Author's Note: I've been receiving messages from people asking me to help them with their stories. At first I had no problem, but eventually there were so many, I was overwhelmed. So even if it flatters me greatly that you think I'm a good enough writer to help you, I'm afraid I have to ask you guys to stop asking me to help you with your fics. My spare time is limited, and I want to use some of it to work on my story. For those whom I already agreed to help you, don't worry, I'm not going back on my word.

Now, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 88:

The Akatsuki Invasion, Part VI

or

The Fall of a God

Under the shadow of the fake tree made of paper, was Pain, or Nagato. Or what was left of him, anyway. Far from the powerful figure that was Pain, Nagato was a frail and sickly looking man, one that could die at any moment. Despite his predicament, his eyes showed no fear, only a mixture of acceptance and resignation. Konan stood besides him protectively.

Jiraiya took a step forward, to see his former student a bit better.

"Nagato..." Jiraiya began, his eyes reflecting a deep sadness. "Just... what happened? How did you end like... like this?"

Nagato didn't say anything at first. His expression being just as cold and stoic as Pain's. He then lowered his gaze.

"You took us in when we were nothing but defenseless children, sensei," Nagato began. "You trained us into capable ninjas, and most importantly, you gave us hope. Hope that a better future was possible. Hope that we could make a difference. Hope that this world wasn't beyond salvation.

"Said hope, however, took little time to be crushed," Nagato said, as he raised his gaze once more.

"Yahiko..." Jiraiya began, his lower lip quivering. "What happened to him? Did you...?"

Konan bristled at the unsaid implication. "How dare you suggest we betrayed Yahiko like that!"

"Konan, calm down," Nagato said in a firm tone. His words seemed to soothe the bluenette a little, before his attention was on Jiraiya again. "Yes... Yahiko. Fitting you ask for him, given that it was because of him that we did this. You see, after you left Ame, Yahiko decided to create an organization whose purpose would be to bring peace and eradicate war and poverty.

"The name of the organization was Akatsuki, since would bring the dawn of a new era. Everything went fine at first, but things quickly went south..."

Nagato told the Sannin and their son all the good they did, and how much Akatsuki grew. Prospect for the future of their organization and what it entailed were bright, However, as they grew in power and influence, they also made enemies that feared them for what they could do or how could change the status quo. The most dangerous of those men was Hanzo, Amegakure's leader.

Hanzo asked Yahiko, Konan and Nagato to meet him so they could join forces and spread Akatsuki's pacifist goals beyond the borders of the Land of Rain. But alas, it was a trap. While the trio went alone, not only did Hanzo brought a small army of his best ninja, but Danzo Shimura and a squad of Konoha ANBU was there as well. Apparently, Danzo had convinced Hanzo that Akatsuki was a threat to his power and told him to lay a trap.

There was a brief fight, and Hanzo managed to catch Konan. He tossed a kunai at Nagato, and ordered him to kill Yahiko, or Konan would die. Nagato, however, was unable to do it, so Yahiko threw himself at the kunai, ending his own life. His last words were for Nagato to carry on on their dream of a better future, and that he was the key to make it happen.

Something broke inside Nagato, and unleashed a power unlike any other and summoned the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and used it to wipe out most Ame and Konoha ninjas, saving Konan, even if Hanzo and Danzo managed to escape with their lives. However, for some reason, the statue stabbed multiple black rods into Nagato's back, leaving him perpetually paralyzed from the waist down.

"Damn Danzo," Naruto cursed, his hand clenching into a fist. "That man poisons everything he touches!"

"If only we knew the extent of his unauthorized operations in other countries..." Jiraiya added. He felt really stupid for not doing something about Danzo earlier. How many troubles could have they saved, or even prevented from happening to begin with if it wasn't for him?

"And that's when you decided to change Akatsuki to what is it now, right?" Tsunade guessed, as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Yes... but not immediately," Nagato replied, before he started to cough. Tsunade could see some droplets of blood flying from his mouth.

Konan took a step forward. "Sometime before Yahiko's death, we were approached by a myserious masked man, who was accompained by a truly bizarre creature, half man, half plant." Everybody guessed who those two people were. "The masked man introduced himself as Obito Uchiha, and claimed he used to be a disciple of Madara Uchiha, who had been alive until recently. And according to Madara's investigations, Nagato is the reincarnation of the Sage of the Six Paths, and the one destined to usher a new era of peace and prosperity upon the world..."

…

Konoha

Meanwhile, back in the village, many people started to breathe in relief as the fights started to slowly die down, until every Akatsuki, be a mamber or an easily expendable mook, either left the battle or was slain.

Naturally, the hospital was the spot almost everybody was heading to. Very few people have come out completely unscathed from the invasion, and thus plenty of ninjas and civilians wanted to be healed of their wounds. Or to have a friend or loved one healed. Naturally, the medics were overwhelmed, especially since their boss, Tsunade, had been seen leaving the village with Jiraiya and Naruto. Nobody knew why, but they hoped that she would return soon.

The Konoha Hospital wasn't prepared to hold such a huge number of wounded, so in the end, the most senior medics, who took charge of the situation in Tsunade's absence, decided to restrict the Hospital for those with grievous wounds or in critical condition. Multiple medical tents were set around the hospital were the less gravely wounded were attended.

