ATTENTION: I realized (though none of the reviewers seemed to) that I said that Sasori hasn't appeared yet (in my A/N). What I meant is that Sai hasn't appeared yet. Forgive my mistake and yes, they've already rescued Gaara so Sasori has appeared (and is long gone).
RECAP:
"Look, I have to go or your Leader might just kill me, ok? I'll see you later!" He barked, starting to run away at full speed. Deidara stood rooted to the same spot, watching the retreating blonde.
"See you... later" He returned, but it was too late as the blonde was already gone.
Chapter II (Confusion)
One very tired and very confused blonde boy closed the door behind him, resting his head against it while trying to catch his breath. Not two seconds later, he heard a delicate couch coming from inside the room he was in.
Fearing that the guy who had been chasing him – one with white hair and a huge scythe – had somehow snuck in before he locked the door, Naruto turned around, pale.
It wasn't the white haired man. Actually, he was quite relived to find Itachi and Kisame standing in front of him, with their eyes slightly narrowed at his display of exhaustion. He would have mocked them if it wasn't for the fact that there were two more people inside the room.
One was tall, standing way above Itachi and slightly above Kisame. The man was a ginger – his orange hair was spiky like his own, Naruto noticed – and his eyes were those of... something. They were grey and circled, like a never-ending spiral. Naruto had heard of those eyes, he remembered as he gulped down his fear. The eye technique, Rinnegan.
What was most impressive in the man's face, however, were the countless piercings that adorned his face and ears, all shiny and silver. The man was currently sporting a scowl, apparently not impressed by Naruto's delay. Well, he wouldn't have been late if he hadn't stopped to talk to Deidara, and then gotten lost and then been chased around by some white-haired maniac.
Next to him was standing a woman whose hair was blue. Naruto blinked and wondered if he had gone color-blind. Then again, his friend did have pink hair. He supposed blue was more common. The woman had no remarkable features – if you counted out the blue hair and the small piercing hi her lip – and she too looked rather bored as she eyed him warily.
Knowing he was probably in front of the leader of the Akatsuki and his blue-haired - girlfriend? Naruto blinked at the thought – second-in-command, Naruto had the common sense to bow to the orange-haired man before him.
"I apologize for being late. I got lost and then ended up being chased by a man with white hair, who claimed he was going to 'sacrifice' me to some god. I ran into this room in hopes of losing him and it's a good thing I did, apparently, because I ended up finding our meeting room" He explained quickly, doing his best to sound respectful, even if he was beginning to think that the Akatsuki were all crazy.
The orange-haired man eyed him for a long moment before nodding.
"That was Hidan. He is a worshipper of the god Jashin, to whom he sacrifices human victims every day. Don't worry about him – once I announce you to them, he will stop bothering you" The leader informed, nodding to the blue-haired woman, who nodded back before hurrying out of the room.
"You are Naruto Uzumaki, am I correct?"
"You are" Naruto answered, still feeling uneasy about the Jashin worshipper out there. Despite the leader's attempts to clarify that it was indeed a misunderstanding, he couldn't help but shiver at the thought of the maniac sacrificing him to that forsaken god of his.
"I am Pain, the leader of the Akatsuki, but you will address me as Leader" He paused for a second, holding Naruto's gaze to make sure he had heard "Is this in anyway unclear?"
"No, Leader" Naruto dutifully replied. He was itching to make a joke about the man, just as he had done with Itachi and Kisame, to break the ice, but he knew that would cause him his death or worse.
The boy shivered at the thought of being shoved outside into the hands of the Jashin worshipper.
"Very well, I've been informed by Itachi and Kisame that you were willing to join the Akatsuki, is that right?"
"Yes, Leader" Naruto once more bit back a sarcastic retort. Images of a bloodied scythe haunted his mind.
"And why is that? You are a Jinchuuriki. What makes you think that just because you want to join, not only will we forget about your demon, but we'll let you in as well?" The words held a certain amusement to them and Naruto instantly knew he was stepping on unstable ground.
"Well, Leader, you will obviously do whatever you find in your best interest, but the fact is that Konoha means nothing more to me. I have been banished and I am now without a place to be. I'm angry and revolted and I am a pretty good fighter. I thought I could be of use to your organization" He finished, before biting his lip and adding "If you'll have me, of course, Leader"
Pain seemed to ponder his answer for a second; grey eyes scanning him like a hawk would do to his prey. Finally, the man nodded.
