HELLO EVERYONE! SORRY FOR THE LONG WAIT TIME, BUT I FIND MYSELF WITH WRITERS BLOCK QUITE OFTEN/ HAVE MORE IMPORTANT THINGS GOING ON LIKE (INSERT GENERIC REASON). ANYWAY BACK TO THE STORY!

Naruto was sitting on the roof of his hotel enjoying the sunset. He had nothing to do since they were still a week out from all of the finals matches.

"Poof!"

Naruto turned to see a frog with a message in its mouth. He reached out and grabed the piece of paper.

"Thanks buddy, I'll get you a treat next time."

The frog nodded, "Poof!"

Naruto unfolded the paper,

Hey Kid,

It looks like you have got some pretty strong people headed your way. I found an entire squad taken out on the border of Wind. As far as I can tell at least one of them uses some sort of fire attack almost looks like an explosion. I know there are two headed your way. This is guts or glory time kid. Just like we practiced and if you know you can't win use your ultimate technique. I'm on my way, but I bet they will make their move soon, so for now you're on your own.

Good Luck

Jiraiya

Naruto burned the letter and stood up to stretch out, "Well I guess it's time to go to work."

Naruto found Sasuke and Sakura at a restaurant not too far from the hotel, "Sooooo what's all this then."

Sasuke immediately stood up to glare at him, "It's not a date!"

Sakura looked down in her lap.

Naruto Raised an eyebrow at Sasuke, "That was mean even for you."

Sasuke frowned and then acting as if it physically hurt him admitted, "Okay so it is a date… I warning you though if you make fun-"

"Sasuke and Sakura sitting in a-"

Sasuke smirked at Sakura who had emptied her plate full of spaghetti and meatballs right on top of Naruto's head.

"Naruto stood very still then deflated, "Yeah I guess I kinda deserved that. Anyway we a have actually work to do."

Sasuke and Sakura nodded and all three of them shunshined to the top of the hotel.

"You two go tell Gaara's dad what's coming and I'll go find Gaara."

Sakura grimaced, "I hate talking to that guy. It always looks like he is scowling."

Naruto looked back and forth between her and Sasuke silently.

Sasuke got the intended joke and unintentionally scowled proving Naruto's point.

Naruto waved his hand clearing the air, "It has to be you guys though, it is probably still too soon after my prank for him to take me seriously."

Sasuke nodded, "He's right. He is too much of a doofus for anyone to take him seriously."

Sakura nodded and the shunshined away leaving Naruto with a scowl of his own.

Naruto was taking his time getting to Gaara. He kicked at the sand and tried to calm himself for the upcoming battle.

In the distance he heard several explosions.

"yikes they are here already?" He picked up the pace towards Gaara's house. He could already see sand moving around in the sky. "Hang on Gaara I'm coming."

Naruto arrived at Gaara's house to find a man in a black robe with red clouds on it trying to drag Gaara's body to what looked like a gigantic bird.

The world seemed to fade away from Naruto. A dark aura surrounded him and disappeared in a burst of speed. Naruto ran up the side of the building and jumped off the railing. He put his shoulder in front of him and slammed into the robed man.

Deidara was overall pleased with his work. He lost an arm, but he also fought a tailed beast and won. He was surprised at how heavy the sand kid was while he dragged him to his mount. All of the sudden he felt like he had been hit by a freight train.

"AHHHH!" Deidara went flying crashing into the side of the building.

Naruto ran over to Gaara and lifted him off of the giant bird. Gaara grunted like he was trying to tell him something.

"Boom!" The giant bird exploded.

Naruto braced himself for the impact that never came. He looked down at Gaara who had used the last of his strength to put a wall of sand in between them and the explosion.

Naruto thanked him and quickly made two clones one that turned into Gaara and one normal one. The normal one took Gaara and went to get help and the real Naruto picked up the clone so that the man in the robe would not go looking for him.

"Who the hell are you?!" Naruto shouted at the man who was staggering out of the hole in the wall.

Deidara looked at him and his eyebrows raised, "Kyuubi brat!" He then smiled, "Who knew I was going to get to fight two containers tonight. My name is Deidara and you will fall to my art!"

With that he ran and jumped over the edge of the building forming a bird out of his exploding clay and took off into the air.

Sasuke and Sakura appeared next to him.

