Chapter 13
Moving Shadows

Land Of Lightning
Mountainside Uninhabited Cave

Samui woke up quietly, she felt warm and was wrapped in something, the last thing she remembered was the blonde boy who walked over to her.

She shot up from her prone position and looked around to find herself in a cave with a lit fire, the boy was nowhere to be seen but she could see a bowl and some herbs on the ground near the fighter along with a wooden medicine box which was open showing her the medicine inside, she also noticed that placed next to her was her pouches that contained all of her Ninja Tools.

"Urgh!" She flinched as she turned to check the cave entrance, she had taken a bad hit during the fight and when she jumped and slammed against the floor certainly did not help, she was sure that some ribs were either broken or fractured either way she was hurt.

"Oh! You're awake now." Naruto's voice rang out in the cave as he appeared with a dead wolf slung over one shoulder.

"Yes, I am." Samui replied watching him carefully like he was an enemy.

"Sorry about the wolf, but I couldn't find any rabbits or deer." Naruto said apologetically as he dropped the dead wolf near the fire.

Naruto went about skinning the wolf and pulling the meat off the bones while placing the meat on a cloth-covered rock it looked like Naruto was going to cook the meat.

"Why did you help me?" She asked shivering under the blanket.

"Because you needed help." Naruto answered not even turning to look at her.

"You said you were Clanless Ninja why would you help a Ninja of the Yotsuki Clan?" She asked again wanting to discern his motives.

"It really is that simple you know, you were in trouble and I wanted to help you, does there need to be a hidden meaning to what I did?" Naruto asked her starting to get annoyed.

"It was a very convenient situation, I came under attack from two members of the Ginkaku Clan and you just happen to be travelling and swoop in." She said back suspiciously and Naruto realised that it did seem convenient.

"Okay, I will admit that is a very good point." Naruto admitted with a nod as he was finished with the wolf, he picked up what was left and threw it to the back of the cave.

"I'll bury that later." Naruto muttered before turning to the hard wolf meat and throwing it in the metal pot along with water and some edible herbs he found then placed the pot over the fire.

"It'll taste like crap but it's better than nothing." Naruto said to Samui and then sat down cross-legged in front of the girl who had hidden a kunai under the blanket.

"So, I'm travelling around the world to collect Ninjutsu, I don't have a Clan so I want to get as strong as I can so I can stand up to the Clans." Naruto twisted the truth, there was no way he could tell her he came here for Kekkei Genkai.

"So a thief then." Samui concluded.

"It sounds bad when you put it like that. I'm Naruto by the way." Naruto complained rubbing the back of his neck.

'But the worst thing is she's not wrong either.' Naruto said in his mind, there was not much difference between taking a Clans Hiden Jutsu and taking their Kekkei Genkai.

"What about you? What's your story?" Naruto asked curiously, those two Ninja called her a dog and meatshield for the Yotsuki and he had never heard that kind of language to describe a Ninja.

"I am..." Samui started to speak then stopped and looked at Naruto, not just staring at him but it was like she was attempting to see into his soul.

"At this point, I don't care." She muttered under her breath, Naruto only hear a little and was confused but he remained silent waiting for her to speak again.

"My name is Samui, I am what people call a slave Ninja. When I was really young the Yotsuki Clan bought me of my parents and trained me in the Ninja Arts after finding out my Chakra was larger than normal, they dispatch me on missions that are either demeaning or dangerous for an actual member of the Clan to do." She revealed while watching Naruto's reaction carefully.

"What! They do that here!" Naturally, he was outraged and disgusted.

"So they just use you as a disposable tool!?" He said as his blues eyes flashed and the temperature notably dropped as he got angry.

"All Ninja are tools." Samui responded remaining calm and cool.

"You're a person, not a tool!" Naruto shouted at her, she flinched back at his shout.

"Sorry. I'm just angry that there are people who do that." He apologised and sat back down after his outburst.

"I'm surprised all Ninja are told that they're tools how can you be a Ninja and not know that?" Samui was genuinely confused.

