AN: Fuck it guys, any real stuff to mention is probably in the AN at the end of this chapter. Oh, and sorry, but I don't think I checked and edited this as thoroughly as I usually do, but I figured you guys were so eager for a chapter it wouldn't matter.

Warning: This chapter contains a lot of dialogue and not much action. Sorry if your expectations grew to obscene levels that I can't possibly meet.

Elementary

a story of a genius

Return III: The Case of The Man in Black

There have been none of us in our group who have not lost someone to a premature death before. Perhaps that is why we could be such friends. But when someone on the inside had been lost as well- I am not such a good writer to possibly explain the pain.

That pain was present in all of us, and even when we made it back to the base, we had barely spoken on the journey, our hearts heavy with loss. Even Naruto, the logical man who understood that his sadness could weigh him down, even Hishou, who never got on with the knight-

We were mourning silently to ourselves as everything was put on hold. Contacting Konoha, our next move against Orochimaru, methods of dealing with Akatsuki, the company's business dealings- all was stopped.

Anselm was buried in the town's graveyard, an epitaph engraved on his tombstone.

A hero from the West forever loyal to his friends shall lie here.

His way of life burned like hellfire and he faced his trials to the end.

The fires of his soul shall forever warm the hearts of his friends.

The Knight's unyielding spirit shall be with us for eternity.

Sir Anselm Blackwood

Several days later, saw Naruto sitting alone in the base, his head lowered over his work, his pipe clenched between his teeth.

Everyone else was out, save Kenta, who was probably asleep (everyone followed different schedules when not on missions), and Michiko- he could hear the sounds of clanging from her room, so she was still messing out around with machinery.

His options had become surprisingly limited. He had money, he had labour- but now he lacked power. Anselm had been the second strongest in the group (Naruto had rated him as Hishou's equal, but after the knight received those prosthetics -machine-power making him one with the steel that he wore- he doubted that Hishou could handle Anselm), meaning Naruto would have to fight those Akatsuki almost single-handed.

Hishou had been able to fight Sasuke before, but even then, it was only due to Anselm stepping in that Hishou was not killed when he had been paralysed from Sasuke's Chidori Nagashi.

But given Naruto's ageing, it was too big a risk for him, as of now, to fight Akatsuki. He had to cure his disease, as soon as possible.

"But then," he murmured, exhaling some smoke as he did so. "That would mean having to contact Konoha- soon."

Indeed, that appeared to be his only option.

The question was, would they accept? Sakura and Sai had seemed sympathetic to him, but firstly, Sai was from ANBU, and no doubt had been taught how to fake emotion. And despite that Sakura was the Hokage's apprentice; she still had little pull in the village.

He resolved himself to send word to Konoha anyway.

Meanwhile, there was the question of that traitorous contact, who must have leaked information to Orochimaru. Naruto had already sent his company's "enforcers" to "deal" with the man, but he had disappeared.

What was frightening though was how the information was leaked. Naruto had no doubt that it was this spy who had also leaked information to both Orochimaru and Akatsuki.

"Now, who could have been able to work with both?" Naruto mused, a list of suspects coming into his head. "Kabuto, perhaps?"

No, he decided. Despite that Kabuto was formerly of Akatsuki, it was unlikely he would still have any contact with them. The only possible answer was that the information came from a third-party. And worst of all, the information would have meant that the only person who could have known was someone else in his company. There had been two traitors at least.

Naruto sighed. He had spent a long time before rooting out spies and the corrupt. It'd seem he'd have to do so again.

"Naruto." He looked up to see Kenta. The man had replaced his blacksmith's apron with a thick brown coat, and had slung a satchel over his shoulder. "Well, I'm going."

"Where?" said Naruto. Kenta generally hated going outside. Actually, he hated quite a lot of things, but Naruto supposed every organisation needed a grouchy git as much as it needed the others.

"I told you a couple of weeks back, remember?" said Kenta. "I need to pick up supplies for my work- and the brat, I guess. If she wants anything else, tell her she should've told me earlier and I don't care now. I should probably be only gone for a week at most."

Naruto didn't recall this previous conversation, but he supposed he had forgotten it with the stress that had lately piled up on him. "Do you have your radio?" He asked.

Kenta patted a pocket. "Got it."

"Try and keep in contact, then," said Naruto. "And above all, try and stay safe. Our enemies don't know your face, but they'll keep an eye out."

