Obito's eyes wandered around the lake. It was massive. But not something that would worry Konan. She had brought them here in the first place. Then again, she has made her jutsu strong against water. It was her weakness in the beginning, but she learned. She adapted. He'd always thought that between her and Nagato, she was the smarter. She was also very level headed and not prone to acting merely on emotion. Was she like Rin? No. she was not. There wasn't anyone like Rin.

He looked up into the heavens. He was just needed to do this and he would be reunited with her: With Rin – with his beloved. Perhaps live his dreams. Become Hokage, better his failure of a sensei who couldn't protect anything. He was going to create the perfect world: A peaceful world where you would not lose anything. Humans were always fighting, but in his world, there would be no such. Dreams would become reality and he would be together with Rin.

Rin

Just hold on for a little longer…

He needed to handle this problem before him. He needed the Rinnegan. Nagato wasn't a problem. He was powerful but Obito knew everything about the Rinnegan. He was the one who told the man about the Doujutsu after all – His doujutsu; Madara's doujutsu.

"Konan, I am curious about the decision you have chosen to take. You have always been level headed. I was positive that you wouldn't betray me. The dream we had. Why did you do it?"

"I never trusted you to begin with…" Konan said. "Yahiko never trusted you. He warned us against you."

The man had been right. But Obito didn't care about that. It was better that Yahiko died. If he had been around, things wouldn't have changed sooner. Truly, when Naruto experiences pain, he too will change. He had watched Rin die. Naruto will watch his mother die. He will watch those he loves die. Obito would make sure of it.

Konan sent hundreds of papers towards Obito. The Uchiha impassively watched them phase through his body before realizing that there were mixed with paper bombs. He'd already absorbed some of the paper bombs before they exploded into a massive cloud of crimson flames.

When the explosion died down, Obito was on one knee, his Akatsuki cloak burnt.

"I knew that wasn't going to be enough…" Konan said holding out her right hand. "But this is surely to work!"

Obito was a little alarmed when paper sheets started popping up and he looked down into the water as it separated revealing a large number of paper sheets piled up together deep within the lake. While he began to fall down deep into the path created by the paper sheets, Konan floated above the water, looking down at him coldly.

Paper bombs started attaching themselves around his body. Obito stopped trying to teleport knowing that he would take the paper bombs with him.

More papers bombs started hitting him, phasing over him all over his body within seconds apart. When he looked around, he saw that he was surrounded by billions of paper bombs, and they were ticking time bombs.

He cursed and looked up to Konan who was glaring down at him.

Boom! The paper bombs went off, exploding within the lake, causing the parted waters to close up once more.

Konan fell onto one knee, breathing heavily. She had done it. She had managed to do it. It took a lot from her but it didn't matter, she had done it. She had killed Madara.

Konan's body stiffened when she felt a presence behind her.

'That was close,' Obito thought as he materialized behind Konan. He had cost himself a precious Sharingan. He was fortunate he had spares; otherwise, there he would have been forced to sacrifice his precious mangekyo. Still, he should have resurrected right in the water, and would have died because of the pressure.

He formed a chakra rod and tried to stab Konan from behind but he was suddenly grabbed from behind, his movements halted. Obito looked at his chest as Konan turned around to face him: there was a sword sticking out. He frowned. "Naruto…"

He should have expected the blond to come here. And he was hoping to give the blond a good doze of despair in the form of death for his loved ones. Obito tried materializing, but he could not. No, he could not use his chakra – a seal. His body movements were also sealed – his frown deepened.

Naruto removed the sword and threw into the lake before twisting Obito to face him.

"I was actually waiting for this moment…" Naruto said holding Obito by his throat. "You see, I am like Konan, I study the people around me and their jutsus. I noticed something similar about your jutsu with Kakashi. That did make me curious but the reason I knew you would use this ability if things went wrong is because I know the Sharingan inside out. The jutsus you'd use to save your life. I know them.

"I wasn't just going to sit and allow Konan to kill you. There would be a hole left in my heart. I could not accept that. I would lose my mind. I wanted this moment. To hold you like this. Watch you struggle. Try to escape helplessly. I wanted to enjoy the look on your face as you face death."

Konan really didn't display emotions but her mask threatened to slip just hearing the dark tone Naruto was using. She really didn't want to see the look he had on his face. It was just pure contempt. Lust for revenge and anger. The greed for Madara's life was just too much. He felt possessive about it. That was his prey and he looked ready to pounce on anyone who would try to get in the way. Konan wanted to kill the man that she had amassed billions or paper bombs but the desire, the lust in Naruto's tone was just too much.

Was it even possible to want to kill someone so much?

"I should have known that you'd appear…" Obito said through gritted teeth. He was mad now. The grip was like an iron lock.

"I swore I'd kill you and I will get to that."

"Do you hate me that much?" Obito asked. "Do you hate me for being responsible for the Kyubi incident?"

"Of course I hate you. I resent you. I grew up hating you. I nurtured my hatred for you and allowed it to grow. At any time you appeared before me, I could have pounced…" Naruto said with a sick smile. "The Hiraishin mark never disappears. You have one on your back. I assume my father marked you during your fight. You see, when I realized this, I knew I could get behind you. The time for killing you was just never right."

"Do you know what you are doing? You are standing in the way of peace. My dream can reunite you with your father. It can give you your happy childhood."

Naruto shrugged. "From you? Nothing will bring me peace than seeing you die…" the blond said with a shrug. He moved his left hand. Two fingers stretched out, he touched Obito's right eye.

Obito widened his eye. Shocked. "What are you doing?" He gritted his teeth. Trying once more to move. But he could not move a muscle. His body was restrained by the seal wrapped around his body.

"Just being cautious… I can't trust that you play the same trick on me…" Naruto said. He put his fingers inside Obito's eye socket. He did it very slowly. Obito didn't make a sound. But Naruto didn't care. He gauged out the sharingan and held it gently.

