Adrik opened his mouth, letting out a silent yell as he slammed into a tree painfully. His mask had been knocked off of his face not long after the fight started, said mask rematerializing on his utility belt. Two tendrils of water wrapped around him before he could fall to the ground. Adrik regained his senses and slashed at the tendrils with his daggers, severing them and making them fall into puddles of water on the ground. Adrik had to jump to the side to avoid being riddled with holes from dozens of tiny Water Bullets. He barely had time to react when a large ball of water sped towards him from above. He sheathed his left hand dagger before crouching down and slamming his open hand on the ground.
"Black Barrier!"
A large wall of heated ash formed and arched over Adrik. The ball of water impacted hard against the barrier, forming many cracks in the construct before the water began to evaporate. The barrier began to crumble back into smoke not long afterward, leaving behind a small cloud of smoke that managed to completely encompass Adrik.
The Reanimated Second Hokage narrowed his eyes before backhanding Adrik as the teen appeared behind him. Adrik stumbled back slightly before his feet were swept out from under him.
As Adrik fell to the ground, he was hit by a punch to the chest. His eyes widened in pain as he could feel his ribs struggling to hold together against the force of the hit. He squinted his eyes in pain as he impacted with the ground, forming a miniature crater. Before the Reanimation could slam his fist into Adrik again, he was batted away by the enlarged staff of the Hokage. The old man quickly helped him to his feet before they both jumped back to avoid two wooden spear-tipped pillars that pierced into the ground where they once stood. The two ninjas panted as they landed.
"You weren't kidding... about that whole... infinite chakra thing..."
The Hokage nodded.
"And they aren't... making it easy to... use your daggers..."
Adrik nodded before sheathing his remaining dagger. The Hokage raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the teen. Adrik's only response was to put his arms up in front of him in a cross formation.
"I probably should've started with this. I hope this helps, because I've been getting my ass kicked this whole time."
The Hokage chuckled as he realized what the teen was talking about.
"Guy always knows how to push his students."
Adrik grinned as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. His grin dropped as he reopened them.
"First Gate: Gate of Opening, Open!"
X
Jiraiya landed in front of Zabuza and Haku as they stood back to back, surrounded by over a dozen Sand and Sound Jonin. Zabuza glanced at the new arrival and smirked beneath his bandages.
"Well, well. This is one hell of a place to meet, Jiraiya of the Sannin."
Jiraiya nodded back.
"I'm always one for good introductions. I hope this is to your standards, Zabuza Momochi."
Zabuza smirked as he raised his giant sword.
"It's good enough for me. Haku, ready?"
Haku nodded as she readied senbon in her hands, breathing out cold air. Jiraiya smirked as he got into a fighting stance.
"Try to keep the Sand Ninjas alive. Sound is fair game."
Zabuza and Haku nodded once more before all three Leaf Ninja rushed at their opponents.
X
Naruto grunted as he felt two more of his Shadow Clones pop. For once, he felt his chakra beginning to take a dip. Having to replace clones while giving them enough chakra to use high power Wind jutsu back to back wasn't exactly on his bucket list. Next to him, Sakura was panting with her hands on her knees. She was only able to recover so much of her chakra before having to help fight an unstable Jinchuriki, so she was reasonably exhausted.
"Sakura, hang back for a bit!"
Sakura shook her head before pulling out and downing a soldier pull, instantly restoring a decent bit of her chakra.
"Too bad! Sasuke said to keep your clones alive so that's what I'm gonna do!"
Naruto looked at Sakura worriedly before looking back over at Sasuke, who was having more and more trouble fighting Gaara as the Sand Genin only seemed to grow stronger with Sasuke beginning to lose chakra.
Sasuke jumped back to his teammates as Gaara made hand signs, the signs of frustration of the Sand Genin's face clear as day. Their eyes widened as they felt a surge of power come from their opponent.
"Hang on, you two!"
Sakura immediately began to go through the signs for another Mud Wall before they each had to cover their eyes from the sand erupting from Gaara's location.
"Play Possum Jutsu!"
They each uncovered their faces as they looked at Gaara. The teen had fallen unconscious, seemingly by his own hand. Their eyes widened once again as they felt power begin to surge from the red haired teen once more.
'Damn. He's letting Shukaku out...'
"Shit! Get back!"
Naruto grabbed his two teammates by their arms and jumped far away as his clones were dispelled by what seemed to be a sandstorm.
