Good to know some of you still like this story…I am honestly surprised it got this far haha. I keep it going for my loyal readers.
I mean don't get me wrong…I never had intentions to quit writing it, but I am glad to see that some of you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.
As for the people that don't like it…umm…I hate you.
Anyways, Crimson ultrafox will shut up now…
Chapter 13: Paths of Pain
In the somewhat peaceful village of Konoha, a blonde haired Hokage glancing at an Anbu report with a worried look on her face. Standing across from her desk, Danzo and two Anbu were staring at her curiously awaiting a reaction.
"So your ROOT agents intercepted a Kumo patrol near the Valley of the End…they claim to be searching for the Raikage's missing daughter?" Tsunade asked incredulously.
Danzo nodded his head in confirmation, "Yes, apparently she went missing several weeks ago pursuing two missing nin with black coats and red clouds. There's no doubt about it…somebody is after jinchuuriki."
Standing to Tsunade's side, Jiraiya was leaning against the window with his arms crossed. "The Raikage's daughter is a jinchuuriki, Tsunade-hime…"
Tsunade, Danzo, and the two anbu looked at Jiraiya shocked. "Is she now? That gives me reason to suspect that these individuals might be the same ones linked to the Kyuubi kid's disappearance," Danzo suggested.
Before anybody could react, Kakashi and Yamato came bursting through the office doors with a Kiri jounin behind them. Tsunade looked shocked as Kakashi spoke up urgently, "Forgive the interruption Tsunade-sama, but this is very important! Tell her exactly what you told me!" Kakashi said to the Kiri jounin.
She walked past Danzo and up to Tsunade's desk and spoke up, "Greetings Godaime Hokage…there is something you must know." The blonde hokage looked at the woman curiously and nodded her head.
"You see…Yagura-sama, the Mizukage has been abducted! Our village is in widespread chaos right now!" The jounin rambled urgently causing Jiraiya to turn around with a horrified look on his face.
"Who could possibly abduct a Kage?" Jiraiya asked shocked as the woman trembled in fear. Danzo decided to cut in, "Who is responsible girl! Did you identify the culprits!"
She looked over at the bandage wrapped elder and nodded nervously, "Y-yes…Yagura was captured!" Everyone's eyes shot open in horror. Danzo shook his head in disbelief, "Impossible! How did this happen? You have no idea who it was?"
"It was Zabuza and Haku," The woman said worried.
Tsunade crossed her arms and sighed, "This is urgent indeed…"
The jounin nodded her head and continued, "It all started when Zabuza and Haku approached the borders of our Country…they killed everyone who got in the way."
The Kiri woman paused for breath as everyone looked shocked at the news. Kakashi cut in quickly, "Zabuza and Haku were at Ame when Pein showed up…he told them to go to Kusa! How did they end up there?"
Danzo sighed at the news, "This proves Pein is truly an enemy after all…what happened exactly?"
The Kiri jounin continued, "After killing Ameyuri-sama at the one of our mainland ports, they hijacked a boat and pulled into the southern harbor of the main island. The entire area is gone…It was a massive battle, and according to eye-witnesses, Mei ended up killing Raiga-sama and leaving with Zabuza and Haku to kill Yagura! By the time they reached the city, everybody was too afraid to attack them."
"Who is Mei? Speak quickly girl!" Danzo shouted at the woman.
She shook her head and sighed, "Mei is the Mizukage's Apprentice…she's gone rogue."
The woman paused for breath as everyone traded worried glances. After a few moments she continued again, "Yagura-sama lured them away from the village and battled. In the end, he was defeated when a massive bird blew up half the coastline. It flew away afterwards…we can only assume that they captured Yagura-sama. We arrived too late to stop them. Considering the involvement of his henchmen, the elders believe that Pein is responsible…he must be after jinchuuriki!"
Tsunade looked at her confused, "If Pein is after jinchuuriki why would he attack the Mizukage?"
"Yagura is the jinchuuriki of the three tails…" Danzo answered plainly. Everyone was shocked. Tsunade began to growl in annoyance and stood up punching her desk.
The piece of furniture splintered into a hundred pieces as the Hokage began to pace around pissed, "This can't be a coincidence! Pein is undeniably capturing jinchuuriki….but what of these cloaked nin that were spotted in Kumo? Are they somehow connected?"
The jounin answered Tsunade, "I don't think so…we managed to intercept the news from several Kumo patrols…they told us that one of those missing nin had a large wrapped sword and strange shark like features. We identified this sighting is most likely, Kisame. That leads me to believe the other one is Itachi. The two of them were known to have battled against Pein and his followers in Wave Country three years ago."
"Konan said she knew Itachi and Kisame…so I hardly doubt Pein is on friendly terms with that group," Kakashi mentioned.
Danzo turned to leave the office, "I am going to send Anbu to investigate the Valley of the End…there must be clues of these sightings around there." His anbu escort turned to follow him.
As Danzo walked out of the office, he noticed Kankuro and Temari standing outside the doorway listening in on the conversation. They both walked in and Kankuro shook his head worried, "If Yagura was captured…that means my brother is in danger!"
"You need to send reinforcements to Suna! Gaara is a jinchuuriki too! He is in trouble!" Temari added desperately. Tsunade nodded at the Sand nin, "I can't send much without leaving my village exposed…but I'll see to it that Gaara and the other Kages are notified of this."
Temari and Kankuro exchanged worried looks and nodded. "We have to return to Suna immediately Hokage-sama…forgive our withdraw, but we won't allow our brother to be captured!"
Tsunade nodded her head, "Do what you must…take some of my people with you. Kakashi go find the Ame assault survivors and gather them for a mission to guard the Kazekage. I would appreciate if you wait for my escort team to assemble before leaving."
"Fair enough…Hokage-sama," Kankuro said. Kakashi nodded his head and left immediately along with Yamato, Temari, and Kankuro. Jiraiya and Tsunade were alone in her office with the Kiri woman. Tsunade leaned against the wall and slid down to her butt as she covered her face and groaned.
The Kiri jounin bowed to Tsunade and took her leave, "Farewell, Hokage-sama."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
In the city of Kumogakure, a messenger from Kiri was bowing to the floor as the burly dark skinned Raikage angrily paced back and forth. Upon hearing the news of Yagura's abduction combined with his own daughter's disappearance, he assumed Pein was responsible for both actions.
Casually strolling into the office, his brother only known as Killer Bee leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. The Raikage looked over at his brother and yelled, "WHERE IS YUGITO! DID YOU FIND ANYTHING?"
The jinchuuriki nodded his head, "Yes and no…your baby girl went chasing after those shady guys that have been snooping around lately. I followed her trail to the Valley of the End, but I found no trace of her there. The entire Valley is a crater."
The Raikage glared at his brother, "So you just decided to come back and tell me? Why aren't you still out there?"
"Yo, relax bro. I got important stuff to tell you…I found out who those two shady dudes were. They are Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki…they are on their way back to the village. I just thought I'd warn you. They may be coming for me next."
"Hmm…have you heard about the Mizukage yet B?" The Raikage asked sternly. Killer Bee nodded his head casually, "Yeah I overheard ya bro…Yagura got captured. You think Pein is behind all this?"
The older brother nodded his head and sighed, "None of this seems coincidental. Konoha's jinchuuriki went missing over three years ago around the same time Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki were spotted in Fire Country. If you saw them here…then that means that they are somehow connected to Yugito's abduction."
"You know I wrote a rap about them on the way back…want to hear it?"
"No…please don't start with that.." The Raikage sighed as Killer Bee started to rap,
Yo! This is my reaction to ya lack of compassion/
I got seven swords punk , who you tryin ta cash in?/
I'm Lord Hachibi bitch an I got eight tails/
I'm a beast, I'm a pro, I aint eva gonna fail/
Take a step back, you can't handle ma skills/
I'll kick ya ass all day cuz I'm the King uh this hill/
Remember the name…Killer Bee, fool/
I'm a stone cold badass, I aint eva lost a duel/
You aint a match for this jinchuuriki/
Cuz I float like a butterfly and sting like a Bee/
"B, shut up! This is serious! We have two missing nin who dare to oppose the wrath of the unbeatable Kumogakure! We're going to deal with them!"
