Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from creating these stories about them.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. So hard to keep a job around the holidays since they only want the help for a short time so now I'm going to see about online resorts and maybe I can stay with them since I'm practically online all the time. Anyway, I hope you all loved the last chapter since I angrily and furiously wrote it, taking my frustrations out on it.

Thanks:

Melyway: I'm glad I made you laugh, though I figured most of it was the boob popping part.

Chapter Thirty

Naruto swung her cloak around and readjusted her Hitae Ite on her forehead, smiling down at the twins she says, "Ok! All ready!" The two smile up at their mom and hug her around her legs.

"Be safe on your journey!" They shout at her in unison right before Naruto steps outside to see Konohamaru waiting for her on the secret pathway that she will be taking to make sure no one knows she left the village. Two ANBU's that are tailing her watch her and the boy as they face off.

"What's going on?" One of them whispers to the other.

"I don't know, what are they doing?" He whispers back.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!" The two shout at the same time, shocking the ANBU right before Kakashi lands right in front of them, using the Sharingan to send them into an illusion.

"Dream of Naruto for a while, were you curious about Oiroke no Jutsu? Sorry," he tells them as they fall down on the ground, their brain warping with different images. 'Looks like Root doesn't trust Sai much anymore,' he thought as he covers his eye again.

"I heard what you did," Naruto tells Konohamaru when they finished their little show off. "You used Rasengan on Pain, right!?" She asks as she grins and a little blush covers his cheeks. "Good job, Konohamaru! You're a hero, too!" She tells him as she rubs the top of his head making him giggle. "You're a faster learner than me! Next time I'll show you how to make a bigger one," she tells him as she turns and tugs the twins towards him. "For now, can you keep an eye out on these two for me?" With that she jumps off into the forest.

"Ok!" He shouts back at her then stares down at the twins who stare up at him in wonder, while Kakashi smiles back at them from the bushes.

"Let's get tracking," Yamato says as he felt his seeds take root in the souls of the trio they are going to be following.

"Right!" Naruto says as she finishes stretching. The three of them bounce off into the forest, undetected. After a while, Naruto broke the silence as she sneezes loudly. "Oooh, it got really cold all of a sudden!"

"Shhh! We want to remain undetected!" Yamato quietly says as he shushes her over his shoulder.

~3~

Raikage and his two guards were sliding around in the snow, trying to get to the meeting point where the five Kage meeting is being held. "Raikage, there's Samui's squad," one of his guards tells him.

"Right! Below us!" The Raikage says as he starts falling back to the ground right in front of the three man cell that is standing there waiting.

"We have returned from Konohagakure," Samui says as they all salute the Raikage with their fists over their chests.

"How did it go!?" Raikage's brash voice asks.

"Samui…someone followed you," one of Raikage's guards tells them. "Come out, Konoha dogs!" He shouts and Naruto jumps out of the snowy background to land with Kakashi and Yamato on each side of her. "You're not bad if you were able to track Samui."

"Y-you…" Omoi says as he stares back at the now bandaged up girl.

"Damn it, Naruto, you've gotta be kidding me!" Karui shouts out at her.

"Boss, that's Hatake Kakashi, the one on the right," the mostly silent guard of the Raikage says.

"Hmph, I know!" He grunts out and turns fully to stare at the small group. "Did the Hokage send you, Hatake Kakashi!?"

"No, we have a favor to ask you. Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure wishes to speak with you. Please, listen to her," he says to the huge man.

"Don't you think that's a little rude? You didn't ask ahead for an audience, and we're on our way to the meeting," the guard that has been speaking the most says to them.

"I'm well aware of that," Kakashi tells him.

"Alright, that kid there, right? Spit it out!" Raikage grits out as he stares at the blond girl who has a bandage over one of her eyes. She closes her eye and takes a deep breath before she opens it up.

"I want you to stop Sasuke's…Uchiha Sasuke's execution," she tells him.

"H-hey, you came all this way for that?" Omoi stutters out.

