Author Note

Welcome ladies and gentleman to another Chapter of Full Moon.

I don't know if many of my readers had a chance to read the last chapter of another story of mine called 'Meshii'. Right at the beginning of the chapter, I placed a message there about the fact that I'll be ending this story in about five chapters and an epilogue if necessary. I feel that my addiction for creating new stories ended up causing more harm than good in the end. I know that many of you warned me about it – quite constantly I might add. However, the main reason as to why I'm doing this isn't because of the complaints. Seriously, I have seen many writers take even longer periods of time to update their stories. It's a common practice for those who have a life (I mean a job) outside of this world we live in. Also, I know that last chapter I said that I intended to explore new arcs with this story, but now I decided against it. It's imperative to finish at least two stories by the end of the year and that will be my intention.

That being said, I'm open to suggestions, beginning right now, on how to end it with style.

This will be the first chapter of the five chapter sequence and it will involve lots of action, which I humbly can attest, it's sort of an especially of mine as I heard from a lot of readers.

Now, last chapter, Naruto and his team were hired by Naruto's mom Kushina to escort her in her quest to find the Sannin Senju Tsunade. The reason of the search was for her to heal two important ninjas as well as take over the hospital administration. Upon reaching the city of Tanzaku Gai, the team split up with the order to look for the blond big breasted lady. The blond chunnin, so far alien to the fact that he would become a jounin soon, went to a local ramen stand, deciding that it would be good to find some ramen to eat before looking for the sannin. However, that ended up being for the best as he managed to find her, or rather she found him thinking it was his father. After some conversion, Kushina and Anko arrived.


Chapter 29 – Suspicions

Beta: Kyuubi123


Chart by chart, Tsunade sighed in dismay at probably the tenth patient she had visited today at the Konohagakure Hospital.

It'd been two months since the woman's return from a trip of solitude filled with nothing but gambling and drinking for more than twenty years. It took two Namikazes to convince her that taking care of the hospital was a way for her to let go of the past by helping others. To this day, it still amazed her how stubborn Kushina could be. Tsunade remembered how the woman just shot the Sannin's arguments to hell every time, regarding her lover and brother's deaths. Tsunade remembered being very pissed on that occasion, which ended up being her downfall. The woman used Tsunade's dirty habit of gambling whenever an opportunity arose and made a bet with her. Strangely enough, Kushina came up with a battle between the two, to see if Kushina was strong enough to defeat a sannin.

Being out of shape for about twenty years did little to increase Tsunade's chances. Because of constant interactions with Minato, Naruto and Misao, Kushina ended up practicing once or twice every week.

It was quite pitiful to Tsunade's fame, but the woman accepted her loss and returned to take care of the hospital. Once she came back, her first order of duty was to heal Haku and Zabuza. To any high level medic-nin, it would be next to impossible to heal both. However, being considered the most renowned medic in all the elemental nations, even if a bit out of shape, the woman managed to cure them with her knowledge and the concentrated use of special medical techniques. After that, things got pretty slow for the slug sannin, really. It turned out that Kushina was doing a rather nice job taking care of the place, so Tsunade's only issue was the patient's treatments, or rather the lack of it. The hospital was properly administered, but the doctors lacked the most updated treatments. Because of it, the rate in which the wounded were treated increased considerably. Now, with only one chart left to take a look at, Tsunade smirked at the name that appeared right in front of her.

Namikaze Naruto

That kid maybe as strong as his father, but he certainly inherited some of his mother's recklessness. Two weeks ago, he was sent along with a team of jounins to Kirigakure on an A-ranked mission. It was, at first, a reconnaissance mission issued by the Hokage, regarding some rumors that one of the great hidden villages were considering attacking Konoha, while it was weak because of the invasion. It turned out that the Mist Village was rather busy dealing with its own bloody civil war and wouldn't even think of attacking Konoha, even if the leaf citizens were still recuperating from the heavy blow. However, Naruto's team ended up bumping into a heavy fort of Kirigakure shinobi. No one of his team was killed, but they certainly took considerable hits trying to escape from twenty rather pissed Kiri shinobis. The fact that the team was consisted of only four jounins – including Naruto by the way – made the blond Namikaze realize that facing them would be a ludicrous attempt. Problem was he took too long to issue the order and the team got hurt because of it. Tsunade wasn't privy to what really happened, but she had the basic details.

In the end, though, the mission was a success, because all that they needed to ascertain was whether or not Kirigakure was mobilizing an army to invade the weakened Konoha.

