Naruto: Regressed.
Insane laughter pervaded the thick air, which was covered in red mist that seemed to hang stationary in the air. There were no humans, save for the person that was laughing, and even he couldn't be considered human anymore. His pale white skin gleamed under the red sky that shone brightly down on them painting everything in its crimson dye. He had a hand over his two eyes, as his red third eye bulged unnaturally. He was laughing for a singular reason, one that he had spent a good portion of his life trying to reach.
He had achieved peace.
After so long, he had finally attained a truly peaceful world, one free of the concept of winners and losers, and only good. Granted, it was a fake reality, but what was reality, if not what the Inhabitants made it to be? He had succeeded and that was all that mattered. But even after all he had done, there was still something that stood between him and his ultimate peace. The tenacious shinobi that eluded his jutsu, and continued to fight against him. He still had one last hurdle to overcome.
The god of shinobi, Madara Uchiha, would stamp out the last of the resisting rats, and finally know peace.
In Hagoramo's plane, before the final battle.
Naruto awoke, remembering being killed after kurama was ripped out his body, and thinking all hope was lost. He stood, looking around the endless gray plane that stretched out to infinity. "Uh…hello?" He said, looking around, but didn't get to look around enough before he sensed a presence behind him. He turned around, taking a defensive stance, but paused when he saw the ashen faced man in front of him. He gave a sense of tranquility, and supreme power, and Naruto knew at that point that he was outmatched in every way. He sighed and dropped his hands to his side, looking up at the man who floated cross-legged above the floor.
"Who are you?." He asked, and the man regarded him for a second before speaking. "I am Hagoramo. The sage of Six Paths. " Naruto's face was a mask of confusion, but he could at least tell that this person wasn't an enemy. "Why am I here? I thought I died." He asked, and the man said nothing, tapping his staff into the floor. The floor rippled like it was water, before an image formed. It was the image of him on the floor, dead, with Sakura beside him. "You are." Hagoramo said, as the image disappeared. Naruto bowed his head and sighed. "So I guess that's it then?" He said, resigned to his fate. There was nothing he could do now, since death isn't something you just come back from. He was dead and that was the end.
"Not necessarily. I believe only the reincarnation of Indra and Asura will be able to defeat Madara Uchiha. He is reaching a point of no return, and after that, you will all be doomed, since he is becoming more and more like my mother." Naruto put his hands behind his head, leaning back and sighed. "This has gotten too complicated for me. I just wanted to bring Sasuke back and become Hokage, and now I have to fight this person I never met before?"
"Hah…going back in time to fix all this would be much easier to do." He muttered, before shaking his head. "No, no, that's just wishful thinking." He looked up at Hagoromo and nodded. "Alright, let's do this, I'll end this, and–"
"Actually, your idea isn't all that bad." Hagoramo interjected and Naruto looked up at him, surprised. "What do you…" Hagoromo raised his hands and Naruto felt a bright golden light envelop him. "Good luck, reincarnation of Asura."
Naruto woke, coughing heavily as Sakura shook him. "You're alive!" She yelled. "Ow, stop shaking me before I die again." He said as he sat up. "I feel different." He muttered to himself, as she stood, feeling stronger than he was before. "This six paths chakra is awesome. "
"Naruto, what do you…" Sakura asked, trying to talk to Naruto, but in a flash he was gone. He had sensed Guy sensei and more importantly, Madara, but there was something terribly wrong. He appeared just in time, seeing a rod making a beeline for an incapacitated guy, and used a clone to block the rod. The clone immediately disintegrated, and Naruto's eyes followed the trajectory of the rod back to the source. His eyes widened as he saw Madara, but he was a crumpled up mess, that was slowly getting absorbed into the hand of the being that held him.
A hand that belonged to a terrifying figure. A towering female that stood floated in midair, with long white flowing hair, blank expressionless eyes, and another eye on her forehead, a red one that was similar to the one Madara had. "What is…" Naruto started, but there was a low whine that interrupted him. He turned to his side to see Sasuke beside him, one of his eyes glowing bright purple."Naruto, we need to go." He said with urgency as Kaguya looked up at them.
"She's noticed us." He said, and before Naruto could articulate what was happening, she had disappeared, appearing behind them in no time. Her deathly pale eyes bored into Naruto, causing him to be stiff. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and the scene around them changed immediately. They were now at the tree, with multiple bodies handing off the tree, wrapped up.
"Sasuke! Why aren't we fighting her? Why did we come here?" Sasuke ignored him, looking around and heading in a different direction. "Watch my back." He said, and as if on cue, different creatures sprang out from the ground, lunging forward at Naruto. "Dammit, I have no idea what's going on…" he said, summoning clones that quickly dispatched the creatures but more appeared in their stead, attacking relentlessly.
Naruto was in the middle of fighting when a hand grabbed him and the scene changed yet again. They were in a building that was dark, but Naruto with his sage mode could make out the outlines of Sasuke and another person. "Ino?" He said and released his chakra, lighting up the room. It was her. She stood slowly, rubbing her head. "Sasuke explained the situation to me." She said and started walking down the dark corridor. "Come on, we don't have much time." She said and they headed down the dark room, eventually reaching a wider room. It was circular, and looked sterile, completely different from the passage they just came through. "What…" Naruto started.
"Naruto. We have to send you back in time. We're going to lose the war if we don't." Ino said, walking over to the chair. It was a large stainless steel chair, with different markings and circuits running through it. "This is the only way." She said. Naruto looked back at Sasuke, dumbfounded. "I didn't tell you immediately, because I knew you'd argue, and you're impossible to argue with. We'll both go back in time and start over with our memories. We can get stronger faster than anyone, and we can eventually win without losing anyone. His face was resolute, and Naruto couldn't help but believe in him. Naruto nodded and looked at Ino. "Let's do it." He said, and immediately he did, there was a massive explosion just behind them.
Kaguya had found them.
