Hey everybody, thesaiyanjedi here with the latest chapter of "Shinachiku's Next Adventure!"

First and foremost, I wanted to say that I hope all of you are holding up well during this pandemic that is currently spreading across the world. For my part, my job is considered an essential business by the government so I have been required to continue working out of my home. But I have been happy to do it, as I know that what I do is helping all of you to continue getting through thus extremely difficult time. Don't worry for me though, I have been extra careful to follow all he rules and guidelines and plus, my job only has limited hours per day anyway, so I have fortunately had plenty of opportunity to shelter in place like the rest of you in spite of it.

That being said, I would to take this opportunity to express my deepest thanks and gratitude to the real heroes out there, all of us who are continuing to work during the COVID-19 pandemic so that society can still operate. Our government officials, our grocery store workers, mail and shipping services, gas station workers, bankers, take-out restaurant employees, and everyone else who have been required to step us for the sake of the rest of us during this time. And I especially want to thank the efforts of our medical practitioners, hospital workers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and law enforcement. You all are the ones making the biggest sacrifice of us all, and there is not a single day where we are not grateful for it.

So please, if you are reading this I urge to please do the right thing. Stay home, wash your hands, don't go out unless absolutely necessary, respect the guidelines, and most of all, stay safe. I will say it again, we are all in this together.

With that said, lets get to reading!


Chapter 27: Rise of the Superman

"Alright, bring it in!"

On the shipping docks that lined the eastern coast of the Land of Fire, a worker was signaling with his hands for one of his dock mates to begin pulling a rope that was tied to a thick wooden pallet that carried a large, heavy shipment of highly sensitive packages. The dock workers heaved as one multiple times to lift the shipment into the air and clear it of the ship and the sea. The worker who called for them to begin lifting was now using his hands to signal them on where to move the cargo.

"That's it! A little more! A little to the left! More... More..."

Suddenly, one of the workers lost his grip on the rope, causing his coworkers to put in extra effort to keep the cargo steady as it started coming down.

"Careful you idiot!" The dock worker shouted. "This stuff is dangerous! You want to get us all killed?!"

The worker went back to signaling again, instructing them to lower the cargo very, very slowly. They did so at a snail's pace until, at last, the cargo was fully lowered onto the dock.

The dock worker came up to the package in question and inspected it. Just as he'd been informed, the cargo was wrapped all around in plastic wrap and covered in Hazmat labels. he was going to need to call the qualified Hazmat crew to handle it from here.

The worker who had lost his grip came up to the one that yelled at him earlier to see what was going on. "What is this stuff anyway?"

"Nobody told you?"

The worker shook his head. "No sir, I just started this week."

"Then you went through training to know what to do when handling dangerous cargo like this, right?"

"Yes sir."

"Then make sure not to loose your grip next time rookie."

The new guy hung his head. "G-Gomen sir."

The senior worker shook his head. "You're the new guy, so take this as a warning." The worker than took another look at the new guy. "You seem a little young. Are you sure you're old enough to be doing this job?"

"Yes sir." The young man paused. "So...what is this stuff anyway."

"Ammonium nitrate. A lot of it."

"HUH?!"

"Yeah... Seriously, nobody informed you that you were handling an explosive substance?!"

"No!"

"Well, then I'm going to have to report this to management. Stay here for now and don't touch anything. Understood?"

"H-Hai."

The senior worker left to go inform the higher ups about the negligence, all the while that left the young man with the dangerous cargo.

"Hey new guy!" One of the workers on the ship called out. "Hurry up! We've still got a lot more work to do!"

"G-Gomen."

The young man came back aboard the ship and followed his co workers down into the cargo bay. He seemed nervous, understandable for a man working a new job that had just made a slip up that nearly got himself killed.

"Hey kid," one of the dock workers said. "Next time you loose your grip like that, at least make sure you the rest of us aren't in danger too, got it?!"

"G-Gomen."

"Whatever. Just help us with this big one, will ya? You're young, so your back should still be good."

The young man came up to his mates and got into position to help with the lifting.

"On three," The elder worker instructed to his coworkers. "One... Two... Hey kid, what are you doing?"

The young man in the cap dropped his lifting position and stood up. "I'm sorry about this gentlemen, but I have orders."

"What are you talking about kid? We've got a job to do."

"So do I..." The young man suddenly stopped acting so nervous and all of a sudden got rather energetic, as he reached behind him and pulled out a well sharpened kunai...

...

Konoha Tonight, the Hidden Leaf Village's most popular news magazine show, was in to middle of broadcasting it's latest live episode. Respected reporter Daisuke Kishiyama was speaking with his two guests, one being Mr. Hagiwara, writer for the crime beat for The Konoha Times and author of two books on the history of criminal and rogue ninja activity in and outside of Konoha, who was currently working on a third book on Taka's infiltration and their attack on the village last year. While Hagiwara was there live in the studio, the second guest, Lady Shiho, the current head of Konoha's cryptanalysis team, was joining them via live telefeed.

Hagiwara had just finished going over reports that missing nin Mizuki was reportedly still on the loose, and possibly tied to the recent supplies of drugs spiced with Taka's infamous red serum. Upon learning of the consistent detail from eye witnesses that the man that fits Mizuki's description had been spotted transforming into some bizarre tiger-like form, Daisuke could only shake his head in bewilderment.

