Not long after Tatsu and Naruto had broken through the barrier, Utakata and Killer B had broken through the barrier as well, much easier than the first two since the barrier corps barely had any sort of time to recover from the first onslaught.

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"We're out!" Naruto looked around and noticed something off "Wait a second, I thought we were on an island in the middle of the ocean but this sure as hell looks like land to me."

"That's a small enough detail, right now we've gotta get moving." Tatsu took off running, with Naruto following at full speed.

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Black Zetsu appeared outside the hideaway containing the Feudal Lords "Perfect, I finally found them. They're here." he made his way towards the building, when…"

"Wind Style: Air Bullets!" a barrage of air bullets slammed right into Black Zetsu, sending him tumbling back onto the cliffside, courtesy of Yahiko as he appeared in front of him.

"So that's it, before I can get the Feudal Lords I have to take you down first. Is that how this is going to go?"

"Well you're half right, but really you're going to have to get through us." he was promptly joined by Kazuma, Chojuro and several other shinobi, resulting in the battle starting 'I still don't get why Shisui suddenly took off like that.'

During the carnage, Black Zetsu suddenly turned when he noticed something "I sense the chakra of the Six, Eight and Nine Tails, so they've emerged at last. I must tell him." so he channeled some of his being into the roots below the ground in order to contact Madara.

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Shisui sped through the woods as fast as his legs would carry him 'I don't know why, but I can sense something ominous coming from where Darui's First Division is stationed down at the coastline, I've got a really bad feeling about this.'

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"Ninja Art: Four Flames Formation!"

Dan was surprised to see Choza and four other shinobi use the Four Flames Formation on him, trapping him in a barrier "Very nicely done, once inside this barrier even those controlled by the reanimation jutsu are rendered helpless."

Still in his giant form, Choza fell to his knees, panting heavily "Yeah…"

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"Gotcha!" Ino quickly used the Bashosen to destroy Kakuzu's water mask 'That should be the last of Kakuzu's hearts aside from the one he has inside his body. It's weird, I feel like the Bashosen is draining more chakra from my body the more I use it but Samehada on my back keeps replenishing it.'

"It's far from over." Kakuzu suddenly appeared in front of her "The battle has only just begun."

"Oh believe me I know, even if we have beaten all of your other hearts and killed all of those white things we still have to deal with you, Hayate-sensei and Master Jiraiya. But we have it won almost entirely at this point, we've fought up to the very end to defend the coastline from your forces and your invidious operation is a failure."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Ino looked around and saw Hayate and Jiraiya being recalled into their coffins 'I don't get it, why would Kabuto recall them when we're almost exhausted?'

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Ino looked and saw a masked figure nearby summoning the Gedo Statue, though she had no idea what it was "What… What the hell is that thing? It's even bigger than Choji! That's not just big, it's enormous. No, that's not even enough to describe it."

"I didn't expect you to assess the situation so perfectly." Kakuzu mocked in an annoyingly smug manner, only to disappear into his coffin just like how Hayate and Jiraiya did.

'Deal with him later.'

"Attack, Gedo Statue." with his pawn in place, Madara set his sights on his targets, them being the Kohaku no Johei and the Benihisago "There it is."

'So he's after the Kohaku no Johei and the Benihisago, he must be after the Nine Tails' chakra that Kinkaku and Ginkaku had and he's using that gigantic thing as a distraction. Well I guess that would be Madara Uchiha, subtle as a flying mallet.'

"Yasaka Magatama!" several large green chakra shuriken were suddenly flung straight into the Gedo Statue, sending it skidding back but not damaging it in the slightest "Did I get it?"

Ino looked up and her eyes shot wide "Shisui!"

Sure enough, Shisui Uchiha had arrived on the battlefield, his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and his green-colored Susanoo both flaring into life almost immediately "I'm sorry I took so long to get here, I felt something off and rushed over as fast as I could. Everybody just stand back and be sure to take cover, I'll take care of this!"

The Geto Statue, which will now be referred to as Gedo, charged forward.

Shisui attempted to stop it with his Susanoo, but was constantly being pushed back by its sheer physical strength "Not on my watch! Thunder Style: Fist of the Thunder Spirit!" channeling the power of Raijin into the fist of his Susanoo, sending out a shockwave that shook the entire coastline, only to notice something shocking "He actually stopped me? How powerful is this thing, and more importantly what is this thing?"

Gedo let out a roar along with a shockwave, sending Shisui and his Susanoo stumbling back and sending all of the surrounding shinobi tumbling back from the force.

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Sunset was upon them.

Utakata and Killer B finally caught up with Tatsu and Naruto "You know you guys could have waited for us to catch up before going full speed like a couple of jackasses."

"Yeah I know, but neither of us gave enough of a crap to stop." Naruto promptly entered his new Kurama Chakra Mode.

"You know Naruto, you really should save your strength for the fight ahead of us." Tatsu pointed out "After all it's like I told you during training, that form isn't something to use so freely and it's definitely not something to be taken lightly."

"Well it's not like we have any time to waste on this, we've gotta hurry if we're gonna make any sort of difference in time."

"Yeah I know but I don't think Tsunade or the Raikage or the Mizukage will be willing to just let us charge in chakra blazing onto the battlefield when the purpose of the war is to protect the three of you. Me sure, but no way in hell for you guys. I mean at this point they'll probably try to come out and stop us themselves."

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One of the sensor type Hidden Cloud ninja at HQ sensed them coming "We've got incoming! It looks like Naruto, Killer Bee, Tatsu Kamikaze and Utakata have all escaped! They broke right through the barrier together!"

"They what?!" A roared "That barrier is supposed to be impenetrable, even to a jinchuuriki!"

"And it would've been for one but Naruto and Tatsu Kamikaze both attacking the barrier at the same time, the barrier just wasn't strong enough to take their combined power. Killer B and Utakata did the same not long after."

"All four of them?!"

"It seems that Master B, as wekk as Tatsu Kamikaze and Utakata, have all decided to start working with Naruto." Mabui noted calmly.

"That fool!"

Tsunade let out a sigh "Alright then, so what do we do now?"