In one of those tents was Hinata Hyuga, working tirelessly to heal the injuries sustained by her sister. Thankfully, even if Hanabi didn't come unscathed out of the fight with Toneri, her wounds were mostly superficial, and hoped she would get better after several hours of uninterrupted rest.

"Is she okay?" Fu asked.

Hinata offered to heal the muscular girl –who got quite a beating from the last Otsutsuki as well–, but the jinchuriki refused, claimed that other people needed her help more than her, and that, as a jinchuriki, she healed faster than most people. And even if Fu didn't heal as fast as Naruto, Hinata could already see some of her wounds closing, and her chakra regenerating at a rapid pace.

"Yes. Thankfully she didn't bear the worst of the fight," Hinata said with a nod.

"Yeah, it was the two of us who did!" Fu loudly replied with a vigorous chuckle. Upon feeling the piercing glares the rest of the people in the medical tent shot at the mint haired girl, she sheepishly grinned and whispered an apology. She then turned back at Hinata, and in a considerably lower voice said: "That Toneri guy hits hard. I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I knew a guy like that wanted to get inside my proverbial pants, and be so persistent about it!"

"Sadly this won't be the last time I have to deal with him," Hinata replied. "He'll come back, both for me and for Naruto."

"You think so?" Fu asked, as she scratched her temple. "I mean... Akatsuki pretty much threw at us everything they had, and still failed. If I were them, I would give up."

"They don't seem to be like the kind of people to give up after a single setback, no matter how big," Hinata countered. "Plus they still have six Tailed Bests under their control. That alone makes them a huge threat to every Elemental Nation."

"I remember Naruto saying that we must find a way to release the beasts they captured," Fu said, placing a hand under her chin. "Though getting them out of that statue is going to be hard."

"Now it would be a good moment to counterattack, but I don't think we're in a position to do so, with so many wounded and deceased," Hinata lamented. "While we recover and regain our strength, Akatsuki may do the same."

"What about the other villages?" Fu asked. "They fight against Akatsuki as well, and Konoha helped them in the past. Maybe they can lend us a hand in return?"

"That's... a very good idea, Fu-san," Hinata praised. "Let's hope we can talk about it with Hokage-sama once he gets back."

Fu smiled earnestly at the compliment. That moment, a small group entered the tent, all of them being Hyugas led by a woman Hinata knew too well.

"There you are," the woman, Hikari, said, her voice filled with relief upon seeing Hinata. However, her relief was short lived upon seeing the uncosncious Hanabi lying on a bed on the floor. "Hanabi! Is she-"

"She's okay, mother," Hinata reassured the older woman. "She only needs to rest a bit. I already treated all her wounds."

Relief seems to return to her once again, but worry didn't leave her heart completely. "I saw you two and the Seven Tails jinchuriki in the sky flying and fighting against that Akatsuki that's obsessed with you. I was afraid for the two of you."

"I appreciate your concern, mother. But as you can see, we came out of this alive," Hinata said in a reassuring tone. "What have you been doing during the battle, mom? I was worried about you and the rest of the clan as well."

"Those miserables launched an attack on the compound," Hikari said, seething with anger at the memory. "I led a group of ninjas in order to drive them away, while I had Hizashi-san escort the civilians and the Moon acolytes to the underground shelters. Let's hope they arrived safe and sound."

Hinata didn't reply. Her Tesneigan flashed for a fraction of a second, and her eyes became unfocused, as if she was zoning out. Hikari was about to ask if she was okay, but Hinata apparently regained her senses before that.

"They're okay. I can see Hizashi-san and other Hyugas, as well as the people they escorted, getting out of the shelter."

Hikari sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I was already afraid that this would be another catastrophe like the Uchiha Insurrection. When Konoha is under siege, there are scumbags who always target us in order to get our eyes."

"Anyway, not to sound rude. I'd love to stay and talk more with you, but as a medic-nin, I have the duty to attend all the wounded here," Hinata reminded her mother.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I won't distract you anymore," Hikari replied. "I'll stay here with Hanabi for a bit, if it's not a bother."

"Of course not, mother," Hinata said, before turning towards the jinchuriki. "Fu-san, may I have your help in this endeavor?"

"Sure! It's nice to help in a way other than punching other people for once," the energetic jinchuriki said.

…

Not far away from there, Hiruzen Sarutobi was leading a group of ANBU, trying to find all the people, both ninjas and civilians, not accounted for so far. They had found quite a lot of people trapped under crumbled buildings. Some of them were alive and only needed medical attention. Others, unfortunately, weren't so lucky.

At one moment, another ninja clad in complete black save the green flak jacket appeared before him. His face was as unreadable as ever, but the old Hokage could see some worry into the man's onyx eyes.

"Ah, Itachi-kun," Sarutobi said. "Do you bring news? I trust everything was fine in the T & I department."

"It was," Itachi confirmed. "There were a few Zetsu who attacked the building, but I doubt they realized of its significance, and were only there to cause damage. I managed to repel all of them."

"Those are good news indeed," Hiruzen said, nodding and even smiling a little. "Yet I see there's something that's troubling you."

"Indeed, Sarutobi-sama," the Uchiha confirmed. "Unlike what I was expecting, Orochimaru didn't appear to rescue Hebimaru, nor did he send anybody in his stead to do so."

