Yeah I apologize if I got some of the names wrong for the jutsus and the 4th Hokage's technique. Like I said in chapter 1, I just recently got back into Naruto and don't remember half of them. Also, replying to the review about Naruto being a clone of Pein in this fic, I must ask you to read the summary again. He is Pein in this story, it'll be his alias when he starts getting noticed for his actions. Anyways, I know that Naruto seems to be turning into a villain, but you may be surprised how the fine line between who's the good guy and who's the bad guy sways constantly. One more thing to add, I have different plans pertaining to the paths of pain in this fic. Some of you may like it, but some of you probably won't. Either way, I will try to make it reasonable for those of you who have a problem with personalization of things like this. This will be a much more interesting chapter for those of you who got bored by the stereotypical training chapter. Anyways, on with the story.
Chapter 4: Bad News
Somewhere within the northern borders of Fire Country two mysterious cloaked men were making their way east. As they passed beneath a large tree, a third figure silently leapt from the tree above and landed in front of them.
"Zetsu tells me you lost the nine tails!" A cloaked man with a spiraled mask looked upon the two missing nin before him. Kisame looked shocked to see Tobi in a serious mood using a deadly tone of voice on the duo compared to his normal careless idiotic attitude. Tobi began to pace around them as he began to laugh to himself, "So this one escaped you Itachi? You always have held such promise, but that jinchuuriki is a genin from what I understand…you disgrace me. Such a waste…and here I thought I was going to name one of my kids after you. Still though, I find it peculiar that you didn't apprehend him at the village in the first place."
The masked man was glaring at Itachi, his one red eye visible through the hole in the mask. Itachi sighed, "I didn't think it would have been a good idea to alert the entire city of Konoha that we were after Jinchuuriki. Jiraiya was present in the city at the time, and would have free leave to come snooping if he discovered our purpose. I created a diversion which allowed the kid a day's journey to escape after he left the city. We followed him to Wave Country, but for some reason he turned around and went back through Fire Country. We eventually made it to the edge of Takigakure's territory (Waterfall Country) and his trail disappeared at this waterfall we encountered; No footprints, no chakra signature, not even a single clue." The Uchiha was looking down avoiding his leader's one visible soul-piercing eye.
"There is a flaw in your tactics…I wonder about Kisame's role in all of this? You should have intercepted him halfway down the road after he left the city." The former swordsman of the mist merely shrugged, "I was awaiting Itachi-sama to rejoin me…Tobi. There was this Jounin patrolling as well and Itachi ordered me to remain undetected. Plus I didn't see any reason in alerting the kid he was being followed until we had a viable way to subdue the nine-tails if it transformed. I wouldn't stand much of a chance in any attempt at taking down the nine-tails alone. Not to mention, what gives you the right to make demands of us Tobi?"
The masked leader merely stared at him for a few moments, he redirected his focus to Itachi awaiting some kind of answer. The Uchiha spoke up, "Madara-sama, his logic is unquestionable…the nine-tails is much more powerful than the other Biju, without my Amaterasu(I am pretty sure that's one of his Sharingan eyes) it would be near impossible to subdue it." Kisame remained silent, shocked to find out Tobi's true identity. He held his head down avoiding eye contact with Madara. The man now identified as Madara merely laughed to himself, "Yes, I remember that fox quite well…it was my favorite weapon." The two kneeling cloaked men shot confused looks at their leader. Kisame finally asked, "You've encountered it before then?" Madara took off his mask much to the surprise of Kisame. 'His face looks exactly as it did from his statue…not aged one day,' Kisame was surprised as he stared at the strangely captivating face of his leader.
"Who do you think unleashed it on Konohagakure in the first place?" Madara asked rhetorically smiling slightly as his Sharingan changed focus to Itachi meeting his Sharingan with a dangerous, painful stare. Itachi was entranced in a sea of blood and felt pain over every square inch of his body. "You can't resist the domination of my Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. No mortal or even Biju can deny my indomitable will…not even Kyuubi. The Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan is the pinnacle of not only Uchiha perfection, but human perfection." Itachi finally closed his eyes as they began to bleed and he held his head down in submission. Madara laughed at this as he leaned over and pulled Itachi's face to meet his gaze once again, "I find your pitiful resistance most amusing. Your Sharingan pales in comparison to mine. Never forget your place Itachi…remember who taught you the true meaning of the Sharingan and the Uchiha."
