I own nothing.

Zero fullbuster – you are welcome

Antishyguy weegee – You know, I wondered when someone was going to figure out the scissors thing. I thought it would be a fun little nod to the show. Just don't expect any characters to make an appearance.

Xirons20 – He's still figuring a few things out, and I'm glad someone is being patient with the pace I'm moving at.

Jablanco – glad you think so. I thought for sure it would be boring given there wasn't much fighting.

Xirons20 – I don't think the gate of Babylon is going to happen, maybe just a version of Vergil's "make it rain" attack only on a smaller scale. Like I said, Ea, now named Gilgamesh is going to be nerfed.

Xirons20 – glad you thought so.

Drakon45 – don't worry, it will come, but not right away.

Spark681 – He'll find a few things, but I won't reveal what here.

Alaxbird – It is okay. As for the scissors it may be random, but I might throw in a random omake.

Guest – You'll find out soon.

Guest – you'll find out in this chapter, but to be honest, not much has changed.

Zero fullbuster – glad you'll like it, and you'll see them coming.

Nickclause – glad you liked it.

Dragoncyber22 – I might do a brother story to this, or something random. I hope that you like it.

NC Blueryu – glad to know you are interested.

Yurushimo The Forgiving Dragon – In order of review: not everyone's actions are considered reasonable. I mean people can be. Naruto and Sasuke are their descendants, but not their reincarnations. Six Paths Sage Mode might happen. I think I might just make it a one-time power up. Glad you like it.

PikaMew1288 – Also in order: no curses don't negate magic, but they are immune to magic canceling objects, such as face. This also means that Naruto may have difficulty stomaching them. Yes, Naruto is a dragon god slayer at this point in time. I don't know about either a magic god or magic dragon slayer, but I do have an idea for that such as if Naruto is fighting and is running low on magic in the elemental nations or Edolas. Sky god slayers and sky dragon slayers do not have the ability to replenish magic in the air, though that would be cool. And I think that Toneri would probably win, as he can negate the Heavenly Push with is own ability, and with his speed, which rivaled Naruto's, who was far stronger than when he originally fought Pain, then I think Pain would be eating all of his teeth by the end of the fight.

Chapter 10: Claiming Inheritance and the enemy grows stronger

With his inheritance now firmly in his hands, Naruto proceeded to make his way away from the village outskirts. As Naruto approached the walls, Naruto used his scissors to cut through the wall and appear outside. Naruto then proceeded to book it as fast as he could. After getting a good distance from the village Naruto stopped.

The boy sighed and said, "Okay, let's see. I need to get to Uzu fast. I think I know how. I just hope they don't mind being used like this.

Naruto rolled up his sleeve. Naruto bit the inside of his cheek, reached into his mouth with his finger, to gather the blood, and pressed it into the seal array on his arm. The seal glowed for a moment as Naruto raised his hand into the air and slammed it onto the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu: Thunderbird!"

A sealing array spread across the ground before a cloud of smoke formed.

There was a moment of silence. Then the sound of flapping wings filled the air.

With a powerful flap of its wings a large bird that resembled an eagle, with dark blue feathers that turned lighter with electric blue wing tips, three long feathers on its head, a yellow hooked beak, and sharp talons let out a cry as lighting bolts sparked along its wingspan.

The bird turned its head towards Naruto and asked, "How may I be of service, master?"

Naruto said, "I need to travel and fast. A place of my heritage lies in ruins and unguarded, and I need to get and quick. Is this task worth your effort?"

The bird nodded and said, "If it is important to your heritage, then yes. I shall grant your request master."

Naruto nodded and leapt onto the summons back.

With a powerful flap, the large bird launched them into the air and then flew off in a direction Naruto specified. Naruto then sent the large bird in a certain direction. As they flew, Naruto couldn't stop himself from remembering the day he signed the contract. Naruto was immediately reverse summoned to the home of the legendary summons. Naruto was shocked to find himself surrounded by a multitude of creatures, of all shapes and sizes. Naruto had to prove himself worthy of the title of summoner and wound up having to fight ten of their strongest fighters. One by one, Naruto came out on top, but the end of it left him with his magic drained and suffering from chakra exhaustion, a testament to how strong these creatures were. They also made sure that Naruto understood certain rules. Many of these spirits were made for combat, and they didn't like being summons for trivial reasons, or without just cause. If he did, then they would likely turn violent.

