Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto


Chapter 21 - The Sand and the Leaf


March 6th, 67 AFL

In the distance, far from the location of Team Kakash; Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki awoke from their state of mediation, "Hmm, not bad. They were able to defeat the sacrifices; impressive even if they did only contain about thirty percent of our chakra." Kisame said with a malicious grin.

"It was more than enough time, now come on Kisame we have to help the others finish the sealing and then I have somewhere I need to be," Itachi replied with the same stoic expression he always wore. Without another word the two Akatsuki members resumed their previous state, making contact with their accomplices and reporting how the Leaf ninja had fared. With that done the extraction of Shukaku neared its final stage.

Meanwhile Team Kakashi was making their approach now undeterred by their enemies and noticing an obvious lack of traps. To be expected the blonde of their group started going faster and faster but this time when someone went to tell him to slow down he argued back, "We can't waste anymore time, don't any of you understand? The extraction of Gaara's tailed beast has probably already started. We can't afford to waste another second." Naruto said with red in his eyes as he continued his frantic pace. Sakura shook her head and with a sad look she said,

"This whole thing is sick. Forcing children who are barely a few days old to become vessels for creatures that most people despise guaranteeing them a life of isolation and loneliness. How the hell could people do such a thing and how is it even possible." It was Lady Chiyo who responded to the cherry blossom first,

"Like I said earlier, it was Hashirama Senju who spread seven out of the Nine-Tailed Beast to different villages in order to maintain some level of peace and trust between them but this only lead to the Bijuu being used as weapons in the Great Ninja Wars. As for how to extract a Tailed Beast, it requires a powerful sealing jutsu as well as an enormous supply of chakra. However when a Tailed Beast is extracted from its host the jinchuuriki… dies." Chiyo as well as the group of shinobi looked at the blonde ahead of them who only responded with,

"I know... that's exactly what happened to my mother." Sakura looked to the ground and shed a tear. The pinkette remembered the day all too well that they had learned of Naruto's parentage and how they had sacrificed themselves for the safety of the village. She was also concerned about her baka and was deathly afraid that the same fate would befall him. Sakura's tears started to fall one after the other, unable to imagine a life without the blonde knucklehead she cared so much for by her side but before she could fall into anymore despair she felt a hand on her shoulder. Sakura looked over and saw Hinata with a comforting look and then back to Naruto who was more than likely forcing his usual grin but wearing it he was,

"Don't worry Sakura-chan remember I never go back on my word. I will save Gaara and I won't die until I become Hokage, believe it!" Naruto smiled at her one last time trying to convey that everything was going to be fine and without another word he faced forward in order to resume his pursuit of the Sand's missing Kazekage. Sakura felt a bit better knowing she had Hinata to help watch her baka's back as well as the fact that he seemed to be unafraid of their enemies but couldn't completely shake the worry from her mind.

At the exact same time the council of Suna was having an all too important meeting regarding the safety of the village. This went on for quite some time until a council member said, "With Lord Gaara missing we must start thinking about the next Kazekage." Kin and Kankuro went in to protest but were surprised when they were held back by stone faced Matsuri who simply shook her head. She then announced her presence to the council and took a seat before simply stating,

"Look I know how bad this is. I know how bad the Sand suffered during our search for the Third Kazekage and trying to locate Lord Gaara could put the entire village in danger." Matsuri took a deep breath before starting again, "However, Lord Gaara is one of the most important people in my life and I'm not the only one that feels that way. He is loved by many of the younger members of the village as well as his family and friends. The Leaf Village was even considerate enough to send some of the best shinobi they have just to help us get him back." Matsuri rose to her feet but addressed the council one last time with fire in her eyes,

"I really could give a damn what you old bastards want to do but as for me, Kankuro, and Kin we intend to take a team after Gaara and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop us." With that the soulmate of the Sand's Kazekage left the council members stunned and even some others slightly angry.


A few hours later Team Gai as well as Team Kakashi had determined that their members needed to rest. It was nearing the end of Sakura's turn to stand watch so she descended the trees and ended up landing right next to Naruto and Hinata. She took a few moments to listen to what they were saying and realized that the Hyuga princess was reading to their baka again. She walked over slowly and then her eyes lit up when she heard the main character's name,

"Hinata did you just say what I think you said?" Sakura asked as she leaned over her shoulder and tried to read a few passages herself. Hinata chuckled, "Yeah I know it's a weird coincidence right." Sakura shook her head, "That's no coincidence, Master Jiraiya was Minato Namikaze's sensei but I think that they were much closer than that old bastard originally told us. I mean look at the publication date, this had to have been one of his first novels; it wouldn't surprise me if Minato-sama had read this himself." Hinata looked at the book in confusion at first but it quickly shifted to elation,

"Naruto-kun Sakura's right, your parents might have even named you after this character; especially considering what a brave and powerful shinobi he is." "That would make more sense than naming him after fishcakes," Sakura added and couldn't help but giggle a little. The blonde smiled and then took the novel right out of Hinata's hands, holding it to his chest he proclaimed proudly, "Alright then, I'll be just like the Naruto in this book and make sure we can live in a world without hatred or pain." Naruto's face shifted into a light mischievous grin,

"But if I fail I know Shinachiku will finish my work." he finished and suddenly pulled out a pen and paper, taking notes and writing down ideas at an erratic rate. Sakura and Hinata looked at the blonde, a bit dumbfounded by his actions but after a few moments they realized he was writing a quick outline for his own story. The girls looked at each other and Sakura could tell Hinata was looking at her with the same expression that Ino had always stared her down with. Funny enough Sakura couldn't help but stare right back with a smile and she simply whispered, "First one to have a boy wins." Hinata's smile only grew larger as she replied, "Agreed." With that Hinata went out for her turn on watch duty leaving Sakura to simply watch Naruto compose page after page until she finally fell asleep.

