Phew! Finally, Chapter 11 was finished!

To tell the truth, I didn't expect this chapter to be so hard to write. I had to rewrite it three times in order to get this. That, together with the fact that I have a lot of work to do during the last month makes it impossible to finish this chapter early. To compensate for that, this chapter is longer than anything I've written before, so enjoy!

And well, I didn't expect my story to be that close to canon. Madara really was the one behind Rin's death! Naruto can use Creation of All Things now! And poor Kakashi-sensei... no more Kakashi of the Sharingan :(( Madara, you bastard!

Disclaimer: Madara the bastard and every character of Naruto belong to Masashi Kishimoto.


Chapter 11: Everything was Completely Messed Up!

"Do you think you can fix him?"

"Of course. I am God. There is nothing my Naraka Path cannot fix."

The mouth of the King of Hell opened, and from there, the familiar figure of Kakuzu emerged, completely rejuvenated.

"Finally! I can finally walk again!" Kakuzu bellowed while laughing like a mad man. "Kakashi Hatake, this time you won't get away from me! I'll blast you to shred for doing that to me! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Konan, who was now standing next to the Deva Path of Pain, facepalmed. "This is just stupid."

The man wearing a spiral mask, who was standing next to her shrugged. "Well, he's powerful, you know."

"Kakuzu of Takigakure," the Deva Path stepped up and looked at the five, now three-hearted missing-nin. "We restored your body, as agreed. From now on, you are a member of Akatsuki."

"Oh yeah?" Kakuzu sneered. "And why do I have to listen to you?"

"Because if you're with us, you will be able to claim much larger bounties than you've ever had before." Tobi answered smoothly.

"Besides," Pain continued, "who said that you had a choice?"

"You're threatening me?!" Kakuzu screamed; his two remaining masks sprouted from his shoulders, aiming at all the Akatsuki members standing in the room. A fire ball was formed in the mouth of one mask, and a small whirlwind in the other.

But Pain didn't even faltered a little bit. He raised his hand, and closed his eyes.

"Shinra Tensei."

Kakuzu was blown across the room, and slammed into the opposing wall with a loud 'CRASH'. The force of the push was so incredible a crater was left on the stone wall behind him. Kakuzu gasped out in pain; the chakra he had just stored for the jutsu dissipated harmlessly.

What… what is this power…?

"You have no chance Kakuzu. Come with us, and we won't have to kill you to keep our organization secret."

A pair of rippled purple eyes was staring down at him from above.

"Those… those eyes…"

And from then on, Kakuzu knew he was lost. He quietly received the ring from Pain without another word.

"And that's another member for the Akatsuki," Obito Uchiha said in satisfaction, a smirk formed under his mask.

"I don't get it," Kisame Hoshigaki, the shark swordsman, snorted. "If you only need people for the sealing, why didn't you use those bodies of yours anyway?"

"That's not something you're allowed to ask," Pain answered coldly, and Kisame shrugged, but stopped asking anyway.

"By the way, where did you find that man?" Konan questioned in curiosity. The masked man shrugged again.

"Found him battling Kakashi Hatake and Zabuza Momochi at the bridge construction zone in the Land of Waves. It seems the team of Kakashi includes the Kyuubi jinchuriki and your brother, Itachi. That boy finally managed to awaken his Sharingan."

From a dark corner of the room, Itachi Uchiha raised an eyebrow, but didn't answer.

"The Kyuubi jinchuriki, huh?" Pain asked; his voice showed a hint of interest. "How was he?"

"Nothing much," Obito answered. "He managed to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra, but that's it. He's kind of fast for a genin, but except for that, there is nothing special, as far as I can see. Well, except for his regeneration ability. That fool decided to take a killing blow meant for Zabuza, and was completely healed in just a few seconds."

"I see," Pain nodded. "That might be a problem for us in the future, though. Maybe we should capture him before he becomes too powerful."

"Wait."

Everyone turned towards Itachi, who had just raised his voice.

"I don't think that will be a wise idea, Leader," the Uchiha continued. "As far as I know, the Kyuubi jinchuriki is very close to the Third Hokage. If we try to capture him right now, it might pull us into an all-out war with Konohagakure, and might lead to the Fourth Shinobi World War if our action is revealed to other countries. With the Akatsuki as it is right now, I don't think we can afford such a large scale war at the moment."

Everyone stopped to digest what Itachi had just said.

"That does make sense," Pain nodded after a thought. "Then this will be what we're going to do now. Itachi, you take Kisame and go to Konohagakure to investigate and test that boy, to find out how good he is and report back to me, and if possible, capture him. Meanwhile, Konan and Tobi will travel around the Elemental Countries to find more potential recruitments. Zetsu will continue to investigate about Orochimaru."

"What about Kakuzu?" Konan asked.

"I'll take care of him," Tobi raised his hand. "I think he said something about needing to find hearts to replace his lost ones. Besides, I heard some rumor about a Jashinist named Hidan in Yugakure. Maybe he will be a good partner for our immortal friend."

"Good," Pain nodded. "I'm counting on you, Tobi. Now, dismiss."


"Yaaahhhh!"

Naruto yelled, and thrusted his hand forward. The perfectly formed Rasengan collided with the trunk of a tree in front of him and drilled a large, deep round hole into it.

"Yeeeeeaaahhh! Completed finally!" Naruto punched the sky in excitement. With the Rasengan completed, he was one step closer to regaining his old power!

'Good,' the voice of Kokuoh rose in his head. 'Now come into your mindscape, we need to talk.'

The voice of the horse seemed to be harsher and heavier than usual.

'Huh? What's wrong, Kokuoh?'

'Don't ask, just come in here.'

