Chapter 7 - Crimson


Sasuke Uchiha's victory turned to ash in his mouth, as if the high from his adrenaline had been forced from his very body. They had beaten the Akatsuki member Sasori but at what cost? His blood red Sharingan ached from overuse as he focused on the elder of their three-man team- Lady Chiyo.

The greying woman had been extremely helpful in the battle, her knowledge of puppetry was unmatched by no one but her grandchild. Chiyo's hidden art of manipulating ten puppets had been swiftly overshadowed by Sasori's legendary one hundred puppet jutsu- a feat thought impossible and only viable due to the Akatsuki member's cannibalism of his own human body.

They had found Sasori cooped up inside a mountainous region of the Land of Wind inside his 'Hiruko' puppet. Sasuke hadn't realised at the time but the real Sasori hid beneath the hideous creature who spat poison. When he had finally been revealed in all his glory, he looked the same as his picture in the bingo book Sasuke had seen. As it turned out, the puppet master had turned his own self into a puppet. Lady Chiyo eyes had welled with tears when they she realised what he had done to himself.

The fight took another turn after Sasori brought out his 'most powerful' puppet- the Third Kazekage, and using the human puppet, had been able to use the dead man's iron sand kekkei genkai for himself. It was lucky he and Kakashi had an affinity to lightning to counteract such an ability.

When they had finally defeated the S-ranked rogue ninja, they had been bruised and bloody but alive and victorious- that was until they continued to explore the mountain hideout and had come across a workshop filled with everything a puppet master would need to create their artistry.

Oak, pine and every other kind of wood filled the various shelves that littered the chamber; bits of sawdust blanketed the stone floor like a fresh coat of fallen snow. Metal weapons such as pikes, swords, and kunai sat upon a large table in the centre of the workshop ready to be implanted in place of veins and organs. To top it off, tools hung from the walls that one would need to cut, slice, and twist in all sort of manner.

What hung from the ceiling though, was what Sasuke stood frozen at. Hollow humans tied to the roof of the cave dangled limply like housing decorations of a psychopath. One that Sasuke would never get out of his head was a young brunette woman with her chest cavity wrenched open, however instead of blood and guts spilling out, only emptiness greeted him. She was missing a hand and her tongue had been removed.

Sasuke had never seen such a sight- and as such nearly emptied his stomach. Only his sensei kept him from doing so.

"Gaara," Lady Chiyo had said, and his eyes flitted from the dead men and women towards the body of a red-haired boy roughly the same age as himself.

Gaara- the Ichibi jinchuriki- or previous jinchuriki- lay across a cold metal table off to the side...

The boy was dead, that was obvious, but he hadn't yet been gutted along with his counterparts. Sasuke took a guess that Sasori had gotten the body after the one tail had been sealed in order to create a new type of puppet; though he hadn't managed to get around to it just yet thank kami.

Gaara's teal-coloured eyes were lifeless and dull like all of his thoughts had been tossed from his body.

Sasuke and Kakashi gazed upon the elderly woman as she performed a forbidden jutsu that he had never even heard of- let alone thought was possible.

'One's Own Life Reincarnation,' she had said, and Sasuke surveyed with his Sharingan as her own chakra left her body and filled Gaara's own as if pouring water from one glass to another.

Lady Chiyo was giving her life force to resurrect Gaara- such was the love that the Sand shared.

Barely a minute later and the granny had collapsed a dead husk and Gaara had arisen from the dead. The boy was confused and who could blame him; one second, he was fighting for his life and the next, in a dark chamber filled with puppets.

"W-what's going on?" he gasped out, not quite used to his body.

Kakashi had been the one to step up, "Hello Gaara, please don't panic, we're here to help. My names Kakashi and this is Sasuke," he said calmly, pointing to him, "What do you remember?"

"S-Sasuke? From the Chunin exams?" Sasuke nodded, trying his best to appear friendly.

"What do I remember?" Gaara spoke, seemingly trying to wrack his brain, "A boy in a red and black cloak came to kill me... then nothing."

"This boy, what did he look like?"

"All I can remember is that he had b-blonde hair and golden eyes," he supplied, Kakashi sighed knowing he wouldn't be able to get any concrete intel until Gaara recovered if at all.

"Anything else?" Sasuke asked, Gaara looked over at him and the boy's eyes widened exponentially.

"Mother! He took Mother from me!"

"Mother?" Kakashi replied, attempting to calm Gaara down, "The tailed beast?"

"Y-yes that thing!"

"I'm not sure how to tell you this Gaara, but this boy and the organisation he works for took the Bijuu from inside you. You no longer have it sealed inside of you," Kakashi said.

The reaction he got was the last thing Sasuke thought he'd see from the crazed ex-jinchuriki, "It- it's gone?! I'm free?" Gaara spluttered out as one of his eyes filled with tears.

"Yes, Gaara, you're free. Sunagakure sent us to kill one of the members of the group the boy came from and we found you. Lady Chiyo here gave her own life to bring you back to us."