Itachi tried to close his eyes again as blood continued to pour from them. Madara smiled at the younger Uchiha as his hand slipped around Itachi's neck and suspended him in the air. "Do you not appreciate everything I have given you?" Madara asked as a sick smile crossed his face. Itachi quietly submitted, "Yes, Madara-sama…you were my savior and my life is yours." Kisame looked up finally with a wide-eyed glance, 'I've never seen anybody man-handle Itachi-sama like that…Shit I can't believe Tobi is that powerful.' Madara looked back over to Kisame as he dropped Itachi who fell to his feet. Madara laughed to himself once again watching Kisame's eyes nearly explode as he punched Itachi to the ground. "I hope you learned a valuable lesson in obedience today…I trust you will keep your mouth shut about my identity, Kisame?" The shark man bowed his head in tribute. "Good, now go you two…I have different plans for the boy. Bring the Nine-tail's Jinchuuriki before me, for it shall require a subtle approach to defeat him. Don't fail me again!"
Without another word the man put his mask back on and disappeared from sight. Itachi stood up painfully and stared at his partner for a moment. Kisame looked at him lost in thought before he finally spoke, "I think that deserves an explanation…is he 'the' Uchiha Madara?" Itachi wiped his blood-soaked face briefly before answering, "Yes…he is the founder of the Uchiha Clan, and the only known person to have ever mastered the Sharingan. It made him immortal, and gave him great power."
Kisame looked shocked at the news, "That must mean…he's the most powerful Ninja alive…What was he talking about…what did he give you?" Itachi held his head dejectedly, "That's a story for another time…just don't tell the others…" Kisame nodded as the two began to regain their composure. "So, what should we do now?" the swordsman asked. "We should continue to Wave Country and lay a trap for the fox."
The two continued their journey without another word. Kisame occasionally stole glances at his superior distressed to see the different emotions plaguing Itachi, 'I've never seen Itachi so…submissive. He NEVER shows emotion, so that must make this some kind of super bad omen.' Itachi was ignoring the curious glances Kisame was shooting him as they continued to walk, 'He's invincible…there is no point in even resisting him anymore.'
Memories were rushing through Itachi as he tried to contemplate how he ended up working for Konoha's arch-enemy, 'The promise of power…it has brought me nothing but pain and suffering. So much death…nothing ever changes. So long as the Mangekyo Sharingan exists, its evil shall be a perversion of our clan, forcing us to kill our friends and family all in the name of glory and power.' Itachi was lost in his mind reliving moments of his live trying to make sense of his situation, 'How did I end up here? I killed my best friend Shisui to gain these cursed eyes, which will eventually fail me. I killed my entire clan under orders from Konoha. My own brother thinks I'm the bad guy…he didn't deserve the life he had, but then again neither did I. He won't be able to handle the truth.'
The two missing nin continued walking not really in any hurry. Kisame broke the Uchiha's brooding, "Itachi-sama, I was wondering something…Why does 'Tobi' want Biju anyways?" pulled away from his inner reflections, Itachi casually answered him, "He told me that they are all weapons of great power that we can use to attack villages and later defeat in order to establish dominance over the Shinobi nations and their governments." Kisame shrugged at his answer clearing unsatisfied, "If he's as powerful as you say, why would he need us to gather these tailed beasts? Do you think he has some kind of other plan for them?" Itachi knew deep down that Madara was using Akatsuki's goals to his own ends, but speaking on them wouldn't get him any closer to killing Madara. "I try not to question his intentions, and neither should you unless you care to join me in his next lesson of obedience." Kisame laughed at the thought of Tobi beating him up.
Meanwhile, somewhere in a dark room in the Uchiha compound barely lit by a candle, Sasuke began to review more contents of the book he had found in Naruto's apartment. Despite his academy based understanding of the Sage of six paths, Sasuke was not prepared for some of the dark messages within the actual book. He read the contents of the last chapter, which was a logistical commentary from several known Shinobi experts.
