Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Five Years Later, How Far we've Come.
Tsunade sighed as she went over paperwork again. She swore, every time that she asked old man Sarutobi how to do paperwork quickly, he would just grin mischiviously and say look in the mirror. She took a quick sip of sake and swilled it in her mouth, appreciating the taste.
"Ah, sake from Wave. It's the best," Tsunade said. She looked down and immediately glared at the paper. It was a form under genjutsu for a recommendation.
"Kai!" The genjutsu cleared up to reveal a form for the promotion of Sasuke Uchiha. Tsunade ripped it to pieces and threw it out of the window.
"GODDAMN COUNCIL!" Tsunade screamed.
"Tsunade-sama! Please calm down, you're scaring little Shoyu!" Shizune said. In her arms, her son giggled as he waved to Tsunade.
"Baa-chan!" Shoyu giggled. Tsunade could not help but smile at the cute dark haired baby.
There was a loud thud outside along with cries from Iruka.
"No! No! Bad Hanami! Put down the explosion tag!"
"NO! WANT BOOM BOOM!" a child's voice screamed. There was a loud hissing noise from the hallway. Tsunade's eyes widened as she heard running, giggling, and thud.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Iruka shouted.
BOOOOM!
Tsunade avoided the blast that blew up her paperwork. She smiled in happiness as she watched her desk fly out of the Hokage tower. She looked around and saw that her sake cabinet was untouched. Shizune watched with a small sigh of exasperation as her sensei danced in joy. Little Shoyu clapped his hand as he giggled.
"Tsunade-sama! Are you alright?"
Tsunade turned to see an ANBU captain and two ANBUs. She composed herself before speaking.
"I'm alright. The only thing is that my desk along with all of my paperwork flew out because of the explosion."
The ANBU captain turned behind and waved his hand. The two ANBU ninjas behind him came in carrying large stacks of paperwork.
"Here you go Hokage-sama. We were able to collect all of the paperwork that flew out except one containing a form for Sakura Haruno's promotion," the ANBU captain said.
Tsunade nearly cried as she saw her free afternoon fly out of window. She could only watch in sadness as the ANBUs placed the paperwork by her sake cabinet. She dismissed the ANBUs and glared at the pile of papers.
"I hate you."
"Hokage-sama, may I come in?"
Tsunade turned around to see a singed, ash covered Iruka carrying his spotless baby girl, Hanami. The girl waved at Tsunade and cried out in delight when she saw Shoyu. Iruka chuckled as he placed her down near Shoyu.
"Tsunade-sama, I apologize for the explosion earlier. Hanami seems to have an enthusiasm to blowing things up just like her mother."
"BOOM BOOM PAPER!" Hanami screamed pulling out another explosion tag. Iruka's eyes widened as the explosion tag seemed to light up. Hanami placed it on the Tsunade's paperwork and giggled. The adults picked up the babies and ran out of the room just in time.
BOOM!
Tsunade peered in eagerly to see a smoldering mass of ash just where her paperwork used to be. She danced in happiness as she ran to where her sake cabinet was. Thank Kami she had the foresight of having Jiraiya place an impact barrier on the cabinet.
"Yay! Boom boom!" Hanami cried. Iruka was about to say an apology but Tsunade grabbed Hanami and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you! How about Baa-chan treat you to dango!" Tsunade said happily
"Dango!" Hanami said happily.
"Baasan, I want ramen!" Shoyu said in a pleading voice. Tsunade turned and stared right into Shoyu's big puppy eyes. She sighed in defeat.
"OK little Shoyu, we'll go to Akarui Ichiitaba," Tsunade said. The babies squealed in delight.
In the restaurant Akuri Ichiitaba, the co-owners Teuchi and Meirou were serving customers in the busy lunch rush. The restaurant was formed around a month after Naruto's escape. Teuchi, Meirou, and Dama decided to combine Ichiraku, Yakiniku Q, and the dango stall to form this restaurant. It was a huge hit and many jounin shinobis and respected people come to this humble little restaurant.
Tsunade opened the flap and waved to Ayame.
"Hi Ayame, table for five!"
"Afternoon Hokage-sama! Wait just a minute while I find a table for you," Ayame said.
Tsunade sat down on one of the benches nearby as she waited. She glanced outside and reflected on the past three years since Naruto's escape.
For the past five years, the balance of power has shifted to Kiri. Kiri was now the number one power of the land, controlling the ocean through the recent invention of floating forts equipped with cannons. They have allied themselves with Sand and Snow. Wave has officially accepted a colonial status to Mist and treated as citizens of Mist.
Konoha has been able to keep its status and save an alliance with Sand. Sand was most unwilling until the Mizukage had agreed to keep a neutral stance to Konoha but still retain a friendly relation to Sand. Since then, Sand has prospered to Konoha's level while Stone and Cloud along with Grass, Star, and Rain have formed an alliance.
Within Konoha, many of the rookies that have participated in the Chuunin exams five years ago have ascended the ranks. Ino and Hinata are now tokubetsu jonins along with Lee and Tenten. Ino and Hinata have a specialty in healing while Lee has one in taijutsu. Tenten on the other hand has one in kenjutsu. Neji, Kiba, and Shikamaru have been promoted to jounins and are recognized as high classing ninjas on other country's bingo book. Shino has achieved the most out of all of them and is an S-class ANBU captain known as the Burning Beetle of Konoha.
