Author's Note: While I did say that we're heading into the final arc of the story, I don't mean that this story is close to its end. I believe it passed the 2/3 mark not long ago. Meaning that, even if we're on the final stretch, there are still plenty of chapters left, and plenty of events to happen. Remember how long the 4th Ninja War was in canon.
Anyway, enjoy the new chapter:
Chapter 95:
Decisions and Reencounters
or
Things are about to get shaky
Training Ground Twenty Five
Naruto watched proudly as his students sparred against each other in Sage Mode. Shizune was sparring against Asuma, Shiusui with Fu, Karin with Rin and Hinata with Hanabi. Even if some of them had a better hang of senjutsu than others, all of them had made remarkable progress in such a short amount of time. Now they'd only need to polish it a little more, and they'll be ready for battle.
While senjutsu had improved their capabilities dramatically, the ones who showed it more where the Hyuga sisters. Both of them had developed an uncanny ability to project large arms of chakra from their palms, in a way similar to the Uchiha's Susanoo. Apparently, according to the Moon Acolytes, Hamura and his daughter Kalika were also Sages, and combining Senjutsu with the Tensiegan could be used to unlock new abilities.
"Learning how to draw nature energy and mixing it with your chakra is one thing," Naruto began, as he walked around the sparring pairs. "But using Sage Mode in combat is a totally different beast. Sage Mode is finite, and you need to make sure it doesn't run out in the middle of a fight. Conserving nature energy inside your bodies is paramount."
"Heh, I don't think I'll ever hear you using words like 'paramount', Naruto-kun," Shizune giggled.
Naruto scowled a little. "Well, if I'm going to be a teacher, I had to sound the part, right?"
"A part you did wonderfully," Shizune praised, before frowning a little, rubbing her head at the returning memory. "That's it, when you weren't breaking our heads open with that staff."
"Hey, it wasn't that-" Naruto said, before interrupting himself. "Oh wait, that reminds me! I need to check on the new students!"
Naruto ignored the sparring sages, and moved towards another part of the training field, where three tall stalagmites had been erected. On top of those stalagmites, Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were sitting on a stone slab each, trying to keep balance while drawing nature energy.
When the Sand Siblings asked Naruto if they could use his help with the rebuilding of a particularly large house, Naruto had to decline since he had to continue his senjutsu class. It was then when the blond realized that the Sand Siblings fit the requirements to learn Senjutsu, large chakra pools and good chakra control, and asked them to join him. Once Naruto explained them what Sage Mode was about, they were immediately on board.
"Hmmm... so far, it seems they're getting the hang out of it as well," Naruto observed. "Good, that means I don't need to use the staff."
Naruto was more careful with the anti-senjutsu staff with Sand Siblings than he had been with his previous batch of students. Mostly because, the first time he used it on Temari, she replied with a scathing "break my head again, and I'll shove that staff where the sun don't shine". Naruto didn't want to see if the blond girl was bluffing or not.
"Hey guys, how are you doing?" Naruto asked.
"I'm doing alright," Gaara said. "I think."
"Me too. The balance was hard at first, but it gets easier once you get the hang of it," Kankuro added.
"How long do we need to stay here?" Temari asked.
"You guys are making good progress as well, but let's not rush things, okay?" Naruto asked. "Better stay there a little longer before we can move onto more advanced exercises."
While Gaara and Kankuro merely nodded, he could hear Temari loudly snorting. The blond jinchuriki decided it was better to return to his other students. He drew their attention by clapping his hands.
"Okay everyone, enough with the individual spars!" Naruto said. The Konoha and one Taki ninja disengaged, and walked towards Naruto. "In order to test your skill with Senjutsu, now we're going to-"
But Naruto didn't finish his sentence, as he suddenly disappeared, leaving a puff of smoke behind. Naturally, the senjutsu trainees were left befuddled.
"Wait... was that a Shadow Clone?" Karin asked.
"I don't think so," Hinata said. "Naruto-kun said that he was leving some Clones to help with the reconstruction, but I thought that this one was the original."
"So, what do we do now?" Fu asked.
…
Mount Myoboku
"...do a one versus all sparring match to see how much you can stand with..." Naruto stopped talking upon realizing that he was no longer in Konoha. "Uh?"
"Hey there, Naruto," a voice greeted him.
Naruto turned around, and saw his parents, Itachi and Fukasaku and Shima. It took him a few more seconds to realize where he had been brought.
"Hey, this is Mount Myoboku!" Naruto said in realization.
"Indeed it is, Naruto-chan," Fukasaku said. "Come on, there's much to discuss regarding your near future, kid. Let's go to see Gamamaru-sama."
Naruto nodded, and joined his parents, the elder toads and the one Uchiha as they walked towards where the great sage was.
"So... how was the summit?" Naruto asked.
"Eh, it had good and bad parts," Tsunade answered. "The good part is that we managed to unite the five Great Villages under a single banner. We're part of the Ninja Alliance now."
"And you're talking with its Supreme Commander!" Jiraiya proudly said.
"Now you're boasting? I thought you said you didn't want more responsibility piled on your back," Tsunade said, with a smug smile.
Jiraiya deflated. "Let me impress kid just once, okay?"
Naruto chuckled at her parents' banter, before realizing something Tsunade had said. "Wait, what about the bad parts?"
"Akatsuki showed up," it was Itachi who spoke. "More specifically, Obito."
Naruto gasped, before scowling as well. "What did he want? Did he try something?"
"Fortunately, he only wanted to talk," Tsunade said. "He asked us to hand him the three remaining jinchuriki so they could finish reviving the Ten Tails. Naturally, we told him to shove it."
"Oh yes, it turns out Akatsuki didn't capture Killer B," Jiraiya added, before Naruto could ask. "He managed to trick them with a decoy, and went away."
"Really? That's awesome!" Naruto said, beaming widely. After such a string of failing to protect his fellow jinchuriki, it was refreshing to hear that Akatsuki failed for a change.
