Author's Notes: This was supposed to release on the 11th for ABoaL's 3-year anniversary, but it felt too long in-between updates. For the long wait, July will definitely have 2 chapters. Be on the lookout on my profile for that!

It'd be amazing if we could hit 500 reviews. We're so close!

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 26: Three Fronts

Team 7 had decided it be best to move a significant distance from the battlefield. Not only for Naruto's sake but in case of potential enemy reinforcements, they didn't want to be caught off guard while resting their wounds.

A good night of respite and they were just about ready to continue their journey.

The blond scratched his head as he thought back to all of the training he did with Jiraiya. "Well, I guess I should start off by saying I know three elements. You saw Water and Wind, but I also know Earth. I'm still a beginner when it comes to Water and Earth, though." He continued to scratch. "I can make explosive clones and seal-less clones, but you already saw those… Oh! I can also make Wind Clones."

"Why do you have to think so hard?" Sakura asked with a teasing smile. "Shouldn't you know pretty well what your own abilities are?"

His pensive expression grew even more so. For effect, he crossed his arms at his chest. "It's been a long time, ya know?" He countered. "I don't even remember what I had for dinner last night."

"It was ramen." Kakashi chimed in.

"Oh, yeah. You're right."

"Focus, Naruto." The pinkette said sternly. 'I swear, one minute he's serious, and then the next he's the idiot I went to the Academy with.'

"Hmmm." It was his thinking sound. "Wind is my affinity, I can use wind manipulation, and even created a Jutsu called the Wind Wall. I got the idea from Neji's rotation, but I don't spin around. It makes me dizzy."

Sakura buried her face in her palm. 'At least he seems in a better mood than he did before.' She thought. "Anything else?"

"I'm also pretty decent at Fuinjutsu. I think that's about it." He finished with a nod.

Kakashi, who was leaning up against a tree, returned the gesture. "We told you what our skills are, and now we know yours. I think I should be able to make some solid strategies with that information."

"I'm sure my clone is also exchanging info with Team Shikamaru. So when they join us at the Akatsuki's location, we can work like a well-oiled machine."

"That's good, we're going to need Shikamaru's brain for what's about to come." The Copy Ninja acknowledged. "From here on out, we need to be on our toes. Those two from earlier were just a warmup. I have a feeling that whatever Jutsu the Akatsuki used, it doesn't allow them to be at their strongest. We have to assume that the next opponents will be much tougher."

"And whatever else they have in store for us." The kunoichi of the group added. "You guys ready to go?"

Naruto, who was crouched, put his hands on his knees and sprang up to his feet. "I'm always ready." He stretched out his midsection to support his bold claim. "You know me, give me a little time to rest, and I'll be one-hundred percent in no time!" He leaned closer to Sakura, his voice barely a whisper. "If anyone here needs to be looked after, it's Old Man Kakashi over there."

"I'm fine… thanks for caring." The Jonin countered weakly. "I may not be able to heal like you, Naruto, but with Sakura's help, I feel good. I'm ready to go." His students nodded, which urged him to continue. "We'll go with a simple V-formation. Naruto, acting as our compass, will lead in the front. I'll be located on his weak side to the left, and Sakura, you'll be behind him on his strong side. Is that okay?"

It would only make sense for the medic, combat or not, to be located on the front man's strong side.

"Yes." Sakura said with a nod.

"Alright, we have to make up for lost time." Kakashi asserted. "Let's head out."

"Things are getting ugly outside." Black Zetsu broke the silence that had been built up since the group's last exchange. "Yeah." His White half added. "We've got some bad news!"

"What is it, Zetsu?" Pain asked, unperturbed by their negative words. "Is it an update on those from the Leaf?"

"Yeah." The gruff, raspy voice of Black Zetsu distinguished him from his lighter, more easygoing, half. "The three-man squad that Hidan and Kakuzu fought is on the move again. They'll be here shortly."

"We already knew that." Sasori angrily cut in. "We'll be fine. I'll capture the Jinchuriki, and then add the other two to my collection."

Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The main reason he preferred Deidara over Sasori was the Puppeteer's obsession with Human Puppets. Itachi, having slaughtered his entire clan, rarely took the moral high ground. However, the joy the former Sand Shinobi got out of turning cultivated corpses into puppets disturbed even him.

"It isn't just them." The plant-like creature shot back. "There are three separate teams closing in on this location."

"Three?" Pain asked, his normal mask of confidence cracked slightly. Was he actually concerned? "Explain. Who are these other two teams composed of?"

Zetsu shifted under the gaze but answered. "The three that splintered off before have turned around from their journey to the Hidden Sand. They have what appears to be a clone of the Jinchuriki with them, which is probably what made them change course so suddenly."

"And the third?" The Leader followed up.