At the new information, the red-haired boy stared down at the elderly woman who lay next to him and pulled her into his lap as he cried some more, clearly not used to recieving such kindness. 'I'm free, thank you,' he repeated to himself quietly.

Not soon after, Sasuke, carrying a sleeping Gaara, and Kakashi, holding onto Lady Chiyo's body, began the trek back to the Hidden Sand Village to report what had occurred to both the Suna council and Konoha.


In the Hokage's office inside of Konohagakure, the mood was sombre. No one had heard anything from either Hiruzen or Orochimaru.

They were both presumed dead.

A small force of Anbu had returned from the battleground reporting a lack of bodies but the distinct taste of powerful chakra.

Tsunade had cried and Jiraiya had shed a tear for his sensei whom he would never see again. The old man's life had been filled with hardship especially towards the end of his reign but he had always done what he thought was best for the village and that was how they would remember him.

Maybe he should have pushed Tsunade to keep Hiruzen firmly within the village, but he knew deep down that the old man would have never forgiven them or himself.

The mood had brightened significantly when one of Kakashi's dogs had delivered the good news:

Sasori- a confirmed Akatsuki member- was dead.

Gaara- the former Ichibi jinchuriki- had been revived by Lady Chiyo at the cost of her life.

And the Hidden Sand were requesting an alliance with the Leaf.

"Good news at last," Tsunade said, leaning back into her chair once she had regained the hold on her fiery emotions.

"That Kakashi Hatake sure is a fine shinobi," Jiraiya agreed.

"I want a copy of Sasori of the Red Sand's defeat sent to every major ninja village," Tsunade decreed, "Such a blow to the Akatsuki will show the world that we do not negotiate with these terrorists."

Her orders had been carried out precisely seconds later.

"And with the return of Gaara, albeit without the Ichibi, it will potentially give the Hidden Sand a morale boost," Jiraiya mentioned.

"Yes, and with such morale boost it will make Sunagakure alliance all the more worth our time. "

"A shame that the boy couldn't remember much about the member who defeated him, but I suppose we can't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Just be thankful they didn't all die," Tsunade choked out the joke.

Jiraiya let out a chuckle before becoming serious, "We've made our move now Tsunade, now we wait for the Akatsuki to respond. I can't imagine they're very happy at the moment. They've lost a portion of their military power and if I were them, I wouldn't let that slide."

"Yea," she agreed begrudgingly, "Just keep your ear to the ground for any more information."


Amegakure was known for its everlasting torrents of rain. The clouds wept as if they had forgotten themselves how to cease their eternal downpour. On this night, however, it was worse. The sky had become a raging tempest that flooded through the swamped farmlands and crashed down upon the rusty metal behemoths the village called buildings.

Something had made Kami-sama angry.

Some prayed to their God, while others hoped desperately for the rain to subside- even if a little.

Unbeknownst to the Ame citizens, their wrathful God stood upon his podium as he addressed his Akatsuki. His rippling violet eyes pierced through the darkness as he gazed upon each and every one of them.

Naruto found himself as the unfortunate member who stood next their leader.

Pain had been downright furious when he had heard the news, even now he was extremely irate, only outwardly calm to those who did not know him. As such, lesser members ran their mouths.

Hidan had broken the silence first, "Hey we're on a mission here! Do you want it done or not?"

Naruto chanced a look at the Deva path and saw through the stiff façade.

"SHUT up, Hidan."

"Kakazu you dirty heathen!"

"Enough," Pain ordered. The members knew to listen when he spoke. He commanded that much respect at least.

Painful silence filled the room.

Itachi spoke next, his words chose carefully so as to not piss off their leader, "Why have you called us here, leader?"

Naruto's golden eyes flicked over towards the two empty digits that previously held Sasori and Orochimaru.

"As you all are aware, our own member Orochimaru fled the Akatsuki and threatened our plan," Naruto saw that everyone now paid close attention to Pain, "This mistake has been rectified and our newest member, Justice, returned yesterday having defeated the Sannin."

Nagato's words were plain and precise with no room for any argument. Said 'Justice' watched as the unified Akatsuki turned wholly towards him in surprise. Itachi's Sharingan were wide with a ghost of a smile that vanished instantly.

"So, you managed to take that weird snake guy down then, huh?" the large Kisame questioned, supposedly unaware that he himself was a weird shark guy.

"Yes," he replied simply, not wanting to tick Nagato off any more than necessary.

"The Third Hokage was also present and perished in the battle," Pain informed the Akatsuki, causing yet another round of silence to permeate the bleak cavern.

"An Akatsuki member AND a Kage in one day, now that is impressive," Kisame chuckled, hefting his large sword to rest on his shoulder, "How I would love to fight you."

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for that one."

"Ah," Kisame said, his grin never once leaving his face despite looking a little dissapointed in the news, "Orochimaru then, huh?"

