Chapter 26: Rising Tension

"Itachi..." Sasuke was utterly stunned. His body had gone limp in his chair, and he could do nothing but stare in disbelief. He was really standing there in front of him...

"I shall give you time alone Itachi. Please tell me when you are finished." Itachi nodded at Yahiko, who quietly exited the room. The older Uchiha circled around the desk to his brother and sighed lightly.

"You have grown so much...almost taller than me." He chuckled and shook his head. "Stronger as well. I can feel it." Sasuke stood slowly and blinked a few times, as if to clear a hazy daydream away. But this was no dream.

"You're really here..." The younger brother stated softly.

"Of course. These eyes could never lie." Sasuke's own eyes widened before he shut them, and then he revealed his own Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi, now the surprised one, took a step back.

"How do you..." Itachi shook his head. "Dammit. Our family is cursed." He whispered with regret. "When did you get them?"

"Four years ago...at Fort Tsunanka." Itachi nodded. So he had been the same age...his eyes widened suddenly.

"Fort Tsunanka? You don't mean..." Sasuke only nodded. "I had considered the possibility but...to know it really was you...makes more sense than Madara Uchiha." Sasuke snorted.

"The Tsuchikage sounds stupid. He didn't even mention either of the two surviving Uchiha."

"Then again, he is the only man alive today to ever have crossed swords with Madara. I'm sure he's seen the black flames of Amaterasu before, and he automatically connected it to Madara." Sasuke just shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. What does is that you're okay. Itachi...how did you survive?" Itachi looked away.

"The thought of ending it all plagued my mind for awhile," Sasuke's eyes widened, "but I knew I couldn't. It was then that Nagato found me. He gave me a purpose, so that was what I lived for." Itachi explained softly. "And now I get to see you again. So for that, I am grateful." Itachi let out another chuckle, a feat that was very rare for the stoic elite. "To think we would cross paths like this...you do realize that you cannot tell anyone about this right?" Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"No shit...but it doesn't matter anyway. Kakashi is Hokage and Danzo is dead. As is Root." Itachi's brow raised.

"How do you know so much?" He took a breath and paused, deciding whether or not to keep asking questions. His curiosity got the better of him. "What happened to the Third, and Danzo?"

"The Third sacrificed his life to seal the souls of Jiraiya and Sakumo, which had been resurrected by Orochimaru's dastardly technique, with the Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Kakashi killed Orochimaru, and was Hiruzen's chosen successor." He paused and sighed. "I killed Danzo." That caused Itachi's eyes to twitch.

"You can't be serious..." Sasuke looked down.

"I was in Root Itachi...it was an inside job. After too many months Danzo staged a coup. So we betrayed him and killed him." Itachi's eyes were wide now.

"You were in Root? What was your cell specialty?"

"B to S-Rank Assassination and Annihilation. We didn't let anyone go..." The younger one looked into space for a moment and sighed. "But you still had worse...somehow Danzo got you in Root anyway." Itachi's eyebrows dipped in annoyance.

"It angers me to hear you put it that way. Please do not say that ever again." Sasuke smirked.

"Relax. One day...you'll be back. When Naruto is Hokage." Itachi smiled sadly.

'If only...'

XxX

"God fucking dammit...he's goin to Hidden Rock." Nagato looked at Naruto curiously.

"Why do you say that?"

"Well they're the guys you go to when you wanna pick a fight with the Hidden Leaf. They're the second strongest village...and their army outnumbers ours three-to-one. And they fucking hate us because of my father. And now my team by association...plus all of the uhh...shenanigans...that have been taking place." The blonde explained.

"Shenanigans?" Nagato asked with a slight grin.

"Yea you know...like the destruction of Fort Tsunanka...and the ambush they sprung on Sasuke during an ANBU mission..." Nagato's eyes widened.

"You were behind Fort Tsunanka? We had been searching for the attacker, thinking he was a rouge ninja we could recruit." Naruto shook his head.