The Raikage punched a nearby wall and cracked his knuckles as he looked down at the Kiri messenger. "Get lost kid, you and I are done talking!"
The Kiri messenger cringed as the Raikage glared at him. He stood up and left immediately. As he walked past the door, he turned back and spoke, "It would be a good idea to contact the other Kages about this…especially the Hokage."
The burly Raikage cracked his fists and began to laugh, "I don't have time to go play politics with Konoha! My village is in danger!"
Killer Bee nodded his head as he walked over the Raikage, "Chill bro! We got this…Yugito will be fine." The jinchuuriki held his closed fist up looking up at his brother.
The Raikage and Killer Bee fist bumped powerfully before Killer Bee turned to leave the office, "Hit me up when you're ready to go…I'll be chilling in the village."
"I'll be ready in one hour…don't get too comfortable." He replied strictly. The Raikage walked back over to his desk and looked at the picture of his family. He sighed at his wife in the photo. 'Yugito looks so much like you now…You would be proud of our daughter. I won't let anything happen to her…if they lay one hand on her I'll tear their heads off!'
XXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto and the gang were all outside of what appeared to be a hot spring. The Rinnegan wielder looked towards the blonde man skeptically and laughed, "Is this your hideout?"
Deidara nodded his head and laughed in return, "Yeah, this used to be one of Hidan's spots…his old village isn't too far from here,"
Everyone traded odd looks as Deidara pointed towards a large building in the area and the surrounding saunas. "Well at least it's relaxing…" Zabuza said as he looked around. Haku sighed as she nodded her head, "I'm just glad this hideout didn't turn out to be a cave…at least this place probably has furniture."
"My legs are asleep after that long ass ride…" Fu sighed. Several murmurs of agreement followed. Naruto looked around confused and asked, "So…nobody else knows about this hot spring? Seems like this place should be bustling with tourists or something."
"Hmmm…I think this is actually Hidan's house. Hahaha so yeah I don't think you have to worry about anybody finding it hmm." Deidara laughed as he looked at the large building. Naruto thought for a moment, "Which one was Hidan again?"
"He was that guy that gave me strange looks all the time. Oh…I mean he was the one with the open cloak and the scythe un." Deidara answered. Fu shook her head at the mention, "Yeah the immortal guy right? I couldn't kill him…"
Mei looked at the saunas and smiled, "So the seven of us are going to spend a few days in this creepy hot spring house?"
The bomber laughed and nodded his head, "Well unless you'd rather sleep outside."
"Pass…" Mei said coldly as she rolled her eyes at Deidara. The blonde huffed at her attitude, "You're one stuck up bitch…"
Haku shook her head and added, "No she's not stuck up…she's just a bitchy whore." Deidara smirked at Haku's comment and held his palms out to Mei sticking the tongues out of his hands at her.
Naruto looked at the others and sighed, "Everybody go get some sleep…we're going to take four hour shifts watching Yagura. Fu go first, I'll take second shift, and Deidara third. Tomorrow we're going to discuss the situation with Yagura and deal with him accordingly."
Mei shrugged as she looked around, "Whatever…I'll be in the sauna doing bitchy whore things."
"You do that…I'm going to check out this house," Zabuza sighed as he wandered inside the large building. Naruto handed Yagura over to Fu and whispered, "Keep a close eye on him until I get back. Also make sure Zabuza and Mei don't kill him." Fu nodded her head as she dragged the Jinchuuriki inside the building.
Naruto looked over towards Yugito and began staring at her. She looked over at him nervously as he walked closer. "We need to talk, Yugito…" Naruto stated plainly causing the blonde woman to nervously back away. Deidara watched the sight interested, "Is she finally going to get punished for insulting my art?"
Naruto looked at Deidara, "We'll be right back…I just want to talk with her alone."
The blonde man nodded his head and flipped his bang as he turned to walk inside.
"W-What are y-you going to do?" Yugito stuttered slightly worried as Naruto got closer. He held his hand out and she was immediately lifted off of her feet and pulled towards him. As she got close, Naruto grabbed her arm and began to lead her a considerable distance away from the hot spring.
Yugito struggled for a bit but eventually gave up upon realizing her efforts were pointless. When they were finally out of range, Naruto let go of her arm and began to stare at her.
"Umm…please stop doing that," Yugito demanded. Naruto continued to stare and after another awkward moment of silence, he began to speak, "You seem to have personal issues…I noticed that you react very poorly in the company of others. Care to explain yourself?"
Yugito looked at him irritably and shook her head, "I am not going to break down for you…you're the enemy. So you'll have to forgive me if I don't feel inclined to whole-heartedly trust you right away!"
"Trust is irrelevant in this matter. I want to know why you're such a bitch…is it because you feel like you have something to prove as a jinchuuriki?" Naruto asked coldly.
"How dare you say th…" Yugito replied but was cut off as Naruto began to speak again, "How dare I? How dare I? I am a jinchuuriki myself…don't assume I lack understanding in this matter!"
Yugito began to glare at him fiercely and huffed in annoyance, "What's the point of all this? No matter what you say or do, I won't willingly support you like your little fan club in there!"
"Fine…if that's how you want to be, then I'll just guess why you're a bitch. Being the daughter of the Raikage and a jinchuuriki, you were sheltered as a child and never grew up with any friends. People never saw you as a human being and you were only seen as a weapon. The only thing that kept you sane was the love of your father, but his strict demands for being strong and powerful made you callous and resentful. I'm also guessing that your mother died a long time ago due to your lack of civility and manners. Am I right so far?"
Yugito had a shocked expression on her face upon hearing his words. There was a brief silence before she spoke again, "If you knew all that then what was the point of asking me huh!"
"You serve your village for several reasons…you fear your father, you obviously respect your uncle, and you don't truly understand the feelings you've repressed all your life." Naruto continued coldly. Yugito looked emotional as Naruto continued to blankly stare at her.
Yugito growled in anger at Naruto and started yelling, "Ooh! And what about you! You abandoned your village…I didn't! You're the one with the god complex, and you're the one who is a mass murderer and notorious criminal! We're nothing alike…I don't kill people for fun! They may hate me…but at least I don't hate me! How can you live with yourself!"
Yugito was panting heavily after her rant. She stared at Naruto intently awaiting his answer, but to her surprise he remained silent.
"Well…aren't you going to say something?" Yugito asked angrily. Naruto had an emotionless face and finally shook his head, "You're a lost cause…your life will forever be meaningless and empty if you continue on your current path. If it wasn't for the fact that you know my identity I would probably just let you go. However, seeing as how you do know, I can't allow you to leave and risk my exposure yet."
Yugito looked at him confused as he turned to walk away. Suddenly, Yugito felt her entire body being pulled towards Naruto as he held his hand outstretched.
He looked at her again as she was suspended in the air several feet from him and sighed, "Don't even try running…you won't get far." Yugito dropped to her feet in front of Naruto as he turned to walk again. Without a second thought she immediately followed him back to Hidan's House.
The whole walk back she couldn't fathom why she was following Naruto. Yugito inwardly sighed as she thought about his words, 'What the fuck is wrong with this guy? One day he is carefree and the next he says that my life is empty and worthless…Fuck him! He's just a selfish murderer anyways.'
When they finally reached the hot spring again, Yugito went to the sauna. Naruto stood outside for a few moments and sighed, 'I need some alone time…' He walked over to a large boulder and sat on top it.
A familiar demonic voice began to speak in his head again much to his surprise, "You're no match for Madara at your current strength…It is time for all of this child's play to end. You need to master the Rinnegan."
'I've only had the Rinnegan for three years…I don't know that much about it. Why did it take so long to develop?'
"Your Rinnegan was recessive…When we battled the Uchiha kid in the Valley of the End, I realized that you had it then. I was surprised at first, but I found it interesting since you are the only person to ever acquire it besides the Rikudo Sennin."
'How was the Rikudo Sennin so powerful?' Naruto asked. "He mastered the Rinnegan and the ten tails."
'How can I master the Rinnegan, Kyuubi?'