"Yeah, yeah, I ain't stupid," said Kenta. "Keep away from guys wearing black robes with red clouds on them."

"And the ones with masks," Naruto added. "People with Sound headbands, bounty hunters- we have quite a lot of enemies, Kenta."

"I ain't gonna get killed by the Akatsuki, and they're the only ones really hunting us at the moment," Kenta replied.

"What do you mean; you're not going to get killed by them?" Naruto asked.

"They're after you, ain't they?"

"And anyone with association to me," replied Naruto. "Our base is hardly invulnerable. We're under a restaurant. Anyone who knows we're under here and possesses sufficient firepower could easily get in."

"Firepower?"

"Or jutsus, either will work," said Naruto. "And what do you suppose Akatsuki will do? They'll blow the place apart trying to get me and kill anyone who gets in their way."

"Alright, alright, I'll be careful," said Kenta, holding up his hands in resignation to the Detective's cautiousness. "By the way, when are we going to contact Konoha, then?"

"I suppose I'll wait for you to return before we fix a date for the meeting," Naruto replied, and Kenta nodded.

"Great, wouldn't want to miss it. Alright then, see you in about a week." Kenta headed though the door that lead up into the locked storeroom in the restaurant. The storeroom had another secret exit, so the workers in the restaurant would not be surprised by the presence of strange people passing through a room which was locked to all but the owner.

Yuzuki had assumed the role of the owner, while Naruto had actually paid for the place and set up the base. He was only known as a silent partner, his face unknown to the staff and they did not connect with the silent partner to a rich young blonde male who was a regular at their restaurant, or his "grandfather".

Kenta left through the secret exit, which took him into the alley behind the building. He headed to the main road, only to stop as a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back a few steps.

He span around, his hand forming a fist ready to strike-

"Mumei, what the hell was that for? You nearly made me crap myself," Kenta scowled.

"I'd have no problem believing that," Hishou replied. "You looked dead with fright. We're only outside the base; its unlikely Akatsuki would be here."

"Bah, Naruto got me all paranoid," Kenta said. "What is it then?"

"Where are you going?" Hishou asked.

"I'm getting some decent supplies," Kenta replied. "I'll be out of town for about a week."

Hishou frowned under his hood. "Why didn't you just get them delivered?"

"Naruto doesn't like the idea of us getting stuff sent here, does he? He thinks people might get suspicious if they're bringing all kinds of random crap to a restaurant. Probably got a point."

"There are ways around that," Hishou replied. "We have agents in the town; you could've easily had it delivered to one of their addresses."

Kenta looked awkward for a moment, and then his face shifted to an expression that looked as though he was trying to decide whether he could trust Hishou or not. "Alright, truth is, I really want to get away from the town for a bit. You know."

"I don't know. Explain."

"You know," Kenta repeated. "Anselm."

"I did not know you were so close to him," said Hishou.

"Look, the guy was still a mate, alright?" Kenta said. "I know you guys hated each other or whatever, but the two of us were decent friends. Every Saturday the two of us would have a drink and talk a bit- but you know, I can take it that he's dead. I saw my wife get murdered by those fucking Root cunts, I can deal with just a friend. What it's hard to see is everyone else so down. Even Naruto, even the brat- save you, apparently."

"Anselm and I did not hate each other," Hishou replied, but he seemed softer now after hearing Kenta's explanation. "We respected- no, I'm keeping you. Good fortune on your journey, Kenta."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm only going for a week. See you then, Mu- Hishou."

Kenta once again, headed to the main road. He stopped as he reached the alley's mouth, removing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. He lit up a cigarette.

Hishou watched him go. It would be the last time the two of them would ever see each other.

Meanwhile, underneath Hishou and Kenta, Michiko had finally finished with her tinkering. She entered the main room, wiping soot off her face embarrassedly. She approached Naruto, only to suddenly pinch her nose. "Naruto-kun, this place stinks of smoke!" She complained, her voice sounding a little strange with her nose being pinched.

"I told them to fit ventilation in your room, but-"

"Not from my machines!" said Michiko. "From the pipe!"

Naruto sighed and doused the pipe. Nevertheless, Michiko stomped angrily towards him. "How much have you smoked?!"

He shrugged, which was something Michiko did not seem pacified by. "How much have you smoked?!" She repeated.

Naruto tried to think of a response, but he could not recall just how much tobacco he'd smoked. "All of it," he eventually said, looking back over his papers.

Michiko grabbed the pipe, tossing it away. Naruto opened his mouth to protest- but she grabbed him by the collar of his coat, pulling him up.

