*AN: Eh, not much to say about this chapter except the person who stays behind usually gets their ass kicked.*
My sword lay in pieces nearby, and my right arm bled where a black rod had run it through several times. It dangled uselessly by my side, and in my left I held a Blazing Chidori, daring the Six Paths of Pein to get close. My sight was blurred, and my Sharingan had faded out long ago. After Pein had downed my Susano'o, I relied on body flickers and my unique chakra to start dealing damage. He had simply cleared the area and had Konan pepper me with paper bombs before he moved in for the kill.
And, so, here we were.
My Kakumei mask had been shattered by about the fourth paper bomb, and I glared at Konan via my right eye, my left one too coated in blood from using both the Susano'o and the Yamemasu to even attempt to open. In retrospect, this was because I had decided to go toe-to-toe against someone leagues above me. Still, I had gained enough time for my comrades to get out of there, and that was what mattered, right?
...Right?
"Have some respect for a guy's privacy, will ya?" I said before glancing back at the six figures around me. "Seriously, dude, when your momma told you to make friends, she didn't mean actually MAKE them. Might wanna pass the info on to Sasori, as well."
"Farewell." Pein said, raising his hand.
"Hold a moment." I heard a familiar voice say, and my eye widened at the sight of Tobi walking in. "He could still be useful. After all, he is a captive audience right now."
I rolled my eye as my jutsu fizzled out. "Seriously, dude. Bad joke." I said, drawing a kunai.
"Ah, I apologize. It's just that I'm aggravated. You see-"
With that, he was in front of me, and I didn't even have time to swipe at him before he grabbed me and pitched me full-force into a wall.
"Someone foiled our attempt at the two tails, who is safe in the Hidden Cloud, practically joined at the hip with the eight tails! The Raikage is with them, accompanied by his personal guard, at all times!"
He grabbed me again before I had a chance to recover, and leapt to the ceiling before throwing me to the floor. I felt several ribs crack, and blood flew out of my mouth from the impact.
"Someone disrupted our plans to seal both the one tails and the five tails, causing even more time to have to elapse, even after the rest of the tailed beasts are collected, before the ten tails can be revieved!"
He landed on my stomach, and I felt my body light up in pain, unable to breathe. He grabbed me again and threw me into another wall, leaving a crater in the reinforced stone.
"Someone helped Itachi go back to the Leaf, and he and Sasuke have exchanged eyes! He was healed by Tsunade and now defends the Leaf as a pardoned pariah!"
He grabbed me by the neck and threw me to the middle of the room, and I slid as I landed, leaving a trail of blood.
"And, finally, someone formed an organization which is able to challenge the Akatsuki with success. Do you understand why I am aggravated, now?!"
Blood poured from my mouth as I coughed, desperately trying to clear my airway, and I slowly propped myself up until I was kneeling, my head bowed, every breath agony.
"Con...gradu-fucking-lations." I said, coughing, looking up at him as he approached. "I hope...the Kakumei...is everything...you hoped for."
I struggled to my feet, my left arm clutching my side. "After...all...if it...hadn't been...for you...then...none of...this would have...ever...happened." I straightened as his steps faltered.
I forced my left eye open, lifted my head, and glared at him. "If someone...hadn't have passed that bit of...wisdom onto my father, he would...have never taught me to...never abandon my comrades. If he...never taught me that...I would have never pushed myself so that...my friends would never have to die. If I...had never done that, then I would have died in the Invasion. If I had died...I would have never met Fu, nor been determined to protect the jinchuriki. If...that had never happened, I wouldn't have slaughtered Danzo and his men to protect her. If I...hadn't of done that, I would have never formed the Kakumei." I slowly walked forward, leaving a trail of blood behind me.
"And…" I said quietly enough so that only he could hear me. "I would have never been born if Kakashi hadn't fallen in love with the sister of his teammate, and I would have never been so determined to uphold my family's legacy if both of my uncles hadn't of sacrificed their own lives to protect the Leaf and their friends." I smiled through the pain. "So, thank you...for everything. You were the one who made this all happen."
