Blood (Sasu x Naru x Ita, others)

8: 皆 は いつ か 死な なければ ならない/ Minna itsu ka shinu nakereba naranai/ Everyone has to die sometime

“It´s because we´re connected, we always were made for each other… you and I are perfect for each other as we complete each other in soul… and soon in body as well,” Sasuke purred and moved his hands from Naruto´s firm ass to the blonde´s back to get a better hold on the weakened Kitsune vessel.

“Awww ain´t that cute?” A voice said with amusement from within the darkness.

“Sure is,” another chuckled evilly. “So you two are the reason why the forest is filled with those weaklings from Konoha-gakure… my foolish little brother.”

“Itachi?!” Sasuke growled in confusion. He hadn´t felt anyone approaching… perhaps because he was high on Naruto´s tasty blood.

“In all my might Sasuke-kun. So it is the cute little innocent kitten that the leaf nin are searching for outside then?” Itachi chuckled evilly.

“You were right Itachi-sama. Rats are really nesting in our hideout. We were wondering who would be foolish enough to occupy our hideout… Are you two using our cave to make out or are you just trying to steal away the Kitsune vessel, Sasuke-kun?” Kisame grinned.

“… What are you doing here? My information places you at the country of the snow… three days away from the leaf!” Sasuke growled while he urged Naruto to stand behind him since the blonde was in no condition to fight due to the massive blood loss and his illness.

He instinctly called out to his sleeping team by entering their dreams and ordered them to aid him and protect Naruto in the upcoming battle.

´I might be freshly feed and very strong… but I won´t be able to protect Naruto while fighting both of them, ` Sasuke thought angrily. ´I need Suigetsu to take care of Kisame while Juugo protects Naruto in his weakened state… Karin will hopefully be able to stabilize Naruto till I´ll get the opportunity to turn him… after I´ve avenged my clan once and for all. `

“Well we were on our way to Iwa-gakure when we heard the news that some idiot blew up the Uchiha district in Konoha and that a certain blonde loudmouth and his demon had been kidnapped under the cover of the darkness of the night… I should have guessed that you would come back for the blonde brat otouto. Haven´t you learned yet that the heart is a weak little thing which tends to mislead you from your true goals?” Itachi asked with amusement.

“But then again it suits my plans perfectly since I can collect the final Bijuu effortlessly. In the Jinchuuriki´s current state he won´t put up much of a fight and at the same time I´ll take what I need from you my dear Sasuke to gain the full power of the Sharingan,” Itachi said evilly.

“Hn, as if I would ever allow you to lay a single finger on my Dobe,” Sasuke hissed while he tried to trick Itachi into believing that he was still the hot tempered little brat he had been at their last encounter.

´This will be the perfect opportunity to test my true strength. Naruto´s blood fills me with life and energy… So powerful and pure, so heavenly in comparison to the blood of the weaklings and criminals I have been feeding on till now… none of my victims where stronger than Orochimaru… I wonder what kind of strength I will gain from drinking Itachi´s blood? Hm or I could use him for something else… the Dobe will surely need to feed when he awakens after I´ve turned him…Hn… guess I better not kill my aniki just yet. `

“… Teme! I´m not that weak that I need your…#pant# protection… I can still… fight #pant# for myself,” the blonde whimpered. His breath was ragged and he was covered in a thick layer of sweat since the Kyuubi merged even further with him to buy them both some more time.

“I know Dobe but now isn´t the time for you to fight… and Itachi is mine!” Sasuke knew better than to ague with the blonde just now. They both knew that Naruto was in no condition to fight… but his pride kept Naruto from admitting it.

“You got that right Sasuke-kun. And Kisame is going to be my opponent… so you can lean back and watch us kick some ass Blondie,” Suigetsu said with a hint of concern in his voice. His face was still spilt in a grin but it was clear that he too had come to care for their new blonde friend.

He wasn´t concerned for Sasuke or himself… but for Naruto who looked way too pale for his own good and he was pretty sure that blood loss wasn´t the only thing that wore the whiskered nin down.

Naruto fisted the fabric of his shirt… just above his heart as if in great pain while leaning heavily against the cold wall behind him.

Team Hebi was now fully awake and complete. They already knew what their captain wanted them to do.

“I´ll be Naruto-kun and Sasuke-sama´s back-up while Karin watches Suigetsu´s back,” Juugo told them after he slipped an arm around the wobbling blonde and backed away from Sasuke and Itachi.

“Yeah, just don´t stare too much at my ass honey or you might fail to see my glorious victory,” Suigetsu chuckled at his eye-rolling girlfriend.

