"That's not good."

Konoha's forces had been fighting admirably in every site of the battle, their contingency plans had reduced the civilian losses to a minimum and everything seemed to be going in their favor...

So far.

The Hokage had warned Ibiki that Orochimaru might use his snake summons to aid in the fight against the village, they didn't anticipate that he wouldn't be personally doing the summoning, however.

Apparently, the treacherous Sanin had the foresight of preparing multiple summoning scrolls for multiple giant snakes that were now crushing Konoha's forces and infrastructure, definitely not something they had predicted. They were losing a lot of shinobi fighting the summons, definitely not good.

"Hold the line! We can't allow them to go any further." Ibiki wasn't feeling very optimistic all of a sudden, giving out orders he knew were incredibly hard to follow. Fighting a force of invading ninjas plus a battalion of hungry and blood-thirsty snakes is something few people are capable of.

Luckily for them, one of those few people arrived just in time.

Kuchiyose: Yatai Kuzushi no Jutsu!

In the air a giant light-blue toad with a sword strapped to its back and a white-haired man standing on its head appeared and fell right on top of two of the snakes with immense force limiting their movements and finishing them off with a quick slash of its blade, beheading them both.

Three more snakes were summoned on the battlefield by Orochimaru's forces but were crushed under the weight of a different toad, this one of red color and a pipe Jiraiya was all too familiar with.

Jumping from one toad to another, Jiraiya landed right on top of Gamabunta's head and said, "I did say I would be giving you a little work didn't I, Bunta?"

The boss toad huffed in annoyance as he watched more snakes being summoned in front of him and his greatly perverted summoner.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Said Ibiki as he landed on top of Gamabunta's head and stood right beside the legendary man. "Your assistance is appreciated but, shouldn't you be aiding Hokage-sama?"

Jiraiya looked down and sighed as an air of defeat surrounded him, "No Ibiki, this is where I'm supposed to be." He still didn't agree with the orders that had been given to him by his sensei but knew there was nothing that could be done, he was first and foremost a soldier under his command, and following orders was his duty.

Asked the boss of the toads, changing the topic of conversation as he stared the snakes down.

"His fight is...," Jiraiya sighed as he looked into the distance with a worried look on his face, "somewhere else."

—

"Uzumaki-san..." The ANBU and Genin pair had been following the escaping Gaara and his sibling for quite some time now in painful silence, at least for Naruto. "It would be best that you tell me about the nature of your suppressing jutsu so that we may plan accordingly."

The young Uzumaki sighed as he took in his surroundings and appreciated the view. Maybe it wasn't the best time to relax and breathe some fresh air but he still did.

"Kongo fusa... it's an Uzumaki Kekkei Genkai, I can create chains of chakra that do a lot of stuff, suppressing chakra is just one of the things that I can do."

Tora hummed and brought his hand to his chin in thought, in theory, it didn't sound all that different from the famous Mokuton jutsu he himself was capable of. "You said one of the things, may I ask what else you can do?"

"It's useful in combat though I hadn't trained myself enough to be able to use them that way and..." Naruto looked up at the sky and sighed, "Jiji told me my mom used them to form a barrier around the Kyuubi the night it got free, I haven't tried to do that yet but I know how to go about it."

"Very well then, when we catch up to them you will form a barrier around us to make sure he can't escape from us, our objective is to incapacitate him before he can fully release the Ichibi." Though keeping a stoic voice the lion-masked ANBU was feeling a little nervous, fighting a Jinchuriki was a huge deal for anyone, he had been counting on having the aid of his subordinates on this but they had to stay behind and deal with their pursuers.

Naruto and he will have to be enough.

"What about his sister?" Asked Naruto.

"She doesn't represent much of a problem, I will personally deal with her first and we'll let her out of the barrier for the ANBU to secure her." A good plan in his opinion, he would be the first to admit that the young Suna genin had promise but at the end of the day she was only that, a genin.

