The Virtue of Knowledge: Power Unrivaled

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. There, now will you lawyers PLEASE stop stalking me?

Note: If there are any grammar, spelling, or information mistakes, please tell me. I hate mistakes.

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Yagura had been pacing back and forth in the Mizukage office when the rebels attacked.

All of the room's windows had been closed and shuttered, and the screams were the only indication of it to the occupant. He had walked to one of the windows to take a peek, and he had but a glimpse of a stream of lava as a warning.

Sanbi's two-tailed watery chakra cloak had sprouted instantly, and he even managed to activate several water jutsus to lessen the heat and survive the gout of molten liquid, breaking through several walls as he did so.

Something much resembling a localized explosion sounded behind him, and he turned just in time to be hammered by Chojuro's activated Hiramekarei. The chakra weapon slammed into him with all the force of a wrecking ball, and he was thrown away. He heard a sound like breaking bone, and his eyes widened. He crashed into Kimimaro, whose body looked like a caricature of a porcupine with all the bones sticking out of it.

Kimimaro winced when only a few actually pierced the chakra cloak, none of them giving a serious injury. He would have to change the density and sharpness again. But then, Zabuza appeared in front of him, and the chakra-covered blade rammed through the cloak like tinfoil, piercing Yagura.

The water clone turned into a puddle of water.

Several yards away, the Jinchuuriki had been preparing a water jutsu when the air changed, and he felt his water-based chakra armor bubble as if being heated. His eyes narrowed. Boil Release. Sure enough, his immediate vicinity was instantly covered in pale mist, and the sizzling chakra cloak crackled as the mist slowly ate away through the armor.

He changed the jutsu, and a large wave of water cleared a path through the mist. He gladly took it. He was welcomed with a water dragon that slammed him through several walls before stopping. He sprang up from the wreckage, and he hastily dodged the lava projectiles shot at him by the female.

Something moved at the corner of his eyes, and he took out the double-hooked metal staff strapped to his back, blocking Kubikiri Houcho's downward stroke. The impact made the ground he was standing on crack and shatter, and the two warriors struggled. Which would win: raw strength, or chakra-given might?

The outcome would be a mystery as Yagura moved the weapon to the left, and Zabuza had to jump away to prevent the hooked end from tearing off his face. The Mizukage leaped at him, bijuu chakra running down the ends of the weapon, piercing Zabuza. It was a water clone.

"Hiyah!" Someone screamed behind him, and he twisted, and blocked once again Hiramekarei's considerable force. This time, there was no contest, and he was flung away, skidding across the ground. Speaking of the ground, said ground suddenly started bursting with bone spikes, and he once again started evading. Several still managed to make contact with the cloak, and though the armor originally brushed off all the attacks, the bones started piercing it after the eighth time.

It was at this stage when Kimimaro burst out of the ground, and Yagura had to use all his wits to block his attacks, the bone-user being the skilled swordsman that he was. Slowly, Kimimaro got into a rhythm, and several attacks got through, cleaving through the chakra cloak, and Yagura decided he had had enough.

"Die!"

The furious scream from the Mizukage was accompanied by a massive wave of water that burst through the tower walls and erupted outside. The other three rebels barely dodged the attack. Kimimaro was unfortunately carried away by the current.

Mei gracefully backflipped away, landing lightly. She frowned. "Is it me, or has he gotten more powerful?"

"Nah, he just wants to kill us all quickly." Zabuza muttered, sending a water dragon after the Jinchuuriki.

Yagura batted it away with an even larger dragon, growling all the while like a wild animal. "You! You filthy scum! You dare show your face here?" Mei simply breathed forth a stream of lava towards the Mizukage, who countered it with a current of water large enough to dry up the lava.

Chojuro leaped at him from the side, already panting with exertion from swinging the heavy blade too much. He swung, and the heavy chakra-imbued blade caused everything within the vicinity to explode into shards, blowing Yagura away.

Meanwhile, Mei formed the corrosive mist once again, but instead of spreading it in a wide area, she formed it into a wispy spear. She pulled back her arm, and threw it at the Mizukage. He barely dodged it, but when the spear collided with the ground, it exploded into a large expanse of the corrosive mist, once again eating away at his chakra cloak.

Scowling he gathered a massive amount of water, before releasing it in all directions, scattering the mist into fine strips. The colossal current broke through the wall in multiple places, possibly washing away his enemies, but he doubted it.