"Look here you idiot! You've been sitting here smoking and brooding for the past three days!"

"I need to plan," Naruto answered, as he freed himself and sat back down. "I cannot allow any more uncalled factors to occur during a mission."

Michiko watched him for several moments, the anger fading. "You're still hurting-"

"It was my fault he died." Naruto's words confirmed it for Michiko. "Because of me, Yuzuki is a widow. Because of me, their child will be fatherless."

"Child?" questioned Michiko. "Yuzuki didn't tell you, did she?"

"Tell me what?"

"She told me before the mission. She meant to tell you all afterwards. It isn't a child. It's children. Twins."

Naruto stayed quiet, contemplating over this new news. "This changes things. Why didn't she tell him?"

"Well, she'd heard that Anselm was joking with you about how twins would be a terrible thing, so she was worried that he'd react badly."

"Probably the results of the hormones," Naruto said. "Anselm would never have stopped loving her, and his last thoughts were certainly on her." He stopped, staring past Michiko to one of the seven doors.

The seven doors, all leading to the private room-and bathroom- to their respective owner. Each was marked with an emblem to recognise their owner. For Anselm, there had been a coat of arms. His family's coat of arms.

He had been angry about seeing it. Naruto had been unsure about using it, knowing Anselm's feelings about his past, but he'd thought his feelings for his family would still mean more to him. And it had, eventually.

There had been other stories associated with those rooms. The time Anselm and Hishou had begun midnight battles, trying to prank the other as they were asleep, the pranks growing more dangerous until it had ended one night when a drunken Anselm had ended up all the way in Michiko's room, while thinking he was going to strip Hishou and tie him to the hexagonal table in the main room.

Michiko, Yuzuki- and Kenta had all been furious about that when Michiko had been discovered half naked tied to the table. Well, beside the original awkwardness of how Naruto had been the first to awake and find Michiko, and she'd assumed something else entirely.

The day Anselm knocked the wall down between his and Yuzuki's room when they'd got engaged. As per usual, Naruto had had good foresight and made their rooms adjacent. The time Anselm had tried to change his old room into a child's room when he'd found out Yuzuki was pregnant.

Memories, sweet memories- but that was all they were. His friend was gone, and Naruto had never felt such pain since he'd lost the man who had been like his grandfather.

Naruto's head sank into his arms. He made no noise as he cried.

Michiko pulled him out of his chair. She did not mention the crying, but she hugged him until he stopped.

"Come on, Naruto-kun," said Michiko softly. "At least come out for some fresh air."

"You're not going to leave me alone until I agree, correct?" Naruto said. There were no tears on his face, or any other sign that he had been crying.

Michiko giggled, and Naruto picked up his cane.

"Why did we come to the park?" Naruto asked, looking around at the area. Grass, trees, paths, benches, flowers, a pond- hardly a unique park, but he continued walking with Michiko.

Michiko shrugged with a smile. "But it's nice, isn't it?"

"Anyway, don't cling onto me so much," said Naruto. "You make me look like a paedophile."

"Then hurry up and contact Konoha to work on your cure," Michiko replied.

"In the meantime, give me a bit more space," said Naruto. "I'll be able to pass as your grandfather or something."

"Fine," Michiko still reluctantly dislodged herself from Naruto. "Well, at least I know what you'll look like when you actually are that old. You'll age quite well, you're not that wrinkled."

"Thank you Michiko, that makes all the difference," replied Naruto in a tone that clearly did not mean it.

"That was bad, Naruto-kun. You didn't even try to sound subtle this time."

Naruto sat on a bench by the pond, Michiko taking the seat next to him. She pulled a small plastic bag from her pocket, and she removed half a loaf of bread from it. She tore off a piece, and began throwing chunks to the ducks, a small smile on her face as she watched them try to get the bread.

Naruto looked at her with a look that was unfamiliar to her, a sort of relaxed, peaceful way. If anything, he seemed even more like some old grandfather then.

"You become happy so easily, Michiko-chan."

Michiko squealed. "That's the first time you've called me chan, Naruto-kun!"

Naruto shook his head, although his relaxed smile was still on his face. The girl had been right. If only for a few minutes, a break was doing him well.

"So, what'll be the organisation's next move?" Michiko asked.

"I thought the purpose of this break was to take me away from all that," Naruto said. 'Or make me stop thinking about Anselm,' he thought.

