AN: I apologize for making you guys wait so long, but between my life and writing fanfiction, I'm afraid to say my life has to come first. But worry not; with summer here I am free to write to my heart's content. Read and review please.

Naruto fingered the mask his savior had returned. His icy blue eyes stared down at the symbol of his alter ego as his fingers caressed the ivory face plate. A small pop echoed in the quiet dungeon, and the huge man was veiled in smoke. The grayish wisps vanished, and the man had been replaced by an exact replica of Naruto.

The bloodied up Naruto donned the mask while concentrating a thin layer of chakra on his face to keep it in place. Adjusting the mask slightly, Naruto then turned his full attention to the clone. "Situation report."

The clone raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't it be easier to just dispel me?"

"It would, but I prefer to hear a verbal report. You should know that quite well."

The shadow clone nodded before speaking. "After you left me on the wall, I patrolled about under the guise of the guard you killed. No problems there since nobody came to relieve my position. At 0100 there was a disturbance towards the center of the village. Your chakra flared up, and I proceeded at planned should you be detected." The clone took a breath before continuing his informational, if not a bit dry report.

"I entered the village during your fight with whom I assume to be the Raikage and broke into every weapon shop I could find and commandeered a number of explosive tags. After the fight died out, and your body was taken away, I took on the form of a stray cat and wandered about the village placing the explosives at strategic points. I have linked them all together to one central triggering point. I estimate that the damage will be at least 50 destruction of all the buildings currently in this area. Human casualty is an unknown factor."

The real Naruto absorbed his clone's report in relative silence. "Excellent. Dismissed."

After removing the weapons pouch from his hip, the clone popped out of existence.

Now alone, the blonde began rummaging through the pouch his clone had supplied him with to check his inventory. "Wow, six kunais. 50 feet of wire, and 20 shurikens. Oh and that dagger from your sister" muttered the fox sarcastically. "They'll never know what hit them." Explosive laughter echoed in Naruto's head as the hunter-nin eased open the dungeon door.

Checking both ways, he made sure no one was around before slipping out. "They may have cameras kit" warned the Kyuubi.

'I highly doubt that. Most villages don't bother bugging their torture rooms. Nobody really wants tapes of people being mutilated lying around.' The huge fox scoffed in his cage and rolled over onto his back in order to stretch his belly.

"Hell I would." Naruto snorted but did not reply. Some unfortunate attendant was walking towards him while concentrated on a clipboard filled with papers. A quick slash to the jugular with a kunai with a hand covering her mouth to silence her groan, and the body was on the floor. Summoning a monstrous fox out with a few hand seals and blood, the blonde nodded wordlessly at the corpse while placing a finger where his lips should have been.

The shaggy fox nodded in understanding. Take care of the body, silently. The hunter-nin left the gigantic fox knowing if anyone were unlucky enough to walk in on his meal, they would be dealt with in the most lethal of manners. Turning down another corridor he cursed his luck silently when he spotted two shinobi walking towards him.

Henging quickly into the woman he had just killed moments earlier, he tried to walk past. One of the male shinobi grinned at his partner while the other man paled as Naruto closed in. Tense and coiled tight as a spring, the undercover blonde halted as the nervous man came up. "Uh…Nemu-chan.. Umm willyougooutwithmetonight?" His partner howled with laughter as the stammering man sweated and blushed while Naruto gaped openly at him.

Inside Naruto's head, another being was howling with laughter. "Oh my fucking god kit!" Another bout of laughter interrupted the fox's breathing as Naruto tried to figure out what to do. "You homo fagtard, I never knew you swung that way!!" The demon fox wheezed desperately as he tried to control his laughter and regain the ability to breathe. The hunter-nin smiled at he spotted a nearby closet.

'Perfect.' Grabbing the man's wrist, he pulled him over and shoved him in the closet before entering and shutting the door.

If the man had been red before, he was now practically glowing in the darkness of the closet. "Nemu-cha.chan, what are you doing?" A blow to the solarplex and the man was doubled forward in a silent gasp. Grabbing his head, Naruto twisted clockwise savagely until he heard a satisfying crack. Lowering the body silently onto the floor, he reopened the door and smiled at the dead man's partner. A jab to his Adam's apple and a quick poke to the nerve in his lower back, and he fell over paralyzed. Dragging his body into the closet, Naruto quickly slashed the immobile man's quaking throat.

