Possibly the last update of tonight, who knows.

Opening: Daia no Hana (By Yoriko, Black Cat First Opening)

Japanese Lyrics:

Hajimari wa itsumo sou gunjou no sora no shita
Chikai wo tatete ima boku wa aruki dasu

Yeah, kin iro ni hikaru sabaku (moeru kaze)
Daia no hana wo sagashite (samayoi tsuzukeru)
Hajimete dareka no tame ni ima boku wa ikite iru

Mamoritai mono ga arun da
Mou nido to nido to ushina wa shinai you ni

Yeah, kono mune ni aru negai (yurameite)
Kanaeru tame nara boku wa (ikura demo kizu tsukou)
Waratte ite hoshii kara ima boku wa yaiba wo nigiru

Kirisaita kioku no naka afuredasu
Akai akai kage wo kiru
Kono tsume ga hibiwaretemo tsukamitore
Mamoritai taisetsu na mono nara

Dareka wo omotte naita

yoru ni saita daia no hana

Mamoritai mono ga arun da
Mou nido to nido to ushinai wa shinai
Nari hibike dare yori chiisaku hakanai
Dare yori tafu na kono kodou

Chapter 12: Meeting with the Leaders

Sasuke walked through the door, facing Madara. Both were no longer wearing their Akatsuki cloaks. "Why did you summon me here?" asked Sasuke coldly. "Something about an emergency?"

"Yes," replied Madara, his Sharingan visible through his mask's eyehole. "There was a…complication in the preemptive strike. We were forced to pull back."

"And what would force you to do that?"

"Konoha has a new ally," a new voice said, sounding pained. Sasuke turned to see Kisame Hoshigaki, heavily bandaged. "An unexpected ally," Kisame continued, clutching his Samehada, which was in its customary bandages. "He was stronger than I expected, and even though he's likely dead by now, plans must be changed."

"What jutsus did this enemy use?"

"An assortment of taijutsu, and fire-type ninjutsu. I'd rarely seen anybody that fast. At the end, he used a strange sword that not only injured myself, but also my Samehada. What's more, when the enemy charged his sword with fire-based chakra, Samehada wasn't able to devour that same fiery chakra and ended up getting damaged." At this last sentence, the shark-like ninja gripped his Samehada harder, which started to tremble under its bandages and make strange whispering sounds.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at this, folding his arms, thinking, 'Imbuing tools and weapons with fire-elemental chakra? Interesting. But this sword that he speaks of must be no ordinary weapon. Regardless…' He knew that the Samehada was capable of slicing through and devouring chakra, so this new foe would be a nuisance at the least. "What did this person look like?"

Madara answered for him. "Remarkably like yourself. He had jet-black hair, your height, your build, and similar facial features. You won't be able to miss him."

Sasuke closed his eyes at this. "…" 'So it's that ninja who accompanied Team 7 to try to bring me back to Konoha. The one who used ink. I didn't think he had other techniques.' However, Sasuke had no idea just how wrong he was.

"And what does this have to do with me?" Sasuke asked, his eyes still closed.

"For a simple reason," said Madara, his Sharingan glinting.

"Hn?"

"We have decided to give you command of the Konoha invasion force."

Sasuke's opened wide at this, as Madara continued, "You said yourself you wanted to crush Konoha. Now is your chance to do so. You want your revenge, don't you?"

Sasuke was silent, absorbing this. Then slowly, a malevolent smile slowly spread across his pale face, his black eyes glinting with malice.

"I'm listening."

After Sasuke left, Kisame turned to Madara. "You didn't tell him that the enemy was an Uchiha."

"Of course not. If I had, then he would have hesitated and may have been more reluctant. It's better this way. This new foe will be an interesting opponent for our Sasuke."

Kisame smirked, which quickly turned into a grimace of pain. "I almost wish Sasuke won't kill him. I want that satisfaction for myself."

"In compensation for injuring yourself and your sword?"

"Of course. This Uchiha brat has left an irreparable scar to myself and my sword. He…will…pay."

Madara's eye glinted. "They will all pay for what they have done. To yourself, to Pain, and to Uchiha Madara-sama."

"How much longer are they gonna talk?" groaned Naruto, his hands behind his head.

