Chapter 9: Hidden Snake

Attention, important, very important disclaimer: Trigger Warning for cutting. Something that can trigger people is mentioned/talked about in this regarding one of the characters. If you can handle it, great. If not, I will summarize the chapter at the end of the chapter. It will be in bold like this so scroll down till you see bold again if you don't want to read about it in detail. 

So yeah. 

Naruto was panting slightly as he practically flew by the large trees that made up the Forest of Death, trying as hard as he could to run like the wind, even focusing his chakra on his calves to help run faster in order to reach Sayuri and Sakura, who were currently in a fight with Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin. 

He had been blown away by a large wind jutsu just like last time. He had tried applying chakra to the soles of his feet in order to avoid repeating his past but failed. Failed. Failure. How could he fail? 

He knew everything that was about to happen and yet he wasn't able to be effective at all. Sayuri would end up getting the Curse Mark as Sasuke had before. He was failing in his mission. 

He was failing to change the future as he had promised when he arrived in this reality. 

"No," Naruto murmured to himself as he propelled himself further. He was getting close. He could hear the roaring of fire that was most likely from Sayuri battling Orochimaru. He summoned a clone and used it to help form a Rasengan. 

Looking up, he saw Orochimaru talking to Sayuri. He didn't know what he was saying, but that sly smirk that plastered itself on the Snake Sannin's face was infuriating. 

During the war, Orochimaru was somehow revived after Kabuto was subdued. Orochimaru, with the help of a special item Naruto wasn't informed about, was able to summon the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokages using the Reanimation Jutsu, which helped the war effort for a long time before they were offed by Madara using Sage of Six Paths Senjutsu. 

So he knew he couldn't kill the Sannin even if he was able to. Orochimaru was going to be useful in the future but right now he was acting the villain. He had put that Curse Mark on Sasuke long ago as well as killing the Third Hokage. His sins outnumbered and outweighed his actions during the 4th War. 

Sins. . . 

"No," Naruto suddenly shouted as he jumped into the air, hovering slightly as he glared murderously at Orochimaru, whose eyes had widened in shock at the sudden appearance of the Jinchuuriki. 

"Naruto don't!" Sayuri cried out. Didn't he know who this was? This was Orochimaru of the Three Sannin, a legendary shinobi! Naruto didn't stand a chance!" 

"I won't ever let you hurt any of my comrades ever again!" Naruto screamed in a rage as his Rasengan began morphing in his hand, air from around the blonde streaming into the ball of chakra as it began changing into a bright white color with four blades pronging from each side of the Rasengan, making it look like a large shuriken.

"What is this?" Orochimaru hissed as he shielded his eyes. "Is that pure wind chakra?" Naruto's blue eyes shined brightly as the wind around him began cutting into skin. 

No. No, he had to endure this pain. He had to push the Sannin back or, if he was lucky, put him out of commission for the remainder of the Second Exams. 

Sayuri watched Naruto in awe. She was only able to see his back with the white chakra swirling heavily in his right hand. She looked on as the orange jumpsuit Naruto always wore began shredding under the power of his own jutsu, large amounts of fabric quickly detaching themselves from the rest of the jacket as the shuriken-like jutsu only increased in power. 

With his entire right arm almost out of commission, Naruto's blue eyes shrouded in fury as they met Orochimaru's golden yellow eyes. "RASENSHURIKEN!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs before he hurled the jutsu at the Snake Sannin. 

Orochimaru's eyes widened as the jutsu hit him square in the chest as he suddenly felt his entire body light up in agony. Orochimaru let out a horrible scream of pain, the jutsu swarming around him like a hurricane as he what felt like thousands upon thousands of needles hit every inch of his body. 

Naruto smirked, happy that his jutsu had worked on the man, not even caring that he himself was also caught in the outskirts of the blast his jutsu caused, with his entire orange jumpsuit being ripped to shreds, leaving him in a pair of boxers and his plain black t-shirt.

Sayuri watched in amazement at the flashy jutsu as she watched Orochimaru begin to wither inside the center of the storm, screaming curses at the Uzumaki, unable to escape. She saw Naruto also get hit with his jutsu and had to stop herself from jumping to his rescue, for if she did she would only get caught in the blast herself. 

