Hey guys!
Like I said in the last chapter, this story is being read on a youtube channel called Epics What If. If you can, please check it out!
I have been uploading a lot more recently, which is crazy because I'm still super busy but at the same time I'm very invested in this fic. This is going to be the second flashback, and there's just one left before I pick up on where we were last time.
Enjoy!
Flashback
Naruto grit his teeth in anger, and he began to seriously reconsider the situation he was in.
Fukasaku and Shima needed time for their genjutsu technique, but that wasn't the main problem. Sakura, Sai, and Yamato were swarmed by hordes of Zetsu clones, who were far sturdier than kage bunshins. The separated members of Team 7 were desperately trying to get back to Naruto, but nothing was working.
"Naruto-chan, you need to hold him off for a bit...we'll tell you when it's ready." Fukasaku nodded at the last toad summoner, hoping that nothing would happen to Minato's child.
The blonde crossed his fingers, creating more clones. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" He hastily began forming a Rasenshuriken, but he knew it wouldn't be enough: he needed to fight smarter, not harder.
"Take this!" he yelled as he threw the dense ball of wind chakra, hoping that his aim had been accurate. Tobi, who had been slipping in and out of the ground, cursed as he realized that the continuous intangibility granted by his Kamui was coming to an end. The Uchiha refused to leave without taking the Kyuubi with him, deciding then and there that it was time to stop fooling around.
Naruto's attack had caused a lot of destruction, and in the chaos, he had uncovered the Sharingan user. "Ji-chan sennin, Shima baa-chan, are you guys ready?"
Fukasaku held up a finger as if to say they were almost ready, and the two toads hopped onto Naruto's shoulders, which Kurama had begrudgingly allowed...just this once. With this genjutsu, it didn't matter who you were - death was inevitable.
If they had one more minute, just a mere 60 seconds, Naruto would've been able to stop what happened next.
Tobi had risen from the debris surrounding him, donning his orange mask...that now had two holes. With the Sharingan in one eye, the blonde and his summons were shocked to see the Rinnegan in the other eye.
"Nagato...that's his eye," the jinchuriki said in a subdued manner, "but...Konan had it. You bastard...you killed her, didn't you?" Rage filled him to his core, his anger growing as he saw his sibling disciple's eye being defiled.
Fukasaku and Shima couldn't say anything as their cheeks were puffed out, frantically hurrying to cast the genjutsu even though they knew that it had little chance against the power of the Rinnegan. If they could distract the Uchiha, Naruto could get out of there...but even that seemed like a far-fetched idea.
"To think that you would make me use my trump card." Tobi laughed mirthlessly, glaring at the boy through his mask. "It's time to stop playing - Bansho Tenin!"
He clenched his hand into a fist, watching as Naruto was ripped away from the spot he stood in, toppling both Fukasaku and Shima. Sakura, Sai, and Yamato had been able to make some headway through the clones, but they could only watch in horror as the blonde was stabbed through the back with a thick, black chakra rod.
Naruto's eyes were wide in shock as he choked on blood, and through the dizzying pain, he forced himself to continue struggling against Tobi. Kurama had been bellowing furiously in his head, screaming insults at the Uchiha who used the Rikudo Sennin's eyes in such a disgusting way.
"N-No," the jinchuriki rasped, "I...I won't let you take me." He bit his lip harshly, forcing down a scream as the rod twisted in his gut, enlarging the wound that the kitsune was frantically trying to heal.
Tobi looked over Naruto's head, watching the toads in amusement as they had continued preparing their genjutsu. "Pain told me how much of a nuisance this technique was, so let me fix that - Shinra Tensei!"
Fukasaku and Shima were forcefully blasted away, their concentration shot as both toads were thrown backwards. As their backs hit a tree, both the husband and wife cried out in pain, cursing their old age. Through bleary eyes, the toad elders met their summoner's eyes once more before they disappeared, heading back to Myoboku unintentionally due to the injuries they received.
"Zetsu," the masked man said monotonously, "that's enough. It's time for us to go."
The plant-like man grinned menacingly, both the black and white halves joining as its clones began dispelling rapidly. The remaining members of Team 7 were injured and tired, but none of them cared as they ran towards the blonde.
