A/N - Okay, holy crap did this chapter take a while to write. I've been so busy with so many different things that I wasn't able to work on it sometimes. I started writing this chapter days before Pokemon Scarlet & Violet came out, but only managed to finish it just a moment ago.

Anywho, this chapter is mostly just dealing with the invasion. Sooo, most of it is battles. Lots of battles. Though, at the beginning, some stuff is revealed that is sure to piss people off. So keep that in mind. It wasn't planned that way, but it definitely makes sense when you think about Yugito's behavior in the previous chapter.

Okey dokey, not much else to say. So read on and enjoy!

Chapter 6 – Counterattack

Fu frowned as she watched the Nibi jinchuriki carefully. She had been wary of both the Ichibi and Nibi containers, simply because she knew that the two of them were the main weapons, loathe as she was to call them that, for the invasion. However, the way Yugito was acting now, as compared to how she behaved during the preliminary matches, was such a stark contrast and it worried her greatly.

The mint-haired girl looked into Yugito's eyes and asked, "What on Earth happened to you? You were enjoying the exams, right? But now…" Seeing she had Yugito's undivided attention, she said, "You look absolutely broken inside. During your battle with Kurotsuchi, you looked so excited. But…it's all been a mask, hasn't it? Like the kind I've been wearing. And, if what I've heard about Naruto is true, then he was just like us. But, unlike us, he's actually managed to make friends. Hell, the guy has more than one girlfriend! I think you and I could really learn a thing or two from him. What do you say?"

Yugito looked into Fu's orange eyes and said, "I…I would love to. But…" Looking up at the rooftop of the arena, she said, "The Raikage can end my life anytime that he wants. If I disobey, that'll be the end for me. I don't want to serve him anymore, but I can't disobey either. And now he's up there trying to kill the Hokage. He's just waiting for me to unleash Matatabi on the village. But…" Looking back into Fu's eyes, she continued, "I don't want to do as he says anymore. Even if it results in my death, I just can't do it anymore. He's made me do such terrible things, and he's…he's…"

Fu frowned in confusion for a time as she tried to puzzle out what Yugito was trying to tell her. Then, her eyes widened and she looked down at Yugito's belly. "No…" Eyes watering, she looked into Yugito's eyes and said, "He didn't…"

The Nibi jinchuriki nodded and said, "I was…I was raped by so many men. Only recently did one…one managed to impregnate me. All on his orders. All so he could have another host for Matatabi, in case I ever became 'too unruly'. I never wanted this! I wanted my first time with someone to be special! I don't want to carry this child to term. I can't handle this! I just…I can't do it anymore. I never asked for any of this. But I can't blame Matatabi. She's been good to me and she's helped me through so much already. If I had my way, A would die here today for all of his crimes. But I can't do anything thanks to the damn kill switch they implanted in my head. I disobey and they activate it…frying my brain and rendering me completely braindead, if not actually dead. Not even a bijuu can help heal something like that. I'm just so tired of it all. You have no idea how desperate I am for some kind of escape, even if it means I have to kill myself to get it. I feel so wrong."

Fu turned and glared angrily up at the barrier where the Kages were fighting. "That evil son-of-a-bitch! I swear that if he doesn't die today, I'll tear him apart! What you've been through is something NOBODY should EVER have to go through!"

Yugito stepped up to the railing overlooking the arena below. Looking out at the battles raging within the stands, she said, "Fu." Glancing out the corner of her eye at the girl, she said, "I want to help Konoha to win this fight. Do you think Naruto will need our help against Gaara?"

Fu shook her head and said, "Doubt it. Naruto's gone through some intense training this past month. From what I was told, he was learning under Jiraiya AND the Kyuubi. Gaara probably doesn't stand a chance." Looking down at Genma and Baki, Gaara's sensei, she said, "Genma could probably use some help against all of those bastards down there. But…" Glancing towards the stands, she said, "I'd much rather hunt down Kabuto Yakushi and end him. He's Orochimaru's right-hand man. He's far too dangerous to leave alive. Problem is, I have no idea where the hell he's hiding right now."

Yugito took a moment to think on it before looking down at the fight taking place in the arena. "Fu, you help Genma. I'll go on the hunt for Kabuto. I just hope the Hokage and Tsuchikage can kill the Raikage. If they fail…" Shivering, she looked back into Fu's eyes and said, "Good luck." And with that, she took off in search of Kabuto Yakushi.

Fu frowned slightly as she watched Yugito leave. Good luck, Yugito. But… Looking back up at the barrier, her thoughts continued, the Hokage has already made preparations on what to do when he dies. It's like he knows Orochimaru and A are going to kill him. Meanwhile, the Tsuchikage has to make a choice. Aid the Hokage and risk his life, or stand on the sidelines and leave everything up to the Hokage. Then again, Jiraiya and the Kyuubi are up there, too. The Tsuchikage might not even need to get involved.

Shrugging it off, the orange-eyed beauty leapt down towards the arena moments before a pair of wings formed on her back. "Hey morons!" When the Oto and Suna shinobi down below looked up, she grinned sinisterly at them and unleashed one of her unique jutsu, blinding the lot of them with a fine mist. Hearing them screaming as they began to panic, she giggled to herself and said, "I love doing that."

The Kages

Onoki frowned deeply as he watched Orochimaru and A with a wary gaze. The Raikage had already activated his lightning armor and looked like he could and would attack at any moment. However, ignoring the brute, he turned his eyes onto the slitted eyes of Orochimaru. "To think, Rasa would die at your hands. Shame. He may not have been the kindest man, but he was no weakling. Quite wicked of you to kill him after he'd already agreed to this alliance. You really are a snake. Does A know that you plan to betray him, too?"

A scowled as he looked into the Tsuchikage's eyes. "He knows better than to fuck with me. There's no way he'd betray me like he did the Kazekage. Besides, that fool began having second thoughts and planned to inform the Hokage about our plans. Doing away with the bastard was the right choice."

Hiruzen chuckled to himself and said, "You really underestimate my old student. I suppose that, in the end, your arrogance will get you killed." Shrugging his shoulders, he turned his gaze onto his old student and said, "Knowing this snake, he's already got spies in your village, just waiting to strike. After all, once he has no more use for you and your people, what's to keep him from destroying Kumogakure, as well?"

