V2.C10. Invasion IX – Two Jinchuriki

Chapter 10: The Invasion IX – Two Jinchuriki

The forest was dying.

Trees that had stood for centuries were splintered and broken, their trunks snapped like twigs, their branches scattered across the torn earth. The ground was cratered and gouged, the marks of massive sand fists and lightning strikes carved deep into the soil. The air was thick with dust and chakra, the raw, hungry energy of two monsters who had been pushed past their limits.

Sasuke and Gaara moved through the destruction like forces of nature, their battle spreading outward, consuming everything in its path. Sasuke's curse mark was active, the black lines crawling across his skin, the purple chakra flames curling around his body like living fire. His Sharingan spun with three tomoe, tracking Gaara's movements with a precision that had not been there before.

Gaara was a nightmare of sand and fury. His arms were massive claws, his tail a serpent of compressed grains, his body covered in the markings of the One Tail. His eyes were yellow, the pupils slitted, the gaze of something ancient and hungry.

They clashed in the center of the clearing. Sasuke's fist connected with Gaara's chest, the impact sending cracks racing across the sand armor. Gaara's claw swung in response, catching Sasuke in the shoulder and throwing him backward. Sasuke recovered midair, his Sharingan tracking the next attack, and launched himself forward again.

His foot connected with Gaara's jaw. Gaara's head snapped to the side. He staggered.

Sasuke's hand crackled with lightning. Chidori.

He drove it forward. The lightning pierced Gaara's sand armor, cutting through the defense, and Sasuke's fingers closed around Gaara's chest. Gaara screamed. Blood sprayed.

Sasuke pulled his hand back. The wound was deep. The blood was dark.

Gaara's eyes widened. He looked down at his chest. At the blood. At the wound.

"You hurt me," Gaara said. His voice was distorted, carrying the echo of something older. "You hurt me again."

The sand rose. It wrapped around Sasuke's arm, his wrist, his hand. It squeezed. Sasuke felt the bones grinding against each other.

"You will not hurt me again."

The sand threw Sasuke across the clearing. He hit a tree. The trunk splintered. He slid down, his body screaming with every movement.

Gaara walked toward him. His claws were raised. His tail was coiled.

"Die."

Sasuke pushed himself up. His body was broken. His ribs were cracked. His arm was barely functional. His chakra was almost gone.

But he stood.

His Sharingan was spinning. His curse mark was flaring. The purple chakra flames were burning brighter.

"I will not die," Sasuke said. "Not here. Not now. Not like this."

Gaara laughed. It was not a human sound. It was the sound of something breaking.

"Then I will kill you again."

The sand surged.

Naruto watched from the edge of the clearing. His face was blank. His hands were in his pockets. His eyes were fixed on the battle below.

Sakura was beside him, her body trembling, her hands clenched at her sides. She had watched Sasuke get beaten. She had watched him fall. She had watched him stand up again and again, each time more broken than the last.

"He's going to die," she said. "Naruto. He's going to die."

Naruto did not answer.

"Naruto!"

He took a step forward. Then another. Then another.

He was no longer on the branch.

He was in the clearing. Behind Sasuke. His fist was already moving.

The punch connected with the back of Sasuke's head. Sasuke's body went limp. He fell forward.

Naruto caught him by the neck. He lifted him off the ground. Sasuke's eyes were half-open, glassy, unfocused. His body was covered in blood, dripping from his wounds like a waterfall. The curse mark was receding, the black lines retreating behind the seal that had been placed on him.

"Pathetic," Naruto said.

He threw Sasuke away like a sack of potatoes. Sasuke flew across the clearing, his body limp and useless.

Sakura ran. She caught him before he hit the ground. She pulled him against her, her arms wrapped around his broken body.

"Sasuke. Sasuke, can you hear me?"

He did not answer.

Naruto turned to Gaara. His hands were still in his pockets. His face was still blank.

"So, Gaara," Naruto said. "After fighting him, are you ready for your superior?"

Gaara's eyes narrowed. The sand around his feet surged.

"It is you!?"

Naruto smiled. It was not a warm smile. It was the smile of someone who had been waiting for a long time.

"Naruto Uzumaki."

Gaara's eyes widened. The sand around his feet surged faster.

"You are the same as me."

"Yes."

"I have heard of you."

"I'm sure you have."

Back in the village, on the rooftop where the Third Hokage was fighting Orochimaru, another Naruto watched the stalemate.

Orochimaru's sword was through Hiruzen's chest. The Third's hands were wrapped around the blade, holding it in place, stopping it from going deeper. His face was pale. His breathing was shallow.

Naruto's clone looked at the scene. The First and Second Hokage were gone, their bodies pale, their eyes empty. The barrier crackled around them, cutting them off from the rest of the world.

"Looks like my time is up," the clone said.

It dispersed in a puff of smoke.

In the forest, the real Naruto felt the memories hit him.

The clone's experiences flooded into his mind. The rooftop. The barrier. The First and Second Hokage. The sword through Hiruzen's chest. The Third's pale face. His shallow breathing.

"The First and Second Hokage," Naruto said aloud. His voice was flat. "Well, isn't that interesting."

He paused. His eyes moved to Gaara.

"Too bad for the old man."

Gaara's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Naruto did not answer. He was already moving.

He appeared behind Gaara in an instant, his foot already in motion. The kick connected with Gaara's back, sending him flying across the clearing. Gaara hit a tree trunk, the wood splintering under the impact.

But Gaara caught himself. His claws dug into the bark, and he swung around the trunk, landing on his feet like he had not even been touched.

Naruto smiled. It was not a warm smile. It was the smile of someone who had found something interesting.

"Come on, Gaara," Naruto said. "Let's do this. Show me all that you've got!"

He screamed the last words, his voice carrying through the forest like a war cry.

Gaara's sand surged. His claws raised. His tail coiled.

"Die."

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Next Time: The Invasion Continues – Two Jinchuriki About to Face Off