Hokage no Isan Chapter 29, a naruto fanfic

I don't care how many peole try to kill me, NOTHING change my opinion that MGS4 is the greatest game currently available, and ever available on the market.

I can oly hope I become half as good as Kojima sensei with plot-twists.

That said, the journey begins, and sorry to those that asked Yanagi to be included, but I've something else palnned for the others.

Enter the Akatsuki; the shark and the weasel!

"Sayonara, Kaa-san!" Two voices called out, The Hanabishi brothers and Domon waving over their shoulders at Kagero and Reiran as they left. Recca was rubbing his cheek, blushing at the feeling Yanagi's kiss had left there as a good luck charm. Domon was doing the same, but from where Fuko had slapped him for trying to get a kiss from her.

'At least she told me to come back safe.' The giant thought glumly, not having seen the look of concern in her eyes as he left.

Naruto was about to console the giant when he spotted someone in the bushes, someone with a VERY familiar blue haircut. "Hinata?" he wondered, blinking as the girl squeaked and tried to hide deeper into the shrubbery. "What are you doing in the hedges?" he asked, stepping closer to them in confusion.

"A-ano…" the shy girl stepped out, looking mortified, her fingers twitching, "n-no reason…"

Recca and Domon smirked at each other and began to whistle off key, walking off towards the end of the garden, the two somehow sporting curled moustaches. "What a beautiful day, wouldn't you say Mr. Ishijima?" Recca asked in an Oxford English voice, hands held behind his back.

"Indeed Mr. Hanabishi, indeed." Domon replied, curling his moustache "The sun is shining, the birds are singing…"

Naruto stared at his teammates, completely ignorant of what they were implying. Unfortunately, or fortunately if you consider things carefully, Hinata's skull wasn't as dense as her beloved's, and she was redder than a tomato as a result of the indirect teasing. "You okay Hinata?" the blonde asked, touching her forehead, "You look a little warm there."

Hinata almost died as she felt his palm touch her forehead, but valiantly stood her ground. "Ano…I heard you were going on another training trip," she stuttered, "I wanted to see you before you left…this time…"

Naruto blinked as she fidgeted, trying to avoid looking him in the eyes. "That's nice of you, Hinata." He said, smiling, "I really appreciate it."

"Ano…" The Hyuuga heiress blushed and smiled shyly "how long are you going to be away this time?"

"We're tracking down some girl for the elders," Naruto replied with a shrug "could be a few weeks, maybe a few months." The girl sagged, looking depressed, which Naruto didn't miss. "Hey, cheer up." He said, putting a hand under chin and smiling at her startled look. "Tell ya what, I'll bring you back something, 'kay?"

Hinata nodded dumbly, then flushed, looking away. "A-arigatou…Naruto-kun…"

Naruto smiled at the girl, before blinking in confusion. "Hey Hinata…did you grow your hair out?" he asked.

She blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. "Um…I was still in hospital for a while," she stammered, "and missions have been picking up so I haven't had time too get it cut…"

"Y'know," the blonde cut in, touching his chin thoughtfully, "it looks cute when you let it grow out."

Hinata's heart stopped at those words.

"I mean it," the blonde continued, "really cute! You should wear your hair long more often." He grinned, "You'll have to beat 'em off with a stick in a few years!"

The Hyuuga girl stared in shock as her idol, however unwittingly, proceeded to compliment her without knowing he was.

"Say," Naruto suddenly asked snapping his fingers in thought, "When I get back, do you wanna come with me to Ichiraku's to celebrate?" Hinata stuttered and looked ready to pass out, before squeaking out a barely intelligible affirmative. "GREAT!" Naruto replied, giving her a hug before dashing after his teammates, "See ya when I get back!"

As the blonde turned to dash after his friends, he didn't notice the form of Hyuuga Hinata, passed out on the floor, a look of pure contentment on her face. Inside the shy Hyuuga's mind, she was reveling in her success at having attained Nirvana through happiness.

Kagero sighed from her position in the shadows, before scooping the heiress into her arms and heading towards the house, calling Reiran to fetch the smelling salts.

Recca and Domon's grins were confusing Naruto to no end, and he would have asked them what was so damn funny if Jiraiya hadn't shown up, looking worried. "Well, come on boy's!" he yelped, dashing past them, "Time's a wasting!"

