Well, I'll be honest, the response over the past few chapters has been both abysmal and demoralising. I've really been putting a lot of effort into the chapters, to try and regain interest in the story. I mean, getting under ten reviews a chapter and barely any new follows or favourites, is really not encouraging. Especially, since a chapter for my DxD stories, or even one of my newer Fairy Tail, or Bleach stories, nets me anywhere between five to ten times as many as I've been getting for recent chapters.
To rectify this, I have created this chapter, my longest chapter ever, across all my stories, reaching close to 9K words. If this doesn't spark at least a little bit more interest… well, I'll have absolutely no idea what to do moving forwards.
Thank you to everyone that is reviewing and giving me the support I need to continue, I dedicate this, my longest chapter ever, to all of you. I hope you like it.
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.
Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Naruto anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.
'Talking'
"Thinking"
'Heavily demonic voice'
'Fox talking'
"Fox thinking"
*expression*
Jutsu
Flashback
Chapter 39 – Enlightenment
Blue stared into purple, as Naruto faced the leader of the Akatsuki: Pein.
'Naruto Uzumaki, come with me. You are needed to bring peace to the world.' Said Pein calmly.
The two stood outside the Leaf Village. After Naruto's attack had launched Pein away, he had utilised his gravity abilities and readjusted himself in mid-air and landed softly on the ground, as Naruto dropped down in front of him.
'Really, peace you say? Let me guess, big weapon that will apparently cause people to fear fighting and war?' Questioned Naruto flatly.
'That is correct.' Said Pein, narrowing his eyes slightly at the fact that Naruto knew this.
'I don't suppose logic will make you change your mind, on your course of action, will it?' Asked Naruto, with a small frown.
'There is no need for the logic of a human, in the face of the power of a God. I will end the bloodshed and suffering of this world and achieve true peace.' Said Pein monotonously.
'Through fear? Do you really think that will last? Even if you succeed, it will be a false peace at best. People won't change their ways, they will just redirect their hate. By threatening them, you are pushing them even further away from peace. What you seek isn't peace, you seek control.' Said Naruto.
'A God needs control, in order to achieve true peace. I don't expect your simple mind to understand, the true greatness of my plan.' Said Pein.
'No. I don't. Whether that makes me stupid or not, I'll never support a plan like that. You want me to come with you, the only way I will come with you, will be in the form of my cold dead body!' Roared Naruto.
'So be it. I will show you true pain.' Declared Pein calmly.
Naruto shot at Pein in a burst of speed, bringing his right elbow down on Pein's head. Pein leapt back and aimed his left hand at Naruto.
'Almighty Push.' Said Pein, causing Naruto's body to be abruptly flung back, like a rag doll.
Naruto flipped in mid-air, forming a platform of air under his feet, as he hovered a few metres above the ground.
'Shadow Clone Jutsu.' Declared Naruto, summoning two clones to either side of him.
The original Naruto gathered wind chakra in his lungs, while his clones both moulded fire chakra, before the three simultaneously called out the name of their jutsu.
'Combination Jutsu: Great Flamethrower Attack!' Shouted the three blondes.
The original launched a stream of fire, two metres in diameter, while the two clones to either side of him, launched a spiralling blast of wind, causing the simple wave of fire, to churn and twist violently.
'Futile, Almighty Push!' Intoned Pein, blasting the flamethrower.
The fire was pushed apart, slamming into the ground around Pein, forming a dome around him, but he himself was unharmed.
As Pein's gravity attack wanned, along with Naruto's fire, Pein was suddenly confronted, with a blond right in front of him.
'Eat this! Rasengan!' Shouted Naruto, bringing a swirling blue of blue destruction, closer and closer to the Pein's face.
A black rod suddenly pierced Naruto and caused him to go up in a puff of smoke. The real Naruto suddenly burst from out of the ground behind Pein, swinging The Claw of Kurama right towards Pein's neck. Pein turned around quickly and met the attack, with the same black rod that had pierced Naruto's clone. Naruto pushed of the rod and jumped back, holding his sword out in front of him calmly.
'You cannot hope to defeat me Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. You are weak, a human, you cannot hope to defeat a God.' Said Pein.
'I couldn't give one of the Kyuubi's furry flying tails if you actually are a God! I'm not going to keel over and die for your harebrained scheme.' Growled Naruto.
'Foolish. Your sacrifice will bring peace, why do you resist? Do you mean to tell me you prefer the sporadic war of this world, to peace?' Queried Pein flatly.
'I might not like the way things are now, but at least everyone has freedom! To be held in place by fear… to act a certain way because of something that could kill them at any moment… I would rather the harsh world we live in now, to that, every day.' Said Naruto firmly.
'I see… I had hoped to reason with you. Allow you to see the truth of the world. Enable you to understand how your sacrifice would help save this cursed world… but I can see now, that you are a blind and selfish individual… from this point on, I will not hold back and will be sure to crush your hope, before taking you to fulfil your purpose.' Said Pein, before another five Rinnegan wielders dropped down around him, forming a semicircle.
'About time you got serious. Now let me do the same.' Said Naruto, stowing away his sword, as his chakra cloak started to crawl along his arms and legs.
First one bubbling tail of energy formed, before a second and a third quickly joined it.
'Resorting to your tailed beast's chakra… proof of your inferiority, in the face of a God.' Said Pein calmly.
'Inferiority? That's not it at all, I just want Kurama to get a taste of your blood as well.' Growled Naruto dangerously.