Naruto was confused. Not understanding what he had done wrong, he sat down and closed your eyes. Within a blink of an eye, he was inside his mindscape, and immediately realized the Tailed Beasts looking down at him, each of whom was wearing a grim expression on their faces.

"Uh… what's wrong, guys?" Naruto asked hesitantly. There was definitely something wrong with them.

"Naruto, we want to talk to you about that time on the bridge, when you jumped into the way of Kakashi to block a Raikiri for Zabuza," Gyuuki started. Naruto's face brightened, and he grinned.

"Oh, that! Heh, that was pretty cool, eh?"

"There was nothing cool about that, Naruto," Isobu glared at him. "If that jutsu hit you a little bit more to the left, it would have taken your heart away! You were almost killed back there! And you think that was cool?"

Naruto cringed when the turtle barked those words into his face. He retorted.

"So what? In the end I still saved him, right?"

"That wasn't an excuse!" This time, it was Kokuoh's voice booming around his mindscape. "That action of yours was nothing but foolish! There is nothing funny if you die trying to save people!"

Naruto glared at the Tailed Beasts, rage started to bubble in his stomach. So his saving of Zabuza was wrong, was he?

"Even if I have to die, if I can save them, it's worth it. There's nothing for me to regret about it." Naruto answered coldly.

He didn't expect Shukaku to punch him in the face.

Being in her beast form, she hit hard. Naruto was sent flying like a ragdoll; he hit the ground and bounced a few times before slamming hard at the sakura tree.

He felt as if all his bones had just been broken. Yes, she hit so hard that Naruto felt pain even when he was in his mindscape.

"Did you even think when you said those words?" she roared menacingly, her eyes were full of rage. "Did you even stop for a second to remember that if you die, we will all die too?! Oh yeah, the Tailed Beasts can revive if they're dead, so just let them die, it's no problem! Well, FUCK YOU, just go try that yourself, leave us out of this! You care about someone you only met once, and neglect someone who is right next to you! I can't believe I decided to help you at the very beginning!"

Looking at Naruto right now, everyone might think that he had just taken a punch to the face.

Well, he did, but you know what I mean.

"I… I…" he stuttered, but Shukaku didn't let him finish. She continued to scream at his face, her voice booming around him like thunder.

"And you think risking yourself to save people is good? Well, sorry, it's not! You can save one person or two with it, yeah, but what about after that? Oh, how can you know, because YOU'RE DEAD! Dead men can only do one thing, which is lying in their grave and look pretty! If you want to do that, then go on, go and jump off the Hokage Mountain, no one will try to keep you! At least the world will have one less idiot!"

For the first time in so many years, Naruto Uzumaki of all people couldn't even utter a word to retort.

Because what Shukaku had just said was completely true. On the bridge, in the haste of saving Zabuza, he had completely forgotten the crucial fact that all the Tailed Beasts inside him would also die if he was dead. He had plunged himself into the hand of Death, risking the lives of all the ones he had just called his "friends" just a few days ago, only for some people he had known for about four days. He didn't even spare a second to think what would happen if they were dead.

"I think they were right, Naruto," Kurama, who had stayed silent since Naruto arrived at his mindscape, chose this moment to speak up. "Maybe I shouldn't have encouraged you like I did on the bridge. Risking your life for nothing is a poor repayment for everyone who cherishes you."

Naruto slumped on the ground. More than ever, he felt like a jerk.

"Sorry everyone," he mumbled in shame. "It was all my fault. I was too weak… I couldn't think of any other way to save him…"

Then his face hardened. "But it means I have to push myself harder! I swear, the next time something like that happens, I will be ready to face it without risking my life! Can you please help me?"

The Tailed Beasts looked at each other and shook their heads. Naruto was still Naruto, no matter what happened. But at least he was not going to kill himself this time.

"Then I think it's time to push your training to the next level." Kokuoh said.


Sasuke Uchiha was walking in the market district of Konohagakure. On his hands was a bag full of groceries.

Yes, even being an Uchiha, he still had to eat. And that meant he had to go shopping just like everyone else. Food does not fly to your front door by themselves, you know.

He arrived at his regular vegetable store. The clerk greeted him with her usual fawning smile.

"Ah, Uchiha-sama! It's our pleasure to serve you again!"

Sasuke squirmed uncomfortably. Since the day he was designated into Team 7 and the speeches Naruto and Kakashi delivered to him, he had realized that most of the citizens in Konohagakure flattered him only because of his Uchiha heritage. Even this clerk was not an exception, even though her goods were quite nice.

"Kuroko-san, I told you not to call me Uchiha-sama," he said, shaking his head. But the clerk only answered him with another disturbingly sweet smile.

"Nonsense, you are Uchiha-sama, and I have the responsibility of addressing you with that name."

Sasuke shuddered. He suddenly felt so violated. He decided to ignore her, and turned to his favorite tomato stand, starting to choose the best ones out.

Right at that time, two more men walked into the store. They came to the counter and started to ask the clerk some questions. Sasuke ignored them, too; what they wanted to do was not of his concern, even when they wore something as strange as face-hiding cloaks with cloud-shaped patterns in the middle of a sunny day.

His ears only perked up when the name "Naruto Uzumaki" came out.

Sasuke was curious. Those guys obviously were not from Konoha. What on earth did they need his teammate for?

But the two men didn't ask further. When the clerk shook her head with a sneer, they just nodded and walked out of the store without any other question. When one of them opened the door, Sasuke accidentally caught a glimpse of his eyes.

And everything in his body froze.

Sharingan. He was looking at a pair of Sharingan.

"Wait!" He dropped the basket full of tomatoes in his hand unceremoniously and bolted toward the door. But when he managed to get outside, the two men had disappeared without a trace.