Onoki kept a stern frown on his face, though on the inside, he couldn't help but smirk. That's right, old friend. The old divide and conquer strategy combined with trickery. Turning them against each other will increase our chances of survival for sure. But… Chancing a brief glance at their surroundings, he thought, it feels like there's something here that I'm missing. Could this be part of Hiruzen's plan? Whatever's going on, I hope it gives us a real fighting chance. We're strong, but we're old, as well. A is way too damn fast for us to nail down, and Orochimaru is a slippery bastard. The odds are NOT in our favor.

When A looked at him expectantly, the Snake Sannin chuckled sinisterly and said, "Clever, but it won't work. You're trying to turn the two of us against each other. You know you can't win, so you're making an attempt to give yourselves a fighting chance. Shame on you, Sensei."

A scowled at Orochimaru for a time before returning his gaze to the Hokage. "Even if he does plan to turn on me, I'll kill the damn snake before he can. But, before then, I think I'll settle for killing the two of you!"

When A suddenly appeared before Hiruzen in a burst of speed, he was shocked when Jiraiya suddenly appeared in the Hokage's place with a Rasengan zooming towards his face. "Shit."

Jiraiya smirked as he slammed the Rasengan into the Raikage's face, shredding clean through his lightning armor and sending the man flying backwards towards the barrier. When a clone of Orochimaru appeared and caught the burly man, the white-haired Sannin tsk'd to himself. "So, you recognize that you need the allies, after all. Color me surprised."

Orochimaru frowned to himself as A struggled to stay upright. Narrowing his eyes at Jiraiya, he asked, "How the hell are you here, Jiraiya? I didn't even sense you!"

It was at this point that the slippery snake heard a voice in his ear. "It's quite the handy little trick. They do say patience is its own reward. I can truly appreciate that saying now." Then, all Orochimaru felt was an intense pain erupt in his back.

Quickly regurgitating a new, pristine body, the Snake Sannin began to dodge all the attacks being sent his way courtesy of the stranger and his old teammate. Chancing a glance at the Raikage, he saw that A was starting to struggle as he fought against both Onoki and Hiruzen. Jiraiya's attack had really dazed the musclehead, and it was impacting his fighting ability. Sure, he would probably recover soon, but Orochimaru wasn't sure if A could last that long.

Scowling, he unleashed a veritable army of snakes at all four of their opponents, distracting them all from attacking himself and A. Getting clear of his enemies, he quickly activated a kinjutsu and watched as three coffins began rising from the rooftop. Once they were ready, he smirked to himself as the lids of each coffin opened, revealing the First, Second, and Fourth Hokages. "Excellent."

The First Hokage glanced around at his surroundings, unsure of exactly what the hell was going on. Noticing his brother, Tobirama Senju, Hashirama frowned and said, "I see. This is your jutsu at work, isn't it, brother? I told you not to tamper with something like this."

Tobirama scowled as he looked around. "Now is NOT the time, Hashirama. It would appear that the village is in a state of peril. And…" Turning to face Orochimaru, he scowled and said, "You're the one behind all of this, aren't you?"

Orochimaru chuckled darkly and asked, "Does it really matter? Soon, you'll be helping me to destroy your own village and kill the Third Hokage."

Meanwhile, the Fourth Hokage watched the Raikage for a time. Narrowing his eyes, he quickly disappeared, moving far faster than Orochimaru had expected. The snake had been in the process of trying to insert a kunai plus seal tag into the back of his head, only to blink in shock when the Fourth disappeared. Quickly shaking it off, he looked to his clones to see they had succeeded in inserting the control tags into the First's and Second's heads. "Better than nothing, I suppose." He said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

Meanwhile, A scowled as he was now doing battle with the Fourth Hokage. Chancing a glance at Orochimaru, he scowled at the man before returning his focus to Minato. "I thought you had this under control, Orochimaru! This situation couldn't be any worse right now!"

Before Orochimaru could reply, he was suddenly forced to dodge an attack from Hiruzen, wielding Enma in his adamantine staff form. Scowling at his old sensei, he commanded the First and Second Hokages to defend him. Once he had a reprieve from battle, he looked at A and shouted, "I was just trying to even the damn odds! I planned for Hiruzen and Onoki, NOT Jiraiya and the unknown! Deal with it!"

A scowled as he was forced to quickly duck a Rasengan aimed at his face again, once again by Jiraiya. However, when he tried to dodge Minato's attack, he screamed out in pain as he felt the loss of his left arm. Glancing behind him, he saw that the stranger had used some rather sharp claws to lop his arm right off at the shoulder. "You son-of-a-bitch!"

Kurama simply smirked at the Raikage and said, "You know, I'm sure my father would be offended to hear someone say such a thing about him." The Kyuubi watched as A's lightning armor technique started to fizzle out. It was obvious he was losing his concentration, what with all the pain he was in. Still, he was a Kage for a reason and he wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Allowing his armor technique to fall, A waited for Jiraiya to move in for an attack. When the white-haired Sannin fell for the bait, A ducked under the sage's attack and slammed his remaining fist into Jiraiya's belly, sending him flying backwards, spittle flying from his mouth. Immediately afterwards, he spun around and grabbed Minato by the throat before slamming him down into the rooftop. However, he was unable to react in time when Kurama engulfed his form in a fire technique.

As the Raikage screamed out in pain and dropped to the ground, desperately trying to put out the fire, he found that nothing he did worked. Even worse, when he peered through the flames, he saw certain death coming his way. As Minato's kunai pierced his heart, A realized that, even with how fast he was, speed meant nothing in the face of such overwhelming odds. Their teamwork was damn near flawless, and a single man, no matter how fast or powerful he was, just didn't stand a chance. Chuckling dryly to himself, he allowed his eyes to close as the last bit of life left him.

It was at this point that the Hokage and his allies realized something peculiar. Glancing towards the Raikage's bodyguards standing near one of the corners of the barrier, Hiruzen asked, "Why did you allow this to happen? Shouldn't you have attempted to save your Kage?"

One of the bodyguards, a man by the name of Darui, shook his head and said, "We were told to stay out of it. But, even if we hadn't been given such an order, we wouldn't have come to his aid. We may be loyal to the village, but A's practices were…'questionable' at best. Besides, I couldn't risk dying. I need to be there for my child when he or she has finally been born."

Jiraiya found himself scowling at the man and asked, "You're the one that knocked up Yugito, aren't you?"

Seeing no point in lying, Darui nodded in response. "I am. It may not have been a voluntary conception, but it is my child nonetheless. Even if she doesn't want to raise my child with me, I still intend to take care of it regardless. Her happiness doesn't matter in the long run. So long as she remains loyal to the village and does as she is ordered, then there will be no need to take any drastic measures."