"Go! I'll hold her back!" Sasuke yelled at them and disappeared. Naruto was about to chase after his best friend, but it was too late. Into injected him with a syringe, causing him to slump over. "I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but this is the only way." She said as she hauled him onto the chair. Naruto felt the chair come to life, and he could feel himself get even fainter. He was holding on to his consciousness by a thread, but even now, he was still able to see Sasuke fighting with all he had, but it wasn't still enough.
"Amaterasu!" He yelled, firing multiple projectiles at Kaguya, moved between dimensions with ease, evading the attacks and appearing behind sasuke. Sasuke tried turning, but it was too late. The rod went through his chest, and Sasuke gasped in pain, already turning to ash. He still managed to glance at Naruto, a small grin forming in his face. "Be nice to past me, Naruto." He said before completely turning to dust.
Naruto yelled but his voice was gone already. He wasn't here anymore. The scene in front of him was receding at incredible speeds, and soon it was gone, leaving only Naruto. He started crying, not knowing what else to do. He had just seen his best friend die, and his world was doomed. There was nothing he could–
His eyes opened, and now he was on a bench, staring down at a bowl of ramen. The sounds of people walking past enters his ears, and he could smell the ramen, spicy and mouthwatering. The sounds of laughter could be heard in the night, and Naruto knew he had returned to the village. He started crying again, his memories returning in a flood.
"Naruto, kid, what's going on?" Naruto looked up, swing the kind brown eyes of Teuchi-san, the owner of Ichiraku ramen. Naruto cleaned his eyes after a few seconds. "I was just thinking about my parents.' he lied, sniffling a bit, and Teuchi sighed. "Alright, I know what'll cheer you up, kiddo." he brough out a steaming bowl of udon, filled with steaming ramen and eggs. Naruto smiled at this remembering teuchis kindness. "Thank you…" naruto started, and teuchi waved his hands. "No, no, its the least i could do, besides, youre my favorite customer."
Naruto left after dark, managing to keep his countenace until after he left the kiosk, heading back to his house, where he lived alone. The door opened with a familiar creak, and naruto entered the dark room feeling tired all of a sudden. He looked up at the ceiling, and soon his tears returned, blurring his vision. The memories flooded his mind as he thought about all he had lost, all because of that woman. After a while, he sat up, hi eyes still bloodshot. He knew what he had to do. He closed his eyes, going deep into his consciousness. He hyad a simple plan, and that was to get stronger as fast as possible. To do that, he needed power, power that he knew the nine tailed beast inside him had. Now he was in his consciousness, staring down at the gate that he had taken years to break down and get Kurama to accept him. He heard a deep growl from beyond the gate, and knew that the nine tails had noticed him. He felt the prescence get closer amd closer, until he could see the creature's eyes staring straight at him, glowing a menacing red. Naruto didnt flinch as the thing got closer to him, since he already knew that it couldnt harm him, not while it was behind those gates. Kurama stared down at him, snarling, before it laid back, and gave a wide grin. "I wondered how long you would stay crying, brat." Naruto stared at the nine tails in surprise, never expecting the beast to speak first.
"How…" Naruto muttered, trying to understand what was going on. Kurama laughed, shaking the mindscape they were in. i came along with you, brat!" kurama roared, breaking naruto out of his confuson. He looked up at thje beast, and could tell immediately that kurama was telling the truth. It was his friend speaking to him, and not the vengeful tailed beast that he knew. "Kurama!" naruto yelled in pleasant surprise as the gates flew open, and Naruto ran straight into the cage, hugging kurama, before laughing out loud. "I thought i was all alone." he said, bumping fists with his old friend. "With me around? Never!" naruto laughed at this, happy that at the very least, he wasnt alone. "Im going to save everyone this time." naruto said, looking up at kurama. "I need your help, kurama." kurama grinned. "Father told me about the greater threats from outside this world, and about how his mother Kaguya was one of those threats. We both need to get stronger if we're going to stand a chance."
"So…youll help?"
"Yes, brat!"
"Just checking."
"Get out of here!"
Naruto opened his eyes with a smile, knowing that he wouldnt be as lonely as he had imagined. He ate his ramen with relish and went to bed, ready to start his plan to save his future, and every one in it.
Two years later.
The ninja academy.
The entire hall was abuzz with chatter and talk, as the students all spoke in groups, but in hushed tones, as they were all nervous for what was to come. "I wonder what the match ups will be like this year." a kid said, excited to start, since he was confident in his skills said, looking around. To him, this year's students seem at all impressive, so this was sure to be an easy win for hm. He had trained hae for this moment, and his efforts were going to pay off. "Hush, the examiner is coming." another kid said, signaling for him to be quiet. He turned to see Kakashi, and the other prominent figures in the village, Hiruzen, the third hokage, Danzo, head of the ANBU corps, and Tsunade, one of the legendary sannin. They were what most ninja aspired to become, and were respecrted by all, save maybe for Danzo, who had some nasty rumors floating about him, but still was a revered fellow.
"We all know why we are here, its time for the chunin exams." Kakashi said, getting the attention of all the attendants that stood in the hall. "Its time for the chunin exams to begin." there was a slight cheer as they all were excited, but also very nervous at the same time. It was going yo be one on one fights, and it determined the skill of whoever won or lost. Everyone wanted to win, and noone was willing to lose. "For the firrst match, we have…Naruto Uzumaki versus kiba Inazuka." there were murmurs all around, as anyone who was a resident of Konoha knew the demon child, harboring the nine tails in his body. They knew he slacked off, was lazy, and could barely even form a working clone to pass his genin exams. They all mocked and ridiculed him behind his back, not minding that he could even hear them sometimes. Kiba walked into the stage, looking straight aheas at his opponent who looked calm given the circumstances. He didnt kow much about the Uzumaki kid, since he stayed on his own, and rarely attended classes, just enough so that he could pass. He was a true slob.
"Come on Akamaru, lets make this quick. Im getting hungry."
