Hi everybody! I'm back again with another chapter! I realize a bit ago that I had written a lot under the assumption that most people who liked this story had either some knowledge of Kamen Rider or would be curious enough to use google for very small details. That's kind of being unfair to the people who aren't familiar with Kamen Rider and while I haven't really gotten a complaint about it, I imagine there are a handful of people who are being quiet about their annoyances as having something random tangled with an anime you like might ruin the experience of reading if you aren't sure what it is about. While I did try a bit to give a small idea of what each form does, I've most likely done a rather poor job of it. While I will probably guarantee that I'm going to give up entirely on describing what each form looks like, I will go ahead and keep a short segment at the beginning of each chapter to mark the different forms and give a bit of background of what each does for those who are unfamiliar with the Kamen Rider series.

Naruto

Mantles: Dolphi, Falco, Chameleo, Buffa

Dolphi: Augments speed/finesse but hardly changes strength. Has healing magic and when using the upgraded form, can generate shields. Grants aquatic mobility as well but not underwater breathing

Falco: Second fastest next to Dolphi. Gives the ability of flight. Upgraded form's abilities haven't quite been shown so I won't give it away.

Chameleo: Second slowest mantle. The mantle has the ability to use the Chameleon's tongue as a whip and also has the ability to camouflage the user. Haven't shown upgraded form yet.

Buffa: Slowest but strongest mantle. Can slam the ground and cause shockwaves/fissures. Upgraded form has been revealed but no specific ability yet.

Engage: By inserting this ring on another individual and then having them activate it on the Driver, Naruto can enter another individual's underworld.

Chimerise: Summons Chimera

Sasuke:

Body memories

Joker: Allows the user to increase fighting potential and has general enhancements to the user.

Metal: Empowers the user with great strength and magnified resistance to physical harm. Also generates a metal bo staff for the user.

Trigger: While not granting physical augments, it turns the user into an excellent marksman and generates the Trigger Magnum.

Soul Memories

Cyclone: Allows user to move at fast speeds and imbues them with the power of the wind.

Heat: Empowers the user with the element of fire

Luna: Empowers the user by turning their body to an almost rubber-like state.

Fang: Floods the user with a huge amount of power that could make the user go berserk if they cannot control it. The user can generate blades from their wrists and ankles.

Itachi

Accel: Transforms Itachi into Accel

Jet: When inserted into the Engine blade, it allows the blade to execute super-heated slashes or fire bladed energy waves.

Electric: Charges the blade with electricity similar to what Jet does with flames.

Sakura

Decade: base form, armed with the booklet which can form a jute for Sakura to do battle with.

Kuuga: Sakura has used four forms so far. Mighty is the most balanced one, Dragon offers more speed but reduces strength along with granting a staff. Titan grants strength but reduces speed along with granting a sword. Pegasus increases perception but reduces mobility along with granting a bowgun. Rising combines the four together but takes a large amount of Sakura's energy to sustain.

Kiva: So far, three augments have been shown outside of the base form. Garulu is similar to dragon but also has attacks with sound properties and uses a blade. Dogga is similar to Titan but Titan has a defend and counter style whereas Dogga is more aggression oriented. Dogga is armed with a hammer. Basshaa has similar properties to Pegasus but instead of perception, it allows the user to absorb information about the opponent to exploit a possible weakness based on observations. Grants a magnum.

Agito: Sakura has used Trinity and Burning so far which jumps the three standard forms (if you're familiar with Agito). Trinity is the fusion of three states that are Ground, Storm, and Flame. The forms grant the user with the power of Earth, Wind, and Fire, respectively. Burning is an unrefined ascended form of Agito that is fueled by Sakura's rage.

Ryuki: Only the base form has been shown, the only two cards Sakura has used so far is Sword vent and Engage vent. Sword has been demonstrated to be able to temporarily cut open barriers whereas Engage allows Sakura to enter the underworld of another individual.

Den-O: So far only two forms have been shown. Sword form gives Sakura access to a sword that is apparently somewhat heavy. Gun form gives Sakura a gun that fires shots that explode so violently that the recoil is difficult to control.

Hibiki: So far, this ability is shown to infuse the user with a dark power and can wield some form of fire.

Faiz: Gives the user the Faiz edge which is a red blade. The Axel form of Faiz allows Sakura to move at significantly higher speeds for short periods as it puts a huge stress on Sakura's body.

Kabuto: Gives Sakura a large speed burst with Clock up but is not as fast as Faiz. However, it is much easier for Sakura to maintain.

Blade: Form has been shown briefly and Sakura has used two cards specific to this form. Beat enhances the punching strength of Sakura and can also imbue them with explosive fire. Mach gives a moment's burst of speed and balance to Sakura's lower half.

DiEnd: Doesn't really give Sakura too much of an enhancement of fighting abilities but it gives Sakura access to the DiEnd driver which is a long ranged weapon and can summon the 9 forms rather than allowing the user to become them. However, summoning 1 is more taxing than assuming the form of said one

Phoenix: Summons Phoenix

Konohamaru.

5 different sets of Core medals.

Ankh(Red, Bird themed)

Top: The only form shown of Ankh's so far, the Taka medal improves the vision and perception of the user.

Kazari(Yellow, Feline themed)

Middle: The only form shown so far, the Tora section gives the user gauntlets with claws that resemble a tiger of sorts.

Mezool (Blue, Fish themed)

No medals shown so far.

Uva: (Green, Insect themed)

Top: Kuwagata, a head with pincers resembling a beetle of sorts and can also release a burst of lightning

Middle: Kamakiri, gives the user gauntlets with Mantis like blades.