He read quickly trying to learn more about this mysterious hero, "The Sage of Six Paths was a real person despite what the teachings of modern day shinobi would claim. His feats were so extraordinary that many assumed them to be tall tales and fables. According to legend, he was the only known person to wield the Rinnegan, a Doujutsu descendant from a bloodline that was believed to be from the gods themselves. He also was the Jinchuuriki of the mighty ten tails. The mythic powers of the beast may seem impossible to the scholars of today to comprehend, but in ancient times of the first pre-historic shinobi clans, feared the Beast and it was worshipped. The Sage of Six Paths eventually sealed the monster within himself with the mighty power of his Rinnegan.
Sasuke silently gasped at the mention of a ten tails. 'I thought the nine-tails was bad…but the ten tails seems worse.' He glanced back down at the book so he could finish reading the epilogue, "The Sage of Six Paths vanished from the ninja world after having many children and was never seen again. Legends say the ten tails eventually consumed him and he split it into nine parts before his death. Some cultist worshippers of the ancient beast claim that one day the ten tails would return. None know how true the legend is, but it has been noted that the Uchiha and Senju clans are claimed to be descendants from the Sage's bloodline, as well as the Senju's sister clan the Uzumaki."
Sasuke nearly fell over at the last part, 'Uzumaki clan? Maybe that's why he was reading this. He must know more than he lets on… Still though that doesn't explain why he would have this book, or why the Anbu didn't see it as useful evidence.' Sasuke stared at the book for a long time after reading it. It was surprising to find an uncensored, original version of this story in Naruto's apartment, and surprising still to find out that he is part of a clan. 'Maybe I should ask Tsunade about this.' He thought trying to decide what to do. He wondered what the dangers of leaving a book like this in his home with Anbu stalking him and searching him all the time. 'I must inform Tsunade about this…it won't be safe to keep this book for long, but it'd be better she sees it…and not that prick…Danzo.'
Sasuke then held the book in his hand for a moment after deciding to bring it to Tsunade. 'I need some rest; maybe tomorrow I'll see if Tsunade can explain more about the Uzumaki clan since she is one of the few surviving Senju,' Sasuke thought as he began to fall asleep.
Deep within the Fox Den a certain orange haired ninja was awaking from a terrible dream. He sat up quietly trying to review it in his head, 'The nightmares are getting worse…they are going to drive me insane if I can't make sense of them.' He looked around at the small utopian lair of the Kyuubi wishing he could stay forever. 'Why can't I just live here for the rest of my days?' he questioned Kyuubi who could only snarl in response.
"Well there's one thing I forgot to tell you about this little den of mine…unless you're constantly feeding it my chakra, the barrier is going to weaken and eventually dissipate. It is also consuming the chakra I left behind in it much faster than I expected…I guess the more powerful the individual the more chakra it takes to conceal his presence."
'So you're saying this barrier of yours is going to break soon?' Naruto asked slightly worried at the thought. "Yes, that is one problem…another one is it will leave an amplified echo of chakra here once it falls, meaning that every chunin or above ninja within fifty kilometers is going to come running for it…plus due its proximity to Takigakure, I'd advise against you allowing that to happen." Naruto sighed annoyed that he didn't learn of this sooner, 'So what can we do about it then?'
Kyuubi growled at his question, "It's falling as we speak…you have to destroy this place before it's discovered. The things I have here are too dangerous to leave for some idiot to discover!" Naruto's eyes shot open, 'SHIT, you could have warned me about this ahead of time!" The fox merely sighed, "I had no clue it would break after a few weeks…It must be your Rinnegan; something that powerful is hard to conceal."
'So is it possible to redo the barrier? Kyuubi laughed, "Not unless you feel like tearing off the seal to my cage." 'What should I do…run?' The Rinnegan wielder questioned awaiting timely advise from Kyuubi. "No…that would leave too many breadcrumbs for them to follow. I suggest you burn everything, cave in these walls, and high tail it out of here. Naruto did as he was told and began going through several handseals, "Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire). The entire area was set ablaze and reduced to ashes at an astonishingly quick rate. "Your Rinnegan amplifies all elemental jutsu, making them much more powerful. Plus if you get this clan seal of yours, you will be lethal." Kyuubi commented as Naruto was destroying the small valley. The walls began to cave in as Naruto walked back through the dark cavernous entrance performing earth jutsus to cave it in as we went. He finally reached the entrance of the cave and kicked open the boulder blocking the exit.
