Sorry for the long wait everyone! Here is the update!
Disclaimer: The source material used in this FanFiction do not belong to me. This story is a nonprofit creation solely used for entertainment purposes.
(Start)
Because I Love You
Chapter 4: The Summit
(-)
"Thank you all for attending," an elderly male voice announced to the Five Kage before him as the ten escorts took their seats on the upper levels behind their respective village leaders. "Please place your hats on the table and we may begin."
One by one, each of the Kage set down the hats that proudly displayed the insignia of their respective countries. The first to do so was the oldest of the group; the Tsuchikage, Ōnoki. He was the shortest of the bunch with a bulbous nose and bald head that had hair around the sides and back. He also had a thick mustache-goatee combo going on.
Next was Ay, the Raikage. He regarded Ōnoki with a hard stare as they awaited the others.
Third to lower their hat was the only female Kage; Mei Terumi of the Hidden Mist. The new Mizukage was stunningly beautiful with russet hair and enticing green eyes. Her figure could've killed lesser men, and the battle kimono she wore only enticed her natural beauty.
Fourth was Gaara, the Kazekage. He calmly looked amongst the other Kage and gave them a single nod in greeting as he set his gourd down beside his chair.
Lastly, much to the surprise of many, was Naruto, the Hokage stand-in. He gave Gaara a sheepish grin and greeted, "Long time, eh Gaara?"
The Kazekage blinked twice before his eyes closed and he smiled in amusement. "Indeed it has been, Hokage."
Ōnoki looked on with wide eyes at the sight of Naruto's appearance, unable to stop himself from seeing the late Fourth Hokage in his place. 'So…our village's "boogeyman" had a child, eh? No doubt with that spitfire that was with him on most battlefields.'
'My, he's quite a looker,' Mei mused to herself with a faint smirk as her eyes lit up slightly in delight. She caught a flicker of something and looked up to see lavender eyes staring back at her, narrowed slightly. 'Such a shame… As always, the good-looking men are taken…'
"If you would all please take your seats," the elderly samurai continued, prompting the Five Kage to sit down. "My name is Mifune, Leader of the Land of Iron. I will act as the moderator and mediator of this meeting. I call this Meeting of the Five Kage to order. The floor is now yours."
Gaara looked to the others before he spoke up, "I'll go first, so listen up."
"The makeup of the Five Kage sure has changed over the years," Ōnoki cut off rudely. "You must be pretty special in order to be Kazekage at your age. I'm sure your father taught you a few things."
Naruto noticed his friend flinch minutely at that, making his blue eyes narrow.
"But apparently, he forgot to instill some manners into you."
"Perhaps," Gaara ceded, sharing a look with Naruto that made the blonde fight a smirk. "But, that's why I was chosen as my village's Kage."
"Tch! Cheeky brat…" grumbled the old man.
"Tsuchikage, please don't interrupt," Mei cut in. "Kazekage, please continue."
Nodding in thanks, Gaara resumed, "I know that the Akatsuki is dangerous, considering how I nearly died when they took the Ichibi from me. If it wasn't thanks to the efforts of the Hidden Leaf, and the sacrifice of one of the Hidden Sand Elders, I wouldn't be here."
He took a moment to let that sink in.
"I had requested aid from the other villages numerous times, only for those requests to be ignored by all except the previous Hokage. Unfortunately, with so many Jinchūriki captured, it's too late for aid. What we need is action."
"Hmph!" snorted the Tsuchikage, giving Naruto the impression that he was a prideful hardhead. "If a village loses its host, they shouldn't go whining to others for help or trying to give orders. It should be recovered discretely! If you can't even do that, then you don't deserve it!"
"It's thinking like that right there that's keeping our villages from moving forward," Naruto cut in, frowning at the Tsuchikage.
"And what would the brat of a murderer know?"
"You only say that because it was your people my father took down," the Uzumaki fired back. "I bet if it were the other way around, that man would've been hailed as a hero; just like the Fourth is back in the Hidden Leaf."