Bottom: Batta, grants the user with increased jumping abilities.

Combo Specialty: While it requires a lot of Chakra, Konohamaru can multiply himself to extreme amounts (more durable than shadow clones) and each has the ability of the original to an extent.

Gamel(Gray, Primate themed)

Middle: Only form shown so far, Gorilla gives the user rather bulky Gray gauntlets that pack a huge punch.

That took…over 1000 words but hopefully this helps you guys in understanding the abilities a bit better. Obviously, if you are familiar with the series you will notice that I have changed things up for creative purposes (Kabuto renders Faiz pretty useless otherwise haha).

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

Speech patterns are the same.

Chapter 21: Dawn of the Red

Gaara stood and looked at the high walls of Suna silently as the sun slowly came up over the horizon.

"Kazekage-sama, the meeting is soon," reported an adviser as he bowed towards Gaara's back.

"Okay," responded Gaara as he entered the conference chamber in the Kazekage building.

"In the past few years, our village's power has stabilized and has maintained good relations with all of our allies. We also have promising results from the curriculum of the training program that we have adopted from Konohagakure," reported one of the council members.

"There's a Chuunin exam soon….I'm looking forward to the results of that," commented another.

"Well….this close to the Chuunin exam, there's been a rather nasty rumor," trailed off another.

"…What is it?" inquired Baki rather sharply.

"This information is from Jiraiya of the Legendary Three….have you heard of an organization called Akatsuki?"

"The sand have been warned and are preparing. ANBU have been deployed to key points in the outskirts…even so, I wonder if they'd be able to forcibly stop someone similar to my caliber from entering the country," murmured Jiraiya as he took a bite out of his food alongside Kakashi.

"Why would Akatsuki start with such flashy movements? Do you know what their objective or final goal is?" Asked Kakashi.

"I don't know that much as of right now….I hope to go around and investigate some more which is why I'm leaving Naruto in your care again," explained Jiraiya.

"If that is all….let this meeting be adjourned," announced Gaara as he stood from his chair.

"Good job passing this information on, Yuura. Have the security of the village tightened up for possible dangers," instructed one of the council members.

"I'm glad I could advise the superiors I've worked for these past four years. Furthermore, the source of the information was Jiraiya-sama, I had to make a decision to move quickly," explained Yuura.

Yuura paused for a moment before his eyes widened and suddenly a torrent of memories assaulted his mind.

"….What's the matter?" Questioned a council member as he watched Yuura visibly shake for a moment.

"…It's…it's nothing, just need some rest," muttered Yuura.

"….Take care of your body, young one."

A rather tall slim figure slowly walked in the sand alongside another who seemed rather large and round underneath his clothing. Both individuals had straw hats on as well as black cloaks with red clouds imprinted on them.

"So…the ones Orochimaru planted are up ahead…yeah?" Questioned the slim one as the large one merely nodded its head.

"It seems for some reason, he leaked our information and turned into a traitor…," mused the slim one.

"We don't have a choice it seems….it's just rather unfortunate that we don't know what he's like after using such a technique," muttered the large one.

"Is it alright with just one single bag?" Asked the large one. "You are aware of who our opponent exactly is, correct?"

"My techniques are all artistic….so I came up with my favorite, number 18. It should be enough for the Ichibi."

The walls of Suna slowly came into view as the duo walked through the wide desert. Multiple guards situated at the walls of Suna slowly took notice of the duo and their cloaks gave the scouts rather panicked faces.

"Captain Yuura! Those individuals are wearing the attire as described by our intel about Akatsuki," declared one of the scouts with a concerned look on his face.

"Don't worry….it'll be over soon," muttered Yuura.

As the Akatsuki duo arrived at the walls of Suna, Yuura stood amongst a sea of dead Suna-nins.

"Well done….so I take it you remember me?" Muttered the large individual.

"Yes sir! Of course, Sasori-sama," saluted Yuura.

"Alrighty then….if you had forgotten, I might have had to use my technique….hehehe," chuckled the slim one.

"Since your memories have returned….you are now my faithful servant," muttered Sasori as his partner lifted up his hands so the sleeves of the cloak revealed his palms.

"Alright….let's do this," declared the slim individual as a mouth opened at the palm of his hand and began to make chewing sounds.

"Do remember not to toy around too long, Deidara," warned Sasori as he watched Deidara prep his technique.

"Yeah yeah, I got it," replied Deidara as a ball of clay was spat out from his mouth palms.

Deidara closed his eyes and concentrated for a bit as he suddenly balled his fists and seemed to crush the ball of clay. Deidara than relaxed his hand and opened up his fists to reveal a rather tiny looking paper bird. The bird then hopped out of Deidara's hand and exploded into a puff of smoke before revealing that the bird had grew significantly in size.

"Let me take towards the skies," declared Deidara as he leapt onto the bird and the bird flapped its wings and began to ascend upwards.

Deidara rose up higher and higher until he arrived at a height where he could see the village of Suna in its entirety. Deidara then reached into his pouch and pulled out a contraption which he then put over his eyes and adjusted a bit to get a clearer look at Suna rooftops.

"Hmmmmm, only three sky guards…..this village's artistic design isn't too shabby….definitely worth ruining it," smirked Deidara as he pulled out three clay spiders from his bag and tossed them down into the village of Suna.

Each spider landed nearby the sky guards and slowly crawled its way over towards the guards. By the time the guards noticed the small things, the spiders had crawled over their faces and exploded which muffled the screams of the guards. Deidara laughed before he jumped off the bird and landed on a nearby rooftop.

"Haha, it would appear my infiltration was…successful….," trailed off Deidara as he noticed a pair black sandals before him.

