Akakitsune

by sinisteruto

Naruto defects from Konoha and eventually forms Akakitsune, an organisation with two main goals, to destroy the Akatsuki, and to destroy Konoha. Dark Naruto. Fu/Naru/Yaku harem

4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other series that I might use for inspiration.

Chapter 4

Redemption For My Mother

Konohagakure no Sato: Main Gate...

"You again? Wait, you're the new member of team 7, elder Danzo's student, aren't you?" Naruto asked with a calm demeanor, leaning against the walls of the Konoha gate with his hands in his pockets and a stare at the unwelcome companion from the corner of his eye.

"A very good, albeit obvious analysis, Dickless-san. I expected you to be a little more stupid than that. In fact, so far, you have acted quite out of character." The new member of team seven replied, a teenager of around the age of fifteen or sixteen with black hair, black eyes, and a pale, almost literally white skin colour, wearing a black shinobi outfit with a top so short that it left his belly button exposed.

'Just as I thought, Danzo gave this guy intel on me, however outdated it may be. I knew that Danzo was keeping tabs on me, but to think that he would be so direct about it...' Naruto thought wearily.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, not Dickless." The blonde jinchuuriki replied simply

"And mine is Sai, Dickless-san." The boy, now known as Sai, replied with what Naruto thought to be mock politeness.

"If you're not going to stop calling me by that degrading name, than at least have the decency to tell me why you have given it to me? Because I know for a fact that you have never seen my penis." Naruto retorted.

"Because no one with a working and sizeable dick would have ran away like you did yesterday. If you had a dick, you would have faced me like a man."Sai replied with an obviously fake smile.

"I see." Naruto said simply, deciding there and than not to bother with this idiot anymore.

Sure, he might have ran away from the guy the previous day, but that was not out of fear nor did Naruto consider it to be dishonourable. He just didn't fancy fighting someone who was obviously affiliated with the same ninja village and who just so happens to be obviously testing him, smack in the centre of the village of all places. Of course, he'd thought about luring the young R.O.O.T protege away into the forests, capture and interogate him, and than kill him if neccessary. But that was obviously not a good idea, he didn't want Danzo or Tsunade breathing down on his neck more than they already were. Besides, he was under constant serveilance, it would have been quite a difficult task to execute, not to mention very risky. That was why running away was the best option at the time, although he wouldn't really call it running away, more like a 'strategic retreat' more than anything else.

"..."

"..."

'Danzo-sama's intel does not seem to apply to this Naruto. However, Danzo-sama has no reason to give me incorrect intel, neither would he collect in-accurate intel. The only explanation that I can think of is, that his intel is outdated. Perhaps that is why he sent me, to gather information so that we can get an update for the Kyubi's profile.' Sai reasoned within his own thoughts.

"Anyway, what are you hoping to achieve in this mission?" Sai asked ubruptly.

"Excuse me?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What are you hoping to gain or achieve in this mission?" Sai droned out again.

"Our mission is to rendezvous with Sasori's spy, Yakushi Kabuto, capture him, and force Uchiha Sasuke's whereabouts out of his lips. The mission is however open ended depending on the circumstances of..."

"I already know all of that." Sai interupted.

"Than why did you ask?"

"I didn't ask what you were answering, I was asking why you specifically want to participate in this mission?" Sai asked again.

'Idiot, you're not gonna get anything out of me that way.' Naruto thought with a mental roll of the eyes.

"Well...?" Sai prompted again.

"It's just a mission Sai-san, my goal is to complete it to the best of my abilities. I thought someone like you would understand this." Naruto replied with a quirked eyebrow.

"What do you mean when you say, someone like me?" Sai asked.

"You're a member of the foundation are you not?" Naruto asked retorically.

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you are talking about. The R.O.O.T program was abolished over a decade ago." Sai responded with another fake smile.

"Oh yes, I forgot about that." Naruto said with condensing sarcasm, not believing that blatent lie for even a split seccond.

"..."

"..."

'According to his profile, the kyubi is supposed to be a very talkative and rather nosy individual. However, this guy doesn't seem to entertain much conversation, neither does he seem interested in other people's business. He hasn't even asked anything about me, he's more disinterested than anything else.' Sai thought analytically.

"So..."

"What?" Naruto asked neutrally.

"Why are you here so early? The meeting time is over an hour away." Sai asked in an effort to break the uncomfortable silence with some small talk. He'd read in a book that silence made people uncomfortable and that small talk was the best way to break the ice and the first step to take when trying to form bonds with others, so he thought he might as well give it a try, after all, he was going to have to befriend the kyubi jinchuuriki in order to conclusively complete his mission, which was to assess the blonde's mental stability, shinobi abilities, and loyalty to the village.

"I could ask you the same thing." Naruto retorted, effectively ending the conversation right than and there, after all, what could Sai possibly say to that. It's not like he could tell the blonde Uzumaki that he was watching and following him for the majority of the day and ended up at the main gate a whole hour and a half before the meeting time.

'This is going to be a little more difficult than I anticipated.' The young member of the foundation thought. What Sai didn't know however, was that the blonde Uzumaki had been aware of his presence since he started following him, he just didn't bother to confront the young member of the foundation about it because it didn't really affect his daily proceedings.

Council Meeting Room...

"What have you called us all here for this time, Tsunade? And what are these children doing here?" Danzo asked rudely, causing Tsunade to frown at the elder's disrespectful manner of adressing her.

Well, it wasn't really the presence of disrespect that infuriated the blonde sannin, but rather, the absence of respect. However, there was nothing she could do about it now without looking petty and maybe even power hungry. Also, she didn't want the younger generation to witness the power struggle and conflict between the higher ups, there was no telling how such a thing would affect them mentally, and she certainly wouldn't put it past Danzo to use any dispute that they might have in front of the new generation to manipulate some of them to see things from his point of view. So for now, she would have to just gritt her teeth and move on with proceedings.

Danzo on the other hand wasn't quite sure how to feel about the current situation, confused, curious, concerned, or all of the above. The Hokage calling for an unscheduled council meeting usually meant that something serious was up, but it wasn't an uncommon occurance. Even having one or two non-council members attending was not uncommon, as it usually just meant that said people had valuable information regarding said topic of discussion or were even at the centre of said discussion. But to have not only the clan heads, but also all the clan heirs attending the meeting was a little uncommon. However, even that didn't seem too suspicious or out of place to the war veteran, in fact, he thought it was something that should be practised alot more often, a very good method to prepare the next generation of Konoha protectors.

Sakura and Shizune's presence was also fine, they were the Hokage's apprentices after all, there was nothing wrong with their presence. Asuma was the head of the Sarutobi clan, so that was no surprise, however, Tenten, Rock Lee, Kurenai, Kakashi, and Gai were also present, what were they doing here? And if all these Sensei's and their students were invited, why wasn't Sai and the Kyubi invited, they were part of team seven were they not?

"If I may, Hokage-sama." Nara Shikaku interjected hastily.

"You may speak your mind, Shikaku." Tsunade acknowledged.

"Thank you." Shikaku said with a small bow of the head to the Hokage before proceeding to inform the attendants of the specifics of the meeting.

"Everyone, I know that you're curious about Hokage-sama's sudden call for a council meeting, but you should know, I was the one that requested that she do so. There is an important matter of concern that I feel, if left unattended to for too long, could even lead to the demise of the Village Hidden In The Leaves." Shikaku said with a grave undertone, much to the surprise and concern of everyone in the council room, apart from maybe the few who already knew or had an idea of what he was talking about.

"If this issue of concern is as important as you claim, than why have you and Tsunade turned this council room into a playground?" Koharu asked rudely, the rather old woman using the term 'playground' as a reference to the Konoha 12, of which only ten were present.

"Indeed, I am also curious, as I am sure so are the other esteemed members of the council." Homura agreed.

"Hokage-sama and I thought that they should be present as they are the people closest to the potential threat to our home, also, we believe that it is just about time for them to find out the truth about him. If he were to turn out to be a real threat to us, they would be the first ones in danger because frankly, they are the ones most likely to be teamed up with him for missions." Shikaku said logically and reasonably.

"So the topic of interest today is Naruto. I have heard that he has been acting very strange and suspiciously recently. However, I find it hard to believe that Uzumaki Naruto would pose such a threat to Konoha, at least, not intentionally. Admittedly, I don't like him very much, but nevertheless, the boy grew up right in front of my eyes, and I have met very few people who love Konoha more than him." Koharu retorted.

"True, the Uzumaki boy that grew up right before our eyes would never hurt Konoha by his own free will. I wolly agree with her on that matter, however, with the near uncontrolable power vested in him, he is, and will forever pose a threat to our existence whichever way one looks at it. By that virtue, I support yours and Hokage-sama's reasoning. Uzumaki Naruto, until such a time that he can show us that he has complete control of his power, should be watched and monitored at all times." Homura said with a sagely voice.

"Aaaaarg! What the hell are you old people blabbering about!" Kiba shouted angrily, catching everyone, Tsume, his own mother included, completely off guard.

"I know Naruto has become strong, hell he even defeated Kakashi-sensei right in front of my eyes! He's super strong, I get it, but what is this nonsense about uncontrollable power that needs to tamed! How the hell can someone lack that much control of their own abilities that he would destroy his own village! You're all making zero sense...mmmmmmm!"

"Shut-up Kiba, you're embarrassing us!" Kurenai whispered harshy, holding the down the Inzuka with her hand clamped down firmly over his big and seemingly uncontrollable mouth.

'Heh, if Naruto needs to control his power, than you, Kiba, without a doubt need to learn to control your mouth.' an amused Neji thought.

'Why is everyone so afraid of Naruto-kun? I...is it because of t-that thing inside of him? What is that thing anyway, why does such a kind person like Naruto-kun have something like that inside of him.' Hinata thought with concern.

'I've always thought that something was strange about Naruto, like how come important people like Sandaime-sama, Jiraiya of the Sannin, and Godaime-sama were showing so much interest in an ordinary orphan like him. It just always rubbed me the wrong way, what was so special about him?' Ino thought with frustration and a tad bit of jealousy.

'Well, no matter, it looks like I'm about to get myself some juicy gossip, I hope the wait has been worth it!' Ino thought excitedly, seemingly switching moods more often than she changes underwear.

'I didn't want to accept it, but everyone is right. Something has to be done about Naruto, he's been acting too strange, someone needs to beat the senses back into him soon!' Sakura thought with a lot of anger mixed in with a significant dose of naivety regarding the situation.

"Alrigh that's enough!" Tsunade shouted, releasing a significant dose of KI that had everybody stunned for a while, long enough for her to regain control of proceedings.

"Now, I want you all, as in you of Naruto's generation, to listen to me. I will adress you first, got it?"

"..."

"I said got it!" Tsunade shouted angrily.

"H-Hai Hokage-sama!" Everyone of the Konoha ten, Kiba included saluted respectfully and some even fearfully.

"I am going to tell you the truth about Naruto, this is an S-ranked secret that should not be discussed with anyone who doesn't already know about it under the penalty of death. If you don't believe you can adhere to these conditions, than you may please excuse yourself now." Tsunade said with a grave undertone.

"..."

"..."

'Tche, as if anyone would miss out on this level of gossip!' Ino thought cheekily.