The ground all but erupted, and he started dodging large monoliths of white bone as they shot out of the ground, activating his third tail. The ground stopped shaking, and he blinked several times at the sight of the forest of bone he was in. "What the hell?"

Kimimaro leapt out of one of the towers behind him, his face impassive as he struck with a large bone lance.

Yagura, with instincts honed by years of war, moved at the last second, and though the lance pierced the chakra cloak it only tore a gash down his arm instead of piercing a lung. With his other hand, he swung down at the bloodline rebel with one of the hooked ends of his weapon.

Bones sprouted from the ground, blocking his attack, and Kimimaro recovered, piercing his cranium with a short blade that popped out of his palm. The water clone turned into a puddle of water. Kimimaro raised an eyebrow, before leaping into one of the monoliths. Yagura was in the forest, he just had to find him.

Yagura was running through the forest, avoiding contact with any of the bones. That was how Kimimaro navigated, through touch. It was like the surface of the bones was also his skin.

Something flickered at the edge of his vision, and he leaped away, evading the water dragon. He winced at the droplets of water that splattered onto the bones. No doubt Kimimaro knew where he was now.

Sure enough, the bone user leapt out of another tower, one in front of him. He seemed surprised at finding him so quickly, but recovered quickly enough, and Yagura was forced to block the attacks as best as he could with his weapon. Then, Kimimaro did the unexpected: he abandoned swordplay, and simply grabbed Yagura's weapon.

Below them, he heard the same explosion-like sound, and Chojuro hit him full-on with Hiramekarei on his back, sending him crashing through a bone tower, sans his weapon.

Chojuro landed, immediately deactivating the sword. "Do you think that took him down?" He asked, glancing at Zabuza and Mei as they arrived.

The wielder of Kubikiri Houcho grunted. "He's at three tails already. That was just a slap to the face for him."

Then, the oppressive chakra increased once again, and Zabuza muttered; "Oh fuck."

The Sanbi, the three-tailed giant turtle, erupted out of the wreckage, its aura bringing despair to all, ally or enemy, and Mei frowned. It roared, and the floor cracked under its weight as it charged at them, moving with surprising speed despite being a turtle and its size. Then again, it was using water on the floor already.

They barely dodged, and the still-growing bijuu crashed through the tower, falling to the ground.

The four rebels looked out of the massive hole. Nope, it was still alive. And it was terrorizing the rebel shinobi.

"We have to stop it, or it'll wipe out everyone."

The four blinked, before looking behind them to Naruto.

"You're done with the illusionist?" Chojuro asked.

The blonde smiled tiredly, nodding. "Yes, but it took a lot more out of me than I thought." He looked at Mei. "Originally, I would have been able to take care of the Mizukage on my own, but at my current state, I need a distraction before I can get close enough to dispel the illusion. You think you can summon the boss?"

The redhead grinned. "Dearie, as you've said, I'm Kage-level. That includes the chakra pool, and I haven't even used all that much chakra yet."

Naruto nodded. "Then let's finish this war." He jumped off, and the others followed, Mei cutting her thumb with a kunai and casting handseals.

"Summoning Jutsu!" The scream was heard above the din of battle, and all of the ninjas and the Sanbi looked up as a massive cloud of smoke appeared in the air.

A massive red-orange salamander, fully the size of the now full-grown Sanbi, fell from the smoke, landing with surprising daintiness for one so large, barely making an indentation in the earth. It looked at its surroundings, and the water from the Sanbi that flooded the ground hissed and turned into steam just from being near the salamander.

On the salamander's head, Naruto raised an eyebrow at the oppressive heat, studying the 'cracks' on the skin that showed flowing orange, as if the beast had magma for blood. He chuckled. Lava element? This was a match made in hell.

He turned to the other three males. "Help our ninjas. This is a summon battle of the likes you've never seen before, and unless you've got a large summon in your sleeve, you won't help a bit. We need fire or lightning to fight Sanbi."

They nodded, leaping off the salamander to cause grief to the enemy ninjas.

"Who has summoned me?" The salamander's voice boomed, and Naruto blinked. It would take some time to get used to the vibrations the mere voice of massive summons caused.

"I have, your greatness." Mei said respectfully, and the eyes turned upwards, staring her in the eye.

"I know of your name. Mei Terumi is it not?"

"Yes."

The salamander huffed. "I sense power in you. You are S-class." It grinned. "Good for you. I would have killed you if you were not." Mei blinked, wondering if it was joking. It wasn't.

