Author's Note: Many reviewers expressed worry about Yakumo, but I can assure you that the worst has already passed, and you have nothing to fear for her. Also, I'm glad that so many reviwers agreed with me when it comes to Minato as a sensei. Though, as another reviewer pointed out, senseis in the world of Naruto are pretty crappy overall. Let's hope at least I made a better job on that front.

Now, enjoy the new chapter:

Chapter 90:

Darkness Falls, Shadow Rises

or

I got my eye on you

Forests of the Land of Fire

Karui, Omoi and T traveled through the lush sea of trees that made most of the country that houses Konoha. Used as they were to the Land of Lightning's far rockier and steep terrain, the trio of Kumo ninjas did appreciate the beauty of the forests of the foreign land. Or as much as they could, given that the death of their sensei still clung heavy to their hearts.

"It's getting too dark," Karui said, as the sun started to set. "I think we should set a camp and continue tomorrow morning."

Both Omoi and T nodded. They set up a campfire in no time, and started to cook some fishes that they had caught earlier that day. As they cooked and ate their dinner, nobody said anything. The mood was gloom. Not being able to take the tension, the blonde decided to break the silence and strike a conversation.

"So..." she awkwardly began. "How long until we arrive Konoha?"

"Two or three days, I'd say," the redheaded girl replied. "If go at a good pace. We've been going pretty slow."

"Yeah well, I don't feel much like doing this, you know?" Omoi replied, his body droopy. "I don't feel like doing anything since Akatsuki got sensei."

"Raikage-sama gave us an important mission. We can't disappoint him," Karui told thim.

"Besides, B-sensei would have wanted us to go on and become the best ninjas we can be even without him," T chimed in. "He'd hate to see us all depressed and down."

"True," the only male of the group admitted, before chuckling sadly. "Heh, if he was here, he'd try to cheer me with one of his songs, like he always used to do."

"Plus, by doing this we'll be avenging him," Karui added. "There's no way the rest of the villages aren't going to hunt down Akatsuki with all the shit they did. They were the ones who turned Kiri into such a shithole, among other things."

"Let's hope you're right, Karui," Omoi replied. "Because I can't imagine Konoha being willing to help us, given the history between our villages."

"That's in the past," T said, with a dismissive hand wave. "We were also afraid when we went there for the Chunin Exams. But in the end, nothing happened. In fact, most of the Konoha ninjas we met treated us rather kindly."

"That's right," Omoi said, smiling a little more, before his smile widened even more. "And Karui got a boyfriend!"

The redhead's eyes were wide open with shock, as a faint blush started to spread through his skin. "W-What the hell are you talking about!? I have no boyfriend!"

"No?" T said, as she inched closed towards her, sporting a smug smile. "Then what about the letters you write him?"

"Well, those letters..." Karui began, stammering a little, as she averted her gaze. A scowl developed on her face as she turned back at the girl with the twin braids. "Why the hell do I need to justify myself to you!? Whoever I send letters to is none of your damn business!"

"Now I'm seeing why you want us to get to Konoha so fast," Omoi said, chuckling a little louder than before. "You really want to see your beloved Choji, don't you?"

Omoi and T continued to prod and laugh at their for the time unofficial leader, while the redhead became more heated by the minute, and tried to stop them from brigning up their relationship with Choji, to little success.

That is, until T suddenly stopped laughing, and remained completely still, almost in shock, like she just saw a ghost.

"T? Something wrong?" Omoi asked.

"I'm senseing somebody. Ninjas getting closer to our position," T said, worried. "They surrounded us!"

The three ninjas immediately jumped from their benches, standing back to back as Karui and Omoi drew their katanas, while T pulled out a kunai.

"Shit, we've been too noisy!" Karui reprimanded both herself and her teammates. "How many of them?"

"I'm sensing..." T started to count them in her head. "About sixteen."

"Great, so, they outnumber us more than five to one. Great, just fucking great!" Karui said, greeting her teeth. "Okay, this what we're going to do. When they show up, the three of us use the Lightning Flash in tandem to blind them, and then run as fast as we can. Got it?"

The other two silently nodded.

T could sense how the enemy got closer. As they did, both Kaui and Omoi started to notice them as well. A shadow quickly passing through the trees. A bush briefly rustled. The sound of a little branch snapped in two. Beads of sweat started to run down their heads the more seconds passed, which felt like an eternity. That's it, until two ninjas appeared before them.

"NOW!" Karui shouted.

"Lightning Release: Lightning Flash!"

The three Kumo ninja started to glow with a bright, intense white light. Anybody unfortunate enough to be looking in their direction would feel like looking directly into the sound. Cries of agony filled the air as the enemy ninjas instinctively covered their eyes with their hands.

"Come on, go, go go!" Karui urged, as she started to run in a random direction, with Omoi and T behind her. Unfortunately for the redhead, neither she nor her teammates went to far, as they found themselves trapped inside a tornado of sand. "What the hell?"

"What kind of jutsu is this?" T asked, looking around.

"Sorry, but I will be the one asking the questions here," a stoic but powerful voice said, as another ninja appeared before them. A boy with spiky red hair and black rings around his eyes. "Starting with what a trio of Kumo ninjas are doing so far away from home."

…

While Kurenai fought Yakumo, and most importantly, brought her back to the side of good, Team Gai and Shisui Uchiha continued the chase of Danzo and his remaining goons. Neji was tracking their prey with his Byakugan, and according to him, they were getting closer to them with each second.

"It seems that Danzo's old age is something he can't ignore, not even with Hashirama's cells giving him a boost," the former Branch House Hyuga mused. "Even with the head start, he has no chances of running away from us."

"Neji, how much distance?" Gai asked.

"About two hundred and fifty meters. We shorten the gap by a few meters with each passing second."

Gai seemed to ponder what Neji said, before silently reaching a decision.

"It would be better to catch Danzo as soon as possible. He might have more reinforcements waiting for him further into the forest," Gai decided, before looking at Lee. "Lee, you and I are going to cut his escape. Neji, Tenten, Shisui-san, get ready to fight them once they turn around."

