Chapter Eleven: The Big Arrival! Er, sort of. The extra-dimensional trio arrives in Konoha and has an official meeting with the Hokage. The aftermath of N Naruto, Itari, and Alt Kisame's disappearance is revealed. The bet made by Arashi and Jiraiya comes to an end. Meanwhile, something unnatural is going on with Akatsuki's secret leader.

Special Thanks to DragonKnightRyu for being this story's beta reader.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own Naruto Shippuden, or anything unique to it. The show and manga are owned by Kishimoto-Massashi. I think I do own Namikaze Naruto though, or at least the one in this fiction since as of yet Naruto hasn't changed his name in the manga, and also Anko's snake summon. Tanshin is also one of my creations, along with some jutsu I made up. I do not own Uchiha Itari, both the name and her appearance belong to fellow author BigCC. The Fusion Sword belongs to the team who worked one FFVII: Advent Children and, just to be safe, Square Enix. Also, there may be parts of this story where I combine certain things from the English, and Japanese parts of Naruto.

"Normal Speech"

Normal Thoughts

'Human Speech' (Inside Mindscape)

'Human Thought'(Inside Mindscape)

"Lip Reading"(Not so often in this fic)

"Bijuu Speech"(Outside Mindscape)

-Bijuu Speech-(Inside Mindscape)

'Bijuu Thought'

"Summons Speech"(With certain exceptions)

'Summons Thoughts' (With certain exceptions)


Alternate Shinobi Dimension: Amegakure Apartment

A light bulb hanging from the center of a room's ceiling flickered rapidly alongside a series of muffled curses before going dark. Distantly the far off sound of an explosion was heard followed by a mild rattling of the entire room. The door to the room swung open as a tall male figure walked in, stopping only to turn off the lights in the hallway behind him before a closer explosion was felt and the lights flickered out. In total darkness he turned in the dark and looked around the room he had stepped in. A leather gloved hand ran through gravity defying violet spiky hair as the other arm maneuvered to secure a better grip on a collection of scrolls. Heaving a sigh the figure walked over to the nearest table, stepping over a sleeping mass along the way, before setting the scrolls down.

Spreading them out all over the table he trailed a single hand over the seals keeping their knowledge hidden. Mumbling about the lack of lighting his gaze went back towards the room's single light. The man focused heavily in the direction and felt the prickle of static dance around his entire body and crackle lowly within the room. Seconds later the light began to flicker with life once again before it fully illuminated the room. Tilting his head in satisfaction his focus dropped, leaving behind the statically-charged air and the faint scent of ozone to permeate the room.

The man wore a tattered brown cloak which looked ready to fall away on its own any second. Beneath that was a curiously colored orange and green Konoha flak jacket which was left unzipped. Unlike the standard jumpsuit commonly worn by experienced Shinobi of his village he had on a jumpsuit made of reptilian-scales underneath the jacket which caught off at the elbow. His left and right forearms prominently displayed a tattoo of the kanji symbol for sixth and alligator respectively. Wrapped around his waist was a gray sash where seven sharp blades were hooked. The blades themselves resembled kunai in the way a katana did a ninjato. Unlike a normal kunai the blade was two inches longer with the hilt missing the ring and replaced with a curved blade.

He wore a green cloth facemask and his hitai-ate was placed in a collar like position around his neck tied at the back by white cloth. Light danced across brown eyes as they darkened in annoyance. His dark violet colored hair seemed to grow even spikier in the shadow over the table. The skin that was visible appeared to be utterly flawless in complexion, aside from what lay hidden by several reddened bandages and bruises, and perfectly tanned from time spent constantly moving outside civilized areas.

The man was about to open up the nearest scroll when his body became still. He felt claws dig into the leather of his right pant leg as the mass from earlier climbed up his body. The claws came to a stop on his back when the head of a well sized brown orange-stripped lizard planted itself on the same shoulder as the leg it had first came in contact with. His head turned a fraction to the side and stared into a pair of eyes constantly changing color. The lizard bobbed its head as it hissed something out.

After rolling his eyes the figure shot the lizard an amused look before speaking. "I did not bring you any rare frogs this time." He watched as the lizard's head fell back on his shoulder and it let out a pitiful sound that bordered on a whine. "If I always brought you presents then you'd be spoiled, and that is something that will probably force me to kick you out. Now please stop with the reptile speech would you? I'm not in the mood to translate in my head right now."

The eyes of the lizard settled on a milky blue color as the creature glared up at him. "You would never do that. If you did no one would ever watch over this mess of a house for you, Tanshin."

Shrugging his free shoulder Hatake Tanshin continued to stare down his lizard while opening up the scroll. "You know that isn't really much of a reason considering just where we are, so having someone watch over it is going to be a moot point soon my, future leather belt."

"Bite me."

"No thanks. I don't know where you've been in this place since I left this morning Yamori."

"You wouldn't have to worry about that if you took the damned time to actually clean anything around here!" The reptile retorted heatedly before flicking his tongue at Tanshin. The Hatake snorted at Yamori's apparently ridiculous statement. Tanshin gestured with a tilt of the head down to the table and watched as Yamori's tongue retracted back into his mouth. He watched the lizard climb over his shoulder and down his flak jacket before jumping onto the table. A single scroll by the edge slipped off before being immediately caught by Tanshin.

