I don't own Naruto and I never have, probably never will. Can never tell for sure though.
Nightfall!
Chapter 52: Unwelcome News
Naruto leaped from building to building, the memory of what he saw burned into his mind. He was not exactly sure what it was that he had seen but he knew it was not something that was natural. Danzo's arm, the one he kept in a sling at all times was not his at all, the chakra flow was all wrong, not to mention far too dense to be his own. Then there were the small points along his arm that were draining his chakra, just like his covered eye. 'There sharingan, I'm almost positive, I bet he had his peoples go harvest the eyes before anyone even raised the alarm. But who could do something like that... the only person who performs experiments that sick and twisted is Orochimaru! Unless there is some other twisted person out there that has been experimenting on the sharingan" the blond thought as he hopped over the main village walls and took off in the direction of the cave they were staying in, moonlight illuminating the path as he ran.
When Naruto entered the cave he was surprised to find that Tsunade was already there, healing Itachi who lay across a large table. "Oh Naruto, how nice of you to join us, come help me with this would you!" she half asked half ordered.
Naruto knew better than to make Tsunade angry and readily went over to assist the Hokage in healing Itachi's eyes. "Is Jiraiya sensei back yet? I need to to talk to him about Danzo" Naruto said.
"Really, and why the hell would you want to talk about that war mongering old fool for?" Tsunade asked, intrigue showing on her face.
Naruto cursed under his breath, he had wanted to keep Tsunade, and Hiruzen out of the loop until he had some solid evidence that it was Danzo that implanted that arm as well as the Dojutsu. "Oh it's nothing really, it just felt like his chakra was a little off when he was talking to Jiji" Naruto half lied.
Itachi who was lying on the table frowned slightly, knowing that Naruto had already expressed those concerns, he did not press the issue however. 'It's not like Naruto to lie to Tsunade-sama I wonder what this is really about' he thought.
Tsunade who had her back to the Uchiha hummed "Little off how?" she pressed.
Naruto cursed inside, he was hoping Tsunade would drop the issue. "Well, his crippled arm has a different type of chakra flowing through it, almost like its the arm of someone else" Naruto said.
Tsunade's eyes widened slightly "The arm of someone else, as in not just a transplant?" Tsunade questioned.
Naruto sighed deciding to tell her everything. "Yes, and that's not all, up his arm there were multiple areas that chakra was being drained, just like Kakashi's sharingan eyes. I believe he has a whole arm filled with sharingan, but I have no way to prove it, also the only person I can think of that could perform such a disgusting experiment is Orochimaru" Naruto said.
"But what would be the purpose of having so many sharingan?" Tsunade asked.
Itachi then had an idea. "Izanagi, the most powerful jutsu known that is placed on the user rather than an opponent" he said.
"And why is that important for him to have multiple eyes?" Tsunade asked.
"Because the act of using Izanagi causes instant blindness in an eye, causing it to close and never reopen. But that's not all, the Uchiha cannot do this jutsu at all, it requires a mixture of Uchiha DNA as well as that of the Senju clan" Itachi explained.
"That must be why his arm felt so weird, it contains Senju DNA!" Naruto said in shock.
"That bastard... I will have his head!" Tsunade raged.
"It won't be that easy, we have to prove what he has done, also it's not illegal to preform experiments on yourself unless you are harming others, it's Konoha law" Itachi said.
Tsunade was still fuming, not only the eyes of the dead Uchiha clan but also the DNA of her family. Naruto saw her face contorted in frustration and anger. "I know how you feel, but there is one way we can get him for this. If we can prove that he has been working with Orochimaru then he is guilty of not only Aiding a major threat to Konoha but if my suspicions are correct treason as well. That's why I wanted to find Jiraiya, if anyone will know where that scaly bastard is it will be him" Naruto reasoned.
Tsunade nodded. "I don't want to leave this alone, but it seems that I must for now" she sighed trying to forget her anger at the Root commander. "Well let's hurry up and get Itachi healed so you can get out of here and look for Orochimaru" she added.
