KuroiOozora: No it isn't haha. And I'm actually toying with a random idea for Sasuke that popped into my head, so I can't answer that at the moment.

Bloodshed

Sasuke frowned as the force came to another stop. It had been several days since he had left Konohagakure, and they were only about half a days sprint to the outpost where they would be planning their assault. This was likely the last break they would be taking for the remainder of the day. Sasuke sat down next to a nearby tree, breathing heavily. Quickly pulling a scroll from his kunai holster he opened it up, unsealing a rice ball. The Konoha-loyal Uchiha bit into the rice ball, looking around his fellow shinobi, trying to guess who's squad he would be put in.

"You should try and be a lot less unapproachable you know? You'll be with us all for quite a long time, so being friends with us or at least knowing us would be beneficial." Sasuke glanced to his side, finally noticing the rather unimpressive, pale boy. He frowned. He thought he was the youngest person in the group. "And you sneaking up on me isn't beneficial to your health." The pale boy smiled, although it looked positively fake on his face. "Yes, I do think I will keep that in mind."

Sasuke snorted, taking another bite of his rice ball, expecting the pale boy to go away. Eventually he turned his eyes back to the pale boy who was standing in the same place in the exact same position, that same stupid smile on his face.

"Can I help you," Sasuke asked, somewhat annoyed. The boy's smile widened. "Of course you can Uchiha-san. You can talk with me."

"I'd rather not," Sasuke muttered, standing and preparing to walk off. Sai kept smiling as Sasuke walked away from the pale boy, causing him to shiver slightly. That boy had something fundamentally wrong with him, and Sasuke had no intention of being surrounded by that sense of death. "He creeps you out too huh," he heard. Sasuke spun on his heel, his eyes spinning with his Kekkai Genkai due to his annoyance. However the girl before him merely laughed. "I apologize for jumping up on you Uchiha-dono."

Sasuke's eyes widened at the title. "You're from a Clan?" The girl laughed, Sasuke noticing how weak it sounded. "None quite as well-known as the Uchiha Clan I assure you," the girl stated. "My name is Yakumo Kurama of the Kurama Clan." Sasuke frowned. "I've heard of the Clan...never heard of you. Are you not the heir?" Yakumo smiled. "No I am."

Sasuke waited patiently, expecting the girl to elaborate but she didn't say anything. Sasuke nodded awkwardly, preparing to walk off. "Well...nice talk." However, before he could move the girl spoke once more.

"Have you ever wondered what it was like to be weak?"

Sasuke glanced at her, confused. As he opened his mouth to speak he noticed the girl looking somewhat dazed and staring off into space. "What was that?" Yakumo turned to him, a smile on her face as she tilted her face towards him. "Nothing."

Sasuke didn't even bother continuing the conversation, taking her words as a way out as he quickly walked away. He was wrong about him being the only Genin in the group, but that didn't make him feel any better. Those two were absolute freaks!

XxX

Naruto looked at the swirling whirlpools with fear on his face. "How are we gonna get passed that?" Tsunade smirked, hopping onto the water. "I only see one way. We jump across it." Naruto stared at her as if she was crazy. "Do you see that distance! Are you crazy! We can't jump across something so massive!" Tsunade smirked, "Maybe you can't. I guess you won't be going onto the island with me then. I suppose only the Uzumaki with actual skill will be going to our homeland. See ya later kid!" Tsunade dashed off leaving a stunned Naruto who quickly jumped off the ship, chasing after her at full speed, his seals already off. However, just as he thought he was beginning to gain on Tsunade she leapt into the air, covering a massive amount of water. Naruto frowned at her, but pushed himself harder, leaping after her. However, he quickly realized he couldn't leap nearly as far as her. As Naruto plummeted towards the water Tsunade glanced back, shooting back after him as soon as her feet touched the water.

'I pushed him to far this time it seems,' she thought, catching him midair. However, before the blonde could even thank her the two crashed into the whirlpool anyways, barely dodging a blazing ball of fire. A man in crimson armor frowned. "That makes life a lot more difficult," the man muttered, his body cracking like glass before disappearing. Meanwhile, underneath the water Tsunade struggled to fight against the power of the whirlpool, using her mighty strength to kick against the water. Just as she slowly began to make progress against the whirlpool a rock rushed towards her, cutting her cheek. Frowning she held Naruto closer, her blood leaking into the water she noticed the water slowly begin to push her less. Her eyes narrowed, confused at the unnatural behavior. The whirlpools weren't known for being forgiving, or decreasing in intensity. However, suddenly she felt the whirlpool begin to drag her to its center, the water feeling almost gentle as she was pushed into a stream that pushed in inland. Her eyes widened before she smirked. The whirlpools clearly weren't natural, otherwise they wouldn't still be raging today, they were made by seals. And apparently those seals had acknowledged her Uzumaki blood and were now bringing her inland.