"It was actually just Sasuke. But yea, if he even mentions the Leaf going to war, the Tsuchikage will absolutely sign on the dotted line, if you get what I mean." Nagato chuckled.

"You're extremely odd. But I guess you get that from your mother." Nagato smiled and looked out over the horizon from the lofty cliff edge he was standing on. He could see Earth Country ahead of him it was so high. "Are you sure that's what he's doing?" Naruto nodded.

"It's gotta be. It's the only thing that makes sense." Nagato turned and nodded.

"Ok we go back to Hidden Rain and inform our teammates of these developments. You must tell your Hokage, as well as enlist in Hidden Sand's aid. It seems it is time to start hunting for allies. We'll have a discussion when we get back." Nagato took off towards home, and Naruto followed closely with a grunt. What a waste of a trip.

XxX

Aoi was glad Hidden Rock was so easy to get into. The Village Hidden in the Rocks was much different than any other ninja village. It was the capital of Earth Country, and both the Daimyo and the Kage lived in the village. One would think that is illogical, but the city is so large, that any invasion would have to number over almost a million men to succeed. They had the rock hard defense, and no one could breach it.

Which is why security was so lax. The irony brought a chuckle to the missing ninja's lips as he wandered through the streets, making no rush to see the Tsuchikage. Sneaking up on that old geezer was gonna be a bitch...

He finally saw the capital building, where both the Earth Throne and Kage Office were located. They each had separate housing in the nicest district of the capital of course.

Aoi decided the best way to meet with the old Kage was to be direct. He didn't need to get himself killed because he was mistaken for an assassin after all. He just hoped that the Tsuchikage was in his office right now. He'd be damned if his infiltration succeeded and the old coot wasn't there!

He melted into the wall with a technique taught to him by Hanzo, and in seconds he was in front of the Tsuchikage, a grin on his face.

"Lord Tsuchikage, a pleasure to meet you." The old Kage disappeared and reappeared behind Aoi, with a tiny light springing to life in his palm.

"Move and I'll obliterate you." Aoi's eyes widened. Already with the Particle Style...

"I have not come here to kill you. I'm not that stupid." The Tsuchikage didn't deactivate his technique.

"You're still an intruder. Tell me why I shouldn't send you to the afterlife." Aoi smirked at that.

"Because I know who decimated your force at Fort Tsunanka." Oonoki's eyes widened, and his technique flickered out.

"Talk."

XxX

"So Hanzo has made his move...very well. Then it seems that the Fourth Shinobi World War has unofficially started." Yahiko stated heavily. It was a truth they had all acknowledged, even if it didn't hit them yet. "We must begin preparations. Supplies and rations will need to be stockpiled. We'll create a war council with our allies of the Leaf, and we'll need to look for new allies as well."

"Hidden Sand is our ally. With their help we should have no problems." Shikamaru stated lazily. Konan raised an eyebrow.

"You have a lot of confidence." The Nara shrugged.

"It's just the truth. We've never lost a war before. And the village is in great shape right now. I believe it would take at least three of the Five Great Villages to take us down. Rock may outnumber us...but numbers mean nothing to a Leaf ninja. That means that both the Hidden Mist and Hidden Cloud will have to be pulled into this war if they want a shot. We just have to stop that from happening." Yahiko looked at Shikamaru with great interest.

"Please, elaborate. You seem to have some sort of plan." Naruto and Sasuke grinned. When didn't he?

"Well, our biggest worry is Hidden Mist. We can't fight a war on three fronts, we'd be spread too thin. Hidden Mist has the far less desirable front, seeing as they have an ocean to royally fuck us with. Especially with Wave Country in between as a foothold. First priority is to send someone there and negotiate their aid or neutrality." That earned a few questioning looks.

"Back in the Chuunin Exams, the Mizukage helped the Third against Orochimaru. I think we could work something out with him." Sasuke stated.

"Alright, Itachi and Sasuke will take that one." Yahiko ordered, surprising both brothers. "Wow Itachi, this is the first time I've ever seen your expression change." The older Uchiha rolled his eyes.

