Two figures walked along a dirt road, the wind blew softly as bells attached to white parchment chimed on their straw hats. Their clothing could be viewed as odd as it was a black cloak with a red trim along with red clouds and a white trim around the clouds. One of the two figures was in a hunched over position at thigh length to his companion and seemed to drag himself. The other was a man who had platinum blonde hair to coincide with his icy blue eyes, his build was natural. The odd part of him was his hands the palms occasional opened by themselves to view tongues and teeth.
The two walked at a steady slow pace as if they had all the time in the world.
"Sasori my man, when do you think we'll meet up with Zetsu?" the taller one asked the hunched man with a casual tone of voice.
"If my guess is correct we'll be there by this afternoon Deidara but that might not go according to plan" grunted the figure with a deep raspy voice as he looked straight ahead of him.
"Why is that?" yawned the man named Deidara as he placed his hands behind his head.
"Well... this Anbu team that's been following us for the past few miles really irritates me, we're gonna be late. And I hate being late" said Sasori as he stopped in his tracks and faced Deidara who looked down at him with a bored expression.
"You think I didn't know that," said the blonde man raising his fist in an annoyed expression.
Sasori grunted and a metal tail slithered out from behind his clothing shining the morning light.
Kunai we're flung from most angles and the metal tail in response deflected the kunai headed in his own direction, but the rest plunged straight in the other man as he dropped and turned into dirt.
"You jerk! How come you didn't deflect the kunai!" yelled Deidara as he burst from the ground to Sasori's left.
"If you couldn't deflect those weapons you wouldn't have a place in our organization" grumbled Sasori as his iron tail flew and stabbed an incoming enemy straight through his heart.
"How quaint of a Konoha Anbu to launch themselves at me like they're rag dolls, it makes it easier," said the man as he flung the body off into the wilderness.
Looking at his earth clone, Deidara got out of the ground and sighed loudly opening his palm to reveal little gray clay spiders.
"Now here's real art Sasori," said the taller male as threw the clay spiders them. "Let's see how they fair with an open playing field. Katsu!" yelled Deidara as he gave a burst of chakra causing his creations to explode violently.
When the smoke cleared there was a mile long diameter of open ground and no trees to be seen.
"What did you think of that Sasori my man?" said the blonde male grinning ear to ear in satisfaction.
"It's... degrading," said Sasori.
Deidara deadpanned and grumbled about insults to the short man of "he doesn't know art" and "oblivious serial killer."
The trees rustled as the wind picked up blowing leaves around in its own might.
"It seems.. you didn't kill all of those weak tools called Anbu" whispered Sasori.
"Means we'll have some fun after all," said Deidara and began grinning while reaching into his pouch.
The sound of a sword being unsheathed made both men look to the west.
He made his appearance known as he walked into the opening holding a short sword. It was an another Anbu. He wore a grey flak jacket and regular black shinobi pants with tape wrapped at the ankles and neck. The difference from the other Anbu was the silver plating that was placed along his forearm and on top of his arm and his mask was unique, it was a fox. His dull blonde hair was spiky in all different ways and his physique was toned.
"Oh I've heard of you," said Deidara as he retrieved what he was looking for out of his bag.
"And to think, you, the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails proud Anbu from the Hidden Leaf, could stand against us, the Akatsuki?" he said laughing afterwards as he threw whatever was in his hand towards the Anbu who did nothing but watch and stare at the two members of the Akatsuki.
"We recognized you from when we saw your mask" added Deidara as he position his pointer and middle up while the other fingers folded into his palm "Feel my art! Katsu!" he yelled.
The clay humming bird that flew towards close proximity of the Anbu, who remained unflinching, as it exploded right in his face.
"Sasori I thought this guy was supposed to be difficult, his chakra has seemed to be depleted dramatically from that explosion," said Deidara with a glum expression.
Sasori's metal tail sprung forth through the smoke caused by Deidara's explosion and in return the sound of a clash was heard. Sasori's tail relaxed and fell.
The Anbu walked out of the smoke holding three feet of Sasori's tail and his short sword that was coated in elemental chakra.
Withdrawing his severed metal tail the short man focused directly at the Anbu but was still aware of his surroundings.
"Hnn" grunted Sasori.
Hands jutted out from beneath the blonde Akatsuki member, grabbing his ankles and forcing his body underground leaving only his head to remain.
The Anbu continued moving forward as Sasori's eyes lazily followed Deidara being dragged underground by a clone and looked back at the Anbu.