"I'm gonna go stop the jinchuuriki myself, the Kamikaze boy is fine but there's no way I'm letting the other three out there. Tsunade you're with me, Mizukage you stay back here and handle HQ. Don't forget that you're the Supreme Commander of the Allied Shinobi forces and they need you."

"Just let me take care of things here." Mei told him.

"Alright then, Tsunade let's go!"

"Lord Raikage." Mabui stopped him "Please be sure not to knock down any walls on your way alright?"

"...Don't judge me."

"Let's go." Tsunade started walking.

"Right."

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The assault on the coastline wasn't going very well.

Ino braced herself with Samehada and the Bashosen 'This isn't good, that thing took Shisui down like he was nothing.'

"Get back, everyone hurry and retreat to the coastline!" Kitsuchi formed some hand seals "Earth Style: Sandwich Jutsu!" two massive rock formations swelled up from the ground, dwarfing even the likes of Gedo in size.

Gedo held both of them back and unleashed a powerful blast of lightning.

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Ino covered her head "What is that thing? It's level of power is completely unreal, we're totally useless against it!"

"It's definitely bad." Shikamaru muttered "Still though, I can't help but wonder."

"Wonder what?"

"Well given the intel that we've gathered so far and based on the data that Temari of the Hidden Sand gave to the council of the Allied Forces, I can't help but wonder if that thing is the gigantic humanoid statue the Akatsuki used to seal away the Tailed Beasts after they're extracted from the jinchuuriki."

"So you think that this thing contains the power of 7 Tailed Beasts? Wait hold on." and she took off.

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Madara warped behind the shinobi guarding the Kohaku no Johei and the Benihisago "There we are."

"You…" the shinobi guarding them charged at him.

Madara phased through their attacks using his intangibility and disposed of both of them with obvious ease "Now then…"

"Hold it!" that was when Ino and Darui dropped down in front of him "Forget it, we're not letting you have those ninja tools."

"Oh I have no interest in them, I simply desire what's inside of them and once I'm finished with them you can have them back if you want them so badly."

That was when Shikamaru caught Madara using his Shadow Possession Jutsu "First you use Kinkaku and Ginkaku, two already incredibly powerful shinobi who also wield the Nine Tails chakra, to their fullest effect on the front lines and now that you don't have any further use for them you wanna seal the Nine Tails chakra that they have inside that monstrous creation of yours."

"So it seems that there are some smart ones in the Allied Shinobi Forces after all."

"Well am I wrong?"

"You know it really is a true shame that you're my enemy."

"So then that monster is… no way!"

That was when Gedo broke free of Kitsuchi's jutsu and pounced at them.

"Dammit!"

Fortunately, Choji was able to pull Shikamaru out of the way just in time "I've got you, are you alright Shikamaru?"

"You're a lifesaver Choji, thanks."

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Ino helped Darui get to safety "Are you alright captain?"

Darui nodded "Yeah, sorry to bother you like this."

"Don't worry about it, you're more important to this war and the Allied Forces than I am."

"But what happened to him though?"

"You mean Madara? He got away and took the Kohaku no Johei and the Benihisago with him, so he's got the Nine Tails chakra."

Gedo let out a roar and a shockwave, only to suddenly disappear almost immediately afterwards.

"They retreated, but at least that horrible onslaught is over."

"Yeah, but look around." Darui pointed out "I never imagined they'd bring a monster like that out here."

"None of us did, although that doesn't change what happened here, not to mention that we'll still have to deal with Hayate, Jiraiya and Kakuzu when they send those three back here again. The tide of battle has turned against us, now we're going to have to contact HQ and rethink our strategy."

"I know."

"It's almost dark, they could attack us during the night so we'll have to be ready for a night assault."

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Once the dark of night fell, deciding to go along with Madara's plan at least for the time being, Kabuto recalled all of his reanimated ninja, leaving the Allied Shinobi Forces to recuperate from their first day of conflict while attempting to evaluate their counterattack.

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Soon enough, several shinobi from every division rendezvoused at the main camp used by the Medical Division.

"Oh come on, where is it?" an exhausted Tenten was holding onto the back of Ino's flak jacket and following her around the camp "Please? I really wanna have it back."

"First of all I found it and they agreed to let me use it." Ino pointed out "Second, it's called the Bashosen. Thirdly, I'm not letting you use it because you tried for like 5 minutes and almost passed out from chakra exhaustion. I'm the best candidate to use the Bashosen because I have Samehada, which keeps feeding me chakra to make up for the chakra that I lost and it's the only way someone can use it without suffering from chakra exhaustion."

"Yeah I know but-"

"Okay that's enough." Ino chopped her in the neck and knocked her out, then placed her in one of the medical tents and let out a sigh as she made her way to another medical tent 'Thanks to Madara's earlier assault we lost both the Benihisago and the Kohaku no Johei, but in any case I guess that it helps that we were able to hold off the enemy for one more day. Still though the Allied Forces suffered about 38,000 in casualties, that's about 43% of our forces in total. The Akatsuki lost about 52,000 out of 100,000 of their forces, that's exactly 52%. In short our side suffered just over ⅖ of our force and they lost slightly over half, but our side is made up entirely of living flesh and bone whereas the enemy is made up of tens of thousands of those white things and hundreds of reanimated ninja.'

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"Come on!" Naruto burst forward 'Everybody please just hold on, we're on our way!'

"I'm going full speed you idiot!" Tatsu followed him, with Killer B and Utakata both right behind them 'We'll be there soon guys, just hold on for as long as you can until we get there.' he stared at Naruto's back "Hey Naruto?"

"Yeah?"

"What specifically went on when you fought Kurama?"

"...He said that he knew why I was there and that he was willing to help me out, but only if I proved that I was strong enough to handle it. So we fought and I met my mom, and in the end I managed to pull out a lot of Kurama's chakra, that being what you see now. Kurama was pissed at first but told me that he'd only give me his full power when I gained the trust and respect of the other Tailed Beasts too."

"You mean like the Six Tails and Eight Tails?"

"No, that was because we already knew their jinchuuriki. I think he means genuinely trying to free the other Tailed Beasts from Madara's grasp."

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While members of the Second Division were scouting, Neji suddenly collapsed from exhaustion.

Seeing this, Kiba advised him to go seek medical treatment.