Naruto was suddenly upon the Rinnegan wielder in an instant. A massive purple Rasengan, was coming down upon the head of the Akatsuki wielder, being supported in Naruto's right hand, by two tails of Kurama's chakra. To Naruto's shock though, the stocky man, with two sharp spikes through his ears, jumped in front of the attack, which was slowly being absorbed. Naruto was stunned at this recent turn of events and only barely dodged the blade strike, from the bald man.
'These are the Six Paths of Pein. They will be the instrument of your defeat.' Said Pein calmly.
Naruto's tails waved behind him slowly, studying the six men in front of him. Naruto noticed the Paths were all studying him carefully in turn.
'If it is a numbers game you want… Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu.' Said Naruto, crossing his fingers, before six hundred clones appeared.
'Here's one hundred for each of you!' Roared Naruto, before he and the clones charged the six en masse.
'Be blown away, Almighty Push.' Said the lead Path of Pein calmly, blasting the clones away.
Naruto growled in anger, as that one attack had destroyed two hundred clones in the blink of an eye, but the remaining four hundred persisted in their charge.
'Rasengan!' Shouted the four hundred clones, bringing numerous tiny spheres of blue energy down on the group.
Just like before though, the same stocky Path stepped in front of the attack and started to absorb the chakra of the attacks, before feasting on the clones chakra directly, causing them to dispel.
'Damn it!' Cursed Naruto, feeling the drain on his chakra reserves.
Normally, when his clones dispelled, Naruto got their chakra back, however, he only got the chakra of the first two hundred that were destroyed. That, by itself, had already cost Naruto two thirds of his chakra reserves.
"Time to be smart about this then." Thought Naruto, with a frown.
Naruto unsealed a scroll, which he quickly threw into the air. Leaping up, Naruto swiped his hand along the scroll, causing hundreds of tri-pronged kunai, to spawn from the scroll.
'Wind Style: Gale Palm.' Said Naruto, causing the recently unsealed kunai, to fly at the Six Paths in waves.
Naruto quickly flashed between the numerous kunai, as they neared the six. Another poof of smoke signified the arrival of a new weapon, in this case, a Demon Wind Shuriken which he launched at the paths, before quickly going through a few hand signs.
'Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu.' Said Naruto, causing the one shuriken to multiply into twenty.
That very same Naruto then disappeared in a cloud of smoke, confusing Pein. The six quickly took positions against each other's backs, even as the hail of deadly metal rained down on them, inching ever closer.
The main path raised his arms, preparing to use his wave of gravity, to blow away the projectiles, only for his arms to suddenly freeze.
'Sealing Jutsu: Paralysis seal.' Exclaimed Naruto triumphantly, on the opposite side of the Paths as his clone had been.
The Six Paths were all frozen momentarily, causing Naruto to smirk, as his thrown weapons neared them, only for a sudden burst of chakra to burst through the paths, disabling Naruto's seal. The six quickly jumped away, leaving Naruto's thrown weapons to thud harmlessly into the ground.
"How the hell did they do that?" Shouted Naruto mentally.
'Kit! Duck!' Shouted Kurama suddenly.
Naruto instinctively obliged and was quite happy that he had, as the bald Path of Pein, had just thrust a wicked looking knife at his neck. Naruto quickly flashed to his kunai, before sinking into the ground.
'You are good, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but you are not good enough to escape my eyes. My eyes see all. Your chakra, your presence, your tricks, your little toys. They are all futile before my eyes, the eyes of a God.' Said Pein calmly, all Six Paths now standing side by side.
"Man does this guy love talking about himself, like he's some almighty God. God my ramen bowl, he just has another pair of fancy eyes, with a few tricks up his sleeve." Griped Naruto in thought.
'Why are you not using Sage Mode?' Asked Kurama curiously, breaking Naruto out of his thoughts.
"He can absorb chakra and all my attacks in Sage Mode consist of chakra, wind chakra. You know this Kurama, that's why it would be useless against him… unless I can somehow destroy that guy, who absorbs my chakra attacks." Explained Naruto.
'Did you not think about simply overwhelming him with sheer power?' Questioned Kurama.
"Of course I did! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, that's practically my calling card… but if it doesn't work, I'm screwed, I lose a lot of versatility in my Sage Mode and I'm going to need every bit of it to beat him." Thought Naruto.
'I know where you are, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Stalling for time will not help you here today, your fate was sealed the moment I made the decision to capture you personally.' Spoke Pein calmly.
"Man this guy is annoying." Grumbled Naruto.
'Well, that aside, I might have a plan.' Said Kurama calmly.
"I'm listening." Said Naruto intrigued.
'Why do you continue to hide? Why do you continue to fight? With your sacrifice, peace will be achieved. Do not be selfish, Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, this is the greatest contribution you can make to this world.' Said Pein calmly.
A few moments later, six Naruto clones popped out of the ground and faced off against the Paths. Each clone was slowly engulfed in a shroud of corrosive chakra, a single tail flickering behind each of them. The bald Path rushed the six, long blades emerging from his body and seeking to cut down the clones. One clone unsheathed their sword and rushed the Path. Sparks flew through the air, as metal met metal. The other five clones then charged at the five remaining paths, swords drawn. The long haired path grabbed two kunai and rushed to meet his clone. The clone with the long fringe leapt back and quickly went through a set of hand signs, summoning a Giant Rhino, which strangely possessed small wings on its back. The other three paths merely waited for their clones to reach them, not bothering to arm themselves.
