"I think that ought to be enough," Itachi's monotone voice interrupted, as his Sharingan regarded the shadow clones, both Naruto's and his own. Neither the blond jinchuuriki nor Konan disagreed with him. The preparations were all set, and in quick time.

There was no need to voice an order to move out. The three cloaked shinobi leapt into the raining air and onto the nearest building, leaving the clones behind to accomplish their mission and bring the plan to its brutal conclusion. Destination: the last battleground.

Chapter Two: God's Vengeance – Hanzou's Last Stand

Disclaimer: Naruto's not mine. I'm not getting paid to write this, et cetera.


The Hidden Rain elite stared outward into space with a vacant expression as a cloaked man with long, straight hair and several piercings maintained a vice-like claw grip upon his skull. Saliva dribbled down his chin, and he shook while his attacker ripped through his mind with his interrogation technique.

"I see," the Pain incarnation known as 'Ningendou,' the Human Realm, commented to no-one in particular. "That's where the old man's hiding…"

The long-haired Rin'negan bearer pulled back with his hand, but retained the claw position, as though he were attempting to pull on something intangible. The Rain-nin keeled over onto the ground, his pupils dilated. Ningendou then released the broken man's stolen soul into the air and turned back to his sole companion, another cloaked and pierced Pain incarnation. This one likewise had long hair, but his was tied back. This Pain was 'Chikushoudou,' the Beast Realm.

"Hanzou's supporters perish in the streets while he cowers in this shelter," the Beast Realm added with a disapproving sneer, "how pathetic."

"The heathen can hide no longer," the Human Realm spoke. "That one served among Hanzou's personal guard," the Pain incarnation continued, indicating towards the soulless husk that now stared into eternal nothingness on the ground. "I shall take point. Follow me."

The two Pains then started down the corridor inside Hanzou the Salamander's haven. Ningendou used his stolen knowledge to navigate the mazelike compound with its twisting halls and countless stairwells without making the slightest mistake, likewise maneuvering the pair past the aged Hidden Rain dictator's fuiinjutsu traps and the innumerable other snares that had been put in place to protect the old man. The two headed up a long staircase, stopped a level below the top and stopped at a rather inconspicuous wooden door.

"Hanzou should be behind this one," The leading Pain told his accomplice, "unless his guard was mistaken."

The other Pain, Chikushoudou, understood the implication and ran through several quick hand seals, and then slammed his palm down against the ground. The resulting smoke rushed through the narrow, darkened corridor. Four additional Pain incarnations were present when it cleared, including the man who acted as Akatsuki's Leader. Ningendou looked towards the other Pains, who all moved into their arranged positions, and then reared back and kicked the door wide open, breaking the hinges.

Hanzou the Salamander was waiting on the other side, alongside several elite guards. The man was dressed to do battle.

"Now," the old dictator ground out, staring down Ningendou, still oblivious to the remaining Pain incarnations waiting outside in the hall. His voice was garbled due to his custom breathing mask, modeled to look similar to a samurai's helmet. "The criminal Pain has made his long-awaited appearance, I see. I've been waiting so long to settle our issues in person, rebel swine."

Lesser shinobi wouldn't have even discerned the hand sign, given the darkness and its near imperceptible speed. Hanzou spewed a large lightning bolt that screamed towards Ningendou, somehow able to channel the attack through his breathing mask without damaging it, and the dictator's guards charging behind the jutsu with their shinobi blades in hand. The Pain Rikudou reacted to the attack at once, owing to the Rin'negan and its inborn sight sharing capabilities. The Beast Realm incarnation summoned another Pain into his place and retreated back into the shadows.

This one was an overweight man with piercings and short, slicked hair. He wore an Akatsuki cloak like his cohorts, and he likewise possessed the Rin'negan. He was the Pain incarnation 'Gakidou.' The Fat Pain grinned and threw his arms wide, and the incoming lightning attack was sucked into his stomach. Gakidou disappeared as Hanzou's guards descended on his position, with the summoner Ningendou recalling him into the corridor.

The guards landed and attempted to withdraw but were unable to do so in time to avoid Pain's counterattack, when three incarnations leapt to the attack. The three guards were impaled with wicked-looking black metal spears. The three Pains – Chikushoudou, the Leader, and another, each held one twisted lance. The Rin'negan trio released their killing instruments, leaving their hapless victims skewered and unable to save themselves, rendered helpless due to the spears' special chakra distortion attributes. The three Pains maneuvered into the room, revealing another waiting in the ruined entrance behind them.

For his part, Hanzou didn't seem too perturbed at being outnumbered with his guards as good as dead. The newest Pain – the hulking, almost inhuman 'Shuradou,' the Asura Realm, leveled his right arm at the dictator. The Salamander stood and watched as the Pain incarnation's limb detached and the wrist and rocketed towards him. The rocket punch blew straight through Hanzou's chest and crashed into the wall behind him. The Rain's leader looked down at the gaping hole in his torso, almost curious, and exploded into water.

"Mizu Bunshin," a thickset Pain – the third spear-wielder called 'Jigokudou,' the Hell Realm, observed. "This was nothing but a diversion. He's escaped."

The last Pain, the spiked-haired Akatsuki Leader, strode deeper into the chamber and looked around. He passed a guard, who attempted to reach at the Pain's ankle despite the metal instrument impaled into him. The Leader – the Pain known as 'Tendou,' the Deva Realm, looked down at the man with a stoic, uncaring expression and brought his sandal heel down onto the guard's exposed neck, which snapped with a crunch, and Tendou moved to the location where Hanzou's water clone had stood. The other Pain incarnations likewise entered the room, at which point a low hum sounded and a strange, sudden pressure echoed in the air.

"Hmm, explosive seals," Tendou commented, nonchalant while taking in the strange markings adorning the room's walls, which glowed as the Salamander's chakra poured into them. "Not a bad attempt at a trap, heathen," The Rin'negan bearer's voice trailed. "But nowhere near good enough."

The Pain Rikudou clustered together inside the small room. None was the least bit nervous or alarmed, as though Hanzou's inescapable deathtrap were somehow beneath Pain's collective concern. The seals detonated, causing explosions on all sides, which initiated a violent chain reaction around the building. More explosive seals activated and reduced the compound to ruins, with the six Pains trapped inside. The blast caused the heavens to quake.

The smoke took a long time to clear, but when it did, a large centipede summon was curled amongst the smoldering rubble and steel. The insect's chitin exoskeleton was riddled with scorch marks, bleeding holes that oozed with white blood. The summon keeled over onto the rubble, revealing six unscathed Pain bodies standing within the coiled centipede.

The six Rin'negan bodies looked around, the torrential downpour obscuring their vision a little. Hanzou's ruined compound sat atop a tower located within the capital's aquatic residential district. There were countless tall spires suspended on concrete posts inside a lake, each with wide steel drainage pipes running down the sides towards the water.

