DISCLAIMER: I do not own Negima or Naruto. Negima is the property of Ken Akamatsu, and Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto.
Ackdam's story "Naruto One Man Team" has inspired portions of this story. If you haven't read it, I strongly advise you to do so.
Italics text = character thinking to themselves.
Underline+Italics = character communicating with telepathy
Bold text = shouting
Bold+Italcs = Casting Spell/Ability
Chapter Twenty-six
Departure and Raids
"Why?" Sarutobi asked with a vein pulsing above his right eye.
"Why what, old man?" Chao asked casually.
"Why did you burn down several large building in the village with those tornadoes of fire?" Sarutobi yelled.
"Huh? Didn't we tell you that we wanted to build some new buildings? We own all those shops and houses we destroyed, in case you've forgotten." Eva countered.
"I believe that Hokage-sama is wondering why you had to use such a powerful technique when you could have used several well-placed explosive tags." Inoichi intervened.
"Isn't it obvious?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Enlighten us." Shikaku muttered.
"It looks awesome this way." Naruto smirked, causing Sarutobi to groan.
"And it's much faster." Negi shrugged.
"Was it really necessary to create a 2000 feet tall tornado of fire?" Hiashi asked annoyed.
"No. But, like I said, it was awesome and that's all that counts." Naruto grinned.
"To you, anyway." Sarutobi muttered. "You don't have to explain to Kumo, Suna, Iwa and Kiri why they saw fire in the sky from their own villages."
"I hear Iwa was particularly displeased." Naruto chuckled.
"Yeah, they want your head on a silver platter." Tsume said.
"Tell them to get in line." Naruto scoffed.
"Still, was there ANY REASSON AT ALL for such a powerful technique?" Sarutobi insisted.
"Well, apparently there are some vast sand deposits under the area we wiped out. So, rather then shoveling out, we melted it to glass to make things easier." Eva yawned.
"Anyway Oji-san, we didn't stop by to chat. We're leaving to find Tsunade in a few minutes and I want some insurance." Naruto said seriously.
"What kind of insurance?" Sarutobi asked cautiously.
"The kind that will make sure she comes back, no matter how much she'll whine." Eva said.
"I want a direct order for her to return to the village." Naruto clarified.
"Well, while that will bring her back… probably… she might not accept to be Hokage." Sarutobi sighed.
"Oji-san…" Naruto said after a few seconds "If there were to be funding, would she be able to implement that proposal of hers, to have a healer per team?"
"Well… If there are funds… and since we're not at war anymore… I don't see why not." Sarutobi said thoughtfully.
"That won't be enough to convince her, Fuhen." Hiashi snorted.
"Oh, I'm sure I can think of a few other things, but I just needed approval for this particular one." Naruto smirked.
"Well then, we're off." Chao said and the group turned to leave the council chambers.
"I beg your pardon?" Inoichi blinked.
"Wasn't Jiraiya-sama taking just Naruto-san with him?" Shibi asked.
"I have some methods to gather information from very long distances, while Chao and Chisame are able to increase the efficiency of those methods exponentially." Asakura grinned.
"I see." Inoichi nodded. "But what about Evangeline-san and Springfield-san?"
"Oh, we have a mission in the same direction they're going, so we'll travel with them for a while." Negi shrugged.
"What mission would that be?" Hiashi narrowed his eyes.
"The classified kind." Eva smirked before leaving the chamber, with the others following her.
As soon as they reached the village gate, Naruto spoke up amused.
"You know, Ero-sennin, if you wanted to know what we were doing in the council chamber you could have went there yourself, instead of sending a camouflaged Kage Bunshin." the blond said to the Sannin that landed besides him.
"Not my style." Jiraiya waved him off.
"In other words you're afraid they'll change their minds and make you the Godaime instead of Tsunade." Eva deadpanned.
"Let's go." Jiraiya ignored her and took off at jounin speed.
"Coward." Negi muttered amused.
Two hours later, just outside the detection range of the guards, stood two figures wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them, with straw hats covering their heads.
"Remember Kisame, if capturing the Kyubi's Jinchuriki looks unlikely we'll have to retreat." Itachi cautioned.
"Yeah, yeah." his blue-skinned partner waved him off. "I don't get why you're so worried. I just need to drain his chakra with Samehada and he's out."
"That would be the worst course of action." Itachi scoffed. "If he runs out of chakra, he'll be flooded by the Kyubi's youki. From what I know of the Yondaime's seal, it uses the boy's chakra to keep the demon at bay. If you drain him dry, the Kyubi could easily escape and trust me…" Itachi glared at the swordsman "You do NOT want to face the Kyubi at full power."
"You say that, but you know that we'll have to capture the brat at some point." Kisame glared back.
"Yes, and from what Leader-sama told us, it has to be the first or the last one we seal." Itachi replied.
"Then wouldn't it be better to catch him now, while he's still weak?" Kisame insisted.
"If we can." Itachi mumbled. "Have you not heard the rumors Zetsu spoke of?"
"That he has the Sharingan?" Kisame clarified.
"Yes. And that he took my little brother out with the Tsukuyomi." Itachi answered.
"I heard something about it." Kisame admitted. "Still, yours should be stronger, right?"
"If it's a transplant like we suspect, then yes." Itachi nodded. "But if his demon is involved… we'll see."
"Still… for a village that got invaded two weeks ago, they sure look at full strength." Kisame complained as he glanced towards the village again.
"Because they most likely are." Itachi deadpanned. "According to Zetsu, they suffered no causalities whatsoever."
"In other words, Orochimaru just wasted manpower and time." Kisame muttered. "Stupid snake, can't do anything right. No wonder we kicked him out from our organization."
"The gate guards are changing. Let's go." Itachi said and the two disappeared in a burst of speed.
