Dreams, To Belong
What did it mean to belong to a world? Naruto had the question playing tag with his thoughts. For long so, he had searched, looked for a place he could call him. He had gone to Uzushio, there was nothing but destruction. The situation there was just maddening. He had not felt at home, he did not belong. When the Sandaime Hokage held him up in his hands and presented him a hero, Konoha had hated him. The Leaf had wished for him to be killed. It had rejected him. He did not belong there. So where did Naruto Uzumaki belong? Perhaps Obito's new world would make him realize his home and help him see things differently. It was the perfect world, he would belong. Perhaps.
"It's rather interesting that you who deny other people an existence would deeply think about a place to belong," Kurama said to Naruto.
Perhaps that was true and he was filled with nothing but blatant hypocrisy. But he did not care. He was not in this world to please anyone. He was not in here to make jokes and satisfy the world with whatever it wanted. He was openly a selfish person who only took thought of 'right' when it suited him. He may end up fighting for a better world but it had nothing to do with anyone but him. He could even force chaos into this world just to satisfy his curiosity.
"Are you complaining about your freedom? You don't belong in me but I am keeping you here. There are people that probably wouldn't want this dream world because they feel they belong to this world, but they will still be forced to see this world," Naruto said. "But you must understand part of my nature; I am selfish."
Kurama snorted with disgust. "You humans are cruel. And you call me a demon," he said. "We'd be at peace if you did not live in this world."
Naruto wagged his index finger. "This is the human world. Perhaps we are just not considerate to those we live with…" he paused for a moment before shaking his head. "Nature caters for all things that walk, crawl and fly. Perhaps my claim to say this is the human is wrong. The world is for everyone and everything that lives within it – we just have a superiority complex and we enforce it."
The blond turned his attention away from the Kyubi. He had arrived in land. He had no travelling documents. Why didn't he think of it before he even came here? Without those documents, he won't be able to get through the gates. He just had to sneak into the village. Naruto docked his ship along the mist that surrounded the rocky terrain.
Once the ship was safe, he stepped onto a large rock and looked ahead. He could see nothing far ahead because of the mist – this was just like being stuck in a genjutsu. If he did not have the Sharingan, the naked eye would have been naturally useless. He could as well gorge it out. This was not just called the Hidden Mist for nothing. But he still had to travel a small distance to reach the village itself. This was just the Land of Water. He unfolded his map and programmed it on his mind before burning the piece of paper.
"I hope you get captured."
Although slightly amused by this wish from the Bijuu, Naruto was very much aware that he could indeed end up getting captured. If such does occur, he would be in trouble. But Obito would come to rescue him, even if it meant that he had to raise hell in the Mist. He'd done it before; he could do it again.
Naruto moved quickly for about an hour while still covered in the mist. It was ridiculously dense. At this point, it looked like a dark cloud pregnant with rain drops had decided to descend to the ground, having been bored in the sky and it decided to come here make people get lost within its belly.
He came to halt when he saw something: A kunai flashed past him and imbedded on the ground just in front of him. He realized there was an explosive tag and leapt into the air, going backwards. The tag exploded into a cloud of flames. The flames seemed to eat away the mist around it.
Naruto was forced to fold his hands across his face when a shinobi appeared above him. The man slammed the back of his foot into his defense with so much strength that Naruto's defense let up. He was still not hit on his face as the force of the kick sent him crashing down. Naruto managed to balance himself. He crashed on a rock with both his feet, knees bent to support the rest of his body. The rock burst into chunks of debris the moment his feet slammed into it.
The blades of the Sharingan spun around as it sensed movements: Two men flashed on both his sides. They twisted around simultaneously while one foot picked up from the ground. Naruto saw what was coming and fell backwards while stretching out both his hands. Kicks from both sides collided just above him before he could even hit the ground with his back. He grabbed both legs and released a pulse of lightning. The lightning coursed through the two nins, in the blink of an eye, rooting them to where they stood.
Naruto stood up, and grabbed one of the men on his shoulders and used him as balance to propel himself into the air. He stood upside down, using the man as balance. Naruto then bent his arms slightly and propelled himself into the air, while doing so; he slammed a brutal punch on the head of the man below him, before withdrawing a kunai. He flung it towards the second man. It hit him straight between his eyes but he burst into a puddle of water.
He sensed two chakra signatures moving towards him in blinding speed. In his position, he couldn't do much. He brought both hands behind him and folded his legs. His eyes met the man charging from the front. The Sharingan spun quickly, trapping the man in a genjutsu. He kicked the air before he could reach him. When the second one reached him, Naruto was guided by the sharingan to grab the leg aimed on his back. He grabbed it around the ankle and released a small burst of electricity, shocking the man. When gravity started to pull him down, he held firmly onto his opponent, and pulled him closer to him.
He used the man as cushion before they crashed into the ground. Naruto quickly stepped on the man's throat before holding up both his hands. "I am not here on bad intentions," he said loudly. "Please listen to me. I am just a wandering shinobi!"
These were Mist shinobi. If he ended up killing one of them, he would not be able to enter the village and move freely. If he could diffuse the situation, then he would. But still, who attacks without even saying anything? Were they just given orders to kill anyone in sight? This was not what he expected to see. It certainly felt the security that was in Amegakure; That was the lions den. You can enter, but you would not get out. Nagato killed all spies without asking questions. Ame was notorious for this. It was no wonder people thought it was still in a civil war.
Ao stepped out from where he hid. It looked like this brat had seen him already. He was a brat and yet seemed to get be better of three skilled shinobi. It was truly a sad state of affairs. But it could not be helped could it, the brat was using the Sharingan. Even in this mist, those eyes could see. It was probably just barely though. The Byakugan had better vision in such situations, especially since this mist was not made from chakra.