"I know that, but that doesn't mean I have to like it, I was taught that crap as well but I've never liked it My Mom didn't either she always told me that Ninja are people too who should live their own lives." Naruto said as he crossed his arms as well.

They fell into silence after that Naruto was thinking while Samui was watching him like he was a rare animal that she stumbled across.

"If that's what everyone thinks it means to be a Ninja then I want to change it." Naruto finally said after stewing in his thoughts.

"How? You'd have to be the strongest in the world or something equally ridiculous." Samui said with a scoff.

"Then that's what I'll do, I was already on this journey to get stronger so I might as well aim for the top." Naruto said and he nodded and found the idea very attractive.

"It's impossible for someone like you to reach that height just like me." Samui shot him down.

"I'm a Ninja we make the impossible possible, just look at some of the Clanless Ninja that are running around now after the War. A lot of people think the Yellow Flash is the strongest Ninja in the entire Land of Fire and that place has the Uchiha, Hyuga, Senju and Sarutobi Clans as the competition." Naruto argued.

"People like that are a true exception, besides even the Yellow Flash was trained by the Senju Clan as fodder during the War." Samui argued back.

"I'll do it Samui, I swear it and I never go back on my word because that is my Ninja Way." Naruto vowed to her holding out a fist and smiling.

"You are a fool, you might go far but in the end, you'll fail." Samui said looking away though there was a hint of a smile on her face from that declaration.

"You don't know that until I try." Naruto said pouting.

"Oh! Smells like the food's done." He smelt the meat and crawled over and checked the pot even bringing out a metal ladle from his ration pack and giving it a stir.

"Hope you like wolf stew." Naruto said grinning at her over his shoulder.

He got two cheap-looking bowls and filled them with the 'stew' that was inside and looked disappointed at his own meal.

"Here you go." He handed her a bowl and spoon.

"Thank you." Samui remembered her manners.

Naruto got his own and took a sip and even bit off some of the meat and got tears in his eyes.

"I miss ramen." He complained looking in despair at the bowl.

"A Ninja should only eat to fill their stomach, not for pleasure." Samui said reciting one of the commonly accepted Ninja Rules.

"That's dumb Ramen is the food of the gods." Naruto groused as they ate.

The meal passed in silence and after finishing, Samui looked a lot better than before.

"That was the best meal I've had in a while." She commented idly watching Naruto out of the corner of her eye.

"What. Really the meat was hard and there was no taste." Naruto said as he put the utensils away.

"When you are only given combat rations any hot meal is a good one." She replied once again getting a shocked look from Naruto.

"Okay." He said then placed himself right in front of her with a serious look on her face.

"What?" She asked somewhat defensively.

"Tell me about your life." He said looking right in her own blue eyes, a shade darker than his own.

"Why should I?" She said crossing her own arms.

"I want to hear it, so far I've had a pretty good life but you haven't so told me what it was like. I need to know in order to know what I have to do." Naruto requested even bowing her head slightly.

"I see." Samui mulled the offer over, it wasn't like there was any true downside to telling him her life story.

"Fine, but don't interrupt." She warned waving a finger at him.

"Deal." He said and nodded.

So Samui told him about how she was born in a small village in the central Land of Lightning, she told him about how the Yotsuki Clan came one day and inspected every child in the village and once they found a few children who had stronger Chakra on the level of Ninja despite being untrained they were bought of their parents with money or if the parents refused they were threatened and forced anyway.

Samui explained how she was taken to a Yotsuki outpost and was trained by a member of the Clan how she was told it was a privilege for her to learn from a Ninja Clan and if she survived long enough she would have the honour of bearing children for the Yotsuki Clan.

And with every word Naruto got angrier and angrier to the point where he was almost shaking from the rage building up, he had never heard of this practice before. Taking civilian children from their parents training them to sacrifice their lives for the Clan and if they do manage to survive then they are basically turned into breeding animals in order to increase the numbers and power of said Clan.

"So that is my life, what has happened and what will happen." Samui said as if she didn't just give a horror story to him.

