Black Flames Dance In The Wind: Rise of Naruto

by DevilKeys Writing

A storm is brewing. Casting a black shadow over the world, threatening to incinerate it and scatter its ashes to the winds. Humanity's only hope lies with a young boy. A boy sacrificed for their protection, yet condemned to a life of hatred and abuse. Will the pariah become the savior? Or will mankind be cast into oblivion by a monster of their own creation?

36. Knowledge Is Power

After half a year of inactivity, I bring you the next installment of this epic tale!

Not much action in this one, and it focuses mostly on what other characters are doing while Naruto's out of commission.

As I've said before, I'm making the switch back to smaller chapters, so no more 40k monsters.

Hmm...I feel I should say something, let you all know why it took so long. But I suppose it was really nothing out of the ordinary(for me, anyway), and those that actually care have already asked. So let's just get right to the reason you're here, shall we?

Enjoy!

XXXX

(Konohagakure no Sato)

"...Alright, how are we gonna do this?" Kiriko scratched her head as she looked back and forth between the unconscious carcass of Hinata, and the door they were supposed to fit her through.

Beside her, Kurohane leaned against the wall with her hand on her chin, thinking of possible solutions. "I...don't really know." the princess admitted, looking at the hidden door to Naruto's private workshop. "I don't think he planned on Hinata's demon form being this big."

The door was only seven feet high, by four feet wide; more than large enough for any human, but nowhere near wide enough to get Hinata's massive body through.

"Dammit!" Kurohane cursed as she leaned against a wall. "At this rate, we'll have to..." she suddenly went silent and her face became blank.

"Uh, Kuro-chan?" Haku walked over and waved her hand in front of the Summon's face, but got no reaction.

Just as Haku turned to the Orasu sisters and shrugged, Kurohane let out an unearthly shriek and fell to her knees while clutching her head. Startled and momentarily deafened, the girls couldn't keep Kurohane from collapsing face-first onto the floor when she passed out.

(?)

When the princess opened her eyes, she found herself in a place she hadn't visited in years: her mindscape. However, it didn't look like it should've.

Normally, and rather ironically, the area took the form of a library; her favorite place to be when she was younger. Given, it was because it was one of the few places where she was virtually guaranteed not to be bothered while she napped, but she had fond memories of it all the same.

But the library seemed to have been subject to some impromptu "remodeling" since she'd last visited. Instead of neat rows of shelves occupied by meticulously organized books, pristine study tables and comfy reading areas, there was disorder and destruction. Bookshelves had been toppled over, with their contents strewn all about, chairs had been thrown across the room, and every table had been either flipped over or broken in half.

"What a mess." Kurohane muttered.

She wasn't particularly perturbed by it, as she knew what caused it and how to fix it. Mindscapes were one of the very few things Kurohane actually paid attention to during school. She was fascinated by it; a completely self-contained pseudo-reality, controlled by your mind and limited only by your imagination. The concept alone had her hooked, and she made sure to learn everything she could about it.

"I really should come here more often." Kurohane mumbled to herself.

Seconds later, everything around her began to warp and shift, like a mirage in the desert. When the environment came back into focus, it was restored to its normal immaculate condition. Everything was back in its rightful place and Kurohane was all smiles. That is, until she remembered exactly how she'd ended up in her mindscape in the first place.

"Really, what was that all about?" the scythe-wielder asked herself as she took a seat in a nearby chair, situated beside a large fireplace.

"...-ane..." came an unfamiliar whisper that immediately put Kurohane on high-alert.

"What the..." Kurohane trailed off, going silent to see if she could hear anything else.

"...-hane..."

Though whatever was said sounded incomplete, it had come through much clearer than before, and Kurohane found that she recognized it.

"Kyuubi?"

"KUROHANE!" Kyuubi's voice shook Kurohane's mindscape like an earthquake, toppling everything that wasn't nailed down to the floor, including Kurohane herself.

"Dammit!" Kurohane cursed as she got back to her feet. "What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry, I was having trouble getting through. This kind of distance is a lot to ask of even a well-established mental link, let alone an unused one." Kyuubi replied.

"What?"

"You and Naruto have a mental link, which I'm guessing was established the moment you attached yourself to him. I'm using that link to communicate with you right now." Kyuubi explained, but Kurohane could tell that something wasn't right.

"Kyuubi, what's wrong? You sound like you're in a hurry."

"That's because I am. We ran into some trouble in Kumo, and Naruto's been hurt..."

"H-How bad is i-it?"

"Even though I'm doing everything in my power to help him, his chances of survival are still slim."

"DammitdammitDAMMIT!" Kurohane screamed. "I'm on my way. Goddammit, I knew I shouldn't have left!"

"You're not going anywhere." Kyuubi said sternly.

"But I'm his Familiar; his bodyguard!"

"Are you also his nurse? What Naruto needs is a healer, not a fighter. If you think you're skilled enough to snatch him away from the Shinigami's doorstep, then by all means get over here. Otherwise, you'd best stay in Konoha and carry out your assignment."

"B-But...But I..."

"But what? The only thing you can do for him right now is what he told you to do. I didn't tell you this because I wanted or needed your help; I told you because you would've found out on your own eventually, and I didn't want you freaking out and doing something stupid."

"But Naruto..." Kurohane murmured, struggling to stop the flow of tears.

"He'll be okay. If he can't pull through with my help, then the Soul Edge can preserve his soul until his body can be properly restored."

"Really?" Kurohane wiped her eyes.

"According to Nightmare, that blade is good for something besides kill-..." Kyuubi suddenly trailed off.

"Hello? Kyuubi?" the Familiar called.

"WHAT?" the demoness suddenly roared, once again rocking Kurohane's mindscape. "Kurohane, we'll talk more later, hopefully after Naruto's been stabilized." without waiting for a response, the apparently furious Bijū cut the link.

"Wait!" Kurohane called, but it was too late. "...Fuck."

(Outside World - Naruto's Apartment)

"Um...Is she crying?" Kiriko asked, kneeling next to Kurohane's unmoving form.

The fact that black-clad girl was still breathing calmed them all down somewhat, but this newest development set off a whole new bout of hysterics. Mild hysterics, but hysterics nonetheless.

"Is it too much to ask for something to go smoothly?" Haku questioned, her left eye twitching slightly. "Literally every single plan that we've been involved in over the past few years has turned into some horrible catastrophe that we barely lived through!" 'And some of us didn't live through...'

"...What doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Kiriko ventured.

"Then we should be fucking Demigods by now!" Haku snapped.

Kiriko slowly backed away from the seething girl and leaned over to whisper to her sister, "What happened to the polite and benevolent Haku?"

"Beats me." Chigusa shrugged.

"She has issues with repressed anger." Haku, having heard them, gave her own answer.

"I heard that could give you an ulcer." Chigusa said, citing an article she'd read in a publication called "Medic Magazine Monthly".

"I've already had two." Haku muttered, pushing her true feelings into the darkest corner of her mind, as she had done so many times over the years.

The two sisters shared a worried glance at this revelation, silently wondering if they personally had anything to do with their friend's past afflictions.

Meanwhile, Seizonsha, who had absolutely no idea what the humans were talking about, occupied herself with prodding the downed Kurohane with her paw.

"C'mon, Bird Lady, you can't take a nap now!" the small fox started jumping back and forth over Kurohane's face. "We got things to do!"

Kurohane's eyes suddenly snapped open and she bolted upright, causing everyone around her to recoil with a startled yelp.

"...My name isn't 'Bird Lady'." then, without another word, the girl got to her feet and walked over to the door.

After taking a glance back and Hinata to see just how much wider the door needed to be, Kurohane nodded to herself and summoned her scythe. A large ball of dark purple energy gathered around the scythe's blade, then she swung the weapon like a giant sledgehammer.

With a thunderous crash and a shower of rubble, the door was seven feet high, by eight feet wide.

"Well, that's one way to do it." Chigusa chuckled nervously while picking pieces of drywall out of her long black hair.

"Very...Naruto-esque." Haku said.

"Why didn't we think of that before?" Kiriko frowned. "Naruto probably does worse to this place on a regular basis. In fact, we saw him do worse just yesterday!" she pointed at the wall that had been demolished by a headbutt from Naruto.

"As much as I'd love to talk about the various ways in which Naruto has trashed his own property, I've still got a job to do." Kurohane said before taking hold of Hinata's body near where the humanoid and arachnid parts met. "And you girls volunteered to help out, so start with the helping."

While initially somewhat peeved with Kurohane's rudeness, the girls shrugged it off and helped the princess carry their unconscious friend into Naruto's "workshop".

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Had anyone been wandering through the dungeon-like maze of corridors that made up Naruto's mental sanctuary, and happened to make it to Kyuubi's chamber, they'd come across a sight that was actually quite routine. There was the demoness, in all her terrifying/hot-as-hell glory, pinning the Azure Knight to a wall with her hand wrapped around his neck.

