Chapter 25: The Destined Collison

A sole figure sat alone in the dark, perched up on the top of an index finger from a large statue. His foot hung loosely over the edge, swinging back and forth while he continued to sit in silence. Slowly, other figures began to phase into existence on the the tips of the other figures, their bodies holographic and almost unseeable outside of their eyes. No one said a word as the man opened his eyes, revealing his unique purple Irises with a ripple design. He stood up to his feet, looking over all of the others before speaking.

"I trust you all know what this meeting is about," Pain asked emotionlessly.

"I don't know, it's been quite awhile since you last called a full meeting. Maybe we could all use a little refresher." Sasori said in a raspy voice.

"It's the Nine Tail's brat isn't it?" Pakura asked looking between Pain and Kakuzu. "Let us get another crack at him will you? Me and the old man here have some unfinished business with him. Especially Kakuzu-san here…"

"Be quiet child, before I decided to take your life." Kakuzu said, narrowing his eyes at her. Pakura mocked flinched under his gaze before waving him off.

"So you guys finally managed to track the brat down huh? Where the hell was he hiding all of this time?" Kisame asked.

"Konoha, at least that's what we believe. That isn't important however, what is important is that he's apparently back in the world's view, which means it's time for us to step up our activity before we have any more disappearances occur." Pain said looking over at Kisame and Itachi. "I'm putting you two back on top of the Nine Tails. If I remember correctly you were planning on making contact with him before he disappeared. I want you to do that now."

"We're bringing him in then?" Kisame asked, flashing his shark like grin. Pain shook his head to show that they weren't.

"Only if the opportunity presents itself. As of now we have no idea of his capabilities, and judging from his fight with Kakuzu we know that he has grown at least somewhat stronger. Your lives take priority over bringing him in. We can't afford to lose anymore valuable members so early into the process." Pain replied.

"Well you're making it seem as though he actually has chance to take one of us out. Hear that Itachi?" Kisame said looking over at his partner. Itachi opened his eyes a little, his sharingan standing out in the room as he looked over at Pain. There seemed to be an unspoken conversation going on before Itachi closed them again.

"If that's what the leader believes then we'll act accordingly." Itachi said. Kisame chuckled before returning his attention back to Pain.

"The rest of you have your own assignments already. As of now, we're officially actively hunting down the Biju," Pain said looking over at Kakuzu and Pakura. "You two, I'm making a change in our formation. We have two new members joining into the force, and you both will be taking watch over one of them. Kakuzu, your new partner will be a recruit named Hidan. Pakura, you'll be working with Tobi. You'll meet both of them once you return to the main facility."

"Awww, I'm gonna' miss you old man." Pakura said looking over at Kakuzu. He rolled his eyes at her words, not happy with the idea of having to adjust to another partner.

"Does anyone else have something to discuss here?" Pain asked looking around the room. When no one replied, he nodded his head to show the meeting was over. "Then let's get to work." The other members slowly began to file out of the room, Itachi being the last one to do in the real world, he opened his and blinked himself back into familiarity with his surroundings. He looked over at Kisame, who was standing up and stretching from his sitting position on the ground. He returned Itachi's stare, who was hanging off of a tree branch, giving him his trademark smile. "So? Where do you want to start partner? Should we head straight to Konoha and-"

"No need, Naruto Uzumaki isn't in the village currently." Itachi said dropping down to the ground. "We're heading to Ta no Kuni."

"The Snake's country?" Kisame asked following after Itachi. "The hell's over in that shit show?"

"My little brother."

Kisame's smile grew in wider.

(The border of Ta no Kuni)

Ino's gaze was focused squarely on Naruto, who was too frozen in place to even move. She had grown over the last two years just like the others. He absentmindedly noted she got rid of the bandages that covered her abdomen and let it run bare now. Her outfit was essentially the same and so were her looks, though her ponytail and front bang were longer.

It was moment's like this where he wished he didn't have the ability to sense negative emotions. Though he was trying to ignore it, he could feel exactly what she was thinking. It was mostly anger, but the rising sadness was what was really getting to him. He could see the beginning signs of tears in her eyes. He was still at a lost of what to do when his mind snapped back to what was happening around him and he looked over to see Kimimaro still standing a few feet away. From how he was waiting, Naruto could confirm that he was buying time for Tayuya to get away. He couldn't let that happen.

"Listen Ino-chan," Naruto said, flinching after the look she gave him from saying her name. He really should have thought twice before adding the 'chan' on there. "Listen, I know there's a lot of explanations that need to go around. And there'll be time for that. But right now we've got to focus on getting Sasuke back. That girl Tayuya is getting away, you need to catch up to her before it's too late."

Ino's fist shook at her side. Naruto couldn't tell what she was thinking at the moment going by her face, but he knew for a fact that it wasn't good. Her eyes flickered from Naruto to Kimimaro briefly before returning back to him. "Which way?" She asked finally in a low voice. Naruto swiped some blood off of the wound on his shoulder, performing a set of signs before slamming his hand on the ground. Kiara appeared from smoke again, looking around confusedly as a fish frailed about inside her mouth.

