Everyone remained when they were positioned, not taking their eyes off Gaara or Sasuke. Aceso saw that they had a small dog with them. It was one of Kakashi's dogs, Pakkun.

" Sasuke?" Sakura gasped as Sasuke was shaking. " Aceso!" She looked over to see her up against the tree, she was fumbling through her bag. " No." Aceso took off one of her leg wrappings and began to wrap it around her body.

" Sakura?" Naruto asked. " Aceso?"

" What--What are you doing here?" Sasuke demanded, he tried to get up and groaned in pain. " Sasuke, hold on." Sakura jumped to Aceso's tree, grabbed her, and jumped back over to Sasuke. " Heal him."

" Sakura," Aceso breathed. " Injured medical-ninja have trouble healing others when they are injured. I'm not sure if I can do it."

"Does it look like I care?" Sakura asked.

" Hey, uh, Sakura," Naruto breathed, she didn't look his way as she turned Sasuke over and had Aceso kneel. " Earth to Sakura.

" What do you want?" Sakura demanded angrily as she looked at him.

" This guy over here. Who the hell is he?" Naruto asked as he pointed at Gaara.

" It's Gaara," Aceso answered. " Gaara of the Desert."

" Are you sure?" Naruto asked.

" She's correct," the dog, Pakkun spoke. " His outward appearance may be different, but he's the one you know as Gaara." Naruto gasped.

" Hey, little girl, Aceso," Pakkun called.

" Hm?" they asked.

" I guess now would be the time to tell you I'm not the fighting type," Pakkun revealed, Aceso shakingly took out her ointment

" I can see that by looking at you!" Sakura snapped.

" It's going to be alright Sasuke," Aceso assured as she put some ointment on his forehead, blood seeped through her wrappings, dripping onto his clothing.

" What do you want?" Gaara demanded.

" Sasuke!" Sakura gasped as he struggled to sit up. He grabbed the back of the shoulder, yelped in pain, and started to go back.

" Hold it together," Aceso said as she got behind his head, holding it in her lap.

" Can you just do your job?" Sakura asked.

" Back off Sakura," Naruto ordered. " I'm guessing he's the one that caused you, harm little sister." Naruto was clearly not happy.

" So it's you," Gaara said to Naruto. He gasped. " You're the other one I didn't kill that day."

" Guys, get up!" Naruto yelled as he looked at them. " We have to go now! " Gaara then charged at Sasuke.

" Die! Sasuke Uchiha!" Gaara yelled as he swung his demon arm, ready to attack, Aceso had just gotten to her hands to start glowing to heal Sasuke, she looked up to see Sakura was standing in front of them, knife in her hands, Gaara stopped.

" Sakura! No!" Aceso cried out.

" Move it!" Gaara yelled as he used his arm and put Sakura up against a tree. She let out a groan. " Ugh!" Gaara groaned as he grabbed his head with his free hand. Naruto jumped and grabbed Sasuke and took off.

" Sakura!" He shouted as he landed on a tree, he then looked to see that he forget to grab Aceso. " Damn it! Damn it!" Aceso turned her head and looked up at Gaara. " What are we supposed to do now? We're screwed!

" Let her go, Gaara," Aceso requested, he looked down at her, his eyes shaking.

" Why can't I--" Gaara began, he was trying to squeeze the life out of Sakura. After groaning for a bit, he removed his hand and looked at Naruto. " What's the matter? Aren't you about to make a run for it?"

" Sasuke," Sakura breathed.

" Huh?" Aceso asked as she looked at the girl. " Naruto...Aceso."

" Who are these three?" Gaara asked, he then looked down at Aceso, he glanced at Naruto as well. " Who are they to you?

"Who are they to me?" Naruto asked as he stood up. " They're my friends! My sister! Is who they are!" He grew angry. " You try laying so much another finger on the three of them, and I will pulverize you," Gaara growled and he began to crush Sakura more, she cried out. His tail swung, Aceso's eyes glowed, and she held out on hand, barely stopping it. She put her other hand on her wound.

" What's the matter?" Gaara asked. " Weren't you going to pulverize me? Well, come on then."

" Damn it!" Naruto cried as he leaped forward. Gaara swung his tail back and whacked Naruto back. " This guy." His tail laid to the side, and Aceso put her hand down. Naruto looked at Sakura, at Sasuke, then back at Gaara and Aceso, he could see that his sister was in no condition to fight. " Gotta save my friends and my sister. It's all up to me." Gaara shoved his foot onto Aceso, shoving her on her back, and pressed down, he was laughing. " And that's exactly why you can't win." Naruto gasped. " As long as you fight for the sake of others, you'll never advance beyond this level. Only one can remain undefeated, and only he will feel what it's like to truly exist. Forget your friends and your sister and fight for yourself."

" You're insane," Naruto growled as his hands balled up into fists. " Forget my friends? Forget my sister?"

" The trivial feelings like family, friendship, and loyalty cold your focus, and you'll die," Gaara said as Aceso moved her hand out.

" Yeah, yeah, keep talking while you can, 'cause I'm about to shut you up once and for all," Naruto insisted before jumping up, towards them.

" You don't understand what real strength is," Gaara smiled.

" I'm taking you down!" Naruto exclaimed as he flipped, ready to stab Gaara. He got ready to attack and Aceso put her hand on his leg. He looked down, and he saw that her hand was covered in blood, smearing his leg.

