I DON"T OWN NARUTO... there I said it...

Chapter 3: Information

Naruto clones ran around the Hyuga clan complex, trying to clean up after the reception. Hundreds of Narutos scrubbed away the pools of blood that had left large stains in the hard wood floors. It would be a reminder for ages to come of the atrocities of the Akatsuki. The real Naruto knelt upside down on the ceiling, cleaning up the remains of an unfortunate ninja. Why would they choose to attack me now? Do they know about the Kyuubi? The first was obviously trying to kill me, and the second group tried to capture me… their strategy has changed and I can't find a reason why. Naruto was lost in his thoughts as he tried to lessen the stain of the blood on the wood. Will it ever stop? Those ninja… they could have been the brothers and fathers of people I don't even know, but they tried to hurt my family because of the Akatsuki… I need to put an end to this. If I don't then they will keep coming after me, and I will not risk Hinata like that! It is time I finished those bastards off! Naruto was scrubbing the wood hard enough to make a groove in it. Hinata watched as her husband's movements became more and more frantic.

"Naruto…"

"Yeah." Naruto didn't stop.

"I think that spot is clean…" Naruto finally saw what had become of the beam he had been cleaning. It was visibly thinner then the rest. He looked at his now splinter filled and bloody hand. In seconds the wounds were gone and the splinters fell out on their own. Naruto sighed. Damn it. If only that fox had never shown up. But then I probably wouldn't be the person that Hinata loves… Naruto smiled down from his place above Hinata. Nah, I'll take this life. I just need to get rid of the ones who would hurt her. Naruto fell down from the ceiling and landed on his feet in front of Hinata. She looked worried.

"Is something wrong, Hinata?"

"N… no, I am fine, Naruto. I was worried about you. What were you thinking about?"

"… Oh, it was nothing…"

"Naruto…" Hinata looked down at the floor. "We are married now, you can trust me…" Naruto suddenly realized exactly what he had just done. No, I have to tell her. She deserves to know.

"Sorry Hinata. I didn't mean it like that… I was thinking about how everything has changed for the worse. Not that we got married, because that is a good change. A very good change. I was thinking about how the Akatsuki's strategies have changed. How they are going to keep after me until either I die or they get me. I don't think that they can get the Kyuubi anymore, but they probably don't know that. Someone needs to take them out for good if we are to have any sort of lasting peace."

"You are the perfect man for the job, Naruto." Hinata hugged her husband. She loved him unconditionally. If he wanted to confide in her, she would support him. "If anyone would be capable of getting rid of a clan of S-ranked ninjas out to kill him it would be you. You know that is one of the reasons why I love you so much." Naruto enveloped his bride in a kiss.

"I need to go to the interrogation tonight. Information might come up that can lead me to the Akatsuki."

"Just promise me… you won't go after them alone." Naruto kept smiling but inside he was in turmoil. If anyone went with me they would just get hurt… but for Hinata…

"I promise." Hinata smiled again, this time at the sheer joy of being with Naruto. She began to blush. "Hinata, are you ever going to not blush when I am with you?" Naruto laughed at that. "I know I said you are beautiful when you do that, but you are when you don't too." Hinata couldn't help but love him.

"Naruto, I don't know if I will ever stop blushing around you, but I know that if I do it will just be another part of me you helped change for the better."

"Now Hinata, give yourself some credit. You changed yourself, I mean, you totally smashed that loser today! I didn't do that, you did. You need to realize that I am not the only ninja in my clan anymore. You can say that I helped you change all the time, but it was you who made the change. No one else has made the effort you have to change. You used to be a shy girl that couldn't even talk to me or hope to defeat higher level ninjas. But now you have self confidence. Now you could beat a jonin with your eyes closed. You rock, Hinata. And that is one of the reasons I love you."

"Thank you, Naru."

"No problem, Hina."

"Sir, the two teams sent to Konoha have not reported back. Kisame reported seeing them being wiped out by the Kyuubi container in a very mysterious way. It appears as if he not only defeated Itachi, but Orochimaru by skill. No luck involved."

"… are there anymore takers on the… bounty…"

"Two ninjas, S-rank in the bingo book, have applied for the job. They are both members of the seven legendary mist swordsmen."

"… give… them the information they need… offer double for live capture…"

"Yes sir."

"… why have you not left yet…"

"There was one other thing about the Kyuubi container, sir. It appears that the vessel has married a ninja from his village."

"…what?"

"The vessel performed a marriage ceremony with a young woman."

"… interesting… a demon being loved… no… the people of Konoha must be attempting to breed his power…"

"Sir?"

"Go… do as I say…"

"Yes, sir!"