The trio blinked, wondering what had lit a fire beneath the old fart, before they heard the telltale signs of running feet, heralding a veritable stampeded of angry women hurtling towards their position.

"Those three are with the pervert!" one yelled, wielding a frying pan like it was some sort of siege weapon.

"STRING 'EM UP!" Half the mob demanded. "CHOP THEIR BALLS OFF!" the other half cried.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Naruto yelled, dashing off, Domon and Recca shrieking like little schoolgirls and following the blonde, the trio having spotted a familiar purple haired Kunoichi right at the very front of the pack.

It took three hours to lose the mob of women, another two to finally ditch Anko, and a good ten minutes on top of that to finally track down Jiraiya, who was peeping at an onsen like nothing had happened.

Needless to say, there was much kicking and punching in the sennin's immediate future after that.

"You didn't need to kick me THAT hard!" Jiraiya muttered, cracking his spine back into place with a grunt.

"Fourteen snakes!" Domon roared, most definitely put out, "FOURTEEN! And ten of them were freaking cobras!"

"What were the other ones?" Jiraiya asked inquisitively, looking interested despite himself.

"Anacondas." Recca muttered, shivering at the feel they'd left on his skin before he could shunshin away. Naruto was wiping his sword, grimacing as the snake blood came off it stubbornly.

Jiraiya had the decency to look abashed, but not enough to apologize. "Anyway," he muttered, shouldering his pack, "let's get going shall we?" The trio grumbled and fell into step alongside the man who smirked.

'How nostalgic is this?' he muttered, 'A three man cell all over again…haven't had one since the good old days with Arashi, Noriko and Suzuka.' He closed his eyes in glee, remembering how he'd pass the blame for his perverted deeds over to his loyal student, watching in sympathy as his two female students pummeled the poor sap into the ground. 'Good times.'

"Oi…Ero-sennin." Naruto called out lazily, after they had been on the road for some time, "Who's this lady we're going to pick up?"

Letting the Ero-sennin bit slide, Jiraiya grinned, "I'll tell you when we get to the next town." He promised.

Domon muttered darkly as he tried to get the feeling of snake slime out of his thoughts, blushing slightly at the view he'd gotten when the sadistic kunoichi had flipped over them to attack from above. 'She's kinda like an older version of Fuko-chan.' the giant mumbled, and then shivered in horror at the thought of the two meeting up.

At the first town they arrived at, a good half-day's walk from Konoha, the trio found themselves in front of an inn, surrounded on all sides by bars, brothels and casinos.

'Weird place.' Naruto thought, though Recca and Domon briefly wondered if this was what Vegas was like.

"Oi! Brats!" Jiraiya called out, pointing over his shoulder, "We're staying here!" The trio nodded and shouldered their packs, just as something caught the sennin's gaze, causing them to look round.

A rather beautiful young woman brushed a lock of hair out of her face and eyed them, her dress showing off a figure to die for. All four males reacted in similar fashion, wide mouthed grins and slight drooling, eyes blank.

'What a looker!' Recca thought, flushing scarlet.

'I hope Fuko grows up to look like that!' Domon begged, steam coming out of his ears and nose with a whistling sound.

'Homina-homina!' Naruto squawked, doing a decent imitation of Hinata as the woman winked at them coyly.

'My pulse has sped up!' Jiraiya mentally squealed, before shaking his head rapidly to clear it "Naruto! Domon! Recca!" he called out, voice full of enough authority to make a mountain stand to attention. As the trio turned to face him though, he grabbed the blonde's hands and placed the key there, trembling with excitement. "Here's the room key," he said, pointing up the steps, "go on up and refine your chakra exercises."

The trio blinked and sweatdropped as the letch skipped off with the girl in toe. 'Goddamn sleazy bastard.' They thought together, squelching any thoughts of jealousy at the sight of the old letch's antics.

Sasuke dashed through the forest, a look of fury across his features. 'He's here' he hissed, teeth bared in a feral snarl, 'and he's after Naruto…'

The avenger growled as he dashed forwards, the stump of his right arm trembling at the mention of the blonde's name, some buried emotion propelling him forwards as he tried to get to the blonde teen before HE did.

'Itachi!'

Recca and Domon had decided to go off and explore, whilst Naruto stayed at the hotel and meditated. "Mom's teacher's a perv." He muttered, sitting in his mindscape, playing shogi with his father.

