A Different Path

Always By His Side

Sasuke's POV

No, no, no! Naruto! Sasuke could only feel his heart stop beating at the sight of the shinobi's limp body. He could also see Nine Tails with the corner of his eye.
"I said, out of the way." The Tailed Beast growled again. Sasuke moved a few inches away as his heart started beating uncontrollably.

Nine Tails hurried over to his Jinchuriki and quickly wrapped his tails tightly around his darkened body, forming something similar to a cocoon. Except this one was of a very bright yellow. The black chakra was already getting bubbly, some of it trying to overwhelm Naruto's body entirely and take complete control of it. Small bits were leaking out of the chakra cloak. Sakura seemed to have gotten weak in the knees from all that dread that was hanging in the air. Jiraiya groaned while trying to get up but Shikamaru wouldn't let him exhaust himself. The chunin could still not believe their eyes. The Demon Fox was right in front of them.. In his small version, but it was pretty much the same thing anyway.

Suddenly, the evil aura dispersed and so the small struggling Kurama could feel through his tails, ceased. Sweatdrops rolled down Sasuke's forehead. He was scared of what might have happened to Naruto. Nine Tails' gaze filled with fondness when his hold on the blond's body loosened.

He gently pulled them away, revealing an unconscious teen.
"Naruto!" The Uchiha jolted towards him but Kurama raised his clawed paw aggressively, keeping him away while baring his fangs.
"Don't. He's in no need of your help, just as he has never been." His inner consciousness told him to be gentle with the raven but the remorse and anger in his heart wouldn't let him. Kurama had begun despising the Leaf shinobi when they first started hurting his beloved Jinchuriki. No matter how much he'd deny the fact that he actually did love him deeply.

Kurama sighed with relief. Sasuke grunted, frustrated but also relieved. Nine Tails seems different from the last time I met him.. The raven narrowed his eyes.
"What's happened to him?" Jiraiya had finally managed to get on his feet, leaning on Shikamaru's shoulder.
"It was all Orochimaru's plan. He used a Reanimation Jutsu and captured chakra combined with poison inside the vessel. The chakra was meant to take over Naruto's mind while the poison's main purpose was to temporarily paralyze him and then use his body for his own.. Hideous desires." Kurama snarled while shaking his head.

Sasuke couldn't believe what the blond had been going through that whole time. And he thought he had it hard.
"And is he.. Going to be alright?" Sakura tangled her fingers while unconsciously brushing her side to Sasuke's to comfort herself. She didn't want Naruto to get hurt. Especially not from protecting her.

"Yes. He can recover very fast. But it's going to take a little while. As soon as he realized that this time, he couldn't win over Orochimaru's power, he sealed his consciousness inside the Tailed Beast psyche and cut his chakra use to minimum so the bastard couldn't take control of him and kill all of you." The fox puffed.

"Is Naruto really that powerful?" Shikamaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully, more like asking himself. "I mean, he'd be fighting against three Chunin and a Sannin. Haru excluded."
Kurama snorted like an arrogant child.
"You're actually asking me that?" He laughed, stirring his whiskers.
"Eh.. You people are even denser than those Sand shinobi.. I guess they've learned their lesson, though." When he saw the befuddlement on their faces, Kurama stopped laughing and gently placed his tails containing Naruto on the ground, swaying some of his blonde locks out of his whiskered face, careful not to scratch his tanned skin with his sharp claws.

His breathing was steady and a little rough but Sasuke was afraid that he might not wake up, no matter what the fox said. Kurama cleared his throat, his face turning serious.
"He might have grown up as an orphan but he was never alone. He's always had me. I'm not letting any of you sneak under his skin and break him again." His voice turned into a growl.

...What? I.. I knew that his parents had died but.. I thought there was someone to take care of him.. Sasuke felt a lump form inside his throat that almost made him cry. Trying to swallow it wasn't an option. He's often had that feeling and yet he never let it take over.
So he didn't.
"Why would we hurt him, huh?" The raven furrowed his eyebrows.

"Because you've done it before." The Tailed Beast grunted at him, snarling. He didn't scare him, though. Both of them knew that the fox was only acting like that in order to push the others away, as soon as Sasuke's mind clicked while realization hit him.
He was just trying to protect Naruto.

Sasuke noticed something moving behind Kurama's chakra cloak. Seeing his widened eyes, the fox turned around as his face lit up. Naruto's eyelids were stirring while his fist clenched and unclenched.
"Shut it. Let me handle this or you'll regret it." Sasuke nodded his head slightly after hearing him whisper.

Naruto jolted awake, his eyes red and whiskers deepened.
His gaze scanned the surroundings quickly before sighing with relief and laying back against Kurama's hold as he turned back to normal.
"K-Kurama.." His right hand rose up, petting the fox's furry cheek, making him chuckle. Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Kit.. It's alright.. I'm here." Kurama nuzzled the top of Naruto's head as the corner of the blond's mouth rose, forming a barely visible smile that only his Tailed Beast didn't fail to notice.

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Heya! This book has been going quite nicely so thanks for reading everyone! Btw, sorry for the delay! Gomen! I didn't have WiFi but now I've managed to get some.
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~See ya!~
~Bella~
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