Deidara slowly looked up and the cold stare of Gaara met his eyes. Gaara lifted his arm up and a block of sand shot forward causing Deidara to quickly leap back off the building. Gaara walked forward and crossed his arms again as he looked over the edge to search for Deidara. The giant bird swooped on down and caught Deidara before ascending upwards again.

"It appears you knew it was me…yeah?" Noted Deidara as he stabilized himself on the bird.

"In this desert…no bird like that exists," pointed out Gaara.

"Heh, seems like my sneaking in was a failure…..but this saves me the trouble of looking for you," smirked Deidara.

Gaara remained silent as he created a platform of sand in the air which he jumped on to get closer to Deidara. Gaara then silent threw both arms upward into the air without breaking his gaze which caused Deidara to raise his eyebrows. Everything was still for a moment and Deidara was about to make a snarky remark before the ground started to rumble and suddenly a massive amount of sand blew up from behind Gaara and darted towards Deidara in avalanche fashion.

"I guess he lives up to his namesake…..go figure that he would have the geographical advantage here," muttered Deidara as he directed the bird to fly away to gain some distance.

As Deidara began flying outwards toward the desert, he turned his attention in Gaara's direction and noticed that Gaara was chasing him and that he had also formed several large claws with the gigantic clumps of sand. As the sand claws gained on Deidara, Deidara released some small clay sparrows from his hand that flew forward and collided with the closest sand claw. A rather large explosion occurred that caused the hand shape to dissolve and turn back into a lump of sand.

"Had to buy myself some time….but let's see how you deal with this," smirked Deidara as he released another flock of sparrows.

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he shifted his right arm in order to maneuver his sand around to intercept the attack. His sand had formed three rather large claws that were pursuing Deidara so Gaara brought one back to intercept the attack. However, the flock of sparrows seem to weave in and out and dart right by the sand claw which caused Gaara's eyes to widen. Gaara quickly brought his left arm up which caused a large amount of sand from the desert under him to rise up and form a protective shell. Deidara smirked as the flock of sparrows collided with the sand shell that Gaara had created and caused multiple explosions. However, his smirk faded when the smoke cleared up to reveal that there was not a scratch in Gaara's defense.

"Hmph….just like an eggshell….to guard against my technique so easily is no simple feat," muttered Deidara.

A small hole opened up at the front of the shell to partially reveal Gaara as he thrusted his right arm forward which caused the remaining three sand claws to merge together and expand outward while wrapping around the space surrounding Deidara.

"That's….not good," groaned Deidara as he hunched over and attempted to gain speed to exit out of the slowly closing opening in front of him.

Desert Prison!

As the opening came to a close and trapped Deidara inside, Gaara prepared to simply crush the Akatsuki member but then an explosion happened on one end and Deidara slowly fell out of the prison.

"Bah, not quite the bang that art is supposed to be….but I'll take it," scoffed Deidara as he tried to get himself upright.

Deidara caught sight of Gaara who then released his fist formed by his right hand and then point two fingers downward. Deidara returned his attention above him to notice that some of the sand above from the technique earlier was different color than the sand that was pulled up from the desert. The darker colored sand that wasn't native to the floor began sliding off and latched onto Deidara's arm before Deidara than winced a bit at the blinding pain that was his left arm being crushed. Deidara reached into his pouch with his right arm and released another bird which grew in size and helped him shake off the residual sand on his body before Deidara took note of something.

…The sand he used to crush my hand and the sand that he guards himself with is different from the normal desert sand that he brings up. It seems that the surrounding sand is quite a bit weaker and slower than the one specifically charged with his Chakra. That means that there is a set amount of that stronger sand which is why he walks around with that gourd on his back. This is how he generates his seemingly perfect defense, he formed that small hole in his defense in order to bolster his attack…I don't have too many materials left…but it should be enough for this..

Deidara smirked to himself as he reached for his last few works of art in preparation for his final attack.

"Looking at that shape…we can probably assume that Kazekage-sama's opponent is most likely a member of Akatsuki," noted Kankurou as he looked towards the battle in the sky.

"Hurry, prepare for battle! We're going to back up the Kazekage! Medical team, set up a barrier and guide the civilians in there!" Instructed Baki as he turned towards the Ninja at his disposal.

As the Ninja saluted Baki and leapt off towards their destination, Baki turned to Kankuro and muttered, "Consider the idea of Gaara going crazy again in your head…as well as a scenario when Shukaku comes out as well."

"That…won't happen, Gaara would never harm the people of this village," declared Kankuro rather boldly.

Flashback

"I don't want to have to say this…but the people think of you only as a frightening weapon. To separate from us and to just go into their gang out of the blue….it will take some time for them to adjust. The superiors don't have a very high opinion of you…the majority of this village is embraced with fear," explained Kankuro rather sadly as he watched his brother look out towards the horizon.

"I know….but…by just waiting, I get attacked by an even greater anguish. All one can do is create his own path through hard work. Without being a loner and taking the easy route…perhaps someday…I'll perhaps….be like the one who pulled from the depths of hell. That is why I, as a ninja of Suna, aim to be Kazekage. To bond with and live for this village…through hard work, I want to be respected by everyone. I grew up alone and the thought of being connected with others brought great annoyance to me….but my vision has cleared up after my encounter with Uzumaki Naruto. Hate, sadness, and even happiness….to be able to share it with another person…..Naruto knew pain as I did…and my battle with him taught me that you could change that path. My greatest desire is now that one day I will be needed by someone…not as the frightening weapon of the Sand….but as the Sand's Kazekage," replied Gaara with a rather small smile

End Flashback

"I grow weary of your expressionless face…let me show to you my glorious art," chuckled Deidara as he draw a clay doll from his hand that began to grow as he descended towards the village of Suna rapidly.

