Wow…I wasn't expecting so much positive feedback on chapter 11. I sincerely appreciate the reviews. Yeah here's some reviews I felt like replying to:
Akabara-Sama: First of all, thanks for the review. Anyways, I wanted to address one of your questions so that everyone would understand Naruto's Rinnegan. He still hasn't mastered it as you have no doubt seen. However, in recent chapters he has unlocked a lot more of its powers. As you might have noticed, he becomes more powerful the longer he fights somebody. His first fight with Kisame and Itachi, his battle with Konan, and finally his fight in the Valley of the End. I don't want to spoil anything for you so I'll just let you speculate what might happen.
Shinobi Swizzy: Feel free to leave as much commentary as you want. Longer reviews are better anyways (Virtual high five)
TheDestroyer100: You're really going to like Sasuke in the next few chapters.
Everyone: Something else I wanted to point out is Naruto's battle with Konan. Some people were bothered by the fact that he underestimated Konan and ended up nearly getting killed. The main point of that is to teach him a lesson.
Ultimately, Naruto is still himself despite becoming "bad." Even though he has amazing bloodlines and powers, he's still human and makes mistakes. I mean look at Madara in canon…he nearly got killed by Konan for underestimating her. Not to mention…this story would bore the shit out of everybody (Including me) if Naruto was instantly All-Powerful and crushed every single threat he came across in ten seconds. Naruto will be insanely badass later on. Trust me…the rise to power is not only more realistic, but it will make it so much more enjoyable in the end.
Sorry this took so long. I had it done a while ago, but I had browsing issues and was unable to access my story edit page for the past week. Anyways here's the long awaited chapter 12.
Chapter 12: Tension
Anko and Guren were quietly sneaking through the city village of Amegakure. Guren shook her head as she saw the bodies in the street. The massive battle waged merely weeks ago still scarred Ame. Debris was everywhere due to the collapse of many towers and buildings. Blood painted a large portion of the ground surrounding the bodies of Suna, Konoha, and Ame nin. Anko examined the sight and sighed, "All this…and nothing was even accomplished."
"This was completely necessary…the battle that happened here was inevitable," Guren stated plainly as she carelessly examined the bodies. Anko shook her head in disappointment, "Why was Ame even doing this in the first place?"
Guren shrugged and shook her head, "My guess is that Konan wanted to openly challenge the power of the Kages. It's actually a really good plan...it allows her to easily unify surrounding smaller nations against them. I was in Oto for the past few years before Naruto came, but while I was there, I managed to intercept some of the Ame spies."
"And? What did they doing?" Anko asked interested. The crystal user thought for a moment and answered, "They…were scouting the borders of Fire Country trying to find hidden routes to attack Fire Country so Konoha would have to fight a war on two fronts. We also discovered that Ame was going to try annexing us by force. Although for some reason, Konan avoided a lot of the western nations. From what Orochimaru told me, they were hellbent on destroying Iwa, Suna, and Konoha."
Anko reexamined the bodies and laughed, "They apparently didn't do a good job. I guess they figured since they warded off Iwa that they were invincible or something."
"Konan defeated Hanzo the Salamander…that makes her Kage level at the bare minimum. Your entire assault would have been wiped out if Naruto hadn't shown up to save you." Guren explained callously. The snake mistress rolled her eyes at Guren and laughed, "At least that proves he still cares about me!"
"Shut up…" Guren said irritated as she jumped onto a rooftop and headed towards the palace. Anko followed right after her with a proud smile on her face. As they made their way further into the village, the two women noticed many civilians leaving the palace. "What do you make of that?" Anko asked as she pointed to the large crowd exiting the entrance.
"If there's anyplace we're going to find out what happened, it's here." Guren said. The two women got in closer to the crowd and stealthily observed. From what they could make out, Ame's remaining shinobi forces were all guarding the palace and herding the civilians back outside. A slender brunette woman was standing at the entrance of the palace as the villagers exited the building returning to their homes. Unlike the other ame nin surrounding her, she was very unique looking. She wore a pink tube top with a open, light green shirt, navy blue pants
Anko looked at Guren and started to laugh, "Get a load of little miss important down there…" The crytal user silently nodded as they watched a masked jounin run up panting to the woman. He shook his head in disappointment and began to speak, "I apologize, Hisame-sama…we could find no trace of Lady Konan or Pein."
The brunette woman crossed her arms and smirked, "What the fuck do you mean there's no trace? I saw a fucking crater outside of the city!" The jounin fearfully nodded his head and replied, "Yes, but we have done multiple sweeps over the entire area and there's no trail or anything."
The woman walked behind the man and ran a hand across his back and silently whispered, "You're useless to me…you shame our village and the Lady Konan herself." The Jounin fell to his knees and nodded his head, "Hisame-sama, please allow me to continue my search…I believe that if the Lady Konan is alive, then she isn't in the country."
"No, Lady Konan ordered everybody to fall back when she learned about the Konoha attack. Ame is too vulnerable right now to let anyone go wandering the borders to get captured! If Konoha or Iwa caught you, than you would reveal Ame's secrets!"
"Hisame-sama! We have Taki shinobi here who claim to know what happened to Pein and Lady Konan!" An anbu captain interrupted as he lead a small group of Taki jounin up to the woman.
Anko and Guren watched intently. Hisame turned her head towards the captain and nodded as she waved the Taki nin closer, "You have news of our leader?"
A man walked up and bowed to the brunette and answered, "Yes, my lady…I bring a document from Takigakure that is deserving of your full attention." Hisame huffed irritated and snatched the document from the ambassador and began to read.
After a minute of silence, she looked up shocked at the Taki ambassador and began to laugh, "There's no way this is legitimate…you expect me to believe that Lady Konan signed an alliance treaty with you?" Anko gasped shocked at the news, while Guren only shook her head. "Konan is still alive…" Guren frowned at the news.
"How the fuck did that happen?" Anko demanded looking at Guren. As if answering her question, the Ambassador began to speak again, "I assure you that Pein and Konan have both signed that document as well as the council of elders from our village."
Hisame looked at the signatures and noticed Konan's azure seal on the charter. Several high ranking Ame nin began to look over the woman's shoulder curiously examining the document. "Hisame-sama, that's Konan's signature…nobody else uses a blue seal but her," The anbu captain convinced. Several murmurs of approval followed his statement before Hisame finally nodded in agreement.
"I won't go against the word of Lady Konan…and Pein," Hisame said as she handed the document back to the ambassador. He nodded his head respectfully and replied, "Pein and Konan left our village a little more than a week ago. However, they promised your aid against Iwagakure's planned invasion."
Hisame nodded her head and laughed, "Very well, when Lady Konan returns, we shall launch a counter assault and burn Iwa to the ground."
"Well that certainly makes things interesting…" Anko laughed as she glanced over at Guren.
"Why would Konan and Naruto be in Taki? None of this makes any sense," Guren commented as she shook her head.
Anko shrugged carelessly as the two women began to make their escape from the village, "We should get out of here before we get spotted."
"We have what we came for. Let's go back to Orochimaru's base. I just hope he hasn't discovered the others by now…" Guren said worried as they left the village.
XXXXXXX
Sasuke glanced around the dark cavern bored out of his mind as he Tayuya and Kimimaro casually sat around. "Those damn bitches are taking too fucking long…" Tayuya stated annoyed.
"It's not that bad. We could be watching Orochimaru do…whatever it is that he does." Sasuke replied. Kimimaro remained silent as he stared at his hands.
Tayuya looked over at him confused and asked, "Hey Kim, What's wrong?" Kimimaro didn't respond as he continued to stare at his hands. Sasuke examined the pale man empathetically, 'I know that look…he's feeling conflicted right now. I wonder if he's really on our side or not.'
Tayuya shook her head and sighed, "Okay fine…be a pussy and don't answer me."
Kimimaro's heart was full of strong emotions at the moment. He was deep in thought as he remembered Orochimaru's rescue from when he was a child. He remembered the words that the Snake Sannin told him; they often haunted his every waking thought.
Out of nowhere, his mind wandered to a different image of Naruto standing over him powerfully with a hand extended. Kimimaro heard Naruto's words echo through his head as the image devoured his senses. 'I am going places others only dare to dream. My name shall be remembered for what I am doing. My legacy shall be written in stone and my power shall be felt even by the stars themselves…Stand with me Kimimaro and be a part of that legacy…let yourself become one of my champions…and see yourself remembered for all time.' The words Naruto spoke to him ran through his mind constantly.
