Woo, I think I'm getting better at this war thing. What d'you reckon, how does this coup seem? Damn, while I'm writing this I'm also having to plan the next arc, since this one doesn't last nearly as long as I thought it would

Disclaimer: Is anyone else annoyed by the anime version of Utakata? I expected Miroku, and they give us Sesshomaru. Well screw that, Kishi described him as charming, so I'm going with that!

Dousing the flames

The rain was steadily lightening, and the sky was slowly clearing. The skyscrapers of Amegakure barely seemed to notice however, they remained grey and gloomy, the water having darkened the concrete considerably. The ground below was almost empty, most of the civilians had left the area a while ago, but there were still a few stragglers.

Naruto, Gaara and Haruka ran along the sides of the buildings, heading towards the very place the pedestrians seemed so keen to be far from. Every now and then they spotted Kohaku, Jirou and Isamu through the gaps in the buildings, they were ahead of them by a small lead. So far they hadn't encountered the enemy, but they did still have a way to go before they got near the tower.

"We can't be certain of what the other teams are doing." Haruka said, her brow creased in concentration, "They may not be there yet, we were one of the closer groups."

"So we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves then?" Naruto asked, looking back over his shoulder.

"You shouldn't draw attention." Haruka corrected, looking at Naruto pointedly, "Like it or not you're easy targets. They're not gonna hold back because you're so young."

"I'll be careful." Naruto replied with a nod. He then looked over to Gaara, "Are you ok with hanging back like this?"

Gaara looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye, before returning it straight ahead. He said nothing.

"Ooh, cold shoulder."

While Naruto doubted that was really the case, he couldn't shake the feeling that Gaara's almost normal mood was gone again, and his thoughts had returned to darker places. It was a pity, but now Naruto knew something more about the red haired boy; he didn't expect people to help him. So when Naruto kept him from falling, and took out the person responsible, he hadn't known how to act. Now, his guard seemed to have returned.

"There!" Haruka called, looking down to the end of the street. There, a group of ninja took position, guarding the area vigilantly. They hadn't quite been spotted yet, the guards kept glancing back uneasily. But their positions were soon revealed when one of the guards spotted them. That guard and the rest of his group immediately headed to intercept, running along the wall.

"I'll take point!" Haruka called, leaping past Naruto and Gaara to the lead, "I need a distraction!"

Naruto nodded, forming the cross hand seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he called. Six clones appeared in front of him, running ahead to intercept the four guards.

"Now you two get back!" Haruka ordered, as the guards and the clones met.

Naruto and Gaara both did just that, and she went on ahead. She stopped some way before the fray of the guards and the clones, scanning the enemies carefully. Then, when her mind was made up, she entered the skirmish, slashing out with the blades on her gauntlet. She fought alongside the Kage Bunshin, but these guards were better prepared than the last. Each of them stood with two kunai in their hand, blocking Haruka's blades and the Kage Bunshin's katana's easily. Though despite their ability, they were still forced on the defensive.

Naruto watched the fight from afar, prepared to replace any destroyed Kage Bunshin. It seemed they were holding up however, fortunately with speed on their side they could attack pretty relentlessly, even if the strength of their hits wasn't great. Even so, the guards weren't going anywhere fast.

"Hey, do you think you could use your sand to slow them down?" Naruto asked, glancing to his right, "Wha-?!"

He watched in amazement as Gaara stopped the flow of chakra to his feet and allowed himself to fall. He plummeted down to the ground, far below.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto yelled, pausing just after taking a step, "I'm going after him!"

"Fine, but don't go too far!" Haruka replied, her voice obscured by the sound of clashing metal. Naruto nodded, before letting himself drop off the wall as well.

With the sand, Gaara managed to slow his descent enough so that he landed neatly on the ground. He glanced up, noticing that Naruto was following him, before making his way down the street. Naruto returned his feet to the wall and ran the last few metres before dropping down and following him.