As the cherry blossom of Team Kakashi drifted off into dreamland the bushy browed genin of Team Gai was busy doing pull ups on the branch he was supposed to be standing on in order to spot any potential enemies. Eventually Lee's cries of youth and declarations of determination were heard by the only female member of his team, "Lee what the hell are you doing, you're supposed to be watching out for enemies?" Tenten asked, causing Lee to descend from his tree and form his classic nice guy poise,

"Tenten-chan I'm getting in some extra training, you know how much I can't stand just sitting around doing nothing." He replied with a grin. Tenten sighed but only said, "Well go get some rest, it's my turn to stand guard anyway." "Right Tenten-chan," Lee exclaimed, actually saluting his teammate and following her order without question. Tenten sighed again but when Lee disappeared from view she couldn't help but smile, 'That idiot will never change.' She thought to herself fondly while pulling out some of her favorite weapons, making sure they were ready for any enemy they might encounter.

At the exact same time, back in Sunagakure, Kankuro and Kin were making their last few preparations before they headed out with Matsuri and the other Sand nin that had volunteered to go after the Kazekage. Kin was wondering what the hell to say to the puppet master she had spent over two years with and even if she didn't know what was going through his head she did know what it was like to lose someone. Luckily for her it was Kankuro who broke the awkward silence with a slight chuckle,

"What's so funny Kankuro?" Kin asked, completely bewildered by the outburst, "It's just you've always acted so cold and heartless but ever since my little brother was kidnapped and I was poisoned, you've been down right sympathetic. I just find it funny that it took this much time to finally get you to show your true feelings." Kankuro said and then turned to face the dark haired kunoichi who immediately turned away with a scowl, "Yeah well don't get used to it. I'm not like that loud annoying medic from the Leaf, I'm a true kunoichi and I'll kill anyone I have to in order to accomplish my mission." She replied harshly but the puppet master could see the faintest tint of red on her cheeks. Kankuro just sighed but then surprised the girl by using his chakra strings, wrapping her a close to him as he possibly could,

"Hey what the hell Kankuro-kun," Kin almost shouted but her blush deepened and she suddenly found the urge to drive a kunai through her heart, damn she hated this lovey dovey crap and it was a million times worse when it actually felt right. Before she could commit to the action her heart almost fell out of her chest when Kin heard Kankuro say, "Thank you for caring about me, my little brother, and my village. I honestly don't know what I'd do without you. I really do love you Kin, you know that right." With that the puppet master released his soulmate, grabbed his last piece of gear and left their room through the door leaving the ex sound nin flustered, confused, and even a bit annoyed. Eventually she regained her sense of awareness and huffed,

"Asshole and you know I love you too." Were Kin's last words before she gathered her own belongings and quickly darted out of the room to catch up to Kankuro. Unbeknownst to any ninja in the Five Great Nations, the true mastermind of the Akatsuki was busy looking over the bodies that Team Kakashi and Team Gai had left behind. He laughed before leaning over and in the shadows of the moon he began to devour their remains.


March 7th, 67 AFL

Early the next morning Team Kakashi as well as Team Gai resumed their pursuit of the Akatsuki, hoping they would reach the Kazekage in time. Meanwhile near the borders of the Sand, Temari was in state worry and distress wondering what the hell had become of her youngest brother. She was busy giving orders to the less experienced shinobi when she suddenly received word that a message had arrived for her. She immediately wanted to hear the message, hopeful it was news related to Gaara but instead she was surprised when she realized it was a letter from that troublesome Nara.

Slightly agitated, she opened the message and was surprised by Shikamaru's words of comfort. It was so unlike the lazy bastard to actually send her a message, let alone one that was so sympathetic and understanding. By the time she had finished reading, she actually managed to smile a little and wrote down her own message of appreciation.

Meanwhile Team Kakashi was now making incredible time, most noticeably because there was a severe lack of traps and obstacles in their way. The shinobi all noticed this but it was Lady Chiyo who voiced their concerns, "They believe they stalled for long enough which means the extraction is almost complete." Suddenly all the members of their group felt a chill go down their spines. They looked on ahead and saw Naruto enveloped in a one-tailed cloak of demon chakra, his speed increasing by the second,

"Naruto calm down, we don't know anything for sure yet, remember!" Kakashi shouted and just as ordered the blonde focused his mind and his cloak rescinded but slight spots of red and orange chakra were still swirling around his body. "Is that boy what I think he is?" Chiyo asked. Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes, Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox spirit and just like Gaara grew up with barely any friends. He was feared by the majority of the village so Naruto knows what Gaara's been through better than anyone." Kakashi turned his face so that he was looking directly at the elderly woman, "Naruto's dream is to become Hokage so when Gaara was named Kazekage he was truly happy for his friend but now that this has happened I can only imagine how angry he is."

"I see," Chiyo replied, "I was one who sealed Shukaku in young Gaara and doomed him to that existence. At the time I truly believed I was helping my village but now…" Chiyo looked at the two girls behind them and then to the blonde in front still leaking the slightest bits of tailed beast chakra, "Now I'm wondering if everything I've ever done has been right or wrong," she let out a sigh before finishing, "Maybe it's time to entrust the future to them."

Just as the experienced Sand kunoichi finished this statement, just a few miles away, the leader of Sunagakure saw his life flash before his eyes before they finally shut as the last bits of Shukaku's chakra left his body. As soon as the deceased Kazekage's body hit the floor, several miles away the person who loved Lord Kazekage the most let out a deafening scream and felt like her very soul had been ripped in two. She fell to her knees, grasped her heart and while hyperventilating, she repeated, "No, No, Kami NO!" Marsuri knew before anyone else that they had failed and Lord Gaara was dead.

Not an hour later Team Gai and Team Kakashi found themselves standing just outside of the Akatsuki hideout. They had Neji and Hinata use their Byakugan to try and see inside but they were unable to collect any useful intel. They did however notice something in the cave that nearly frightened them both to death. The group quickly realized that the door was sealed tight and that it would require the removal of five different tags, scattered in various locations around them. Team Gai volunteered to remove the four tags scattered around the area while Team Kakashi removed the one at the hideout's entrance.

