Hello guys! I hope you are doing well

Thanks for all your support on the reviews/Favorites/follow

I wanted to explain something related to my redaction, at first I think someone said I used too many commas then I somehow ended not using them at all and probably that was a mistake but aside from that I must explain the last chapter was made in a hurry (I had the whole idea on my mind and wanted to write it quickly before going to sleep). From this point I'm gonna try to write "normal" using commas or points when I see fit (and I expect your comments on that)

For the person who complained for the point or space after the end of a paragraph, sorry pal but I just don't like it and I don't using even when I write in Spanish (It's my personal way of doing things)

I hope you like the story so far, this chapter ends with a cliffhanger but I'm already starting the next one so it shouldn't take too long

Chapter 9

When Naruto got a letter from Yagura, he got worried so he opened it and red about Utakata's disappearance five days ago 'Kurama try to communicate with Saiken' asked the Hokage to the Kyubi who was on it

The blond knew he had to do something but Jiraiya had already left the village five days ago to meet some of his agents in the other countries and get information so he couldn't just leave the office because despite Itachi's presence the other people didn't know about this and would make him look as a bad leader

So he tried to make some plans while the ninjas he called were on their way "I hope this works" whished Naruto thinking about the pros and cons of this plan 'it may not be the best option but it's the only I have at the moment' concluded finally after realizing there wasn't any another choice

After some minutes Kakashi, Sasuke, Neji and Shizune were standing in front of his desk "I need for you to travel towards the limit with the Water country to meet with the Akatsuki response team, your mission will be to assist them in the Six's tails jinchuuriki recovery" informed the fifth Hokage before adding a critical piece of information "Time is essential because it has been five days since his disappearance so we can estimate one or two days for travel and then the extraction should take between five to six days without Kisame's chakra" said finally Naruto making the four ninjas before him scatter

….

..

After Onoki's death at Naruto's hands, the hidden stone village was a peaceful place because the warfare actions ended with the third Tsuchikage's life and just as expected the entire invasion's actions were established as Onoki's plans and now Kitsuchi sent a scroll to the Grass and Leaf village assuring them he wasn't planning on extend their country limits and apologizing for the Third Hokage's death

Naruto knew it was just politics and left that topic as closed while far away A was angry because the blond Hokage had just changed the way of wars and now before he could plan anything he would have to find a way to beat him first, with the problem that he still didn't know how did he reject that lariat in the first place

But in this moments the blond's mind was with the last team he sent on a mission to rescue Utakata, he knew the Akatsuki had some days of advantage over them but without Itachi and Kisame's absence he hoped they could make it in time

…

Pain was looking to his remaining troops, the mad bomber Deidara, the master puppeteer Sasori, the bounty hunter Kakuzu, the immortal jashinist Hidan and last but not least his angel Konan. Together the six of them were the minimal amount of ninjas to extract a bijou and that meant the extraction took a very long time

"There are some ninjas coming" warned Zetsu coming from the cave wall getting Pain's attention

"How many?" asked the rinnegan wielder thinking about a solution to this situation because they still needed some hours to finish the extraction "I could see eight of them two from Kirigakure and six from Konohagakure" answered the plant-ninja

"These Konoha's guys are becoming a nuisance" said Kakuzu knowing about Konoha's might and all the times they got in their way

"Unfortunately we can't face Konoha directly" was Pain answer trying to leave that topic settled because he didn't like to admit he couldn't destroy some opposing force "We have to come with a solution for our current problem" added Pain changing the subject "Kakuzu do you have enough Chakra to fight these ninja?" a nod was all the answer the old man gave back "Then we're going to use my jutsu to delay them until we finish a decoy" stated Pain as final

When both teams were running they stopped when Neji's said so because there were some strange things hidden in the ground "It seems there is some puppets on the ground" warned them before a man wearing a black robe with red clouds appeared before them "Konoha's blood limits are really troublesome" said Sasori as a greeting "But they make quite good puppets" and then two puppets appeared, they were dressed like ANBU but one of them had a couple of Byakugan eyes while the other had two Sharingan