It turned back to the Sanbi, who was looking at it balefully. The grin widened. "Sanbi? Ohoho. A great enemy for a great lord such as myself. And a great start for a promising summoner. What is your element girl?"

"I have mastery over fire, earth, and water." She answered. "Lava and Boil too." She added.

The salamander's eyebrows rose up, before it laughed. "LAVA? HAHAHAHAHA!" It opened its mouth, and a massive gout of lava erupted out of it, hitting Sanbi like one of its own tidal waves, making it scream. "I too am Lava! This cannot be coincidence girl! You are destined to be our summoner. Now, to battle!" It charged, and Sanbi sent a tidal wave at the salamander.

The boss summon laughed, and its body heated up to unimaginable levels, though its occupants didn't seem affected. It bulldozed through the waters, turning everything around it into steam, slamming into Sanbi like another Bijuu.

The Bijuu roared in pain, and its tails slapped at the salamander, who winced with every hit. It opened its mouth, and even more lava streamed out than the last time, covering Sanbi in a thick shell of rapidly-cooling lava.

The boss summon backed away, frowning at it. "I'm powerful girl, but even I cannot take on a Bijuu indefinitely. Do you have a plan?"

Naruto walked into view. "We do." He looked to Sanbi. "I need to get close. The Jinchuuriki has been afflicted with an illusion, and I know of a way to break it and free him. He would be an ally without it."

The salamander raised an eyebrow. "Illusion? The Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi has full control of his Bijuu. No illusion may work on him, not even the Uchiha's."

"Not if it's Madara Uchiha."

The answer made the brow go higher, before it chuckled. "Very well." It heated up once again, and charged, just as the Sanbi broke through the hardened lava. It slammed into Sanbi, rearing up slightly on its hind legs and keeping the three tails from hitting it with its own tail and two hands. "Go boy!" Naruto started blazing with chakra, and both Mei and the salamander's eyes widened at the amount. 'Where in the world did he-/What the-?'

The blonde leaped, Bloodsteel blades gleaming in the night sky, cutting through the highest-level chakra cloak of the Sanbi with effort. The Sanbi screamed, thrashing and dislodging the salamander, but not Naruto, who was already well inside the Sanbi.

The corrosive chakra ate away at him, but his own flaring chakra gave him ample protection, while his Kyuubi-granted regeneration and the natural resistance to Tailed Beast chakra as a Jinchuuriki took care of the rest of the damage.

Half a minute later, all the while dimly hearing the muffled battle of the salamander boss and Sanbi, he managed to swim within range of Yagura, who appeared to notice him just now. Heh, a giant salamander summon boss was one hell of a distraction indeed.

The Bloodsteel blades disappeared, to be replaced by the cane, and he unsheathed it, three feet of the sharpest sword in the world gleaming in the diluted moonlight. Yagura's eyes widened, as if he knew of the utter destruction Nullsteel; the metal the cane and its blade were made from, caused.

'Don't worry. I'm not here to annihilate you, just free you. You'll thank me later.' He swung the sword, and it cut through the heavy chakra with no resistance whatsoever, cutting a long but shallow diagonal cut from the right of his chest to the bottom left part of his stomach.

Instantly, the chakra he supplied to keep the form of Sanbi in existence ceased flowing, and the Bijuu collapsed in on itself, the two Jinchuuriki falling to the ground, the impact of their fall lessened by the waters.

Naruto slowly rose up from the wet ground, smiling despite all the aches of his body. He had lost concentration, and thankfully, the sweat had been washed away by the cold waters, so he didn't feel like a furnace anymore. He looked at Yagura, who was still on his back and staring at the sky like a befuddled little boy.

He walked to him, and the Kage just stared at him with the same puzzled look on his face. "You want to know what's happening to you don't you? You want to know why you did all you did, killing all those bloodline users when you only thought about their well-being at the start." Naruto bent closer to his face. "Remember the masked man? He's an illusionist. He put you under an illusion that made you do all that. And while you're not truly responsible for most of the deaths of this war since you've been brainwashed all that time, you are responsible for the deaths NOW. So get up on your butt and tell your soldiers to stop fighting, or are you not the Mizukage anymore?"