“W-What about…the leaf nin?” Naruto asked while he saw Karin hit the blue haired nin over the head… again.

“I wouldn´t worry too much about their faith,” Kisame chuckled and drew his mighty sword; the Samehada.

“You bastards… If you´ve killed anyone of them I´ll-”

“You´ll what? Spit on us?” The blue skinned man´s laughter filled the cave which only made Naruto even more upset.

“Calm down Naruto-kun… this isn´t doing you any good,” Juugo whispered. He had to hold onto the blonde to prevent him from attacking Kisame. ´He´s incredible strong… even in his current weakened state… I guess I would do wise never to pick a fight with either Naruto-kun or Sasuke-sama. `

“Suigetsu! Kisame is all yours… and Sui, bring me back a nice souvenir,” Sasuke said. He smirked with confidence while his dark eyes never left Itachi´s cold glare.

“Sure thing boss. But I´ll keep the sword –k?” The blue haired nin nodded.

This was not the time to joke around or draw things out. The tension was bad for Naruto´s health… and what if Naruto was going to get hurt or had some kind of seizure if they began to bicker with each other now?

Sasuke was not known to be very forgiving when it came to punishing anyone from hurting those he cared about… and Suigetsu didn´t really feel like becoming the next dish on the Uchiha´s menu.

“Keep it. I want something else… something that will witness your victory,” Sasuke told him.

“Naruto-kun, your friends are still alive. I can feel their chakra… they are weak but stable. Don´t worry about them… I´ll heal them very soon. I promise that they will make it… all of them.” Karin told him with a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “Stay calm and try to relax. I´ll be back to check up on your health soon so just hang in there.”

“Thank you Karin-chan.”

“No problem honey. Juugo will look out for you and Sasuke. He´s like a mother bear when it comes to protecting people who are dear to us… well I gotta go… see you both later.” She grinned at them and blew a finger kiss at them before she raced after her boyfriend and Kisame who where running out of the cave to fight beneath the starlit sky.

~ # ~

#Kit? #

´Yeah, what is it Kyuu-chan? ` Naruto asked while he leaned heavily against Juugo´s side and watched Sasuke and Itachi fight each other. They had been fighting for more than an hour already and Naruto was thankful that Juugo was at his side to keep him company… and protect him from misdirected weapons and jutsu which occasionally came their way.

Naruto could feel how he was getting weaker and weaker by the minute and it scared him.

#How do you feel kit? # The Kyuubi asked him all of a sudden.

´Tired… and I feel pain…and strange somehow… what´s going on? `

#The merging process is almost complete. I wasn´t able to stop your organs from tearing so I initiated the final stage. In about ten minutes you and I will be one… and I have no clue what will happen then, # the Kitsune told him.

´… Oh… what… can I do? ` He asked her.

#Nothing really. I just wanted you to know what was going on inside of you… Kit… no matter what will happen... I… I just want you to know that I am proud of you. You have more than once done the impossible… and made other peoples dreams come true. I am sorry for all the pain you had to go through because I was sealed inside of you… and I want you to know that no matter what you chose, if you accept the bastards offer or not… you´ll always be my beloved kit.#

´Thank you Kyuu-chan… I´m happy that you were with me all along. You may be an annoying prankster and as big a pervert like ero-senin sometimes… but you were always there for me when I needed your support. You are my pillar of strength… we can make this… we have too. We can´t allow the Teme to be all alone… he would get bored without us… and then he would just become depressed and do something stupid ne, ` the blonde chuckled as his own attempt to be funny even now… on the verge of an uncertain future… if he even had one.

~ # ~

“Uchiha Itachi… and Kisame… does t-that mean that… Naruto is nearby?” Iruka panted into the intercom.

“M-Most likely,” was the reply from an exhausted Kakashi. “I-Itachi might know the area… better than we do… or maybe his Mangekyou Sharingan is able… to detect things my Sharingan can´t.”

“… But are Naruto and Sasuke… able to take on both Itachi and Kisame?” Kiba panted. “… and is Naruto still alive?”

“Only time… will tell. I guess we´ll have to wait and… see,” the copy-nin told them.

Kiba and Kakashi´s team had been surprised by Kisame. They had nearly all of their chakra stolen and were so exhausted that they were unable to even sit up.

The two teams lay scattered on the forest floor, resting… and hoping that team three was still alive and well since they seemingly had to face none other than Uchiha Itachi in battle.

Kakashi stared at the full moon, while a feeling in his gut told him that something bad was about to happen and that someone would die tonight.

