Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [2]

☾ 68 ☽

Tsukiko looked up at the Ten-Tails as its mouth began to extend wider and wider as its disgusting tongue spread out. She tensed up when she realised that the Ten-Tails was charging up yet another Tailed Beast Bomb yet she felt too exhausted to jump up immediately and do something about it. She knew that she couldn't just leave it up to others to deal with this.

"It's transforming again!" Omoi acknowledged.

"No, it's only reverting to its original form," Gyuki told them through Killer Bee. "That was only its attack form. However, ... it's just one stage away from its final transformation,"

"Damn it..." Tsukiko muttered.

"Tsukiko and Naruto are still recovering," Gyuki continued to Killer Bee. "And Reibi and Kyuubi are infusing Chakra right now. Right now, it's up to us, Bee!"

"Right," Killer Bee exclaimed. "We'll show everyone the way!"

"Listen to me, Bee..." Gyuki said urgently. "If we let it undergo its final transformation, we've lost. We must stop it now!"

"It's getting bigger and bigger," Shikamaru said, his eyes stuck on the gigantic Beast Bomb.

"I-Is it after Naruto and Tsukiko?" Chouji stammered.

"We can't waver after coming this far!" Sakura spoke up suddenly. "Tsukiko and Naruto are putting everything into doing what has to be done. Their words just now made it clear!"

"Yeah," agreed one of the Shinobi. "They've been going out of his way even to protect shinobi like us..."

"That's not what I was talking about!" Sakura exclaimed. "They've told us that they consider all of us their comrades from the bottom of their hearts," It dawned upon the Shinobi. "I'll fully heal Tsukiko and Naruto! We have to do what we have to do! If we're going to die anyway, we might as well go down... fighting to the best of our abilities!"

"Ino!" Shikamaru called out. "I want you to link me with someone!"

"You've got a plan, haven't you?" Ino asked excitedly.

"I knew you would come through, Shikamaru!" Chouji agreed.

Tsukiko pushed herself to her feet when she felt like she had taken enough healing and concentrated on her Chakra, working with Usajii to help him gather up Chakra. She was trying her best to gather some of that Natural Energy around her as well.

"Hey, Tsukiko," came through Shikamaru's voice in her head. "I might need your help a little if you can spare any – if you can't, that'll be fine –"

"Tell me what's your plan," Tsukiko responded. "I can spare some if it helps us survive,"

"Alright, I'm going to have the everyone use Kitsuchi-San's Earth Barrier," Shikamaru told her. "That'll slow it down, and I'll have Bee-Sama use his Beast Balls to change its trajectory upward. And there, I want you to surround it with that strong Crystal sphere of yours to possibly contain it,"

"You've got it," Tsukiko replied. "I'll do it,"

"Thanks, Tsukiko," Shikamaru said before turning to Ino. "Ino... next, I want you to link me with every Shinobi here on the battlefield. Can you do it?"

"Doesn't matter, I will do it!" Ino responded, concentrating.

Everyone quickly readied themselves but as soon as the Ten-Tails had released the Tailed Beast Bomb, Tsukiko knew that everything had gone awry. The Beast Ball smashed through the walls without slowing down and Tsukiko had to rush forward as not even Gyuki's Bombs got to halt, slow or even send it upward. There was only one thing left –