Now, while this wasn't an uncommon event in Naruto's Mindscape, the details were most certainly out of the ordinary. Kyuubi looked genuinely ready to murder her fellow demon, and Nightmare looked genuinely afraid for his life.

"Would you mind running that by me...one more time?" Kyuubi seethed, baring her mouthful of vicious fangs as her glowing eyes bored holes through the demon knight's armor.

"I...I was b-bluffing when I s-said that the Soul Edge c-could preserve Naruto's soul so his b-body could be healed." Nightmare barely managed to wheeze out(1).

"And you never thought it important to let me in on that little tidbit of information?"

"I figured you knew enough about the Soul Edge to know that what I said wasn't true!"

"All I know about that thing is what has been written about it! I have virtually no knowledge of its inner workings and intricacies; that's YOUR department!" Kyuubi snarled.

"Dammit, I'm sorry, Kyuubi! I shouldn't have made that assumption, but I did, okay? I'm sorry!"

Kyuubi snorted and released Nightmare from her grip. "Of course you're sorry; everybody's sorry after they fuck up. But you've been around long enough to know that 'sorry' has never fixed a damn thing."

"What do you want me to say?" Nightmare growled as he glared down at the Demon Lord.

Even though he towered over her by more than half a foot(not including his horn), he still felt like a goldfish staring into the eyes of a Great White.

"I don't want you to say anything, Nightmare. I want you to make yourself useful and go guard the door to that room Shizaru made. I need to devote my full attention to keeping Naruto alive, I'll need you to inform me of any new developments. Think you can handle that?"

"..." Nightmare didn't say a word, choosing to nod and avoid getting himself into more trouble with his mouth.

"Good. Now, get out of my sight before I decide to devour you."

Nightmare quickly stepped around the livid demoness and vacated her chamber. While Kyuubi could inflict all manner of violence on his person, eating him was the only surefire way to get rid of him for good. Even though Kyuubi had no direct power over souls outside of her own, once she ate someone, their soul would automatically be assimilated into hers, along with whatever form of energy they contained and/or produced. This was the reason many demons ate their own kind; it was arguably the quickest way to gain immense power, though also the most dangerous.

However, Nightmare didn't really know what would happen if Kyuubi were to eat him. Sure, she was immeasurably more powerful than him, but Nightmare was a demon that dealt specifically with souls. Could he even be assimilated? Or would Kyuubi herself end up being erased from existence? Perhaps their souls would fuse into an entirely new being? Or maybe Nightmare would live on inside Kyuubi's head to annoy her for all eternity? Who knew?

Nightmare didn't, and he sure as hell wasn't in a hurry to find out.

As he left, Kyuubi sat down on the floor in the lotus position. Within seconds, a crimson aura surrounded her and expanded to cover the entire chamber. Healing Naruto's more grievous injuries had never been an easy task. There was always so much that she had to monitor to keep him safe, as her youki could have easily incinerated the boy in the blink of an eye if she wasn't careful. Since he had become a hanyou, things had gotten easier, but he had never been mutilated to this degree before.

Then there was the fact that the youki his body naturally produced was at odds with hers. Instead of assisting her in the healing process, Naruto's youki seemed to be doing its damnedest to keep her from accomplishing anything.

'Hmph, even his youki doesn't play well with others.' Kyuubi thought with a bitter chuckle. "Shizaru...I knew I should've killed you when I had the chance."

(Shizaru's Room)

After Shizaru had given the name of the game, Naruto just sat there, staring at him silently.

"..."

"..." and Shizaru stared right back.

"..."

"..."

"...If you break out a deck of cards, I'm going to shove your arm down your throat." Naruto deadpanned.

Having not expected that reply, Shizaru had to stifle a chuckle.

"Not that kind of 'War'. Besides, I think we've established that you can't even make me swallow my own words, let alone my own arm." Shizaru smirked when his descendant gave only a slight twitch in response. "So, you are learning. Wonderful."

"Are you going to explain this little game of yours, or are you going to keep antagonizing me and pointing out my inability to do anything about it?"

"Hm, you're taking your utter inferiority to me rather well."

"Being beaten into mush and cut in half tends to be a sobering experience." Naruto shrugged.

"Stabbed. I stabbed you in half." Shizaru corrected.

Naruto just yawned.

"...Right. Well, this game is really a 'War Simulator', if you will. You see, Hell isn't terribly different to this world, once you get right down to it. With the exception of the First Circle, each level of Hell is divided into sectors; you can think of them as individual countries on the same continent. Each sector has its own 'Grand Ruler', much like the Daimyos here.

As you know, very few rulers are content with their 'fair share', and always want more. And when that 'more' happens to belong to someone else, who doesn't want to give it up, you know what happens. But, instead of wasting time, power and soldiers on waging a real war, and leaving themselves vulnerable to the next challenger, the Grand Rulers invented this game. Based on the outcome, the players would then weigh their options and decide whether to go ahead with a real war, call a truce, or concede defeat and hand over their sector to the victor."

Naruto nodded, liking the sound of the game already. "I take it you're one of these 'Grand Rulers'?"

"I used to control the entire Fifth Circle. That is, before the 'new' Lord of Hell, Lucifer, Arcarian's former Right Hand, stripped me of my title when I refused to pledge my loyalty to him." Shizaru snorted at the mere thought of "Lue", as he liked to be called, proclaiming himself to be Arcarian's replacement.

It didn't matter if Lucifer was among the first ever created by Arcarian, or that he was second-only to the God of the Void in terms of power. In Shizaru's view, Lucifer had no right to just assume control the way he did.

"Lucifer? That name rings a bell..."

"It should. 'Lucifer' may be the name he chose for himself, but it is just one of many names assigned to him. Another popular one was 'Satan'. Contrary to what used to be popular belief, he was not, nor has he ever been, 'The Man' in Hell; but as I said, he was his Right Hand. As such, he was Lord Arcarian's avatar here on Earth. The Gods only show themselves to those they favor, otherwise their avatars do the talking. Of course, these avatars are almost always mistaken for Gods themselves, and they make no effort to correct those they appear before. That being said, Lucifer, in one form or another, is likely the most well-known denizen of Hell, as far as humans are concerned." Shizaru didn't appear to be pleased with anything he'd just said. At all(2).

And Naruto picked up on it. "What, does he owe you money or something?"

"Or something." Shizaru repeated, refusing to elaborate. "Let's begin the game, shall we?" he then tapped the table lightly with a finger, causing it to give of a dull glow.

A second later, the table was no longer a little three foot wooden square. Instead, Naruto found himself sitting before a massive rectangle, at least twenty feet long, by ten feet wide.

'...A giant flatscreen TV?' Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

"This is the battlefield; a special table designed to bring entire armies and environments to life using the memories and thoughts of the participants. Allow me to demonstrate."

The table's black surface was suddenly replaced by a three-dimensional replica of a desert, complete with animals, the occasional plant, and even wind.

"The 'default' is a bird's-eye view, but you can zoom-in to look at specific areas and monitor individual forces. Of course, you can only see your own armies, conquered territory and unclaimed land. Scout and Spy units can allow you to see enemy positions and even take detailed peeks at enemy activity, but I wouldn't rely on them if I were you." Shizaru explained as the 'sim-table' shifted to show a vast mountain range, complete with clouds, fog and snow.

"You're assuming that I even have an army for this little 'game' of yours. What if I don't?" Naruto swore he could actually feel the look Shizaru was giving him.

"I shouldn't have to remind you that I can look through your memories at will. I know you've got an army; one you gathered for reasons you can't even decide upon. As of now, you're just doing it just to do it, so I'm going to save you some trouble and put that army of yours to use." though Naruto couldn't see it, Shizaru had already put his own army out on the field. "The Elemental Nations will be the battleground, and as with real war, you must do whatever is necessary to win. If that means annihilating the inhabitants of a village to use it as a stronghold, then so be it. Scruples have no place here."

"...Fine." Naruto said with a frown. "How do I summon my army?"

"Normally, there'd be a special orb in front of you that would draw on your memories to create your army. But, since, we're already in your head, all you need to do is think, and the table will do the rest."

"I don't have a choice in all this, do I?"

"..."

"Right...Fuck."

(Zombie Brothers' Hideout)

Exiting the portal brought on a sense of vertigo that caused Kakuzu to stumble slightly, but he quickly regained his footing and shook his head slightly.

'Never again.' he thought as he stuck Hidan's scythe into the cave wall and dumped its owner on the ground.

Giving the fellow "immortal" a quick once-over, Kakuzu noted that he looked quite dead. He wasn't breathing, he had no heartbeat, his skin was pale and his lips were blue. He'd clearly been asphyxiated, most likely drowned. That raised several questions, key among them: "How?"