Looking at the blind man who couldn't do anything, Naruto didn't feel like going through other means to see the man dead. He didn't feel like making the death slow and painful. He didn't have the desire. He just wanted to see the man die. This was his desire. That was what the hand holding the man wanted. He stopped strangling the man. He didn't want to rob the brain of oxygen. If anything happens to it, it would mean a new strategy for him. He didn't want to go through that process again.

Obito couldn't see. He couldn't see a damn thing. His heart began to hit faster when he realized he was sinking. The seal around his body had loosened, he could move. But he still couldn't use chakra. Death by sinking? Ridiculous. Madara would surely be disappointed. This couldn't be the end of him. Not like this. Not so pathetically after everything he did. If Nagato hadn't betrayed him, this wouldn't be happening.

Was he really going to die? Rin, he thought bitterly. He had failed her once more. He had failed. Just like his sensei who failed everyone. Who couldn't protect his family. Obito was going to die. Rin was going to be disappointed in him. But at least he would see her again. At leas-

His flow of thoughts were stopped when he felt pain. Pain? A familiar feeling. It didn't even make him wince. But this was the end. The end of his life; the end of his dreams. He wasn't going to enjoy those dreams with Rin. He wasn't going to enjoy himself. He wasn't going to get his team back. He was just going to die miserable.

A truly pathetic death

Naruto kneeled on the water and placed the palm of his right hand on Obito's chest. He wasn't smiling. There was just an expressionless mask on his face. Flames gathered beneath his hand. They were intense – Burning the flesh slowly before busting a huge hole through Obito's chest. He could slip through the hole.

Once done, and positive the man was dead, he sealed the corpse on a sealing scroll before rising up. He turned his face in into the heavens for a couple of minutes.

Konan watched him carefully. She waited for him return to her. When two minutes went by, she broke him out of his thoughts. "I thought you were going to do it violently."

Naruto didn't immediately respond to the statement but when he did, his voice was subdued. There was still no emotion but it wasn't as cold as it usually was. "I'd thought of ripping up his limbs one by one with my own hands and then shove them down his throat. If he couldn't swallow them, I'd cut through his gut and put my hand inside, pushing it up to his throat and pull the limb down." He shook his head. "But I just thought I want this man dead. It pleases me knowing that the man who ruined me is dead. The man who could threaten my family was dead. I am at more peace with that than brutalizing that piece of human flesh."

Konan nodded but truly unlike those dark words he had been saying when he was strangling Obito. "I guess this isn't what you expected…"

Naruto shook his head. "I thought I'd be dancing up and down after tearing him apart. But now I feel free knowing the threat has been eliminated. I feel at peace…" he explained lightly. "I will take Kumo's Jinchuriki. I should return her to the Cloud."

Konan nodded. "Thank you." She said.

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "What for?"

"I could have died there. I was honestly sure that my plan would work. I was sure it would kill him…" Konan said a bit bitterly.

"And you were not wrong." Naruto said firmly. "You did kill him. The Sharingan just has the ability to rewrite the reality. When dealing with people who know the secrets of the Doujutsu, you anticipate that they have cast time delayed jutsus that can save their lives." He explained lightly. "We will talk soon."

Konoha

Intel Division HQ

Naruto walked through the place as if he was familiar with it. This was a very delicate place. A place Hidden from most people but Naruto knew. He knew everything in Konoha. He knew where they hid their secrets. He knew their secret communication languages. It was fundamental knowledge for him. Perhaps a bit of insurance in case something happens and he has to make movements that guarantee his safety.

Obito's corpse was with him but he had managed to block off many memories. He wasn't as good as Inoichi – he could not be compared. But he had his ways of doing things. Danzo was rather proficient in these matters. This was done as insurance. Just to make sure that Inoichi didn't see things that Obito knew about him.

Naruto's movements were halted by agents who immediately took him to Inoichi who was in his chambers. The Yamanaka brightened up when he saw Naruto. He looked over the blond's shoulder – a body. It was only Naruto who could walk around with a dead person over his shoulder.

He hurried over to the blond and relieved him of the duty. "You are quick."

"The situation required that I be quick about doing things…" Naruto said with a shrug. "This is Obito Uchiha, a student of my father and someone who died in the Third War. I'd always thought there were similarities between his jutsu and Kakashi's jutsu but I could never make the connection. I was quite shocked to learn that this was the person who gave Kakashi his sharingan."

Inoichi had to stare at the face of the person before him. He couldn't tell. But this was still a problem. Who could have thought the a student of Konoha's yellow flash would turn out like this? Who could have thought of such a reality? It was ridiculous but stranger things have happened. Orochimaru had been the Sandaime's student, and look at how he turned out? Then again, there has always been a rumour that Orochimaru was twisted from a young age.

Still, another Konoha shinobi running loose around the Elemental Nations, doing harm. They had Orochimaru, Itachi and now this. This was the greatest danger to the peace of the Elemental Nations perhaps. Well, at least all three were now dead.

"Have you told anyone?"

Naruto shook his head. "Of course not," he said. "I will leave the digestion and spreading of information to you – that is your duty after all. I have done my part."

"You are really no going to take part in things from now on?"

Naruto nodded. "Unless it can't be done without me."

"It will be a shame for Konoha to lose your services. You know, there is no one quite like you in your generation."

"That occurs, but generally, people who stand out the most in their generation don't often have good stories to tell. Something bad always happens…" Naruto stopped. What was he saying? He wasn't concerned about that. He just wanted to focus on his business than Konoha. The village was safe, he didn't have to worry about anyone attacking it, so there was no need of him to get involved. "I would like to take part in this exercise."

Inoichi blinked. He hadn't thought Naruto would want to be part of his work. He didn't think of it anything wrong but this was Naruto. Given the status of the blond in the village, it wasn't safe. But there was nothing wrong here, was there? Besides, he could trust him. He was the one who brought this person to him. It would be cruel to keep him out.

"I thought you didn't want to take part in anything."

"I don't but I can't be ignorant of certain things. This person was my father's student; he was responsible for the Kyubi attacking the village, I am curious to know why he changed like this."

Inoichi nodded. "Can you keep up?"