"Where's he going?"

"I don't know." Naruto replied. Fortunately, speed wasn't a strong point for Gaara, Naruto soon caught up, "What are you doing?"

Gaara didn't reply, but he did whip his head around hastily, as if he were trying to find something. Whatever it was, it didn't seem he was having an easy time locating it, judging by his annoyed expression.

They reached the end of the street, where Gaara took a sharp turn to the left. Naruto glanced back as he followed, Haruka and the enemies disappeared from sight. That made him a little wary, after all, they were supposed to stick together. But he reasoned that in this situation, nothing good could come of Gaara going off on his own.

"HREA-YAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Naruto and Gaara both came to a sudden stop as they heard that shrill and immense cry. What was that?!

* * * * *

The Asura realm's hands scraped the ground as he slid back, looking up at the gargantuan beast before him. The face on his right, the angered one, was singed and blackened, wisps of smoke rising from it. The strap across his right eye had been incinerated, and he was forced to keep his eye closed. But as usual, his expression only ever revealed one thing, though even here his smile wasn't as wide as usual.

"To take this beast out with only the Asura realm… this may not be a simple task." he muttered, bending his arms again, "However, this method is preferable."

Before him, leaning over one of the smaller buildings, was a monster of incredible proportions. Its xanadu skin, a very greyed shade of green, was covered in warts, yet it was smooth. Its long, slimy body glistened in the weak sunlight, its breath immediately condensing in the air. It leant forward, and the building it had been using as a support collapsed, the beast falling down with it. It landed into the street, the wet roads freezing over from the contact with its feet. It turned its head blindly, for it possessed no eyes. It shivered lightly from the cold, its massive breaths rattling in the air. Of course, it sought the heat of the flames, this cold blooded creature was clearly not comfortable in this environment. As was the ways of a salamander.

"Han… zo." the salamander moaned, hiss immense teeth chattering slightly, "It's… s-so… co-old."

Hanzo, who stood atop the salamander's head, crouched down and looked at the beast.

"Then why not warm yourself, Hitokage?" he asked, in a suggestive tone, "Make yourself comfortable."

"O... k." Hitokage replied, as he suddenly let loose a large shudder. Pein cocked a brow curiously at the motion, but knew better than to wait and see the effects. He propelled himself up to the wall of the nearest building, and made his way to the salamander as quickly as he could manage.

Hitokage's shuddering came to a stop, but he then seemed to begin convulsing grotesquely, bowing his head beneath himself. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and retched loudly. With a sickening splatter, large globules of some sort of slime landed on the ground, a blue substance that grossly resembled phlegm. He heaved several more times, and the disgusting mucus spread further under his belly, until he was lying atop it.

"It's… d-done…" he said, raising his head with a slightly anxious tone, "Pl-please… ignite… it."

Hanzo nodded, stepping up to the edge of Hitokage's upper lip and looking down. After a quick series of hand seals, he leant back.

"Katon: Karyu Endan!" he called, before taking a deep inhale. He then threw his head forward, and blew out a large stream of fire. The blazing blast flew down straight into the blue mucus, which immediately exploded into a massive inferno that engulfed Hitokage's underbelly in blue flames.

"HREA-YAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" the salamander screeched, as he tossed his enormous frame from side to side. Pein skidded to a halt, clinging to the wall of a building as he watched Hitokage cry out. The beast soon calmed though, it's screech quieting to a stop, "Ah, that's… better."

"Now we must fight!" Hanzo demanded, refusing to take his eyes off Asura.

"Very… well…" Hitokage replied, "Who… is our… opponent?"

"You can't tell?"

"I can't."

Hanzo crouched down again, placing his hand atop Hitokage's head.

"He is a little to your right, on the wall of a building." he explained, watching as Pein returned his gaze with artificial interest.

Hitokage looked around settling on the rough area Pein was located. But even then he seemed to be uncertain, changing the point he fixed on constantly.

