The Rise of a Warrior: Naruto: Shippuden

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Three years have come and gone, and while Tatsu and the ninja of the Hidden Leaf have grown stronger, they'll have a whole new group of enemies to face. The era of Team Dragon has arrived, but can they rise to the challenge? Sequel to the Rise of a Warrior: Naruto, second story in my Naruto trilogy. Please read each chapter until the end and check for notes.

23. Declaration of War, Cherry Blossom Falls

"Naruto." Madara continued "You will most likely end up fighting Sakura one day, or more like I'm going to throw Sakura at you. The long pre-destined battle. I'll have Sakura validate the existence of the Uchiha in Sasuke's place."

"Sakura isn't just your toy." Naruto snarled "Quit talking nonsense!"

"You think you can make Sakura have a change of heart like you did with Nagato? That right there is nothing more than a fantasy Naruto, to control others you must possess the ability to manipulate the darkness in their souls. Nagato just happened to be easily influenced, that's all there is to it and nothing more."

"Never compare someone like yourself to someone like Nagato! His methods may have been different from mine, but he truly wanted peace! But you're so different from him it's sickening!"

"Without a doubt."

Tatsu glared skeptically at him "Is that really your goal? To validate the existence of the Uchiha clan and this supposed Curse of Hatred? Then why go so far as to collect the Tailed Beasts? Tell us what your true purpose is, what do you want?"

"Well if I wanted anything than I would have to say that it would be to be a complete form."

"A complete form? And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Talking to you about it now is pointless, I'll explain it at a more appropriate time and place. It was fun chatting with all of you. Until we meet again." then he suddenly warped away.

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Sakura found herself surrounded 'The Raikage and his aids, Kazuma Kamikaze and Shisui Uchiha, and who knows how many samurai. Even with my ability to absorb or negate ninjutsu, I can't take all of these guys on if I want to live.'

"You seem to be having trouble."

Sakura looked to see Madara warp into existence behind her "I underestimated them, that's all there is to it."

"Don't worry about it, I didn't expect Shisui and Kazuma to appear with Danzo." he then warped her away into his right eye and turned to Shisui and Kazuma "We'll meet again you two." then he disappeared himself.

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At the same time, Killer B emerged from his hiding spot and decided to visit Kin, his Enka master, in the Land of Iron.

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Tatsu checked out the sight where Madara once stood, but shook his head "There isn't a single trace left of him, whatever that warping jutsu is it's extremely effective."

"Yeah…" Naruto muttered "Tatsu, Kakashi-sensei, all that stuff you told us…"

"Just be careful Naruto, take it with a grain of salt."

"But if what he said is true then Sakura is-"

"Naruto. Look man, I know how you feel, but in times like this you have to be patient. We're in the middle of rebuilding the village, we can't let this whole thing with Sakura and the Akatsuki become public knowledge. The last thing we need is more chaos and confusion. Naruto, if you do wanna be the one to take Sakura down then you've gotta keep this quiet. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. I don't like it, but I've got it."

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A bolted back into the conference, followed by Shisui and the others "Where is Sakura?! WHERE IS SHE?!"

"It doesn't matter." Onoki let out an annoyed grunt "I'll just end this when I see her by turning that brat into dust with my Particle Style."

"The hell you will, I wanted another go at her!"

"And you still get to have a go at her." then Madara warped into the room "So quit whining will you Raikage?"

"And who might you be exactly?" Shibuki inquired.

"My name is Madara Uchiha, and I've come here today to explain something to all of you, and once I'm thoroughly sure you understand I'll ask you a question."

"Very well then." Shibuki stepped forward, then turned back to his escorts "Kegon, Yoro, be sure to remain on standby." then he turned back to Madara "What is it that you wish to tell us?"

"It's about my plan, a little something I refer to as Project Tsuki no Me."

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At the same time, Ino, Lee and Yahiko were heading to the Land of Iron themselves in order to meet up with Tatsu, Naruto and the others.

The entire thing had to be kept top secret.

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Naruto sat on the roof of the inn, thinking about what Madara had said 'I know Sakura can't be saved, and I know I don't have any feelings for her anymore, but even so, I can't bare to let her do these things anymore… The only thing left I can do is ask her myself. First things first, if I'm gonna track her down then I'll need Sage Mode.' he began meditating.

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A charged at Madara, only to phase through him and slam into the wall behind him 'How the hell did I-? Anything related to the Akatsuki is bad new and honestly, it isn't going to make any sense either. Bring Sakura to us right now!"

"That will depend on your response to what I'm about to tell you." Madara told him calmly.

"Please calm yourself Lord Raikage." Shibuki told him "For now, let's hear what he has to say and go from there."

"Now then, are all of you finally prepared to listen?"

"Firstly, tell us." Gaara spoke "Why are you trying to win over Sakura Haruno?"

"Her level of intelligence and superb chakra control are quite rare, and I happen to like to stock up on good recourses. By battling the Five Kage, she'd honed herself even further, which is exactly why I sent him here. I was hoping to weaken the Five Kage and take at least some of you as hostages, but I guess that was too much to ask of her."

"Take the Five Kage as hostages? What could you possibly want with that?"

"I wanted to make sure that Project Tsuki no me was implemented smoothly."

"I'm truly surprised that the infamous Madara Uchiha is still alive." Onoki admitted "But I'm also confused, why would you of all people need to use such roundabout tactics? With all of your power, you oughta be able to bring any plan of yours to fruition easily."

"My injures from my battle with the First Hokage Hashirama were to severe, I currently have far too little of my true power and I am now but a shell of my former self."

"So what then?" asked Shibuki "Is this plan of yours meant to restore your power?"

"Well I suppose you could say that, but there's so much more to it than that."

"What are you scheming?" asked Mifune "Exactly what is this Project Tsuki no me?"

"It will be quite a long story, so I'll need to sit down." Madara sat down.

"Enough stalling, what kind of plan is it?" asked Shisui.

"This kind." Madara held up a single finger "All shall become one with me in a complete possession form that unites all."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Shibuki "To become one and unite all of us, what could you possibly mean by that?"

"There is an ancient Stone Tablet that has been passed down within the Uchiha clan hidden in a room beneath the Hidden Leaf, upon it being a written secret engraved by none other than the Sage of Six Paths himself. They cannot be read without visual powers. With the Sharingan, Mangekyo Sharingan and Rinnegan respectively, more and more knowledge is progressively revealed."

"And your story is becoming more and more unbelievable, the Sage of the Six Paths is nothing more than a mere myth."

"It is the truth, he did indeed exist and he left that Stone Tablet behind."

"Don't change the subject!" A stomped forward "And what exactly does this Sage of Six Paths have to do with your plan anyway?"

"Do any of you know why he became a legendary figure? One that is revered like a god amongst shinobi? This is where the link between that man and my purposes lies."

"Madara Uchiha, you possess the Mangekyo Sharingan and your fellow Akatsuki member had possession of the Rinnegan." Mei pointed out "Do you mean to say that you know all of the secrets of that tablet then? If so, then tell us."

"You see, the sage once saved the world from a certain monster."

"What monster would that be?" asked Shibuki.