As Tsunade was spewed onto solid land she smirked, coughing up a small amount of water from her mouth. She sat Naruto on the ground, the boy unconscious. She laughed. "I guess I can't blame you. That was extremely hectic." Tsunade frowned, sitting down next to the child, thinking about the man who had attacked them. 'I didn't even really see him...it seemed like he could hide what he looked like using the sun. There's only one person I know who can do that.'

Tsunade groaned. 'Why is he of all people here? Damn that makes my job more complicated. Sarutobi Akiyoshi...'Konoha's Fallen Monkey'.' Tsunade frowned, glancing at the surrounding scenery with intensity. She couldn't even afford to marvel at the natural beauty of the massive island, to preoccupied with trying to find any odd glimmer of sunlight. Akiyoshi was a dangerous man, especially with his trademark jutsu. It seemed to be an odd mix of a ninjutsu and genjutsu, allowing his body to crack and shatter and reflect light in the most peculiar of ways. He was truly a dangerous man with that ability alone because it was extremely difficult to fight him if you didn't know his ability and the jutsu's weakness. Tsunade frowned. It only truly worked in the daylight, so operating at night was her best bet. Moonlight didn't work nearly as well with the technique as sunlight did.

Tsunade sighed, finding no reflections of sunlight. It seemed she was safe for now, but she knew she had to be careful, this man was not one to be trifled with. Shaking her head she took this moment to take a quick breather. She might need Itachi to help her kill Kisame after all, especially if Akiyoshi was here. She was strong, but taking on Itachi or Kisame would be taxing, and she, despite her pride, wasn't sure she could defeat either of them if she wasn't properly prepared. She knew she could handle Itachi, he wouldn't be gunning to kill her only to delay her and make it look realistic, but Kisame and Akiyoshi were on her level. She couldn't afford to play around with them.

Tsunade glanced at Naruto, a frown on her face. Naruto was in grave danger, more than she had expected. Kiri shinobi, even the Akatsuki, were trivial compared to Akiyoshi being here. That man...he was deranged, and wherever he was Naruto should not be until he was at least on her level, which was a long way off. His obsession with Kushina and his hate of Minato made Naruto's very existence something of an insult to the man. Tsunade sighed. She could definitely not leave Naruto alone on the island. If she did...he would die.

And to think this was just supposed to be a peaceful trip to learn their heritage and get information from Itachi. It was such a shame. She had actually been looking forward to learning about her Uzumaki heritage. Sighing the blonde woman let herself visibly relax, her mind still on overdrive. Akiysohi Sarutobi was not a man to be trifled with.

XxX

Jiraiya frowned as he looked over the note from the Daimyo. "He wants Anko," he muttered. Shikaku leaned against the wall next to him, cracking his neck as Jiraiya read the Daimyo's proposal. "What shall you do?" Jiraiya sighed, thinking to himself. "It'd be better for her I think," He muttered. "I mean practically speaking let's think about this, this would be the perfect opportunity for Anko to get to the level required to be a Shadow. This is perfect actually I think." Shikaku nodded. "Good, I agree completely." Jiraiya sighed, rubbing his head. "How is the strike force coming along?"

Shikaku sighed. "From what I can tell they seem to have had no difficulties. It's difficult for them to move as fast as they want due to the present of the Kurama Clan heiress, however they seem to be on schedule." Jiraiya nodded. "Good. Sunagakure will be sure to send one of the Deserts onto their front line forts, and we have to be capable of taking them down before they arrive. No one in that group is truly capable of handling a Desert."

Shikaku frowned. "Speaking of which, why send out a group that was clearly so unprepared to handle a Desert? Would it no be wiser to have at least one shinobi capable of holding them off while the rest of the shinobi moved in strategically?" Jiraiya frowned. "Yes, you're not wrong, that isn't a bad idea. However, frankly speaking we can't afford to spare many elite shinobi on missions like that. I've already had several missions lined up for Gai and Kakashi that will be missions only they have the capability of completing in a timely fashion, and Asuma is not strong enough to handle who I think will be heading to the front lines quickly. Our best option for him is merely to withstand the assault of the Desert's with numbers rather than attempting to fight them off. We don't have the manpower to do that. Their ranks aren't full, but neither are ours. And when we consider the threat Otogakure is based only off of the fact that we can't locate their base of operations, ignoring the fact that we have no idea what Orochimaru will try to begin with, we must have our most elite on standby ready to deal with whatever threat he will bring against us."

