Bah o.o. One note, hebi means snake :). You can take the battle scene between Jiraiya and Orochimaru any way you want o.o… while writing it I guess I kinda hinted towards OroJira but if you don't like that then 'good friends' is find x3. Hope you like this chapter, I think it's ok. Short, as always, but decent. Oh yeah, another thing, I know when choking people pass out before they die from lack of oxygen but in this chapter I'm not having someone (cough) pass out before so nyah.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REVIEWS –fuzzy neko love-.

AND OMG THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER! (unless you count the small one chapter sequel I plan on doing after this hopefully soon) –dances and cries at the same time-

Guide-thingamabob:

-Naruto's thoughts to Kitsune-

/Kitsune's thoughts to Naruto/

Recap:

"Show yourself. We know you're there." Sakura said loud enough for Kabuto to hear.

He sighed and pushed his glasses up his nose a little.

"I've been caught." He said with a small smirk, "Nice to meet you Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun. I'm Yakushi Kabuto."

Good Night My Knight!

Chapter 24: Fake

Orochimaru hissed as Jiraiya took a fighting stance and watched the hebi's every movement carefully. The Ninpou Gamaguchi Shibari surrounded the two, Orochimaru had little escape now. The only way to get passed Jiraiya was to fight him. The snake had drained a bit of energy keeping Itachi still long enough to drain almost all of his power. That power seemed wasted now. Orochimaru grit his teeth together in frustration, he should have known that Jiraiya out of all people would know how to get past all of the binding jutsu set up. Letting out a silent curse Orochimaru quickly put his hands together and performed a few seals before disappearing. Jiraiya's eyes scanned the room as the Sennin backed towards the door as to not let Orochimaru slip through.

'Up? Down? No… left.' The white haired man's eyes darted to his left as he focused his chakra.

Gathering up his chakra, Jiraiya moved the Ninpou Gamaguchi Shibari to move the mussels around the area Orochimaru was in. Quickly, a few mussels wrapped around a seemingly empty corner but a few hisses proved otherwise. Orochimaru faded into view and before Jiraiya's jutsu could restrain the hebi's hand's Orochimaru quickly made a few hand seals and a white flame burst out from his sides and cut through the frog's insides. Orochimaru jumped to the middle of the room once again, his eyes slanted in a glare towards Jiraiya.

"You've improved." Orochimaru hissed.

"You haven't." Jiraiya said with a smirk.

The Sennin braced himself as Orochimaru's expression flared up in anger and he suddenly began rapidly making seals once again. Jiraiya began to make hand seals of his own and soon both of them were sending Jutsu's flying towards each other. Orochimaru's jutsu flew from his mouth in the form of a snake bearing poisonous fangs and speeding towards Jiraiya who had sent a gust of extremely powerful wind hurling towards Orochimaru and the snake coming towards him. With a violent crack and a gust of wind the two forces collided and behind the two forces the two men glared at each other before fading into nothing but a blur of motion. Fists connected with fists and feet with feet, limbs with limbs as the two battled. This fight now though was for, as always, so much more than it seemed. While Jiraiya promised to help Kitsune with Naruto and Sasuke's problem Jiraiya still had his own in mind. Orochimaru had caused pain to many but Jiraiya had it the worst. Orochimaru had been a team mate, a companion, a friend. But that was lost… all was lost. And now only hate was left between the two. Orochimaru smirked twisted and turned and burned strait through Jiraiya because that smirk knew more than it let on. That smirk knew Jiraiya's fears and hopes and dreams, worries and cares. Jiraiya had once thought that he too knew everything about Orochimaru in return but now he saw that even in their childhood Orochimaru had been fake. Fake to the core and bitter through and through. It had all been fake… and Orochimaru had merely used him to get farther along in the road of being a powerful ninja.

The back of Jiraiya's eyes seemed to burn and he willed himself to just for once forget the past. Memories of earlier days weren't going to help him win this fight… not this time. Not when Orochimaru was so distant even when they were only a few feet away from each other and trying to rip out the others throat.

Orochimaru saw Jiraiya begin to slip into thought and quickly took the opportunity to lash out. Jiraiya could only move at the last second and ended up with a large gash in his cheek. Orochimaru gave a sour smile and his eyes bore into Jiraiya's.