After a quick group cheer, that Naruto wanted his team to do as well but was effectively shut down by everyone in the group, Team Gai raced to their positions. At the same time within the cave Deidara and Sasori realized they had some new friends just outside. Realizing that one of them was a jinchuuriki they asked Itachi what he knew about him. In classic Uchiha fashion, Itachi said nothing at first but was finally ordered by Pain to divulge his intel which unfortunately for Deidara and Sasori wasn't very much. Just as the Akatsuki meeting was adjourned they both heard a loud bang behind them. They turned around quickly and Deidara took a seat on top of the deceased Kazekage, his disrespect and lack of remorse ever apparent. There standing in the doorway was Team Kakashi and Lady Chiyo ready for battle.

"What the hell are you doing, get the hell off of him you bastard!" Naruto screeched in anger while his nine-tails chakra started leaking out faster and faster. "Byakugan!" Hinata said and quickly scanned Gaara's body but as she did she quickly realized that they had failed. "Naruto-kun, we're… we're too late… Gaara he's… he's dead."

"You… You… killed my friend. I'll… I'll… annihilate you for what you've done you scumbags!" Naruto roared while his hatred and malice only increased more and more. "Well Itachi wasn't kidding, he does bark quite loud don't you think Sasori my man," Deidara said with a grin. "I think I'll take this one too if you don't mind." "Don't push your luck Deidara, you've already lost an arm you fool," Sasori replied with annoyance. Deidara got to his feet, scoffed, and then put one foot on top of the Kazekage's corpse,

"Sasori my man, trust me this one will be far easier to kill than this pathetic thing." Diedara said while referring to Gaara, "I wonder if he'll scream like a bitch just like this one did when we extract his Bijuu." Naruto was right on the edge of losing control but he was successful at holding back for the moment at least,

"What the hell do you people want to accomplish by taking so many innocent lives? Can't you see the devastation and pain that you're causing the shinobi world?!" Deidara only chuckled cruelly, "Do you think we care, I mean seriously we've already killed two jinchuuriki and no one gave a damn about them."

Back with Team Gai, after removing the tags an unknown jutsu activated and produced a perfect clone of each member of their team. Team Gai began their difficult battle against their doppelgangers hoping they would be in time to help their comrades. Meanwhile back at the hideout, Deidara had had enough arguing with his partner and after forming a huge bird made entirely of clay he had it swallow the Kazekage's body whole. He got on the odd creature himself and took to the sky,

"Come on Nine-Tails lets see if you're strong enough to take your demon brother away from me." The Akatsuki member flew out of the hideout without another word and Naruto started chasing after him but was held back, "Naruto-kun please, I'm sorry but Gaara is already dead. He's just using his body as bait to get to you," Hinata tried to explain but uncharacteristically the blonde ignored her words and even glared at her,

"I don't care, I'm getting him back even if I have to do it alone." Naruto said and then chased after the rogue nin, "Damit, Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, Lady Chiyo, I'll go with Naruto for now, can you three please hurry and defeat the puppet freak. We may need your help if things go badly." Hinata semi ordered which was ironic considering she was the only genin in the group but Kakashi nodded nonetheless knowing if anyone could get Naruto to calm down it was Hinata or Sakura. As the Hyuga princess vanished from view, he uncovered his Sharingan and got ready to help Chiyo and Sakura battle the deadly puppet master thinking the three of them would take him down quickly and be able to regroup with the others.


"I can't wait to see your face again Sasori," Chiyo said with a frown. Sasori just glared and suddenly Sakura felt a chill run down her spine, "Don't worry Sakura, remember you have us right here next to you and I'll be damned if I lose another one of my students." Kakashi said trying to ease the pinkette's anxiety. "That's right dear, just stand back," Chiyo added and without another word she brought out several kunai connected by her chakra strings,

"Assault Blade!" Chiyo's kunai all flew toward Sasori at an incredible speed but the Akatsuki member was able to counter using his tail deflecting the blades. He snickered believing he had countered her attack with ease but just as he managed to repel his grandmother's attack, Kakashi appeared just behind him, "Lightning Blade!" "Is that the best you can do," Sasori shifted his body so that he was standing on all fours and before the jonin's attack made contact the puppeteers tail whirled around and sliced him in the chest. Luckily for Kakashi all Sasori had managed to do was dispel his Shadow Clone leaving the original jonin completely unharmed,

"Damn, he's good but we have to hurry, I'm worried about Hinata and Naruto," Kakashi stated, "I was saving this as a last resort but it looks like I have no choice." Kakashi turned to his teammates and asked, "Can you two hold him off while I build up my chakra." "Oh Kakashi leaving an old lady and little girl to confront an Akatsuki member alone, your jutsu better be worth it," Chiyo replied. Kakashi chuckled at the elderly woman's sarcasm, "Yeah it should do the job but we're going to have to get to his real body first, my sharingan senses his chakra coming somewhere inside that puppet he's using for a body." "Oh so you see Sasori's secret then," Chiyo said. "What secret?" Sakura asked, causing the elderly woman to frown,

"That thing Sasori's been using as a body is what is known as a living puppet. A puppet made from the body of real people." Sasori began to chuckle menacingly, "That's right granny and once I get you three you'll bring my collection to a total count of three hundred and one." Chiyo explained the origin of Sasori's Hirako puppet and how he was once a shinobi from their village until he was turned into a living puppet by Sasori. "Unfortunately it would appear that he's upgraded it since I last saw it," the sand kunoichi explained. She turned, looking directly at Sakura, "You possess Tsunade's monstrous strength, only you can destroy that puppet Sakura but remember." Sakura gulped and nodded, "Right, if I get hit at all his poison will finish me."