Kimimaro drifted deeper in thought as he imagined himself standing over the ruins of a great battle. Kimimaro noticed the bodies to be that of his own clan and Kiri shinobi. Kimimaro looked around shocked at the sight as he began to relive the memories of the battle. He looked at his hands covered in blood and shook his head in disbelief at the corpses piled around him. He remembered the sight of seeing a young child...younger than himself cowering in fear as he approached. The child yelled at him as he ran away, 'STAY AWAY MONSTER!'
Kimimaro shook his head as he ran away and heard the voice of Orochimaru calling out to him, 'Come here child...Kimimaro...Kimimaro! KIMIMARO!" Suddenly, the white haired man was brought from his flashback vision.
"KIMIMARO! Snap out of it!" Tayuya shouted annoyed bringing the white haired man from his thoughts. He looked up in confusion as Sasuke and Tayuya stared at him concerned.
"What is it, Tayuya?" he asked distressed. The red head crossed her arms, "You were drifting off there...you okay?" The snow haired shinobi stood up and began to walk away.
"I…need some air," Kimimaro announced as he continued walking. Sasuke stood up and began to follow him, "Wait! Let me come with you."
"Why? I need to be alone right now…we can talk later Sasuke." Kimimaro said without turning around. "Ugh, forget him, Sasuke. The powdered pussy needs his alone time…have fun brooding, Kimmy!" Tayuya laughed.
Sasuke turned around and sat down next to the red head again and sighed, "So…what do you make of that?"
Tayuya shrugged carelessly and leaned back against the wall, "He's always like that. Even back when we were the sound five, he would always want to be by himself. My guess is that he went to train or cut his wrists or something like that."
An awkward silence passed between the two before Sasuke spoke up, "So yeah...I haven't really seen you guys since I tried to leave Konoha. The rest of the Sound Five is dead right?"
"They're dead...I got over it; I'm just glad Kimimaro was still alive. He's probably my only real friend," Tayuya sighed.
Sasuke shook his head, "Kimimaro doesn't look so good...I'm surprised he isn't dead considering how much blood he's been coughing up lately."
"Stop making me all emotional asshole..." Tayuya laughed as she stood up. "You should go check on Kimmy if you are that concerned about him. I'm going to get something to eat."
"Yeah, I'll do that...I'm getting rather sick of sitting around," Sasuke replied as he stood up again.
"Yeah, Orochimaru is somewhere in the village doing...whatever. We should probably find out what he's doing." Tayuya mentioned as they began to leave the base.
XXXXXXX
Madara was sitting next to the demolished Cliffside near the ruins of his statue. He was quietly reading a certain book intently as the minions of Akatsuki were gathering around him. Shizune sat directly next to the Uchiha reading over his shoulder the best she could while the others were a considerable distance away sitting around a fire.
Kisame and Itachi were both conscious and relatively okay. Although the shark nin was in much better condition due to his impressive healing abilities. Itachi was covered in bruises and cuts, many of which were slightly severe looking. Hidan twirled his scythe around pissed as he repaired the cable on it.
"I can't believe that blonde faggot had the balls to turn on us!" Hidan shouted annoyed. Kisame remained silent as he rewrapped Samehada. "His betrayal is completely unsurprising…" Itachi said as he stared into the fire.
"We lost the damn girl…what a complete fucking waste!" Kakuzu added. "Which girl? Deidara or that other blonde bitch?" Hidan asked amused.
"Deidara's loss is a major blow to Akatsuki…he is far more dependable than you are Hidan," Sasori said as he thought about his partner. Hidan shook his head and laughed, "We're all so sorry that your girlfriend ditched you Sasori...no wait wasn't Deidara Kisame's girlfriend?"
The shark nin shook his head and laughed, "Is this your way of telling us how much you like Deidara? I can understand your jealousy...you gotta be paired up with Mr. Serious talking about his budget all the time."
"Umm...Fuck you, Kisame. Shouldn't you be splashing around in your own piss or something?" Hidan shot back.
Sasori looked over at Madara who was ignoring the group. He shook his head as he looked over to the Konan, "So Konan…you were with Naruto for a few weeks. What exactly happened between you two?"
The azure haired beauty emotionlessly shrugged her head, "After our battle we woke up in Taki...we were apparently discovered unconcious. We were restrained when we woke. After breaking free, we took over the village. Taki apparently wanted my protection from Iwa. Afterwards, I brought Naruto here and hoped he would side with us. He is incredibly powerful as you have no doubt seen."
Shizune caught wind of the conversation and decided to sit down next to Konan. The brunette medic nin was smirking at Konan as she glared. "You seemed pretty determined for him to join...maybe there's something going on that you want to tell us about?"
"Is there something you need bitch?" Konan asked irritably. Shizune continued beaming and nodded in response, "If I didn't know any better…I'd say you have a dirty little crush on Naruto."
The members of Akatsuki excluding Madara all perked up at the suggestion staring at Konan. "Keep your assumptions to yourself!" Konan said angrily. Kisame raised a brow at Itachi. The Uchiha shook his head at the shark nin as Shizune began to arrogantly prance around Konan making kissing noises.
"You're going to die!" Konan hissed as she stood up formed a paper sword from her arm. "Damn…I don't know about you guys, but I love the new Konan!" Hidan laughed as he elbowed Kakuzu. The masked nin sighed as he rolled his eyes.
"Konan, sit down!" Madara ordered as he walked back over to the group. "or what?" she asked emotionlessly.
"That's enough out of you! Stand down or you'll die!" Madara demanded darkly causing the others to raise their brows slightly worried. Konan reluctantly sat down and continued glaring at Shizune who was laughing at her. Madara turned to the medic nin and glared, "This isn't the time for your childish gossiping, Shizune. Sit down now!" The brunette followed his command without question.
Madara began to pace around the group as he ran a hand through his hair, "I wasn't expecting Deidara to betray us…his actions will not go unpunished. I intend to flay him alive. I want all of you to get this through your thick skulls now. Betrayal will not be tolerated!" The Uchiha focused his gaze on Konan and Itachi.
Madara's stare lingered on Itachi as he continued, "I have been too lenient with you...all of you. It's time for us to get serious. You're all going to capture the jinchuuriki...or die trying. Failure will result in your death."
"I assume you have some kind of plan to get them back from Naruto?" Sasori asked.
"Of course, Sasori…the way I've got it figured, Naruto will probably start to gather jinchuuriki now that he knows about my plan. The best course of action is to let him do the hard work for us…Seeing as how he has the seven tails and the two tails, I assume he will go after others to keep them from us." Madara continued.
"How can we be sure of which one he's going for next?" Kakuzu asked. Before Madara could answer, Sasori cut in, "Since he's got Deidara with him, I assume that they will go after the high priority targets first…seeing as how they flew east, I'm guessing they're going to go after Yagura."
"That seems very likely," Madara agreed as he placed a hand on the puppet master's shoulder. "Even now you avoid direct confrontation with him…" Itachi said quietly. Kisame remained silent with a distant look on his face as he finally finished wrapping his sword. Madara glanced over at Itachi and glared, "Is there something you want to say, Itachi?"
The younger Uchiha shook his head emotionlessly, "No."
"That's what I thought..." Madara smirked.
"You are a fucking pussy!" Hidan laughed at Itachi.
"Says the guy who got stabbed three dozen times by some little Taki bitch." Kakuzu commented.
"Hey Kakuzu…eat a dick!" Hidan responded amused.
"Shut up Hidan! Here's the new plan…since Naruto is looking for jinchuuriki too, it is only inevitable that he will acquire several of the others. The way I see it, if we capture several, he will be forced to confront us again. Itachi and Kisame, you two are going to capture the eight tails by any means necessary. I don't care if you burn Kumogakure to the ground in the process…just get it done!" Madara demanded.
"Killer Bee is a formidable opponent…don't expect immediate results," Itachi replied disrespectfully. The others looked shocked at Itachi's disrespect and turned to look at Madara. The older Uchiha rolled his eyes, "This is your last chance…if you two fuck this up than I'll murder you both!"
Kisame and Itachi silently nodded their heads before Madara began to speak again. "Alright, as for the rest of you…Hidan, Kakuzu, and Shizune, you three are going to go to Ame with Konan. The four of you are tasked with capturing the four and five tailed jinchuurikis."
"Oh fuck no…I'm sick of Earth Country!" Hidan shouted annoyed. "Who's in charge?" Shizune asked as she looked over at Konan. Madara shook his head in amusement and answered, "Who do you think? Obviously, Konan is in charge…be a good girl and do what she says, Shizune."