Naruto's girlfriends have also gained recognition. Kin has decided to become a fulltime doctor in the hospital, lightening Tsunade's burden greatly. She has introduced breakthroughs such as using high frequency sounds to painlessly subdue frantic patients and use soothing music to calm quicken PTS among ninjas becoming one of the leading trauma surgeons in the hospital. Haku have become a jounin and joined Team 7, taking Anko's place when Anko decided to be an Academy teacher along with her husband, Iruka. Haku's skill with Hyouton jutsus have exponentially increased under training with Mira, gaining the respect of all of the shinobis in Konoha.
In Sand, Gaara has become the new Kazekage. Surprisingly, he was soon to be married to his long time girlfriend Tayuya, a tokubetsu jounin. His siblings Kankuro and Temari have become jounins as well.
From what Tsunade could tell, Naruto was doing very well. During the Mist and Cloud war three years ago, Naruto had distinguished himself. He was an elite jounin and leader of a group called the Banished Heroes. Each member of this famous group has been labeled S-class by all of the nations. It included Abare, Azrael, Jin, Kari, Unki, and Kisame. This group alone, stormed the village of Cloud and destroyed the place. Naruto was given SS status when reports of Naruto moving as fast as light, killing three s-class Cloud shinobis including the Raikage with kenjutsu, summoning flocks of savage ravens, packs of huge, snarling foxes, flooding the village with ice cold water, and causing three giant fire tornados that blasted the village apart. After Cloud's surrender, Naruto gained a huge amount of fame and a new nickname as a result of this.
Naruto, the Demon of the Bloody Storm,
"Hokage-sama, your table is ready," Ayame said. When the Hokage didn't respond, she cautiously waved her hand in front of the Hokage. Tsunade gave a small jump in surprise.
"Sorry Ayame," Tsunade said. Ayame smiled kindly.
"It's alright Tsunade-sama."
Meanwhile in Kirigakure, the village streets were barren as a fierce storm was raging. Nearly everyone was inside as the howling chilling winds flew throughout the streets. Inside the strong houses, people could hear the soft booms as the waves crashed upon the rocks. However, despite this fierce storm, one person was having the time of his life.
"WAHOOOO!" Naruto shouted ecstatically. He was on top of the rooftops flying. He was testing out a new invention called a glider, built by Jin. Despite Jin's warnings, Naruto had taken the glider and jumped off the highest point only to be carried high above the see by the fierce winds. Naruto skillfully glided through the winds, swooping down at breakneck speeds only to pull up at the last second.
"This is GREAT!" Naruto screamed.
"Can you land now?" Kyuubi asked. "I'm getting queasy just looking through your eyes."
Naruto didn't respond but pulled his glider up so that they were going higher and higher. Naruto cheated by using some chakra to glide as high as possible. When the height was good enough, he steered so that he was right above Kirigakure. He chuckled evilly as he peered down.
"Uncle should be coming out in about three, two, one," Naruto said evilly.
"Naruto what are you doing?" Kyuubi asked nervously. Naruto's silence made her extremely nervous. She saw through Naruto's eyes, a man wearing a dark red robe. It finally hit her what Naruto was planning.
"Naruto you are not-!"
"BANZAI!" Naruto shouted. He dived at nearly a straight drop at his uncle. He grinned evilly as he saw his target come closer and closer.
"NAAARUUUTOOOO!" Kyuubi screamed in his mind. Naruto ignored her. He kept the glider straight at his target.
"UUUNCLEEE!" Naruto shouted as he was twenty feet high. The man looked at Naruto and was about to shout in shock. Naruto snickered at the look of horror before the man exploded. Naruto was sent flying into the Mizukage's office. He tumbled several times before stopping at the foot of the Mizukage's desk.
"Nice try Naruto but I knew you were going to do something like that. Still I have to congratulate you on your ingenuity. No one else would have considered dive-bombing a person by free falling from more than a thousand feet," Shikkou Kan said. He chuckled as Naruto jumped to his feet and glared at his uncle.
Over the past five years, Naruto underwent a huge change, physically. Naruto was now six feet tall, weighing over three hundred pounds due to his muscles compacting to near iron hardness and his bones becoming harder than steel. His blond hair had grown a bit longer but still messy. His blond hair still had its red streaks and Naruto had also grown a small black braid at the back of his head.
His clothes had changed also. Instead of a black overcoat, he wore a dark blue hooded overcoat with no sleeves and a spiral made of nine golden flames. Inside, he wore a Mist jounin flak vest, long sleeve dark red shirt, long black cargo pants, and steel-toed boots. He also wore his red scarf, arm bracers, and steel backed fingerless gloves. On his waist, he wore a full-length black scabbard sheathing his sword.
"NARUTO IF YOU DO THAT AGAIN, I SWEAR I WILL RIP OUT OF THIS SEAL EVEN IF IT KILLS BOTH OF US!" Kyuubi screamed.
