"Sasuke?" Naruto asked softly, catching the older male's dead weight as the Uchiha collapsed into the blond's lap with a soft moan. He felt so tired and ill, the markings on his body pulsating with a acidic burning that seemed to be eating away at him. The fox was at a loss. What was happening to his teme? Large, confused, blue eyes looked on helplessly. Hands clutched at him, using him as an anchor as a stab of pain arched the Uchiha's back in a dramatic angle. Naruto swallowed hard, reaching out to touch the strange marks that had flared up all over the man's form. He hissed softly when the marks sent jolts of heat racing through his fingertips.

Instinctively, he lowered his mouth to press against the black mark on Sasuke's shoulder, his lips caressing it tentatively. It pulsed angrily at the contact and Sasuke jerked almost violently, but Naruto held tight, his tongue soothing over the marking. His tails wound about the Uchiha, holding him close as the blond repeated the instinctive actions he had performed when they had first met. His saliva cooled the pulsating mark, forcing it to calm and the black blemishes receded, leaving behind pale skin. Sasuke sighed softly, one of his large hands burying itself in Naruto's thick hair as he slipped into a daze. The fox purred softly, trying as hard as he could to put the older man at ease. A shriek snapped the Kyuubi from his focus on Sasuke and his head snapped up, eyes widening in fear. Gaara had Sakura pinned to the wall with a large claw of sand. She was bleeding profusely from multiple wounds. The red head stood a few feet away, sadistic grin in place as he licked her blood from his claws.

"Sakura-chan!" The fox cried out, lying the practically unconscious Sasuke against the wall before rushing forward. He deftly avoided the sand that shot out at him, twisting and ducking, leaping with a grace that he hadn't held a few moments ago. His fear had been shifted from himself the moment that the pink haired woman had screamed and he moved continuously closer to her. Gaara's smile deepened when the fox had rushed to assist the human. Before the Kyuubi could reach the pink haired female, Gaara moved, slamming his elbow hard into the blond and sending the small teen careening down the hall. The wind shot from the blue eyed males lungs as he felt a rib snap beneath the strike and he twisted in the air painfully to land on his feet. Even before he had landed, his body had begun correcting the fracture, but that didn't make it any less painful. He weazed and glared dangerously at the red head, his fangs poking out from his lips in a feral snarl, his eyes bleeding red. "Give her back!" Gaara merely tilted his head slightly to the side, dark smile firmly in place.

"Come take her," The tanuki responded simply. That was all the initiative that the small fox needed. Chakra pooled about his naked form and with an enraged cry, the blond struck. Sand flew to deflect the charging male, but Naruto spun to the side, dropping onto his hands as fur spread all over him. Within the space of a few heartbeats he was full fox again and rushing straight for the tanuki. Gaara narrowed his eyes slightly, crouching low to the ground while his sand continued to keep the fox at bay.

His own body shifted then, reddish fur consuming him until standing in his place was a large, unhappy looking raccoon dog, hissing lowly at the fox. Gaara lunged, his sand parting for him as he jumped at the startled fox, the duo colliding hard and slamming into the tile below in a flurry of teeth and claws. Tails thrashed wildly and snarls resonated through the halls while green and red chakra lashed out at each other. Naruto was steadily losing control of his instincts. He wanted the tanuki to pay for harming his bonded and his sister. The two separated, circling each other in a wide arch as the sand shifted restlessly around them, waiting. Muscles shifted beneath thick coats, eyes locked, and fangs flashed in taunting snaps. Gaara carried the bulk of his weight on his cream tipped hind legs, using his forepaws as balance, his thick tail bristled out fully. He was enjoying the clash between he and his kin, feeling a strange rush that he never felt with the others he had fought and killed.

Genuine rage stifled what kinly feelings he held for the tanuki as the fox let go of his instincts. He had no choice any longer. With Sakura's life on the line, he had to finish this quickly. Naruto snarled darkly as the final vestiges of his humanity slipped away. His aura changed then, in that moment, becoming thicker, darker, more malicious. It pulsed with a violence that was purely demonic. Gaara hissed in response to the shift, moving back a bit to escape the sudden heat that threatened to divest him of his fur. A transparent sort of coating hugged close to the fox's body, the angry red throbbing with the need for death. It wasn't simply blood it craved like the tanuki, no, it wanted to rip apart whatever living thing it could find, tear it down to the soul and incinerate any traces. This was not the same fox. The chakra compacted tighter and tighter around the yellow beast until in one fluid explosion, it burst, six new tails surging outward to twine with Naruto's original three. He let out a howl like cry, his size increasing to accommodate the greater energy. Gaara was dumbstruck, every cell in his body screaming for him to run. He knew without even attempting to fight the fox that he was no match for it in this state.