One Pain incarnation glimpsed the man glaring down at the group, and the others all looked over as one, no signal needed. The real Hanzou was situated atop the district's highest tower. His arms were arms crossed and he was prepared to enter battle. Tendou's mouth curled in utter distaste. To Pain, the present circumstances were unacceptable. No mortal could be allowed to look down upon God.

The leading Pain, the Deva Realm, motioned to the monstrous Shuradou. The hulking Rin'negan bearer grinned and extended his arm again. The skin covering the limb seemed to melt, revealing a metallic skeletal arm lined with rockets underneath. Shuradou thrust his arm above his head and the missiles streaked into the air and swirled over Hanzou's position.

The Salamander leapt down towards the Pain Rikudou as the rockets descended upon his perch and blew apart the structure. The Human Realm moved at once to intercept him. Hanzou avoided the hand-to-hand combat specialist's attack and spun, drilling Ningendou with a hard thrust kick that send the Rin'negan wielder scrambling across the rubble. Three Pain incarnations abandoned the area and separated onto various other towers in pairs to allow them to surround and observe Hanzou through multiple independent perspectives. Tendou and Gakidou remained behind with Ningendou.

Hanzou glanced at the three Pains nearest him with suspicion. No words were exchanged. Posturing was beneath them both. Hanzou glimpsed the Rin'negan, but the old man was much too consummate a shinobi to allow his surprise to show.

The dictator made another hand seal, and ten Mizu Bunshin materialized around him. He ran through additional seals as his water clones spread out. The pouring rainwater in the air over Hanzou's head swirled and melded together into liquid spears, which sped down at his command towards Gakidou and Tendou. Three clones moved to intercept the incoming Ningendou, engaging him in a cautious battle. Meanwhile, the other two Pains leapt aside in opposing directions to avoid the attack.

This was the dictator's intent, however, to separate the Rin'negan pair. The water spears pulverized the concrete rubble upon contact. Three more clones moved to engage the rotund Gakidou. Two Mizu Bunshin launched water blasts at the obese Pain incarnation, again utilizing the rain. Gakidou swallowed both incoming jutsu using the same method as earlier. The third, however, used a less obvious method, and used a technique that caused the ruined concrete below the Fat Pain to morph and swirl into quicksand. Gakidou's skill was unable to negate the 'attack' due to its indirect nature and he was pulled into the wet sinkhole, immobilizing him.

The original Hanzou and his remaining water clones concentrated their attacks upon Tendou, who evaded them with a strange and unconscious ease. The Deva Realm didn't need to look in order to be able to react to and neutralize his opponents' moves. The leading Pain didn't bother to counterattack, however, as though watching his aged nemesis struggle in a vain attempt to harm him amused the man who would be God. Hanzou didn't allow his irritation with Tendou's dismissive tactics to show, however.

The Salamander threw several kunai with explosive tags towards his stoic opponent. Tendou made no initiative to dodge the attack, and a large summoned crustacean burst out through the rubble to protect him. The beast's hard armor repelled the kunai, which clattered aside and plummeted over the ruined tower's edge, exploding in the air.

"Interesting," Hanzou grunted and he leapt back to avoid the creature's counterattack. The crab spat high-pressure water bubbles at him. No doubt his comment alluded to the creature's sudden appearance, as Tendou hadn't utilized a summoning jutsu.

Tendou said nothing and continued to stand in place, his Rin'negan still observing Hanzou's movements. The old man blasted a lightning bolt at the crustacean, which penetrated through its skull as though the armor protecting it were mere paper. The attack incinerated the beast's brain and terminated its existence in an instant. The aquatic beast careened over the tower's edge and dropped into the churning water below. A summoned hawk streaked overhead and descended to extricate the trapped Gakidou, who then massacred the water clones near him with ease and made towards Ningendou.

Hanzou seemed to realize that he was about to be outnumbered three to one again, and chose to attack the lone Deva Realm while he still had the chance. He sealed the same jutsu as earlier, again causing the rainwater to pressurize into water lances. His clones moved to circle and attack Tendou in a pincer movement. The Rin'negan wielder made no move to escape, and instead waited until both attacks were bearing down upon him.

"Enough messing around," Pain, Tendou, then spoke with purpose, his voice cold and clear.

His Rin'negan brightened and a massive shockwave shredded through the space around him, eviscerating Hanzou's water clones and reducing the incoming lances to vapor. He never had to twitch a muscle. The leading Pain incarnation stared Hanzou down with the Rikudou Sennin's power.

The old man had no time to react, as the other two Pains then rushed him. Hanzou swept Gakidou's legs as he approached and then turned to block Ningendou's strikes. One punch got past his guard and split his lip, but he grabbed the roundhouse kick that came next in both hand and twisted, putting the Human Realm on the ground, and then stomped down hard on the Pain incarnation's back.. He noticed Tendou coming in behind him, but too late. Hanzou hissed when the black metal weapon ripped through his back.

"You would have done better to run, Hanzou," Pain chided in a calm voice as he loosened his grip on the chakra conductor that he'd impaled into his opponent.

Hanzou burst into smoke, leaving Tendou with a wooden log skewered on a pole. The Rin'negan wielder looked over across the ruined tower. The old man materialized within a standing water puddle. The rain continued to pour, and lightning lit up the skies. Tendou then tossed the metal pole in his hand over the building's edge, keeping his stare concentrated on the Salamander.

"Don't act so conceited, criminal," the Hidden Rain's war-born leader ground out as he rose and cracked his neck, his baritone voice dripping with scorn. "I've butchered a hundred would-be usurpers in this place. You are nothing but a statistic to me, 'God.'"

"There is no point in struggling," Tendou commented, his tone clinical. "Your era has now reached its conclusion. You will die here," the Pain incarnation promised, his Rin'negan glowing bright in the drenching rain. "God has willed it."

"Hmph," the aged dictator grunted, "such delusional nonsense."

Massive explosions then rocked the area, but this time neither Pain nor Hanzou had a hand in them. Tendou glanced towards the other two Pain incarnations, and the three leapt down onto a concrete bridge connecting the ruined tower to an intact building next to it. Meanwhile, the remaining three Pains – those not involved in the battle at present, moved positions in order to compensate.

The Pain Rikudou could hear agonized screaming in the near distance, as Hanzou's last remaining supporters perished in combat together, and the six incarnations smiled as one. Pain took pleasure in their enlightenment. He, as God, would introduce pain to this whole immature world, and guide mankind to onto its proper path.

"You are a deranged lunatic, Rin'negan or not." Hanzou shook his head and growled as he pointed towards the scene below with a shaking hand, enraged at seeing his devoted partisans being butchered. "No God could ever smile upon such wanton carnage."

"Normal people cannot comprehend God's vision," Ningendou replied, unmoved. "There's no need to understand. You will perish, along with this heathen dictatorship. Now, let's begin in earnest, Hanzou. No more holding back."