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The Medical Division was getting extremely overrun with wounded and dying, leaving Shizune and Kin nearly drowned in those in need of treatment.

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"Just hold still, I'll bandage it." having taken charge of treating the wounded in another tent, Ino quickly bandaged the wounds of one of a Hidden Stone shinobi "There, you should be all set now."

"Great, thank you." and he left.

"Just be sure to be careful. Alright, I'm ready for the next one." then her expression brightened when she saw who it was "Oh hey Neji."

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One of the shinobi that Ino had treated looked around to make sure nobody was watching him, then made himself disappear from viewing eyes.

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Ino finished bandaging Neji's chest and one of his shoulders "Alright there you go, I've taken care of your external wounds."

Neji let out a sigh "Thank you."

"But that being said I still think you could use a break, I really do hate to say it but to waste your eyes like that is a bad idea. You shouldn't overuse them so much."

"That's easier said than done, my job at the moment is to discern things faster than anyone else is able to and then notify HQ in order to improve our chances in battle. In order to achieve that goal I have to put my eyes to work."

"Yeah I know that but while you're here you should at least try to get some rest."

Neji stood "Thank you."

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An hour passed.

Ino looked out and noticed a large commotion outside "What's going on?"

"Nothing good." Kin stopped outside her tent "Apparently three other medical ninja were found dead inside of their tents, from the looks of it they were murdered."

"What?" Ino followed her to where the bodies were laid out on the ground "What's going on?"

"The only reasonable explanation here is that we've been infiltrated."

"But how?"

"It appears that they're specifically targeting our jonin medics." one shinobi from the Hidden Cloud noted "But how could they have gotten in? Everyone's chakra gets thoroughly verified prior to them being allowed to enter the camp."

"We'd easily be able to notice if someone was using a simple transformation jutsu and only members of the Allied Forces who have been positively ID'd are allowed in, that must mean that someone on the inside is being controlled by an enemy jutsu. It must be powerful, and the only person I know of who could do something of that level would be Itachi."

This was when Neji showed up "What happened here?"

"Neji…" so Ino launched into a quick explanation of the situation, unaware of the Hidden Stone shinobi from before watching her.

"Yes I see, well if only Allied Shinobi Forces are here then it will be hard for us to distinguish who's responsible. We don't know who the suspect is, even someone standing here right now could secretly be the killer. This is sure to breed suspicion among our shinobi and that is the main objective of the enemy."

"The medical ninja are critical, our battle strategy can't succeed without us. We're fighting those brought back to this world by the Reanimation Jutsu, there simply isn't any sort of way to confront them without having the medics as a backup team to take care of the wounded. But we can't afford to let this paralyze us now, if we do then we'll lose the battle that starts at dawn without a doubt."

"Then I'll make sure to find who's responsible with my very own eyes."

"Yes but in the meantime we can't neglect our treatment of the wounded so we'll continue to treat them, we just need to watch our backs and this goes especially for the jonin level medical ninja.

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Later, Neji confronted two of the medical ninja from the Hidden Cloud and learned of the tent where Ino was treating the wounded, then proceeded to kill the both of them.

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Ino heard footsteps outside her tent and found the Hidden Stone shinobi from earlier "Oh it's just you, I'm glad you came back. Your wounds aren't bothering you are they?"

He blushed "Uh no not really, I feel just fine now thanks to you. But the thing is, well ever since you treated me I… to be honest, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." he handed her a small paper.

"What is this?"

"Well it's a love letter, the next time I go back into battle there isn't any guarantee that I'm going to come back alive so I thought I should get my feelings out in the open."

Ino let out a sigh 'Curse my beauty both in body and in spirit, especially body. Thank you for this, but I'm afraid that I'm already in love with someone else."

"...I figured as much, well he's a lucky guy."

"And I'm a lucky girl for getting him, he's not really the romantic type but he's got a great heart, would do anything to protect the people he cares about, and plans on becoming the strongest shinobi this world has ever seen."

"I'm guessing he's a Hidden Leaf shinobi too?"

"Yeah he is."

"Well I guess a rejected man like me has no right to pry into who you love, even a shinobi like me knows that's really rude. Alright then, I guess I should go now."

"I'm sorry."

"Good luck, I hope everything works out for you. He really is a lucky guy." and so he left.

'I'm the lucky one for meeting such a great guy. Tatsu…' then she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned around, and she sighed "Oh hey Neji."

Sure enough, Neji was standing before her looking as calm as can be "Tell me are you doing alright at the moment?"

"As well as I can at times like this."

"Well it's easy to get discouraged at a time like this, we don't even know who it is that we're supposed to be fighting right now. It's troubling."

"I know, we have to be especially cautious."

"Agreed. By the way Ino, where is Captain Shizune right now?"

"Why, have you figured out anything about what's going on?"

"Possibly a little bit, but I think that we should report anything no matter how trivial it may be until we're able to finally locate the suspect."

"Good point. I think she's in 10 B2, she's still busy treating Tonton right now. One of her legs are very badly sprained."

"Well better a leg than a hand I suppose, will Tonton be able to rejoin the battle?"

'And there's the cover blown. Probably, after all since her hands are alright Tonton will still be able to weave signs for jutsu."

"I see, that's good. Can I ask you for a favor Ino?" he reached into his pouch behind his back, making sure that she wouldn't notice "Would you mind taking a look at my arm again? It's still bothering me."

"Sure, just go ahead and take a seat over here. Oh, and just one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Hidden Waterfall Style: Water Slicing Blade!" Ino quickly formed a sword made out of her own water chakra and stabbed Neji through the gut, leaving him to fall to the ground.

"But… But how did you know?"

"Because Tonton is a pig and pigs don't have hands you pathetic imposter!"

"Are you telling me that Tonton is just a pig?" he morphed in appearance, revealing himself to be a White Zetsu clone 'She tricked me!'

"I literally just said that, and that little slip up exposed you as the murderer! Now start talking, how is it that you were able to replicate Neji's chakra? You better hurry up and tell me what kind of jutsu it is if you don't me to kill you."

"This transformation jutsu isn't anything you could possibly handle, do you truly believe that I'm the only clone who's managed to infiltrate your ranks?"