They kept on running for a few more minutes and were finally able to see their objective. The girl stopped running and got ready to face them as she allowed her brother to keep retreating. Temari unfolded her fan and was about to use a futon jutsu on them but the bark of the tree she was standing on suddenly came to life and tied itself around her whole body, choking her long enough to make her lose consciousness and trap her.

Naruto let out an impressed whistle at the display of ability from his ANBU companion and understood just why Kakashi spoke so highly of him. They both landed in front of the red-head now tightly holding his head and got ready.

"Let's do this!"

—

Not long after Kakashi dismissed him, Shino, Kiba, and Sakura took off running in search of their comrades in team 10. The Aburame had made use of the time it took them to familiarize himself with Sakura's abilities to form better strategies that would make proper use of them in conjunction with his own.

It didn't beat the exceptional teamwork he and his team had built over the months but it had to do for now.

Shino's visage became stern as the academy building being raided by a force of Oto shinobi came into view, they could see some of their old senseis laying on the ground with no sign of life. He had always been a pragmatic person who lived a life following logic and realism but seeing the people that helped him become the capable shinobi he was in such a state...

It almost made him lose his temper.

Shikamaru and his team had been sent to aid in the evacuation of the hospital, a building that was currently under the protection of the original InoShikaChō formation, so it made sense to send them there and have them send reinforcements to the academy as soon as possible.

The team knew they had to buy as much time as possible and strengthen their resolve.

Sakura and Kiba both turned to look at their current leader and waited for instructions, Shino simply nodded as he held up a special hand sign, indicating to them it was time to put one of the plans they had discussed into action.

The pink-haired genin stopped running and quickly went through a series of hand seals, making four solid copies of her made out of stone, as soon as the clones formed themselves they alongside the real Sakura phased into the ground and disappeared from view.

While she did that, Kiba gave Akamaru a pill that made the dog's skin go red and made use of the Juujin Bunshin, once there were two of him, Kiba yelled to get the attention of the invading shinobi. "Hey, assholes!"

Kiba's loud yell startled the Oto shinobi and even some of the Konoha Chunin that were currently fighting them. The dog and teen duo jumped in the air and started spinning as they yelled, "Gatsuuga!" Seeing the impending doom the Oto shinobi tried to jump away to dodge the attack but much to their surprise, four different pairs of hands emerged from the ground and held as many of them as they could tight and stuck in the ground.

Kiba and Akamaru performed a deathly dance and tore through the shocked and unmoving invading shinobi, those who weren't caught allowed themselves to become distracted and didn't notice the bugs creeping out their bodies and eating out their chakra before they had time to retaliate.

Sakura emerged from the ground as the last of the invading shinobi were dealt with by the Chunin that were stationed in the academy long before they arrived. As soon as the last of them fell, the Chunin quickly started evacuating the children that were still in the academy.

A tired Iruka made his way to the arriving Genin and managed a proud smile despite the dire situation. "I can't believe we have to be saved by our students."

Shino - logical as always - replied, "You shouldn't feel bad about it Iruka-sensei, why? Because our plan only worked since they weren't expecting it."

Iruka smiled and was about to reply when another batch of shinobi could be seen running towards them in the distance, this time accompanied by the more capable Suna shinobi. Quickly the chunin fell into a defensive stance once again this time accompanied by his former students.

Shino was running his mind a mile a minute thinking of a quick strategy to keep the young kids safe. "Sakura-san, you said you were capable of using Genjutsu, yes?" Sakura looked puzzled by the sudden question but nodded her response either way. "Do you think you could mask their escape?" He asked, gesturing to the academy where all the children were at.

Sakura's breath hitched when she looked at the size of the academy, she didn't have the chakra to pull an illusion that big off... but, she could probably mask the front of the building to make it look like there were still kids crying and attempting to flee while the real deal ran off through the back.