Tendou motioned with his hand and the three peripheral Pain incarnations came down to link up with him and the others. Hanzou touched his split lip and ran through several hand seals, and then slammed his palm onto the concrete. The area around him exploded into white smoke, and when it cleared, an enormous summoned salamander stood next to him. Tense seconds passed and then combat began anew without a word, and this time much more intense. The Rain continued to weep.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Damn," Naruto breathed out, taking in their present location, "and I thought the other place was weird-looking."

His two companions remained silent, not that he'd expected either Akatsuki member to respond. Konan didn't like or trust him and made no secret about either, and Itachi was Itachi and was thus quiet as the grave. The three were now crossing a concrete bridge that led deeper into what the kunoichi had described as the residential district. The Hidden Rain dictator's remaining supporters were entrenched around his residence there.

There were tall concrete and steel buildings sticking out through the lake all around, with pipes that ran down the sides into the water. Bridges and power lines connected the massive buildings together. For someone who was used to Konoha, the metropolitan architecture was downright alien. Due to the blinding rain, the blond had a hard time seeing down into the lake. The rainwater was getting into his cloak and giving him a rash as well. He wished that he hadn't discarded his kasa earlier.

"I wonder about that explosion we heard earlier," the blond then tried again, the silence irritating him as much as the rain, "it sounded serious."

"Perhaps the Leader has dealt with the remnants on his own," the Uchiha droned as he looked back towards Naruto, his tone apathetic.

'You're supposed to be watching him,' Naruto grumbled in his mind, unsure whether Itachi didn't know or wasn't telling.

The illusionist paused underneath a wooden overhang as the ground reached the next high tower and wrung out his long slate hair. The two teenaged prodigies were both soaked to the bone. Konan meanwhile had her oil paper parasol, and Naruto had to repress the instinct to swipe the thing. Itachi parted his cloak and drained the excess rainwater.

'The bitch could've brought along a couple extras,' the blond wanted to complain aloud, glaring at the Akatsuki kunoichi as the two stood in the rain, but said nothing. Konan paid no attention to him, whether she noticed his angered stare or not.

Naruto stepped under the shelter also and peered into a window as he ran a hand through his hair, but it was too dark inside to see. The demon vessel spat into the rain and tried to pull the portal open, but the thing wouldn't budge. He then slammed his ANBU bracer into the glass and shattered the window, and prepared to vault through.

"Please humor us and exercise a little common sense, jinchuuriki." Konan spoke at last, her voice cold. "There could be enemies waiting in ambush in there."

"Don't call me that," Naruto snapped back, his temper boiling over. "I've got a damned name. You two are quite welcome to run up the pipes and slip, but I'm taking the stairs."

He then swept through the broken window, not bothering to look back and gauge Konan's reaction, or the Uchiha's. Naruto landed inside the bare, darkened room and pulled out the Kusanagi and channeled chakra into the blade, again using its sacred white light to illuminate the building. The jinchuuriki made certain to crunch the glass shards on the ground underneath his sandals as he began to explore the chamber, attempting to locate the stairs that he knew had to be around somewhere. Naruto reached towards the nearest door, and as soon as he began to open it, the room's electric lights came on.

"Tch," he hissed and whirled about with sword in hand, placing his back to the wall.

There was no Rain-nin ambush, however. Itachi stood across the room with his manicured hand covering a light switch. The illusionist arched a brow in response to Naruto's hostile reaction to his presence. For his part, the blond wasn't sure whether to be irritated with the Uchiha, who had somehow managed to get across broken glass without making the slightest noise, or relieved that Konan hadn't been proven right.

"You surprised me," Naruto grunted, dismissing the matter, his ill temper somewhat appeased due to the knowledge that Itachi had come in behind him despite their kunoichi companion's spoken disapproval.

"Ah," was all the response he received as Itachi likewise began to scout the area, tucking his arm into his dripping wet cloak. He looked like a drowned rat.

The jinchuuriki happened to look back towards the broken window, and quirked his own brow when he saw what looked like countless snow white moths gravitating through the hole in the wall and into the room. The moths clustered together and seemed to combine into one larger humanoid shape, which then molded into Konan. The azure-haired woman materialized kneeling on one knee and then stood upright.

"Fuck,' Naruto groused, taking a good look at her in the bright light. 'Figures she'd be hot…'

He realized that he hadn't noticed her looks until now, as strange as that idea seemed in retrospect. Perhaps he'd been too preoccupied, though blinding rain and dark caves didn't lend well to observing such things in great detail. He thought that perhaps he was going into withdrawal, having spent so much time working around attractive older women in Konoha. For the last month, however, the closest thing to an actual woman he'd seen was Itachi. Regardless, the blond was most aggravated about having been caught staring.

"That must be a convenient technique," he said, attempting to be conversational.

Naruto received a level stare that made quite clear that she hadn't bought into his nonchalant act.

"Less inane chit-chat and more progress," the Akatsuki kunoichi sniped, striding past Naruto. "Locate the stairs."

The jinchuuriki grinned, but then turned serious when a loud crash echoed across the room. Itachi looked back, standing over a wooden door that was split right down the middle where the he'd kicked it in. Naruto's position allowed him to see concrete steps located across the ruined doorsill.

"I've located the stairs, ma'am," the teenager reported to Konan's retreating back, his right arm snapping into a crisp ANBU salute.

Naruto knew that his snide remark would elicit no response, and the blond crossed the room towards the stairs without waiting to hear one. The Uchiha sent him a warning look, perhaps intended to tell him to stop antagonizing their companion, but the demon carrier ignored him. Itachi assumed point and started up the staircase as Naruto and Konan neared.

Naruto waited, deciding to be a 'gentleman' and allow Konan to go next, but the Akatsuki kunoichi made no move. The implication was obvious, that the woman didn't trust him with her back in a narrow place. The blond snorted in derision, amused with the idea that she was concerned about him making some attempt to backstab her, as though he'd want or need to resort to such weak deceptive tactics.

"Heh," the blond chuckled and shook his head as he started up the stairs, quickening his pace to catch up with Itachi.

The booming thunder outside seemed to be even louder within the stairwell, as was the nonstop rain hammering against the steel building's walls. The loud, echoing clamor masked the Missing-nin group during their climb up the towering structure.

"I still can't believe those rebels have routed our men," a voice sounded somewhere above the three Akatsuki operatives.

Naruto grinned and prepared to rush up the remaining stairs and kill the Rain-nin, but much to his chagrin, Itachi seemed to have other ideas. The Uchiha genius motioned his impulsive companion to stop, and remained where he was to eavesdrop. The blond lurked in the shadows, making sure that the guards couldn't see or sense him, but his advanced hearing allowed him to listen in on them alongside Itachi. The Uchiha genius deactivated his Sharingan to avoid being noticed.

"From the reports I've heard," another growling Ame-nin continued, "those evil bastards hired that Missing-nin group, 'Akatsuki' or something, that tore up Konoha a couple months back, and brought in a damned jinchuuriki also."