"Let him go," Ao ordered in a hardened tone.
Naruto stared at the man for a moment. His eyes shifted around for a moment as if sensing if there was another surprise attack. When he was satisfied, brought his hands down and stepped away from the man.
"That was dangerous," Naruto said lightly. "Someone could have died and our day could have been ruined."
"Not mine," Kurama said. "Admittedly, when I see you crush your opponents, it does please me. I am the strongest, and when my host displays strength, I am happy. I would appreciate it if you used more of my chakra though. You released me because you have use for it, right?"
'There must be a minimum level that one must reach for me to even consider that,' Naruto said calmly before returning his attention to Ao.
"We cannot talk you here. If you have not come for trouble, you will come with us so that we can ask you some questions," Ao said in a hardened tone.
No doubt they were willing to use force to drag him to the village. He wondered if shinobi can be trustworthy in such situations. "If you are satisfied, you will let me go?"
"We just have to ensure that we don't let dangerous people into our village," Ao said. "If we discover that you are not here for bad intentions, we will let you go. You have my word."
Naruto nodded. "Fine then," he said.
"Are you sure you should be letting Naruto run loose?" Zetsu asked Obito was sitting by the large entrance that houses thousands of many white Zetsu clones.
Obito eyed Black Zetsu for a moment before looking down at the clones. They were white, his personal army of mindless creatures that would follow his orders. If he wanted to unleash them, he could do it now. There would be war. But he was not interested in war this time. He just wanted to get things ready to begin with everything and finally see Rin. He would see her in eternal dream. This world would cease to exist and the perfect world would come to life.
Naruto was going to help him do it. He didn't know about the future events but he could figure out certain things. He had no ability predict things. Neither did Madara. The man had been able to predict things he had manipulated. Perhaps Naruto was starting to turn into the Uchiha by desiring to manipulate certain events. He did not have the power but he could move this world. He could manipulate things in any village to suit his understanding and he was still just a boy.
"I spoke him. As long as the Jinchuriki remain, I do not care about what happens to this world," Obito said. "We just have to make sure Naruto does nothing that will move the Jinchurikis from their position. It would create a problem for us if that happens."
They'd already prepared all things. They knew locations of all but two Jinchurikis. They would begin the hunt once things were settled. This world could be at war, Obito would not care. The Bijuus could be collected. If Nagato fails, he could take the Rinnegan and do it himself. For now, there was no reason to think that Nagato would not do the work for him.
"Where is he now?"
"Lost track him after he left the Fire Nation," Black Zetsu said. "White Zetsu is searching for him."
"Keep an eye on things and ensure he doesn't go overboard. Intervene if there is a need to do so," Obito instructed.
Kiri
"Please sit," Ao said in a hardened tone, his face expressionless. "We are not going to use any hard methods, we will just talk but if you lie to us, we will know."
Naruto wondered when he had become such a kind person that he would allow this nonsense to continue. This man who was sitting across him, that plastic expressionless mask, the implanted Byakugan, it did not make him nervous. Compared to what he has faced, this was a game children played in the park and yet he was indulging it. He could raise hell and see how Kiri reacts. But that was not the reason he came here. While he did things conveniently, acting rashly may come back to bite him on his tiny behind. He was still young, he didn't need his face put on posters in all villages before he could even freely enjoy the joys of this treacherous world.
For the fun of it, Naruto contemplated folding his hands and putting his feet on the table. It would make things very interesting. But another side of him shot the idea down. He decided to satisfy his curiosity about the behaviour of people in such situations and if there could be a difficult problem. If there was such, could it even be solved without fighting?
"Please talk," Naruto said. "I have a couple of days I want to spend in this village; I want to enjoy them all."
"Listen here brat; we are interrogating you, not fooling around!" Another shinobi who was standing said curiously at Naruto's careless attitude.
Naruto glanced at the man with a raised eye brow. Was he a child that he should be afraid for being shouted at? This killing intent that was being directed at him, it was even pathetic. His senses could not even define it as danger. If such a person threatened him, he would probably react once he has attempted to stab him because his corrupted instincts refused to acknowledge killing intents from small fish swimming in a fish tank.
"How should I act? Please forgive me, I have never been in this situation before, so I don't know I should act. Should I start just talking about what I ate last night? Should I beg for mercy?"
"He is fooling with us Ao-sama. We should just send me in the torture chamber. He thinks because he has the Sharingan he can act this way."
Ao refused to be amused but one thing was for certain, Naruto was not joking – he was actually dead serious. They were truly dealing with a kid, a bold kid. He was not afraid of this situation. He hadn't been afraid when he was attacked. He hadn't even lost his composure back then. He hadn't stopped because he was losing. He stopped it when his right foot was on one of his shinobi's throat.
He was a brutal kid.
Ao cleared his throat, his serious expression turning on. "Just answer the questions honestly. There is no need to act anything," for some reason, he found himself saying those words.
Naruto nodded. "Is that how people work? Do you just try to kill someone without asking questions?"
"We are the ones asking the questions," Ao said, releasing his killing intent but Naruto did not even twitch. Those barely opened blood red eyes, did not even narrow. It was as if he the blond didn't even feel his intent. "That is not how things usually go but those guys are still in training. They attack first before talking. Besides, you were sneaking into our village… That is why you were attacked."
"I thought I would move without anyone knowing. And I will admit, I was trying to sneak into the village," Naruto said with a small smile.
"Why?"
"I figured I would not be allowed into the village because I did not have my papers. I have been turned around before for not having any documents."
Ao looked sceptical but he could not detect if the blond was lying. "Who are you anyway? You are not Uchiha even though you possess the Sharingan."
"What makes you say that?"
"There are no blond Uchihas."