"This certainly is some very strange stuff." Daisuke said.

Shiho, via telefeed, laughed out loud. "Ha, ha. Strange? A man with an extra finger is strange, Daisuke. This—This is alarming! My only hope is that it doesn't get any worse. But when you hear stories like the one about the large shipment of ammonium nitrate that was stolen off the docks off the coast of the Land of Fire last week by a team of seven perpetrators in multi-colored masks and cloaks with completely inhuman strength and speed, and who's leader was crazy enough to crush a man's skull apart with his bare hands before laughing into the surveillance camera...I start to think maybe it's time to move to another village! You have any idea what a lunatic like that can do with that much ammonium nitrate, Daisuke?"

"Well, build a bomb, potentially."

"No, no. Build a big bomb."

...

From a secret hideout, Sugure Mashita and his crew were watching the broadcast, many of them amused that the conversation had turned to their actions today.

"Great work duping those idiots on the boat Boi," Dan commended.

"Anything for the master," the youngest of them smiled proudly.

Sugure didn't reply to his youngest follower as he sat in his chair and kept watching to interview continue live.

"Let me ask you this in our remaining thirty seconds, Mr. Hagiwara," Daisuke requested to wrap the interview up. "There is, to me, no doubt here that there is a growing trend of deranged crimes that are being perpetrated not only by Taka, but by equally deranged individuals, for motives that are unknown to us all. Is there anything we, the people, can do to stop this? Can we, or the village authorities, do nothing to return things back to the way they once were, and do it sooner rather than later?"

For just a second, Hagiwara seemed almost reluctant to respond. "I can give you an answer to your question Daisuke, but its not going to be the one that you want to hear. Taka coming out of the shadows changed everything, both for good and for bad. And those changes seem to be here to stay, whether we like it or not. I hate to say it Daisuke, but things always have to get worse before they can get better."

Daisuke turned to the monitor. "Lady Shiho?"

The woman adjusted her glasses before giving her own answer. "I'm afraid I have to agree once again Daisuke. Until men like Sandosupai and this Taka leader, whomever he or she is, are behind bars, I fear that Konoha, and maybe the entire ninja world, might be in for some really dark days ahead."

Daisuke sighed. "Mr. Hagiwara, Lady Shiho, we thank you for both for being with us today." He then turned his head to face another camera to address the audience. "And thank you for watching. Please join me in two weeks for an interview with the former elder of Sunogakure, Lord Sandosupai, who claims the Kazekage, the Hokage, and the other leaders of the Shinobi Union should be the real defendants in the Union's case against him. And next week, tune into Motoko Katsuragi's profile on the rising star within Konohagakure, Shinachiku Uzumaki. Will the young hero and his team succeed in locating to remaining chakra gems that Taka are allegedly still after? Or is the boy's appointment to his new position of power a sign of nepotism on the Hokage's part, that the leaders of the Shinobi Union should be concerned about? I'm Daisuke Kishiyama. Good evening. This is Konoha Tonight.

As the program came to an end, Sugure turned off he television and merely sat there, deep in thought. He was strategizing how best to implement his next move all while the tons of ammonium nitrate they stole lay behind them.

"Master," Geki spoke, "the theft was a success, but how long until we use all of this explosive material to deal with our target?"

"All in good time," the man in white said. "I couldn't afford to let an opportunity like this size a shipment to slip out of my fingers. But before we can put it to it's intended use, we first have a couple of loose ends to take care of."

"I don't see why we don't just use it now and blow them all up?" Burai voiced his disapproval.

"Quiet brother!" Geki shouted. "Do not dishonor yourself by questioning the plans of our master!"

"Who the hell do you think you all to think you can talk that way to me!"

"Enough!" Sugure leaped out of his chair. "I won't have my two strongest followers bickering with each other like little children! Understand!"

"Hai master," Geki bowed.

"Kiss up." The scarred one muttered under his breath.

"If I may," Goushi said, "Harada has been confirmed to be in possession of the sword. It would be wise to secure it as soon as possible before Taka does so for themselves."

"Agreed," Sugure said. "But it would be foolish for us to simply rush in and ambush him, even with our power. Harada's power is too strong and too resourceful."

"So why don't we just lure him out one night and see how well he swims in a pair of cement shoes?" Dan quipped.

"And risk too much attention being brought to us too soon? No..." Sugure pondered the situation for a moment before speaking again. "Harada and his whole family are scum, imperfect, flawed, despicable human garbage who's corruption has no place within our order."

"Worse than Taka, master?"

The man in white smirked. "No, Boi. They'll get their turn when the time comes, let Sandosupai's trial go through first."

"But if Sandosupai is convicted—?"

"Oh don't be ridiculous, of course he won't be convicted. Like I said, they'll get their turn. Right now we need to get that sword."

"What is your plan master?" Geki asked.

"We're going to need money to broker a deal with him... Mei, did you get anything from that Taka spy I asked you to interrogate for us?"

"Yes sir," the woman said. "He confirmed there's a train coming through Konoha soon that will be laundering millions of ryo into Taka pockets."