"Kiara, I need you follow the two scents that left out from this area and lead Ino to it. Can you do that?" He asked looking down at her. The fox nodded to show she would and happily bounded over to where Ino was standing, circling around her legs and nuzzling up against them. Ino's face softened for a moment as she regarded the fox before hardening again after she looked back up to Naruto. He was expecting another question, but watched as she turned her attention back to the fox.

"Come on, let's go get Sasuke-kun back," Ino said, Kiara yipping in agreement. As the two took of in the direction Tayuya left in, Kimimaro prepared to intercept them before Naruto appeared in his path. The smiles were off, and Naruto's stare was enough to make even Kimimaro hesitate a little.

"Your fight's still with me." Naruto said still clutching at his wound. "No more games." Kimimaro scoffed as he looked over at Naruto's shoulder.

"You hardly look like you're in a position to continue fighting. I'll make quick work of you," He said preparing to charge at the boy. He was stopped once again however when the pressure in the area increased. The wind around Naruto began to pickup, blowing a steady but noticeable breeze. Kimimaro watched as his hair began to flow upwards, the tips turning a little orange in hue as the same color aura began to appear around his body. His eyes opened to reveal they had cat like slits down the middle. His nails turned to claws and his whiskers became more pronounced.

His hand dropped from his shoulder, showing that the wound had all but healed itself. For the second time in this battle, Kimimaro displayed a visible showing of emotion, his eyes wide as he took a step back. Naruto cracked his neck on both sides before starting to walk forward.

"A transformation technique of shorts?" Kimimaro asked aloud, holding his two bone swords in front of him as a defense. Naruto shook his head as he flipped his tanto into a backwards grip.

"Not quite." He said before dashing forward. His blade met Kimimaro's, the force of the impact knocking him back a few feet. Naruto ran up again, lashing out in a series of swipes that Kimimaro was forced to dodge much like Naruto was earlier. His attacks were coming much quicker now, yet they still had the same level of percisness as before. Kimimaro erupted a few bones out of his body to force Naruto to back away. Using the brief moment of space to try and turn the tide back in his favor, he pointed both tips of his fingers at Naruto.

"Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!" He yelled, firing the projectiles in rapid succession. Naruto began to circle around the area, staying out of the range of the bullets while slowly closing in on Kimimaro. He dashed forward, swiping at the man and forcing him to quit the Jutsu as they began to exchange blows again. Kimimaro tried to use his various dances to break through Naruto's defenses, but found that with his new speed Naruto was able to keep up with his every movement. A sharp pain struck him in his chest, causing him to stumble for a moment and give Naruto an opening.

Channeling wing chakra around his hands, Naruto ducked down before thrusting both of his palms into Kimimaro's chest, the impact rocketing him across the field. Naruto took a deep breath while he watched the man come to a stop, getting up to his knees slowly. Kimimaro's breathing was erratic as he started to cough up a little blood.

"You're not the only one with a transformation up your sleeve," Kimimaro said raggedly. Naruto watched as black markings began to spread throughout his body, starting from his chest. He knew all too well what he was watching transpire.

'Orochimaru's curse mark…' He thought to himself. Kimimaro's was different from the one Sasuke had, but it still gave off the same sinister feeling. He was surprised however when the lines didn't stop growing and instead began to take over his entire body.

Kimimaro's skin turned a grayish brown color and his eyes turned pure black with gold irises. The bones on his spine erupted through the skin, scaling along his backside similar to that of a dinosaur. A tail spurted from his body, with sharp bones covering it as well. Naruto wasn't really sure what animal he had modified himself to be like. He did have something to say about it though, and couldn't keep his thoughts to himself.

"That's disgusting." He said once it look as though Kimimaro was finished. He watched as the tail rose and fell behind ominously, almost like Kimimaro was testing it out.

"This form was a gift from Orochimaru-sama. It's only right that I use it to silence that insolent mouth of yours." Kimimaro said, launching out at Naruto. He dodged the first two swipes as Kimimaro had respurted the bones from his forearms, but was caught off guard when the tail swooped around and wacked him the back. He hissed to himself, one of the bones scraping his backside and tearing a rip in his shirt.

All of sudden the match had returned to what it was previously before. Naruto was mostly on the defensive while Kimimaro danced and frailed about, trying as hard as possible to break through his defenses. Naruto got the feeling that now Kimimaro was actually trying to end the fight quickly for some reason instead of just serving as a distraction, but he wasn't sure why.

"You're getting sloppy!" he yelled out, dodging under one of Kimimaro's strikes before slashing him in the chest. He managed to draw blood but not much else because of Kimimaro's hardening ability. Growling, Naruto jumped away before Kimimaro could begin attacking again. He needed a plan.

