Well, it certainly looks like things have improved to a preferential level. Just gotta keep in check and make sure the situation doesn't let Naruto turn into the wimp he was before eh? That should be easily taken care of, don't know what the hell I was doing before. Anyway, from this point on I'm gonna try and stay positive, and hope that it reflects in my work

Disclaimer: Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo! The Invasion of Pein is coming! I can hardly freaking wait!


A once small world, the horizon broadens

Naruto slipped his haori back on, lightly brushing some dirt away before loosely tying the sash. He then picked Eko up from his position against a tree and gave him the same treatment, before slipping him onto his back. Behind him, Koyane and the other five dogs had all returned, and where lying on the ground as they took a brief rest. In amongst the circle of dogs, Kisame, Gaara, Yagura and the person named Utakata sat in quiet conversation. Naruto turned to the small crowd and headed towards them, tousling his own sweat soaked hair as he neared them.

"So what's going on?" he asked, taking a seat by Koyane. As was the norm, he leant back and rested against the rising and falling body of the giant dog, who only gave the vaguest sign of noticing. Slipping his hands behind his head, he glanced over to Gaara for an explanation.

"I encountered this person while you two were fighting." Gaara replied, sitting forward while Yagura and Utakata waited quietly, "He said he merely wished to speak with Yagura-san, and was willing to allow some sand to be placed on him as a security measure. We talked on the way here, and from what he said it seemed most likely that he was the one Yagura-san spoke of."

Naruto nodded with a raised brow, glad to be up to speed. He then looked over to the two newcomers, both of whom were studying each other. The person known as Utakata had removed his mask, and from it revealed a sharp looking face with a pointed chin. His narrow, amber eyes looked over Yagura's face with a light frown, a look of misunderstanding and confusion. His thick brown hair fell down his face to just above his shoulders, covering his left eye and hanging down by his right. He raised his hand and pushed his hair from his eyes, giving his Mizukage his full attention.

"So… you don't remember anything?" he asked, in a soft voice. Yagura gave a small shake of the head, before bowing it to look at his lap.

"It's weird, I don't feel right in this body." he replied, rolling his shoulders uncomfortably, "The last thing I can remember was the mission to repair the bridge between the Omoi and Iki islands. And after that… it just felt like I was asleep. I get these slight images, but nothing that makes sense."

"Really?" Utakata muttered, his brow creasing further, "So… you don't recall being the Mizukage?"

Yagura nearly got a crick in his neck as he whipped his head up to look at Utakata, his eyes wide and brows raised as he gave a shocked expression, "What do you mean Mizukage?"

Utakata rested his arm on his knee as he turned to face Yagura. He wore the look of someone who wasn't looking forward to his next few words, but knew they had to be spoken in any case. He took a moment to collect his thoughts, before releasing them unenthusiastically.

"Yagura niisama… you're the Yondaime Mizukage." he said, in a slow and quiet tone. Yagura's brow creased into a look of complete incredulity, staring at Utakata as if the slightly older man had lost his mind.

"Mizukage…" he breathed, looking over Utakata's shoulder towards Kiri, his eyes distant with intense thought, "I'm the… Mizukage?"

"Yeah, for a while." Utakata replied, sympathetically. He looked away from his younger friend, a sorry appearance in his downcast eyes, "It was then that you started to change."

"Change?"

"Yeah… you-"

"Let's cut it short there." Kisame said, interrupting their talk. They both looked in surprise to the person who would at one time have been their senpai, both seeming to have forgotten he was even there, "He was under a Genjutsu, so nothing he did was his own actions."

"What'd I do?" Yagura asked, frowning at Kisame. It appeared the missing-nin's words had served only to make the boy more curious, and more determined to find answers.

"You didn't do anything." Kisame replied, getting to his feet. He looked Yagura straight in the eye with an expression that stressed every single syllable, "You were in a coma for the entire time you were Mizukage, at which point someone else was using your body to do as they pleased. My bet is that it was the higher ups of Kiri, so anything that happened is there fault, got it?"

All eyes were on Kisame as the eldest Shinobi turned and began walking in the direction opposite Kirigakure. Even Naruto and Gaara were taken aback by their sensei's change in attitude. Though in truth, he very rarely spoke of his time in Kiri to begin with.