"Excellent. That solves the one problem."

"And the Harada Family?" Goushi asked.

Sugure smirked. "I think we can get what we want and take out their kind of scum all at once my friends, and we can do it all from the inside out. Mei?"

"Hai sir?"

"I want you to keep your eyes and ears open my dear. We need to dig up some dirt on Hanzai and his family. Something really juicy. Hanzai might be a very careful man, but perhaps we can turn his own family's ambitions against him. And it would be even better for us if they had a dirty secret of their own that we could keep in our pocket."

"You really think that one of his own family would plot against him master?" Boi asked.

"Trust me Boi, all families like theirs would sell out their own to get what they want, and all families like theirs have something to hide. As they say: the brighter the picture, the darker the negative..."

...

Three days later, at the docks on the coast of Kirigakure, Katsumi Harada was waiting in a deserted alley in the dead of night. She wore a cloak with a hood avoid anyone noticing her.

She waiting for several minutes, but to her they felt like hours. Then, at last, another figure in a cloak came up to her.

"You're late," she said removing her hood.

"Father held me up," the second figure said as he removed his own cloak. It was none other than her younger brother, Hideaki. "This is getting harder and harder for us to manage you know. How much longer can we keep this up?"

She placed a hand on his cheek. "Hey, what you and I have, this isn't a mistake. This is real, we both know it."

"Father will never accept us, neither will uncle."

"Bah!" Katsumi scoffed. "Mark my words that one day that old man will be gone and Seiichi with him. Once that happens, father will take his place as the rightful heir to the family, and I'll be next in line. After that..." she paused for a moment, then smiled wickedly. "...Well, lets just say that accidents will happen."

Hideaki wished he could be more sure of their future like she was. "Seiichi only one loose end. Don't forget about Jiro?"

"That wimp? He'll be even easier to deal with than his brother, at lest Seiichi actually has the spine to put up a fight."

"Perhaps."

Katsumi wrapped her arms around her brother and smiled. "Anyway, our day will come. Till then, lets just enjoy the time we have."

Hideaki smiled warmly. "You always know just what to say."

The two of them leaned in and their lips came together in a forbidden kiss. There they both were, two taboo lovers in the dark of the knight sharing a moment that was entirely their own...

...Or so they believed. Little did they know that several meters away a woman in pink robes had taken several pictures of the conspiring couple in their most private moment. Smiling devilishly, she knew what she had to do. She got out her phone and called in what she had found.

"Master?" Mei said upon hearing his voice. "That dirt you wanted me to find about Harada's family? Well, I think we've hit the jackpot..."

...


...

The doors to their hideout burst open and the in came a familiar man in white came in. He looked like he'd just been through a battle for his very life.

"Master?!" Geki quickly got up and came to his leader's side. "What has happened? Did you get the chakra gem from Mizuki?"

"No."

"No?" Goushi questioned allowed.

"There's...been some complications." Sugure paused before answering. "Mizuki used the gem to travel back in time before I could stop him."

"What?!" Mei shouted. "What happened?"

"I was intercepted by Shinachiku Uzumaki and his team of brats. They attempted to stop me but then he disappeared at the same time as Mizuki did."

"How is that possible?" Dan questioned.

"I'm not sure," Sugure answered. "I think the boy's life is somehow tied to all of this time travel shenanigans, But as to how, I do not know."

Boi thought of something. "Was Mitsuki with tem master?"

"Yes."

Burai scoffed out loud. "Bet the kid went and crapped himself when he saw you again, eh master?"

Sugure did not answer that. He merely walked past them all over to the display where the sword was, making sure it was still there.

"Master," Goushi said, examining his leader's condition. "There's no chance a mere Chūnin, even Shinachiku Uzumaki and his team, could have possibly been powerful enough to do this to you." The superman in black knew the real cause of all the damage immediately. "You had an encounter with the boy's father, didn't you?"

Sugure paused again before confirming. "Hai. Uzumaki and Uchiha."

"Both of them?" Mei asked in surprise. "You survived a fight with both of the only two weaklings that had any chance of beating you?"

"I did."

"That...That must have been quite a battle," Geki stated in awe.

"Indeed, the greatest fight I've ever been in." He turned to face his followers, smiling proudly. "Even so, here I stand before you all. Victorious!"

"Are they dead?" Dan asked.

"...Uzumaki is."

There was an audible gasp from everyone save for the twins at what they'd just heard. Geki and Burai only eyeballed one another, knowing that things were going to get a lot more intense now, and that they would need to be ready.

"Master," Goushi spoke, "with all due respect, this poses a serious problem. If Uchiha returns to Konoha and reports who you are, then we could face the entire weight of the Shinobi Union going on a manhunt for us. Securing the chakra gems might be more challenging than ever."

"I know." Sugure let out a sigh. "There's no way around it, we're going to need to step up our plans if we want to survive. I'd wanted to do this gradually to draw less needless attention, but now we all have a lot of work to do in a lot less time. Dan?"

"Hai?"

"Did you have any luck finding out when and where the next meeting of Taka's leaders is supposed to take place?"

The superman in blue smiled in pride. "I have master. I was able to apprehend a Taka elite and convinced him to tell me when the meeting was coming. They'll be uniting together in Kusagakure in five days."