"According to our source, the last group appears to be a skilled tracking unit from the Leaf Village, composed of two Chunin and a single Jonin. Kurenai Yuhi, a talented Genjutsu specialist. This means that you're going to be surrounded on all sides by the enemy." He looked over to Itachi and Sasori, neither of which looked particularly worried.

"Hmph, all they are more potential specimens to add to my collection." The Puppeteer's eyes were bloodshot and filled with malice. He clearly did not see the retrieval squads as any type of threat.

"Say what you will, but nine high-level shinobi would be a challenge for anyone. Even you." Pain acknowledged. "That is particularly the case after we've been extracting the One-Tails for an extended period. You are not at optimal strength."

"Sounds like you two are in a pretty bad spot, hm." Deidara said with a hint of amusement. "If only I was there to help out my man, Sasori. I'd love to make those Leaf weaklings feel my art!"

Okay, maybe Sasori was a better partner to have over Deidara. The Puppeteer was obsessed with his own 'art,' but at least he kept it to himself. All Itachi ever heard come out of Deidara's mouth were proclamations that his artistic ability was superior to all things in the universe.

'No… they're both fools…' The Uchiha finally concluded.

Sasori growled but otherwise didn't acknowledge his former partner's comment.

"What will we do, Pain?" Black Zetsu asked. They had to move fast, or the sealing of the One-Tails would be in jeopardy.

"Not to worry." Their Leader proclaimed. "We have emergency countermeasures in place in case something like this were to happen." Turning back to the plant-like creature, they exchanged knowing looks. "You know what to do." Was his vague answer to the question.

Itachi watched as both halves of Zetsu's face twisted together to form a cruel smile. Though he didn't show it, even he began to feel uneasy about the new implications. 'What emergency countermeasures are they talking about?' He thought to himself. 'Why were we not informed about it? Are they keeping things from us? Why would that be?' They've become far more cautious ever the failure to capture Naruto in the Land of Waves, even showing reluctance to keep all of the Akatsuki members informed. Could that have something to do with it?

Who knew?

"Of course…" The two-faced creature said slowly. His voice was ominous, malicious, even. "Leave it to me. I'll get him."

As if it had never been there in the first place, the sensation he had grown accustomed to stopped. The blond dug his heels into the ground and skidded to a stop. A look of great concentration overcame him as if he tried to grasp onto any remnants he could.

From behind him, Kakashi and Sakura could only stare on in confusion. If you were to ask them, it appeared their blond teammate needed to use the bathroom. Like, really bad.

"Uhh.." The Copy Ninja said slowly, followed by the raise of an eyebrow. "Naruto, what are you doing?"

"I lost it." Was all he said, a frown tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Lost it?" Sakura appeared to pick up on what he implied. "What do you mean you lost it?!"

"Exactly what I said!" He shot back, not really sure of what had just happened. "I can't feel it anymore. I don't know where to go."

"Well, maybe that means we're close?" Sakura hoped, an unsure look plastered on her face. After coming all this way, there was no way they would allow that to happen. They needed to find Gaara.

"Maybe? I'm not sure." The confusion was evident in the boy's voice. "Hey!" He smacked his stomach with a bit of force. "What the hell's going on in there, Fox?! Are ya falling asleep on the job?! We gotta know if we need to keep in this direction! Are we close, at all?!"

…

Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!

"Naruto, I-" Kakashi could barely get two words in edgewise before he was cut off.

"I'm talking to you in there! I know you can hear me, you furry bastard!" The blond continued to rant aloud, the solid thud from his palm meeting his abdomen continued. "What kind of alliance is this, huh?!"

As he went for another smack, his teacher caught his hand. He looked up, only to see Kakashi with a slightly amused, slightly annoyed expression communicated through his visible eye.

"What are ya doing, Kakashi-Sensei? We can't stop now, I have him right where I want him."

Minato's student resisted the urge to smack his Sensei's son upside the head. "We don't need to do that anymore."

"Huh? What do ya mean?"

He pointed to his nose. "We're close enough. I just picked up their scent." Though, as he mentioned that, the Jonin frowned.

Naruto's eyes washed over with what appeared to be a wave of relief. "Oh, thank goodness. Good thing we have you." However, he quickly noticed the expression on his Sensei's face. "Who… do you smell?"

The blond already had a good idea of who it could be based on the older man's reaction. Still, one had to be sure.

"It's Itachi Uchiha."

Sakura's eyes widened at the mention of that name. "Itachi Uchiha." She echoed. It almost made her sick to her stomach. The kunoichi knew very well who that person was. "That's Sasuke's brother, right? The man that was the reason Sasuke felt he need to leave the village… the one who killed everyone in his clan."

"I had a feeling he was involved in this." Naruto commented. "I don't know anyone else who could abduct the Kazekage without alerting the Village. It was similar to what he did to his clan. No one knew until it was over."

"Is he really that strong?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded. "Jiraiya-Sensei told me to do my best to avoid him. He's extremely dangerous… and those eyes." He looked over at Kakashi, who grabbed at the headband, concealing his fabled eye.