"You still can't beat me… you're too weak. You're hate is strong but it blinds you and it consumes you. You have no control over it. And not only that but…" Orochimaru leaned over until his mouth was by Jiraiya's ear, "You still can't get over me."

Jiraiya felt like he was falling backwards due to the closeness of Orochimaru's presence and soon saw Orochimaru's fist connect with his rib cage. Jiraiya grabbed Orochimaru's wrist trying to pull him into the punch and soften the blow but it didn't help much. Jiraiya felt his skin stinging and hissing around the certainly bruised flesh and he quickly threw a kick to Orochimaru's shin. The hebi quickly moved to one side and as Jiraiya's foot flew by he caught it and twisted Jiraiya's ankle away from himself causing Jiraiya to do a flip/spin type move and fly to the other side of the room. Orochimaru caught his breath as Jiraiya grunted in pain, trying to stand from the heap on the floor he'd now become. As Jiraiya tried to recover Orochimaru made a few more hand seals and held out his hands, fingers aimed towards Jiraiya and snakes shot from the tip of each finger. The snakes wrapped around Jiraiya and pinned him down to the ground so that he couldn't move.

"I told you… you still cannot beat me." Orochimaru snickered.

"But I can!" Tsunade yelled sending a punch clear across Orochimaru's snickering face.

Orochimaru choked as the punch connected with his jaw and stumbled backwards quite a few yards clutching his jaw in pain, "Bitch…" He murmured.

Tsunade flicked him off and fell into a fighting stance, "You might beat the Frog-Hermit here but you can't beat me."

"Such confidence." Orochimaru mocked.

"Try me."

Tsunade eyes widened as Orochimaru brought both his hands up to his face and with a loud and echoing pop his jaw cracked back into place. He opened and closed his mouth a few times testing out the location it was in and almost cackled at the look on Tsunade's face. A look of horror and disbelief.

"Shall we?"

…xoxoxoxoxoxox…

Kabuto felt something in the air, something like pain but it wasn't heavy yet. He knew it was coming from Orochimaru. He could feel what Orochimaru felt; he knew when he needed help. It was just an instinct of sorts. Kabuto felt his power dropping and began to worry. Looking back to the three in front of him he told himself to calm down.

'I shouldn't jump the gun. Orochimaru-sama gave me a mission.'

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura were already for a fight and Kabuto smiled. He didn't really want to have to kill anyone but for Orochimaru he would. He mission was simply to watch them and if possible, get rid of the girl. But this was beginning to weigh too heavily on Kabuto's mind. He felt Orochimaru getting weaker again. He was being injured… this could only mean that either the demons had found him or perhaps the other Sannin. His attention was suddenly completely on Orochimaru and he looked back to the three ready to fight.

"Sorry but now is not the time." He quickly disappeared into a puff of smoke.

"What! Come back here coward!" Naruto yelled into the air at nothing in particular.

"Quick! I can still trace his chakra to the location that he's going!" Sakura said, "He's probably going to where Orochimaru is."

"Lead the way." Sasuke agreed.

…xoxoxoxoxoxox…

Orochimaru felt like he was fighting with one arm tied behind his back. She'd hit something in his nerve system that had temporarily numbed his arm. She could hit him almost as freely as she wanted at the moment. Even so, she wasn't doing him much harm, the worst she'd done was rendered his arm useless. It would probably be better within twenty minutes, he could hold her off that long at least… but then something he wasn't counting on yet again happened…

As Tsunade began to throw another punch towards his head a red and black blur cut in front of her and stopped her punch. Orochimaru looked over to the man holding back Tsunade's punch and his yellow eyes met with two blood red eyes filled with a strong hate.

"Go tend to Jiraiya."

"You're not ready to fight!" Tsunade said to the freshly healed Itachi.

"I'm fine. Jiraiya needs you more right now." Itachi said looking back to the struggling man not far behind them.

Tsunade wordlessly backed down and slipped over to help Jiraiya out of Orochimaru's jutsu. Itachi stood glaring at Orochimaru who showed no sign of fear (yet).

"You look quite angry Itachi-san…"

"Die." Orochimaru barely saw Itachi move as he appeared behind the hebi and took out a kunai slicing it across Orochimaru's arm.