"Neji, I'm aware of the fact that you have already figured it out all on your own, and I wouldn't be surprised if Shikamaru did aswell. Sakura knows this secret too, not because I told her, and not because Naruto told her, but because she heard it from two members of a very dangerous criminal organisation, the Akatsuki." Tsunade explained with forced patience.

"Akatsuki, what is that?"

"It is a criminal organisation, Kiba-baka! She just told you a few seconds ago! Stop interupting before I do something painful to you, just let her tell us the secret first!" Ino threatened furiously.

'Although I have to admit that I'm also curious about what Sakura was doing with a criminal organisation.' Ino thought with curiosity and a little jealousy that Sakura was privy to such information before her.

'Tche, is gossip and Sasuke still all she can think about?' Kiba thought with a mental roll of the eyes.

"Anyway! I won't beat about the bush, you shoud be old enough and experienced enough to handle this. The Kyubi was not killed by the Yondaime Hokage fifteen years ago, bijuu have an infinite life-span and cannot be killed. Even if someone coud manage it, they would simply re-animate themselves at some point in the future. Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage was renouned as the greatest seal master since the mythical sage of the six paths, and he sealed the Kyubi into an orphaned baby when he couldn't kill it at the cost of his life. It was a sacrifice neccessary to protect the village. He wanted said child to be seen as a hero who kept the beast at bay and protected the village, but people lost many loved ones during the Kyubi attack and were, as a result, full of hatred for the beast. When they found out about the child containing the beast, they were unable to forgive the beast and transfered that hate to the orphaned child, thereby trampling on the great Fourth Hokage's sacrifice and wishes. This child, as you may have figured out, is Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade said dramatically, pausing slightly before carrying on where she left off.

"You all attended the shinobi academy with Naruto, you might have noticed how many people would have either ignored his very existence, or even displayed ouright hate and disgust towards him. In the place of love and admiration that most of you would have experienced because of your clan's reputations, Naruto only experienced hate, scorn, and isolation. Whereas you had parents to love, nurture, teach, and guide you, Naruto had to learn everything on his own, he had to feed himself, cloathe himself, teach himself, and basically raise himself. Still, despite all of this, Naruto was able to hope for a brighter future, he was even able to forgive the village and even strived to become Hokage so that he can protect the very same people who treated him like he was worse than trash. He was able to forgive even the one who sealed the evil Kyubi inside of him, and even admired him for his sacrifice and heroism. It was these character traits that were able to inspire me to accept the title of Godaime Hokage, that someone like him could exist was just so inspiring, it gave me hope and renewed my faith in the village and the world of humans as a whole..." Tsunade trailed off nostalgically. However, she didn't have time to dwell on the past right now, and was therefore quick to pull herself back from memory lane and continue where she left off.

"However, right now, it seems like all of this is changing, others believe that it might have already changed. Now that I think about it, it should not have been possible for Naruto to go through all that without harboring any negative feelings at all, it is humanly impossible. Probably, he was doing his best to suppress that side of himself, but you can only do that for so long before it all explodes on you. While I hate to say this, but, it is also possible that the Kyubi is manipulating him. The seal was designed to weaken and allow Naruto more excess to the Kyubi's chakra as he grew older and stronger himself, however, the more access he has to the Kyubi, the more acces the Kyubi has to him vice versa. Right now, Naruto needs to feel loved and appreciated more than any other time in his life, that is why you, his precious friends, are so important right now." Tsunade explained.

"N-no way! Do you really expect us to believe that Naruto has been living with something as evil and powerful as the Kyubi inside of him all this time? Give me a break old lady!" Kiba exclaimed incredulously.

"Kiba! Stop acting like a little brat! This is serious!" Ino exclaimed furiously, aiming a punch at the blonde Inuzaka's head only for the Inuzuka prodigy to dodge at the very last second.

"But come on Ino, even a gossip queen like you can't possibly take something like this at face value." Kiba retorted incredulously.

"Actually...everything that Hokage-sama said is true. There are nine tailed beasts in the world, and each of the five great ninja villages has one or two of them in their possession, and they use them to create a jinchuuriki, the name given to those individuals chosen to have the beasts sealed within them. You remember Gaara from the chuunin exams don't you, Kiba? He too was a jinchuuriki, a jinchuuriki of the sand spirit, the ichibi, also known by the name, Shukaku. If you don't believe me, you can go and read about it in the shinobi library, the power of the human sacrifice is not fiction, Kiba, it is fact." Nara Shikamaru explained.

'Shikamaru was able to figure it out on his own and even went as far as gathering information on the history behind the tailed beasts, as expected of Shikaku-sama's son.' a more than impressed Shizune thought.

'Shikamaru is smart, and he wouldn't lie about something like this. But this is ridiculous, how can a dobe like Naruto have that much power.' Kiba thought with a combination of disbelief and jealousy.

'That pup is going to pay for embarrassing me and the clan in front of everyone.' Tsume thought furiously.

"Okay, I get it, Naruto is a jinkuriki, fine whatever." Kiba replied irritably.

"It's jinchuuriki, not jinkuriki." Neji corrected.

"I said whatever! Anyway, what are we supposed to do about this, Hokage-sama?" Kiba asked curiously.

"Just be his friends, be the best friends that you can be to him under the circumstances. That's all you can do for him really, just show him that there are people who care about him. Can you do that?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't see the problem with that, if he could keep the Kyubi at bay all this time, I don't see any reason why I should start worrying now. Besides, he may be just a dobe, but he's a strong willed dobe." Kiba said with a cocky smirk.

"Kiba has no tact, but nevertheless, he has used a little logic in his hypothesis. This changes nothing, Naruto is still our friend and he can be saved. If the roles were reversed, the old Naruto that we know and love would not have given up on us, and neither will we." Shino said with a neutral tone, with everyone else nodding their heads in agreement.

"So that's what you all believe huh? That the old Naruto wouldn't have given up on any of his friends, that he would have tried his best to evict the darkness in you, no matter what?" Tsunade asked retorically.

"Hai, that is what we believe, right, everyone?" Kiba exclaimed confidently.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!" Everyone, except for Neji exclaimed in unison.

"I see. Well...if that is the case, what about the new Naruto, what do you think he would do?" Tsunade asked curiously.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Well...is anyone going to say anything?" Tsunade prompted for a response.

"To be honest, none of us have been in contact with him since...well...since..."

"Since his battle with me?" Kakashi asked retorically, already having concluded the answer to the question on his own, but simply trying to varify his reasoning.

"Yes, but also since he almost killed Sakura. We were overwhelmed by the power he displayed against you and his lack of remorse for almost killing you, if anything, he almost seemed disapointed by the fact that you survived. To be blunt, we have no idea who this new Naruto is, the best we can hope for is that the old Naruto is still there somewhere, because if not, than he might end up turning out like Sasuke." Shikamaru said regretfully.

'So, even they were able to figure out that something is seriously wrong, and they were also able to see that Naruto was really trying to kill me, and would have succeeded if it wasn't for Tsunade-sama's medical ninjutsu. I wanted to believe that I was just being paranoid, but if even his friends could see it, than it has to be true.' a worried Kakashi thought with trepidition.

"So, none of you, apart from Sakura, have had any contact with Naruto since that incident whatsoever?" Tsunade asked once again.

"..."

"..."

"I see, well in that case..."

"W-wait! H-Hokage-sama...!" Hinata exclaimed nervously.

"What is it Hinata? Have you had any contact with Naruto?" Tsunade hastily asked.

"N-no, but he has visited Neji-nisan at the Hyuga compound on a few occassions...a-and, I...I've seen them meditating at the compound for hours, but they sometimes disappear together too, also for hours and...I can't track them down all the time, even...e-even with my byakugan." Hinata stuttered out nervously. Hell, she almost looked like she was about to have a nervous breakdown just from saying all of that in one go, in front of so many people with everyone's eyes firmly tuned on her.

'Hinata-sama...I didn't think she would be brave enough to say anything on the matter. I guess her spine has hardened a little over the years, or is it because of her infatuation for Naruto that she was able to draw the courage to speak out?' Neji thought with exasperation and a little frustration. As a Hyuga genius, he prided himself on his ability to accurately read people and predict their actions with precision. He truly never believed that Hinata would be able to speak out like that, especially with regards to a matter that could get him or especially Naruto into trouble.

"Nani! Are you sure about this, Hinata?" Tsunade questioned with intensity.

"H-hai, H-Hokage-sama. I'm sure!" Hinata stuttered.

'Forgive me Neji-nisan, but I can't allow you and Naruto-kun to carry on endangering yourselves with whatever dangerous situation you're dealing with. I have to do something to help, even if all I can do is to let Hokage-sama deal with it. She loves Naruto-kun like a son, and she's strong. I'm sure she can help you somehow.' Hinata thought with conviction. Neji on the other hand might as well have been an android, the Hyuga genius showing absolutely no outward reaction to Hinata's words at all, almost to the point that some wondered if he had even heard her at all.

"Neji...is this true?" Tsunade asked with barely contained rage.

"Yes, Naruto has come to visit me on a few occassions." Neji replied simply, almost as if talking about the weather forcast.

"How is that possible? Naruto has been under A.N.B.U serveilance since his battle with Kakashi. If he had visited you, I would have known for sure." Tsunade argued.

"If that is the case, than why did you even bother asking if anyone of us have had contact with him? Wouldn't you have already known the answer to that question through your A.N.B.U guards, or do you not trust them either?" Neji asked condensingly.

"I'm the one asking the questions here! Don't make me repeat myself or else..." Tsunade shouted maliciously, leaving the threat hanging in the air for Neji and everyone's elses imagination.

"His chakra was the same, so it was definitely Naruto that I was spending time with. Whether it was a clone or not however, is an entirely different matter altogether." Neji said smoothly and without a shred of fear, almost as if he never heard the Hokage's threat on his person at all, causing even some of the other meeting attendents to wonder if they hadn't just imagined the threat in the first place.

"A shadow clone? But if he sent shadow clones to visit you, that can only mean one thing. He must have had something to hide, and that something has everything to do with you. Neji, do you know something about Naruto that we don't?" Kakashi intercepted with a serious undertone.

"It's like Hinata-sama said, we spent most of our time together meditating. However, like any shinobi, Naruto prefers to have privacy when he trains, so sometimes, we disappear to a secret spot that I found when I was still a young boy and continue with our training there." Neji replied deceitfully but without actually lying at all.

"So you expect us to believe that Naruto aproached you of all people for training?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

"Of all people? What is wrong with him aproaching me, Kakashi-san?" Neji asked with mock curiosity.

"He could have come to me, Jiraiya-sama, or any other experienced jonin. Naruto has a lot of pride, I doubt he would freely admit inferiority of any sort to one of his peers." Kakashi retorted.

"I agree, that is unlike the Naruto we know at all." Tsunade said, fully backing the copy ninja up on his theory.

"Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't all of you admit only a few minutes ago that you didn't recognise this current Naruto? Didn't you admit that you had no idea what was going on in his mind? And finally, didn't you call us here because you wanted us to find out where his heart and mind are for you? How than, can you say, with confidence, that Naruto wouldn't come to me for help?" Neji asked retorically.