Naruto wasted little time in joining Tsunade at the table and applying healing chakra to Itachi's eyes. "They are healing at a rather fast rate, I would say it only going to take a day or two before we can remove these bandages" Tsunade said.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah but did you notice something else, they seem to be changing to adapt to Itachi's DNA" he said.
"Actually you were just focusing the jutsu on his eyes. It's not just the eyes that have changed since the implant, his whole DNA structure has changed. I can't be certain but I believe it will mean that Itachi's children should he have any will also have this new dojutsu. And because the eyes have taken Itachi's DNA in as well I can only assume he will still have most of if not all the abilities he once had along with the added skills of his new eyes" Tsunade said.
Itachi who had kept quiet up to this point so the two medics could work faster couldn't help but ask a question that quickly popped into his head after finding out this new piece of information. "So does that mean I am no longer an Uchiha?"
Tsunade frowned. "Well yes and no. your parentage hasn't changed has it, you will always be an Uchiha in that sense. But now its more like an evolution of the Uchiha clan. However your DNA will be slightly changed from other Uchiha creating a new sharingan. Although you could always change your name and start a new clan altogether" she informed Itachi as she gave his eyes one final go over with her medical jutsu.
"Hm that is something to think about. A proper fresh start for the Uchiha clan is something that I always wanted, but I had hoped that Sasuke would be the one to accomplish that task." Itachi hummed as he lay still until Naruto finished his healing jutsu.
"Well, Sasuke doesn't have much hope of reviving the Uchiha clan in Konoha, betrayal is enough to get anyone killed. He would have to do something spectacular to stop that from happening" Tsunade said while helping the Uchiha into a seated position.
"That's true, it will certainly be hard for him to redeem himself" Itachi sighed, lowering his head to the floor.
"Anyway, I should get back to the Hokage tower, the clone I left there is starting to run low of chakra. And Shizune will hide my Sake if I take too long" Tsunade sighed.
"Alright Baa-chan, will you be back tomorrow?" Naruto asked.
"Yes, I'll need to check on Itachi's condition after all" She said a small tic mark appearing from the fact Naruto continued to call her old, but she had gotten over that long ago.
Jiraiya strolled back to the cave around fifteen minutes after Tsunade had left. He was taken by surprise when the first thing Naruto asked was the location of Orochimaru. "Why the hell would you want to know something like that!" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto went on and told his sensei the complete story of what happened in Hiruzen's office including the part where Danzo attempted to use some jutsu on him but failed. "And I want to find Orochimaru because he will know the truth about Danzo's arm" Naruto explained.
"Hm finding him will be tough, he moves all the time, like us he has hideouts in almost every major country but most of the main ones he has hidden in smaller countries where the threat of discovery is much smaller" Jiraiya explained.
"So you're saying we should just forget this? Let Danzo get away with stealing the eyes of the Uchiha clan ninja who died and the DNA from a Senju?" Naruto said in frustration.
"I didn't say that, I said it would be difficult to find him. Give me some time, I'll track the snake down" Jiraiya said confidently.
"Tell me about this Jutsu he used on you Naruto-kun" Itachi asked.
"Hm it was sort of hard to explain, it was like he was trying to get into my head. Simple enough to suppress for me, although I can only imagine what the jutsu's full potential would be" the blond said.
"It figures. The ability to control his opponents was an ability of Shisui Uchiha. I was supposed to kill him before the rest of my clan so that he couldn't get in the way. It was also the hardest thing I had ever had to do in my life. However when I found Shusui he was already injured and was missing an eye. It looks like Danzo got to him before I could" Itachi explained.
"That could explain why the elders are often so willing to follow Danzo in his requests" Jiraiya said sagely.
"Then why doesn't he just use the technique on Jiji and Baa-chan?" Naruto asked.
