I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND/OR THE CHARACTERS

The 4 Virtues of Fire

Kabuto: Well, it seems that we really couldn't have trusted him. Even though I really didn't think that the Leaf Village would resort to such underhanded tactics.

Orochimaru's dead body regurgitates a whole new body. Orochimaru's new body stands up and faces Kabuto.

Orochimaru: You were right to "leak" that bit of information to Jiraiya by leaving you reports around your lab. Too bad, I was beginning to enjoy palling around with Jiraiya again after all these years.

Kabuto: So, what do you plan to do about this?

Orochimaru: Judging by these turn of events, I don't think that there's much that we can do about it ourselves.

Kabuto: What do you mean?

Orochimaru: Jiraiya and Kakashi, the last two members on a mission together. That can only mean one thing.

Kabuto: What's that?

Orochimaru: That they're reforming…

Kabuto: Reforming what?

Orochimaru: …them. We'd better take precaution.

A week later, Tsunade, Gaara, and the other three kages meet at the Kage Summit. Tsunade stands to speak before them.

Tsunade: I'd like to thank you all for meeting like this, I know that things in your villages are a little hectic with The Akatsuki still at large.

Mizukage: Lady Hokage, what exactly do you wish to speak to us about?

Tsunade: Lord Mizukage, as you all know, The Akatsuki have proven to be a threat that no village has been able to deal with.

Gaara: They were even able to capture me.

Mizukage: That could me attributed to you respective villages' methods.

Tsunade: What are you saying?

Tsuchikage: We all know that your villages lack a certain killer instinct, for lack of a better term.

Tsunade: I thought you guys might say something like that, that's why I've come to a decision in the hopes of neutralizing them.

Mizukage: Which is?

Tsunade: I've decided to reform the 4 Virtues.

Gaara: The 4 Virtues?

Tsunade: The 4 Virtues of Fire. In our village, we are guided by the Will of Fire. The Four Virtues are the four guardians of the Will of Fire, whenever there is a threat to the Will of Fire, they'll be there to defend it by whatever means necessary. Given your age, I'm not surprised that you don't know who they are and for that reason, I've brought them here. Come on in.

The Five Great Kages turn to face the sound of a cackling Naruto as he enters through the door, followed by Kakashi and Jiraiya.

Tsunade: As a test, I had them eliminate an old threat name Orochimaru. What is your report?

Naruto continues cackling as he hugs Tsunade and kisses her on the hand.

Naruto: You would've loved it Hokage, Snake Boy fought for his life then Lord Jiraiya came to his "assistance." The Toad Sage came in as only the Toad Sage could and then he cut Orochimaru's throat. The carnage that ensued brought closer to The 4 virtues. Some people call us a ninja squad, some call us a ninja team, I call us a dynasty. The greatest assembly of shinobi in history.

Kakashi: Ever since the Akatsuki came to light, people have been asking me the same question. "When are the Virtues going to get back together?" Well, be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Now, Orochimaru should not hang his head in shame, you were more shinobi than we could've ever believed.

Naruto creates some shadow clones and playfully reenacts their attack on Orochimaru.

Kakashi: You stood against three of the Virtues for as long as you did but the numbers game was just too much, now there are three of us and soon they'll be four.

Jiraiya steps forward making everyone take notice of him.

Jiraiya: Reunited and it feels...

Jiraiya takes Tsunade by the hands and plants a kiss on her collarbone.

Jiraiya: …so good! We've hear the people out there clamorin' for us 'cuz they know that we're the only ones good enough to handle the Akatsuki. Let's look at our rap sheet, we got Naruto, the son of the Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash, the 4th Hokage. Naruto's a man that handled the Kazekage, he handled Kabuto, he let Sasuke Uchiha win because his emotions got the better of him but believe me…

Jiraiya puts his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

Jiraiya: …you ain't gotta worry about that anymore. Then you got Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja, who's taken out Zabuza Momochi, The Demon of The Mist, who's in the Bingo Book of every other shinobi village. Then you got me, the Toad Sage of Mt. Myobokuzan, the student of Hiruzen Sarutobi, The Professor, the Third Hokage. I'm the master of, the already mentioned, Fourth Hokage and Naruto Uzumaki. I'm tellin' ya', Kages, that the world has never seen this much power ever and we're not even at full strength yet. On the subject of Orochimaru, you're like a lot of the women we deal with everyday. We're gonna tell ya' what you want hear and we're gonna do what we came to do. Now, whether the Akatsuki likes it or don't like it, the Virtues will be around ready to go to work.

Naruto cackles as the three of them disappear from the meeting.

Tsunade: The four of you can rest assured that with them taking the lead on this, the Akatsuki will be dealt with appropriately.

Tsunade and Gaara left, discussing future dealings between their villages whiles the rest of the Kages talk amongst themselves.