Kimimaro didn't chase right after him. He watched him from afar, reaching behind and hovering his hand over his back. Naruto was about to ask what he was doing when slowly, his spine began to erupt from within his skin. Out of all the bones he had saw leaving skin today, this was definitely the grossest showing. It took all his will power not to look away from the sight. Couldn't look weak in the face of battle and all.

"A whip made from your spine," Naruto said slowly. "You're full of surprises aren't you friend?"

Kimimaro didn't reply. He jumped forward and swung the whip at Naruto's face. He dunked under it and tried to get in close, forced to retreat again when the tail came in for another strike. Growling, Naruto ran through signs before grabbing his tanto by red tie going through it's handle.

"Wind Release: Sickle Funnel Technique!" Naruto yelled spinning the blade in a circle. Wind quickly whipped around the weapon and shot out in Kimimaro's direction, getting bigger and surrounding him as he put both of his arms up in defense. Spurts of wind chakra broke off inside of the tunnel, slashing and hacking against Kimimaro's body he tried to stand his ground. Naruto kicked up the chakra he pumped into the technique, increasing the ferocity of it. He held it for a while longer before releasing it, the wind in the area dowing down with the funnel dispersing. He waited for the dust to clear, Kimimaro's form still standing the makeshift guard he put up. He had cut's all over his body, though once again Naruto wasn't really sure if he did any damage because of Kimimaro's Kekkei Genkai.

Kimimaro dropped his arms to the side, holding the whip loosely in his hand. "That's quite the technique you have there. Too bad it's ineffective on someone like me."

"Worth a shot at least." Naruto said shrugging his shoulders. He sighed, sheathing his tanto and dropping down into his taijutsu stance. 'Anything surface level won't do a thing to him and I can't get a good enough position to put enough force in an attack to puncture through his bone defense with my tanto. The only other option I see is striking him hard enough that the force can cause some internal damage.'

Naruto began to draw on more of the Kyuubi's chakra. He winced as the feeling of his chakra coils boiling returned again, lasting a little longer this time before it subsided. The orange aura around him darkened, now turning red in color. He could hear the Kyuubi stirring in his mindscape, but it still hadn't awoken completely. That was fine with him, the last thing he needed was him talking in his ear right now.

"Alright skeleton man, let's wrap this up. Both of us have dates to attend; me with that pretty redhead friend of yours and you with death." Naruto said crouching low. In a rare showing of emotion, Kimimaro smiled as he crouched low as well.

"Both of us have a date with death Uzumaki-san…"

And so they charged.

Kakashi wasn't a stranger to having bad days. Quite the contrary, he could argue that most of his days were bad days and there wouldn't be many who would argue against him. Which is why he was very comfortable with saying…

Today was a really bad day.

He pulled his hand out from the chest of Sakon. Or Ukon. He wasn't sure which one was the last one he killed, but what he did know was that both of them were dead. That was a good thing.

What Sakon or Ukon had said before their death, however, wasn't good.

"Sasuke-kun's fate was sealed the moment we put him inside of that container. It doesn't matter if you even manage to take him back. The very essence of Orochimaru is indebted into his being. The two are forever connected, and Sasuke-kun will be drawn to him from dusk to dawn."

"Dusk to dawn…" Kakashi mumbled. His vision went blurry, and he almost felt as if he was going faint before things went back to normal. He reached into his pouch and took out another pill that Ino had provided. He took it, though he wasn't exactly sure how effective the first one had been. Still, he hadn't keeled over yet so that was a positive.

He took a few moment's to hazardly wrap up the wound to prevent it from further exposure and bleeding. He was exhausted. More exhausted than he had been in a long time. He was positive this feeling was mostly a result of the poison or antidote, possibly both, but didn't rule out how mentally taxing things had been from contributing.

Tying the final not, he pulled over his shirt and strapped his vest back on. There were two plans of action here. He knew for a fact that Lee and Choji were still back there with the other members of Sound Four. Going off his own experience, those two were definitely going to need some help if it wasn't already too late. On the other hand, Sasuke was still getting away in the opposite direction and Naruto was likely fighting with Kimimaro at this very moment. Ino was also supposed to be ahead looking for Sasuke but he wasn't exactly sure what was happening with that situation. Either way, both parties probably needed his help equally. There was one variable that was swaying his mind.

Naruto.

Of all the people to come charging through, he wasn't expecting it to be him. He was one of the few people intrusted with the knowledge that Naruto was still alive by the Hokage, and even knew that he was undergoing special training as well. He didn't know however what that special training entailed and just how powerful Naruto had become. Could he possibly handle the situation up ahead on his own? The majority of Kakashi's belief was that he couldn't, but he also knew that that belief was based off of the old Naruto, which he clearly wasn't anymore.