Kisame came to a stop, placing his hands on his waist indecisively. He looked up ahead, from left to right as he tried to make a decision. But in the end he knew what it was he really intended to do, and glanced over his shoulder at the two Kiri nin, "I don't care who you are, there isn't a person here who knows what the councillors of Kiri are willing to do more than me. So don't get angry at yourself, get angry at them."

Yagura stared hard at Kisame, feeling that person's eyes focus specifically on his. He pushed himself to his feet, not letting the slightest sign of weakness exist, never mind show itself.

"You don't need to tell me that." he said, with an unyielding expression. He looked down to his clenched fist, his knuckles paling from the pressure he was putting into them, "Maybe it isn't greater than yours, but I hate that village more than anything else. I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt n leaving that place, nor do I have any intentions of going back there."

He raised his eyes back to Kisame's, letting him see his steely certainty for himself. The blue skinned Shinobi indulged him in his desire by returning Yagura's look, and searching his eyes for a few moments. It seemed he found what he was looking for, because he then grinned before looking ahead again.

"Come on, we got a ways to go to get outside Kiri's range." he said, as he continued walking. Naruto and Gaara quickly got to their own feet, along with the dogs, and hastily followed their sensei.

"So we're definitely leaving then?" Utakata asked, pushing himself up. He watched Yagura as he awaited an answer, noticing that the boy was still deep in thought, "You sure you're ok with this?"

"Definitely." Yagura replied, with flawless resolve. He then began walking after Kisame and the others, his eyes still faraway. Utakata noticed this little fact and casually followed Yagura at a slightly faster pace. Then, in passing, he nonchalantly gave Yagura a hard thump on the arm, "Gagh! What the hell?!"

"Hey, you're not the Mizukage anymore!" Utakata grinned, before running after their new group, "Call it payback for all the suicide missions!"

* * * * *

Several hours passed with no interruptions from Kirigakure. It looked like they had successfully slipped out of their range, and were no longer being followed. The mere thought of this made Naruto giddy, they had actually managed to kidnap a Kage! He slipped his hands behind his head, unable to drop the grin spread across his face. Looking over to his right, he couldn't help but notice that Gaara too seemed unusually content. With a quick nudge, he attracted his partner's attention.

"Not bad for a couple of "runts", huh?" he asked, inclining his head towards Kisame. Gaara let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head as he faced the road again.

"That reminds me…" Kisame said, slowing down so he was beside Naruto. The younger boy looked up at him questioningly, as he gave him a cocked brow, "I can't be certain, but where you about to use that Jutsu back there?"

At that moment, Naruto's chipper attitude faded away as he paled, a look of terror appearing on his face. Before he could do so much as stammer, his head was locked under Kisame's arm, a ferocious grin spread on his sensei's face, "Remind me why it is I made that incomplete Jutsu forbidden!"

"Gah- cos it'd kill me!" Naruto gasped, choking under the pressure of his sensei's grip.

"And what is it I told you to do if you ever thought of using that Jutsu as it was?" Kisame asked, moving his head closer to Naruto's.

"That I should come to you and let you do it instead!" Naruto replied, trying to prize Kisame's arm off. But it proved to be pointless, as his sensei suddenly released him.

"I didn't train you for all this time for you to tear your body up with a Jutsu like that." Kisame said, looking down at his student seriously, "Your shape manipulation isn't strong enough yet, so you mustn't use that Jutsu. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded, rubbing his already aching neck. He wished his sensei wasn't so rough on him, but he did have a point. The last time he'd tried that Jutsu, he nearly lost his arm. But he had this feeling that it had the potential to be an A, maybe even an S-rank Jutsu if he got it right. It was for that reason that he didn't abandon it, and was determined to make it work.

"I guess I sorta got overexcited." he admitted, grinning sheepishly up at his sensei.

"It's fine to enjoy your battles, but don't give you're opponent an advantage just cos you got stupid." Kisame replied, before tapping Naruto on the arm, "C'mon, we're there."

They stepped out of the trees onto the edge of a sheer cliff. Everything in near sight from this point on was ocean, with only glimmers of land out across the horizon. The sound of rolling waves cast far down below, striking the rocks and wall of the island with echoing force. Naruto looked around this sight, seeking the destination Kisame claimed they had arrived at. But there was nothing, no signs of any place that they could possibly be going.