"True," Naruto said with a nod of his head. "I could say I am like you. Yes, I am not Uchiha. My eyes were a gift from someone. He thought I could protect myself better if I had them." He paused thinking. "My name is Naruto. I am just a wandering shinobi. I was told that the civil war had ended and I thought of checking this village, perhaps maybe I could belong here."
Ao raised an eye brow. "You are looking for a place to call home?"
"Yes… I have been around many nations, but they have not made me feel like I could belong," Naruto said.
Ao nodded. "You are also not telling me you are a Jinchuriki. I would have released you long ago, but we have bad memories with the Sharingan and a Jinchuriki."
Obito's work. He had manipulated Yagura to get his revenge. Such a child Obito could be at times. There were so many emotions behind that mask, the yeaning, the cry to be reunited with his beloved Rin. It was truly a sad story, at least it should be. Naruto felt nothing. He had his reasons and so did, Obito, but they understood each other, that was why they worked.
"Ah, yes, I am a container. Unfortunately that is all I know. You see, the Uchiha who gave me these eyes told me I was a container and the Bijuu was sealed in just after I was born. But I do not know which Bijuu I hold. I cannot even access the Bijuus power."
Ao hadn't sensed it then when they were fighting. But he still found everything questionable. Yet, he could not just hold down the blond. Not when there was some truth to what he was saying. He could have escaped then, but he chose to come here and cooperated with them. "I will let you go but we will have to watch you and have your chakra sealed while you are in the village."
Naruto tilted his head to the side. "You want me to walk around the village blind? If so, I can just leave here," the blond said. "I know you have a Doujutsu there. I can see the chakra but it is hidden under that seal, and yet you are able to see, I believe it can only be the Byakugan which can see through solid projects. Then you can also see that I am supplying chakra to my eyes, the moment you cut the flow, I go blind."
Of course, he already knew about this. He would not have come here without knowing about the people that he needed to know. Naruto did not like walking into blind situations. He always wanted to have the lights on before he steps into a room. There could be glass shattered on the floor and he'd step on it because he doesn't see it.
His Sharingan could even work even if someone sealed off his chakra. It would have been suicidal walking around without such a backup plan. But he was not going to reveal it to these people. Not so freely when he had other choices.
"We will keep you under surveillance. You are not to move away from those watching you. The moment you do so, we suspect something is up and we will take actions. You have until tomorrow to view this village. Later on, if you are still around, we will escort you out." Ao laid out the instructions. "Got a problem?"
Naruto shook his head. "I suppose this is what I get for trying to sneak in without any papers," he said.
Naruto was a little disappointed once he was released; the whole thing had not been as dramatic as it started. He expected interrogations to be far more nastier than that. Perhaps it was because he had yet to do anything wrong. If he did threaten them, they were most likely to remove their mercy masks and show him just how downright cruel a human being can be to another. When people had things to protect, they would rip off babies from their mother's hands, nothing else mattered than their goal to protect what they love.
The Hidden Mist was not a quiet place. The streets were busy with activities and yet the atmosphere felt pleasant. It was possible that they were also trying to make up for lost years. The bloodline wars, Yagura's madness, the civil war, there had been too much bloodshed and it had all been an internal struggle. These people saw it all. There was peace now, it was not wrong that they enjoy it.
Yet, if one was willing, they'd turn things around and plant animosity amongst the shinobi population. It would be like twisting a knife or pouring salt on visible wounds from the past. There would be hell. The scums would rejoice. People would suffer helplessly.
Naruto thought these people should be allowed to enjoy their moment. They deserved it. Their village had gone through a lot.
It was not the thirst for power that made Mei wander toward this person but any person would be foolish to let someone so young and strong leave when he was looking for a place called home. Naruto had no colours in him, or so it looked, but if it was indeed true, then they could paint with her favoured blue. When an opportunity presents itself to gain an ally, you always grabbed it with both hands. Naturally, you had your people keep a watchful eye with fire extinguishers in case something unexpected happens. Shinobi lied. Shinobi deceived people every day. It was their profession. They were always taught this in the academy. If you could not display such characters, living was usually difficult and you'd need to have other people to watch your back.
Mei still had concerns about the Sharingan. Those cursed eyes could control someone. Yagura had already been mad but the mind control made him worse. The eyes could fill even a pure mind with violent urges. Naruto's story was also too good to be true. There was much he was not telling. She didn't even believe that he didn't know which Bijuu he held – he lied about it because he didn't want anyone to know. Probably because different Bijuus are associated with certain villages. If he revealed the number, it was most likely reveal which village.
She found the blond lying on his back at the rooftop of his hotel. There was a book that was flipped open, but pages hidden on his chest. Both hands under his head as he looked to be facing the sky.
She stopped next to him and looked up. It was already night, the darkness that came with it had already banished the day light. The streets bulbs ensured people did not walk in blindness. The village had light, but it was surrounded by a creeping darkness that hid the mist from the naked eye. After a moment, the Mizukage settled on the blond's left side and eyed him. Those eyes seemed to gain a glint in the darkness. Although they barely opened, she wanted to stare. A fully matured Sharingan had three tomoes, she could only see one.
"I'm told you did nothing out of the ordinary but just looked around, ate and then slept for a while," Mei started the conversation in a light tone.
Naruto eyed the woman for a second before responding. "Were you expecting something?"
"A little," Mei said with a small nod of her head. "You lied to my men. But they let you do as you please because they didn't think you had any bad intentions. Ao figured you had your reasons…"
"So does everyone," Naruto said. Everyone always had a reason for something. "What do I owe the pleasure of being visited by the Mizukage?"
Mei smiled, he seemed genuinely curious or perhaps those eyes were throwing her reading off. Regardless, nothing could happen. Ao was watching to ensure she did not end up like Yagura. "I have some questions regarding the Sharingan's mind control and about your status."