There was a long silence before the fox finally answered, "You do not truly understand the Rinnegan as he did. I guess I am partly to blame for your ignorance…I suppose it is time for us to continue on with your training.
'What kind of Training? How are you going to train me?' Naruto asked. Kyuubi sighed as he answered, "This isn't training as you understand it…you will meditate and the Rinnegan will show you the truth." Naruto cocked his head in confusion, 'What? What the hell do you mean by that?'
Before Naruto could get an answer, his vision went dark as his eyes began to burn painfully. 'Arghh! What the hell? I can't see!' Naruto's entire body began to burn painfully.
His mind flashed through visions of his past. He saw Itachi and Kisame standing across from him on the water. Black flames completely surrounded him and began to burn his skin painfully. Naruto began to relive the event as he sunk underwater burning from Itachi's Amaterasu.
'Arrrgh! The pain!' The overwhelming flames continued to burn underwater as Naruto sunk lower and lower. 'Kyuubi! What the hell is this?'
The Kyuubi calmly spoke in a soothing tone, "Shhhh…empty your mind and amplify your chakra. Release it slowly. Feel the Rinnegan's power flowing through your body. Stop fighting it…relax every muscle in your body and clear your mind. Give in to the pain…now look into that dark corner of your mind."
Naruto followed the fox's command and felt his entire body become numb as he continued to sink. He heard a distant echo in his mind, 'Chibaku Tensei…Show them the true power of the Rinnegan!'
Naruto began absorbing the black flames of Amaterasu as he flew into the sky with a blood red cloak of chakra. His body was scorched, but was regenerating much to his surprise.
As he relived the moment, a vision began to consume his mind as he saw the shadowy figure of a man standing across from him. The only thing Naruto could see were the glowing purple eyes of the Rinnegan.
The individual held his arm up and a massive wave of chakra fired from his hand. The chakra completely surrounded Naruto as the individual stared at him. 'Who the hell are you? Are you the Rikudo Sennin?' The individual walked closer towards him, and Naruto gasped upon seeing his own face.
Naruto opened his eyes and saw himself glowing a silvery purple. He stood up in shock as he looked around. Zabuza, Haku, and Fu were all standing behind him perplexed as he turned to face them. "Look he's finally awake!" Haku shouted. Everyone stared at him confused. "Now you understand."
Naruto looked at Zabuza and Haku briefly before extending his arms at both of them causing the glow of chakra to surround them. Zabuza and Haku fell to their knees in agony as Naruto channeled the chakra into them.
The scene caused Mei and Yugito to run out of the sauna. Mei looked shocked as she noticed the glow around Naruto, Zabuza, and Haku. "What the hell is going on?" Mei asked shocked as Naruto stared at his agonized companions. Deidara ran over upon hearing this and looked shocked at the sight.
"I understand now." Naruto said calmly. Zabuza shook his head in agony and began to shout, "MY EYES!"
Haku and Zabuza's eyes bled heavily causing Deidara to shake his head, "What the fuck are you doing to them?"
After a moment, the glow finally wore off causing Zabuza and Haku to collapse on the ground. A brief silence passed before Naruto began to speak again, "Rise Preta, and Rise Human. Become what you were meant to be." Zabuza and Haku both opened their eyes and stood up looking around shocked as they felt an overwhelming surge of energy flowing into them from Naruto.
Zabuza looked over towards the others confused before Mei's jaw dropped, "Your eyes! They're…like his!" Zabuza looked over to Haku and was shocked to see her once caramel brown eyes silvery purple like Naruto's.
Haku had a similar reaction as she looked at Zabuza. After a moment of staring, Naruto finally spoke, "Your minds are you own, but your lives are an extension of mine. You two are my Paths of Pain."
"Umm…what the fuck just happened?" Yugito gasped in horror as Zabuza and Haku both nodded at Naruto. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Glad to see those fools can become useful after all!"
'You never told me about this before…' The Kyuubi huffed in irritation, "I honestly didn't know it work without using chakra rods on them. I guess since they are both technically alive must be the reason."
'That's exactly what I mean…I didn't know any of that. You say you want me to become powerful yet you have kept this information to yourself for all these years.'
"Are we having this stupid conversation again? Get over it…you weren't ready then. Besides what does it matter…you know now!"
'Kyuubi…I want to know the real reason why you know so much about the Rinnegan.' Naruto requested. The fox snarled and began to laugh, "You read that book…your answer is in there."
'Fine…you won't tell me the truth anyways.' The fox remained silent and didn't reply to him much to his surprise.
Deidara just shook his head and laughed, "Madara is going to cry when he sees this hmm!"
Fu looked amused at the sight and shook her head, "Its your turn to watch Yagura…" The Rinnegan wielder nodded his head and started walking inside.
Everyone dispersed after Naruto started walking away. Zabuza looked at Haku and shook his head, "This feels…weird. Is it just me or do you feel like you know things you didn't before?"
Haku nodded her head, "Yes…I can't quite place it, but I feel like Naruto imbedded information into our minds."
Zabuza took a deep breath and looked up at the open sky, "I wonder how this will affect Guren…"
Yugito stood still after witnessing the event and shook her head fearfully, 'What the hell did he just do to them? Just how powerful is he?'
Naruto looked around Hidan's House curiously.
All of the inside walls were black with red on them. Naruto looked at the wall in one of the bedrooms and noticed a painting. He walked over towards it interested. The painting was of Hidan himself bowing to a shadowy demonic figure.
The demon looked twice as tall as Hidan himself with many spikes protruding from its back. Although, the only real feature Naruto could make out from the figure was a glowing red crystal sticking out of its forehead. 'That's not creepy at all…'
"This is an interesting painting…kinda makes you wonder about how real Hidan's God is," Deidara stated out of nowhere. Naruto turned around and looked at him confused, "So…this is some kind of religion? Is that thing a god?"
Deidara shrugged carelessly, "Hidan says he is a follower of Jashinism, but who knows how real that is."
"Jashin is real…that painting looks just like him."
'You knew Jashin? What is he exactly?' Naruto asked Kyuubi curiously. "Jashin is a demi-god."
"You guys never asked him about it?" Naruto asked looking over at the blonde. Deidara scoffed and shook his head, "Are you kidding? That's all he ever talked about…Jashin this…Jashin that…Jashin fucked me up the ass…blah blah blah. At least that's what I always heard hmm."
"Yeah…well anyways, where is Yagura at?" Naruto questioned. Deidara thought for a moment, "The living room,"
Naruto headed towards the large and open living room. Like the rest of the house, the walls were only black with the occasional Jashin marking traced in blood on them. 'Wow…is the whole house like this?'
Looking over at the table, Naruto examined Yagura lying on top. He sighed as he examined the Mizukage. Yagura was scuffed up and had some torn clothes, but otherwise appeared to be fine. "He's bound to wake within a day or so…his injuries have healed a lot faster than I anticipated."
'At least there's a couch in here…although I don't want to know what's on it.'
"A bunch of blood, some dried up tears, alcohol, and other stuff you probably don't want to know about."
'Yeah…I don't really know. Anyways…I wonder how Guren is managing, Let me see if I can transmit my power to her from this range.' Naruto sat on the ground and began to channel the silvery purple chakra again as he focused on Guren.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Guren and Anko were passing through the open gates of Kusagakure looking around at the village. "This place is so eerie…I have barely seen any shinobi here," Anko said as she looked around.
Guren nodded her head, "All of Kusagakure is under the control of Ame…It seems likely that the bulk of the shinobi forces have been returning to Ame preparing for that invasion. I am curious to find out what Orochimaru will say."
Anko shrugged as the two women walked further into the village. They finally started to notice villagers out and about. Guren looked around and sighed, "I guess this is the market…not many people out tonight."
"Why didn't we go back to the base?" Anko asked as they wandered around the market area. Guren looked over at her and sighed, "Orochimaru probably already knows we're here." As if on cue, a long haired pale man approached them from a distance.
The two women looked over and noticed three people following Orochimaru as he came closer. Anko saw Sasuke standing behind him and looked at him shocked, "Sasuke?"
