Vision of Truth I: Cat and Fox (Naruto)

Invasion

"You think you're lost
But you're not lost on your own
You're not alone

I will stand by you
I will help you through
When you've done all you can do
And you can't cope
I will dry your eyes
I will fight your fight
I will hold you tight
And I won't let go"

- "I Won't Let You Go" by Rascal Flatts

***

Chapter 25: Invasion

"Katsumi, you were great!" Naruto exclaimed. He had leapt onto the field to meet me in a hug.

I smiled as I hugged him back. "Thanks. I did my best."

Naruto looked around the stadium. "Now Sasuke needs to get here. Where is he?"

I shrugged. "He is with Kakashi, who is known for being late. I am sure they will show up any second."

Fortunately for Sasuke, the Hokage decided to give him ten minutes to arrive. Naruto and I waited anxiously on the field while Temari returned to her brothers. Finally, just as time ran out, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in a whirlwind of leaves.

"Sorry we're late," Kakashi said. "You wouldn't believe the traffic."

Instead of feeling relieved, something inside me tensed. I noticed Sasuke catch Gaara's eye, and I did not like the look those two gave each other. I swallowed hard. "Come on, Naruto," I said, pulling on his arm. "We're in the way."

I let him go when he started walking with me up the stairs. We paused at the tunnel that led to the waiting area, noticing Gaara walking through. Gaara stopped as two ninja waiting in the tunnel faced him. Who were those guys? One of them raised his arm, holding a kunai. Before he could strike, Gaara's sand burst forward and wrapped around both men. In a second, they were no more.

I felt Naruto shake beside me, and I had to admit my own heart was racing. Gaara emerged from the tunnel and walked past us without even looking at us. It was only then that I heard Naruto breathe. And then he snapped to attention. "Katsumi, we need to talk to Kakashi right now!" he declared.

"W-what?" I said, scrambling into the tunnel after him.

"We've got to stop the match!"

I did not exactly disagree with him, so I remained silent as we wound our way through the audience. I could already hear Sasuke and Gaara fighting but did not dare turn around to look. We stopped before Kakashi, panting and out of breath.

"Sensei, please," Naruto said. "You have to stop this match right away. The guy Sasuke is fighting is completely different than the rest of us. He's about as far from normal as you can get."

While the other genin questioned us, Kakashi looked from Naruto to me. Then he got up and ushered us off to the side near the wall where we could speak privately. "Now, what are you trying to say?" he said. "What is this about Gaara?"

"He thinks his point in life is to kill people! Don't you see? If this continues, Sasuke will die."

Kakashi stared at him long and hard. "No need to panic. You know, Sasuke and I weren't just goofing around. There's a reason we were so late getting here. Sasuke can handle this. Just watch."

I did turned to watch the action. Gaara had encased himself in sand while Sasuke tried to find a way through. Even from way back, I could feel the dark chakra emanating from Gaara. Unlike during Naruto's match, my stomach twisted at the sensation. "Even if Sasuke can survive," I said in a low voice, "I'm worried about Gaara."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed. "How can you be worried about him? He's the aggressor!"

"It's not entirely his fault!" I snapped. I realized we were still being watched and deliberately lowered my voice. "The tailed beast inside Gaara is the one urging him to kill. Maybe he could resist and find a different purpose if he had support, but he has no one. Everyone runs from him in fear because all they see is the monster. That's why I've been spending time with him, showing him that I care. I want him to see that he has another option. Not everyone is going to reject him. You of all people should understand, Naruto. I became interested in him because he reminded me of you."