Naruto just nodded but did not say anything.
"This village's previous Mizukage was under the influence of a Sharingan based genjutsu. We have been unable to discover who actually cast the genjutsu and Yagura's corpse has been kept for this purpose… would you not be able to do so?"
Naruto smiled. Well, he could not just walk into a village that has a bad history with the Sharingan and a Jinchuriki and think they would just let him be without expecting something. They had let him go because they decided they could use him. "How do you suppose I can do that?"
"If the Sharingan can manipulate the mind then it can read the mind. Sharingan genjutsu requires eye contact so that means that the person who cast genjutsu on Yagura was before him. When we discovered that Yagura was being manipulated, we did try to speak to Konoha knowing that Uchiha belonged to them, but the Sandaime Hokage said Konoha could not be drawn into internal matters. If Konoha was involved, I want to know."
The village did have a dark history. Naruto knew a couple if things about the Leaf despite having never set foot there. "It can do that but for such a powerful genjutsu to be cast, one would need to be Uchiha or especially blessed in controlling the eyes. Not all Sharingans have powerful genjutsu. Are you also thinking that perhaps the Uchiha who gave me my eyes could have been the one?"
"It is a possibility." Mei said with a nod of her head. "You are not associated with Konoha. I doubt the Sandaime Hokage would have ordered for something like that as it did not benefit the Leaf. Yagura was already bloodthirsty before the manipulation. It is possible that it was done by an Uchiha who is unaccounted for. You met one, who we don't know. And from what we know so far, there are only two Uchihas left in this world, Itachi Uchiha and his younger brother. Possibilities are that there is a third Uchiha or you were given your eyes by Itachi after he killed members of his clan. He was also renowned for his genjutsu, it could have been him."
Naruto was going to tell the Uchiha this, just to see the look on his face. He might not react. Naruto could still understand why Itachi would be suspect: he massacred his entire clan, to everyone else, he was just a man driven mad by power. In his lust for blood, he could have also done the same to Yagura. It was not unthinkable but that was not Itachi at all. Naruto knew the man and he knew who manipulated Yagura and for what reason. He would not say nonetheless. Obito probably put traps inside Yagura's mind that would hurt however tries to invade.
"You want to know if there is a third Uchiha," Naruto said. "Yes, there is one. But there are other users of the Sharingan who are not associated with the Uchiha clan. I have been with these eyes as far as I can remember. I also can't help you. A dead person's chakra system is dead, that is a requirement for me to work. A dead man's mind can't be seen by the Sharingan but I know who can."
Naruto didn't care if he led Kiri to answers. They would only find the mask anyway. Things were much better when he did not say anything but lead people to towards the truth.
"Who?"
"Konoha," Naruto said calmly. "The Hidden Leaf has the best mind readers in the shinobi world, especially for the dead. If you speak to the Sandaime Hokage about your suspicions, and Konoha's fault, if he is reasonable, he will agree to having it looked upon to cast the shadow of suspicion off his village. I would rather you not have my name in it though."
"You possess the Sharingan, naturally the Leaf would be interested." Mei said. "But that is not a bad thing, is it? You told my men you are looking for a place to belong, Konoha would be happy to take you in."
"I don't like Konoha…" Naruto said in a hardened tone. "You know the saying; every village has its darkness, right? Well, if that 'darkness' finds out about my existence, they will want to turn me into a weapon, if I refuse, they decide whether I should be eliminated or not if they can't force me."
Mei frowned deeply. He was still just a child. But it was obvious that he knew a lot. "Well, the person who could have told you that is the Uchiha you met… and that means he was a former Hidden Leaf village. Perhaps going there will be a good idea after all. Because you gave me this useful information, I won't mention you with Konoha."
"Thank you," Naruto said with a smile. Kages were smart though. The woman read between the lines far quickly than anticipated. But it was not a bad thing. She now had motivation.
"I also have another reason," Mei said. "We have concerns about the Sharingan but we can sort it out. If you have liked this village, you can become a shinobi of the Hidden Mist. We will treat you well."
"I will think about it. There are other villages I want to see, but if it happens my experience in this one was much better, I will make it my home," Naruto said.
"I understand," Mei said before standing up. "I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in this village," she added before walking away.
Nothing harmful was done but at least for now, he had set up things for Kiri to leave its isolation and meet Konoha. This would leave the village open to more approaches to other nations and they might even decide to see other villages. What happens after then would be up for debate but the important thing was that Kiri would be moving.
Naruto closed his eyes: the visit was not bad. He could not just disappear from this village now. It would be too suspicious.
Konoha
"I thought I would find you here," Jiraiya said to Kakashi who was standing motionlessly by the memorial stones.
The Sannin stopped by the Jonin's side. This was nothing more than heartbreaks of war. In Kakashi's time, even the younger ones had to fight. Those days were cold and brutal. There was no child. Once you put on a headband, you were old enough for anything. The rules seemed to be made up as people went on their way. The world was cruel. The shinobi world was brutal, and only those strong enough could survive its merciless nature.
Konoha has survived though. All villages have survived but not without the suffering and pain. Jiraiya's desire to change this world was even more profound now that he had to face such situations. There was much going on, much suffering and it happened because the shinobi world was a violent place.
Kakashi glanced at the Sannin for a moment before staring at the name of a teammate he had killed with his favoured jutsu. Rin was dead. She has been dead since the Third Shinobi World War and he had killed her. Obito was certainly disappointed in his failure. He had sworn to protect her, and yet he was the one who pulled the plug.
"When did you come back?"
"Some days ago," Jiraiya said. "But I will be departing. I finally got something…" he said with a smile.
