Raining Darkness

by Crimson ultrafox

Naruto defeats Sasuke in the Valley of the End, but upon returning ends up leaving himself. Dark desires flood his heart as he awakens the Rinnegan, and takes on the alias, Pein. Dark Naruto, Naru/harem, Not quite what you'd expect.

10. Chapter 10

Yeah like I said…another quick update. Although with Dragon Age 2 coming out in a few days…It may be a bit longer for the next one.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this one…here's chapter 10.

Chapter 10: Old Friends

Over in Konoha, Gaara and Tsunade were sitting in the Hokage office. Tsunade leaned back in her chair and let out a heavy sigh, "So that's all we know about Pein…he's apparently got the Rinnegan…it was a bloodline of the Sage of Six Paths." Gaara nodded as he stared out the window with a distant look on his face. Tsunade continued, "Apparently, Pein and Konan waged a battle outside of Amegakure…Danzo said that his ROOT agents have found a massive crater. We have reason to believe they are both dead."

Gaara turned his gaze upon Tsunade and calmly asked, "You said he knew something about Naruto?" Tsunade nodded, "Yes, Sasuke asked him about Naruto, and Pein said that Naruto died three years ago." Gaara had an unconvinced look on his face, "That seems unlikely…Naruto is a jinchuuriki. I'm not sure if you are aware of this Hokage…but if a jinchuuriki dies then their Biju dies as well. The Kyuubi is extremely powerful and wouldn't allow that to happen." Tsunade nodded her head and calmly replied, "Unless the Sage of Six Paths killed him…" Gaara had a blank look on his face waiting for Tsunade to elaborate, "You see…Pein most likely killed Naruto." Gaara's mind wandered for a brief moment after the Hokage's theory, 'Maybe…or maybe Pein is trying to protect Naruto…'

"I don't want to risk any kind of attack on this village, and since our forces are weakened at the moment due to our battle with Ame, I would request that you leave a platoon of jounin here." Gaara nodded as he thought it through, "Your village is a higher priority target anyways." Tsunade smiled as she leaned back casually in her chair, "Oh and I would like to request for your brother and sister to stay here for the time being…to ensure stability from the additional Suna nin in Konoha." Gaara nodded his head respectfully, "Yes they command loyalty and act upon my best interests, so leaving them here would be better for both of us. I'm sorry to cut this short Hokage, but I must be on my way back to Suna today. Things get a bit chaotic if one of us isn't there to uphold stability. Plus with these battles breaking out all over the place, I want to ensure my people's safety."

Tsunade nodded, "Very well, I'll send you encrypted reports and inform you of anything worth knowing." Gaara stood up and walked to the door, "That would be most appreciated." Gaara left the office and sighed as he made his way down the stairs, 'Naruto goes missing three years ago…and this criminal Pein shows up around that time. Naruto is apparently dead and that was confirmed by Pein? I can't help but think that maybe…' Gaara was interrupted from his thoughts when Kankuro and Temari intercepted him. Temari, in her usual assertive way demanded answers, "What's going on Gaara? What do they know about this Pein?" Kankuro crossed his arms, "Yes, I am also rather eager to find out what the Hokage proposed."

Gaara shook his head slowly, "They don't seem to know anything about him other then the fact that he has the Rinnegan. The Hokage believes he is the Rikudo Sennin…" Temari raised an eyebrow at that, "Sounds a bit far-fetched to me…what did the Hokage want us to do?" Gaara sighed as he faced his sister, "You and Kankuro are going to stay in Konoha for the time being along with a platoon of our Jounin. Our presence here will ward off Konoha from the other nations should they get the idea to attack it during this crisis." Kankuro let out a long groan, "What? This village is full of powerful shinobi the only villages that would risk attacking it right now would be Kumogakure and Kirigakure…but even then it would take a full scale army." Temari nodded at her brother's comment, "Kankuro's right, I doubt anybody is going to attack Konoha." Gaara crossed his arms and glanced at his brother with a plain look on his face, "It's symbolic…it will solidify our alliance with Konoha and give the other nations something to think about if they think we have troops stationed in Fire Country."

Temari smirked, "Heh, I guess that makes sense…but what about you Gaara?" He casually answered her, "I am going back to Suna to protect the village. Represent us well…Temari, you're in charge of the troops here." She nodded as her brother headed for the building exit. Kankuro laughed to himself as he looked at Temari, "Well now we're stuck in this village…" Temari sighed as she shook her head, "It's not too bad, maybe you should go find yourself a nice girl or something Kankuro." "I could say the same for you Ms. I'm too Important for Relationships." Temari scowled at him and started walking away, "Just stay out of trouble…"

XXXXX

Zabuza and Haku made great progress over the past few days and were closing in on the borders of Water Country. Zabuza cracked his neck as he and Haku made their way along the trail. The ice princess sighed, "I forgot how much it sucked not having Naruto around…no offense Zabuza but you're boring me to death." The swordsman laughed as he turned to his former apprentice, "Haha I'll bet…don't worry Haku things will get fun once we start murdering towns." The woman nodded her head and laughed, "I can't wait to see how high this bounty on our heads is." Zabuza chuckled as he swung his sword over his shoulder, "Maybe we'll see another platoon of Anbu HA! They sure would love to see us again."

"You know I still regret not killing the one who escaped…" Haku said coolly. Zabuza waved his arm and laughed, "Ah who cares…let one live every now and then so they can spread the word that we are not to be fucked with!" Haku nodded, "That's true…but my only concern is that the one who escaped might have caught a glimpse of Naruto." Zabuza raised an eyebrow, "Like that would matter now…after showing his face to Otogakure then later Konan and all of those Konoha jounin, I doubt it's a secret anymore." The woman huffed irritably, "We still should not have left him…this all seems a bit pointless…we went all the way out there just to fucking split up with the others." Zabuza sighed as he nodded, "Yeah that does seem counter-productive, but look on the bright side…this gives us a chance to shine on our own so that we can prove to Naruto how useful we truly are."

"That's awfully optimistic of you Zabuza…" Haku smiled as she gave the man an amused look. The swordsman nodded his head, "What can I say…I'm a good guy!" "Says the man who talks about killing towns of people…" Haku shot back. Zabuza shrugged casually, "Well…when you put it that way…I'm a great guy!" Haku face palmed as Zabuza flexed. A brief silence filled the air for a few moments before Haku spoke, "Zabuza…I have a question." The man looked over at the brunette beauty and responded, "Alright…what is it?" Haku sighed as she looked over to him, "Naruto was focused on killing Orochimaru, but aside from the things I have heard, I don't know anything about him." The masked man shrugged, "Well, I've never met him…but from what I hear he is really pale and has these yellow snake eyes."