Sasuke's stomach twisted up as if it was thrown into a washing machine. Itachi was back, and he was after Naruto…

Okay, okay, calm down… If he is after Naruto, I just have to get to Naruto first… I need to find Naruto…

He looked around. And where is Naruto's house, anyway?


"This sucks. Why do I have to do this?"

Naruto was sitting in his room, flanked by fifty shadow clones. In front of each was a sheet of paper, and each of them was holding pencils on their hands.

Kokuoh had just explained the first step of his training to him. And Naruto could swear he had never heard of any kind of training as absurd as this was.

Seriously, training is one thing, but learning how to draw? This is just ridiculous!

"It's not that absurd, Naruto," Kokuoh chuckled amusingly when he saw the result of Naruto's first attempt. "It is the most basic training for ones who want to use Creation of All Things."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Naruto grumbled unhappily. "But why do I have to learn this?"

"First of all, Naruto, the purpose of this training is actually to teach you how to the 'blueprint' of what you want to create with your chakra." Kokuoh assumed his "lecture mode". "It's just like the Shadow Clone Jutsu; you need a complete, perfect blueprint in order to create something with Creation of All Things. And this time you cannot use your soul as a replacement; you have to create it yourself with your imagination."

"Urgh…" Naruto grumbled again. "But this is so boring! I thought you're teaching me something cool, like those Kekkei Genkai thingy you gave your other jinchuriki!"

The horse-man stared at Naruto. Then he started snorting with laughter.

"What the heck… who told you that Advance Natures are Kekkei Genkai, Naruto? That's just stupid!"

"What?" Naruto squinted in confusion. "But Kakashi-sensei said that those are Kekkei Genkai, and cannot be learnt."

Kokuoh, finally calmed down, chuckled and shook his head. "That is simply what humans think. The true 'Kekkei Genkai' here is not having two chakra elements; it is actually the ability to multitask. Only a few people are capable of doing it naturally; therefore the ability to use advanced natures is mistaken by humans as Kekkei Genkai. It is a very hard skill, and takes a very long time to master, but it can be learnt."

Kurama, who chose that moment to walk into the room, laughed. "That fool Orochimaru. He kidnapped a bunch of people who can use advanced natures, thinking that if he took their body he could use their abilities…"

"So even if the body has the right elements, the person who has it still cannot use the advanced element without training…" Naruto muttered; his face now looked more like a cute fox than ever. "But wait… then what about the Wood Style? Madara could use it after taking the First's gene!"

"Ah, that…" Suddenly the two Tailed Beasts grimaced. "Well, that ability is not a Kekkei Genkai, either. It is actually a Tailed Beast Skill engraved into the genetic material of the First Hokage, and because of that, there is no other in his family inherited that ability from him, but ones with his DNA can use it. That's disturbing, though…"

Naruto blinked. "Tailed Beast Skill? Just like those lava and ink things you guys can do?"

"Actually, no," Kokuoh shook his head. "When we were created by our Father, beside the immense chakra of the Juubi, he also gifted each of us with one of his own special traits. Kurama has his regeneration and the ability to sense negative emotions; Gyuuki has his skills in fuinjutsu; Goku inherits his extreme talent in taijutsu; Matatabi gets both the ability to create incredibly powerful genjutsu and resisting them…"

"Wow, so I might inherit all those awesome abilities from you?" Naruto asked, his eyes sparkling.

Kurama chuckled. "Actually, some of them are not that awesome. Chomei gains all of his positive emotions, which made her a happy and cheerful ball of energy as she is now. Sometimes she is still sulking because she doesn't have a special power like us."

Kokuoh shook his head. "Actually, I think she had one of the most helpful gifts. You must understand that the ability to feel happy and think positively is the greatest power in the world. If I remember right, that is what helped you keep standing to fight when Madara had his Rinnegan back, am I right Naruto?"

Naruto blushed.

"Just like the old man, always wise and philosophical, huh?" Kurama sighed, and Kokuoh smirked.

Naruto blinked. "What about you, Shukaku, Isobu and Saikyo?"

Kokuoh nodded. "I was lucky to be blessed with the Sage's sharp thinking and his vast knowledge. Shukaku is the only one of us who can use ninjutsu like a ninja. Isobu inherited his powerful and sturdy body; that's why he was born as a turtle. And Saikyo… she has the most powerful life force and the ability to imbue her chakra with 'life'. That is why she was born last, and the reason why the First Hokage has the Wood Style. Wood, or tree, is the symbol of life, you know. The power of 'life' is one of the most powerful and dangerous powers in this world."

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes bugged out at this piece of information. "So the First used to be the jinchuriki of Saikyo?"

"Yeah," Kurama nodded. "And that's the reason why that man was called the Second God of Shinobi. A genius of the Senju clan, blessed with a being with such an absurd power…"

"I thought you were the strongest Tailed Beast," Naruto teased, and Kurama flustered.

"That… that's not relevant!" she retorted with a slight blush. "Anyway, Saikyo is the only one of us who has the ability to breathe the concept of 'life' into her chakra. You know, even though wood was made from earth and water, without 'life' it would just become mud. And somehow, it makes her the only one who can calm us down when we go on rampages. I wonder if the old man did that purposely…"

"When you go on rampages, you mean?" Kokuoh deadpanned. Kurama pouted.

"Wait, wait, wait," Naruto exclaimed. "If that man was so powerful, how could he die anyway? I heard that he was killed! How in the world could there be someone strong enough to kill him?"

Kurama bit her lip. "Well, it is a long story…"

BOOM!

Her voice was cut off as a loud, rude knock came from the front door, rocking the house. Someone was outside, knocking, no, smashing at the door to come in.