"They'll finish when they'll finish, Naruto," said Kakashi, reading his book. "Tsunade-sama did ask us to report in." The two, as well as Takuya and Sakura, were waiting outside Tsunade's office. Naruto was walking in a small circle and Kakashi was leaning against the wall.

"Well, he could have a point, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, holding her arms. "They have been talking for over an hour. And they're more cautious with their security than before, and don't know if another enemy will turn up."

"Nah," said Takuya nonchalantly, his eyes closed. He was sitting cross-legged against the wall, holding the sheathed sword in his lap. "I don't sense any chakra with ill intent. It seems shark-face was the only enemy there."

Naruto grunted. "Hey, who is Baa-chan talking to anyway?"

"The Council members, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado."

Takuya's eyes tightened at this, then relaxed. "…Then they better hurry the hell up," he said tensely.

The other three glanced at each other. "Ano…Takuya-san," started Sakura. "You were talking about chakra that felt maleovelent, or that the Kyuubi's chakra felt darker than Naruto's?"

"…Yeah. Why?"

"Well, what do our chakras feel like?"

Naruto turned around, looking excited. "Great idea, Sakura-chan!" Even Kakashi looked away from his book.

Takuya looked bemused, though the corner of his mouth twitched. He sighed. "…Well, I don't know how to describe it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…It gives me different sensations based on the person, I guess. Based on whether the person is friendly or an enemy…I don't know. My sensei couldn't do it, but he once said that trying to describe it was like trying to describe sight to a blind man."

Kakashi turned back to his book. "…"

Takuya glanced at Kakashi, his expression unreadable. Sighing, he got up, replacing the blade.

"I need to talk to Tsunade," he told the ANBU guard briskly.

"I'm sorry, she's still busy."

"Really?" Takuya arched an eyebrow. "What if I have urgent information on the attack by Akatsuki, as well as Uchiha Sasuke, not to mention knowing when Akatsuki will attack next?"

"…One moment." The ANBU opened the door, entered, and closed it.

"How did you know when Akatsuki will attack?" said Sakura, half-incredulous, half-amazed.

"Kisame probably let it slip when he was fighting Takuya," Kakashi said calmly. Naruto was simply gaping soundlessly at Takuya's relaxed, confident posture.

"…" If the three of them could actually see Takuya's face, they would see he was sweating and looking ridiculously nervous. 'Actually, I made that part up…'

The door opened, and the ANBU came out. "She can see you now."

"Thanks," Takuya said as he walked through. Team Kakashi followed closely, as well as the ANBU guard.

As the ANBU closed the door behind them and stood by it, Tsunade looked up from the conversation she was having with Koharu and Homura. "Ah…so you've returned from your fight with Hoshigaki. I was impressed by the results," she said triumphantly. The busty Hokage smiled on saying Takuya wearing his headband. "And I see you accepted my invitation to join Konoha. I'm glad Naruto gave you the headband"

Takuya nodded in acknowledgement. "No problem."

"Of course I would, Baa-chan," grinned Naruto.

Tsunade growled. "Don't call me that."

"Who are you?" said Homura, looking suspiciously at Takuya. "I don't remember you being in the village."

"You wouldn't," said the Uchiha nonchalantly. "I just decided to join."

"Decided to join?" said Koharu warily. "What do you mean?"

"…Do you remember around sixteen years ago, when the head of the Uchiha clan had two twin boys newly born? And you decided one of the Konoha jonin train the younger twin?"

The counselors' eyes widened. "You mean…!"

Takuya nodded slightly.

Koharu turned to the ANBU next to the door. "Take him."

The ANBU took a step forward, drawing his katana, as did the other ANBU that swung in through the window.

"What are you doing?" Naruto rushed forward, alarmed.

"This boy is part of a family who has worked against the village for years," said Homura sternly. "It is best to detain him until further notice."

"He was the one who held off Kisame Hoshigaki! Takuya-san helped us!" protested Sakura.

"That's irrelevant. He could potentially become as dangerous as Uchiha Sasuke or Uchiha Itachi," stated Koharu, no longer squinting. "And if you know who he is, then it may be best to detain you as well."

"But…!"

"Don't worry," said Takuya calmly, then gestured to his hitai-ate. "I have no intention of attacking Konoha. Can't you see the headband?"

