Naruto Secret of Slime

mandalorianjedi · Jul 7, 2009

Mercsenary said:

If he has a hot mom or sister that would be willing to keep me company while I was imprisoned that would more than enough incentive for me to stay.

He wouldn't need the laser turrets, the crocodile filled moat, the bear traps, the hallway that if one steps on the wrong tile flames shoot out the walls, the floor that opens up to a bed of spikes, etc.

WarmasterCain55 · Jul 7, 2009

How about Naruto meets the remnants of his mother? She died normally right and due to her grief about her husband or whatever he is and her child and is floating around trying to find them. I don't think she knows about her husband's situation and what he did.

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 7, 2009

mandalorianjedi said:

Mercsenary said:

If he has a hot mom or sister that would be willing to keep me company while I was imprisoned that would more than enough incentive for me to stay.

He wouldn't need the laser turrets, the crocodile filled moat, the bear traps, the hallway that if one steps on the wrong tile flames shoot out the walls, the floor that opens up to a bed of spikes, etc.

Sorry my man, no such luck. How can I be an effective kidnapper if I am a poor host? That's my dilemma.

mandalorianjedi · Jul 7, 2009

Gaara of the Desert said:

It's something to think on, but we've only just begun the "Suna Arc". It could be an excellent peice of character development for Naruto later on down the line, but not something we're ready to do just this yet.

How about any hot girls you just happen to be friends with? Or perhaps an ex-girlfriend?

The lava pit is just a bit much, as is the hallway with the large swinging axes.

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 8, 2009

mandalorianjedi said:

All my ex-girlfriends are crazy. Where do you think I got the lava pit?

mandalorianjedi · Jul 8, 2009

Andrew Joshua Talon said:

Fixed for accuracy. B)

Hey, a little bit of crazy isn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides, they'd have to be crazy to have dated you.

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 8, 2009

mandalorianjedi said:

Andrew Joshua Talon said:

Fixed for accuracy. B)

Hey, a little bit of crazy isn't necessarily a bad thing. Besides, they'd have to be crazy to have dated you.

You're a laugh a minute. How's the next snippet coming, Wise Guy?

mandalorianjedi · Jul 8, 2009

Andrew Joshua Talon said:

It'll be a few hours yet since I'm at work right now, but I have an idea of how I'm going to tie the two branches of the story we have going back together.

I'll definitely use some of what we talked about yesterday- though how much depends on how long I make the snippet.

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 8, 2009

mandalorianjedi said:

Andrew Joshua Talon said:

It'll be a few hours yet since I'm at work right now, but I have an idea of how I'm going to tie the two branches of the story we have going back together.

I'll definitely use some of what we talked about yesterday- though how much depends on how long I make the snippet.

Fair enough.

mandalorianjedi · Jul 10, 2009

Sasuke was irritated.

No, Sasuke was annoyed and growing more and more so by the minute.

This Sasuke understood, as Sasuke was genuinely annoyed and/or irritated all the time.

What he did not understand was exactly why he was annoyed. Something about this Kankuro person didn't sit right with Sasuke. He wasn't sure if it was the make-up, the way Kankuro tried to ignore his presence, or the way he had his arm slung around Sakura's shoulders as she hung on his every word.

Wait.

Where did that come from?

If there was anything Sasuke was sure of, it was the fact that he didn't like Sakura. Okay, so that wasn't completely true. Sure she was a little weird and had that obnoxious crush on him, but she was a dependable teammate and much more level headed than his other fangirls. There were even times where he wouldn't even classify her as a fangirl, but merely as a female admirer.

Either way, she most definitely wasn't useless. So, generally, Sasuke didn't really mind Sakura. However, of one thing he was certain, he didn't like-like Sakura. That didn't mean he couldn't look out for her and make sure this Kankuro character didn't take advantage of her.

There was something suspicious about him. Kakashi had obviously sensed it too, because he had signaled to him to watch Sakura- to keep an eye on Kankuro, so Sasuke was just following the orders of a superior Shinobi.

Yes, that's right, just following orders. He most definitely wasn't jealous.

Not a chance in hell.

---

Kankuro could barely contain his smirk.

So far his mission was going smoothly. The girl had been easier to charm than anyone could have expected. Not that she wasn't pretty and she most certainly wasn't unintelligent- hell, she even took a genuine interest in his art, asking him a few inquisitive questions now and again.

