Leaf's Key flashed around Hidan like a light, always blocking whatever strike came his way, and seemingly prepared for the next one, almost as if this boy possessed the Sharingan. The problem was, anyone could tell from his wild blond hair that he was no Uchiha.

Again, he moved his scythe to attack, only for the silver blade to block. Hidan cursed, letting loose a long string of obstinacies as he tried again. "What the F*** is wrong with you, you little s____head?"

"I don't know." Naruto said, a smile on his face, "But I can tell you yours."

"I don't have a F***ing problem you son of a B&#%!"

"Yes you do," Naurto argued, "you curse too much."

"Just shut the H311 up!" Hidan cried as he moved to attack, only to be blocked yet again. "This is what I get for being the F***ing slowest member of this F***ing organization." Hidan thought to himself as he barely blocked a counter attack.

Kakuzu watched as the boy with the golden Keyblade dodged each attack and countered with several of his own jutsus. Even with the Sharigan, it was still impressive to watch him as he ducked under huge blasts of wind, water, and lightning.

Suddenly, Sasuke ducked ran between the lightning the wind beast, and he found that he was trapped between the two and the walls of the small top level of the tower.

Kakuzu smiled, the boy was trapped already.

Both creatures took a deep breath, before spitting out their respective elements.

Sasuke smiled, before disappearing.

The wind blast hit the lightning creature, turning its own strength against it before shredding it to pieces.

Kakuzu's eyes widened as he watched the whole spectacle. That was two hearts.

Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.

"AAAAHHH!"

Kakuku turned just in time to see Sasuke bring Light in Exile down on his head. Kakuzu made a swift move away, dodging the raven haired boy as his own arms turned brown.

"So that's how you want to play, huh?" Kakuzu asked, as he used his Earth heart, which still remained in his body, to harden his arms to make one mean punch.

"I suppose you could say, more time for me to practice."

"Practice what?"

Sasuke smiled, "Stuff."

Hidan watched helplessly as Naruto made another cut on his body.

This kid was annoying, but that wasn't the real problem. With all of these cuts, he was probably losing a lot of blood. "And that of course means weakness and loss of balance, and eventually loss of movement and eventual brain damage." He thought. Yeah, being immortal sucked sometimes.

Naruto moved again, this time, with a quick, double hit that brought Leaf's Key completely around Hidan's head before cutting a long gash along Hidan's cheek.

Hidan ignored the pain, it's not like it was going to kill him. So, forcing his way through Naruto's attack, his scythe came up towards his face.

Naruto moved his head out of the way, the red blades barely missing his face.

Except for a tiny scratch that left a single drop of blood on the blade.

Hidan smiled. "It's over kid." He said.

Naurto looked a little confused, "Uh, I thought I was winning."

"You were." Hidan said, before kneeling and drawing a circle around him.

"Oh crap." Kyuubi said in Naruto's mind, "Naruto, we have a problem."

"What?"

"That's the cult of Jashin's ultimate technique."

"Is that a problem?"

"That's like asking is water wet."

"Gotcha." Naruto said, turning his attention to the Jashin worshiper, only to find that his circle was complete, and he now stood, his skin black except where his bones would be, which were white, giving the impression that his flesh had become a transparent black.

Hidan laughed, "You're gonna get F***ed up my friend."

Sasuke danced around his opponent, driving the masked bounty hunter all the more insane. A smile spread across his face as Kakuzu drove his arms at him.

They were stilled filled with Earth Chakra.

Sasuke attacked with a new viciousness that blinded Kazuku from the half selas he was performing with his free hand.

Suddenly, Sasuke stretched out his hand, "Chidori Eisou!" he yelled, and a shining blade of yellow-gold light flashed into his heart.

"ARGH!" Kakuzu yelled as he fell to the ground, writhing in pain as stray bolts of electricity raked his body.

Sasuke looked down on him, smiling, until a yell of pain echoed in the room, which was followed by a scream. "Naruto!"

"Naruto!" Hinata screamed as she watched him double over in pain.

Hidan stood, a Kunai in his stomach, and an evil grin on his face.

Naruto quickly stood up, "I'm alright, Hinata, I've just got to show this guy who's boss."

"Good luck with that, boy." Hidan said.

"Strike raid!" Naruto yelled, throwing Leaf's Key at the man.

Hidan let it hit him, both times, but instead of seeing the man in front of him clutch his

own head in pain, he saw that he seemed slightly strengthened.