"Be awed…..BY MY AMAZING ARTISTIC MASTERPIECES! HAHAHAHAHA!" Laughed Deidara rather menacingly as Gaara's eye widened and he quickly threw his arms downward.

A great explosion occurred over the village of Suna as many of its constituents put their arms up to cover their faces and brace themselves for their demise. However, the impact never came, as many of the citizens of Suna opened their eyes they realized that the Kazekage had created a massive shield of sand over the village to guard them from the attack.

"Hehehe….not bad there Kazekage-san…but…you didn't REALLY think that I came all this way to blow up your village…did you?" Asked Deidara rather playfully.

Gaara narrowed his eyes for a moment before he took note of the small bird that had perched over the opening to his sand shell. His eyes widened as he quickly moved his arm to fully encapsulate himself just as Deidara made the signal for detonation. The dust settled once more to reveal the sand shell with rather dark splats which entailed that the explosion had done some damage to the shield, but Deidara didn't really care about that.

"As expected…that Sand of yours is quick to react…but you know….my arm was probably smashed to bits and melded into the sand that you pulled back…and my explosive clay comes from my hands…heh…heh..heh," chuckled Deidara.

Gaara's eyes widened as he felt the foreign substance in his sand and quickly tried to release the shell around him and disperse the sand. However, it was too late as Deidara immediately caused another detonation and Gaara's shell imploded on itself which caused Gaara to fall from the sky and plummet down to the grounds of Suna. Kankuro watched his brother fall and some of the damage he had sustained before he realized what had happened; Gaara used the bulk of his power to guard the village and left himself open for a somewhat lethal attack.

"Gaara! Are you okay?!" Cried out Kankuro as he quickly ran to his brother's side.

"Ugh…this punk….hand me the artifacts, Kankuro," demanded Gaara as he held one palm over his head and winced at the pain he was feeling.

"…Wha…what? But we don't know anything abo-"

"It doesn't matter! Our opponent is strong….he has weakened me right now and my control over Sand is not as precise as I wish it to be in this state….hand me the artifacts…that's an order," commanded Gaara firmly.

Kankuro was silent for a moment before he reached into his pouch and pulled out a scroll and handed it to Gaara. Gaara unsealed a briefcase and set it on the ground before opening it up and taking out a strange looking silver metallic belt with a rectangular slot as well as a bulky looking keypad. Gaara swung the belt around him and inserted the keypad into the rectangular slot.

ERROR!

Gaara groaned as face palmed himself as he tried to think about the very brief notes he had glossed over about this project. He briefly remembered something about a numerical code and he quickly removed the keypad and looked at the assortment of nine different numbers ranging from one to nine as well as a button at the top that had the word "Execed" printed.

Okay….think…think back to the research notes….C'mon…how was this thing activated….Project Kaixa….Kaixa….Kai-I-Sa….wait a minute…

Gaara was a bit in disbelief as he wondered if this was REALLY where the name of the project as well as the artifacts came shook off his dissent and quickly pressed nine followed by one then ending with three before putting the keypad back in the rectangular slot.

STANDING BY…..COMPLETE!

Gaara closed his eyes in concentration as he felt power flood into his body and then he found himself in armor that was very similar to Faiz. The only difference was that the red lines that ran along the Faiz armor was replaced with yellow lines for the power of Kaixa.

"…..Are….are you okay?" Asked Kankuro rather hesitantly as his brother was enveloped by the power of Kaixa.

Gaara nodded silently before he winced after feeling some pain shoot through his entire body. After his conversation with Sakura and some backstory to what seemed to connect Shukaku with the power of Faiz, Gaara had begun to wonder if this had meant that he could wield certain aspects of that power as well given the fact that he was a jinchuriki of the possible origins of the Orphnochs. He now suspected that while Shukaku's power resonated with Kaixa and allowed him to wield the gear, the pain he was feeling now was probably a reminder that he could not truly integrate with Kaixa's power which meant that he undoubtedly had to end this battle quickly. Gaara quickly jumped upward to the top of the tallest building in Suna and noted that although the pain from the earlier attacks had not faded, the surge in power did seem to help him regain what was previously his wavering control. As he reached the top of the building, Gaara tested his control by creating a platform of sand in order to reach Deidara once more.

"Oh-ho-ho….looks like you have other tricks up your sleeve….and I thought that last attack was going to do you in. This new look you have is quite the work of art, yeah?" Smirked Deidara.

Gaara scoffed as he opened the briefcase up once more and took out several pieces of equipment that he armed onto his belt before he lifted one hand up and caused sand to shoot up from the ground underneath Deidara.

"Wow, still going to use sand on me after what I just pulled? You're either very brave or rather stupid," laughed Deidara as he pulled the bird upward to avoid the sand.

The sand seemed to stop pursuing Deidara which caused him to be a bit confused until he looked back up and noticed that Gaara had leapt through the air and was getting a punch ready. Mid-jump, Gaara removed what looked like some strange knuckle armament and wore it over his hand before he charged it with some Chakra causing it to glow yellow. Deidara brought his one good arm upward to guard but the force he was met with was stronger than he expected causing Deidara to fly back a bit. Deidara quickly pulled his bird back towards him and managed to land on his back on the bird before sitting up and scoffing towards Gaara.

