Over 17 years ago

Third Great Ninja War

Making his way to provide aid for his shinobi allies at a location under attack by 50 Hidden Stone shinobi, Minato hears screams coming 5 miles from his right and decides to investigate it. Arriving, to his surprise, he finds enemy Hidden Rock shinobi being dispatched by a lone warrior, each one going down with just a single blow.

The warrior wore a dark-blue gi, the sleeves removed. He had red hair, sharp, pointed teeth, wore brown sandals, a length of rope at his waist and over his hands. His skin was tan, eyes a crimson red, and he wore prayer beads around his neck, with a visible black "heaven" (天, ten) kanji on the center bead.

The final Hidden Rock Shinobi lets out a scared but angry shout as he charged at him and prepared a downward swing with his sword. Swinging down, the shinobi only cuts air as the warrior appears behind in a "gliding" motion and killed him with a quick kick to the left side of his head.

"I know you're watching..." Minato, knowing he can't escape the situation he got himself in, jumps down from the tree branch he was standing on and lands behind the warrior, who turns to face him.

"You...Are you an ally?" asked Minato. The warrior tells him he was no ally to anyone and that he was only here to fight warriors worthy enough to give him a challenge.

"These ninjas interrupted my training, so I killed them...Hmmm..." Without warning, the warrior launched a ball of dark ki at Minato, who simply used Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder to erect a barrier space that warps it away and directs it to another location marked by his jutsu formula. "As expected from "The Yellow Flash."

"You've heard of me?"

"The fastest shinobi in the world. To think I won't need to make my way to the Hidden Leaf to challenge you..."

"And you are?"

"I am Akuma, the supreme master of the fist!" The warrior known as Akuma gets into a battle stance as he tells Minato, "Show me your power that earned you your title!"

"...It seems that I can't back away from this fight. Very well, however, I can only spare three minutes," he told the warrior, telling him he had people who needed him, and a wife waiting for him back home. "That's how much time I am willing to fight you. Can you promise me you'll let me go if I fight you and survive until the limit expires?" As they exchanged glares, Minato wondered if he could finish the fight before the three minutes were up, or survive it. From the energy that was leaking out of Akuma, he could tell he was strong, but how strong...was unknown to him. Did this Akuma have any limits?

"I accept your terms," he told Minato, the latter thanking him, thinking the opponent before him was honorable enough to allow the fight to be limited, as he took out a kunai and got into a fighting stance of his own. The battle was one of the most intense Minato ever fought. Akuma's fists could shatter his bones if they hit him once, nearly avoiding them with his speed, coupled with his Flying Thunder God Technique. Akuma could also predict his every move before it could ever be executed. Neither he or Minato showed any signs of fatigue as they clashed. Finally, three minutes were up. Akuma found himself close to using the Raging Demon on Minato, the latter close to using Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique to switch places with a shadow clone, a Rasengan in hand. Knowing how the fight would end, the two exchange smirks as they stop fighting, the Rasengan dispersing in the blond shinobi's right hand, his clone disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Three minutes..." said Minato.

"As promised, I will allow you to leave," said Akuma, who turns to walk away from Minato. "However...I intend to settle this fight at a later time. Until then, I look forward to the next time we exchange blows, Minato Namikaze." As soon as the warrior left, Minato resumed his mission.

Over 17 years later

Elsewhere

With Sasuke

A week ago

Akuma performs a Goshoryuken (Great Rising Dragon Fist) on Sasuke's humanoid Susanoo, shattering its chest before firing two Hadokens at it, further damaging it. As the Susanoo slowly repairs itself, Sasuke clutched his eyes in pain, having yet to adjust to Itachi's eyes.

"This guy, he's too fast for Amaterasu, and every blow is capable of breaking through Susanoo...just who is he? Is he even human?" Sasuke wondered as he glared daggers at the fighter.

"So disappointing...To think you're the younger brother of Itachi." The Uchiha's eyes widened when Akuma made it known that he knew his older brother. "Itachi's skills far exceeded yours, even as his life slowly faded away as we fought, emerging victorious in our fight...I have heard much about you. How you killed Orochimaru, attacked the Kages, and killed Danzo. With all this overwhelming power you possess with the Sharingan, to think this is all you can do. To see how the cursed Uchiha Clan have fallen..."