Itachi glanced over at Naruto within the darkness, and then to Konan, who was standing right behind the demon container. The Rain shinobi were standing inside a concrete maintenance shed that sat atop the stairs, looking out an open window into the aquatic metropolis below. The blond could see them through an open door.

"That's right, the Uzumaki kid, though that monster came in with the Akatsuki, so it looks like he's abandoned his home village," a third Rain shinobi who seemed to be older replied, his voice somber and serious. "More than that, someone also reported seeing the kid who wiped out the Uchiha Clan with them."

Naruto's lips curled in response to his name spoken. He again took a certain arrogant pleasure in knowing that he was known in other shinobi countries, even a xenophobic nation such as the Rain. He crossed his arms and leaned against the concrete wall.

"Uchiha Itachi, the blood traitor," the second man supplied, spitting on the ground as a lightning bolt arced in the air. "The rebels might as well have called in Orochimaru, or hired out Konoha wholesale. Curse them to Hell, bringing those outsiders into our great nation! Fuck, the Hell with Konoha too while we're at it!"

'Listen to that idiot,' Naruto thought with utter contempt and wanted to speak, but didn't in order to maintain cover. 'Raving like a loon, and he calls himself a ninja.'

"Remain calm," the older man ordered his raving comrade. "Hanzou-sama will cut these pigs down as he has all the others."

Itachi then decided that he'd scouted enough and began to enact his stratagem. The illusionist began to ascend the remaining stairs and bided his time until a Rain-nin turned in his general direction. He then reactivated his Sharingan and trapped the man in a genjutsu, or so Naruto assumed. The guard blinked then tapped his still cursing and raving teammate on the arm to get his attention. The second shinobi turned and was likewise caught in an illusion. The two enraptured Rain-nin moved to the window as the renegade Uchiha climbed the stairs and stood behind the third, his movements noiseless.

"Excuse me," Itachi said to the leader as he reached the top.

"Eh," the shinobi captain muttered, and then turned into the spinning Sharingan.

The older man grabbed his head and pivoted back towards the window. The Rain-nin looked to be in some other world, and Naruto headed upstairs and came to a stop behind Itachi. The other shinobi didn't seem to even notice him.

"Let's go," he said, and the three leapt out into the rain through the open window and headed out deeper into the engagement zone.

"I think I missed something," the jinchuuriki spoke as he reached back to scratch behind his head, puzzled that the Uchiha had chosen to let them go.

"Those three were a reconnaissance cell," Itachi explained, and then pointed with a painted nail towards a low concrete bridge in the distance as he continued. "I've used genjutsu to trick them into 'spotting' us making our approach along that bridge."

"And now those goons are making their report to the others," Naruto concluded, though he didn't quite understand the need to use such a deception, since their plan didn't involve storming the survivors' position outright.

"Then," Konan's voice spoke as she appeared within the penthouse, "perhaps we should help to corroborate their tale."

The blue-haired kunoichi raised her arm and countless paper sheets shot outward through her robe sleeve. Naruto pressed his back to the wall and covered to avoid being sliced to ribbons. The paper sheets gusted around the room and swirled together, combining into a Konan clone. The jinchuuriki meanwhile hissed through his teeth and glared down at his hand, where the chakra-enhanced paper had cut into his skin.

Itachi glanced at Konan's replication and nodded, as though heeding some unspoken instruction, and created a shadow clone. The two Akatsuki members then both looked to Naruto. The blond knew what he was expected to do, and also the reason behind doing so.

"You'll want to give me some room," he explained. "This technique can be a little…"

'Disgusting,' he completed his statement in his head.

Naruto ran through some hand seals as the others stepped back. He sank to his knees as his stomach swelled, and the blond then opened his mouth wide and vomited out several hissing serpents onto the ground, creating a large, writhing, living pile. The snakes then melded together and became a Naruto clone. The real Naruto meanwhile gagged and spat into the rain in an attempt to dispel the vile taste that lingered in his mouth and throat.

"I hate doing that," the demon container griped under his breath, wiping the dribble on his lips but knowing that a regular Kage Bunshin wouldn't have been enough in the required situation, even though Itachi had made one.

The three clones were then mobilized at Itachi's direction to approach the holdouts' positions along the route that he'd tricked the scouts into reporting. The replications moved through the window into the rain and raced down the building onto the bridge.

'A trick to mask a trick,' the blond shrugged, not liking to use so much misdirection, 'it might work, I guess.'

Their turn to leave came next. Naruto was reluctant to step back into the deluge, but he had little choice in the matter. His gaze swept across the small shed one last time, and he noticed several oil paper umbrellas similar to Konan's stocked against the wall in a dark corner. Never one to turn down something at the ultimate discount, the blond jinchuuriki marched over and snatched two.

'Five finger discount,' he smirked and tossed one back to Itachi, who considered the item.

Naruto then walked over to the open window and stuck his umbrella out, and prepared to push it open.

"I would suggest not opening that, Naruto-kun," Itachi commented, placing his own back into the corner whence it had come.

"That isn't a normal umbrella," Konan then explained, her voice neutral. "It's a device loaded with senbon. Here," the woman continued and sent more paper out, which molded into a second parasol similar to her own. The kunoichi caught it in midair and tossed to Naruto. "You can use this instead. Now, let's continue on. Time is running short."

Naruto nodded, having been bribed into compliance, and then leapt through the window into the rainstorm. He landed on the building top while opening his umbrella. The blond held his precious parasol out to allow Itachi to step underneath when he emerged. The illusionist said nothing, but accepted the invitation. Konan took up the rear, as was her prerogative.

"I propose moving onto a taller building to observe," the Uchiha then murmured, pointing towards the several much higher structures in the area. "The pieces should be in place soon."

No-one argued, and the trio spied out a better vantage point and tried to remain inconspicuous while moving about. Naruto tried, at least, while the other two had no problems with it. The three Akatsuki operatives scaled the selected building, but upon reaching the top, discovered that a Hidden Rain assault unit had occupied the same position.

Rather than raising the alarm upon coming into contact with the Missing-nin group, the hostile shinobi began to raise their hands in surrender. Naruto prepared to attack nonetheless, unwilling to spare them, but a Rain-nin reached up and ripped his breathing mask loose, revealing whisker marks and a sharp-toothed grin underneath.

'Fucking lazy clones,' the demon vessel cursed while lowering his sword, 'loafing around here instead of doing their jobs.'

"Yo," the Naruto clone mocked. "You're all late. The show's getting started," he said, pointing with his thumb towards the bridge.

The jutsu exchanges then began, with the holdouts entrenched in and around the residential towers launching the attack upon the three red herrings on the low ground. Naruto's serpent clone summoned a large snake to protect the trio and then began to return the incoming attacks in kind. Meanwhile, neither Itachi's Kage Bunshin nor Konan's paper clone participated, instead hanging back and watching.

'And speaking of watching,' the blond groused.

"Move it," the real Naruto grunted and spurred the disguised clones into action, shaking his umbrella, "spread out and get to work."