Michiko shrugged, and resumed throwing more bread to the ducks. "Well, I couldn't think of anything else to talk about. Well, try feeding the ducks." She passed him some bread, and Naruto half-heartedly threw it at the birds.

Michiko held out some more bread, and a few ducks approached, taking it from her hands.

"You should be careful, just because they don't have teeth doesn't mean their bite is soft," Naruto said.

Michiko fixed him with a look of curiosity. "Naruto-kun, do you see danger everywhere?" She asked.

He looked ahead, past the pond. "It's necessary. It's something I've had to become. And even then, I still couldn't protect one of my closest friends."

"I know the feeling," Michiko said. "My aunt was murdered by that Root shinobi, remember? For months afterwards- even now sometimes, I wonder whether I could've done something. She was trying to protect me, and that- that bastard ripped her apart. But I suppose, in the end, just wishing I did it differently won't actually change it, no matter how hard I want it to."

"Yes. Yes, you're right."

"Naruto-kun?" Michiko said. "What did you actually want? You must have wanted to do something other instead of forming an organisation to fight Akatsuki, right?"

"Oh, I wanted so much," said Naruto. "And yet so little. I wanted to not have to bother with things like ninja wars and demons. I'd intended to retire fairly young for a ninja, maybe mid-twenties. I wanted to use my brains for interesting mysteries- not thinking up battle plans and strategies. And I definitely didn't want to age up until I was fifty."

Naruto stood up, twirling his cane a single time as he grabbed it. "That's a long enough break. I have work to do."

"But-"

"Let him be, Michiko." Hishou had appeared, standing behind the bench.

"How long have you been standing there?" Michiko asked, but Hishou did not answer, and instead he walked beside Naruto.

"I meant to speak to you."

"We can talk on the way back then," said Naruto, as he started to head back to the building, ignoring Michiko who had started pouting.

"I did not hate him," said Hishou, as they had gotten far enough from anyone else.

"I never thought you did," said Naruto. "Rivals, perhaps. You both had a deep respect for each other, no matter how grudgingly. You respected each other's power, and you never let any rivalry or arguments get in the way of the mission. That's all I asked for."

"I never wished to see him die."

"I never thought you- what is this about?" Naruto asked. "You sound guilty."

"Perhaps I am," said Hishou.

This was new. Hishou had always been the hardest of the seven to read. A loner by nature, always pushing people away; Naruto suspected he had been betrayed by someone close to him before, perhaps even on multiple occasions. The man worked hard to maintain an emotionless facade, concealed behind a white hood.

On rare occasions could he see past the assassin and see the man who lay underneath. But although he knew Hishou had been affected by Anselm's death, he had never thought he'd be affected to his level.

"Guilty? What of? You were busy saving Michiko's life at the time," said Naruto. "Anselm has been a loss to us. To us, and the mission. You and Anselm were the deadliest pair of fighters I could've ever asked for."

"I was talking to Kenta before he left," said Hishou. "It simply made me think. Naruto, I have never been one to care about what others think of me- but today I wondered. Kenta genuinely seemed to believe I hated Anselm."

"Well, it often seems like that to them," said Naruto.

"Who's "them" then? The others?" Hishou asked.

"Save Yuzuki, and perhaps Takahiro on occasion," Naruto replied. "But, yes, I never thought you to the type to care, Hishou."

"I do not care. I am merely curious," he said. "What do you think of me, Naruto? Not as a fighter, or an assassin, but as a man?"

Naruto did not answer.

"I see," said Hishou. "Forgive me then, for taking up your time. Good day, Naruto." He turned and began to walk away.

"Wait," Naruto said to Hishou's retreating back. "Hishou. I respect you immensely. But let me confess now. Once, I only thought about you as people to use and manipulate. But-"

Hishou span around, his face in shock, something Naruto didn't recall seeing on him for a long time. "Naruto. Are you lying?"

"I'm not the first leader to betray you, am I?" Naruto asked, before laughing bitterly. "It's true, Hishou. Although I never showed it, I was a bastard to all of you. I did not actually hold any real trust for any of you till the day I told you about the Kyuubi."

"To what degree would you have used us?" Hishou asked.

Naruto did not answer, taking his time to think of a reply. Unusual for him. "I do not know. I never saw such a time to do so. The first time I journeyed with you, Takahiro and Anselm, I was controlling the three of you."