"That's… him?" the salamander asked, "He's… barely emitting… any heat… at all."

"Regardless, that is our target." Hanzo stressed.

"I think that's enough." Pein said, bounding off the wall and lunging at Hitokage. He lashed out with his tail, slicing into the salamander's leg with a brutal slash.

"HREA-YAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Hitokage screeched again, as blue blood poured from his gash, spraying Asura and running down his leg. The blood then reached the flames, and that too ignited, sending a running trail of fire up his leg and cauterizing his wound. Unfortunately, Pein couldn't get away in time to avoid the flames, and he too was ignited.

"Ah, how unfortunate." he said, as the flames caused some of his missiles to react. They fired out of his body before he had the chance to release them, shattering two of his arms and sending him flying to the ground in a blazing heap.

"There!" Hanzo called, thrusting his fist in the direction Pein's burning body lay, "Attack him!"

Hitokage's leg twitched from the pain, his teeth grinding. He looked down at Pein, focusing on the exact point he lay.

"Ah… there he… is." he said, before reaching out with his uninjured leg, "I'll… squash him."

He raised his foot high in the air, its shadow casting down upon Pein threateningly. But Pein didn't even look up as the foot lowered, his eyes had become glassy.

Hitokage stopped, his leg shaking slightly as it hovered above Pein. His eyeless face was fixed on something a little higher, his mouth hung open.

"Cold…" he breathed, gaping, "But… hot…"

Hanzo frowned, taking a few steps to his right to get a better look at what was going on. He saw the blue flames flickering in the shadow of Hitokage's foot, and the vague form of Pein.

"What?!" he exclaimed.

The Asura realm, somehow, seemed to shimmer. The flames died instantly and he seemed to become obscured, as if he was being seen through frosted glass. The effect seemed to grow, until he no longer seemed to even have shape, and the colours of his body melded with those around him. Then he was gone, like smoke in the wind.

"What?!" Hanzo repeated, his eyes narrowing.

* * * * *

Naruto and Gaara kept their eyes fixed upon the place they heard the cry come from. They could see nothing, but sight wasn't needed to judge the size of whatever made that noise. Neither of them had any misconceptions of it coming from something small, though neither of them had ever encountered a beast large enough to make a sound like that.

"Whoa… that's big."

"Thanks." Naruto thought, dryly, "I needed my dose of obvious."

Gaara recovered first from the surprise, continuing on his way. Naruto blinked before following, wondering again what he was so keen to find. They reached another junction, and Gaara made a right into one of the market streets, where some of the stalls for the festival stood. It was here that he came to a stop, a look of recognition on his face.

"Did you find it?" Naruto asked, coming to a stop next to him. Gaara looked over his shoulder, past Naruto.

"Yes." he replied, "And it appears I was just in time."

Naruto whipped around, tensing as he saw a pair of Shinobi appear at the end of the street. They both looked about Chunin ranked, judging by their flak vests. They both had clipped hair, one brown and one black. Aside from that, there wasn't really much to distinguish them by, their similar features suggested they were related. They both also shared the serious look they were giving Naruto and Gaara.

"Those two… are they enemies?" the brown haired one asked.

"Look at the blonde one." the black haired one replied, "His headband's slashed."

Gaara took a small step forward, so Naruto was between him and the guards.

"These two are stronger than those from before." he quietly said, "Bring them to this position, and attack from above."

"Right." Naruto replied with a nod. He reached behind him and gripped Ekokaeten's hilt, drawing the blade out slowly. The two guards eyes narrowed as he did this, their stances lowering as they reached for their kunai.

Naruto jolted his hand upwards, whipping Eko out the rest of the way and throwing him high into the air. He then brought his hands together in the crossed seal.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" he cried, summoning four clones on either side of him. He released his seal just in time to grab Eko, as they withdrew their cloned katana too. Then, at the same time, they split off, running to the walls in different directions.