"Unfortunately, the jinchuriki is still out there, alone and vulnerable," Itachi said. "Kumo already deployed many teams to find him, and Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama and myself offered the help of our summoned animals."
"Let's hope we can find him before Akatsuki does," Naruto said. "Wait, that was the bad part? If all Obito did was ask for the rest of us and then left, that's not quite a big of a deal."
"Due our negative, Obito then declared the Fourth Ninja War," Jiraiya said, his tone being more omnious. "Obito claims that, on top of his surviving Akatsuki members and the Tailed Beasts, he commands an army of Zetsu of one hundred thousand strong."
"Okay, that's a pretty big deal," Naruto grimly agreed. "So, we are going to war, then?"
"No, we are going to war," Tsunade stated. "You are going somewhere else."
"WHAT? Please don't tell me that you plan to ship me away to some underground bunker!" Naruto quickly and loudly protested. "You guys need me! The Akatsuki Invasion would have been much worse if it wasn't for me!"
"Whoa! Calm down, Naruto! We didn't say that," Jiraiya said, raising his hands defensively. "We're going to send you to a special place where you will learn to control the Nine Tails."
"Both you and Fu," Itachi added. "The jinchuriki of the Eight Tails will teach you how."
Naruto's smile returned. "Really? That's awesome!"
"That way, when the time comes, you will be an even greater asset to us than you'r"e now," Jiraiya said. "With three perfect jinchuriki, we'll be able to counter Akatsuki's Tailed Beasts."
"Awesome!" Naruto cheered, before he realized of something. "Wait, what has to do with me being here?"
"You'll see shortly, Naruto-chan. Be patient," Shima told him.
They continued the rest of their short trek in silence, until they were in front of the large elderly toad sage. Gamamaru shifted on his seat, as he noticed the group.
"Ahh... you brought the child... good, good..." Gamamaru said, his voice slow and raspy. "Come closer, Naruto... an important task awaits you."
"Good to see he didn't have one of his episodes of senility," Shima grumbled, making Fukasaku roll his eyes.
Naruto took a few steps forward. "I'm here, venerable sage," Naruto said while making a bow, trying to sound as respectful as possible. Even he knew this toad was somebody important here.
"I had a vision... you and a green beetle will go to an island... a green paradise... then, the two of you will meet an octopus..." Gamamaru began. "Said octopus... will help you tame your... inner beasts. You will meet... lost family... there will be joy... and there will be tears... for you'll reencounter some who was thought to be lost... and will say goodbye to others forever. And finally... a wave of darkness will wash over the world..."
Naruto expected the seer toad to continue, to tell him that he'd win and dispel the darkness, but no such premonition came. Impatient, he decided to speak. "What happens next? Don't we beat the darkness?"
"I... don't know," Gamamaru admitted. "What lies beyond... the darkness... I can't see. Some events... are in place but... the future... always in motion is... always changing... I'm afraid I... can't be... of much more help..."
"Don't worry, Gamamaru-sama, you helped us a lot already!" Fukasaku said, as he turned to the rest of the group. "Your news of the ninja war and plans to teach Naruto how to control the Nine Tails align with Gamamaru-sama's predictions. That's why we decided it's about time to give Naruto the key."
"Uh, key? What key?" Naruto asked, tilting his head.
"The key to your seal," Jiraiya answered. "The seal that holds the Nine Tails has a key that, when in your possession, will allow you to open and close the seal at will."
"You will need to open the seal in order to access the full power of the beast," Tsunade added.
"Okay. Where's that key, then?" Naruto asked.
"Right here!"
Naruto turned around to see a small black and orange toad landing besides him. The blond couldn't help but notice that the toad's stomach was quite strange, as if he was wearing an obi around it, but he could tell those were skin flaps, not cloth.
"Hello there!" the toad said. "My name is Gerotora! Your father trusted the key to me when he sealed the Nine Tails inside you! I've been keeping it here until the moment to hand it to you came! And that moment is now!"
"You have the key? Where?" Naruto asked.
"Again, right here," the toad repeated, this time with less enthusiasm.
Naruto's assessment turned out to be right as the toad's abdomen started to expand in a comical way, until it reached its full length. Then, much to the Uzumaki's surprise, he saw that the toad's abdomen was a very large scroll. Gerotora unfurled his scroll-abdomen to reveal a large and complex sealing pattern.
"This is the key! Once you have it, you'll have control of the seal," Gerotora explained, before furling the scroll again.
"But... what I'm supposed to do with this? Eat it?" Naruto asked, looking at the rest in search for answers.
"Hey, the kid is much brighter than he looks!" Shima happily pointed out.
Naruto's face dropped, as he looked at the smiling scroll-toad with a grimace of disgust.
…
Land of Frost
In a town on the southern coast of the Land of Frost, Killer B was sitting on the outside of a cafe, with a bottle of sake on the table, as he eagerly worked on his new rap song. His for the time short journey was proving to be very productive and inspiring, and had hopes that his new song would be finished before the end of the month.
He looked at the large waves crashing into the empty beach, smiled, and continued writing.
"Aw yeah, the view from here is amazing, I can feel new rhymes rising!" he cheered, as he happily wrote. "I really needed this vacation, so I can visit new locations!"
"Hey, B," his Tailed Beast called.
"What do you want, Number Eight? I'm busy writing, can't you wait?" the jinchuriki replied.
"B, you know that this is foolish," the Eight Tails insisted. "The Akatsuki must know about your deception by now, and they will be looking for you. Why don't we go back to Kumo? You already enjoyed quite a few days of vacation."
"Fool ya fool! My vacations just started! And you're afraid of Akatsuki, are you so fainhearted?" Killer B asked. "Those idiots would never find me if I constantly move, I bet they won't be able to follow my groove!"