As she approached the room he was being treated, Tsunade began to hear some faint noises coming from the direction she was going. A few seconds later, she realized that it was Naruto and he was talking to someone else inside his room. Visiting hours were already over and everyone who mattered to Naruto had already come to visit him. The strong third voice she heard didn't belong to anyone she knew in Konoha. As soon as she opened his door, the woman was surprised to see Naruto sitting on the table next to his bed. His eyes were focused on the shogi board and his opponent was a considerably large two tailed wolf. Seeing the smirk the animal was showing, it was almost as if he was having fun at Naruto's misfortune.

"Give it up already, Naruto-kun. You cannot win this…"

"Would you stop it already, let me think damn it. You won't win this time, Ahh I get it. Take this…" The wolf looked at Naruto's desperate move and simply caught the piece with his mouth and placed where he wanted it to be.

"You lost once more, Naruto-kun. It's five wins for me and three for you." The fact that Tsunade was being ignored by both of them started to irritate her. By this time, she long ago surpassed the urge to question why Naruto was playing shogi with a wolf. She was about to demand their attention when she saw both sniffing the air a bit. Both Naruto and the wolf were starting to become nauseated. They were wondering where the sudden strong smell of alcohol was coming from. Naruto, then, turned his head and saw Tsunade standing there near the door, with that vein of hers popping from her forehead. Well, at least, he figured out where the strong smell of alcohol came from.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you at last Tsunade of the Sannin." The wolf greeted the medic-nin, earning a nod from her.

"…she was the cause behind the scent of alcohol we smelt earlier." If the woman was angry at what Naruto said, the vein on her forehead alone overcame the necessity of punching the jounin.

Tsunade wouldn't give in, though, and just ignored it.

"Whatever kid, I just came in to see how you're doing, so stay quiet while I perform a diagnosis." Naruto nodded and returned to his game, while Tsunade's glowing green hand passed through his wounds. Despite Naruto's fast recovery rate, due to his blood fusion with the wolves, she still felt inclined to check on him. It was impressive, nevertheless, as Naruto's status would only be achievable after two weeks of good rest. He was administered inside the hospital three days ago.

"Not a surprise there…it seems you'll be able to leave two days from now."

The jounin smiled at the news, despite the fact that his attention was locked on the game.

"That's good to hear Tsunade-sama. I was afraid I'd never leave this place." Tsunade snorted at this, though, while finishing her analysis. Naruto was anxious after only three days in here, while others were content taking two weeks. She shouldn't be surprised, though, considering the kid's never ending stamina. The amount of energy inside of him shouldn't be stored, but spent. As a result, Naruto ended up getting anxious and relentless. She was only content that the brat took this long to complain.

"Okay, all finished. Get some rest."

After the sannin left, Naruto sighed in dismay and admitted defeat. He returned to his bed and lied down a bit, completely ignoring his partner for a while, as Naruto pondered on the events in Kirigakure. His team had received a very sensitive information gathering mission towards the hidden mist village, in order to check if Kiri was attempting an attack on the weakened Konoha. After checking that Kirigakure was deep in a civil war, Naruto's team turned to leave the area in order to report their findings. However, as soon as they turned, an entire platoon of the Mizukage's forces surrounded them; forcing them to fight or else they would be captured. When it was evident that they wouldn't be able to survive, Naruto issued the retreat. It came too late, as his team was heavily injured, leaving only himself to fend off the pursuers. The majestic glow of the moon in all its glory was the only thing Naruto remembered seeing, before it happened.

His entire body was in pain and his blood was boiling. Naruto was alone against ten kiri jounins. His only option was to free the beast within him.

The effect was instantaneous as Naruto's clothes were ripped apart. From his skin, thick black fur grew, covering his entire body. His eyes were transformed from ocean blue to feral yellow. To his enemies, Naruto was gone and in his place, appeared a black furred werewolf. Some tried to attack the beast, but with a new agility, beyond human, sent at least five into unconsciousness. The rest of the enemies were forced to flee as they knew very little about this new menace. The bad thing, though, was that Naruto's little escapade resulted in him being identified by one single Kiri shinobi who escaped. Now, his name was in Kirigakure's bingo books as an A-ranked threat with a flee on sight order.

"I suppose you're now wondering about your recent entry in Kiri's bingo book, ne Garou (Werewolf)?" Naruto's shogi opponent was smiling at him.

