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Winter Release	By : Cepheus Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 18
- 19
- 20
Note: I finally found
out what�s the name of that man that is the councillor of Suna, you know, the one with a band hiding the left half of his face,
that I referred previously without giving him a name! he�s
name�s Baki. So now, he has a name!

Thanks to all the reviewers! And
HUGE thanks to my BETA Silence in Nightmares!

Cepheus: I wanted to
write another chapter, and I did. Do not expect such hurried updates in the
near future, ok? Read and enjoy. The action is here. XD

��

Next update: really
soon, I promise.

Rating: M (or is it higher?)

Summary: Kyuubi�s secret out. Akatsuki
attacking. Fighting for strength, and falling for your ex�best friend�s
older brother. Maybe Naruto will have to deal with more than he imagined�

Warnings: yaoi,
boy x boy relationship, angsty, torture, and such.
Mental torture as well. Flames will be used to warm up food. OC
warning as well.

Disclaimer: Not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto
does.

�Talking�
�Thinking�
�Flashbacks, memories, dreams�

��

Winter Release

Chapter 19: Unleash

He was out�

The relief was
short-lived and vanished quickly, as a flare of chakra reached his senses,
coming from another mountain in the north.

Blue eyes
narrowed and pupils turned into slits.

And he started
moving again.

��

The enormous chakra was somewhat familiar
to Naruto, as the teen wobbled and moved as quickly as he could towards the
near-by mountain, knowing by instinct that there was not much more time left.

He could detect Itachi�s chakra signature
humming amongst the huge waves that reached him, and also the darker and
scarier one that belonged to the Akatsuki leader; he knew what was happening,
and he had to give all he had, and help Gaara out of his situation.

Crying over himself, being depressed over
everything� this was not Naruto, he knew it; the dark situation he had been in
had affected his mind more than he could have thought possible, and only the
sight of freedom and a clear sky had his mind clear of his depression.

He knew that he was strong, how could he
have doubted himself? Wasn�t he so sure of what he could and couldn�t do?

He�d trained a lot. He would not reach
Itachi�s level any time soon, but he had his determination to back him up.

He could do everything, and right now, he
wanted to save Gaara!

The giant mountain looked imposingly down
at him, almost mocking him for his uselessness, and
Naruto stopped, tumbling a bit as his ankles gave out, blood seeping through
the hastily made bandages.

He hadn�t been using his chakra to run
faster because he wanted to use it all to take Gaara away from the Akatsuki,
and he could not allow any waste of it, not even to heal himself� so he�d
stopped his own flow to the wounds, hoping Kyuubi�s thin flow would be enough
until he at least reached Sunagakure.

He could obviously not know that even if
the wards were off, their countering effect was still active on him, preventing
his wounds from healing themselves. But the bandages were at least protecting
the skin and the flesh, if only for a short time.

Naruto stood up again, his head a bit
dizzy, and slapped his cheeks in an attempt to focus again; he had to somehow
enter that mountain, cave, whatever.

Jiraiya had said to him that his limit
with Rasengan at the present time was three, because using it lowered his
reserves so much that he had to take out Kyuubi�s chakra to keep fighting; his
current Rasengan was, however, stronger than the version he�d used three years
previously, so they could be devastating.

Naruto was aware that he could not use
Kyuubi�s chakra if he were to need it, so he had to refrain himself from using
more than two of his attacks, or else he would not have enough energy to even
move afterwards.

He could only manage one attempt if he
were to have the slightest chance to leave the cave with Gaara, and despite his
determination, he knew his strength was wavering. He�d lost a lot of blood, and
he had to make his move quickly.

There was no time to waste in thinking,
after all, he would never come up with a decent plan; that was something others
in Konoha could do. He could not. He was prone to hasty action� and he was
going to choose the way that was more familiar to him.

Naruto smirked, a blue sphere forming in
his waiting hand.

�Rasengan!�

He slammed the chakra swirling ball
against the wall of stone he had in front of him.

�Gaara! I am coming!�

��

The incoming presence was undetected until
it was too late, and was completely unexpected, despite their strict control of
the surroundings.

They had been performing the middle
section of the extraction jutsu by that time, comfortably sitting with their
eyes fixed on the unmoving shape that soon would be deprived of its demon, and
its life, in the complete darkness that enveloped all of their shapes, when an
explosion shattered everything �the silence, the darkness, and the peace.

The middle of the jutsu was indeed the
most delicate moment of the whole extraction, where the chakra channelled from
every one of them would turn towards the Bijuu and the creature that they were
trying to summon to take the demon away. They had to redirect the chakra flow,
pumping it in a steady flow, opposite to their previous actions �the mere
grouping of chakra energy.

That was why their minds, for a moment,
were turned towards the Jinchuuriki�s unresponsive body, in order to complete
the second step of the extraction, and their attention to their surroundings
decreased slightly.