The other three ninja nodded. Shisui's eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Nobody will save you this time, Danzo," Shisui thought. He could feel his blood boiling with anger, and tried to keep that anger in check until he could channel it to fight. "Your karmic punishment awaits."

"Lee, it's up to us to make sure that miscreant doesn't get away!" Gai boomed. "Let's rush ahead and cut his escape!"

"Understood, Gai-sensei!" the green-clad boy said, as both he and his master got ready.

"Gate of Opening: Open!"

A burst of wind blew from Gai and Lee's bodies as master and student opened the first gate, releasing a wave of chakra through their bodies. With their enhanced capabilities, they shot forward like a pair of green-clad rockets. And in less than ten seconds, Neji saw how his sensei and teammate completely bridged the gap between them and the Root group, running so fast they were almost flying, before falling on top of them, and engaging them in combat.

Danzo wanted to continue fleeing and leave his remaining troops to deal with the pair of bowl-haired ninjas. However they had already anticipated this, and while Gai engaged Danzo himself, Lee would keep the rest of the ninjas at bay to the best of their ability. And since they were no longer fleeing, it took the rest of the Konoha ninjas almost no time to reach them as well.

"Guys, can you provide me some cover?" Shisui asked, as he impatiently unsheathed his tanto. "I have a fight with Danzo pending to complete."

Both Neji and Tenten nodded, being more than aware of Shisui's intense grudge against the Root leader.

"We shall focus on dealing with his minions first, so we all can focus on Danzo and make sure he doesn't escape this time," Tenten said, as she unfolded her collapsible chakra bow. She tensed the chakra string as long as her eyes saw the enemy fighting against Lee. "Precision Arrow Wave!"

"Vacuum Blade Palm!"

Tenten let loose a chakra arrow that quickly split into smaller arrows, while Neji thrust his palm forward, releasing a vacuum blade that flew alongside the arrows, cutting leaves and branches in its path. Shisui closely dashed behind the combination attack.

Already expecting it, Lee quickly noticed the attack, and kicked a Root ninja he was fighting against towards it, before jumping away. On top of that unlucky ninja, Tenten and Neji's combined attack also caught more than half of Danzo's goons.

"DANZO!" Shisui screamed, as he dashed towards his hated enemy.

Danzo, who was keeping Gai at bay with his Wood Release, noticed the Uchiha coming at him like an ebon missile, and quickly made several hand seals.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Serial Waves!"

Danzo exhaled several blades of wind at Shisui, which cut multiple tree branches in their way, resulting in a small storm of leaves. The Uchiha's Sharingan, however, was able to predict the trajectories of the wind attack, and leaping from one branch to another, skillfully dodged all of them. And using his built momentum, Shisui dashed past Danzo, landing on a tree branch behind him, making sure to cut his advance.

"Your path ends here, Danzo," Shisui seethed, as his hands flew through hand seals. "Fire Release: Meltdown!"

Shisui breathed a fireball that continuously expanded. Danzo's own Sharingan scanned the surroundings in an attempt to find an escape route, but the only one he found was to drop to the ground level, where he'll be more vulnerable.

"He dodged, meaning that he can't use Izanagi. Or he won't sacrifice the only Sharingan he still has," Shisui deduced. "Gai, let's double team him! He can't use Izanagi!"

"Understood, Shisui-san!" Gai agreed, as the green clad Jonin and the Uchiha landed in front and behind Danzo, respectively, and quickly adopted fighting stances.

Anger and frustration were building inside Danzo, and thus found himself unable to keep his stoic façade, as his facial expression reflected his feelings. This seemed to amuse Shisui.

"What, aren't you supposed to be as cold as a statue?" Shisui said, smirking confidently. "Guess that even you know that this is the end. Without Izanagi, you can't hope to get out of here alive."

"While I admit that Izanagi is an useful ability, it's far from my only trick. I still have my skill, experience, and Wood Release," Danzo said, regaining some of his clamness. Then, his Sharingan took a different shape, one of a three bladed shuriken, with a small dot between each blade. "Not to mention, I still have Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyo Sharingan."

Gain tensed up upon hearing this. "Shisui-san! What does Fukagu Uchiha's eye can do?"

"I have no idea!" Shisui replied, just as unnerved. "Be ready for anything!"

"Then let me show you the power of Fugaku Uchiha's eye. I was unable to use it alongisde Izanagi, but now I have no such problem," Danzo said, as he made a hand seal. His lone Sharingan took the shape of a three bladed shuriken, with a dot in each space between the blades. And a larger one at the middle. "Okuninushi!"

A burst of chakra came from Danzo, and the air around him looked distorted. Grabbing a kunai, Danzo dashed at Shisui, leaving a trail of negative-colored afterimages after him, much to Shisui and Gai's confusion.

Shisui easily parried Danzo's blow, and was ready to counter, when the afterimages attacked as well. Thanks to his speed, he was allowed to block all of their swings, but while doing so, not only he was pushed backwards, but allowed Danzo to fall back and prepare a counterattack.

"Wind Release: Vacuum Bullets!"

"You're wide open!" Gai shouted, as he rushed at Danzo from behind, ready to deliver a roundhouse kick. "Konoha Great Whirlwind!"

Danzo and some of his afterimages fired a barrage of wind bullets at Shisui, while the rest of his afterimages fired backwards, towards the unsuspecting Gai. While Shisui used a fire jutsu to proper himself upwards, avoiding the barrage of vacuum missiles, Gai was in no position to dodge. One of the bullets hit Gai in the sole of his shoe, producing an explosion of wind that hurled the green clad Jonin backwards. However, Gai was able to land on his feet on the trunk of a tree, and used his momentum to propel himself back at Danzo.

"You won't catch me off guard this time!" Gai said, facing his elbow at Danzo. "Konoha Rock Crusher!"

Danzo turned around, and sent one of his afterimages after Gai. The afterimage tried to block the elbow strike, but the force it carried was too strong, and was shattered into nothingness. Still, it cost Gai much of his momentum, allowing the real Danzo to safely block the attack, before delivering a devastating counterattack with his afterimages.