Naruto was out of control to the point of mindlessness, his body lunging forward to strike the tanuki that barely evaded the tackle. But faster than Gaara could counter, Naruto's tails ensnared him, constricting around the rust colored beast. The sand surged from all directions to attack the beast and with a loud bark like sound, heat rolled from the fox. The hot energy collided with the sand and in a burst of power, and a flash of light, it exploded, thousands of glass shards, stained red and green shattering against the walls and floor. Gaara bit desperately at one of the writhing appendages, claws ineffectively tearing away at the burning fur that encased him. It became apparent to him that the fox was beyond feeling pain in his primal rage. A demented barking laugh fell from Naruto's gaping maw as he watched the tanuki struggle with glee in his crimson glare.

"Dobe!"

The yell had Naruto's attention flitting to a human that stood against a wall, staring angrily at the destruction that encased the two beasts. A roughened hiss rolled up from the Kyuubi's throat and he tossed the tanuki aside like a piece of trash. Gaara let out a whimper as he collided with the far wall, his body trembling all over from the burns that had seared away his fur and skin alike. Before he could recover in the slightest, a heavy weight slammed into his side with enough force to break multiple bones. He cried out in agony, tearing at whatever part of the fox's clawed paws he could get at. And then a massive set of jaws clamped down around his sensitive tail, an outright scream filling the destroyed hallways. All it would take was one sharp jerk and it would snap off completely. But a surge of blue chakra that crawled all over the fox's body had it releasing Gaara and whipping it's head around to snarl at two smaller nekogen. They were cats, and if the scent from them was any indication, they were kin to the tanuki.

"Over here, dumbass!" The female yelled out, tears rolling down her dirtied face as she launched attack after attack at the unimpressed fox using a large fan of sorts. Temari panted heavily, trying to keep the Kyuubi's attention desperately. They HAD to save Gaara! Kanuro had been about to unleash his own attacks when two serpentine tails slammed into them, coiling about their smaller forms and throwing them with enough strength to send them flying through several walls.

"Naruto." His name spoken calmly by a familiar voice had the Kyuubi pausing in his violent assault. His ears perked forward as he lifted his head to stare at the black haired man that had called to him earlier. His tongue flicked out to run over his blood laden canines and he stalked toward the one who so boldly interrupted him, not once, but twice. His bulk filled the hallway, the floor groaning in protest beneath the weight of the fox as it moved ever closer, body hunched to allow him better movement. Sasuke stood his ground, glaring up at the blond as he pushed himself away from the support of the wall. The Kyuubi crouched, the jaws that were easily twice Sasuke's size mere inches from the man. And then he took in a great breath, the scent of the human flooding his lungs. Crimson eyes widened in shock, a keening whimper bubbling up from his constricted throat. Mate! His ears flattened against his skull and he lowered himself completely to the unhappy floor, large paws moving to encircle the raven haired male protectively. The heat that should have been skinning Sasuke alive, crawled over every inch of his body, caressing, tasting him outside and in. And the Uchiha braced an arm against the fox's muzzle for support against the intense closeness.

"You are not a monster, remember?" The dark haired man stated bluntly and the fox whined low in his throat, his tongue flicking out to run over Sasuke. His energy waned, draining from his body quickly as he shrank in size dramatically. Within a blink, he was once again a teenager. He teetered unsteadily on his feet, groaning softly. The dramatic shift left him disoriented and light headed. A pair of large arms encircled him as he felt himself stumble, Sasuke's heady scent washing through his frayed senses and calming him. It was okay, his mate was there. "Moron, you pushed yourself too hard."

"Nnn not a moron..." The blond grouched weakly, his voice muffled from being pressed against Sasuke's chest. Sakura dropped from her bound spot on the wall, her whole body trembling in fear from the display she had witnessed. These things... they were not nekogen, not at all. Their strength was terrifying as was the strange, violent need to fight and kill that both, even her little Naru-chan possessed. Wide eyed, she surveyed the damage, grateful that Sasuke had spoken up when he had or the whole building would have been torn to bits in the chaos. Still, the place would take months if not longer to be put back in order. She caught sight of a small, twitching form not far from herself and her eyes widened in surprise. It was alive!?

"S-Sasuke-kun!" She called, her green eyes focused on the broken tanuki that was curled into himself among the rubble. The dark haired male strode calmly over, Naruto cradled easily in his arms despite the remaining ache from the bite. He stared down almost hatefully at the unconscious creature. This thing had nearly destroyed the entire headquarters, killed countless good soldiers, and nearly made his Dobe lose his mind. This thing was the definition of the pets that he exterminated on a daily basis. The Jinchuuriki was dangerous. He needed to die. Moving one hand to grasp the hilt of his sword, he was stopped by a sharp tug on the front of his vest. He looked down into the large, pleading eyes of his blond, surprised by the tears that seemed to gather there.