"Match start!" the proctor announced, and Kiba dashed straight at Naruto, his dog perched on his shoulder, ready to attack. Naruto stood where he was, barely even moving. Kiba lunged forwar, and naruto dodged, just by a hair's breadth. He was met with a powerful kick to his stomach, sending him flying to the other side of the ring. Kiba gasped in pain as the wind got kicked ot of him, leaving him with no strength to even stand. "What.. what was that?" he gasped, looking up at naruto, who stood there, ready as always. Those werent the eyes of a slob.
"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!" there were only confused murmurs greeting this announcement, and naruto was gone before anyone could say a thing, leaving the entire arena in chaos. Naruto left, heading back, and getting ready for what was to come. "I guess youre done hiding, eh brat?" naruto smiled as he reached his favorite spot in the village; icharaku ramen. "Oh, Naruto, youre done with your exams?" he asked, noticing his favorite customer enter thr shop. "Yes, Teuchi-san." he said, pressing his pals together as a bowl of steaming ramen was laid in front of him. "And how was it? Teuchi asked, knowing that there was no way he could have pased the exams so quickly, and gotten back. "I won the match." Naruto said casually, as he slurped down his ramen hungrily. "Well, teres always next year…wait, did you say you passed?" he turned to naruto, who was still too busy eating his food to answer. He slurped down the last of the ramen, and sighed contentedly before answering. "Yes, i won the match."
Teuchi was dumbfounded, not expecting the turn of events. This child that he had watched grow up had become completely different, more adult like, but now he was even more astonishing, becoming this strong in such a short time, and with only his effort. "Well, we have to celebrate!" teuchi said, and dropped another bowl for naruto. "This one's free." he said, sporting a wide grin on his face. Naruto returned the grin, and was about to start eating when he heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see the face of a friend. "You sure know how to disappear." Shikamaru said with a smie on his face. Naruto grinned at the only friend he had made so far, and beckoned him over. "You know what they think about me." naruto said and smiled. "Still." Shikamaru started, looking over at naruto with surprise evident in his eyes. "You never told me you were that strong." naruto shrugged, putting down his second bowl. "It was supposed to be a surprise." he said, and grinned. "Are'nt you surprised?" shikamaru sighed, pressing his palms together, and slurping the ramen that was served to him. "Your next opponent is Neji." he said as he ate, and narutosaid nothing, still eatung. "He's strong." naruto said finally, as he dropped his third bowl. "But i can handle him." shikamaru grinned, satisfied with the answer he had gotten.
They parted way, and naruto headed back home, following the normal route he used everyday, until he heard a small shout coming from an alley to his right. He turned, activating sage mode so he could see more vividly in the dark. He could see three figures standing over another smaller figure that was on the floor, in pain. Even without thinking, he had moved over to where they were, and spoke up immediately. "Leave her alone." he said firmly, drawing their attention from the person they were curently about to beat up. The three of them looked over at once and scowled at the little kid that was ordering them to stop. It was dark, so they couldnt see his face, but it was still bright enough that they could see that he was still a little kid. "Please, just leave." the figure on the ground said, and naruto immediately recognised the voice. It was a voice he had heard multiple times in his past life, and one of his closest friends.
"Shut up, Haruno!" the elder ninja said, kicking the girl in the side and she groaned in pain, writhing on the floor. That was all the indication that naruto needed to act. The ninja that had kicked sakura was a veteran, and had spent many years as a shinobi in the village. He had seen countless battles, and even more near death experiences, so he was accustomed to dangerous situations, and knew the fights that he couldnt win. In the moment that naruto moved, he felt that same indescribable sense of dread was over him. He tried jumping back, but before he could even process what was going on, he felt a powerful force hit his face, and then he was knocked out.
The only thing he would rememer thr next day, when he was asked to try and remember his assailant, would be those eyes, those haunting blue eyes.
Sakura watched the figure beat up the ninja that had to be at least twice his size, and with surprising ease too. He slammed his fist into one of them, sending him crumpling to the ground with ease. The figure stood, and started moving in the opposite direction. Sakura just stood there, clutching her injured side and panting. "Wait…" she managed weakly, but it was too late, he was gone, leaving her all alone. She made her way back, her mind still on the events of that night.
Naruto continued on his path home, hoping that he wouldnt be recognised by any of the people he had fought. "You just had to." Kurama said, chuckling, "i couldnt help it." he said, sighing heavily. "I wonder how Neji will fare tomorrow, given how he mishandled Hinata during their previous fight." hearing her name, naruto sighed, but said nothing. He still hadnt seen hinata. He avoided going to her former match with Neji, because he didnt trust himslf enough to hold back while she took a beating from neji. He knew that she was still injured, but he also knew that he would undoubtedly see her tomorrow, along with sasuke and sakura, especially after what happened today. He got home and sat crosslegged on the floor, entering a meditataive state as he continued practicing his sage mode training. He knew that the time was approaching when he would have to face off against itachi,and the Akatsuki. He had to somehow force Itachi back to the good side, and make sure danzo didnt get away with anything, but even that would take time. For now, he just had to focus on training and getting stronger. He continued training till morning, with no break in his concentration. He made his way back to the building, where his fight with Neji was to take place. He got a few stares from some of the contestants who recognised him from the day before, and even more stares from Kiba, who he had basically one-shot. He saw neji come over to him, waving frantically, and he almost smiled at him, but reminded himelf quickly that they werent friends, yet.
"Naruto!" he yelled, waving as he ran over to the yellow haired boy, grinning wildly. "Youre super strong!" he said, and naruto couldnt help but smile awkwardly, his true nature bursting forth. "Sorry if i hit you too hard…" naruto said in an apologetic tone, but kiba just shook his head. "Nah, dont worry about it, man, you're just that strong." he said, and naruto exhaled, knowing that he didnt have someoine that would hate him. At least Kiba's understanding, cant say the same for Neji though. Naruto went along with kiba, talking with him as they went forward, and heaeing things he knew already for years, but coukld never tell his friend. He sighed and kept moving, listening to Kiba in the background. Apparently, sasuke had a very tough fight and almost lost, but managed to pull through. Naruto listened with rapt attention, even when he knew all the details, since he didnt want to make his supposed new friend think he wasnt paying attention. Soon enough, it was his turn to fight neji, and he made his way to the centre of the arena, where neji was already waiting for him, he stood at a distance and said nothing, as he had done the last time, only taking a stance.
