CHPT 25

Disclaimer: Is it really so hard to believe that I don't own Naruto? I do own Tohno, Ren and Tempori.

"Over intercom thingy…"

A/N: Hey, this chapter starts to close things up, and after this I just want to let you know I'll start uploading the chapters to my next NaruSasuNaru called "Fighting You". There also will be an epilogue to this of the, ahem, love scene. This story should be over within the next couple of weeks since I have vacation and am on a strict "write a chapter a day" diet, LOL. Then again I'm working on 7 stories so that's a new chapter a week if you only read one of my stories. Also, this chapter switches POV often, mostly because so much is happening and there are 3 different groups of people I have to account for.

/

Moegi caught site of the cabin at the same moment as Neji. She skidded to a halt and her ninja sandals filled with snow and she caught herself before taking a nose dive into the ice underneath it. Neji was more graceful, and he looked at the cabin off a hundred yards without much emotion. "We've spotted the cabin." Moegi kept moving, ignoring her frozen toes and the fact that she'd pulled muscles long ago.

"If you sense any trouble, just hold back and we'll show up. We're about fifteen minutes behind you." This time it was Iruka who spoke, maybe Sakura was too elated, at the thought of finding Naruto and Sasuke, to speak.

Neji ran along side her, moving directly for the cabin without hesitation. They neared and then heard the voices of the men they'd been looking for.

"Boss!" She shouted to him, but the winds swallowed it and blew up snowflakes in their faces. She was close, nearing it so that she could see inside the window at the outlines of her comrades. And then she felt it, a feeling that swept through her.

It was twisted and evil, violent and uncontrollable. Her stomach dropped and she gasped. Hunched over the cabin was the sight of a monster. Large and purple, swelled with charka, it has no recognizable form it was just a concentration of power. "Kami, stay back! I repeat, stay ba-"

The chakra engulfed the cabin, and reached for them.

/

Naruto heard the voices outside and gripped his kunai tightly. "It's Moegi-chan and Neji!" Naruto and Neji had an understanding, and so Naruto didn't use an honorific. Sasuke noticed and grit his teeth.

Sasuke ran to the window, outside the ice crystals and snow it was near impossible to see. He made out two figures for a moment before they disappeared. "I've lost sight of them, something's wrong."

"Everything's wrong with this place."

/

Iruka stopped in his tracks and looked horrified. The intercom had gone dead and the last they'd heard was the redheads warning not to come any closer. He didn't know if it was meant for them or for Neji, but he listened all the same.

Sakura had kept on, but spun around to yell at him and Hinata. "Come on! We have to go! We didn't come all this way to tuck tail and-"

"Sakura-chan!" Iruka yelled at her, his face angry. "We aren't backing down, but it's irresponsible to keep going without a plan! We need to have a plan! If we just run in there, not only will we end up dead, but nobody will be able to save Naruto and Sasuke-kun." Iruka looked torn, like a part of him was being destroyed. "He's my son," the words choked out of him, "but we won't be able to save him if we don't think this through."

Hinata tried not to think about what it would mean to her to lose Naruto-kun. He was her inspiration.

Sakura walked back, "fine, here's the plan."

/

The chakra reached for Neji like a hand out to grab him. He ducked and the purple chakra swerved around to follow his movements. He looked up to see that Moegi had quickly been engulfed in it, swallowed up by the chakra. It was like Jell-O that fought to bring them right to the eye of the storm. It was where it had the most control, where the winds appeared to be fastest and the snow thicker. He ran and then lifted his palms to strike at it.

There was no need for the byakugan, he didn't need to be able to see chakra points. The entire mass was chakra. As he slammed his hands into the side of it, the limb turned away and the chakra pulsed for a moment, testing its injuries. Then it came rushing back and aimed low. He leapt into the air to avoid it and then came crashing back down.

He couldn't duck away from it as it lunged towards him. He spun around and released his chakra, the technique scattered the purple chakra so that for a moment the figure was slowed. Then the chakra came back to form the limb, like watching a water balloon pop backwards in slow motion. Neji ran away, ducking slightly, he had no idea how to fight this thing.

He looked up to see Moegi, engulfed in it and fighting towards the cabin all the same.

It wasn't what she expected it to feel like. She thought she'd be free floating and that she wouldn't be able to breath. Instead it was just cold, bitter air. It was like the figure was made up of water and wind element, because the inside was where wind tossed snow in cyclones about the building. She fought her way forward.

Ten yards away. Nine yards away. Eight yards away. Seven yards away. Six yards away. Five yards away. Four yards away. Three yards away. Two yards away. One yard away. And finally she was able to put her hands against the window. She gulped, able to see black cat eyes look back at her.

Sasuke turned around. She followed his gaze and saw Naruto looking out at her too. She banged her fists, and saw their fists reach for the glass too. She punched it as hard as she could. She couldn't hear their words, but read their lips as they mouthed to her. "Chakra blast it."

She reached into her thigh pack and pulled out exploding tags, lining them around the edges. She sealed her chakra into them for an extra boost, then took a step back and set them off.

Naruto and Sasuke had turned around to protect themselves from the blast. When they looked back they saw the cracks that had been made and how it had been weakened. Naruto drew his fist back and let it loose, Moegi just barely had a second to duck before the window blew out and crashed around her. She stood up and spun around. "Boss!"

"Where's Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei? They're supposed to be here!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders, terrified that they had been injured.

Moegi didn't ask how he knew his senseis were supposed to be there. She grabbed him and hugged him, "thank kami you're alive!"

Sasuke reached for her and pulled her off of his mate. She looked startled and angry for a second, but then looked embarrassed when she remembered the battle. "Something was wrong with Kakashi-san's sharingan, we left him behind." Naruto turned rigid. "It was the only thing to do! Iruka-sensei, Hinata-sempai and Sakura-sempai are about ten minute behind right now. More depending on how long it took for them to formulate a plan."

Sasuke tried to keep his eyes on Neji as the other dodged and led the limb farther and farther away from them. He looked back at Naruto for a moment, before running off. He had a theory, that if he could just get far enough away from the center, outside of the purple form around him, maybe he could gain control of his chakra. Neji obviously could still use his, but he hadn't been able to sense Moegi's, she probably couldn't use her own since the purple chakra swallowed and overpowered it.

Just reach the outside. Just get free. Just run for it.

He stopped for a second and turned around, but Naruto was right there with him. Naruto's tan hand was on his shoulder, pushing him forward.

Just get free.