"Okay, I'll admit, you have a point. However, I, as Hokage, order you to tell me everything about the training that you granted Naruto." Tsunade ordered.

She really didn't want to resort to this, but Neji was really forcing her hand on this one. She wasn't about to let something as serious as this go that easily, even if she had to use her title to get the information that she wanted. Failure to comply with her orders would qualify as insurbordination, and, under such a charge, she would have the power to send him to Inoichi and Ibiki for interogation, it was a brutal method from her, but one born of neccessity.

'Neji, what have you gotten yourself into now? I thought the darkness in your heart had been finally lifted after that battle with Naruto in the chuunin exams, after reading your father's last words and wishes. However...I'm starting to wonder about that.' Hiashi, the Hyuga clan head, pondered with concern and worry.

"There was never a need to make it an order, I have nothing to hide. Naruto aproached me because he wanted emotional control training. He said that the ability to control your emotions is a very important skill for someone like him, a jinchuuriki. He believed that as a member of the Hyuga, a clan that prides itself on that particular character trait, that I was the best person to teach him that skill. That is why we spent so much time meditating together." Neji explained with a calm exterior.

'So even now, Naruto is still trying his best to protect the village, even from himself.' Tsunade thought with a bleeding heart.

"Are you sure you've told us everything Neji? Because, if there is anything that you're hiding from me...?" Tsunade trailed off with a warning and dangerous tone.

"The only other thing I can tell you is...that Naruto told me that he has not forgotten his promise to me, he told me that he still intends to change the Hyuga clan for the better. Also, he has every intention of becoming the greatest Kage in the elemental nations, the greatest of all time. Those are his own words." Neji said with a small but cocky smirk.

"Hiashi-dono, I see that your byakugan is active, were you able to detect any lies from your nephew?" Shikaku asked abruptly.

"No, everything he said was the truth." Hiashi answered stoicly.

'However, why do I have this ominous feeling?' Hiashi thought worriedly.

"I see, thank you for your help, I know it's a tough situation for you, given who he is to you." Shikaku said appreciatively.

"Don't worry about it, Shikaku-san, anything to help the village." Hiashi replied.

"Alright, if that is all, Naruto's friends may all be excused, yourself especially, Sakura...you have a mission to prepare for." Tsunade ordered.

"Hai, Tsunade-shishio!" Sakura acknowledged respectfully.

"There is no reason to interogate Neji anymore, the information he provided checks out, Jiraiya spoke to Naruto too today, and he came back with a similar response. You may all leave...now!" Tsunade ordered authoratively.

"Can I just say one thing, Hokage-sama?" Shikamaru asked with a serious expression.

"What is it?" Tsunade demanded impatiently.

"Who was Naruto's mother? I already know that his father is the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato, that much is obvious, but who was his mother?" Shikamaru demanded.

"Where did you get that information from, who told you!" a shocked Tsunade exclaimed furiously.

"I told you that I did reasearch about jinchuuriki didn't I? I learned that all jinchuuriki are usually related to either the reigning kage, a previous kage, or a person of similar stature and importance. This is done for two reasons, to ensure that the jinchuuriki will become a powerful asset and to ensure his or her loyalty. If Naruto were to be related to any of the Hokage, it would undoubtedly have to be the one who sealed it into him, the rasengan technique and their uncanny resemblance is also a dead give away. Naruto might as well be the Fourth Hokage's clone." Shikamaru explained with a bored tone.

'Damn him, he's too smart for his own good!' Tsunade thought irritably.

However, to say the rest of the Konoha 10 were shocked was a massive understatement, with the exception of Neji of course. None of them could easily accept that Naruto, formerly known as the deadlast dobe, could ever be related to any of the five Hokage. Finding out that he was the son of the legendary fourth was a mind shock of epic proportions. Everything was just happening too fast, revelation after revelation, all in one day was a little too much for them to digest all in one go, so much so that they didn't even know how to react to the news.

"Okay, fine. Since you've already blurted out so much, you might as well hear the rest of the story. Yes, Minato was Naruto's biological father. His mother was the former jinchuuriki of the nine tails, Uzumaki Kushina of Uzushiogakure's Uzumaki clan..."

"Tsunade! You've said enough! There's no need to reveal so much information!" Danzo snapped with a bang of his walking stick against the floor.

"There's no value in keeping it a secret either. The only way for them to reach Naruto is for them to understand who and what he is, every bit of information will influence how they aproach the situation. If they are going to help Naruto, they are going to need to know everything about him. You should also remember that we are not going to live forever, there will come a time when the next generation will have to take over. No one knows when they are going to die, we need to educate the youth now, while we still can so that they can protect the future. Besides, I don't need you to tell me how to do my job, know your place, Danzo!" Tsunade said with a threatening undertone.

"Fine! But don't come crying for my help when everything blows up on your face." Danzo replied snidely.

'Tche! Arrogant bastard, undermining me at every opportunity he gets, you'll have what's coming to you soon enough, Danzo!' Tsunade thought angrily.

"T-There's no such thing! You really expect us to believe this nonsense! If there was such a thing as Uzushiogakure no Sato, we would know about it by now. I've never even heard of such a ninja village, nor have I heard anything about no Uzumaki clan!" Kiba exclaimed with an accusing finger.

"That settles it! You're going to get that punishment now, I can't possibly allow you to continue to disrespect Hokage-sama like that!" Kurenai exclaimed furiously.

"T-that punishment! No! Please, anything but that, Kurenai-sensei, I promise I won't do it again!" Kiba begged pathetically, eyes wide in shock and fear of 'that' punishment.

"Than shut up!" Kurenai ordered furiously.

'Hn, I wonder what kind of punishment would have the little mut so scared. I need to speak to Kurenai and find out about it, it might come in handy sometime in the near future.' Tsume thought with a sadistic smirk.

"H-hai." Kiba whined.

"Kiba is right though. I too have never heard of an Uzumaki clan, nor have I heard of Uzushiogakure." Shikamura retorted with a confused but curious expression.

"Uzushiogakure were old allies of ours. The thing is, only an Uzumaki has a powerful enough life-force to keep the Kyubi at bay for an entire lifetime. The life-force of an Uzumaki is so strong that most of them can live for twice the lifespan of a normal human being. In fact, Uzushiogakure was even nicknamed as the Village Of Longetivity." Tsunade explained, taking a deep breathe to allow the information to settle in before continuing with her tail.

"The Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan had good relations with one another, as a result, my grandfather, the Shodaime Hokage had an arranged marriage with the Uzumaki clan between himself and an Uzumaki princess, Uzumaki Mito, to solidify our alliances. However, part of the reason was so that we can have a vessel for the Kyubi. Uzumaki Mito became the first jinchuuriki of the Kyubi, Naruto's mother, Uzumaki Kushina, who was the fourth's secret wife, became the second, and Naruto the third..." Tsunade explained before she was interupted by an elder voice.

"Tsunade is right young ones, only an Uzumaki can contain the Kyubi successfully. However, even with a strong life-force, it is still possible for the Kyubi to overwhelm a person. Another advantage that an Uzumaki clan possessed against the beast was their unrivalved knowledge and natural talent for the sealing arts. The Uzumaki clan was so advanced in the sealing arts that Iwa, Kumo, and Kiri banded together to destroy the Uzumaki clan. It took three powerful ninja villages to destroy them, such was the power that they wielded with their seals and barriers. These abilities, as you can imagine, were useful for containing the fox. However, Naruto has no real knowledge of Uzumaki clan kinjutsu nor has he even displayed any real talent for it, of course, perhaps he hasn't had the chance to learn about it. Nevertheless, if he were to lose control of the Kyubi, there would be no one else capable of containing the beast, Naruto is the last living member of his clan." Homura explained with a worried undertone.

None of the older generation showed any surprise at what was being said, having already been privy to this information as all of it happened in the third shinobi war, a war that they had been very much a part of. If anything really surprised them, it was the fact that this information was being shared so freely with the younger generation, but than again, most of them were already chuunin, Neji was a jonin already, and the majority of them were destined for leadership positions as clan heads, perhaps it was just about time they were prepared for their future responsibilities.

On the other hand, to say that the young generation, the ones being adressed, were surprised would equate to a gross understatement. It was incredibly hard for some to accept that Naruto, the deadlast Naruto had such a rich background and heritage, one that seemed to put him par or even above the rogue Uchiha Sasuke in terms of royal status. This was something that would take more than a day to completely process, the whole world just seemed to have been a lie or an illussion up until now, quite a mind blowing experience really. Tsunade, seeing that no one was going to say anything anytime soon, decided to break the silence in order to move things along in the right direction.

"You have all been briefed about the current situation. You should be able to understand now why Naruto is so important to the village...important to me..." Tsunade trailed off with a concerned expression and tone. However, she had no time to dwell on her regrets and concerns, thus steeling her resolve and and choosing to rather focus on what needed to be done.

"There is something else that you need to hear about, but before I tell you about that, now would be the right time to ask any questions that you might have about Naruto. So...are there any questions?" Tsunade asked.

"I have a question." Shikamaru said hastily.

"Yes...?" Tsunade asked.

"Naruto has never mentioned anything about his parents or jinchuuriki status. The conversation I heard between him and Gaara at the hospital tells me that he had knowledge of his status as a jinchuuriki, but what about his parents? What about the Uzumaki clan? Naruto doesn't know about them, does he?" Shikamaru asked with narrowed eyes.

"What would make you think such a thing, Shikamaru?" Shikaku asked with intrigue.

"I don't like to meddle in other people's lives, nor do I like to entertain thoughts about emotions, but Naruto's emotional disposition when we grew up was nothing like a person of such a prestiged background. He was even worse than the average orphan, easily attached to people who showed him even the slightest kindness, quick to beg for attention and love, and he had some abandondment issues and insecurities so vast and deep regarding his social status...no, no way! Naruto couldn't have had knowledge about any of this. What I want to know, is why?" Shikamaru asked.

"Why what?" Tsunade asked.

"Why he was never told about this? And why you are telling us and not him about it? I would like to understand the reasoning behind this." Shikamaru asked curiously, causing Tsunade to release an audible sigh at the young Nara's troublesome perceptiveness.

'This boy is smart, maybe smarter than the members of the Nara clan that I have in the foundation. So much potential, I wish I had discovered him earlier, I might have found a good successor in him. Knowing his father and his suspisions and distrust of me, I wouldn't be surprised if it was he who told the boy to hide his abilities from the instructors at the academy.' Danzo thought regretfully.

"Personally, I think that Naruto should have been made aware of his status from the beginning, it is the village populace that should have been kept in the dark about everything, not Naruto. However, I understand that the Yondaime, Minato, wanted Naruto to be seen as a hero who carries a huge burden to protect village, therefore, taking this wishes into account, Sarutobi-sensei informed the village of Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki along with Minato's wishes. The people thought of Minato as a great hero for his exploits against Kumo and Iwa in the third shinobi war and a great messiah for saving the village from the fox. Baring that in mind, Sarutobi-sensei did not imagine that the people, despite their hate and contempt for the fox, would so blatently disregard Minato's wishes for Naruto." Tsunade explained.