"For a ninja that relies exclusively on taijutsu, you're quite strong, Maito Gai," Danzo began, as he pushed Gai backwards with a barrage of punches and kicks. "But against this power, mere taijutsu is no rival."

"Of course you'd have such an unyouthful view on power and strength!" Gai replied, as he tried to push Danzo and his afterimages back. "You've got your power by stealing it from other people! There's no point in having power if you didn't work to rightfully earn it!"

"Power is power, no matter how you acquire it," Danzo calmly said, as he made his afterimages to surround Gai, before they lunged at them from different directions.

"Gate of Healing, Open!" Gai's powerful chakra started to blow wind in every direction, but that didn't deter Danzo. However, the next thing would. "Konoha Earthbreaker!"

Gai focused as much chakra into his fist as possible, before smashing it against the ground, opening a large crater, and creating a powerful shockwave that pushed Danzo backwards and destroyed his afterimages. However, they reappeared besides the original a few moments later.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, Danzo has a point, that jutsu is powerful," Gai thought, as he adopted a defensive stance. "They're like Shadow Clones that follow Danzo and echo his actions, but he can command them to do something else. And while they're easy to destroy, they respawn almost instantly. Still, I can't give up! I'm confident that if I keep fighting, between Shisui-san and I we'll find a way to overcome that jutsu!"

That moment, Shisui landed besides Gai, his trusty tanto in his hand.

"Shisui, you fought against Danzo before," Gai spoke. "Any idea on what can we do to beat him?"

"We should turn this into a war of attrition," Shisui suggested. "Despite having Hashirama's cells, Danzo is still an old man, Both you and I have much more stamina than him. If we can overcome his jutsu, then let's wait until he tires out. All Mangekyo Sharingan jutsu comes with a high chakra cost, and I doubt that one's an exception."

"Not a strategy to my liking, but if there's nothing better, I'll have to swallow my pride and bow to your experience," Gai admitted.

"You aren't going to beat me with that trick again, Shisui," Danzo said, confident. "I know what my weaknesses are, and how to cover them. And once I'm done with you two, your eye will be-"

"As entertaining as it was to watch you lot fight," a new voice said out of nowhere. "I think it's about time to get back what it's rightfully mine."

"That voice..." the leader of Root said.

The three ninja quickly looked around, trying to find the hidden enemy. Then, a spiraling vortex formed a few meters from Danzo. And from said vortex, Obito Uchiha emerged. His mouth was curved in a confident smile.

"You again..." Danzo seethed, as he moved his body to face the Akatsuki, forgetting about Gai and Shisui for a moment.

"The hell!?" Shisui asked, as his eyes shifted back and forth between Danzo and Obito, unsure on whom he should focus.

"We meet again, Danzo," Obito said with the same informality one would address a longtime friend. "Funny how things turn out to be, huh? Many years ago, you took Shisui's eye before I took it away from you. Now, history repeats again with the Rinnegan."

"Danzo," Gai called the elder, his tone dead serious. Danzo quickly turned at him, the tension on his face constant. "Despite our current enimity, Obito and Akatsuki are our mutual enemies. Akatsuki can't take the Rinnegan back. If we join forces, we can defeat him easily."

"I can't believe I'm going to say this but... I agree with Gai," Shisui admitted, looking as if those words hurt him as badly as being branded with a burning iron. "There's nothing more than I want that cut that ugly head of yours from the rest of your body. But this is far more important than my revenge."

"Ah, isn't it beautiful, seeing deathsworn enemies not even five seconds ago joining forces to fight an even bigger threat?" Obito mockingly said, laughing a little. However, all trace of joviality disappeared after that. "Too bad such thing isn't going to happen again. Danzo, the time has come for the nine to become one."

For a reason neither Gai nor Shisui were able to understand, those words made Danzo stagger as if he had been hit with a hammer in the face. Obito then extended his hand as he walked towards Danzo.

"Now, Danzo, would you kindly give me the Rinnegan?" Obito asked.

Then, much to Gai and Shisui's shock, Danzo pulled the sealed tube from within his robe, and wordlessly handed it to the Akatsuki, who quickly stored inside the kamui dimension.

"Just one? Oh well, guess that'll have to work," Obito said, displeased, but resigned to do what he had been given.

"Danzo! What the hell!?" Shisui asked, his fury resurfacing twice as strong. "You... you fucking traitor! You were always with Akatsuki from the very beginning!"

"Oh, come on, don't blame poor Danzo," Obito said, as he patted the elder's shoulder a couple times. "After all, you should know better than anybody how hard is to fight Kotoamatsukami, right?"

Bith Gai and Shisui opened their eyes wide in shock.

"What... what did you say?" Shisui asked. It was him now who was staggering upon hearing Obito's words.

"You heard me. I have Danzo under my control. He has been like that for quite a few years, actually," Obito explained. "I might not have your eye anymore thanks to my lovely Rin, but the effect still lasts even if I no longer possess the eye."

"But that..." Gai began, trying to fight the shock. "How none of us noticed? How it is possible that...?"

"You see, when I first acquired Shisui's eye, I knew I had to put a high rank Konoha ninja under my control. The question was who. The Hokage? The Jonin Commander? The ANBU Commander?" Obito asked, before shaking his head. "No, I couldn't do that. I already tried that with Yagura, and look how well it worked. But Danzo, the leader of a division that officially doesn't exist? He was perfect. Plus, I knew Danzo was dealing with Orochimaru, so I could use him to spy on that snake as well. You see, if you set a tree on fire, people will see it and rush to put the flames out. But if you quietly poison its roots, nobody will notice until the rot becomes visible. And by then, it's too late."

"So that's why Danzo was feeding you information on the jinchuriki, right?" Shisui asked, his voice full of spite. "He was your puppet all along."

"More or less," Obito admitted with a shrug. "You see, I needed to leave Danzo with some free will, or else I'd have another Yagura in my hands. That's why I implanted an idea inside his mind in order to make him think that letting Akatsuki gather all other Tailed Beasts in a single place was the way to go. It was so subtle, nobody noticed it wasn't his idea at all, not even when he shared it with anybody else. Right, Shisui?"

