Well it took a while, but here's chapter 5. For those of you who reviewed I appreciate it. Feedback always gives me good motivation…even if it's bad. However, that doesn't seem to be the case so far. Anyways, chapter 5 will be hot fun in the sun for those of you who 3 smuv criminals.
Chapter 5: "My Name is Pein"
Deep inside the Temple of Whirling Tides a large group of hostages were all tied up along the circular walls of the grand dome room. Large cries of panic and anger erupted amongst the crowd of people as two individuals walked into the room wearing black cloaks adorned with red clouds. The pair walked around the circular room examining their captured bait. "It took me over two hours to tie all of these people up…this kid better be here soon," Kisame complained as he looked around the room annoyed.
"So Itachi-sama, you really think this will work?" the fierce-looking shark nin asked his superior. Itachi looked around with a bored look on his face, "Well if our informant from Konoha is correct, the nine-tail's jinchuuriki is compassionate about protecting people, and I believe he would blindly rush in trying to save hostages." Kisame nodded at Itachi's response before asking, "Who is this informant of yours?" Itachi had a slight smirk on his face as he looked over to Kisame, "You'll never guess this right, so I'll spare you the trouble…" Kisame had an eager look of anticipation waiting for Itachi to say the name. "I won't mention it in front of all these people, so ask me later." Kisame started laughing, "Wow…the suspense is killing me…how have these idiots in Konoha not found the informant yet?"
Itachi shrugged as he lost interest in the conversation. A young boy glaring at Kisame with intensity shouted loudly, "Don't talk about Konoha nin like that! They are welcomed heroes around here and can kick your butts!" He stopped in front of the boy and stared him down.
"So boy, you think you're some kind of tough guy eh?" Kisame laughed as he towered over the child with a twisted smile. "My name is Inari, and I'm not afraid of nothing or nobody!" the boy's resolve attracted the attention of all present around him. Itachi turned around and stood next to Kisame with a slight frown on his face. "You have so much to learn about the world kid…you're parents should have taught you rule number one about a hostage situation: Don't be a hero." Kisame then backhanded the boy with enough force to send him into the wall.
Inari hit the wall and lost consciousness as blood poured from his swollen mouth. Gasps of horror and shock filled the room once again as Kisame began to laugh. Itachi rolled his eyes with an uninterested look on his face. "How dare you do that to my grandson! I know people who can bring you to justice you monsters!" a man shouted from a short distance away. Kisame's grin broke into a dazzling chuckle as he took his sword off his back.
"No Kisame, ignore them. These people are feeble and weak, and their empty threats only veil their fear. Back to the matter at hand, when the nine-tails arrives, you will need to drain its chakra while I subdue it with my Sharingan."
Kisame reequipped his sword as he shook his head, "He's only a genin, Itachi-sama…I doubt it'll be that hard to bring him down." Itachi's face lit up in frustration as he glared at Kisame, "Tobi told us not to mess up the plan. Our underestimating him was the problem to begin with Kisame…Tobi says that it will be near impossible to defeat the nine tails without him if it has a full transformation." Kisame met Itachi's glare with a shrug, "I doubt that we'll reach that point. All we gotta do is knock the kid out in some genjutsu, drain his chakra, and haul him back to the meeting point."
Itachi held his head dejectedly as he sighed, "At any rate, the hostages will eventually lure him here, and we can apprehend him then." Kisame nodded once again halfway tuning out Itachi as he examined the temple. "So Itachi-sama…you said he's the last member of this clan?" The Uchiha glanced around for a moment admiring the unique architecture, as he focused on the statue of a woman on the far wall. "Yes, it would seem so…I wouldn't doubt if he came here seeking his clan seal. Its origins are a mystery to even myself, but I heard that one must possess the bloodline to acquire it."
Tazuna sat quietly listening to the conversation of his captors. 'The only clan that ever existed here was the Uzumaki…but who could they be talking about?' he wondered as he searched his memory for clues. Suddenly a flashback hit him as he remembered a certain blonde haired kid, 'Naruto, I can't believe I didn't realize he was a remanant of the clan. I wonder if these two are trying to capture Naruto or somebody else though.' As if he read Tazuna's mind, Kisame wandered over to Tazuna with another grin.
"So, it looks like we have an eavesdropper over here Itachi-sama. How would you like to go for a swim old man?" Kisame practically giggled as horror swept through the large crowd of individuals. Suddenly a woman spoke up in a pleading tone, "We are simple people. Most of us here are fishermen, farmers, or carpenters, and we don't want anything to do with your shinobi politics or wars." Itachi walked to the woman's location with a massacre written on his face, "Everything you believe is a mockery of the truth. Safety is a lie, peace is an illusion, and hatred is eternal. As the seeds of corruption grow in the hearts of all people, wars shall always erupt in a never ending cycle of damnation."
The woman had a terrified look on her face as Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan, "Look into my eyes and see the truth." The woman began to scream in pure terror as visions raced through her mind. "What are you doing to my daughter, Tsunami, you sick fuck?" Tazuna roared in rage before getting knocked down by Kisame. The woman finally fell over practically half-dead(keyword HALF-DEAD…she didn't die) as Itachi's eyes went back to normal. "So much for ignoring them eh Itachi-sama…shit, and you think I'm being too hard on them. That could qualify as torture." Kisame laughed as he and Itachi began to walk to the center of the room. Tazuna began to shout angrily at them, "You'll pay for this I swear…my daughter didn't deserve that!"
Itachi simply disregarded the man as he said, "People like her are poison to their own societies. Encouraging weakness among each other only makes them more susceptible to violence and war. These people don't understand that strong nations don't care if they are weak civilians, they will trample those who are too weak to protect themselves."