Hrizuen chuckled sardonically. "And that surprises you, Itachi-kun? As much as it pains me to admit it, Orochimaru cares for no one but himself. That boy, Hebimaru, might be strong, but I doubt my former student would consider him vital."

"I'm aware of that, Sarutobi-sama, and that action on itself is not what worried me," Itachi clarified. Sensing the old man's confusion, he continued. "I've been asking some people, who fought at different areas of the village, and not a single person saw Orochimaru."

"He didn't take part in the attack?" Hiruzen asked, surprised by the revelation. "That's... odd."

"And now you understand the source of my worries," Itachi said. "So far, every other Akatsuki that's still alive was seen in the fight. Pain, Konan, Kisame, Deidara, Toneri, Obito. And even Zetsu in the form of an army of clones. But Orochimaru was nowhere to be seen."

"Maybe Orochimaru was kicked out of their group?" Hiruzen guessed. "Maybe even a band of crinimals like Akatsuki couldn't stomach Orochimaru's lack of concern and respect for life."

"An overly optimistic assumtion, Sarutobi-sama," Itachi replied. "Though even if that may be the case, we can't count Orochimaru out just yet. I think that he's planning something. Something big. And given that Konoha is now weakened after this attack, he might make his move now."

"And understandable concern, Itachi-kun," Hiruzen said. "Alright, I'll bring it to Jiraiya the next time I see it."

"I appreciate that, Hokage-sama," Itachi said, before making a polite bow. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to check if my little brother and Shisui are okay."

And Itachi vanished as quick as he had appeared.

…

"It was shortly before Yahiko's death that Obito came to us," Konan was the one continuing their story. "We didn't know how he knew of us, and how he knew that Nagato had the Rinnegan. He claimed to be Madara's disciple."

"Madara's disciple? Oh come on!" Tsunade scoffed. "Madara has been dead for decades. My grandfather saw to it."

"The thing is... there's no way that man could know all the things he knew if that wasn't true," Konan added. "Listen, we aren't idiots. We didn't get to live as long as we did by trusting the first stranger claiming nonsense."

"We made a background check on Obito before considering his offer," Nagato continued. "We know he used to be a a Konoha ninja, who apparently died during the Third Ninja War. How did he survived, we never know. But like Konan said, he knew things nobody of his background should know."

"And then there's that weird creature that always accompained him like a shadow," Konan added. "Zetsu."

"Obito told us all the things he learned under Madara," Pain continued. "How both he and Madara had been trying to achieve a world without conflict and war for a long time. And how, after much research, they managed to find a way: a new Sage of the Six Paths needed to be awakened in order to lead the world to such age."

"You haven't answered my question," Tsunade interceded. "How can Madara be still alive? Hashirama brought his corpse to Konoha, where Tobirama himself realized an autopsy and he confirmed his death. He then buried the body in a place whose location took to the grave."

"We... have no answer to that question," Nagato admitted. "Like we said, we decided to strike an alliance with Obito in order to bring the world to an age with no wars nor suffering."

"And it was Obito who told you to capture the Tailed Beasts to do it?" Naruto asked, sounding a little incredulous.

"You're aware of the history behind the Tailed Beasts and the Sage of the Six Paths, yes?" Nagato asked. Naruto nodded. "Then you must know that there was a time in which Hagoromo Otsutsuki had the Ten Tails sealed inside him. And thus, he was immensely powerful. But he didn't use that power to create a better world. He merely became a preacher, and then wasted such power by splitting it in nine pieces and giving them a mind of their own."

"And do you know why Hagoromo did that? Why he didn't choose to reign over mankind as a living god?" Naruto fired back. "Because he already saw what such thing led to. Safety and security are meaningless if we lack freedom."

"Yes, I know that," Nagato stated. "It was what sparked conflict between his sons. Asura believed that the key to peace was love. Indra believed it was power. Yet Asura was proven wrong the very same moment Hagoromo chose him as his sucessor over his older brother, given that Indra started a feud that continued to this very day. No matter how much 'love' Asura and his followers preached, it wasn't enough to stop those who had darkness in their hearts."

"And what's your solution? More conflict? More death?" Naruto angrily asked. "Did you see in what state Konoha is!?"

"Necessary sacrifices," was Nagato's only answer.

"It's easy to talk about sacrifices when you're not the one doing it," Naruto scoffed.

Nagato pierced Naruto with his glare. "Didn't you hear what I just told you? My best friend sacrificed himself so Konan and I could live. So we could carry his dream in his stead. Don't dare lecture me about sacrifices."

"Yes, I'm sure your friend Yahiko, wherever he is now, would be so damn proud of everything you've done," Naruto seethed, narrowing his eyes at the two Akatsuki, who visibly bristled. "Ask yourselves, would Yahiko want this? Would Yahiko want you to kill innocent people?"

"Shut up!" Konan loudly shouted, anger restoring some of her energy. "You don't have any right to speak about Yahiko! You have no idea of what kind of man he was, or how far he was willing to go to achieve his ideals!"

"For the way you speak, Yahiko sounded like a pretty cool guy," Naruto replied. "That's why I don't think he'll approve of what you're doing. I mean, come on guys, did you ever see the kind of people you're working with? All of them violent and psycopahtic missing ninja! Are you telling me they are fighting for a better world?"