Naruto summoned his lacrima and told the bird which way to go. However, Naruto didn't know that he would be running into some old friends.

Meanwhile in wave country…

Sakura sighed as she looked out the window of her hotel.

In the years that followed the wave mission, the small village had become a major port town for the land of fire, or at least one of the major ones. Tazuna had gone from bridge builder to harbor master, now in charge of all import and exports, and his grandson Inari was well on his way to taking his grandfather's place. The once destitute looking town was thriving, and it was thanks to them.

Sakura sighed as she remembered her first mission, and it wasn't entirely pleasant. She remembered stand beside Tazuna to guard him, but not doing any of the fighting as opposed to Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi.

Sakura got up and walked over to leave her room to get some air. As she did, she passed a mirror and glanced at herself.

Her years of active training showing results. She now had some more definition in her muscles, a sign of physical strength. Her hair was now neck length and didn't have as much gloss to it. Her hands, once soft and smelling of fruity skin cream, were now harder and more calloused.

Sakura couldn't help but notice the differences between herself now and when she went on that mission nearly three years ago. Since then she looked back on herself with disdain and disgust. Her belief in her own skills due to her status as "kunoichi of the year" blinding her to the truth of just how far behind she was, especially when she found herself in an actual life or death situation.

Sakura shook her head for a moment, and a knock came from the door.

"Come in," she called.

Moments later Lee walked in. He and Sakura had gotten closer over the past couple of months as she had gone go Guy for taijutsu training, since her team still didn't seem to care. At the same time, her old friendship with Ino was improving but it was slow. The other members were a little reluctant to trust her, but at least they were starting to come around.

"I sensed that you were upset Sakura," Lee said, "Is something bothering you?"

Sakura sighed and said, "To be honest, yes, I'm having some difficulty with the subject. Do you really think that Orochimaru has an old base out here? Given how Wave is, I don't think they would want to risk bringing the elemental nation down on them by associating with criminals."

Lee said, "As they say, Sakura. Desperation does attract vultures. It is possible a base was set up while they were still in poverty before your team freed them."

Sakura nodded in understanding. When she arrived across the bridge they found a small shrine dedicated to Naruto. On the bridge there was even a plaque that said, "The great Naruto bridge. Named after the young hero who gave us hope again."

Lee noticed her look and said, "You miss him, don't you?"

Sakura sighed and said, "Yeah…looking back…I feel like such a tool treating him like I did. He was nothing but nice to me and I treated him like dirt. I can't help but wonder what would have changed if I had actually said yes to his dates?"

Lee said, "Do not worry, Sakura. Look at how you've changed. Your mindset is different, you have become and impressive kunoichi thanks to Guy-Sensei's instruction, and you've proven the past few missions that you are no longer that foolish girl. You have changed and definitely for the better."

Sakura smiled at Lee's words and said, "Thanks. That's not the only reason I'm nervous though."

Lee nodded and said, "Sasuke…"

It was no secret that the Konoha 11, 10 if you asked a few as they didn't consider Sasuke or Sai members, were distrustful of Sasuke since he started going on missions. The Uchiha was just as arrogant as before, and Kakashi wasn't helping with his obvious favoritism. It was only out of necessity that he and his team were working with them.

"Anyway, we better get moving Sakura," Lee said, "Kakashi wants us at the base at first light."

Sakura nodded as she stood up, shaking what was left of the sleep from her eyes.

Meanwhile…

Kakashi was going over the map of the area, deciding on the was the best way to go. He noticed a flash of light and glanced out the window to see the lighting going across the sky. He eyed it carefully and made a note of it for later.

He then turned towards the map and rolled it up. He thought back to what happened when they first got this mission to come out here.

Flashback…

Kakashi, Guy, Lee, Sakura, Sasuke, Sai, and Tenten, all stood in front of Danzo.

"I have called you all here for a special mission," he said, "This is mission is A-ranked and may turn S-rank if we are not careful. Do you understand the danger?"

They all nodded.

"We have recently received intel form Jiraiya. We believe that an old base of his is located a few miles from Wave Country."

Sakura looked surprised, something that Danzo noticed.