"The Uchiha have always been hostile to Konoha, and have been known to turn on us," said Homura.

Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Really? Maybe that's because you stopped trusting the Uchiha after the Kyuubi attack, based on the actions of one person."

'What's Takuya talking about?' Naruto wondered. 'Do they think an Uchiha made the Kyuubi attack the village?"

"However, I'm not here to make accusations. I'm here to offer my services, if you will," said Takuya, calmly.

"Services?" said the aged counselors suspiciously.

"Yep. Lemme start by telling you about the fight with sushi-face…"

(5 minutes later…)

"…So yeah, the Akatsuki have Sasuke on their side now," said Takuya calmly. "And I have no idea when they will attack and with who."

"I see," said Tsunade slowly. "So we not only have to deal with Akatsuki, but Uchiha Sasuke as well."

"Yeah, and I have a hunch he's gonna be part of the invasion."

"What makes you think that?" said Homura, sounding more concerned.

"Kakashi-san, could you tell them for me?" asked Takuya. "I think you could do a better job of explaining it than me."

"All right." Kakashi raised a hand and raised a finger for each reason. "One, Kisame had told Takuya that Sasuke 'had it in' for the village, so chances are he'll be part of the invasion force. Two, it is very possible whatever made Sasuke join Akatsuki is also the reason for this same hatred. Three, he probably knows the layout of the village better than other members of Akatsuki. Four…he's an Uchiha, they're well known for revenge."

"That's true…they are a vengeful clan…"murmured Tsunade. They were all silent for a moment, Takuya walking over to the window, then Koharu seemed to realize something.

"Wait, we do not have many of our chunin and jonin here at the village. If Akatsuki decides to attack soon, we will have less than one third of our fighting strength."

"Akatsuki's forces probably outnumbers us five to one at this point," said Kakashi.

Tsunade bit her lip, thinking. "Yes, and we will still receive requests for help from clients. If we refuse them, then people will lose faith in us and we may be seen as weak by hostile forces."

Homura closed his eyes. "If worse comes to worse, we may have to evacuate the village. If they demand it, we may also have to hand over the Kyuubi container."

"What?" exclaimed Sakura, alarmed. "We can't do that!"

"Yeah!" said Naruto angrily. "They're the ones who killed Gaara, Asuma, and Ero-sennin! No way I'm gonna go over to them!"

"…They're right," said Takuya quietly, making everyone in the room look at him.

"What are you talking about?" protested Naruto.

Takuya gazed out the window, apparently thinking. "They outnumber us five to one, right?"

"Yes," said Homura.

Takuya let out a breath, then chuckled slightly. His frame was trembling slightly as he rested his hands on the window frame, and his face could not be seen. "You guys are right. I don't a lot about this sort of thing, or teamwork, or the sort of the things a village goes through. But…"

He got up and turned around. "We absolutely can not give up Naruto!" Takuya said, looking defiant.

"Then what do you think we should do?" said Koharu somewhat mockingly.

Takuya lost the expression of a defiant teen and gained that of a hardened warrior, his eyes anything but dead.

"We will stand, and fight!"

"…What?"

"You guys think just because we'll be outnumbered, we'll lose?" Takuya grinned dangerously. "If anything, it'll be a nice challenge!" His grin faded, looking more serious. "This is a tough fight, I know. I'm not ready myself, I think. So I'll train until it's time to fight."

"Oh?" said Tsunade, looking curious. "All by yourself?"

Takuya chuckled. "Course not. Naruto's gonna teach me!"

"What?" Naruto exclaimed, startled. "Why me? I never agreed to that!"

Takuya shrugged. "You wanna become Hokage, right? Good first step for that would be to successfully teach a few higher-level jutsus to somebody in a short amount of time."

Naruto blinked. "Okay…but what about me? I need to get better too."

Takuya grinned. "I'll be teaching you, actually. From what I've seen, you have no idea how to really a fight an Uchiha. Best way to learn is to train with one."

"Well, how good of a shinobi are you?" asked Koharu.

Team 7 glanced at each other. 'He's pretty damn good!'