He sighed to himself. He was making a risky decision, but it was one that he was going to take nonetheless. Getting himself together as best as he could, he turned around and headed back in the direction of Choji and Lee. He would finish up with those two and hopefully circle back around to provide any assistance he could with Naruto and Ino up ahead. If he managed to get there in time, which he seriously doubted. Sasuke of course was the primary focus of this mission, but Kakashi couldn't very well live with himself if those two ended up losing their lives. Even more so if they didn't get Sasuke back in the end. Everything was basically riding on Naruto's shoulders. Kakashi wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Really, today was a shitty day.

"You know Naruto, today's been pretty shitty…" Naruto mumbled under his breath, clutching at his head and grimacing as sharp headache hit his temple. His vision blurred red for a moment before returning back to normal, the pain subduing. "That's not good..." Kimimaro coughed in front of him, a large amount of blood spurting out of his mouth this time. "That's not good either, are you feeling alright dude? You're not looking too great."

"Showing concern for an enemy in the middle of battle…" Kimimaro said in between coughs. "You might be the most foolish individual I've met in my life."

"For one, I prefer the term 'care free'. And two, being one of Orochimaru's slave boys I doubt you've really met that diverse a group of people in your life." Naruto said. The two had been at somewhat of a stalemate for the past few minutes. Anytime it felt like one was starting to get the upper hand, the other would flip the script and turn things back around in their favor. Frankly, Naruto was getting sick of it.

"Can I ask you something?" Naruto said addressing Kimimaro with a curious look. "What exactly is the end game here? You guys capture Sasuke and take him back to Orochimaru and then what? What's Orochimaru planning to do with the last Uchiha, this all seems a bit much to just be acquiring the sharingan."

"Orochimaru's plans go far beyond simply acquiring the Sharingan and its powers." Kimimaro said. Seeing as he wasn't saying anything else, Naruto figured that was all he was going to get out of the stoic man. Sighing, he rubbed at his neck while cocking his head to the side.

"Well as fun as this has been, I think we both know it's time for it to come to a conclusion. I've been having fun for to long." Naruto said getting Kimimaro to raise an eyebrow.

"Fun?" He questioned before a heavy presence fell over the area. The wind began to pick up unnaturally, Kimimaro looking around at the spectacle before his sights rested back on Naruto. He had his eyes closed , still in the same position as before, but for some reason Kimimaro knew that this was all happening because of him.

A couple drops of sweat began to form on his forehead. For some reason it felt as though temperature had dropped several degrees but he knew that wasn't possible. He stumbled a little, looking down to see that his knees his knees were shaking. What was this that he was feeling?

'Fear?'

No. His mind suddenly shifted back to his time spent with his clan. Being locked in the cages. The loneliness he had felt during that time. The anger.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He tried to focus back in on Naruto, but found it was hard to even look him in the face. He managed to though, noting that his eyes still hadn't opened.

Slowly they did.

His pupils were still spited, but now they sat in a sea of blood red instead of the typical cerulean blue. The red hue that at one point was just small radiance now seemed to wash off of his body in waves. The tips of his head were fully red now as well, swaying in the wind like specks of fire.

His hand dropped to his side as he faced Kimimaro head on, the joyous tone of his previous face now replaced by an emotionless gaze. Kimimaro swallowed a knot in his throat. He hadn't seen a stare like that sense…

"You get one hit." Naruto drawled out, breaking Kimimaro from his stupor. "Then it's game over."

Kimimaro growler under his breath. He didn't know why, but for some reason Naruto's words were getting under his skin more than usual. Never more had he he wanted to kill a person than he did right now.

He erupted a few more bones out of his forearm to completely cover it, taking his whip in one hand and a bone spear in the other. He'd make sure to impale this blonde devil so deep that he wouldn't get up. Not again.

"Your arrogance will be the death of you!" Kimimaro yelled lashing out at him. He closed the distance in a second, yet Naruto had yet to even twitch a muscle from his spot. He thrusted the spear towards his chest, fully expecting him to dodge it. Naruto however lifted his left hand and caught the blade with his bare palm, stopping it dead in its tracks while Kimimaro tried to press it forward. Growling again, he swung the whip to wrap around Naruto, who narrowed his eyes before yanking the spear in his grip forward, knocking Kimimaro off balance and interrupting his attack.

True to form, Kimimaro adapted and let go of the spear. Sliding around to his back side, he tried to thrust his tail into Naruto's back, but in a burst of speed he jumped away from the spot, landing a few feet away.

"I give you one last shot and that's how you use it?" Naruto said, his voice still even as if he wasn't in the middle of a battle. "Honestly, and I'm supposed to be the foolish one?"

Kimimaro rushes forward again, but this time Naruto reacted as well. He ducked below the mans first attack before sidestepping the second, managing to maneuver himself to the side of him. Kimimaro tried to attack with his tail, but once again Naruto caught the attack again, this time gripping it with both. He planted his foot on his back, and in one quick motion, ripped the appendage from his back side.

