Anime Portal Station (Actually it's more of a break room.)

Naruto: *is unable to change his direction, and so with a cry, he hits his fellow freaking out clones in the face, causing them to poof into thin air, but he twists as he falls so that he rebounds off his hands and sends a few kunai at AU Whip*

Mana: If my hunch is right... *her tome glows, and Sauske takes off, but not before Mana casts her spell* Slow! *Sauske's speed is affected by her spell, and she takes advantage of his disadvantage* Fira!! Torrent!!
Sauske: *narrowly dodges the fire attack; however, he is not as blessed with such luck, and Mana's blast of water knocks him on his back*
Mana: *raises the tome into the air, causing the tome to glow even brighter* Thundara!!!
*A blast of lightening strikes Sauske, depleting his health very obviously*

Sakura: *appears extremely distraught* Sauske-kun!
Kakashi: Interesting...

Ling: Bring Lan Fan and Fu... to the village first...

Tanya: *quickly changes back to weapons class, narrowly bringing up her now one-handed double-edged sword to block Shadow's blade, and grits her teeth in attempt to hold him off* COULD THOSE TWO BE ANY SLOWER!?!?

*AU Whip uses his blade to smack the kunais out of the air with one hand, but because of his discomfort with the slightly heavier blade, one of them manages to get through and scratch at his health*
AU Whip: Ngh.
*He looks down at the knife, and then back up to Naruto*
AU Whip: ...I have been waiting to kill somebody like you for a long time now.
*Whip takes off headlong after Naruto, ready to swipe clean through the ninja*

*Whip becomes infuriated*
Whip: WHO THE HECK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!?
Van: Hurry Whip! Just go!
*At Van's prompting, Whip twitches and jerks, but gives up and runs to Fu whilst Van struggles with Lan Fan. Together, they hoist the bodyguards up over their diminutive shoulders*
Whip: I swear, if you die out here before giving me that emerald ponytail-!
Van: No time for threats, let's get out of here!
*The both of them begin dragging the bodyguards away*

Naruto: *looks shocked by AU Whip's speed, and is sliced clean in half, before disappearing in a poof of white air, and suddenly five clones are sliding in from all sides and attempting to kick the rabbit up in the air*

Mana: *notices her MP gauge is running low, and bites her lips in slight worry*
Sasuke: *recovers quickly from the blow, and takes advantage of the princess's distraction by attempting to kick her in the air*
Mana: *jumps back in time to dodge the hit, and her tome takes to floating in the air, as she meets Sasuke's blow-for-blow; however, her usual proficiency of taijutsu is lacking than usual due to limits of the game, and she's sent flying by a good punch, her health showing that her defense is quite lacking by the obvious drops* Nnn...! *quickly, she turns herself around in the air, landing on her feet and uses her forearms to block Sauske's kick; despite this, the ninja grabs her arms and pulls her back towards him, landing a solid punch to her gut that sends her flying, and the girl's health depletes quite a bit more*

Tanya: About dang time!
*Tanya's distraction, however, costs her some hit points, as Shadow releases his pressure on his hold, causing her to stumble forward as he disappears behind her and releases a barrage of slashes on her unprotected back. The girl cries out in pain as she's sent flying towards the ground, landing hard, and HP falls dangerously into the red zone*
Shadow: *lands in front of her, his sword gleaming dangerously in front of him* Your distraction will prove futile, child. No matter how much you struggle nor how long you struggle to entertain me as your companions flee, I will claim the emerald, as well as their heads.
Tanya: *grits her teeth and glares determinedly at Shadow, discreetly reaching into her items* If you think... I'll let you hurt my Nii-san... and Mana's boyfriend... *suddenly whips out a <<Materia>> as well as the Chaos Emerald, jumping back* YOU HAVE ANOTHER THING COMING!!