Less then an hour later the two were in a rather unpleasant position, being stared down by three Jonin.
"How do I get in these situations?" Itachi asked himself absentmindedly as he deflected a few kunai from Kurenai. "Oh yeah, I got paired up with the guy that always stands out, even when his face is hidden. Why the hell did he have to glare at the guy that ordered shark fin soup?"
"I'll ask again, where is the Yondaime's legacy?" Itachi spoke.
"You're from Akatsuki, aren't you? You're after the Kyubi sealed inside Naruto!" Kakashi said as his eyes widened in realization.
"Kisame, we'll have to take Kakashi with us." Itachi said as he narrowed his eyes. "Why didn't he keep his mouth shut? If I used the words 'Yondaime' and 'legacy' it was obvious who I was talking about."
"Got it." Kisame smirked with bloodlust and was about to charge at the Copy-Nin when the water under him suddenly froze and large ice spikes emerged, managing to tear a good chunk of Kisame's cloak despite the fact that he had jumped away.
"Zanganken!" a voice called out and Kisame was forced to raise Samehada and block the incoming arc of energy. To his displeasure, it was too large to block completely and part of it sliced into his left shoulder, making him grit his teeth.
As soon as Kisame landed on the water, three new ninja appeared in front of Kakashi.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Haku asked as she looked at the two nuke-nin before her with distaste.
"It looks like you'll be adding another sword to your collection, Haku-san." Setsuna added as she looked at Itachi.
"Master will be pleased." Chachamaru finished as she looked Itachi in the eye, and, much to his surprise, flashed her Sharingan for an instant.
"Another sword?" Kisame raised an eyebrow.
"Right next to Zabuza's." Haku smirked as she make a handsign with her left hand. Suddenly Kisame was surrounded by a dome of ice senbon. An instant later, he had jumped away, only getting hit by a few senbon in non-vital areas.
"A Hyoton user? I though they were extinct." Itachi raised an eyebrow at the exchange.
"Haku, Chachamaru, Setsuna. What are you doing here?" Kurenai asked.
"Saving your asses." Asuna replied as she landed next to her friends, her large sword in her right hand
"You're just kids! They're S-rank missing nin, you don't have a chance against them!" Kurenai said in disbelief. "You've got to run away!"
"Kurenai-san, I know you're still a rookie Jonin, but you should know that surviving a battle with an S-rank missing nin is good enough, unless you were specifically ordered to capture him." Chachamaru stated calmly.
"They're right." Kakashi confirmed.
"It's time to end this." Asuna said as she activated Kanka.
"Indeed." Chachamaru said as she closed her eyes and when she opened them she looked Itachi in the eye. Her eyes were now blood-red with a black spider-web design on the iris.
Itachi only blinked once before he looked at his partner.
"Kisame, it would seem that what we seek isn't here. We're leaving." Itachi said with authority.
"Tsk, fine. I'll finish this some other time. Kakuzu is going to overcharge me again for the cloak." Kisame said annoyed before the two left with their respective versions of Shunshin.
"Let them go. If they were to fight seriously, they could do more damage then the Oto Invasion did." Asuna said as she deactivated her Kanka.
"We need to report this quickly. Me, Haku and Chachamaru will head to ANBU HQ." Setsuna said.
"Kakashi, come with me. We need to talk with the old man about this." Asuna said, giving him a look that told him 'Just do it!'.
"Agreed. You guys check with the gate guards, find out how they got inside the village without getting spotted." Kakashi told Asuma and Kurenai, who nodded reluctantly before leaving. "You have some explaining to do." he narrowed his eyes at the four girls.
"Like I said, we need to see the old man. Let's go." Asuna said and headed for the Hokage tower at top speed, mentally sending a message to Naruto.
A good distance away from the village, the whiskered blond received the message and his eyes lit up.
"Oh, this is goooood." Naruto said before he began laughing maniacally.
"What's up, brat?" Jiraiya inquired.
"I just got a message from Asuna-chan. Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were in Konoha a few minutes ago looking for me, or rather Kyubi." Naruto smirked.
"So Akatsuki is on the move already?" Jiraiya asked, less then pleased of the news.
"I think they were just scouting. According to what Orochimaru knew, the Akatsuki don't intend to start collecting the nine Biiju until their numbers are at least nine ring keepers. The maximum is ten, of course, but I doubt they'll get the snake's ring anytime soon." Naruto told them.
"How many do they have right now?" Kazumi inquired.
"Seven. Apparently two of them have very little patience with their partners." Naruto smirked.
"Still, considering the fact that they haven't even met you yet, am I right to assume that they'll catch up with us sometime soon?" Jiraiya inquired.
"Duh." Naruto snorted. "I want Ero-Sennin to be out of sight when they meet us. Otherwise they'll attack at an unwanted moment. Me and Chao will deal with Itachi since I want to talk with him using some genjutsu. I want Negi to put as much lightning he needs into Kisame in order to paralyze him. Be wary of his sword though; since it eats chakra, it may eat mana as well. Separate it from him if possible. Evangeline, after fish-face is tired enough, I want you to put him on ice. Don't kill him though, I want him alive. Besides making contact with Itachi, Kisame's capture is our other main objective. At the very least we need his ring. Maybe Samehada as well." Naruto explained his strategy.
"Yeah, they need those rings in order to extract the Biiju." Negi remembered.
"What about me and Asakura?" Chisame inquired.
"You two stay with the old pervert. I need you to observe and analyze their strengths and weaknesses, if they manage to get away." Naruto explained before hesitating a bit. "Also, another Akatsuki member may be observing under camouflage. He's an odd fellow, Zetsu of Kusa. He looks like he's been cut down the middle and had the halves painted in black and white before being glued back together. He also has a Venus Flytrap covering his entire head. Keep an eye out for him." he cautioned.