"I'm a fox demon Naruto," Kyuubi replied with a snort, "the stuff he writes is no more than a children's book to me."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and moved a piece, "Really?" he wondered, eyeing the fox in disbelief.

Kyuubi smirked, moving another piece across the board with a superior air. "Who's family do you think wrote the Karma Sutra?" he bragged, before frowning, "Come to think of it, you human's seemed to have lost most of it…there should be ten times more content…if what father said was true…"

Naruto sweatdropped, "Dad…I really don't need to hear about your," he shivered, "Youthful escapades."

The Youko snorted and moved another piece, "Regardless of his perversity, Jiraiya isn't known as the strongest of the Sanin for nothing." He frowned at the blonde before him, "And don't forget, his tutelage DID allow that blonde baboon to become Hokage."

Naruto frowned and placed a particular piece a little more violently than was necessary, causing the board to jump slightly. He looked up suddenly as he felt his ears twitch, sighing resignedly. "Someone's knocking at the door," he muttered, "I gotta go check." He stood up and smirked, "I know the pattern on the board dad, don't try anything."

Kyuubi huffed as his son faded away, looking affronted. "Like I REALLY need to cheat to beat him." The demon muttered, palming the other stones in his sleeve.

Naruto grumbled as he sat up, listening to the knocking on the door. "Alright!" he yelled, "Keep your pants on, sheesh!" He opened the door and glared upwards, "Dammit! I thought I told you we didn't want room...service…"

The blonde blinked at the sight of the man gazing down at him with a pair of spinning sharingan, his leaf Hitai-ate split by a horizontal slash. 'Sasuke?' he wondered briefly, before frowning as he took in the man's appearance, 'No, the face is different…plus Sasuke didn't have those weird wrinkles.'

"Hey," a gruff voice called out, "is this kid really the Kyuubi?"

Naruto flinched, and then gawked at the massive, shark faced man that stood behind the obvious Uchiha.

"Naruto-kun." The smaller man muttered, catching the blonde's attention "We would like you to come with us." He stepped back slightly to clear the doorway, "Come out of the room." He ordered, tone low and authoritative.

Naruto shivered slightly, taking in the situation carefully. 'This guy,' he muttered, eyeing the leaf-nin, 'if he's an Uchiha then he's got to be at least jounin level.' He winced slightly, 'And he already caught me with his eyes, so I can't take any risks.'

Slowly, as if testing the waters, Naruto entered the hallway, left hand gripping his katana sheath tightly, as he kept his eyes on the Uchiha's feet as he'd practiced.

"Itachi-san, we're behind schedule." The shark man drawled in an accent that sounded similar to Zabuza's, reaching for handle of the bandaged weapon on his back. "We don't need him running off on us," he added, "should I chop off a leg?"

Naruto flinched and moved into a ready stance as he eyed the man, flicking his gaze to the Uchiha's hands and feet. For a while, the man called Itachi said nothing, before lifting his head, staring straight ahead.

"It's been a while…Sasuke."

Naruto blinked at the man's words, looked behind the duo and cursed at the sight of the one-armed avenger.

"Yare-yare," The shark man muttered, "this is the second time today I've seen another Sharingan." He nodded his head slightly towards his partner, "And he seems so familiar with you…who is he?"

"Uchiha Sasuke." The older Uchiha replied calmly, pausing for a few moments, as if for effect "My Outoto."

Naruto shook with surprise at the man's words; before letting his eyes run over the two brothers carefully. 'Freaky,' he mumbled, blinking at a sudden memory from the not so distant past.

'Wait, I thought Sasuke's whole clan was wiped out…' He paused suddenly, before frowning as the pieces finally fell into place. 'I get it, betrayal from within.' He eyed the older Uchiha cautiously, 'So this is the guy that Sasuke wants to kill.'

"I've been waiting to say this to you…" Sasuke muttered, glaring at his brother's exposed back, fingers clenched "I've lived hating you," he growled, "my sole purpose in life is to kill you…" Electrical energy gathered in the avenger's palm as he finished his one handed seals. "I'VE LIVED FOR THIS!"

Itachi turned round to stare impassively at his younger brother, face devoid of emotion. "…Chidori?" he noted, recognizing Kakashi's technique. "Not bad," he admitted, "but you are still handicapped."

"UOOOOOOO!!"