Shikaku frowned. "I guess you have a point. Still, this is a dangerous situation. Bringing Sunagakure to heel quickly is much better than having a long war with them." Jiraiya nodded, frowning. "Yes, and if everything goes to plan Suna and Konoha will have peace in about six months. Until then...we must quickly strike while the iron is hot."

XxX

Tenten glanced at her father frowning as he talked to Gai. She had personally wanted to talk to her teacher, but apparently Stijin had decided that it would be better if he talked to Gai himself. She personally didn't follow the logic, especially considering she was the one Gai had trained for two years, not Stijin, but she ignored her fathers strangeness in preference for watching the hilarity the announcement caused. Gai had immediately attacked her father, and the duo had been engaging in a fierce spar for the better part of half an hour. They had paused their fight to talk now, as Gai was clearly against Tenten participating in possibly the most dangerous aspect of war, but he knew that despite his superior rank to Stijin he couldn't truly stop the man from doing anything that he wanted to do. Tenten may be a legal adult, but if Stijin had permission from the Hokage then there was nothing Gai could do.

Gai seemingly stopped as he came to the realization, nodding to Stijin before he turned to Tenten. The girl took that as her cue to walk over to her mentor, blushing slightly at her lack of autonomy in the situation. "You have agreed to your fathers wishes Tenten?"

Tenten sighed. "I have. Please don't misunderstand Gai-sensei, I really appreciate all the training you've given me, but despite all of that I couldn't beat Kankuro. Not due to you, but due to my own incapability of matching him in weapon specialty. My taijutsu is excellent because of you. What I need to do now is focus on the other aspects of my shinobi career. I need to make myself great now, and you're not a particular expert on what I need to learn."

Gai sighed. "I understand. My flames of youth cannot suit yours! When you return Tenten I shall be a capable weapons-user, yes! I shall be a worthwhile sensei to someone of your drive yosh!"

Tenten awkwardly stepped back from her sensei, a strange fire in his eyes and the ground smoldering with his excitement. She really was not sure how he did that. However, despite her teachers...eccentricities she couldn't deny the effectiveness of his training or his spectacular tenure as a shinobi. Tenten bowed to the man, her eyes closed as she made a sparring symbol. "Thank you, Gai-sensei, for everything."

Gai smiled. "You need not thank me Tenten. Your training under me is not over. Just because I may not truly by your Jonin Instructor does not mean I cannot teach you things no?" Tenten smiled, glancing up at her mentor. "I suppose not." Gai smiled, nodding. Stijin smiled at the display, before quickly waving Tenten off, lest she get into a full blown conversation with Gai and rile the man up to continue talking his usual nonsense about the flames of youth.

Stijin shuddered, wondering if he should protest Gai training his daughter any further than he had. He was worried that the disease was contagious.

XxX

Hinata sat down next to a recovering Neji, frowning at her cousin. "Neji..." she started, looking at him curiously. He looked at Hinata, a frown on his face. "I'm so sorry about that fight Neji!" she stated, bowing her head to him. Neji frowned, rolling in his hospital bed, confused as to why Hinata was bowing her head to him.

"Why are you bowing?"

"Because Neji-nii, I've never been more sorry in my entire life."

Neji frowned, still confused at Hinata's actions. "What do you mean confused?" Hinata raised her head, her pale, emotion-filled eyes seeming like they were looking passed him. "I never knew what it was like to live in the Branch family. I didn't truly understand what separated the Branch family and the Main household. The...the idea of a curse mark branding you all is...wrong."

Neji's eyes widened before they narrowed once more. "Don't patronize me! It doesn't matter if it's wrong, you can't do anything about it. Don't apologize for it." Hinata shook her head. "You misunderstand me Nii-san. I don't mean to diminish the suffering experienced by the Branch family. I wish to help. You're right I can't remove the seal, but we can stop others from getting the seal. We can cause change, you and I, if we work together, and overcome this hatred between the two families."

Neji frowned. "Why should I trust you? You're a Main household member, the heiress no less." Hinata smiled. "True, you don't have a reason to trust me." Hinata then smiled, throwing her hand out for Neji to shake. "That's why if we fail I'll give up my title as heiress!"

Neji's eyes widened. "No, you wouldn't do that! No one would. That's impossible, they'd never let you!" Hinata's smile seemed to grow even larger at that moment, the honesty and generosity in her eyes outshining even the sun behind her at that moment. "It doesn't matter what they would let me do. I would renounce my place as a Hyuga if we can't free the Branch family of this plight. So will you fight with me Neji? Will you fight against the Branch family's fate?"