"How are you able to thwart every prank I make?" Naruto asked frustrated. Shikkou Kan chuckled.
"Us Uzumakis are famous as pranksters. I was the best out of the best. That's why I'm called Tawake!" Shikkou Kan said proudly.
"Anyway, why do I still call you Shikkou Kan. Can't I call you Uncle Tawake?"
His uncle shook his head.
"Shikkou Kan implies the feeling you have before being executed. Its much fiercer than trickster."
"So?"
"Has any shinobi talked back to me?"
"Dammit."
"Anyway Naruto, I have a mission for you," Shikkou Kan said. "This is a solo S-class mission."
Naruto nodded. "Where is it?"
"As you may already NOT know, Amegakure has been under the leadership of the ninja Hanzo. This ninja is extremely powerful. However, there have been several disturbing rumors that Hanzo was defeated by an even more powerful ninja. I want you to infiltrate the village and either confirm or deny the authenticity of these rumors."
"How long?"
"As long as needed," Shikkou Kan said. "Also, do not kill any Rain nins if you can help it. It would not do to cause political turmoil."
"Hai, Mizukage-sama."
"Now get out of here. Git!"
Naruto hurried back to his flat. He smiled despite the heavy rain. He finally had a mission that has a high chance of battling a strong ninja. He jumped off a roof and jumped down to his apartment. He quickly opened the lock and walked inside.
"NARUTO GODDAMNIT! CLOSE THE DOOR! ITS FREEZING OUTSIDE!"
Naruto winced as he closed the door. He looked over to see Kari wrapped up in several thick blankets drinking tea. Naruto could see that she was shivering despite the thick woolen blankets.
"Are you okay Kari?"
"NO I AM NOT FUCKING OKAY! I'M FUCKING COLD IN THIS GODDAMN STORM! ANGRY THAT FUCKING BASTARD BROKE UP WITH ME! AND I'M IN GODDMANED PAIN BECAUSE I'M IN MY FUCKING PERIOD!"
By the Kari had finished ranting, Naruto was coming back from her room. She noticed that Naruto had a pleased smirk on his face.
"WHAT ARE YOU SO GODDAMN PLEASED ABOUT FUCKFACE?"
"Kari, just rest. If you really feel that bad, it's not good for you to be walking around."
"I'M NOT A-!"
"Ninpou: Paralyzing Stare!"
Kari immediately stiffened up as the jutsu took effect. Naruto scooped her up in her arms and carried her to her room. Without a word, he gently placed her in her bed and between the bed sheets. He made a hand seal and tapped her.
"WHAT THE FUCK WAS-! Hey! These sheets feel so warm and toasty," Kari said. "What did you do to it?"
"On the side of your mattress, I placed a seal that would heat the bed for six hours at a time. All you need to do is apply a drop of blood," Naruto said. "On your night table, there's a summoning seal that stores hot tea and soup."
"Naruto that's so sweet," Kari said. Naruto shrugged.
"You're having a bad day. Friends help each other," Naruto said kindly. He tucked in the sheets between the mattresses. Kari sighed as the warmth relieved her sore muscles.
"Why can't you be my boyfriend, Naruto? We're already sharing the same apartment," Kari asked.
"I've told you already. I already have two girlfriends. I won't cheat on them," Naruto said.
"Come on Naruto. They live in Konoha. I'm right here," Kari said.
"You know, the reason why your boyfriend broke up with you is mostly due to Abare," Naruto said.
"Uncle? What did he do?"
"Abare threatened your boyfriend that if Kari was ever hurt that he would come over and cut your boyfriend into slices thinner than sashimi," Naruto said. "Abare then pulls out his swords and chopped a whole tree into one inch blocks in front of your boyfriend."
Kari growled as she snuggled deeper into her sheets. "I am going to kill Uncle with my chain sword Shinka!"
"You're good with that sword granted but you still can't beat me. How do you expect to beat Abare-sensei?"
"Shut up, your sword's flame is as cold as hell," Kari said teasingly. She yawned loudly.
"Bye Kari, I'll see you in a month," Naruto said. He kissed her cheek before walking out of the room.
Naruto went to his room and quickly pulled out a small scroll labeled S-rank on his scroll shelf. He deftly summoned the contents on the floor that included three small scrolls labeled weapons, food, money, and supplies. He placed them in various pockets in his vest. He grabbed a kunai and shuriken pouch and placed them on his right leg. He grabbed a small tag with a summoning seal for three pronged kunais he used for the Flying God technique. After checking that he had everything he walked out of the apartment. He climbed up on the railings and jumped on a rooftop. He began running to the gates of the village. As he ran, he saw several shinobis running on top of the rooftops. Many of them saluted as he was the second strongest ninja aside from the Mizukage.
"Hey! Naruto nii-san!"
Naruto turned to see Inari waving at him excitedly. Naruto grinned as he waved back to the young genin. Inari was on of the first graduates of the Mizukage's reformed school. Inari had graduated one of the best in theory but was leagues ahead of all the other graduates in practical. Like Naruto, Inari preferred kenjutsu but had a talent in genjutsu. He invented a very handy genjutsu that projected an image of Inari spitting a flood of water and the ninja drowning in it.
