𝐊𝐎𝐊𝐎𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈 | 𝐍.𝐔𝐙𝐔𝐌𝐀𝐊𝐈

[9]

Things escalated when Naruto began to fight Gaara, and Asami found herself riding on the frog. "You hold tight, girl. You won't be transformed with us since you're part of this summoning," the frog said.

Asami nodded in understanding as she held on tightly before Gamabunta started jumping towards Shukaku. Naruto was still trying to come up with something. "Fangs and claws. Fangs and claws," he anxiously thought.

Asami narrowed her eyes at him. "Think closely, Naruto. It's-"

Before Asami could complete her sentence, she lost her grip on the toad's slimy skin and began to slip down. "Oh-"

"Transform!"

Smoke surrounded them, and Asami felt herself being suspended in the air with something thick and soft wrapped around her body.

When everything became clear, Asami's eyes widened in surprise. In front of her was the nine-tailed fox with its tail wrapped around her, saving her from falling.

"You did it," she stared at him in awe as the tail moved forward and placed her on top of the fox's head.

The fox growled and dashed towards Shukaku, with Asami holding tight onto its orange fur. She couldn't open her eyes due to the fast speed and the air bullets being sent by Shukaku.

After a while, when the fox stopped moving, she opened her eyes only to come face-to-face with the horrifying visage of Shukaku, with Gaara sleeping on his head.

Naruto jumped high in the air towards the sleeping boy. "Rise and shine!" he punched Gaara across his face.

"Good," Gamabunta commented. "That one blow should've done the trick."

"Give me a break! I just got here!" Shukaku yelled as his yellow eyes faded away, indicating that the jutsu had ended, but the beast's body continued to push Gamabunta back.

Gaara finally opened his eyes and glared at Naruto in annoyance. The blond ran at him again, but his feet got stuck in the sand. "You think I'm a fool!" Gaara growled.

"I'll wipe you from the face of the earth. I'll not cease to exist," Gaara threatened.

"Naruto..." Asami tried to step forward, but her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees. "Damn it..."

Naruto looked at Sakura, who was constantly being crushed by the sand claw, and then at Asami, who was worn out. After a few moments, he glared at Gaara. "Asami..." he said.

"Believe me, I'll kill you. I'll not cease to exist."

"Come on!" Naruto closed his eyes and focused. After a few moments, an orange chakra surrounded him, blazing like fire.

"It's the nine tails," Asami whispered as she watched him with wide eyes.

"Get ready, you creepy monster!" Naruto freed his feet from the sand and ran at Gaara with his fists ready. But Gaara restrained his arms with sand. "I've had it with you!" Naruto smacked his head against Gaara's.

Blood dripped from their heads, and the sand beast cracked into pieces that slowly dissolved into sand. The two boys began to fall down.

"I've reached my limits too," Gamabunta said. "We are gonna disappear any time soon. Gamakichi, it's time we go bac-" His words were cut off as he disappeared along with his son, leaving Asami floating in the air.

"What...?" Her eyes widened.

She was falling down, first through the air and then through the trees

, with stray twigs adding numerous scratches to her already decorated arms and legs. She caught a faint glimpse of Sasuke catching Sakura and carefully placing her on a branch.

"Naruto..." She closed her eyes, waiting for the final hard impact of a thick branch or the ground. But it never came. She was still in the air, but she wasn't moving. She opened her eyes only to come face-to-face with a pair of blue eyes.

But they weren't his.

"Eisuke..." she whispered weakly, feeling his arms around her shoulders and beneath her knees.

He gave her a lazy grin in response. "Surprised that I'm still alive?"

"Eisuke... is... he..." she tried to speak up.

"Just calm down, okay?" he mumbled softly, catching a brief glimpse of her distressed face, and jumped down to a branch on the ground beside Naruto.

He gently set her down and knelt beside the blonde boy.

"Oi, that's enough." Eisuke stopped him from crawling any further towards Gaara. "Look, Sasuke is with Sakura. She's gonna be alright, and this guy's chakra is all used up. Asami is here too."

Naruto glanced over at the brunette. "That's a relief," he sighed before falling unconscious, a relaxed smile on his face.

"You dork," Asami smiled softly and ruffled his hair.

"I'll go get big brother." Eisuke jumped off, leaving them.

Gaara opened his eyes slightly as he watched the Hyuga smiling fondly at the blonde. "Why would you do that?"

For a moment, she was surprised. She turned her eyes to find his cold teal eyes staring into her dull lavender eyes. "What?"

"You stood in front of Naruto, like a shield. Why fight for him and not for yourself?" he asked in a monotonous voice.

"Your eyes..." Gaara shifted his gaze to the sky. "They're no different. What is it exactly that you desire?"

Asami's eyes widened in shock as he continued. "I can see the loneliness, but there's no revenge and hatred." He paused for a moment and looked at her again. "You fear betrayal. Then why not just love yourself and fight for yourself? Why for him?"

She could see in his eyes the desperation for the answers to the questions that had been bothering him for years.

"He's... my home," Asami replied with a sad smile at the blonde boy. "He rescued me from myself." She looked at Gaara's teal eyes, her own eyes brimming with a mixture of different emotions. "He stood by me when I needed someone. He taught me that life was worth living. He gave me a purpose to my life."

"Purpose?" Gaara repeated, staring off into space.