"Are you still on about that!?" Karui shouts at her as Samui stares at the girl speechless.

"I can't believe it," the silent guard utters.

"What are you saying?" The other one says as he stares at the bright blue eye of Naruto's.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I have to try! Sasuke is the man that I love and I can't sit back and watch him be killed!" She shouts out as she scrunches her eye shut with the strain of the shout at the man. "And I don't want Sasuke to be the cause of a war between Konoha and Kumo! I don't want either of us to get caught up in revenge!"

"Let's go," Raikage says in his rare bit of a leveled voice and he and his group turn to leave.

"I'm begging you! I don't want anyone else getting killed for revenge!" Naruto shouts louder as she hits her knees, begging the man. "All Sasuke ever thought about was revenge! It consumed him and changed him! He was driven mad by revenge! He's not the same guy I knew anymore! I don't want that to happen to anyone else! I don't want people from Konoha and Kumo to be killing each other! So please…!" Tears start falling from her only revealing eye as she starts sobbing.

"I will kill Sasuke. It's up to you to make sure it stops there!" Raikage tells her.

"Ugh! You're so stupid!" Karui tells Naruto.

"Is that it? We're in a hurry," the loudmouth of Raikage's guards says as Naruto continues to let the tears go but now silently, hating that she wasn't successful.

"When you went after Hyuga's Byakugan, Konoha never did anything to retaliate. Your actions could have provoked a war, but we swallowed our bloody tears in order to prevent that," Yamato tells them. "Don't forget that you exist because of our precious sacrifices."

"This young Kunoichi before you may not be skilled at this, but she is begging you, for the sake of both Konoha and Kumo. Raikage, as one of the Kages, what is your opinion of this?" Kakashi asks.

"A Kunoichi should not be so quick to bow before another! Ninja's respect actions and strength! There should be no compromise between Ninjas. The history of the human race is a history of war! Ever since the three great Ninja wars, every country, every village has fought for the strongest techniques. The weak will be crushed! That is the inescapable truth of the Ninja world! Akatsuki will be internationally wanted criminals. Then the whole world will be after Sasuke, not just me. You beg for mercy for a criminal, for the safety of your friends, in the Ninja world, we do not call that friendship!" Raikage tells her and starts to walk by the group as he says his piece. "Kid, think about what you must do! You won't get far in the Ninja world if you keep acting so stupidly!" After he says this, Omoi felt bad for the girl as Karui snickers at her.

"Naruto, that's enough, get up," Kakashi tells her as she still kneels in the snow. The Raikage took one more glance at the girl and knew there was some other reason why this girl was begging him to not kill Sasuke.

~3~

Naruto lay back on the tatami mat and stared up at the ceiling, the emotions swirling inside of her threatening to burst free from her in sorrow. 'Sasuke, where are you now? What are you thinking? Are you thinking of me and Sakura and Kakashi, even a little?' She rolled over and curled one of her delicate fists by her cheek as her blue eyes dulled from the sorrow that fills her with each uncertain question filling her mind. 'You defeated your brother, you got your revenge, do you feel better? Or has it just gotten worse? Sasuke, why haven't you come back to Konoha? Come back to me…meet our children.' She starts shaking as she tries to keep in her emotions. 'Has the hatred eaten you up, Sasuke? Have you really become nothing but a common criminal? I don't,' she balls her hands into a fist and closes her eyes to make sure that her tears don't fall, 'understand you anymore…'

"Shall we have a little chat, Uzumaki Naruto?" Tobi tells the girl whose back is towards him, her eyes widen in shock.

"Y-you!" She shouts at him over her shoulder until one of her clones uses the Rasengan, destroying the room's roof.

"A Rasengan, eh? You know full well it won't work on me," Tobi tells her and wood starts to wind its way around Tobi's body while Naruto releases her clone, staring up at the man who was responsible before he surrounds her in a wooden cage.

"Naruto, stay still," Yamato tells her.