In less than a second, Naruto had been in the corridor. He glared at the door warily. It's not like his new home was an S-rank secret or something; but what kind of people would want to smash his door down like that?

He silently sent the telepathic message to all the Tailed Beasts, and with a loud "pop", all of them were back in his head. He drew a kunai, ready to fight back…

'Naruto!' Kurama said in alarm. 'I can sense powerful and hostile chakra outside! There are two… They're the Akatsuki!'

Akatsuki?!

"Stand aside!" bellowed a rough voice.

Two seconds later, the front door was blasted from its hinges, revealing the familiar figures of Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha.

'Yeah,' Kurama's voice once again echoed through his head. 'Everything was completely messed up.'


Naruto was running like hell on the road leading to the waterfall outside of the village. He couldn't fight the two Akatsuki members inside the village; it's too dangerous.

Now when he started thinking about it… how could he fight those two, anyway?

With Itachi… That man used fire, so wind jutsu was out of the question. The Tailed Beasts inside him could break his genjutsu, and his taijutsu, according to what he knew, was not very good.

With Kisame… yeah, he was a huge problem. His chakra-sucking sword was nothing but trouble, and that man didn't seem to have a weak point after all. But maybe if he kept his distance, he might be able to outspeed him with the Chakra Shroud, and pelt him with weapons from afar.

With both of them? He was screwed. Completely screwed.

'But I don't understand! Why does Itachi do this? He's a good guy!" Naruto wailed in his head.

'Yeah right. But he is still a jerk.' Kurama snorted. 'Remember the day at the inn? Those two would have killed you had the pervert not shown up.'

Naruto grimaced. He remembered how Itachi had allowed the shark man to cut off his legs, and how Sasuke had been mindraped so brutally he was put into a coma for half a month.

The only chance for him was to get some help. The first ones he could think about was of course Old Man Hokage and Kakashi-sensei, but the two Akatsuki had noticed his attempt right away and had done a very good work of preventing him from getting anywhere near the urban area of the village. If he had his toad summons, he could contact Jiraiya immediately, but…

Pervy Sage liked to do his "researches" at the waterfall… Hopefully he might be there…

It's very close…

Then Naruto skidded into an abrupt halt.

There was no sign of Jiraiya anywhere near the waterfall. Even a slightest trace of chakra.

Well, I'm in big trouble now.

Suddenly from nowhere, the two Akatsuki members jumped out, blocking his way.

Naruto jumped back; his hand immediately took out a kunai. There was no other way left; he had to fight…

But what could he do? There's no way he could go all out without making himself suspicious…

"I told you Itachi, cutting his legs off will make it less troublesome," the blue man laughed, and the Uchiha nodded.

"Very well, do it. But don't take it too long, or the village will notice."

Naruto's spine went cold. Itachi was serious.

'Guys, we need to fight. Can you help me?'

'Of course we will, Naruto,' Kokuoh answered. 'But with these guys, you cannot win with power alone. Therefore, you should advance with caution, and don't risk yourself. Do you understand?'

Naruto nodded silently.

'Good. Then Kurama, give him two tails of your chakra. Naruto, flare the chakra up as hard as you can.'

Kurama quirked an eyebrow irritatingly for being ordered around, but still gave Naruto her chakra. In less than a second, Naruto could feel the warm chakra of the vixen filling his core and spreading around his chakra network. He let out a loud battlecry, and the chakra blasted out of his body, roaring like a tornado, sending a shockwave around the field. Finally, it settled down in the form of a golden chakra cloak around Naruto's body, with two radiant tails sticking out from behind.

00000

At three different locations around Konohagakure, three people suddenly turned their heads. Their brains shared the very same thought.

Naruto!

00000

Sasuke was running on the street of the suburb. He remembered Naruto told him that his new house was somewhere around here… but… where?

Suddenly he stumbled. He felt something… some kind of force… had just exploded at the waterfall at the rear of the village. It was just a slight sensation, but he could swear that he felt it.

What was happening over there?

00000

"Finally decided to use the beast's chakra, eh?" Kisame grinned, his sharp teeth bared menacingly. "This will be interesting!"

Naruto smirked back. "Of course it is. How can I defeat you without using the Kyuubi's chakra anyway?"

"Defeat us?!" Kisame broke out laughing. "Did you hear that Itachi? He's going to defeat us! Hahaha, this is rich!"

Itachi didn't answer. Instead, he narrowed his eyes.

"Naruto-kun, you're going to come with us if you don't want to be killed," he said.

'Now, Naruto!'

Naruto roared and kicked the ground hard, launching himself at the two Akatsuki members like a missile. He flew toward Kisame, who raised his sword to smash him aside and drain his chakra…

… and past him, aiming at Itachi standing behind him a few metres. He swiped at the Uchiha, only for the older man to lean back and avoid his hand.

"This is not enough to…"

Itachi's words were cut off abruptly when an arm made of chakra emerged from Naruto's right shoulder and punched him at the face. He quickly reinforced his arms with chakra and blocked the attack right in time before it smashed into his face. He stumbled back; both his arms, even buffed with chakra, felt numb as if they had been hit by a sledgehammer.

So this is the power of the Nine-Tails… He's trying to use his advantages in physical abilities… Clever.

"Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!" Itachi bellowed, and a ball of fire much, much larger than what Sasuke could use blasted out of his mouth, aiming at the golden boy. The fireball exploded upon contact, and Naruto was drowned in a sea of flame.

Itachi jumped back a few steps, eyeing the cloud of smoke in front of him warily. There's no way that boy was killed with that level of jutsu.