'This is what was in Captain Yamato's reports, a note regarding parasitic clones. It was thought that the Raikage and Killer B were able to kill Kisame Hoshigaki but now it's known that he had switched places with a parasitic clone using some kind of transformation jutsu. This transformation replicates the target's chakra network so it's difficult to detect. At the Five Kage Summit Zetsu of the Akatsuki suddenly emerged from people's bodies and ended up absorbing their chakra, so this guy transformed into Neji. Of course. I get it now, you use the chakra that you had absorbed from someone to copy their appearance as well as their chakra. Did I get it right?"

'She's quite a smart girl. Well maybe, but then again maybe not."

"You might be able to camouflage yourself well but you're not very skilled in the art of lying are you?"

Then a bunch of other shinobi came into the tent "What's going on? We heard some commotion in here- What the- Who's this guy?"

"I need to get into contact with HQ right away, you two secure him while I get in touch."

"Right."

"Okay." so she used her Mind Transmission Jutsu to get in contact with HQ.

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"Come on guys, hurry up!" Naruto took the lead.

"Oh shut up, I'm going full speed!" Tatsu followed after him, with Killer Bee and Utakata right behind them.

"I seriously doubt that-" he suddenly cut himself short, his eyes now wide with shock.

"What's the matter?"

"You can sense it can't you?"

"You mean about how everybody is becoming paranoid about the enemy disguising themselves as allies? Yeah I sense it, and the way I see it this just further proves that people are idiots."

"But what the hell is going on? It's spreading everywhere through the ranks of the Allied Forces."

"Well they mentioned the enemy disguising themselves as allies, if that's a problem then that would mean that even the sensor types can't track these enemies down. That's where the two of us come in."

"How do you figure?"

"Even if they can fake their chakra signatures they can't fake their negative emotions, we both have the ability to sense negative emotions so we can track them."

"Naruto! Tatsu!" a voice called.

"Hold it." Tatsu stopped the party when he noticed Sasuke, A and Tsunade all appear right in front of them "What the hell are you guys doing here- What's wrong with Killer Bee?"

Sure enough, Killer Bee was drooling over Tsunade, his cheeks pink "Wha… bra?"

"BEE!" A roared at the top of his lungs "Get your eyes up here right now, have some respect for the Hokage!"

"Oh no bro, I'm just shocked is all. I promise you that I meant no offense, it's just that the Hokage's jugs are most definitely immense."

"You little-"

"Rasengan." Tatsu dryly sent Killer Bee flying into a cliffside with a Rasengan "Alright what the hell do you guys want?"

"We're here to stop you Tatsu Kamikaze, you and the jinchuuriki will not pass!"

"Yeah well I'd like to see you try Nacho Libre. Hey Tsunade, take a good long look at our precious cargo for a second."

Tsunade took a good long look at Naruto, and her eyes shot wide 'It looks like Naruto is in control of the power of the Nine Tails. Well done Naruto.'

"Look just let them pass, I can personally vouch that they'll be huge assets from this point in the war."

"Silence, that's enough." A told him firmly "We're fighting to protect the four of them, if they're captured-"

"If they're captured then the enemy will complete this jutsu and the world will end. I already know about all of that, Iruka-sensei told me." Naruto cut him off."

"So then why are you doing this, are you all just fools?"

"No, don't you get it? It's because of all that, it's because they're protecting all of us. I can't stand the thought of innocent people dying to protect me or any of the rest of us. The way I see it there's no point to winning this war if I'm the only one that's still alive. It's just not worth it in my eyes, I won't let that happen!"

"But it would be better than the end of the entire world! That's the main reason why people are prepared to sacrifice themselves to protect the three of you!"

"I can't sit around and do nothing, not when I'm unharmed and people are out there fighting to protect me! That's not the kind of person I am, I just can't accept that! Besides-"

"That's enough, I still won't let you pass!"

"Well fine, if you're not going to listen then-" he burst forward.

A blitzed in front of him.

'What the hell? He can keep up with me when I'm like this?'

A landed a fist to Naruto's chest, sending him skidding backwards from the force.

'What the hell is that? Damn he's powerful when he's like that, but what is it? I can't afford to take a direct hit from something like that. Granny Tsunade, Sasuke, you guys understand don't you? I can stop this war, I know I can! Please just let me go!"

Tsunade let out a long frustrated sigh "I'm a part of the Allied Shinobi Forces now Naruto and the orders that I've been given are to stop you, even if I am the Hokage I still can't act on this matter independently."

"...I do understand the position that you're in right now Granny, so then I guess I'll have to force my way out through that guy!"

"What about me?" this was when Sasuke stepped forward and drew his Raijin katana, his Mangekyo Sandagan crackling into life "Are you prepared to go through me too?"

"We've both always been part of the same team Sasuke, you should already know the answer to that question."

"...Yes I do." Sasuke re-sheathed his sword and stepped back "The real question is whether or not you can get through him."

"Of course I can, I'll force my way out if I have to. I'll do it faster this time!' he phased out using his Tailed Beast Flash Bullet 'How do you like this one?!'

However, A was still able to keep up with him in his Lightning Style Chakra Mode "You can't outpace me."

"I'll admit that you are fast Old Man Raikage."

"Of course I am."

Tsunade watched with wide eyes 'Naruto's Nine Tails Chakra Mode is able to match the raw speed of the Raikage, that's just incredible.'

"There is no shinobi in this world with speed surpassing mine, not since the passing of the Fourth Hokage."

Naruto froze when he heard this "Wait, you knew my father?"

"I did, we exchanged blows many times during the Third Great Ninja War. I found him to be a very noble man, there was never a man finer than him. Master Jiraiya, one of the three Legendary Sannin of the Hidden Leaf, referred to the Fourth Hokage as a Child of Prophecy, a saviour. But even with all of his power, why is not here to help? Because he underestimated the power of the Tailed Beasts. You are his son, have you learned nothing from his sacrifice? You continue to talk of an uncertain outcomes and yet-"

"That's enough, just stop it already will you? Don't talk about my father, ever. You're wrong, the Fourth Hokage did not fail on that day 16 years ago."