The Uchiha patriarch gritted his teeth. When Danzo told him about his plans in their previous battle, at no point Shisui considered that the plan may not be Danzo's.

"And, of course, I also implanted a mental trigger that would make him completely subservient to me when the time was right," Obito finished his explaination. He then turned at Danzo, his eyes looking the elder in fake pity. "And now that you gave me the Rinnegan and can't use you as a spy anymore, I have no more use for you. Danzo, execute the Black Night protocol."

Those words seemed to have the same effect as the ones that put him under Obito's control. Gai and Shisui quickly prepared for the worst. While Obito disappeared inside his spiraling vortex, Danzo ripped his robe apart, leaving his chest exposed. Five black symbols appeared on it, one in the center, the other four around it in an X pattern.

"Sealing Art: Reverse Tetragram Sealing!"

Then, the five seals moved towards the center, merging into a pitch black sphere which started to expand. Without needing to trade words, both Gai and Shisui knew that they had to put as much distance from Danzo as fast as possible. Once the sphere reached the size of a house, it compressed, absorbing everything inside it into Danzo's body. Tree branches, leaves, rocks, soil, even small animals and insects were violently sucked in, and a second later, all that mass was burst in a massive explosion, putting an end to Danzo's long and sordid life.

…

A Few Hours Later, Undisclosed Location

Inside an underground chamber, Zetsu waited patiently. Not long ago, he and his boss were preparing the heist of the Rinnegan, when one of the White Zetsu clones told them that Danzo managed to steal them first.

Rather than being angry, Obito smiled, much to the vegetal being's confusion.

"This is excellent!" the Uchiha had said. "It seems that fortune smiles upon us once again. Wait here, Zetsu, I'll be returning shortly."

That was two hours ago. What the Uchiha was planning to do, Zetsu had no idea. However, his wait came to an end when the familiar spiraling vortex formed before him, and Obito emerged from it, his expression that of triumph.

"So..." the black half began. "Do you have the Rinnegan?"

Obito reached under his robe, revealing the sealed tube with a single Rinnegan floating inside it. Zetsu wasn't convinced.

"Just one?" the white half asked.

"Sadly, I was unable to acquire both," Obito said, as he tossed the tube at his inhuman minion, who easily caught it with one hand. "Fortunately, one Rinnegan is enough to complete the last phase of our plan. Now, time to work. I want you to remove my Byakugan and replace it with that Rinnegan. Konoha has the other one, and I need to bond with the Demonic Statue before any Konoha ninja does it first."

"Understood, boss. I'll prepare the operation room at once," the white half said, before sinking into the ground.

…

That Night, Hokage's Tower

After sucessfully recovering the Rinnegan, Jiraiya kept the sealed tube with him rather than put it on a safebox again, despite the threat of being stolen was pretty low now.

Wasting no time, he had his ANBU gather Tsunade, Hiruzen, Shizune, Itachi, Shisui, Konan, Takuya and Nori for an urgent meeting in the Council Room. Ten minutes later, all of those he had summoned were in the room, as well as several ANBU for added security.

Naturally, most eyes were on Konan. The ex-Akatsuki member was now wearing a collar with sealing patterns around her neck, on top of the chakra-supressing manacles. If Jiraiya, Tsunade or Naruto made a single hand seal, the collar would release an electric discharge, shocking her into submission. Fortunately, the blue haired woman accepted the security measure without raising a fuss.

"Thank you for coming so swiftly, especially at such late hour" Jiraiya said, as he pulled the sealed tube with the Rinnegan on it, and placed it on the table. "I think you can figure out why I summoned all of you here. We need to discuss what are we going to do with this eye."

"That eye is dangerous," Takuya spoke up. "Hokage-sama, you fought against Pain, and experienced firsthand what kind of power he had. If this eye falls into the wrong hands, it could be catastrophic."

"Sadly, it already fell into wrong hands, Takuya-san" Shizune interceded. "Obito managed to steal another one. We'll need this eye to match his power."

"I agree with Shizune-san," Nori said, as she shoot an apologetic look towards her father.

"You will need the eye if you want to release the trapped Tailed Beasts inside the statue," Konan interceded. "Destroying the eye is not an option, at least not now."

"I figured as much as well," Hiruzen stated, as he stroke his beard. "The question is, who's going to wield that eye? If it's anything like the Sharingan, then only a selected few will be able to tap into its powers without any drawbacks."

"Hiruzen-sama is right," Nori said, nodding. "Only a descendant of the Sage of the Six Paths who possess at least one half of Six Paths chakra can wield the power of the Rinnegan."

"That means only an Uchiha, Uzumaki or Senju can do it," Takuya helpfully added, before looking around. "Fortunately, we have plenty of suitable ninja from those three clans."

"So, the ones who can use that eye are Tsunade-sama, Naruto-kun, Hagane-kun, Kaida-chan, Sasuke-kun, Itachi, Shisui ad Karin," Shizune recounted. She left her own children out for obvious reasons.

"I'd leave Hagane and Kaida out," Jiraiya interceded. "They're way too young for such a responsibility. Not to mention that their bloodlines already brought them no small amount of misfortune."

"I think either Itachi or myself would be the best suited for it," Shisui began. "After all, we both wield the Mangekyo Sharingan and have experience with-"

He was interrupted by Tsunade slamming her hand onto the table, startled both him and everybody else.

"Like hell I'm going to let the eye of a god in the hands of a kid!" Tsunade energically protested. "As the most veteran ninja, as well as having both Senju and Uzumaki blood, I'm the best suited for the role."

"Kid? But I'm twenty seven..." Shisui weakly protested. Shizune gently patted his shoulder in consolation.

"Let it go, Shisui," Itachi interceded. "Your arguments are sound, but I think it's better if we let somebody else get the eye. The Uchiha Clan hasn't recovered in the eye of the public completely, and people might grow suspicious if one of us were to acquire the Rinnegan."

"I guess so..." the older Uchiha admitted.

"So, all in favor for the Rinnegan going to Tsunade?" Hiruzen asked.

Everybody raised their hands in approvation. Even Konan. This didn't go unnoticed, and got a few odd stares in her direction.