The one Naruto clone replaced his breathing mask and the group took their leave, the Itachi clones with calm purpose while the Naruto clones hissed and complained about the master being a slave driver. The blond placed the Kusanagi in its socket and raked his hand through his spiked hair, wondering whether he was that intolerable to other people.

"This had better succeed," Konan muttered. The sound was almost too quiet to hear in the never-ending rain.

"Yeah," the demon carrier concurred, observing the Ame contingent's impregnable position and relieved that he wouldn't have to die attempting to conquer it, owing to his 'genius' scheme. "It will, trust me."

The azure-haired kunoichi said nothing, but nodded.

Naruto's distraction clone took several unavoidable hits in the exchanges with the Rain holdouts, but the thing was designed to be tough and durable, and managed to remain intact. The disguised clones meanwhile engaged alongside the real Ame shinobi and maneuvered themselves to integrate into each individual unit, splitting up and changing positions.

The plan proceeded without a hitch. The holdouts were too preoccupied with the battle at hand to notice that the dozen or so shadow clones, garbed in genuine Hidden Rain shinobi apparel, were not their allies. For some reason, Konan had made a stink about looting corpses back in the industrial district. Naruto didn't know the reason, nor did he much give an Akimichi's asshole. No regular Henge would have ever passed muster.

"The clones have gained complete access," Itachi spoke in his haunting monotone, marking their movements with his Sharingan. "Preparations are now complete," he reported, seeming impassive about the whole issue, though Naruto knew better.

"Finish it," Konan ordered, looking on with cold determination.

Naruto opened, commanding his snake clone on the bridge to detonate. The explosion ripped through the Rain-nin who had engaged on the ground, blasting the concrete bridge into little chunks that sank into the lake and vanished into the churning depths. The blond had to quash down some guilt over his summoned snake, which had been caught in the massive detonation.

The remaining Hanzou partisans, who were positioned atop the buildings and had been raining attacks down upon the clones below, stopped short in response to the explosion. Naruto glanced towards Itachi, who looked back and nodded, and then made a single hand seal. The blond did the same and the concealed shadow clones initiated a chain reaction, detonating within the other small assault units.

Itachi's blasts were smaller and more controlled, Naruto's enormous and wild. Both, however, accomplished their collective purpose. The enormous buildings, built with special steel that had been bolstered with chakra, somehow managed to avoid being mutilated too much.

The shinobi standing atop them, however, didn't share in their good luck. The exploding Kage Bunshin, detonated at point-blank range, obliterated the Rain-nin down to the last man. There was no heroic last stand. The battle was concluded in a second, and the losers had never suspected a thing.

The chained explosions resulted in an unstoppable shockwave that pushed the cloaked Akatsuki shinobi several steps backward, even though all three had been prepared and had attempted to brace against the backlash. Naruto's paper umbrella was shredded to ribbons and the rain began to pour down onto the demon container's head again. He was more aggravated over getting wet again than he was over the men and women that he'd helped to massacre seconds earlier. The jinchuuriki never even questioned the matter.

"That was much easier than expected," Itachi said, likewise callous. Naruto knew that the illusionist took no particular pleasure in killing and did his best to avoid doing so without need, but that he also had no qualms committing murder when the situation required it.

The storm became even more intense, as though protesting the slaughter. The hard, acidic rainwater stung Naruto through his Akatsuki cloak. Thunder boomed in the air. Konan's parasol had also gotten shredded up in the backlash, and she was now getting soaked right alongside him and Itachi. The blond demon vessel wondered whether her paper manipulation techniques would work in the rain.

"Brilliant," Naruto sneered. "Like I said, again," he reminded and then cocked his head towards the large smoldering compound located deep in the lake, where the real battle raged onward. "Looks like Sir Leader's still going at it with Hanzou. I'm heading over to have a better look," the demon container declared, not caring to get clearance.

"That's not possible," Konan replied in a neutral tone, though Naruto was aware that the kunoichi didn't want him to approach Pain. "Hanzou's entire administrative complex is marked with chakra negation seals to keep intruders out. You can't scale the walls."

Naruto digested this knowledge, and he could see that the structure was ruptured to the point that going inside the tower and climbing up to the battle zone would likewise be impossible. There seemed to be but one route, and it wasn't one that he wanted to take. He could get there through the skies, but that involved revealing his juin evolution, which not even Itachi knew about to his knowledge. However, in the end, it represented little more than raw power, and that alone wouldn't propel him over the Akatsuki when the moment came. There seemed to be little point in holding a trump card that couldn't trump.

The battle area then became covered in smoke. The rain cleared it in record time, and revealed a monstrous summoned lizard in its wake. Naruto knew the legends about Hanzou the Salamander and the massive creature that was the dictator's namesake. He made his decision then, and shrugged his cloak loose and stripped is undershirt. He sensed Itachi's impassive stare upon his back as he tied his cloak sleeves around his waist and headed towards the tower's edge.

'Alright,' Naruto exhaled a breath. 'Here goes.'

The blond then pumped chakra through his cursed seal, concentrating upon his back. Naruto hissed and tried not to scream in torment when the white avian wings burst outward right underneath and between his shoulder blades, ripping through skin and muscle alike. The snow white appendages were matted and streaked with his blood, which also coursed down his back in two identical rivers. His skin remained unchanged, unlike the last time he had pushed his seal into its most evolved state, a testament to his increased control over its power.

"Fuck, that huuurts," he couldn't help bitching, almost dropping to his knees. The rain helped to clean his back, but did nothing to soothe the blinding pain.

The jinchuuriki hopped into the air and levitated there, and then looked back down at Itachi and Konan. The two S-Class shinobi did well at hiding their surprise, but Naruto knew that both were re-evaluating him in their minds. For some reason, his being able to make them rethink their previous opinions pleased him.

"That," Itachi enunciated and arched a curious brow, "was not indicated in our intelligence."

"Heh," the white-winged Naruto shrugged with a grin, cracking his neck. "A girl's got to hold onto some secrets. Now, grab on."

He held his right arm out, inviting the older teenager to take hold. Itachi weighed the matter a moment, and then nodded and wrapped both arms around Naruto's bicep. His hands were as cold as ice.

"You're welcome to hitch a ride too," the jinchuuriki turned back to Konan with a lopsided grin, though he wasn't sure what had prompted him to do so. "Might as well make sure the Leader doesn't have a problem."

In truth, Naruto didn't care in the least about what could happen to Pain. 'God' being killed in combat would suit his own purposes quite well, not that he would assist in making it happen. Perhaps he would stumble upon an opening to win points with the Leader, at least.

"He doesn't need our help," Konan retorted, though she still grabbed onto the wrist that he held out.

Perhaps she didn't trust Naruto and Itachi to observe without her 'supervision,' though riding with the blond meant trusting him not to drop her to her death, so he didn't quite know what the woman's motivations were. Perhaps she was concerned about the Leader. Hanzou and his behemoth summon as individuals were nothing to be underestimated, so much more so together.