"Nice move, Hatake Kakashi, you're fast," Tobi complements him as he knew the man is readying his famous attack on the man.

"I won't let you get your hands on Naruto that easily, Uchiha Madara!" Kakashi says as he stares at him through the Sharingan.

"You must have heard me, then, right? None of your attacks will work on me, Uchiha Madara," Tobi brags as he looks through the only hole in his mask.

"So, you admit you're Uchiha Madara!?" Kakashi asks.

"I don't know whether you just disappear or turn into a ghost or what, but if you want to catch Naruto, you have to be solid," Yamato tells him. "So that's what we aimed for, this is my territory now."

"Hahaha, I don't think it will be so easy. I have a plan, too, you know. I just want to talk for now," Tobi says.

"Talk?" Kakashi asks, not believing what this man is saying.

"Yes, how did you make Nagato betray me? Naruto, I'm curious about you," the man wonders as he stares at Naruto.

"That doesn't matter! What are you gonna do to Sasuke!? Tell me about Sasuke!" The girl demands as she grips on the wooden slats in the cage, glaring up at the man.

"Sasuke, eh?" He says and the older two stare at him with expressionless faces. "Alright, I'll tell you, about a man eaten up by the Ninja world's hatred and bitterness, about Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto beats on the wood and glares at him.

"Liar! That's not true!" She shouts at him.

"It…can't be," Yamato says as he stares up at the man.

"We can't discuss Sasuke without first discussing Itachi," Tobi says.

"Quit fooling around, I don't believe you," Kakashi tells him.

"No, I'm not lying," Tobi tells them as he stands immobilized by the wood. "That's the truth about Itachi. He died for Sasuke, and for Konoha."

"What do you mean? If that's true and Sasuke knows it, then why would he work with Akatsuki!? He would follow Itachi's wishes and return to Konoha," Kakashi tells him since he has better knowledge about Sasuke's mind.

"Heh, as Sasuke's friend and teacher, you guys think you know him, but you don't understand him at all, you've got it all wrong. He's the real deal, he is a true avenger," Tobi says.

"Did you do that to him!?" Naruto shouts up at him as she grits her teeth.

"No, I didn't," he tells her. "He chose it himself."

"Liar!" Naruto shouts out as she scrunches her eyes closed, trying to make sure that she doesn't cry in front of the man.

"I took a gamble, not knowing whether he would choose to follow Itachi's wishes, or choose revenge against Konoha. He chose revenge, that just means in his heart, he was always one of us. Right now, Sasuke's goal…is vengeance against Konoha for what they did to the Uchiha clan, and to Itachi," he explains further.

"Why? Why?" Naruto almost quietly asked as her face is still hidden from the man. "Why did this happen to him!? Why did he turn to revenge!?" By the end she was shouting yet again.

"He had no choice. This is the hate-filled destiny of the Uchiha clan. It's a curse that has followed us for generations," he tells her.

"Hate-filled destiny? Curse!?" She grit out as her red ringed blue eyes stare up at him.

"Yes, the curse of hatred that began long ago with the founder of the Ninjas, the Rikudo Sage, the Sage of the Six Paths," Tobi tells them.

"The Rikudo Sage? He's nothing but a myth. The Rinnegan is just a mutation…" Kakashi says.

"The myth was based on real events. The Rikudo Sage preached the way of the Ninja and tried to bring peace to the world, but when it was still but a dream, his time came. He had entrusted two boys with the power and will of the way of the Ninja. The elder was born with the Sage's "eyes", and was gifted with his powerful Chakras and spiritual energy. He believed that might was the key to peace. The younger was born with the Sage's "body", and was gifted with his life force and physical energy. He believed love was the key to peace. On his deathbed, the Sage had to choose a successor, and this eternal curse of hatred was born from that decision," Tobi explained.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks.