The three genin looked up as they landed, a titanic shadow looming over them. They all stared in shock as before them appeared the massive One-Tailed Tanuki, Shukaku.
"So... You wouldn't happen to have some sorta ultra killer Lightning jutsu, would you, Sasuke?"
Sasuke shook his head silently as he stared up at the Tailed Beast. The three genin watched as the Beast's eyes brightened after a few seconds.
"Hm? I'm free?! I'm free! Finally!"
The Tailed Beast hopped from one foot to the other happily as it was finally given freedom after years of being trapped in its Jinchuriki. It looked down as it heard shouting, likely from the minor earthquakes it was causing by hopping around. It grinned eagerly as it looked at the three genin below it.
"And the brat gave me some prey, too! Gee, I really am having a damn good day!"
The Beast laughed maniacally as it saw the fear evident on the three genin's faces.
After a few moments, Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Alright, you two, stay close! We're gonna go on a little bit of a ride!"
Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto in confusion before the blonde teen bit his thumb and began going through hand seals. Shukaku, finally done with his fit of laughter, raised his giant hand up before beginning to slam it down at the genin.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
Naruto slammed his hand on the ground. A seal array appeared on the ground shortly before the shadow of Shukaku's hand grew darker and darker, now only moments away from crushing his prey. Sasuke and Sakura closed their eyes as there wasn't exactly much else they felt they were able to do against an entire Tailed Beast.
The two genin opened their eyes wide when they heard the sound of Shukaku roaring as something fell to the ground, the wind rushing past them, blowing their hair back. They looked down in surprise as they were no longer on the ground, instead standing on a fleshy, maroon platform. Much further down on the ground, they saw Shukaku's hand on the ground dissolving back into sand. The Tailed Beast steadied himself and stared at the three genin and the new arrival angrily.
"Alright, brat, you've got some explainin' to do!"
Naruto frowned as he looked down at the toad boss, Gamabunta.
"Boss, I think it's kinda obvious!"
Gamabunta grunted as he looked back at Shukaku. Sakura and Sasuke watched as Gamabunta, who they had only ever heard of, sheathed his giant tanto.
"Listen, kid, I've got shit to do. Besides, my last fight with a Tailed Beast didn't end up too well..."
Gamabunta put a webbed hand over the scar on his eye as he recalled his fight against the Fox.
"Oh, come on, Boss! Just help me out this one time and I'll... I'll ask Pervy Sage if he can buy some barrels of your favorite sake for you to drink!"
Gamabunta hummed as he thought over the offer. Shukaku yelled angrily and stomped his foot as if throwing a tantrum.
"Hey, I'm right in front of you, you morons! Pay attention to me, damnit!"
Gamabunta looked back up at Shukaku and his eyes narrowed. He drew his tanto once again as he spoke.
"You've got yourself a deal, kid. What's the plan?"
X
Adrik was caught mid air by Enma as the summon detransformed. The Hokage had sent a giant ball of fire towards the two reanimated Hokage, giving them a bit of time to recover. Adrik thanked Enma as the summon let him down onto the ground.
"Lord Hokage, this really isn't working."
The Hokage nodded.
"Indeed. We need a new plan."
Adrik nodded back. He crossed his arms again as he made to open yet another gate.
"Third Gate: Gate of Life, Open!"
Adrik grit his teeth as his pupils disappeared and his hair rose up, his short ponytail coming undone. The Hokage grunted.
"I hadn't even noticed you open the Second Gate."
Adrik nodded.
"I had to pretty early on. This is as far as I could get with Guy Sensei's help, but it should be enough for what I have in mind."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow.
"Stay inside the smoke. It'll cover you until the time is right."
The Hokage nodded as Enma transformed back into a staff. Adrik put his hands out to either side with his palms facing outwards. A thick haze of black, embery smoke billowed from his hands, beginning to cover the entire area. The Hokage glanced around cautiously, noting as his senses became impaired.
"I see. You should know that their instincts will give them a way to counter this technique, though."
Adrik nodded.
"I know, but I'm hoping we'll be fast enough to catch at least one of them off guard. I'll guide you through the smoke, so please try to hold one of them down long enough for me to get my dagger into them."
The Hokage nodded as Adrik drew his daggers again. The Hokage closed his eyes as the teen began guiding him through the smoke with help from a few ash ropes.