"If you continue to assist on going then I will have no choice but to kill you right here and right now!"

"What?!" Tsunade barked out "No Raikage, don't!"

"That will at least buy us a little time until the Nine Tails is revived, and then our enemy will be forced to delay this plans!"

"Is that so?" Naruto formed a hand seal for Shadow Clones.

"It looks to me like you want to die." A charged forward.

"No!" Killer Bee suddenly appeared and caught A's fist, enhancing the power of his fist with the power of the Eight Tails.

"Bee what the hell is this?"

"You kill him and it's the same as killing me and the Eight Tails you see why? If we die then the enemy's plans will also go awry. To let Naruto go to the battlefield, my life I would gladly yield."

Naruto watched in awe "Octopops…"

This was when Utakata stepped forward "And I would do the same."

"Utakata…"

"Raikage!" Tsunade called out to him "You can't make arbitrary decisions without the other allied leaders, especially without the Supreme Commander! I won't allow it and I know she won't either!"

"SILENCE!" A roared "The duty of a Kage in the Allied Shinobi Forces is to ensure victory in this war and I will do anything necessary in order to achieve that."

"Then like the Eight Tails said, why target Naruto over him or the Six Tails?"

"If push comes to shove then I'm prepared to kill anyone, even my own younger brother but if I have to choose then the one I pick would be Naruto. Bee is a jinchuuriki who can control the power of his Tailed Beast, the same with Utakata, which makes both of them stronger military assets. Now let go of me."

"No way, fool ya fool." Killer Bee's grip didn't loosen.

"Listen to me, you jinchuuriki can't just run around doing whatever you please. You belong to your nation and to your village, you maintain the balance of power for your people. Your very existence is a very special one, you can't do whatever you want and you must understand your position."

"That might be so, but inside of me is something personal called spirit that I can't and won't abandon no matter what may happen because if that's gone then I'm just another weapon." he finally loosened his grip and retracted his Tailed Beast power to make it so that he and A were bumping fists.

"Just tell me why, why are you defending this boy?"

"We're bumping fists now. You've gotta understand, can't you read what's in my soul?"

"Bee…" A saw inside of Killer Bee's soul and recalled their past the two of them shared, starting with how Killer Bee became A's younger brother after passing his Double Lariat test. Their bond only grew as they began going on missions together prior to A receiving advice from his and Killer Bee's cousin Fukai prior to his death, and Killer Bee becoming the next jinchuuriki of the Eight Tails. Years passed and Killer Bee fully grew, and during the Third Great Ninja War both A and Killer Bee had an encounter with Minato Namikaze, the future Fourth Hokage.

'Now's my chance!' realizing that A was lost in his memories and deciding to seize the obvious opportunity, Naruto attempted to charge on ahead.

A still managed to blitz in front of Naruto and punch him in the chest, forcing him to block it and sending him skidding back.

"Dammit that guy is fast as f*ck, no doubt about it. I guess I'll just have to try again!' so he tried again.

Tatsu's eyes narrowed slightly 'Damn those two are fast, at this point even I'm having a hard time tracking them.'

"I don't think so!" A blitzed in front of Naruto and forced him back to the ground again.

"Gotcha!" this was when Killer B charged in and got into the stance for a Lariat.

"Do you really think you can defeat me with your Lariat?" A dealt Killer B a simple blow, causing him to cough up blood.

"Octopops!" Naruto looked on in concern.

"If you have time to worry then you should worry about yourself!" A attempted to charge towards him.

However, this was when Killer Bee caught him with a tentacle "No."

"Dammit B why are you doing this?"

"Don't you get it yet bro, you hear me fool ya fool?"

Naruto smirked "Thanks Octopops, I owe you one. Now I can get past the Raikage.' he then attempted to burst forward.

However, A swung Naruto and Killer Bee into each other, sending the two of them crashing to the ground and turned back to Tsunade and Sasuke "Hokage, Uchiha, both of you get in here and help me!"

Naruto forced himself back onto his feet 'I won't give up, no matter what it takes.'

This was when Sasuke slowly walked over and stood beside Naruto, his Mangekyo Sandagan flaring into life "Get up loser, don't tell me that's all you've got in you."

"Not even close." Naruto shot him a smirk "Team 7 sticks together, no matter what we may face."

Having reflected on Naruto saving her from Kabuto 4 years ago, Tsunade slowly walked over and stood by Naruto "I've made my choice."

Naruto was taken by surprise, but was still relieved nonetheless "Granny!"

"I never liked when you call me that and I still don't."

"Hokage, Uchiha, the two of you had better have a damn good excuse for taking this course of action." A snarled.

"Listen to me Raikage, even if you manage to kill Naruto and buy us some time before the Nine Tails is restored back to its original form I have serious doubts that the next jinchuuriki will be able to control the power of the Nine Tails to this degree and since we don't have any idea which way this war is going to go we might as well use all of the weapons that we have and right now that includes the jinchuuriki. That's why I'm going to let Naruto and the others pass."

Naruto smirked "Nice excuse- I mean nice explanation. Now you're taking, now that's the Granny Hokage that I remember, the one who isn't going to let anyone stop her."

"Seriously, stop calling me that."

A looked on with disdain "Tell me something Hokage, who's the one who's just making arbitrary decisions now? You're all nothing but fools, where is there any evidence that Naruto and the others will succeed!"

"WHEEE!" this was when Killer B charged in as he took on the form for a Lariat.

"I already told you B, your Lariat isn't going to work against me." A thrusted his fist forward and it met B's.

"Listen to me for a second bro, you may be Raikage but since the beginning you've underestimated my power fool ya fool." they broke away.

"Listen to me B, along with Naruto and Utakata you are a precious jinchuuriki. The three of you are very special to your villages and your nations and that's the reason why I can't let the three of you pass. No matter how powerful the three of you might be don't forget that our enemy the Akatsuki has already taken down and sealed away all of the other Tailed Beasts."

"Just trust me, we ain't gonna lose the others and me." he charged forward "And about that I will happily give you my personal guarantee."

"So be it then, let's put it to the test. Your Lariat against mine, we'll see who's Lariat is stronger!" A charged forward full speed.