The barrier to the Fox Den faded quickly and finally unleashed some kind of energy blast as he walked out of the cave. "This place will be surrounded soon, so I say you go back to Wave and try and find somewhere to lay low for a while."
"Won't they be able to follow me though?" he asked out loud to the fox. "Perhaps, but you need to learn how to conceal your chakra otherwise there will be some political investigation on your tail…you're like a fucking beacon right now." 'How do I do that, Kyuubi?' the fiery haired ninja asked. Kyuubi's voice became calm and his demeanor passive, "You must first suppress your emotions, breathe deeply and focus on your chakra…feel it flowing around you and within your body. Now withdraw it slowly…allow it to return. Good, now focus it into a shell around your tenketsu points."
Upon doing as Kyuubi requested, Naruto felt concentrated energy flowing tightly around his body's chakra points. 'I feel like my chakra could explode out of me at any second.' The jinchuuriki thought as he relaxed and focused on repressing his emotions and his chakra. "So long as you don't allow strong feelings of emotion to overwhelm your senses, then this technique will work well in concealing you from regular ninja. Still though, I doubt you'll be able to hide it from any S-class ninja. Plus the one down side is if you do unleash it, it'll be a nasty chakra spike for everyone within range…so doing such around any kind of ninja village is not a good thing."
'I'm going to Wave Country so I can acquire this clan seal of mine. Still though, what do I do if somebody recognizes my Rinnegan Kyuubi?' The demon fox was silent for several minutes as Naruto began to leap through the trees running at high speed away from the scene of the crime. "Well that is unfortunately inevitable, but thankfully the people of Wave are all civilians. I'm sure you can stay there for a little while. I imagine Konoha's tracker teams already scoured the place for you and left."
Naruto continued jumping through the trees at almost inhuman speed as he began to get nervous about being followed. Out of nowhere his Biju asked him a question, "I have a question…What do you intend to do with your paths of pain? You never really gave me an answer from before." 'I didn't know you were asking me…' Naruto replied, 'I don't think it's very humane to resurrect the dead to serve as my puppets.' Kyuubi choked on his laughter as Naruto finished his mental sentence. "HAHAHAHAHA WHAT! Not humane? And here I thought you were actually starting to become worthy as my container. Then you go off and say something like that."
'I don't intend on using that kind of power to disgrace the honored dead…you're not going to change my mind Fox.' Kyuubi's laughter finally began to die down as he tried to come up with a response, "I don't understand you kit…one day you're some kind of angry monster of retribution mercilessly working to become powerful, and the next you are some self-righteous whiner complaining about your conscious…for fuck's sake."
'I won't do it, Kyuubi. Unless they have their own minds, it makes me some kind of sick puppet master, and that's not what I intend on being remembered for.' The nine tailed fox let out a super dramatic long sigh, "Ughh…what a fucking waste. Fine, there is a way to do as you said, though it is far less beneficial to you. You can use the Rinnegan's power to resurrect six people in total…what that does is it will create a chakra bond between you and the individuals you resurrect…Their lives are tied to yours, so if you die they all die as well. Thankfully, it doesn't work the other way around, though it does put a strain on your chakra."
Naruto was intrigued by the information as he silently awaited the fox to continue, "The chakra bonds you create with these individuals means that they are more powerful the closer they are to you, and vice versa. However, with this option, they regain their old minds and have free will, also you can't acquire their techniques or use them for additional fields of vision. Ultimately, it's a risky alternative because you can't directly control them." Naruto thought about this for a few minutes as he continued running. 'Do they have to be dead for me to create this Chakra bond?' the fox replied to his question casually, "Yeah they do, but you can kill people and resurrect them like that if you wanted…though I wouldn't do it to any of your enemies otherwise they'd become more powerful and retain their same disposition from when you killed them."
'I am curious how you seem to know so much about the Rinnegan in general Kyuubi…almost as if you have seen it before?' Kyuubi roared violently in his cage, "I knew the Sage of Six Paths…he was the original Jinchuuriki of the ten tails as you know…all the Biju hate him and his descendants."
'Then why on earth are you helping me?' he shouted at the fox clearing distressed by Kyuubi's answer. Kyuubi quietly answered him, "We are both bound to each other. You haven't been my first Jinchuuriki kit, but you were the first with a seal designed to allow our interaction. I find myself intrigued that you are the only one of the Sage's descendants to inherit his original bloodline."