"About Naruto?" Kakashi asked. In all honesty, he knew it was about Naruto, he just wanted confirmation. For how long had they searched, lifted stones and dug deep into the earth to try to find the young blond? There was nothing then. No trace – just nothing.
Jiraiya nodded, he could not hide his excitement over this. "We just have to look for someone with whisker marks and blond hair. I got the description of a young person with those descriptions. He was spotted in the Fire Nation alone. I am going to verify this. There can be no one who matches him like that. If this person really says they saw him, we might even consider looking into their head."
Good news since the Yondaime Hokage died. Kakashi could afford a smile. There was reason to hope. A person could simply not just disappear from this world like that. They had never given up on hope and if this proved true, they would have something to hold onto. Something to say they were not just grasping out trying to catch the wind.
"This is the first time we have had something," Kakashi said.
"Not surprising," Jiraiya said. "He is still just young. At that age, you don't expect movement from him. But now he is at the age of your students, he is moving around. We couldn't even put him on posters because it would attract too much attention, even from other villages. It would also endanger him."
Kakashi nodded. "When do you leave?"
"Once I am done talking to you. I want to move quickly and see if I can give chase or track his movements."
"Hopefully, we are able to see something that makes us say that it is him," Kakashi said.
"Well, if we find him, determine he is the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, it has to be him," Jiraiya said in a firm tone. "I will let you know when I return and don't beat up yourself too much, Kakashi. Shouldn't you even be meeting your students?"
Kakashi blinked. "I forgot about that," he said before shrugging. "But they can wait."
Kiri
"Naruto, don't be picky… Eat lots and grow big… Make sure that you bathe every day and stay warm… Also, don't stay up too late… You need lots of sleep…"
Naruto's eyes snapped open, erasing the voice he'd been hearing. It was a scene that frequently tormented his desire to have had his mother closer. Perhaps the yeaning was making him dream things he hoped were true, but somehow, the ice walls within his heart felt like they were cracking each time he thought of it. His chest was even slightly hot. Being awaked like this, it was honestly frustrating. What did dreams do for him? For now, he could not have a mother. He could not have a father – they were both dead. Dead by their choice, with the help of the Bijuu sealed within him and Obito.
He shook his head and looked around for a moment: he was surrounded by trees, his back pressed against the trunk of a tree. This was some careless way of sleeping for him. What if someone had managed to sneak in behind him and then stab him? There were dangerous animals crawling in this world with masks of men, you give them an opportunity and you don't live to regret it.
He stood up and stretched his muscles; it had been a rough sleep. But he'd gotten tired and he didn't want to go to any town now. Not when he was heading to the hideout. He wished not to leave any trace of his movements.
"Why do you always ignore it?"
"Why do you find it your business to question what happens in my head? You hate me, if I die, you'd rejoice and probably eat what remains of my body."
"I'd want to kill you myself. Well, if you die, it is just freedom for me," Kurama said with a smile. "I would normally try to save your life when in danger but just know that because I know what you are planning with that masked human, it will only hurt my pride if I face a temporary death."
"While you reform, the Akatsuki waits," Naruto said with a slight shake of his head. "You should really not make your desires so obvious. I will be tempted to use genjutsu on you when entering a battle I am not sure I can't win."
For a moment, Kurama growled dangerously. Those cursed eyes that always took his freedom. He could not even forget the words Madara said to him and he had been living peacefully before that human came to his den. "One day, that threat will stop having any power." He said hatefully. "You try by all means to ignore that dream, but it is not a dream. Your mother said those words on the night of your birth. She said that before she died. Your attempt to reject it is perhaps a way to keep yourself interested in this world. In eternal Tsukuyomi, you will have her. Or maybe not. You don't know what she was like. You don't have an image of her. Genjutsu will only construct what is real to you through your memories.
"Maybe you also fear that you will like the memory of her if you open yourself to it. If you like the memory, you will want to know more about her. And perhaps you might end up hesitating to follow that masked Uchiha because you want to hold onto the memories."
Naruto shrugged carelessly. "Once Infinite Tsukuyomi is activated, it won't matter. Whether Byakugan or Sharingan, you will not know you are in a genjutsu. It will be eternal peace. Even you would want that."
"But my eternal peace will only come when you humans are not around."
"Your wish will come true," Naruto said with a smile. "Perhaps in your perfect world, you will be the overlord ruling over humans with a tyrant fist. Or maybe there won't be humans at all" Naruto paused for a moment. "Oh, I forget, you will cease to exist when I seal you back where you belong."
"You can have the last laugh now, Naruto, but I do wonder if things will work out as you hope. The Jubi is unlike the Bijuus. We can talk to you, but the Jubi is only a destructive force. Well no matter, you think I am just a weapon used for my chakra, once you revive the Jubi, you will see the real weapon. The Jubi is the originator of chakra."
"Your words do not bring fear in me. In fact, honestly, it does make me curious. I would want to see it myself. And if this world will end because of it, ah, too bad," he said carelessly.
Kurama was silent for a couple of moments before speaking. "I truly wonder about that… Hypothetically, what if what I said earlier is based on what you say? Here is another thought based on your desires: you have no intentions of fooling yourself with dreams because you want reality. You are not going to follow that masked bastard. You attempted to forcefully weaken the seal, and that led to me being nearly released, but Minato appeared and strengthened the seal again. 'I'm truly sorry, but just know that I love you as your father. If you try to learn how to control the Kyubi's power, you will meet your mother' those were the only words he said to you. Although you have released me from the cage, you have avoided trying to take my power because you'd have to fight me. Your mother will appear in that moment. But although you are curious, you are also afraid of seeing her. Seeing a mother whom you desire to embrace will make it impossible for you to keep the mask."