"Well Gaara, the young Kazekage here, once held merely one small piece of that monster sealed away within you. It was the aggregate of all of the Tailed Beasts, a creature that possessed almost infinite chakra, and it was referred to as the Ten Tails."

"But I thought there were only 9 Tailed Beasts." Temari pointed out.

"Like I just told you, it was the aggregate of all 9 of the Tailed Beasts. Shukaku, Gaara's former Tailed Beast that you know as the One Tail, the fiery rathe cat of the Hidden Cloud's Yugito Nii, the Two Tails, the Three Tails of Yagura Karatachi the former Fourth Mizukage, the Four Tails belonging to Roshi of the Lava Style, the Five Tails belonging to Han of the Hidden Stone, the Six Tails belonging to the former rogue ninja Utakata, the Seven Tails belonging to Fu of the Hidden Waterfall, the Eight Tails belong to Killer B, the younger brother of the Raikage, and the Nine Tails, the fox spirit of the Hidden Leaf. The chakra of the Ten Tails had simple been divided up to create the nine Tailed Beasts that we know today but the hand of the Sage of the Six Paths himself. The Sage of the Six Paths developed a certain ninjutsu in order to protect the world from the Ten Tails. That ninjutsu is still being secretly passed down, it happens to be the sealing jutsu process used on jinchuuriki."

Shibuki was first to realize what he meant "Wait, you mean-?"

"That's right. The Sage of the Six Paths was the Ten Tails' jinchuuriki. He sealed the Ten Tails within himself in order to suppress the monster. The sage who saved all of humanity from being terrorized by the beast was revered as a savior and as a god. However, the sage feared that upon his death the seal would come undone and the immense chakra of the Ten Tails would emerge once more, so in his final moments he summoned the last of his strength to partition the chakra of the Ten Tails into 9 pieces, and scattered them all across the world. Then he sealed away the body of the monster, now devoid of chakra, and hurled it up into the sky, and it became what we know as the moon."

"This story is ridiculous." Darui muttered "I mean, what human being could do something like that?"

"As the jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails, the sage had already advanced beyond the realm of humanity."

"So you're trying to reassemble those 9 separated sources of chakra, all of the 9 Tailed Beasts in other words, and obtain that immense power." Mifune summarized "I can understand that part of your plan, but what are you planning on doing with all of that power?"

"I plan to revive the Ten Tails of course, and then I will become its jinchuriki. I would then use its tremendous chakra in order to strengthen my visual prowess and launch a certain jutsu."

"What certain jutsu?" asked Shibuki "Which one could you possible mean? Just what is this grand plan of yours?"

"I plan to launch a super genjutsu where I project my eye off of the surface of the moon, an Infinite Tsukiyomi. All living beings that live on this earth will be placed under my genjutsu. And as a result, by controlling every single one of them I shall unify the entire world. I will create a world without any hatred or war, everything will become one with me and everything will be united. That is Project Tsuki no me."

"You're insane!" A barked out almost immediately "There's no way in hell I'm just handing the world over to you!"

"That kind of piece is just an illusion." Gaara pointed out "Peace is only meaningful when one is able to achieve it honestly."

Mei nodded "So what exists inside this genjutsu world of yours? There's no hopes, no dreams, it's just an escape."

"So you want to unite the world." Onoki noted"It sounds to me that instead of uniting the world, you actually want to make the world yours and only yours."

Shibuki nodded "All you're trying to do is enslave humanity and make yourself into some sort of god, well I will never live in such a world."

Madara chuckled "And yet with all of your talk, what have you Five Kage accomplished? You of all people should know the truth by now. There is no hope. To hope is the same as giving up, and it's nothing more than the biggest deception of all. Now then, turn over the remaining three Tailed Beasts and cooperate with my plan. I mean the Six Tails, the Eight Tails and the Nine Tails. If you don't cooperate then I guarantee you that there will be war."

"War? Is that what this has come to?"

"Eight Tails?" A finished processing "What do you mean Eight Tails? You captured B!"

Madara shook his head "The capture of the Eight Tails failed and he escaped, now there is a shinobi who is a perfect jinchuuriki. There really is no one quite like your younger brother."

"...WHAT?!"

"So it's true." Darui noted "I had a feeling he escaped."

"You say that like this is a regular occurrence." Shibuki pointed out.

"With B it kind of is."

"THAT GIANT FOOL!" A roared "He used this chance to run off and play hooky?! Unforgivable! I'm gonna give him my Iron Claw of Punishment for this!"

"I will not give up Naruto Uzumaki." Gaara said firmly.

Mei nodded "I agree with Lord Kazekage. Utakata is more than a jinchuuriki, he is my trusted friend and I will give my life before I let you have him."

Onoki turned to A "What do you say about this Raikage?"

"I'll never hand my brother over to the likes of you!" A roared.

"I may not have any strength myself." Madara admitted "However, what I do have is the power of the six Tailed Beasts I have already captured. You have no chance of winning here."

"There is no way we will abandon hope." Gaara said firmly.

"Very well then, you leave me no choice. I hereby declare war on all of you, the Fourth Great Ninja War begins now!"

"You're officially insane." Shibuki stated "You'd have to be to start the Fourth Great Ninja War."

"Perhaps, but I am never one to say such things lightly. Take this time to get ready, for the next time we meet will be on the battlefield!" and with that, Madara warped away.

"...Wow."

"Alright then, what shall we all do now?" asked Onoki.

"Our nations must form an alliance." Gaara told him "It's the only way we could possibly fight the power of six Tailed Beasts."

"Lord Raikage, you initially opposed this idea." Mei pointed out.

"It seems my little brother is safe." A noted "But all the same, we can't let ourselves be bullied by the Akatsuki any longer. Form the Allied Shinobi Forces, we'll settle this for good."

"What do we do about the Hidden Leaf?" asked Onoki "The Hokage still hasn't returned from where he ran off during the chaos."

"I shall inform the Hokage about the news." Kazuma told him "And Shisui and I shall also inform another Leaf shinobi I greatly trust and respect."

"And who would that be?" asked A.

"Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan Eye."

'Oh, that guy.'

"Do you mean the son of the White Fang?" asked Onoki.

"That's acceptable, he at least seems trustworthy."

"Lord Raikage, we must take steps to locate Killer B right away." C pointed out "Since the Akatsuki are after the Six, Eight and Nine Tails, that means that they're probably still pursuing Killer B."

"You're right. Okay, then send word back to the village immediately. Have them put together a search party and find B."

"Yes sir."

"And we ought to inform Samui's team right away too." Darui commented "Omoi and Karui are really distraught."

"There is one other thing." Mei spoke up "In order to stop Madara's project Tsuki no me, we absolutely must keep the Six, Eight and Nine Tails out of his clutches. I believe it's imperative that our forces find them before anyone else does and get them out of sight and into hiding as fast as we can."

Onoki still seemed unsure "Yeah but I can't even begin to imagine the power Madara has amassed with six Tailed Beasts, and if he possesses jutsu that utilize them then that will be his secret weapon or else he would not have been so bold. I believe the Allied Shinobi Forces should also plan to use the strength of the Six, Eight and Nine Tails in battle, don't you all agree with that?"