"Is there a problem Chunin Haruno?" Danzo asked.

Sakura answered, "Nothing lord sixth. It's just that…I didn't think Wave would have any ties to Orochimaru."

Danzo said, "You never truly know who someone is, Haruno. You should learn that."

Lee said, "Lord Sixth, what exactly do you expect us to find in this old base?"

Danzo said, "Unknown. Unfortunately, Jiraiya's reports didn't give us the full details, but we believe he may have been using it to build weapons, and possibly send them out via Waves trading system. However, the base seems to be abandoned, lying in ruins. Keep on alert. If you can say with certainty that it is abandoned, find out all you can. If you run into enemy resistance take them down or bring them back for questioning. You leave within the hour."

After confirming their orders, the group left, however, Danzo stopped Kakashi.

"Kakashi," he said, "I have a special mission for you."

Kakashi approached Danzo again and asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Danzo said, "There is another reason for this mission. The "base" is in fact, the remains of Uzushiogakure."

Kakashi nodded and asked, "What do you wish for me to do?"

Danzo answered, "The Uzumaki clan were capable of developing seals that could hold back the power of the tailed beasts. With Jiraiya being scarce nowadays we need some more work with the sealing arts, especially when the Kyuubi returns."

Danzo was no fool. While the others celebrated, he knew that eventually the monstrous fox would reform and, most likely, seek them out for revenge. When that happened, he intended to be ready, and have the seals necessary to seal away the great beast in a vessel of his choosing. He would then mold the vessel into Konoha's perfect weapon, with an unshakable loyalty. He might skip on the emotionless training, though, he as remembered the Gaara boy and what his mental state did for him.

Danzo continued, "You are to stake out the area. While the village was most likely raided in the siege, it is unlikely that the Uzumaki would let their secrets be taken so easily. You are to find where the inner sanctum was kept."

He reached into a drawer and pulled out a vial with a red substance in it.

"This vial contains a sample of Naruto's blood, which we acquired during a routine blood test during a physical exam. Use this to get into the sanctum. Once you do, get your summons to transport what you find back to the village. Understood?"

Kakashi nodded at the orders and asked, "Is there any chance we may encounter real sound ninja on this mission?"

Danzo responded, "No…however in the off chance that Orochimaru does have someone lurking around take them down or bring them back for questioning."

Flasback end…

Kakashi sighed as he finished going over the map. With that, he stood up and prepared to head out to the ruins.

Meanwhile…

A few miles outside of Wave Country, and a good deal closer to the ruins, a woman sat at a campfire roasting some fish. Around her were a few other people, each one wearing a headband with a symbol…a musical note.

The woman was beautiful, with fair skin, red lipstick, dark eyes, and light blue hair that framed her face and kept in a spiky ponytail. She wore a green dress with the left sleeve long and right sleeve short, a red turtleneck with a white fluffy collar, and brown gloves. On her feet, were calf length, brown boots.

This was Guren. One of Orochimaru's followers.

She glanced up at the sky and saw lightning dancing between the clouds. Her eyebrow raised as she saw that it wasn't normal.

"That's strange," she said aloud.

"What is?" one of her subordinates asked.

She said, "Nothing, just thinking."

Flashback again…

"You called for me, Lord Orochimaru?" Guren asked, as she bowed to her master.

Orochimaru sat on his throne, at least it could be called a throne,

"Tell me Guren…what do you know about the Uzumaki clan?" the snake sannin asked.

Guren looked confused as she answered, "I do not know much about them…sir."

Orochimaru answered, "I'm not surprised. The Uzumaki clan supposedly went extinct during the Third Shinobi War. Their numbers scattered to the wind, and their home lay in ruins."

Guren said, "I hate to question you my lord, but what do you have need for a dead clan?"

Orochimaru smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. The Uzumaki clan were masters in the art of seals, known for their large reserves of chakra, and long lifespans. They were so powerful it took the combined might of the major ninja villages, except Konoha, to defeat them. Now, I have received word that a group of Konoha ninja are heading there now. I want you to go there and stop them. Keep them from getting their hands on the ruins. If capable bring them back here for questioning. If they are after those old ruins, I want to know why."

Guren acknowledged her orders and left.