Neji couldn't believe the offer he was being given. The heiress to the family was going to help him destroy the corrupt system the Hyuga had in place. He didn't have anything to lose. But could he trust her? Neji looked at Hinata. He had thought she was a failure, he had thought her weak and incapable, and she had proved him wrong. She had never lied to anyone, and she stood by her word. If there was one Main household member he could trust, who would it be if not her? She was known for being an outcast even in the Main family.

Neji reached his hand outwards, making a pact that would cause havoc throughout the entirety of Konoha.

XxX

Sakura frowned as she glanced up towards the Konoha Main Hospital. With Tsunade taking over the hospital they had launched a new program, and any person who desired to become a medic-nin was able to take classes due to Konoha's severe lack of medic-nin. Sakura frowned as she entered the hospital, noticing the crowd of people who were all walking around, entering a double-door room to the left that there introductory meeting was taking place in. Glancing around Sakura noticed several shinobi she wouldn't have expected to see. Choji and Shikamaru were here, off at the side, talking with one another, and she could have sworn she saw Margaret in the crowd to, although she wasn't sure if the Jonin was teaching or learning from the look on her face. Sakura smiled, glad to know at least a few people in the crowd before she walked forwards, the doors opening. The crowd shifted, walking into the building. Sakura smiled, excitement clear across her face.

The pink haired kunoichi walked into the large assembly hall, finding a seat. As she sat down she glanced around at her surroundings. Margaret was three rows up and five people to her left, Choji and Shikamaru being almost directly behind her by about six rows. She didn't know the shinobi and kunoichi who sat next to her, but from their age they seemed to be Chunin. Sakura glanced up at the stage, checking for anyone who would be walking on stage before opening the book she had brought with her on rudimentary iryojutsu. She wanted a slight head start on her peers, and if she was just going to wait she might as well be learning.

A tap on her shoulder got her attention. Groaning as she ripped her attention from her book she looked at the kunoichi who was looking at her. "Yes, can I help you" Sakura asked. The kunoichi blushed, her long brown hair slightly moving as her head tilted. "I'm sorry, it's just...um...well...ah..."

Sakura frowned, slightly impatient to get back to her book. She would have preferred to not have any distractions whilst she was reading, but if she did she would prefer them to actually be somewhat beneficial. "What is it," the pink haired girl asked, frustration clear in her voice. The brown haired kunoichi blushed, looking away, mumbling a quiet "Nevermind." Sakura rolled her eyes, ignoring the brown haired girl and going back to her book.

The brown haired girl continued to glance at Sakura, nervously playing with her fingers as she saw the Genin read on. Sakura continued to read her book until Shizune walked on stage. The pink haired kunoichi's eyes widened, not really expecting to see the Tsunade's former student. "Shizune-sama..." she muttered, her eyes wide.

"She's amazing isn't she?"

Sakura glanced upwards at the brown-haired Chunin. "Excuse me," Sakura asked, annoyance still clear in her voice. The Chunin blushed, "It's just," she stated nervously, "the disciple the greatest iryonin in the world is going to be personally teaching the person who does the best out of this week of training. It's really an honor."

Sakura's eyes widened, not knowing that tidbit of information. "Wait, she's personally training whoever does the best out of this week of training?" The Chunin nodded. "Yeah. Rumor has it that with Jiraiya-sama being back he's trying to build up a new generation of the Sannin. It seems he's already chosen his apprentice, although no one knows who that is. I believe Shizune-sama will choose Tsunade-sama's apprentice."

Sakura's eyes widened. "That's incredible! I have to be first!" The Chunin smiled nervously. "I'm sure you want to be...but this is a lot of competition. I've been studying iryojutsu and...well...ah...it's just..."

Sakura was beginning to get annoyed again. "What is it? Spit it out already!"

The Chunin gulped, hiding her eyes but nonetheless cooperated. "Well it's just that your book was wrong on a lot of things. Whoever published that book clearly had no idea what they were talking about."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. "What?" The Chunin gulped. "I'm afraid so. That book...it's not very good. The basics are true, but it's in depth explanation is all wrong."

Sakura groaned in annoyance. "Great! Now how am I supposed to get that number one spot!" The Chunin was silent on this. Normally she would offer Sakura help, but even she wanted to become Tsunade's apprentice. Who wouldn't? "What's your name?" Sakura asked. The Chunin's eyes widened. "Um...I'm sorry what?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "What's your name?"

"A-Ameno."

