Okay, sorry for the delay, folks, but this story has gained a mind of its own, and thusly, when it finally handed control back to me, I had no idea where to take it from there. But, thanks to the awesomeness that is my roommate, and her prowess with the computer, I found something interesting out. It might not be revealed during this chapter, but it'll come around eventually, and boy, will it throw y'all for a loop!
Disclaimer thingy: (To the tune of the Twelve Days of Christmas, starting at twelve) Of all the things I own, no one's given to me, twelve Narutos cloning, eleven Sasukes pouting, ten Sakuras fangirling, nine Kakashis reading, eight Tsunades drinking, seven Shizunes scolding, six Pakkuns barking, FIVE GOO~OOD KYUUBIS, four Akatsukis plotting, three Jiraiyas perving, two pet Kibas, and a Shika for me to outsmart!
So... in other words... no, I do not own Naruto, thank you for asking, though. ^^U
Chapter 11
"Minx. But I love you anyway." The older man nuzzled the ear presented to him.
Haku practically purred in pleasure. "Mmm. Me too. Let's go home, you horn-dog, before we give anybody who's passing a show."
"Yeah, don't want to traumatize Eien-sama again, after that one time he walked in on us."
Laughing, the two men walked out of the building before using the special transport jutsu Eien-sama had invented to connect the villages he had conquered.
Just another day in the life.
OoOoOoO
Gaara watched impassively as Eien paced and ranted insanely. The redhead had yet to actually figure out what was bothering the blond, but he thought he would eventually. He always did.
And it wasn't hard to guess that whatever it was, it had to do with the prisoner that resided in the dungeon presently, as Eien had just come back from visiting with him, and immediatly dug his closest friend out from under the paperwork that came with being a Kage to complain to him.
Gaara settled back into the chair for only a moment when Eien suddenly froze, then cursed. The younger boy knew that reaction. That was what his master did when a clone dispelled itself to report, and had less than joyful news.
The blond turned and looked straight into green eyes.
"The Akatsuki have gotten a hold of most of the other Jinchuuriki. Apparently, when they couldn't find you, Yugito, Utakata, or me, they decided to skip us. They have Yugara, Roshi, Fu, and Killer Bee. The only reason they don't have Han is because apparently he steam roasted the last guys they sent, though now they plan on sending actual inner members." Eien informed his friend. Gaara frowned.
"A is so protective of his younger brother, why hasn't he sent for help, yet?" Just as the red head said that, a loud tap came from the closed window, and they both saw a desert buzzard perched on the sill, a letter clamped in its powerful jaws.
Approaching the window cautiously, Eien opened it, and the majestic, hardy animal fluttered in and placed its message by the older teen's hand, then went back to the sill to wait for a reply.
After a few diagnostic jutsus were run, and the letter was deemed safe to open, both Jinchuuriki quickly unraveled it together, and scanned it silently.
It was as they expected. A plea from the only Kage allowed to stay in power and rule his people as the willed, the Raikage, A, to save his younger brother and their fellow Jinchuuriki, Killer Bee, who had apparently been captured while he was strolling along the outer edges of Kumogakure.
"That idiot! He knew they were out there searching for all of us! We warned him several times!" Eien shouted needlessly.
He huffed irritably. He knew that this would be hard. They had to save all four of them, and still keep their identities safe so they don't share the same fate! He and the other remaining Jinchuuriki were the only one's that stood a chance against the power of the Akatsuki, whom he knew were run by the mentally unstable, yet seemingly immortal, Uchiha Madara.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" He exclaimed, biting his finger viciously and smacking the ground. Small flames erupted and a tiny fox was expelled messily from them.
"Damn it. Still need to work on the landing if I'm ever going to be as cool as Kyuubi-sama." The animal muttered. Unlike most of his other summons, the young fox was the shade of its natural brethren, and would blend well if it needed to hide.
"Tiame, I need you do do something for me." Eien barked, bringing the summons out of its musings.
"Yes, Eien-sama? I live to serve..." The fox looked at the clock for a moment before continuing, "... for another three hours. Then it's Jayla's shift."
Jayla and Tiame were of the lowest level of his chain of summons, having just graduated from their world's equivalent of the Ninja Academy, and were only good for carrying messages to Kyuubi for now.
"Tell Kyuu that we'll be mobilizing. Totally. Rally all troops and prepare for an all out war." The blond sighed.
Amber eyes widened. "Why?" Tiame murmured, though his voice sounded more reverent than scared. "That order's never been given by you, not even during the hostile takeover of any of the hidden Villages!"
"Because," Eien watched Gaara give the same orders to one of his own low level summons, "We're going after the Akatsuki."
OoOoOoO
"Kit..."The rumbling voice in his mind was reassuring, even through the chaos around him. Kyuubi rarely found it necessary to resort to speaking mind to mind anymore, opting instead to letting Eien summon him when they needed to talk. "Why did you have Tiame bring me that message, instead of just summoning me directly?"