X
Orochimaru watched with interest as the entire area in front of him was covered in a cloud of black smoke. If he remembered correctly, this was the same technique the chunin had used against him in the Forest of Death. It didn't seem to require hand seals and was incredibly useful for impairing an opponent while allowing the user to sense their surroundings better. Perhaps, when the teen came to his side, he could extract the technique for himself.
Orochimaru raised an eyebrow as he looked up above the smoke cloud. A small piece of paper flew up high before disintegrating in the air. The pale man's eyes narrowed as he saw the seal on the paper before it was destroyed. He frowned when he felt his grasp on the Reanimated Second Hokage slip away, along with the presence of the revived man. Orochimaru smirked as he realized what was happening. Over the past few minutes that he stayed back to watch his summons get to work, he had learned a few interesting details about Adrik.
The teen was apparently learning under Might Guy if his ability to use the Eight Inner Gates said anything. On top of that, it appeared that Adrik had no chakra whatsoever, contrary to what he first believed was an ability to hide chakra extremely well.
Orochimaru stepped to the side as the dematerializing body of the Reanimated First Hokage came flying out from the smoke. He smiled as the smoke dissipated, revealing Adrik and the Hokage out of breath. Orochimaru looked at the daggers in the teen's hands with interest.
"So, you actually do lack chakra. Not even you would dare to hold those daggers for more than a moment, Sensei."
The Hokage scowled as he stared down his rogue student. Orochimaru continued after shaking his head.
"No matter. I hope you enjoyed the warm up."
Orochimaru's smirk widened unnaturally before he sped forward. The Hokage's eyes widened as he blocked the punch from the pale man with his staff. The man ducked to avoid the dagger that came spinning towards him before he jumped to the side to avoid a swing of his opponent's staff.
"It is a shame, though. With no chakra to latch onto, I imagine my little gift must have failed."
Orochimaru glanced at the spot where he bit Adrik to see there was no Curse Mark present. The teen pulled his dagger back to his hand before he was launched far away by an upwards kick from the pale man, leaving the Hokage to face the rogue Sannin alone.
"Now, I believe it is finally time for the two of us to hold our reunion, Sensei."
The Hokage raised his staff before rushing towards the smirking Sannin with a battle cry.
X
"Wind Style: Wind Bullet!"
Shukaku breathed in massive amounts of air, looking as if he was inflating, before releasing a massive projectile of pure wind.
"Hang on, brats!"
Gamabunta hopped up high, the three genin using chakra to stick to his head. Luckily, the massive Wind Bullet flew in the opposite direction of the Leaf Village. Unluckily, however, most of the forest in the path of the projectile was shredded, leaving a trench in the earth. Gamabunta landed with a frown.
"Alright, Naruto, you'd better have a plan! I don't trust this tanuki's aim!"
Naruto began to sweat as he tried to think.
"Well, there ain't enough water 'round here for a Water jutsu, and my Wind jutsu probably won't do much anymore! Sakura has Earth jutsu and Sasuke has Fire and Lightning jutsu! Think those can help?!"
Gamabunta grunted.
"Yeah, get that Fire jutsu ready!"
Gamabunta leapt over another massive Wind Bullet that sped off in the same direction as the previous one, eventually dispelling far away. Sasuke grimaced as he simultaneously had to keep himself attached to the giant toad while going through the seals for his jutsu.
The moment Gamabunta landed, his cheeks puffed up and he spat out gallons upon gallons of oil from his mouth. Sasuke followed the toad boss, releasing a large fireball from his mouth that lit the oil on fire as it spewed towards Shukaku.
"Fire Style: Toad Flame Bomb!"
Shukaku's eyes widened as white hot flaming oil flew towards him faster than he could react. The Tailed Beast screamed out in pain as he was engulfed in a massive explosion. Gamabunta put a hand up to guard the three genin on his head from the intense heat while jumping back a short distance.
After a few moments, Gamabunta put his hand down. The three genin's eyes widened as they saw a sea of flames before them and Shukaku, who was half turned to glass.
"That won't hold him for long! You three get down there and wake up the Jinchuriki! He's on top of Shukaku's head!"
The three genin had no time to react when they were all picked up and forcefully thrown towards Shukaku, who was already beginning to reform.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
A dozen Shadow Clones formed below the three genin as they got closer and closer to impacting with the Tailed Beast. While painful, the impact of their landing was significantly dampened by the clones, each one dispelling shortly afterward.
Gamabunta hopped forward, crashing into Shukaku as the Tailed Beast regrew his arm and tried to swing it at the genin on his other shoulder. Shukaku yelled as he fell over from the force of the tackle. As he landed on his back, he grunted in pain from having Gamabunta land on him to pin him to the ground.