"I knew that rudimentary so-called art couldn't kill you" grumbled the man as his eyes widened in recognition as what was above him.
The short sword plunged into the dirt barely missing Sasori.
"That was a warning" whispered the clone of the Anbu as he landed to Sasori's left.
The original still walked forward as if nothing has ever changed like the two Akatsuki members had never moved an inch.
"Sasori my man, I've got some good news," said Deidara as he smirked "This guy will be blown sky high."
"Deidara don't!" but Deidara gave no acknowledgement to Sasori's warning and activated his clay Jutsu. Centipedes wrapped around the Anbu stopping him in his tracks.
"If you didn't like C4 enjoy some C3!" the Akatsuki member shouted in glee as the centipedes glowed in response causing a large explosion to occur.
"You dolt! He's using the explosions you create as a smoke screen, now we can't see a thing," growled Sasori looking around in all directions.
"Oh, whatever you're just upset because my material didn't get severed by simple elemental chakra" replied the blonde man said shrugging.
"This is not an enemy to take easily," said Sasori.
The sound of splintering wood vertebrate throughout the clearing and Sasori's 'head' flew straight at Deidara catching him off guard.
A figure jumped out of what was known as 'Sasori' but was revealed to be a man named Hiroko.
"So this is what you've been hiding in all this time Sasori of the Red Sand," said the Anbu.
"Does it surprise you Naruto Uzumaki Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox" replied a lighter and higher voice.
The smoke cleared to reveal a red head with his Akatsuki cloak on his body, his face was held a smirk yet held an odd shining onto it. His hands moved ever so slightly the newly named Naruto barely missed it and dodged an incoming blade obviously soaked in poison.
Rushing into the fight, Deidara brought his fist to punch Naruto's face but was caught as was his shin when it was sent to slam into the Anbus gut.
Kunai launched from all sides by mysterious enemy shinobi that Sasori was in control of. Naruto thinking of throwing Deidara's body at Sasori was now stuck in a clay version of the platinum blonde male who had the frozen grin stuck on his face.
The kunai had hit their mark.
A puff resounded through the area as it was indeed a shadow clone, not too later had the boom come later from Deidara's clone exploded.
"Where did he go now!" yelled Deidara looking between Sasori and the area around him.
"He's obviously behind you Deidara if you just use your sensing ability more often," he said as he then frowned at the situation. He could feel the chakra strings being disconnected, his spider web of chakra strings were falling apart.
"How annoying" he muttered as he moved his arms up to move his puppets around to find the source.
"There you are," said Sasori as he maneuvered his puppets to attack an area behind the forest trees.
"Couldn't even come out to truly face us, how pathetic of you" yelled Deidara as a shadow of a figure jumped in the air and landed in front of them.
Iron sand appeared out of nowhere as it swarmed around Naruto holding him still crushing his limbs.
"Do you honestly believe that it would be that easy?" said the Anbu as the iron sand dispersed into the air.
"How surprising, to think you would know Magnet Style," said Sasori as his Third Kazekage puppet appeared behind him in a blur of moments.
"No not exactly," said the Anbu who vanished in a blur of speed and slammed his knee into Deidaras head causing the blonde Akatsuki member to fly into trees.
"Your speed is unquestionable," said Sasori as he looked towards Deidara as he maneuvered his fingers around and senbon launched towards the Anbu.
Naruto blocked all of the senbon but failed to notice kunai being launched at his blind spot. Once the first one knicked his skin he blurred and appeared one hundred feet of Sasoris right.
"Oh what a bore, you're already hit," Sasori said saddened.
"Even if you think your little beast could heal you the poison has connected to each and every one of your cells as it flows through your blood stream, it will paralyze you in about three minutes," said Sasori smiling as Deidara walked out of the clearing one of his sleeves missing.
"I've specially made that poison for Jinchuuriki like you" he added.
"So all we have to do is just play around with you," said Deidara as he launched himself at the Anbu who defended himself.
They matched fist per fist, leg to leg. That's when one of Narutos arms failed to move in the correct position to defend.
Deidara slammed his fist straight into Narutos mask which sent him flying across the dirt.
As Naruto lifted himself up there was something across his face, it was clay.
"Katsu!" yelled Deidara.
The explosion rocketed Naruto into the trees further causing a few trees to fall in response due to the amount of force that flung the Anbu backwards.