Guren looked at the Uchiha and sighed, "So you finally got him huh?"
Orochimaru had an intense look on his face as he stared at Guren. She looked at him curiously, "We're back Orochimaru-sama…we have news of the events in Ame for you." The snake sannin nodded his head and smirked as he began pacing around the group, "Ah…very good Guren. You always were the sneaky sort. Tell me what you found?"
Anko decided to answer, "There was no mention of what happened, but a Taki ambassador showed up and said that Pein and Konan are both allies now. They signed a treaty with Taki and pretty much annexed it. They plan on invading Iwa."
Everyone's eyes shot open in shock at the mention including Orochimaru's. "No…the two of them together is too dangerous. There was no mention of their whereabouts?" Orochimaru asked anxiously.
Guren nodded in response, "After we left the village, we intercepted a Taki jounin…she told us that she overheard Pein and Konan talking about the Valley of the End when they were in the village."
The snake sannin shook his head worried as he began to pace around again, "So…Konan planned on bringing Pein to Akatsuki. That is extremely disturbing news. I have no hope of acquiring his body if he has Akatsuki protecting him."
"When did Sasuke get here?" Anko asked as she looked over at the Uchiha. Sasuke spoke up, "I ditched Konoha to come find Orochimaru. Konan told us where he was."
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke suspiciously and laughed, "So…you and Anko both saw Pein? Describe him to me Sasuke-kun." This caught the Uchiha off guard looking at Orochimaru perplexed.
After a moment he answered, "Pein has spiky golden orange hair and a strange headband with a symbol of a village I don't recognize. He wore a mask when we saw him and had what appeared to be an Anbu outift on."
Orochimaru laughed as he turned towards Guren, "But you already knew that didn't you Guren-chan? You are one of my favorite subordinates…so clever and dark. Tell me how long you've been serving Pein now?"
The purple haired crystal user looked shocked as everyone focused their gaze on her. She turned towards Kimimaro and Tayuya in disbelief as they blankly stared at her.
After a long moment she finally answered, "Pein conquered Otogakure…he is far more powerful than you are. Several weeks ago, he killed me and brought me back to life. His Rinnegan is almighty and his influence is overwhelming. I did just what you told me Orochimaru-sama…I followed the strongest side. Pein is godly! You are nothing before him!"
Everyone looked shocked at Guren's disrespectful attitude as she glared at the snake sannin proudly. Orochimaru smiled at her and began to laugh, "I can't say that I blame you for choosing to do such a thing…however, Pein's body WILL be mine and once I have it I shall rule the world!"
Guren laughed at him and shook her head, "No you will not! You will fade from this world forgotten and alone. Your worst nightmares will come true as you are forever stricken from history. Pein's power shall forever overshadow the dark corner of your mind. The part that obsessively strives for power out of fear for your own worthless and insignificant life! You will die as nothing…just like your parents did!"
Guren's arrogant fury caused Orochimaru to glare at her in utter disbelief. Everybody was shocked at Guren's attitude. Anko looked at her and shook her head, "Damn…that's dark even for you babe?"
Kimimaro and Tayuya traded worried glances as Orochimaru's eye began to twitch. He shook with anger as he glared at the crystal user. After an awkward silence he spoke up, "I never would have expected to hear such disrespectful words from you, Guren…You DARE?"
"We came here to kill you Orochimaru…Pein ordered your death!" Guren shouted at him. The scene caused the few surrounding villagers to disperse in fear. Orochimaru looked at his other followers angrily, "We? Just how many of you are in favor of Guren's new master?"
Everyone blankly stared at Orochimaru causing him to back away in shock as the five shinobi stood across from him. Guren laughed at the sight and continued, "You have no idea what kind of power and influence Pein has! All of your followers stand against you! You are nothing before the might of the Rinnegan!"
Orochimaru shook his head in disbelief as the worried look on his face began to change to a smile. Orochimaru started twitching angrily. Guren raised a brow as Orochimaru began to laugh maniacally at the sight, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So Pein thinks he can take everything from me does he? I knew you this was coming…that's why I took the liberty of placing mind controlling seals on all of you! YOU ARE MY SLAVES, NOT HIS!"
Orochimaru went through some hand seals and began to glow ominously with cursed chakra as he continued laughing venomously. Afterwards, he bit his thumbs and smeared blood across his arms summoning his infamous snake Manda. He stood upon Manda's head and went through more hand seals causing his minions' cursed seals to activate. Sasuke, Anko, Tayuya, and Kimimaro all fell to their knees in agony as their cursed seals consumed them.
"I knew I should have branded you Guren…it seems I'll have to take you down personally!" the sannin giggled evilly. Manda began to hiss loudly as he leered at Guren, "A ssssssacrificccce for me? Ssssssshee will die!" Orochimaru spit Kusanagi out of his mouth and launched it towards Guren.
Manda reared back to lunge at her, but missed as she jumped out of the way. Guren went through several hand seals, "Kesshō: Kyodai Rokkaku Shuriken!" (Crystal: Giant Hexagonal Shuriken) Guren managed to deflect the blade before it flew into her. She then sent the large crystal shuriken flying at Manda.
The Shuriken made impact and caused Manda to hiss in pain as he lunged at her again. Kusanagi glowed and made a rebounding stab at Guren. It was unsuccessful as she formed two crystal blades over her arms to parry it. The sword flew back into Orochimaru's mouth. The sannin laughed as he launched a wave of snakes from his mouth at her. Before the serpents could reach their destination, Guren fired a barrage of crystal needles.
The snakes were all imbedded into the ground by the needles causing Orochimaru to smirk at the sight, "Still as powerful as I remember…Manda kill her!" The snake smashed through the village as he attacked Guren again. The woman held her hand up and caused a huge field of crystals to shoot at the snake and surround it.
The crystals began to wrap around and constrict the colossal snake as the thorns began to form. The crystal thorns began to constrict the beast holding it in place. Manda hissed in agony.
Orochimaru rolled his eyes at the sight, "Fine…let's see how well you fight against your friends!" The snake sannin channeled more power into the cursed seals surrounding Sasuke, Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Anko causing all of them to become consumed by Orochimaru's will.
"Destroy her minions! YOUR MASTER COMMANDS IT!" He yelled pointing at Guren furiously. Against their own wills, Kimimaro and Sasuke ran towards Guren at high speed. Kimimaro formed a long lance from his arm and chucked it at the crystal user. Guren managed to parry the projectile but soon found Kimimaro within range flailing his bone swords at her. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and jumped into the fray.
Sasuke drew his sword and began to duel the Guren. Orochimaru watched amused as Guren struggled against Sasuke and Kimimaro. The Uchiha channeled lightning around the edge of his sword and swung powerfully shattering one of Guren's crystal blades. She jumped out of range and landed on a rooftop causing Orochimaru to laugh, "What's wrong Guren-chan? Where was that determination I saw moments ago?"
Guren felt her legs become wrapped in snakes as Kimimaro dove towards her again. She looked over to see Anko standing behind her holding her down with snakes. Guren created a crystal wall to temporarily shield herself from Kimimaro as she sliced the snakes around her legs. Kimimaro smashed through the shield effortlessly and began charging at her with bone spikes covering his body. Guren leapt off the building but was met with a swift kick to the side by Tayuya.
Guren landed on the ground and started to run away at high speed as everyone chased her down. Orochimaru followed on Manda with a proud smile watching his former minions trying to kill the woman. The crystal user turned around and went through more hand seals, "Shōton: Omiwatari no Jutsu!" (Crystal Release: The Gods' Crossings Technique)
A large trail of crystals erupted from the ground hindering Guren's pursuers temporarily. Kimimaro was impaled by several of the spikes and began to roar as he ripped from them charging at Guren again. Before Guren could stop Kimimaro, Sasuke managed to graze her arm with a chidori as he landed beside her.
Anko landed on Guren's other side and simultaneously shot a ball of fire from her mouth along with Sasuke. Guren reacted quickly, "Shōton: Hashō Kōryū!" (Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon) Guren created a crystal dragon and managed to avoid the double sided flamethrower and a charging Kimimaro.
