Naruto gasped and coughed as a foul-tasting slime got in her mouth. She spat it out and tried to find something to grab onto. She couldn't though, and growled as she pulled out a kunai and stabbed it into the slimy pink membrane.

She continued to slide though, ripping a gash along the inside of the snake. 'Think Naruto! C'mon, ya gotta get out of the snake.' She summoned up her chakra and sifted through her wind Jutsu. There was only one she could currently think of. 

She found herself hoping this worked. She focused all of her control into the Jutsu, channeling her wind nature to her fingertips. "Fuuton: Kaze no Yaiba!\ Wind Release: Wind Blade!"

She channeled the wind chakra to extend from all ten fingers, and plunged her hands into the pink membrane, ripping through it with ease. She stepped out of the snake, which writhed on the ground, bleeding out quickly. Naruto shook the blood from her hair as best she could. She turned and looked for Ino, who was staring at her wide-eyed.

"N-Naruto-chan..." She was shaking, adrenaline likely pumping through her system. Naruto walked over to her.

"I'm alive Ino-chan. Now, let's go find the others. I have a feeling something bad is about to happen." A feeling of unease had settled in her stomach, and her entire being itched to be with Shikamaru and Hinari, safe in their home.

She grabbed Ino, who was still recovering, and took off. Ino was shaken from her shock, and pulled free from Naruto's grasp, leaping alongside the red-blonde. Naruto was solely intent on finding Shikamaru, and Kurama gladly helped. According to Yoru, the suspicious Kusa nin from earlier was attacking and it seemed their focus was on Sasuke. Who had awoken his Sharingan when he stabbed himself in the leg to get Sakura away from death.

Naruto smelled it before she saw it. She didn't bother to henge into her male form, and snuck up to Shikamaru, who had taken shelter in a bush and was watching Sasuke and the Kusa nin carefully.

"Shika," Naruto whispered. 

Shikamaru jumped and turned to Naruto wide-eyed. He hugged Naruto tight. "You're alive! That nin had said something about you and Ino dying. I tried not to let it get to my head, but I couldn't help but worry...."

Naruto hugged Shikamaru back, and the two parted when Ino showed up with a terrified Choji. Naruto had an idea. Shikamaru would not like it, but she needed everyone to be safe. She turned to the shadow-nin.

"Shika-"

"No."

She looked at him pleadingly. "Please. I need to be able to go all out. You need to get them to safety. You need to be safe. I can keep him busy until you get to the tower. Once Yoru tells me you, Ino-chan, Choji, Sasuke, and Sakura-chan are at the tower, I'll flash over to you. Trust me Shika."

Shikamaru's face was twisted, and he obviously wanted to protest, so Naruto did the first thing that came to mind.

Shikamaru's eyes widened as he felt Naruto press her lips against his, arms wrapping around her neck. She soon pulled back, face slightly flushed. Her hair, which had blocked any outside view, settled. 

"Please." She said. Shikamaru reluctantly nodded. He grabbed her arms firmly though, and met her eyes, his own full to the brim with conflicting emotions. 

"Stay safe."

Naruto nodded. "I'll grab Sasuke and Sakura. Then I need you to take them away. I'll give you some clones. Remember. If they dispel, it does not mean I'm dead. Now go!"

She disappeared and reappeared in less than a second, her teammates in hand. She thrust them at Shikamaru. "GO!"

A twisted laugh filled the clearing. 

Naruto turned, long blonde hair whipping around in the wind that she expelled unconsciously. Her eyes were narrow, and the aura of a nine-tailed beast stood next to her, an inky black dragon on her other side.

"Shikamaru asked me to help you."

Naruto nodded. "Okay."

The grass-nin appeared, looking cool as a cucumber, if it weren't for the melted face she was casually peeling off, revealing a delicate male face. 

"Orochimaru of the Sannin," Kurama growled.

Naruto pushed away the fear. She could maybe hold off the Sannin until Shikamaru got to the tower. Maybe.

Orochimaru chuckled. "You are a foolish child. Why would a genin like you protect someone else's teams?"

Naruto glared at the smirking snake sannin. "Sasuke and Sakura are my team! I am Naruto Uzumaki, and you won't hurt them!"

Orochimaru's eyes widened before a grin stretched across his face, and he laughed. "So you're a girl, huh? Interesting. And how are you going to stop me?"

Naruto growled, the sound making the ground shake as red chakra bubbled up around her, her blue eyes bleeding crimson. Yoru fully revealed himself, smaller than usual due to most of his consciousness still in Shikamaru. The shadows moved to captured the Sannin, frozen in place by his own shadow.

"I'll show you."

She disappeared in a flash of red-gold and began to strike Orochimaru. He took several blows before reacting. Naruto stayed still for a second to shake off the dizziness from rapid-fire use, and was hit by a kick that definitely broke some ribs. She flew back, and slammed into a tree. She coughed out some blood, and stood up quickly, flashing around, trying to get the Sannin to lose his cool.

"Tch, you're like your father, but more inexperienced." Orochimaru said, and once again Naruto flew back, slamming into another tree. The breath was knocked out of her, and she coughed, trying to regain it. Yoru was attacking Orochimaru, using the shadows to restrain him. But the inky black dragon was shrinking as he used up the chakra the temporary form had.

Naruto pulled out a kunai and flashed back into the fray. She needed to think carefully. Her ribs were broken, and she could feel something wrong with her shoulder, it wouldn't move right. She was covered in bruises and cuts. She flashed around the Sannin. She didn't have enough chakra for her jutsu, and couldn't concentrate enough to perform one that would be effective. So she stuck to throwing weapons at the Sannin, as well as trying to strike him.

She was doing relatively well, until Yoru disappeared, and the shadows receded.

Naruto flew back, head cracking sharply against wood, and she could feel blood seeping through her hair. She shook off the dizziness, and held back a scream as Orochimaru stomped on her arm. It snapped, and bone poked through flesh. Naruto's eyes locked onto a branch ad she flashed to it. She clung to the branch panting heavily. She looked behind her and flinched when she saw Orochimaru right there. He was chuckling.

"So, are you done? Your friends couldn't have made it to the tower yet, so I can just dispose of you and finish what I came here for."

Naruto glared at him, the red chakra struggling to heal her wounds.

'I can't die. I have to take care of Hinari!'

She stood shakily, eyes never leaving the Sannin.  She fashed behind him and kicked. Her foot was caught, and she swung her kunai, slicing the Sannin's cheek. She was swung around and slammed into the tree, her newly healed ribs rebreaking. a choked scream passed through her lips, and she fell limply on the ground ten feet below, her shoulder fully dislocated. She was bleeding everywhere, and she couldn't see straight. "Kurama!" she croaked.

"Kit.... I can't give you more chakra, you can't handle it."

'I don't care! I need it long enough to take care of him!'

"Kit... Fine. Four tails is the max though. And your wounds will only get worse"

'Thank you.'

Naruto screamed shrilly as what seemed to be lava entered her system. Her consciousness faded at a hate filled haze filled her mind.

Kill.