When the man came back into clearing his mask was cracked just like a spider web.
"How ridiculous, you couldn't even blow his mask off" said Sasori as he sighed in annoyance.
"He probably reinforced it with his beasts chakra!" replied Deidara gritting his teeth.
"Hey you disgusting freak of nature, why don't you just stop fighting or else we'll just everybody in Konoha!" yelled the blonde man to Naruto
The man just stopped and stared at Sasori and Deidara before him and tilted his head.
"You. Will. Pay." growled a dark voice, it came from Naruto, but it wasn't his light voice he had used only a few times before.
This made the two Akatsuki members freeze as they felt it. A dark cold chakra force rising throughout Narutos body its killer intent was enough to make the other men stare in questioning at the Jinchuuriki.
"Seems like your poison wasn't as potent after all Sasori my m-" that's when Deidara felt it. A blade ran through his stomach as Naruto appeared right behind Deidara his body and short sword covered in red malice-filled chakra.
"You threatened my home" a dismembered arm of Deidaras flew through the air "You killed my men" a leg this time "And worst of all you cracked my mask" the cold voice sent shivers running through Deidaras body as Naruto appeared right in front of possing his sword for Deidaras head.
The sickly sound of a severation head from the body was heard and Sasori just stared at his dead partner, blood soaking the dirt.
"I feel like you should have about a minute left," said Sasori calculating the time when Naruto was hit with the kunai and to now.
"For killing my partner..." said Sasori who now smiled at Naruto " I must thank you because now I have another special piece of art I can make," he grinned, but it faultered as he felt something stab where his life force was.
Purple essence spurted from the center of his body and all over Narutos sword.
"How disgusting," said Naruto as he withdrew his weapon and flicked off the purple blood then resheathed it.
"I couldn't even show you my full power... looks like you've got the best of m..." he then slumped forward and fell face first into the ground.
Naruto then unsealed a large scroll from his arm and tossed it on the ground.
There were thirteen sealed bodies inside that scroll, they consisted of Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, Itachi, Zetsu, Konan, Nagato, and the 6 Paths of Pain. Now he could add two more members Deidara and Sasori. All in a span of one year.
This was his mission from his leader. Danzo Shimura, Fifth Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village.
If it wasn't for the power of the Nine-Tails, Naruto would be a standard Anbu but if he tapped into it, he had the power of a Biju making him as powerful as a Kage. Danzo could control the Nine-Tails leaving him to be utterly defenseless as he would convulse in utter pain if he ever resisted Danzo. He was his slave.
His mission consisted of hunting down the Akatsuki and killing every single member and bringing them to Danzo then the killing would be ove, his life would finally be peaceful.
Tears streamed down his mask as they fell on the dirt, there was not only gain by killing the Akatsuki but also loss.
Naruto then shook his head as he tried to refraim from remembering and sealed away the bodies as they laid staring at the sky.
"What an achievement Uzumaki," said a figure behind Naruto.
Instincts reacted as he resealed the scroll and pulled out his sword in defense stance.
"They couldn't at least damage you" sighed the man. He was in a dark cloak that was hooded over his face, but you could see a mask on the inside; it was an orange mask with a swirl that ended at the right eye.
That's when Naruto froze and simply fell over, unable to move.
"Looks like Sasori did something productive after all," said the man as he chuckled darkly.
"Now let's see what I can do with you. I think, before I seal that Nine-Tails away, we could conduct some expirements, but that can all be avoided if you just unseal that scroll," he said sitting down next to Narutos unmoving body.
"Twitch if you would like to unseal that scroll," said the man.
No movement came and the man knew that Naruto could at least twitch because of the Nine-Tails destroying the neurotoxin as they spoke.
"Expirementation it is then" sighed the man.
Orochimarus Lab
"Now you stay here while I prep Orochimaru, he'll make sure you will... suffer" he then exited the room through teleporation.
'I was so close' thought Naruto 'So close' he added as his memories took over his thoughts.
Flashback
"Fox," said Danzo from his seat in the Hokage Tower, the sun was setting meaning the day was almost over.
A figure appeared silently as an expert Anbu should be.
"Eight long years of training, gruelling missions, emotional detachment, killing every week... would you like that to be over?" asked Danzo as he got up and stared out the window into the village.
"Yes Fifth Hokage, it is my drea-" but Naruto was cut off as a stick slammed into the wood.
"Your dream should consist of serving me until I say otherwise," he said darkly "And after this you will be releaved of duty, become a retired anbu of Konoha."