They continued moving, led by the nose of their teacher. That didn't hinder their conversation in the slightest. "One look from that guy and I was in the hospital for weeks. If you and Master Jiraiya hadn't brought back Lady Tsunade, who knows where I would be right now." The Jonin acknowledged.

Sakura frowned as she remembered what Itachi had done to both her teacher and Sasuke. How could she forget? When Lady Fifth used her medical prowess to get Sasuke out of his coma, he had changed.

And then he left.

"We're here, you two."

The team broke through the trees, the feeling of water splashing at their feet was mildly refreshing. Despite that, something else had caught their attention.

Further along, the shallow pools of water stood a tall, red, wooden arch. The arch marked the entrance to what appeared to be an aboveground cave, which was blocked off by a massive boulder. Placed in the center of the rock was a paper tag with the kanji 'forbidden' written on it. A thick red border surrounded the edges of the tag completed the seal.

"Are they behind there?" The blond asked.

"Yeah, this is definitely where they are." Kakashi's nose confirmed their suspicions.

"How many?" Sakura tentatively asked.

"It's faint, but there are three different scents coming from inside. One of them is definitely Itachi, and I'm fairly certain another one of them is the Kazekage." He thought for a moment, as he analyzed the scent of an elusive third person. "I don't recognize who the last one is." He finally said. "I assumed it would be Kisame Hoshigaki, the man who infiltrated the Leaf alongside Itachi a few years back. But I don't think he's in there."

Naruto walked up to the boulder and placed his hand along its rough surface. "I guess we're just going to have to get in there and find out."

Kakashi, too, got up close to the rock. Though, his attention was turned towards the paper in its center. "It looks like they have some sort of barrier designed to keep us out. Naruto, you said you were decent at Fuinjustu. Mind taking a look at this with me?"

Sakura had to take a step back and let her two teammates tackle this problem. She wasn't adept in the Sealing Arts. Not in the least bit.

"Yeah, I've had my eye on it since we got here. I think it's some kind of Point Seal barrier. This must have been why the Nine-Tails connection cutoff." The Uzumaki answered almost immediately. "Could be a Five Seal? Or maybe, something a little more complex?"

The Jonin nodded. "I was thinking that it was a Five Seal Barrier, as well."

"What's a Five Seal Barrier?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi looked over his shoulder to face the confused kunoichi. "In simple terms, there are four more identical tags placed around a perimeter that form the barrier space. The only way to break it is to find and remove all of the tags simultaneously."

"I wouldn't think that the Akatsuki would use a simple C-Rank barrier to guard against intruders." The blond thought aloud. He had made his way up onto the boulder and had examined it more closely. "But this definitely looks like a standard Five Seal. Still, something about this just doesn't feel right, ya know?"

"What do you think that means?" Kakashi asked, not on the same wavelength as his student.

"Well, from what I read, a common tactic in the Second Great War was to combine some sort of Trap Ninjutsu with a low-level seal like this. It lulls your enemy into a false sense of security, thinking they have you figured out."

"Then, they get caught. And that would be almost impossible to detect until the trap is triggered." The Jonin finished. He gave the matrix one last look over and frowned. He, admittedly, wasn't very knowledgeable with Seals. Intermediately knowledgeable, at most.

Naruto nodded, walked over to dry land, and sat down. "This was back when Fuinjutsu was a more widely used and known discipline. A strong enough trap could cripple enemy forces. The Akatsuki is comprised of solely S-Rank criminals, I don't think they'd used a C-Rank barrier to keep threats out." He said. From one of his vest pockets, he withdrew a small paper tag, similar to the one the enemy used. He placed it at his feet, an ink brush already in hand.

Sakura, who watched over the blond's shoulder, noted that the parchment was blank. "Do you have an idea for what we should do?" She asked.

"Well, I'd rather not set off the trap if there is one." Naruto commented. He had already started drawing, but to Sakura, it just looked like squiggles. "I'll have to go based off of the assumption that it is a Five Seal Matrix."

"Does it matter?" The pinkette clearly wasn't in her element.

"Yeah, quite a bit, actually." Kakashi joined in. He looked at what his student had created and couldn't help but be impressed. "Is that a Six-Sided Seal? Looks like Master Jiraiya has taught you well."

"An Inverted Six Side Seal." Naruto corrected. "A regular Six Side would just disrupt and destabilize, the flow of the enemy's seal. The Jutsu still might be active in that case. We don't want that. The inverted formula will completely cut the flow and deactivate it." The blond looked over and saw that Sakura was lost. That made him realize that he hadn't explained his process that well. "Since it's an odd-numbered formula, an even-numbered one is what we would use to cut the flow. Similarly, an even-numbered matrix would be weak if an odd one is put over it. Make sense?" He finished with a smile.