"I offer you a deal. You may join us and, in return, you will let us extract the Nine-Tailed Fox from you once we request it" He proposed and Naruto barely held back a sigh of relief. He was being given a chance, even if it meant he was selling his soul to the devil.
"I accept" Naruto said, before adding a hurried "Leader".
Leader nodded again, seeming contemplative.
"You will be tested tomorrow. Itachi will get you, in the morning. For now, Itachi will show you to your room and you will get ready to be announced to the other members in the main room" Pain turned his back to the three men, obviously indicating it was their time to leave.
The three of them bowed low, Naruto once again biting back a humorous comment, and then hurried off.
"You are lucky to be alive after your little stunt" Itachi informed him as they calmly walked through the hideout, swiftly avoiding any crowded places. Or rather, any place that Hidan might be in.
"Meh, it wasn't my fault. That maniac Hidan really did chase me around" Naruto protested, letting his lips form a pout he knew to be irresistible. Itachi raised an eyebrow at the blatant display of childishness.
"Anyway, Leader hates waiting. He's almost as bad as Sasori was" Kisame laughed, gingerly petting Samehada.
"Sasori? Wasn't that the puppet master that Sakura and Lady Chiyo defeated?" The blond Jinchuuriki inquired, glancing up at Itachi, who shrugged.
"He was. I guess he wasn't as good as everyone thought him to be" Kisame barked, stifling another laugh. Itachi suddenly came to a halt, causing Naruto to bump into him and Kisame to stifle another laugh.
"Hey! Why did you stop, Wrinkles?" He growled, amused at the murderous expression that graced Itachi's features for the slightest of seconds. The Uchiha glared at him before gesturing towards the door they were in front of.
"We're here. This is your room. I'm guessing Konan went ahead and already prepared it for you" He informed, stepping aside to allow the blond boy to push the door open.
What awaited his sight was certainly surprising, though in a pleasant way. The room was sort of bare, and the decorations weren't many, but Naruto found that he loved it. From the moment he laid eyes on it, he just knew he would love to be in that room.
The walls were painted dark grey – almost black – and orange, like his jumpsuit. There was a double bed to the right, with black covers and orange pillows and two bookshelves right in front of him. There was a couch and a small coffee table, both in dark colors – grey and orange – and the room was completed by a desk to Naruto's left, in dark wood.
Bouncing with joy, the new Akatsuki member made his way into the room, not even noticing if Itachi and Kisame also entered. Naruto beamed at the things, as if they could smile back, as he bounced from one bookshelf to another, reading the book titles.
Most were fighting techniques, but some of them held promising stories. He would spend some time reading them later, he promised to himself as he went to check out the until-then unnoticed door to his left. It led to a bathroom.
"Hey Naruto? Check this out!" Kisame called out, holding out a piece of clothing that had been folded on top of his bed for him to take it. The blonde Jinchuuriki was shocked when he saw a black cloak with red clouds, though he should've been expecting it.
Being a part of the Akatsuki meant he had to wear the cloak. It was something so simple, that he had overlooked it. Nodding towards the cloak, Naruto lifted his head to stare at Kisame and Itachi.
"I'm going to take a bath and get ready to be announced. I'll see you guys later"
Itachi nodded and moved to leave, dragging a slightly reluctant Kisame on his way out. Just as he was about to close the door, though, he turned and said "We'll meet back here in a hour"
"See you then, Wrinkles!" Naruto beamed, closing the door in the face of a very annoyed Itachi Uchiha. Well, that made his day...
Shaking his head while stifling the almost uncontrollable laughter, Naruto made his way to the bathroom, quickly disposing of the clothes and almost jumping inside the shower. What he really wanted was a bath tub, and enough time to just sink in and relax after a long day of walking, talking and escaping from white-haired freaks, but he was going to be announced soon and he could always rest later.
He showered quickly, with fast and mechanized movements, before skipping out of the shower and wrapping himself in a white towel. He quickly got dressed, silently admiring just how good the Akatsuki cloak looked on him and then sat on the bed, waiting for Itachi and Kisame to get ready.
There was a knock on the door before Itachi pushed the door open nonchalantly and strolled in, followed by Kisame. Naruto glared from his position at the bed.
"Well, you sure took your time" He admonished. Itachi ignored him and Kisame scowled.