"Naruto seemed awfully determined to kill him." Haku stated. "He is extremely dangerous…Naruto said that he wanted to eliminate the competition for his world domination early so he wouldn't have anybody interfering with his political takeover." Zabuza replied. The ice princess shook her head in confusion, "Then why does Naruto insist on trusting those Sound nin?" Zabuza shrugged casaully, "I have no idea…I am unsure what to think of them. I trust Guren but the other two I'm not sure about…" Haku laughed, "Something about Guren rubs me the wrong way…"

Zabuza raised a brow at Haku and sighed, "Why don't you trust Guren?" Haku looked distant and spoke calmly, "She's one of Orochimaru's highest ranking followers…I just have a hard time believing she is as loyal as she appears to be." Zabuza scratched his head, "Umm, Naruto killed her…I hardly doubt that she is going to betray him. He owns her life just as he owns our lives." The woman rolled her eyes, "At any rate, I wonder how they intend to deal with Orochimaru?"

"Well since you and I are out of the picture, they can probably go undercover as double agents…it seems like Guren would most likely wait for an opportune moment to attack Orochimaru." Haku looked confused, "Why wouldn't they simply just attack him once they found him?" Zabuza shook his head, "Orochimaru is a snake…as such he probably thinks like one. I wouldn't doubt if he had escape routes planned or some ace up his sleeve. Plus I highly doubt that his former lieutenants are going to attack him head on…that would just be stupid." Haku scoffed at Zabuza's assessment, "Meh…they didn't seem that smart to me. At any rate, they better not fail, otherwise you and I will end up having to do it unless Naruto himself shows up." Zabuza shook his head, "They'll be fine, Haku…I doubt you and I will have to get involved. We should stay focused on our current mission. Naruto would probably support our current priorities because the threat of Kirigakure is growing."

Haku glanced over and wrinkled her brow, "What threat?" Zabuza sighed as he answered, "From what Naruto thinks, Yagura is likely mobilizing an army of shinobi. Our destructive conquest over the past few years has most likely left Yagura terrified of an attack on Kiri…he's extremely paranoid, and I wouldn't doubt if he doubled his armed shinobi forces…" Haku groaned in frustration, "Well that's just nice…the place must be a damn fortress by now!" Zabuza chuckled, "Well it's not all bad…I'm sure most of them are pushovers anyways…my only concern is dealing with Yagura's generals." The brunette woman nodded as she calmly stared at the ground, "They don't stand a chance against us."

The duo continued their trek in silence for about an hour before finally coming upon a large town with a harbor. Zabuza looked excited as they approached it, "Ah yes…let's commandeer one of those ships and make our way to the main island." Haku nodded as she examined the area. She spotted several shinobi, but not nearly the number she would have expected. There were many civilians casually working their jobs, loading and unloading supplies from the ships. Haku wrinkled her brow as she looked over to Zabuza, "We want Yagura to notice us right?" Zabuza nodded as he awaited Haku's proposal, "Alright…so I suggest we kill the Kiri nin and sink the rest of those ships…try not to kill civilians unless they get in the way." Zabuza raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Like anybody here is going to get in our way…I say we go on a killing spree and see what they do!" Haku grimaced at Zabuza, "Killing people isn't always the answer…I'd rather not kill innocent people if we can avoid it, but I won't hesitate if it becomes necessary. The ends always justify the means." Zabuza shrugged casually as he drew his sword, "Aw don't be such a pacifist, Haku…you're a damn killer. Be proud! But for your sake we'll do things your way and let the civilians run away."

Haku nodded at Zabuza, "That's good enough for me…I don't have a problem killing people, but I don't want to do it senselessly." The two missing nin approached the harbor and were casually walking through the crowd.. Many people were giving terrified looks at Zabuza, recognizing his sword. Zabuza and Haku soon found the crowd completely dispersing around them and backing away. Fearful looks plastered the faces of the present workers and many ran away. After a brief moment of fearful staring, a Kirigakure ninja walked out of the crowd and approached the two criminals. The man had two large swords on his back and a smug look on his face much to Zabuza's displeasure, "Well well well…what do we have here hmm? Zabuza…I thought you were dead! Ha, and if it isn't your pretty little apprentice. They said you two were alive but I could scarcely believe it until Yagura himself confirmed it." Haku huffed in annoyance as she glared at the man, "You must have a death wish if you intend to apprehend us…" The man chuckled arrogantly as he crossed his arms, "My my…you've got quite the mouth pretty thing…I'll enjoy watching you use it. You two have some nerve coming back…we know that Pein isn't with you right now. He can't protect you now!"

Haku growled loudly, "And who the fuck are you supposed to be? Some brown nosing pencil pusher? You're a fool if you think you can defeat us!"

Zabuza laughed at the man gripped his sword tighter, "You seem awfully cocky, Ameyuri…shouldn't you be licking Yagura's feet right now?" The man drew both of his swords from his back and began to laugh, "I'm one of the greatest warriors to ever emerge from Kiri…you on the other hand are a complete disgrace to our powerful village." The villagers were all scattering and hiding as the man stared Zabuza and Haku down. Haku looked at the two blades on his back and turned to look at Zabuza. She raised a brow at him, "You know him Zabuza? Is he one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist?"

The masked swordsman nodded at her as he looked back at the man, "Yes he is…though he doesn't deserve that the position." Ameyuri snorted at Zabuza and began to laugh, "I am not the one who betrayed the village because of some worthless dream!" A brief silence followed his statement before Zabuza responded, "I used to think that only men of honor were allowed to carry that rank…but I guess I was wrong. I was the first to stand against Yagura's tyranny! He feared me then…he fears me now!" Suddenly, a large group of Kiri Anbu surrounded the pair. Ameyuri grinned proudly as the Kiri shinobi all drew their weapons, "You always were overconfident Zabuza…your foolish pride is what got you into this mess in the first place…such a shame."

Zabuza snorted in disgust as he leered darkly, "I see you haven't changed…you're just as much the coward you were since the day that I left! You're going to die for betraying me!" Ameyuri growled furiously, "It continues to astonish me the amount of arrogance that you possess. You should be put down like the dog that you are!"

Haku cut in darkly, "So what exactly do you intend to do with this poorly assembled group of fools?" The man beamed proudly as he answered her, "Our scouts spotted you two on the roads…we knew you were coming. Now we're going to take you back to Yagura and collect the bounties on your heads!" Haku crossed her arms and shook her head, "If this was supposed to be some kind of ambush then I'm not impressed…let's kill them Zabuza." The swordsman laughed as he swung his sword around excitedly, "Time to die!" Zabuza immediately leaped at Ameyuri and swung his oversized blade at the man with incredible speed. The man swung his swords parried Zabuza's powerful swing, blocking it with his crossed blades. The steel clattered with devastating force as the two were deadlocked in a display of strength.

