Invasion - 7

"We've got to do something, Chief Toad!" Naruto's insides were twisting as he watched Gaara's sleeping form hanging limp atop the Ichibi's head, "Think you can get us closer?"

"Does it look like my legs fell off or something?" Gamabunta grumbled before leaping at the enemy, only to get walloped in the head by an unexpected tail-swipe from Shukaku.

It barreled the toad over and the demon laughed heartily, its screeches echoed for miles. Gamabunta righted himself, making sure Naruto was still on his head, "Nyeh…I admit I'm a bit out of shape…"

"Now you're starting to sound like Ero-sennin!" Naruto pointed out, not liking the excuse.

"Got any more bright ideas you little squirt?" The toad barked resentfully, knowing that the genin had a point.

*

Temari skimmed above the treetops on her fan with Haku, keeping a lookout for Gaara. Even if they had set aside their differences all for the sake of the red haired boy, it was still a bit constraining to suddenly have to work together.

"That's it up ahead isn't it?" Haku asked, noting a dust cloud swirling and the outlined figure of a gigantic beast that thrashed about, shrieking in fiendish delight.

Temari narrowed her eyes, deciding to fly higher to get a better look, "There's nothing we can do now, we're too late. We'd be killed before we could reverse the transformation…"

"Giving up is not going to save him!" Haku's voice was grim, "If you aren't willing to fight then stay here."

"What are you doing-?" Temari's eyes widened in shock as Haku leapt from her fan, totally bent on saving his friend, "Are you crazy!"

A small ice mirror had formed in mid-air and he landed on it, assessing the situation. Shukaku was in plain sight, rapidly demolishing the surrounding forest, and Gaara just barely visible on the monster's head. Far to his left he could see Naruto had already summoned Gamabunta, and he took it as a good sign, 'Temari's right…I can't stop this thing, but maybe I can slow it down so Naruto-kun can!'

Temari circled back around, refusing to leave. She was frustrated that Haku was foolish enough to believe he could make a difference. The Ichibi continued attacking Gamabunta, completely unaware of Haku as he began to form hand seals, 'This is the jutsu I learned from the Forbidden Scroll, one that I would never have had enough chakra to perform…until now!'

Willingly he drew on the power of the cursed seal, calling on as much of the dark chakra as he could stand. Haku stared ahead at his target, black scales creeping across his skin, 'It isn't too late! I can do this!'

Haku finished sealing, surrounded by turbulent dark chakra, "Suiton: Suishoha!"

Water began to condense from thin air immediately, swirling around the Shukaku in a massive current. Upon witnessing it Gamabunta found the sheer bulk of water outrageous, "That is a jutsu only known to the Second Hokage!" He looked to see Haku in the distance, following through with the jutsu, "That boy is a fool; using that much chakra will kill him!"

"Haku-kun stop it!" Naruto's cries went unheard. He could only watch helplessly as the airborne current of water closed in around the Ichibi, slowing its movements.

"Little morsel has made a puddle for me to play in!" Shukaku jeered at the genin challenging him, "What fun! I'll kill you next!"

"Freeze." Haku commanded and the water obeyed. The current surrounding the Ichibi's remaining arm froze into blades of ice and severed the sand appendage. Shukaku reared back its head and screamed in outrage.

Gamabunta looked on in silent astonishment and Naruto grinned, impressed by the attack. The ice dropped down to the forest below with Haku having no more chakra to control it. The seal was pure agony and Haku flailed for a moment, unable to concentrate.

Unfortunately the Ichibi recovered fast, "Air Bullet!" Another wave of chakra-thick air was aimed for Haku and missed, but the impact from the blast knocked him from the air and sent him plummeting to the woods below, unconscious.

"Haku-kun!" Naruto couldn't contain himself any longer. The Ichibi was tormenting his friends and he had to put an end to it.

Temari flew beneath the dark haired boy and caught him, mumbling, "Leaf shinobi are such idiots…" She was honestly astounded by the attack she had witnessed and glad she hadn't been at its receiving end.

Shukaku stomped about, armless, babbling to itself in a rage.

Gamabunta took advantage of its distraction, "Water Bullet!" The blast hit the Ichibi directly in the back and it turned around, yowling in fury, awakening its sand to attack again.

"Naruto, the only way to get rid of this demon is to wake that kid up," The toad boss explained, dodging blasts of sand and wind, "It's the only way this will end before the whole place ends up looking like a desert!"

"How do I do that?" The blonde boy asked, looking confounded.

"Just give him a good smack!"

He was startled by what a simple solution it was and Gamabunta closed in on the sand spirit, grappling with it, and was promptly knocked back by its thrashing tail that was followed by another air bullet.

