Thanks for the reviews, you guys are the best! I am so, so sorry for the delay, college has been really stressful, thank you all for being so patient!
Another thing to remember is that this is a slight AU, and there are definitely some people OOC. Sakura shows the most OOC traits and personality because personally, I wish she did more things in the Naruto canon world. I envision her as a kunoichi who considers the reality of the situation she is in, which is why I elaborated on the dialogue between her and Naruto considering Sasuke. I wanted Sakura to show how she is no longer living in a world of delusions, and the first step is to finally acknowledge that Sasuke has committed some very serious crimes that aren't excusable. She has always been a touchy character, with a majority of fans hating her and I want to make her more tolerable for you guys.
Anyways, enjoy!
In the midst of the destruction caused by the two boulders thrown down from the sky, two clones of Naruto stood in front of the five kages protectively.
Facing the leaders, one bunshin began discussing a strategy. "Since I can't die, I can protect everyone from any serious attacks - no matter what hits us, I'll get you all out of the way. I can support from the background while you guys attack."
"Naruto," Tsunade said incredulously, "you can't be in five places at once. Besides, we need your help to take down Madara too. Your powers with the kyuubi can help us - what's that look for, huh?"
The slug princess glared at the blonde boy, who was smirking at her angered expression. "Obaa-chan, have you gotten senile? I thought you and the other kages were the strongest shinobi across the Elemental Nations...you can take Madara down by yourselves, right?"
A huffed indignantly. "Of course we can. That doesn't mean you should just support us instead of fighting...as much as I hate to admit it, you're not weak kid. B is a strong jinchuriki, and you're the only one who can probably rival his strength."
"I didn't say I wasn't going to help out y'know." The five kages looked at him questioningly, and Naruto rolled his eyes before explaining himself further. "Look, fighting Madara with Kurama's chakra is taxing: the bigger the attack, the more depleted my reserves are. Sure, my chakra refills faster because I'm a reanimation, but with his continuous attacks, it'll take longer for my to replenish my reserves. If you weaken him, I can find a blind spot and get in some heavy hits so that Gaara can seal him away. I'll block whatever jutsu he comes up with so you guys can unleash all your powers without worrying about any collateral damage...got it?"
"Naruto," Gaara argued, "that's a good plan, but you forget that most of Madara's attacks were only stopped by you. Your sennin powers are also formidable since they detected the second boulder before it dropped down. As much as we would like to say we can weaken him by ourselves, the reality is that we can't. We became kages for a reason: to protect our people from harm, and the five of us took the hat knowing how dangerous the job could be. If one of us absolutely can't avoid an attack, you can help out, but otherwise, we need you to fight alongside us."
The blonde clones were stunned. As Naruto watched the other kages nod their heads in agreement, his eyes were glossy, and both Gaara and Tsunade knew why. He had just been acknowledged by five powerful shinobi, something he yearned for his whole life. One clone immediately began meditating and entered sennnin mode while the other was grinning stupidly, activating Kurama mode.
"Well then," Mei said in a sultry voice, "I guess it's been settled. Shall we get on with it?"
The shinobi looked at each other and smiled determinedly, nodding before flashing towards their target: Madara. The Uchiha had decided to amuse them, giving his prey a little bit of time to form a plan - it would be more fun taking them apart that way.
Naruto extended his arm with the kyuubi chakra, holding A and Onoki firmly as the old man began forming hand signs. "Stone Golem!"
A massive giant made of rocks arose in the air, the ground trembling as it began constructing. The three rose in the air as they stood on the head of a stone golem, both nodding at Naruto thankfully for keeping them from falling. While they were up above trying to smash the reanimated Uchiha, the Naruto that entered sennin mode was waiting for his cue to attack.
So far, Madara stood directly below A, Onoki, and the other clone, leaving the second Naruto bunshin to be on standby in case anything happened. While this was happening, Tsunade, Mei, and Gaara had all split up, blocking him in to form a pincer attack.
"This will take care of him!" exclaimed Onoki, waiting for his golem to pulverize Madara, who was smirking viciously. The heavily armored man clasped his hands together and closed him eyes, ready to defend himself, but the attack never came as the ground shook violently, throwing him off balance.