Sasuke lunged forwards, tearing up the walls as he passed, charging right at the older Uchiha. Itachi was about to intervene when something shot past him and nailed the charging avenger right between the eyes, sending him sprawling backwards, the Chidori dying down. 'A katana?' the Elder Uchiha thought, puzzled, as the weapon landed on the floor, blade first and sticking upwards.

Kisame blinked and turned to the blonde, who was pointing his now empty sheathe at the one armed teen. "Hiryusen." Naruto muttered, lowering the sheath and holding it as he would a drawn sword.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Sasuke yelled lividly, sitting up using his only arm as a prop, "He's my opponent! Don't interfere!"

"Urusei, Bakayaro!" Naruto yelled in reply, not impressed in the least by the Uchiha's machismo. "You've only got one frigging arm!" he pointed out, "You can't get more handicapped than that in a fight!" He pointed at an intrigued Itachi, careful not to meet his eyes. "And even if, and that's a big IF mind you," he pointed out, glaring at his teammate, "you DID manage to kill this guy, the Chidori would have put you in the perfect position for 'Jaws' here to rip your swollen head off!"

Sasuke swore, but saw the logic in the blonde's statement. Climbing to his feet stubbornly, the Avenger glared murderously at his brother, trying to make him combust due to sheer willpower.

'The boy is smart.' Itachi noted, running a casual eye over the Jinchuuriki, before turning, to the side, almost lazily, to avoid a kunai to the chest courtesy of his 'foolish' little brother. 'Still too temperamental for your own good.' He muttered internally, turning to face the charging teen.

"DIE ITACHI!" the younger Uchiha roared, lunging forwards, a kunai clenched in his fist. The older Uchiha's expression didn't change as he spun round to face his brother, grabbing the teen's wrist with remarkable ease.

"You're in the way." Itachi muttered coldly, just before Sasuke's shrieks filled the hallway as his wrist was snapped in two.

Naruto growled and moved to help his teammate before the shark-man blocked the way, grinning toothily at the blonde. "Uh-uh," Kisame chastised, "lets let the brothers speak for a while."

Naruto growled again, watching helplessly as Itachi sent Sasuke flying with a kick to the ribs. Sasuke got to his feet, yelling with rage despite the blood flowing down the side of his mouth.

"COME ON!"

Itachi complied by ramming his knee into the teen's midriff, causing him to double over gasping, before landing a blow to the neck with his elbow, which was swiftly followed by a knee to the chin.

'Just what the hell have I been doing up till now?!' Sasuke howled internally, as his brother's fist rammed into his abused midriff, causing him to collapse in a heap at the traitor's feet.

Itachi grabbed his brother by the neck and slammed him into the wall; face as emotionless as when Naruto first saw him. "You're weak." he muttered emotionlessly, causing the teen to look at him, "Why are you so weak?"

Sasuke spat out a mouthful of blood, ready to reply, only to blink as his world abruptly changed, the colours an inverted black and white.

"For the next 24 hours," his brother's voice echoed, "you will relive that day."

Naruto winced as Sasuke's tortured screams shattered the air, eyeing the two men carefully, 'Genjutsu?' he wondered, 'Has to be, he doesn't seem to be using his other hand…'

"Itachi-san," Kisame called out, "I recommend you don't use those eyes of yours too often today…" he trailed off as Naruto lunged past him, making for his sword. The missing-nin smirked, looking decidedly gleeful at the brat's action. "No choice now!" he yelled, hefting his bandaged weapon eagerly, "Gotta chop off a leg!"

The shark man swung the Samehada down, only to be blocked by a very familiar blade in mid-swing.

'What the-Kubikiri Houcho?!'

Kisame stared in shock at the blade, before growling at the large teen holding it.

"Oi, squirt" Domon grunted, blocking the shark man's weapon with his own, "who're the freaks?"

Naruto grinned as he pulled his sword out of the floor, "Dunno about Jabber-jaw there, but the bad-ass who's torturing Sasuke is the idiot's older brother."

Domon grunted and tightened his grip on the blade, eyeing the mist Nin cautiously. 'This guy's strong,' he muttered 'WAY stronger than Zabuza was by far.'

"Kisama…" Kisame growled, baring his teeth menacingly at the teen, "Where did you get that sword?"

Domon blinked at the anger in the missing-nin's eyes, before smirking. "What's it to ya fish face?" he mocked.

Kisame snarled and used his strength to push the blades down, before attempting to swipe at the giant, only to be blocked again. 'Kid's good,' he conceded, eyeing the giant appraisingly, 'using one hand to hold the blade, bracing it with another.' He smirked, displaying all of his shark-like teeth, 'And no-one's managed to block a blow from me like that.'