"Where's there?" he asked, when he concluded that there wasn't anything to see. Kisame replied by patting the blonde's shoulder and passing him, heading straight for the edge of the cliff. Naruto and the others watched as Kisame glanced down the sheer drop, before unexpectedly hopping down it.

Naruto and Gaara both stepped towards the edge, looking down as Yagura and Utakata joined them. Down below the waves continued to strike the wall, but there was no sign of Kisame. But after a quick tap from Gaara and a point to the wall, Naruto spotted their sensei standing in amidst some jutting rock. He looked up at them and gestured for them to follow, before disappearing inside the wall.

"Well, guess that's where we're going."

Naruto nodded in agreement, before stepping off the cliff after Kisame. He felt the breeze lift through his haori, causing it to billow violently as he descended. He found the rock Kisame had landed on and settled on it himself. He then turned around and found to his great shock that there was a cave hidden amongst the rock. It was very obscurely placed; from up above he never would have guessed it was here. He stepped inside, allowing the others to follow him while he headed after Kisame.

"What's with this place?" Naruto asked, as he spotted seal tags placed here and there along the walls and floors. Kisame looked over his shoulder to Naruto, nodding to the path ahead.

"One of our hideouts." he replied, as Gaara appeared behind them, "If you're not a member of Akatsuki, or a Jinchuriki, you better be ready to fight for your life."

"Whoa, rea-" Naruto began, before his eyes widened in shock, "Wait a minute, can you turn it off?"

"Hm?" Kisame sounded, looking at Naruto with a raised brow. But then he remembered Utakata, and nodded, "Sure, why not?"

He raised his hand in a single seal, though nothing noticeable really happened. However, when Yagura and Utakata joined them and nothing happened, Naruto let out a breath of relief. He looked back at Kisame, who raised his hands in a seal.

"No point going any deeper." he heard his sensei say, as the focused his chakra.

Suddenly a sound of static filled the air, like the hissing of a transceiver. Though there were no devices to make such a sound, Naruto and Gaara had removed theirs earlier, it came through louder than any such sound they had heard like it. Merely a moment after this, something began to flicker into view not far before Kisame, a translucent silhouette, glowing mostly green with other colours here and there. Naruto recognised the cloak the person who appeared was wearing, but if not for the grey eyes with the rippling black circles around the pupil, he would never have been able to guess who it was. As he recalled, none of his realms had hair like that.

"Kisame-san." Pein said, looking up at the taller Shinobi expressionlessly, "I wasn't expecting a report from you."

"There's been a little situation." Kisame replied, allowing a grin on his face, "Those two got a little edgy and decided to go after a certain Mizukage."

Pein's eyes flitted past Kisame, immediately settling on Yagura. The boy seemed surprised to be instantly identified like that, but nonetheless he kept his composure with about as much dignity as someone in his situation could manage. Pein then glanced at the other person, Utakata. His gaze lingered on this person for several moments, studying him closely.

"That's not all." he said, looking back to Kisame, "That's the Rokubi no Namekuji behind you."

Kisame's brow rose in pleasant surprise as he turned back to look at Utakata. Naruto and Gaara both looked towards the newest member of their group too, the former showing even greater shock than the latter. The two recently turned rogue Shinobi both stared back, Yagura scowling while Utakata just wore a blank expression.

"I figured it was because of the Sanbi that you wanted Yagura-niisan." Utakata said, scratching his ear absent mindedly. Yagura then stepped forward, a look of iron certainty on his face.

"Utakata has nothing to do with this!" he said hotly, locking eyes with the person in front of Kisame, "The deal was that I'd comply, but he isn't a part of that deal!"

He looked each other person in the eye, making sure everyone else could see his determination. Utakata just looked at him with slight surprise, while the others' expressions remained the same.

"Unfortunately that is unacceptable." Pein said, stepping around Kisame to get a better look at the two. Yagura's eyes instantly returned to his, his scowl worse than ever, "He is a Jinchuriki, and therefore our current mission target."