Yagura's eyes widened, and he quickly stood up. "ALL OF YOU! THIS IS YAGURA, FOURTH MIZUKAGE! AND I COMMAND YOU TO STAND DOWN AND CEASE FIGHTING, RIGHT NOW!" The voice thundered across the city, just like how Ymil's did across the shore. This was the voice of a leader, and everyone obeyed, even some of the bloodline rebels, unconsciously.

Naruto grinned. "Tell them to gather in front of the tower. Mei will do the same, and we can settle everything." He put a hand on his shoulder. "And don't worry about the illusionist. I ran him out of town." With that, he walked back to Mei, who was approaching him on top of the boss summon.

"That was madness boy. Only a fool would willingly enter a Bijuu's body. How did you survive?"

The blonde chuckled. "Forgive me, lord of the salamanders, but that is a secret."

The lava salamander huffed, releasing a cloud of smoke and steam. It looked at Yagura, who was assembling his ninjas. "I have fought the Sanbi, and not just survived, but won! This will be a great story to tell to the youngsters." It looked at Mei. "Summon my kin when you are in need girl, all of the Salamander Clan is at your command."

She smiled, nodding. "Thank you..." She trailed off.

"Yoteiou (Lava Emperor)"

"...Yoteiou. I will bring honor to your name." She finished.

Yoteiou nodded. "I know you will." He disappeared in a gigantic puff of smoke, and Mei landed neatly on the ground.

Naruto gestured to her. "I suggest you get your soldiers gathered. Yagura's calmed most of them, but the next few hours are going to be tense, and the slightest problem will ruin everything." She nodded, and proceeded to call out to her own ninjas.

The blonde smiled. His head hurt, his body ached, and he could barely feel properly, but the mission was a success, and that was what mattered.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The end of the war had gone smoothly, as far as things went.

They had gathered the ninja, and Yagura had told them the truth; that he had been brainwashed by an illusionist, that the war had been nothing but a farce. Many had protested, but the quick application of Kage-level killing intent (Yagura couldn't use chakra yet) to remind them that this was a dictatorship, not a democracy, had them closing their mouths rapidly.

Now, all bloodline-users were encouraged to come out of hiding and come to the village, where Yagura himself gave personal apologies for all that he had done. Many would look unkindly at him for the seeming 'weakness' of what was actually politeness, but Yagura was a benevolent and honorable man, and he took all the deaths the war had caused, from both sides, personally, and the seething hatred he had for Madara Uchiha would make any ninja low S-rank or lower blanch.

He was also markedly indebted to Naruto, but the blonde had disappeared before he could even say thanks.

Currently, Naruto was with Zabuza, and they were terrifying the medics as they asked for Haku.

The poor medic in charge of the platoon Haku had been on sweated nervously as he looked between the two, wondering which one was scarier. Zabuza looked like he wanted to cut his head off, and he didn't even bother to hide his sharpening of Kubikiri Houcho with a whetstone. Maelstrom on the other hand, just looked grim, his lips a thin line, his eyes cold and unforgiving. He stood ramrod straight, his cane resolutely vertical as he grasped it in front of him. He looked at him like one would an annoying bug, and the man couldn't but feel like one, considering some of the quickly-spreading stories that he had been the one to take out Sanbi.

They knew Maelstrom had been a powerful figure, but not THIS powerful. And he was TWELVE! How fearsome would he be when he was an adult? Inwardly, the man thanked the gods he was on their side. But that seemed about to change. For him at least.

"I will ask once again, and if you do not have the answer, I will have to kill you for your incompetence. Now, where. Is. Haku?" Naruto muttered, the lack of contractions in his sentences putting him in a whole new level of terrifying.

The medic gulped. Oh, why didn't anyone tell him the girl Zabuza adopted and Maelstrom seemed to be fond of was in his platoon? He would have given more attention to her if they did, and he wouldn't be in the bleak situation he was in now. Honestly, there were rumors of Maelstrom wielding blades that sucked the blood out of you, and while rumors were usually fake, considering that it came from the purple-haired boy he was with, this might just be a true story, and he liked his blood in his body, thank you very much.

"I-I don't know...s-sir..." He paled when Maelstrom unsheathed the cane blade. 'Oh god, I'm gonna die!' He thought frantically.

"Naruto! Wait! She's right here!" Ao's proclamation was all that saved the poor man, and Naruto quickly turned behind him, a smile on his face when he saw a battered, but alive, Haku. He let out a deep breath. 'She's alive. Good...' He sheathed the blade with a snap, the line that separated handle from sheath not even visible, and proceeded to hug a surprised Haku for a few seconds, before separating and becoming the composed know-it-all everyone hated and loved.