"They're merely means to an end," Nagato said matter-o-factly, before being interrupted by another coughing fit. "Not that it matters anymore, given that I failed Yahiko today, regardless if we follow yours or my interpretation of his wishes. Come on, Naruto, end me already. I took too much from you. Just like how I killed the man who took everything from me, you also earned your just retribution.

"My only request is for Konan to be spared," Nagato asked. "All she did was to follow my orders. Even if her hands are stained with blood, she deserves another chance."

Naruto took a step forward. In front of him was the man who created the organization who hunted Naruto's kind since its inception. The one who ravaged Taki to the ground. The one who killed Utakata and Roshi, and nearly killed Hinata, Haku, Jiraiya, Gaara and many others. And now, he could put an end to it.

"And what good would I make by killing you?" Naruto asked. "Would your death bring back all the people you killed? Not to mention, if I killed you, all I would do is prepetuate the cycle of hatred. You killed the other jinchuriki. I kill you in return. Then, Konan would resent me for doing so and would plan killing me too. Then my loved ones would avenge my death. And so on. Isn't this what ninja have been doing for generations?"

Nagato looked incredulous. "Are you telling me that you don't feel angry at me? That you don't think your revenge is justified? That you don't want me to pay for my crimes?"

"You WILL pay for your crimes, Nagato," Naruto firmly stated. "However, it won't be me who will decide your fate. The Hokage and the rest of Konoha will be the ones to say that."

"So... this is your answer," Nagato say, chuckling. "You have the willpower not to give into revenge. That's... I don't think I even met somebody like that. I thought that, after all I did to you and your home, you'd be dying to end my life already."

"Listen, Nagato, there are people who trive off conflict. But those are a minority," Naruto continued. "The Senju and Uchiha clans were locked in a bloodthristy feud for generations. Uchiha killed Senju, Senju killed Uchiha in revenge, rinse, repeat. Until the First Hokage decided to put an end to that, and took the first step towards peace. And guess what? Most of the Uchiha wanted that as well! Madara, the one still giving into revenge, was alone. That's why nobody wanted him for Hokage. That's why he ended up leaving a village that had no room for a warmonger."

"Yes, and that worked so well," Nagato fired back. "Didn't the Uchiha tried to take over your village a few years ago? And you had to kill all of them to quell the insurrection."

"Not all of them rebelled or were killed," Jiraiya interceded. "Some stayed loyal to the village, and continue to do so to this day."

"Because in the end, everybody wants peace," Naruto continued. "Nobody wants wars, and seeing their loved ones die. But many people are still unable to let go of past hatreds, and stir conflicts, and everybody else are dragged with them. But if we raise our voices, we can silence those who can't let go of the past. Those who want conflict as a mean to satisfy past offenses against them."

"None of us were alive to see the Warring Clans Period, but even with all the faults of our current system, it's still a paradise compared to what it was back then," Tsunade added. "Shouldn't that be a signal that, even if we still have a long way to go, we're on the right path?"

"It wasn't 'paradise' for us, that's for sure," Konan fired back with a scoff.

"Yes, we know. People still suffer, die, or see their loved ones die," Naruto said. "If fighting against you taught me something is that you can't save everyone. But I will continue fighting to save as many people as I can. To make the world a little better. I will probably die before seeing the kind of world we speak about, but I'll die happy knowing that I managed to made the world a little better for the next generation. And one day, we will reach an age in which wars and hatred will become a thing of the past. But since we have reached such age naturally, nobody will try to fight against it."

There was a moment of silence as Naruto's words sunk in. Konan looked at Nagato, who was deep in thought, expecting his answer, as if she had already reached her own conclusion but needed her leader's approval and validation. After a few more tense moments of silence, Nagato raised his gaze, and much to everybody's surprise, he chuckled.

When Nagato's eyes rested on Naruto, a memory of Yahiko manifested in the form of an image, overlapping with the orange-clad blond. It was now when he noticed the uncanny resemblance between the jinchuriki and his fallen friend. Their unbound optimism and their unfettered hope for a better future. Hell, even their hairstyles were similar. This made Nagato to smile as well.

"Maybe it wasn't me who carried Yahiko's will all along..." Nagato thought, entertaining that idea. "Sorry Yahiko... I failed you a second time..."

"You seem to be very confident in which this world can improve and become something better," Nagato said. "And you want to do it without making sacrifices or taking drastic measures."

"Because if the world needed such things, it wouldn't be worth saving," Naruto replied. "But I know it's not the case. I know we can make things better."

Another memory hit Nagato. This time, their time when Akatsuki was in its first incarnation led by Yahiko. That's what Yahiko wanted to do. He wanted to make things better by convicing people that his ideas were right and were worth fighting for. They only fought when there was no other option, and Yahiko always advocated for sparing their enemies if more bloodlshed could be avoided.

"Yes... Yahiko's ideals were so inspiring... but guess that when he died, my faith in his ideals died with him," Nagato sadly reflected.

"Naruto, even without the Rinnegan, you proved to be my better. You seem to be like somebody who, no matter what life throws at you, will always stay true to yourself and the path you've chosen... unlike me," Nagato said, as he brought his hands together, making the Ram seal, putting Naruto and the Sannin on guard, while Konan gasped. "And just like Yahiko trusted his dream to me, I will trust both our dreams to you."

"Nagato, are you going to...?" Konan stammered.