Orochimaru jumped around quickly and faced Itachi. His heart rate began to speed up, Itachi's recovery had been quick… almost too quick. Yet here Itachi was as if nothing had happened to him within the last twenty-four hours. Itachi's eyes widened and the sharingan flared within his eyes. Orochimaru tired to look away quickly but instead fell into Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Orochimaru found himself in a world of black and red tied to a cross. Itachi stood in front of him.

"Starting now, you will be stabbed continuously for seventy two hours."

A blinding pain burst in Orochimaru's side before he felt into a agonizing darkness.

…xoxoxoxoxoxox…

Kabuto saw Orochimaru being looked down upon by Itachi before Orochimaru suddenly let out a scream.

'Tsukuyomi…' Kabuto thought as he began looking for ways to get Orochimaru out of there.

Itachi looked down to the struggling Orochimaru who had just came out of his 'trance'. Without even looking over to the doorway Itachi began to speak, "Don't think about trying to help him."

Kabuto's eyes widened and he backed away slightly. Itachi's foot lifted and came down with a swift blow to Orochimaru's ribcage sending him flying across to the opposite side of the room. Kabuto stayed back and began to think of running but stood his ground. Orochimaru lay almost motionless looking over to where Kabuto was 'hiding' in the shadows. In less than a second Itachi was behind Kabuto much like he'd done to Orochimaru and Itachi's foot connected with Kabuto's lower back sending him flying next to Orochimaru. Itachi stood in the doorway and watched as Kabuto carefully moved his back and half-crawled next to Orochimaru. Orochimaru muttered something to Kabuto and Kabuto dropped his head in what appeared to be shame.

"No one…" Itachi started, "is allowed to do what you did, Orochimaru."

Orochimaru quickly took his attention off Kabuto and back fully onto Itachi.

"Don't ever… ever try to mess with an Uchiha. Understood, filth?"
Orochimaru didn't say anything, instead he kept sneering up at Itachi through hate filled eyes. Itachi's foot lifted and crushed down on one of Orochimaru's kneecaps. Orochimaru let out another howl and struggled under the pressure of Itachi's foot.

"Understood?"

"..Y…Yes!" Orochimaru spat.

Itachi was about to throw the finishing blow when he suddenly heard and yell from down the hallway. Turning around and backing away slightly from Orochimaru, Itachi saw five familiar figures running down the hall towards the room he and the others were in.

"You made it." Itachi stated.

"Orochimaru was supposed to be my fight." Sasuke hissed.

"No need to get upset. You can still finish him if you must." Itachi said coldly stepping away from the snake.

"We weren't sure if you'd already finished Orochimaru… we couldn't find anyone and then suddenly these three came running down the hall!" Kitsune said from behind the three youngest.

Shukaku stood by her side and nodded in agreement, "They helped lead us here."

"Guess you didn't really need the help though, huh?" Kitsune said with a grin.

"Not especially."

As the group spoke Orochimaru stirred slightly and lifted up his arms just enough to make a few seals, before anyone could do anything something flew from Orochimaru's body and latched onto Naruto's chest. Naruto let out a blood turning scream. Everyone quickly turned to see something black and green burrowing into Naruto. Sasuke was the first to act; he ran to Naruto and tried to stop whatever it was from ripping through Naruto. Opening up Naruto's jacket they could see the blurb begin to almost sink through Naruto's skin.

"It's useless. That thing will drive into Naruto's heart where you cannot get it out." Orochimaru said with a grin.

Naruto clutched his chest as the black blob disappeared under his skin. His face clenched in pain and he looked over to where Orochimaru sat laughing slightly.

"What did you do to him?" Sasuke yelled running over to Orochimaru and picking the hebi up by his collar.

"Why should I say?"

Sasuke's rage began to boil over and he slammed Orochimaru against the wall. Blood began to spill from the corner of Orochimaru's mouth and he only gave another twisted smile. Sakura was first to notice that blood spilt from Naruto's mouth at the same time it had Orochimaru's and Naruto seemed to be clutching his collar trying to tear something off; the same area of his collar as Orochimaru's that Sasuke was holding.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted.

"Not now…" Sasuke grumbled.

"Naruto is connected to Orochimaru!"

Sasuke stopped interrogating Orochimaru for a second to look back to where Naruto was clutching his collar. Sasuke's eyes widened and he dropped Orochimaru. Naruto suddenly clutched his throat as if he could breathe again.