Kimimaro jumped into the air to stab the dragon but was smacked to the ground by its tail. The man held his arms up. Bone spikes rotated out of his forearms and fired relentlessly. Several managed to crack the crystal dragon. Guren turned the beast around and fired a barrage of crystal needles from its mouth to counter Kimimaro's spikes.
Caught off guard, Guren didn't notice a fiery snake wrap around her dragon bringing it to the ground. Guren looked down at Anko shocked but barely had enough time to react as Sasuke charged his sword with lightning again and completely sliced the crystal dragon in half.
Guren landed on the ground again panting heavily as snakes and bone spikes began to assail her from all sides. Guren formed a crystal shield to block the attack, but it never came. She looked around in confusion as she couldn't see anybody. After a few seconds she heard the sound of a flute playing.
"Shit…" Guren yelled at herself as she looked around desperately confused. Suddenly Guren felt a painful feeling in her chest. She looked down to see Sasuke sword impaled through her. The genjutsu wore off and Guren realized she was completely surrounded.
Orochimaru shook his head, "Tsk Tsk Tsk…I would have expected more from you Guren. Getting caught in a genjutsu…and right after that impressive little display HAHAHAHA!" Sasuke pulled his sword out and stared at her as she fell to her knees.
Guren looked at the others painfully as she saw them all glowing ominously in the dark purple aura consumed by Orochimaru's cursed seal. Guren coughed up blood and began to pant heavier as her vision became hazy. Orochimaru jumped off of Manda's head and walked over towards the woman and cupped her cheek, "So…I suppose it is time to brand you with a cursed seal Guren!"
Orochimaru's neck grew in length as he bit down on herneck. As his head returned, he watched Guren intently waiting for the seal to consume her body. Guren heard a voice in her head, "Rise Animal!"
Guren's eyes shot open wide as she began to scream in pain. She grabbed her head and flailed in agony. Orochimaru raised a brow perplexed at the situation. "Where is the cursed mark? What…what's happening?"
Guren felt an overwhelming surge of chakra wash over her. It was familiar and she recognized it instantly, 'Naruto…that's his voice…this is his chakra. It is so powerful.' Suddenly, the wound in Guren's chest began to heal.
Guren rose to her feet much to Orochimaru's utter disbelief as her body glowed in a silvery purple cloak of chakra. Guren's eyes began to bleed heavily as the chakra intensified. She closed them and bit her lip at the pain.
Orochimaru watched fascinated as the glow continued. After a moment, Guren reopened her eyes. They were silvery purple with rings. Orochimaru looked horrified as he identified the sight, "The…Rinnegan!"
Guren began to smile at the mention and laughed, "Now you know what kind of power Pein is capable of." Guren went through several hand seals, "Kesshō no Yoroi!" (Crystal Armor) Guren was completely covered in crystal armor that glowed silvery purple from her chakra.
Orochimaru jumped back on top of Manda as Kimimaro charged at Guren. The crystal user reformed two glowing crystal swords and managed to counter Kimimaro's bone sword. Sasuke stabbed from the other side but Guren managed to kick the sword from his grasp and deliver a swift kick to his chest. Anko launched another large fireball from her mouth catching Guren's blindside, but the crystal armor managed to ward off the majority of the attack.
She looked up at Orochimaru for a brief moment, 'I've got to get rid of his control over them…but how?' The crystal user was caught off guard as Kimimaro delivered a powerful kick sending her flying into a nearby building.
The woman jumped out of the rubble and stood on top of the gate to the village facing her foes seriously. Guren went through several hand seals and shouted, "Shōton: Suishō Meikyū no Jutsu!" (Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Labyrinth)
Kimimaro, Tayuya, Anko, and Sasuke were all enveloped inside a massive red crystal prison. Guren took the opportunity to attack Orochimaru's summon. Her crystal swords began to grow in length before as she charged the serpent. She jumped in the stabbed at the massive snake imbedding the blades in Manda.
Guren created more crystals to constrict Manda. They surrounded the mighty serpent as thorns began to grow from them once again. The titanic snake hissed in agony.
Guren took the opportunity and made a leap towards Orochimaru, but the sannin jumped away flipping through hand seals, "Fūton: Daitoppa!" (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) A surge of wind blasted Guren back. The woman landed on top of the red crystal prison.
Orochimaru began laughing again, "Your efforts are pointless…look down Guren-chan. The woman looked down and raised a brow in shock as it began to crack from all sides. A bright glow was radiating from the inside. Without a second thought, Guren dove onto a nearby rooftop.
Suddenly, the prison shattered as lightning and fire erupted in all directions. The devastation was catastrophic for the outskirts of Kusagakure as fiery lightning charged crystals rained down. Guren landed on the ground and created a crystal shield to block the aftermath.
Kimimaro went through several hand seals, "Sawarabi no Mai!" (Dance of the Seedling Fern) Bones erupted everywhere beneath Guren's feet as she began to flee further from the village to avoid the devastating field of spikes erupting from the ground.
Orochimaru cackled maniacally at the devastation, and used Manda as a shield from the attack. The massive snake disappeared in a puff of smoke. Orochimaru followed his controlled puppets laughing, "YES KILL HER NOW!"
Sasuke flew after Guren on his cursed seal hand wings. As the Uchiha got close, the crystal user managed to impale one of his wings with a crystal sword. Wasting no time, Guren jumped into the air and flashed through hand seals, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" (Summoning technique)
Guren was on the back of a giant drill beaked bird and managed to dodge the wave of bones Kimimaro had created.
As Guren flew overhead, Kimimaro began to fire hundreds of bone spikes at her. Orochimaru watched in awe as Guren countered them with a raining blast of crystals. Anko went through dozens of hand seals and inhaled deeply before spitting a massive fire dragon from her mouth at Guren.
The fiery entity managed to clip the bird's wing causing it shriek in pain. Guren leapt off the bird and went through more hand seals, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" she summoned a massive rhino and began to charge over the sea of bones towards Anko.
Before the rhino could reach her however, Tayuya played her flute and summoned a demonic chakra beast. It managed to stop the rhino in its track. Guren leapt off the beast and fired a barrage of crystals at Tayuya but was unsuccessful as she played her flute again stopping the projectiles before they hit.
"What the fuck?" Guren exclaimed. Tayuya began to play the flute faster causing the crystals to fire back at her. A long stream of lightning shot down at Guren from above, but she managed to ward the attack by leaping onto the rhino. Bone spikes shot from underneath the beast and began to impale it.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Guren summoned a massive multithreaded dog to attack Sasuke as she leapt over the field of bone spikes beneath her. Guren landed on a building and went through more hand seals. Suddenly a massive field of crystals began to erupt from the ground around Kimimaro's spikes.
The bones and crystals furiously lashed back and forth as Guren attempted to subdue Kimimaro. Meanwhile, Sasuke was battling off the monstrous multi-headed dog. The Uchiha easily dodged its moves against him with his Sharingan active and began to charge his sword with lightning. In his other hand, Sasuke charged a powerful chidori and dove towards the animal. He managed to decapitate two heads, but to his utter shock more heads grew in their place.
Charging his sword powerfully, Sasuke dashed underneath the dog and sliced it in half vertically. He flew over it and watched confused as the beast began to multiply. Orochimaru watched amused as Guren made another mad dash at him. Before she could reach him however, Tayuya played her flute quickly causing a massive wall of chakra to block Guren.
Guren looked at her confused as she noticed chakra pouring out of the flute. It took the shape of a massive demonic enemy and began to assail Guren. She formed a crystal shield over her arm and managed to stop the creature's claws as it pounced on her.
Sasuke took the opportunity to attack Guren's blindside, "Chidori Eisō!" A spear of lightning managed to smash through Guren's crystal armor causing her to smash into the ground. Snakes began to wrap around her body before she could get up. Orochimaru walked over and held his hand up to his mind controlled subordinates as he gripped Kusanagi tightly.
As Orochimaru went to stab the blade into Guren, he was shocked to find a chidori sticking through his chest. He looked over in horror as he noticed the cursed seals wearing off on Anko, Tayuya, Sasuke and Kimimaro. Orochimaru dissipated into a bunch of snakes as the real Orochimaru stood on a rooftop. Sasuke began to leer at him darkly, "It seems your seals had a time limit, Orochimaru…now you will die."
