Rabbit Princess [Gaara] [1]

☾ 39 ☽

As Tsukiko, Naruto and Sasuke straightened up a little bit, the white-haired girl squinted through the subsiding smoke from the bomb and saw that half of Gaara's Shukaku cover had been blasted off and the sand was now streaming down.

"Don't all that work, and managing just one blow, huh?" Sasuke asked Naruto, and Tsukiko thought that he was too much in pain to be really complaining right now.

"S-Shut up!" Naruto replied. Tsukiko was more surprised that Naruto remembered that he had to attack the base of the tail – which was the weakest place of a tailed beast, Usajii had told her about it during training – and boasted how he didn't need that since he had no tail.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke said. "Sakura... Go rescue her if it's the last thing you do! And after you've rescued her... Take Sakura and lose no time in fleeing. You, if anyone, can do it!"

"S-Sasuke... You..." Naruto said. Sasuke pushed himself up and looked at Tsukiko, who furrowed her eyebrows at him in confusion.

"I still have the ability to hold in check for a while," Sasuke said. "Tsukiko and I can do it, we've fought together before. If things end here... it would just mean that was the extent of the man I am. I lost everything once... I don't want to see any precious comrades die right before my eyes again.

"Precious friends...?" Naruto asked as he and Tsukiko stared at Sasuke in surprise. "I see..." Naruto pushed himself to stand next to Tsukiko and Sasuke. "That's right. Because he resembles us, because he has gone through life with the same loneliness and sadness as we have..." He nodded at Tsukiko. "That guy who continued to fight in solitude for himself, I thought he was strong,"

"Naruto..." Sasuke said.

"But that's not the meaning of true strength..." Naruto continued. "If one fights just for oneself in solitude... One can't really become strong," Tsukiko looked at him in realisation.

"When someone has someone precious to them that they want to protect," Tsukiko whispered, remembering Haku. "Only then they truly become strong..." Naruto nodded at her.

Tsukiko stared at Naruto has he slammed his hands together in a seal and began to release the Kyuubi's Chakra. She still had no idea how he managed to learn to control this Chakra. Did the Pervy Sage teach? Or did he manage to get Kurama onto his side somehow?

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted and there was an explosion of smoke that subsided to reveal the nine hundred and ninety-nine Shadow Clones, plus Naruto himself. "I've kept you waiting a long time! The spiralling series of Uzumaki Naruto's Ninja Handbook starts now!"

"W-What's up with this... large number of clones?!" Gaara said, baffled. Everyone around them, including the toad and Sasuke, were impressed into shock.

"Sasuke, you get yourself a good rest," Naruto said. "Leave the rest to Uzumaki Naruto!" Tsukiko raised her hand in his hero speech. "And I guess, Otustsuki Tsukiko-Chan," She gave him at look. "All right, everyone, here I go! Jump! Naruto's Ninja Handbook! Everywhere Shuriken!"

While Naruto took to attacking Gaara, Tsukiko realised that this was the time for her to focus on her Chakra to restrain Gaara and Shukaku. Naruto and his clones all showered onto Gaara, punching him until he had been reduced to the ground.

"No way I'll... lost to... a guy like this!" Gaara screamed. Tsukiko let out a shriek when she saw Gaara increase rapidly in size. She grabbed Sasuke, Pakkun and the toad, getting them all out of the way as Gaara turned into Shukaku.

"What is that, Tsukiko?!" Sasuke demanded of the white-haired girl, who was staring at the creature with her mouth hanging open and terror on her face as the smoke subsided. Tsukiko returned no answer to him.