"That would be foolish, if he was caught they would execute him. And the technique was never perfect, he could influence there decisions but for people as strong willed as Sarutobi-sama and Tsunade-sama it may not have had the same effect" Itachi said.
"But he's not the only Uchiha that has had the ability to control people. Madara could control the Kyuubi with his eyes" Jiraiya said.
"That is different, the Uchiha clan has always had the ability to suppress uncontrolled bijuu with our sharingan. In fact within reason I should be able to control the Kyuubi somewhat should it break free" Itachi explained.
"Well that's not going to happen, there is no way that I am letting him out anytime soon" Naruto chuckled.
The three ninja sat and talked for awhile longer until they each retired to rooms they had transformed into makeshift bedrooms for the duration of their stay in Konoha.
The sun was just starting to rise above Konoha when Akimi arrived at the front gates. She knew Naruto wouldn't be in the village itself, not while Itachi was with him so she ignored the gate and began searching the area for any signs of his chakra signature. Unfortunately it was nowhere to be found. 'Damn it Naruto where are you... I need you' she thought in desperation. She had run all night after sealing the body of Akaru into a scroll her tears had dried up while she ran but she still felt empty and alone.
Then an idea hit her. If Naruto was in the area she could use the chakra rod he had given her. She had initially thought to use this the moment Akaru had passed but she quickly remembered that the jutsu had a maximum range and she was way outside of it at that point in time.
Grabbing the chakra rod out of her pouch she stabbed it into the palm of her hand wincing slightly from the pain.
Naruto sat Bolt upright. He had been fast asleep when he felt another chakra source enter his perception and it was a familiar one. 'Why is she here?' he thought once the shock of her chakra appearing settled down. "Summoning Jutsu!" Naruto said in a hushed tone.
A puff of smoke and Akimi appeared in front of Naruto looking incredibly ragged. She blinked twice a little disorientated from the summoning but quickly came to her senses. Rather than speak she launched herself at Naruto burying her face into his exposed chest as the tears that she thought had dried up quickly reappeared.
Naruto was shocked and a little scared. "Akimi-chan whats wrong?" he asked affectionately as he started stroking her hair to help calm the now distraught kunoichi.
She continued to wale into the blonds chest holding him as close as she could. "They... killed... Akaru" she managed to get out between short periods of uncontrolled crying.
"Who did!" Naruto asked, now shock was replaced with anger yet at the same time relief that Akimi was alright.
"The Akatsuki" she sobbed as she started to get some control back. The relief at finding Naruto had brought back all the feelings of loss she had felt at her brothers death.
Naruto hugged her closer "where were they?" he asked, he knew it was not exactly the best thing to say he would have preferred to comfort the kunoichi with far kinder words than that, however the Akatsuki's movements were a serious issue.
Akimi gave a sniff and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "The Fire Temple, there were two of them" she said.
"How long ago did Akaru die? I'm sorry to ask but I need to know" Naruto asked as sympathetically as he could.
"Yesterday afternoon just before the sun had completely set" Akimi admitted trying her best not to break down again.
Naruto lowered his head in defeat. "Then too much time has passed. If I was to bring him back now it would kill me, I'm sorry Akimi-chan I'm so very, very sorry" he said kissing the top of her head as a sign of affection.
"It's alright, but promise me we will make them pay for what they did" Akimi said resting her ear against Naruto's chest so she could hear his heart beating.
"Revenge is not the answer, no matter how much I want to find the bastards and rip them apart for hurting my friends and making you cry, killing for revenge is not the way to do things. That said we will stop them from ever doing something like this to anyone else, that is a promise and make them answer for their crimes while we are at it" Naruto said.
"Gah why must you be so difficult... but I guess I can accept your proposal" she said half laughing and half crying.
