What are you looking for? There is no Truth. There's only action, action obeying a million different impulses, ephemeral action, action subjected to every possible and imaginable contingency and contradiction, Life. Life is crime, theft, jealousy, hunger, lies, disgust, stupidity, sickness, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, piles of corpses. what can you do about it, my poor friend? (Cendrars)

The Monster Within Us All: Chapter Fourteen

A knocking on her office window woke Tsunade from her nap. She quickly attempted to make herself looked dignified, but immediately relaxed once she realized it was Jiraiya. He looked the same as ever, but she couldn't help but notice the fact that he was alone. The expression of melancholy marring his face became evident the closer he got to her, and she became worried.

"Where is she, Jiraiya?" she asked in a worried tone. "I told you not to return until you found her."

"She's not coming back, Tsunade," Jiraiya clarified. He was sadder than she had ever seen him before. It was very uncharacteristic to see such a dejected expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" she demanded. "Did you find her?"

Jiraiya refused to make eye contact with his former teammate, which only served to unnerve her even more. The Toad Sage was renowned for his jolly and extroverted nature, so seeing him behave in such a way was terrifying, "I found her years ago," he said, shocking Tsunade so much that she couldn't formulate an immediate response. "When I tried to bring her back, she threatened me with violence. The Kyuubi's chakra began to leak out, and she entered a berserker-like state. We fought for a while, but eventually, I was hit with a near-fatal blow to the chest."

Upon explaining the story, he removed his shirt and showed the massive scar he received during the battle, "I woke up in a hospital a week later. Apparently, had they found me a second later than they did, I wouldn't have survived my injuries. After my recovery, I checked the summoning scroll and discovered that she removed her name, before leaving my bleeding body behind."

"So not only did she escape you, but now reverse summoning her is no longer an option?" Tsunade asked in an angry tone. "Damn it, Jiraiya, you should have contacted me sooner. I could have organized a second search party."

"There's no point, Tsunade," Jiraiya stated sadly. "Mito doesn't want to come back. She is a different person now, one completely controlled by her rage. She's not the same Mito that we grew to care for so much."

All that followed the sad statement was silence. Tsunade had always been able to maintain her youthful appearance, thus giving the illusion that she was a young woman; however, at this moment, she truly felt her age. Mito was the only reason she decided to become Hokage in the first place, and now it seemed that the young girl was in an extremely dark state of mind. The idea that the cheerful and kind redhead almost murdered Jiraiya in cold blood both shocked and saddened the Fifth Hokage to her core.

"I-I refuse to give up on her," Tsunade stammered. "There has to be something going on that we simply don't know about."

"Tsunade," Jiraiya said in an attempt to console her.

"No!" she shouted in rage, nearly crushing her desk with a closed fist. "I wasn't there to see how much she has changed, that much is true. However, I spent a good amount of quality time with her before she fled, and I know that no matter what, there will always be good inside her. If what you're saying is true, and she really has changed for the worst, then it is up to us to help her. So if you want to continue being a mopey ass pansy then so be it, but do it outside of my village."

Jiraiya's eyes were wide in shock, and Tsunade immediately regretted her words. She made to apologize but soon noticed her former teammate chuckling. Too shocked at his sudden change of mood, Tsunade just watched the bizarre sight, "You still have your legendary fury, that's for sure." he said while wiping a laugh induced tear from his eye. He composed himself and then looked at Tsunade with a sad smile, "I've never been called a mopey ass pansy, before, but I can't help but agree that it was an accurate observation on your part. You're right, Tsunade, I made a mistake in losing faith in Mito. After seeing the student who was so near and dear to me reject my help and then try to kill me, it drove me into a depression. I won't make that mistake again."

Before Tsunade could comment further Jiraiya continued, "When you do organize that second search party, I trust that you will make sure I am a part of it?"

She contemplated his words for a few moment's and couldn't help but smile as well, "Sure, you disgusting pervert. I'd be foolish not to utilize your abilities."

Predictably, Jiraiya hopped onto the window ledge, but before leaving, he looked towards Tsunade and spoke, "It seems that this time it was you that straightened me out. I suppose we're even now."

"Jiraiya," Tsunade called out before he was able to leave. He looked at her in confusion before she finally spoke, "If Mito truly wanted you dead, she would have killed you while you were unconscious. Did you ever wonder how exactly the local hospital was able to find you in the first place?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened in surprise, "Mito told them where to find me." It was a shocking realization, but one that made a lone tear flow down his cheek. Tsunade was right; there was still good in Mito's heart. Whether his apprentice went into their battle wanting to kill him or not, it seemed that she couldn't bring herself to do it. She even went as far to seek out medical attention for him.