Zabuza pushed powerfully and started to overpower Ameyuri until the man swung one of his blades at Zabuza's stomach. The masked swordsman immediately did a backhand spring and spun his blade at the man's neck. The Kiri swordsman barely ducked in time before receiving a powerful kick in the chest sending him flying. Ameyuri landed on his feet and spun his swords rhythmically, "I see your strength hasn't diminished…let's see if you can handle my lightning!" The man immediately launched a bolt of lightning out of one of his swords at Zabuza. Before it could hit however, an ice wall blocked it. Haku had a stoic look on her face as she pulled out a short sword. Ameyuri looked annoyed and yelled, "What the hell are all of you standing around for? Kill her…but leave Zabuza to me!"

The large group of Anbu immediately rushed the ice princess. One man attempted to make a vertical slash at her, but Haku caught the blade and completely froze it along with the man's arm. He shrieked in agony as Haku smashed his frozen arm to pieces. She drew senbon needles and began launching them into the crowd of Anbu. Several made their targets and stabbed the necks of the nearby shinobi. Haku went through several hand seals and launched a cone of frost at them. Several managed to evade the attack, but a large portion were enveloped in freezing blast. Haku began to channel more chakra into the nearby ice and immediately froze over the entire area. Three Anbu simultaneously began to flourish attacks at her which she effortlessly avoided. One of the men made a swift stab but his sword was caught by an ice wall. The others went through various hand seals and launched water jutsus at her. The woman immediately froze all of the water and formed ice prisons around the Anbu. Haku rolled her eyes as the Anbu troops formed an arc pattern around her. In unison they went through multiple hand seals and fired a water prison trying to surround her. Haku smiled as she held out her sword and absorbed the water. All of a sudden, a heavy downpour of rain and thunder began to fall. The additional water was absorbed into the sword.

Haku reformed water around the blade and smirked darkly as she spread into a stance, "This is really going hurt!" The arc of Anbu spontaneously made advances at her, but were shocked as she swung her sword causing a large whip to form around it. She grinned as she whipped the water at them. As it hit them the whip immediately turned to ice and slashed two Anbu caught in its wake. Haku instantly took advantage of their surprised state and began to rapidly lash the enemy ninja. It wasn't long before the crystal white ice was pure red. Out of nowhere, a wave of reinforcements surrounded the woman again. She smiled as she looked around, "You've got to be kidding me…hehe okay guys, I can play this game all day!"

Meanwhile with Zabuza and Ameyuri, the two were violently dueling in their fierce death match. Ameyuri formed lightning around his swords and swung the blades with incredible speed trying desperately to break through Zabuza's guard. Zabuza's raw strength made it nearly impossible for the man to do so, and also allowed him to effortlessly swing his monstrous blade to block the relentless flurry of attacks. After what seemed like a never-ending whirlwind of steel, Zabuza managed to land another swift kick to the side of Ameyuri's head. The man went flying into a nearby wall. He barely managed to dodge an overhead smash from Zabuza's sword before he jumped back. The masked swordsman growled loudly as he slowly started walking towards Ameyuri. As the man backed away, Zabuza's chakra began to leak from his body. He was soon covered in a cloak. His sword was enveloped in wind chakra causing a mystical light blue glow to form around the edges. The other swordsman grimaced, "Wind Chakra? I didn't know you had that affinity!" Zabuza shook his head in amusement before he whirled his sword around causing a violent gust of wind. Ameuri laughed at him, "Is that it? Is that all you've got Zabuza? Pathetic!" The masked nin briefly placed his sword down and went through several hand seals, "Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)

Water erupted from Zabuza's mouth immediately flooding the entire area. Zabuza laughed as he rose from a fountain and rode a wave down towards Ameyuri. The enemy swordsman charged his swords and sent a jolt of lightning through the water at Zabuza. Before it could hit however, the wave was frozen completely solid and blocked the attack. Ameyuri roared in frustration as he looked over to Haku who used the wave to her advantage by freezing an unfortunate cluster of Anbu. More Anbu and now Kirigakure Jounin began to join the fight all furiously trying to kill the woman. Zabuza's sword was glowing harder now as he and Ameyuri stood on top of the frozen battlefield. Heavy thunder erupted violently as the two men stared each other down once again. The mist ninja was shocked as more chakra began to pour from Zabuza's body. The Demon of the Mist swung his sword and created a huge gale to surround the two men. Ameyuri did the same with his swords as he held them both skyward. Suddenly, a massive surge of lightning came from the sky and hit the twin blades. A tempest surged around the swordsman as he channeled more and more power from the thunderstorm overhead. Zabuza and Ameyuri soon found themselves enclosed in a vortex of lightning as their blades clashed once again.

Ameyuri's speed nearly doubled allowing him to relentlessly assault Zabuza. The masked swordsman was barely blocking the overwhelming barrage. The twin swords shrieked loudly every time they clashed with Zabuza's cleaver. Desperately trying to salvage the situation, Zabuza formulated a gamble in his head and did a twisting flip over the man. Before Ameyuri could stab Zabuza however, the masked nin caught one of the blades through the hole in his sword and ripped the blade from Ameyuri's grasp sending it flying. Before the man could even register what happened, Zabuza was on him again powerfully whirling his blade. Ameyuri tried to parry Zabuza's gigantic sword, but was unable to withstand the sheer force from the hit causing his remaining blade to go flying. This caused the tempest surrounding them to dissipate. Zabuza roared viciously as he channeled a huge amount of wind chakra into his sword. He raised it over his head and brought it down with tremendous force sending a violent blast arcing towards the disarmed swordsman sending him flying into a shredding gust. The aftermath of the blast left a completely annihilated cone of shredded landscape in front of Zabuza. Ameyuri coughed up blood as he tried to crawl towards his swords. His body was covered in severe cuts and bruises and he had several pieces of metal and wood sticking out from his body.

Zabuza looked over to Haku and noticed her surrounded by nothing by red ice and corpses. She looked over at him at shrugged casually, "Some people never learn…" Zabuza sighed as his chakra receded back into his body and began to walk towards the defeated Kiri Swordsman. Ameyuri managed to get a hold of his swords and made a mad dash at Zabuza. The masked nin threw his sword down and managed to grab both wrists of the frenzied swordsman barely preventing himself from getting impaled. Zabuza squeezed the man's wrists with extreme force causing several loud snaps. Ameyuri growled furiously at the pain before being kneed in the stomach. He fell to his knees in front of Zabuza and lost his grip on both of his swords. With a look of disgust, Zabuza backhanded the man to the ground and stomped on his chest causing blood to shoot out of his mouth. Haku made her way over to the scene and was giving Zabuza a questioning look, "What are you doing Zabuza?" He glared darkly at the defeated man before him and spoke callously, "This man betrayed me years ago when I turned against Yagura…he was once my friend, but now he is nothing more than the hollow shell of a man who should have died a long time ago. You won't live to see the new world, Ameyuri…your death is long overdue. Any last words before you die?"