Kurama chanced a glance at Orochimaru and the two Hokages looking in their direction. Quickly creating a couple of clones to stall them for the time being, he turned back to Darui and said, "So, you're the last one to harm my sister's container. The things you Humans do sicken me sometimes. For Yugito's sake, it would be best for me to end you here and now. Now die!" And with that, he dashed forward, swinging his claws at Darui's midsection.

Scowling at this, the dark-skinned male quickly dodged to the side, away from the barrier and Kurama's attacks. Continuing to stay on the move, Darui kept glancing out the corners of his eyes at the others, trying to make sure nobody took him by surprise. After a short while of this, he glared into Kurama's slitted eyes and unleashed some of his black lightning, attempting to electrocute and finish the Kyuubi off. However…

Chuckling sinisterly to himself, Kurama quickly used the Body Replacement Technique to swap places with A's second bodyguard, a man simply called C. When the black lightning struck him, C let out a horrendous scream and slowly collapsed to his knees before slumping over, the lightning attack ending his life.

Eyes widening at this, Darui began to shake, unable to believe what he had just done. Turning a fierce glare towards Kurama, he prepared to attack him again, only to suddenly feel something penetrating the back of his skull. Blinking a couple of times, he thought to himself, So, this is how I die. I'm sorry…my child.

Jiraiya and the others gave the deceased duo a single glance before turning and watching as Orochimaru and the enslaved Hashirama and Tobirama finished off Kurama's clones. Onoki scowled at this and asked, "Anyone have any bright ideas? How do we beat them?"

Kurama frowned deeply as he looked straight into Hashirama's eyes. "I'd like to say this is going to be easy, but it's not. Hiruzen, how does this jutsu of Orochimaru's work? Hashirama's a dangerous opponent for me. I can't let him catch me with that Mokuton of his. Then there's his brother…"

The aged Hokage stared straight into Orochimaru's eyes and said to his allies, "They can regenerate from any kinds of wounds we inflict. Worse yet is the fact that they will NEVER run out of chakra. They can use their most powerful techniques all they want. We, on the other hand, will eventually run out of chakra the longer this battle goes on. I know of one way to remove them from the mortal plane, but…"

Minato, seeing where Hiruzen was going with this, shook his head and said, "If you do this, there won't be a Hokage. You know Danzo will try to claim the seat of Hokage for himself if you die here."

Jiraiya smirked at his old student and said, "Danzo's dead. No, if Sensei does this, then we'll hunt down Tsunade and drag her back here to be the new Hokage. But, I want to try another approach to this before you try anything drastic like that, Sensei. I just need some time to prepare a couple of things. Think you guys can hold them off for me for a while?"

Onoki frowned for a time before saying, "I could probably erase them with my Dust Release, but I'm not sure if even that would be enough to destroy their bodies." Looking at Jiraiya, he said, "What you want us to do is easier said than done, but we'll keep them occupied. Just don't take too long, Jiraiya. Whatever you're planning, make it count and be quick about it."

The white-haired man nodded before he set about working on a new seal, something that would help them win this fight. Be careful, all of you.

Naruto

The blonde jinchuriki scowled as he looked at his defeated opponent. Kankuro had decided to show up and help his younger brother in his retreat. When the older teen attempted to stop him in his tracks, Naruto absolutely wrecked his shit, leaving the clown-like boy unconscious on a large tree branch. "You stupid bastard. I tried to warn you." Shaking his head, he turned and hurried off after Gaara, hoping to catch up with him before he could truly unleash the full might of the Ichibi upon Konoha.

Upon reaching the unstable jinchuriki, Naruto wasn't surprised to see that the sand had completely encased his body by this point. He now looked like some kind of grotesque sand monster. This is kind of appropriate, considering the circumstances. Naruto thought to himself. Doesn't mean it's going to save him from a serious beatdown. Jiraiya wanted me to leave Gaara alive, but I might not be given much of a choice if this guy pushes me too far.

Gaara looked at Naruto in silence for a time. When he finally spoke, malice seemed to be dripping from every word he spoke. "You. You have changed. Mother says you are dangerous. You are worthy. Just like that girl! I'll kill you both!"

"Glad to hear it." Naruto said with a chuckle following afterwards. "However, I'm not going to give you the chance to go after Hinata. I'm going to kick your ass and protect my home. More than that, Jiraiya and I will help improve your seal. You'll no longer have to suffer, Gaara. So, as a courtesy, let me ask you this one question: will you forfeit and allow us to help you?"

Narrowing his eyes at his opponent, Gaara said, "You cannot be trusted. I will kill you here and now! Now DIE!" And with that, he sent a volley of sand shuriken flying at the blonde.

Sighing softly, Naruto said, "Shame." Shrugging his shoulders, he dodged the attack before using his superior speed to slip in close, throwing a fist at Gaara's chest.

Gaara was initially planning to just take the attack and capture his opponent in his sand, but his 'mother' started screaming at him to dodge. Confused by this, he leapt away as quickly as he could. Watching his foe carefully, he questioned, "Why would Mother insist I avoid your attacks?"

Smirking sinisterly at his opponent, Naruto said, "The Ichibi is smarter than I thought. You don't need to know why, Gaara. Just know that, no matter what you try, you won't defeat me. My godfather and I will help you and make it so you can finally sleep. The Ichibi will no longer be able to torment and terrorize you. But first, I'm going to need to kick your ass. I do hope you can forgive me for this, Gaara." And with that, he disappeared in a burst of speed.

Gaara, sensing the danger he was in, quickly erected a sphere of sand around himself in an attempt to ward off Naruto's coming attacks. When he felt pieces of his barrier falling apart as a result of whatever it was Naruto was up to, the redhead began to panic slightly. So, desperate to save himself, he called on all of the Ichibi's power that he could and screamed out as he was taken higher and higher, merging with the beast inside of him as it grew to massive heights. Once the Ichibi had fully taken form, Gaara glanced at the forest below him, desperately trying to spot the whiskered teen. However, when he couldn't find Naruto, Gaara began to worry even more than before. What is this feeling? Why do I feel so…so different? What the hell is going on?!