'So I'm just an experiment is what you're saying?' Naruto asked. The fox laughed at his question, "That bluntly sums it up. I'm still trying to decide if you're even worth my time…but as long as I'm stuck in my cage, I don't really have anything better to do."
Without another word the Jinchuuriki continued on to Wave. He was disturbed by Kyuubi's knowledge and involvement in everything. It all seemed a little too convenient; that the fox had what seemed to be a well-orchestrated plan that had been laid in front him. He knew that ultimately he couldn't trust the Nine-tails, but for now the demon's aid was invaluable.
Back at the recently demolished Fox Den, several Taki nin arrived at the scene investigating the disturbing chakra wave they felt several kilometers away. They looked around at the destroyed area in search of any clue about what happened. The leader of the group finally spoke up, "My father needs to hear about this…one of the other nations must have been using this area as a command post to spy on Taki…" Several of the Jounin present nodded at their leader. One of the Jounin rushed over to the group, "What do you think happened here, Shibuki-sama?"
The leader known as Shibuki who appeared to be a very young man shrugged in modest confusion, "I don't know, but I noticed that this place is covered in ashes…whatever happened here, somebody must have destroyed it." Another Jounin joined the conversation with vigorous curiosity, "How could something have been here? Our scouts patrol this area regularly…somebody must have found it. So I suppose whoever was here torched the place and ran."
Several nods of agreement went throughout the group. Shibuki sighed as he looked over the scene once again, "You men secure the perimeter and keep stray passers away from the site. I'm going to report this situation to my father…maybe he knows what this is all about." The man known as Shibuki headed back to Taki with a grim look on his face, 'One of the other nations must be after the seven-tails…if that's the case then Fū is in danger. I'll have to assign guards to watch her in case anything happens.'
Unknown to all present, a freakish figure was watching them silently tear apart the scene. His face was divided down the middle one side black and the other white. A strange plant maw covered most of his head. It slightly opened and the figure began to talk to itself, "So the fox had a barrier…no wonder Itachi lost his trail." The figure had been present when Naruto escaped, but was ordered by Tobi to spy only. The figure began to speak to itself once again, "Tobi-sama must be informed…the fox is more cunning than we could imagine." The figure silently melted into the tree it was on and disappeared.
Morning graced Konoha once again as a raven haired Uchiha made his way to the Hokage's office. He knew Tsunade would likely be defensive, but he had to know. As he walked through the door to the building he made his way past a rather sluttish looking secretary. She called out to him, "Sasuke-kun you're not allowed to see the Hokage unless you have an appointment." He merely looked at her for a moment and continued on his way completely disregarding her comment.
"Wait! You're not allowed to…" Sasuke turned around glared at the woman full of killing intent, "I suggest you sit down and let it be." The woman looked as if she was about to cry as he continued upstairs to the Hokage's office ignoring everyone who acknowledged his presence. He finally reached the door and began to knock slowly.
"Come in!" a loud familiar voice rang as he opened the door casually and closed it behind him. "Ah, Sasuke…is there something you needed? As you can see I'm busy with mountains of paperwork and have a meeting with Suna later this afternoon, so make it quick." The Uchiha nodded as he bluntly stated, "I want the truth…no watered down bullshit stories you give to the rest of the village."
Tsunade stood up with a fierce look on her face rather appalled by Sasuke's demand, "You are in no position to make demands of me Sasuke, but I'll humor you for the moment. What are you asking about?" The raven haired genin stared at her silently for a moment meeting her gaze in a dangerous staring contest. "Tell me the truth about the Uzumaki Clan…are they really related to the Senju?"
Tsunade was caught completely off guard by Sasuke's question, "How do you know about that? What did you find in Naruto's apartment?" Sasuke's face remained stoic as he answered, "It doesn't matter, I just want the truth." Seeing no way to salvage the situation, Tsuande finally sighed in defeat, "Yes they were our sister clan from Uzushiogakure. I am a descendant of both clans, my grandfather was the Shodai Hokage and my grandmother was Mito Uzumaki, who was the leader of the Uzumaki clan."
Sasuke nodded at her answer and continued his interrogation as one could call it, "So that would mean that you are a distant relative of Naruto. Who were his parents Tsunade?" the Hokage couldn't believe that Sasuke was prying well guarded secrets of Konoha from her directly. 'I can't tell him…but then again I can't not tell him. Otherwise he'll say the wrong thing to the wrong people.'