"Great, another one. This day gets better and better." Jiraiya muttered.
"No worries. This guy is their main spy. The chances of him engaging us in battle are almost zero." Naruto assure them.
"So our side mission will have to be delayed until we lose them." Negi scowled.
"We'll just have to head for Otakuku town east from here. I heard that there are a few gambling establishments there, so we might get some info on Tsunade. Let's not forget the main reason we're on this mission." Jiraiya reminded them and the group quickened their pace.
About six hours later we find Naruto, Eva, Negi and Chao in a hotel room playing poker while waiting for their 'guests' to arrive. Of course, all of them had their Magic Cancel activated at an intensity that partially negated their chakra signature from the senses of others, making it look like they had much lower reserves, around high Genin for Eva, Negi and Chao and high chunin for Naruto, since he was expected to have more chakra because of Kyubi' influence on his body.
"Call." Eva said and all of them showed their cards.
She had three of a kind, queens, Negi had four of a kind, nines, Chao had full house, with jacks and tens. And of course Naruto won with a straight flush. Again.
"You know, when we're done with this mission we'll take our time to get back to Konoha and have you clean out every casino we find." Eva smirked.
"Yeah, good idea." Naruto nodded. "But our guests are down the corridor already."
"Yeah, I felt Kisame halfway across town." Negi nodded as he put the cards away.
"Ready for our prank?" Naruto inquired with a wide smirk.
"Let's do it." Chao returned the smirk and all three used their transformation abilities to change their appearance.
"This is the room, right Itachi?" Kisame asked as the two stopped before said door.
"Yes, that is what the receptionist said." the Uchiha said.
Without further ado, Kisame knocked on the door forcefully, earning a glare from his partner.
"Coming." said a male voice before the door opened to reveal…
"Who is it, brother?" asked Tobirama Senju as his face appeared over his brother's shoulder.
"Oh, just some nuke-nin, if those slashed headbands are real." Hashirama shrugged.
"Why you…" Kisame snarled as he reached for his sword, enraged by the Kyubi brat's audacity.
"Kisame…" Itachi spoke as his activated Sharingan bulged like a Byakugan. "This is not a Henge or any kind of illusion."
"Are you trying to be funny Itachi?" Kisame groveled. "How the hell could these two be alive?"
"Oh, funny story, actually." Hashirama chuckled nervously. "You see, we kinda got kicked out of the afterlife because… "
"He used his most powerful forest creation jutsu while I was working on making a large lake." Tobirama sighed.
"Let's just say that there is little space there right now." Hashirama chuckled nervously,
"Really?" Kisame said in awe while Itachi turned to stare at his partner in disbelief.
"Of course not, you dumb fish." 'Hashirama's rolled his eyes just a the two Akatsuki jumped away to avoid the two lightning spears that 'Tobirama' threw at them before he changed back into Negi while 'Hashirama' turned back into Eva who tried to gut Kisame with her Ensis Exsequens.
Before Itachi could assist his partner, a few kunai were thrown in his path, making him stop and glare at the person who threw them: Naruto.
"Are you by any chance looking for little old me?" Naruto taunted and a moment later he was clashing kunai with Itachi, both of them having the Sharingan activated.
As soon as Kisame couldn't see their eyes, they both activated their eyes at the highest level they could. However, unlike Itachi whose eyes only changed once, Naruto chose to show the Uchiha all the levels he could use. So he activated his eyes gradually. When the Yokai Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan was activated, Itachi could not stop himself from gaping in shock. And that moment was all Naruto needed.
"Tsukuyomi Kaisei!" Naruto whispered and the world dissolved into darkness.
As sight returned to him, Itachi found himself… sitting at a table? What the hell? There was even a cup of tea before him.
"How nice of you to join us, Itachi." Naruto said from the other side of the table.
"Yes, it has been a while, Naruto-kun." Itachi smiled before blinking. "Hold on, 'us'?"
"Yes, Itachi-kun, us." Kushina said as she approached the table along with Kyubi and sat down on Naruto's sides.
"Kushina-sama?" Itachi asked shocked.
"In the flesh." Kushina smirked. "Well, not exactly, but it won't be long until I will be."
"How are you alive?" Itachi asked.
"I was never dead in the first place, actually." Kushina shrugged.
"Part of her was sealed inside Naruto-kun along with me." Kyubi explained.
"Sealed along wi…" Itachi narrowed his eyes and went for his kunai.
"Don't even think about it, Itachi." Naruto said sharply. "I won't forgive anyone that harms my fiancée."
"You're engaged with the Kyubi no Yoko." Itachi said slowly before looking at his tea.
"Here, you might need it." Naruto snickered as a bottle of sake appeared where Itachi's teacup initially was.
"How? When? Why?" Itachi asked after drinking half of the bottle.
"I'll start with why." Naruto suggested. "I love her. Simple as that. How I met her? I noticed the seal when I was five and learned how to access it. As for when, I met her a few months after I discovered the seal, but I fell in love with her after I discovered she was female and showed me her human form. Which was the day I became a genin, a few months ago."
"You should know that it was Madara Uchiha that forced her to attack Konoha, and that she's not some incarnation of evil bent on the destruction of mankind." Kushina added.
"I think dad knew that as well, otherwise he would have tried to take all of her with the Shiki Fuin." Naruto added.
"So Kushina-sama told you who your father is." Itachi observed.
"Actually, I told him the day I met him." Kyubi said sheepishly, causing the Uchiha to sweatdrop.
"Okay, let's get back to the reason I brought you here." Naruto coughed.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, I can't return to Konoha." Itachi sighed.
"If you're worried about getting executed, the Sandaime already knows the full story. We'll just tell the village that you were ordered to stop the coup, and that your father tried to kill the ones that opposed the coup." Naruto informed him. "As for the ones Madara killed, we'll blame it on Danzo. We'll just say that he wanted Sharingan eyes for his ROOT."