Naruto knew that the wolves weren't happy with his reputation in Iwagakure, simply because of the comparison to dragons, instead of wolves. Now, they were satisfied. But Naruto wasn't…His reputation in Iwagakure ended up causing the very village to invade Konoha. Granted that his father's rep helped in that regard, Naruto's was also to blame for what happened. The more skilled and notorious you become, the more threatened others will be because of it. He doubted his conscious could accept another invasion driven by revenge on his family.

"I don't know if I share the wolves' enthusiasm. What would happen if Kirigakure came after Konoha just because of me? I'm still not over what happened with Iwagakure." The wolf snorted at his summoner's concern.

"As you said, Kirigakure is in civil war and its state is far worse than Konoha is right now. There is no reason for concern, Naruto."

A part of Naruto, the logical one, believed in that statement as well. The other part, the conquering one, believed that vengeance knew no obstacles. The wolf sighed at Naruto's downed face and decided to let him be for the moment. It wouldn't do any good to talk to the blond right now. "I'll be going now Naruto. Sort things out a bit and we'll talk later." The wolf, named Genshin, said its goodbyes, before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Bastard left without even waiting for Naruto to respond.


===Two days later===

After signing the release forms, Naruto was free to go home. He received a new jounin outfit from Yuugao, who actually came along with his sister Misao. Naruto was surprised that his mother wasn't nearby. Misao, like Naruto, was very energetic and needed to be controlled in public. Yuugao managed to replace Kushina a bit, though Naruto figured that that happened because his little sister became good friends with Yuugao. Little to his knowledge, though, Misao wanted to tag along with her big brother's girlfriend and possibly convince Yuugao to spar with her afterwards. She was Minato and Kushina's daughter after all. Kushina, for her part, always enjoyed indulging Yuugao's ability to take care of children, for some reason that Naruto

"Are you alright, Niisan?"

Namikaze Misao was like a miniature version of Kushina like Naruto was a miniature version of Minato at Misao's age. She had long red hair that went all the way to her waist and she was wearing a short black kimono and with fishnet clothing beneath it. She saw Naruto coming out from his room already dressed and tackled him to the ground. Naruto, though, managed to parry her strength, though it ended up costing him a bit of pain, because of it. His wounds weren't completely healed yet. But it wouldn't' take much longer, according to the medics.

"I'm fine Misao-chan. How are you doing?" The big brother said as he caressed Misao's head rather roughly earning a lot of giggling from the energetic girl. Naruto, then, gave Yuugao a kiss and smiled at his girlfriend.

"How are your wounds?" Yuugao, being an Anbu, managed to see Naruto's pain upon coping with Misao's enthusiastic greeting. She was worried about him after what happened at the mission. Neither of them knew much of the repercussions of Naruto's transformation.

"A little sore, but doctors said that tomorrow I won't be feeling much pain. Say Misao-chan, would you care to accompany you big brother for some ramen?" Upon hearing that word, Misao acted like her mother would, punching the air in excitement at going to Ichiraku's. Naruto lifted Misao and placed her above his shoulders, after leaving the hospital with Yuugao. As soon as he left the hospital, they bumped into Neji and Tenten. Naruto's teammates joined the group and all five of them went together to Ichirakus Ramen, though both Neji and Tenten had already eaten.


===At the Yondaime's Office===

"So let me get this straight…" Minato was inside his office with Anbu Captain Weasel, but without his mask on. This morning, Uchiha Itachi came to the Yondaime with the weirdest request ever. Weirder than the ones Jiraiya-sensei asked from time to time. "You wish to engage in a battle against my son Naruto?" Ever since the Uchiha Incident, Itachi had grown rather distant from his family as well as others. It got worse seeing as both Sasuke and Mikoto were registered shinobi as well, which meant that the family only saw each other once or twice a month. Sasuke, nowadays, was spending more time with Kakashi so as to become a chunnin. Mikoto was performing B-ranked missions non-stop with two other chunnin kunoichis and Itachi was an Anbu captain. As a result, they grew apart and the sense of family ended up being forgotten over time. Minato cursed Fugaku's actions, but he guessed that the situation could be far worse than mere family issues needed solving.

Now, here came Itachi with a strange request like this.

"I realize the oddity behind my request Yondaime-sama, but since your son was born, I observed his growth. I always admired his mentality and drive for constant increase in skills. Today, I can fairly attest that he became an outstanding shinobi and a powerful opponent to test my abilities against." Minato could feel where Itachi was coming from, since he actually felt this way sometimes. The problem with prodigies is that they needed to constantly test themselves. A prodigy wasn't satisfied until he could beat even his shadow in combat.