"No, absolutely not." Gaara said firmly "This is also a war to protect all of them. I think the reason why Madara is waging war with his six Tailed Beasts is that in his weakened state it's too difficult for him to capture the remaining Tailed Beasts with just the remaining Akatsuki members, and even if it were possible the risks are too high. Also, he may be hoping to use this war to lure them both out. For many reasons, using the Tailed Beasts in battle is not a wise strategy to use."

"I agree, we must find a different plan." Shibuki spoke up "After all, my Hidden Waterfall shall participate in this war as well."

A nodded "Yes I also concur with the Kazekage, if we consider the worst case scenario then it's like offering the Tailed Beasts up on a silver platter. Besides that, military strategy is a foreign concept to my little brother, the jinchuuriki of the Eight Tails. I could never predict what he would try to do, and he would most likely just bring his own brand of chaos to the battlefield with him."

"Very well, then the remaining jinchuriki will be under protective custody." Shibuki noted "So what do you think of this Lord Tsuchikage?" he received a nod.

"We'll share intel on Killer B with all of you from the Stone, Mist, Sand, Leaf and Waterfall. Use it to put together tracking units and get them moving, instruct them to inform me the very moment they locate the Eight Tails since my younger brother will only listen to me. Kazuma Kamikaze, Shisui Uchiha, we'll trust you to speak with Kakashi."

Kazuma nodded "Understood Lord Raikage."

"I saw Kakashi Hatake and the Nine Tails jinchuuriki brat on our way here, they might still be in the Land of Iron so I would look around here first."

"Very well. However, there is one other thing."

"What?"

"Among the remaining members of the Akatsuki is another one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist, Kisame Hoshigaki. From what I understand his chakra levels equal to that of a jinchuriki, and his sword Samehada is the most formidable of all the blades. When his sword and chakra merge together, human or not he has power equal to that of a jinchuuriki. He's like a Tailed Beast without a tail, he's a truly extraordinary enemy. He isn't someone you should underestimate."

"Yes, we already know about that." Onoki told him "But anyway, are all of you sure about this plan? We don't know just how much power is possessed by the six Tailed Beasts already in Madara's clutches, if we hold the Six, Eight and Nine Tails back and our Allied Shinobi Forces are wiped out while protecting the three of them then the entirety of our efforts would have been meaningless and all for naught. If that's the case then it's better to use them right from the start and let them wage a two front war alongside our combined forces."

"Actually, I do wonder about that." Mifune spoke up "The world's first Allied Shinobi Force is being formed here, right at this very moment, and its strength is also unknown. There must be some risk in Madara using the power of seven Tailed Beasts, otherwise he would never have gone out of his way to come to this summit and try to negotiate. He must be facing unfavorable circumstances just like us. Furthermore, we samurai shall also participate in this war. Is this more satisfactory Lord Tsuchikage, or do you still harbour doubts?"

Onoki said nothing.

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Naruto was in the middle of meditating, trying to gather energy for Sage Mode 'There's no way we can do what we always do, or we'll never find Sakura. I'll have to use Sage Mode, but I need to find a way to make it last longer.' his eyes snapped open as he entered Sage Mode and looked down at the others "Guys, we've got company."

Sure enough, Lee, Ino, Yahiko and Konan showed up "Finally, it took us forever to track you guys down."

Naruto dropped down from the roof, with Tatsu and the rest following "What are all of you doing all the way out here?"

"Naruto." Ino stepped forward "I need to talk to you about something very important.

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Shibuki, Mifune and the remaining Kage were still discussing.

"So Danzo is currently in the wind." Onoki pointed out "The question of who will be chosen to lead the Allied Shinobi Forces is still an issue."

"As Lord Shibuki said before, I too feel that Lady Mizukage is the best choice." Mifune told them "Her leadership skills and calm demeanour make her ideal in leading the Allied Shinobi Forces. Are you alright with this Lord Tsuchikage, Lord Kazekage, Lord Raikage?"

"This is not the time or place for petty squabbles." Gaara told them "I will put my trust in you."

Mei nodded "Very well then, I shall lead the Allied Shinobi Forces."

A shot a look in Onoki's direction "Onoki the Fence Sitter, since you're the only one who's battled Madara Uchiha before we'll need any intel you can give us."

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Danzo stopped Kagami on a large stone bridge on the outskirts of the Land of Iron "Here, this is where we will settle this."

Kagami looked around "Rather narrow with limited space, you can't move around as freely but neither can I. You clearly haven't changed at all."

"Nor have you." Danzo threw away his cane.

"You also placed a barrier around, knowing you you'd find it a big bother if someone came and got in the way."

"Yes." Danzo then charged "Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!" he breathed out several wind bullets.

Kagami was hit dead on, leaving several small holes in his body, but still formed multiple hand seals "Water Style: Liquid Bullets!" he hit Danzo dead on, leaving several holes in his body.

Danzo suddenly dissolved into mud.

"So he swapped with an Earth Style Shadow Clone."

"Earth Style: Great Mud River!"

Kagami was suddenly sent sliding down the bridge in a river of mud "It will take more than that to stop me Danzo."

"I'm well aware." Danzo formed several hand seals "Wind Style: Wind Dragon Bomb!" he summoned a wind dragon that shot out a continuous barrage of air bullets, then formed more hand seals "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bomb!" he summoned a fire dragon that breathed out a barrage of flame bullets that combined with the air bullets, enhancing the flames to an even greater extent, engulfing Kagami in an enhanced blast of fire.

When it was over, Kagami emerged with only small wounds that immediately began regenerating "I see your skills haven't wavered, but don't forget that I've seen the horrors of war and you know what that means."

"I'm well aware." Danzo removed his bandages, revealing Shisui's Sharingan "I shall do whatever it takes to stop you."

"Thank you." Kagami then activated his Mangekyo Sharingan "Come."

"As you wish." Danzo charged and formed several hand seals "Wind Style: Vacuum Blast Barrage!" he breathed out several blasts of wind.

Kagami was protected by a white ribcage made of pure chakra "Whoever's controlling me isn't letting me hold back Danzo, be careful."

"I know."

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Naruto stood face to face with Ino "So what's up?"

Ino looked him dead in the eye "It's about Sakura. There's something that I need to ask you to do."

"Ino, I'm sorry but I just can't find it in myself to bring her back. Not after everything she's done."

"I know. What I'm going to ask is, I want you to make sure she doesn't fall any further than she already has."

Naruto wrapped his arms around Ino "I will, that's all I can do for her."

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Danzo got into a stance "Don't think I'm going to hold back just because you're dead or because we're old friends Kagami."

"I wouldn't have it any other way old friend." Kagami deactivated his Mangekyo Sharingan 'I may be dead, but the effects of the Mangekyo still remain. Danzo, you know what my weaknesses are don't you? Use that knowledge to your advantage in this battle." then he charged, starting the battle with taijutsu.

Danzo went on the defensive and evasive, dodging and blocking his attacks, then leapt back and formed several hand seals "Wind Style: Vacuum Blast Barrage!" he breathed out several blasts of wind.

"Water Style: Water Wall!" Kagami summoned a wall of water, shielding himself from the wind attack, then formed another hand seal "Water Style: Water Shockwave!" he unleashed a large wave of water that shot forward.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Danzo summoned a wall of earth to protect himself, then leapt out of the way of the remainder of the attack.