"SHUT UUUUP!" Sasuke yelled, his chakra flaring up as his Susanoo quickly repairs itself and goes into its armored form, using Blaze Release: Susanoo Kagutsuchi, unleashing a volley of Magatama-shaped projectiles of flame from the orb in the avatar's right hand that flies towards Akuma, who simply gathered his ki in between his hands.

"Messatsu Gou Hadou: Ungyou (Annihilating Great Surge: Closed-Mouthed Form)!" Akuma thrusts his hands forward as he launched a large beam of dark ki at Sasuke, destroying his Susanoo and wounding the Uchiha before the black flames could ever reach him.

"Your overuse of those eyes have made your attacks slower. That's why you lost..." Akuma said to Sasuke as he approached the latter, who was lying on his stomach, having used up nearly all of his chakra. His body was slightly burned by the dark ki attack the fighter used. "Pathetic. Is this the only challenge you could offer me, Sasuke Uchiha? You were just like any other who has fallen to me - The Master of the Fist. You are not even worthy of being killed by Akuma..." Sensing a presence coming from behind, he narrowly avoids being grabbed by his attacker, revealed to be Madara Uchiha.

"Who are you?" asked Madara, narrowing his eye at the Master of the Fist. Akuma said nothing as he turned and leapt away, hearing Sasuke yell for him to get back and fight him again, though the fighter ignored his request.

"That man..." Walking over to Sasuke, he told him he was right when he said the young Uchiha (Sasuke) wasn't ready to go out, having yet to adjust to Itachi's eyes. "After we get you fixed, once more, I will remind you to stay at the hideout and wait until your body adjusts to your new Sharigan because if you don't... should you disobey my orders and have a problem like this happen again...I won't save you."

With Akuma

Walking along a quiet dirt road, Akuma wonders how long it's been since the fight he had with Minato. He was angry to hear that the Yellow Flash had been killed along with his wife while protecting the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox. He only returned to the Ninja Nations after hearing of Sasuke's exploits, wanting to test the Uchiha's strength.

"Perhaps it would've been a mercy to end his life instead of sparing it...Hmmm?" Going by his instincts, Akuma moves to his next fight.

Recap

Naruto Uzumaki had returned to the Hidden Leaf Village after about 3 years, following his fight with Sasuke Uchiha at the Valley of the End, which resulted in his loss as well as the loss of his powers. Finding out from Deidara that the Akatsuki had aided the Black Spider Ninjas with the attack on the Hayabusa Village, which resulted in the death of Kureha, Naruto vowed to kill the Akatsuki, having killed Deidara, Sasori, and Kakuzu in cold blood (Hidan meeting his end at the hands of Xenovia (Pre-High School DxD), who is dispatched by the Church to eliminate him, having killed some exorcists for Jashin, destroying his immortal body with Durandal's holy power before he could kill Asuma, whom he was fighting at another location, unknown to Naruto and Shikamaru's knowledge)

However, in giving in to his anger of loss, Naruto's soul slowly became corrupted by the Satsui no Hado along with the Nine-Tailed Fox's influence, forcing Tomoe, Kureha's friend, to seal his ability to use ki until he can learn to overcome his anger. As he and his team, along with Team Kurenai went after Itachi in hopes of finding Sasuke, Jiraiya infiltrated the Hidden Rain Village in order to gain more info on Pain, only to meet his end at the hands of the Akatsuki leader, who reveals himself as a former disciple of his, Nagato. As this was going on, Naruto met with Itachi, who reveals that he did not participate in the attack and had tried to save Kureha, the shrine maiden dying in his arms. After apologizing for not saving her, Itachi managed to convince Naruto not to continue his path of vengeance, telling him Kureha wouldn't have wanted her death to be the reason for his anger before having a crow fly into the blond's mouth.

This attempt to change Naruto would prove futile when he returns to the village and learns of Jiraiya's death, vowing to kill Pain/Nagato, making sure his death was slow and painful. Knowing he couldn't fight Pain the way he was now, Jiraiya's master, Fukasaku, decided to teach him senjutsu. After mastering the art, Naruto returned to the now-destroyed Hidden Leaf, where he faced off against Nagato's Six Paths of Pain. While he destroyed five of the six, the final one, Deva, managed to overpower him and had almost captured him, if not for Momiji's interference. Quickly, Momiji was defeated and "killed" in front of Naruto, her seeming death breaking the jinchuuriki, causing him to go into a Satsui no Hado-enhanced Tailed Beast Version 2 state.