From what the Anbu said, he had been keeping tabs on Naruto's growth since day one and saw in him a rival to test his skills against in the future. Sure, Naruto's growth mirrored only the greatest shinobis in Konoha like Itachi, Kakashi, the Sannin and even the Kages. However there was a reason Itachi came in with the request, instead of proposing the challenge directly to the Yondaime's son. Itachi's plan didn't involve a friendly spar every now and then, but a full out fight, meant to test, once and for all, who's the strongest. Minato always entrusted the tougher missions to men like Kakashi and Itachi, because he knew that rarely out there, would they find stronger opponents than themselves. Perhaps, Naruto is at the same level as them? Even if it was true, the consequences of such a fight could be disastrous. But….now Minato was at a loss of what to do. If he asked his son's opinion, no doubt Naruto would accept without a doubt.

"In regular situations, it would be ill advised of me to put two of my strongest ninjas against one another. I know what you intend once I authorize the match, you two would fight as enemies, instead of comrades. However, I know that my son would accept it right away. I'll tell you this…talk to him and see what he thinks. If he accepts, then I'll prepare the arrangements. However, this fight will be on my terms. I'm not about to lose my son because of this nor I'm comfortable with losing you as well. I'm not talking about your asset to the village, Itachi."

"I understand Yondaime-sama. I'll talk to him about it and see his answer. Also, I appreciate this opportunity. I'll take my leave now." Itachi placed his mask back on and vanished from Minato's office.

Afterward, Minato became absorbed in his thoughts, as he pictured a fight between Naruto and Itachi. Both had dangerous techniques and Itachi had his evolved Mangenkyou Sharingan techniques that would no doubt kill Naruto, if he used. Minato was picturing the Ametarasu burning his son to a crisp. The thought alone sent chills down his spine. If such a thing happened, then it would be his fault not Itachi's, for even allowing this madness. Naruto wasn't a pushover either and he could, just as easily, damage Itachi's body beyond repair with his fuuton techniques. Minato admitted to being curious, now, about who the victor would be if his son engaged with the Uchiha prodigy. However, the other part of him was afraid that something would happen to Naruto and he wouldn't be able to stop it. Still, Minato was wondering about another thing he noticed while talking to the stoic Anbu.

Itachi was smiling. Since Minato remembered, not once did he smile in front of the Yondaime.


===With Naruto===

From the conversation between Minato and Itachi, two hours had passed and now Naruto was inside his house, as he was supposed to rest for the day. The sun was already setting down and because of it, the sunlight was almost fully inside Naruto's room, obscuring his vision a bit. Despite this, the blond's eyes managed to catch a glimpse of a presence invading the compound. He knew that no one would enter the house from that direction, so he grabbed his trench knives and moved to intercept the intruder. As soon as he appeared on his mother's garden, Naruto was surprised to see an Anbu there looking at him.

"Greetings, Namikaze Naruto."

Naruto recognized the mask as this man was sometimes found at his father's office. What he didn't know, however, was the reason behind Uchiha Itachi wanting to talk to him. Whenever his father summoned him is was through another Anbu member. Still, there was no reason to be suspicious of Itachi's behavior. The blond jounin actually respected the Uchiha genius, based on what he heard from Neji and a few other jounins. Itachi was perhaps the strongest Anbu captain, even stronger than the Anbu commander.

"Greetings, Itachi-san…sorry Weasel. Is my father looking for me?"

"No, Hokage-sama didn't send me here. I just wanted a few minutes of your time, if I may?"Now, Naruto was suspicious. He just couldn't imagine a situation where someone like Itachi would need him.

"Well, ask away, what can I do for you?" Itachi nodded briefly, before he explained everything in details for Naruto.

Needless to say that by the end of the explanation, heavy silence soon followed. After two minutes of silence, Naruto started talking in a similar reaction to his father.

"So let me get this straight. You want to fight me, because in your mind, I have the perfect skills for you to test your abilities against?" Naruto didn't know how to feel about this. A strong shinobi such as Uchiha Itachi was praising him as a worthy opponent. On the other hand, this same shinobi was asking to fight the blond jounin. It wasn't a mere spar, but a full out battle, with no concern for each other's life. And by the serious look on Itachi's face, Naruto could see that the man wanted nothing more than to test his skills against someone worthy. Naruto could see determination in Itachi's eyes. A quality he never thought he would see in an Uchiha.