Once more, the blond used his blood to summon this time a pair of identical looking foxes. Everything from the silver whiskers to the slight dash of gray at the tip of their tails mirrored each other. "Do what you do best" he whispered softly while returning to his normal form

Bending down to wipe the bloody blade on one of the dead guy's jacket, Naruto began to search the bodies for any salvageable weapons. Removing a shuriken pouch, he bound it to his right leg. After rummaging around the bodies and removing items he deemed necessary, the blonde slipped silently out the closet to continue his perilous journey through the interrogation office.

Konoha

"Anko, you knew him best. You should say something." The red eyed genjutsu mistress had been pleading with her friend since morning. But Anko had continuously refused to speak at her little brother's funeral. The raven haired kunoichi shook her head and continued pummeling the training post.

"No." Kuranei sighed and placed her hand on her long time friend's shoulder.

"I know it's hard for you Anko, Naruto was closest to you after all. But tomorrow is his funeral! You knew him best, you should speak."

Anko shook off her friends hand and stomped angrily towards the jounin headquarters. "No. If I did speak, it means he's really dead. And I know he's not dead. He wouldn't go down that easily." The last part had been a disbelieving whisper that Kuranei barely caught. The snake sannin's former apprentice took off, leaping for the nearest rooftop.

Kuranei watched sadly as her friend sped away. Turning around, she found Asuma standing behind her. Frowning slightly as she saw the smoking jounin, she glared as he took a slow drag from the death stick and breathed out a cloud of noxious smoke.

"I take it that didn't go to well?" The red eyed woman shook her head sadly.

Asuma snorted before placing the cigarette back in his mouth. "If anyone else had suggested that her little brother was dead in her face like you did, they would be joining the other idiots in the hospital." And it was true too. Anko had sent more then half a dozen shinobi who had been foolish enough to be talking about Naruto in her presence to the emergency care ward.

The bearded man sighed sadly and exhaled out another breath of smoke. "Such a shame, he was a good kid." Asuma paused as he remembered his last exchange with Naruto before he had left. He felt a sudden urge to confess to Kuranei just how much she meant to him. Taking a final drag from his dying cancer stick, Asuma dropped it to the ground and grinded it with his heel.

"Guess I'll speak tomorrow, I was the last one to see him."

Cloud

The huge crowd of lightening citizens shifted uneasily as they watched the traditional ceremony for selecting a new Raikage. There were only two candidates, one a dark skinned orange haired jounin who had been holding the title as the strongest next to the Raikage. His dark tunnel like eyes were said to hold no light because he had sold his soul in order to defeat his enemies. The other was a blonde haired teal eyed woman who wore a scowl on her face. She was extremely beautiful; the only thing marring her perfect face was a small mole near her chin. She currently held the title of strongest kuinochi in Cloud, but other then that, she was mostly an unknown.

There should have been another, but many of the strongest shinobi had fallen in battle against the child who had single handedly invaded and robbed the village of their beloved Godaime Raikage. Even now, his name was only spoken in hushed whispers, and people still shivered when they heard it. Hunter-X, or X as most preferred to call him. It had been small compensation when they found out he was locked away in interrogation and would not live to see sunlight ever again.

The unruly mob silenced itself as a council elder held her hand up. In a crisp raspy voice she spoke, but nonetheless was heard by everyone present. "My fellow villagers, it has been a terrible month. Our dear Godaime has passed away amongst many of our brave shinobi, fighting against…" here she paused and cleared her throat. "Regardless of what has happened life must go on. We have mourned and paid our respects to lord Kaji, but now is the time to choose a new lightening shadow. Let the ceremony begin."

Stepping back, the old woman allowed the two Raikage hopefuls to take the stage. Looking at each other the man gestured for the woman to go first. She nodded in thanks before speaking in a strong voice. "My fellow citizens and shinobi, hard times have fallen upon our village. In the past, we have faced many hardships, but we have always prevailed." Here, she raised her fist in the air as her speech became more heated.

"We will triumph once more!" A rousing cheer burst from the excited crowd. She waited until the cheering died down before continuing her speech. "As your Raikage, I pledge to bring our village to new glories, as we reign supreme as our lord Kaji had so dreamed. We will carry out our late lord's dearest wish in seeing this village become the greatest in all the lands!!"

A monumental cry of exuberance echoed throughout the village as the beautiful woman stepped back and allowed the second candidate to speak.

Naruto's location

Far off to the right on a seemingly desolate rooftop, a pair of clear crystal blue eyes watched as the man took stage and began another rousing speech about honor, glory, and triumph. Naruto lay flat on the roof and contemplated his next move as he watched the man gesture wildly on top of the platform to emphasize his point.