"I don't-"

"Why is it then, Hishou, you felt such loyalty to me when you had not done to an employer for years?" Naruto asked, and it was Hishou's turn to be silent. "I saw the peril you lay in. So, I used that to offer you safety, even in a subtle way. Anselm- I manipulated him, to make him think he was redeeming himself for his past. He also hadn't felt friendship in a while- defending him now and then was more than enough to make him feel grateful. And Takahiro- well, he was helpless without me."

Hishou stood silent for several moments. Naruto could almost feel the minutes go by. Then the Assassin drew his sword.

"I challenge you to a duel," said Hishou. "Will you accept?"
"Here?" Naruto asked.

They were standing outside the restaurant Naruto had called The Spiralling Sphere (usually associated with the unusual moving spherical sculpture kept inside, rather than a ninjutsu). Hishou sheathed his sword, before he ran to the building, climbing up it with incredible speed. Naruto followed suit, except his chakra let him sprint up the side.

They stood on the building, and Naruto walked past Hishou to the opposite end of the building.

"Do you really want to do this, then?" He asked.

"My heart is set on it," said Hishou. He drew his sword again. "As is my steel."

Naruto pointed his cane towards Hishou, and the blade burst out of the end. He briefly wondered how many times he had activated the blade. He had been using this weapon for over three years now, but he had constantly been fiddling with it and adjusting it.

The speed of how quickly it burst out or returned, the size or shape of the blade itself, adjusting where he could properly grip the cane- he had never thought about till now, but the cane itself felt like a part of him now. Wait, why did he think of this now? Now was not the time, not in battle.

"Should we wipe the poison off our blades?" Naruto asked. Hishou's sword was not poisoned, but the concealed blade was.

"I'm fine with using poison. Use any weapons you would normally would."

Naruto would've thought nothing of that, but today- something felt different. "No." He removed his coat, dropping it carefully onto the roof. He removed the bracers that helped form his Chakra Shield, and that contained the claws, dropping them onto the coat.

"What are you doing?" Hishou said, perplexed.

"You challenged me with the blade. I'll respond in kind," said Naruto. "Hishou, if you asked for a duel so you might kill me- even in that case, I do not wish to kill you." He removed a cloth from the pocket of his trousers, wiping the poison of his cane-blade.

Naruto tossed the rag into the winds, igniting it with a jutsu, and they watched it burn away.

"Although, I'll keep the armour," he said, tapping the breastplate he wore over his shirt- and usually under his coat.

"Very well, then." Hishou had watched all of this with little reaction. "But I warn you. I will not go easy on you even with these handicaps."

Naruto smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

The two began to walk forwards, slowly shifting into a stance.

Hishou was the first to attack. His sword was stopped by the cane, the blade still pointing at Hishou, and Naruto lunged forwards in a thrusting attack towards Hishou's left side.

The Assassin grabbed the cane as it came towards him and slashed with his sword again. It arced through the air, and sliced down from Naruto's left shoulder to halfway down his arm.

Naruto pulled the cane out of Hishou's hand, taking a few steps back.

"I saw you make a strange shift with your left hand," said Hishou. "It was almost as though you expected your claws were still there. Is that why you removed them as well as your explosives? To deal with your reliability on them?"

"No," Naruto shook his head. "I had not realised I was reliant on them. Amazing, this battle has only been for a matter of seconds, and already I've learnt something."

"Well, I thought you hated talking in battle."

"My apologies," said Naruto. "Let's not talk anymore, then." His wound stopped bleeding, even if it did not close up.

Naruto attacked this time. Hishou knocked it away, and got around the Detective, his sword slicing at his back. The armour managed to stop it, just, as Hishou got away from Naruto's counter-attack.

'Have I been underestimating him?' Naruto asked himself. 'He already got two hits on me. Not impressive, Naruto. Well, I must step up to the challenge then.'

They jumped forwards, fighting viciously for only seconds, and then they backed away, circling each other. Naruto stepped forwards, and his blade just missed Hishou's ear.

The Assassin cut under the blade, and then Naruto leapt back, before he thrust forwards again. This time, his blade just managed to nick Hishou's neck, tearing the cloth of his cowl as he had just sidestepped.

They continued fighting like that, fighting for seconds at a time, only exchanging a few blows before they backed away. Gradually, they began to get more and more hits on each other, and after what must've felt like hours, both were bloodied, and still not satisfied. Their initial calmness had turned foul, and the two were aggressive and pumped full of adrenaline.