Sugure took all of this in. "We need to act fast. We got to get to the Kusa in time for that meeting. It's time we fulfill the one worthwhile plan that father had and finally deal wt their filth once and for all."

"What about Uragi?" Mei asked. "He's still locked up in Konoha, and it's too risky for us to go there now that Uzumaki's dead."

"You're right. We'll need to deal with that later. Right now we need to focus on those who actually do pose a threat."

Goushi once again connected the dots. "Getting rid of Taka would mean getting rid of quite a large portion of the Union's forces, all those double teaming their own villages. Still, with all of the incidents that we've been having with the railroad as of late—"

"Agreed." Sugure clenched his fist. "We travel by foot. With our speed we all should be able to make it there in time for the meeting. First we deal with Taka, then we go after the rest of the gems."

"And then master?" Boi asked in awe.

"And then...we truly get to work making a better world."


Kusagakure. The Village Hidden in the Grass. Located in a country rich with forests, giant mushrooms, bamboo, and many rivers and deep ravines. It is famous for such landmarks as the Kannabi Bridge, the Tenchi Bridge, and the Hōzuki Castle. The village is one skilled in diplomacy, which has served their shinobi forces well to read the movements of rival countries to remain one step ahead of them as well as to analyze their techniques. This makes shinobi from Kusa notably difficult for others to read.

The country had seen invasion from Iwagakure during the Third Shinobi World War and served as an important front between Iwa and Konoha. More than a decade later, Orochimaru established a secret hideout in this country.

This history of monitoring rival villages, and of one harboring a S-class criminal, as well as it's distance from the Union's own headquarters in the Lad of Iron, made both Kusa and Orochimaru's base there an excellent choice for Taka to establish a secret base for it's leaders to meet. And when the Fourth Great War ended and Kusa was offered an option to join the Shinobi Union, it did not take long for corruption to spread.

And that was what was happening today. Four men arrived separately and discretely, with limited escort of two Taka bodyguards, from four of the Five Great Villages. They were all there to attend the same meeting with Taka's secret leader.

Among them was Sandosupai, the same former council member from Sunagakure that Naruto and his friends had tried, and failed, to see imprisoned for his crimes mere days before this meeting was to take place. There was also Misuto, Taka's leader in the Land of Water, Kuraudo, leader in the Land of Lightning, and Rokku, leader in the Land of Earth. All three of them were trusted as either still active or retired members of their village's respective councils, and unlike Sandosupai, they had managed to be more careful over the past year to avoid getting caught...

And that was precisely why the three of them were giving Sandosupai the wide birth.

"You're lucky your even still a part of this council Sandosupai," Kuraudo gloated.

"Didn't you hear?" Sandosupai brushed it off almost arrogantly. "I was acquitted."

"It doesn't matter," Rokku added. "Them getting you into that courthouse puts more pressure on the rest of us. We've already had to pull rank to keep the Union off our trail since Uragi got arrested. We don't need any more trouble."

"Uragi's a loser, always was." Sandosupai still sounded as arrogant as ever. "As long as our true leader is still in charge, Taka still has a future."

Karaudo looked around the room. "Speaking of which, where is our leader anyway?"

"Should be here any moment," Misuto said. "Let's just take our seats."

The three men sat down at a table with their bodyguards standing beside them. They were all waiting for the arrival of their mysterious leader, the supreme head of Taka. They waited, and waited for what felt like thirty minutes. Until, at last, two Taka representatives came into the room and place a laptop computer on the table and hooked it up to a wide monitor.

"What the hell is this?" Kuraudo snapped out loud.

Everyone was immediately silenced however when they saw the face that appeared on the monitor. It was a young man with bushy black hair, the sides of which were shaven and blonde in color, with a dagger-like tattoo under his left eye and a pair of piercings on his right eyebrow. The young man was garbed in a violet infinity scarf and belt, white overalls with his chest exposed, and a black vest trench coat. But perhaps his most distinctive feature was an elaborate black sigil tattooed on the left side of his body which spread over his face, chest, and arm.

The four older men instantly rose from their seats and, along with their bodyguards, pressed their fists to their hearts in respect to their leader.

"Lord Kawaki," They all said as one.

"Gentlemen," he said to them via the live feed. "Please be seated." They all did as they were told as the young man with power beyond his years proceeded to speak. "I apologize for not being able to appear before you in person, but given Lord Sandosupai's recent troubles with the Union, I calculated it was best that at least one of us communicate from a safe distance."

The other three leaders all glared in annoyance as Sandosupai, so calm and arrogant before, not found himself blushing in embarrassment at his leader's words. "G-Gomen my lord..."

"In any case," Kawaki continued, "now that we are all here, lets get to business." He paused for only a moment before continuing. "First for the elephant in the room...Naruto Uzumaki is dead. While this obviously alleviates us of a massive threat to our cause, it also creates another. Uzumaki could become a martyr against us, his dead could motivate the Union to crack down on us even harder than ever. And that is assuming they are not already blaming us for this murder."

"Do you know who is responsible my lord?" Misuto asked.