Mei and Gaara both looked surprised at that, and most of the escorts were also struck by shock at what Naruto had confessed. Kakashi chuckled beside Hinata at the shocked expressions while she grew worried at what Naruto's declaration would bring.
"If we only focus on ourselves and not our fellow ninja nations, then we become stuck in an era of stupid pride that starts to overpower our potential for peace. When the Kazekage was captured, I didn't care if he was from a different village than me. I didn't care if my help would've been frowned upon by other nations. All I cared about was that my friend was in trouble."
Gaara gave Naruto a side glance at that, smirking faintly in gratitude.
"I could've been like you, old man," he continued, speaking directly to the Tsuchikage who looked angry at the insulting title. "I could've ignored the Hidden Sand's request for help and ignored the previous Hokage's order to assist them; but I didn't. And now, both of our villages are stronger than ever because of our support for one another and the trust that Gaara and I have in each other."
Mei couldn't fight her smile at the speech, finding the blonde before her to be an inspiring and charismatic young man. "At any rate," she spoke up, "it's not like we really need to worry about the Bijuu held by the Akatsuki. It takes years to learn how to control the power of a Bijuu; and even then, a Jinchūriki may never learn control before their time comes."
"Sounds about right. Wouldn't you agree, Kazekage?" Ōnoki snarked smugly, earning silence from the redheaded leader.
The tension spiked in an instant, and Naruto narrowed his eyes before silently telling Kakashi and Hinata to hang back as the Raikage raised up an arm and brought it crashing down on his section of the ring table the Kage sat at. Upon impact, the table cracked and broke while the other escorts took up guarding positions near their Kage.
Gaara rose a brow at Naruto sitting without his guards, and Ōnoki snorted at that. "Such attentive guards you have there, Hokage. Truly worthy of their positions."
"They know when to act. However, it's more important that they know how not to act since I tend to get rather destructive when I enter a fight. They wouldn't want to be caught in the crossfire, after all," Naruto fired back with an easy smile. "But, if it makes you feel better…"
At the unspoken signal, Hinata and Kakashi took their positions behind Naruto; the Hyuuga heiress looking determined while the Copy-Nin looked aloof and relaxed.
"Happy now?"
Mei and the Sand Siblings looked amused at that before Ay roared out, "Shut up with your useless yapping!"
He glared at the other ninja before him before Mifune cleared his throat. "We are all here to talk, Raikage. Please refrain from such displays of rudeness and immaturity."
Clicking his tongue to stave off his growing anger, the Raikage retook his seat while his guards returned to their positions.
"Thanks, you guys," Naruto softly said, earning faint smiles from the other two before they took their seats.
"Ao, Chōjūrō," Mei began, placing a hand on the former's arm, "it's alright now."
"Yes, ma'am. Let's go, Chōjūrō," the eyepatch wearing ninja stated.
"Y-Yes, senpai," the goggle-wearing ninja replied as the duo took their spots.
Gaara shared a look with his siblings, giving them an appreciative glance before silently gesturing them to get back. They nodded in understanding before complying with the order.
Ōnoki simply gave his ninja a look, and they quickly took their spots as Ay looked ready to speak again.
"The Akatsuki is made up of ninja from each of your villages! Not to mention that some of your Kage also used Akatsuki over the years!"
"Used them…?" Gaara repeated, looking surprised at the notion while Ōnoki scoffed at the accusation.
"He means when the Sand worked with Orochimaru during the Chunin Exams years ago," Naruto clarified with a frown, earning an understanding look from his friend.
"I see…" the redhead muttered with his own frown.
"The Akatsuki were a cheap mercenary force, and a better alternative to spending excessive amounts of money and time to building up our own ninja forces," the Tsuchikage explained.
"The Hidden Mist is the most suspicious!" Ay continued, speaking to Mei directly. "Your nation holds no diplomatic ties to anyone, and there are rumors that Akatsuki was originated from your nation!"