Scarily, for Gaara at least, Naruto's voice began to echo out all around him. It was as if Naruto was somehow all around him, taunting him with his words. "Bringing out your trump card so soon? You must be more frightened than I thought. I'd say that's a good thing, but there's an old saying that I feel stands true. 'A cornered animal is a dangerous foe.' or something along those lines. I'm sure you get the gist. However, seeing as you have already lost, I think that point is rendered moot. Wouldn't you agree?"

Gaara blinked a couple of times in confusion, wondering just what the heck his opponent meant by that. However, when he glanced down at the Ichibi's body, he spotted something that worried him greatly. All over the bijuu's body were seals. How such a thing was possible without him even feeling it honestly scared the poor jinchuriki. "No…"

Naruto smirked wickedly to himself as he said, "Boom."

Within an instant, dozens of explosions rang out as the body of the Ichibi was blasted apart, sand flying everywhere moments before Gaara began plummeting to the ground below. However, before he could impact the ground, enough sand reformed beneath him and softened his impact.

Grunting as the pain hit him, the redhead slowly rose to his feet and glanced around. "Where? Where the hell are you?! I refuse to lose to the likes of you!"

It was at this point that over 100 Naruto's stepped out from where they had been hiding. "Really? Because, from my end, it looks like you've been losing this fight from the beginning. You see, Gaara, I've been trained specifically to combat people like you. All without needing to use the Kyuubi's power that's within me. I've worked my ass off to get this strong, and I don't plan to stop growing anytime soon. You see, there are people out there that are aiming to capture us jinchuriki. I don't know what they want with us, but we need to become strong enough to fight and kill them if necessary. That's why I'd rather not kill you if I can help it. We should work together against the likes of the Akatsuki and other monsters throughout the Elemental Nations. Sighing softly, the real Naruto, who was cloaked using his godfather's jutsu, snapped his fingers. This was the signal for his clones to move in and restrain Gaara via the majesty of fuinjutsu.

The redhead's eyes widened as he tried to protect himself with his sand, but try as he might, the sand just wouldn't obey him. It seemed that he was well and truly exhausted and something was cutting off his connection to the sand he had grown so accustomed to. Closing his eyes after a moment, he resigned himself to his fate. So, this is where I meet my fate. Fine. I'm just so tired of it all.

When Gaara felt nothing life-ending, he couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't being killed. As it was, all the Naruto clones were pummeling him to the point he was beginning to lose consciousness. However, he wasn't dead. Why? Why doesn't he kill me? Killing is how to prove your existence. How to prove your power. Why?!

After it was all over, Gaara was barely clinging to consciousness. Unable to so much as open his eyes, he asked weakly, "Why? Why won't you kill me?"

Naruto didn't say anything in response. Instead, he slapped a paralysis seal on Gaara, restricting his movement. Afterwards, he nodded to his clones, watching as they began to dispel in groups of ten. After a while, only a group of five remained. "Keep an eye on him. Jiraiya and I will go over his seal later and repair it. I'm going to check on Yugito and Fu. Then, well…we'll have to wait and see when I get there. Hopefully we're managing to repel our enemies. I'd hate to imagine otherwise."

The clones nodded as one and watched as the 'boss' prepared to leave. However, when a small tendril of sand latched onto the real Naruto's wrist, the blonde sighed and turned back to look at Gaara. "Gaara, I won't kill you. I could have been like you if things had turned out differently. But more than that, you could really use a friend. Well, you have something better than that. You have your siblings: Temari and Kankuro. They care about you, even if they're kind of terrified of you. You're important to them. Let them in, Gaara. Caring for others isn't a sign of weakness. In fact, having people you care for and want to protect can help motivate you to become stronger than you ever thought possible."

"I'll admit, for a good, long while, I had nobody that cared about me. I grew to truly HATE the people of Konohagakure. Hell, I still hate them. But I've made a few friends, I have multiple girlfriends and a freaking fiancé, and there are definitely people I care about here. They're what pushed me to become this strong. They're what's driving me to reach ever greater heights. And you can have that as well with your people. Start with your siblings. Show them your respect and admiration. Show them that you care. Then, with their help, you can start to prove the people of Suna wrong about you."

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that you should stop hating them. I'd be a damn hypocrite if I told you to just let it all go. Just work to find people that will be precious to you. Hell, I hope you find yourself a nice girlfriend that you can settle down with and be happy together! That is why I will NOT kill you, Gaara. If it helps any, I'll be your first ever friend. And, once we've fixed up your seal, I hope you'll come to see me as a cherished one. Now, if that answers your question, I need to get moving. We'll be seeing each other again later. For now, try to relax. You're going to be sore for a while, but you're not in any danger here." Waving goodbye to the redhead, Naruto gave him a smile before he turned and disappeared back into the forest, moving towards the arena once more.

Left on his own, the Ichibi jinchuriki thought over Naruto's words. He didn't so much as speak a word, nor did he move even an inch. Precious ones. Friends. Maybe he's right. Growing stronger only for myself…something about that has never quite felt right to me. Friends…

Sasuke

As Sasuke removed her kunai from an Oto shinobi's neck, allowing the man to drop like a rag doll, she turned to glance into the distance once more. When the Ichibi appeared in all its glory, she and the others were initially worried about their loved one, but Kin reminded them that Naruto had been trained for such an event and would be just fine. Now that she looked, though, she noticed something was odd about the massive creature. "Are those seals?"

Kin, hearing this, finished slitting her enemy's throat before spinning around and looking at the Ichibi. "Yeah…" Before she could say anymore, a series of loud explosions erupted from the Ichibi. The sound echoed throughout the village, deafening the area. More than this, however, was the fact that a veritable heatwave washed over everyone fighting in the arena and in the village of Konoha. Everyone was disoriented slightly by what had just happened, but the more experienced ninja quickly recovered and went on the attack once again.

Earlier, Sasuke and the girls had left the arena to help repel the invaders traipsing about through the village. They had quickly encountered enemy ninja from all three opposing villages: Suna, Oto, and Kumo. Ever since then, they'd been battling practically nonstop, and they were getting a little exhausted. So while they stumbled slightly as a result of the blast, the more experienced Kumo and Suna shinobi recovered quickly enough to resume their attack.

Seeing this, Sasuke struggled to gain her bearings again. As one of the enemy ninja began to approach the three of them, (Karin, Kin, and Sasuke) the black-haired Uchiha quickly grabbed three kunai and took aim. However, she was unable to focus just yet and was stuck watching as the enemy grew ever closer with a nasty-looking grin on his face. If they wanted to kill us, we'd be dead already. What the hell do they want?