"Well then Ameno, thanks for the help here. But make no mistake, by the end of this week I will be the greatest iryojutsu, other than Shizune-sama herself, in this room."

Ameno smiled timidly, but there some confidence behind it. Clearly the Chunin had some shadow of confident in this field. "I'm...I'm willing to take that..."

"Sakura. Sakura Haruno."

Ameno's eyes widened. "I knew I recognized you. You were in the Chunin Exams this year before the invasion. You performed very well, especially against that Uchiha."

Sakura blushed. "Thanks. I really didn't know how I would perform in that fight. Sasuke is really strong, especially for a Genin." Ameno laughed, the noise disrupting the silence in the room, bar Shizune's voice, causing her to blush and hide her face. She briefly glanced at Sakura. "You were all quite capable. Certainly more than I was when I was a Genin two years ago."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks for the compliment." The duo would have continued their conversation if all the applicants didn't rise, and begin to file out of the room. Sakura frowned, catching the words, "First test is now." As Ameno walked away from her, waving to her as she walked away Sakura stood in the back, watching everyone file out of the room. Slowly, the Genin calmed her nerves, despite learning that everything she had just read was pretty much incorrect. She would have to find some mystical way to get through this difficulty.

"No worries. I got this. I'm Sakura Kami-damn Haruno!"

XxX

Tsunade glanced at the waking Naruto. "You're finally awake now eh brat?" Naruto groaned, slowly sitting up. He glanced at the fire, noticing it was night. "How long was I out?" Tsunade smirked. "For about three hours. I was starting to get worried. I had heard that with your Uzumaki-blood being fairly pure and the Kyuubi you were a fast healer."

Naruto immediately tensed, looking at Tsunade with suspicion. "How do you know about the Kyuubi?" Tsunade glanced at Naruto like he was an idiot. "I knew your mother, I'm best friends with the current Hokage, the student of the previous one, and one of the most powerful and important people in Konoha. Of course I know about the Kyuubi being sealed inside you."

Naruto frowned, a little annoyed until his eyes zeroed in Tsunade, his mind catching up with her words. "You knew my mother?" Tsunade nodded. "Kushina Uzumaki. Jonin. She was a great kunoichi, almost like a second-coming of myself. It was a shame that she died. I really liked her. She was only matched by Mikoto Uchiha. Even Hiashi couldn't compare to her."

Naruto snorted, finding it quite funny that Hiashi was incapable of defeating his mother in combat, although he was inwardly intrigued at Sasuke's mother, or at least he believed, being capable of matching his own. Maybe that was why the duo were so eager to prove their dominance to the other...could it be genetic? Naruto put those thoughts on the back burner for now, looking at Tsunade, his face changing.

Tsunade's eyes widened as a visage of Nawaki appeared on Naruto's face briefly before disappearing, the innocence on Naruto's face clear. For once in a long time, Tsunade thought she was looking at her younger brother. Her heart melted almost instantly.

"What was she like," Naruto muttered, quietly.

Tsunade's eyes widened before she smiled softly. "She was...beautiful. She had the brightest red hair that shone in the sunlight. She was kind, and intelligent. But she was also extremely hotheaded, like yourself. I remember," Tsunade paused to laugh. "One time she got Hiruzen so mad that he made her work on a farm with chakra-seals on for an entire week. Needless to say she absolutely hated it. She didn't like grunt-work in the slightest."

Naruto smiled, although one could tell it was weak. "She sounds a lot like me." Tsunade, smiled, placing a hand on the boys shoulder. Naruto glanced up at her, his eyes burning. Tears slowly started to flow down his cheeks, however Tsunade's eyes suddenly widened before she grabbed Naruto, and pulled him close. With a quick burst of chakra she shot into the trees, their campsite being submerged in earth and mud. Tsunade frowned, hearing the distance shatter of wood as their attacker began chase.

"What's going on," Naruto asked, confused. Tsunade frowned. "I'll explain later. For now just focus on getting out of here!"

Suddenly Naruto's eyes widened, his arms immediately blitzing through handseals as a large ball of fire rocketed through palm trees towards them. Tsunade glanced at him. "What are you doing?"

"Bring me to a body of water!"

Tsunade cursed, but did as he asked, shooting towards the closest river in the island. Naruto smirked. "Suiton: Mizurappa (Water Release: Wild Water Wave)!" Water shot from the river, speeding towards the fireball, extinguishing it, however a man shot through the steam it formed, fist cocked back in rage. Naruto's eyes widened, immediately forming a shadow clone and sending it towards the man. However, the man merely backhanded the clone away, causing Naruto's eyes to widen.