"Domon!" Naruto called out, as he prepared to help Sasuke, "Where's Recca Aniki?"

Before the giant could reply, a hail of fireballs launched themselves at Itachi from the left corridor, causing him to drop his brother on the floor and wheel round to face the newest threat.

"You called?" Recca asked, Nadare's fireballs floating over his open palm, the faint image of the Karyuu hovering behind him.

Itachi frowned, intrigued by the floating flames. 'My sharingan can't seem to copy his technique' he muttered, eyebrow rising in interest, 'a new Kekkei Genkai?'

"DAN EN!"

The older Uchiha leapt further away, deflecting the fireballs that managed to come close by utilizing a rapidly performed Housenka, only to scowl as he heard the telltale signs of one of Jiraiya's noisy entrances.

"I, Jiraiya-sama, the epitome of manliness, cannot be tricked by the feminine wiles of women!" the sennin hefted the girl from earlier over his shoulder, as if to prove his point, smirking as he copped a feel in the process. "I need only flash that sexiness to cause women to fall at my feet!"

The assorted ninja stared at the man like he was an idiot, which he most likely was if you took all things into account. "This coming from the letch that scampered after her like a dog in heat?" Recca muttered, looking annoyed.

"Or like a horny baboon?" Domon added, a deadpan expression on his face as Naruto covered his eyes and shook his head exasperatedly.

"Quit trying to look cool, Ero-sennin." the blonde muttered, causing Itachi to raise an eyebrow and Kisame to let off a snort of amusement.

Jiraiya twitched and set the girl down gently, pointedly ignoring his charges. "Using the sharingan to cast a genjutsu on the woman," he muttered, "not very manly of you Itachi." The sennin stood up to his full height and glared at the in-expressive Uchiha. "So I was right," he deduced, "you WERE after Naruto."

The trio flinched and eyed the two missing-nins; ready to tussle if need be, only for them to blink in shock as Itachi sighed. "No wonder Kakashi was so well informed." the Uchiha rationalized calmly, "YOU were the source of information."

The trio flinched, 'Kakashi-sensei? Did he fight these guys?' they thought in tandem, fear for their perverted sensei filling their heads as Itachi nodded solemnly.

"To abduct Naruto," he relayed, "those were the orders given to us by the higher echelons of our organization; Akatsuki."

The trio flinched again, before scowling at the missing Nins closest to them. "You aren't getting Naruto." Domon growled as he continued to block Kisame, getting right into the amused mist nin's face.

Recca growled and summoned more fireballs, eyeing Itachi like a pissed off salamander. "Anyone that tries lays a finger on my Outoto," he growled, "better be prepared to pull back a blackened stump where their arm used to be!"

Itachi eyed the assembled genin warily for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "Kisame," he called out "we may have to retreat." He turned his gaze to his partner, "The conditions are unfavorable."

Kisame growled, before disappearing and reappearing next to his partner. "Dammit," the shark-man cursed, "I hate to run."

"You're not going anywhere!" Jiraiya yelled out, slamming through a series of seals, before placing his hands on the floor of the hallway. To the genins' shock, the walls of the inn took on a flesh like appearance, actually dripping with saliva and corrosive liquids, causing Domon to yelp as some landed on his head, evaporating a strand of hair.

"Ninpou: Gamaguchi Shibari." The sennin called out, hands placed on the 'floor' as he smirked at the Akatsuki members. "Too bad, Itachi…Kisame…you're already inside my stomach!" As the collective Nins stared in shock, the sennin decided to elaborate. "I summoned the esophagus of an Iwagama from the toad mountain inn," he bragged, eyes shining with presumed victory, "prepare to be digested!"

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!" Recca shrieked, eyes widening at the sennin's words as he spazzed out.

"I'M TOO YOUNG AND HANDSOME TO BE DIGESTED!" Domon yelled, arms flailing about like limp spaghetti.

"I CAN'T BECOME A HOKAGE IF I'M TOAD TURD!" Naruto cried, looking decidedly panicked.

The older shinobi sweatdropped, wondering where the hell the somber mood had gone. "BAKAYAROS! CALM DOWN!" Jiraiya bellowed over the noise, smirking as they complied. "Stay still," he assured them, "it's my jutsu, and only I can decided what it can digest!"