The fact that he got to annoy some stuck-up Konoha Genin in the process was icing on the cake.

As he predicted, the steam generators had caught her interest. Much like himself, she too found engineering to be more than a passing interest, though it surprised even him the depth of her knowledge. It was obvious the dark haired boy didn't share their common interest because he was constantly either looking completely bored and/or confused by the conversation or he was glaring at the prospective puppet master.

After leaving the immediate vicinity, Kankuro had taken them back towards the Kazekage Tower and had shown them Sungakure's monument to their own Kage's. While they weren't as grandoise as Konoha's Hokage Mountain, the Statues of the Kazekages were still quite imposing. Kankuro took some time to briefly tell the Konoha Genin about some of their major accomplishments and brag about the village's major achievements.

Sakura seemed to be engrossed in his tales. Apparently, she loved learning for the sake of learning and was taking the time to play the part of a tourist in a new place. Something he could easily identify with as he had wanted to do that on several missions that took him outside of Suna's protective walls- especially ones outside of the deserts of Wind Country, but never could bring himself to do.

Once more the Uchiha heir looked like he'd rather be elsewhere, however the glint in his eyes easily told Kankuro that he wasn't going anywhere without his pinkette teammate.

Inwardly, this only made Kankuro smirk as he then, after putting his arm around Sakura, lead them through some of the mainstream areas of Suna, moving away from the Shinobi districts and into the civilian sectors- more specifically the more romantic parts of the hidden village.

"Over there is Moritake's. It's a high end restaurant that isn't too expensive," said Kankuro as they passed a charming, dimly lit restaurant. "It has the best view of the village at night as you can see almost all of Sunagakure when it's lit up before everything begins to close down for the evening."

"Oh, wow..." said Sakura as she looked down from the tall hill they were on. It was just before sundown and the different colors of the sunset were painting them across the sky. "I can imagine it's breathtaking. You know, you never get to see a sunset like this in Konoha."

"Just beautiful, huh?" said Kankuro squeezing Sakura's shoulders a bit.

"Yeah..." she said breathlessly, before looking towards Kankuro, and realizing he was looking at her and not the sunset. Sakura couldn't contain her blush or the giggle that shortly followed.

Sasuke merely grunted in annoyance. "We're wasting time here."

And the moment was effectively killed, and much to Sasuke's surprise Sakura threw him an annoyed look she usually reserved for Naruto after he and Slimer came back from one of their more destructive rampages of either a prank gone wrong or far too well.

All in all, this was an enjoyable mission and he hadn't even gotten to the part where he could learn of secrets so advanced that they could potentially take down demons like his brother.

Perhaps he could even finish his special project, the one he had been working on for some time to subdue his brother, but was still too flawed to utilize.

In anycase, the tour had gone smoothly as they made their way towards the Merchant Quarter, namely the Sunagakure Baazar where all the mainstream local and traveling merchants sold their wares and exchanged their trade goods.

It was also where the machine, "Ecto-1" as Sakura called it, was currently resting at.

Mission aside, it truly did interest Kankuro. He watched as Sakura opened the back of it and pulled out a rack with four slots, two were already filled with strange looking packs- both similar, but not the same from the one Sakura herself was wearing.

For one, hers was slightly smaller and more compact. Another thing he noticed was the fact that her pack had more attachments and doors on it. He wondered what those were for as while the device was on her back, they would be impossible to use. He also noticed the extra buttons on the wand part of the proton pack. Possibly different mode of operation was his guess, but he wasn't sure.

Her pack seemed to be a completely different model than the ones already in the white horseless carriage.

He helped her take off the pack on her back and was quite surprised to find that it was quite heavy- much heavier than what he would expect a girl of her size and build to be able to carry.

His surprise must of shown on his face because she responded with a grin, "You shouldn't underestimate someone because they're a girl, some of us might be stronger than you think."

---

Sasuke was pretty shocked, though he hid it well. He had spent the entire afternoon and evening trailing after those two, listening to a bunch of technical stuff he couldn't begin to comprehend, and to this Kankuro guy bragging about his village, not to mention the way he kept flirting with Sakura. The guy was completely transparent, and now Sakura was flirting back!

Sasuke decided to nip this in the bud then and there.

"Team 7 is one of the elite Genin squads in Konoha," he said emotionlessly, however Kankuro could detect a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Sakura wouldn't have been assigned to our team if she wasn't anything less than one of the most capable kunoichi of our class."