"How are you doing Inari?"
"Fine nii-san! Kari-sensei had been really cranky during these past several days so I have been leading my team on her behalf. We've already done several D-ranked missions including catching Ms. Uzai's pet raccoon. I swear! I was ready to skin it."
"Patience, Inari. Haven't you mastered the Water Clone jutsu?" Naruto asked.
"Hai, but the Hidden Mist jutsu takes a huge chunk of my chakra."
"Well, take your teammates and yourself and do several exercises such as wall walking and water walking. Kari taught you how to do those right?"
Inari nodded.
"Good. Also while you're at it strap ten pound weights on your ankles and wrists," Naruto said. "Keep your weights at all time for a week. I'm sure your chakra reserves will nearly double by the end of the week."
"Hai Naruto."
Naruto sped up and soon reached the gates of Kirigakure. The guards saluted him as he began walking on the stormy seas to the mainland of Konoha.
In Sunagakure, Gaara was sipping on his water as he read the reports of several ninjas all wearing black robes with red clouds attacking a team of jounins passing through the Land of Rain. The most disturbing thing was that the two jounins that barely escaped recognized one of the attackers, Sasori of the Red Sand, an S-rank missing nin specializing in puppetry arts.
"Kazekage-sama, may I enter?"
Gaara looked up to his teacher, Council member Baki.
"Of course Baki-sensei. Come in," Gaara said. Baki nodded and sat in a chair in front of Gaara.
"What do you need?" Gaara asked.
"I fear we have a spy on the council," Baki whispered.
Gaara didn't respond. However, sand came from his gourd and covered all of the windows and doors, muffling any sound. He made a hand seal and compacted the sand to near diamond hardness.
"Now tell me," Gaara said.
"One of the council members, Yuura, is acting more and more jumpy. Like he knows something big is going to happen. When I mentioned the Akatsuki, I could tell from his eyes that he knew more," Baki said worridly.
"Keep an eye on Yuura at all times," Gaara said.
"Hai, Kazekage-sama."
Shino and his team were traveling near the border of Rain Country. All of them have changed since Naruto's escape. Shino had become taller and liked taking risks despite all odds. Kiba had become more muscular and wilder as well as his enormous pet, Akamaru. Shikamaru still had his lazy tendencies but his gift intellect and observation were unmatched by any in Konoha. Haku had become more beautiful and exponentially more deadly due to Mira's training.
"Shino, where are we going?"
"To a mining city that collects huge amounts of coal for Konoha. However it was attacked by two ninjas wearing black cloaks with red clouds. We are going to eliminate them because both are ranked S-class."
"Oh!" Kiba said. "Which ninjas are we killing?"
"Two ninjas known as Hidan and Kazuzu. Not much is known abut them except that both of them are notoriously hard to wound," Shino said.
Shino made a hand signal. All of them pumped chakra in their legs and sped through the trees. Soon they reached the mining city of Oki. The streets were empty and deserted. Many buildings were crushed and broken. Small animals scurried all over the place.
"Good Kami."
All over the streets were corpses. The streets were painted red as blood flowed down ruined buildings. Each step they made a small sucking sound due to the blood soaked on the ground.
"Kiba, can you smell anybody?"
"No, the air is full of the smell of blood," Kiba said. Shino lifted his arms. Large beetles began to fly out and spread out. After several minutes, they came back.
"Our two targets are at the west end of the city. Both of them are fighting a woman. Soon they will enter the sewers," Shino said. "Haku you stay with me. Shika, Kiba, find a manhole and track down our two targets. We will join you as soon as we can."
Kiba and Shikamaru nodded as they jumped away. Shino and Haku walked around searching where the blood flowed down the fastest. As they walked around, Shino and Haku tried to ignore the corpses everywhere. All over the city, there were corpses with expression of fear with their eyes staring blankly into the grey skies. Haku nearly tripped over one and stumbled.
Thump.
Shino turned to where Haku was standing.
"Move," Shino said. Haku moved over, curious. Shino pulled out a kunai and propped open a manhole. Shino guestured to Haku before jumping inside. Shino grabbed the edge and swung over to the edge of the sewer to prevent any noise. Haku copied him and landed smoothly on the concrete walkway. Shino let out his bugs and had them fly in front of them.
Kiba and Shikamaru were speeding along the sewer walkway, tracking the sounds of yelling and explosions. Kiba winced as the sounds bounced and echoed around pounding his eyes. Nevertheless, he tracked the sounds where it was loudest. After several minutes running, they soon came upon demolished entrance. Kiba nodded to Akamaru. Both of them walked back and prepared to smash through the rubble.
"Wait!" Shikamaru said. Kiba and Akamaru froze as Shikamaru made hand seals.
"Ninpou: Vortex Eye!" On the other side of the rubble, Shikamaru could see through the shadows what was happening on the other side.
"I can see our two targets. However, both are battling an enormous purple flaming cat."
"Cat? Are you okay?" Kiba asked skeptically.
