And here's Chapter 25. Sorry about the delay, but I have had zero motivation and inspiration as of late. Not a true apology, more of an excuse I guess. In any event, enjoy. Readers, Reviewers, Thank You. Sugarcoat by Breaking Benjamin.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
"Now then, I, Senju Tsunade, Hokage of Konohagakure, would like to welcome our allies to this summit. We are here to formulate a plan to rid ourselves of the menace of the Akatsuki. I'd like to ask the other Kage to stand and give a bit of information about their greatest assets, so that we can better formulate a plan."
The Raikage, a giant man who was as tall as Tsunade when he was sitting down, folded his arms and spoke in a booming voice.
"I believe it would be best for our host to go first. Let us know what cards you hold."
Tsunade nodded her head and clasped her hands together, her mouth hidden behind them.
"Very well. I have several high profile ninja under my rule. I believe you know most of them, so I won't mention names. All of the ninja are highly skilled and will definitely be an asset to our cause."
The Raikage nodded and leaned back a bit further in his chair, getting comfortable.
"How about some names for reassurance?"
"Very well. We have elite ninja such as Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai, my apprentice Shizune, Mitarashi Anko, Shiranui Genma, and all their students. I believe you can match up who taught who. Now, Raikage-dono?"
The large man grunted and rose from his seat, his imposing figure casting a shadow over all in the room.
"My ninja may not be as numerous as yours, Hokage-dono, but we are all just as powerful as your most elite. My size may speak for my strength, but it does not belie my skills. I prefer taijutsu to all other forms of battle. Sadly, one of our former elite kunoichi, Nii Yugito, is no longer with us. She was the jinchuuriki for the Nibi and was captured by the Akatsuki. She would have been invaluable in this venture."
The large man took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He knew what would happen as soon as he opened his mouth.
"My brother…"
"Hachi Kira, baby! Recognize!"
The Raikage sighed and continued his speech.
"…is the jinchuuriki for the Hachibi. He can communicate with his demon and has a somewhat amicable rapport with it. Beyond what his demon can do for him, he is the most accomplished swordsman that Kumogakure has ever seen. His students, also some of the best swordsmen to come out of Kumo, are Karui, Omoi, and Samuii. Trust me when I say that their skill speaks better than any words."
Murmurs were heard throughout the room as the named ninja stood and bowed to the room, their blades clearly evident upon their backs. The Raikage bade them sit and turned to Gaara.
"I believe that it is Kazekage-dono's turn to show his hand."
Gaara snorted and rose from his chair. The crowd was silent as he gazed out over them.
"My hand is filled with nothing but aces, Raikage-dono, as is yours. We can't risk any normal ninja on this mission. Only the best will suffice. My siblings, Temari and Kankurou, and I will be along for the ride. I'm quite sure all of you know what we are capable of. Our former sensei, Baki, is adept with wind. And then there is my friend, Uzumaki Naruto."
All of the Kumo ninja turned their heads to better see the Kyuubi jinchuuriki while the Konoha nins' faces screwed up at the mention of Uzumaki, like something had left a bad taste in their mouths. Naruto tilted his chin up slightly as he stood with the rest of the Suna ninja.
"Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, holder of the Raccoon Tribe contract, and master of an ancient power called 'the green'. He and Kira are what the Akatsuki want. This plan is risky, but we are all tired of being on the defensive. We need to hit them first for once. We need a plan that is near foolproof."
Everyone nodded and murmurs went through the room again as Gaara sat back down. Tsunade took that as a chance to regain the floor.
"The plan is somewhat simple. We go into Amegakure and draw out the Akatsuki. Naruto and Kira will go in first and hit the city hard. When Akatsuki notice that the two of them are leading an assault, they should come running."
"It's too dangerous to send those two in first. What if we don't react soon enough?"
Tsunade turned to look at the Raikage.
"We'll be right behind them. As soon as they make their first move, we'll move in and begin to dismantle the city. If we can find their hideout and destroy it, all the better. Even if we don't get rid of the Akatsuki this time, we will put a dent in their plans. This is what we want to do."
Gaara crossed his arms and sighed.
"We need to take them down in one fell swoop. Hit and run tactics will not work against ninja strong enough to take down countries by themselves."
Tsunade smirked and swept her hand out over the crowd of ninja.