Sakura was looking at Sasuke with wide-eyes, every now and then he'd paid her and Naruto a compliment while on a mission- however that was rare. Whenever he talked about the skill level of anyone- be it someone on the team or an opponent, it was always said with some disdain, as if he was superior and their abilities didn't matter.

It was this reason why Naruto and Slimer would sometimes go out of their way to antagonize Sasuke.

To hear Sasuke talk so complimentary about her skills (well anyone's skills) was practically unheard of.

"I... Thanks... Sasuke-kun," said Sakura with a small wistful smile.

She was so focused on Sasuke, she didn't notice Kankuro's frown.

Sasuke, however, didn't react, though inwardly he was giving Kankuro a patented Uchiha victory smirk, the one he practiced in the mirror everyday and usually reserved for Naruto if only to piss the blonde genin off.

"It's the simple truth," he replied, downplaying the compliment he gave her. It wouldn't do for her to think he was interested in her, he was just trying to protect her from Kankuro. "No more, no less."

---

Sakura didn't believe him, but she accepted the reply all the same. She wasn't all too sure what was going on, but she was sure it involved her somehow.

Sasuke-kun seemed to be more irritated than usual, which was strange because neither Naruto nor Slimer were there to antogonize him and she'd barely even said a word to him since they left the inn. In fact, she was pretty sure she hadn't asked him for even a single date since they'd left through the west gate of Konoha in Ecto-1.

Maybe he was just tired.

On the other hand, Kankuro-kun was nearly the complete opposite of his father. He was a complete gentleman and took the time to answer her questions. It was surprising how much of the same things interested them both.

There was also the fact that despite the "warpaint", he was quite handsome. Then there was his eyes, so identical to the Kazekage's own, yet they lacked the cruelty and cold indifference that his father's contained. Within them she sense a spark of something else... Curiosity? Mischieviousness? Passion?

The way he looked at her made her shiver... In a good way.

She wasn't sure what she saw when she looked into his eyes, but she looked forward to getting to know him to find out. She looked forward to figuring out his little nuances that made him, him, much like she had by hanging out with Naruto all these and years and just by observing Sasuke for just as long.

After all, he was the first boy, other than Naruto, to show any sort of interest in her. Not only that, but he was genuinely interested in her questions and what she had to say!

Not even Naruto could hold a conversation about mechanical engineering, quantum physics or most anything else Sakura enjoyed talking about without becoming bored and feigning interest. Kankuro-kun, on the other hand, seemed to be every bit as interested in engineering as she was- if their conversation at the Sunagakure Steam Generators was anything to go by.

She just knew he would just love Ecto-1! It was, what she considered, her greatest achievement to date.

After all, not much had to be done to the proton packs at all- though she was working on reverse engineering them, just a little fine tuning here and there and presto! they were operational again.

The traps, she had to reluctantly admit, had been more Naruto than herself. She might have done most of the theoretical leg work and the calculations, but the large majority of the sealwork to get those to do what they were supposed to were all Naruto. He was just that much more talented in that area than she was.

The PKE meters and the Spectro-visors (or as Naruto referred to them, "ecto-goggles", honestly!) were very much the same. They were already operational, but also required some tweaking and sealwork to both keep them powered up and operational and sturdier for ninja life.

Ecto-1 was something she had been working on alone, figuring out how to get it to fire up, keeping it running and pretty much overhauling it until it was actually functioning much better than Stantz had ever managed to get it. Of course it was still simply an automobile, albiet the ONLY automobile in the entire Elemental Countries, but still JUST an automobile.

She hadn't managed to get any of the special features like the Super Slammer or the mounted Meson Collider up and running just yet, but you have to take what life gives you.

Ecto-1 was Sakura's crown jewel and she had been waiting to be able to show it off to someone OTHER than Naruto. After all, while Naruto was geniunely interested in the archiac machine, he was more concerned with the actual operation of the vehicle than the innerworkings of it.

"So... You were going to show me how this thing works..." said Kankuro, pulling Sakura from her musings.

Sakura's eyes lit up. "Oh, of course!"

She then practically skipped to the front driver side door and opened it up. She then reached underneath somewhere, where neither Sasuke nor Kankuro could see, and seemed to pull on something.

Suddenly a popping sound could be heard and the front cracked open. Sakura then climbed out of the car and walked around to the front, opening the hatch like door.