Killer B could hear his Tailed Beast sigh. "At the very least, try to keep a low profile. Oh, why I even bother, I'm so dead..."
"Come on, don't be so dramatic, don't bring me down, or it will be problematic. I make sure those fools don't get their hands on you, and if I find one of them I'll turn him black and blue!" Killer B assured him.
Needless to say, the Eight Tails wasn't convinced. Though he decided to gave up, since while Killer B was stubborn on his own, talking to him was an uphill battle when he was so focused on a new song. He would try sometime later.
However, little did the jinchuriki nor his Tailed Beast realize that somebody had noticed their presence, and were going to sent such information to their boss.
…
"PUAJJJJ!" Naruto coughed, having just swallowed Gerotora. "I think I'm going to throw up!"
"Come on Naruto, it wasn't that bad," Jiraiya said. "I swallowed toads much larger than that."
Naruto wanted to ask why, but he felt like he wouldn't like the answer. He was about to say something else, but continued coughing violently.
"Wait, isn't going Fu going to need the key to her seal as well?" Tsunade asked. "We need to talk with whoever sealed the Seven Tails inside her."
"No need to," Jiraiya said. "Fu's seal can already be undone by herself. It's not as secure as the Eight Trigrams Seal, but given that Seven Tails is not as powerful, it's not necessary. And thank goodness, since the man who did the sealing is Shibuki's father, who died many years ago."
"Now that you guys have everythig you need, we'll send you back to Konoha," Fukasaku said, as he and Shima made a hand seal.
"Heh, thanks to the toads, we can skip another week-long trip in order to get back home," Tsunade observed, nodding in satisfaction.
"We'll return where Naruto-chan was just before he was summoned here!" Shima added.
And with that, the four Konoha ninjas and the two elder toads disappeared, leaving a cloud of smoke in their wake.
…
Trainig Ground Twenty Five
"Hey, look, Naruto is back!" Fu cheerfully said.
All the Sage trainees turned around to see Naruto's return, though they could see he didn't return alone.
"Oh, Hokage-sama, Tsunade-sama and Itachi-kun are also back," Shizune observed.
"Hey, Itachi!" Shisui called out, as he took a step forward. The younger Uchiha could see that his cousin was in Sage Mode, if the wing-shaped black marking around his eyes were any indication. "Check this out!" Shisui then proceeded to create an armored Susanoo around him, armed with a drill-like spear. "Senjutsu Susanoo! Not only is stronger than the normal one, but thanks to Sage Mode, I can counter the eye strain caused by the Mangekyo Sharingan, meaning that I can use it as much as I want despite not having the Eternal version!"
Itachi smiled, genuinely impressed by his cousin's breakthrough. "That's amazing, Shisui. I can't wait to see it in action."
"Wait a minute, if the Mangekyo Sharingan slowly worsens your eyesight until you go blind... how is that Obito isn't blind yet?" Rin asked. "He uses his Mangekyo Sharingan non-stop."
"If I were to make a conjecture, I'd say that the regeneration provided by his Zetsu body is able to nullify the deteriorating eyesight," Itachi guessed. "But I wouldn't know for sure."
"Come on Itachi, fight me! Today, I shall reclaim my rightful place as the greatest of the Uchiha!" Shisui said, as he pointed at Itachi in an overly dramatic manner.
"Sadly, you will have to leave that for later, since we have urgent matters to attend to," Tsunade began. "Shisui, Hinata, given that the two of you are the heads of the Uchiha and Hyuga, you need to come with us. Naruto, use some clones to tell the rest of the Clan Heads still in the village that they're needed for an urgent meeting at the Hokage Tower."
"Right away, mom," Naruto said, as he did as Tsunade asked.
"Fu, you will have to come with us too," Jiraiya said, much to the green haired girl's surprise. "There has been some developments that concern you."
"Uh... sure, understood, Hokage-sama," Fu said with a nod. Even she could tell that the situation was serious.
"Can you guys tell us what just happened?" Hanabi asked.
"I'll leave a clone here in order to explain," Naruto said. "Sadly, the class will have to end sooner than usual. I'll tell Gaara and his siblings as well."
Meanwhile, Shima noticed that Shisui, who was speaking with Itachi, radiated nature energy.
"Wait, is he a Sage too?" Shima asked in shock.
"Not just him," Fukasaku said. "All the humans here are Sages! Can you feel it, Ma? This place is overflowing with Nature energy!"
"How it is possible?" Shima asked in shock.
"I told you Naruto-chan wanted to teach other people how to use nature energy," Fukasaku explained. "And it seems he was successful."
"Without Myoboku's special oil? How did he do it?" the female toad asked, her shock growing with each second.
"Heh, Naruto-chan surely does the impossible, doesn't he?" Fukasaku asked, sounding proud. "Come, I'll tell you his idea."
…
Hokage Tower, Council Room, an hour later
As Jiraiya surveyed the people sitting at both sides of the large table and making sure that nobody was missing, the Hokage realized that he had never seen the Council Room so crowded. At his sides were his four advisors: Tsunade, Hiruzen, Koharu and Homura, and next to them were Naruto and Fu, the jinchuriki.
Then, there were the Clan Heads of the most important and/or populous Konoha clans, such as the Hyuga, Uchiha, Sarutobi or Aburame, as well many other high ranking members of Konoha's ninja corps, such as the Jonin Commander or the Anbu commander. Some of the people there were pulling double duty, such as the aforementioned Jonin Commander, Shikaku Nara, also the head of the Nara Clan.
Hinata wasn't the only young teen representing her clan. Ino Yamanaka was also there, as the Clan Head of hers.
"Is everybody here? Yeah, I think so," the Hokage muttered, mostly to himself. "Hello, and thank you for coming here with such short notice. I'll go to the point: in their bid to claim all Tailed Beasts, Akatsuki has delcared a war against the Elemental Nations."
