Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.


"NARUTOOO!"

"SASUKEEE!"

Naruto's eyes shot open, causing him to blankly stare at the ceiling. He sat up, shaking his head as he looked down at the floor. "...The hell was that?..." He got up, and walked over the coffee maker.

As he brewed himself a cup of the hot liquid, he heard Kurama stir awake.

"Morning, Kit..."

The blonde sighed, as he poured himself a cup of coffee, and began to fix it to his liking.

'Morning...'

They were both silent, as Naruto fixed his coffee. Kurama began to speak, making the blonde jump a bit.

"Your chakra fluctuated throughout the night, something going on?"

Naruto sipped his coffee, sighing as the hot drink slid down his throat, waking up the rest of his body from the heat.

'I just had a bad dream is all. Nothing big.'

"You sure? You don't normally get so riled up from a simple bad dream."

The blonde shook his head, as he looked down. His grip tightened on the mug.

'Yeah... It just hit me a bit harder than others would.'

Naruto finished his coffee, then set his mug down.

'I'm fine. Really, I am.'

He heard the fox let out a grunt, not exactly believing him as he walked toward the bathroom.

"Alright then..."

Naruto rolled his eyes, as Kurama's words echoed in his mind. He then stepped in the shower, sighing lowly. He then closed his eyes, allowing himself some peace.

A bloody Sasuke looked up at Naruto, who stood over him. He then growled, as he pumped a chidori through his arm, and lunged at the blonde.

"NARUTO!"

The blonde's eyes opened in shock, as he looked up at the ceiling in shock. He groaned slightly, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Naruto?"

Said blonde jumped slightly, when he heard Sakura's voice. He then looked over to the door. "Yeah?"

"O-Oh, you didn't answer the first time I called... Just wanted to make sure you were alright."

The blonde gave a smile, despite her not being able to see him. "Alright. I'll be out in a couple of minutes..."

"Okay."

Once he knew she wasn't by the door, he slumped against the wall. He began to mutter to himself. "...Now is not the time to focus on that..."

He then stood up fully, shaking his head. "No... What's most important, is keeping my promise to Nagato... Sasuke comes later."

With that, he turned off the water, and stepped out of the shower.

After getting dressed, he walked out of the bathroom to see Sakura standing there with a smile. She walked over, and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Morning, handsome."

The blonde laughed, as he returned it. "Morning."

She then sighed, as she folded her arms. "Well... Todays the day we go to Kirigakure."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her tone. "What's wrong? Nervous?"

The pinkette looked to the side, pouting a little. "Well, no... It's just... It's weird that we're making so much progress... You'd think I'd be more excited, but... I feel more somber about it all."

The blonde put his hands on her shoulders, and gave his fox-like grin. "Well, look at it this way... We're so much closer to home now."

Sakura blinked at her blonde haired love, as a smile crept up on her face. He always knew how to make her feel better. "Yeah... Thanks."

With that, she walked into the bathroom, getting ready. As the door closed, the blonde looked down.

'So close to home...'

A couple days passed in a flash, as the four ninja sped through the trees.

Anko rubbed the back of her neck, as she sighed loudly. "Ugghh, how much further?"

Kakashi glanced over at the purple haired kunoichi, laughing slightly. "Not much... We'll be out of the forest soon, then we'll have to cross the ocean a bit."

Sakura folded her arms, as she closed her arms. "We'll have to rest a bit before crossing... It'll take a while to cross the water on foot, and frankly, the only one who has more than enough chakra to safely get across is Naruto."

The blonde laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, can't help that I have a huge chakra supply."

They exited the forest, and made their way to the shore line. Once they got there, they sat down, beginning to rest up.

As they sat, Kakashi sighed, as he looked toward the water. "It'll be interesting... Being in Kirigakure again."

Naruto blinked as he looked over at the masked man. "You've been there before?"

Kakashi shrugged, as he kept his stare toward the water. "Once... A long time ago. It's not exactly the best place to go... Crime everywhere, Shinobi putting those who aren't down... It's a society that would make the Mizukage bow her head in shame."

Naruto looked down, as he shook his head. "Damn... Last time I saw the Mizukage, she seemed really formal... Like she took her job seriously." He then folded his arms. "Guess appearances really are deceiving..."