Hishou screamed and leapt at Naruto. He lifted his blade to impale the running man, but Hishou batted it away with such fury that not only the cane-blade was knocked out of Naruto's hands, but he lost grip of his own sword as well.

Naruto responded first and slugged Hishou in the face. The latter stumbled back, blood streaming from his nose, and his left fist came forwards.

The Detective dodged it, knowing full well that the hidden blade was readied. He slammed his forehead into Hishou's, as the man's right fist came into his stomach.

They stepped back drunkenly. Hishou tugged back his cowl, revealing his entire head. Naruto did not react; he'd seen the Assassin do so before.

And again, Hishou leapt at Naruto, the left fist drawn back. Naruto threw himself aside, rolling on the rooftop as he made it back to his feet. He sprinted at Hishou, who only readied his left fist again, and Naruto sidestepped.

They began to separate, and then they realised they'd come to a stop over their discarded weapon. Simultaneously, they stooped for the weapon, and straightened upright, their blades raised to the other man.

"What do you say we end it, then?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Let's end it."

Naruto shot across the roof as Hishou began his sprint. It was like two knights jousting, as Anselm would've said.

The cane-blade pierced into Hishou's arm, and out of reflex, he dropped his sword.

Naruto withdrew the blade back into the cane. "You had no chance for that last bit," he said. "I have the greater speed, and my weapon has a greater range."

"I know," Hishou said, clutching his arm. He toppled back onto the ground, exhausted, his white clothes torn and splattered with crimson. "I did not challenge you to kill you."

"What for, then?"

"I'll tell you later," Hishou said groggily. "I feel too tired right now. Get Yuzuki- no, she's at the hospital. Can you get me there?"

"Of course," said Naruto. "Give me a moment." He picked up Hishou's sword, and sheathed it for him, before he went over to his discarded belongings. He attached his bracers, and pulled on his coat, and then picked up Hishou, lifting him over him so the man was slumped over his back.

Hishou passed out soon, and Naruto jumped off the roof, speeding through the streets to the hospital.

Two days later saw Naruto at the table, with three other comrades. Kenta was still on his supplies trip, and Yuzuki was remaining at the hospital, mostly because Naruto was worried after hearing from the doctors that she may give birth prematurely. Hishou was still there, but he was still recovering from their duel, quite noticeably bandaged.

"So, what is it, Naruto-kun?" Michiko asked.

Naruto watched their faces. "I've decided I'll send that message to Konoha today," he said. "Admittedly, I'm doing so considerably earlier than I first said, but no time like the present."

"How are we going to send the message then?" Takahiro asked.

"I'll send it in person."

For a moment, there was silence.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Michiko shouted, completely taken aback by that.

Naruto ignored that comment. "I've also decided- that I'll hold the meeting there. Or rather, I'll meet with them. Alone."

Now even Hishou and Takahiro looked shocked.

"I sound insane to you, but listen to me," said Naruto. "Here are our headquarters. I can't risk them taking any hostages. We don't know whether they'll cooperate with us. Not to mention that Yuzuki's on the verge of giving birth. They still think there are seven of us. Currently, one of us is deceased. Another is alone, and vulnerable. We cannot allow any weakness here. If I go there, they'll think they have the advantage and don't need to go to any more measures. Admittedly, they will have an advantage, but it means I don't have to endanger anyone else. Understand? This is an order, you will all wait."

"What about Kenta then?" Michiko asked. "Didn't he think his trip wouldn't matter because we weren't meeting with Konoha yet? Or did he expect this and just legged it in case they did come after us?"

"Konoha shinobi killed his wife- your aunt," Naruto said. "If he thought this might happen, maybe he thinks negotiations would have gone better if he wasn't around. And if he didn't anticipate this- well, it's not like he was going to be present at the meeting anyway."

"Then what of me?" Takahiro asked. "I thought I'd accompany you when we had the meeting."

"As did I," said Hishou.

"No. I will risk only myself for the next mission. If I should fail- no, if I should die, this organisation is immediately disbanded. Takahiro, you'll take over Uzumaki Inc, I already have the papers readied. Make sure you pay the others a significant amount of money to move on with their lives. Yuzuki will probably still live here- you will make sure you pay for her housing and the like, even if she says no. With all those profits not going to helping prepare for battle against Akatsuki, there should be plenty to go around."

"Are you telling us your will?" Takahiro said, stunned.

"It's a very brief version; the actual papers are all readied by the lawyer."

"Not the one-"

"Yes, the one who's always been hitting on Hishou," Naruto said.