The pink-haired genin steeled her resolve and looked back to Shino before saying. "I can do it but it will take a lot out of me, I don't think I'll be able to help you fight anymore after this." That seemed to be a reasonable trade-off for the Aburame as he voiced his approval and - along with Kiba - got ready to face the upcoming shinobi.

Sakura took a deep breath and put both of her hands in a praying motion as she started channeling as much chakra as she could while thinking. 'Come on Sakura! You can do this!'. She went through various different hand seals, focusing so as to not miss one when she felt drops of sweat making their way down her forehead and trembling hands. She smiled in satisfaction once she finished and released it with her usual war cry in mind. 'SHANNARO!'

Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu!

Sakura released the chakra she accumulated, and the front of the building started changing, masking the Chunin going in and taking the children through the back and making it look like way more of them were on the ground lifeless as kids cried in horror watching their senseis bleed out.

She started falling into exhaustion but was caught by Kiba who softly laid her on a rock, she thanked him silently and focused on keeping the illusion long enough. Being satisfied with the current state of his temporary teammate, Kiba joined Shino and watched as the Suna and Oto shinobi arrived.

They jumped into battle without a second thought and gave it their all to make sure the next generation of Shinobi was safe. In a show of skill no Genin should be capable of, Kiba and Shino fought side by side with their former teachers and decimated their opposition.

But more kept coming. Horde after horde of Oto and Suna shinobi kept on advancing towards them. Fatigue started setting in soon after that.

Shino was the first to fall.

The constant use of his clan jutsu over the day had been taking a toll on him, especially after having recovered from poisoning not too long before that, a moment a distraction was all it took for a sword to pierce his leg and arm as he was sent crashing to the ground with a strong punch to the face, he was unconscious before hitting the ground.

Kiba followed right after him.

Akamaru had allowed himself to get caught after releasing the transformation and Kiba didn't think twice before jumping to save his life-long friend, his unwavering loyalty had cost him a few slashes and bleeding wounds, and he fell to the ground with his pup still being protected in his arms.

The Suna shinobi that had dealt the blow decided he wouldn't be satisfied until he saw a job well done and tried to end his life.

Iruka wouldn't have it, he stole the sword of the man right from his hand and used it to slash his neck open in a single strike. Bearing a Kunai in one hand and the stolen chokuto in the other, Iruka jumped in battle displaying a level of skill no one had thought him capable of before. He dealt with the invaders and spilled their blood to make sure his former students and his village would leave to see another day.

Even if it cost him his own.

"IRUKA-SENSEI!"

The world went silent for Sakura, she was just starting to stand back up when it happened, Iruka started becoming slower with each passing second and it proved to be his doom as a long sword went right through his chest.

She ran carelessly, stumbling on her way yet never falling, and made her way to the falling man without even turning to look at the enemy. Iruka smiled sadly at his former student as he collapsed in her arms, he cupped her cheek and brushed off her tears with a single thought in his mind. 'I'm sorry I'm doing this to you Sakura.'

He had no trouble with the idea of dying to protect his village, he only regretted making her watch as another person dear to her bled out to death again.

"Why don't we take this little bitch with us boys?" The Suna shinobi all became smug after their victory and started celebrating as they tried to rip Sakura off of Iruka but she wouldn't budge, she was using her limited medical knowledge to keep him from bleeding out and apparently, became strong enough to not be moved in the process.

She couldn't keep the illusion running anymore and it fell, revealing to the invaders that the children they were sent to eliminate were now long gone and that they had been tricked by a little girl. Angered by a trick, the man who was trying to take her with him - kicked her in the head in a show of pure rage and sent her flying and crashing into a rock making a sickening crunch from her behind.

Sakura yelled in pain but refused to give up and gathered all her willpower to start standing once again, she clutched her sides as she stumbled back to the fallen Iruka. Set on keeping him alive as long as possible. The genin let go of the weights she was carrying, which had begun to make it difficult for her to move for the first time in a long time. The shinobi saw her resolve and found it amusing, thus he kicked Iruka in the head... repeatedly.