"Any of these assembled ninja could invade a country. The only thing that would stop them is another elite ninja. That's what our plan should count on. We have enough elites to match up to the Akatsuki. Besides, I doubt Kisame is fully healed from when Naruto poisoned him, if he survived at all. That makes their forces weaker."
The Raikage gritted his teeth.
"What about the ninja of Amegakure? What do we do about them?"
"If they resist, we destroy them. That is what we will do about them."
Gaara leaned forward in his chair.
"So…we are talking about a full-scale decimation of a nation."
Tsunade nodded her head.
"Yes. We can't afford to assume that everyone is innocent that we come across. If they resist, kill them. Our strike must be swift and without mercy."
Kira, in a moment of rare seriousness, stood from his seat.
"The ninja of Ame are devoted to Pein fully and with utter loyalty. It's an almost fanatical devotion. To them, he is a god. He beat Salamander Hanzo, someone that even the Sannin could not beat in their prime. These people are not innocent. Ame is like a cult."
Tsunade blinked and nodded her head.
"What do you suggest we do?"
"Same thing you do with any cult. You have to eradicate it if you don't want its members coming back for revenge. Let Naruto and I go in first. We'll get the ball rolling. This plan is insane and there is truly no way to plan for anything. We don't know who will come from where or which Akatsuki will engage us. For that matter, who's left?"
"Kisame, Madara, Pein, Zetsu, Konan, and Itachi."
Kira hummed to himself, but soon shrugged.
"Well, any Uchiha is going to be a problem in any event. The rest…well, like I've said, it doesn't pay to be prepared because we don't know who's going to be fighting who."
Before Naruto could throw a barb back, Tsunade slapped her hand on the desk.
"Back to the matter at hand. Yes, it's true that we don't know who will be fighting who. Jiraiya has already fought Pein once. He's extremely difficult to fight and with his bodies, it just adds to the level of opponents that we'll be facing. Madara is the big question mark. We don't know what he can or would do. He's not happy with Naruto after he killed Uchiha Sasuke, so he would probably make it a point to go for him."
Naruto nodded his head and leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs at the ankles.
"Yeah, Itachi wasn't happy to cut our fight short last time either. You never know what he'll do. If Kisame is alive, he's going to be pissed at me too. I don't know anything about Zetsu or Konan."
Jiraiya kicked off from his position on the wall, everyone turning to listen when his geta clopped on the floor.
"Konan and Zetsu are…different. Both are more suited to espionage than actual fighting. That's not saying they can't hold their own in a fight though. Konan can turn her entire body into paper, sending individual parts to go accomplish separate tasks. Zetsu can somehow move through surfaces at will. It's not like the Headhunter Jutsu. He actually moves through the ground without disturbing anything."
The Raikage's chair creaked as he leaned against the table.
"Perhaps we Kage should take on Madara? That frees everyone else up for the others…"
Gaara shook his head.
"There is still Itachi and the rest. Pein himself is a small army. Jiraiya was able to stand up to three of the Peins last time. But he couldn't take on all six."
Tsunade's eyes were closed as she thought. No strategy seemed to be sound.
"What if I assign some of my elites to track down Pein on the battlefield? Jiraiya, you said that each one shares a field of vision with the others, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then the ideal thing to do would be to separate the bodies so that they can't help each other. If at least three ninja take on one body, we should be able to incapacitate them. These bodies must be destroyed completely. Jiraiya thought he killed three of them, but they easily came back to life. Hack their limbs off, do whatever you have to do."
All heads in the room nodded and Tsunade smiled. There was one strategy down. The Raikage was not a patient man when it came to planning though.
"What about Madara?"
Naruto flinched slightly as he spoke to the Raikage. Madara was a sore spot for him.
"He has the weird ability to make his body intangible. An attack on him would have to be an utter and complete surprise. He would have to be caught totally unaware. That's the problem with him."
The Raikage grunted.
"We can do that. With three of us, it should be a matter of wearing him down."
Kakashi had been silent the entire time, not even reading his book, but he couldn't keep silent any longer.
"Gai and I will take Itachi. We have the most experience fighting a Sharingan besides Naruto."
Tsunade smirked.
"And the other three members?"
Kakashi shrugged.
"Why not let everyone else have a shot?"