The Gallant Jiraiya jumped back into the night without another sound and Tsunade couldn't help but lean back into her chair. It was obvious what Jiraiya meant about them now being even. After she spent decades drinking and gambling her sorrows away, it was Jiraiya that led the mission to bring her back home. This time, however, it was her he put him back on the right path. She looked at the portraits of the previous Hokage, and her gaze lingered particularly long on her the image of Sarutobi-sensei. She imagined he'd be proud of her saving Jiraiya from his despair. However, it was clear that her work wasn't done.

It was high time that she saved Mito Uzumaki.

~Break~

He had been correct in his earlier assumption; the situation in Yama no Sato had quickly escalated to utter chaos. Everyone was accusing one another of poisoning Saza Taishio, and Team Hebi was trapped in the middle of it. After five days of pandemonium, the two remaining bosses of the city requested that Team Hebi meet with them once more. Upon arriving, Sasuke noticed that Amachi was present for the meeting as well. Mikami and Akiya remained calm, but Amachi was clearly still enraged at the fact that his boss had been killed. However, based on what Sasuke knew, he doubted Amachi was actually upset at all. The silence in the room was ended when someone finally spoke.

"I couldn't help but notice that Saza was the only person at the table who drank any of the alcohol," Mikami pointed out. "To be sure, I had the sake bottle tested for poison, and it came up positive. This new piece of information has significant implications."

"It means that whoever poisoned Saza-san, was attempting to poison all of you as well," a mystery voice commented from the entrance to the room.

"You," Sasuke said with narrowed eyes as he recognized the intruder as Daichi, the man he helped defeat during the Hokage retrieval mission."

Daichi turned to Sasuke with his typical lazy smile, "It's good to see you again, Uchiha-san," he said. "From what I've heard, we're both fellow criminals now."

"You can't trust this man," Sasuke warned Mikami. "He is a mass murderer, and I wouldn't be surprised if he were the one responsible for all of this."

"Who isn't a murderer these days?" Daichi casually asked before taking a seat at the table. "However, I assure you that I had nothing to do with the death of Saza-san. In fact, I would have much preferred for him to still be alive, seeing as though he is an associate of my boss."

"So, 'he' sent you here?" Mikami asked stoically, and Sasuke began to wonder exactly who 'he' was.

Daichi nodded in affirmative, and Mikami and Akiya seemed to relax a bit. It appeared that they actually welcomed Daichi's presence here, which led Sasuke to believe that they were allies. He probably shouldn't be surprised that a serial killer like Daichi and a criminal syndicate such as the one in Yama no Sato would be associated with one another. However, despite learning that Daichi wasn't particularly the enemy at the moment, Sasuke didn't let his guard down, even for a moment.

"Yep, my job is to clean this mess up, hopefully before things escalate any further," Daichi clarified. "Until I've finished my work, I recommend that you avoid eating any food without testing it for poison."

"Will do," Amiya stated sarcastically before standing up to leave. Her guards escorted her from the room, and Mikami followed soon after, leaving Daichi alone with Team Hebi and Amachi.

"Should I, by chance, be worried for my own safety?" he asked with a lazy smirk, an expression that disgusted Sasuke to no end. "You've been staring at me with your sharingan since I arrive."

Sasuke didn't respond and left the room with his team and Amachi following soon after. It seemed that even with his leader dead, Amachi was still honoring his duty of guarding them during their time in the city. Thankfully, it was evening, so the streets were a bit less occupied, and they were able to return to their hotel in relative silence.

"I couldn't help but notice that you knew that guy," Amachi said, apparently referring to Daichi. "You and he have a history?"

"He was my opponent once in battle, he's a very dangerous man who you should tread lightly around," Sasuke answered.

Amachi chuckled mirthlessly before looking into Sasuke's onyx eyes, "I think you'll find that everyone in this city is dangerous, Sasuke-san."

Eventually, Team Hebi finally reached their room, and since Amachi completed his duty by escorting them, he announced that he would be leaving them to their own devices. However, before leaving, he turned to Sasuke, "I recommend that you leave this place, Uchiha-san. Not to be rude, but this entire situation has nothing to do with you. You'll only interfere."