Naruto could see them yelling something at him, but he couldn't hear it through the loud ringing sound that was making his head spin. The blonde felt Tobi grip him tightly before he heard a swirling noise, and his eyes fluttered shut as he sunk into unconsciousness.
"No...no, no, no..." Sakura muttered tearfully, grabbing locks of her hair as she paced back and forth obsessively.
The remaining members of Team 7 hadn't been able to process what happened. They hadn't been able to pay attention to him completely, but Naruto seemed to be successfully keeping Tobi away. When the pink haired medic had turned to look at her friend once again, a black rod stuck out of his stomach and his orange jumpsuit was stained crimson, blood spreading rapidly ovehe fabric in a span of seconds.
She screamed, obliterating a horde of Zetsu clones as Sai and Yamato noticed what had happened and began fighting with more fervor, desperately trying to get to Naruto before he was gone for good.
Time slowed down as they watched his blue eyes close, blood dribbling out of his mouth as Tobi warped away. The only traces left of Naruto was the blood splattered on the ground, and judging by how much there was, Sakura knew that he needed to get healed soon.
"Teicho," Sai said in a unusually high-pitched tone, "we need to find him, we have to go back and tell Hokage-sama."
Yamato had seen many things in ANBU, and he was trained to deal with hundreds of situations...but a jinchuriki getting kidnapped right in front of him? He didn't know what protocol he was supposed to follow, especially since his mind was jumbled with a slew of different emotions ranging from self-hatred to panic.
"Sai, eat a soldier pill and make a bird...we need to get to Konoha right away. Sakura, heal him as much as you can, we can't afford to travel on the ground, it takes too much time." The Mokuton user nodded at the two, turning away so that he didn't have to see the anguish on her face.
The pale boy had created the ink bird, making it big enough for the three of them as they rushed back to the village. He poured as much chakra as he could into it, hoping that it wouldn't be too late to get his friend back from the Akatsuki.
As they travelled in painful silence, Sakura couldn't stop her hands from trembling. Naruto had saved her from Gaara, he had covered her back countless times and supported her when Sasuke left, but this is what he got in return - she had failed him yet again.
Guilt weighed down on her heavily as a fresh set of tears rushed down her face, her emerald eyes unfocused and unaware of her surroundings. Yamato couldn't see her, but he could hear her silent sobs, and he clenched his fist as he fought back his own tears. He was the captain, and he had let his team down.
Sai was trying really hard to keep the bird going as fast as possible, and when they landed in front of the gates, they didn't bother with Izumo and Kotetsu as they ran to Tsunade's office.
Kakashi had just returned from the mission, and he had been giving the busty blonde a mission report when Sakura, Sai, and Yamato burst into the office. The silver haired jonin immediately knew something was wrong, and his uncovered eye widened as he noticed Naruto was not there.
"The Akatsuki got Naruto." Yamato panted, recalling the events that had happened as quickly as he could while Sakura and Sai hastily added in what they had seen.
Kakashi dropped his book, and Tsunade turned paler than Sai, which was an impressive feat. As the Hokage, she knew that impartiality was important, but this was Naruto...this was the kid that tied her to Jiraiya, Minato, Kushina, Nawaki, Dan...how could this have happened?
"ANBU!" she roared angrily, slamming a hand on her desk as five people with porcelain masks appeared in front of her. "Gather the most proficient trackers that are available to us right now - this is a code black emergency level. I want everyone here in half an hour, go!"
The Godaime Hokage turned to Team 7, who were barely holding themselves together. "We are going to get him back, do you hear me!" the slug princess yelled loudly, startling them from their silence, "Standing here won't help Naruto, this wasn't anybody's fault. Kakashi, get the rookies together, tell them what happened. They're his friends just as much as anyone else, and we need as many people as possible looking for him."
The silve haired jonin nodded stiffly, exiting the room as the others followed suit, and when the door closed, Tsunade lost her self-control. She held her head in her hands, sobbing as she thought about all the possibilities that could unfold now that Naruto was taken.
"Tsunade-sama, where do you want me to - Tsunade-sama, what happened?" Shizune's worried voice came closer to her, but the slug princess continued crying, clutching her assistant's hand in her state of vulnerability.
"Shizune," the blonde whispered in a broken voice, "the Akatsuki got him."
Hinata had decided to go back to the Hyuuga compound rather than stay in Naruto's apartment.