Itachi scowled and made to run, "Come, Kisame!"

The shark man growled, shooting a dirty look at Domon before following, yanking his sword out of the fleshy material.

"No-one can escape from me here!" Jiraiya called out, willing the walls to extend after the pair, only to blink in shock and dash round the corner.

"What's up?" the Naruto called out, dashing to catch up alongside Recca and Domon, blinking in surprise at what he saw.

The Duo had vanished, a massive hole in the wall, surrounded by black flames, was the only sign of their passing.

Itachi panted as he ran, sweat dripping down his face from exhaustion. "That sword," the elder Uchiha brother commented, "was it not your apprentice's?" he asked, earning a nod from his partner.

"I last heard he was planning to retake Kirigakure through another coup." Kisame muttered, putting those thoughts to the back of his head. "Still," he asked, eyeing the Uchiha prodigy, "are you sure we should've retreated?"

Itachi nodded, looking more exhausted by the minute. "Naruto-kun can wait," he allotted, "but after using Tsukuyomi…followed by Amaterasu…" The Uchiha's sharingan slowly deactivated, revealing tired onyx eyes. "I need to rest…"

Jiraiya gazed at the scroll that he'd used to seal the black flames, frowning deeply in thought. 'He burned through the Iwagama's stomach using this,' he muttered, 'I better analyze this later.' The bear of a sennin tapped his sandal into the 'floor' and the flesh receded as if it had never existed, revealing the limp form of Sasuke.

"Man, he don't look so good." Domon muttered, waving a hand in front of the avenger's unresponsive face."

Jiraiya was about to make a snide comment about the giant's own appearance when he sensed movement behind him. He deftly stepped to the side, avoiding a Kunai that imbedded itself in the wall, staring at it in bewilderment before whirling around in surprise.

"What the-?!" Recca called out, just as something collided with Jiraiya's face with the force of a meteor, sending the sennin sprawling backwards.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" a vision in green yelled, before blinking, Maito Gai coming into focus as his oversized eyebrows quirked in confusion, "Eh? Jiraiya-sama? What are you doing down there?"

Jiraiya just couldn't seem to muster the effort to throttle the man and so settled for lying in a smoking, twitching heap on the floor.

After Gai profusely apologized for the twentieth time for kicking Jiraiya in the face, much to the trio's amusement, he got serious. "Kakashi is in the same state," the jounin admitted, eyeing the prone form of Sasuke seriously "he's lying unresponsive in bed, despite having the sharingan to counter the jutsu."

Recca flinched, shaking his head in disbelief at the situation. "Man…are all the Uchiha fucked up in the head?" he wondered aloud, looking up at the jounin for confirmation. Gai didn't know how to respond, so he opted to change the subject, sighing as he gazed wistfully at the sky.

"If only SHE were still in Konoha…" the taijutsu specialist muttered "She could heal our stricken comrades with a mere touch!"

"That's why these brats are with me," Jiraiya boasted, smirking at the shocked jounin with a superior look, which completely failed to impress since the imprint of the Gai's sole was still plastered across his face, "We're going to bring her back!"

In a city far away, a blonde haired woman sneezed, before entering her hotel room, carrying a briefcase full of money, which she opened on the bed.

"HIIII!!" her attendant yelled, holding an arm before her as if to ward off the sight of the money, "I-Impossible! T-That money?!"

"We're borrowing it!" the blonde woman announced, a smirk on her face, as she thrust her arms out wide, "Yeah! I bear the sign for 'Kake' on my back! I am Tsunade-Hime!" She grinned confidently at her dubious assistant as she patted the green haori on her back confidently. "With this, we can overturn any defeat!"

And so the first encounter with the Akatsuki is concluded, it'll be three years before we see them again so keep your pants on.

Also, those wondering whether or not the team will have problems getting Tsunade to come back, do you even have to ask?

Kyugan: Right, obligatory rant concluded, time for some mindless violence.

(Snaps fingers, Kakashi is suspended from the ceiling like a pinata, arms tied behind his head.)

Kakashi:...(Comatose)...

Kyugan: As you know, Kaka-baka has been getting some downtime recently due to the exam and subsequent invasion. (Holds up a beam katana) That ends today, Nemy? would you do the honours?

Nemesis: Caaaandyyyy...

Kakashi:...(Still comatose, whimpering noise)...

R&R, or no candy!