"Well, we would've gotten here earlier but Itachi wanted to style his hair so we took a bit longer than expected" He explained, ignoring Itachi's glare. Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"You style your hair?" He asked. Itachi glared at him.
"Do you style yours?" He replied, thinking he had the Jinchuuriki.
"No. I just let him dry naturally" The boy answered, smirking at the fuming Itachi.
"No more talking" The Uchiha hissed "We have a meeting to go. Come on, we'll guide you to the living room, most commonly called the Main Room"
Naruto laughed at the sight of the slightly sulking Uchiha, and ignored the snickering Kisame, but followed the older man nonetheless. The Jinchuuriki was seriously confused at the amount of turns and curves they had to do to actually get to a better known part of the hideout.
They went through a large arch-like opening on the wall and Naruto stiffened, nearly making Kisame bump into him. Everyone was there. Most males and one female – the blue-haired girl he had seen before. Including the white-haired freak.
Naruto started sweating bullets.
Pain stood and walked over to him, his face a blank mask even though one could see a tiny little bit of confusion shining in his Rinnegan eyes. Perhaps that was due to the fact that Itachi and Kisame did not move to occupy their seats on the couch where most people were seated – instead choosing to stand firmly by Naruto's side, like two bodyguards.
Naruto felt unnaturally safe.
With a sigh, Pain stood in front of everyone, slightly to Naruto's left and gestured to the blond Jinchuuriki.
"As you were told earlier, there is someone who was willing to join us. After much deliberation, I've have decided to comply with his request and accept him into our organization" Pain paused there, looking everyone in the eye before moving on.
"If he proves to be worthy, of course" He added, glaring silently at one member, who – Naruto noticed – seemed to be sulking. The member was a man, tall and lean and his black hair was spiky, but shorter than Naruto's. His face was hidden behind an orange swirly mask.
The Jinchuuriki vaguely wondered the reason of the man's childish behavior.
"New member" Pain called his attention. With a startled sound, Naruto snapped back into the present "Introduce yourself!"
"My name is, as some of you might know, Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox" A few gasps were heard. Ok, so some of them don't know... "I'm here to join you Akatsuki under the condition of surrendering my Bijuu to you once my purpose in this organization ceases to exist."
It was rather weird to the blonde boy to be speaking to such an interested audience. Usually, people didn't care about what he had to say unless it was part of a mission. In this particular case, everyone was listening, their eyes trained on the young man in front of them.
"I am eighteen years old and my specialty is the Shadow Clone, although my most powerful move is the Rasengan" He informed. There was no harm in giving them a slight nudge towards trust. Maybe if he told them a bit of classified information, they would realize he wasn't there to betray them or worse.
Pain nodded, signaling him to stop. He then turned to the other Akatsuki members, narrowing his Rinnegan eyes towards them.
"Introduce yourselves." He commanded, though his voice sounded more like the one of a scolding father than a fearsome leader of an evil organization.
Not surprisingly, Itachi took the lead.
"As you already know, my name is Itachi Uchiha, the murderer of the Uchiha clan. I am twenty-four years old and I'm good with Fire Style" He spoke. Naruto was a bit surprised at the display of trust.
By telling him his strong point, he was also opening possibilities towards his weakness.
He was also openly taking his side by copying him in his attempt to gain everybody's trust. Naruto bit his lip to contain a whistle of appreciation. He could see a great friend in Itachi; he just had to work the Uchiha. Who knew... maybe staying with the Akatsuki wasn't so bad.
"My name is Kisame Hoshigaki, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. I'm twenty-six years old and I'm good with Water Style" Naruto suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and say 'no duh'. I mean, the guy looked like a shark, had blue skin and strolled around carrying a sword named "Shark Skin"; his preference for the Water Style was pretty obvious.
There was a bit of an awkward silence as everyone silently debated about who should go next. Surprisingly enough, the white-haired Jashin worshipper shot him an arrogant smirk before introducing himself.
"My fucking name is Hidan and I'm the most fucking loyal follower of Jashin, the all-mighty god. Stay the fuck away from my scythe or it might end up badly for you, asshole" He barked, closing his fist around his scythe warningly.
Pain sighed.
"Forgive his foul words. That's just part of Hidan" Naruto nodded, not quite sure of what to say to that.