"I believe Danzo will disagree." Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"If he were alive, he might have. But since I killed the bastard myself during the Oto Invasion, I doubt it'll be a problem." Naruto smirked.
"Hm, even Zetsu didn't know about that." Itachi mussed.
"Zetsu of Kusa? Is he observing you and Kisame today, by any chance?" Naruto asked quickly.
"Yes, he's melded in the ceiling right above us, in the physical world." Itachi confirmed.
"Dammit! What are the chances of him not seeing me cast the Tsukuyomi?" Naruto inquired.
"Pretty low, to be honest." Itachi confessed. "He doesn't have any dojutsu, but his eyes are sharp enough to notice the changes in your eyes."
"We can't let him report that I've had so much time to talk to you." Naruto said grimly.
"I doubt it'll matter if I return to Konoha with you." Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"You're not returning yet. You need to stay in Akatsuki a while longer before you can publicly betray them." Kushina informed him.
"Do you still have two vacancies?" Naruto inquired.
"Yes." Itachi replied surprised. "How do you…?"
"Orochimaru. Apparently, he puts a bit of his soul in every Cursed Seal he gives. I managed to get my hands on a recent seal and got the snake's entire memory as well." Naruto explained.
"Lucky you." Itachi grimaced. "Who did he mark?"
"Sasuke." Kyubi answered
"My brother?" Itachi' eyes widened. "Were there any side-effects?"
"Other then inflating his ego even more when he got it and making him more annoying when I took it from him, he stayed the same arrogant worthless piece of shit." Naruto spat.
"I take it you don't get along well?" Itachi asked hesitantly.
"Get along? The asshole has been trying to kill me since I dropped my idiot act! He's been spoiled rotten by the village and thinks that anything and everything should be handed to him on a silver platter. And if it doesn't, then he'll kill anyone who gets in his way." Naruto paused from his rant to breathe before adding "If the idiot doesn't betray Konoha for power and get executed, then Mikoto might kill him herself, since he's like a mini Fugaku, just a bit weaker, but not by much."
"Mikoto?" Itachi's eyes bulged. "As in Mikoto Uchiha, my mother?"
"Yep." Kushina nodded.
"But she died!" Itachi shouted.
"Not exactly." Naruto began. "Do you remember what happened that night?"
"Yes. You said that she was mortally wounded and that there was only one way you knew of to save her, but that you didn't know if it will work." Itachi said slowly.
"What I really meant to say was that I didn't know if it would work on a living being." Naruto said.
"What did you do to my mother, Naruto-kun?" Itachi whispered.
"I tried to absorb her into my seal in order to stop her from dieing." Naruto replied.
"And?" Itachi insisted.
"It didn't work like it should have." Naruto sighed. "She was too weakened for it to work."
"What HAPPENED?"
"I only absorbed about half of her soul." Naruto answered as the crystal wall containing Mikoto appeared next to Itachi.
The other three were silent as Itachi got up from his seat and went to the crystal and stood there for a few minutes, gazing at his mother's peaceful sleeping face.
"You said that she might try to kill Sasuke…." he said eventually. "Does that mean you can get her back to normal?"
"That's what I had in mind, yes." Naruto smirked. "I might even add a regeneration bloodline so that she won't get killed anytime soon."
"Whatever she wants." Itachi agreed. "But how?"
"Edo Tensei." was the response he got from Kyubi, earning her an Uchiha Glare.
"That is not a real resurrection." Itachi spat.
"And she's not dead either." Kyubi countered. "Only half of her soul has passed on, and we need to recover that part. And we'll do it the same way it happened to Kushina here. After we extract the soul fragment and join it with the one here, Naruto-kun can work on giving her a real body"
"Very well, I see your point." Itachi conceded.
"I think it will be better if you know the entire story, and since time here has no meaning…" Naruto began.
"Wrong, the Tsukuyomi lasts 72 hours in the mind of the target." Itachi countered.
"Yes, but this is an advance version of the Tsukuyomi, the Tsukuyomi Kaisei. It lasts as long as I wish." Naruto smirked.
"That's impossible." Itachi protested. "A technique of such magnitude…"
"Let me explain the differences between the original and mine, and I'm sure you'll understand." Naruto smirked. "Tell me, do you know why the Tsukuyomi only lasts 72 hour?"
"No…" Itachi answered suspiciously.
"It's because of the strain it puts on the eyes. 72 hours is the maximum the eyes can take at one time. Your body's self preservation keeps it from lasting longer." Naruto replied.
"But you have…" Itachi' eyes widened.
"A very powerful regeneration ability, yes." Naruto nodded. "Which eliminated one part of the time limit."
"One part?" Itachi raise an eyebrow.
"Well, a jutsu can't work without chakra." Naruto shrugged. "But in the Tsukuyomi Kaisei I use two units of chakra and one of youki. So the drain is on the youki, which is much more potent then chakra, thus much less is needed and I have a virtually unlimited reserve of."
"But…" Itachi smirked.
"Yes, the final part of the problem and the one that I can't get around is that of my own mental exhaustion." Naruto sighed. "I will last longer then anyone else since I've been training in mindscape since I was five, bur even I have limits. Still…" Here he smirked evilly. "Who can last six months of continuous torture?"
"I know I wouldn't." Itachi confessed.
"Anyway, about that story…" Kyubi began telling the Uchiha everything, from when she met Naruto face to face until now.
Itachi remained silent after the story ended, deep in thought. Eventually, he spoke up.
"A free Biiju is much more powerful then a Jinchuriki using its power, since the Jinchuriki's body has limits it cannot surpass. Youki puts a lot of strain on a human body, whether it has adapted to it over time or not." Itachi said. "The current leader of the Akatsuki, Pein, might be able to capture Naruto-kun if he fights his nine-tailed form. But if he were to fight Kyubi, there will be no contest."