I could feel him radiate anger.
"Know this: It doesn't matter if I die, because this was never my story to begin with. Naruto will succeed in protecting this world."
He drew the blade back, and I smirked.
"See you in hell!"
SHNK!
... ... ...
Tobi turned on his heel, walking past Pein and throwing the broken blade to the ground.
"Go find the base of this Kakumei, kidnap the jinchuriki, and slaughter everyone else! Assemble the entire damn Akatsuki if you need to! I want that organization gone now!"
... ... ...
Within two days, the entire Kakumei was assembled.
"You can bet that the Akatsuki will come for us now. We've killed one of their members and stopped their plans a total of three times." Sepi said, overlooking a map of the elemental nations in the conference room as the rest of the members fidgeted in their chairs.
"So let's take the fight to them." Zabuza growled, with other members nodding their assent.
Miko shook his head, drawing forth and placing a stack of files on the table. "Unlike us, the Akatsuki don't have a central meeting area. They only group up to hit big targets, so we need to track them down individually. That being said, Tayuya, Kankuro, and I were tasked with compiling a list of the Akatsuki members, and it's as complete as it's gonna be."
"Where is the puppeteer, anyways?" Guren asked.
"Back with the Kazekage." Sepi supplied. "Go on, Miko."
"Well, first up, we have the two you guys faced on the last mission." He shuffled the first two folders off and passed them down the table. "Pein and Konan. He's a self-proclaimed god and she's his right-hand woman, devoted to him completely."
"Of course he is." Jeki said sarcastically.
"Unfortunately for us, he has the power to back that up." Sepi replied. "He possesses the Rinnegan, and each of the Six Paths share a field of vision with each other. That means they have few, if any, blind spots. They aren't the problem, though. They are all puppets, being controlled by the actual possessor of the Rinnegan, a ninja named Nagato. They are all dangerous alone, and together, they are almost unbeatable."
Miko picked up where Sepi had left off. "Konan has the capability of turning her body into paper. This can be countered with oil, as it makes the paper stick together, and fire works well, too. She has the capacity to make many paper clones, and any piece of paper she throws at you could very well be a paper bomb."
"Next up is Kisame." Sepi said as Miko passed the next folder down. "He's known as the Tailless Tailed Beast, and is an rogue nin from the Hidden Mist. He used to be one of the seven ninja swordsmen of the Mist, and still possesses Samehada, which shreds and can absorb your chakra. It's a sentient blade, so don't even try to take it from him. He can create lakes for water jutsu and can fuse with Samehada, so if he ever gets serious, pray that you have a lightning user around."
"He's not as good of a swordsman as I am, but he's a better ninja." Zabuza said begrudgingly. "Most of his jutsu are designed to shred and steal chakra. It's not just his blade. He can use Samehada to regenerate fast enough to make the Fifth Hokage jealous."
Miko nodded. "Duly noted."
"Next: Their pet, Zetsu." Sepi said. "He's actually two parts. White Zetsu can multiply like crazy and copy your chakra. Black Zetsu is pure evil. We...aren't exactly sure how to kill him."
"He can phase through anything with nature chakra. So, basically anything." Miko said. "He is used for observation only, so it's unlikely you'll actually have to fight him. We'll probably be facing White Zetsu clones, though, so be on your guard. Then, we have the Zombie Duo, Kakuzu and Hidan. Hidan is unkillable, but he is brash and easily baited. He has absolutely no jutsu at his disposal, except for his curse mode. DO NOT let him get ahold of any of your blood. You do and it's game over. Traps and sealing work against him, so immobilization is key. Kakuzu has five hearts, and each heart is attached to a mask of a different chakra nature. He can control the hearts independently, and can harden his skin to steel-like strength. He is also made up almost entirely of threads, and cares about one thing: Money."
"Kimimaro is probably dead, but we'll include him anyways." Sepi said with a shrug. "Tayuya?"