"I am Kakuzu and I run the Akatsuki financials. I'm also the one who'll stitch you up if you ever happen to lose a member" One wearing a mask spoke up, his voice grave and his eyes surprisingly dull. He seemed controlled and well-mannered enough, Naruto considered, flashing him a foxy grin.
The blonde Jinchuuriki was, however, caught off guard when the teenager he had spoken to before – Deidara, if he remembered correctly – decided to go next, narrowing his eyes in boredom. His voice, though, seemed to hold an edge of excitement to it. Quite the contrast if you ask me.
"I'm Deidara, un" He started "I'm an artist and I believe that art is a 'bang', un. If you like my art, you can be my friend, if not... well, I might just blow you up, un!" Although his tone was friendly, Naruto forced a small lump down his throat.
Then, a man with a multi-colored face and a giant plant growing around his head spoke up.
"I'm Zetsu. I'm also Zetsu. We're pleased to meet you, though I would prefer eating you" He seemed to talk as two different beings, a fact that pretty much had Naruto freaking out inwardly, but at least his white face seemed amiable.
Next up was the blue-haired woman – the only he'd seen until that point.
"I'm Konan. I'm Pain's Second-In-Command" Naruto resisted the almost uncontrollable urge to cough out 'girlfriend' "I'm good with origami" She then turned to the orange-masked man with a noticeable frown. It was obvious that Leader should go in last "Tobi, introduce yourself, now"
The man yelped – a pretty pathetic sound for a young man like him – and sat upright. Immediately, the room seemed to brighten up and Naruto could almost feel the smile behind the orange swirly mask.
"I'm Tobi! The young man – whose voice sounded a bit younger than his actual appearance – "And TOBI IS A GOOD BOY!" He practically yelled, the sound waves created by the teenager almost breaking Naruto's eardrums.
Nobody else seemed affected, though, and Naruto assumed that everyone was used to it.
"I'm eighteen, just like you!" The boy – no, man – said in a sing-song voice "And I feel like we can become friends! I just know I'm going to like you, I mean-" He was cut short by Pain's grave voice.
"Tobi, that's enough" The boy – no, man – shut up immediately, as if Pain had pressed an invisible button " I am Pain and I am the leader of the Akatsuki." He stopped and Naruto realized that he wasn't going to continue.
He nodded to everyone in general as Pain turned to leave; Konan right by his side. As soon as Leader and his right-hand woman left the room, the whole group seemed to relax – which reminded Naruto of the melting of a piece of butter.
Everyone resumed their usual activities, with both Hidan and Kakuzu retiring to their rooms – one to worship his damned god and the other to count money – and Itachi leaving for the library, Kisame hot on his trail. That left... Deidara and Tobi.
Cursing his luck, Naruto walked up to them and sat on the couch, slightly stiff from awkwardness, until Tobi eyes him and smiled – again, Naruto didn't smile, he just felt it.
"Hello! Do you want to play a game with me and Senpai?" He asked, with a sickly joyous voice. Naruto smiled instantly, almost hearing the ice breaking between them and some of the awkwardness melt away.
"Sure! What kind of game?" He asked, flashing Tobi his fox-like grin.
Deidara sighed, drawing the other blonde's attention to him. He flipped his hair back and stated, in a monotone: "I'm not playing. You play with the moron. I'm going to my studio"
And, with that, he stood and turned to leave, being stopped by a hand in his arm. He turned around once more, shocked to his bones that Naruto was actually attempting to be civil to him after he pretty much had a breakdown in front of him.
"First of all, Tobi doesn't seem a moron to me" He spoke, his voice somewhat curious. Behind him, Tobi had that expression – I'll say it again, you can feel it – of someone who is sticking their tongue out at you from behind someone's back. "And second, you have a studio? You'll have to show me around, some time!" He finished enthusiastically.
Having had a firsthand experience with Deidara's exploding clay, he was curious as to why and how it worked and how Deidara could mold so fast. Maybe, if he was lucky, the blonde would spend some time teaching him how to sculpt.
Deidara's expression was somewhere between profoundly shocked and immensely happy. He must have decided for happy because his face suddenly broke into a heartwarming grin, his cerulean eyes shining happily.
"Sure. Have Tobi take you to my room once you two are finished with your games and I'll show you around" He agreed, his voiced changing suddenly from bored to excited. Naruto beamed right back at him and turned again to play with Tobi.