'Perhaps the Nine-Tails Jinchuuriki has a Water affinity...' Kakuzu rubbed his chin as his "inner detective" went to work. 'That would explain how he'd be able to hold Hidan under long enough to drown him. It would also explain how he was able to use an attack as powerful as the Water Dragon Projectile at such a young age.' but that opened up a new question, 'But if he has a Water affinity, why didn't he use more water-based attacks?'

While the village wasn't known for it, Konoha did have a decent array of Water techniques in its collective arsenal. Most of them were stolen from Kiri during the Shinobi Wars, but they had some original ones as well. In fact, one of the most famous "Water Wielders" in history was Konoha's Nidaime Hokage, a man that Kakuzu had some personal experience with. That man had a considerable number of techniques, suitable for anything from watering a garden, to drowning an entire city. All of those techniques were sitting in Konoha's technique vaults, and logic would dictate that those with strong Water affinities be first in line to learn them.

Then again, based on the typical treatment of demon vessels, logic would dictate that the village wouldn't let the boy anywhere near the techniques of their Kages.

'But this kid obviously has power, and gets along with their current Hokage well enough for the man to trust him with his life. Based on that, the Jinchuuriki would have those techniques regardless of social status or public opinion.' Kakuzu sat down on a nearby rock and continued to think, going through and discarding one theory after another.

This went on for a good five minutes before he'd had enough of racking his own brain for answers, and decided to get the info from a firsthand source.

Getting up from his rock, Kakuzu walked over to Hidan, lifted his right leg, then brought his foot down on the cultist's chest with bone-crushing force.

Copious amounts of water were suddenly and harshly expelled from Hidan's lungs, along with a bit of blood, but he didn't awaken.

'Goddamn it!' Kakuzu mentally cursed.

Hidan had been drowned before, several times actually, during his relatively short time as Kakuzu's partner. This usually happened when a fight was taken to the surface of a large body of water and something heavy fell on the Jashinist, pinning him to the bottom. Once his carcass was dragged from the water, it wasn't enough to just get the liquid out of his lungs. His heart needed to be "jumpstarted" to get him up and active again, and Kakuzu usually accomplished this with a "mild" electric shock.

But, now that his Lightning heart had been destroyed, he had no way to do that.

'And with that storm outside, I can't even go into Kumo to get a new one.' but at least he had the other organs he needed on-hand.

Kakuzu had taken to keeping replacement organs inside sealing scrolls decades ago. He needed to restock soon, but he still had a trachea and a larynx. However, he only had one lung left, and he needed two.

Had he been able to, Kakuzu would've sighed in frustration as he kneeled down next to Hidan's body. While what he was about to do wouldn't kill his partner, no matter how much he wished it would, it just didn't sit well with Kakuzu. This was a man that he'd grown to hate more than any other, and having said man's internal organs inside of him...Just the mere idea of it was almost enough to make Kakuzu cringe.

Almost.

Hidan wouldn't be happy when he woke up and found that his right lung was gone. It would only get worse when he realized that it was Kakuzu who had taken it. This had happened before, but it pissed Hidan off more than anything else Kakuzu did.

But, as much as the money-obsessed nukenin hated it, he had to admit there was a definite upside to taking Hidan's organs, specifically his lung. Until he was able to perform his "voodoo" ritual, he wouldn't be able to re-grow the organ, and that meant his yelling, screaming and cursing would be kept to a minimum.

'As far as I can tell, the pros outweigh the cons, so...' Kakuzu ripped off his tattered shirt, exposing his patchwork torso. He then sat back with a vicious smirk as hundreds of his signature black threads burst from his body's stitches and proceeded to tear open the chest cavity of his temporarily-deceased partner and extract his right lung.

(Naruto's Mindscape)

Once Naruto had gotten his army set up, he had taken Konoha as his primary base and had added their most powerful shinobi to his own forces. As it turned out, Shizaru hadn't been lying about the simplicity of the game's learning curve. It had only taken Naruto a few minutes to get the hang of manipulating the display, and he was ready to go afterward.

Unfortunately, he had yet to find where Shizaru was situated, and had no interest in expanding his territory until he found the demon's stronghold. Naruto had scattered Hellhound scouts throughout the elemental nations, figuring that Shizaru would end up destroying any that got too close, thus giving away his general position. In the meantime, the scouts were mapping out the area around them as they travelled, giving Naruto a more detailed view of the terrain.

Suddenly, seventeen of his twenty scouts were destroyed within seconds of each other.

"The hell?" Naruto exclaimed. 'The only ones that weren't destroyed were those heading for Nami no Kuni...Does he have me surrounded already?' if that was the case, then the game was as good as lost for the young hanyou.

Across the table, Shizaru chuckled. "You think you're the only one who has scouts out and about?"

Naruto glared at Shizaru, though the wall that now split the table in half prevented him from actually seeing the demon. However, he gave an inward sigh of relief. If it had been enemy scouts that were responsible, that meant Shizaru's army wasn't in his front yard. But the thought of the enemy already having scouts so close wasn't much better.

"In the future, I'd advise not sending out weak scouts in such low numbers. Sure, weaker troops in smaller numbers are less likely to be noticed, but they have virtually no chance to survival should they get into a fight."

Naruto snorted, even though he knew the demon was right. Even ANBU never scouted with anything less than a team of three shinobi. Afterall, what use was a scout if it was killed the moment it actually found something? Well, in this game, they actually were quite useful even in death. Before they died, the Hellhounds had allowed Naruto a glimpse of one of Shizaru's troops.

Activating the table's "screen-in-screen" function, Naruto was about to pull up a picture of the beast. It appeared to be a purple and black mass formed into the shape of a horse-sized cat, armed with massively overgrown canine teeth and featuring two glowing crimson orbs for eyes. While it did have legs, its feet seemed to have been connected to the ground(3).

'No, not the ground...its shadow.' Naruto concluded.

"They're called 'Specters'; my own personal creations. As you've likely noticed, they are Darkness constructs, and aren't terribly different from Darkness Clones. And, just like Darkness Clones, they may be little more than footsoldiers, but they are not to be taken lightly." Shizaru explained.

"...And you told me that, why?"

"An uninformed opponent is an easily beaten opponent. An easily beaten opponent is a boring opponent." Shizaru said in a manner that would cause some to mistake him for a Nara. "I didn't come here to waste my time by mercilessly destroying you; been there, done that."

"Asshole." Naruto growled, then sent out more Hellhound scouts, this time in groups of four. However, they weren't alone, as he also sent each group out with ten Slayers, travelling underground to go unnoticed. 'Let's see how he likes this.'

(With Yugito)

It wasn't until a good few minutes after she'd stormed away from the demon that Yugito realized she had no idea what she was going to do. At first she'd planned to go back to the tunnel that she and Naruto had fallen into and leave the same way she came. The rain would've taken care of the chakra-nullifying seal tags that lined the hole, so climbing back through it wouldn't have been a difficult task.

But the rain was the exact reason why the hole was no longer an option. Even if she did get out, there was a storm raging on the surface, and taking Naruto out in it was no better than killing him herself. Even with her powerful Lightning affinity and the natural enhancements granted by her status as a Jinchuuriki, Yugito didn't go outside during storms. While it had been proven that lightning bolts wouldn't kill her, they would surely knock her out cold. If that happened, Naruto was as good as dead, if he wasn't already.

"Dammit!" Yugito hissed. "Can't go outside, can't stay in here; what the fuck else is there?" when she was answered by silence, she turned back to give her clones the evil eye.

"What?" Clone One rose an eyebrow. "Did you expect us to have an idea?"

"You know that we're technically you, right?" Clone Two chortled. "If you don't know what to do, then neither do we by default."

"...A lot of help you two are." Yugito grumbled to herself, though both clones caught it.

"Hey, we're already doing the heavy lifting for you!" Clone One huffed.

"Yeah, don't tell me we gotta think for you, too!" Clone Two said, cheeks puffed out in an indignant pout.

Yugito let out a low growl. This was why she didn't like using Shadow Clones for anything outside of fighting. Out of all the types of clones in the world, Shadow Clones were the only ones that were known to have minds of their own on a regular basis. Sure, with every type of clone you got an "oddball" once in a while. But with Shadow Clones it was a common occurrence, sometimes to the point where it was rare to get a clone that didn't have it's own personality and attitude(4).

"Tch, figures. When I just want you to shut up and do your job, you guys have always got something to say. But when I could actually use some input, you decide to clam up. If you wanna be that way, then fine, but I don't expect to hear another goddamn word out of either of you. Clear?"

The two clones just nodded, obviously terrified, even though there was virtually nothing Yugito could really do to them. Sure, she could dispel them, but they didn't feel pain, and they'd be back the very next time she summoned Shadow Clones.

After one final warning glare, Yugito went back to thinking up a solution to her current problem. Then, not even ten seconds later, it her like a brick to the face.