Tsunade pounded the earth with a loud cry, causing debris to go flying everywhere, successfully disrupting Madara's jutsu. "Now!" the Hokage yelled, and Gaara immediately send his sand forth to trap the Uchiha, creating an small opening for Mei.
The Mizukage pursed her lips. "Vapor Style: Solid Fog jutsu!" A light, seemingly harmless mist was emitted from her mouth, but the damage it could do was very clear. Gaara's sand was already melting, and they were fairly certain that the sacrificial body used for Madara's Edo Tensei had been completely demolished, so much so that he couldn't reform.
A loud yell could be heard from the smoke. "Mokuton: Deep Forest Bloom!"
Onoki's golem went to stop Madara, but it was too late. Within seconds, thick stalks wood snaked out of the ground, trapping the rock giant and crushing it. Naruto was doing his best to protect the Raikage and Tsuchikage from getting smashed, and the rest of the kages were dealing with their own issues as they found themselves being wrapped up by wood tendrils.
"Odama Rasengan!" Naruto growled out angrily, smashing the center of the makeshift forest. It was a crude effort, but it paid off as the wood began snapping, weakening the branches and allowing Tsunade, Gaara, and Mei to escape.
In the chaos, the Naruto in Kurama mode was desperately communicating with the fox as fast as he could. "Do you think I can use the Sage of Six Paths mode now? I mean, sure the original me did it once in that weird mindscape thing with ojii-chan, but it should still be possible right?"
"Hmm," Kurama grumbled telepathically, "I don't see why not. If a kage bunshin can create other clones by themselves, the idea isn't too far off. I'll give you more chakra, it should help make it easier and jiji told us that this mode is supposed to last longer. Since you're a reanimation, the way you can activate it could be less taxing on your reserves, but still try to be careful. We can't afford you dispelling gaki, especially with Madara being reanimated."
Naruto thanked Kurama, focusing on channeling his chakra into the new form that the Rikudo Sennin had gifted to him. A bright golden light blinded everyone's vision, which even startled Madara. As it died down, the kages watched in awe as the blonde jinchuriki had as usual, done the impossible.
Flying above in the air, Naruto hadn't given anyone the chance to speak as he swooped down and threw his truthseeker orbs to create platforms for everyone but Onoki, who was already able to levitate. They were unbelievably lucky - seconds after getting away from the trees, massive flowers began emitting yellow pollen, and there was no doubt that the air was poisonous.
"I don't even know where to start asking questions." murmured Tsunade, "I don't know how that bastard has oji-sama's techniques, and I can't even begin to understand what you just did Naruto. How are you flying?"
Naruto's eyes were dancing with humor as he smiled at her. "Ah, well obaa-chan, that's a very long story that requires patience, something you don't have and - HEY! If you hit me we're all going to fall!"
The blonde shrunk back from the Hokage, who shook her fist at him threateningly much to the ire of the other kages. "Well, if that's done, we really should get on with things. How are we going to get down there and stop Madara?" asked Mei, who watched the destruction below with calculating eyes.
There was so much dust that nobody could see where the Uchiha was, but both Narutos were able to sense something. Their sennin mode gave them enhanced perception, and it was this skill that saved the kages from the explosion that erupted below them. The truthseeker orbs lurched to the side in an attempt to avoid the blast, which turned out to be yet another Susano'o.
"Kuso!" Naruto cursed, turning to the clone who only had sennin mode to quickly figure out a way to get everyone out of the skeletal beast's sword. "We have no choice, you need to use the Sage of Six Paths mode as well. If we can buy enough time to get the kages safe, we can somehow replenish our reserves. Get to it!"
The bunshin didn't hesitate, and as he switched to the form, Madara had made his move. With another swing of his sword, the Susano'o had hit the trees directly below everyone, causing chunks of wood to propel forward. Even the truthseeker orbs couldn't stop the mini projectiles, and the five kages began falling into the perilous forest.
Both Narutos dove down, with one grabbing Tsunade and Mei while the other got Onoki, Gaara, and A, and the two clones worked in tandem to place everyone back on the truthseeker orbs. After making sure the kages were secure, they watched in horror as Madara had immediately began his second attack to catch them off guard.