"I don't know if my vote really counts, but I do think that Tsunade-sama is the best candidate to use the Rinnegan," Konan stated.

"It's decided then. Let's do this as soon as we can. Shizune, take Tsunade-hime to the hospital, and begin the transplant," Jiraiya told the black haired medic. Shizune nodded, and both she and her master got up from their chairs and left the room, not before taking the sealed tube still on the table. Wordlessly, several ANBU followed them. "I will work on a mask with protective seals to ensure nobody will be able to steal the Rinnegan from Tsunade-hime. Konan?"

"Yes, sensei?" the bluenette asked.

"Of all of us here, you're the one most familiar with the Rinnegan and its abilities," Jiraiya began. "Do you think that you can train Tsunade-hime in order to master the Rinnegan?"

"Even if I never experienced such power myself, I saw Nagato using it countless times. I shall teach Tsunade-sama to the best of my ability," Konan stated.

"Excellent. Then, I think we can conclude this meeting. Hope we can end this crisis soon without having to spill more blood."

…

Next Morning, Torture and Interrogation, Underground Floor

Yakumo Kurama sat alone on a bench inside one of the cells under Konoha's Torture and Interrogation department. While she wasn't restrained, she was wearing a pair of metal bracers with chakra-suppression seals on them, as well as a collar with seals that could give her an electric shock if she did anything her captors would deem dangerous or even suspicious.

Despite the name, they had assured her that she would be neither tortured nor interrogated, mostly because what was left of her former boss, Danzo, could be stored inside a matchbox.

She had mixed feelings over such news. On one side, she was afraid that without Danzo to rein in the darkest parts of her power, nothing would stop another accident like the one which claimed her parents' lives from happening again. On the other hand, she felt relieved that that horrible man wouldn't control her life anymore.

Kurenai had promised Yakumo that together they'd find a solution to her problem that didn't involve Danzo's draconian measures. She wasn't sure if the raven haired woman could fulfill such promise, but for everybody's sake, she had to let her try at the very least.

She was snapped from her thoughts when she heard the sound of steps coming closer. A few seconds later, an ANBU appeared, followed by Kurenai. The ANBU opened the door of her cell, letting the raven haired woman in. She sat besides the brown haired girl as the ANBU locked the door once again. They spend a long moment in silence, without even making eye contact, until Kurenai decided to open her mouth.

"So..." Kurenai began, trying to shake off the awkwardness of the moment, as she rubbed her bare arm. "How are you? I hope they aren't treating you too bad."

"Don't worry, compared to what my life used to be under Danzo-sama, this is a spa," Yakumo softly replied.

Kurenai frowned a little. Despite the fact that he was dead, and that Yakumo never liked the man, she still used a respectful honorific to address him. Hopefully she could be able to correct that soon.

"Even then, I spoke with Anko, and we expect that you'll be out here soon, even if under probation," Kurenai reassured her, as she placed a conforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "Hokage-sama knows that no Root agent was working under Danzo by their own volition, and with him dead there's no risk of Root being rebuilt."

"I see," he said, not looking all that excited of being free. Truth be told, she has pretty much forgotten what it meant to be free. "What's going to be of me once I'm free? I have nowhere to go. I have no family anymore, and I can't return to Root."

Kurenai smiled at her. "You'll be living with us. Hiruzen-sama gave me permission to let you live in the Sarutobi Estate. I already got your room ready."

"Really?" Yakumo asked. "And... is everybody else okay with that? Aren't they afraid of letting a former Root agent near them or their children? Especially since I helped Danzo-sama kidnap a few..."

Kurenai frowned a little, as she squeezed Yakumo's shoulder a little tighter to drive her point further.

"Listen, Danzo's sins are only Danzo's, not yours," Kurenai insisted. "All of his unwilling accomplices, you included, deserve a second chance. And I have faith that you'll make good of that chance."

"I..." Yakumo began, before his mouth curved into a small smile. "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei. I promise I will make the best out of this opportunity."

Kurenai smiled back as well.

…

Downtown Konoha

The day after the invasion, and subsequent clash with Root, Jiraiya finally put in motion Konoha's reconstruction. Letters were sent to other villages telling them about what happened and asking for help, countless D-Rank missions were issued in order to help with the reparation efforts.

There were two things that greatly sped the reconstruction: one were the Chakra Golems, which proved to be an incredibly useful asset, as they could be used to remove and carry rocks, pieces of concrete, and debris away, while the humans focused on something else.

The second was a trio of ninjas that had an unique ability that was thought to be lost forever.

"Wood Release: Four Pillar House Jutsu!"

From the debris, a large, two story house made of wood emerged. It had glass-less windows, several balconies and a couple doors. Konoha's emblem was carved in the front. Even if it lacked glass, plumbing and electricity, it was completely habitable. Upon seeing the house emerge, people watching the display let out wild cheers.

"Ugh," Kaida said, as she fell to her knees, trying to regain her breath. "I'm the closest thing Konoha has to a princess, why I'm doing these handicrafts?"

"Because we're the only ones who have the power to do it," Tenzo replied, having erecting another house himself.

"Yes, you should take joy in knowing that your power will speed Konoha's recovery quite a lot," Rin replied, having raised another house as well. "Come on, we're almost done with this block."

"Can't we take a little rest? I'm winded!" Kaida whined.

"Come on, just a little more," Tenzo insisted. "I know firsthand this takes a lot from you, but the people of Konoha depends on us."

"Besides, it's a princess' job to take care of her subjects, right?" Rin asked with a cheeky grin. Kaida merely narrowed her eyes at her in anger.

"Plus, for all you talk about being the First Hokage's great granddaughter, you could try to emulate him a little more," Tenzo continued. "Did you know that he used this jutsu to create almost a hundred houses in one go?"

Kaida opened her eyes widely. She was aware that Hashirama used Wood Release to create the initial settlement that would become Konoha, but he couldn't imagine how he could build so many houses at once, when a single house left the white haired girl drained.

"R-Really?" she asked.