'It'd be so easy to kill them both,' he thought as he got a decent start and made his leap into the skies. 'All I'd have to do is let go.'

Naruto knew that he wouldn't, but the idea to renege on his bargain with Itachi and then recede into the shadows somewhere was nonetheless tempting. He struggled against his passengers' combined weight and almost started into a nosedive into the lake, but instead pulled more chakra through his juin to regain his balance. The winged blond then began to rise in altitude and soared through the air towards the battle. Naruto couldn't help but remember another epic shinobi duel he'd interrupted in this manner. This time, however, he wouldn't be saving the old man.

XXXXXXXXXX

Three Pain incarnations leapt to the side to avoid the enormous scalding water blast. Hanzou's summon prepared to unleash a second, but stopped short when a summoned ox plowed into its side, driving the great amphibian backwards. The salamander speared the horned creature through the spine with its tail, slaughtering the bovine summon, but then had to leap aside as a huge summoned mantis attempted to slash its head with a sickle.

Hanzou meanwhile sidestepped as Gakidou descended upon him. The Fat Pain's attack pulverized the concrete beneath the old dictator and caused the bridge to tremor. Tendou made no move, but the Hell and Human Realms rushed at Hanzou's back. Hanzou pivoted and spewed a lightning bolt towards the two incoming Pains, knowing that the protector Gakidou wasn't in position to absorb the jutsu. The lightning streaked past them, rushing straight towards Tendou.

"Futile," the Deva Realm commented, not even bothering to twitch a muscle. Another invisible shockwave rippled in the air as the bolt closed in, shearing the attack apart.

Hanzou glared and sucked in a breath through his teeth. Ningendou closed in and drove a hard punch into the aged man's stomach. The Human Realm pressed his advantage with a roundhouse kick that staggered the Rain's leader back, and the thickset Jigokudou rushed into Hanzou with a double sledge, driving him over the bridge's edge and into the lake.

The biomechanical Shuradou exposed the rockets lining its other arm and launched them into the air. The three Pains leapt backwards in complete unison as the salamander's massive tail came crashing down upon their position and ripped clean through the concrete and steel bridge. The summoned amphibian had no chance to attack again, as the Beast Realm once again attacked with his own summoning, this time calling upon an eagle to swoop down and claw at the great salamander's vision.

The missiles circled in the rain and streaked down towards the area where Hanzou was plummeting into the water, overtaking his descent. The lake water swirled and shot high into the air to surround Hanzou in a protective shell. Pain's rockets impacted the thick liquid wall and exploded, unable to penetrate through. The water within then rose as well, making the hollow wall into a dense, rising pillar, which Hanzou then rode upon to again reach Pain's position.

The veteran shinobi ran through several hand seals as he soared towards the Pain Rikudou and crouched, slamming his palm into the moving aquatic column, causing a high-powered electric charge to crackle through the water beneath him. Hanzou leapt back onto the bridge, on the now divided side opposite the Pain incarnations. The charged pillar twisted like a snake in the air and rushed towards the Rin'negan bodies.

The six Pains had nowhere to go as the attack plowed into the administrative tower behind the rebel commander's six incarnations, and the sextet dropped over the edge. The electric torrent blasted apart the central spire's ruined remains, sending the wreckage crashing into the lake in enormous chunks.

Hanzou glared at the descending Pains and went into a rapid speed, extended seal sequence, clasping his hands together to end the jutsu. The lake parted and swirled into a massive whirlpool, placed to swallow the Akatsuki's Leader whole and end him within its crushing depths. However, a summoned whale leapt out through the swirling water and intercepted the plummeting Pain Rikudou, catching them upon its back. The old leader cursed under his breath, slumping over with exhaustion and irritated that the Rin'negan wielding group had eluded him again.

Hanzou's salamander shot a boiling water ball at the airborne whale. The aquatic mammal shot pressurized air through its blowhole, propelling the six Pains higher, back into the battle zone. The Pain Rikudou landed upon a concrete bridge connecting two peripheral towers, though as the battle progressed, there were less and less places to stand.

"Your parlor tricks will run out at some point, criminal," the impatient Hanzou grated down at Pain, crossing his arms.

"Your strength will ebb much sooner," the Beast Realm countered, his voice clinical as his Rin'negan observed the aged warlord's labored breathing.

Hanzou didn't respond or attack, however, and instead seemed to be watching something lingering in the air above the six Pain bodies. Tendou glanced up, while the remaining realms kept their collective attention concentrated onto the old warrior and his summoned pet. Konan and Itachi stood atop the tower looking down at the battle, the Uchiha taking in each miniscule detail with his ever swirling Sharingan. Uzumaki Naruto glided in the rain upon angelic wings, twirling his sword in his right hand. For a moment, Tendou's lips tightened a little upon seeing the latter.

"Yo," the jinchuuriki said with an arrogant wave, as though the child believed that he possessed all the right in the world to intrude upon the battle. "Don't mind me, uh, sir."

The cold stare that Tendou sent in his direction indicated that the Akatsuki Leader minded quite a bit. The Rin'negan stare then swept over to Konan, who bit down on her lip and shrugged her shoulders. Naruto and to a much lesser extent, or so it seemed, Itachi, looked curious about the six bodies, but both knew that now was not the time to comment.

"Look at what we have here," Hanzou spat, prompting Naruto to glance down at the Hidden Rain's deposed leader, "Konoha's jinchuuriki and the blood traitor Uchiha Itachi. You have spared no expense, rebel," the old warrior continued, looking back at Tendou. "This comes as no surprise. I suppose that scum begets scum."

The Uchiha gave no reaction to Hanzou's scathing comment, but Naruto did. The blond pointed with his sword towards the veteran and glided up closer to the Itachi and Konan. The jinchuuriki cupped his hand to his ear and pretended to listen to something, and then looked up towards Itachi with a laugh.

"Take a listen, Itachi-san," Naruto whispered, his grin turning savage. "I thought I heard a corpse dropping."

The illusionist's thin lips moved into a slight grin. Hanzou used the opening to launch a shuriken barrage at the airborne Naruto, as well as the two shinobi standing behind his position. Hanzou made a single hand seal and the dozen shuriken changed into several hundred. Naruto hissed and dove underneath the barrage, extending the Kusanagi outward and streaking like a missile towards the dictator. The battle was on again.

Konan used Shunshin to move to a higher place on the tower. Itachi meanwhile stood in place without a care and threw his own shuriken, replicating Hanzou's Shuriken Kage Bunshin technique via his Sharingan to match his number. The steel missiles collided in midair and scattered in various directions through the rain and into the lake.

Pain's android incarnation, Shuradou, leveled both arms at the old man and let loose, hurling twin rocket punches at Hanzou. Naruto cursed aloud and altered his path, having no desire to get hit, and Pain didn't seem to care about shooting through him at that moment in time. The blond moved parallel to the bridge, glaring at the Leader, who ignored him.