She sighed happily, taking her time as her thoughts were focused on her boyfriend. The lavender eyed beauty was grateful that he had gotten her to stop fainting and stuttering around him, but that didn't mean the timid girl was any different than before. Naruto thought it was cute when she got nervous, and that was pretty much the only think that stopped her from exploding in embarrassment.
Everything seemed fine until she neared her home, where several Hyuuga's were running past her, seemingly in a rush. Neji caught sight of his cousin and walked towards her, confusion evident in his eyes as he watched several main and branch members leaving the compound. "Hinata-sama," he asked quietly, "do you know what's going on?"
"I-I don't know Neji nii-san," the Hyuuga heiress whispered, "but it l-looks like they're g-going to the Hokage tower. M-Maybe it's for a mission?"
Hinata heard a familiar bark, and she was surprised to see Kiba standing at the gate, gesturing for her and Neji to come to him. They shared a look before making their way to the Inuzuka, and she giggled when Akamaru licked her face.
"Yo!" the shaggy haired boy said cheerfully, "Kurenai sensei is asking for us to go training ground 7. Apparently Kakashi sensei wants to talk to all the rookies about something, it probably has to do with the war. Let's go!"
Neji gave him an incredulous look. "Why would we need to talk about the war? It hasn't begun yet, Naruto and the Hachibi jinchuriki are safe...are you sure that this is what they wanted to discuss?"
"Kurenai sensei said everything would be explained when we get together," Kiba explained, "let's go! I'm hungry and so is Akamaru, right boy?" The dog barked in agreement, wagging his tail as he followed his owner, who had began walking toward the training ground.
Hinata twiddled her thumbs, turning to her cousin with a small smile on her face. "I-I guess we should g-go then Neji nii-san, your team w-will probably be there too."
He nodded silently, and they all made their way to the meeting place. Of course, Team 7 wasn't there since they were on a mission, but the rest of the rookies were all gathered together with their respective senseis.
"What a drag," complained Shikamaru, "why are we here again?"
"Shikamaru!" Ino scolded, hitting his arm lightly, "Show some respect! Stop being lazy for at least five minutes, or else...or else I'll tell your mother that you're slacking off."
The spiky haired boy looked at his teammate in horror, and Choji ignored them both as he continued stuffing his face with chips. Shino adjusted his glasses as Kiba and Hinata walked up to him, exchanging greetings as they made their way to Kurenai.
Rock Lee and Might Gai were energetic, both of them challenging each other to see who could do the most pushups in a minute. Tenten cringed, slapping her hand on her forehead as she looked around to find Neji, who was the only other sane person on her team. When the stoic Hyuuga appeared, she sighed in relief, complaining about how ridiculous Lee and their sensei were for being so hyper.
When everyone had gotten there, Kakashi got in front of them, clearing his throat. "I'm glad that everyone is here. Everything that is going to be said here will contain extremely sensitive information, and you will all be quiet until Team 7 finishes talking. Do I make myself clear?"
The copy ninja's serious tone was surprising considering how easygoing the man was, but Hinata was confused: Team 7 was on a mission, what was going on? "Come out," the silver haired man said out loud, "tell them what happened."
Sakura, Sai, and Yamato stood next to Kakashi, and everyone was stunned to see how disheveled they were. The pink haired medic sported red rimmed eyes, the ex-Root nin was practically drooping forward, and the Mokuton user was giving the two concerned looks.
This was when Hinata immediately knew something was wrong. Her boyfriend wasn't there, and her heart clenched. "Where's N-Naruto-kun?"
"He was taken by the Akatsuki while we were on our way to finish a mission," Yamato said grimly. Nobody said a word as Team 7 had finished telling them what happened, how Naruto was injured and bleeding before being taken.
The Hyuuga heiress couldn't take it anymore, and she felt light-headed. "Hinata!" Kiba yelled, catching the girl as she fainted. "Shino, help me wake her up!"
Kurenai clicked her tongue, brushing them off of her only female student as she gently tried to shake her awake. The genjutsu mistress couldn't help but feel sorrowful for Hinata...when she lost Asuma, she felt like someone ripped her heart out of her chest, and it wasn't something she wanted her students to ever have to feel.
Shikamaru, after hearing the information, had immediately assumed his thinking position, his face scrunched up in concentration while Choji dropped his chips. Ino walked forward and hugged her best friend, letting Sakura rest her head on her shoulder as she comforted the poor girl.