Kisame nodded at Itachi's logic, "Yeah, I suppose that's true in the long run. Those too weak to protect themselves shouldn't be around those who can. None of them understand the measures that are acceptable in war." The people present were all cowering with their faces down not daring to look up at the two. "So Itachi-sama, which one of the hostages is going to be the first sacrifice?" The Uchiha looked around with a disgusted look on his face, "No point in making martyrs out of any of them…I would prefer not to kill these people. Maybe this experience will make them stronger." Kisame gave the Uchiha a strange look, "You're too good for your own good Itachi-sama…" Suddenly a loud noise came from outside and drew the attention of all present.
A large explosion blew the door open to the temple and a lone figure walked in. Kisame shot his gaze over to the commotion in excitement and looked upon the figure for a moment. Due to the darkness of the night he could only make out the shadowy outline of a spiky-haired individual. Itachi was staring at the figure as well. Suddenly the figure began to open its eyes as a silvery glow outlined in purple shot out of them. Kisame's jaw nearly hit the floor as he gasped in disbelief at the teenager walking into the room.
The cold dark gaze of his eyes made Kisame feel uneasy as he looked over to Itachi for some kind of explanation. The Uchiha himself simply stared at the young man in complete shock, "The Rinnegan…Kisame why did you insist on jinxing us with this?" The shark nin merely hung his jaw open as the figure walked closer to the two, "Fuck my life…"
"So, you two were clearly interested in finding me…might I ask why? Are you assassins perhaps or do you want to capture me?" Naruto asked as he stood across from the two Akatsuki nin in the center of the room. Itachi spoke up, "We have been tracking you ever since you left Konoha, and have every intention of capturing you."
Naruto glanced at the figure which strongly resembled Sasuke. The orange-haired nin smiled as he retorted, "So you must be Itachi…Sasuke's brother. Am I right? And you are?" He looked over to the shark nin as well expecting some kind of introduction. Kisame frowned as he looked over to Itachi waiting for a que to attack. "I am Kisame a former swordsman of the mist." The Uchiha made a quick glance in his direction and he nodded. Kisame suddenly unwrapped his sword as he began to circle Naruto slowly. Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan activated soon after and he glared into Naruto's eyes. The young man found himself enveloped in an ocean of kunai slashing, stabbing, and cutting him as blood rained upon him.
A large pair of red pin-wheel eyes was all he could see as he looked up in a desperate attempt to identify where he was. His eyes began to sting painfully as he flew out of the kunai with red chakra surrounding him. Itachi's form came into focus as he attempted to subdue Naruto. Then the ocean of blades turned into fire that burned over his body. However, the fire soon changed into red chakra as the form of a fox attacked Itachi. He found himself locked in a prison of chakra as Naruto's vision began to glow brighter and bring him back to his senses as broke the vision Itachi had placed him in.
Naruto broke free of Itachi's Sharinagan and barely avoided the force of a large sword smashing down in front of him. "He broke free Kisame," Itachi stated as the shark nin began to swing his sword in a flurry attempting to hit the Rinnegan wielder. "Yeah no shit…" Kisame replied irritated. All hell brok lose as Kisame began assault as the jinchuuriki in a death match. The orange haired nin drew his kunai.
The Uchiha watched Kisame and Naruto fight with an interest. The jinchuuriki moved with incredible speed parrying and dodging all of the former mist nin's attacks. "How the fuck is this guy so fast?" Kisame yelled as rage coursed through him. Kisame began to take things more seriously as he went through handseals, "Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave) suddenly a large wave of water erupted from Kisame's mouth as he blasted the room full of water.
Naruto laughed as he went through a series of handseals, "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu (Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique) suddenly a large dragon formed out of the water Kisame had created. It began to trash about in the temple attacked Kisame with great speed. The former mist nin fought it back and dodged most of its attacks before absorbing it into his sword.
The shark nin laughed as it blasted back from his sword and blew Naruto along with half of the temple out of the out with it. Kisame rode the crashing wave of water down to strike once again. Naruto quickly regained his composure as he dodged Kisame's overhead smash. The former mist nin began to swing his sword in a whirlwind and water started to gather around him. The vortex of water surrounded the two making Kisame laugh, "Try and escape now kid! Samehada hungers for your chakra!" Itachi watched intently as Kisame began to unleash one of his aces.
Naruto panted as he avoided the relentless flurry of Kisame's sword. The shark-nin's super human strength made it tiresome to counterattack his blows. A large vortex of water began to go faster and grow smaller. Naruto circled Kisame as the area they were in began to shrink then, limiting his room to dodge Kisame's attacks. Kisame laughed as water began to imprison them, "Suiton: Goshuku Zame!" (Five Man Eating Sharks). Suddenly Naruto felt the water's pressure suck him down as five large sharks made of chakra began to swim at him.
He growled as his eyes once again burned in pain. He held up his hand, "Shinra Tensei!" The sharks collided with an unseen shield and were repelled away by an invisible blast much to Kisame's surprise. Naruto shot out of the water like a bullet and felt the familiar red chakra envelop him as he stood at the water's surface facing Kisame and Itachi.
The remaining front entrance of the temple was demolished, allowing some of the villagers to escape and free each other. Several tried to catch a glance at the fight, but only saw an ominous red glow beginning to radiate through a dense fog that had just appeared. The water began to freeze suddenly confusing Kisame greatly as he noticed two figures standing next to Naruto upon the misty ice-covered surface. The shark nin halted his assault upon this sight and had a grim look on his face, "Uh Itachi-sama, apparently this guy has friends." The Uchiha tried to identify the two rescuers and noticed a slashed mist headband on one and a hunter-nin mask on the other. He glaced over at Kisame assuming the former mist nin knew their identities.