Killer Bee met the charge, the Lariats clashing against one another, and after a brief yet even struggle, he managed to overpower A's Lariat, sending him crashing to the ground, and he slowly stepped forward "The thing is that being a jinchuuriki isn't our only source of power, we possess something that's even stronger fundamentally. I'll you all the details, you know your words to me and me alone back before I received the Eight Tails. They'll keep me strong no matter what happens even if all else fails."

"...You mean you're talking about the words I said to you in front of the Waterfall of Truth?"

"You're finally getting it huh? So you're not a fool ya fool. Preaching truth at you from above is my fantasy, and the fantasy is now a reality. Aw yeah."

A looked down at his feet "It's true that you are very special to me B and I do believe that you and I are the ultimate tag team, you are correct that I had said that to you, but are all those simple words really going to be enough to keep you strong all the way through the battle that you will face?"

"I don't live and fight just for the village and nation, I live and fight for you too bro, you're still way too overprotective and you've gotta let me go. Don't lose faith in me, you've gotta trust in my power ya know. The world is dark and full of pain when you're jinchuuriki, but I've learned that you can't give up and you've gotta fight free, you've gotta find a light that can let yourself see. Tailed Beasts are not the only source of our power, what we were before then helps us in our weakest hour. Our true selves shine like the sun, they're second to none. Our true strength means that we will never have to run. Only I was able to control the Eight Tails, only I was able to win that fight. Naruto has the same light as me alright, but instead of one that boy has been rocking two suns light!"

Naruto nodded "Yeah you got that right, it really is like the sun and you bet your ass I'm rocking two of them."

"Naruto Uzumaki." A got his attention "Tell me, what are these two sons that you and B have spoken of?"

"I thought you would've figured that out by now, I'm talking about my mother and my father."

"You mean your parents, as in the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki?"

"Yeah that's right."

"You're talking about people who died right after you were born, you were merely an infant when they had passed."

"Maybe they did but that doesn't matter."

Tsunade looked back at Naruto and managed a small smile 'Something must have happened to him during his training to control the Nine Tails chakra, back when Naruto and Lee fought it out against Pain he started transforming into the Nine Tails. Minato had put his essence into the jutsu formula of the seal, he appeared and he saved Naruto. I knew he wasn't going to go down without a fight.'

"When I was trying to control the power of the Nine Tails my father made sure I would have a chance to finally meet my mother, he said that he had woven some of her chakra into the seal and she was able to hang out with me while I undid the Nine Tails' seal. He did all of it for me."

A's eyes narrowed ever so slightly 'The Fourth Hokage had studied the unique sealing jutsu that had been developed by the Uzumaki clan and Kushina Uzumaki's chakra and life force were powerful, there's no question about that. It is possible.'

"When my mother helped me to get this power she told me absolutely everything. Once a long time ago my father fought this guy wearing a mask and during that battle he ended up learning two things. The first thing he discovered was that this masked guy was going go try and destroy the future for everyone, and the other thing that he learned was that there was only one person who could stop the masked man and that was me but only if I had the power of the Nine Tails under my control."

'A masked man, no doubt he means Madara Uchiha. So that incident with the Nine Tails was the doing of Madara after all. This must be why the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine Tails inside of this boy and entrusted him with that power, knowing him I was sure he would have a reason. He never took any unnecessary risks, he must have known that this masked Madara would pose an enormous threat to all of us and that only someone who had the power of the Nine Tails under their complete control would be able to defeat this enemy so he chose this boy. So Minato told you and he had entrusted everything to you, is that it? He knew that he wasn't the one fated to be the saviour?"

"I don't really know if my father ever considered himself to be a saviour or not but then I remembered that my master had always told me that my father was a Child of Prophecy."

"Tell me, do you remember what I said to you earlier? That so called saviour is now dead. What else could you call that outcome other than a complete and utter failure?"

"...Yeah you're right, my father and my mother were both killed that day because they died protecting the Hidden Leaf from that masked enemy along with the Nine Tails. They both gave their lives to protect me. It may have only lasted for a moment but they gave me something, the both of them had given me the knowledge that what I'm capable of is whatever I believe I can do. They entrusted me to be the saviour of the shinobi world."

"Listen up Nacho Libre." this was when Tatsu finally cut into the conversation "Use your head for a minute, if you off this idiot now then Madara is just gonna get the Nine Tails the next time it surfaces and this world will come to an end because of your own bullheaded stubbornness. I know for a fact that Naruto is the only one who can control the power of the Nine Tails just like how the Fourth Hokage believed that he would. You're going to let Naruto go you muscle bound douche nugget, I have faith in Naruto's abilities and his resolve and I know for a fact that he will succeed."

"Tatsu is right." this was when Sasuke stepped forward "My brother was one of the greatest geniuses my clan had ever seen, compared to his talent I was always nothing but a fool. I'm still a fool now and those two idiots are just as foolish as me, but it's not like geniuses are the key to us winning this war. We don't care how big or how tough the wall is, we'll overcome it either way."

A suddenly slugged Sasuke in the side, sending him staggering backwards, his Lightning Style Chakra Mode crackling back into life "Naruto Uzumaki."

Naruto frowned and stepped forward "I'm not going to let you get Sasuke or Tatsu or any of the others involved, this is my fight and I'm going to finish it." he burst forward full speed.

"This is going to end here and now."

"Way too many people have put their faith in me and I'm not going to let them down!" and as A charged at him, Naruto suddenly managed to dodge the blow at the last second "No, I can't fail and I won't fail!"

A powered down as he recalled Minato dodging his full speed in a similar manner 'Like father like son.'

"You weren't wrong you know."

Killer B was about to lose his shit when he saw this 'He dodged it, no way fool ya fool! He really is just like the Yellow Flash of the Hidden Leaf and then some!'

"It's just like you said Old Man Raikage, if I fail then I'm not the saviour! That's why I cannot fail now, I'm my father's son. He taught me how to be the saviour so that's what I'm going to be, you got that?"

A let out a bitter chuckle "My attack was simply a test, I wanted to gauge your abilities as well as your conviction. You're only the second one who was ever capable of outrunning my fastest punch, so then it appears that we have a saviour after all. Now go forward!"

"As if you had to tell me that!" Naruto burst forward.