"Yeah." She nodded slowly. "I think so…"

"There… we go." The aspiring Seal Master said with a final stroke of his ink-dipped brush. "This should do the trick." He picked up the tag with his index finger and thumb and infused some of his chakra into the matrix. It glowed a dim hue of blue, then faded away just as quick. "The chakra within it should immediately react when it makes contact with the other tag. Sakura, when that happens, you can destroy the boulder, so we can get in."

Sakura nodded and got into position a decent ways away from the enormous rock. "I'm ready when you guys are." She couldn't help with Fuinjutsu, but this was definitely in her wheelhouse.

Naruto nodded back. "Since we don't know what to expect on the other side, I want to run through a quick plan that I thought up. You know, just in case things get dangerous right from the beginning."

"Itachi, have I ever told you that I despise being kept waiting?" The hunchback said gruffly.

"No, I don't believe that it's ever come up." The Uchiha shot back dryly.

They had been instructed to stand by and rest for their guests while the non-present Akatsuki members continued to seal away the Beast. It appears that even Sasori of the Red Sand could develop a sense of humor to fight off the boredom.

"You two, stay on your guard." Their ripple-eyed Leader commanded, his hands fixed into the Ram seal. "No need to get restless, it appears that your long-awaited visitors have finally arrived."

"Which team is it?" Itachi asked.

"The Jinchuriki's team of three is the first to arrive." Zetsu answered.

"Yeah, but how do we even know if they can get in here?" The projection of Kisame posed. "They need five people minimum just to remove the barrier. And that doesn't even include the little surprise that was left for them, Hehehe."

What a cruel laugh.

"Don't underestimate them." Pain challenged as his senses were suddenly overrun with new information. He adopted a pensive expression. "It appears they are tampering with my barrier."

There was an eerie silence amongst the group.

"What do you m-"

Without warning, the obstacle that hid them from the outside world exploded into chunks of rubble. The shockwave shook the cave aggressively. Everyone, even the astral projections, turned their attention to the entrance. As debris slowly continued to fall and splash into the water, three figures darted into their hideout.

Two, Kakashi and Sakura, charged straight at their opponents. Naruto's target was obvious. He headed for Gaara, who was still suspended in the air.

Sasori's tail flew out from behind him and lashed out at the pair, which freed up his partner to act independently.

Itachi moved without warning to intercept the blond.

'Clang!'

They clashed, kunai to kunai. Their eyes met.

'Naruto' smiled, Itachi did not.

He recognized his error immediately. "I see…" Said the Uchiha criminal.

The three clones simultaneously erupted in balls of flame.

'Three exploding clones, coupled with the Transformation Technique.' Itachi analyzed as he leaped back to not take the brunt of the explosion. The smoke kicked up by the suicide clones impeded his vision to the point where he was not sure where anything was. His robe had also been singed quite a bit by the heat.

More sounds of metal against metal rang out in the dusty cave. Probably Sasori engaging the actual enemy.

However, there were three individuals. Itachi would be hard-pressed to believe all of them would go after the Puppeteer.

'If I had to guess…' He went through a string of seals. 'Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!' He finished and aimed in the direction of the Kazekage and the Gedo Statue.

"I got it, Sakura! Get him!" A voice on the other side of the dust cloud yelled out. That sounded like a more mature Naruto. "Water Style: Water Bullet!"

Itachi's eyes widened. Not willing to wait for the two Jutsu to clash, he followed the sound of the blond's voice.

It was immediate. Water and fire met, which resulted in the whistle of hot steam that rushed out from the collision epicenter. Itachi busted through the fiery cloud of vapor, and his senses screamed at him to raise his guard. He did just that, and not a moment later, an orange-clad leg cut through the white plums. He blocked with one arm and used his other to grab hold of the ankle. With a sharp midair pivot, the prodigy used his momentum to slam the now-identified Naruto into the ground.

The boy let out a grunt of pain as his back smashed against the rocky cave floor.

Itachi followed relentlessly and aimed a downward stomp at his opponent.

Naruto quickly regained the wind that had been knocked out from his lungs. He rolled to the side as Itachi landed right where he had just been. He winced as he watched the ground crack beneath the missing-nin.

Naruto was given no time to breathe. Itachi, kunai in hand, aimed a strike to the side of his head. The blond brought up and slammed his forearm into the Uchiha's wrist. The raven-haired criminal didn't stop there. In one quick motion, he dropped the kunai and swiped it out of the air with his free hand. With the blade now held reverse grip, Itachi struck at the Genin's sternum.

Naruto raised his leg and kicked out at Itachi's attacking forearm. He used that as a stable base, pushed off of it, and flipped away.

The Uchiha criminal couldn't help but grin. With the Uzumaki still faced away from him while upside down in midair, he withdrew five more kunai from his robe. He gripped all six in between his fingers and launched them at the Jinchuriki.

Though, to even his surprise, they bounced off what appeared to be an invisible wall. Before it could go away, he activated his Sharingan. Their high-speed fight dissipated most of the smoke and vapor, which allowed him to see what had blocked his last attack.

