Hot 'N' Dangerous

Chapter 45: Battle of the Tailed Beasts

"Ugh!" grunted Naruto as he was beat back by Gaara.

"Stop, Naruto! You can't just charge him, you'll die at this rate," Liz panted, also suffering from fatigue.

He clenched his teeth and made a single seal with his hand, "Naruto, what are you doing?" I asked, realizing what he was trying to do.

"Summoning Jutsu!" he cried as he drew blood from his finger and pressed it to the branch he was standing on.

I was expecting something that he could use to defeat Gaara in one shot, so something powerful... but I was wrong.

"What the hell is that, you dumb butt!" Liz shrieked, pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.

To be honest, it was a little disappointing. It was only a small frog... that could talk.

"What? It's only a kid! Gimme snacks if you wanna ask a favour, otherwise, I won't play with you!" the little frog demanded in a high, croaky voice.

Naruto's face changed from expressionless to pure anger within a fraction of a second, "Well, you know what?! I hate you frogs altogether!" he retorted.

"Why are you arguing with a freaking frog?!" Liz raged and punched Naruto sharply on the head.

The frog ignored Liz and continued to talk to Naruto, "What did you say?! Don't you dare insult us amphibians!" he shook his little fist at Naruto.

I would've laughed if not for the situation we were in, "I think we've got more important matters on our hands, Naruto," I murmured and we all turned to look at Gaara's half-transformed figure.

"Elvira's right, I don't have the time to play with you," Naruto put on a serious face.

Naruto looked at his hand, his face scrunched up frustratedly.

Gaara released a length of maniacal laughter, "Comrades? Ha ha ha! You make me laugh!"

"Yeah, we can all see that," Liz muttered under her breath.

"I fight for my sake only!" the rest of his body began to transform.

Soon, Gaara's whole upper abdomen was covered with the Shukaku's form with purple vein-like patterns running through it. Both his eyes were now black with yellow pupils. I shivered as he focused his gaze on us.

There's so much hate in there, I never knew that it was possible to loathe anything or anyone that much, I thought.

All that was left of Gaara that hadn't transformed were his legs.

"He just keeps transforming!" Liz cried, spent.

His arm broke away from Sakura, who was still pinned up against the tree. A claw-like mound of sand still stuck to Sakura, slowly suffocating her.

"The sand will keep tightening around her until you beat me, only then will she be released. You have a time limit too, eventually, all of her bones will break from the force of the tightening sand," he snickered.

He crossed his arms over himself and shurikens made of sand flew from his arms, "Sand Shurikens!" he yelled.

Naruto grabbed the small toad in his hands and covered it with his body as the sand shurikens hit him. He flew back into another tree behind him as he was hit.

"Naruto!" I cried out.

Liz flung herself at Gaara, blocking all the sand shurikens by spinning her blade around, "Damn you!" she cried and stabbed her sword into his chest. He trembled as his body recognized the pain coming from the wound.