Naruto was proud of her for trying to lighten the mood but didn't say anything, he didn't want to make it any worse after all. In the end he just moved to lay back down pulling Akimi with him. They both lay in silence until the sound of Akimi's breathing slowed as she fell asleep using his chest as her pillow. 'Sleep well Akimi-chan I promise you that the people who killed Akaru will pay for their crimes' he thought slowly stroking her hair before pulling up the covers and falling back asleep himself.
(Several Hours Later)
Naruto awoke to some deep coughing. "You look like you have been busy, next time put a sock on the door would you" Jiraiya said jokingly as Naruto began to stir.
The blond was confused for a second but soon remembered that Akimi was still sleeping with half her body draped across his. "It's not what it looks like! So get out, you perverted sensei" Naruto said.
"Why is she here anyway?" Jiraiya asked not moving.
"Akaru is dead" Naruto said flatly whilst looking down at the sleeping kunoichi. "She came here to tell me" he added before looking back at Jiraiya.
The Toad Sage nodded somberly. "Can't you save him like those civilians that were killed during our training?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto shook his head. "He's been dead too long, the souls will have been taken on, the amount of energy needed to get a soul back now would kill me" Naruto said sadly.
Jiraiya lowered his head in acceptance, "It's the life of a ninja, for most to die in battle is the greatest honor of them all. If I had to picture my end, it would be giving my life to save the lives of many. Just like the Hokage's so far. A death fitting their stature... Did she say how he died?" he said.
"The Akatsuki" Naruto replied a hint of anger in his voice.
"Is that so? And inside of the Land of Fire no less, this is troubling" Jiraiya sighed.
"The Fire Temple actually... and I'm going after them, they could be hunting Gaara or Fuu, there is no way I'm going to let them capture my friends!" Naruto said.
"I see, well Itachi will be healed by tomorrow night so we should head out together then" Jiraiya suggested.
"No, I'm not giving them that much time to find the others. I'll leave today with Akimi-chan when Itachi is cleared to take the bandages off you two should split up and go find the others" Naruto said.
"They fight in pairs Naruto, going alone is going to be dangerous" Jiraiya said. He didn't want Naruto to go, but he wasn't going to stop the blond when he saw how determined he was.
"I know, but this is what you trained me for, trust me. I'll go tell Baa-chan that I'm leaving so she will know why I'm not around tonight" Naruto said.
"Very well, I was coming in to see if you wanted to spar but it seems that would be counter productive now" Jiraiya sighed. "I'll leave you two alone, don't forget the anti pregnancy jutsu" he said before exiting the room.
Naruto was so flustered that he could only splutter back as Jiraiya shut the door behind him. "So when are we leaving?" Akimi said still resting on his chest.
Naruto quckly looked down at the kunoichi who was staring up at him "You were awake?" he asked.
Akimi nodded. "I awoke about where you said that we would be going after the two that killed Akaru today" she replied.
"Well I was going to ask if you wanted to come, if you're not up for it I understand" Naruto assured her.
"No there is no way that I am letting you go after them alone, beside you will need my help" She said feeling a lot more like her old self with Naruto around.
"Well I'll let you rest some more, then we will go tell Tsunade-Baachan that I'm leaving and she won't have me to do half the work while healing Itachi's eyes tonight. We can head for the fire temple right away after that" Naruto said.
"I don't need anymore rest, I feel fine!" Akimi complained.
But Naruto shook his head. "You're not, you ran all night to get here, you need some more rest. Sleep for a few more hours" Naruto said calmly.
Akimi reluctantly accepted and returned her head to Naruto's chest allowing the rhythmic beating of his heart to carry her back to sleep.
(Unknown Location)
In front of the large Gedo Mezo statue the body of a shinobi levitated above the ground connected to the statue by a large thread of chakra that surrounded his body and was slowly shrinking as it made its way into the Gedo statues mouth.
"Well would you look at that, Tobi was actually able to do something, and here I was thinking that he's completely useless" Deidara said with a laugh.
"Tobi had fun capturing the Gobi, it was strong but no match for Tobi" the masked ninja replied in his childlike fashion.