"Kiba, we aren't genins. Anyway the cat is able to spit out flames more powerful as Shino's flames. Hidan apparently uses a three bladed scythe that can extend out due to a chain. Kazuzu is mainly a taijutsu fighter with the strength of Lee. However, he has five masks on his back, each of them a creature that can use powerful elemental ninjutsus. Right now, he is using a mask that uses Suiton and another that uses Doton."
Kiba listened intently as Shikamaru observed the battle longer.
"Both ninjas are extremely pain tolerant. Hiadn especially as he was blasted multiple time by gouts of fire but continued to fight as normal. Kazuz also but it seems as if a covering was protecting his body."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah. Hidan is a monk of the religion that follows Jashin."
"Jashin?" Kiba asked. Shikamaru nodded.
"Monks of this religion are able to transfer their pain to their enemies through a certain ritual. I'm not sure what the ritual is but it involves the opponents blood and a circle, so don't bleed."
"I think you should vote Hidan. My style of fighting isn't so good with evasion," Kiba suggested.
"Fine, now instead of barbarically smashing through the walls, just follow me," Shikamaru said. He made several hand seals before laying a hand on the ground.
"Ninpou: Shadow Door!" Shikamaru pulled and a door opened to reveal nothing. Shikamaru jumped in. Kiba soon followed him.
On the other side of the wall, Yugito was panting as she backed up against the wall. She ducked wearily as a scythe embedded where her head was moments ago. She rolled over behind a large rock to take a breather.
Hidan grinned as he raised his scythe up to slice the young woman to bits. Behind him, a door opened and Shikamaru came flying out, feet first, and kicked Hidan in the head. Hidan stumbled in surprise and fell as Kiba and Akamaru slammed into him. Kiba gave involuntary yelp as he landed hard on his back.
"Whoo! Wasn't expecting that?" Kiba said. He was a bit disoriented as he stood up.
"Who are you two?" Kazuzu asked.
"We are Konoha ninjas sent to kill the ones who demolished Oki," Shikamaru said. Kazuzu nodded.
"Then kill the woman. She's a jinchuuriki. She set the demon on the villagers," Kazuzu said, thinking that the two Leaf nins would due their work for them.
"The corpses showed signs of being killed with a scythe and beaten to death, not burned. I've been watching you two fight for several minutes now so I definitely know it was you tow that ravaged Oki."
Hidan grinned. "Well aren't you a smart motherfucker. Eat this!"
Hidan swung his scythe. As the scythe sped toward Shikamaru, Shikamaru slipped into his own shadow. He then appeared behind Hidan and quickly stabbed two kunais into Hidan's back. Shikamaru jumped back again and stuck onto the ceiling. Hidan turned around, ignoring the two kunais on his back.
"Kazuzu, leave this one to me!"
Kazuzu rolled his eyes at hi partner's attitude and turned to Kiba. Kiba grunted as he popped his bones loudly and settle on all fours. He growled to Akamaru.
"Kiba Inuzaka, the Steel Wolf of Konoha. Jounin ranked and high A-ranked fighter. Bounty worth 25 million," Kazuzu stated as he chuckled. He rushed toward Kiba. Kiba jumped and avoided Kazuzu's punch. Kiba landed on all fours then charged at Kazuzu. He spun to avoid Kazuzu's next punch and swiped at Kazuzu with his steel claws. Kazuzu grunted as the claws pierced his armor and cut deep into his side. He turned and received a faceful of Akamaru's Piercing Fang. Akamaru tore at his face badly before jumping to Kiba's side.
Kazuzu chuckled as he retrieved his facemask. He quickly tied it before turning to Kiba.
"Haha. Not many have wounded me. I've underestimated you but that won't happen again!"
Kazuzu grunted as he focused his chakra on his back. Kiba and Akamaru watched in fascination as a creature made completely of black threads pop out of his back with a hair-raising shriek.
"That's gross," Kiba said. Akamaru barked in agreement. Kazuzu just chuckled and made several hand seals. The mask turned to Kiba as Kazuzu finished his hand seals.
"Fuuton: Pressure Cannon!" Kiba and Akamaru channeled chakra in their legs and jumped avoiding the large blast of wind. The blast went through the wall behind Kiba. Kiba gulped and made several hand seals.
"Katon: Fire Claws!" Instantly, fire erupted on Kiba's and Akamaru's claws. They channeled chakra in their legs and charged Kazuzu. Kiba unhooked two orbs on his belt and threw it at Kazuzu. One bomb exploded spraying Kazuzu with a mixture of rotten eggs and urine. The other covered the area around Kazuzu in a thick smoke.
"That's gross!" Kazuzu said. Kiba and Akamaru jumped in the smoke.
"Fuuton: Pressure Cannon!" The windblast blew the smoke screen away. However, Kazuzu's back arched in pain as Kiba's and Akamaru's claws stabbed deeply into his back. Kiba kicked Kazuzu away and jumped back.
Shikamaru ducked as the scythe whirled by him. He rolled over as the scythe nearly hit him. Hidan chuckled as Shikamaru rolled away again.
"Keep still and be glad you're a sacrifice to Jashin, heathen!"
Shikamaru swiped some of his blood on a seal on his wrist and belt. A bow and a quiver of arrows appeared. Shikamaru expertly pulled out an arrow and attached it to the string. He channeled his chakra into it and released it at Hidan.