"The Third Hokage used a type of seal that exchanged his own life in return for sealing Orochimaru, however he didn't have enough chakra to fully seal Orochimaru," Zetsu added to the group, giving them the details.

"I assume that means his body was sealed too?" Kakazu asked, looking thoroughly annoyed.

"Afraid so, no bounty for you," White Zetsu goaded him. It didn't work but rather caused the immortal to huff and turn away.

"Currently, we believe Konoha doesn't know of our involvement in the death of their previous Hokage and it would be wise to keep it that way- for now at least, so that they don't take drastic measures against the Akatsuki," Pain revealed.

'A good choice,' Naruto thought. Their organisation had already been put on the list of the most wanted ninja on the entire continent with his stunt in the Hidden Sand. Provoking the rest of the ninja villages could prove troublesome in the long run. Until they have a suitable number of Bijuu in their possession, they could not wage an open war against an enemy with overwhelming numbers.

Pain continued, "However, the assassination of Orochimaru is not why I called you here." Everyone listened with bated breath. "Sasori has been confirmed dead, murdered by a joint force of Konoha and Suna shinobi."

He paused to allow the startling revelation sink in.

"But Sasori was a prodigy in puppetry and art? No normal shinobi would have been able to defeat him," Deidara responded unbelievingly. His previous partners interruption took Naruto off guard. He hadn't realised they were even remotely close considering they were always at each other's throats about who's art was more beautiful. Perhaps that was as close as S-ranked criminals got to friendship?

"The copy ninja Kakashi Hatake. Lady Chiyo, an extremely skilled puppet user, second only to Sasori himself. Sasuke Uchiha, heir of the Sharingan." Naruto's trained eyes watched as Itachi's stared at the cave floor after Zetsu's announcement. One could be forgiven for thinking the traitor Uchiha was struggling with his emotions. The man soon remembered where he was and returned to his usual emotionless state.

"As you heard, these were no normal Shinobi," Pain stated obviously, "Lady Chiyo of the Sand was also spotted dead after giving her lifeforce to the former Ichibi jinchuriki-"

Even Naruto was surprised at this news. He hadn't been aware of Gaara's revival from the afterlife. It didn't mean much, but he wondered whether the boy could now live a relatively normal life without the one tail's insanity plaguing him. It at least pulled some blame away from himself for attacking Gaara.

"-Such a turn of events isn't important. However, Sasori's death at the hands of such shinobi is. Within a week the Akatsuki has gone from ten to eight. This is unacceptable. You may mourn Sasori in your own way but we cannot afford to lose any more members. Our plan must come to fruition." with a flair of his cloak, Pain turned and outstretched a hand that landed on a figure at the entrance to the cave. Naruto's lips turned upwards.

"Our newest member," Pain revealed, a masked figure jumped to the late Sasori's spot, "Tobi."

Naruto watched as his father threw his arms above his head and shook them around in excitement, "HEY, HEY, HEY! Oh boy I can't believe I'M joining the Akatsuki! Tobi is very happy."

The tense atmosphere vanished within an instant at the newest members antics. Naruto snickered under his breath. No matter what he tried, he couldn't understand how his father could go from serious to downright idiotic. Around him, he could see his fellows staring at the fresh blood in disbelief. Only Pain, Konan and Zetsu were unaffected, knowing it to be Madara under the orange mask.

"You can't be serious!" Deidara stuttered loudly, his jaw on the ground and his eyes comically large, "You're letting this clown join us?"

"Awh, Deidara-senpai," Naruto tried not to burst out laughing, "I promise to try my best!"

"This place is really going down the shitter," Hidan commented, causing Tobi to look to the floor in an overemphasised position.

"Enough," Pain said again, "Tobi has useful abilities the Akatsuki can take advantage of. My decision is final."

His violet Rinnegan scanned the room for any more outburst. None came.

"If that's everything, leader, can we get back to the task at hand?" Kakazu asked flatly.

"You're dismissed. Continue to hunt to Nibi. Do not attack unless victory is assured. The Raikage is a powerful man- do not get caught," Pain ordered. The immortal squad quickly fizzled from view.

"What of the rest of us?" Kisame commented.

"You and Itachi are to ascertain the Yonbi's location, however you shall not engage until we are ready," Pain replied, "Deidara; Tobi, you shall hunt for the Sanbi. Again, do not attempt to capture the beast until we seal the Nibi. Zetsu, you will continue searching for potential members to take over Orochimaru's position."

"Yes, leader."

"Seriously! Is this punishment?"

"Hurray!"

"Very well."

Naruto waited as each member disappeared before turning towards Nagato, "And me?"

Ringed eyes turned to him, "You are free to do as you wish until called upon." With that, Pain left his presence, leaving Naruto to wonder why he was being allowed more freedom. It wasn't like he craved a mission, but he didn't have anything else to do at the moment.

A slight clearing of a throat startled him, "So what will you do, Naruto?"

His eyes found Konan's auburn ones. He had forgotten she was even present; her silent nature made her practically unnoticeable.