Naturally, the effect was immediate. Many of the present started to murmur among each other, while others started to ask questions to the Hokage, raising their voice over each other in hopes to be heard or answered first.
"Order! Order!" Tsunade shouted, slamming her fist into the table for added effect multiple times. Thankfully, she managed to control her strength enough not to break it. "The Hokage will explain you everything! Now keep quiet and listen, because this shit is important!"
"Thank you, Hime," Jiraiya said. Tsunade smiled in return. "As you probably know, my wife and I have been in the Land of Iron on a summit with the other four Kage, in order to discuss what to do with the Akatsuki threat. In the middle of the meeting, Obito, the new leader of Akatsuki, appeared before us and demanded the three remaining jinchuriki to be handed to him. Naturally, we told him no. In response, he threatened to unleash an army of Zetsu one hundred thousand strong, backed by the Tailed Beasts Akatsuki has captured so far, against Konoha and the rest of the villages.
"If what Obito says is true, then Akatsuki possesses a power that Konoha alone can't hope to defeat. Fortunately, we aren't alone. On top of Kiri and Suna helping us, Kumo and Iwa agreed to join us to form the world's very first Ninja Alliance. We shall-"
"You have to be kidding me!" Tsume Inuzuka shouted. "Are you really willing to ally with Iwa scum!?"
"Not to mention Kumo!" Choza added. "Those guys have been trying to kidnap little girls with Bloodline Limits from Konoha multiple times!"
"I think it's obvious the situation at hand is dire enough to merit such measures," Shibi calmly replied, though his tone was firm. "I trust Hokage-sama to do the right thing."
"I agree with Shibi-san," Shikaku said. "Besides, Kiri and Konoha used to be enemies, yet now we're allies."
"Come on Shikaku, you're supposed to take my side!" Choza loudly protested.
"I take the side that makes more sense!" Shikaku argued back, raising his voice to mtach his large friend's.
Eventually, another argument broke out as everybody tried to yell at each other, trying to assert who was right not by the sterngth of their arguments but by the volume of their voices, resulting in a cacophony of shouts and yells.
"SILENCE, YOU FUCKS!" Tsunade bellowed, making everybody to instantly shut up. "The next time you do that, all of you will go out of the window, got it!?"
"Thank you again, Hime. Anyway, as I was saying, the five Great Villages shall join forces as a Ninja Alliance, with me directing it as its Supreme Commander," this new managed to ease some of those present who didn't like the idea of working with villages who had been enemies until now. "Given that we're in a situation of war, no more missions shall be accepted, and all the accepted missions minus the A and S ranked shall be cancelled and their price reimbursed to the customers. We won't fight individually, the plan is for all villages to create a single, massive army composed of every village."
"Even if they don't usually involve themselves in the affair of ninjas, the Samurai of the Land of Iron shall assist us in this war," Tsunade added. "We're also working on bringing Ame and Taki into the Alliance, since we'll need every last man and woman able to fight if we want to win this."
"Hokage-sama," Homura spoke. "What about the jinchuriki? What are we going to do with them?"
"Akatsuki already tried to claim them by force once," Koharu added. "If we keep them here, they will come again. And I don't trust the rest of the villages to move their armies into the Land of Fire to protect us in time before a second attack happens."
"You do rise a good point, and rest assured that such topic had been dealt with," Jiraiya said, before looking into Naruto and Fu's general direction. "Many of you know that Kumo's remaining jinchuriki, the Raikage's younger brother Killer B, has complete control over his Tailed Beast. The Raikage had agreed to allow his brother to train Naruto and Fu so they can master their jinchuriki powers as well. Said training will take part at a secret location, ensuring the safety of our jinchuriki."
"Once Naruto and Fu finish their training, they shall join the front lines. With their new powers, we should be able to win the war for good," Tsunade added. "Though we do hope that we can win before that happens."
"Indeed," Jiraiya continued. "Now, while we were at the Summit, the other Kages and I created an structure for the army of the Ninja Alliance. It will be split into two groups: the Support Divisons, composed by the medics, sensors and intelligence, and the Battle Regiment, split into five divisions. Each of these divisions will be lead by a field commander. We need to discuss which ninjas shall be deployed in which divisions."
…
"Oh, thank the Heavens! Killer B-sensei is still alive!" Karui sqealed in joy, after hearing what the Naruto clone had told her.
The Naruto Clone had gathered the Konoha 15 (minus Hinata and Ino, who were busy attending the meeting with the Hokage), Rin, the Sand Siblings, Maki's students and Killer B's students. One of the first thing Naruto had told them was about the ending of the summit, Obito's appearance, the revelation that Killer B had escaped Akatsuki, and the declaration of war.
"But if sensei is alive, why didn't he return to us already?" T asked.
"Maybe he was unable to," Omoi began. "Maybe tried to find a town in order to ask for help, but said town was ran by a criminal gang who wanted to capture sensei in order to cash on his bounty, but then-"
Karui silenced Omoi with a well timed slap to the back.
"Enough with your nonsense! I'm sure sensei had a very good reason to do so," Karui firmly stated. "It's not that he pretended to be dead just so he could go on vacation. I'd cut his balls if he did that."
"While the escape of the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails is indeed a very good new, we should focus on the greater picture," Gaara stated. "There's a war in the horizon. One that will encompass all five Great Villages. A war of this scale is something that has never been seen before."
"Well, I for once am not worried," Kiba interjected. "You should have seen those Akatsuki shits coming here and wreaking havoc. I doubt war will be any different than what we went through already."
"I wouldn't speak so lightly, Kiba," Neji interjected. "While I never experienced the horrors of war, plenty of my clansmen, my own father included, did. And they don't have pleasant memories of such events."
"Yeah, if anything, it's going to be worse," Shikamaru added. "Before we used to have homefield advantage. In an open war, it won't be the case."
"And as much as we enjoyed staying here, that means we will have to head back to Suna and prepare for the war," Temari said, as she and Shikamaru exchanged gloomy stares. "Guess it was fun while it lasted."