The plan had been ideal, as close to perfect as such an on the fly plan could be. The traps had been set flawlessly throughout the village. The problem was that his clone had set the damn trigger right where the ceremony was currently being held. Of course, his clone could not have known about it, in fact had there not been a huge ceremony for choosing the next Raikage, it would have been the perfect spot for the trigger to be placed.

It was in an open public place where someone could casually walk up in a henge and plus the wall was relatively close providing a quick escape route after the detonation of the explosive tags. But now his plan had run into a kink. He could not risk waiting any longer, for it was about time for his interrogators daily visit. True, he had placed a trap for anyone who opened the door, but it was only a matter of time before they came to investigate if the interrogator did not return to check in.

His plan had been to blow the tags and to make a quick getaway in the confusion and chaos. "Well we certainly seem to be in quite the predicament." The great fox hummed contemplatively in Naruto's head. "What's your plan?" Naruto narrowed his eyes behind his mask, getting a good fix on the trigger near the platform where the two candidates were arguing for their cause.

'Plan hasn't changed. I blow this place, then run like hell.'

"Mmmm. Fireworks should be good."

'Yes, no doubt they will be."

Cloud

"Lightening shall never fall!" A great yell boomed through the crowded plaza. "We shall conquer all!" The orange haired man raised his clenched left hand into the air. "We will-"

His next line was cut off as the crowd fell silent and parted like the sea before Moses. A panting and sweating young woman raced up past the crowd until she reached the platform where the two candidates were speaking.

"Sir! X has escaped!" Screams of terror and yells of anger ripped through the crowd as everyone began trying to evacuate the plaza

"STOOOP!!" The thunderous yell from the orange haired man halted the crowd's movement. "All citizens, please return to your homes in a calm orderly fashion! Lock all doors and windows until a squad of shinobi has searched and cleared your dwelling. All shinobi spread out and search for the prisoner! Do not engage upon sighting, call for backup. He is too dangerous to take on alone." He leapt off the stage and joined the crowd of moving shinobi onto the rooftop heading for the interrogation office area.

The female Raikage candidate rushed up to the young woman who had given the warning. As the crowd of citizens fled the emptying plaza, the beautiful blonde reached the panting girl. "Are you alright?"

The girl looked up at the older woman and gave an eerie smile that did not reach her icy blue eyes. "I'm fine." Green eyes opened in shock as a blade was forcefully shoved into and through her diaphragm. "I'm just fine." The voice had changed from the gentle young woman's, to that of a deeper more masculine tone.

Mouth gasping uselessly for air, the woman realized who it was, but she could not utter a single sound to warn the disappearing ninja scattering towards any location they may think the prisoner was hiding in.

"Fear not. Many will join you before the day is over. You can rule over them in hell." Once bright olive eyes dulled as life faded from them. A scream came from the few remaining people as they saw one of their shinobi fall over and the young girl who gave the warning vanish in a cloud of smoke. As the smoke cleared, the very familiar figure of hunter-X could be seen leaping onto the base of the memorial platform.

Touching his left hand on the stone that contained the trigger, Naruto turned around and stared out at the petrified faces that peered back in astonishment. "Sayonara."

Chakra surged form his fingertips and into the seal. The reaction was instantaneous. It began with an explosion that engulfed the unmoving blonde. People watched in horrified fascination as clouds of smoke mushroomed out from throughout their beloved city. Explosions ripped the through the Cloud's once proud village, gutting it like a fisherman would his daily catch. Buildings collapsed left and right like cardboard, and a sea of flames engulfed the village. Screams of distress could be heard coming form the homes of those who had unwittingly locked themselves in for protection only to find themselves buried within the smoldering remains of their own homes.

Shinobi cried out in shock and confusion when suddenly the buildings they were on collapsed under them from an explosion under its foundations. Sewage pipes burst into flames as years of built up human filth and waste were lit from the explosives placed inside them. The stench of burning feces became prominent throughout the city, covering the smell of burning flesh even as the burning individuals cried out in agony. And to the people lucky enough to be only watching, it seemed like an agonizing eternity, where in reality, it took only minutes for the once powerful village to be crippled beyond recognition. Apocalypse had arrived in Cloud in the form of a short blond hunter-nin. Years from now, many citizens of lightening would scold their naughty children and frighten them with stories of how X could come and take away disobedient children and eat them.

The name of hunter-X would be immortalized that day, as the one who brought down an entire village single handedly, and a new title would be added to the growing list of Naruto's nicknames. The Butcher of Cloud.

An: Well there you have it chapter 6. I'm a bit rusty from not writing fiction for so long, but I'll try to bring my A game in chapter 7. Please send in your comments.