Kagami charged in.

"Wind Style: Vacuum Bullets!" Danzo breathed out several wind bullets.

Kagami powered through and kicked up some water to block Danzo's vision, then kicked him in the face and slugged him, then kicked him, sending him tumbling back.

Danzo let out a groan "As quick as strong as ever I see, I should have expected no less from you Kagami."

"Behind you!"

Danzo looked back, only to be pulled into the water beneath the bridge 'So the first one was just a Shadow Clone, how could I have been so blind. Using Shisui's eye won't do me any good against someone like him, this battle is quite the challenge.' he broke free and climbed up the mud wall.

"Water Style: Water Fang Bomb!" Kagami shot forward a barrage of water bullets, causing the mud wall to crumble and break apart.

Danzo landed back on the bridge, panting heavily.

Then Kagami's Mangekyo Sharingan flared into life "Get ready Danzo, here comes the next one!" a white Susanoo engulfed him, various whips springing from the ground.

Danzo leapt from one whip to the next, only to be caught 'Dammit, this is bad. I don't have any other choice, I'll have to use that.' he bit down on his thumb "Summoning Jutsu: Baku!" then he summoned an elephantine chimera, freeing him from the Susanoo, before Baku then disappeared again. Then he pulled out a scroll and summoned a small staff "Wind Style: Vacuum Staff!" he breathed wind chakra into the staff, enlarging it and enhancing it with wind chakra.

Kagami drew his sword, his Susanoo disappearing and the blade of his sword glowing with white chakra.

'So you've channeled the power of the Susanoo into your sword, such an incredible feet even for you Kagami.' Danzo charged in and thrusted his staff into the ground.

Kagami leapt over the attack, then used his sword to block the next barrage of attacks being thrown at him, being forced on the defensive, eventually finding himself struggling to hold back one attack. That is, until he formed two Shadow Clones that charged forward.

Danzo was forced to retract his attack, then quickly slammed two paper bombs onto their ankles, detonating and dissipating them.

The real Kagami then charged forward and slugged Danzo in the gut, then sent him to the ground with a kick to the face, then walked forward and aimed his sword, intending to end the battle with another strike.

'Kagami…' Danzo suddenly grabbed Kagami by the neck.

Kagami exploded into mud, then reappeared.

Danzo slammed the staff down on Kagami's head as hard as he could.

Kagami got back up, his head badly damaged but quickly reforming.

'I believed as much, it's useless to attack their bodies as long as their souls are bound to this world by the Reanimation Jutsu. So be it, there's only one thing I can do. I can use that to stop him, but to do that, I'll have to die.'

Then blood spurted into the air.

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Killer Bee had been visiting his Enka master Kin in the Land of Iron.

That is, until Kisame appeared intending to capture Killer Bee, or more specifically, the Eight Tails inside of him.

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Naruto strapped on his vest on, his eyes gaining the pigments of Sage Mode 'Okay, I think I'm ready.'

"Are you really planning to go after Sakura alone?"

Naruto looked back to see Tatsu standing on a pole nearby "I've already tracked her down with Sage Mode, she's near the border of the Land of Iron along with Danzo and another chakra signature."

"That doesn't answer my question Naruto, why are you trying to go after Sakura by yourself? Just what are you hoping to accomplish?"

Naruto stared intently at him for a moment, then looked away "It's just… I feel like I'm kind of responsible for Sakura turning out the way she did. I feel like if I didn't give up on her as fast as I did then maybe she wouldn't have stooped so low as to join the Akatsuki. I said to Ino I'd finish it, but I'm still having a hard time gripping the fact that she's fallen as far as she has. I don't know if I can bring myself to do the job. That's why I'm going alone, to make sure you guys don't pay for it if I mess this up."

"Naruto, this whole thing with Sakura isn't your fault. She was rotten to the core from the beginning, this whole thing is because she was a twisted and sick minded fangirl who let her obsession turn to madness and an irrational desire for revenge. That is in no way, shape or form a reflection of your actions." Tatsu put a hand on his shoulder "I know this is something you feel that you have to do, but when you face Sakura promise me you'll have a firm heart and a clear mind or you're guaranteed to fail. Alright?"

"...Alright, I understand."

"Good. But just to be safe, take this." he summoned a sword from a scroll in his pack and handed it to Naruto "This is the chakra sword that Asuma gave me when I graduated from the Academy, I want you to have it."

"You mean it?"

"Yeah I don't need it anymore, I've got the Dragon Blade and I can think of nothing better for it than for you to have it. Now go get her, do whatever it takes to protect the people you care about the most."

"Tatsu… thank you." Naruto then took off.

"Sure thing."

"Tatsu." then Kazuma dropped down with Shisui.

Then Kakashi came out with Sasuke and the others "Kazuma, Shisui, what are you two doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with Danzo."

"That's what this is about. We have very important news and everyone needs to listen very carefully, we'll tell you about what happened at the Five Kage Summit."

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As his battle with Killer B continued, Kisame fused with Samehada and trapped him inside a Water Dome using his Super Exploding Water Shockwave.

Eventually Kisame managed to defeat Killer B, but before he could capture him, Samehada suddenly decided to betray him, favoring Killer B's chakra over that of Kisame.

That was when A and his party showed up, and together they hit Kisame with a Double Lariat, decapitating him on the spot.

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"And that's it." Kazuma finished explaining "That's everything that happened at the Five Kage Summit."

Kakashi frowned underneath his mask "I see. I can't believe everything at the summit could've gotten so out of control so quickly. And for the record, I'm really not too eager to become Hokage if anything happened to Danzo. Besides, even with the circumstances being what they are right now we'll still need to go back to the Hidden Leaf Village and discuss this with the others first."

"Madara announced that he was going to declare the start of the Fourth Great Ninja War against all of us, it's not like we have a ton of time to waste right now."

"It's not like it will take long to get everyone's approval." Tatsu pointed out "No offense to you or Shisui Kazuma, but right now Kakashi is the most qualified candidate as the Hokage so let's just proceed as if he'll be confirmed as Hokage. It will be a lot worse if the Akatsuki or Madara strike first and we're put on the defensive because we're too slow in our response."

Kakashi let out a tired sigh "Well I guess you're right. But then there's Sakura, I just can't believe she'd go as far as to attack the Five Kage Summit."

"And that's the other thing. Naruto took off about half an hour ago to find Sakura and deal with her by himself."

"...What?!"

"Naruto gets that Sakura doesn't see any of us anymore, not even Sasuke. The only thing she sees now is darkness. She won't stop until Naruto's head is on a pike, and he knows this all too well. He's resolved to end this before it begins."

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Danzo found a blade run through his chest and looked back to see who it was "You…"

Madara had stabbed Danzo from behind "It's been a long time Danzo, we haven't seen each other since the Uchiha incident if I recall correctly."

"Madara Uchiha…"

"I must thank Sakura later, she used Kagami to tire you out enough to the point where I could sneak behind you undetected."

Danzo glared, gripping his robe 'Koga Kamikaze, I've spent so long with this jutsu set in my body that I forgot to thank you for helping me realize my purpose.'