"Ok, what the H311?" he said. "That attack should have given you a f***ing migraine."

Naruto smiled, "I guess light can't hurt light, it can only make it stronger."

Hidan looked at him, "Fair enough, I guess I'll have to do this my way." He said before taking the kunai and plunging into his own stomach.

"AAHH!" Naruto yelled, falling to his knees.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried again. She quickly ran towards him, and kneeling down to him, began using whatever first aid she had, she couldn't use Cure because of a lack of headroom to hold the Keyblade right. Hinata turned her gaze to the Jashin worshiper, "You monster!" she yelled.

Hidan smiled evilly. "I'm sorry, what did you say, B&#%?" He said before stabbing himself in the gut again.

"Ahh!" Naruto yelled, his stomach feeling like it was being ripped apart.

Hinata held on to him, trying to comfort him. When his screams fell on her ears, she felt as though it were ripping at her own soul.

When he finally stopped, much to her relief, she stood up and glared at the man, "I will make you pay for this."

Hidan smiled, "Go ahead, B&#%, hit me, attack me, whatever you do to will be passed on to your boyfriend there."

Hinata looked back at Naruto, who only lay on the ground, clutching his stomach as blood slowly flowed from his mouth.

"There is nothing you can do but watch him die a slow and painful death."

Hinata just stood there, as angry tears began to fall from her face. "I hate you." She said, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

"HAHA!" Hidan laughed, "Go ahead and hate me, hate me and let Jashin's sacred darkness flood your veins."

Hinata glared at him. She wanted to kill him, she wanted to cut off his head, burn the body and dance on the ashes. She wanted him dead.

Suddenly, a heavy and tired hand rested on her shoulder.

Hinata turned to see Naruto, now standing, one hand over his burning belly. He looked at her, "Don't fall into Darkness for your light, Hinata." He said, his bloody lips turned into a smile, "Not even I'm worth it."

"Naruto." She said, tears in her eyes, she hated to see him like this, bruised and broken, and still he was too stubborn to let that stubborn, his stomach was slowly poisoning him and he still stood like he was unstoppable.

"Hey," he said, looking her in the eye, "I've got this, just go stand with Kakashi-sensei. I'll be fine."

"Naruto, you're hurt, your blood is being poisoned by you own stomach acid, you can't keep this up."

Naruto smiled, "Don't worry, when I'm done, this Masochist won't know what hit him."

"But Naruto -." Hinata said, only to be interrupted by Naruto's finger on her lips.

"Just trust me." He said, before turning to Hidan.

"Hun, I'm impressed. You're the firs s___head to stand back up."

"Well don't think I'm done impressing you yet." Naruto said, "Because I'm just getting started."

"What the F*** are you talking about?"

Naruto laughed, "You don't get it do you?"

"Get what?"

"My blood is in your veins. The blood of an indomitable will. The blood of the last of the Namikaze line. The blood of the son of the man that brought the world the greatest jutsus known to man. The blood of a Jinchuuriki. A Jinchuuriki whose power can be like poison to anyone who touches it. The Power of the Nine tailed Fox flows through my blood, and now that poison is in your own blood."

Hidan blinked, before he noticed a faint tingling sensation around his back.

Naruto smiled. "Can you feel it? It starts as a faint tingle before slowly growing into a dull pain."

The words seemed to echo in Hidan's skull as he began to feel pain in his back and limbs.

"Can you feel it?" Naruto asked again, "It grows sharper, until it feels like a burning acid that is covering your body."

Hidan stared at him, and everyone watching began to see faint trails of smoke rising from Hidan's body.

"Can you feel it now?" Naruto asked tauntingly, "Eventually, it actually does become an acid that begins to slowly eat your flesh, but instead of just eating your flesh away, it actually regenerates it as it eats it away, causing a never ending cycle of pain."

Those who could read body language well, noticed that Hidan was clenching his teeth shut, as if trying to hold back a scream of pain.

"Then the pain really starts." Naruto said, "It slowly begins attacking all of the majors organs with an inhuman pain."

Hinata noticed that Hidan was now breathing heavily.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." Naruto said, "It will push the blood to your lungs, and then they will start to burn. You may be Immortal, but if you keep that up then you'll be nothing more than a vegetable."

Hidan opened his mouth, and let short, small and quiet yelps escape his lips.

"Then, before you know it, it begins to attack your muscles and skeletal system, slowly turning you into nothing but a pool of blood."