He knew how stubborn Naruto could be… ill or not, and Sasuke… he was at least as stubborn and headstrong as Naruto… if not more… and he was extremely possessive too.

´Even if they manage to combine their strength without Naruto getting an heart attack…will Sasuke allow Naruto to come back to us and is Naruto willing to leave Sasuke behind just to return to Konoha to die?” the sensei thought sadly.

´ Is Naruto fighting Itachi tonight with the intention to die the honorable death of a shinobi? Oh god Naruto…What will become of us if you die? It would break a lot of people’s hearts for sure… especially Iruka, Tsunade, Sakura and mine…` Kakashi felt moistness in his eyes and allowed his tears to roll down his cheeks since he was to exhausted to wipe them away.

Too many mixed emotions were involved in this… and it hurt like hell to think of losing Naruto.

One part of him wanted to bring Naruto home and keep him alive as long as possible because he loved the boy like his own flesh and blood… but another part of him… the part of him that represented the proud worrier and powerful shinobi wanted Naruto to die a hero’s death and put an end to his pain and suffering… just like it was supposed to be.

He closed his eyes and prayed silently that everything would have a happy ending though he knew it was just wishful thinking.

´I guess that the only certain thing in our lives is the fact that everyone has to die eventually… though it is way too soon for you my young friend. `

~ # ~

Kisame wielded Samehada against Suigetsu to absorb his chakra and to slice the younger nin´s pale skin with the shark toothed weapon. A smirk graced his face when the blue haired nin turned into water.

“A water clone… smart move. I guess I will be able to have a decent fight tonight after all,” Kisame chuckled to himself.

“Suigedan!” Suigetsu sent three dozen water fang projectiles at the bigger man. Most of them hit him but didn´t seem to do a lot of damage.

“Ha ha that´s not gonna work, kid brother of Mangetsu. My skin is as hard as leather and water won´t hurt me,” the blue-skinned man laughed.

“I know,” a voice from behind Kisame chuckled teasingly. Suigetsu buried a heated blade into the other nin´s back before twisting it so the wound wouldn´t close.

He had learned a few tricks from Sasuke and though he wasn´t very good at using any real Kāton no Jutsu he was still able to heat up the blade of a dagger so it slid effortlessly into Kisame´s body and not quite warm enough to stop the massive bleeding it caused.

“Brat!” Kisame growled when the stinging pain reached his mind. He pushed the smaller man away from him before he turned around to face his adversary.

“You shouldn´t underestimate my will to get what I want.”

“… And what is it that you want brat?” Kisame growled. The blood from his wound ran down his back and dripped onto the dirt.

“I want a cool new sword… your sword… and your head as a souvenir for Sasuke,” he told the taller man.

“Cocky, aren´t you?”

“Funny… I hear that a lot,” Suigetsu grinned before he launched another attack on the blue skinned man.

~ # ~

Karin kneeled down next to the silver haired man she recognized as Kakashi. Sasuke had told them about his former teammates and sensei so they wouldn´t attack them if they ever ran into each other.

Sasuke never had any intentions to kill anyone from the leaf… and actually he had always tried his best to avoid them to keep them out of trouble… and so that Naruto wouldn´t run of to find him either.

Thankfully this was now a thing of the past since Naruto would be the newest member of team Hebi from now on.

Karin liked the whisker marked blonde. He was hot, funny and incredible cute… and if she wasn´t already taken and for Sasuke´s possessiveness she would have made him hers for sure.

“Kakashi-san?” She asked the man.

“…”

“Don´t worry. I´m here to heal you and to deliver a message from Naruto and Sasuke.”

“Yes, I´m Hatake Kakashi,” the older man told her. “Is Naruto alright?”

“We´re treating him with great care. Sasuke is going to try to save him,” she told him while she tried to restore some of his chakra. She only gave him enough to be able to stand up and walk around since she had others to heal as well as her own teammates… and of course Naruto.

“… Itachi? Kisame?”

“Sasuke is fighting Itachi as we speak and my annoying boyfriend is about to beat the crap out of the other one.”

“… and Naruto?” Kakashi asked.

“He is currently under the care of a good and very strong man,” Karin told him as she moved on to heal Sakura. “You´re a medic, aren´t you?”

“Yes I am,” Sakura told her. She wanted nothing more than to force the redheaded girl to tell her where Naruto was being held… but she decided that it would be unwise to do so in her current situation.

“Good. I´ll give you a bigger amount of chakra and then you can heal the rest of your friends,” the woman told her. “I need to get back to my boyfriend since I´m supposed to be his back-up.”