X
Adrik shook his head as the dust in the air cleared. He looked around in a daze as he pulled himself up from the rubble of the building that had collapsed in on him. He looked in the direction he sensed the Hokage in and jumped to the rooftops, running as fast as he could.
The teen cursed as the power of the Eight Inner Gates faded, leaving him exhausted and in pain. Even so, he charged forward, though much slower than before. Hopefully, he would make it back in time to help.
X
"Fire Style: Flame Dragon Bomb!"
A large flame in the shape of a roaring dragon shot towards Orochimaru, who smirked as he made hand seals of his own.
"Earth Style: Earth Dragon!"
Another dragon, this one made of mud, shot up from the ground and sped towards the approaching fire dragon. The two techniques clashed, sending out flaming chunks of rock in every direction. The Hokage reared his staff back before swinging it forward, sending dozens of the burning stones towards Orochimaru. Orochimaru frowned as he knew he had no time to avoid being hit.
The Hokage landed, panting, and looked towards Orochimaru's previous location. He narrowed his eyes when his rogue student's burnt corpse fell to the ground. He wasn't surprised much when the corpse's mouth opened wide as another Orochimaru was spat out. The pale man got to his feet with a frown, looking down at the charred corpse at his feet.
"What a waste."
Orochimaru looked back up at the Hokage.
"So, that is your idea of immortality?"
The pale man smirked in response.
"An incomplete version, yes. One day, though, it will be far more effective. Not even the gods would be able to strike me down."
The Hokage narrowed his eyes.
"I see. Well then, I had better stop you before you get the chance."
The Hokage raised his staff high as it rapidly grew in size. Orochimaru looked up as the massive weapon was swung down. He smirked as he dissolved into a puddle of mud moments before he could be hit.
The Hokage stared at the destroyed miniature forest on top of the roof. The staff returned to its normal size before detransforming back into Enma.
"It's not over yet, Hiruzen."
The Hokage nodded to his summon before sending a spinning kick backwards. Orochimaru brought his left arm up and blocked the kick with his ever present smirk.
"I will have to remember that even old age can never dull the sharpest of blades."
The Hokage jumped back, Enma following close behind.
"Let me engrave it into your mind, then!"
The Hokage ran forward, sending a knee into Orochimaru's chest, which was caught. He leaned forward and elbowed the pale man in the jaw. Orochimaru responded quickly, kicking his former sensei in the side.
The Hokage blocked the attack but was sent flying away. Orochimaru chased him down, swinging both of his fists down in a sledgehammer style hit. The Hokage raised his arms above his head, blocking the attack and being forced into a pained crouch. Enma swung his arm down at Orochimaru, which was blocked. The man hit the summon with a palm strike to the chest, sending him flying back. Enma recovered mid air and bounced off of a tree, going right back in to try and land another punch on his opponent. Orochimaru frowned as the Hokage reached over and held him in place. Enma landed his punch square in Orochimaru's chest, making him spit out some saliva. The pale man instantly recovered, breaking free of the Hokage's grasp.
Orochimaru sent his knee into the Hokage's jaw, flinging the old man up slightly before following it up with a punch to his stomach. The Hokage grunted in pain as his back impacted with a tree. He dropped low as Orochimaru sent a kick towards his head, instead hitting the tree.
The Hokage jumped back as he sent a volley of shuriken towards Orochimaru. The pale man smiled before opening his mouth wide. He reached down into his own throat before pulling out a sword and deflecting all of the shuriken.
Enma landed next to his summoner with his eyes on the blade Orochimaru was now holding.
"Careful, Hiruzen."
The Hokage nodded as he recognized the blade and the poison it carried. Enma wordlessly transformed into a staff, the Hokage catching him and rushing towards Orochimaru.
Orochimaru met his former sensei half way and the two clashed with their weapons. Orochimaru stepped back quickly, throwing the Hokage slightly off balance. The old man grit his teeth as he narrowly deflected a stab aimed at his abdomen. He blocked a downwards slash quickly followed by a diagonal slash going up and to his right. The Hokage countered by thrusting his staff forward twice in quick succession. Orochimaru took the hit from the first before deflecting the second off to the right.