"Chief Toad, what's going on? I can't hit him if you don't get me close enough!" Naruto steadied himself as Gamabunta leapt back from Shukaku, trying to regroup.

"I can't get a grip on that thing! I don't have any teeth or claws!" The toad retorted, frustrated, "It appears this calls for a combination transformation…"

"What's that exactly?" The blonde boy was unclear on the subject.

"I provide the chakra for the jutsu and you provide the seal, since I never was very good at performing them…" Gamabunta explained hurriedly, "Think of something we can take the shape of, something with teeth and claws! Now hurry!" He charged ahead again, not giving Naruto much time to think of a useful form.

'Teeth and claws huh?' For Naruto, only one thing came to mind, 'I hope this works!'

Gamabunta transformed and the Ichibi was confronted by a monstrous fox demon that was running full-pelt towards it, plucking up trees on its way with its many tails and hurling them at the enemy to stall him.

The Kyuubi-disguised toad bit down on the sand spirit, getting a sure hold, "Now squirt! Get going!"

"Right!" Naruto broke off the transformation and leaped from the toad boss's head, landing on Shukaku's snout . He could feel the massive beast moving, trying to knock Gamabunta back again, and Naruto stumbled up the face of the Ichibi, trying not to sink into the turbulent sand.

The blonde boy reached Gaara while he slept and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders, "Gaara-kun, this is for being a stubborn bastard!" Naruto delivered a head butt that was more than enough to dispel the jutsu that had forced Gaara to sleep and it left him cross-eyed.

Gaara woke rather suddenly, eyes wide and bloodshot, and Naruto grinned for a moment before tumbling backwards as Shukaku thrashed furiously, no longer in control of its host.

Gamabunta watched approvingly as the huge sand beast began to crumble and break apart, "Well, that about does it! I'm beat! Time to go home…" The toad boss departed in a cloud of smoke.

Both jinchuriki fell back down to the forest below as the sand dissolved, and Naruto rushed frantically to his friend through the tree tops, still uncertain if he was going to be alright.

"Gaara!" He leapt over to where Gaara had settled, bent awkwardly at the base of tree, shuddering as he suppressed the angry demon that had just been forced back under his control.

'Gaara's in bad shape and he's still hurting from the injuries he got during the exam…' Naruto crouched beside the red haired boy, 'What's going to happen to him now?

He could remember the fear that had been in Gaara's eyes as he suffered through long nights of the Ichibi's heartless babble, 'I'll never let this happen again, Gaara, you don't deserve this!'

"Step aside, Naruto," The blonde boy looked up to see his sensei pushing past him, making his way to Gaara, "Come on kid! Sit up straighter…" Jiraiya immediately went to work on the damaged seal and Naruto was left to wonder how he had even known there was something wrong with it in the first place, 'He's been gone since yesterday that useless bum!'

Ultimately, Naruto was glad to see the perverted sage.

Temari appeared shortly after, carrying the weight of an unconscious Haku on her shoulder. She walked over to Naruto and gently plopped the water nin down beside him, "Here, he'll be alright…but he sure is an idiot."

The blonde boy chuckled, "Yeah…sometimes he is."

They watched Jiraiya finish in his work and then sigh, fishing through his pocket and drawing out a pipe, "Damn…you sure are lucky sand kid." He patted the boy on his head affectionately, "You held out pretty well. I'm sorry it took me so long to get here."

"Thank you." Gaara said quietly, not yet ready to look at his sensei. There was a part of him that was still ashamed that he had lost control of himself.

Temari kneeled beside the red haired boy and hugged him, smiling widely, "Wow! I didn't realize your team would handle all this so well!"

He closed his eyes, liking the closeness, "You have no idea."

Kankuro arrived shortly after with Sasuke and Pakkun, and the sand ninja quickly reunited with his siblings, surprised to see they were relatively unharmed.

"I knew you wouldn't betray me." Gaara smiled at his brother and sister, ignoring their alarmed faces.

Sasuke sat down by Haku, exhausted, and wondered what exactly had just happened.

Naruto watched Gaara interact with his siblings briefly before turning to his sensei. He was startled to see that Jiraiya had been staring at him in silence.

"Ero-sensei, is something wrong?"

Jiraiya closed his eyes, sighing deeply, "No, Naruto, I guess not."

The toad sage recalled from a short time ago how he had abandoned his sensei in the stadium in order to save his students from Orochimaru's treachery. He hoped The Third would hold out and defeat the snake, yet he felt that he should've stayed to help somehow, even if there was little he could do.

Now was not the time for regrets.