The clones all simultaneously grinned, as the three who were currently charging came together. The middle clone held his hand out, as the other two made thrusting motions around the clone's hand, injecting wind chakra as they did so, forming a large shuriken shaped attack with a swirling ball in the centre. The same Path, which had been consistently absorbing Naruto's chakra attacks throughout the fight, stepped in front of the other two, preparing to absorb the attack. The three were almost upon the Path, who stood steadfast in the face, of the devastating attack.
'Eat this, Rasenshuriken!' Cried the three clones.
The Path stood strong and slowly started to siphon away the chakra behind the attack, unaware that it had fallen into Naruto's trap.
'Now take the real one, Rasenshuriken!' Shouted the original Naruto, descending from the sky, down upon the two paths who had yet to move.
Naruto threw the attack, which screeched through the air. The gravity using Path prepared to deflect the attack, only for another Naruto to appear in front of him.
'Third times the charm, Rasenshuriken!' Cried the seventh Naruto clone, who had been hiding in the ground all this time.
The Path froze. Deflecting the attack thrown at him would leave him open to the clone's attack. Blocking the clones, however, would leave him open to the attack by the original. Suddenly, the Path beside the main Path shoved him out of the way, as the two attacks converged on them. A dual assault from Rasenshuriken, tore through the stocky Path easily, utterly disintegrating every trace of him.
The remaining clones all dispelled, as the original flashed back to his cluster of kunai, taking the time to regroup.
'There *huff* one down *pant* five to go.' Said Naruto tiredly, his chakra cloak fading away.
Naruto couldn't maintain the cloak anymore, due to expending a great deal of chakra. Using multiple Rasenshuriken and clones simultaneously, ate into his reserves immensely, which had already been reduced by two thirds previously. If Kurama wasn't on his side, Naruto would have succumbed to the chakra's influence long ago, with his own reserves being so minuscule at the moment, that even the initial cloak, would have been too much for him.
The Paths quickly regrouped and for a moment. Naruto thought he saw an expression of annoyance, filter over the previously apathetic main Path, who had been doing all the talking so far.
'You are quite a lucky person, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. To have managed to take out the Naraka Path… you truly do have insane luck.' Commented Pein.
'Only when I gamble… my mission luck sucks.' Joked Naruto, giving a weak chuckle.
'Yes, well, now that you have annoyed me, I will return the favour.' Said the main Path.
'To understand the belief of reincarnation, let me educate you on my Paths for a moment.' Said Pein, as he rose into the air.
'The Naraka Path, is the lowest level of reincarnation, the place where the King of Hell punishes evil souls, before they are reborn.' Started Pein.
'The next Path, is the Preta Path. The Path which has been absorbing your chakra techniques, otherwise known as the Hungry Ghost realm. It is the Path of strong possessiveness and desire. They are perpetually hungry and thirsty, but unable to satisfy themselves, addicts with no hope of relief.' Spoke Pein, as he continued rising.
'The next two Paths are that of the Animal and Human Path, respectively. The Animal Path, the Path which has been summoning various creatures, is the Path that is said to run on instincts, primarily, fear and survival of the fittest. The Human Path, on the other hand, is said to be Path most likely to attain enlightenment. The Path your currently inhabit, as a human. It is the Path that is based on passion, desire, doubt and pride.' Continued Pein, as he stopped rising, some ten metres above the ground, projecting his voice, so Naruto could still hear him.
'The next Path, is the Asura Path, a semi-divine path, based on struggles, jealousy, combat and one full of constant violence and conflict, with no resolution. That is why the Path possess six arms and three faces, each displaying a different emotion and the reason it is equipped with numerous weapons.' Said Pein.
Naruto simply glared at Pein, resting while he could.
'Lastly, the Deva Path. The Path personified in this body. The Deva Path, is the realm of bliss and sometimes referred to as God's Realm: my realm. The inhabitants of this path are so powerful, compared to humans, that they are Gods. I am one such God. However, even a God of the Deva realm, will experience reincarnation as well and they suffer with this knowledge.' Said the Deva Path.
'However, that is at the end of their life and I am not close to the end of mine yet.' Said the Deva Path, before angling his hands down at the Leaf Village.
'However, the same cannot be said for the inhabitants of this puny village, Almighty Push.' Declared Pein.
Naruto felt a massive amount of chakra, build up within the Deva Path, but what happened next, was something that Naruto would never forget for the rest of his life… as the Village Hidden in the Leaves, was crushed, in one fell swoop.
The devastation was breathtakingly horrifying. Not a single building had survived, all that remained was crumbled bricks, mortar and a massive, flat stretch of earth, which spanned the entire width of the Leaf Village.
'This, is the power of a God.' Said the Deva Path calmly, turning back to face Naruto.
Naruto stared in shock. He had felt the massive amount of chakra and once it was released, he felt numerous chakra signatures disappear. Some unfamiliar, some familiar, all of them, taken away in an instant, by the machinations of a deluded man, calling himself God. Naruto felt his heart beat strongly within his chest. With each beat, he was acutely aware of the blood that shot through his arteries, before eventually slowing down in his veins, then finally returning to his heart, only to be pumped again. How many hearts had just been stopped? Naruto could feel the moisture in his mouth dry out. How many people, would never feel a drop of water in their mouths again? He felt his lungs expanded forcefully, before contracting. How many people, had just breathed their final breath? He felt his stomach churn fitfully. How many people, would never taste food again? He felt his brain racing. How many people, would never think again?