As she did, Orochimaru leaned back in his throne. He thought to himself and wondered just what Danzo was planning. He knew about the death of the Uzumaki boy and that he was being blamed for it. Now he had not problem with this, but it meant that his movements were hampered slightly by new countries putting bounties on his head. He wondered what Danzo was planning with the Uzumaki family secrets. Either way, Danzo had thrown him into an unfavorable position with the whole passing the buck thing, and he intended to get some payback. He also had a feeling that he his personal spy network hadn't come across the information just by chance. What was Danzo up to?

Flashback end…

Guren didn't want to question her master as she wanted his respect and to be of use to him in the future. However, she couldn't help but feel that something was off during all this. At least Yukimaru was okay.

She laid back as she thought back to the strange phenomenon she saw earlier. After a moment, she reached a decision.

The Uzu ruins…

Naruto and his large bird friend landed with a soft sound. Naruto got off the bird and said, "Thank you for the ride my friend."

The large bird nodded and then vanished from sight in a large blast of smoke.

Naruto then turned and saw the ruins of his ancestral home. The place was completely in pieces, broken bridges, crushed homes. The place had seen better days.

Naruto summoned his communication lacrima and activated it, showing the image of his mother.

"Mom I'm in Uzu," Naruto said, "Where am I supposed to go?"

Kushina rubbed her chin in thought and answered, "The inner sanctum is underground, near the middle of the village where the leader's mansion was supposed to be. It'll be marked on your map. However, I should tell you this is going on by memory, so the location might be a little bit off."

Naruto nodded at this, and the map appeared. Naruto then ran through the ruins jumping from rubble to rubble. A part of him wishing he had the chance to reform the old city. Naruto found the location but found that there was only a wrecked building. Naruto closed his eyes and used his sensor ability combined with the echolocation technique. Naruto was able to sense the inner sanctum in a building that was across the broken remains of a street.

Naruto approached it and found the entrance was ruined and would most likely crumble if he was not careful. Naruto slowly and cautiously made his way through the building, keeping his echolocation and sensor combination going so he could look out for weaknesses in the floor. After crossing the main room, he found himself at a secret elevator.

Allowing himself normal vision, he reached out to the wall, and performed the echolocation technique again, this time through his hand, which allowed him to sense thing in much more detail, if they were hidden, including the device used to bring the elevator.

Naruto pressed the secret button which brought up the elevator to the inner sanctum. Naruto stepped into the elevator and was surprised to not hear it groan from the change in weight. Naruto looked around and saw that there were some seals on the walls. The seals were made for preservation and from their design, he guessed that they still had some power left in them.

Naruto then hit a button and rode down the elevator. After a minute, with horrible elevator music, they arrived at the inner sanctum.

Naruto walked in and was somewhat surprised. The sanctum was completely empty, except for one thing. There were a few skeletons with tattered clothe. Naruto walked over to the bodies and saw they each hand headbands for hidden stone, mist, cloud, sand. Apparently, someone had found the inner sanctum before, but they weren't able to get passed the security around it.

Naruto examined them and saw that, from their positions, their bodies had been blown backwards.

"What the hell did this?" Naruto asked aloud.

Naruto examined the wall where the ninja had been thrown. Naruto saw that they had ben thrown from a podium across the room. Naruto walked towards it and found the podium had a gold disk on it. Naruto guessing what need to be done, pressed his hand against the pad and sent chakra into it. Naruto let out a surprised yelp as he felt small spikes come out of the pad and cut his hand. Naruto stepped back as the blood was absorbed into the plate. Suddenly, the plate flipped revealing a mechanical eye. The eye let out a beam that spread horizontally. It ran down the room and started running down. Naruto pulled out a kunai knife and pushed it up into the beam's path, showing that it wasn't harmful.

Naruto then let the beam pass over him. The beam died after a moment, and then flipped over revealing the plate again and the podium sank into the ground. There was a loud rumble and the walls around him began to rise. Naruto got into a stance, expecting something to happen. Naruto eyes widened as he saw the sanctum was massive and had dozens of objects in them. Scrolls, massive ryo notes, gold, silver, jewels and all kinds of other things.