A humming chakra that was unknown to most
of them and unfamiliar to the rest vibrated forwards, catching all of their
senses, making them suddenly alert; something was going to happen, and they
hadn�t been able to feel it at all.

The source was easy to find �the chakra
surge was weak, and was wavering in and out of the rock surface, making it hard
to recognize, but it was coming near. It had been hard to feel because it was
too weak to be detected, but now it was near enough to be felt without problem.

Though it felt more like a fading
chakra signal than anything threatening.

And the explosion came so abruptly and
unexpectedly that they could only turn and stare as a part of the wall to their
right crumbled down, making light enter the cave, their eyes showing a bit of
surprise even though they hid it well.

The blinding light of the sun, for a second,
caused all of them to close their eyes, the sudden passage from bitch black to
shining sunlight making their eyes hurt. Used to the darkness for an entire
day, light brought only pain.

None of them moved from their positions
though, and they were still continuing with the extraction, even with the
distraction.

They had no doubt in their capabilities.
They could take on any enemy with no problems.

They stared at the figure that had
appeared in the middle of the huge opening in the wall with wary eyes,
expecting to see more than just one shinobi trying to attack them, but no one
else appeared. They waited, the shape half�hidden in the clouds of smoke coming
from the explosion, unable to tell who the person was.

The smoke slowly drifted away from the
entrance, and the Akatsuki members could finally see who the attacker was.

Itachi�s crimson eyes narrowed in
confusion as the person he had been thinking about only a moment before stood
there, sun behind his back, barely keeping himself from falling down out of
exhaustion.

It looked like he�d come back from hell,
and maybe he had, after all. The Akatsuki stared.

Naruto�s eyes were cold but filled with
the fire Itachi had seen so many times before, so clear even with the distance
that was separating both; the emotions so alive and burning that the mere sight
of him was stunning.

His clothes were ripped and dirty because
of so many days in their underground; his pants were of a dark grey colour,
missing most of the lower parts as well as being ripped at the waistline. His
jacket was long gone, forgotten in the undergrounds, and his black shirt was
ripped in many spots, revealing smooth and tan skin underneath.

Blood was covering his whole figure from
head to toe, dripping from his wrists and ankles onto the ground, as the
hastily made bandages on him could not hold the red flow anymore. There was
dried blood on his lips and eye, and some on his stomach as well.

His blond hair was darkened by mud, blood,
and dirt, taking on an opaque shade, damp strands falling on his face, giving
him the appearance of a wild beast whose cage had been mistakenly left open.

Itachi wasn�t expecting this; Naruto� was
free from the sealing kekkai that had been placed on the undergrounds? How was
it possible? To break any type of kekkai he would have needed chakra, but that
had been sealed away.

Crimson eyes turned to Naruto�s ankles and
wrists, and he noticed the lack of wards on them, bloody bandages in their
place. Unless knowing the right dispelling jutsu, no one should have been able
to take off the spell�

But�

He�d taken away his wards.

Just like that. By pure, physical
strength, it seemed.

�Such a fool,� Itachi stared at the slightly
trembling figure (trembling that wasn�t caused by fear, but by pain) with wide,
surprised eyes. He hadn�t expected such a thing from Naruto, not at all; had it
been any other person, ripping of the wards would have meant death, but the
blond teen was not just alive, but in standing in front of him, eyes defiantly
staring at them, filled with rage and determination.

He�d taken the most direct way to get back
his chakra, and only using his own power, as Kyuubi was still sealed (Itachi
could clearly see that, using his Sharingan), he�d managed to break the kekkai
around the undergrounds and escape.

All alone. He�d done all of this by himself.

Itachi blinked.

Indeed, for however foolish Naruto had
been, Itachi couldn�t help but regard his actions with a bit of respect (hadn�t there been any fear or hesitation? He
could not know). He�d decided to hurt himself to such an extent only to get
his freedom back and come here. He probably had realized their plan, and he�d
wanted to save his friend.

Akatsuki, Itachi noticed, had once again
underestimated the Kyuubi�s vessel and his spark of power.

That leaf was
obviously not a simple green coloured one� nor a red
one. Then� what colour was it? The question didn�t simply linger anymore in
Itachi�s mind. Now the question raged through his thoughts, without answer.

The members of the Akatsuki simply stared
at the blond teen in shock. They had been sure he would not get free, not when
the kekkai had been placed on the entrance; but here he was, his presence
enough to shock all of them� everyone reaching the same conclusion Itachi had.

The blond kid no one would have thought
much of (despite his incredible display of strength during his extraction) had
the bravery to fight the pain inflicted by ripping off the wards only to reach
them.

He could have escaped, but he didn�t.

The white eyed Akatsuki Leader briefly
sighed, shaking his head. Had things been any different� had this foolish young
teen not been Kyuubi no Youko�s vessel� then�

Naruto stared, blue eyes fixed on the nine
figures, knowing one of them was Itachi. A part of him mildly wondered what the
red eyed shinobi would think of him now, but he dismissed the thought (what did it matter to him anyway?).