Ameyuri began to laugh heavily between coughs as he spoke up, "You're still the idealist I see…*cough* Don't get all self-righteous on me Zabuza! People like you are monsters…*cough* your kind have no place in this world. Your hopes were nothing more than the foolish dreams of a child…desperately clinging to a pathetic, corrupted sense of honor and justice! You can try changing the world all you want…but you're never going to change yourself! You're the Demon of the Mist! Nothing more…nothing less!" Zabuza sighed deeply as picked up his sword and shook his head, "That man died five years ago in Wave Country…I follow Pein now…his will is unquestionable and his power is unmatched! He is going to destroy the Five Great Shinobi Nations and usher a new era. My only purpose in life now is to serve him." The crippled swordsman began to laugh hysterically before Zabuza stomped on his throat, "Go to hell…where you belong!" Without another word, Zabuza lifted his sword and stabbed Ameyuri through the heart. Blood began to pool around the body leaving Zabuza vacantly staring at the dead man before him. Haku put a hand on his shoulder causing him to meet her gaze, "C'mon Zabuza…I've had enough of this town…let's get one of the ships." The swordsman nodded as he equipped his sword over his back. He looked at the two swords lying nearby and picked them up, "These are the Kiba Twin Swords…they're priceless heirlooms of Kirigakure…they belong to us now. Maybe we should give them to Pein." Haku smiled as Zabuza handed her the two blades. She looked at him curiously, "What am I supposed to do with these?"

"Just hold onto them for now…" Zabuza stated as he and Haku began to walk away from the battlefield. Haku promptly sealed the two swords into a scroll. The pair walked together in silence through the remnants of the demolished town. Unsurprisingly, they spotted many villagers staring at them terrified. Most were still taking cover, praying that Zabuza and Haku wouldn't kill them. They paid the villagers no notice and walked onto the nearest ship. The crew members and workers aboard the ship instantly jumped in the water as soon as they walked onto the deck. Zabuza looked at the horizon and sighed, "Set a course for the main island's southern port…let's just see how long it takes for Yagura to come deal with us himself."

XXXXX

Up in the mountains of Lightning Country, in the village of Kumogakure, a certain Raikage was not happy. He paced back in forth in his office with a distressed look on his face, "There's been no sign of her? How could she have just disappeared?" The Raikage was glaring at a group of jounin in front of him with a dead serious look in his eyes. They nervously glanced at each other before the captain of the group spoke up, "Your daughter was last spotted leaving the village. We tried to stop her, but Yugito refused to come back with us…she said she was investigating those strange men that came here…" The Raikage cracked his knuckles as his blood pressure rose, "You let my daughter leave the village!" The jounin captain gulped in fear as the Raikage back handed him with incredible force sending the man to the wall. As the captain fell to the ground, the Raikage roared furiously, "I can't leave the village to go looking for her, so you're going to have to send a search party to find her!" The group nodded; the captain of the jounin rose to his feet again and rubbed his jaw, "Should we send word to Bee?"

The Raikage nodded at the man, "Yes…I want you to locate my brother and let him know what has happened. Tell Bee that Yugito is missing…and that I'm ordering him to look for her." The jounin nodded and left the room swiftly leaving the captain alone with the angry kage. He walked back over to the buff man and shook his head, "Raikage-sama, those men that came here…they're terrorists. Do you think we should alert the other nations?" The colossal Raikage shook his head immediately, "No…with all the troubles going on right now, the last thing I want is a bunch of foreign shinobi encroaching on our territory looking for criminals."

The captain nodded and crossed his arms, "What about Pein? What are we going to do if he is somehow involved with those men?" Before he had a chance to react, the captain found himself held against a wall by the Raikage's massive arm, "If Pein is involved, tell my brother to use ANY means necessary to eliminate him! Pein will regret ever crossing me and my village! Now Go!"

The Raikage released his grip allowing the man to breathe again. He stood up and bowed to his leader before leaving the Raikage's office.

XXXXX

Sasuke had finally arrived at Grass Country and found himself stuck at a crossroads. 'I came all the way here and I have no clue where to start looking for Orochimaru…I wonder where he is hiding?' The raven haired man shrugged as he casually wandered down a dirt trail. His mind was constantly drifting and he barely noticed the presence of two nearby shinobi. Drawn from his thoughts Sasuke drew a kunai and looked around alertly, "I know you're there! Show yourselves!"

Following his command, two individuals jumped out of the trees and landed directly in front of him. He examined his stalkers and felt a wave of surprise wash over him as he recognized them, "Kimimaro…Tayuya, fancy meeting you here." The two sound nin shared careless glances before Tayuya spoke up, "What brings you all the way out here, Sasuke? We thought you were a Konoha prag still." Sasuke crossed his arms and smirked at the duo, "I could say the same about you two and Oto…why are you following Pein?"

"Pein is a very powerful shinobi…and is very intelligent. He offered us a deal which we couldn't refuse," Kimimaro answered. The Uchiha laughed as he glanced between them, "I have something to ask you two then…if you would indulge me." The two sound nin nodded.

"Tell me what happened to Naruto Uzumaki…Pein told me that he died three years ago, but that seems very unlikely to me." Tayuya laughed at Sasuke and ran a hand through her hair, "Naruto Uzumaki? You mean the blonde fox guy? He's dead."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow skeptically, "Yes that's what everyone keeps saying…but I've come to a different conclusion. You see…when Naruto and I battled at the Valley of the End three years ago, his eyes turned purple with multiple rings within them. That matches the description of the Rinnegan…am I right? Pein also possesses the Rinnegan…which just so happens to be the rarest bloodline in history…all of that seems like more than just a coincidence…which leads me to believe that Pein is Naruto."

Kimimaro's usual emotionless face had a smile plastered over it. He clapped his hands, "Very impressive Sasuke. Since you know the truth, I see no point in denying it any longer. Pein is in fact Naruto." Tayuya sighed as she walked over to Sasuke, "So tell us bitch…why are you in Grass Country?" The raven haired nin smirked at the red head, "I came to find Orochimaru. I knew that all of you were going to be out here and I figured that Naruto would eventually come back."

"What is your business with our leader? He has no desire to converse with anybody from Konoha," Kimimaro stated plainly. Tayuya rolled her eyes as she began to pace around Sasuke, "Yeah seriously…why the hell are you looking for him?"