Naruto arrived at ANBU headquarters late in the evening. He was guided by two masked ninja into a sealed room. Only two people were in this room as he entered. The door was immediately shut and sealed behind him. Tsunade and Jiriya turned to face him as he stepped towards the pitiful figures in front of him. Three men in Akatsuki robes were tied by their necks to the ceilings, walls and floors. The rope was made to absorb chakra, just enough to keep the captured at near death level. On one side knelt the man Naruto had knocked unconscious at is wedding. The other side held the man Naruto had spared from death at the reception. In the middle, in a chair bolted to the floor, was a man with one leg and no arms. A blindfold covered his eyes, assuring that his last remaining ability was never put in use again.

"Uchiha Itachi… I see you lived through the injuries I gave you."

"Yes." Tsunade stepped forward to interrogate him.

"Any desire to tell us where your main headquarters are?"

"No."

"Well, if you won't I can assure you that these two on either side of you will."

"They are not members of the Akatsuki. They won't know."

"Hmm… are you so sure of that. After you disappeared they have changed their tactics."

"No mere criminal would be given the information that you seek."

"So you say…" The two on either side of Itachi tried to back away from Naruto. They had no idea that this kid was strong enough to do that to Itachi Uchiha. Naruto stepped up to the bomber from that morning.

"You. Why did you attack us?"

"You ain't getting shit out of me." The man sneered. The kid might be tough, but these simple folks would never kill a prisoner.

"Really, what if I told you that if you don't tell me everything you know, that I would kill you."

"You wouldn't kill me."

"Really? Willing to bet on that?"

"I'd bet my life on it."

"I'll take that bet, then." Naruto instantly released his genjutsu, revealing his true form. Jiriya fell to the ground in shock. He had thought something like this might have happened. The blood dripping out of nowhere had been a hint that Naruto was hiding something, but this was… unreal. Naruto stood before the now afraid ninja at his full six foot two height. His hair now had silver tips, as did the nine tails that were whipping around like they had their own will. A few of the tails had red tips, which Jiriya assumed was the blood of the ninjas with large holes in their chests. Naruto's ears were pointed, and his eyes were slit. His nails on his hands and feet had extended and become as sharp as an excellent kunai. Naruto was now only inches away from the man's face.

"So, one chance, what do you know?"

"I… I… won't tell you anything!"

"Wrong answer." Naruto cleaved the man's head from his shoulders to the amazement of everyone in the room. Tsunade spoke up. "Naruto, calm down."

"Calm down? Oh, sure. I'll calm down. I am calm right now. I just killed that guy with perfect calmness. Let's just call it animal instinct that when someone attempts to hurt what I love, I end the threat."

"He wasn't a threat, Naruto."

"Well, he isn't anymore…" Naruto's whisker marks on his face grew a little less pronounced. "Sorry…" Naruto then looked at the other ninja, the one from the reception. "You, do you want to bet your life also?"

"No! Please don't kill me! I have a wife and a daughter!" The man was weeping, knowing in his heart that he was as good as dead. He had never seen a demon, but he knew that what was before him was as close as they came.

"You… you were that one…"

"Huh? Still want to fight? Well, I can't say I feel like obliging you… you are too pretty for me to kill. But, on the other hand, what kind of man would I be if I didn't take advantage of a situation like this…"

"Fool! Stick to the plan!"

"Shut up!" The mist ninja kneed one of the other ninja's in the gut and let his body collapse to the ground. "I do what I damn well please! Now where were we…"

"You were that one that attempted to stop the mist ninja from molesting Hinata. Alright. I have a new deal for you. Because you stood up for my wife in even the smallest way, I will grant you life. Now, if you tell me everything you know about the people who gave you your assignment… we will let you return to your family." Tsunade and Jiriya knew that what Naruto was preposing was very illegal. They kept there mouths shut, though.

"You… you would do that for me? But I can't! If I get free they will find me and kill me and my family!"

"No, they won't. I am going to kill them all as soon as I find them. Any information you have will let me find them faster. As soon as they are destroyed then you will be set free. Technically the only laws you broke were breaking and entering. You didn't kill anyone, didn't even use a jutsu. If you desire, after a period of probation you might even be allowed to become a ninja of Konoha. We don't send ninja's to assassinate people on their wedding day."

"… ok… I will tell you… There was a man. He came to our village dressed in this garb. He was carrying an enormous sword wrapped in bandages. His face… it was not fully human. He offered the pay rate of an S-ranked mission for what he called a "simple bounty". He said that he would pay the person or people who killed a jonin from Konoha an enormous sum of money. If they brought him back alive, then the amount quadrupled. Even with the twenty-one of us, the money split evenly would have been enough for us to retire in luxury for the rest of our lives. I had to take the mission; our town had not been receiving many missions. I agreed, the only requirement to the mission was that we all wear these robes. So we came. And then you destroyed us. Completely."