Takuya put his fist to his chin, thinking. 'How can I show them…?' He remembered how Naruto made Tsunade annoyed, and grinned. "I don't know," he said, then turned to Tsunade. "How do you think I should show them, you wrinkly old crone?"

Veins popped out on Tsunade's head as her eyes turned into white triangles. "WHAT WAS THAT, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" she yelled furiously, swinging a chakra-enhanced punch at Takuya's calm face.

Team 7 and the counselors winced at the incoming impact, then gaped at the sight in front of them.

In the instant it had taken them to blink, Takuya's arm had moved from hanging relaxed at his side to clenching Tsunade's wrist, stopping her punch completely.

Everyone in the room but Takuya gaped in shock, Naruto's jaw seeming to hit the floor. "S-s-so fast…" whispered Sakura.

"H-hey, how did h-he do that?" gaped Naruto.

Tsunade swallowed, then desperately threw a chakra-fueled roundhouse kick at Takuya, who calmly blocked in an instant at the shin.

With two fingers.

'…I thought it was impossible to block Tsunade-sama's attacks…' thought Kakashi numbly, utter shock showing through his mask. 'H-how did he…?'

Tsunade felt a shock that she had last felt at her fight with Orochimaru. 'He didn't panic or hesitate at all…and to block with only two fingers…just how powerful is…?'

She saw a glint in Takuya's eyes as he removed his hand from her wrist, then suddenly realized how he had so easily blocked her attacks. 'No…not just that…He knows…!'

"I think that proves my skill enough," said Takuya, grinning awkwardly. "Sorry about the insults, Tsunade. I'll leave that to Naruto."

"H-hey!" exclaimed Naruto defensively as everyone chuckled, the tension fading away.

Takuya's expression grew less light-hearted as he turned to Naruto. "So, whaddaya say? Want to train each other for the invasion?"

Naruto frowned, his mind racing. 'He might end up just beating the crap out of me with this training…and we don't even know when this invasion will happen…' Then Sasuke flashed into his mind, and he realized the sheer level of strength and skill Takuya possessed.

"If it's what gets Sasuke back…" said Naruto slowly, a look of resolve on his face. "I'll train my ass off every day."

Takuya smiled in satisfaction. "Good to hear. Because you will be training your ass off every day until you drop."

Naruto's face dropped into a look of comedic horrified disbelief. "W-WHAAAAAAAT?"

Takuya chuckled, then frowned. 'So will I though. We both have to be ready for the approaching storm.'

Ending: FIRE! (by Wada Kouji, Digimon Frontier Opening)

Japanese Lyrics.

Kusubutteta mune ni nage irero fire!
Chiheisen e kokoro tobasu nda

Kara mawari no kimochi o keri agetara
Saki ni iku ze Tsugi no furontia

Kanau sa Kanau Hakkaten wa mou sugu da ze
Dekiru Dekiru sa Bakuhatsu shite miseru nda
Burn up'n go!

Gomibako o tobi koeta saki ni aru mirai
Hikari o matotte get a fire power!
Giragira to moe agare Hitomi no chikara
Kesenai yuuki de get a fire power!
Michi ga michiteru furontia e
Hashiri tsuzukeru nda "Kimi o tsurete"

Housoku nante hatsumei surya ii ndaro?
Jibun katte mo tama ni hitsuyou sa

Iu koto kike! Nige dashita kunaru my heart!
Hitori datte yara nakyanannai ze

Doko kara Doko e Toki wa nagareteku ndarou?
Wakaru Wakaru sa Gimon wa yamanai kedo ne
Get up'n go!

Kaidan o kake noboru saki ni aru jidai
Takamaru kodou de get a fire power!
Giragira to teri kaese Hadashi no taiyou
Makenai atsusa de get a fire power!
Michi ga michiteru furontia e
Hashiri tsuzukeru nda "Kimi o tsurete"

Gomibako o tobi koeta saki ni aru mirai
Hikari o matotte get a fire power!
Giragira to moe agare Hitomi no chikara
Kesenai yuuki de get a fire power!
Michi ga michiteru furontia e
Hashiri tsuzukeru nda "Kimi o tsurete"

Alright, last update of this story tonight. For fans of "Kitsune-Jin", I'm gonna be uploading the newest chapter on Christmas Day. This chapter will include Naruto designing his actual costume.