Kisame took a closer look at the two newcomers with a surprised laugh, "Zabuza…it can't be; I thought you were dead!" The masked swordsman simply leered at him as he drew his blade and faced Kisame, "Normally I'd be happy to see you, but I can't allow you to harm my master!" Kisame frowned in disapproval, "Your master? You would disregard all those years we spent killing together for this kid?" Zabuza laughed as he drew his sword, "We don't play for the same team anymore…Haku and I serve our lord, Pein, now." Kisame's face broke into a scowl, "You always did like doing things the hard way…I figured one day I would eventually kill you."
"Zabuza, Haku, you two deal with Kisame; Itachi is mine!" Naruto roared as the two nin began to assault Kisame mercilessly. Itachi and Naruto stared each other down once again as Kisame began to duel Zabuza in a fencing display of power and speed. The mighty blades crashed into each other creating monstrous chakra spikes as water, ice and earth exploded everywhere. Suddenly Haku began to freeze the area around Kisame rooting his feet in place allowing Zabuza the upper hand to knock him off balance. Kisame began to go through several handseals, "Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" Water erupted from his mouth once again and it blasted at Zabuza but was immediately frozen.
Mirrors of ice surrounded the two and senbon needles rained into Kisame's back as he parried Zabuza's overpowering swing. 'Shit I can't take him as long as that bitch is freezing all of my water attacks and shooting me in the back!' Kisame thought as he glanced around at the icy mirrors. He tried to smash one but his sword was deflected by Zabuza's. Ice needles shot out of the mirrors from all angles at Kisame once again. He made a quick counterattack to block them but felt Zabuza's sword slash his back. The shark nin's body dissipated into a water clone as the real Kisame whirled his blade around smashing several of the ice mirrors. Ice froze his entire body in place as he landed. Zabuza took the opportunity to continue his assault, leaving Kisame defenseless against the overhead cleave that cut down his chest. He channeled the chakra from his sword quickly trying to regenerate as he glanced over to Itachi's battle. The Uchiha had apissed look on his face as his Sharingan activated once again.
"Since you are too much trouble to defeat by any physical means…let's see how you deal with this!" Itachi snapped. Black flames suddenly erupted around Naruto constricting him in agonizing heat. He fell to his knees as the flames began to burn hotter. "Amaterasu, is more than sufficient to defeat you," Itachi stated with a dead serious look on his face. The ice around him instantly melted and he fell underwater. The black flames suppressed Naruto and his chakra as they continued to burn him into submission. He tried to hold his breath as he sank deeper into the water.
"The burning agony feels good doesn't it? Turn your pain into rage!" the Kyuubi roared with thundering anger in Naruto's mind as he felt a surge of adrenaline flow through him, 'The pain…it's unbearable. I don't think I can last much longer.'
"Release all of your power from your Chakra points now! Feel your power within…unleash it with mine and dispel these flames!" Naruto began to focus on his chakra points which still suppressed most of his power. The jinchuuriki's vision began to go black as a supernova of chakra exploded from his body, "Shinra Tensei!" the force of the attack exploded violently consuming the black flames and causing a massive tsunami of water to blast out of the water as Naruto flew out of it blasting Itachi and the others back in the process. (Naruto going super saiyan? Lol JK) Kisame, Zabuza, and Haku halted their fight as they witnessed two chakra wings emerge from Naruto's back. He flew high into the air and a slit formed in his Rinnegan eyes as they began to glow red. "Use your power to annihilate everything! Let my chakra feed your rage!" Itachi and Kisame looked up in awe as Naruto began to channel his chakra. Suddenly Zabuza and Haku were covered in red chakra as well.
Kisame had a look on his face that resembled a deer caught in the headlights as Zabuza smashed his sword into Kisame sending him flying away with a large hole through his chest. The two nin turned their attention back skyward. Haku and Zabuza only stared at their leader as they felt his power surge. A strange echo was heard in Naruto's mind, 'Chibaku Tensei…show them the true power of the Rinnegan.' The jinchuuriki obeyed the voice without question much to Kyuubi's confusion, "Chibaku Tensei!" (Planetary Devastation/Heavenly body bursting from the earth)
"What are you doing! How do you know about that jutsu?" Kyuubi roared in Naruto's mind. The teenager glared at Itachi and Kisame with killer intent. Suddenly everything began to rise from the ground ripping the landscape apart. Water, earth and ice began to float towards Naruto forming into a large ball. Pieces of the half demolished temple rose as well. Kisame gave Itachi a desperate look as he got up and back away from Zabuza and Haku. The four missing nin felt themselves being sucked into the the massive ball. They jumped down fast trying to escape it. "We are not equipped to take this guy down Itachi-sama…I say we get the hell out of here."
The Uchiha only nodded in shock as he and Kisame began to fear the large ball forming in the sky. The two began to run at inhuman speed away from the scene, but Naruto channeled his jutsu harder trying to suck them back in. Painful rage burned in his blood as the ball began to grow. Haku and Zabuza were beginning to get higher and higher as well much to their shock. Finally he was stopped by Haku, "No Naruto-kun, it's over; let them go for now. You're going to kill us!" He looked at her face for a moment and sighed in relief as he felt his anger and his chakra slowly retreat allowing two figures to escape into the distance. He finally released the jutsu causing earth and water to rain down upon the devastated remnants of the battlefield. He soon returned to normal as he landed and was embraced into a hug by Haku, "You had me worried Naruto-kun…"
"How…I don't understand how you did that. ANSWER ME NOW!" Naruto tuned the fox out as he focused his attention to his followers. Zabuza let out a breath he had been holding as the rest of the Naruto's jutsu finished raining down. Zabuza thought to himself about how powerful he felt when he was with Naruto. 'When he turned red…I felt all of my chakra replenish, despite it mostly being drained by Kisame's sword. And what the fuck was that shit he just did? Damn, with him leading us we can rule the world!' Zabuza thought as he stared at his leader.