Kimimaro roared, stumbling forward with his body shaking in shock. Naruto eyed his prize for a moment before tossing it to the side, looking back over at Kimimaro while he hunched over in pain.

"Y-you...you'll pay for that…" Kimimaro said. His face convoluted before he vomited up a large amount of blood, for the second time today getting Naruto to pause.

"Your sick." Naruto half said and half asked. Kimimaro took in a couple raspy breaths, not even able to lift his head up and face Naruto anymore.

"I...I have a duty to perform," Kimimaro mumbled, though Naruto got the feeling he wasn't talking to him anymore. "I must ensure Orochimaru's survival. I cannot fail…"

Naruto watched him for a little while longer before turning his eyes to the horizon. The sun was already peaking up, meaning he had spent much more time here than he was planning on. "From the looks of things you aren't even in a position to continue this fight. You look like you're in your final moments. I let you enjoy them in peace."

Kimimaro managed to look up at Naruto through one eye as he walked past him. He stopped a few feet away, putting his hands on his hips while looking around. "Which way did Ino and Kiara take off too…" Naruto mumbled to himself. Kimimaro growled in his throat, gripping at the soil below him.

He couldn't help but shake the feeling that he had been mocked this entire battle. Had he been in his prime, he knew that he would've been able to handle this brat no problem. This illness, however, had once again stripped him of his purpose in life. He could no longer be Orochimaru's vessel, nor could he even be of service to him in battle. He was now nothing more than a useless tool, one that deserved to be tossed the side and abandoned.

No. He still could serve of some use to Orochimaru. If he could take care of this final nuisance, Sasuke would be delivered to Orochimaru no problem. All he had to do was finish this one last deed.

A tremor shook throughout the clearing. Naruto paused, feeling the disturbance below. "What the hell is tha-"

"GET OFF OF THE GROUND! NOW!"

The Kyuubi's voice suddenly booming through his head startled him, but Naruto reacted nonetheless and launched himself up into the air. Looking down at the ground, he saw it wasn't a moment too soon. The entire landscape was covered in long, sharp bones, spanning for what looked like a couple miles across. It was a breathtaking view, one that Naruto would've appreciated a lot more if his descent upward wasn't slowly reversing.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" Naruto yelled out as he began to fall. There was no area he would've been able to reach that wasn't a death trap below him, and he didn't exactly trust his luck enough that he would be able to balance himself on one of them without getting impaled as well.

'Well, it hasn't been field tested yet but it's looking like it's now or never,' Naruto said seeing one last course of action. He took a deep breath before the feeling of his blood boiling returned, this time far more intense. A growl escaped his lips, but he kept building up the feeling he was holding in even though the rest of his body was cursing him for it. He continued to plummet to the forest of bones, and to the any outside observers it would have looked as though he had accepted his fate. Right before he met his fate, he balled himself into a ball before throwing his body outwards, releasing the tension inside of him had been building up.

Red chakra exploded from his body, rocketing in all directions in a violent explosion. It tore away not only at the bone field, but the ground underneath and everything else in path as the chakra continued to lash out like a violent windstorm. As powerful and impactful as it was, the damage didn't last long as after a few seconds it began to die down. Naruto landed in a heap down inside of the miniature crater he had made. He could still hear the final remnants of the wind and chakra whirling around him, but it was muffled as both his sight and hearing were disoriented. It took a few seconds for him to recover enough that he was able to move, groaning as he put his hands underneath him to pull himself back up.

"Holy shit..." Naruto groaned out picking himself off of the ground. He fell back down on his backside, taking a moment to actually look at the destruction he and Kimimaro had caused. "Holy shit…"

Pulling himself up to his feet, Naruto pulled off the last remaining strands off his shirt off of his body. Luckily enough, his pants were still intact enough that he wouldn't have to worry about them for now. Of course today was the one day he hadn't brought a scroll with extra clothing. He made his way out of the crater, looking around for any signs of Kimimaro. He found what he was looking for just outside of the dent in the earth, the white haired man poking out from a bone that bordered the crater. His eyes were closed, and two trails of blood was leaking out from his mouth and running down to his chest. He was motionless. There was no doubt in Naruto's mind that he was dead, but whether or not he had caused it was another story.

He looked over Kimimaro's features. He couldn't help but notice that, even in death, the man held a supreme sense of calmness around him. Or rather, Naruto figured that this time around it might have been because he was dead. This Kimimaro and the Kimimaro from a few minutes ago seemed like entirely different people, and it wasn't just because the curse mark had receded.

Bending down, Naruto pick backed up his seath and strapped it around his torso. He gave Kimimaro one last glance before turning around to walk away, spitting out a little blood in the process.

"Good fight."

It didn't take long for Naruto to pick back up on Sasuke's trail. He just hopped that Kiara and Ino were able to find it as well, seeing as they were now officially in Ta no Kuni.