"Hey, we will see each other soon," Shikamaru said, trying to be optimistic. "Even if it will be on a battlefield."
"But hopefully, you guys will be on the same side," Matsuri chimed in.
"Yeah, it will be soooooo tragic if you had to be at different sides of a conflict," Yukata said. "Hey, that sounds like a neat idea for a romantic novel, don't you think, Matsuri-chan?"
"Totally! Maybe we can work on it once this war is over?" Matsuri suggested.
"Also, that's not all," the Naruto clone intervened, before Matsuri and Yukata could derail the conversation any further. "Fu and I aren't going to take part in the war. At least, not from the very beginning."
"It's because the two of you are jinchuriki," Shino said. It wasn't a question, but an statement.
"Yeah. The Raikage is going to send us to this super secret place Kumo owns were their jinchuriki trained to master their powers," the clone explained. "Fu and I are going to be sent there to do that as well. Once our training is over, we will join you guys."
"Oh, I think that I know what place you refer to," Karui said. "B-sensei told us about it. It's extremely hard to find, and only the highest ranking Kumo Jonin know how to reach it. You two will be safe as long as you're there."
"What do you know about that place, Karui?" Choji asked the redhead.
"As much as B-sensei told me," Karui replied. She then frowned a little. "Though I'm not going to say anything out loud here in the open. There might be an Akatsuki spy listening to this conversation."
"Oh, right. Sorry I didn't realize of that," Choji sheepishly apologized.
"We might better return as well," T stated. "I think we've been here long enough, and the journey to Kumo is a long one."
With that, the foreign ninjas returned to the places they were staying at while in Konoha in order to pack their things in order to move back to their home villages, leaving the Konoha ninjas alone.
"I can't believe Obito went as far as to declare a war to the entire continent," Rin said, as she wrapped her arms around her body. "Just... what happened to him after my death to make him fall this low?"
"It might be hard for you to do, but you must understand that the current Obito is not the same boy who used to be your teammate," Shino replied. "I apologize if I sound cold, but as long as he poses a threat of such magnitude, we should focus on bringing him down, not on what caused him to turn to our enemies."
"Yes... I agree," Rin forced herself to say. "You know, I have the feeling that, the next time we see Obito, it will be the last... no matter how things end between us."
"I think your prediction will be accurate," was Shino's reply.
…
Hokage Tower, many hours later
It took them quite a lot of time and many heated discussions, but they were finally able to finish the division desgination for every active Konoha ninja. The sun was starting to hide in the horizon, and Jiraiya was reviewing the draft one last time. The rest of the people present in the room had left already once the meeting had been officially concluded, leaving the Hokage to make sure that everything was perfect. Fortunately, his wife was still with him, helping him with such mentally exhausting task.
"I believe this is okay," Jiraiya said, before looking at Tsunade. "Unless you have something to say, that's it."
"No, I think we did a good job with the division assignements," Tsunade said, before letting out a yawn. "So, do we need to send this to anybody or...?"
"I'm the Supreme Commander, remember?" Jiraiya boasted with a confident grin. "In fact, it's the other Kages who should defer to me. Though once the other Kages have done the division assignment, we will gather at the Allied Forces HQ for the final preparations."
Besides the main chain of command, the Kages also decided to build a new place to serve as the Alliance's headquarters for ease of command, instead of using any of the Ninja Villages. Given that Jiraiya was the Supreme Commander, it would be build in the Land of Fire, around Konoha's vicinity.
"Hopefully the new headquarters will be finished soon," Jiraiya said, before standing up. "And I don't know about you, but I'm so tired I could sleep for a week. And the days to come are going to be even crazier than today, so we better get as much rest as we can."
"I can agree with that," Tsunade replied.
The two Sannin were about to stand up and leave for their home, when somebody else entered the room. It was Hiruzen, their former sensei, who had left the meeting room not that much ago.
"Sensei? What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked. "Shouldn't you be home, resting?"
"Yes, I should," Hiruzen admitted. "However, I forgot about something important, and thank goodness, I have found you two here before you left."
"What is it, sensei?" Jiraiya asked.
"Can you tell me what division I'm supposed to be assigned to?" Hiruzen asked, trying to remember. "Because no matter how much I try, I just can't recall it."
Jiraiya and Tsunade shared a look of worry, before their eyes rested on their aged sensei again.
"Uh, sensei..." Tsunade began, trying to sound gentle. "You... we didn't assign you to any division."
Though much to their surprise, the former Hokage smiled. "Yes, that's what I thought. I would have remembered if you did."
Jiraiya, however, immediately realized where the former Hokage wanted to say. "Whoa there, wait a second, sensei! I hope you're not asking me to send you to the battlefield!"
"And why not? Because I'm old?" Hiruzen replied, indignant. "I may be long past my prime, but I know I can still help our younger ninjas in the battleground."
"Sensei... you've fought in every past Ninja War so far," Tsunade continued. "Don't you think it's about time that you take a rest? You did more than enough for several generations that came after yours."
"Yeah, you should spend the days you have left playing with your grandkids, not fighting another war," Jiraiya added.
"That's no excuse for me not to do more," Hiruzen firmly said, as a frown started to develop on his face. "How can I look at my grandkids in the eyes, knowing that their parents are risking their lives for their future, but their grandfather and clan leader isn't?"
"Listen, sensei, you can't-" Jiraiya was about to say, but was interrupted when Tsunade whispered something into his ear. "You sure?"
Tsunade merely nodded.
"Very well then. Sensei, my wife here has suggested me a position for you where your talents won't be wasted," Jiraiya began.
"Jiraiya, I'm not going to accept any position of 'war advisor' or something equally inane just so you can-"
"It's not that," the Toad Sage said, interrupting him. "I think you can be a pretty good addition to Naruto and Fu's security detail."