"Please, don't...don't kill him. He needs me, he needs us, Master?" Naruto whimpered out softly. In all of his days, and the short time he had known the fox, Sasuke never would have thought that he would ever hear that word, that name come from the blond boy. The Uchiha's eyes widened slightly in surprise and his bit his lower lip. Something about the word turned his stomach in a bad way. Naruto should never say it. Ever. It was like watching bad porn or eating cold pizza. It just left you feeling wrong on the inside. Sasuke sighed softly, knowing that he was going to regret this decision and relaxed his posture. The smile that Naruto gave him in response made it all worth it though.

"Fine. But you take care of it," Sasuke grouched softly, setting the re-energized fox down carefully. Sure, Naruto felt tired, but the knowledge that he had saved the tanuki, that he would have another like him around gave him a boost. With a pleading look at Sakura, he asked, "Sakura-chan, can you please heal him enough that I can move him without hurting him more?"

The pinkette looked at Sasuke for approval, obviously not liking the idea of leaving the tanuki alive anymore than the dark haired male. But, because he couldn't find it in him to douse the blond's hope, he nodded silently.

Naruto dropped to his knees next to the fallen red head, his tanned hands taking hold of the other Jinchuuriki's pale one gently as Sakura knelt and allowed her chakra to flow outward. She assessed his condition, noting that the raccoon was slowly beginning to heal, though it would take several weeks if unassisted. He was lucky, very lucky. Carefully, she mended the bleeding organs, reinforced most of the broken bones so that they would not break and shift further when moved, and put a healthy dose of it into the creature's mind to keep him unconscious. The last thing they needed was for the Jinchuuriki to wake up and start thrashing or something. With a worn sigh, she sat back, wiping her brow.

"There. It's only temporary, but he will remain stable for now. We really need to get him to a medical bay where he can be looked at properly," She reported, looking to Sasuke in worry. She and he both knew that Tsunade would not be willing to save the monster that had practically eaten a forth of her staff.

"If he causes any trouble, I'll kill him myself," Sasuke stated coldly and when he met the sad stare of Naruto, the blond nodded faintly. Biting his lower lip, the fox scooped the slightly smaller Jinchuuriki up into his arms, holding the weight with little difficulty. He had to prove that he could handle the other, or they would never let the red head live. With every inch of him, he wanted the tanuki to survive, to become his family, his friend. Determination all but glowing in his blue eyes, he followed the other two along as they took off to report back to Tsunade. They still had an attack to shut down. Two weakened, bloodied forms peered out from the remains of a wall, watching in confusion and fear as their little brother was carried off by the strange fox that had nearly killed him. How were they going to get Gaara back now?

-

Energy, sweet, wonderful energy danced through him, filling him with such a thrilling ecstasy. His Sasuke tasted wonderful. So innocent, despite the blood he was drenched in; the boy was a delightful treat for the snake's senses. He could feel each push of chakra that the young man used, could feel the boy's strength failing him. Hn, it would not be long, not at all. But, Sasuke-kun was not ripe for the taking yet, though Orochimaru had hoped so. That snail bitch had certainly done a good job of blocking the mark for now. However, because Sasuke had activated his chakra, had used so much of it, the mark would one again begin its slow consumption of the other. And then, when the beautiful youth was drained entirely of his humanity, when the only thing that remained was the power hungry, avenging fool that Orochimaru knew him to be, the snake would open his arms wide and welcome his little bird home.

A giddy, slightly demented leer split the long haired man's face and he glanced unconcerned at the now lifeless corpse of the head of the NPS, Sarutobi. How convenient it would have been to take Sasuke and the man's life in one swoop. All well, having at least accomplished this small goal had the snake pleased. He smirked coldly, turning his attention to the pounding fists of his former associate. Tsunade; how she had grown since last he'd seen her. She had filled out a good deal, yet she, like himself, still looked youthful and much like they had upon their parting. Anger, rage, violence simmered in the golden depths of those eyes that he hated. He would kill her soon too, he vowed with a slight nod toward the woman.

He allowed his power to consume him, chakra crawling over his body and without any flair, he vanished from the area, taking with him all of his units. The thick barrier that had kept Tsunade from coming to the aid of her mentor shattered and with a cry, she dropped to his side, checking for vital signs. Before she even looked, she knew he was gone, however, the cold skin only helped make it a reality. She let out a shriek of anger and frustration, unable to prevent the tears that spilled from her. Orochimaru would pay. He would die a thousand times for everything he had done and she would make sure of it. The soldiers behind her were nervous, mumbling among themselves in uncertainty. What would they do without Sarutobi?

Shizune appeared at the busty woman's side, her furred hands moving to rub gently at the blonde's back and arm, a sad mewl escaping her.

"Shizune, prepare for a ceremony to honor our fallen leader... We must morn quickly, for now, we hunt his murderer," Tsunade commanded with such dangerous conviction that the cat woman was reminded strongly of a certain fox. She nodded and motioning commands on soldier speak to the waiting groups, they set about doing what was needed to begin.