*Tanya casts the Materia, which glows bright with color as the Chaos Emerald shines in conjoined effort, and the Stop spell casted on Shadow is much more powerful and effective than it ought to, as the intended time for it has become 3600 seconds. Tanya falls to the ground, exhausted, but surprisingly notes Ling's tired eyes on hers*

Ling: Neee...~ The Little Bunny did a good job~
Tanya: ... *suddenly finds her boundless energy so she can stand and stomp on the ground* THOSE TWO IDIOTS DITCHED YOU!? *somehow breathes fire from her mouth, dragging herself to Ling and grabbing his hand*
Ling: Ehhh~? Is Little Bunny going to help ole Ling out?
Tanya: I heard people in Xing like to pay off debts! So you better help me out after this!
Ling: ... *grins* Is that what you heard? Little Bunny should clean out her ears~
Tanya: *glared demonically at Ling* I can leave you here for Shadow when he breaks free.
Ling: *waves his hand in the air weakly* Feel free to continue with what you were doing~
Tanya: *mumbles about unhelpful princes before the words: <<Ability Activated! Shadow Escape Art!>> appear over her head, and she disappears without a trace*

AU Whip: Wha-
*AU Whip is ambushed by the five clones and is pushed into the air by all their kicks at once*

*Meanwhile, Van carries Lan Fan just over the river and then breaks, waiting for Whip to join him. The rabbit struggles with every step*
Van: Come on Whip! We're only a few steps to the entrance!
*Whip sputters*
Whip: Easy... -ngh-... for you to say! You're only carrying half of my weight! >A<

*The Naruto clones continuously kick AU Whip higher into the air, and with each hit, yell out a syllable of the young boy's name*
Clones: U! Zu! Ma! Ki!
*suddenly the real Naruto appears in the sky, the words <<Ability Activated!>> visible from above him as he brings down his foot on AU Whip's torso*
Naruto: NARUTO BARRAGE!!

*Mana finds herself falling head first but before she can reorient herself, Sasuke grabs her torso and legs and intends to slam her into the ground with no concerns for her head*
Mana: *eyes flash a bright pink when suddenly a huge torrent of water not only detaches her from Sasuke, but pummels the boy with pressure; however, her preoccupation with the water only results in her falling to the ground just as painfully on her head, and for a worrying moment, the girl does not move after the fall*

*Ahead of them, a small, cozy Japanese-esque house lays in the quiet of the forest, save for the small and healed rabbit jumping up and down ahead of them, waving her hands like crazy*

Tanya: HEEEEY! SLOW POKES! *her huge grin is obvious from the distance* HURRY UP AND GET OVER HERE, YEAH~? MINATO AND KUSHINA ARE SERVING TURNIP SOUP!

*AU Whip is dunked by the ninja straight into the ground, landing with a sickening crack and taking a huge hit from his hit points. He reaches up and pulls himself from the ground, unsteadily holding his blade with both hands, just in time to see Mana hit the ground painfully*
AU Whip: No! Mana!
*He rushes to her aid, temporarily ignoring the threat of the ninjas*

Van: Turnips? Are... turnips even native to-
*An orange blur boosts by him, making a break for the village with a hungry battlecry*
Van: ...O-oh...

Mana: *weakly opens her eyes to look at AU Whip, but judging by her stare as well as her very low health, she's unable to find the strength to move* I...'ll... ...S-Support... from here....

Sasuke: *jumps back to rejoin with Naruto* Hn.
Naruto: *jumps and pumps his fist into the air* Alright! Let's finish this, Sasuke!
Sasuke: Just don't get in my way.
Naruto: As if! You're the one's who's going to get in my way!

Tanya: *grinning knowingly* You have to get Fu and Lan Fan to Kushina first before they'll feed you Nii-san~

*AU Whip nods his head gently*
AU Whip: Right... I'll take it from here.
*He stands up, slowly but powerfully, and approaches the two ninjas closer so as to limit the range of battle away from Mana. Taking up his sword again, he holds it with a single hand, outstretched and challanging the two silently*


*The orange blur passes Tanya again*
Van:... H-hey! wait!
*the blur picks Van up and carries both him and the unconscious body guard as well*
Whip: GET YOUR SPINY RED BUTT IN HERE!

Sasuke: *readies himself in a stance in preparation for the swordsman's attack*
Naruto: *does not take such cautions and simply charges in at AU Whip, a loud battle cry emanating from him* Haaaaaaaah...!!!

Tanya: *grins deviously as he enters the house* I won't regret this at all~

*As Whip enters, the scene reveals Ling happily eating roasted duck who pauses to pleasantly wave at the rabbit. To the corner, a woman with whirlpool gray eyes and clad a green dress with a white undershirt looks to him, her long red hair swishing around her hips. Next to her, a man with blonde spiky hair and blue eyes who bears obvious resemblance to a certain loud-mouthed ninja helps her set up two cots*

Woman: Bring those two over here, 'ttbane.
Tanya: *prances in, grinning hugely* Ne, Nii-san, stop gawking and get Fu and Lan Fan to Kushina-chan and Minato-chan please~!
Minato: *sweatdrops but smiles at the suffix nonetheless*
Ling: *with a mouth stuffed with food as he waves a duck thigh around* Beh kind to mah subhordinates, phlease!