"And you've just accepted that! What about fighting back!? Running!?" Naruto couldn't hold himself back any longer.

"Fight? Against the Yotsuki Clan that would be suicide!" Samui started heating up now as she rose to Naruto's questions.

"Better than being a slave, you're trained you could leave the country as I did!" Naruto was shouting now.

"Run!? With this on me!" Samui shouted back and stood up, she

was slightly taller than the admittedly short Naruto and pulled the collar of her ragged clothes down revealing a Fuinjutsu on her collarbone.

"What is that?" Naruto asked dangerously.

"A Fuinjutsu that enslaves me to the Yotsuki Clan, If I leave without giving them a time to return then they can kill me with this seal." Samui explained with tears in her eyes from the explosion of emotion.

Naruto reached out and touched the seal, even if he was a bad Uzumaki his knowledge of Fuinjutsu far outstripped almost anyone else in the world with only the truly dedicated people knowing more than him but not more than the collective knowledge of the entire Uzumaki Clan.

The Seal itself looked like a crescent moon though that was only the basic outline, it was actually hollow and had tiny writing crisscrossing through the space it was also enclosed in a circle like most Fuinjutsu was though that was a misconception that all Seals needed to be inside a circle for stability in truth a high-level Fuinjutsu would not need a circle and just be the seal itself.

'This thing is familiar but a lot is going on with this seal, it's the most complex one I've seen since coming here.' Naruto thought running a finger over the black seal.

'I don't think I can break this without killing her.' Naruto came to the sad conclusion.

"Wh-what are you doing Naruto?" Samui asked with a red flush on her face.

Then Naruto realised what he was doing, he had been running his finger over the Fuinjutsu which was of course placed on her collar bone which was just above her chest, not that she had one due to being so young though.

"S-sorry." He flinched back like he had put his hand in a fire and he got an equally red blush on his face.

"I know a bit about Fuinjutsu, So I was thinking that I could break it." Naruto said explaining himself.

"Can you?" She asked with hope in her voice forgetting Naruto's touching.

"Not without killing you." He said sadly shaking his head.

"Oh." Samui said dully and she basically slid back on the floor.

"I will break it for you though." He claimed crouching down.

"And how can you do that?" She questioned not believing him at all.

"My Dad he's a master at Fuinjutsu, if I find him and get him to you or even teach me then you can be free for sure." Naruto said putting his hands on her shoulders.

"..." Samui just looked at him silently.

"I promise you, I'll find him and come back here." Naruto vowed again in front of her.

"I'll be long dead before then." Samui said looking away from his eyes.

"No you're skilled even I can see that, if you weren't freezing and starving you could have taken them on." Naruto said trying to get some confidence in her.

"As long you're alive there's hope." Naruto said.

"...fine, I think I can do that." Samui said finally with a fragile smile.

"Don't worry, after I get what I came for I'll find my Dad and then I'll come back." Naruto said.

"What are you looking for specifically?" She asked looking a bit brighter.

"Ergh, well I was hoping to get some Ninjutsu from the Bofu Clan." Naruto admitted taking his hands off Samui.

"The Bofu? They're a strong Clan with a Kekkei Genkai, why them?" Samui narrowed her eyes at Naruto.

"Money." He answered.

"You want to sell their Kekkei Genkai Hiden Jutsu!" Samui near yelped taken aback.

"Yeah, essentially." Naruto did not give her the whole truth.

"That's insane." Samui told him with wide eyes now.

"Crazy enough to work." Naruto said back with a grin.

"The Bofu are currently in talks with the Yotsuki for an alliance. But I know that our leader is planning to annex the Bofu as vassals instead of allying with them." Samui revealed to him.

"That could be very helpful for me." Naruto said bringing a hand to his chin.

"I need to return and report on my mission, if you follow me without getting caught then you might have your chance especially since our Leaders are supposed to be going to their compound as a compromise." Samui offered.

"I think that sounds like a great plan." Naruto said with a smile which Samui tentatively returned.