Neji smirked, confident that he could take on this child, despite the rumors. It just meant that Kiba wasnt as strong as everyone thought, and a slob like naruto could win against him. "Oi, naruto, still dreaming of being hokage?" he asked, a grin on his face. He could still remember the younger naruto making his proclamation of being hokage one day, and making everyone accept him. He thought the idea to be foolish, since it was clear as day what Naruto's destiny was. What was the need to fight againt your own destiny? He was going to win and make sure that that persistence would die here. Naruto looked up at him, and sighed. "That goal will never change." naruto said, resolute in his conviction.
Neji said nothing else, seeing as his taunts failed to work. This naruto that was in front of him was now a different person from before and it showed. He couldnt be taken lightly anymore. He lunged forward, planning to end everything in one hit. There was no need trying to talk anymore. He thrust his palm forward, planning to block naruto's chakra points. It was a surefire method to make sure that naruto had no way to fight back. His hand never made it that far, as he felt a hand grab his, tossing him backward. It was a clone, but it felt nothing like a clone. It was insanely strong, so strong that it had left a mark on his hand. "Is that it?" naruto asked, and cracked his knuckles. "My turn then" he said, before moving in a blur, so fast that neji dared not to move, since he was unsure of where naruto would come from. He waited, patiently biding his time until naruto got close enough. Then he would use his special technique.
Sure enough, naruto came in close for the finishing blow, and neji smirrked, taking his stance, and twisted violently in a counterclockwise circular motion, dragging naruto into the rotation, before pushing him out, sending him crashing to the ground. "Give up, naruto." neji said, and turned to leave, only to turn around and face naruto yet again. Before he coukd say a word, the punch sent him flying, and he landed on the floor. Naruto turned to the proctor and nodded, while neji was still on the floor. He was about to leave when neji got back up, barely able to stand. "Wait… its not over yet." he said, still desperately trying to stay on his feet. Naruto turned back to him and sighed. "Give it up. You dont have to prove anything to anyone. You are strong, and you should know that Hinata is just trying to get your respect. Do well by her. Youre not the only one that has been cursed" he left without saying anything else, knowing his words had achieved the effect he wanted, and his work was done.
As he left the arena o head back to icharaku ramen, he noticed a familiar figure approach him, and he smiled inwardly. Finally. He saw Kakashi walk up to him and he grinned widely. "I hope i didnt go overboard." he said, and kakashi shook his head. "No, you did just fine. Neji needed someone to set him right." naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed again, this time glad he did it right. "Well, good work. You'll soon have to form teams, and i have the perfect team for you." naruto felt elated, knowing who they were, but he knew that there was one small hurdle to pass first, and that was Orochimaru, and his plan to kill hiruzen."
And for that, Naruto was more than prepared.
Days before the attack.
Orochimaru sat in the forest, waitiing patiently for his scouts to return, before he started his main assault on Konoha. His subordinates getting ready, returned, bowing. "Lord orochimaru, everything is ready." Orochimaru stood, a sinister grin on his face. "Let us begin." he said, disappearing into the trees. His subordinate ninja did the same, as they headed into the village, ready to carry out their master's will.
The village's wall was breached immediately, following the attacking ninja summoning their contacted beasts. The village was thrown into completye chaos at once, with the citizens running around frantically. Hiruzen at his high chair noticed a high level genjutsu cast across the village, and the effects were already apparent as many of the contending genin were already falling over, save for a few.
Hiruzen stood, his eyes scanning the area for any sort of activity, but he knew he was already too late as he felt the blade press against his neck. He didnt dare try to turn around, judging from how the blade was held, whoever this was, was very skilled. "Don't move." the voice said, and Hiruzen got angry all of a sudden. "What is the meaning of this, Kazekage?" he yells, but is only greeted with maniacal laughter, which was vey out of character. "Youre gettingb old, sensei." the kazekage said, and Hiruzen's eyes widened. "You!" he yelled, and turned around regardless. "Lord Third!" voices from below rang out, and hiruzen could see that he was surrounded by the ANBU corps. They made to attack, but suddenly, other ninja appeared from nowhere, blocking the ANBU. without wasting any time, they all went down on a knee, setting up a barrier.
"Ninja art: four Flames formation!"
A barrier went up immediately, burning anyone who came too close, and effectively trapping the third hokage with his captor. "Now that we're alone…" the fourth kazekage said, as he stepped back, tearing off what hiruzen thought was his face, only to reveal the face of a man the hiruzen had despised, and regretted not killing. "Orochimaru." he said, and growled, throwing off the ceremonial garb he gad on, revealing his battle attire underneath. He took a battle stance immediately, and got ready to fight. "You have come here now, and now i can take care of what i regret not doing all those years ago." orochimaru merely smirked and dashed forward, eager to begin the battle. Hiruzen jumped backward, simultaneously hurling shuriken at orochimaru, who blocked by raising up three coffins from the ground. "Reanimation." hiruzen says, short of breath, realizing that orochimaru plans to unleash the forbidden jutsu. He uses the fireball jutsu, hoping to disrupt the jutsu, but only manages to stop one.
"No…" hiruzen starts, but its already too late. He sees the coffins about to open, and takes a fighting stance, as he readies himself. The coffins never open completely though, as a bright orange flash brightens the sky, and there is a dull explosion. The coffins were thrown high into the air, startling both parties. When the dust cleared, hiruzen's eyes widened, as he saw the yellow haired boy he knew too well standing between him and his former student. "Take it easy old man, ill take care of this as quickly as posible." naruto said with a smile on his face. "No, you stupid…" before he could say another word, orochimaru lunged forward, anger evident on his face. "How dare you! How dare you come in here and try to thwart me! A runt like you that hasnt even weaned off his mother yet!" orochimaru reached naruto at breakneck speed, ready to rip the boy in half, but a clone blocked him from moving any further, even going as far as pushing orochimaru back.