After the strain of his attack, which he�d
used to destroy a part of the mountain wall so as to be able to enter the cave,
he�d felt faint, and before he could do anything else he was trying to breath
and fight back a wave of nausea.

He couldn�t allow himself to fall
unconscious, or everything would have been in vain.

His blue eyes focused on the nine figures
that were not hidden in the complete darkness anymore, his mind taking him back
to when he had been the one suffering from their extraction jutsu, the pain of
the memory twining with his current pain.

It was too real.

It was happening again, and not to him� he
could not allow that.

His eyes trailed over their shaded faces,
for what, he didn�t know.

He could still feel the humming, massive
amount of chakra coming from everywhere, and his eyes left the Akatsuki group,
desperately searching everywhere for his friend.

He hadn�t much time, surely the group
would be on him once the shock of his sudden appearance wore off and�

Naruto saw Gaara.

In the silence that enveloped his mind,
the kind of numb, dulled silence similar to the one experienced when slowly
swimming downwards in a pond, Naruto could only hear his own heart beat� heavy,
hard, faster and faster and faster, until every other noise was drowned away by
its thumping.

Everything shattered in front of him.

The body of his friend was sprawled on the
ground, sand around him, indicating that he�d been trying to protect himself
from the pain until he fell unconscious; red hair hid his eyes, but Naruto
could see that, even if he was not awake, there were traces of the deep pain
he�d been feeling until moments before, and felt his heart twinge with sudden
pain.

�Gaara�,�

Naruto�s eyes widened.

Around him, everything blurred away as the
only thing he could see was his friend�s body on the ground, a veil of chakra
all around him, extracting the demon from inside him.

He�d been suffering.

�G� Gaara?�

He could still be suffering� and would go
directly to Death�s embrace without even opening his eyes one last time.

Why.

Why were they doing such a thing?

Why Gaara?

Why any of them?

Why this thirst for the demons� power?

No.

It was not right.

It was wrong.

Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong�

How could they.

A deep and reverberating echo resounded in
everyone�s ears, once again catching them by surprise with its abrupt
appearance.

Naruto could not hear anything, could not
see anything. His sight bled crimson, a stab of pain coming from every part of
his body and concentrating on his stomach causing him to double over, crying
out.

And he cried out. Again and again, until
even his screams were tingling in his ears, tears in his eyes refusing to fall
and freezing on his cheeks; the sight was somewhat astounding in its raw and
imposing beauty, hands curling up to embrace himself as the pain coming from
the inside and the outside mingled together with rage and dread and sorrow and
sadness.

His chakra bubbled, unstable because it
had been caged for so long, and because of the reaction caused by the wards,
fizzling around him in a wave that turned from azure to deep blue, so thick the
only thing that could be seen through it were the ocean eyes still fixed on
Gaara�s unmoving body, even with the massive pain.

Unmoving.

No.

Left to die in the dirt. Alone.

No�

Without anyone to cling to. Alone.

�No!�

His dark blue chakra turned a blue so
intense it was almost black, and started to drift down, pulsating and moving in
a swirling motion under his feet, as Naruto called out for Kyuubi.

He could see it so clearly now, almost as
if it was in front of him. The barrier would be so easy to break, and the red
power was on the other end. That raw, enraged strength.

The blocking seal on his stomach didn�t
matter.

The Akatsuki now staring at him in
surprise didn�t matter.

He called out for Kyuubi with all his
strength, all his power, all his venom� his mind reaching down, pulling against
the seal, his blue chakra fighting it from the outside, pouring around him like
a cascade.

�I need�,�

He needed his power.

�I need�,�

He needed Kyuubi�s power. Now.

He had never felt such anger before, not
for Sasuke, not for anything else. Every other emotion was dulled out until
there was nothing left but anger.

Like a glass crashing onto the floor in a
silent room, the seal on his stomach shattered under the double pressure,
smashed into tiny fragments.

The new wave of explosive chakra was
devastating. Like a repeat of last time, without the anguish�filled cry of the
inhuman being, the world collapsed around the Akatsuki members, the walls and
the ground of the mountain vibrating, shaking, crumbling under the sheer force
of the chakra pulse that was destroying everything in its path.

The mountain resisted under that force,
but barely enough to remain there, nothing more.

The sight was something to behold.

Naruto�s entire body was surrounded with a
thick layer of red (crimson red, blood
red, so intense everything else was dull and lifeless), bubbling and
fizzling against his skin like a corrosive acid, making its way to cover his
frame completely.

His eyes� his eyes were not human anymore,
with animal�like pupils slit and burning with rage, and the whiskers on his
cheeks were so deep they could pass for scars. Naruto was gasping loudly, the
pain of Kyuubi�s unleashed chakra licking at his body like flames, burning away
his skin and healing it back a split second later in a never ending, horrible
circle.