"You guys go after him and take my exploding clone with you. It seems that there is another that is chasing my clone that has the real Gaara. Be careful he uses some sort of exploding clay. Sasuke you are on point for this one. Make good use of your lightning affinity."

Sasuke nodded and went through the hand signs and summoned a hawk for them to pursue on.

Naruto disappeared to meet up with his clone.

Naruto saw his clone running fairly close to the gate trying to avoid projectiles that seemed to be constantly spewing from the hunched over hooded man.

Naruto smirked, "Time to let loose."

He concentrated and breathed fire that bent to his will. Naruto sprinted to an ally that the clone and the man would run past.

Naruto gathered the fire on his fist in the shape of some brass knuckles. "It's the bottom of the ninth and it may be too soon but he calls his shot" Naruto pointed to the ski.

His clone passed by, "here comes the pitch" Naruto ran forward and put a maximum effort into the swing right as the man passed by hitting him square in the side.

The man seemed to crumple inwards and was thrown over the wall into the dessert.

Naruto smiled and extinguished the fire, "It's a home run folks!"

Naruto's clone just stared at him, "You realize you are ridiculous right?"

Naruto glared at him, "Aww come on that was classic."

The clone rolled his eyes and left to find Gaara a doctor.

Naruto raised his hands up in the air, "everyone's a critic."

Naruto ran up the side of the village wall and jumped off the top to follow the man he just punched.

Naruto followed the man he had just sent flying over the wall into the desert. He didn't have to look for very long when he came upon what looked like a small boy clutching at the splintered remains of the hooded figure.

Naruto squinted, "That thing was made out of wood?! No wonder it felt so light."

The figure turned around with no emotion on his face and spoke in a monotone, "What have you done. Do you even realize how many hours of my life I spent on making that?"

Naruto almost face faulted, "Are you actually mad? I can't tell."

The boy spoke again without any inflection in his voice, "I am beyond mad. I will kill you for what you've done."

Naruto scratched his head, "I'm serious man I can't tell at all."

Naruto jumped back as what looked like a harpoon came out of the boys' stomach.

Naruto's eyes almost bulged out of his head, "What the hell man are you some sort of puppet?!"

"Yes"

Naruto scratched his head, "So then who is controlling you?"

The boy tilted his head sideways, "I am."

Naruto shook his head, "That can't be it. You said yourself that you are a puppet, which means by definition that you can't control yourself."

The boy adopted a thinking pose, "I never really thought about it that way… what do I call myself then?" The boy then seemed to get ahold of himself, "Stop trying to mess with my head."

The boy then took out a scroll and summoned another puppet that seemed to be able to control a dark sand like substance.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "How many people out here in the desert can control sand? It's starting to get a little annoying."

The figure rushed him with incredible speed. Naruto just sat there looking unimpressed. The figure formed a blade out of the iron and ran it though Naruto's stomach. The clone instantly blew up and destroyed the puppet.

The small puppeteer looked in astonishment as the pieces of the puppet rained down from the sky.

"How?"

Naruto came around a sand dune, "You don't have very much experience fighting with that guy huh. The whole point of controlling stuff is to not have to go over and do it yourself. Sheesh is this what passes for Akasuki?"

The small boy seemed to grow a tick mark though his face remained completely passive.

Naruto dropped a fist into his hand, "I get it you are a puppet and can't show emotion. That's why it always sounds like you are sarcastic."

The young boy looked down so that his eyes were shadowed, "They say that a puppeteer's skill can be determined by how many puppets he can wield."

Without as much as a pause he opened another scroll and a hundred puppets flew out of it and into the air.

Naruto looked up at all the cloud of puppets looming above him. "Ah shit…"

Naruto looked around, but there was no cover to be found in the middle of a desert. With only one option Naruto drew in a large breath and summoned more fire than he ever had before. He struggled to control it, but managed to form it into a ball about the same size as the cloud of puppets. He moved the ball towards them, but felt his hold on the fire start to weaken.

"You fool! There's no way you can control all that especially the further away it gets!"

It was too late as the puppets started to move around the ball of fire Naruto lost control of it completely. The resulting explosion lit up the night sky with a huge ball of red fire and sent shock waves in all directions. Everything near it was destroyed in the pressure and heat.

Naruto woke up on his back very far from where he originally started. "Ugh everything hurts."