"Wait a bit." he said, glaring at orochimaru. Even the former member of the legendary sannin coulnt help but shiver. He kept his composure though, at least enough for naruto not to notice. Who is this child? I want him! He couldnt understand how such a small body could emanate such power, and he wanted it. He smiled thinly, already formulating a planon how to capture the child, when he heard the voice of his subordinate call out to him. "Watch out, lord Orochimaru!" ororchimaru couldnt even react fast enough, only able to partially block the kick that descended from above. The roof below him cracked extensively, and orochimaru was amazed at the level of strength that this small child. He looked upat the child, and gasped. "Sage mode at such a young age?" he said, acknowledging his opponent's strength.
"I should get serious then." he said, extending his arms to abnormal lengths to try and capture naruto. Naruto weaved around the hands, going closser towards orochimaru, who was now completely invested in the fight, forgetting about hiruzen. Naruto launched himself into the air, throwing a shuriken directly at orochimaru, who dodged, launching himselkf into the air after naruto. Naruto sent down multiple clones, which were sliced through by orochmaru, and creating a smoke screen. Orochimaru didnt notice, but he was being pulled into a trap. Naruto burst through the cloud of smoke, a rasengan in hand.
"Rasengan!" he yelled, slamming it into orochimaru, who was stunned beyon words. He had managed to block it with his hand, but the force of the attack was sending him back to the floor, where the shuriken naruto had thrown earlier lay, transforming into another naruto. Orochimaru's eyes widened, as he realised that he had entered a trap. The real naruto was still on the floor, and he was ready. Orochimaru saw his hand turn bright yellow, and immediately could tell that the chakra was comething different. "The nine tails…" he said, and began transforming immediately. This wasnt a bersek tailed beast, this was one that was in full control of his ability. He needed to run, or else he would either die here, or become a prisoner of konoha. He only had one shot at winning, and he had to make suree he didnt waste it.
"Eight headed serpent jutsu!"
The ground erupted as dirt and debris was thrown everywhere. Naruto was launched into the air, his eye locking onto the beast that formed. "He's still super strong." naruto said, sighing and loooking around. "Just transform and beat him up!" kurama yelled, and naruto shook his head. "No, its going to ne too damaging." naruto said, looking around. "Ah, damn, im flying." naruto said before landing on a nearby roof. His six path chakra was something he hadnt gotten unnder control yet, so he refrained from using it. He jumped from the roof, as one of the heads lashed out, trying to hit him, but he was already ready for what came, moving bacward, and slamming the head with a giant rasengan. The heads roared, all lunging towards naruto separately, and with immense speed. Naruto didnt move this time, bringing forth a darker rasengan, one that shone a dark purple. In a flash, naruto was above the eight headed beast, his entire body burning a fiery yellow. The heads looked up in unison, and roared again, a mass of chakra forming around their mouths and charging up a beam. "Die!" he roared, firing the beam with malice. The beam raced toward naruto who was readu, dodging the beam and hurtling down towards orochimaru, who was severely outclassed. The orb in naruto's hands quickly increased in size, forcing orochimaru to the ground. He tried fighting against it, but the might of the tailed beast bomb was too much.
"Wonderful." he said, a serene smile on his face. He grinned, just before the explosion hit, obliterating the snakes in a massive explosion. At the center was a charred orochimaru, who was twitching, barely able to move. I never expected such a monster to exist at such an age. "Ah, this is frustrating." he said, not bothering to move as he heard footsteps. "What a pathetic state im in now master." he said, looking up at hiruzen, who had nothing but pity for his former student. "I think its understandable that you lost." he said, taking a knee beside orochimaru. "Are you going to kill me now?" he askjed, and Hiruzen chuckled. "No, i dont need to." he said, and Orochimaru nodeded. "So im a prisoner now?" there was silence after the question, but they both knew the answer to the question. Hiruzen didnt bother trying to say anything, his mind on another pressing subject. How did naruto get so strong, and how was he able gto use the power of the nine tails so well? He even knew how to use his father's technique; the rasengasn, and without any formal training whatsoever. "Where did you get such a monster?" orochimaru asked, breaking hiruzen's train of thought.
"Beats me." was hiruzens's reply, as naruto landed in front of the, looking unasssuming as always. He walkeed over to hiruzen, a smile on his face. "Hey gramps, please keep this a secret for me?" he asaid, and hiruzen was too stunned to reply, mostly because of the fact that he had neglected this child for a good portion of his life, and still, the boy called him gramps heartily, like nothing substantial had happened. He could only manage a nod, before naruto diappeared from his view, heading to thje next place he knew trouble would be brewing.
Sasuke jumped back, just as the sand claw barely nicked his face. This fight was geting troublesome as it went on. This Gaara guy just kept gbetting exponentially more powerful as their fight went on, and his sand put Sasuke at a great disadvantage. He charges his hand with his chidori, ready to land another attack, knowing that he has to land it. Gaara charges at him with murderous inent, but sasuke charges straight ahead, ready to end it.
"Chidori!" he yells, moving with lightning speed and slicing through Gaara's arm. "I did it!" he turns hoping to see gaara incapacitated, but gaara just continued his assault on sasuke like nothing ever happened. "Shit! It wasnt enough!" he yelled, jumping back, just as Gaara tried to hit him again. He reflexively charged up another chidori, which was now well beyond his limits, but lunged forward anyways. I wont let you harm my friends! He sliced through Gaara's arm again, this time however, an inky black mark spreading from his neck to the rest of his body as he did. "No.." he managed, before crashing to the ground. "Sasuke! " sakura yelled, runnimg over to him, and blocking gaara before he could get any closer. "Dont hurt him!" she screamed at gaara, who stopped when he saw the willingness in her eyes to protect Sasuke. He paused for a few seconds, reconsidering his stance.