The pale man kicked the Hokage's left knee before spinning and stabbing his sword forward. The Hokage, now somewhat off balance, barely deflected the stab, the cloth of his battle armor getting cut in the process. Orochimaru raised his sword up high before swinging it down. The Hokage caught the attack with his staff and deflected it far off to the side. He spun and kicked Orochimaru in the side, making him stumble, before thrusting his staff forward hard.
Orochimaru skidded back a short distance before recovering with a wide grin. The grin was short lived, though, as an ash covered fist impacted with his face unexpectedly.
"Heat Crash!"
The ashes exploded, sending Orochimaru flying away. The Hokage took a glance at Adrik before looking back towards his former student. The two Leaf Ninjas watched as Orochimaru stood up, his grin replaced with a scowl as his face was badly burned.
"You're going to regret that, child..."
X
Naruto pointed up at the now exposed form of Gaara.
"Up there!"
His two teammates looked up and nodded. Sasuke's Sharingan was no longer active and Sakura was struggling to maintain the green glow of her fists.
"Let's hurry up! I don't know how long we have until-"
Sasuke was cut off when a tendril of sand came up and swung towards him. He quickly drew his tanto and slashed at the sand. He grit his teeth as two more popped up behind him. He slashed with his tanto now covered in lightning, turning the sand into crystalized shards. Naruto and Sakura got the message and began running on top of Shukaku towards Gaara.
Sakura tripped as her ankle was trapped by sand. Sasuke quickly ran over and slashed at the sand, freeing his teammate. Naruto had paused to look back for a second before he and the other two continued on their path. A few dozen more tendrils appeared in front of them like a horde. Sasuke ran ahead of his two teammates with his tanto held out to his side.
"Lightning Style Kenjutsu: Dancing Bolt!"
In an instant, most of the tendrils were severed and began to break down into crystals.
Gamabunta recoiled as he was punched across the face by Shukaku. He scowled as he drew his tanto with his now free hand and severed Shukaku's arm. The Tailed Beast yelled angrily as it was once again pushed into the ground.
After recovering from the tremors, the three genin continued their mad dash to reach Gaara. Along the way, Sasuke was having to use more and more Lightning chakra to keep the Sand from interfering.
"Look out!"
Sasuke and Naruto looked to the right as a small wave of sand came rushing towards them. Sasuke sheathed his tanto before running off towards the sand wave.
"Lightning Style: Shock Palm!"
Sasuke's hands became covered in lightning as he slammed them down into the sand. The lightning flowed outward, instantly stopping most of the Sand in the area.
"You two, go! I'll cover you!"
Sakura and Naruto nodded before rushing off. By now, they had reached the bottom of Shukaku's head. The two genin used their chakra to run up the steep incline before they got to the top. Not far away, they saw Gaara hunched over and asleep.
Two waves of sand rose up on either side of them, trying to flatten the two genin between them. Sakura grit her teeth as she and Naruto ran. As they ran further, the sand waves closing in more and more, she skidded to a stop.
"Naruto, go wake up Gaara!"
Naruto nodded without a hint of hesitation as Sakura raised her glowing green fists high. She bared her teeth as the glow became incredibly bright. She slammed her hands down with a shout.
"Giant's Hammer!"
The sand around Sakura erupted in a massive shockwave. The shockwave carried on until it hit the sand waves, disrupting them and shredding them apart. Naruto grinned as he now had a clear path to Gaara.
Naruto ran as fast as he could before jumping forward, his fist held high. As he came back down, about to deliver a punch to Gaara's face, his arm was grabbed by a sand tendril. He struggled as three more tendrils came up, wrapping around each of his other limbs. Naruto tried to yank his arms free to no avail. He grit his teeth as he was so close to stopping Gaara he could practically taste it. Naruto closed his eyes as he began to feel his limbs being crushed by the sand. Further behind him, Sakura was sinking into the sand, already waste deep in it. She slammed her fists down, trying to bash the sand away for even a bit of breathing room, but failed.
Naruto gasped as he heard a shout from further away.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Bullets!"
A Lightning Bullet pierced each of the tendrils, crystalizing them and making them break apart. Naruto fell back down as he was freed from the grasp of the Sand. He looked up at Gaara as he got back to his feet. He sent a thumbs up back in the direction he thought he heard Sasuke in. Whether the dark haired teen saw it or not wasn't any of his concern, though.
Naruto cupped his thumb with the rest of his fingers as he balled up his fist. He yelled a battle cry as he brought his fist down towards Gaara. With the amount of chakra he put into his strike, the sound was audible even to Sakura and Sasuke.