"The man who gave the mission. Where did he come from and what did his face look like?"

"He said he came from the land of mist, which was strange because he entered our land from the opposite direction, the land of sound. His face, it was strange. He had a bluish face with marks like yours on it. Sharp teeth, all of them. He had a partner with him, now that I remember. He never spoke. His face, was interesting to say the least. It was half pure white and half black. His clothing looked like he had enormous jaws coming over his head. Sometimes we would catch him mumbling to himself, but most of us just thought he was crazy."

"You said they came from sound?"

"Yeah, or that was the land they had just come from when they came to the land of stone."

"Thank you." Naruto activated his genjutsu again, once again becoming the Naruto Jiriya had known for six years. Naruto walked to the door, followed closely by the two sennin. As they came near they heard the ninja on the other side releasing the seals. The door swung open as Naruto reached it, and all three left the room, leaving the two prisoners with a corpse.

"Naruto, I must know. When did… that… happen?" Jiriya had been more then surprised to see his apprentice resembling a fox.

"I happened after I killed Orochimaru."

"Tsunade told me about the fight. But… how?"

"She probably didn't mention that Orochimaru summoned my father to fight me, did she?" Jiriya had most certainly not heard that. He glanced over at the Hokage, who was now frowning in her own thoughts. "No, she didn't…"

"Orochimaru's jutsu made it impossible for me to kill him. He would get hit with a fatal wound, only to repair himself faster and better then Kabuto can. I… I used…"

"You used the Reaper Death Seal…"

"Yes, but when it came for my soul, the Kyuubi… it sacrificed its life for mine."

"In return for taking all of its chakra into you."

"Yeah… wait, how did you know that?"

"Because, Naruto. There was no way that the death god would have been able to take the Kyuubi with its power. The death god is a lesser bijuu then the Kyuubi. The only way what you said happened could happen was if the Kyuubi gave up its status as the Kyuubi, leader of the fox demons. Have you tried summoning anything yet?"

"Yes, once…"

"Let me guess, a fox came instead of a frog."

"Right."

"So my apprentice is the new nine tailed demon lord and future Hokage of Konoha… yep, if things got any weirder Itachi Uchiha would be asking Sakura on a date."

"It could get weirder."

"How?"

"If Sakura agreed to go on the date. Really, I don't mind the change. Hinata likes it. If only it was easier to hold this genjutsu on. I am not great at genjutsu."

"No, you're not."

"Thanks for the encouragement…" Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and playfully hit Jiriya over the head with an invisible tail. Jiriya has knocked into a wall by the strength of the hit. "Oops…" Tsunade had finally finished thinking.

"Naruto, I have an S-rank mission for you. Come to my office tomorrow morning early. Jiriya, you come too… damn it." Jiriya was unconscious and drooling on the floor, mumbling about women.

"Sure thing, Granny Tsunade."

"Stop calling me that!"

"Ok, old lady…" Naruto found himself flying out of the roof of the ANBU headquarters. Man, she sure gets angry over the stupidest things.

Naruto arrived at his home to find all of the lights off except his bedroom's. I almost forgot, I got married today. Naruto smiled as he entered his room to find it occupied. Hinata was sleeping peacefully in her nightgown, smiling in her sleep. I couldn't wake up an angle like that… besides, if I startle her she might juken me in my sleep. Naruto climbed into his bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Naruto, good. You're not late."

"When am I ever late, Tsunade?"

"Literally every other day. Now here is the mission. You are to leave Konoha today, at the earliest possible time, and find and eliminate the Akatsuki threat to Konoha. This mission is yours, but I am requiring that two people go with you. Jiriya and Shizune are coming with you. Jiriya because he is a pain in the ass here most of the time and Shizune because you need to continue your Hokage training if you are to become one. The last spot is up to you." Shizune, who had been listening at the door, burst in and pointed an accusing finger at the Hokage.

"You are just tying to get me out of here so you don't have to do any paper work while I am gone! WHO DO YOU THINK IS GOING TO WAKE YOU UP WITHOUT ME?" Tsunade smiled innocent way before a reasonable answer popped into her head.

"If you don't go, then I guess that I will have to. So I guess you can stay here and do all the paperwork yourself…"

"I'll go!" Jiriya still had a headache from the day before. All this yelling was hurting his brain.

"Naruto… we will be waiting at the town gates in thirty minutes. Be ready." Naruto nodded as he jumped out the window. I wonder who my last teammate should be… actually I don't think I have much of a choice. Hinata would go with me whether I liked it or not.