Just as she was about to tell Kankuro all about Ecto-1, a loud roar could be heard echoing through out Suna.

"Wh-what was that!?" asked Sakura.

---

Kankuro paled.

He knew that roar, having been around it enough. It was Shuukaku, Gaara's demon, the scourge of the sand.

But why was it out?

No matter how crazed Gaara had become, no matter how deranged and murderous he was feeling, he NEVER let out Shuukaku while in Suna's protective walls.

What the hell was going on?

"Sh-shuukaku..." he stuttered.

"Shuukaku?" asked Sasuke.

"It's the proper name for the Ichibi no Tanuki," explained Sakura thinking fast. "It's the bijuu contained... Within... Gaar... Ah... NARUTO!"

The prospective puppetmaster looked at Sakura strangely.

"Kuso!" she cursed, "Kakashi-sensei said he'd find him! Kankuro-kun, where is your brother?"

"Are you nuts! Gaara is dangerous enough when he's normal!" Kankuro exclaimed, "Going after him while Shuukaku is in control is not only crazy, but down right suicidal!"

"Please!" Sakura pleaded, "We need to help Naruto!"

Kankuro cursed himself mentally, just knowing he was going to regret this. "Okay... I'll help you..."

"Thank you!" shouted Sakura as she lunged at Kankuro, glomping him in a tight hug. "Everyone hop in!" she shouted as she got into the driverside of the car.

"No."

The silence a single word caused was astonishing.

---

"You fool! Look what you've done!" shouted Temari.

While she had been rather impressed that he had fought Gaara with only a strange weapon, his green blob and no demon, AND was winning, she was now infuriated with him at wits end because he managed to make things worse by putting Gaara to sleep, releasing Gaara's demon.

"How the hell was I supposed to know that would happen!?" Naruto shouted back, pointing at Gaara who was rapidly becoming a building sized Tanuki made of sand.

"Didn't you pay attention at all to the brief my father gave you!?" exclaimed Temari, "Gaara's seal is so weak he doesn't sleep at all because the demon will take control of his body and try to devour his soul!"

"Sorry, princess, but I didn't wait around for him to insult me more after he asked us to kill his own son for being what HE made him!" Naruto snapped.

"Urgh!" Temari growled in frustration.

"Incoming!" Naruto shouted as he grabbed Temari, throwing her to the ground and holding her as if to shield her. She looked over his shoulder and saw a massive clawed hand of sand coming towards them.

'We'll be crushed!' thought Temari as she slammed her eyes shut.

"You two really need to focus," said a voice. Temari opened her eyes and saw that while she was still in Naruto's arms, they were on the next roof. Standing over them with a hand on Naruto's shoulder was Sharingan Kakashi, with his hitai-ite pulled up revealing the legendary doujutsu that had been implanted into him several years prior. "Any ideas, Naruto?"

"Not really, that's more Sakura's thing," replied Naruto releasing Temari, and standing up. "I'm just gonna wing it for now. This thing's too big for a typical proton stream, I'm gonna have to use the Meson Collider..."

Naruto pulled the neutrino wand from the proton pack and flipped a switch on it causing the wand and pack to begin to shift and change. He then turned his head towards Temari, "Wish me luck!" Naruto then winked and jumped off the side of the building.

"Wait!" shouted Temari as she lunged forward as if to stop Naruto. She then angrily turned to Kakashi, "Is he insane!?"

"No... He's Uzumaki Naruto," explained Kakashi, "Konohagakure's most surprising, hyperactive, unpredictable, knuckleheaded ninja... Which pretty much amounts to the same thing."

Temari sweatdropped in response.

---

There was just no way in hell he was getting in THAT thing again. He'd rather watch his family being slaughtered all over again.

"What?" demanded Sakura.

"I am not getting in that... That... Thing!" shouted Sasuke.

"B-but Naruto..." stuttered Sakura.

"Can take care of himself until we arrive, the normal way," Sasuke said sternly, crossing his arms.

What happened next, shocked Sasuke as it was another first for the second time in two days. Sakura glared, and not just glared, glared at him!

"Just get in the damn car, Sasuke!"

Okay, so that was a third and fourth first in a day, as it was the first time he could remember in a long time where she didn't use an honorific suffix with his name and the fact that she practically demanded he get in that demon machine.