Hidan's small cries began to get louder, his muscles seemed to deflate, and he seemed to start to grow shorter.

"The worst part is, as soon skull is eaten away, your brain isn't dead yet. By the time you brain is completely eaten away, your body has been reduced to nothing but slime. You feel the pain all the way through."

Hidan began screaming at the top of his lungs. He unknowingly dropped the technique and his flesh went back to the normal tan and the white, skeleton on his body disappeared. "AAHHH!" he screamed, tearing at his own flesh as he slowly became less and less human, and more and more puddle.

Naruto stared at him until he was nothing, before collapsing into Hinata's waiting arms.

Sasuke stood, Light in Exile, ready to stop the man in front of him. Kakuzu stood, shocked, as he watched Hidan slowly turn into a puddle. He was so shocked about it, that he didn't even see Sasuke draw a kunai.

He turned just in time to see the kunai come at his neck.

It dug deep, cutting off his air supply and filling his lungs with blood.

Sasuke walked up to him, and looked deep into his green eyes. "I don't care how many hearts you have, you only have one throat."

Hinata looked down at him, he looked so tiered, he looked so weak, and he looked so happy, as if he had already finished the race.

"Oh, Naruto." She said, "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Naruto turned his head to her, "Cause that's just the way I am." He said, before reaching into his cloak and pulling out a small vial of green liquid. "And I don't plan on quitting yet." He said, as he pulled the cork off and downed the liquid in a single gulp. Naruto smiled at his angel before, slowly and cautiously getting on his feet.

He stood for a second or two before pulling out another bottle and downing it. He whipped his mouth before looking down at the bottle, "I'll have to ask Joey to make more of these." He mumbled.

Sasuke walked over to give Naruto a little support until he was back to normal. "You okay, dobe?"

"I'll be fine, Teme." Naruto said, as he slowly led the party down the stair to the next floor, which held a single room that was a little larger than the one above and it had more headroom. There was nothing to stop their advance, and so they did, down to the next level.

Xehanort frowned. "I sense that the immortals have failed." He said. Pain sat nearby, surrounded by a dark aura where more and more Heartless began to spawn.

He looked over the rest of the gathered Nins, choosing which ones to send. First, he looked over the plant man, who, even according to his own standards was no fighter. Next he looked over the two art loons. The blond one seemed very explosive oriented, and would probably make a good last stand if the Keyblade masters made it too far. Pain and the blue haired woman were busy summoning a gigantic army of Heartless, and so his eyes settled on the last team. The blue skinned man seemed very capable and trust worthy, but it was the raven haired man that seemed to be…off.

He couldn't place it, but there was something that seemed to be completely wrong in him. It almost put him on edge.

Of course, he had gotten rid of such meaningless emotions, and had become one with the Darkness.

But still the emotionless man in front of him seemed off, and Xehanort couldn't help but feel…curious.

"Pain." He said.

"Yes?" Pain asked through one of his unoccupied bodies.

"I want three score Heartless placed in front of the Keyblade Masters."

"Yes sir." Pain said, bowing.

"And please summon more powerful Heartless."

"Yes sir."

Xehanort turned to the blue skinned man and his partner, "I want both of you to go after the Wave of Heartless."

The blue skinned man bowed and smiled. "We will not fail you." He said before turning. "Finally, that brat's going to pay for that jutsu all those years ago."

Itachi followed Kisame silently, not saying a word.

Naruto, now standing on his own, bravely led his team forward, boldly going where no light shone before. The constant rain outside created a constant pitter-patter against the roof.

Everyone, with their extensive ninja training, pushed this into the back of their minds, not for once wondering if that tiny noise could hide another noise that was equally quiet, but a thousand times more deadly.

Naruto suddenly stopped in the center of the room. Hinata walked up to him and whispered in his ear. "Why did you stop?"

"Something's not right." He whispered back. Silence echoed in the room for a few seconds, "Hinata," Naruto said, "I think we need a Lightaga."

Hinata nodded before she cast the spell, and a ball of light appeared in her hand. It grew until it cast it's light against every wall, revealing black, hunched over creatures with yellow eyes.

Naruto's reaction was instantaneous. "Heartless!" he cried, before charging one and sending into oblivion with a quick slice.

Hinata was quick to follow up, throwing fireballs and ice beams at any who stood in her way.

Sasuke also got in the mix, swinging Light in Exile around him in deadly swings that would kill anyone that came close to him.