Then suddenly, from the cloud of smoke, Naruto burst out; on his hand was a pitch black sphere of chakra. He roared, and pushed to black mini Tailed Beast Bomb at Itachi's stomach.

But from who knows where, Kisame appeared in front of Itachi, and swung his sword hard, directly at Naruto's hand which was holding the sphere of destruction. In just a second, the sphere was devoured completely together with Naruto's chakra shroud, and Naruto's bare hand crashed into the spiky blade of the sword with a sickening "crack". He screamed in pain, and dropped to the ground; his right broken arm was hanging at a very strange angle.

… and he popped into smoke.

Shadow clone!?

Then two punches, one real, one made of chakra, smashed into Itachi and Kisame from behind. Naruto had moved since who knows when, and had successfully delivered a blow at the two Akatsuki.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

Itachi and Kisame exploded violently, blasting him away. His body slammed hard at a tree nearby, and the tree broke in half.

Naruto groaned. Damn it, what is that jutsu? It hurt!

'Shadow Clone Explosion,' Kokuoh grimaced. 'Those two are better than I thought…'

"You have some remarkable skills, Naruto-kun," Itachi said when he was stepping out of the dust cloud. "Unfortunately, those powers are still no way near our level."

"Still," Kisame laughed next to him; his grin was malicious, "his chakra is very delicious. I wonder if I can drain him a little bit more before bringing him to Leader. It's such a waste to let go of such a powerful tank of chakra."

Well, fighting with tactics is down the toilet, Naruto grimaced. So what do we do now?

'Do you even have to ask?' Goku bellowed inside his head, when Kokuoh started opening his mouth to speak. 'If you cannot defeat someone with quality, crush them with quantity!'

Everyone except Naruto facepalmed.

"Right," Naruto muttered. He molded as much chakra as he could, and form his signature hand seal. "Shadow Clo…"

He was cut off as an unexpected person rushed into the clearing.

"Itachi!"


"Huh?" Kisame leered at the newcomer and raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that your little brother, Itachi?"

Itachi didn't answer. Not even bothering to turn his head, he asked. "What do you want?"

He expected the younger Uchiha to freak out and scream gibberish about killing him to avenge the clan. However, what escape Sasuke's mouth startled him.

"I want an answer to the night of the massacre. The truth."

Trying his best to keep his face calm and emotionless as usual, Itachi said. "I thought I've made it clear to you. If you want to kill me…"

"Enough with that bullshit!" Sasuke suddenly roared. "The Hokage explained everything to me! The Kyuubi attack, the coup, your s…"

"Tsukuyomi."

And Sasuke suddenly found himself standing in darkness. The scenes of the massacre once again flashed around him, but different from before, Sasuke didn't feel scared or angry. Right now, in his head, there was only sadness and sympathy.

"So it is really true." He mused. "If it weren't, you wouldn't have to do this to stop me."

"How much did the Hokage tell you, Sasuke?" Itachi asked. For the first time, he was looking at Sasuke's eyes.

Sasuke answered him with a question. "Who was the real person who massacred the clan?"

"Why do you think that there is another person?" Itachi asked slowly. "The Hokage might be lying to you. I might really be the one who did the whole massacre."

The words of Itachi actually made sense. What if there was actually no one there, and everything the Hokage said was a lie?

"No, I don't believe it."

Those words were said with such an absolute certainty that even Sasuke himself was surprised.

"Come again?"

"I don't believe it," Sasuke repeated. "When I think about it, everything made sense. The murder, I might not understand, but the fact that the coup was going to happen is undeniable. I'm also an Uchiha; I've heard that kind of things from Father too many times to even doubt something like that could ever happen. Besides," he added honestly, "that night I remember you crying. That is not something a mass murderer like you claimed to be can do. I might just be a kid, but I can still see the sadness and regret in your eyes that night. It is not something that can be faked. I'm your brother; I know you Itachi. You're not someone who likes to kill other for no reason. Please Itachi, why didn't you trust me, your own brother?"

The two pairs of Sharingan looked directly into each other.

Itachi closed his eyes for a while. Then, when he opened them again, in his face was a sad smile.

"You've truly grown, Sasuke. Yes, what the Hokage said was true; but I'm sorry, Sasuke, this is not the time for you to know everything. The enemy I'm facing is not someone you can face; not with your ability right now. Train yourself hard, become stronger, then come face me. I promise when that day comes, I will tell you the whole truth."

"Wait, Itachi!" Sasuke called when Itachi raised his hands to cancel the genjutsu. "If that enemy was so powerful, why didn't you come back to the village? There are many powerful shinobi here; I'm sure they can help…"

"No, Sasuke, I cannot come back now," Itachi shook his head. "My mission is still not complete. That enemy is the most dangerous person in the world; normal shinobi are no match for him. This is a job I have to do alone. Your duty is to become more powerful and mend the reputation of the Uchiha clan. Until then…" he said when the surrounding scenes started fading away, "stay safe, and never let hatred overwhelm your mind."

"Wait, Itachi… Wait!"

Sasuke screamed, but everything around him had already disappeared.


"Kisame, we're leaving."

The shark man looked back at the Uchiha and whined.

"That soon? I'm starting to have fun here…"

"If my foolish little brother is here, there's no reason not to believe that other shinobi in Konoha do not sense this battle." Itachi cut him short, pointing at his unconscious brother on the ground. "There might be reinforcement in only a few minutes. Remember what Leader said? We cannot reveal ourselves to Konoha; not yet."

"Tch," Kisame snorted unhappily. "I was hoping to take some more of the beast's chakra for myself… But eh, it can't be helped. Consider this your lucky day, jinchuriki. We will someday come back and get you."

And with that, the two rogue shinobi disappeared with Body Flicker.