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(Flashback- after the end of the First Great Ninja War)

Koga Kamikaze, Tatsu and Kazuma's grandfather, found Danzo munching on some hikiji thoughtfully "You seem down."

Danzo looked up "Koga…"

"You're still thinking about what happened to Lord Second aren't you?"

"...I was completely willing to be the one to sacrifice myself to allow all of you to escape from the Hidden Cloud, so why? Why is it that no matter how much I wanted to, I just couldn't find it in myself to say it? And yet when Hiruzen said he would do it, my trembling stopped? Why was I such a coward? Why am I still a coward? Why can I never keep up with Hiruzen? My father and grandfather died in battle a shinobi, self sacrifice is the duty of a shinobi!"

"I think I understand. Danzo, you're afraid of dying."

Danzo's head snapped towards him "That's absurd! Didn't you hear what I just said?"

"Yes, but I also know that there's more to it than that. You're afraid of dying because, to be blunt, you're worried that your legacy will die with you."

Danzo stared intently at him.

"You're worried that all of your beliefs, your ideals, your faith will die with you because you haven't passed it onto your own children. I can understand it, before my son Kuroga was born I was the same way."

"You? But-"

"I know, I have this macho confident appearance. That's what you were going to say wasn't it?"

"Not even remotely close."

"...My point is, you want to make sure you're ideals live on even after you're gone. So how about this. My clan will carry on your legacy for you." he put a hand on Danzo's shoulder and gave him a kind smile "The Will of Fire, doing whatever it takes to protect the Hidden Leaf and everyone in it. That's not too bad a legacy, now is it?"

Danzo stared at him, eyes wide "Koga…"

(Flashback End)

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'Yes Koga, perhaps my legacy won't die here…' Danzo struggled to remove Madara's blade from his chest, then blitzed between Kagami and Madara, being careful to make sure there was an even distance between him and each of them "For the sake of the shinobi world, for the sake of the Hidden Leaf, I cannot let the two of you continue to remain the world of the living any longer!" and he pulled open his robe, revealing a black sealing formula on his chest.

'It's a Reverse Tetragram Sealing Jutsu!' recognizing the formula, Madara quickly leapt out of the way.

However, Danzo was able to trap Kagami within the black sphere that engulfed his body as a result of the formula 'Hiruzen, it looks like the time has come for my turn now. Just as you gave up your life to protect the Hidden Leaf Village, the time has come for me to do the same. I will stop them with everything in my power… But in the end, I never did get to become the Hokage after all… No matter how far I ran, I was never able to… catch up to you… Hiruzen, you were always a tree leaf on which light had always shown, while I was nothing more than the roots, the foundation, hidden away in the darkness that supported your light… So tell me Hiruzen… what do you think of me? What was I… to you…?'

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Naruto charged forward, Sage Mode burning strong, when he sensed it 'Danzo's chakra has disappeared… Sakura, don't tell me you… I've gotta hurry!' he sped up, itching to grip the sword he now had strapped to his back 'Sakura… why did I ever feel anything like that towards you despite all of the suffering you caused me? It seems so long ago, but back then I only went after you because you went after Sasuke and I wanted to spite him like some spoiled brat. I kept going after you despite what you put me through. When we were in the academy, the kids were actually gonna be nice to be and give me a chance, only for you to spread a rumor that I was related to Kurama because of my whisker marks, and then they started to look at me like I was a pariah, just like the grown ups. Then we became teammates, and Sasuke told me what you said about me and Tatsu being orphans. If it were just me then I wouldn't have minded very much, but to say that about Tatsu, the one I looked up to the most, was crossing the line. I just gave up on you altogether, and during the Land of Waves mission I lost sight of the reason why I went after you to begin with, because then Sasuke and I officially became friends, but I think that only made you hate me more. During all of our time in the academy, and until the mission to the Land of Waves, I never gave a moment's thought to who you were behind that pretty face. But then came the Chunin Exams and Orochimaru, and you openly hated me so much that you were willing to abandon us, and you even went so far as to drag Sasuke with you. When I heard that you had been arrested for trying to kill Ino, I felt… nothing, just indifferent. I never really understood exactly why I felt that way, and I still don't to be honest. Before I knew it, I had completely forgotten about her and I had fallen in love with Hinata. When I heard that she had become a member of the Akatsuki, I didn't even feel sad. I felt nothing but sorrow, sorrow that she had sunk so low, that she was no longer the Sakura I had once known. But despite all of the pain and suffering she's caused me, I'm grateful to her. She taught me the difference between what I thought was love and what actually is love. I can't let her sink any further than she already has, so I've made my decision. I'm going to take care of Sakura myself.'

"Hey."

'You haven't talked in awhile Kurama, any advice on this?'

"Just do what needs to be done, then ask Tatsu to teach you how to actually use that sword."

'Using the Crescent Moon Dance can't be that hard, you just make two Shadow Clones and slash like a maniac right?'

"...How have you not gotten yourself killed by your own stupidity yet?"

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Madara stared at the crater left by Danzo's last move, as well as where Danzo's corpse lay in the center 'That was a bit too close for my liking. A collateral damage sealing jutsu, it drags you into the corpse and completely seals you inside, permanently. He probably had it set to activate at the moment of his death.' he leapt down into the crater and warped Danzo's corpse away 'Now I've finally recovered Shisui's eye, this will make winning the war that much easier.' then he activated his jutsu again.

Then Sakura emerged "So it's over? He's dead?"

"You saw for yourself didn't you?"

"But I lost both Kagami Uchiha and En no Gyoja, I underestimated them."

"They are the Five Kage after all."

"Well it doesn't matter, now that the Hokage is out of the picture destroying what's left of the Hidden Leaf Village should be that much easier."

"The Hidden Leaf huh? I wouldn't if I were you Sakura, don't be so hasty. You should go back to the hideout and repair that armor of yours, your scuffle with the Raikage, Shisui and Kazuma left a crack in it." he pointed to the crack across its chest "If you keep going like this you'll end up damaging it to the point where it's beyond repair. At this point you won't be able to accomplish anything if you go to the Hidden Leaf now."

"You shouldn't underestimate me, don't forget that I have those jutsu at my disposal."

"True as that may be, you have to remember, patience is the most important step in bringing one's plans to fruition."

"Yeah yeah, you tell me that every time. But before I go back, there's one last thing I have to do-"

"I know I know, you want to take Naruto's head with your own hands. Fine, if you're so adamant about it then I'll take you to him." Madara warped Sakura away 'Hopefully Naruto will just get rid of her, this girl is proving to be more trouble than she's worth.'

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Naruto kept running in Sage Mode when he sensed it 'Someone's coming!'

Then Madara warped in front of him "I honestly didn't expect us to meet again so soon, Naruto Uzumaki."

"Madara… I'm in a hurry right now, what the hell do you want?" the Sage Mode disappeared from his eyes.

"Well in short, I'm a little bit eager at the moment to collect something I recently came across, but a certain associate of mine was too eager to wait to get her shot at you, so I figured I'd let you two play a little while I leave to take care of business. Do you remember what I said before?"