"What? Why do I have to go with her? Can't I go with somebody else!" Shizune was interrupted by Madara, "Are you disobeying me, Shizune? I would hate if you had to suffer the same fate as my other informants."
"N-No…I-I would n-never do such a thing…." Shizune stuttered.
"Sasori…you and I are going to capture the Kazekage. Also, one more thing I wanted to say...if any of you see Zetsu, tell him to bring me Orochimaru. You're all dismissed; when you've captured your targets we shall reconvene in Amegakure. Understood?" Madara demanded.
Unanimous nods followed the orders as everyone began to set out in different directions.
XXXXXXX
Shizune shook her head in anger as she glared daggers in the back of Konan's head. Hidan walked next to the blue haired woman and flashed her a smile, "So, bitch…I heard you were like some kind of empress." Kakuzu face palmed at Hidan.
"Yes, I am the ruler of Amegakure...my village has direct control over Kusagakure, Tanigakure, and now Takigakure…" Konan stated plainly. Shizune glared angrily at the blue haired woman as they progressed. "So that means you're rich?" Kakuzu asked genuinely interested.
"I guess you could say that…I've made my country wealthy and powerful by conquering the surrounding nations and villages. Ame is where the bulk of my forces are, but I have outposts in the conquered territories. They are surprisingly loyal, so I reward their loyalty by delegating some control of their own territories back to them. I could care less who's running the outlying villages...the only thing that matters is that they answer to Ame." Konan explained casually.
Kakuzu nodded his head and smiled underneath his mask, "That's a commendable accomplishment...and all in the course of three years. How did you take over Ame though?" he questioned.
Konan turned to him with a blank stare, "I killed Hanzo in front of his men. They instantly surrendered to me, and I took the opportunity to seize his vacant throne."
"How did you kill Hanzo?" Shizune asked curiously. Hidan nodded his head and added, "Yeah seriously...I heard he was a fucking badass."
"It doesn't matter...he's dead now so there is no point in telling you how I destroyed him. Hanzo recieved what he deserved. He was a pitiful coward and died like a bitch," Konan stated plainly.
"I think Konan converted to Jashinism when she was away...hahaha," Hidan cheered he pat Konan on the back. "Just another woman that can kick your ass eh, Hidan?" Kakuzu laughed at the silver haired priest causing him to growl, "FUCK OFF you string bitch douche bag!"
"Yeah, I wouldn't want to face the wrath of Jashin-chan," Kakuzu laughed again causing Hidan to boil in anger.
"You god damn piece of shit! Fuck you! I'm going to piss on all of your money, then I'm going to burn it, and once it's a steaming pile of ash I'm going to fucking eat it and shit it out over your fucking grave!" Hidan shouted furiously. Konan shot a dark glare towards the priest and shook her head, "Be quiet Hidan."
Hidan growled in irritation, "Fuck you people..."
An awkward silence passed before Shizune asked, "Is it always like this?" Kakuzu nodded his head, "Normally it's much worse…I typically have to try and kill him a few times before he shuts up."
XXXXXXX
Over with Itachi and Kisame the two walked slowly along a road with distant looks marking their features. 'Naruto is far more powerful than I originally estimated…Madara is being reckless.' Itachi thought.
Kisame's mind wandered along a similar path as he stared at the ground quietly walking, 'So Madara tried to recombine the bloodlines. This whole thing seems unreal to me. I wonder how Madara plans on defeating him?'
After a while of silent wandering, Itachi finally broke the silence, "He's growing more and more powerful by the day…by the time we gather all of the jinchuuriki, Madara himself won't stand a chance against him," Itachi stated plainly.
Kisame shook his head, "That fight got out of hand…Madara would have stopped him if Deidara didn't blow up half the valley to cover their escape."
"Madara certainly didn't take him very seriously…it wouldn't surprise me if he did all that just so Naruto would gather the jinchuuriki for him." Itachi sighed.
"I don't try to understand him...obviously he isn't telling us everything, but that is to be expected." Kisame noted.
"Madara's demeanor is unpredictable...I mean he must have expected that Naruto would reject him...especially since he knows the truth now. What was the point of all this?" the Uchiha asked.
"Who knows...all I can say is I eagerly await the day the two of them face each other in combat…" Kisame smirked.
"We'll see how this plays out...we might not even survive to see it. At any rate, I suggest we apprehend some people and find out where Killer Bee is," Itachi changed the subject. Kisame nodded his head in approval, "Kumo is going to have heavy patrols looking for the girl."
"Hopefully, one of them knows where Killer Bee is," Itachi agreed. Kisame nodded his head, "Well let's go hunting then."
As they continued walking, Kisame shook his head and sighed, "What was up with Konan? She seemed different."
Itachi shrugged, "Her behavior seemed very strange. I am uncertain if Shizune's accusations are true, but Konan has undeniably been affected by Naruto's influence...so has Deidara it seems." There was an awkward silence before Kisame spoke up again, "You think she's going to betray Akatsuki?"
Itachi shook his head, "I'm honestly not sure...if she was going to betray us, she would have done so when Deidara did."
Kisame shook his head, "I'm getting sick of all this betrayal bullshit and lying..."
XXXXXXX
Madara and Sasori traveled together in pure silence. The puppet master occasionally glanced over at his leader as they wandered through Fire Country. As if out of nowhere, Sasori looked over and asked, "So tell me a little more about your daughter…"
Madara looked over and shook his head, "No."
"What's her name again? and who was the mother?" Sasori asked. Another awkward silence filled the air.
"So you had a child with one of Hashirama's daughters?" Sasori asked out of nowhere again catching Madara by surprise.
"My deceased wife is none of your concern!" Madara stated. Sasori looked interested and asked, "Your wife? So got married to her? A senju?"
"This conversation is over…we will never again speak of this." Madara said angrily as he glared at the puppet master.
XXXXXXX
Meanwhile, on a massive clay bird flying over the ocean, Naruto was staring off into the distance watching the sun rise. His thoughts wandered to the identity of his father and he just shook his head at the irony, 'Sorry dad…if I had known the truth, things might have been different. I just can't believe my greatest role model as a kid turns out to be my own father…FUCK!'
"Get over it…this is no time to second guess yourself!" Kyuubi growled. 'Why didn't you fucking tell me you damn fox! You knew this whole time…and you said nothing…why?!'
"I know you all too well…you wouldn't have left if I told you the truth. You would be sucking up to some civilian bitch council and wasting your potential if it wasn't for me! NEVER FORGET THAT YOU UNGRATEFUL KIT!"
'What about my mother…I want answers now Kyuubi!'
"Your mother was my previous host…There are reasons I didn't tell you. I saw no reason to give you false direction at that point in your life. It would have distracted you from becoming powerful. I learn from my mistakes. I rushed Kushina and she ended up cutting me off out of fear…but you I took my time with so that you would understand that I am not your enemy…I am your greatest ally."
Naruto sighed inwardly and replied, 'After the years of lying to me I am seriously starting to doubt that…'
"Believe what you will…you can't deny that I am responsible for your rise to power and I have saved your life more times than you can count. When you've gotten over this little hissy fit we'll talk again later."
A voice brought Naruto from his thoughts, "So, Naruto, I've been meaning to ask you this…" Deidara began speaking. Naruto focused his attention on the blonde man and nodded, "What's up, Deidara?"
The blonde man sighed as he shook his head, "I just wanted to know why you rejected Akatsuki…I mean I was almost positive that you were going to join."
Naruto shrugged as he answered, "Madara is responsible for a lot of my problems…I bare no kinship to him. I refuse to serve the man who killed my own mother."
Deidara nodded his head and replied, "Yeah you said all that…it just seems like there is more to it than that."
"I suppose there is…I don't trust Madara. He is obviously lying about why he wants jinchuuriki," Naruto said as he shook his head.
Yugito who was still bound in Naruto's lap looked at him curiously, "So you're Naruto huh? I heard my father mention that name a few years ago. He said something about Konoha's jinchuuriki going missing."
Deidara gave an annoyed glance at the blonde woman and coughed, "Thanks for interrupting our conversation bimbo…it would be great if the girl would be quiet un."
"HEY I'm not a bimbo!" Yugito shouted which woke up a sleeping mint haired girl. "Why did you rescue the girl again Deidara?" Fu asked as she looked over at Deidara. The blonde man shrugged carelessly before Yugito began to rant again, "STOP INSULTING ME! All I did was ask one fucking question!"
"Yes, I am Naruto…most people know me as Pein. I am the container of Kyuubi," Naruto confirmed causing Yugito to calm down.