'Now, you have seen the power of a God, come with me now, or I will fulfil your desire, of dragging you by your bruised and battered body, in disgrace. Be the ultimate sacrifice for this world, let it achieve peace.' Said the Deva Path, landing on the ground in front of Naruto.
'You… you prattle on about your Paths… reincarnation… rebirth.' Said Naruto slowly, causing the Deva Path to look at him strangely.
'However… that is all in the search of enlightenment. Pervy Sage talked about that stuff sometimes… I never really paid it too much attention though.' Muttered Naruto.
'There was one thing I picked up on though… there is a… what did he call it… Outer Path, I think?' Said Naruto quietly.
'The misguided and heretical path, the Outer Path.' Confirmed the Deva Path.
'Well… I suppose that's fitting.' Said Naruto calmly.
The Deva Path looked at Naruto in boredom, before feeling the Jinchuuriki's chakra rise.
'BECAUSE I'M GOING TO DESTROY EVERYTHING YOU STAND FOR!' Shouted Naruto in rage, glaring at Pein hatefully, before a massive amount of red, engulfed the entire area.
-line break-
Jiraiya was running back at full speed to the Leaf Village, very unsettled by what Orochimaru had said to him. He was still a long way away from the village, but he had finally reached the Land of Fire. As he touched down on a branch, Jiraiya froze, sensing a chakra that he had only felt once before.
An earthshattering roar resounded throughout the area. The roar was so loud, that Jiraiya had to cover his ears and even then, he felt his left eardrum burst from the pressure.
Quickly scaling the tree he was standing on, Jiraiya looked across the horizon and what he saw, caused him to pale rapidly.
'Summoning Jutsu!' Shouted Jiraiya, as the Boss Toad, Gamabunta appeared.
'Bunta, full speed ahead!' Commanded Jiraiya, not even giving his summon the chance to speak.
Ordinarily, Gamabunta would have torn into Jiraiya about his lack of respect, but the orange, nine-tailed fox on the horizon, caused him to bite his tongue.
'Just know, if you make me fight that thing again, you owe me a lot of sake.' Boomed Gamabunta's deep voice, before leaping towards the Leaf Village.
-line break-
At the site of the devastated Leaf Village, numerous crushed buildings and piles of crumbled earth and stone, were being moved around. When the attack had hit, everyone had feared the worst. Luckily, for most inside the village, Tsunade had saved them, shielding those that she could and quickly healing those that had been injured. It was all thanks to the numerous spawns of Katsuyu, which had spread throughout the village, during the initial assault, that casualties were reduced. The unfortunate few who perished… the rest could at least take comfort in the fact, that their deaths would have been quick. Kakashi gave a soft groan, as he clawed his way through the rubble, reaching the surface of what was now the Leaf Village, one of the lucky survivors.
'You know, Pein always did have a habit of going overboard.' Commented a voice, causing Kakashi to instantly become alert.
Squatting down, no less than a metre away, was a person garbed in an Akatsuki cloak. Kakashi examined the side of his face and noticed an orange mask.
'Another Akatsuki member, how lucky of me. First, I find myself facing the leader and now I face another member.' Commented Kakashi, in an aloof manner, while raising his headband.
'Actually, you got the order wrong. I am the true leader of Akatsuki, Pein is merely my figurehead.' Said the man, turning to face Kakashi.
Kakashi stared down the man, as he stood up.
'Oh, is that so? In that case, if I defeat you here today, does that mean the Akatsuki will crumble?' Asked Kakashi curiously.
'Hmm, no. There are enough misguided fools to keep Akatsuki present, only I know of its true purpose however. Well, I suppose that isn't true. Sasuke now knows the truth as well.' Commented Tobi calmly.
'I see, so you are the one who captured Sasuke. In other words, if I defeat you, finding Sasuke should be easy, or he may even return on his own.' Said Kakashi.
'Wishful thinking on your part. Do you really expect Sasuke to care for the village, which scorned his beloved brother? You'd have better luck getting Kakuzu to give you some money.' Commented Tobi dryly.
'Well, that remains to be seen I suppose. However, that begs the question, why are you here?' Asked Kakashi.
'You see, I knew Pein would try something like this, for that reason, I also knew you would be at your weakest following his assault. I can't say if I can beat you at full strength, but if you aren't at full strength, this will be almost too easy.' Said Tobi.
'Oh, I believe there are quite a few ninja out there who would dispute your claim, of me being easy to defeat, when not at full strength.' Joked Kakashi.
'True, however, they all lacked what you and I had in common.' Said Tobi, before his Sharingan eye morphed, taking its Mangekyo form.
'Do you believe a Sharingan will be enough to beat me? Sasuke had a Sharingan as well, as did Itachi, yet I am still able to match Sasuke in most fights and held my own against Itachi, for at least some amount of time.' Intoned Kakashi calmly, narrowing his eyes.
'Yes, that may be true, but I know more about that eye, than you ever could.' Said Tobi, grasping his mask with his right hand.
'After all, I was the one to give it to you, Kakashi.' Said Tobi, moving his mask to the side, causing Kakashi's eyes to widen.
'Y-you're alive… O-Obi…' Muttered Kakashi, before being harshly cut off, as numerous roots had impaled his back, arms and legs, causing him to cough up blood, as he was suspended in mid-air.
'My name, is Tobi. Remember that, Kakashi Hatake, no longer of the Sharingan eye.' Said Tobi, before plunging his fingers into Kakashi's eye socket and pulling out his Sharingan.
'Enjoy your fight with Pein. If you survive today, I look forward to the day we meet in battle and I crush you.' Said Tobi, as his form started to swirl inwards, towards his eye socket.