"He's strong," Naruto muttered. Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Of course he is! That's Sarutobi Akiyoshi, he's an A-rank rogue-nin. He's to dangerous to stay and fight." Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well he's not letting us get away!" Tsunade frowned. Naruto didn't know the situation. If it was just her she would stay and fight. it would be difficult but she would manage, but with Naruto here she would have to protect him. She wasn't good enough to fight Akiyoshi and protect Naruto. However, he wasn't going to let them get away, and it would be impossible to get away while carrying Naruto.

"Come on, we have to stand and fight! At least in this area I'm capable of using both of my elemental natures. I'm more helpful here. I know I won't be able to help much, but I can provide support!" Tsunade cursed, but nodded her head nonetheless. This was a good spot for her own chakra nature anyways, as she could assist Naruto more successfully here. Tsunade set Naruto down, immediately spinning in front of him. "Naruto I do not want you to get close to this guy. He's dangerous and powerful. Let me do the majority of the fighting."

Naruto nodded, "Understood."

Akiyoshi landed in front of them, a smirk on his face. "Hello Tsunade, returned to the village have you?" Tsunade glared at Akiyoshi. "Yes, I've returned to Konoha. Something you will also be doing, but under vastly different circumstances." Akiysohi laughed, cracking his neck. "You can try. But even if you do, at least an abomination will be dead."

Naruto clearly knew who Akiyoshi was talking about, snorting in disdain. "I'm not the traitor am I? Rather be an abomination than that." Akiyoshi snarled, "Shut up demon. It is your fault I'm a rogue-nin anyway!" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Me? I didn't even know you existed until today." Akiyoshi snarled. "Oh? Well allow me to tell you-"

Akiyoshi tried to tell his story but Tsunade immediately shot forward, launching a punch that Akiyoshi leapt backwards to avoid. Tsunade snarled. "Enough! You will speak nothing of the incident are we clear!?"

Akiyoshi immediately tried to start weaving handseals, but Tsunade shot forwards, grabbing his wrist before flipping him. "You think I'll let you pull that off?" Akiysohi laughed. "Of course not," he muttered. "I wasn't aiming for that. Doton: Dochū Senkō (Earth Style: Underground Shark Jutsu)!"

The earth beneath Akiyoshi liquefied, allowing him to sink in. Immediately a dark silhouette in the ground could be seen racing towards Naruto causing Tsunade's eyes to widen. Both Konoha shinobi immediately began to race through handseals. Tsunade slapped her hands on the ground as Naruto clapped his hands together.

"Doton: Retsudo Tenshō (Earth Style: Earthquake Slam)!"

"Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri (Water Style: Surface Slicer)!"

The earth erupted in action as the jutsu's acted. Tsunade's technique ripped the earth open, the liquefied ground shooting into the air, revealing Akiysohi close to Naruto. However, Naruto's jutsu handled the rest, the river behind him shooting towards Akiyoshi, the water spearing through the ground and slashing into Akiysohi's chest. Akiysohis' armor protected him from the cutting force of the technique, but the rogue-nin was still sent flying away. Akiyoshi smashed into a nearby tree, crumpling to the ground. Tsunade immediately pounced, leaping towards him with a punch. She crashed her fist into Akiyoshi's body, only for him to turn into mud. The ground around Tsunade exploded as her fist met the ground, a red figure leaping away from the destruction. Tsunade glanced upwards, irritation clearly on her face.

"You're still such a nimble opponent."

Akiyoshi smiled. "Is that a compliment? That's quite rare Tsunade-sama." Tsunade snarled, cracking her knuckles. "I don't care about how you feel traitor."

"Traitor," Akiyoshi mocked, his voice higher as if to question Tsunade's accusation. "No, no, no Tsunade-sama. I'm not a traitor at all. I'm loyal to Konohagakure. I just am not loyal to the stupidity of the village. But make no mistake I am loyal to it, I just will change it."

Tsunade snorted, cracking her neck this time. "Over my dead body." Akiyoshi smirked, dropping into a fighting stance, "That can be arranged." Akiyoshi shot forwards, weaving through handseals. Tsunade snorted, shooting forwards. Naruto watched the duo close in on one another, forming a shadow clone that rushed off into the trees to find a better vantage point.

"Katon: Zukokku (Fire Style: Searing Migraine)!"