Tenzo nodded in confirmation. "You can ask your mother if you don't believe me. Now, you wouldn't want people to hold you as some sort of a pale imitation of Hashirama, would you?" Kaida merely shook her head wordlessly. "Then let's continue. Then I'll treat you to a snack."

…

Training Ground One

"Let's do it, Tsunade-sama," Konan stated. "Remember, think of the statue."

Tsunade nodded, bit her thumb, and formed five hand seals.

Training Ground One was a place not many ninjas had the chance to see. While it had nothing significant or extraordinary that made it stand out from the rest of the training fields –being just your standard grassy terrain with a few cluster of trees and some small lakes–, such place was the reigning Hokage's training grounds.

Which didn't get much use since the reigning Hokages don't have that much spare time to train as much as any other ninja would. Still, the fact that Jiraiya had a training ground all to himself –and whoever he decides to bring with him– was something he was being thankful for know, given the current circusmtances. Namely, the fact that they had a place to train Tsunade away from prying eyes.

The transplant had been a success, as expected. However, it was advised for Tsunade to rest a few hours before using the Rinnegan, so her body could familiarize with this new power. For protection, Jiraiya created an eyepatch with multiple protective sealing patterns that made sure nothing other than a S-Rank jutsu could break it. Due lack of space for the seals, the actual "patch" pretty much covered Tsunade's left side of her face from the nose up.

And now, deciding that she had rested enough, Tsunade was going to use the Rinnegan for the first time since her transplant, in order to summon and bind herself to the Demonic Statue.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Tsunade slammed her palm into the ground, producing a massive burst of smoke, accompained by a powerful wind blowing in every direction. Jiraiya held his breath.

"Did she...?"

But when the smoke dispelled, there was nothing there. Tsunade scowled, Jiraiya muttered a profanity, and Konan merely sighed.

"We were too late. Obito must have bonded with the statue already," Konan said, dejected. "And as long as he has the Statue and all the beasts inside it, he will be a threat to the world."

"In that case, I think it's about time we changed strategies," Tsunade stated, punching her palm. "So far, we only reacted to Akatsuki's movements. This time, we should track them down and pound them into dust."

"That's a good idea, if only we knew any of their general HQ," Jiraiya said, before looking at the bluenette. "Konan?"

"Our main based used to be Amegakure, thought that was mostly Nagato and I," Konan said. "We had multiple lairs hidden across the elemental nations, mostly in small countries without ninja villages, or very small villages, though they were more meeting points where the extractions took place, rather than actual bases.

"With how things are now, the leadership of Akatsuki falls upon Obito. And I'm one hundred percent sure Obito has assets of his own that neither me nor Nagato were aware of. Finding his base of operations isn't going to be an easy task."

"If you give me information on Akatsuki in general, my spies can make an educated guess on where Obito could have his base," Jiraiya said. "In the meanwhile, I think you should begin Tsunade-hime's training."

"Understood. Are you ready to begin, Tsunade-sama?" Konan asked.

"You can bet I am. We've wasted enough time already. Show me what I can do with this fancy eye," Tsunade said.

…

Sakura was walking down the street as she headed towards her destination. Unlike a good chunk of Konoha, the pinkette could appreciate that the damage to the buildings in this zone were minimal. She was happy for the people living there. She also rememberd that, during the Uchiha insurrection, her street had been among those ignored by the perpetrators, given that it was on a mostly civilian zone.

She wasn't this lucky now, given that Akatsuki's attack was more indiscriminate. Thankfully, her parents were evacuated to the shelters long before their house was brought down by the ensuing battles.

"Guess it only makes sense that you're the lucky one now, Ino," Sakura said to herself, as she reached her destination, the Yamanaka Flower Shop. "Given that the last time you lost something so precious."

Sakura opened the door, and greeted the people inside, expecting to see Ino, or at least her mother, in the counter.

"Good morning!" Sakura cheerfully said.

"Good morning, Sakura-san. It's nice to see you."

However, it wasn't either Ino nor her mother who returned the greeting, but a male voice. A voice she recognize, and filled her with irritation. It took the pinkette a few seconds to realize that Sai was in front of her, wearing a white apron with yellow flowers over his ninja gear, wiping the floor with a broom he was holding.

After the momentary lapse, Sakura's ninja instincts kicked in, as she quickly reached for a kunai, and tackled Sai, slamming the pale boy into a wall, causing a small tremor.

"YOU! What the hell are you doing here!? How did you escape!? You're going to kill Ino because she busted both you and your organization, don't you!?" the heated kunoichi demanded.

"Actually-"

"What was that noise...?" Ino asked, as she entered the store. "Sai, what are you- SAI!"

"You were lucky I caught this guy sneaking inside your store, Ino," Sakura proudly said, tightening her grip. "I'm sure he was planning to kill you!"

"What? No! Sakura, release him at once!" Ino demanded, as she rushed towards the two. "Sai is working here!"

Sakura felt as if somebody spalshed her face with cold water. Her grip lessened a little.

"What?" Sakura repeated. Upon seeing Ino's glare, Sakura complied, and released the former Root agent, who fell down on his butt. "Okay, I think I need to hear some explaination as for why this scumbag is working here."

"Sai isn't a sumbag," Ino said, as she helped the black haired ninja back on his feet. "And he's working here as a part of his rehabilitation."

"Uh?" Sakura asked.

"See, most of Danzo's agents didn't work for him willingly," Ino began to explain. "Many of them, such as Sai, were subject to heavy mental conditioning, and thus they can't be made responsible for their actions. So Hokage-sama started a program to de-condition them, so they can rejoin Konoha's proper ninja ranks, or become civilians if they wish so. I voulnteered my clan to take care of Sai for the time being."

"That's... so nice of you," Sakura said. "But aren't you worried that Sai might turn on you, or may do something-"

"Ino-san has nothing to worry about," Sai chimed in, as he lowered the neck of his shirt, revealing a collar with small sealing patterns inscribed on it. "If I went to do something inappropirate, Ino-san only needs to make a hand seal, and this collar will immobilize me via electric shock."

"Though I'm pretty sure we won't need to resort to that," Ino added, laughing a bit awkwardly as she patted Sai in the shoulder.