"I can feel a self-underestimating tone from you Naruto-kun and it isn't befitting. I've observed your growth since you became an academy student and I can very well attest your skills as similar to my own."

Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and released a sigh afterwards. When he opened it, the man was smiling at Itachi.

"Ok then Itachi-san, if you believe me worthy of fighting you, then I accept your challenge. Just tell me where and when and I'll be there." Itachi smiled at the answer and placed his mask back.

"You'll know soon enough Naruto-kun. I'll go give your answer to Hokage-sama." Without even waiting to hear Naruto's question, Itachi vanished in a shunshin. Naruto wasn't aware that his father knew of Itachi's challenge. It made sense, though, because Itachi is an Anbu and those guys had a whole different code of ethics and loyalty to the Hokage. Itachi wouldn't do anything unless the Hokage approved. Also, Naruto knew that his father wouldn't be one hundred percent sure about this. Perhaps, the man could answer some of his questions at dinner tonight.


===At Earth Country===

It was already night time, as four Konoha jounins were running through the rocky terrain of Earth Country. Their mission was the same as Naruto's, but stationed in Iwagakure instead. What the team found was catastrophic. In no more than three days' time, the Tsushikage was scheduled to send an entire platoon to Kumogakure and give a scroll, containing every piece of information regarding Konoha's strengths and weaknesses. Because of the failed attempt at invading Konoha, Iwagakure suffered a great load of repercussions, which further deteriorated the village's reputation as well as the country in which Iwagakure was located. Onooki was pissed and demanded more vengeance against the Leaf.

The man didn't even care that he was blaming his own inabilities on Minato and his son Naruto.

Unfortunately, for him, Iwagakure didn't have the strength needed to attack once more, hence why the sudden interest displayed by Kumogakure came as a blessing to Onoki. Kumogakure's military power was feared by even Konoha. Not to mention the fact that the Raikage possessed two jinchuurikis at his disposal. Onoki had two as well, but both of them were out of his control so to speak, making them unreliable in combat. Onoki had one problem to solve, though, because Konoha was made aware of his plans and sent a team to investigate. He needed to take care of them, before they could communicate his plans to the damn Hokage. That being said, he sent close to ten chunnins and jounins to intercept the team from Konoha. Onoki gave one simple order...kill every single one of the intruders.

He had authorization this time, seeing as the Konoha shinobis were caught trespassing.

The enemy ninjas easily tracked Konoha's trace and followed them, with kunais and shurikens. The four ninjas were bombarded with projectiles. Each one of them was filled with deadly weapons stuck on their bodies. They were running, using just their will to inform the Hokage, before it was too late. All four of them already knew that their lives were over tonight. They'd lost a lot of blood and none of the four had enough chakra to withstand the pain and cross the border with Fire Country. The team leader ushered his team to stop and gather for one last order. His name was Nara Hanzatsu.

"We can't go on like this…one of us has to proceed and warn Hokage-sama of Iwa's intentions."

The other three were all tired and were suffering from multiple injuries. However, all three of them knew the reason behind their leader's intentions. They all represented the prime of their respective clans. The team had a Nara, an Aburame, a Hyuuga and an Akimichi. They all knew that only one of them would be left alive to carry the mission, but none of them wished to be that person. None of them wanted to leave their leader behind for this. Unfortunately, the mission was of higher priority and, thus, they needed to let go of their pride and choose the one that would carry out the mission, while the rest remained and engaged the enemy.

"Ko, you're the fastest of us and your Byakugan will assist you in your travel." Hyuuga Ko was highly considered inside his clan, even though he is from the branch side of the family.

"Nara-taichou, you can't be serious…I wish to fight alongside you." The leader snarled at the man, probably because he knew those words to be the truth. It didn't matter, though.

"I know you want to Ko, but Konoha needs to know about Iwa's intentions. If we stay, we'll die and Kumo will invade Konoha. I leave this message to you. May the will of fire assist you upon your journey." Hanzatsu forced the message scroll into Ko's hands and pushed him away from the group. The Hyuuga had tears in his eyes, from what he had to do, but he left nevertheless. The entire village was counting on him to deliver the message. The rest of the team smiled upon seeing that Ko was already gone and looked at each other. They would be revered as heroes of Konohagakure. As they got up, the enemies appeared right in front of the group.