"NOOOO! I can't die!" Orochimaru swallowed his sword and summoned Manda along with several other massive snakes. The colossal serpents thrashed over buildings as they surrounded the group.
Manda reared back to bite Sasuke, but was blocked by a massive bone spike from Kimimaro impaling the roof of his mouth. Sasuke added to the spike by charging it with lightning causing agony towards the massive reptile.
Bone spikes rapidly began to pierce the serpent from every direction. Using this to his advantage, Kimimaro jumped high into the air and created a huge cleaver over his forearm and sliced through the heads of the surrounding smaller snakes leaving Manda alone.
Orochimaru took the opportunity to flee. Tayuya took notice of this as everyone else continued to battle the gigantic beast. Fire erupted from the snake's mouth blanketing the area, but was unable to hit the group as Anko launched a massive blast of fire to counter it.
A flashy display of fire rained everywhere as the two tried to overwhelm each other. Anko's fire took the shape of a massive serpent and wrapped around Manda. Sasuke added to the blast by coating Manda in lightning. Kimimaro continued impaling it with spikes from all directions before finally the beast fell over dead.
Orochimaru looked back in horror as his favorite snake fell. While running away faster, he heard a flute playing and looked up in horror as Tayuya glanced at him. Orochimaru found himself trapped in a genjutsu. He looked around confused as he saw fire surrounding him from every angle. The sannin cringed as he channeled some of his remaining chakra to block the supposed attack.
Orochimaru managed to overwhelm the vision with his chakra and came out of the illusion. He barely dodged Tayuya's kunai as he flipped back and continued to run away. Tayuya's flute began to play again causing a demonic creature to block his path. He covered his ears fearfully as he recognized what appeared to be a siren.
Tayuya played quickly again creating a massive gust of wind to surround him. The demonic creature circled Orochimaru singing in tune with the flute. Orochimaru looked shocked as the siren circled him faster and faster before finally getting sucked into a whirling tornado. The gale began to glow blue and ring loudly deafening the sannin. Caught off guard from his pain, the siren began to rapidly stab into the tornado as she circled it.
The snake sannin was stabbed several dozen times before he finally dispersed into hundreds of snakes. The snakes managed to pounce at Tayuya and wrap around her neck preventing her from playing the flute. The siren and the gale dissipated shortly afterwards.
Several wrapped around her mouth briefly holding her still as Orochimaru got a head start running away. Rain started to pour as he got a considerable distance away from the red head. He panted heavily as he looked back. He saw Tayuya breaking free from the snakes and killing them.
He began to take off even faster, but Orochimaru didn't get far before, Guren landed in front of him on a massive bird along with Sasuke, Kimimaro, and Anko. The sannin looked around horrified that he was surrounded. Guren began to speak darkly, "This is the end of the line for you!"
Everyone stared at him intensely as he began to laugh again, "HAHAHAHA! You can't kill me! You all belong to me! Hahahaha! I can't die! Yamata no Jutsu!" (Eight Branches Technique) Everyone jumped back in shock as Orochimaru transformed into a monstrous eight headed and eight tailed white snake.
He popped out of one of the mouths and laughed, "I am a dragon god! HAHAHAHAHA! Try to kill me now!" The sannin slid back into the serpent's throat.
Orochimaru began to whiplash his heads at everyone. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Guren shouted summoning a multithreaded dog to assail the white multi headed snake. A thunderstorm raged in the skies as the shinobi began to battle once more.
"Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" (Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique) Anko shouted as a massive fiery dragon flew towards Orochimaru. The snake hissed in agony as the entity began to char its skin. The fiery dragon flailed into the serpent and began to wrap around it. The summoned dog pounced on the nearest head and began to wrestle with it furiously.
Guren jumped back on the bird and began to rain crystal lances at Orochimaru. In unison with her aerial assault, Kimimaro coughed up blood as he went through more hand seals, "Sawarabi no Mai!" (Dance of the Seedling Fern)
Tayuya looked at him concerned as Kimimaro ran towards Orochimaru and created another field of bone spikes surrounding the massive eight headed snake.
Every time a massive spike would protrude from the ground, Kimimaro would form out of it and stab the beast repeatedly impaling it with bone drills. The snake roared in agony as it slithered over the spikes making a mad dash towards Sasuke.
As one of the heads got close, everyone watched in awe as Kimimaro shot out of the ground and did a twisting flip stabbing a massive bone sword into the side of its head. Sasuke looked at Kimimaro impressed as he created another massive bone sword over his other arm. The snake heads lost focus on Sasuke as Kimimaro began to distract them.
Flying overhead, Guren fired several massive crystal blades impaling two heads. The snake was unable to move, giving Kimimaro the opportunity to pin down the other heads. Realizing the danger, Orochimaru reared back ripping the pinned heads off. New heads formed over the headless necks much to everyone's surprise. Guren's dog leapt onto Orochimaru's back and began to bite at its heads.
Several snake heads managed to rip the dog in pieces, but it divided and began to swarm the monstrous snake. A giant Kusanagi came out of several of the snake heads' mouths and began to relentlessly cleave at the dogs and Kimimaro's spike barrage. Much to everybody's surprise, the enormous serpent kept healing.
Orochimaru came out of an open mouth of the middle head again and began to laugh maniacally, "I am invincible! HAHAHAHAHA! Your attacks are useless against me…I am a god!"
Sasuke looked into the sky and looked over towards Kimimaro, "Hold him down Kimimaro!" The white haired man looked up at the sky and saw the thunderstorm raging. He immediately understood Sasuke's intent and began to create a massive bone prison to surround Orochimaru.
Kimimaro roared painfully spitting up blood as five enormous bone spikes erupted from the ground holding Orochimaru in place. "W-What are you doing?" Orochimaru asked worried as Sasuke began to channel his chakra. He tried to break from the prison, but was unsuccessful as Guren added to it, "Shōton: Suishōheki Hachi no Jin!" (Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Wall Eighth Formation)
Orochimaru was completely encased in crystal holding him still. He began to radiate purple and glowed powerfully with his remaining chakra surrounding the body of the massive snake. Orochimaru broke through both prisons and furiously began to slither towards Sasuke.
Trying to hold it back, Anko attacked, "Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!" A massive fire dragon flew towards Orochimaru and temporarily held him still as it wrapped around his body. Kimimaro roared in agony as he leapt into the air and cleaved through several heads.
The white haired man puked up blood as he landed on the main head and formed a massive bone spike over his arm. Kimimaro repeatedly stabbed the head but was caught in the mouth of another head. It tried to swallow him, but as it did, spikes erupted from all sides causing the head to explode.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Guren summoned an ox and rhino to charge the snake. The surrounding heads warded off all of Guren's summons as they furiously hissed in anger.
"Just a little longer! Hold him back just a little longer!" Sasuke shouted as he channeled all of his chakra. The colossal white snake hissed loudly as Orochimaru spit Kusanagi at Sasuke. The Uchiha had no time to react to the blade as he channeled his chakra. To his utter disbelief though, Kimimaro stopped the sword.
Sasuke was shocked to see an impaled Kimimaro standing in front of him. The white haired man fell to his knees. Orochimaru looked towards Sasuke and began to laugh at the sight, "Kimimaro…still trying to a hero I see? YOUR DEATH IS AMUSING HAHAHAHA!"
Sasuke began to boil in anger at the sight, "DIE OROCHIMARU! KIRIN!" The sannin looked up in confusion as an enormous amount of lightning took the shape of a beast in the sky. It roared powerfully causing deafening thunder to echo. Orochimaru's eyes grew wide in horror as Kirin flew overhead and blasted towards the ground. A blinding light and a deafening thunderous roar were the only things anybody could hear or see as Orochimaru was completely obliterated in the blast.
After the attack, the white snake was gone much to everybody's relief. Sasuke panted heavily completely out of chakra. The Uchiha's Sharingan faded as he fell over and sighed in relief. Sasuke looked over to see Kimimaro lying on his back with Kusanagi sticking out of his chest.