"My pain was so big, that I wanted everybody to share it with me. But doing so only caused more mysery. I'm afraid I can't bring back any of the jinchuriki Akatsuki has captured, nor the people we killed in our quest to capture them. But I can undo the last of my sins," Nagato said, before turning at Konan. "Konan, words can't express how much I valued your loyalty, and above all else, your companionship. I know how much Yahiko's loss affected you, and how you don't want to lose me either. But I have been lost for quite some time, and worse, I've dragged you with me. It's too late for me, but not for you. Fight for our dreams, but do it correctly this time. Make me and Yahiko proud."

Tears started to stream from Konan's eyes, as she tried to form what would be her last words to her last living childhood friend. "I-I will, Nagato... you can leave everything to me!"

Nagato nodded, and smiled one last time. The Ram seal turned into the Snake seal, and the Akatsuki leader started to glow with an intense white light.

"Outer Path: Heavenly Rebirth!"

A beam of white light shot from Nagato into the sky.

…

Back in Konoha, Hiruzen and his ANBU were overseeing all the corpses that they had gathered, lying down in rows in the middle of a clear area, so their relatives and loved ones could identify them, and say their goodbyes. It was a heartwrenching sight, seeing so many people looking at the corpses, desperatedly wishing that their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, parents, spouses, and the like weren't among them.

But alas, fate wasn't kind to everybody, and every couple minutes they could see somebody falling on their knees, sobbing, upon recognizing a corpse. Hiruzen was no stranger to such feeling, so he could emphatize with the poor people perfectly.

"Sarutobi-sama?" an ANBU besides him wearing a lizard mask asked. "Are you okay?"

Hiruzen nodded. "Yeah, I am, more or less. It's just... this sight. So much sorrow and pain. I already saw it in all three Ninja Wars. It never gets any easier."

"I understand," the ANBU replied with another nod. "We ninjas are trained to weather this kind of tragedies, but deep down we're just human."

"Still, it's a good thing that there were no more corpses," Hiruzen noted, desperatedly trying to look for a bright side to their situation. "Given the scale of the attack, I was expecting at least twice as bodies as the time Orochimaru-"

"Hokage-sama!" another ANBU, one wearing a mouse mask, shouted as he pointed into the horizon. "What's that!?"

He didn't need to ask what he was talking about, as the old ex-Hokage saw a pillar of white light shooting into the sky. Then, the clouds themselves started to glow with the same white light, before multiple beams started to rain above them.

"What's the meaning of this!?"

…

Not far away from there, in another field of corpses, the three youngest members of Anko's Assassination Squad were kneeled around the deceased form of their teacher. Dosu remained stoic, but Zaku and Kin, being more emotional, had tears running through their cheeks.

"First Mizuki-sensei, and now her," Zaku sobbed, as he triped to wipe his tears away. "Is there something wrong with us?"

Despite the comment, the trio of former Oto ninjas didn't miss Mizuki in the slightest. The man was strong, but his traching methods left too much to be desired, and Dosu had the suspicion that he was afraid that the three younger ninjas could surpass him. Something that seemed closer to the truth after they were told about Mizuki.

But with Anko, it wasn't the same. The snake mistress had a sadistic streak, and pushed the trio to their limits. But she was always fair, and the results of her training soon become evident. In Otogakure, they were told not to form bonds, as they were a source of weakness, and to obey without question. Anko, however, was different, and during the three years they spent under her tutelage, they grew to love her as a big sister.

"Guys, stay strong," Dosu told them, barely holding his own grief. "Anko-sensei would have hated to see us crying like little kids over her. She would have wanted us to move on."

"Those assholes are going to pay," Zaku seethed, as he clenched his hands into fists. "I'm not going to stop until every single one of them is dead."

"Yes! Anko-sensei would have avenged us if we died instead of her!" Kin agreed.

Before they could discuss their plans any further, they noticed that the sky had turned bright white, and beams of light of the same color started to rain from above, much to their shock.

"What is this!? Another enemy attack?" Dosu asked, as he jumped to his feet and adopted a fighting position.

The beams started to fall around them, all of them hitting the nearby corpses. And when a corpse was hit by said beams, it suddenly sit up and opened its eyes as if said person returned to life. It didn't take long to realize that that's what was exactly happening. Even the corpses that were mangled beyond recognition were rebuilt and restored, looking as if they never suffered any harm or damage, before coming back to life.

Then, one of the beams hit Anko.

"AAAAAAHHHH!" the Special Jonin screamed, as she suddenly sat up. "...uh? What happened?" the confused kunoichi asked, looking around. "Where is Hokage-sama? And Pain? And what are you brats-"

"ANKO-SENSEI!" the three shouted at once, before tackling their teacher into a hug, with such force they made her fall on her back again.

"WHOA THERE! What the hell are you doing, brats!?" Anko shouted, trying to push them away. "Seriously, you have three seconds to get out of my skin before I murder you all!"

…

Not only the humans were grieving their lost loved ones. Fukasaku was sitting besides his wife's corpse.

"I always thought that I'd kick the bucket before you would, Ma," Fukasaku sadly said, grabbing Shima's cold hand. "Let's hope you're now in a better place, away from all this- uh?"

Fukasaku was startled by the beams of light that rained above Konoha. Once of those beams hit Shima, which instantly healed her injury, and made her open her eyes and rise, as if she just woke up from a dream.