Sasuke gestured for the remainder of his team to go into the room without him before turning to face Amachi. His trained ears noticed an underlying threat in his escort's 'friendly' advice, making it clear that Amachi didn't want him here. It wasn't difficult why that was though. After they looked each other in the eyes for a few moments, Amachi gave a polite bow before walking in the opposite direction, towards the hotel exit.

"Are you worried about me interfering with your attempt to assassinate the remaining Bosses?" Sasuke asked stoically as his escort was walking away.

Amachi froze, and he slowly turned back towards Sasuke, with his eyes now narrowed due to the accusation, "Are you accusing me of poisoning Saza-sama?" he asked in a deadly tone.

"Yes," Sasuke answered before closing the door to his room, leaving him and Amachi alone in the hallway. "But to be more specific, I was also referring to your attempt to poison all of the Bosses, not just Saza."

Amachi sprung into action and tried to draw a kunai from his holster. However, he was forced to freeze when Sasuke's chokuto was stabbed in the wall, mere centimeters from his face. "You misunderstand, I couldn't care less about whether you succeed in you assassination attempt," Sasuke said. "The Bosses of this city are very much deserving of death, and if I planned on telling them that you were the culprit, I would have done so during the meeting today."

After coming to terms with the fact that he had been found out, Amachi became admirably calm, "How did you know?" he asked, apparently curious.

"When the food was brought it, I noticed you discreetly putting some poison into the sake," Sasuke said. "Like I said before, I couldn't care less if you succeeded or not. I only came here for information, not to make any friends. So the death of your boss is no skin off my nose. However, I am curious as to why you did it."

Amachi was silent for a few moments, perhaps because he was deciding whether or not to reveal the truth. Sasuke couldn't blame the young man for being cautious. It was clear that Amachi was involved in some sort of conspiracy to kill the three main crime bosses in the city. So frankly, Sasuke's curiosity was officially peaked.

"If you knew the things that I knew, you'd already be over there right now, killing them yourself," Amachi revealed through gritted teeth. "I was never a fan of their methods, but recently, when they formed the Syndicate, I realized that they were beyond redemption."

"How so?" Sasuke asked.

"The Bosses used to be normal criminal leaders, but ever since 'he' showed up, things have changed," Amachi began. "Our focus shifted from drug trafficking and arms dealing, to murdering seemingly innocent people. That blonde bastard would come to Saza-sama every few weeks with a list of names, and within a few days everyone who's name was on that dreaded piece of paper would be dead; without question! I had to kill the Bosses; otherwise, countless innocents would lose their lives."

As soon as Sasuke heard the mention of a blonde, the wheels began turning in his head. Sure there were millions of blondes in the world, but somehow, he had a feeling that Amachi was talking about Naruto, "Is this blonde around seventeen years old, with blue eyes and an eerily calm demeanor?" Sasuke asked, trying to confirm his theory. "Are you talking about Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, that's him," Amachi practically spat. "Though I didn't know he had a name, I thought he was just the Devil in human form," it was clear that Amachi wasn't Naruto's biggest fan, "I can't tell you much about him since whenever he visited Saza-sama, he rarely spoke. He only ever brought those damned lists of the people he wanted killed. But what I do know, is that the man who visited us today, Daichi, works for him."

This new piece of information allowed Sasuke a new moment of clarity. Apparently, Itachi's message in the genjutsu was correct; Naruto Uzumaki truly was a monster. If Naruto was the one pulling the strings behind all of these murders, the past few years began to make some sense. Mito informed him that Naruto was once a resident of Orphanage 8, and Kakashi once told him that all the murders occurring throughout Fire Country involved the victims being formally associated with the previously mentioned orphanage. Naruto was responsible for the killings committed by the pirates during Sasuke's first C-Rank mission, and he was also to blame for the massive explosion that killed hundred of people in the port city. He was a merciless killer, just like Itachi. In fact, he may be even worse.

"Is he in the city now?" Sasuke asked, deadly serious.

"I'm not sure," Amachi answered. "I expected him to come in person, not send this Daichi fellow. Now all of my plans have been complicated."

Sasuke was a bit disappointed to learn that Naruto wasn't here since he desired to confront the blonde. However, seeing as Amachi said that the monstrous Uzumaki wasn't in the city, Sasuke felt there was no other reason to stay, "I wish I could help you, but I have my own business to attend to," Sasuke said. "My number one priority is to kill my brother, and with the information your former boss gave me, I now have a lead."