*AU Whip watches the young orange ninja charge towards him, and just as he enters attacking range, the swordsman carefully sidesteps him and with a fluid motion, slams the hilt of his sword into the back of the ninja's head*

*Van gracefully lies Lan Fan down somewhere comfortable and bows to Kushina and Minato*
Van: It's a pleasure to be in your home.
*Whip throws Fu onto Van, who nearly buckles under the weight, and dashes towards the food*
Whip: Turnips! I was promised Turnip food! Where's it at!?

Naruto: *impressively, the boy isn't knocked out from the blow, nor does his health take too much damage, but he does hold his head in pain* Ouch ouch ouch ooooouch'ttebayo...!
Sasuke: *uses the opportunity of Naruto's distraction to attempt to kick AU Whip as his back is turned, but a gust of wind suddenly sweeps him of his feet, fierce gales cutting at him and his skin, to which he takes to shielding himself slightly as he flies*
Mana: *has taken to weakly sitting up despite her terrible dizziness and seems to be crafting something as her tome lays quietly in front of her* This is... pathetic...

Kushina: *yelps as she helps Fu off of Van and places him on the cot*
Ling: *looks at Whip blankly with puffy cheeks filled with food* Turhnips?
Kushina: *suddenly has Whip in her grasp by his neckerchief and her hair is somehow moving like tentacles around her dangerously, reflecting her anger* WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, 'TTEBANE?!
Minato: *sweatdrops and with a nervous smile, weakly reaches out to his wife* K-Kushina...

*AU Whip turns to Mana quickly in surprise*
AU Whip: Mana. Be careful.
*Whip takes advantage of Mana's attack and charges Sasuke quickly, letting his blade scrape against the ground before twisting into a vertical slash towards the young ninja*

*Whip whimpers in fear of Kushina*
Van: H-hey, I'm sure he didn't mean any disrespect... ^^;

Mana: (quietly, as if more to herself than to AU Whip) I can hold my own... *continues creating her potion*
Sasuke: *the hit looks as if it hits, but suddenly his body is replaced with a log and the preteen reappears AU Whip, throwing a giant shuriken at him*

Kushina: *takes notes of Van, and looks surprised, before dropping the poor rabbit* Ne, ne! Look, Minato! He has red hair too!
Minato: *smiles patiently while tending to Lan Fan and Fu's wounds* Kushina, there are other people with red hair, too. Not all of them are Uzumakis, however.
Kushina: *pouts, folding her arms* I'm just saying...
Minato: *glances at Whip with a pleasant smile* I'm afraid we don't have any turnips around here. I'm sure we could find something else for you?

Tanya: *grins cheekily and nudges Van in the side* Ne, ne, they act like you and Mana in the future~ Minato-chan even takes to wearing pink aprons~ *winks at the spiny mobian*

*AU Whip quickly jams his sword into the ground between himself and the giant shuriken in defense, and just as his sword halts the weapon, he leaps over his hilt, grabs the shuriken in his hand, and throws it back at Sasuke. In the same action, he dislodged his sword and leaps after the ninja with a second attack*

*Van smiles and studies the two*
Van: D'you think? But aren't they marri-
*Van's face steams up at the implications, which is just fine, as the second Kushina released him, Whip approached Tanya and is now glaring at her*
Whip: ...You lied to me...

*Interestingly, the shuriken slows as it approaches Sasuke, but suddenly a bolt of lightning hits it and the shuriken surprisingly poofs into a crisp Naruto who plows into the more skilled ninja of the two, and they both fall on the ground*
Sasuke: G-Get off of me, you loser!
Naruto: *coughs out smoke from the hit as his health goes into the red zone* Feh. @A@;;

Mana: *has taken to drinking her potion, and her health gauge goes up slightly, and her dizziness disappears; the progress causes her to take to standing, stumbling a bit as she holds her still throbbing head*

Tanya: *grins* I did~ Now grab some food and lets get out of here soon!
Minato: *blinks in surprise* Leaving so soon?
Tanya: *pouts sulkily* I've got a mean hedgehog ready to kill me...