Naruto shook his head. "I just need to follow you. I am not a mind reader…" He said. "I hope this stays between us, but I might have 'fondled' with some memories. You don't have to worry about anything."

Inoichi stared for a long minute before nodding. He ordered his people to get working on hooking up Obito.

About two hours later

Yugito's eyes flashed open and she immediately tried to get up. She couldn't forget that she had been taken by that masked man and then he had entered her mind before manipulating the Bijuu inside of her. An infuriating experience and then she tried to fight; she had ended up staring into his hypnotic eyes and had turned her head upside down.

She looked around; she was lying at the centre of a room on a futon. She didn't know where this place. It was certainly different from that cold world man had dragged her into after capturing her like she was some sort of animal he was hunting. She felt very tired but she wanted to move and maybe make of run for it.

"You're finally awake…" Naruto said walking towards the blonde woman.

Yugito nearly snapped her neck as she turned to face the person. She recognized him – Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Kyubi. Was she safe? Or had he also taken more Jinchurikis. Her heart pounded, afraid there was no escape.

She was confused when Naruto looked amused. "What is funny?" She demanded.

"What you are thinking." Naruto said. Now that he was caught, the amusement disappeared and replaced by a look of indifference.

Yugito blinked. "What am I thinking?" She asked out of curiosity more than anything. was she wearing her emotions on her face? More so, there was nothing funny about her thoughts. She was worried, not thinking about an embarrassing memory, how could he think that was funny?

"We are amused by different things…" Naruto said with a shrug.

Yugito stared. No, no, this wasn't happening. He wasn't reading her mind. Was he in he head. That Uchiha had been inside her head. She closed her eyes and tried to shake her head, as if she he was inside and she was trying to make him feel dizzy. When she opened her eyes, he was still staring at her, those cold blue orbs, indifferent.

"I can't read your mind… but I am rather good at reading people." Naruto responded calmly. "It is easier now since you are confused. You were through quite a troublesome situation…"

"Troublesome?" Yugito asked, puzzled. "Do you know what I went through?" Her voice was a little high.

Naruto shrugged carelessly. It did nothing but annoy Yugito, so much that she wanted to lunge towards him and strangle him, but she held herself from doing anything. "You are saved. I killed the bad guy."

The casual way in which he said those words startled Yugito. She stared at those cold eyes once more. There was nothing in them. Staring them intensively even made her feel uncomfortable. She looked away for a moment before responding. "You're not joking…"

"I don't do much jokes…" Naruto said. "We are in the Hidden Leaf. You were in Amegakure going through a rampage. But I stopped you and had to pull some strings to undo the little mind trick that was cast on you the sharingan. You should be fine now."

Yugito could not quite believe it. There was nothing in Naruto's face that gave her comfort. There was nothing that made her doubt his word. Yet, she couldn't believe that she had been saved.

"If you can move, please stand up. I need to take you home before A decides to march over here once more."

Confused, Yugito asked. "Why would A-sama come here?"

"Konoha was framed for your capture." Naruto said calmly. "But we talked things out."

Yugito nodded. She looked at her heads. Naruto had said something she was trying to ignore. She went on a rampage in Amegakure. Had she killed innocent people?

"Nothing bad happened. I stopped you before you could do any damage. The people in Amegakure also know that you were being manipulated so they don't hold a grudge." Naruto said.

Yugito glared at Naruto. "Will you stop it!"

Naruto tilted his head to the side, thinking. "Please follow me…"

Slowly, and surely, Yugito got up. Once on her feet, she stretched out her muscles. She did a small jump. She could move but not quite ready for battle. She also needed to organize her thoughts. She followed Naruto silently and then realized that she was in a compound. They walked out of the compound and went into the streets of the Hidden Leaf. So, this wasn't a genjutsu. She was really free. Saved from that masked man.

Yugito smiled happily. She was free. She was going to go home and see her friends. Most of all, she was alive. She turned to Naruto. She hadn't thanked him because she was still not sure if this was reality. "Umm… t-thank you."

Naruto merely nodded.

Yugito raised eye brow. "Why does it seem like you don't get thanked much."

Naruto faced the woman with an expressionless mask on his face. "I don't do a lot of good things…" he said. There was a bit of dark undertone in his words.

Yugito stopped walking for a moment and stared at her fellow blond. She and then sped up to catch him. "You are joking right?"

"Who knows?"

He was joking. No one could say something like that. Yugito didn't question the blond about this. She merely followed him in silence. There were a couple of looks around them, but nothing strange. What was apparent was that the villagers knew Naruto well. There wasn't a look of contempt or anything. but the blond appeared like he was walking in another dimension. Even his body seemed to be walking on auto pilot.

The first thing Yugito noted when she arrived at the Hokage's office was that the blonde Hokage had a really huge bust. But office was just like any other office of a Kage. There were other people around, whom she didn't know. She was truly in a foreign land. She stood closer to Naruto.

Tsunade smiled at Yugito. "Nii Yugito…" she started calmly. "I have to say that we are happy that we managed to retrieve you. Otherwise, we would have had a problem with Kumogakure. The man who took you was a former shinobi of this village… so we'd assured the Raikage that we'd find you."

Yugito could only nod.

"I'm going to take her back to Kumo." Naruto said.

"What of the Raikage's brother?" Tsunade asked.

Yugito was alarmed. "Bee was taken as well?" She asked.

Naruto ignored her. "That is nothing to worry about. I'm sure he is safe where he is. The Raikage will be sending you a thank you message in the next couple of days…" Naruto said with a shrug.

That wasn't an answer that neither Yugito nor Tsunade were looking for. But the latter merely shrugged. She didn't seem interested in knowing. She took out two scrolls and gave them to Shizune. The black haired woman gave the scrolls to Naruto. "There is an invite to a Kage summit. I have laid out the terms for the summit."

"And the other?"

"For the Raikage." Tsunade merely said. "You need to be back by the end of the day. We have to talk about M-Obito."

Naruto nodded. "There is much to discuss…" he said. "I will return shortly." He touched Yugito on her right shoulder and they disappeared in a flash of yellow. And just like that, they were in Kumogakure.