Karin, as if sensing Sasuke's thoughts, screamed out, "They're planning to rape us! Dammit, we need to move!"

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror and she renewed her struggle against the feeling of nausea and dizziness that had overwhelmed her. However, she needn't have bothered. Within an instant, wasps and weapons rained down upon their foes, poisoning them and skewering them respectively. Glancing in the direction they came from, the onyx-eyed Uchiha smirked and said, "About time you two showed up. Thanks for the save."

Hopping down to them, Suzumebachi looked the three of them over, smiling as they finally recovered and stood straight again. "I'm glad you're all alright. We would've been here sooner, but we had to deal with some nuisances of our own. Not to mention that blast. I assume that was Naruto-kun's doing?"

Kin nodded and said, "Most likely, yeah. We weren't expecting it to affect us all the way over here. Kami, I hope he's okay."

Tenten glanced in the direction where the Ichibi had been, only to see a veritable shower of sand raining down all over the forest. Chuckling softly to herself, she said, "I think he's just fine. Keep in mind that we were trained to be able to take on opponents like Gaara and Yugito. Naruto-kun just happens to be our trump card against such foes." Turning back to the others, she said, "Our focus should be on repelling the invaders. I'm just glad we got here in time to keep those sickos from doing anything to you. Now, can you move?"

Kin looked herself over before turning her gaze on her friends. After a moment, she looked into Tenten's eyes and said, "I think we're all right. It was a close call, but we're good now. What should we do now?"

Sasuke frowned as she thought it over. After a time, she looked at their immediate surroundings and said, "With some help, we've managed to clear out most of the Western part of the village. The North part seems to be fine, so I think it's safe to assume that the enemies there have been dealt with. I say we go East and work together to slay our foes. I just hope everyone will be okay."

Suzumebachi chanced a glance towards the arena rooftop where the Tsuchikage and the others were currently doing battle. She wasn't sure who was winning the fight or even if the good guys were still alive. Still, she had to hold out hope that everything would be just fine. So, shaking it off, she looked at the others and said, "That sounds like as good an idea as any. I won't abide any threats to Naruto-kun and his loved ones."

Karin quirked a brow at this and thought, Another girl after Naruto-kun's heart? He sure attracts girls to him like a moth to a flame. She'd better not try to hog all his time. That's all I'll say.

Arena

Sakura and Ino watched in horror as Konoha ninja did battle with the invading forces of Suna, Oto, and Kumo. They had both recognized the genjutsu for what it was and broke it easily, but they kind of wished they hadn't. Almost immediately after they broke the genjutsu, they had come under attack by two Oto shinobi. But, because they hadn't taken their training seriously at all, they could do nothing but watch in horror. Thankfully, they had been saved by Kakashi, who quickly dispatched both foes. Once both ninja were dead, he had told the two girls to sit tight and not to bring attention to themselves.

So, all the two of them could do was watch as the various ninja of Konoha fought hard to drive back the invaders. Kiba had been knocked out by the genjutsu and was therefore blissfully unaware of what the hell was going on around him. As far as they were concerned, he was a lucky bastard.

"What the hell are we supposed to do? I hate to admit it, but I'm way too weak to fight off full-grown adults like this." Ino whispered to Sakura.

The pinkette looked at her friend/rival and shook her head. "I don't know either. I've been more focused on winning Sasuke-kun's affection and relying on him to keep me safe. I didn't think I'd ever be in a situation like this! Heck, at this point, I'd even accept Naruto's help, and that's really saying something here!"

"Are we even cut out to be ninja in the first place?" Ino asked. "I'm really questioning why I wanted to be one to begin with. All I wanted was to be with Sasuke-kun, even to the point that I started dieting just to make myself look pretty to him. But now…"

Sakura frowned at Ino and shook her head. "Don't tell me you're giving up on Sasuke-kun?"

Ino shook her head and said, "Never! I don't care how long it takes, we'll find some way to turn him back to his true gender and then we can be happy together. But, in the meantime, maybe we should start taking our careers more seriously?"

The emerald-eyed girl beside her shook her head again and said, "Maybe. But I don't want Sasuke-kun to think I'm ugly, just because I put on some muscles. I don't want to look like some kind of beefcake!"

Ino shrugged and said, "It's better than remaining weak. At least, if we train enough, we can learn to protect ourselves. Besides, maybe Sasuke-kun actually likes girls with a little muscle mass?"

The pinkette frowned at this and asked, "Really? Then again…" Glancing at Ino in thought, she said, "Nothing we've tried so far has worked. Sasuke-kun just doesn't seem to be interested in any of the girls we know. So, maybe you're right. Besides, I don't like the alternative. Remain weak and either get killed or…or…" Shivering, she soon said, "that! I want my first time to be with my one, true love! I just hope we can get the training we need. After neglecting to take our careers seriously for so long, what if nobody wants to take us seriously?"

Ino looked a bit crestfallen at the realization that her friend had a point. "We're pathetic. All this fighting over a guy has made us both pretty pathetic, huh? After what we've done and how we've acted, nobody would take us seriously. But!" Looking into Sakura's eyes, she said, "I'm NOT giving up on Sasuke-kun! Ever."

Sakura nodded in agreement with her dearest friend and rival. "Agreed. We're going to become kunoichi that Sasuke-kun would be proud of. He won't be able to resist us! I think we should try and learn some fuinjutsu, so we can eventually turn Sasuke-kun back to normal. He may not care anymore, but we do! Sasuke-kun WILL be a boy again. That's a guarantee!"

Ino grinned and high-fived her friend. "Damn right! But, when he's back to normal, he's mine! After all, you just never stood a chance." She said with a nasty smirk on her face.

"Dream on, Pig. Now, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not get myself killed here. We're not strong enough to repel the invaders like Sasuke-kun and the Jonin. So, want to find someplace to hide?" Sakura said.

Ino frowned as she glanced around at all the fighting taking place. After taking stock of their current situation, she looked into Sakura's eyes and said, "So long as we stay still and quiet, we should be fine here. There's plenty of Konoha ninja around to keep us safe if we stay here. But, if things get bad, we should probably make our way to one of the underground bunkers where it's safest. The problem with that, though, is the fact we run the risk of being caught by the bad guys."

Sakura nodded before she turned and watched as Kakashi used his Raikiri jutsu to impale a man's chest. At this point, she began to look and feel ill. Turning around, she parked her butt in her seat and shook her head. "Staying right here seems like our best bet. Let's just hope everything will be okay. I hate feeling this weak and useless."