Naruto finally regained his normal demeanor as he sat down against a large rock. "So what did those guys want with me?" he asked as he looked over to Zabuza. The masked swordsman thought for a moment, "You know I've heard of those two before Naruto-sama…they're part of a terrorist organization known as Akatsuki." Naruto glanced over at Zabuza with a questioning look, "Akatsuki eh? Well I suggest we avoid them in the future. They all nodded in unison.
Haku glanced at Naruto for a moment and sighed, "These villagers are going report this to Konoha…maybe it would be a good idea to wear a mask Naruto-kun." Thankfully for him, none of the villagers could make out his face in the dark temple earlier. He glanced over at the masked girl and nodded before focusing his attention to Zabuza. The masked swordsman looked at him for a minute before he sighed, "I think I have a spare black mask, I suppose it would be a good idea to cover up your face." He began to sort through his personal belongings in a recently acquired pack and pulled out a mask similar to Kakashi's (Don't laugh at my Cliché mask).
"Here you go Naruto-sama; excellent thinking by the way, Haku." The girl nodded as she watched Naruto put on his mask. He laughed to himself at the thought of resembling his old sensei. "Yeah good idea Haku-chan, it'll cover up my whisker marks which will completely shroud my identity from them. Since I have a different hair color and eyes now, they won't notice." Zabuza looked around for a moment lost in thought, "Maybe we should get out of here before a platoon of Anbu show up and force us to butcher them." Naruto frowned for a moment as he looked at Zabuza, "I still need my clan seal in that temple. Supposedly the scroll on how to do it is locked away in its main vault." Unanimous agreement echoed as they began to make their way back into the temple. Looks of distress and terror marked the faces of the villagers who noticed the trio emerging from the mist.
They made their way back inside the half demolished temple avoiding looks they received from the terrified villagers. One man looked at Zabuza and almost started to cry, "BY THE GODS! THE DEMON OF THE MIST HAS RETURNED!" Zabuza shot the man a death glare making him back away swiftly. Naruto looked around at the people who all were staring at him. Many of them were cowering when he made eye contact. He looked around at the mostly freed villagers and spoke in deadly tone, "I suggest all of you leave before you die."
Zabuza began to laugh as he chimed in, "Bow before Pein and the Demon of the Mist!" Many villagers present began to run away in fear as Haku let out a brief sigh at Zabuza's over the top ego. Naruto felt a small smile come to his face at the mention of his false name. As the remaining villagers all fled the temple, Naruto glanced at a statue of a woman. He walked closer to it and read the name on it, "Mito Uzumaki." He looked at the statue for a moment trying to identify who the woman was. He finally sighed as he walked away from it and down a hallway followed on each side by Zabuza and Haku.
Naruto at last came to a dark corridor leading downstairs into a dark room. He picked up a torch on a nearby wall and set in on fire as they wandered further in. At the very back of the room Naruto found a large chest with a super complicated lock on it. He handed the torch to Haku who held it over for him. He read the inscription, "To open the chest, a true member must channel his chakra through the lock." The jinchuuriki laughed quietly about how simple something such as this would be. 'Guess they figured nobody in the clan had any mind to steal it anyways,' he thought as he began to open the chest. The locks undid themselves as his chakra flowed over the chest for several minutes. Finally the chest opened and Naruto began to examine its contents.
Haku and Zabuza quietly watched him go through the several scrolls inside the chest as he searched for his clan seal. He found it after a few minutes and read the instructions, 'To place the clan seal on a member, one must first have a large chakra pool and have the clan bloodline to ensure survival otherwise the seal is fatal.' He laughed to himself at the thought of somebody like Orochimaru finding this and killing himself accidently. 'Speaking of which…I still need to kill him at some point.' The teen's mind side-tracked for a moment before he continued reading, 'The clan seal allows the user to weave chakra and temporarily augment their weapons of even bodies with it. The seal amplifies all elemental jutsu. To acquire the seal one must unleash their chakra in the heart of the maelstrom outside of the temple. To prove one's worth, he or she must overpower nature itself. If they are deemed worthy the gods shall bless them with the Uzumaki Seal of Ascendance.' Below the instructions listed the names of every clan member to acquire the seal. Only fifty names were on it. 'No wonder nobody has heard of this seal.'