Then a memory of her in the field gathering herbs came into his head, along with Yashamaru, Sakura, and a few other things.

He grabbed his head and started to groan, he then swung his tail and smacked Naruto back, and pressed down harder on Aceso.

" No," Aceso cried out softly as Gaara leaned over groaning in pain more. His sweat was dripping onto her, as her blood was painting the bottom of his shoe.

" What's the matter?" Gaara demanded as he looked up at Naruto. " Why don't you attack? Don't you care what happens to your precious friends and sister?

" Huh? Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed as Gaara crushed her more. " Let them go!"

" Huh?" Aceso asked Naruto did a hand sign. He then bit his thumb and put it on the branch.

" Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto shouted. Smoke puffed out and when did down, there was a small orange toad with a jacket.

" What is it? What do you want, kid?" the toad asked. " Well, whatever it is, I hope you brought along some treats. If you think I'm doing anything for nothing, you're wrong!"

" Oh, give me a break!" Naruto yelled at it, and Aceso smiled lightly. " I'm really starting to hate you stinking frogs!"

" Oh, ho-ho. Anti-amphibian, huh?" the frog asked. " Well, take that, you big bigot. Pft." He stuck his tongue. Aceso giggled a little.

" What are you laughing about?" Gaara asked as he leaned down to her.

" Nothing," Aceso answered as stopped, now was definitely not a time to be laughing. "You've had every opportunity to kill me, why haven't you?" Gaara seemed lost for words as he stared at her. 

" Listen, I don't have time to play games, you slimy little squirt," Naruto said as he looked over at them.

" Worried about the others?" Gaara asked as he looked up. " That's your big mistake." He looked back up at Naruto, he was more transformed. " When I fight, I fight for me and me alone." His whole body was being transformed, he removed his foot, and put his hand down, one of the claws when right back into the wound.

" Ahhh!" Aceso squealed, she closed her eyes as he detached his arm from Sakura, leaving a bit behind, sticking her to the tree.

" Only by attacking and defeating me can you free her," Gaara said as he transformed more. " And you should hurry. With each passing second, the sand will harden." She opened her eyes to see Gaara was no longer looking like himself. " Until it crushes her to death." He crossed his arms. " Sand Shuriken!" Sand bolted out, Naruto grabbed the frog and jumped out of the way. He hit a couple of branches before landing on one, Aceso lifted her head a little to see he had removed his hand from her, her bandages were completely useless.

" Wow, boy are you pathetic," the frog said.

" Shut up," Naruto hissed.

" So, huh, who the heck is this freak anyway?" the frog asked. Aceso used her hands and shakingly sat up, she then looked back at Naruto, and he looked at her.

" What's the matter?" Gaara asked. " Are you afraid of me? Or are you still thinking of the best way to save your friends and sister? Fool, forget them. " He put his hands in front of Aceso, covering her from Naruto's sight. " Think only of yourself. Love only yourself. This is what it means to be the strongest." He put out a hand toward Naruto. " What's wrong? You were so bold and cocky before. Show me your strength. Let me grind it into dust before your eyes. Attack, you coward." He put his claws on the side of Aceso's head, not grabbing it just yet. One of the claws was grazing her forehead." Fight me or I'll kill your sister right now."

" It's okay Naruto," Aceso assured him. " Whatever happens, I'm glad we got to be family, and I love you as my brother."

" Hang in a little longer, I just adopted you as my sister, I am not about to lose you," Naruto told her.

" Gaara," Aceso said as she looked up at him, he looked down at her. " I know it wasn't real, but I did like having you as a friend. It made the world seem a little kinder." Gaara's claw closed in a little, the points were right at the edge and grazed the surface of her skin without cutting it.

" Okay, you asked for it!" Naruto shouted as he jumped up, and put his hands in a sign. " Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Multiple Naruto's popped out.

" Wind Style," Gaara said he leaned back, multiple mouths opened. " Sand Storm Devastation!" He sucked in air and breathed out loads of sand. The clones started to disappear, Aceso closed her eyes, not wanting sand to get into them. " I think I'll toy with you a while." Naruto was on a branch shaking. " I'll watch you abandon your friends and sister and beg for mercy before you die. " He shot more sand shuriken, with both arms they cut the trees and threw Naruto back into another tree. Aceso took off her other leg wrapping and began to wrap it around her waist, it was going to be pointless, but she needed to slow down the bleeding or get it to stop.

" Naruto," Aceso breathed as she opened her eyes, she moved her head to look at him.

" What...what the?" Naruto grunted.

" And again!" Gaara chuckled before shooting more at him. Naruto was thrown far back, crashing through branches and into another tree.

" What---what's this feeling?" Naruto asked as he tried to get back on his feet.

" Sand Shuriken!" Gaara shouted as he shot more at Naruto, he was thrown off that branch and onto a lower one and behind them.

" What's this?" Naruto asked as he started to sit up. " This strange feeling getting stronger?"

" He--What's he doing?" Temari asked.

" Flowing through me as if I was on fire!" Naruto exclaimed softly, he then stood up.

" Weakling," Gaara smiled. He has every opportunity to kill her, one swipe and she's dead. He hasn't done it yet, is he saving a good opportunity or has he forgotten about her? Or- No, not possible. " What is this? You come at me and that's all you've got? All that effort and you couldn't even touch me. What a joke!"

" I really don't how much damage I can do," Naruto admitted. " But it doesn't matter. I just have to give it my best shot."