After coming close to unleashing the Nine-Tails, Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage, appears in front of his son and convinces him not to kill Pain, revealing that he was but a "victim" of loss like him, restoring the seal before disappearing. Having overcome the Satsui no Hado, along with his anger, Naruto fights Deva Path again, having regained his use of ki and overpowering the Deva Path, finishing him with his new technique, Ninpo: Dragon Rasengan. After Deva Path is defeated, Naruto locates Nagato and Konan and listens to his story before giving him his answer on peace for the Ninja Nation, telling him that, while he agrees that it was something far out of reach, it wasn't impossible to achieve, telling him he'll be the one to bring peace to the Ninja Nation before telling Nagato that, while he couldn't forgive him for what he did, he wouldn't kill him, respecting his father's wishes.

Hearing Naruto's answer, along with his vow to bring peace to the Ninja Nation, Nagato uses Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique, sacrificing his own life to revive all the people he had killed in Konoha. Returning to the village, after creating a memorial for Jiraiya, Naruto, being carried by Momiji, having survived the battle, was greeted as a hero by the villagers, having his dream of acknowledgment being realized at last. Naruto, after so long, finally forms a genuine smile in the Hidden Leaf for the first time. Following his victory, Tomoe visits Naruto and gives him an orb that contained Kureha's energy (chakra and ki), merging it with his energy to further strengthen him.

With the village in need of repairs, Naruto, wanting to repay the village for fighting to protect his whereabouts, calls Saki Tenjouin to cash in on a one-time favor, who dispatched several workers to Konoha to help with rebuilding the villages and make it better than before. At the same time, Rin Kujou arrives at the Ninja Nation at last, not only to oversee the construction but to see Naruto and write a report about the insects of the Aburame Clan.

As Tsunade is left in a coma, following Pain's Invasion, Danzo is appointed as a candidate for the Sixth Hokage, the leader of Root ordering Sasuke to be killed as a traitor. After taking a beating for Sasuke, which Rin interfered, she, the blond, Yamato, and Kakashi went to the Land of Iron, so that Naruto could ask the Fourth Raikage to pardon Sasuke. Upon arrival, the Raikage rejected Naruto's request, even with Kakashi and Yamato's assistance and berated him for defending a criminal, to the point where Naruto was forced to fight the Kage over their conflicting choices, managing to fight on equal grounds with A, even land a few good blows, using his newfound control over his ki, though it served to hurt A's pride, the Raikage remaining adamant in his choice to kill Sasuke.

Following this, Naruto went to a local inn to ponder his next course of action but was soon confronted by Tobi, who wanted to understand Nagato's change of heart. Naruto ignored the question and demanded to know about his plans with Sasuke. After laughing at Naruto's resolve to save Sasuke, Tobi left, though not before telling him that the two were fated to fight again. After a meeting with Sakura, Rock Lee, Kiba, and Sai where Sakura attempted to dissuade Naruto in his attempts to bring Sasuke back to Konoha by falsely telling him that she loved him, Naruto, aware that she was lying, rejected her confession and her proposal to abandon Sasuke, letting them leave.

After Sakura's party left, Sai's ink clone revealed that the rest of the Konoha 11 had decided to kill Sasuke themselves to prevent another war, while Sakura planned to kill Sasuke herself, at Sai's unintended insistence. Gaara, who attended the Five Kage Summit that Sasuke attacked, Rin being caught up in it while out sightseeing, arrived and revealed Tobi's declaration of the Fourth Great Ninja War, telling Naruto how they would be fighting Sasuke to protect Naruto, advising him to consider for himself what was the right thing to do. After hearing that most of his friends have turned against Sasuke, who now wanted to unleash his vengeance on just about everyone, Naruto hyperventilated and passed out.

In his dream, Naruto was approached by a mysterious woman named Viola (Soul Calibur series), who asked him how strong his resolve was before disappearing, though not before telling him she was looking forward to seeing his progress. Waking up from the "dream", he was told by Yamato that Kakashi went to stop Sakura from dealing with Sasuke.