Naruto followed their emotional signatures until they left the village completely, then sighed in relief and relaxed himself; his shroud of chakra faded away. At least he's safe for now.

Next to him, Sasuke groaned and woke up.

'Wow, that's fast,' Kurama noted. 'The last time Itachi did that, he was put into a coma for a month.'

"Teme! Are you okay?" Naruto yelled, jumping to his friend. "What did Itachi do to you?"

"It's nothing, I'm fine…" Sasuke muttered. "Where is Itachi?"

"He escaped," Naruto answered.

Right at that time, three other people Flickered into the clearing.

"Naruto, Sasuke! Are you two alright?" Kakashi shouted when he saw his two students. Naruto grinned and waved back at him.

"We're alright sensei!"

"What happened, Naruto?" asked Sarutobi, who was already in his battle gear with his Adamantine Staff on his hand. Naruto replied.

"It's Itachi and his partner, jiji. I think they're here for… well…"

He trailed off, remembering that Sasuke was still there. Jiraiya, the third person appearing in the clearing, looked at the boy on the ground.

"Itachi? Then… did Sasuke…?"

"He told me," was the only answer of the Uchiha boy, and Sarutobi and Jiraiya immediately understood. The old Hokage sighed in relief.

"That's good. Well, let's take you home for now; it's already a hard day for you…"

Sasuke took the hand Naruto offered him and pulled himself up. When they started walking back, Sasuke suddenly asked.

"Naruto, what is that golden chakra you used against them?"

The four other people cringed. Kakashi started. "Sasuke, this is not the time…"

"No sensei, this is the time," Naruto suddenly cut him short. "I'll tell him."

"Are you sure Naruto?" Sarutobi asked warily. "That information is dangerous…"

"Sasuke is my teammate, jiji; he deserved to know about it." Naruto retorted sharply. Then he turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, let's go get Sakura, too. I was planning to tell you two this, anyway."

Half an hour later, Team 7 plus Jiraiya and the Hokage were sitting in the living room of Sasuke's house. The Uchiha looked at Naruto.

"Well, dobe?"

"Well, the truth is…" Naruto took a deep breath. "I'm the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi."


After Naruto revealed his story, the room was filled with dense, heavy silence.

Finally, Sakura was the first person to raise her voice.

"So it's true," she stammered. "My mother always says that you're a demon… And she's right… you're the Kyuubi which killed the Fourth Hokage…"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Jiraiya bellowed and bolted up, slamming his hands on the table in the process, causing the three children to jump.

"Jiraiya, no!" Sarutobi shouted, his eyes flashing with authority. When Jiraiya grumbled and sat down, the old Hokage looked straight into Sakura's eyes and said calmly.

"Sakura Haruno, from now on you will refrain from speaking those words. Naruto is not a monster, and he doesn't deserve to be called one, despite what someone might say."

"But… but he just said…" Sakura stuttered.

"Why?"

Everyone turned toward Sasuke, who had just blurted out that word in a trembling voice.

"So you planned to turn Naruto into a weapon for the village? Why? Isn't being an orphan hard enough for him?" the boy continued; in his voice, there was a hint of anger.

Sarutobi sighed. "Actually, making Naruto a jinchuriki is something the Fourth Hokage never wanted to do. The Kyuubi is too powerful; leaving it roaming around is incredibly dangerous."

'I take offense to that,' Kurama grumbled in Naruto's mind.

"And if it falls into the hand of evil people, just like twelve years ago… well, you of all people should know the consequences of it, Sasuke." Sarutobi continued. "In a desperate attempt before his death, the Fourth Hokage and his wife sacrificed their lives to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto, hoping he could keep the beast at bay, and protect it, as well as this world, from people who try to harness its power for evil. Therefore…" the old Hokage shook his head solemnly, "…Naruto should be considered a hero, not a demon. Allowing that to happen was completely my fault, and my fault alone."

For a while, the air was completely silent, except for the chirping of some crickets outside. Then Sakura spoke in a hoarse voice.

"But why Naruto? Surely there can be many other people he could use to contain the beast for him… Why used a baby who had just been born?"

Every adult in the room looked at each other awkwardly.

"Sakura," Kakashi said, "this is not the time for that…"

"Because I am his son."

Everyone looked like they had just been shocked by a thousand volts of electricity. Sarutobi exclaimed in horror.

"Naruto, you didn't…"

"Yes, I did, jiji," said Naruto mutinously. "And I don't regret it. That is my secret, and I have the right to tell it to whoever I want."

"Oh, quit lying, you idiot," Sakura snapped in annoyance. "There is no way the like of you is the son of someone like the Fourth Hokage!"

But she faltered when she saw the face of the adults in the room.

"No way," she slapped a hand to her mouth. "It is really true? Naruto is really the son of the Fourth?!"

"Yes, he is," Jiraiya answered grimly. "And this is an S-ranked secret, so don't even think of telling other people about this, or you'll be executed, unless it was Naruto himself who allowed you to."

Silence once again filled the air. Then Sakura asked hoarsely.

"But why… If that's true, why didn't you tell the village about it? Surely if everyone knows, they will…"

"They will do what?" Jiraiya cut her short in a harsh voice. "Fawn over him, kiss his ass as they already did with Sasuke? Like you already did with Sasuke? No, we had wanted him to live a normal life, as a normal boy who does not know anything about reputation, far away from the spoiling you civilians had already given Sasuke over there. But unfortunately," he spat on the ground, "what happened to Naruto is way worse than we thought!"

Everyone winced. Those words of Jiraiya touched Sasuke a lot, but he didn't feel angry. Because he knew everything the man had just said was the truth.

"I think that's enough for today," Sarutobi said and stood up. He didn't even raise his voice, yet there was a finality in his tone that told everyone not to question further.