"What is the meaning of this!" shouted Sasuke looking a fellow clan member turned into a puppet

"Akasuna no Sasori" said Shizune before explaining "he's one of Suna's most dangerous criminals due to his mastery over puppetry to the point he's able to turn a corpse into a puppet keeping blood line abilities as if they were his own" told the red headed woman what she knew about this man

Sasuke charged towards the enemy without waiting for any plan so Kakashi and Neji went to protect him "Be careful!" shouted Shizune before taking a breath and adding "He's also know for using poison coated weapons so everything is potentially poisoned" warned Shizune making Kakashi curse because that turned this whole mission a very shitty one 'we could end losing many people to save just one…if we're lucky' thought Kakashi

Fortunately Sasuke's speed was able to match his anger and he used his Sharingan to find and cut the chakra wire Sasori was using to control the puppets, but then he took control of the weapons hidden in the ground, forcing Neji to get next to Sasuke and use a specially large Kaiten to protect both of them from the projectiles

Tenzo tried to make profit of the attention Sasuke and Neji were drawing towards them using a wood release technique to constrict him but the puppeteer escaped from Hiruko before Mei could melt him with a lava release jutsu

"Despite my dislike for Konoha, I think we can make a deal here" said a new voice making all the ninjas open their eyes when another guy appeared wearing the Akatsuki robe but that wasn't the most significant part of the sight because he was holding an unconscious Utakata "Don't worry he's alive" assured him with a serious tone

Kakuzu disliked this plan but orders were orders and Pain had made a decision, he just hoped it didn't cost more members for Akatsuki because losing two in the same day specially Kisame was a really big waste of time and time was money "We can't face all of you at the moment but if you let us go we'll let you take him" offered the bounty hunter making the other ninjas to exchange some questioning looks between themselves

"Our main goal is saving Utakata's life so we're agreeing but we'll make sure he is real and is alive" stated Mei getting kakuzu's approval so she asked Haku to check him because he knew his chakra signature and after making sure this man had the same chakra he remembered from Utakata and stating he was alive he took him and both Akatsuki ninja disappeared "It seems our mission was successful but go to Kiri with us before returning to Konoha" asked Mei to Kakashi getting his famous eye-smile as answer

…..

..

Naruto left a while candle on Sarutobi's name as he did everyday he finished his work at the office and went to his house but this time someone met him at the memorial "Do you come here every day?" asked Tsunade not believing someone other than Asuma or Jiraiya would have that sadness for his death

"He was my first master and guide…while many people saw me as the Kyubi's jinchuuriki or the Yondaime's son he was the first to see me as Naruto and recognizing my own potential beyond any shadow from the past" answered Naruto remembering some fond memories

"Aren't you going to force me to stay here or send me on any mission?" finally asked Tsunade the question he was asking herself since many days ago

"There is no need" replied the blond Hokage "While you were in retirement I got a pretty good medic that is on the field most of time and your combat level is Jounin rank at best so I don't need to force you to do something" was the harsh but honest answer for Naruto because if it would have been thirty or twenty years ago he would begged Tsunade to stay in the village but now Kabuto was a promising combat-field ninja and Shizune asked to be added to the ninja ranks again

To the blonde it was like I'm sorry but the world got over you in these last decades but it was the truth and she had two choices: she could be sad and run away from Konoha once more or she could try to get to her level and become a great ninja again "Naruto…How can you be so strong being that young?" questioned Tsunade because she heard from Jiraiya about Orochimaru's defeat and Sarutobi's comments about the jinchuuriki's superiority in terms of power

"I don't know if there is a particular reason but I always gave my full effort to get strong on my own way without following my dad's or the old man's styles…at first I wanted to be stronger than Sarutobi to protect him but then I grew and traveled with Jiraiya so my conclusion about the world was it's not a fair place but if you have the power you can stop abuses and unfairness so I would have to become the most powerful in the world to make things right and for that I trained very hard day after day" told Naruto looking at the Hokage monument for inspiration because those men probably had the same dream and gave their lives protecting it