'A thin forcefield of sharply spinning chakra that blocks incoming attacks.' He noted. 'It's too thin to see with the naked eye, but that means it can't be that sturdy of a wall. The stronger he makes it, the more visible it would become.'

Naruto stuck the landing and shot the Akatsuki a satisfied smirk. Interestingly enough, the blond refused to meet the gaze of the raven-haired criminal. He opted to instead focus his attention lower and was staring at his opponent's feet.

'He even knows how to fight more effectively against me. The boy has truly grown a great deal.' Out of the corner of his eye, Itachi watched as Sakura, Kakashi, and what appeared to be another clone of Naruto run out of the cave. He frowned.

They had the Kazekage.

On top of that, Sasori had allowed them to leave. The Puppeteer's gaze was entirely focused on Naruto.

"Don't worry." The blond before them said. "I'm the real one. I couldn't miss out on thinning out the Akatsuki's ranks."

"Why did you allow them to leave, Sasori?" Itachi, who ignored the blond's statement, asked his partner.

Naruto frowned but decided to stay quiet.

The Puppeteer scoffed. "I didn't let them go. Last time I checked, the One-Tails was your target, not mine." He narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You go on ahead. The Nine-Tails capture belongs to me."

Itachi felt as if his feet were glued in place. He tried to move, wanted to go after the Kazekage, but he couldn't. If he left, Naruto would almost surely be captured. Could he allow that to happen? What was more important, keeping the Nine-Tails out of the Akatsuki's clutches, or maintaining his façade as an agent within the organization?

Sweat began to accumulate in his brow. This was not good.

"Itachi."

A deep, authoritative voice snapped him back into the real world. It was Pain, who's projection was still standing on top of the statue. He was the only one remaining, the other's had left.

"As much as we need the Nine-Tails to complete our goals, the One-Tails has only been partially sealed. You must complete your mission and retrieve it before they get to safety. Sasori will be more than enough to handle the boy." There was a thin layer of anger kept behind those calm and authoritative words. Their Leader was clearly not amused that they had been fooled so easily, and with very little resistance.

Naruto frowned. 'That must be the leader.' He noted. 'What the hell is up with those eyes?' It was hard to make out their exact description, but they certainly weren't something he had seen before. 'And that freaky statue… that must be what they were sealing Shukaku into. At least we made it in time.'

After another moment of contemplation, the Uchiha finally relented. He had made his decision.

"Yes, of course…" Taking one last look at the only friend his younger brother had, he left the cave in search of his target.

"Sasori, I expect results." Pain commanded, as his shadowy figure faded away. "Failure is not an option…" Right behind him, the Gedo Statue disappeared in a massive plume of smoke.

Naruto smiled at the strange-looking man. They were finally alone. "Well, when you fail, I'll personally deliver the message to the boss. You don't have to worry about that."

"Heh, I guess we'll see about that." The hunchback's voice was deep and grating. His tail lashed around behind him.

The blond withdrew a kunai and began to circle his opponent. 'Can't allow myself to get too confident.' He reminded himself. 'Whoever he is, he's most likely an S-Class criminal. I have to look for an opening.'

"You do seem to be the real one." The Akatsuki criminal stated. He didn't even bother to turn his head as his opponent circled him. "I would have thought that if you retrieved the Jinchuriki, you would have run with your nine tail between your legs. Can't say I would have blamed you, but this? I would have never thought you'd be in such a hurry to die."

As he circled, Naruto silently flicked a kunai at where he assumed Sasori's blind spot was. He adopted a pensive expression as the metal tail effortlessly batted the projectile away.

"I'm sure that was what you would have wanted us to do." They continued to speak as if nothing had happened. "Both of your prizes would be in the same place. Why would I make your job easier for you? This way, we can split the two of you up and eliminate you separately."

He tossed a handful of shuriken from a different angle. Those, too, were swatted out of the sky with little difficulty. 'His battle sense is impressive. He doesn't even have to see me to be able to counter my attacks.' Though, simple things like that didn't tell the blond that much about his opponent.

The hunchback growled. "If you really think that separating Itachi and I will save your life, you're a fool. Your worst mistake was coming here in the first place, Jinchuriki." He laughed. "Though I do appreciate it. You've saved me the trouble of hunting you down myself."

'This time… some Wind Chakra.' The Uzumaki thought to himself. He channeled some of his elemental chakra into a kunai as he took it out from his pouch; it glowed a wispy white. 'Block this!' He internally yelled as he threw the chakra-enhanced blade.

Just as before, the projectile struck against the strange tail. They ground against one another, the sharp Wind pushing back with all of its might. There was an audible 'snap' as the augmented kunai pierced through the metallic appendage. The collision altered the blade's trajectory, and it embedded itself into the cave wall off to the side.

"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you." The boy challenged as he continued to circle the man. "You'll end up making this too easy for me."