"Pa?... what happened?" the confused toad asked.

"MA!" Fukasaku shouted, as like most people in this situation, tackled his loved one into a hug. "Oh, I thought I had lost you forever! I don't know what happened, but-"

…

Hiruzen Sarutobi was a man that had lived more than most people, especially those that choose a career with such a high mortality rate. And during that long life, he had seeing many strange and powerful jutsu. Some in the recent years, such as Orochimaru's Impure World Resurrection or Hinata's Tenseigan led him to believe that nothing could surprise him anymore. Of course, fate is a petty mistress, and decided to prove him wrong.

Much to his shock –and those with him–, the corpses they had gathered not long ago weren't dead anymore. The beams of light that rained from above had resurrected them. Even those whose bodies were far too injured had their wounds completely repaired, almost as if they were never there to begin with.

Naturally, the people that a few seconds ago were mourning their loved ones were now shedding tears of joy rather than sorrow, and loudly praising and thanking whatever deity had decided to grant this miracle to them. Because there was no other way to call this event.

"Hokage-sama, I have news from other parts of the village!" an ANBU said, tapping his ear, where an earpiece was. "Deceased people are coming back to life as well in the whole village! All those reported death are now completely fine!"

"It's amazing. This invasion could have left Konoha on its deathbed, but thanks to this..." another ANBU said in awe. "If the number of casualties drops to zero, we'll be able to bounce back to our previous strength in no time!"

Hiruzen smiled and nodded, before looking at the direction from where the pillar of light shot. From what he was told, that's where the leader of Akatsuki hid his true body, and Jiraiya, Tsunade and Naruto went to confront him. He couldn't wait for them to come back so they could explain what did they exactly do for such a miracle to happen.

…

Back in Nagato and Konan's hideout, Nagato had finally stopped glowing. His previously red hair had turned white, and his body looked even more emanciated than before, almost skeletical.

"Maybe... I should have done this... when Yahiko first died..." Nagato wheezed. "Now, Naruto... make this world... a better..."

Nagato couldn't finish his sentence, as he fell prey to a fit of coughs, before his body stopped working altogether. Konan closed her eyes, and wiped out her tears.

"Can somebody explain to me what the hell just happened?" Tsunade asked.

"Nagato used the Rinnegan's ultimate jutsu to resurrect all the Konoha citizens who died fighting our forces," Konan explained. "The Heavenly Rebirth. However, the price for such a power..."

Konan left the sentence unfinished, the trio of Konoha ninjas being able to fill the obvious blank. The fake tree then started to fall apart, the individual sheets of paper that formed it splitting from each other and being carried away by a gentle wind into the sky. Light started to pour around them.

"Thank you, Nagato," Jiraiya said, even if his former student couldn't hear him anymore. "I knew you weren't completely lost."

"It was said that the Sage of the Six Paths could use this jutsu without dying, or even suffering any sort of ill side effects," Konan explained. "But for some reason, he hardly used this ability. Nagato used to say that, once he became the jinchuriki of the Ten Tails, he would be able to stop people from dying pointlessly. Become a true god."

"How do you know so much about the Rinnegan and the Sage of the Six Paths?" Tsunade asked. "Because there's no way anybody could teach Nagato about it, since everybody thought to be nothing but a myth."

"Obito taught Nagato how to use it," Konan replied. "That's why I strongly believe Obito's words about Madara being his master. He possesses knowledge no human being should have. And even then, we had the suspicion that he knew even more than he let on."

"That brat is turning out to be even more dangerous that we initially thought," Tsunade said, as her body felt prey to a wave of uneasiness. "If his words are true and Madara is still alive..."

Konan then took her Akatsuki cloak off, and and walked towards Jiraiya before handing it to him.

"Take this, sensei," Konan said. "Accept it the symbol of my new beginning... and a token of surrender. I'm ready to face my sins."

"You will, in time," Jiraiya said, as he grabbed the black and red cloak. "But for the time being, you might be able to atone for them helping us taking down Akatsuki."

"Starting with the Tailed Beasts," Naruto interceded. "We need to find a way to release them from that statue!"

"The Demonic Statue of the Outer Path," Konan said. "If you know the Ten Tails, then you're aware of the statue's true nature," the Konoha ninjas nodded. "You'll need the Rinnegan to summon the Statue. Then... well, I'm not really sure, but there has to be a way to make the Statue release the sealed beasts inside it."

"Understood," Jiraiya said, as he walked towards Nagato's corpse. He pulled it from the mechanical walker, and placed it on the floor. He then pulled a kunai, and gouged the Rinnegan eyes out. "Not that I wasn't planning to do this to begin with. These eyes are weapons of mass destruction. I wish we could get rid of them right now, but sadly, no can do."

"Whose going to get those eyes?" Naruto asked.

"According to Obito, only those who descend from the Sage of the Six Paths have the right chakra to wield the Rinnegan without being consumed by their power," Konan began.

"The Senju, Uzumaki, and Uchiha clans," Naruto finished.

Konan nodded in return. "Yes. I believe there are people in Konoha who fit those requisites."

"Very well then. We'll have to choose carefully whom we should entrust this power," Jiraiya said, after sealing the eyes inside a storage scroll. He then took Nagato's corpse, and carried it over his shoulder. "Come on, let's go back to Konoha."

They were about to turn around and return to the village, but Konan stopped them.