Michiko giggled, while Hishou made a very small discreet twitch.

"Well-" said Naruto. He sighed, and once again succeeded in looking even older. "I'm going. Contact Kenta, tell him what happened."

"By the way, where did Kenta go?" Takahiro asked.

Michiko blinked. "To pick up supplies-"

"Not why did he go, where did he go?" Takahiro asked. "Where exactly has he gone?"

Michiko opened her mouth, but closed it again as she realised- "I don't know." She said, shrugging. "He didn't say."

"Well, I'll suppose I could ask him over the radio then, when we contact him," said Takahiro.

But Naruto had gone quiet. "Why did he not say? It could be vital information."

"He spoke to me about it, before he left," Hishou stepped in. "I believe he saw this as a break rather than a work trip."

"So he didn't want to be bothered by us?" Naruto said.

"He hasn't actually contacted us in the past two days, has he?" said Takahiro. "Do you think something has happened to him?"

Naruto closed his eyes. "No. He is still alive and well. I am sure of it." He opened his eyes. "But still, has something happened to him? Delayed him, perhaps?"

"I could try and track him down-" Hishou started, but Naruto dismissed the idea with a hand wave.

"No. You are still injured. And I cannot leave three members who are not excellent fighters on their own like this. They've grown stronger over the years, but even combined they would never stand a chance of holding their own against an Akatsuki member."

"How many Akatsuki members are left, by the way?" Michiko asked. "You killed one, didn't you?"

Naruto nodded. "There are eight left." 'Eight of them, and six of us. And only two of us right now can have a chance against fighting them.' He added in his head. He'd known it for long, the seven of them would never have been able to defeat Akatsuki in combat. They'd take down a few, but never win. Of course, their real chance came from the fact that Akatsuki worked in pairs. But he wasn't interested in actually defeating every single pair.

Akatsuki was an organisation reliant on their leader. He'd take out their leader- and that fellow, Tobi, was a suspicious one. When he had been serious, he gave the impression of one who was interested in extracting the Tailed Beasts, but had not been reliant on the leader at all.

He'd needed the force of a ninja country behind him to help. Jiraiya and Kakashi were still on his side, but even so, they could not act to help him. He'd originally intended for there to be six Akatsuki hunters.

Himself, Anselm, Hishou, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Gaara.

Anselm was dead. Gaara died and was resurrected- but he was still Kazekage, and could not abandon his country to hunt. Although, Naruto suspected that if he asked Gaara, he'd still come to help no matter what anyone said.

Naruto rose from the table, and they rose with him. He strapped on the breastplate he wore over his shirt, his bracers already on. He pulled on the coat- taking good care to check he had a certain scroll in his pocket- and attached the crossbow to his back. Finally, he picked up his cane as he walked to a pedestal across the room.

The pedestal bore Anselm's armour and weapons, and the prosthetic left arm, and Naruto placed his hand on the helmet, tracing the dents in it from the final mission.

"What would you have me do for this mission, old friend?" He asked.

He watched it, and to the others, it looked like he was hearing a response. And then he replied to it. "I'll take it, but I doubt I'll use it. I'm not particularly skilled with it." Naruto twitched suddenly. "That was a very tasteless response," he said, as he picked up the sheathed broadsword, affixing it to his belt under his coat.

Naruto walked to the door.

"Goodbye."

"Don't sound so depressed," said Takahiro. "We'll see you later."

Hishou nodded. "We'll see you soon."

"Good luck, Naruto-kun," said Michiko.

Naruto smiled faintly. "I'll see if I can stop at the hospital before I leave the town. Goodbye, then."

'How long was it, since I've been here?'

A day later, Naruto stood in front of the gate of Konoha. His heart sang, and deep down, he felt the warmth of being home again. He approached the gate, and he looked at the gatekeeper. It was the same chuunin who he'd lied to about being a clothes merchant about three years ago.

The chuunin didn't speak at first, waiting to hear the purpose of visit, but he did when Naruto remained silent. "Purpose?"

"I'm a mercenary," said Naruto.

"You want to be granted asylum?" The chuunin asked, clearly suspecting the man to be a missing-nin of some country. But what could he assume from seeing an old grizzled man in a black coat with a sword and crossbow?

Naruto shook his head. "Looking for a place get a bit drunk and find a prostitute."

"Alright, I'll put your purpose as a holiday," said the chuunin. "Papers?"

He shook his head. "None."

