Here it is, the last chapter of Naruto month. I hope you enjoyed my Naruto stories being, more or less, resurrected from the dead, as they all got a new update. In other news, my break is coming up soon, so I may even be able to get back to these stories in a month or two, as I'll be updating my non-Naruto stories for a bit during the break.
With this chapter, we finally kick off the last arc of the story, the Shinobi World War arc, which will be followed up by the last chapter of the story, which I've had ready to go for years now.
It has been a long journey and I thank all of you for your time and input, critical or otherwise, even flames, as it is thanks to all of this that I've been able to improve my writing style from high school rubbish, to somewhat passable reading material.
To be frank, I still see this work as quite subpar and if I could start it over, now knowing what I do, I'm sure I could write at least a marginally better story, but as things stand, I'm proud of how it has grown over nearly a decade (considering when I will probably finish this).
Once again, thanks for sticking with the story.
Enjoy the chapter!
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 41 – Drum roll
'Was the sword dispelling really necessary?' Asked Naruto, looking across his table, at his three guests.
'Yes.' Replied Samui coolly, despite Naruto currently wearing the hat of the Hokage.
Two pairs of blue eyes met, both unflinching, before Naruto's closed in amusement.
'I suppose I should have kept in touch, sorry about that.' Said Naruto, causing Samui to nod.
Karui and Omoi watched on anxiously, as their leader glared at the Hokage.
'You should have.' Agreed Samui.
Naruto gave a small chuckle, before his entire demeanour shifted, shoulders squared and gaze stern.
'So what does the Raikage want?' Asked Naruto.
Samui walked up to the Sixth Hokage and placed a scroll on his desk, before stepping back.
Naruto opened the scroll and scanned it briefly, before letting his eyes go over it again in close detail. After a minute of reading, Naruto put the scroll down and gave a deep sigh.
'Bee never told me the Raikage was this impulsive. Here I thought I was bad, this is ridiculous.' Grumbled Naruto, crossing his arms over his chest.
Karui and Omoi didn't know what to say to this and settled for silence, while Samui, maintained her gaze on Naruto.
'I'm declining his first request, as you probably guessed, especially since he is making it rashly and without the true knowledge of the situation, however, I am all in favour of the second request.' Said Naruto.
'I expected as much.' Commented Samui.
'You can be on your way now then, I'm sure we will be right behind you.' Said Naruto, standing to his feet.
'Considering you are refusing the request of the Raikage, wouldn't it be a wise choice to travel with his envoy, to show there are no hostilities?' Suggested Samui.
Naruto smiled at this.
'Of course, I would be honoured to travel with you.' Said Naruto, getting Samui's gaze to soften.
'In that case, would it not fall on your shoulders to see to it that we are properly accommodated?' Added Samui.
'Naturally.' Said Naruto, before leaving the tent, Samui slightly behind him.
Karui and Omoi looked on in confusion at this recent turn of events, before deciding to follow after their leader.
'If you don't mind me asking, what will you say to the Raikage?' Asked Samui.
'Exactly what you'd expect someone like me to say.' Said Naruto, as he led the three through the village.
'You know that won't go down well with the Raikage.' Pointed out Samui.
'I'm sure I can cool him off. If not, I will have at least two other Kage on my side in the meeting, I'm sure. The Raikage may be rash, but that is only because of how much he cares for Bee, at least a little bit I hope. A person doesn't get to the positon of Kage by making stupid, impulsive decisions.' Said Naruto.
'Are you sure about that?' Asked Samui, causing Naruto to pause and notice the barest hints of mirth in her eyes.
'Impulsive my decisions may have been, but none of them were ever stupid. Here we are.' Said Naruto, pulling the flaps back to the stand of his favourite restaurant.
'Well, well, if it isn't Lord Hokage himself.' Commented Teuchi, upon spotting Naruto.