"Who else have you told this to Sasuke?" Tsunade asked with a furious look on her face. "Nobody…Hokage-sama, I just want clues as to why Naruto left the village." The Hokage sighed in relief as she sat back down in her chair she turned away from him and looked out the window for a moment, "What makes you think he left Sasuke?" The Uchiha walked over to her and placed the book on her desk. The Hokage stared at the name of the book in disbelief, "Rikudo Sennin…"
Sasuke remained silent as she flipped through the book briefly examining it, "This is the original copy for Konoha…you're telling me you found this in Naruto's apartment?" Sasuke nodded as the Hokage stood up and faced him again. "Sasuke…I'm going to trust you with one of the biggest secrets in Konoha. You are forbidden to reveal this information to anybody or I'll kill you…do you understand?"
He bowed his head respectfully, much to the Hokage's surprise. She sighed as she began, "The only reason I'm telling you is because you know too much already, and I would rather you know the truth now instead of later. Also consider it a favor for bringing this to me…you see Naruto is a Jinchuuriki, Sasuke…" The raven haired Uchiha cocked his head raising an eyebrow, "I haven't heard much about them Tsunade-sama…but I do know that they contain biju within them."
The hokage nodded in response to Sasuke, "Yes, Naruto contains the Nine Tailed Fox within him." Sasuke's eyes shot open in horror, "So that red chakra…it was the Kyuubi's?" Sasuke sighed as he sat down in a nearby chair placing his hands over his head before continuing, "then that red chakra, that can only mean one thing…that the fox is subtly influencing Naruto?"
The Uchiha remembered parts of their fight as he thought aloud, "Naruto's eyes turned red, his body was covered in red chakra and I saw what looked like a tail. How did I not see it before?" Tsunade sat down across from him and she folded her arms narrowing her gaze, "Yes…it wouldn't surprise me if that was the case. The fourth hokage sealed the fox within Naruto after it attacked the village fourteen years ago, but Naruto wasn't its first container…The other two were also part of the Uzumaki clan. My grandmother Mito Uzumaki, and Naruto's mother…Kushina."
Sasuke looked confused at her comment, "Kushina? Who's that? She was Naruto's mother?" Tsunade quietly answered, "Kushina was the fourth Hokage's wife Sasuke..." Sasuke gasped as the truth unraveled in his head, "So he's the fourth hokage's son?" She nodded. Sasuke felt like he was about to throw up. He felt his stomach turn at the thought of how Konoha had mistreated the boy who was the son of their greatest hero. "So that's why everybody hated him?" Tsunade's held her face down staring at her desk as tears began to fall.
"You know the truth now Sasuke… please don't hate him for it; he worked so hard for this village and received nothing short of scorn and mockery in return." The Uchiha held his head down feeling the contagious depression hit him, "I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama, I just wanted to know the truth…" Her eyes met his briefly before he looked down trying to contain his emotions. "He's all I have left in this world Sasuke…" The Uchiha nodded as he replied, "He taught me that there was more to my life other than revenge against my brother…he was a worthy rival and a good friend."
Tsunade sadly smiled at the thought of Sasuke still showing loyalty to his friend. "I'm glad you see it that way Sasuke…he's a good person." Sasuke nodded as he stared at the book sitting in front of the Hokage, "I think you should read that book Tsunade-sama. It talks a lot about the godlike hero that was the Rikudo Sennin…he must have drawn inspiration from it."
She raised a confused glance at him as he elaborated, "I think I know why he left…now that I know about the fox it all makes sense now." Tsunade stared at him awaiting for the unveiling of his answer, "After he defeated me in the Valley of the End, he carried me back to Konoha…what I didn't tell anybody is that I was awake some parts of his return trip and remember some of the things he said to me. He believed me to be unconscious the entire trip."
Sasuke took a deep breath as Tsunade was leaning over the edge of her seat waiting for him to finish, "Naruto told me that he was angry at Konoha…angry at his family…angry at me." Tsunade looked horrified at this information, "Angry at Konoha? That seems so unlike him."