"It was an honor fighting alongside each and every one of you my friends. Let's show them just why Konoha is feared" Hanzatsu said, receiving nods of approval from his team.


===In Konoha===

Two days later, Naruto and Itachi stood face to face as their fight was about to begin. The place chosen by Minato was an empty training ground near the Forest of Death, registered as number 43. The audience was composed by the Hokage, Kushina, Misao, Yuugao and surprisingly so, Itachi's mother Mikoto. Several Anbus were present as well, to intervene just in case. No one in the audience was satisfied with the fight that was about to go on. Well, Misao wouldn't know, because in her right mind, her brother was the strongest ever. No one dared to ask her if Naruto was stronger than Minato.

Yuugao and Kushina tried several times to call off the fight, but none of their attempts convinced Naruto against fighting Itachi.

According to him, Itachi needed this, so he would give it to the Uchiha. Yuugao knew Itachi's reputation inside the Anbu corps, as she happened to be an Anbu captain as well. She knew that Itachi had never lost a fight, since he joined the organization. She knew that Naruto was strong, even stronger now upon mixing his blood with the wolf summons clan's blood. However, Itachi's Mangenkyou Sharingan was unbeatable as far as she was concerned. Mikoto, for her part, looked at her son with a big question mark. Ever since the incident with Fugaku, her family grew distant. She tried, on occasion, to bring Sasuke and Itachi together, but to no avail. Now, she heard that Itachi had challenged the Hokage's son for a fight. It was the first time she saw some light inside his stoic black eyes.

Minato started walking and stopped in the middle of the two.

"I'll be the one dictating this fight. If I see that one isn't fit to continue any longer, I'll step in. I don't care if you two agree to my terms or not." The Hokage looked at the two fighters to see any kind of response. Neither of them even paid attention to the Hokage, as they were now paying solely attention at the opponent. Itachi's red Sharingan eyes were already analyzing Naruto. Naruto, for his part, was focusing on Itachi and only Itachi. To his eyes, there was no audience around, just the enemy. He knew some aspects of the Uchihas and how they fought, but basically, he was applying the knowledge he already had with the Hyuuga. Naruto knew that despite the obvious difference between the doujutsus as the Sharingan could copy any ninjutsu and genjutsu, as well as the ability to predict the enemy's movement. He understood that the Sharingan was perhaps unbeatable, but Naruto was aware of the fact that he needed a partner so to speak to aid him. Fighting alone against the Sharingan was next to impossible, but Naruto had some tricks to use in that regard. It's not a technique he used a lot these days, but it may be his best chance of beating Itachi.

Without waiting for the authorization to begin, Itachi charged against Naruto in straight taijutsu. Naruto was momentarily surprised at the initiative, but blocked the incoming strike that was aimed at his chest. Itachi used his superiority in speed and already aimed a powerful punch at Naruto's face. The blond moved his free arm to block, but he could see that the Uchiha changed his course at the last minute. Naruto managed to block the punch by bending his arm slightly, while at the same time attacking Itachi with his right foot. Itachi managed to block without much trouble and performed some back flips, while positioning a set of shurikens in each hand, faster than the naked eye could follow. As soon as he landed on the ground, the projectiles were already on his way towards the Namikaze jounin. Naruto grabbed one of his trench knives quickly and managed to slice through them, coursing wind chakra through the weapon. Itachi, taking advantage of the element advantage, performed some hand seals, before placing his right hand in front of his mouth.

Katon Housenka no Jutsu (Fire Release: Mythical Fire Phoenix Technique)

One of the fireballs hit Naruto dead on, but he was already prepared to use a replacement technique with the log nearby Itachi's position. However, due to Itachi's Sharingan, he already predicted Naruto's movement and was waiting for him with a kunai on his hand. Quickly channeling wind chakra to the knife, Naruto managed to overcome Itachi's kunai and threatened to land another attack on Itachi's body, which would slice him in half. As soon as he did, though, Naruto was surprised to see Itachi's body turning into crows. The animals attacked Naruto ferociously, forcing Naruto to place both arms in front of him to block the attack. When he realized the sudden invasion inside his system, Naruto realized that Itachi just cast a genjutsu on him, using barely his eyes to do so. He released the genjutsu and had enough time to block an incoming rain of fire shuriken projectiles, using both trench knives. Seeing as Naruto was too set on the defensive, he decided to switch it to the offensive. Quickly going through hand seals and not at all worried that Itachi would copy his jutsu, Naruto finished the hand seal sequence.