Orochimaru coughed, "Too bad… if you'd held on for just a bit longer I would have died… and Naruto would have gone with me…"

Sasuke's eyes flickered between black and red until the Sharingan suddenly blazed up in his eyes, glowing a deep red.

'How! How the hell am I supposed to save Naruto! This is… this is stupid! That snake! I should have seen it… I should have known!' Sasuke began to almost glow from the chakra emitting off him.

The room suddenly went dark, voices flared up from all sides but the voices faded and silence suddenly echoed around the darkness around Sasuke. What had happened? Sasuke looked around frantically in the darkness looking for Naruto but he didn't see anything. Suddenly a yellow-ish light came on and Sasuke found that they were still in the same room but this time it was only Naruto, Sasuke and a snickering Orochimaru.

"You two can't get away from me in here…" Orochimaru said.

"Naruto… I'm sorry." Sasuke said gently backing away from Orochimaru, his bangs covering his face.

"Sasuke, don't be…s-stupid." Naruto said quickly.

"I should have known! He's… I can't do anything to him without hurting you!"

"…Sasuke… what if… we just…" Naruto's eyes flickered down to the floor which suddenly began interesting to Naruto.

Sasuke froze, "Naruto don't be thinking what I think you're thinking! No!"

Sasuke ran to Naruto's side and grabbed Naruto's chin pulling it up to look in his eyes, "You're not going to die. Not because of him." Sasuke spat out the word like a child would do with bad food.

Orochimaru suddenly let out a chilling laugh, "How sweet… the Uchiha heir trying to save his pet."

"Shut up!" Sasuke turned back to Orochimaru and was about to go over and give the hebi a good kick when he suddenly remembered Naruto's condition, "Dammit… dammit… what am I going to do…?"

"There's nothing you can do! You can't save Naruto now…" Orochimaru said with a dark laugh.

Sasuke's eyes squeezed shut and the harshness of the truth in those words.

"Sasuke…?" Sasuke's eyes suddenly snapped open as he felt Naruto's hand around his wrist.

Sasuke turned to look into Naruto's eyes searching his questioning tone. Sasuke gently leaned in to capture Naruto's lips with his own, "I don't want to lose you… I can't… can't imagine a world without you…"

Naruto buried his head into the crook of Sasuke's neck and gently hugged Sasuke before pulling back softly.

"Live…" Before Sasuke could see what Naruto was doing a flash of grey metal sliced through the air and Naruto and Orochimaru let out a scream at the same time.

"NO! NARUTO!"

Blood flowed from the wound in Naruto's stomach and from the corners of Naruto's lips.

"Sasuke…" Naruto gave a weak smile as he saw the tears being held back in Sasuke's eyes.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Damn you!" Orochimaru spat out towards Naruto, "Good for nothing brat!"

Sasuke ignored Orochimaru's curses and gently cradled Naruto's face searching for answers, "Why!"

"I had to… we both know… know it…"

"No! You didn't! We… Tsunade! She might have bee able to do… to do something! You didn't have to…!"

"Heh… guess I'm still just a dobe…"

"No… Naruto… don't leave me! Don't close your eyes! We can get find Tsunade and she'll make everything fine just don't… don't close your eyes! Hold on! Naruto!"

"I'm sorry… Sasuke… I love… you…"

"NARUTO!"

…xoxoxoxoxoxox…

The darkness suddenly faded. Kitsune looked through the darkness and Naruto and Sasuke appeared once again. Orochimaru lay still where he had been before. Somehow they'd been sucked into a dark space and the others hadn't been able to enter but now… Kitsune's heart froze as she saw Naruto lying in Sasuke's arms… Sasuke gently calling out Naruto's name over and over.

"No…" She gasped, "Naruto can't be…"

Every thing in the room stopped. Kitsune was oblivious to Tsunade gently trying to sooth Sasuke out of his slight 'coma' type state. Shukaku's voice was mute to her and she couldn't hear him trying to speak to her. All she could see and hear was the empty hollow heart inside Naruto's chest and the light that seemed to be gone from the face of the hyper-blond.