"Since you want to play with fire, let's heat things up. Katon: Majestic Demolisher!" Madara grinned, blowing out a heavy stream of fire that he believed would kill all of the kages, including the damned reanimations fighting him.
To his dismay, an equally destructive wave of water countered the fire, and it even overpowered the flames. The water approached the Uchiha quickly as it destroyed the trees in its path, eliminating a huge amount of the forest he created.
Madara's eye twitched, his anger growing at the sight of a mere boy stopping him from achieving his goal. To think that an Uzumaki would stand in his way just as Mito did all those years ago...it seemed like fate.
Far away in the depths of the forest below stood two panting Narutos, both heaving from the effort of the attack they just used. This mode gave Naruto access to all nature manipulation jutsus, and a quick explanation from Kurama gave him the handsigns he needed for the one he would perform. It was a gamble, but considering how the Sage of Six Paths mode gave him an insane advantage...Naruto thought the odds were in his favor.
Gaara wasn't even trying to hide his shock. He knew Naruto pretty well, and the redhead was fairly sure that the blonde had no water jutsus in his seemingly small but powerful arsenal. Apparently he was wrong, and the Kazekage could only watch as the tall waves of water enveloped the fire, hiding them from Madara.
Naruto walked to them shakily, glancing back at the other clone before nodding at him affirmatively. "We don't have much time, but we're getting out of here right now before he kills you guys and dispels us. Gaara, can you still seal him away?"
Gaara nodded, and Naruto took a deep breath before cracking his knuckles. "Alright, get on the platform and I'll get us out of here, the other bunshin will stay back and distract him. Let's go!"
Tsunade was concerned; with the Edo Tensei, Naruto shouldn't have really felt the strain from his attacks, but seeing as he was tired, it just showed how much chakra he used up. As she climbed onto the orb, the slug princess began thinking about how Madara had overpowered them all in every single way - it seemed impossible to take him down.
As the five kages and Naruto sped away, the clone that stayed behind had come to the conclusion that the Uchiha before him wasn't going to show any mercy for the stunt he had just pulled. The blonde had a gut feeling that he had severely pissed off the legendary warrior, who would definitely use worse and more powerful jutsus to eliminate him.
The steam from the clashing of the water and fire cleared up a bit, and Madara made out the silhouette of the Uzumaki that was giving him so much trouble. He reigned in his anger, giving the blonde a cold look. "Struggling against me is useless. You think you can beat me with just your will alone?"
"Yes," Naruto said confidently, "I know we can beat you. Our will is what makes us strong - it gives us a purpose to continue forward and put our lives on the line for our precious people. That makes us more powerful, but all you've been doing is fighting for yourself, which is exactly why we're taking you down!"
Madara laughed at him condescendingly, a feral look creeping into his eyes. "Power is not the same as will...power is the ability to make things happen, and since I am more powerful than you degenerates, it's best to give up now. I am losing my patience."
Both reanimations looked at each other for a moment - not as enemies, but as shinobi who had once served Konoha before dying. One stayed loyal to his village, bled and died to protect it while the other sought vengeance, seeking to destroy anyone who stood in his way.
"You...you aren't worth my time." Madara looked in the distance, finding the other clone and the five kages easily. "As a reanimation, your death will mean nothing to me especially since you're just a clone, but for them...they are the ones I want." Naruto barely had time to realize what was going on as he watched the Uchiha speed off to the kages, and he wasted no time in pursuing the man.
The Raikage had noticed Madara approaching first, and he immediately was on guard. "That damn fool is coming toward us, I say we beat him up with everything we've got. Hokage - get ready!"
Tsunade didn't need to hear him twice, and she immediately clasped her hands together. "Ninpo: Mitotic Regeneration - 100 Healings!" Naruto looked at her with wide eyes, watching as the purple diamond on her forehead unfurled and allowed black markings to cover her body.
"Baa-chan!" the blonde said worriedly, "Won't that make you old and wrinkly again?"
The busty Hokage clicked her tongue irritatedly, half tempted to smack Naruto for being so rude. "No, that only happened because I used it for the entire village. This time, it's only for me so I'll be fine, pay attention to Madara gaki!"
