Mina's POV
I knew that we needed to get back to Naruto and fast. I could feel his angry chakra flaring about in the main part of the gate. I was extremely concerned about my teammate's well-being. I was briefed on the ensuing battles. Naruto and Gaara were facing off with Deidara and Kankuro, Tamari, and our respective senseis were battling Sasori. I was definitely surprised by this outcome though I should have expected for something like this to happen. Actually, I expected another Leaf shinobi to die as a consequence for saving the Fifth Kazekage in the Narutoverse. That possibility was still plausible at this point though. The two men that they faced were S-Ranked criminals after all and anything was possible. My teammates came first and my desire to see Kyu was second.
Where did that come from? Damn hormones.
Naruto and the rest of our fellow shinobi was my first priority. When we got back to the main part of the base, Deidara had his back to us and that left me an opportunity to attack the blonde. Gaara had noticed our little group but he didn't let on. Instead, he attacked the opponent with his sand, which actually insured that Deidara was distracted. I silently thanked him for that and landed a hard punch to his back, which slammed him into the ground. I looked to see if I could find Naruto and, to my horror, he had grown a tail. His focus had been on Deidara but he tilted his head back and sniffed the air, like he had picked up on a new scent. His red eyes landed on me.
Don't do anything stupid, Naruto.
To my surprise, he left me and the rest of our group alone and went straight to his fallen opponent, with Gaara trailing after him. Under normal circumstances, it would have been reckless to approach him so this was definitely another change in the timeline. Lee went to assist his sensei against Sasori while the rest of us joined the fight against Deidara.
"Careful," Kakashi warned. "He uses long-distance attacks."
I didn't need to be reminded of what Deidara was capable of. He wouldn't be as difficult as the puppet master. To be honest, though, I think Sasori was far more dangerous with his use of puppets and his Iron Sand technique. I shivered. I just could not imagine a life as one of his puppets. Then again, I would be dead so...yeah, there's no way I'll be able to imagine a life as his slave and I don't want to. I was brought out of my thoughts as I heard a feral roar come from Naruto. Red hot chakra flashed by me and I would have been hit if Gaara hadn't shielded me with his sand.
"A substitution..." I heard Gaara say.
I looked towards the area where Deidara had been down and, sure enough, he had performed a substitution at the last possible minute. That bastard got lucky. Sasori, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate. Naruto went straight for the puppet master, disregarding whatever direct orders Kakashi issued. His iron sand technique was ineffective and whatever other attacks he attempted were decimated by the demon's chakra. Sasori was hit directly in the chest and I saw Naruto...no, Kyu...hold a familiar organ in his hand before crushing it, thus killing his opponent. I briefly felt sick before I recovered myself. Everyone just stared in shock and disgust as he held his enemy's heart in his clawed hand. Lee wanted to face off with the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails but Kakashi and Guy advised against it.
"It would be careless to approach him in this state." Kakashi told Lee.
Everyone became tense as Naruto approached me. I wasn't too worried because I saw Kyu and not the mindless killer that had been fighting not too long ago. There was no bloodlust in his eyes, now. He threw the offending organ that he held away. I saw Kakashi pull out a sheet of paper and I knew exactly what it was. There was a seal on the other side of it and this was meant to suppress the demon's chakra right off the bat. I shivered and blushed when Kyu licked some of my blood off of my face. Everyone was surprised and even more so when I willed him to transform back into Naruto. Naruto looked at me with confusion and exhaustion in his eyes.
"Have you calmed yourself?" I asked.
He remained silent.
...
We thanked the Sand siblings for their help, with Temari saying that it was their turn to help out their allies and that it was a pleasure to work with the newest kunoichi. We parted ways afterwards and we continued our trip back to the Leaf Village. Everyone was curious as to how I managed to keep the spirit of the Nine-Tails in check. I told them that I wasn't completely sure how this came about. I was still trying to understand this whole concept myself, which was partially true. Kakashi and Guy looked at me like they didn't believe me but Naruto just told them to let it go. He would explain it himself when we returned to the Leaf Village. Everyone looked at the blonde ninja. He was so serious and subdued. This was not like Naruto, who was always happy-go-lucky and carefree. What could have made him this way? I knew the answer but Kyu told me not to say a word. It would be up to his host to explain the situation.
A day and a half later, we entered the Leaf village. Both team leaders reported to the Hokage to say that the mission was successful and that I was safe and sound for the most part. Naruto would tell his story to the rest of our fellow ninja while I spoke to Lady Tsunade about my situation. Somehow I managed to tell her about how I was sexually assaulted by one of the Akatsuki with an emotionless face. That was how I felt. Empty and bleak but I refused to show it to her.