"Careful when you do that. These things are not easy to come by."

Yamori rounded on him before flicking his long whip-like tail to wrap around another scroll that also looked ready to fall off the side. Setting the scroll in a more secure position the reptile curled the tail behind his hind legs and used it to move up onto two legs. The meter long lizard linked two large front claws together in the way a human would cross their arms while opening his mouth to speak, "I am going to make the assumption that these are your…special scrolls, correct?"

"They are."

"Then today is the day?"

"If I wait any longer to use them I risk being caught early. All the waiting I've done to prepare will have been wasted effort otherwise."

Yamori's eyes shifted into a scarlet color before the lizard dropped down to four legs again. He thumped a scroll directly in front of him with his nose so that it rolled to Tanshin. Looking back at the eyes of the young Hatake he raised his tail up before thumping it back down hard. That was as close as the lizard could get to offering an encouraging smile before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. A smaller scroll was left behind in his place before being put away by the man.

Tanshin looked around the room and took everything in…Which meant the always annoying light, the door, and the chipping blue wall paint. The room was not meant to be aesthetically pleasing or comfortable, so placing decorations in it would have been too much wasted time and pointless effort. This was after all just a safe house located in the eastern sector of Amegakure. Sure given his rank Tanshin could have requested an apartment in one of the villages many skyscrapers, but considering that as of that day only a fourth were left standing he felt that he had made the proper accommodations.

The Hatake man closed his eyes and heaved a heavy sigh. If everything went as he had carefully planned them then he would not be seeing his home for quite some time. That was alright with him. Before he and a detachment of Konoha Ninja had left to reinforce their new allies in Ame Tanshin had made sure to…Ensure some closure. He'd spent time with his elder sister, sparred with his mother, and even had a tame conversation with his father. And then the last few hours of time well spent in the company of Tenten. Tanshin made sure that they had no idea of his plans though. The certainty that anyone of them, even his own father, would stop him from going through with his designs would make telling them the stupidest blunder he could make.

Not that he could possibly find a way to blame any of them for their predictable responses. Tanshin was legitimately recognized as the successor to Jiraiya, and as such held the title of Rokudaime Hokage Kōho. The position itself was not one that the young man would have chosen for himself. He knew full well that there were other Konoha ninja that many thought should have the title in his stead. Tanshin would not refute the claims at all, as he had met many more intelligent or powerful than him. And whenever Jiraiya would have him sit in on Council Meetings, Tanshin was well aware of just who the Hokage honestly wanted at his side.

Namikaze Naruto, Uchiha Itari, his sister Hatake Shinyou, and even Nara Shikamaru, were all first rate Shinobi in Tanshin's mind; each one easily just as if not more deserving of becoming Hokage than him. Unfortunately of the short list none were practical at the time. Naruto was a labeled Missing-Nin for nearly eight years now, and was presumed dead along with his fiancé Itari eight months earlier. Shinyou had taken after their father in her steadfast resolve to avoid the title under any circumstance. Shikamaru was…Too unmotivated to properly lead Konohagakure, although that did not stop Tanshin from nominating the man as a potential adviser once he became the actual Rokudaime.

The raging Fourth Shinobi War also factored heavily into his rise in station. Three months into the war the sole heir to the Namikaze Clan, the son of the Yellow Flash, and the heiress to the Uchiha Clan, were officially listed as KIA. With that action Konoha's standing in the eyes of many had plummeted. The deaths of the heirs to two of the most powerful clans residing within the Village had resulted in several once neutral villages rising up in open hostility. Traitor or not, Naruto had been known to be just a step below his father in terms of skill and power, and it had been leaked by Orochimaru that he was the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi no Kitsune. The mere possibility that he could one day return to Konoha's military was enough to subdue many factions in the world where Konoha was involved. Itari was also well known for her speedy rise in the ANBU Black Ops, becoming Captain-Commander of the entire unit at seventeen all the while well known for her total mastery of the Sharingan.

Simply put while Konoha had not suffered a major blow to its strength compared to the rest of its forces, the reputation and image that had been indicative of their power was fractured. Five months earlier, and the war reaching its high point thus far, it was obvious that a new statement needed to be made. That was where Tanshin came in. As first son of the world known Copy-Nin, and grandson of the White Fang, he was of very good stock when it came to lineage and the shear reputation of his name. Then his abilities were added on to his family reputation; namely the dojutsu he openly detested using, and made a point of not using, and his unique Kinton Jutsu. The truth of the matter was that he was merely a show of force on his home's part, chosen for what he was born with and not achieved with his own two hands.

Tanshin was actually happy with just his Kinton. He was the first user of the elemental kekkei genkai, which involved him combining his Raiton, Katon, and Doton affinities to manipulate, and to some extent create, metal in any form. He rarely used any of his normal affinities as he preferred his Kinton to complement his tendency towards kenjutsu and taijutsu. He'd been effective with that on his own and even earned several different names in the bingo books of several nations. His favorite was "Green Switchblade", which had nothing at all to do with the color of his metal, but "Steel Blood" was a close second. And then once he became known amongst the larger powers that be the comparisons between him and his father, which had always been present in some way or another, had risen to new found heights and made his goal of stepping out of Hatake Kakashi's shadow seem even farther away than ever before.