Akiyoshi spewed a small ball of flame from his mouth, causing Tsunade to smirk. Tsunade easily leapt to the side, avoiding the blast of fire, the flame landing on the ground. Tsunade launched a punch, but Akiyoshi leapt spun on his foot, twisting around the punch and inside Tsunade's guard. Tsunade was ready however, slamming a foot on the ground, cracking the ground and unbalancing Akiyoshi. As she went in to capitalize however a massive fire erupted behind her, causing Akiyoshi to smirk. A rock flew into the air as the flame expanded, causing a bolt of fire to shoot from the air, nearly hitting Tsunade in the head. However, she managed to avoid the flame, yet it landed on the ground once again, exploding into a massive bonfire. As the flames continued to glow and light the night sky Tsunade glared at Akiyoshi, the light reflecting off of her skin.

Akiyoshi smirked. "Afraid of the fire Tsunade-sama?" Tsunade snarled, launching a punch towards the ground. The ground shattered, and the fire responded in kind, lighting up the world in flame, flame everywhere. Akiyoshi's eyes widened. 'Why would she do that?'

Akiyoshi's eyes widened in pain, blood shooting from his mouth as Tsunade's fist impacted with his back, sending him flying. Akiyoshi flipped, landing on his feet, groaning in pain. Tsunade smirked, leaping upwards and coming down with a heel drop. Akiyoshi snarled, blocking the blow. However, the force behind it forced him into the ground. Akiyoshi payed no attention to it however, drawing a kunai and slashing at Tsunade's leg, cutting an artery. However, instead of blood mud shot out, causing his eyes to widen. Akiyoshi immediately looked downwards, Tsunade leaping from the ground, landing a devastating uppercut that sent Akiyoshi flying up into the skiy. Akiysohi groaned, his jaw dislocated from the force. Quickly he popped it back into place before weaving through handseals.

"Naruto," Tsunade roared, forming a dome of earth around her. Naruto nodded, beginning to weave through handseals. Akiyoshi finished first however, releasing a firestorm. "Katon: Karyū Endan (Fire Style: Dragon's Flame)!"

The dragon of flames rushed towards the ground, impacting against it, causing a massive explosion of flame. Bolts and shoots of flame shot everywhere as the nearby trees erupted into flame. The temperature was so high the river near Naruto began to evaporate as he was sent flying away, smashing into a flaming log midair, sending him crashing to the ground, blood leaking from from his mouth. As the explosion cleared, fire on the outskirts of the battle site Akiyoshi landed, glaring at the destroyed earthen dome that surrounded Tsunade. Tsunade glared back at him, her arm covered in serious burns, although she was healing it. She was breathing heavily, as was Akiyoshi from such a devastating combination and the several blows she had landed. He couldn't stay and fight her long term. She was too dangerous. Taking one or two blows from her would wear him down. He doubted he could take ten solid blows from her and still be capable of fighting. This was someone who had supposedly destroyed entire mountain ranges in her battles.

"You okay, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade growled. "Enough messing around, Akiyoshi," she said, preparing to draw upon a well of power. "I'm ending this fight here."

Akiyoshi smirked, pointing a finger at the downed Naruto. A flaming spider had surrounded him, one of it's legs at his throat. "I would think that through Tsunade-sama. You do one move I don't like, and I kill the creature."

Tsunade frowned, clenching her injured hand as she continued to heal herself. Naruto was conscious, but it would be difficult for him to get out of that situation, there was nothing she could-

BOOM!

Tsunade and Akiyoshi turned to Naruto, surprised at the sudden explosion. However, before either had a chance to react Naruto was behind Akiyoshi, his fist swirling with fire as he drew on the Kyuubi's chakra. Smashing his fist into Akiyoshi's back he roared, "Hiken (Fire Fist)!"

The fist exploded in flame, forming a tornado that sent Akiyoshi spiraling towards Tsunade who leapt forwards eagerly. Tsunade cocked her fist back, smashing it into Akiyoshi's stomach, shattering the chestplate of his armor. Akiyoshi roared in pain, blood splattering onto Tsunade's face as he was sent flying into the distance.

Tsunade glanced at Naruto. "You can use fire jutsu?" Naruto nodded, his features returning to normal. "When I draw upon the Kyuubi's chakra I can use foxfire." Tsunade nodded. "Interesting fact. Neither Kushina or Mito Uzumaki used those techniques."

Naruto's eyes widened in curiosity, but he merely shrugged it up to neither of them having to fight Shukaku. "Shouldn't we chase him down?" Tsunade frowned, but shook her head. "No...I have a plan in store for him. Don't worry about it. I want him to come back." Naruto nodded, but continued to look at Tsunade suspiciously. "What?"