Sasuke continued dreading her reaction at the rest of his information, "He started spouting off about how he hated war and fighting. He said he was tired of the disrespect he received even from his closest friends…and the last part he made claims about how he was going to change the world…he sounded just like Itachi used to."
Tsunade practically face-vaulted at the information Sasuke had revealed to her. She stared at him trying to say something but the words never came. Finally Sasuke spoke, "I don't know what that means to you Tsunade, but I just thought you should know. She gave Sasuke an angry glare before giving him the motion to leave her office. She glanced at the paperwork on her desk once again and ignored it. As Sasuke left she turned around and stared out the window once again, "Naruto…why wasn't I there for you? Wherever you are…I just hope you're okay." A thought crossed her nostalgic mind as she sulked for a few minutes, 'Today's a good day for ramen.'
Our favorite golden-orange haired Jinchuuriki once again saw the familiar bridge to Wave Country named after him. He thought about the bridge as he crossed it slowly, and the battle that had once been waged for it. Then the image of a pretty girl in a green outfit crossed his mind, 'Haku…' he thought more about the battle with Haku and Zabuza and decided to visit their graves marked past the end of the Bridge. Despite it being night time, Naruto found the lack of people around somewhat peculiar. The teenager knelt at the graves and whispered softly, "I'm sorry you two had to die so senselessly…I hope you found peace in death."
A sick and twisted laugh began to echo in his mind. "My name is Naruto, I'm a whiny pussy who can't handle death." The fox mocked. 'Fuck off Kyuubi…they didn't deserve their fate. They were the heroes in the end…'The kitsune's laughter finally died down after laughing at his own joke for a few minutes. A thought crossed Naruto's mind as he looked at the graves again, 'I could bring them back…they deserve a second chance…" Naruto felt the familiar stinging feeling in his eyes as he continued to stare at the graves. He looked deeper past the surface of the ground and saw the faint outline of two bodies and small chakra imprints still flowing through their deceased bodies.
The Rinnegan began to glow deeper as Naruto's vision began to swirl. He held out both of his hands and chakra visibly poured through the ground into their bodies. The ground tore open as the two bodies floated from their graves covered in visible blue chakra. The glow around their bodies turned their figures pure white for a moment before they were placed on the ground. Naruto watched his handiwork as the wounds on the two began to heal and color returned once more to their faces.
After a few moments their eyes opened simultaneously. "You fool…you can only do that to four more people for the rest of your life. I'd have used it on somebody far more valuable than these two."
Zabuza looked around for a moment trying to find out where he was…last thing he remembered was dying slowly on a bridge and then…he looked to the graves right next to him and Haku. Haku looked at him for a moment with an equally shocked face. "Zabuza-sama, where are we?" she questioned. He shrugged for a moment until he noticed a black-clothed figure standing over him. (I know I didn't mention Naruto changing outfits, but who honestly cares? Just imagine him in whatever black outfit you would like…imagination goes further than whatever explanation I'd give you; and no he's not wearing an Akatsuki robe…because I know somebody is going to ask that.)
He looked at the figure for a moment trying to make out his face until he noticed the eyes…the silvery purple eyes with rings that glowed as bright as the moon itself. Zabuza stared at the figure in disbelief, "The Rinnegan…" Haku also stared at the mysterious figure as he leaned over to them getting closer. Haku saw the whisker marks that covered his face and knew immediately who it was, "Naruto-kun…"
Zabuza tensed at the name, "You're the kid who defeated us on the bridge…you had the Rinnegan?" Naruto broke the silence as the two uneasily sat up, "Yes, you two both died over two years ago…I brought you back." The pair stared at Naruto in utter disbelief. Zabuza stood up and questioned him, "Why would you bring us back? And for that matter how?"
Naruto ignored his question as he gave them an ultimatum, "You have two choices the way I see it…one you can go on living the way you were before and die in some equally pointless way, or you can join my cause." Haku stared at Zabuza for a minute trying to understand his thought process, "What is your cause Naruto-kun?" she questioned curiously. The jinchuuriki smiled at the pair as he replied, "To overthrow the Kages and establish world domination. "
Zabuza could barely contain his joy as a smile washed over his face, "I had the same dream when I was younger…the council of Kirigakure had grown corrupt. After my friend Kisame killed the Daimyo of Kiri, I decided to leave as well. It would bring me no honor greater than to serve your cause Naruto-sama!" the former Demon of the Mist exclaimed. He bowed to Naruto and Haku followed in turn. Naruto turned to Haku for her response. "Her opinion matters as well Zabuza…what say you Haku-chan?"