In the end none of this mattered at all. He was, in his eyes, a fake and a well-polished trophy. All the symbolism purposely set out to attract attention, but devoid of the actual worth. The thought birthed a flash of anger which he quickly quashed. He did not want to be the statement of anything; he wanted to be the substance. This was why he had originally agreed to come to Ame weeks earlier under the pretense of establishing a new alliance. It was to keep him out of sight from anyone with an interest in putting a halt to his plans to earn his position.

He sensed a sizable rise in chakra appear just outside the door. With an idea of just who was behind it Tanshin called out, "Come in to talk or die. I'm not in a picky mood right now."

The door swung open to reveal a single Ame Shinobi both roughly his father's age. The man, who smiled thinly at Tanshin with a sliver of self-loathing glinting behind his eyes, had unruly orange hair in a style similar to the Namikaze men he had met. In addition the man had reddened eyes, bags beneath said eyes, looked to have gone days without any bath or shower, and had blue eyes. He wore a crimson colored cloak with black clouds and was pale skinned, a result of living under the perpetually cloudy sky above the majority of his nation's new capital city.

Tanshin saw the small smile turn into a grim line as the man's face became deathly serious. Mumei Yahiko was a man who could do things that many claimed to be nothing more than wishful thinking. Whether by divine providence, the will of fate, or his own skill, Yahiko had turned Amegakure into a powerhouse capable of matching anyone of the Five Great Shinobi Villages. Adding on to this was the power he had garnered after taking power from the official Daimyo of Ame's surrounding nation, becoming the new Daimyo himself and making Ame the first Shinobi Village to double as the capital of one of the Elemental Nations.

Both of these accomplishments should have been near impossible to achieve and, in the event it actually occurred, logically should've lasted less than a decade before being destroyed by infighting. Yet it was undeniable the man standing before Tanshin was truly gifted as it had been close to twenty years since his coming to power. Yahiko's influence was great enough that he was able to openly harbor any Nukenin who swore loyalty to him, something only allowed by the other Villages due to the worthless bloodshed that would result in any war fought on the grounds of capturing traitors. He was a man who Tanshin both admired and respected.

"So often is it that a human being can find the time to be as limited as you, Tanshin, that they must choose whether to speak or perish," Spoke the unofficial Kage Daimyo of Amegakure. He closed the distance between them fast enough and looked up to lock eyes with the younger man. Tanshin was after all between his father and Jiraiya in height. "The situation is not looking well for my home."

Tanshin snorted at the words, "Ame is going to hell." Still, admiration and respect were no reason not to talk to him like he would any other person. He had always been, and strove to always be, very blunt in his choice of words from the moment he could form coherent sentences.

Yahiko narrowed his blue eyes at Tanshin, "Always painfully honest, aren't you? Can you even bother trying to alleviate my down mood? I'm supposed to be chipper and project an aura of certainty and calm. Kami knows that both have been lacking these past two weeks."

The Hatake male waited for the sound of another explosion was heard before responding, "I could have, but then we would have heard that and any progress I made would be negated. I hate wasted effort you know. Besides, this morning I heard that they still had just under ten-thousand Shinobi to your available four and the small escort I brought with me. The difference probably hasn't changed in our favor very much." Then he gestured to the table and the scrolls atop it, "I've finished up my research, if you were about to ask. All that is left to know if they'll work is an actual test."

"Something which will happen within the day I'm sure." Yahiko dryly said before tossing the younger man an unsealed scroll. Tanshin quickly pulled it open and saw that it was a freshly drawn up map of the land surrounding Amegakure along with the village itself. What he first noticed were the actual lines separating the areas the territory still under Yahiko's control, and those the attacking Shinobi Alliance had broken into and stolen from him. The situation overall looked like it had literally gone to hell; if he was reading the map right, which he unfortunately was.

Tanshin moved the map away from his face as Yahiko spoke up, "The enemy force has launched a four way assault. The northern, eastern, and southern most defensive lines are under assault by thousands of primarily Genin and low Chunin level Shinobi. I have members of the Akatsuki spread out between these three to ease the pressure on the fronts. However, several hundred various higher level ninja led the attack of another larger force and broke the western line before I could sufficiently reinforce it. My men along the line were able to contain the majority of this assault before they were pushed too far back, but not before dozens of hostile Jonin had spread out across the village."

"Most of Ame's Shinobi are out holding up the Alliance surrounding the village. But as you know full well, they have the numbers to ensure that at least a dozen teams make it past your forces every day. All that is left in the village now are the teams aiding in the civilian evacuations, and the few hundred you've kept in reserve." Tanshin could see the problem right away. While the Shinobi Alliance threw their cannon fodder to three sections of Ame's defensive lines their most experienced members would break through the fourth. These elites would force their way past the defenders who would have time only to hold back the tidal wave that followed. Once within Ame itself these forces would scatter across the village and wreak havoc amongst the Ame Shinobi in numerous ways. Holding up reserve forces would be one priority, allowing their more numerous allies to overwhelm one or more of the other lines, or simply outflanking the defenders at one point.