"Get away from them." naruto said, landing in front of gaara. Gaara could barely move the moment he stared into Naruto's eyes, sensing the greater beast that was inside him. "Who are ypu?" gaara asked, his voice quivered ever so slightly. "Naruto Uzumaki." he said with a huge grin on his face. "Sorry, but i cant let you hurt my friends anymore." he said, gaara knew he meant what he said. He jumped forward either way, ready toi do battle, and transformed into his full tailed beast form, ready to destroy this new enemy to prove himself.
The tailed beast shukaku immediately fired a tailed beast bomb, hoping to kill naruto and the others in one go, but naruto was ready, throwing a singular kunai at the approachim beast bomb. "Dad, ill be using your technique from now on." he said, as the kunai teleported the projectile away, right above shukaku, who didnt see it coming in the slightest. It slammed into him with incredible force, sending him into the ground. Shukaku roared in agony, before crashing to the ground, and reverting back to its original form. Gaara now lay on the floor, utterly defeated, as he watched naruto walk over to him. "I lost. You can kill me now." he said, taking shaky breaths. He didn't expect the ninja in front of him to extend his hand in camaraderie. Gaara took his hand unsure of what was going on, but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to be dying today. Naruto smiled at him and pulled him up.
"I know how you feel, but this isn't the way to prove yourself." Gaara pushed him away, pain still evident in his eyes. "You know nothing!" He yelled, but Naruto simply smiled. "You feel completely alone because of the tailed beast inside you." He said, and Gaara was shocked beyond words. He remained silent, and Naruto knew he had hit the mark head on.
"I felt that way for a long time too, but I madr friends, people that helped me through my pain and gave me hope to live on. They are the reason I will continue to fight, no matter what." With that, Naruto left him there, standing, and confused as to what just happened. He's just like me, but he doesn't seem as hateful of the world like I am. He is a worthy friend to have, since he fights for the sake of his friends, and not himself.
Gaara sighed and chuckled a little, despite his banged up body. He had lost, but he didn't feel so bad about it, since he had gained a valuable lesson. Temari and Kankuro ran over to gaara who was back on the floor, since he was too weak to handle even standing up at this point. "We need to get you out of here." Temari said and hoisted Gaara up. "I'm sorry for being weak." He muttered, taking temari by surprise. He had never done that before, apologising for his shortcomings. Perhaps that Naruto kid wasn't as bad as she thought.
"Come on, let's go.' she said, following Kankuro outside the village.
Naruto walked over to where sasuke and sakura were, and they both regarded him cautiously, and with awe. "Yo! Im uzumaki naruto, nice to meet you." they could only nod, too tired to do anything. They didnt understand what was going on, save from the fact that they knew thew they were going to be safe.
With that, the attack on Konoha was over. The leaf ninja all yelled with joy, seeing the Oto ninja run away, as their leader was defeated. Naruto smiled seeing the village happy and rejoicing. He had managed to stop hiruzen from dying, and in turn, there was no despair in the village, and no sadness. "You actually did it, brat." kurama said, and naruto just grinned. "Im not sure i would have been able to beat him without you." naruto replied. Kurama laughed heartily, not even bothering to sound modest. "I'm glad you know your place." naruto didnt reply, but leapt off the roof he was on, heading home to sleep. He knew the next day would be something to look forward to, since he was going to be joining Team 7.
"You all know Uzumaki Naruto by now, so I'll be brief. He will be joining us, and going on missions with us." Kakashi studied his student's eyes, looking to find any sort of apprehension, but there was none. Sasuke and Sakura were equally interested in seeing this new person, especially after the events of what had happened during the attack on konoha. Apparently he had used a technique that they had never seen before, and it sounded very similar to the technique that his master, Minato had used. Has he figured out that he is related to the fourth? But still, it doesn't explain how he mastered that technique. If I'm right, he probably already knows how to use the rasengan.
"That being said, where is he?" Kakashi said, looking around. "He should have been here a long time ago." Immediately the words left his mouth, he heard footsteps approaching, before Naruto appeared at the doorway panting heavily. "I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, I overslept.
"Again." Kakashi took off, leaving Naruto to blink slowly in shock for a second before running after him with barely a word of explanation.
The other members of the group followed close behind him, muttering various questions and concerns. "Where did you sleep?" Kakashi finally asked when they stopped in front of the Hokage's office. "On the couch, I was reading..." Naruto didn't complete the sentence, but glanced over the book that kakashi held in his left hand. Kakashi followed his eyes and tried not to chuckle. "Alright then. try not to be late next time." he said and Naruto nodded profusely. He opened the door to the Hokage's office only to be met with a very tired Gai in an armchair. "Hey!" Kakashi called out, startling the man slightly. "Sorry," he whispered, "but what were you doing? Sleeping?" The man's face reddened as he scrambled to answer. "Oh no! I was practicing a new way to open the gates." he said , fumbling over his words. kakashi sighed, but said nothing, knowing everyone would still be tired from the day before. some ninja were still injured, and the others were just plain exhausted. That being said, they needed to work, else another attack like this could happen and they would be powerless to stop it. they needed reinforcements.
The door to the Hokage's office opened, and hiruzen stepped in, also looking tired. his expression did brighten a bit when he saw Naruto, but the quickly remembered Naruto's request and became sullen once more. "I called you here for a mission, and I need team 7 there. Since we've been attacked, we need to get some reinforcements, at least until we can get back to our former power. so here is your mission: find the two legendary sannin, and get them to return to Konoha."
he placed three scrolls on Kakashi's desk. "They're both in the hidden cloud . Go now." he ordered. "We'll see you all later." and just like that, the team had their first mission
The Hidden cloud Village.
"The two tails is here, yes?" the figure hidden in darkness said, chuckling to himself. He had been watching the village for a long while, and had to admit that their defences were impeccable. it was almost impossible to infiltrate.
Almost.
"No one has seen them yet." Another figure answered in a rough tone.