Haku blushed, and Zabuza developed a twitch in his eye, but the medic was alive, and said medic happily slinked away.

Two ninjas appeared, kneeling. "Sir Maelstrom, Yagura requests your audience."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. "Very well. I already know Haku's okay anyway." He disappeared. One moment he was there, the next, he wasn't.

Zabuza couldn't help but snort. "Show-off."

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A flicker, like an image from a bad TV, then suddenly, he was just there.

Yagura almost cut his head off.

Naruto blinked at the hook less than a centimeter from his throat. "Don't you think you're a bit too hasty?" He noted that he had yet to recover his chakra, and he was STILL that fast. 'I guess he's not Mizukage for nothing...'

The Mizukage blushed. "Sorry, I'm a bit jumpy right now. Being brainwashed and all." He put the weapon back on his back. He held out a hand. "Yagura, Yondaime Mizukage." The blonde shook the hand. They separated, and Yagura bowed. "Thank you for freeing me from Madara. Much ruin has been averted thanks to you. I am in your debt."

Naruto smiled. "It was my pleasure. I myself have a bone to pick with the man." He waved to Mei, who must have been discussing something with Yagura before he entered.

Yagura raised an eyebrow, before grinning. "It lightens my heart to know he has a man such as you for an adversary."

Naruto grinned in return, before sitting down on one of the chairs. "Did I interrupt something important?"

Mei nodded. "We were discussing the opinions of the people. As you know, the war is officially over, but many still harbor hatred against each other. It's hard to just suddenly abandon years of anger, even with a man such as Yagura's charisma."

Naruto sighed. "I figured that would be a problem." He smiled. "Fortunately, I know some things that might help."

Yagura raised an eyebrow. "Enlighten me."

He was eager to please. "Hate. It's a fickle emotion. Easily fueled. But take out the fuel, and it dissipates quite readily. Easy in planning, nigh-impossible in application." The smile widened. "Good thing I have the resources for it."

He gestured to the window. "I'll be honest, and say that this is a poor country. The people only have the barest essentials." Yagura nodded gravely. "While your village makes fierce warriors, the lack of wealth prevents the families from giving birth to many children, and the village from making a lot of them, lacking the population."

He looked back to them. "I'm a rich man, and I wouldn't be lying if I said that I was the richest in the Elemental Nations." They blinked at this proclamation, and Yagura was about to object when Mei stopped him. This was Maelstrom they were talking about. Anything was possible.

Naruto grinned. "Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true. And money isn't the only thing I have in spades." He steepled his fingers. "I have information. I have the dirt on many powerful figures, political and literal. Because of this, I myself am also a powerful political figure." The grin widened. "I am an enigma in the world of politics, an omniscient shadow that stays in the edges of their vision. In the world of politics, none is more dangerous than an unknown that knows your secrets.

"I am one that took his chances in sponsoring numerous budding businesses. I gave them the money to try out their wares and products in mass effect for a period of time. Do you know what made me stand out? I was giving them the money basically for free. If the business failed, I wouldn't ask them to pay me back, and if it boomed, only then did I get a cut from the profits. It was a substantial cut yes, but when they can start from scratch without losing any money if they were unsuccessful, then they would gladly leap to my banner."

Naruto's eyes gleamed. "All of the businesses I aided were successful. That is what makes me so terrifying. Dumb luck gets crossed out when you do the damn thing more than a thousand times, and never before has a man been so acute as to be correct that many times. It doesn't help that the spies are actually expected, treated to tea before being politely asked to 'fuck off.'"

Mei gulped. "A thousand successful businesses? How much if a cut do you have?"

A smile. "Half of the PROFIT."

The two stared at him. That much? He probably earned more in a week than a village does in a year.

Naruto chuckled. "Of course, several tried cashing in where I did, but I took care of that from the very start. The contract I have with my recipients prevents them from having any other sponsor besides me. Of course, some have tried infringing on the contract. But I mailed a warning to them expressing my opinion of violators just before they can commence. It's incredible how much simply knowing their exact thoughts can make them reconsider going behind my back."

He leaned on the chair. "All that makes me a figure many skirt around of. I will support your country. With the amount I earn, I wouldn't even get a deficit, I'll just earn less than I usually do. Your people will experience comfort, but not so much as to become lax, and in time, we will direct whatever vestiges of hatred to something else besides each other."