"I do not. But I want all of you to pull your resources. We need to find the one responsible and learn who they are, and more important, whether they are friend or foe."

"I agree." Rokku concurred. "If this guy, whoever he is, is powerful enough to kill Uzumaki, then he's bound to make short work of us. Not even Uragi managed that, and he had a chakra gem."

"There is another issue that troubles me," Kawaki changed the subject. "As you are all aware, one of our deposits was stolen. A relatively small amount...68 billion ryo."

"Who's stupid enough to steal from us?" Rokku asked.

"Group of two-bit whack jobs freaks, wear garish robes in many colors," Sandosupai outlined for everyone else, his original calm attitude restored. "Not a problem, they're nobodies. The real problem is our money being tracked by the Shinobi Union."

Kawaki continued. "Thanks to Lord Sasndosupai's well-placed sources, we know that the Union have indeed identified our banks and money transports using marked ryo, and they are planning to seize our funds soon. And since the Union has put all of our competitors out of business, that leaves only one option."

"So what do you propose?" Sandosupai asked.

"Moving all deposits to one secure location. Not a bank."

"Where then?" Karaudo asked, clearly irritated over what might happen to his money.

"No one can know but me," Sandosupai said in a smug tone of his own, clearly enjoying the unhappy look on Karaudo's face. "If they were to gain leverage over any one of you, everyone's money would be at stake."

"Forgive me master," Misuto interrupted, "but what's going to stop them from getting to you?"

"I will go another village. Small, isolated, so much so that the Union are unlikely to have ever heard of it, much less have any suspicion of it. Even is they did, it's far from their jurisdiction and the village chieftain won't extradite one of his own."

"How soon can you move the money?" Rokku asked.

"I already have. For obvious reasons, I couldn't wait for your permission. Rest assured, our money is safe."

Karaudo sighed out loud. "I don't like it. Not knowing where my money is."

"Where our money is," Kawaki corrected him. "Like I said, this is only option until our ultimate goal is reached... Which brings me to my final reason for this meeting."

All of them knew just what their leader was about to say, so none of them dared interrupt him as he spoke. "I would seem there have been developments in the Union's search for the chakra gems as of late. Thanks to our mole inside the Chakra Gem Recover Squad, Uzumaki's brad and his team have consistently failed to locate ay of the three still unaccounted for gems...until now. "

Sandosupai's eyes widened. "Do you mean...?"

"I do. Another chakra gems was recently discovered in the jungles of the Land of Lightning. Shinachiku Uzumaki was reported to have it on his person when he...disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Rokku asked.

"Yes. The reports have come in that the boy has somehow vanished without a trace, and this happened shortly before his father was killed. This cannot be a coincidence."

"So what are we going to do about it?" Misuto asked.

The doors to the room suddenly flew open, followed by an unfamiliar voice. "There's nothing you can do gentlemen."

They all looked to the source of the voice to discover that it came from a tall man with distinctive features garbed in white robes. He was flanked by two identical men dressed in red and green robes, respectively.

"What a devilish conversation this is," the man in white said as he approached the table. "And people think I'm the bad guy."

Karaudo recognized the intruder immediately from Sandosupai's description of the nutcase who stole from them. "Give me one good reason why I don't have my man here cut your damn head off!"

Sugure merely stared at the impassioned Taka leader, and even Karaudo could not deny that looking into this freak's eyes was as intimidating as seeing into those of Kaguya herself!

"Where's our money?" Rokku asked.

"We spent it."

"WHAT?!" Karaudo was furious.

"One the one thing that can hold all of the chakra gems. I'm sure all of you know of what I'm speaking."

Misuto spoke for them. "Who has the sword?"

"Hanzai Harada."

The rest of the room all groaned in irritation, as if they all knew that they should have guessed that for themselves.

"So what then?!" and furious Karaudo continued. "You steal from us and use our own money to buy something we need, and now you and your pack of freaks plan to sell it to us?"

"Of course not."

"What then?!"

"I'm just here to tell you all that your time is over. I was the one made to destroy all of you and I'd say ridding the universe of your filth is one of the few things that my father got right about you."

Sugure eyeballed them all before continuing. "You're all scum. Cowards who hide in the shadows instead of making yourself known to everyone. Imperfect human garbage that pretends that you want to create a new world order free of it's cycle of hatred, but instead all you're really interested in is power. You say you want to remake the world, but you don't want to address the real issue. You expect you deluded ideas of a new order to flourish but you don't want humanity itself to change. Tell me: how is mankind supposed to ever grow unless it's allowed to...evolve?"

"You've got some nerve talking that way to us!" Rokku shouted.

"What makes you think you're better than us?" Misuto questioned.

"Because I'm only hiding until all my cards are in order. And I have much, much bigger plans for the chakra gems than any of you clowns do."

"And what might that be?" Sandosupai asked smugly.

"To perfect humanity itself. To give them a real reason not to continue the cycle of hatred. To bring the human race to the full potential it was always meant to reach. To make everyone equal in every way, thus making the very idea of war obsolete."

"And how's that any different than what we're doing?" Karaudo asked, fuming with anger the longer this nutcase remained in his presence.

"I'm not hiding behind corrupt governments or ninja spies or coup d'etats to do it. I'm totally honest about what I want. And besides which...I'm just plain better than any of you."