"Hmm, perhaps if we put up an ambush…" the cloaked man suggested but was cut off.
"You heard what Pain said. If we want to succeed, we must not act rashly or risk getting caught ourselves." Hidan snarled and turned away. "So we wait." he said and went silent. his teammate, kakuzu didn't bother trying to respond and just waited in silence. soon they would get their chance.
Team 7 reached the gates of The hidden cloud, and were stopped by the guard ninjas. "We have intel that two of our ninjas are here in your village. two of the legendary sannin." the name caused a bit of a stir, which was a given, since the sannin were Kage-level ninja. the two of them gulped, and Kakashi handed a scroll over to him. "We have a permit already." he said, and after scrutiny, they let them enter the village. "This village is very different from ours!" Sakura said, her eyes taking in the scenery. Sasuke said nothing , not really interested in what was around him, as he kept watching Naruto. Naruto paid him no attention, also looking around, even if he had memories of this place, it was still refreshing to see it not ravaged by war.
It seemed like everything looked completely normal, as the sun rose high above the sky. Suddenly the sound of footsteps came from behind, and soon there was a familiar face walking toward them.
"J...jiraya!"
"Kakashi! What are you doing here? And who are these guys?" he said gesturing at his team of ninjas. "My team. we're on a mission." jiraya smiled and waved at them. "ah, I see. in that case, I guess I shouldn't disturb you..." he said and started walking away. "Orochimaru attacked." he said, and Jiraya paused in his tracks. "We need the sannin back.' Kakashi said and Jiraya sighed. "Well. damn." he said and turned back to them. "I suppose you want to find Tsunade too." he said and started walking back to them, when a large explosion occured. it shook the ground, and they could immediately tell it came from underground. "let's go!" kakashi said, dashing forward, towards the source of the explosion. it could be a mistake on his part, but he sensed powerful chakra, and Tsunade could be in trouble.
Yugito stared down at the two akatsuki members thaat had cxhased her down the sewer, glad that she had managed to get them away from the crowded streets above to minimise casualties. She jumped back, just as Hidan tried to attack her, moving with lightning fast reflexes. She smirked at hidan who seemed angry now. "Im going to kill you, wench." he said, lunging forward again, but this time Yugito was ready, firing a mouse hairball at him. Hidan tried swiping it away with his scythe, but it was useless, as the fireball broke apart into tiny pieces, all converging on hidan, who was caught completely off guard. There was an explosion with hidan in the center, and yugito turned to Kakuzu who stayed at a distance, observing the fight. She started walking towards him, hoping to end the fight as soon as possible. Kakuzu on the other hand, wasnt bothered, looking at Hidan's body. "I think we should fight her at once." he said, and yugito dodged immediately, feeling an attack from behind. She barely dodged hidan's scythe, jumping to the side as quickly as possible. He was still alive? But how? Im sure my hair ball hit him head on! She heard hidan's laughter, and turned to face him. His Akastuki cloak was severely damaged, but his body was perfectly fine. He wasnt even scratched.
"Ah, it hurts…give me more…" he said, dragging his scythe on the floor as he made his way to yugito. She now realised that she was the one that was trapped down here, facing a monster that could take her attacks with relative ease. She didnt know the capabilities of the other one, but he seemed strong too, seeing as he wasnt flustered at all, seeing her approach him. There was only one thing to do. She slammed her hands onto the ground as the wind around her whipped up into a frenzy. She transformed into her tailed beast form immediately, rushing straight for kakuzu. He didnt expect her to do so, so he was caught off guard, and her giant claw slammed into him. Hidan on the other hand just grinned, raising his scythe to his mouth. The conditions had been met, and if he let this go in, he would lose his advantage. He licked her blood, laughing as she fired a fireball at him. He just stood there as he activated his technique. While Yugito was focused on kakuzu, he had drawn lord Jashin's symbol on the floor, and he had already ingested her blood. His skin was already turning black as he transformed into his voodoo doll form, and the damage from the fireball was enough to destroy her. He stood there, arms outstretched, ready to deal the finishing blow when he felt a presence to his right. He barely even turned, bere he felt a massive foce on his right torso. It was enough to puysh him out of his circle, but he knew that it wasnt enough to harm the tailed beast. In mid air, he turned to face his new opponent, and was greeted by bright blue eyes.
"Another jinchiruki, huh?" he said, and grinned. "Kakuzu! Another one showed up!" he said, looking down at the rubble. Kakuzu stood, dusting the debris off his clothes. Kakuzu's eyes narrowed as he noticed the other nina that were coming their way. "Lets go." he said , as hidan landed beside him. "They are too much for us to handle. Hidan stared down at naruto who just glareed at him. "Ill be back for you, kid." he said as he turned to leave. "Who said you could leave!?" yugito roared, firing a tailed beast bomb directly at the two of them. There was a massive explosion, causing the tunnel to collapse, and when the dust cleared, they were both gone. Naruto stared at the rubble that blocked his path and sighed. There was no way to get them now, since they were good at escaping. He turned to yugito, who was walking towards him with anger evident in her eyes. "Who are you? And why did you interfere in my fight?" i just saved your life lady, he thought, as she grabbed him by the collar. Naruto simply pointed to the point where hidan was standing before. "I saw that symbol on the floor, and how he wanted to get hit seemed too dangerous, so i decided to get him out of the way. He seemed angry after i did that, so i guess i was right. She dropped narutoi, just as the rest of team 7 reached them, and kakashi looked around. "What happened here?" he asked and Yugito explained the situation to him. "So it was the immortals…" he said, and sighed, looking at naruto. "Good thing you got here first, naruto, if you didnt, she might have ben defeated." yugito was still confused at this, and asked what he meant. "The immortal Hidan has a special technique that transfers the damage from himself to his opponent. He probably wanted you to hit him, and take the damage, so he could finish you off immediately."