"I think I'm going to stay here but I need some time to get ready for the ninja life after so many years of wander around the world" said Tsunade before giving a grateful nod and leaving the memorial

"One of your students has returned old man…now we're three again" said Naruto before leaving to his home but today he went with a smile on his face because he felt that talk had been able of honor Sarutobi's memory with Tsunade's decision

…

A week later Kakashi, Sasuke, Neji and Shizune got back; they were happy with their success and Naruto shared that feeling because he couldn't help but feel satisfaction of the failure of people that chased so tormented souls as the jinchuuriki's

The blond thanked to the ninjas for the quick response and gave them a free week as an additional reward so Neji went back to his clan and Shizune to her master without knowing the new determination she had but Sasuke had to vent some anger training, and that left Kakashi standing in the office "Is there any problem Kakashi?" asked Naruto

"Well I have a package from Kabuto" said Kakashi giving him a storage scroll that he would check later "But that is not the only reason for you to stay behind right?" asked again the Hokage making Kakashi smile because the copy ninja was absolutely sure about Naruto's power but this was the best proof about his mind capabilities "I have a bad feeling about this last mission" pronounced the masked ninja before Naruto did some seals to avoid any spy to hear that talk

….

..

"What is going to be our next move?" asked Pain looking at Tobi who was on a window in the tower he kept his paths

Nagato would never say this if he wasn't so lost with all the new events because he believed with Sunagakure's destruction would be a new world war but surprisingly a young Kage as the fifth Hokage was able to change everything risking a duel with the Tsuchikage; the self-proclaimed god would never admit it but after watching the fight between him and Kisame he wasn't so confident to face him in Konoha so he wouldn't attack his village unless he had some very good plan

"It's complicated…the one and three tails are very well guarded in Kirigakure, the same goes for the eight tails in Kumogakure and there is no need to explain the situation with the nine tails…the only option at the moment is the seven tails but the waterfall is very close to Konoha and we have to make a plan to distract them while we extract the bijou" said Tobi assessing the current situation

Tobi knew there was an option but he wanted to save it as a last resource because he still had some of Orochimaru's followers fooled in Kiri thanks to the Sharingan illusionary capabilities but while he could make some kind of riot it would work just once

"It seems we'll be keeping a low profile for a while" stated Pain when Tobi said nothing after some minutes before taking his leave, the rinnegan wielder was confident in the power of his paths and secrets so he was invincible within the rain village but if he left there would be a chance of being beaten so he had to stay until he found a way to deal with that jinchuuriki outside of his village "Konan…could you find something for me?" asked the real Nagato to his guardian angel who was intrigued with this development hoping to find what was going on his mind

'Maybe a meeting with this new Hokage would be interesting…to check by myself if he's at the level of his father' was pondering the maimed Uchiha while he looked at the never ending rain Nagato used as a detection barrier

…

..

Naruto was on a very special training field it was the forest of death and around him there were many performed trees "You are getting the power but they are too slow!" shouted Naruto before a bluish spear almost hit his torso if it wasn't for a quick spin he did "Still slow!" said the Hokage before dodging a new projectile

After some more attacks he felt her chakra get very low so he rushed to her position catching her before falling to the ground "You are pushing yourself too hard" said the jinchuuriki to the sleepy Hinata on his arms

All of this started when Hinata said she wanted to become stronger so the Hokage helped to assess her strong and weak points getting to the conclusion she could be an excellent long range sharpshooter so they had to do it in three steps the first was increasing the range of her Byakugan and that took around three weeks and while most Hyugas could see in a radius of one kilometer Hinata was able to see around three and she could double that focusing or zooming a specific point then it was the projectile the best way to make it was with chakra so they tried with neutral chakra first but it didn't stay stable being so far so the next option was elemental chakra and using her water affinity she was able to make powerful spears, at the moment she was working on the speed of said weapons and the last step was stealth to erase her and her attack's chakra signature