"Fuuton: Hurricane Arrow!"
The arrow flew extremely fast and went through Hidan's chest leaving a four -inch hole. Hidan grunted in surprise but glared at Shikamaru.
"Is that the best you can do?" Hidan taunted. He tried to jump but couldn't move for some reason. He turned and saw an arrow pinned to his shadow.
"What the hell?" Hidan said. He tried to move but couldn't. Meanwhile, Shikamaru jumped on the ceiling and loaded three arrows with explosion tags wrapped around them. Shikamaru fired all of them at Hidan. The arrows stabbed deeply into Hidan's body. Shikamaru made a hand seal and activated the explosion tags.
"BOOM!"
Hidan flew backwards from the blast. Remarkably he was still in one piece. However his body was full of burns.
"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!" Hidan yelled. He raised his scythe and was about to swing it at Shikamaru. However, a large spike made of ice stabbed through his body. Haku appeared and stabbed her sword through Hidan's throat. Haku pulled her sword out and jumped to Shikamaru's side.
"Hey Shika," Haku said.
"You know I got this," Shikamaru said. "How's Shino?"
"Over with Kiba fighting that string zombie, Kazuzu," Haku said.
Hidan grunted as he pulled himself off from the spike. The ice stack destroyed the arrow pinning him down.
"Now I know who you are, The Shadow Arrow and the Glacier Queen of Konoha! Ha! You two heathens will be excellent sacrifices to Jashin-sama!"
Hidan swung his scythe at the two ninjas. Shikamaru dodged it but Haku went in the path of the scythe. Shikamaru watched as the scythe was embedded deep into Haku's body.
"HAKU!" Shikamaru shouted. Haku smiled as her body slowly became clearer and frostier.
"What the fuck?!" Hidan yelled. Haku had replaced herself with an ice clone. The scythe remained stuck in the clone. Haku appeared and used her sword to cut the chain that was attached to the scythe.
"You bitch!" Hidan shouted. Haku winked and turned to Shino who was making hand seals. When he finished, he disappeared into his own shadow.
"Ninpou: Void's Hunger!" All of a sudden chains erupted from Hidan's shadow. Hidan attempted to jump but the chains wrapped tightly around his torso and his legs. He landed on the ground hard.
"SHIIIT!" Hidan bellowed as he clawed at the ground. Attached to his legs was a shadow chain trying to pull Hidan to the void. Near him, Shikamaru was grunting in effort as he pumped more chakra into it. He heard footsteps behind him and saw Yugito behind him.
"Here let me help," Yugito said. She made several hand seals and slammed her palms.
"Kuchiyose: The Undead Golems!"
Shikamaru watched with fascination as two pairs of skeletal arms cracked through the concrete. The arms lifted to giant skeletal beasts with a bone structure like a monkeys, head of a wolf, legs of a horse, and tail of a gator. Instead of skin, purple fire covered their bodies.
Yugito made another hand seal. The two monsters lumbered to where Hidan was. They stomped at his arms and bit at his shoulders. The distraction was enough for Hidan to lose his grip and be pulled into the shadowy void of his own shadow.
"Thanks," Shikamaru sighed. He pulled out a cigarette stick and lit it. He inhaled deeply and blew out a cloud of smoke.
"You know, those cancer sticks are disgusting," Haku said. She turned to Yugito behind her.
"Who are you?" Haku asked politely.
"I'm Yugito Nii, former jinchuuriki of Cloud," Yugito said.
"Damn!" Kazuzu grunted as he dodged another flaming chain. That chain is such a pain in the ass. As he jumped, a swarm of large, biting, chakra-sucking beetles obscured his vision. Over the years, Shino's beetles have mutated to the point that they were an inch long, have jaws, and can sting repeatedly like wasps. He used his threads in an attempt to swat away the beetles.
Down on the ground, Kiba tossed Akamaru a soldier's pill before making several hand seals.
"Ninpou: Man Beast Combo, Double-Headed Wolf!" Kiba and Akamaru exploded into a cloud of smoke and replaced with a two-headed wolf. They channeled chakra in their feet and climbed to the ceiling. Shino noticed this and made several hand seals.
"Katon: Flame Dragon Missile!" Shino inhaled and blew a large flame missile dragon. Kazuzu was caught unaware and was burned. He grunted in pain as he tried to summon another mask creature. He looked above when he heard a loud snarl.
"Wolf Fang!" The wolf slammed into Kazuzu, tearing apart the masked creature that Kazuzu tried to summon. They crashed into the ground forming a large crater. Kazuzu growled as he felt another heart disappear.
"YOU DAMNED BRAT!" Kazuzu yelled in anger. He pulled himself out of the crater and pushed out his two remaining masks. The masks leered at Shino and Kiba evilly.
"You two are dead!" Kazuzu burst into strands of threads. The threads whipped loudly and headed toward the pair.
"Ew," Shino said. After several minutes of constant dodging, Kiba was finally caught.
"KIBA!" Shino shouted. Shino gasped involuntarily as a thread wrapped tightly against him.