"Konan," Tendou beckoned, and the azure-haired kunoichi was at her partner's side in an instant.

Hanzou sidestepped the initial punch with a neat motion and leapt over the second. Both knocked into the structure behind him, creating large dents in the steel. The dictator was struck with an incoming Grand Fireball in midair, as Itachi had predicted his leap and made an immediate response. The Uchiha was still standing in his original position on the spire, now holding a hand to his mouth.

The smoke cleared, and a burning log dropped onto the bridge in its wake, exploding into hot ash on contact. The standing rainwater on the concrete near where Hanzou had been located prior to the attack began to coalesce. Naruto was in an ideal position to strike, and he started to seal a lightning jutsu to electrocute the now aquatic shinobi.

He never had the chance to launch his attack. A massive boiling water ball slammed into his blindside. Naruto shrieked as the scalding hot liquid caused second-degree burns upon his exposed arms and torso, and he went into a tailspin, careening down towards the lake. Itachi glanced down in what almost passed as concern, but the blond righted his momentum and regained his balance, even as his advanced jinchuuriki healing began to regenerate his burnt skin and muscular tissue.

"Fucking overgrown tadpole," the jinchuuriki shouted, abandoning the battle against Hanzou and instead streaking towards his summoned partner.

"That kid," the Human Realm muttered, his Rin'negan glancing towards the berserk Naruto. "He can be a nuisance."

Hanzou completed his materialization opposite the Pain Rikudou and Konan, but he had precious little time to react to the summoned Cerberus that bore down on him. The old man leapt aside at the last instant, and the multi-headed dog crashed into the tower behind him. The beast decomposed into several smaller canines that turned about and rushed at Hanzou, snarling and snapping. He made a hand sign and the standing water morphed into sharp aquatic spikes that shot upwards and impaled the dogs.

The old dictator then whirled back towards his human opponents and managed to raise his arms to block Gakidou's double palm thrust. The blow sent the Hanzou backwards into the metal building, where his brittle spine impacted against the chakra steel with a low thud. He slid down to the concrete, slow to rise.

"You have grown old, Hanzou," Tendou spoke, with neither scorn nor derision present in his tone. "Your partisans have been routed and the capital is in now our possession. This is the end."

Hanzou let out a pained groan and stood. He reached up with both hands and pulled on his breathing mask. There was an audible hissing sound as the chakra holding the mask in place against his skin dispersed. Blood leaked through the old shinobi's mouth and down his chin. Despite the deep scars and wrinkles, and the thinning iron-colored hair, the old man looked as stern and resolute as he ever was.

However, that mental strength was tempered with resignation. Pain hadn't needed to remind his nemesis. Hanzou knew quite well that this was to be his last battle, and he knew that he was outnumbered and up against Kage-level opponents, and a jinchuuriki. He knew that his stamina and chakra were running out. His skill excelled the world, but no mortal man could overcome old age.

"Fool," Hanzou the Salamander wheezed. His voice was much less overpowering without his respirator, but still brimmed with strength and conviction. "I built this nation. I've protected these lands through three great wars. No-one else can shoulder the burden. This nation cannot survive without me." The great leader hacked and spat up blood. "This might well be the end, criminal, but I will not disgrace all the men who have lost their lives on this dire morning. There is no Rain without Hanzou."

Pain said nothing, but raised his open hand to the skies. The rain slowed and then stopped altogether. Hanzou recognized the implied insult at once, but didn't react to it. Konan's paper shot outward and recombined to restore her white wings, and she levitated in the air next to her longtime companion.

Hanzou reached into his combat garb and withdrew a small container, and then poured several pills into his hand. He ingested the medicine and coughed. His weathered skin took on a reddish hue as the specialized soldier pills sent his chakra production into overdrive.

"You will now see the power that united this weeping land," the old warrior declared, as his inner power exploded.

The entire lake seemed to shoot up around the tower. Countless liquid columns materialized and rose into the air, held in place due to Hanzou's power. The six Pains and Konan looked on, unimpressed with the act. The dragon heads appeared next. Gakidou moved into position to protect the others against the barrage that was soon to come, and Konan took to the air.

Meanwhile, Shuradou's spiked cranium split apart in six wedges and opened outward to revealing a strange contraption underneath. The biomechanical Pain incarnation then hunched over and took aim at the Hidden Rain's leader. Hanzou's innumerable Suiryuudan attacked and Pain's chakra cannon began charging. Konan let loose with a paper missile barrage. The deciding hand was now on the table.

The towering salamander swiped at the airborne Naruto with its arm. The jinchuuriki rolled to the side and rose over the attack, but then had to pull back and swerve to evade a heated water blast. The steaming, scalding liquid passed close to his burnt, sensitive skin. Naruto hissed as the intense heat made the burn wounds, which hadn't quite healed, sting anew. The distraction almost cost him, as the amphibian's massive tail almost crushed him. Naruto weaved underneath at the last instant.

"You're too damned big," the blond cursed at the monster.

The demon container pointed an open palm at Hanzou's summon. The skin on his arm morphed into green scales, and his hand changed into a massive serpent's mouth. The hissing appendage opened its maw and spewed a Karyuu Endan at the salamander as it moved back around. The dragon slammed into the creature's side, charring the skin.

The technique seemed to do little more than irritate the beast, however, and it then returned another, much larger water bomb. This one caught Naruto sleeping and grazed his legs, causing him to cringe in pain as his scaled arm returned to its normal state. The monster's open mouth was then descending towards him again, boiling water rising inside its throat.

Naruto sensed the heat and smelled the smoke, and looked into the air as he dodged. Red hot, blazing missiles soared downward over his head like countless meteorites. The beast raged and thrashed as Uchiha Itachi's Housenka struck its vulnerable head over and over. The blazing shuriken struck home, as several imbedded into the behemoth's vision, rendering it blind. The summon stood on its hinds legs and raised its arms to its head, ripping and clawing at the burning metal weapons, but doing nothing except driving them in deeper.

"Nice shot," the blond cheered, shooting the illusionist an enthusiastic thumbs up as he stood atop his building.

Itachi nodded back to him, but Naruto was gone. The jinchuuriki used the salamander's preoccupation to his advantage, and used the Kusanagi to slash a deep wound down its massive stomach. The great amphibian howled again, but the wound amounted to little more than an exaggerated paper cut given its relative size. The blond spat into the still moist air, and then reared back and plunged his sword deep into the existing wound. He pushed inside the monster's stomach, disappearing into it.

Itachi, who had continued to watch, arched a brow at the other teenager's bizarre tactics. However, he didn't need more than a second to reason Naruto's plan, and his lips then moved into a grin. The enormous chakra dispersion that seemed to take place inside the monster's bowels validated his conclusion.

Naruto plunged out again a minute later, picking up speed as he rushed to escape the monster's location. The shadow clones that he'd deposited inside Hanzou's summoned partner, numbering a thousand or perhaps more, began to dentonate. Blood and gore rained down all over, as a creature as tall and wide as a large building was blasted to pieces.