Naruto bowed "Thank you Fifth Hokage," he said devoiding his tone of much emotion as possible.
"Now your mission will be to... assisinate the Akatsuki and bring their bodies to me." he said as the setting sun glared through the window and into the room.
Naruto stared at the ground as he was still bowing his head, shocked. 'Kill... the Akatsuki...?'
"You will leave tomorrow," added Danzo.
Flashback End
'Damnit it happened again' thought Naruto as he tried to pick his body up but he was still unable to move.
"-e will surely not survive this," said a doctor as he followed a sickly pale man.
"It doesn't matter Madara said I could do anything I wish to do that was painful and this was on the top of my list," said the pale man.
'Orochimaru' thought the blonde as he still couldn't move, he knew it would result in excruciating pain, but he had to pull through for his peace, no more killing once he completed his mission.
"Looks like he's awake," said another doctor.
"Well let's give him a look around," said Orochimaru as he lowered the examination table Naruto was on.
"Take a look around young Uzumaki," he said gleefully as the room he was in was dark and cold, seals litered his body as only his pants and mask remained while seals were drawn everywhere on the ground, the walls, and the ceiling.
"Aren't you excited?! This is the first time traveling jutsu to be conducted that will send you back to the past for about, from what we calculated, fifteen minutes," said Orochimaru. "But no worries it will be so painful you'll black out before you'll even know whats happening and for added measure we've placed some seals around to make sure we can withdraw you once those fifteen minutes are up. Because if we keep you there any longer you'll either become part of that time or you'll vanish."
'But some of these seals, their format and placing are wrong' thought Naruto 'He's going to kill me.'
"All we're going to do now is wake your little beast up so that he can power up the jutsu." and he walked away while scientists scrambled behind him and they were gone.
The intercom then buzzed to life.
"Starting expirement 1,094 in 9... 8..." Orochimarus snake voice was heard as he counted down.
'Maybe this will be all over' Naruto though to himself.
"5... 4... 3..."
'My existance has been futile' thought Naruto as he began crying.
"2..."
'And now it will all be over'
"1"
Glowing red chakra expoded out of Narutos seal powering up the seals around Naruto as the Anbu looked at his surroundings in fear as to what would happen.
"ITS WORKING" yelled Orochimarus voice in maddening joy.
Naruto felt a strange pull from underneath him as if he was being pulled out of existence itself.
That's when all hell broke loose.
"No.. this can't happen. The seals! You idiots! You placed them incorrectly!" screamed the pale man as he killed the scientests next to him.
Thats when Naruto Uzumaki blacked out.
Inside Narutos Seal
The area where the Nine-Tails was a green meadow that had one giant willow tree with a creek that surrounded it. The Nine-Tails was currently rampaging in his Bijuu form creating Tailed Beast Bombs one after another, but the landscape kept reforming once it was obliterated.
"The Snake. I'll strangle that sick psychopath!" screamed the Nine-Tails in a deep demonic voice.
"Just calm down my old friend," said Naruto as he, even in his mindscape, wore his mask.
"Calm down?! You, meaning WE, almost died!" he yelled louder and red chakra surrounded the beasts form and he seemed to shrink smaller and smaller till he was in his human form.
Naruto seemed to have caught on with what the Nine-Tails was saying "You mean we're in the past?" he whispered as he sat in the tall grass exasperated.
Long blood red hair formed into a spiey ponytail that had a handsome face with a sharp angular jaw. His eyes were red and slitted and had the traditional whisker marks on his cheeks. His body was covered in a traditional male kimino that was black while he sat down in the tall grass alongside his friend.
"Obviously, thats why you are in here and not out there screaming in pain. I pulled you in, only for a little while, to keep you from... attracting any further attention" the Nine Tails said as he looked towards the sky.
Naruto looked at the man "So we've been dicovered."
"Yes, ironically by Konoha ninja," he said as he closed his eyes.
Naruto Uzumaki layed backwards in the softy grass and wondered what was happening with his body at that moment.
Outside Narutos Seal
A ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village flung from tree to tree in a great haste."Who are you and why are you like this" he muttered to himself as he sped off to the Hidden Leaf Village holding a teenager no less that had muscles torn off, blood caked the left side of his body, limbs bent in awkward angles, clothes basically rags but still, somehow, he had a pulse.
And a mask that refused to come off.
That annoyed him the greatest.
'Just hold on.'