The Mizukage looked down in slight shame. "There were…rumors that my predecessor, Yagura, was being controlled by someone. I didn't want to make a big deal of it, but…part of me strongly believes that it was Akatsuki."
"You people…!" the Raikage growled out.
"Hold your tongue, Raikage!" Ōnoki cut off. "We wouldn't have needed to resort to hiring them if you didn't keep amassing military strength and putting us on edge! It was you taking advantage of this disarmament between our nations that forced our hands!"
"Uh-oh…" Kushina mused in Naruto's head. "Better step in before things heat up again, Naruto."
"You dare accuse-?!"
"Before we keep fighting amongst ourselves," Naruto cut in, steepling his hands much like Sarutobi did many times in his memories, "there's some major news about the Akatsuki that you all seriously need to know."
"And that would be?" pressed Ay, still trying to reign in his anger.
"The true leader of the Akatsuki is declaring himself to be Madara Uchiha…"
The other Kage, Mifune, and all the escorts – including Naruto's – all looked stunned at the news. "But he should be long dead!"
"Believe me, I'm strongly hoping that it's just someone pretending to be him so that he's taken more seriously; but the fact remains that he's dangerous. Originally, it was believed that Pein of the Hidden Rain was the leader; but I've been shown the truth."
"And where is your source?" Mei asked, her face set in a frown in anxiety at Naruto's bombshell of a reveal.
"It was a chakra imprint of my parents that showed me," Naruto answered before he went into detail. "My seal only holds half of the Kyuubi while the other half is held by my father, whose soul is residing in the stomach of the Shinigami. Before sealing half of the Kyuubi, my parents imprinted a portion of their chakra cores into the seal; staying there until a certain parameter was met."
"And their chakra was conscious enough to share insight and memories with you," Gaara deduced, earning a nod from his friend.
"Yes. During my fight with Pein…I nearly lost myself to the Kyuubi when I thought I had lost someone important to me."
Hinata looked down in shame, and Kakashi comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I had gone up to eight tails worth of power and nearly tore off the seal, but my parents stepped in and stopped me from doing so. My father's chakra restored the seal before it faded, but my mother's chakra was able to reveal the truth concerning the night of my birth and the sealing of half the Kyuubi within me. It was supposedly Madara who forced the Kyuubi from her own seal and had it attack the Hidden Leaf all those years ago."
"That would mean that…if this person was not truly Madara Uchiha," Mei began, "then their chakra and Sharingan are still strong enough to take control of a fully formed Kyuubi. Whether they're Madara or not, they're still extremely dangerous."
"Exactly, and this person is controlling the Akatsuki…" Naruto finished, letting it all sink in for the other leaders.
Mifune spoke up after a few moments of silence. "As a neutral country, I must admit that the Akatsuki are a threat that I predict will encompass the Elemental Nations as a whole. As such, I have a proposal for the five of you, considering how opportune a gathering like this is."
The Five Kage gave the Samurai Leader their attention.
"What do you say to your five villages coming together for a joint alliance, just until the threat of Akatsuki is dealt with completely?" the man suggested.
"An alliance…?" Ay repeated in surprise.
"A temporary joining of all five of our villages…" Mei mused thoughtfully.
"It's unheard of," Ōnoki scoffed.
"But it makes sense," Gaara fired back.
"An alliance sounds like exactly the type of thing we need to deal with the Akatsuki," Naruto declared. If the five of us and our villages work together, there's nothing that we couldn't handle. And besides, it's not like we'll be forcing this issue for years to come; just until Akatsuki is handled. I'm all for this."
"As am I," Gaara agreed.
"I am, as well," Mei joined in, sending the two younger Kage a smile. "The two of you have this camaraderie between you that I find myself wanting to get behind. If it helps take down the Akatsuki and remove a blemish on my village's history, then I vote in favor for this alliance."
Naruto returned her smile before the three of them turned to the two stubborn Kage. "What do you two think? You can't deny that the Akatsuki will be easier to handle if we all work together."