As the Akatsuki watched, unable to look
away from the transformation that had never taken place in front of them,
Naruto�s human teeth morphed with Kyuubi�s long canines, fangs of exquisite
sharpness much too clear between his parted lips.

His hands were twitching and clenching
over and over, fingers trying to get used to the added weight of fully formed
claws, looking just as sharp and lethal as his fangs.

He was both horrible and astonishing, a
terrible and mortal beauty.

Last came the
tails.

There were four of them, whipping and
slashing in the air, slightly transparent but still just as real as his claws
and fangs, curling around him like some sort of protective blanket.

And that was Naruto� in his fused state
with the demon he hosted inside himself. His eyes never left Gaara.

��

Suna was standing right in front of them,
its greyish buildings and towers clear against the blueness of the sky;
everything looked still, as if time had stopped and froze. They couldn�t see
anyone in the streets, a dark aura looming over the village.

The Hidden Village of Sand looked almost
lost, as if something very precious had been taken away from them; to an
outsider�s eyes, Gaara would have seemed just the same as many years before,
ruthless and evil, but he�d changed.

He could let a smile grace his features,
his green eyes would warm up whilst staring with care (love? Or was it still too soon to use such a strong word?) at the village he swore to protect�

And slowly� people were starting to
notice. Their hearts beating as one, eyes turned towards
something they had despised once, and now was dear to them. A vital part of their village. A part of
their lives.

His sudden disappearance left an
unexpected hole� that they found themselves unable to fill. Suna missed his
Kage dearly.

The Konoha�nins had finally arrived, after
a rush that took them a lot less time than if it had been a simple trip. The
situation required it.

The moment the village appeared, Temari
sped up with a sudden burst of energy, even though she hadn�t slept the
previous night because of her worry; despite the reassuring tones of her
current companions, she feared the worst about Gaara, and wanted to reach her
other brother as soon as possible to know everything.

But her hurry was tinged with worry and a
deep fear that laced through her heart like a vine�s grip, slowly tightening
its hold on her heart, making her gasp in pain.

What if, the moment she reached the
Kazekage tower, she was to find out that Gaara was already dead? What if she�d
arrived too late to save him?

She would never forgive herself about
that. Gaara was her little brother, and despite the problems that had once been
between them, everything had changed. She cared for him, and she was proud of
his status as a good Kazekage for Sunagakure. He�d changed for the better.

Kakashi and the others, seeing her speed
up, were soon to follow, knowing what moved the blonde; the four teens and two
adults moved in synch after the Sand teen, exchanging knowing stares. It didn�t
take long for them to reach the Kazekage tower, but what they found there was
not good news.

�Temari�sama! It�s a blessing you�re back!
Gaara�sama was captured by the Akatsuki!� Baki, who hadn�t been anticipating
her return this soon, but had felt her chakra approach, stared down at her with
a worried eye (the other was hidden behind his band); Temari nodded at him to
show she knew already of the bad news, but Baki hadn�t finished yet.

The man still felt partially responsible
for the kidnapping of his Kazekage, as it should have been his duty to protect
him from danger, but he was left in Suna and he had to do his work perfectly;
if Gaara were to return and command his demotion, he would accept and welcome
it for his inability to be of any help during the time he should have been
there at the Kazekage�s side.

�Baki�san, I am aware of the current
situation,� Temari narrowed her eyes. �This is a valiant team from Konoha that
is here to try and help Gaara,� she pointed towards Kakashi and the others.

Baki nodded, but his eyes were still
grave. He didn�t complain about a group of kids with two strange looking
shinobi because he trusted the Sand female�s judgement.

�That�s not all that has happened,
Temari�sama,� he stated, and he motioned for them to follow him.

As they reached the infirmary room inside
the Kazekage tower, Temari was shocked to see her brother Kankurou laying on a
bed, shaking with horrible convulsions due to what she could only tell was
poison. His face formed a scowl, sweat trickling down his neck and forehead,
fingers unconsciously gripping hard on the sheets of the bed, white knuckles
signalling the pain that wracked his body in his delirium.

His pained expression said everything that
could be said, and no words were spoken; the silence stung, ruined only by his
pants and groans of pain.

An old woman was doing her best to cure
him, extracting the poisoned blood using her chakra, but the results were very
slow even though Temari knew her as the most valuable Medic�nin Suna had, and
the pale face of Kankurou was just making her even more distressed.

�What� what happened to him?� her voice
was steady and didn�t waver, even if she wasn�t this sure of herself inside.
But she was the only one left, and she had to stay strong.