The water management facility! She had friends there, once of which was an accomplished field medic, and they could ride out the storm there. Hopefully the storm wouldn't last very long and Yugito would be able to contact the Raikage to get Naruto into a proper hospital. Hopefully, Kyuubi would be able to handle things by herself in the meantime.

Without a word, Yugito suddenly dashed down a side tunnel. Her clones followed immediately, for once obeying her orders to shut up and do their jobs. As Clone Two pointed out, they were Yugito, and despite their differing personalities, they all shared the same memories and emotions. The clones' desire to keep Naruto alive was just as strong as their creator's, and if she had a plan, who were they to argue?

(Naruto's Mindscape)

"Dammit!" Naruto growled as yet another Slayer Captain's life-bar dwindled to nothing and it was removed from the battlefield.

Just minutes ago, he had decided to take over Nami no Kuni, since that was just about the only place he hadn't found any of Shizaru's scouting parties. However, by the time his forces, under the leadership of his female clone Akiko, had arrived at the country's border at the same moment as a rather large band of Shizaru's "Specters".

Of course, a battle broke out, but Naruto's forces seemed to have the advantage. It had only taken two minutes to destroy thirty of the fifty Specters, while Akiko's party had lost half of her party. Fortunately, it had been the weaker half. She was now left with four Slayer Captains, fourteen normal Slayers, and two Hellhounds, all of which still had full life-bars. Then, in a single brilliant flash, Akiko destroyed the remaining Specters with a particularly powerful Fire Dragon Missile.

But, just as Naruto was about to pat himself on the back, enemy reinforcements arrived. There were only two of them, but they were enough to decimate Akiko's ranks and force Naruto to send out his own reinforcements.

He had no idea what these things were; he'd never seen anything even remotely like them. Standing at least twelve feet in height, these things appeared to be made out of solid muscle. Heads that looked vaguely like deformed human skulls, supported by massive necks that were all but fused into their shoulders. Arms larger than Naruto's entire body gave them the strength to crush even Slayer Captains into pulp. These were connected to huge torsos at least six feet across and packed with grotesquely bulging muscles. Powerful digitigrade legs with oddly-shaped, almost elephant-like feet gave the monsters terrible speed by any measure, judging from how quickly they had descended upon Akiko and her troops(5).

The whole package was wrapped in pale grey skin that looked to be stretched almost to the point of tearing. All in all, these behemoths were terrifying things to behold, and they were about to squash Akiko like an insect.

"Marvelous creatures, aren't they?" Shizaru chuckled. "Demolishers are quite popular in Hell, the Underworld(6), and even your world. Not only do they make excellent for excellent heavy infantry, they're highly valued by those in the smithing trade. Their bones are actually made of an incredibly strong metal that's often melted down and used to make especially durable weapons and armor. I believe the armor your mother uses is made of a metal composite featuring melted Demolisher bones."

"How do you know that?"

"I know quite a lot about Kushina Uzumaki. Anywho, while their skin offers them no protection at all, Demolishers' muscles double as formidable armor. In fact, even I have trouble running them through sometimes. However, once you find their weakness, they're hardly a challenge."

Naruto had processed all that information, but only one thing really stood out.

"Just how much do you know about that bitch?" he demanded.

"Tsk, tsk, youngling, you know the rules. You have to pass a test to get answers. Tell you what; anytime you defeat my forces in a battle, I will answer one of your questions. How's that?"

"...How generous of you." Naruto scowled.

"You could very well die within the next few hours, so this is the least I could do. Quite literally."

Though he couldn't see Shizaru, Naruto could practically feel the demon's smug smirk. Looking back at the battlefield, Naruto was relieved to find that Akiko had retreated, along with her remaining two Slayer Captains, and was currently heading back towards Konoha. Of course, the Demolishers were hot on their heels, mowing down trees like they were nothing and leaving two straight swaths of devastation in their wake. At this rate, Akiko would reach Naruto's reinforcement unit in less than five minutes.

'Brood in impotent rage later. Right now, I've got to figure out how to kill these things.' if he didn't figure it out, his reinforcements would meet the same fate as Akiko's troops once the Demolishers got to them.

(Uzu no Kuni - Uzumaki Compound - Training Field)

A loud "crack" resounded through the training field, and less than a second later the only female Uzumaki child found herself nearly embedded in the side of a cliff.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Nee-san." Kuishiro taunted as he stood in the middle of the field, electricity crackling all over his body.

Kagimi smirked and her fully-matured Sharingan flared to life once more. "So, you finally got your 'Chishi Miwaku' to do more than just attract(7)?"

"Yep. It can repel now, too. That means your sword, and all of your kunai, shuriken, senbon and gyorai are useless against me(8)." Kuishiro said, feeling quite proud of himself.

"Oh dear, it looks like I can't use any steel. What ever will I do now?" Kagimi wailed overdramatically, then suddenly exhaled a massive fireball at her brother.

Kuishiro simply grunted in frustration before vanishing into thin air just before the fireball struck.

Kagimi frowned, then vanished as well. Milliseconds later, the telltale sound of metal on metal echoed throughout the field.

Moving at speeds imperceptible to most human eyes, the positions of the two combatants were given away only by the small flash of sparks generated when their blades met.

"Ah, so you can't move and maintain your field at the same time." Kagimi said as they finally stopped in the center of the field, blades locked and grinding against one another. "Gotta say, Nii-san, your Chishi Miwaku doesn't have a lot going for it."

"Maybe not at the moment." Kuishiro replied, obviously straining to hold his ground against his deceptively dainty sister. "But I will perfect it soon enough, then you'll be eating the dirt along with your words."

Kagimi just smirked. "Isn't that what you said when you began your sword training?" she suddenly shoved her brother back, then delivered a solid thrust kick to his chest before he could recover, cracking the ceramic armor plating.

Kuishiro grimaced as he slid back along the ground. He barely felt the kick, but he noticed that the blade of his rapier had cracked.

'Worthless piece of junk.' sure, blades of this type weren't meant to go toe-to-toe with heavier, sturdier swords, but still...

Even from a distance of nearly thirty feet, Kagimi's eyes easily spotted the crack about eight inches above the rapier's hilt.

"You should know better than to go against me with a sword, Nii-san." the half-Uchiha said, pointing her own practice sword at the boy. "You may be faster than me, but your blade skills don't match up to mine."

Instead of taking offense to the remark, Kuishiro agreed wholeheartedly. "Of course not. Mother is your Kenjutsu instructor; I have to settle for some reject from Kiri!" he tossed the sword to the ground, where it broke in two upon impact.

"You're the one who chose to use a rapier, a weapon that few people in this day and age have any experience with. Sure, Ishimura-sensei didn't make it into the Seven Swordsmen, but even mother recognizes him as an excellent swordsman."

Indeed, Kaiba Ishimura was an exceptional swordsman. From the time he was strong enough to hold a blade, he had trained constantly to accomplish a single goal: to be one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Being such a respected, feared and powerful group, it was understandable that not just anyone would be allowed to join. To date, members were only accepted after doing one of two things. Either they waited for a vacancy in their ranks and passed the tests set up by the remaining members; or they killed an existing member and presented his/her sword to the others.

Kaiba revered the Seven far too much to even think about killing one of them, so he simply waited and honed his skills even further. Then his prayers were answered when Zabuza Momochi went rogue and a spot opened up. Out of the six tests, Kaiba passed five with flying colors. But his hopes were dashed when he came up against Kisame Hoshigaki, Kirigakure's monster in semi-human skin. Of course, the man wanted to fight.

This was usually where the hopefuls failed. The objective wasn't to win, but simply to survive, and most didn't. Kaiba lasted all of two minutes before his rapier broke. He had gone for a thrust aimed directly at the blue-skinned man's heart, but had severely underestimated his quickness. Kisame brought his Samehada up to defend, and the rapier, no matter how sharp its tip, had no hope of penetrating it. The thin, flexible blade bent almost like it was made of rubber, then snapped like a twig, leaving Kaiba unarmed and defeated.

Despite his impressive skill, it was Kaiba's "flimsy" weapon and lack of a back-up that caused him to fail. And no matter the circumstances, that failure made him weak in Kuishiro's eyes.

"Not good enough to stand against mother. As far as I'm concerned, if he's not good enough to at least face mother on equal ground with a blade, then he is not good enough to prepare me to face you on equal ground."

For a moment, Kagimi's expression softened and she flashed her brother a genuine smile. "I'm flattered that you think so highly of me, Nii-san, but you just might surpass me once your True Blades are finished."

"I doubt it." Kuishiro snorted, then activated his Chishi Miwaku again. "Shall we continue?"

Kagimi nodded, then suddenly dashed over to the armory shed at the edge of the field closest to the mansion.