"We don't need a scared weakling like him anyway," challenged Kankuro.

Before Sakura could respond in anyway, Sasuke grit out a response that sounded like it pained him to say it.

"Fine." Sasuke then smirked at Kankuro, "But you ride in the front."

dogbertcarroll · Jul 10, 2009

Nice work. I can see Kankuro actually enjoying the ride and loving the speed.

blackkyuubi · Jul 10, 2009

dogbertcarroll said:

That or shiting his pants.

mandalorianjedi · Jul 11, 2009

blackkyuubi said:

Well, I've seen the beginning of what AJT has planned for the next snippet, and I have to say, it's going to be a definite hit once he gets everything fleshed out.

I guarantee it.

M2J gives it :yay: :yay:

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 12, 2009

- - - - - - - -

The Meson Collider was the most recent upgrade to the proton packs that Sakura and Naruto had managed to get functioning again, perfect for penetrating through solid matter. It had been devised in order to combat zombies and other non-ghost creatures.

Right now though... All it seemed to be doing to Shukaku was making him angry.

"GYYYAAARRGGGHHHH! YOU! YOUUU! STINGING BEE! I WANT TO KILL THE BEE! KILL HIMMMM!" The giant demon brought a massive claw down upon a rooftop, Naruto barely managing to leap out of the way. Slimer yelped and clung to the back of Naruto's proton pack, whimpering and trying to hide behind his friend.

"GYAH!" Naruto landed in a roll, snapping back up to his feet and forming a handseal. Slimer whimpered, and popped back into shape.

"TAJU KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

A massive cloud of smoke followed the large number of poofs, and the surrounding rooftops were covered in blondes.

"GET THE CIVILIANS OUT OF HERE!" The real Naruto bellowed, firing repeatedly at Shukkaku's nose. The tanuki howled in pain, before slashing at Naruto again.

"WATCH OUT!"

BOOM... The building beneath Naruto collapsed into debris. Dozens of confused and fightened people appeared in place of several Naruto clones. Other clones picked them up and ran for it, the rest of the massive crowd leaping around and trying to attract Shukaku's attention.

Naturally, it was the real Naruto that earned his exclusive focus. He took a deep breath, and Naruto gulped.

"Uh oh... This doesn't look good..."

"Waaahhh! Waaahhh!" Slimer cried.

"BOOOF!" Shukaku bellowed, blasting another building to rubble. More clones sacrificed themselves to replace civilians.

"I was right," Naruto muttered. He held up the thrower and fired another blast of projectiles into Shukkaku's face, and leaped to another firing point as he bellowed in rage.

He saw Temari nearby and shouted at her. "TEMARI! HEY! ANY SUGGESTIONS?!"

She ducked behind a wall as Shukkaku roared again. Naruto sighed and sent another volley of Meson blasts at the monster's eyes, before running over and ducking behind the same cover.

"Hey! Suggestions please? How do you calm him down usually?"

"You don't understand! That's not Gaara right now, that's Shukkaku! The demon himself! He can't be reasoned with, he can't be bargained with, he's an insane monster out for blood and death and destruction!" Temari screeched.

"... Oh," Naruto said. "Well, that makes things a little more difficult." He set the Meson Collider to full power and jumped back up to his feet. "So, what kind of restaurant would you like to go to?"

"Wh-What?!" Temari stared in total and complete disbelief at the blonde Ghostbuster. Naruto grinned back.

"Well, I've gotta know what you like... Suna cuisine, maybe Nami? I'm partial to Tsuchi cooking myself..."

"You... You are totally insane!" Temari shouted. Naruto looked back at Shukaku, grinned, and looked at Temari with a wink.

"Nah, I just like to know my date's tastes beforehand. It's only polite. So, what'll it be?"

As Shukkaku loomed, Temari just shook her head and slapped a palm to her face in exasperation and disbelief.

"If we manage to survive, I don't care what we eat! There, happy?!"

"Very. If you'll excuse me!" He leaped back into battle, attacking Shukkaku with renewed enthusiasm. Temari looked up, somehow expecting Kakashi to be standing there. He merely shrugged.

"The rest of our team is on the way. It'll be the safest place to be... Comparitively speaking."

Temari managed a nod, and followed the Jounin as he leaped off the roof edge. She looked over her shoulder, eyes firmly on the crazy genin, combatting the massive form of the sand demon with a broad grin.