"It's not happ-" Yagura began, before coming to a sudden stop. Utakata had placed his hand on his shoulder, and stepped around him with a reassuring smile, "…Utakata?"

"It's fine, niisan." Utakata said, before looking resolutely at Pein, "I'm the Jinchuriki for the Rokubi, as you said. Whatever Yagura-niisan has agreed to, I'll share his fate. I made that decision a long time ago, and I'll stand by it now."

"Utakata!" Yagura said again, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him to face him, "You don't have to do that!"

"Of course I don't." Utakata replied, with calm seriousness, "I know you. I knew that if you ever came to your senses, the first thing you'd do is try to leave. Just like you knew that if you should ever try, I'd follow you. That was the agreement we made that day. That united, they'd never take us down. You remember?"

Yagura stared up at Utakata, his jaw clenching and his grip on his friend's arm tightening. But though he may have been able to stand up to Kisame and the others, against his friends unwavering smile his resolve could not hold. His hand slipped away, and he dropped his gaze. Utakata patted Yagura on the arm, before turning back to Pein, "Like I said, I'm in."

"That's good to hear." Pein replied, with a grateful nod, "You understand though, that Kisame-san and the others will be keeping a close eye on you?"

"That's fine."

Pein nodded again, regarding Utakata with respect. He then looked back to Kisame, taking on a more official stance, "And what of those two?"

"Their training isn't complete yet, but they managed to infiltrate the Mizukage's office and escape unharmed." Kisame replied, before correcting himself, "Well, when I say infiltrate… Kiri's numbers have dropped considerably."

Pein closed his eyes for a moment, resisting whatever comment he was considering to make. He stepped around Kisame again to look at Naruto and Gaara, both of whom were looking back at him with slight confusion. He then glanced over to Kisame, who looked back at him with a raised brow.

"I'd like a moment to speak with Naruto-san alone." he said pointedly. Kisame nodded in reply, before gesturing the others to follow him as he headed deeper into the tunnels. Naruto and Gaara glanced at each other as the latter passed by, but soon it was just the blond boy and Pein.

The two stared at each other in silence, both listening to the sounds of the others' fading footsteps. In the meantime, Pein looked Naruto up and down with interest, noting all the changes the boy had made in the short two and a half years he'd been gone.

"Though Gaara-san was never the patient one, I get the feeling that it was you who instigated this?" he asked, unnecessarily. Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "I see… well in any case you've done a good job, acquiring two Jinchuriki at such an early stage is more than I expected. However, now that we're this far along I feel there's something I should alert you to."

Naruto blinked, his hand lowering to his side at the tone of Pein's voice. It gave him a feeling of unease, heightened by the uncertainty of what could bring on this feeling, "What is it?"

"As you know, our goal is to gather the Jinchuriki and take war to the five nations." Pein explained, slowly and carefully, "Compliance from the Jinchuriki is the outcome we hope to achieve, but if that isn't possible…"

"We take 'em down." Naruto finished his expression revealing nothing, "Yeah, I know."

Pein fell silent, studying Naruto closely. He searched the boy's eyes deep, looking to see if his feeling was correct.

"You've grown." he noted, almost wistfully. Naruto just stared back, unsure of what to say in this situation. He just waited for Pein to continue, it was all he could do at that time, "There are some Jinchuriki that most likely will not comply. They are very loyal to their village, and will probably not accept our terms."

"After Gaara, I kinda figured things weren't gonna be that easy." Naruto agreed, regretfully. But then he gave a broad grin, "Still, four out of nine isn't bad, right?"

"Just because the odds are against us, doesn't mean we're giving up." Pein corrected, with a stern quality to his voice, "Compliance is the end we wish to meet. Kidnapping is the last resort, and killing is unacceptable. Do you understand?"

Naruto gave a sharp nod, feeling both appreciation and gratitude for Pein's words. Though he had no problem with butting heads with the other Jinchuriki, he definitely didn't want to kill them. He also accepted that restraining and taking them by force may be a necessary measure. He was ready for that outcome, be it a preference or not.

"I understand." he said, resolutely. He firmly met Pein's gaze, letting the enigmatic Shinobi see his conviction with his own two eyes. Pein did indeed see this, and stepped aside.

"Very well then." he said, gesturing towards the others, "I won't keep you any longer. When you get back to Ame, I'll be interested to see what you are capable of."

