You are my Star

Chapter 24 - Pain

"What do you mean, can't merge? Just do it!" Hoshiko cried. "All this training cannot be for nothing. I won't allow it. How am I to avenge Pervy Sage's death with nothing but a bunch of useless training?"

Naruto nodded. "We spent all this time for nothing? That's ridiculous. You said we were compatible with sage jutsus yourselves.

Kumori shook her small head. "The beasts inside of you won't let us merge. It's simply impossible!"

Just then, a small mermaid-looking tadpole splashed up to them. "The messenger frog we sent to the Hidden Leaf is dead, Master Fukasaku! His name disappeared off of the roster." 

"What?" Naruto and Hoshiko both exclaimed at the same time. 

Kumori snapped her claws together. "This could very well mean the village is in danger. Oh dear, what a dilemma!"

Master Fukasaku turned to Hoshiko and Naruto. "Yes, this is bad, but we're in luck. Ma is out near the village. She can summon us up!" 

They followed the toad as he hopped towards a small hill. At the top of it was a little well, and next to it a blue toad. 

"I understand the situation," he said. "I overheard. I'll go tell her immediately."

                                                                               * * *

Shikamaru was overwhelmed. There were too many injured, and he couldn't get them to the hospital in time for Sakura to save them, and- 

-and Hoshiko and Naruto weren't here to save their butts. He'd be the first to admit that they were needed right now. But they were up near Mount Myoboku, preparing for this exact situation. With no idea of the predicament here. 

Shikamaru looked up in time to see a huge flash. It devoured the area near him, and almost killed him. Buildings were swept into the mix, people crushed, roads upended. The village was in shambles. 

He choked. How were they- 

BOOM.

A loud rumble shook the earth. Shikamaru looked up in time to find the two people he needed most standing atop a toad atop another toad, flanked by two huge scorpions, a small toad and a small scorpion standing in front of their respective masters. A medium-sized scorpion stood at the front of the mix.

Hoshiko and Naruto. And boy did they look different. 

They each had colored rings around their eyes, Naruto's being orange and Hoshiko's being a deep shade of mauve. Naruto had a scroll slung across his body and a red robe over his usual outfit, his eyes that of a toad. Hoshiko had a scroll as well, this time deep purple, a choker around her neck, and though most of her outfit hadn't changed, a scarlet red tube top now took the place of her former cropped tank top. A strand of the hair framing her face was now the same mauve as her eyelids. 

"Well, well," Hoshiko said. "It seems we stepped in at just the right time." She jumped onto the scorpion at the fore. "Osoroshi, let's do this, shall we?" 

Pain looked up. "Hm. Just as we were leaving, too. Perfect timing, for both your pathetic village and myself." 

"Shut up, will you?" Naruto growled. "We'll use our new jutsu and take you out in one blow. You ready, Hoshiko?"

Hoshiko cracked her knuckles. "You bet I am." She started forming hand signs, jumping from Osoroshi to get down on one knee. "You know when to start."

Naruto nodded and brought in two shadow clones. A rasengan formed in his hand, then took the shape of a shuriken. "Rasenshuriken." He turned towards Hoshiko, carefully watched her hand signs for a few seconds, then nodded. "Here we go!" He pulled his arm back, then threw the shuriken as hard as he could.