Gaara closed his eyes and waited for his death.
Naruto however. Stoof rooted to place he willed his arm to move, but the appendage remained stubbornly still. His mind screamed at him to move...complete the mission.
But something held him in place. Something was stopping him, holding him back. Like a Nara with a stranglehold on his shadow.
But he had to. The Hokage had said…
The Hokage had said…to go after Gaara. To stop him.
Temari cried as she thought she was about to see her brother die right before her eyes when the most unexpected thing happened.
The Konoha nin sheathed his blade.
With a stiff turn the boy left the clearing, leaving a stunned Temari and Gaara behind.
A squad of Anbu stared through the purple barrier towards the battle taking place beyond them. They each wanted to simply rush in there and help the old man but they were practically useless.
It was then, in a black blur that Naruto appeared next to them. "Report." He growled at an Anbu with a hawk mask.
The Anbu looked at him. "Who the hell do you think you are boy? Get back before you get hurt!" He sneered.
Naruto unrolled a scroll and in a cloud of smoke, his familiar Anbu mask appeared before them. Making all the Anbu in sight reel in surprise sending looks of sympathy towards the hawk masked Anbu who you could practically feel turn white as paper.
"Your superior." Naruto growled, though none could tell through his mask. "Now I will not repeat myself. Report!" He commanded.
The Anbu hastily bowed and stuttered as he spoke. 'Yes…umm, Orochimaru has currently used a forbidden jutsu to summon the Shodaime and the Nidaime. Hokage-sama is fighting, but unless we can break through this barrier then he will most likely lose the battle."
Naruto nodded stiffly. "Then tell me what the hell you are all doing standing around. The barrier will not fall just by looking at it. Attack!"
"But…if we touch it we'll be incinerated." One Anbu spoke shakily.
"Then don't touch it!" Naruto snapped, beginning his hand seals forming a fire jutsu to hit the force field."
The other Anbu spread out and began following his example.
Naruto growled after a while. Everything just proved useless. He was about o start another Jutsu when he saw something that made him freeze.
The Sandaime Hokage…was standing, with a sword impaled through his chest.
An untold, unexplainable fury gripped him. His fists, held in mid seal clenched tightly, so much so that the metallic gauntlets in his hands groaned and cracked loudly. Red chakra bubbled from his feet and continued upwards until it completely covered from head to toe.
He looked to the arm holding the blade. The pale arm of the snake sannin, with a wicked smirk on his lips.
His eyes bleed into red, red mist flowing from beneath his eyes. A bloodcurdling howl of rage and blood-lust tore itself from his throat. 'OROCHIMARU!"
Red chakra, burning, evil and violent exploded from him! The wood beneath his feet lit aflame and soon the chakra took a form around him, taking shape, one tail, followed by another, and another and finally a third.
His red, cloak like garb was blown away in its ferocity his hood along with it! With a furious snarl he tore away his facemask as it limited his breathing. Showing his jagged whisker like marks and his bared fangs, in a snarl that twisted his features.
The boy reared his hand back, forming a sphere of bright red chakra. Spinning far more rapidly than his previous one and being several inches larger.
With a battle cry he launched himself at the barrier, as his Rasengan hit the barrier the purple chakra rose up his arm, trying to burn him to ash but his own chakra, the foxes chakra healed him almost as soon as the damage was done.
Inside the barrier, the sound four had to divert to their second stage curse seals in order to hold the barrier up, and even so they could feel their chakra draining rapidly, if he didn't stop in the next thirty seconds the barrier would collapse.
Meanwhile, throughout the entire city of Konoha, shinobi and civilians alike froze in familiar fear as that terrible chakra became known to them. It was the same as thirteen years ago. It was…the Kyuubi's chakra!
Naruto snarled as the barrier seemed to buckle beneath his assault. With a final cry, the rasengan exploded, making a large hole in the barrier that was quickly closing up. Naruto didn't waste a second and leapt straight through the opening. Other Shinobi were to slow to follow as the barrier closed behind him.
Orochimaru, gloating over the death of his sensei, did not notice the approach of the threat until it was far too late.
He barely managed to turn before a clawed fist, punched straight through his stomach. His eyes went wide and blood escaped his mouth. How? Now? In his moment of triumph? He was going to die?
Naruto snarled, pulling his arm out of the man's stomach with a sick squelching sound before his second hand lashed out at Orochimaru's face, tearing off his entire lower jaw. Before the snake sannin, could fall however, Naruto caught him by his hair, raised him up to eye level and formed a third Rasengan before slamming it into the mans chest. Right above his heart.
The attack twisted and turned, blowing the snake nins mangled corpse into his own barrier where he was immediately turned to ash.
Naruto let the red chakra recede into him, before he turned to the Hokage, who was breathing faintly. He knelt. "Hokage-sama." He asked, his voice, now unaltered made the Hokage open his eyes. He looked upon Naruto's unmasked face and smiled. "I…I am glad…I got to see you again…before I…die." He spoke his hand, moving slowly to grasp Naruto's. "I…am…sorry…Naruto…I…failed you."
"It was my mission to protect you…it is my failing here."
Sarutobi coughed up blood. His life, fading from his clouded eyes. One regret. Only one.
Now, that he was out of the way. The council would no doubt put him back into the Anbu, undoing all of their progress.
But…perhaps…perhaps he could give him one last mission…one that would help him discover his humanity again.
"Naruto…come closer." He gasped out, his breaths weak. "I have…one…last assignment…for you…"
The blond boy, ever the faithful servant, leaned in. "Yes Hokage-sama."
"Naruto…your last order…(cough)…your last order is to…to…make…a…world…of peace….where people can be happy…this…is my last…order." And with that said…the Sandaime Hokage gasped his last. His head, rolling to the side.
Naruto, bowed his head. Slowly, he put one arm under the old mans knees, and the other, under his back. He silently lifted the old man in his arms. His face set in stone hiding everything.
He had his final mission.
.
.
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