Naruto sighed as he reread the scroll before he finally placed it back inside the chest. He continued to search it for anything of value, and he finally found something very interesting. He pulled it out of the chest and stared at it. "An Uzushiogakure Hitae-ite…"(Whirlpool village headband…or something close to that) Naruto tied the forehead protector around his head and turned to his two followers. They both gave him an approving nod. He smiled underneath his mask before he spoke, "Guys, I am going for a swim." The two missing nin focused their attention on their leader and followed him as he began to walk up the stairs outside of the temple's back entrance. They looked down and saw a huge whirlpool at the base of the cliff edge the temple was on. Haku took off her mask and gave a worried look to Naruto as he began to take his gear off and his shirt. "Don't tell me you actually intend to go into that?" she gasped as he walked to the edge of the cliff. Zabuza sat down and took a deep breath as he and Haku only saw the faint orange blur of their leader diving into the whirlpool. "He knows what he's doing Haku, he'll be okay." She gave him a concerned look before sitting down next to him, "I hope so…"
Meanwhile, Naruto had just landed in the freezing cold water and tried to get to the surface as his body spun out of control in the maelstrom. He focused his chakra into his feet and propelled himself upon the surface of the moving water and felt intense pressure as he attempted to walk to its center. Each step felt like it would suck him down to the sea floor. He slowly but surely made progress to the center, and upon finally reaching it he felt his entire body starting to crush from the force of the pressure. Haku and Zabuza saw an orange blur in the center from where they were and only gaped in wide wonder.
"That guy never ceases to amaze me…" Zabuza said as he intently watched the orange haired shinobi channel his chakra at the center of the maelstrom. Haku stared at him and felt her heart throb, "He's incredible…" Naruto almost lost himself in his concentration to keep his chakra controlled as he focused harder. More poured out of his body as he channeled all of it into the whirling tide. The water surrounding him began to merge with his chakra and then glowed in a blinding display of power.
Naruto got pulled down into the maelstrom of chakra and felt his entire body overcome by a strange tingling feeling. He felt the chakra in the water around him and began to alter its direction, reversing the flow of the whirlpool. After a full minute of rotating in its counter direction, the maelstrom was completely dissipated. Naruto emerged from it and ran up the cliff to meet his companions once more. They both looked at him in awe as they saw his skin glowing radiantly before finally returning to normal. "I got what I came for. Let's leave this place," the orange haired teen spoke as he put his gear back on. "Explain to me how that got you a clan seal?" Haku asked as she intently watched him reequip his gear. Naruto turned around and replied, "By mastering nature I created my own seal…this was some kind of test for all of the most powerful Uzumaki Clan members…I didn't realize that we must each create our own seals until I did that for myself.
Haku and Zabuza both looked over the edge of the cliff in shock that the whirlpool was gone. Zabuza looked at him for a moment as if he was about to say something but finally closed his mouth. Haku licked her lips as he motioned for them to follow him. 'He's so…powerful and in control all the time. Fuck is that hot. Oh the things I would do to you Naruto-kun…' Haku thought as the trio silently began to leave the temple. Zabuza glanced over at Haku for a moment and smirked as he noticed the look on her face. 'I bet she won't be the only woman who wants to have your kids,' Zabuza laughed to himself as he looked over at his leader.
Naruto heard the familiar growl in his mind as Kyuubi began to interrupt his thoughts, "Despite your lack of resolve, you have been impressing me lately kit…I have no idea how you did that jutsu earlier…maybe you have no idea either, but at any rate…you might just earn my respect one day." Naruto acknowledged Kyuubi's comment, 'Like you said, with your power and mine…I'll be a god." The demon fox laughed in Naruto's mind in a chorus of delight as they continued.
A long distance away in the forest two cloaked men sat against a tree and stared at the sky. "Itachi-sama…Explain to me how we just got our asses handed to us," Kisame whined as his body continued to regenerate from the wounds inflicted by Zabuza and Haku. The Uchiha simply stared at the moon lost in thought. Kisame continued to rant, "Those two friends of his died over two years ago, Itachi-sama…I saw their graves when we arrived at that village. Something wasn't right about that. Zabuza was one of my closest friends back when I was tight with the seven swordsmen of the mist. I had heard of the Rinnegan's power, but I never imagined it could do…that."
Itachi sulked in his depression as he responded to Kisame, "This is a worst case scenario far beyond anything I could have ever imagined. And now he probably has his clan seal too…we are not going to try fighting him again unless we have Madara-sama." Kisame nodded in agreement as he rested his head back against the tree trunk. "What was that jutsu he did that sucked everything in?" Itachi gazed into the distance as if he was half-asleep, "That was one of the Rikudo Sennin's most powerful jutsus…There's no way I'm going against that again. Of course it was on a smaller scale, but the fact of the matter is he can do it as well."
"How in the world did you not know he had the Rinnegan, Itachi-sama? Weren't you tracking him?" Itachi thought about the question for a moment, "No, Kyuubi's jinchuuriki is named Naruto. He had blonde hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks according to our informant. He might have recently developed it…maybe that's how he eluded us before." Kisame frowned, "You said his name was Naruto? They referred to him as Pein."
"We might as well call him that too," Itachi said. Kisame gave him a questioning look and asked, "Why should we do that?" The Uchiha relied, "For the sake of covering his tracks, and our own for when the Konoha Anbu come scouring this place two days from now. Silence passed for a few minutes before Itachi gave Kisame a brief glance and sighed, "I don't think Madara-sama will like to hear that the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki is a Rinnegan wielder who is the son of the fourth hokage and the last descendant of one of the most powerful clans ever known…"
Kisame had a sad look on his face, "I have this strange feeling that we're going to go through disciplinary punishment for this…" Itachi closed his eyes in distress at the thought of Madara making an example out of them in front of the rest of Akatsuki. "Well let's get this over with…call him now Itachi-sama," Kisame groaned as Itachi went through several handseals to alert their leader to show up.
A shadow teleported directly in front of them and was silent as the one red eye shined through the swirled orange mask. Madara looked at Itachi and Kisame quietly awaiting their report.
"Madara-sama…we couldn't apprehend the nine tails. There was a certain complication involved," Itachi began as the figure continued to stare at him, "We set a trap for him at the old temple in Wave, but we couldn't subdue him by any means…he broke free of my Mangekyo Sharingan and…well we had a large battle that resulted in his friends showing up and us getting out. We weren't trying to kill him but we got overwhelmed and had no choice but to retreat."