"Nobody's better than our leader!" Misuto shouted in defense.

"Oh yes, of course." He pointed to the monitor. "You mean the television here, the only one of you with the brains not to make himself a living target by showing up in one place like this. Not hard to see why this kid's the one in charge."

Kawaki said nothing as he continued to listen as the stranger prattled on directly towards him. "You think you're safe from me kid? You think I or my team can't find you. I'm not the Union kid! I have no jurisdiction! I'm the one who killed Naruto Uzumaki! I will find you in whatever hole you've dug for yourself! And when I do..."

Kawaki kept his calm as his tried finishing the man's sentence for him. "...You'll kill me."

Sugure paused before answering. "Maybe... Kid, I respected Uzumaki. I know superiority when I see it. I can tell when there is a common ground between myself and whomever I speak to. I saw it in Uzumaki, and in Uchiha also. And when I look at you...I'm not sure what I see, but while there's something inside you that's impressive, all that makes you is a kid among insects. Don't bother hiding from me kid, I will find you. It's just a matter of time."

Kawaki glared at the man in white in rage before cutting the feed and leaving static on the monitor.

"You think any of us are going to let you out of here alive?" Sandosupai asked.

Sugure looked at the Taka leader almost incredulously. "Alive? I told you I'm better than you at everything. Do you seriously think I would walk in here when the four of you are all together knowing that there was no chance of escaping this place in time?"

Sandosupai glared. "What do you mean?"

Sugure smirked. My team and I arrived at this location hours before you arrived. They used that time to stockpile tons of ammonium nitrate, enough to blow this place sky high."

All of the Taka leaders, save for the ever confident Sandosupai, suddenly leaped out of their seats to instinctively scramble to the exits.

"Don't bother!" Sugure shouted. "I've had my team get to work sealing this place shut as soon as you all walked in here. Nobody gets in or out. After today, your precious leader is all that will remain of Taka. And as I promised, I'll get to him soon enough."

The entire room went into shock, except for Sandosupai. "You're bluffing."

Sugure shot him a look of intimidation, just as he'd done to Karaudo earlier. "Do I look like I'm bluffing?"

Karaudo then protested back. "You idiot! You and your two freaks are stuck in here with the rest of us! You'll be blown to pieces also!"

The superman here smirked. at that observation. He then took one last look at the terrified group of men around him and nodded in satisfaction. "I think I've said enough. Good evening gentlemen. It's been a blast."

With that, the three supermen puffed and disappeared in three puffs of smoke. They had merely been shadow clones the entire time!

"EVERYBODY OUT!" Misuto shouted. At his word, they all ran at full gallop towards the exit.

Welcome to your life
There's no turning back
Even while we sleep
We will find you

Acting on your best behavior
Turn your back on mother nature
Everybody wants to rule the world

The leadership of Taka, once united in their common goal in remaking the world as it should be, free of the cycle of hatred that had plagued it for generations, were now, in these final moments, showing their true colors. These grown men all scrambling to break the sealed doors open.

It's my own desire
It's my own remorse
Help me to decide
Help me make the

Most of freedom and of pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

"Stay out of my way!" Karaudo shouted at Sandosupai. "I'm getting the hell out of here!"

"Like hell you are Cloud village trash!" Sandosupai took a battle stance. "I managed to stay out of prison and I'll be damned if I'm gonna go out like this!"

"If only one of us is getting out of here, it's gonna be me!" Rokku shouted.

"Gentlemen! Please!" Misuto tried to get his pears to see reason, but there was no stopping the melee of fists and jutsu that ensued.

"WIND RELEASE: HURRICANE FIST!" Sandosupai punched the air with so much force that it cause a small, but strong twister that blew the Cloud ninja that dared to oppose him off of his feet, infuriating him even more.

"LIGHTNING RELEASE: EMERALD THUNDERBOLT!" Karaudo created a power bolt of green glowing lightning and hurled it at the Sand ninja with a force and fury like some ancient king of the gods. The jutsu missed, but it did cause a fire to break out inside the building when it struck flammable debris that was scattered around them.

"EARTH RELEASE: TREMOR JUTSU!" Rokku slammed his palms to the metal, floor causing the earth underneath to burst out of the cracks, not only causing a chasm in the floor, but forcing sharp pieces of the metal floor the point us, sharp enough to slit throats!

Even Misuto, whom had emerged as the most rational minded of the four of them, found himself giving in to his own base instincts survival as one of his ally's bodyguards make a move to attack him.

"WATER RELEASE: RAGING TSUNAMI!" Misuto took control of the water flowing through the sinks and plumbing inside the room and broke it free of it confines, sending it flowing over his attackers, save for one that managed to get close enough that he one saved himself by quickly encasing the attackers head inside of a water bubble, thus cutting off his oxygen.

There's a room where the light won't find you
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down
When they do, I'll be right behind you

So glad we've almost made it
So sad they had to fade it
Everybody wants to rule the world

Outside of the sealed off building, the real Sugure and his team were watching the melee unfold via a hidden camera they had also installed before any of them had arrived. The man in white shook his head in shame; everything had gone just as he'd calculated, and that was truly sad.