"That's no excuse for what happened after that though is it? Having seen the people's reaction to Naruto, why not than tell them about Naruto's royal heritage and direct relation to Yondaime-sama? If they knew just how much Yondaime-sama and his wife sacrificed for them, they would have likely praised Naruto as the hero that he is...at the very least, they would have treated him with a little more respect." Neji countered smoothly, leaning against the sidewall with his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed, creating a somewhat serene and cool image of himself.

"Minato-sensei was a feared shinobi in the elemental nations with a countless horde of enemies. Revealing such delicate information would have put his life at great risk. He never would have made it to the age of ten under those conditions." Kakashi retorted.

"That's no excuse either, and you all know it. Sandaime-sama had an equal horde of enemies, perhaps even more considering how long that he had been alive, but his grandchild, Konohamaru has not been denied his identity. How is his situation any different from Naruto's?" Neji countered, now staring at the currently disabled copy nin with the corner of his left eye.

"Konohamaru still has living relatives who can protect him. He has the whole Sarutobi clan, Asuma, and up until three years ago, Sandaime-sama was still alive to protect his grandchild. The same could not be said about Naruto." Kakashi retorted impatiently.

"You know, Naruto taught me something valuable in my interactions with him. He taught me that the word 'family' does not extend only to dna and blood relations, in fact, Naruto once told me that he considered Konoha not to be just a ninja village, but a clan, a family that he belonged to. So I can't help but be amazed by the fact that Yondaime-sama's son had no one willing to take him in and give him the love of a family that he deserved despite many, yourself included, having such close relations to his father and mother." Neji said with contained contempt, his words clearly directed at the copy nin, Jiraiya, Hiruzen, and Tsunade's failure to do anything of real value for Naruto and his family depsite said family's sacrifices for them and the village.

"If something like this can happen to Yondaime-sama's son, than what exactly is this will of fire that has been preached over and over to us? Is it just some kind of propaganda that the higher ups use to control and manipulate..."

"That's enough!" Tsunade shouted furiously, banging her fist harshly against her podium to emphasize her anger as she blasted the young Hyuga genius with a sizeable dose of killing intent.

"You are the last person to preach about family love and loyalty, aren't you the one that once attempted to publicly assassinate your cousin Hinata at the chuunin exams?" Tsunade countered fiercely.

"Very well. I will say no more on this matter." Neji replied simply, closing his eyes once again as if to go into a meditative trance.

'Arrogant brat! First Sasuke and now him? Damn Naruto certainly has a terrible choice of friends!' Tsunade thought, barely containing herself from jumping over the podium and smashing the living daylights out of that, according to her, pompous brat from the Hyuga clan.

"There is no point in us fighting. Mistakes have been made in the past and mistakes will be made in the future...this is because the world has been made to be imperfect. Hard as we try, as long as we are human, we will never be able to attain perfection. What is important however, is that we find a way to learn from our mistakes, forgive one another, and than try to attone for those mistakes. We must try to ensure that the next generation, you young ones, do not fall over the same traps as we did. So please, let us stop blaming one another and try to find a solution together, our very own existence could be hinging on what we decide to do today, in this very room." Homura said with a tired but encouraging voice of wisdom.

"You elders keep talking about an eminent danger to our home, logic insists that there is still something that we have not been made aware of." Shino said with a questioning tone.

"I believe Hokage-sama was about to brief you about said threat..." Homura trailed off suggestively.

"Ahem, yes well, I will once again go straight to the point. There is an organisation consisting mainly of S-rank criminals from all over the elemental nations. This organisation has a particularly threatening mission, to hunt down and capture all nine jinchuuriki and extract their bijuu. We do not know what exactly they plan to do with the bijuu, but, needless to say, we can't allow them to capture Naruto." Tsunade explained.

"But it's only one organisation, how much danger could they really cause to a village of our size and strength?" Tenten queried skeptically.

"You don't believe this organisation to be a threat to us huh? Than consider this, Orochimaru alone had the individual strength and man power to take Konoha to the brink of extinction, and he was only one member of aproximately ten from this organisation. Think about that and re-evaluate your judgement. I'm sure you will agree, that Akatsuki is a major threat to Konoha, and possibly, the whole shinobi world as we know it." Tsunade replied

"Orochimaru...is a member of this organisation? But than that means that he can't be the leader of this organisation, if he was, he would have brought the whole Akatsuki's might down on us. That means that there is someone, or people in this organisation that are stronger than even him. This is more dangerous than I initially thought." Shikamaru said with a hysterical and fearfull expression.

"Do not allow fear to cloud your judgement, Shikamaru. What have I been teaching you all this time." Shikaku chasticed.

"T-tou-san..."

"He's right, Shikamaru. First of, there is some interesting information about Orochimaru. He has been, was, and is still weakened from his battle with Sarutobi-sensei. Sensei used the Uzumaki clan's Shikki Fuin to seal Orchimaru's arms into the shinigami. Consequently, he has lost the ability to utilise most of his ninjutsu. Furthermore, Orchimaru had already defected from Akatsuki when he attacked Konoha, and they want him dead for his betrayal. He won't be revealing himself or attacking anyone anytime soon." Tsunade explained.

"And yet, Akatsuki is still a threat even greater than Orochimaru, as Shikamaru said, there must be at least one or two members in this organisation that individually far exceed even Orochimaru in power, otherwise they couldn't possibly control so many high ranked shinobi. Right now, I can't help but wonder if it is even possible to defeat this organisation." Shino countered logically.

"You underestimate Konoha's power, and you underestimate yourselves. Team Guy, Kakashi, and Sakura were able to take down an Akatsuki member who single handedly took down and captured Kazekage-dono, and one of your own was able to singlehandedly take down another Akatsuki member recently. There were originally, roughly nine or ten Akatsuki members according to our intel, now there are aproximately seven or eight to go. The situation is not as bad as it may seem, they may be strong, but Akatsuki is not invincible." Tsunade countered in an effort to boost the spirit and confidence of the young shinobi inside the council room.

"Someone singlehandedly defeated an Akatsuki member! Who was it?" Ino exclaimed hysterically, not quite sure what to believe at the moment, but than again, the Hokage wouldn't lie about something like this would she.

"She said that one of our own was able to singlehandedly take down an Akatsuki. By process of elimination, it can easily be concluded that it was Naruto, especially when one considers the ease with which he was able to defeat Kakashi-sensei." Shikamaru said without a shadow of a doubt, causing Kakashi to scratch the back of his head with embarrassment.

"Maa maa give me a break will ya, no one could have expected such a dramatic improvement in Naruto's skills. I was just caught off guard that's all." Kakashi retorted.

"As was this Akatsuki member he defeated I suppose. They must obviously have spent a great length of time gathering intel on their targets before commencing with their mission. Their intel on Naruto would have been outdated. Naruto could possibly be the key to winning this war against Akatsuki. In anycase, who were the names of these two Akatsuki members that Team Gai and Team Kakashi encountered, and do we have the identities of any others?" Shikamaru asked.

"Akatsuki operates in two man cells, this cell consisted of Akusuna no Sasori and Bakuton no Deidara of Iwa. They were both extremely skilled and dangerous, they also considered themselves to be artists of some kind." Tsunade said with a small laugh at the ludicrousy of such an organisation having an interest in something as delicate and exotic as art.

"Anyway, we have no idea where the Akatsuki headquarters is situated and we have no idea of their leader's identity. But we know about two other members in their organisation, Uchiha Itachi who betrayed Konoha and slayed his own kinsmen, and Hoshigaki Kisame, the Monster of Kiri. These two are partners and attempted to capture Naruto three years ago, they are bound to make another attempt soon enough. We must be prepared for this, therfore you, as Naruto's friends and collegues, will have to get stronger. You have done, and will be doing many missions with Naruto, as a result, even if you had no interest in risking your life for Naruto, you wouldn't have much of a choice. Akatsuki will likely target him when he is outside of the village and you will undoubtedly be caught in the crossfire. You need to be prepared!" Tsunade said with grave undertone.

"..."

"..."

"Can I count on you?" Tsunade asked finally.

"Hai Hokage-sama!" The Konoha 10 saluted.

"Good. You may now be excused. We, the council, have other matters to discuss." Tsunade ordered.

"Wait...!" Shikamaru exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

"What about Naruto?" Shikamaru asked.

"What about him?" Tsunaded asked in turn.

"Well, it was earlier implied that Naruto is acting out of character nowadays, and that he might even be a flight risk. How do we proceed from here on?" Shikamaru asked the question on everyone elses mind.

"I thought I told you earlier, Naruto needs to feel loved and appreciated right now. You are his friends, you should know what to do." Tsunade retorted.

"However...simply showing someone your love and dedication to someone doesn't gaurantee that they will reciprocate those feelings. This method has been tried before, it was not enough to disuade Uchiha Sasuke from defecting." Shino squeezed in.

"Shino's right. There are many differences between Sasuke and Naruto, but if there is one characteristic that they share, it is their stubborn personality and unwillingness to abandon their resolve and convictions." Shikamaru pointed out.

"I see..." Tsunade trailed off with concern, bitting furiously at her thumbnail in an effort to pull out a perfect plan from the depths of her mind.

"Wait a minute! I know Naruto has been acting strange, but didn't Neji say that Naruto still wanted to become the Hokage, and didn't you say that Jiraiya-sama was able to confirm the same thing, Hokage-sama? I don't understand why we are still treating him like a flight risk or an enemy?" a confused Tenten asked.

"Because, right now, we can't be sure if Naruto's desire for the title is neccessary a good thing..." Kakashi trailed off gravely, the words spoken with an intense gaze directed at Shimura Danzo. If Danzo was phased by either Kakashi's glare or his words, than he was more than good at hiding his emotions, the war veteran giving absolutely nothing in his poker faced expression.

"Kakashi-sensei has a good point. Naruto is currently shrouded with too much darkness and secrecy for us to trust him. It might also be that someone is manipulating him. There is also no guarantee that the demon fox itself hasn't had any influence on him. I think that is also why we have to become his true friends, we need to show him how much he means to us, and we need him to reveal his true self to us. Nevertheless, I also have a quick plan that can help me glean a significant amount of intel about his personality." Shikamaru said with wisdom equivalent to that of an elder.

"You have a plan? What kind of plan could force out information that a person clearly has no intention of revealing? I hope you don't plan to use my daughter in this plan of yours, there is a reason why we haven't used mind transfer interogation methods on Naruto." Inoichi said with a threatening voice.

"Don't worry, all I want to do is to play shogi with Naruto. I am confident that a simple game will not in any way endanger Ino's life." Shikamaru replied with a small smirk.

"Shogi? How is that going to help exactly?" Shizune asked with a stupified expression.

"Heh, good idea Shikamaru, you've really taken my teachings to heart haven't you." Shikaku said with a knowing smile.

"What do you mean Shikaku?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

"It's really simple. Imagine the shogi player in the same capacity as the Hokage. If the shogi player is the Hokage, than the king is the Daimyo, and the queen is the Jonin Commander. The knights are the Jonin and the A.N.B.U, and the pawns are the chuunin and genin. Just like your individual personality determines your success and the manner with which you run the village, so will Naruto's real personality determine the decisions and the moves that he will make when he plays shogi. In other words, theoretically speaking of course, Shikamaru will know what kind of man Naruto is and whether he will make a good leader or not after one or two games of shogi." Shikaku explained much to everyones awe.