"He's one of my best friends…he disappeared three years ago after he brought me back from defecting. I wanted to talk to him," Sasuke explained. Tayuya and Kimimaro traded unconvinced glances before Kimimaro queried, "What do you intend to accomplish by doing that? Did you somehow hope that by finding him you could persuade him to come back? Or is their another reason you're doing this?"

Sasuke sighed as he looked down in shame, "I just wanted to apologize to him for starters…and I wanted to find out what he's been doing these past three years. The rumors surrounding him portray him to be some kind of godly wraith that's been on a rampage." Tayuya giggled at Sasuke's answer, "Hahaha that about sums it up too…well how about we make a little deal Sasuke. You come with us back to Orochimaru and keep everything under wraps and we'll give you an audience with Naruto when he comes back."

The Uchiha looked at them confused, "You've already found Orochimaru? Why haven't you killed him yet?" Kimimaro and Tayuya both scowled at him before the white haired man answered, "We were awaiting Guren's orders…but the situation got more complicated when we discovered Anko there." Sasuke's raised an eyebrow at them, "What was Anko doing there?"

"Who knows…Guren didn't seem very pleased about it though. My guess is that she's here for the same reason you are…looking for Naruto." Tayuya answered plainly.

Sasuke wrinkled his brow at her answer, "Guren? Which one was she?"

"She's Orochimaru's second…Kabuto was Orochimaru's first, but he is dead now. That would make her his top subordinate…well in a manner of speaking," Kimimaro replied.

"I've had enough of this standing around…are you going to accept the deal or not, Sasuke? If you refuse then we'll kill you!" Tayuya exclaimed fiercely. "I accept your deal…if it gives me a chance to talk to Naruto then I'll go along with your plan for now." Kimimaro stared at Sasuke and asked, "Are you looking for Naruto so he'll help you kill your brother, Sasuke?" The Uchiha looked over at the white haired man and nodded, "That's not the only reason, but I could definitely use his help accomplish that."

"Good…follow us Sasuke, Orochimaru's base is underneath Kusagakure." Tayuya stated as she turned to leave. The Uchiha followed the two sound nin as they left at high speed.

XXXXX

Guren and Anko did not enjoy each other's company over the following days. Guren seemed content to ignore Anko as they made their way to Amegakure. Their silence left an uneasy tension and they would occasionally glance at each other wondering if the other one was going to speak. As fate would have it, Anko finally broke the silence, "So…care to explain what your problem is? You've been ignoring me this entire trip!"

Guren rolled her eyes at Anko, "I don't have time to entertain you bitch…I'm trying to come up with a plan to take Orochimaru down." The snake mistress smirked deviously at Guren and stepped in front of her halting the crystal user in her tracks. "Oooh, I love it when you talk dirty…you want to take me down too?" Guren grimaced at Anko, "I'm sorry…what? Are you eyeing me up?" Anko laughed as she ran her hand through Guren's hair, "Maybe I am…maybe I'm a bisexual nymphomaniac with a heart of gold, who doesn't play by the rules."

Guren smacked Anko's hand away and growled at her, "Don't ever touch me you psycho bitch! If you haven't realized this by now, I'm trying to salvage this situation that you so wonderfully had to fuck up!" Anko pounced on top of Guren and pinned her down, "Maybe we should kiss and make-up!" Anko lowered her lips and pressed them against Guren's. The kiss did not last long however, because Guren threw the purple haired woman off of her. Anko landed on her feet and giggled evilly at the other woman. Guren growled at her, "Get the fuck away from me you psycho!"

Anko licked her lips as Guren turned to walk away, "C'mon babe…don't be like that! I might just have to punish you if you keep this up." Guren turned around and sighed, "Seriously Anko, we don't have time for this shit…we'll play your little game later after I figure out how we're supposed to kill Orochimaru." The snake mistress pursed her lips and started to pout. She followed Guren again in silence.

After a few minutes she decided to break the ice again, "So Guren…tell me about your plan so far. How are you guys going to kill Orochimaru?" She shrugged frustrated, "I have no idea…I want to strike when he's weak…If I know anything about Orochimaru, it's that he is very powerful. Before we found you in there with him, I was going to try stabbing him with a crystal blade when he wasn't looking. I figured between me, Tayuya, and Kimimaro we might stand a chance against him. Although we weren't expecting to find you there. Now that he reactivated your cursed seal and reactivated Kimimaro's and Tayuya's, It is going to be much more difficult."

Anko shook her head, "Oh fuck…I forgot that he could control us through our seals. Well that sure put a nice big hole in your plan." Guren nodded at her, "Yes…now you see the dilemma we face. I'm the only one out of the four of us that doesn't have a curse mark. So unless we strike fast, Orochimaru will likely expose us."

"Why did those other two people leave? The swordsman and the girl?" Anko asked curiously. The crystal user shook her head casually, "They said something about going to Kirigakure…your guess is as good as mine. I kind of wish they hadn't left now." A few moments passed before Anko asked another question, "How did you guys hook up with Naruto?" Guren smiled as she looked over to Anko, "He took over Otogakure and killed me…"

"Umm…I'm not quite sure I follow. How the hell are you still alive then?" Anko asked.

"Naruto has the power to revive people with his Rinnegan…I'm not quite sure how it works, but those other two people who were following him are Zabuza and Haku. He apparently killed both of them five years ago when he was on some kind of mission. The people he revives are…linked to him somehow. I can't quite explain it, but we draw strength from him. His display of power overshadows Orochimaru's even...not only that but he is incredibly charismatic. I willingly chose to follow him because I believe in what he's trying to accomplish." Guren explained thoroughly.

"Interesting…I remember Kakashi told me a lot about those two. So did Naruto ever talk about his past to you guys?" Anko asked inquisitively. Guren shook her head, "No…I wouldn't be the person to ask that question. Zabuza and Haku are the ones who spent three years with him. Me, Tayuya, and Kimimaro have only been serving him for a few weeks."

"I've got a question for you now, Anko." Guren stated plainly. "Ooh what is it? What does my Guren-chan want to know?" The crytal user huffed in annoyance, "Spare me the flirting…I wanted to ask you what happened between Naruto and Konan." The snake mistress waved her off, "I have no clue…one moment they're both in the throne room and the next they fly out the window. Your guess is as good as mine."

Guren sighed, "You're a big help…well whatever, I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later anyways. Ame is a short distance away."

XXXXX

"Ameyuri, and his company of Anbu and Jounin are dead Yagura-sama…the northern port on the coast of Fire Country was completely demolished." an Anbu commander informed. The Mizukage was sitting at his desk with an anxious look on his face, "Have you discovered the culprits?"

"Y-Yes…they were Zabuza and Haku. They were unstoppable, Ameyuri and his men stood no chance." Yagura sighed in irritation as he stood up, "So let me guess…they took a boat and now they're on their way here to kill me?" The Anbu commander nodded, "Yes…what are your orders Yagura-sama?" Before Yagura could answer, a red headed woman entered the room with a sexy swagger, "Did I hear you right commander? Did you say that Ameyuri is dead?"