Using a shadow clone as a decoy, Naruto escaped from the inn and followed Kakashi, arriving just in time to save Sakura from being killed by Sasuke. He tried once more to reason with Sasuke, sympathizing with his pain and acknowledging Itachi's sacrifice. However, Sasuke, unmoved, declared his resolve to destroy Konoha and sever the Uchiha's connection to the ninja nation. After a brief clash with the Uchiha, Naruto was given a choice by him: kill or be killed. Naruto chose neither, just as Tobi and Zetsu arrived and prepared to depart with Sasuke. Naruto resolved that if he and Sasuke were to battle again, it wouldn't be to kill him but to save him. As he disappeared, Sasuke vowed to kill Naruto first before the blond and his teammates returned to Konoha, with the captive Karin. After Naruto explained the situation to his friends and asked to fight Sasuke alone, he found himself determined to get stronger for their upcoming battle.

As Naruto was about to eat at Ichiraku, he was suddenly summoned back to Mount Myōboku by Fukasaku, appearing before the Great Toad Sage, who told him that he would meet an "octopus" and would battle a "young man with powerful eyes." When Gerotora was summoned to give Naruto the "key" to the Eight Trigrams Seal, Naruto knew he would need the Nine-Tails' power for the battles to come and accepted the key before he was sent back to Ichiraku.

Unaware that the five Kage were planning to keep him from the upcoming war for his safety, Naruto was tasked with traveling to a remote island in the Land of Lightning for a mission, with Yamato, Might Guy, Aoba Yamashiro, Momiji, Rin Kujou, and other Konoha-nin to keep him company. As they traveled by boat, they caught and ate a giant marlin, battled pirates (Black Cat Pirates from One Piece), fought and killed a what was supposed to be the "Ultimate Summoning Beast", and beat the crap out of two guys for identity theft. Naruto even fought a beautiful kunoichi named Shizuka, convincing her to rethink her destiny, though this results in the kunoichi falling for him, though he remained oblivious to this.

Arriving at their next stop, the Land of Springs, the group decides to take a break as they wait six days for the boat that will take them to the Island Turtle to arrive, deciding to unwind, and release stress.

Now

[Naruto OST 1 - Naruto Main Theme]

Land of Springs

Private Beach

Morning

Naruto, wearing a pair of toad-themed swimming trunks and orange-rimmed sunglasses, clashed fists with Momiji, who wore a red, string bikini with a magnolia in her hair. The two were fighting on top of the water's surface as Rin, Guy, Aoba, and Yamato, wearing swimwear of their own, watched them spar from the patio, having a nice breakfast prepared for them by the daimyo's servants.

"First morning here and they start it off with training. Such dedication!" said Guy, Rin and the others saying nothing as they took a sip from their respective glasses. "I should join them in their training and-"

"Guy-san, it's not nice to interrupt them while they're sparring," said Rin, telling him how it's been a while since Naruto was able to enjoy himself like this and hang out with Momiji, the two having been through so much. "You can have your chance later. Right now, let's just watch them for now."

Kicking Naruto in the chest with both feet, Momiji launched herself in the air and performs a backflip as she weaves hand signs and performs the Autum Flame technique, launching a large crimson fireball at the blond. Thinking fast, Naruto kicks up a large amount of seawater and uses his ki to freeze it into ice, shielding him from the attack before performing a giant leap towards the shrine maiden, Rasengan in hand. Momiji puts her arms in front of her as she raises her ki and forms a transparent red shield in front of her, protecting her from the spiraling chakra sphere. Land on the beach water's surface, Momiji's feet skid back on it as Naruto lands, both he and his "sister" exchanging competitive smiles. They quickly close the distance to clash fists once more.

"Tell me, how does Naruto know the daimyo of this land?" asked Rin, curious.

"Naruto and his team, back when Sasuke was still in Konoha, were tasked with protecting her from her uncle, who wanted to unlock a treasure within this island, which turned out to be three large heat generators. Originally, this land was called the Land of Snow, but since Naruto managed to fix and improve upon the generators before Team 7 left, it's now called the Land of Spring," Yamato told her. "Because of Naruto, we're able to sit back and enjoy ourselves for free." After the servants finished setting up a large breakfast feast, Rin calls out to the blond and Momiji, telling them breakfast was ready. Stopping their sparring session, the two head to the patio to eat, having worked up a large appetite.

