Black Aria

XIII

It had to be executed at the proper time, and so in order to buy time, Gaara and Naruto had created this diversion. It probably wasn’t enough and Sasuke probably saw right through it, but the pair were counting on Sasuke’s hubris. Gaara, watching carefully, imagined Sasuke much like an irritated bull, trying to squash the matador. Naruto and Kyuubi were doing their part in keeping the Uchiha busy, carefully keeping him away from the sand walls.

-Gaara.- Came Shukaku’s voice, -The sun is rising.-

Gaara nodded, though he knew the demon couldn’t see him, and slowly emerged from the sand shield, catching Naruto’s eye. The blonde took a page from Neji’s book and launched into a flurry of attacks that drove Sasuke back, but also destroyed his henge.

The look on Sasuke’s face was priceless.

He’d been deceived by the idiot ninja Naruto. Now he was going to die. Sasuke jus didn’t know that yet.

Naruto fell back to stand beside Gaara, the two acutely aware that their biju were waiting for their shining moment. Sasuke began his final run then, moving toward the pair while performing his final jutsu. He was talking, but neither Gaara nor Naruto paid him any heed. The two jinchuuriki just turned to face each other, hands mirroring each other’s jutsu perfectly.

The sand shield began to roar as it rotated, spinning faster and faster until it actually seemed to heat up. Over and over the two jinchuuriki performed their combination until wind within the sand shield was driving all three within to their knees. But Gaara and Naruto refused to submit, instead turning to face Sasuke who had begun to simply to defend himself.

Naruto and Gaara’s left hands met up high, the mirror jutsu pressed together. Their right hands met low, crossed at the wrist and turned.

Sasuke’s eyes went wide.

Shukaku’s roar stilled the sand.

Kyuubi’s roar ignited the lames around the sand orb – within the sand orb.

Tsunade, along with the whole of Konoha and Suna, screamed a wordless protest and denial.

Naruto’s Aoisharingan activated and the flames erupted into a column that reached above – well above – the treeline of the forest. Then the flames spiraled out of existence.

Sakura and Temari were the first to the scene of the final battle, quickly followed by everyone else. There was no sign of Naruto or Gaara; only Sasuke, blackened beyond recognition and charred to glass, lay in a ring of sand. The entire village was silent, just staring at the sight that the Kazekage and Naruto had left them.

A voice choked with tears ordered a search and ordered for all the bodies to be disposed of. It took Tsunade a few moments to recognize that it was hers.


Suigetsu leaned against Juugo, watching Karin discuss something with the kid he knew to be Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke was dead, no doubt about that, so why had Naruto and the Kazekage come here? To tell Suigetsu, Juugo, and Karin to get the hell out, obviously. Not that it mattered, anyway. Suigetsu had only been following Sasuke to get at Samehada. Now there was no need to follow and he could hunt on his own. Of course, Juugo would follow him. He always did. Karin was free to go where she liked.

Whatever they did, the message was clear.

If they returned to Konoha or Suna for any reason, they wouldn’t be getting back out.

Karin bowed slightly to Naruto and jogged back to Juugo and Suigetsu. The two men said nothing and simply turned to follow her until they’d crossed the border.

Juugo’s hand tightened on Suigetsu’s. The blonde looked back and saw it too. He could only grin and cant his head before tugging on the tall redhead’s hand.

“Come on,” Suigetsu said, “let’s get go find an adventure.”

Juugo brightened. “I like adventures.”

Suigetsu just laughed hard and looked back only once to see that Naruto had indeed vanished. But he was being watched. No doubt about that.


Gaara leaned against Naruto’s back as the blonde leaned against his, the two sharing a silence. It was over. Finally, they could relax a bit and worry about other matters. Like dealing with their grieving villages.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t go back now?” Gaara asked.

“Can you move?” Gaara kept his silence. “Didn’t think so.”

“We wait?”

“Kyuubi and Shukaku should be back soon,” Naruto said in a tired voice. Gaara just sighed and closed his eyes.

He wasn’t aware that he’d fallen asleep until Shukaku lifted him up, and the Kazekage stared blearily at the Ichibi. Shukaku only smiled a bit, and shushed his jinchuuriki. A glance toward Naruto showed the blonde blissfully unconscious in the arms of Kyuubi, so Gaara shrugged and closed his eyes again.

Shukaku looked up at his king and found Kyuubi smiling at him. The young biju just tilted his head before returning the smile.

“Let’s go home.” Kyuubi said.