The man nodded at Mei as she sat down in one of the chairs and crossed her legs. "Meh, I never liked him anyways. Too much of a pussy in my opinion." Yagura spoke up, "Ah Mei, good to see you…yes apparently we have dangerous criminals on their way here."

Mei laughed enthusiastically, "Finally, I've been looking forward to some action. Things are way too boring around here anyways." The commander shook his head at the woman, "This isn't another one of your games…Zabuza and Haku killed over fifty men effortlessly!" Mei clutched her side laughing at the man, "You're way too serious commander…everything's a game!"

"Commander…I am going to send Mei with you to deal with those two." Yagura stated calmly. The man groaned in annoyance as he turned towards the beaming woman, "Fine…what are your orders Mei?"

Mei giggled at him and shook her head, "No no…say the whole thing."

The Anbu Commander sighed deeply as he asked again, "What are your orders Mei-sama?" She beamed proudly as she stood up, "That's more like it, I promise you'll love working for me. If you're a good boy maybe I'll make it worth your while."

He crossed his arms at her, "Don't even try that shit on me…I'm immune to your so called charms." Mei smiled as she responded playfully, "Aw don't be that way commander. I don't bite…often."

"Shut up Mei! I don't want anything to do with you…bloodlines should be purged and here the Mizukage's apprentice has not one but two!" Yagura sent a nasty glare at the man upon hearing his comment, "Are you questioning Mei, commander?" He shook his head at the angry kage and answered, "No Yagura-sama…"

Mei inched close to his face and put a hand on his cheek and smiled. A moment later her hand was around his throat and he was against a wall. She whispered darkly into his ear, "I'll kill you without a moment's hesitation if you give me any reason to doubt that…go assemble your men, we're leaving shortly." The Anbu commander left the office swiftly leaving Mei alone with Yagura. The Mizukage shook his head, "The entire village is afraid of you…you'll be a much more terrifying Mizukage than I, Mei."

The red headed woman chuckled in delight as she sat on top of Yagura's desk, "Yeah could you hurry up and retire then?" Yagura sighed at her request, "I'll name you as my successor in due time Mei…though if you ask me, I think you're a bit to eager for it." Mei pouted as she sprawled over the desk completely. "You should get going…Zabuza and Haku must be stopped at all cost. Do whatever it takes, I don't want them coming anywhere near this village."

The woman nodded as she got up, "Sure thing boss…some barbarian and a pretty little girl aren't going to stop me. By the way…is Pein with them?" Yagura looked at her perplexed, "No…why do you ask?" Mei made a sad face, "Aw Boo…I wanted to meet him."

"Why exactly would you want to meet the most dangerous criminal in the world?" Yagura asked genuinely confused. Mei licked her lips as she answered, "Dangerous men turn me on!" The Mizukage shrugged carelessly as he went back to doing his paperwork, "Don't come back until they're dead."

XXXXX

In the Valley of the End, Itachi was vacantly staring at the horizon as he sharpened his sword. The past few days had been extremely boring for the Akatsuki members. Itachi was incredibly stressed, being forced to listen in on the party banter or walk around pointlessly patrolling the valley.

"Hey Kisame…let's play hide-and-go-blow-up-a-town!" Deidara suggested enthusiastically. Kisame laughed as he stood up, "I'd be up for that…anything beats just sitting around here all damn day."

Sasori sat down next to Itachi and sighed, "Maybe those two should have been partners…Deidara is a handful sometimes." Itachi remained silent deep in thought.

"I demand you release me immediately! Do you know who I am? I am the Raikage's daugher, and he will not take this abduction lightly! You will face the wrath of Kumogakure for this atrocity!" Yugito's random screaming brought Itachi from his thoughts as he looked over at the blonde haired girl. Sasori smirked as he looked over Itachi's shoulder, "I really wish we could kill her…that woman is annoying."

Itachi nodded in agreement, "Yes, she is one of many distractions that I tire of…" The puppet master laughed and stood up, "I'll leave you be then Itachi." The Uchiha nodded his head as he turned his gaze back to the horizon. Sasori walked over to Yugito and sat right next to her. The blonde jinchuuriki was shocked by his actions and started to yell again, "Why are you smiling at me pretty boy? You think this is funny? Let me go this instant!" Sasori placed a hand on his chin as he examined her, "Yes…athletic, curvaceous, and beautiful. You would make a fine addition." Yugito squirmed as Sasori continued to stare, "Back off asshole!"

Shizune wandered back over to the chained up girl and gave Sasori a strange look, "Umm…what are you doing?" Sasori looked at Shizune innocently, "I was sizing up the girl…she would make a nice addition to my puppet collection." The brunette woman scoffed at him. Yugito started to hiss angrily, "What do you people want with Biju?" Shizune gave her a condescending look and laughed, "That's none of your concern pony-tail…now please shut up before I put you out again!"

Yugito reluctantly quieted down, "Fine…you bitch." Shizune kicked Yugito in the face before turning back to the red head. Sasori stood up and sighed, "I wonder what's taking Hidan and Kakuzu so long?" The dark haired medic nin shrugged, "Who knows. I've never met either one of them in person."

"You don't want to…Kisame calls them the Zombie Brothers." Sasori replied.

As if summoned, the two remaining members of Akatsuki walked up to the group. Kisame and Deidara were on a clay bird about to fly off before they spotted the arrival.

"It's about damn time! We thought you two went off and got married!" Deidara jested. Kisame and Sasori laughed as Hidan and Kakuzu simultaneously rolled their eyes. The duo immediately noticed Shizune and Yugito and gave Sasori a questioning look. Sasori answered before they even asked, "That's Shizune, one of Tobi's agents and the blonde girl is the Raikage's daughter…she's a jinchuuriki that Itachi and Kisame captured."

Kakuzu examined the chained up blonde, "Raikage's daughter huh? I'll bet she's worth a lot of money. I say we sell her." Hidan sighed in irritation as he glanced over at his partner, "You would think that wouldn't you…greedy son of a bitch. Did you ever stop to consider that we're capturing them for a reason?"

Kakuzu shook his head, "I seriously wish I could kill you Hidan…"

Sasori cut into the conversation, "Sorry to break up whatever that is, but do you two mind telling us what took you so long? We've been sitting around bored out of our minds for days."

"Yeah and Tobi's being really anal too…" Deidara added.

Hidan looked back at Sasori and rolled his eyes, "Yeah…sorry to hold you guys up, but Mr. Badass here decided we had to go do some stupid odd jobs." Kisame laughed at the pair, "Let me guess…you guys decided to fulfill your lifelong dream of opening an all male strip club?" Hidan groaned angrily and yelled back, "Fuck you Kisame…I hate both of you!" Kakuzu shook his head, "Stop being such a baby Hidan."