"Exactly so listen well child…" Chiyo whispered her plan to Sakura but Sasori wasn't going to let them conspire all day and attacked ruthlessly and without mercy. Unfortunately for him Sakura and Lady Chiyo managed to avoid every single one of his attacks, 'Damn them, find I'll go for the jonin instead,' Sasori thought but once he struck his target it vanished in a puff of smoke, "Another Shadow Clone!" "Hey you're fighting us remember!" Sakura yelled, 'Shit, I let down my guard, there's no time to dodge.' Were the Akatsuki member's thought's before he heard,

"Now take this my new Super Cherry Blossom Crush!" A shockwave shook the whole hideout as soon as Sakura's fist connected and the Hirako puppet was shattered into nothing more than kindling. Sakura backed away next to Lady Chiyo, "I've waited over twenty years, now I finally get to see my grandson's face, what!" Sasori began chuckling again and Sakura looked to Chiyo, "What's wrong that's him isn't it?" Sakura asked while Chiyo looked on in disbelief for a moment before saying,

"Oh I see Sasori that's why you haven't aged." Sasori's chuckle evolved into a dark laugh as he replied, "You really are smart grandmother, that's right but before I sully my hands myself let's see how you handle this!" Sasori quickly pulled out a scroll and summoned the puppet contained inside, "No… How could you Sasori, you're the one who killed the Third Kazekage and now the Fifth can you possibly sink any lower!" "Wait the Third Kazekage?" Sakura asked and Chiyo was forced to quickly what happened to the most powerful Kage Suna had ever seen. "Not to mention the fact that he's also responsible for the death of Gaara's father."

"Have you gone senile you old bat, it was Orochimaru who did that and he wasn't even part of the Akatsuki at that point," Sasori replied in annoyance. "Wait you know that snake freak?!" Sakura barked, causing the rogue nin to turn to her, "Yes actually although weren't not friends, in fact I have a spy I need to meet a few days from now so I hope you don't mind…" Sasori reared his chakra stings and smiled sickly,

"If I kill you quickly!" The puppet of the Third Kazekage launched at Sakura attacking full force, unleashing deadly weapon after deadly weapon. The pinkette managed to dodge all of his attacks thanks to Chiyo subtly controlling her body with her own chakra strings but giving Sakura enough freedom to dodge herself should the need arise. The kunoichi thought they were slowly gaining ground until Sasori unleashed a devastating attack that forced Sakura to ground though she had managed to dodge every single one the puppets poisonous weapons. She thought she was in the clear but Sasori laughed cruelly,

"Try to escape this!" Suddenly the Kazekage puppet launched an enormous amount of deadly poison into the air but just before it hit Sakura she heard,

"Did you forget what I said, I refuse to lose another student, Mangekyou Sharingan - Kamui!" Without warning a rip in the literal fabric of reality appeared just in front of Sakura and all of the deadly poison was sucked inside, 'Dammit, I wanted to use that at the source of that puppets chakra, looks like I'll just have to try again,' the jonin thought before he rushed to Sakura's side and retreated back to Lady Chiyo's position.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei, that new jutsu is amazing," Sakura said in gratitude. "Don't worry Sakura that's what I'm here for but we have to hurry," Kakashi replied. "I know, Naruto-kun and Hinata probably need our help," Sakura reminded their group, "So we have no choice, we'll beat him right now!"

"You shouldn't tell lies girl, now all three of you die!" Sasori said and before they knew several of the puppet's weapons shot directly at the shinobi, 'Shit, my Kamui isn't ready,' Kakashi thought but luckily Chiyo had an answer. She quickly summoned two puppets based on Sasori's parents and used them to defend. Sasori and Chiyo began their puppet battle, Sasori using the living puppet of the Third Kazekage while she used the puppets she referred to as the Father and Mother puppets. Kakashi and Sakura watched on intently waiting for any chance they could to help but suddenly Sasori revealed the Third's hidden jutsu The Iron Sand.

The Iron Sand started devastating the wooden Father and Mother puppets and in an attempt to counter his jutsu Kakashi tried using his Lightning Style but Sasori anticipated this and managed to knock the jonin down, infecting him with his deadly poison but luckily he was still alive and only slightly injured. Seeing the devastation Chiyo ordered Sakura to run but the pinkette adamantly refused. This unfortunately gave the Akatsuki member the time he needed for another devastating attack, sending everything his puppet had at the two kunoichi. Chiyo was barely able to put up a defense in time but she somehow did; saving herself and Sakura although her puppets were now slightly damaged.

"Well grandmother it looks like this is the end, two puppets and three people. Now who will die!" Sasori used his puppet to form three Iron Shards and launched them directly at his targets but luckily Chiyo had a solution. She quickly sent the Father puppet to shield Kakashi while the Mother went to shield Sakura,

"Lady Chiyo No!" Sakura yelled but when the smoke cleared Chiyo was giving her usual chuckle having saved herself with her arm that had been replaced with that of a puppet. Unfortunately the Father and Mother puppets took the full force of Sasori's attack and were rendered useless. The elderly sand kunoichi was now breathing heavily; almost at her limit and as she looked directly at the monster her grandson had become she reflected on her past, wondering what she could possibly do now to rectify all of her mistakes. Her gaze slowly drifted to the young medic she had met only a few days before. She saw the cherry blossom had subtly made a Shadow Clone and sent it over to discreetly give the antidote she had created to Kakashi. Chiyo chuckled a little before acknowledging the real Sakura,

"Sakura dear." "Yes Lady Chiyo," the pinkette replied. Chiyo gave the younger kunoichi a small smile before saying, "You were serious when you wanted to create a world where no one has to die an unnecessary death, weren't you?" "Of course," the pinkette replied, slightly confused by the old woman's question. Her smile grew a bit bigger as she said, "Then I'll entrust everything to you," she turned back to her grandson who was smirking at the state of his opponents. "When my time comes, whether it's today or ten years from now I want you to have everything I possess, including my journals regarding deadly poisons and my diaries."