Naruto whistled in astonishment and was about to go through it all, when he realized that it was not a good idea. He needed to get going and fast. Unsealing the urn from his coat, Naruto proceeded to activate it, sucking up everything that was in the room. Once everything was gone Naruto resealed the urn.

Naruto then decided it would be a good idea to leave a little something for anyone who might have a reason to come down here. Naruto then unseal his shakujo and proceeded to create a nasty little surprise for the next person who came down there.

With that, Naruto stood up walked up the elevator and proceeded to leave. As he did, he noticed that the sun was starting to rise on the horizon, and took a brief moment to appreciate it.

Naruto walked out and was about to summon his lacrima when his danger senses went off. Naruto then jumped back as the ground exploded in front of him. Turning in the direction of the blast, he saw a group of shinobi.

Guren and her group had arrived.

"I wasn't expecting someone to come through to these old ruins," Guren said as she walked forward smiling at Naruto's still mask-covered face.

Naruto answered, "Who are you supposed to be?"

Guren said, "I don't have a reason to tell you my name, boy. Though I do want you to tell me why you are here. Are you allied with Konoha?"

Naruto scowled at the girl and answered, "I don't see how that is any of your business."

Guren didn't lose her smile as she said, "Well, even if you aren't with Konoha, our master Orochimaru would love to have a word or two with you."

Naruto scoffed and said, "Sorry…not interested. Bye."

Naruto reached into his cloak and launched a wave of flash bombs at the group of ninjas. Guren reacted quickly summoning a large crystal. The object absorbed the light, diverting it in different directions and preventing Guren and her team from going blind. However, it was all it took. Naruto quickly harnessed his swift release and proceeded to vacate the area, getting a good distance away.

Naruto cocked his head to side as he saw where they were.

Naruto thought, 'What were sound ninja doing here? What does Orochimaru want with these ruins. Oh well, if I'm lucky the snake and his little minions will be caught up in my little surprise.'

Naruto then summoned his lacrima, brining up the image of his mother again.

"Hey, mom, I got everything from the ruins, but it looks like we might have some unwanted company," the blond said, "Orochimaru's people were here, but I'm not sure why."

Kushina answered, "You had time against you, and you didn't know the full situation. It was a good idea for you to back away. Now then I suggest you get out of there before more of them show up. Come home, we'll plan our next move after that."

Naruto nodded and put his lacrima away. He then pulled out his scissors and prepared to cut through to fabric of reality to return to his base but stopped when he heard an explosion. Naruto turned towards the ruins, thinking it was his surprise, but was shocked to see that it was too small.

"You there! Stop!"

Naruto turned at the sound of the familiar voice. He was surprised to see Rock Lee, Tenten, Neji, and Sakura fighting against them.

Bring his hand up to his communicator, Neji said, "This is Team 2, we've found another person on the outside of the ruins. Orders sir?"

Before any of them could react, Naruto shot forward using swift release. None of them could react fast enough to stop him as he grabbed the communicators from their heads and crushed them in his hand. This action made them all tense.

"What was that?" Tenten yelled, "I barely saw him move!"

Naruto looked between the group. Lee, Tenten, and Neji hadn't changed much, the only difference being a change in clothes and height. Naruto noted that Lee now wore a chuunin vest and was glad for his fellow dead last/hard head.

His attention turned to Sakura, who looked nice in his eyes. While he was over his crush, he could still appreciate looks, in his mind, and he saw that she was different. Her hands were slightly calloused, and she had gained some muscle over the past year.

"Who are you?" Lee repeated.

Naruto didn't answer. Just turning and walking away. It was not the time to fight someone. He was stronger now and was confident that he could win, but he didn't see the point as he had what he came for. If there was one thing that his teachers taught him, it was when to avoid conflict as well as when to engage.

Naruto simply answered, "My name is of no importance."

Naruto then used swift release to once again get away. The group moved to detain him for questioning but stopped when they saw he was gone. Neji activated his byakugan but found him nowhere nearby.

"Drat," the Hyuuga prodigy said, "Who was that?"

Naruto sighed as he came to a stop. As much as he wanted to stay and watch the fireworks, he needed to get going.

Naruto then used his scissors to cut open a portal and then made his way though it. Back to Earthland.

Naruto entered the compound and was immediately approached by his father and mother.

"Did you get it?" Kushina asked.