"Nagato and I ordered the remains of our reserve units to scatter and hunt down these smaller groups." Yahiko continued once he saw the understanding in Tanshin's brown orbs, "Nagato himself is leading them in the search as well and so far we've kept our enemy from reaching any major installations or strike at the rest of our engaged units."

"And the civilian evacuation is still underway, which means Konan along with the bulk of your top Shinobi are not going to be able to assist in any way for several more hours at the very least." Tanshin interrupted while he placed the scrolls into a pouch strapped to his back. "Despite all of that however, we can both plainly see that there is an obscure but appealing opportunity here."

Yahiko's thin smile returned, but this time it carried a tint of bloodlust and well contained rage, "If you happen to be suggesting we use this to annihilate a significant amount of their top fighters? Then yes, I suppose we both found a proverbial diamond in the rocks. Unless I'm mistaken, your personal force is still fresh and whole?"

Tanshin nodded, "If you know where the biggest concentration of the Alliance Elite are, then I have a plan to take them out quickly."

"That is good to hear. Once the final evacuation is complete Konan and her division will rejoin the battle. If we can make sure that the Alliance division loses their best here and now, then I can begin a counter-attack. A two-to-one fight where the one is of superior quality gives us a chance at breaking this week-long siege."

"And then begin securing the borders along Kaze no Kuni and cutting the Alliance Division there from reinforcements and trapping them." Tanshin interjected mildly. That was the whole purpose behind him being in Ame actually. With Iwa unable to muster up enough Shinobi to do actively go on the offensive, courtesy of their inability to name a new Tsuchikage, the Alliance had cut across Tsuchi no Kuni and launch an offensive along the entire Northwest of Kaze no Kuni. With Suna's military strength weakened in the initial surprise attack they could not afford to send out large enough bodies of troops to beat down the Alliance without leaving itself open to additional attacks.

Hence, the need of Konoha to earn the favor of Ame's great leader. Given Ame's position it was the perfect path to have open for any relief sent to Suna by Konoha. All that was needed was for Ame to provide the resistance needed to halt additional Alliance advances and to put pressure on Kusa, Tani, and Ishi. With the immediate attention of three Shinobi Villages on Ame the time would be right for Konoha to launch a single division to link up with whatever Suna had to spare and engage the enemy division in Kaze no Kuni.

If everything worked out then the division would be gone within two months and Suna would be able to work in conjunction with Konoha and Ame to crush the three villages between them and turn their focus to aiding Kiri and Kumo. Not to mention the added benefits of Konoha taking much of the influence held by the minor villages in the area along the way. Were that to happen then the weak Suna would have no choice but to kowtow to Konoha for some time before they were capable of standing on its own. Ame valued its neutrality so much that so long as Tanshin's home to no action against them there would be no danger from the smaller village.

Yahiko scowled at Tanshin's words before nodding tersely. "Ame is surrounded by three openly hostile powers now. If I can do anything to lower that number, I will make sure we do our part of the treaty."

"Excellent." Tanshin finished simply before tossing the map back at Yahiko. "Now, was Nagato by any chance using the rain to track the enemy's movements?"

(STNM)

Uzumaki's Dimension: Konohagakure, Hokage Mansion

"So, you're the real Namikaze Naruto then? Or are you just another one of those special clones?" Tsunade asked the nearest of the newly arrived trio. Outside they could see the early morning come into view above the just waking village. The Arashi clone had drawn up a complex sealing array within one of the tower's many rooms. A few hand seals and ten minutes later, a crimson flash had filled the room before revealing a trio of ninja. After this the clone simply vanished off to some other unannounced place. Now standing with the sun to her back Tsunade observed the three strangers.

The one wearing the crow's mask looked to have become even more rigid in her stance after hearing the Hokage's words. At the same time the blonde haired man sighed in resignation before answering Tsunade, "Yes. I am the man who originally made contact with the team led by Maito Gai."

"Take a seat then," Tsunade ordered as she seated herself behind the desk. The Namikaze followed suit and took one of the two seats opposite to the Hokage. After a brief moment of silence Tsunade placed her hands together before shooting a look towards the other two behind him. "I want the names for the two of them, as well as a reason for why an ANBU Captain is in the company of a Kiri Swordsman and Hunter-nin."

The woman decided to answer the question herself instead of letting the Namikaze do it. Ignoring the surprised look from him the female ANBU removed the crow's mask from her face. Tsunade allowed her eyes to widen marginally in surprise at seeing a living Uchiha woman. The woman bowed her head before speaking, "Uchiha Itari, Heir to the Uchiha Clan, and former Captain-Commander of the ANBU Black Ops Division. The man standing beside me is Hoshigaki Kisame. We were partnered to hunt down and bring in to custody the S-Ranked traitor of Konoha, Namikaze Naruto."