The two Shinobi ran down the street, holding kunai in each hand as they watched each of the Naruto's, as well as keeping an eye on Gaara. The dark haired one reached back and threw one of his kunai at the red haired boy, but it was effortlessly deflected by the sand.

"Not good!" Naruto thought, seeing the calculating look in the Shinobi's eyes. These two really were a cut above the rest, this wasn't going to be easy.

One of the clones ran down the wall and darted towards the pair, his katana held back in both hands. The brown haired one faced him, bracing himself. When the clone drew nearer, and slashed round with his katana, the Shinobi whipped around, raising both his blades. He struck the katana with one blade, before slashing the throat of the clone with the next. He gave an annoyed twitch at the puff of smoke, but soon returned his attention to the others.

"Up there!" the black haired one called, shooting his eyes up. From the sky fell another Naruto, this one wielding two katana. He slashed down with his blades, but both guards easily blocked with their kunai. However, in their moment of surprise, another clone dropped down. This one wielded no katana, obviously the reason for the others possession of two. Therefore, his hands were free. He ran very low, clasping his hands together just as the Shinobi spotted him.

"Futon: Reppusho!" the clone cried, thrusting his palms out just as the Shinobi moved to defend. They were both struck with the blast of wind, thrown back by the force. Straight towards Gaara.

The two weren't foolish enough not to react. They both reached into their pouches just as Gaara raised his hands. They threw something down at the ground, a smoke pellet. Naruto cursed as the smoke blasted straight into Gaara, both blinding and choking him.

"GAARA!!!" he yelled, as the guards too disappeared into the cloud of smoke. He and the other clones dropped from the walls they clung to, the one with two katana's returning the spare to the empty handed one. They too dove into the smoke, while the original stayed behind.

"It's a good thing I know this won't hit him." he said, as he returned Eko to his sheath. He then reached into his pouch and pulled out six shuriken, holding them between his fingers.

"Not bad, that's fast thinking."

"Thanks!" Naruto replied, before swinging his arms around and hurling all of the Shuriken into the slowly dispersing cloud.

The two guards leapt out of the cloud, trails of purple smoke following their movements. The brown haired one gripped his arm, while other winced as blood trickled from the wound in his leg. The smoke finally cleared, revealing what Naruto already knew. All his clones were gone, struck either by the guards or the shuriken. Gaara on the other hand, was completely fine, his shield raised with a few of the shuriken embedded in it.

The tow guards landed on either side of Gaara, with some distance apart. The black haired one dropped to his knee, pulling out the shuriken stuck in it. He shot Naruto a threatening look, one that was shared by his partner. It looked like he was the target now.

"This is fine." Gaara said, as the sand dropped back to his feet, shuriken clattering on the stone.

He bent his knees and lowered his stance, holding his hands out on either side; one in front and one behind. Both his palms faced upwards, his fingers gripping a large amount of air. His brow creased in concentration. He drew his hands in, and from somewhere a strange sound rang out, like stone scraping against stone. The two guards tensed, looking around them as they tried to locate the source of the noise. But suddenly, the sound was exchanged with a loud crashing cacophony, like the shattering of clay. But what came next was not sound, but sand. Massive amounts burst from two shop windows, easily as much as Gaara normally carried in his gourd. Both mounds flew at the Shinobi, threatening to ram into them.

"Damn it!" cursed the black haired one. He leapt into the air, dodging the attack. What he failed to predict however, was Gaara changing the direction of the sands movement and slamming it straight into him.

"Brother!" the brown haired Shinobi called out, as he leapt back to avoid the sand. But it was no use, the sand quickly ensnared his brother, until there was nothing left of him to see, "BASTARD!"

He threw both of his kunai straight at Gaara, but they only struck his shield. He continued to leap left and right, narrowly dodging the sand that continued to follow him. He reached back into his weapons pouch, pulling out a kunai with an explosive tag.