The world seemed to stop for a brief few moments as all sound ceased and nothing else seemed to move. Naruto watched as Gaara's eyes opened painfully.
"What...?"
Naruto looked down at Gaara. The red haired teen looked back up at Naruto and his eyes grew fearful. Like a torrent, the sand began to flow back towards Gaara, much of it disappearing back into the seal.
"No! No, this wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to destroy! I was supposed to kill!"
Shukaku shouted loudly as he began to recede into the seal on Gaara's stomach. Gamabunta, seeing his job was done, disappeared in a giant puff of white smoke.
Naruto barely managed to catch himself on a tree limb before painfully falling the rest of the way to the ground. Gaara wasn't so lucky as he fell through a few tree branches, breaking them as he went down. He landed square on his back painfully. Not too far away, Sasuke landed on the ground in a crouch. He had barely managed to catch Sakura in his arms as they fell, saving the already overworked girl from further harm. She gave him her thanks as she was let down. She sat against the nearby tree in exhaustion as Sasuke stood up.
Naruto got to his feet, feeling the exhaustion hitting him like a truck. He looked over to where Gaara had landed and began slowly walking over to him.
Gaara opened his eyes wide as he heard footsteps approaching. He raised his hand up only for a few grains of sand to slowly rise into the air. His arm fell back down limply along with the sand grains as he stared fearfully at Naruto.
"No... Don't come any closer!"
Naruto frowned as he continued. Gaara slowly brought his other arm up to try and drag himself away but he stopped when he realized he had no strength.
"No! Don't do it! Don't end my existence! I won't let you!"
Naruto stopped a meter away from the teen. He stared down with his eyebrows furrowed. Gaara became slightly confused as he didn't see any anger or intent to kill in the blonde genin's eyes.
"It hurts, right?"
Gaara's eyes widened in shock.
"That feelin' you get when you're alone? Like nobody's there to help you? Like you'll never be loved?"
Gaara stared at Naruto for a few seconds before slowly and carefully nodding. Naruto let out a soft grin.
"I used to feel that way too, Gaara. I mean, I've never actually killed anyone, but still. It felt terrible. Bein' alone for so long hurts."
Gaara nodded along.
"But, it... It all changed, for the better. I found people who I care about. People who care about me. And I didn't know they were there until I looked. Until I really looked."
Gaara's eyes no longer held fear, but instead confusion and a hint of hopefulness.
"I don't know what kinda life you had, Gaara, but I know you're just like me. And if that says anythin', then there's people who care about you, too. You just need to look around yourself. And quit with that 'I need to kill to prove my existence' bullshit. Fight for people you love, Gaara. It'll make you stronger than you could've ever been without them."
Gaara stared at Naruto with a mix of emotions. He looked over as Temari landed next to him.
"Come on, Gaara! We need to leave!"
The older girl picked up her younger brother. Kankuro landed next to his two siblings a few moments later, looking incredibly beat up.
"Shit! Gaara, are you alright?!"
Kankuro looked over at the three genin of Team Seven angrily.
"What the hell did you do to him?!"
Temari nudged her brother's shoulder. She shook her head when Kankuro looked back at her. Shino and Shikamaru landed next to the three Leaf Genin as they stared at the Sand Siblings. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Temari spoke up.
"Our fight's over. Let us go. Please..."
Shikamaru nodded after a second of consideration.
"Head back to your village. I don't know what, but something doesn't feel right."
Temari and Kankuro nodded before jumping through the forest, both helping to carry Gaara. The five Leaf Genin watched them leave and sighed in both exhaustion and pain. Shino was the only one of them who wasn't drop dead tired.
"Let's start heading back. We need to inform Lord Jiraiya that the mission was a success."
The four other genin nodded to Shikamaru. Sasuke didn't blink twice before carrying Sakura on his back as they headed back towards the village. Naruto didn't pay it any mind, instead thinking back to what he saw back at the arena.
'That old man is tough, brat. Give him some credit.'
Naruto nodded to himself silently.
'I know. We still have a bunch of enemies in the village, though.'
Naruto felt the Fox nod.
'They should be mostly dealt with by the time you five get back. Now, that little Hyuga girl will be expecting you to return safely.'
Naruto nodded with a small blush, making the other four genin look at him in confusion. He shook his head to clear his thoughts as they continued hopping through the trees. The other four genin decided to not pay Naruto's blush any mind as they were all pretty out of it. Hopefully, they could get some rest soon.