The blonde woman's gaze lingered on the pair a moment longer before shifting towards the serious looking blonde male. "S-Ranked? Your clone mentioned that you were an ANBU Captain, but if your Konoha rates Shinobi like we do that would make you an A-Rank. What did you do to boost yourself up in that ladder?"

"…I killed three Konoha ninja sent after me in the first four years after abandoning the village."

"As well as mortally-wounding a full two dozen additional Shinobi and Kunoichi," Added Itari who frowned as the words left her mouth. Her eyes drifted on to the back of the blonde man who had sat up straighter after his admission. "Jiraiya-sama, our Godaime Hokage, had no choice but to treat him as a top level threat to the safety of the village."

"You're not going to say anything in your defense?" Questioned Tsunade while carefully watching the man's reactions, or lack of actually. The most she could see was a look of regret and disgust in his eyes before he shrugged his shoulders.

"Why? I did all of it, and nothing can excuse my actions. Madness, reaction, self-defense, bloodlust…They do not change the results, and I am not asking you to ignore them." The man said with an unemotional voice. His cobalt eyes closed for a moment before opening back to look towards the Hokage Monument. "Besides, my crimes are not what I planned on talking about."

"What were you planning on talking about?"

"Why is it that my younger-self is unaware of anything regarding his heritage?" He asked, almost harshly.

"Tsunade-sama, I am curious about this as well." Itari added from her position behind the Namikaze. "I am certain that Hatake-sensei mentioned in his report to you the encounter between his team, myself, and one Uchiha Itachi. The younger man on the team bore more than just a passing resemblance to Namikaze-san."

"That is an odd way to refer to your fiancé girl," Tsunade spoke, somewhat surprised by the young woman's choice of wording. Nevertheless she did not allow her attention to remain focused on that topic for long. "And to answer your question, allow me to ask you one of my own."

"Ask away." Was the flippant reply from the seated Namikaze.

"The last major war your Konoha fought…What was the difference in percentage of forces by the end of it?"

"According to the records, the village suffered over a thirty percent decrease in manpower and strength by the end of the previous war. That included any new Genin who graduated during that time." Itari answered within the span of two heartbeats.

Tsunade almost snorted as she heard the figure before adopting a more somber tone, "By the end of the Third Shinobi War, Konoha had lost close to that many of its Chunin to Jonin population alone. Then, just months after the war's end the Kyuubi threw itself against our walls. Close to three hundred Shinobi and Kunoichi died during that battle, the majority being our oldest and most experienced."

She could see that the attention of both the ANBU and ex-ANBU were firmly fixated on her. Taking a short breath, the Godaime Hokage began again. "And of course, there was the death of my predecessor and the defection of one of my teammates. A year after ending one war Konoha was down to just under sixty percent of its pre-war force, and most of that were ordinary Chunin. From what I found out from notes left by my sensei, it was all he could do to keep up a strong image of our village's strength. A cold war started up soon after he retook the Hat and the only reason it did not escalate into a full blown war was the lack of incentive amongst our rivals, especially in Iwagakure."

"And the Sandaime thought," The Namikaze began slowly as he imagined a map of the political situation at the time. "Iwa was only being quiet because my father was dead. If Ōnoki is still the reigning Tsuchikage, then they'd probably decided they could afford the wait needed to build up their forces before moving in to try and crush it once again. Am I correct in the Old Man's train of thought?"

"Yes. You picked up on that fairly quickly. How well did you know him?"

"I knew him, period. I spent much more time with Danzo, something I'm certain Kakashi, Gai, or even that Hyuuga guy mentioned in their reports."

"Right, how could I forget that?" Tsunade muttered lowly. She mentally began considering whether or not to put a watch on Danzo and the Namikaze. The Hokage highly doubted either would tell her if they were in contact or not. "And Ōnoki is still leading Iwa, if you're curious. Sarutobi-sensei wrote that almost word for word in his notes. He feared Iwa's hate for you family greatly, and more so what that hate could drive them to. Many of them actually celebrate the Kyuubi attack to this day; that should show you how much they hated your family. Revealing Naruto's heritage was something which he feared could tip the kunai thin peace of those early years."

The Namikaze went silent as he thought on Tsunade's words. Seeing that he would be like that for some bit of time, Itari made the decision to bring up another point. "Tsunade-sama?"

"What is it?" Tsunade asked as she met the Uchiha's eyes.

"I would like to know the whereabouts of Uchiha Sasuke, if at all possible."

"Uchiha Sasuke…" The blonde haired woman said slowly, mulling over a way to answer. Looking back at Itari she came to the decision that a straightforward answer would be best. "Abandoned the village close to three years ago, joining Otogakure a village created by Orochimaru sometime ago."

Tsunade watched as both the non-Akatsuki Kisame, and the Namikaze both looked at a now wide eyed Itari. The young woman's arms hung limply at her sides, her mask dangling by her fingertips, and mouth slightly agape. It was an unusual sight for the Hokage to see. Members of the Uchiha Clan rarely allowed emotion to so plainly color their faces. The look of surprise was soon covered up by the emotionless mask that many associated with the young woman's clan. Still, there was a faint tremor in her voice when she spoke again. "Thank you for being honest, Tsunade-sama."