'What will I do?' he thought.

"I- don't know really."

She smiled sadly at him, "Perhaps you should take a break and take some time to yourself. You've provided us with two Bijuu now, it's only fair you should relax for a while."

Naruto thought about that- perhaps he did need to spend some time with himself. In the last decade he had scarcely been without company. "Perhaps I will," he nodded, "Any suggestions?"

"I'm afraid I don't really get out much, Nagato needs my support; but if I could, I would go and see everything the Elemental Nations has to offer. Ame is such a small part of the world we live in- and a dreary one at that- I imagine there are many things most people never get to see," she supplied, and Naruto thought she looked quite sad. Konan was always a mystery to him. The woman was kind hearted and a pacifist at her core, but fiercely loyal to Nagato and his dream.

"You make a good point, though I'm not quite the touristy type," he smiled in reply.

"Enjoy it while it lasts, Naruto. You never know how things will turn out once The Akatsuki has completed its goal."

Her tone gave away her thoughts, their fight for the tailed beasts could only end in war and kami knows what would happen if the Juubi was revived in its full state. She was right- he may never get another chance like this to be free.

"Everything will turn out for the best," he said, and made his way towards the exit.

"I hope you're right, Naruto," he heard whispered behind him.


Orochimaru's hidden bases had never really felt like home to her. In fact, no place had ever felt quite like home. She had grown up in Kusagakure- the Hidden Grass- never quite feeling like she fit in. Her doting mother had overworked herself to death, all for a small shack and hot meals. Once the village had used her mother up like a battery to be discarded, she had taken her place and had been used just the same.

Karin could barely remember what the woman who raised her looked like. Crimson hair and a kind face was all that came to mind before it was replaced by the inky black hair and pale skin of her deceased lord.

She looked down at her hands and cringed as she did every time she saw them- hundreds of bite marks. They littered the pale skin of her arms as if she was just a piece of meat.

She supposed she was to them.

Underneath her clothes she hid more marks, too ashamed of her own body to wear anything but long baggy clothes.

Karin stared at the four walls that boxed her in like a prison and clenched her jaw tightly.

Orochimaru had made her the warden of his southern hideout not just a few months ago now. She had slowly worked her way up through the ranks of the man's subordinates, proving she was loyal- at the surface at least- and her hard work had finally paid off. But now she felt hopeless. Orochimaru was dead, killed by some unknown player and everything was crumbling around her. She had hated the man who had stolen her away and forced her into submission, but he was too powerful to be denied and as such, she had given up a long time ago.

The base held almost a thousand test subjects that Lord Orochimaru and his protégé Kabuto had captured and experimented on. Three floors of torture and horror, and the south was the second smallest hideout of the six that were held in the Sound. Karin wanted to free them, but she was afraid. Afraid that they would kill her for helping such a disgusting creature. To be honest, she wouldn't blame them. She had served the snaked to survive and in doing so she her lost her humanity piece by piece.

Hopefully, whoever was coming for her would put her out of her misery...

Karin had simply watched with dread as each hideout had been systematically wiped out by what may as well be a ghost. One by one she had lost contact with the others.

Arashi of the island laboratory;

Jugo of the northern base;

Suigetsu of the eastern base;

Kabuto of the western base- though she hadn't heard from him since Lord Orochimaru's death;

And the central base of their Lord himself.

It started two days ago. Blinking off the communication array without word or warning. The only thing she had heard was screaming.

Karin was the last one remaining. She would defend the hideout because she knew nothing else in life. All her life she had been a puppet, controlled by those stronger than her. First it was those men, then it was the snake.

Suddenly, the bases alarm whirred to life and she jumped. Rubbing her clammy hands onto her leggings she prepared herself as she listened to the alarms high pitched ringing. Lord Orochimaru's barrier jutsu had clearly failed to keep out the intruder but that was to be expected if whoever it was had infiltrated everywhere else.

"Go," she ordered shakily to the small band of shinobi she had under her command. At their master's death, most of them had fled the land, though a few stayed. Karin watched them march their way into the hall and towards an unknown enemy.

She breathed heavily and pushed her glasses up her nose; perspiring from every pore.

A terrible cacophony of metal screeching and screams crying out in horror filled her ears and she focused her mind, casting out a mental net of pure chakra as was her unnatural ability.

Hope sunk to dread and her knees shook violently. In amongst the hundreds of spoiled chakra signatures one shone brighter than all others.

It was a man, that much she could tell- a man with such vast amounts of chakra she could feel herself drowning in it. 'This is more chakra than I've felt in my life, even Lord Orochimaru's,' she choked internally. Pure golden light rippled from its epicentre like the sun had taken human form and she cut the connection lest she be consumed by the rage of it. Her own chakra reserves were very large for someone as young as her, almost reaching Kage levels, but this was something different entirely.