�He tried to follow the two Akatsuki guys,
but got poisoned by one of them,� Baki told her and the Konoha�nins, his voice
laced with regret and self�hatred. �He�s been fighting the poisoning ever since
yesterday, and the only information of his attacker we
were able to get was just a name whispered by him before he passed out, and the
direction where the two went.�

Kakashi moved forwards, staring at the
other man with serious eye. He knew Suna was facing bad times, but they were
here to help. �We need to know where they went. We will do our best to help
your village with the Kazekage, with the best of our abilities, just as our
Hokage asked us to.�

Baki nodded, motioning them away from the
room so the healer could work with ease (whilst Temari remained there to assist
the woman), and pointed out of the giant window towards the desert. The sun
shining against the sand seemed to want to mock them with its light.

�Akatsuki left the village by the South
entrance, leaving behind a trail of dead bodies,� Baki frowned in anger.
�Kankurou�sama followed them there, and was found not far from the gates,
critically poisoned and hurt. He had the time to utter the name of his
attacker, who happens to be an S�ranked Missing�Nin from Sunagakure that left
decades ago; Akasuna no Sasori.�

Kakashi nodded and his thoughts turned
darker. He knew of that name, it was one from an old version of his Bingo Book;
that man was supposed to be the inventor of the Puppet jutsu Suna was famous
for, the same one Kankurou used. He�d disappeared from the village and was soon
put in the rankings of a nuke�nin� he�d killed Sunagakure�s Kazekage, so he was
fairly dangerous and strong.

Kakashi knew there was no time to joke
around. Akatsuki was nothing to laugh at; it grouped together all the strongest
Missing�Nins currently wandering through the shinobi countries, all of them
specialized in a different art of killing, all of them merciless and cold.

They were to meet with all the Akatsuki
members, all of them, and it would
not be an option to fight, not at all; despite the chakra loss due to the
extraction, Kakashi was sure the organization would be strong enough to kill
them without even trying.

They had to try to release Gaara if
possible, and then escape with him, while trying to not endanger their lives.

�Group, I want to make one thing clear; we
are not to fight against the Akatsuki,� Kakashi turned to his companions and
looked into their eyes one by one. �We are in no condition to fight them; we
are only to take Gaara away.�

Gai and the teens nodded in agreement.
TenTen assured herself she still had her summoning scrolls, as she would need
all her weapons for this mission, then she glanced at the other three teens at
her side.

Shikamaru was frowning, staring ahead with
penetrating eyes, as if wondering what kind of obstacles they were going to
find. For a moment though, his fingers latched with Neji�s in a soft,
comforting gesture that warmed her a bit. She had long since given up on the
Hyuuga prodigy.

Neji instead looked a bit pale; she was a
bit worried for him, he hadn�t looked good ever since they left Konoha. TenTen
was painfully aware of his belief that Naruto was still alive, and was probably
realizing that the only vague (and not completely trustworthy) proof was
shattering in front of his eyes was hurting him from the inside.

She just hoped he would be fine.

Lee, on the other hand, had a serious and
determined look in his eyes. He was the only one among the Leaf teens that
still thought of Gaara as a friend (again, Naruto did not count), and it was
his duty to go and help him out.

TenTen smirked with confidence written on
her face. If they wouldn�t be able to save the red haired teen, they would at
least come back home alive and healthy, she would make sure of that.

They would do their best, no matter what.

�Let�s go!� Kakashi and Gai said together.

The group moved onwards.

Baki stared at their forms until they
disappeared in the distance, before moving back inside to join Temari in the
infirmary room.

��

His mind in a daze, his entire frame
covered with scorching pain, Naruto�s will was still strong enough to remember
his priorities and his duties; he could feel Kyuubi�s chakra, released only
now, around him, almost blurring his vision with tones of dark red, clawing at
his skin, burning it away only to heal it again a second later, and despite the
pain, he could still reign control over himself.

It had never happened before, a part of
him was aware of that. During his training with Jiraiya, the Sannin had tried
to make him control his chakra, but the stimulation of the seal only caused him
to transform, every time at a certain point losing himself to the inner
instincts of the demon.

He could still remember that three was the
number of tails he could control with his own mind working a hundred percent,
but the moment the fourth tail came out, his consciousness would drown.

Naruto would never forget that day. He�d
been training to control three tails even better, but then, Jiraiya had said
something he shouldn�t have, and Naruto had lost control.

That had been the first (and up to now,
the only time) he�d used a fourth tail.

When he woke up, not knowing how much time
had passed, he�d been in the hospital, tired and weak, and Jiraiya was in the
bed next to his own� completely covered with bandages and with a horrible gash
on his chest.

He could have killed his mentor without
even knowing it, and the fear and the disgust with himself had chased Naruto
for months, even with Jiraiya�s reassuring words (�I would never blame you for that� my selfish words were not meant to
be said, I provoked you, and you just reacted. I don�t blame it on you, not at
all. It simply couldn�t be prevented.�).

But now�

Now something was different.

He had four tails (he could feel it with
every fibre of his existence), but he still retained his consciousness; just
like his own chakra had been easier to feel and control, even Kyuubi�s was now
somewhat in his control, subdued maybe, he couldn�t know the reason why.