Kamui, one of the female students of Kira, raised her hand.
"We would like to have a shot at Kisame. We're swordsmen after all."
Kiba's hand shot into the air.
"Team Eight wants Zetsu. With our abilities, he shouldn't be able to hide from us for long."
Temari slowly raised her hand.
"I guess Kankurou and I could take on Konan. If she turnes into paper, I could always just scatter her into bits."
Kankurou nodded and Tsunade smiled.
"Well, that's all the major players. Let's lay out a bit more. I want everyone who spoke up to have more backups. Shikamaru, get your lazy ass up here and help us strategize."
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A week later, two figures sat atop a tower in Amegakure, looking out over the city. Both were thinking about how this could be their last day on earth, contemplating over everything that they had wanted to accomplish, but may never happen. Hachi Kira and Uzumaki Naruto were gathering their thoughts.
"Hey, kid?"
"Yeah?"
"You ever wonder what we did in a past life to deserve this? Were we just that bad or were we righteous and the Kami decided that we needed to be tested?"
Naruto sighed and watched as the people below went about their business.
"I think that we were chosen because the Kami has a funny sense of humor. We're all relatives or children of Kage. We're practically royalty in the ninja world. Yet, we're scorned and hated."
He turned to Kira and smiled.
"That makes us stronger people. It makes us better people. I only have to look at the pettiness that I put up with as a child to realize that I'm better than the rest of them. Pein thinks that his childhood was rough. He was an orphan in a wartorn country. Big deal. There were plenty of orphans then. I'm an orphan. But I don't call myself God and run around trying to burn the world to ashes."
"Yeah, he has a weird complex. Maybe he's compensating for something?"
Naruto snickered.
"Maybe. That's why he needs six of them."
Kira snorted.
"I bet he's a minute man too."
Naruto's cheeks puffed out from holding in his laughter.
"Yeah, but you know what they say, don't you?"
Kira shook his head, the grin on his face evident. Naruto took a deep breath.
"Even something only two inches long can hurt someone if it's coming in at two hundred miles an hour."
Kira let out a barking laughter and slapped his knee. The two sat there chuckling for a moment before both sighed and rose to their feet. Kira rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck while Naruto held his hand out and his staff burst from the wooden shingled roof. Kira quirked an eyebrow.
"I'll never get used to that. You ready, kid?"
"Yeah…ready as I'll ever be. How do you want to start this?"
Kira sucked in a quick breath.
"You use that power of yours and try to break that tower in the middle of the city in half. Then summon Tsubasa and run rampant. Destroy as much as you can…did you tell Temari goodbye?"
"No. It would have felt like I wasn't coming back. We kind of avoided each other before this."
"That wasn't good, kid. You shouldn't avoid things like that. She'll be pissed if you die and vice versa."
"What about you and Kari?"
"That's none of your concern."
The two stared at each other before Naruto spoke.
"So…what are you going to do to start this off?"
Kira grinned and turned his head to Naruto, his face already peeling.
"Me? Well, I'm letting the Hachibi out to play. Good luck, Uzumaki Naruto. If we make it out of this alive I'll sing you a song."
"How about we just get a drink?"
Kira nodded and held out his hand, the flesh on his arm already peeling away. Naruto grasped it and the two gave each other a firm shake. Kira let go and backpedaled to the edge of the building. He held his arms out to the side and teetered back and forth.
"See you on the flipside, flower boy."
With that he fell over the edge. Within moments a large boom sounded and the roar of the Hachibi echoed throughout Amegakure. Naruto concentrated on the tower in the middle and it shattered as two large redwoods burst from underneath it, tearing it in half. Without delay he shoved the staff into the ground and ran through the seals for the summoning. He had left Sanzoku with Temari, as he'd be more help to her than to him. A large burst came forth and Naruto was standing on Tsubasa's nose, the building he'd been standing on crushed beneath him.
Naruto, I assume this is important?
"Sure is. We're invading Amegakure."
Tsubasa nodded his massive head and crossed his eyes so he could better see the boy.
Total destruction then?
"Whatever you want to do, do it."
Excellent. Well, I'm off to cause mayhem then. Call me if you need help.
Naruto shouted his thanks and Tsubasa wandered off into the city, swinging his tail and taking out buildings. Naruto leapt off the rubble he had been standing on and began making his way into the city.