Ōnoki harrumphed at that. "I'm not denying anything, brat. I just don't like the idea of working alongside the son of the man I loathe."
"Well, when the Akatsuki are dealt with, we can go back to stupidly hating each other for events that happened a generation ago," Naruto jabbed with an annoyed tone. "Until then, how about we focus on the threats of the current generation?"
"What do you say to that, you damnable old coot?! Who the hell do you think you are to talk shit on my husband like that, ttebane?!" Kushina raged.
Ay looked to the blonde Uzumaki, locking eyes with the younger man and seeing raw, unflinching determination within the blue orbs that reminded him so much of his late rival. He smirked at the sight, shaking his head with a faint chuckle.
"To hell with it… I'm in," he spoke up. "Besides, this means I'll have a better shot at getting those bastards back for taking Bee!"
"I doubt that he's lost his Bijuu, Raikage," Naruto informed him.
"Come again?"
"You see, it takes a long time for them to remove a Bijuu. With Gaara, it took them a couple days at least, and that was also with them being distracted by my team and another from the Hidden Leaf. Not to mention that they have lost over half of their members over the past few months. So, if they took so long with the Ichibi and a full membership, imagine how long it'll take with half of their members and the Hachibi."
"That means that there's still time!" Mei exclaimed.
"Plus, I don't think Pein would've attacked the Hidden Leaf if they had captured Bee around the same time," Naruto continued.
This made Ay clench his fist in realization. "Dammit, Bee…" he growled out. "You slipped off and pulled a bait and switch, didn't you? When I get ahold of you…"
"Assuming that we all agree to this alliance," Ōnoki spoke up, "there would still be the matter of deciding who would lead the conjoined forces."
"If you'd allow me," Mifune spoke up again, "perhaps I could decide amongst you who I believe, as an unbiased leader, who should take up the position?"
"I'd like to go ahead and say that I'm not ready for that position," Naruto spoke up.
"Naruto…?" Kushina asked in surprise.
"I've only been recently chosen to be the Hokage while Tsunade is in a coma. I'm still trying to get a handle on leading a Hidden Village; so, I don't think I'd be able to handle leading four others at the same time," he explained. "I'm still lacking that type of experience."
"Hmph! Something we can finally agree on, brat…" Ōnoki snarked.
"That confession of your shortcomings shows me that you'll be a successful Hokage someday, Uzumaki-san," Mifune complimented, nodding to the blonde in respect. "Admittedly, I was considering you, but I agree that your inexperience in leading wouldn't help the situation."
"Then who do you believe should lead, Mifune-sama?" Mei asked.
"The decision, for me, is rather difficult. The Kazekage, while looking capable, is too young. I worry about his limited experience like the Hokage has admitted about himself. On the other hand, the Tsuchikage is too old, and he's not as mobile as he used to be."
Ōnoki growled at the truthful statements, looking away angrily.
"If you, Lady Mizukage, were chosen, then the others would worry about information leaks considering the history of your village," Mifune continued, earning a nod of understanding from the woman. "This leaves the Raikage; though, I'm concerned that his emotional outbursts may impede his ability to lead this alliance."
Ay glowered at that, but he understood where the samurai was coming from.
"As such, my decision is…"
(-)
"Is your other half in position?"
"Ready and waiting. Sasuke's team is also in a position to begin, but the samurai will no doubt spot them soon."
"Then let's begin…"
(-)
"HELLO, EVERYONE~!" White Zetsu exclaimed happily as he burst out of the center of the room.
"Now what?!" Ay yelled.
"Akatsuki?" Mei asked in surprise.
"I was wondering if they'd barge in on this meeting," Ōnoki grumbled.
Gaara frowned at Zetsu while Naruto discretely made a clone appear next to Hinata and Kakashi, which immediately took a seated position to gather natural energy.
"Sasuke Uchiha is somewhere in this building~!" White Zetsu continued. "But where, oh where could he be~?"