"I thought as much." Naruto nodded. "I know that the Rinnegan is very powerful. But even Orochimaru didn't know much about its abilities. Al he found out was that the Rinnegan grants access over all elements."
"I found out a few other things besides that." Itachi nodded. "Apparently, the Rinnegan user can take the bodies of others and use them as additional vessels for his soul, thus he can be in multiple place at the same time."
"You mean it's similar to Orochimaru's technique to steal bodies?" Kyubi narrowed her eyes.
"No, as far as I know he uses corpses. At least two of the vessels I know of are the bodies of previously deceased ninja. One of them was killed by Jiraiya-sama in the Third Ninja War." Itachi countered. "Also, he has some amount of control over gravity. At the very least he can attract and reject objects and people."
"Fascinating." Naruto whispered. "How did you manage to get so much information?"
"I surprised him when he was sparing with Konan, another member of Akatsuki." Itachi replied.
"I see…" Naruto said, thinking of the three orphans Jiraiya told him of. "Do you know what is the maximum amount of bodies he can inhabit at the same time?"
"I have no proof, but I suspect six." Itachi answered.
"The six paths of Samsara, huh?" Naruto whispered.
"Yes. I heard Konan refer to the one she was sparing with as Deva Path." Itachi nodded.
"Itachi, do you have anything in your memories since the Massacre that you don't want me to see or know of?" Naruto asked.
"No, I don't believe that I do. Why?" Itachi inquired after a moment of thinking.
"Would you agree to let me view all those memories?" Naruto asked.
"Can you?" Itachi's eyes widened.
"I can do it forcefully so some extent, but it works best if you allow it and actually focus on those memories." Naruto sighed. "I won't force you though."
"Go ahead; I'm focusing on them as we speak." Itachi smiled as he closed his eyes and Naruto did the same. For Kushina and Kyubi it only lasted a few seconds though, until Naruto opened his eyes and rubbed his temples.
"If we don't stop Kisame and Zetsu today, then we're totally screwed." Naruto groaned.
"Is it that bad?" Kushina asked in worry.
"Worse. Madara has some sort of jutsu that makes him intangible, thus completely immune to attacks. Even my Arrow of Chaos won't affect him." Naruto muttered.
"But you said that it also affects souls!" Kyubi protested.
"Yes, but it's able to do so because souls are partially linked to the bodies. Affecting ONLY the soul requires a much more concentrated attack, which at this point I can't make." Naruto confessed. "I could learn to do so in a month or so, but if Madara finds out how powerful I am right now…"
"He won't allow you to grow even stronger." Itachi agreed.
"So, since Kisame is being dealt with by Negi and Eva, we need to take care of Zetsu." Kushina summarized.
"Yes, however we need to make it look like an accident, in case he manages to escape." Itachi added.
"From what I understand, he can separate the white half and grow another." Naruto told them. "Therefore, we I need to take out the black half."
"Yes, but I can't tell you where he will be after we leave this illusion, else I'll draw attention." Itachi pointed out. "I can only detect him because of his ring."
"We'll make a spiritual pactio." Naruto decided. "That way you can tell me through telepathy."
"Let's get this over with." Kyubi said as the circle appeared.
One handshake later, the pactio was formed and Itachi was examining his new black katana. As far as he could figure, it could channel the user's chakra and disperse into black crows that attacked the opponent. It was called Yūgure no Karasu.
"Still, how will you harm him while he's melded into the ceiling?" Itachi inquired.
Naruto's answer was to take out a pactio card and show it to the Uchiha. The then shared twin evil smirks as the Tsukuyomi Kaisei ended.
As they returned to their bodies, Itachi jumped away from Naruto.
"Tsk. It would appear you DO know how to use those eyes, even if you're nowhere near my level." Itachi grunted.
"You're just lucky I don't have much practice with them." Naruto spat. "Where is he?"
"Foolish boy, you may have those eyes, but you're no Uchiha." Itachi replied. "Right behind me, melded into the ceiling."
"Well then, let me show you something else." Naruto smirked as he pulled out a three-pronged kunai, making Itachi's eyes narrow. "Kunai Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" he called out as he threw the kunai, multiplying it into a hundred and imbedding them in the entire corridor, floor, walls and ceiling. "Is he still there?"
"Yes. He does not seem affected by those kunai imbedded in him. Must be part of his jutsu." Itachi replied as he drew a kunai in each hand.
"Adeat!" Naruto called out after drawing a pactio card. After the glow died out, he was holding a golden longsword.
However, before Itachi and Zetsu could snap out of their stupor, Itachi felt something pierce his lower back. Gasping in pain, he turned to see Naruto with his sword piercing him, while the Naruto before him puffed into smoke.
"I got rid of that yellow light. It's too easy to recognize, don't you agree?" Naruto smirked. "Is he still there?"
"Yes… but that fucking hurt! Hurry, he's still stunned!" Itachi mentally replied.
A moment later Naruto was on the ceiling thrusting his sword into it. A few seconds later, he drew the sword back along with Zetsu' head still pierced by it. It went through the temple of the black half and out the temple of the white half.
"Zetsu?" Itachi asked in surprise.
As Naruto removed the blade, the body fell to the ground. However, it was still a alive, as it tried to move, only to get stabbed in the spine by Naruto.
"You're not going anywhere except hell." Naruto said coldly and placed his hands on Zetsu's chest before absorbing him.
"Wh-what did you do?" Itachi spat.
"Don't worry, you and Sushi here will join him soon." Eva smirked as approached holding Kisame who had his arms and legs cut off and looked a bit overdone from how much Negi had fried him with lightning.
"Use the Amaterasu to get away." Naruto suggested.