"Naruto-kun is strong," Lee declared, "he's the last person to ever let someone take away his youthfulness."
Neji was concerned for Hinata, but he was also thinking about what he had just heard. Naruto was not weak, but this was the Akatsuki, an organization that wiped out six jinchurikis with little to no effort. Tenten was still in shock, and though she barely interacted with the blonde, she worried about her teammates, who cared about Naruto a lot more than they let on.
Kakashi watched Sai walk away, and he returned his attention to Yamato. "Tsunade-sama will probably tell Suna about this. They're our allies, and since Naruto is close to Kazekage-sama, I'm sure he would be more than willing help us out. If we can do it fast enough, we have a better chance of getting him back...alive."
Gai chose that moment to walk up to them, his cheerful attitude toned down because he knew that his rival was probably blaming himself for what happened. "We should wait for the tracking squads to get a lead, going out there without any information won't help us find their hideout." The green spandex clad man put a hand on each of their shoulders, giving them a reassuring look. "Don't blame the Akatsuki's unyouthfulness on yourselves. The best thing we can do is work hard to get Naruto back...got it?"
Thus the race against time began, and if they lost, the consequences would be catastrophic.
"Ugh...everything hurts, what the hell is going on?"
The blonde opened his eyes blearily, turning to see Kurama looking at him with wide eyes. "Gaki!" the kitsune said in poorly disguised relief, "We need to figure something out right now or else you're really going to die kid!"
Naruto blinked slowly, his head pounding as he collapsed in the water again, but rather than falling onto the hard floor, he landed on a warm, fuzzy paw. "T-thank you Kurama...what's happening?"
"I don't know, I can't see anything if you're unconscious," the fox suddenly growled, his eyes glowing dark red. "I've been trying and failing to send my chakra to heal your wound. If this keeps up, you're going to lose more blood, and if that happens you might go into shock."
Naruto was instantly more alert as he began remembering everything that happened. "S-Shit...I'm going to try waking up...agh!"
A burning, fierce ache spread throughout his body, and he couldn't hold back his screams as he heard Kurama's frantic voice faintly trying to calm him down. Naruto clenched his fists tightly, willing himself to get up, and when he opened his eyes, he felt the pain become progressively worse as he took in his surroundings.
The jinchuriki was sitting in a cave, similar to the one where Gaara had been taken by Sasori and Deidara. Zetsu was watching him with a creepy smile, and the masked man turned around to face him. "Good, you're awake. Honestly, if you had been more compliant, you wouldn't be in this situation."
Tobi walked forward, grabbing Naruto by his neck before walking to a large rock that was in the center of the cave. "Since we need time to rest, I'm going to have to do something to keep you still...hmmm, this should do the trick."
The blonde was gasping for air, and he winced in pain as the rod in his stomach was jostled around. He felt his arms being moved up so that his hands were on top of each other, and he hissed as a rod was stuck through them both so he could stay in place.
"I'm sure you know about these rods by now, but I don't think you fully understand the situation you're in." The masked man grasped more chakra receptors, turning them around in his hands like it was a toy. "The Rinnegan lets me transmit chakra through them, which automatically disrupts your own chakra. But, if I use just enough and get your tenketsu points...well, you won't be able to move even if you tried. You're very stubborn, so I'm going to take some extra precautions to make sure you stay put."
In a quick motion, two more rods pierced his calves, and Naruto couldn't stop the agonized scream that left his throat. All he could think about was how his entire body was on fire, and he could feel everything and nothing as he slipped in and out of consciousness.
When he woke up, he was slouching in the water pitifully, and he noticed that Kurama was in a similar position. "I'm trying to heal you," the kitsune said as he noticed Naruto's confusion, "but it takes a lot of chakra. That bastard...he blocked off the key tenketsu points that would let me fully heal you. Most of the fatal damage is stabalized, but you're in critical condition. Gaki...this really may be the end for us."
"N-No...I'll get us out of this," the jinchuriki whispered tiredly, "I won't let him take you."
Kurama huffed out a strained laugh. "I don't know why I let you make that seal, I shouldn't have agreed to this idea. You're going to end up dying - why would you do that for me?"