"You said you'd throw Sakura at me." then it hit him "Oh."

"That's right." he warped Sakura out of his eye.

'Here we go, no turning back.'

Sakura stood and shot Naruto a malicious smirk "It's been a long time hasn't it Naruto, we haven't seen each other since- oh yeah, since you and the others left me to rot in that prison cell four years ago."

"Sakura…"

"And now I'm going to make you pay for your betrayal." Sakura then charged forward.

Naruto got into a stance 'I've gotta thank Bushy Brow for those taijutsu lessons?' he began easily dodging and blocking her attacks easily 'I may not be having much trouble, but she's definitely gotten stronger. At this rate Ino might end up struggling, and who knows what other stuff she's got up her sleeve.' he leapt back and formed several quick hand seals "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" he summoned a large water dragon.

Sakura held out both hands, and the water dragon suddenly disappeared "Only someone as pathetic as you could some up with something so average."

"How the hell are you-?"

"Oh you wanna know how I can absorb your ninjutsu attacks? Well alright, since I'm going to kill you here I might as well tell you." she removed her Akatsuki robe, revealing a set of black armor underneath "This is Chakra Armor, the latest prototype that I stole, created by the scientists of the Land of Snow. This is also a special type of armor that increases the levels of chakra within the user's body, strengthening a handful of the more useful jutsu. A chakra barrier gathers around us as well, able to absorb the chakra of our enemies, and as a result both ninjutsu and genjutsu are rendered completely useless. Then again, you never had a talent for either of those to begin with. It also lets me use this." she formed hand seals "Ice Style: Dragon vs Tiger!" she summoned a large ice tiger.

"Fire Style: Foxfire!" Naruto breathed a large fox made of flames, melting the ice but also causing his jutsu to evaporate into steam "Why are you doing this Sakura?"

"You're asking why even now? Even you shouldn't be that stupid, I'm doing this to get my revenge! You and Tatsu turned everyone else against me, if you hadn't ratted me out for what happened in the Forest of Death then none of this would've happened! You're the ones to blame for my life going to hell! You, the Leaf, Orochimaru and the Akatsuki! Itachi killed Sasuke's clan, Orochimaru tried to mark Sasuke in the Forest of Death, and you for always trying to be better than Sasuke! You turned Sasuke against me, and then that swine Ino turned the entire village against me and got me put in a prison cell and left to rot! I could've healed Sasuke but you all got in my way, and I was forced to rely on Madara! Now you're going to pay for every wronging me!" she angrily formed hand seals "Ice Style: White Lion Jutsu!" she summoned a lion made of pure ice that shot forward

Naruto summoned two Shadow Clones as he leapt back, a Rasengan forming in the palm of his hand as one clone added the elemental chakra to it, while the other just disappeared "Okay I've gotta admit Sakura, that's pretty impressive."

"I don't need praise from you Naruto!"

"Who said I was praising you? Now it's my turn to show you my most powerful jutsu. Wind Style: Rasenshuriken!" he hurled the Rasenshuriken, slicing through the ice lion.

"A gigantic shuriken? Pathetic, even now you're skill copying Sasuke's moves! You never could measure up to him, and you never will! Ice Style: White Lion Jutsu!" she summoned another ice lion, colliding with the Rasenshuriken, sending both flying high and detonating in mid air, sending both of them reeling from the shockwave of the blast.

Naruto stopped himself with his Shadow Clones, which dissipated almost immediately after catching him 'Those ice jutsu felt different from the ones Haku used, they somehow felt unnatural. That's it, her ice style jutsu must be coming from that armor she's wearing. All I have to do is destroy it and this will be that much easier.'

Sakura emerged, heavily wounded but still ready for battle "Don't think you really have a shot of winning this battle you idiot, you might as well turn tail and run away like a coward."

"You mean what you did to me and Tatsu when we fought Orochimaru back in the Forest of Death?"

"Shut up! It's your fault for always trying to show off and make Sasuke and me look bad! Sasuke was rookie of the year and I was the top kunoichi, you should've just accepted your place under us and stayed the worthless trash you were always meant to be!"

"You have no one to blame for your cowardice but yourself." Naruto held out his hand, forming a Rasengan.

"Ice Style: Wolf Fang Avalanche!" Sakura summoned a pack of wolves made of ice and snow from the mountain behind her, causing an avalanche.

Naruto promptly leapt over the wolves and thrusted forward his Rasengan, ripping apart the one in front of him.

Sakura leapt back, her armor now sporting a minor crack "Too bad, and you almost had me there too, but it's time to end this game. I don't care if you did defeat Pain, you're still nothing but trash, a loser that will never amount to anything and will never be loved by anyone!" she leapt over the ice and formed a hand seal "Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!" she thrusted her arm forward and a black snow dragon shot out of her armor, rocketing towards Naruto at high speeds, engulfing him and sending him crashing into a frozen lake.

Naruto was slowly sinking, his mind wandering in thought over what Sakura said 'I'll never amount to anything? I'll never be loved by anyone? Sakura… you couldn't be more wrong… at one point, that would've hurt me to the core… at one point I was alone, hated by everyone in the village, but I worked hard and got stronger, I found people who accepted me for who I am, and it's only thanks to them that I've gotten this far… But you… you've threatened to kill them, and for me that's crossing the line…' orange pigments appeared around his eyes 'I won't let you hurt them!'

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Sakura stared at the water, her eyes showing nothing but disdain "Pathetic, just like I thought you'd be." she started walking away.

"SAKURA!" Naruto burst out of the frozen lake, radiating strength.

"Typical, you never know when to quit do you?"

"I just don't like to give up Sakura, there's a huge difference!"

"Fine, go ahead and be the gutsy idiot! It won't do you any good!" Sakura blitzed through more hand seals "Ice Style: Twin Dragon Blizzard!" she shot out two black snow dragons, one from each arm, creating a massive black tornado.

When it subsided, Naruto was nowhere in sight.

"There… I obliterated him… this ridiculous farce has finally come to an end!" she began laughing maniacally.

"The hell it is!"

Sakura dissipated the tornado and looked ahead to see Naruto standing before her, sword drawn and Sage Mode burning brightly "Why?! Why won't you just die?! Just give up already you worthless trash!"

"You give up Sakura." Naruto's Sage Mode disappeared, and the chakra surrounding his sword turned green "You give up on me ever giving up! Sage Art: Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance!" he charged in.

"It's not over until you're dead! Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!" Sakura stuck out her arm, only sparks to fly out "What?!"

"This is the end Sakura!" and with that, the original slashed her down the middle, causing the armor's main power core to shatter "It's over Sakura."

"No…" despite being badly wounded Sakura formed one last hand seal "Ice Style: Black Dragon Sacrifice." her armor began glowing.

"Sakura, what are you doing?"

"What do you think? I just activated the self destruct on my armour! Even if I couldn't bring down the Hidden Leaf, I take comfort in knowing that I'll be taking you with me to the grave! Goodbye Naruto, and burn in hell where you belong you pathetic loser!" and with that, the area was engulfed in a white light, followed by an explosion.

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In his lab in his hideout, Madara discovered that Danzo had destroyed Shisui's eye before he had died, in order to prevent him from obtaining it.