*AU Whip mercilessly continues to run through the befuddled ninjas, flashing past them both with a single sword strike and appearing silently beyond them*
AU Whip: ...Not even worth the effort~

*Van seems shocked by the news*
Van: He's still following us?
Whip: Considering we now have two emeralds, it's to be expected.
Van: We should leave before we endanger them then!

*AU Whip's attack turns out to be the final one, as the hyperactive ninja's health fall empty, turning the victory over to the challengers from Arcana, much to the ninjas' surprise and displeasure*
Naruto: *doesn't even look worn* EHHHHH!?!?!? H-HOW!?
Mana: *approaches them slowly, but is grinning hugely* I am afraid my spell was of the special variety~ The following attack from my fellow guardian sapped your strength more than it might have on its own. *taps her chin before deciding to rub salt in the wound while smirking slightly* Although, I believe you two would have experienced defeat soon enough, as Sasuke was already quite worn from our combined efforts~
Naruto: *glares angrily at Sasuke* THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!
Sasuke: *returns the glare* My fault!? You're the idiot who got hit by the attack!
Naruto: I DIDN'T SEE YOU DODGING THAT ATTACK EITHER!
Sasuke: Don't put me on your level, loser!
Naruto: WHAT DID YOU SAY!?

*the two begin bickering once again, much to Mana's throbbing head's irritation*

Tanya: *eyes Van with a look that questions his intelligence* Duh, of course! Who do you think I am, letting ourselves put Kushina-chan and Minato-chan in danger longer than we have to?!
Kushina: *puts her hands on her hips, having taken to cooking now that Lan Fan and Fu are bandaged up and on the mend* Tanya-chan, we can take care of ourselves. My husband is the Yellow Flash, after all.
Minato: *smiles humbly as he dons said pink apron and helps his wife with cooking* Dear, I'm not even sure if I could take on Shadow. He happens to be just as fast, if not faster.
Kushina: *rolls eyes*
Tanya: The point is, we'll skedaddle once we get these three losers out of here too. *gestures to Ling and his body guards, the former waving from the bedside of Lan Fan's with more roasted duck in his hands*

*AU Whip too begins to be annoyed by Naruto and Sasuke's bickering as he resheathes his weapon*
AU Whip: Hey, accept your losses with some dignity.
*He approaches Mana's side and crosses his arms*
AU Whip: If you two had stopped working separately to take us, a team, down, then you might've been able to overpower us. As it stands, you lost because you clashed with each other more often than either of us.

*Whip sweatdrops*
Whip: Ugh... do we have to?
Van: Well, it is the right thing to do-
Whip: Hey wait a minute! That's right!
*Whip runs up and snatches Ling's roast duck, stepping onto the cot and holding it over his head*
Whip: You promised me an emerald for dragging your sorry excuses for bodyguards here! Cough it up, Ponytail!

Kakashi: *is somehow next to AU Whip* He's right you two. *sighs* When are you two going to learn how to work together...?
Naruto: Keh! *crosses his arms and looks away* Like I'd work with him!
Sasuke: Tch. *mimics the action but looks the other direction* You'd only get in my way, anyways.
Naruto: *gains an anime vein*
Kakashi: That's enough you two.
Sakura: *looks adoringly at Sasuke* You were great though, Sasuke-kun~!
Naruto: *his bad mood disappears in an instant* Ne, ne, what about me, Sakura-chan~?!
Sakura: *her face sours as she looks at Naruto* You should really stay out of Sasuke-kun's way next time, Naruto.
Naruto: *hit by an arrow and turns sulkily away from her, crying as a fit of depression finds him*

Mana: *a small nostalgic smile finds her in response to their interactions, before she turns to AU Whip with apologetic eyes* Forgive me, Whip, for failing to fight in the final moments of the battle, despite my obvious and obnoxious boasting.

Ling: Little Rabbit already has it~
Tanya: *stomps her foot in exasperation* Stop calling me that! I'M NOT LITTLE! D<
Ling: *grins as he rests his chin on his hands* You remind me of a little alchemist I know in Generation Jurisdiction~

[Elsewhere]
*A short boy with long and braided golden hair gains a very upset expression, as the man in armor with a surprising young voice seems to concernedly look at his companion*
Man in Armor: Nii-san?
Boy: *a little piece of hair that sticks up like an antenna twitches somehow as the boy looks angrily at the distance*...Someone is saying that I'm shorter than a tiny cockroach that eats tiny crumbs.
Man in Armor: *a virtual sweatdrop appears on his armor* O-Oh...