"Jiraiya-sensei, I know I'm not in a position to ask anything..." the bluenette began. "But I wish for Yahiko and Nagato's bodies to be returned to Amegakure, so they can be buried and rest in peace."

"Don't worry, Konan. I'll see for that to happen," Jiraiya reassured his former pupil.

As the three Konoha ninjas and the ex-member of Akatsuki headed back to Konoha, Jiraiya was alerted by a low caw. Looking up, he saw a crow flying in circles above him.

…

A few moments earlier, at the cells under Torture & Interrogation Department

Sai wasn't sure what was going on. For the past few hours, thundering noises could be heard from above, some of them which caused multiple tremors. He knew there was a battle in the village, though he couldn't tell who was the invader. His best bet was Akatsuki, but the ninja tasked with keeping an eye on the prisoners refused to confirm it.

Said confirmation came in the form of Itachi Uchiha. The Uchiha Jonin joined the ninja protecting the department under the assumption that Orochimaru was the only Akatsuki not seen, and that he more than likely would be planning to liberate the clone of Jiraiya's youngest son, Hebimaru. The Uchiha took command of the place, and organized a defense for the incoming attack.

An attack that never came. Then again, he couldn't fault Itachi. Danzo had taught him that it was better to be prepared even if the situation didn't demand it, than the other way around. Itachi had left when another ninja came and told them that the battle was over and Akatsuki has been repelled. Naturally, there were many cheers and cries of joy, but if Itachi was happy, he didn't show it, as his usual stoic façade did not break. He said he needed to find and talk with either Jiraiya or Hiruzen, whoever found first.

Sai thought that was the end of it, but after an hour or so –it was hard for him to tell how much time passed given his predicament– the Uchiha returned, and much to his surprise, entered Sai's cell.

"Hello, Itachi-san," Sai said, smiling at him. "I must admit I'm surprised to see you here."

"I need to talk to you about Danzo. I want you to answer some questions I have about him," Itachi ordered. His tone carried a bit of urgency, odd given the situation.

"Of course," Sai replied. "But I must tell you that I've been both thoroughly interrogated and my mind scanned. I don't think I'll be able to tell you anything the other interrogators don't know already."

"I'm sure there are things they slipped their mind," Itachi said, sounding sure of himself. His eyes flared with a red gleam as the Sharingan came to life.

"Very well them," Sai said, agreeing to cooperate. "What do you want to know?"

"What was Danzo's relationship with Orochimaru?" Itachi asked.

"From what I know, Danzo-sama had a partnership with Orochimaru for many years. Far more than what I've been alive," Sai began. "I don't know most of the details, but Danzo-sama believed Orochimaru could be a powerful ally in his endeavor. Said alliance continued even after Orochimaru was forced to flee the village when his experiments with human subjects were discovered, and the Sannin joined Akatsuki."

It wasn't hard to figure out why Danzo was so interested in Orochimaru. Shisui had revealed that the leader of Root had some of Hashirama's DNA spliced into his own, which granted him a boost to his stamina and life force, as well as Wood Release. Such work had Orochimaru's signature all over the place.

Of course, anybody who knew Orochimaru knew that the Sannin wasn't helping Danzo out of the goodness of his heart. Orochimaru must have wanted something from Danzo in return.

"What did Orochimaru ask in return from Danzo?" Itachi asked. "We know Danzo helped Orochimaru stage his invasion of Konoha in a bid to become Hokage. But there has to be something more."

"I haven't been in many of their meetings, but in those I was present, the topic was almost always the same. Orochimaru was interested in ninjas with Bloodline Limits. He had perfected a way to integrate them into a human body," Sai replied. "Danzo-sama would track and kill ninjas with the desired abilities, hand the bodies to Orochimaru, and in return, Orochimaru would share with him the way to apply said abilities to another body."

"We already knew that," Itachi said, sounding a little exasperated.

"Sorry. I already warned you that I said everything I know about Danzo-sama and Root," Sai replied.

"But not everything about Orochimaru, I'm sure of that," Itachi insisted. "Did Orochimaru ever mentioned tensions within Akatsuki? Did he ever have any intention to leave the group?"

"Orochimaru didn't seem to be very commited to the Akatsuki cause. He appeared to be part of the group because of the boons he got from it," Sai replied. "Though, from what I remember, it seems that the leader was the reason he joined."

"Pain? What about him?" Itachi pressed on. "What's his relationship with Orochimaru?"

"Orochimaru said that he was interested in the leader's doujutsu. That, when the right moment came, he would claim Pain's eyes for him."

Suddenly, the last piece of the puzzle clicked, and everything began to make sense. Orochimaru abandoned Akatsuki when they were about to attack Konoha hoping that the attack would fail, and Pain would either be killed, or left vulnerable enough. If it was the latter, Orochimaru would swoop in and deliver the coup de grace himself. But if it was the former, he also knew that Konoha would claim the Rinnegan, if only to prevent the enemy from having them. Then, Danzo would use his spies to steal the eyes, and give one to Orochimaru. Or maybe Danzo would betray Orochimaru. Or Orochimaru would betray Danzo. Those outcomes were of no concern to the Uchiha now.