"That is an interesting observation," Naruto said in thought. "But I will not indulge you: it is better to keep you guessing."
"But I am inside of you: I will eventually find out."
Amegakure
Tendou sat by the statue at the top of his tower. The chakra infused rain fell on the village as it usually did. Yahiko used to say that this village was always crying and he wanted to make it stop. But that was still a dream. It was still something Nagato wanted to achieve in his life. But for now, it could cry. He would dry up Ame's tears and bring everlasting peace to this shinobi world that is ruled by the Great Nations who have no care for what happened to those small villages.
His eyes narrowed behind when he sensed something moving: it was Black Zetsu. He didn't usually come here without Madara.
"What is it?"
"I have found the general location of the six tails," Black Zetsu said. "I will have to do a more thorough search to find it."
"And the three tails?"
"It has probably revived by now. But we will eventually find it," Black Zetsu stated. "The others have not moved. Iwa's Jinchuriki move a bit, but they are all within the Earth Country."
Tendou nodded. Things were moving. It looked like peace would finally be in his grasp. He would teach this world pain, they would know his pain and they would learn what peace means. "What is the case with Orochimaru? He is too dangerous to be left alone. If we leave him now, he will only become a problem in the future."
"He moves around a lot but we will eventually find him," Zetsu said. "Who do you want to deal with him?"
"Anyone who is closer. Once you find him, contact me," Tendou said before standing up. He stared down at the streets for a moment before turning away. He walked past Black Zetsu without saying another word.
The large skeletal remains that stood by the hideout made Naruto wonder what kind of creature once covered the bones with its muscles. Whatever it had been, it was massive. But in this world, the only massive things that were massive were the Bijuus and the animals from the summoning world. Perhaps it had also been a summons as well. He turned his eyes toward the only real entrance and slowly walked towards it.
The passage was dimly lit. It had always seemed like the place was dug up for rats than humans. For all the years Naruto lived here, he never quite liked being within the darkness. But there was nothing he could have done. This had been the safest place. Even now, it was still safe.
He stopped walking when he heard an echo of footsteps. They were slow, yet purposeful. It was no doubt Obito: the man of darkness. He did go out, but he never stayed out for too long, it was never to see the world, it was always to do something.
The blond leaned against the wall and folded his hands across his chest. It took a minute for the orange masked man to finally show up. He stopped just in front of him, glanced toward him with a narrow look.
"What are you really trying to do, Naruto? You are not planning to bring chaos in this world, are you?"
"Of all the things you could think of me, chaos just came out on top?" Naruto asked calmly. He was not Obito. No, Obito did what he did for revenge. He didn't care about this world; he didn't even call it the real world anymore. Ah, sad little thing Obito was.
It was still amusing that even though this world was no longer real to him, he still felt the need to satisfy his need for revenge. It was not that only, but according to Zetsu, the person whom he gave his Sharingan still had it. If Obito wanted to be strong enough to be able to handle things without a little worry, he'd go and take his Sharingan. It would simplify things. Or perhaps he felt he didn't need it because of his ability.
"I know you."
"It should not matter; this world will come to an end. I have also been looking at things that may hinder the plan. Besides that, I want to experience more of the cruelty of this world," Naruto said calmly.
Obito just stared at him for a moment before responding. "It appears that your presence was seen somewhere in the Fire Nation and Konoha has been alerted."
Naruto shrugged. "They are not going to find anything now."
"But they will be actively looking for you."
"It is not going to change anything," Naruto stated in a firm tone. "Our objective remains the same. If you think Konoha's nosey attitude will become a problem, you can always do what you did in Kirigakure. They will then have better things to do and Itachi will unfortunately get the blame for it."
"It would not be so simple," Obito said.
"Perhaps. You don't have a problem if I go take your other eye, do you? I think it would make a great addition. Knowing how the Sharingan works, the other eye should have Kamui that is connected to yours. My left eye casts Amaterasu and my right extinguishes it. But I can do without my right. Perhaps the only challenge would be Susano'o… These eyes are not my own, so, using Susano'o while the other is missing will be quite impossible but it matters no, I have the Kyubi."
Obito's eyes narrowed sharply. "Fine, I won't mind your business, and you will stay out of mine. But if you stray too far off, I will intervene."
"I think you trained me better than that."
"If I had trained you better, you would have been listening to me."
Naruto smiled and backed away from the wall. "I do listen. Your orders regarding the plan are always followed. There is even a chance that I might die during the extraction of the Kyubi and even if you say we should do it now, I would lay down my life. But for now, since there is that possibility, I want to satisfy my curiosity about all things interesting in this world. If I don't die, even better, my experience will help construct the perfect world for me."
"I am going out. Zetsu has gone out to find some information." He said while walking away from Naruto.
"You are not going out to manipulate someone, are you?"
Obito glanced at Naruto without stopping but he did not respond. He simply activated his jutsu and started distorting the space around him. A couple of seconds later, he was gone.
Naruto looked ahead of him before glancing at the wall on his right. "Where is he going?"
"I am impressed that you can tell I was here," White Zetsu said as he appeared from the wall. "Probably to Konoha."
"Grieving, huh?" He said before walking deeper into the hideout. "Why do I not grieve for my parents, Zetsu? I do just say they are dead with a shrug. Is it because I anticipate seeing them again in the world of dreams?"
"Again?" Black Zetsu asked as he too appeared.
"I thought you had gone to gather Intel."
"I came back when I learned you were coming here," Black Zetsu said.
"That was a slip of the tongue," Naruto said in response to Zetsu's question.
"Obito lived with Rin. They shared memories. He loved her. You have never loved anyone. You don't have any memories with your parents. Humans form emotional attachments over time, when they continue to interact. It might be that you are not grieving because you never knew them." Black Zetsu responded.