"Anyways…back to what I was saying before the girl interrupted," Deidara continued, "You're nothing like I thought you'd be. When I first heard about you having the Rinnegan, I assumed you were just another arrogant prick like Itachi…but I was wrong."
Naruto shook his head, "I try not to be like that…I was a pariah in my village and I was the dead last back when I went to the academy. I never did care for people with prestigious bloodlines or fancy clans because they act superior to everyone else. I didn't even develop my Rinnegan until after I left the village. Seems kind of Ironic since I am a direct descendant of several powerful clans."
Deidara nodded his head in approval, "I've heard some crazy rumors about you over the past few years. Rumors about how Pein the Invincible blew up entire villages and ran over anybody who got in your way hm. Although what really convinced me to like you is when you kicked Itachi's ass…that arrogant fucker deserves it un."
"You really don't like Itachi huh?" Naruto asked. Dediara nodded his head, "I hate his eyes…I want to rip them out and blow them up. The way they blankly stared at me as if dismissing my art!"
"So your bombs are your art right? You left a pretty badass explosion to cover our escape…how do you do that anyways?" Naruto asked enthusiastically.
Deidara burst into a proud grin, "You appreciate my art hm? Very well, I shall tell you about how my art came to be. Before I left Iwa, I was a pupil of Onoki, the Tsuchikage, and I was in the Explosion Corps. If you haven't heard, the group consisted of elite Iwa nin who had my specific bloodline, the explosion release."
"I honestly don't know much about Iwa. Still though, I have heard about explosion release…they say it's very rare." Naruto commented. The blonde man agreed as he ran his hand over his bang, "Yes, unlike other bloodlines, it isn't always genetic. My parents weren't even ninja, but I developed it. I was in my graduating year at the academy when I found out about it…up until that point I was pretty much a nobody hm."
"So that's how you ended up in the Explosion Corps?" Naruto asked curiously. Deidara nodded his head and laughed, "Well sort of…I kind of blew this guy up one day at the academy. Everyone was pretty upset about it, and the next thing I know, Anbu showed up to bring me to some training facility."
Naruto laughed at Deidara's answer, "Hahaha sounds like the guy deserved it."
"Oh he did…he was some dick head in this high and mighty clan who everybody fawned over. This prick thought he was so cool…Bastard always called me a girl which pissed me off. So one day, I blew him up in an artistic display of rage. I still remember the beautiful bang...His clan never really liked me much after that, but the Explosion Corps is held in higher regard than any clan, so they couldn't do shit." Deidara chuckled.
"So tell me about the clay…how does that coincide with your bloodline?" Naruto asked. The blonde man laughed, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. Anyways, I was extremely good at killing people and blowing stuff up…after five years, the Tsuchikage noticed my art and requested me to be his pupil. Hell I probably would have even been his successor. I was on really good terms with my old master, Onoki."
Naruto cocked his head in confusion, "If you were on such good terms with the Tsuchikage how did you end up becoming a missing nin? Is it because of the clay?"
"Yeah, I was getting to that…I stole a forbidden Kinjutsu from the village which pissed everybody off. It allowed me to knead chakra into materials. Since I was part of the Explosion Corps and a recreational sculptor, I combined the clay with my bloodline." Deidara explained thoroughly.
"There's a reason things are forbidden in the first place, so lunatics like you can't hurt anyone!" Yugito shouted at Deidara. The blonde glared at the woman and shook his head, "I didn't do it for power if that's what you're saying…I sought to perfect my art."
"How is blowing shit up art?" Yugito demanded fiercely causing Naruto to face palm. Deidara angrily answered, "Life is transient and fleeting…like an explosion. It is the most overwhelming thing you can experience before it's gone. Every time I blow something up, I see life for what it truly is…it gives me a feeling of completion. You can't dismiss the artistic nature of life itself!"
"Whatever freak show. Oh, and by the way, YOU DO LOOK LIKE A GIRL!" Yugito taunted causing Deidara's eye to twitch. He reached into his pouch and began to sculpt clay with his hands, "How's about I show you how beautiful dying in an explosion is un!"
Yugito saw the mouths on Deidara's hands and shrieked in horror, "WHAT THE HELL! Why are there mouths on your hands?"
Naruto looked at them curiously and asked, "So that Kinjutsu had a side effect huh?"
Deidara nodded his head, "Yeah, they developed on my hands. I also have one on my chest. I use them to sculpt my exploding clay."
"That's fucking cool!" Fu commented out of nowhere causing everyone to turn towards the mint haired girl. "There's nothing cool about it…I'm surrounded by freak shows," Yugito said disgusted.
"How can you even say that? Aren't you a jinchuuriki?" Fu asked. Naruto nodded at the question and added, "Yeah, I am surprised that a jinchuuriki of all people would call somebody a freak show."
"Fuck you people…you don't know anything about me!" Yugito shouted. Fu rolled her eyes and looked over to Naruto, "We're wasting our time with her…she's just going to betray us the first chance she gets…just like that blue haired bitch."
"Konan isn't a bitch…she's a true artist," Deidara said focusing his attention on Fu. "Yeah she is a bitch…has to fucking hog Naruto half the damn night and…" Everyone's eyes shot open in shock at Fu's response. Deidara began to laugh and looked over at Naruto, "You banged Konan? Sounds like a sexplosion un!"
"Was that pun intended girly man?" Yugito asked Deidara. He flipped her off.
"The girl needs a gag…" Dediara laughed. Fu nodded in agreement, "Yeah the girl is starting to get on my nerves."
"About Konan…Well…yeah I did. After our battle, she was acting really weird and gave me this sob story about how she wanted to serve me. I ended up spending the following night with Konan and Fu. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised seeing as how she led me into a trap." Naruto explained.
"Serves your right! Only an idiot would trust Konan…" Yugito commented smugly.
"Well for what it's worth, I'm sorry that happened to you. I know for a fact that Konan is a blunt person. Betrayal doesn't really seem to suit her," Deidara said. Naruto shrugged callously and looked away, "I guess I'm not really all that surprised…she isn't the first person who has betrayed me."
"I would never betray you." Fu stated plainly as she scooted closer to Naruto. Deidara flipped his bang and smiled, "At any rate, we need to discuss how we're going to capture Yagura. Madara's intelligence claims that the village is a fortress."
"Don't you worry about that…Yagura will be a walk in the park compared to that battle we just had."
"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see you!" Deidara laughed. "What about the girl?" Fu asked as she looked over at Yugito and glared. "My name is Yugito Nii, Damn it! Stop calling me 'the girl!'"
Naruto looked at Fu and smirked, "I'll trust you to handle the girl, Fu…don't let her escape."
XXXXXXX
Zabuza, Mei, and Haku walked through the gates of Kirigakure. As they passed numerous civilians, a massive mob of jounin began to surround them. Everyone was looking horrified at the sight of Mei assisting Zabuza and Haku.
Zabuza looked around at the army of Kiri nin and began to shout, "Yagura! Stop hiding behind your men! There is no escape now! We're finally here to kill you!"
His threat caused every surrounding shinobi to back off in fear. Mei added to Zabuza's challenge, "Your persecution of bloodlines ends today, YAGURA!"
Answering their calls, a huge earthshaking thump rumbled throughout the village. Exiting the Kage tower, a lone figure walked past the fleeing shinobi with a fearless angry look on his face. Yagura's eyes were glowing green as he approached the trio. All of the civilians and shinobi cowered in fear as Yagura began to speak, "So, it has finally come to this! You would bring open warfare to the heart of MY VILLAGE!"
Zabuza angrily stared the man down and replied, "I have come to end your terrible reign you tyrant! Your betrayal shall be paid in your death!"
Yagura looked at Mei and shook his head in despair, "No…I didn't want this for you, Mei. You can't turn against me like this!"
"Yagura-sama, what's wrong with you? Why are your eyes glowing green?" Mei demanded shocked as a green cloak of chakra surrounded the Mizukage. "I am a jinchuuriki! I am the weapon of this village! The last line of defense!"
Mei shook her head emotionally, "Why did you kill my clan, Yagura-sama! I trusted you for all these years…believing Zabuza to be the villain you portrayed him to be, but it was you! You killed my clan!"
Yagura shook his head and looked down in shame, "I've done many things that I am not proud of…your clan tried to usurp me. They claimed that a monster like me had no right to be the Mizukage. I murdered all of them to protect the village. The other clans saw it as an act of oppression and turned against me causing a civil war. I ordered the purge of all bloodlines after that. I'm sorry Mei, but not everything is as simple as right and wrong!"