As the heavily armored man approached his opponents, he couldn't help but scoff at how foolish they were for trying to fight him even though he had proven he was undoubtedly stronger. The second clone had joined the other Naruto's side, and they watched as Madara reactivated his Susano'o, creating a smaller one that protected just his body.
"Hokage, Raikage - go!" yelled Onoki, who watched as the two powerhouses ran at the Uchiha, slamming their fists into the sturdy structure before them, creating cracks where their punches had landed.
Madara narrowed his eyes as he jumped backwards and pursed his lips together. "Katon: Majestic Demolisher Flame!" The stream of fire expanded, forming a wave of flames as it approached everyone, but Mei stopped it.
The Mizukage flashed through a set of handsigns rapidly. "Suiton: Water Pillar!" As the fire began diminishing, the redheaded beauty held her hands out again with a smirk. "Suiton: Water Dragon Missile!"
Madara was thrown into the air, where Onoki and Naruto intercepted him. The Tsuchikage tapped the blonde's shoulder, closing his eyes to concentrate. "Weighted Boulder - hit him with everything you have boy!"
The blonde jinchuriki formed his signature elemental technique, crushing it into the Uchiha. "Take this! Rasenshuriken!" The dark haired reanimation looked up at Naruto with wide eyes before being thrown into the forest, crashing through several trees before he was thrown into a rock wall. He staggered upright, walking forward slightly before meeting seven pairs of angry eyes.
"This is to make sure you stay down. AHHHHH!" Tsunade sprinted, jumping into the air and pulling her fist back as she brutally smashed Madara, a large hole appearing in his chest. "Kazekage, now!"
Gaara raised his hands, willing his sand forth as he concentrated his chakra. "Grand Sand Mausoleum!"
The Uchiha didn't have a chance. In the blink of an eye, Naruto watched in awe as the sand formed a massive pyramid around the reanimation. Sealing tags peppered the structure that Madara was now trapped in, and A raised his fist victoriously.
Both Naruto clones were on high alert when they felt the disturbance, and as they had shifted back into Kurama mode, they felt a huge surge of chakra directly beneath Tsunade. With wide eyes, the blonde felt like time was slowing down as he created an arm and grabbed her, shoving the Hokage out of the way.
The other clone however, was not so lucky. Another massive blue blade shot out of the sand, puncturing the bunshin through the chest, and the kages eyes widened in horror. Madara broke through the seal, his half formed Susano'o breaking through the sand that Gaara was sure would keep him dead for good. Naruto wasn't fazed: he glared at the sword piercing his chest angrily, swatting it so that it cut off before cleaving through him entirely. Of course, he quickly began reforming, the blow barely having done anything to him as he was dead.
"That's not enough to take me down bastard," the blonde growled, "you're going to have to do more to get rid of me!" With a loud yell, Naruto took the piece of the blade that he cut off and rammed it straight down into the Uchiha, who looked at the blonde in undisguised shock.
"How...how could he break off the sword?" Madra muttered under his breath, cursing the Uzumaki's for being the holders of the kyuubi. He knew that the kages would be easy to take down, but with a reanimation that harnessed the monster fox's power backing them up...he hadn't anticipated Naruto to be so tenacious.
Though the blonde jinchuriki had saved Tsunade, it was too close of a call for him to be satisfied. Both the Naruto clones mentally noted that they had to be more aware, and as their chakra was already being burnt up at a fast rate, fighting Madara full on was not an option. He had to make sure the kages were safe: that was his number one priority, even if they disagreed with him.
Time was running out, and Naruto knew he had to do something before things escalated.
Sorry for the cliffhanger! Review!
Also one last thing: I know some of you may be confused about Naruto using a water jutsu - technically, Mei could've done it too. However...this is another thing I wanted to explore more since we don't really see Naruto use the other elements he has. Though he has full control over them all due to the Sage of Six Paths mode, we only see him actively use a couple.
This isn't going to be a big thing though, don't worry. I don't plan on having him magically have control over all the elements since it's not realistic, it's just a once in a while sort of thing. I figured that with Kurama having knowledge of jutsus since he's y'know...old and smart, it's logical to think that he would help Naruto with the handsigns and all that. Let me know what you guys think!