Raiton Myakuhou (Lightning Release: Pulse Cannon Jutsu)

The speed of the lighting technique was too fast for the normal eye to dodge. Only the Sharingan was able to see the ball's trajectory and avoid it. Itachi managed to dodge the ball, as well as the current attached to it, before the technique crashed with the ground. An explosion soon followed and electricity was sparking everywhere. As the Uchiha turned, he could see that Naruto's technique created a death trap for him. One step and his entire body would receive thousands and thousands of volts. When he turned, Itachi saw Naruto charging at him with impressive speeds. Itachi saw that the knives were coated with wind chakra so as to reduce any chance of blocking the attack. Instead, Itachi made a simple kawarimi and went to the other side of the battle field. He was safe from the field of lightening, but he was nowhere near safe from Naruto.

Fuuton Daiboufuu (Wind Release: Great Storm Technique)

Itachi's eyes were surprised upon seeing the technique. He could easily tell that Naruto was using two elements almost at the same time, proving the blond's prowess in ninjutsu. The water tempest charged at Itachi with its majestic strength, forcing the Uchiha to lift an earth barrier to stop the technique from advancing. As soon as the wall was dispelled, the opponents looked at each other once more for a brief period of time. Itachi remained his usually stoic demeanor as his eyes were busy studying Naruto's chakra levels. The problem with ninjutsu was that it took too much chakra. A smile appeared on his face as he could see that Naruto's chakra levels were barely winded.

"Indeed, I chose my opponent wisely. You are indeed a prodigy as I am, Naruto. However, this fight is far from over. Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique)"

Itachi's grand fireball charged at Naruto faster than Naruto thought possible. Perhaps, the high quantities of oxygen released by the trees nearby increased the technique's power, but Naruto was already going through hand seals as well.

Raiton Seiteki no Tate (Lightning Release: Static Shield Jutsu)

Naruto used the amount of lightening energy behind him from his last attack and manipulated it so as to create an impenetrable barrier in front of him. The grand fireball struggled a bit for dominance, but the energy gathered by Naruto simply overpowered Itachi's fire technique. Naruto followed with a couple of shurikens, which after thrown, was transformed into dozens forcing Itachi on the defensive. This move allowed Naruto to decrease the distance between them and engage Itachi using his trench knives. The Uchiha was on the defensive, but he had enough agility to dodge Naruto's deadly attacks. As soon as Naruto saw the Sharingan eyes transforming into a different set, he knew that Itachi was about to use his Mangenkyou techniques. The summoning seal on his arm glowed the same time Itachi used his strongest genjutsu, the Tsukyomi.

Once inside Itachi's genjutsu, the two enemies stared at one another for some time. The Uchiha was rather surprised that a third party was there as well, seeing as he controlled this world. Right in front of him, almost as if staring directly at him, was a human sized wolf with yellow menacing eyes, snarling at him. Itachi attempted to interfere with his created world, but much to his shock, he found out that he couldn't do anything. Something wasn't right. The Tsukyomi was the world's strongest genjutsu. It was up to his knowledge, unbreakable. Not even some powerful genjutsu users out there had managed to do anything about it.

"Please meet Gekkou, Itachi. He is my favorite summon. He happens to be very proficient at the art of illusions, with the ability of even using an opponent's technique against himself. "

"Not once did I see you summon anything, how did you do it?" The fact that Naruto knew that much about him couldn't be true. Even the Hokage wasn't privy to the knowledge of his Mangenkyou.

"Genjutsu is one thing I suck at, no matter how many times I attempted to rectify. So, with the help of my father, I developed a seal that would activate once someone invades my chakra system and I can't break it. Your technique is by far the strongest genjutsu ever known to man, so Gekkou came here immediately. The seal acts as a beacon for my friend here to come and assist me against the enemy. You're now under his control, Itachi." Quickly dismissing the control over the Tsukyomi, the combatants returned to the real world, before Itachi attacked Naruto once more, still with the Mangenkyou active. His speed more than doubled, because of the eyes and Naruto couldn't follow, which resulted in him receiving a strong kick on his stomach. The Namikaze jounin was sent flying with his hands holding his stomach, while wondering what the hell happened with Itachi's speed.