"Can't be… Naruto…"

Shukaku saw Kitsune's face go as white as a sheet and gently took her hand in his, "Kitsune… he's…"

There was a light squeeze on her hand but she didn't feel the comforting gesture. Tears began to pour from her eyes and she felt sobs churning in her body.

Naruto was dead.

She felt her foot move closer to the blond.

Dead… gone?

Another step.

Was he really…?

Another.

She knew there was no point in asking. How could it not be true? There was his body, still, empty, lifeless… gone.

Another…

She felt her self choking on her sobs now as they escaped through her lips. Kitsune fell beside where Sasuke sat, her eyes wide. She couldn't save another of her precious people. Tsunade was across from Kitsune, tears streaming down her face as well as she tried to somehow bring back Naruto though there was no such jutsu that Tsunade or anyone knew.

Kitsune looked into Tsunade's red crying face. It hit Kitsune in a second. She knew what she had to do. Naruto had so many that loved him… Kitsune knew that she had to… yes. It was the only way…

Kitsune stood up from the ground and moved to place Naruto's head in her lap.

"Everyone… please step away from him."

"Kitsune? What are you doing?" Shukaku asked in a hesitant tone.

She gave a sad smile and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm saving my precious person."

…xoxoxoxoxoxox…

"Naruto?"

Why was it so dark?

"Naruto?"
Why was it so cold? Where was the light! The heat! What had just happened? Had… had Naruto not killed himself? But… was Orochimaru still alive?

"Naruto?"

"Who's calling me?"

"It's me, Naruto."

"… Kitsune?"

"Yep!"

A light suddenly filled the darkness. Kitsune appeared in an orange glowing light in front of Naruto. She smiled gently at him before pulling him into a tight hug.

"You can't die yet."

"But Orochimaru! He had to be killed!"

"He is dead… but I don't want you to die with him. I can… I can bring you back!" Kitsune said in a happy tone that sounded slightly forced.

"You can? How! Do you know a jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"Sort of…" Kitsune smiled, "But you need to trust me right now and no matter what… live… ok?"

'That sounds like what I said to Sasuke but… why would Kitsune need to tell me that now? She's going to be seeing me in a few minutes when she performs the jutsu! Right!'

"Kitsune? Wha-What do you mean! I'll be seeing you in a few seconds right? Kitsune!"

"I'll be with you… Naruto."

"KITSUNE!"

…xoxoxoxoxoxox…

A flash of light… it's all anyone could really remember. But Naruto remembered a flash of light, Kitsune's face, last words and a tight embrace. He woke up in a bright room, Naruto's hand in someone else's. He tried to sit up quickly, confused and alarmed but as soon as he sat up the pain that shot through his body knocked him back down.

"Itai!" He whined.

/ Baka! Don't do that! I can't heal you THAT fast yet/ Came a familiar voice from some where inside Naruto.

-…Kitsune?-

/ Yes kit, I'm here. I've been… sealed. Inside of you… now I'll never leave you alone! Hahaha/ Kitsune said in a joking tone.

-Demo… how?-

/ I'm too tired to explain, kit. Let me rest… /

-Kitsune?-

/ Nani/

-…. Thank you…-

/ You're welcome kit. Now you better be saying "sorry" to that leach on your hand. /

-Nani?-

Naruto looked down to see Sasuke holding on with a death grip to Naruto's hand and fast asleep. Naruto gave a grin and gently stroked Sasuke's hair.

-Ah… I will...-

End of Chapter 24

End of Story

OMGackt. I finished it! It's the end! PARTY! -dies-

I hope you guys liked this story x.x… I still am going to do a short little 'after story' chapter which wont' be it's own story… just a chapter in here. Hopefully I'll get that up soonish. I start school tomorrow! Woo…

Umm… omg… I LOVE YOU ALL! You guys really helped me finish this and stay with it and –glomps- yesh. You are all special and I hope the ending wasn't too stupid . I feel like it might not be the best but I think it's the best I can do for now for you! Gomen nasai! Um, YES! Aahahahaha, I don't know what to say! Nyargh… review, tell me what you hated or loved or just tell me what a crappy job I did with the ending or praise me or throw confetti I don't care! I'm just kinda in a weird "OMG -spaz-" mood right now O.o… oh yeah… I'm not checking over it . sorry if there are a lot of grammar/spelling mistakes . .

-lurve-

Over and out!

Anukis