The masked man continued to silently gaze at Itachi and he took off his mask. His ethereal face gave the two nin a look with curious interest. Finally he spoke, "Broke free from your Sharingan…care to elaborate Itachi?" The younger Uchiha sighed as he held his head down in submission once again, "He has the Rinnegan…he outmaneuvered a lot of our techniques. After my Amaterasu failed to subdue him, he unleashed a surge of chakra and performed a Chibaku Tensei on us and we fled from him." Madara's eyes shot open and much to Itachi and Kisame's surprise he began to smile.
"It must have been…beautiful. You two fools are very lucky to be alive…he must have spared you if you were able to outrun that jutsu." Madara was grinning as if he was the happiest man on the planet. Itachi and Kisame traded confused glances as Madara began to pace excitedly, "I must meet him…what is his name?" Itachi answered swiftly, "His name is Pein."
Madara laughed to himself, "Pein? I can't wait to meet him." Kisame had a puzzled look on his face as Madara put his mask back on. "You two leave the Nine-tails alone for the time being…I have great plans for him. By the way, Zetsu also told me that this Pein used a demonic barrier to elude you two the first time…so I suppose your incompetence wasn't to blame for that. Your new orders are to report to base so we can have a meeting with the others. I'll have Zetsu keep an eye on Pein in the mean time and report any of his movements to me."
Kisame bluntly asked, "What plans could you possibly have for somebody like that Madara-sama?" The Uchiha looked at Kisame and practically giggled as he replied, "The nine tails sealed within a Rinnegan wielder…makes me excited just thinking about it…Eventually our paths will cross and this Pein will kneel before me…and with his power subjugated to my will the stagnant Shinobi nations shall tremble and fall as I become the herald to their annihilation and assume the throne of darkness!"
Madara disappeared after his speech leaving a disturbed pair of missing nin who stared at each other for a full minute. "Sometimes…I get this feeling that Madara-sama is slightly crazy," Kisame chuckled as Itachi began to frown. "I wouldn't doubt it if Pein kills him…" Kisame shot Itachi a surprised look. "I wouldn't go around saying things like that Itachi-sama…otherwise he might impale me with my own sword and…fuck I'd hate to think what he'd do to you. I think he has some homo-erotic fantasies about you."
Itachi laughed for the first time ever after Kisame finished his sentence. "Yeah, I would prefer if he kept that directed elsewhere. Besides I'm sure he's in love with Pein judging by how excited he was." Kisame began to laugh hysterically. The Uchiha had a smirk on his face at the thought of it. "Heh, well at any rate, let's go back to base," Itachi chuckled as the two began to set off once again. Kisame looked at Itachi for a moment and a familiar question popped into his mind, "Itachi-sama, you never told me the name of that informant from Konoha." The Uchiha thought for a moment and responded, "Oh yeah I guess I didn't…she is the best infiltrator I've ever seen." Kisame's interest soared as he asked, "Who is she?" Itachi looked at him and stopped walking for a moment and spoke, "She is the Hokage's secretary…Shizune I think her name was." Kisame sighed sadly, "I'm afraid I don't know her."
"Yeah, she is one of Madara-sama's agents…I didn't even know myself until I left Konoha something close to seven years ago. Although she was barely into her teens back then, she had keen skill for information gathering. Apparently it was good enough to impress Madara-sama." Itachi's statement sated Kisame's curiosity as the pair continued onward in silence.
In the peaceful city of Konoha a certain raven haired Uchiha was sitting at a ramen stand. Sasuke stared at his food as he had nostalgic flashbacks about his friend. 'This was his favorite place to eat…It's just not the same without him here. I guess I always took his friendship for granted.' Sasuke's inner reflections were cut off by a young woman who spoke to him, "You're Naruto's teammate right? I haven't seen him around at all; do you know where he's been?" The auburn haired daughter of the ramen stand owner was standing in front of him staring at him. Sasuke's depressed attitude only seemed to worsen upon her mentioning of Naruto. "He's not in Konoha anymore…" Sasuke trailed off.
The girl's cheery face began to dampen into an equally depressed one as Sasuke's. She looked at him for a moment and asked, "Please…tell me what happened to him. My father and I care dearly for him." Sasuke raised an eyebrow staring at her and she broke eye contact looking away with a blush on her face, "I care for him dearly…but how could he ever care for me when all he would talk about was Sakura and yourself? Did he ever mention my name, Ayame to you?" Sasuke's interest in the conversation brought him from his half-dead state as he replied to her, "Not specifically, but he said your ramen stand was one his favorite places in the world and that he loved the people there."
Ayame sighed sadly and then asked, "I need to know what happened to him…none of the other shinobi I asked will tell me a thing." The raven haired boy let out a long deep sigh, "Well you heard about me trying to leave Konoha I suppose. I guess I can start from there if you want the real story and not the official council bullshit."
The girl's full attention was focused on Sasuke as she stared at him waiting for him to begin. "I left Konoha…I won't go into the reasons why, but all you need to know was it was a personal matter. Naruto and several others from my age group were tasked to recover me. They encountered Orochimaru's Sound nin along the way and that picked them off individually. Finally when I reached the Valley of the End, Naruto had caught up with me."
Ayame walked around the counter and sat next to Sasuke as he continued his story, "We had a terrible battle…and we used our full arsenals on each other in an attempt to defeat one another. In the end, I used my cursed seal and he used his…power. We had a final standoff when I charged a Chidori and he channeled a Rasengan. When we collided in the center…I saw his eyes change into a silvery purple and he impaled me in the chest with his Rasengan."