Now getting a Kekkei Genkai from the Land of Lightning was looking very good. Hopefully, it would go smoother than his clash with the Kaguya.

If only Naruto knew how naive he was being at this moment.

Land Of Fire
Kanto Town

Kanto was a medium-sized village located in the northwest of the Land of Fire, it was located near a river and surrounded by forest on 3 sides and a huge grass plain on the final side. Most of the buildings were made of wood with only a few stone structures with the main one being the home of the towns' ruler. Kanto was not claimed by any Clan and was regarded as neutral territory despite being on the border of the Uchiha Clan and Hyuuga Clan's territory.

He wanted to curse, to scream and shout but he was an Uchiha and held it in instead.

He was the eldest son of Uchiha Fugaku and he would not disgrace the Uchiha Clan by acting any less than that.

Uchiha Itachi dodged the fast-moving projectile Shuriken with contemptuous ease that most Ninja would envy, right now he was in a small town in the northern part of Uchiha territory, he had been sent here as an envoy for a highly secretive mission but it appeared they had been betrayed as the Senju Clan had descended on the town in force.

He had dressed in more civilian casual clothes, with no Clan symbol anywhere but of course, still in dark shades of blue and black, his hair was tied back in order to keep it out of his eyes.

"How did this get out Uchiha-San?" Hyuuga Hizashi asked as he too dodged the incoming projectiles with ease, Hizashi was the brother to the current head of the Hyuuga Clan and had been sent to finalise the secret alliance between the Hyuuga and the Uchiha.

Hyuuga Hizashi was the opposite the man had come dressed in a battle uniform of the Hyuuga which was of course white and shades of purple and lavender also revealed for all to see was the Juinjutsu that was applied to members of the Branch Hyuuga Clan.

"I don't know but it appears we were betrayed." He replied calmly and sent back his own barrage of shuriken which unlike the ones sent at him, they hit their target.

"Uchiha!" One of the injured Senju roared.

"I have sent the signal for reinforcements but I do not know when they shall arrive." Itachi told Hizashi.

"As have I, the Senju will regret this aggression." He spat out and moved in to engage in the Hyuuga's speciality Taijutsu, the veins around his eyes were bulging which was the only indication that he had activated his Byakugan.

Itachi decided to follow suit and activated his own Dojutsu the famous Sharingan, and his world became dyed in red and he could see the flare of Chakra become visible to his eyes.

Even the Senju should have thought twice at facing two of the Three Great Dojutsu but it appeared their belligerence outweighed common sense nowadays.

The entire reason Itachi was sent here was to counter that aggression as his Father had thought that it would be best to make an alliance with the Hyuuga which would make them the strongest alliance in the Land of Fire and act as a counter to Senju aggression, not even Senju Tobirama was as battle-hungry as the new leader.

"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" Itachi unleashed a flaming ball of fire from his mouth which shot forward down the street he was in.

Most of the civilians had already run away into the forest the moment the news got out of a fight between Ninja and they went even quicker when they heard it was the Uchiha and Senju fighting again for the first time since the Great War.

'Such senseless violence and death.' Itachi thought as he engaged his Clan's sworn enemy in combat.

There was no joy in fighting for Itachi it was simply something he had to do to protect his friends and family, in all honesty, Itachi would have preferred being born as a civilian and having a simple life but fate had different plans for him as he was the strongest Ninja in the Uchiha Clan even greater than his Father and there were even a few people who compared him to his ancestor the legendary Uchiha Madara.

"Hyuuga-San! Duck!" Itachi shouted as he caught movement with his red eyes a masked Senju was moving in on Hizashi's flank.

Hizashi instantly ducked from the hand-to-hand combat he was engaged in with 3 other Senju, Itachi instantly launched a barrage of kunai at the masked one who moved out of the way but stopped moving to Hizashi and instead refocused on Itachi who was acting as mid and long-range support for the close-range specialist.

'There's something different about him.' Itachi thought watching the masked man carefully as he moved in to engage Itachi directly.