'Of course, that is assuming you can escape my jutsu. Bye, bye, Kakashi!' Said Tobi, his voice turning childish towards the end.
Kakashi tried to move, already feeling his life ebbing away. However, he had wasted too much chakra during his fight against the Paths and their summons. Kakashi felt his legs growing numb, with each passing moment, as blood flowed from his torso, at an alarming rate.
"Is this… the end…?" Thought Kakashi weakly.
His left eye socket was also dripping blood at a slower rate, making it appear as though Kakashi was crying tears of blood.
"Obito… all this time… you were alive… Rin… I couldn't protect her… I'm sorry." Thought Kakashi, before his head slumped forward, never to rise again.
-line break-
Naruto growled in anger, as four tails appeared behind him, causing his form to bulge, as he took on a fox-like appearance. Naruto quickly raised his tails to his mouth, as red and blue balls of chakra, coalesced around his gaping maw. Pein watched on impassively, the five remaining Paths coming together, staring the attack down.
'It is futile.' Said the Deva Path, even as Naruto engulfed the ball of chakra, the ground cratering under him as he did so.
Naruto lowered his head and aimed at the Paths. His stomach bulged, before quickly shrinking, pushing what was inside, upwards. His neck stretched to accompany the bolus of energy, before his mouth opened, releasing a wave of golden-red chakra. The Preta Path stood in front of the attack, unwavering. The massive wave of chakra was quickly absorbed by the Path, both arms outstretched against the onslaught.
'Do you hate me now? This is how you will learn true pain. Through hatred.' Spoked the Deva Path.
'I don't hate you… but I pity you.' Growled Naruto.
'Pity? For a God? What a foolish notion.' Commented Pein.
'I pity you… because even if you are a God… I'm going to tear you to shreds and not even a true God will be able to protect you from that!' Roared Naruto, before slamming his claws down on the ground in front of him.
An immense explosion of gold energy rushed the Paths. The Preta Path couldn't absorb the attack, as it came too quick for it to react. It was a sizeable explosion of raw chakra, without form or mass and almost instantly reached the Paths. The Deva Path swiftly took his place besides the Preta Path and raised his hands.
'Almighty Push.' Intoned the Deva Path, blasting the attack up and away, just before it reached them.
Naruto growled in anger, at his failed attack, before he felt a very familiar chakra signature disappear.
"Kakashi… Sensei." Thought Naruto in shock.
Pein watched in curiosity, as Naruto froze for a moment, not knowing what was going on, only for another burst of chakra to come from Naruto's form and along with it, two more tails.
A bone white skeleton covered Naruto's form, contrasting with the blood red appearance of his chakra cloak. The Animal Path quickly went through a few hand signs before slamming its hands down. A Giant Ox and a Giant Centipede, emerged from the cloud of smoke, before rushing at Naruto.
Naruto roared in defiance, as the centipede circled him, while the ox charged. Naruto buried his tails in the ground around him and lowered his head, meeting the ox's charge. The ox was stopped instantly, not having enough strength to overpower Naruto. Naruto quickly lowered his head under the ox's jaw, before flinging the ox up into the air. Naruto's tails thrashed angrily through the earth, deterring the centipede, before shooting up into the air, impaling the ox and causing it to dispel. Naruto's tails then whipped around him, striking the centipede, which had tried to rush him while he was distracted by the ox, only to be impaled and dispelled as well.
Naruto pushed off the ground, shattering it, as he lunged at the Paths.
'Almighty Push.' Said the Deva Path, only for Naruto to resist the attack completely.
The Human Path quickly grabbed onto the Deva and Preta Paths and threw them backwards, as Naruto's claw neared them. The Deva and Preta Paths escaped the attack unharmed, but the Human Path was crushed into a bloody pulp.
'Two.' Snarled Naruto.
The Asura Path lowered its head, aiming at Naruto, as a canon once again emerged from its head. Naruto buried his tails into the ground again, seemingly preparing to meet the attack head on. As light blue chakra started to build up, at the very tip of the canon, the Path was pierced all over, by Naruto's six tails, which squirmed through the metallic body, before ripping themselves out of the Path, tearing it into scrap metal in the process.
'Three.' Rumbled Naruto.
'I see. If this is how you react to a few measly deaths, I wonder how you will react to the deaths of those close to you.' Said the Deva Path.
The Animal Path then did something Naruto could have never expected, it summoned people.
'With the Rinnegan and my chakra receivers, everything is at my whim.' Spoke the Deva Path.
Naruto was ignoring the Path though, as he saw Tenten and Tayuya both in front of him, riddled with chakra rods.
The two cried out in pain, as Pein sent chakra through their bodies, causing them to awaken.
'Any last words?' Asked Pein of the two women.
'You'll pay for this!' Shouted Tenten angrily.
'That and fuck you!' Shouted Tayuya, spitting blood and saliva at the Deva Path.
The Deva Path looked at them unmoved, before glancing to the Animal Path. The Animal Path, which still had its hands on the two women gave a quick nod, before two chakra rods stabbed from its hands, right through the hearts of the two kunoichi.
Naruto froze once again, feeling the chakra of two people he cared deeply for, disappear abruptly. Their eyes weakly fluttered, not being able to fully close, before their hearts stopped beating. Their lifeless bodies slumped to the ground, with a dull thud, which felt like an explosion of sound, in Naruto's mind.
'Do you hate me now? Do you understand pain now?' Asked Pein calmly, which caused Naruto to lose the last shreds of his self-control.