Naruto grinned again, nodding as he made his way to rejoin the others. Pein faded away when Naruto passed him, following the boy with his eyes as he distanced down the tunnel, "Good work, Naruto-san."

Naruto waved back as Pein disappeared, a pleased smile on his face. Once the man with the strange eyes was gone, he broke into a run as he tried to catch up with the others.

* * * * *

It was this place that they were to rest for the night, a place where no Shinobi could get to them without them being alerted. They sat in a corner of the dark, dank cave, with a fire burning in the middle of the circle they formed. Well, it wasn't really much of a circle. Gaara had left to watch the waves outside, and Kisame was laid down in the corner with his sedge hat resting on his face as he snoozed. That just left Naruto, Yagura and Utakata sitting in a triangle, staring into the fire.

"It's strange, to think we're missing-nin now." Utakata said, with a faraway look, "I kinda figured I'd wind up dead on some mission."

"We're gone now, so that doesn't matter." Yagura replied, looking at the forehead protector he'd removed from his shirt. He cast his eyes across the emblem in the light of the fire, a look of bitter nostalgia on his face. He then dropped it into the flames, straightening up and looking to his friend, "Forget about it."

"I guess." Utakata yawned, stretching his arms high. He then looked at Naruto with a raised brow. He reached around the fire and extended his hand, "Hey, we haven't been properly introduced. I'm Utakata."

"U-Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto replied, smiling feebly as he shook Utakata's hand. He found it kind of strange to introduce yourself like that. Then again, etiquette wasn't exactly the sort of thing Kisame focused on in their training, "Nice to meet you."

"Same here." Utakata said, returning the smile as he sat back down. Yagura shook his head, apparently this attitude was commonplace for the dark haired Shinobi, "So be straight with me, what is it that we're supposed to be doing Naruto-san, or should it be senpai?"

"Uh… Naruto-san's fine." Naruto replied. He certainly didn't think someone like him was anyone's senpai.

"What's our objective?" Yagura asked, rephrasing Utakata's words to a more useful end. Naruto instantly recognised this. It looked like it would be a while before he would trust them. He leant forward, resting his arms on his knees as he looked at the two of them.

"Right now the only thing I know for sure is that we've gotta get all the Jinchuriki to side with us." he explained, turning his eyes from one person to the other, "Getting them to willingly leave their village and join us, that's what I've been training for. After that… we'll have to see where we stand before we make any clear decision."

"So you don't even know." Yagura muttered, bowing his head into his arms, "Fantastic."

Utakata let out a small smile as he shook his head, patting Yagura on the back. He then slipped his hands behind his back and lay down on the ground, apparently choosing now to get some sleep. Not long after that, Yagura leant down on his side, curling into a ball as he too decided to call it a day. Naruto watched as they both drifted off, one looking troubled while the other just relaxed. It was strange how the two seemed to contrast; it made him curious about how they could be so close.

"Well, I guess I'll find out at some point." he thought, shrugging to himself as he got to his feet. He walked away from the fire and headed to the tunnel, following the faint light and sound of waves as he made his way to the entrance.

Eventually it came into view, and with it, so did Gaara. The red haired boy stood with his back to Naruto, leaning against the rocks as he watched the moon and stars shine across the ocean. He lightly acknowledged Naruto as the blond approached him, but never took his eyes on the view outside.

"How's it going?" Naruto asked, resting his back against the other wall as he joined his friend.

"Fine." Gaara replied, as the lights of the sky and the reflections of the ocean slithered across his green, pupiless eyes. He had quite the content look about him, like a man at peace in the moment he was in. It was a look he never wore when they were in villages, towns or other such man made habitats. Naruto had at one point come to learn that as long as Gaara was separate from civilisation, he was rather peaceful.

Naruto smiled to himself as he joined Gaara in watching the sea. The lights danced across the water's surface, while glittering in the sky through the thin, passing clouds. The only sounds were of the calming oceans, the ebbs and flows coming as naturally as they always did. It had taken him a long time to realise it, but in the midst of nature, where everything happened of its own whim and was unaffected by man, Gaara seemed almost happy. And to be honest, at times like these, Naruto kind of felt that way too.