"I assume you'll be leaving now?" Amachi asked.

Sasuke nodded, "My team has already left through our hotel room window and have started traveling back to the gate. My original plan was to leave without you knowing, but seeing as you recommended earlier that I leave, I assume you won't get in the way of my departure."

"No, I see now that we are the same, Sasuke Uchiha," Amachi stated resolutely. "We both have those in our lives who deserve to die, and it is up to us to bring them to justice. In your case, it's your brother, and seeing as I know what it feels like to want justice, I couldn't possibly try to stop you from leaving the city. I'd be a hypocrite if I did."

Sasuke opened the door to his hotel room, which revealed that his team had, in fact, left during the conversation. He walked towards the now opened window at the other end of the room, but halted in his tracks before turning to Amachi and offering some final advice, "I recommend that you lay low for a while before you once again attempt to kill the remaining Bosses. So long as Daichi is in the city, you'll be at a high risk of being caught, and eventually, killed."

Amachi smiled before asking, "Would you wait to kill your brother if I asked you to?" And with that, he closed the hotel room door. Sasuke smirked at the truth behind Amachi's question before jumping out of the window and beginning the journey to meet up with his team at the gate. Perhaps, in his younger days, he would have stayed to help Amachi out. However, he had waited long enough over the past few years.

Before he concerned himself with anything else, he would kill his brother. Justice was long overdue.

~Break~

Amachi was initially pretty unnerved that Sasuke had figured him out, but now that he and the Uchiha survivor were on the same page, he felt at ease. He was making the long trip back to his home, but he didn't mind the solitude. The past few days had been rather chaotic, so the silence of the night was actually very peaceful.

Being able to return home to his family was the only thing that made him happy anymore. After spending hours every day with the scumbags of the city, eating a meal with his mother and siblings was a welcomed experience. He knew that he was close to his destination when he smelled his mother's excellent cooking. The aroma brought a peaceful smile to his face, and for a moment, he forgot about the stress of his life and his vendetta against the Bosses.

He opened the door, expecting to see his mother and younger siblings sitting at the table, but was shocked at what he saw. His family was indeed sitting at the table, but it was the guest that they were joyfully talking to that caused him to feel utter terror.

"Amachi, I'm glad that you are home!" his mother greeted with excitement. "Your friend got here a bit earlier than you did. But don't worry, he wasn't any trouble at all. Why didn't you tell me that you had such polite friend?"

Before Amachi could warn his mother of the danger, the guest at the table stood up in greeting, "It is good to see you, Amachi-san," Naruto said politely. "I hope you don't mind my visit, but I heard such great things about your mother's cooking, and I couldn't help myself."

"Your friend is quite the charmer, sochi-kun," his mother commented. "Ever since he got here all he's done is make polite comment after polite comment; eventually it's going to make me blush."

"It's hard not to compliment you when you make it so easy, ma'am," Naruto said with a polite smile.

Amachi's mother ushered him to the table, and he was too horrified to even resist. He looked over at Naruto, who was sipping on a cup of tea with a serene expression on his face. Without anyone else noticing, Naruto set his cup down, and shifted his gaze until he was staring directly at Amachi with petrifying half lidded eyes. The look was so terrifying that it was beyond words, and at that moment, he believed that the Devil was sitting at his family's dinner table. He now feared for his their safety.

His mother finally brought the food to the table, and the group began eating in relative silence. Amachi noticed that his mother seemed incredibly happy to have a guest at her dinner table, and it only made him feel even worse. While watching Naruto eat, he noticed that the blonde teen's expression and body language revealed nothing, as if the flavor of the food he was eating had no effect on him. It wasn't surprising though since monsters like Naruto were incapable of enjoying anything, with the only exception being the pleasure they derived from other people's suffering.

"How do you know my brother," Amachi's little sister chirped to Naruto with childish innocence.

"Your brother and I are friends from work," Naruto answered with a beautiful smile. "You should be proud of him, as it has become apparent to me that he cares for all of you very dearly."

Was Naruto here to show Amachi that his family could be murdered at any moment? That had to be the reason behind his visit, and so far, the blonde Uzumaki's message was loud and clear. If Amachi were forced to choose between his vendetta against the Bosses and the safety of his family, the choice would be easy. Daichi must have discovered that he was the one responsible for the poisoning, which he most then informed Naruto of later.