Sasori snarled.

'This child managed to cut through Hiruko's tail, eh?' The top part of his tail has been sliced off. 'I should have dipped the whole thing in poison… oh well, no matter.'

'How does he move that tail around?' The Genin thought to himself. 'There has to be some kind of trick to it. But what?'

Sasori, as if he could read the kid's mind, answered that question. He turned around swiftly and removed the mask that covered his face. "Now die!"

It appeared to be wooden and opened unevenly and unnaturally.

'A puppet?!' Was the only thought running through his mind.

Hundreds of needles rushed from Sasori's mouth. The widely spanned technique would be challenging to avoid.

Naruto smirked. 'Good thing, I don't have to move from this spot.' He took in a deep breath, and forced the Wind chakra he had built within him outside and around him. 'Wind Style: Wind Wall.'

The razor-sharp needles bounced harmlessly off of the nearly invisible barrier. Some sunk into the floor in front of him, others found themselves stuck in the ceiling above them.

Once the barrage of senbon stopped, the Genin deactivate his technique. He took a couple steps forward and carefully pulled one of the needles from the ground. It was covered in a thick, dark purple substance that reminded him a little of Kankuro's move set.

"Poison, huh?" He said aloud. "I'm guessing it'll be bad if I let one of those hit me."

His opponent didn't say a word. He just continued to stare at the scene in front of him. To take in the information that had been put forth.

"That body appears to be a puppet… are you inside that, or a puppet yourself?" He shook his head at his own question. The latter sounded ridiculous. It was clear that, whoever Sasori was, he was controlling his puppet from the inside.

Once again, the man did not answer.

Naruto's attention was still on the poisoned needle, he appeared to study it with mild curiosity. "You must be from the Hidden Sand, then." The blond stated. "That would explain why the two of you were able to get in the village so easily."

Sasori cocked his head to the side, his eyes filled with what could only be described as bloodlust. "You're pretty smart for a brat." He patronized. "Yes, I was once a Shinobi from the Sand. Do you want to know why I left that wretched village?" His voice was cold and, despite talking about his home, devoid of any and all emotion.

The Genin didn't say anything.

"They were fools who… disapproved of my art."

'His art?' The blond questioned to himself. "Why would they care about that? What kind of art are you talking about?"

The hunchback laughed cruelly. "You're looking at it, boy. You were correct in your assessment, what you see before you is a puppet. One that I crafted."

"So, you made puppets. Big deal."

The Puppeteer shook his head slowly. "Not just any kind of puppet, you can call this creation of mine, Hiruko. He… was a shinobi from a neighboring village. Now, he is a piece of artwork in my collection." He spoke as if it was the most normal thing in the world. A true sociopath.

"That… was a human?"

"Would you like to know how I prepare a specimen?" He took the Jinchuriki's wide eyes as a yes. "First, I drain its blood. Then, I wash the body inside and out. Next, I do what I can to protect the body from… decay. After that, the last step is to alter the puppet and fill it with hidden weapons." Sasori's bloodshot eyes intensified. "This is my art!"

Naruto felt as if he was going to be sick. As he looked into his opponent's eyes, there was no indication the man was lying. He enjoyed talking about his 'art.' "You make puppets out of people?! No wonder the Hidden Sand didn't want you there. You're sick."

"Hm, I didn't expect you to understand the essence of eternal beauty. No matter." Sasori nearly sounded disappointed. "After Itachi kills your friends, you can watch as I add them as specimens to my collection before we rip out your beast. As of right now, I have exactly three-hundred human puppet masterpieces."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "As if I'd let you do something like that!" He yelled as he charged the former Sand Shinobi from behind. He already had begun a series of hand signs. In a plume of smoke, a lone clone appeared behind him.

At the same time, Sasori swiftly turned around and pulled his arm out from his cloak. Where his hand was supposed to be was a club-like apparatus, several strange columns stuck out on all of its sides. With force, the device detached from him and launched in the direction of the blond. The pillars ejected themselves from the club and opened up to reveal dozens and dozens of poison-dipped senbon.

'More needles, just like I thought.'

His clone took out a handful of shuriken and threw them, followed by a quick series of hand signs. "Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He yelled. A half-dozen ninja stars became nearly one-hundred. Though, they couldn't be expected to block all of the needles.

That was the real Naruto's job. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

His powerful gust not only stopped all of the needles in their tracks but went on to supercharge the speed of his barrage of shuriken.

Sasori snarled and curled his tail to block. His body was too bulky, and some of the projectiles got through and sliced up the sides of his cloak.

It fell to the ground and revealed the rest of Sasori's Hiruko puppet. Sasori was on all fours, a giant, light-brown shell on his back. The shell was made to look like a mask, and the metal tail came out of its mouth like a tongue.

Naruto pressed forward. With a simple hand sign, he transformed his clone into a Fuma Shuriken. He surrounded it with Wind Chakra, contorted his body, and threw it at the angry puppet user. Sasori went to leap backward, but Naruto was already prepared to make sure he couldn't.

