Caught in the Darkness

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: The Third Hokage Forever

"How am I supposed to wake Gaara up?" Naruto asked, looking at the Shukaku in front of him. Hanako looked at him for a second before returning her eyes to the beast in front of them.

"When the Uchiha immobilizes him, I will grab a hold onto him and you are going to land the strongest punch you can on him," said Gamabunta.

"Is just a hit going to be enough to wake him?" asked the blond again. The chief toad sigh and moved his pupils up to glare at the Genin.

"He isn't fully asleep yet, we have to do it fast before it gets harder to wake him."

Hanako looked firmly at the Ichibi in front of them. It was inhaling air again and Hanako frowned. The Susano'o still shone brightly around them. "Yasaka no Magatama," the Uchiha muttered under her breath. The arms of the Susano'o summoned a set of tomoes, at the same time the Shukaku shoot towards them another wind bullet. The wind clashed against the tomoes forming a small twister that uprooted several trees.

Hanako's eyes ached and blurred for a moment, causing the Susano'o to vanish completely. Noticing the withdrawal of her justu, Gamabunta looked up at the Uchiha. "Kid, are you okay?" Hanako closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

"Yeah..." When she opened her eyes again, she cursed. The Shukaku was ready to shoot his bullets again.

"Hold on, up there!" Gamabunta raised his arms to cover himself from the upcoming impact. Hanako's eyes were hurting, but she knew she could manage one more technique. Once the Shukaku shot, Hanako switched their places right before the bullet hit them, hitting the Shukaku instead. The beast growled loudly. Hanako felt light headed for a moment and fell onto her knees, coughing violently into her palm. When she pulled her hand away, she widened her eyes and immediately closed it.

Gamabunta took the advantage to jump back towards the Ichibi, and grab onto him. "Now, Naruto!" But they weren't fast enough. The Shukaku turned around in a moment and pushed the toad away. Gamabunta skidded back to a stop.

"Gama Oyabun! If you want me to land a punch on Gaara, you've got to get closer and give me time to jump!" Naruto nagged loudly.

"I'm a toad! I don't have fangs or claws to hold onto him, you have to transform me into something useful if you want that!" retorted the chief toad.

"Transform?"

"I lack skills in transformation techniques, so you'll have to transform both of us. It's simple, I believe you can handle it."

"Huh?"

"It's just a simple Henge, Naruto." Hanako rolled her eyes. "Think of something big with claws a fangs. Then transform."

"Why don't you do it, Nee-chan? It's kind of a lot of pressure for me right now." Hanako narrowed her eyes.

"No, it's on you." With that said, she teleported into a nearby tree. When Naruto noticed she was gone, he panicked. "AHH?!"

"Ready?" asked Gamabunta as he started to move towards the Shukaku once again.

"Big with fangs and claws... big with fangs and claws..." Naruto made the hand seals, while muttering under his breath.

"NOW!"

"Henge no Jutsu!" A large cloud of smoke covered them totally, before a large growl was heard and claws jutted out from it. Hanako's jaw dropped when the smoke dispersed to reveal the Kyuubi in the flesh. Sasuke stood with the Genso members. Pakkun had jumped towards their branch a watched the fight. "What in the world..." he muttered.

The Shukaku was just as surprised, Hanako noticed his shock and took the opportunity to cast a Genjutsu on him. The Shukaku's mind wandered back into his earliest moments, where the old Sennin was naming them. "You shall be Shukaku..."