"This has been a relaxing few days." Yahiko smiled and then nodded at Shikamaru.

"Please continue."

"Hmm...well Hidden Cloud matches Hidden Rock in strength, so with those two it's a fair fight. As for-"

"I'm sorry, but how can you be so confident that you can take on two ninja villages and call that a fair fight." Konan asked, interrupting Shikamaru. Shikamaru just smirked.

"Well, I'd say we're outnumbered four-to-one by both. Hidden Rock's strength lies in their numbers. While there are some devastatingly powerful ninja from Hidden Rock, they're Jonin are not all on Jonin level, if you get what I mean."

"Because of the large population." Itachi stated, earning a nod from Shikamaru.

"Exactly. With such a large ninja force, in order to appear strong, their Jonin numbers have to be proportionate with the other villages. So of course there are Chuunin-level-Jonin. You see the training methods over there are very outdated thanks to the old guy wearing the hat. It seems stupid but they're just not trained as well. Our spy network confirms it." Nagato's eyebrow rose.

"Spy network? Do you mean Jiraiya's spy network?" Naruto chuckled and scratched his head.

"Actually it's my spy network." That earned him a few surprised stares.

"Really? You have taken over his network?" Itachi asked with great interest.

'I see. Then I will be needing to speak with you Naruto.'

"Yea kinda. I mean I've only really scratched the surface. I met with a few of his contacts, and they promised to spread the word. So I'll have to get in contact with each of them as I travel, but with the war..." he shrugged, his message clear. Shikamaru cleared his throat.

"Hidden Cloud is about the size of the Hidden Leaf, and our forces reflect that. In fact we're almost equal on even grounds. But no one's fighting on even grounds here, and that's why we have an advantage. We have no reason to invade Hidden Rock, and we won't need to. They'll make the first strike, and once they're in the great forests of the Land of Fire, we'll do what we do best. Slaughter the enemy. And the rest will follow. No one can fight in those forests like a Leaf ninja can." Shikamaru looked completely confident and relaxed, which helped convince the Akatsuki members even more about his plan.

"Very well. If you're that confident, continue your plan." Yahiko requested.

"Right. Next we need to find more allies. I assume you have a few ideas?" Shikamaru questioned Yahiko.

"We have actually sent a message to Hidden Grass already, but we are waiting for a reply. Hidden Waterfall is another important part to our defense. If we can recruit them as well, then our line of defense will be impenetrable." Shikamaru nodded.

"I agree. Send word to them as well, and we'll await a reply. I'll head back to the Leaf Village and inform Kakashi of everything. Quite frankly this is above a toad's pay grade. If one of you would like to come with me so my superiors don't think we made all of this shit up, it would be much appreciated." Yahiko turned to Konan.

"I leave that to you Konan." The blue haired woman nodded.

"Of course. I'm the only one with manners anyway..." Nagato giggled at that, earning a glare from Konan.

"Very well. Naruto, I suggest you stay here, in case any messages from either Waterfall or Grass come." Shikamaru told the blonde. "Plus you can send any new developments with your toads." Naruto frowned.

"I thought you said this was above a toads pay grade."

"It can't be helped."

"Tell that to Gamakichi. He was tellin me he needed a new pair of shoes..." Shikamaru eyed him warily.

"Are you suggesting I would be those shoes?" Naruto nodded.

"Yep. He could skin you alive and tan your hide with his new weapon." Shikamaru sighed in frustration.

"Whatever. I need to get out of here. You mind if we leave now?" Konan shook her head, and the two were out the door in seconds.

"Dickhead."

"Well, I guess we'll be off as well." Itachi and Sasuke walked out of the room at a normal pace and closed the door behind them, leaving Naruto, Nagato and Yahiko alone to continue with the plans.

XxX


Extra Content: The Orange Flash

"Do you really think you can pull this off?" Sasuke questioned as Naruto wrapped the last orange seal tag around the handle of the kunai that made his father famous.