"What kind of odd jobs did you guys do?" Sasori asked. Hidan growled in frustration, "Some stupid mercenary shit, bounty hunting, and my personal favorite was an escort job that this asshole decided we just had to do!" Kisame laughed at Hidan, "So there was no stripping?" Kakuzu groaned in annoyance, "Shut up you idiots…I'm the one who is actually focused on trying to finance this fucking organization…meanwhile Hidan decides to be of no use by doing nothing but complaining and praying."

"Glad to see you two have returned…Tobi should be on his way momentarily and we can start this meeting." Itachi said calmly as he approached the group. Zetsu suddenly appeared out of the ground and confirmed it, "He is on his way as we speak…when I saw you two approaching I notified him immediately."

Hidan huffed carelessly at the man and walked past him over towards Yugito, "So what about the girl? What are we going to do with her?" Hidan examined her closer and smirked at her as she began to growl.

"Her presence is of no importance…Shizune please incapacitate the girl if you would." Madara stated as he arrived to the circle of Akatsuki members. The brunette nodded as she approached Yugito and pulled out a needle, "Nighty night, princess." Yugito attempted to spit on Shizune as the needle was injected into her neck. Moments later the girl fell over unconscious. Madara looked around at the almost fully assembled group of Akatsuki and sighed.

"Now that you're all here…we have many things to discuss. First thing's first…I want all of the identities of the jinchuuriki. Sasori and Deidara shall go first." The group nodded and all focused their attention towards the two partners. Sasori calmly began, "We identified that the one tailed beast's container is the Kazekage…Gaara. He is a very impressive shinobi…It almost shames me that we'll have to capture him."

Deidara nodded at his partner's assessment, "Yes he won't be easy pickings…that's for sure. Although I do look forward towards the encounter."

"Kisame and I located the two tail's and the eight tail's hosts. Both are directly related to the current Raikage. The girl we have captured over there is the container for the two tails. She is the Raikage's daughter. The eight tails was much more difficult for us to track however." Itachi explained.

"The eight tail's host is very powerful. The people of Kumo call him Killer Bee, but he is the Raikage's brother." Kisame added. Itachi nodded at his partner and continued, "He possesses full control over his Biju. His power is very impressive, but Kisame and I have studied him for some time and believe that Samehada would be instrumental in bringing him down." Kisame nodded in agreement, "I am eager to face him…he is a worthy enemy."

Madara paced anxiously, "Interesting…Hidan, Kakuzu, what did you two discover during your travels?" Hidan looked at his partner in irritation before looking back over to Madara, "Well when we weren't pillaging towns and playing mercenary…we actually did manage to identify that there are two jinchuuriki in Iwa." Kakuzu sighed in annoyance as he glared at Hidan, "Both the four and five tailed beasts' containers are there. The four tail's host was an old man with red hair named Roshi…he was somewhat impressive, but kept to himself mostly. The five tail's host was named Han…the only word that can describe him is giant." Tobi chuckled in amusement and cocked his head, "Do you care to elaborate?" Hidan decided to answer, "Yes, Han was a incredibly tall and wore some kind of armor. We didn't really see that much of him though because Mr. Man Whore over there decided we had to go waste our time working for some crime lords…"

Kakuza crossed his arms at Hidan, "You're so naïve Hidan…am I the only one who cares about our expenses?" Madara laughed at his comment and pat Kakuzu on the shoulder, "While I do admire your foresight, Kakuzu…money is irrelevant to this organization. There isn't a thing in this world that we can't just walk right up to and take."

Kakuzu scoffed at Madara and shook his head, "Yeah maybe except for Pein…I don't plan on living in caves and camping for the rest of my life…I am going to buy myself a nice mansion and none of you assholes are going to be invited." Hidan began to laugh at his partner and looked around the group, "See what I've got to put up with now? This mother fucker thinks he's going to retire or something!"

"Enough with the foolishness…" Madara uttered darkly as he began to pace again, "I managed to acquire significant information surrounding the two jinchuuriki in Kiri. The host of the three tailed beast is the Mizukage himself. His name is Yagura. Due to Pein's heavy presence across the borders of Water Country, Yagura has nearly tripled his armed forces and has turned his village into a complete fortress. However, I have implemented a certain degree of influence over him. He sub-consciously feeds me information and I have managed to establish several connections over in village. The other jinchuuriki was much more difficult to track because he is a missing nin from the village. His name is Utakata, and he is the container for the six tails. His current whereabouts are unknown to me since he is constantly moving."

Itachi looked at Madara for a moment and sighed, "You have no idea where this Utakata is?" The older Uchiha looked at Itachi and nodded his head, "I have an idea where he is…but that's not really important at the moment." Kisame cocked his head and asked, "What about the seven tails? Did anybody manage to locate it?"

Madara shook his head in disappointment, "Unfortunately, I don't think it was located. I did task Konan to go search Taki for it, but she blew it off when she was playing Empress over in Ame."

"Yeah where is Konan by the way?" Hidan asked as he looked around at the group. "She's dead…went out with a bang!" Deidara exclaimed with a twinkle in his eye.

Zetsu shook his head and stated plainly, "Konan is alive, she is currently with Pein on her way here."

Everyone with the exception of Itachi and Madara looked surprised and shocked. Sasori chuckled at the news, "Well…that girl is full of surprises. Although, I'm curious as to why she is bringing Pein here." Kisame looked excited at the news and almost cheered in joy, "Hell yeah! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad she's not dead." Kakuzu looked confused and shook his head, "Did I miss something? What are you guys talking about?"

Shizune answered, "I'm surprised you two didn't hear about the battle at Amegakure seeing as how you just left Iwa…but we all assumed that Konan killed herself to stop Pein, but apparently they're both alive." Hidan crossed his arms and laughed, "I get the feeling you're not telling us something Tobi."

Madara nodded his head and decided to answer, "I assigned Konan to bring Pein here…he is the most powerful jinchuuriki and I wanted to deal with him immediately. I am certain that the group of you can easily apprehend him…although there's no telling what Konan has told him."

"How do you plan on extracting Biju from these jinchuuriki Tobi." Sasori demanded calmly. The others all looked at him confused and back to Madara awaiting an answer. Madara sighed in annoyance as he looked over the curious faces of his subordinates, "To extract them, I am going to use the Rinnegan…that is why I wanted Pein to come here…"

"So how did you plan on doing this before we discovered he was a Rinnegan wielder?" Itachi asked. The older Uchiha glared at Itachi through his mask and sighed, "My plan has been altered several times, but the ultimate goal remains the same…world domination. There is more than one way to extract a Biju…Pein just happens to possess one of simplest methods." Kisame shook his head after hearing Madara's answer, "How do you plan on getting Pein to do that?"