Tsuchikage: Do you think that her plan will succeed?

Raikage: All that I can tell you is that the last time the Four Virtues where active, they completely rendered all of our tactics useless. There was nothing that we could do about them, they even defeated by brother, Killa Bee.

Tsuchikage: Well, just in case, we'd better step up our villages just in case because this could prove to be a problem for our villages.

Raikage: What do you mean?

Tsuchikage: At best, they take out Akatsuki and they just take all of our business as shinobi and at worst, she could set them on us after the Akatsuki.

Raikage: Hhm, why are you so quiet Mizukage?

Mizukage: Just thinking, that things are about to get interesting.

As the Mizukage leaves the summit, he sits in his carriage and contemplates the recent turn of events.

Mizukage: (thinking) This could prove to be very problematic to my plans.

Back in the Leaf Village, the 4 Virtues are trying to decide on who their fourth member should be.

Jiraiya: Remember, we need to come to a unanimous decision on this, fellas. How 'bout it?

Naruto: How 'bout Shikamaru?

Kakashi: He's smart enough, but he couldn't handle our lifestyle.

Naruto: Our lifestyle, right.

Naruto remembers back to when he joined the virtues. Flashback, Jiraiya leads Naruto into the hokage's office to find Kakashi standing with Tsunade.

Tsunade: Good of you to come.

Naruto: What's up, Granny?

Tsunade: Stop calling me that. I've called you here because I've decided to take drastic measures regarding the Akatsuki, I've decided to reform the 4 Virtues of Fire.

Naruto: The 4 Virtues of Fire, what's that?

Tsunade: Not what, they. They're sort of like the Mist Village's Seven Shinobi Swordsman of the Mist, they're four most powerful shinobi in the village not called hokage.

Naruto: Why do you call them the 4 Virtues?

Tsunade: We call them the 4 Virtues because they each represent one of the 4 different aspects to fire which are flare, steadiness, spark, and relentlessness. For example, Jiraiya's fire burns with flare that can't be ignored and Kakashi's fire burns steady and with purpose. They've decided to bring you in.

Naruto: Why?

Jiraiya: Because you have a certain spark that can explode into an inferno at any moment.

Naruto: Well, what about the fourth Virtue?

Kakashi: We haven't decided on that, yet. Don't worry, though, we three will be enough for now.

Jiraiya: Remember, though, this isn't like any other team you've been on. You've got to be a ruthless, cutthroat bastard willing to do anything to get the job done. Can you do that?

Naruto puts his hands on the back of his head, after a few seconds of thinking Naruto flashes his fox like grin and shoots them a thumbs up.

Naruto: Believe it!

Jiraiya: You can start by not doing that again. Now, I think it's time for us to relax a little.

Kakashi: I think we do need a bath.

Naruto looks at the both of his masters, curious as to why they're so excited about taking a bath. Naruto soon finds out where the excitement was as the tree of them are in the Leaf Village hot spring surrounded by some of the most beautiful women in the Leaf Village.

Jiraiya: So, how have you ladies been?

Girl #1: We've been so bored with out you, please don't leave us again, Lord Jiraiya. It doesn't matter where or how long I go, I'm gonna be yours for a long time, girls.

Naruto, in his inexperience with the opposite sex, sits nervously off in the corner.

Girl #2: Hey, what's with your friend over there?

Jiraiya: Oh, that's Naruto, he's a student of Kakashi and me. He's just a little nervous because he hasn't, let's just say, been to the Promised Land, yet.

A couple of the girls look at Naruto like he was on the menu.

Girl #3: So, he's still fresh?

Girl #4: Well, that's how I like 'em.

The two girls take a nervous Naruto to a private room in the hot spring. Naruto returns to find Jiraiya drinking sake with two girls and Kakashi with another girl discussing the latest installment of the Make-Out series.

Kakashi: You ever done page 60?

Girl #5: Yeah, with you, silly?

Kakashi: That's right. What about page 97?

Girl# 5: I was planning for us to do that later.

Jiraiya and Kakashi notice Naruto with a different look on his face than before.

Jiraiya: There he is, Kakashi.

Kakashi: Look at him, he looks like he on top.

The two girls walk in behind Naruto, they both embrace him and give him a kiss on the cheek.

Girl #3: He was a second ago.

End flashback.

Naruto: I got one!

Naruto tells them who he thinks should be the fourth member.

Jiraiya: What, him?

Kakashi: Naruto, you can't be serious.

Naruto: Trust me, this guys and me are rivals and he's not gonna let me out do him. He's got the relentless thing down too because if I'm a Virtue, he's gonna give it his all. So, what do you think?

Kakashi and Jiraiya look at each other.

Jiraiya: Well, we'll bring him in and give him a look and if everything checks out, he'll be the fourth.