'Old man, you know you can always call me Naruto. Hokage or homeless street urchin, you looked after me and you have my respect and gratitude for it.' Said Naruto, sitting down at a stool, with Samui following suit, while Omoi and Karui stood behind them awkwardly.
'Heh, well, I'll see about what to call you when you aren't with foreign dignitaries.' Said Teuchi.
'Relax it is just Samui and… those two.' Said Naruto, realising he had already forgotten Karui and Omoi's names.
'Naruto, as the new Hokage, you need to maintain a certain level of decorum.' Said Samui.
'Only when the situation calls for it. I'm not turning into a stiff windbag, no matter how many people I annoy. I didn't get this position by following the rules anyway. Oi, you two, sit down and order something!' Said Naruto, directing the last part to Karui and Omoi.
The two did so hesitantly and the four made their orders, waiting patiently for Teuchi to prepare them.
'So why have you agreed with the Raikage's second request?' Asked Samui.
'For one thing, to let him know about Bee so he doesn't start a war… and to clue all the villages in on the situation, so we can finally act.' Said Naruto.
'So if things go well, what does that mean for us?' Asked Samui.
'I can finally do what I promised you at least.' Said Naruto, just as the food came.
'I'm going to hold you to that.' Said Samui, before the two started eating.
'Karui, do you feel like there is something those two are talking about that we aren't aware of?' Asked Omoi quietly.
'Obviously! Just don't cause any problems.' Hissed Karui.
'That's funny coming from you, considering that you almost caused a war by rushing into things. Overthinking can be dangerous, but no wars were ever started by it.' Said Omoi, causing Karui to fume.
'Overthinking leads to wars anyway. Just… shut up.' Growled Karui, before two bowls of ramen were placed in front of them as well.
-line break-
'Well Danzo, let's see this plan of yours.' Said Tobi.
'Of course, Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation.' Said Danzo, after going through a few hand signs.
His chakra washed over some of the unconscious Waterfall Jounin, before dust and ash covered their bodies, reforming into nine different sized forms. When the dust had cleared and the forms were revealed, Tobi's dual Sharingan widened, before narrowing on Danzo hatefully.
'What is the meaning of this?' Asked Tobi dangerously.
'Surely you are not surprised, I already told you of my intentions. In bringing back the past host of the Jinchuuriki, we can now extract the tailed beast chakra within them.' Said Danzo calmly, inwardly grinning smugly to himself.
Now, in the centre of the platform, formed by the stone statue the Akatsuki stood on, were nine previous tailed beasts holders. Some stuck out quite prominently, such as the old, withered man who held Shukaku before Gaara, as well as the infamous Kinkaku that everyone recognised, however, none of those mattered to Tobi. Tobi's eyes were locked on one former tailed beast carrier in particular, the three tails to be precise. A young girl of average height, with straight brown hair, which was cut in a chin-length bob that framed her face, along with brown eyes. That is how Tobi remembered her, but her eyes were not full of life as they usually were, they were glassy and blank.
'Now is the time to commence the ritual, however, extracting the tailed beast chakra from multiple carriers will take a great deal of time so all of you should come here in person.' Said Danzo, taking over for the stunned Tobi.
'I'll be there soon, yeah.' Said Deidara, before his hologram vanished.
'I have some business to take care of, I trust the four of you can handle the empty vessels, they have no consciousness, so they should not be a problem.' Said Danzo, before leaving.
'Where is Sasuke?' Asked Zetsu to Tobi quietly.
'I decided to let him go on a little field trip.' Said Tobi.
'Well, in that case, what are we going to do about Danzo?' Asked Zetsu.
'Kisame, keep an eye on Danzo, don't let him roam about without being watched.' Said Tobi.
'Easily.' Said Kisame, before following after the Darkness of Shinobi, without said shinobi's knowledge of the fact.
'What should I do now?' Asked Kakuzu.
'You might as well fill up on your hearts with the leftovers.' Said Tobi, before walking away, Zetsu sinking into the ground, after he finished speaking.
'With pleasure.' Muttered Kakuzu, as the threads on his back started to writhe in the air.