'Pathetic fools,' he thought to himself as he watched. 'So much for ending the cycle of hatred.'

I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world

"This scum deserve what's coming to them," Geki proclaimed.

Sugure agreed. "Yes, yes they do."

The man in white raised his hand, which held a small, box-shaped device with a large red button.

Say that you'll never, never, never, never need it
One headline, why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world

With his thumb on the button and the his eyes locked on the screen, Sugure continued to see the once proud so-called crusaders for reform and new world order completely forego their bond and give into their deepest, most corrupt human instincts. Orochimaru was right, these people were the worst this world had to offer. And such imperfect, disgraceful pieces of human filth had no place in the true new order that was coming.

And so, Sugure merely, coldly, uttered two words. "Hail Taka." He pressed the button

BOOOOOM!

One gigantic explosion of fire. The entire hideout was obliterated in an instant. The blast was so enormous that it could be seen from well about the nearby, burning forest. Even from their safe distance, Sugure and his followers could still feel the intense heat against their faces. One did not need to be a super genius to guess that none of the men survived.

All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

And in one, swift moment, with one push of a button, Taka, the world's great enemy, was dead, save for one old fool that was no longer a threat to anyone and the organization's ever elusive head... But as the superman had promised, the boy's time would come soon enough.

"What now master?" Boi questioned.

Sugure's answer was simple. "We have work to do."


It had been nearly a month since Taka's near total destruction, and yet most of the rest of the world had not yet even noticed. Why? Well, for one thing, the Kusa shinobi that were deployed to investigate the explosion had not yet completed their study, only recovering a group of about twelve man corpse hat had been burned to death with such severity that they were unable to be identified.

At least, that would have been an 'official' explanation. Sugure knew that it was far more likely that the bodies were identified, but the realization of the powerful men they were must have motivated those in charge to instigate a cover up.

But that was only part of it. The much more relevant answer was because the public simply had much greater things to distract them than a mere explosion occurring outside of the Five Great Nations.

Today was Naruto Uzumaki's funeral. The event was being broadcast not only all over Konoha, but the entire Shinobi World. Millions were tuning in right now to pay their heartfelt respect to the most famous ninja in the world. And Sugure Mashita, the man that killed him, was no exception.

He watched and the VIPS, including most of Uzumaki's family and friends, were all seated. Then, the entire cathedral had gone silent as Uzumaki's friend and advisor, Shikamaru Nara, had stepped up to the podium to give the opening speech:

"Naruto Uzumaki was more than just the Seventh Hokage. He was an example that inspired us to reach beyond ourselves. To soar towards a better tomorrow. He was a symbol to Konohagakure, and to the entire world, but more than that...he was a friend. To all of us.

"Although we gather here today bound together by sorrow and loss, we share a precious gift. We are all of us privileged to live a life that has been touched by the same person. Naruto was a man that possessed many extraordinary gifts, and he shared them with us freely. But none of these gifts were more remarkable than his ability to inspire anyone who knew him to strive to become the best version of themselves. Or his ability to put aside his own pain and suffering and to do what was best for his village and his loved ones. His ability to always live for others rather than himself. And when the time came for it, to discern what needed to be done, and his unfailing courage in doing it, whatever the cost. Let us all strive to accept his gift and pass it along, as an ongoing tribute to Naruto Uzumaki, the Seventh Hokage, the boy with big dreams who overcame hate and taught us all not just how to be shinobi...but how to be heroes."

Sugure sat in a big, leather chair, his strong hands intertwined in front of his face, his mind deep in contemplation as Nara continued his speech. His followers were all there around him, but they too were fascinated by the display on the screen to say anything. Besides, they knew that their leader actually held some respect for the fallen, so they dared not dishonor or think little of him...not in Sugure's presence at least.

The speech continued as Nara eventually came to something that caught the group's attention:

"Naruto's entire life was all about overcoming insurmountable odds. Whether it be the odds that the world itself put upon him, or facing an enemy so powerful that to face them would spell defeat to anyone else. And yet, for all those opponents, there has never been one that Naruto was not able to defeat... Until now.

"I realize that this tragedy has riled plenty of emotion in all of you. There may even be some of you filled with anger at the one responsible for this tragedy... But to those people I say only this: Think not of vengeance, dwell not on hate and anger, not today. To do so would be an insult to our friend's memory. To allow thoughts of vengeance against the one's responsible to fill our minds and our hearts this day would make this day about ourselves, instead of about him. Naruto would never want us thinking dark things on this day, he would have us be happy, to celebrate the gift of life and of those we still have, even as we gather to celebrate those we have lost. Naruto has lost much during his life, and no matter how hard it got, he always found the strength to press onwards. We can ask no less of ourselves today. I know that's what he would want of us. Please, a moment of silence."

"Bow your heads. All of you."

The others all looked to their leader. Then none of them argued as they gave Uzumaki the moment of respect that had been asked for him... All but one of them.

"Master, for Sage's sake—"

Sugure was in no mood for Burai's attitude. "Bow... Your... Head."

The coldness in his master's voice earned an irritated nod from Burai as he paid his respects.

As he bowed himself, Sugure recalled what he had said to Uzumaki at the end of their battle, before he left him to savor his final moments of life.