He frowned at the thought of the former. He had played how they first encounter with each other would go over in his mind time and time again, yet it still hadn't prepared him for the real thing. Hell, he still didn't have any idea of what to say to her when he next saw her. Of course the first person he had to deal with would be the one he was dreading the most.

He slapped himself on the side of his face. He had to focus back on the task at hand. They were officially in Orochimaru's playing grounds, which meant that anything could happen at anytime. Nothing could get in the way of his focus because that could be the difference between life and death.

The terrain around him was slowly becoming less forestry and more open plains and fields. Naruto had always found it weird that Orochimaru had decided to center his area of work right next to Konoha, his greatest enemy. He found it even more weird that Sarutobi let him run as free as he did, though he kept those thoughts specifically to himself. There were a lot of things about the old man he had come to question over the past couple of years.

He felt a pull on his conscious but ignored it. He didn't have time to deal with the Kyuubi right now. The feeling persisted though, and reluctantly he allowed the biju's words to come through. 'What is it? In cases you haven't noticed I'm a little busy at the moment.'

"You're showing a lot of hostility to the reason you're still alive boy," the creatures rumbled out. "I should've let that sickly human take you out with him."

'But you would've went too, so I guess that was out of the question from the get go wasn't it? Now what do you want?' Naruto replied irritably.

"Keep our communications open. You've been pulling on my chakra often lately, and the one time I decide to check on you on a whim you almost got us killed. It took a considerable effort on my part to break through and talk you despite the barrier, an effort that in the future could slow me down and result in your death."

'Our death.' Naruto corrected. The fox snorted.

"All these years and you're still an annoying brat." He muttered. Naruto was about to retort but he felt the creature's presence subside. He knew that meant that whatever he said from this point onwards would be ignored. That was fine with him, like he stated earlier there were more pressing matters at hand than his never ending quarrels with his tenant.

His thoughts were broken up by a flare appearing up ahead. He recognized it as the one's Konoha used whenever they were out on expeditions. Swearing to himself, Naruto speed up in the direction it came from. He had been so wrapped in the Kyuubi that he hadn't noticed he had gotten rather close to Sasuke and the others. He closed the distance quick enough though, wanting to put an end to this mission as quickly as possible. The fates at play however seemed to once again have another plan for him. Once he reached the others, he realized there was yet another member who had joined them.

"Well well, if it isn't Naruto Uzumaki. I must say, this is quite the surprise. We were under the impression that the Suna Jinchuuriki had the pleasure of taking you out." The newcomer said. "Seems the rumors of you still being alive were true after all."

"Kabuto," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes at him. "Orochimaru's right hand man out in the field? He must really be getting desperate."

"Impatient is the more accurate word in this scenario, but nonetheless you're right. Orochimaru-sama doesn't want any slip ups on this. Sasuke-kun has taken far too long to make up his mind, so we took the initiative to further...persuade him" Kabuto said sporting a sly smile.

"Seems to me like he already made up his mind. It might come as a shock to you, but some people don't enjoy being a boy toy." Naruto said cracking his neck. He turned his attention over to Tayuya, who was panting behind Kabuto with the container right next to her. "Your friend doesn't look like she can go much further with that thing. Time's up Kabuto, you failed."

"Tayuya, pull yourself together. We've got work to do." Kabuto said looking over at her. Tayuya glared at him but silently moved away from the container to stand next Kabuto. Naruto eye'd it cursiously. The energy coming from it was getting even darker, and that couldn't be good.

He looked over at Ino for the first time since he arrived, but she didn't return his gaze. Still, it looked as though she already knew what he was going to say. "I'll handle her, you focus on Kabuto." Her tone was icy, something that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"R-right," He said looking back over at Kabuto. He sighed, realizing he had a lot of work to do. The mission was the top priority though, and the man standing across from him was no slouch. "Alright Kabuto-kun, looks like it's me and you buddy."

"Still such a child I see." Kabuto said shaking his head. "Looks as though Kimimaro already put you through hell. This'll barely be worth my time."

Naruto only smiled in response. Tayuya looked between the two before noticing that Ino had taken up a stance. Swearing to herself, she followed suit while Kabuto stood as calm as could be. For a moment, all was still.

That quickly changed.

Naruto charged forward in a burst of speed that shocked everyone. Kabuto however felt the brunt of it, Naruto's fist connecting with his jaw and knocking him across the clearing. He spared Tayuya a glance before darting towards her as well, the girl freezing up as he appeared right in front of her face, staring her in the eyes before swiftly dodging over her. He grabbed the container and slugged it over his back, giving her a quick smile before jumping away. Tayuya stood in shock for a little while longer before breaking out of her stupor and attempting to give chase. She found it difficult to move however, looking below to see the ground around her had turned into a deep, chakra influenced puddle of mud. She looked up to see Ino give her a wink before dipping out of the area right after Naruto.