"...I'd better go make sure he realizes he's going in the wrong direction." and Sasuke quickly took off after him.

Tatsu let out a groan of exasperation "Well come on boys, we've got a war to win once they catch up to us."

"Tatsu Kamikaze." A suddenly stopped him.

"Yeah what is it?"

"Tell me, have you ever doubted your faith in Naruto Uzumaki?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course not, if I choose to believe in something then I stick with that belief to the very end."

"So then why? Surely you must have a reason for having such faith in him, what has he done to prove himself to you?"

"He hasn't done anything, at least not before I decided to believe in him."

"Then why? Surely you must have it a reason for having such faith."

"Yeah I do. He's my friend, I don't need any other reason for that."

"...I see. Go then."

"Way ahead of you." and he took off, with Killer B and Utakata following.

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Having been coming through the data with Mabui, Shikaku was able to discover that the key to defeating the White Zetsu clones would like with Naruto and Tatsu, particularly in their abilities to sense negative emotions.

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The sun was rising over the forest, dawning on the second day of the Fourth Great Ninja War, and Madara decided to use this day to hunt down the jinchuuriki with his newly created Six Paths of Pain, made up of the jinchuuriki reanimated by Kabuto.

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At the same time, with help from Guy, Lee, Omoi and everyone else, Kakashi and his men were able to seal away 4 of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist, those being Jinin Akebino, Jinpachi Munashi, Kushimaru Kuriarare and Ameyuri Ringo, with Omoi receiving the Kiba blades from Ameyuri as a sort of parting gift.

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At the same time, the Medical Division had been put into a standstill with nobody being allowed to go anywhere near the central tent where Ino, Kin and Shizune were performing an autopsy on the White Zetsu that Ino had captured.

Through research gathered during the autopsy, they were able to gather more information and pass it on to those at HQ.

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Things were quiet on another front.

Naruto was rushing towards the battlefield, with Sasuke by his side "I can't believe you didn't tell me I was going in the wrong direction!"

Sasuke let out a snort "You can't seriously blame that on me, if anything it's on you for not realizing that you were going in the wrong direction for 3 hours."

"Yeah but you-"

"Naruto, Sasuke, I need the two of you to listen to me."

"Is that you Shikaku?"

"Yes it's me, I'm speaking to the two of you telepathically at the same time through Inoichi's Mind Transmission Jutsu. Now I need you to listen to me, I have some intel on the battle strategy the enemy is using. Both of you listen closely." he launched into a detailed explanation of the enemy's plan.

"Oh so that's what's up with all of the weird fuzzy things that Tatsu and I have been sensing this whole time, well then I guess I have no choice but to step up at a time like this. Tatsu probably figured it out on his own already."

"Yes but do not forget Naruto, Madara needs the Tailed Beasts that are hosted by you, Killer B and Utakata in order for his project Tsuki no Me to work. That means you and the other two are still his main targets."

"Yeah I know that but trust me, he isn't going to capture me."

"Then don't even think about negotiating with him, someone like him cannot be reasoned with no matter what Naruto. Madara is different from what you saw in Nagato, he has no interest in peace whatsoever. He truly is pure evil and he covets the entire world."

"Yeah I figured as much when I met him back in the Land of Iron, but now he's gonna try and control everyone in the world using some kind of super genjutsu. Isn't that right, that's what this whole thing with Project Tsuki no Me is about?"

"Yes that's right, so no matter what happens you need to make sure that you don't hold back."

"I'll never forget what Madara said to me back during the whole thing in the Land of Iron and the Five Kage Summit, he mentioned something about the destiny of the Uchiha clan. I know that he understands all about one's inner hatred, he used Nagato and Konan and he also manipulated Sakura's hatred too. I know that he's pure evil through and through."

"Madara isn't one who acts upon hatred, he simply takes advantage of people's hatred. He's far different from other enemies that you've faced, so above all be careful."

"That doesn't matter, I'm going to stop Madara and I'm going to stop this war. I know that when it comes to guys like Madara I have to act first and talk only after everything is said and done."

"I don't know about Kabuto but Madara is apparently immortal. Also, there are those mobile plant guys augmented with the cells of the First Hokage and those otherworldly zombies. Nothing works against them other than sealing, it's an army of the undead. Be sure that you are wary of them as well."

"You know Shikaku, at a time like this that's actually the best news that you could give me. I guess that means I don't have to hold back at all."

"Naruto, stay focused." Sasuke snapped him out of the conversation "There's a large group coming this way."

Sure enough, a large group of Allied Forces shinobi were rushing towards them "It's chaos out there out there on the battlefield, we've gotta hurry and get back to defend the HQ!"

"Defend this asshole! Rasengan!" Naruto dealt the leader of the group a Rasengan to the stomach, sending him tumbling back and crashing to the ground, revealing him to be nothing but a White Zetsu clone, which then turned into a tree as a result.

Sasuke smirked as he drew his Raijin katana, his Mangekyou Sandagan crackling into life "Well leave it to you Naruto, just tell me which ones are fakes and I'll wipe them out before they know what hit them."

"Hold on a second." Naruto checked and his eyes widened slightly, then narrowed "They're all fakes, every last one of them! Stay back Sasuke, I've been wanting to try out my new technique!"

"Get them!" all of the shinobi turned into White Zetsu clones and charged.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto summoned up to 7 Shadow Clones and all of them drew their Crimson Death blades off of their backs "Alright then boys, you know what to do! Tailed Beast Crescent Moon Dance!" he and the clones all charged at the White Zetsu clones, cutting them down 8 at a time faster than they could blink, turning them into trees in the process.

Sasuke watched with his Mangekyou Sandagan active 'Naruto's new jutsu is effective against Wood Style and somehow turning all of them into trees, as if his Nine Tails chakra is devolving them back to what they were before.'

"How do you like that one?"

That was when all of the remaining White Zetsu clones merged together into a large and hideous sort of monstrosity "You won't be able to stop me that easily, now I won't be so vulnerable to the effects of your attacks."

"We'll see about that. Mini Rasenshuriken." Naruto nonchalantly fired off a smaller scale version of the wind variant of the Rasenshuriken, slicing through the legs of the clone with clear ease "Sasuke you wanna finish this?"