"I can't believe this…after all you've done, the only justification you can offer is that you defended yourself?" Mei shouted.
Haku shook her head and looked at Zabuza, "I don't know about this Zabuza…I had no idea about all of that. Do you really want to kill him over something he has no control over?" The masked swordsman shook his head and sighed, "Whatever the reasons, your actions demand retribution, Yagura!"
Looking around at the terrified villagers Yagura started to run away. "What the hell? Where is he going?" Haku asked confused as the three nin chased him down. Yagura continued to run at high speed until he was a considerable distance away from Kiri. Finally, he stopped as he stood upon the water and turned around to face his pursuers.
"My people have already suffered enough because of this…I would not see anyone else harmed. If you wish me dead than so be it…here's your chance!" Yagura announced as his chakra cloak began to intensify.
"You're finally going to die!" Zabuza shouted angrily at the man as he drew his sword. Mei followed suit and drew Aurorafang off her back.
"I AM KIRIGAKURE! I won't let it fall to you!" Yagura's demonic voice resonated powerfully as the three shinobi surrounded him.
Three large green tails began to form and took a scaly shape as they wildly thrashed about in the water.
Zabuza dashed towards the Mizukage with his sword and cleaved only to have it blocked by one of the scaled tails, The tail wrapped around Zabuza's sword and began to pull it from him holding the swordsman in place.
Mei rushed Yagura's blind side with Aurorafang but had another tail grip the weapon and pull. Yagura twisted the two shinobi and threw them both. Haku fired an ice beam at the jinchuuriki and began to channel it powerfully as she walked closer towards Yagura.
Mei did a twisting flip slicing Yagura's entire side as he was frozen in place. His chakra cloak glowed furiously and he burst from the ice. Mei watched in shock as his wounds began to heal. Zabuza made a wave and rode it towards the Kage with his glowing sword but was shocked as a massive fountain of water erupted from beneath Yagura. The Kage rose with the ascending spouts and began to speak, "You still have so much to learn, Zabuza! You seem to forget that I taught you everything you know!"
Haku began to freeze the fountain, but was shocked as the ice began to glow green and shatter. Mei launched a blanket of lava over the Mizukage but found it ineffective as he summoned a wall of water over his tails to block the attack. The water began to glow green with Yagura's cloak causing the three shinobi to trade worried glances as Yagura went through several handseals,
"Suiton: Goshuku Zame!"
Five collosal chakra sharks began to assail the trio. Zabuza managed to ward the entities off with his cyclones but was relentlessly pushed back as they swam against the current. Mei fired a massive pillar of lava from her sword at Yagura who merely blocked the attack with one of his tails again.
"Haku use the ice mirrors!" Zabuza shouted at the ice user. Haku went through several hand seals and shouted, "Makyō Hyōshō!" (Demonic Ice Crystal Mirrors) A large dome of mirrors surrounded Yagura and Haku appeared in all of them.
Yagura looked around confused before attempting to smash the mirrors with his tails. Before he could do so, the mirrors began to rotate around him and beams of ice launched from each one. Yagura along with his fountain of water was completely frozen over by the attack. Mei added to it by firing a wave of lava at the frozen kage which began to solidify into stone as the two elements continually blasted him.
It didn't last long however as a nova of chakra exploded blowing the lava and ice back. Yagura's skin began to harden and his tails grew three times in length. They reared back and pierced into Haku's mirrors individually shattering them much to the ice users surprise.
Yagura went through several hand seals and summoned dozens of massive chakra water dragons. The green chakra dragons furiously assaulted the trio as they repeatedly lunged at Zabuza. The swordsman couldn't hold off the sharks and dragons and was nearly overwhelmed before Mei covered them in magma.
Haku froze several of the attacking chakra dragons which were instantly shattered as Zabuza took advantage of their brittle state by crushing his sword against them. This continued until they were all gone. Yagura shook his head at the sight and roared, "I've had enough of this! FACE THE LEVIATHAN!"
Zabuza, Mei and Haku watched in shock as Yagura rose sky high on the pillar of water. He went through dozens of hand seals and slammed his arms against the fountain beneath his feet. The water began to spin rapidly into a massive cyclone. The trio traded disbelieving glances as the massive cyclone began to glow brighter and brighter.
Finally, it smashed down against the water leaving a massive tidal wave in its wake. Haku created an ice sphere to guard them as the blast came at them. After it subsided, the ice sphere rose above the water and exploded sending projectiles flying everywhere.
The three shinobi landed on the water and looked up in horror as they saw Yagura standing on the head of a colossal sea serpent. Yagura stabbed his tails through the creature's skull causing its entire body to glow green from his chakra cloak. "Holy shit!" Mei shouted horrified.
The monstrous sea serpent reared its head back and hissed loudly as it dove underwater. "Zabuza you didn't tell me he was this powerful!" Haku shouted horrified as the water began to twist violently. The swordsman shook his head in disbelief, "Yagura's a kage…what did you expect, Haku?"
"Not…this!" Haku shot back as the serpent burst from the water and launched magma from its mouth raining over the entire area. Mei launched a wave of lava to counter it, but it was overwhelmed as the lava began to glow green. Haku surrounded them with an massive ice wall to block the blast. Steam rose from the entire coastline as the lava and water mixed. Mei took advantage of it and condensed all of the steam towards the head of the serpent at Yagura.
The Leviathan hissed in agony as Mei pressurized the steam around its face. Zabuza took the opportunity to jump at the creature's throat and sliced into it. The serpent roared as it thrashed into the air and dove back underwater. Zabuza rode it as it descended into the water. He held his sword tight and began to twist into the beasts neck preventing it from healing. As the Leviathan burst from the water again, Haku froze the surrounding water catching the beast in place long enough for Zabuza to rear his blade back and completely decapitate the serpent with a massive wind imbued cleave from his sword.
The beast disappeared in a large puff of smoke leaving Yagura standing on the water facing the trio.
Mei shook her head as Yagura smashed his tails against the water causing more tidal waves to blast at them. Haku froze the water and rode the stream around Yagura as Mei and Zabuza rushed either side. Zabuza began to furiously berserk the jinchuuriki. Yagura parried every one of Zabuza's attacks with his tails much to the swordsman's annoyance. Mei launched a wave of lava from her mouth at Yagura point blank range causing him to roar in agony.
Taking advantage of the Mizukage's pain, Zabuza stabbed his blade through Yagura's chest. Yagura gripped the blade and grimaced in disbelief as Zabuza began to speak, "This was inevitable…go to hell Yagura!" From either side, the jinchuuriki was blasted with lava and ice as Zabuza jumped back with his sword in hand.
The conflicting elements caused the Mizukage to become enveloped in stone as he sank into the water. Everything was dead silent afterwards. After a moment, Zabuza looked over to Mei and Haku and sighed in relief, "It's finally over…I can't believe it!"
"This just seems so wrong to me…even now Yagura was protecting the village," Mei said sadly as she looked over at the village in the distance. Haku shook her head in confusion as she walked next to Mei, "So now what? What do we do about the village?"
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed from beneath the water. The trio looked down in horror as the water began to glow green again. Before they had a chance to react, three massive green chakra hands grabbed the three shinobi. They watched in horror as a massive creature emerged from the water. They were each individually held in a tail of the massive bijou.
"OH FUCK! He transformed into Sanbi!" Mei shouted horrified as the massive turtle gripped them tighter. Yagura began to swim towards the shore and threw the three shinobi from his tails' grips. They smashed onto the ground and watched horrified as the bijou began to channel a powerful ball of chakra from its mouth. Zabuza shouted in shock, "Oh fuck move!" However, before the blast fired, a massive explosion altered its direction causing the bijou ball to barely miss them as it blew up the entire Cliffside behind them.
Another massive explosion distracted Yagura from the trio as he tried to attack a massive bird overhead. Taking advantage of the situation, Mei and Zabuza launched a titanic vortex of lava and water at the jinchuuriki. As Yagura was twisting in the maelstrom, Haku froze Yagura in place. A third explosion completely enveloped Yagura weakening him momentarily.
Zabuza and Mei then jumped at the massive turtle's face and stabbed Yagura in the forehead simultaneously causing a massive explosion of chakra to resonate. The aftermath of the explosion left Zabuza, Haku, and Mei disoriented as they washed upon the shore. Looking up in the sky, Haku saw a giant white bird circling them. Zabuza and Mei on the other hand were distracted as they saw Yagura limping out of the shallow water in his human self.