Naruto's form exploded in red energy, swirling up to the heavens. Pein watched in mild fascination, as muscles and skin formed over the previously small six-tailed Naruto. The fox like apparition suddenly started to lighten, turning orange, as fur formed over the skin and muscle. Three furry tails, burst from the rear of the creature, as the previous six were slowly covered in fur themselves. The creature grew and grew, easily eclipsing its previous size during the tussle with Sora. The fox grew larger than the still standing Hokage Rock. Pein's eyes widened slightly, at seeing the size of the fox. Pein had expected something slightly larger than the form of the Eight Tails, but this was a completely different creature altogether, dwarfing the Eight Tails completely.
The creature had finished growing and signified it with a tremendous roar, which was heard throughout the nations.
The Kyuubi no Kitsune was angry and Pein was the target. The three Paths charged the creature quickly. The Deva Path aimed its hands down at Naruto, preparing to use another Almighty Push, only for a tail to thwack the Path in the face, causing its visage to distort heavily, as it was sent flying into the place where the village once stood. The Preta Path dodged the tail aimed at it, before realising it had never been the target. The other eight tails had converged on the Animal Path. Three tails pierced its torso in a triangle formation over its heart, while the other five wrapped around its limbs and head. The fox roared, before ripping out the still heart of the Path and crushing it. The fox gave another roar, before ripping the Path to shreds, letting chunks of reanimated corpse, fall to the ground.
The Preta Path quickly made to retreat, only for the fox to open its maw and release a Nine-Tailed Fox Fire Stream at the Path. The Path instantly tried to absorb the chakra, only for the fox to rush the Path and bite down on it, crunching it to pieces.
-line break-
The Deva Path slowly rose to its feet. There were crumbled stones all around it, remnants of the once great Leaf Village.
'My pain is greater than yours!' Roared Pein, before plunging his fist into the ground.
A massive amount of water emerged from the ground, which the Path quickly stood on. The hulking form of the Nine Tailed Fox lumbered towards the Rinnegan wielder, stepping through the water as though it wasn't there, reaching halfway up its legs.
'Almighty Push!' Shouted Pein, causing the mass of water to rise up, forming a tsunami, which actually matched the size of the fox.
The wave of water rushed the fox, but the fox simply whipped its tails around rapidly, before launching a massive twister against the oncoming wave. Pein's eyes widened in shock, when the tsunami was easily batted aside.
'I see, you've given into your hatred and gained power from it. No matter though, I am a God and I will defeat you here.' Said Pein calmly.
Pein clapped his hands together, before slowly pulling them apart, revealing a small black ball in the centre, white a white glow around it.
'Planetary Devastation.' Uttered Pein, as he released the orb into the sky.
The orb rose higher and higher, until it was high above both Pein and the fox moving towards him. The orb expanded slightly and rocks started to levitate in the air, before being drawn to the orb. The water underneath their feet started to rise as well, before the rocky foundation under the water broke free and rose as well, uprooting everything that remained of the soil, of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
The fox growled, feeling itself being pulled upwards. Stabbing its tails into the water, the fox hoped to find purchase against the ground, to resist the pulling sensation of the tiny orb, only to fail, as the very foundation was being uprooted as well. The fox let out a roar of anger, as it slowly levitated into the air. The fox growled, seeing itself nearing the sphere of matter, being formed by the tiny orb. What appeared to be a mini moon had formed, eclipsing the sun over the Leaf Village. Reaching the increased range of attraction of the orb, the fox was rapidly pulled towards the orb, slamming into the surface of it, before numerous boulders pelted the creature, trying to bury it inside the faux cosmic body.
'This is the end for you, Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. After this, you well be used to bring peace.' Spoke Pein calmly, only for a savage roar to rip through the air.
Pein looked up in shock, as the orb started to fall apart. Cracks started to spread through the structure, as small pieces of rock fell off the main surface. The cracks started to spread across the orb faster, before nine tails burst through the orb, tearing it apart. Hanging off the orb was the fox, which was currently forming a black ball of chakra in front of its mouth.
'A Tailed Beast Ball? Do you intend to destroy even the very foundation of your own village in your hatred?' Questioned Pein, even as the orb grew larger and larger.
'NARUTO!' Shouted Kurama, causing the fox to halt.
'Calm down Naruto! You are going to kill everyone who survived down there! Control yourself!' Continued Kurama.
"He killed them… he really killed them… right in front of me…" Naruto's thoughts reached Kurama, who calmed down slightly, realising Naruto hadn't completely lost everything.
'Even so, do you really think either of them would want you to avenge them this way… by indiscriminately killing everyone else? They were ninja as well, they knew they would die one day, as will all humans, even Pein.' Said Kurama, causing Naruto to growl.
"Kurama… I really, really want to hurt him, to make him suffer." Thought Naruto darkly.
'Naruto, you are stronger than this, don't let your hate control you. Defeat him with your own power, your own skills, with the abilities you worked hard to achieve. Show him what a false God he is.' Said Kurama calmly.
On the outside, Pein watched as the fox slowly allowed the chakra it had built up to fade, before the fox exploded. The massive structure the fox had been perched on, crumbled away slowly, but up in the centre of it, Pein could see Naruto. Naruto's hair was now white, barring a single lock of blood red hair, which hung down his forehead, reaching the bridge of his nose. His eyes were gold, however, unlike the few times before, when Naruto had assumed this form, his pupil was not a tiny white speck, but rather, a long crimson slit.