Yagura frowned. "I would be grateful for all that, but I am the one in debt. I cannot ask for more help."

Naruto nodded. "I know. So let me finish. With the clout I have, I can encourage people to trade with your country, and to think that your shinobi is a cut higher than others." He pointed a finger at Yagura. "YOUR role is to make that a fact. I can say all I want about your shinobi, but if they aren't as good as they say, then people WILL stop hiring you. Do you think you can do that?"

The Mizukage nodded, a determined expression on his face.

The blonde smiled. "Good. As for your debt..." His face darkened, and his eyes shone with cold malevolence. It was a sudden change, and it surprised the two greatly. "Konoha will be attacked in the upcoming chuunin exams, and I need your help to protect it."

Yagura blinked, before nodding. "For all that you have done and proposed to do? That is easily done."

Naruto huffed. "I know, that is why I have another favor." He held up a hand. "Do not worry about it. It is for another time, when the people of Land of Water have calmed, for I need clear heads for my proposal." He stood up, holding out a hand. "Do you agree to my conditions, Yagura?"

The Jinchuuriki of the Sanbi grinned. "Of course." He took the hand, and the two sealed the deal, all the while he thought: 'Incredible. So much power in the hands of one so young. What is he?"

Mei simply stared at Naruto. 'What kind of man is he? To do all that he has done at such a young age."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Pein blinked when the space in front of him warped, and Madara Uchiha appeared, battered and bleeding.

"Madara!" He took hold of the man, keeping him from collapsing, all the while studying the damage. 'Multiple lacerations. He's bleeding heavily, but he'll survive.' The killer of Hanzo frowned. 'That's not enough damage to make this man flinch.' "What happened?" He asked, settling the man down on a chair. A glance at Konan had her sealing the room.

The ancient Nin shuddered. "Power, so much power..."

Pein blinked. "What?"

Madara looked him in the eye, and he shivered. He saw something in there he never thought he'd see. Fear. "All was going well in Kiri, then the rebels attacked. I could have driven them back, but then He came."

"Who's he?"

The Uchiha laughed, a broken sound. "You think yourself a god, don't you Pein?"

The god of Amegakure frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I think I fought one."

His veins turned to ice, and Pein winced. "Impossible. Gods are but legends. It is probably one who dressed up as-"

Madara shook his head. "He didn't dress up as Susanoo or Amaterasu if you're asking. And even if he didn't, he certainly seemed like one." He chuckled, another broken sound. "I couldn't see him Pein, I couldn't see anything about him. Genjutsu didn't work, and he made Amaterasu fade just like any other fire."

Now Pein was unnerved. Not even he knew of a way to wipe out Amaterasu. Contain it maybe, but not destroy it.

"I thought I could take him next time, since he caught me by surprise, then he showed me his power. He has so much chakra Pein! As much as the Bijuu, and when I looked at him, my sharingan showed me a hundred deaths. Not his, mine. I ran. I didn't want to die, and everyone knows the sharingan doesn't lie..."

Unnerved changed to scared. He looked at Madara, at the man who was his superior in battle, and thought about the being who had made him run with his tail between his legs. He gulped. "What do we do with him?"

Madara roared, the sound making Konan wince. "I'm terrified of him Nagato! And I hate it! I want to kill him, but I don't want to die!" He slumped. "It's just like when I was genin, when so many others were stronger than me." He grunted. "We'll save the Sanbi for last. Yagura's probably dead now, and that man either has the Sanbi sealed into another, or running around freely. If the Sanbi gets out of his reach, we'll take it. If not, we'll fight him with the entire Akatsuki and Gedo Mazo with eight of the Bijuu. For now, we stay under, and gather all the intelligence we can on him."

Pein nodded. If Madara was so frightened as to only fight with the entire Akatsuki and Gedo Mazo backing him, then information was indeed vital for facing this person. "Do you know his name?"

"No. But I know how he looks, and he stands out in a crowd. If he's visible to the public, we'll find him out easy." With that, Madara proceeded to describe Naruto to Pein. He may be indecisive in fighting him one-on-one, but he'll be damned if he gave up just because he said that he could take on the entire Akatsuki and Gedo Mazo.

Those two were his strongest forces, and if he COULD take on those two and win, then it would be better to die fighting than to live the rest of his existence in fear.

He was Madara Uchiha, and he had done too much to give up because of some arrogant, albeit really damn powerful, warrior.