Of course, such plan had gone to waste after Danzo and his forces were forced to flee Konoha. Shisui said that Kabuto Yakushi, Orochimaru's right hand man, spearheaded the rescue operation. Still, Danzo himself and many of his men were able to escape. Among them, a genjutsu specialist so powerful, not even the Sharingan was able to pierce through their illusions, if Sasuke was to be believed.

"Thank you, Sai. You made Konoha a huge service today," Itachi said, as he left the cell.

Sai smiled at him. "I only live to serve Konoha."

Itachi knew what he had to do. First, he had to contact Jiraiya. And he needed to find Shisui. They weren't out of danger yet.

…

Konoha Hospital, a few moments later

Upon arriving at the hospital, Jiraiya ordered Naruto and Konan to be hospitalized –much to the blond's protests–, and in Konan's case, he also ordered to have chakra-supressing seals for the time being, as well as her room to be watched by sentries every hour of the day. With that out of their minds, Jiraiya handed his wife the two Rinnegan eyes, not needing to tell her what he wanted to do, or what she needed to do.

Tsunade wasted no time and quickly placed the Rinnegan eyes on a sealed tube each filled with alcohol in order to properly preserve them. After that, said tubes were placed inside a strongbox on the hospital's basement.

"Okay, they should be safe here while we decide what to do with them," Jiraiya said.

"We better decide it fast," Tsunade replied. "The moment the word that we have the Rinnegan leaks and spreads, it'll paint an even bigger target on the village than Naruto and Fu's presence."

"I'll make sure the security of the hospital is increased tenfold," the Toad Sage promised. "I wouldn't put past Akatsuki to come back to get the eyes, even after suffering such a defeat."

…

Meanwhile, outside of Konoha, a group of individuals wearing black cloaks and white and red masks were gathering under the protection of the lush forests. They remained still and focused, as if waiting for something to happen, for an order to be issued, for a critical piece of information to be delivered.

Which was about to happen soon, as another of those masked ninjas joined the group, coming from Konoha's general direction.

"Report," one of the masked ninjas, the one who appeared the group's leader, said in a commanding tone.

"It is as we suspected," the newcomer began. "The Akatsuki leader has been killed, and the Hokage collected his eyes."

"I trust you weren't detected, nor were followed to this place," the leader said in an almost chastising tone.

"Given the village's current state, they can't afford to care about potential spies, even if logic says now would be the best moment for an infiltration. Specially after how all those who fell in battle miraculously returned from the grave."

"They're going to take them to the Hospital."

"Pity. Had the Akatsuki won, our mission would have been far easier. There aren't that many of us after the Hokage raided our base and thinned our numbers," the leader lamented. "Still, we can't fail Danzo-sama. If things go as planned, Danzo-sama will possess a power so vast he'll be able to absorb the entire village into root. Akuma," the leader called, and another of the masked ninjas took a step forward.

"I'm ready to act," Akuma said, her voice revealing her gender.

"Good, because this operation relies on you. Now come on, we need to move out quickly before they realize our presence."

The entire group nodded, and quickly dispersed while rushing towards Konoha, careful that nobody could see them.

Unfortunately for them, despite the care they took to make sure their gathering wasn't witnessed by prying eyes, they failed to notice a small crow quietly perched on a branch, under the shadow of a large branch that, combined with his dark feathers, basically made him invisible. Silently, the bird spread his wings and flew towards Konoha as well.

Author's Note: And with Nagato's death, Konan's surrender, and the resurrection of the fallen Konoha ninjas, the Akatsuki Invasion is finally over. Flawless victory for Konoha! I hope you guys find it sastisfying, given how the good guys would lose against Akatsuki constantly during past arcs (and yes, I admit I could have made them a little less dark). Now, a few things to comment.

First of all, I didn't want to do the mass resurrection thing. I didn't like it when it happened in canon, as it cheapened the arc and robbed it of much of its impact, and I didn't like that I had to resort to that. But I wanted Nagato death, but I didn't want him to die at the hands of Naruto, Jiraiya or any of the good guys, since it goes against the whole point of his character. And I was unable to come up with anything else, so I had to use the Heavenly Rebirth. That's why I didn't bother to kill that many people, since they were going to be revived anyway.

Though, given how many reviwers hoped that Anko would be revived, I hope that you're happy with the outcome. I do plan to give Anko a bigger role than she had in the War Arc, which she spent unconscious and her only purpose was to provide Sasuke the means to revive Orochimaru. And now that I think about it... the fact that Anko was instrumental in reiving the man she hated the most is something that would have driven her insane with fury.

Now, to another point from the manga that I found unbelievably dumb: Nagato is dead, and Naruto KNOWS that his eyes are weapons of mass destruction. So, he does the sensible thing, and takes his eyes away, right? NOPE! He lets Konan take the whole body away! Akatsuki's plan would have failed if either Naruto or Konan decided to destroy the Rinnegan. Sure, it would have ended with the Tailed Beasts forever trapped inside the Statue, but by then Naruto had no idea they were sentient. And funnily enough, I've never seen a fanfic that points such stupidity out.

Though, even if Akatsuki has been driven away, Konoha isn't out of danger. Weakened as they are, Danzo decided it's now time to make his move, and will try to get his hands on the ultimate Bloodline Limit. Will he be succesful?

Thanks a lot to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.

And thus, the Akatsuki Invasion comes to an end! What are your thoughts on this arc? And what do you think will happen next, now that Danzo prepares to attack? Tell me your thoughts in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!