It figures only an insane man would show that much interest in me, she thought ruefully.

- - - - - - - -

Kankuro had definitely been looking forward to seeing the "Ecto-1" in action. A horseless carriage that, to his chakra senses, apparently had an enormous amount of sealwork and energy running through it? Ninjutsu combined with technology was the center of ninja puppetry. Learning how it worked would be a joy, especially given it's lovely engineer.

However... Actually riding with Sakura as she drove the "car" was definitely not what he anticipated.

"GYYYAAAAHHHH!!!"

UWEAAH! UWEAAH! UWEAAH! The siren of the Ecto-1 wailed as the car barreled through the streets of Sunagakure towards the growing form of Shukaku. Civilians and ninjas alike were barely able to get out of the way of the vehicle, even with the warning the sirens gave them.

"C-Can we slow down a little?!" He managed, tightly gripping the dashboard in front of him. His eyes widened as they smashed through a fruit cart. "GAH!"

"No time! We need to find Naruto, fast, before he screws up anymore than he already has!" Sakura called back, throwing the vehicle into a zig-zag to shake off the fruit and employing the wipers to clear the windshield.

Sasuke sat in the back of the car, seatbelt securely fastened and a slight smirk on his face. How interesting that this irritating ninja's suffering made the ride far more tolerable.

"I thought you were eager to see what this thing could do?" The last Uchiha asked mockingly. Kankuro managed to throw a glare back at Sasuke, which lost most of it's effect when he yelped at a sharp turn.

"Oh, this is bad," Sakura muttered, pulling her ecto-goggles down over her eyes and looking down at her PKE meter. "Very bad..."

"I could've told you that! H-hey, watch where you're going!" Kankuro shouted.

"How bad?" Sasuke asked, now having to work at staying calm. Just enjoy that little weasel's suffering, just enjoy it...

"Remember how I said that a Bijuu runs the range from a Class VIII to a Class IX?" Sakura asked, narrowly avoiding running through a building.

"Yes?" Sasuke managed.

"Well, this is far too strong for what the One Tail should be," Sakura explained. "A low Class VIII is what it should be, but it's pushing into the upper ranges of it's class, maybe all the way up to Class IX."

Sasuke blinked. He'd been trying to understand the mechanics of Ghostbusting (given it seemed likely Team 7 was going to get a lot of missions like that), but much of what Sakura and even Naruto said escaped him. Everything Slimer said escaped him, of course, but for different reasons.

"Uh... Why?"

"Don't know," Sakura said. "I'm sure we'll find out soon enough-"

"LOOK OUT!" Kankuro screamed. Sakura turned the wheel to the left, barely evading a water fountain.

"It'll probably take everything we've got, and then some," she idly commented. She squeezed between two carts, Ecto-1 powering through. "Fortunately... I have a plan."

Sasuke sighed. This won't end well...

It was at this moment Kakashi and Temari landed in the road ahead, and Kankuro grabbed Sakura's shoulder in response.

"Stop! STOP!"

Sakura slammed on the brakes, and Ecto-1 came to a screeching halt. Shakily, Kankuro let go of Sakura and gripped the dashboard, as though unsure if they had actually come to a halt.

"Naruto's fighting Shukkaku," Kakashi said as Sakura rolled down the window.

"I figured," Sakura sighed. "Okay, hop in and gear up. We're going to get in close, and hit Shakkaku as close as we dare."

"And then?" Kakashi asked, slipping into the expansive back seat of the car with Temari. Sakura shrugged.

"I'm still working on it..."

"Ah, good! Everything is as it should be," Kakashi said cheerfully, leading Kankuro and Temari to stare at him. Sasuke shook his head.

"Drive," he said, and Sakura set off once more towards the growing form of Shukkaku.

- - - - - - - - - -

Uweah... UWEAAHH... UWEAAAHH...

Naruto turned and grinned at that familiar sound. He fired another volley of Meson blasts at Shukaku's eyes, making the demon howl in rage, before he leaped down to land on the hood of Ecto-1, which had just pulled up behind the building he was currently fighting from.

"Hey Sakura! Sasuke! Temari! Kakashi! ... Whoever you are!" Naruto greeted them cheerfully. "How's it going?"

Sakura got out of the car and immediately whacked her partner over the head. "IDIOT! What the hell did you do?!"

"Um, you know that ring you made to put people to sleep? Apparently it's not good to put it on the heads of Shukaku containers..."