His vision was hazy as he rose from his hands and knees, but before he could stand up, Zabuza stomped on his back causing him to crash back into the ground. He kicked him over and stared into the now normal eyes of the defeated Mizukage. Yagura blankly stared at the swordsman and sighed, "My village...I have failed you."
Zabuza shook his head angrily at the man as Mei walked over. She looked down at Yagura and spoke, "You were like a father to me…I trusted you all these years believing you were my savior…but I was wrong. You are responsible for everything!." Mei shook her head sadly.
"I am a monster Mei…you deserve revenge for your family." Yagura replied emotionlessly. Zabuza looked over to the red head and put a hand on her shoulder, "I think you should be the one to do it…"
She nodded her head at the swordsman and gripped her sword tighter.
Yagura sighed in defeat, "And so it ends in death…as I somehow always knew it would." Zabuza shook his head at the jinchuuriki and stomped on his face knocking him unconscious. Mei shook her head emotionally as she held the blade over the knocked out jinchuuriki, "I'm sorry Yagura…"
As she stabbed at Yagura's throat, a hand caught the blade. Mei looked up in surprise to see a tall muscular golden orange haired man with silvery purple eyes. She looked closely at him and dropped her weapon as she backed away, "You're...Pein!"
Zabuza and Haku looked shocked beyond belief. Haku ran towards the jinchuuriki and dove into him hugging furiously, "NARUTO, You're here!" Zabuza pulled his mask off and began to cheer at the sight of Naruto, "YOU'RE HERE? How?"
Naruto shook his head and sighed, "That's a long story…although the reason I came here was to talk to Yagura. I can't allow you to kill him." Zabuza's eyes shot open in disbelief as he shook his head, "What? Why? Don't you understand what this man has done to us? Do you know what we went through to fucking get here?"
"A lot has happened since I last saw you guys. I am gathering jinchuuriki. Since Yagura is the container for the three tails, I need him alive."
"NO! I didn't come this far just to see this coward live! He needs to die, Naruto!" Zabuza shouted angrily.
Naruto glared at the swordsman fiercely as his eyes began to glow, "Stand down Zabuza! Don't do something you're going to regret!"
The swordsman reluctantly backed off and grabbed his head in pain. A brief moment passed before Zabuza spoke, "Of course, Naruto…I know you must have a good reason for this."
Haku curiously began to question him, "So what happened with Konan? Did you kill her? And why did you take so long to find us?"
Brought from her interrogation, Haku noticed the entourage on the giant clay bird behind Naruto. Haku looked at him curiously and asked, "Friends of yours?"
"We need to get out of here. I can explain this once we're clear," Naruto said. Zabuza was glaring at the unconscious Mizukage darkly. Looking down at the fellow jinchuuriki, Naruto picked him up and threw the man over his shoulder.
"Okay first of all, who the hell is she?" Naruto asked as he looked at Mei skeptically. The red head stared at him awestruck and snapped out of her daze, "Ugh yeah sorry, I'm Mei Terumi, the Mizukage's apprentice."
Naruto looked towards Zabuza and Haku and shook his head, "Is she going to be a problem? I assume you know this woman."
"She's okay, Naruto…she did help us with Yagura after all," Zabuza explained. Haku huffed and crossed her arms, "She didn't betray us yet…"
"Alright, fine…she's coming with us. I don't want her snitching to these Kiri nin anyways. Everyone get on the bird, we can catch up right after we get out of here. This place is about to be swarming in jounin and Anbu." Mei reluctantly looked back at his village in the distance and said, "I can't leave..."
"I just saved your life from a bijou ball…Get on the fucking bird!" Naruto ordered. Mei reluctantly did as she was ordered. Zabuza and Haku obeyed Naruto without question.
Everyone jumped onto the bird shortly after as it began to take off.
As it got a reasonable distance away from the battlefield, Naruto looked around at everyone and began, "Alright, well I guess introductions are in order…this is Deidara, he's the Tsuchikage's former apprentice and a former member of Akatsuki. That green haired girl is Fu, she is the jinchuuriki of the seven tails. The blonde's name is…"
Naruto was cut off by Yugito, "I can speak for myself asshole! I am Yugito Nii and I am the Raikage's daughter. They are holding me hostage!" Zabuza raised a brow at the girl and shook his head in amusement.
"She is the jinchuuriki of the two tails." Naruto added.
"This is Zabuza and Haku…they are both my loyal followers," Naruto pointed towards the pair. Completely distracted by the situation, Mei completely forgot the situation with Yagura as she intently stared at Naruto. An indescribable smirk graced her face as she asked, "What about you Naruto? Or should I say Pein? Which one makes you feel more like a man?"
"We're not on a first name basis...don't use my real name," Naruto glanced over at Mei. She looked at him curiously and laughed, "Why? You don't want to find out a little more about me? I assure you that it could be quite...satifying."
Mei was staring at Naruto intently with a smile waiting for him to reply. He smirked back at her and laughed, "I don't need another fangirl...prove yourself useful to me and maybe we'll talk." Mei cocked her head amused and flirted back, "Well that's good. I'm not a fangirl...I'm an adventure-seeking woman. One who certainly takes 'pleasure' in the company of bad boys."
Fu shot a glare over towards Mei and huffed, "Get your own man...Naruto is taken." This comment caused Haku to glance over at the tan skinned woman curiously. "Naruto, we need more guys in our little group...I mean what is with this all female party you got following you?"
Deidara looked over at Haku and growled, "I happen to be a guy just in case you missed that...damn bitches hmm!" The Ice user shot a disbelieving look at the blonde man causing him to facepalm.
"I see how it's going to be...all of you girls think you're the bottom bitch around here eh?" Mei asked enthusiastically.
"Get in line whore…Naruto isn't the kind of person to sleep with some bitch he just met," Haku announced. Fu began to laugh causing everybody to look at her funny. "He sure rocked my world...all night long! Hahahaha!"
Haku looked at Fu and back over to Naruto and shook her head, "Why do you always attract the sluttly ones?"
Zabuza's mood began to lighten as he laughed loudly. He began to write away in his book amused. "For fuck's sake stop fawning over Mr. God Complex...he's arrogant enough as it is!" Yugito shouted.
"You feel like going for a swim in those chains?" Fu asked as she leered at the blonde. Naruto shook his head in amusement as he looked over towards Deidara, "We need to find a place to lay low for a while got any ideas?"
The blonde haired man nodded his head, "Yeah, we have an unused hideout near the borders of Lightning Country, I'll take us there."
"YOU KIDNAPPED THE MIZUKAGE!" Yugito shrieked as she finally noticed Yagura lying next to Naruto.
He casually nodded in response, "Yeah...didn't you hear us talk about it all day? Or were you too busy staring at me?" Naruto asked. Yugito blushed madly and looked away, "Don't flatter yourself you narcississtic jerk!"
"Sure thing Yugito...I'll just pretend that you haven't been staring at me all day," Naruto replied. Zabuza nodded his head cheerfully, "I forgot how much I missed you."
"I can't believe you're Pein…the notorious S class criminal responsible for all the destruction in the east. You seem so...well not as evil as I imagined." Mei said perplexed.
Naruto nodded his head, "It's rude to stare...what was your name again?"
Mei huffed at his attitude, "Mei...you'll be getting to know that name pretty well I assure you."
Haku cut into the conversation and began to interrogate Naruto again, "Seriously, what the hell happened with Konan? Also, how the hell did you end up on this jinchuuriki hunt?"
"Alright, here's what happened…" Naruto described the events in Takigakure minus a few sexual details and the encounter with Akatsuki. After his long explanation (Which I am honestly way too lazy to write…GOGO Imagination) Everyone just stared at him in disbelief. Mei scooted closer towards him and smiled, "So you really are a bad boy…sleeping with the enemy eh? That's hot!"
Zabuza shook his head confused, "Madara Uchiha…you're his grandson? I guess it all makes sense now. No wonder you are so powerful. Any child of Madara would have to be…although I thought Madara was dead? Didn't he live like a hundred years ago?"
Naruto sighed, "Yeah…and I'm apparently the great grandson of the first hokage and the son of the fourth hokage,"
"You mean you're the son of Konoha's Yellow Flash?" Mei asked impressed. Naruto shrugged and nodded his head, "I guess so…at least that's what they told me. I'm surprised I didn't find out sooner. Yondaime is my greatest role model. Or at least he used to be..."
Zabuza sighed as he looked at his leader, "Shit…so let me get this straight. You had sex with Konan and this…Fu woman, you learned your ancestry, and you got into a giant brawl with a bunch of Akatsuki bitches AND I WASN'T THERE TO SEE IT?"
