaku is still around eh? I never thought that blasted loud mouth was still here in the land of the living…then again…with the Village of the Hidden Sand holding him in that damned kettle for a long time, anything could happen, though how the hell they bound him there in the first place is beyond me at the moment…so you're fighting him huh?)))

“Yeah, pretty much…I need your chakra to summon some allies.”

(((Humph, fair enough, just make sure not to lose to Shukaku…that guy's got power…but not the same level as the others and he's too much a loud mouth and I will not have you lose or die by his hand brat.)))

“Gee…I didn't know you cared Kyuubi.”

(((Don't get me wrong brat…I just don't want to die with the fact you got beaten by the weakest of my kind and I didn't do a damn thing to stop that to keep me from biting the knife early. Now tell your wardens to loosen their grip so I can give you what you need.)))

Naruto spoke briefly with the Dragon Warden statues and the energy that reinforced the cage bars that kept the Kyuubi imprisoned disappeared and out came the chakra of the Kyuubi and it surrounded Naruto once more.

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Back outside…

As soon as he felt the chakra of the Kyuubi flow into his body…he helped Gamakichi on his shoulder and began to redo the summoning jutsu once more, hoping that this would be enough to turn the tide. Sasuke and Sakura, along with Pakkun and Temari watched as Naruto was enveloped in an explosion and out from the explosion came out the largest toad that they had ever seen in their whole lives.

“How did Naruto-kun do that?!”

“Impossible…”

“This fight's not between ninja anymore…but between forces of nature…”

“An animal summon…there are few Genin I know who could have the chakra to summon one…and me among them…but that guy summoned an animal summon of that size…”

Temari was stunned…sure she had seen the Dragon that Naruto had ridden before…but this was totally unexpected to her as such a pair of summoning jutsus must mean that the blonde ninja had SERIOUSLY high levels of chakra to help him.

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Gamabunta looked on at Gaara in the Shukaku form and snorted as he spoke to Naruto…

“You better have a good reason why the heck you summoned me kid.”

“Of course I do Boss Toad! I need your help to deal with this guy Gaara before he wrecks the entire village!”

“Have you forgotten that I still haven't considered you as my henchman or master…if you can drink some sake with me and not faint then we'll talk about this whole master thing.”

“Come on Boss Toad…I'm only twelve for Kami's sake…I'm underage for that sort of thing…even if I had been physically accelerated by the sword.”

“Well that's too bad…”

“Come on Pops…give the guy a chance.”

Gamabunta was surprised the second he heard that voice and he knew fully well who was with Naruto.

“Gamakichi? What are you doing here of all things? I was wondering where you went off to this time.”

“I got summoned here by this kid…but then that big guy tried to bully me…came close to killing me too…but this guy saved my hide and even took a sand spike wound to save me and made an awesome shield to protect both of us, trust me dad…this kid has great potential as a ninja. Take my word for it.”

“I see…and this fellow in the Shukaku form tried to hurt my boy eh? Well then Naruto…I'll skip the sake drinking part until you're older then…for now I'll show you what it means to fight with honor, and just so you know…my son's approval of you means a LOT to me and that is enough.”

Naruto smiled and then decided to take out Holy Talon and got ready as he, Gamakichi, and Gamabunta faced off with Gaara and the Shukaku.

The battle had just went into overtime…

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To be continued…

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Author's notes:

Gah…what a day…sorry for all the delays but I did say that I needed to take a break while I cooked up some new material and I have been busy reading some PMs sent to me and I have been planning on working on my older fanfics…so here is part 1 of chapter 15 and I hope that it's all right for you readers…I have had a ton of things on my mind and it's a miracle I don't split at the seams.

We'll have to wait and see how this battle will turn out and then after the second part of chapter 15…we'll have a filler that will still be part of the overall story and here's it's introduction trailer.

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Trailer:

Naruto faced Gaara and the two looked at one another and Gaara couldn't help but be amazed at how fast Naruto had recovered from the battles merely a few days ago…but then again he was a strong man…having the power to beat him and sure enough…open his eyes in a way to what life was like when one lived for others than for one's self. He was rather curious what Naruto was doing here.

It had been a day since the village Council of Sand had issued their formal surrender to Konoha…and they were now rebuilding and it was surprising to find Naruto here of all people. However Gaara didn't mind it too much as he looked at Naruto as his equal…and a friend of sorts.

“What brings you here Naruto?”

Naruto grinned and replied.

“A gift for you Gaara and it's something I know you're going to like.”

“Oh?”

The next day…

Gaara woke up and opened his eyes and for the first time in his life…he felt whole and restored. He looked at his hands and they were not shaking in nightmarish fits like before… and he then got off his bed and walked out to see the sun rising from the walls of his Village and for the first time in his life…he felt happy to see the sun.

And he recalled Naruto's gift…the gift of a Dragon seal that helped him control Shukaku and more… Gaara dressed in his new garb and walked down the stairs of his room…but spared a glance as a mirror…his circles were still there but he didn't mind it at all as he saw his face untroubled by nightmares and relaxed greatly.

As he arrived, he found Naruto talking with Kankurou and Temari…the two elder siblings turned when they noted Gaara and they were looking at him with surprise…and he merely looked back with a still neutral expression, but it faded as he looked at Naruto and smiled. Naruto smiled back and he asked Gaara a question.

“So…how was your first night of uninterrupted and protected sleep?”

“It was…good…I have never felt so relaxed before, it's the first time in twelve years that I have ever slept in peace without Shukaku causing trouble…thank you for the seal Naruto.”

“Hey, it's the least I can do.”

Gaara smiled and there was no dark or sinister intent at all…but a genuine friendly smile and his siblings were in awe of it and the changes that Gaara was showing. Kankurou was still getting used to seeing his once psychotic little brother being this calm and serene…while Temari felt her heart go out to her brother and she thanked Naruto came here to give that seal to Gaara and help him. She then had an idea.

“Hey Naruto-kun…do you recall that invitation you gave me back at Konoha?”

“Yeah I do…why do you ask Temari-san?”

“I still haven't tried that ramen you praised so much…so if you don't mind…I'd like to try some.”

“Sure…provided your brothers don't mind at all.”

Gaara looked at his sister and saw the affection she had for his friend…and didn't mind it in the least. Kankurou had some reservations but decided to nod with Gaara who gave his approval since he didn't want to contradict his younger brother at the moment.

Naruto smiled at that and walked out with Temari following close behind.

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Hope you like it and hope to get the next chapter out by the time I am done with my other works.

See you all later!