"I know you can repel kunai, gyorai and all that stuff without much difficulty." Kagimi said as she rummaged around in the shed, careful not to knock anything over or accidentally loose a finger amongst the plethora of lethal objects. "But how about something with a bit more weight to it?"

"What do you have in mind?" he tried to sound confident, but Kuishiro was quite worried.

Just like everyone else, he knew that his sister was batshit crazy; and that was being polite. When she said something with a "bit" more weight than a kunai, she could've very well been thinking of a three-hundred pound zanbatō.

Fortunately, that didn't appear to be the case, as whatever Kagimi had decided upon was small enough to hide behind her back. But that disarming smile of hers did nothing to ease Kuishiro's apprehension.

"This." Kagimi's eyes seemed to glow in anticipation as she revealed a massive windmill shuriken.

Holding it up with two fingers through the center ring, she pumped a miniscule amount of chakra into it. The weapon's four blades slid out along the ring, locking into place once they went over a set of special grooves(9).

'Shit.' Kuishiro mentally swore. He knew he couldn't repel something like that.

Earlier in their spar, Kagimi had thrown her practice longsword at him as if it were a giant kunai, and it had taken all of Kuishiro's concentration just to stop the thing. Not only was the windmill shuriken heavier than the sword, it would likely be traveling a good deal faster as well.

"Ready?" Kagimi asked as she began to spin the intimidating projectile.

"If I said 'no', would you still throw it?"

Kagimi's only response was a manic grin as her shuriken picked up speed, creating a localized whirlwind.

"Dumb question. Alright, bring it on!" bolts of electricity arced all around Kuishiro's body and for a split second the powerful electromagnetic field around him became visible as a dome spreading out about ten feet in every direction.

Quicker than any normal eye could see, Kagimi rotated her entire body two times to gain momentum, like a discus thrower, then flung the huge modified shuriken with all her might. The weapon flew through the air at over five-hundred miles an hour, kicking up a large dust cloud in its wake. At these speeds, windmill shuriken produced an almost painful shriek that gave them the "affectionate" nickname "Screaming Meanies"(10).

However, just as it cleared three-fourths of the distance between the siblings, a feminine hand slipped through the center ring and stopped the shuriken's forward progress, though it continued to spin.

"I think that'll be enough for now." Kushina said, pumping chakra into the shuriken to stop the rotation and lock the blades back in their original positions. "Come, lunch is ready." she then turned and walked towards the compound.

Kagimi and Kuishiro immediately fell into step behind their mother, both silently wondering if she had been watching them the whole time. Both hoping that she was pleased with the progress they had made.

"Kui-chan..." Kushina called.

"Yes, mother?" the white-haired youth instantly snapped to attention, though didn't break his stride.

"Are you really so upset about Kaiba-kun being your sensei?" to anyone else, there would've been nothing out of the ordinary about Kushina's question. But anyone who really knew her could pick out the slight edge in her tone.

Kaiba was actually a close friend of Kushina's, and had even served as a surrogate father to the triplets for the first four and a half years of their lives. Then he had gone back to Kiri because of the Bloodline Purge. He had many friends back in Kiri, some of them informants, who possessed Kekkei Genkai, and he wanted to get them out of the country. Somewhere along the line, he had been drawn into the civil war that had broken out between the surviving Bloodline users and the Bloodline Extermination Corps.

He had returned to Uzu no Kuni only three months ago, after a major victory on the part of the Resistance granted them control of most of Kirigakure. The Yondaime Mizukage was now in hiding, along with what remained of the BEC, and though some thought that meant the end of the war, most knew better. Even so, Kaiba had been allowed to leave, though he promised to return if/when the Mizukage resurfaced.

Kushina herself loved the man like a brother. Though, if certain circumstances in her life had been different, he would've been much more. That being said, she didn't take kindly to anyone speaking ill of him. Not even her own children.

Kuishiro gulped and noticed that Kagimi had increased the distance between them.

"N-No, mother, I...It's just that he doesn't match up to you..." he trailed off, directing his eyes towards the ground.

"Overall, no, he doesn't. However, if I were to pick up a rapier and challenge him right now, I wouldn't have a snowball's chance in Suna." Kushina said, without even a hint of sarcasm.

"..." not wanting to call his mother a liar, but not seeing any other choice, Kuishiro kept silent.

"There's a reason he is training you in Kenjutsu. You chose the rapier as your weapon, and I have no experience or skill with that particular blade. Kaiba, on the other hand, has been using one for most of his life. There's only one person better than him, and she lives in Iron Country; you know we're not welcome there."

"I'm sorry, mother, but I don't see how he could ever defeat you."

"Then you will never defeat your sister." Kushina didn't say another word, leaving her most quick-tempered child to think about her words.

Whereas most siblings would have taken the opportunity to gloat, Kagimi only smiled apologetically to her brother and gave him a soft pat on the back. She always saw herself and her brothers as equals, and hated being put on any kind of pedestal over them. They were supposed to be training to overcome the demon, not each other.

However, her brothers, Kuishiro at least, didn't see it that way. Of the three, Kagimi had taken after Kushina the most, even using the same type of blade as her mother. This resulted in much of Kagimi's training being handled by Kushina personally. As Kuishiro had voiced before, if Kagimi had a stronger sensei than her brothers, it was only logical that she'd be stronger than them.

Whether or not this was true was anyone's guess. In terms of sparring victories, Kagimi and Kuishiro had been dead even for years, now tied at one-thousand four-hundred and fifty-nine each. Houshima was actually in the lead, with one-thousand five-hundred and seventy-three victories to his name, mostly against Kuishiro.

Speaking of the eternally-aloof boy, he was currently sitting in the dining hall waiting for the rest of his family. While they were allowed to eat like pigs in most places, most of the time, Kushina had made it quite clear that everyone was to follow proper etiquette at home.

Houshima wasn't really sure if wearing training gear at the table was proper etiquette, but his mother allowed it anyway. Like his siblings, Houshima never trained with his actual battlesuit, not wanting to risk it being damaged in a mere spar. Instead, the triplets wore black, form-fitting jackets, pants and knee-high boots. Like their practice weapons, their training armor left much to be desired compared to their actual battle attire, but it was functional and, if you asked them, looked pretty cool.

A cuirass to protect their torsos, vambraces for their arms and elbows, and greaves for their shins and knees. All of it was made of a lightweight, but very strong, ceramic composite, and given a glossy black finish that led to Kagimi calling the training gear "bug suits"(11).

Looking at the armor, Houshima found that it did somewhat remind him of an ant or a beetle. He also noticed a crack in his right vambrace.

'Well, it seems I owe Watanabe-san an apology.' Houshima thought.

Like Kuishiro, Houshima had chosen a weapon that his mother had no experience with. Also like Kuishiro, his chosen weapon was very uncommon in the world of ninjas, and people with any skill in wielding it were even more rare.

While Kushina didn't have any personal experience with a scythe, she had seen a nuke-nin wield one during her brief time as a freelance Hunter. Unfortunately, she had killed him, so he wouldn't be any help. But she saw that how he used his scythe was very similar to how one would use a Bō, and she just so happened to know a former Iwagakure shinobi who was an expert in Bōjutsu: Keitaro Watanabe.

When she contacted him to help train Houshima, he had readily agreed, on the condition that he could bring his son along as well.

While not up to his father's level, Daiki Watanabe wasn't someone to write off. During their latest spar, he had tested Houshima's defensive capabilities in an exercise were he could only stand within a small circle drawn on the ground, and could only block using his staff. After a flurry of over four-hundred strikes, Daiki ended his assault and smirked, saying he had landed a hit.

Having not felt anything, Houshima contested that statement. Daiki said he'd hit Houshima's right forearm, but without any evidence, it was forgotten about and their training resumed.

Apparently, the armor's glossy finish made the crack all but invisible in the sunlight. But now that he was indoors, Houshima could see it clearly and acknowledged that he had been wrong.

"Hello, Kagimi-nee-san." Houshima greeted as he sensed his sister trying to sneak up behind him.

"How?" Kagimi fumed. If she really wanted to, she could sneak up on Kushina herself! So how did her brother always manage to catch her?

"You can hide your chakra all you like, Nee-san; but you can't hide your soul."

"Bah, no fair!" Kagimi plopped down in her seat at Houshima's right and proceeded to pout to her heart's content.

Kuishiro walked in just after Kagimi and glanced at the crack in his brother's armor.

"Ah, so he got you today." Kuishiro smirked and took his seat to the right of his sister.

"And Nee-san got you." Houshima said, gesturing to the large, foot-shaped indentation in the center of Kuishiro's cuirass.

"She got lucky."

"You got careless." Kagimi retorted, still pouting.

"It won't happen again." Kuishiro vowed.

"Yes, it will." Houshima said with a slight smirk.