The dinner went on for another thirty minutes, with Amachi's family making small talk with their guest. It was obvious that his mother was becoming annoyed with the fact that he hadn't said anything during the meal, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. For all he knew, any second now Naruto could stand up from his chair and kill his entire family with no mercy.

"You know Amachi-san," Naruto said once the meal was finally completed. "After spending this elegant evening with you and your family, it has made me think of a certain life lesson. Have you ever heard the phrase, 'you don't know how much you truly care about something until it is taken away'?"

His family wasn't able to deduce the underlying threat of Naruto's words, but Amachi understood it immediately, "However, after watching you, I can see that you already know just how much you care for your family," Naruto continued. "It is evident that there is nothing more important to you than them. With that being said, I hope that you all continue to live happily with one another."

Amachi's mother thanked Naruto for what she perceived to be a kind comment, and the blonde teen informed her that he had to leave. Naruto walked towards the front door, and Amachi followed behind him, thankful that the evilest person he ever met was now leaving his house. He followed his 'guest' outside and closed the door behind him. Now, it was just him and Naruto, alone.

"The message was clear," he said in between shaky breaths. "I'll stay out of your way from now on. Just please, don't hurt my family."

Naruto was facing the other direction, so Amachi was unable to see his face. For a moment, he thought that the blonde wasn't going to respond, but he soon heard a chilling voice. "When I was a child, I once read a story about a young man, who poked a Dragon while it was sleeping," Naruto said without turning around. "The Dragon woke up in a rage, and the young man ran back home in fear. However, the Dragon followed him, with vengeance in mind."

With every sentence of the bizarre story, Amachi was getting more and more unnerved, "After seeing the Dragon flying over his house, the young man soon became fearful for his family's safety, thinking that the Dragon was going to kill them as well. He charged outside with a sword in his hand and tried to fight the Dragon. However, he soon realized that even with his blade, he was too weak to fight such a powerful beast. He ran away in fear and noticed that the Dragon followed him, away from his family's home. The young man soon realized that the Dragon had no interest in killing his family and that it only wanted him dead, for waking it up from its nap." Naruto said before turning around with a polite smile. "With the desire to protect the ones he loved in his mind, the boy knew that so long as he lived, his family would never be safe from the Dragon. So, he did the only thing he could do."

"W-What did he do?" Amachi asked, but deep down, he already knew the answer.

Naruto didn't answer and stared directly into Amachi's eyes before finally turning around and walking away into the shadows of the night. With his entire body trembling in fear, Amachi walked back into his home and went straight to his room. For the next few hours, he laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling in contemplation. The story of the Young Man and the Dragon was still echoing through his head, and it prevented him from getting any sleep.

Amachi looked at his nightstand and saw his tanto underneath his lamp. It was placed there during the night in case someone tried to enter his room during the evening with dark intentions. As he focused on his blade, the story continued to bounce around in his mind, and he narrowed his eyes in determination. He shifted himself into a sitting position before reaching for the blade and removing it from its sheath.

As he stared at his reflection in the steel blade, Amachi realized that much like the young man from Naruto's story, his family would never be safe so long as he was alive. He had interfered in Naruto's plans and foolishly put his own family at risk, just as the young man in the story had endangered his family by poking the Dragon. The ending to the story of the Young Man and the Dragon was left purposefully vague and was likely open to interpretation. People probably had varying opinions regarding what choice the young man made in order to protect his family from the Dragon. However, to Amachi, it was as clear as day. Just as it was obvious what Naruto wanted him to do.

At the end of the story, the young man likely plunged his sword through his chest, and with that, his family was then safe from the threat of the Dragon. Amachi clenched his eyes shut, as tears threatened to burst out at any moment, but he eventually managed to compose himself. He had to do this. With that in mind, he tightened his grip on the hilt of his tanto and with a single thrust, stabbed himself in the chest. The pain was very brief, and he was thankful for the fact that he wouldn't suffer.

In his final moments, he was happy that with his death, the threat to his family would now be over. He closed his eyes and took his last breath. In the end, he was never able to achieve justice against the Bosses. However, the lives of his family would always be more important than vengeance.

And with that, he died.

~Break~

With every step, Mito got closer and closer to Sunagakure. She remembered during the Chunin Exams that Gaara claimed to have spoken to a monster and that the monster had ordered him to kill Sasuke. To Mito, it was evident that Naruto had requested for Gaara to kill the Last Uchiha. With that thought in mind, she figured that the Suna Jinchuuriki may be able to offer her some information about her brother.