Naruto nodded and proceeded to take out his urn and opened it. With a flash of a hand sign, the urn shook and everything that he had in it shot out.

Kushian squealed as everything that was of great importance to her clan came out gleaming beautifully as it did.

"Yay!" she yelled happily, "Take that Orochimaru and your two-bit invasion squad!"

Minato said, "Right now, we need to go through all this. Figure out what we're going to do with it. after that, we need to figure out who we are going to recruit next."

Naruto nodded as he resealed everything in the urn and they went inside.

Kushina asked, "By the way, was Orochimaru the only one there?"

Naruto answered, "No. I ran into a Konoha team after that. My guess is that Danzo sent them to try and grave rob the place.

Kushina scowled and said, "Oh did they now? Are you sure you didn't leave anything behind?"

Naruto answered, "I'm sure…but I did leave a little surprise for them."

Back in Uzushio…

Kakashi felt pretty good about the whole thing. The mission had gone rather well. Kakashi was surprised that actual sound ninja had shown up, but that only made the image of this place being a base used by Orochimaru seem more realistic. When they arrived at the ruins, Kakashi sent Sakura, Neji, Tenten, and Lee to go check out the perimeter, while he, Guy, Sasuke, and Sai confronted the main force. He was surprised to hear about the blond man but decided to leave that alone for the moment.

Right now, Kakashi was in the elevator going down to the inner sanctum. He smirked under his mask as he found the elevator easily and thought that this was easy. Unfortunately, due to his cockiness of the situation, he didn't consider the fact that it was probably to easy.

The elevator stopped and Kakashi stepped out and stopped when he heard a hissing sound. The traitor to the Namikaze family looked surprised as he saw a large fuse, one that had been lit when he pressed the button to the elevator, was now lit, and winding down. His visible eye widened in shock as he saw that the fuse lead to some insanely sized cherry bombs. One the wall was written, "Sucker!"

Realizing he wouldn't have enough time to defuse the bombs, and not wanting to risk setting off another trap, he spun around towards the elevator shaft, using a lighting jutsu to blast through the roof of the elevator, and charged up it as fast as chakra could allow him.

The bombs went off, blasts of fire racing up the tunnel. Kakashi managed to get out the way, but just, leaving painful burns on his legs and back. The blast shot Kakashi out the elevator shaft.

"Kakashi!" Guy yelled seeing his rival get thrown from the building. The blast had another effect, as the ground became unstable and began to crumble.

Guy shot out and grabbed Kakashi, managing to get to safety before the ground fell out from under them.

Several people immediately came to the blast, and Sakura got to work with what limited knowledge she knew on medicine to start healing him.

"Damn," Tenten said, "Somebody sure knows their explosives. I didn't think Orochimaru would be one to set up his base to explode."

Lee said, "The snake is a tricky one. I wouldn't be surprised if he faked the information just to lure some of us here to a death trap."

Neji said, "I'm not entirely sure it was a death trap. If there was something down there, it is gone now. Most likely, the blast was to destroy any real evidence linking him to this place."

Sakura looked up from her position healing Kakashi and said, "Lord sixth isn't going to like this."

Kakashi thought, 'No, he is not.'

As this was happening, nobody noticed a bird on a tree nearby. A bird with purple eyes that had a black ripple pattern surrounding a black dot for a pupil.

Meanwhile…

The animal path's eyes widened as she stood up from her position. Since the recruitment of the new members of the Akatsuki, the leader of the Akatsuki had decided to put some of his other powers to use. The animal summoned by the animal path, with effort, could look completely normal and were currently being used as spies throughout the villages. They were only a few as keeping track of them really strained the female puppet/zombie and were mainly used to relay information about the jinchuuriki. However, if it looked like something was interested a second spy would act.

The path walked through the Akatsuki base. As she walked, she passed the various members of the Akatsuki interact with one another. It passed a workshop where it heard Deidara currently bothering Sasori and Gein about someone performing an incredible feat of art as they worked on a large puppet together. With Iwanbo, or what was left of the giant dismantled puppet, a few feet away.

She passed Fuji and Kisame in a sword duel, the monster of the hidden mist and the destroying yang were dead even with each other, with Saizuchi watching from a distance.

She passed Kakuzu apparently experimenting with his masks and threads, but for what she couldn't tell.