"What ever, I'm surprised that you and Zetsu could catch a cold let alone a Bijuu" Deidara said.
"You say that Deidara, but have you captured your target? I do not see the Ichibi's eye opened yet" Pein said.
"Eh no I haven't Pein-sama, but I believe we are getting close. I never realized just how big the Land of Fire really was" Deidara said.
"Just see that you locate him soon. Now what of the other two teams sent to the Land of Fire... Kakuzu, how is the search for the Nanabi?" Pein asked.
"What search, all he has done is drag us after bounties to regain the money he lost to Kumo" Hidan laughed.
"Is this true?" Pein asked.
"Indeed it is, but what better way to search than to collect money at the same time. As of yet I have no leads were the Nanabi is hiding other than a few unreliable whispers from various bounty offices that said they saw a green haired kunoichi traveling with a tall man carrying a large cleaver" Kakuzu replied.
"Very well, keep searching the money you collect is important to our cause after all" Pein said. Then he turned to Hiruko and Kisame. "And what of the hunt for the Kyuubi?" he asked.
"Nothing as of yet, sightings of Naruto Uzumaki seem to be rare. We have met people who have seen him or hired him for a job but all they could tell us was that he finished his task with ease, took his payment and then left" Hiruko said.
"Some of the tasks seemed fairly tough as well, I'm looking forward to fighting him" Kisame said with his shark like smile.
"Very well, if they are in the Land of Fire make sure you capture them as quickly as possible, but first we must complete the sealing of the Gobi" Pein said calmly.
(Land of Fire)
By the time Akimi awoke again it was almost the middle of the day. "Are you ready to go?" Naruto asked as she slowly stirred feeling a lot more refreshed than she was when she awoke earlier on.
Akimi this time didn't want to move, she was happy where she was and tried to feign sleep. Eventually however she relented and moaning slightly sat up. "Yeah, we better get ready to go" she sighed standing up and taking out a scroll that contained a change of clothes.
Not feeling in the mood to attempt to tease Naruto she asked where the bathroom was so she could change coming out minutes later in a new pair of tight black pants and a white sleeveless top. A clean Yoinokuchi robe hung over her shoulder. As Naruto had stopped wearing shirts as he continuously destroyed them during his elemental manipulation training he quickly pulled on a pair of black Anbu pants with an orange belt before pulling on his weighted robe. "Come on let's go see Baa-chan" the blond said with a smile and the pair left the room.
"Ah so you are both up" Itachi said as he heard Naruto and Akimi enter the room. "I here you're leaving to try and find the Akatsuki, are you sure that is wise? I know you are strong enough to handle yourself just fine, but if you just waited for Jiraiya-sama and myself they would not have a chance against us" Itachi said.
"So Jiraiya sensei told you about Akaru. I know what you are saying, but right now three of our strongest fighters are sitting around while the Akatsuki are in the Land of Fire looking for jinchuuriki. In the day it will take for your eyes to heal there is no telling how the Akatsuki will move, they could even locate Gaara or Fuu, I can't let that happen, if I go now after the two Akatsuki members that killed Akaru that leave you and Jiraiya sensei free to track down the others" Naruto explained.
"Very well. Your logic is sound, I was worried that you were running off for revenge, but it seems that you are thinking about this the right way. Good luck and be safe" Itachi said his face a mask giving away less than his bandaged eyes.
They left the cave and quickly slipped into Konoha undetected. Quickly making there way to the Hokage tower they arrived at Tsunade's office to find her going through some paper work. "Oh good you're not busy" Naruto said as he hopped through her window, Akimi following a few seconds later but looked far more apprehensive about the idea of barging into a Kage's office unannounced.
"Gaki!, what do you want, I have to complete all the paperwork that came in while I was helping you last night" she said hoping to make Naruto feel guilty for all the work she had to do.