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Tsunade and the others watched from a few miles away as Tsubasa and the Hachibi seemed to be having a contest of who could cause the most destruction. Currently, the Hachibi was winning by swinging its tails in all directions. Tsunade looked at the other Kage and nodded her head.
"Well, I guess that's the signal. Remember; try not to engage any of the Akatsuki alone. And always keep your comrades in view. To victory!"
"TO VICTORY!"
And the mass of people ran toward Amegakure. Several patrols that were outside the city were wiped out by the advancing troops of three major villages. Tsunade and the Raikage drew their fists back as they approached the gates of the village and knocked them down with a mighty blow from each Kage. The ninja of the allied villages scattered into groups as they entered the city, each going to seek out the Akatsuki.
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Pein and Madara were talking of their next move when they felt the first few explosions rock their city. Pein looked out the window to see the Hachibi and Tsubasa reeking havoc.
"So…they have finally come. I did not expect the Hachibi to be with them. This just makes everything easier."
Madara grabbed Pein's arm before he could leave.
"Do not underestimate the Kyuubi jinchuuriki. He's more than he seems."
"Yes, the plant life. I shall take care of him."
"They are sure to have more than just the two of them. Take care of the other forces first."
"As you wish, Madara-sama."
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Konan was checking up on Kisame when the explosions rocked the tower they were in and part of it crumbled away. She was just about to see what the matter was when Zetsu appeared from the ceiling.
"The Kyuubi brat has arrived with the Hachibi. They are destroying the village. Madara-sama says now is the time to act."
Konan nodded and made her way out the door. Zetsu turned to Kisame, who still lay on the bed, and grinned eerily.
"I wonder if you taste as good as shark-fin soup? Surely your flesh would be delicious."
Kisame bared his teeth and reached for Samehada.
"Try it, freak."
Zetsu laughed and sank back into the ceiling. Kisame lay back against the headboard for a moment before lurching to his feet and grabbing his cloak. He buttoned it up swiftly and swung Samehada to his back. His breathing was still labored, but he would manage. As he walked out the door, he grinned.
He had a score to settle.
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Temari cracked another ninja's skull open with her fan as she made her way down the streets. These people were fanatical, just as Kira had said. They came to battle screaming about serving Pein-sama and how it was an honor to die in his service. She saw a glimpse of Tsubasa's tail as it crushed another building and wondered how Naruto was doing.
Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a ninja running at her with a dagger, but she wouldn't be able to turn in time to block. She braced for impact, tryin to turn so it wouldn't be lethal, when a large red blur the size of an elephant tackled the ninja and tore his head off. Sanzoku shook himself to get rid of the dust and waddled over to Temari.
Watch your back, damn it! I can't be there all the time.
"Stupid rat. If I didn't have to watch your back all the time, I could watch my own."
You're welcome, bitch.
Temari blew another ninja away with a gust from her fan and kept walking.
"Fuck you."
I said, you're welcome, bitch!
"Fuck You!"
The thanks I get…ungrateful…
"You two need to be quiet. It's hard to sneak around when you're both that loud.
"Shut up, Kankurou!"
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Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Gaara each struck down another ninja before the cries of several of their own made them turn to face a side street. Holding a Suna nin by the neck was none other than the God Realm Pein.
"Hello again, Jiraiya-sensei. It is quite an honor. No one has ever had the privilege of being my enemy and seeing my face twice. No one but you."
Jiraiya made little of the comment, keeping himself on guard.
"Where are the other Peins?"
"We are here. We are watching. Pain will come to all of you. This world must be cleansed."
Gaara and Tsunade were on edge as one by one the other Peins appeared. Tsunade cast a careful eye to Jiraiya and found him stony faced. The white-haired sennin took two steps back and spoke quietly to the two.
"Have all our available people, including you two, dogpile the Peins. Keep them occupied for a few moments."
Tsunade started to protest, but he silenced her.
"No, Hime. Just do as I say."
Without another word Tsunade, Gaara, and all the available ninja leapt forward and engaged the Peins. Jiraiya stepped back again and closed his eyes. It would be difficult to call forth Ma and Pa with one arm, but he'd manage.
They'd all manage.