"Lady Chiyo I couldn't, I mean…" Sakura said unable to comprehend what the old woman was saying, "But those belong to the Sand Village, the council will never let me just have those, even if it is what you want Lady Chiyo." The elderly kunoichi only chuckled, "True they'll keep my best works from you but they have no right to dishonor my final wish." Sakura really didn't know how to respond so all she could say was,

"Thank you Lady Chiyo, I am forever in your debt." Chiyo shook her head and turned back to their opponent, 'No child, it is I who is forever in yours,' she thought. "Now Sakura take your Sensei and leave this to me, I'll finish this battle myself." In response Sakura simply stood right next to the Sand kunoichi,

"Sorry Lady Chiyo but I protect my comrades until the very end; no matter what you say or how bad the odds are I promise, I will never abandon you!" Chiyo could only chuckle again, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, fine then Sakura do you have a plan?" "I do," the pinkette replied with a foxy grin. Chiyo simply nodded in agreement and at this point Sasori had had enough of this sentimental garbage. He sent in the puppet of the Third Kazekage once again; hopeful he would finish these two easily but to his surprise Sakura had allowed herself to be Chiyo's puppet once again. Sakura and the puppet of the Third threw one devastating blow after another, their battle becoming so violent that the very roof of the base they were fighting in caved in. Sakura was losing ground as well as chakra and slowly she started remembering her training with Lady Tsunade. She began to analyze the movements of Sasori's hands and it wasn't long before she was able to memorize his patterns however Sasori was determined to end this now.

"You annoying little bitch, try and dodge this, Iron Sand - Needle Sphere!" Suddenly spikes made of the iron itself rained down over the entire battlefield and Sakura thought they were all about to die. That was until she saw her sensei had recovered and was standing right in front of her,

"Don't worry Sakura I'll handle this, "Mangekyou Sharingan - Kamui!" Kakashi's jutsu was enough to send the spikes that were coming toward the two Leaf ninja to another dimension sparing them from any injuries but unfortunately Lady Chiyo was outside of the safety zone. The Sand kunoichi was hit several times though she was still conscious and able to fight. Sasori smiled at the devastation before he realized that he had missed two of his targets and before he could react,

"Rasengan!" Sakura shouted; shoving an orb of blue chakra directly into the Third Kazekage puppet and causing it to shatter in the process. Sakura immediately retreated back to Lady Chiyo and administered her the final dose of antidote they had in their possession. Meanwhile Sasori was once again chuckling cruelly and then he said,

"It's been a long time since I've had to use myself." Sasori revealed himself to be a living puppet as well and started attacking the younger kunoichi without mercy. Just as Sasori was about to land a blow on Sakura Chiyo managed to pull her out of harm's way,

"Stand back Sakura this fight is beyond you now," Chiyo said and suddenly summoned her legendary multiple digits, ten of her finest and strongest puppets. Sasori was more than pleased, "Grandmother I've heard stories of those puppets, being able to destroy an entire village is impressive but…" Sasori pulled out his own scroll and shouted,

"But I used these to destroy an entire nation, Secret Red Move - Performance of a Hundred Puppets!" Sasori's army of a hundred puppets stood intimidatingly over the three shinobi and once again Chiyo told Kakaski and Sakura to leave but being the shinobi that they were; it was completely out of the question. The Leaf nin charged in while Chiyo used her puppets to defend them against Sasori's army.

Every puppet they would take down would give Sasori better control over the others but somehow they were able to avoid every one of Sasori's poisoned weapons. Eventually Kakashi and Sakura got close to the puppet master, "Sakura you see that weird symbol on Sasori's chest; that's where I'm sensing his chakra coming from." Sakura nodded and Kakashi continued, "I'll head in and try to destroy it but watch my back ok."

"Right sensei I got it, cha!" Kakashi pushed his sharingan to its absolute limit as he cleared a path to his target and when he was finally in range, Lightning Blade!" He shouted but just as his attack hit the puppets body he realized that somehow his target had escaped. He turned around quickly just in time to see Sasori coming up from behind him and going for the kill but just before the deadly blade met Kakashi's throat he heard,

"You will not kill my sensei, Rasengan!" Sakura screeched and landed her attack right into Sasori's weak spot, sending him back into the wall; his container so damaged by the attack that it refused to leave it's current body. He tried to use his chakra strings to connect to his remaining puppets but it was all in vain as he realized his chakra and very soul were slowly leaving it's container. Sasori couldn't believe it but in just a few moments he knew he would be leaving this world and there would be no coming back. Sasori started laughing; borderline in shock that he had lost,

"Hahaha, well done, I think you two actually deserve a reward." "What are you talking about?" Kakashi asked. "Hehe, ten days from now, at Tenchi Bridge; I'm supposed to meet the spy I mentioned before. You know the one watching Orochimaru for me but I guess I won't be…" Were Sasori's last words as the puppeteer's soul was finally put to rest. Kakashi sighed in relief before covering up his Sharingan,

"Sakura, heal Lady Chiyo and hurry." "Right sensei already on it and I know, I'm super worried about Naruto-kun and Hinata; we were fighting Sasori for far too long." True to her word Sakura was able to heal the puppet master albeit not fully due to the old woman's stubbornness and the trio finally made their way after their comrades. At the exact same time Team Gai was successful in defeating their doubles; proving that they had become even stronger than when they had first arrived and they too began their pursuit after Naruto, Hinata, and the Akatsuki member Deidara.


As the battle between Sakura, Kakashi, Lady Chiyo, and Sasori began; just outside of the hideout Naruto Uzumaki confronted the Akatsuki member who had taken Gaara's body, Hinata following closely behind. "Slow down you bastard!" Naruto barked and in an attempt to get close to the rogue nin, unsealed a scroll full of several kunai and launched them directly at Deidara. Unfortunately for Naruto his target managed to avoid the attack,

"Is that the best you can do Nine-Tails!" Deidara mocked but when he looked at his target he discovered the blonde was gone, "What the…" "Now take this Rasengan!" Naruto shouted having used his father's technique to teleport to one of the launched kunai as it was in mid air and then used his Shadow Clones to close the distance between him and his enemy even more.

"Don't think you've won your techniques are a joke compared to my art." Deidara said as he used his hands to prepare his explosive clay and just before Naruto reached his target he unleashed the devastating attack. The blonde took the full brunt of the explosion and was sent back to the ground hard but he somehow managed to recover. 'Damn him, he had to be a long distance fighter. What the hell are we supposed to do now,' the blonde thought in annoyance.