-line break-
'Naruto, are you sure this was a wise decision?' Asked Kakashi, watching the blond hair of his student sway through the wind, his newly given Hokage hat absent.
'Come on Kakashi-Sensei, trust me.' Said Naruto, as the two of them hopped through the trees, towards the Land of Iron.
'Yeah Kakashi, trust him, this is sure to be the best decision.' Said Jiraiya calmly, causing Kakashi to look at him in confusion.
Naruto hopped forward slightly, catching up to the group from Cloud, leaving the two Leaf legends to converse.
'Master Jiraiya, is it really wise to do what Naruto intends to? The Raikage has always been a volatile character and sought numerous opportunities to capitalise on any dispute.' Said Kakashi.
'No need to worry, Kakashi. Naruto has a way with words that no one can match. I daresay, by the end of this meeting the Raikage will come to respect Naruto as an equal. That is not the important point of note however…' Said Jiraiya, before trailing off and nudging his head forward slightly.
'Heading to a frigid terrain, the newly introduced foreign heroine finds warmth in the arms of our favourite blond hero! This could make for one of my greatest stories yet! Make-Out Diplomacy!' Whispered Jiraiya in excitement.
'Is this really the right time for this?' Asked Kakashi, his eyebrow dropping in disbelief.
'Kakashi, some of my greatest inspirational moments have come when my very life was on the line. Leave the research to me and you simply enjoy the fruits of my labour.' Said Jiraiya.
-line break-
'So Samui, what are your thoughts on how the Raikage will react when he gets his answer?' Asked Naruto.
'Depending on how you phrase it, cold contempt or outright rage.' Replied Samui.
'Well, I guess we'll find out in a minute now won't we, since I can sense some barely contained anger, coming from someone just ahead of us.' Said Naruto.
The two blonds dropped down first, followed by the busty blonde's two dark skinned teammates, before, lastly, the guards of the whiskered blond dropped down as well.
'Samui, what is the meaning of this?' Asked a large, dark skinned man, who was rippling with muscle.
'Nice to meet you, Lord Raikage, Bee has told me lots about you.' Said Naruto, stepping forward.
The Raikage visibly bristled at this very casual comment, causing Naruto to harden his gaze.
'Who are you?' Asked the Raikage.
'I am many things, but the one you should care about, is that I am a friend of both Bee and Sasuke Uchiha.' Said Naruto, causing the Raikage to supress a snarl.
'You can claim whatever you like, but I will have Sasuke Uchiha's head for capturing Bee, acting as a member of Akatsuki!' Said the Raikage.
'Yeah, that sounds fair, if it is what happened. In the first place, Sasuke is not a member of Akatsuki, he was kidnapped by them. The other problem with your story, is that Bee is too strong for Sasuke to defeat. Don't you have enough faith in your supposed brother?' Rebutted Naruto.
'Who are you to talk down to me like that? You look barely out of your diapers.' Growled the Raikage.
'That's right, I am young, but I grew up without anyone to change my diapers, since my parents died the day I was born. Maybe you know of them, Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, does that sound familiar?' Retorted Naruto.
'I don't care who your parents are, all I see is a young brat acting like a man!' Said the Raikage.
'Funny, since I see a man acting like a young brat.' Said Naruto, glaring at the Raikage, who was almost trembling with rage.
The tension between the two guards started to escalate, as the four shifted imperceptibly, just in case the two would come to blows.
'Well, we can continue this discussion at the meeting of the Five Kage. I'm sure cooler heads will prevail there.' Said Naruto, turning away from the Raikage and starting to walk off.
'And just who are you to talk of the Five Kage meeting so casually?' Barked the Raikage, only for a scroll to be thrown at him.
Opening the scroll, the Raikage saw his own handwriting staring at him. The sound of something being unsealed was then heard, causing the Raikage to look up.
'Naruto Uzumaki, Sixth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.' Said Naruto, looking over his shoulder, to lock gazes with the Raikage, before he and his guard left the area.