No such luck however as Naruto scoffed at the impressive pile of forms sitting on her desk. "They're probably just mission reports that you should have done days ago" Naruto said, for the most part hitting the nail on the head.
Tsunade sent Naruto an annoyed glare, "What's this about gaki, and it better be good!" she said in a commanding tone.
"Geez relax a little will ya Baa-chan. I'm here to tell you that I won't be around to help with the medical jutsu tonight, I have to leave Konoha to look for someone" Naruto said not wanting to mention the Akatsuki.
"Does this have something to do with the attack on the Fire Temple" Tsunade said knowingly.
Naruto's eyes widened ever so slightly. "How did you know?" he asked.
Tsunade took out a folder and opened it. "We just got news, the Akatsuki attacked the Fire Temple to collect a bounty on the Monk and former member of the twelve guardians, Chiriku. It also says that another ninja was killed there, a man by the name of Akaru Hayaku" Tsunade said then turned to Akimi an affectionate motherly like look crossing her face. "I'm so sorry Akimi-chan" she said.
"It's alright, I'm feeling a little better now. This is the life he chose, and even though it's tough to accept he has gone" Akimi said she was trying to remain calm but there was still a hint of sorrow in her voice.
"Well if you are going after the Akatsuki, then I want to send a team along with you" Tsunade said.
"What... no way in hell! They would just slow us down" Naruto said defiantly.
"I can assure you that they won't" she said before yelling out to Shizune to "Send them in!" The doors opened and in walked Kakashi, Asuma and a man with curly hair wearing a Anbu mask to cover his face.
"Naruto? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked in surprise.
"Kakashi I want you to meet your two new teammates for this mission. I was going to send Sakura along as a medic but I am confident that Naruto has enough experience to cover that role" Tsunade said.
"Wait a minute Baa-chan, I don't think this is such a good idea, I mean yeah these guys are strong, but in a smaller group we can slip by places far easier, I don't want them to know that we we're after them, They'll run" Naruto said.
"He has a point Tsunade-sama" the masked ninja said respectfully.
"It will be easier to locate them in a large group. Ideally I would send a tracking team, but there are not many available at the moment. And even then, this is the Akatsuki we are talking about, they were able to kill the Monk Chiriku a very skilled ninja. This is a team that I am positive can not only find those responsible for the attack on a key landmark of the Land of Fire, but also bring them to justice. Do you accept?" She asked.
"Yes Tsunade-sama" Kakashi said with a curt nod followed almost immediately by the masked Anbu.
"Take your mask off Owl, you will go by the name Yamato for this mission" Tsunade said.
The Anbu did as she instructed and placed his mask on the table. "Very well Tsunade-sama" Yamato said with another bow.
Asuma had remained silent during this exchange. "Chiriku was one of my best friends, and a better man you couldn't find. You bet I'm in, let's teach the Akatsuki what happens when you mess with the Land of Fire" he said proudly.
"Well Naruto? Will you work with Konoha, just this once?" Tsunade asked.
Naruto looked at the three ninja standing before him 'Well they are all clearly strong, Baa-chan wouldn't have picked them to hunt S ranked missing ninja if they weren't and having them as backup will definitely keep Akimi-chan safer' "Alright I'm in, but don't go treating me like some green genin or a prince that needs to be protected or I'm off" Naruto said relaying his fears to the group.
"Don't worry Naruto, we wouldn't dream of it" Kakashi said with his trademark eye smile.
End Chapter!
So makeshift Yoinokuchi/Konoha team. A little excessive for what was probably one of the weakest Akatuski teams but I will try and work it so it becomes believable.
Okay a note that I probably should have put in two chapters ago. I am aware that Hidan couldn't move his body when his head was cut off in the cannon, that was clear when Kakuzu had to sew it back on. But this is not the cannon. I gave Hidan a new ability because otherwise a fight with Naruto or even someone like Zabuza or Gaara would be over in about three seconds. Sorry if you disliked the change in any case.