'Let me out Naruto, I'll destroy that pathetic fool for you and get your friend's corpse back.' A voice Naruto knew said in his head and for the first time Naruto actually wished it was that damn fox. He tried ignoring the voice by focusing on his target,

"Naruto-kun, calm down please; don't you see we're totally outclassed right now. The best thing to do is hang back and hope Kakashi-sensei and the others show up soon." Hinata tried to explain but that only resulted in a low growl from the blonde and laughter from their enemy.

"If you actually think your friends stand a chance against my man Sasori than your dumber than you look. I have to admit though I am quite surprised; including Gaara we've already captured two jinchuuriki but this is the first time I've heard of anyone actually caring for those disgusting creatures," the Akatsuki member replied with glee. Naruto looked to the ground in anger before his normally blue eyes shifted to red and two long tails shot out of his body,

"Finally the beast shows himself I've been waiting to see your true power monster," Deidara said completely unaffected by the Two-Tailed cloaked Naruto.

"A monster huh; fine I'll show you everything this monster can do, Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto roared and with it an army of clones poofed into existence and charged the enemy nin full force. Deidara only smirked before molding his clay into several small insects and sent them in to counter the clones. The rogue nin actually smiled at the several explosions that soon followed leaving not a single clone standing,

"I told you you're two weak, come on I know you can do better than this." Deidara continued to mock, 'Let me out Naruto,' the voice in the blonde's head repeated again and again. "Screw off both of you!" The blonde screeched before saying aloud, "Fine then let's see if you can handle Three-Tails!"

'Three-Tails,' Hinata thought, 'That's Naruto's absolute limit, if he pushes it any farther the Nine-Tails's chakra will become too much for him to control and he'll risk releasing it.' Naruto tried to attack again but just as before Deidara would either use his great mobility or explosives to avoid every blow,

'Damn, he's just getting faster and faster, I can't keep this up forever so…' Deidara got a sick looking grin and decided to taunt the blonde jinchuuriki just a little more. He turned around and flew even higher into the sky, "Alright monster come and get your brother!" "I'll kill you!" Naruto screeched as he threw his kunai straight toward the creature made of clay,

'That's it' "Now die!" Naruto braced himself for the attack but it never came and then his heart stopped as he heard one violent explosion after another. He turned around in midair just in time to see Hinata swallowed by the wave of explosions and finally he heard her deafening scream and then, nothing. He immediately retreated to the impact zone and looked around frantically for the Hyuga heiress but she was nowhere in sight.

"No, Kami no…" the blonde said completely in shock at this point. Then he heard the voice again, 'See what happens when you ignore my wishes, my current vessel. Now the girl who has loved you since before you even knew what love was is dead and it's all your fault. All because you had to save the body of a friend who's already long gone; if you had just let me out this would have never happened. Such a pity but it's still not too late Naruto, at least for revenge!'

Naruto found himself in that disgusting sewer again; standing in front of the Nine-Tails cage. Opposite him was his first incarnation offering his hand a malevolent smile plastered on his face, "Naruto don't listen to him, he's become just like that bastard Orochimaru. He only wants your body and if you give him control for too long Asura will take over permanently." Kurama said, causing Asura's grin to shift to him,

"Surprising Kurama, that you would care so much for this boy but have you forgotten. I'm not the one who murdered his parents, why should he believe anything you have to say?" Asura replied and the Nine-Tails let out a roar, "I may hate the kit but you're a hundred times worse and I refuse to be controlled by anyone; especially someone as crazy as you've become. If you're gone then Naruto and I can have fun killing each other over this body but until then I'd rather work on getting rid of you." Asura laughed and then faced Naruto whose eyes were completely glazed over as if the boy's spirit had completely shattered,

"So what will it be Naruto; trust in your parents killer or let me take control of all of our power and guarantee that pathetic weakling's death. In the end it's your decision." Naruto's lifeless eyes regained the smallest bit of awareness and he looked up to meet Asura's gaze. Slowly his head turned to Kurama and then back again to Asura,

"You will not take control forever and if you even think about hurting anyone I consider precious, I promise you won't have to worry about being reborn again but for now… Grant me the power to put down this evil prick!" Naruto said before shaking Asura's hand and suddenly a surge of chakra erupted from the blonde's body.

"What the hell," Deidara said now observing the Leaf jinchuuriki with curiosity at his sudden change of demonar. 'Has he tapped into even more of the fox's chakra, his presence feels completely different from before.' The Akatsuki member thought and then his eyes finally met the blonde's which were filled with a sick sense of calm and something he couldn't quite identify.

"What Naruto Uzumaki, you think that the demon inside of you giving you a little more chakra will make any difference," Deidara said. The blonde's expression slowly shifted into a menacing grin as he replied,

"Sorry, I'm not Naruto." Deidara blinked and his opponent was gone, "Rasengan!" Before he could do a thing the blonde had jumped into the sky and shoved his signature jutsu right into his creature made of clay. The hideous creation was blown to bits and now the two fighters as well as the deceased Kazekage were free falling through the sky.

Deidara was taken aback but quickly recovered and started to form hand signs with his only remaining limb but just before he could complete his jutsu his eyes met dark red, "Hard to do jutsus with just one hand isn't it? Oh I know why don't we see how you manage with none." Asura focused all of the wind chakra he had into his right arm and with deadly precision he used it to slice Deidara's remaining arm right from his body.