He felt strong. Almost
invincible. He knew he had enough power to fight levelly with one of the
Akatsuki� and he could sense the unease of the men staring at him.

Akatsuki was afraid� or maybe just
unsettled. Kyuubi�s power was clear to them, they knew it could be very
dangerous even though Naruto couldn�t control it enough to prove a deathly
opponent yet� but they knew that it could be a difficult battle, especially
since they could not stop their extraction.

Their chakra was still gathering.

Naruto felt it, and turned his rage
towards it, instead than on the shinobi.

He would be a fool to try and fight now;
despite the surge of power he could feel that his body wasn�t used to so much
raw chakra, and that he had not much time before he collapsed.

He leaped.

His whole body just a blur of red and
black, Naruto jumped forwards, sending a flash of burning chakra towards the
nine Akatsuki members, who had to evoke a chakra barrier to protect themselves;
the Leader�s eyes narrowed as he prepared to use a jutsu and block the threat,
but Naruto�s speed was greater than his own reaction time.

Naruto landed next to Gaara on all fours,
and, kneeling, he nuzzled his head towards the chakra blanket he could sense
over his friend�s unresponsive body; eyes glinting with something, he raised
one hand (paw) and the red layer on
his body coated Gaara as well, effectively stopping the gathered chakra of the
nine shinobi, who stood up from their positions ready to fight, feeling the
drained chakra disappear.

Kyuubi�s chakra had covered the Kazekage�s
body, and working in tune with the seal on his stomach, had stopped the
extraction in its middle phase.

All of this had happened in a matter of
seconds, and couldn�t have been prevented in any way.

Naruto smirked, fangs shining in the light
of the sun outside; his rational mind was slowly ebbing away, as survival
instincts were kicking in, alerting him that Kyuubi�s chakra would soon retreat
and he still needed to run away.

The nine members of the Akatsuki jumped
down, surrounding the two teens, but Naruto didn�t show anything as he kneeled
and moved Gaara�s body onto his back, securing it so he wouldn�t fall down.

�You won�t get away, un!� Deidara was
glaring (and half�pouting as well); he hadn�t liked the loss and waste of his
chakra for another extraction that had failed, and he didn�t care if that boy
still held Kyuubi.

He would give him a lesson now.

�Stop here, and you won�t suffer �too
much,� Sasori added, his voice low and dangerous.

Itachi said nothing, crimson eyes still
fixed on Naruto. �How will you get out
now, I wonder?� At his side, Kisame growled and gritted his shark teeth,
removing Samehada from his shoulders and holding it upwards with his blade
titled towards Naruto.

The Leader simply stared. He found all of
this entertaining, even in its annoyance.

The rest of the Akatsuki members prepared
themselves to take down the threat.

Naruto jumped.

He had faith, once more, in his
capabilities.

He was faster now than he had been
previously; he had Kyuubi�s aid as well. He had desperation too, and that
helped.

And his determination.

Sasori�s tail slammed down where he�d been
a second before, crushing the sand and the rocks to nothing, but Naruto didn�t
even look back as he landed on the inner side of the mountain, racing upwards
with the red chakra gluing him to the wall effortlessly. In front of him
appeared the huge, chakra eating sword, and the blonde sent a wave of his red
layer against it, allowing it to be absorbed.

Kisame smirked in superiority but his face
turned serious when the chakra fizzled against the blade, starting to melt it
down with its high temperature.

Suddenly, a wave of something grey washed
above him, and Naruto sped to his right, evading the attack of Deidara�s clay
before landing again on the ground, facing another shinobi he�d never seen
before.

He was standing there, tall and proud, and
staring at him with a very arrogant expression, holding something that looked
like a rosary with a triangle at the end of it in his right hand.

�I am quite irritated,� the man started.
�Because it�s the second time you interrupt an extraction. And when I am
irritated, blood rushed to my head, and I can�t quite control my actions� and
of course, that being said�,�

�Shut the fuck up and attack him Hidan!�
another figure appeared on Naruto�s left, moving towards him with high speed,
but Naruto�s instincts reacted faster and he moved out of the way.

Blood red, slit eyes stared at the hole he
made to enter the mountain cave, and narrowed in concentration; a second later
he darted off that way, far too fast for any of the shinobi to be able to step
in front of him.

Except one.

Naruto let out another wave of his burning
chakra, causing another explosion to help his getaway, and smoke covered
everything around him. His senses pointed the exit out to him, and he moved
towards there, only to stop in his tracks as a figure stepped in front of him.

For a second, both he and the shinobi
stood there, not moving. Crimson swirling eyes boring into blood animal�like
ones, Itachi and Naruto stared at each other in silence.

Nothing moved, then the moment broke, and
Naruto jumped high, rushing out of the cave.