The others looked confused and Itachi rolled his eyes. Zetsu decided to explain, "Pein has the same goals that we do…he also possesses incredible power and influence. The logical choice would be to offer him a place in Akatsuki." There were mixed feelings towards Zetsu's analysis. Hidan looked pissed, "You can't be fucking serious…"

"Yeah I agree with him for once…that hardly seems smart." Kakuzu agreed. Kisame face palmed and just laughed, "I highly doubt that he would take orders from you Tobi…" Itachi nodded in agreement, "Yes I've been saying that all along."

Sasori shook his head in disappointment at the others, "You're all looking at it the wrong way…Pein would be a valuable asset to Akatsuki, although seeing as how he is a jinchuuriki I doubt that he would agree with your plan Tobi." Madara nodded at the red haired puppet master, "Your insight is accurate Sasori…however I see no need to extract the Kyuubi from Pein if we can willingly convince him to work with us."

"I like your plan, Tobi!" Deidara stated as he proudly wrapped an arm around Madara's shoulder, "I hear Pein is quite the artist!" Madara looked at the blonde haired man and sighed deeply, "Deidara…why are you touching me?" Madara peeled off the man's arm pushed him back as he looked over the group again.

"I don't agree with this plan…how do you plan on controlling somebody like Pein?" Itachi asked emotionlessly. Deidara rolled his eye and looked over at the Uchiha, "You would think that wouldn't you? It figures you disagree with everything I agree with…I hate you Itachi." The Uchiha didn't even bother responding to Deidara as he continued to stare at Madara. "We're proceeding with the plan whether you like it or not…if Pein refuses then I will forcefully extract Kyuubi!"

Shizune who had remained relatively quiet during the meeting cut in, "Tobi…what do you plan on doing with the girl then?" she pointed to the unconscious blonde lying against the nearby wall chained up. Madara crossed his arms and smiled beneath his mask, "She is bait…we shall use her to lure the eight tails here once we deal with Pein. I want to capture them in a specific order. After we deal with Pein, Killer Bee is our next target. Then we shall apprehend the Mizukage and the Kazekage simultaneously if possible. Those are all high priority targets…the rest of the jinchuuriki should be relatively simple to obtain by that point."

The group nodded at Madara's assessment as he finished, "This meeting is adjourned, I suggest you all keep an eye out for Pein and Konan's arrival…in the mean time I'll be by the waterfall." Without another word Madara left the group. Hidan lied down and put his hands behind his head, "Whatever…I'm getting some sleep."

The others all dispersed into their various groups after their leader left. Kisame and Deidara traded quick glances before the blonde haired man asked, "So Kisame…wanna go blow shit up?" The swordsman laughed at him and shrugged, "Yeah…I've had enough with these damn stiffs over here."

"How romantic…you two want some alone time," Sasori joked as he began to make adjustments to Hiruko. Deidara waved him off and responded, "Kisame appreciates true art! We're going to go blow up a town and watch the people die."

Itachi sighed as he looked at duo, "You two aren't allowed to go anywhere…we're waiting for Pein to arrive." Deidara flipped Itachi off as the clay bird started to fly away. Sasori shook in head in amusement as Kisame and Deidara flew away, "Maybe we should let them be partners next time eh Itachi?" The Uchiha looked over and replied, "Kisame's abilities are very complimentary to my own, but I imagine yours would be as well. Not a bad idea."

Itachi stood up and started to walk away, "I'm going to patrol the perimeter…you should go run that idea by Tobi whenever you get a free moment, Sasori."

XXXXX

Naruto, Konan, and Fu had made considerable progress towards their destination. They were closing in on the Valley of the End much to Konan's displeasure. She had remained silent the entire trip which left Naruto slightly confused. Although he didn't give it much thought due to his constant conversations with Fu regarding numerous topics. Most were about his past, but Fu seemed hard pressed to find out about Naruto's goal in life. "So what made you want to start all this, Naruto?" she asked curiously as she hugged his arm.

"Yeah I wonder who made you realize that you were being a complete dumbass by working for Konoha…do you know anybody who matches that description?" Kyuubi mocked. He looked over at Fu and sighed, "Well believe it or not my Biju, Kyuubi, actually convinced me to do it…" Konan was brought from her thoughts and looked at Naruto shocked, "What? How does that work? Your Biju talks to you?"

Fu looked over at her and raised a brow, "That's none of your concern flower girl." Konan glared at her as Naruto continued, "Before I left Konoha…I was essentially the laughing stock of the village. Nobody took me seriously and even my closest friends turned their backs on me. Kyuubi made me understand the ugly truth…that I was never going to be the Hokage, and that those who are too weak to change their lot in life deserve to suffer. I was not going to be a pawn for that fucking village anymore. I decided to leave and to improve myself…to become strong, so that I would one day have the strength the overthrow Konoha."

Fu looked sympathetic and replied, "I understand what it's like…everybody hates and fears jinchuuriki."

"You sound a lot like Tobi, Naruto…he'll probably enjoy meeting you." Konan stated causing Naruto to turn around. "What makes you say that Konan?" he asked. She shrugged as she replied, "You just seem to share a lot of his goals…he hates Konoha as well." Naruto raised a brow at her, "Interesting…let's hurry up then, I'm anxious to meet him." Naruto took off at high speed followed by the women. "She seems like she's buttering you up for something…keep your guard up." Kyuubi commented in Naruto's mind. 'Yeah, Konan's been acting strange…I've got the feeling that she knows a lot more about this Tobi guy than she is letting on.'

"Hmm…maybe bringing the jinchuuriki girl was a good idea after all."

XXXXX

There you go…chapter 10! Well the update wasn't really as fast as I promised, but whatever.

Personal notes:

I hope that battle with Zabuza and Haku was up to standard…if you disagree then fuck you. LOL…err I mean then I apologize for my poor writing skills. For those of you who don't know, Ameyuri is one of the former seven swordsmen of the mist…go look him up on the wiki if you want more info.

Akatsuki has a lot of party banter going on…for those of you who complained about it "ruining the tone" or some other nonsense like that, I just want to tell you to get over it…If I want to make cheap jokes with Akatsuki members then damn it I will. If that is going to "ruin my story" then I encourage you to quit reading. Lol but for those that actually have a sense of humor, I am sending you a virtual high five.

I'll give a gold star to whoever knows what a "prag" is lol.

I know I had a lot going on in this chapter, but I hope you guys didn't mind too much. Anyways like I stated above, It may take another week or so for the next chapter because Dragon Age 2 comes out soon…and I will be very very busy playing it. If you have any questions, or comments then feel free to send me a message.