Ay turned red in rage, and he had Zetsu by the throat in an instant while the plant man was left in shock at the man's speed. "Where is that bastard?! Tell me!"
"Sasuke's here…?" Temari asked in surprise.
"That can't be good," Kankuro muttered.
"Wasn't he one of the ninja who defeated Zabuza-sama?" Chōjūrō asked Ao.
"According to reports, yes," the man answered, looking to Naruto and Kakashi out of the corner of his eye. 'Team 7 of the Hidden Leaf… Three of you are here now, but one of you is about to have hell raised upon them…'
"Who's that?" Akatsuchi asked.
"Wasn't he the one that killed Deidara?" Kurotsuchi questioned her grandfather.
"The name is familiar," the Tsuchikage admitted.
Gaara noted how Naruto was frowning at the table, not focused on what was happening.
"Okay! I'll give you a hint-!" White Zetsu began before his neck was snapped by Ay.
"Shī, Darui! Let's go!" the Raikage ordered.
"Was it necessary to kill him? If we had captured him, we could've gotten more intel," Mei admonished.
"Not with these guys," Naruto shot down calmly, refocusing on the others.
"They wouldn't betray their organization," Gaara agreed. "They're too hardcore…"
"I see…" Mei sighed out.
"Sound the alarm and order all able samurai to bring down Sasuke Uchiha and any accomplices," Mifune ordered the two samurai behind him, who nodded and relayed the order through their communication sets shared amongst the higher-ranking samurai of the building.
As this was happening, Ay burst through one of the walls of the room and rushed off to join the fray. "Sorry about the door…and the table," Darui sheepishly apologized before Shī urged him to follow their Kage.
"Good grief…" Ōnoki sighed with a smirk. "He was always unruly as a child, but it looks like he's still the same as a Kage."
"It takes all kinds, Tsuchikage," Mei fired back. "Are we to join in?"
Naruto slowly stood up from his seat, exhaling tiredly as a defeated look appeared in his eyes. For a moment, he looked vulnerable to anything the world could throw at him.
A hand pressed against his cheek, making him tense with widened eyes before he looked to see Hinata was the one to snap him out of his daze. "…We have to go, Naruto-kun…" she softly stated.
Mei rose a brow at the byplay, smiling at the obvious closeness between them and the even more obvious love the Hyuuga held for the blonde Hokage. 'Truly a shame… But, I doubt there are many who could show that level of dedication to the one they love. A nice catch you've found, Hyuuga-chan. You'd better keep a firm hold of him, or else another woman will snatch him from you.'
"I'll go on ahead," Kakashi informed Naruto before he took off.
"Hey, can I watch? I'd like to see just what this Sasuke guy is made of," Kurotsuchi asked.
"Feh! Do as you please," Ōnoki waved off, and his granddaughter quickly took off.
"Sweetheart… You need to face him, otherwise you'll never find your own closure to this," Kushina gently eased her son. "Don't worry, you're not alone in this fight, but neither is Sasuke. You can't afford to hesitate."
Taking a breath, Naruto gently removed Hinata's hand and gave her a single nod as his old determination roared with life in his eyes. "Let's move."
"Right!" she replied, taking off with the Uzumaki.
"Should we follow them?" Temari asked Gaara, who simply stood up and gathered his gourd.
"I refuse to stay back and let my friend fight alone," the Kazekage declared. He turned to the remaining two Kage and requested, "Please remain here in case Sasuke comes here for Mifune-sama. We don't know what his endgame is, after all."
Mei nodded once in understanding while Ōnoki grumbled about being ordered by someone a fraction his age.
(-)
"AARGH!" a samurai roared in agony as he was caught by Sasuke's Amaterasu. It had been aimed for the Raikage, but the man's Lightning Armor granted him incredible speed which helped him evade the black flames.
The samurai wasn't so lucky.
"Quick! Put the flames out!" another cried.