"Naruto, Sasuke, you two should take a good rest. Today you have suffered a lot," he added before stepping out of the house. The two other adults looked at each other and at the three children once more, and followed the Hokage.

But Sasuke and Naruto didn't want to rest at all.


"How did you stand it, dobe? How hadn't you gone mad with all those mistreatment everyone made you suffer?"

Naruto looked at Sasuke and smiled.

"I'm not very sure myself. It's just like… I've become familiar with it. But if you think about it, they had a reason to do it, you know. They have lost their precious people to them during the attack, so of course they will be angry. I don't blame them."

Sasuke gasped in horror. "But you're not the Kyuubi at all!"

Naruto smiled sadly. "But they didn't know it, did they? You're not to blame if you're unaware."

For a while, the two boys sat next to each other in silence. Then Sasuke suddenly said something Naruto thought he would never have a chance to hear in his life.

"I'm sorry."

It's unnescessary to say how shocked Naruto was right now. "Sorry? For what?"

"It's basically our clan's fault that you have to lose your parents, and suffer a terrible life. Had it not been for that Uchiha who summoned the Kyuubi to destroy the village…"

It's worth noting that not only Naruto was surprised.

'Wow,' Gyuuki said in awe. 'This Sasuke is completely different from the Sasuke in our timeline.'

'Yeah,' Kokuoh nodded wisely. 'It's terrifying to see what the truth can do…'

Naruto couldn't say anything for a while. Then, he smiled, and slapped his friend's back.

"Heh, it's okay. Everything's gone is gone. At least you're my friend now; that's enough to compensate for everything in the past. The best we can do now is not letting it happen again, right?"

"Yeah…" Sasuke sighed, and Naruto could see in his face something he hadn't seen for a while: a smile.


Sakura was lying on her bed.

She thought about what Jiraiya had told her at Sasuke's house.

Is what he said true? Do I only love Sasuke-kun only because he is the last Uchiha? Am I not any different from the other girls in my class?

'That stupid old man doesn't know anything about true love! He's just spouting nonsense! Cha!' he inner self screamed in her mind. Sakura sighed.

True love, huh…?

She closed her eyes. Right, her love for Sasuke-kun is definitely true, she believes it…

A memory flashed before her closed eyes.

00000

(Flashback: One year ago)

"Come oooonnn Sakura-chan! Why do you like that idiot Sasuke over me?" An eleven-year old Naruto whined after the back of Sakura.

"Isn't it obvious?" she snapped back with a raised eyebrow. "Sasuke-kun is the most handsome boy in the whole Academy, and he is the last of the famous Uchiha clan! And you? You're stupid, annoying and always do silly things! Who would want you over someone like Sasuke-kun?"

"But he's a jerk!" Naruto protested weakly.

"So what? He's still way better than the like of you!"

"But…"

"Oh, shut up!" Sakura finally had enough. She punched Naruto in the gut. "You're annoying!"

Then she marched away with her nose in the air, leaving Naruto on the ground writhing in pain.

(End flashback)

00000

My god… He's right… I'm just like other people… I'm so stupid…

'But Sasuke-kun is not a jerk now!' her inner self protested.

Yeah… but even with that, is it really worth it?

Sakura let out a deep sigh. She remembered everything she had lost for her "love".

Her friendship with Ino.

Her chance to know and get close to other people, including Naruto.

Hell, even her real purpose when she decided to attend the ninja academy. Since who knows when, it was completely replaced by "to be together with my beloved Sasuke-kun". It made her a useless fangirl who didn't know anything except making up and fawning after Sasuke-kun.

Suddenly she bolted up from her bed. She quickly got dressed, and rushed out of her house, ignoring her mother yelling behind her to be home early for dinner.

Her love to Sasuke might stay unchanged, but the other things need to be fixed. It's time for her to grow up. She had to apologize to Ino, apologize to Naruto, but the first thing she needed to do was…

Thirty minutes later…

"Kakashi-sensei, please teach me how to be stronger!"


"There's only one month left until the Chuunin Exam. Until then, I want to ensure that you three are ready for it. Because of that, starting from today, there will be no missions for Team 7, and I will start training you seriously. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the three members of Team 7 echoed. Kakashi eyesmiled.

"Good. Then Sasuke, during this month, you will train with me, in order to develop your lightning element and your Sharingan to the best you can. Naruto…"

"Nah, don't worry about me, sensei," Naruto waved his hand dismissively. "I bugged Pervy Sage all yesterday, and he finally had to accept training me."

"Huh, so you were told this before?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Naruto grinned.

"Actually, jiji told me. Do you really think that Kakashi-sensei can do this without asking for permission from the Hokage?"

Sasuke grumbled something about "not fair having a relationship with the Hokage".

"What about me, sensei?" Sakura asked hopefully. Kakashi smiled.

"Don't worry; I think your trainer will be here soon… Ah, there she is."

Sakura's spine suddenly froze when a cold finger brushed against her right cheek, and a warm breath breezed across her ear.

"Ah, so she's the one you want me to train, Kakashi? Kukuku… don't worry, I'll be sure to break her thoroughly for you… but remember, you owe me something, Cyclops. Now, off we go!"

The newcomer grabbed Sakura's shoulder, and both disappeared in a quick Body Flicker. Naruto and Sasuke stared at the place where their teammate had just stood a few seconds ago for a while, then Naruto finally managed to open his mouth.

"Is… is that the crazy snake lady?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Don't say that in front of Anko, or she will flay you alive, Naruto."

"But what did you do to make her to train Sakura anyway?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I heard that she insisted to stay at Tokubetsu Jonin just because she doesn't want to teach any genin!"