Yugito felt a little sick. But she held herself. Now she understood why they were saying he should be back by the end of the day. He could teleport. The Yondaime Hokage's jutsu. Yes, Naruto was the man's son after all.

This time around, Yugito took the lead. They walked for a bit before she took Naruto and then they shunshined away. She wanted to reach the Raikage's tower quickly and then see her friends. she was back at home. It took a couple of moments for them to reach the large office of the Raikage.

Upon seeing them, the large brown man quickly stood up from his chair and walked over to Yugito. He examined her for a couple of moments before hovering over Naruto. "One more is missing." He said in a cold tone, glaring dangerously at Naruto.

Naruto stared back and then shrugged. "That on isn't the Leaf's proble-"

The Raikage's fist move towards Naruto's chest in blinding speed, but Naruto took a step back, avoiding the punch. He didn't look surprised. He merely maintained his expressionless mask, not looking the least concerned.

"That isn't the agreement I had with your Hokage! If you don't return my brother, I swear you will regret it!"

"Hardly…" Naruto said. "The agreement stood if 'Madara' had indeed taken your brother. But he did not."

A blinked, his anger dissipated and a look of confusion took over. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your brother used the opportunity to run away from home. I don't know where he is, but he wasn't taken. He just ran off..."

It took a minute for A to comprehend those words. "THAT IDIOT!" He shouted furiously. "Yugito, follow me, we are going to look for him…" and just like that, he pummelled a wall and readied to walk away. "Darui, find C immediately!" and the jumped off.

Naruto blinked, had this just happened? For the first time in his life, Naruto felt he was seeing an illusion and he wanted to cancel it. But this was a reality. It could not be an illusion. He found himself questioning the Raikage's behaviour. Well, it was likely the man knew where the his brother disappeared off too…

"I'm sorry about that…" Mabui said to Naruto. Naruto merely shook his head. He handed the scrolls to head to the woman. "I will make sure he replies as soon as comes back."

Naruto nodded before disappearing in a flash.

Mabui blinked before shaking her head.

Konoha

In this world of shinobi, anything could happen. Even people you thought dead could just turn out to be alive. There people who held the power over life and death. Impossible was nothing but a measure of man's capabilities. If you were capable, the word did not apply to you. This world had it all. It was merely lacking a god to intervene when things turn nasty. If there was a god, he would have shown himself long time ago during the warring times. Compared to the old days before shinobi villages, this is peace.

Obito Uchiha had met Madara – the infamous Uchiha who was supposed to have died long ago in his battle with the Shodai Hokage. He had been corrupted; perhaps the pain and grief of watching his friend helplessly stab a Chidori through the person he loved had been the concern. But his father truly was a subject of contempt. He was blamed for not being there to do something. Was it something the man believed that if his father had been there, things would have been alright?

His father had been a mere human, not god.

Madara was something else though. Anyone could be corrupted. No one was truly perfect after all. But Obito had truly taken a dive of a cliff. Naruto wasn't all bothered by it. But the story was fascinating. It did give him a glimpse into the past. Into what it was like to have Minato Namikaze around you.

Naruto shook his head, and eyed Kakashi. The Jonin had a miserable look about him. He had just learned that the person who gave him his Sharingan was the one who was responsible for the death of their sensei. His friend, who had taught him many good things, had turned into a menace of this world, and it was because he had ended up killing Rin.

The blond turned his attention to Tsunade. The woman had a hardened look about her; Jiraiya was sitting by the window. The door was locked. They were going to be discussing things that would never leave this room. No one was going to know about what they had learned. At least that was what Tsunade said when they sat down. Naruto could see her point.

"We can agree that what we saw was disturbing but at least now we have something to show Iwagakure to proof our innocence." Tsunade said.

"But we can't let me them see the other memories. There are village secrets in there…" Jiraiya said.

Obito had known too much. Then again, he knew everything that the man who founded this village along with the Shodai Hokage knew. People could not learn their secrets like they were things to gossip about. There was still much more that Inoichi was sorting out but he had given them enough to come to idea.

"Naturally…" Tsunade was quick to say. "Once he is done extracting everything, we will have either destroy or lock the other memories. When the Kages have seen this, we will then have to burn Obito's body."

"I thought you might be interested in using it to study your grandfather's cells. Konoha once carried those experiments and if it isn't for reproducing Mokuton, for medical purposes." Perhaps even Karin would have some interest in doing something like that. "But the Intel in his head has to be destroyed."

Tsunade looked thoughtful for a moment. Well, she had been studying her grandfather's cells and she knew the experiments that her sensei once ran before shutting it down. Of course, Orochimaru hadn't and went on to do even more than what the Sandaime could tolerate. "I will consider it…" she said. "What did you to do his eye?"

"I kept it." Naruto said. "It might prove useful in the near future. We don't have any problems that we are going to deal with now. At least once we have solved the issue with Iwagakure. But you never know what will happen in this world."

Tsunade was silent. She didn't want to get into it with Naruto. Things were going smoothly. "You'll be with me during the Kage Summit."

Naruto stared for a few moments before finally nodding. "I can do that… as long as I won't be bothered with too much work once this is over. I seriously have a lot in plate. I have been ignoring more personal work because of this issue that Obito had created."

Tsunade smiled. "I can't make any promises." She said.

Naruto shook his head. "You look broken, Jiraiya. Are you sad that you are not going to get your chance to kill yourself?"

Jiraiya faced Naruto with an expressionless mask. He then looked away without saying. "If Iwagakure accepts the truth, I will spend most of time in Amegakure. Konoha doesn't really need me anymore."

"But I still expect to see you." Tsunade said.

The Toad Sage turned to his former teammate with a smile. "You know I can't stay away from you for too long, hime…" he said. Besides, he still needed to come here for some research in the hot springs.

A month later

Kurotsuchi only had a deep scowl as she walked into the Hidden Leaf. For some reason, the village was celebrating the arrival of the Kages. She was sure she was the last one to appear. The Summit should have occurred a week ago, but she had been hesitant to come here. You never know what was going to happen… she couldn't be faulted for thinking that this was her death trap. It wasn't beyond reason. They surely couldn't try to kill her like this, could they? It would ruin their reputation, but she had been afraid.