"With pleasure." Sasuke summoned the right arm and ribcage of his Susanoo and promptly squashed the clone compilation flat.

"Nice work, I guess you've been training." Naruto summoned a few Shadow Clones "I can just leave these guys here to watch over this area, now let's go! I'm gonna hit every one of the battlefields all at once! Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he summoned a massive barrage of Shadow Clones and sent them to every battlefield "I'm gonna go out on a whim and say that Tatsu has probably already gotten the same idea, he can sense negative emotions too. Too bad we're the only ones though."

"Maybe, but there might be another way to track them down and expose them. Multi Thunder Clone Jutsu!" Sasuke summoned a barrage of Thunder Clones and sent them to every battlefield as well.

"Wait, you can sense negative emotions too Sasuke?"

"No but my Mangekyou Sandagan is able to see and sense the electrical impulses within the human brain and since these things aren't human I should be able to expose them."

"That's actually a pretty smart move."

"...You have no idea what I just said do you?"

"Not a clue."

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Things were about to turn grave on another front.

A Hidden Sand shinobi going by the name of Nonota and a Hidden Cloud shinobi going by the name of Musai were confronted by Toroi of the Hidden Cloud "It's no good, he already caught up to us!"

Musai was particularly freaked out "No… that's…"

"What is it?"

"That guy is a Hidden Cloud ninja who possesses a Kekkei Genkai, Toroi of the Magnet Style!"

"Wait a second, you're telling me that the Hidden Cloud has a user of the Magnet Style?"

"Listen to me, if and when he attacks you have to- Look out!" he dodged the oncoming attack.

However, Nonota attempted to block it with a kunai.

"You fool, I said that you have to get out of the way!"

"What? You never said anything like that!"

"I just didn't have enough time to finish, and besides me yelling look out should've been kind of a tip! Don't you see? His Magnet Style puts a magnetic charge onto anything he touches and those things can then transfer a magnetic charge onto anything they touch. The charge gets weaker with each transfer, you're the first transfer point that touched the shuriken so the magnetic power inside of your body-"

"So what's gonna happen to me then?"

"Well by now your entire body has been magnetized and the same goes for the shuriken that he possesses, so that means that your body and his shuriken are going to be drawn directly towards each other which means that you won't be able to dodge his next attack!"

"No way, you're telling me that I'm about to die? But it's not fair, I don't wanna die!"
"Rasengan!" that was when Tatsu burst onto the scene, blue markings having appeared around his eyes, and slammed a Rasengan into Toroi's back, defeating him with ease "Are you guys alright, did you get any injuries?"

"N-No, we're fine."

"Then get to sealing."

"Oh yeah right." so they were quick to seal Toroi away "You're Tatsu Kamikaz aren't you, as in the Hidden Leaf jonin carrying the Dragon Blade?"

"Yeah that's right, I would've been on the front lines by now but I was busy training."

"Well you'd best be careful either way, those white beings are disguising themselves as members of the Allied Forces."

"Yeah I know, Shikaku already brought me up to speed." he looked back at Toroi "So this is one of those zombie apocalypse guys being controlled by Kabuto through the Reanimation Jutsu, and sealing their movements like this is the only way that we have to stop them."

"We were running back towards HQ with F to tighten the security there but we ended up getting separated."

"I could sense a lot of White Zetsu guys clashing with Naruto and Sasuke a fair distance back, I'm guessing it's the same guy who ambushed your friend." he quickly flashed into his Tenseigan Chakra Mode "I got a little bit over excited and went ahead of Killer B and Utakata, they should be here to follow me any minute so just point them in my direction when you see them." and he took off.

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On the front of the Fourth Division, the four reanimated Kage were drawing ever closer to the location of Gaara and Onoki.

Upon being alerted by Mu that two people were approaching, the Kage were greeted by an enormous torrent of sand.

Believing it to be the power of the One Tailed Shukaku, Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage was quick to stop the sand using his Gold Dust, revealing himself as a user of the Magnet Style Kekkei Genkai.

Rasa was soon shocked to see not Shukaku before him but actually Gaara, he, the Second Mizukage and the Third Raikage were captured in arms made of sand, with only Mu being able to escape, only to be set upon by Onoki and his Particle Style.

With the rest of the Fourth Division lingering back and awaiting a signal, upon being questioned as to where Shukaku was, Gaara informed Rasa that he was no longer a jinchuuriki, as well as the fact that he had friends and he was now the Kazekage, shocking Rasa greatly.

Intent on testing Gaara's new metal, father and son began battling it out as Onoki signalled for the troops to move in before confronting Mu himself.

As the battle waged on, Rasa was shocked to find himself trapped in one of Gaara's attacks alongside the Second Mizukage and the Third Raikage.

Seeing the sand manifest in the form of his late wife Karura after protecting Gaara from one of his attacks, Rasa felt the realization hit him and tell him that Karura had been protecting Gaara for his entire life.

Now in remorse for his actions, Rasa chose to tell Gaara the truth of his mother's love for him and sincerely apologized, claiming that all he had done for Gaara was rob him of any sort of happiness, now realizing that he had been unable to judge the true value of things in the end.

Having been greatly shocked to hear that his mother truly loved him and that everything that his uncle Yashamaru had told him before he died was a lie, Gaara broke down crying, but he soon composed himself and told Rasa that while his mother was truly amazing for a number of reasons, it was his father who had finally given him the medicine that he needed to heal his wounded heart.

With Gaara having at last forgiven him for his past mistakes, Rasa could only smile as he was sealed away within the sand, having now entrusted the future of the Hidden Sand and the shinobi world to Gaara.

A/N:

I'm sorry that I've been taking so long with updating this story, I've just been getting really sidetracked with other stories and my own personal responsibilities, and I'm sticking with my new system of two updates per month. You don't have to worry though, I will finish this story no matter what it may take.

I will resolve the reunion with Hayate right before the real Madara Uchiha comes into the picture, as well as with one other figure meant to fight against Tatsu, giving him some bonus character development in the process.

I'm sorry if some of these new chapters seem shoddy or poorly done, I'm just trying to get back into my Naruto groove since I've been away from this fic for as long as I have.