"You'll pay for popping my two hearts!" Kazuzu shouted.
"Ninpou: Shadow Arrow Clones!"
Kazuzu turned and saw over a hundred arrows fly toward him. He grunted in pain as nearly all of his threads were cut or pinned on the surrounding walls. Kazuzu turned to see Shikamaru kneeling and carrying a bow in his hand. His eyes shifted and saw Haku making hand seals.
"Hyouton: Ice Blades!" Hake swung her arms and formed two ice blades. She threw them at the threads that were holding Shino and Kiba. The blade easily cut through threads and dropped Kiba and Shino. Shino quickly unraveled his chain and wrapped it around his arm. He spun and slammed his fist into Kazuzu's face before jumping away.
"Damn!" Kazuzu cursed. Unlike his partner, he knew when it was time to retreat. He pumped out a whole lot of chakra to his back and summoned two creatures. Both creatures leered at the small group of people. Kazuzu made several hand seals.
"Suiton: Grand Tsunami!"
"Raiton: False Darkness!"
A huge flood of water blasted out of one of the creature's mouth. It surged toward them faster than they could react while behind the huge wave, two large thunderbolts cracked toward them. Kazuzu could not help but watch in glee at their destruction. However, a small thud landed near Kazuzu.
"Ninpou: Flying Thunder God!"
The huge electrified wave was suddenly cut in half and sloshed to the sides. The Konoha ninjas and Yugito looked to where Kazuzu was standing to see a hooded man wearing a dark blue coat stabbing Kazuzu in the heart with a katana. The man pushed Kazuzu off his sword and wiped it callously on his body.
"I know you aren't dead so speak. Why are you here?" the man asked.
"We were sent by our leader to retrieve Yugito Nii, one of the jinchurikii," Kazuzu gasped.
"Where is he?"
"Rain, he controls everything." Kazuzu said weakly.
"Well, tell your leader that the Gunjikaigi are coming after his head if he messes with the Bijuu," the man whispered. "Now, GIT!"
Kazuzu made a hand seal and vanished in the earth. The man bent down and pulled out a small tri-pronged kunai before turning to the Konoha shinobis.
"Well, lookie here. The Konoha's Neo Sannin and the Glacier Queen," the man said as he sheathed his sword. He turned to Yugito's direction. She was trembling and pale in fright at the ninja.
"Looks like you remember me, Yugito," the man said. Haku turned to Yugito.
"Who is he?"
"Naruto, the Demon of the Bloody Storm!"
"NARUTO!"
The man pulled off his hood and smiled widely at the Konoha shinobis. He turned to Haku and scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Wow Haku, you're more beautiful than I ever imagined," Naruto said. He gasped in surprise as Haku ran over to Naruto and hugged him tightly. Naruto could not help but cry in happiness as he hugged Haku tightly.
"I missed you so much Naruto," Haku gasped. Naruto smiled happily as he looked into her shining eyes.
"You have no idea how much I missed you my ice queen," Naruto whispered.
"Ahem," Kiba said. Naruto glared at the grinning Kiba.
"Dammit Kiba, can't you see I'm busy. Wait your turn!" Naruto snapped. He then turned to Haku.
"Now, where were we? Oh I remember!" Naruto said. He dipped Haku and stared deeply into her loving eyes before kissing her passionately. Haku returned it eagerly and they spent several minutes kissing. After they were done, Naruto pulled her up and held her by his side as he turned to his other teammates.
"Hey guys, or should I say the Neo-Sannin of Konoha. I'm surprised you made it this far. Only five years and you guys are Kakashi's equal."
"It's been really silent without you," Kiba said. "I also miss your cooking. Choji's cooking is good but its just not yours."
"Kiba, this is the first time we've see Naruto in five years and all you do is ask for food," Shikamaru admonished.
"Shino, I'm especially impressed with you. You've definitely made this team famous," Naruto said. He grinned widely as Shino smiled.
"It's been really silent without you Naruto-taicho," Shino said.
"You know, let's get back to my camp first," Naruto said. He turned to Yugito who was looking at him in terror.
"Yugito, the war between our countries is over. I'm not going to hurt you," Naruto said gently.
"How do you know I'm not going to slit your throat in the night?"
"Because you can't," Naruto said. "Simply as that."
Yugito inhaled deeply and blew out a stream of purple fire. Naruto pushed Haku out of the way and inhaled, swallowing the fire. He burped a small cloud of smoke before turning back to Yugito.
"You see?" Naruto said. "Now, let's get back to my camp. Yugito, you're invited too."
Yugito looked at Naruto suspiciously before following Naruto.
"Nibi, do you think we can trust this Naruto?"
"Yes, this ninja is very strong and I can sense the Kyuubi inside of him," Nibi said inside Yugito's mind. "If he wanted to kill us, he would have done it already, kitten."
"Fine," Yugito said. Naruto grinned.
"Come on," Naruto said. They followed Naruto to his camp in a clearing. The clearing was in a wide area, guarded by Naruto clones henged into different Mist shinobis. Naruto dismissed all of them with a single hand seal. Naruto pulled out a scroll. He bit his finger and summoned four sleeping bags.