'Hn, a good idea Shikamaru, however, you are still asking the wrong question. The question is not whether Naruto would make a good leader or not, but whether he will make a good leader for Konoha.' Neji thought with amusement.

'Way to go Shikamaru, you never seize to amaze me.' Asuma thought with pride.

"Interesting idea...do you think this will really work, Inoichi?" Tsunade asked.

"I don't see why not. A person's real personality is usually best reflected by hypothetical or actual stressful circumstances, even if something that appears to be as simple as a game of shogi can tell you a lot about a person. However, mind transfer and manipulation techniques aside, there is still no better way of knowing someone than to befriend them and earn their trust." Inoichi replied.

"In that case, we will use both mine and Shikamaru's idea. In fact, a game of shogi once in a while will fullfil both requirements, Shikamaru will be able to befriend Naruto and do a personality and mental evaulation of him at the same time. In any case, I want every one of you kids to do your outmost to befriend Naruto, and I want everyone who was here today to keep a look out for any strange behaviour on Naruto's part, are we clear?" Tsunade demanded authoratively.

"Hai Hokage-sama!"

Minutes later at the Main Gate...

"Hello, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, Sai. My name is Yamato and I will be your captain for this mission. Unlike Kakashi, I am not your sensei or your mentor, I am your captain and you are merely shinobi under my beck and call. Don't expect me to coddle you at any point in time in the duration of our time together. Now, before we go, is there anything anyone of you would like to say?" The man, now known as Yamato asked, a rather tall man with spiky brown hair and dark eyes with straight and plain facial features, wearing the standard Konoha jonin outfit with a forehead protector stylized in the form of a faceguard similar to that of the second hokage.

"I have a question." Naruto said simply.

"Go on..." Yamato prompted.

"Is Yamato your real name or your mission codename?" Naruto asked bluntly.

"That is none of your business, Naruto-san. I will only answer questions that are relevant to the mission." Yamato deflected.

"Very well, than tell me all about your abilities." Naruto asked, or rather, demanded.

"My abilities are also none of your business. A shinobi never reveals information about his abilities. In the shinobi world, today's friend can easily become tomorrow's foe." Yamato answered with a straight face.

'Today's friend can easily become tommorrows foe huh? I see, this guy was brought in because he has some kind of advantage over me. This must explain why there is something strange but oddly familier about his chakra, especially the size and potency of it.' Naruto thought wearily.

"You realise that our enemy is Orochimaru, right? I know that Hokage-sama has briefed you about everything with regards to our abilities, our chances of success would increase exponentially if you extended us the same courtesy, it would help us to refine and sync our teamwork. Our mission target, being a shinobi himself will likely surprise us somehow, we can't afford to be surprised by our teammates as well, Sasuke's retrieval rests on the success of this mission." Naruto countered, using the effect of Uchiha Sasuke's name as a trumpcard to get his way and win the arguement.

"Fair enough, you have made your point, and I have heard it. We will make one stop for rest close to Kusa. That is where we will also practise our teamwork drills before our meeting with the spy, I will show you what I can do then, and only then." Yamato replied with a serious tone.

"That sounds good to me." Naruto replied calmly.

'Tsunade-sama was right, this Naruto is completely different from the one in his profile, I'll have to keep a careful eye on him.' Yamato thought.

"Anymore questions?" Yamato asked.

"..."

"..."

"I don't have a question, but there is something that I want to say. A spy can lose their sense of loyalty and defect to the enemy's side..."

"I am already aware of that." Yamato cut in.

"Good, than you're aware of the possibilty that this could be a ploy by Orochimaru and Kabuto to assasinate Sasori, right?" Naruto asked retorically.

"Yes, and?" Yamato asked, unable to help but wonder where exactly the young Uzumaki was going with this.

"If Orochimaru shows up, I will fight him on my own, the rest of you must focus on capturing Kabuto and finding Sasuke." Naruto instructed almost as if he had the authority.

"Nonsense! As if I could ever allow that, Orochimaru is one of the sannin, you're no match for him, none of us are. If Orochimaru turns up, we will retreat and call for back-up." Yamato replied incredulously.

"I'm not taking anyone's side, however, Dickless is a student of one of those sannin, and he was able to singlehandedly defeat an Akatsuki member, a member of an organisation Orochimaru is said to be terrified of. Also, according to my sensei, Orochimaru had his arms sealed within the shinigami, as a result, he has limited access to his ninjutsu arsenal. Finally, even if things get difficult, Dickless still has the demon fox to fall back on. Perhaps there is some merit in granting Dickless his wish to fight Orochimaru if you take all of that into account." Sai explained with an emotionless exterior.

'Naruto has to fight Orochimaru, fighting against someone that strong is the only way that I will get to gather accurate intel on him.' Sai thought, only to be broken from his thoughts by one Haruno Sakura's outburst.

"Sai is right, we have to save Sasuke-kun at any cost, we won't get this close again any time soon!" Sakura said with a voice full of steel.

She hated to admit it, but, even though she had become much stronger over the years, Naruto was clearly still far ahead of her. The gap just seemed to have not shortened at all, in fact, given his recent achievements and knowing that Naruto still had the foxe's power to fall back on, it just seemed to Sakura that the gap had become even wider. Nevertheless, that power was serving her a good purpose right now, so she didn't have time to entertain thoughts of jealousy, not if it meant getting her Sasuke-kun back. She would have time to entertain those thoughts once Sasuke was back in her arms, which is where he belongs, or so she thought.

"As you can imagine, I am enclined to agree with them, besides, you're crazy anyway if you think Orochimaru will allow us to escape. If Orochimaru is there, we'll have no choice but to fight it out to the death." Naruto said robotically, causing Yamato to release an audible sigh, having no choice but to agree with the blonde Uzumaki's analysis.

"Fine, you're right. We don't really have much of a choice. Tsunade-sama must have also realised it could come to this. The fact that she sent us must mean that she has enough faith in us to believe that we can survive this. We will do as you wish, if Orochimaru joins the scene, Naruto will fight him while the rest of us focus our minds and bodies on the completion of the mission. It's like Naruto said, shinobi rule number four, a shinobi must always put the mission first above and over everything else." Yamato answered carefully.

"A wise decision, Yamato-taicho. Now than, she we be on our way?" Naruto asked expectantly.

"Yes, it is time to go. Team 7, move out!" Yamato ordered as the new team seven, almost immediately, disappeared into the surounding forests via the shunshin no jutsu.

'If the Kyubi Jinchuuriki really defeated Sasori on his own, than he should be able to at the very least hold off Orochimaru long enough for us to capture Kabuto, if he doesn't defeat him by himself that is.' Yamato thought rationally, trying to re-assure himself about his decision to allow a mere fifteen year old with roughly three years off experience to fight against one of the most dangerous men in the world on his own.

Three Days Later: Tenchi Bridge...

'What happened, how did I get here?' Kabuto thought wearily, a nineteen year old young man of average height with white hair styled in a pony tail with two bangs falling down the sides of his face, and thick, round glasses with dark eyes behind them, wearing a sleeveless, purple top with a white t-shirt underneath it and purple pants with dark blue shinobi sandals. He also has a kunai pouch attatched to his left leg and a black sash tied around waist.

The experienced teenager, now standing at the top of a high cliff after having gotten up on his feat, found himself in complete awe at the site before, above, and below him. If one looked down from the cliff, they would see what appears to be an articulate and beautiful array of futuristic looking buildings stretching for miles and miles ahead. However, around, congruent, tangent, and intertwined within and around the humungous city was an equal array of plant and animal life, creating the perfect blend between nature and technology, the two states of existence seemingly existing in harmony with each other.

This was something that Kabuto could honestly say that he had never heard of or seen before. It was well known that industrialization and nature could not exist together in the same place. Humans were always required to destroy nature in order to build their technological structures. However, it seemed that the situation was different here as most of the building stuctures seemed to be floating just above the surface. However, looking high up into the sky, Kabuto was able to see that some of the buildings were floating high and above the city, beautiful structures that seemed to be functioning with an impossible technology, even to a mad scientist like himself.

The mad scientist could also see far ahead, near the coast, that the village, or city, or whatever it was seemed to be surrounded by powerful whirlpools, almost as if protecting the place from possible intruders and ivasion. Truly, this place was more than remarkable and was of the makings of a dream. If anything, this place seemed like heaven more than earth if you asked him.

However, it was only a split second later that Kabuto, with startling realisation, concluded that he might indeed have travelled to the afterlife. The last thing he remembered was a three tailed Uzumaki Naruto staring at him with the wild and sinister eyes of the Kyubi before he blacked out and awakened in this place.

"N-no way! I...I can't be possibly have died! How...how did this happen?" Kabuto exclaimed hysterically.

"You're not dead, Kabuto." a male voice Kabuto thought to be familiar sounded from behind him, the young man placing a hand on his left shoulder in a manner intended to be a comforting gesture.

Kabuto, startled, instinctually activated his chakra scalpel technique and swivelled around with a swinging left arm, his hand illuminated with green chakra as he attempted to cut through the enemy's midesction, only for his hand to faze through the the young boy he now recognised as one Uzumaki Naruto.

"An illusion...?" Kabuto whispered with wide eyes.

"Not an illusion, but an after image." Naruto, now standing a distance away behind his disappearing after-image, answered with a calm tone.

"An after image? What does that mean exactly?" Kabuto asked suspiciously, the young medic now adopting a defensive and battle ready stance.

"It is a result of my bloodline limit related kinjutsu, the swift release: shadowless flight technique. That after image that you see is a result of the inability of your eyes to keep up with my movements." Naruto replied slowly and carefully.

'N-no way! There is no way that he is that fast! That kind of speed would put him at a level far beyond even Sasuke, he might even be faster than the raikage!' Kabuto thought in disbelief.

"The dibelief in your eyes is understandable, I don't blame you for not believing me, however, your refusal to accept the truth will not change the reality. But think about it carefully, knowing who my father was, is it really a surprise that I would be able to move at this kind of speed myself?" Naruto asked retorically, causing Kabuto's eyes to widen in surprise and realisation.

'Orochimaru once said that Naruto-kun was Yondaime Hokage Minato's son, but I never quite believed it up until now. Naruto didn't show anywhere near the level of talent that Uzumaki Kushina and Minato's son should have inherited...not until this very moment' Kabuto thought, not really sure what to make of the current situation.

'However, I know better than anyone else that somethings in this world are not always as they appear to be, although, I never thought that Naruto would be able to fool me even more than I did him during the chuunin exams three years ago.' Kabuto thought, mentally smacking himself for his lack of foresite. For a spy of his calibre, to have missed something so important in his information gathering was more than a little embarrassing.

"You said something about having a kekkei genkei? What is this kekkei genkei that you speak of?" Kabuto asked curiously.

"All in good time, Kabuto." Naruto said dismissively.

"Anyway, is that really the question you should be asking right now? Aren't you wondering where we are? Or why I have brought you here?" Naruto asked retorically, causing Kabuto's eyes, once again, to widen substantially.

"Y-you're the one that brought me here? What is this place, and how did you bring me here? Why can't dispell this genjutsu? Is it because you're using the fox's chakra?" Kabuto asked in quick succession.