-line break-
Sasuke stared at the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. He was not here to return to the village, nor was he here to destroy it. No, Sasuke had one goal in mind and he would accomplish it.
"Itachi… I won't let your suffering go unpunished." Thought Sasuke, his eyes taking their Mangekyo form.
The Uchiha made his was around the gates, until he reached the hidden passage to the Uchiha clan compound. Making his way through the tunnel, Sasuke prepared himself for his upcoming task. It was easy enough entering the village and his figure was kept hidden beneath a large cloak, as he made his way through the village. From there, it was an easy task to locate the homes of his two targets.
"Today, I cleanse the Leaf Village of two parasites." Thought Sasuke, before he seemed to fade from view.
Appearing inside the building, Sasuke saw two wizened elders drinking tea with each other. In an instant, a sword was impaling one of them. The woman, once a teammate of the Third Hokage himself, slumped onto the table, dead.
'So you did come for us. After what Itachi did to Danzo, we had little doubt you would.' Said the elderly man, pushing his glasses up slightly.
'You seem quite calm for a dead man.' Said Sasuke.
'The dead have nothing to fear. You though, you have much to fear. Your brother made the sacrifice that was necessary for this village at the time. With war on our border after the Kyuubi decimated our village, we couldn't allow a civil war to occur. Itachi understood this. If you honestly wish to prevent what happened occurring in the future, you need to end all possibility of war ever occurring and with militaristic villages like Cloud and Rock constantly training up and expanding their military, you will never prevent something like this occurring again.' Said the man, soon to enter the embrace of death.
'Hn, we'll see.' Said Sasuke, before his blade plunged into the heart of the second elder, ending the life of the last member, of Team Tobirama.
Sasuke made his way out of the village as quietly as he had entered it.
'Sasuke, it is time for you to return.' Said Tobi, appearing out of thin air, in a whirl of light.
'No, I need to do one more thing. This isn't over until I make sure nothing like this ever happens again.' Said Sasuke.
'And how do you propose to do that?' Asked Tobi.
'I will end the Raikage and Tsuchikage as well and see to it that their villages crumble. They are always the ones starting war, aren't they?' Commented Sasuke.
'In a way… well, in that case, as it just so happens, all the Kage have gathered and should you wish to kill two birds with one stone, now would be your best opportunity to do so.' Said Tobi.
'Take me there.' Demanded Sasuke.
'As you wish.' Said Tobi, before he sucked Sasuke into his dimension and the two of them disappeared.
-line break-
'Place your hats on the table. You are here today because the Raikage has called this meeting. My name is Mifune and I will be your moderator. The meeting will now begin.' Spoke an elderly man, who, unlike the man Sasuke had just recently dealt with, conveyed power with both his gaze and his words.
The five Kage were seated around a semicircular table, with Mifune in front of them. From left to right sat Mei, Gaara, Naruto, the Tsuchikage and lastly, the Raikage, who was now much calmer, than when Naruto had been riling him up.
'I'll go first. Listen up.' Started Gaara.
'The makeup of the five Kage sure has changed. You must be something special to be made Kazekage at your age. Your father must have taught you right, but apparently he forgot to instil in you any manners.' Commented the Tsuchikage.
'I guess that's why I'm here as Kazekage.' Said Gaara.
'Cheeky brat!' Laughed the Tsuchikage.
'Tsuchikage, please stop interrupting. Kazekage, please continue.' Interjected Mei.
'I have had to contend with numerous attacks by the Akatsuki trying to capture me and extract my tailed beast. If I was not aided by a close friend of mine, I may not be sitting before you all today. That is why I believe Akatsuki are extremely dangerous. I requested aid from the other Kage many times, but they all ignored me… except for the former Hokage and my friend. Were it not for a small group of people banding together, the number of Jinchuuriki alive today would be drastically lower.' Said Gaara.