"GRAH!!!" he cried out, as a large blade suddenly burst from his chest. Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he looked behind the Shinobi, surprised to see Haruka standing at the end of the street. There was a long chain connecting her gauntlet to what appeared to be a strange sort of fuma shuriken, the object that was stuck in the back of the Shinobi.

"I didn't even notice… but all the Kage Bunshin are gone!" Naruto thought, as Haruka pulled back and retracted the shuriken. Blood sprayed from both holes in the Shinobi's back, he fell to his knees and collapsed in his own pool. The shuriken returned to the gauntlet with a snap, before folding itself back into place.

"Looks like you guys didn't need my help." she said, before looking at Gaara. She pointed past him with a questioning look on her face, "Uh, are you gonna…"

Naruto glanced at Gaara, who looked behind him at the hovering pile of sand. Even though he still had his hand raised, he'd seem to have forgotten about the Shinobi trapped inside. But with a quick clench of his fist, he corrected that problem.

"Wow… he seems almost carefree."

"Yeah." Naruto agreed, with a slightly exasperated look. He was then hit with a sudden curiosity, as he wondered where that sand had come from. He turned around, looking through the shattered shop window behind him. There, on the ground, was the remains of a large red urn, broken into uncountable pieces.

"Hey… isn't that?!" he thought, as his brow raised and creased, "Isn't that one of the jars from his room?!"

* * * * *

It wasn't until Hitokage returned his foot back to the flames that Hanzo realised what happened. Though, that wasn't to say he understood.

A short way behind where Asura realm had been lying, another of Pein's realms stood. The Naraka realm looked impassively up at Hanzo, sharing none of the misinterpreted enjoyment of the Asura. Invisible to Hanzo's eyes, a large head stood next to the Naraka, which also stared up at Hanzo, with the same Rinnegan eyes. On its head, it bore the kanji for king, and with the headdress it wore, combined with the black flames that sat beneath it, it looked like quite a hellish king.

The Naraka realm looked over at the head, the King of Hell, watching as it opened its mouth. From the shadows within, a large hand reached out, its red nails matching those of every one of Pein's realms. The Asura realm stepped out from the mouth, restored and even wearing a cloak once more. The Naraka realm watched as the King of Hell's mouth closed, and it slowly slid back into the earth. He then returned his gaze to Hanzo, who was staring bewilderedly at the two of them.

"Impossible!" he cried, "You both possess those eyes?!"

"It is as I said." Pein replied, through the Naraka realm, "God can appear in any form."

Hanzo took a step back as he suddenly heard a loud crash from above. He whipped his head to the top of the tower, his eyes widening in shock at what he saw. A giant, lobster like creature clung to the tower with its pincers. It looked down at Hanzo and Hitokage, slowly opening its mouth.

"No!" Hanzo breathed, as a massive stream of what appeared to be bubbles burst from the crustacean's mouth, flying down at Hitokage, "Quick, up there!"

Hitokage sensed the attack and threw his head upwards, opening his mouth and spraying out a much thinner version of the mucus that burned beneath him. At the same time, Hanzo threw together a series of seals, before inhaling.

"Katon: Karyu Endan!" he called, before exhaling fire onto the liquid. Immediately the liquid ignited, turning into a blazing column of fire that struck the wave of bubbles head on. Though the two streams of fire and water struggled, it appeared the fire was succeeding in pushing the bubbles back. Judging by the look on Hanzo's face, he was aware of that fact.

"HROOOAAAWWW!!!" Hitokage suddenly cried out, as Asura struck his rear leg with his missiles and caused him to fall over. With the fire out of the way, the bubbles struck Hitokage hard, and more importantly, doused his flames. Hanzo leapt off just in time, as Hitokage cried out again.

"S-sorry… H-Hanzo." the salamander said, before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Hanzo began to curse, but the words were caught in his mouth as his vision was suddenly obscured by Asura realm.