Naruto's mind was filled with... stairs and... Snakes... and cards and... Whatnot! When he had agreed to play with Tobi he would've never imagined that the hyperactive teen would be up for three hours of constant games.
The Jinchuuriki shook his head grimly and tried to focus on his current task: getting to Deidara's room. Tobi was walking ahead of him, chattering about nothing in particular while pointing to random spots on the wall.
Yes, Naruto was beginning to regret declaring Tobi not a moron. The guy was clearly... uh... retarded. Even Naruto, who could try a saint's patience, was never that loud.
Well, they reached their objective at least. Tobi bid his goodbye as he wandered off to his room.
And that was how Naruto found himself at Deidara's door, feeling like a teenager on their first date, not knowing if he should knock or what to say.
He decided to knock.
The door opened just a second later, the creaking sound suggesting it needed oil, to reveal a shirtless Deidara. His blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail as it was the previous times Naruto had encountered him, with a bit dangling in front of his eye.
Deidara smirked upon seeing him and stepped aside, granting him access to his room. Naruto eyes his torso discretely. Muscular, but not overly muscular.
Deidara coughed to get his attention and then smirked.
"I'll show you my studio, un!" He exclaimed, his voice seeming to brighten the room, just like Tobi's invisible smile did. Naruto chuckled.
"Ok, then! One question, though... why are you shirtless?" He asked slyly, not that he really cared. That way he could appreciate the view... he gave that thought a slight push. Maybe it was worth going for... but probably not.
The problem wasn't the gender – when you're a ninja, you learn to like both genders, due to lack of company during long missions or during war raids. Basically, gender didn't matter to a shinobi. However, it would probably scare Deidara half to death if he suddenly commented on his body or wolf-whistled like he was thinking of doing.
"I always walk around like this when I'm working on my art, un... does it bother you?" He asked curiously, glancing at Naruto, who hadn't moved.
"No. I was just wondering" Naruto replied, moving to follow Deidara though a door on the left of the room. The blonde Jinchuuriki smirked slightly when he saw Deidara hesitate, as if pondering whether or not he should cover his torso.
"Ok, then! Follow me, un!" The artist commanded, opening the door with a key he kept inside of his pants' pocket and swinging it open.
For once, Naruto was left speechless.
Deidara's studio was huge. It was probably the same size as the place where the fights to reduce the number of people to enter the third competition of the Chuunin Exams were held. The place was circular, with flat walls and no wallpapers.
The floor was simple stone and, in the center of the room, one could see a giant... something... taking form. The huge mass of clay was obviously about to get a form when Naruto had knocked.
"Wow" Was the only thing to escape the Jinchuuriki's lips. By his side, Deidara chuckled.
"Impressed?" The whiskered boy could only nod as he walked forward, almost mechanically, to stand in front of the large piece of clay.
It seemed impossible to the demon vessel that Deidara could turn something so primitive, so raw... into a work of art – into something with a meaning and a purpose, even if that particular purpose was being blown up.
Unconsciously, the Jinchuuriki raised one hand in front of him as if to touch the clay but caught himself on time and looked behind him, to Deidara.
"Can I touch it?" He asked, somewhat fearful of unintentionally ruining the blonde's work.
Deidara merely smirked and gestured towards his unfinished – to say the truth, he hadn't even started – work of art.
"Be my guest, un" He stated simply, leaning into the doorway, his cerulean eyes watching the other blonde's every move, intrigued as to why the Jinchuuriki was so... amazed.
True to that statement, Naruto looked... bewildered. His eyes were wide open, as if he was about to find out life's deepest secrets, and his hand was trembling slightly as he reached out and touched the clay very lightly.
Feeling a bit more reassured, the blonde continued to prod the clay with his fingers, occasionally poking it and just generally walking around it, trying to get a better point of view.
Suddenly, Deidara was pulled out of his musings by the blonde's enthusiastic voice, the reverberated through the fresh air of the studio.
"This is so cool, man!" Yelled the obviously fascinated demon vessel. Deidara blinked and then his face broke into a giant grin as he moved to stand besides the other blonde.
"Of course it is, un! It's my art!" He boasted, puffing his chest out a little. Naruto turned to look at him.
"But you haven't even started! Can I watch you?" The boy asked, feeling very much like a small child who first accompanies their parents to their jobs – or at least he supposed he felt like that, for he had no way of knowing.
Deidara blinked again.