As soon as got up from the ground, Naruto's eyes were focused on Itachi. The man was a great distance away from him. It took only a blink and Itachi was already in front of him. It was pure reflex that allowed Naruto to parry Itachi's kunai from slitting his throat. While the two battled forces in the middle, Naruto used his free hand and charged a Rasengan. As soon as he finished the technique, Itachi managed to stop it, by holding Naruto's wrist. The blond was prepared for it this time and used his head against the Uchiha. This happened to be one move Itachi haven't accounted for, hence why he received the blunt end of the forehead protector. Naruto took the opportunity that Itachi was dizzy and prepared a long series of hand seals for a technique he haven't used for a long time. Actually It was due to his father's advice that he let go of it. However, while the advice was focused on using the technique on Naruto's own body, the same didn't apply to the enemy's.

Fuin Genshuku Gokuin (Sealing Technique: Gravity Seal)

A seal started glowing on Naruto's palm before he quickly slammed on Itachi's chest. The seal acted instantly, holding Itachi in place, no matter how much he tried to move. Seeing as Itachi was done for the count now, Naruto managed to relax. Itachi was far superior in every sense of the word. The man's agility was simply off the charts, though Naruto suspected that the Mangenkyou Sharingan had this effect. If the fully evolved Sharingan can anticipate the enemy's movements, then the Mangenkyou perhaps meant one step ahead and actually move before the enemy is made aware. The sudden clapping noise came from behind Itachi as the Hokage approached the two. This fight started rather violently for his taste and only got worse from that. When Itachi activated the final version of the Mangenkyou, Minato believed that Itachi would attempt the Ametarasu, hence why his hands were already itching for his kunai, just in case Naruto pushed the Uchiha that much. It was a blessing that Naruto opted to use the gravity seal to hold Itachi, as it alone could be considered a win. Itachi wouldn't be able to move, thus Naruto would be able to deliver the killing blow.

Quickly, Minato used his prowess with seals and deactivated the gravity seal. The only reason Itachi didn't fall once the technique was active, was because his strength was solely devoted to remain standing up.

Itachi, then, looked at Naruto who was now offering his hand in a friendly salute.

"You're much more powerful than I am Itachi. I have no doubts about that…" Itachi looked at Naruto's hand for a while as he recalled the fight and what happened throughout the match.

"Your humility isn't necessary Naruto-kun. On a quite a few occasions, you managed to push me to my limits and beyond. It has been quite some time since anyone has done that for me. I appreciate it." Minato smiled at the conversation. He knew both to be quite strong, but Naruto surprised his old man a lot. Itachi was considered the elite of the elite, just like his pupil Kakashi. For Naruto to force Itachi this much at only his age was nothing short of amazing. He would only grow stronger in time. Minato reasoned that it was time for Naruto to receive his heirloom.

Minato was about to turn and leave to his office when a bloody Hyuuga appeared out of nowhere. Minato remembered this man as being a part of the team that was sent to Iwagakure.

The Anbu medic that was nearby already began the Hyuuga's healing, when the man extended a scroll for the Hokage.

"Ho..Kage-sama, this is f..or you. It's…really…important." Minato grabbed the scroll that was filled with blood and opened it to read it. His arms began to tremble in sudden fury at Onooki's actions.

"I presume that since you came alone, then…."

"My team is de…ad Hokage-sama. Hanzatsu-taichou ordered me to leave them behind and deliver this message to you." Minato nodded and then, turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, I'm handling an S-ranked mission to you as of immediately. Assemble a team of four and march towards the border between Earth Country and Lightning Country, immediately. Onooki, in two days, will send a platoon towards Kumogakure. Their mission is to deliver a scroll detailing everything about us, our strengths and weakness. Take whoever you wish, Anbu, jounin, your pick my son. This mission is possibly the most important of your live so far. You have to retrieve the scroll before the platoon from Iwa reaches the border. In case you can't, your orders are to cease the attack and return here. If Kumo joins the battle, there is no way your team will be able to handle. Now, who will you need?"

Naruto was in full operation mode and didn't need much thinking.

"Certainly Hokage-sama, Uchiha Itachi, Hatake Kakashi, Maito Gai and Hyuuga Neji are my choices. We'll leave in thirty minutes…"


Author Note

Oh man, yet another war!

Doesn't Konoha suffered enough already? Guess not! Stick with me as we move on to another war, this time, against Kumogakure.

This will be the final arc of this story, so bear with me here.

Please review, I'm interested in ideas for the war between villages. Let it be known that this time it won't be an invasion, but a full out war between villages.

See ya.