"Bah." Kuishiro grunted, then proceeded to silently brood about what he perceived as a loss to his siblings. Kagimi had walked away with no more than a shallow cut across her cuirass, and Houshima with only a cracked vambrace. 'But I look like I took a cannonball to the chest...'

"...You know," Houshima started, after taking a few seconds to observe his brother, "you take yourself way too seriously."

Kagimi slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, and Kuishiro just shot his brother a glare that lacked any real malice.

(Naruto's Mindscape)

"HAH!" Naruto yelled. "In your face!" he had finally discovered the Demolishers' weakness and, like Shizaru had said, they were quite easy to get rid of afterward.

Turned out that their bones weren't the only things metallic about them. Even their muscles behaved like a sort of highly flexible, yet incredibly strong metal. And while this gave them an almost impenetrable defense, it was also the key to defeating them. Just like metal, their muscles became soft and malleable when heated to a certain temperature. While superheated, they were sitting ducks; unable to move and easily hacked into pieces.

"Congratulations, you just killed two Demolisher demons!" Shizaru could be heard clapping from the other side of the wall. "If you manage to do the same to the other one-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-eight in my ranks, that could be cause for concern."

"All in good time. I do believe you have to answer a question now."

"I suppose so. What would you like to know?"

"I want to know what you know."

"You'll have to be more specific."

"What do you know about the bitch that spawned me?" Naruto growled at the mere thought of her.

"I know a lot; almost everything, really. I know that she thought your father was a weakling when she first met him. I know that her perception changed when he risked his life to save her, showing her that someone in the world actually gave a damn about her. I know that your father never told her what he was planning to do with you on the night of Kyuubi's assault on Konoha; he only said he was sorry for leaving her to raise you alone. I know that Kushina was an absolute wreck after that, and that only the thought of you, her son, kept her going.

I know that she had a nervous breakdown when she was given the full story. I know that she stayed in Konoha for a week afterward, recovering from the stress of childbirth. I know that she tried to kill you four times in that period, but couldn't bring herself to go through with it. I know that she left Konoha before she was completely healed, all because she was afraid of what she would do to you if she stayed any longer. I know that she was ambushed by Uchiha Fugaku, dragged into a cave and raped several times.

I know that, after the Uchiha left, an allied Iwa and Kumo scouting party found her while taking refuge from a violent storm. I know that all eight of them had multiple turns with her. I know that one of the men happened to be the disgraced brother of the current Raikage. I know that Kushina's mind was shattered that night. I know that she unlocked the third stage of the Uzumaki Bloodline, and used it to kill her assailants.

I know that she ended up pregnant with triplets. I know that each one shared DNA of three of her rapists. I know that all of her friends advised her to abort the children. I know that she kept them. I know they see her almost like a God for allowing them to live even though she had every reason not to. I know that she has tried to assassinate you sixty-eight times, mostly during your younger years. I know that she has been training her children for nearly a decade. I know she plans to exploit a loophole in Konoha's laws that will allow her to kill you legally. I know she will be entering her children into the Chūnin Exams, and that she will be coming with them. I know that they will do everything in their considerable power to destroy you."

"...That's it?" Naruto said, trying his best to sound unmoved.

"'That's it'? My, such remorseless words, especially considering that her entire situation is the result of an act of unconditional love for you."

"...Right. You're crazier than she is."

"But not as crazy as you." Shizaru chuckled. "She left Konoha because she didn't want to hurt you. She loved you with all her heart...She still does, actually."

"...Medication wearing off?"

"Joke all you want, but that doesn't change the facts, youngling. She loves you more than the children she's been raising all these years. She loves you so much, that she's willing to sacrifice herself, and them, just to free your soul from Kyuubi's evil clutches." Shizaru outright laughed at this. "She loves her little Naruto more than anything on this planet...But good luck trying to convince her that you ARE Naruto."

"Hmm...It would be easier just to kill her, right? Well, I don't like taking the easy way out, but I think I can make an exception in this case."

"So, you're going to kill a person in the same situation as you in cold blood. And here I thought you hated hypocrisy."

"She is nothing like me, and I am nothing like her. Are you going to keep babbling, or can we get back to the game now?" Naruto growled.

Shizaru ignored his second sentence. "Oh, but you two are far more alike than either of you realize. In a single night, she lost everyone that she ever loved. On another night, she was raped and left for dead. On that same night, everything that she was, was broken, and when the pieces were put back together, she was a different person. Since then, she has been training and gathering allies in a selfless quest to kill one person. She has lived a very hard life, and now she's insane for reasons completely out of her control. Sound familiar? It should.

In a single night, you lost the only real "friend" you ever had. On that same night, you were broken, and pieced back together as a new person. On another night, you were raped and left for dead. Since 'The Incident', you've been training your ass off, but for what? You've started gathering allies, and even an entire army, but for what? You have no plans of world domination, or overthrowing the Hokage, or starting your own village. As of this moment, you only have one goal in your life: hunt down and destroy the man known as Orochimaru. But what are your reasons behind this goal? You don't have any; your goals are Kyuubi's goals. And we come to the penultimate parallel: the selfless quest to kill one person.

She wants to kill you, not because she personally hates you, or because of anything you've done to her. The only reason she wants you dead is so her son's soul will be free to pass on. You want to kill Orochimaru, not because he's single-handedly responsible for the event that led to your life of torment, or because he likes to touch little boys. You want him to pay for the suffering that he's put Kyuubi through, and even what he's done to the snake woman that you're so fond of." Shizaru finished, chuckling once more as he could literally feel Naruto's festering rage. "And let's not forget; you have lived a very hard life and now you are completely and utterly insane, for reasons beyond your control."

"..." unable to think of a retort, Naruto remained silent and sent a company of a hundred and fifty troops to Nami no Kuni to set up a base.

(Kumogakure - Raikage's Office)

"I've seen some pretty nasty storms in my day, but this..." Sarutobi let out a low whistle as he watched lightning bolts dance across the sky and random debris fly by the windows.

"That's the usual reaction." Kyuuzou said, taking a puff from his pipe. People almost always underestimated the severity of Kumogakure thunderstorms.

It was the same with every hidden village, really. People who had never been to Konoha never believed the horror stories surrounding their Forest of Death.

People who'd never been to Suna didn't believe that a mere sandstorm could tear away skin and flesh within minutes.

People who'd never been to Kiri didn't believe that, in some areas, it was necessary to wear breathing masks just to walk outside, due to the concentration of water vapor being higher than breathable air.

People who'd never been to Iwa didn't believe the stories about thirty-foot long worms that popped up out of the ground to swallow people whole(12).

And people who'd never been to Kumo didn't believe that a simple thunderstorm could put an entire shinobi village under lockdown.

But when people travelled to these places, they were quickly, and often painfully, educated.

"When we get new people in town, merchants and the like, none of them believe the stories they've been told." Kyuuzou smirked. "It doesn't really sink in until they see someone get struck by lightning, or a tree comes crashing through the wall of their hotel room."

"Any clue as to why storms are so frequent and intense around her?" Sarutobi asked. "I mean, it has to be something beyond simple weather patterns."

Kyuuzou sat silently for a moment, looking out of the windows.

"...Was that a food cart?" Sarutobi asked as...something flew by.

"Looked like it. Oh well, we have shelters for those kinds of things." the Raikage then turned to face the older man. "Tell me, are you familiar with the legends about Raiden, the Lightning God?"

"Not particularly, though I've heard some tales in my younger years." Sarutobi answered. "What, are you saying that he's responsible for the storms?"

"Not directly, no. You see, ever since the Nibi fiasco, I've been doing a ton of research on the Bijū, and I've found some very interesting things. The one I found the most intriguing was the fact that, around three-thousand years ago, the Rokubi seemed to have vanished. While stories about the other demons were still being told left and right, not a single new story featuring the Rokubi had been told until about a thousand years ago, when a new Rokubi appeared."

"Wait...so Bijū can be replaced?" as absurd as that sounded, Sarutobi knew better than to rule out the possibility.

"Apparently. The original Rokubi was depicted as a six-tailed weasel, a Kamaitachi. This new one, based on the drawings I've seen, is a gigantic bird with wings made of clouds and six tail feathers longer than its entire body." Kyuuzou opened a drawer in his desk and pulled out a white folder containing several drawings and descriptions of the creature, and even a couple of possible photographs.

As Sarutobi flipped through them, he noticed something oddly familiar about the demon's profile.

"Hmm...Call me senile, but this demon looks like a phoenix."

"Ah, so you see it, too." Kyuuzou chuckled. "That brings me back to Raiden, and his demonic counterpart Raijin(13). As you probably know, the two are bitter enemies, and their battles have been documented time and again for thousands of years. Of course, you'd know them as mere legends, but I call them 'documents' because I believe them to be true. Anyway, during their last battle, Raijin struck down a phoenix with an attack meant for Raiden. For this, his body was obliterated and his soul was banished back to Hell.