'If a country were to have its hosts captured, it has no business giving other countries orders. It is an embarrassment. You should try to deal with the issue in secret, not rely on other countries to help you.' Said the Tsuchikage.
'Appearance… honour… I don't have time for that ridiculous old-fashioned thinking. My father cared about these things, he is dead now because of them.' Said Gaara, causing the Tsuchikage to give a small scowl.
'Quit your yapping!' Roared the Raikage, smashing his fist into the table.
The instant the table was struck, the guards of the other four Kage and Mifune all converged inside the room, swords aimed at the Raikage, as the Raikage's guard held them off.
'We are here to talk. Please refrain from such displays of rudeness.' Said Mifune.
'Well, your temper is exactly what I was expecting.' Said Naruto, face resting on his fist, elbow leaning against the table in boredom, speaking up for the first time in the meeting.
'You have some nerve talking to me like that, brat.' Said the Raikage in anger.
'And you have some nerve calling a meeting between the five Kage, only to throw a tantrum because you don't know where your own Jinchuuriki are, or is it only me who knows that?' Retorted Naruto.
'And who are you to know of the location, of the Jinchuuriki of other villages?' Asked the Tsuchikage curiously.
'Well, it doesn't take a genius to know there are two sitting at this table. As for how I know, I am the only one in this room, if not the entire country who has made an effort to communicate with the Jinchuuriki in a manner not merely reflecting their… or rather, our status, as military might.' Said Naruto.
'That is true, were it not for Lord Hokage, many Jinchuuriki would have already been captured and we would truly have a reason to fear what Akatsuki may be planning.' Added Gaara.
'In this month alone, I have helped repel numerous attacks on multiple Jinchuuriki. I can't say I was much help to Bee, as he is one of the strongest among us, Roshi too helped me more than I helped him, but I've already stopped attempts by the Akatsuki to take the one, two, three, five, six and seven tails. If it weren't for me, more than half the Jinchuuriki would be under Akatsuki's control.' Said Naruto.
'The three tails?' Inquired Mei.
'Yes, after the climax of the civil war I gave Yagura two options, die or live to redeem his mistakes. As it would turn out, Yagura was being controlled by a member of the Akatsuki. A Kage and a Jinchuuriki was defeated by Akatsuki when working alone, however, between he, Utakata and I, we managed to repel two Akatsuki attacks in the past few days.' Explained Naruto.
'So you've been covertly recruiting the Jinchuuriki to work with you? Is this some power play by the Leaf Village, in order to reign supreme?' Asked the Raikage suspiciously.
'No, because if it was a power play, I would have let Yugito die.' Said Naruto, glaring at the Raikage coldly.
'What are you saying?' Asked the Raikage, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
'What I'm saying, is you are a disgrace to your village and your shinobi, but none more so than your Jinchuuriki! Yugito was very nearly killed only days ago and had I not been able to aid her in time, your village would be missing one of its Jinchuuriki. You didn't even realise it though. As soon as a whisper of something happening to Bee reached your ears, you call this meeting, but you didn't even know of Yugito being attacked, let alone reacting in any way against the aggressors. You act all big and mighty, but all you've done so far is make selfish demands. The four other Kage in this room listened to your request for a meeting, but it isn't because you are the strongest. I came to this meeting to impress upon the other villages about the threat of Akatsuki and reveal what I have been doing to combat it.' Said Naruto.
The Raikage silently fumed at Naruto dressing him down, but couldn't say anything, as someone else spoke up first.
'Well, from the sounds of things, you've been travelling around the land with ease and going between locations much faster than it should be possible, care to explain?' Asked the Tsuchikage.
'The Jinchuuriki have trust in me, that is why I can get around so fast. As for the method, does this look familiar.' Said Naruto, reaching into his robes and bringing something out of them, which he threw towards the Tsuchikage.
The bodyguards of the Tsuchikage moved to intercept whatever had been thrown, only for them to freeze upon seeing what it was. It was only for a moment, but it proved long enough for the object to fall on the table in front of the Tsuchikage.