Yugito looked back at naruto, and sighed. "Im sorry for lashing out at you." she said and naruto scratched his hair. "Nah, its fine. You did what you thought was right." jiraya watched naruto now, with increased curiosity, now that he had seen his capabilities. His speed was something even he as a legendary sannin couldnt believe came from such a small body. He was less surprised wheen kakashi told him of his father, but still, this level of growth was insane. He had already achieved sage mode, but didnt use it, at least not openly, but Jiraya could tell, since he also used the sage mode transformation. He wanted to train this boy now, but he wasnt even sure the boy needed training. He may even be able to surpass you, Minato. They left after searching for Tsunade for hours, finding no trace of her, as opposed to the intel. They were about to leave when they see a woman fleeing a gambling house, with several men chasing her. Jiraya covered his face in second hand embarrassment, as he saw his former teammate running away like a common thief. None of them said anything, being too stunned, but they knew who tnat was, so they followed silently, getting to the room that tsunade was lodging in.
"You seem to be having fun." Jiraya said, and tsunade looked up tosee the gang all there, looking at her. "What do you want, you pervert?" she asked, obviously tired. "We need a favor." jiraya said, and she scoffed. "What is it this time?" she asked, chuckilg. Jiraya didnt return the smile, and she knew it was serious. "Orochimaru attacked the village, it was bad, he tried to kill hiruzen." she stood up, all serious. "Is he dead?" she asked solemnly, but Jiraya just shook his head. "Orochimaru is captured, but we need you back, at least for now, until Konoha can get back on its feet." The serious expression on his face told her all she needed to know. She got to her feet, and looked past them, at the doorway. "You can come out, Shizune, they're not here to attack us." Shizune appeared from the shadows, putting her needles away. "When do we leave, tsunade-sama?" she asked, acting totally normal, like she hadn't just been lying in wait for them.
"Right now." Tsunade said, with urgency in her voice. They left the hidden cloud village immediately, heading back to Konoha.
It wasn't hard for her to follow them back because she was practically born there.
"You guys are a little slow. Don't worry we can just make you guys go faster. Do you want me to do anything special? Maybe a kiss or two and I'll be able to speed your asses up a bit more." Jiraya was about to say something perverse, but Kakashi jabbed him in the stomach, and he kept quiet, heading back in silence.
Sasuke made his way to Naruto, not sure of what to say, but he stayed beside Naruto as they jumped through the trees. "What's the name of your technique?" he asked all of a sudden, startling Naruto. Naruto composed himself, and continued jumping.
"The rasengan?" Naruto replied and Sasuke nodded. "It's an impressive technique." Naruto smiled, finding it funny that Sasuke was actually complimenting him. "Thank you. Your chidori is decent too, but that curse mark will do more harm to you than actually helping." Sasuke wanted to say something, but before that Naruto stopped him. "I can help you get stronger. strong enough for you to get what you want."
Naruto could see the look on Sasuke's face; confusion and doubt. He could tell Sasuke wasn't going to believe him because of all the doubts, especially when Sasuke was so used to getting what he wanted by fighting for it , and being treated unfairly in the process. Naruto decided to prove him wrong by training him to his former power, maybe even more. He had removed orochimaru from the equation, so Sasuke had nowhere to turn except Naruto. and Naruto was waiting for this specific moment.
"Alright, I trust you, but why are you helping me?"
Naruto couldn't help but grin at this.
"we're friends, aren't we?"
Sasuke knew that wasn't an answer, but still, he felt the same way.
Entrance to Konoha.
Itachi and Kisame arrived at the entrance to the hidden leaf, wearing their dark robes with patterns of a red cloud on different parts of the robe. They both wore hats to cover their faces, and were stopped at the gates by leaf ninja, who wanted to know why unidentified ninjas were trying to enter the village.
"Who are you! What do you want here?" The first leaf jonin said, brandishing his Kunai. Itachi said nothing, still walking towards them like nothing had happened. The jonin was ready to attack, but never got the chance, as another jonin blocked his path. It was Asuma. "Stay back. They're dangerous." He said as the first person took off his hat, revealing his face. "Itachi Uchiha. The defector." Asuma said, staring down at him. Itachi said nothing in response and kept walking. "Why are you here!" He yelled, and Itachi stopped.
"The legacy of the fourth hokage, the boy Naruto."
"He's not here."
Itachi shook his head, but said nothing. He turned to Kisame, who just stood there, silent for a few seconds before stirring. He's right, I can't feel the fox's chakra anywhere near here.'' Itachi turned, and started going the way he came. Kisame followed him, and soon they were out of sight.
Team 7 and the others were almost at the village now, when Jiraiya stopped everyone, and squinted. "There are two ninja ahead. They're waiting for us." he continued moving, quickly,but more cautiously now, naruto already knew that itachi was there, but he still hadn't considered how to take care of itachi's situation, since it was important for him to learn the truth, and also for him to get the sharingan.naruto followed behind still, and decided to see how it would play out. He felt the move out of cover, realising that their enemy was too much for them, since there were two legendary sannin, and the copy ninja kakashi. He celt the move back and away, until he couldn't feel them again. They were gone.
Jiraya stopped and exhaled. "Looks like they left." he said, and continued moving. They got to the village, just as night was approaching, and got to the village in record time. They reported back to the hokage's office and he was pleased to see his former students. "You defeated Orochimaru. So you can rest now." Tsunade said and sighed in relief, seeing her old master still alive and well. Hiruzen smiled thinly, but got all businesslike, as he turned to naruto, his face solemn. "Naruto, two members of the akatsuki came looking for you today." Everyone in the room looked at Naruto, surprised. Naruto himself, however, did his best shocked face, and thankfully , they bought it. "Hiruzen looked at Sasuke next, and sighed. "Your brother seems to have joined the akatsuki."
Sasuke remained quiet, but the anger brewing on his face was apparent.
"What did he want with Naruto?" Jiraya asked, and Hiruzen shook his head. "He wants the demon fox inside the boy." Jiraya quickly put his thoughts together, and came to the same conclusion as Kakashi in that moment: the Akatsuki were hunting Jinchuriki.