Ayame gasped at Sasuke's story and she cut in, "That's terrible…I heard rumors that he tried to kill you. Is that what they were talking about?" Sasuke nodded before he began again, "The council tried to use it as an excuse to demean his reputation further. I tried to kill him as well…but that's not the point. Anyways, when he carried me back, I was conscious for some of the time, and I heard him say things that would honestly shock most people."
The ramen girl cringed as she thought about it, "What did he say?" Sasuke broke eye contact as he stared at the bowl in front of him, "He said he hated Konoha and almost everybody in it. He went on a rant about how they didn't deserve his loyalty and how even his closest friends…meaning me, Tsunade-sama, Sakura, Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Iruka had veiled doubts about his potential. I don't believe that's true, but judging from his thought process at the time I believe he thought it was. The worst thing he said though was how he used to get beaten every birthday he had until the third hokage made it stop. I used to think he was a happy fool…but now I see that it was a mask to his true feelings…" Ayame gasped in horror at the thought of Naruto being beaten as a kid.
Sasuke took a deep breath and continued, "I thought I knew true pain…when my clan was killed, I suffered the indignity of loneliness fueled by an insatiable hatred…but he's been alone his entire life. I learned later from Iruka that his progress had been derailed and sabotaged constantly to make him fail in the academy. I didn't learn of his true worth until he saved my life in Wave country on our first C-rank mission that ended up becoming an A-rank."
Ayame held her head down in sorrow as she commented, "He's such a nice person…to think all of those terrible things happened to him, and there was barely anybody who tried to stop it." Sasuke looked at the girl who appeared to be holding back tears as he replied softly, "I passed out sometime before he brought me to the village and didn't wake up again until I got news from Tsunade-sama that he was missing. They all claimed that he was kidnapped by my brother Itachi…but I think he left."
Ayame gazed at the wall flabbergasted for a moment as she processed all of the information. "Thanks for telling me Sasuke-san. I think my father needs to hear this as well. Just leave the money on the counter." The girl got up and went into the kitchen behind the counter leaving Sasuke. The Uchiha finished his bowl of ramen and got up to leave.
He walked around the corner and put his hands in his pockets as he looked down at the ground. Thoughts began to race through his mind once again as he wandered down the streets of Konoha. 'Naruto is gone…I suppose nothing will change that. Anyways, I wonder how long I'll have to wait before they let me go do missions again. I am so bored of this civilian crap.'
Out of nowhere, a certain masked jounin ran up to Sasuke and started to walk next to him, "What's up Sasuke? You look rather down." The Uchiha shrugged as he disregarded his Sensei's observation. "Well I just thought that since you have all this free time, and I've been assigned to watch you all day, maybe we could continue into some more training." Sasuke's perked up at the mention of training as Kakashi continued, "Anything beats wallowing in shame all day."
Kakashi gave his one eyed U smile and motioned for Sasuke to follow him as he headed off. Sasuke followed his Sensei to their old training ground. Unknown to Sasuke, a certain purple haired Kunoichi had been listening to his entire conversation with Ayame. Anko held her eyes closed as she leaned against the wall. 'So that's why he left…I thought as much. I wonder if I'll ever see him again…' she thought to herself as she wandered half-drunk home. The image of his face kept popping into her mind despite her attempts to block them out. 'Gah, why should I care if he left…why can't I stop thinking about this…about him?' she asked herself before arriving at her home. She opened her door and plopped on the couch and felt her head throb painfully.
'The way the villagers looked at him…almost like the way they look at me. Distrust, fear, and hatred are the only things I see in them. If I ever see him again…I'm leaving with him.' Her mind wandered as she subconsciously admitted to herself the crush she had recently developed for Naruto. (Ooooh the plot thickens…) She drifted into unconsciousness as one word slipped from her mouth, "Naruto-kun…"
At a discreet, unknown location, nine Akatsuki members stood around in large dark cave facing an orange-masked individual. The figure began to speak, "I declared myself the official leader of Akatsuki…over a year ago…for those of you who don't know. Any challenges to me for supremacy will result in your displacement of life. I called you all here for one sole purpose. That purpose is to tell you what our new objectives are. As most of you know, we've been tracking Biju and their containers lately. The only two jinchuuriki we know of are the nine-tailed and the one-tailed beasts' containers. I want all of you to pair off again and search for the others. Don't blow your cover, I want to identify the most protected and powerful ones so we can capture them early before the nations catch on to Akatsuki and our goals."
A unanimous chorus sounded, "Yes Tobi-sama." The swirl orange-masked man began to speak again, "There is also a certain individual that you will all have to watch out for." Everyone's attention focused intently on Madara as he continued, "A rogue nin by the name of Pein."
Several looks of skepticism swept through the group as a familiar man known as Hidan with a triple bladed scythe spoke up, "We're supposed to be scared of some rogue ninja? I doubt he could take on any of us by ourselves let alone in pairs." Madara looked at Hidan and laughed at him, "He already defeated Itachi and Kisame…this rogue nin is the Jinchuuriki of the nine tails."
Everybody present except Zetsu, Madara, and said individuals held their mouths open in shock as they looked over to Itachi and Kisame for confirmation. Kisame let out a super exaggerated sigh as he stated, "Yeah…he's one bad mother fucker." Itachi nodded as he added, "He has the Rinnegan…he defeated us with one of the Rikudo Sennin's jutsus."