"You stopped him from telling me something. About why he left Konoha. I want to know why." Tsunade rolled her eyes. "You don't order me around brat." Naruto glared at her. "No I don't, but people are already keeping things from me. If it involves me I have a right to know." Tsunade looked at Naruto sadly. "Not in a shinobi village kid." Naruto glared at her. "Tell me, or we will throw down right here."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "You think you can take me?" Naruto dropped into a fighting stance, his ire with the Sannin continuing to rise. She had seemed to be tolerable during the trip, but her actions before the trip and now were beginning to irritate him. He deserved to know about his past, and he would be damned if someone stopped him from learning. "I'll damned well try."

Tsunade glanced at Naruto, before sighing. "Fine, fine I'll tell you. I'm not in the mood for child abuse." Naruto nodded satisfactorily, waiting for Tsunade to explain. The blonde Sannin sighed before looking at her quarry for the time being. "Akiyoshi Sarutobi is...an interesting man. As you likely know by now he is Hiruzen's son, his eldest to be precise."

"His eldest," Naruto muttered. "That makes him Konohamaru's dad!"

Tsunade nodded. "Indeed, that little brat is the son of that man. What you don't know about Akiyoshi Sarutobi however, is the fact that he was the rival to the Fourth Hokage for the Hokage hat." Naruto's eyes widened. "A traitor was a contender for the Hokage position?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. "This was a long time ago, before he was a traitor, but yes he competed with Minato Namikaze to be the Fourth Hokage. As you know Minato ended up earning the position, but Akiyoshi was always jealous and in his envy he grew to dislike the village, or at least that's what I think happened. He obviously claims differently. He became extremely militaristic, being an effective general but also costing us a significant amount of losses in the field if it would allow the mission to be completed. He had completely abandoned the Will of Fire."

"This doesn't explain why he hates me."

"He hates you for several reasons," Tsunade stated plainly. "The first and foremost is that you're the son of the woman he loved but never had. He views your father as a stain on Kushina's legacy and will never accept you so long as you're his son, regardless of whether or not you know who your father is."

Naruto frowned. He wanted to know who his father was, but Hiruzen was quite clear he wouldn't be learning until he was 16. He doubted Jiraiya would disobey his sensei's orders, especially being the Hokage now, and he doubted Tsunade would either, despite her track record, so he let it rest. "It's more than just that though," Tsunade stated, interrupting his thoughts. "Hiruzen...when you were a baby he took care of you, in fact he spent so much time with you that Shikaku had to take over the village unless it was a serious issue."

Naruto frowned. "He was jealous of his father spending time with me? Wasn't he an adult by then? Would it be that serious?" Tsunade shrugged. "I wouldn't know. It seems petty, but people have defected for less. Anyways, his hatred of you and Konoha grew...until eventually he kidnapped you." Naruto's eyes widened. "What?"

Tsunade sighed. "I shouldn't be telling you this. It's an S-rank secret. But Akiyoshi kidnapped you when you were still young and tried to extract the Kyuubi from you and put it inside of Konohamaru." Naruto's eyes widened in horror at the prospect. He nearly died when he was just a kid, incapable of defending himself. "Jinchuriki's die when the Bijuu is extracted from them," Naruto mumbled. Tsunade nodded. "Luckily he failed, Hiruzen and Jiraiya arriving to stop him. Hiruzen fought Akiyoshi while Jiraiya repaired any damage to your seal. Hiruzen was winning, as you would expect, but Hiruzen has something of a soft spot for those he cares about, even if they're traitors. He let Akiyoshi get away with the warning to never return to Konoha. He wasn't heard of until today. I thought he was dead."

Naruto sighed, rubbing his eyes after hearing the story.

"So you're telling me that someone wants to kill me...because my mom screwed another guy and Hiruzen spent time with me as a baby?" Tsunade frowned, a red tint coming to her face. "Well when you put it like that..."

Naruto rolled his eyes, sitting down.

"I hate this world and everyone in it."

Sarutobi Akiyoshi is an OC made by Dark Serpent Cat. It's Asuma's older brother, and you know what that means guys! He's technically...Konohamaru's DAD! Also, some people are quite angry with me for spending such a long time before the actual action kicked up again. I want to apologize to all of you for that, but it's a necessary evil. A full-scale invasion just happened on Konohagakure and I need to set the groundwork for future events, along with show recovery processes for some people. Tenten, Naruto, Sasuke, and the formation of the new generation of Shadows is something that takes quite a bit to lay the groundwork for. I'm not doing all of this world building for the precise reason that it would take to long for the actual war to start and thus am going to wait for the war to actually hit for other characters to grow and mature. But of course I don't want to bore you guys which is why I'm including some action here or there and introducing some more sinister characters to keep you guys anticipating the next battle. Don't worry, the violence will come soon enough, and this new wave will be quite bloody.