'Breath of the Wind God.' Said Naruto, before inhaling deeply and exhaling a silver stream of wind at Pein.
Pein angled his hand up calmly.
'Almighty Push.' Said Pein, blasting the wind to either side of him.
Once the attack had let up, Pein lowered his hand.
'I noticed your time limit.' Said Naruto calmly, from behind Pein.
Pein turned around, almost in slow motion to Naruto's eyes. Naruto placed both his palms together, fingers facing horizontally, before uttering one last thing.
'Blow away, Bomb Thrust.' Intoned Naruto quietly, before Pein's world was shattered.
From between Naruto's hands, came a blast of wind of such epic proportions, that even the very matter which made up the Deva Path, was annihilated. The very atoms that composed the Path's being, were torn apart, generating a massive amount of energy, which would have wiped out the rest of the village, if Naruto's attack hadn't directed all the energy in one direction, slightly up into the sky and away from the village.
Naruto felt his Sage Mode fade away with that attack. The only attack in his arsenal, which could match a Tailed Beast Bomb, in sheer destructive power. Naruto took a deep breath, before making his way back to where this had all started. Rocks and water were still falling to the ground around him, as the remains of the fake moon continued to fall apart.
'Naruto… I'm sorry.' Said Kyuubi, after a moment.
"Kurama… it's all my fault. Pein could have killed anyone… but he chose those two because of what they meant to me…" Thought Naruto sadly.
Naruto had exited the site of where the Leaf Village's gates should have stood, before making his way towards the still cooling bodies of Tenten and Tayuya. Naruto crouched down between the two bodies. Naruto gently held Tayuya's body down, as he pulled out the black rod which had impaled her, before doing the same for Tenten, dropping the rods on either side of their bodies.
"Kurama… am I not meant to be happy?" Asked Naruto, in a voice so defeated, that if Kurama could, he would bring Pein back to life, only to slowly tear the flesh from his bones, while burning him in flames.
'Naruto…' Spoke Kurama softly, but the fox didn't know what to say.
Naruto knelt there for close to five minutes, unmoving. With a mournful sigh, Naruto gently closed the eyes of his two dead friends, before picking up one of the rods. Without making a sound, Naruto stabbed the rod into his hand quickly, before pulling it out.
"I'm coming for you, Pein." Thought Naruto calmly, turning in the direction he felt the chakra being transmitted from.
'What are you going to do, Naruto?' Asked Kurama.
"I don't know myself." Replied Naruto, as he leapt across branch after branch.
Feeling a few others pursuing him, Naruto quickly made a clone.
'Keep them away, I don't want them there when I talk to Pein.' Said Naruto to the clone, who nodded, before heading off in the opposite direction.
Naruto eventually found the source of the chakra, to be coming from a large tree made of paper, which he tracked down with his sonar abilities, through the wind. Naruto pressed his hands against the paper tree and opened it, before stepping inside.
Inside, Naruto saw Konan and a red haired man, held up in a strange contraption.
'So you came…' Said the red haired man.
'Now, after everything that's happened, let me ask you again: do you hate me now?' Asked the man.
'You bastard! Don't you have any respect for life? Killing people indiscriminately to prove a point. For what? To prove you are a God? To show that you are the superior shinobi?' Asked Naruto in anger.
'Your idea of peace… I already heard about it. A weapon to instil fear. Stupid. My plan to achieve peace, taking all the worlds hatred and replacing it with love… I now realise, is also stupid. Both of our plans are dependent on a mutual understanding between people… however, let me ask you this, did you have parents growing up?' Asked Naruto calmly.
'I did, until they were murdered by Leaf shinobi.' Said Pein.
'I see, then maybe someone like you, could understand someone like Sasuke… but I never had parents… they died the day I was born. From the very beginning of my life, I could never hope to understand you, as while you had parents, I didn't.' Said Naruto.
'What is your point?' Asked Pein.
'My point, is I do hate you! I will never be able to understand someone, who had parents and lost them, to then be able to take the lives of so many other parents, in a quest for mutual understanding.' Growled Naruto.
'They are all necessary sacrifices for peace.' Said Pein.
'Who are you to decide that? You might think you are some God, but just look at yourself, you're practically half dead already. Did you even think for a moment what would happen, after all the bloodshed you caused, what would happen if you die before you finish what you wanted to do? All that unnecessary death, with no outcome in the end. Do you think having the Rinnegan makes you better than everyone?' Asked Naruto.
'You are a student of Jiraiya. Even he saw the power of these eyes. He entrusted in me, his desire to bring peace.' Said Pein.
'Big deal, he said the same thing to me. Just because Pervy Sage says something, doesn't mean he is right. He says and does a lot of stupid shit, but that's just who he is. Who are you? Pein? A fake god? Do you even know your own name?' Ranted Naruto.
'My name is Nagato. Nagato. Uzumaki.' Said Nagato, causing Naruto to bite back a hiss.
'So you're even an Uzumaki as well, but instead of trying to connect with your family, you only helped scatter them. Do you even realise there are a bunch of Uzumaki all over this place still. That girl you killed… Tayuya… did you even bother to learn that her parents were also killed when she was young. Did you bother to learn that she was an Uzumaki as well? Or did you not bother to understand her at all, even though you both shared very similar experiences in life? If even you, the person who preaches about understanding through pain, can't even understand one person's pain, a pain nearly identical to your own, what makes you think the whole world will come to an understanding?' Asked Naruto coldly.
For once, Nagato's words failed him.