Itachi didn�t move, his eyes simply
following him outside.

�Interesting�,�

The smoke disappeared and all the members
reunited again, very much pissed off.

�Kuso,
un!� Deidara cursed loudly, slamming his foot on the ground twice. �How could we let him escape?! We�re Akatsuki! We�re stronger
than a stupid Jinchuuriki boy, un!�

Some of them started to speak aloud, but
they were stopped dead as a laugh echoed around them.

It was cold. As chilling as a winter
breeze, holding so much darkness and malevolence a shudder ran through their
backs in fear.

Their Leader was laughing a low, evil
chuckle, eyes glinting with barely suppressed morbid amusement.

�Indeed, this is proving to be quite fun,�
he said, velvet deep voice stabbing all the remaining members like blades of
ice. �We will just let the chase be a little longer, indeed.�

��

He couldn�t look away.

The sight was too much, not after the
words (lies) he�d been told. Not when he wasn�t expecting it. Not now.

There was no way his eyes could fail him,
but what he was seeing could not be the truth.

He was dead, his mind kept repeating over
and over.

And for a moment, he was lost in a place
where he was no longer Orochimaru�s recruit, desiring power in exchange for his
body. He was no longer the avenger or the traitor.

He was a simple teen, whose heart thumped
so loudly in his chest that it hurt him, his breathing coming out in gasps of
surprise.

His entire cold demeanour wasn�t there
anymore, his coolness, his emotionless being, the self
he�d used to prevent himself from being hurt ever again.

He was just Sasuke for that moment, and
his eyes couldn�t move from the figure in front of him� so inhuman but so
familiar.

Where was the rage that had consumed his
soul up to that moment? Where was his hatred? Where was�

Gone.

�Naruto�,� his own voice spoke in a
whisper.

This was Naruto. Even though he didn�t
look human at all, even though he had to be dead� this was Naruto.

Naruto was still alive, and a rational
part of his brain supplied him with a possible reason why (he�d been held by Akatsuki� all this time�), whilst his first
instinct was to run to him and touch him� to see if he was still alive.

He restrained his sudden desire with every
ounce of self�control he had, despising himself for the unwanted feelings that
had flowed into him so strongly he couldn�t even move. He�d thought he would be
free from such unneeded things, but he�d been wrong.

As usual, Naruto was the only one that
could get a reaction out of him.

That caused a burst of annoyance in him.

But this was waved away when Naruto�s
bloody eyes (animal eyes, not human, slit
like a cat�s�what was Naruto?!) seemed to focus on him. Their intensity
made Sasuke feel oppressed by some invisible force.

Was this Naruto?

It couldn�t be.

This being was not human�

It was then that Sasuke noticed the body
of the redhead on the other teen�s back.

�� the Sand shinobi?� Sasuke frowned. He�d known Akatsuki had
wanted Gaara� had Naruto saved him then? It surely looked like it.

�Sa� Sasuke?�

The mist around Naruto�s mind seemed to
thin out a bit, and he was left staring at a person he�d wished to see so many
times before, but that he�d known he would not see for a long time.

Oh, he�d missed that Uchiha.

He�d missed him so much it hurt and he
felt betrayed and guilty.

He�d trained for him, trying to
understand; he�d promised Sakura and himself he would take Sasuke back.

And he�d dreamed of their encounter many,
many times during his sleep.

But�

Seeing him like this�

He wasn�t ready. He couldn�t fight him, he couldn�t prevent the Uchiha from killing him if he
were to try.

He was weak, and he had not much energy
left� and he had to save Gaara.

But Sasuke was important.

He wanted to take Sasuke with him as well.

�Sasuke� is it really you?� there were
tears in Naruto�s eyes once more. Sasuke stared at him in shock, even though
his face was back to its emotionlessly mask; this was
Naruto, similar but different from the one he�d fought back in the Valley of End.

The Naruto he�d once wanted to kill.

He didn�t want to kill Naruto anymore.
When Orochimaru had told him Naruto had died at the hands of Akatsuki, the pain
he�d felt for the loss of the only person that had been able to understand him
(his best friend, his confident, his�
family� his�) had been so strong.

Too strong.

If he had to renounce everything (his life, his childhood, his friends, his
family, his future� his body)
for his revenge, he would. But no one else had to be hurt in the process.
Naruto didn�t deserve to be put in the middle of his hatred.

Sasuke could understand that the moment he
realized for real that Naruto was still alive. He would never really be able to
hurt him.

Unwanted feelings or not.

Naruto. Was. Not. To. Be. Hurt.

Ever.

�Hn, dobe.�

That word. It had been unspoken for almost
three years, haunting the two teens in their minds, dreams, and nightmares like
a denied reality both were trying to ignore; a stupid word, but it held a much
deeper meaning than any other.

It meant familiarly; it meant a close
friendship� that had been destroyed with a chirping attack in a valley three
years before.