Sitting upon the stone throne that Orochimaru would use when visiting her, Karin stared into the dark depths of the hallway with but lone torch illuminating the very end about fifty feet away from her. She gulped as she heard yet another scream and blood splattered across the floor from around the corner she couldn't see.

Thoughts raced through her mind like how was it possible for one person to destroy five heavily guarded bases within the space of a few days? Jugo and Suigetsu were some of the strongest rare shinobi she'd ever seen as much as hated admitting it. Jugo's nature transformation was beyond destructive and Kabuto had to keep constant watch over the loose cannon, whereas Suigetsu's body of water and talent with swords made him practically untouchable. If they had been defeated, what threat did she pose to this person?

Whoever it was, they were close. Footsteps rang in her ears- slowly as if one were taking a leisurely stroll and not butchering everyone in sight. With a hitched breath, she watched as a shadow of a man finally make his way into the hallway. The torch did little to allow Karin to view his face but she could tell the figure was wearing a cloak of some kind.

As if purposely being dramatic, the man allowed the torch to flicker out of existence and the footsteps grew closer. So engrossed and terrified was she that she didn't notice the twin vines winding their way through the ground trying to ensnare her. Before she could even react, the plants had chained her wrists like a spring woven around her arms and dragged her to the ground on her knees.

'What the hell is this?' she screamed to herself, trying, and failing, to break free from their hold.

Two more roots broke into the room underneath her and covered her thighs effectively pinning her for the man to do with her as he wished.

Karin squirmed and ripped but they held steady- she had never felt so weak in all her life.

The dreaded footsteps ceased and her crimson eyes shot up towards the intruder.

Immediately she recognised him as the boy who had killed Lord Orochimaru. This blonde boy with alien-like eyes and cloud covered cloak stared down at her as if she were dirt.

"Justice has caught up with you," a voice cut through the air like a knife through butter. The boy sounded pissed off but his rage was controlled upon her, "This is the last of that snake's torture chambers, and it will crumble into dust as will you."

Under his gaze she felt like a common criminal being judged by a vengeful god- and his words confirmed that he himself had brought Orochimaru's country to its knees.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?" she shouted in an attempt to calm her nerves. It didn't work...

The boy smiled in a way that made her feel like a child, "Right now, in this moment, I am your judge jury and executioner."

"Fancy yourself a god, do you?" she lashed back before even thinking about the ramifications; luckily the boy continued to smile.

"If I'm a God, what does that make you?" the boy questioned, "A girl whose loyalty lies to a man who would kidnap and experiment on children."

She bit her tongue to prevent herself from barking back at him. Instead, she did the only thing she could- pooling her chakra into her lower back she swiftly manifested a near indestructible chakra chain before the boy could sense what she was doing.

A single muddy gold chain wreathed in chakra burst from her torso and lashed towards the now wide eyed blonde with such speed that she knew she had surprised him.

Suddenly, her neck snapped backwards with such force that her teeth crashed into each other, and she coughed up a spittle of blood as her concentration vanished and the attacking chain fell apart. As soon as she could she rolled her eyes downwards and saw the offending root that had given her whiplash, however before she could even recover, the vine had wrapped its tentacle around her neck and was slowly sucking the life- and chakra- out of her.

Karin choked on her own spit as she struggled to gain even an ounce of air. Her hands and legs were still bound and she realised she was going to die down here.

The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a large unhuman head rise from the floor as if the devil had come to the land of the living.

'M-maybe this boy really is a God,' she stuttered her final thoughts.


Golden eyes rippled as Naruto took in the 'King of Hell' from the Naraka Path. The monsters own mirrored Rinnegan stared back at him as it waited his command. Piano key like teeth spread open in a sadistic grin. He had seen Nagato summon it once before to fix up his puppet bodies but this was the first time he had called for its power.

Naruto broke eye contact and looked down at the last remaining henchman of Orochimaru. The young girl had bright crimson hair and eyes that were framed by thick black glasses. She wore a long-sleeved purple shirt and black ninja shorts, topped with thigh high stockings. How someone who looked so young and innocent had ended up in such a place was beyond him.

When he had first learned of the deceased Sannin's hideouts he had flew into a rage. Each one held hundreds if not thousands of captives that looked like they had been tortured and experimented on to satisfy whatever Orochimaru was working on.

And there were SIX of them!

Immediately he had infiltrated each one of them, freeing the slaves and sending the guards to hell. The first had been the centre base that he guessed Orochimaru himself used the most. It was the hideout that held the most prisoners. Fortunately, that one had been relatively unguarded and had a map displayed upon a chambers wall of all the others. Second, he had stormed the island laboratory and had interrogated and killed the warden that could turn himself to smoke, and from there he had gone north. An orange haired man had guarded that one; Naruto had almost let him go because of the nature of his torturous curse but decided to put him out of his misery instead. East was next, to a boy who announced himself as Suigetsu Hozuki, a user of water and large swords- Naruto had cut him down there and then. And then West, where the base was unguarded but also held some of the most gruesome experiments he could imagine- he had thrown up there.