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"Naruto! Naruto, snap out of it!"

Naruto opened his eyes, which widened when he saw what was in front of him "Sasuke…"

Sure enough, Sasuke stood in front of him, his Susanoo radiating purple chakra "I got a little worried so I rushed ahead of the others, and it's a good thing I did too. That explosion was comparable in power to your Rasenshuriken in Sage Mode, if you had been caught in it then I doubt you would've made it out in one piece."

Naruto stared at the massive crater left behind by the explosion "What about Sakura? Is she…?"

Sasuke looked down at a scroll on his waist as he retracted his Susanoo "The body in the crater was disfigured beyond recognition, if it wasn't for the pink hair then I never would've figured it was her."

"...I see." Naruto started walking back as he sheathed his sword "Let's go, Kakashi-sensei and the others must be waiting."

"Yeah, good idea." Sasuke followed after him "You did the right thing by ending this Naruto, you know that."

"I know, but… do you think I could've saved her?"

"...No, even you wouldn't be able to save Sakura after she had fallen that far."

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In the Hidden Leaf, Koharu and Homura had learned from Shikaku that the agents of the Foundation had been restless and agitated about something, so they decided to seek out Kazuma and Shisui since they had went with Danzo to the Land of Iron.

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Other developments were at play as well.

The Raikage and his escort return to their village, where they hold a council with their feudal lord explaining what occurred at the Five Kage Summit and what must now be done to confront the Akatsuki in the upcoming war.

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After Naruto and Sasuke met up with the others and Kakashi gave a scolding for running off on his own to finish things, the group was on their way back to the Hidden Leaf.

Kazuma suddenly stopped them along the way "Everyone, hold up."

"What's up?" asked Naruto "What's the matter?"

"Someone's coming."

Then three Foundation members showed up out of nowhere "Kazuma, Shisui, we need the two of you to tell us everything that happened."

"You three are ANBU from the Foundation. I'm sure you've already guessed at this point as to what happened."

"Then Lord Danzo is… gone?"

"I'm afraid so, he gave his life in an attempt to take Madara Uchiha and Sakura Haruno down with him. It failed, but he did seal away the reanimation of Kagami Uchiha, so he died an admirable death. Therefore, if you are all in agreement then I would like for us to discuss the future of the Foundation." he held out a hand towards Kakashi "With the new Lord Hokage here that is."

"What?!" Sasuke and the rest blurted out.

"We've already agreed that Kakashi Hatake here would be appointed."

"...We'll head back ahead of you and inform the rest of the village." and the Foundation members promptly took off.

Naruto and the others rounded on Kakashi "Hold on a minute, so you mean you're gonna be the next Hokage Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi nodded "That's how it looks, but I'm afraid that I don't really have a choice in the matter."

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Unknown to anyone, Kisame, who had swapped with a White Zetsu clone during his battle with Killer B, had hidden himself inside Samehada and in order to infiltrate the Hidden Cloud and gather intel.

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Naruto noticed Kakashi attaching messages to his ninja hounds "Hey Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing?"

"I'm sending messages to every Hidden Village." Kakashi told him "We want a united front, we need to share critical intel as early as we possibly can."

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At the same time, the Feudal Lords agreed to formally ratify the Allied Shinobi Force, then went to inform their Hidden Villages.

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Kin was worried "Sasuke… Do you think he got Naruto to agree with our decision?"

Kiba scoffed "Big talk for the one who's been an ice queen to Sasuke ever since he came back to the village."

"Kiba, shut up." Dosu promptly whacked him on the head "Kin, it won't do any good for anybody if you just sit around and worry about it." then he noticed a messenger bird in the skies above "Did something happen?"

"You could say that."

Dosu looked and saw Shikamaru approach "What do you mean?"

"Come on, we've gotta talk."

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After returning to the Hidden Sand with Temari and Kankuro, Gaara held a council meeting to discuss the events of the Five Kage Summit, and they were shocked to receive a message from Kakashi about Danzo being KIA, as well as Naruto being the one to kill Sakura.

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Dosu was surprised by what he heard "Wait a minute, so she really went so far as to attack the Five Kage Summit all by herself?"

Shikamaru nodded "From what I hear they're just about to make an official announcement, there's still a lot of confusion amongst the officials."

"So it's really true then, Sakura has stooped so low as to ally with the Akatsuki."

"She was with them, as in not anymore. Naruto did her in. This whole thing is turning out to be a real drag."

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Lee was waiting with Kin and Hinata outside the gates of the village "They're here."

Then Naruto and the others finally came up to them "Hey guys, we're back."

"Shikamaru told us about the situation about Sakura."

"Yeah. She's dead, she blew herself up in an attempt to take me with her and if Sasuke hadn't shown up when he did then she might've succeeded."

"I see."

"Naruto!"

Naruto looked to see Konohamaru and his gang running up to him "Hey guys."

"We've all been waiting for you, I just need to get a quick interview from you and then the Leaf newspaper will finally be all finished."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Naruto ruffled his hair "But I've gotta make a report right now, so we'll have to do it later."

"What? You always say that, it's always later with you and then it never happens."

Naruto just walked off without a word.

'Naruto…'

"Konohamaru, you should say something too." Moegi told him.

"I think something happened…"

"What do you mean?"

"It feels like there's something different about Naruto now."

"What are you talking about? What do you mean different? I don't see anything different about him, he looks the same to me."

"He's just got a different feel to him, I can't really explain it."

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Kakashi had met up with Asuma to discuss the situation "So how's Lady Tsunade doing right now?"

Asuma shook his head "She's still unconscious, nobody's sure when she'll wake up."

"I see. Well if you'll excuse me, I need to go report to the elders." he started walking away.

"Kakashi the chain of command within the Hidden Leaf is in shambles right now, somebody has to restore order as soon as possible."

"Yeah, I know." then Kakashi left.

Once he was gone, Asuma pulled out a scroll 'Well dad, I guess the time has come for me to follow in your footsteps in at least one way.'

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Tatsu had finished explaining the events in the Land of Iron to Team 8, Team 10, Team Guy, and the former Sound Trio "And that's about it."

Shikamaru sounded incredulous "Sakura really did all of that?"

"Yep."

"That's truly unbelievable." Shino noted.

"Yeah."

"Well we've reached a decision too." Kiba told him "We've all sworn to eliminate Sakura ourselves."

"No need. Naruto beat you to the punch in the Land of Iron."

"Wait, Naruto did Sakura in?"

"He defeated her, but from what he and Sasuke tell me she tried to take Naruto down with her."

"Damn."

"Tell me about it. The only thing is, being Naruto he feels responsible for this whole thing with Sakura."

"But there's no way he could've prevented this."

"Tell that to him."

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"Now even Danzo of all people…" Koharu muttered.

Homura nodded "What a shame, the more gifted they are the sooner they pass."

"We must convene a council meeting right away to determine the next Hokage."

"The formation of the Allied Shinobi Force will be delayed if we have no Hokage."

"Well then it can't be helped." she turned to Kakashi "We will recommend you for the position, especially since our ally the Hidden Sand has recommended you."

Kakashi nodded almost immediately "I am prepared."

"That didn't take much convincing." Homura noted.