"Half of that wouldn't have happened if I was there…" Haku muttered darkly.
Yugito looked at Naruto and shook her head, "You're despicable…If you truly seek jinchuuriki, I guarantee that my uncle wouldn't follow your psycho ass."
Zabuza looked at her curiously, "Who's your uncle?"
Deidara answered for him, "Her uncle is the Raikage's brother. Everyone calls him Killer Bee. He is the second most powerful jinchuuriki according to Kisame."
"I'm sure kicking his ass will change his mind…not to mention, he sounds like he can take care of himself for the time being." Naruto concluded.
"He won't follow some lunatic terrorists like you! He is completely loyal to Kumo!" Yugito stated smugly. Naruto looked confused and shook his head at the bound girl in his lap, "What the fuck is your problem?"
"You're my fucking problem! I don't want to be anywhere near you!" Yugito shot back. Deidara face palmed and Fu rolled her eyes and laughed, "Here we go again…"
Haku looked over at Fu and asked, "So she's been doing this all day?" The green haired girl looked over and sighed heavily, "Babe…you don't know the half of it."
"I've had enough of your whining, Yugito. You're coming with us whether you want to or not," Naruto sighed.
"Bite me asshole!" She yelled at him.
"Where?" Naruto asked amused causing Yugito to fluster in a fit. Afterwards she began to pout again.
Zabuza kept looking over at Yagura and shook his head as he quietly glared at the Mizukage, 'This changes nothing between us Yagura…'
The Mizukage was lying unconscious next to Naruto separated from Zabuza and Mei. They would make occasional glares at the unconscious kage but decided to push aside their current issues. Naruto's mind wandered at the thought of his other companions before he asked, "What happened to Guren, Tayuya, and Kimimaro?"
"They are trying to take down Orochimaru…my guess is that they are in Kusagakure still," Haku answered.
"You're after Orochimaru? Damn…I wished I had met you sooner!" Mei exclaimed interested. The Rinnegan wielder nodded his head and answered, "Yes, I was after him for years, but he's the least of my problems now that I am an official enemy of Akatsuki."
Zabuza sighed at the thought of their other companions, "I hope they'll be okay…we should definitely go look for them if we get the chance."
"I was thinking the same thing. I trust the three of them can handle Orochimaru, but they don't know about Akatsuki…they'll be in danger. Once we get to this hideout, we're going to lay low for a few days and come up with a strategy to deal with Akatsuki." Naruto said charismatically.
"We don't even know any other jinchuuriki besides the girl's uncle!" Haku stated.
"Don't call me 'the girl!'" Yugito cut in.
"You don't know…but I do," Deidara said as he turned to face the group with a proud smirk. "The Kazekage is a jinchuuriki and is most likely Madara's next target."
"Who is the Kazekage?" Naruto asked curiously. "His name is Gaara…he was the son of the fourth Kazekage. Sasori and I spent a lot of time watching him. He is probably the most powerful ninja that village has ever had with the exception of the third Kazekage hm."
"Gaara is the Kazekage?" Naruto asked shocked, "I…can't believe it."
Mei looked at him curiously, "What's wrong? Do you know him?"
"Gaara and I are old friends..." Naruto trailed off in thought.
"Are you sure we can trust this guy? He is a part of Akatsuki after all," Zabuza said looking at the blonde man intensely. Deidara waved him off and laughed, "If you don't like me then by all means jump…it's a long swim to shore."
"He pulled my ass out of the Valley of the End and has good intel…Deidara has already proven his loyalty," Naruto explained.
"Just like your blue haired slut, Konan, right?" Yugito asked causing everyone to look at her shocked. Naruto shook his head and sighed, "When we land, you and I are going to have a talk…" Naruto said annoyed.
"Maybe if you would freaking unbind me then I wouldn't feel so disinclined to help you!" The blonde woman yelled. Naruto looked at Fu and nodded his head causing the woman to undo the chains and restraints on the woman throwing them off the bird into the water.
"Don't even think about escaping…you won't get very far," Naruto spoke to the blonde jinchuuriki.
She shrugged and shook her head, "I don't see any point in leaving now…seeing as how you abducted the Mizukage I'm sure my father and the other kages will learn soon enough. Not to mention I want to know what's going on so I don't intend on leaving now…"
"Damn…" Fu said quietly to herself with a grin plastered over her face.
"Sasori is most likely on his way to Suna as we speak hm," Deidara cut in.
Yugito shook her head worried at the mention, "This is going to throw everything into political chaos…"
"We'll discuss this later once we get to this hideout; I want Yagura conscious for it." Naruto sighed as the bird flew into the horizon. His mind wandered to the thought of Gaara, 'He's my friend…maybe I need to rethink my approach with Suna. Gaara is reasonable enough to listen to me…I hope.'
XXXXXXX
Sasuke spotted Kimimaro sitting under a tree outside of the village. The snowy haired shinobi was coughing up blood as he looked at the night sky. The Uchiha walked over towards Kimimaro and sat down next to him.
"Sasuke…you wanted to talk?" Kimimaro asked as the Uchiha gave him a concerned look. Sasuke nodded his head and asked, "Yeah…why did you tell Orochimaru about Guren?"
Kimimaro closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree, "Orochimaru already knew about her betrayal before we even arrived…lying to him would only prove our loyalty to Guren and to Naruto." Sasuke looked at him and raised a brow curiously, "How did you know that?"
"I know because Orochimaru can sense his minions chakra…since Guren was killed by Naruto, hers was altered which gave her away. I didn't think it would matter then since we were traveling with Naruto, but when Guren suggested pretending to go back, I came up with the plan." Kimimaro explained thoroughly.
"Guren died? Then how is she alive exactly?" Sasuke asked curiously. Kimimaro shook his head in confusion, "I'm not sure…Naruto resurrected her after killing her in Oto. It was a flashy display of his Rinnegan's power. The villagers there think he's some kind of god."
Sasuke looked shocked at the news and shook his head in disbelief, "So…that's how he brought Zabuza and Haku back then?"
Kimimaro nodded his head, "I guess so…it certainly made it easy for him to take over the village. The villagers in Oto are somewhat loyal to Orochimaru, but a majority of the lower ranking ones only follow him out of necessity. When they saw him resurrect Guren, they immediately believed he was more powerful than Orochimaru…and they're mostly right."
"So what's Naruto like after all these years? Is he still angry at the world?" Sasuke asked. Kimimaro looked at the Uchiha curiously and wiped blood from his mouth, "Yes and no…from the little time I spent with him, he seemed very determined to do some good. I'm not really sure about his past, but my guess is that spending a lot of time away from Konoha has changed him for the better."
"So he isn't as bitter?" Sasuke questioned. Kimimaro shrugged and shook his head, "I won't pretend to understand how he feels…he can be so easy going and nice one moment and bitterly dark another. When we see him, I am not sure how he will react to you."
The raven haired nin sighed and nodded his head, "Hopefully he'll react well."
Sasuke looked at the puddle of blood surrounding Kimimaro and shook his head, "It's getting worse huh?"
"Yes…I don't want to die, but my sickness has really been eating away at me the past year. Kabuto did what he could, but he said he couldn't cure my disease due to my genetic structure. I had honestly given up hope before Naruto came along. These past few weeks have really had me thinking about what my life means to the world. Under Orochimaru I am nothing but a tool…but Naruto seemed so much more sincere about helping me…he said that if I joined him, I could become one of his champions…and be a hero." Kimimaro explained distantly.
"I didn't know things like that mattered to you," Sasuke said.
Kimimaro nodded his head with a frown, "When I was a child…I was a member of the Kaguya Clan. They feared and hated me because I possessed the Shikotsumyaku bloodline. I was the most powerful person in the clan even though I was child. Because of this, my father locked me in a cage and only let me out to fight for the clan…"
Sasuke frowned at the information and shook his head, "Sounds like they coveted your power…How did you end up with Orochimaru then?"
"Eventually, the clan got foolhardy and tried attacking Kirigakure along with several other clans from in that village. Everyone was slaughtered by Yagura's men except for me. I wandered around for months after the battle and eventually was found by Orochimaru in Fire Country. Orochimaru is a very generous person…but his cursed marks make us his slaves...that always interfered with my personal ambitions."
"Why would being a hero matter to you?" Sasuke asked perplexed as the white haired man stared at the stars. Kimimaro sighed deeply, "I am the last surviving member of the Kaguya Clan…I don't want to be remembered as a bloodthirsty barbarian…I want to redeem my clan and be seen as somebody who matters to the world."