In the best case scenario, Gaara could possibly know where Naruto currently was, but she doubted that. Her brother wasn't the type to reveal anything about himself to anyone, so the idea of him telling Gaara where he could be found was preposterous. However, after four years of searching, she didn't have any more leads so she would have to work with this.

She saw the walls of Suna a few miles ahead and was grateful for the opportunity to get out of the harsh temperature of the desert. But before she could advance any further, a small clay bird flew next to her face before it exploded. It was unclear whether or not she escaped the blast, but then two figures approached the explosion with a calmness that could only be attributed to the most experienced of warriors. They both wore high-collared black cloaks with red clouds and had straw hats hiding their faces. One was of average height, with some blonde hair visible beneath his straw hat. The other appeared to be a hunchbacked individual, and his facial features were entirely impossible to see.

"Deidara," the hunchbacked man growled in a grave voice. "You better not have killed the jinchuuriki."

"No need to worry, Sasori no Danna," Deidara retorted in a laid back tone. "This is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. If she could be killed by such a small blast, I'd be disappointed."

Red chakra soon flooded the area, and Mito was revealed to be alive and well. Her teeth and nails were both elongated, and her eyes were blood red. It was an intimidating sight, but the two Akatsuki members weren't even mildly intimidated. They weren't S-Rank shinobi for nothing.

"I'll capture the prize, you can just sit back and watch," Deidara said to his partner before removing his straw hat and stuffing his hands into his bags of clay. "I'll take care of this with a bang."

"Just don't keep me waiting," Sasori warned before the battle ensued.

Deidara tossed three clay birds from his hands, and they flew at Mito at impressive speeds. The Kyuubi jinchuuriki charged at her opponent and didn't bother to dodge the attack. The explosion was large than the last one and Mito immediately darted out of the dust and towards her enemy, revealing that she hadn't been damaged.

"It seems that C-1 it too weak," Deidara observed. "If I want to capture the jinchuuriki, then C-2 is my best bet."

The strange mouths on the palms of his hands chewed up a large quantity of clay from his pouches, after which he clenched his hands together. When he opened them, it was revealed that he created a miniature clay dragon. He was forced to dodge as a red chakra hand attempted to remove his head from his shoulders and as he leaped upward he tossed his creation into the air, and it was engulfed in smoke. Shockingly, a massive clay dragon appeared out of the smoke and caught Deidara on it's back.

Even with the Kyuubi's chakra influencing her mind, Mito was smart enough to pause her assault in order to observe this new threat. The thing was huge, and she imagined that if it were capable of exploding like the clay birds from earlier, it would be dangerous.

Suddenly, the dragon's tail shortened and then a large clay creature was launched out its mouth, directly towards her. She managed to dodge at the last moment, but she still felt the force of the explosion next to her. These bombs were much stronger than the ones her opponent was using earlier.

She narrowed her eyes when a much larger clay creation was shot from the dragon's mouth directly towards her, and she made to dodge again. However, she found herself unable to move as several chakra strings held her in place. The bomb hit her dead on before exploding. To make sure she was defeated, Deidara jumped off of his dragon, and it flew towards Mito as well. Once it made contact with the already wounded Mito, it erupted in a grand explosion, and Deidara assumed that the battle was over.

He looked towards his partner, "I didn't need your help, Sasori no Danna!" he complained. "I was going to beat her eventually."

"You were making me wait," Sasori countered before beginning the slow walk towards their prize.

The dust and smoke from the explosion cleared and Mito was lying on her stomach, with the Kyuubi's chakra still bubbling around her form. Her chakra cloak now had three tails, and the pair of Akatsuki members halted in their tracks as they saw a fourth tail begins to form.

Mito immediately regained consciousness and clenched her head in pain. Deidara raised his brow as he saw the redheaded girl's skin start to peel from her body. Blood rose from her flesh and mixed with the Kyuubi's chakra, surrounding her in a black sphere. Now that the battle appeared to just be getting started, Deidara created a clay bird, large enough for carrying him on its back, and flew into the air.

The black sphere of bloody chakra faded away, and a monstrous creature was in place of the redheaded Uzumaki teen. It looked like a mini-Kyuubi, but it was clearly just a layer of dark red, nearly black, chakra clinging to Mito's body. None of her features were visible, and for a moment, her two opponents wondered if it was even her anymore.

However, the surrounding area soon shook as the Kyuubi enhanced Mito roared loudly. The battle would only get more chaotic from here.

~End~