"Itari…"The Namikaze started out uncertainly before trailing off into silence.

"Focus on your family troubles Namikaze, and leave me to dwell on my own." She turned to leave the room before pausing to look over her shoulder at the two men in the room, "Do not follow me, either of you. I have business to attend to alone." And then she shunshined away.

The rare harshness in her speech effectively halted whatever the Namikaze had intended to say. With a final concerned look he forcibly turned to face Tsunade yet again. "I want to tell him about his family immediately. But, I have to remember that he isn't me. We may have the same parents, the same blood, and other similarities, but we are not the same person. I know where Jiraiya stands, and now I know where the Sandaime stood. Do you think he's ready to know at this moment?"

Tsunade thought about everything she knew about Naruto. She remembered everything he had done to help her, and his friends. But she also remembered his parents, especially his mother. Closing her eyes she let out a breath before coming to an answer. "I don't believe he's ready to know. He does not even know a thing about his mother's family. I think he should know about the name he's lived with all his life, before learning about the name he was denied."

Reluctantly he nodded in agreement before opening his mouth again, "In that case, I guess there is only more thing for you and I to discuss."

"And that would be what, exactly?"

"How does one go about bringing a previously dead clan back to life in a Hidden Village?" The Namikaze asked before moving to hold a hand above one of the numerous seals on his right arm. In a small puff of smoke small slip of paper appeared before being caught. It was then carefully unfolded back to its original size before being slid across the desk towards Tsunade. The amber-eyed woman looked down at the sheet before turning around to read. As her eyes grew almost to the size of saucers the Namikaze spoke up, "I didn't know if a price would be involved, so I just put what I considered my family name worth."

"This…This is…Close to two billion ryo!" Tsunade exclaimed loudly, her voice causing tiny spider cracks in the window behind her. Tearing her gaze from the number to look back at the man she tried to form further words, but found she was speechless. That much money could cover the payroll of almost a full half of the entire military for an entire year, and still leave several million behind. He blinked owlishly before looking at back at the paper.

"I could add another half if you'd like." He said in a somewhat perplexed voice. Tsunade merely stared at the man, and for a brief moment wished she was thirty years younger.

(STNM)

Konohagakure, Hokage Office

"OWWWWWWWWW!" Uzumaki Naruto as he cradled his injured left arm while hopping up and down on his uninjured left foot. The left arm had been nailed by a less-powerful punch from Sakura, while the right foot was crushed by Ino bringing down her foot on it. Obviously she had yet to forget his completely involuntary reactions just days earlier. The spiky-haired Genin knew he hadn't forgotten the punishment she had handed him, that was for certain.

"Naruto," Sakura started in a tired voice while she kept her fist at the ready. "Just because Jiraiya-Sama brought you here earlier than anyone else, you don't get to sleep on your feet." Surrounding them were the other members of the Konoha Eleven who, for the most part, also chimed in their own assessment. Soon the pink-haired woman released her hold on her blonde teammate who quickly stepped out of Sakura's immediate reach. This had him bump shoulders with Ino and draw a murderous glare that had him return to his original position; which meant he was still in an overlapping field of potential pain delivered by two Tsunade-trained Kunoichi.

Still…he was in between two attractive women…Damn it! That was an Ero-Sennin thought!

The electric-blue eyed blonde mumbled out an apology below his breath while looking over the rest of the room's occupants. They were all just as bored as he was, although they did their best to hide it. Even Neji, with a face looking much like the ones on the Hokage Monument, purveyed the feeling of having something else planned that morning and displeased at missing out. Naruto also sensed that they were all waiting on something to happen to put a stop to the lack of activity. The blonde also knew full well that not one person would dare ask the question that was on their mind. A normal Shinobi would never do something so improper as to initiate dialogue with the Hokage after being summoned for an unstated purpose.

Thankfully for his friends, Naruto thought, he was far from being a normal Shinobi. He was about to say something guaranteed to get a reaction out of Tsunade when a click was heard. The sound drew the attention of everyone to the door, which was being opened from the other side. To the surprise of everyone already inside Tsunade herself stood just outside her office, Jiraiya, Shizune, Tonton, another Namikaze, and a familiar blue-skined swordsman trailing behind her. She had not even blinked before her amber eyes narrowed at the sight of her occupied workplace. "What are you all doing here?" Tsunade demanded in a voice uninterested in excuses. Naruto raised a finger to point directly at the ample-bosom kage before then turning to point at the chair, with over a dozen pairs of eyes following.

"Oh," Responded a voice from the person currently occupying the seat of the most powerful ninja in Konoha. The chair then rotated around so that the person was now facing the assembled troop. Arashi smiled at them smugly before raising his cup of coffee in a mocking salute. "I just wanted to see all your pretty faces one last time while enjoying a good wake-up drink." He then downed the last of his warm beverage before tossing it outside an open window behind him.

A low growl was all that was needed to get the youngest of the room to make space for Tsunade to storm her way towards the still smiling blonde man. Walking around the desk until she was standing on his right side, Tsunade spoke up in a voice that promised to make good on her threats. "Get off."