Then she saw red, her mind became enraged at the punishment being given to her favorite teacher in the academy and she completely lost it. She began summoning a force she shouldn't have while her right arm began hardening and hardening into a rock purely on instinct.

Then she ran.

Being faster than the enemy was as expected, the training she went through had prepared her for this moment, Sakura reached the bastard that had dared to kick Iruka and put her arm right through him.

Everyone looked in shock at the display of strength and even Sakura became full of shock at having killed someone, for the first time in her life. She watched the face of the man she had just killed replaced by a familiar face of her dead teammate, bloody and angry at her, angry because she hadn't helped him.

Angry because she had let him die.

A voice she knew all too well reassured her that it was alright, Naruto wasn't even there but he somehow always managed to find a way to help Sakura when she needed him the most. The face of Sasuke disappeared and she released the body of the now very dead man and let it fall to the ground.

She was surprised when instead of a great opposing force waiting to strike her down she found a man wearing a green bodysuit making his way through the invaders with no signs of effort while yelling cries of war and youth.

Never one to look a gift-horse in the mouth she smiled and watched as a pair of medic-nin took Iruka and Team 8 with them, unable to stand anymore she collapsed and fell back.

She didn't hit the ground, she looked up to see her silver-haired sensei holding her in his arms and looking at her proudly, finally Sakura could allow herself to relax and feel safe as exhaustion took over her body, the last words she heard before unconsciousness claimed her were spoken by Kakashi.

"You did good, Sakura."

—

"YOU!" Gaara started screaming as a powerful and malevolent chakra engulfed his person and started transforming him, slowly turning him into a thing. Sand solidified and took a tanuki-like shape all around his body, leaving nothing but his feet uncovered. "UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

Not a nice way to have your name called by anyone, Tora was the first to react to the unsettling situation and instructed Naruto to put their plan into action.

Naruto jumped back as Tora used some strange wood jutsu he had never seen before and knelt on the ground, he put both of his hands in a ram seal and closed both of his eyes in concentration. 'Please... help me out a little Kaa-chan.'

Purple chakra started swirling around him and he opened both of his eyes as he slammed both hands to the ground, immediately, a pair of golden chains emerged from his forearms and dug themselves into the ground, with each passing second, both chains started growing more chains that shot up into the sky and tied themselves around each other, forming a barrier of energy that locked them all in that place and prevented Gaara from escaping and setting the Ichibi free on the village.

Not one to be easily outdone, Tora smirked at Naruto's display and decided this wasn't the day he would be shown up by a Genin. He went through a quick set of hand seals and called out.

Mokuton: Daijurin no Jutsu!

Out of Tora's extended arms shot countless tree branches that quickly tied themselves around the Jinchuriki as tightly as possible. Things quieted down shortly after that, the trees that now bound Gaara and rendered him incapable of moving were still growing and covering more and more parts of his body, if only for a short moment it started to look like they had won.

But it couldn't be that easy.

"Is it over already?" If Sakura's tales were to be believed, the legendary Mokuton was capable of subduing the legendary Bijuu but that didn't mean Naruto understood how it worked, somehow he was sure there was more to it than just touching him.

The hold over his jutsu started to waver and Tora found himself struggling to keep the Jinchuriki at bay, no surprises there, he didn't think for a minute that would be enough to stop a rampaging vessel but that didn't mean he couldn't try.

"Uzumaki-san," He said as he jumped back and avoided a wave of sand that was set on finishing him off. "I will try to create an opening for you, try to make good use of it." He then kicked Naruto on the side catching him by surprise but saving him from a claw of sand emerging from the ground. Naruto conceded and realized he had allowed himself to become overwhelmed by the current situation and was getting sloppy.

He started taking deep breaths, he knew he could beat Gaara if he tried to and would do his best to make sure it happened, he promised Hiruzen and he fully intended to keep his promise.

Naruto never goes back on his word.