Okay…this isn't…good. I burned through my heavy hitter…..this guy suddenly busts out in weird shit clothing and I've only got a handful of smaller explosives left….I need to play this one carefully…

Gaara landed on the rooftop of a nearby building and was a bit surprised at the aftershock that he was feeling in the arm he had just used to punch as he was somewhat losing feeling in that arm. He tried to shake it off for a few moments but the numbness remained present.

Ugh….what is this…the recoil force was much greater than expected….I guess this is why this gear is a prototype….let's see what other toys I have…

Before Gaara could pull out another trinket from his arsenal, Deidara had the bird swoop down before returning pocket-size as Deidara leapt onto the same rooftop Gaara was on. Deidara then dashed forward and threw a kick which Gaara managed to duck under and Gaara then jumped back to avoid a punch from Deidara.

"Challenging me on tangible ground with only one arm? You're either very brave or rather stupid," mocked Gaara as he dashed forward and swung his arm in for a punch. Deidara leaned to the side and swatted the punch off center to shake Gaara's balance before trying for a punch of his own. Gaara quickly used his other arm to grab Deidara's wrist to halt the attack but Deidara only smirked as he released his fist and fired out a small ball of clay from his hand which collided with Gaara and promptly exploded. Gaara tumbled back and coughed a bit as Deidara merely stood there laughing which caused Gaara to scoff. Gaara stood up then pulled out a strange looking blade that looked like the Faiz edge but it was yellow instead of red. Gaara then ran forward and used his other hand to call forth varying amounts of sand so that Deidara would be attacked from all sides. Deidara focused his efforts on dodging and was narrowly avoiding the sand that seemed to becoming from all directions until he noticed Gaara performing a horizontal swing with his blade. Deidara barely managed to duck as part of his hair was cut off.

"Oh C'MON! YOU'RE RUINING THE WORK OF ART THAT IS MY HAIR!" Screamed out Deidara as he delivered an upward kick which knocked the blade up into the air twirling in circles.

"I was never an artsy kind of guy….besides, you have other things to worry about," muttered Gaara as he made an upward motion with his right hand.

Deidara took a quick glimpse around him and noticed that the sand hadn't just flew at him from random directions and that they now had a ring formed around him. The sand quickly flowed inward and latched onto Deidara as they formed a cocoon around him and held him into the ground. Gaara jumped up and caught his blade and pressed the Exceed button on the keypad before focusing Chakra to the blade.

EXCEED CHARGE!

As Gaara came downward with his blade, Deidara managed to push his good arm through the sand and simply gestured off to the side. Gaara turned his head sideways and his eyes widened as he realized that the bird Deidara was on earlier was now plummeting downward at the village. Gaara narrowed his eyes and quickly moved both arms to form a shield for his village once more but Deidara merely smirked as he made a fist and then thrust his arm in Gaara's direction.

"Heh, typical Kazekage, to prioritize his village first. He probably would've killed me if he didn't," chuckled Deidara as the bird veered off its course and collided with Gaara and exploded which caused the sand around Deidara to fall apart and Gaara to undo the transformation of Kaixa.

"Eh, my job here is done….Sasori is waiting," muttered Deidara as he hoisted Gaara's unconscious form over his shoulder and leapt over the walls of the Sand.

Kankuro's eyes widened as he realized that the true objective was to capture Gaara. He quickly did a double take on his current equipment and then dashed forward after Deidara.

"Kankuro! They were at a high enough level to defeat Gaara! You won't be able to do anything by yourself," warned Baki as he shouted towards Kankuro's fleeing form.

"So you just plan to abandon Gaara?" Accused Kankuro as anger began to seep into him.

"Ugh…fine, just follow them. Don't take any action! If we can even get a hold of their base, we can form a group to attack!" Ordered Baki.

"No promises," muttered Kankuro as he continued to tail Deidara.

"Wait WHAT?! GAARA'S BEEN KIDNAPPED?!" Cried out Naruto after being delivered the news by Tsunade.

"Quit being so LOUD! But, yes. Although you guys make for a rather janky team considering your ranks….this will be your new mission. Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, Uzumaki Naruto, Hatake Kakashi, you are to go immediately to Suna and find out the situation. From there, you are to relay information back to Konoha and then proceed to follow the orders of Suna and back them up, understood?" Debriefed Tsunade.

"Understood!" Saluted the four.

"Yo, going on a mission eh, Naruto?" Greeted Jiraiya as he appeared before Team 7 who were preparing to leave.

"You bet! Granny is about to send us off!" Saluted Naruto with a wide grin on his face.

"Well, more importantly, Tsunade, something terrible has happened," said Jiraiya as he looked towards Tsunade.

"I know….I'm sending these guys there to deal with it," sighed Tsunade as she gestured towards Team 7.

"I also have more information about the…..things you told me to monitor. Also, Naruto, come here for a sec," motioned Jiraiya.

"What is it?" Asked Naruto with a rather confused look as he walked off to the side with Jiraiya.

"Be careful when it comes to the Akatsuki," warned Jiraiya.

"They've got something against me…..this time, I'm attacking though."

"Yeah, you've gotten stronger and everything…but don't lose control of yourself or you'll slip up. Becoming hot-headed too fast has always been your weakness…..and also, don't forget about what Kousuke said."

"You met Kousuke?...Interesting…," spoke a new voice which caught everyone's attention.

"Who...who are you?...Shino?" Asked Naruto as he looked at the newcomer in a trench coat sporting a pair of sunglasses.

"Shroud-sensei," answered Sasuke as he kneeled down on one leg and bowed which shocked everyone; they had never seen Sasuke show such a sign of respect.

"You will be dealing with Akatsuki operatives this time….you know what that means right, Sasuke?" Warned Shroud.

"Yes…..," muttered Sasuke as he kept his composure.