Naruto felt no rage in hearing it.

He only felt a deep sadness.

How could it be? He was standing in front
of his long lost friend, and he could do nothing. He couldn�t even fight. Nor
read his expression.

What was Sasuke thinking?

Naruto felt empty inside� he wanted
nothing more than hug Sasuke and plead for him to come
back. He�d missed him.

Had everything resulted in nothing?

�Sasuke�,�

Sasuke�s eyes flared in Sharingan wheels.
Naruto would never renounce his promise. Sasuke could see it in his (inhumanly red instead of blue, but still his)
eyes. The resolve was still there, together with a deep pain he felt partly
responsible for. And the pain inflicted upon him by something else.

Akatsuki. Sasuke could tell. After all, he
could read Naruto really well, he always could.

He could not allow himself this weakness,
but if it would help Naruto get strong� it would be good to have something to
look forwards to, as his last desire before giving away his body.

A fair fight, their last fight.

With both of them at their peaks of
strength.

The end would come,
he knew what Orochimaru wanted to do with Konoha. It would come soon, and soon
enough, everything would come to an end for all of them.

�Do you think you deserve to even speak to
me?� his voice was cold, just like it had grown to be in the long, awful years
under Orochimaru�s will. He�d changed. He wasn�t the same Sasuke from before,
even though, seeing Naruto, that Sasuke resurfaced for a moment, and still
lingered. �I can sense your weakness! Not even that form can give you power?
What are you? You can�t even touch me like this. I won�t waste my time
enslaving you.�

And it was true. Sasuke could see the
strain that kept Naruto from collapsing, and his wavering chakra signature.

He could feel two chakra signatures. And
Orochimaru would have to explain. Why the red eyes. Why the animal features�
the fangs, the claws, and oh gods, the tails.

Four whipping tails.

And that red chakra, threatening and evil,
burning and melting and fizzling on him.

What was this?

What kind of power could that be?!

Sasuke would have wanted to stay and
continue speaking. A stupid, foolish desire he could not indulge� Naruto
unsettled him, forcing him to rethink his priorities, and he could not allow
himself to (he would find his that his
hatred was not strong enough to pass over his eyes, his being, his never fading
friendship, what Sasuke could never be).

Sasuke was human, but he was refusing the
reality of these words, in order to be strong enough to take his revenge;
Naruto thought of himself as not human, and desperately tried to be considered
such, to be accepted and welcomed.

Each chasing what the other had, knowing
both were similar, different, the same and completely the opposite.

Naruto still thought of Sasuke as a
friend.

And Sasuke� Sasuke had a new determination to
drive him.

His brother had to die. For
his family. For his lost childhood. And for
Naruto�s pain.

�Become strong, Naruto, because we will be
seeing each other again, and that day will be the last for our friendship,�
Sasuke said. �Now you�re not even worthy of my attention.�

He couldn�t have this friendship. He
couldn�t allow Naruto to have it.

Sasuke glared at his (long lost, still close, words could not describe the truth as the
feeling got destroyed and kept returning, never faltering, back again, even
stronger, only to be destroyed again) friend.

And he disappeared completely, masking his
chakra and presence as he ran away with all his speed, leaving behind a
distressed blond.

Naruto could only stare at the empty space
his friend had been a second before, too shocked to speak, think, even feel.

Sasuke.

He�d seen Sasuke� a part of his mind was
weeping and crying in pain� whilst another was only more determined to get him
back.

This had been Sasuke.

So changed and yet, identical to how he�d
been years before.

�Sasuke�� Naruto started to cry, his tears
blood because of the pain still wracking his body, caused by Kyuubi�s chakra
still around him, even though it was fading away slowly, and with it his
strength. �I will take you back� this was my promise, and I will say it again
here. I promise I�ll take you back�� This
is my nindo��

The weight on his back made Naruto focus
on his surroundings again, and he was aware again of his pain, and of Gaara
still draped on his back.

He had to continue his escape, who knew if
Akatsuki was on his tail?

Right now� Gaara was more important.

Right now, he had to get out of here
alive; he would weep for Sasuke later on� he would feel guilt later on, pain
later on.

Now he had to keep on going.

He started running again, bloody eyes set
forwards.

��

Cepheus: so that�s it. Please, review ok? I really love
your comments! And no, Naruto doesn�t look like this blackish thing in the
manga when he has four tails. His features can still be seen underneath the red
layer of demon�s chakra.

REVIEW! NOW! XDXDXD

Ending
Note: Naruto is not stronger than the Akatsuki. Any member of it could beat him effortlessly.
But Akatsuki is in the middle of the extraction, thus starting to feel a bit of
strain. And the attack came unexpectedly and Kyuubi�s chakra release was strong
and fierce. BUT. Kyuubi could be stronger than
Akatsuki. Not all of them together, but he could take down
the organization one after the other� just like they all together could
slay him.
- 18
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Winter Release