'When I talked about understanding, Nagato, this was never what I meant.' Said Jiraiya, as he entered the paper tree, having found it by tracking Naruto's chakra signature, with his own Sage Mode.
'Jiraiya-Sensei.' Said Nagato and Konan quietly.
'So you finally got here, eh Pervy Sage.' Commented Naruto.
'Still as rude as ever brat.' Retorted Jiraiya, moving to stand next to Naruto.
'Why are you here, Jiraiya-Sensei?' Asked Nagato.
'Funnily enough, Orochimaru was the one who sent me here. He's pretty miffed with you guys attacking him and revealed who the leaders of Akatsuki were to me… since Yahiko isn't here, I'm assuming he's dead.' Said Jiraiya calmly.
'That is correct. He died long ago, due to Hanzo's actions. He teamed up with Danzo and together, they kidnapped Konan and gave us the ultimatum… that I needed to kill Yahiko, or Konan would die.' Explained Nagato.
'You didn't though, did you?' Asked Naruto, surprising the trio.
'What makes you say that? I've killed many before.' Said Nagato.
'But you value your friends. Even now, you're watching out for Konan, from the corner of your eye.' Said Naruto.
'Yahiko sacrificed himself to save me. He knew Nagato wouldn't be able to do it, so Yahiko took hold of the kunai Hanzo had thrown to Nagato, with which to kill him, and ran it though his own heart.' Said Konan softly.
'I felt the blood of my friend wash over my hands and just like before, when my parents were killed, I was powerless to stop their death. After that, more and more of my friends died. The bloodshed never stopped. You in the big countries, such as The Land of Fire, boast about peace and how you all achieve it, yet your peace is violence to us. You plunder our villages and use them as your battlefields. You don't care about peace, you only care about prosperity, your own prosperity.' Said Nagato flatly.
'Just by living, people hurt others without even realising it. As long as people live, so too will hatred. Jiraiya-Sensei, you entrusted me the mission to find peace. What I found, is that peace is a fantasy, there can be no peace in this cursed land.' Said Nagato, turning his head slightly to face Jiraiya.
'So, fellow Uzumaki, you know my story now, tell me, tell me how you would achieve peace. Tell me why my method will fail, while whatever you decide on will succeed. Tell me how you will fix this accursed land.' Demanded Nagato.
'I will break the curse. If there is such a thing as peace, I will find it.' Said Naruto, causing Nagato's eyes to widen, while Jiraiya gave a small smile.
'Yeah, those are the words from Pervy Sage's book… but even I realise now… they are too optimistic.' Said Naruto, causing Jiraiya to look at him in surprise and Nagato to look at him in confusion.
'Then what is your plan?' Asked Nagato.
'Well, I did have one, it was a pretty good one too… but after these past few days, I've come to realise something. Akatsuki… you're more symbolic than you realise. The lingering storm of red clouds. With all the blood that is shed, even more is shed in turn. It just keeps piling up, so much so, that no one will ever be happy, with the state of things as they are now. That's why, while I don't have a plan yet… all I know, is that I will change the state of this world. Through love, through war, through whatever I need to. I will fix this world. I once said that I would take this entire world's hatred on my shoulders… but in the end, that is too much, even for me. That's why, I won't take on the world's hatred… I'll destroy it. All the hatred in the world will be removed. Then, even if things aren't ideal, even if people still have problems, they will be able to come together and resolve them. I'd rather take a peaceful struggle, than a fearful false peace. Even if everything in life doesn't magically become easy: war, famine, poverty… if people let go of their hate and see each other as fellow human beings, the world will achieve peace on its own.' Said Naruto passionately.
'So you don't even have a plan, you're just going to hope things get better?' Asked Nagato in disbelief.
'Faith… is better than any plan!' Exclaimed Naruto, shocking both Jiraiya and Nagato.
"Those words… those words… they once came from my mouth." Thought Nagato.
'My name is Naruto, just like the hero in the book. Just like you once believed in that book, believe in me. Whether as a shinobi, as an Uzumaki, as one of Jiraiya's students, or even just as another person… believe in me.' Said Naruto.
Nagato continued to stare at Naruto in shock, before a frown took over his face.
'You sound just like I did when I was younger… however, look at where I am now. What is to say that you won't end up the same one day?' Asked Nagato.
'Maybe because you took my happiness away from me and yet I'm still here, trying to understand my enemies. Striving towards peace. I would love to kill you right now, but that would hurt Konan. Then Konan might come after me and more people would die. No matter what, the chain of hatred needs to be broken. I hate you as much as Tobi right now, but giving into that hate won't help anyone. It won't bring them back to me after all.' Said Naruto sternly.
Nagato's frown shifted slightly, into a small smile.
'Yes, you won't end up like me. Naruto… Uzumaki… I'll put my trust in you, I'll believe in you. However, before my time runs out in this world, let me impart upon you a symbol of my belief.' Said Nagato, before forming the ram hand sign, followed by the snake hand sign.
'Nagato, what are you doing, with your chakra levels…' Protested Konan, only for Nagato to cut her off.
'Konan… I know since I became Pein, I haven't been the best friend I could be… I'm sorry for that. Thank you for sticking with me for so long. I will entrust Rain to you, along with helping Naruto achieve peace. I've sensed the change in you a while ago… I know you will do what is right, especially without me looming over your shoulder.' Said Nagato calmly.
'Nagato…' Whispered Konan.
'Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth.' Said Nagato, using up the last vestiges of his chakra, entrusting his faith for the future and the peace that would hopefully come with it, to Naruto Uzumaki.