Boar, Tiger.

"Earth Style: Dark Swamp!:

The ground beneath the Puppeteer turned to mud, which he sank into. It wasn't too deep, just enough to submerge his arm and legs. Sasori tried to force himself free, but it was far too sticky. His only hope was to block, but the tail proved to be little in the way of resistance. The wind-enhanced Fuma Shuriken slice through the appendage like butter, and slammed into Hiruko.

Naruto allowed himself a smile as the puppet was sliced nearly down the middle. Both halves fell to the side, a cloaked figure he could only assume was the real Sasori emerged and retreated to a safe distance as his clone shuriken poofed out of existence.

'That wasn't too difficult.' The Genin thought. 'I can't be too careful, though. He said he had hundreds of more puppets just like that one. Who knows what other tricks he's got hidden away.'

"Hidan and Kakuzu weren't lying. You're pretty good. I'll admit, I underestimated you. I would've been in trouble if I hadn't moved inside of Hiruko to avoid that attack." Naruto raised an eyebrow. His voice was no longer deep and grating; it was light and sounded young, almost pleasantly so. The only indication that it was even the same person was the tone. Devoid of all emotion… except for the newly formed undertones of anger. "I wonder, though, what will happen when you lay all of your cards out on the table? That's when battle experience matters the most. You simply don't compare."

"Say that again after you manage to lay a finger on me." Naruto lowered into a defensive stance. He had to be ready for anything.

"Haha, don't say that." Even his laugh sounded fake and forced. "You saw my poison. All I need is a single scrape, and I'll win. Don't worry, though. I won't let the poison kill you. We'll save your death for when we rip the Nine-Tails out of you."

"Stop being a coward and show yourself."

"Heh, suit yourself." Sasori removed his cloak. "It's been a while since I've had to actually try."

The blond's eyes narrowed suspiciously. The puppet master appeared to be a young boy around his own age. He had fair skin, greyish-brown eyes, and messy, red hair, and his fingernails were painted black, similar to Itachi and Kisame. He had a purple ring on his left thumb with the symbol for 'sphere' in its center.

Something about all of this didn't add up.

'He looks my age, but I've never heard about this guy…' The Genin thought. Sasori wasn't in the Chunin Exams, and he was never mentioned by anyone he knew from the Sand Village. 'How could he possibly have made three-hundred puppets out of people already?' Another thought crossed his mind. 'And he mentioned his better battle experience as if he was much older than me. What the hell is going on?'

"Naruto! There you are!"

The boy looked past his opponent and was slightly surprised to see Kiba and Shino at the entrance to the cave. When they realized that who separated them from their former classmate, their expressions grew more serious.

Well, Kiba's did, Shino always looks pretty serious.

"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked while remaining focused on the S-Class Criminal. "Is Gaara safe?"

Kiba frowned. "Kurenai-Sensei is with Kakashi and Sakura. They're making their way towards the Leaf. Though, that guy Itachi seems to be pursuing them."

"Then, why are you here?! Shouldn't you be making sure Gaara's safe?"

Sasori smirked and discreetly moved his fingers.

"We were told to come and help you. Don't be a jerk, Naruto!" Kiba yelled. "We can beat this guy together; the others will be fine."

Hiruko's head detached from its sliced up body and shot into the air. It spun rapidly in place as needles sprayed out in every direction.

"Damn!" Naruto exclaimed as he ran through hand seals.

"Heh, is that all?" The Inuzuka mused. Kiba and Shino readied kunai to try and block the incoming assault, but they didn't know the danger that they were in.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

Before they could do anything, a massive wall of earth rose up in front of them. The senbon embedded into the protective structure but did not go through.

Sasori smirked, which complimented Naruto's frown, as the projectiles aimed at the Jinchuriki bounced off a faintly visible wall.

Kiba peeked his head from behind the wall with an annoyed look on his face. "Why the heck did you do that?! We could've handled that!"

"His needles are poisonous, you idiot. One scratch and you're a dead man." Kiba's faced paled slightly. "Don't even risk getting near them if you can avoid it."

'I wasn't able to control my Wind Wall as well as I would have liked, and he definitely noticed.' Naruto took a semi-deep breath. 'I know I've got a bunch of chakra to spare, but I should really be more conservative. I don't know how long this fight could last.'

Naruto's already several clones and elemental Jutsu, and without much in the way of results. Besides the loss of Hiruko, Sasori hadn't taken any damage or expended much chakra. And that puppet was just one of many.

"I figured that you used some kind of Wind Jutsu to block my attack earlier, but I just needed to be sure. That's a neat little trick you have there."

"What can I say?" Naruto quipped. "I'm just full of surprises."

"Heh."

Naruto blinked. At that moment, a rush of memories flooded his mind. He tried his best to grasp at the images and pull them in. One of his clones had just been dispelled.