She would have to rescue him after the jutsu powered down. "Sayuri!" She heard Sakura call her name. Sayuri scanned the area quickly and found Sakura standing on a branch lower than hers on a different tree. "We need to get Naruto and get out of here!" Sayuri grit her teeth as the jutsu continued on in its small onslaught of the Sannin with no signs of stopping anytime soon. 

She saw Naruto hovering the air, taking the blast of his own jutsu with several cuts littering his body. Luckily, the jutsu pushed Naruto out of its diameter as he began to freefall towards the ground below them, a fall that would surely cripple or even kill the Uzumaki. 

Cursing, Sayuri propelled herself off the branch and grabbed ahold of Naruto's body with her left arm before using her right hand to stab a kunai into the nearest tree. The jolt of suddenly stopping was anticipated by the Uchiha as she felt her grasp on the kunai slip. "NO!" She shouted as she watched her hand leave the handle of her kunai as she began descending in the air. 

Am I going to die?  Was Sayuri's thoughts before her outstretched hand was suddenly caught by the wrist. 

"I got you!" Sakura shouted in a strained voice as she forced her other hand to stretch further than usual, a small pop echoing in the forest as she groaned in pain before pushing up with her feet as she hauled Sayuri and Naruto up onto her branch, which luckily enough, had enough space to fit the three of them. 

Breathing heavily, Sayuri laid on her back for a moment before turning to Naruto. "Are you alright dobe? What the hell was that-" She said before the words died in her mouth. 

Naruto's black shirt was ripped and tattered with blood leaking from several different spots on his body where most of the damage was with his right hand. His boxers were thankfully still intact but his legs looked as if someone had taken tiny little razor blades to them.

Wait. . .

As she inspected, there were indeed several fresh cuts that were leaking blood, but the ones on his upper thighs were scarred over or still in the process of healing. Like lightning, the thought struck Sayuri across the face. 

Shaking slightly, Sayuri grabbed the bottom of Naruto's boxers and pulled them up a little and saw dozens of tiny horizontal scars. Letting go of his boxers, Sayuri couldn't help but gaze at Naruto's wrists, which also had faint horizontal scars on them. 

Maybe he had gotten these scars in the fight against that masked ninja from Wave? She tried reasoning as her pale fingers trailed across his wrist as if it were a delicate piece of paper that would rip if she were too rough.

She knew the truth, no matter how much it pained her to realize, no matter how loud she screamed at the heavens to stop this illusion, she knew she had to face reality: The reality that Naruto Uzumaki cut himself. 

"Sayuri what's wrong?" Sakura asked in a slightly concerned tone. Sayuri glanced back at Sakura, who sitting a couple of feet away from the two. Coming to a decision, Sayuri spoke. 

"Naruto was injured by his own jutsu. He needs medical attention but I don't think it's anything too serious." Sakura quickly dug into the pouch on her hip and handed Sayuri some bandages as well as a small bottle of alcohol. She tried her best to take off his shirt without somehow causing more damage to his body. 

Popping the bottle cap off, Sayuri began to put the alcohol on each cut Naruto had, disregarding the wordless murmurs and groans of pain from the blonde. She flipped him over and poured the rest of the liquid on his back, a loud groan emitting from his throat. 

She began wrapping the cuts in the bandages Sakura had given her, all the while her mind racing a mile a minute. 

Why? No, what? What had caused the adorable loudmouth blonde to turn quiet and cold? What happened to his face-splitting grin? What happened to his cute rivalry with her? What had caused these changes? What made him feel so low as to cut himself? What was it that made her Naruto change so drastically? 

She finished bandaging him up and lifted him tenderly into the air, holding him in her arms with a frown on her face. There were too many questions regarding the unconscious boy in her arms. "Come on, Sakura. We need to find somewhere safe to rest until Naruto recovers." 

"Right," Sakura stated with a nod. "Let's go." 