"Don't you listen to anything I say?!" Sakura screeched.

"Ahem," Sasuke said. He pointed up at Shukaku, who was bearing down on them. Sakura coughed.

"Oh yes... Quickly! Boson Darts, target it's head!"

"Boson Darts?" Kakashi asked, as he and Sasuke got out with their proton packs on. Temari and Kankuro shakily got out, looking... Well, very much like anyone who drove with Sakura looked like afterwards.

"The red button next to your trigger! Press it when the stream is engaged!" Sakura commanded. Naruto switched over to the standard particle stream, and stood in a line with the rest of Team 7. Sakura charged up her own proton pack with it's powerful, reassuring ring, and took aim.

"Ready, aim, FIRE!"

Four particle beams lashed out, whipping wildly in the air until they impacted the head of the sand construct. Then, four large orbs of energy travelled up the beams, like eggs travelling the length of a snake. They impacted Shukaku's head as one, blasting the sand tanuki's face apart, exposing a solid-looking black orb. Sakura held up her PKE meter, scanning it.

"Yep... He's in there all right," Sakura said. "The demon formed a shell out of flocculated ectoplasm. It's lifeforce is still bound to Gaara-If he dies, it dies."

Shukaku's great bulk stumbled, but the sand began to reform.

"So, what do we do?" Kakashi asked. Sakura frowned, and rummaged through her pockets. She produced a small scroll, which she unsealed with a drop of her blood. A strange device the size of a dinner plate with complex seals all over it emerged.

"This is an anti-bijuu sealing mechanism I've been working on," Sakura explained. "It can disrupt the connection between a jinchurikki and the biju that resides within him or her, sealing the demon deeper and suppressing it further than the seal already does."

"So, we just slap that thing on Gaara, save the day and Temari and I can go on our date," Naruto enthused. "I love it, let's do it!"

"Ah, a few slight details," Sakura said dryly. "The sleeping band has to be off Gaara for the sealing mechanism to work. And the mechanism has to be on Gaara himself in order for it to work. Someone has to get close enough to do both these things."

All eyes turned to Naruto. The blonde stared back.

"Hey, wait a minute... I didn't know it was going to do that!"

"Nevertheless, you did bring about the current situation, Naruto," Kakashi reminded him.

"Yeah, but still... It's Sakura's plan," Naruto said.

"Well, if you think you can't do it," Sasuke said. Naruto scowled at him.

"Oh, you just had to say it! Don't think I can't figure it out, I'm a psychologist after all! You're going to wound my pride in order to motivate me into doing it! Well..." He crossed his arms.

"I was going to do it anyway! I was just acting hesitant to downplay my own obvious heroism! So ha! I saw through your little ploy!" He grabbed the sealing mechanism and turned to face Shukaku. Sasuke shook his head.

"Clearly, you are too smart for my manipulations," the last Uchiha said dryly. Naruto looked back at Slimer, still huddled against his proton pack and whimpering, and then back at Sasuke.

"Why Sasuke! What is that in your boot? Why, if I didn't know any better, I would swear it was a candy-"

"Withdrawn, withdrawn," Sasuke said quickly, as Slimer perked up. Naruto grinned and looked at Temari.

"Five minutes, tops."

"But how will you get up to Gaara?" Kankuro asked with a scoff. A loud POOF and cloud of smoke filled the street, and when it cleared, Sakura was standing over a perculiar contraption. It had two seats, three wheels, and a steering mechanism, which suggested it was a vehicle, but the only means of propulsion Kankuro could see was on top of it-Two wide blades attached to a rotator assembly, and two wings on either side of it below the seats..

He looked at Sakura, eyes widening.

"You... It... It can't be..." He gaped. "A-A flying machine?!"

Sakura blushed, and smiled as she rubbed the back of her head.

"Ah, um, yes..."

"Awesome! Our first test flight, and I get to fly it!" Naruto grinned, hopping into the pilot's seat and pulling on a helmet.

"First test flight?" Temari asked.

"They don't even know if it will work," Sasuke said dryly. Sakura shot an indignant look at Sasuke.

"Of course it will work! I've done all the calculations myself!"

"But it's never actually flown before, has it?" Sasuke pressed.

"That's the best part, Sasuke!" Naruto said with a thumbs up.

"So what do we do while you two go off in your flying machine?" Kakashi asked.