And then the Feudal Lord visited the village's elders. She was forced to come here. She was forced to listen to them try to reason with her. In the end she had come. Konoha had said it was fine to bring Iwa's Jinchuriki. It had been something of an insult but she had done as they had suggested.

Till this day, the village has continued its denials about what happened to her grandfather. She was angry with them and she was going to use the Kage summit to air her anger and point the finger at the Hidden Leaf.

She already had hired professionals to assassinate Mei and Sasuke. They had already been paid. She wasn't going to use her shinobi for something like that. Not when she knew that Kiri, Konoha and Sunagakure had entered into a tri-alliance that also included military aid. It was surely a movement made to deter Iwagakure from doing anything.

The Hokage tower was buzzling with activities, Kurotsuchi didn't focus on it. She was led straight to the Hokage's towers. She came to face the woman who had been refusing to give into her demands. Tsunade Senju, a legendary shinobi. The woman was with the Raikage. They seemed to be getting along just fine.

Tsunade stood up and welcomed Kurotsuchi. Just another girl but she had known already. Today's leaders were still children. But it wasn't to say that they couldn't do their jobs. Gaara was a prime example to this. He was young, but he did his job as Kazekage in a way she couldn't criticize the actions.

"I'm glad you made it…" Tsunade said. "The others have already arrived… this is their second day now."

Kurotsuchi felt uncomfortable when the Raikage turned to face her; he was glaring at her. Showing her his displeasure. "I was told that a young one had taken the reigns at Iwagakure…" he said. "I didn't expect it to be a young girl."

"I'm not some young girl." Kurotsuchi responded quickly. She was here as Iwa's leader. She would not allow anyone to insult her or her position.

A shrugged and then faced her with a stern look. "If we are going to agree on something and then keep us waiting like this, you are still a child who is being rebellious. You were informed the reason why you had to come here, and yet you had to keep us waiting like this. I cannot respect anyone with that attitude. Your grandfather wouldn't do something like this, as stubborn as he was…"

Kurotsuchi clicked her tongue and glared at the Raikage; he was giving her a lecture. She didn't come here for this nonsense. Wanted to remind the man that she wasn't her grandfather but she held herself and then faced the Godaime Hokage. "I am here, show me the evidence that you didn't do it."

Tsunade didn't smile. She didn't take kindly to the tone Kurotsuchi was using. "Are you telling me?"

Kurotsuchi realized that she was speaking to other Kages. The woman had her killing intent directed at her. with one of her monstrous punches, the woman could smash open her chest. She gritted her teeth and spoke in a quiet tone. "I'm asking…" she said.

Tsunade shook her head. "I don't want to lecture you, but if you can't keep an open mind, you can't solve anything. Regardless of what we show you, you might choose not believe it because you are angry. I understand you are angry, but don't let that cloud your judgement. You are a leader of Iwagakure and your decision here will decide the fate of your village. I have already told you that we did not do it and we will not meet your demands. But if you want to fight us, we will defend ourselves."

Kurotsuchi was silent.

She knew she was angry. She knew she had to think for her village. She knew a war with Konoha and she was going to lose it. Not when the village had other villages backing. Iwagakure might end up being destroyed in the process. She came here. She wanted to see the evidence. She was angry, but she would not be so stupid enough to ignore the truth in favour of pursuing mistaken vengeance. Her grandfather would be disappointed.

She loved her village. She loved her grandfather. She was angry and wanted to kill whoever killed him, but if Konoha could prove that it wasn't their shinobi who did it, she would have to accept it. She had no other choice. Anything less than that would be a disaster.

She breathed and out to calm herself. She stared at the Godaime Hokage fiercely. "I understand the situation very well. But I cannot accept anything I will not believe. If I believe that you speak the truth, then I will call off my demands."

Tsunade smiled. "We have already shown the others what you are going to see. And have already discussed it. I'm afraid that you won't get much time to discuss it with the others. There is no time. The others want to leave by tomorrow noon. We will have our summit tomorrow morning."

Kurotsuchi nodded to this. She couldn't refuse. It was only her against the other five Kages and she was the one who came late.

"I will have to take you blindly because the place I am taking you is a secret facility of ours. Even if you are a Kage, we cannot let you know of its location…" and just like that, she was taken away.

The place felt like an underground facility. It was cold and there were a lot of activities. People were running around. She was sure the moment she leaves this place; they were going to restructure its map.

Later that day

Mind games: that was what Temari was willing to call the game being played by Gaara and Naruto. A game of shogi. She would never play. Then again, it seemed to be one of those games the men played. When it came to mind games, the person called Naruto excelled. Of course, her brother wasn't a push over either.

They'd arrived here a couple of days ago and since then, they'd been living with the Uzumaki's in their compound. Well, Temari always lived here whenever she visited the Leaf. It was like home with how she was familiar with it. Naruto was a little sentimental with his old house. He wouldn't let them stay there during their visit. Gaara had offered this because he didn't want to intrude.

Well, everything was going well. There were no complaints. Gaara had even managed to sit with Kirigakure for some trade talks. And they had agreed on a few things. Not a completely wasteful visit. "I heard the Tsuchikage was here… how did it go?"

"I'm sure if it hadn't gone well, those Jinchurikis she brought would have exploded…" Naruto said a bit carelessly. "Well, despite her anger, she isn't a completely stupid person."

Temari shook her head at how Naruto could be so indifferent when talking about two Bijuus going on a rampage within the village. Then again, she was certain that if something like that happened, they would be handled quickly. This could only explain why he wasn't concerned and why Konoha allowed it. "You could pretend to care, you know…"

Naruto shrugged. "Unnecessary…" he said. "Who would I be pleasing with false impressions?"

Temari sighed. "No one I guess…" she said. "Well, if things have progressed smoothly we can expect a good meeting tomorrow. I saw that you are also going to attend."

"Hesitantly…" Naruto grunted.