Sakura stretched her arms, as she stood up. "Well, it's up to her whether or not things will be made right there, right? All we can do is hope tha... Nngh." The pinkette stumbled slightly, before shaking her head. "...That she realizes how much her people need her."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow to this, but continued with the discussion. "Well, it's not like she doesn't care. It wasn't her fault that Kirigakure ended up in the condition it was in." He closed his eye, as he let out a sigh. "No, their Yondaime was the one who caused this... Yagura."

The blonde blinked at this, as he looked at the gray-haired jounin. "Who?"

Anko looked at Kakashi in slight shock as she nodded. "Yeah... I recognize his name anywhere." She looked over at the two younger ninja. "He was the reason Kirigakure was known as the village of the bloody mist... He ruled that village with an iron fist. He died a few years ago, thankfully."

Sakura looked toward the water, not really giving any expression. "Well, that explains why it's still in a bad condition, she's recovering a place that was under tyrannical rule... God knows how many years that can take to resolve."

The group went silent after that, leaving a heavy atmosphere behind.


The rain was heavier than ever in Amegakure.

A man looked out of the highest skyscraper, staring down at the buildings and people below. He held a mask in his hand, as the shadows were suitable enough to cover his face. His eye narrowed, as he grunted. "I see why you enjoyed being here, Nagato-kun..."

He sighed as he looked up at the sky, thunder crashing within the clouds. "You feel like you're on top of the world when you're here..."

"Madara-sama..."

He sighed, as he placed the mask over his face. He then turned toward the new voice. "Ah, Emi-chan. So nice to have you back."

Emi took her hood off, as she looked at Madara. Said man folded his arms as he looked down at her. "So, did you do what I asked?"

She nodded as she gave a hint of a smile. "Hai. I successfully took over the town."

Madara put his arms out in joy. "Wonderful, Emi-chan! Even though you have only been with us for a few months now, you have done very well!" He then rubbed his chin, as he glanced up. "Still... It shouldn't have taken you so long to do so."

Emi looked to the side, then back at him. "I searched for the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, as well."

The masked man sighed, as he shook his head. "Emi-chan, what did I tell you? Naruto-kun is way too dangerous for you to go against... Hell, we don't even know where he is..."

"But I found him."

Madara looked back at Emi, in slight surprise. "What? You did?"

Emi nodded, as she folded her arms. "Yes, he was in the land of waves." She brushed her bangs from her face, as she continued. "I fought him, and I won."

Madara stood there, completely silent. Emi began to chuckle, as she continued. "He put up a bit of a fight, but he went down really easy." She closed her eyes, as she chuckled more. "I think you're giving him too much credit, Mada-!"

Her eyes widened as she was grabbed by her arms by Madara. He brought his face close to her, his sharingan blazing. "Emi... The last thing you will ever do, is underestimate Uzumaki Naruto... He is the reason the Akatsuki only has 8 members left!"

Madara backed off, his sharingan still glowing in anger. "He was holding back on you... Yeah, that's it. He knew nothing of you, so he was simply sizing you up! I just know he was..." He growled as he looked to the side. "That clever bastard... Allowing himself to lose so he could find out your abilities..."

Emi looked down, holding her arm. "G-Gomen... I-I didn't realize..."

Madara blinked realizing he lost his temper, he then walked over to her. "It's alright, Emi-chan. You simply didn't know." He gave an eye smile, hoping to calm the girl down. "Just remember what we're striving for...! Naruto is simply an obstacle that we must eventually come across... Not now, though."

The black-haired girl gave a smile to Madara, as her arms fell to her side. "Hai... I understand, Madara-sama."

Madara turned, and walked toward the opening of the skyscraper once again. "Very good. Now go and rest, Emi-chan. I'll give you your orders once I have them."

The young girl gave a bow in respect, before vanishing, leaving sparks behind.

"You really seem to have taken a liking to the new girl."

Madara glanced over to see a man with raven colored hair, and glowing red eyes walking out of the shadows. "Why doesn't it surprise me that you were watching, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke grunted, as he stood next to Madara. "I had Suigetsu watch from afar... She certainly won the fight, but you were right... Naruto was holding back on her."