"You deserve it you walking fire hazard! What did you think would happen?!"

Naruto grimaced, "I kinda thought it would just dissipate if I couldn't control it."

He heard Kurama chuckle, "That is kinda what happened."

Naruto sat up, "Aw man, on top of everything I have sand all over now. I guess I better make sure the other guy actually died."

Kurama scoffed, "If he's not dead I'll be silent for a week."

Naruto got up and went back to where the confrontation had taken place. The whole area was turned to glass. He looked around to try to get a clue as to where the dudes body might have went.

Naruto saw a gigantic pile of puppets in one area and figured that the young man had tried to cover himself with everything he could before he realized that it wasn't possible. He started digging through the wreckage and found this dimly glowing and only slightly singed thing.

Naruto went to pick it up and the body that the glowing thing was attached to moved and stuck a senbon in his arm.

Naruto jumped back, "Ahhh… ehem I mean. So you're still alive?"

In his mind Naruto celebrated, "Ha silence for a week."

Kurama grumbled and then went silent.

The young man cracked a small smile, "I got you, even if you got me too. That senbon has the poison that I created on it you with die slow and painfully."

Naruto eyed the glowing thing, "Is that your soul or something, because I think that means I just invented fourth degree burn!"

The young man frowned, "It doesn't matter you are still going to die."

Naruto stopped celebrating and seemingly disappeared and reappeared in front of the young man's body with a trench knife in the glowing thing.

Naruto glared at him, "Sorry to break it to you pal, but I'm immune to poisons." He then channeled chakra into the knife and wind chakra cut the glowing thing in half. After that it stopped glowing."

Naruto sat on the pile of broken puppets, "I am spent, but who is going to annoy Sasuke and Sakura while they try to take down an S class ninja but me?"

Naruto got up and started to make his way back to the village when he saw a white bird start to fly away from it. Naruto squinted, "What the hell? I took care of mine and they couldn't take care of theirs?"

Naruto ran back to the village and didn't waste any time finding them. They looked to be alright, but Sakura was just getting done healing something for Sasuke.

"So… How'd it go?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You got the easy one."

Naruto scoffed, "Yeah, ok… did I just scoff? Sasuke we are hanging out way too much."

Sakura giggled and Sasuke shot him a glare, but let a small smile be seen.

Sakura piped up, "At least we got one of his arms."

Naruto smiled, "that is good otherwise I would have to start looking for a new and improved team."

Sasuke snorted, "Yeah right like anyone else would work with you."

Naruto smiled, "Heh, maybe your right."

Naruto sat down right as they were surrounded by the sand village Anbu. "You are coming with us!"

Naruto looked up and the man who was speaking, "Oh come on I just sat down."

Naruto sat in the sand villages dungeon for what seemed like a week.

The door finally opened to reveal the leader of the sand village. "All of you leaf ninja's have something wrong with you."

Naruto laughed, "Yeah we like to keep people guessing."

"you may think it's funny now, but you have been in here three days and not because of me. I have actively tried to get Kakashi to do the one page form it takes to get you out of here." He smiled, "I even filled out the forms so all he had to do was sign it. He apparently got bored half way through and left to go read."

Naruto sighed, "Yeah that sounds like Kakashi alright."

The older man smiled, "You should be thankful to your other sensei. He is the one that made a trade for you." He held up the next book in the series of Icha Icha.

Naruto smiled, "It is amazing how often that works. I'm not joking that series has gotten my master and me out of literally 80% of all of our conflicts."

The old man grinned widely, "I don't doubt it."

… "Wait why were Sasuke and Sakura not in here with me?"

The man looked at him with an incredulous look, "because they can't make a bomb big enough to destroy the entire village."

Naruto drew breath in to argue but decided against it.

"Do you have any Idea what they are calling you now?"

Naruto shook his head.

"They are calling you the Red Dusk, because that explosion was big enough and bright enough to make the whole desert look like it was dusk."

Naruto scratched the back of his head, "Would you believe me if I told you it was an accident?"

The man looked at Naruto and narrowed his eyes, "No I would not." Then he turned and left the room.

How was it? Any comments? Are you sure? Are you sure your sure? Well if you have anything to say It does help me improve my writing and find motivation to keep it rolling so hit me up. Also to be clear Deidara has lost both arms, which is why he ran away. Until next time... Peace.

Konoha Civilian