Now, as you know, when a phoenix dies, it's only a matter of time before it comes back. Unfortunately, Raijin's attack had left a permanent taint on the phoenix's very soul, and it was reborn as a lightning demon with power rivaling Raijin himself." Kyuuzou handed Sarutobi another folder, this one covering the "legend" in more detail.

After two minutes of reading, Sarutobi let out a sigh and sat the folder back on the desk.

"It says all that happened eleven-hundred years ago."

Kyuuzou nodded enthusiastically. "Around the same time the first story featuring the new Rokubi was written."

"...So you think that a phoenix-turned-Bijū is behind that?" Sarutobi gestured towards the window just as a rather large tree branch flew by.

"Is it so farfetched? Haven't you heard of stranger things? Haven't you seen stranger things?"'I know I have...' the Raikage thought, remembering exactly what had happened eighteen years ago.

"Well, according to Sunagakure had to say about the Ichibi, it created violent sandstorms whenever it was angry." Sarutobi said, recalling what the Kazekage had told him when they last met.

"And if I were a majestic phoenix, and got struck by a giant bolt of lightning while minding my own business, and was turned into a demon, I'd be pretty pissed." Kyuuzou nodded to himself.

To be a phoenix was to be one of the most beloved and respected creatures on the planet. To be a Bijū was to be one of the most feared and hated creatures on the planet. Not exactly a fair trade-off.

"Right...So, you've got the Nibi AND the Rokubi in this country." Sarutobi chuckled a bit. "Can't say that I envy you."

Kyuuzou shook his head. "That's another thing. During my research, I never found anything about the Nibi being in Lightning Country, or even near it. I've been through nearly four-thousand years of history, but only Fire Country and Earth Country have any legends involving the Nibi specifically. As far as I know, that blasted cat has never been spotted, or at least documented, anywhere within Kaminari no Kuni's borders. So I have absolutely no idea what it was doing here on that night."

"Believe me when I tell you that just because something hasn't happened before, doesn't mean it won't ever happen." the older male let out a bitter scoff, exhaling a plume of smoke. "There was never any documentation of the Kyuubi ever attacking a human settlement, anywhere."

"I know. In fact, of all the Bijū, only the Ichibi and the Hachibi have extensive histories of unprovoked attacks and random rampages." Kyuuzou reached into another drawer and pulled out yet another folder, filled with all the information he'd managed to gather on all nine Bijū over the last eighteen years.

But, before he could even pick the folder up, Raibu, the Raikage's best friend and personal advisor/guard, barreled through the door.

"I apologies for interrupting," Raibu panted, obviously distressed, "but we've got a problem. A big one."

"Hm? Are we under attack?" as soon as he said it, Kyuuzou felt stupid. Just walking outside right now amounted to suicide; forget trying to take over a major ninja village.

"Not exactly. We just received a call from the water management facility; Yugito needs a medical team ASAP."

The Raikage shot out of his chair faster than even Sarutobi could follow, unrestrained rage twisting his features into a menacing snarl.

"Details..." the command came in the form of a forceful growl as electricity crackled over ever inch of Kyuuzou's body.

"S-Sir, according to what we were told...It was Akatsuki. And the medic team wasn't requested for her, but BY her." Raibu turned to the Hokage. "Apparently, your Hunter helped her fight them off, and paid for it. He's in critical condition now, and the infirmary at the facility isn't sufficient for proper care."

"Akatsuki?" Kyuuzou blinked, his anger forgotten. "I thought you said they wouldn't move on the Jinchuuriki for at least another three years?"

"According to Jiraiya's spy network. As impressive as it is, there is one network greater than Jiraiya's, and that's Sasori's. I never ruled out the possibility that the info Jiraiya's spies obtained was simple misdirection, and it appears that was the case." Sarutobi scowled deeply and rose from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Kyuuzou asked as the older man walked towards the office door.

"To tell the rest of my escorts the bad news. Some of them are quite fond of Hunter-san, and are likely to do something rash. They will listen to me, but I doubt some random messenger would be so lucky." that was more than a bit of an understatement. As it was, Kakashi was the only member of the escort team that wasn't a friend of Naruto's on at least some level.

Even Gai, though he and Naruto rarely interacted in public, could be counted as a friend, in a loose sense of the term(14).

"Right, can't have them rushing outside to look for him." Kyuuzou nodded to Sarutobi, then turned back to Raibu once the older Kage had vanished in a plume of smoke. "I don't know what Yugito expects us to do. I can't very well send an entire medical team after one shinobi in this weather; especially not a foreign one."

Raibu nodded in agreement. "Besides, even if we could find a team crazy enough to go willingly, most of them would likely be dead before they even got to the facility."

Kyuuzou fell back onto his chair, releasing a frustrated grunt. "Right you are."

"...Fine time for the Rokubi to throw a hissy fit, eh?" Raibu let out a mirthless chuckle.

The Raikage just let out another grunt before picking up the folders left on his desk and putting them back in their drawers.

Of course, Raibu noticed this. "Hm? You showed him those?"

Kyuuzou nodded. "The man knows quite a lot about demons, especially the Bijū. Not surprising when you consider the fact that he trained under a man who could control them. I'm hoping that he might be able to fill in some of the blanks."

"Has he?"

"He confirmed that the Rokubi is, or at least was, a phoenix."

"I thought you already knew that?"

"I suspected, but I didn't know. Afterall, those birds are exceedingly rare anywhere other than Fire Country, so accurate descriptions are pretty hard to come by here. I figured he would know what one looks like better than me." Kyuuzou snickered quietly, finding his logic somewhat ridiculous in hindsight, even though it had been correct.

'Only you.' Raibu thought with a small smirk.

(Raikage Tower - Living Quarters - Common Room)

"Anko, will you please stop pacing? Your footsteps are distracting." Mitara said, not taking his eyes off the cards in his hand.

"Just like I told you five minutes ago, I can't help it!" the purple-haired woman growled. "How can you guys be so damn calm? Naruto; our FRIEND Naruto, is missing, and here you are playing games!"

Indeed, Inaro and Isaro were deeply engrossed in a game of Shogi, while Mitara and Zabuza were playing Go Fish.

"Come on, Anko, this is Naruto we're talking about here." Inaro said as he moved one of his pieces on the board.

"Even if he didn't make it here, I doubt a little storm would do him in." Isaro assured, also moving a piece and smirking behind his mask when his twin let out a displeased grunt.

"...'Little storm'? I was almost hit by a tree! A WHOLE FUCKING TREE!" Anko then turned to Zabuza. "And you! You were almost fried! Twice!"

Mitara chuckled a little. "What do you expect? He carries a lightning rod on his back."

Zabuza just snorted. "Got any fives?"

"Go fish."

"Ass." Zabuza drew a card from the pool, hoping it would be a five, and grumbling when it was a seven of spades.

Anko just stood there in the center of the room, gaping at the four shinobi.

"...Am I really the only one here who's worried about him?" Anko turned to look at Kakashi and Gai, sweatdropping when she saw them playing Connect Four.

"Pretty much." came Kakashi's typically laid-back answer as he waited for Gai to make a move.

Gai gave his "rival" a look that spoke of slight irritation, then dropped one of his red pieces into the column furthest to his right.

If he noticed the look, Kakashi didn't bother showing it. Instead, he dropped one of his black pieces on top of the one Gai has just played.

"Connect Four in three more moves." Kakashi yawned.

With fire in his eyes, Gai slammed a red piece into the plastic case, very nearly breaking it.

"We'll see about that."

Once again, Anko was left gaping in disbelief.

"...And you call yourselves his friends." she grumbled and finally flopped down onto a chair.

"We have faith in Naruto's abilities and his intelligence, that's all. This storm is nothing, he's survived worse." Mitara said. "Got any threes?"

"He survived me; not something many people can say." Zabuza said, handing over two threes to the ANBU Captain. "Bastard."

"Like you said, he's our friend, and we have the utmost confidence in him." Isaro said, the muttered a curse under his breath as his brother managed to counter what he thought had been a game-winning move.

"If anything, it's YOU that's not acting like a friend...In fact, you're acting more like a girlfriend..." had Inaro's mask been off, that sentence would've been accompanied by wiggling eyebrows.

"Oooooooh." the ANBU and Zabuza chorus and turned their full attention to the blushing kunoichi.

But, before Anko could protest and/or threaten them with grievous bodily harm, someone stepped in.

"All joking aside, I'm afraid I must side with Mitarashi-san on this." Gai said as he rose from his seat, having been beaten by his "rival" in the predicted three moves.

"Thank you!" Anko huffed.

"While I'm sure he would appreciate your trust in him, that's hardly grounds for a total lack of concern."

"That's what I've been saying!" Anko exclaimed.

"You never said that." Zabuza pointed out. "Sevens?"