They clashed and Itachi found himself engaged in a high-speed battle with the man who drew a tanto to extend his range but Itachi was used to fighting tanto wielders since he sparred with Shisui more than anyone else.

Itachi gained the upper hand as the masked Senju shifted to a defensive stance as Itachi pressed his advantage.

"Nii-San!" A Familiar voice shouted at him and Itachi wanted to sigh but did not have the luxury to do so.

"Yo! Itachi!" An annoyingly cheerful voice greeted.

Itachi looked out the corner of his eye and saw his younger brother Sasuke and his cousin Obito who was the only other direct descendant of Madara.

"Sasuke! You support us." Obito ordered and his tone would brook no argument.

Sasuke did not respond verbally but he did not argue which was a good sign that he recognised the danger of the situation.

"Shit! Itachi and Obito here!?" A Senju said in disbelief and of course, the Hyuuga reinforcements were also within visual range at this point.

"Retreat, we're outnumbered." The leader ordered and Obito moved in to engage that one first.

"Don't leave without saying goodbye." Obito said as he clashed with the leader.

'Good thinking Obito, the Senju

would never retreat without their leader.' Itachi thought almost wanting to smile.

"You!" The Senju Leader roared as he threw punches, kicks and kunai at Obito who was still smiling though it was an inch more like a frown.

The battle only intensified as the Senju performed a rearguard action as they swarmed Obito in order to break him away from their leader.

Itachi was winning his fight but he could not finish it, the masked Senju was weaving around his blows and shooting small Water Ninjutsu in order to throw his timing off.

"Argh!" Sasuke shouted as he was hit by a kunai which embedded itself in his leg and he almost fell down.

"Sasuke!" Itachi had not noticed that Sasuke had moved in to support Obito and was now surrounded by Senju as Obito fought to get to him.

"Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu." Itachi broke off from his opponent and unleashed a barrage of smaller fireballs all aimed at the Senju surrounding Sasuke.

"Suiton: Hahonryu!" Itachi's masked opponent took advantage and shot an attack of water from his palm at Itachi.

Itachi just barely didn't dodge it, he did not take the Jutsu head-on but it did clip his ribs and sent him back and spiralling to the ground.

"Now!" The leader roared and the Senju retreated in full force from the combined Uchiha/Hyuuga forces.

"Itachi!" Sasuke shouted as he got up and ran over.

"I'm fine Sasuke." He said standing up, he was not badly hurt but he imagined he would have a massive bruise on his chest.

"Wow, Itachi that wasn't like you." Obito commented as he walked over.

"..." Itachi remained silent and he instead focused on Hizashi who was walking over with his own cadre of white-eyed guards.

"Itachi-San, I am relieved to find you alive." Hizashi said stopping a respectful distance away from the Uchiha.

"As am I." He replied politely.

"After this display from the Senju, I find myself agreeing with your sentiments earlier, I shall advise my Brother that an Alliance between the Uchiha and Hyuuga is needed." Hizashi informed them.

"I thank you, for listening and accepting the offer." Itachi said inclining his head slightly.

"Let this be the start of a long alliance." Hizashi returned.

"Yes let it." Itachi agreed.

Later

Itachi, Obito and Sasuke had set up camp on their way back to inform his Father of the good news that the alliance would be accepted.

"I can't believe we're allying with the Hyuuga." Sasuke said shocked as he poked the campfire with a stick.

"It's necessary for the Clan, Sasuke." Itachi said not wanting to scold him.

"We were fighting with them just a few months ago." Sasuke replied.

"Yeah and now we're not, that's just how things are." Obito said from his place lounging against a log looking relaxed.

"How can you be so relaxed!" Sasuke stood up and pointed at him.

"Because what's done is done and hopefully, Fuagku-Sama will give me some time off." Obito said with a grin.

"Urgh, you and your stupid wife." Sasuke groaned and turned away from him.

"You'll understand when your older Sasuke-Chan." Obito mocked him.

"Obito." Itachi warned and Obito held his hands up in mock surrender before falling silent and staring at the sky.