"Haku, you can sleep in my bag," Naruto said. "Each of you have your own personal bag. Dinner will be pretty soon."
"Shino, use your bugs to scout the area," Naruto ordered. "Kiba you climb the highest tree and use your nose to see if there are any ninjas."
"Hai, Naruto-taicho!" Kiba and Shino said. Shino dissolved into bugs. Kiba quickly jumped quickly up a tree with the grace and speed of a wolf. Naruto grinned at Kiba's and Shino's improvements before turning to Shikamaru, Haku, and Yugito. Yugito was glaring at Naruto while Shikamaru was on the ground looking at the clouds passing by. Haku was polishing her sword. Naruto strode over to Haku and sat by her.
"Hey love, how's Kin?" Naruto asked. Haku turned to Naruto.
"She's doing really good. She's quit being a field knoichi and became a doctor. However, she's officially become Tsunade's apprientice."
"Tsunade's apprientice?" Naruto asked surprised. "That's great!"
"I know! She's an amazing doctor and made several improvements in the field mediacine such as inventing many low rank medic ninjutsus that can speed healing nearly twice the speed as ordinary cures."
"What about her fighting ability?" Naruto asked eagerly. "Has she become any better?"
"Although she's a chuunin, she's stronger taijutsu fighter than any shinobi in the village except Lee and Gai. She also focuses on Sound jutsus such as Banshee's Shriek and the Lion's Roar that are powerful enough to crush boulders at a hundred feet."
"I can't wait to see her. The Mizukage is considering on finally accepting an alliance with Konoha. If it happens, I'll finally be able to visit you and the others!" Naruto said excitedly.
"That's wonderful!" Haku said. "How is Mist anyway?"
"Great! Do you remember Inari?" Naruto asked. "He's now one of our top genins."
"And do you remember Jin? He's our technology head. He was the one that invented our massive Floating Forts that now control the seas. He's also invented a way to fly!"
"Fly?"
"Yeah! You feel like a raven free in the night sky. Feeling the wind everywhere and soaring through the currents."
"It feels wonderful."
"It is," Naruto said dreamily. "What about Team 10?"
"Sasuke and Sakura are still genins despite numerous attempts by the council to promote them. However, Tsunade refused to promotes either of them. Kakashi on the other hand has become a drunkard though. He's fallen into a big depression, so big that not even Kin can snap him out of it."
"Kakashi is a good man. When I get back to Konoha, I'll talk to him."
"Thanks."
"Anyway its good to see you Haku. I really did miss you."
"I missed you too, Naruto."
Naruto hugged Haku tightly and sighed deeply as he felt Haku hugged him back.
"It's good to be with you again."
Meanwhile in Amegakure, a secret meeting was being held in an area deep underground. Inside the chamber, a man's eyes were glowing in the dark as he glared at the people around him.
"Kazuzu, what happened to Hidan?"
Kazuzu cringed as the glowing eye turned to him.
"Pein-sama, Hidan and I had the Nibi jinchuuriki trapped and almost captured when a team of Konoha shinobis attacked us. However, he was killed and I was about to finish them off when a man cut my jutsu in half and stabbed two of my hearts. I only have one left."
"A single team? Looks like the zombie twins aren't so immortal after all," a man by Kazuzu said. Kazuzu glared at the hunchbacked man near him.
"It was no ordinary team," Kazuzu said. "It was the Konoha's Neo-Sannin!"
"So? They're just a bunch of wannabe jounins," the hunchbacked man said. Near him, a man with long hair laughed.
"There was also another. Naruto, the Demon of the Bloody Storm!" Kazuzu said. That name caught everyone's attention.
"The Fuujin Reincarnated?" the hunchbacked man said. "Now that's completely understandable. The only man nowadays with an SS-class status."
"That's correct," a woman said. "A man said to be the fastest shinobi since the Yondaime Hokage."
"One with the powers of the skies at his fingertips," a plantlike man said.
"One who could cut mountains in half," a man with a cloak said.
"Enough, he is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki!" Pein said. "However, judging by the state of Kazuzu and the death of Hidan, we will need four Akatsuki members to go after him. During the Cloud Mist war, the Raikage was slain, the Thunder Thrower of Cloud. If Naruto is so powerful, it would be best to take extreme caution in attacking him."
"Not to mention that he is close friends with other S-class ninjas. Two of them extremely dangerous, the Gentleman of Death, Azrael and the Bloody Swordsman, Abare. Another two, Unki, the Panda Fist and Jin the Dwarf Sage are not to be underestimated."
"I thought Azrael's nickname was the Death Dealer?" Kazuzu said.
"It was changed during the Cloud Mist War," Pein said.
"Pein-sama, Naruto told me to tell me this," Kazuzu said.
"What did he say?"
"To tell you that the Gunjikaiga is coming," Kazuzu said. The man's eyes glowed in power as everyone felt a huge surge of power.
"THEM?! THEY WILL NOT STOP MY PLANS, ESPECIALLY THAT MAN!"
"Who is this man you speak of?"
"The Shikkou Kan! The strongest shinobi in the world and of the Gunjikaiga, the Ninja Council of the Warlords!"