Haku followed suit, pulling Zabuza's sword from a sealing scroll. "Come on, Darkness, let's see what you've got!" He yelled before beginning to slice the Shadows in half.

Kakashi pulled out a kunai and began getting anything that crawled within arm's reach.

Naruto moved quickly as he began to slaughter the Heartless, cutting and slicing the creatures as they approached him.

Suddenly, a red Heartless, about as big as a large fast food restaurant cup (American size) floated into the arena and launched a fireball into the fray. Quickly, Naruto launched a Blizzard at the fireball, and turned it to a steaming puddle, before hitting the Heartless with a Thunder.

Suddenly, a scratch went across his back sucking energy from him. Naruto turned sent the Heartless that hit him to the Abyss.

Another scratch, this one went down along his calf. Naruto flipped Leaf's Key in his hand and stabbed the attacking creature.

The Heartless began crowding him, forcing him under a gigantic bubble of Heartless. They jumped on him, trying to suffocate him. Naruto responded, slicing at the creatures as they jumped over him, but there were too many. In a few seconds, they covered him completely, until he was nothing but a giant black mass. Over their incessant hissing, they didn't hear the small word, "Explode." Heartless went flying as flames, heat and noise were thrown into the room, Naruto at its center.

Haku deftly wielded Zabuza's sword, swinging the monstrous blade as if he had been carrying it for years. He quickly sliced a Heartless' head off before reaching into his weapons pounch and pulling out three Senbon needles, which he threw at three incoming Heartless. Each one hit its mark with deadly accuracy.

Kakashi quickly launched off a fireball jutsu, before following up with an earth jutsu which made several large spikes that launched at the enemy creatures, sending them into nothingness. His kunai never stopped slicing at the black creatures as he fought. His Sharingan was active, keeping him one step ahead of the creatures.

Sasuke almost danced among his enemies, dodging the primal swipes while gracefully wreaking havoc among the creatures. He quickly cast several twilight spells including Dark Fira, Drainara, and Illsionara*. After casting the spells, he quickly brought Light in Exile around and smashed it into a Heartless' head.

Hinata practically glided around the room, launching quick spells and even quicker attacks. The Heartless could barely approach her, each one being blown away by a giant fireball, ball of light, or even a giant spectral hand. Any of the unlucky creatures that did get close enough, met their boom from a quick strike from Star Seeker. Those who had even worse luck got a hit on her, these barely had a time to even register their hit before they were vanquished.

Suddenly, the Heartless stopped. Naruto became weary. Then, they retreated, falling into the ground and disappearing into the darkness.

Then, they heard it, a loud, out-of-place clap. They turned to see two figure, silhouetted against the wall. Everyone's attention was turned on them. Then, a dead voice that both Naruto and Sasuke did not want to hear, echoed in the room. "Well done, foolish little brother. Well done indeed."

Sasuke's grip on his Keyblade tightened. "Stop hiding in the shadows Itachi, we know it's you."

Itachi stepped out of the Shadows, quickly followed by Kisame. "Hello Sasuke, have you taken my advice to heart?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, I have hate." He said.

Itachi stood, aloof. "Do you, now? But so you know that it's not enough?"

"Yeah, I know. But instead of having it master me, I have mastered it, and I know that changes things. I know that it will help me beat you." Sasuke said, readying his Keyblade.

Itachi looked at his brother, "You have mastered your anger and hatred?"

"Yes." Sasuke said.

Itachi looked pleased. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear those words, Sasuke." Suddenly, in a flash, Itachi drew his old ANBU sword, and before anyone could react, he brought the point into the stomach of none other than his partner.

Everyone gasped, but Kisame looked the most surprised. "I-Itachi."

Itachi looked at his late-partner, "See you in Hell, Kisame." Then, with another quick move, he brought the blade across Kisame's shoulders, slicing off his head.

Sasuke blinked, "Itachi?"

Itachi looked over to his brother, and smiled. "I'll tell you later, brother, but now we have a couple of maniacs to stop."

Naruto gaped, "So wait, you're a good guy?"

Itachi's smile widened, "How about, I let this explain." Suddenly, his hand was bathed in light, and a long, red, flat blade, with a small white flame emblem in the middle appeared.

Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke instantly recognized the weapon as a Keyblade. Guardian Soul, to be exact.

Boo-ya! Bet you never saw that coming! Well anyways, End of Chapter. Next, The Assault, pt. 3!