The clearing fell silent until Kabuto began to get back up to his feet. Holding his jaw, his eyes opened with unfiltered rage as he stared after them. "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, GO GET HIM BACk!" He roared at Tayuya. She had finally broken free, Kabuto catching up to her and the two giving chase.

Naruto meanwhile was gunning it with all that he had. Honestly, he couldn't believe that what he did had actually worked. Even better was that Ino had caught on to what he was going for as well seeing as she was right behind him along with Kiara. "Kiara-chan, think you can lead the way back to Kakashi?"

The fox dashed forward to move ahead of them, taking a turn with Naruto and Ino following. Naruto shifted the container on his back uncomfortable, momentarily sympathizing with that red haired girl from earlier. Not only was this thing bulky, but it was heavy as hell. No doubt because it was holding an entire person inside. One thing was for sure, he definitely wasn't carrying Sasuke all the way back to Konoha.

He could feel Ino's eyes burning into the back of his skull, but once again that was a battle he was hoping to save for later. They eventually passed the area where Naruto and Kimimaro were fighting at, Ino gasping at the sight of the landscape. He could tell that she was holding back from asking what had happened, which amused him a little. He missed having someone around who could match his level of stubborness.

A few minutes later and Kiara finally began to slow down. Naruto recognized that they were around the area where he remembered Rock Lee and Choji fighting. Sure enough, just a little bit further and they ran into both of them, with Kakashi there as well.

"Naruto!" Kakashi yelled out in surprise. Choji's jaw also dropped at the sight of him, watching as he and Ino both landed next to them. Naruto gave them both a quick smile.

"Hello again Kakashi-sensei. Long time no see Choji." He said quickly. Choji was still shell shocked, stumbling over his words.

"N-N-Naruto? But you're supposed to be dead! How are you here?" Choji asked.

"Question of the day isn't it?" Ino said quietly finally speaking up. "There's no time for that now, we need to get a move on. Kabuto's still coming right behind us."

"Kabuto?" Kakashi questioned looking behind them. He then observed the others. He already knew Choji was too injured to continue fighting. Lee was next to them lying unconscious so he obviously was out for the count. Ino looked fine for the most part. Naruto was missing a shirt, half of his pants and was filthy but outside of his physical appearance still looked good. Nodding to himself, he had come up with a plan. "Naruto, I hate to stick you with the hardest task yet again but-"

"You want me to stay behind and stop Kabuto from pursuing you guys right?" Naruto said sliding the container off of his back. "It's fine, I've still got plenty of fight in me."

"At least someone does," Kakashi said with a sigh. His next conversation was cut short as Kabuto and Tayuya came into view. They landed a few feet away from them, Kabuto glaring over at Naruto who smirked in return.

"How's the jaw?" Naruto asked sarcastically. Kabuto growled in response, his focus fluttering over to Kakashi and the others briefly. He spotted Sasuke's container behind them, his scowl growing even deeper. He could have taken care of Naruto and Ino himself no problem, but adding Kakashi in the mix would complicate things even if he did seem injured. He was beginning to consider retreating a pulsating feeling began to fill the area.

Naruto froze, the negative feeling rolling through his body in waves. He could tell that he wasn't the only one to feel it based on the looks of his comrades. He turned around to face the container holding Sasuke, noticing that the chakra leaking from it was becoming much more potent. The four seals wrapped around the lid began to glow a red color before one after the other the papers began to go up in flames. The lid cracked open, with everyone taking a step back as it slowly fell over to the ground.

A hand gripped the top of it as a figure began to emerge. Naruto and the others looked on in disbelief as Sasuke, or at least what they thought was Sasuke, stood up to his full height. His skin had turned into a sickly grey color all around his body. His hair had grew tremendously, now hanging down his back and in a much more wilder fashion than before. His eyes were pitch black outside of the sharingan, which spun wildly as it adjusted to the light. The biggest change however were the two pair of giant, webbed hands that protruded from his back like wings.

"What the fuck…" Naruto whispered still staring along with the others. He and Kakashi were the only ones to turn around at the sound of Kabuto laughing, watching as he walked closer.

"It looks like you were too late Konoha scum! Your dear Sasuke-kun has already fell completely under Orochimaru-sama's control." Kabuto said looking him over with a nod. "Honestly, I didn't expect his body to take on the next level of the seal so well, but that shouldn't come as a surprise. There was a reason Orochimaru-sama desired his body so much after all." Naruto growled at his words before looking back at Sasuke. He was staring down at his hands, looking them over almost as if he didn't know if they belonged to him.