Sakura and Sayuri sat on either side of Naruto, who was covered in so many bandages at first glance he could be mistaken for a mummy. Every spot of Naruto's body besides his face and underneath his boxers was covered in the white bandages. 

Sakura's face was one of worry for her teammate, taking his temperature every few minutes or so by placing her hand on his forehead. Sayuri's eyes were trained on the entrance of the large tree that was hallowed out slightly that they had decided to take refuge in for now. 

She was thinking about the unconscious boy next to her. She was no longer thinking on whats, but the hows and the whys that held to Naruto Uzumaki. 

Why had he changed and how did he change? She still knew almost nothing about the Uzumaki, yet one thing was clear to her and that was that Naruto had changed drastically since becoming a Genin. Had something happened overnight to the blonde she knew? Why had he changed so much in such a short time? 

It was aggravating because she did not know nor could she come up with any answers that were reasonable. How had he changed and why? She would figure out one day using one way or another. 

"Oh, it's not like my master to fail," An arrogant and pompous voice said as Kabuto and his two teammates, Yoroi and Misumi, walked into the clearing. "But I guess that Naruto is just too surprising." Sayuri narrowed her eyes at her fellow Konoha Shinobi. 

"What do you mean?" She growled though she was pretty much done with filling in the pieces of the tiny puzzle. Orochimaru was this creep's master. 

"Nothing to concern yourself with, just hand over the Uzumaki and we will be on our way and out of your hair." Sayuri turned her head to see the bandaged-boy's body, still as a rock. She also saw the fear in Sakura's eyes, her small hands gripping around the handle of the kunai. 

"I refuse!" Sayuri shouted. Kabuto pushed his glasses further on his face, a smirk gracing his thin, snake-like lips. 

"Did you truly think I was asking? Naruto there was able to cripple Orochimaru-sama to the point to where he can't even move without crying out in agony. Naruto will only get stronger from here on out and will no doubt become a major thorn in our side, so we must kill him." 

"No!" Sayuri shouted as she got out from the trunk of the tree and standing up on the grass. "I can't let you get to him!" Kabuto's smirk deepened. 

"Orochimaru-sama wants you to live, but your other teammate is not held to such a standard. Prepare to watch those who you care about die again!" Sayuri flinched at Kabuto's words and adopted a facial expression that emitted pure rage. 

"How dare you mock the Uchiha?" She screamed as she rushed the three "Genin", her Sharingan blazing red. She attempted to hit the grey-haired teen of the trio but failed as both of his teammates gave her a swift kick in unison to the stomach, causing her to fly back into the tree that Sakura and Naruto were currently in. 

"I can't mock something that is so insignificant in the present that only two people truly think of the last name Uchiha, that being yourself and your elder brother, Itachi Uchiha." At the mention of his name, Sayuri saw red as she let out an animalistic scream of a mix of pure rage and pure hatred. 

Descending upon the trio in a hatred fueled fury, Sayuri stabbed Misumi in the top of his head, her kunai piercing his skull and going straight into his brain, killing him instantly as blood gushed out of his head like a pierced water hose. Sayuri jumped off of his shoulders and watched with speckles of blood on her face as he collapsed to the ground, dead. 

"Misumi!" One of Kabuto's teammates, Yoroi, shouted as he watched one of his closest friends fall to the ground. He shifted his line of sight to Sayuri, who met his glare with equal strength. "I'm going to kill you!" As if starting a race with that line, Yoroi charged Sayuri, shouting at the top of his lungs. 

Yoroi had surprised Sayuri with his sudden speed, making it easier for him to catch her off guard by grabbing her wrist in an iron-like grip before using the momentum he had gained during his rush to throw her over his shoulder and into the ground, a loud boom echoing from the impact her body made when she hit the dirt. 

Saliva came out of Sayuri's mouth from the sheer force of the impact she had made, the oxygen she had in her lungs was now non-existent. She tried breathing for air but was stopped as Yoroi kept kicking her over and over again, each time she would release a grunt of pain.

Was she going to die? 

"I cannot allow this any more!" A young voice cried out as a foot planted itself across Yoroi's face with such force that it caused Yoroi to fly across the clearing and into several large thorn bushes where he cried out in sudden pain. 