"The Sage believed, that it was the younger, not the elder, who was best-suited to be his successor, and chose him. Convinced he should have been chosen, the elder could not accept the decision, and attacked his brother in hatred. Time passed and though their blood had thinned, the descendants of the two brothers still warred with each other. The descendants of the elder were called Uchiha, and the descendants of the younger were called Senju. My first battle with the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was fated. This is only the second time we've met, but I can tell the fire of the Senju clan dwells within you," he says as he looks down at Naruto. "I can see the first Hokage in you. Though dead, he still lives on. He was my rival, and I admired him and hated him more than anyone else. Senju and Uchiha, fire and hatred, Naruto and Sasuke. You two have been chosen by fate. Revenge is the Uchiha clan's destiny. Sasuke has taken on the hatred of the entire clan, and he will inflict that curse's hatred on the world. Hatred is his greatest weapon, his friend and his strength. That is Sasuke's dogma! Naruto, someday you will have to fight Sasuke, or rather, I will make you fight Sasuke. This fated battle has been long in coming. I will use Sasuke to force people to acknowledge the Uchiha clan."

"Sasuke isn't your toy! You're out of line!" She yells back at him.

"Do you think you can change Sasuke's heart as you did Nagato's? I think you're the one who's out of line, Naruto. If you want to control people's hearts, you have to use the darkness within them. Nagato was just too easily influenced," he tells her.

"You and Nagato are nothing alike!" She shouts as she remembers the conversation she had with Nagato at the end. "He may have been going about it differently, but in his heart he wished for peace, but not you!"

"Heh, you're right," he says as he looks at her through the hole in his mask.

"If all you want is to make people acknowledge the Uchiha clan, then why do you need the tailed beasts? What the hell are you really after? What do you want?" Kakashi questioned him.

"Well, if you must know, it is to become complete," he tells them.

"Complete!?" Kakashi stiffens as he looks at the man.

"What do you mean!?" Yamato asks.

"There's no use in telling you. There are other, more effective places to have this conversation," he says as he and his form starts wavering, shocking Kakashi. "It's been fun…chatting, see ya," he tells them as he fades into his own realm. A little afterwards and Naruto is sitting on the roof, hurting from all that Tobi revealed to them. The owner of the inn is down in front of the Inn crabbing out Kakashi and Yamato.

"What the heck do you call this, eh?! You Shinobi are all the same!" He shouts at them.

"W-we're very sorry, I'll fix it right up myself," Yamato says as he rubs the back of his head. Kakashi looks up at the girl knowing her emotions were in turmoil now as she remembers what Tobi says. The flashbacks throw pain into her chest and she closes her eyes.

"Ugh, there's nothing for it but to meet him face-to-face," Naruto says and she continues to concentrate more as the snowflakes get larger with each minute. 'If I just keep on as I have been doing, I'm never going to find Sasuke. It's Sennin Mode that I need to use. First, I should work on extending how long I can hold it for!' She thought, not caring that she now has a pile of snow on her head.

"Naruto! Come back inside already!" Yamato fusses at her and her eyes widen as the markings for Sage Mode fade from them. They notice the group of five down below them with Rock Lee giving them thumbs up.

"There you are! Finally!" Kiba sys.

"Sakura-chan! Sai, Kiba, bushy-brows!" Naruto says as she stares down at them in shock.

"Why are all of you here?" Kakashi asks as Yamato wonders.

"Naruto, there's something we have to talk about," Sakura tells her as she stares up at the confused blond.

~3~

"Eh!?" Everyone shouted in unison as they heard what Sakura said.

"What…did…you say just now…Sakura-chan!? I…dunno if…I heard you wrong. Can you say it again?" Naruto asks as everyone is staring at the pink haired young woman.

"What I said, Naruto is that Sasuke doesn't deserve you and I want to kill him for how he has treated you. I'm saying that I'm glad there's nothing between Sasuke and me anymore! I dunno what I was thinking, liking a person like that. I'm worried about you and the twins here," she tells them.

"I've always gotten pissed off at you because of your fangirling but even so you've never stopped. So why now?" Naruto asks. "You have to be joking right now. So what changed?"