'You deserve this day of reverence Uzumaki. I will honor my promise. When I'm done, and the human race at last evolves into what it was always meant to be, I will make sure they still remember you...'

But then, the superman smirked. '...Though that doesn't mean they'll remember anyone else you love...'


And with that we come to the end of another chapter. As the title promised, more of Sugure's rise to power has been revealed, leading us right up to the day of Naruto's funeral. And I feel like, compared to the last chapter, this one had a lot more to speak of in terms of references and callbacks.

The first scene at the docks was a visualization of something I had previously introduced in the third chapter of "Konoha Tonight," the story that serve as a direct prequel to this story. In fact, the dialog between Daisuke Kishiyama, Hagiwara and Shiho is directly lifted from that scene.

But furthermore, that scene was itself directly inspired by the third episode of "Gotham Tonight," which was a six episode web series made as part of the viral marketing campaign for "The Dark Knight." During the episode where Mike Engel (Anthony Michael Hall's character) is interviewing an author named James Levine about the rise of sensational, seemingly motiveless crimes in Gotham City following the events of "Batman Begins," the conversation eventually turns to a passing reference to a theft of a large supply of ammonium nitrate from the Gotham dock by a perpetrator who was crazy enough to smile into the surveillance camera. Obvious this is meant to be the Joker, and I have always assumed that the ammonium nitrate what what he used to make the two bombs on the boats at the end of the film... Also, the death of Rachel Dawes and the scarring of Harvey Dent... And that hospital scene.

The entirely of "Konoha Tonight" is directly based off of the "Gotham Tonight" webisodes, Daisuke Kishiyama being directly based on Mike Engel, his surname an obvious fusion of those of Masashi Kishimoto and Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. I've actually set up a lot of plot elements in there that I have already paid off in this story, but there are still plenty more left to explore. If you have never read it before, it would mean a lot to me if you did so. If you would like toe see the "Gotham Tonight" episodes for yourself, the website has log since been taken down, but you can still find them uploaded to YouTube, and they were also included as bonus features on the original Blu-ray release for "The Dark Knight."

But that wasn't the only callback to The Dark Knight in this chapter, oh no! The entire scene of the heads of Taka (sans Uragi, for obvious reasons) coming together for a formal meeting was directly inspired by the scene with all the mobsters coming together in The Dark Knight. Sandosupai was very much inspired by Eric Robert's portrayal of Sal Maroni, right down to the way his trial went down in the film. Kuraudo was essentially in a similar role as Gambol (Michael Jai White's character), including his obvious temper at the one who stole money from them. Rokku was in the Chechen's role, minus his intrigue at the very man who stole from them. Misuto didn't actually have a parallel, but I wanted him to be the one who at least had some semblance of common sense and levelheadedness...for a while anyway. And then of course there's Kawaki, the supreme leader of Taka, who appears on television to speak to his older followers, much like Lao spoke to the mob in the film, also concerning his plans to secure their money.

The whole first part of the scene is honestly very much like that scene from "The Dark Knight," until Sugure finally shows up to crash the meeting, at which pint is does go in a different direction than when the Joker went to speak to the mobsters.

While we are talking about Kawaki, I had already revealed him as the leader of Taka in the final chapter of "Shinachiku's First Adventure." It seemed like a great little surprise at the time, but since then the Boruto series has reveled more about this character's past that, I have to admit, I have had difficulty rationalizing for my own continuity. I think I need more time to figure that out, but I did know that it didn't feel right to simply have Sugure kill him off here like he would the other Taka leaders. We will have to see where Kawaki's story goes from here, but if any of you have any suggestions for me, feel free to share them.

The song I chose for this chapter was "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears. Not my most subtle song choice to be sure, but it just fit so ironically perfect here that I couldn't not do it.

In speaking of subtlety...yeah, I don't know if I was exactly subtle about what I was saying here. Instead of just pulling a scheme with the chakra serum again like he did with the Harada Family, I wanted Sugure's plan to defeat Taka to be even more effortless. These are men who plotted to end the cycle of hatred, who were lured in by Kawaki's vision for a new world order, like Uragi was. But now we see them fully surrendering to that cycle of hatred instead of working together to escape. Indeed, deep down their distrust and ambition was so strong in these hypocrites that even the imminent threat to their own lives was all but forgotten. That's a classic showcase of how corrupt the villains can really be, deep down. Heroes usually work together, villains are usually only out for themselves. Whether Sugure is any better than them, or far worse, I leave that up to yo to decide.

Finally, of course, Shikamaru's speech at Naruto's funeral is directly lifted from Chapter 25, but this time we get to see the reaction from Naruto's 'murderer' and the cryptic reaffirmation of his Thanos-esc promise to Naruto in Chapter 24.

By the way, in case you didn't know, I am working on another story that is running parallel to this one. It's called "The Tezuka Tournament," and it involves a subplot that proved too out of place for the main story so I decided to let it become it's own thing. If you are interested in reading that, it would really mean a lot to me, especially since I never got any reviews for the most recent chapter.

I think that's all I have to say for this chapter. Thank you all for reading, and I look forward to seeing you all again for the next one.

Until next time, see ya!