Gaara smiled. "I'm not sure that's true…" he said looking at the blond. "It is a good opportunity for you and it is behind closed doors. Not everyone is going to know what occurred in there. It does make me slightly excited about what we are going to discuss."

"You mean the agreements that might come in place?"

Gaara nodded. "Yes," he said. "The summit will be a failure if we leave without having some sort of an understanding about the way forward."

He wanted to have something, of course the problem with shinobi villages is that they were able to negotiate good deals but when push comes, they tear them without blinking. Things written in paper are sometimes just for show. The paper doesn't hold weight. Any village could turn its back on them at any time it is convenient. There wasn't exactly a village that hasn't done something like that. Even Suna in its history has done such actions.

There would have to be some people who are proactive into ensuring that they follow up with what they have agreed upon and constant communication will ensure that they don't forget anything.

"We already have agreements with Suna… Kumo and Iwa are going to be difficult." Temari said.

"It will even take some doing for Iwagakure to agree on anything…" Naruto said. "But deals have to be mutually beneficial for anyone to consider them. I'm sure if you propose things that Iwagakure can benefit, she will not be against them. Besides, Iwa is a little isolated from the other powers, she will want to close that gap."

"I'd want to have you on my right hand when negotiating deals."

Naruto shrugged. "You don't have to be a genius to get good deals. You just have to be informed, learn what needs to be learned and be able to read the mood… I usually ignore the latter…" that was because he knew that if the situation was right, it didn't matter much – he would end up getting what he wanted.

"Game over…" Gaara said and stared at the board for a long minute before shaking his head. "I have to finish things with the Godaime Mizukage… I won't take much time…"

Naruto watched the Kazekage leave with a curious gaze. He didn't question anything. Gaara had also met with Mei yesterday. He shook his head and settled nicely. With Gaara gone, Temari then sat next to him. she didn't say anything.

"This isn't the first time your brother is leaving you alone with me…" Naruto said without looking at Temari.

The blonde shook her head. "No," She smiled, he is very obvious. Well, that was her brother and she loved him the way he was. "I have never asked, how are you? You know, I heard you are going to be a father soon, and you finally killed the man who was responsible for your misery."

A father… yes, that was something that was starting to scare him but he would face it. There was no escape. Besides, although he was a little afraid, something in his heart was kicking and screaming, impatiently calling for the day to come. And it would come. He knew it would come. And he would be faced with the child, who would call him 'father,'

Obito ruined things for him. But he couldn't think deeply about it. There was no need for what if. The past was the past. "I'm looking forward to it… as for Obito… I'm just happy that the person who had the power to threaten not only my existence but that of my family is finally gone from this world."

"I thought you'd be saying like I'm happy I murdered him… happy for you revenge…"

"I'm happy for that but it isn't the most important thing – that I realize. The important thing is that I am at peace, Temari."

There was silence. A comfortable silence. Temari didn't have a lot of moments like this with Naruto. But they came a long way. Back in Suna when he was telling her that she wouldn't allow people to dress her in clothes she didn't like just to see him and if they had a problem, he would deal with them. Those days he comforted her. Things do change in life. But some things never change.

"Our lives would certainly be different if we hadn't met you." Temari finally said.

"I can say the same thing. Suna offered us comfort when we needed it the most. There were days we could not get by in this village but Suna gave us happiness."

Temari raised an eye brow, staring at the blond. Naruto felt her stare and looked at her. "You never smiled." She said as a matter of fact. "You always wore a straight face… how can you say you were happy."

Naruto stared back before shrugging. She was indeed true. "My happiness isn't measured by my facial expressions…" he said.

Temari laughed. "Yeah,.." she said. There was a bit of sarcasm in her tone.

"Perhaps happiness isn't the right expression to use…" Naruto said. He then became silent. Temari didn't interfere with his thoughts. After a couple of moments he spoke. "Content," he said.

"I can accept that." Temari said. "I realize I do tend to think about the past when I am with you."

Naruto would not say the past doesn't come up when she is before him but it wasn't something he would bring up, it was pointless really. "That is because when you are with certain people, you want to think about good things. If you cannot picture a future or if you are afraid of the future, you will think of the past. Unfortunately, my good moments with you are in the past."

He said it like that. but did she expect anything less? This was Naruto she was dealing. "You are really going make me say it, aren't you?"

Naruto glanced at Temari for a moment before staring at the empty space ahead. "…that your brother prefers me as a husband for you?"

Temari glared. If she wasn't used to this person, she would have hit him out of embarrassment more than anything. But she stopped being embarrassed before Naruto long ago. Really, the thought of being in relationship with him was a bit natural. She had thought of it day and night when her father made the announcement long ago. She had thought of it when she spent time with him.

"You were thinking about this…" Temari said with a shake of her head. "You were never afraid to voice your thoughts."

"I'm still not afraid, Temari. But I have grown. I'm not the same child I was back then. Besides, you are not someone I can just say things to…" Naruto said calmly. "I really have a lot on my hands. I'm sparing with clan heads, trying to work out business for my clan and when I can, I have to sit with my mother and work on creating seals. I still have my responsibilities at the Uchiha clan.

"My mother once fought for me to be happy. Admittedly, I never gave it much of a try. Perhaps I preferred being miserable. In any case, I think I might try it. If you are willing we can enter into the contract we had before. You know, we are still young. There is time to think about things deeply and decide what is best for the future. My future isn't tied to one place. I am here today, in the next five years, I might not."

Temari smiled. "Another contract?"

Naruto returned the smile. "Well, it started with a contract, it seems fitting."

"Who will witness it this time around?"

"Your brother and my mother."

"Well, you can't keep the mother out, can you?"

Naruto smiled. He raised his index finger, wagging it slightly. He then stood up and leaned over to Temari, his face just inches away. "Not on everything. You can't include her on matters of the bedroom, can you?"

Temari knew what he was talking about and the decency to stumble back a little. Now, she was a bit embarrassed. Naruto laughed. When was the last time she had him laugh? It wasn't something that really occurred often. She couldn't help but smile.

"Come on…" Naruto stood up, holding out his right hand. "Let us go to my office and go over the terms of the agreement."