"Then you should have taken your training more seriously." Kurenai said as she threw an Oto kunoichi over them, watching as the woman's head impacted the railing shortly before she collapsed, the life leaving her. "Stay where you are for the time being. You're safe here. But, if I have my way, you two WILL become competent kunoichi, if not powerful ones. Now sit down, shut up, and try not to bring attention to yourselves."

Both girls quickly nodded and shut up, not saying another word. Please, let everyone be okay.

The Kages

Hiruzen grunted as he received a painful kick to the chest. Stumbling backwards a few feet, he glared at Orochimaru and said, "You're an abomination, Orochimaru. I should have killed you before when I had the chance. Damn my sentimentality."

The Snake Sannin chuckled sinisterly and said, "It wouldn't have made a difference. Actually, if you had tried, you'd be dead." Glancing towards Jiraiya, he saw that he had finished with his seals and was preparing to act. With a smirk, the twisted snake opened his mouth and let his Kusanagi sword shoot forth, extending until it nearly reached his old teammate. Before it could, however, Hiruzen swapped places with the spy master, taking the blade through his chest, although not fatally.

Coughing up blood, the aged Hokage looked at the sword's blade more closely and chuckled ruefully to himself. "Venom. Of course. And I bet there's no known antidote either. Damn." Spitting some blood onto the rooftop, he watched as the Kusanagi retracted, pulling out of his now open wound. "Bastard."

Jiraiya's eyes were wide as he witnessed this brutal act. Narrowing his eyes at his old teammate, he prepared to go on the attack, only for his sensei to send a look his way, signaling that he needed to finish what he started. So, with great reluctance, he turned and moved, slapping the seal tags onto the foreheads of the First and Second Hokages. Holding up a single hand seal, he activated the tags and watched as life returned to their eyes, moments before their bodies crumbled into dirt, leaving the bodies of Zaku Abumi and Dosu Kinuta behind.

Sighing softly, the aged Sannin looked at Orochimaru and said, "Surrender, Orochimaru. You're finished."

The Snake Sannin chuckled as he looked from his sensei to Jiraiya. "Oh, really? I'm sure they'll have something to say about that."

The white-haired man looked over his shoulder before turning his gaze back onto Orochimaru. "I see. As soon as the barrier goes down, we're going to be swarmed by your ever so loyal followers. Too bad you'll never get the chance to escape with them."

Sure enough, waiting just outside the barrier were a large number of Oto and Suna ninja. However, they were under attack by the Anbu of Konohagakure. It was Jiraiya's hope that the Anbu would route the enemies before the barrier dropped.

Before he could react, Orochimaru was suddenly stabbed in the side by Minato. Spitting blood to the side, the snake attempted to slice into the undead bastard with his sword, only for Minato to disappear in a burst of speed.

Once his foe had disappeared, Orochimaru regurgitated a new body and quickly blocked an attack by Kurama, then an attack by Minato. Hiruzen had already collapsed to the ground, the life gradually leaving his eyes. Sadly, for the good guys, at least, there was no way to save the Third Hokage. All they could do now was focus on Orochimaru and try their absolute best to kill the son-of-a-bitch.

The slippery snake continued doing his best to deflect and avoid every attack coming his way, narrowly avoiding the worst of the attacks. Sure, he was taking quite a bit of damage from the group of three, but so far he hadn't taken any critical or fatal wounds. However, in the midst of his fight with the three Kage level shinobi, he had forgotten about one person in particular. And now, he was going to pay the price for it.

In an instant, Orochimaru felt true agony as something hit him from behind. He noticed that his three opponents had each moved back mere moments before some kind of attack hit him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Onoki standing there, a smirk on his face. It was at this point that Orochimaru realized his error and knew what was about to happen to him. "You…blasted old man! How…" coughing up blood, the snake glared fiercely into Onoki's eyes. "How…dare you?"

Onoki simply smiled at him and said, "Goodbye and good riddance, Orochimaru. May you rot in Hell for eternity. And may Hiruzen find peace in the next life. He did not deserve to die like this. Especially not at your hands." And with that, he and the others watched as Onoki's Dust Release technique destroyed Orochimaru on a molecular level.

With nothing remaining of their master, the Sound Four's eyes widened before they released the barrier and attempted to flee. The keyword being: attempted. They were quickly caught and subdued by a number of Jonin and what Anbu were currently available. One of them, a girl by the name Tayuya, frowned to herself as she looked around. They've all been killed or forced to flee. Konoha put up a better fight than we thought they would. Three fucking villages should have been able to crush this shitty place, but obviously, it just wasn't enough. Now what the fuck do we do?

Meanwhile, with the death of Orochimaru, the jutsu that was keeping him 'alive' began to fade. Knowing his time was coming once again, Minato looked into his old sensei's eyes and said, "Hopefully you can find Tsunade and bring her back. Konoha's going to need a powerful kage like her. Goodbye, Sensei."

The white-haired Sannin watched as his student's undead body crumbled into dirt on the ground, leaving a dead Oto kunoichi behind. She looks like she was maybe only 11 or 12 years old. What a shame.

Turning to their captives, Jiraiya stepped up to them and looked them over carefully. "You four will be spending some quality time with T & I. One way or another, we'll get the answers we want from you, no matter what they may be. Take them away. I've got other business to take care of." he said, waving them off dismissively.

After the Anbu disappeared, Onoki stepped up to Jiraiya and asked, "What will you do now? Will you look for that wayward teammate of yours? Tsunade Senju, correct?" Seeing Jiraiya nod in response, the aged Tsuchikage said, "From what I understand, she's been wallowing in her own self-pity for ages now. That is no way for someone to live." Sighing softly, he shook his head and stared up at the sky. "I have something to speak with you and the council about. Something to do with Naruto Uzumaki and a certain someone from my village. It has to do with a certain…'arrangement' I made with Minato. As you are the strongest in the village and the most capable person to take over the mantle of Hokage, should Tsunade not accept, I think it's fair for you to weigh in on this topic of discussion. For now, we should take stock of the damage and make sure that the enemy has been routed or forced to retreat. I would rather we not have any more surprises today."

Jiraiya nodded in response and said, "Agreed. And I'll admit that I'm curious about what you need to discuss with us. However, now is not the right time to discuss it. Before we set out, however, I need to ask: whatever happened with your bodyguards? I thought they'd have tried to help us, but they were nowhere to be found."