"Because, you spend an hour demanding I admire you before we actually get anything done. I thought I'd forgoe that. I needed that time to prepare my own troops."Eien explained absently, even as he herded children into a collective building to be watched by some of the adults. Most of the psuedo-parents were joining the march to the Akatsuki's hideout.
Kyuubi watched his heir's actions through red tinted blue eyes. Figures his young one would worry about the children first. He wanted them to have what he never did, which is why he developed the parental distribution system, so no child that resided in the towns they took over would be an orphan.
"Do their parents know where they're going? Who they're going to fight? How unlikely it is that even half of them will amke it back alive?" As much as it pained him, the Fox knew he would have to be the voice of reason in the blonde's chaotic mind, because that was the role needed right now.
"Yes. And it puzzles me that they're still consenting to go." Eien thought, as the last child disappeared through the door.
"You still haven't realized it, have you, kit?"
"Realized what, Kyuu?"The boy once known as Naruto asked curiously as he made his way beck to the Kazekage Tower to make sure Gaara had contacted Yugito, Utakata, and Han all right. They would be needed, even though the last one didn't pledge his loyalty solely to the Jinchuuriki of the Nine Tails. He would come anyway. Through all the suffering they had done separately, when they knew about each other, each human sacrifice had unwittingly made the same vow. They, the nine Jinchuuriki of the elemental demons, would stick together and help each other when it was needed. The blond had just pursued that vow more seriously than the others had.
"I don't know if it's some strange bloodline you possess, or if it just comes natural to you, but you, my Kit, instill great loyalty in everyone, be they friend or foe. Remember how Utakata refused to let you become his master at first, because of what his last did, or how Yugito didn't want to follow around a seven year old, and how did she put it, 'Change your nappies, you snot nosed brat.' Given time and ample opportunity, people naturally gravitate towards you, Kit. Hell, I was all set to hate my jailer, until I looked into scared, sky blue eyes, as the voice of a lit, barely old enough to walk, asked me if I was there to hurt him to. These people will fight for you, die for you, Eien, because they know that you would the same thing for each and every one of them."
Eien stopped in the middle of the street, those sky blue eyes wide with shock and shining with unshed tears, as he looked around the village that was bustling with the preparations of war, and knew the same scene was playing in villages all over the continent.
"I-I don't know if I can let them do that, Kyuu..."And for the first time since he was six, since the time he left the home of the only mentor he knew, his voice rang with uncertainty. This was not the voice of Eien, fearless leader of legions, fighter for the rights of those he held dear, or friend to the most powerful people of the world, but that of Naruto Uzumaki, four-year-old, abandoned and alone.
The supposedly heartless demon shuddered at that lost sounding tone. He had made sure long ago that he would get rid of it once and for all, and thought he had. "Kit, these people aren't going to let you go alone into the lion's den. They're giving you no choice because they careabout you, not because they feel obliged. So, for these people, be strong, and keep as many of them safe as possible, because that's the only thing you can do." The fox knew he picked the right words to comfort his kit when he literally felt the young man's resolve harden.
OoOoOoO
Kakashi stirred from the hard cot when he heard the door clang open again. Expecting another meal, he waited for one of the many young ladies usually sent to tend for him. He drew in a sharp, surprised breath when the blond he hadn't seen for what felt like eternity stepped into the wane light.
"Hatake-san," Eien said, walking sedately to the silver haired man. He now stood closer than he ever had while talking to his captive, Kakashi realized absently in the back of his head.
"We are going to war, Hatake-san." Eien calmly told the bound man.
"W-with Konoha?" Kakashi questioned. He feared for his home because he now knew that the man before him wasn't just a lackey to the Kazekage, but that most of the Kage's were, in fact, his lackeys. The forces needed to run those villages would topple the once powerful, but slowly corroding city in a matter of hours.
Eien laughed bitterly. "I wish. No, the opponent we will face will be far more difficult to defeat than that village, and you wouldn't know them. And this war will take up most of my resources and forces. Simply, I can't afford to keep you here anymore, Hatake-san."
"So, that's it then. I will die, not because of your personal vendetta against me, but for convienience's sake." Kakashi felt an odd sort of serenity wash over him. He would die, and he accepted that fact.
Another laugh, this one with a bit mirthful. "No, Hatake-san. You will suffer a fate much worse than death." Kakashi watched apathetically as the other man's elegant hands flew through handseals in a pattern he didn't recognize.
"Kaimetsu no jutsu." The younger man announced, and Kakashi knew no more.
Haha! I did it I did it! Uh huh uh huh uh huh! This story was giving me soooomany problems, but then I started working on my Harry Potter fic, and, BAM! inspiration for this one struck. Problem is, the real inspiration is for the next chapter, so I had to keep this one short, sweet, and to the point. So, any guesses as to what Eien-chan just did to Kaka-kun? I'll give you a hint, he didn't kill him! Isn't that an awesome hint? Sorry if you don't like a soft Kyuubi, but I needed someone to be Eien-chan's support structure, and Kyuu-kun won the vote! Oh, and another hint, because I'm so kind, the meaning to Kaimetsu!
Kaimetsu no jutsu- Obliteration jutsu