"Good…..keep your head together Sasuke or all my training will be for nothing," advised Shroud as he turned to Tsunade.

"Moreover, Godaime-sama, I have some other pressing matters I wish to discuss with you…..," explained Shroud as Team 7 leapt off towards their mission.

"Naruto….just because I said to hurry….doesn't mean you should run so far ahead. Don't get so heated, don't forget what Jiraiya-sama just told you," sighed Kakashi.

"I…I can't stand it," growled Naruto in frustration, "Even I know why they're after me and Gaara."

This caught the attention of Sasuke as he now began to distinctly recall the fact that his brother was in fact looking for Naruto when they first encountered several years ago.

"I…I guess now would be the best time to explain to you two…," muttered Naruto as he looked at his two teammates.

"…What're you talking about?" Asked Sakura rather apprehensively.

"….The story we were told about the Yondaime and the Kyuubi was all a lie. Much like how the one-tail Shukaku was sealed into Gaara…..I am the jailor of the Kyuubi," muttered Naruto as looked away from his teammates.

Silence fell over the travelling team for several moments as Sasuke and Sakura took a moment to digest the information that was revealed to them. A rather loud "Meh" from Sasuke caught the attention of Naruto as he turned around to see his teammate merely shrug at him.

"…You…you guys don't care?"

"Dude, you already got one weird creature sealed in your gut, what's one more?" Shrugged Sasuke which caused Sakura to giggle a bit.

"…You guys….don't think I'm a demon?" Asked Naruto as he slowly smiled and his eyes watered a little.

"…..Are you serious? I have a Phoenix in me and Sasuke has a Dragon in him….if there was another non-jinchuriki to understand what you are it would be us," stated Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

"Wow…thanks guys….but back on topic. Because we have monsters contained in our bodies….Akatsuki as after us. That's what I can't stand! They don't even recognize our humanity….those bastards see us as walking monsters to be collected….I can't stand them looking at us whatever way they feel like!" Growled Naruto.

After travelling in silence for a while, Sakura decided to try and break the tension that had been left lingering in the air by asking things she had been wondering for a while.

"So uh, Sasuke, I assume you learned about the true nature of Double….," trailed off Sakura as she wasn't quite sure how to bring this up.

"…What of it?" Asked Sasuke.

"Did that Shroud person….not have the Double driver?"

"I don't know, never cared enough to ask. It seemed pointless considering that the Double driver is useless unless there is someone compatible with me to operate the other half of the power. Most of my training revolved around learning to use the Soul memories," shrugged Sasuke.

"Ah…I see, you haven't tried to look for a partner?"

Sasuke merely shook his head before he happened to recall something that the Hokage had mentioned offhandedly when debriefing them on the mission.

"….What's this….Project Kaixa that Hokage-sama mentioned?" Questioned Sasuke.

"Oh….nothing for certain, it might be tied to the history of Shukaku or something to do with the origins of Decade. I discussed this very briefly with Gaara, but nothing has been confirmed so far," responded Sakura.

"Is there anything you can do to help, Chiyo-baasama?" Bowed Baki.

"Poison is my specialty….but even I don't know of this…..Sasori has grown a huge amount," murmured Chiyo as she looked over Kankuro's body.

"…What should we do?" Asked Baki.

"Well, the one who has more knowledge about neutralizing poisons than me….would be that slug of Konoha, Tsunade-hime. During the great war….she was able to figure out the poisons I created, and mix antidotes immediately, which embarrassed me," scoffed Chiyo.

"She…she is the Hokage, I doubt she would so easily be able to leave her village. Even so, it takes three days to reach Suna from Konoha," replied Baki.

"Hmph…stop relying on other people….you're so dependent on your alliances with other countries that you've become careless with your own training. Do you see the results?" Muttered Chiyo.

"Where is he? I can help!" Announced Sakura as she and her team burst in through the door.

Chiyo turned towards the rather loud interruption before her eyes widened upon seeing Kakashi.

"You!...The White Fang of Konoha!" Accused Chiyo as she leapt towards Kakashi.

"N-no, I'm not…!" Sputtered Kakashi as he put his hands up to signify non-aggression.

"There is no use arguing! My son's enemy…I will get revenge for him today!" Declared Chiyo as she closed the distance between her and Kakashi.

Naruto quickly jumped in between Kakashi and Chiyo before he caught both her fists. Chiyo kicked off Naruto's chest and flipped back. In one swift motion, Sasuke appeared Chiyo and did a low kick which tripped Chiyo and he had one hand over her neck while his other hand had a kunai.

"Take a better look you senile hag, Kakashi-sensei isn't the White Fang of Konoha," murmured Sasuke.

Chiyo took a closer glance before bursting out in laughter and relaxing her posture.

"Haha….my mistake…..old age is rough on the eyes," smiled Chiyo rather scarily.

"More importantly, Kankuro-san needs to quickly be treated," declared Sakura as she put her hands over Kankuro's body and they began to glow green.

Sakura closed her eyes in concentration as the green glow in her hands began to brighten and a strange substance then seemed to be pulled out of Kankuro's body before Sakura then slouched over and let out a sigh of relief.

"I don't think there's any need to worry about his life anymore; I've directly removed the poison," explained Sakura. "But, we can't relax yet. I need to make an antidote for the little bit of poison left in his body. Please gather me the follow materials!"

"You all," began Tsunade as she gestured at the team in front of her, "are to go to the same mission as Kakashi's team. You will act as support for them as well as accompanying Suna-nin to increase the chances of success, understood?"

"Not a problem Hokage-sama," announced Gai rather loudly.