"Well, you're right about one thing, I was able to bring and keep you here because of the fox's chakra, however, this isn't a genjutsu, this is my mindscape. The ability to drag one's own conscience to the mindscape is an ability that all jinchuuriki possess, but I have altered that technique so that I can drag others into my mindscape as well." Naruto explained much to Kabuto's continued surprise.

'This is unbelievable! Is this really Naruto...was he really a genius all along? Was he only pretending to be an idiot all this time?' A confused Kabuto pondered.

"T-this can't be possible? How can anyone possess such a powerful ability? That would mean absolute and guaranteed defeat for anyone who looked into your eyes!" Kabuto argued in denial.

"So what? Isn't that the same for people like Uchiha Itachi and Shishui? One look in the eyes and it's all over?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

"B-but..."

"Hehe! Relax, Kabuto. This ability is not something I would risk using against powerful opponents. Can you imagine what Itachi could do if I just invited him into my mind? What about a powerful member of the Yamanaka clan like Inoichi? I'm taking a big risk as it is by bringing you to this place." Naruto explained calmly.

"I see..." Kabuto thought out loud, taking a quick look around as if looking for an enemy before facing the blonde Uzumaki again with a questioning gaze.

"Where is the Kyubi? If coming here is an ability granted to you because of your jinchuuriki status, than shouldn't the fox be somewhere around here?" Kabuto asked with barely contained curiosity and deeply hidden fear.

"I have banished him to another part of my mind for the time being, there's no telling what he'd do if he saw you here." Naruto replied simply, causing Kabuto to release an audible gulp at the blonde Uzumaki's words.

"Okay, than answer this, why does your mindscape look like this? What is the significance of a place like this, especially for someone containing such an evil spirit inside of him?" Kabuto asked, hoping to gather as much information as he could before the blonde Uzumaki decides to attack him, or feed him to the fox. It was also a diversion tactic, the young medic hoping to buy as much time as possible so that he can figure out a way to get out of here.

"This place actually exists in the real world, it is the place where I feel most safe and comfortable in, a place very precious to me that I want to protect with everything that I have within me." Naruto answered truthfully, causing, once again, surprise to leak into Kabuto's facial expression.

"I don't understand? This isn't Konoha, and I have never heard of or seen this place, why would it be so important to you? I thought you wanted to be the Hokage, shouldn't Konoha be the place most precious place to you?" Kabuto asked with a small frown.

This was all a little too much to take in. It was almost like everything that Kabuto knew about the world was being wiped clean and stripped away from him only to be replaced with a new and different reality. Everything he thought he knew about Naruto was starting to appear to be complete and utter rubbish, and while it intrigued him to no end, another side of him didn't like that one bit, because it meant that he was incompetent as a spy, and that his pride and confidence as a spy was misplaced.

"I have no intention of becoming Hokage, in fact, I want to become Uzukage and than destroy Konoha, or destroy Konoha and than become Uzukage, in whichever order." Naruto said with a malicious smile.

"W-what...?" a stupified Kabuto trailed off in surprise.

"Yes, the place you see in my mindscape is the new Uzushiogakure that I have rebuilt. I've already recruited a couple of clans under my wing, the Fuma clan, formerly of Oto and lead by Fuma Kagero, the Branch Family of The Hyuga clan, lead by Hyuga Neji, the Kamizuru clan, a clan that I manged to convince to defect from Iwa due to Iwa's mistreatment, lead by Kamizuru Suzumebachi, the Sora clan, formerly known as the Hidden Sky Village of Sky Country and possessing the vessel of the Reibi, lead by Sora Shinno, the Nadeshiko clan, formerly known as the Nadeshiko Village and conceiving female shinobi only, lead by Nadeshiko Shizuka, and, last but not least, the Hoshi clan, formerly known as Hoshigakure no Sato, a clan of people whose dna was mutated by a mystical star that is said to have fallen near their village, granting their chakra special properties that enhance chakra manipulation to an inhuman level, a clan lead by Hoshi Natsuhi." Naruto explained patiently, watching the intrigued and surprised expression on Kabuto's face with barely contained amusement.

"You...you turned former hidden villages into clans and than assimilated them into your ninja village? I've heard of clans banding together to form a hidden village before, but I've never heard of whole ninja villages banding together to form an even bigger ninja village. So much power...so much potential!" Kabuto thought out loud, a demented and excited smirk slowly but surely morphing into his facial features.

'Heh, I knew that would catch his interest, now, what are you going to do about this information, Kabuto.' Naruto thought with anticipation.

"Hahahaha! Ahahahaahahahahahaha! Ahaahahahahahahaha! I think I get it now! Wow, I never, in my life, could have imagined such an interesting scenario, Naruto-kun, you intrigue me to no end!" Kabuto laughed theotrically.

"Sounds like you just enjoyed a moment of revelation...?" Naruto trailed off with a questioning tone.

"Well, I guess you could say I did." Kabuto replied confidently.

"Well what are you waiting for, tell me all about it, please, I'm very interested." Naruto said with amusement.

"Alright Naruto-kun, I think I get it now, why you brought me to this place. It has become obvious after everything that's been said." Kabuto said, now adopting a serious expression.

"Okay..." Naruto prompted.

"Earlier on, you expressed a desire to destroy Konoha and become Uzukage of the new Uzushiogakure no Sato. You than went on and took the liberty to explain how most of your village's clans were made up of former ninja village's of relatively small size. It is no secret that, just like you, Orochimaru-sama seeks the destruction of Konoha, and it is also no secret that Oto is one of the smaller ninja villages in the elemental nations. With all of that in mind, your reason for bringing me to this place becomes self-explanatory. You want me to persuade Orochimaru-sama to join Uzushiogakure no Sato as the clan head of the Oto clan, formerly known as Otogakure no Sato, isn't that right, Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked retorically, already knowing that there was no other explanation for everything that had transpired thus far.

"Hmmm...interesting theory, Kabuto. You almost read my intentions accurately, which is more than I can say for most people." Naruto applauded.

"Why do you mean almost? What could I have possibly missed?" Kabuto asked with a little surprise.

"Well, you're right on a few accounts, yes, I do want to assimilate Oto into Uzu, and yes, I do want Oto to unite and form a clan, however, I don't want Orochimaru to be the clan head of the Oto clan, Kabuto, I want you to be the clan head of the Oto clan, and I want you to join my newly founded organisation, Akakitsune, an organisation dedicated to the complete eradication of Akatsuki and Konoha, and the ressurection of Uzu." Naruto said casually, almost as if he didn't just drop c4 bomb between himself and the medical prodigy.

"N...Nani?" Kabuto stuttered, unable to help but to choke on his own words.

"You're probably not aware of this, but I was the one that killed Sasori, however, before his death, as a reward for defeating him, Sasori gave his personal journal to me as a gift. The same personal journal that contains in depth information about his spy network and detailed profiles about each of his spies. You see, I am now running the spy organisation, in other words, I am your boss." Naruto said matter of factly.

"You...you killed Sasori, on y-your own?" Kabuto stuttered out.

"You're starting to sound like Hinata, haha, but anyway yes, I singlehandedly killed Akasuna no Sasori." Naruto answered with a dead serious expression.

"Now I'm aware that you intended to betray Sasori and partner with Orochimaru in order to eliminate him. However, I am willing to verlook that niggling little detail if you co-operate with me. You see, Kabuto, I am very interested in Orochimaru's scientific and ninjutsu research, and I doubt he would willingly share his secrets with me. So this is how it is going to go, when we leave this mindscape, I will proceed to do battle with Orochimaru, the end result which will be Orochimaru's demise. You, on the other hand will be left to do battle with Orochimaru's research experiment, Yamato, Tsunade's apprentice who has mastered Tsunade's super strength technique, Sakura, and Danzo's student, Sai..." Naruto said, taking a short pause to allow the information to sink in before taking off where he left off.

"Now, defeating all three of them will be a difficult task even for you. There is also the matter of Hatake Kakashi. Jiraiya and Tsunade once said that you were at the same level as he is, but Kakashi has become even stronger, and he has three decent partners against you on your own. Fighting four of them on your own would amount to suicide on your part, so this is what you'll do..."

"Wait a minute! Why are you talking as if I'll have to fight Kakashi, and why are you talking as if I'm on your side?" Kabuto exclaimed with uncharacteristic panic and hysteria.

"In Konoha, we were told that Hatake Kakashi's injuries were too severe for him to accompany us on this mission. It was said that it would take another two weeks for him to recover, and therefore Yamato-taicho was assigned to team 7. However, that was a lie, I know this because I am a sensor type shinobi, and a powerful one at that. Hatake Kakashi has been trailing behind us since we left the village, I was able to sense his presence from the second we left the village. This is not an uncommon tactic in the A.N.B.U, where a team will have one of it's members lagging behind so that he can bail them out in a tight situation or help them escape if they are caught in the enemy's trap." Naruto explained clearly and carefully.

"As for you being on my side, I don't think you have much of a choice but to listen to me for the meantime, like I said before, while I fight Orochimaru, you will be faced by two jonin level shinobi, one elite jonin, and with the possibility of another elite jonin, Hatake Kakashi joining the frey as well. It is a situation I don't think you can come out on top of, or am I wrong?" Naruto asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"..."

"Exactly. Now listen to my plan, you will fight them only briefly and than quickly escape and retreat. You will go back to Orochimaru's base, where I am sure Sasuke is waiting right now. Once there, the two of you will take on the four of them together and kill all of them. If I know Sasuke as well as I think I think I do, than he will without a shadow of a doubt have become a lot stronger over the past three years. The two of you should be able to take care of business." Naruto said, waiting patiently to hear Kabuto's response to his idea.

"..."

"..."

"Well?" Naruto prompted.

"You said that Kakashi has gotten stronger over the last three years, what did you mean by that?" Kabuto asked curiously, finally able to calm himself enough to think rationally again.

"Kakashi has somehow awakened the mangyeko sharingan. His eye has a mid to long range space time technique known only by the name, Kamui. The technique opens up a vortex that sucks in anything that he successfully aims at and traps it into another dimension. If he hits you properly, he can seal your whole body in this other dimension, if he only misses slightly, he can take a limb away, or even your head, so you have to be very carefull." Naruto warned with a grave undertone.

"You can't expect me to believe that rubbish, how can a non-uchiha awaken the mangyeko sharingan?" Kabuto asked incredulously.

"Whether you believe it or not will not change the reality, if you value your life, you will take precautions regardless of whether you believe me or not. Space-time ninjutsu and speed are the best counters for this jutsu, otherwise you could just make sure you move around and attack him from his blind spots. He needs to have his eye trained on you to hit you with the jutsu and his aim is not paricularly that good right now. Also, because of the amount of chakra it takes out of him and the damage sustained to his body, he prefers to only use this jutsu as a last resort, because he knows that he'll be left vulnerable if he misses the target." Naruto explained in great detail.

'I can't come up with a logical reason why he would possibly lie about something like this, but this is unbelievable, Hatake Kakashi, an non-Uchiha, has awakened a mangyeko sharingan?' Kabuto thought in disbelief.

"Okay, I might not have any other choice right now but to follow your plan, but what makes you think that Sasuke will aid me in this battle? Sasuke doesn't care about anything that isn't related to killing Itachi, it would take some serious coercing to get him to help, something that I don't quite think I have time for right now."