Everyone immediately made their way towards the white haired man worried. Kimimaro's vision was hazy as he coughed up a massive amount of blood and began to bleed out. Tayuya knelt over horrified at the sight and began to shout, "NO KIMMY! GOD DAMN IT! YOU CAN'T DIE YOU ASSHOLE!"
She started trying to heal the white haired man but Kimimaro grabbed her wrist and shook his head, "I'm done for…don't bother, Tayuya."
The red head looked as if she was about to cry and shook her head emotionally, "No…you're my best friend Kimmy…you can't die!" Sasuke knelt over the white haired man and looked at him disbelievingly, "Why did you save me?"
Kimimaro glanced over at him and smiled, "I was dying anyways…My life is useless, but yours can make a difference." Guren knelt over the man and shook her head sadly as he pulled the sword from his chest. Anko stood several feet away and frowned.
Kimimaro handed Kusanagi to Sasuke and spoke softly, "Become the hero I never could…"
Sasuke nodded his head, "You are a hero Kimimaro…I won't forget your sacrifice."
Kimimaro smiled before puking up the rest of his blood and dying. Everyone felt a wave of depression hit them as they stared at the dead man. Sasuke shook his head in disbelief and turned around covering his face. Everyone watched sadly as Sasuke fought back tears.
The Uchiha looked at Kusanagi fiercely and spoke strongly, "With this blade…I shall fulfill my dream. Kimimaro's sacrifice will not have been in vain." Rain continued to pour heavily adding to the depressing atmosphere of the group.
Guren walked over towards Sasuke and looked at him for a moment. "It's not completely over…maybe Naruto can bring him back…" Guren suggested optimistically. Sasuke and Tayuya perked up at the suggestion. Sasuke's depression began to lighten slightly at the mention, "You think he would?" the Uchiha asked.
Guren nodded her head, "I'm sure he would…he brought me back after all…the problem is I don't know where he is…"
Sasuke took a closer look at her eyes and looked shocked, "You have the Rinnegan too?" Guren shook her head, "No…my eyes are probably an extension of Naruto's Rinnegan."
Anko looked confused, "How exactly does that work?"
Guren sighed, "I don't know…at any rate, I suggest we take Kimimaro's body and the hell out of here before…"
Just as Guren was about to finish her sentence, a large group of Ame and Kusa nin surrounded them. The shinobi briefly bowed to the group and started clapping much to their surprise. Everybody traded confused looks as the mob cheered at them.
Finally, their leader spoke up, "All hail the heroes of Kusagakure! Killers of Orochimaru!"
Sasuke looked over towards Guren and sighed in relief. Guren nodded her head at the man, "We were merely following the orders of our Lord, Pein."
The man smiled at the mention and nodded his head, "Lady Konan will be pleased to hear the news. The higher ups told us that Pein and Lady Konan decided to become allies. Long live our alliance!" The man placed a hand to his chest and nodded at the group.
He motioned for his men to follow him. As the shinobi passed, they continued to cheer at the group. After a minute, all of the nin left. Sasuke looked at Guren again and spoke, "We need to find him…you have no idea where he is?" Guren thought for a moment and nodded, "I have an idea…maybe he's at the Valley of the End. That's where the Taki nin we intercepted said he and Konan went."
Anko cheered at the suggestion, "Oh yeah I almost forgot about that!"
Everyone nodded in approval as Guren called her bird over. "We'll fly there to save time. Everybody get on…make sure Kimimaro doesn't fall off." Sasuke picked Kimimaro up and carried him onto the Guren's bird.
Sasuke looked back at the obliterated battlefield as they flew away and over Kusagakure. The destruction was everywhere, but he could make out the distant sight of people coming out of their homes and cheering.
The raven haired Uchiha looked into the sky as the rain continued to pour and sighed, 'Your days are numbered Itachi…'
XXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto was fast asleep on a couch near the unconscious Mizukage several feet away. A red headed woman strolled around the couch curiously as she examined the sight of a sleeping Naruto. She reached down and brushed her hand against his face, but immediately her hand was snatched and she was pinned underneath him on the couch.
Mei looked amused as he growled at her. After a brief moment, Naruto recognized the woman and let go of her wrists and sat up. "You didn't have to stop…" Mei smirked as she sat up and sprawled her legs over him.
Naruto looked over at her and sighed, "What do you want Mei?"
She placed her hands behind her head and sighed, "Well, I just saw you sleeping and…"
Naruto raised a brow at her, "And what?"
Mei smiled at him lustfully and shrugged, "Well I didn't get that far…yet."
Naruto eyed the woman up and down. Mei took notice of it and licked her lips as she stared at him. "You like what you see? I could help you finish that dream if you want."
"Don't you have things to be doing?" Naruto asked amused.
She nodded her head, "Yeah I do have things to be doing…I wouldn't mind if you wanted to help." Naruto looked over at her and sighed, "I assume you want to talk to me?"
The woman smirked, "Well…we don't just have to talk…but yeah I wouldn't mind discussing a few things."
Naruto nodded his head, "Alright go ahead and say what's on your mind then."
"First of all, I want to know what you're going to do about Yagura. Are you going to kill him or try converting him or something?"
Naruto looked at the woman and shrugged, "That depends on how he reacts…first thing I want to do is ask him everything he knows about Madara." Mei nodded her head at his answer.
"So something else I wanted to ask you…how the hell did you bring Zabuza and Haku back from the dead?" Mei asked curiously. Naruto shrugged at her and sighed, "I used my Rinnegan…does it really matter?"
She smirked at him, "I guess not…okay next question, what exactly are you trying to do? I mean besides all of this Akatsuki nonsense…you have some kind of agenda?"
Naruto nodded his head, "Would you hate me if I said a cliché thing like world domination? Hmm, I have several agendas I am concerned about. First and foremost, I have to kill Madara and Akatsuki. If I ever manage to get that done, I want to defeat the Five Great Shinobi Nations…after that I'm not really sure."
Mei raised a brow at the mention, "No happily ever after? No big fancy marriage or anything?" Naruto shrugged, "I don't care about things like that anymore…I just want to destroy everyone who has ruined my life."
Mei rolled her eyes at him and laughed, "Oh, c'mon…you may end up settling down if you meet the right person." Mei sat up and began to straddle the jinchuuriki looking at him lustfully. Naruto looked up at her and smirked, "Oh…and who might this person be?"
Mei leaned in close to his face and began to lick the whisker marks on his cheek, "Maybe some gorgeous damsel in distress who was saved by a mysterious bad boy…maybe she has a dirty little crush on him and he doesn't know."
"Maybe he's got too much on his plate to care right now…" Naruto spoke softly. The red head was right next to his face and frowned at his answer. "So tell me why you don't you go by your real name?" Mei asked as she breathed on Naruto's face.
The jinchuuriki sighed, "My name is widely known by Konoha…I don't want them discovering the truth until the day of reckoning."
Mei looked at him curiously, "Sounds to me like you're afraid to face them…was there somebody you cared about back home?"
Naruto growled and pushed her off, "That place was NEVER my home…I don't have a home. As for people I cared about…that's none of your damn business!"
Mei cocked her head in confusion at the sudden change of tone in the Rinnegan wielder. "I didn't mean to pry…I'm just curious about you," Mei said sincerely. Naruto shook his head and sighed, "Look I can understand where you're coming from, but I rarely talk about my past to complete strangers."
"I understand how you feel…it's hard to trust anybody after being betrayed. I feel the same way about Yagura…he's done so many terrible things, but he isn't a bad person," Mei said sadly.
Naruto looked over at Yagura and back to Mei, "You don't hate Yagura for what he did to your clan?"
She looked down in shame, "The only thing I hate is the fact that I can't hate Yagura. I tried to convince myself dozens of times that he was the villain everyone claimed him to be...but he is not Yagura is a tortured soul."
Naruto glanced over at Mei and nodded his head, "We're all tortured souls…for your sake and for his, I'll try to show compassion when dealing with him."
The gorgeous woman stood up to take her leave, "I appreciate it Naruto…I just want you to know that you have my trust."