And that's exactly what Itachi did; he surrounded himself with the black flames before making a hole in the wall with them and running away through it, just as Jiraiya arrived at the scene.
"Contact the Akatsuki soon and after that contact me so that I can come and heal you completely." Naruto said before cutting the connection.
"Here's fish-face." Eva said as she dropped him on the floor, while Negi did the same with the frozen Samehada.
"B-Bastard…" Kisame grunted. "Ki-kill me, I won't tell… anything…"
"I know you won't, you used to be the best at protecting information in your youth… at all costs." Naruto narrowed his eyes before absorbing him like he did with Zetsu.
"You're going to do the same thing you did to Orachimaru's soul fragment, aren't you?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes, but not now. I don't have the time. After we get Tsunade in Konoha I'll have enough time." Naruto sighed.
"What do we do with these?" Chao asked as she showed him the rings of Zetsu and Kisame, as well as Samehada.
Naruto just tossed them in two of his pocket dimensions before extinguishing the Amaterasu flames with a Kamui. After that, the group cleaned up the place and left, leaving no trace of the battle behind besides some additional chakra in the repaired walls.
In a dark cave that held the Gedo Mazo, four shadowy projections stood on top of the statue' fingers.
"They're late. I hate waiting for those idiots." Sasori muttered.
"Patience Sasori. Kisame and Itachi are investigating the Kyubi Jinchuriki and its abilities. They should show up soon." Pein said.
"What about Zetsu? What's holding him up?" Kakuzu inquired just as Itachi's projection appeared.
"Yes, Leader-sama, why don't you tell him where Zetsu is?" Itachi asked angrily.
"Zetsu was observing your encounter with the Kyubi." Konan narrowed her eyes. "Where are he and Kisame?"
"Dead." Itachi replied as he spit some blood.
"What?" Pein asked sharply.
"You heard me." Itachi spat. "I warned you this may happen! I told you the rumors about the Kyubi container, like him having the Sharingan and being the Yondaime Hokage' son!"
"Watch your tone, Itachi." Konan said dangerously.
"He has the Mangekyo Sharingan and knows how to use it! Granted, he still needs experience with it, since it only took me less then five minutes in the Tsukuyomi to escape it, but the Amaterasu is impossible to escape, once it touches you! You knew this! I knew this! That's why I asked to use the Sacrifice Clones for the reconnaissance mission!" Itachi said before he began to spit more blood.
"What happened?" Kakuzu asked with interest.
"The brat is a sensor. He knew we were coming. Also, he seems to have information on some of our abilities from Orochimaru, since he had two of his friends fight Kisame: a Hyoton user and a Raiton user." Itachi began explaining as he calmed down a bit.
"What happened to Kisame?" Sasori asked.
"Last I saw him, he was roasted, had his limbs cut off and a sword through the heart." Itachi replied dryly.
"How could this happen? The Samehada should have devoured the chakra in their attacks, element advantage or not." Pein asked.
"Only if he managed to block the attacks with his sword. My guess is that they managed to disarm him somehow." Itachi said dryly.
"Your guess?" Konan repeated.
"I was busy dodging a Jinchuriki that had the Mangekyo, could use the Yondaime Hokage's Hiraishin and had covered the entire place we were in with the Hiraishin kunai." Itachi responded. "Did I mention that he has a sword that can negate chakra completely?"
"Negate chakra?" Pein's eyes widened.
"Yes, that's how he got Zetsu. He was melded in the ceiling near where we were fighting and the brat stabbed him while in the jutsu. He fell out of the ceiling almost immediately." Itachi explained.
"How did he know where Zetsu was?" Kakuzu asked suspiciously.
"Probably the same way I did." Itachi replied dryly. "The normal Sharingan CAN see chakra, after all. The Mangekyo sees it even clearer. Though I believe he got lucky when he hit Zetsu in the head with that first stab." he confessed.
"What happened to Zetsu's body? You know as well as I do that even if you cut him to pieces…" Pein began.
"Amaterasu and then Kamui on the remains. Like I said, the brat did his homework well." Itachi replied before he spat another globe of blood.
"Yes, Zetsu had too much exposure to Iwa in the jobs we did for them. Though I doubt they gave Konoha of all places information." Pein agreed.
"Is there anything urgent we need to talk about at the moment? I need to heal, and I doubt it will be easy to do to a wound where there is no more chakra in the body." Itachi said a bit annoyed.
"CAN you heal it? Such wounds are unheard of…" Kakuzu inquired.
"It's similar to a hit from Samehada. I believe it's manageable. I should be recovered in a week or so." Itachi revealed.
"Just one more thing we need to know… what happened to Kisame and Zetsu's rings?" Pein asked.
"I don't know about Kisame's, but Zetsu's is lost. Even if it survived the Amaterasu and was simply under the few ashes left, it was sucked in by the Kamui." Itachi sighed.
"I see." Pain paused for a few seconds. "In light of these news, Itachi will pair up with Kakuzu until he finds his new partner. After that, he will assist Sasori in recruiting his new partner and then he'll pair up with Konan until further notice. Dismissed." With that he faded away, followed by Konan and Sasori.
"I'll be near the northern border of Tsuchi no Kuni two weeks from now. Be there." Kakuzu said before fading away as well.
"Damn you Namikaze." Itachi muttered before disappearing as well.
A few seconds afterwards a person wearing Akatsuki garb and an orange mask with a spiral design and one eyehole emerged from behind the statue and jumped on one of the statues fingers that had been empty in the previous meeting.
"What do you think?" Pein asked as his and Konan's projections reappeared.
"As outrageous as some of the story sounds, I believe most of it is true." the masked figure said thoughtfully. "The Mangekyo can see through Zetsu's jutsu pretty well, and since he may have the assistance of the Kyubi, hitting Zetsu's head of all things isn't as much of a coincidence as Itachi seemed to think. My Eternal Mangekyo might have done the same."