Rock Lee stood in front of the heavily injured Uchiha, his right arm extended as his hand was formed flat as he pointed it at his opponent. "You shall not hurt them any longer!"

"L-Lee?" Sayuri was able to make out before collapsing completely, her body giving out as she went unconscious. Kabuto rose an eyebrow. 

"Oh, I remember you from my cards. Rock Lee, you don't have any chakra so you rely purely on taijutsu in order to be a shinobi. You're trained under Might Guy, the best taijutsu user in the village by far. Why do you risk your life to protect them?" 

"Because to protect my friends is my ninja way!" Lee exclaimed loudly. "I don't care if it's till my last breath I will fight you to protect Sayuri-chan and Sakura-chan, as well as Naruto-kun!" 

Yoroi suddenly lunged at Lee and grabbed ahold of his arm, a grin under his mask. "I WIN!" He shouted triumphantly. 

"Did you not hear a single word I said?" Kabuto asked his teammate rhetorically. "I said he doesn't have chakra, so you're absorbing ability is useless against an opponent like him!" The grin now off of his face, Yoroi looked down at a smirking Lee who quickly spun around like an alligator when wrestling prey and broke free of Yoroi's grip before planting a devastating kick using his heel on Yoroi's head, causing him to be implanted into the dirt as blood leaked from his nose and mouth, unconscious. 

Landing expertly on his feet, Lee then looked to Kabuto, who was only smirking at the taijutsu user. "Please surrender, I do not wish to fight you as well!" Lee called out. Kabuto shook his head.

"I cannot do that for several reasons, one of which is that my master has a low tolerance for failure, and with what his condition is now. . ." Kabuto trailed off, his smirk ever-growing. "Then I am sure he will kill me if I fail, no matter how useful I may be to him." 

With that being said, Kabuto ran towards Lee at speeds the Konoha Genin could not react quickly enough to block as two small glowing scalpels hit behind each of his knees, slicing his tendons open as he fell to the ground, unable to walk as he groaned in agony. 

"I am not weak. Sorry Lee, but it's the end for you!" 

"Stop!" Sayuri shouted as she surprised Kabuto with an upper-cut to the chin, knocking the spy back through the air a couple of feet before he landed expertly on his feet, annoyance slowly creeping into his usual arrogant gaze. 

Sayuri stood in front of Lee, her breathing was fast and heavy with sweat trickling down her face as her Sharingan shined crimson, two black tomoes in each eye swirling as blood trailed down Sayuri's chin slightly. "I won't let you kill my comrades!" She shouted. 

"I can't kill you, but momentarily crippling you isn't off my range of doing things." Sayuri felt her spine shiver at the chilling way he expressed his desires to hurt her. Baring her teeth, Sayuri held out a kunai.

"I will beat-" She began yelling in order to give herself a small boost, only to be interrupted as a single bandaged hand laid upon her shoulder. Her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk in surprise as Naruto took a step forward, now standing next to Sayuri but with his hand still on her shoulder. 

"That's enough, Sayuri." Naruto said in nothing but a whisper as fatigue slowly took hold of her body as she suddenly shrunk to her knees, her breathing becoming heavier than before. "I apologize for the mess I put us in, I had hoped to avoid it." He then glared at Kabuto. 

"Now it's your turn to die!" 

Okay, so I was a bit high last night and forgot to upload this part of the chapter so here it is: 

Summary: Naruto basically kamikaze's himself in order to save Sayuri from Orochimaru by using a Rasenshuriken where he is caught in the smaller part of the blast and he gets all torn up. While treating his wounds, Sayuri notices several self-inflicted cuts on his wrists and upper-thigh. Then, Kabuto and his two teammates come to kill Naruto. Sayuri kills one of the teammates before getting whooped by the other by surprise, only to be saved by Lee. Lee then loses to Kabuto quickly and Kabuto expresses his need to torture Sayuri before Naruto wakes up. 

The end. Sorry I forgot to do this! 

And done. How was it? Good? Bad? Decently sized chapter with a decent sized cliffhanger lol

anyway

Til next time my lil demons!