"Seriously Naruto a week isn't enough." Naruto looked at him blankly.

"It has to be. We need this." He bagged the last kunai and slung the sac over his shoulder. "Let's go." They went to the training ground and Naruto's first act was to create 1000 Shadow Clones. Shikamaru and Sasuke paled.

"He's gonna kill himself..." Each of the clones had a sack of kunai just like the real one, and Sasuke and Shikamaru could only imagine the mayhem...

"Ok here's the deal!" Naruto shouted to his clones, catching their attention. "We have one weak to master this technique. If we don't, then the coming months will be a lot harder. Not to mention how many more will die. So we will learn this technique. The first 500 of you I would like to read the notes my father took when he created his technique. The second 500 of you are going to experiment with the technique and figure it out by experience. Find an appropriate place to practice and begin immediately." 500 of his clones scattered, while the other 500 sat down and pulled out identical scrolls with the mechanics of the Flying Thunder God Technique printed on them. Naruto himself sat down and began to meditate, analyzing the technique as best as he could. Hours passed as clones continuously tried to master the technique and soon day became night, and night became day once more. Sasuke and Shikamaru had stuck around the entire time, occasionally discussing something with Naruto about the technique when he needed it.

Finally, a bright smile crossed Naruto's face. One of his clones had dispelled.

"I got it." He stood up and pulled out a kunai. Excitement danced across his face as he got ready to try out his father's technique. This would be a huge step in his goal to surpass his father.

He flicked the kunai away and held his hand up in the Ram seal, and before a second could pass he was on the other side of the clearing with a brilliant orange flash. The summoning hadn't hurt at all, considering he was used to it from his times going to Mount Myoboku. A grin stretched across his face.

"Easier than I thought. Now I gotta master it." He dispelled his clones, too excited to care about the mind numbing pain that came with dispelling that many clones. But he wasn't worried about becoming a psychopath. If anything he already was one.

"He did it." Shikamaru said in disbelief. "He does it every time." He stood abruptly. "I'm going home. I feel like death." Naruto watched as his teammate left the training ground, probably to sleep the day away. Sasuke sighed and stood.

"I'm leaving too. Good luck." The Uchiha disappeared and Naruto was left to train alone.

"Now to work on the speed."

XxX

Two days had passed since Naruto first figured the technique out, and by now it was safe to say he was quite proficient with it. He could now zip between targets without hesitation, and his coordination had finally caught up to him. He was proud to say he was a master of his father's technique.

"So you did it in four days. What now?" Shikamaru asked lazily, choosing to ignore the impossible feat.

"I wanna work on the technique and improve it. I have a few ideas...but it'll take a lot of reading. I could have clones do it but...I wanna do this on my own." The world started to spin for a second, and when the vertigo stopped he found himself in Sasuke's grasp. "Right after I sleep that is."

And so he spent the next few days at the library, reading and memorizing the most complicated Fuinjutsu scrolls he could find. The possibilities for the technique were limitless really, and Naruto was anxious to get started with it.

XxX

A/N: So that pretty much ends this arc. The next arc is a split arc full of...episodes shall we say. It's really just the missions of everyone before the war.

Itachi and Sasuke have a mission together. Hidden Mist may or may not be in the war. Mei did help the Hidden Leaf before, so we'll see. I may throw a twist in.

Shikamaru will go back to the Hidden Leaf and politics will happen. So he'll do what he does best.

Naruto has a mission soon. In fact, you can finally feel satisfied in knowing that Naruto's live interest will happen. It'll be the main focus of the arc, with occasional snippets to the others. I feel like I'm gonna get shit for this but...well you'll see.

Hidden Rock is now on Hanzo's side. Hidden Cloud has yet to be allied with anyone. So we'll see how that works out.

So things are getting really exciting now. Tensions rising and shit. It's all gonna break out soon...

Anyway if you got something to say good or bad or neutral SAY IT. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading. Peace.