“Who are you?” Kakashi asked her.

“My name is Karin and I´m the medic of team Hebi among others,” she told them. “The rest of your friends is laying unconscious about a mile west of here while the ones who bravely fought Itachi are to the east. They have been caught in a powerful genjutsu but are still alive. I guess you´ll be able to take it from here?”

“… Y-Yeah,” the copy-nin said. He was impressed by the girls ability to collect this much information about them so quickly… without even asking them any personal questions.

“Good. Oh and don´t bother to follow me. You´re to weak right now to be able to keep up with me and it would be dangerous for you to get separated from your team. I´ll check up on you later and give you an update on your foxy friend so stick together and get some rest.”

“… Oi…” Kakashi called out to the woman but she was already gone. “Damn! I wanted to ask her if she would lead us to Naruto later.”

“Sensei we can ask her about Naruto-kun later… now we have to stay together and save the others,” Shino told him as soon as Sakura had healed him. “And besides that I´ve attached a female kikai on the girl… so my male bugs will be able to track her down everywhere.”

“You´re a genius Shino,” Sakura hugged the Aburame who blushed at the sudden contact with the pink haired girl.

“Eh thank you… we should get moving as soon as you have healed Sai. Kiba´s team is about a mile west of here.”

~ # ~

Karin entered to battlefield just as Suigetsu buried Zabuza´s blade deeply in Kisame´s chest. Blood ran from the blue skinned man´s mouth, a wicked smile graced the dying man´s lips.

“Y-You got me… but I-I got you too kid,” Kisame panted. He had been fatally hit but had also managed to stab Suigetsu in the chest with a kunai since his Samehada was stuck in the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Y-Yeah. This was… cool… I have never… had so much… fun in my life,” the younger man said with a pained smile before he fell to his knees with Kisame. “Crap, this hurts.”

“Y-You are worthy of wielding… my Samehada… t-take good care of her, kid.”

“I will Kisame-sama. I will l-look forward to fight you again… in the after life,” Suigetsu told him.

“M-Me too.” Kisame dropped his head onto the younger man´s shoulder after his heart failed him.

Karin was at her boyfriend´s side and freed him from the bigger man´s dead weight. She removed the kunai from his chest and began immediately to heal the blue haired nin.

“Damn he was strong. I feel kinda… sad that I had to kill him… now I need someone else to… chase after.”

“You could always chase after me… you Baka,” The redheaded Karin told him. The painful feeling in her chest was slowly ebbing away now that she could see that he was going to be just fine.

It had scared her shitless to see her lover with a deadly weapon buried deeply in his chest… she had been afraid that she might have lost him this time.

“You are so stupid,” she sobbed. “Don´t scare me like that… I love you, you fool.”

“Awww honey…” Suigetsu sat up with a small whimper and wrapped his arms around her trembling shoulders. “I´m sorry… I didn´t mean to scare you…”

He removed her glasses and kissed the tears away. He held her while she cried in relief. Suigetsu suddenly felt very mortal after he tried to picture himself in her stead.

´How would I react if she had been stabbed like that? I would surely… break. She might not be perfect… but I love her… and she loves me, ` he thought while he rested his head against her shoulder, whispering sweet promises of love and affection into her ear. ´Is this why Sasuke is trying so hard to save Blondie? Does he love Naruto so deeply that he would go as far as to turn the kid into a vampire as well to be able to keep him around all eternity? I wonder if he would turn any of us if we were in grave danger? `

~ # ~

Sasuke glared angrily at his older sibling who was smirking widely.

“Do you know what I need to get the ultimate Sharingan otouto?”

“No and I don´t care,” Sasuke growled. He didn´t care because he already had the advanced Mangekyou Sharingan because his enhanced soul had unlocked all secrets of his kekkei genkai.

“I need your eyes Sasuke. I´ll rip them out of your skull and exchange them with my own… and then I´ll be the perfect worrier.”

“That´s disgusting Itachi. Are you so blinded by the lust for power that you can´t see that this is madness. Did you kill tousan and kasan because you wanted the Mangekyou that badly? You´re pathetic.”

“Actually I gained the Mangekyou Sharingan after I killed Shisui. Mother, father and the rest of the clan had to die because someone ordered me to… dispose of them. They were just in my way anyway.”

“… You were ordered to kill them? By who?” Sasuke demanded to know.

“I was ordered to kill everyone Sasuke and the order came from none other than our grandfather and co-founder of Konoha-gakure… Uchiha Madara.”

TBC