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The Raikage and Kira's students were in the eastern sector of the city when origami swarmed them and tried to cut them. Karui, Samui, and Omoi all drew their swords and began to hack away at the paper swarm. The Raikage grabbed a fistful of the paper and crumpled it in his hand, trying to burn it with lightning chakra. Above them, Konan reformed, some of her paper wings singed. The Raikage was not amused.
"Akatsuki scum! Come down here!"
Konan merely gazed upon them, her thousand-yard stare somewhat unsettling. Omoi became impatient with her and hurled a handful of shuriken at her face. A wall of paper appeared and blocked the shuriken, before hurling them back at him.
"All who oppose Pein must die."
She said nothing else as she divebombed the four. They just prepared for the worst.
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Temari, Kankurou, and Sanzoku crept along a wall close to what they assumed used to be the administration building. Sanzoku was in the front, changed into his normal small size, sniffing out any sign of what could be an Akatsuki. Temari nearly stepped on him when he came to a halt and the hairs on his back stood on end, a low growl emanating from him. She was just about to ask what was wrong when a voice broke through around them.
"I think the kunoichi will be tastier. She looks lean. No, I believe the shinobi will be better. He has more muscle."
The strange ninja got a good look at Sanzoku and licked his lips.
"We believe the rat will be better eating. Yes, the gamier, the better."
Sanzoku growled again and began to grow. Kankurou unsealed his puppets, and Temari hefted her fan. No one knew what Zetsu was capable of. That made him one of the most dangerous. The instant Sanzoku leapt, the two siblings were right behind him.
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Naruto hit another Ame nin upside the head with his staff, bludgeoning the man to death, and spun to avoid a sword swipe. The man who swung at him backed up and that's when Naruto noticed he was surrounded. The Ame ninja all drew their sword or kunai and the ninja who had swung at him attacked again. He and Naruto began a series of dodges and parries.
Unbeknownst to the two combatants, a different fight was going on. The ring of Ame nin surrounding the two was soon decimated without their noticing. Naruto and the ninja locked up again and pushed off one another. As the man skidded backwards, his shoulder was suddenly caught in something and a chunk of his body was ripped away. He screamed in agony before he was silenced by the sound of his neck snapping.
Naruto looked on, shocked, as Hoshigake Kisame dropped the man and pointed Samehada at him. The giant of a man looked unsteady on his feet and highly irritated.
"You…you got a lot of nerve coming here after what you did to me. I want a rematch, punk, when I'm not carrying dead weight. Let's see what those plants can do against someone who's attacking you."
Naruto's face was utterly serious as he held the staff in front of him.
"You won't survive twice, Kisame. It's a miracle that you survived at all. Those plants aren't even supposed to have an antidote to their poison."
Kisame grinned and readied himself.
"Guess I'm just special, brat. You'll find out how special shortly. I don't even care about Akatsuki anymore."
As Naruto began to glow green, he grinned.
"You shouldn't. You were dead the moment you showed up here."
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Madara sat upon a piece of rubble in Pein's tower, looking out over the village. It wasn't the first time he'd seen a village in ruins. It probably wouldn't be the last either. The door behind him creaked and his head rose slightly.
"So…you've come at last. I've always wondered how long it would take for you to betray me…Itachi."
Itachi showed no emotion as he regarded the back of Madara.
"It's hard to betray one of which you were never truly in service of. What you call betrayal, I call vindication."
Madara's head quirked to the side slightly, intrigued.
"Vindication? Of what?"
"You killed my family."
Madara turned so one Sharingan could see the younger Uchiha.
"I killed your family? I think your history is skewed, son."
Itachi shook his head.
"No, my history is not skewed. You killed our family the day you killed your own brother. We were cursed to be eradicated ever since then. Someone just had to be brave enough to begin the process."
Madara slowly nodded as he rose from his seat.
"And I suppose you think that you will end the story of the Uchiha?"
Itachi slid his sword from its scabbard with a small click and closed his eyes.
"The story is already over. This is the epilogue of the Uchiha Clan. The page where we fade from the light and once again embrace the darkness as the cover falls."
He opened his eyes to reveal the Sharingan and Madara snorted, drawing his own sword.
"I've been in the darkness, boy. I'm never going back."
"I never said you had a choice, Uchiha Madara. Either way, the story ends today."
Setting up, setting up, setting up...let me know what you think. Oh, what tangled webs are woven...