"Jiraiya..." Hiruzen grumbled.
"Come on sensei! This is important!" Jiraiya insisted. "Do you think I would send mediocre ninjas to protect my son? The fact that we thought of you for this should speak volumes about how much we trust you and your skills."
Hiruzen wanted to protest, but in the end he resigned to Jiraiya's decision.
"I always preached that the older generations should get more involved in the development of the younger ninjas. It would be very hypocritical of me to turn down such position," Hiruzen said, as he smiled. His eyes rested on Tsunade. "Well played, Tsunade. You always had a cunning mind."
Tsunade merely smirked in return.
"Don't think you're going to be a glorified babysitter, sensei," Jiraiya reassured him. "Everything regarding Naruto and his training is important. If you can keep him safe and help him train with his new powers, your actions will help us more than if we merely send you to a battlefield."
"Naruto, Fu and his bodyguards will depart in a few days for Kumo's secret base, where the jinchuriki of the Eight Tails should be waiting for them," Tsunade added. "Meet them at the West Gate."
"Understood. I'll be heading home now to pack some essentials for the journey," Hiruzen said, finally leaving the two Sannin alone.
"Stubborn old man..." Jiraiya groaned. "Hime, you have permission to kill me if I end up like that in my old age."
"You may end up regretting those words," Tsunade replied with a cheeky grin.
…
Land of Frost, that very moment
Since he left that port town, Killer B has been prey to a feeling of uneasiness, as if an impending danger greater than any other was hanging on his head. That's what made the rogue jinchuriki to leave the town and seek refuge elsewhere.
"I feel like there's somebody out there out to cut my balls," Killer B said, before shivering a little.
"B, don't you think it's a little to dangerous to wander around like this?" the Eight Tails warned. "You should have waited until next morning to continue your journey."
"No, you see, it's part of my plan, to hide in the darkness, the idea of a wise man! My enemies won't find me, if I travel during the night, that way I can avoid any fight! Oh yeah!" Killer B rapped, satisfied with his brilliant idea. Brilliant according to him at least.
That moment, Killer B heard something rustling a nearby bush. He turned around, and unsheathed one his swords.
"What? Have I been found? How? I've been silent and sneaky like a foxhound!" Killer B said, franctically looking around.
"Just a second ago you've been loudly rapping," the Eight Tails deadpanned. "I'm sure everybody in a kilometer radius heard you."
Once again, B heard another ruslte, followed by another one. There were more than just one enemy, and they were getting closer. Yes, he could heard them coming closer and closer. They weren't even bothering with stealth anymore.
"It seems those Akatsuki bores are back, come on Number Eight, let's give them a migthy smack!" Killer B said, unsheathing another sword.
The Eight Tailes sighed. "I knew it was going to end like this one way or another."
Another rustle, this time much louder. That's where the attack was going to come from.
"I got you now! Prepare to-"
"DROP KICK!"
However, that was merely a distraction. Killer B barely had any time to see a white and brown blur dashing at him, before he was at the receiving end of a brutal flying kick. Said kick sent him flying against a tree, which was instantly brought down by the sheer force of B's momentum. Three more trees suffered the same fate until B finally stopped.
"U... ugh... that was..." a dazed Killer B said.
Looking up, he saw a massive figure angrily towering over him, surrounded by more ninjas. The giant grabbed him by his neck and lifted him to eye level.
"B-brother?" Killer B blabbered.
"YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" the Raikage said, as he started to violently shake Killer B. "MAKING ME BELIEVE YOU WERE DEAD SO COULD GO YOUR MERRY WAY! YOU GODDAMNED DUMBASS, I'M GOING TO PUNCH YOU UNTIL I BEAT THE STUPIDITY OUT OF YOU! YOU HEAR ME!? WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU...!"
The rest of the Kumo ninjas merely watched the comical display, knowing full well that the Raikage wouldn't carry those threats. At least most of them.
"It's a good thing we found him before the Akatsuki did," C noted. He then turned to a brown haired Kumo kunoichi wearing a short Kumo flak jacket that left her mirdriff exposed. "Ran, send a message home. Tell them that we finally found Killer B, and we will be sending him back to the village. Tell them to prepare a ship, since we're going to send him to the Island Turtle."
"Understood, C-san," the kunoichi, Ran, said before leaping away.
"Well, it's a good thing that in the end, it was all a scare," C said, sighing.
"... THAT YOUR GREAT-GRANDKIDS ARE GOING TO FEEL IT! THAT'S IT, IF YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO FATHER THEM!"
…
Konoha's West Gate, a few days later
Naruto, Fu, and their escorts were ready to depart Konoha for Kumo's mysterous island. Their escort team was composed by Genma, Raido, Choza Akimichi, Yugao, Hayate, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and lastly Tenzo, who was there just in case things would go out of control regarding the Nine Tails. Jiraiya, Tsunade, their younger children, Naruto's teammates, and Team Kakashi were there to bid the two jinchuriki a safe journey.
"Once you arrive the island, send me a toad so I know that the journey went well," Jiraiya told his son. "Since it's one of the few ways to deliver a message Akatsuki has no way of intercepting."
"Don't worry dad, I'm sure Akatsuki doesn't even know where are we going," Naruto reassured him.
"Still, it's better to be too cautious that to be careless," Tsunade agreed with her husband.
Fu walked towards Shino, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a kiss on the lips.
"Guess we won't see each other in some time," Fu said, sounding a little melancholic. "I'll keep you in my mind to inspire me if this training proves to be too much."
"I know that whatever trials you have to face, you will overcome them without trouble," Shino reassured her. And in a rare display for the Aburame, he smiled. "Because you're one of the strongest and most skilled kunoichi I've ever met."
Fu didn't say anything, she merely rested her head on Shino's shoulder.
Hinata, naturally, also wanted to give her boyfriend a special goodbye.