"Yosh! I cannot wait to see Naruto-kun again," cheered Lee as he pumped his fist up.

"We are in the prime of our youth! Let us get to Suna in a single day," yelled out Gai rather enthusiastically.

"No! We must get there in HALF a day," challenged Lee.

"….What're they talking about? It takes three days of travelling to reach Suna," murmured Neji.

"Please stop talking nonsense like that," sighed Tenten as she watched Gai and Lee's crazy antics.

"You guys have quite the repertoire of medicinal herbs, I was not expecting this," said Sakura as she grinded and mixed some of the said herbs.

"Ah, excuse us, it is rather difficult to grow herbs in the climate of Suna. We often run low on plants and flowers that are native to coastal areas," replied a medical staff member.

"It's fine, there's enough here for me to prepare three antidotes," replied Sakura rather cheerfully.

"As soon as Sakura's done with that, we need to get going," announced Naruto as he did some light stretches.

"Hold on a bit, Naruto," sighed Kakashi as he turned his attention to Baki. "There is something I would like to ask. What came of the pursuit of the Akatsuki after that?"

"Kankuro went alone after them; there were no others," replied Baki.

"Hm….I take it we have lost them then? I suppose we should go to where Kankuro was last fighting…..there might be something worth looking at there," pondered Kakashi.

"That…is unnecessary. There are two enemies…one abducted Gaara….you should follow Gaara's scent. Even assuming they split up, the other caught a bit of their clothing on Karasu's hand…..that should be enough for you," revealed Kankuro rather weakly as he sat up.

"You Suna-nin….to make success from failure….truly remarkable," commented Kakashi.

"Kankuro….are you absolutely sure that one of the two you followed was Sasori?" Asked Chiyo.

"Ah, Chiyo-baasama, yeah it was Sasori of the Red Sand….he told me it himself," muttered Kankuro.

"Here, take this, after some rest the residual paralysis should wear off," instructed Sakura as she handed Kankuro a small vial.

Kankuro nodded weakly as he drank the antidote and recalled the words that Gaara had said before declaring his intent to become Kazekage. Kankuro then took note of Naruto as he checked his equipment one last time.

"Naruto…..please save my brother," pleaded Kankuro rather weakly.

"Leave it to me. As a future Hokage….it would be nice to secure a favor from the Kazekage," chuckled Naruto as he pumped his fist up.

"I'm coming along as well," announced Chiyo as she reappeared at the doorway while pocketing some scrolls.

"Sorry, our group has an age requirement; to be eligible, you can't be old," drawled Sasuke causing Kakashi to facepalm himself.

"Oh pish-posh! I've wanted to give my cute grandson some love for a while now….that Sasori," chuckled Chiyo.

"What're you going to do? Tell him to get off your lawn?" Mocked Sasuke.

"Sasuke, mind your manners!" Scolded Sakura as she turned to Kankuro. "Kankuro, I have on question. In your message, it was mentioned that there was critical information about Project Kaixa….can you tell me anything?"

"Not a whole lot…..Gaara looked into it and managed to find some of the research and equipment maybe a year and a half after we were in Konoha…the briefcase over there was what held the equipment but Gaara ended up using it in his battle with Deidara. Most of the equipment is still on him except for this keypad that fell off after he was defeated; I have some of the research notes here," replied Kankuro weakly as he handed Sakura a scroll as well as the keypad.

Deidara and Sasori stood on top of water before a large cliff for severa moments before one of the large rocks protruding from the side lifted upward to reveal a hidden entrance. Deidara and Sasori walked in before shutting the entrance and arriving at a large open space as Deidara tossed the unconscious form of Gaara in front of him.

"You're late…..prepare it immediately," instructed a dark projection of a figure with glowing eyes.

"Bah, the Jinchurriki was stronger than I thought….yeah," replied Deidara as he and Sasori went through a series of seals.

A massive structure suddenly sprung for from the floor with chained hands that had the palms opened and pointed upward.

"Assemble," commanded the projection as a handful of other projects suddenly appeared on each finger of the hand; each figure donning the cloak of the Akatsuki.

"From this point onward, it'll take 3 days and nights to complete; be mindful of your real bodies," continued the first projection as all other members nodded their heads.

"Zetsu, use your real body as a lookout, you have the largest range."

"But of course…..," replied Zetsu who looked almost as if he was enshrouded in a venus fly trap.

"Three days huh eh? With Orochimaru gone, shouldn't we expect it to take a bit longer?" Asked one of the Akatsuki members.

"If you really think so, then let us begin already; time is of the essence," replied another.

Each member of the Akatsuki put their hands together and closed their eyes for concentration as they began to glow with Chakra.

Sealing Technique: Completed 9 Illusionary Dragon Seal

Nine serpent heads seemed to burst out from the mouth of the large statue that had risen as each head darted forward and collided with the unconscious form of Gaara.

"Hey! I said you guys are going too fast!" Yelled out Tenten. "We've been running non-stop for an entire day already, let's take a little break!"

"Tenten, you lack discipline," scolded Lee.

Neji remained silent as she squinted his eyes a bit and pointed at a small figure in front of them which caught Gai's attention.

"Wait up, Gai," called out a small dog.

"Pakkun?! Did something happened to Kakashi?" Asked Gai rather alarmed.

"Kakashi ordered all eight of us nin-dogs to split up and search for the scent of the Akatsuki members separately. We discovered that they headed towards the river country between Konoha and Suna. Your group is the closest to the Akatsuki heading from Konoha to Suna so we came here. Follow me, I will explain while we're running," instructed Pakkun as the members of team Gai nodded.