Hidan gave a disbelieving look to Itachi as he smirked, "I call bullshit on that one…you mean to tell me that somebody actually has the Rinnegan? And he defeated both of you?" Kisame groaned in irritation, "We weren't trying to kill him, but it was impossible to subdue him…and later he had friends show up halfway into our fight…the only problem is they had been dead for two years."
The normally quiet Konan decided to enter the conversation, "How have they been dead for two years? Who were they?" Kisame gave her an irritated glance before answering, "They were Zabuza the demon of the mist and his apprentice Haku. They died two years ago during some stupid bridge fight with some kids and the Copy-nin Kakashi."
Konan raised an eyebrow at Kisame and she replied bluntly, "You know an awful lot about them I see…they must have been friends of yours at one point I bet." The shark nin gave her a nasty death glare as he retorted angrily, "Keep your observations to yourself you bitch…I was just saying that I found it odd how they were serving this guy, Pein despite the fact that there were official reports of them dying."
Deidara decided to join the argument and laughed, "Ladies you're both pretty." They both turned to look at him coldly. Kakuzu plainly added, "You're sure one to talk…Mr. Pretty boy art lover." The blonde haired man shot Kakuzu a smirk as he began to sing, "What can I say…I'm beautiful in every single way."
Blank stares focused on the blonde causing him to laugh to himself, "Yeah…sorry I haven't blown anything up in a while. My artistic horizons have been hindered lately so I've been a bit on edge." Everyone rolled their eyes and focused back on Madara. "I just thought that you guys should know that failure is never tolerated…but since Itachi and Kisame faced a Rinnegan wielder who just so happened to be the nine tail's jinchuuriki, I am letting it slide. Do not engage Pein under any circumstances…do you understand me?"
A unanimous chorus of agreement sounded once again. Konan had a troubled look on her face and asked, "What do you intend to do with this Pein…because the way I see it, letting some powerful jinchuuriki run around and swing his dick into everyone's business unopposed seems foolhardy to me." Madara nodded his head in acknowledgement, "Yes that is true Konan…but eventually he will grow arrogant and seek us out…and I shall personally handle him."
Itachi and Kisame traded quick smirks as Madara finished. "Ok, I'm assigning all of you specific jobs. Zetsu, you are going to watch Orochimaru full time; report all of his actions to me. Sasori and Deidara I want you two to keep a close eye on the one-tailed beast's container…the Kazekage…try to be discreet. Hidan and Kakuzu, you two go search Earth Country…Itachi and Kisame go search in Lightning Country. I will search in Water Country and several surrounding areas. Konan…you have two special tasks."
The woman shot a confused look at her leader waiting for her assignment, "Konan, you are tasked with keeping an eye on Amegakure and Takigakure…those two villages have been unsettling lately according to rumors…kill their leaders and see if you can root out some information." The woman nodded. Madara finished, "You are all dismissed…we'll meet back in a few years whenever all nine jinchuuriki have been identified, and every nation toured for final intel. When we meet again we'll organize a plan."
Everyone filed out in their paired groups and split to the four winds. Konan started to head off before she felt Madara's presence behind her. "That was your official assignment…the other one is something I can trust only you with Konan." The blue haired kunoichi turned around with a confused look on her young, beautiful face and raised an eyebrow, "What is it Madara-sama?" He looked at her for a moment before answering, "I need you to go undercover and find out more about Pein. You may have to track him down or watch areas he is likely to cover. Zetsu won't be able to watch him much because I need him to keep an eye on Orochimaru in case the snake makes a wrong move."
Konan gave Madara a disapproving look and huffed, "Why do I have to do that?" Madara laughed as she scowled, "Because you were the one who was so concerned about him running free unchecked…plus I'm sure he wouldn't turn a pretty girl's help down." Konan glared at him for a moment before groaning in anger, "Ughhh, fine I'll look into it…if I have time, but I don't really see a point in…" she was interrupted by Madara, "Be perceptive girl…Imagine how strong our cause would be if he joined us."
Konan gasped at his statement, "You…you want me to bring him to you? You would have him join our ranks? Do you really think he would surrender to our cause…after Itachi and Kisame tried to capture him?" Madara sighed as he began to pace around her, "You lack the foresight to understand my plan, Konan. For now you will do as you're told and keep an eye on those small western countries. In due time your path will cross with his and you'll know what to do."
Madara disappeared without another word leaving a blue haired woman slightly irritated. She growled in frustration as she walked away and began to mock Madara, "Be perceptive girl, you'll know what to do when the time comes…for fuck's sake why does he have to make everything a puzzle or a riddle? I think I'll know what to do…shove a kunai up your ass is what I'll do…" The azure-haired beauty raged as she disappeared into the distance.
OKAY there's chapter 5 for you guys. I finally finished writing it now that all of my holiday activities have died down. Nice long chapter I hope you enjoyed. I threw in some humor in there if you didn't notice. Now to sum up some brief points: I know some of you may find it a bit far-fetched that Naruto was holding off Itachi and Kisame without too much effort, but let's face facts…Rinnegan = Godly, and he's Kyuubi's container…so yeah he will be super powerful from here on out. I know the fight may have seemed brief, but it was just skirmish between them…not some epic for the ages. As for him using the Chibaku Tensei this early…I know it may seem kind of far-fetched, but like everything else in this story there will be a reason behind that. I'm sure most of you can tell by this point that I love Akatsuki and all of its members. They will play vital roles in chapters to come. Also, just for the record Itachi and Kisame were joking…nobody send me questions asking if anyone is gay (Because somebody always does…) Well that about sums up this chapter…left lots of teasers in the chapter to give you guys hints for the future.