[Currently]
Tanya: *glares at Whip* Yeah! And what were you two doing, ditching him?!
Ling: *gains a sulky expression* (playfully sulky) It was very mean! *takes to hugging Van and weirdly rubbing his face against the spiny possibly feline mobian* Ling doesn't like to be abandoned, Van-san, Bunny Goggles~

*AU Whip ignores the further antics of the young ninjas and addresses Mana*
AU Whip: If I recall correctly, I was the one whom taunted them and proceeded to have my a-... butt kicked.
*AU Whip tilts his head back in good humor*
AU Whip: You're the one who saved us back there. This win was just as much yours as it is mine.

*Whip's face swells angrily*
Whip: DON'T TRY THAT CRAP WITH ME I'LL KICK YOUR BUTT AND LEAVE YOU TO DIE TWICE!
*Van giggles uncomfortably under Ling's hug*
Van: C-can we just call it a mistake and move past it? ^^;

Mana: *moves to rub the back of her head bashfully, but winces at contact* Ow. I guess I shouldn't do that for awhile... 

Ling: *looks like he's about to say something, but notices Kushina and Minato walking towards them*
Minato: So what are you all planning next?

*AU Whip seems concerned by her injury*
AU Whip: Yeah,... don't overexert yourself too much. We should rest before you try anything that heavy again.

*Whip cleans his ear*
Whip: Get the heck out of here before we get mobbed by an angry red-head with a god complex. Same as usual.
*Van sweatdrops*
Van: We have to help Ling's bodyguards, remember?
Whip: What, still?
*Whip sighs in aggravation*

Mana: *shakes her head* Perhaps so... But first... *looks to Kakashi and the other ninjas* Is that all? Are we- *blinks, as if she had a sudden thought, and stands up a little straighter* Have we completed the trials necessary to take our friends?
Kakashi: *seems to be smiling under his mask* Yep! You've successfully completed the tests for now, so you can take your friends.
Mana: *sighs in relief, before curtseying* Thank you for this fight. *looks to Whip* Do we have time to rest? I know you're ill with worry with the thoughts of your Mana, so if must make haste, then... *her eyes seem to strengthen themselves* I will endure what I can to see to it that we make it to Generation Jurisdiction on time.
Sakura: Eh? With that head wound? You won't get too far if your health bar won't go above yellow...
Mana: *blinks in surprise* What impairment do you refer to?
Sakura: Different wounds have different affects. The blow Sasuke dealt you ensures that your health won't go above yellow for another day at the most. Two if you don't rest.
Mana: *frowns deeply* Another day...

Ling: Oi, oi! You can't just expect me to let you guys run off without my bodyguards being in a better condition!
Tanya: *grumbles* I'm with Nii-san. I'm tough, but I don't want to deal with Shadow again. *blinks* Oh. And we have a limited time before he comes after us by the way.

*AU Whip seems to contemplate on things, but as his eyes glance over Mana's yellowed health bar, he shakes his head*
AU Whip: There's... no helping it. I want to save Mana, but I can't let you get hurt while you're concussed like this.
*He turns himself to address Kakashi and the ninja twerps*
AU Whip: Is there anywhere around here that we can rest for the night, until she's feeling better? Preferably somewhere we won't be attacked in the dead of night.

Van: L-limited time?
*Whip cracks his back and hops to his feet*
Whip: It's settled then. Let's officially get the heck out of here. Ponytail and his band of Marauding Elderly Home rejects can take care of themselves!
Van: He's... right there you know...

Mana: *turns attention to the approaching Kenshin and Denzel*
Kenshin: *pleasant smile* I can help with that, actually, that I can~ The villagers oftentimes offers their home to travelers, and one couple has offered their home. Would you like to rest there?
Mana: I do not foresee any qualms with such a proposition. *turns to Whip* Do you?

Ling: Ehhhhh? But little bunny--
Tanya: *turns around with a demonic head*
Ling: ...Tan-Tan, you said you'd heeeelp! You wouldn't leave Minato and Kushina to take care of us with Shadow on our trail, would you?
Tanya: *demonic face goes away* Feeeeehh... How are we supposed to help by standing around here, anyways? -m-
Kushina: You guys could pick up some herbs. Or maybe if you're friends with a Magician or Healer class, they could probably patch up Ling's bodyguards or something.
Tanya: *blinks, and looks to Whip and Van*