Naruto nodded at the woman as she walked away. When she got to the door she turned around and looked at him again. "Would it be alright if you and I could talk like this more often?" Mei asked
The jinchuuriki nodded his head, "I don't see why not."
Mei smirked as she walked out of the room.
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A single white snake was slithering away from the aftermath of a great battle. The serpent got to the trees and reformed into the shape of Orochimaru. The sannin shook his head in disbelief as he sat down against the tree.
"DAMN IT! They defeated me…I should have taken Sasuke's body when I had the chance. He even has my sword now…how could this day get any worse?" Orochimaru shouted angrily to nobody in particular. He covered his face with both hands as the rain poured overhead.
Answering his question, a maw sprung from the ground in front of him catching his attention. Orochimaru shook his head at the sight, "Zetsu…oh great." The maw opened to reveal the black zetsu.
"Tobi wants to speak to you about Pein…" The dark Zetsu said callously. Orochimaru looked at the dark plant man curiously and sighed, "I'm in no position to tell him anything…I just had a near death experience with 'Pein's' followers."
Zetsu looked at the snake sannin darkly, "You truly are foolish…do you even know who Pein is yet? Tobi knows who he is, and so do I."
Orochimaru perked up at the Zetsu's comment and sighed, "Just tell me what you know about Pein…and I'll do whatever Madara wants."
The dark Zetsu nodded and began to speak again, "Very well. Pein is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi…his name is Naruto Uzumaki. We recently learned from Tobi himself that Naruto is his grandson. Naruto also possesses the Rinnegan as you have no doubt discovered."
Orochimaru's eyes shot open in utter disbelief. "Naruto Uzumaki the Kyuubi kid? You mean to tell me that Pein the notorious S class criminal is that annoying brat? Somebody as insignificant and foolish as him doesn't deserve to have the Rinnegan!"
"He almost single handedly took on all of Akatsuki at the Valley of the End except for Tobi and myself. He defeated Itachi and Kisame and turned Deidara against us. Your disdain for him is pathetic…Naruto is far more powerful than you realize."
Orochimaru cocked his head in confusion, "So he is your enemy? I heard from my former minions that Konan took him to the Valley of the End to join Akatsuki."
"Tobi was under the impression that Naruto could be controlled, but he was mistaken. However, leader, doesn't seem very concerned about it. I'm sure he would be more than willing to explain himself to you." Zetsu said the last part sarcastically.
Orochimaru sighed as he shook his head, "Where is he now?"
"He and Sasori are on their way to Suna to capture the Kazekage. We are proceeding with the jinchuuriki plan."
The snake sannin glared at the ground, "Sasori and Madara together? I am surprised Madara would partner with anybody." Zetsu shrugged at the comment and replied, "You and I are going to go find Tobi in Wind Country."
The snake sannin stood up and nodded his head, "Fine…it's not like I can stop Naruto by myself anymore now that all of my minions have betrayed me."
"Remember when I told you ten years ago that treating your minions as disposable pawns would bite you in the ass one day? Well this is prove of that." The dark zetsu stated coldly.
"Shut up Zetsu…let's just go," Orochimaru said in a depressed tone as he began to follow the plant man.
XXXXXXXXXXX
Bursting through the doors of the Hokage Office, a worried Kakashi began to speak up, "Tsunade, we have a problem!" Kankuro, Temari, and most of the Ame team were behind Kakashi. The Hokage looked at him irritated, "Has anybody ever heard of knocking?"
Of the Ame assault team, everybody was in attendance with the exceptions of Neji, Chouji, Anko, and Shizune.
The team had its old members consisting of Ino, Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Sakura, Yamato, Kakashi, and three additions new additions. Clad in green jumpsuits both wearing jounin vests were Rock Lee, and Might Guy (Talk about a man's name!) The third addition was a pale brunette man with a half shirt known only as Sai.
Stepping forward, Kakashi sighed, "Sasuke is missing…he left a note." The silver haired jounin walked over to Tsunade and handed her a slip of paper.
The Hokage snatched the note and read it aloud, "To Konoha: I have left the village for the same reasons I did the first time around. I know that after three years you must have assumed I changed, but sadly I have not. I left to join forces with Pein and to kill my brother. I have no love for this village and refuse to show loyalty to the corrupted elders and to my feeble comrades. With the exception of Tsunade, I hope you all burn in hell."
Everyone's eyes shot open in disbelief. Ino shrieked at the note, "Why would Sasuke write such a horrible thing? I thought he was back to normal!"
Sakura sighed deeply upon hearing the note and shook her head, "First Naruto and now Sasuke…" The pink haired girl sunk into a depressed mood.
"I haven't seen Sasuke-kun since we got back from the mission," Hinata stated.
Shikamaru shook his head and sighed, "Obviously, he's obsessed with finding Pein…I was incapacitated and didn't get a chance to see it for myself, but didn't Pein say he knew about Naruto's location?"
"H-he did?" Hinata asked hopeful. Kakashi nodded his head, "Pein saved our lives from Konan, but addressed us as trash…there is no telling what kind of a person he is."
"He glared at me like I had personally wronged him…" Sakura trailed off. Kiba ran a hand through his hair and laughed, "Sasuke has some nerve trying to leave Konoha again…I know Naruto would kick his ass and bring him back if he were here!"
Kakashi looked down in shame before speaking, "Respectfully, Tsunade-sama…I'd like to fill out my retirement forms as a jounin instructor and ask for reinstatement into Anbu. I have lost two of the most notable shinobi in Konoha under my tutelage and am unfit to teach anymore."
Everyone looked at Kakashi shocked by his request. The Hokage nodded her head, "We'll discuss that after your mission is complete. Also, let it be known that Sasuke is officially a missing nin now…Anbu will deal with him. You're all dismissed…guard the Kazekage with your lives until further notice."
Kakashi nodded his head, "We'll leave immediately Tsunade-sama."
Everyone nodded before leaving the office. A cough caught the blonde woman's attention turning her focus towards Jiraiya standing in the window. Tsunade looked at him and sighed, "At this point why am I even surprised? Next thing you know, Naruto will turn out to be bad or something crazy like that."
"He would never turn on Konoha!" Jiraiya stated assuredly. Tsunade nodded her head, "If he were here he would be talking about how he would bring Sasuke back and how…he was going to become Hokage…" Tsunade's eyes began to water as she looked down shamefully.
Jiraiya pat her on the back and sighed, "His name is still on the toad contract but they have been unable to find or summon him. The good news though is it confirms he is still alive."
Tsunade shrugged and sat down at her new desk, "It's been three years…if was able to come back by now, he would have. Wherever he is, I just hope he found some happiness."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Well I guess that's the end of the chapter…I'm really bad about making them too long. But oh well. Here's the usual chapter notes:
I know Killer Bee's rap was pretty corny but I put it together in like ten minutes. It sounded so much better in my head.
The secret Akatsuki Base turns out to be Hidan's house LOL…I hope you guys got a kick out of that one. I guess it makes you wonder about Jashin-sama…
Of course the highlight of this chapter was Naruto's Paths of Pain. There's a lot going on there…but yeah just in case you were wondering, Guren is the Animal Path, Haku is the Human Path, and Zabuza is the Preta Path. I'll just leave it at that…speculate all you want.
The Orochimaru battle took a long time to write so I hope you enjoyed it. Tayuya doesn't do much in the show besides Genjutsu, so I added a few things…I mean it is called a Demon Flute after all…although It's hard to do much with everyone else when Kimimaro is going beast mode.
Kimimaro sacrificed himself for Sasuke…how did that make you feel?
I probably psyched a few of you out when Orochimaru turned out to be alive BWAHAHAHA! He can't die that easily…he's the master of running away after getting his ass kicked.
Zetsu split in two…. Black Zetsu is a stone cold badass. I hope you guys enjoyed him insulting Orochimaru. Although now you're going to wonder where white Zetsu went.
Poor Tsunade…she's going to go grey from all the stress she's been putting up with. I hope you liked Sasuke's note HAHAHA…I could so see him writing something like that.
Anyways that was chapter number 13 for you…hoped you enjoyed it.