"Fuckin' really? I have to do this shit?" The ex-sound nin glared. "Fine. He was Orochimaru's pet for awhile while Orochimaru was part of the Akatsuki. However, he got close to Itachi while they were there, and when Orochimaru left after trying to take Itachi's body-"
"Gay." Sepi coughed, but Tayuya ignored her.
"He stayed behind and took Orochimaru's place in the organization. He has the Kaguya clan's Kekkei Genkai, which enables him to use his bones as weapons, quite unpredictably at times."
"I stabbed him in the heart, but I don't know if they were able to save him or not." Sepi commented. "Who else is left?"
"The Artist Duo." Miko replied. "Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara of the Hidden Stone. Sasori is a puppet, but he has a human core. He has a lot of puppets at his disposal, and all of his attacks are poisonous in some way. His core can be switched between bodies, making him a very unpredictable opponent. Diedara has a mouth on each hand, capable of moulding clay to whatever form suits him. The clay turns into all manner of animal-like creations and detonates. He was the pride of the Hidden Stone until his defection."
"Both of them are long-range fighters." Sepi explained. "Wind style works well against Sasori, and lightning can neutralize the explosive factor of Deidara-sama's clay."
The room was silent for a good minute. "Sama?" Guren finally asked.
"His explosions are dreamy." Sepi said with a sigh. "Gaara, can I have a harem?"
"No." Gaara's reply over the seal was instant, and Anko started laughing.
"Awwwwww. Pleeeaaassseeee?" She was pouting, now.
"Over my permanently-dead body." Gaara replied.
"I mean, necrophilia wasn't what I had in mind, but okay."
They could all hear the thump of Gaara's head hitting his desk.
"My condolences, Kazekage." Mei's voice drifted in from her seal.
"And this is why I'm single." Tsunade commented. "Is that all the Akatsuki members?"
"No." Miko replied. "Min and Tobi are left. Tobi is suspected to be Madara Uchiha, but that is unlikely. He is an Uchiha, however, and a rogue. He can phase through most attacks, and can teleport. There most likely is a time limit for his phasing jutsu, and he has to become solid to attack. Min is a small girl, but she is capable of controlling blood in a manner not unlike the Kazekage's sand. She is a mostly unknown factor. The only one who has really ever fought her is Ibukai, who has been MIA since the fight for Han with the Akatsuki."
"He hasn't reported back at all?" Tsunade asked, surprise evident in her voice.
"The last time we saw him, he was fighting the Six Paths of Pein and Konan so we could escape." Sepi said grimly. "We haven't been able to send a recon team to investigate the site to see if his body is there or not. However, it's likely that he...is KIA."
The table cracked, a direct result of Fu slamming her hands into it as she stood. "No, he's not. How dare you give up on your teammate like that!"
"Fu, if he hasn't reported back yet, he never made it out of there. In all honesty, he probably never meant to." Sepi said gently. "He was determined to see the jinchuriki free and his comrades, even if it meant him dying."
"He. Isn't. Dead." She replied stubbornly, turning and storming out of the room.
"I'll...inform Kakashi." Tsunade replied heavily. "The clan heads will decide our next course of action."
One by one, the seals on the table went dark.
"The Akatsuki will be moving against us." Miko said, breaking the silence. "They can't afford to ignore us as a threat any longer. If we get the villages to band together, we might, and I mean might, have a chance."
"You're talking about ninja that have been enemies for years becoming allies, kid. It ain't gonna happen." Zabuza said.
"I'll take that bet." Sepi snapped.
"Definitely." Miko said with a nod. "It's time, then?"
Sepi nodded. "Let's go to war."
... ... ...
The clan heads were silent as they processed the information that Tsunade had given them. Hinata glanced at her father, who was frowning, arms crossed. Jiraiya was sitting next to Kakashi, and they both were discussing something in a low voice.
"That's everything we know." Tsunade said, finally breaking the silence.
"The path then seems clear." Her predecessor said. "The Leaf should stand with its allies to protect the future."