Onoki looked up into Jiraiya's eyes and said, "I told them to stay out of it if something happened. They're not yet ready for a battle between Kage-level opponents just yet. Besides that, I knew something strange was going on from the moment I set foot in this village. So, I instructed them to help Konoha should anything happen. My guess is that they were out helping to repel the invaders." Turning his gaze forward again, he soon set off with Jiraiya to check on the damages and the state of the invasion. As they went along, he looked at Jiraiya again and said, "I do have to wonder about something, though. What will you do in regard to our enemies today? I know it is a topic best discussed when a new Kage has taken office, whether it be you or Tsunade, but I want to hear your thoughts on the matter."

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "It's not really up to me to decide at this point. However, if it was up to me, I'd first deal with Suna. They betrayed our trust, and they need to answer for it. I'd rather not make them into our enemies for real, considering they were tricked by Orochimaru. However, they still went through with their attack and will need to answer for it. So, I would make them pay some form of restitution for their actions before arranging a new contract, of a sort, to cement our alliance with one another. I think I know exactly what I'd do to ensure they remained loyal instead of betraying us again."

Smirking up at Jiraiya, Onoki couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "I see. Quite the shrewd mind you have, Jiraiya. Tell me, what would you do next?"

"Once Suna was dealt with, I'd have a 'talk' with the Wind Daimyo and set things straight. After all, it was thanks to Danzo and the other elders that he foolishly began giving our village missions with higher pay." Sighing softly, Jiraiya looked at Onoki once more and said, "I'd deal with Kumogakure next. I'd try to negotiate a form of peace treaty with them, but I would accept a ceasefire if need be. Peace is preferable to constant war, but if they push us too far…"

Onoki nodded at the unspoken message. As he and Jiraiya looked around at all the damage that had been done, he said, "Otogakure would be easy to deal with. I assume you'd seek to route the enemy completely until Otogakure and Orochimaru's little 'pets' were all dealt with?"

Jiraiya nodded and said, "I doubt I would leave anyone alive. Anyone that willingly served that man is someone I wouldn't entrust with my life and livelihood." Looking down at Onoki, he said, "Once I've found all of his hideouts, I'd welcome the help, Tsuchikage-dono."

Onoki chuckled a bit and said, "I'll have to keep that in mind. For now, it looks like the enemy has truly fled. With their masters dead, I'm not surprised they'd run away like that. Though…"

Jiraiya nodded again and said, "I'll need to check on those with Orochimaru's curse seals. If they're gone, then fantastic. If not…"

The aged Tsuchikage said, "Then chances are that Orochimaru still has some way of living on with his true body destroyed. I wish you luck with your endeavors, Jiraiya."

"Thank you, Tsuchikage-dono." Jiraiya said.

Yugito

Yugito scowled as she hunted for any sign of her target. She had found Kabuto earlier and had wounded him using some of the Nibi's chakra, but the blasted coward had escaped after it became obvious he was going to lose the fight. She had continued in this fashion for a time. She would find him, do battle in an effort to kill him, and then he'd slip away somehow. It was growing on her nerves and, when he escaped this time, she damn near lashed out at her surroundings from the frustration she was feeling.

Unable to find him again, she scowled and clenched her fists tight. "Damn you, Kabuto. Slippery fucking bastard!" Practically growling at this point, she soon relaxed her muscles, unclenched her hands, and let out a heavy sigh. "Dammit."

It was at this point that Fu landed beside her, her wings disappearing once she did. Looking at the blonde jinchuriki, she asked, "How'd it go? Did you find that jerk?"

Yugito shook her head and said, "I did, but he kept getting away from me. I have no idea where he is now. Most likely, he's already fled the village." Looking into Fu's eyes, she asked, "How'd things go on your end? Do you know who won the fight between the Kages?"

Fu glanced back towards the arena and said, "Genma's safe. So are the majority of the Konoha forces. A lot of people did die, but Konoha did pretty well. As for the Kages? Well, I'm not sure. I left before the barrier went down. I've been fighting all the Oto and Kumo ninja I came across. I'm glad you're all right, Yugito."

Yugito smiled at her companion and said, "Thanks, Fu. Umm…" Glancing around, she realized how quiet it was. "What do we do now? This whole place is like a ghost town now."

Before Fu could answer, Sasuke's voice could be heard saying, "That's because the enemies have fled. As for you, how can we trust you? You were meant to be one of the trump cards to be used against us."

When Sasuke and her friends walked up to them, Yugito flinched and looked away. Fu, seeing this, spoke up in her defense. "She's not a bad person. The…the Raikage did terrible things to her and she just couldn't take it anymore. Naruto trusted me with her care, and I can promise that she doesn't mean anyone here any harm."

Karin frowned for a moment as she reached out with her senses. What she felt from Yugito worried her. "She's pregnant, isn't she? And…it wasn't willingly. Am I right?" Seeing the look of pain cross Yugito's face only proved her query to be correct. "I'm sorry. Why don't you stay here in Konoha with us? You'd be more than welcome here, I'm sure. Besides, Naruto can easily vouch for you as a fellow jinchuriki. I'm sure he'll be a great friend to you. But, if you're uncomfortable around men…"

Yugito frowned and shook her head. "No, it's okay. And I'd love to stay, if I'd be welcome here. But…"

Sasuke frowned deeply and said, "Naruto hasn't had the easiest life here once it was discovered he was the Kyuubi jinchuriki. If they find out that you house the Nibi, your life won't be an easy one, either. Still, it would be better for you here than it would be somewhere else. They won't put you through something like that. For what it's worth, I'm sorry you had to go through something that traumatic. My situation may not be the same, but I can understand pain to some degree. If you need a friend, then I'll try to fill that role."

Yugito smiled at Sasuke and the others and said, "Thank you. Umm, does anyone know what we should do now? It's just so quiet right now."

Before anyone could reply, Jiraiya and Onoki touched down next to them. Looking them over, Jiraiya said, "Now, a council meeting will be held to discuss today's events. We'll figure out what to do from there. You lot will take it easy for the time being until you're called upon to start taking missions again. Yugito, I ask that you come with me and allow me to have a look at what the Raikage did to you. If I can't help you, then I guarantee Tsunade can. Fu, you're welcome to stay as long as you like before returning to your home. I know you don't have it easy there, but…"

The mint-haired girl shook her head and said, "I know. You'd rather not upset them by keeping me here. I'm their precious guard dog, after all. I hate it, but I know there's nothing I can do about it. Just…promise me you'll look after Naruto and Yugito."