She passed Deidara and Kamatari having a conversation and laughing it up.

She passed Itachi and Usui sparring with one another, the Uchiha testing his limits against the blind man, a change as this was someone who was naturally immune to genjutsu.

Anji was currently mediating, joined by Tobi who was quite obviously sleeping from his position.

Henya just stood off to the side, speaking with Zetsu…a solid black zetsu with yellow eyes.

Seta was practicing his sword skills.

Finally, the woman came across Konan.

"What is it?" Konan said, turning towards the path.

The animal path said, "It would seem another figure has revealed himself. Last night, our eyes in Konoha saw a figure moving through the village to key points. While it did not attack, it apparently made off with nothing. It was either a scouting mission, or they were simply checking the village's security. The same figure was seen with watching the confrontation between some of Orochimaru's men and Konoha ninja. He took something form there and planted explosives to prevent them from gaining anything. That is all to report."

Konan nodded and said, "Very well. Keep watching, if you see this man again alert us. He may be in league with the one who saved the one-tailed jinchuuriki from the symbols men."

With that, the animal path nodded and walked away. Konan then turned and left the room. She went down several halls before she opened the door to Hiruko's lab. In the process, she nearly ran into Hidan, who was just leaving.

"Lady Konan," Hiruko said happily, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Konan said, "I came for a status report."

Hiruko cleared his throat and said, "Well, first off, Hidan, as you've noticed has taken to these worms quite well. These, nameless worms, as they are called by the journal, have caused great changes in his body. He ca now go several hours without oxygen, at least three times the length of time without food or water, and his wounds now heal themselves, so Kakuzu won't have to worry about sewing him up whenever he gets hurt...he'll be happy to hear that."

Konan asked, "And your other experiments."

Hiruko nodded and turned towards a monitor. Switching it on, he showed a large tree with a glowing green orb at the top. Inside the orb, was a barely visible man.

The scientist explained, "Well, since we managed to fully use of the genetic materials found in the lab, this man has been able to help us produce dozens of White Zetsu, and even form the black and white alpha zetsu, as I call them. As for the rest of Orochimaru's experiments, I have yet to fully grasp the concept of the curse marks, and the Zetsu…haven't exactly taken well to them.

Konan nodded and said, "And the other project?"

With a smile behind his collar, Hiruko lead her to a large tube with a man floating in it. Small worms were crawling all over his skin, while a special mask and devices kept them from entering his body and taking roost.

Hiruko said, "The use of the nameless worm's ability to heal a host is remarkable. Within two days, Shishio should be back to his ful health before he was nearly burned to death?"

Konan nodded and said, "And the other project?"

Hiruko shook his head and walked towards a bookcase near the back. He pulled a book and the case moved to the side. Inside was another tube, mirroring the one Shishio was in. Inside you could make out a somewhat frail looking man with white hair that was slowly turning red.

Hiruko said, "With the damage to his spine, and the malnutrition from lack of movement, sunlight, and all the other issues, I estimate that it may take two to three months before he can leave the chamber. Thankfully the device attached to his neck is keeping his mind focused, and he should be able to keep control over the six paths."

Konan nodded in understanding. With that the two left, leaving Nagato to heal from the wounds inflicted on him years ago.

Cut! Okay, this chapter was mainly to set up some stuff that Naruto and his group will be getting later on, as well as give up what's going on with the Konoha kids. I fell that Sakura would have changed the most as she is not only over her crush on Sasuke, something that should have happened after the second fight with Naruto in canon, but the others are remaining the same. I also have an idea for who I am going to recruit next, and who else is going to get an awesome weapon/weapons.

Legendary Summons Contract – these summon creatures are just as they described legendary. It is said that these were the first summons of the world, mutated and transformed by either the sage of six paths, or by the chakra of the ten-tailed beast. The truth behind their origins is currently unknown. However, it is believed that they existed long before humans, and hid themselves away from even the summons with the permission of the three goddesses.

Either way, they make up incredible beasts from beautiful and majestic to horrifying and vicious. As of Now, Naruto is the only known summoner of these powerful beasts. Each summons either has a specific power, others fight more effectively as groups, alone, or are more suited for recon or other jobs.

Known summons: Thunderbird.