"Don't be ridiculous. The real reason that Tsunade approved this mission and assigned it to this particular team is because of the possibility of retrieving Sasuke. All you would have to do is make sure that you are right next to him when the others catch up to you, and the rest would take care of itself." Naruto rebuked with certainty.

"If that is the case, than what is the point of me fighting alongside Sasuke? Think about it, I would become almost unimportant to them as soon as they came within eye site of him, why should I risk my life fighting them when I can divert their attentions to him and make my escape?" Kabuto asked with a big, invisible question mark on his forehead, causing Naruto to release an audible sigh in exasperation.

"What...?" Kabuto asked curiously and somewhat defensively, almost as if to try and justify his cowardly actions, or rather, planned actions.

"Well, to be honest, I didn't think you would so willingly lose faith and betray Orochimaru. I thougt that, since Sasuke is Orochimaru's prized next body, that you would want to protect him as much as you can. On the flip side, I knew that Sasuke would never run away and would choose to confront team seven. I planned to keep you together until I arrive to help you out," Naruto explained.

"Why would I protect Sasuke if you're going to kill Orochimaru-sama anyway?" Kabuto asked with a confused expression.

"Hn, I thought that maybe you would try to play your hand until the last possible moment. Can you imagine what would happen if you lead team 7 to Sasuke and than abandoned him, only for me to lose to Orochimaru? What do you think Orochimaru would do to you then?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow, causing Kabuto's eyes to widen with realisation.

'He has a point? If I stick with Sasuke and fight team seven together with him, than, if we can't kill them ourselves, we would still only have to hold them of until Naruto-kun arrives to help us finish the job, however, even if Naruto-kun lost, than the same game-plan would prove to be just as effective, Orochimaru-sama would have no idea that I planned to side with Naruto-kun. He would simply assume that I planned to eliminate team seven with Sasuke's aid, and he would join us and help us destroy them. I would be safe whichever scenario panned out.' Kabuto thought analytically.

"I don't understand? Why would you set things up this way? It almost sounds like you're...like you're..."

"Like I'm protecting you and your interests?" Naruto asked retorically.

"Yes...but why?" Kabuto asked with a deep frown, slightly frustrated by his inability to accurately read the blonde jinchuuriki's thoughts and intentions.

"Hn, I guess it's about time you and I had that heart to heart conversation isn't it...?" Naruto trailed off nostalgically, walking past the white haired medic, who didn't even so much as move an inch of a muscle, and seating himself on the edge of the cliff with his legs dangling over the edge.

"By now you should have already figured out that I'm not going to attack you, so don't be so weary, come and have a seat next to me, you and I have a lot to talk about." Naruto said almost as if talking to a wounded animal, or a frieghtened child, patting the space 30 centimetres to his right side as a signal of invitation for the white haired medic to join him.

"Hehehe! I guess I don't have much of choice now do I, Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked sarcastically, walking slowly towards the blonde Uzumaki with the trademark push-up of the glasses before seating himself a small distance next to the blonde, the two teenagers looking over the beautiful city together in a site that made it look as if they had known each other for a long time, like they were just two friends enjoying the wonderful vision that was Uzushiogakure no Sato.

"Our bodies in the real world, we've been in here for quite a while now? Don't you think it will look strange to the others if we're just standing there staring at each other for this long?" Kabuto asked curiously.

"We haven't even been here for even an hour. Time, in one's mind, doesn't flow the same way as it does in the real world, we could spend a whole five hours here and only a quarter of a second would have passed in the real world. So don't worry about what's happening in the real world, when we get back up there, it will be as if this never happened at all." Naruto replied casually.

"Heh...wow, this is a really useful technique isn't it? Do you think the other jinchuuriki have mastered mindscape manipulation to this extent?" the white haired medic asked with unrestrainable curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

"Probably not, some might have never even thought of this is an ability that can be developed. Most jinchuuriki try to limit contact with their bijuu as much as possible." Naruto replied simply.

" I see..." was all Kabuto said in response.

"..."

"..."

"So...what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Kabuto asked eventually.

"I read your profile in Sasori's journal..."

"..."

"I know everything about your past, about your mother, your connections to Danzo's R.O.O.T organisation, and how Konoha betrayed you by trying to get you and your mother to kill each other. I also know about how Orochimaru used that information to manipulate you into joining him..."

"The same way that you're trying to do exactly that now?" Kabuto said with a deep frown, trying valiantly to contain his anger lest he do something that he might regret.

Talking about his past, especially when his mother was mentioned, always made him agitated and brought out the very worst in him, no matter how long ago it happened, it was still a topic that, beyond his rationality, drove him to the breaking point of insanity. However, if Naruto even heard him, or more specifically, the dangerous tone in his voice, than the blonde did well to hide that fact, the blonde jinchuuriki picking up where he left off in quick stride as if Kabuto didn't just threaten him.

"Before you met her, and even after you met her, you had no idea who you were, where you came from, or even where you were going. People like Danzo and the elders determined everything about your life, where you lived, who you associated with, what you were allowed to learn, and where you were aloud to go. Even though you had no identity to begin with, no one allowed you to discover anything about it on your own, nobody was willing to tell you anything about who you are or where you came from. You know, when I read your profile, I couldn't help but to think...this guy is just like me." Naruto said with a mixture of anger and sadness in his eyes, causing Kabuto's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Just like you? Give me a break! What the hell makes you think that you could possibly understand what I went through! What makes you think that you could possibly understand how I felt!" Kabuto shouted angrily.

"Humans, no matter how easy or difficult they are, tend to become conceited when they experience any kind of trauma. They experience so much pain and sadness that they think...no one else could possibly have been through what I have been through, no one could have endured the way that I have endured! We humans are very quick to put ourselves on the pedestal above everyone else because we think we are better than anyone else around us. I too used to be like this, I didn't think anyone could have been through what I had been through, I didn't believe anyone could have endured that kind of life but me, Sasuke is the same. He doesn't see the people around him nor does he even consider or acknowledge their words, all because he thinks that he has had in worse than anyone else out there. One would think that pain and struggle would humble a man, however, in many cases, pain only makes a man even more conceited, especially when he has suffered so much that he can't even sympathise with another person's pain, all because he believes that everyone elses suffering is but a drop in the ocean compared to his own." Naruto said sagely, taking a small breathe before continuing where he left off.

"Kabuto, you're not the only one that has suffered at the hands of Konoha, there are many others, myself included. When I grew up, I didn't know that I was the kyubi jinchuuriki, I didn't know where I came from or who my parents and family were, I didn't even know why everyone in the village hated me so much. I had no idea who I was, what I was doing in this world, and what I was meant to do in this world. Just like you, I had no identity and no control over my own life. Every decision was made for me, where I lived, where I was allowed to go, what I was allowed to know, what I was allowed to learn, and even when I was allowed to attended the shinobi academy. Just like you, I had no idea who I was and I had no control over my life. Kabuto, you and I are so much alike than you might think, that is why I have chosen you." Naruto said with a friendly smile.

"C-chosen me? For what?" Kabuto asked with a confused expression, an expression also filled with fear and tepidition.

"To become one of my trusted partners and comrades, to become my friend..." Naruto trailed off with sincere smile.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Kabuto deadpanned.

"Hahaha! I don't know why I'm so surprised by that response, honestly, I should have expected it from you." Naruto laughed out loud.

"So it is a joke...?" Kabuto asked with slight disappointment, disappointment that he didn't even know from where it was coming. He'd never wanted or needed friends before, why the hell would he start now of all times, with Naruto of all people.

"No, no it's not a joke Kabuto..." Naruto trailed of with a serious tone and expression.

"Listen man, I know how you feel, I think I can sort of understand you a bit. Like I said, I was once like you too. Because of my lack of identity and low status in society, I always tried to attach myself to popular and powerful people. I tried to get close to Sasuke, subconsciously because he was from a noble and popular clan, and because he was ranking at the very top in his academy grades. I also tried to attach myself to Sakura, because she was also a popular girl in class whose grades were at the very top of the class. She was ranked as the best kunoichi in our class at the time. Despite his lies and manipulations, I adopted the sandaime Hokage, another powerful, respected, and popular person, as a granfather figure and always tried to be seen and associated with him. Those who, like me, were not popular, respected, smart, or anywhere on the higher scales of society were paid little to no attention." Naruto explained

"Not that your story isn't interesting,, but what has any of this got to do with me?" Kabuto asked dismissively.

"You really don't see how this is related to you? Kabuto, you're exactly the same way that I was back than. Back than, deep down in my heart, I knew that Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't just be the kind old man that took pity on an persecuted orphan. I knew he was lying about alot of things, and I knew he was manipulatingd me. But I never said anything, I pushed all those feelings of doubt deep down into my heart because I was afraid of facing the truth. I was afraid of facing myself all alone without being associated with him. I latched onto him and tried to emulate him by becoming Hokage because I had no sense of my own identity. Your relationship with Orochimaru is no different. Orchimaru has done what has been done to you in Konoha, and even worse, to many children who were just like you. You can't tell me that something like that didn't hit a nerve on you, however, you were afraid to defy Orochimaru and simply went with the flow because you were scared you would lose your status if you were no longer associated with him. You always carry out his will, always make sure that you are seen with him, and you even try to emulate him, all because of his power and the protection and status that power affords you. You have burried your won conscience deep down in your heart because you're afraid of your real self, you're afraid that your real self will amount to nothing without Orochimaru next to you, in exactly the same way I was with the Sandaime Hokage." Naruto explained much to Kabuto's surprise, the white haired jonin trying valiantly to rebuke the blonde Uzumaki's words but unable to do so successfully, the blonde Uzumaki's words hitting too close to home for comfort.

"Three years ago, you and I fought near Tanzuki town, do you remember what you told me during that battle, Kabuto?" Naruto asked retorically, breaking the white haired medic out his trip down memory lane, the medical prodigy bombarded by memories of his childhood, and especially memories of his surrogate mother, wondering what his mother would think of him if she saw him right now, if she saw what he had become despite her best wishes.

"W-what did I say?" Kabuto asked hysterically.

"You said that I was not worthy of neither yours or Orochimaru's interest, that I was a talentless idiot that would never amount to anything as a shinobi, unlike Sasuke-kun. Those were your exact words, Kabuto. That's why I said that I used to be just like you. I never took notice of those people that didn't particularly stand out and was very quick to dismiss them as unworthy of my efforts and attention, in the exact same way that you told me off in favor of Uchiha Sasuke. You wanted to associate yourself with him and even gave him praise, but you were very quick to dismiss me, me who, in your eyes, was a person of low status in society and didn't have a particularly stand out talent. Our background from the beginning, our personalities, and our experiences of pain, all three of these things make us similar to each other. That is why I believe that you and I could come to understand one another, that is why I believe that you and I can become good friends. Friends in high places stick together and help one another to get richer and stronger, why is it that we, the outcasts, the ones who really need each other's help, always ignore one another, why is it that we are so willing to trample over each other to get to the top. Wouldn't we all be better off if we helped each other out?" Naruto asked retorically.