"Don't touch them, fool!" yelled a third. "Those aren't ordinary flames! Keep your distance!"
Shī had been rendered unconscious by a genjutsu from the Sharingan while Darui was busy with Suigetsu and Jugo, who had used his Curse Mark to try and take on the Raikage, was knocked out by the sheer force of the man's power. Sasuke was also partially surrounded by some ribs of the fable Susano'o.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" declared a voice that was familiar to the Uchiha, and he turned to see Kakashi using the jutsu to blow the armor off the samurai as the Amaterasu reduced it to ash before dispelling.
"Kakashi…" Sasuke called out in a dull tone, earning the man's attention.
A sigh escaped the Leaf Jonin's masked lips, and he took a slouched stance with his hands in his pockets. "I warned you about what your anger and hatred would bring you, Sasuke… I had hoped that you would've listened to me; but, looks like I gave you too much credit."
"Don't patronize me, Hatake. You have no idea what I'm going through, what needs to be done!"
He would've said more, but his Sharingan caught movement out of his peripheral and he produced a skeletal arm from Susano'o to try and block an elbow strike from the Raikage. To his frustration, the arm trembled from the force and cracked in a few spots.
Crackling was heard next, and he turned to have the damaged arm backhand a wolf made of lightning that Kakashi sent towards him. Twin Mangekyō eyes narrowed hatefully at the single Sharingan that his old sensei had uncovered.
"How many times has my Clan's blood saved you, Hatake? You should be grateful to the Uchiha!"
His rage spiked again, and the Susano'o grew into a skeletal torso with a horned skull attached to a spinal cord. Hollow eyes stared down at the other ninja from the skull, but they suddenly lit up with "life", which took on a sick yellow glow.
"So…he really progressed this far in such a short time," Kakashi mused as his Sharingan morphed into its Mangekyō form.
"Hatake!" Ay called out. "Stay out of this! This is my fight!"
The Copy-Nin gave the man a dull stare at that. "Geez… He's more stubborn than rumors warned us about…"
The ninja all tensed, ready for the next round before the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention. Looking towards one of the halls, they saw black sandals stepping into the light, followed by black pants and the bottom of a white cloak with red flames on the bottom. Following this was an orange and black top before the whiskered face of Naruto Uzumaki was revealed with Hinata Hyuuga standing behind him at the ready; her Byakugan active for the fight ahead.
Blue eyes locked onto the red and black orbs of his estranged and fallen friend, looking upon him somberly before they hardened in determination once more. "Sasuke…"
"Naruto…" the Uchiha retorted.
'Hang on,' Karin, who had hidden herself from the fight thought in surprise, looking over the railing and getting her first real look at her fellow Uzumaki. 'That's the guy Tobi said defeated Pein?'
She frowned and readjusted her glasses as she got a feel for his chakra. As soon as her touched his, she recoiled in shock at what she felt.
'T-The hell…?! His chakra is huge! And it's not the only one he has! He has another massive source that feels evil; most likely the Kyuubi Tobi warned us about. But the third…it feels warm and protective; almost loving. It's also feeding off the Kyuubi's chakra to stay active! What the hell is he?!'
She then felt something else occurring as Naruto stood in place and had his stare down with Sasuke.
'He's gathering chakra from his surroundings, merging it with his own somehow at a steady rate while his chakra is totally calm. Whatever he's doing…it's not going to be good for Sasuke…'
Naruto sighed defeatedly and spoke again, earning her attention. "You really dug yourself deep, you bastard… Infiltrating another village and going after their Jinchūriki was stupider than anything I've ever done over the years; and I've done lots of stupid shit."
"I want to be supportive, I really do; but I can't deny what you said. Sorry, dear…"
'No worried. I know I did stupid things. I'm fine admitting it.'
"Who are you to judge what I do? You who live in a village of ignorant fools who don't understand what's been done to maintain their foolish notion of peace," Sasuke fired back with a hateful glare.