"Sure, un. But... why are you so interested? I mean, it's still just a piece of clay, un!"
Naruto sighed, much like a teacher who is about to explain the same thing for the one thousandth time.
"Yeah, but you're going to turn it into something with a purpose and that – to be able to just give meaning to something – is simply... fascinating!" The blonde finished, folding his arms across his chest and waiting for a reply.
"Un. I guess I hadn't thought of that before. Ok, I'll start now, watch the master work!" And, with that, Deidara reached out for the clay, determined to make it worthy of the blonde's appreciation.
Two hours had passed since Deidara had started working and it was getting a bit unnerving to have the newest member of the Akatsuki – all high and mighty in his brand new cloak – not moving from his spot near the huge piece of clay.
Speaking of which... Deidara stepped back, having finally completed his work of art and smirked slightly as Naruto jumped up from his seated position on the floor and moved to stand beside him.
"It looks... awesome" The whiskered boy said enthusiastically, lightly punching Deidara on the arm.
In front of them stood... a ten feet tall dragon made entirely of clay.
Naruto couldn't help but gawk at it. It was exceptionally well made, every proportion masterfully fitting. Even the wings looked real enough. Its skin was soft to the touch, as Naruto realized once he had gently touched it, and it was a creamy white.
Naruto moved to touch him again, petting the large creature on the curve of its neck.
A low rumble, almost like a purr, filled the room, making Naruto swear out loud and jump backwards. Whatever had produced that sound caused another... a low growl, almost petulant.
"Maybe you should continue petting him... He was enjoying it, un..." Supplied Deidara, still biting back a snicker that threatened to escape his lips.
Naruto stared wide-eyed at the giant dragon that was now moving his head to position it right in front of the demon vessel arching his neck in a begging position. His eyes shined violet as he produced a child-like whine.
"It... It's alive?" The blonde managed to choke out, taking one fearful step backwards. Deidara only chuckled.
"Of course it's alive, un! And besides, he's a he, un!" The artist crossed his arms over his chest with a cocky smirk playing in his lips as Naruto reached out to resume his previous action of petting the clay dragon.
"Do all of your creations come to life?" Naruto asked, his eyes never leaving the clay beast that was surprisingly curling up next to him, looking for affection.
"Of course, un!"
"Then, why didn't I see any running around the base or even here?" The demon vessel inquired, looking around with a yawn. He was suddenly reminded that it was probably night outside and this memory came with a painful ache in his muscles.
"Because I blow them up, of course! Un..." The artist seemed choked that Naruto would really consider having his creations running around like pets. They were works of art, for Kami's sake!
It was Naruto's turn to look horrified. He turned to Deidara, his hand never stopping the incessant petting of the dragon, with eyes wide and mouth slightly open.
"What? You can't seriously be thinking of blowing him up!" He all but yelled. Deidara frowned.
"Of course I will, un! This is where he reaches the pinnacle of his existence and becomes true art!" He argued, narrowing his eyes at the slightly taller – now that he noticed – boy.
Naruto immediately turned around, standing with his back to the dragon and facing Deidara, with his hands pressed together as if he was praying – or begging.
"Please let me keep him... please!" The teen cried out, dropping to his knees in a comical act of a fit.
Deidara blinked. And then blinked again. And again. He blinked for a couple minutes, eyeing the teen before him incredulously, before shrugging.
"Whatever" He muttered, letting his arms fall to his sides.
He was taken aback when Naruto suddenly jumped to his feet and pumped a fist into the air, letting out a scream of joy, before literally crushing Deidara in a hug.
The world stopped. Deidara felt heat rising to his face, probably coloring it of an obnoxious color like red and coughed uncomfortably. Naruto didn't seem to sense the older teen's discomfort as he continued hugging him for a couple more seconds before letting go of him and flashing him a dazzling smile.
"Thanks a bunch, Deidara!" His attention was turned to the dragon again, who seemed just as happy as the demon vessel "I'm going to call you... Sake!" The dragon purred in appreciation.
It was then that Naruto – completely oblivious to the fact that Deidara didn't even seem to be breathing, at the moment – was faced with a completely new problem.
The dragon was huge. Where exactly was he going to put it?
Ok guys, I wrote you an even bigger chapter! I hope you like it and please review.
And yes, if you can't tell, there are strong alliances and friendships being formed – for example, the golden trio (Itachi, Naruto and Kisame).
Ok, R&R!