'That detestable jutsu. So you are his spawn after all?' Commented the Tsuchikage, recognising the tri-pronged kunai in front of him instantly.
'Who else would Minato Namikaze entrust the Nine Tailed Fox to, if not his own son?' Said Naruto rhetorically, causing the Tsuchikage to snort in amusement.
'Enough of your prattle! You claim to have all this knowledge, but Akatsuki are still roaming about!' Started the Raikage, slamming his fist into the table, only for Naruto to cut him off.
'Exactly. I do have all this knowledge and it is only because of the sacrifices of others, that is why I won't let you act rashly, Raikage. I came to this meeting so we can finally mount our offensive against the Akatsuki, as in the process of repelling these numerous attacks on my own kind, we have been cutting them down one by one. Around half a dozen Akatsuki remain, down from the dozen they had a few months ago. Now is the time to strike, however, we cannot do so alone anymore. Akatsuki are becoming desperate and their unpredictability cannot be underestimated. That is the reason why not only the five Kage are gathered here today, but so too are the nine Jinchuuriki.' Said Naruto, before flaring his chakra.
Seven new figures appeared in the room, causing looks of recognition to light up among the gathered ninja.
'Yo bro, taking it slow?' Greeted Bee.
'Bee!' Roared the Raikage, lunging at his brother in all but blood.
'Please control yourself Raikage.' Said Gaara, as shackles of extremely dense sand latched on to the Raikage, who had leapt from his seat.
Gaara deposited the Kage back in his seat, much to his anger.
'I'm truly sorry for all the trouble I caused you and our people, Lady Mizukage.' Said Yagura, giving a bow to Mei.
'It is no trouble at all, you were not in control, Lord Mizukage.' Replied Mei, causing Yagura to bow again.
'Thank you for understanding, but I do not believe I can return to the Mist, not after what I've done.' Said Yagura.
'Perhaps not as Kage, but you are always welcome, should you be in control of yourself.' Joked Mei, causing Yagura to laugh softly.
'So, you really sided with him.' Commented the Tsuchikage.
'Onoki, you're still holding on to grudges it seems.' Said Roshi.
'Hardly, merely amused you would follow a child less than half your age.' Scoffed the Tsuchikage.
'Lord Hokage, please explain your intentions in bringing so many ninja into a meeting of Kage.' Requested Mifune.
'Of course. As this is a meeting of the five Kage, it is only right for the Jinchuuriki who these five villages have fought over be present for what I hope is to come.' Said Naruto.
'And what is it that you hope to accomplish here today?' Asked Mifune.
'An alliance between the five nations of course.' Said Naruto.
'Well, an alliance would be a good idea, if you want to go to war that is.' Said Tobi, appearing above the group, standing upside down on the roof.
'Tobi.' Growled Naruto.
'Well, since you gathered all the Jinchuuriki together, I would say now is the perfect time to declare war… is what I would have said, had we needed the Jinchuuriki anymore.' Said Tobi, before the Raikage blasted out of his seat and tried to punch Tobi, only to phase through him and smash into the roof, causing it to fall.
Gaara commanded his sand to catch the debris and threw it off to the side, while Tobi, hopped down to the ground, standing on Mifune's table.
'You see, we figured out a way to get the power of the tailed beasts with needing any of you. Right now, I couldn't care less about any of you nine.' Said Tobi, waving off the attempt at his life like it was nothing.
'Then what are you doing here?' Asked Mifune, causing Tobi to turn towards him.
'Well, not to declare war… hmm, well… a war means two equal sides facing off, no, what I am here to announce, is a one-sided slaughter. In less than a week, Akatsuki will be knocking on your doorstep, so you better make your final arrangements. Before I go though, there is someone who wants to say hello.' Said Tobi, before a person was ejected from his eye into the room.
'Sasuke?' Said Naruto in disbelief.
'Naruto.' Said Sasuke, before all hell broke loose.