"I founded Uzushiogakure with this goal in mind. I want Uzu to be a place where the outcasts of this world can find peace and solace, where they can find love, respect and exceptance. I want Uzu to become a sanctuary to those that have been hard done by the cruelty of the world. Also, I want to be able to face my mother when I am reunited with her in the afterlife, I want her to be proud of me and what I have done for our home and my people. And I also want to protect those who have suffered with no family name, riches, or history to protect them, those who have been cast aside like dirt, those are the people that I want to help and protect the most." Naruto said with a determined expression, so much resolve and determination that Kabuto almost thought that it was tangible, that he could reach out and grab it by the palm of his hand.

"Kabuto, if you were to continue on this path that you are walking now, do you think that you would be able to look your mother, the one who gave you those glasses so that you could see a brighter future, in the eye?" the blonde Uzumaki asked.

"..."

"..."

"No...I wouldn't be able to face her, how could I possibly face her, when I'm the one who killed her?" Kabuto asked thought out loud.

"I didn't kill my mother, but she died to protect me from the demon fox. I also felt guilty about that, but when I met her, she didn't even care about that. She was just so happy to see me, so happy to hold me in her arms, I couldn't believe it. She told me that she would give up her life over and over again if it meant that she could protect me, she didn't hold a grudge against me..."

"Wait a minute! What the hell are you talking about? How did you meet your mother? I thought Uzumaki Kushina died when the fox attacked Konoha fifteen years ago. kabuto asked incredulously.

"Namikaze Minato, my father, didn't just seal the demon fox inside of me. He also sealed some of his and my mother's chakra and conscience inside of me so that they could see me one more time in the future. I met my mother inside my mindscape when I tried to take control of the fox's power." Naruto explained.

"I...I see." a shell shocked Kabuto replied simply.

'I suppose it's possible. Namikaze Minato was a once in a lifetime genius after all.' Kabuto thought.

"In any case, I don't think your mother would hold a grudge against you for what happened. I think that, if you tried your best to be the best person and shinobi that you can be, that she would be proud to call you her son. At the very least, I don't think that you should have such little faith in her love for you, if you really want her to believe in you, than you should also believe in her, and her love for you." Naruto said with conviction.

"You really think so, you really think that would work?" Kabuto asked with a scrutinixing expression, trying to find even the smallest hint of deception in the blonde Uzumaki's voice and expression.

"I won't lie to you, I don't know for sure if it will work. But, that's how I see the situation, if it was me, I would try to do the best that I can and hope for the best for our reunion. It certainly beats spitting on her sacrifice and dragging her name on the mud. I would try to treat others in similar situations to mine the same way that she treated me." Naruto said bluntly, the blonde Uzumaki not mincing his words at all even though he knew just how close to home they would hit Kabuto, or rather, because he knew how close to home they would hit.

'Mother...you took pity on me and helped me in my greatest time of need, but I have failed to carry your will even though I have been placed in a perfect position to help countless others like me. Instead, I...I have done even worse to them than was done to me. Mother, please forgive me! I...I will atone for my sins, I promise to change and become a better person, please...please forgive me!' Kabuto pleaded mentally, a lone tear falling down the right side of his face as his heart contorted and twisted painfully, a heart filled with regrets and remorse for his past sins.

"Okay Naruto, you've made your point. I get it, I think I really get it now. However, don't expect me to forgive Konoha for what they did to me and my mother, that is something that will never happen...ever!" Kabuto said with a grave undertone.

'Hehehe! That's just what I wanted to hear, Kabuto.' Naruto thought maliciously.

"That suits me just fine, I have no intention of allowing Konoha to get away with what they have done either." Naruto replied with a sinister smirk.

"Okay, I just wanted to get that out of the way. In any case, your offer for me to join your organisation, Akakistune, and also Uzushiogakure no Sato as the clan head of the Oto clan, I accept it. I want to make a fresh start, and I want to attone for my sins against the Oto clan and my mother's memory. But I'm not quite sure how I'm gonna do that, I don't think I have enough power right now to protect anyone, nor do I have the power to take on the Akatsuki. You've become much stronger over the last two and a half years, you were even able to defeat Sasori no dana. Do you...do you have any ideas to share with me...please?" Kabuto asked with a surprisingly humbled and subdued tone.

"You really want to do this, it isn't going to be an easy road you know?" Naruto asked.

"I'm sure!" Kabuto exclaimed with conviction.

"Okay, I believe you." Naruto replied neutrally.

"..."

"..."

"I could use that idea right about now..." Kabuto said with an intense glare.

"Oh...right, the idea, hehe!" a slightly startled Naruto exclaimed, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

"Well...do you have it or not?" Kabuto asked impatiently, causing the blonde Uzumaki to once again adopt a serious expression and tone.

"Well, you tell me, Kabuto. You're the one with all the access to Orochimaru's scientific and ninjutsu research, are you trying to tell me that you couldn't find something to help you get stronger with complete access to that kind of information?" Naruto asked retorically, causing Kabuto's eyes to widen in surprise and realisation for the figurative millionth time today.

"I can't believe I didn't think about that." Kabuto said with an audible sigh of exasperation.

"You have alot to think about now, and you have an identity and reputation of your own to forge. Don't be too hard on yourself my friend." Naruto said with a comforting hand on the white haired medic's shoulder.

"Friends huh...does this make us friends now?" Kabuto asked with a dazed expression, never having imagined that he would one day find himself in a situation like this, one where he would willingly and genuinely call someone by the word, 'friend'.

"Yes, I believe this is the beginning of a great and everlasting friendship." Naruto replied with a small smile.

"That sounds good to me..." Kabuto trailed off nostalgically.

'Mother, are you watching? I just made my first friend, what do you think about him, do you think that he will make a good friend? Do you think that I have made the correct decision?' The white medical prodigy pondered wisfully.

"So anyway, who are the other members of Akakistune?" Kabuto asked curiously.

"Right now, there are only five of us that I have met, that is me, Hyuga Neji, the nanabi jinchuuriki, Fu, the Kurama clan heiress, Yakumo, and you." Naruto answered honestly.

"That's a powerful group of people, but are you sure it is enough to take on an organisation as big and resourceful as Akatsuki?" Kabuto asked skeptically.

"Akatsuki works in two men cells, so it doesn't really matter how many people they have, as long as we don't fight them altogether at the same time. Also, there are two other members that I haven't met yet. They were recruited by Fu herself, she won't tell me who they are though, apparently, it's supposed to be some kind of surprise." Naruto laughed fondly.

"Are you romantically involved with her, Naruto-kun?" Kabuto asked with a devious smirk and the trade mark push-up of the glasses.

"Hehe! Is it really that obvious?"

"You have no idea." Kabuto said, laughing amusedly at the blonde Uzumaki's expense.

"Damn, I should work a little harder on my emotional control." Naruto thought with equal amusement.

"Perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad idea, but anyway, on a more serious note, I think that I could recruite more members for the organisation. There are a few people I can think of off of the top of my head, Uchiha Sasuke included." Kabuto suggested charismatically.

"Hn, I was actually thinking about asking you to do something like that for me. It's a good idea Kabuto, and you have my blessing to use your own discretion in your choice of members..." Naruto trailed off.

"But...?" Kabuto asked perceptively.

"Uchiha Sasuke cannot be one of those recruits. I don't think I could ever trust someone like him, it also doesn't help that he is an Uchiha." Naruto answered with blunt honesty.

"I don't understand? I thought that him being an Uchiha would have been a good thing, with the power of the sharingan and all." Kabuto asked with a small frown.

"Kurama doesn't want to be in anyway whatsoever associated with an Uchiha. He doesn't them and has even tried to persuade me to kill Sasuke. Part of our agreement was that I would eradicate the Uchiha clan in exchange for his co-operation and free use of his chakra." Naruto explained.

"So, basically what you're saying is that Kurama is the kyubi's name, and that associating yourself with any member of the Uchiha clan would be tentamount to a breach of contract, or a betrayal?" Kabuto asked retotically.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying." Naruto replied.

"Okay, so what am I supposed to do with him then?"

"Let him go. I owe him for sparing my life three years ago, he could have easily killed me but allowed to live for whatever reason. In return, I will give him his freedom from Orochimaru and allow him to keep his life for now. Besides, his goal is to kill Itachi, who just so happens to be an enemy of mine and Akakistune. The best case scenario would be that they end up killing each other. Nevertheless, the world will soon have one less Uchiha left without me having to lift a single finger. That will work out just fine for me." Naruto replied with a confident smile.

"Hehe! You are one interesting individual, Naruto-kun." Kabuto said with an amused and intrigued smile on his face.

"So I've heard." Naruto replied with equal amusement.

"..."

"..."

"So anyway, I would appreciate it if you would explain to me, step by step, how we are supposed to proceed from here on out." Kabuto requested politely.

"Well, you will do as we discussed earlier, draw team seven to your base in Kusa and ambush them alongside Sasuke. The two of you will kill them if you can or hold them off until I arrive of you can't, where we will proceed to dispose of all of them..."

"Okay, I got everything up until that part, it is what follows after that I want to know about." Kabuto interupted.

"I will place a reverse summoning seal on you that will enable you to summon yourself to this cliff that we are standing on right now...in the real world of course, not in my mindscape..."

"I know that." Kabuto said indignantly.

"Haha! I know, I'm just playing with you. Anyway, there are four artificial islands around Uzushiogakure situated in the four cardinal points. These islands are actually secret science and research facilities that we have designed to look like rgular islands, but actually have state of the art research facilities that expand many kilometres squared under the ground. You will be in charge of these research facilities, in other words, you will be the Chief Executive of the Uzu Science and Research facility. I want you to collect all of Orochimaru's work that will be useful to us and transfer it to Uzu. I also want you to use everything you can from Orochimaru's ninjutsu research to enhance your powers and become stronger so that we can take on the Akatsuki, and so that you can have the power to protect Uzushiogakure and the Oto clan. You will also be transporting the Oto clan to Uzu along with the research that you have harnessed from Orochimaru, I will send a message to Fu and make sure she prepares for yours and the Oto clan's arrival. You will also get the liberty to choose any of the unocuppied clan compounds. When all is set and done, and you have completed your training and recruiting of members for Akakitsune, I want you to send a message to me in Konoha. That is when Akakistsune will become an official and active organisation, that is when I, Neji, Yakumo, and the Branch Hyuga family will escape Konoha unnoticed." Naruto explained precisely and concisely.

"You've really given this alot of thought haven't you?" Kabuto asked retorically.

"Of course, I wouldn't be much of a leader if I didn't." Naruto replied with a cocky smirk.

"I see." Kabuto said simply, a comfortable silence settling between the two new friends as they trained their eyes over the 'fake' Uzu,

"..."

"..."

"We should go back now and execute the plan, are you ready?" Naruto said.

"Hai, lets go!" Kabuto said with a renewed determination and resolve

End Chapter

For all those who were expecting the Oro vs Naru battle, I'm sorry. I was actually planning to have this battle in this chapter, and than show this in the next chapter as a flashback of what happened between Naruto and Kabuto in that split second of eye contact.

But I really really really hate writting flashbacks, hell , it just makes me feel like I'm not making any progress, like I'm going backwards instead of forward in terms of story progression.

So I just thought I would pospone the Naru/Oro battle to the next chapter and do the interaction in this one. Sorry yeah

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