"That is interesting. Perhaps before the plan fully enacts, I will have found love."
"You need to get out more and meet a woman. I would be willing to help you with that and even keep it from Obito." Black Zetsu said.
Naruto shook his head. "I will work it out on my own," he said. "If something does happen to Itachi's brother, he too would grieve, would he not? But the love he has for Sasuke is not the same as Obito had for Rin."
"You are not thinking of doing something to Sasuke, are you?"
"Itachi would kill me… Besides, I respect him too much to go that far," Naruto said. "There are other options…"
A week later
When was the last time Naruto found himself in the presence of all these people like this? They usually didn't gather that often. Last time they gathered, Deidara was being introduced to the group. Even now, Naruto was positive that they would discuss things and then disappear for another year or two. The only people who were at the meeting place physically were him, Sasori, and Deidara. The others appeared via Pein's jutsu.
Naruto glanced towards the Rinnegan wielder and the woman beside him. You rarely heard her speak. No, in these meetings, Konan never spoke. Naruto has only heard her when he was in the Rain. She just watched everything silently, with that expressionless mask of hers.
"I see the Zombie brothers are still alive… you guys have been so quiet, I thought you were had met your demise," Kisame started with a smile.
While Kakuzu was wise enough to ignore this, Hidan did not. "Shut the fuck up, you shark!"
"Are you going to sacrifice me to your god, if I don't?"
"Yeah!"
Kisame grinned. "I have always wondered, if your God a he or a she?" He asked. "If she is woman, she must be one filthy woman."
"Next time I see you I will send you to Jashin-sama for your blasphemy!"
Naruto just shook his head and then walked towards both Sasori and Deidara. Not everyone liked each other. Even now, Deidara was staring at the silent Itachi looking as if he wants to kill him. Naruto didn't find out of the picture that if the chance came, Deidara would try to kill Itachi. He was still not happy about his loss to the Uchiha. Genjutsu had humiliated him. But he had prepared himself for the next round. The stoic Uchiha would just not indulge him.
"If you keep staring like that, you will turn into one of Sasori's work of arts, Deidara," he said with a smile.
Deidara swiftly turned towards him. "Everywhere you look, it's the same cold eye with the Sharingan that just seems to look down on you, hn!"
Naruto shook his head. "Those are just emotional scars talking," he said. "I'm wounded that you'd think I'd look down on you since we get along just well."
Deidara ignored this. "Sasori-sama's puppets are not art. My art is the best!"
"I have already told you, real is something that lasts for all eternity. You just make explosions, nothing more. If you could keep your art in their form, then we could talk." Sasori's rough voice said in a slow tone.
Naruto just shook his head. He had his dialogues with the Kyubi but they were never like this. Everyone was surely different. But perhaps these two were the worst. No, Hidan and Kakuzu were the worst. Hidan sacrificed his targets to his so called god and Kakuzu ripped his opponent's hearts to make them his. This was just a cave full of bloody killers. There was no one, except for him who has yet to commit bloody murderers.
"Quiet," Pain started. It was always like this. He'd let them release steam before going on with his word. "I have gathered you here because I want you to know that very soon, we will stop being just a mercenary group and we will go on to our real objective of gathering Bijuus. We have tracked down the location of almost all of them. Once we have tracked them all, each team will be assigned a target from one to eight. Failure will not be an option.
"For now, we will continue to make money. There is one problem that must still be solved though. If any of you come across Orochimaru, kill him. He will become a problem in the near future."
"Can I have him?" Kakuzu asked. "I would like to possess his heart," it would no doubt give him some abilities he could use.
"Do snakes even have hearts like humans?" Deidara asked.
"I'm sure he has one. He is still just a man no matter how creepy and the amount of experiments he has done…"
"That is ironic coming from you," Kisame couldn't help himself.
Sasori spoke before Kakuzu could say anything. "I would like to turn him into a puppet. He would make a great addition to my weapons and would add to the Akatsuki's strength. If I see him, I will not leave him for you."
"You greedy puppet!" Kakuzu growled.
Deidara burst out in laughter, so did Kisame. Who was Kakuzu to say Sasori was greedy? The man loved money more than anything. His greed was just legendary.
Pein spoke once more to silence everyone. "I don't care what happens, as long as he is dead. But any of you can get his head and the bounty on his head, that would be a bonus," he said. "Iwagakure has a mission for us."
"That old shorty really likes using us for his dirty works," Deidara grumbled. "He never likes doing the dirty work himself. What is the mission?"
"Unspecified," Pain said. "Who is closer to Iwagakure to take it? As usual, it is S-rank. But we cannot have Sasori and Kakuzu's teams; you are not suitable for the mission."
"I will take it," Naruto said.
Pain nodded. "You will go to Iwagakure and speak to the Tsuchikage. We will dispatch someone immediately to tell him someone is coming."
"Why is someone meeting the Tsuchikage in person?"
"That was the request. If he has planned something nasty, you will handle it, Naruto. It doesn't matter if he dies. Just don't forget to take your mask with you," Pein said.
"Of course," Naruto said.
Pain nodded and then dismissed everyone. Within the small hideout, it was just Naruto, Sasori and Deidara. They silently stepped out and sat on the boulders just outside of the hideout. "Are you fighting with, Itachi?" Sasori asked.
"What makes you say that?"
"I noticed from the moment you stepped in, you didn't seem to acknowledge his presence." Sasori responded calmly.
"Are you really fighting? If you are, we can take that bastard together. He still owes me for that humiliation."
"You challenged him," Naruto pointed out.
"A man must have his pride, hn."
Naruto shook his head. "There are no problems. I was with him about a month ago," he said. "I thought you would have objected and tried to go to Iwa."