"Sasuke, buddy?" Naruto called out stepping forward with his hands out. Kakashi narrowed his eyes as Sasuke head slowly moved up to look over at Naruto, cocking to the side in curiosity. "We've come to take you back home. Konoha, do you understand?" The two were now standing right across from each other, Sasuke still standing inside of the container. If he understood what Naruto was saying, he didn't show any signs of it as he went back to looking over his hands. Naruto was about to speak again when Kabuto suddenly leaped over to where they were standing, landing right next to Sasuke,

"Sasuke-kun, it's time. Orochimaru-sama is waiting." He said looking at him with a smile. It fell however when Sasuke paid him no mind. "Do you understand? I said that Orochi-"

Kabuto reached out to grab him, which proved to be a mistake as Sasuke quickly reacted and grabbed his wrist. A crunching noise rung out, Kabuto crumbling to ground in that pain while Sasuke continued to hold on to his hand. He looked over at Naruto, who returned his stare unnervingly as Sasuke dropped Kabuto from his grip. Courtesy of the wings on his back, he lifted himself up into the air, the others watching as he continued to stare down Naruto. He gave a small smirk, before turning and flying off.

Naruto grunted to himself. He knew exactly what that look Sasuke had given him mean't. He was looking for a fight, and Naruto was the only one here that was able to give that to him. He looked over at Kabuto, who had finished healing his hand and was also watching Sasuke fly off. "Kabuto, get out of here."

"What?" Kabuto growled out glaring over at him.

"I said get out of here. I don't have time to deal with you right now, but if you decide to take it that route…" Naruto said turning to face him fully. Kabuto looked at him and the others behind him. He began to pick up what Naruto was alluding too, smiling as he stood back up.

"Fine, we'll leave then. Come on, Tayuya."

"No, she's staying with us." Naruto said, getting said girl to look at him as if he had killed someone. "You didn't think you were getting out of this scott free did you? Now if you want to fight for her than we can take this back to our previous conversation, but if you don't then I suggest you get to moving."

Kabuto frowned. He looked over to Tayuya, narrowing his eyes as he could see the fear and confusion in her face. Sighing, he turned and left the area, leaving the girl to whatever fate Konoha had in store for her. Tayuya watched him leave with her mouth agape, at a lost for words before her face contorted into one of pure rage.

"You fucking bastard! You're really just going to leave me here you sick fuck?! I fucking hate your guts, you and thatasshole master of yours!" She yelled out after him. Naruto let her finish before looking over to Kakashi, who already knew what he was going for next.

"You're going to be coming back to Konoha with us. I hope you don't plan on putting up a fight. Not for my sake of course, but yours." Kakashi said giving her an eye smile. Tayuya remained silent, saying nothing while Ino moved behind her to put on restraints. Kakashi turned his attention back to Naruto, who was now looking off in the direction Sasuke had went. "Well then makeshift leader, what's the next plan."

"The next plan is for you guys to head back to Konoha and leave Sasuke to me," Naruto said looking back and giving Kakashi a smile. "I know you wont allow that though so I'd appreciate it if only you came along Kakashi-sensei, it's easier that way."

"No objections here. Ino, I'm putting you in charge of making sure everything goes smoothly with getting everyone back home." Kakashi said creating a clone. "He'll accompany you to make sure of that."

"Everybody set?" Naruto asked looking around. "Let's get this show on the road then."

"Be safe guys! And...well, I don't know what exactly happened but it's good to have you back Naruto." Choji called after them, lifting Rock Lee up onto his shoulders. Ino still wouldn't look in Naruto's direction, instead holding on to Tayuya and facing the direction they were about to go in. Naruto sighed, giving Choji a small wave before turning around.

"Good to be back Choji."

With that, the two groups went their separate ways. Kakashi followed behind Naruto, who said he was still able to track Sasuke down despite the ground he had managed to cover. Looking at Naruto's backside, Kakashi couldn't but to be reminded of his past days with his own sensei. If it was eerie before how similar they seemed, now it was downright scary.

'I don't know what you two did to this kid, but it worked. It definitely worked.'

"You think that was the right move back there Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked looking back at him. "Maybe we should've just taken Kabuto down right there."

"Sasuke's the priority. Fighting Kabuto as well as that other girl would've taken up to much time. Still, you managed to get us a valuable hostage who no doubts holds a lot of information. All things considered, I don't see that situation working out any better than it did." Kakashi answered, reassuring Naruto.

Sighing to himself, Naruto nodded to show he understood and focused back in on the task at hand. Sasuke was a little ways up ahead, but Naruto could still feel his overwhelming presence. The power he was emitting was unnatural, and anyone knew anything about unnatural power it was him. Despite the situation he couldn't help but smile to himself. Him and Sasuke we're finally going to have a real battle. A real battle. He snorted to himself in amusement.

"This is going to be fun…"

Yo, just gonna' take a few moments to give a little clarification story wise Incase anyone wondering we're at time wise. Right now we're about a few months before the start of Shippūden. I think the general consensus is that Naruto was around 15/borderline 16 at the start of Shippūden, so let's say age wise he's about mid 15 here and everyone is adjusted accordingly.

As always, if you have any questions about the story or comments you want answered just drop em in the reviews or pm me. Happy to answer any of them.