"Nothing, really. I just suddenly realized there's no sense in continuing to like someone who's a fugitive and a criminal. I can't stay a kid forever, I want to face reality. I also, have seen how much pain you have been in since the fight you two had years ago," Sakura tells her as she moves closer to her friend, with such a fake smile on her face. "So Naruto, you don't need to keep the promise to yourself from then. Won't you stop chasing Sasuke?" Suddenly, Naruto's face turns serious as she stares back at the young woman.

"What the hell are you," Yamato practically growls until Kakashi stops him.

"Did something happen, Sakura-chan? Why are you asking me all of a sudden?" Naruto asks her.

"Nothing happened! If you want to know why I think you shouldn't go after Sasuke, I'll say it clearly," she paused and stared at the ground, until she walked closer to the pig tailed girl and hugged her.

'Sakura, you…' Kakashi thought as he stared at her.

"Sasuke-kun just keeps getting further away from you, but Naruto there are others that care about you around you. You've encouraged me, I finally realized who you really are, Naruto," she said as she hugged her. "The heroine who protected the village, beloved by everyone in the village, I'm just one of them. That mischievous little dummy I knew, little by little is becoming this great and important woman, and I've been watching from right next to her. But all Sasuke's done is commit crimes and break your heart, more and more, he's becoming a different person than he was, so distant. But Naruto, you're right here where all of us can comfort you. You know you make us feel safe, right now, from the bottom of our heart, I-'' Naruto interrupts her and yanks her away from her.

"Gimme a break, Sakura-chan, I told you that joke's not funny," she stares at the girl.

"Have you flipped? I just want you to stop chasing Sasuke. They say a woman's heart is changeable so I hope you can find someone better who will be safer for you," Sakura tells her.

"I hate a person who abandons loved ones," Naruto tells her.

"Are you saying that I'm telling you to abandon someone?" Sakura asks. "I'm the only one who knows what I'm thinking! If you think I don't care about you then just say so! If you're gonna make up excuses-"

"It's just weird! You came all this way just to tell me something like that!?" Naruto grits out.

"Something like that!?" She says as she stares back at her. "Something like that!? You think it's easy for a girl to show that she cares about her friend who is so reckless!? All this way!? Of course I'd come all this way! You've always been chasing after Sasuke and putting yourself in danger! Akatsuki is after you because you're the Kyuubi host! You should be worried for your own safety! I-I don't want you to go after Sasuke if it means putting yourself in danger like that! You have children to think of and you steadily even with kids go after Sasuke! Do you really think they deserve to have a father like him?! I've come here because I want you to come back to the village with me! That's all!" Sakura shouts at her.

"That just sounds like an excuse to me. I think I know you better than that," Naruto says as she narrows her eyes at the girl.

"You don't know anything! I don't care about Sasuke at all anymore now that he's a criminal! So you shouldn't as well and should forget about your promise to yourself!" Sakura says as she closes her eyes not believing how unruly Naruto could be.

"This isn't about that promise. I know why Sasuke is so obsessed with revenge," she says as she looks down. "He loved his family and his clan, I think it's because he loved them so much that he can't let it go."

"Then why did he join Akatsuki after he defeated Itachi?" Kiba asked her.

"That's not what happened. The truth is-" Naruto starts but Kakashi stops her.

"Naruto!" He scolds her since he doesn't believe the group should know about what they talked about with Tobi.

"It doesn't have anything to do with my promise to myself," Naruto tells her. "I want to help Sasuke."

"What do you want to do, Sakura? Should we tell her the truth?" Kiba whispers in Sakura's ear. Suddenly, Kiba is yelping out in pain as the woman stomps on his foot.

"Fine! I'm going home!" Sakura says as she spins around as Akamaru checks his partner to see if he's okay. "Let's go! Kiba! Lee! Sai!" Sakura says as she stomps off.

"Sakura…" Lee says quietly.

"Let's go," Kiba tells the rest and they left.

'Naruto, I'm sorry,' Sakura thought as she holds back her tears.