"Sasuke, the world is a lot more dangerous now more than ever." Itachi began talking catching his Brother's attention instantly.

"The Great War has shaken the faith in Ninja and the Daimyo turn to the Samurai for their protection and enforcement, Ninja are numerous right now but this peace exists on a thin string which could snap at any moment, if that does happen we Uchiha cannot stand alone anymore as such we need allies to help." Itachi explained calmly.

"The Daimyo are wary and looking to be rid of us as such we must tread carefully even this must be forgotten quickly, the Senju are getting more aggressive and our number hasn't replenished yet." Itachi continued laying out the situation.

"Sasuke I know the rejuvenation or ruin of our Clan will happen in the coming years, as does Father and that is why these steps were taken." He finished.

"I understand Nii-San." Sasuke said solemnly.

Itachi knew he was just putting up a front and he did not truly understand but he would in the future, Sasuke was smart and with more experience in the world he would understand everything in his way.

"Time for sleep, I shall take first watch." Itachi announced and Obito gave him a lazy thumbs up while Sasuke nodded.

It took around 2 hours for Obito and Sasuke to fully go to sleep and Itachi had found his moment to report. He walked a fair bit away from the campsite leaving multiple Clones to watch over his sleeping family and entered a cave which luckily for him had no bear sleeping within and he wove through Hand Signs to activate a Jutsu with a crimson ring on his finger.

"Gentoshin no Jutsu." Itachi activated the technique and felt a strange feeling wash over him as usual whenever he used it.

"Itachi! You have news?" A deep voice asked him as he now found himself in a huge dark cavern with a chained figure half-buried in the stone with only its upper body and hands visible, Itachi was standing on one of the gigantic fingers.

There were only two other flickering shadows on the other fingers, one was sat down casually while the other was stood tall with ringed eyes.

"Yes, the Hyuuga have accepted the Uchiha's alliance and the Senju attacked." Itachi reported.

"A leak in the network, the Senju must be working with someone behind the scenes." The sitting figure mused.

"Indeed, I had hoped that this would go quickly but it seems the world inches ever closer to war." The leader sighed.

"What should I do now?" Itachi asked.

"We must maintain the balance and status quo, for now, we don't have the strength to move in force yet, Aka you continue the operations previously discussed while you Aoi make the inroads needed to get influence and access to the Lightning Daimyo, the Yotsuki Clan are becoming more and more dominant and if they unite all the Ninja Clans in the Land of Lightning." The Leader trailed off.

"Then that means other Clans will get the same idea and kick off another War, I know. Don't worry Leader I'll do everything I can." The sitting figure stood and bowed his head voice no longer lazy.

"For the Akatsuki and the peaceful dawn." He finished and flickered away.

"For a peaceful dawn." The flickering Leader said.

"We must forge on to achieve our goal no matter what, you know that." Itachi said to the man he chose to follow over his own Clan.

"I know, my resolve is set I already have new recruits in mind. We need to hold the monopoly of force if we are to bring peace to the world." The Leader said with determination.

"May we achieve it with the least bloodshed." Itachi said and finished his Jutsu leaving the Leader standing alone looking at the monstrous figure.

"For a better world." He left those words hanging in the dead cave.

AN:

Chapter 13 is done, hope you all enjoyed it.

Lots of set-up this chapter and of course the Akatsuki exists though it will be far different from Canon, I have the full idea of what happens in this story finished in my head now so I just need to put the notes on paper and then I can plan around it.

Also, I'm thinking of concentrating on Naruto on even chapters and then doing this with half Naruto half other characters on the odd chapters like this one. Dunno if this will work and I might just do it every other chapter instead.

I hope you all caught the little references to other characters as well, there are a few in the chapter.

Translations:

Byakugan=White Eye

Dojutsu=Eye Technique

Sharingan=Copy Wheel Eye

Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu=Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

Katon: Hosenkai no Jutsu=Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique

Suiton: Hahonryu= Water Release: Tearing Torrent

Gentoshin no Jutsu= Magic Lantern Body Technique

Aka=Red