"Of course, it is a bit out of character for me to be Hokage."

"It will be fine." Koharu assured "I'll go request a conference with the Feudal Lords, return home and prepare until you're called."

"There really isn't anything for me to prepare for."

"Kakashi." Homura stopped him "Let me just say one thing to the next Hokage. Danzo was ambitious but everything he did was for the sake of this village. Hiruzen in the light and Danzo in the dark, everything in the Hidden Leaf went so smoothly back then."

"Is that meant to be an excuse?"

"Only advice. Don't take on everything by yourself, you would do well to find a confident to stand beside you."

"I'll keep that in mind." then Kakashi left without another word.

"You and I are the only ones left from the olden days now."

Koharu nodded grimly "There is no telling what the fate of us shinobi will be."

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Naruto sat on the Fourth Hokage's head, lost in his thoughts 'Was I too hasty in resolving to kill Sakura? Could I have saved her without having to fight her?' he looked down 'Dad… if you were in my position, what would you have done?'

"Hey."

Naruto looked to see Asuma sit down "Oh hey, what're you doing up here?"

Asuma breathed out a cigarette "Guy asked me to watch the finish line for some race across the village he's doing with Kakashi."

"Really? Now of all times? Seriously, there couldn't be a worst possible time."

"He knows that, and that's exactly why he's doing it now."

"What do you mean?"

"Guy knows that Kakashi won't have time for these things once he's Hokage, so he wants to put him to the test one last time before then."

"I see." Naruto leaned back.

"You're still down about this whole thing with Sakura aren't you?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Even if they've gone rogue killing someone you once considered to be a comrade is never an easy thing, especially if they were your teammate and even more especially if they were your crush."

"More like blind worshipping for no good reason."

"Regardless, sometimes you've gotta make hard choices as a shinobi. Even if it hurts to kill a former comrade, don't forget that you still have comrades left to protect and you can't let them down because you're wallowing in your own self pity."

"...You know Asuma-sensei, you're pretty wise. Then again, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you're the Old Man's son."

"With age comes wisdom Naruto, don't forget that."

"I won't."

"Hey Naruto!" then Kakashi suddenly raced up the Fourth's face alongside Guy and leapt over them.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei."

Asuma looked back to see them cross the finish line "Kakashi wins." he smirked when he saw Guy collapse in exasperation.

"What's he on?"

"Nobody knows."

"I'm just grateful Bushy Brow didn't turn out like that."

Then Kakashi came over "So Naruto, are you doing alright now?"

"Actually yeah, I think I'm gonna be fine."

"I see. That's good." Kakashi gave an eye smile "Hey tell you what. Meet me later after the meeting, I've got something I wanna show you."

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The time finally came.

Shikaku led Kakashi along with Kazuma, Asuma and the rest of the council towards the meeting hall "Thank you for accepting."

Kakashi nodded "Of course, though I'd feel a lot better if you were the one who would become Hokage Shikaku."

"Yeah right, I'm old enough to retire and have my son take over for me. You know that I'm in no position to do that."

"Yeah, I know."

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The time for the meeting came.

The Daimyo was increasingly exasperated "I can't believe it, Danzo has fallen to the Akatsuki as well?"

Kazuma nodded "Unfortunately my lord, that is the case. As much as I would like to mourn for his noble sacrifice, for now we must select the next Hokage."

"And who do you propose? You, Kazuma?"

"With all due respect my lord, I'm far too young for the position. Each one of us, myself included, is recommending Kakashi Hatake for the position."

"Oh yes, I know him. A very nice choice."

"Very well then. Kakashi Hatake, please enter."

Then Kakashi entered "You called."

"Yes, he's a very nice choice indeed." the Daimyo noted "Now then, Kakashi Hatake I officially appoint you… uh…"

"Is something the matter?" asked Kazuma.

"Well it's just that I'm not sure what number Hokage to appoint him."

"What do you mean what number?"

"Danzo was appointed as the Sixth Hokage but died before he could formally assume the office, and because of that I'm uncertain whether Kakashi should be named the Sixth Hokage or the Seventh." he received various shocked looks.

"But if Lord Danzo had never formally assumed the position then he was never officially Hokage, therefore Kakashi should be the Sixth."

The Daimyo listened to one of his ministers whispering in his ear for a good minute, and he eventually nodded "Very well then, Kakashi Hatake I hereby-"

"Excuse me!"

Kakashi and everyone else looked back to see Guy burst into the room "Guy?"

"I bring important news!"

"What is this intrusion? We are in the middle of a very important conference." the Daimyo pointed out.

"I apologize, but I have come to report a sudden change in events sir."

"Really? What kind of sudden change?"

"Lady Tsunade has awaken from her coma, there's no longer any need to appoint a Sixth Hokage."

"I see. Very well then."

Kazuma turned to an ANBU guarding the door "Send word to the rest of the villages, Lady Tsunade the Fifth Hokage is alive and well. We should also let the people of the Hidden Leaf know about this."

Kakashi suddenly felt very unnecessary "So then, is it alright if I go home now?"

Guy clasped a hand on Kakashi's shoulder "Well since you're free, why don't we go and get some sushi? We can see who can eat the most."

"...As thrilling as that sounds, can you hold off for about two hours. There's something I've gotta do that can't wait." and Kakashi walked off, leaving a very confused Guy standing alone behind him.

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Kakashi led Naruto up to the evacuation center, or the valuables warehouse to be more specific, on top of the Hokage Monument "Here we are."

Naruto looked around the inside of the valuables warehouse 'Here again? I still don't get it Kakashi-sensei, why did you bring me all the way up here?"

"Just be patient, it won't be much longer now." Kakashi led Naruto further down "This is my storage space, this is where I kept something very precious." he opened up a box and pulled out a crimson katana, which he then held out to Naruto "Here."

Naruto slowly gripped the sword "This is…"

"It's called Crimson Death, appropriately named considering it belonged to your mother."

Naruto froze at that "My mom…?"

"Yeah, she was like an older sister figure to me, and your father was my sensei."

"Kakashi-sensei…" a few tears spilled from his eyes "I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me."

Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and gave his classic eye smile "How about this: Let's head down to Ichiraku Ramen to celebrate Lady Tsunade's recovery, and I'll tell you all about your parents and what they were like. Sound good?"

"Yeah… Yeah, that'd be great."

A/N:

I was trying to make Danzo go out in a noble light, symbolizing him trying to redeem himself. I did it as best as I could so be honest, how well did it turn out? And if you're going to spew hate for me making Danzo somewhat noble, please don't even bother to review.

I thought having Naruto be the one to take out Sakura would be a good way to give him some bonus character development.

The Crimson Death sword was inspired by the Shinobi Saga, a Dragon Ball Z/Naruto crossover fanfic written by master of the unknown. It's discontinued but it's really good, if you like that stuff then check it out.

I added in that little thing about Kushina's sword because I thought it'd be awesome for Naruto to learn to wield a sword, and I wanted to give Naruto and Kakashi a little bonding moment since I thought they didn't have anywhere near enough of those in the original series.

If any of you have complaints about Sakura using Land of Snow stuff, TOUGH SHIT! It was either that or give her the right arm full of Sharingan.