"Oh, I see.." Sakura said, as a feeling of guilt started to creep on her back for assuming the worse and assaulting Sai like that. "I'm sorry for attaking you, Sai. I got a little carried away."

"Apologies accepted, pinky," Sai said, smiling at her.

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "Pinky?"

"Do you find that nickname inappropriate as well?" Sai asked, his smile lessening a little, and his body tensing up.

"We still need to work on your nicknames, but it's an improvement," Ino interceded, before things could escalate any further. "So, wanna go to somewhere and have a coffee, Sakura?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you were free to hang out a little," Sakura said. "I have some free time."

"Sure. I can leave Sai in charge," Ino said, as she and the pinkette left the store, before turning at Sai one last time. "Be on your best behaviour, okay?"

"Don't worry, I'll be."

…

Sasuke was getting ready to leave his home for some routine training on his own when somebody knocked the door. That was weird, the only ones who ever visited the Uchiha brothers were Shizune and Shisui, and Itachi decided to give them a copy of the apartment's keys so they could drop by whenever they wanted.

Still, Sasuke decided to check who it was. Opening the door, he saw much to his confusion a young woman, who appeared to be a Hyuga, if her eyes were any indication, dressed like a maid, holding what appeared to be a box wrapped in a piece of cloth.

"Yes?" Sasuke asked, sounding a little suspicious. "May I help you?"

"Uh, hello. My name is Natsu Hyuga," the woman said, sounding a little nervous. "Uh, you must be Sasuke Uchiha, right?"

"Yes, I'm Sasuke," the Uchiha confirmed. "Do you have any business to do with me or...?"

"Actually, it was your brother I was looking for," the Hyuga girl replied. "Is he here?"

Sasuke rose his eyebrow, part confused, part suspicious. What did a Hyuga wanted to do with his brother? Then again, Itachi was old enough to fend for himself.

"Brother!" Sasuke yelled, as he walked back into the house, leaving the door open. Natsu interpreted it as being invited in, so he followed the younger Uchiha. "There's somebody here asking for you!"

The sound of steps could be heard, and Itachi walked out of a nearby hallway. She looked at the newcomer.

"Ah, hello," Itachi said, as he walked towards the young woman, clearly recognizing her. "You were among that group of Hyuga I helped during the Akatsuki attack, right? Your name was... Natsu?"

The Hyuga smiled tenderly. "Yes, that's me," she confirmed, before she handed the wrapped box at Itachi. "I wanted to give you this a sign of appreciation for helping us. If it wasn't for you, Kami knows how many Hyugas would have died then and there."

"I see," Itachi said, accepting the wrapped box. "I was only doing my duty. Thank you for the gift. It's very considerate on your part."

Itachi's line was followed by an awkward silence, the three of them standing there, not knowing what to say or what to do, and Natsu growing more restless, as she fidgeted constantly, shifting from one foot to another.

"Well... that's all I wanted to say. I hope you enjoy my gift," Natsu said, making a polite bow, before exiting the Uchihas' apartment.

Once the brother were again alone, Sasuke scolwed at Itachi.

"Are you going to tell me what was that about?" Sasuke asked.

"It isn't obvious?" Itachi replied, smiling a little. "I helped her and her clansmen during the invasion, and she decided to give me a gift in return."

"Aren't you going to open it?" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe later. Weren't you going to train?" Itachi replied, as he turned around and walked towards his room.

"Tch, whatever," the youngest Uchiha scoffed, before leaving the house.

…

Training Ground Twenty five

Thankfully, Naruto was released from the hospital the next morning after he was admitted. One of the very first things he did was to gather once again all the Sage apprentices, and resumed their training. Naruto was sure that, had all the trainees were Sages by the time Akatsuki attacked, the damage to the village would have been much smaller.

Fortunately, they covered most of the training before such attack happened. And when they resumed it, all of them were pretty close to becoming Sages themselves. Under Naruto and Fukasaku's watchful eyes, they saw how during the next two days all the trainees mastered the art of Senjutsu, the last day not even needing to use the anti-Senjutsu staff.

Like it happened with Naruto, the Sage trainees' developed colored marks around their eyes. Hinata had purple marks around her eyes that went down half her cheeks. Hanabi's were similar, but they were teal colored instead. Fu's marks had the shape of a winged insect, similar to a butterfly, the same color as her mint hair. Shisui's were black shaped like hooks at corner of his eyes, with one pointing down and the other pointing up. Shizune's were pink, extending from her eyes down her cheeks, in a way similar to the marks of the Inuzuka, only wider. Karin's were as red as her hair, and had the shape of an spiral that started from her eyelids and continued into her cheeks. Asuma had thin red lines on the sides and under his eyes.

"Hmmm... interesting," Fukasaku said, as he stood in front on Rin.

"Something's wrong, Pa?" Naruto asked the elder toad.

"This girl's marks," the toad said. "I already saw them before."

Rin's marks were forest green, starting from the eyes and extending towards her ears. There was an additional round marking in her forehead with a dot on it. The medic-nin felt the urge to say something, but she didn't want to break her concentration. She didn't want to mess it up when she was so close to achieve it.

"Yes, those marks... I remember seeing them on Hashirama Senju's face," Fukasaku said. "Is this girl related to him?"

"In a way, you could say that," Naruto confirmed, shrugging a little.

"I see. I thought that Tsunade-chan and her tadpoles were his only living descendants," Fukasaku said, rubbing his goatee. He then continued to inspect the rest of the Konoha ninja –and one Taki kunoichi– and review their progress. He nodded, seemingly content with what he saw. "Okay, I think that's enough. Guys, open your eyes and stop gathering nature energy! Wait a few seconds so the nature energy properly mixes with your chakra!"

They did as they were told. As soon as the nature energy mixed with their chakra stabilized, they started to feel the more immediate effects of Sage Mode.

"Whoa!" Shizune said in awe. "I... I can sense all the people in Konoha! It's as if I was a sensor!"

"Me too!" Shisui replied, just as giddy. "Coupled with the Sharingan, nobody is going to catch me off guard ever again! Hey, now that I think about it, can Sage Mode enhance the Sharingan in some away?"