"And besides the speed of the Hiraishin, Zetsu does have the habit of loosing sight of his surroundings while watching a good fight." Konan sighed. "He was probably focused solely on Itachi since he couldn't see the Jinchuriki because of his speed."
"Most likely." the masked figure said a bit annoyed.
"What about what happened to Kisame?" Pein inquired.
"Yes, that was a bit less believable… Zetsu was not exactly a fighter, hence his role in this organization. But Kisame…" the masked figure said thoughtfully.
"Do you think Itachi was lying? He was nor exactly his usual self today, nor did he mention Jiraiya in his story. He was supposed to be traveling with the boy." Konan inquired.
"I don't know, but I doubt it. The reason he was not his usual calm self is most likely the pain from his wound. Sitting down for the projection technique would have caused him some significant pain, since there was no chakra there he could use to numb his senses. As for Jiraiya, Zetsu told me how Itachi had planed to separate him from the boy and his companions." the masked figure chuckled.
"Oh?" Konan raised an eyebrow.
"He had a woman under genjutsu seduce him." the masked figure replied.
"I had forgotten his behavior since I last saw him." Konan said with a visible twitch of her eye before turning towards Pein. "And why did you pair him with me after he helps with the recruitment? He's a fire user and I use paper!"
"With the maximum number of our official members reduced to seven and the destruction of Zetsu's ring, we'll need to spread out a bit more. I can capture my targets on my own since I have six bodies, but you might need some help." Pein replied. "And speaking of captures…"
"The Kyubi will be the last one we'll approach." the masked figure decided. "He's too strong for only two Akatsuki members, so we'll leave him last when all the members can contribute without having to worry about having to capture another Jinchuriki afterwards."
"In other words more disposable." Konan spoke.
"Yes, though it would be best if all of them live." the masked figure confirmed.
"Very well, Madara." Pein nodded before he and Konan disappeared.
"Uzumaki… always a thorn in my back." Madara spoke to the empty cave before leaving.
"Well, I think they took it rather well." Naruto said as he stood over Itachi as he healed him.
"Pein paired me up with Kakuzu, who usually kills his partners for their bounties. If I survive him, then I'll need to go with Sasori, who most likely wants to turn me into one of his human puppets. And after him I'll be handed over to Konan, Pein's right hand. How exactly does that look in any way 'well' to you?" Itachi asked incredulously.
"Hey, they could have tried to replace you as well." Naruto shrugged.
"Good point. But I don't have long to live anyway." Itachi sighed.
"The blood clot in your lungs, you mean?" Naruto inquired.
"Yes. It somehow formed there. I suspect it has something to do with the aneurism caused by the Mangekyo." Itachi sighed.
"Oh, I got rid of most of it. All that's left in your lungs is some sort of poison that was under the blood clot." Naruto said casually.
"WHAT?" Itachi's eyes widened. "You healed it?"
"I still need to get rid of that poison before I can heal you completely. I don't know what it is, but I think it wasn't your Mangekyo that's responsible for it." Naruto said grimly. "When did you start getting symptoms?"
"About a year after I joined Akatsuki. Why? Do you think they poisoned me?" Itachi asked.
"Most likely. It's slow acting and it only forms the blood clot to a point. After that, it's all natural. Sasori might have done it to get an excuse to get your body. Or maybe Orochimaru, so that he could 'save you' with a secret technique of his." Naruto said grimly.
"Lucky me. I'm so popular." Itachi groaned.
"Close your eyes so that I can heal your eyes now." Naruto requested before placing his glowing hands over the Uchiha's eyes. "There, all done." he said after a minute or so.
"I can see perfectly." Itachi smiled.
"Yes." Naruto said before he took out syringe with a very thin needle that contained a venomously green liquid. "Now this might hurt a bit."
"What are you going to do with that?" Itachi asked calmly as his Sharingan eyes followed the needle with rapt attention.
"I'm going to give you an injection in your eyes." Naruto informed him as he gave the syringe to a Kage Bunshin.
"No, you are not." Itachi countered.
"Look, I know how much you guys from dojutsu-using clans are afraid of sharp things near your eyes. But if you don't want to go blind again I suggest you calm down." Naruto said a bit annoyed. "After the serum does it's job you'll be able to use the Mangekyo without any damage to your sight and less strain on your optic nerves."
"Has this been tested?" Itachi asked nervously.
"Hell no! You think I would give something like this to your prick of a brother?" Naruto replied.
"But if it doesn't work like it should…" Itachi panicked.
"Then I'll absorb you like I did to Zetsu and then give you a new body like I'll do to Mikoto. Either way, you'll be fine. I'll even dull the slight pain you'll get when the needle pierces your eye!" Naruto insisted.
"If I die from this, I'm going to haunt you." Itachi promised before relaxing and getting injected in both eyes.
It was like Naruto said, he barely felt the incision. After a few seconds of nothing, he looked at Naruto.
"Is that i…!" he began to say before his words turned into a scream as his eyes began to burn. It took only five seconds, but for Itachi it felt like five days had passed.
"You said it wouldn't hurt!" Itachi yelled as the pain ended.
"I said I'll dull the pain of the injection." Naruto countered casually. "You didn't actually think that gaining the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan would be painless, did you?"
"The Eternal Mangekyo? How?" Itachi asked with wide eyes.
"I used some blood from your brother in the mixture. The tricky part was to make your Eternal Mangekyo look the same as your normal Mangekyo so that you won't draw attention." Naruto explained. "As for the pain, I go through the same thing when I gain a new bloodline, so you shouldn't complain so much."
"Wow." Itachi blinked. "So if you were to get something like the Shikotsu Myaku of the Kaguya clan…"
"Don't want to talk about it!" Naruto snapped.