Jiraiya nodded, but before he could say anything, Kin piped up and asked, "Couldn't you arrange an arranged marriage between Fu and someone from this village? That could work to give Fu a better life here, in Konoha. Couldn't it?"

Onoki shook his head and said, "They'd likely see right through that ploy. Besides, a jinchuriki is a powerful deterrent for any kind of attack on their village. If anything, they'd demand that, whoever Konoha chooses as her spouse, they'd have to move to Takigakure to be with her. No, I'm afraid there's really nothing that can be done to free Fu from her fate. I'm sorry. I know that's not what you wanted to hear."

Fu nodded and looked to be quite glum at the moment. "I already knew that. I accept my fate, no matter what it is or how bad it looks. I hate it, but…what can I reasonably do? Not a damn thing."

Yugito frowned deeply and hugged Fu tight. "I'm sorry. I wish there was something I could do to help you. You've been so kind to me. I…I…"

As tears began building in Yugito's eyes, Fu smiled at her and said, "It's okay. I'm just glad you're going to be all right here. I hope you and Naruto get to be very good friends, Yugito. And I hope we get to see each other again soon. For now, I should really get going. With the Chunin Exams interrupted like this, and the invasion thwarted, there's no more reason for me to stay. Please, take care of yourselves." And with that, she turned and walked away, leaving a group of conflicted teens and two solemn adults behind.

Kin clenched her fists tight and said, "What is wrong with people?! They're the ones that make jinchuriki, only to treat them like they're subhuman monsters?! It's not right!"

Jiraiya sighed and shook his head. "I know. But there's nothing we can do about it. A vast majority of people out there in the world are absolute monsters. It's unfair, but we can't really do anything to change people's perceptions of them. It's just how things are. I'm not saying it's fair or right, but it's just how it is."

"Well, it sucks." Sasuke said. "I hate people like that. I know what it's like for people to treat you differently for one reason or another. After what Itachi did to my family, people began to suck up to me and give me everything and anything they could in an effort to win my favor as the 'last, loyal Uchiha'. I was treated like a porcelain doll: fragile and vulnerable. Girls were constantly trying to win my favor in the hopes that I'd choose to be with them. All because their parents told them to try and seduce me with their supposed charms. None of them truly cared for me as a person. I was simply a way to get some easy money and fame in the village. Tch."

Sighing heavily, the female Uchiha looked around at the others and said, "Meanwhile, Naruto had it just as bad, though on the opposite spectrum. He has been treated like the Kyuubi incarnate. They've made him feel like an outcast in his own home village. They've abused and mistreated him. And yet, throughout it all, he remained strong and didn't let them ruin his dreams or take away his desires. Naruto is stronger than anyone I've ever known. But…he's had it really bad here. If things continue getting worse for him here, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he decides to abandon the village in search of greener pastures. Kami knows that other villages would be lucky to have him."

Jiraiya scowled and said, "This is NOT the same village Minato and the Kages of the past envisioned it would be back when they founded it. If they could see what's become of their village and its people, they'd be rolling in their graves." Sighing heavily, he looked at each of the girls and said, "Come. We're going to check on the state of the village and then we'll figure things out from there. I want you girls to take it easy and wait for further orders. Chances are, I'll have a mission for you girls to carry out with Naruto and me."

Karin smiled excitedly and asked, "What kind of mission? Something awesome, I hope!"

Jiraiya chuckled and said, "Perhaps. Now, come along. Once we're done, I want you girls to find Naruto and stay with him. He's already dealt with Gaara, and the two of us will be having a look at his seal later. I don't really know where he could be right now, however."

Sasuke frowned to herself and said, "If he isn't back yet and hasn't been helping repel the invaders…"

Tenten frowned at this point and asked, "You don't think he got into some kind of trouble…do you?"

Jiraiya's eyes widened slightly before he said, "Something might have happened, yes. Girls, I want you to find Naruto. Now! Yugito, Fu, go with them."

"Right!" the girls exclaimed as one before they all set off in search of Naruto. Please be okay, Naruto! Sasuke thought, worried sick about her dearest friend.

Naruto

"And you're targeting me because…why exactly?" Naruto questioned as he stared at Kabuto Yakushi.

Naruto had been on his way back to the village when the four-eyed bastard appeared in front of him, blocking his path. He had a number of Oto ninja surrounding him with Kabuto in the lead. It hadn't taken a lot of effort to dispatch the Oto ninja, but Kabuto was proving to be a rather…annoying foe to fight. Every attack Naruto hit him with, the bastard would just heal from it within moments. It was honestly kind of infuriating to deal with such an annoying opponent.

Kabuto simply smirked and said, "You're a rather annoying thorn, Naruto Uzumaki. It's obvious that you've become much stronger over the past month, and I can't have you getting in the way of my goals and ambitions. There are things I really need to do, and I don't want you to be a pest."

The blonde quirked a brow and asked, "Really? That's your reason? I couldn't be bothered with you, Kabuto. You weren't even a blip on my radar. Why go after you when there's no reason to do so? Buuut, if you insist on being a little bitch, I don't mind kicking your ass for a while. 'Cause believe me, I could kick your ass all day and never get tired of it. So seriously here, just go away. I want nothing more to do with you."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Naruto. You're a very real threat now, and if I'm to succeed in reviving Orochimaru-sama, you need to die. It's just a shame Sasuke-kun didn't work out for Orochimaru-sama. Although, perhaps there's a little more to his transformation, hm? The seal may have disappeared from his skin, but it might still be there, hiding beneath the surface. Quite the interesting puzzle Sasuke has become, hm?"

Naruto sighed and palmed his face. "You're a damn idiot. Fine. If you want to fight so badly, then I'll gladly kick your ass and send you back home crying to your non-existent mommy."

Kabuto simply smirked at his foe before readying himself for combat once again. Prepare yourself, Uzumaki. It's time for you to die!

A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed it.

Like I said, I've been REALLY busy with so many different things that it took me forever to finish this dang chapter. And one of those reasons is because Pokemon Scarlet & Violet came out and I've been addicted to those games ever since. lol. I love Pokemon and always have.

Anyways, not much to say. I'm really kind of tired, but not enough that I can get any sleep, though. *shrugs*

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter. I had fun writing it, so it'd be great if you enjoyed reading it, too. :D lol. Hope you're all doing well. Take care everybody!