Madara scoffed, as he stared at the city. "Aren't I always?"

The raven-haired boy shook his head, as he put a hand on his hip. "Just a word of advice... Make sure your pet doesn't get too far without her leash..." With that, he walked back into the darkness.

Madara let out a slight chuckle, as he continued to stare at the city. His silence being his answer.

When he no longer felt Sasuke's presence, he took off his mask once again. "Soon... Everything will be right..."


Sakura sighed loudly, as she stepped on to the shore, wiping sweat from her forehead as she looked back to the ocean. "Well, that wasn't so bad."

Next to her was Anko, Kakashi, and Naruto panting as they looked at her.

Naruto hunched over, putting his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "You fucking kidding? You see how far we ran? Doesn't help that the waves weren't exactly pleasant!"

Kakashi laughed lightly as he patted Naruto's back. "She does have the best chakra control here."

Naruto shook his head as he stood up fully. "Oh yeah, and my ENORMOUS chakra pool really helped me..."

Sakura punched his arm playfully, as Anko looked forward. "Well, we aren't far from Kirigakure, luckily."

They all looked at each other, and nodded as they ran forward.

It didn't take long before the locals became aware of them. As they reached a clearing, Naruto jumped back, barely dodging a kunai.

Kakashi put his hands up as three Kiri ninja appeared, blinking all the while. "Easy, we're friendlies."

The jounin of the Kiri group walked over, tightening his grip on his kunai. "Oh yeah? And why should we believe you?"

Anko reached into her pocket, and pulled out her hitae-ate. "Because we're Konoha shinobi."

The Kiri-jounin looked over at the two Chunin, and the three began to laugh.

The Jounin shook his head, as he looked back at them. "Please, for all we know you pulled them off of some dead konoha ninja! Give me a real reason we should even consider letting you live, let alone come into our village."

Naruto walked over to him, as he glanced up at the Jounin. "I'm a good reason..."

The Kiri-jounin was about to laugh, but he caught Naruto's practically soul-piercing glance. His eyes widened, as he felt strength, but also fear overcoming him. He began to tremble, as he took a step back.

What scared the Jounin more than anything, though, was when he recognized the blonde.

One of the Chunin looked at his superior in shock. "O-Oi, snap out of it man!"

The Chunin looked down at the blonde, a little freaked out himself. "W-Who are you?..."

Naruto gave a small smirk, as he folded his arms. "Uzumaki Naruto... A pleasure to meet you."


"Alright, that's todays paperwork done."

Mei sighed loudly as she leaned back in her chair. "That was a lot more than yesterday..." She then smiled. "Ah well, at least it's done."

The red-haired woman picked up her tea kettle, and poured some of the hot liquid into her glass. "Now I can spend the rest of my day relaxing..." She placed the kettle aside, then picked up the cup, and as she was about to take a sip.

"Mizukage-sama."

Mei opened an eye, as she looked up to see Ao walking into the room. She looked up at Ao, and gave him a smile. "Yes?"

He gave a slight bow as he looked to the side. "There are some people here to see you..."

Mei frowned at this, as she put her glass down. "Who would act so boldly as to show up unannounced, and without notification that they would come to meet with me?"

Ao tensed slightly, as he looked at the Godaime. "W-Well... It's the young man who showed up with the Tsuchikage in the meeting with the other Kage some time ago. Along with the copy ninja, Hatake Kakashi, and two others."

Mei's eyes fully opened at this, as she stood up. "Oh? Bring them in."

Ao gave another bow, as he walked out.

The red-haired woman walked to the window, as she rubbed her chin.

'The Kyuubi's jinchuuriki? Why are they here, I wonder...'

"Been awhile, Mizukage."

Mei was knocked out of her thoughts as she turned to see Naruto and company entering her office.

She clasped her hands together, as she gave a smile. "Ah, Uzumaki Naruto, is it?"

Naruto gave a nod, noticing Ao leave the room.

Anko and Sakura could only stare at Mei in awe, both thinking the same thing.

'She's absolutely gorgeous!'

Her smile got a bit sly, as she walked toward him. "Hm, I always heard that The copy ninja was an attractive one, but you are something completely different... Time has certainly helped you."