The ice-princess smiled at him and hugged him much to his and Zabuza's surprise. "I knew you were special from the day I met you. I will forever follow you Naruto-sama." The two missing nin then stared at their leader who was much different than they remembered. 'His hair is orange and he is much taller than he was before. He has a Rinnegan too…I can't even imagine how powerful that must make him. This must be some kind of divine miracle.' Zabuza thought.
Meanwhile Haku's mind was heading in a different direction, 'He's…beautiful, like a lost prince come to save his kingdom…he'll need a princess though.' After a few moments of mind wandering Naruto broke the silence and explained the situation to them, "I'm a fugitive of Konoha, probably near the top five or so on Konoha's bingo book, so if you two could try and avoid using my name publicly, that would help."
They nodded briefly before a frown crossed Haku's face, "What should we call you?" Naruto wondered that himself for a moment as he stared at the two. Finally, he came up with an answer, "Call me Pein." The pair nodded as Naruto began to explain his current objective, "I'm on my way to the ruins of Uzushiogakure to find the remnants of my clan. You two are covered in dirt and blood, so I suggest you clean up and find your gear. Do so quickly, then you are to meet me at the northern end of the island after you're finished."
They nodded as Naruto headed off through the town. Zabuza felt the invincible feelings inside him wane as Naruto got further away from him. Finally he turned to Haku and the two had smiles on their faces, "Can you believe it? I finally found something worth doing in life…with him leading this cause we'll be unstoppable!" Zabuza cheered as if he had never been happier. Haku found his good mood refreshing and took the opportunity to ask him, "Do you know about the Rinnegan, Zabuza-sama?"
The man nodded his head, "Yes, I have heard of the Rinnegan., and what it is capable of." Haku raised an eyebrow at him and queried, "What is it exactly?" Zabuza laughed as he and Haku began to gather some of their old equipment from their graves. "It's a doujutsu that belonged to the first ninja, and is said to be insanely powerful."
Haku continued, "Do go on…" Zabuza chuckled as he picked up his sword and his mask. He handed Haku her hunter mask as well. Zabuza gave Haku a guilty look as she stared into his eyes. Finally, he spoke his mind, "I'm sorry for everything that's happened to us Haku…I promise you I won't let anything happen to you again." Haku stared shocked at her father like figure for a few minutes before finally hugging him. "All if forgiven, things will be better now." Zabuza returned her hug and proceeded to briefly explain the origins of the Rinnegan to Haku as the two wandered into town.
Naruto walked through the town hoping to see some familiar faces, but unfortunately for him the town seemed empty. 'Something is wrong here…not a single villager yet. I know it's night time but still it seems too convenient.' His paranoia seemed to prove accurate as he walked over to the home of Tazuna and upon a quick inspection noticed it was empty. "I never liked him anyways, all self-righteous and what not."
'Shut up fox.' Naruto tuned out Kyuubi's commentary as he started to think about what could have happened. "HEY! Are you listening to me kit? You'll most likely find them at your destination…this is some kind of trap if you haven't noticed by now."
'Obviously, I realized that Kyuubi. That must mean somebody knew I'd come here…and that leads me to think they took the villagers hostage.' The Nine tails grunted in response, "Funny thing about traps is they are all double-edged swords…maybe those two fools you brought back might be of use after all. This is a good opportunity to find out who these assassins are."
Naruto groaned in disappointment knowing nothing was ever that simple, 'Somehow I doubt they are assassins…'
OK that was chapter 4 for you guys. I made it longer than the others because I couldn't figure a good place to end it. Before I get any complaints about personalities being off (Itachi, Zabuza, whatever) I just want to say get over it…that's how they'll be for this story. I have this distinct feeling I'll get complaints about the changes to the paths of pain, but again…get over it. I tried to make everything as accurate as possible in regards to the actual show, so try not to get upset if I changed a few things to work better for the story. Anyways, I'm sure most of you have noticed who some of the lucky harem girls will be. I can't promise many from Konoha, but fear not for there will be girls…and lemons in later chapters. Anyways, stay tuned for the next chapter, "My name is Pein."