Kakashi chuckled again. "You'll be surprised to know what a free month of all-you-can-eat dango can do, Naruto. Now, Sasuke, I think it's time for us to go for our training. Are you ready?"

Sasuke smirked. "Of course I do."

"I'm waiting to spar against you after this month, Sasuke," Naruto grinned at the other boy. Sasuke grinned back.

"Oh, by the way, Naruto, the money for Anko's dango is from your account, so take care!" Kakashi eyesmiled at Naruto. But before Naruto could let out an outrageous cry, Kakashi and Sasuke had disappeared in another quick Flicker.

"Damn you, Kakashi-sensei!"

'Looks like the prankster has just been pranked,' Isobu said, while all the Tailed Beasts snickered in his mind.

'Oh, shut up!'


The days of Team 7's training seemed to slip by as though someone had fixed the clocks to make it work at double speed. Before Naruto could even realize it, the month had passed, and finally, it was the day the team had assigned for another meeting.

Right now, Naruto was skipping on the street. He couldn't wait to see how much his friends had grown with all the training they had.

There, at the end of the street, his teammates were coming. And they really had changed.

Naruto almost couldn't recognize Sakura in her new look. Instead of her old red cheongsam, she was now wearing a very provocative black skin-tight bodysuit that looked suspiciously like a leotard. Along her waist, a short pink skirt covered the upper half of her thighs. Her legs were covered in a long pair of black stocking that went over her knees, also holding her kunai pouch, and a pair of boots. She wore a pair of metal gauntlets on her hands, which made Naruto shudder while thinking of what would happen if she tried punching him on his head like before. Over all these set up was a long gray coat, extended to her knees, reminding everyone of Anko herself. Her Konohagakure headband was tied neatly around her neck. And her familiar long pink hair was tied up into a high ponytail behind her head. In short, there are only two words that can explain Sakura's look right now, which are Sexy and Dangerous.

Sasuke, in contrast, didn't look too different. His look right now was similar to what he wore during the Chuunin Exam in Naruto's timeline: a short, black shirt; a white pair of shorts, and bandages covering his arms and legs. But now, outside of his shirt, he wore a short jacket that looked not unlike Kakashi's jonin uniform, but without any pocket, and seemed to be reinforced with something metallic on the chest area. He wore a pair of black gloves, engraved with metal symbols of the Uchiha clan at the back of his hands. And a katana was strapped tightly on his belt at the back. But the greatest change in him was that his body was much more well-toned than before, not as much as the Fourth Raikage A or his brother Killer Bee, but still enough for Naruto to see muscles even with all the bandages. And his Sharingan were now activated constantly, with three tomoe in each eye.

"Wow, Sakura, you look great!" Naruto said in awe. Sakura giggled.

"You do not look so bad, either," Sasuke smirked. "Got any more powerful?"

Naruto smirked back. He really had pushed himself to the limit during this training month. His body, while still not as powerful as in his time, had developed quite nicely, to the point that he could use half of Kurama's chakra at once without feeling any pain. He still couldn't enter full Tailed Beast Mode yet, but still more than enough for any enemy below S-rank. Beside getting back the Toad Summoning Contract, he had managed to remaster his Rasenshuriken and could use it three times consecutively with his own chakra, though the beasts had forbidden him from using it unless the Akatsuki decided to attack. And his Creation of All Things had advanced enough for him to create common things like clothes, which was represented by the new black-and-orange jacket with the Uzumaki symbol on the back he was wearing outside of his normal clothes right now.

'I still think it needs some more… uniqueness,' Matatabi said inside his head. 'Maybe if you had made it red and longer, with an exposing ba…'

'Oh, will you please cut it out, Mata-chan?' Naruto deadpanned. The cat pouted, and Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Ah, so you three are finally here."

The three of them turned to see Kakashi coming toward them. He looked exactly the same as before: the sleeveless black shirt, the jonin flak jacket, the mask, the forehead protector tilted to the left to hide his Sharingan. But Naruto could feel something completely different exuding out of his body. Something incredible; something powerful. It's just like a weapon of mass destruction was shoved into the clothes of Kakashi.

Naruto's eyes bugged out of their sockets.

"Oh my god. Kakashi-sensei is here? On time!? AHHHH! ARMAGEDDON IS COMING! RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" he screamed hysterically and ran around, and received a boot to his head.

"That is not very nice, Naruto," Kakashi chided him, then handed each of his students a sheet of paper.

"This is your registration form for the Chuunin Exam," he gave them his trademark eyesmile. "And I expect you three to be Chuunin after this exam, or suffer my… displeasure," his eye became dark. All the three shuddered in fear.

Then suddenly, his eye blinked back to the usual smile. "Oh, but no pressure."

Everyone broke into laughter.

"Yeah!" Naruto pumped his fist on the air. "Let's get this show on the road!"

This time, he was ready for anything.


And cut!

The idea of Hashirama being the jinchuriki of Saikyo actually was based on a theory I've read on the Internet a while ago, which stated that Hashirama was the Sage of the Slugs. It sounded quite interesting, and made sense in some ways. So I thought, why not? Remember, even in the anime, Utakata is the only jinchuriki outside of Naruto whom Pain needed all six Paths to capture. That shows how badass Saikyo, and her jinchuriki, are.

A lot of information has been revealed in this chapter. Obito had revealed himself as a member of the Akatsuki. Itachi and Kisame had visited Konoha sooner than Naruto expected. All the information the Hokage had revealed was confirmed. And Sakura finally realized her problems.

History has changed. And the Chuunin Exam is coming. What will happen? And what will Naruto do to turn it the right way? Find out on the next chapters of Once More!

Until then, please review!