As they sped off into the distance they failed to notice the form of Zetsu protruding from a nearby tree as he listened in on the conversation.

"Bah…what annoyances," muttered Zetsu as he sunk back into the tree.

"Hey Naruto, do you know when Akatsuki started targeting you?" Asked Sakura as they travelled to their destination.

Naruto pondered onto his first encounter back to when he randomly seemed to run into Kisame and Itachi. While it was technically the first time he had ever seen those two he was unsure if that was the very moment Akatsuki had decided to target him.

"A while ago, two of Akatsuki's agents infiltrated Konoha in order to contact Naruto. It's been three years since then, and they've started moving. Though I can't quite see the motive behind this," answered Kakashi.

"Eh, they waited nearly three years? Why wait so long?" Asked Sakura rather surprised.

"No," muttered Naruto. "I ran into Itachi and Kisame one more time during the 1st year I travelled with Ero-sennin."

"My brother eh?" Inquired Sasuke with a calmness that surprised everyone.

"Yeah…he…he has a Gaia memory, Sasuke," murmured Naruto as he was unsure if he should mention this or not.

"…He….what?" Asked Sasuke rather flabbergasted as his eyes widened.

"He used it very briefly against me….but I don't know what his does. He called it Accel; he had another memory but he inserted them into his blade rather than a driver. It seemed to empower his sword rather than him, unlike your Gaia memories," recalled Naruto.

"…..Hn."

"Well, to answer your question, Sakura. Maybe it was that they couldn't take action rather than choosing not to. Naruto always had Jiraiya-sama at his side during his travels which would make attempts rather difficult," responded Kakashi.

"Well…from what I've gathered, I heard there were other reasons. It requires considerable preparation to extract the demon from a jinchuuriki. I assume that's what hampered their effort," chimed in Chiyo.

"The tailed beasts are a monstrous formation of Chakra. During the Great Ninja War, every village attempted to acquire the power for military purposes. They competed to obtain these beasts. However….no one can control such power beyond the ability of men. I've yet to know of why Akatsuki attempts to acquire such power….it is too dangerous," continued Chiyo.

"…What happens to the container after the demon is extracted," asked Sasuke rather suddenly.

"They die….," responded a voice rather softly in front of them.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks as they gazed into the eyes of Uchiha Itachi whom stood before them with his Sharingan blazing wildly.

"Itachi….this is the child who killed his entire family?" Questioned Chiyo.

"Not quite the entire family," growled Sasuke as he readied himself. "I wasn't expecting a family reunion so soon….but I'll take it."

"Family reunion…..you mean…you're?" Asked Chiyo as her eyes widened.

"It has been quite a while….Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun…little brother," responded Itachi.

"You bastard…..not just me, but even Gaara?! I'll crush you….every single member of your club," growled Naruto as he pointed at Itachi.

"You…..you who have caused my team so much suffering, you won't get away with this," threatened Sakura.

"Everyone, don't look directly at his eyes….it's dangerous. The Sharingan grants him the ability to cast ocular Genjutsu. You'll be fine if you avoid eye contact; judge his movements from the movements of his body and feet," instructed Kakashi.

"Unnecessary, I can lead us in this battle," replied Sasuke as he stepped forward and glared at his brother.

"No, Sasuke! Don't! He has the-," began Kakashi before he was cut off by Itachi.

"Oh? Your Sharingan has progressed quite nicely Sasuke…impressive," commented Itachi.

"Come on now, older brother. We have the same genes…..I'm a little insulted you thought so little of me," smirked Sasuke.

"Be careful still, Sasuke! He uses an ocular technique that surpasses the original Sharingan, the Mangekyou Sharingan. It is a step higher than what you are expecting," warned Kakashi.

"I am aware already," replied Sasuke," and I am prepared."

"Oh my…two developed Sharingans in one fight…..the times are quickly passing me by," commented Chiyo.

"Hmm….impressive you were able to deduce that after being affected by my Tsukuyomi just once," stated Itachi.

"That's not all….after you used that technique, you became weary and immediately left the fight. It would appear that it requires a considerable amount of Chakra to constantly use the techniques of the Mangekyou," observed Kakashi.

"That's not the only cost," began Sasuke. "Tell me something, older brother…..just how far has your eye sight deteriorated?"

"I see you've done your homework," replied Itachi. "You should know then…..that your eyes are still inferior to mine."

"Hah…..there's more than just one set of eyes over here….," smirked Sasuke as he looked over at his team.

"Well well well….look at you….making friends and keeping your cool around me…are you sure you're my little brother?" Chuckled Itachi.

Sasuke ignored him as he looked back over to his team who were all still a bit surprised that Sasuke hadn't shown much signs of anger.

"Shroud spent a lot of time making sure I'd keep my cool…..even I have to admit, it was the right decision," explained Sasuke. "Now, Kakashi and I will lead, the rest of you follow-up and make sure to avoid looking directly into his eyes."

"That's good to hear, and Sasuke to is right; you guys don't rush recklessly, watch our backs," instructed Kakashi.

"Now then Itachi…I'm curious about the power of Accel….," muttered Sasuke as he turned his attention back to his brother.

"So you know….," responded Itachi.

"Well….you know what they say…a brother always knows best," growled Sasuke as he took out the Joker memory.

"I believe the saying is that a MOTHER always knows best….and that is meant for something entirely different," replied Itachi as he took out the Accel memory.

JOKER!

ACCEL!

TBC

Whew! Done with another chapter….now before anyone asks (I'm assuming a lot of people will be SOMEWHAT curious) there will not be like a dozen kamen riders running around…..you'll see what I mean down the line. Shoot me a review to let me know how I'm doing!