"It was implied!" Anko insisted.

"Right, 'implied'." Mitara snickered and handed his single seven to the former nukenin. "Sorry, Anko, but subtlety has never been your thing."

"..." Anko didn't have a counter for that, as a good deal of the reputation she has so carefully crafted for herself was based on being loud, flashy and direct.

"I'm not saying that there's any real cause for alarm, but perhaps we shouldn't be so...casual about this." Gai suggested, trying to get things back on track.

"Well, sitting around worrying isn't going to help, and it's not like there's anything we can actually do about it." Kakashi piped in, eye slowly tracing back and forth over the current page of his pornography.

"How do you know there's nothing we can do if you haven't even bothered to look into it?" Gai countered, shooting the Sharingan-wielder another irritated look.

While he didn't know any intimate details about Kakashi and Naruto's relationship, he didn't understand how anyone could show such blatant disregard for a student and still have the gall to call themselves a sensei. In Gai's mind, it didn't matter if said "student" was possibly stronger than said "sensei".

"And what do you suggest, hm? Should we go outside in the storm, which has all of Kumo locked down and nearly killed us before we got here, searching for a single person? Sorry, I'm not ready to throw my life away just yet." Kakashi flipped the page and continued reading.

"I dunno, Hatake-sempai," Mitara started, his words laced with almost imperceptible loathing, "you've got a pretty strong Lightning affinity...You might survive."

"Perhaps." Kakashi shrugged, still not looking away from his book. "But if I had to put myself at risk like that, I'd rather not do it for something that doesn't even need saving."

The second after those words left his mouth, the temperature in the room dropped to the point where Kakashi swore he could see his own breath. Too late, he realized his Freudian slip.

All activity ground to a halt, and for the first time in his life, Kakashi Hatake understood what it meant to be alone in a room full of people. Everyone was glaring at him with blatant malice, and he got the distinct impression that they would've loved to see him as a smoking corpse on the ground.

But Gai was the worst. His gaze held no hatred or anger; just pity and utter disappointment. Then, with a slow shake of his head, the green-clad Jōnin turned his back on Kakashi and walked to the other side of the room without a single word. The two had locked eyes for just a second, but it was enough to ensure that the moment would haunt the copy-nin's nightmares for weeks, months, maybe even years to come.

However, Kakashi didn't get time to dwell on it, as Anko was suddenly right in his face with a snarl so vicious that he actually had to stop himself from yelping. Kakashi found himself paralyzed by her gaze as she stared into his lone eye with such intensity, one would think she was trying to make his head explode through sheer will alone. Which wasn't very far from the truth.

After three full seconds, she gave up on that and her right hand shot up, taking hold of Kakashi's forehead protector and tearing it off. With both of his eyes exposed and unable to look away from her own, Anko leaned in until their noses were touching and, with all the venom of Lord Manda himself, hissed out three simple, yet devastating words.

"You disgust me."

Kakashi's expression suddenly became blank and he just stared off into space, not even noticing Anko throwing his forehead protector to the floor and stomping off to the corner of the room the greatest distance from him.

He didn't even notice when Mitara walked over and picked up the protector.

"You..." the ANBU Captain growled, struggling to keep himself from crushing the symbol of allegiance. "You don't deserve to even have this, let alone wear it." he tossed it carelessly onto the table Kakashi was sitting at, then pulled another one out of a pocket in his vest. "I've been waiting a long time to give you this, Hatake. You've more than earned it now." he shoved the object into Kakashi's chest and walked off without another word.

Blinking dumbly, Kakashi looked down and picked the object up off his lap with a slightly trembling hand. When he got a good look at it, he suddenly found it difficult to breathe and dropped it as if it was wrapped with explosive tags.

It was a brand new forehead protector, but not one showing the symbol of any village. Etched the middle of the polished metal plate was a single kanji: the kanji for "Coward"(15).

Now on the verge of hyperventilating, Kakashi didn't notice the Sandaime Hokage all but throwing the door open as he entered the room.

"We've got a problem."

XXXX

And there you have it! I know what you're thinking, "Half a year without an update, and he leaves us with a fucking CLIFFHANGER?"

Yep, that's exactly what I did.

Some might say that Kakashi was a bit OOC at the end there, but I don't think his reactions and attitude are too farfetched, all things considered.

This chapter didn't focus on any one character, and you can expect more of the same from the next chapter. I plan on giving the girls in Konoha a larger part(they all received requests for more spotlight), and giving more in-depth views into Naruto's relationships with his escort teammates(especially Anko). People also asked for more focus on Kushina and the Triplets, so I'll put a bit more of that in as well.

Most of you may have guessed this already, but a big part of Shizaru's purpose is being a source of information. Throughout the story, he will be one of the main sources of background information on characters, events and the Black Flames Universe in general. As such, he'll do quite a lot of talking, but I'll be sure to balance it out with the ass-kicking and derisive one-liners.

(1) People wondered why, and now you have your answer. Master or not, if the Soul Edge absorbs Naruto's soul, it's game over.

(2) If I haven't said it before, let me say it now: I don't give a single, solitary shit about what you believe or what you don't believe. This is just a story, nothing more. Remember that should you feel compelled to preach to me.

(3) These creatures are taken right out of the first Devil May Cry game, and are called "Shadows". Annoying little bastards, and perfect minions for Shizaru.

(4) I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the Shadow Clone technique isn't Konoha-exclusive in this story. During the Great Shinobi Wars, hundreds of techniques were stolen or copied from all sides.

(5) The Demolishers are based on the Hell Knights from Doom 3 appearance-wise, but their methods of attack, pseudo-invulnerability and weakness are based on the Berserkers from Gears of War.

(6) In this story, Hell and the Underworld are NOT the same place. As mentioned before, pretty much every part of Hell is ruled by someone, and that's not including the one who rules over it all. Think of the Underworld as a sanctuary for demons that don't like living under anyone's thumb. It'll be explained in more detail later in the story, and will be the setting of a future story arc.

(7) Chishi Miwaku/Fatal Attraction(yeah, yeah, I know): Kuishiro amplifies and expands his natural electromagnetic field, which allows him to sense the electric charge of any object that enters it. Once inside, he can either repel or attract the object by instantaneously altering the charge of his field. While it would theoretically work on anything that carries an electric charge, it's vastly more effective on metals; specifically those with magnetic properties, like steel and iron.

I'll admit to not being well-versed on the ins and outs of magnetism and the like, so if anyone sees anything inaccurate about this, speak up.

(8) Gyorai/Torpedo: Basically supersized senbon needles, also known as throwing spikes or darts. As their name suggests, I've based these particular weapons on the Cold Steel Torpedo(I own three of them). A normal human thrower would have trouble getting something like that to fly level, without spin, for more than ten-twelve feet or so, and even more trouble carrying around a significant number of them. They'd be no trouble for a ninja, especially a Naruto-style one.

(9) This is a modified version of the Fūma Shuriken Sasuke first used against Zabuza in the canon series. While doing some web research for Black Flames' more "canon-friendly" moments, I stumbled across something that made me pause. While the "Shadow Windmill" shuriken looks like its forged from pure awesome, there's nothing locking those four blades in place(I believe this was pointed out on TV Tropes). That didn't sit very well with me, so I decided to do something about it.

(10) I believe the term is actually "Screaming Mimi/Meemie", but I think "Meanie" is more appropriate in this case.

(11) Their training suits are based on modified motocross gear, as are their actual battle outfits.

(12) Cookie time! Where are the worms from? I expect to hand out a LOT of cookies.

(13) From what I can gather, in the actual legends "Raiden" and "Raijin" are two different names for the same being. That wouldn't do for the story, so I took some...artistic license, if you will.

(14) Even before he developed his own style, Naruto was more than proficient in Taijutsu. Who do you think taught him? It was mentioned earlier in the story that Rock Lee was one of the few people Naruto tolerated, and that was mainly because he was Naruto's sparring partner. There are actually quite a few Konoha ninjas that helped Naruto become such a formidable force, most of which will be revealed during the Chūnin Exams.

(15) I don't think there's actually a single kanji character for "Coward", but there is in this story. In reality, the closest I could find was "Cowardly person", which has three characters.

On a non-story note, I've got a little PSA to make.

I will NOT be accepting requests as a Beta Reader, or for collaborations. As you know, I'm a busy man, and I can barely keep up with my own work. I'd rather not be put into a position where I'd have to worry about someone else's work as well. While I am flattered that people think I'm good enough to ask me for help, the last thing I need is to commit myself to even more projects.

If you want me to review a story, that's fine. If you want tips, that's fine too. Hell, if you just want to chat, I'm up for it(depending on the subject matter. I don't do politics, religion, relationships, complex sciences, or fashion, to name a few).

Well, I think that about covers it. If I missed anything, let me know. If you've got questions, you know the drill.

Jason Out!