The blond demon container let out an unhinged, howling laugh as he plunged down inside the lake to clean the gunk that had gotten onto him inside the salamander. Naruto had the right to celebrate. Few human beings, jinchuuriki or otherwise, could boast to having bested an S-Ranked summoned beast in combat. He started laughing again when he emerged, but had regained some control over his mind. Naruto glided onto the tower next to Itachi and retracted his cursed seal wings.

"That was," Itachi paused, glancing towards his blond companion, "somewhat extreme, Naruto-kun."

"Damn right," Naruto exulted, sensing no irritation or disapproval in the older teenager's murmured comment.

The pair then turned their attention towards the Leader and Konan's battle against Hanzou, which now seemed to be reaching its conclusion. Naruto took a step and prepared to leap down into the storm, but Itachi grabbed the blond's shoulder and pulled him back. The slate-haired genius shook his head in the negative, telling the jinchuuriki in no uncertain terms that this wasn't their battle now. Naruto had done enough at this point and didn't mind being made a spectator. The two prodigies watched as the battle ran its course.

Konan moved about with a dancer's grace in the air, lilting about to avoid the innumerable water dragons that continued to twist about and rush at her. She launched more paper arrows down at Hanzou, her pierced lip curling into a small scowl as the missiles ricocheted into the air, doing no damage. The sheer chakra surrounding the old man during his last stand rendered most incoming attacks useless. Konan's paper was reduced to indeed little more than that, opening miniscule cuts on Hanzou's skin, but making no lasting impact.

Hanzou stood in place, concentrating his all into his jutsu and determined to use his last power to bring Pain down. The woman was a mere irritant, her attacks useless against him. The man, men – whatever Pain was – was making no move to attack, instead maintaining an impregnable guard through combining his collective powers. His hard heart ached despite it all when he glimpsed his summoned partner being annihilated in an earth-shattering explosion, with the mad jinchuuriki laughing like a lunatic in its wake.

He sighed, knowing that he was slipping. He was too old, and could not maintain this attack much longer. Hanzou spat blood, and redirected his Suiryuudan to attack Pain all at once and ignore the woman.

"Time to end this charade, criminal," he grunted, pushing his last into the charge.

Tendou's Rin'negan stare narrowed as the dragons attacking Konan all changed their paths to surround and then charge the Rikudou all at once. Gakidou grinned and he threw his arms wide to absorb three that came across the shattered bridge. A summoned hawk intercepted another, and was shredded apart. Tendou made a motion with his hand and pushed one back into another with his technique, obliterating both. The Human Realm leapt into one dragon's path, taking the damage to spare the rest. Through this indomitable teamwork, Pain continued to thwart Hanzou until…

"Time's up, Hanzou," the Deva Realm, the Leader, announced.

Shuradou's head seemed to twist about on its neck. The android then glanced up to reveal a scowling visage, and then lowered its head and blasted its chakra beam. The enormous laser shrieked towards Hanzou at light speed. There was no hope to dodge, no time to so much as even think. Pain's attack reduced the nigh invincible shinobi warlord to mere residual vapor, and likewise obliterated the entire tower behind him. The beam continued past the lake into the mountains outside the capital, where it at last detonated with a roar.

"And so it ends," the Hell Realm spoke, with the six Pains standing on a bridge that now had nothing but smoldering rubble remaining on either side.

The Beast Realm used Shunshin to appear on the tower with Naruto and Itachi, the last remaining in what had once been Hanzou's imposing command center, and summoned his colleagues.

"For the longest time," Konan admitted in a low voice, dropping down onto the tower. "I had never thought that I would live to see him dead."

The Leader and Konan both looked back towards the two teenagers. Uchiha Itachi nodded in understanding at once and motioned to Naruto. The pair disappeared – the illusionist in swirling leaves and the jinchuuriki in a crimson youki burst.

"Hanzou's death signals a rebirth," Tendou replied to her in a mild voice. "God's Kingdom is come. However, this genesis still represents nothing more than a beginning point. The goal is still not accomplished."

Konan said nothing, absorbed in her own thoughts and memories. Tendou glanced about Hanzou's ruined compound, taking in the sight. Nothing remained there to show that the man had ever even existed. However, there still remained others to be cleansed.

"From this moment on, I will strive to bring the masses everlasting peace through pain," Pain declared. "This human world will evolve, Konan. That is God's Will."

The clouds parted in the skies and the impossible happened, as a brilliant noontime sun shone down upon the Rain.

XXXXXXXXXX

Far to the south, an old man and two women strode down a well-beaten road that led to a massive wooden gate. Five ANBU stood at attention outside Konaha's village gate to meet them.

"Home at last," Sarutobi Hiruzen, the venerable, retired Third Hokage, mumbled, seeming relieved.

The old shinobi hadn't taken Naruto's leaving well. The teenager's actions had cast a noticeable pall over the entire group, including Tsunade and Shizune, who didn't even know him well. Uzuki Yuugao and Inuzuka Kiba had been sent back to the village well in advance to report. The plum-haired kunoichi was with the masked group waiting ahead.

"Doesn't seem like home to me," Tsunade commented, but with no venom in her voice.

The last month had been tiresome, but Sarutobi had convinced his old student to at least return to the village at length, though with no promises to remain there or accept the nomination to become Godaime Hokage.

"Here goes nothing," the Slug Princess grumbled as the leading ANBU motioned to another masked shinobi standing guard atop Konoha's damaged encampment wall.

Nothing had escaped damage in Akatsuki's raid on the village two months prior, an assault aimed at kidnapping two teenagers. Now both were in the criminal organization's power, one via coercion and the other through his own misguided will. The gate then rumbled open and the small group strode through, the ANBU taking up protective positions around them.

The word had spread about the Sannin Tsunade's return to her native village. People lined the streets to get a look at the returning heroine, both shinobi and villagers alike. The blonde woman didn't seem to take well to the attention, used as she was to living on her own terms and running about wherever she pleased. The Hokage's two advisers were right inside the gate.

"Sandaime-sama," Utatane Koharu spoke, "welcome back. You have done well."

Sarutobi nodded, his anxious expression indicating that he wanted a smoke.

"Tsunade-sama," Mitokado Homura continued with a grim smile, "welcome back to Konoha. You have been missed." Homura paused to allow the crowd to cheer and then made his request. "Please, along come with us. The Elder Council has assembled. There is much to be discussed."

Tsunade looked as though she'd swallowed something sour and almost turned back to punch a hole straight through the gate and abandon Konoha again. However, something in the villagers' expressions stopped her. The Slug Princess wavered, and at last relented.

"Fine," the woman muttered, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."

End Chapter Two

Next Chapter: Tsunade accepts the Third's nomination and becomes Godaime Hokage. Naruto's starring role in Ame's complete destruction becomes known abroad, and he receives a new assignment from Akatsuki. Orochimaru reappears. The Fourth Great Shinobi War begins.