[Music End]

With his fork, Naruto takes four breakfast sausage links and stuffs them in his mouth before stuffing it some more with scrambled eggs and chewing the food in his mouth, washing it down with a glass of orange juice after. Momiji had a plate of 14 stacked chocolate chip pancakes in front of her she quickly covers in syrup and enjoys. Finished with his plate, Naruto partakes in a plate of strawberry crepes and a chocolate muffin as a servant refills his glass.

"Naruto, tell me, you seem more fired up than usual," Rin told him, asking the blond what has him feeling that way as he stops to look her in the eye, mouth full of food. Swallowing, Naruto sips his drink before getting up from his seat and walking over to the balcony to look at the sea.

"Sasuke is out there, getting stronger as we speak. Pai-...Nagato was strong, no doubt. It took everything I had to stop his Six Paths of Pain. I need to get stronger so I can prepare myself for the day when Sasuke and I fight again. What's more, with Madara, Kisame, and Zetsu out there, plotting how to take the Kyuubi from me, I can't stay at the level I am now. Eventually, I'll need to control the fox inside of me if I want to stand a chance against Madara and Sasuke...And even when all's said and done, who knows what other sorts of threats are out there in the world. Thinking about it just...makes my ki flare up!" After saying that, Naruto clenched his fists as he released a small burst of orange ki that surprises them.

"Naruto, keep your ki under control," Rin told the blond. Realizing this, Naruto turned red as he powers down and apologized to them. "I'm glad you want to seek newer heights, but make sure you don't go overboard and burn yourself out. The worst you can do is let out that demon fox of yours, after having your seal repaired several days ago."

"Duly noted as always," Naruto told Rin.

"If you want, Guy and I can spar with you after breakfast, if you want." Guy jumps in after Rin finished speaking, telling Naruto how he was looking to fight him in his Sage Mode.

"I can spare some time to spar with you after breakfast, Kujou-senpai. As for Bushier Brows-sensei...You'll have to wait for tomorrow. Momiji wants to go see the land's generators after lunch and check out the land's festival after." Understanding, Guy decides to run 500 laps around the land.

"Since you're going to be training with Rin, I'm going to go for a nice swim." Hearing this, Naruto tells Momiji if some guys hit on her, let him know, showing his protective younger brother side. "I'll be fine, Naruto, you don't need to worry about me, okay?"

"Okay..." As Momiji left, Yamato suggests he follows Naruto and Rin, though the latter assures him they'll be okay and that she'll make sure the Kyuubi doesn't break out.

A few minutes later

"So she's both the daimyo of this land and an actress. How does she balance both roles?" asked Rin, she and the blond finding a spot to spar at.

"Beats me, though I am sure that she has people working a schedule for her that's both reliable and not so overbearing," Naruto responds, walking behind his senpai.

"...Oh, I almost forgot, how's it going between you and..."that girl?" Naruto turns red, knowing who she was referring to. With a smile, Naruto told Rin they were on speaking terms again and that she was out handling some "clan-related problems" involving DOATEC. "That's nice to hear...Do you plan on telling her how you feel?"

"I'm...working on it...I am sure that I can muster the courage to, hoping she doesn't laugh at me."

"You'll be fine, Naruto. You just have to be yourself. Nothing more, nothing less...This spot should be fine."

[Super Street Fighter IV - Theme of Chun-Li]

Rin and Naruto stop as the former turns around and prepares her shinai. "It's time you show me how much stronger you've gotten, Naruto."

"I was constantly waiting for the day you and I fought again, Kujou-senpai," Naruto said with a smirk as Rin lightly smiles at him.

"A little warning, I easily handled your friend Sasuke during his attack at the Five Kage Summit, so be prepared." Naruto tells her he has no reason to hold back on her, knowing full well that Rin never stopped training and has become stronger.

"I look forward to seeing how strong you've gotten, Kujou-senpai," said the now-smirking Naruto, Rin moving her left foot back as she imitates Iaido-style.

"Alright...HERE I COME!"

TO BE CONTINUED...