"That old man and his granddaughter would try to capture me and forget about the mission…" Deidara said.
"Possibly," Naruto said before turning to face Sasori. "Don't you get tired of being in that thing?"
"No," Sasori said. "How did things go in Kirigakure?"
"There were no problems. I actually ended up getting things moved. I had originally planned on just seeing what had become of the village since the civil war but they ended up taking interest in me and even offered me to join their village."
"No doubt it was because of something you said to them," Sasori said. "You are not planning on anything dangerous are you? If they offered you a place, my guess is you didn't take your Akatsuki cloak."
"No; they don't look like they know about the red clouds." Naruto said. "I am not planning anything with Kiri. I was admittedly just being mischievous but it will ultimately help them solve a question they have; if they can get a read."
Sasori was silent for a couple of moments before speaking. "Is it about the word that Yagura was being manipulated?"
"Yes," Naruto said. "I will talk to you. For now, I have a mission that I must handle. Do wish me luck…" he paused for a moment before asking. "Is there any of your spies in Iwagakure that I can meet?"
"For what?"
"Information regarding Iwa… I'd like to have options in the near future," Naruto said.
"My people in the Great Nations are all sleeper agents. You can't talk to them."
"A pity," Naruto said. "I will see if I can't work out things on my own..." he turned to Deidara. "Don't you want me to give a message to anyone in the village?"
"You can tell Onoki that I hope he dies soon. If he is with his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi, tell her that I will come and destroy Iwa if she ever becomes Tsuchikage, hn."
"Are you trying to get me killed?" Naruto asked with a raised eye brow.
"You asked if I had a message, hn."
"Fair enough," Naruto said.
Days Later
The Hidden Stone; a truly treacherous village that was led by a stubborn old man with an eye for hatred for anything that is not Stone affiliated. Naruto had never been in this village before, but he had been told about the old man. It had been born by his curiosity as to why the old man frequently used the Akatsuki for his dirty deeds. Onoki has hired the Akatsuki to destroy a small nation he felt was taking away his business and if allowed to continue, it would damage the Stone. Naruto was certain that in the perfect world, Onoki would have all the other Great Nations kneel before him. He would have all other nations paying respects to him.
Naruto disagreed with how Onoki handled things, but those were just internal thoughts and he was no better.
The village was big though. It was bigger than Kiri. Perhaps because of what Kiri has faced over the last couple of years. As with other nations, it was unique. You didn't look at it and wonder what the village was called. It was without doubt, rock.
Having sneaked into the village and looking at things like hiding under a genjutsu, Naruto decided it was time to see the Tsuchikage. His cloak was fully visible, but we wore a plain crimson masks. The Sharingan was hidden under a Genjutsu. He was led into the office of the Tsuchikage. The doors shut behind him. Onoki was sitting behind his desk, a man was standing on his right and a black haired teenager sitting on the coach right from the entrance. Naruto could also sense multiple chakra signatures hiding in the shadows. You'd think they were waiting to ambush him.
"I didn't know the Akatsuki hired children," Onoki stated. He could not see the face but the body stature was that of a brat. "Well, it doesn't matter to me, as long as you don't fail and get things done. You are going to succeed, are you?"
"That depends," Naruto said. He would not be quick to say he would get anything done. He wanted to hear what the mission was before responding on whether he could do it or not.
"On?"
"The mission of course. All Akatsuki members are S-rank shinobi…" before he could finish, Kurotsuchi had something to say.
"Don't forget criminals," she said.
Naruto glanced at her for a moment before looking back at Onoki. He continued speaking. "As we are S-rank individuals, we pride ourselves in our skills. But our set of skills are different, and I was informed that you were looking for discretion."
Onoki nodded. "Are you telling me that you are an S-rank shinobi?" He asked and stared into those barely visible eyes. They were crimson, no doubt a Doujutsu.
"My rank is not your concern. Just deliver the mission."
"I don't have a mission for you. Someone in the Earth Palace asked me to hire capable shinobi to handle a mission he would not say. I am hiring you but I first wanted to see you. And there was a chance that it might have been Deidara. Well, if it was him, there would have been explosions already."
The old man was the requester of the mission but he would not give it to him. He was playing a dirty trick of making someone issue the mission to cover his tracks. If something bad was going to happen, he would have a defense for himself and Iwagakure.
"Who am I meeting?"
"A man named Yoshino. He is a member of the Council for the Earth Daimyo." Onoki said.
Naruto nodded. "I have a message to you from Deidara; he says he hopes you die soon..." he then turned to the teenage girl. "You must be the granddaughter. Deidara also had something to say to you: if you become Tsuchikage, I will come and destroy Iwagakure."
Kurotsuchi snorted. "He can try," she said.
"I'm sure he will."
Kurotsuchi turned towards him, looking at him as if he were suspect to a crime against Iwagakure. "Why does it sound like you would be happy if he made that attempt?"
Naruto shrugged. "You're gasping for something that does not exist," the said before turning away. "What should I bring as evidence of my success?"
"You know what you must bring," Onoki said.
"It will be done," Naruto said before walking out of the office.
Once he made it outside the village, Naruto turned around to look at it for a moment before coming to a halt. Where is the direction of the Daimyo's palace? He shook his head, he would have to use a transformation jutsu and ask around. He was bound to find people within this country. Or maybe he could Just turn back and ask someone for directions.
"Kyubi, can you sense any of Iwa's Jinchuriki from here?"
"No," the Bijuu said.
"You are not just saying that because you don't want me to get closer to them, are you?"
I'll reveal details regarding Naruto's Sharingan as the story progresses. As to Naruto's motives, well, I'll not get to that.
The story length might be a bit longer.
And thank you for the reviews… much appreciated and encouraging.
The Omnipresent Sage