Sasuke nodded his head empathetically, "I know how that feels…my brother wiped out my entire clan and we're all that's left. I don't want the Uchiha Clan to die with a monster like Itachi."
Suddenly, a red head stepped in front of the two shinobi and shook her head amused as she handed them dango sticks, "There you two are…what the fuck are you doing way the hell out here? I've been looking for you guys for the last three hours. I got you something to eat. I figured you were probably hungry."
Sasuke took the food and smiled, "I guess I didn't realize I was hungry. Thanks, Tayuya." The red head shrugged carelessly, "Yeah yeah don't get all sentimental on me. Here Kimimaro try some of this dango."
The white haired man stared at the food for a moment and looked away, "I'm not hungry…"
Tayuya shook her head and started yelling, "You haven't eaten in days! I know you're hungry…so stop being a pussy and eat it!"
Kimimaro reluctantly took the food and slowly began eating. Tayuya looked at the puddle of blood surrounding the man and shook her head, "Seriously, Kim…you can't malnourish yourself if you're this sick."
The snowy haired man shrugged carelessly, "I'm going to puke it up later anyways…what's the point?"
"Stop being be emo Kimmy…your brooding is even putting Sasuke's to shame…" Tayuya laughed causing Sasuke to raise a brow questioningly.
"Where is Orochimaru? He kind of just took off on us last night and told us to wait around in the village…" Sasuke asked
"I ran in to Orochimaru earlier. He was creeping around the village…I have no clue what he was doing, but he wants us to meet him at market. Apparently, Anko and Guren are almost back…"
Kimimaro stood up and looked at Sasuke and Tayuya, "Let's go."
XXXXXXX
Konan, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Shizune were all walking through the gates of Amegakure. Konan had a stoic look on her face as she examined the destruction in her village. Hidan looked around and laughed, "Damn I heard the battle was heavy, but this is some hardcore shit!"
"Property damage…I guess you'll be raising taxes," Kakuzu commented as he looked at the crumbling buildings. Shizune remained quiet as she glared at Konan jealously.
As the four members of Akatsuki wandered into the village, they noticed a large number of civilians cleaning up the debris around their homes. Several chuunin spotted Konan and instantly ran over to the group, "Lady Konan, you're alive! Finally some good news!" one said as she started to follow the group.
Everyone immediately perked up at the sight of Konan wandering into the village and began to bow as she walked by. As the palace came into view Hidan shook his head and laughed, "Shit…you had it easy the last few years…is this place big enough bitch?"
The shinobi surrounding the scene all bowed as Konan approached the entrance with a callous look on her face. A brunette woman ran down the stairs and bowed low as she came within range, "Lady Konan, welcome back…we've remained in the village as you ordered and have been making repairs."
Konan looked at the woman and nodded, "Very well, Hisame…Has the Taki ambassador come yet?"
"Yes, Lady Konan, they have informed us of your plans" Hisame said respectfully.
"Good…I hope you have made preparations," Konan said darkly. Hisame nervously nodded her head and replied, "Y-Yes…I have sent word to our outlying posts in Kusa and Tani…we are mobilizing the army for the invasion of Iwa."
Kakuzu looked at Konan impressed, "I knew you were powerful, Konan, but I had no clue you had the man power to conquer Iwa." She looked at him and nodded her head, "Yes, Kakuzu…I've been planning this for a while."
Hisame looked at Konan perplexed and asked, "Are these guests of yours Konan-sama?"
The azure beauty nodded her head, "They are subordinates of mine from Akatsuki."
"Subordinates?" Shizune questioned angrily. Konan looked at the woman and smiled, "Yes, or would you rather I kill you for questioning me?"
The medic nin reluctantly shut up whilst glaring at Konan. Hidan shook his head, "We're all merely servants of Jashin-sama…he is my only true master."
"Shut up Hidan…nobody wants to hear about Jashin-hime again," Kakuzu stated annoyed. Hidan boiled in anger and turned to yell at Kakuzu, "HOW DARE YOU INSULT THE GREAT JASHIN-SAMA AGAIN YOU MOTHER FUCKER! His dark powers shall smite you, Kakuzu! You insolent sinner!"
"So you keep saying...your god doesn't have shit on me," Kakuzu sighed in annoyance.
"Enough!" Konan shouted at Hidan causing him to calm down. "Yeah yeah whatever…fuck you Kakuzu...one day I'll prove to you how powerful Jashin-sama really is." Hidan groaned in annoyance.
Hisame looked at Konan and asked, "Lady Konan forgive me for interrupting, but what happened to Pein?"
"That's none of your concern…gather my troops and have them assembled as soon as the reinforcements from Tani and Kusa arrive. Iwa is going to burn to the ground." Konan ordered.
Rain began to pour heavily shortly after the Akatsuki members entered the palace. Kakuzu sat at the entrance and watched the rain pour. The missing nin opened his briefcase and stared at his money inside of it. 'I'm too old for this shit…I just want to retire in my damn mansion and never be bothered again.'
Kakuzu remembered living in a big house in Takigakure. Lately he had been yearning for his old life, 'That little Taki girl…she reminds me of my dead daughter. I wonder what has been happening there ever since I left…it's been over sixty years since the elders killed my family.' Kakuzu saw images of his dead children and wife flash through his mind.
Another image of him tearing their hearts out followed. 'If there's one thing I've learned over all these years, it's that I can't count on anybody…money is the only dependable thing in this world. I can't wait till this business with Akatsuki is over. Konan...Madara...Itachi...everyone is so untrustworthy. I don't want to be around when that mess blows up.' Kakuzu thought as he stared at his briefcase again. '
XXXXXXX
Sasori and Madara were making good progress on their way towards Suna. Their trip was spent in relative silence with the occasional comment here and there.
"So…are you going to assist me in capturing Gaara or is it going to be the 'stand back and watch unless I am in trouble' thing again?" Sasori asked smiling at the Uchiha.
"I don't doubt you can easily handle Shukaku, but I am merely here to ENSURE that the job gets done…"
"Are you really going to kill Deidara?" Sasori asked. The Uchiha turned to look at the puppet master and nodded his head, "Yes, and much worse…do you object?"
"Yes I do," Sasori bluntly replied with a straight look on his face. Madara sighed and shook his head, "Interesting…just remember who owns you Sasori, otherwise you'll end up joining him."
The red head nodded his head respectfully, "Of course Madara, I merely wished to express my opinion on the matter."
"Noted…" Madara said as they continued onward.
"So...sending Zetsu to get Orochimaru eh?" Sasori asked. Madara ran a hand through his hair and nodded, "Yes...I want to speak to him."
"Care to say why? Or are you going to give me blunt, dodging responses everytime I ask you a question?" Sasori asked.
Madara sighed at the puppet master and shook his head, "You're a little too curious for your own good, Sasori...everything is on a need to know basis for a reason."
"So what did you do for those three years you were in Water Country all by yourself? You said you controlled the Mizukage..." Sasori continued questioning amused.
"Don't you have dolls to be playing with or something? I suggest you quit asking me questions before something bad happens," The Uchiha groaned in annoyance. Sasori looked over at him and smiled again, "Maybe I will...You're boring the hell out of me."
"Just shut up Sasori..." Madara sighed as he began to ignore the puppet master.
XXXXXXX
YEAH! Okay that's chapter 12 for you guys. I know it wasn't as interesting as the last one, but oh well. Some things I wanted to go over:
I know the battle with Yagura wasn't as epic as some would have hoped, but it doesn't matter that much since he is going to play a significant role later on. Despite Naruto's intervention, there is obviously going to be heavy tension between Zabuza, Mei, and Yagura.
I kind of made Yugito out to be a bitch this chapter, but there are reasons behind that. She is still against Naruto's plans and doesn't realize she likes him…yet. She'll eventually come around in later chapters, so don't think I was bashing her…I love Yugito.
Sasuke's role is starting to heat up…the next few chapters are really going to do him and our favorite Oto nin some justice.
I hope the invasion of Iwagakure has some people excited. I certainly can't wait to write it…I hope it makes you think. For those that don't know who Hisame is go look her up. She's a rain nin who made an appearance at Taki in canon…she isn't that important. I honestly just needed a few additional named characters.
There's a vacuum of power in Kiri now…I wonder how that will pan out. You'll have to wait and see haha. I can't wait for the Sasori vs. Gaara showdown either…
Imagine Deidara as an academy student…that just seemed kind of fitting having him blow somebody up lol.
Anyways thanks for reading. Love ya! Expect the next chapter within a week or two at the most.