Before Mei could get any closer, she saw Sakura step in front of the blonde. She gave a rather calm smile to the Mizukage, despite her bubbling anger. "I can't help but notice that you're flirting with my boyfriend, Mizukage-sama."

Mei blinked at this, as she waved a hand. "Oh? My sincerest apologies...?"

The pinkette folded her arms, as she stared Mei down. "Haruno Sakura. Tsunade-sama's student."

Mei gave her a smile, as she put a hand on her hip. "Well then, that explains that fierce look in your eyes. She's certainly taught you well."

Sakura couldn't help but smile back, as she gave a slight bow. "Arigatou, Mizukage-sama."

Mei shook her head, as she looked at them. "Please, call me Mei. When it's just us here, I'd rather not deal with honorifics. Besides, you all are just as important when it comes to this topic."

She then walked behind her desk, and sat down, turning to face the group. "Now then, how can I help you?"

Kakashi's eye narrowed, as he looked at the Mizukage. "This has to do with that mission."

Mei fully sat up, ready to hear what they had to say. "I see. What have you discovered?"

Anko stuffed her hands in her pockets, as she looked at Mei. "Another one of your own has joined the Akatsuki."

The Mizukage's eyes widened from the news. She then looked down, biting her lip all the while. "I see... My village has once again, caused so much trouble."

Naruto and Sakura both looked at each other, guilt filling their features. It was now, seeing the anguish that Mei was feeling from this news, that made them regret their original thoughts on her being a bad Kage.

Naruto ran his hand through his hair, as he looked at Mei. "Well Mizu- er, Mei, there is a way for you to help. We need records on this ninja."

Mei looked at the Bijuu holder, and stood up. "Of course, but do you know who it is?"

Naruto let his hand fall to his side, as he nodded. "Hai. Her name is Kimura Emi."

The red-haired woman's eyes instantly widened at this, as the name rang through her mind. "What?..."

Before they could say anything, Mei ran past them, and out of the room.

The group looked at each other, and not even two minutes later, Mei busted back into the room, flipping through documents like crazy. "No no no...!" She threw the documents on her desk, gritting her teeth. "Dammit!" She slid into her chair, holding her hand over her face.

The four looked on in surprise, not exactly sure what to say. Kakashi cleared his throat uncomfortably, as he looked at the distraught Kage. "M-Mei?... Is everything alright?"

The Mizukage let out a sigh, as she sipped her tea. "No... I was aware that she became a missing nin... But I sent out teams regularly to bring her back!" She picked up the documents, then tossed them to the edge of the desk for them to look at. "But it turns out, they stopped the searches without notifying me..." She growled lowly, as she sipped her tea. "...Guess it's time to fire some corrupt bastards."

Naruto blinked, as he picked up the file. He looked down at it, then back at Mei. "Wait... What? Last I checked, Missing-nin weren't always chased after by the village themselves. Usually they just put a bounty on their head, right?"

Mei opened her eyes, as she looked at the blonde. "Read on..."

The blonde nodded, as he looked back down at the files. He flipped through the pages, until he reached Emi's file. "Kimura Emi, age 24, Jounin rank... Became a ninja at the age of 12... Wait."

His cerulean eyes could only shrink at her mission count. "She's completed a total of 2693 missions?"

Kakashi's eye widened at this, as he looked at Naruto. "What? That's impossible! Even I have only completed 1143 missions, and that includes when I became your jounin instructor!"

Sakura could only stare at the files in disbelief. Her eyes then turned to Mei. "How could she complete so many missions in just twelve years?..."

Mei shook her head, as she rested her arms on the desk. "Ten. She defected two years ago." She then looked up at the ceiling, staring off into space. "As for how?... Well, she had the means to do so... Having both lightning and water as her elements made her a force to be reckoned with, but... That's not the reason I'm trying to get her back."

"It's what she can do with lightning in particular, and her past that drive me to get her back as quickly as possible."


Dun dun duuunnnnn.

Well... I wanted to make this chapter longer, but... I think it's long enough. We'll get into the rest of this for the first half of the next chapter. The second half is for something new that I hope you'll like!

Laters