Subsequently, that led him here, to the South, guarded by this girl.

Naruto had swiftly burst into the hideout using Doton and slain the few ninja that dared attack him. It wasn't long until he found the large hall that was filled to the brim with metal cages. The people inside them were piled high and squished together but looked a darn sight better than the experiments from the other laboratories.

He beat down his unbridled rage and ripped the cages apart one by one using the Deva Path's control over gravity.

The poor souls looked to him as if he was Kami himself.

"Orochimaru is dead," he had told them, and their cries of joy were that of broken men and women, "You are free."

After some had gathered the courage to thank him- which he had waved off- Naruto told them the way out and sent them to their new lives. He didn't know how many he had freed. Possibly ten thousand altogether. Their existences had been a horror story and most were glass that had been shattered into a million little pieces.

That's where he found himself calling upon the Naraka Path.

The creepy looking head unhinged its maw and an arm crept up its throat and into the chamber. Naruto watched as the arms hand splayed open violently and seized the red head girls' tongue that had become inhumanly long. As much as he wanted to look away, he couldn't- he needed to know what sort of person could willingly torture so many innocent people.

Images flashed through his mind as the King of Hell sent him the girls- Karin's he learned- memories.

He braced as he hooked onto the stream of thoughts and saw in his head a child, five, living with her mother who shared the same-coloured hair. The mother looked kind hearted and his own heart dropped as he viewed images of the woman having her flesh being bitten into and her chakra removed in order to heal random shinobi. He continued on until the mother's death at the hand of forced chakra exhaustion where Karin was then chosen to replace her own mother as a portable battery.

He dislodged from the memory and latched onto what he wished to see. Orochimaru burning down her village in the Hidden Grass and approaching a girl of ten who was littered with bite marks upon her pale skin. Naruto cringed.

'Come with me child,' the snake had said, 'I will keep you safe.'

From there, Karin had been experimented on by Orochimaru in an attempt to replicate her healing abilities but had failed, eventually allowing her free reign over the southern hideout in his stead.

Naruto dug deeper. Why had she followed the Sannin? How did she feel about torturing human beings? Who was she?

He soon noted her extreme displeasure at the horrors that surrounded her. In fact, her memories revealed the beatings she gained from going against Orochimaru's wishes. Karin wasn't inherently evil, that was at least obvious. The snake had forcibly hurt and wounded the girl and watched as she had to resort to biting her own flesh to save herself from certain death.

She soon turned docile, and believed that this was the only thing left for her. Everyone she knew had either been killed or tortured and the thought of having her own hideout away from the snake was too good to pass up.

'The girl's abilities are extremely intriguing, don't you think, Kabuto?' Karin had heard from her hiding spot.

'Indeed, Lord Orochimaru,' came the sadistic reply.

'If only I could harness them for myself.'

'And her talent for sensory ninjutsu is something I've never seen before.'

'Kukukuku, that's true.'

'A shame she's the only one left, her clan's bodies are oh so interesting,' Kabuto drawled.

'Yes, Uzumaki's are a rare gem indeed...'

Naruto's eye's bulged at the influx of Karin's memories, and he cautiously cut off the Rinnegan's connection to the interrogation method. Where the others had died with their tongues being ripped from their body, this girl collapsed back to the floor unconscious but alive.

An Uzumaki?

Like mother? Like him?

'I believed it was only me remaining.'

His clan had been destroyed by the combined efforts of the Hidden Villages- something he would never forgive- so to have this girl in front of him be of the same lineage came as a huge surprise.

Naruto slowly approached her prone form and kneeled down to her level, grabbing a hold of her sleeve and slowly pulling it up her arm. His Rinnegan quickly fixated upon the multiple bite marks that marred her limbs and thought it disgusting how people could use and manipulate someone of his clan into giving them her chakra to heal their own injuries.

It was an interesting and useful ability he would admit; but not one he envied. He couldn't imagine the amount of people who would want to get their hands on her. One already had...

Making up his mind, he cast off the roots holding her body, and hefted her into his arms. Channelling the Narake Path once again he readied the Naraka Path for something he had never done before- healing someone.

The King of Hell's golden eyes looked at his approaching form with disinterest as it unhinged its jaw for the second time. Naruto watched the head as it bent backwards at an angle that would be impossible for any human and unfurled its fleshy tongue over its teeth and onto the ground.

The Rinnegan bearer didn't know for sure if it was the right thing to do, but he couldn't sit idly by and snuff out the last of the Uzumaki's. She would pay penance for her crimes but she would live.

He carefully placed her lithe body upon the King's tongue and took a step back as it took Karin's body into its mouth out of sight. The Path's summoning looked to be chewing and eating Karin for a snack but Naruto knew that wasn't the case, even if it did make him a little uneasy.

Almost a full five minutes later, the beasts bared its white teeth once again and out rolled Karin, who was deposited to the floor like it had spat out chewed gum.

The female Uzumaki member looked brand if she had been reborn, free of her scars that Naruto knew she was deathly ashamed of.