There was silence for a few moments, before Sakura cleared her throat and stepped away from Ecto-2.

"Sasuke, please go with Naruto."

"What?!" Sasuke demanded.

"Somebody's going to have to keep flying her when I jump off," Naruto said.

"Jump off?!" Sasuke asked, voice strangled by disbelief and anger. Kakashi merely smiled.

"I would be happy to accompany you, Naruto. I can scan your movements with the Sharingan, and take over once you jump."

"All right, sounds good, let's move! Shukkaku's nearly fully reformed!" Sakura pointed out. "Sasuke, get up top! Temari, Kankuro, in the car!"

"What are we doing?" Sasuke asked as he nevertheless complied. Naruto started up Ecto-2, the little helicopter's engine sounding loud in the confined street. Sakura started up Ecto-1, and ran the siren at full volume.

"Acting as the distraction! NOW FIRE!" Sakura shouted, as she hit the accelerator and Ecto-1 took off.

UWEAAHHH! UWEAAHHH! UWEAAHHH!

Strange, I'm somewhat calm in the face of all this, Sasuke mused as he stuck himself to the roof of the car, and pointed his neutrona wand up at Shukkaku. Maybe he was finally connecting with his teammates, feeling trust in them.

"Oh! And if you feel like screaming in fear, Sasuke-kun, it's all right-It'll attract more attention!" Sakura shouted up to him over the siren, rushing wind and roar of the reformed sand tanuki. Sasuke stared up at Shukkaku, and shuddered.

Or I'm just becoming as insane as they are, he thought as he fired his proton gun right at Shukkaku's face.

- - - - - - - -

The Kazekage watched the battle from atop his tower, arms crossed over his chest. He scowled out over the village as Shukkaku bellowed and caused wanton destruction.

Granted, the demon had not destroyed anything important, and he supposed sacrifices had to be made, but Konoha was going to owe him big for this.

All the same, the power demonstrated by the Ghostbusters so far was impressive. None of his jutsus could even hope to scratch the fully awakened Shukkaku, and these Ghostbusters' weapons were causing great destruction on the demon. More than that, they were keeping it occupied, meaning he would not have to waste any of his own ninja to engage the demon.

"Kazekage-sama, the ANBU units are scrambling to evacuate the battle area. What are your orders?" Scorpion asked. The Kazekage turned and smirked.

"To watch the show, of course," he said with a dry chuckle. "I believe our demon problems will be over soon... Oh, and see the civilian construction board. I believe the clearance afforded by Shukkaku should be put to better use in the future."

He turned and resumed watching, a smirk on his face.

"One other thing... The Priests of the Shukkaku Shrine insist on being allowed to observe the battle."

The Kazekage's smirk grew. Despite the destruction, this day was just getting better and better.

"If they wish to throw their lives away, by all means... Don't stop them."

mandalorianjedi · Jul 12, 2009

Even better than the original draft!

Next up, Ghostbusters vs Shuukaku... FIGHT!

zeebee1 · Jul 12, 2009

You know, I really hope Naruto doesn't get a bill for all this.

Prince Charon · Jul 12, 2009

zeebee1 said:

By now, they probably have a standard contract, which doesn't allow the dissatisfied customers to bill them for collateral damages. Fine print, a lawyer's best tool.

mandalorianjedi · Jul 12, 2009

Prince Charon said:

They were contracted through Konoha, Konoha would get the bill.

Lawyers and Lawsuits don't exist in the elemental countries, yet, except- perhaps- Konoha.

The Ghostbusters aren't receiving contracts directly yet.

zeebee1 · Jul 12, 2009

Yes, but will Konoha bill them?

perfect_solider · Jul 12, 2009

Law-nins don't exist yet?

mandalorianjedi · Jul 12, 2009

zeebee1 said:

That is a good question, we'll have to see.

What need has there been for them?

WarmasterCain55 · Jul 12, 2009

perfect_solider said:

Something I found.

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 12, 2009

Gaara of the Desert said:

Can't see it.

WarmasterCain55 · Jul 12, 2009

Andrew Joshua Talon said:

Damn it...give me a couple of minutes.

EDIT - Here you go.

Andrew Joshua Talon · Jul 13, 2009

Gaara of the Desert said:

Andrew Joshua Talon said:

Damn it...give me a couple of minutes.

EDIT - Here you go.

Ah. That movie really, really sucked...

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