Staring up into the woman's eyes Arashi shook his head in the negative before gesturing to a point just in front of the desk. He then held up a hand so that everyone could see as he counted down. Once he had reached zero the blonde man loudly clapped his hands twice before a bright crimson and black light flashed through the room. A moment later, while they were blinded by the flash, the Kunoichi in the room were all felt up in some way or another.

As the light dissipated and their sight returned to normal, the women released a combined Killing Intent of titanic proportions as they glared kunai at the clone behind the desk. Arashi grinned victoriously at the men, before blowing a kiss to each of the women, and then leaping out the window, in quick succession while laughing manically the entire time. A second after the laughter abruptly stopped, Jiraiya was quick to jot down what he had just seen in his newest notepad. The original man the clone had been created from began clapping at the same time as the tall blue skinned man.

"Oi, I got dibs on this!" Jiraiya said as looked over his latest notes for any possible flaws.

The blonde Namikaze's clapping broke for a moment before continuing again, "I don't mind. Because, given the memories I just got from my clone, I'm about to win a bet, a bet where the conditions for a prize were never decided."

The Toad Sannin's head shot up at that before looking suspiciously towards the extra-dimensional Shinobi, "And what, dare I ask, is this prize?"

"You work for me as an employee in my future publishing company."

"What?"

"Isn't that the same guy who was in the desert?" Tenten asked Neji while indication the blue-skinned man.

"That's the blue Akatsuki guy who wanted to cut off my legs!" Naruto called out as he caught a good look of Kisame after he had turned his head in the direction of the Tenten and Neji.

"What is wrong with being blue?" Kisame retorted instinctively.

(STNM)

Akatsuki Laboratory, Sangaku no Hakaba/Mountains' Graveyard

Where…Am I? Were the thoughts of a man as he slowly regained consciousness. He tentatively began flexing the muscles throughout his body one at a time, and at a sluggish pace to keep his awareness secret. After a hellishly long wait he was satisfied that he could at least move. How did I know to do all that?

That was when he first felt a chill from beneath the skill all over his body, as well as the feeling of his lungs filled by something foul. It was at that point that he realized his entire body felt wet, and that he was almost weightless. His body soon began working at a much faster rate than before and forced him to open his mouth, the desperate need for air finally becoming apparent to him. Liquid soon began filling his lungs and he soon started to struggle wildly, the awareness he had recently gained becoming replaced by animalistic reactions.

His arms struck something solid and then he began pounding at whatever it was. There was a muffled sound of something before whatever he had been striking gave way to his assault. In an instant he felt sharp pricks of pain over his body as he landed on something and felt his entire body cool rapidly. His mouth opened and closed rapidly as he struggled to draw in a breath of air. Heaving heavily he opened his eyes for the first time and saw the liquid which had filled his lungs gushing out from his mouth in torrents.

For some immeasurable amount of time this continued until he felt nothing remained within his body. He became aware that his arms were holding himself above the strange liquid, which he could see was a faintly glowing green color, as well as how tired he felt. The arms gave out from under him and he soon found his face pressed into the liquid as his lungs expanded to take in the air he was drawing in with his ragged breathing. Using the last reserves of strength he could muster, the man forced himself onto his back.

He saw nothing, and for a brief moment felt a primal fear well up within him, before coming to the realization that he was surrounded by darkness. Turning his eyes around him, he picked out a faint outline as well as the sound of something dripping. It was tall, probably more than him, and still had a faint glow to it. Was I in that thing?

Something light and warm landed atop his chest. He reached out to touch it and was surprised by how soft it felt. Then his ears heard a low humming sound from above him. Looking up he saw a figure with bright red eyes looking down at him. The eyes held black marks within them. The Sharingan, a voice in the back of his head told him. The red-eyed figure nodded once before moving to a point on his left before crouching down. A hand soon grabbed his chin before turning his head to the right. Feebly he tried to push away the hand with his own left hand.

From the corner of his left eye the man saw a second hand moving towards it. He scrunched up his eyes, and clutched the soft object tighter in his right hand. His left eye was soon forcibly opened, and he saw the figure's red-eye spinning at a rapid pace before he heard a voice speaking up. "You're new name shall be Tobi. You will obey me, and only me. Never forget this." As the figure finished speaking, the voice from just moments earlier returned again only this time shouting 'Genjutsu', before the red-eyed figure vanished.

"That went much better than I thought it would," A male voice said as its owner looked down at the person he had just deposited on a bed. It was another man, although with several unique attributes. The entire right side of the man's face looked to be freshly bruised, while his left was a pale white. The man was also young, having the appearance of someone in their late teens. Across his face were several deep cuts from the glass shards he had fallen on. A pale-blue liquid leaked out from these small injuries before spreading out to coat his body. Slowly the cuts all healed leaving unscarred flesh, while the liquid was reabsorbed into his body. The young man had short black-spiky hair and was covered in blankets.

Humming once as he looked over the person a final time the red-eyed man turned to leave the room. Entering a room adjacent to the one previous, he smirked victoriously before his body began shaking with suppressed laughter. "I almost feel like I should thank Orochimaru for his work. In his search to stop his own death, he gave me the tools to bring life back to the dead."