"Good luck during your training, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "Hopefully the war will be over before we need you to intervene."
"Yeah, let's hope," Naruto said.
The two of them kissed. However, during the kiss, a jolt of electricity shocked the blond. Naruto yelped and jumped back, holding his mouth in pain.
"Ouch! What the...? you shocked me!" Naruto protested.
"Hehe, sorry..." Hinata sheepishly said. "Takuya-san said that my powers have been growing lately. It seems I have some trouble keeping them under control. Guess you're not the only one who needs some training, are you?"
"Sorry to cut this moment short, but Naruto and Fu need to head to the port as soon as possible," Jiraiya said. "Sensei, given that you're the most veteran ninja of the group, you'll be the captain of this mission. Good luck."
"Don't worry, Jiraiya, Tsunade. Your son and Fu-san will be safe under my watch," Hiruzen promised then. "Everybody, let's go!"
The elderly Hokage leaped towards the trees, with the rest of the Konoha ninjas following him. Jiraiya and the others turned back and returned to the village, given that they soon would leave their home for a dangerous mission.
…
Mountain Graveyard
Given that Akatsuki was heading into the final phase of their plans, Obito had decided to make his secret base, formerly belonging to Madara, into his base of operations and headquarters for the war. Obito was now inside a cave that connected his lair to the exterior, in the middle of a mountain. Deidara, Kisame, Toneri and Black Zetsu were standing around him.
"Look at that. When we started, we were ten, and now only half of us remain," Kisame said, looking at the small group, before his gaze rested upon Obito again. "So, what's the plan, boss?"
"Despite our failure at invading Konoha, we still have the superior numbers. Ninety five thousand Zetsu clones, plus about two thousand puppets Toneri still has in the Moon," Obito looked at Toneri, who nodded in return. "According to the information provided by Zetsu, the Ninja Alliance managed to marshal a force of eighty thousand strong. They may bump those numbers to eighty five thousand if they manage to convince some of the minor villages to lend their forces."
"Still, numbers aren't everything," Toneri reminded. "Konoha has ninjas powerful enough to be worth dozens of your Zetsu clones, and it would be unwise not to assume the same of the other villages. We need to be cautious."
"Cautious? What we need to do is attack now! In war, whoever strikes first, strikes twice!" Deidara loudly interjected. "We should strike now while they're getting ready for us!"
"And I agree with you, Deidara," Obito said, much to the blond's satisfaction. "We shall start moving our troops as soon as possible. My plan is to focus our force on Konoha and Kumo. Given that the remaining jinchuriki are under their care, that's where they will be hiding. By concentrating our forces on those two villages, we will force them to come out and join the fight. Once in the open, catching them should be much easier."
"A bold plan, Obito-kun. Somebody would say it's a little too bold," a new voice said.
The five Akatsuki turned around, and saw Orochimaru casually strolling into the cave. Kimimaro and Tayuya were flanking him, acting as bodyguards. While every other Akatsuki got on guard –especially Kisame and Deidara–, Obito smiled, strangely enough.
"Orochimaru! So nice to see you drop by!" Obito said in a mock happy tone, spreading his arms around. "I was quite disappointed when Deidara and Kisame failed to kill you, but it was so selfless of you saving me the trouble of tracking you down again," Obito's smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl of anger. "Kill him."
The four other Akatsuki moved forward ready to attack. Kimimaro and Tayuya quickly placed themselves in front of their master, acting as human shields, while Orochimaru jumped backwards and made several hand seals. Hand seals both Deidara and Kisame recognized.
"Oh shit! Don't let him finish-" Deidara said, as he rushed to prepare an explosive.
Too late.
"Summoning Jutsu: Impure World Resurrection!"
Orochimaru slammed his hands into the ground, and five koffins emerged. Said coffins were marked with the kanji of each of the five elemental nations, and a number under them. Three twos, and two threes. The lids of the coffins fell forward, revealing the reanimated corpses of the second Tsuchikage and Second Mizukage that nearly killed Kisame and Deidara during their previous fight, plus the Third Kazekage, Third Raikage, and Second Hokage.
"Are you sure you wish to fight me?" Orochimaru asked, almost in a taunting tone. "Obito, you have nothing to win and much to lose."
"So, that's why he let Kisame and Deidara live despite having the chance to kill them. Either he or a spy working for him must have followed them to this place," Obito thought.
There was a moment of tense silence, as Obito weighed the question. Kisame and Deidara already told Obito about Orochimaru's reanimated puppets, and how it was impossible to kill them. He didn't know what the Sannin wanted, but given that he already declared the war, he couldn't afford to focus on him any longer. He knew for a fact that even if Orochimaru wasnt a friend, he would never help the Ninja Alliance.
Given that Truth Seeking Balls could nullify ninjutsu, he was confident Toneri could permanently kill those reanimations. Still, a fight right here could end with one or two Akatsuki dead, and he couldn't afford to lose more people before the war ever began. Still, before making his decision, there were a couple questions that needed answers.
"What do you want, traitor?" Obito asked. "You defected the organization, and now you come back to us. What the hell do you want?"
"Why don't we talk somewhere more private?" Orochimaru asked. "That pocket dimension of yours, perhaps?"
"So, you know of Kamui," Obito said. "Very well."
Obito closed the distance between him and his fellow Konoha traitor, grabbed Orochimaru, and teleported the two of them away.
…
The next second, both Obito and Orochimaru reappeared inside the Kamui dimension. Orochimaru took a few seconds to inspect it.
"So, this is it?" Orochimaru asked. "I must say, it's far more... underwhelming than I expected."
"Why did you ask me to bring you here?" Obito asked. "You know I could teleport back to the real world and leave you here to rot forever?"
Orochimaru merely chuckled. "Do you really think I'd ask you to bring me here if I didn't have a way out? I'm sure you know about how Reverse Summoning works."
"Of course," Obito said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, I have a war to win. Make your demands already."