He questioned himself for a second; why had he healed her? Yes, she was the only surviving member of the Uzumaki clan and while she may have detested Orochimaru's way of life, in the end she had lost her fight and had submitted to the only person who was willing to give her power. It was a second chance in a way, what he had gifted to her was a chance to rebuild herself from everything that had hurt her. The physical scars now invisible were a metaphor for such as task. Naruto just needed to know whether she had the fight left in her to overcome these obstacles.

He gave one last look to the Naraka Path entity before allowing it to return to its domain and vanished into the night with Karin in his arms.

(One day later...)

The blonde Uzumaki watched the sky overhead within the Land of Hot Water, just east of the Sound while he waited. Having never visited the country he was pleasantly surprised by the temperate climate that clung to his pale skin in a thin sheen of sweat. It was eerily reminiscent of the Land of Fire- of which he tried to steer clear from- due to its luscious foliage and green fields. The Hot Water was an interesting country in that it used the geothermal hot spots underneath the ground to provide its citizens with hot springs which made it the ideal place for tourists to visit.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quite a tourist on this occasion, and he readied himself as he watched the girl stir from her slumber, she had been out for over twenty-four hours now.

Looking at Karin Uzumaki was like he assumed looking at a mirror image of his mother minus the eyes would be like. From what his father had told him- which wasn't a lot to be fair- the girl represented greatly what the Uzumaki clan appeared like. Bright crimson hair that fell to her shoulders and feathered out in some places as if she hadn't washed it for a week. Her eyebrows furrowed as she turned her face towards his in a state of confusion and caution.

Realisation flashed through her red orbs as she took in his Rinnegan; backing up to a tree only to jump up in fright at the offending wooden structure that she probably believed was his doing. Her weakened legs gave out on her as she fell back to the ground wincing in pain.

He placed a hand up in an attempt to calm her, "Relax, Karin, I'm not going to hurt you."

She didn't buy it, "You already tried to kill me once, why should I believe- wait Karin? How do you know my name asshole!"

'Oh kami,' he mentally facepalmed himself, "I think you'll find you attacked me."

"What?" she stared at him incredulously, "You pinned me down with those roots of yours first! And you didn't answer my question!"

"You were an enemy; did you expect me to walk in there unprepared? Last time I did that I almost got cleaved in half by that idiot Suigetsu," he commented, vaguely remembering the close shave he had gotten.

"Suigetsu?" she seemed to recognise the name, "That moron who loves his swords? Did you kill him too?"

"Afraid so."

"Why?" she asked, trying and failing to get to her feet once again.

"He was loyal to Orochimaru and was holding innocent people in cells?" he said as if it was obvious.

"Yea," she looked at her feet in a moment of shame, "You killed Lord Orochimaru though."

"Oh? How could you know that information?" he asked, interested in hearing her answer. He hadn't been aware that someone other than Zetsu was watching him.

"I was there, I can hide my chakra signature," she replied, "I watched as you cut him down with ease.

She was an interesting girl indeed, an ability to hide her very existence from his eyes, and she seemed to possess highly advanced sensory skills if the probe on his senses was any indication, "I was ordered to kill him so I did, it's that simple." He wasn't sure why he was telling her classified information, but he did so anyway- consequences be damned. He easily cast off her senses and she recoiled slightly.

"Ordered by who?"

"Does it matter?"

"To me, yes," she challenged.

"No," he denied, cutting her off, "What matters is if you're still loyal to such a disgusting excuse for a human being."

His accusatory tone caught her off guard, "I- "

"He wanted you for your unique power and you followed him willingly,"

"NO, I DIDN'T!" she shouted suddenly, "Don't pretend to know me. I hated Orochimaru, I was punished if I so much as questioned him. How could I have gone against someone like him?!"

He smiled internally, he was finally getting somewhere, "So you rolled over and worked for him?"

"Like I said, don't pretend to know what I went through," she argued, her crimson hair was flaring outwards, "You judge me without knowing anything about me. Why don't you just kill me and be done with it?!"

"As I said, I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to give you a second chance," he revealed.

She observed him with confusion and anger, "Why?" she demanded.

"Because you're an Uzumaki," he said simply, as if her name was something to be revered.

"So what?" she asked. Clearly, she was aware of her name but not her lineage. Orochimaru had used her without ever telling her why. "You keep dodging my question, how do you know my name?"

"He never told you about what that name means, did he?" he shook his head.

"It's just a name you weirdo."

"That's not true," he said, "You and I are the last of the Uzumaki clan, Karin. A clan so powerful that every Hidden Village bar Konoha wiped them from existence. It's just us left…"

"What are you going on about?" she said in confusion.

"The Uzumaki hail from the Hidden Whirlpool and were destroyed because of their innate ability to suppress strong chakra such as tailed beasts with their Adamantine Chains, not to mention their immeasurable chakra pools and long lives," Naruto informed her, watching for any signs of recollection. There weren't.