Something about a mask? Something bad! What the hell was going on out there?

While he took a moment to sift through this new information, Sasori used this as an opportunity to strike.

The top portion of Hiruko's tail that had been chopped off early in the fight darted off of the ground and raced at the Jinchuriki.

Naruto rolled to the side to avoid the strike just in time. Though, the grim expression on his face couldn't be missed.

"Naruto, what the hell's wrong with you?" Kiba yelled out from the other side of the cave. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"Kiba is right." Shino chimed in. "All of our focus should be directed on the enemy."

The Uzumaki barely registered what his friends had said. His mind raced, bones ached, and heart clenched. His brain screamed at his feet to move from that spot, but he knew that he couldn't.

He had to face Sasori. If he left, the Puppeteer would just follow him. That would make things even worse than they already were.

Kiba locked eyes with Naruto, and the Genin's expression made his heart sink. Kiba already knew that whatever the kid had to say, it was going to be bad news.

"Hinata and the others… they're-"

"We're almost there." Pakkun called out to the four he had been guiding. "I can smell Team Kurenai coming from the direction of the Leaf, as well. We should get to Naruto a little bit before they do."

"Have things changed at all?" Shikamaru asked. "What's going on over there?"

"From what I can tell, Team Kakashi engaged two people from the Akatsuki and retreated with Gaara. Based on his scent Itachi chased after them, while the other stayed behind to fight Naruto."

"Why would they do that?" Hinata chimed in, clearly worried for the blond's safety. "Naruto is one of their targets. Wouldn't it have been better for him to retreat, too?"

"As much as I don't like it, splitting up the Akatsuki may be the best move. If Naruto went with them, that would just mean that both of the Akatsuki's target would be together in one place."

"Still, it's pretty risky." Temari said. "You just love making high-risk plays don't ya, blondie?" She teased the clone.

"I'm not much of a Shogi player, but even the real me knows that sometimes you have to be a little risky to win." His grin was matched by Shikamaru's. "Besides, we knew that we have two teams closing in on our location. No matter how strong these guys are, he can, at the very least hold his own until backup comes."

"You seem like you could be a decent Shogi player." The Nara commented. "We're gonna have to play sometime."

The doppelganger rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Not a chance, hehe. I've seen you think in the middle of a fight, you would beat me pretty easily."

"As much as I love hearing you guys scheduling playdates, we have a little problem." Pakkun cut in, his voice grave.

"What's the matter?" Shikamaru questioned tentatively. "Did something happen to someone?"

"No, it isn't that." The dog shook his head. "There's a new scent in the air. They're in between us and everyone else. We're closing in on them fast."

"Do you know who it is?" Naruto's clone asked.

"No… but that isn't what has me concerned." The Ninja Hound said slowly. "Whoever it is, it's as if they appeared out of thin air."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru looked over at Hinata, who nodded and activated her Byakugan. "Stay on your guard, everyone!"

"If this person had been there this whole time, or even made their way to that exact spot, I should've been able to sense him much sooner than this. But… it's like he came out of nowhere."

"He's right in front of us!" Hinata alerted her team. They stopped just as the mysterious man came into view.

He wore a black long-sleeve top that covered his neck and chin, a pair of black gloves, dark pants, and a long green scarf. Around his waist was a thick black belt with armor-like metal plates attached to it, and similar plates were attached to his upper arms.

"Are you Akatsuki?" Naruto's clone demanded.

Everyone else readied themselves for a fight.

The strange man's response was not what they had been expecting.

"Oh, I wish! Those guys are so, so cool!" He said in a high-pitched, happy voice. "But, don't worry, I'll be a member one of these days! Maybe when I kill you guys!" He cocked his head to the side. "It's very nice to meet all of you. You can call me… Tobi."

Black spiky hair and a swirled orange mask that only left one eye visible completed his look.

Author's Note: Naruto showed off some new tricks, and a new challenger has appeared in front of Team Shikamaru! A bit faster paced in this chapter. Let me know what you thought of it, and feel free to let me know your predictions!

I'll see you next time in Chapter 27: Tobi is a Good Boy.

DragonshadowRyukage – I'll do my best. I know that you'll be here to tell me how good the endings to my chapters are.

GunBlade2020 – Naruto was never a bad guy. He's just had a lot of issues finding out where his priorities lie.

Passive Person – Sasuke? Hm, anywhere from chapter 32-35 (we're on ch 26), maybe?

TrenchcoatMan – If you go back to right before the AAS left the village, because of the unknown circumstances, Shizune thought it'd be best if they sent a tracking unit as support.

OoOXylionOoO – Chakra control mainly came in the form of him being able to use the Rasengan with a single hand.

avidnarutofan – No chakra chains, but he already has a pretty wide arsenal.

I can't spoil whether or not characters will die. But will there be more? Yeah, probably. A lot more? Who knows?