The Akatsuki member let out a wail of pain before seeing his target look at him with satisfaction and noticing his five bright red tails rearing back, "Now, let's see you survive this." Without another word all five chakra tails slammed into Deidara hard, sending him flying far off into the distance and completely out of sight, "Hmph, I used too much power and now I don't know where he is." Asura growled in irritation,

"And I doubt he'll be very easy to find now that I've taken his remaining arm away from him," the son of the Sage of Six Paths chuckled before adding, "If he even survived that attack, now I wonder where I can find those Uchiha bastards." Asura landed on the ground and that's when he sensed a presence he knew had been watching this whole time,

"Ah Hinata of the Hyuga clan, it's nice to meet you." He said while turning around to face the Hyuga heiress who had managed to catch and save Gaara during Asura and Deidara's battle. "Naruto-kun that's enough, you don't have to fight anymore. I have Gaara right here in my hands so let's head back now ok." Hinata said, completely ignoring Asura's words and attempting to reach the boy inside that she loved so much. Asura said nothing but his smile grew more cynical as he walked closer to her,

"Do you really think anything you say will make a difference. Face it, Naruto is gone and I'm the one in the driver seat now, as a matter of fact it's been a long time since I've had any fun. What do you say, Hinata-chan?" Asura walked in and attempted to kiss her but Hinata just backed away and slapped him as hard as she could,

"Naruto-kun I know you're in there, you have to fight it. Did you forget your ninja way? Remember Naruto Uzumaki never gives and he never surrenders to anyone, now fight!" Hinata screeched in his face. Asura rubbed the cheek Hinata had slapped before grabbing her wrist,

"You bitch I'll kill yo… AHHHH!" Asura grabbed his head and closed his eyes while screaming in pain. In the background he could hear the Hyuga bitch cheering for the return of her Naruto-kun but that eventually faded into absolute silence.


As Asura overpowered Deidara on the outside, the inner world of Naruto Uzumaki was slowly disintegrating into nothing. The pipes scattered around the dark sewer started bursting at the seams and Kurama could see Naruto's memories flying along the walls at an erratic rate. Suddenly the walls themselves cracked and started spewing water as well. With a shake of his head the Nine-Tails was finally able to spot what he was looking for.

Laying facedown, his face and body already submerged; the demon fox could see the boy's mind slowly fading. His arms and legs had already started deconstructing and it looked like the sewer itself was about to consume him whole. Kurama scoffed at the state of his jinchuuriki before letting out his loudest roar and in an attempt to rouse the blonde shouted,

"How pathetic, I thought you were stronger than this Naruto but I guess you are just a loser, a weakling!" Kurama snorted trying to bring the boy back. The water just continued to pour and the boy remained there lifeless for a moment before Kurama saw the slightest twitch. Kurama smirked knowing he was getting through to the boy and shouted again,

"That bastard is a liar, do you really think the Hyuga vixen is so weak that she would get caught up in a pathetic attack like that. No chance in hell, she's out there right now begging for you to come to your senses but just look at you." Kurama saw the blonde attempt to raise his arms and noticed that those pesky seals were beginning to glow and saw that the boy's body had finally stopped breaking down, 'Just one more push.' Kurama thought,

"Do you really think you can just give up on everything you've fought for? I guess I was wrong about you, you're just another brainless idiot, you want to be Hokage, what a joke. Not to mention those two vixens that love you more than the world itself but fine if your too stupid to remember who you are on your own I'll have to remind you, now come back Naruto!" Kurama roared again and used what little chakra he could force through his prison directly at the blonde.

As soon as the chakra found his target the entire sewer along with the water transformed into nothing but a white void. Naruto slowly managed to get to his feet before regaining his senses and looking around. Suddenly the scene came into view and what he saw made him burst into tears.

Surrounding him was the Leaf Village, filled with nothing but destruction and debris. Then he heard a roar that sent a shiver down his spine but he turned around just in time to see his mother and father impaled on one of the Nine-Tails sharp deadly claws.

Naruto tried to move and when that failed he screamed but no sound escaped his mouth. He tried to make out the words that his parents were saying to the child beneath them but he was unable to hear at the distance he was in. The next thing he saw was the fox being sealed into a much younger version of himself before the scenes started shifting faster and faster.

He saw his youth where he was neglected and sometimes even abused by some of the villagers. Then he saw his first meetings with Hinata and Sakura as well as Sasuke. Eventually he saw his first memories with all of the rookie nine and then the day of their team placements. All of the events he had gone through up to this point flashed before his eyes and when it was finally done the void reformed into a sewer once again but there were some notable differences.

The normally dimly lit place was engulfed in light so much so it was almost blinding. The rusty pipes had been replaced with pipes that were odd in color, one red, another, purple, and even some pinks and orange pipes were mixed in. The blonde smirked before facing his bijuu,

"I still don't trust you at all Kurama how can I after what you did but…" Naruto swallowed hard before saying, "Thank you." Kurama only snorted before crawling into a ball and lying on the floor.

"Just go kit, I hate you remember, I just happen to hate Asura more. Especially since that bastard thinks he can just use me as his weapon whenever he damn well pleases." Naruto didn't say another word but simply nodded, quickly forming a hand sign he closed his eyes and the next time he opened them he was back in the material world.

As the blonde regained his senses he realized he was sitting Hinata holding him up right, "Sorry Hinata-chan, I… I"m just happy you're ok." Naruto said with regret that he had allowed himself to be controlled. She simply held him close and rubbed his cheeks affectionately as she said,

"It's ok Naru-kun it wasn't all for nothing, we did manage to succeed and recover Gaara's bod…" Hinata's smile faded as she saw the blonde's own smile fade into pain and anguish. He got to his feet and walked over to his friend's corpse with tears in his eyes and without warning Lady Chiyo along with the remaining members of Team Kakashi finally arrived.

"Naruto-kun?" Sakura said in concern but before she could say anymore Team Gai arrived and surrounded someone just a few dozen feet away. Though he was injured and armless, Deidara had tried sneaking up on the Namikaze pair. Unfortunately for him reinforcements had arrived before he could execute his plan and surrounded him.

Smirking Deidara unleashed his ultimate art but Kakashi was able to neutralize the deadly shockwave using his Kamui and subsequently collapsed to the ground, a result from all of the high level jutsus he had used that day.

'That's oddly familiar,' Sakura thought before remembering what was going on before and redirecting her attention back to Naruto. She rushed to his side and Naruto begged, "Sakura-chan please tell me there's something you can do?" He said in a voice Sakura thought sounded broken.

She knew it was too late but to comfort her soulmate she proceeded to examine the Kazekage anyway. After about a minute of this Sakura had no choice but to simply shake her head with tears in her eyes. Naruto turned his attention to the ground realizing what Sakura was trying to say before finally breaking down.