"Sorry." Itachi apologized.
"Stand still so I can get rid of that poison." Naruto muttered as he summoned Konoka's fans. With a wave of a fan and a few whispered words, the poison was gone. After that, Naruto dismissed the fans and healed the remaining damage.
"So, what should I do now?" Itachi asked.
"About the Akatsuki?" Naruto asked. "Nothing at all. You'll stay a member until after you become Konan's partner. Maybe you can get some more info on her and Pein. Be subtle though, let a few weeks pass before you make any attempt of personal conversation. Start by stating the obvious, like her closeness to Pein for instance. If nothing works, ask how someone like her got involved with someone like Madara. If she gets suspicious, point out that you are at least related to the guy, while Kakuzu was as old as he is and Pein has the Rinnegan." Naruto instructed.
"Do you want me to get her life story or something?" Itachi raised an eyebrow.
"Exactly." Naruto nodded. "By the way, are you attracted to her?"
"No. She's definitely not my type, if that's why you're asking." Itachi said confused.
"Good, an attempt to seduce her wouldn't work and it would gain her ire when you betray them." Naruto mussed.
"Me trying to be friendly is a bit out of character." Itachi said skeptically.
"Then don't be. If she asks, tell her it's because you had to spend so much time with insane idiots and that she at least seems sane." Naruto shrugged.
"Fine. I'll contact you once a week, or when I find out something rather important. Like who the new members are, for instance." Itachi agreed.
"Okay. See ya." Naruto smirked before he sank into his shadow.
A few miles away from Otafuku Town, Naruto emerged from Eva's shadow.
"Done?" Negi inquired.
"Yep. I healed him up and he'll be spending the next few months traveling with Kakuzu, Sasori and then Konan." Naruto smirked.
"Joy." Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Let's go, one of Orochimaru's minor hideouts is nearby. What?" he asked when he saw them looking at him weirdly.
Naruto simply sighed and grabbed the Sannin's left arm before the whole group sank into the shadows and reemerged just outside the detection range of the hideout they were heading towards.
"All of you know how to do that?" Jiraiya asked shocked.
"No, it was just a mass version I developed when I got bored. And with six hundred years of nowhere to go…" Eva trailed off.
"I understand." Jiraiya nodded in understanding. It was one of the reasons he didn't want to be Hokage, right after the paperwork of course. "So, how do we do this?"
"We?" Eva raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that's why we're all here for, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"Oh no, you're here just because Naruto is here. You're staying here with Chisame and Kazumi who will be scouting the hideout and give us real-time information." Negi countered.
"Me, Eva, Negi and Chao will infiltrate the hideout and capture everyone, restrain them and bring them here one by one. This is a stealth operation. After everyone is tied up, Eva will use one of her spells and pack up the entire hideout." Naruto explained.
"She can do that?" Jiraiya asked shocked.
"There's nothing I can't do." Eva smirked.
"You can't swim." Negi pointed out.
"I've been teaching her for a while." Naruto offered.
"And she still doesn't get it." Negi countered.
"Meh, I'll probably get a new bloodline from Kisame so she'll be able to breathe underwater." Naruto waved him off. "I'll just have to learn how to make it activate on command, rather then being always on."
"Enough talking, lets go." Chao said and all four sank into the shadows.
It only took an hour to capture everyone on the base, since it was more of a research facility then anything. In the end, Eva took out a large glass orb and wrote various runes on it in blood before casting the spell that turned it into a Diorama Sphere with the base transported inside.
"That was impressive." Jiraiya said in awe.
"And it's also classified. You'll never speak of it again." Eva said before she placed the sphere in a pocket dimension.
"Just one thing left to do." Naruto sighed as he took out a black scroll and opened it before placing it on the ground before taking out a vial of blood. "It was rather hard to acquire Mikoto'a blood, considering that there was no body left. I actually had to fabricate it after some very detailed scans of the dried blood where she last lay in the Uchiha compound. Good thing I moved her away from Fugaku before I tried to save her, else the only blood left would have been mixed with his." he said before pouring the blood on a portion of the scroll.
He then took the sacrifice, a female assistant of the researchers of the hideout that had a habit of occasionally killing some of the test subjects just because she could, and placed it before the scroll. He then slammed his hands on two places on the scroll and poured chakra into it. The blood poured off the scroll in kanji and quickly formed a large seal on the ground that looked like a bird, with a disk of blood in the center, right under the sacrifice. Also, two large kanji formed at the base of the 'wings', together being read as 'This Impure World'.
After forming the Tiger, Snake, Dog and Dragon handsigns Naruto clapped his hands and the dirt under the sacrifice rose and covered the woman, shaping her in the form of Mikoto Uchiha. Before she could even open her eyes Naruto placed the control kunai in the back of her skull before slamming his hand into her stomach while using activating the Magic Cancel and dispelled the jutsu, the part of the soul inhabiting the puppet's body being drawn into Naruto'a seal.
"Done." Naruto sighed.
"Are you okay?" Eva asked.
"I'll be fine. I just… feel a bit dirty using this jutsu." Naruto spoke.
"At least you're using an enemy as a sacrifice like the Nidaime did, instead of one of your own followers like the snake." Jiraiya spoke up.
"It's not that. I just feel like I disturbed the dead." Naruto sighed again.
"That's why you did it all so quickly?" Eva inquired. "In my opinion, you're doing her a favor. I doubt it's healthy to be half on this side and half on the other."
"I totally agree." Kushina added.
"Thanks." Naruto smiled.
"Well, we should be going. Let us know when you find Tsunade." Negi said as shadows pooled under him and Eva before extending to envelop all the prisoners.
"See ya." Eva smirked and the large group disappeared into the pool of shadows that also quickly faded away.
Next time: The Legendary Sucker