Temari stared at the hand for a moment before taking it. "Can we add how you shall behave? I think you are the kind of person who'd behave obediently if you had to follow through an agreement you made, witness by your mother,"

"That is like holding a knife on my throat." Naruto said. "But I can't complain about such an arrangement. It makes things a bit interesting."

The following day

The chamber was lightly lit, the sitting arrangements were made to even accommodate more than one person from each other. Kurotsuchi was standing alone in a little corner – not literally but she was alone. The Kazekage standing with the Mizukage, chatting quietly while the Raikage spoke with his guard. She was alone. Iwagakure was alone. She didn't have a friend. Would it be like this if her grandfather was in the room. Maybe it would be like this.

But Kurotsuchi didn't want it to continue like this. She came to understand the importance allies of within the Great Five. When things got dangerous, you need someone to back you up. If Iwagakure had an ally, they might have ended up forcing Konoha to act but because she was alone, and the Leaf had allies who were willing to stand with it when things were dangerous, they couldn't do anything.

"Kurotsuchi-san…"

Kurotsuchi turned her head; she came face to face with Naruto. She didn't hide her frown. "Oh, it's you…" she said. "Please don't address me so lightly."

Naruto merely shrugged. "Why do you sound like you were expecting someone else?" Naruto calmly.

Who could she be expecting, No one but Kurotsuchi was certainly not expecting this blond haired person to be the one to break the ice with her when others were in their little corners. Sucks being the black sheep. "I just wasn't expecting you…"she glanced at the clock by the entrance. It was fifteen minutes before the meeting was supposed to start.

"I could join the others but they seem occupied…" Naruto responded. "I am in the host nation; it wouldn't be pleasant if a guest was left alone like this."

"A matter of my own making…" Kurotsuchi said bitterly. "I wasn't very nice yesterday…" she admittedly.

"That happens when you are going through the motions. But I am certain that what you saw satisfied you and we are no longer enemies…" he stared.

Kurotsuchi kept the stare for a couple of moments before nodding. She closed her eyes for a moment. This isn't going in the same way that she had planned. She hadn't expected to see what she saw yesterday. And she could not deny what she was seeing with her own eyes. She would have to go back home and convince the people that Konoha was innocent. That aside, the Leaf wasn't holding a grudge against her.

Well, they didn't know what she has done. If something happens with those people she hired, it was going to be a problem. Even if they don't succeed, an attempt would put everything in serious jeopardy, especially after what she was shown.

"Yes… we are not enemies…" Kurotsuchi finally said.

Naruto smiled. "Excellent…" he said. "This current situation does truly demonstrate the current situation in the Elemental Nations, doesn't it? Iwagakure has no one. It is problematic in our world when you don't have someone to watch your back. Even if people can betray you, you to have a sense of comfort when you know someone else is watching your back."

Kurotsuchi grunted. She could not deny that. "There is something I can't admit to your Hokage or in front of the others."

Naruto looked at her curiously.

"I paid some people to kill both Sasuke and the Mizukage." Kurotsuchi said in a whisper and she had placed hand across her mouth to avoid anyone reading her lips.

Naruto didn't even look surprised. He didn't give her the reaction she had been expecting. "Well, that is a little problematic and I assume you are saying this because they are not the kind of people who cancel a mission once they have been paid."

Kurotsuchi nodded.

"Why don't you just hunt them down?"

"It will take some time and I don't know when they will strike…" Kurotsuchi said.

"Sasuke is fine but I will speak to the Mizukage about this… and perhaps if am motivated I might help with the hunt… I assume you are telling me this not because you trust me but because you know of my close relationship with the two…?"

"Yes…" Kurotsuchi said. She narrowed her eyes a bit dangerously. "What do you mean if you are motivated?"

Naruto merely smiled. "I'm not the devil…" he said. "You can rest assured that I don't have any ulterior intensions. But you can't really trust a word I say. I know, that happens. But I know your secret and I am saying I will do something about it."

"Nothing is for free in this world."

"That is true." Naruto said. He held out his right hand. "Please consider me your friend today. I don't make a lot of friends, but perhaps you and I can be friends. Let us say that is the price you pay. Do you accept that?"

"Reluctantly…" Kurotsuchi didn't smile. She didn't have much of a choice in the situation.

"Excellent…" Naruto said. His expression changed. "When is your inauguration?"

"In three weeks."

"I expect an invite… perhaps I will bring a friend… You know, either the Mizukage or Kazekage. The former was on her way to see you grandfather about a possible agreement when the unfortunate incident occurred."

Kurotsuchi nodded. They talked for a couple of minutes until Tsunade finally arrived and called everyone to order. As the host, she was leading the meeting. The Godaime wasn't wearing a smile on her lips. She had a rather stern look on her face.

"We avoided a situation that could have led us to war and perhaps this was possible because of the gap between the Great Five Nations. We have already discussed the events that have led us to this situation but we need to talk about a way forward in which we can avoid similar incidents and pointless bloodshed." Tsunade stated in stern tone.

"It wouldn't have happened if you took care to hunt down your rogue shinobi Hokage." The Raikage said with a stare.

"I know and I understand that. Konoha did have powerful shinobi out there and generally don't bother hunting them because they are too powerful for hunter-nins to handle." Tsunade said. "But can we focus on the future?"

"That is why we are here…" Mei said. "The future. We need to have a secure future in which we can avoid situations that could lead wars in the past. But if we are going to do anything, the Five Kages have to be willing to do act."

"Do you have any proposal?" Gaara asked.

Tsunade motioned for Naruto to speak. The blond took his time before speaking in a powerful voice.

"We can agree that we not all have a pleasant past. But that isn't much of what interests me. People who hold grudges can discuss their hatred for each other and maybe kill each other but in this room, Konoha is proposing cooperation between the Great Five Nations. We can cooperate of many things but mostly the peace and security of our villages. This is just the beginning. I understand no one expects to do something without any again. Unless you are in an orphanage, you don't eat for free. You pay for your meals.