Naruto smiled sadly, his cheek resting in the cool water. "Why not? Even if you hated me, you're the only one who has been by my side since I was born. You watched me struggle, cry, laugh, smile, grow up...you gave me the opportunity to help protect my precious people. You've healed my wounds and given me your chakra - well, that probably wasn't your choice to make, but you get it. When we talked to each other...I was so relieved to have someone who felt my pain and understood my feelings. Out of everyone I care about, you're one of the most precious friends, and I would die thousands of times if it meant saving you."
"Damn you kid...damn you." Kurama turned away, tears falling from his eyes and dropping into the water below. The blonde had never seen the bijuu cry, but under these extreme circumstances, it was reasonable. He shuffled closer to the kitsune's head, slowly making his way over though his limbs felt heavy.
The kyuubi was startled when he felt a small hand pet his snout, and the strongest bijuu gave in, weeping for the only human he would ever care for. Naruto didn't say anything, and he continued silently comforting the fox as time passed by.
When he did open his eyes, he groaned from the stinging sensation overtaking his body, wishing that the damn rods would be taken out already. Tobi was in front of him, and when the Uchiha saw Naruto awaken, he cracked his knuckles. "It took us one full day to recover...you really are a nuisance Uzumaki. I was worried that those toads would reverse summon you, but it looks like the seals on this cave are holding up. We can finally get started Zetsu, get in position."
The masked man walked over to Naruto, yanking the chakra receptors out of his body harshly. As the jinchuriki lay on the rock, he noticed that he couldn't move - something prevented him from getting out of his spot.
"Kid," Kurama muttered in his head, "there's a seal weighing you down, I'm doing everything I can but...I don't think I can move us, I'm sorry."
The young shinobi mentally thanked the kitsune for his efforts. "It's ok, thank you for trying. I guess it really is time to go. Thank you for everything Kurama, I'll always remember you."
He looked up, his eyes slowly focusing on a massive statue that held its hands out, with each finger glowing ominously. Tobi nodded to his partner, then looked down at the boy with disdain. "I guess you're going to die just like your mother, isn't that ironic? I might as well let you have your last words...go on, say what you want to say."
Naruto coughed, blood dribbling down his mouth as his head began throbbing. "Y-Your version of peace is an illusion...hatred will never win."
The masked man clapped his hands sarcastically, and Zetsu snickered as the two began the long extraction process. Since it was just the two of them, this would take a while, and considering it was the nine-tails, they would be stuck there for at least five days.
Bright light flooded the blonde's vision, and after that, all he felt was pain. From an outsider's perspective, it was a rather gruesome sight to see: Naruto was floating in a ball of blue chakra, with red wisps of the kyuubi's chakra slowly flowing out of his eyes and mouth. He couldn't scream or say a word as his body reached its breaking point, and as the days passed, he could no longer feel or hear anything: it was unbearable.
In his mind, the water had been sloshing around violently, and Kurama was gritting his teeth as the sewer looked like it was going to implode. The excruciating agony of having the warped Shiki Fujin seal slowly absorb him was bad enough, but seeing Naruto slowly losing his life was worse.
When it finally ended, Tobi and Zetsu failed to realize that they had only managed to extract a small amount of the kyuubi's chakra. "What should we do with him?" The plant-like man pointed at Naruto before glancing at the Sharingan user, who shook his head.
"It doesn't matter. Leave him here, Konoha will find him soon once the barrier is taken down...let's go." With that, they disappeared, leaving Naruto alone to bleed out on the rock.
The blonde was lucky enough to have some lucidity, and he was glad that the seal was time activated, which meant that he had less than a minute left to stay in the land of the living before the Shinigami came to take his soul.
His breath was labored, blood slowly trickling out of the open wounds on his hands, stomach, and legs as he reached into his pocket. When his fingers latched onto his ramen coupon from Ichiraku's, Naruto let out a shaky breath, urging his hand to move faster.
"Come...on," the young shinobi said in a strained voice, "I h-have to...say goodbye."
Naruto's trembling finger managed to spell out his last message to the people he loved, and he hoped that they could find his body. As he lay back on the rock, he smiled tearfully, cursing his Uzumaki longevity as he was unable to get the sweet relief that death would bring him.
"Hinata is going to be so mad, I really fucked up," the blonde thought miserably, "Maybe...maybe in another life, we could be together again. That sounds pretty good to me."
And with that, our hero took his last breath before he lay still.
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