"I'm afraid I have no answer for that question," Fukasaku said with a shrug. "For you're the first Uchiha who achieved Sage Mode."

"Really? Well, nice to be a pioneer at something," Shisui said with a nonchalant shrug. "The more fun I'll have figuring out the answer."

"Okay, now it's about time you guys learn the power behind Sage Mode!" Naruto cheerfully said, as he walked towards one of the many giant toad statues that he and Fukasaku had placed there. "Rin, get over here!"

The brown haired medic nin did as she was told.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"I want you to lift this statue with all your might!" Naruto said.

Rin looked at the statue with her eyes wide open. It was easily four meters tall, and while she couldn't tell how much it weighted, she could guess it would be above two tonnes. Physical strength was never Rin's forte, and she doubted that even with Sage Mode, she could do what the blond was asking her.

"Trust me, just try," Naruto said, his smile unwavering. "You're going to be surprised."

Wordlessly, Rin nodded, and crouched down, inserting her hands under the statue's bottom. Once she had a good grip of the statue, she tried to lift it with all her might...

"WHOA!"

And much to her shock, her arms easily lifted the statue above her head. It was as if it was made of plasticine. Then, she let the statue fall, making a loud rumbling noise, as if to remind everybody its actual mass.

"Incredible! I can't believe I lifted something so heavy!" Rin said, amazed, as she looked at her own hands.

"Bah, I could already do that before," Fu sneered with a dismissive hand wave. Then, her eyes opened wide as a realization dawned upon her. "Wait, then does it mean...?"

"What about ninjutsu? It is enhanced by Senjutsu as well?" Hanabi asked.

Before Naruto had the chance to ask, Hinata decided to do a test, and walked towards a nearby large rock –since she didn't want to risk breaking the toad statues–.

"Vacuum Palm!"

Hinata thurst her palm forward, and felt a huge force surging through her arm. However, rather than a vacuum shell or wave, Hinata's hand projected a large, lavender colored spectral arm, which grew bigger as it was released forward. When the spectral hand crashed against the rock, the boulder was shattered in a thousand shards and peebles.

The Hyuga Clan Head could do nothing but stare in disbelief at what she has just done. She stared at both hands in shock.

"Just... what was that?" she said, almost in a whisper.

"That was... AMAZING!" Hanabi loudly cheered, as she rushed towards her still dazed older sister. "How did you do it?"

"I... I have no idea," Hinata replied. "I was trying to use the Vacuum Palm."

"Maybe it's an effect of mixing Senjutsu with the Tenseigan?" Hanabi guessed.

"I wouldn't know, but it's a possibility," Hinata said, as she rested her chin on her hand. "Maybe we should talk with Nori-san and Takuya-san. They seem to know everything regarding the Tenseigan."

As the Hyuga sisters continued their discussion, another kunoichi decided to test her new capabilities.

"Hey guys, look at this!" Fu cheerfully called.

Everybody turned at the Taki kunoichi, and saw that she was lifitng two toad statues with a single finger each. They were all watched in a mixture of awe, shock, and a little terror. Everybody minus Karin, who merely crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the green haired girl.

"Showoff," she muttered.

"I believe that's all," Naruto said, clapping his hands once. "Congratulations! From this day onwards, all of you are Sages!"

"Be sure to use this ancient noble art responsibly," Fukasaku reminded them. "I'm sure you will need it for the conflicts to come.

"In order to celebrate, let's all go to Icharaku's!" Naruto cheerfully said. However, his cheer died when nobody replied in kind. He frowned, and crossed his arms. "My treat."

This time, he got the cheers he was eager to hear.

Author's Note: And thus, Danzo's life comes to an end. As many reviewers made it clear in their comments on past chapters that focused on Danzo, they couldn't wait to see him dead, so I hope you guys are satisfied now. I couldn't spoil it back then, but the plan was always for Danzo to die. I simply needed him alive to steal one of the Rinnegan, which in turn would be stolen by Obito. Since I had Jiraiya take Nagato's eyes, but I wanted to go with the Fourth Ninja War arc, I needed one of the Rinnegan to end on Obito's hands, and Danzo was the way to do this. Don't worry, you won't have to suffer him anymore.

I told many of you that there was going to be a revelation about Danzo that would make you see his past actions under a completely different light, and here you have it. Many reviewers complained that Danzo's reasons for helping Akatsuki were a bit dumb, and I told them that they were right, but there was a reason for that. This was the reason. His death is also the ultimate karmic retribution, given that Danzo wouldn't have been brainwashed by Obito if he didn't stole Shisui's eye to begin with. What's commonly known as poetic justice.

Now, onto the other Rinnegan. I know many of you wanted Naruto to get the Rinnegan, but sorry, no, that's not going to happen. I hate when authors turn Naruto into an overpowered Gary Stu, and I refuse to walk that path even if it costs me readers. Naruto is going to get his canonical power ups in the future, starting with control over the Nine Tails before he gets to fight again. Plus, I also needed Tsunade to have the Rinnegan for a future subplot to work.

Though, if it's any consolation, I also dislike the idea of Sasuke with a Rinnegan, so he won't get it in this story either.

Some people asked if I was going to give Itachi a love interest, given that Sasuke and Shisui have significant others. At first I wasn't going to give him any, since the only girl of Itachi's age group is Ayame, and I couldn't think in any way to hook them up in a realistic way. Then I realized that Natsu could looks to be Itachi's age as well, and told myself "hey, why not?". I know it's weird, but I hope you guys grow to like this pairing.

Also, Naruto's Sage students finally completed in training! Maybe too late for the Akatsuki invasion, but it will come in handy for the war. Sage Mode is my favorite power-up of Naruto, and I hated that so few people got to use it. Making more people Sages was also one of my goals with this fic. Oh, and on top of this group, there will be more Sages in other villages as well ;)

Thanks to Ookami88 for betareading this chapter.

The Kage Summit comes next, followed by the war! But as you can imagine, things are going to be very different from how they developed in canon. I hope you guys are as excited as I am for the arcs to come. Meanwhile, leave yours thoughts on this chapter in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!