"I- I don't believe you," she stuttered, overwhelmed, "Even if it was the case, why would you spare me for that? Let me guess, you want to use me for my healing abilities just like everyone else does?!"

"Yes, you do. There's a reason that Sannin wanted you. He took advantage of you and used you for his own means," he could see the anger behind her façade.

"Tch."

"You know it's true," he continued, "You should be thankful. If you weren't an Uzumaki you would have suffered the same fate."

"Why are you so obsessed with me!?" she bit back.

"As I said, it's just you and me left. I would prefer if our clan didn't faze out of existence," at her red face he stumbled over his words, "No no, not like that, I just want to protect what's left. We owe them that much."

"How do you know my name?" she questioned again, ignoring him.

Naruto sighed, "I read your memories."

"YOU WHAT -!"

"- Before you get all moody, you can't blame me for checking," he murmured. It was invasive, yes, but it had to be done, "I needed to check if you were a threat- you know, considering you worked for that snake."

Karin seethed, "So you forcibly took my private moments? Get a good look, did you?"

"I know what you had to endure, Karin. It's another reason why you're still alive. You've had a shit life, just as I have. I saw that you did what you had to to survive; I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing, but that doesn't excuse the people you kept locked up like animals," he said in retort.

"So, you look at my memories and think you know me?" she growled back, "I didn't ask for this life. I just wanted to live peacefully with my mother, but she was taken from me and Orochimaru was the only person who saved me from becoming a portable medic station. He did shit things and I always opposed them but there was nothing I could do to have changed it or to save them."

"I know," he said calmly, believing her, "I don't like it but you did what you had to in order to survive. I've given you a second chance Karin, don't squander it."

"You keep saying 'second chance' but what am I supposed to do?" she argued, "I've no village or friends to call home."

"Thats where you're wrong," he denied, "You have me. We're an extinct species, you and I, and for that reason you have my protection while you get stronger."

She seemed taken aback by his answer and the anger she had accumulated seemed to slowly drain from her, "And where am I supposed to go now? What am I supposed to do?" she asked weakly.

"Travel east to the coast of the Land of Fire," he said, "You'll find an island there where our clan once resided. Learn who you are and what it means to carry Uzumaki blood. I haven't been there myself, but one day I'd like to visit. Once the cycle of hatred has been banished from these lands at least. Maybe once you come to terms with who you are, you can begin to make amends for your actions."

Her lips hung open and she was stunned to silence.

"... You're letting me go?" she whispered after a few seconds.

"I have been telling you, Karin," he chanced a smile.

Naruto allowed a small portion of his chakra to culminate into a small piece of chakra rod metal. It took the form of a spherical loop like a ring but smaller. He slowly approached her and held it out to her in his palm. This time she didn't shy away from his presence.

"Take this," he said, dropping it into her open palm, "Keep it on you and I'll be able to find you wherever you are in the world. I won't force you but you may need it one day; if you need to talk or if you're in danger."

Karin stared at the small piece of his chakra and for a moment he thought she may discard it, but slowly her hand closed around the gift, and he smiled again.

"I'll do it," she said suddenly, "I'll go to the island and see for myself what it means to be an Uzumaki"

Naruto nodded approvingly.

"Then this is where I leave you, Karin Uzumaki," he said in farewell, it was time he returned to Nagato, "I'll see you around."

And then he was gone, swallowed by a window of darkness.

The enlightened Uzumaki came to her knees as she clutched the piece of the boy's chakra. She hadn't even gotten his name...

A small glint of light caught her eyes and see found herself looking at her rounded glasses laying in the green grass. She hadn't had them on the entire time she had been conversing with her clan member.

She could see? Her eyes were fixed?

Karin frantically scrambled around, grasping at the sleeves of her shirt and yanked them up.

They were gone.

The bite marks that marred her body had vanished. Healed into perfect porcelain skin.

The blonde boy had given her one last gift.

For the first time since her mother passed, she cried tears, though not of sadness- but of joy...


Hello, next chapter out. Few things, I'm not sure in cannon whether Karin or Nagato are aware of their Uzumaki genes but in this story they aren't for sake of plot. Believe it or not but originally this fanfic came to me on a whim with the desire to write something where Naruto gained the Rinnegan and joined the Akatsuki after being manipulated, but I never really put much thought into it besides fighting tailed beasts, but I enjoy writing this story and to pad it out more I needed 'filler' parts and thats where Karin comes in. There are few fanfictions involving Karin and Naruto and I wanted to explore their Uzumaki lineage more as technically there are only three of them left (Naruto doesn't know Nagato is an Uzumaki) so thats why Karin has come into the story as I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to write besides the Akatsuki side of things. Also beware current readers as I may soon change the description slightly to make it more interesting plus I will probably re write some sections of the first chapter now I have a general direction- I will inform everyone once I make these changed if you wish to go back and re-read these sections. Until then, I'll be working on the next chapter. Review 3