The next day was when the Akatsuki response team arrived to Konoha with a somber look on their faces, when Naruto asked what happened Mei gave him a scroll with Yagura's signature that explained everything about Utakata….the fake one, the scroll said the jinchuuriki's chakra matched with their records and while nobody could find the Six tails chakra some assumed it was normal after a partial extraction of his bijou but after two weeks of being unconscious an ANBU surprised him acting as sleep and pinned him against the wall and in that moment the medics realized this Utakata didn't bleed from his wounds instead he excreted a white substance that made Yagura suspect so he questioned him and realized he was an imposter so he beheaded him on the spot

'Kakashi was right' was Naruto's first thought after getting that letter

The ninjas were confused when Naruto closed his eyes and took a long breath 'Akatsuki may have won this time with a trap but I'll get them for this…Utakata's life will not be cheap' promised himself before setting his head straight to talk with the ninja team "These are very sad news but there is nothing we can do about it so I recommend for you to train and be ready to face them the next time they show up" told Naruto being very formal because he wanted them gone…

…he had a plan and wanted to execute it as soon as possible

…

That night he was talking with Jiraiya in Myoboku about his plan "You seem to have a lot of faith in this plan" said Jiraiya when Naruto told him everything 'to come up with a plan like this in just one day after getting a sad letter is amazing…' thought Jiraiya to himself

"I'm sure about this because I've been thinking the whole day in this" said Naruto before explaining the reasons behind his plan "To take Utakata from the inside or Kirigakure without alerting anyone it must have been a person able to travel without being seen or detected and the masked man, Tobi, is the only that fits so it's probable that he'll try to get the seven tails after making some kind of diversion to delay our ninjas but what he won't know is that the trap was ready before that" finished Naruto with an expecting smile because he wanted to hear Jiraiya's assessment of this trap

"I think it's possible" concluded Jiraiya making Naruto jump very happy so they talked about the details for many hours before returning to their respective places

…

Naruto was training very hard to get faster at drawing the elements of nature on his normal mode because he didn't like to get too reliant on the Sage Mode, which was like his triumph card

He was so focused on his training and his emotions that he didn't realized he was being watched until another person spoke "Shouldn't the Hokage be resting?" asked Anko looking at the destruction caused by Naruto's attacks

"There is no such rule" was Naruto's short answer before manipulating some earth to form a column before him and tear it apart with a punch "What are you trying to do?" questioned again the only snake summoner remaining

"Trying to figure how to harm an intangible sharingan wielder" was Naruto's answer that took Anko for surprise to the point she stood there waiting for him to say it was a joke but he was being honest

"Well I don't know if it's a great compliment but you seem to be like my old master…he was very smart and while he was very powerful he was always looking to exploit his enemies' weaknesses to ensure his victory… so I'm sure you'll find a way to do it" remembered Anko in loud voice before getting away from there to let him train 'If such a powerful man exist you could be the only able to beat him' feared herself on the way back to her house

Naruto was anxious because there was a possibility to finish all this conflict with Tobi once for all 'Father give me the strength and wisdom to fight this man' prayed Naruto after finishing his night training

Within the next few days Naruto was very disconnected from the rest of people but many just assumed he was very busy but some of the people that knew him suspected that there was something happening

Naruto was trying to keep himself busy so he had called Tsunade to find some ways to find if one of them was being impersonated by and imposter and don't fall with the same trap again because Yagura's letter said this replica had the same chakra and the same smell so the normal ways to identify someone would not be enough to crack this new method Akatsuki had developed

The blonde medic had some theories but it was hard to assess them without the replica Yagura destroyed on his rage so they would just have to work with the information they had and while they were talking about that, the blond Hokage just disappeared in a puff of smoke

When Naruto reappeared he was on the waterfall village watching as the masked man known as Tobi was carrying an unconscious woman on his shoulder and Jiraiya wasn't visible so he was still following the plan, the blond took some seconds to gather natural energy so his opponent couldn't feel his chakra and then charged towards him hitting his head very hard and forcing Tobi to drop Fuu

"It's payback time bastard!" said Naruto with a smile