"Damn it, I was too weak again!" He shouted and finally started to tear up as well, "It always ends like this, I couldn't save Haku, then Sasuke and now… now I've even failed Gaara." He turned his head back to look at his friend's face before continuing,

"He just became Kazekage, he just started letting people in, hell he even found someone that loves him and now… now it's all been taken away!" Naruto fell to his knees and that's when the elder kunoichi put a hand on his shoulder. Naruto turned to her with a glare but she ignored it and simply said,

"Don't worry child, I have a jutsu that can save him." All of the shinobi looked at Chiyo in shock but she ignored this too and simply placed both of her hands on the Kazekage's chest. "What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked but Hinata grabbed his hand and said,

"She's bringing him back." Neji and Hinata had used their family's bloodline limit to see exactly what was going on and they both realized this was a jutsu that traded life for life. Suddenly Lady Chiyo let out a cough,

"Damn it I don't have enough chakra." Lady Chiyo was determined to succeed though and repositioned her hands. Suddenly she felt a surge of chakra run through her body, turning her head she saw the entire Uzumaki-Namikaze trio standing behind her, each with a hand on her back.

"If you don't have enough then use our chakra," Naruto said while Hinata and Sakura only nodded their heads. Sakura realized like Hinata thanks to her training in the medical field what this unique jutsu probably was and together the trio did their best to honor the old woman's last wish. Chiyo let out one more cough and said,

"You are three very interesting young shinobi, I'm glad that I can entrust the future of the Sand and the Leaf to you." Were the Sand kunoichi's last words before she started to fall over but luckily Sakura was there to catch her before she hit the ground. Suddenly Gaara let out a gasp for air and slowly but surely he managed to gather his senses. At first he saw nothing but white, slowly his vision started to focus and into view came one of his oldest friends.

"Welcome back," Naruto said with a smile causing Gaara to blink making sure he wasn't seeing things before replying,

"Naruto Uzumaki?" Before the two could say anymore the Leaf shinobi were suddenly swarmed by reinforcements from the sand,

"Lord Gaara," a voice the Kazekage hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime, said. Gaara tried to get to his feet but was forced to have Naruto assist him and his eyes finally locked on Matsuri.

"Lady Kaze," was all he said before Matsuri was consumed with emotion and forced the Kage from Naruto's shoulder and into her arms, "Don't ever scare me like that again Gaara, never again." She said while sobbing into his chest. Gaara was able to show a small smile before the cheers of the Sand shinobi erupted, distracting him from his soulmate's embrace.

"How?" Gaara addressed the Leaf nin who had saved him and Naruto replied with a smile, "Old Lady Chiyo used some sort of jutsu to bring you back." The blonde turned to Sakura but quickly realized something was wrong,

"What is it Sakura-chan? What's wrong with granny?" He asked in concern but Sakura couldn't form words, tears flowing freely down her face, "Naruto-kun." Hinata said, shifting his attention to her,

"That jutsu… That jutsu was life for life Naruto-kun. She gave hers in order to save Gaara's, she died a death befitting a shinobi. That's why Sakura and I honored her last wish, I'm so sorry we didn't tell you." Hinata apologized while the blonde simply returned his gaze to the pinkette. "Why?"

"It was completely out of character but you seem to have forgotten something Naruto," Kankuro replied, having arrived shortly before. "You have the unique ability to change people remember," Temari said, "Just like how you saved and changed Gaara three years ago you changed Lady Chiyo to. That's why she entrusted the future to the three of you and why she decided to save Gaara." Gaara overheard his sibling's words and gathered the attention of all the shinobi present, "Everyone, a moment of silence for Lady Chiyo."

Later that day, far from the returning group of shinobi; Deidara of the Akatsuki had managed to successfully fake his death and was now making his way through the woods, revenge at the forefront of his mind. At the exact same time two other members of the rogue nin group were scavenging the puppet graveyard that was once Sasori's art. They managed to find his ring and left without another thought about their fallen comrade.


March 8th, 67 AFL

It was early the next morning when Team Kakashi as well as the Kazekage and his family were paying their last respects to the Sand kunochi who had sacrificed everything in the hope that they could build a better world. Eventually the Sand shinobi lifted their heads and along with Team Gai, Kakashi strapped securely to Gai's back; started to depart but they stopped when they noticed the Uzumaki-Namikaze trio still standing there.

Hinata bent down leaving a flower and Sakura did the same but unlike her counterpart she couldn't seem to get to her feet. Naruto put a hand on the pinkette's shoulder and she turned to him with sadness covering her beautiful face,

"Sakura-chan, it's time." Were the blonde's only words and begrudgingly Sakura got to her feet. When they finally turned around they noticed Chiyo's brother walking up to them, "I heard her last request courtesy of your sensei. Though I can't really give you much, I can at the very least give you her diaries." The elderly man said and without another word turned to leave. Before he got too far Sakura said,

"Thank you." He didn't turn around but he did reply, "Thank you, for being with her at the end." Were the man last words to the trio before he disappeared in the distance. The trio looked at eachother and Sakura stuffed the scrolls away before walking up to the Sand siblings. Naruto looked at his friend who was now a Kage with a nervous expression and for a reason he didn't know he was suddenly very anxious. He chuckled a little before finally saying,

"I guess this is where people are supposed to get all mushy and shake hands but I've never…" Naruto was immediately silenced by the feeling of sand flowing through his fingers and his hand was slowly brought from his side. He looked back to Gaara and noticed a rare smile and that he had his own hand extended. Naruto returned his friend's smile while the Kazekage and the future Hokage shook hands. Unknown to the two boys at the time this event would spark an alliance between their two villages that would last far after their own time on this earth was over.


AN: Hey sorry about the wait but like I said last chapter it will be as they come at this point though when I do release a chapter it will usually be on a Sunday

I really don't have much to say about this chapter but regardless I really do hope you all enjoyed and until next time all I can say is goodbye.