Tsunade looked at the Sarutobi table, where Hiruzen was sitting next to his son, with Kurenai on the other side of Asuma. "What do you mean?"
Naruto stood. "We declare war on the Akatsuki, ya know!"
"Agreed." Sasuke growled.
Kakashi stood. "The Hatake clan votes yes."
Asuma stared at him. "Kakashi-"
"I know." Kakashi said, his voice soft. "But in a battle, you have to take risks. The trick is knowing which ones are the right ones."
"How do you know which ones are the right ones to take?" Hiashi challenged him.
Kakashi gave his signature eye-smile. "You take risks and wait until it's all over. If you won, those were the right risks to take."
Having said his piece, he sat down. Asuma and Hiruzen looked at each other, and at Hirzuen's nod, Asume stood. "I agree. It's time to stop thinking of just our village and start thinking of the rest of the villages, too."
Mutterings of agreements sounded throughout the room, and Inoichi gave a small smile.
"If my crazy-ass daughter is going to go to war with someone, I refuse to be left behind. Let's do it."
Chuckles greeted his response.
"The Nara clan will help in any way we can." Shikaku said.
"The Akimichi clan won't be left behind! We vote yes!" Choza declared.
"We've never backed away from a fight." Tsume declared. "Count us in!"
"We will help." Shibi said quietly.
"The Hyuuga clan...will stand with our allies!" Hinata declared, not quite keeping a blush of embarrassment from spreading to her cheeks.
"The Uchiha clan is in." Sasuke stated.
Naruto nodded. "As is the Uzumaki clan."
Tsunade looked at Shizune. "Please tell me there's a valid reason I can say no."
Shizune gave her a nervous smile. "Not really, no."
"...Can I at least have my sake back?"
"Lady Tsunade, we talked about this…"
Tsunade threw her hands into the air. "Fine! Damn it all. Shizune, send out a message to the rest of the Kage. The Leaf officially declares a Five Kage Summit, the purpose to decide with the rest of the major villages whether or not they will go to war against the Akatsuki with us. Jiraiya, Itachi, Kakashi, Shikaku. My office, now."
... ... ...
"Where am I?" I asked in the void, my voice seemingly lost. I was in a dead forest that looked as if it was an oil painting the colors swirled and distorted. "Am I dead?"
"Death is...an uncertain state." A voice said, and I turned to see one that could only be described as the reaper. It, too, was distorted, wore a dark, flowing, ragged cloak, and carried a dark scythe.
"AGH! THE REAPER!" I yelled, pointing, and the figure sighed, lifting a...skeleton hand...and acting like it was cleaning out an eardrum.
"Must you be so loud? I am here as your guide, nothing more."
I just stared until its words clicked, a few minutes later.
"...Wait. Guide?"
"I see that your head is still intact, at least. Yes, guide, a request made by the last one of your blood that passed through the Dark Forest."
Now, I was really confused. "Um, could you trot through that one more time?"
It sighed again. "The last one of your bloodline to come this way made a request of me. They had set a time-delay jutsu, contingent upon your death, and requested that I lead you to a gift that they had left."
"Time...delay...jutsu?"
"Can we speed things up, please? Yes, a time-delay jutsu. To do so, they sabotaged the abilities of your bloodline. It will become clear when you leave this place, and the time is ticking until that happens, so may I keep my promise now?"
I gestured helplessly. "It's your world, Mr. Death. I'm just living in it."
It snorted. "I see you retained your sense of humor. Good, because you're going to need it. Now, follow me."
I walked beside it, looking around as the scenery changed. "What's the Dark Forest?" I finally asked, and it sighed again.
"So many questions...to put it simply, it is the path between the mortal world and the afterlife. Some stay here, waiting, weighed down by regrets or determination."
"And all people walk it?"
"Yes. It is a time of reflection before you reach the afterlife. We, however, will be walking a different path today."
Before I could ask, a portal of darkness appeared before us.
"I think this is a bad ideaaa-AAAAHHHH!" I finished as the portal expanded, sucking me and the figure in.