"While I have no intention of returning to Akatsuki as a permanent member," Orochimaru began. "There's something I want. Something both sides of this conflict have. Something I need to possess in order to achieve my goal."
"The Rinnegan," Obito guessed. "Do you expect me to give you my Rinnegan? Really, Orochimaru?"
"Of course not. But it's not the only Rinnegan out there, is it?" Orochimaru asked. "Konoha managed to keep the other. According to my spies, Tsunade-hime wields it now."
"I'm aware of that as well. So, you want Tsunade's Rinnegan. But you can't take it on your own," Obito continued to guess. "Not even with your army of immortal zombies?"
"My plan was for Danzo to get the Rinnegan for me. I'll keep one, he would keep the other," Orochimaru said. "Imagine my surprise when I found that Danzo was, and has always been, a puppet of yours all these years. A masterful move indeed, Obito-kun. I admit I underestimated you."
"So, that's why you defected the organization. Once you got what you wanted, we were of no more use to you anymore," Obito said in disgust. "Still, you haven't answered my question."
"Regrettably, no, I can't do it alone. I already tried it before in the past, yet Konoha somehow found a way to neutralize my reanimations," Orochimaru said, his eyes narrowing, angered by the memory. "But if we join our forces, both our chances will be better. Let's join forces, Obito-kun. With my army of undead supporting your White Zetsu army, the Ninja Alliance will be crushed. I will get Tsunade's Rinnegan, and you'll get the last three Tailed Beasts."
"Do you think I'm going to trust you with a Rinnegan?" Obito asked.
"Why not? Once you form the Ten Tails and absorb it inside your body, I shouldn't be a threat to you anymore, Rinnegan or not," Orochimaru said with a shrug. "You can then create that new world without war and conflict you wish so much. I will simply spend the rest of my years in quiet solitude, continuing my research. Both of us win."
Regardless of how much he despised the Sannin, he had to admit it was an enticing offer. An immortal army composed of the strongest ninjas that ever lived... yes, that would give him the additional push he needed to crush his enemies.
"I already saw those five Kages. What else do you have?" Obito asked.
"Heads of the strongest clans of all the Elemental Nations. Legendary ninjas. Former jinchuriki," Orochimaru began. "And if you bring me new samples of DNA, I can create more."
"Sounds promising," Obito said with a nod. "One last thing. Do you have anybody disposable? Somebody you resurrected by accident, or who didn't meet your expectations?"
"Quite a lot. Why?" Orochimaru asked. He didn't know why Obito was interested in his failed reanimations, something that made him uneasy.
"Summon one of those now, please," Obito asked.
Not sure why, Orochimaru complied. Even if he was worried, he was also curious as to what Obito wanted to do. Another coffin appeared between the two of them, revealed a young Iwa ninja.
"Huh? Where am I? What is this place?" the disoriented ninja asked.
Wordllesly, Obito placed a hand on the reanimation's head.
"Ningendo!"
Then, much to Orochimaru's shock, Obito ripped the soul out of the zombie's body. The soul quickly vanished, returning to the afterlife, while the body left behind crumbled into dust and ashes covering the sacrifice used to create it.
"It doesn't regenerate. Good," Obito said, smirking at Orochimaru, who didn't smile back. "Glad to see that, if you try to do something funny, I have the means to stop your army. Also, given that Tsunade has the same power as I do now, I'd avoid sending your reanimations against her, or their fate will be the same."
"Hn, guess my position isn't as strong as I initially believed," Orochimaru was forced to admit. "So, now that you proved you have nothing to fear from me, do we have a deal?"
"We have a deal," Obito confirmed. "However, there's one more thing I want from you."
…
A few minutes later, in the real world, both Orochimaru and Obito returned from Obito's Kamui dimension through a spiraling portal. The two of them appeared satisfied.
"Guys, I know that Orochimaru abandoned us in the past, but we're going to let him help us in this endeavor," Obito announced.
Kisame chuckled, while Toneri raised an eyebrow. Deidara, however, was louder than the other two.
"Did you lose your fucking mind!?" Deidara shouted. "So, this guy leaves-"
"Silence!" Obito shouted back, forcing the Iwa ninja to keep quiet. "There are circumstances that forced me to accept this kind of agreement. Also, before we begin the war, one more thing: we are going to seal our half of the Nine Tails."
"What?" Zetsu asked, perpelexed. "Aren't we going to use it?"
"I thought that we have to have the other eight Beasts first before we could seal that one," Toneri said.
"If it's just half, then there's no danger," Obito told them. "Now enough blabbering. It's time to get to work!"
Author's Note: We add the Sand Siblings to the list of Senjutsu users because like I said before, all three of them fit the requirements. And because they're fucking awesome and deserve better than what they got in canon.
And as I'm sure a lot of you expected, Orochimaru rejoins Akatsuki, even if it's more an alliance of convenience than proper membership as it has been before. I'm sorry for those of you who expected him to remain independent, but I can't have a Ninja War with White Zetsu clones alone. Without the Edo Tensei zombies, it would be unbelievably dull. And speaking of which, I do plan to take advantage of this jutsu more than Kishimoto did. There are quite a few deceased ninjas that Kishimoto never thought about brining back, despite having a lot of potential for epic and emotional fights, like Sakumo Hatake, Mito Uzumaki or Fugaku Uchiha.
Also, why did Obito want to seal their half of the Nine Tails, instead of using it like he has been done so far? Don't worry, you'll see why in due time.
Next chapter, Naruto and Fu will arrive at the Turtle Island to begin their training under Killer B. I have something special prepared that I'm sure all of you are going to enjoy. And thankfully, this time around the Kumo ninjas didn't have to save B from an Akatsuki about to capture him. And once the hard part of the training is done, the proper war will finally commence.
Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.
So, what did you think about this chapter? Did you enjoy it? Hated it? Neither? Tell me your thoughts in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!