"Saying this, Konoha wants better relations with other villages. This can be achieved by the Kages hosting summits every now and then. It can be twice a year. It depends on what is convenient to the leaders. In these summits, we can discus threats posed by our villages, mutual threats and how we can all help each other when one needs the help. That is more of a friendship building exercise but it will teach the Kages some valuable. When the Kages are together, there is stability and those who get treacherous whispers will have their demons exercised when the Kages meet. Because then, everyone will be free to air their thoughts without any threat of war." Naruto paused for a moment and stared at Kurotsuchi. "Iwa knows perfectly that when you don't have a relationship with someone, it is much easier to pick up your weapons. Kumo knows when that you know someone, it must safer to speak to them for a clear picture of what has happened."

Four Hours later

It wasn't often that Naruto felt like consuming alcohol but he was seriously tired. Meeting with people who thought for themselves were difficult. They always had something to say. They had their thoughts. They could argue. They knew what was best for them and would not allow anyone to speak for them. Never again, was he going to take part in such meetings. There had bee moments he had to told himself from calling some suggestions stupid. He should have, Tsunade had called it a frank open discussion. No one would get bitten for their thoughts, as long as it didn't get person and stayed in line with the subject.

In any case, at least something was agreed upon. The Summits would occur and each village would take the honours of hosting them. Whoever hosted, would chair the meeting. A fitting arrangement. And one that didn't have grumbles from some. There was also the agreement to share information.

It was just the beginning. Those were tender steps. With the Kages, trust was everything. They needed to trust each other before they got deep. Naruto was certain that things would work out. They would work out. Very soon, the Kages would be sitting together and laugh and he would be watching from a background. He would watch them all and anyone who attempted something treacherous would be dealt with.

He had to work on Kurotsuchi but this would be simple. Had she not done what she did, the window of opportunity wouldn't have opened. Naruto was truly glad he had bothered speaking to her. He just had to tread carefully. That woman was overly cautious but he would make it work. He would not be impatient and rush things.

"Everything went well, I hope…" Jiraiya said, standing by the entrance of Naruto's study at the compound.

"Yes…" Naruto said with a nod. "The Kages are still in a meeting discussing a couple of things alone…" the blond added.

Jiriaya smiled. "I'm glad…" he said.

"You look very relieved…" Naruto said. "Oh, you get to keep your life…"

"Do you have a problem with that..?"

Naruto shrugged. "I wouldn't have blinked if you died.' He said carelessly. "But what I know is the dead can't do anything. They can't do things differently. It is only those who are alive that change things."

Perhaps Naruto was right. With being alive, he could continue to do many things. He could work for peace. He could keep all the Kages updated on what was happening within the Elemental Nations. He could be with his beloved students and watch this world change. He had already seen the proposal and if it was agreed upon then the Elemental Nations were heading into a new path.

"Listen Naruto…" Jiraiya started firmly but his voice lost the edge when Naruto stared. "I actually came to say goodbye."

"You'd already said you would leave if things work out."

"Yes but I wanted to say it. I may not feel like family to you, but we have shared many moments together. I still do see you as my godson and will come to see your child…" The Sannin smiled. "I hope it is a boy. I might get to train him or play with him."

Naruto was silent for a few moments before shaking his head. "You're overly excited, Jiraiya." He said. "Nagato should at least be pleased with this development, no?"

Jiraiya looked thoughtful before nodding. "He should but we shall await to see what happens. If the first and second summits happen after the agreement was signed, then we can have reasons to celebrate. For now, we are just hopeful."

Naruto nodded. "My mother is at the Yamanaka flower shop."

Jiraiya nodded. He stared at the blond for a moment. He knew Naruto has been working himself to the bone. And he wasn't using his shadow clones to ease up the burden. The blond was really going to turn up to be a workaholic.

Without saying another, Jiraiya walked away.

With the Sannin gone, Naruto leaned back to his chair and closed his eyes. He fell asleep.

Naruto's eyes flashed open: he saw Yugao standing in front of him, in an Anbu uniform, her mask on her right hand. "The meeting is over… and I was told to inform you that the Mizukage wants to speak with you before she departs."

Naruto nodded. A very unfamiliar tone from Yugao but she was Anbu. She shouldn't expect anything less. "Are you done for the day?"

Yugao nodded.

Naruto motioned for the chair in front of his desk. "I'd been helping fix things with the Kages in preparation for the future, since we have time, let us talk about the future, Yugao."

Yugao's expression softened as she settled down. "I hope it isn't one where you are working day and night as you have been over the past month. I can't compete with papers…"

Naruto managed a small smile. "I have been working hard because I want to free up some of my time." He said. "Mikoto is going to live within the compound with us. We have decided it will be much simpler for things to happen this way for the child."

Yugao stared. She should have expected this. Well, at least she was in this future. Naruto was still trying to restore his clan. He was recently put under laws that govern and facilitate the restoration of a clan. It was common knowledge. She figured it was perhaps even better that she was working once more.

"I heard you were chatting with the Tsuchikage, planning to make her part of your harem?"

Naruto blinked once before shaking his head. "That was for other reasons…" he didn't explain anything and wasn't going to explain even if Yugao asked or begged. "What do you think of this future?"

"Complicated and it's going to be troublesome. I will certainly have arguments in this house but I have been thinking, I can't imagine living my life any different. I knew what I was getting into when I loved you…"

Naruto smiled. "Excellent…" he said. "I'll try not to make it miserable for you."

"I think you are just going to make it miserable on purpose when you say that."

"I'm not that of a bad person…" Naruto said with a small smile. "I know sometimes I can make it difficult but for this family for this clan, I want to do things differently to make it work. If I cannot be the glue that holds everything together, things will fall apart. I'm certain my mother will be crushed."

"You just included your mother on purpose, didn't you?" Yugao said with a stare.

"Who knows?" Naruto said with a shrug. "Mother will always be around, no matter what."

End of story

I'd considered adding one more chapter with Naruto holding his child but I decided to just leave it here. This concludes MK, it was been a long journey. Thank you everyone who has supported this story.

The Omnipresent Sage