"I've been preparing myself for this, Sasuke… I wasn't looking forward to it, but I knew that I'd need to be ready to face you. That's why I looked into whatever I could concerning you before I left the village; to the point of not getting any sleep."
"What are you going on about now, loser?" the Uchiha pressed in annoyance, using his old nickname for the blonde Uzumaki.
Blue eyes narrowed towards him as Naruto declared, "I found out the truth about your Clan and Itachi."
Sasuke's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
'He's not bluffing,' Karin noted with a frown. 'Chakra fluctuates when someone lies; no matter how good they are at it. His is still calm…'
"I understand why you're mad, and I'm tempted to let you deal with those old cronies back home. But, I can't stand by and let you make yourself a bigger criminal; not when you're already one on an international scale," Naruto continued before closing his eyes.
"And what are you going to do, Naruto? Fight me?" Sasuke challenged.
"Yes," he answered.
Karin's eyes widened as Naruto's chakra suddenly grew. 'The chakra he was gathering…! It saturated his own chakra beyond Bijuu levels!'
His eyes opened and revealed toad-like orbs within as his eyelids gains orange pigmentation. "I'm going to fight you…and I'll make you answer for what you did."
He flexed his chakra, cracking the ground beneath him so much that it shook the entire area and spread the cracks to each of the pillars. Everyone tensed at the raw strength Naruto's chakra held while Kushina narrowed her eyes within the seal.
"Abandon any fears you have Naruto… Press on and see this through… I'm with you."
Finishing his speech, Naruto declared, "As the acting Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village, I'm naming you, Sasuke Uchiha, a criminal to be captured for trial. Prepare yourself!"
With that, he charged ahead towards the toughest fight of his life.
(-)
Amber eyes looked down upon the wolfish faces of the famous mountain of the Land of Iron. Hesitation and doubt were seen in their molten depths before they closed, and the owner shook their head to clear away any anxieties. When they opened again, they gave a glow of determination before the person willed their body to split apart, breaking away into hundreds of paper sheets that folded in winged forms before they descended upon the area.
As the hundreds of papers flew through the snowing air, some of them caught sight of two familiar figures before they moved faster, entering through one of the maws of the wolf mountains and entering the building where the Five Kage were rumored to be meeting. As soon as they safely entered the building, the papers gathered together and reformed themselves into Konan.
She took a quick look of her surroundings before she heard crashes and sounds of combat. Her eyes narrowed before she rushed towards the source, hoping to make it in time to help the man who helped her hope again.
"Naruto…" she murmured to herself as she picked up the pace, biting her thumbs before flashing through handseals. "I'm coming."
Clapping her hands together, she crossed her arms to touch her shoulders as two small plumes of smoke appeared before they revealed the Toad Elders. Not a second after, she took a soldier pill to restore her rapidly depleted chakra.
"Finally made a decision, eh?" Fukasaku asked rhetorically.
"I have," she answered.
"And what do you plan to do, dearie?" Shima asked calmly.
Feeling her chakra restored, Konan answered in a strong voice, "I plan to help him. I'll be his pillar…no matter what happens."
The two Elders nodded before they clapped their forelimbs together and started gathering natural energy. "Then you'd better hurry," Shima advised. "Naruto-chan is battling a very dark chakra right now, and he's already called on his Sage Mode."
"We'll focus on gathering energy," Fukasaku informed. "You just get us to the battle in one piece."
Nodding once, Konan reformed her paper wings as her legs disappeared, literally flying through the halls towards the battle. 'I'm not afraid anymore… Jiraiya-sensei… Please watch me. I'll keep the wills of you, Nagato, and Yahiko alive; I promise.'
(End)
Whew! That was a lot of typing! Believe it or not, I started and finished this in the span of about five hours! Amazing how much I can get down when my muse is working!
Anyway, the fight between Naruto and Sasuke has arrived! And Konan has finally decided to join her fellow student of the Toad Sage on his quest for peace! How will it all go down in this battle of the Kage Summit?
Until next time!
~pain17ification~