He came to a halt in front of a casket-like machine. Peering into the machine he stared at its occupant; a woman clad in the attire of a Konoha Chunin, with purple markings on her cheeks, and short brown hair. She was surrounded by a dozen glowing kanji symbols within the casket, and the man's eyes could see the flow of chakra connecting each of the symbols to her body. "Your old friend is back, just as I promised you long ago. And as long as you remain alive he and those following him will never see whatever it is they have seen after their passing…Inuzuka Rin."

(STNM)

Unknown Forest

"Ugh…"Moaned a violet haired man as he slowly crawled over to a nearby stream. After pulling his mask down he dunked his head into the cold water. He kept his head under for a full minute before coming back up for air. Once he had pulled his mask over his face again, Hatake Tanshin slowly rose to his feet. He ignored the sudden feeling of vertigo and fought back the desire to empty his stomach. Aside from that however, he felt surprisingly great. He didn't feel injured, and his chakra reserves were at their peak. Except for his utter confusion about how he'd even wound up near a stream in the first place.

The Hatake man turned his body around to take in a brief overview of his new found surroundings. Looking to the sky he saw that his view was impaired by a treetop canopy. From behind that he could see that the sky was a bright blue, and that there were few clouds in it. As he tasted the air he was breathing in he noticed that there hadn't been any rain for several days.

Considering that his last memory had him surrounded by two dozen hostile Shinobi, surrounded by his dead escort, in the pouring rain he decided that the odds of him being in Ame were slim to none. As far as he knew the rain had never stopped for that long since the village's inception. Had he activated the sealing scrolls? As more and more recent events returned to him he determined the answer to very much be a yes.

"That would mean that this is Heaven, Hell, or another dimension…"Tanshin said to himself. "I don't see any beautiful women, or okay guys, flying with wings so it can't be Heaven. And it feels a bit too cool for Hell."

He suddenly felt a spike in chakra nearby before feeling the faint vibrations of a far off explosion. Looking slightly to his left he saw a plume of smoke rising up into the sky, along with a faint but pulsating light. Fire. "…That actually looks familiar."

Turning to fully face the far off smoke Tanshin quickly looked over his appearance. To his great surprise he'd only lost his brown cloak. His flak jacket looked almost brand new, and his scale suit looked normal. To his relief he still carried all seven of his own special kunai blades, and the sash they were placed on. Once again he felt another spike in chakra, although of a greater magnitude than the first. Closing his eyes he put both hands behind his neck before stretching his back. "Do I really want to waste time finding out what's going on?"


AN: Well, here it is. I honestly didn't think I'd be putting this up at all today. But then I thought 'why not' and figured I should start the New Year with an update. I apologize if some parts seem confusing to you. To be truthful, I won't be hurt if you say I made no sense at all here. I know there was a lack of action this chapter, but hopefully I balanced that out by pushing the plot further along this chapter. BTW, what do you think of Tanshin's rather brief summarization of what's been going on in the other dimension?

I introduced a few new people in this chapter. Anyone who wants to see what Tanshin can do you'll have to wait for the next update. I read up on some unofficial elemental natures, and decided to give him a metal release. If anyone come's here saying that I did not come up with his combination of affinities, you're right. I can't remember where, but I know it was a discussion page regarding possible future affinities. Credit is given to the creator of that page. But please, don't leave a review saying that he seems overly powerful. He isn't, I've set some limits on his abilities. Anyways, I'll give you each three guess what the dojutsu he mentioned is. Interesting fact: I chose his name because of two different meanings for it. Tanshin can mean either 'sincerity', or ' away from home' in Japanese. As for his lizard, Yamori just means 'house lizard, gecko' and that fits what he does most of the time. He's going to be like those pocket dogs people keep.

Also, I came to a decision on how to handle the whole Tobi situation. Tobi is now, a reanimated and Genjutsued Obito. The 'Tobi' going around in the Manga at the moment also has a true identity here. I theorize that he is the first son of the Sage of the Six Paths. I mean if his dad is considered a God why couldn't he have had a way to live a long time, and why couldn't 'Tobi' learn it as well? Rin is also a live here. Although some of you might not like how she's basically a living batter for this fic's new Tobi at this point. Oh, I could also use some suggestions on what to call 'Tobi' here.

As you can see, the trio is now in Konoha. N Naruto is ridiculously rich as you've just seen. The Namikaze's here kept a record of all their accounts throughout the countries. I didn't include it, but let me say that before getting to his family safe house he made a few dozen clones and sent them to check up on the financial status of his family. Bla-bla-bla. If you're curious, Itari's going to be spending sometime in the abandoned district that used to belong to her clan there.

Next chapter well see a few more characters pop up, and a rather interesting Council session regarding the resurgence of the late Minato's 'illegitimate' son, as well as another living breathing Uchiha. The long awaited Akatsuki intro is also next chap, along with Tobi/Obito's official introduction. That pretty much sums up what happens next chapter. I'll make a point of responding to any questions you all leave me in the reviews this time.

Happy 2012 guys and gals!

-SpartanCommando