"No papers?" the chuunin asked.

A Hyuuga approached. The man scanned Naruto with the Byakugan. "He's got a considerably high level of chakra, as well as several weapons and scrolls."

"Fine, I forgot about you white-eyed bastards," said Naruto. "I'm a missing-nin of Kiri. One of the guys from the old attempted assassination of the Mizukage."

"Are you one of the Seven Swordsmen?" asked the chuunin, cautious now. Naruto could just tell that more ninja had approached.

"Maybe," said Naruto.

"His chakra level is high enough to rival a Kage," said the Hyuuga. "And there is an unusual sword at his belt."

"Got me again, then," said Naruto. "Well, answer this, Hyuuga. Who am I?"

"I don't make it my habit to learn the names of foreign missing-nin," the Hyuuga replied, but the chuunin clearly recognised Naruto to be- whoever it was he thought Naruto was.

"Bah, and there I thought my reputation preceded me," replied Naruto.

"You want to join Konoha, then?" The chuunin asked.

"Nope, I'm here on "holiday", ain't I?" Naruto said. "So, am I in or not?"

The chuunin filled out the form, writing down the name of one of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist. Naruto recognised it, even though he'd forgotten it in the past, having no need for it, besides, what were the chances he'd actually meet- well, he'd met two of the Seven.

"You're in for a week," said the chuunin, handing Naruto a pass, as he had no papers to stam. "You must leave at the end of the week or apply for reconsideration." He was quite a bit ruder than last time, although maybe he was too surprised to react in the same robotic manner he usually greeted people with.

Naruto waved his thanks as he headed into the village. Yet already he could feel the eyes of the shinobi following him.

"Might get a decent meal first or something," he muttered, a bit louder than one might. He headed deeper into the village, to the areas he had always recalled as crowded. And he disappeared into the crowds, blending in like a seasoned professional, his unusual characteristics not enough to spot him amongst the sea of people.

After about half an hour of walking, the Hokage Residence stood in front of him. He could feel the eyes of the ninja on him, they'd found him eventually. Well, he was here now; he may as well make a big entrance.

What better tribute to Anselm than something absolutely insane?

Tsunade had been speaking to her apprentice when the ground shook, and they felt it even in the building.

"Earthquake?" Sakura asked aloud, but then the sky lit up outside. The two went to the window, and saw people panicking, screaming, running- as fires flared up on the road, spelling a word.

N A R U T O

And in front of the flames and under the smoke, they could see a dark shape. They peered, straining their eyes, and saw him, the old man in black, arms crossed over his chest. And he was laughing.

His magnified voice reached them. "Dramatic, is it not?"

It was older, grittier than the first time she heard it, but Tsunade recognised that voice, and any doubts she had about the story she'd heard about Naruto aging were dispelled then and there.

"Konoha!" His voice roared into the air. "I'm back!"

AN: Naruto is back in black.

Let me see, how did I write this chapter? About a third of it before my extended break from fanfiction, then I ended up rewriting pretty much the entire thing.

Okay, time to fix any potential plot holes. Firstly, the broadsword. That's just pretty much an ornament right now. I've got no plans for Naruto to use it at the moment. Think of it like a remembrance item, save with more killing potential.

Secondly, yes, the entrance thing was a bit crazy, but Naruto feels a bit crazy at the moment.

Thirdly, there are eight Akatsuki members left, Hidan and Kakuzu aren't dead yet.

Lastly- yes, I know that the end lacked the usual conclusion scene by the writer. I just felt it didn't need one this chapter.

I'm sure there are more stuff I've missed, and you guys are just going to keep on pointing that out to me. Joy. Absolute joy.

I pretty much wrote this entire chapter just this week. Yeah, sorry for taking months to do a week's job- hell, I think it may have been half a week. Er...yeah, sorry.

I'd intended to be a dick and not bother working on it, when I happened to notice that the reviews for Elementary were over 300. Awed, I clicked the button, and read those reviews, and was inspired to finish it off.

Oh, and the chapter title is just to reference Naruto's working solo right now.

OMAKE: What the armour said.

"What would you have me do for this mission, old friend?" Naruto asked.

"You son of a bitch!" The armour screamed. "Leaving me on a fucking stand to gather dust! You should put me on and crush those Akatsuki pussies! At least take the broadsword!"

"I'll take it, but I doubt I'll use it. I'm not particularly skilled with it."

"Just like your dick, then."

"That was a very tasteless response."